The Origin of Bowser: Part 3 - The Legacy

Chapter 14 – The Confession

    When the Koopas got back home from Brooklyn, the civilians expressed concern about the attack the King and the group had to undergo, especially Rosaria, who ran and hugged Bowser when she realized what happened. Furthermore, the siblings made a promise that for now on they would never interfere with the humans again unless Kamek transforms them. Meanwhile, Mario and his friends at the sky watched Bowser happily reunite with his people and started to realize something: considering the fact that he saved the Super Mario gang from that prejudical masked man, the Koopa King has indeed turned good and proved himself as an endearing guardian who wanted to protect everyone from danger. But there came some unanswered questions: “Will Bowser stay good for long?” “What was Nascosto’s secret identity?” “Does that white-haired girl Rosaria seem to relate to someone who looks after Lumas?” “What really happened during Smash War?” Those questions were quite surreal, as no one could give a single answer.

    Six months after Mario, his friends, and Bowser defeated Nascosto, on April 25th, there came a wedding ceremony in which Bowser and Rosaria, who Kamek turned into a Koopa, got married; unexpectedly, Mario, his gang, Armand-Guglielmo, and Starlow were there.

    “Ladies and germs- I mean, gentlekoopas, we are assembled here in this ceremony to worship this moment of truth,” said the Lakitu Officiant, “You see, Bowser has evolved from a brat mistreated by city humans to a confident, loyal and altruistic leader who changed all of our lives and does not let anyone push him down, regardless of his own physical monstrosity and nature. And now, we are going to see him and Mistress, or should I say Queen Silvestriano collide together. The two have known each other since elementary school, and their relationship will soon be far deeper than to the core of the Earth. The officiant turned to the King. “Bowser, do you promise to mind your manners, ignore the people who call you a beast, lay off those sweets, eat your vegetables, and treat of your lovely bride with a truckload of love once you begin your smooching?”

    Everyone laughed.

    “I do,” answered the King.

    “And Rosaria, do you promise to always look after our majesty and brothers, no matter how tough it can be? And do you promise to eventually have the humans get to know the King when time is right?”

    “I do,” replied the Queen.

    “For now on, in this city, you two will live here as both Koopas, but when you go outside, it is compulsory that you turn into humans just in case every Tom, Dick, and Harry, the non-Koopas, may attack you if not so. Better safe than sorry, don’t you think? So guys, what is true love? Perhaps I can define it in my own words. People are there when you’re feeling a little down. They rearrange your face when you act like a clown. From the gift of altruism, we gain a little vigor. Therefore, energy won’t stop getting bigger.”

    John then brought two rings with the pillow and said, “Repeat after your favorite bro, me. Don’t worry; it’ll only take no more than a minute. I take you to be my husband…”

    Bowser took one ring, and repeated, “I take you to be my wife, and my true love. I will look after you, laugh with you, dance with you, and do my best to keep from you from any type of danger. And with this ring, I take you as my Beauty, for as long as we both shall live.”

    Rosaria then took the second ring, and repeated after John, “And I take you to be my husband. I will make sure that nobody ever hurts you, serve my loyalty to you, and help you make more friends of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Those are all promises. And with that ring, I take you as my Beast, for as long as we both shall live.”

    “I have nothing else to say here,” said the Lakitu Officiant. “You may start your pecking!”

    Finally, Bowser and Rosaria put on their rings and kissed, resulting in a massive applause. After the ceremony, Mario introduced the couple to his friends. “Your majesties,” he said, “it’s about time you meet all of my friends: Yoshi, Birdo, Wario, Waluigi, Peach, Daisy, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and a special visitor named Rudy Clawful. Remember most of them from elementary? We were also the False Yoshis who saved your siblings from those rangers at Brooklyn.”  He then turned to his buddies, “Say hello to the two!”

    Everyone waved. Rudy took of picture of the married couple.

    “Hello, Rosaria, or should I say…Clawsaria,” Peach greeted the bride. “Remember when we used to be best buddies at school?

    “I certainly have,” replied the bride, who shape-shifted back into her human form. “Back in high school, we used to be baseball players, strikers, and cheerleaders who worked together all the time. Along with Daisy, we also ate together, walked together, and played together. We did everything together!”

    “There is nothing like the power of teamwork,” said Daisy.

    “It’s a pleasure to reunite with all of you guys, and thank you for saving my brothers and only sister,” said the King. “But why did you dress up as Yoshis to rescue us? What if you didn’t?”

    “We dressed up as Yoshis so that Volto Nascosto wouldn’t see us as outlaws,” explained Peach. “And if we didn’t disguise ourselves, we would’ve gotten arrested for ‘high treason’. You see, Nascosto really hates Koopas, mainly due to your rather hardcore and considerably unrefined nature.”

    “Nascosto hates Koopas?” said Rosaria. “That sounds a lot like my red-haired ex-boyfriend back in the days of school.”

    “And my uncle who worked for the orphanage,” added Rudy.

    “And don’t you guys remember how I treated all of you when you were infants?” replied Bowser.

    “Well, if we were the ones being attacked even as VILLAINS, you would have saved us as well due to our feelings,” said Luigi.

    What Luigi just said made Bowser reminisce what Mario said years ago, when the plumber stood up against Darwin for the Koopa:

    “Wow! Do you know what this means, turtle trog?” asked Darwin reading the Prince’s diary. “You have no family today! They abandoned you because they hated you for a monster you are!”

    Suddenly, Mario showed up and saw Darwin with Bowser’s diary. “Give back his book, Darwin Kurosawa,” he told the red-haired boy in a serious tone.

    “Mario?” asked Darwin. “What are you doing here? This is something you should stay out of.”

    Mario gave Darwin a stern look. “It doesn’t matter whether someone’s a monster or not, if you are going to pick on this orphan, make sure he’s your size. Now return the diary to the owner.”

    “Mario, why did you help me?” asked Bowser, “I always hated you since we were babies,” Bowser told Mario.

    “Sometimes, you got to help your enemies in need,” said Mario. “They have feelings just like all of us.”

    “Before you saved my siblings, you were the one who made that red-haired bully bring back my diary in the past,” the King told Mario.

“That’s-a correct,” replied Mario.

“And not only that I saved two families, one from a bear and another from a fire, but I also saved you guys when that masked man, who was about to blow you into dust.”

“I guess this is passing it along, don’t you think?” responded Mario.

Meanwhile, Rudy Clawful left the gang and hid himself behind a tree. Then he called Mr. Nascosto and told him, “Sir, I have found out who were the faux Yoshis during that assault a while after now.”

    “Who were they?” asked Nascosto.

    “Mario and his gang,” answered Rudy. “I don’t have proof, but I will look for them sooner or later.”

    “Good,”   replied the boss. “The next time I see those Mario Bros, we’ll have a very calm discussion about this incident even though they just stopped working for me.”

Chapter 15 – One Big Family

    Eight months after the marriage, and that the white-haired queen relocated her job as an artist to her homeplace, Bowser and Rosaria (aka “Clawsaria” in her Koopa form) gave birth to Bowser Jr. and officially became parents. But unlike Bowser’s parents, they made a promise that they would never send away like during the war. During the child prince’s development, Bowser and Kamek taught BJ how to breathe fire and use magic, similar to how Kamek taught the King, whereas Clawsaria taught him drawing lessons as well as life lessons. Sometimes, Brutus often visited his nephew and taught him how to invent technology and mechanics.  

    Sometime after Bowser Jr.’s first birthday, Bowser transformed into Copper Bauman once again to visit Brooklyn. There, most of the people welcomed him for all of the lives he helped over the months, if not everyone. For example, after saving the Robinsons and Smiths, he had defended a boy from a group of bullies at an alley; this reminded the King of how he was picked on years ago. Also, he had rescued Mirth Peepers, the Duck Hunt Dog, from a group of crocodiles from the swamp; the canine was revealed to be AG’s brother, who recently stole the duck statue from the café. Eventually, the dog returned the statue to the rightful owner. Furthermore, Copper saw Sonic the Hedgehog drowning in a lake with one leg injured from a rock. So using his magic skills, he had a lifesaver pop out on his hands, quickly dived into the water, gave the speed demon the life saver to grab, and swam back to the dock. After that, he recovered the hedgehog’s leg with a healing spell, loosely reminiscent of the time when Bowser’s wounded leg was mended by Rosaria in the childhood years.

    “Thanks for saving me, buddy,” Sonic told Copper. “You see, I when came here looking down to see the scenery, some hooded guy with red hair kicked me in the leg with metal boots, and that’s how I fell from the rock face with a damaged leg. It seems to me that outsiders aren’t wanted.”

    “Wait, did you say ‘hooded guy’?” asked Copper. “If you see ever him again, let me know and I’ll put an end to his dirty tricks once and for all.”

    “One more thing, how did you recover my leg like that?” asked the blue hedgehog.

    “An old friend taught me,” answered Copper.

    On this afternoon, Copper found seven boxes at a private support group ran by Boom Boom. Inside the boxes were toddler Koopas known as the Koopalings. Their names from oldest to youngest were Ludwig von Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Iggy Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, Morton Koopa Jr. and Larry Koopa.
“What are you doing here, looking at us like we’re monsters?” asked Boom Boom.

    “I just want to take a look of those innocent kids,” answered Copper. “They seem to have no parents.”

    “That’s because their parents have been killed from humans like you,” said Boom Boom. “And now, all I have left are these cousins of mine. Before then, we lived happy lives, minding our own business while my cuzes here were being nurtured by their parents, Morton and Courtney Koopa. And then, one day, there came a Koopa Season, in which many of us were being poached for our skin and money! We told them to leave us alone because we didn’t do nothin’, but the hunters refused and poisoned the Koopalings’ parents because they ain’t got no speck of mercy on us. They hated us for our nature, the guys we are and what we do best for a living! I hope you’re happy about what you’ve done because not all us are necessarily evil. We were all misjudged, based on some kind of battle from outer space. I guess when few of us do something really bad, we all become rotten eggs! Now, unless you are willing to make a change and adopt all of these youngin’s, you better scram before I take you to a cruise for a bruise!”

    “I heard all about this incident before,” replied Copper. “I ensure you that I am not like the hunters that killed my cousin Morton Koopa Sr. and his wife. In fact, I’m actually a Koopa disguised as a human so that I wouldn’t get in trouble with everyone else.”

    “How do I know if you ain’t lying to me?” asked Boom-Boom.

    “Perhaps this will give you an answer,” retorted the King, bringing out his Koopa Crown. “I got this when I was elected as ruler.”

    Boom Boom then faced the Koopalings and asked, “Kids, what do you think, should we trust this guy over here?”

    “I believe you, mister,” Larry Koopa told Copper. “So can you please be our dad? We’re all cold, lonely, and starving, and we need someone to take care of us.”

    “The only food we eat is what one of us snatches from garbage cans,” lamented Ludwig.

    “Not only that, we also had to sleep in these filthy boxes,” groaned Morton.

    “And worst of all, we always have to remain hidden or else we’re dead meat!” yipped Iggy.

    “Nobody ever messes with a Koopa,” said Copper. “You kids deserve a family, and I shall give you one! And once I see those hunters who attacked your parents, I’ll give them a piece of their mind!”

    So Copper took Boom Boom and the Koopalings to his castle, shape-shifted back into Bowser, and introduced the kids to Clawsaria, Kamek, and ultimately, Bowser Jr, who instantly painted the Koopalings as a welcome gift.

    “Koopalings,” said Bowser, “Make sure you treat everyone nicely, especially our son Junior, who is the prince of this city. For now on, this will be your new home. Hmm, perhaps each of you can tell us all of the things that you like?”

“I like to play sports, like football and soccer,” said Larry.

“I want to run a TV talk show when I grow up!” exclaimed Morton Jr.

“Ice skating and swimming are what interests me,” spoke Wendy.

   “I can invent gadgets, designed for a romp! And it would be nice if I owned a Chain Chomp,” said Iggy. “Wait, did I mention that I love poetry?”

    “I want to wrestle and ride on a skateboard,” said Roy.

    “I want to join the circus,” said Lemmy, “where I can juggle and balance on a bouncy ball.”

    “And I have desires of playing the piano, because I enjoy listening to classical music,” verbalized Ludwig. “One day, I could compose my own music, entitled "Koopa Symphonies".

    “So let me get this straight,” said Bowser. “So it’s sports, TV hosting, swimming, mechanics, wrestling, the Big Top, and music. You kids sure have big dreams as ex-orphans. So when you put your mind to them, there's no problem big enough to run away from.”  

    Since that day, Bowser sent the Koopalings to programs focused their individual desired talents. As for Bowser Jr. however, he remained homeschooled by his dad, but with extra underpinnings from his siblings. Eventually, the Kooplings became talented genii, and and as a result, Bowser ran a talent show that focused on the competences of the kids. As for Iggy, he was given a pet Chain Chomp as a special gift.

Chapter 16 –Volto Nascosto in the Mushroom Kingdom

    A year after Bowser adopted the Koopalings, after the failed attempt of killing Bowser and his siblings, Nascosto and his crew left Brooklyn after they were marked as outlaws by all of the citizens since his unjust acts such as posting prejudicial propaganda, assassinating a group of non-humans, and blockading immigrants from various countries to “save” his people. As they were escaping, they entered to a Warp Pipe to the Mushroom World When the masked man and his subjects arrived at the Mushroom Kingdom, he dethroned Peach’s father by knocking him unconcious and become king; Peach’s home place was the perfect habitation to take over to get exact revenge on the Toads and Koopas, who originated here.

    “Everyone, I am your new ruler now,” Nascosto announced to all of the Toads. Peach’s father King Toadstool is no more! For now, you will all serve me and make sure that you treat all of us humans with respect. It’s time to understand how we felt when we were defeated by you Toads with the help of those freakish Koopas we all feared! And if any of you disobey me, you will be SEVERELY PUNISHED!”

    “So what’s going to happen to our rights?” asked a red Toad.

    Nascosto then lifted the Toad and choked him through telekinesis. “Fool! You dare to starve for my power? DO YOU? Ask for freedom of any form, and next time, I will break your bones like a toothpick! I have learned black magic for years, therefore no one can get in my way, whether its signs or violence!” The masked man then threw the Toad to a mud puddle.

    “Don’t make the masked man mad, guys!” advised Rudy Clawful.

    All of the Toads were afraid of Nascosto especially the fact that he was a black magician. Since the invasion, the masked man enslaved all of the Toads and put rules against Koopa supporters and reinforced them through the threats of extreme torture so everyone would obey him.

    Meanwhile, at home, during bedtime, Bowser was having a surreal nightmare: First, he was trying to save his parents Morthophelus and Cynthia Koopa, from a black hole, which contradicted the real causes of their death, which was a nuclear Banzai Bill.

    “Save us, son!” begged Bowser’s father, becoming imbibed.

    “Mom, Dad, Grab this rope!” screamed Bowser, giving his arm. The parents managed to grab the rope, but then, a giant shadow came to kick Bowser from the cliff to join his parents’ fate. Before it did, it transforms into Darwin Kurosawa, Bowser’s childhood enemy, except that he looked more demonic. When the giant monster bully knocked the Koopa over, he cackled at him and told him, “You were born a monster and monsters are never met to live good lives! So long, freak!” When Bowser entered the vortex along with his parents, there was absolutely nothing to see except for his own body. He had also realized that his parents disappeared even though he had joined them. Then, a ball of roaring fire appeared and got closer the Koopa King. At first, Bowser thought he was to burn into charcoal, but the “fire” turned out to be a tunnel to a series of exemplifications of his worst memories. First, a colony of particularly large bats, with heads of the childhood bullies chased the Koopa.

    “Hey look, it’s that ugly frog, the one that we all hate!” called the George-Bat. “Get him!”

    “Get away from me!” cried Bowser, running away. While on the trot, the floor suddenly transformed into a tongue of a giant Yoshi head, who was angrily staring at the dragon turtle.

    “Remember the time when you kidnaped Luigi and the other babies or the time when you stole the cookies and the Super Happy Tree in my home, King Bowser Koopa?” said the giant Yoshi head. “You must pay for all of your wrongs!”

    “I only wanted to have some friends!” sobbed the Koopa. “I didn’t mean to harm any of you! I was all lonely! No one in the world ever cared about me! But I have changed to be a better person, so PLEASE show me mercy! I’m begging you!”

    “Who wants to friends with a monster like you?” hissed one of the bats. “Nobody cares if you’re all lonely and miserable even if you’re good!”

    The Yoshi head then ate Bowser, who entered another realm, which was a colossal fire-surrounded boxing ring. There, the king meets a giant Mr. Clawful with boxing gloves, and the audience holding anti-Bowser signs.

    “Get ready to creamed, freak!” roared the cougar. “You destroyed Apricot City out of house and home and now it’s time to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!”

    “N-N-N-O-O-O-O-O-O!!!” screamed the miniature Bowser.

    Mr. Clawful then kicked Bowser up and performed an uppercut to send him to a hungry Piranha Plant on the ceiling, which ultimately ate the king, marking his supposed demise.

    Precipitously, Bowser woke up and took heavy breaths, realizing that he’s back to the real world.

    Then, Rosaria got up as well and asked his husband with concern,” What’s wrong, honey? Now take a deep breath and-”

“I-I-It was terrible!” shrieked the king. Then, he quickly explained, “In my nightmare, I was trying to save my deceased parents from a black hole, but a giant Darwin kicked me there and then I was chased by giant bats. Next, a giant Yoshi head yelled at me for kidnapping the Star Children and soon ate me. And then, on a battle ring, I was in a death match with Mr. Clawful, who knocked me away to get eaten by a Piranha Plant, so I-“ He then confessed, “Hon, I still feel like I'm the same horrible monster who was never meant to be.”

    “But you’re not,” replied Bowser’s wife. “Now, that was just a nightmare that is based on your past, not today. It’s time that you let it go and move on, dear.”

“How?” asked the husband.

    She answered, “Remember all of those times when you did everything to prove that you’ve capable of doing something good, like when you caught that laughing dog that stole AG’s statue or healed Sonic’s leg. We all love you not because of your nature or what you look like. It’s because you changed to be someone better in terms of your choices.”  

    “I know that a lot of people love me now,” said the King, “But I’m not sure if the humans will stay that way if I reveal my true form to them. I wonder if there’s some kind of prophecy.”

    “I believe it’s time we go to Brooklyn to show everyone your true identity so they will understand who much you’ve changed over the years,” Rosaria suggested. “That way, they will change how they used to see your own kind. Just think about it.”

    “But I’m scared,” whimpered Bowser. “I can’t risk letting anyone remember the person I was as a child.”

    The wife replied, “You’ll never know what can happen, until you give it try. And Mario promised to be there for you if anything wrong happens.”

    Bowser then took some time thinking about it. At ten o’ clock PM, Bowser, who just transformed into Copper, Rosaria, Mario, and Luigi went to Brooklyn to reveal to everyone the king’s true identity. First, Mario made an announcement:

    “Ciao a tutti! (Hello, everybody!) It’s-a us, Mario, Luigi, Rosaria, and Copper! Today, I would like to make a presentation about Copper Bauman, as special thanks for all of the good deeds he had done over time! Remember the time when he fought a group of criminals who tried to-“

    The announcement was interrupted when Princess Peach and one of the Toads appeared from a Warp Pipe to bring out urgent news.

    “Mario! Luigi!” cried Toad. “This is an emergency! A masked magician has taken over the Mushroom Kingdom and now he’s going to turn us all into slaves! And he’ll exterminate those who want freedom!”

    “Not only that, but he’s also taking my father hostage!” added Peach. “You’ve got to save him and all of the Toads! Please!”

    “Perhaps it’s Volto Nascosto who is responsible for this situation,” said Luigi. “Come on gang, let’s-a move!”

    “Rosaria, stay here where you’ll be safe,” Copper told his wife. “This is something far too dangerous for you to deal with.”

    The Mario Bros., Copper, Peach, and Toad quickly entered the Warp Pipe to the Mushroom Kingdom only to be caught by Nascosto’s guards. As a result, they were sent to the castle to encounter the masked dictator at the throne room for a talk.

    “Greetings, Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, and of course, Copper,” said the masked man. “Have all of you noticed something?”

    “You’re wearing a crown,” said Mario.

    “That’s right, I’m the king now!” barked Nascosto. “When I have failed to convince everyone that all outsiders are bad, I knew I lost my opportunity to become president of the US. And remember the time when the Smiths’ mansion was one fire? It was one of my subjects who threw a torch at the house and placed the TNT in order to have an old enemy save the Smiths only to be lured to a trap! But like how I tried to ‘protect’ the citizens by blockading the foreigner creatures, that scheme had somehow backfired. So when I had discovered the Warp Pipe, this was my opportunity to get my revenge on the misfits, especially those spikey-shelled, bull-horned Koopas, aka, the Kooportentum Reges! That’s Latin for the scientific name ‘Koopa monster kings’. Anyhow, Rudy told me that you plumbers betrayed me in order to save an old enemy, based on the evidence me.”

    “He did what?” asked Mario.

    Rudy Clawful showed up and snarled, “That’s right, traitors! I’ve been spying on you for the whole time! First of all, I showed my master pictures of you and your gang gathering with the Koopas in a friendly way during the wedding. I also told him that you disguised yourselves as Yoshis so wouldn’t be caught deceiving us. I met a psychic who figured out that you did, but I think we already got the main idea. No wonder why you two quit working for us. If only if my uncle could see this.”

    “You never should have come here to stop me!” Nascosto told the gang. “Since I have become a formidable black magician, I have the power to teleport you to prison! BWA HA HA HA! Guards, stand back! Let me do my magic!” The masked man then put a spell to send the intruders except Copper to the dungeon. As for Peach, she was put in a bird cage.

    “As for you, Copper Bauman, or should I say, King Bowser Koopa,” said the xenophobic Nascosto, “it’s time that we have a special arrangement together!”

    “Wait, you know what my true identity is?” asked Copper? “But how did you?

    The masked kingpin answered, “When we attempted to attack you and your siblings, you transformed into your true form in order to fire at me to save Mario and his gang.”

    “Gosh, darn it,” groaned Copper. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

    “What a fool you are! Prepare to fight, beast in disguise!” declared the kingpin. “This will determine whose lights will shut off for good! And once I slaughter you, I will let everyone know who you really are!”

    “I accept your challenge,” said Copper.

    “Be careful, Copper!” yelled Peach in one of the cages.

    “Silence!” roared Nascosto.

    And so the duel began. First, Nascosto shot lightning from his hands to electrocute the orange-haired man, who, in response, formed an invisible barrier to shield himself.  

    Then, Copper threw a fireball at the masked man, but Nascosto suddenly vanished and soon reappeared behind his opponent. Next, he summoned Rock Goombas and Lakitus and ordered them to attack Copper. As a response, the orange-haired man wielded a flood of various sharp weapons through telekinesis and aimed at the enemies, knocking them all one by one.

    “You’ll have to do better than that, Nascosto,” said Copper.

    Later, the fight soon became more physical when Copper hurtled and attempted to perform a flame-enchanted uppercut at Nascoto’s chin. The masked man then dodged and counter-punched him in the cheek. Next, the orange-haired man front kicked the dictator’s leg, causing him to fall. The kingpin got up, magically conjured a bat and hit Copper in the head with it. However, Copper survived the hit and tackled the dictator, and the two clasped hands while rolling. After several moments of combat, magical and physical, Nascoto was finally weakened, taking deep huffs. Finally, Copper transformed back into Bowser and finished him off with one last uppercut using all of his force, in which his opponent’s mask lightly flew off, revealing his true identity. When Copper first saw Nascoto unmasked, his eyes widened and started to recognize a certain face.

    “N-N-No, it couldn’t be,” said Bowser, shocked. “I recognize that red hair; it’s you…Darwin Kurosawa!"

    There is no doubt that Nascoto’s true identity was none other than the Bowser’s childhood enemy who frequently abused him in elementary school. The grown-up Darwin got up, laughed and said calmly, “Surprise, Bowser. You know, your breath stinks so badly for a king that it makes me feel like I'm living in a dump! Nonetheless, you tried to be good, and here, you have fought me well. Perhaps now you should let me explain my backstory. Years ago, my parents participated in Smash War I, the time when your parents died. My parents and I were part of the Tabo, a high-ranking sub-organization of the Teologo Federation that fought against the beastly Kooportentum Reges, supported by the weird Toads and all of those other creatures. When those Koopas defeated us, we lost nearly everything. Hundreds of us were killed, our homes were destroyed and worst of all, we were somehow expelled by Grand Master Alexandra, the auxiliary of the previous leader Princess Rosalina. We didn’t know why we were kicked out, even though the Koopas were the bad guys, but we learned about a widely-known prophecy that you will long live a depressing and devastating life and grow up to become the greatest and most powerful evil of all time."

    “But why?” asked Bowser. “I already turned good. I’ve saved families, helped my people, and I’m raising eight children.”

    “The prophecy still stands, no matter if you’re living happily now, raising kids, or rescuing many lives,” said Darwin. “You realize that this is a special fate ‘explicitly predicted’ by the Lumas and all of the other stars in the galaxy.”

    “But I can avoid this ‘fate’, can’t I?” argued the turtle. “Please tell me that it’s too good to be true.”

    Darwin finished, “Since the Lumas are NEVER erroneous, this fate is something that you cannot avoid. And once you become evil, then all of your species will, giving us more reason to kill them besides their murderous and hardcore nature. That is to get even and so you would have no one to help you with your plans of taking over planets in the future.”

    Suddenly, a mob of Toads, Koopas, Goombas, Boos, Yoshies, Birdoes, Ninjis, Penguins, Ukikis, Monty Moles, Bumpties, Shy Guys, Bob-ombs, and mice showed up holding signs of rebellion.

    “So you must be Darwin Kurosawa, one of the members of the Tabo,” said one of the Toads. “You know, I believe that the mask grants you magic powers. And without that mask of yours, you wouldn’t be able to perform black magic on us anymore, and that you wouldn’t have any real power over us. We’ve been doing research lately.” The Toad then smashed the aluminum-textured mask.

    “No!” screamed Darwin, “Not my source of magic! I’m powerless without it! You don’t realize who you’re listening to!”

    “Come on guys, said one of the Goombas. “Let’s show him what we’re really made of!” The mob threw baseballs, eggs, wrenches at the red-haired man and the troops. Some of the civilians, in the meantime, went downstairs, tackled the guards, and set Mario, Luigi, and Toad free from the dungeon. Then, the Ukikis climbed to the cage and broke with pliers from the Monty Moles to get the princess to escape. While the mob continued to attack Darwin and his troops, Mario, Luigi, and Bowser escaped to the Warp Pipe back to Brooklyn. Since they only had one Pipe Seed left, they were unable to visit the Mushroom Kingdom anymore.

    When Bowser has finally revealed to everyone in the city his true form, he received frozen reactions; all of the people just stared at him like owls.

    At that point, Rosaria stated, “Please don’t run away from him. I swear that he has changed dramatically over the years. Just think about the time when he saved Sonic who was drowning in lake or when he donated $4,500 for charity for the people living in poverty.”

    “And remember when he demolished nearly all of Apricot City when he was a child?” disputed one of the citizens.

    Suddenly, Sonic showed up and added, “We all know that happened years ago. But listen to us. This dude here putting all of his efforts to change himself so that you wouldn’t see him as a monster anymore.”

    “But there’s this widespread prophecy about Bowser becoming the greatest evil in history,” claimed Pauline. “It’s said to be a dark fate that cannot be proven wrong.”

    This had made Bowser realize why back then, he was kicked out from the nest by the stork, who indicated “darkness” in him. Regardless of his good deeds, everyone still considered him a beast not only because of his nature or appearance, but also because of the “inevitable” prediction of him turning bad again.

    “Trust us!” said Mario. “Bowser really is trying to redeem himself in this huge length!”

    “You know what? I just can’t believe that we trusted this monstrosity!” yelled a man. “Redeeming yourself won’t change your fate, Bowser! Everyone, get him!”

    All of the citizens began to chase the Koopa King, who along with his wife got in the Koopa Car and escaped back to home. From that day on, the two never visited Brooklyn again, since the fatal mistake of revealing the King’s true identity. However, the citizens on Neo Bowser City were to remain seeing the dragon turtle as a hero.

Chapter 17 - Bowser Jr. and the Hunters (Narrated by the Character of the Same Name)

    Hiya! Bowser Jr.’s the name, and I will be writing and narrating this chapter in this backstory of Pa’s. This is about me, at the age of two, and the Koopalings attempting to comfort my dad by defeating the hunters he left when he was marked as the “chosen one” and that he integrated the Teologo forces for over a year… *breaks the fourth wall* wait, am I SPOILING THE STORY? Pardon me, I didn’t mean to spill the beans for you guys.

    Since a riot against my dad in Brooklyn, we were all told never to go to Brooklyn because of some kind of insight about Dad turning evil or something like that. However, a day later, AG and Starlow just somehow came to our town and visited us in our castle despite what happened in the human city.

    First, AG the beagle rang the doorbell and said, ”Anybody home? It’s me, AG.”

    I opened the door and replied, “What is it that you want?”

    “Is your dad home?” asked the beagle.

    “He’s in the master bedroom,” I said. “But he told me not to let anyone in after what happened in Brooklyn.”

    “Which is why I want to talk to him about it,” spoke AG.

    AG arrived to the door of Bowser’s bedroom and knocked. “Bowser, are you there?” he said quietly.

    “Just go away, whoever you are,” replied my dad. “Get lost before I go T-REX on you like you never experienced for your whole life!”

    “It’s me, AG,” responded to beagle. “Shouldn’t we talk?”

    “Go away and never come back!” barked Pops.

    ”Dad, he wants to talk to you because he cares about you,” I said when I came along.

    Dad opened the door. “So, have you realized what good deeds get to me? I did everything I could to redeem myself, and yet no one trusts me not just because of my nature but also due some crazy prediction by the Lumas!”
“I understand how everyone still see you as the same monster as before,” replied AG. “But think about what you’ve done for those individuals, including your civilians in this land, over time. Trust me, big fella; there was no one in the city that did more good deeds than you. I would say that it’s normal that you can’t please everyone in the world, but there are some people who appreciate what you did, so you should appreciate yourself as well.”

    “Not only that,” I added, “But you also brought me brothers and a sister, who remind me of my aunt and uncles; for example, I’m the youngest of my generation while you’re the youngest of yours. You know, Dad, not a lot of people are willing to adopt kids and take good care of them.”

    “You’re right, son,” said Dad. “Those Koopalings needed a home after their birth parents were hunted. But it doesn’t change the prophecy in which I turn bad at the end, does it?”

    “I’m actually not sure about this so-called prophecy,” said AG. “You know you can’t predict the future based on assumptions. In fact, the only way to predict it is to create it. And if is predicted by the Lumas, then it’s possible that they made a mistake. After all, there is no proof that the Lumas are never wrong, considering that my extraterrestrial friend Lubba, a purple Luma, just failed an engineering test last week; he ended up with a 40 out 100.”

    “Oh really?” asked Dad.

    “He sure did,” replied AG, “because he just spent time with media when he was told by a fortune teller that he’ll ‘ace’ the test. The point is that no one can really predict the future for sure. If you just keep doing the right thing, then perhaps you’ll prove everyone wrong that you’ll turn bad and that you’ll be truly seen as a trust worthy person.

    After the discussion, I went out to see if I could do good deeds like my dad, who was responsible and helpful. As I went for a walk, I heard a gunshot at the park followed by two Koopas running. As a result, I came back home to talk to the Koopalings about the gunshot I just heard outside:

“Guys, I heard some kind of loud pop at the park,” I told my siblings.

“Maybe we should go check it out,” said Iggy.

    “Wait, couldn’t that noise come from one of the hunters’ weapons?” asked Ludwig. “I remember when the poachers killed our parents when we were babies.”

    “I miss our old parents,” sighed Morton, “especially our Dad, who was named before me.”

    “Well, maybe if we try to defeat those hunters, we could avenge your old parents and that we can make our Dad proud and that he’ll feel better,” I swayed.

    “I don’t know about that,” said Wendy. “Wouldn’t it be dangerous to face a group of people with weapons that can seriously harm us?”

    “That’s why we’ve got to use stealth,” I replied. “First, we’ll sneak in and hide in the bushes and trees, where the poachers are located. And when the timing is right, we’ll pounce over the hunters with our visceral strength, burn their weapons and bring them to court!”

   “That plan sounds juvenile, but I guess that could work, if we don’t get caught,” said Larry. “Hmm…Iggy, do you have that pet of yours?”

   So the Koopalings and I went outside, secretly followed the pursuers, and at times hid under the bushes to avoid getting caught. We also brought Iggy’s Chain Chomp to defend us, requested by Larry.

    “Has this place developed over the years?” said one of the hunters. “It looks all fancy.”

   “I’ve noticed, but who cares?” replied the second hunter. “What matters more is that we capture some of those freakish monsters to make money and get famous. And remember that prophecy about Bowser turning evil…Hunting equals less assistants for the king’s bad deeds!”

    When they were about to activate one of their contraptions, which was a cube that releases a high-tech beam net to snare the target within a few seconds, Morton apparently showed up without our approval and attempted to charge at the hunters:

    “Hey, stinkbrains! Remember when you hunted my father?” roared Morton, sprinting.

    “No, Morton! Not yet!” we yelled.

    As a result, he was caught by the net when the hunters stood back from him.

    “Help me!” cried Morton.

    Consequently, we were all observed by the poachers, so they activated another gadget that released detaining energy bolts used to strap all of us and then hold us into a six-sided energy field. Our Chain Chomp tried to charge at the men, but she was captured as well.

    “It looks like we hit the jackpot, don’t you think, Jerry?” said the hunter with the red sunglasses.

    “Indeed we did, Chuck,” replied Jerry. “Let’s get back to our truck where we’ll give these scaly twerps in exchange of those bucks.

    “HELP!” we all cried.

    Later, Dad went outside after the conversation with AG and become terrified when he spotted us being kidnapped by the hunters.
“It’s those hunters that killed Morton Sr. and Courtney!” he screamed. “And now they have my kids!”

    Dad was quickly chasing the truck to rescue all of us, but then, the hunters noticed him and activated cannons from the truck that blasted Bob-ombs. Then, Dad deflected the explosives away, before they exploded.

    “Dang it!” barked Jerry. “Those legged bombs won’t do!”

    “You go, Dad!” I cheered.

    Next, Chuck brought a poison arrow gun and managed to shoot Pops; at first, we were distraught, but astonishingly, the arrows didn’t work on our father as he was revealed to be COMPLETELY RESISTANT to toxins of all kinds.

    “Shoot me as much as want,” growled Papa, running, “But that’s not going to kill me if you ask me. Give back my kids!”

    “Never!” cried Chuck. “Those kids are for our prize money, and you’ll do nothing to stop us!”

    Later, Dad spit a fireball to destroy the tailgate, in which we started flying away in the energy cages from the truck to the ground. There, he freed us by using his fire breath to deactivate the cages to set us free. After that, the hunters stopped the truck, got out with their tazers and planned to electrocute him, but Dad became enraged and attacked the hunters. After the battle literally involving sticks and stones, he told them this: “It was terrible enough that you have killed the Koopalings’ former parents. And if you murderers ever try to harm my kids again, I swear that I will perform far worse. Now leave this place and never come back!”

    “O-O-Okay,” wept Jerry.

    After the hunters ran away, Dad sent us all home for a long talk.

    “Don’t you ever face anyone dangerous like that again,” scolded Pops. He then turned to the Koopalings. “Koopalings, those were the same poachers who killed your old parents! Do you realize how likely you were to end up with a fate similar to theirs?”

    “We’re very sorry about what happened,” I apologized for my siblings, looking down. “The reason why we were after those hunters is because we wanted to make you proud and forget out how the humans see you now…and of course, avenge my sibling’s former parents.”

    “Ohhh,” sighed Papa. In a calmer tone, he added, “Look, you all realize that instead of getting revenge on someone, it’s best to use emotive impassivity and arrangement because attacking them won’t make you feel better. And if you kids want to make me happy, then do it by staying safe and starting with something simple, like doing well in class or even giving anyone in need something nice. Doing something too big, or too impractical of a job, will lead to major problems if you aren’t able to handle it. I would hate to lose all of you since my parents sent me away years ago.”

    “Our grandparents what?” I asked.

    “That’s correct,” replied Dad. ”Ever since they sent me away, I felt kind of lonely without anyone to love, kind of like how seven of you felt when your mother and father were gone. And that’s why I don’t want to leave you children like what my parents did in space, *turns to me* especially not you, Junior. One day, you’ll become the next king when I retire. And that’s what would ultimately make me feel better.”

    “But will I turn evil, like what you may become?” I asked.

    Dad answered. “Not in a fixed time, since the Lumas never predicted anything negative about you.”

TO BE CONTINUED