Chapter 40

Once again, the sky was beginning to take on an orange hue. Soon, the stars would start shining and everything would become peaceful. Even the Yoshis of Yoshi's Island seemed to know this. In front of Xoshi's house, Pinky and Oshi were still standing guard. In actuality, though, they were sitting down. While the other Yoshis of the island were dragging batches of fruit and other things back to their huts, and while others were outside playing for just a few more hours, these two guard Yoshis were engaged in conversation.

"Me?" Oshi said. "I like the gentle ones. I'd like one I'd know would never lash out at me."

"Eh, not me," Pinky responded. "I actually think I'd be happier with one of the more vicious ones. They're more fun."

"... More fun?" Oshi stared at his friend as he nodded. This lasted for a second more, and then something tan in the corner of his eye made him snap his head towards a different direction. Lo and behold, Jeila was walking around. "Oh my god... It's her!"

"Stop drooling, you freak! Are you a dog, or something?!"

The tan Yoshi girl that was passing by was carrying something in a basket of straw. As she wandered, she was just barely able to catch the sight of Oshi over there being bonked on the head by his friend. She giggled, shook her head, and walked on.

Oshi rubbed the sore spot on his head. "Not so rough, Pink," he moaned.

The other Yoshi held his hands out and shook his head. "You couldn't have her even if you wanted her, man," the Yo'ster clarified. "She's with Xoshi. Didn't you know?"

Oshi suddenly looked very forlorn. "Gyah, what's with that guy? We're going through all this trouble to keep his house safe from burglars, and whatnot. The least he could do is let me have my girls!"

"Easy now, man. She's out there, waiting for ya. You just gotta be patient."

"Gyah..."

Jeila had entered the woods. With both hands on the basket in front of her, she tilted her head back, gazing deeply at the orange-tinted leaves hanging overhead. I want you back, she thought, thinking of a man with brown scales and a shy look on his face. It's just not the same without you...

"For the last time, you punk, I said NO!"

Wham! "OOF!"

Jeila's eyes widened. No sooner than when she set foot out of the woods did she come across a rather interesting sight: a teal Yoshi lying down on the ground, clutching at his stomach. His red-orange friend was standing behind him looking horrified. A third, female Yoshi with red skin stood before him with one leg up. She put her foot down and huffed. "Beat it!"

The red-orange Yoshi made a panic-stricken sound, not unlike a scream. He grabbed his teal friend, hoisted him onto his saddle, and ran off with his tail beneath his legs. Jeila looked mildly surprised. She approached the red Yoshi. "Wow, they were in for it," she commented. "What happened, Yoshika?"

"Ah, you know," the red Yoshi said. "He comes up to me, starts talking about how great me and him would be... He wouldn't take no for an answer."

"Wow," Jeila replied. "You, Yoshiki... You all seem to have that skill."

"Ah, it's nothing." The red Yoshi scratched the back of her head. "I could show you how to do it if you want. Could come in handy."

"Hmm... It probably would..."

In due time, the two girls were walking around in the opening of the woods together. They were getting closer to the priest's house and talking to each other.

"So, what boy WOULDN'T you have said no to?" the tan Yoshi asked.

"Well, I dunno... Maybe one with spunk. One that could actually block one of my kicks."

Jeila laughed.

"You know, now that I think about it, that Xoshi kid might be a good match for me..."

Jeila gasped and knit her eyebrows at the red woman.

"Come on, Jeila, you know I'm joking."

"I know, I just..."

The two girls had come within a few feet of the house. The tan one's father didn't hesitate to poke his head out of its front door. He seemed happy. "Ah, Jeila, my sweet! Did you get the dark orange guts?"

"Yes, Papa, I did." The girl handed her father the jar of the orange substance from her basket.

"Ah, splendid." The man took the jar happily. Then he noticed the red Yoshi his daughter was with. "Ah, Yoshika! Come for the Super-Happy Tree? That must mean it's Monday!"

The red girl laughed a bit. "Yes, sir, it is."

He began to walk her through the house and through the backdoor. "Ah, yes, and that's how you and your family stay strong, right?"

"Yes, sir..."

Jeila stayed behind. She watched as the other two continued heading for the Super-Happy Tree. She took a good look at her red friend and thought about her strength. Just like Yoshiki, she mused. The girl lifted up her right hand and looked at it. If I were strong like that... would I be able to protect the ones I love...? Thus, the sun continued to set on Yoshi's Island, but the lives of its citizens carried on...

Wham! "OOF!"

One fierce punch to the gut, and Big Boo of the Eight Spookalings was down. The pink Yoshi of the group that had done this to him stood back, cracked her knuckles, and scoffed. Since their last battle, her skill had not rusted in the least. Rather, it had become sharper.

As for the other ghosts, they too were sparring with one another. Holy Troopa was taking on Dorreen, and Princess Cherry Blossom was taking on Capt. Spatula. The only three members of this group that weren't honing their skills were the leader and the two Werewolves. The trio was huddled beneath one of the trees of the swamp they were still at. Even with the sounds of swords clashing and fists connecting, this three-some could hold an important meeting. At last, they nodded heads and took it to the next level. The Wereyoshi got up and yelled to the others.

"All right, everyone, get over here! We decided we may have a plan!"

Obediently, the other ghosts calmed down, sheathed their weapons, and started floating towards the designated area. Once all nine were gathered, King Boo got it started.

"All right, everyone," he said. "We've put a great deal of thought into it by now, and we've managed to figure one thing out: if we want our world to be freed from the Melon Bugs and their master, Tondariya, we'll have to get as serious as possible... Unfortunately, we can't do it alone..."

The others began to murmur worriedly. King Boo understood how they felt, but he wasn't done yet.

"We decided if we want to pull this off, there's only one person we can go to: Drubba..."

The others gasped. They definitely hadn't been ready for this. "That man?" Cherry Blossom spoke up. "But didn't we kick him out of the kingdom for having such unorthodox solutions for everything?"

"Yes, we did," King Boo replied. "We never did like doing anything by means of the Twelve Gods of Chaos... But, as much as we'd hate to admit it, that man always knew what he was talking about. Who knows... Maybe we can get something out of him..."

The other ghosts began to murmur amongst themselves uncertainly again. It was quite the difficult decision for them to make. While they were discussing it, though, they were also being spied on. Behind the bushes yards away from them was a very strange quartet: Razeil and the Three Boombateers...

"I don't get it," Razule said. "What's up with those guys? What's their cheesecake?"

"Don't you know, son?" Razeil responded. "They're the Spookalings. They've got monkeys grinding ropes into checkerboards. They've got to get their backs cracked by one King Turnip. A big ship full of bananas and tarantulas, if you ask me..."

"Ah, I see..."

Goomba Prince was dead confused again. "Uhh... Translation?" he said to Ren.

"These ghosts are known as the Spookalings," the Raven explained. "They work for a powerful being known as King Turnip. He mysteriously disappeared a long time ago, but they feel they can bring him back somehow. They feel he's the only one that can face Tondariya, but in order to bring him back, they need to gather a great amount of spiritual energy. The question is how."

Goomba Prince stared blankly at the Raven. "All that from that?" he said. "How do you do it?"

"Eh, you pick up on it."

"Huh. I don't think I could EVER pick up on it..."

The Spookalings were still very anxious. All of them were talking rather loudly. Finally, King Boo put a stop to it.

"Guys, guys!" he called, quieting them down. "We've all been through some pretty rough times. We've fought enemies and hardships plenty of times, but our family and friends are still out there..." The other Spookalings knew perfectly well what he was talking about, Yoshiki, Jax, and Capt. Spatula especially. "I know even King Carrot, my father, is fighting alongside us in all this. The point is, we can't let any of them down. We have to do anything it takes in order to set things right, even if it means teaming up with someone like Drubba..." King Boo's face became very serious. His fins curled into fists and he raised his voice. "So, who's with me?!" he exclaimed. "Are we gonna go out there and fight for our King Turnip, or are we gonna let something as dumb as an old enemy get in our way?! Come on, answer me!"

The Spookalings cheered. They were going to do this. They pumped their arms and raised their weapons. Once they did so, though, their four spies started getting restless.

"Okay, guys," Razule said quietly. "On my signal..."

The ghosts were standing and floating defiantly. They faced forward with their crowned leader taking the front. "All right, guys!" he called. "Now let's do this! HEAD FOR DRUBBA!"

"YYEEAAAHHH!!!"

King Boo swung his right fin forward energetically. "FORWARD!"

The others followed his example. They swung their arms and weapons forth and yelled out. "YE-"

King Boo suddenly became very puzzled. That last cry was nowhere near as enthused as the first. He turned around and inquired about this. "What's wrong with you guys?" he said. "Come on, put some more-"

The head ghost stopped. He got a good look at the four of Holy Troopa, Dorreen, Capt. Spatula, and Cherry Blossom. They were looking at their hands, flipping them back and forth in confusion.

"What the?" King Boo uttered. "Your weapons..."

"OVER THERE!" Capt. Spatula screamed, pointing menacingly at the Three Boombateers and Razeil. Ren was holding Cherry Blossom's staff, Razule had Dorreen's parasol, Goomba Prince had Spatula's sword, and Razeil had Holy Troopa's bow'n'arrow. All four of them looked giddy.

"We got 'em!" Razule squealed. "The weapons!"

"Time to go!" Razeil announced. In the blink of an eye, the four intruders had sped off, leaving only dissipating clouds of dust in their wake. The nine ghosts had all become extremely ticked.

"Drubba can wait," King Boo snarled. "AFTER THEM!!!"

In a flash, the ghouls were off, stampeding and flying through the many trees of the Forest of Dheos like mad. On all of them, veins were bulging, and their claws and fangs were bared. They would catch these little pests and make them pay. Absolutely no one was allowed to impede on their goals.

King Boo, Jax, Yoshiki... All three of them were especially infuriated. They had families to fight for. Parents, children, and siblings alike; they were counting on them. For this, those four nuisances were dead. However, in a sense, they were alone...

Capt. Spatula narrowed her eyes as she glided through the leaves and the bushes. Do what you will, she thought grimly. If it gets me my money... I'm all for it...

On the deck of a ship docked near a forest made of paint, three men similar to Hammer Bros, save for their white and blue outfits, were shuffling their feet in rhythmic patterns and in perfect unison. They were practically all of the same mind. Suddenly, in the midst of their dance, they spun around and began to vocalize.

We are the Sailor Bros!
Men of the ocean breeze
We live like kings
As we ride upon the seas

When danger comes our way
We just leap into the fray
And we bring it to its knees
There's just no stopping us
'Cause we drink and fight and cuss
We do as we please!

We are the Sailor Bros!
We are better than you!
We-

"No, no, no! You guys got it all wrong!"

The Sailor Bros. all stopped and looked at their fussy choreographer, a Koopa Troopa with a blue shell riding aboard the Koopa Cruise. Behind him, sitting down and leaning his back against one of the outer walls of the ship, was a man with a red shell. He glanced uninterestedly at the scene before him and he continued trying to solve the Rubik's Cube in his hands.

"It's left, right, right, left, spin, and right. How many times do I have to tell you?!"

The dancers weren't without their retorts, though.

"I told you, I've got a fear of things that turn left!"

"Well, I would be able to not screw up if this guy here didn't have this huge, hairy mole on the back of his head..."

"What did you just say?!"

The Koopa with the Rubik's Cube sighed as his peers continued to argue amongst themselves. In time, their leader finally got sick of it and just said, "Whatever! Let's just go on our break already."

The others were fine with that. Soon enough, the Sailor Bros. had gone their separate ways. The blue-shelled Koopa Troopa exasperatedly waltzed up to the more relaxed red-shelled one. "Musical coming along nicely?" the seated one asked.

"It's tiresome," he replied. "But we'll get it right. I swear to god, we will."

"Mm."

The blue one said nothing. A second later, he brought something else up. "So, uh, what do you think the others are doing?"

"What... Kamek and them?"

"Yeah."

"Well, you know," the red-shelled one said as he succeeded in turning one side of his cube white, "Bowser's probably whining about something, Helga's probably reading a book, and Gorroh's probably working on his memoirs. Nothing special."

"I see," the blue one replied. Then he said, "What's the deal with those memoirs, anyway?"

"I'm not sure myself. I heard they're His Majesty's recordings of the greatest adventure he ever had. The time he fought during the War of the Shy Gang."

"What was he after?" the blue one asked.

"The same thing they were ALL after: the Tondariya Pieces. Well, either that, or they were trying to destroy them, who knows. Anyway, Gorroh wanted them. Rumor has it, they all possess great power. This is because they're all, well, parts of Tondariya. There's her magic, her speed, her aim, her dexterity, her agility, her strength, and her stamina. For a while, they were all over the place. Gorroh looked everywhere for them. Then he found out they were in one place: Vedgia, land of the Vedgian people. The final battle took place there, at its capital.

"Everyone was there, te Shy Gang, the Super Mushroom League, the Demonic Jesters... Even a bunch of space aliens showed up. It was quite the battle. Gorroh fought his hardest. He wanted those pieces SO badly... But then..."

The red one let it hang for a second. In the background, the Sailor Bros. were pointing fingers at each other and yelling something. Pretty soon, they were beating their fists against each other's heads. The blue Koopa Troopa paid it no mind. He asked, "What happened?"

"Well," the red one said; this time, the red side of his Rubik's Cube had become solved, "you know what forbidden techniques are, don't you?"

"I've heard of 'em."

"Well, I heard they're these elemental attacks people can do but twice during their lifetimes. Whenever they use them, miraculous or even scary things happen. When the final battle came around, it came to an end once someone used one such technique. The explosion was made of gold fire, or something. A star-elemental one, most likely. Everyone was either killed or... something else. Gorroh was flung far away. Whatever the case, he had this person that used the forbidden technique to thank.

"The fool," the red Koopa Troopa muttered as he got the green side of his cube. "If he tries that a second time, he'll die."

The blue Koopa Troopa nodded. Behind him, the Sailor Bros. were all covered in bruises and steaming bumps on their heads. They were being carried off by the White Magikoopas of the ship and their stretchers. The red turtle with the cube continued.

"Anyway, whatever it was, Gorroh apparently thought it was worth talking about, so... That's his memoirs." He commenced spinning the layers of the cube around some more, this time attempting to get the orange side. "As for those other people, the Super Mushroom League and the Demonic Jesters... they're probably ramming their faces into a bunch of trees right now, for all I care..."

"Hm," the blue Koopa Troopa grunted. He watched as his red companion fiddled with his cube some more until he solved the orange side. That was four down. "Where'd ya get that thing, anyway?"

"I found it."

"Hm..."

The red Koopa Troopa had just gotten started on the yellow side when he and his blue partner started hearing a commotion. All over the ship, there seemed to be troops all gasping and yelling about something excitedly. When the two turtles listened a bit more closely, they seemed to be getting all worked up over... a flying Yoshi...

"What's this about a flying Yoshi?" the blue one asked.

"Eh-"

Suddenly, the two tortoises looked up. Finally, they could see what was flying. Sailing right over their heads without any wings or anything was indeed a Yoshi of some sort. Strangely enough, he appeared to be made out of gold and various precious gems...

"What is that?!" the blue one blurted.

"I-"

Then something else flew overhead. This time, it appeared to be two female Magikoopas flying around on broomsticks. If anything caught the red Koopa Troopa's attention more than the strange Yoshi did, this was it. His eyes bugged out and his fingers tightened around the cube he was holding. The blue Koopa Troopa was surprised by this.

"What's up?" he asked.

"Those two," the red one uttered. "They... Kamek dealt with them a while ago. They're enemies!"

"Shoot," the blue one said. "And they're headed for the mansion!"

The red one tossed his cube aside and jumped up. "Let's go."

"Right!"

Far away from the Koopas' ship, the Kroshi was descending through the air. His bare feet slammed onto the grassy floor of the Clattagin Woods and he leapt through the air once more in another tremendous leap. He refused to slow down even slightly.

Power is nearby, he thought. I can FEEL it...

Behind him, the two witches, Kammelina and Kammeo, were still trying desperately to catch up with this deranged Yoshi, a task that was proving to be quite difficult. Kammelina most certainly was trying her hardest, but in this instant, she felt someone was lagging.

"Kammeo!" she yelled to her sister. "Hurry it up! In case you've forgotten, this is serious!"

"I know, Sister, it's just... Somehow, I get the feeling we're being followed!"

"What?! Don't give me that! Just pick up the pace already!"

"Fine..."

What Kammelina didn't know was that they were indeed being followed. Beneath them running amidst the trees of the Clattagin Woods were a few Koopa Troopas, their sights being set on a couple of witches flying away from them. They were pretty steady in doing this, at least until one of them suddenly quit the race. The one in the lead ran back to check up on his comrade.

"Oi, are you okay?" the blue Koopa Troopa asked. His red-shelled companion was checking out something he had managed to stumble upon. It was a big, cup-like machine with a propeller on the bottom and a clown's face painted on the front. Both Koopas seemed to be quite intrigued with it. "What is it?"

"This?" the red one replied as he rubbed his chin, staring at it. "My find of the day..."

"Swampic's Swamp... Haven't been here in a while..."

The Six Swoompires were still in the process of turning their home, the Forest of Dheos, upside-down in hopes of finding a certain comrade of theirs. This time, their travels had led them back to a rather familiar territory. Judging by the footprints here and there, people had been here recently, but did any of them belong to who they were looking for? So far, this was looking doubtful.

While the others continued to turn stones and check even the smallest of spaces, two of the Swoompires remained out of everyone's way, taking a break. They stood near the trees surrounding the swamp and watched their companions work. The one who had just spoken then took another huge bite out of a dead hawk he had been munching on and started chewing.

"This isn't as good as that squirrel I had a little while ago," Swine grumbled. His leader, Duke Swuke, just remained standing firmly with his arms folded.

"Gorge yourself if you must, Swine," the tall Swoompire said, "but never put your appetite before your duty."

"Che," Swine scoffed. "Like you're one to talk..." Duke Swuke shifted his eyes towards his partner warningly. Swine merely ignored the look and bit off the hawk's head. "Say, Swuke," he piped up. "What if it turns out Swoompster's not here?"

"Then we look elsewhere."

"Yeah, but what if it turns out we can't get him back no matter what we do?"

The duke paused for a second. "Then we find a new Swoompster."

"Hmm..." The hefty Swoompire peeled a large strip of skin of the hawk's corpse and sucked it into his mouth like spaghetti. "Where we gonna get a guy like that?"

"Wherever greedy people go, we will find them..."

The two Swoompires looked onward. They could see Swan and Swoosh arguing with each other once more, but that was normal. They also saw the gigantic Swampic lumbering up to the crotchety Sward. The behemoth stood erect for one moment, then hung his head. Sward extended a hand and patted him on one of his muscular forearms. It was all the old man could do, especially considering the vast difference in height between the two. In time, they had joined up with Swan and Swoosh, and the four Swoompires were walking up to the remaining two.

"Well?" Duke Swuke demanded.

"He's not here either," Swan stated. The duke tilted his head downward ever so slightly. Swan went on. "I don't get it," she said. "What could drive him away from us? What could drive him away from this beauty?" The woman placed one hand on her slanted hip and the other behind her head, suggestively. With his shoulders drooped a little, Swoosh slowly turned his head towards the woman. Swan ignored this and continued on about Swomopster. "What does he want?"

"Orbs," Duke Swuke elicited. He spun around on his heel, twirling his cape a bit in the process. "We continue our search..."

With that, the authoritative Swoompire left. Swine was the first to follow his example, then Swoosh. Swan, on the other hand, was still standing there. She had an eyebrow raised at her leader and his two loyal subordinates. The next thing she knew, she could feel someone's hand placing itself calmly on her left forearm. She looked down and grimaced.

"Hands off me, you prune," she snapped, swatting Sward's hand away. The elderly Swoompire shrugged his shoulders and walked ahead on his cane.

"As you wish..."

Swan shut her eyes tightly and shook her head. She began to leave the swamp as well. This left the hulking Swampic. He slowly walked up to where the others had been and turned around, getting one last look at his murky domain. People had been here, but none of them was the right one. The giant Swoompire heaved a raspy sigh and continued walking. Another unsuccessful outcome for the Six Swoompires...

In the middle of the Clattagin Woods somewhere, a very dubious group of eight was still marching through. They seemed to be in high enough spirits. Each of them were talking amongst themselves as they went on with this search of theirs. Groove Guy and Groovum were in the back, Jester, Night Guy, and Taffy Kong were right in from of them, Rudy and Har-Harlequin were in front of them, and walking ahead of all the others was Katunk. All of them had different things on their minds.

"Eh, let's see here," Groove Guy said as he scratched his head and looked around. "I spy with my little eye something... blue."

His partner, Groovum, looked up. "Is it the sky?"

"BINGO!" The two 8-Bits began to hop up and down and cheer excitedly. Finally, they calmed down and Groovum took his turn.

"Okay, okay. I spy with my little eye... something green."

Groove Guy looked beneath them. "Grass?"

"BINGO!" The two guys began to cheer again.

"Okay, okay, my turn! Umm..."

In front of them, the suave Taffy Kong seemed to have a more serious look on his face. He kept looking around, keeping his eyes peeled by the second, but he couldn't find what he was looking for. "I spy... women..."

Jester, right next to him, gave him a condescending look. "Do those eyes work?" he said. "There's one right in front of you."

"HOT women," Taffy Kong elaborated.

"What's it matter?" Night Guy commented. "They all look the same to me."

"And it is exactly that which will become your downfall," Taffy Kong replied.

Jester and Night Guy looked at him. "What?" they said.

"Think about it," Taffy Kong said. "Sooner or later, you're gonna have to get yourself a woman. If it doesn't matter which one it is, then you may as well say it doesn't matter whether you live or not."

Night Guy rolled his eyes up. "You thinkin' those dirty thoughts again?"

"I'm thinking about life, you idiot," the orangutan corrected. "To every man, it is imperative to maintain the family name. You can't do that unless you're with the right woman."

Night Guy was suddenly staring at his simian partner. He seemed to have become greatly intrigued. Jester was less impressed, though.

"You're only talking nonsense," he said. "All you want to do with these women is act like a fool around them."

Night Guy looked as though he had been snapped out of a trance. Taffy Kong, on the other hand, was being defensive. "Trust me, Jester," he said, "you'll understand one day." Both Jester and Night Guy stared at the man. Between the two, Jester was the one still being more skeptical. "Anyway, just think about it," the monkey added.

The three clowns became quiet after that. They continued walking, although, behind them, they could faintly hear someone saying something about spying something gold...

In front of the three, Har-Harlequin was moving steadily, but her superior was lagging behind a bit. He looked out of it. "Come on, Rudy, quit slacking off!" she nagged.

"Have a heart, Har-Harlequin!" Rudy pleaded, panting at the same time. "I'm doing the best I can!"

"Hmph. You'd be able to do better if you weren't so fat."

"Come now, that's so blunt of you," Rudy complained.

Har-Harlequin ignored his protest. She gestured in front of her. "Look at Katunk, Rudy. Even HE'S doing better than you. His friend just left him, and yet his resolve is still running strong. Why can't you be a bit more like him?"

Rudy stared at their spiky friend and started thinking. The thought had never crossed his mind, but Katunk really was doing quite well for one in his situation. He took a moment to appreciate the inspiring will of this person. Then the head clown began to wince in pain. His feet were still killing him.

"Even so," the man said, "I really wish I'd have brought the Clown Copter along."

Har-Harlequin looked at him cock-eyed. "Why didn't you?"

"I, uh, I forgot it."

"WHAT?!"

SHOOM. In an instant, everything came to a halt for the evil clowns. They each became still and silent as something landed right before them, or rather right in front of Katunk. It was a menacing-looking Yoshi with gold skin and accessories of all kinds.

"Is it that thing?" Groovum asked his companion, pointing to the newcomer. Before he could answer, though, the strange Yoshi reared back one of his lustrous clawed feet and swung towards the defenseless Katunk's face. Instinctively, the Red Nose clenched his eyes shut, preparing for the inevitable. WHAM! The kick hit something, yet the spiky clown remained unharmed. He popped one eye open and saw that the attack had been blocked by one of Rudy's gigantic floating fists.

"Do you have business with us, stranger?" the head clown asked, a cold tone glossing over his voice.

"I just need one or two things," the Kroshi sneered. "After that, I'll be on my way..." He ripped his foot out of the giant clown's fist, reared back, and fired another kick. WHAM! Rudy blocked that one as well.

"Does it involve Katunk?" Rudy inquired, a great scowl upon his face.

"It involves the spiky guy," the Kroshi replied.

"I see..." Rudy thrust the dastardly Yoshi's foot off his fist, throwing him back. He jammed an index finger in his face. "GET HIM!"

The evil clowns were upon the man almost instantaneously. Groove Guy and Groovum tried tackling him and Night Guy tried lunging at him with a knife, but the Yoshi's reflexes were surprisingly sharp. Aiming for Night Guy first, he slammed his left fist into his gut, winding him and sending the knife flying. The golden assailant caught the weapon with his other hand and made a clean sweeping movement with it. SHING! The two 8-Bits of the group took it with their masks and flew backwards.

Just like that, three of them were down, but it didn't stop there. With no hesitation, the Kroshi fired the knife behind him. CHING! It bounced off of one of Jester's razor-sharp cards. This surprised the clown for a second, but now wasn't the time. He withdrew four more cards just as the Yoshi turned for him. He flung them at his enemy like ninja stars, but the crafty foe deftly flipped over them. Jester wasn't worried, though, for a barrel was coming at this guy from the side. CRASH! Stopping his spinning by flinging his arms and legs out, the devious Yoshi was able to break apart the barrel with a kick. Now Jester and Taffy Kong were shocked. The Kroshi landed on his hands, spun his legs around, and slammed one foot in Jester's face. Only a few were left now.

Both Taffy Kong and Har-Harlequin glared at their formidable opponent. The Kroshi thought little of it. His two adversaries got their attacks going. In the next second, coming right at the golden Yoshi was a stampede of rolling barrels, and flying right above them were chakrams of fire hoops. When the Kroshi saw this, he scoffed and front-flipped onto the forthcoming barrels. He bounced off one and flipped straight through one of the hoops with impeccable timing. When he came down, he passed through another one that nearly cleaved him, and jumped off another barrel. Both Taffy Kong and Har-Harlequin's jaws dropped. A fatal mistake. WHAM! The perilous Yoshi slammed one heel right into the forehead of the orangutan of the group, knocking him backwards. He didn't get back up. The Kroshi landed on the grass and turned towards the last one, the witch of the group. Har-Harlequin snarled and continued her assault.

This time, she was thrusting her palms out at the enemy. With very loud screeching noises, each one would launch a blazing mass of colorful sparks, not unlike fireworks. Each one made loud popping and exploding sounds when they missed their target and hit the ground. No matter what, the Kroshi could dodge it. He merely flipped forward, landed on his side, and rolled all the way up to the vicious Har-Harlequin. When she realized she had been firing at hardly anything, it was too late. BAMM! The Kroshi rocketed himself off the ground with his hands and socked the woman square in the jaw with his foot. Cursing with her last breath, she fell to the ground limply as so many others had. Now there was only one left.

Rudy scowled fiercely once it was just him and this mysterious new enemy. "You fiend," the giant clown seethed. "How dare you do this to my friends?!"

"Friends are for the weak," the Kroshi retorted. "Now step aside. You're blocking my prey."

Rudy glared mercilessly into the Kroshi's eyes. He and his friends had only been walking innocently through these woods when this maniacal man suddenly showed up and began to attack. They tried their best, but not even that was enough. Now it was up to their fearless leader. Rudy assumed a fighting stance and focused solely on this dangerous villain. He decided if he couldn't strike this man down, then their struggle would have been in vain.

The Kroshi stared back at his humungous opponent. Judging by the stance he was in and the look in his eyes, he was going to put all of it into one attack. The golden Yoshi laughed and got into an equally threatening position of his own.

Katunk watched all this anxiously. It was quite the sight for these two incredibly strong people to be locking eyes with each other, fists clenched in the middle of this unique forest. Surrounding them was a set of unconscious bodies. The spiky creature could tell that, in the next second, one more was going to be added to their number. They had but an instant left...

For my friends...

For power...

ZING! Instantaneously, the two fighters flew right past each other. Katunk barely even saw what had happened. Now they were in opposite locations. Their backs were turned towards each other. They stared piercingly as their bodies remained still as rocks. Then, finally, it happened: one of them grunted in pain and keeled over. Katunk was shocked; Rudy had collapsed onto his front with his pain-stricken face turned to one side. The Kroshi had won.

"Don't ever," the Kroshi panted, "disrupt my quest for power..."

Rudy cursed to himself. Even when he had all his determination backing him up, he was still no match for this monstrous person. Now he was striding over to the one evil clown that stood standing: Katunk.

The spiky being stood shivering and covered in a veil of his own cold sweat as this maniacal assailant strode up to him. Mercilessly, the Yoshi looked down upon him. The clown fearfully clenched his eyes shut and thought of his recently departed friend as this new enemy reared another leg back. The whole time, all Rudy could do was clench his teeth and prepare himself for the worst.

Katunk, he thought, forgive me...

Unbeknownst to anyone, this entire scene had been watched carefully by a certain female Magikoopa. Once again, she watched as these evil clowns struggled to get through yet another dilemma. She shook her brown-haired head in pity, knowing full well what was going to happen.

"The Koopas' competition," she said quietly, "is losing its edge..."

BOOM...

Back on Yoshi's Island, the two of Yoshika and Jeila's father were in the progress of walking away from the Super-Happy Tree and towards the man's house. They were engaged in conversation.

"So, how did today's session with the Super-Happy Tree go, Yoshika dear?" the father asked.

"Well, I told her all my problems, like I always do, but I'm still not getting anything," the girl replied.

"Give it time, dear. Soon, like Jeila, Xoshi, and I, you'll be able to hear her voice like music in the air!"

"Hmm," Yoshika responded. She looked worrisome at first, then speculative. "I wonder what he's doing right now?"

"Who, Xoshi?"

"Yeah."

"Who can say?" the priest commented. "The last anyone saw him, he and his friends were boarding that ship with that Yoshi."

"I know."

"They're probably at Isle Delfino right now, livin' it up with all the other Yoshis. In any case, one things for sure, he's in good hands."

"You think so?" Yoshika asked.

"I'm sure of it," the father exclaimed. "I'm telling you, there's no one in this world quite like a Yoshi..."

Yoshika didn't say anything. I'm not sure about that one, she thought.

"... Something on your mind?" the holy man asked.

"No, not really," Yoshika stated. "I just wish I could hear the tree's voice."

"It'll happen, don't worry..."

As the two neared the house, Yoshika contemplated further to herself. I trust my sister, she thought. The people she went with said they wanted to purify the world...

All was silent in the Clattagin Woods. The Kroshi had done the unspeakable. Lying before him was the motionless body of Katunk of the evil clowns. Blood seeped out of a dire wound in the creature's forehead, but the Kroshi wasn't done. He knelt down, grabbed the body's vibrant red shoes, and slipped them off, revealing his shiny feet. Strangely enough, once he did this, SHINK! The spikes vanished from Katunk's body, rendering it as nothing more than a smooth, silver ball with a face and a pair of feet.

The Kroshi slipped the footwear onto his own feet. SHING! The spikes had reappeared. This time, they were on the Kroshi. Now his elbows, his shoulders, his knuckles, his tail... all of them had the same solid, deadly spikes that Katunk once had. They even tipped the ruby ones on the back of his neck, further complimenting his new intimidating appearance. The Kroshi looked at these new developments and tried them out. He jabbed and slashed at the air in front of him with his claws and his elbows. He finished the movements with a spin on his heel, sending his lethal tail swishing around. He smirked to himself, knowing full well what kind of damage he'd now be able to do against future enemies.

The Kroshi's work was done. He excitedly mumbled something to himself about going somewhere. Then, just as he had done earlier, he left the scene simply by rocketing off the ground using his overwhelmingly strong legs. He left the evil clowns behind, bounding further and further into the woods. This, he did, and a fallen Rudy shut his eyes tightly, gnashed his teeth, and pounded the ground with a sturdy fist...

"Poor souls," the Magikoopa above whispered. "They didn't even have a chance..."

A while later, the Magikoopa found herself far away from the scene of the crime. She was uncertain as to what she'd encounter next, but it definitely wasn't the two other female Magikoopas heading towards her. Mildly surprised by their appearance, she stopped in midair and waited patiently for them to get close enough. They could tell this wasn't going to go entirely well, but they flew on nonetheless.

"Well, well, well," the mysterious Magikoopa said once the three were together. "Kammelina and Kammeo. Haven't seen you two in a while."

"Likewise, Kammitha," Kammelina answered.

"So?" the third Magikoopa said. "How goes it with you?

Kammelina retorted, "You should know, Kammitha. It was quite arrogant of you to think you could survive on your own."

"No, it was rather enlightened of me. A couple of babies like you would never understand."

"B...Babies?!" Kammeo fumed. Kammelina held a hand in front of her face.

"Don't pay any attention to her, Kammeo," her elder sister advised. "She's just trying to get your goat."

"Right, right," Kammitha belittled. "So, what brings you here? Business with the Koopas? Business with the clowns?"

"Business with the Kroshi," Kammelina clarified.

"That gold thing that just bounded off?" Kammitha responded. The other two sisters looked shocked.

"G...Gold thing?!" Kammelina stammered. "Quick, Sister, you must tell us! Where did it go?"

Kammitha smirked and tapped her upper lip with her wand. "Well, I could tell you, but, what's in it for me?"

Kammelina stared seriously at her sister's cocky face, but only for a few seconds. She turned to her younger sister for help. She looked at her with tight lips and raised eyebrows. Kammeo shrugged and lipped a few words. Kammelina silently said, "No." Kammeo tilted her head at her elder sibling and held her hands out very condescendingly. Kammelina grit her teeth. Then the two turned back towards the third sibling.

"We'll give you these," Kammelina said at last. Both she and Kammeo brandished a number of bottles. "They're Red Essences. When you drink them, you gain an unbelievable amount of power, but only momentarily. Surely they'll aid you on your quest."

Kammitha looked at these bottles and raised an eyebrow at her sisters. "Are you sure? That sounds pretty crazy to me."

"We know. We witnessed their capabilities ourselves and have been questioning it to this day. We were hoping we'd be able to keep them for ourselves, but we'll give them to you if you tell us where the Kroshi went."

Kammitha looked at these bottles her sisters were holding and rubbed her chin. Finally, she made her decision. "It's a deal." Kammelina and Kammeo were relieved. They happily handed the Red Essences over to the other Magikoopa. She stowed them away and got on with the much-needed information. "I heard him," she said. "He said he was going first to the Forest of Dheos, then to Angel Mountain. I don't know what he's got planned, but if you girls wanna chase after him, be my guest."

"The Forest of..." Kammelina uttered. She clenched her fists and made a noise through her teeth. "Come, Kammeo. It looks like things are starting to get a bit interesting around here..."

Kammeo nodded and began to head off in one direction on her broomstick. Kammelina was about to turn and follow her example, but she stopped herself. She faced Kammitha one more time and nodded. "Thank you." Then she was off.

Kammitha watched for a moment as her disagreeable sisters flew off without her. She laughed to herself and began to head off as well.

I know how it is, she thought. Some of us need gods... Others don't...

In the middle of one particular neck of the Forest of Dheos, a dubious group of four was excitedly checking out the new weapons it had only recently been able to obtain. Each of the instruments of war almost seemed to have a personality of its own. The Boombateers could practically feel the power emanating from them and into their veins.  This was indeed a day of triumph.

"Heh heh. I've always wanted one of these," Ren boasted as he swung his staff forward repeatedly.

"I am a king once again!" Goomba Prince crowed, holding the sword high above him dramatically.

"I am an elf!" Razeil gloated, dancing around with the bow'n'arrow he had received.

Razule giddily opened and closed his new parasol. "Ye-heh-hesss. With these, once we take on our enemies, they'll be plums rotting on the ground!"

"Ye... Yeah," Goomba Prince replied.

"Speaking of which, those gobble-dee-gooks oughtta be there by now," Razule exclaimed. "Dad, you comin?"

"Alas, Razule, my boy, my place is here in the forest. It was a carnival with you guys, and I hope you get your jelly beans, but I must stay here."

Razule suddenly looked very regretful. Goomba Prince looked at him, concerned. "Awww... So this is it, Dad? The cell's mitosis?" Razule asked.

"Now, now, Razule, you can always visit! My mud puddle is your mud puddle!"

"Awww, Dad..."

The two Raven-like creatures moved towards each other. Goomba Prince looked disgusted by what they did next, but Ren seemed unphased: first, Ren lifted up one foot and his father licked it. Then his son did the same with him. Goomba Prince rolled his eyes back and stuck his tongue out. Ren just shook his head.

In a moment's notice, Razeil was parting with the group. His son and his two companions were walking away from him and waving goodbye.

"See ya, Mr. Razeil! It was fun being with you!" Ren called out.

"Please! Don't go 'bugging' more people!" Goomba Prince said. Razeil just laughed and shook his bow'n'arrow over his head in a victorious gesture. With that, the two parties were going their separate ways once again.

"My old man's quite the backscratcher, eh?" Razule said.

"He's got moxy, that's for sure," Ren shared.

"I, uh," Goomba Prince stammered. "Yeah..."

"Well, we can save the whales for later," Razule elicited. "Right now, we gotta fly!"

"What do you-" The Goomba couldn't finish it. Like a cannonball, his leader was running off, faster than anything. Ren had already begun chasing after him, equally fast, more or less. When the prince saw this, he grumbled and sped after them...

The Boombateers may have left the area, but 15 people were walking towards it. Some of them were talking about greedy people, and the others were talking about thieves.

"That little idiot would always run away," Swan griped.

"Those guys are gonna pay," Princess Cherry Blossom swore. Then, very suddenly, the two groups emerged from the trees, came out into the open, and their eyes fell on each other. "Ah," said the princess.

"Oh," said Swan.

"Hey, sorry to bother ya, but have you seen four annoying little guys somewhere around here?" King Boo asked.

"Elsewhere," Duke Swuke exclaimed, "but not here..."

"... Oh."

"Yeah, and have you seen this little guy in a tuxedo?" Swoosh asked. "Obsessed with spheres and stuff?"

"No such person," King Boo replied.

Swoosh kicked at the ground.

"Well," King Boo spoke up, "we'll give you a call once we see something."

"Our sentiments exactly," Swuke stated. The two groups nodded to one another and split up, returning to their searches. For both, the day was going to be quite long. In the meantime, the two leaders were busy speculating to themselves.

The duke furled his brow as he pressed onward. In this forest...

King Boo fluttered his eyes upward as he floated along. There's no telling what you'll bump into...

And the sky above the Forest of Dheos began to grow dim...

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