Chapter 4: Pursuit
Mecha Guy was a split-second away from launching to his feet when he felt something grasp the back of his robes that did the job for him. Whirling around, the Shyster's eyes met the gleaming white belly of Yoshi, who was glancing down at him. Stepping back, Mecha Guy glared upwards and folded his arms.
"Well, now what?" the Shyster asked.
"Where'd those thieves run off to?" Yoshi questioned. "And how'd you end up on the floor?"
"They were pelting off in that direction, last I saw them," Mecha Guy informed, motioning toward the front of the ship. "And the reason I ate wood was because I tripped on something. A martini glass, if you can believe it."
"Figures," Yoshi said. "Well, hop on, Mecha Guy. We've got some Koopa to kick."
Straightening his mask and making sure he had a tight grip on his toolbox, Mecha Guy nodded and leaped neatly onto Yoshi's back. As his rump settled into the dino's worn, leather saddle, the Shyster used his free hand to latch onto one of orange spikes that protruded from the Yoshi's back. Upon obtaining a firm grip, Yoshi took off, taking great bounds along the wooden deck of the Luv Boat. The green dino streaked past several pairs of baffled lovers, and Mecha Guy even thought that he had spotted Alishi peering over the the ship's railing and down at the sea as Yoshi motored on. At his swift pace, it took less than a minute for Yoshi to reach the ship's front, where he skidded to a halt and looked around.
"Where are they...?" Yoshi muttered, craning his neck this way and that.
"There!" Mecha Guy shouted suddenly, jabbing down toward the sea.
There indeed, ripping across the darkening water, was a small motorboat. Inside it, barely visible, were the three black-shelled Koopas. The one at the rear spotted Mecha Guy and Yoshi up on the deck of the Luv Bote, and rose the large sack of gold he held in his hand toward the pair of heroes, shacking it in a taunting manor.
"Any ideas on how you want to go about pursuing them?" Mecha Guy asked as the motorboat distanced itself further.
"Yeah," Yoshi replied. "Hold on."
Jolting quickly from his stilled position, Mecha Guy nearly toppled off his companion as Yoshi darted for a flight of stairs a few meters to their left, which led deep below deck. Taking the stairs five at a time, the startled Shyster was forced to duck quickly and shield his head; Yoshi's massive leaps drew the Shy Guy's cranium within inches of slanting, aluminum ceiling. Wincing in pain as Yoshi slammed harshly on the platform of one of the ship's sub levels, something caught the Shy Guy's eye.
"Stop!" the Shyster shouted, waving his arms frantically. "Look! To your left!"
Yoshi halted himself and turned. He found himself looking up at a glowing neon sign positioned above a steal door that read: Motored Vessel Storage: Crew Only.
"Good spotting," Yoshi praised, striding toward the door and pushing against it. It didn't budge.
"Give it a face full of boot," Mecha Guy suggested.
Yoshi nodded, took a step back, then launched himself at the door, raising his right leg while doing so. His sturdy, orange boot collided violently with the steel surface, and the door easily snapped off its hinges and fell to the side. Wasting no time, the dino bounded through the threshold, once again forcing a panicked Mecha Guy to lower his head.
"Hey!" a burly, bearded Mushroomer in a sailor's cap shouted at the pair upon entering. "Can't yeh read? This room is for the crew only!"
"So sorry for the intrusion," Mecha Guy said as Yoshi ignored the crew member and made for one of the small boats that hung from sturdy, metal hooks attached to the ceiling. "My syndicate will make it up to you, to be sure. Here's my card."
The Mushroomer was stalking after the two heroes at this point and, as Mecha Guy offered a small, laminated piece of yellow paper, the sailor growled a loud, manly grunt. He ripped Mecha Guy's card from his hand, tossed it moodily to the floor, and was about to engage in more violent action when the Shyster's bright red toolbox came down upon his head. The crew member was knocked unconscious instantly, giving Yoshi ample time to unhinge the nearest boat, grasp it lengthwise, and hurriedly stumble toward the room's exist clutching it.
"You don't have a 'syndicate', Mecha Guy," Yoshi reminded him as he struggled through the small doorway and continued quickly further down the stairs.
Mecha Guy snorted. "Excuse a Shyster's poor attempt at humor, my friend."
Yoshi rolled his eyes at this comment but said nothing. The strain of the ship's weight was getting to him, and he was about to heave it down when the front of the small motorboat collided with something metallic. Getting up on his tiptoes, Mecha Guy could make out a second steal door, labeled by sign reading: Castoff Area: Crew Only. The Shyster informed his comrade of this, and Yoshi responded by bowling the door down with the boat he held, using it like a battering ram. As he entered the new room, Yoshi hurled the small ship to the floor and gasped for breath.
"Excellent work, chum," Mecha Guy said brightly. "Looks like you've got just a few more feet to go, though."
The Shy Guy in yellow pointed toward a large, circular opening at the far end of the room, which was compact, smelly, and possessed a great deal of odd, metal machinery. From the opening, the pair of heroes could see the surface of the water, which churned only ten feet or so below the area they occupied.
"Get in," Yoshi instructed between gasps, righting the motorboat while doing so.
Mecha Guy obliged, scampering into the boat. Inhaling deeply one last time, Yoshi charged for the small vessel and, as he reached it, dug his hands into the back of the ship and began to push. The dino's momentum carried the motorboat forward as its metal hull scraped loudly against the steel floor of the room. Soon the ship reached the circular opening and, as Yoshi gave one last push, tipped through it. Mecha Guy screamed several loud profanities as the the boat fell for a second or two, then smacked harshly onto the surface of the water. Seconds later, a large splash followed the impact, and the Shyster glanced to his right in time to see Yoshi's head emerge from the depths of the ocean.
"Bleh," Yoshi exclaimed, swimming quickly to the motorboat's side and hauling himself unto it. "I don't like water."
"Not a fan of it myself, really," Mecha Guy agreed as Yoshi shook the aquatic substance from his body. "Unless I'm drinking it, of course."
"Yeah, ha ha," Yoshi grumbled. "Now start her up already."
"Why me?"
"You're the mechanic here, aren't you?"
"It's a motorboat!" Mecha Guy scoffed. "Anyone with half a brain could work this thing!"
"Then let's see if I'm wrong about what I assume is your brain size," Yoshi said with a smirk, motioning toward the controls.
"That joke so didn't work," Mecha Guy muttered, stabbing at the controls with a mechanic's precision. The vessel's motor trembled for a moment, then roared into life, propelling the boat swiftly forward.
~*-*~
As Alishi's boots they sported a light blue color that matched her eyes met the hard metal floor, the female Yoshi jolted forward and nearly tripped on a sheet of fallen steel. Stopping herself in time to avoid an ill fate, Alishi glanced up at a glowing sign that hung over an open doorway, and her eyes brightened. She strode quickly into the room and immediately saw an unconscious Mushroomer sailor, several sets of motorboats hanging from the ceiling, and an odd, yellow card that rested on the floor. Realizing that carrying one of the vessel's would be impossible for her, she ignored the unconscious sailor and cast the yellow card a quick look before exiting at a run. It had read Mecha Guy's Mobile Mechanics.
Baffled, Alishi spared the card no second thought as she pounded further down the stairway. Passing a handful of other doors that did not suit her needs, the female dino reached the end of the stairway. In front of her, another door had been unhinged, and through the threshold she saw a circular opening at the ship's side that led to the sea below. Her mind focused on naught but the wellness of her partner, Alishi sprinted forward without hesitation, reaching the opening in seconds and leaping through it. Entering an elegant diving form, the yellow Yoshi slid neatly into the water as she impacted it. Oblivious to the fact that the Luv Bote was now slowly drifting away from her current position, Alishi made a beeline for Torshi, who was floating unconscious at the right side of the ship's hull.
Or he had been. The large cruise ship, however, had been floating steadily forward ever since Torshi had entered the water, which meant that his body was now floating freely in the ocean a distance behind it. Despite this, Alishi was able to spot her partner immediately; his bright crimson skin was quite visible along the surface of the water, even in the rapidly decreasing light. She swam rapidly toward him with a powerful breaststroke, reaching his side in less then a minute. Cradling his unconscious form above the water, Alishi was about to check the crimson dino's pulse when a large wake in the water rolled her upwards in the sea. Turning, she yelped in surprise; the thick, wooden hull of an enormous vessel was cleaving the water mere feet from where she held Torshi.
As she gawked up at the ship that had seemingly come out of nowhere, a rope ladder dropped at her side and splashed into the water. Gripping her senses, Alishi cast a forlorn glance in direction of the Luv Bote, which was now a full three-hundred yards away. It seemed she had no other option then to climb the ladder and board the mysterious vessel, assuming she could bare Torshi's weight. Turning back toward the ship, Alishi's heart leaped as she met eyes with the most handsome Yoshi she had ever seen. His white skin, which would have been extremely pale on any other Yoshi, was tanned and muscled. A ragged, black, three-corner hat perched on the Yoshi's head, and a grand leather sheath was latched to a wide belt that circled his waste.
"I'll take him," the Yoshi said, offering an arm.
Using a great bit of strength, Alishi heaved Torshi's body into the white Yoshi's grasp. Using just his right arm the left remained curled around the ladder the white Yoshi suspended Torshi behind him and slowly raised himself upward. Waiting a moment so that her head would not collide with Torshi's boots, Alishi followed the white Yoshi up the ladder. A minute or so later, the trio of Yoshis had reached the top of the ladder. Showing no signs of strain, the white Yoshi lifted Torshi's body onto the deck of the vessel and gently lay him down. He then followed himself, stepping smartly over the guardrail and onto the ship. Alishi copied his motion, but nearly hinged her right boot on the rail as she gazed about in wonder.
Huge, triangular sails ripped through the sky hundreds of feet above her, and a pitch black flag bearing skull and crossbones whipped about in the wind. Dozens of crew members, each armed with their own sheaths and blades, scurried about on the deck. Some loaded cannons and hauled barrels of gunpowder, while others hung from the rigging, adjusting the sails so that the breeze could aim them in the direction they desired. The white Yoshi eyed Alishi's profound gaze with satisfaction, and waited until her glance returned to him before he spoke.
"Name's Valshi," the white dino introduced, offering Alishi a hand. "Pirate captain of the Crooked Gobbler."
~*-*~
"Well, we've lost them," Yoshi said, sighing as the motorboat he occupied sliced forward through the sea. It was nighttime now, and the air and water were solely lit by a shaft of silver light provided by the moon, which hovered overhead.
"No we haven't," Mecha Guy disagreed.
Yoshi glared at him. "How can you be so sure? There's hundreds of miles worth of open ocean all around us!"
"I can be sure by use of a little thing most people refer to as logic," Mecha Guy snapped irritably. "First off, they were using a motorboat no larger then this one, which couldn't carry adequate fuel or supplies for hundreds of miles worth of aquatic journey. Second, it's obvious where they've gone anyway."
"How so?" Yoshi questioned.
"Been awhile since your last geography class, huh?" Mecha Guy said, smirking. "Or have you just not been paying attention to where the Luv Bote has been going?"
"Perhaps a bit of both," Yoshi admitted dully. "Just get on with it, okay?"
Mecha Guy left the controls of the small vessel for a moment so that he could lean back and position his masked face inches from Yoshi's head.
"Rogueport," the Shyster said ominously.
Yoshi shook his head. "That was so unneeded."
"Says you," Mecha Guy said, returning to the controls and forcing the boat to take a sharp right turn.
A moment of silence passed between the two comrades, then Yoshi questioned, "Why Rogueport?"
"It's close by," Mecha Guy informed. "And it's a haven for thieves and miscreants."
"How close?"
"Pretty darn close."
"Then shouldn't we be turning the boat light on, then? We could be nearing the harbor at any"
SMASH!
Chapter 5: Shipping and Shaping
Lord Bower, his large, scaly arms folded across his broad chest, gazed out at the sight before him with a comfortable, satisfied look. His excursion to Plateaus was moving along wonderfully; everything was as it should be. His loyal subjects, bless their hearts, were darting about helter-skelter, clutching crates of weaponry to their chests while the geeks of the bunch ran test after test to see if Lord Bowser's private vehicle of war was at full functionality. The air was filled with that sound of grinding gears, bellowed orders, and the hum of machinery, and the scent was wonderful, a mix of gasoline, oil, and sweat. Bowser savored every second of it, and almost shed a tear of joy.
The very sight of his awesome doomship, which he had named the Mirthshedder, elated his attitude further. A full five hundred feet across and two hundred tall, it was, according to the statistics presented to him by his underlings, it was the largest aircraft ever created. And if that weren't enough, every inch of the Mirthshedder that could be spared was covered in weaponry; the Main Cannon alone, which possessed a barrel that stretched over fifty feet in diameter, could level a ten-story building in a matter of seconds. Heat-seeking missiles lined the belly of the ship, and hundreds of powerful Bill Blasters and other cannon-like machines decorated either of the doomship's sides.
Crack.
Bowser nearly leaped out of his shell as a figure in green appeared suddenly a few feet to his left. The Koopa Lord's excellent mood only ebbed slightly as he realized that it was Aterix, whom he had been annoyed with ever since he had interrupted one of the Royal Seating. Well, Bowser thought as the Magikoopa smirked smugly up at him, I didn't like him a whole before then, either. Arrogant little gnat.
"So sorry, Sire," Aterix apologized, his glass eyeware a Magikoopa standard glinting in the dull light. "I had assumed you were used to Master Kamek's new teleportation network by now."
"Well, I'm not," Bowser growled. "Speaking of which, where are those two, anyway? They're supposed to be reporting to me about the welfare of the expedition to Plateaus."
"That would be my job now," Aterix informed.
"Why'd they let you takeover?" Bowser questioned bluntly.
"They're busy with some sort of important interrogation," Aterix explained. "Something about a Boomerang Brother getting zapped by a great beam of light that shot from the sky."
"Why was I not informed?"
"You just were."
"Ah, well, yes," Bowser grunted. "How about the rest of the news, then? How is the Mirthshedder? Is everything being loaded properly?"
"As you can see," Aterix motioned toward the doomship itself, which was docked inside the huge Castle Koopa warehouse he and Lord Bowser currently occupied, "we have had no major problems. All loading procedures are running smoothly, and everything appears to operating at one-hundred percent functionality. Boarding will take place shortly, and we'll be bound for Plateaus within the hour."
"That soon, eh?" Bowser said, his stomach becoming jittery with excitement. He then suddenly remembered something he needed to take care of before leaving, and he stated quickly, "Excellent. I have some last minute business to take care of, though. Hold the fort for me while I'm gone, 'mkay?"
And with that, Bowser turned tail and stomped off, leaving Aterix to stare after him, narrowing his eyes in disgust.
"Idiot," the Magikoopa spat.
~*-*~
The Boomerang Brother, Whyrl, had never been more confused in his life. Ten minutes earlier, he had awoken in the Castle Koopa Infirmary. There had been a constant buzzing in his ear (which was dissipating slightly now, thank DAD), and he had been hitting it off nicely with the attractive female nurse when Kamek and Kammy Koopa burst in, squawking about this and that. They had sent the nurse away, and his head had still been buzzing and pounding too, now that he thought about it and they had been asking him all sorts of questions he hadn't been able to hear let alone answer, and all-in-all, he had been feeling very, very perturbed.
"He doesn't appear to be listening," Kammy said.
"Maybe he just can't hear us," Kamek suggested.
"I can hear you," Whyrl grumbled, clutching his head. "Well, now I can. That," he spat a long string of curse words that formed a complicated adjective, "buzzing is finally gone."
"Buzzing?" Kammy repeated.
"Yeah," Whyrl grunted. "Buzzing. Woke up just a minute ago and it was driving me insane."
"Well," Kamek said, "now that you're functioning properly, perhaps you can tell us a few things, maybe answer a few simple questions."
"Why are you so interested?" Whyrl questioned.
Kammy scoffed. "And we are required to tell you... why? Forgotten that we are your superiors, have you?"
"No," Whyrl said. "Just curious."
"Right," Kamek said. "Now onto the questions, hm? First, tell us everything you remember about getting hit by the light, like what you were doing, what it felt like, that sort of thing."
"Well," Whyrl began, racking his brain, which still felt like it was throbbing painfully, "I was playing Hoops with a couple friends down at the training grounds. I had just won a ton of money off Zindy, who everyone thought was all DAD-like, which he certainly wasn't. Pretty inconsistent if you ask me, which is why I jumped at the chance to"
"We don't care about your pointless 'Hoop' antics," Kammy cut in. "Get to the part where you get hit by the light."
"Yeah, yeah," Whyrl grumbled. "Well, it was my turn, right? I was winding up a good throw when I saw this sudden flash of green light that burst from the sky. My body surged with pain for a few seconds, then I blacked out. Don't remember anything after that."
"Okay," Kamek said slowly, studying the Boomerang Brother. "Next question. Do you feel any different now than you did before you got hit by this light?"
"Yes," Whyrl replied quickly. "I had that buzzing thing going on, which I told you about. 'Cept that's over now, like I said. My head still kind of hurts though, and I feel..." Whyrl paused for a moment as he tried to find the proper word, then concluded with, "I feel unfulfilled."
"Unfulfilled?" Kammy echoed, cocking an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, I have the urge to do something," Whyrl explained. "Like I have a task to complete, except I can't complete it yet. It's like... I have to wait for something to happen, then I can go ahead."
"How strong is this 'urge' you have?" Kamek questioned.
"Very strong," Whyrl informed. "Stronger then anything I've felt since, well, ever."
Kamek and Kammy exchanged looks, and the witch garbed in purple said, "Thank you for your time, Whyrl. We're through with our questioning."
"For now," Kamek added as he and Kammy swept from the room.
~*-*~
Before Iggy Koopa could reach his brother with a single attack, Lemmy swung a quick fist forward and plowed it into his brother's face. The impact shattered the younger Koopaling's glasses and sent him reeling backwards and downwards. His shell collided harshly with the stone floor and his head followed, causing the nerdy Koopa to see stars for a moment before rolling back and righting himself. As Iggy stood, he saw his brother sweeping away shards of glass that had once made up the younger Koopa's glasses out of the cell with his foot, shooting Iggy an "Is that the best you got?" look. Snarling, Iggy leaped at his brother once more, throwing a fierce claw forward.
Lemmy responded quickly by grabbing his brother's arm before Iggy's claws could sink into his flesh, but the younger Koopaling countered by kneeing his sibling in the gut. Temporarily shaken by this, Lemmy could do nothing as his brother grabbed a firm hold on his arm and hurled him passionately at the prison cell wall. Lemmy's side smashed into the cold stone, and he turned in time to see Iggy hurl himself at his sibling once more. Lack of proper vision, however, seemingly took its toll on the nerdy Koopa as he missed Lemmy completely and instead slammed painfully into the prison bars. As Iggy blindly tangled his limbs in the bars, Lemmy tenderly rubbed a developing bruise on his left shoulder, then advanced toward his brother. Just as he threw him to the ground, the elder Koopa stopped suddenly and turned as he heard loud footsteps approach from behind.
"K-King Dad?" Lemmy stuttered, retreating several feet.
"Excellent observation," Lord Bowser growled, stopping in front of the cell.
"What's going on?" Lemmy asked as Iggy let out a loud grown from behind him.
"I'll be leaving shortly for an expedition to Plateaus," Bowser informed smoothly. "Don't think of this as a time to rejoice, however; your siblings, who have been much better behaved since the Mushroom Kingdom fiasco, will be coming with me. Unfortunately, you and your cellmate will not be joining us. Instead, you two will wait here until we return."
Lord Bowser smiled wickedly, and Lemmy was about to say something when the Turtle Tyrant cut in harshly, "And do not try to escape and stow aboard, either. I've told each every single one of my guards to take any necessary precautions required in the process of containing the two of you here in the dungeons. And, if you are caught, further consequences await upon my return. Understood?"
"Yes, King Dad," Lemmy droned obediently.
"Excellent," Bowser said, turning from the cell and striding away. "Enjoy your time of confinement."
As Lord Boswer's footsteps died away, Lemmy kicked moodily at the bars of the cell and slumped against the nearest wall.
"I still hate you," Iggy moaned at his brother from his position on the floor, which hadn't shifted since he was thrown there.
"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Lemmy snapped testily, glaring at the floor.
~*-*~
As Kamek and Kammy approached Aterix from behind, the elderly wizard in blue couldn't help but smile inwardly. Aterix had taken to his position of command like a fish took to water: the sleaves of the young Magikoopa third-in-comand had been rolled up to his forearms, he held a clipboard in his hands, and he was darting here and there along the side of the Mirthshedder, scribbling notes and reminders as he went.
"Why didn't you teleport?" Aterix questioned Kamek and Kammy as they reached him.
"Didn't want to risk appearing in the way or on top of some workman," Kammy explained. "Many of them are carrying crates containing hazardous materials."
"Oh," Aterix said, making a mental note to be more careful with teleportation in the future. "Of course."
"Everything going all right?" Kamek asked.
"Naturally," Aterix said, looking up from his clipboard and toward his superior. "We'll be fully loaded in less then five minutes."
"You're doing a fine job," Kammy praised. "There were no slip-ups or snags in the loading process up to now, I presume?"
"Nothing major," Aterix replied. "How did your confrontation with the Boomerang Brother go?"
"We learned several things regarding the incident," Kamek answered, "but it's very foggy. We still haven't the slightest idea what caused it."
Aterix nodded but said nothing, so Kammy asked, "And what of Lord Bowser? I thought he was going to wait here until we departed."
"He had a change of plans, apparently," Aterix informed impassively. "Said he had something last minute thing to deal with, though he didn't specify."
"Hope he doesn't delay us," Kammy said, glancing up at a large, rusted clock that hung from the wall.
"Don't worry your pretty little head, Kammy," a booming voice came from behind, and the trio of Magikoopas turned.
Lord Bowser, flanked by his children Ludwig, Roy, Wendy, Morton, and Larry, marched toward the Magikoopas, taking large snorts of air and looking over his doomship with a glittering eye.
"Where are Lemmy and Iggy?" Kamek questioned.
"Not coming," Bowser explained. "Little hooligans."
"So you're leaving them in the dungeon?" Kammy asked. "Isn't that kind of... ruthless?"
"That would be the idea, yeah," Bowser said.
"Boarding time," Aterix said suddenly and sharply as he spotted a Koopa Commander flash him a thumbs up from the deck of the Mirthshedder.
Bowser cracked his scaly knuckles. "Then let's do it."