Chapter 53: Edger's Plan B
Mario jumps at Edger, who smiles before turning into a transparent Boo for Mario to fly through and then hit the floor. Edger turns back to normal and turns toward Mario, laughing.
Edger: Do you know why you can't ever kill me?
Mario: Sure! Go ahead and tell me!
Edger: These life orbs, they aren't named that just because they let us live.
Mario: Heh!
Mario spins and shoots a fireball at him, and hits and blows Edger to pieces that quickly reform.
Edger: Each of the life orbs are constructed of five hundred spirits of the banished people of the Underwhere.
Mario's eyes water and widen as Edger grins.
Edger: That is one time. Fourteen hundred and ninety nine more times before I stay dead, Mario. Keep it up.
Mario: You sick monster.
Edger: Please! I'M the sick one? LOOK AT YOU! You want to save these people from immortality?
Mario: What immortality? That living-dead thing you want to hog for yourself so you can remain superior to all?
Edger: I guess you can say that; but imagine it, wouldn't it be so amazing to be ruled by somebody actually superior?
Mario: NOT YOU!
Edger grunts before flinging out one of his energy tentacles and missing Mario, who dives aside. As Mario lands he immediately starts running at him, while Mar T. and Senior watch.
Mar T: What do we do?
Senior: I want to help but I don't think we can. He'd crush us.
The two sigh, and we go to Edger, who turns his hand into a clamp and clamps it shut on Mario in his fall and throws him aside before flinging his tongue out and wrapping it around Mario.
Mario: Ugh! Let go!
Edger: Why now, when I finally have you where I want you?
Edger begins to pull Mario in, as Luigi and Bet T. emerge from the side. They turn to see Mario pull up and scorch Edger head-on, throwing him across the room only for him to be repaired again.
Edger: Urk! That is twice. Little pest.
Mario: Yeah, but I know if I can get out the orbs it's like destroying five hundred lives at once.
Edger: Very smart, Mario. Can you live long enough, though?
Mario claps as Edger turns into a Mega Mole and digs into the wall, dodging.
Mario: COME OUT NOW!
Edger: Why? You have to find me now! We need to make this fun, after all. HAHAHAHA!
A large stone pile falls from above and buries Mario as Edger falls from above and is tackled by Luigi. Edger turns into a spray can and sprays a gas in his face, causing Luigi to fall forward and hit the ground. Edger turns into a larger version of himself and throws Luigi aside.
Edger: Pfft. I should just do this to you, Mario.
Mario bursts out of the rock pile as Edger throws an energy tentacle into him and zaps some of his energy, causing him to fall.
Edger: This is too easy.
Senior: LEAVE HIM ALONE!
Edger: Huh? Oh hey, Gramps! Nice to still see you. I'll get to you soon, mmkay?
Edger turns to be blasted in the face with flames and thrown away again. Mario, who is now up, runs at Edger, who turns into a Boo and goes into the wall.
Mario: Not this again. Come on!
Edger: Actually, I take the easiness back. Technically it is five on one, so I'd like to go get some more life.
Mario: How? You can't just revive your three lost souls.
Edger: No... but I can get five hundred more. AHAHAHAHAHA!
Mario: What?
Everything goes quiet as Edger drifts too far out of hearing range, and Senior gasps.
Senior: MARIO, HE IS GOING AFTER WARTH!
Mario: NO!
Mar T: Come on!
Mario: No! We have Luigi and Bet T. out cold. You two need to take care of them.
Senior: But...
Mario: I'll stop him, but I need to go NOW!
Senior: Fine!
Mario smiles and runs out the door as the other two rush to Luigi and Bet T's side. We now go to Mario running through the woods, as we zoom ahead to Edger, still as a Boo and going through the woods easily towards the big pipe. As Edger emerges in the town with the pipe, he turns back to normal and turns his right hand into a map of the Mushroom Kingdom, rips it off, regrows a hand, and pulls out a pen as he reaches and jumps into the pipe. We then see Mario entering the village and running towards the pipe and jumping in about five minutes later. Going to New York again, we see a tall man in blue with a drama mask on looking up in shock at the massive dragon being guided by the guards to the lab.
Edger: You serious? You caved that much? Weak fool deserves to return to the afterlife.
Edger looks at his map and places a tracker on it to track Warth. A red spot lights up on it and begins to move northeast. Edger circles the spot and draws a line going northeast as Mario runs by him, failing to remember his form shifting.
Edger: Wow! That is two idiots in one.
Edger turns and goes towards the pipe again, but Mario does too and sees him.
Mario: Darn! How did I miss him? But... why is he leaving?
Mario runs after him, and reaches and tackles him.
Edger: UGH! YOU FOOL! Just when I thought this would be easy. Get off me now!
Edger kicks Mario in the chest, knocking him off. Edger grabs Mario by the collar of his shirt and hurls him into the side of a building.
Edger: STAY DOWN!
Edger jumps into the pipe as Mario slowly rises to his feet and limps after him. Edger reaches the Mushroom Kingdom again and pulls out the map to reveal it changes back and forth to show the spot Warth is in if he were in the Mushroom Kingdom and still tracks his movement.
Edger: Darn, with these powers I fail to understand why Veny was so weak, Goomba or not.
Edger turns into a Magikoopa and disappears as Mario emerges slowly. As he falls to the ground, some of the citizens arrive and pick him up.
Koopa #1: Mr. Mario, are you okay? What happened?
Mario: H…help, please!
Koopa #2: What? He's hurt, guys! Let's go!
Koopa #1: Hurry! We need to get him medical treatment.
The group of four Koopas run towards the hospital. Meanwhile, we see Edger reappear and his eyes widen. We spin view to see he is at the grave of Veny and Tongulty.
Edger: HERE! THIS IS WHERE THE MIRROR SPOT IS?
Edger grunts and hangs his head.
Edger: Fine! Now for some real magic!
Edger turns into a massive warp pipe. Going to Earth, we see Warth walking through a huge field, covering the whole thing in about four seconds with his size. As he walks the ground begins to break open and the soldiers and guards dive for cover. Warth falls into the formed hole and grabs onto the land.
Warth: RRRROOOOAAAARRR! WHAT IS THIS? YOU SET ME UP!
Soldier: WE DID NO SUCH THING! MEN! HELP HIM NOW!
Other Soldiers: YES SIR!
The men run towards Warth as the ground gives way and they all plummet into what appears to be a huge blue ring. Going back to Edger, we see him glow and Warth launch out with the soldiers, all landing on the ground. Edger returns to normal and turns to see the soldiers turning into Koopatrols and Warth beginning to shrink. Edger flings out his energy tentacles and absorbs the soldiers before they can get up. He then stands with a grin on his face as Warth finally returns to normal state and gets up, rubbing his head. He turns to Edger and gasps.
Warth: E…Edger, how did you... You did this?
Edger: Correct!
Warth: You... I know what you did!
Edger: Yes, and you'll be happy to know they are all dead but us two.
Warth: HOW IS THAT GOOD? OUR FAMILY IS DEAD!
Edger: It's good, because now you can help me gain control.
Warth: How?
Edger: By letting me kill you and take your life orb.
Warth begins to stammer, and before he can speak, is cut off by Edger.
Edger: Don't speak! This can be fast or slow and torturous for you. Either way I will win.
Warth: You betrayed the family and now you have gotten SO greedy for power you fail to try to manipulate us. You just want to kill us and get the power as quickly as you can.
Edger: Silly you. You are far from right.
Warth: How so?
Edger: There is no "us". It is just me and a soon to be dead life increaser.
Warth lifts a hand.
Warth: I was happy... I was finally happy realizing the truth and being away from all this, and you had to do this.
Edger: A terrible shame, isn't it?
Warth: Where is Mario?
Edger: How rude of you to change the topic just like that! Meh, he's somewhere unconscious and waiting for me to return with my two thousand lives.
Warth: We'll see how long those lives will last against me. I'm glad now that I can take you on. I want to get revenge.
Edger winks at Warth and grins. Warth jumps at him and takes a slash, as Edger laughs in a scratchy, demonic voice.