Chapter 25:

~Masamune~

"Be careful bro," Mario warned, "He's bigger than last time, somehow I don't think a flyswatter is going to work this time..."
"Right," Luigi replied, "I'll keep him occupied, while you take him around the back."

Mario nodded and stepped back, while Luigi prepared yet another superball. Quickly and effectively he sent one straight towards Watinga. It failed to make contact as the large insect created a swarm of tiny bugs which detonated the ball. The remaining swarm continued towards Luigi, as he desperately tried to knock them with the superballs. A disadvantage he had noticed was that they took longer to form then fireballs.

Poison gas was Watinga's next attack, Luigi found this harder to avoid. But after throwing another superball towards Watinga, the gas around the bug ingnited. This sent the metallic minion straight to the ground, twitching in agony. The younger plumber readied a second blast, but let it fly stray out of surpise. The virtually wrecked Watinga sent out several more small bugs. However, these were different in type. They surrounded Watinga and set to work on fixing his armor.

"Yeoww! He's unstoppable!" Luigi exclaimed in suprise. By the time he recovered his senses, Watinga was back in the air again.

"I'll see to it that little Superball is destroyed!" Watinga roared angrily. He then dashed madly at Luigi, who frantically prepared another Superball. The winged menace however released volts of electricity all around, igniting the ball in Luigi's hand. The blast sent him back into the wall. The pin took the brunt of the blow and exploded under the pressure.

Luigi scrambled to his feet, shook his head and balled his fists. "Is that it?"

Watinga screeched and began flapping his wings at a tremendous rate. At first it created a slamm gust of wind, but soon it had the force of a tornado behind it. Before he was completely swept away, he managed to grab the spear left by a bunbun fly and strike it in a crack in the ground. He then caught another spear that was flying towards him and planted it a few feet in front of him. Then he pulled the one behind him out and placed it another few feet in front of him.

Watinga was to enraged at the moment to notice the plumber slowly approaching him. It was to late to look when he finally glanced back down. Luigi had finally made hi way in front of him and planted the spear in a soft spot of the armor. A place where the small bugs had been unable to repair.

Watinga surged with electricity and the armor exploded off of him, peice by peice. Before the repair bugs could escape and repair him again, a large pillar crashed on him from above. Luigi looked up, seeing his brother on top of a ledge. Mario had a big smile and was showing a V sign with his hands.

"Good job, bro!" Luigi yelled.

"Yeah, good job and all, but.." Mallow said, "CAN YOU LET US OUT!?"

Mario jumped from the ledge nad landed between the two pillars they were tied to. He began untying Sonny's ropes while Luigi freed Mallow. Sonny stretched his arms, "Ah, I reckon we better get on out of here. Watinga has an exit right over there"

Indeed, a stone wall came loose, leading to the desert just outside. Sonny was the first to go, Mallow following after. Before Mario and Luigi could even step outside, the door suddenly closed again. Luigi quickly glanced over to where the device that opened the door was. Watinga was there, bruised and tattered. He looked at them and gave an evil snicker, "You won't escape..."

Before the two could react, he hit another device. The entire sphinx began to rumble as it started to sink into the sand. On the other side, they heard the muffled voice of Mallow.

"The head... another exit... hurry!"

The two brothers, without exchanging words, dashed off to the exit. They went up the first flighty of stairs, up a few ladders. As they passed a corridor, two doors on the side suddenly opened. Two gaos emerged, taking chase after the plumbers. By the time they reached the area where the head of the sphinx was, the ledge began to sink back into the wall. The two took running behind the other, instead of side by side like before. The gao on the far side from the wall, quickly fell to the ground when it failed to move behind it's partner. The ledge finally was near the point where it was no longer wide enough to run on.

"Jump!" Mario called to Luigi, who was just in front of him running.

He did as he was told, grabbing onto the ladder where the ledge was leading to. Holding on the ladder with one hand, he turned to reach his other hand for Mario. The plumber was not far behind, high in the air just three feet from Luigi. Before he could get near, the gao jumped after him. It grabbed his leg. Mario managed to grab Luigi's hand. But the weight of the beast weighed him down, sending them both plummeting down below.

"MAAAAARIOOOOOOO!!!!" Luigi yelled.

He had to keep himself from jumping down after his brother, reluctantly he held onto the ladder with both hand and continued up. There the hole to the outside was, and he could tell it was already nearing the point where it would meet with the sand. He jumped through the hole, just as the sand began to pour inside. He landed on the sand, coughing out the sand that had filled his mouth after his less than perfect landing. Sonny and Mallow soon found him and joined him.

"Luigi! Your ok!" Mallow exclaimed, "I thought you guys were toast!"

Luigi nodded through wet eyes, unable to talk through his hacking and coughing.

"Yeah, great job!" Sonny agreed, "Hey, where's Mario?"

Luigi managed to speak through his coughing, "He didn't make it out..."

"What happened?"

"Gao dragged him down..." Luigi answered.

Mallow winced, "Grandpa is on the way, if anyone knows... he would know how to get that sphinx back up!"

Luigi just looked down at the small little hole where the head of the Sphinx submerged at.

~Luigi of the Pipes~

"I'm sorry Grasshoppers," Frogfucius sighed, a sympathetic look crossing his face. "Even Tadpole Pond doesn't get all the information. Though..." The old frog squinted his eyes a bit, then pointed the trio in front of him out to the right with his webbed hand. They looked, and just barely saw something jutting out of the sand in the distance. Slowly, they walked toward it, and as they came closer, it became more and more clear as to what it was.

A hand. Blue, leathery skin stretched over a frame of bone and muscle. Four spindly fingers extended from the palm, each double-hinged with a dusty white claw at the end.

"I don't believe it," Sonny breathed, his eyes growing wide. "How'd that feller get so far before the sphinx sunk?"

"He must've been stronger than he let on," Mallow offered, offering a shrug to show that he was just as confused.

"I don't care how he got so far," Luigi grumbled, his pace quickening to let him overtake his friends, "but if he can't raise it again, he's gonna regret having stuck his hand out..."

Luigi dropped to his knees upon arrival and yanked the white gloves off his hands. He jabbed his fingers deep into the desert and pulled back, his back stretching into an arc as the sand slid toward him. Sonny and Mallow followed him (though the latter complained at how easily the sand stuck to him), until they had uncovered arm, face, and torso.

Watinga's eyes were yellow slits, and his oblonged face was caked with sand. He remained limp, even after Luigi gave him a few sharp smacks across the face in hopes of rousing him.

"Let's dig out his other arm," the plumber commanded, digging to the fly boss's right side. "He had some sort of remote that he used to lower the sphinx. There might be a button to raise it, too."

But when they fished out his right hand, it was as barren as its twin. Luigi's face contorted into a mask of grief. He furiously swung his arms skyward, then pounded them down hard on Watinga's chest. Getting yet another empty response, Luigi flopped onto his side and curled his legs to his chest, moaning over his sudden lack of hope. Mario was the inventive one...

"I take it you're not feeling well," Sonny sighed, looking down at the green-capped plumber.

"I'd say," Mallow grunted. "The princesses are gone, Hydraulico, Mario... everyone but us..."

"It's frustrating," Luigi croaked. "We don't even know how long we have before Smithy's gonna pull something big..."

Unbeknownst to any of the three, Watinga twitched. It was just a small movement, an almost invisible shudder that rippled over his entire body. He shuddered again, this time his frail wings beating against the terrain, kicking up a light cloud of sand. The trio noticed and turned to Watinga, just in time to see him shake his head dizzily, throwing sand everywhere.

Luigi was up in a second, grasping for Watinga's neck. He instead grabbed the beast's forearms and shook him desperately, shouting, "Bring it back!" over and over in a vague voice.

Watinga scowled up at Luigi, then screeched aloud, sending the plumber head over heels in shock. "I... I don't know what you're talking about..." Watinga groaned, raising a hand to cover his forehead as he sprayed sand out his mouth.

"Don't even try that!" Luigi hissed, but Watinga cut him off with another shriek.

"Who am I?!" he shouted, drowning out Luigi's voice. "Where am I?!" he said, scanning Birabuto with his wide eyes. " What am I?!" he cried, looking down at his arms.

"Perfect," Luigi moaned. "Our only hope, and he's "forgotten" everything..." The plumber rolled over again and shut his eyes.

"Oh come on!" Sonny said. "Stop being so pessimistic and help us think! You're the..."

"Excuse me," Watinga said, cutting the golfer off. "I would appreciate some help, please."

Mallow and Sonny looked at each other, mouthed a few words, then nodded to the monster. They set to digging again, while Mallow stopped on occasion to keep them all rehydrated with a rain cloud. By the time they had gotten Watinga's other two arms free (both devoid of the remote as well), Frogfucius had landed the bus closer and waddled over.

"No luck?" he asked, though he could already tell by Luigi's position. Mallow shook his head in response anyway. Frogfucius nodded slowly, then turned back to the bus, a downcast look on his face. He quickly glanced up again when he heard a loud shout. He peered into the distance, and just barely made out a figure riding toward them.

As it steadily got closer, he could make out two beings, one riding atop the other. The rider was still unrecognizable, but the one being ridden was apparently a Nomad Yoshi. Nomad Yoshis were incredibly primitive forms of the dinos that behaved more as a horse or camel would. They were intentionally starved, beaten, and other such abuse until they lost their free will and natural intelligence. Training and using Nomad Yoshis should've been banished years ago, but it seemed to be another overlooked thing by Princess Daisy. It would likely be continued in secret anyway, since these deserts were swarming with crooks.

Frogfucius took on a lighter expression when the rider finally came clear to him. Squid Guy, several canteens strapped to himself, had the Yoshi's reins in his tentacles. From the way he was acting, the frog guessed that his latest disciple had an enormous grin on under his mask. Which was odd enough in itself, not even taking the Shy Guy mutant's state of mind into perspective.

Squid Guy pulled the Yoshi to a stop and catapulted from its back, then flopped to Frogfucius, his canteen clinking loudly as he went.

The squid paused to let out a breath, but before he could start speaking, Frogfucius cut him off with a grunt. "I'm a little disappointed you would partake upon this enterprise," Frogfucius scolded, turning to the Nomad Yoshi.

The creature was swinging wildly, trying to spit its harness off. Its eyes bulged off its pale yellow skin, and it snorted like a wild bull, sand kicking up around its feet. Frogfucius raised a hand to pet Yoshi's snout, but pulled it back quickly when it snapped furiously at him.

"Forgive me," Squid Guy said, lifting up to the end of his tail and bending into a bow. "I was in a hurry to reach you, and there was no other form of transportation." He looked at the reins, still in his tentacles, then dropped them and let out a shrill cry. Frogfucius plugged his ears at the sound, but smiled a little as he watched the Yoshi run to its own freedom.

"There's a caravan of other desert-hardy Yoshis going around," Squid Guy continued. "Hopefully they'll find and help him." He sighed and patted his tail fins against the sands, kicking up a dusty mist. "The guy I rented him from would charge extra for losing him, but I'm not going back to Furai Town again, anyway."

"Speaking of there, Grasshopper," Frogfucius interrupted. "Why'd you come racing from there so riled? You were so depressed when we left."

"That's what I came to tell you. It happened like this..."

~~~

It happened like this. After I left the NimBus, I decided the best thing to do was clear my name. Of course, the only way to do that would be to return to the scene of the crime. The Pionpi House. I had planned to come in with a tree branch under my arm so that it would appear I needed immediate care and would be put in the best room, which was what apparently the Mario Bros. had been put in. Unfortunately, trees are pretty scarce in the Salla Swamps, as you likely know. So I just came in like some regular bum off the street, prepared to bribe the innkeeper for a glance at his look of occupants last night or two ago.

"Grasshopper!"

"What?! I was desperate!"

Frogfucius sighed. "Continue..."

Well, I went in, and was immediately filled with nervousness. You should've seen how the innkeeper's eyes shot open when he saw, or should I say, recognized me.

"Recognized?"

"I'll get to that later."

"Yes, carry on."

Anyway, this guy put on a smile quicker than a Bzzap! can sting you, and politely introduced himself as Pinopio. I could've guessed that. He looks like a regular Pionpi, except he wears one of those caps that the Toads from Mushroom Kingdom have. It comes up to a point, with little hairs sticking out the top, and yin-yangs in place of the spots. You can see the semblance in that, can't you?

But anyway, I began to introduce myself as an undercover agent for the K.B.I., Kingdom Bureau of Investigation, but a dim little beep cut me off. Politely, Pinopio asked me to wait in the other room while he took a call. Not willing to give up my cover, I did. Unfortunately for ol' Pinopio, the room he put in me was put together like a toothpick cabin. I mean it, there were cracks in the boards all over.

"So you eavesdropped?"

"Well..."

"You have much to learn about the ways of my tadpoles... but please, finish up."

Okay, Pinopio was talking to someone. Give or take a few words, his conversation was like this:

Pinopio: Zero-Five-Niner, over.

???: HOW ARE YOUR GUESTS?

Pinopio: Uhh... well, you see sir, they aren't exactly my "guests" per say, but...

???: YOU LOST THEM?!

Pinopio: It wasn't my fault!

???: TRAITOR!

Pinopio: Please Master!

???: TELL ME YOUR LOCATION! PUT WATINGA ON THE TALKIE! I'LL LET YOU STARVE DISHONORABLY IF YOU DON'T DO ONE OR THE OTHER IN THREE SECONDSSSSSS!!!!

Pinopio: I'm at the Pionpi House in Furai Town, Salla Swamps, but please Master...!

???: (not to Pinopio) YOU HEARD HIM! FURAI TOWN! GO THERE AND...

Pinopio: Master Smith! Please! The sphinx has sunken!

???: WHAT?

Pinopio: Watinga was given a device to sink the sphinx. He would only do that if the Marios were still inside.

???: YOU MEAN...?

Pinopio: They're trapped safely under the sands, ready for disposal by one of your lieutenants.

???: AH, WHY NOT WATINGA?

Pinopio: He hasn't reported in to me. I believe he took himself down with the sphinx.

???: A PITY. I SHALL SEND MY LATEST MACHINE MADE, CLUBMIN, TO PICK THEM UP AND REPRIMAND YOU.

Pinopio: Me?!

???: YES. HAVING A SPY IS A GREAT STRATEGY, BUT NOT WHEN THE SPY HIMSELF IS DISLOYAL.

Pinopio: But I'm not...!

*click*[/i]

"Master Smith, eh? So he recognized you through your connection to Smithy."

"Pretty much. Who knows? Maybe Smithy wants me back in his control. Or that Bandit back when I first landed in the desert could've been right. Maybe he just wants me destroyed, being the nuisance I am... Ahem, anyway..."

I burst into the room and immediately demanded Pinopio tell me what had happened with the sphinx. He obviously wasn't in that good a mood already, and I only made matters worse for me. He pulled an old katana out from under his cloak... I flinched...

And when I opened my eyes again, Pinopio was laying on the floor, dripping wet. Puzzled, but not deterred, I took advantage of the situation and found out everything more I needed to know about sphinx.

~~~

Squid Guy stopped for a breath. "I see Luigi there. Did Mario...?"

Frogfucius shook his head. "If Pinopio told you it could be re-raised with a remote..."

"We're out of luck," Luigi said, getting to his feet. He rubbed his large nose and eyes. "Or not." The plumber blushed. "I think I got a little carried away... I'll dig all the way down there if I have to.

"Not necessary," Squid Guy replied. "Pinopio didn't even bring up the remote, except when he was talking to Smithy."

"So how are we gonna lift it?"

"What he did bring up was that there's a switch to raise it inside the sphinx. Can we talk to Mario?"

"Uh uh."

"That's okay. A little more work on our part, but..."

"How much?"

"There's an oasis out in the desert somewhere. Underneath its waters is a passageway to the sphinx. Now, Pinopio didn't know where that oasis was, but he did tell me about an information caravan that frequents Birabuto Outpost. They might know."

"You don't say," Sonny said, walking over.

"Anything else, Grasshopper?" Frogfucius asked.

"Nah. I figured Pinopio wouldn't be much of a help, so I just let him run. The poor guy's gonna have trouble on his hands already. Any idea who "Clubmin" is?"

"Must be too recent. Though club might mean some sort of hammer."

"Probably. Anyway, Pinopio was so busy trying to scoot that he forgot his little communication device." Squid Guy pulled the grey cube out of his robes, a mischievous look in his eyes.

"You didn't try to talk, did you?"

"No no, I figured Smithy would recognize me."

"That's where Watinga can come in handy, Grandpa," Mallow said, walking up with the fly close behind him. "We just tell him what to say, starting with how he got Pinopio's cube."

"I'll only do that if I can get some background, here," Watinga interrupted.

"We'll get to that on the ride to Birabuto Outpost," Luigi cut in, taking up a leading tone where Mario would normally have stepped in. "We've gotta hurry before that lackey shows up."

Watinga nodded in agreement. With everything finally settled, the sextet climbed back into the NimBus and got on their way to the Outpost, hoping that the caravan would be passing through quickly. For Mario's... and everyone's sakes.

***

Croco and his crooks finally set down at the Ruins of Easton after an incredibly long flight. They set down their jet packs on soil that bore a dull grey hue, due to exposure from the toxic chemicals that had been used to fuel Tatanga's ship on his first and last visit to Sarasaland. And that was years ago. The soil was apparently retaining the chemicals like a sponge, ready to squeeze the toxins back out into the environment at the first chance. Another thing Daisy was neglecting until the last second... Tatanga's ship itself was spread in thousands of pieces across the disgusting land, rusted in the early morning moisture and completely beyond use.

Not far away from the crooks' landing spot rested the Factory II, where the large group of Smithy's captives had been sent to slave away at Smithy's new "toys". And that was where Croco headed.

The factory bore several large smokestacks on its roof, which poured smoke and smog into the aptly named Ruins day and night since it had been constructed. The fumes never faded in this place, due to its surrounding mountains. Since the Easton Mts. were on all sides, the smog was merely enclosed in the valley. Thus, it only got worse and worse each day.

Toad despised being here as soon as the Bandit carrying him had set down. His eyes watered and became bloodshot after just a minute. His skin and cap paled to a sickly yellow only a few minutes after that, due to the lack of fresh oxygen. He coughed hoarsely, and bile rose, threatening to vomit out at any given moment.

Worst of all, though, was that none of the other captives seemed to notice, let alone care. They had all given up hope as soon as their village was raided. The crooks neglected his health as well, except one...

Toad resorted to closing his eyes, hoping that the noxious fumes wouldn't reach them. Because he did so, however, he couldn't see where he was going and tripped over part of Tatanga's ship, jutting from the ground. Two hands caught him before he smashed the ground, face down, and lifted him back up.

Toad looked up to Pilf's shrouded face. "Stool... okay?" the Sackit asked, oblivious to Toad's real identity. "No look good..."

"Yeah," the retainer replied, getting up and moving along. "When I get out of this slime hole, maybe I'll be better."

"Pilf can help?"

"I don't want to get you in trouble..."

"Oh, okay."

Despite Toad's hostility, Pilf stayed close, which was annoying. The Sackit hadn't been so friendly when Toad regained his memory, so why was he now? He turned to ask, but Pilf was already being pushed ahead by his brother, Glepe. So much for that...

Being inside the factory significantly helped Toad's health. It was properly ventilated, since having one of their slaves collapse would only slow the work line. The problem with it though, was the intense heat. Molten steel did that to a place... Molten steel and burning coal... It was probably cooler in a volcano.

As Croco led his troops through the factory, the kleptic croc himself stayed cool with a portable fan he had swiped off one of the Shysters bouncing around. Toad turned to watch the other prisoners as he walked, those that had been captured and put to work before him. Only one had stopped to watch them enter. A bug-eyed, bandana and wrist band wearing Nokobon. His smooth black bomb-shell was tarnished, and his tail scarred black. Protruding from the top of his bald scalp was a single fuse, that seemed to act like a ponytail. At first sight, Toad was reminded of Kooper... or Bombette... or both.

Wonder if he can get me out of here, Toad mused, but as he continued watching, a Shyster bounced over and, too afraid to bounce on the bomb-wearing turtle's head, bounced on his toe again. The Nokobon howled shortly, then turned and continued. Or not...

Ahead of him, Croco jaunted up to Machine Made Mack, who appeared to be in charge of the factory's progress.

"Got another shipment of slaves for ya," the larcenous lizard snarled.

"Very well," Mack said, no tone in his voice. "Master Smith has allowed you to see the progress of the Blade II, that you may report back to him."

"Master Smith don't own me!" Croco snapped. "And I don't report to no one but myself! You tell that oil-sucking knuckle-head that...!"

"Did I say allow? Forgive my processing units, I meant commanded upon order of death."

Croco tilted his snout downward. "Fine, let's get ‘dis over with..."

"Oh, and one other thing," Mack said, leaning close to the purple lizard. "You would do well to show your thanks to me, that I not give away what you just said to Master Smith."

Croco nodded, then under his breath said, "Thanks."

"So everyone can hear you, please."

"Thanks! All right?! THANKS A MILLION!"

Toad almost felt sorry for Croco, having to drop the one thing that the croc held as dear as his swiped belongings. His pride. And to someone he repeatedly said he owed no loyalty to. Smithy was some dictator...

Mack's mouth curled into a smile. "Bring your captives with you. They shall be working in this area as well."

Croco nodded and followed Mack as the knife bounced away, the crooks and captives forming a line behind him. Toad desperately pushed toward the front of the line. The more he could learn about this "Blade II" and its inner workings, the more he could help Mario if this thing ever got off the line.

If... Or maybe when...

***

The Suu spider hummed happily to itself as it warmed a giant kettle in between the rocky crags that made up its home. Goombario lay in the corner, wrapped tightly in silky threads and with an apple stuffed in his mouth.

At least I won't starve, the Goom thought, trying to get the whole thing into his mouth. He finally succeeded, chewed a bit, and spit the core back out at the Suu. It landed by the spider's legs, catching his attention.

"Yes?" the Suu asked.

"Look here, now," Goombario said. "You don't wanna eat me. My... uhh... my cap is dirty!"

The Suu hopped nimbly over, took Goombario's cap off, set it on a nearby rock, then hopped back to the kettle. "Problem solved," he replied sweetly.

Goombario quickly scanned his great mind for another way that he could get the Suu to leave him, but when none came, he angrily blurted out, "D'oh!", then blushed when he realized it was out loud.

"Ah, dough! Thanks for reminding me. I need to add some to this soup."

"Dough?"

"Yeah... we don't get much fresh meat in these rock-ridden ranges, so I have to get my nutrients in other places."

"Maybe I can help you there."

"You can," the Suu snickered, "by not struggling."

"Not what I meant..."

"Oh?"

"I know a place with oodles of flies."

"Flies?!" The Suu turned his eyes to Goombario, quickly wiping away the drool on his lips. "I've not had a fly since I was but a baby spiderette!"

"I can take you to this place if you let me go, and..."

"And? There's more?"

"Considering that this deal will keep you from ever being hungry again, I'd say so."

"You're a demanding little mushroom..." The Suu sighed deeply and put a leg onto his forehead. "Fine, what is it?"

"Well, I came here with two other friends. A Chibibo with a white cap and a Shy Gal with green robes and a red bow. They got captured by the Kumos, and..."

"You want me to help you save them," the Suu finished. He looked at Goombario a bit longer, then offered his foreleg. "Call me Samuel. I've been waiting to get back at those lugs, hogging all the good food and leaving us "lesser" spiders to ends meat."

"Thanks," Goombario nodded. "Now, if you don't mind..."

"Oh yes, the webs. You won't run now, will you?"

"Sammy, I wouldn't even consider it."

***

Four shadows raced gracefully down the halls of the majestic castle. Yellow, Purple, Orange... and Pink. Each had a weapon drawn, which faintly reflected their personality. Yellow with a parasol, Purple a Tennis Racket, Orange a Golf Club, and Pink a Frying Pan, of all things. As the shadows kept moving, it was obvious that Yellow had a much quicker pace, her fury over losing her palace taking over her actions. Pink, however, lagged behind, until she finally stopped to catch herself on the wall.

Maple turned to look back at Peach. She didn't look well at all. Sweat seeped through the mask of her forehead, plastering the visible hair to her temples. Her blue eyes had turned greyish and struggled just to stay open.

"Peach?" the orange-robed princess called. "Are you...?"

"I'm fine," the other snapped, unaware of her exaggeration on the feeling of that. "I just... well... something's happening to Mario."

"Oh? How can you tell?"

"I just feel it. Here," she said, pressing the left side of her chest, where her heart would be. "He's been hurt, or tortured, or captured... I don't know..."

"Mario can take care of himself. You're not sick because of him."

"I'm not sick at all, Maple!"

"Look me in the eye and say that."

Peach couldn't look up, period. Maple walked over and draped Peach's arm over her own shoulders, then helped brace her as they walked down the hall. "We'll just get you to an infirmary, eh? Daisy's got this place decked out with everything. She must have one around here somewhere..."

"Over here!" a voice from the door to her left called.

Maple gently turned to look at the door. A strip of tape stuck to the top, on it written "INFIRMARY" in sloppy black letters.

"Well, that was easy."

Maple limped to the door, rested Peach against the wall, then turned the knob and swung it open. As soon as she did, five metallic figures bearing battle axes, which they waved menacingly, burst out and ran into a suitable formation.

"We fight for evil!"

"We long for disaster!"

"We raise chaos!"

"We raze goodness!"

"We are..."

"THE AXEM RANGERS!"

"Peachy," Maple groaned. She prepared her golf club in her hands, then lunged forward.

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