Chapter 6 – The Damp Tramp 

    Until Bowser finally became an adult, he had no home, no education, no money to buy food of any kind, and he avoided being sent to another orphanage so that he wouldn’t have deal with a cruel owner again. He also wore a hooded cloak to prevent exposing his face while spending many years asking people for money. But even with the hood, he still frightened them, despite his inevitable poverty.

    “Excuse me, lady,” said Bowser. “Could you spare me a quarter? How about a dime? A nickel? What about a penny? I’ve been living without a home for years!”

    The woman only screamed and hit him with a purse. Not only that it hurt Bowser’s face, but it also hurt his feelings. This proves that no matter how hard the “monster” tried to convince anybody for money, they either ran away, or hit him with an object such as a book or a bag. Eventually, the now-giant turtle finally gave up, went back to the bench, took off his cape, and sniveled.

    “Why is everyone so afraid of me?” asked Bowser. “I never did anything wrong to them. All I ever did was asking for a little money or a piece of food.”

    That night, another lady came to see the lonely Koopa; it was Rosaria who now became an adult. She was flabbergasted that the turtle was still alive, despite diving a hundred feet into the water from the bridge years ago. Nonetheless, she felt concerned about how he’s doing lately.

    “What’s wrong, big guy? You look a little lost,” she said.

    “Just go away,” Bowser responded, unrecognizing her at first. “You must be one of the people who are scared of me. Shouldn’t you be screaming or something?” He then took a sight of the lady’s snowy hair and blue eyes. His eyes started to widen. “Wait a minute,” he said. “Aren’t you the white-haired girl who fixed my leg?”

    “That’s right,” the lady replied. “It’s me, Rosaria. Remember me from elementary school? I’m not afraid of you, not even close.”

    “Compared to in the past, you look even more beautiful than before,” complemented the dragon turtle.

    “Why thank you,” replied Rosaria.

    “Anyway, for many years, after I fabricated my demise, I’ve been living with seclusion and severe poverty. In other words, I’ve got no dough, no grub, no school, no buds, zilch,” moaned Bowser. “At least nobody bullies me anymore. I wish that cruel kid Darwin left me alone. If he did, I wouldn't have made this mistake of moving here."

    "I’m really sorry about your new life,” said Rosaria. “And that’s why I’m thinking of inviting you to my house for you to stay until I find you a job and your own home. You can’t live like this forever.”

    “Why, that’s very generous of you!” said Bowser. ”Do you know how long I waited for a miracle like this?” So Rosaria brought Bowser to her home, made him something to eat, and permitted him to sleep in the garret, which was surprisingly clean and comfortable.

    The next morning, the white-haired lady took Bowser a fancy café to order breakfast. This was the place where the giant dragon turtle was first met by King Wart in the flesh.

    “Bowser, is that you?” asked the giant royal frog. “Long time no see. When I was a tadpole, I heard in the news that you attacked a city when you were a child. Was that chili-haired brat mean to you at school? Likewise, I’m rather amazed that you survived your plunge after I once thought you committed suicide.”

    “Yep, I’m still here,” replied Bowser. “And today, that lady is getting me a waffle because no one else cared for a monster like me, and that’s all I’ll ever be.”

    “People see me as a monster, too,” croaked Wart. “And that’s why I treat everyone as one; for instance, I spit on people, I smash vegetables, and I blow bubbles all over. Be a book as your cover.”

    “Don’t listen to that frog,” said the barista on stilts. “Have you ever felt like doing something good?”

    “Well, yes actually,” answered Bowser. “I’m sick of acting like a bad guy, but if I’m treated like a beast, must I be one?”

    “It doesn’t matter what you look like or where you came from, convinced the barista. “It’s your inner self that counts.” He then served the breakfast to the Koopa when it was ready. “Anyway, here’s your blueberry and chocolate waffles with a side order of ham and scrambled eggs. Miss Silvestriano ordered it for you.”

    “Thank you,” said the big turtle, eating his waffles. “By the way, what’s your name?”

    “My name is Armand-Guglielmo the beagle,” the barista responded. (Beagles tend to be shorter than humans, which is why this one needs stilts for height to serve.) “People call me AG for short.” And this is my friend Starlow the Star Sprite. Say hello, Starlow.”

    “Yello morning, Bowser! Now why are you confused about who you should be?” asked Starlow.

    (Sigh) “Don’t ask why, 'Chippy'; can I call you Chippy? You know, I do want to be a hero in order to CHANGE who I am and reveal my feelings, so people could see me differently and befriend me if possible,” said Bowser, finishing his eggs.

    “Then be the hero you want to be,” said Armand-Guglielmo. “Remember, good looks and capes don’t describe a hero, it’s your motivations and character that prove that you want to do the right thing. In this world, standards of beauty as well as “super powers” seem to determine who a hero is, but trust me, a true hero does not really need any of those gimmicks. Just imagine a superhero with top-end powers and abilities and elegant clothes. He may live up to the standards and attract millions, but he only does his job so he could earn money and fame. And the truth is, they don’t fulfill his heart. Another example is a troll who is often feared by villagers. But what if the troll actually saved a girl from a ferocious bear? Then the villagers wouldn’t be as afraid as before. The point is that no one can describe who anyone is by their appearance or their talents. It’s your goals and your personality that matters the most. And that’s how you make friends. By making the right choices.

    “Wow, I never realized that!” replied the big Koopa. “You know what, AG? I think I am going to look for someone who needs my help, whether he or she likes me or not.”

    “Then go out there and follow your goals!” exclaimed AG. “I wish you good luck!”

    “Yello Goodbye!” saluted Starlow. “I hope the girls are gonna dig ya.”

    “Thanks, but I seriously doubt it,” replied the big turtle, leaving the café. “Bye.”

Chapter 7 - From Sorrow to Hero/A Change of Heart

    After the meal, Rosaria had to go to work whereas Bowser attempted to look for a person who was in distress. Sadly though, he failed to find anyone who was in trouble as everyone was just as afraid of him as ever. Then, when he was about to give up, he saw a girl next to a bear cave on a cliff a hundred miles away; it seemed that she was in danger.

    At the mountains, the girl apart from his family was next to the cave, carrying a picnic basket.

    “Hey, this looks like a good spot, Mom, don’t you think?” asked the girl.

    “Don’t go there, Ace!” warned the mother. “It’s too dangerous! There’s a grizzly bear inside the cave!”

    “Don’t worry, the bear’s probably asleep right now,” said Ace.

    But it wasn’t. As soon as the furry beast smelled the girl’s food, it got out of the cave and planned to eat the girl to get the basket. Ace screamed and tried to ran away, but she slipped form the cliff, and started to fall.

    “Ace!” said the father.

    When he saw her fall, Bowser was so alert that he took an explosive burst, sprinting from forty to ONE HUNDRED MILES to near the cliff within little time! This was quite unusual for his top speed as he was often slow due to the lack of regular exercise. So it was credible that his speed surges whether his cognizance and metabolism increases.

    “Good thing I have a super acute binocular vision!” exclaimed Bowser. “I have to be there quick! She’ll die from that fall!”

    When Ace was about to fall to her demise, Bowser leaped tons of feet high from the ground, caught the girl with his hands and landed safe and sound holding her. Then, he saw Ace’s family about to be attacked by the grizzly bear. So he jumped up to the cliff, placed the girl on the grass gently, and prepared to fight the bear. It was a violent battle, and it lasted until the Koopa finally used his fire breath to scare the furry carnivore away! After the fight, he brought Ace to her parents. He was the “scary but valiant troll” cited by the barista.

    “Put her to safety and find someplace more harmless to have your picnic,” Bowser advised the parents.

    “You saved me,” said Ace, waking up. “Thank you.”

    Caused by this appreciation, the dragon turtle actually felt warmth in his soul, similar to a frozen otter being thawed, waiting to eat urchins to save the sea. His heart started pounding louder than a bass drum as the sound was scattering like a forest fire. He also felt mental vigor and extra energy in his mind, healing his wounds from his childhood and sending him to a higher level of a mountain. Once he felt this good, he was eager as a beaver to save “biodiversity” (society) and turn over a new leaf he always wanted to have. But the question is would this phenomenon last for long? No one knew.

    Next, at night, Bowser saw a mansion burning; since the firefighters weren’t there, he knew he had to break in the place to rescue the people inside.

    “I’m lucky to be fireproof!” coughed Bowser. “Now where is everybody?” Next, he heard the family who owned the mansion and the guests screaming in another room. He tried to open the door, but the knob wouldn’t budge, so he smashed the wall to provide everyone a way to escape. “EVERYONE OUT!” he shouted. The people ran, but there was one guest that was lying on the floor, unconscious and about to inhale the smoke from the fire. While Bowser picked him up, he soon met Mallow, a cloud-like character who came from Tadpole Land.

    “What are you doing here?” asked the turtle. “And who are you?”

    “The question is what are YOU doing here? You shouldn’t be here unless you’re a firefighter!” he coughed, summoning a raincloud to extinguish to flames.

    “By the way, the name’s Mallow the tadpole, and I’m trying to put out this fire because I achieved standards to pick this job to put out fires as well as control the weather. Now why don’t just give me the kid from those bone-crushing hands so I can put him to safety?”

    “Piffle! You look nothing like a tadpole!” replied Bowser. “And it’s MY job to save this boy! Also, I wouldn’t dare to hurt him. I may not be approved, but I’m no monster!”

    “Your job?” asked Mellow. “What a moron! You don’t even have a badge to prove that you’re actually an official hero! For now on, don’t be so crazy and irresponsible and leave it to the PROS, big fella! It’s not safe here!”

    “Excuse me!?” replied the Koopa. “You’re saying that I’m not capable of saving anyone? I’m here trying to be helpful, and yet you’re doubting me just because you don’t know who I am!

    “Do you have a clue know what it takes to be a savior?” asked the cloud man.

    “You know what, let’s not argue about me and do whatever we can to save the day, shall we?” said the dragon turtle.

    Suddenly, the fire was about to reach the barrels of nuclear TNT that were just placed at the entrance, foreshadowing a giant explosion.

    “This can’t be good,” said Bowser. “How did the TNT and dynamite get there? Could it be that red-haired guy (Possibly an adult Darwin) wearing a robe I’m seeing? Come on puffy, we can’t save this mansion. Really. Either we turn away or we burn away!”

    “I thought you’d say that,” said Mallow. Then Bowser grabbed Mallow and ran as fast as he could before the fire burned the barrels and started a massive explosion. After their escape, the mansion collapsed, leaving the wealthy family homeless. When the fire fighters came, the Koopa brought them the unconscious kid and then consoled the family; he explained how lucky they were not to be misunderstood, which surprised Mallow.  Meanwhile, he did not know exactly who caused the fire and led the bombarding, but he had a feeling that it might have been someone he knew years ago.
The cloud man began to sniffle, grieving over his misjudgment of the desperate turtle. “Y-You just saved my life while I tried to save that home when it was just impossible to do. I’m sorry for doubting you in the first place,” Mallow apologized, wiping his tears. “I realize that you just wanted everyone to see you differently.”

    “Don’t fret it,” said Bowser. “However, I wonder if this reminds me of my childhood, spending life with people who treat me like a monster. I’ll try to let it go.”

    The next morning, when Bowser and Rosaria were watching TV, there was a news report focusing on Bowser saving the family at the picnic and the other from the burning mansion:

    “Greetings, this is Mr. Guy speaking at Shy Guy News. There have been claims of a giant dragon/turtle/dinosaur mix that seemed to save two families: one victimized by a massive bear and another from a mansion on fire. No one knows what this guy is, but we have a hunch that he could be related to another who terrorized Apricot City years ago, just with no bandana. But are they different or one in the same? When will we know? Right now, let go see the journalist Miss Watson interviewing with the Robinsons and the Smiths.”

    “Good morning everyone, this is Miss Watson speaking. And I am here to ask the two families what just happened yesterday. First I will talk to Ace Robinson, who was the first person to be rescued. Tell me Ace, how did this hero save you?”

    Ace replied, “First a bear tried to eat me and when I attempted to run away, I accidently slipped and fell off the cliff. When I fell, the creature caught me and brought me to my safety; after that, it protected my parents from that bear and that was the last time we saw him.”

    “We don’t know why it saved us, but it seemed to be more distinct from the other monster with the white bandana that attacked Apricot City.” said Ace’s mother.

    “What about you, Sandra Smith?” asked Miss Watson. “What caused the fire at home?”

    “There was no way that we were the ones that caused the fire,” said Sandra. “We were just having a nice party with some visitors until I saw a hooded man outside who threw a fireball at our house. As the fire spread, we tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge and it wasn’t locked. I think it was some kind of black magic or something.”

    Bowser turned off the TV and started to wonder what would happen if he changes himself completely while preventing anyone from realizing that he was the same child who destroyed his previous home town. He felt that no one seemed to trust him despite what he did yesterday.

Chapter 8 - Re-Enter Kamek (And the Siblings)

    A long time ago when Kamek’s years in prison were over, he rode his broom looking for the prince when believing that he was still alive and that he faked his suicide. But no matter how hard the wizard looked, Bowser was nowhere to be found until one day, he went to the mountains in Brooklyn and saw the soon-to-be Koopa King saving Ace from a fall and defeating the bear from the cave. As a result, he secretly kept an eye on the dragon turtle that later saved the second girl from the fire; he was shocked that Bowser officially turned good. So the next day, when he figured out where Bowser lived, he knocked the door and saw Rosaria.

    “Hello!” Kamek told the lady. “The name’s Kamek and I am looking for a certain turtle who has been missing for years. Say, aren’t you the girl from my kid’s school?

    “I am,” replied Rosaria. She then called the giant turtle. “Bowser! Someone wants to see you!”

    Bowser ran downstairs and saw Kamek at the doorway. “Kamek, is that you?” When he noticed him, he then hugged the Magikoopa when he was happy to reunite with him. “It’s you, Kamek! I have missed you so dearly!”

    “Me too!” replied Kamek. “I never really believed that you died from falling. When I left prison, I spent years searching, so I can help you overcome everyone and become the next Koopa King.”

    “Wait, did you say ‘Koopa King’?” said Bowser. “How can I be the next king when there’s no place for me to rule?”

    “Well, one time, I visited a biome full of lava near Hawaii with a particularly small village and met your long-lost brothers and sister,” responded Kamek.

    “My siblings? The last time I saw them was when they were sent into a pod like me during Smash War I. I didn’t know much about my sister and brothers, and you know how long I have been separated from them.”

    “Then would you like to revisit them, starting now?” 

    “I don’t know. What if they don’t know me anymore?”

    “Don’t say that, sweetie,” said Rosaria. “I’m sure they still remember you in which they all miss you very much. You should go see them again.”

    “She does have a point,” added Kamek. “I have talked to your siblings and they told me that they were longing to meet you since the separation.

    “I guess I can give it a try. Now where can we find something we can ride on to go to this lava land?”

    “I did buy a Koopa Car at a yard sale and it should fit you. As for me, I will use my broomstick to come with you.”

    “Can I come too?” asked the lady. “I would be delighted to meet your brothers and your only sister.

    “Get in the car when we first see it,” replied the Koopa.

    When the three went outside, Kamek introduced to Bowser and Rosaria the Koopa Clown Car. It was a vehicle resembling a giant white pot with a green propeller at the bottom and a large clown face with orange lips on the front. It wasn’t built for speed, but it was capable of changing its emotions and supporting Bowser’s weight as well as a few bowling balls. “So that’s a car?” asked a displeased Bowser. “You have got to be joking. How laughable this is. Where are the wheels? It looks like a bowl from a circus.” But he and the white-haired lady got in anyway.

    After a few hours of traveling, the three arrived to the lava land and visited the siblings’ house.  “Here goes nothing,” said the dragon turtle. He knocked the door and saw his third youngest brother Johnathan Koopa.

    “Hey guys, look,” said John. “It’s Bowser! We waited for years for this day to come!” John then introduced to his long-lost brother to the rest of his siblings from oldest to youngest: Brutus, the cook and mechanic, Hercules, the basketball player, Fireball, the guitarist, Claire, who is the only sister, Rory, the gym coach, and Rick, the photographer and second youngest. It was revealed that Bowser was among the youngest of the eight when the group gave their birth dates.

    “Welcome home, little brother!” Brutus greeted Bowser. “So what happened when you were little? When we were kids, you were separated from us during Smash War I. I didn’t know why you were sent to that single-person pod instead of coming with us in the bigger pod unless there wasn’t enough room for all of us. Where were you when you landed?”

    Bowser answered, “First, I was at Yoshi’s Island which is the area where I fought against my arch-enemy Mario. When we got older, we were sent to Apricot City where there was a school to receive our education. At school, I was frequently picked on by a red-haired boy named Darwin. Not only that, I had to live with Mr. Clawful, an unsympathetic owner who treated me like a slave. Eventually, I had enough and terrorized the city. And to think I have spent my life with enough isolation and despair, I moved to Brooklyn where I lived with absolute poverty. One good thing that happened though was that I befriended this girl Rosaria who bandaged my leg when I was hurt.”

    “The good news is that all of the bad things are over now,” said Fireball. “You’re here reuniting with us, aren’t you?  Now why don’t you stay with us for lunch?”

    “What are we going to eat?” asked Bowser.

    “At lunch, Bowser, his sibling, Rosaria, and Kamek were at the patio, eating Brutus’s special spaghetti.

    “Dig in!” Brutus exclaimed. And everyone did.

    “Yummy!” exclaimed Bowser slurping the noodles. “You sure know how to make pasta, Brutus!”

    “I made it extra special just for you,” replied Brutus. “By adding my Dash Pepper sauce, my spaghetti will really get you running!”

    Then, someone knocked the door. John opened up and saw the chief advisor.

    “Good afternoon, Johnathan Q. Koopa,” said the chief advisor. “I am here to give you the news that our king has resigned today and that we need someone mighty and powerful to be out next ruler. Or it could be someone inexperienced or perhaps a mere orphan desperate for a good life. The point is, we need your help to fix the problems going on with the economy and the rights of the people.

    John then came back to the patio and told Bowser, “Today is going to be your lucky day because our previous monarch resigned, we’re choosing you as the next ruler of Lava Land as a special treatment for your return! The government is looking for more a reliable leader who is going to improve our society, so do you think you’re worthy to be king?”

    “I don’t believe it,” said the soon-to-be Koopa King. “After all these years, I’m going to be a king. I’M GOING TO BE A KING! WHOO-HOO! THAT’S MY ULTIMATE GOAL, BABY! Wait, what about my opportunities to do good deeds?”

    “That’s the thing,” said Hercules. “As king, you get to help monitor the village, create tons of new jobs, and help the people who need you. Everyone will LOVE you when you make the place happier than ever before. They will think that you are a hero and a good friend.”

Chapter 9 – The Thumper Games

    “So can you guys please teach me how to be a king?” asked Bowser.

    “Can we?” said Rick. “We’ll teach you everything it takes to be our next ruler ONCE you win the games. But don’t assume that it’s going to be easy. You will find out why.”  

    Because of this, Bowser was put to quite a bit of training, such as extreme weightlifting, running 5 miles as fast as possible, and various forms of martial arts. When ready, he was put to the tournament later revealed to be called the Thumper Games in which the participants had to endure several bone-crushing and nerve-racking games to test their limits in order to become first place to prove worthy as king or queen; those who end up in last place would be disqualified. As the first competition, he was put in a race in which the contestants had to knock down the most walls within five minutes when sprinting. He was falling behind in the beginning, but he started to perceive the opponents and constantly accelerated and smashed down the walls faster than a wrecking ball and eventually became ahead of the rivals and won first place.

    On the next competition, the contestants had to jump from one cliff to another to the finish line with the chance of falling into the river if they miss. Bowser managed to do so perfectly until he created a fault on the last platform, lost balance, and fell down, thus ending up in last place when he swam to the finish line. However, the dragon turtle was lucky; one of the competitors had to drop out when injured, so he remained in the tournament and managed to win the most contests, such as the high striker, the throwing events, and deflecting the boulders released from the catapults, although he was on par with another rival named Magnus.

    When there were only two contestants left, Bowser and the one on par, the last game was a battle, where they had to fight in a rocky dome surrounded by a lava moat. First, Magnus used his fire breath right at Bowser, who dodged by jumping and curled up into a ball, rolling down to make a strike. Boom!  When knocked over, he got up, charged at the green-shelled guy, and punched him in the chin! Bowser was spinning, but he hit the brakes before he tripped into the lava. Whoosh. After that, he ran and then spun his shell to whack over Magnus, who was about to perform a dashing kick. Magnus slipped and fell when his kick wasn’t efficient enough. A while later, Bowser finally grabbed the now weakened Magnus to perform a diamond-shattering flying slam to flatten him like a pizza, marking his triumph. BAM!  Finally, Bowser won the duel and proved to be far more formidable than his last rival, rendering him worthy to be king.

    From that day on, Bowser was announced the next king of lava land when he received the most votes from the villagers on Election Day. As a result, he swore a fine oath:

    “My loyal subjects, I would to thank all of you for giving me such treatment when I came back here. It is an honor for me to help all of you people and the community to promote happiness and a good life. I once made a promise to some friends that I would change who I used to be years ago so everyone could see me as a savior, or a hero. So I SWEAR, as King Bowser Koopa the First, that I will take tons of responsibility and knowledge of the feelings of the individuals for the greater good. Many need shelter. Many need food. Many need medical care. However, if you want me to help you, you need to help the inferior as well. So ask yourself this: how would you feel if you were one of the poor? Would you like the middle-class to help, or would you just assume that there is no hope, and that people are too self-centered and careless? Remember, they have feelings just like us. Even as king, I cannot just do everything alone; improving the economics, politics, and banking requires tons of men to take action as each of their knowledge is unique and beyond only a single person’s when there is teamwork. Since there are many situations happening, we going fix everything to make a huge difference on this humble town and make this town a better place than before. That includes all of you, and you, and those guys from the tournament. It’s practically impossible to just do nothing all day, so what do you say we start NOW?”

    After the speech, hundreds of Koopa Troopas reconstructed the castle, transforming it into a dream home. Next, Bowser ran a fundraiser to provide money to the poor. And in order to fight the economic crisis, he chose to spend less on the government and gave everyone jobs. Later, banks were monitored for protection, insurance was promoted, more homes were built and agriculture and industries improved. As the village improved over time, it was eventually transformed into a fluorescent urban area named Neo Bowser City.  

    Later, some of the citizens visited the Koopa King’s castle and gave him supplies. The first, which was a Goomba, gave him a basket full of food such as meat and grain products. Next, a Spike delivered the king a 500 thousand-dollar gift card. The third guest, a Hammer Bro., sent him a box that magically pops out fitness equipment to keep him in shape. As more visitors gave presents, the king then realized how much everyone in town loved him; it wasn’t because of his looks or that he won the Thumper Games. It was because of the evolution of his character. This however, did not change the way how humans outside the home place saw him, even though the King secretly continued to save lives when not in royal duty.

Chapter 10 – Meeting Mario Again

    Sometime during Bowser’s first day as king, Mario and Luigi saved Brooklyn from a flood by clearing the cement from the sewers in which they became the plumbers we know today, despite getting expelled by Sergeant Kooperman from Plumbers Academy. Weeks later, Mario and Luigi was unexpectedly hired to assist a seemingly well-mannered and protective aluminum-mask-wearing boss named Lord “Volto Nascosto”, which means “hidden-faced” in Italian.

    “Good evening, you two,” greeted Nascosto. “Why don’t you go have a seat?”

    Mario sat down.

    “I have heard that you and your brother are one of Brooklyn’s heroes now, even though Kooperman fired you.”

    “That’s-a right,” said Mario. “Luigi and I stopped the flood by unclogging the cement from the sewers. It wasn’t easy, but we proved ourselves worthy as plumbers.”

    “I just feel like you two got your first real jobs, since you lack badges.” said the masked boss.

    “Actually, I first worked as a carpenter with the nickname of “Jumpman” after my extraordinary jumping abilities. During that time, Donkey Kong was once my arch-enemy who kidnapped my fiancé, who is Pauline. *blah-blah-blah-blah-blah* Next, I worked as a doctor and *blah-blah-blah-blah* Then, I became a demolition worker. *blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah-blah* Oh, I almost forgot! Did I mention that I was a baker-”

    “Shut it, you blabbering twit!” interrupted the impatient boss. “-I mean, what’s more important is that you help me succeed. My job is to preserve the tranquility of humanity by protecting everyone from evil misfit immigrants.”

    “So how do we help you now?” asked Luigi.

    “I will let you two know sooner or later via email,” replied Nascosto. “Meanwhile, I’ve got plans to hunt someone who I hated a long time ago. You are free to go, Mario and Luigi.”

    Mario said, “Okey-Dokey, Mr. Nascosto. Let’s-a go, Luigi.”

    “I wonder if we can trust that guy with the metal mask,” said Luigi, feeling suspicious.

    In truth, the boss was a cruel, sadistic, and tyrannical kingpin who heavily practiced prejudice on the inferior and the unusual. He was also known to deceive the elite citizens so no one would stop him from overthrowing the current president and rule the entire continent. The Mario Bros. didn’t know what was going to come.

    Several days later, the two plumbers decided to take a hike, which resulted in them bumping into a particularly large, muscular monarch with orange hair and eyebrows.

    “So sorry, mister,” apologized Mario. “We didn’t really mean to get in your way.”

    “Accidents happen,” said the orange-haired king. “Hmmm, you too look familiar, considering those caps with the first letter of each of your names on them.”

    “Hey, you remind me of someone as well,” replied Luigi. “Let’s see, you’re wearing a spikey crown, a green masquerade mask, and some spiked cuffs that look comparable to what a turtle was wearing.”

    “Wait a minute,” said Mario, pointing at the king. “…I-I-Is that you…”

    There was no doubt about it. The king was revealed to be Bowser who just transformed into a handsome human. The Mario Bros. had no clue knowing how this happened.

    Bowser then confessed the two, who are slowly standing back, in a poetic manner: “Don’t go away! I saw the faults of my ways. I’m now a new leaf, and this is no play. I used to be a zero, like a flightless sparrow. Thanks to my ‘jewels’, I’m now a vast hero! Now how about you come over to my house so we could have to tea?”

    “So I guess this means we’re invited, even though the poem was unnecessary,” said Mario. “(How did Bowser turn into a human, anyway?)”
Bowser then created a magic portal to take the Mario Bros. to his home place. When the three arrived to his castle, the king asked one of his Goomba servants to make tea for the plumbers.

    “So you’re a good guy now?” asked Luigi, drinking his tea. “How do we know if you’re not antagonizing us like if you’re always unhappy when you were little back in the island or like what you did to Apricot City? In Yoshi’s Island, you tried to get everything just so you could be happy. I just want you to know that power won’t make you feel good.”

    “I know… but you have got to trust me, you two,” said Bowser calmly. “When I was abused by everyone and later lived with poverty, I finally had enough of that misery and did something about it without stealing anything. I also learned that even if I’m a monster that I “have to be”, I am able to change who I am, in order to have friends so I could really be happy. It was ME who saved Ace and her family from a bear and another family from a fire. I just don’t want anyone to notice my true identity or everyone will misjudge me like in the past. No one ever realized how lonely or thinned I felt after my parents died.”

    “…You mean Morthophelus and Cynthia Koopa from the war in outer space?” asked Mario. “We learned all about those unsung anti-heroes in the galaxy back in History class. Why didn’t you tell us before that they were your parents? We would have understood.”

    “But I felt like you wouldn’t care,” said Bowser. “You know how you always defeating me all the time.”

    “But we would if you told us, your majesty,” replied Luigi. “We never truly hated you. We just wanted to set everything right. If we actually hated you, Mario wouldn’t have stopped Darwin from taking your diary when you were little.”

    “And just remember that your parents had no choice but to send you away because they wanted to protect you,” said Mario. “Anyway, I assume that you turned human so that everyone wouldn’t see you as a monster anymore.”

    “That’s right,” replied the king.” And you have to promise me that you will not tell anyone else my secret identity. And if you break this promise…”

    “Everyone may be afraid of you again. I know. Your secret identity is safe with us, and that is a pinky promise,” averred Mario, holding up his pinkie. Now that we’re all here, perhaps we can start a new friendship between all of us. For now on, we’ll be there to support you while you take responsibility for your citizens if it’s what you want. It’s not like that you’re going to turn bad again anytime soon.”

    “I would love that,” said Bowser. “And from now on, my new identity shall be King Copper Bauman, as my old self is behind me.”

Chapter 11 – What Happened Earlier: From Demon to Human

    After the conversation, Rosaria, who is now Bowser’s girlfriend, showed up and saw the Mario Bros.

    “Rosaria,” told the brawny king, “this is Mario, the plumber with the red cap. Mario, this is Rosaria, the girl from grade school.

    “Mario, it’s you!” the white-haired girl exclaimed, hugging the plumber. “It’s been quite a while since we last met during graduation.”

    “I know, right?” replied Mario. “About-a five years since we last met. I’m-a have a good life so far. What about yours?”

    “Great, thank you!” responded the lady. “And how are you doing so far, Luigi?

    “Fine, thank you, said Luigi. “Um, can we go outside to talk? You know, just the three of us?”

    “Go ahead, you three,” answered Bowser. “It’s good that you reunite with each other.”

    When Rosaria and the Mario Bros. got outside, they began to discuss privately about Bowser’s apparent humanization.

    “Okay,” Luigi told Rosaria. “So Bowser turned himself into a human. Isn’t that kind of dishonest, considering the change of looks when they don't seem true? I mean, how did he turn human?”

    “That’s-a what I was going to ask,” said Mario.

    “Allow me to explain to both of you.” replied Rosaria. “Earlier, one day after Bowser became king, Kamek taught him sorcery lessons during his free time. Unfortunately, the big dragon turtle seemed to be redundant when he struggled to raise a cookie box through telekinesis.”

    “Grrr!” growled the King, shaking his hand. It’s no use. Why can’t I lift this dumb box?”

    “Try to relax and do it slowly, told Kamek. “You will lift the box with ease once time comes.”

    “This is ridiculous. I don’t know why I am learning how to use magic when I don’t feel like I need them,” grumbled the Koopa. “I’ve got strength, skills, senses, and especially focus.

    “But I’m teaching you how to use magic so that you can impress your subjects and of course, turn HUMAN like how you dreamt of it,” said the Magikoopa. But this isn't to hide your true identity. 

    “This is so that everyone in Brooklyn won’t be afraid of me anymore?” asked the King.

    "The thing is, I want you to be safe from others who urge to harm you until they eventually get to know you well," the Magikoopa replied.

    “But what does this kind of magic have to do with me becoming a human? Can’t you just teach me how to shape shift right away?”

    “Like what I said, in order to do what you want with sorcery, you must first learn the basics,” advised Kamek, “because jumping ahead will lead to problems beyond explanation when it comes to magic, as I learned that the hard way years ago.”

    “But what’s point when I can’t do them basics right?” groused the dragon turtle, attempting to lift the box again.

    “You’re only a beginner, so don’t beat yourself up and just keep trying,” counseled Kamek.

    So Bowser did not give up and took patience to levitate the cookie container. Soon, he was able to do so, in matter of minutes!

    “Well done,” said Kamek. “You see what patience gets to you? If you can lift that box that way, then you’re capable of turning it into a clock.

    “And when will I get to transform in to a human?” asked Bowser.

    “Soon,” replied Kamek. “Remember, you will need to take some baby steps in order to undergo the next level.”

    “And so Bowser simply followed all of Kamek’s directions and kept learning as each lessons slowly became more challenging over time,” said the lady. “Sometime later, while the Magikoopa still did not teach the apprentice how to turn human because the training wasn’t over, he decided to reward him early by giving him the spell himself.”

    “Whoa,” said an astonished Bowser, who was now humanized, “I look different: clawless hands, squarer teeth, no horns, and an overall smaller size? I have waited so long for this to happen!”

    “Remember, your majesty,” said Kamek, “that you’re still aren’t finished with your training, which explains why I haven’t taught you how to shape-shift. But since you’ve been working so hard, I just can’t bear to leave you empty-handed for this long. So I have chosen to give you this form right away so you would know what it is like to be a human for a little bit. Now this comes with one condition: you only have until next midnight to enjoy this form, so be aware that changes will occur during your pre-wedding honeymoon.”

    “Honeymoon?” asked Bowser.

    “That’s right,” answered the wizard. “I bought you and Rosaria tickets for a short vacation at Venice starting today at noon. And once your lady sees the new you, she is going to fall in deep love for sure! Not only that, everyone will no longer be afraid of you, but instead respect you for the fetching guy you are now.”
“Well, since I only have until next midnight, I might as well live this life now,” said Bowser.

    “When I got home,” said Rosaria, I was quite stunned of Bowser’s alteration, although I still think he should stick to his true form and let everyone get to know him. But due to his past, I had to go with the flow.”

    “One day, he needs to understand that changing his ways doesn’t mean that he has to change his appearance as well,” recommended Mario. “Honesty isn't just about what you say, but also the appearance. Then again, he seems afraid that everyone would attack him, despite the fact that he saved two families. Mamma mia…”

    The woman continued elucidating. “Anyway, on our royal honeymoon, we stayed at a really nice hotel to spend quality time together. We also went shopping, rock climbing, golfing, canoeing, zip-lining…”

    “Wish I could go zip-lining,” interjected Luigi. “I don’t mean to interrupt, but are you the queen of this town?”

    “Not yet,” answered Rosaria. “I still work as an artist at Brooklyn. As I was saying, we really had lots of fun together during our vacation. Not only that, but Bowser was really gentle and polite to everyone.”

    “Lovely tie you are wearing,” Bowser told one of the gentlemen.

    “Why thank you for the complement!” replied the gentleman.

    “You are very welcome!” responded the King.

    “He also helped the people set up the decorations for the ball,” she added.

    “Yeah, with his strength to carry all of those heavy tables, trees, and thingamajigs,” implied Luigi.

    “So that night, you and the Koopa King were dancing together at the ballroom,” suggested Mario. *narrows his eyes* “I bet you two were also kissing too.”

    “Dancing? Certainly. Kissing? Gee, I don’t know, maybe you’re right,” retorted the white-haired lady. (The two indeed fell in love and kissed.) “To sum it up, we enjoyed every moment until when midnight came, Bowser was slowly reverting to his monstrous- I mean, original self.”

“W-w-what’s happening to me?” asked Bowser, looking at the mirror to see his horns, fangs, and claws coming back. Oh wait, it’s midnight! Kamek clearly told me that this transformation is short-lived because I haven’t completed my training yet!” He then turned to his girlfriend. “Rosaria, we need to go back home. Right. Away.” As the two were leaving quickly, the King was slowly reverting back to his true, turtle-like self, gaining nearly everyone’s attention. “Nothing to see here folks, just keep dancing,” convinced Bowser, covering his face. “(Boy, do I feel like I’m Cinderella! At least I’m not losing any brittle footwear!)”

    “When we got home via Koopa Car,” said the white-haired lady, “we started going over the honeymoon with all the activities we’ve been through and well, continued to share romance with each other since the ball. After that, Bowser returned to his training with Kamek and eventually became a fully-pledged magician. Now that he knows how to shape-shift, he turns into Copper Bauman outside our home from now until then. This is to prevent everyone from recognizing the child who destroyed Apricot City ago.”

    “Well, I suppose that’s-a fine with us,” said Mario. “But the turtle should ask himself this: Outside and inside, is he is being honest to himself, whether he’s a man or a monster?”

Chapter 12 – Let’s-a Go to Brooklyn, Bowser

    “Hey, Bowser,” said John, what do you say we head to Brooklyn? I’ve heard that the world-famous Mario lives there. There was this one time when he and Luigi saved the place by…”

    “I know,” replied Bowser, “by de-clogging the cement form the sewer. I’ve heard about it too many times. Anyhow, I don’t think Koopas are allowed in the city. I’ve visited there yesterday, but that was because I transformed myself. If the people see you, then they’ll form into mobs and attack all of you.”

    “No, they won’t,” responded Brutus. “Everyone knows that we can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s what inside that counts.”

    “Well, that’s not the case when it comes to our relationship with humans,” contended Bowser. “This isn’t some kind of fairy tale in which all positive outcomes just happen in opposed to reality. Even though everyone in this area admires me, some dreams still stay dreams, including the one in which humans love us. And because I, as king, have a duty to protect all of you, I cannot let you visit Brooklyn, period.”

    ”Oh, come on bro, don’t be such a worrywart! Please take us there! PLEASE!” begged Fireball.

    “Don’t push my buttons! No means NO!” yelled the King.

    “OH, PLEASE! OH, PLEASE! OH, PLEEAASSE!” begged all of the siblings.

    *sigh* “Fine,” said the Koopa King. “But you guys are going to have to put on cloaks with hoods to prevent anyone from seeing you.”

    “I hate cloaks, they make me sweaty,” Rick bellyached. “But if this is how we visit…”

    And so after Bowser transformed into Copper Bauman, he and the siblings traveled to Brooklyn via Koopa Cars for the sake of thorough experience. First, they visited the café to drink coffee; this was the time when Bowser met AG and Starlow again.

    “Greetings, AG,” greeted the King.

    “Good morning, sir,” greeted back AG. “Hmm, you look familiar.” Recognizing the king, the beagle then whispered to him: “I know you are Bowser. I can tell in terms of your hair color and eyebrows. But don’t worry; your secret is safe with me.”

    “I transformed myself so no one would recognize me,” whispered Bowser.

    “I can see that, replied AG. “Anyway, how is life as of now?”

    “I have never felt so much better in my life,” spoken the King. “Things have improved since the advice you gave me about changing into who I want to be to gain friends. In fact, I am now the ruler of a city named after myself: Neo Bows- I mean, Copper City.”

    “I hope all of your people are living happily as long as you maintain peace,” said AG.

    “And did you know that it was me who saved the Smiths from a bear and the Robinsons from a fire weeks ago?”

    “That explains the blurry snapshots on the news, depicting someone with a green shell and orange hair,” said the barista. “You know, this has proven that you have evolved a lot compared to a long time ago. Therefore, I’m very proud of you, your Majesty.

    “I bet all of the girls love you now,” said Starlow.

    Copper did not reply.

    “By the way, are those your siblings?”

    “Yes,” answered Copper. “Brutus, Hercules, Fireball, Claire, Rory, John and Rick, this is AG.”

    “Hi, AG!” greeted the siblings.

    “I can see why they are wearing hoods,” said AG.

    “You know how risky immigration is,” said the King. “Just like in the 40s.”

    Meanwhile, Mario and Luigi were sent to see Mr. Nascosto for a convention.

    "Hello, Mario Brothers, greeted Nascosto. “Have you taken pictures of those outsiders lately, like how I assigned you two?”

    “Well, we have taken pictures of Koopas located at a continent full of lava, magma, and neon lights,” said Mario. “But they don’t seem vicious to us. However, according to my photos, they do tend to be a bit hardcore and…”

    “That is good enough evidence that they are dangerous and that we must protect ourselves from those savages,” interrupted the boss, snatching the photos. “Mario, if you see any of those fire-breathers in this city, let us know right away, and we will exterminate them.”

    “I don’t know about that,” said Luigi. “They seem to be innocent; we can’t just eradicate them for who they seem to be.”

    “You’re not thinking about betraying humankind, Luigi, are you?” asked the boss.

    “Why would I betray humankind?” asked Luigi.

    “Exactly,” convinced the boss. “Your job is to monitor Brooklyn and protect everyone from dangerous outsiders, who may look innocent, but want to take over our lives and end our exultant lifestyle for good. This happened during Smash War I, didn’t it?”

    “Um, good point,” gulped Mario, staring at the boss.

    “Furthermore, if you two ever try to befriend those monsters, the consequences will be prodigiously severe,” threatened Nascosto. “In other words, I will assassinate both of you and burn down your house. After that, ALL of your friends are next as well!”

    The Mario Bros. gulped again and started sweating. “We just befriended Bowser, aka Copper Bauman. What do we do?” thought Mario.

    At the meantime, when Bowser (Or Copper since he was in human form) and his siblings left the café, along with Starlow, who just joined them, they went to the cinema to watch a Pokémon movie. Unfortunately, when John yelled and took pictures during the near-end of the film, the Koopas were told to leave. “Nice one, John,” Brutus complained. “Now we’re going to miss the ending when we can tell whether Pikachu reunited with his trainer or not. And it’s all because of you.” John laughed nervously and felt ashamed. Starlow blew a raspberry at him.

    After that, the nine visited the yogurt parlor to eat and refresh themselves. Fortuitously, nothing went wrong other than Hercules’s minor brain freeze when eating froyo too fast; everyone just laughed. Next, they went to see the Idora Park Merry-Go-Round…only to find out that they were too heavy to ride on the horses in which they broke the carousel and that they had to hold and spin it themselves until the repairman came. Later, the group walked to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade; this was when Copper met Princess Peach for the first time since elementary school.

    “You can see Manhattan from above the East River,” Peach told Copper.

    “I suppose that area looks pretty lively, considering the tall buildings and the really long bridge next to it,” replied the orange-haired man. He then looked at the princess and thought, “Don’t I remember her from elementary school?”

    “It sure would be nice to live in Manhattan,” said the princess. At that point, Peach looked at Copper’s brothers and only sister wearing the cloaks. “I wonder who those hooded strangers are,” she asked the orange-haired man.

    The hooded Koopas waved. “She is one lovely princess, don’t you think?” Fireball told Clare.

    “…Well, um, I suppose they are my companions who work for me,” Copper fibbed to the princess.

    “Can I take off their hoods?” asked Peach.

    “No, no!” protested Copper. “That would be a bad idea. You see, they happen to be very shy towards unfamiliar people.”

    “Maybe one peak wouldn’t hurt,” convinced the princess.

    “Don’t do it, please. I’m warning you!” shouted the King.

    Peach was going to take off Rory’s cover, but Rory stood back and held on to it. “Whoa, what do ya think you’re doin’?”

    “Are you hiding something from me?” questioned the princess.

    “Didn’t ya hear what Copper just said?” replied Rory.

    Feeling suspicious, Peach followed the group leaving the Promenade. Eventually, after an extra number of various activities, at a nightclub, the Koopas were celebrating like crazy: they drank a heap of Chuckola Cola and started breakdancing like maniacs as a result of the sugar rush from the drink; for example, Claire performed a one-fingered chair flare and spun faster than a top. Later, the Koopas suddenly took off their hoods and revealed who they were to everyone, including childhood acquaintances like Yoshi, Wario, Donkey Kong, and especially Peach; Mario and Luigi were there as well. When everybody else halted and started looking at them, the Koopas stopped dancing and froze.

    “Those are the guys that I met at the promenade at Brooklyn Heights,” Peach told everyone.

    “Wario? Yoshi? Donkey Kong? I remember you three.” Copper thought.

    “Picky Pikachu! We were having so much fun that we just chose to take off our robes,” said Hercules with her eyes wide open.

    Everyone, except for the Mario Bros. and their friends, screamed and ran away, as a result of this chaos.

Chapter 13 - Mario and Co. To The Rescue

    “Mario,” said Luigi, pointing, “That’s Copper and the Koopas. Nascosto told us to call if we see them. What do we do?”
Apparently, the nightclub security was the one that called Nascosto’s rangers to arrest the Koopas. A few minutes later, the rangers came and pointed laser guns at the siblings.

    “Eliminate those monsters!” yelled the commander.

    “RUN FOR IT!”  Claire screamed.

    Copper Bauman and the Koopas run as fast as they could.

    “Quickly!” shouted Cooper. “We must get back to the Koopa Cars!” When they got outside, the King called Kamek for help via cell phone while heading back to the Koopa Cars.

    Meanwhile, in the club, Mario was coming up with an idea to get the Koopas back home safe and sound, after a moment of thinking. He told his friends, “Perhaps we can disguise ourselves as Yoshis to save Copper and those Koopas and stop the guards from attacking them.”

“Okay, tell me why we should save those monsters,” said Princess Peach. “They have absolutely nothing on us.”

    “Those monsters are actually Copper’s siblings- I mean, close friends,” replied Mario. “You see, I made a promise to the king that I would always support him and make sure his people are protected. Besides, those innocent Koopas need our help, and it’s up to us to do the right thing for others even if they ARE brutes.” He then turned to Wario. “Wario, you got those mechanical wings you invented?”

    “Anything for a friend in serious trouble,” said Wario. “But I’m not doing this because you said so, squirt.”

    Mario then talked to Yoshi, “Yoshi, can you lay us 100 mini-eggs for each of us?”

    “Yoshi! (It would be my pleasure!)” the green dinosaur responded.

    “Donkey Kong, do you have those coconut poppers?” Mario asked DK.

    DK displayed the set of empty coconut guns.

    “Luigi,” Mario asked his brother, “Where are those Yoshi suits you made last week?”

    “They’re in this spotted box on the table,” replied Luigi.

    Meanwhile, outside the club...

    “Quickly!” shouted Copper. “Into the Koopa Cars!”

    After the Koopas started their cars, the troopers got to their starships, chased them and tried to shoot them down with lasers. Suddenly, Nascosto arrived in his own plane to join the chase. “Don’t let them escape!” ordered the masked man, aiming at the Koopas. “Those horrible monsters weren’t allowed to be in our city!”

    Suddenly, Mario and Co., disgused as Yoshies, appeared and fired their egg guns at the combatants, resulting in some of them crashing down into the ocean. Then, the remaining planes attempted to fire at the Faux-Yoshies, but the lizards were too quick for them, thanks to Wario’s high tech wings. After moments of dodging and missed hits, the Faux-Yoshis eventually managed to shoot down the rest of the planes within a few seconds; Nascosto’s starship was the last one remaining.

    “Sorry, Nascosto,” said Mario sullenly. “This was for a special friend.”

    “Those egg-laying dino-breaths don’t know when to quit!” roared the masked man. “I’ll make them go extinct for defending those freaks!” Nascosto then started to charge up one big plasma ball right at the Faux-Yoshis, endangering them inevitably.

    “Yoshi!” yelled Copper, turning his Koopa Car. He then shape-shifted back into Bowser, his true self, and took a deep breath and spit out one enormous fireball at Nascosto. The masked man evacuated from his aircraft and landed on the ocean via parachute before the vehicle blew up like a pile of dynamite and unauthorized fireworks soaked in gasoline and set by a match. Mario and his gang would have been killed if it wasn’t for the unsung hero Copper. Floating on the ocean, Nascosto started to wonder, “That orange-haired man reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago, since he just turned into a Koopa and spit out that fireball.”

TO BE CONTINUED