Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a hot mid-spring afternoon on the quaint little campus of University of Koop. The semester was over. Students left and right were eager to return to their homes and partake in their usual summer shenanigans. The university faculty was hard at work finalizing grades though most would rather be back home.

Home for many was the surrounding towns, such as Petalburg or Shwonk City. Most of the student population was from these towns. Some lived quiet the distance from this campus, though.

Inside one of the now virtually barren dorm rooms was one who lived quite the distance. Hailing from Koopa Village in the Mushroom Kingdom was a blue-shelled koopa. The only distinct features noticeable were a red neckerchief he wore, as well as a pair of red wristbands.

"I just finished packing. I'll be on the train back to Rogueport within…an hour? I dunno. Depends if the train has another bald cleft blockade again." The koopa said out loud to himself as he typed away on his cellphone.

The koopa grabbed his luggage by the handle and soon exited the room. He took one more look at the now barren room, outside of the bed, desk, and dresser that remained.

"Well, Kooper…You did it! Freshman year's over and now…" the koopa muttered to himself, letting out a sigh.

Kooper's phone soon began to ring. He looked at the screen and noticed the word 'Mom' pop up. It seemed it was a call from his mom. He figured he should probably answer that. He didn't want to upset his mother.

"Hi, mom. I'm just on my way out." Kooper greeted his mother.

"Oh, my little college troopa! I'm so excited to see you home again!" The voice on the other end of the line spoke up.

"Home…Yeah. I'm…pretty excited?"

"You don't sound too excited. Is everything okay, Kooper?"

"Yeah, everything's fine! I'm just…exhausted? Y-Yeah, that's right! Heh!"

"Hmm, if you say so! Anyway, I want you to stop by to visit after you've unpacked! Your father was pretty excited to see you! He said something about Tayce T."

"Oh, the chef. Yeah...That's great! Anyway, catch ya later, mom! Love ya!"

"I love you too! I'll see you when you get home!"

With that, Kooper hung up. He let out a sigh as he walked down the hallway, dodging various others along the way. Soon he'd be home. If he had to be honest, he wasn't too thrilled. Sure Koopa Village was nice and all, but it was so dreadfully boring. He had his family, a few friends, and even his own house. What more was there, though? If he had to be honest, that fuzzy invasion over a year ago was probably the most exciting thing to happen to the village in years. Sure it was embarrassing having your shell nabbed from you, but it was an interesting change of pace at least.

The blue-shelled koopa took the elevator down and went to the front desk to go through the standard check out procedures. Why did he even have to go through this if he'd be back next semester? Sure ut was just standard procedure, but that didn't mean Kooper found it any less of an inconvenience to him.

It took some time, but Kooper was finally free. Free to return home. Yeah…that sure sounded great. A grand old time back at the quiet Koopa Village.

The blue-shelled koopa was soon on the train back to Rogueport. It was probably only an hour away from here, but thankfully there was very few others on the train back. It was virtually just him, two other koopa troopas, a family of toads, and a lone bandit. Nothing too out of the ordinary for Kooper. Yep. Nothing unusual here. Just like back at home.

"Its time to jump up super high! High up in the sky! There's no power-up like daaaaancing! You know that-"

“Excuse me? Sir?” a voice called out, tapping the koopa on the shoulder.

“Huh!?” Kooper responded, removing a pair of headphones and pausing the music he listened to.

“Your koopa tea.” the toad standing next to the koopa’s seat announced to him, setting down a cup of piping hot koopa tea on the table in front of him.

“Oh…Uhhh, thanks.” Kooper responded, looking down at the cup of tea set in front of him.

Right. He almost forgot he ordered that. The blue-shelled koopa was pretty wrapped up in his music. He never got sick of Pauline’s greatest hit, Jump Up Super Star! It still blew his mind that she could manage a music career and being the mayor of New Donk City. Kooper grabbed the cup and turned his attention to the window. Nothing but rolling hills, giant towering mushrooms, and trees. Nothing too unusual. It was kinda pleasant to look at.

Not too long after receiving his tea, Kooper noticed his phone ringing once more. Who could it be this time? Looking at the screen, Kooper could tell it was Bombette, a pink bob-omb he traveled with through the Mushroom Kingdom a little over a year ago. That was back during the time Bowser kidnapped Princess Peach and took her into the sky. Oh, those were the days. Before he got too lost in his thoughts of the adventure, the koopa answered the phone.

“Hey, Bombette. What’s up?”

“Hey! So did you get stuck in a bald cleft blockade?” the bob-omb asked over the phone.

“No, thankfully! I’ll be in Rogueport soon. Aaaaaand then its back to Koopa Village…”

“You say that like its a bad thing.”

“I mean…Its not that its a bad thing. Its better than final exams. Its just…” Kooper said, letting out a sigh. “There’s nothing exciting going on! Its the same thing every day! Ever since we rescued Princess Peach with Mario and I went on that expedition with Kolorado, going back home is just…blah. Its so boring!”

“Aww, Kooper! Hmm, wait! I know! Lakitu Valley isn’t too far from the village! ”

“The golf course?”

“Yeah, yeah! You should do something like take up golf or something! Mario visits that course often! When he’s not playing tennis, football, baseball, or racing. Y’know!”

“Ehh…Pass! Golf just doesn’t do it for me. It’s like one of the most boring sports there is!” the koopa said with a shrug as he sipped his tea.

“Oh well! I tried.” Bombette responded over the phone. “But seriously, think of how great it’ll be to see your family. And of course, yours truly! Hehe!”

Kooper let out a sigh. Of course it would be great to see his parents and Bombette again. There was no denying that. Maybe he should just be happy the semester was over and he was gonna be heading home soon. Its not like he’s completely bound to Koopa Village. He could always go to Toad Town or even Goomba Village to visit Goombario. Even Parakarry regularly visited the village to drop off mail. Its not like he had nobody around he could even talk to. Still, though…

“You’re right...I guess I’m just….ehh, I dunno! I’ll probably see you when I get back.” Kooper finally responded. Shortly after, he exchanged his goodbyes with Bombette and hung up.

The rest of the train ride was…uneventful. Kooper passed the time by listening to more music, drinking his tea, and gazing out at the scenery as the train continued to make its journey back to Rogueport. It was just as monotonous as the koopa expected.

It wasn’t long after that phone call that the train soon pulled into the station. The train came to a slow, but steady stop and the familiar sound of steam hissing and the engine’s sounds coming to a stop rang through the air. Once the doors were opened, Kooper stood up and grabbed his luggage, dragging it behind him as he exited the train’s passenger car.

The koopa troopa found himself in the bustling city of Rogueport. Kooper sure did remember the familiar sight of stone pathways with brick buildings and green street lights lining the streets. He also remembered this was the west side of Rogueport. The side of the town that was controlled by the Pianta Syndicate. At least this side of town was actually pleasant. The streets were cleaned and even contained various shrubbery to give this side a more pleasant vibe than the more distinctly rough around the edges side of town.

As Kooper dragged his suitcase along the sidewalks, he checked his phone to see what time the boat to the Mushroom Kingdom took off. It didn’t take him long to see that he had about 30 minutes until the next ride. Luck would have it though as Kooper just so happened to spot a big neon sign that read ‘Pianta Parlor’.

“Oh stars, is that!?” the koopa exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his shoes when he spotted the sign.

Dragging his luggage behind him as fast as his legs could take him, the blue-shelled koopa approached the building, though soon noticed a sign on the front door.

“Due to a…” Kooper read out loud to himself, though his excitement soon dwindled “fuzzy infestation…We are currently closed.”

Great…The place was closed. Kooper let out a sigh as he lowered his head, feeling defeated. A few rounds on the slot machine would have given him some sort of thrill, at least for a moment.

“Ugh…Of course it had to be closed.” Kooper sighed to himself, stepping away from the building. “I just hope no koopas got their shells stolen at least.”

Maybe it was time to head to the harbor. Kooper continued walking down the sidewalk once more, headed for the harbor. Which meant he had to go through the main plaza…Great, the one with the creepy gallows and shady merchants. Why did they even have that? Kooper just kept telling himself to just avoid eye contact with the merchants and just keep on moving.

Along the way though, something caught Kooper’s attention. Heading his way was a pink goomba with a blond ponytail sticking from the helmet she wore. He noticed the red tie on the outfit she wore. Wait, was this?

Kooper recognized that face. He recalled a special presentation in one of his archaeology classes with two guest speakers, via video chat. One was a goomba by the name of Professor Frankly, who had an office here in Rogueport. The other was the goomba he saw just ahead of him. That’s right! It was her! What was her name again? Either way, he had so many questions he wanted to ask her about the forgotten city beneath Rogueport. Just the thought of it made him quite giddy with joy.

“Hey! Hello! Oh gosh, so sorry to bug you but, I know this is so-”

“Whoa whoa WHOA, bucko! Slow it down!” the goomba interrupted Kooper.

“S-Sorry! I just, oh gosh! Oh man, oh man! This is kinda exciting but-”

“Okay, I’m gonna stop you there! Who are you and what do you want?” the goomba cut Kooper off once more. This koopa sure had a lot of energy it seemed.

“S-Sorry! My name’s Kooper and uh…I’m a student at University of Koop! I remember you were one of the guest speakers at one of my classes! You and Professor Frankly!” Kooper explained, trying, though clearly struggling to contain his excitement.

“Ohhhh, right! That! I remember now! Professor Koopenshmirtz class! Look, I’m really sorry to burst your bubble, but I got somewhere I gotta be!”

“But I have SO MANY questions!! I heard you talking about the forgotten city beneath Rogueport and…OH PLEASE, OH PLEASE! I gotta know more!” Kooper practically begged her.

“Sorry, pal. I mean, I’d LOVE to, but I just don’t have the time! I gotta catch the next flight to Glitzville!”

“Glitzville?” Kooper asked, cocking his head slightly.

“You haven’t heard about Glitzville!? How have you not heard about Glitzville? Its only the most totally awesome floating city in the sky! Come on! You don’t know about it?” the goomba responded, and it certainly grabbed the koopa’s interest. “Glitzville! Home of the Glitz Pit?”

“What’s…the Glitz Pit?”

“Only the roughest, toughest fighting ring! Fighters from all around the world come here to work their magic! And by magic, I mean totally brutal beatdowns!”

Kooper was actually quite intrigued. The goomba could see the starry-eyed look on his face. Something about this place was just calling out to the blue-shelled koopa. He had to see Glitzville up close and personal. It was as if the stars were calling to him.

“Uhhh…Hello? You in there?” the goomba tried to get Kooper’s attention.

It took a whistle from the goomba to get Kooper’s attention. That sure snapped him out of it. He seemed pretty lost in thought for a bit, though he soon jolted back to reality. Before he could really respond though, the goomba was trotting onwards, leaving him with his luggage.

“WHA!? H-HEY, WAIT!” Kooper shouted out, rushing to catch back up with the goomba.

The goomba stopped once more and looked back at Kooper with a puzzled expression. What did he want now? It was starting to annoy her if she had to be honest.

“Look, buddy! I gotta get a move on. I’m gonna be-”

“PLEASE SHOW ME THE WAY!” Kooper interrupted her. It actually caught the goomba off guard.

The goomba was not quite sure how to respond. This koopa just really wanted to see the Glitz Pit. She noticed he had his luggage and she knew he was a University of Koop student, so he must have been heading home. It didn’t seem like he had any ill intentions or anything, but she did question when he had to be on his way back to where he was from.

“Don’t you have somewhere to be though?” she finally asked.

“I uhh…Well, yeah, but I can just catch another boat!” Kooper responded. He probably should text his mother about this soon. “Just please! Please show me the way to Glitzville!”

After much internal debate, the goomba let out a sigh.

“Okay, okay. Fine!” she responded. What harm could it really do to show this koopa the place? “BUT…Please, for the love of the stars, cool your jets, okay? Like, sheesh! I can’t keep up!”

“Oh…Uh…S-Sorry.” Kooper muttered out, rubbing the back of his head.

“...Its fine. Just don’t make me regret this, kay?” the goomba sighed as she began to make her way towards the western part of town.

“Right! Uhh…Thanks again! I promise you won’t regret it!” Kooper told he as he followed along. “You got my name, right! Kooper?”

“Yeah, I already caught it. I’m Goombella by the way, but judging by the last couple minutes, I take it you didn’t catch that part during the lecture, right?”

“Uhh…Yeah, sorry! I guess I didn’t…”

“And you remembered Professor Frankly!? Sheesh! I’m hurt now!”

“I said I was sorry!” Kooper reiterated as he followed Goombella.

Goombella couldn’t help but roll her eyes as she led the koopa troopa back to the west side of town. She noticed from the corner of her eye that Kooper seemed to be trying to contain his excitement right now. She noticed that wide, doofy grin on his face. She just hoped she wouldn’t regret this. She already had this feeling he might get on her nerves, as harmless as he seemed.

As the duo walked through the more pleasant west side of Rogueport, Goombella noticed the koopa was already texting along the way. It seemed he was already telling everyone back home he was taking a little detour.

Kooper could barely contain his excitement, but it felt like the stars were calling out to him. This felt like the start of something big…or maybe it was just gonna be a fun little side trip. A temporary distraction. Maybe Kooper was overthinking. All he knew right now was he was pretty hyped to see the floating city of Glitzville and all it had to offer.Nothing more. That’s all he needed. Do some sight seeing, watch a couple matches, and soon return back home. That should do the trick, right?

Chapter Text

“YOU BUMBLING LUNKHEADS!!”

The scream boomed throughout the throne room. That was no ordinary scream. It was the scream of the enraged Koopa King himself, Bowser. Inside the Koopa King’s throne room he stared down four koopa troopas kneeling on red trimmed carpet that lined the pathway to the throne. At the throne sat the mighty Koopa King himself, Bowser. Right by his side was his second in command, Kammy, an elderly koopa with purple robes, a pointed purple hat, and gray hair.

“L-Lord Bowser, I-I can explain, Your Gnarliness!” the red-shelled koopa troopa spoke up with fear in his voice.

“Your Viciousness? Shall I turn these four into a set of new statues for the courtyard?” Kammy spoke up.

“NO, PLEASE!!” the four koopa troopas cried out in unison.

The old koopa’s words certainly had them chattering their teeth and quaking in their shells. Yeah, they royally screwed up, but that seemed a bit too cruel for something like this.

The four koopa troopas quaking in their shells previously had been summoned to the cold and brooding throne room of the Koopa King. The moment they walked into this room just a few minutes ago, they knew this would not end well. The four koopa troopas present in the room notably had different colored shells, as well as a mask covering their eyes of their respective color. There was one with a red shell, one with a green shell, one with a yellow shell, and the last had a black shell. 

Bowser stared down at them, snarling to himself as he contemplated their punishment. 

“Your Viciousness?” the purple robed koopa spoke up.

“I heard you, you crusty old hag! The answer is a big fat NO!” the Koopa King roared out to his right hand koopa. “I already promised Junior he could have his statue in the courtyard! Little brat wouldn’t stop begging me!”

“Uh…Lord Bowser?” The red-shelled koopa troopa finally spoke up, standing up right. This move caused the other three to gasp out. 

“D-Dude! Do you WANT him to barbeque us!?” the green-shelled koopa pleaded with the other.

“SILENCE! I’ve had it with you four of you morons! Your little screw up probably pushed my plans back at least two more weeks!”

“Sounds like he’s pretty desperate to see the Princess.” the yellow-shelled koopa troopa whispered to the rest of the group, prompting a few snickers from the group.

“I HEARD THAT, MR. BIG SHOT COMEDIAN!” the Koopa King roared, stomping his foot.

 What came next was a genuine shock to the quartet of koopas as the heat in the room turned up. A jet of the Koopa King's fire breath was blasted right at the yellow-shelled koopa, prompting screams of horror from the other three. The three rushed to their fellow koopa, now sporting a cartoon-like charred appearance. The koopa was left coughing and groaning in pain. The quartet of koopas noticed that Bowser was speaking once more to Kammy. The koopas were completely consumed by fear as the great mighty Koopa King stomped towards them once more.

“I’ve just about HAD IT with you four lunkheads! This is the last chance you are EVER getting. Listen up closely, OR IT’LL BE THE CAGES!” Bowser roared once more before he made his way to the large doors lined with spikes. “HAGGY! You fill these idiots in!” 

And with that, the two kooptrol guards opened the doors for their leader and Bowser was gone. The group of koopas were now stuck with Kammy. As she approached the quartet, she could see how visibly shaken they were. The yellow-shelled koopa, who had previously been blasted with Bowser’s flames, notably had tears in his eyes.

“Now, listen up, you whippersnappers. His Vicousness has decided to give you one more chance. He wants to impress Princess Peach for the upcoming kidnapping, but he needs a little…something.”

“A-Anything! We’ll get it done!” the red-shelled koopa spoke up, nodding.

“He says Gourmet Guy opened a new restaurant in Toad Town, and Bowser wanted a cake fit for Her Majesty. If you want to stay within our ranks, it is your job to sneak into Gourmet Guy’s restaurant and find his recipe book.”

“Y-Yeah! You can count on us! The Koopa Bros won’t fail you this time!” the red-shelled koopa affirmed.

Red recalled the moment. There was so much pressure riding on this mission. As he thought back to the confrontation with Bowser and Kammy Koopa, the red-shelled koopa snarled to himself as he threw the binoculars to the ground.

“Grrrr…Stupid freaking Bowser! Bozo doesn’t know he has it so good with us!” Red grumbled to himself as the green-shelled koopa picked up the binoculars his brother threw to the ground. “We’re the freaking Koopa Bros! The coolest of the cool! What more could he want!?”

The Koopa Bros were hiding behind a series of pushes in the woods, just behind the restaurant Gourmet Guy recently opened in Toad Town. Red and Green were on lookout duty while Black was seated underneath a large tree, consoling his younger brother, Yellow.

“I hate to say it, Red, but…Told you so! Your plan was sloppy, dude.” the green-shelled koopa spoke up.

“My plan!? MY PLAN!?” Red raised his voice, snarling as he stood up, glaring down at his brother. “My plan would have succeeded if it wasn’t for Yellow!”

“Don't you DARE blame Yellow!” the voice of the black-shelled koopa suddenly bellowed with fury, marching towards Red.

The two koopas were now face to face, snouts pressed together with eyes glaring daggers at each other. Red was pretty quick to shove his brother out of his face.

“Oh, shut up! It's HIS fault we lost the superbomb!” Red huffed out as he pointed directly towards his yellow-shelled brother.

The yellow-shelled koopa finally looked up when Red's words caught his attention. He still had the burn marks on his shell and his mask after the previous roasting he received. He had a rather somber expression before, though his expression quickly shifted to anger when he heard his brother.

“D-Dude! I almost got two freaking game overs today! I’m NOT playing the blame game right now!” he spat back as he removed his mask, looking at the burned fabric with tears in his eyes. “Look at my mask! It's ruined!” 

"Get over it, you big baby!" Red spat out, punching Yellow in the arm.

"OUCH! D-Dude!!" Yellow cried out when he was punched "Does it even matter to you that I ALMOST FREAKING DIED…TWICE!?"

"Quit overreacting! You're-"

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP ALREADY AND LOOK!" Green cut in at last.

The four brothers returned to their lookout posts, peeking through the bushes. They saw a toad approaching the back entrance. That was their opening right there. That toad was their ticket inside undetected. 

“Target sighted! Aw, yeaaah!” Red said with a smirk on his face.

“If we’re done arguing….” Green whispered, rolling his eyes. “You guys remember MY plan?

“You mean MY plan!” Red muttered to himself, which resulted in a punch from Green.

“As I was saying…The second he opens that door, Yellow’s up! And then Red and Black are going to-”

“Kick some ass!" Black interrupted the green-shelled koopa.

"NO! Nobody is fighting! We're going completely stealth!" Green snapped at his brother.

"Wait…Why me?" Yellow questioned, sounding rather unsure.

"Because you got the best aim."

"That aim sure saved that superbomb." Red sarcastically muttered to himself, rolling his eyes. 

The resulting comment caused Green to punch his brother in the arm, prompting some cursing from the red-shelled koopa.

“As I was saying…” Green muttered.

The four brothers gathered together, huddling around Green. Green continued to explain his ‘fool proof’ plan, much to the irritation of Red. Green seemed pretty confident in his plan. He had to be. This was seemingly their last chance. Fortunately for them, the toad outside just got finished with a smoke break

Once the toad  began to head back towards the back door, Green directed Yellow to begin the first phase of the mission: infiltration.

“Y-You sure I can do this!?” Yellow muttered, completely unsure of himself right now as he grabbed a koopa shell-like shuriken.

“Don’t worry, bro. You got this!” Black responded, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

It seemed as though the last mission must have hurt Yellow’s confidence, though the support of his older brother did give him some encouragement. The rest of the trio could see the anxiety ever so present in the koopa troopa’s expression, and it seemed he was hesitating as he watched the toad open the door. Red, Green, and Black watched with anticipation as Yellow waited to make his move.

After what felt like an eternity, as the door began to close, Yellow chucked a koopa shell-like shuriken at the door just as it was closing. The shuriken managed to hit its mark, getting stuck in the frame, thus stopping the door from completely closing, giving Red and Black their chance.

“Nailed it!” Yellow proudly exclaimed, pounding his chest a single time.

“Alright, Yellow!” Green exclaimed, cheering his brother on.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Good job…I guess.” Red muttered in a rather unenthusiastic manner.

“Show some enthusiasm for him, geez!” Black 

“Oh, big whoop! So, he did something right!”

“No need to act like a major-”

“BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP AND GO!” Green interrupted the two as they began to argue. “You're up! Hurry up before you lose your opening!”

With that, the two koopas grumbled to themselves and soon activated one of their special skills. Red and Black soon transformed into two toads, dressed in a work uniform similar to the previous toad they saw go inside. With that, Red and Black scampered off towards the door. The two slipped in through the door, though Red was quick to grab the shell-like shuriken Yellow previously through. 

The two koopas, disguised as toads, found themselves in a hallway behind the kitchen. There was two doors for employee bathrooms and a door to an office. There was also a metal door to a cold storage room. Red and Black even saw the toad from earlier turning around the corner.

“Okay, dude! We’re in! Now where the hell is fatso’s office” Red whispered to his brother.

“Maybe the door with the name tag Gourmet Guy labeled on it?” Black pointed out to his brother, noticing the name tag.

“Oh…Well that’s convenient!”

The two approached the door, though they noticed it was slightly ajar. When they peeked inside, they noticed there was nobody inside. There was a desk with a slice of cake on it, a bookshelf with various books, a couple chairs, and a filing cabinet. Nobody else was inside. This all seemed too easy.

Red soon opened the door just enough for him and Black to slip inside. The office was empty. Something just seemed so suspicious though. This was going too smoothly.

“Dude, this is just too easy. Easy as cake!” Red muttered before gesturing to the literal cake on the desk. “It's like they’re laying it out for us!”

As if on cue, the two brothers heard footsteps approaching from behind. Things really did seem too good to be true. 

“You had to open your mouth…” Black alerted his brother, gesturing towards the door.

“Quick! Hide!”

The two scrambled to find a place to hide, though when Black scrambled to hide behind a large potted plant, he noticed something peculiar. There was a purple koopa shell there. He was about to say something until Red grabbed his arm and yanked him towards a closet he saw. 

As Red and Black hid from the incoming threat, they cracked open the door slightly. What they saw was a rather large shy guy. This shy guy in particular was none other than Gourmet Guy. The big boss himself was in the room.

“Dude! Someone’s here!” Black said in a hushed tone.

“Duh! Of course there is!”

“No, idiot! I mean someone-”

“Mmmmmm….How could I forget about my lovely!” a voice began booming in the room.

The sudden voice of Gourmet Guy certainly silenced the two brothers. They froze in fear, thinking he caught on, but through the crack in the door, they saw him take the piece of cake and leave the room. 

“Just wait, dude.” Red muttered as he watched from the crack in the door.

“What the hell are you-”

“SHHHHH!” Red hushed his brother.

The two watched in silence from the crack in the door and what they saw was actually quite shocking. The koopa shell that Red previously saw, actually belonged to an unknown koopa troopa. The koopa wore a pair of sunglasses and notably had spiked wristbands. What was going on? Red and Black watched as the purple-shelled koopa began to go through Gourmet Guy’s desk. What was he after? They had to find out.

“Hey! Bozo! What’s the big idea!?” Red blurted out, kicking open the door. By this point, both of them dropped their disguises.

The koopa froze in place when he saw Red and Black, and boy did it look like they were ready to fight, though it was mainly Black who wanted a fight.

“WHOA! Wh-What!? Where- Wait! You're- ” the purple-shelled koopa stammered out, stopped dead in his tracks. 

Black was quick to charge straight for the koopa and grabbed him by the spiked collar around his neck, lifting him up into the air.

“Alright, numbskull! Who are you and what's your game?" Red demanded.

"What do you want with OUR secret recipe book!?"

"BLACK! Do you WANNA give away our plans!?” Red shouted at his brother.

“Just SHUT UP!”

As the two brothers began to argue, the purple-shelled koopa just stared at them with a complete look of boredom. This was already getting tiresome to him.

“HEY! Are you gonna keep arguing or-”

“SHUT UP!” Red and Black both shouted, catching the koopa completely off guard.

The bickering continued, though they seemed to forget that these walls weren't soundproof…And the door was still open. And they'd soon find out they've been wasting time. 

"What do you think you're doing in my office!?" 

The sudden voice of Gourmet Guy caused the three koopa troopas to freeze in place. 

Back outside, Green and Yellow were waiting for their brothers, unaware of the current situation they were in. The two were still behind the bushes, monitoring from the back. The two were on standby, just in case they were needed. 

"It's been nearly twenty minutes. What part of this is difficult?" Green grumbled to himself as he waited.

"Maybe Gourmet Guy offered them a slice of cake?" Yellow suggested.

"Don't be stupid, Yellow. Even he was laughing at us when he was still a member of Bowser's army. The probability of that happening is minimal. Ugh…"

Green was already considering the possibility that Red and Black already screwed this up. It frustrated him endlessly that they had such a low success rate. He knew they were the laughing stock of Bowser's army. Despite the way they presented themselves as the coolest of the cool, Green knew they were a complete joke. 

"Ugh…Those morons screw this up and we're done for."

"D-Dude, don't say that!"

"Dude, look at our history! There's a reason this is our last chance!" Green bluntly told the yellow-shelled koopa. "Ugh…They don't come out with that cookbook and we're toast!"

"Y-You don't think it'll really be game over…d-do you!? I'm too young to die!" Yellow began to panic.

"Get a hold of yourself, Yellow! Nobody's getting a game over!" Green responded, rolling his eyes.

"I sure hope so…Two's almost game overs is enough for one day."

"Let's just hope they can grab the cookbook. I am NOT watching our minions get reassigned to that super nerd Iggy!" Green complained as he peeked out of the bush briefly. "Like…Red always says I'm the nerd? Have you SEEN Iggy?"

"I heard he conducts super crazy experiments on his-" Yellow began to ramble off some rumors he's heard.

Before Yellow could even finish speaking, the two brothers were alerted by the sounds of sirens going off. A sense of dread struck the two brothers as they peaked out of the bushes and saw two police cars stop by the restaurant 

“Oh no…Don’t tell me!” Green muttered under his breath

“Green,you don’t think…” Yellow said in a worried manner. “We gotta help them!”

“Ugh…I hate to say it, but…you’re right. Let’s go!”

The two koopas rushed for the front of the restaurant, though tried their best to stay hidden. They decided to hide behind the sign for the place.What they saw was Green’s worst worst case scenario. They saw Red, Black, and the purple-shelled koopa in front of the restaurant in cuffs. Gourmet Guy and two officers stood beside them.

“Yes, officer! These three broke into my office! I don’t know what they want from me! I’m just trying to run a business!” Gourmet Guy explained to the two officers, a toad and a paratroopa.

“So the Koopa Bros and those koopas in the sewers have teamed up.” the toad spoke up.

“Under normal circumstances I’d say this could be troubling, buuuut it's just the Koopa Bros! I mean, what’s the worst they can do!?” The paratroopa started to laugh, prompting the two officers and Gourmet Guy to start laughing.

“Alright, alright. Let’s take ‘em away! Search the premise for the other two.”

Red, Black, and the purple-shelled koopa were soon being dragged towards the police cars. Red and Black struggled as they were dragged away. 

“YOU GOT PAYBACK COMING! YOU HEAR ME!?” Red shouted at Gourmet Guy as he was dragged away.

“Yeah, yeah. Tell it to the judge.” one of the officers muttered as they carried the three koopas off.

Green and Yellow meanwhile were watching in complete disbelief. It was just as they feared. It seemed their brothers were captured.

“Green! We have to do something!” Yellow pleaded with his brother.

“Uhh…Hmm…” Green pondered what to do.

“Green! C’mon, c’mon! We can’t just let them get captured!”

“Okay, okay! I got an idea, but we’ll have to be quick!”

As the two brothers discussed a plan, Red and Black were being carried off, struggling to free themselves from the cuffs they were in. It seemed like it was too late to help them, but just as they reached the car, two balls were thrown at the ground and it wasn’t long at all before they burst with smoke. Smoke began to fill the air and obscure the general area.

“Wh-What the!?” one of the officers gasped.

“Check the premise! It's gotta be the sewer koopas!” the paratroopa shouted out as they began to flap their wings in an attempt to clear the smoke.

Green and Yellow swiftly entered the smokescreen and rushed straight to the aid of their brothers. In the confusion, Red and Black began to scramble to find a way out as well. In a brief moment, Green managed to catch a glimpse of his brothers in the thick smoke.

“I see them! Yellow! Hurry!” Green signaled his brother.

“Green!? Yellow!?” Red called out. 

It wasn’t long before Green and Yellow managed to grab a hold of their brothers and began dragging them off. Yellow managed to break the chains with a kunai he had stashed away. With their brother's help, Red and Black were now free. The smoke was quickly cleared by the paratroopa, though it wasn’t long before the four brothers were scurrying off to safety.

“Wait! Don’t leave me!” the voice of the purple-shelled koopa cried out to them as they ran away.

Red could only look back at the koopa, though he soon gave him a dirty look and stuck his tongue out at him. He was just being petty at this point. That koopa ruined the whole mission in Red’s eyes. 

While the four brothers were now on their way out, they could hear the commotion coming from behind as the cops shouted out and demanded more officers on the premises. The quartet of koopa troopas ran for cover, heading straight for Toad Town Harbor. Here, they should be safe. While they were safe, the only thing going through Green’s mind was the fact that they’ve failed…yet again.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: The Sewers of Toad Town

The sun had set in the Mushroom Kingdom and activity was starting to settle down with no festivities in sight. It seemed most were winding down for the night and ready to hop into bed. A new day would soon be on the horizon, though not all were looking forward to the dawning of a new day.

After their previous failure, the Koopa Bros scrambled back to their hideaway. Since their defeat at the hands of Mario, Goombario, Kooper, and Bombette, the fortress they once called home was reclaimed by the bob-ombs. They now claimed a rundown old house on the outskirts of Toad Town.

Red and Black were currently seated on a broken down couch with two game controllers in their hands. Meanwhile, Green was pacing back and forth between the two koopas and the TV screen.

"Uhhh..Duuuude! We're trying to play a game here!" Red spoke up.

"Dude! You and Black completely screwed up the mission! Bowser's gonna be on our asses soon unless we think of something!" Green huffed out, clearly frustrated.

The two koopas on the broken down couch ignored Green. They seemed more interested in their game. Green was fuming. Was he the only one taking this seriously?The green-shelled koopa decided to take matters into his own hands by pulling the plug on their game, shutting off the console.

"HEEEEY!" Red and Black shouted in unison.

"Not cool, dude!" Red added.

"I don't wanna hear it, dudes!" Green huffed out, crossing his arms. "Are neither of you even worried about Bowser? Like, am I the only one taking this seriously!?"

"Dude, just chill! We'll think of a plan! We always do!" Red tried to reassure his brother.

"Oh, I'm sure you have QUITE the brilliant plan, dude!" Green sarcastically responded. "It's the same thing over and over-"

Green was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the door opening. What he saw was rather unusual. A yellow-shelled koopa troopa wearing sunglasses, a gold chain, and yellow wristbands walked in. The way this koopa walked in seemed so casual, as if he wasn't intruding.

"Uhh…Can I help you?" Red questioned the koopa.

"Wha!? D-Dude! It's me!" the yellow-shelled koopa troopa responded as he began to remove the sunglasses and gold chain. The shades were soon replaced by a yellow mask.

"Yellow!?" Red and Green gasped in unison.

"Earn the big coins bro?" Black asked, which resulted in even further confusion from Red and Green.

"Dude, you're not gonna believe how much I got this time! They loved the set!" Yellow gave Black a pretty energetic response. "I saw this super rad Mega Pow Block set that was like-"

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! Someone tell me what the hell is going on!?" Red interrupted.

"Oh! Uhh…Well, I kinda got a gig as a DJ for that club by the Toad Town harbor and uh-"

"Wait! Hold up! Dude! You? A DJ? HA! That's hilarious! I hear you singing in the shower all the time and you suck!" the red-shelled koopa laughed.

"Well uhh…I mean…I'm not really singing, I'm just kinda mixing-"

"Wait...And you're getting paid for this?" Green said, raising a brow.

"Yeah uh…C-Can you guys just-"

"WAIT! HOLD UP! DUDE! Don't tell me you're paying for those Mega Pow Block sets!?" Red questioned before he began laughing. "You said you stole those! What are you!? Some goody two shoes like Mario!?"

Yellow looked down at the ground, feeling dejected. Were they really shaming him for legally buying? That really killed his mood for the night. The only source of comfort he got was Black placing his hand on his shoulder. Even that didn't improve his mood much.

"Don't listen to them, dude. You're-" Black started to console his brother, until he noticed something attached to his shell. "Huh!? Dude! You got something on your shell."

Black reached for what seemed to be a folded note taped to the yellow shell his brother wore. He unfolded it and soon began to read it. What he read certainly made his eyes bug out.

"Uhhhh…Dudes!?"

The koopa managed to grab the attention of his brothers. The koopas read the note, and by the look on their face, this couldn't be good.

The Koopa Bros found themselves walking through the cold, dark tunnels underneath Toad Town. There was very little lighting, but what little light the brothers had showed them the cold stony pathways that lined the sewage drains. It was pretty hard to miss all the green pipes as well. The atmosphere put most of the brothers, especially Yellow, on edge. Who knows what they'd stumble upon.

"Of all the freaking places! Why did it have to be down in the sewers! This place is so lame!" Red complained as he walked down the stone passage along the sewage drain.

"You shouldn't have messed with that purple-shelled koopa." Green responded coldly.

"Hey! I didn't know he was a member of the Sewer Troop!" Red snapped back.

"It's his own fault he didn't take advantage of the cover you and Yellow gave us." Black muttered as he crossed his arms and looked away from Green.

"I don't know who these guys are, but they sound like real trouble, and YOU two just had to get us into more trouble than we already were!" Green argued back.

The brothers continued to make their journey deeper into the sewers. They took a platform down to a lower level once they reached a waterfall. The sounds of rushing water filled the corridor. The only other sounds that could be heard were the tiny squeaks from little mousers.

"H-How much longer till we find these guys? I hate this place! It's so creepy…" Yellow muttered as he followed his brothers.

"Ugh…You're right. If SOMEONE didn't mess with that koopa, we wouldn't be here!" Green responded, shooting Red a glance.

"SHUT UP, DUDE!" Red shouted at his brother before he shoved him.

The force of the shove caused Green to lose his footing as he stumbled back, screaming out as he suddenly fell back into the sewage water, prompting a scream from Black and Yellow. The two koopas scrambled to the edge of the pathway and got down to reach out to Green.

"GREEN! GRAB MY HAND!" Yellow shouted out to his brother.

The green-shelled koopa emerged from the surface quickly, though he flailed about as he struggled to keep his head above the sewage water. Green couldn't help but think about how nasty this was, but he tried to reach out to his brother.

"Green! Dude! C'mon, c'mon!" Black called out.

"I-I'm trying dudes!" Green cried out as he flailed about, though he did his best to try and reach out for his brother's hand.

Suddenly, Green felt something latch onto his leg. His eyes grew wide as he felt something long wrap around it and soon tug on his leg, pulling him under. He soon began screaming and shouting, though it was too late as the unknown entity pulled him under.

"GREEN!" Yellow and Black cried out as they tried to reach.

As Red watched the scene unfold, he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. Was this actually his own fault? He was actually genuinely worried about Green. He couldn't just stand here and act like he didn't care. The red-shelled koopa troopa soon charged towards the ledge and jumped in after his brother, prompting further screams from Black and Yellow.

Red swam towards his brother, though he noticed something wrapped around the koopa's leg. Something suddenly came charging straight his way. That thing was fast. Red quickly scrambled to swim back to the surface. Red suddenly got caught up in the force of the surfacing creature that sent him and the creature jetting into the air. Red was tossed into the air and came crashing down onto the stone pathway Black and Yellow stood on.

As soon as Red got back up, the three koopas gazed upon a large white blooper, with one of its tentacles wrapped around Green.

"HEEEEEELP!" Green screamed out loud as he flailed, trying to free himself.

"Crap crap crap! Green! We'll save you!" Yellow shouted, soon turning to Red and Black. "We gotta help him!"

The three brothers stared down the blooper. The blooper was the first to strike, slamming its tentacles towards the Koopa Bros.

"WATCH OUT!" Yellow screamed out as he tucked into his shell and rolled out of the way of the incoming tentacles.

Red and Black repeated as Yellow did, rolling out of the way of the tentacles that slammed onto the ground. The blooper followed up with another onslaught of tentacle slams, which the trio of brothers were able to dodge again.

"DUDES, HURRY UP AND DO SOMETHING!" Green screamed out as he struggled to free himself as the tentacle carrying him flailed about.

"Yellow! Quick!" Black called out to his brother.

Yellow seemed to know exactly what to do. He fired off a couple koopa shell-like shurikens straight at the tentacle holding onto green. The shuriken hit their mark, causing the tentacle to be pinned to the wall.

"Hang oh, Green! We gotcha!" Red muttered to himself as he tucked into his shell, rolling out of the way to dodge one of the blooper's tentacles. He soon launched himself at the tentacle gripping Green and slammed straight into it. This loosened the grip and allowed Green to finally escape. The two koopas landed back on the ground, catching their footing with ease.

"Red?"

"You can thank me later, dude!"

"What!? I wasn't-" Green started speaking, until the blooper attempted to swat at him with one of its large tentacles. "OH CRAP!"

Red and Green were forced to retreat as the blooper soon attempted to blast them with its ink. As they dodged the ink, the blooper pulled its tentacle free from the wall. The two quickly regrouped with Black and Yellow after launching themselves over the gap between the two stone pathways that lined the sewage pathway.

"Any bright ideas?" Black asked once the four brothers regrouped?

"It managed to free itself from my shurikens! This is NOT GOOD!" Yellow whined as he rolled out of the way of a tentacle slamming between the brothers.

The attack managed to strike Red and Black though, prompting shouting from Yellow and Green. The two of them quickly scrambled to help their brothers up, though they soon got caught up in another blast of ink from the blooper.

"AUUGGGHH! Not the ink!" Red shouted out in disgust.

"LOOK OUT!" Green shouted as two more tentacles were slammed on the ground.

The four koopa troopas managed to dodge this time, but now the blooper truly had them on the defense. They were scrambling until Yellow managed to land one more shuriken on the tentacle, keeping it pinned to the ground now. This actually distracted the blooper long enough for them to counter attack.

"Oh thanks stars! Alright, bros! Time for our super special spinning attack! Let's do it!" Red ordered his brothers.

The koopa troopas began to stack on top of each other's shells, with Green standing as the base and Red standing at the top, balancing on Black's shell. Before they could do anything though, the sound of sheep baaing echoed through the passage, sending Red into a complete state of confusion.

"Huh!? Dudes! What tha!?" Red questioned, looking around.

Suddenly, much to the shock of the four koopas, a horde of sheep began to prance through the area, and it seemed as if they were floating. They were fully focused on the blooper and as they passed on by, the blooper suddenly fell asleep, much to the shock of the Koopa Bros.

"Huh!? Dudes! What gives!?"

"I dunno, dude! Did one of you have a sleepy sheep?" Green asked as his brothers got off his shell, allowing him to stand up.

The four brothers looked around in confusion. Suddenly from around the corner, a purple shelled koopa stepped forward. He was wearing a pair of golden sunglasses and a pair of gold spiked wristbands. He noticeably had a black mohawk.

"What the!? Who the hell are you!?" Red demanded.

"I'm the one you're seeking." The koopa troopa responded, gesturing for them to follow as he turned around and began walking. "Now come along."

"Wait! I saw that koopa at the club!" Yellow spoke up.

"This koopa must be the one who attached that note to your shell." Green deduced based on what Yellow said.

"I'm guessing? All I know is he didn't give me-"

"Oh for the love of! Shut up and come with me already!" The purple shelled koopa shouted at the four brothers, which seemed to grab their attention.

The purple-shelled koopa soon began leading the Koopa Bros deeper into the sewers. They had no idea what was going to happen, and the tension was quite heavy in the air. It sent chills down their spines. All they knew was they had no choice.

The four koopas were led into a warp pipe. Once they exited, they found themself in a dimly lit room that shared the same cold stony walls and flooring the rest of the sewer held. There was a series of couches around a large rug with a coffee table. The room also had a few large chests, filled with various goods. There were also a few punching bags towards the back of the room.

The thing that was alarming to the brothers was the fact that various purple-shelled koopa troopas now had their eyes on the four brothers. They did not look happy at all. This was not good.

"What is this dump?" Red spoke out loud as he was led to a desk in the back.

"This so-called 'dump' is our hideout." the koopa responded as he took a seat at the desk. "Now…sit. We have some business to discuss."

The four brothers took a seat, looking rather uneasy as they felt the cold gaze of the purple-shelled koopa. Red and Black tried their best to hide it.

"S-So uhh…What's this so-called business?" Red anxiously asked.

"Look, I'm just gonna cut to the chase. Your little stunt back at Gourmet Guy's restaurant cost me some of my best men."

"Pfffft! It was just one koopa!"

"I had a whole team of five on site, you idiots!" the koopa shouted, slamming on the desk, startling the four brothers. "Our little heist was our ticket to better things, and then you waltz right in and make a mockery of one of my best guys!"

"Well maybe if HE wasn't getting in our way, none of this-"

"SILENCE!" the koopa shouted once more. He was growing increasingly agitated by Red's attitude. "If it hadn't been for you, we could have gotten the keys to the vault!"

"Look, Mr… Uhh…." Green spoke up, trying to reason with the koopa. It would be easier if he had a name though.

"Max. DK Max." the koopa responded.

"DK Max. Look, uhh…I'm sure we can work something out!"

"Oh, you're going to work something out for me, alright. If you don't want there to be any further trouble, then you're going to help us." DK Max said before he got up and began to pace between the four koopas.

"And why should the Koopa Bros help you?" Red questioned, raising a brow.

At that moment, DK Max grabbed a small golden trophy on the desk. The brothers seemed a bit puzzled, but that was until the purple-shelled koopa suddenly chucked it straight towards Yellow's face. The small trophy hit Yellow straight in the face, prompting a cry of pain from the koopa and the startled gasps of his brothers. They immediately rushed to his aid.

"Because a lot worse things can happen than that. THAT is why." he responded as he watched the brothers scramble to Yellow's aid.

"Okay, okay! What do you want!?" Red asked, finally giving in.

"Listen up, you bozos. Me and a few of my boys used to compete in a fighting arena known as the Glitz Pit. We were major league players and everything was going swimmingly for us, until one fateful day." DK Max began to explain, and his tone sounded quite serious.

"One day when I found myself in the arena after the matches for the day, I witnessed the most bizarre sight my eyes ever gazed on. What I saw was this wild ass machine and the promoter, Mr. Grubba, using it to beef up! And boy did he get huge!" He continued his monologue.

"Wait wait wait! I know this one!" Black suddenly blurted out, quickly standing up.

"Ahem? I'm speaking here?" DK Max reminded him as he grabbed another small trophy on the desk. "Anyway…That madman tried to end my game right then and there! He used his machine on me to start slowly sucking out my energy, but I got the slip on the old man! I was able to escape and report him to the police, but what happened?"

"Yoooouuuu…Were rewarded with-" Yellow added, until…

"NO, YOU IDIOT!" DK Max shouted out as he chucked the trophy at Yellow, though this time he was able to duck into his shell. "That madman got away scott free! He covered it all up and they all called me crazy! And what do I find? I found out that goody two shoes Mario waltzed into the Glitz Pit recently and exposed that sick bastard for the madman he was! They called me a nutjob, while Mario got all of the praise!" his voice was booming now as he started slamming on the desk as he spoke about Mario.

"We hate Mario too, but what does this have to do with us?" Red asked, raising a brow.

"Since you got some of my best guys locked up, YOU are gonna fill in for them. I want you to go to the Glitz Pit, pose as fighters, and then…Well, we'll be in touch."

At that point, the Koopa Bros formed a huddle. Naturally Red and Black wanted to fight, but it didn't seem like fighting was the best choice. Green knew for sure that they knew they weren't getting out of this one easily.

"Alright, bros. What do we do? Do we fight these losers?" Red whispered to his brothers.

"Dude, that's not gonna solve anything this time! They will be back even if we fight now!" Green tried to reason with the red-shelled koopa.

"D-Did you see what that guy did to me!? I'm STILL in a lot of pain!" Yellow stammered as he winced in pain, still holding onto his head.

"I've heard about these guys and they are relentless! If we run now, they'll do far worse things than they did to Yellow if they ever get their hands on us." Green added on.

"I think we can take them!" Black whispered in a more cocky manner.

"Did you not just hear what I said, dude? We start a fight with them now, they'll never give in! Even if we do beat them, they'll be back!"

"Okay, so do we really have no choice but to go with this?" Red

"It's either that or Bowser gets us." Green responded, reminding Red that Bowser would be furious when he found out they failed their last chance.

"Damn it…Okay, okay. Hate to say, but what choice do we have?" Red sighed in defeat. He hated this feeling. It made him feel helpless almost.

The four koopas broke from their huddle and soon turned to face the purple-shelled koopa at last. He seemed eager to hear what their answer would be.

"So, boys. What's it gonna be?" DK Max asked the brothers.

The four koopas look at each other. By the look on their faces, they didn't seem too happy about the decision they made, but it seemed they had no other choice. It was either DK Max or Bowser.

"Okay, okay. Fine! We'll do it! We'll go with your stupid plan!" Red reluctantly told the koopa troopa.

"Excellent! I think you'll be a valuable asset to us. Now…You four got places to be." DK Max responded with sinister intent. He was proud of himself. He got just what he wanted. He could almost taste the sweet, sweet revenge he craved.

Way up in the sky, the famed CheepCheep Blimp was traveling through rather favorable conditions on its route to the floating city of Glitzville. If one were to look out of the windows, they could see the artificial floating island drawing closer and closer. From the blimp's position, one could already see the large building inspired by Chinese architecture. It was hard to miss that large chain chomp on the front of the building.

Inside the blimp, Kooper and Goombella have been casually chatting as they waited for the blim to arrive.

"So you and Mario actually competed here!?" Kooper asked the goomba with a hint of excitement in his voice.

"We kinda had no choice if we wanted to get the crystal star…Or so I thought. Mario wanted to steal the champion's belt, but I said NOOOO WAY!" Goombella confirmed.

"No way Mario would have done that!" Kooper gasped in surprise.

"I mean, he wanted to, but we were pretty adamant that we won it fair and square. Of course it turned out to be a fake, but we still found the real crystal star!"

Kooper winced in response. That was not the kind of response he wanted to hear. He never thought Mario would have thought of such a thing. He didn't want to believe it was true, but at least he didn't go through with stealing it, right?

"Next stop, Glitzville! Glitzville, here we are!" the voice of the cheep cheep piloting the blimp spoke over the intercom.

The second Kooper heard the voice over the intercom, he darted over to the window. The blue-shelled koopa had a look of pure joy on his face as the adrenaline began pumping. This is just what he needed, or so he thought. Either way though, it was hard to deny his excitement was infectious.

"My stars, I know you're excited, but geez, you're like a child on the holidays!" Goombella chuckled as she prepared to disembark.

"I-I know! Sorry! I can't help it! This is just…" the koopa gushed as he laid his eyes upon the Glitz Pit as they grew closer. "It's just so, so, so exciting! When you've been stuck on campus and this is the most excitement you get in months, it's just…Oh man! You know!"

"Yeah, yeah. Okay, I get you. You miiiiight wanna dial it back juuuust a touch though!"

"O-Oh! Sorry! Sorry! I just can't believe it though! We're finally here!"

The two stepped onto the lift that would drop them into Glitzville via cables. It wasn't long before the platform they stood on began to gradually, yet slowly lower them into the city. The sounds of the bustling city in the sky quickly became apparent as they began their descent. As Kooper and Goombella scanned their surroundings, something in the crowd stood out quite a bit to Goombella. It wasn't long before Goombella locked eyes with an orange yoshi down below. The yoshi had a distinct blue mohawk, which paired well with his blue shoes. This particular yoshi also wore a pair of green polka dotted shorts. Goombella recognized this yoshi instantly and the moment their eyes locked, Goombella noticed the smirk on his face right away.