Mario huffed as he looked over the letter. For some reason, this'd been delivered to his mailbox just that morning. He clenched the letter, crumpling it up, and tossed it into a trash can behind him. He'd just been informed earlier by a Toad that Peach had, of course, been kidnapped once again, only delayed by this letter Parakarry had delivered to him. Bowser was planning something. Something big. And of course, Mario had to put a stop to it. Letter tossed aside, Mario quickly took off, jumping into the Warp Pipe and heading off on his journey.
"GWAHAHAHAHA!!" A bellowing laughter roared throughout the castle. Bowser sat in his throne, and throughout the room stood figures from so many different universes. All of whom were villains. Well, most. Some were just crooked. But the majority consensus was that they were villaionous. "WELCOME! I am King Bowser, and it is truly a wonderful honor to meet each and every one of you. Thank you for accepting the invitation here, and being so willing to participate in this little tournament of mine. Once the baddest of you have proven yourself to be worthy, we shall begin our conquest throughout the worlds!!!"
"I don't see why we don't just work together now and forego this whole ordeal. Seems tedious and pointless."
"SHUT UP!" Bowser snapped, fire shooting from his nostrils. "I need to make sure those I enlist under me are truly evil. I don't want just anyone working alongside my ranks. I've dealt with enough people in my time that I'm going to make sure you all truly prove to have what it takes to work alongside me." Bowser thumped his way down the throne and stairs that led up to it, stomping down before the crowd. His eyes scanned over them sharply, examining each up and down. So many villains. So many to corrupt and mend as he would so please. This was going to be great.
"There shall be twenty match-ups. There are surely more than fourty of you, which is why there shall be, well...special match-ups. Some of you will work together as teams. Some of you will all be battling one after another. In fact...some of your match-ups aren't even in this very room! You see, some of you will be traveling to other worlds, facing non-villainous opponents. Some heroes, some just ordinary people. Regardless, each of you will have your own assigned opponent. I have spent months carefully calculating exactly who each of you will face. This shall be glorious, I can assure you."
"And those of us who win these match-ups shall take place amongst your ranks?"
"Wouldn't that mean only twenty people in this room will be working with you?"
Bowser sneered, "At most, there might be twenty, but there is the possibility of some of you ending up incompetent failures and losing to heroes, or even those of a neutral alignment. Try not to be so incompetent, and maybe of the twenty battles that shall occur, there will be a villain arising from each of them to assist me."
"And just what makes you the leader, the one that we should follow?"
This got Bowser really riled up, stomping his foot and snorting angrily. "I AM THE BADDEST OF ANY OF YOU!!! I am the most persistent in my goal. I may not win. Damn it, I'm certain NONE of you have accomplished your villainous goals either. I even had to have my army bring a number of you back to life, too! But by Grambi's beard, I am the one who always persists. I never give up! I burn in lava constantly, have had my skin melted off and reduced me to bones. I have fought countless battles; raised an army of infinite, endless soldiers; kidnapped; killed; ravaged; pillaged; you name it!! And what of you?! A clown, plants, masked freaks, witches, gangsters, and some kids even?! I am truly the king of evil! AND YOU WILL ALL BOW DOWN TO ME!! GRAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
To any onlookers outside of the castle, they would be given a show of streams of fire bursting from each and window as Bowser's anger got the best of him, breathing fire left and right to show his fury. After a few minutes, he'd calm down, the group he had gathered just glaring at him in annoyance and anger. "...my apologies for that. Help yourselves to the refreshments provided, I shall call you one by one to assign you your tasks. ...bathrooms are on the left"
Bowser lugged himself back to his throne, having exhausted himself in his fit of anger. He plopped into his chair, glancing over the crowd below. He tapped his finger, closed his eyes, and let out a sigh before speaking.
"Ganondorf, step forward."
The Gerudo King did so, stepping forward from the crowd and approaching the Koopa King. He took a knee, bowing before the reptilian royalty. "Yes, my liege?" Of course, anyone who knew Ganondorf would know how far his "respect" for fellow royalty went, having lied to and betrayed a king once before. And as far as this king, he was just another villain ready to work alongside him. But of course, Ganondorf was ready to stab Bowser in the back given the moment's notice to take his place as the ruler of this pathetic lot.
"Your opponent resides in a desert, something I'm certain you're accustomed to. His name is, uhh....Aladdin, I think. Yeah, that's probably right. You will find Aladdin and his men ready and waiting. He is not a villain, but has done some...certainly questonable things, so I shall hope he provides a proper challenge for you. Head down the hall on the left, and my wizards will conjure a portal that shall take you there," Bowser instructed, lifting a hand to point in the direction Ganondorf would need to head.
"Of course, so it shall be. Thank you for this glorious opportunity, and I shall see to it that I do not let you down," Ganondorf bowed once more before standing up and walking in the assigned direction. A devious grin would cross his face as he did, Bowser completely unaware as his focus was now shifted back to the crowd before him.
