Siph: J, I'm fighting Mario! J: Ooh, fun! Remember to watch out for his cape attack. Siph: Oh yeah. You charge at him for a dash attack and the next thing you know, you're turned around and attacking in the wrong direction. J: And it's a pain if he turns you around during recovery. It's almost a guaranteed K.O. there. Siph: Ugh, that's the worst. I'm not looking forward to this. J: Don't worry, Siph. With any luck, he won't get the opportunity to pull that move. And you have a pretty decent recovery AND double-jump, anyway. Siph: And Mario's always jumped fist-first since his first game, so he hits blocks with his fist, not his head! J

The peaceful moment was broken by a loud vibrating sound accompanied by a short tune, coming from within Koops' shell. The Koopa blushed at being the source of the disruption. "Sorry!" He reached in and pulled out his Mailbox SP. He gasped, "It's from Mario!" Koopie Koo looked over his shoulder. "Finally!" The Koopalings looked at the couple curiously. "Is there something we should know?" Iggy asked. Koopley answered. "My boy Koops emailed Mario about finding you three while you were still in the hospital. We figured he ought to know, since your family is so relevant in his routine." Lemmy actually laughed, "That's one way to say it." Th

Lemmy stared at the ground, not speaking to or acknowledging anyone. Morton sat on the ground in front of him, looking at the smallest Koopaling with anticipation. Iggy glanced back and forth between them uneasily. The party glanced between the princes and each other, unsure who would or even should break the increasingly uncomfortable silence. Iggy finally broke the silence. "Lemmy —" he began. "Don't." Lemmy interrupted, squeezing his eyes shut. Nobody ever promised this would be easy. Koopley cleared his throat. "Perhaps it would be easier if we weren't in the middle of Petalburg." "Good idea." Koopie Koo nodded. "We could go ba