-Narration-
It didn't take long for max to walk to the door that is exiting the old family room with marx sitting on his shoulder. He turns around to see the dollhouse and the barn that is now in the distance and silently nods. He wasn't sure why he was being shown these visions of the past, but he couldn't help but wonder...what about this dark bowser guy? Why did he feel the need to..see him again? Before he could wonder why, he walks back into the second floor corridor of bowser's castle and slowly closes the door knowing that the ancestral plane will no longer be behind the door.
"About time you came back..." Max heard ludwig say while he also saw some of the koopalings nearby. "I guess i don't need to tell you where i was, but..things happened that need explaining, and it involves kooky again." Max says to him which made ludwig raise an eyebrow. "Again?" Ludwig asked. "This time it's for a different reason." Max answers. "Hm..then let's let dad know." Ludwig said before he walks with max towards the stairs. He could tell that something was definitely different about this visit.
"Hey, he's back!" Lemmy quickly says. "Jeez, about TIME.." Morton says in a obnoxiously impatient way. "So..you didn't see that candymaker thing did you?" Larry asked. "No, not this time." Max answers though he wasn't entirely sure if candymaker would show up or not. "Phew..that's good.." Says a reassured larry. "What, you scared?" Roy asks him while giving him a light shove while grinning. "I DIDN'T SAY THAT!!!" Larry protested defensively. "Suuure." Roy says with a chuckle.
-Lemmy pov-
He says he's not scared, but..i wouldn't blame larry. I'd hate to encounter them...
-Roy pov-
Ha, he's definitely scared! Larry talks big, yet watching him blubbering hysterically after that incident back home will always show me that he's a scaredy-cat! Well, maybe not as much as luigi...that guy is a pushover, but..would max think the same way if he were to see him? Heh..i can only imagine how he would react to see max towering over him.
-Larry pov-
If only roy could've been there when i unleashed my strongest attack and witnessed it being reduced to nothing...he would definitely understand...that doesn't mean i'm scared though! I just..uh..need to work up the nerve to face that thing again.
-Marx pov-
I think it's obvious that larry has been affected by dear 'ol candymaker. Maybe not in the same way as max, but in a way that makes it obvious that his fear has arisen in a way that is noticeable. Hmm..i wonder if he can overcome that if another encounter with candymaker happens again?
-Ludwig pov-
I figured something was amiss when i heard wind of all things inside of dad's castle and it was indeed confirmed when i saw those guards and i had them tell me what was going on. I sent them on their way saying i would take it from there knowing that it would be awhile. I thank the stars knowing that this didn't become like the last time this happened. "By the way...what's junior's problem? He's been acting strange." I ask max. Junior may be an annoying bratty kid, but that doesn't mean i'm entirely indifferent towards him.
"He overheard our conversation in the throne room." Max says to me before i saw him glance at roy who is snickering at larry while lemmy is using his ball to bounce Rowan the stairs. "Dad knows who my actual father is, but considering that he never told roy about him his whole life, i think it makes things complicated. I'll uh..i'll explain later." Max adds with a sigh. Wait..dad KNOWS?! Well now, this is certainly a big deal! In fact, even kooky is curious about it. Even more so when it comes to max's second trip in that ancestral plane realm.
-Narration-
It didn't take long for them to reach the throne room door where bowser is already waiting for them albeit rather impatiently as well as mike, tyson and kamek "Finally! Anything new?" Mike asks. "Yeah..um..i learned a great deal both in and out of the dollhouse." Max answers. There was much to tell, but finding a way to shorten the explanation would likely be difficult.
"I expected as much..." Kamek commented with a sigh. "And? Come on, spill it!" Bowser says impatiently. "Alrighty, so from the outside..there's something about this old, yet strange looking barn not far from the dollhouse...not only did it feel as if it was practically daring me to go inside, but it wouldn't let marx go in when he was there for who knows how long." Max explains. "Wait..it wouldn't let marx inside?" Morton asked in confusion. "That doesn't surprise me. All who went inside the ancestral plane has said that there is a certain area that they couldn't go to until the very end. However...the fact that marx has been in this place for who knows how long and it wouldn't let him in...now that is surprising." Kamek explained which showed that he has heard stories about this many times, but this one about marx not allowed to be inside of the barn is new to him since it seems as if it wanted max to go inside.
"I also just found out that there's..someone else there." Max added which caught bowser's attention. "What you mean there's someone else there? We all know that candymaker thing is over there." Bowser said in annoyance. "Ah, you would be right. But..there is, or was..i just remember waking up in a daze and seeing someone else who hardly looked alive. I believe that guy was a koopa, and i don't think he was there to see visions, because that was the only time i saw him." Marx explains, hardly hiding his confusion.
-Kamek pov-
This is..unheard of. Marx woke up in the ancestral plane..? Who was this koopa and why are we being told this now? There's no way max knew about this, but marx? He could've told us a lot sooner!
-Bowser pov-
Oh, that's fanfuckingtastic...why can't this bizarro realm make sense for once?! A barn that wants max to go inside? Another koopa is there and not even max knew until marx said something? AGH, it's making my fucking head hurt!
-Mike pov-
Ok, there's definitely more going on here than just max seeing visions...i have the feeling that this was all planned somehow...these visions seems to be directed towards max of all people, and..it's affecting him. I mean seriously, no one can be shown someone else's memories that aren't their own for no reason! Unless of course..there's a reason that has yet to uncovered.
-Tyson pov-
The ancestral plane...i have heard of this place, but as far as i know, no pokémon has ever ventured there. What it has to do with max is clearly something worth looking into. However..I cannot help but wonder just who, or what, is pulling the strings for this to happen.
-Narration-
While tyson stands there with his arms crossed and listening intently, the koopalings, except for wendy and junior, are all trying to wrap their heads around what was just said. "Ok, but..what did you find while INSIDE of this dollhouse?" Mike asked. "This is where kooky needs to hear this, because...what me and marx saw was the inside of a..posh interior of a mansion. Or castle..hell, neither of us have seen it before, and marx has seen these visions many times over!" Max explained.
-Ludwig pov-
Well now...that is certainly different. "Ah..so they saw the inside of the von ghoul estate...ludwig, if you don't mind, i would like to try something different rather than take control of your body." I hear kooky say to me. "Strange..it appears that kooky is wanting to try something..new." I announce to everyone. "Um..is that a good thing..?" Larry asked nervously. "It's kooky. Anytime he's comes out, it's never good!" Roy quickly says. "If only wendy and junior were here to see this...where are they anyway?" Morton asked. Hmph..I know for a fact that wendy is in her old room and likely on social media doing whatever she's doing even though i don't recall dad's castle ever having a strong wi-fi connection...
As for junior...hm.i think it's best he finds out about clawdia as soon as there's a chance.
-Narration-
"Those two are not the main concern..." says a voice from out of nowhere, though everyone quickly recognized that it was kooky himself but they couldn't see him. "We can hear you, but.." Max says before he tried to sense kooky's aura, but could only sense it coming from ludwig. "I can only channel enough energy to make my voice be heard...something that i have always been able to do." Kooky stated which earned a scoff from bowser even though he's clearly surprised.
"If you could do this the whole time, then why haven't you done so until now?" Bowser asked in annoyed impatience. "Hmph. That is for me to know..." Kooky hissed back while max could easily hear the pain and sadness in his voice. "I..think it's best we don't push him any further." Mike quickly says after bowser growled angrily. "...Fine." Bowser says begrudgingly. He hated not knowing about something, especially when it came to mario and what he's doing.
-Kooky pov-
The past. Both good and bad memories...it has been painful to remember them after so long...It's beginning to come back to me now and it seems that max is in the middle of it. There's something about him...something familiar, yet...clearly different.
-Bowser pov-
Kooky has always tested my patience and i can't even say how many times he's caused that. Plus, There has been so many times where i wanted to punch him, but in doing so, i would ultimately be punching ludwig and that's something i would NEVER do. I'm known for many things, but punching a kid, especially if it's my own, is NOT something i will ever be known for!
-Ludwig pov-
I am amazed that kooky can even do this...it's one thing to communicate with him through a mirror even though he only does that with me, but this? This is quite different!
-Narration-
"Anyway...max, it seems that you were inside the von ghoul estate. So much history....but tell me, what did you see?" Kooky asks max. "Well..i ended up seeing xaczxar storming out of a room after you apparently called him out in front of pico...and..um.." Max quickly blushed. "Uh..why are you blushing?!" Morton asked while lemmy has a look of curiosity while he sat on his ball. "C'mon, it can't be that bad.." Roy says with a chuckle. "Well, no..it's not bad actually...i just know that this takes place a year and a half later..and..uh..i watched them kiss." Max explains.
Roy got flustered pretty quick after that, and so did bowser. "Oh..um.." Morton utters. Before the voice of kooky chuckled. "I remember that so fondly! It was obvious to me, and i couldn't let pico not know about it." Kooky says while his voice had a jovial tone while explaining.
-Lemmy pov-
Oh..um..so they became a couple..? Dad has always encouraged us to at least be accepting towards this sort of thing. We might be the bad guys to the mushroom kingdom, which is um..fine with us, but..we aren't total monsters!
-Larry pov-
Huh..wow. That's not something you would hear everyday. Then again, what would it matter? I imagine it would be like a guy falling in love a girl! ...Not that i would know.
-Ludwig pov-
Oh my, this sounds rather personal! If only Wendy were to hear this though. No doubt miss selfie taker would have a field day with this!
-Mike pov-
I love how this is making max blush. It must've been quite a vision to witness, though it makes me wonder...is this becoming something deeply personal for him?
-Roy pov-
Eh..er..i just HAD to ask...it must've been a mushy sight for max to react this way. Heh..i would've loved to have been there so that i could tease mr scream like a girl because fuzzies were after him. Ha ha..i'll definitely not let him forget that!
-Iggy pov-
What does this have to with this zöhm guy..? This is confusing, but at least this doesn't involve me directly! If it did, then i would be in the same situation as max.
-Narration-
"I should also say that i did see kooky himself, and he actually did look like ludwig, if he were scientist, and he was talking to some guy named baron." Max explains. "BARON? BARON VON GHOUL?!" Kamek yells. "Oh? You know of him?" Kooky asked kamek. "He's said to be the first magikoopa and is well known for his use of magic with or without a wand. Some say that he's lived for thousands of years if not longer, but no one has ever confirmed that." Kamek says after regaining his composure while tyson says not a word while he is silently processing what is being said.
-Ludwig pov-
Baron huh? I have never heard of him, though it's quite a surprise to hear that he may have lived longer than any koopa...but me wearing a scientist outfit? Pff..as if! I wouldn't be caught dead wearing one!
-Iggy pov-
WOAH, that's AMAAAZING! But, i honestly can't imagine ludwig being a scientist. Not when he cares way more about about his music.
-Kooky pov-
Hm..baron..i never knew what happened to him when the civil war erupted. In fact...now that i think about it...i highly doubt that there was any strife between the von ghouls that i know of..if there was, then it would've been resolved without much conflict.
There shouldn't have been a reason for that civil war...and yet, it happened.
-Narration-
"Ahem! While i'm glad that this all sorted out, this leaves an important question: How is max going to be able to explore the mushroom kingdom when we have that treaty my king begrudgingly signed?" Kamek says which made bowser sigh "...fuck, i forgot about that..." Bowser says before facepalming and grunting in frustration. "Well. That certainly is quite a predicament. BUT..i think max has a splendid idea!" Marx quickly says before calling out max unexpectedly. "W-wait a minute, how did you know what i was thinking?! Are you a fucking mind reader?!" Max asked him in annoyance. "Me? Hah..no! It's called having awareness...something that i seem to be quite good at." Marx says in a jovial tone of voice.
"Well? Do you?" Mike asked max before nudging him. Max sighs for a moment. He had this idea, but he didn't expect to be called out like that! "Yeah, but..y'all would have to trust me." Max answers. He's well aware of how crazy his idea would sound to them, but as