-Narration-
Max took a moment to think about how he wanted his trenchcoat to be worn. He looked admittedly nervous about pulling this off, and since he was the one who came up with it, he couldn't just back out of it. "Well? Aren't you gonna use your wand?" Junior asked impatiently. "C'mon, we don't got all day!" Larry adds with a sly grin. "Alright, alright! Keep your shorts on!" Max quickly says, who got slightly antsy while mike chuckled.
-Max pov-
Fucking hell, the least they can do is be patient! Then again, they aren't exactly the most patient koopa around, and dad ain't known for it...and i'm glad i ain't gonna say that out loud. Ok, so all i gotta do is twirl my wand around like kamek does and go from there! Or..maybe all i gotta do is focus and wave it around lightly. "Here goes.." I'm ready now, and since everyone is watching me, i better get to it!
-Mike pov-
Geez, the tension in this room is thick enough that if were a fog, you would barely see anything in front of your face! And yet...i'm curious as to what he's gonna pull!
-Bowser pov-
Bwehehe..i'm amused to know that this is how he chooses to use his wand for the first time. I use to have a wand of my own, but it was destroyed during the koopa kingdom's civil war and i never got around to making another. It's too bad...i would have loved to have used it on mario!
-Narration-
Max focuses as the aquamarine crystal began to glow a dark blue while max raises his wand while the magic starts surrounding his body. It felt weird to max, but it wasn't doing anything to him in a physical sense. It only took a few seconds until the magic dissipates and a black trenchcoat is now seen on max's body while his starlight crystal necklace can still be seen around his neck. However...it is also concealing his shell, but not the spikes as they were left exposed and his tail sways a few times. Max also has on black open hand gloves which allow his claws to be exposed and now has on black pants and black boots on his feet that are comfortable for him to wear to the point that the claws on his feet won't rip them. As for his tail...it can barely be seen and you would have to be eagle eyed to see it. "Woah.." Lemmy says who is simply spellbound. "Cool!" Junior says with glee, wishing that he can do that! "Ugh, you definitely don't have much a fashion sense..." Wendy mutters. "Ok, so...why is that thing covering your shell and won't that feel bothersome to wear?" Mike asked max who couldn't help but wonder if max thought this through.
"Well, i wanted to make sure whoever is out there wonder who and what i am. They certainly won't think i'm a koopa since my body looks different, so i might as well take advantage of that. And no, it's actually comfortable." Max said in response. He didn't know why, but the clothing he summoned as well as the boots he now wears felt incredibly comfortable to wear. Sure, he could have chosen a different color, but he felt that wearing black would be better and intimidating.
"Heh..with that on, it would be hard to guess that you're actually koopa." Bowser says with a chuckle. "EEEEE!!! I LOVE THIS!!!" Iggy screams before giggling like a crazed maniac. "Well well...that is certainly a..interesting clothing style." Kamek commented who is quite surprised to see that max was able to do this on his first try. Meanwhile..kooky is watching this all unfold silently, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
-Bowser pov-
Ya know..i would be insulted if anyone else did this. Hiding your shell and your true identity would be so cowardly! However, max's body is different and him making people guess who and what he is sounds so deviously chaotic, and even though he's never done what we've done, he still makes me so damn proud!
-Kooky pov-
It can't be..max is wearing the same thing pico wore, although...pico didn't wear black. But aside from that..it's almost as if i'm seeing a strangely chilling reflection of pico. As for that mask? Ugh..i personally think that he shouldn't hide his face...I cannot help but think it'll bring up a sense of false confident bravado that will ultimately bring a painful reminder of the past that max will unknowingly tap into. I still don't know why he's directly involved in this...nor do i know why he reminds me of pico so much...
-Kamek pov-
I couldn't believe it...for max to summon clothes flawlessly...he's a natural! And yet...i can only imagine just what he's capable of with or without the use of his wand.
-Tyson pov-
Hm..black. I am not sure why he chose this color to wear, though it's obvious that iggy is clearly...ecstatic about it.
-Marx pov-
Well. It would be hard to guess for almost anyone as to who max would be with that on...i just can't help but think that the mask is ultimately a way for max to cope with what he'll encounter without actually seeing with his own eyes though...
-Narration-
"Best get going..." Max says before beginning to walk out. "Hold on, shouldn't you your mask on?" Iggy protested. "I would prefer to have the element of surprise. If this thing does what i think it does, then i would much rather give them one hell of a scare." Max explains. "Ohhhh, good idea!" Iggy says with a grin. "Hold on. Shouldn't max take his shades off before putting that thing on?" Ludwig asked. "Well duh! But that's something max is ok with, right?" Iggy says before turning to max. "Fine by me. I'll make sure they're safe." Max says before taking them off and puts them in his right pocket on his new trenchcoat and put his wand in the other pocket even though it wouldn't quite fit. He still had his mask on his left hand, ready to put it on at any time while walking outside the castle.
Aside from the sky being rather dark, he saw a rocky terrain and bare trees along with a chasm nearby with lava flowing slowly. Before he could do anything, he could sense mike following him who decided to walk out of the castle with him. "Getting curious?" He asks him. "Oh come on, i wanted to see this happen in person...at least let me do that." Mike says with a chuckle.
"Heh..sure." Max answers before putting his hand in under his trenchcoat to reach for his gun holster in order to takes out his deceiving aura and uses the scope to see if was useful "Does that thing actually work?" Mike asked skeptically, not realizing that to even max's surprise...it did work.
"Woah..yeah..it does.." Max replied after a few seconds. He could actually see things that are further away even though there wasn't much to look at. It didn't take long for him to find these three guest that are nearly a half mile away. "I see them." Max quickly says. "Holy shit, really?! Where are they?" Mike perked up, no longer skeptical when it comes to max's 'toy' gun. "Just under a half mile away." Max answers, thankful that the bare trees, even though there's not many of them, can give him the cover he needs to make sure he isn't seen prematurely.
-Mike pov-
Holy arceus, that gun of his really is useful...i don't know how marx created that thing, but it's definitely max's most useful and deadliest weapon!
-Max pov-
I couldn't believe it...the scope on this gun can actually view things from far away. Who i saw is a human in his mid 20's with short auburn hair, a koopa with a green cap on her head, and a toad. I've heard of these toads, but i've never actually seen one before...and...he doesn't have a nose..not that it's important. "Let's go..i want to make sure i surprise them." Max says to max before he puts his gun back in his gun holster. "I'm gonna enjoy this." Mike says with a bit a mischievous chuckle. It was actually quite easy for the two of them to find a vantage point as the other three slowly walked closer. "Ready?" Mike asks him. "Not yet..i want to at least hear what they say." Max answers. The two of them began to hear them in mid conversation with one another, and they both wanted to hear them.
"Kylie, are you sure about this? We nearly got caught the last time we came here..." The toad with a teal spotted cap asked, clearly frightened. "Of course i am! This is all part of getting a big scoop!" Kylie says with confidence. "Kylie, i know that peach wanted you to do this, but this is ultimately because mario pushed this to happen! Seriously, that guy has become paranoid..." the human says. "Hey, what did i tell you?! We can't talk about mario like that! He's the guy who's defeated bowser and saved peach many times! It's not his fault he doesn't trust bowser." Kylie hissed at the human in annoyance. "I know that kylie..." The human said with a sigh. Max and mike saw that kylie had a camera with a strap on her neck and they all had on regular looking clothes and each had on a badge that simply said 'press' on their shirts except for kylie who had that on her hat.
-Kylie pov-
Ugh, it gets annoying to know that there's people starting to doubt mario...he's always come through for us no matter how dire and hopeless things got! Ever since peach convinced bowser to agree to that peace treaty, no one has seen bowser and mario slowly began to believe that he's up to something...especially since these creeps in black robes have been seen in the past few months...as for peach...she's been so distant ever since the dark star was defeated. She still does act cheerful, but i, along with even luigi think that she's likely depressed. She, along with mario sent me here to find out if bowser is sending these creeps to torment the mushroom kingdom and if so, then it'll be one hell of a scoop!
-Narration-
"Hm..sounds like the magishadow are in the mushroom kingdom too.." Mike says with grunt. "That ain't good.." Max mutters. He can see the three of them coming and neither are unaware that they're being watched. "You ready?" Mike asked him as he is now holding his mask intently. "As ready as i'll ever be...i'll handle this myself." Max says after an assuring nod to mike before sneaking up close to the three without them knowing it.
-Mike pov-
Kylie, huh? I've heard of her...she's always coming up with the best articles even if she has to look for one herself. Heh..oh, this'll be one she won't soon forget! I'd love to see just how max will handle this on his own.
-Max pov-
Using my aura to sneak around is definitely working for me, because these three don't even suspect anything! Heh..larry would love to see this. Ok..just gotta make sure they at least hear me walking before i put this on..
-Narration-
Max made sure that his footsteps are loud enough that they sound menacing enough to cause confusion as he walks to a bare tree that is close to the three which worked far better than he anticipated. "W-what was that?!" The toad squeaked in fear. "Shit, PLEASE tell me we aren't about to get caught..." The human male says in apprehension which Kylie scoffs at. "Oh, it's probably one of those idiot koopatrol guards nearby. Now shut up or they'll actually spot us! Besides, bowser's castle is nearby." Kylie says to the two before seeing the castle not far from where she's standing. She could barely see bowser's airship that is currently floating in mid air undergoing maintenance. "Oh, this is crazy... they'll spot us for sure!" the toad said while clearly shaking in unshakable fear. "Will you stop?! You're making yourself be noticed!" The human says to the toad in annoyance which made kylie sigh in frustration.
-Max pov-
This is too perfect...i'm having to keep myself from bursting out laughing. Ok..now's the time. I slowly put on my new helmet, and the moment i did, the eye sockets activated in a way that made it seem as if i never put the mask on in the first place and giving me crystal clear vision. And the breathing...holy shit, aside from a half second stutter at the beginning it actually sounds like darth vader! Ok..now it's showtime!
-Narration-
The 'breathing' sound from the helmet could be heard from all around the area and even echoed a bit in the air and it definitely made kylie notice. "Geez, could you two breathe any louder?" She asked in annoyance, having no idea who is actually doing the 'breathing'. "It's not me! I don't breathe like that.." The human said in protest as the toad looked behind him out of regrettable curiosity and saw a tall figure wearing black as the eye holes of the mask glowed a ominous red while they pulled out what is clearly a wand and pointed it directly at the toad who started to utter a nonsensical yet frightened babble before pointing at the dark figure. "H-h-h-he's doing it.." The toad stammered before the human could even say anything. "What are you.." Kylie started to say before turning around to see the figure as did the human.
All three were instantly hit with fear they have never experienced before.
"Why are you here? What business do you have in this place?" Max says to them, noting that his voice actually sounds like the actual vader while he's wearing his mask. "W-we don't k-know what you're..-" Kylie started saying before max suddenly stomped slowly towards them as his wand started to glow. "I am not in the mood for your stalling. You WILL answer me." Max sounded legitimately angry to the point that the three of them backed away while the toad came close to running away. Meanwhile, mike is watching the whole thing play out and it took a lot out of him to not burst into laughter.
-Mike pov-
Oh dear arceus, this is so priceless...i've heard of this vader guy in those star wars movies, but this? I'd uh..i'd be scared too if i wasn't currently stifling giggles at the reactions of the three reporters.
-Kylie pov-
W..wh..what the hell is this..thing..? Is this a human? "W-we're only here because of the recent sightings of guys in black hooded robes back at the mushroom kingdom! We only wanted to know if bowser is responsible even though he's not been seen for over a year!" I shakily said. The other two were far too frightened to even say anything. I can't blame them...this guy, whoever or whatever he is, came from out of nowhere even though we heard stomping feet. But then..him breathing like that...HOW DID WE NOT NOTICE HIM UNTIL NOW?!
-Narration-
For a few seconds, max stood there with his wand aimed towards them, which to the three reporters, felt like it would last forever. "So, the magishadow are also in the mushroom kingdom? Interesting..." Max finally says before slowly lowering his wand once it stops glowing. "M-magishadow..?" The toad uttered. "You know who they are?" The human asked. "Yes. Bowser has nothing to do with them. Know that the magishadow are hostile. In fact...within that castle...i encountered their leader." Max says to them. "Leader..? Who is it?" Kylie asked, who perked up at gaining information, but is ultimately confused as to what bowser has nothing to do with them.
"He is a being whose true form invokes only madness. Only i have seen his true form without going mad." Max answered. While he's giving truthful information, he is also having fun intimidating these three. The fact that he hasn't even cracked up and started laughing showed mike that max is taking this new persona of his seriously. "But..where is bowser? How can you possibly trust him to know that..-" The human male asked before getting cut off. "Did you not hear me say that he has nothing to do with this? He's been living in a kingdom beyond the castle.
He is a victim of the magishadow just as much as i am....and the wing will not stand idly by and allow them to do as they please forever." Max snaps which made the human recoil in fear the moment max spoke.
-Kylie pov-
He's a victim..? I find that bowser being a victim hard to believe, and yet..this guy clearly stated that bowser isn't the magishadow's leader. "Wing?" I wondered. I've heard of many groups with odd names, but wing? What kind of a weirdo team name is that? "A team of mercenaries that have our own motives. The magishadow have crossed us, and we will not stand for it." The figure in black answered. There's more...? Surely they don't wear what this guy is wearing... "W-who are you?" I asked. His breathing is hard for me to stand...what happened to him..? What sort of being could the leader of magishadow possibly be? And..what other kingdom could possibly be beyond bowser's castle..i would think that he's lying, but..i don't think this guy is someone who lies...
-Max pov-
Shit. I didn't think i would get this far! Ok, ok..so a name...i know that a name like vader is out of the question, and that includes my own name. Hmm..anubis? Uh..wyrm? No, no..ah! I got it! "My name..is spike..." I answered after just standing there for a few seconds. Meh..not the most original name that inspires fear, but it's better than having no name at all!
-Mike pov-
Pff..spike?? Hah, what a name...i'm just glad that he didn't tell them his actual name. I also love how confused they all look while max is telling them information they weren't expecting to hear!
-Narration-
"Spike, huh? But.." The toad says getting ready to ask more questions before the human scolds him. "Don't make this any worse, tyoad!" "You can't blame me for having questions, ryan!" Tyoad snapped back. "Shut up you two!" Kylie says them. "Leave this place...you will find nothing here. Leave now before i decide to change my mind." Max says to them, making it clear that the intent to harm was definitely possible. "Guys, l-let's go.." Kylie utters as they cautiously walk pass max who they know as the made up name spike. She was so terrified, that she forgot to take a picture of 'spike'. "Tyoad. It would be most wise if you were to...change your shorts..." Max says to the toad, who quickly stopped to see that he had actually pissed himself which quickly embarrassed the toad and bolted away. It didn't take the three of them long to scurry out of sight.
"That. Was amazing.." Mike says while clapping slowly. "I told you i had it under control." Max says with cocky pride. However..it was at that very moment that spike was hit with a smell. A smell that marx mentioned before... "Mike...get out of here..." Max says in sudden panic. "What is...why do i smell cotton candy?" Mike wasn't expecting this and had no idea that a giant lollipop had been thrown like a boomerang at mike. "GET DOWN!" Max quickly yells at mike. The mask he still had on easily made his voice sound scarily robotic while mike almost didn't see it coming and just barely ducked out of the way while max quickly backflipped out of the lollipop's path as it went back to one who is using it. One that max thought he stopped from coming into his world after their first encounter.
Candymaker has arrived.