(Alliteration FTW) Anyway, this is a one-shot inspired by "Beauty of a Breakdown" by Pretenders. This story also has an independent plot, and the relationship between the two is a close friendship. Enjoy!
Thwomp Ruins is the one course in the Mushroom Cup where it's hardest to stay in first due to the Thwomps coming your way from every direction. Well, also the Green and Red shells. As the racers knew, all races in Mario Kart are hectic, especially when the final lap was at hand.
Toad, on his Jet Bike, was breezing ahead in first by quite a bit, while the other racers were trying to catch up.
"Well, it looks like the Mushroom Racer is going to secure the first-place victory yet again, folks! What a way to enter himself into the Mirror Leagues!" the announcer smiled. Indeed, this was Mirror Mode, where every left turn now became a right turn, and vice versa. Toad finished the race, still in first, and whooped gleefully. The other racers trickled in.
"What is this?" the announcer cried out. The spectators saw an explosion come from the back of the pack, undoubtedly a Bob-Omb. "Well, would you look at that! A little action in the back.". The eighth, ninth, and tenth place finishers passed the finish line, leaving only the bottom two, Toadette and Koopa Troopa. Just when Toadette was about to cross the finish line, saving her from losing the race and facing rejection from the Mirror Leagues, Koopa acquired a Super Star and bumped her off the track.
"Oh! Koopa with a clutch play! That is a Star to remember, folks!" With that, the race ended, as Koopa finished, with Toadette still at the glider ramp because of her fall. "And it looks like Toadette brings herself into seventh place in the cup, with 18 points. I'm sorry to say that she will be eliminated from the Mirror Leagues." The announcement was heard from the spectators as well. When Toadette heard, she kicked her Bullet Bike.
"No!" She kicked it again. "No, no, no! Why does this always happen to me?" she pushed the bike over, and the announcer took notice.
"Looks like Toadette isn't taking this loss very well." Toadette heard that too. She turned around to the announcer's tower.
"Stay out of my business!" she shouted up, and stormed off, heading for the stands, unaware that Toad was looking on, speechless.
Later, the awards ceremony had come, and the racers were standing in a line rather than on a podium like usual. The top six were entered into the Mirror Leagues.
"Okay." The announcer took a deep breath. "Now, to announce the winners of this preliminary cup, the six people who are moving on to the Miron Leagues. In sixth place, with 19 points is... Bowser!" Bowser took a bow as he was handed a certificate.
"In fifth place, with 21 points is... Princess Daisy!" Daisy took a bow as well, as she also recieved a certificate. The announcer pulled out a jade medal, for fourth place.
"The jade medalist, in fourth place, with 32 points, is... Princess Peach!" Peach curtsied.
"The bronze medalist, in third place, with 34 points, is the Green Thunder, Luigi!" Luigi hated being called that, but he took a bow anyways, as he recieved his medal.
"And now, in first place, the gold medalist, with a perfect score of 60 points is... Oh, you guys already know the answer! The Mushroom Racer, Toad!" The audience applauded as the announcer brought Toad his medal. Toad stepped back, to the announcer's shock.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked. "Take it. It's yours."
"No, I can't. I can't take this." Toad said this in a loud enough voice that the stadium could hear. They all went silent.
"And why not?" the announcer asked.
"Because I think there's someone more deserving of a medal today." Toad took a deep breath, and whispered in the announcer's ear. He nodded and stood up.
"Would the seventh place finisher please step forward?" Toadette did, a bit shakily, having no idea of what was happening. The announcer walked up to her, and gestured to Toad.
"This compassionate young man has volunteered to give you his spot." The audience gasped and held their breath. Toadette stepped back, shocked.
"A-are you sure?"
"He told me that himself." the announcer confirmed. "By doing this, he'll be out of the Mirror Leagues, but you'll be in.". He turned to the audience. "What a turn of events! I don't think this has ever happened, a person not taking his medal!" He turned back to Toadette. "So, either you give him his spot as planned, or you take his spot that he's giving to you. The choice is yours."
"Can I go talk to him?"
"Certainly." The announcer stepped to the side, and Toadette ran forward to Toad.
"Are you sure about this?" He nodded. "Why did you do this?"
"Because I think the race should be won by the person with the most skill, not the person who gets seven items to knock people off." Toad explained.
"But I really don't want you to regret this decision, Toad..."
"I have no regrets at all. If anyone, you should be the one in first right now."
"T-thank you, Toad! Thank you so much!" Toadette sprang forward and hugged him. She giddily skipped back to her position in the line.
"So, what's your decision?" the announcer asked.
"I'm taking his spot." Toadette answered.
"And would you look at that, folks!" the announcer exclaimed, reverting back to his ways at the tower. The leaderboard shifted, so now Toadette was on top, with Toad in seventh. "Toad, opting out of the Mirror Leagues, to give his spot to Toadette! What a caring young man! Give him a round of applause!" The audience did. Just as the announcer was about to make his goodbyes, the judges stepped out of the tower and climbed down.
"Wait." Everyone stopped. "There is one more anomaly I would like to discuss." The audience looked on in wonder. The judge turned to Bowser. "This man did not play by the rules." A simultaneous gasp from almost everyone on the track followed. "That bomb on the last lap was the culprit. Can you get us the replay please?" The technician did, the replay showing up on a screen near the beginning of the track.
"If you look at this, Bowser could not have acquired a tenth place bomb normally. What he actually did, as this replay shows, is steal the bomb from the eighth place kart. Sure he blew himself up with it, but that, as you know, is not allowed in the rules of Mario Kart Grand Prix. Therefore, that will result in automatic disqualification." The judge finished, and Bowser stomped in rage.
"WHAT? That's not FAIR! What is this madness?"
"I'm sorry, Bowser, but rules are rules." The judge took the certificate back. Bowser hung his head in shame. The leaderboard now had Bowser eliminated, so there were only eleven spots. The seventh place racer and downwards moved a place up.
"With that, the bottom half moves one place up. And look at this!" The announcer pointed to the screen. "The lucky racer in seventh gets a spot in the Mirror Leagues, and that lucky racer is none other than Toad! He's back in!" The audience cheered. "What an amazing way to end the cup! Toad, after sacrificing his spot to Toadette, amazingly gets another by Bowser's disqualification! That is a Mario Kart miracle, folks!"
Toad stepped back, speechless. He never thought he would get another spot. Sure, he was fine with not getting a spot at all; that was his plan, but he never even thought about getting another. Toadette walked up to him, sitting on the ramp at the beginning, where a racer would take a grass shortcut if they had a Mushroom and trick off it.
"Looks like my plan didn't go as expected." Toad said to her. Toadette giggled.
"And since when does that matter?"
"It doesn't." Toad answered, hugging her. The awards ceremony had ended, and the racers started trickling out.
"Thanks for standing up like that. I never got to really thank you for that." Toadette remembered.
"Don't mention it. It's what true friends do for each other."
"And that's exactly what you are to me, Toad." Toadette admitted, holding him close. "A true friend." Toad smiled back, and they sat on that ramp, their feet over the edge. They put their arms around each other and sat there, surrounded by the lush, serene, and slightly medieval Thwomp Ruins. Toad looked at her, holding her, and realized that this was all he wanted for now. That it was best to escalate their friendship another day.
The End
Ooh, left you guys disappointed there, huh? No kiss, no nothing. XD Anyways, read, review, and I'll see you next time!