Previously, on the Amazing Race II…

Twelve teams of two embarked on one of the most grueling challenges ever to be introduced to the world—a difficult and tiring race that spanned the globe. Each team shared a special relationship, and put into play the best of their abilities through teamwork, intelligence, and physical strength. However, one by one, nine of the teams were eliminated at different rest points around the world, leaving three to battle it out towards the Finish Line for one million Smash coins. In the end, one team prevailed—Shimi and Waitress, the co-workers from aboard the Excess Express, became the winners of the second race. Now, another twelve teams will be introduced into this third race around the world. Who will it be this time?

The flashing lights and dancing balloons rose overhead the city of Glitzville, forever cursed to have no weather because of its position above even some of the highest clouds. Its underside propeller continued its rapid rotations to sustain the large weight of the floating town. On this day, one of the more popular attractions, the fighting arena known as the infamous Glitz Pit, was surprisingly near-empty. A lone two Yoshis could be seen leisurely walking about the benches and seats of the ring.

"This is the flying town of Glitzville, a popular hub that attracts visitors from all around the world, very much mirroring the same magnetism abilities of large municipalities on the ground," stated the orange Yoshi, whose name was Miles. "We stand here, in its main attraction, the Glitz Pit."

"This famous battle stadium hosts daily clashes between fighters that have caused great controversy among spectators, fans, and detesters alike," said the red Yoshi, known as Blaise. "Regardless of its current reputation, this unique arena will have one more honor under its belt—it will be the starting point for a race around the world."

At that moment, the large Cheep-Cheep blimp that provided transport between Rogueport Station and Glitzville came into view, wafting up and down on an air current.

"Twelve teams of two, each with a pre-existing relationship, are currently being transported to this place by one large blimp. These teams are…"

Lahla & Rocko

"Lahla and Rocko. Co-workers at the Pianta Parlor of west Rogueport with personalities from both ends of the spectrum."

Keeping in theme with her usual outfit, Lahla retained her cat ears and bow tie. In place of her usual sleeves, however, she'd donned small pink bows to match her large one. Rocko's yellow Pianta skin perfectly matched his green leaf skirt and white tank top. He was wearing sharp-edged sunglasses instead of the usual circular ones he was known to wear. Strapped into the front seats, the two had the pleasure of looking back at their competition—that's what Rocko was doing, but Lahla chose instead to eagerly look out the window from her seat, observing the sky as it went past.

"Let's see…I think that the main thing that inspired me to go on this adventure was the fact that my sister'd already done it…the ol' sibling rivalry, ya know? Just gets ya pumped up and wanting to do the same thing, but better." Lahla giggled. "That aside, I feel that Rocko and I have what it takes to actually win. We fill in each other's weaknesses with our strengths, so there aren't very many easy weaknesses to be lookin' for."

"Dis'll be one o' the more interestin' things we'll be doin'. Dose daily brawls between de Pianta syndicate and de Robbos died down to pretty much nothin' because of de new boss' friendly rebuildin'." Rocko recalled. "Derefore, this is just de kinda ding we both need to bring more excitement. Who knows? I dink we got what it takes to win it!"

"Hehe, you've got that right!"

Frankie & Ishnail

"Frankie and Ishnail. Supposed enemies, and the heads of two major opposing consortiums that are the very life of the entire town of Rogueport."

Imposing and majestic could've been two words used to describe the clothing choice for introducing the two leaders of the Pianta syndicate and Robbos organization. Frankie was wearing a white tailored jacket with light yellow and orange trims on the sleeves and pockets, along with a black T-shirt labeled 'I'm da boss,' and a green leaf skirt. Ishnail had on a forest green vest and navy blue undershirt striped with white, both of which came out over the underside of his snail-shaped Koopa shell. Both guys were wearing black sunglasses that hid their eyes as they looked around at the opposition, silently planning and plotting for strategies.

"After watchin' my dearest Fransesca run de very first race and take fourth, I was compelled to do it, too…unfortunately, she couldn't go again, so I ended up teamin' with the head of the Robbos." Frankie explained. "We ain't enemies like he was with my father-in-law, so dere's no problems runnin' between us. Drough this race, we hope to build not only better relations between our two parties, but also better ourselves."

"The Frankster pretty much encouraged me into doing this for the adventure." Ishnail remarked. "Not much to it, hangin' around and lyin' low in Rogueport, avoidin' the few patrolling cops and officers…so this'll definitely be a relaxin' trip worthy of remembrance. Plus, we get to run around the world, beating out other people along the way! That, in itself, is what I call a perk! Just hope the boys back home won't be doing the same to each other while we're gone…"

Theata & Hannah

"Theata and Hannah. Friends from Rogueport hoping to become the future actresses of the world that have a love for theater."

The stylish brown hair of Theata had blonde tips at the ends. She was wearing a purple tank top and long black athletic pants with white running shoes. Her partner, Hannah, had left her shoulder-length brown locks hanging. She was wearing a more modest combination of a light-blue T-shirt under a soft pink jacket, blue jeans, and regular tennis shoes. While Hannah was quietly seated, her hands clasped together over the seatbelt, Theata was excitedly hopping up and down in her restraint, babbling talk to her best friend.

"I'm more of the energetic, jump-first, think-later, type of girl, while she's the calm planner that tries to hold me together." Theata explained. "It's that magnetism between opposites that pretty much bonds us as friends and helps us work together efficiently as a team."

"There's quite a lot that can be said about how we plan to play this race…I think that the best thing we have going for us is basically that we stand out among the crowd. Well, not too many people are willing to not help two young Toad women, so we can ensure that we always have a reliable group to get help from." Hannah remarked.

"Our personal time together as friends is somewhat odd; she works as a full-time nurse, while I work as a flight attendant at the Rogueport Airfield. Because of that, we don't get very much time to spend with each other…the time we do receive is never a lot. I think I speak for the both of us when I say that I want to be able to make the best of this time away from home."

Grodus & Crump

"Grodus and Crump. Full-time charity workers and former world-reign plotters who have since gained a new lease on life."

Whereas the larger figure of Grodus was wedged into a cramped seat on the aisle, Crump was busy cackling as he stared out the window, viewing the skies outside. Although Grodus was wearing a large white covering that flowed over his body (complete with a black flowing cape on the backside), it was relatively easy to see a jumbled mess of circuits and wires underneath, forming a somewhat wiry body with limbs and parts about the size of a regular X-Naut, but formatted for his height. Since he had nothing to hide, Crump was wearing his usual purple head covering and goggles, white boots, and a black jacket imprinted with an 'X' on the back.

"When people look at me and see my body, they often think of my disability as just that—a burden. Thus, they think I can only get in the way." Grodus explained. "I can control body parts with my mind, sending electronic impulses along the wires, so me getting in the way? It's not the case at all."

"It really isn't. After all of the incidents that occurred with the world takeover and stuff, we've both been changed for life. Luckily for Sir Grodus, I went through a lot of studies in robotics and electronics, so I'm probably the one responsible for him not being just a bouncing head right now." Lord Crump smirked. "As much as I often have the urge to feel that he owes me for me building him a robotic body, there's actually a better feeling in me that comes from just knowing that we're no longer in the boss-apprentice partnership. Instead, we're equals."

"Exactly. And because of that; the fact that we are living…or well, trying to live as equals…is most likely the key that will propel us to performing in the race better than we would have if I were still the deranged lunatic leader of the X-Nauts. Well, technically I still am, but…GAAAAAAAACK ACK ACK ACK ACK!"

"Uh…maybe you should take one of those throat lozenges…buh buh huh huh huh huh huh!"

Puni Elder & Puniper

"Puni Elder and Puniper. Shaky acquaintances with different ideas about leadership that reside in the Great Tree of Boggly Woods."

For some reason, the two Punis were going for the modest look. A single striped blanket was draped over the Puni Elder's back, its various tints of gray providing the only differences in color on her ensemble. Puniper had what could've been considered a jacket to a Puni—a blue cape tied around his body that could've been classified as a harness. He was on the aisle and busy looking around, while she was taking a snooze on the window seat, her blanket slowly rising and falling with each intake of breath.

"One thing is for sure…after the sorry, sorry performances of the others the other times around, I'll be making up for it myself. We can best anything this race has to throw at us!" The Puni Elder quickly seemed to grow to an unnaturally large size (for a Puni). "AND I'LL PROVE IT TO YOU ALL!"

As she shrunk down, Puniper sighed. "One thing is for sure, I'm unsure of how we'll fare. I mean, it was nice of the ol' coot to take me under her wing as a potential candidate for Puni leader, but…"

"UNGRATEFUL JUNIPER!" Puni Elder screamed, growing huge again.

"Ouch! Geez…urgh. Even her memory is fading…" Puniper mumbled. "Well, it'll be tough, that's already been established with the fall of others of our kind. I think we could possibly improve upon that and make it to the end…I really do. It'll just require a lot of effort from both of us…effort I'm not so sure exists in the head of that old windbag."

"WHAT?!"

Bob & Larry

"Bob and Larry. Fillers of the leadership roles in Fahr Fahr Outpost—the former is the mayor, the latter is the military strategist."

Due to their normal residencies in the cold town from where they came, the two Bob-ombs had been somewhat unsure of how to dress. They'd both done away with their regular hats for the start of the race, instead opting to go for stylish headbands wrapped around the bases of their fuses—Bob had a plain red one, while Larry had the more unique look of a white one dotted with black spots, stripes, and stars. Unlike most of the other teams, the two bombs were calmly waiting in their seats, not really moving much other than breathing, and occasionally turning to look out the window.

"We are of the foreign class, so change is something to be expected and dealt with as it comes quite easily. That is something we should be having little to no problems with while running this race." Bob explained. "I am thinking that we will be the oldest couple, and therefore, be classified by other teams under the category of 'underdog team.' That is of being fine with us, as we will show them all what it is meaning to be an 'underdog.' We can overcome all our age and weaknesses to win."

"Indeed. Although we may be acting out of our element, away from home, we will be doing our best to have fun traveling. It is something we both did for quite a long while because of our participating in the Bob-omb militaries, so we are hoping for the best to happen, and for luck being on our side." Larry stated. "I am of sureness that we can pull this off."

Gloomtail & Hooktail

"Gloomtail and Hooktail. Shrunken dragon siblings and former pets of the Shadow Queen, from the Palace of Shadows and Hooktail Castle."

If one were to have seen the two mythical creatures beforehand and then take a look at them afterwards, it would've been difficult to recognize them other than their kept appearances—they had been minimized down to the size of some of their rival racers. Since they were both quadrupeds, their wear was considerably different from that of some of the others; the respective blue and pink jackets they had on were specially fitted to provide warmth with sleeves that stretched down all four legs. Fumbling around with his seat restraint, Gloomtail was twisting and turning to get the best look at all of the rival teams, while Hooktail simply watched in disgrace from the seat window, not bothering to force him to stop with the silly sight.

"We're not here on this competition to make friends. Oh no, never that. We're here to win it and be able to escape the awful trap of being enclosed in dark, damp dungeons that we were forced to guard by traveling around the world on this race."

"Um…technically, I wasn't forced to…I CHOSE to have that castle." Hooktail corrected.

"Oh, whatever…" Gloomtail sighed and shook his head. "I'll put it this way. After what seems like a thousand years of virtually no activity, I'm geared up and ready to do something enjoyable for once. This race is exactly what I need to get reacquainted with the world and how it works, since there's no longer any pressure on me to remain underground as a key holder…"

"Although we had really big reputations, that's sort of changed." Hooktail mumbled. "After that…awful experience…that happened to both of us, we both woke up and found ourselves shrunken to the size of normal people. It feels really weird being so small, so it could prove to be a disadvantage to us…but then again, if there's anything I've ever learned, it's that anything can happen."

Blooey & Jerry

"Blooey and Jerry. Self-proclaimed opposites, but best friends and explorers at heart, from the Strudel Continent."

The two friends, not having similar body styles, were obviously dressed differently. Most of the brown coloration from heat had long since crusted off of Blooey's moist skin, revealing the white background and blue spots underneath. Only one of his tentacles was adorned with a watch. Jerry, a cherry Bob-omb, had on a rounded white jacket on the lower half of his spherical body that just barely covered the bottom of his eyes. While Blooey was excitedly jabbering to the red bomb, only occasionally stopping to look around at the other teams, Jerry was listening and occasionally nodding, keeping eye contact with his friend at all opportunities.

"I have a feeling that the race is going to be one of the best traveling experiences I'm ever going to have…especially after that…adventure…I went on with that one guy, Luigi…ended up getting myself fried after being flung into a volcano!" Blooey recalled. "I mean, who would be stupid enough to throw his own teammate…oh, never mind…at least I know that Jerry isn't that type of guy. That previous journey left us with a lot of time getting to know each other, and it's been enough for me to say that we should have enough combined strengths to be successful at this race."

"…Well…after that trip, we were left with a whole lot of down time to explore what kinds of things we had an interest in. There were five party members in total that reconnected often, even from our hometowns—that's how we heard about the race, through two of them. Hopefully we can fare better than our friends, though…because it was hard for them, and they were out first. I really don't want to repeat the same thing they did…so we'll be doing our best."

Kojo & Kory

"Kojo and Kory. Childhood friends, athletes, and gate-guarders from opposite ends of Petalburg."

Both Koopas could have been stereotyped as the typical, ideal young guys in terms of looks. They both had relatively slim appendages sticking out from their shells, and both hairstyles were gelled up into the air. Kojo's more wild hair had several strands falling over in front of his eyes, while the rest was short and spiked out in all kinds of directions. Kory only had two bangs focused in towards the middle of each eye, and a Mohawk of sorts going down from the front. They had on matching blue hoodies with their names inscribed in white cursive on the left side of the chest. Neither were paying much attention to the other teams, instead choosing to converse with each other.

"Probably the best thing we got going for us is our speed…" Kojo began. "Training as an athlete through school helped both of us to stay fit, so we should have physical stuff covered with few to no problems. It's some of the other things that we're both worried about, such as something extreme like…heights. We know it's coming, though…but, that's one of the main reasons why we're coming on this race: to overcome some of the fears we have to deal with in our daily lives that have always prevented us from doing things we've always wanted to do."

"Exactly. Every single thing we could have ever asked for in a vacation or an adventure is packed up right here, just for us. There's a chance to partake in all these cool cultural activities, meet new people, see new sights…never in my life would I have dreamed to be doing anything like this." Kory admitted. "But, I'm glad that we have the opportunity. I'm pretty sure that we have the power to overcome our fears and hopefully even make it to the end…our friendship seems like it's sturdy enough to withstand this wicked race and push us to win."

Toce & Koopie Koo

"Toce and Koopie Koo. Petalburg females hoping to meet the standards of other teams, using their kind and compassionate natures to their advantage."

Hair colored a reserved light brown hung down into two sideburns and a ponytail from Toce's head. She was wearing a red jacket over a yellow shirt with a spray painted picture of Petalburg in an oval on the front, blue jeans, and a chain locket around her neck. Koopie Koo's orange-colored hair was held back in a single ponytail by a scrunchie, and a single pink headband rested in front of it. A pink jacket was fitted over the underside of her shell. While Toce was suspiciously looking around at the other competitors, Koopie Koo had her head resting on her hand as she leaned on the armrest, gazing out the window.

"A lot of people in Petalburg probably recognize the both of us as the quiet, stay-at-home girls that don't exactly have a life," Toce snorted. "To be honest, I sometimes feel that I really don't—even the fear of Hooktail didn't really inspire me to do something life-changing. But now…I have this race. For sure, it'll be quite interesting how we do…since my best friend is the girlfriend to a past winner."

"Yeah…" Koopie Koo blushed and laughed nervously. "It's suddenly like there's a load of pressure on our shoulders to do well, since I'm Koops' girlfriend, and there are some high expectations of us. I don't want to let anyone down on that—I'm positive that Toce T. and I can do really well on this game. But, morals won't get thrown out the window; we'll be playing hard, but we'll be playing right."

"That, too. It's important for us to maintain as clean of a slate as possible, because karma and luck can desert us at any time. We're going to play to win, but we're not going to be the villains to do so."

Pierre & Rana

"Pierre and Rana. Dating, yet somewhat emotionally distant because of the nature of their work. Both members of the duo hail from Underground Rogueport."

Fancying himself as a shady sort of character, Pierre kept his black mask fitted snugly over his eyes, and had a black jacket around his body, with sleeves for the arms, as well as a hole for his tail. The very tips of his head fur were slightly spiked up. On the other hand, Rana had replaced her usual mask with purple-rimmed sunglasses. She had a jacket of a similar style, but it was of a jean fabric, and colored blue. All looking and scanning had been done when first boarding, so the Squeeks were free to simply sit there and rest on the whole ride up, ignoring the eyes of curious foes that were looking around.

"For starters, Rana and I both have studied the world extensively because of our degrees in archaeology, history, and geography, so we have a slight advantage over the other teams as far as it goes with world culture, customs, and all other types of things that could otherwise become a great hindrance." Pierre stated. "That, combined with our speed and ingenuity, definitely makes us a strong force to be reckoned with."

"Our relationship with each other could be somewhat described as long-distance dating. While he…'works' trying to get on the side of the Robbos, I work as an archaeologist with another team of Squeeks. That alone keeps us really separated, so we don't usually get very much time to spend together…" Rana said quietly. "We can both look to this race as an opportunity to make the best of our beautiful bond. It's quite possible that this just could be the knot to the tie that could finally force Pierre to accept me as an equal who is worthy to work side-by-side with him…not that I'm exactly all into stealing and that kind of stuff, though."

Koopinator & Shellshock

"Koopinator and Shellshock. Two well-respected and high-ranked Glitz Pit major league fighters. One is a loner, while the other is a partygoer."

Strangely enough, Koopinator had no other clothing on except for his regular battle armor, shell, and helmet. He was sitting there in his seat, arms crossed, eyes glaring out from the darkness of his headdress. Conversely, Shellshock had on his usual black sunglasses, along with a lavender windbreaker, spiked wristbands, and a necklace of stones. Unlike his partner, Shellshock was eagerly looking around from his aisle seat, straining his neck as he tried to get glimpses of other participants as they peered backward. Occasionally, he gave a teasing wave.

"In spite of his lower ranking in the Glitz Pit scoreboards, I have quite a bit of respect for Shellshock. He is a tad too easygoing, but it will work out in the end for this race—I make up for it with my own sense of honor and strictness." The Koopinator remarked. "Based on what has happened to other teams before, we cannot get complacent just because of our status and abilities as fighters. The race requires much more than brute strength and combat strategizing. Although those two things are obviously the fortes we had to master just to make the major leagues, we still have the other attributes that are needed."

"It'll definitely be tough just handling having to travel with the 'Nator…but then again, I bet he feels the same way about me. The thing is, we've spent a lot of time training together, so we know a lot about each other's personalities, weaknesses, strengths…that sort of thing." Shellshock explained. "In a way, it makes us more prone to arguments, but it also allows us to have an edge, knowing what we have and don't have."

"Since this will likely be one of the only opportunities we will have just to escape the atmosphere of the Glitz Pit, we have to make the most of it. Traveling around the world isn't something we get to do very often, mostly because our fighting job requires us to stay in just one location…indeed, this will be one heck of a journey." Koopinator smirked.

"No disagreements there. We have what it takes to win. We just need to go through with it." Shellshock said slowly, emphasizing syllables here and there. "The very fact that we do have it gives us a very good shot."

One by one, the teams disembarked from the large blimp, where they then proceeded to walk, single-file, through the center of Glitzville and into the Glitz Pit.

"Which one of these twelve teams can put together the right amount of strength, knowledge, and teamwork to make it through the course of the race? How will the very relationships that bond these duos together react to the high amount of stress brought down upon them? Who will be able to respond to traveling thousands and thousands of miles in foreign locations while completing various tasks? And most importantly…which one of these twelve teams will be the one to cross the finish line and win one million Smash coins?" Blaise inquired.

Miles grinned widely. "It is these questions and more that are waiting to be answered as we begin…the Amazing Race."

With that, the two Yoshis started the walk down the aisles to the very center arena…

All lined up in a nice, neat arc on the back end of the showground, the twelve teams faced the open stadium doors, and the two Yoshi hosts, who were facing them from the opposite edge of the battle stage. Unlike previous beginnings of the race, however, no racing backpacks were in sight—the doors to both the arena and building were open, providing a clear view all the way to the far edge of Glitzville, but no reasonable line of race packs matched that of the line of teams. Instead, however, a large group of Koopas was stationed at the town boundary, along with a suspicious formation of equipment.

Looking at each other after clearing brief mental checklists, the two Yoshis nodded. Miles then looked back at the assembly of couples and began to speak.

"In just a few moments, you will all be leaving on a race around the world that will surely be the adventure of your lives. This race is divided into a number of segments known as legs. In each leg, you will be faced with a series of tasks that you must complete in order to reach a resting point at the end, known as the pit stop. You want to reach these pit stops as fast as you possibly can, because nine of them are elimination points. If you are the last to arrive at one of these predetermined elimination points…you will be eliminated from the race."

"In the beginning of each leg, you will receive a small amount of money that you will have to utilize to cover all costs, except for airline tickets." Blaise continued. "Try and save as much as you can, because you can use it on subsequent legs, and you will not be restocked by the race if you should run out."

"The very final leg will bring three teams back to this general region, where they will battle it out to cross the finish line." Miles explained. "The first team to get there will be the winner of one MILLION Smash coins."

Upon hearing this, the large group cheered, clapped, and jumped up and down excitedly.

"Seems like everyone's more than ready." Blaise observed. "Alright then. This start is a bit different than some of the others. When we give you the signal, you will need to run out of the Glitz Pit and choose one of those pairs of Koopas waiting at the edge of Glitzville. From there, you will be required to take an exciting plunge down to Rogueport using a new technological advancement in free-fall accessories, known as the fall-out board. Upon landing at northern Rogueport, at the airfield, you will find not only your backpacks, but also your clue envelopes, and the travel pack, which has your passports and credit card. Once there, you can read what is inside, and decide from there what to do."

Several shocked and enthused murmurs rippled from the contestants from hearing about getting to fall over 8,000 feet to the city below. However, one look from Blaise hushed the entire group.

"The world is waiting for you." Miles announced, raising his hand.

The majority of the teams prepared to run as they got into their respective stances.

"Travel safely, all." Blaise reminded, raising his hand as well. "On your mark…"

"Get set…" Miles mumbled.

A moment of silence occurred in the arena, only broken by the sound of the air conditioning and fizzing lights.

"GO!"

As the two Yoshis swung their hands down, the twenty-four participants flew from their positions and rushed for the doors!