A/N: Thanks for waiting! Here's another Ted-Ed video inspired teaser! Wasn't sure which characters to pick for this one.

Three Planes

Mii Brawler, despite his name, was a famous, eccentric scientist and adventurer embarking on a new challenge; flying around the world non-stop in a plane of his own design.

The airport was abuzz with anticipation, and Brawler braced himself for what would be a momentous day in Mii-Topian history. Of course, he first had to pacify the reporters and photographers who peppered him with questions.

"Brawler! Can you tell us a bit about your plane's design?" one reporter asked, holding a microphone up to the scientist.

"Glad to!" Mii Brawler grinned. "My craft is able to travel consistently at the incredible speed of one degree longitude around the equator per minute. This means that my plane will take six hours to circle the world!"

"Oooohhhh!" the crowd cried in unison as cameras clicked and flashed pictures of Brawler and his red and silver aircraft.

"There's just one problem," Brawler said, recapturing everyone's attention. "My plane can only hold 180 kiloliters of fuel… only enough for half the trip."

Screams of protest rose up from the crowd of Smashers and Miis. "He can't do it!" "What's he thinking?" "He's Crazy!"

The reporter had to speak up to make herself heard. She leaned forward. "That's a pretty big risk to take," she said carefully. "I'm sure there are reasons for not including more fuel…" She arched her eyebrows as if to ask the scientist if that was the case.

Brawler ran a gloved hand over his brown hair. "Well, let's be honest," he said, his grin never faltering. "I could have designed the plane to hold more fuel, but where's the fun in that? Instead, I've devised a slightly more elaborate solution. I've built three identical planes for this mission!"

Just then, two more planes landed on the runway and came to a stop next to Brawler's craft. They had flown in so quickly that no one noticed them until their jet engines overpowered the noise from the crowd. As the audience snapped photos, he briefed them on a few more features his planes had.

Each of the planes could turn on a dime, and transfer any amount of its fuel to any of the others in mid-air without slowing down, provided they were next to each other.

"I'll pilot the first plane, while Mii Swordfighter and Mii Gunner will pilot each of the others!" Mii Brawler explained.

There was a rustling of papers as the reporters documented this latest piece of information, then one of them pointed his pen at Brawler. "If I may ask… who's your sponsor for this experiment?"

"The Flight Club," Brawler answered, furrowing his brow. "We're very lucky to have their support." When he said 'very lucky', he meant it with every fiber of his being.

Only one airport, located on the equator, had given permission for the experiment, making it the starting point, the finish line, and the only spot where the planes could take off, land, and refuel on the ground.

This bothered the two assistants, though Swordfighter and Gunner wouldn't let that show in front of a crowd of people. If something happened in the air, they couldn't make an emergency landing.

"Well, unfortunately, that's all the time we've got!" Brawler informed, waving to the spectators. "Now, it's time to fly!"

Satisfied with their information, the reporters and remaining crowd cheered, but one question lingered on their minds.

How would the three planes coordinate so Brawler could fly continuously for the whole trip and achieve his dream without anyone running out of fuel and crashing?

"You guys ready?" Brawler asked his two assistants.

"Yeah," Swordfighter nodded.

Gunner adjusted her helmet. "Let's do this!"

The three of them boarded their respective planes, anticipating the six-hour journey ahead of them.

According to Brawler's calculations, they'd be able to pull it off by a hair. He took a slow, deep breath and waited for the all-clear from the control tower.

When they received the 'OK', all three planes took off at noon, flying west, each fully loaded with 180 kiloliters of fuel.

Brawler loved the sense of adventure he felt when flying. He was about to do something that would change history. He looked out the window at the blue sky. Beautiful day for a daring voyage through the clouds.

After forty-five minutes, they had made it one-eighth of the way around the planet, each plane's tank now at 135 kiloliters.

Brawler's mouth tightened. Time for the next step of his plan. "Gunner!" he called over his radio. "You know what to do, right?"

Static crackled as the reply came through. "Yep!" Gunner answered. "Preparing to transfer fuel!"

Gunner maneuvered her yellow plane so it was right next to Brawler's, and transferred forty-five kiloliters of fuel to him. She then did the same thing to Swordfighter's plane, leaving herself with forty-five.

"All right! Returning to the airport!" Gunner said, and used her remaining fuel to head back to base, Brawler and Swordfighter's planes shrinking into airborne specks behind her.

Once Gunner landed, she exited the plane and headed for the lounge. She grabbed some chips and a soda and settled down for a well-deserved break.

Brawler and Swordfighter continued flying next to one another, fully refueled. Brawler couldn't believe how well this was going. He gazed down at the buildings and forests beneath him, enjoying every second of the magical view below him.

Another forty-five minutes passed, and they had completed one fourth of the journey. Brawler looked at his fuel gauge. He and Swordfighter were now both at 135 Kiloliters, and it was time for another transfer.

"Ready for this?" Swordfighter asked, twisting her plane to align the fuel tank with Brawler's. She then transferred forty-five kiloliters of her gas to her superior's craft, leaving her with the ninety she needed to get back to the airport.

Brawler waved as Swordfighter's plane turned in the air with ease and headed back to Flight Club.

"Ah!" Brawler stretched his legs and put on his favorite album, Hits of Smash, and prepared himself for the long stretch ahead of him.

In the meantime, Gunner had been anxiously awaiting Swordfighter's return, her plane fully refueled and ready to go. "Hopefully neither of them crashes…" she said.

Just then, a streak of blue shot across the sky and descended towards the airport. "Swordfighter!" Gunner cried, relieved.

As soon as Swordfighter's plane touched down, Gunner took off, this time heading east. She had to find the professor's plane before he ran out of fuel. She didn't want to be responsible for what would happen if she should fail.

Up in the skies, Brawler had just reached the halfway point. Good thing the plane had comfortable seating, otherwise his entire lower body would have been sore from sitting for so long. True to Swordfighter's design, it was as if he were sitting on a big, puffy cloud, like the ones outside the window. He'd definitely have to give her a raise.

Brawler snapped pictures of a glistening ocean and islands as his plane zoomed over them. "Awesome! I made it three quarters of the way around the world and nothing bad happened!" he cried with jubilation.

But, his joy was interrupted by his grumbling stomach. It was definitely time for a snack.

He had just stuck a plastic spoon into a cup of peaches when an alarm blared on the control console. He straightened up, and gasped when he saw the little red light on the fuel gauge. He was on E!

Brawler clenched his fists, nearly crushing the flimsy plastic cup in his hand. The plane waggled and sputtered in the sky from lack of power. His heart threw itself against his ribcage, as if demanding freedom from the plane that was about to crash. He needed help, and fast!

"Brawler!"

The professor jumped at the sound of his name on the radio. "Gunner? Where are you!" he asked, teeth clenched.

"I'm right here!" Gunner's voice replied.

Brawler looked out the window and gasped with relief. Gunner's plane rocketed towards him, like a shooting star delivering his heart's desire.

"You're just in time!" Brawler cried as Gunner positioned her plane next to him. She had used half her tank getting here, but if they were lucky, they could make it to safety… that is, if Swordfighter arrived on time.

Gunner transferred forty-five kiloliters of her remaining ninety to the professor. Unfortunately, this was only half of what they needed.

But, that's exactly when Swordfighter took off, her plane's tank filled to the brim with precious fuel. "Brawler, Gunner… You guys better still be flying high…" she muttered as she navigated the clouds and air currents.

Just as the other planes were about to run out of fuel, she met them at the 315 degree point, transferring forty-five kiloliters of fuel to each of them.

This was the final stretch, and the three friends were determined to fly or fall together. Already, their engines showed signs of wavering, but the airport was a straight shot away, visible through the thin clouds below.

"Come on! We've got to make it!" Brawler called over the radio as his plane shuddered, threatening to fall at any moment. Only a trickle of fuel was keeping him in the air.

The three Miis' stomachs lurched as their planes dipped down, coming in for a hard, fast landing. Their wheels touched the runway just as their fuel gauges reached zero.

Brawler, Swordfighter, and Gunner exited their planes and a wave of cheers and camera flashes greeted them as they ran out onto the runway, their faces glowing with excitement and triumph.

Grinning from ear to ear, Brawler waved to the crowd of admirers and reporters. "Thanks for your support! I promise my new planes will be released to the public for commercial use as soon as possible!"

Just as soon as they could figure out a way to keep their in-flight meals from spilling everywhere.

A/N: Sorry about my absence. I've had schoolwork to complete! There's no telling when I'll be able to update my stories again... But, I will eventually.