Fighting in the Streets
Chapter 38 – Mushroom Gorge
A/N: This will be the twelfth race and the last chapter of the second quarter. A Prologue Extract will be released after this chapter.
Disclaimer: Not done this for a while but I'm sure by now you're all aware of the cross between Canon and OC characters. Where figured, characters that seem Canon are indeed Canon and belong to Nintendo, all others are OCs.
February 6, 2015 – 8:00AM
Saljiya, North Mushroom Kingdom
Since she was rich enough, Pauline booked a one-bedroom place at one of the hotels in town just to sleep in a comfortable bed. She would even go as far as to pay a bit extra to be allocated breakfast as well. As for Enrique, he had spent the night sleeping in his car in the car park outside the hotel. He woke up, shattered, and wishing he could go back to sleep but knowing he couldn't. Mushroom Gorge was in a little under four hours and he still had to drive nearly a hundred miles south to get there. That would take him half of his current remaining time. He was hungry, exhausted, and still a little bit petrified after driving through a newly-turned warzone that was the road from the peninsula.
That was something Enrique did not know about the north; how often and how long their battles between themselves lasted. He had no idea if it applied to any other of the tribes up north since he had recently spent ninety-nine percent of his time up there within the boundaries of the Takharim: Takhar, Zurlon, Vilrus and all other villages and settlements surrounding the area. Culture brought them together in the past but in recent days things started to differ between each town, and the disagreement between them has led to some hostile Koopas thinking they can re-unite them all... At least that's what Enrique thought. He still had no clue on where they got weapons and why they are using them.
A tall figure started walking down the road in the car park and towards his car. Pauline was looking beautiful and refreshed, unlike Enrique in his current revolting state of uncomfortable sleeping and not washing himself for a few days now. If he saw Peach again after having her dismiss him to go up north, she most likely wouldn't want to get anywhere near him until he presented himself better. Even Pauline began to notice his hair looking very messy as she got to the car.
"You should really take good care of your personal hygiene." She mentioned. "Do you not care about making yourself look presentable for the race in four hours?" After getting herself into her seat in the car and putting on the seatbelt, she turned her head back at him and watched him say nothing whilst still slouching. A few seconds later, he started up the car and reversed out of the parking space.
"Is everything okay?" She added again.
"I will get myself cleaned when I'm down there. It can wait." He drove the car out of the car park and onto the main roads out of the town within a matter of minutes. They went on to the highway that goes straight down south, splitting off at many exits for all the major cities that lie in the centre of the Mushroom Kingdom. Mushroom Gorge was about halfway down the kingdom, though the centre was huge. The Gorge was on the eastern side of the centre, still hundreds of miles from the Delfino border to the west. The roads went around it and it took a series of inclines upwards to get to the track.
"I have an idea that I have to get across to Peach." Enrique said a few minutes down the highway. "I'm going to have to ask her to shorten this trial, for the sake of the danger that is arising in the south. The sooner this happens the sooner this ends as well. It's really getting irritating for me."
"Can't handle the timetable?" Pauline assumed. "I mean, with Rosalina gone this will put me at an even bigger disadvantage."
"She's not gone. She can't be." He growled, accelerating down the highway. He was going a few miles an hour beyond the speed limit, hoping not to be caught for doing so. By now they passed the exit of the highway that turns off towards North Port and its outside villages, an area with its harbour in a complete lockdown.
"From what we see, we have no evidence of her whereabouts yet. It's really annoying, I feel it too, but the more races without her means the more likely it is for Bowser to win and thus get set free from his trial." Pauline had been privately open of her emotions towards Rosalina's disappearance many times before to the point she had gotten used to her not being around anymore already. She was as upset as Enrique was on the inside, but showing none of it to him.
"I just want to be able to spend more than one day in a row in Résethal. I need to get to the bottom of what's going on with the Koopas in the east before I can get any sight of what's happening in the other areas."
"Enrique, there are millions of Koopas up there, it's going to take more than a matter of weeks to know about them all and their plans. Cutting a few days off at the end of Bowser's trial will not help you much."
"And what makes you believe that?" He turned his head towards Pauline, still keeping the car straight on the road.
"Because..." She muddled her words, hesitant to say them. "Because I'm not looking forward to what's to come."
"I don't think any of us are. If Bowser actually loses and dies, the whole world will be so different." Pauline now became more openly worried whilst they were driving, creating a bleak and sad mood in the car. Enrique kept driving, for he still had at least an hour before turning off at Mushroom Gorge.
"Well, if things get worse up north and they start a war on the south, then the people here must do what they can to make sure all the citizens are safe. You saw the guards when we got off the train at Saljiya. They should always be like that now, carefully inspecting everyone."
The two kept talking to eachother on the journey down to the Gorge. Time went by, and the closer they got to the slopes of the hills leading up, the amount of traffic started to increase as well. The track had a fair amount of seating, but there were few ways of getting up in to the mountains at the top where the race was set.
10:30AM
Secretly, most participants were given special instructions on how to arrive to the venue. For those coming by land, there were secret tunnels discovered by the Toad Management crew that were able to guide everybody who raced up the mountains without having to handle the traffic. One of the first groups to arrive, were Mario, Luigi, Tom, and Yoshi. The Management crew were there, already with the tent set up, but Peach and Daisy were not. Mario, in his cleaned overalls, had made himself at home in the tent, lying down between two chairs his faced together. Luigi and Yoshi were choosing food to eat at a buffet always set by the crew as a sort of brunch. Tom was also sitting near Mario, only on one chair. He had already eaten at the penthouse before making his way up to the event, having no idea where Enrique was currently at or when he would arrive. All Tom could remember about yesterday was going with Mario to buy him clothes in the markets of Mushroom City. Mario's taste in clothes was terrible to him, and this led him to think that maybe one day in the future he would take Mario bake to Brooklyn to visit some designer shops on Earth after cashing in some gold coins for thousands of dollars.
"How are you feeling today, Mario?" Tom didn't actually journey up to Mushroom Gorge with him and Luigi. This was one of the few events he went up entirely alone, since Enrique had taken the car they shared he had to borrow Luke's, which he shares with Will. Since Luke had already stocked up on food for the penthouse and Will was... in Peach's Castle, Luke's car was free to use for the day. Tom just had to make sure that if he was going somewhere else afterwards he would have to inform Luke about it, since he wishes to have it back by the eighth. Manes invited him to his other place in Elhelm for lunch and would need it to get there.
"Like I'm putting on a comedy show." Mario smiled back at him, presenting his clothes. "I will be out of these when I leave this place."
"Just try not to tell everybody." Tom reminded. "You can go about this slowly."
"I'll do what I like thank-a you very much. I will keep things under control when I am around people who are racing with me."
Time went on and more people started to arrive. The Toads showed up next, before Peach and Daisy. After them came the Koopa Troopas, the Hammer Bros, Shy Guy and Lakitu, and Dry Bones and Kamek. Most of them grouped together in one corner of the room and got their portions of food whilst Fire Bro went over to Mario to see how he was. Tom still sat in his chair and kept facing the entrances, waiting for the rest to show up and hoping one of them might be Rosalina.
"Surprise! Hehahahahah." King Boo phased through the tent and jump-scared Tom from behind him. "I bet you didn't see that coming."
"I haven't heard about you for a while, King Boo. Perhaps you've fallen off popularity." Tom joked back with him.
"Never. I am the most famous ghost in this great tournament!"
"There are no other ghosts like you, undead King." Tom realised something for a second. "Do you happen to know anything about Rosalina?"
"I don't know anything about the whereabouts of her recently... though I did notice something kind of odd. Have you heard about the ancient library?" Tom shook his head, giving a confused but also interested look on his face. "It's a secret place, a place not so easily accessible by the average living creature. It is a place that bears lots of magical and ancient knowledge of the past, mostly untouched for years and years. I only noticed a few days ago that some parchment stored there was taken from its place there, missing. I think you and I know who out of everyone has some degree of proficiency in the magical arts, but a certain someone may have taken the parchment from there. It may very well have been Rosalina." Tom still looked at King Boo slightly confused. He had never heard of this so-called ancient library from anyone before.
"I don't think she would be gone all this time just to take something from an abandoned library. Whether it is so-called magical or not, it doesn't help us know where she is." He thought he was being told complete nonsense, but didn't want to dismiss King Boo so quickly.
"The location of this library is very secret and only known by people like her. It's highly likely that it was her doing it. If not, then her brother." Before Tom could say anything back to him, the two were both distracted by the arrival of Peach and Daisy, who got the attention of most in the room. "Petey is also outside. I sense many more arriving now. If it is her brother who delved into the library, think about why he would be there." King Boo phased out of the tent, leaving the way he came from.
Tom watched Luigi and Yoshi leave the seats they were sitting on near him to head over and speak to Daisy. Peach went over to speak with the Toads, and having Mario gaze on her discretely. He could tell that Mario still had some feelings towards her, but definitely nothing compared to the strong ones he always had in the past. Perhaps he hadn't fully gotten over her just yet.
The Kongs showed up next, a few of them giving dirty looks to Peach and the Toads before getting their brunch at the buffet. Not all those who raced would enter the tent before the races. Tom could see Wario and Waluigi talking to eachother through the entrance to the tent outside. It appeared that Bowser was there with his son too, not in the best of moods, and only waiting for the last four to arrive.
Birdo would eventually show up, late for once, and Pauline, Rosalina, and Enrique were still not to be seen. It was nearly 11:30AM, and this race was one with a small opening ceremony, led by MC Ballyhoo. Whilst sitting silently with Mario, Tom was able to overhear the conversation between Peach and the Toads. The reason for Peach's late arrival was actually because she had been answering questions to the reporters outside behind the fencing. She had done it again with Daisy, and he had managed to clear up the arising concerns about Rosalina's disappearance. They all still hoped that she would come for the race today. He knew that Mario was eavesdropping on the conversation as well, as he would often look back to Tom after certain things Peach had said.
"Where is she?" Whilst eavesdropping, Tom didn't immediately notice the arrival of Enrique and Pauline at the tent's entrance. "We need to speak outside." Enrique called Peach over. "Now!"
Tom and Mario watched her leave the tent after being beckoned over by Enrique; not very sure of what he had to say to her.
They still had some time before the race. Enrique stood at the back of the tent, looking for a place to talk to her alone.
"What's the matter Enrique? Did you find anything for me at the peninsula?" She asked, crossing her arms and waiting for him to reply. She had an impatient look, as if she was missing out on something inside.
"I found nothing of Rosalina, but I have good news and bad news." She seemed slightly more interested. "The bad news is that the hostiles on the eastern sides of Résethal are very armed, and most of the time a great danger to innocent people who tread foot around there. The good news however, is that they are currently fighting each other. Innocents may be dying, and there may be more migrants moving south as a result."
"I'm very aware of the increased population of immigrants especially in the north of the kingdom. We are being stricter on who we can let through based on what they bring and if they have any information about what's happening up there."
"There is one slight problem though. If they all somehow unite together they would destroy us if they get across the mountains or through the tunnels. We cannot afford that to happen. I've listened in to talks of something happening. If they stop fighting each other they could unite against us in the south in a matter of a few weeks. This is going to ignore whether or not the races are on."
"What should I do about the races then?" Peach wondered. "If Bowser loses – which I hope happens – then he is expected to be sentenced around mid-march. Would that be enough time?"
"You may have to make last-minute adjustments to the races ahead. Have you announced the days of the next races, assuming that they will be every other day after race sixteen?"
"No." Peach replied.
"Make them every day, until say the last four. We need all the time we can get for everyone to prepare themselves for what is to come."
"You're making me go out of my way to change something that was justly placed for my nemesis. I know he is my nemesis, but it would be cruel and immoral to bring his day closer.
"You don't have to execute him earlier. You can push back the day until whenever you have it planned. The deciding day is what is pushed back." Peach gave Enrique's suggestion a thought of consideration, but didn't seem one hundred percent confident with the idea that the hostiles could reunite to wage war on the south.
"I will grant this idea of yours." She said, giving Enrique a smile and a sigh of relief. "However, I will not yet put extra funds into my armies with defending the borders. I know you are quite the honourable person to me and your word carries a lot of meaning, but given what I have currently put up there with workers and prisoners who wanted a second chance... the Red Martyrs and the Patrol and Brigade... we will keep borders with the north as usual." His smile disappeared, and his chance to suggest something else to her was quickly interrupted by the sight of Tom leaving the tent and walking around to see them. He hadn't seen either of them for over a day, which felt like a long time to him given the state he spent with others.
"I still haven't seen Rosalina." He informed the two. "Not now, not yesterday." Before the other two replied, Daisy also showed up behind Tom, and rested her arm against his.
"Yeah this is very bad." Enrique added, scratching his head. "Like, I'm actually out of ideas."
"I will made amendments to the time of the next races after this one. There will be a public announcement made by me. Tune in to see the changes." Peach declared. "For now, we must tell Pauline that she has to race alone a second time. Hopefully there wouldn't be much more of it, but if there is, we will have to find a substitute for Rosalina. I haven't spoken to Éclair in some time but she would seem like the most logical candidate for a substitution."
"Do they even know eachother?" Tom wondered.
"I don't think they do." Daisy replied to him immediately.
"Everyone's seating themselves now. We need to get this show on the road. One more race in the bag." Enrique indicated to the others.
"I need to sit down and think about this tonight. Let's get this out of the way." Peach walked with the three back to the tent and got the attention of everyone else in the room. Shortly those left in the tent started making their way down a built set of stairs from the highest hills that led to the racetrack. Most racers were already there and in their vehicles. Despite the morning traffic, Mushroom Gorge had the fewest seating numbers in any race so far. Only a few hundred tickets were available to those able to watch at the venue. The tickets were expensive, costing several hundreds of coins. Those who were spectating were still disappointed at not seeing Rosalina ready by the Twinkle Star; the others walking down to theirs noticed the look in the crowds. Some of the racers gave a bad look towards Peach as she got to her vehicle at the first row before the starting line. She would always get that threatening gaze from Bowser, but for once on the front row she was greeted with smiles. It's not every day one would see Toadbert and Toadsworth at the front.
"Still no update?" Cranky Kong whispered over to her and Daisy as she got into the front of the bike's seat.
"If I don't see her in two days, she will be substituted." Peach replied.
"We've got it covered. Don't you worry." Daisy smiled and backed her best friend up, facing straight ahead for the race was about to begin.
POSITIONS:
Bowser and Bowser Jr
Toadbert and Toadsworth
Funky Kong and Cranky Kong
Peach and Daisy
King Boo and Petey
Yoshi and Birdo
Shy Guy and Lakitu
Toad and Toadette
Hammer Bro and Fire Bro
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong
Mario and Luigi
Wario and Waluigi
Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa
Tom and Enrique
Dry Bones and Kamek
Rosalina and Pauline
SCOREBOARD:
Bowser and Bowser Jr: 148
Rosalina and Pauline: 129
Peach and Daisy: 118
Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: 116
Yoshi and Birdo: 107
King Boo and Petey: 106
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: 103
Mario and Luigi: 97
Shy Guy and Lakitu: 92
Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: 89
Dry Bones and Kamek: 87
Wario and Waluigi: 84
Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: 79
Toad and Toadette: 77
Toadbert and Toadsworth: 72
Tom and Enrique: 71
Cranky Kong was aware of the things mentioned to him by Donkey Kong, and didn't have as much trust in her as he used to, but he kept his head straight and would ignore it until later. He like many others started to see the true Peach walking about on the track, always moving like she never not felt paranoid.
The crowds didn't seem as lively from the track. Maybe it could be a result of not seeing many at the venue or to Peach maybe they had caught on to the fact that Rosalina was gone. Her motivation to race was still up there, as she knew she couldn't afford to let Bowser win. After a few more seconds of staring straight ahead at the recently-lit up boxes, the holographic Lakitu-in-a-cloud peered down with its traffic light. Daisy turned around to see everyone else focused on the track except Pauline. She was in her seat with nobody behind her to throw items; she would once again have to do both jobs at the same time.
START!
Daisy didn't react to Peach's boost start and lost grip of the Mach Bike's rear, slipping off the bike from the back and falling on to the floor. All the racers drove off, past the start line, and taking a few seconds to react, Peach had to turn around to pick her up. Everyone had set off to the first item boxes and the two princesses were left at the start line still after a few seconds.
"Daisy! Are you okay?" Peach let out her arm. "Did you just slip off?" Daisy reached up to Peach's arm and climbed back on to the back of the bike, upset and embarrassed.
"Just drive, I wasn't looking forward." She knew that she was seen by all the viewers, really draining her morale for the race.
They got back up to speed, in attempts to catch up to the rest of the pack. They were a few seconds behind going towards the first set of item boxes, only pulling three mushrooms once the item roulette finished.
"Blast, I'm so sorry." Daisy used the items quickly, forcing Peach to take the inward drift into the off-road and around the bend to take the left side route instead of the three mushroom pads.
"I'm going to skip the items here, maybe we can pull a shock later on since we may as well being this far behind." Peach drove around the moving item boxes by the boost panels in the left section, going into the cave rather slower than usual.
Their position jumped from last to fifteenth, behind them they saw a kart get picked up by the holographic Lakitu's to be brought back to the track.
"Trust those two to fall off." Daisy saw Tom and Enrique behind them accelerating slowly to catch up to full speed.
Thirty seconds in, Peach and Daisy took the ride side of the mushroom pad section of the cave, passing through an item box. They pulled a star, which made them able to take the grass shortcut at the end. To their surprise, nobody fell down in the cave section, making them still fifteenth as they finished lap 1. They were still a few seconds behind on the rest of the pack and now a few seconds ahead of Tom and Enrique, who were still in dead last. Daisy, itemless, gazed into the distance whilst Peach had her eyes on the track, everyone at the bottom end of the pack were using mushrooms to catch up and getting themselves up to the top quicker. It only meant that the gap between first and fourteenth was even smaller. She then turned around to see Tom and Enrique catching up on them, using a golden mushroom to hop across the gap at the end of the track. Her eyes widened in surprise, not knowing that it was possible.
"Did they just cross that gap?" Daisy said to Peach whilst looking backwards at them catching up on their tail.
"Daisy, focus." Peach said immediately after.
"Sorry." She pulled a golden mushroom and used it for Peach, taking the small grass cut again and skipping the mushroom pad before it. Their ranks were nearly beginning to go up, getting nearer and nearer to some other slow racers who took the mushroom pad route. Tom and Enrique were still on their tail, presumably taking the exact same route as they did with a golden mushroom as well. They pulled another item box going in to the cave and got yet another golden mushroom. Daisy was starting to wonder if the shock had already been picked up somehow, but that wouldn't be possible since the racers in fifteenth and last have been in those positions since before the time the shock became available in play. It has been set by the system to appear after the first thirty seconds of the race. Tom and Enrique pulled a star behind them, using it to get around the small curve of dirt off-road before the mushroom pad section of the cave. Daisy held on to the golden and watched them go on to the mushrooms in front of them. They took the left box on the right side mushroom pads and they took the right box. Tom immediately activated the bullet bill they were given, making them fly swiftly through the cave and into the middle of the lower pack. Peach still had no idea who was at the front, for she could barely see who was at the back either. What surprised her though was the fact that she couldn't see Pauline anywhere at the back.
"What is our luck?" Daisy groaned. "Triple mushrooms in last again."
"What was that thing you said about the gap?" Peach reminded Daisy as they were going across the last red mushroom pads.
"Hop on the grass as late as possible, I will boost you." She decided not to trick on the last mushroom pad, landing on the ground out of the cave rather slowly. Daisy used a mushroom and the two sped onto the grass just before the cliff, Peach timed her jump just about right and the two managed to hop over the grass, landing on the other side just before the starting line, going in to lap 3. The two were now just behind the bottom of the pack. Here they could see the Hammer Bros, Wario and Waluigi, and Yoshi and Birdo, all with items already. They seem to have lost sight of Tom and Enrique. Their bullet bill must have gotten them further up the ranks.
"Now we really need the shock." Peach whispered to Daisy as they began to tailgate Waluigi.
"Wah!" He reacted to seeing them behind him whilst sitting on top of the Wario Bike's exhaust pipes. He used one of the mushrooms he was holding on to, making Wario drive straight through the tiny patch of grass by the item boxes. He then used a second one to get across the mushroom pad quicker. Peach went over to the boxes and pulled another golden mushroom in now fifteenth place. The Hammer Bros went wide at the boxes and thus were now in last place. It was unknown to Peach and Daisy what item they had. Going across the first mushroom pad, the racers at the back encountered two vehicles at a standstill. Both Toad and Toadette and Dry Bones and Kamek were hit by someone else's bullet bill, being activated near the middle of the pack. As Peach inwardly drifted around the turn, they began to overtake more and more people. Now they could see more racers as they went onto the mushroom pad path for the first time this race. Pauline still wasn't in sight, and neither was Bowser. Daisy decided to keep the golden mushroom until the gap so they could hop across it a second time, hopefully being able to get all the way to the top of the ranks by the fourth lap. Entering the mushroom pad section of the cave they could finally see all the racers in front of them. As Peach was going on to the right side mushroom pads, Daisy peered into the distance to see Mario and Luigi currently in the lead. A bomb explosion in the middle of the top spots appeared in the middle of the last two mushroom pads, hitting several racers. Peach drove widely entering the area, hoping they wouldn't be hit by the racers who survived the explosion by landing on the mushrooms. Going on to the second last mushroom pad, Daisy started repeatedly grabbing on to the golden mushroom in her hand, causing them to fly forward, straight out of the cave. Peach aligned herself up perfectly again and managed to leap over the gap, overtaking several racers.
They were now in fourth, only behind Mario, Bowser, and Pauline. Whilst she and Daisy were doing a wheelie along the straightaway, passing the finish line and going in to lap 4, a blue shell appeared above them, seeking for Mario and Luigi. Just before it struck them, everyone else in the area was struck by lightning. They were all shocked and shrunk down to small size... except for the dodgers in seventh. Funky Kong and Cranky Kong's star almost ended, getting them up into first place, avoiding the explosion from the blue shell hitting Mario as well. Those two began to create a lead from the rest, still gaining extra speed on all the racers behind them. All the other racers started to resize before Peach, Bowser, and Pauline, causing the pack to become more compressed. Bowser had stolen the box that Peach wanted to go for. Since it was only lap four, she decided to still drive fast instead of slowing down for a stronger item box pull.
"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Daisy muttered as they drifted to the first mushroom pad. "...There's going to be another shock in the cave at lap five."
"I'll make sure to go left side, if there's no shock and we have mushrooms, we'll take the gap." Peach said back to Daisy, her eyes still focused on the road and taking the best drifting lines around the bends before the next set of mushroom pads.
They pulled an item box at the mushroom pads in fourth, triple bananas. Temporarily, Daisy deployed them behind their vehicle, but allowed it to rotate around it for maximum defence. Pauline was just in front of her, having a fake item box in one hand and her other on the steering wheel. Daisy became distracted again from seeing her drive alone and managing both components of a tag-team. On the left side of the first split, Bowser Jr deployed a green shell for his rear defence, driving faster into the cave than they were by going over the boost panels. Behind Daisy was now King Boo, who appeared to have a red shell. Just behind him was Wario, and from what she could see, Waluigi was holding a POW block. Daisy gulped, and turned her head forward back to Peach as they entered the cave.
"Waluigi's got a POW, and King Boo's got a red." The two looked back whilst they drifted in the cave. Peach immediately turned forward again, making sure that her eyes were ahead. She watched Pauline aim her fake item box on to one of the mushroom pads in the cave. It landed on the second mushroom pad on the right side, the one just before the floating item boxes. Bowser drove widely and missed the opportunity to chain an extra item. Another blue shell was in the air, going straight for Funky Kong, who luckily was already at the end of the cave before it locked on to him and Cranky Kong. Daisy began to litter her bananas before the panel before the abyss, scattering them all over the place for King Boo to avoid. Peach managed to drive around the fake item box on the mushroom pads and was able to bounce in to one of the boxes on the right side: single mushroom, something they thought was perfect. As Peach had her eyes still on the mushroom pads, Daisy watched the racers avoid her bananas. Wario managed to drive around the bananas, but Toadsworth slid in to the rightmost banana in his concerto, slipping off and falling in to the abyss. Daisy sighed with frustration seeing the two Toads fall. Going further through the cave, she turned her head forward back to Bowser. He was right behind Funky Kong at this point leaving the cave, looking like he could score another big amount of points for this race. He was definitely looking at double digit points guaranteed.
The final lap was about to hold sway, with the Koopa king just behind first. Peach and Daisy were just a tiny bit behind in third, taking the gap cut three times now. Bowser Jr turned around to see them right behind him, scaring him slightly.
"Dad! Peach and Daisy are right behind us!" Bowser eyed back briefly, taking a tight turn in the flame flyer up to the first mushroom pad. The POW came for them as they flew up in the air from the mushroom pad, evading the earthquake effect. Peach and Daisy were struck by it as they bounced on the mushroom pad, losing hold of their green shell that they had just pulled. Bowser Jr acquired a fake item box from the first set of item boxes, still keeping hold of it. The pack started to compress, with Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa using a golden mushroom to get up to the top spots. There was now a second between Funky Kong currently in first and the current eighth place holders: Shy Guy and Lakitu. Everybody started briefly overtaking eachother as the race went on for another few seconds before people started reaching the cave section one last time. Bowser Junior attempted to throw the fake item box forward towards Cranky Kong, who threw back a green shell at the same time. They both evaded each other's fire, but the fake item box ended up being hit by Pauline, sending her back several spots. Peach and Daisy avoided the mess, like most other racers, but the green shell ended up being back hit by Shy Guy in eighth. He too fell all the way to the back.
"I'm not going to lose to some bullshit!" Bowser roared as he drove on to the left side mushroom pads, thinking they would be safer than the right side if the pack of racers were to go that way. Peach and Daisy started to follow him on his tail, taking the same lines he did up there. Daisy turned around to see some racers use all of their items. Shells started flying everywhere before the mushroom pads section, and a few racers started getting in to stars. One pair managed to activate a bullet bill in the middle of the pack, flying through the cave whilst others were bouncing.
"You're not going to win this time!" Peach challenged Bowser, going through an item box and giving a red shell to Daisy. "Throw it when he lands." She then whispered to her.
"On it." The two looked ahead of Bowser, seeing him pull a banana in second.
"Keep the red shell in defence. We might need another item." They went over the item set immediately after the first one on the left side, getting another red shell.
"Perfect!" Daisy cheered. "We can stop him!" Their position dropped by two, seeing the bullet bill users fly through the cave and another pair use mushrooms on the right side. Most of the racers in the cave went on the right side as it is usually quicker.
A few seconds later however, the cave darkened, and a second shock came in to play. About twelve pairs of racers were struck by it in the cave, and most of those were shocked in horrible spots, causing them to fall down in to the abyss. Peach and Daisy were shocked mid-air and fell on to a red mushroom pad, causing them to stay bouncing; however, Bowser and his son were not so lucky. Their banana flew up into the air and landed on a mushroom pad, but they did not. They fell down in to the abyss and had to be returned up to the right side's green mushroom pads to respawn. As for the other racers, the bullet bill users dodged the shock in first place just before being deployed out of it at the exit of the cave, Kamek and Dry Bones dodged whilst in a mega mushroom on the right side of the cave, going down in to regular size and pulling a single mushroom in fifth place at the time they crossed the boxes. Two other pairs further back dodged in stars, allowing them to get another item at the right side item boxes. As angered as could be, Bowser met himself respawning next to six other racers, all back to normal size and all going on to the green mushroom pad. He was disgusted to see many other racers, still tiny, bouncing across the red mushroom pads in front of him, and seeing a few others already out of the cave. Now all he could do is drive the last section as best as he could to see if he could overtake anyone else.
"Out of my way!" Bowser growled, boosting upon his landing. He went up the red mushroom pads and out of the cave quicker than anyone else behind him, but it wasn't enough for him to catch up to the rest of the racers. He eventually crossed the line with high speed, unsure of how he finished. Sadly for him, there were a lot of racers already on the other side of the finish line, slowing down and stopping their vehicles. He waited for the rest of the racers to finish, watching them drive against eachother. Afterwards, the scoreboard finally began to update for the results of the race.
RESULTS:
Wario and Waluigi: +20
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: +17
Toad and Toadette: +15
Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: +13
Toadbert and Toadsworth: +12
Dry Bones and Kamek: +11
Peach and Daisy: +10
Mario and Luigi: +9
Rosalina and Pauline: +8
Shy Guy and Lakitu: +7
Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: +6
Bowser and Bowser Jr: +5
Tom and Enrique: +4
King Boo and Petey: +3
Yoshi and Birdo: +2
Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: +1
UPDATED SCOREBOARD:
Bowser and Bowser Jr: 153
Rosalina and Pauline: 137
Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: 129
Peach and Daisy: 128
Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: 120
Yoshi and Birdo: 109
King Boo and Petey: 109
Mario and Luigi: 106
Wario and Waluigi: 104
Shy Guy and Lakitu: 99
Dry Bones and Kamek: 98
Toad and Toadette: 92
Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: 90
Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: 85
Toadbert and Toadsworth: 84
Tom and Enrique: 75
Peach couldn't help but watch Waluigi dancing around their bike after winning. Thankfully for her she at least managed to beat Bowser. She then jumped in surprise after being patted on the back by somebody. She turned around to find out it was Enrique.
"We've got some things to do." He said to her and Daisy, trying to get her to leave the track before everyone else. Before she could say anything, their conversation was interrupted by the sound of an angry Koopa. The Hammer Bros got themselves in to an argument with the Koopa Troopas, presumably about them finishing last that race.
"Let's go now." Daisy beckoned the rest over, making them brisk walk off of the track and up the constructed stairs towards the participants' tent on top of one of the grassy mountaintops. Peach looked back down on the track to see most of the racers still there. They were getting ready to leave, but didn't seem to want to rush out of the venue as quickly as they usually did. She could barely see any of the crowds from here either. Their stands were so far from the starting line that she couldn't even see clear faces. Only blobs were seen leaving the seats and going out of the venue in an orderly manner.
"Time to fasten this up." Enrique stretched his arms out before entering the tent. As Peach went inside she saw Enrique sprint over and jump on to one of the sofas in the tent, waiting for the others to come in. "How are you going to let the people know?"
Several Toad management crew members turned their heads in reaction to what Enrique said, looking over towards Peach.
"What's happening?" Toadant asked Peach, standing by the microphone by the whiteboard in the room. He had just finished writing down the time for the thirteenth race: February 8, 12:00PM, Daisy Cruiser, arrive at Peach Beach, Elhelm for 11:30AM.
"First we are going to choose races seventeen to twenty, then we are going to announce their dates. They are going to be daily instead of every other day, as we need a bit more time afterwards at the moment. Having a day's break can be very wasteful sometimes." Peach said back to Enrique and Toadant, as well as Daisy, Pauline and Tom, who walked in to the tent behind her.
"I almost forgot about the ballot box, and speaking of Daisy Cruiser, we have sorted out the mess from before there, right?" Enrique wondered. "You know... Kugen?"
"Yes, we have handled Kugen and Manes." Peach walked over to the centre of the room by the whiteboard and picked up the ballot box of all the remaining race tracks that was placed next to Toadant. He set up her microphone and got everything ready for her before moving over to the back of the tent where the rest of the workers stood. They all watched the participants walk in to the tent, one by one, getting seated and ready for Peach to make another announcement. The management crew also set up a camera so that Peach would get broadcasted, but instead she refused them to play it. She would prefer to announce it indirectly through other sources such as the news and notice boards.
"I better see Rosalina in the next race." Cranky Kong confronted Peach as he entered the tent, holding on to his walking stick.
"Why don't you help us look for her?" Peach snapped back at him quietly.
"Maybe I will. For now, I hope to see some changes around as a result." He started making his way to sit down with the rest of the Kongs. "...and Pauline, congratulations on your high performance this race. It must have so tough out there to do both jobs on your own when everyone else has a partner." Peach listened in, unsure if he was being patronising, sarcastic, both, or neither.
"Thank you. That's very kind of you to say." Pauline appreciated. Cranky nodded and got himself seated. Eventually, everybody sat down rather obediently and waited for Peach to begin her speech.
"Thank you all for once again sitting down rather promptly and orderly. I also thank you all for being very punctual and attentive for these races. I know that one of us isn't here at the moment and we are doing the best we can to look for her. The thing with Rosalina is that she is a little bit different to all of us in her own way and it may be why it is taking us this long to get in to contact with her. She should be back soon and if she is not back by two days time then she will be replaced with a substitute until she returns. We're now three eighths in to this trial tournament and it is now time we announce the fifth set of races." She picked up the ballot box and placed it on the table in front of her on the stage. "There is going to be a slight alteration with the races here. While we currently have races happening every other day, we will be implementing these to be without a day's interval. This means we will have race sixteen, DK's Jungle Parkway, to be on the fourteenth, we will have each of the races afterwards to be on the fifteenth, sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth. This will likely continue for the four races after that as well. We will decide that by the time we finish with Parkway." The racers sitting in front of her started muttering amongst themselves. Since she wasn't able to distinguish anything from it to comment on, she decided to resume her speech. To her surprise she wasn't questioned about the changes to the racing days. It seemed like everyone would be comfortable with it, including Bowser.
"We will now get on to the race track selections." The volume of chattering in the audience lowered, and everybody started facing forward and paying attention to Peach again. "Race seventeen..." She reached down in to the ballot box, gave it a shuffle, and pulled one out. "...Birdo, with Coconut Mall." Peach smiled, hearing a light applause for the track pick.
"Race eighteen..." She sifted through the box again, pulling out another tiny piece of folded paper. The box started to feel more and more empty. "...Funky Kong, the Snowboard Cross." She nodded at him, witnessing another quiet applause.
"Race nineteen..." She reached down in to the box and picked one out immediately this time. "...Koopa, Wild Woods." Another applause. "And finally, race twenty..." Peach went down the box one last time, taking another piece of paper out. "...Tom, with, Airship Fortress..." There was not a round of applause this time, only a few claps from Enrique. "That concludes those four race track selections. Now there are only ten left in the box to choose from, since we already have our final two races preselected. Thank you all for coming and I will see you all in two days time for Coconut Mall!" Peach waved goodbye to the audience, walking off stage to her right. The seats on that side were occupied with Tom and Enrique talking to each other, the Toads talking all amongst themselves, and Daisy and Pauline, getting out of their seats to go and see Peach. As the racers started to leave, the management crew workers started taking down the tent.
"That was amazing Peach!" Daisy cheered, giving her a big hug. "I love watching you speak in front of a crowd. It really shows your power put in example sometimes!" Peach blushed, shoving Daisy back on to a chair rather playfully. Pauline also started to smile, despite her current situation.
"I think I'm starting to get the hang of handling everyone at once." She said back with a bright mood, which was actually short-lived after noticing that Bowser was still in the room. He stood behind the chairs on the other side of the tent as it began to disassemble.
"Peach... a moment between just the two of us please?" He beckoned her over, turning off her playful tone.
"I'll give this monster his chance." She whispered to Daisy and Pauline, walking back on to the stage and heading out of the tent with him. She stood outside and waited for him to speak.
"I appreciate your plan to reduce the time between every race. It will save me from being bored all the time in my castle." He lectured.
"What's your point? Also, you seem a bit more polite to me recently." She responded rather bluntly.
"Perhaps I have learned a thing or two whilst I've been kept in isolation for the past few weeks. My point is, and I have two actually, are these. One, I have heard no update on my other children, do you have anything to say about them?" He said with a worrying tone, not often the way he would speak.
"You sent them off to live with your... I don't know the relationship that big green Koopa is to you, but I have had nothing back from them. I'm sure they are fine." He let out a sigh of relief.
"The other thing is, now that you're squishing the days of the races, it is still my trial, how will I be affected by this?"
"The date you are to be sentenced remains the same. The deciding day of whether you will be or not is just brought back."
"That's only if I lose." Bowser reminded her.
"When you lose." Peach argued back.
"If I lose." He counter-argued, still feeling strong at his chances of winning. "I don't know exactly what it is you are doing with this event, but I'm starting to like how you're handling it." Peach felt surprised for a second. "You're getting more money from these than it takes to fund anything you want. Surely you've got a plan to make use of all of those coins you have stored in your castle."
"The government workers have gotten a pay rise since you've been held in captivity." She tried to argue a point across, but it didn't move Bowser one bit.
"There's still more than enough for you all." Bowser grinned. "If you were smarter than this you wouldn't be facing a problem beyond the mountains. If I lose, then I wouldn't be around to help you when they realise I'm out of the system." He nodded to her and started walking away. Peach didn't bother to say anything else to him but instead heed his words and keep them in mind for later.
The tent was now fully disassembled and almost all of the participants had left the area. Besides the toad management crew, all she could see left in the foundations was Daisy, waiting for Peach and sitting on two chairs. Tom and Enrique had driven down the mountains and Pauline left on her own. She walked over to Daisy, who got out of her seat and stood up to her friend.
"The Toads loved the race, and they're excited about the change of plans for the other races." Daisy greeted her once again.
"I'm sure they would, did Tom say anything about it? Luigi?" Peach said back, desperate for information.
"Tom's got no opinion, only the fact that keeping up with Eoréc and Neodjan might be a struggle." Daisy replied. "As for Luigi... He's alright with it."
"I completely forgot about Eoréc, I hope he's doing alright." She began to walk with Daisy out of the top of the mountain and down to the private car park where the transport back to her castle would be waiting for her.
"We still have a few more day breaks where we can adjust to the future changes. I take it the other races are already sold out?"
"The next four are sold out, but the ones we just announced haven't been made available yet. I'm sure Toadant's able to manage that like he always does. They'll be up for grabs within a few hours." The two were met with a few Toads standing outside their transport vehicle, waiting to take them down the mountains and on the highway heading straight back to Mushroom City. "Speaking of Eoréc, Muji's going to be travelling down tonight. You and I have got a lot of plans to discuss with him."
"What plans?" Daisy said as she got in to the car.
"Battle plans..."
EOC: The second quarter to the story has finished, and a second Prologue Extract will be released in this fanfic's next update. So far only twelve of the thirty-two races have been played, but they will come slightly more often in the future, especially towards the later half of the next quarter. If you have not done so already, answer the poll in my accounts bio, let me know about what your thoughts are on the true winners of the tournament!
See you next time!
