Fighting in the Streets
Chapter 44 – Moonview Highway
A/N: This chapter also has a race, and will start to slide away from the less important parts and focus more on the main story. Also, for anybody who is interested, use if you want to look at some of the tracks that are selected in the races. The events that occur in the races match the race track as much as possible, the website allows people to freely roam and phase through the tracks (found in the categories of Mario Kart Wii and DS only) to see what is happening where.
February 11, 2015 – 9:30AM
Peach's Castle, Mushroom City
Still craving that warm sensation, Peach rushed back over to the glass windows of her castle after delivering her breakfast board to the workers and sat down with the sunlight hitting her back. This gave her an idea to get the builders to construct a sort of renovation to the ceiling of the castle. Instead of having a pointed brick roof, she thought maybe she could get them to create some sort of expensive adjustable cover so that she could open up parts of her bedroom roof to let sunlight in from all angles at all parts of the day. She would need to put some thought and planning in to making it work though.
A rather annoying thought still filled her mind. For once she wasn't worrying about danger or threats, but instead a matter of jealousy. For the past month she has had no time for love, whether it would be petty or real. Anything that she did do in this time that involved entwining with someone else would be purely in the moment and a one-off sort of thing. Now that she seems to realise that Daisy enjoys many more leisurely activities that wouldn't seem as fun to start off with because of doing it with Luigi, somebody she loved, Peach began to wonder if she could experience the same sort of thing whilst managing the kingdom at the same time. After all, she thought she did deserve some leisure time after all of the hard work she's putting in for the people. She should have a chance at this life too.
Peach had pretty much taken rule of the other two major southern lands – Wuhu and Delfino – indirectly from Daisy and Éclair. Sarasaland was inside the bounds of the Mushroom Kingdom anyway so for Daisy to rule over some land that she doesn't even live in, it wouldn't seem to work out well with the people. Although Éclair resided in the now-called Wuhu Kingdom, which has gone through many name changes in the past, she refused her right to rule in years past. Peach had then resorted in to leading them all. What mainly separated them was their cultural differences, their borders were way less restricted than the borders to the north. Trains ran through the southern borders every day. Since lots had changed over the five year period known as the glory days, the cultures across the three lands started to mix together anyway as the land become heavily modernised like Earth in present day.
Whilst still looking down on the city and admiring the warmth from the sun on her back, Peach began to rethink her love interests. Now there were many people to choose from, but nobody seemed to be on perfect terms with her. There were certainly a lot more humans around in the local area, but all seem to know each other so well. Mario was her biggest concern, she still felt like she couldn't get back with him again after casting him away with what felt like for good. Perhaps she needs more time to let things settle down again after she deals with Bowser. Peach wasn't a hundred percent happy to get back with Mario though, as she dreaded the chance of him being his corny self again, which in times like these severely put her off him in the first place. Peach wanted somebody who had more to offer than just somebody who's good at saving her and giving her everything she wanted and doing everything they can together and being for her when she needed it. Would that be too much to ask? Peach thought the opposite instead: is he too much for her? The struggle she had at the moment is that there are many people, including Mario, who would make a great boyfriend to her, but in the future, how well would they turn out to be a King. Whoever she chooses to keep would end up becoming someone who had just as much power as she did, and she could tell that nobody she could think of would be able to carry so much weight of the land on their backs with her.
...
About an hour later, Peach had gotten herself ready for the day, still wearing a less open dress. She had gone all the way down the floors of her castle to meet one of her prisoner friends inside his own personal cell.
"Guess who." Peach got the prisoner's attention as he was lying plainly on his bed, staring up to the ceiling.
"Ah, Peach. Come to grace me with your presence again I see. What are your troubles for today then?" Muji, the prisoner, turned around and sat upright on his bed, facing Peach as she reached the fence of his cell.
"I don't actually have many troubles today my good friend." Peach smiled as she spoke back to him. "My only trouble today is that I still have you as a prisoner here." She presented him with the key to his cell, placing it in the lock and unlocking the cell door for him. "I'm very sorry I put you in here to begin with. It was a terrible act for me to do." Muji didn't seem to move anywhere from where he was sitting, despite having the door open for him to leave.
"All I would like is for my clothes to be back, and cleaned." He grinned. "I must ask, what has caused this change in behaviour?"
"I will tell you about that over lunch. Please, come with me." Peach made the door as open as possible and offered out her gloved hand to him in the cell, willing to escort him out of here and up the levels to the ground floor of the castle. She took him all the way to the informal dining hall she had on the first floor of her castle, taking the stairs instead of the elevator. It was situated behind her throne room and the kitchens next to it spanned two floors, connecting to the formal dining room on the second floor just above them. On the walk, Peach had called for Muji's clothes to be returned to him, and as they got to the dining table, Muji placed his proper clothes on the seat next to his.
"So..." Muji began. "...You were going to tell me something about your behaviour."
"Yes." Peach thought. "I've got a little bit of a concern with something. It's not the typical matter." She too pulled up a seat opposite him and waited with him for their lunch to be prepared by the Toad cooks in the kitchen. "It's about me."
"That's a surprise." Muji joked.
"Is it bad if somebody like me wants to spend more time doing social activities and leisure? Since I am a Queen now I feel like it has become difficult to keep up the two lifestyles." She asked him, leaving him slightly confused and lost for words.
"I don't think this is the time to be thinking about those kinds of things." Muji tried to find something to say, unaware of Peach's stance. "What exactly do you mean by social activities? You've played football, you are currently racing, and you've played other sports as well. I am a little confused at what you're trying to tell me."
"What I'm trying to say is..." She began to stutter. "...Do I need to be the one to manage everything in the land?"
"You don't anyway." Muji replied immediately. "Your government caters for most of the things anyway. The laws are enforced by the Brigade, the threats are dealt with by the Patrol, the government makes sure everything is going well and that the people are happy. You are just the face of royalty and your responsibilities are just making sure that the Patrol, the Brigade, and the government are doing the right thing which I believe they are."
"But what about... Bowser? Koopak? And the north?" Peach wasn't exactly worrying at this point, she was just reminding Muji of other major possible threats that were still present in the lands.
"Well, Bowser is dealt with. It's only a matter of time before he meets his end. As for Koopak, he's not really a problem anymore. That reminds me, what's the latest with Uldersal?"
"We've seized the city. Joharnés fled the city but took Captain Toad with him. They are still wanted."
"Good, and as for the north... well... they haven't done much to us recently. If we keep up a defence then maybe we can leave them alone." Muji paused for a short moment, thinking about the situation in his head, making Peach look at him awkwardly whilst they waited for their lunch to be served. "The Red Martyrs will deal with this though, and your border patrol. You don't have anything to worry about."
"That's good." Peach was delighted to hear that and also see her dinner get delivered to the table by the waiters. "Now, another thing I would like to tell you is now that I have my responsibilities in order and more time on my hands on average per day, would you say I am fit for love again?"
"I hope you're not referring to me with that sentence." Muji joked, making both him and Peach laugh.
"No not all, thankfully." Peach swept a tear of joy from her face whilst tucking in to her meal. "I'm talking seriously here. I'm getting a little bit envious of Daisy and Luigi, and that I might not be able to have it like they do anymore since Mario and I are on difficult-to-heal terms."
"So what you're saying is you want a boyfriend?" Peach looked back at him awkwardly.
"Kind of." She shrugged. "Knowing those two they will be together all the way to marriage and beyond. I never really had the intent on going that way with Mario since I have so much on my shoulders I never thought he would be up for the job anyway."
"You don't need to worry about that." He sensed a bit of sadness in her eyes. "There is still a lot of time before you can meet the person in your life that can be your King. I will agree that these current times aren't very well in terms of having people who would be fit for the job. It's not just about finding somebody who can match the level or status you have. You can still marry a common person. You do not have to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors. Times are much different compared to then."
"Who is there that I could possibly love that isn't Mario?" She put Muji in to a deep thought on the matter.
"Mario has done so much for you. I was a little upset myself the day I found out you two weren't a thing anymore. You two did make a good couple, no offence."
"None taken." Peach took the response lightly.
"You are right on the part where he wouldn't make a good King, and I know it's not all about that. The problem with him is that he would try to be a good King and not succeed in it since everyone sees him as a saviour that he wouldn't be able to live up to since the main threats he's used to will be no more." Muji finished his lunch first, thanking her for the meal. He looked once again at his clothes and got reminded by them to change in to them after leaving Peach for the rest of the day.
"I guess I should wait until this trial ends. That way I can have a clearer picture on where I want to go in life. Everything seems so different compared to how they were last year. I want to go back to those times, just without Bowser in them. He has caused everyone enough troubles." Peach sighed, having her plate taken away by the Toad waiters.
"You can do anything you want once things are normal again. Just don't break the Accords." Muji reminded. "If you really want to, you can always put down your crown and leave the responsibilities of managing the Kingdoms over to somebody else. That way you can live your life in peace, and keep all the luxuries with you."
"I will have to think about that one." Peach thanked Muji for his time and allowed him to change his clothes somewhere out of sight for the meantime. Their terms were healed and Peach vowed not to impose any harsh punishments on him ever again. The two were friends and that was final. The two would go on to keep in touch over the phone, and Muji was set free from Mushroom City, spending the rest of the day venturing all the way back up to Aypyidaw, meeting Archbarn there before even he arrived back with his new recruits.
Peach wouldn't even end up going outside for the day either. This was the first day this year where she had never left the castle. She had barely any need to and nobody to see on this day. The afternoon was just spent relaxing, meditating, and checking up on some of the workers in the castle. Toadheim and the other castle and management workers were dealing with calls raised from the Brigade and Patrol, and an update on the Uldersal case was given to Peach herself. Most of the defenders of the Asquia manor had been arrested, including Taur Rovin, Kromark the Magikoopa and Mikey Clagbo. The whereabouts of Joharnés Asquia and his cousins were still unknown.
February 12, 2015 – 5:05AM
It wasn't pitch black outside, but the sun has yet to rise. Peach's room was dark, and there were very few lights coming from the main part of Mushroom City. From the south the horizon the sky was filled of various shades of blue and a peachy rim ever so close to it. The land from the sea leading all the way up to Toad Town was dark like shadows, and at this exact time Peach was woken up by a brief knock on her door. She got out of bed, with her clothes already prepared at the end of her long bed from the night before, and headed over to open the door. Daisy was waiting outside, full of excitement.
"Luigi's outside the gate with the others. Get changed now!" She whispered, hopping about at the same time. Peach hurried over to her bed and changed out of her sleepwear and in to shorts and a t-shirt with a bikini underneath for the chance that she might go dipping in the sea.
"Almost ready!" Peach called out to Daisy from inside her room, trying not to be too loud. Even though it was a time where people would be sleeping, most of the domestic castle workers resided within workers' guest chambers starting from at least three floors down. Nobody was around on any of the highest three floors.
Peach got out of her room with a small bag to put her phone and other essentials in and waited to see what Daisy would do next. She assumed it's now time to head down the floors to the entrance to the castle. "I'm ready now." She mentioned to Daisy, who was also checking if she had everything she needed in her bag.
"Cool, let's head outside now." The two headed towards the nearest elevator and made their way down the floors to the entrance. The castle doors were already open and the guards who were on the night shift stood aside and watched the two depart. Daisy had already let them know that they were leaving and that Luigi would be waiting for them outside the gate. As a matter of fact, Luigi spent the time that would be used waiting for Peach and Daisy to be ready to instead get the others who would be coming with them from the penthouse building just across the road. With that being said, Luigi was the driver this time, and as Peach and Daisy got to the entrance to Toad Town, they saw him standing against the car he would be driving.
"Daisy!" Luigi cheered, letting her run up to him to exchange smooches. Accompanying Luigi in his car was Tom and Toby, and Luke but he wasn't inside the car yet. Peach noticed that all of them were wearing different clothes than what she usually saw them wear. All of them, including Luigi were wearing different coloured shorts or trunks, and a t-shirt on top. She briefly turned her head to face Luke as she assumed she would be sitting next to him in the car. He was putting his upper body over the roof of the car and resting his wrists on it from the other side. He gave a wave to Peach as Tom called out her name.
"Hey Peach." He greeted from inside the car.
"Hey guys." She waved back at them all. "Are we going to be in the middle then?" Peach asked as she got to the doors of the car. She fitted herself in gently and placed her bag by her feet.
"Luigi, set course for Meterene this time!" She overheard Daisy say to Luigi as Daisy got in to the front passenger seat. "We're going to have lots of fun, believe me Peach!" Daisy then turned to Peach in excitement. Peach smiled back, and briefly turned to her right to see the friend of Tom's she would be sitting with. She was unsure of Luke's name, not being able to distinguish him from the others. Noticing Toby in the back of the car next to Tom, she assumed correctly that it was him based off of what she could see from him in terms of the appearance mentioned by Peach. It was all she could go by, as Daisy didn't actually mention his name, only his appearance, so Peach only knew that it was the same person who went with them yesterday. Luke got in to the car and sat on the seat opposite Peach's, closing his door once he did his seatbelt up. The car was parked on the left hand side of the road, and Peach had herself sat behind Daisy. Not being in the driver's seat, she already began to feel awkward and also slightly embarrassed at not remembering Tom's friends' names. It put her off trying to start a conversation with them and instead she hoped they would start one for her that she could hop in to.
"Hi there by the way." Luke tried to speak to her, offering out his hand for a handshake. Peach didn't seem to notice that he was talking to her already. She became too focused on trying to overhear what Daisy and Luigi were saying to eachother. "Peach, are you alright?" He tried waving his hand to get her attention. As the hand got in to her vision she snapped back to reality and noticed Luke smiling at her, still offering her out his hand. "I'm Luke by the way, in case you have forgotten." Peach overheard Tom and Toby giggling from behind her in the back seats.
"I'm so sorry." She yawned. "I'm still a bit tired... Queen Peach." She shook his hand and smiled. "Of course you know me." She giggled a bit, trying her best to fit in and socialise.
"Most certainly. It's my first time as well. I do like my sleep!" Luke started talking to her whilst the vehicle got on to the southeast road out of Mushroom City. Luigi got the car on the right exit, going around the hedges of Toad Town and in to the southern woodlands further west of DK Jungle. The roads were quiet, and the sky was still relatively dark. The road they went down went straight through some green fields that went along the fenced train tracks heading towards the small station town of Toad Lake, residing about halfway between the hedges of Toad Town and the coastline. The further south they went, the more trees they started to see on both sides. To their left was DK Jungle, currently cleaned up and quiet, and on their right was the South Woods, nothing very special about them.
During most of the journey, Peach happily managed to feel comfortable, getting in to a lengthy and interesting conversation with Luke and the others in the back seats. She learned Toby's name, and therefore George's, not coming with them sadly due to the simple reason of him not wanting to. When asked before they left to meet Luigi, he refused and decided to head back to sleep. On the journey, Peach began to learn a little bit more about Tom's friends, for she had barely encountered them personally and for good reason. Even though they were from Earth, she learned that none of them intended to pose any threat on the way she ran the lands and the people occupying it. Peach learned that Luke was the one of the four who had most comfortably adapted to living in the Mushroom Kingdom. She learned that he was one who got on well with a lot of citizens, particularly becoming best friends with the Koopa Manes Cerces of Elhelm, and that he was also a very passionate chef and botanist, completely in love with the nature of the Mushroom Kingdom as well. Luke was a very friendly person, who seemed like he could get along with anybody. His personality was warm and welcoming, and Peach wanted to get to know him more because he seemed like a very caring person who would offer to help out whenever he could.
She also got to know Toby a bit more, but he was a little different to Luke. Toby was the shortest of the four new humans to the Mushroom Kingdom. He was a bit more reckless than Luke but even less than George, who she didn't even know about properly yet. Toby was nice to her, but he didn't seem to give off as much of an impression as she could from Luke. From what she got from him on the journey, she learned that he was probably the least familiar with the Mushroom Kingdom and the least likely to explore the lands alone. He was very comfortable around her knowing that he was also with Tom and Luke, but seemed oblivious to the status she has. She just saw him as a 'plus one' or an 'extra', but maybe she would learn more things about him if she was able to spend time with him alone.
...
They had arrived in Meterene, and beyond the town itself, the view beyond it was beautiful. Light started to appear on the beach and the brighter light from the approaching sunrise filled the horizon. The water was calm as usual, but it was perfect for them. Luigi parked the car on the side of a quiet road on the way from Meterene to Ricco Harbour, which they could actually see in the distance to the east. It was looking entirely like a silhouette from the angle they saw it from however. As the car came to a stop, Luigi immediately opened his door and got out of the car, just being able to see the horizon more clearly. He was as much in love with the view as everyone else in the car.
"Let's go down to the beach!" Daisy got out of her seat in the car and gazed down on to the beach.
"Yeah, can someone help us get out?" Tom asked the others in front. As they were sitting in the back seats, there was no door beside them and the middle seats would have to be adjusted to allow them enough room to get out. Peach got out of her seat and was unsure on how to configure her seat to allow him out. Instead, she watched Luke get out of his seat and immediately go to pull the seats forward, knowing that Peach was already out and holding her bag.
"Cheers mate." She heard Toby thank Luke, getting out of the car first and patting his shoulder. Tom slid across the seats and got out behind Toby. Peach admired the way Luke was always there to help others and how it always came in to his head first.
"You're such a helpful and kind person." Peach called out to him as he closed his door again.
"Why thank you." Luke smiled, looking back at her.
"See, we're not all bad people after all." Toby joked, walking across the road to meet up with Tom and Luigi. The three stood on a patch of grass in between the road and the edge of the small cliff just before the sandy beach. Daisy started to make her way down already, treading on the stone steps going along what appeared to be a closed hut residing near the edge of the cliff. Perhaps Meterene Beach was one that held some water sports activities.
"Luigi, can you hold my bag?" Daisy called out from the bottom step, taking off her casual shoes and placing them on the grassy patches next to the steps. Luigi headed down the steps to meet with her, taking her bag as she took off her t-shirt and passed that to him as well. "Peach, run with me!" She offered out her hand before stepping on to the sand.
"I don't have a towel." Peach mentioned to her best friend, slowly approaching the steps.
"Don't worry we have many in the boot of the car." Daisy kept holding out her arm, leaning slightly forward to let Luigi get past. He was the first one to be fully on the beach, walking towards the shoreline before the others. At the same time, Luke went to the boot of Luigi's car and took out all of the towels and put them in to a separate large bag. As Peach started to get out of her t-shirt, revealing what she had on underneath, she had to move aside to let the others make their way down the steps as well. None of Tom's friends or Tom himself had taken off their shirts yet, only Luigi and the girls had theirs placed on the grassy patches on the way down to the beach.
"I'll find a place to put the bags." Luke insisted, picking up Peach and Daisy's belongings to hold on top of his own. "You don't want to miss the sunrise." He turned around and reminded Peach. After she had given him all of her stuff, Peach reached out to Daisy's hand and grabbed it tightly, leaping on to the soft, dry sand at the backshore. There was nobody else in sight along the beach, so Daisy decided to run across the sand with Peach together all the way up to the tide. Standing by the shore they let the quiet waves rise up to their feet, wetting them with the cool sea water. Both were filled with excitement as they watched the horizon in front of them getting brighter and brighter.
"Any day, any day!" The two overheard Tom sprinting behind them, heading towards the waves. He was racing Toby, and managed to beat him to the water. Peach and Daisy watched as he kept going all the way in to the sea, submerging his lower legs and knees under the water.
"You only got flat sand." Toby joked, trying to make an excuse for his defeat in their race to the shore. They were both shirtless during the race, and must have given theirs to Luke. Peach and Daisy noticed him carrying all of their belongings from behind them and putting them all together on a small patch of sand a few metres from the top of the tide. Peach watched Tom and Toby get their bodies underwater, leaning down to be fully covered by the sea while Daisy had her body wrapped in Luigi's arms, watching the sun start to rise from the southeast. Luke eventually stood with the rest of them, waiting to get himself under the water as well. Peach began to notice that the sky by the horizon was almost completely orange, and the sun was starting to rise up. It was still rather dim, so it was safe for her to gaze at it.
"Look, here it comes!" Daisy pointed towards it and tried to get Luigi behind her to stare at it. "It's beautiful."
"Was it like this yesterday?" Peach whispered to Daisy.
"Pretty much. I can never get bored of a beautiful sunrise in the summer." Daisy and Luigi kept their eyes on it, but it didn't seem to interest Peach as much as it did them. She knew it was an amazing sight to see but she had other things to look at at the moment. Those bodies in the sea in front of her were nothing like the one she always saw of Mario. Only staring at their backs she could only imagine how they looked at the front. She assumed six packs on all of them, and couldn't wait to see them turn around to get out of the sea. The three heads she watched kept staring at the sun until it eventually started to appear brighter after a few minutes, completely off the horizon and heading upwards and rightwards. The waves began to lighten up with the sun's reflection and Toby started to rise up from resting in the water. He turned around and started walking out of the water towards the bags and belongings. He made absolutely no eye contact with Peach, even though she was examining his chest as he was walking up. His body seemed rather normal. Not too fat nor too thin, but not very muscular either.
"Alright. It's getting too bright now." Daisy giggled and began to look away from the rising sun.
"I'm going to freshen up." Luigi unwrapped his arms around her and started making his way to the tide, slowly lowering himself in to the water. "Want to come in?"
"I must not get my hair wet." Daisy skipped towards Luigi in the sea and got down to shoulder height underwater. "Peach come in!"
"Yeah Peach, come in!" Tom also pressured her to enter the waters. "It will help you wake up." She slowly got herself in to the waters, feeling way more relaxed compared to even when she was just standing on the sand and letting the breeze go past her.
"Ooh it's a bit cold." Peach mentioned to the others as she lowered her body in.
"It is just sunrise." Luigi laughed with her.
"Toby, you coming back in?" Tom called out to see Toby, about to wrap a towel around his upper body.
"Nah, I'm good." He started to dry himself, and then made his way all the way back to the backshore where he could find a tap to rinse the sand off of his feet before heading back up to the car. Everyone else was still in the sea, spending a few more minutes there before eventually getting out themselves. Peach enjoyed the experience of seeing the sunrise at a beach more than she thought she would, but she still felt a bit shy when talking to Luke, and she couldn't fathom out why. Maybe she was not as used to talking to him as she did with the others, especially when Luigi and Daisy would almost always be together in the water and talking amongst themselves. There were few things she was concerned about in terms of the time spent with the others today, what she wanted to know about the most was why Enrique didn't come. She hadn't properly spoken with him for quite some time, and would have expected him to at least come as well. She tried to remind herself to speak to him tonight.
7:30PM
Eastern Mushroom City
On the eastern edges of the city was where the track was set up. Some of the roads of Mushroom City were barricaded off and closed in preparation for the track, and the entire cliff edge was set up. The sun was now setting, and most people had made their way to the track area already with it being very local. Peach had spent another day doing very little. Most of it was spent in Toad Town with Luigi and Daisy, having breakfast, lunch and dinner together. Tom went on to sleep for a bit during the day before practicing some driving in the fields further east with Enrique before the event, and Luigi was still yet to see Mario for the day as well. He hadn't seen him since the night before when Mario headed out for an evening dinner with Pauline, not mentioning her to him.
Like Mushroom City's race, this one was very much built in to the city. Stands were all over the track, but most of the venue's seating was composed in the inner city behind the blockades that separated the track with the rest of the area. The Toad management crew managed to set up the participants' tent very close to the starting line; on the hilltop just to the left of it, just behind some trees.
Peach had arrived in her biker gear with Daisy, and the two started making their way down to the track together. Most of the racers were already in their vehicles getting ready for the race to start. People were watching from behind the fences and walls. Some people were even watching from their own apartments and balconies surrounding the track circuit. Unfortunately, the soundproof barrier could only go ever so high, and some of the noise coming from the tallest buildings could be heard from inside the track. With the possible chance of anybody interfering with the race from some of the buildings, the Toad management crew employed extra guards to watch the stands and the people viewing the event. Screens around the track became lit up and presenting everyone watching with the next race, and everyone's current standings so far.
POSITIONS:
FIRST: King Boo and Petey
SECOND: Mario and Luigi
THIRD: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa
FOURTH: Toad and Toadette
FIFTH: Peach and Daisy
SIXTH: Wario and Waluigi
SEVENTH: Rosalina and Pauline
EIGHTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu
NINTH: Dry Bones and Kamek
TENTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong
ELEVENTH: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong
TWELFTH: Bowser and Bowser Jr
THIRTEENTH: Tom and Enrique
FOURTEENTH: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro
FIFTEENTH: Toadbert and Toadsworth
SIXTEENTH: Yoshi and Birdo
SCOREBOARD:
FIRST: Rosalina and Pauline: 167
SECOND: Bowser and Bowser Jr: 166
THIRD: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: 150
FOURTH: Peach and Daisy: 145
FIFTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: 137
SIXTH: King Boo and Petey: 133
SEVENTH: Mario and Luigi: 132
EIGHTH: Wario and Waluigi: 128
NINTH: Dry Bones and Kamek: 118
TENTH: Yoshi and Birdo: 116
ELEVENTH: Toad and Toadette: 112
TWELFTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: 112
THIRTEENTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: 109
FOURTEENTH: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: 96
FIFTEENTH: Tom and Enrique: 96
SIXTEENTH: Toadbert and Toadsworth: 88
Starting behind the previous race's winners, Peach and Daisy got themselves ready on their bike. All the other racers appeared ready and on time, making it one of the most punctual starts so far. The item boxes lit up and programmed vehicles were in place, and the holographic Lakitu came down to start everyone off. The lights flashed, and off they all went, commencing the fifteenth race of the tournament. Peach and Daisy missed out on a box at the first set, and knowing that going off the main track to get a box would slow them down, the two pressed on down the middle of the road behind the rest of the front runners. The Koopa Troopas were the first to become victims to the moving vehicles; King Boo and Petey pushed them aside with the sheer weight of their Piranha Prowler and sent them in to the milk truck on the left side of the road. The two went down several positions by the time they recovered. As it turns out, the two watched the view in front of them become a total massacre. As the two drove on they watched Funky Kong and Cranky Kong activate a mega mushroom only to be stopped by a larger truck on the right side, those two being held at a standstill temporarily caused them to flatten overtaking racers. At the same time, Dry Bones and Kamek threw one of their green shells forward, going straight in to a bomb car, causing more racers to be struck and sent up into the air. Only three racers managed to get out of the initial massacre, causing the first stretch in the pack as they got to the bridge around the huge tight bend overlooking the view of the rising moon and Acorn Lake, with the Acorn Plains on the other side. King Boo and Petey still had the lead, with only a banana being trailed for defence. Behind them in second was Peach and Daisy, able to perform a tight inward drift around that large bend to get away from the massacre swiftly. In third was Toad and Toadette, still keeping up after just about being able to avoid Cranky Kong's mega mushroom usage. The three kept the gap from the rest of the racers, but by the time they got to the boost panels the gaps between eachother started to increase in length. With attempts made by Peach to slow down Petey with her items, and King Boo's cautious item backs, Daisy would have to rely in tight drifting and perfect driving around the corners in the second lap to catch up to the current front runners. An unlucky third place thundercloud that didn't seem to be passable ruined Toad and Toadette's chances to stay up at the top. Those two being shrunk caused them to fall back beyond sight and in to the middle pack of racers.
Even though the sky was dark, it darkened even more briefly, as the first shock was already used. About forty seconds in, the racers at the back were significantly far behind, only going on to the boost panel section as King Boo and Petey were taking the first two turns in the second lap. Due to the shock happening so early, the car patterns became nice for the two up in front. The bomb car and the milk truck had already passed them before they took the huge turn overlooking the rising moon, allowing them to go as tightly as possible without worrying about any cars coming up ahead. As from experience in the sixth grand prix they knew there was a gap in the cars at this point. When they turned around they saw the blue car approaching off of the bridge, but they were already back on to the middle of the road and well out of harm. Daisy knew that the car was approaching the big turn as they made it from the other side, but since their bike had great inward drift, Daisy took the risk of going tight anyway, planning on going in between the turn and the car's path. As they got to the boxes after being briefly itemless as a result of the shock, Peach pulled a red shell, hoping to use on King Boo and Petey. They were on to the boost panels, trying to evade some of the cars and being slowed down a bit as a result. After taking the first turn in the city section, Peach threw the shell forward, striking the Piranha Prowler and slowing them down immensely. Unlucky for those two as they had a fake item box from the item set at the bridge. The car patterns made them unable to pull a better item for defence. Peach and Daisy entered lap three in first and the cars were being nice to them. The Moonview road was clear for them except for one thing they briefly saw at the end of it. The two had caught a glimpse of what looked like Tom and Enrique far behind in last. It appeared that Peach and Daisy were only seconds away from overlapping somebody for the first time in a race besides Pauline's stop on Piranha Plant Pipeway. The two had triple bananas so their defence was good enough for now. As they reached the tight turn on the third lap they caught sight of the two again, but they were using a golden mushroom to get up to the boost panel section, trying to get themselves back up to the next racer. Being this far ahead and without any other tag team behind them as they got on to the bridge, it looked like Peach and Daisy were able to run away with this race, and it continued looking so for almost another entire lap.
As time went on, the two eventually met themselves with their first blue shell, a few seconds in to lap four. When they landed they immediately picked up an item box to quickly give themselves a defence. Instead of King Boo and Petey approaching them in second it was actually an entirely different pair. To their surprise it was Toadbert and Toadsworth in second. Peach had no idea how, not expecting them to be this high up in the pack on a rather normal race. She could only assume that maybe they were just doing rather well. Toadbert and Toadsworth had triple shells surrounding their vehicle but they had no intention to collide with Peach and Daisy. They took first and went straight down the Moonview road. The car patterns were evil going in to lap four, making it highly difficult for Daisy to go in between the cars around the huge bend. It was not worth the risk. What was worse was that a POW block came as they were taking the tight turn, causing them to be shook off course and almost sent off the road. Daisy readjusted their line and almost made them go straight in to a yellow car on the left side of the road by the bridge. Having slowed down, they started to fall behind, almost to the point where the pack started appearing behind them, making their race a lot more difficult now. With their defence scattered on the edge of the road, Daisy deemed it necessary to pull an item box at the bridge, perhaps giving them a chance to attack the Toads currently in first. However, being on the left side of the bridge as they drove through the box, Daisy found herself trapped between a coconut truck and the three shells and banana that were spilled out by the two Toads. Daisy had no choice but to drive in to the banana by the metal fence on the left side to save herself from either going in to a green shell or being pushed aside or flattened by the truck. Their speed lowered, and the racers started to catch up with her. The red shell that she pulled for Peach to use as defence was also lost due to the banana spin effect. They were defenceless yet again. Now they had to hope for a good, useful item from the moving ones in the city section, making sure not to hit a car in the process.
Their luck had ran out yet again however, as when they took the rightward turn in the tunnel, they were met with a bomb car that seemed to have exploded without them even colliding with it. The explosion sent the two up in the air and back down rather quickly after hitting the ceiling of the tunnel. Peach and Daisy began to lose positions, being overtaken by the likes of King Boo and Petey again, as well as Bowser, Koopa Troopa, Rosalina, and Yoshi. Things became far tougher for them as they entered the final lap. This time, the car patterns were tough and the Moonview road was completely littered with item spill as a result of the POW. Up ahead they already saw another bomb car explosion, this time affecting Rosalina and Pauline. Being struck on the final lap felt like their race was already over. Peach and Daisy didn't want to dwell on the feeling and instead pressed on with their red shell that they pulled from the first item box set. Their race had just gotten worse as well as upon taking the tight turn; they were struck by a backed red shell, completely blind to them as they were taking it. Several more racers started to overtake them and their confidence to win was diminishing. Using a standstill mini turbo to get themselves going again, Daisy hoped to pull an item box at the bridge one last time, this time just to catch up as much as they could in order to get a good spot. In front of them were the Hammer Bros, activating a star as they drove through the item set. Daisy drove over a set and waited for the roulette to give an item to Peach...
The sky darkened again.
There was no time to Peach to receive an item. The shuffling item fell out of her hand as the two shrunk down to small size. Right behind them was a bill user, and Shy Guy and Lakitu going through an item set. Those two were most likely the ones to use the shock, as they weren't affected by it. Now the race seemed pretty much over for them. The two couldn't even count how many people had overtaken them. Going through the boost panels, the two went over one last item box. They received a golden mushroom. It wasn't very useful but maybe they could overtake somebody before crossing the line.
By the time they got there, their facial expressions were full of defeat. Neither of them were happy to see a substantial amount of racers that had already crossed the line. After waiting for the last ones to finish, Peach and Daisy awaited to see the scoreboard and the results of the race...
RESULTS:
FIRST: Toadbert and Toadsworth: +20
SECOND: Yoshi and Birdo: +17
THIRD: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: +15
FOURTH: Dry Bones and Kamek: +13
FIFTH: Tom and Enrique: +12
SIXTH: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: +11
SEVENTH: Bowser and Bowser Jr: +10
EIGHTH: Wario and Waluigi: +9
NINTH: King Boo and Petey: +8
TENTH: Mario and Luigi: +7
ELEVENTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: +6
TWELFTH: Rosalina and Pauline: +5
THIRTEENTH: Toad and Toadette: +4
FOURTEENTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: +3
FIFTEENTH: Peach and Daisy: +2
SIXTEENTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: +1
UPDATED SCOREBOARD:
FIRST: Bowser and Bowser Jr: 176
SECOND: Rosalina and Pauline: 172
THIRD: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: 161
FOURTH: Peach and Daisy: 147
FIFTH: King Boo and Petey: 141
SIXTH: Mario and Luigi: 139
SEVENTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: 138
EIGHTH: Wario and Waluigi: 137
NINTH: Yoshi and Birdo: 133
TENTH: Dry Bones and Kamek: 131
ELEVENTH: Toad and Toadette: 116
TWELFTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: 115
THIRTEENTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: 115
FOURTEENTH: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: 111
FIFTEENTH: Toadbert and Toadsworth: 108
SIXTEENTH: Tom and Enrique: 108
After all that frustration the race had only caused the scores to get even closer as they were soon to approach the halfway point of the tournament. Hopefully out of sight, Peach slid off of her seat on the bike and closed her eyes on the floor of the track.
"Come on, wake up." Daisy nudged her, not feeling rather happy for once. "You can take a nap inside the tent."
"I have nothing to say to the people up in the tent." The tired Queen pushed herself up, holding on to Daisy to get her balance back upright. She wanted to spend as little time as possible interacting with the others if they had any complaints for her during the race.
It seemed to be even better for her however, as both the Kongs and Bowser didn't end up staying there for long anyway. Bowser had gotten used to his routine where he'd be taken all the way back up north to his castle after every race with his son, taking no extra time out because he had no interest in talking to Peach yet. At least he was back in the lead now; only if he wasn't near there would he even consider making a complaint. For the first time in a while the Toad management crew were not ordered to disassemble the tent after a few minutes of the race ending. By orders of Daisy, they were told to leave it up so Peach could have a short nap on one of the sofas inside. Daisy went on to sit by her and watch as time went on through the night. She wasn't in the happiest mood either, so she didn't want to have to talk to many of the other racers...
EOC: The pace is back and fifteen races are down. The next race: DK's Jungle Parkway will be in two days, potentially two chapters away.
See you next chapter!
