Fighting in the Streets
Chapter 53 – Mario Kart Stadium
A/N: I realise this after I have written this chapter; like the previous one, this chapter is also reasonably long. I had to cut out the results of the previous race for this chapter. To see that, please go back to the previous chapter's results at the bottom if you need to remind yourself of the current scores.
February 18, 2015, 7:00PM
Airship Fortress, Bowser's Castle
On the way back to the tent to get their things and go, Peach was reminded of the fact that she would have to draw the next four races from the ballot box. She would have to stop Tom as he was running all the way to the tower.
"Tom!" She shouted. "You need to stay for the race deciding!" She managed to get his attention, but he was still moving towards the tower, skipping the passage that led to the participants' tent room.
"But we need to go. Can you get someone else to do it?" Tom called out, moving over to the passage. He just wanted to rush down the tower or find the elevator, but Peach managed to convince him otherwise.
"He will have to wait. This is important." Peach was caught up by Daisy, who was unsure why they were all running. Everyone else started to make their way to the tent cheering back at the crowds and cameras after the soundproof barrier was disabled. What Tom forgot was that there were millions of people watching these events, and he has just been seen running quickly from the race track by so many people. He stood outside the tent and waited for the other girls to catch up to him. He had a feeling that because he was to stay for the next raffle, he would end up bringing Pauline, Rosalina, and perhaps Luigi along with him to Blockfort. His car was big enough to fit them all in thankfully. He had used it several times with everyone in the house in the months past to go together to other places in the lands.
He went inside after seeing Peach and Daisy in first, standing awkwardly in front of all of the other Toad management crew preparing everything for the other participants. Several painful minutes passed, and everyone else showed up and sat down. He stood in the corner behind the Toads near the exit of the tent, waiting for the raffle to be chosen. The management had warned them to stay behind a bit more prior to the race to make way for this decision about to be made. For the first time, Peach wasn't the person making the announcement to the racers. Instead, Toadant stood up to the front stage, surrounded by other Toad management workers and staring in front of a camera that was broadcasting them to the people. He announced that he was taking charge of the races as they proceeded through the second half. There were only six left to choose from, and they were races 25 through to 30 as Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road were predetermined. Before today's race, Toadant had Bowser and Rosalina taken in to a separate room within the tower to ask them which of the Bowser's Castle and Rainbow Road races were to be chosen. Being asked separately and at different times, the information between was kept between Toadant and themselves. As a result of this, Toadant wanted to disclose this information at the end of race 24, being Dry Dry Ruins. With that, he will also reveal the other two races before that, which meant today, he would be picking out four of the six remaining pieces of paper from the ballot box.
"Before we determine the order of the next four tracks, I would like to make a reminder to you all that the final eight races will go back to the original period of being every two days. Given certain circumstances and some unforeseen absences, we have decided to revert back to this way. The final eight races will be tense, and having a break between each one will be very good for all of your health." Tom snapped from dwindling on his thoughts and started listening to Toadant. "Could I have my Queen Peach join us up on the stage to pull out the papers from the box please?" The management crew surrounding the back of the room applauded loudly. Being joined by the Toads and some of the Koopas, they made the applause loud enough to be appreciated by those watching the broadcast. Peach stood up on to the stage and went over to the ballot box. "Select the piece of paper for each race and hand them over to me." Toadant asked politely, that way he would be the one to unfold it and read it out to the public as well as the participants in front of him.
...
Peach stood up on the stage and shuffled the remaining pieces of paper in the ballot box and picked out the first one after a few seconds of shuffling. Looking away from the box, she picked it out and handed it immediately over to Toadant.
"Number twenty-five... is... Bone Dry Dunes, chosen by Kamek!" The management crew in the back applauded and cheered for the pick, showing more enthusiasm at the track selection than the racers in the tent themselves. Thankfully there were no cameras showing footage of them all sitting and standing in the back.
Peach waited for Toadant's nod signal and started picking out the next track out of the five papers remaining. All of the participants started to notice how few papers there were left inside the box. She chose the next one and passed it quickly over to Toadant, watching him unfold it in front of the microphone.
"Number twenty-six... is... Twisted Mansion, chosen by King Boo!" The crew cheered again, and Toadant waited for the applause to calm down before telling Peach to sift through the box once again. She barely shuffled them this time. Only four were left.
"So, the only ones that remain are the ones chosen by Wario, Lakitu, Enrique's and mine." Tom over heard the two Koopas whispering to eachother. Given that Koopa chose Wild Woods, he assumed that Fire Bro was the one talking.
"Number twenty seven..." He looked back to Toadant, receiving the third piece of paper from Peach and unfolding it. "Is... Dragon Driftway, chosen by Lakitu!"
Tom hadn't heard of this one before, so he had no idea where it would be. Bone Dry Dunes wasn't too far from Dry Dry Ruins. It would more or less be the same journey in to the southwest deserts in the Delfino Kingdom. He'd have to stop by at a place near Sunset Wilds or Symaer in order to get to both tracks. The audience watched Peach stick her hand in to the ballot box one more time. This time, she didn't even bother shuffling the papers. There were only three left, and she chose the last one she touched, lying in between the other two but slightly beneath them. She passed it over to Toadant and waited for him to reveal it to the public, smiling in front of the camera.
"And now, race twenty eight." Toadant unfolded the sheet of paper and took a deep breath before reading it out. "C-Cloudtop Cruise... chosen by Enrique." There was a short period of silence before the management crew started awkwardly clapping for the people watching. Caught on footage, it was clear that the management crew were not happy about his situation. Peach stood on the stage looking at a completely blank-faced Toadant.
"I understand your possible upset about Enrique's absence during the race today." Peach stood beside Toadant and looked directly in to the camera. "I can assure you though. His absence has been reasoned with, and the government operators dealing with him will see him to the next races as quickly as possible. Let us not forget the bravery and skill that his teammate showed in the race today. Let's have a round of applause for Tom!" She cheered in front of the camera and started clapping. The management crew workers in the back and Toadant also clapped with him, trying to hide away the problem arising from Enrique's disappearance. "Back over to you..." She whispered to Toadant, heading off the stage and moving away from the camera's view. Toadant began to say his final words and announced the time of Mario Kart Stadium tomorrow for the participants: midday tomorrow, so in approximately sixteen hours. Peach waved back to Toadant, thanking for his service. At the back, she went through one of the back entrances of the tent and escorted Tom and Daisy out with her. The participants were dismissed, and Rosalina and Pauline also noticed their unusual early departure.
AT THE CAR PARK. SOMEWHERE NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THE TOWER...
Tom rushed over to his car, taking the keys out of his pocket. He was in a desperate hurry to find his friend within the Rovin residence, hoping he would still be there. If he isn't, then it would be very difficult for him to track him down. It's the only place he can be sure to find him. Peach and Daisy got changed out of their biker gear on the way down and followed Tom right up to the car. They could both sense worry and paranoia from Tom's expression at the moment, watching him get in to the car quickly.
"Get in now or I'm heading off." He said to them informally and impolitely. Peach knew, he was in a rush, and went around the other side to get in to the passenger seat in the front. Daisy groaned and got herself in the middle seats, waiting for him to go off. As he turned the engine on, he spotted Pauline rushing out on to the roads in the car park, seeing Tom and heading over to him.
"Tom, stop, slow down." Pauline called out. "You couldn't help give me a lift back to the city, could you?"
"I'm not going to the city, I'm going to Blockfort. Plus, I'm in a hurry." He reversed out of his parking spot quickly, causing Pauline to back away from the car. Rosalina also appeared in the distance, alone and not looking in the mood to run. She had no idea what Tom was in a hurry for, and she just decided to watch what was happening from the distance.
"Tom, wait." Pauline tried to get his attention again.
"I'm sorry." Tom readjusted his car and drove away from Pauline, heading to the exit of the car park. He slowed down once more after hearing Peach order him to.
"Pauline." Peach called her name from the back of the car after opening up her window. "I can get the Toads to give you private transport for you. Where do you need to go?"
"Just... take me back to Mushroom City. I will stay there for the night and be prepared for tomorrow."
"I'll let them know." Peach closed up her window and let Tom drive off. She, Tom and Daisy proceeded down the road before the car park's exit and stopped right before the turning on the road. Rosalina walked down and stopped at them, walking over to Tom's side of the car.
"Going somewhere?" She asked, making him roll his window down. "Going somewhere?"
"Blockfort."
"I'll see you there." Rosalina smiled, and turned her back on him, leaving the car park and walking down the pavement beside the road. Tom took a right and started heading on to a highway that would get them out of Koopa City, heading westwards along the edge of the mountains and on course for Blockfort.
Everyone else now started to depart from the venue, with them all heading down the tower and out through the car park... except for Bowser and his son, who just simply got taken back to his castle to be kept under surveillance for another evening.
11:00PM
The Rovin Estate, Blockfort, North Delfino
Peach, Daisy and Tom were met with a town that went from recently free from any threats of government involvement to what looked like the sight of a crime scene. Police cars and trucks were parked along several side roads leading up to the road to the mansion, with several being parked right by the front drive. These were not just Delfino Capital police forces. There were Toad Brigade and police as well. Tom stopped the car outside the house in fright, undid his seatbelt and got out of the car immediately. He showed up to see all of the front windows of the mansion shattered and destroyed. The front doors were broken down, and Toad police forces occupied the front entrance, standing behind crime scene tape placed all along the front steps.
"Out of the way! Out of the way!" Tom began to tear up, charging through several Toads. He brushed past them all and knocked over a few just to go under the tape and reach the front doors. Some of the Toad Brigade tried to hold him back, but by the orders of Peach the soldiers let go of him, letting him head inside. The foyer and the first halls were filled with Toad and Pianta workers assessing the damage. It appeared that the place had been completely raided and ransacked, with several things stolen and broken. Blood marks were also identified on the floor, being seen to by the Brigade medics at the scene. "What's going on here?" Tom shouted down the corridors, trying to get the attention of some of the Toads inside.
"Make way! Make way!" Nobody responded to him, instead he saw a Toad medic and a Koopa medic run down the main hall, carrying a wounded Toad body on top of an emergency stretcher. He had no idea what happened here or who was here, but within the span of 24 hours, the Rovin residence went from looking like a fancy rich palace to the aftermath of a shop during a riot. Who could have done this?
Tom ran back outside to see one of the medics dealing with a patient. The wounded Toads appeared to be regular citizens, found on the floors of the mansion alone and there for ages.
"Have you seen to any humans out of the house?" He asked one of the medics. The Toad shrugged his shoulders, not being able to give a simple Yes or No answer. Tom began to grow more worried and upset, having no idea where Enrique could be. After seeing Peach and Daisy slowly head underneath the tape to see him, Tom ran off back in to the building. The next place he intended to go to the on the third floor where the crossing to Pom Pom's prison chamber was.
...
It was completely blocked off by tape and security guards. They were all muttering amongst themselves and not noticing Tom's appearance in the hallway.
"Where are they?" He shouted at the Toad security guards, interrupting their conversation and getting their attention.
"Where are who?" One of them spoke for them all.
"Enrique or Pom."
"We don't know about them. Neither of them was here when we arrived." Tom looked back at the security guards confused. He noticed that there were both Delfino and Mushroom Kingdom operatives working together throughout the building, and that some of them were writing in police force documents.
"Wait... What exactly happened here today?" He asked the security guards again.
"We have made over thirty arrests here today." The same guard replied back to him, surprising him. "The Rovin Estate has been looted and ransacked by a mix of people." Tom looked to the side, having no idea what to think about the situation. Eventually, Peach and Daisy caught up to him, looking at him to see what he was thinking about. All he gave back to them was a headshake. Peach groaned and Daisy screamed, echoing out throughout the entire hallway.
"There's someone else in here!" The three and the group of security guards heard voices come from the other corner of the junction. Several other Toads had broken down the door that was previously locked up when Tom was here yesterday. Inside was a Koopa prisoner that had his mouth completely covered up with ropes. The Toad security guards managed to break down the door to save the Koopa, bringing him out of the room and having him escorted down the hallway with them. Tom, Peach and Daisy ran over to see the Koopa, having the ropes removed from his mouth.
"Hostiles... they're everywhere! Trust no-one!" Tom sighed, watching the Koopa get taken away. He didn't appear to be a criminal, but a victim of another criminal's actions. He needed to speak to him some way, and get anything he can from him to try and find Enrique. Pom Pom also seemed to have vanished from the manor, as he couldn't sense the possibility that the Brigade arrested her if a lot of others were here first.
"I need to get out of here." Daisy complained. "This sort of stuff is not for my liking!" Tom watched Daisy storm out of the hallway and taking a turn to head down to the lower floors. Peach stayed with him, worried and silent, wondering what he was going to do next. His hands were twitching, and his head was slightly crooked. Peach got closer to him and held her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him. Tom's face didn't turn to her. Instead he kept facing straight in front of him.
"Let's deal with this tomorrow. The Brigade and the Delfino police force should be able to clean up this mess." She moved aside, and tried to get him to walk down the hallway and out of the mansion with her. He didn't seem to budge. After a few seconds, she started to walk down herself. A few more seconds later passed, and Tom finally turned around to get her attention.
"I'm going to have to do another race alone then." He stood firm on the carpet, looking straight at her, still containing his sadness and anger as much as he could. All the tears that went down his face were either dried or wiped off.
"Yes, you probably have to..." She replied slowly. "...Unless you could get Luke to substitute." Tom shook his head and saw her off. There was no way he would be able to get Luke to race instead of Enrique. Luke was in too much pain and needed more time to rest. It had literally only been a day. Something else came to his mind however. Tom got out his phone and searched through his contacts. He prayed that the person on the other end would answer because he rarely ever answers phone calls.
...
...
...
"Yes, Tom?"
"I need your help with something."
"I don't know if I'll be available, my friend. I'm very busy with work."
"Sub."
...
"I'll be there in the morning. I'm going to sleep now then."
...
February 19, 2015 – 11:00AM
Mushville, Mushroom City
Luke was still in a bad state. He couldn't even walk properly on his own. He needed more time to recover, perhaps a few more days. As for Tom, he waited alone in a car park that was already filled with vehicles for people attending the next race. This venue was significantly larger than any of the recent ones. Mario Kart Stadium was one of the most recently constructed racetracks, and had a seating built in already. The Toad management didn't have to work hard for this one thanks to Mario choosing it for his race. The participants' tent was replaced with a large room like the one used in Waluigi Stadium, and an hour before the event, some of the racers had already arrived.
Tom stood in a quiet corner in the car park, not being seen by many of the public who were heading from their cars to the entrance to the stadium. Here, he was waiting for somebody else to arrive. Maybe it was too good to be true though, as he hadn't heard from the contact he called last night. If it wasn't for Luke's injuries, George and Toby would be with him right now with their tickets to watch the race live. Instead, they all stayed at home for Luke and Will, and tuned in to watch the race from their TV in the penthouse. Time went on, and Tom began to grow concerned on whether or not his friend would show up in the end. Eventually, as he was about to leave, he spotted the figure sneaking in to the car park. He was looking just like Enrique, except their clothes were different. Tom was strongly confident that the public would believe that it is actually him as well. Two and a half weeks had passed since Tom last saw this guy, and when he did, he barely saw him for long.
"How do I look?" The figure presented himself to Tom, cleaning up and small bits of grass and leaves that may have stuck to him as he was sneaking through the hedges and climbing over the fence to the car park. "I hope taking a day off work is going to be worth it for this."
"I just hope that Enrique's OK." Tom replied, shaking hands with the man who looked just like him. The only thing that differed besides the clothes was the hairstyle. Enrique's hair was a lot longer than his. "It's good to see you. I already cannot thank you enough for this, Jack."
"If the missing case with him escalates, I may as well take the rest of the week off to help as well." Jack smiled. "I know that we barely see each other nowadays, I would still happily help my friend from day one. Five years we have been here, and in times like this, it's good that we have each other's contact."
"How's Ronald doing?" Tom asked, walking with Jack towards the car park exit and in the direction towards the path leading to the secret entrance to the venue.
"Well..." Jack laughed. "I guess he's got double the work to do this week! These items can't get delivered a week late."
"Can't slip up on work like you do. You must be balling." Tom pointed the way and led Jack on to a separate path that was guarded by several Toad management crew workers. They were able to skip all of the huge queues that were nearly coming to an end as the race was about to start soon, going past a lot of the trucks outside to a side of the stadium not too far from the start line. "Why did-." He stopped after getting very close to the guards.
"Good to see you in good shape, Enrique. Remember to report to Queen Toadstool when you see her." One of the management crew guards saluted Jack, happy to see him arrive.
"Thank you." Jack replied and smiled. "I'm sure she'll be happy." He walked on with Tom, looking back to him after being far enough away from the management crew workers to let him resume his question.
"Yeah, why didn't you sign up for the races in the first place? You're good, right?" Tom asked.
"Oh, I'm terrible... Well, not terrible but... OK fine. Peach would've not allowed me to join anyway. I didn't even agree to the Accords back when the signups were available. Besides, you think I'd be able to show up for every race? My business would fall apart."
"Well." Tom grinned. "Enrique was always the driver when we were paired. You'll have to be the driver this time."
"Not a problem at all." Jack looked up before heading to the secret entrance door. "This track is one of my favourites."
"That's good to hear." Tom stopped before the doors and secretly opened and went through. Jack soon followed, leaving it open as he saw Dry Bones and Kamek approach them a few metres away. They too had just arrived.
"Oh, Enrique. You're back." Kamek waved over to him. Jack turned away awkwardly, before thinking of something to say back.
"Yes." He laughed. "I was very occupied by something else yesterday. I've apologised to Tom already."
"Yeah..." Kamek replied awkwardly. "It heard like you were in a bit of a really big mess."
"Yeah, rough stuff." He tried stopping the conversation with him, but as he went through the doorway, Kamek and Dry Bones rushed forward to catch up with them.
"What do you think about your track being chosen? Are you happy with it?" Kamek asked again, not wanting to leave Jack alone.
"Well I wasn't there was I, so I wouldn't have known... and my thoughts on it? Well, it was bound to be picked eventually." Jack turned away and walked with Tom through the side of the building to the passage that led to the participants' tent room. Kamek and Dry Bones followed them all the way up to the room, but started to head to the track already.
"We'll see you on the track then!" Dry Bones waved back to the two before they started to head down to the centre of the stadium.
"Will do." Jack waved back to them. "I just need to speak to Peach about something."
"Peach? She's probably already on the track. You're going to be late!" Kamek reminded them both of the time. Tom waited for Jack for longer than he thought. The race was due to start in only a few minutes. He headed over to one of the windows to see what the stadium was looking like, and in the distance, the starting line looked like it was full of all of the racers anyway.
"Oh, everyone's already here!" Tom turned back to Jack.
"Is this are queue to get on to the track?" Jack asked back.
"We don't have cues. We just go on to the track when we are ready."
"Oh..." The two quickly turned around to follow Dry Bones and Kamek through a passage that conveniently led them to the entrance to the start line. Unlike most other courses, the path up to the start line for this track wasn't difficult to access. With rooms linking the seating all the way in to the arena, the walk for them wasn't long at all.
Tom and Jack were met with a lot of faces from the participants looking straight back at them. Daisy and Peach got very excited and waved straight at them, to which Jack waved back with less effort and enthusiasm, just like how Enrique would. Tom pointed over to where their kart was, surprising Jack for being in sixth place.
"Sixth place last race? That's very impressive for your standards." Jack whispered. "Was this with or without Enrique?"
"Do you even watch these?" Tom whispered back, smiling before heading over to the kart.
"I'm a busy man." Jack followed Tom to their kart, making all sixteen teams ready to start the race. As Jack got the kart, there became uproar from the crowds, excited to see him arrive, thinking he is Enrique. Perhaps he is a massive favourite among many of the fans watching in the stadium.
"They really like him, don't they?" Jack got in to the front seat, trying to configure the kart. Tom couldn't remember if Jack was more of a bike user than a kart user, and whether or not he had driven a standard kart before.
"Are you going to be alright?" Tom asked quietly, trying not to be heard by anyone else. Waiting for Jack to be finished with whatever it was he was doing, he looked to the side to see one of the screens.
"Yeah! I'll be fine." Jack made himself comfortable, waiting now for the race to start. He noticed Peach and Daisy still looking at them from the right. He turned around to see them, waving back at them softly. Daisy was smiling at him, but Peach began to look straight as the holographic Lakitu finally came down to signal the start of the race.
3... 2... 1... GO!
Jack messed up the start boost and caused their kart to stall, exhaling some smoke from the back.
"Sorry!" Jack tried to restart the vehicle, taking a few seconds for them to start driving. "It's just been a long time since I've raced competitively."
"You've never raced competitively." Tom looked ahead and complained, seeing everybody overtake him and put them straight in to last place. "Will you just drive now?"
Jack got the vehicle going, heading around the first right turn and in to an item box at the first set. Few racers were sitting at the back and waiting for a better pull. Luckily for them, they managed to acquire a bullet bill in fifteenth place as they crossed it.
"Ooh. A bullet bill!" Jack grew amazed at seeing the item get taken in to Tom's hands.
"I'll be taking that." Tom held it firmly, keeping it in his safe hands and away from others to see. "Keep driving. Try not to be hit by anything."
"Got ya." Jack drifted around the tight blue path, releasing a nice orange mini turbo flame to give them an extra boost. Most of the racers could already be seen in front of them on the anti-gravity section. In the distance, it looked like Bowser and Bowser Jr had the lead, but theirs was short-lived after being overtaken by Mario and Luigi using a golden mushroom to stay at the top. Items were being thrown all over the place, and players in the middle of the pack drove in to each other to get that anti-gravity spin boost. Jack saw this, and started to drive near Toad and Toadette. Their vehicles span, and they both accelerated for a short moment. Jack got excited to see the effect of it, and decided to keep driving against the modified Rally Romper. Toadette eventually decided to use their mushrooms to cut some grass and get ahead of others nearby. Jack and Tom now got to the vertical horseshoe, driving upwards and around the tight bend.
"Oh look, it's the entrance!" Jack pointed out, going down the horseshoe. They didn't perform a trick going off the ramp, so their glider didn't get them very far. The only way they could climb the ranks with this driving was to not get hit by items and overtake those who do. In the distance, they witnessed it all: The Hammer Bros were hit by a moving green shell, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong were hit by a back-bomb, and Dry Bones and Kamek were struck by another racing pair's star usage. Tom and Jack crossed the line heading in to lap 2 in the twelfth position. As much as they were holding back being in last, they noticed the front-runners driving the race better than they were. The distance between them began to increase.
"Hold tight, Jack." Tom warned him before activating their item. "We're going for an autopilot ride." He activated the bullet bill, sending them inside the black projectile.
"Wow, it's so dark in here!" Jack laughed as the two sped ahead. The bullet cut through the yellow middle path after the first item box set and overtook a few racers, being dropped off somewhere a few seconds after entering the anti-gravity section. They were now in sixth place. Ahead of them was a large gap, with fifth place already going up the horseshoe. Mario and Luigi still had the lead, with Bowser and Bowser Jr in second place. Toadbert and Toadsworth had third place, and they were well-defended with triple green shells revolving around them. Behind them were the Koopa Troopas, and Peach and Daisy. The Koopa Troopas had a bomb, and were trailing it behind in fourth place. Hoping to get another item, the two drove tightly on to the left whilst descending the horseshoe, getting a box on the far left. They received a very lucky drop of three mushrooms. Peach and Daisy on the other hand, acquired triple red shells, of which they deployed for defence. Toadsworth threw one of their green shells behind, heading backwards by the starting line. Managing to hit the Koopa Troopas, they sent back another green shell. The bomb was on the ground and loose, ready to explode any time soon. The Koopas gasped, instantly using a mushroom after they recovered. The green shell was going backwards, heading straight for where the bomb fell on the floor. Peach and Daisy tried to avoid it, but the impact of the green shell hitting the bomb caused it to explode and catch them and their items on the edge of its radius. Peach and Daisy were sent up in to the air, landing back down right in front of Jack and Tom. Jack pushed them aside, and Tom held his item instead of taking the ruthless approach of throwing his red shell at them. After they overtook them, Tom placed his red shell in defence, hoping to acquire a new item at the first set in lap three.
Further up ahead, Mario and Luigi were still ahead of Bowser going in to the anti-gravity section. They had a fake item box deployed at the back of their B Dasher, and three bananas in Mario's hands. He just wished that he could throw the bananas backward, but he would have to get rid of the fake item box first. Playing by the item rules of the sixth series tournament, he had to make use of his deployed item before using the items in his grasp. As Luigi took the turn to go up the horseshoe, Mario dropped the fake item box tight, then scattered the bananas to the centre of the track behind him. Unfortunately for Luigi, a POW block appeared in front of him just before he began to take the tight turn. The POW's effect shook their vehicle, causing it to swerve a bit and slide over to the other side of the track. Luigi slid in to the grass and their vehicle slowed down greatly. Bowser went around the turn, letting loose a red shell just before the POW's effect. The red detected Mario and Luigi on the side and headed straight for them. Bowser now had the lead, but the worse was about to happen to him. Luigi noticed a flying blue shell ascending the horseshoe and cutting a bit of track to lock on to Bowser. A second after going on to the ramp, Bowser saw the shell land above him and strike him down, sending them further up in the air and causing him to fall all the way down to the bottom of the track just in front of the glider ramp. Toadbert drove past him and took the lead, heading in to lap 4. They picked up a single banana at the item boxes, gliding down the track and driving as swiftly as possible to keep their lead from the Koopa Troopas, Tom and Jack, and the newly appearing Hammer Bros who managed to catch up using a star to cut a lot of the track through short cuts. The Toads acquired a second banana from the first set in lap four. Although not entirely helpful, the two kept in their hands managed to serve them enough as defence. The beginning of the anti-gravity section appeared filled with littered items on the floor. Green shells on one side and reds on the other, with a few bananas up ahead and even a single mushroom lied on the grass just off the track. As the two drove through the hazards, they were met with a blooper appearing in front of them. Their vision was hampered, and their drifting a little bit slippery. A red shell locked on to them from behind, breaking their first banana defence. They placed down their second one just before heading up the horseshoe.
The surroundings darkened, and the effect of the shock came down on them and all the other racers nearby. Their banana fell loose and fell on to the side. The racers behind them also lost their items, creating more of a minefield at the start of the anti-gravity section. Whilst Toadbert took a nice tight turn around the horseshoe, the two were able to look across the other side of the track. More and more racers started to catch up as the people at the front of pack began to resize one after the other. A blue shell was spotted in the air in the distance further back, beginning to head straight for them. Since they saw it coming, Toadbert slowed down his kart and waited for the blue to strike them just before the glider section. By the time they landed back down, the Koopa Troopas took the lead, driving on to the glider just before they could. Going down it in second place, the two managed to pick up a single mushroom. Seeing Tom and supposedly Enrique behind them, the two believed that they would be safe from any items. They assumed Tom would hold his based off of previous encounters with him. He wouldn't do something simple. Instead he would either go all in on item usage or do nothing at all.
The final lap was now in session. The Koopa Troopas still had first, Toadbert and Toadsworth second, and Tom and Jack third. The racers occupying fifth to thirteenth however, were all really close to eachother. A global item usage would severely impact the standings as the race went on. Another POW block appeared in front of the racers, ticking down before its effect would take place. Toadbert decided to work with Toadsworth upon seeing this, and decided to use their mushroom early to cut the grass shortcut by the pipes near the coloured paths section. Cutting the corner, the two had the lead again. The Koopa Troopas growled at seeing them ahead and threw their green shell towards them just before the POW struck them. Jack and Tom swerved to the side being affected by the POW, losing several positions to everyone else as they had to get their vehicle back up to speed.
The pack became more condensed, and with it became more dangerous item usage. As many were driving against eachother to get a boost on the anti-gravity section, others started to use their new items. Some deployed triple shells, others used mushrooms to cut the grass, and some began to activate mega mushrooms and stars, knocking people aside. A bomb explosion appeared in the middle of the pack, affecting three pairs. One of the affected pairs had acquired a thundercloud from the item roulette upon landing from the explosion, forcing them to pass it to another pair when they recovered. Jack and Tom went over an item box at the second set and got only a single mushroom. This was definitely not enough to get them back to the top. They could already see the racers at the front heading on to the glider ramp. A bullet bill emerged from behind them, causing them to drive out of the way and to the side. Other racers started using golden mushrooms and more stars to catch up. Things were not looking good for the pair of them.
The front of the pack started to become more spread out past the final item box and the glider ramp. People using items to hit one another caused a calm, smooth ending for those at the very top. One crossed the finish line after the other, and within ten more seconds, the final racers began to cross.
"Why's everyone stopping?" Jack asked Tom as they crossed the finish line. "Has it just ended?" He began to pay attention to all of the cheering crowds he could now hear after the sound-proof barrier had been disabled.
"Yes..." Tom frowned, getting out of the kart and looking back to the same screen as before.
RESULTS:
FIRST: Toadbert and Toadsworth: +20
SECOND: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: +17
THIRD: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: +15
FOURTH: Mario and Luigi: +13
FIFTH: Peach and Daisy: +12
SIXTH: Toad and Toadette: +11
SEVENTH: King Boo and Petey: +10
EIGHTH: Bowser and Bowser Jr: +9
NINTH: Yoshi and Birdo: +8
TENTH: Wario and Waluigi: +7
ELEVENTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: +6
TWELFTH: Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong: +5
THIRTEENTH: Dry Bones and Kamek: +4
FOURTEENTH: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: +3
FIFTEENTH: Rosalina and Pauline: +2
SIXTEENTH: Tom and Enrique: +1
UPDATED SCOREBOARD:
FIRST: Bowser and Bowser Jr: 235
SECOND: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: 220
THIRD: Mario and Luigi: 215
FOURTH: Rosalina and Pauline: 215
FIFTH: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: 193
SIXTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: 192
SEVENTH: Peach and Daisy: 191
EIGHTH: Yoshi and Birdo: 188
NINTH: Wario and Waluigi: 185
TENTH: King Boo and Petey: 181
ELEVENTH: Toad and Toadette: 178
TWELFTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: 169
THIRTEENTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: 165
FOURTEENTH: Dry Bones and Kamek: 161
FIFTEENTH: Toadbert and Toadsworth: 160
SIXTEENTH: Tom and Enrique: 155
"Oh..." Jack awkwardly scratched his head after seeing the screen. "Enrique's going to love this one." He turned around briefly to see everyone getting out of their vehicles and having a look at the screen for themselves. The positions didn't change that much, but points-wise a lot had changed. Bowser had now secured an even greater lead from second place, and the double-digit ranked racers began to narrow the gap between them and those in the middle.
"Don't worry about it." Tom said back to Jack. "All you needed to do was show up, and you did. We just had bad item luck at the end there. If we got something like a golden we would have definitely beaten several others."
"Did you not see us at the end? I'm surprised you didn't overtake us." Pauline laughed as she got off of her bike, walking away from Rosalina and standing next to Tom. "Could you imagine having a thundercloud above you in twelfth place on the final lap?" She laughed it off with Tom and Jack, all looking at the screen. A few more seconds passed and Pauline turned around and started heading off the track with the rest of the remaining racers. "I'll see you on the outside. Hope you're feeling better Enrique, Peach wanted to speak with you!" She waved goodbye to them as she headed out, not paying close attention to who was actually standing next to Tom on the other side. While she left, Rosalina approached the two, standing beside Tom on the opposite side of Jack.
"Where were you yesterday?" Tom asked her. "I thought you told me that you'd see me there."
"I did." She replied apologetically, looking down at the floor. "I was diverted by... something else." Rosalina looked up and stared back at Tom. Her realising that the person on his right wasn't Enrique made her understand why he had the look of disgust on his face. "I'm sorry."
"Let's go." Tom looked to Jack, turning around and heading across the track back to the lower secret entrances to the arena. "Don't enter the tent. You'll cause too much of a distraction. The press already thinks you're Enrique."
"The cameras were all over me before and during the race." Jack followed Tom, speaking back to him. "See you later, Star-Queen." He waved back to Rosalina, following his friend through a door going to a different room that was empty of viewers and other participants.
"Wait here." Tom held Jack back and headed through a new door, one that led back to the open room that had most of the participants in there. He went past all of the Toads, Kongs, Koopas and other creatures to find Toadant or a whiteboard that could indicate to him the time of the next race. He found a board that showed Thwomp Ruins set to commence at midday tomorrow as well. This would mean he had the rest of the day to find Enrique, somehow or some way. As he started to head back to the room he left Jack in, he was noticed by Peach and Daisy who were talking to Luigi and the other Toads.
"Oh, that reminds me. I need to speak to Enrique." He overheard Peach finishing off her conversation with the Toads, following him out of the large room. "Tom, Tom!" She tried to get his attention, but he was deliberately ignoring her. He wasn't in the mood to talk with her at all. He just wanted to get back on to the road again with Jack and find everyone else involved in the raid on the Rovin Estate. Not only was Enrique missing, Pom Pom was too, and finding one could possibly lead to finding the other.
Daisy followed Peach as well, and soon all four of the human girls participating made their way to the quieter room.
"Tom, will you stop ignoring me?" Peach rushed up to behind him, then being distracted at the other person in the room. "There he is... oh, it's you." Her short moment of excitement quickly turned in to a look of disgust. "I don't want to speak to you." She glared at Jack, who only grinned back in a mocking way.
"Then politely fuck off." Jack smiled. "You're the one who approached us."
"Don't you dare talk to your Queen like that!" Daisy ran up to Peach and stood in front of her, acting all defensive. "She's literally right in front of you. You're not like Tom and Enrique. You should be bowing before her presence."
"Daisy please..." Tom tried to calm her down. "He saved us a lot of hassle from the news and everyone else by standing in. If anybody found out then we'd have known by now." He turned around to see Peach and Daisy very close to him. Daisy was still growling at Jack, disgraced to hear what he had just said to her best friend. Peach on the other hand began to feel worried. Not as much as Tom was, but all those nearby could notice the look of sadness on her face. She missed him too.
"We shouldn't stay here for too long." Jack patted Tom's shoulder. "The quicker we go, the quicker we can get him back."
"Yeah, you're right." Tom wiped of one tear that appeared on his face and turned around, heading towards the nearest exit.
"Where are you going?" Peach and Daisy asked, being met with both Pauline and Rosalina. All four of them watched the two leave the stadium and started to follow them after a few seconds. They were all still in their biker gear and needed to change. None of them wanted to leave their clothes behind.
"Never you mind." Tom called out, going out the door with Jack, closing it behind them all.
"I'm not having this." Daisy rushed to the door and opened it straight back up. "You two tell us where you're going or we'll have you arrested once this is all over."
"You're going to arrest us anyway." Tom ignored them and hurried over to the car park with Jack to get in to his car.
"We need to get changed. What should we do?" Daisy looked over to Peach, the other two watching her as well to see what she decides.
"Follow them." Peach nodded.
3:00PM
Delfino Capital Security Prison
The same officers that dealt with Luke and Enrique just days ago were met with two more humans; one looking similar to Enrique and the other looking nothing like him. They still didn't have any update from either of them, since the last thing they remember being told was of Enrique and Luke taking good care of the prisoner Taur Rovin. One of the security guards welcomed the two and escorted them up the floors to a private chamber where he brought the arrested criminals for questioning. Tom remembered that they made a large number of arrests, but couldn't remember the exact number. He and Jack entered a room where they were met with the same guards operating with the Uldersal-involved Koopas for Luke and Enrique. This time, they were met with more, familiar faces though. Stan, Rick, and Tori were all standing together by a guard operating at a computer. Tori noticed them first, and rushed over to them.
"Wait, Red Martyrs?" Jack noticed their clothing and was the first to question their purpose here. "What are you guys doing here?"
"Hello Tom and friend." Tori put on a half-smile. "We were all informed of what happened and since we were nearby, we called in."
"What happened?" Tom asked Tori.
"Of the thirty or so arrests they made, the Delfino Capital Prison security identified six of them to be hostiles. We were called to help as a result of this." Tom's eyes widened, having to deal with more hostile involvement. If only Enrique was here, he'd be the better man to deal with this type of criminal activity.
"Tell me more." The two followed Tori to the security guards standing beside the doors to a chamber where there were eight Koopas seen through a window standing beside a wall for screening.
"Detectives managed to narrow it down to eight major criminals. Everyone else arrested have been accounted for and charged for burglary, theft, and damage to private property. Yes, these are the Rovins we're dealing with but these are still people committing acts of violence." Rick explained to the two, also surprised to see Jack here instead of Enrique. "...As for Enrique and Pom Pom, we still don't know their whereabouts."
"So, you said six of them were hostile, what about the other two?" Tom looked through the window, assuming it to be one way, and looked at all the Koopas detained.
"The other two..." Stan began. "...Their arrests are for attempted murder, possession of illegal melee weapons, and use of explosives. Their motivations and reasons for said crimes are still unknown. Luckily for us, you two showed up in time to help us for questioning." He smiled, looking back to the window with them.
"I guess we should get this started." Tom sighed. "Anything we can get out of them can help us find the others." The five waited for the security guards to begin filing and ordering each of the suspects in to separate rooms to be waited for questioning. Tom knew that this would turn out to be another long afternoon...
EOC: I have a feeling that future chapters are going to be slightly longer each time. Regardless, there is still so much to do.
See you next chapter!