Fighting in the Streets

Chapter 55 – Thwomp Ruins

A/N: It has been a very long time since I have written these out, people may have forgotten them. Here is a list of all of the vehicles that the racing pairs use. I have not mentioned these on a list since Chapter 7 and to save the need to go back to it and check, they are written below with some extra details:

Mario and Luigi: B Dasher MK 2 / 'The Sprinter'

Bowser and Bowser Jr: Flame Flyer

Wario and Waluigi: Wario Bike (Modified – More seat space)

Peach and Daisy: Mach Bike (Modified – Added rear handlebar and more seat space)

Yoshi and Birdo: Rapide / Zip-Zip

Toad and Toadette: Rally Romper / Tiny Titan

DK and Diddy Kong: Offroader

Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: Bullet Bike

Toadbert and Toadsworth: Concerto / Mini Beast (Modified – More seat space)

Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: Wild Wing

Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: Torpedo / 'The Spear' (Modified – More seat space)

Shy Guy and Lakitu: Bubble Bike / Jet Bubble

King Boo and Petey: Piranha Prowler

Dry Bones and Kamek: Magikruiser (Modified – Added rear handlebar)

Rosalina and Pauline: Twinkle Star / Shooting Star

Tom and Enrique: Standard Kart M

Other note on the Poll: the poll ends when the tournament ends.

February 20, 2015 – 11:30AM

Thwomp Ruins

Today wasn't a good day at all for a lot of the racers partaking in the tournament. Tom still had to worry about the fate of his friend and Peach has to deal with most of the general public thinking that Jack was Enrique. After realising that it was not him, Peach decided to order a search and rescue for the Toad Brigade, operating north of the city of Blockfort. Since they had brought in Cyra Asquia, she had also got Luigi and other prime detectives to interrogate her on the whereabouts of Enrique besides her sister and cousins. She gave very little information on her relatives, and said she had no connection with Enrique whatsoever. Based on the arrests made yesterday, she started to believe that a tribe of Résethal Koopas were responsible for Enrique's kidnapping.

The information was relayed to Eoréc and Neodjan, who were still operating on the Wuhu coastline. With Tori and Peach sharing all the information they got on their detained suspects, the Red Martyrs started to learn more about the hostiles. The group of hostiles that were based in the Westfells have completely different culture and motives compared to the ones known as the Takharim. Avoiding as many people as possible upon arriving at the tent, Peach went to look for Tom and Jack, to see how they were doing in preparation for the next race.

The tent was only filled with the regulars; the Koopas in one corner, the Toads in another, the Kongs and Bowser in a third, and everyone else in the fourth. Tom and Jack weren't to be seen inside the tent, and neither was Rosalina. Pauline was sitting with Daisy, Luigi, Mario and the Toads, talking away to their hearts' content, but that was only for the short term for Daisy. As soon as she noticed Peach looking around in the tent, she put on one of those fake smiles, where she would express deep concern for Peach on the inside but make it look like she's still her happy self around everyone else. She didn't even want to bring Peach over to her knowing that Mario was also near. Those two just couldn't be near eachother... ever.

20 minutes had passed, and the walk to the race track was a lonely one for Peach. She noticed Tom and Jack already by the starting line, talking to each other quietly by their kart at the back. By the time Peach got there, the two turned their heads to see her. Neither of them said anything to her. Instead, they just got in to their positions and waited for everyone else to show up. Peach headed over to her bike placed in the middle positions and looked around to see the others arriving. As everyone got themselves ready, Peach spent a few brief moments looking around at the few crowds that were present near the cliffs of the ruins. Along with them were the screens, showing the current scores of the races so far as well as the starting positions for the spectators.

POSITIONS:

FIRST: Toadbert and Toadsworth

SECOND: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa

THIRD: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro

FOURTH: Mario and Luigi

FIFTH: Peach and Daisy

SIXTH: Toad and Toadette

SEVENTH: King Boo and Petey

EIGHTH: Bowser and Bowser Jr

NINTH: Yoshi and Birdo

TENTH: Wario and Waluigi

ELEVENTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu

TWELFTH: Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong

THIRTEENTH: Dry Bones and Kamek

FOURTEENTH: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong

FIFTEENTH: Rosalina and Pauline

SIXTEENTH: Tom and Enrique

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

"I'm worried about him." Peach whispered to Daisy as she arrived; her expression soon changing after getting direct with the Queen.

"I am too." Daisy replied. "We need to put these on as best we can. Every time we have not racing or travelling to one, we spend looking for him. He matters just as much as anyone else right now, even if he's broken the law."

"You're right. Let's get down to business." Peach and Daisy got themselves comfortable on the bike and waited for the holographic Lakitu to come down. The twenty-second race was about to start.

3... 2... 1... START!

The surrounding crowds cheered and chanted for the racers as they boosted off past the start line, all of them staying relatively close together for the first few seconds. Leading the pack after the first left turn and the first set of item boxes were Peach and Daisy, getting a draft boost from the two Toads in front of them down the first straightaway. The two had acquired a single mushroom from the boxes as they drove up to first, keeping it safe and secure as they went into the first cave section. Like them, most of the racers in the pack went on the left side, sticking to the flat surface instead of going along the wall. Inward drifting vehicles benefited off this more as the turn wasn't very tight. Peach and Daisy managed to keep their lead going, avoiding the green shells that were being thrown forward by people behind them. As they got to the flooded Thwomp pool, Daisy took the wheel, going far to the left and on to the anti-gravity wall, giving themselves a small boost and a trick-able ramp at the end. Coming right up on their tail were the Hammer Bros, who had pulled a thundercloud at the second item box set. Peach and Daisy steered a bit from side to side trying to avoid them colliding with eachother. Luckily, they were able to go on without any problems, as the thundercloud soon passed to Toadbert and Toadsworth who were currently in third. Just before the two were struck with it, they threw out their bomb item forward, hitting the Hammer Bros as it landed. Peach and Daisy were now able to keep a secure lead going, still with their mushroom in first.

After another event where the two were almost struck with a red shell, the lead started to look good and promising for Peach and Daisy. The Thwomps were generous to them, defending them from the red shell. Heading towards the small ramp on the left side and then the glider ramp, the two were inked by a blooper. Staying in the air with their glider made them handle the effects of the blooper just fine. As they landed, Peach looked back and saw that the racers were already a significant distance behind them. Rosalina and Pauline currently had second, and they only had bananas for an item. Hopefully Peach and Daisy could endure a nice relaxing run on this track, using their mushroom at the grass shortcut at the start of lap 2 to get an even greater lead.

...

The surroundings darkened for a second. Peach and Daisy became struck by the lightning shock. This was one of the earliest usages they had ever seen in a race so far. It was unknown to them what happened to the rest of the racers, but a few seconds later, a bullet bill runs out not too far behind them. Those appearing out of it were Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, and they gave Peach a glare as they started to close their gap on them. By the time the two had resized, they were almost tied with the Kongs, both pairs of racers itemless. Their lead was huge compared to the rest of the pack. Having sixteen teams in races made getting out of the pack almost impossible, especially when most of the racers are on a professional level of skill.

"We've got a pair right on our tail. Which side do we go?" Peach asked Daisy as they picked up an item box, seeing the rolling cog break down the middle ramp. She watched her swerve to the right, making an attempt to push the Kongs to the side and make the ramp. The Offroader was so heavy and that the shove made no impact. Both Peach and Daisy and the Kongs drove over the glider ramp and went in to the air. The pairs tricked and flew towards opposite sides, holding their new items in secret. Peach was holding on to a green shell and tried to hit the Kongs in the air by surprise. Unfortunately for her, she missed them. Diddy reacted in surprise and started screaming back at them, lunging three bananas towards them. Two missed, but the third went right in to Daisy's face, causing them to lose air on the glider and spin on their way down to the ground. They had lost the lead. The two were soaked briefly as they landed on the water's surface. A second after getting back up to speed and entering the anti-gravity section, a red shell appeared from the path behind them and locked on to them, striking them before they were able to get over the ramp. Rosalina appeared closer to them now, overtaking them by the time Daisy standstill mini-turbo boosted after being hit. The upper middle pack started to lurk behind them, many of them with items as well. The next item boxes were not until further up the next turn. Peach and Daisy would need something to stay defensive if they were to remain in the top positions for the next few laps and potentially the rest of the race.

A single red shell. Peach supposed that it would be somewhat useful for them for now. Even that was short-lived as the two saw a POW block appear in front of them. Daisy wasn't able to reach the short ramp in time to mitigate the POW block completely. Their item broke off the back of their bike and landed on to the floor on their right. Behind them became a small minefield as everyone else's items were sent away to the floor.

Because of the early shock usage, the gap between the top spots and bottom spots had become significantly smaller. Peach and Daisy began to drop down in the ranks after heading in to lap three because of the amount of players using mushrooms and other boosts from the boxes before to cut through the large grass shortcuts. They only managed to get a fake item box in third when they crossed the first set. It looked like DK and Diddy Kong were miles ahead in first, and everyone else having stronger items made it really dangerous for the two to stay in the middle. Dry Bones and Kamek had triple green shells, Bowser and Bowser Jr had triple red shells, and Yoshi and Birdo had picked up a new thundercloud, cutting the grass with it and attempting to collide with others as they entered the first cave section. Daisy wanted to play it safe, and decided to head on to the anti-gravity wall on the right hand side, avoiding the stone cogs rolling through at the same time. Daisy managed to get herself some coins along the wall, helping her go that extra bit faster. If she was able to stay on the right side of the track as they got to the Thwomp pool then maybe she could break away from the middle pack safely.

Peach picked up another item at the set of boxes, tossing her fake item box against one of the pillars atop the pool island in the middle on her left before receiving her next item: triple bananas. Bowser sent a red shell in their direction, but luckily for Peach and Daisy, the red was broken by one of their bananas. Daisy went on to the right wall again, getting a greater boost and a trick from the ramp on the end of it. Sadly for them it was still slower than going through the glider ramp in the middle. Bowser and Dry Bones were still right behind them, still with rotating shells. Dry Bones lingered near Bowser, breaking one of their shells with one of his own. Yoshi, having passed the thundercloud to someone else, held on to a bomb just behind the others. Daisy wasn't feeling safe with all of that danger behind her. Hopefully another item box would solve that worry. Heading in to the anti-gravity section, she and Peach narrowly missed being struck with a green shell coming from Kamek. They had broken all of theirs with Bowser and no longer had any in front of them. The shell rebounded and started heading backwards, missing all of the nearby racers and ending its course by striking another pair further back.

As Daisy gave peach another item box, more people started to appear behind them. Wario and Waluigi appeared after using a golden mushroom, and King Boo and Petey were under the effect of a star. They drove through Yoshi's bomb, setting it off and sending him and Birdo up in the air. They then swerved towards Dry Bones, but he slowed down to avoid being hit. Those two fell back, but the threat was still lurking on Peach, Daisy, and Bowser. Petey drove on to the small ramp on the left side, somewhere Daisy always wanted to go to take a short cut, but now she had to take the normal path.

Heading in to lap four, Daisy took the grass cut, getting another item in the process. Peach had acquired another mushroom, leaving them defenceless. Slightly further back, Waluigi sent a blue shell in the air before getting to the first set of item boxes. Now they could finally determine how far ahead Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong actually were. Since they were using the Offroader, it was unlikely that the two would have gotten far. Even if they had the maximum number of coins, the speed statistic on the Offroader was poor compared to the likes of the Flame Flyer or Mach Bike. As it turns out, they weren't that far ahead. The blue shell's explosion was visible from inside the cave. DK was struck just before the glider ramp, so they were able to take the ramp as soon as they landed. With the rest of the upper-middle pack going through the cave, another blooper appeared, getting in all their faces. Dry Bones and Kamek couldn't see where they were going and drove straight in to someone else, pushing them slightly aside and causing themselves to be hit by one of the stone cogs moving through the cave. More racers began to appear from the lower spots, sending items forward and using mushrooms to avoid the blooper's ink effect. It was unknown who had used it, but whoever did must have chained it at the item box set before. Peach and Daisy looked worried; seeing all of the other racers with better items and only inches away from them, the two feel like they were going to spend the final lap at the bottom trying to make their way back up. Donkey Kong's pair and Rosalina's pair seemed to still be safe in second. Knowing those two, they would happily leave each other alone knowing it would secure them first and second. Every point counts though. Maybe they wouldn't be so nice to each other.

DK still had first, but he was itemless. Heading towards the anti-gravity section the two were desperate for a defensive item. Another blue shell would also turn their race in to a catastrophe. Pauline had a single mushroom in second, making them able to dodge a blue shell if one ever came for them. As they were currently second, they would still be safe from one. The last item box set was generous for Diddy Kong; triple bananas were his speciality. DK shook his head after hearing Diddy get all excited. He just wanted to use them as defence. The road up to the final glider ramp was filled with items caused by the POW block's effects.

"Block it." DK ordered Diddy on his use of the bananas. He pointed up ahead to the small ramp short cut before the glider ramp. Diddy threw them all down as they took the main path, completely blocking the ramp. Rosalina saw the items get laid down and changed her course, drifting wider to stay on the main path. If she stayed heading for the small ramp, the bananas would have probably made her fall off it. The two leading racers were now heading down the final glide to the finish line, heading in to the final lap. They were out of the middle which was always a catastrophe, and the gap seemed nothing much to worry about. Pauline still had the single mushroom going past the first set of item boxes. DK and Diddy Kong acquired a fake item box, deploying it behind them for the time being. A lot of the anti-gravity wall on the right of the cave became blocked with items used by racers in the lap before. Another POW block showed up in front of all the racers, forcing Pauline to use the mushroom and take the lead. Diddy threw the fake item box forward as Rosalina started to leave the cave, landing right in front of her on the glider ramp. Thinking Rosalina could make the jump, her path was obstructed as the fake item box got in to her way and caused her to swerve at the last minute. The two drove off and landed in to the Thwomp fountain pool, heading straight in to a wall upon landing. Their break from the rest thinned as they saw DK speed ahead in first. They needed to recover fast as everyone else started appearing again behind her. Currently defenceless, Pauline looked back to see a red shell thrown by someone else lock its path on to them. The entrance to the second cave was a straight road and there was nothing to disjoint the projectile. Rosalina and Pauline shrunk before they flipped as the sky darkened once again. A shock was used and a few people in the distance dodged it. The two recovered for a few seconds but were struck by the star dodger that appeared to be Bowser and Bowser Jr. Rosalina gasped, seeing him and a few other racers overtake her. The two were driving ever so slowly entering the anti-gravity section, and the pack was now just behind her. By the time everybody resized the two would now consider themselves part of it.

Their last hope was the final item box set. Pulling a box in sixth place, the two acquired a blue shell. Pauline believed that this would be the only item that would cause negative impact if thrown, as it would only secure first place for Bowser. They couldn't tell if he had managed to overtake DK after dodging, so it would be best for Pauline to keep it anyway. Other races on the other hand became a threat. Toadbert and Toadsworth managed to get a lucky mega mushroom in seventh place, using it with the intent to go over the ramp on the left side of the road which was originally blocked by Diddy Kong's bananas, flattening Yoshi and Birdo in the process. A lot of racers further back started to chain stars. Others started to repeatedly use golden mushrooms, and there were some who were just unlucky with item pulls. The pack became very compressed going over to the final glider ramp. Pauline eventually threw the blue shell, striking third place at the time just before the finish line. People started to cross, but for Rosalina and Pauline, their race was not over just yet. Thanks to an unknown user as they weren't looking backwards, another red shell struck the back of their bike, causing it to flip over and fall behind significantly. Pauline fell in to a rage briefly, and Rosalina crossed the line feeling in complete defeat. After waiting for the race to officially finish, many of the racers parked their vehicles on the grass on the left, staying as far from the cliffs as they could. The holographic Lakitus were still in play as the soundproof barrier was still on. On a course like this, the soundproof barrier would only deactivate once everyone was off the track. When that goes, the Lakitus go as well.

People got out of their vehicles and the screens showing the results began to update.

RESULTS:

FIRST: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: +20

SECOND: Bowser and Bowser Jr: +17

THIRD: Toadbert and Toadsworth: +15

FOURTH: Dry Bones and Kamek: +13

FIFTH: King Boo and Petey: +12

SIXTH: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: +11

SEVENTH: Mario and Luigi: +10

EIGHTH: Peach and Daisy: +9

NINTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: +8

TENTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: +7

ELEVENTH: Tom and Enrique: +6

TWELFTH: Wario and Waluigi: +5

THIRTEENTH: Toad and Toadette: +4

FOURTEENTH: Rosalina and Pauline: +3

FIFTEENTH: Yoshi and Birdo: +2

SIXTEENTH: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: +1

UPDATED SCOREBOARD:

FIRST: Bowser and Bowser Jr: 252

SECOND: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: 231

THIRD: Mario and Luigi: 225

FOURTH: Rosalina and Pauline: 218

FIFTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: 212

SIXTH: Peach and Daisy: 200

SEVENTH: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: 194

EIGHTH: King Boo and Petey: 193

NINTH: Wario and Waluigi: 190

TENTH: Yoshi and Birdo: 190

ELEVENTH: Toad and Toadette: 182

TWELFTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: 176

THIRTEENTH: Toadbert and Toadsworth: 175

FOURTEENTH: Dry Bones and Kamek: 174

FIFTEENTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: 173

SIXTEENTH: Tom and Enrique: 161

Rosalina was met with an unhappy look from Peach and Daisy across several other racers getting out of their vehicles. Bowser and his son were praising themselves, feeling really cheerful after the ending of the race. Donkey Kong also cheered him on, and the two large creatures hi-fived eachother, seeing themselves off of the track together. Bowser Jr started to talk more with Diddy Kong after the race, feeling a lot more confident in the races given that there were now only ten left. They now had an entire race's worth of a lead and a little more too. If they keep up their consistent driving and item usage within the pack, then Bowser will have no worry about his trial any more.

Peach on the other hand did not like the look of the results one bit. Not only was she annoyed that Bowser may possibly win the tournament and get away from a possible execution, but she didn't want to accept that he would be known as the best racer in all of the lands.

"This is all luck." She muttered under her breath, only being heard by Daisy.

"Let's get out of here." Daisy groaned and offered her hand out to Peach. The two went off the track together. Heading back to the tent, the two went inside and headed for the sofas made up by the management crew. Peach really wanted some rest after that disaster-class race. Closing her eyes, she didn't want to be disturbed by anyone else. Only the usual people showed up to the tent for more than a few seconds. Most came in to check that Delfino Island was also to be taking place at midday tomorrow. The rest decided to stay for more. The Toads would usually socialise with Mario, Luigi and themselves on a bunch of chairs in one corner of the room, the Koopa Troopas and the Hammer Bros would be chatting away with Kamek, Dry Bones, Shy Guy and Lakitu in another part of the tent, and Pauline showed up to the entrance alone and later than usual.

Back on the track (now pretty much empty of its stands and spectators), Tom and Jack turned around to see Rosalina still lying and resting her legs up in her bike seat. Both of her eyes were closed and she was saying nothing at all to anyone.

"Hey Rosa, is everything alright?" The two walked their way back to the track and stood beside her. She eventually opened her eyes, not squinting at all due to the sunlight above. They were slightly red, and some tears were visible down her face. The two had just experienced the quietest breakdown they had ever seen.

"That ending was a little rough." Jack reminded her, recalling what he saw himself when they were crossing the line using a golden mushroom. He saw her being struck by that red shell by someone else, and not moving at all on the line when they overtook her.

"He's going to win, isn't he?" Rosalina turned her face to look at Tom and Jack, wanting their opinion on it all.

"I mean..." Tom shrugged. "There are ten races left. All it takes is some targeting on Bowser to stop him from winning." He walked closer to her and sat down by her bike, surprised to see a lack of Toad management crew here to put the vehicles back. Perhaps Pauline must have told Peach to delay the Toads on wrapping everything on the track and waiting until Rosalina was finished there.

"I just can't." Rosalina mumbled. "It's no different to murdering Bowser. Whoever would throw a blue to strike Bowser on the line on the final race making him not win would have blood on their hands. All the supporters would hate that person."

"So what you're saying is we should let him be the best-." Jack was immediately interrupted.

"He's not the best. He's far from the best. He's just above average and has the support from the Kongs and the Koopas. I feel like they're letting him score." Rosalina leaned forward and rested on the front of her bike. Her hands fidgety and wanting to grab something. "I should have won that race... but the final lap's shock... it shouldn't have happened there. It was either spammed or coordinated, because Bowser managed to dodge that in a star." Tom and Jack were silent, thinking about what they were doing during that final lap. Before either of them could say something, Rosalina spoke again. "He struck me while I was already hit by a red shell. It was ruthless. Millions of people were watching as well."

"Who cares if he wins or- I mean, if he wins, it doesn't necessarily make him the best." Tom wondered, knowing that there is a huge luck and bias factor in these races, especially when there is the tag-team aspect to it.

"I am the best." Rosalina stared right in to Tom's eyes. "I was the reigning champion of the sixth series, and one of the best in both of the ones after. Give me Bowser's bike and I would have driven that in less than three and a half minutes. Less than two if it was only three laps."

"I don't really know how fast that is." Jack added, trying to be real with Rosalina.

"It is fast." She interrupted. "Bowser's idea for a trial was stupid. If he wanted to race fairly he wouldn't have made his son race with him."

"Yeah." Tom grinned. "I'm sure Bowser definitely wished for this to happen." He got up and moved away from the bike. "Anyway, I'd love to sit and chat with you while you cry away your sorrows of losing against Bowser while he's fighting for his life, but I have more important things to deal with, like the fate of my best friend- my other best friend." He started to walk back off the track, heading to the tent where he would be offered discrete and secure transport back to the nearest town where he parked his car.

"If we don't find him, I'll see you tomorrow I guess." Jack awkwardly waved goodbye and followed Tom out of the area. Rosalina slid further down her seat and kept groaning in the sun.

The tent was nearly empty. All those that remained were Peach, Daisy and Pauline. Everyone else who participated had already called for transport to take themselves down the mountains where the track was set. Some of the Toad management were there, but they were just cleaning everything up and disassembling the tent. Tom and Jack walked over to see Peach actually sleeping on one of the sofas and Daisy and Pauline quietly talking to eachother. That soon stopped as they noticed the two boys appear in front of them.

"How is she doing?" Pauline quietly asked the two, moving her chair slightly to make some room for them to bring their own to sit with.

"She's full of herself at the moment." Jack replied first. "But she has brought up a rather good point."

"What's that?" Pauline asked again.

Jack put a chair forward and faced it away from the group, sitting on it backwards and leaning against the back of it. "She believes there is some teamwork going on between some of the teams, which is causing Bowser to get so many points. I've only been in two of these so far so I haven't really experienced much of how everyone is playing, but I kind of believe her."

"I kind of agree too." Tom added at the end, sitting down on his chair.

Daisy looked back to see Peach still asleep, not wanting to be woken up and disturbed. "I suppose... if they're teaming up, then there's no reason why some of us can target him more. We need to do that anyway if we want him to lose." She whispered, trying not to wake Peach up. Pauline nodded in agreement, but looked a bit anxious to see Tom pulling a straight face in response to Daisy.

"There's a problem with that." He began, looking at the ground awkwardly. "You don't just want Bowser to lose. You want him to die." Pauline looked back to Daisy, seeing her get slightly crossed.

"That's the point of this trial though. It's what we gave him."

"Daisy please." Tom looked back to her. "We all know how this really came to be." She grew restless, her head constantly looking back to Peach to make sure she was still asleep and not getting disturbed or woken up.

"If you're not in this to help us, then I suggest you leave now." She threatened Tom, indirectly causing Peach's eyelids to open slightly.

"You're not even helping me right now. Why should I help you?" Her eyes opened more, and he noticed Peach looking up on the sofa. Jack got up from his seat and backed away slightly, noticing her lean up a bit more. Tom stared back to Peach, seeing how she would react.

"Because it would be the wish of the Queen of the Mushroom Kingdom to make sure he does not succeed in his trial, whatever it could have turned out to be!" Daisy raised her voice, not realising Peach had woken up and overheard it all. She looked around, surprised to see Peach stare right in to her eyes. "Peach! Err."

"I'm sorry, but Enrique comes first." Tom got up and turned around, walking out of the tent with Jack.

"Don't you leave this tent, young man!" Daisy growled and turned around to look back at Tom, but was held back to be given a kiss on the neck by Peach. Pauline looked away for a brief moment, blushing. Afterwards, she began to remember what was just being said. "They want him to win." Daisy said to Peach.

"Wait a minute." Pauline interrupted Peach from speaking back to Daisy. "That edited letter, was it true all along?" They both looked back at her and sat silently for a second.

"No, don't be silly Pauline." Daisy giggled, going over to give her a hug. She was pushed back though. Pauline only looked back at her with a disgusted look.

"Get off of me. What was that all about then?" She questioned. "Why do they disagree? Why do they say it wasn't Bowser's decision to hold this? Why did they openly refuse to help you make sure he doesn't win?"

"Because those two have already broken the law." Daisy tried to speak for Peach again, but was shortly interrupted by Pauline.

"I don't want to hear it from you. You're making me a little nervous here. I want to hear the answer from the Queen herself." She looked back to Peach. "Tell me the truth, Peach." She waited a few seconds for Peach to nervously reply. The longer she waited for her, the more crossed she looked with her.

"I..." She paused. "The Brigade..."

"I don't want to hear about the fucking Toad Brigade." She growled, frightening Daisy. "Tell me if this is real or not!"

"It is real!" Peach snapped back as bravely as possible. "This was signed, and reworded for the invited participants, agreed by Bowser himself. We are trying to get Enrique back as quickly and as safely as we can, but what he did was not something he was allowed to do. A lot of what he's been doing has been without my permission. He has broken the law several times and was due to pay for it in punishments once this is all over, but this time he has disappeared for longer than he should be and it is growing very concerning for us." She managed to calm Pauline down quite a bit, but she still looked very frustrated with her. The rest of the Toad management crew who were in the room quietly went out of the tent to leave the three alone in there. Now they would go on to the track and collect all of the karts and bikes to take them on transport across the Kingdoms to the next race track.

"Why do I find this hard to believe?" Pauline began to look more upset than angry. "Why can't I believe you?"

"Because I've changed." Peach replied immediately. "I've had so many things to handle at once. Dealing with the humans from Earth has been one of the biggest struggles I have undergone so far." Daisy made another attempt to comfort Pauline. This time she wasn't pushed away. Pauline let her give her another hug to calm her down.

"I take it this is the same case with Rosalina." Pauline assumed.

"I am still angry with her, but there's not much I can do with her. The difference with Enrique is that he can be dealt with, but we need to find him first. He knew that the races were occurring at these times and he shouldn't have disappeared with any chance that he might not be able to make it back. I am worried for him just as much as Tom is, but I have so many other things on my mind." Peach managed to explain everything to Pauline without even shedding a tear or her face going red.

"I'm sorry." Pauline cried. "I shouldn't ever question your responsibilities."

"These are very rough times. I accept your apology." Peach comforted Pauline, and then got up from the sofa. "Now let's get out of here."

7:30PM

The Red Martyrs Headquarters, Aypyidaw, Southwest Résethal

The sun had already set over the mountains to the south. The lights lit up in the town and the front courtyard trainees were met with a new delivery of prisoners. Thanks to the help of the Toad Brigade, Tori, Stan and Rick were able to bring in all of the Westfellers at once. Met with more Red Martyr fighters, the convicts were escorted through a side entrance to the main HQ building. A messenger called for Archbarn and Muji to report to the entrance, seeing the other council members bringing them in.

"Captain Archbarn." Stan and Rick saluted the Toad, seeing him walk outside, with several others standing behind him. They and Tori were surprised to see all of the Toads, Koopas and Piantas that must be new here. Muji eventually showed up behind them all.

"Stan, Rick, Tori." Archbarn nodded in response. "Let's deal with these people first. Our recruits will be able to experience what we do with these kinds of people."

"Two of them are not returning with us." Tori informed Archbarn as they escorted all of the convicts in to the building. "They are being put on a rehabilitation program that I am going to assist them on. That means unfortunately, I will not be spending any more time here for the next few weeks."

"Very well." Archbarn replied. "It is good to know that there are some we are able to help."

"Follow Archbarn now." Muji ordered the new recruits to walk alongside the other members as they escorted the convicts down a large hallway to the prison buildings. They began to fill up more and more, with four new prisoners occupying two cells on one of the upper floors. The recruits were met with the Red Martyr caretakers and cooks, who dealt with the prisoners. They were given two meals a day, and one day a week, a rotating percentage of prisoners would be let outside the see if they were able to confess to their crimes and go through tests to see if they were able to become functioning members of society. Those who were imprisoned for more serious crimes would not be given this opportunity as often. Some would potentially never get the chance again.

Archbarn led everyone up to the next floor and showed the recruits the look of the cells on it. Behind a door were the sounds of several hostile prisoners kept on the floor. They would never stop talking except when they would go to sleep. If one was ever to make noise during sleeping hours, the guards would come in, take them out and send them to an isolate cell on the lower, underground floors.

"Here are the necessary notes on each of the prisoners. They have already been scanned, filed, and sentenced." Tori handed Archbarn over the fact files of the convicts, ready to put them into the empty cells on the floor they were on.

"If any of you feel worthy of another chance or rehabilitation, you will be opted for one in at least a week's time." Koover, who was with the members escorting the convicts, addressed them all. He was also here with the recruits, teaching them more information as they started to become members.

"There are none who stand out more in terms of crimes except for that one." Tori showed Archbarn the crazed, shell-less Koopa who was going by the name 'Dave'. "Give him two weeks."

"Very well." Archbarn nodded. "Guards!"

"You might want to cover your ears, recruits." Muji reminded everyone as the Red Martyr prison guards went up to the prison chamber doors, ready to bring the convicts in. The doors opened and the room's noise went straight to them. The guards closed the doors behind them after all of the cuffed convicts went in. The recruits watched from outside as the guards put Rufus and Kooble, and Dave and Lynne in to the farthest cells.

"I will see to these folders now in my office." Archbarn told Tori. "Koover, why don't you take our recruits outside for a training exercise?"

"Will do, Captain." Koover saluted Archbarn and escorted the new recruits back down to the ground floor and outside. The captain soon followed them down, heading in a different direction to his office. Muji and the rest of the members left the prison building and went together to the council room on Muji's orders. He led them in and sat on his seat right next to Archbarn's, and the three others stood around the table and sat in three of the six opposite chairs. Tori felt slightly saddened to see the seat on her left being left empty. Kugen would have sat there if he was still here.

"Now, I know that one of you is due to head back to the south later, so I must say now that I congratulate you all on your service in surveying the southern towns and cooperating with the Mushroom Kingdom's finest on your searches. Eoréc and Neodjan will be returning to us in a few days. They only have a few notable places left to search. After that they will return up here and things will resume as normal. When Tori is finished with her two clients, we will go by Stan's word and start operating a few missions in investigating possible places that Koopak's son may have gone off to." Muji praised Stan and Rick for their work, and tried to cheer up Tori. She was still unable to fully move forward from missing her colleague. "Additionally, we will investigate a few east-coast towns to hunt down those that were involved in the killing of our brother Kugen."

"May he finally rest in peace once we have found his murderer." Rick added, paying his respects to his colleague once again.

"We managed to capture one of theirs a while back. When I'm finished in the south I will use him for questioning. Hopefully we can find the Hostiles responsible." Tori stuttered a bit, no longer feeling the interest in staying in the room any longer to talk about him. "I'm going to head out now. I'll be in my dormitory." She got out of her chair, holding in her emotions. Stan held her arm and reassured her before she started heading out.

"We'll get there, eventually." He said.

Tori went up the floors in the main building to head to her bedroom where she would go to spend the rest of the night and eventually go to sleep. Her room was one of the best for a member of the council. She ranked in the middle of the system, having a higher level of authority than most of the Red Martyrs, but less than the likes of Koover, Neodjan, or Eoréc and above. Ever since Ledro's disappearance just over a month ago, the high-council consisted of seven members, with the highest three being Archbarn, Muji, and Eoréc. The reason she had the best room was because it was built conveniently within the building's floor plans and was also the only one that had a window facing the courtyard. Atop the floors, she would often ponder on the courtyard in her spare time, watching everyone training and practicing outside. This time, after getting herself ready for bed, she decided to look out of her window to see how those new recruits were doing. Some were sparring with each other with weapons, practicing their fighting skills in close combat. Others were further up the courtyard practicing on training dummies. Tori searched around for one specific recruit which she felt like she saw here before. It was a Koopa, and she only saw him dwell about with Peach and other humans for bringing in a hostile.

There he was, spotted in a small crowd waiting for his turn in a sparring duel. He had the exact same facial features as the one she remembered. The memories came back in to her head now. She didn't have any interaction with the Koopa before, but she definitely remembered him from when he came in as an extra helper to put Menskem in prison. Tori smiled briefly. Perhaps it could be that he saw the thought in helping the south more by becoming a Red Martyr from seeing what it was like here.

Or maybe he was another similar case to Harriet, where life in the south wasn't getting any better for him so he had to do something about it, and instead of moving to the north where he would become a possible enemy of the Red Martyrs, he became a Red Martyr.

If only Tori could figure out his name...

EOC: When I finished this chapter, I had this and two others still left to upload. I'm still on pace.

See you next chapter!