Fighting in the Streets
Chapter 57 – Dry Dry Ruins
A/N: Important notice here. This chapter marks the final main-story chapter of the third quarter of the story. After this, the tournament will go in to its final 8 races and Prologue Extract 3 will be uploaded next. That one is pretty much at this point considered essential to read. All of them are, but are not directly related to Bowser's Trial and the Fate of the Koopa King.
After that, the last quarter of the story will take place. Note that things will start to become a little different and somewhat darker. Proceed reading the following chapters after this one with caution (if you so care for such changes to the atmosphere.)
February 21, 2015 – 4:00PM
Seven Farms, Eastern Delfino
Tom and Jack arrived to an empty home. Both Ronald and Wezen must have been out working or venturing through town for other purposes. Exhausted from the race and the practice, Tom headed straight to the spare room where he stayed in yesterday. Jack told Tom that he would quickly prepare them their late lunch before they would head out again in the evening. This time, they were planning on travelling to the small town of Winnick by the coastline, where they would spend their afternoon and evening, relaxing and getting freshened up for the final race in the third quarter tomorrow. Their search was going to be a busy day ahead of them, and their hopes to find Enrique alive were still standing.
MEANWHILE, FAR TO THE NORTH...
Something else was happening in the streets of Zurlon. After days of little activity after the resolution between all rival Takharim sub-tribes, a few of the hostile Koopas were met with a strange encounter.
Lying outside the residence of Illias Fonavan and Johan Rundol, a Koopa stranger to the Takharim knocked on the front door. Whilst watching the outdated television that the two owned, Johan got out of his seat and headed towards the door, keeping a gun behind his back whilst looking outside to see who it was. He had no idea who was on the other side. The Koopa didn't look armed or dangerous. He wasn't even sure if it was one with hostile connections, so he decided to put the gun back on the nearest table and open the door to him anyway.
"Hello there." The stranger waved at Johan from outside.
"Who are you?" Johan asked, taking interest in this oddly-looking Koopa's upbeat attitude. What he saw was a Koopa that looked both younger and shorter than him, but certainly a lot happier.
"Is this the residence of Illias Fonavan?" He assumed the Koopa was a hostile based on that question alone. He sensed that something looked fishy with this small fellow coming up to their door. If Verida was nearby she would have shot him already, but Johan felt merciful today. He still needed this Koopa's identity; he didn't want to have himself or Illias fall in to some sort of trap led by Mywithe's remaining forces or a different tribe entirely.
"I'm unable to share this information with you, but I can inform you that I was sent by Moroq of the Westfellers. I assume you know who they are?" The Koopa asked. Before Johan was going to reply, he heard the footsteps of Illias approaching from behind him. Standing behind the door, he let Illias walk next to him to speak to the Koopa instead.
"I have heard of the name." Illias replied. "What do you come for?" He too could tell that something wasn't right about this Koopa, but since there was nobody nearby, he felt like he could still speak to him without any worry.
"I'm here to bring news to you from the Westfells. I assume you are the one in charge of the Takharim Tribe?" This Koopa was a bit out of time, but since they didn't really have much contact with other tribes they wouldn't know what happened with the Takharim.
"Yes..." Illias said after a few seconds.
"Good!" The Koopa smiled. "March the tenth. Remember that day."
"What's going to happen on that day?" Illias looked slightly concerned with the Koopa. "Is this a threat?" He moved past the door and grabbed hold of the Koopa.
"No, it is not!" He squeaked. "Please get off of me! March 10 is a very important day for us all." Illias let go of the Koopa and made him back away a bit in fear. "Good things will happen to Koopas like us across the whole land. Moroq promises you!"
"Tell me what's happening." Illias threatened the Koopa back, pulling out his gun from his shell. "We don't like that type of talk from outsiders."
"Unification is happening. More details will follow in the coming days." The Koopa started to look afraid of Illias, backing away slowly down the path that went through the road. "Don't forget the day!" The Koopa started to run away from Illias. He raised his gun and pointed it at the Koopa as he was running but hesitated to fire at him. He lowered it down and felt bad at himself, feeling less threatening than how he actually was just then.
"We should tell Ata about this." Johan suggested whilst he stood beside Illias and watching the Westfellers Koopa messenger run in to the western woods.
"No." Illias replied softly. "Not yet at least." He turned around and looked back to Johan, putting his gun back in his shell. "Go down the road to the innocent's market and get us some supplies for the week. Where's Dirrug at?... I want him to run me a bath in the back." He turned back and started walking in to his house.
"Alright. I'm going to ask Verida if she wants anything from the market." Johan nodded at him and proceeded to head towards the rundown shack that was Nikola and Verida's house. Before knocking on her door, he stopped and noticed Illias staying by the doorway.
"If you need any extra coins, I saw some new blocks in the caves under her basement." Illias looked back at him one last time before closing his house door. Johan looked back to Verida's and knocked on her door, hoping she would communicate with them this time instead of refusing to speak with them since they joined with Ata's forces. He waited a bit more time just in case she was further in to her house. After some time, he began to grow a little impatient, knocking a few more times.
She wasn't inside.
Johan stood awkwardly outside, seeing nobody else nearby. Illias had already gone inside hoping to get a bath ran by Dirrug, and Verida didn't seem to be answering him.
"I don't have time for this." He ran around the building and reached up for one of the already-smashed windows of her house, being able to climb inside. It was clear that she wasn't at home; the only other reason for her not opening the door could be because she was unconscious or asleep somewhere inside. Johan went to check all parts of her house, finding no body in the bedroom, bathroom, lounge, and hallways.
...
A few minutes passed, and Illias was met with a full-ran cool bath prepared for him by Dirrug. He dismissed him afterwards, and wanted to relax and sooth his muscles, but that was interrupted by the door in front of him banging.
"I don't need your help, Dirrug. I've already dismissed you." Illias called from the tub.
"It's not Dirrug you imbecile, it's me." He heard Johan's voice coming from behind the door.
"I thought you were supposed to be going to get us some supplies?"
"Verida's gone." Illias fell silent. "We're the last of the Takharim." He waited a few more seconds, and then got out of the bath, finding the cloth towels on the side to keep him wrapped before unlocking the door. He saw only Johan on the other side after opening it. "Since we still have him, send Dirrug to the market."
"Fine." Illias replied miserably, his emotions deteriorating after hearing that another of his kin had deserted the town. "I'll deal with him after my bath time. For now, please leave me be." He closed the door on Johan, and took a deep breath before unravelling the towels and getting back in to the waters. It took a few attempts for his wet hands to grip on to the rim of the large, curved, slippery metal tub. The thoughts quickly got to him, weakening him and causing him to shiver a bit. Admitting defeat to Ata was one thing but to see his group slowly dissipate through poor leadership was what disappointed him even more now. He couldn't even calm himself down by bathing in the waters as they weren't warming his body enough. The water got cold quickly, but that was probably because the window to his right was also left open. In the bath he started to feel alone, unsure whether or not it was for the better. All the thoughts in his head made him start questioning all sorts of things. It turned out to be a very long time spent in the tub, perhaps the longest session ever. After all, why should he get out of the tub? What is there for him outside?
February 22, 2015 – 11:30AM
Dry Dry Ruins, South Dry Dry Desert
The Dry Dry Desert was more than just a racetrack. This area spanned for miles and miles in both latitude and longitude. Occupying most of southwest Delfino, the Dry Dry Desert consisted of the Desert Hills, Dry Dry Ruins, Bone Dry Dunes, Sunset Wilds, Kalimari Desert, and a couple of towns besides the racetrack. With its size, it was one of the most sparsely populated areas in all of the three southern Kingdoms, with its natives composing of mostly Koopas and Shy Guys.
The Toad management crew went all out on this event however, the amount of spare space the surrounding area had to offer led to more seats, relatively cheaper prices, and lots of souvenirs and drinks were made available to the spectators to keep themselves hydrated during this sunny day's event.
Amazingly, all of the racers were already here. Tom managed to arrive on time, but still with Jack, and still no sign of Enrique. Thorough searches needed more than a day's work, and this was getting too much for both Tom and Jack. As they made their way here, Tom said to Jack that if they don't find him by tomorrow, then he's going to stop at nothing to search for him now, even if it means skipping races and postponing them.
This supposed ransom in Nivurbia is the only lead they have, and as soon as this race is over, Tom and Jack would be heading up there immediately. Whether they went with the princesses or not didn't matter to him. He'd rather go alone or with Jack and not get the government involved.
Jack started getting more stares from the other racers prior to each race. Some of them started to question whether or not he was actually Enrique. They began to sense that something was off about him, but since they all figured out the consequences of having Rosalina absent from the races, it would be best to keep it to themselves as well. Sadly, one of the racers just happened to be a little too inquisitive.
"You're not him, are you?" Typically, it was Kamek who was the one to question Jack first. Just before racers started heading out of the giant sandstone Yoshi sphinx statue and making their way to track, he was met alone with the Magikoopa. Tom was already on the track, and just past the shade was Kamek standing on his and facing him.
"We've got a race to attend to." Jack brushed past Kamek, ignoring him and making his way to the starting line. There he could see Tom sitting alone in the kart, and a few other racing pairs already there.
"Why is he not here?" Kamek called out to Jack, still trying to get his attention. "Hello, who are you?"
"Do shut up, Kamek." Pauline headed out of the sphinx statue's entrance where the 'tent' was set up, walking past the Koopa. "Keep it to yourself." The Koopa turned around to see her walk down the sands in her suit to meet with Rosalina. After Dry Bones arrived, he said nothing and just made his way down there as well. Maybe it would be better to ask about it after this race has happened, he thought.
A few minutes passed, and everyone was at least at their vehicles. There were stands everywhere surrounding the track, with many as close as the bright sand just beyond the cliffs and above the ridges. There may not be as many seats as the Mushroom City or Moonview Highway venues, but the views one could get from the stands were exceptional. Besides the temple, all the stands outside had a view of a large proportion of the track.
The surrounding areas also had screens constructed by the Toad management crew to show footage inside the temple as well as the scores and standings for the races so far before this one was due to start.
POSITIONS:
FIRST: Tom and Enrique
SECOND: King Boo and Petey
THIRD: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro
FOURTH: Toadbert and Toadsworth
FIFTH: Rosalina and Pauline
SIXTH: Toad and Toadette
SEVENTH: Mario and Luigi
EIGHTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu
NINTH: Peach and Daisy
TENTH: Wario and Waluigi
ELEVENTH: Bowser and Bowser Jr
TWELFTH: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong
THIRTEENTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong
FOURTEENTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa
FIFTEENTH: Dry Bones and Kamek
SIXTEENTH: Yoshi and Birdo
SCOREBOARD:
FIRST: Bowser and Bowser Jr: 258
SECOND: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: 236
THIRD: Mario and Luigi: 235
FOURTH: Rosalina and Pauline: 230
FIFTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: 216
SIXTH: King Boo and Petey: 210
SEVENTH: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: 209
EIGHTH: Peach and Daisy: 208
NINTH: Wario and Waluigi: 197
TENTH: Toad and Toadette: 193
ELEVENTH: Yoshi and Birdo: 191
TWELFTH: Toadbert and Toadsworth: 188
THIRTEENTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: 185
FOURTEENTH: Tom and Enrique: 181
FIFTEENTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: 176
SIXTEENTH: Dry Bones and Kamek: 176
When Kamek got in to his seat, he spent the entire time before the race countdown staring across all the racers in front of him to see how Jack and Tom were acting at the front. His mind was focused on them whereas his partner was keeping focus on the races. They were tied for last place, and Dry Bones didn't want to bear the shame of being at the bottom of the screen. He took the front seat this time, and wanted to drive this to the best of his ability.
3...
Kamek snapped back to reality and noticed the holographic Lakitu appear down in front of them.
2... 1... START!
He was not prepared for the boost start, almost losing grip of the back of the bike as Dry Bones drove off. Being hit by several racers turning at the first tight right bend, the two went up to the top of the turn and grabbed the wide item box, changing up to eleventh place upon impact. The others were taken, and a few racers slowed down to wait for them to respawn. Luckily, they were given a golden mushroom, overtaking more people as they finished the first turn.
"On to the rough sand." Dry Bones alerted Kamek, getting him to rapidly activate their item as they steered left. Cutting the off-road through the oasis section, the two reached second place, inches behind Funky Kong and Cranky Kong who did the exact same thing as they did. Both racing pairs were itemless as they drove up towards the temple's entrance. The first pillar outside began to collapse from the right and fall on to the middle of the track as everyone else started making their way towards the interior. Funky Kong drove tightly around the sand piles past the bats, going up to the first half-pipe rather late. Dry Bones went up at a high angle and grabbed an item box, landing back down by the sand and quickly driving over it. Funky Kong and Cranky Kong had vanished from in front of them as they turned around the next bend, confused as to how. When the two were starting to turn around the next two corners towards the larger room in the temple, they were pushed past by King Boo and Rosalina rapidly catching up with them as well. Neither Dry Bones nor Kamek had any idea where they were losing this time on them. As it turns out, all three pairs ahead of them had been wall-riding, as behind them, Kamek saw a few racers flying around the half pipes and hitting the wall at the end of the section. This mini-massacre caused a small gap between the top four and the rest of the racers. Dry Bones kept looking ahead and got nervous of his surroundings. Petey had deployed triple green shells and it looked like Pauline was trailing three bananas. Kamek's red shell wasn't enough to beat either of them, so he decided to keep it behind them as defence.
As they came out of the temple, Funky Kong and Cranky Kong finally got their next item. Tricking only at the second ramp, the two aligned themselves to drive up a small slope beside the final shortcut of the final lap. The air they got from it was not as high as they wanted it to be, leading them to land just short of the track's road. Their vehicle slowed down slightly, losing their small lead from the other racers. Cranky decided to throw the green shell they got backwards, trying to hit Rosalina as she lurked up behind them. Pauline threw her bananas forward in attempts to banana snipe them, but missed all three. They remained on the track at the starting line causing a hazard for the rest of the racers yet to complete the lap.
Unfortunately for Rosalina and Pauline, their imperfect driving from the item usage caused them to be caught up behind King Boo and Petey, resulting in them being struck by one of their revolving greens. Despite having to take larger turns in the Torpedo, Funky Kong managed to get his lead back from the other racers. Kamek and Dry Bones now found it difficult to overtake King Boo and Petey, for they too were going wide around the first turn in the second lap despite being ahead of them. All Kamek had was a fake item box since their red shell was broken by a different one that was thrown by a different racer further back, targeting them. By the time they descended down to the bridge in the mini oasis, King Boo started to steer closer and closer to them as they were getting very close to eachother. Their positions were undetermined as they drove across. Two slow vehicles except one excelled in off-road and drifted inwardly. As Dry Bones was driving on the right side of the bridge, they had to move even further away from King Boo and Petey as they drifted around the next turn, being forced on to the sandy off-road by the second set of item boxes. Thankfully, their high stat in off-road allowed them to keep up to speed and just about overtake the other two. Kamek then was able to release his fake item box as Dry Bones started drifting back in the direction of the track, piercing through the green shell protection that King Boo still had.
The two were struck, and banished back to the middle packs as Dry Bones and Kamek praised eachother, keeping a solid second place position entering the temple. Going up to the half-pipe section, a POW block appeared in front of them and took its effect as they were in the air. The two conveniently tricked and grabbed a new item from the boxes. Driving around the next bend, they noticed Funky Kong and Cranky Kong were defenceless, with their items spewed all over the place. The POW must have wrecked them as they were really slow upon taking the turn after. Kamek saw this as an opportunity to throw their newly acquired red shell towards them in attempts to steal first place. After the turns, he sent it inside the sand room. As he did that however, the sound of a blue shell was coming from the rooms behind him. Funky Kong was struck by the red shell and the two took the lead right as the blue shell identified Funky as a target. Being overtaken, the two Kongs were struck by the blue shell, falling back to the pack. Once there were four pairs at the front, now one.
The two drove out of the temple to what looked like cheering crowds. As Kamek was waiting for an item, and reasonably ahead of everyone else, he looked around the area surrounding the track to see all of the viewers in the stands. If not for the soundproof barrier, they'd be hearing all of the fans' praising voices. Focusing back on the track as they landed on to the second ramp, Kamek noticed something a few metres away to the left side and on the floor.
"There's a ground star on the left platform." Kamek informed his partner, starting to see the rest of the racers exit the temple. He put his banana into defence and watched the scenes behind him as Dry Bones took the final turns to get to the finish line to end lap 2.
"Someone else is bound to pick that up." Dry Bones replied whilst crossing the line and taking a safe apex towards the next item set. There were a few bananas littered at the tight path and three red shells spat out as if their former owner was starred by someone else. Dry Bones was able to avoid them all, but had to go slightly wider than he had hoped to go when heading down to the bridge. The only way the two would be able to keep up their lead was by utilising important off-road spots. Sadly, the same path they took at the second set of item boxes was made redundant as the sandstone pillar had dropped down in the way of it. The two rode over it, but it meant that other people could go there to and not lose any time from them.
Suddenly, a racing pair appeared behind them. Kamek could only assume that they caught up through using a golden mushroom and riding the raised part of the track on the right hand side of the finish line, leading them all the way to the oasis and round the short cut. It was Mario and Luigi, and their boosted speed had run out. They were reasonably far behind them – about a second and a half – but their presence alone still posed a threat to Kamek. He hesitated and dropped his banana at the entrance of the temple.
Kamek now had a fake item box after grabbing an item at the next set, but it was soon taken away from him and spat on to the track after the first shock of the race had just been used. As they shrank down, he saw a green shell land on the floor next to Mario and Luigi going up the half-pipe ramp. Assuming the shock was used at the first or second item set of the lap, a few of the racers probably dodged it in a bill, mega mushroom, or star. Dry Bones tried to keep up their speed whilst tiny as they went through the temple, but luck was against them as Mario had acquired a red shell from the half-pipe item set, throwing it at them and taking the lead. The sounds of other racers coming from the half-pipe started to be heard by them as the piles of sand in the final room kept filling up in size, completely blocking the middle path. Dry Bones and Kamek eventually resized back to normal, but the pack soon started to catch up with them. The shock caused it to thin and the two being itemless before leaving the cave bared huge risk from others who might have shells. Funky Kong and Cranky Kong had already caught up so quickly, presumably through dodging, and with them were more racers behind. Kamek acquired another banana out of the cannon and tried to keep it in defence for as long as possible. Dry Bones only needed to keep driving normally, avoid all hazards, and not let people overtake them in order to keep second for the last two laps. It was frightening for them to see everyone else emerge from the temple in such a short period of time. The pack was even closer than he thought. Mario and Luigi luckily got a small lead ahead, but whether or not they would keep it was up to whoever would pull a blue shell.
The fourth lap was a hectic disaster for the middle spots, but for the Mario brothers, a clean quiet drive without any blues. Fast-forwarding to the final lap, their lead had only gotten larger through superior driving and no items affecting them. Their vehicle's speed trumped Dry Bones', and the wall-ride section caused them to fall behind the ranks to the drivers that could perfectly execute the strategy. The positions were flipping and changing every second, confusing some of the spectators. At the side of the screens, they would be shown, and from the perspective of the cameras it was difficult to determine who was ahead of another in tight moments. During the fourth lap, no global items were acquired or used. No shocks, no POWs, no blue shells and no bloopers. Mario and Luigi skipped the boxes at the first set, keeping hold of their two of three bananas in defence and a green shell in Mario's grasp. The bananas at the start still remained after all these laps, just being a hazard for those approaching the right side set. Drifting down to the bridge, the two saw more items littered on the floor. Bananas, fake item boxes, even a pair of mushrooms were scattered a few inches from the track to the right across the bridge. It was unknown to them how someone could have been struck by a dangerous item there.
Taking the fallen pillar short cut, the two headed steadily in to the temple's entrance, avoiding the fallen pillars before it in case they get lots of air from driving over one of them as a ramp. Racers who took the high centre of the track managed to catch up to them after using a golden mushroom to skip lots of off-road. Seemingly out of nowhere, Dry Bones and Kamek reappeared at the front. They had rode the cliffs by the edge of the oasis and managed to reach the other side of the waters during their golden mushroom usage. Thankfully there was no shock for them. Their item ran out, and they finished it directly behind Mario and Luigi.
A/N: In context to the actual strategy, the procedure Kamek and Dry Bones underwent was activating a golden mushroom after using a star to get on to the raised part of the track. With their golden mushroom the drove around the first item set, and drove off the cliff to land on the other side, finishing off the golden by going around the fallen pillar opposite the second item set.
Heading in to the cave, Dry Bones got right behind Mario and Luigi. The bats managed to remove the bananas from their defence, and Dry Bones found it safe enough to gain a small strafe boost from behind them. Their vehicle accelerated ahead of the Mario brothers, and riding in to the half-pipe gave them extra air. Kamek's blood rushed through his veins, the adrenaline soaring in him as he and Dry Bones reached first place again at the final twenty or so seconds left to go. The sound of a blue shell came roaring through the room, zooming right up to them as they took the turns to the sand-filled room of the temple. The blue shell struck them and sent them up into the air. Mario and Luigi overtook them but they were immediately struck by lightning. The shock caught the other two as they were falling back down to the ground. Mario's items spilled everywhere, and the room was filling too much with sand that only the very edges of the room were not considered off-road. Luckily for Dry Bones, the Magikruiser excelled at off-road, and since they were already small, driving straight through the heaving piles of sand would be faster than going all the way around. After five laps, even the sand Pokeys became trapped and were unable to move that much.
Mario and Luigi were still ahead of the others coming out of the temple, but second place was still fine enough for them. Kamek acquired a red shell from the final set, and threw it immediately at Mario and Luigi. Many racing pairs started heading out of the cave just behind them, already back to normal size. Dry Bones stuck to the left and avoided the possible collisions they could have had with the racers. At the same time, another blue shell flew out of the temple, heading straight for Mario and Luigi. As they were drifting around the last two turns, the blue shell struck them, with the explosion blocking off most of the final shortcut. Some of the racers that overtook Kamek were affected by the explosion, and others drove to the side and lost their speed on the off-road. Dry Bones drove around the final bend and started overtaking the other slow racers trying to make it off of the heavy sand, with the last being just before the finish line. There, within the space of a second, did at least five racers cross the line.
It's too close to call. None of the racers knew who won, but the crowd were certainly entertained, cheering and creating so much noise that, unfortunately, still couldn't be heard inside the track. Dry Bones steered over to the left side and stopped the bike on the off-road, parking it and getting out immediately. He stood with Kamek and watched all of the other racers cross the line. The middle of the pack was almost as dense as the front, but the players in last drove over one at a time. The scoreboard was looking uncertain at the moment. The management crew needed a bit more time to determine the results through the timer and the cameras they had, but eventually the results were released on to the screens.
RESULTS:
FIRST: Dry Bones and Kamek: +20
SECOND: Yoshi and Birdo: +17
THIRD: Peach and Daisy: +15
FOURTH: King Boo and Petey: +13
FIFTH: Toad and Toadette: +12
SIXTH: Mario and Luigi: +11
SEVENTH: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: +10
EIGHTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: +9
NINTH: Bowser and Bowser Jr: +8
TENTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: +7
ELEVENTH: Toadbert and Toadsworth: +6
TWELFTH: Tom and Enrique: +5
THIRTEENTH: Rosalina and Pauline: +4
FOURTEENTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: +3
FIFTEENTH: Wario and Waluigi: +2
SIXTEENTH: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: +1
SCOREBOARD:
FIRST: Bowser and Bowser Jr: 266
SECOND: Mario and Luigi: 246
THIRD: Funky Kong and Cranky Kong: 237
FOURTH: Rosalina and Pauline: 234
FIFTH: Peach and Daisy: 223
SIXTH: King Boo and Petey: 223
SEVENTH: Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong: 219
EIGHTH: Hammer Bro and Fire Bro: 219
NINTH: Yoshi and Birdo: 208
TENTH: Toad and Toadette: 205
ELEVENTH: Wario and Waluigi: 199
TWELFTH: Dry Bones and Kamek: 196
THIRTEENTH: Toadbert and Toadsworth: 194
FOURTEENTH: Shy Guy and Lakitu: 192
FIFTEENTH: Tom and Enrique: 186
SIXTEENTH: Koopa Troopa and Paratroopa: 185
Dry Bones ran over and wrapped his bones around Kamek in excitement. They had won another race! Kamek on the other hand had his attention diverted. What he saw surprised him even more. The humans didn't look happy and were desperate to leave. This was what he was confused about with them the whole time. For a few seconds, he examined their looks and expressions, seeing them rushing off of the track and heading back to the tent underneath the Yoshi sphinx. Kamek couldn't help but follow.
"Sorry." He addressed Dry Bones' upset look from being neglected temporarily. "Follow me, there's something I need to investigate." Kamek walked around the starting line and followed the humans in to the underground. Dry Bones followed, but was still confused on Kamek's intentions. After looking at the humans Kamek was awkwardly standing at a distance from them, it finally came to his thoughts: that's not Enrique.
Dry Bones clucked a sound to Kamek, getting his attention. The Magikoopa turned around and asked what was up, and the skeleton Koopa pointed his right arm of bones to the humans.
"Yes, I know." Kamek grinned. "This is what I am here investigating."
Most of the other participants started heading in to the tent area, gathering around for the last two races to be revealed. There were eight races left, and two unknown. Peach led the other humans she was with to the opposite end of the row of chairs to Kamek and sat everyone down. Toadant and many of the Toad management crew were standing on a small sandstone elevation where they had put the ballot box and the camera to present the unveiling of the next races to the public. To the side was a small board which had a message written on it, showing the time and date of the next race. Bone Dry Dunes was in two days, and at 6:00PM that day. Dry Bones stood by the entrance and noticed the other Koopas showing up, moving over to a row at the back.
"Come, Kamek." Dry Bones grabbed the Magikoopa again. "Let's sit down."
"I'll be observing." Kamek whispered, moving with Dry Bones over to the seats. Kamek snuck around the back and moved himself in to the back of the row, sneaking between two chairs to sit next to Fire Bro, the closest Koopa to the left side of the room where the humans were.
"Oh hey." Fire Bro greeted Kamek, but was quickly ignored. He just wanted to eavesdrop on the others and hearing what they were saying to eachother. With the Toads bickering to eachother in the middle row and behind the humans, it was hard to distinguish anything from them at the back. Eventually he gave up and turned back to Fire Bro.
"Hey, sorry."
"You look paranoid. Shouldn't you be happy that you won that race?" Fire Bro took his time to speak to Kamek instead of keep listening in to the conversation with the others to his right.
"I'm trying to hear a conversation from the front." Kamek looked towards the humans again. His view blocked by most of the Toads on the middle row. "Don't you think something is off about Tom's partner?" He whispered to Fire Bro.
"The Enrique lookalike?" Kamek turned to face him immediately.
"You see it too?"
"Yeah, of course. I think a lot of people know." Fire Bro replied. "I think it's best to not make a complaint about it though. Everyone's trying to keep it to themselves and it's best to keep it that way."
"What do you mean... surely this is against the rules?" Kamek complained quietly, just before Toadant started standing directly in front of everybody.
"I'll tell you after, let's listen in." Fire Bro pointed towards the front, and the background noise of everyone's conversations started to quieten all the way to silence.
"Thank you everyone." Toadant announced.
"We're live to the public in three... two..." He heard another Toad management crew worker call out from the side of the platform. Lights in the room shone on Toadant and the cameras were all facing him.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you." The Toad turned to the cameras. "It's our last time of revealing new races!" He paused for a few seconds to account for any possible cheering and praising by viewers. The faint sound of cheering could actually be heard from the outside by fans making their way out of the venue and looking at the screens on their way. Some of the spectators of the race today stayed in their seats for this part and would go on to leave afterwards. "It is given what the last two races are... we all know that, but what about the two before those? Here we have two papers left in the ballot boxes."
"Mine's still in there." Fire Bro whispered to Kamek on his left and Hammer Bro on his right.
"What did you tell me yours was again?" Hammer Bro asked back quietly.
"Wait and see." The two kept looking towards Toadant on the platform.
"Now it is time to reveal them, finally." Toadant walked over to the ballot box that was on top of a small table to his right. The box was emptier than ever, with only two papers still inside. Toadant moved the two about and then grabbed them both at the same time. Upon raising his arm out of the box, he intentionally dropped one back inside, taking the remaining one and putting it up close to him. He unravelled the small piece of paper and read what was written on it. "The twenty-ninth race of the tournament is... Wario's Wario Colosseum!" There was an unusual lack of applause from the audience and the management crew after that race being revealed.
"Oh, that's not good." A few of the participants overheard Toadsworth whisper. The only people who were actually cheering for the race pick were Wario and Waluigi.
"So... I'm the last pick?" Fire Bro whispered to himself and the others sitting next to him.
"This leaves us with one more race to reveal to you all!" Toadant went to reach back in to the box and grab the last piece of paper out. "Race thirty is... Fire Bro's Grumble Volcano." There was no applause.
"Yeah! Let's go!" Fire Bro cheered, having most of the spectators look back at him.
"I think it's time to go." Tom could be heard from the front left-side of the audience.
"No, Tom, wait-."
"Shut up." He silenced Peach. "We're leaving." Jack, pretty much known not to be Enrique by everyone else by now, got up from his chair as well, squeezing through the gaps at the side and heading to the back exit of the underground area.
"Oh, here we go." Fire Bro watched the two boys head out of the area.
"You're not Enrique." Kamek said out loud.
"Shut up." Fire Bro quickly put his hand over Kamek's mouth. "Will you just be quiet?" The other humans that Tom and Jack were sitting with, including Peach, tried to make their way through the rows to chase them. Toadant awkwardly watched them all leave briefly before facing back to the camera.
"Tickets will be released in an hour! Stay tuned!" He cheered to the viewers before subtly hinting to cut the recording. The Toad management crew stopped recording and displayed maintenance screens to the remaining viewers at the race track and returned all of the broadcast channels to their casters and commentators.
"What's going on?" One of Toad management crew members asked.
"Pack up everything." Toadant ordered. "I will follow them and check on them." All of the participants started to disband from the area, heading out of the underground areas and off of the track. People scattered. Some started to head home, whereas those that were interested to know what was happening with Peach, Tom, and the others, stayed in the area to see what was happening. Tom and Jack were running away from the girls and headed towards the private car park where Tom had his car. Even Mario and Luigi were watching in the distance. Rosalina and Pauline stopped chasing for Tom and Jack, but Peach and Daisy reached all the way to the doors of the car, trying to stop the boys inside from closing them. Daisy kept grip of the passenger seat that was trying to be closed by Jack, but she made him lean from his seat and push Daisy over. She fell down on to the floor and dirtied her suit. Luigi reacted and rushed over, trying to help her get back up as quickly as possible. Jack slammed the door and helped Tom shut his one from Peach. Tom locked the doors and turned the car's engine one. Peach backed away and stood behind the car stopping them from reversing. Tom still slowly reversed and pushed Peach aside. She fell back on to the floor after being pushed away, causing a natural instinct of Mario to follow Luigi to her. Daisy got up and tried to help her up as well, but the two were able to turn around and quickly drive towards the exit of the car park. Now that they had disappeared from sight, the Koopa Troopas started heading to their car, and the Hammer Bros soon followed. Kamek still stood and watched Mario, Luigi, and the Toads accompany Peach and Daisy.
"That's... really bad." Kamek called out loud enough to be heard by Rosalina and Pauline just in front of them.
"Peach not liking Tom now." He heard Yoshi from the side comment on the case as well. "Something's going wrong!" Yoshi huddled forward to be closer with her, but it looked like he couldn't do anything about it. Only now did he see a new look on her face. She was in tears, and Tom's car had revved up loudly and driven out of the car park quickly, heading northwards. "Oh no, Peach is upset!" Yoshi worried, reaching over towards her and giving her a lick with his giant tongue. Mario was kneeling down beside her, accompanying her, and for the first time in nearly a month, she grabbed him back and wrapped her arms around him. He felt that he was finally with her again, and she felt the same. Daisy was with Luigi and both of them moved over towards Peach. Both Mario and Luigi were still unsure as to why Peach and Daisy were this devastated. Having sat in different places in the participants' room, the two hadn't heard the conversation she was previously having with Tom and Jack.
"It's okay Yoshi." Mario halted him from giving Peach more licks. "I'm still here for her." He helped her up and got her back standing straight.
"Are you two okay?" Luigi held Daisy up and walked with her over to Mario and Peach.
"What happened?" Mario asked her. She was shivering and her legs were shaking. It was difficult for her to stand with her body feeling completely fragile. In the space of a few minutes she must have gone from happy about the race to being completely petrified because of Tom or Jack. She wasn't saying anything back to him, only her teeth were chattering.
"She's not talking." Luigi stated, with both him and Daisy looking straight back to her.
"Out of the way!" The people surrounding the area heard the voice of Toadsworth coming closer and closer to her.
"I'm... f-fine." Peach eventually replied back to everyone. "They're... going up north. Let me down." She patted Mario and forced him to lower her down to the sandy floor of the car park. Toadsworth stopped and waited beside Rosalina, being met with the other Toads as well. "Call the transports, we're going home." She was taking deep breaths, trying to clear her tears.
"Do you want me with you?" Mario asked, still beside her.
"Yes."
ON THE DRIVE UP NORTH...
Eventually, most people departed from the area, spending most of their exit unseen from the crowds. Only the Toad racers made appearances to the people leaving the venue and got interviewed by various news anchors. Everything about Enrique and Jack was kept silent, and thankfully nobody outside the racers and the management crew caught on to it.
The other racers departed and presumably headed to their homes, with most of them treating the day like another race and tomorrow as a rewarded break between each new one. It was just another day for the racers like the Koopa Troopas and the Hammer Bros. Tom and Jack on the other hand, were flooring it down the highways heading north. Nivurbia was set as their destination, and going through the central deserts was the quickest way there. The two hoped to reach there by nightfall.
As they were driving up there, they eventually noticed a car keeping its distance from them. It took the same turnings and exits on to different roads as they were travelling up. Jack peered in to the rear view mirror and realised who was following them up there.
"They're not leaving us alone, it seems." Jack let Tom know that they were being followed.
Whilst he was driving, he peered in to the mirror as well, seeing Dry Bones driving a normal car and Kamek staring ahead at them from the passenger seat opposite. "For fuck sake." Tom uttered...
He drove for a few more seconds before eventually deciding to pull over on the side of the highway. No other vehicles were in sight, just his and the others' behind him. Dry Bones slowed down under Kamek's order and the two parked their car further in front of Tom and Jack. Upon stopping, Kamek quickly got out of the car and held his magical wand with him as he made his way to the others' car. Both Tom and Jack could see him approaching from their seats, but neither of them wanted to open their doors. Kamek got closer and closer to the doors, keeping his wand firm in his grasp. Just before he reached Tom's side of the car, he stopped. He was being stared at by both of them in the car.
"Where is he?" Kamek asked, and got no answer for a few seconds.
"Are we going to tell him?" Jack mumbled quietly to Tom in the car.
"No." Tom replied softly, turning the car back on. He started revving the engine in front of Kamek, and the Koopa kept his wand up, standing firmly against the car.
"He's just going to strike the car. Don't try to run him over." Jack warned Tom, making him change his intentions slightly. He revved the engine to be louder, but it didn't seem to scare Kamek out of the way.
Eventually, Dry Bones got out of his car as well, staring towards Kamek and being frightened at seeing what he was doing.
"Kamek! Be careful!" Dry Bones called out, rushing over towards him. Tom began to drive, and steer immediately to the right and back on to the road. Kamek avoided the car from hitting him and casted his wand at the car, causing it to stop moving. The wheels were still going and the rev counter was still recording, but the magical force imposed on the car kept it on the ground.
"Fuck, why can't this bitch just leave us alone?" Tom kept holding down the gas pedal and looked through the mirrors to see what Kamek was doing to the car.
"I'll go outside. I have a gun." Jack suggested.
"Fine." Tom replied, slowing down the car a bit.
Jack opened the door and stepped out of the dazed vehicle, raising his arm in the air and pointing the gun he had at Kamek with his other hand.
"Stop casting on the-." Kamek reacted and stopped casting his wand against the car. Instead, he immediately struck Jack and disarmed him. The gun flew out of his hand and landed on the floor behind him. "Okay, brilliant."
"I don't mean you two any harm." The Magikoopa begged to them, being stopped by Dry Bones finally reaching him. "I just want answers."
"We're looking for him, now leave us alone." Jack went over to the gun and picked it up. He put it straight up in to the air to have both hands up before heading back to his side of the car.
"Kamek, please." Dry Bones poked him repeatedly. Eventually, Kamek hesitated and turned around to face Dry Bones. "Let them do what they need to do."
"But Tom's my friend." Kamek persuaded. "I want to help him where I can. Let me go with them!"
"Is he your friend though?" Dry Bones replied, putting him into a brief period of silence. The Koopa looked back to see Jack staring at him before entering the car. Tom immediately drove off once Jack closed the door, showing no respect or help for Kamek. The two then stood alone in the desert as the only other car went back on to the highway and drove off to the north.
"I... I need answers." Kamek said to himself, being overheard by his true friend Dry Bones. "If they're not willing to take my help, then I will find Enrique myself."
"But why do you have to bring him back?"
"He needs to be back." He looked back to Dry Bones and started heading to the car.
"The Princesses have been unable to retrieve him." They both got back in to the car, but this time, Kamek took the driver's seat. "There's got to be a good reason for us to also look for him." Kamek looked straight in to Dry Bones' eye holes and spoke softly before driving on to the highway and straight up north.
"Rules... are rules."
EOC: That concludes another quarter.
Note: There may be a delay for the chapter after this because Prologue Extract 3 is still in the works as of the day this was released.
And another reminder, after that, we go to the last quarter. Be aware of the possible rating change, as things will start to get a bit darker.
See you next chapter!