The day came with explosive force, as the entire city flocked to the
stadium, anticipating the spectacular first race of the Flower Cup
tournament. Vendors set up their stands of overpriced fast food and soft
drinks, to which people eagerly threw money at. Stands of various
paraphernalia, from hats to t-shirts, were devoured with equal relish.
Illegal gambling was being made in secret corners of the stadium. This was
an exciting day for all.
Billy and Kid met in a large garage near their designated kart. They looked with envy at the others, sporting unique karts and entire pit crews. Neither one said it, but both of them were trembling in their boots.
Kid was first to break the tension. "What's the name of this track again?" he said.
"Mushroom Bridge," muttered Billy.
There was a long silence.
"You know what's funny?" Billy continued. "That isn't a real bridge at all, but a mock one designed especially for kart racing. And all those vehicles on the bridge are being driven by stuntmen."
"Yeah. That's real funny," Kid said blandly.
A Lakitu raced to the front of the garage. "Start your engines, everyone!" he said.
The Lakitu fled, just as the doors to the garage opened, allowing them full view of the track. One by one, the karts sputtered to life, until the garage was filled with roars of varying registers. Kid hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. Billy climbed into the back.
They could hear the tinny, yet loud, voice of the announcer from the loudspeakers outside.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" he cried. "Welcome to the annual Flower Cup Double Dash tournament!"
The crowd cheered noisily, drowning out the announcer.
"And now, the moment you've been waiting for! The first match of the tournament! Introducing, at first place..."
In the garage, the Lakitu shouted, "Mario and Luigi, go!"
The Mario Bros.' kart, red with Mario's initials on the front, sped out of the garage and onto the track.
"...the heroic plumber duel, Mario and Luigi!"
The crowd applauded enthusiastically, while the Mario Bros' theme song was being played. The announcer continued, "Coming in at second place..."
The Lakitu shouted, "Go! Peach and Daisy!"
"...a Royally competitive pair, Princess Peach, and Daisy!"
Again, the crowd cheered. Peach's theme song was played.
"Coming in at third..."
The Lakitu shouted, "Go, Bowser and Bowser Jr!"
"...the sinister King of the Koopa and his son, Bowser and Bowser Jr!"
The crowd booed angrily. Clearly, they had not forgotten the atrocity Bowser had committed a month before.
For half an hour, names were read off, all of which received cheers of differing enthusiasm, and the garage grew more and more empty. Finally, it was just Billy and Kid.
"And lastly..."
The Lakitu signaled towards the solitary kart. "Go," he said.
"...uh, Billee and Kidy Koopa!"
Their kart burst out into open sunlight, rolling slowly to the eighth marker behind the start position. The crowd murmured in confusion, not sure whether to boo the newcomers or cry out encouragements. Shouts of "Toad and Toadette" could be heard.
Simultaneously, every kart's engine was disengaged; no one could move. Billy and Kid were hyperventilating, smelling the fumes of exhaust and baking asphalt. Every kart made a unique hum, creating a choir of noises that filled the hearts of the spectators with glee. A few of the more aggressive drivers were revving their engines, for the sole purpose of intimidating the others. Everyone waited for the signal.
Finally, a Lakitu flew to the front of the pack, holding the stoplight. The lights changed slowly. Three... two... one.
Click. The engines came to, and every kart took off with tremendous speed. Kid stepped on the gas, propelling the kart ahead with insane acceleration. He had gotten the boost unexpectedly, and it cost him. The kart sped on, until hitting a wall at the first turn. Kid struggled to regain his place, but the other drivers were just passing them. They jeered at him, occasionally throwing punches. Billy and Kid were in last place once again.
The kart chased after the pack, consciously avoiding the vehicles on the road. Kid met the first of many item blocks with thanks, but was crushed once Billy told him that it was a banana. Billy threw the item hastily.
They entered a tunnel. The kart's speed became more apparent as the lights above seemingly became a single streak. Kid steered nervously around the traffic in the confined space.
At last they were out, and again had an item. Billy squealed with joy as he held it up; it was a star.
He thrust the star into the engine, and immediately, the kart was enveloped in a halo of light, which sent an electrical burst through anything that tried to get in. The huge amount of energy also did well to increase the kart's speed.
Billy and Kid were back in business. They rushed past Petey Piranha and King Boo, making it to seventh place. Next, they passed Donkey Kong and Diddy, who attempted to knock their kart out of the way, with dire consequences. They were nearing Peach and Daisy in fifth place, when the star's power ran out.
Gripping onto the handlebar, and glancing over his surroundings with swollen, wind struck eyes, Billy began to get an idea of the order of the pack. In the last positions, seventh and eighth, racers followed the pack despondently, secretly envying those in higher ranks and being driven by fading hope. The racer in first was usually well ahead of the pack, while those in second and third raced after him, determined to take his place.
That left the middle section.
The middle section, composed of the sixth, fifth, and fourth places, was where the most intense heat of battle was. Racers fought madly amongst each other for a chance to get in the top four by the end of the race. Thus, Billy and Kid had unwittingly plunged into the fray.
They passed another set of items, receiving a green shell. Peach and Daisy, ahead of them, had gotten a red shell, which Daisy had thrown to Wario and Waluigi, in fourth. Wario's kart spun out, both brothers yelling in surprise, while Peach and Daisy zoomed ahead of them, taunting gleefully. Wario and Waluigi were furious. Just as they were beginning to reach their top speed, Wario and Waluigi noticed that Kid and Billy were about to pass them. Waluigi, in the back, beckoned to his brother, and the two switched.
Wario then began ramming his massive body into Billy, with complete disregard for his own safety. Billy was thrown to the other side, still gripping the handlebar with one hand. He recovered, just as Wario rammed the kart again. The force made Kid dizzy, who lost control, running into a wall and spinning out. Wario and Waluigi were gone past, and so were Petey Piranha and King Boo. Billy and Kid were down to seventh place, and they were just about to begin the final lap.
"We can still make it!" Billy shouted in Kid's ear. "Go for the double next time we come across some item blocks!"
Kid nodded, just steering clear of a bus that, upon impact, would plunge him into the same fatal wall that cost him in the first lap. The items came, and he managed to drive through a double block. The item in Billy's hand was trivial, but Kid himself had received a blue shell. Billy tossed away his item, retreived the blue shell from Kid, and hurled it at Petey Piranha's kart. Billy and Kid watched in fascination as the shell chased after it hungrily, then, leaving it in ruins, went after the others. Somewhere in the background, Billy could hear the announcer excitedly describe what just happened.
"Now's our chance!" Billy cried. "Let's go!"
Kid drove with sudden fury past Petey Piranha, and then past Wario, who watched them go with a futile grimace. They approached Peach and Daisy, but the royal pair had already recovered from the blue shell. They drove alongside Billy and Kid, shooting sinister glances at their generic kart. Again Billy heard the announcer; but it was not some announcement glorifying the deeds of the underdog. The announcer was just announcing those karts that just passed the finish line.
Billy was filled with a silent rage, and he began throwing himself at the other kart. Daisy, in the back, took the attack with astonishment. Billy continued his assault, making Peach lose control, until, at a turn, she slid away into a bus. Their kart spun wildly, and when it came to a stop, Peach was dazed and Daisy was hanging precariously onto the back of the kart
"We're in fourth place now!" Billy shouted.
"I know!" Kid shouted back.
The racers in third were well ahead of them. Kid rammed a mushroom car, producing a mushroom that gave them a helpful boost. But it was all in vain. The third placers had just passed the finish line.
Billy and Kid passed the finish line, receiving little enthusiasm from the crowd. While the top three racers went around the track for a victory lap to receive applause from the crowd, Billy and Kid drove into the garage, into seclusion.
Wario and Waluigi were next entering the garage. They sneered at Billy and Kid as they parked their kart in its respective place.
"Who won?" Billy asked objectively.
Wario scoffed. "That hotshot, Bowser," he said. "Then the Mario Bros., and then the odd couple, Yoshi and Birdo. Same old, same old."
Waluigi walked over to Billy and Kid's kart, inspecting it. "That's an ugly set of wheels you've got there," he said. "What did you do, buy it off some bum for liquor?" He and Wario laughed.
Kid frowned. "Laugh all you want," he said, "But we managed to get a higher place than you. Apparently, looks don't help you win."
Waluigi shrugged. "Maybe not," he said. "But it does help your popularity. Me and Wario do have some fans, even though we don't get in the top three nine times out of ten."
"Well, don't worry," said Billy dryly. "Next time, you won't have to bear the pain of seeing this kart in the garage so soon after the race is over."
Wario and Waluigi made mocking comments, as Billy and Kid's kart was towed out of the garage, and as Billy and Kid walked away.
Billy and Kid met in a large garage near their designated kart. They looked with envy at the others, sporting unique karts and entire pit crews. Neither one said it, but both of them were trembling in their boots.
Kid was first to break the tension. "What's the name of this track again?" he said.
"Mushroom Bridge," muttered Billy.
There was a long silence.
"You know what's funny?" Billy continued. "That isn't a real bridge at all, but a mock one designed especially for kart racing. And all those vehicles on the bridge are being driven by stuntmen."
"Yeah. That's real funny," Kid said blandly.
A Lakitu raced to the front of the garage. "Start your engines, everyone!" he said.
The Lakitu fled, just as the doors to the garage opened, allowing them full view of the track. One by one, the karts sputtered to life, until the garage was filled with roars of varying registers. Kid hopped into the driver's seat and started the engine. Billy climbed into the back.
They could hear the tinny, yet loud, voice of the announcer from the loudspeakers outside.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" he cried. "Welcome to the annual Flower Cup Double Dash tournament!"
The crowd cheered noisily, drowning out the announcer.
"And now, the moment you've been waiting for! The first match of the tournament! Introducing, at first place..."
In the garage, the Lakitu shouted, "Mario and Luigi, go!"
The Mario Bros.' kart, red with Mario's initials on the front, sped out of the garage and onto the track.
"...the heroic plumber duel, Mario and Luigi!"
The crowd applauded enthusiastically, while the Mario Bros' theme song was being played. The announcer continued, "Coming in at second place..."
The Lakitu shouted, "Go! Peach and Daisy!"
"...a Royally competitive pair, Princess Peach, and Daisy!"
Again, the crowd cheered. Peach's theme song was played.
"Coming in at third..."
The Lakitu shouted, "Go, Bowser and Bowser Jr!"
"...the sinister King of the Koopa and his son, Bowser and Bowser Jr!"
The crowd booed angrily. Clearly, they had not forgotten the atrocity Bowser had committed a month before.
For half an hour, names were read off, all of which received cheers of differing enthusiasm, and the garage grew more and more empty. Finally, it was just Billy and Kid.
"And lastly..."
The Lakitu signaled towards the solitary kart. "Go," he said.
"...uh, Billee and Kidy Koopa!"
Their kart burst out into open sunlight, rolling slowly to the eighth marker behind the start position. The crowd murmured in confusion, not sure whether to boo the newcomers or cry out encouragements. Shouts of "Toad and Toadette" could be heard.
Simultaneously, every kart's engine was disengaged; no one could move. Billy and Kid were hyperventilating, smelling the fumes of exhaust and baking asphalt. Every kart made a unique hum, creating a choir of noises that filled the hearts of the spectators with glee. A few of the more aggressive drivers were revving their engines, for the sole purpose of intimidating the others. Everyone waited for the signal.
Finally, a Lakitu flew to the front of the pack, holding the stoplight. The lights changed slowly. Three... two... one.
Click. The engines came to, and every kart took off with tremendous speed. Kid stepped on the gas, propelling the kart ahead with insane acceleration. He had gotten the boost unexpectedly, and it cost him. The kart sped on, until hitting a wall at the first turn. Kid struggled to regain his place, but the other drivers were just passing them. They jeered at him, occasionally throwing punches. Billy and Kid were in last place once again.
The kart chased after the pack, consciously avoiding the vehicles on the road. Kid met the first of many item blocks with thanks, but was crushed once Billy told him that it was a banana. Billy threw the item hastily.
They entered a tunnel. The kart's speed became more apparent as the lights above seemingly became a single streak. Kid steered nervously around the traffic in the confined space.
At last they were out, and again had an item. Billy squealed with joy as he held it up; it was a star.
He thrust the star into the engine, and immediately, the kart was enveloped in a halo of light, which sent an electrical burst through anything that tried to get in. The huge amount of energy also did well to increase the kart's speed.
Billy and Kid were back in business. They rushed past Petey Piranha and King Boo, making it to seventh place. Next, they passed Donkey Kong and Diddy, who attempted to knock their kart out of the way, with dire consequences. They were nearing Peach and Daisy in fifth place, when the star's power ran out.
Gripping onto the handlebar, and glancing over his surroundings with swollen, wind struck eyes, Billy began to get an idea of the order of the pack. In the last positions, seventh and eighth, racers followed the pack despondently, secretly envying those in higher ranks and being driven by fading hope. The racer in first was usually well ahead of the pack, while those in second and third raced after him, determined to take his place.
That left the middle section.
The middle section, composed of the sixth, fifth, and fourth places, was where the most intense heat of battle was. Racers fought madly amongst each other for a chance to get in the top four by the end of the race. Thus, Billy and Kid had unwittingly plunged into the fray.
They passed another set of items, receiving a green shell. Peach and Daisy, ahead of them, had gotten a red shell, which Daisy had thrown to Wario and Waluigi, in fourth. Wario's kart spun out, both brothers yelling in surprise, while Peach and Daisy zoomed ahead of them, taunting gleefully. Wario and Waluigi were furious. Just as they were beginning to reach their top speed, Wario and Waluigi noticed that Kid and Billy were about to pass them. Waluigi, in the back, beckoned to his brother, and the two switched.
Wario then began ramming his massive body into Billy, with complete disregard for his own safety. Billy was thrown to the other side, still gripping the handlebar with one hand. He recovered, just as Wario rammed the kart again. The force made Kid dizzy, who lost control, running into a wall and spinning out. Wario and Waluigi were gone past, and so were Petey Piranha and King Boo. Billy and Kid were down to seventh place, and they were just about to begin the final lap.
"We can still make it!" Billy shouted in Kid's ear. "Go for the double next time we come across some item blocks!"
Kid nodded, just steering clear of a bus that, upon impact, would plunge him into the same fatal wall that cost him in the first lap. The items came, and he managed to drive through a double block. The item in Billy's hand was trivial, but Kid himself had received a blue shell. Billy tossed away his item, retreived the blue shell from Kid, and hurled it at Petey Piranha's kart. Billy and Kid watched in fascination as the shell chased after it hungrily, then, leaving it in ruins, went after the others. Somewhere in the background, Billy could hear the announcer excitedly describe what just happened.
"Now's our chance!" Billy cried. "Let's go!"
Kid drove with sudden fury past Petey Piranha, and then past Wario, who watched them go with a futile grimace. They approached Peach and Daisy, but the royal pair had already recovered from the blue shell. They drove alongside Billy and Kid, shooting sinister glances at their generic kart. Again Billy heard the announcer; but it was not some announcement glorifying the deeds of the underdog. The announcer was just announcing those karts that just passed the finish line.
Billy was filled with a silent rage, and he began throwing himself at the other kart. Daisy, in the back, took the attack with astonishment. Billy continued his assault, making Peach lose control, until, at a turn, she slid away into a bus. Their kart spun wildly, and when it came to a stop, Peach was dazed and Daisy was hanging precariously onto the back of the kart
"We're in fourth place now!" Billy shouted.
"I know!" Kid shouted back.
The racers in third were well ahead of them. Kid rammed a mushroom car, producing a mushroom that gave them a helpful boost. But it was all in vain. The third placers had just passed the finish line.
Billy and Kid passed the finish line, receiving little enthusiasm from the crowd. While the top three racers went around the track for a victory lap to receive applause from the crowd, Billy and Kid drove into the garage, into seclusion.
Wario and Waluigi were next entering the garage. They sneered at Billy and Kid as they parked their kart in its respective place.
"Who won?" Billy asked objectively.
Wario scoffed. "That hotshot, Bowser," he said. "Then the Mario Bros., and then the odd couple, Yoshi and Birdo. Same old, same old."
Waluigi walked over to Billy and Kid's kart, inspecting it. "That's an ugly set of wheels you've got there," he said. "What did you do, buy it off some bum for liquor?" He and Wario laughed.
Kid frowned. "Laugh all you want," he said, "But we managed to get a higher place than you. Apparently, looks don't help you win."
Waluigi shrugged. "Maybe not," he said. "But it does help your popularity. Me and Wario do have some fans, even though we don't get in the top three nine times out of ten."
"Well, don't worry," said Billy dryly. "Next time, you won't have to bear the pain of seeing this kart in the garage so soon after the race is over."
Wario and Waluigi made mocking comments, as Billy and Kid's kart was towed out of the garage, and as Billy and Kid walked away.