Pre-chapter Conversation

"So my gift blasted you all the way to Oahu?" Izzy's voice asked me. I was talking to him on a pay phone at the beach. Twister and Keoni were sitting on a nearby bench.

"Yeah," I answered, watching the two, who were sweet talking each other.

"You're so cute when you're scared, you know?" Keoni said. Twister blinked before blushing.

"Yeah right." He said, turning away.

"It's true." Twister turned and gave him a smirk.

"Yeah well, you're handsome when…" He held his chin. "Actually, you're handsome all the time." They both chuckled to that. I raised an eyebrow before getting back to the conversation.

"I guess by all that, you found Twister and Keoni." Izzy said.

"Yep. I had the redhead and your 'delectable pineapple' share their first on screen kiss." I smirked when I heard a stream of cursing on the other end.

"'Delectable pineapple?' Now there's something I can call ya!" Twister said, leaning into the brunet. "You're my delectable pineapple. All nice and sweet to kiss." Keoni chuckled before meeting his lips in a quick kiss. "And in more ways than one."

"And you're my… What should I call you?" The brunet asked.

"Beats me." Twister shrugged. "But at least I got a nickname for you, my delectable pineapple." He wrapped his arms around Keoni.

"WHAT!.?.! How dare he!.? Only I can call him that!" Izzy screamed. I smirked slyly after hearing that.

"Izzy, are you jealous?" I choked back a laugh when I heard him stutter.

"Of course not! I don't have any feelings for him whatsoever! Besides, I'm straight!"

"Then why do I see a blush on your face, brother?" Iggy asked, laughing into the phone. I swore I could hear Izzy scowling.

"Be right back."

A few seconds passed before I heard screaming, followed by a crash, gunshots, glass shattering, and an explosion or two. There was silence for a couple of seconds.

"Ok. Back."

"What happened?" I asked.

"You'll find out when you get back to the studio. That's another thing, how are you getting back here?"

I shrugged, although he couldn't see me.

"I don't know. It would take too long to take a plane. I guess you're gonna have to take over as director."

Although it was muffled, I think I heard cheering on the other end. I glowered at the phone before I thought of something.

"Unless…"

I think I heard some cursing on the other end.

"Unless what?" Izzy asked somewhat angrily.

"Unless I can find one of this dimension's Chaos Emeralds." He groaned at that one. "Of course, the odds of one of the emeralds being here on the island are slim to nil."

It was then that I heard some giggling.

"Here Keoni, I want you to have this rock I just found as a symbol of our love." Twister said sweetly. Keoni gasped when he took a look at the rock.

"Twister… It's beautiful… Just like you." He said before kissing the taller boy. I turned to them with a glare.

"Do you mind? I'm talk—"

My eyes widened when I saw the "rock" Keoni had. It was the red Chaos Emerald of the RP dimension. I grinned at my luck as I approached them.

"Yoink!" I shouted as I grabbed it.

"Hey! That's mine, brah!" Keoni yelled as he and Twister stood up with a glare. I snickered as I tossed the emerald up and down.

"Sorry, I kinda need it." I then grabbed the phone with my other hand. "Izzy, I'll be there in a few seconds."

"Alright. Before we get started though, can I ask ya a favor?"

"What?" Izzy told me his request, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "Why would you want that?"

"He beat me in my environment." Izzy growled. "No one beats me on my home turf and gets away with it! I want vengeance."

"Man, when did I raise such a vengeful character?" I shook my head. "Alright. You get your wish."

"Yes!" Izzy cheered. "Just you wait! I'll beat him and he'll suffer the same humiliation I did!" He laughed evilly.

"Whatever. See ya in a few." I hanged up the phone and turned to the camera. "Time to start the chapter! See ya in a bit!"

"Hey! Give back my delectable pineapple's rock!" Twister yelled, charging towards me. I smirked as I tossed the emerald up.

"Chaos…" I grabbed it as the boy in the hat was mere inches away from me. "Control!"

Before he could get me, I disappeared in a flash of red light. Twister tripped and landed head first in the sand.

"You alright, Twist?" Keoni asked, walking up to his boyfriend. Twister sat up and coughed up some sand.

"Ugh… Yeah… But I lost your present." Keoni sat down and hugged him.

"That's alright. As long as I have you, I don't care." Twister turned and planted his lips on the other boy's.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Race across Rainbows

Chapter Five

Sam VS. Izzy

It was the next day and both of our competitors decided to take a break. After all, for the past four days, they've been playing Double Dash almost endlessly. Right now, we join Lars, who was currently skating around town.

'Man! It feels good to be away from that crazy arcade and that stupid game for a change.' He thought happily.

As he skated, he wondered what was up with Otto yesterday. A blush crept onto his face at the memory.

'He was mumbling my name in his sleep. Does that mean he loves me?' He shook his head. 'Not a chance! I bet whatever he was dreaming about had to do with beating me in that race.' He scoffed.

'There's no way I'm gonna lose. I'm gonna beat him and find out if he's gay or not.' He stopped for a moment. 'But what if he's not?' He shrugged and continued skating.

'I suppose I'll just have to move on and forget about him.' He kept silent for a moment. 'Pfft! No way! I'll just have to keep trying. I wonder—'

"Heads up!" A voice yelled. Lars looked up. What he saw frightened him to no end.

"Oh my God! A SPINY SHELL!.!.! AAAAHHHH!.!.!"

A winged shell was coming in close, getting ready to send him into the stratosphere. He dove for cover. Everybody nearby gave him a weirded out expression. The object landed near his head. A pair of feet walked up to him.

"Dude, it was just a frisbee." The owner of the feet said as he picked up the plastic disc and walked off. Lars picked himself up.

"A frisbee? But I know I saw—" He gasped as he saw a red shell rolling along the ground towards him. "Oh crap!"

He jumped away from the shell, which was really a remote controlled car.

"Hey Mommy! Look at the scaredy man!" The owner of the car, a little girl, yelled as she pointed and laughed at him. Everybody else in the area roared with laughter as Lars skated away.

'Man, what was that whole thing about?' He thought as he put a hand to his head. 'I guess playing that game so much is finally taking its toll or something.'

Just then, he saw a bunch of banana peels in front of the fruit shop. He scoffed.

'Ha! You may have fooled me twice, but no more! I know those aren't real!'

And so, he skated right over the peels…and slipped.

"WOOOOOAAAAAAHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

°CRASH!.!.!°

It seems that those were real.

"No, ya think?.!" Lars said sarcastically as he propped his head on an arm and drummed his fingers. He was covered with trash.

With Otto…

'I can't believe I just fell asleep like that yesterday.' Otto thought as he walked along the beach with his surfboard in his arms. 'I know that I was real bored with playing and all, but seriously. I mean, Lars was right there! He could've seen my strategy!' He put on a dreamy expression as he reached the water.

'Lars… That dream last night… And also, I woke up in my bed when I know I fell asleep on the couch. Who brought me there?' He shook his head as he went into the water.

'And my forehead… It felt like something was on it all morning. It was a nice feeling though. Like someone was watching over me. Weird.'

Pushing the thought to the back of his head, he paddled out.

'In any case, it's great to finally get out of the house and away from that game.'

As he got a decent distance away from shore, a wave started forming. He turned around and felt the wave pick up the board. Like so many times before, he stood on the board and guided it into the wave. Otto smirked as he closed his eyes.

'Ahhh… I truly feel at peace when I'm out here. No worries, no video games, and most importantly, no Lars. Just me and the waves. Life should always be like this.'

It was then that he opened his eyes and his moment had ended.

"What the—? Shells?.!"

Yes, Otto was heading towards a bunch of green shells. By moving his body back and forth, he was able to swerve around the projectiles and even did a lovely jump in the air. He spun and landed back on the wave. He quickly looked back. The shells were gone.

"Whew!" He wiped his forehead. He looked ahead and saw a truly horrific sight.

"A Bowser shell!.!.!" His eyes widened as he noticed he was on a collision course with the giant shell. Its spikes were barely seen over the surface of the water.

To avoid it, he leaned his body to the right, ascending into the wave. Unfortunately, he went too far and lost his balance. He wiped out and the wave sent him into a massive spin cycle. When he was finally able to distinguish where the surface was, he swam up and broke through. He gasped for air as he leaned on his surfboard. He looked back at the area where he saw the shell. Instead of the spikes, he saw the tail end of a bunch of surfboards.

"What's going on with me?" He asked himself as he swam back to shore. "Why did I just see items from that game?" He held a hand to his forehead.

"I must be losing it." He reached the beach and sat down. As he caught his breath, he looked to his left and saw a cataquack heading right for him!.!.!

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!.!"

He ran home at warp speed, kicking up a ton of sand.

"I just wanted to ask him where the hot dog stand was." A little kid said. He was wearing an inner tube that looked like a duck. He was also covered from head to toe with sand.

(A/N: Just in case you don't know, cataquacks are the duck-like creatures that inhabit the Peach Beach course. They have round bodies and they can toss you up in the air with their beaks.)

The next day…

"I'm telling you, Reg, I saw a spiny shell flying at me yesterday!" Lars yelled. He and Reggie were heading to the Yaoi Brothers Arcade on their boards.

"And I'm telling you, Lars, you're crazy!" The female of the two replied.

"But—" He started. Reggie sighed.

"Look, I know that it's been stressful, but hang tough. After all, the race is tomorrow." She said.

She was right. The brunet had to get as much training done today as possible. Luckily, after his victory on the Baby Park track, he's been winning races left and right. Now, it was time to hone his skills so that he could beat Otto.

When the duo reached the arcade, they saw Iggy hanging up some kind of poster near the entrance.

"There. Perfect." The young brunet said, admiring his work. Reggie and Lars got off their boards and walked up to him. Pictured on the poster was a random assortment of video game characters, as well as some text.

"'The Yaoi Brother Challenge?'" The violet haired girl read. Iggy jumped and spun around, glaring at the two.

"Don't ever do that again!.!.!" He yelled. He blinked and rubbed his head sheepishly. "Sorry about that. How's it going?"

"Fine. What's with the poster?" Lars asked.

"Oh, that's just something my brother decided to set up. He'll tell ya all about it." Iggy replied as he walked into the arcade. The two adults looked at each other, shrugged, and followed.

When they entered the main area, they walked over to the register. Izzy was busy cooking something on the grill. After a few minutes, he turned around and handed Iggy a plate with a burger and fries.

"Take this to table five." He said. The boy in the purple hat walked out of the counter. Izzy sighed and wiped some sweat from his head before facing Reggie and Lars. "Ah! Welcome! I assume you're playing your usual today?" He walked over to the computer.

"Yeah." Reggie replied, nodding. "But what's with this challenge thing you have set up?"

"Challenge?" Izzy asked, looking up from the monitor. "Oh! You mean the Yaoi Brother Challenge. It was boring sitting here at the counter everyday, so I decided to do this—Ummm… I guess you could call it a promotion."

"Promotion?" Lars asked. Izzy nodded.

"The way it works is that for the price of five dollars, you could challenge Iggy or me to any of the games we have in the arcade. We would name the challenge. If you win, you get a handsome prize and you could play any game for free and until closing time for an entire month. Lose and you can't come in for a week. You interested?" He leaned forward and gave Lars a grin.

"No, thanks." The older brunet replied, waving his hands. The younger brunet shrugged and pulled back.

"Maybe some other time. In any case, there are plenty of free stations today. So how long are ya playing for?"

"I guess six hours." Reggie answered. Izzy typed into the computer.

"Ok. Your station is number five. That'll be seven dollars and fifty cents." He held out his hand. The girl gave him a ten and he gave back two dollars and fifty cents. "Enjoy."

Reggie and Lars walked over to the elevator.

A few hours later, at the Rockets' house…

'So bored…' Sam thought.

He was currently playing with Otto, who was trying to get as better at the game as possible. Unfortunately, despite his victory two days ago, he couldn't beat the blond in a single race. After his tenth loss, he stood up, frustrated.

"Ugh! This is so boring!" He yelled.

"Otto…" Sam started irritably.

"I don't mean the game, Squid. I mean being cooped up in this house! I wanna get out!" The redhead stood still for a moment before snapping his fingers. "That's it!"

"What's it?" Sam asked, raising an eyebrow. Otto turned to him.

"I know where we could go to practice!" He said cheerfully. Sam's eyes widened. He couldn't mean…

"We'll go to that new arcade I've been hearing about!"

'Damn it!' Sam thought. He then said, "Maybe you should take a break." But Otto wasn't listening. He ran up to his room, grabbed his gear, and bounded down the stairs.

"Come on, Sam! We gotta hurry!" He ran out. Sam stuttered, trying to think of a way to stop him, but nothing came out. He sighed and followed the other boy out of the house.

'Oh well.' He thought with a shrug as he went into his house to get his stuff. 'It'll be nice to actually see Reggie during the day for a change. I hope she won't be too mad.'

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Sam and Otto walked into the arcade. When they got to the main area, they saw Izzy and Iggy arguing. The people sitting at the tables were enjoying the show.

"You're crazy! Everybody knows Bowser is the better villain!" The taller of the two brothers yelled.

"And I say you're an idiot! It's obvious that Dr. Robotnik's the better villain!" The shorter brother shot back.

"Bowser with his fire breath!" Izzy glared.

"Dr. Robotnik with his legion of killer robots!" Iggy returned the glare.

"Bowser!"

"Dr. Robotnik!"

"Numskull!"

"Idiot!"

"You Omochao! Bowser's better!"

"You Tingle! Dr. Robotnik beats Bowser any day!" Iggy retorted.

They both went back and forth, insulting each other. While the crowd cheered for their favorite brother, Sam and Otto turned to each other.

"Don't tell me they're the owners of this place." The redhead said.

"I certainly hope not." The blond replied.

The brothers continued for quite sometime before…

"CASUAL GAMER!.!.!" Iggy roared, causing the crowd, Izzy, and Sam to gasp and gape at him. Otto looked confused at the silence. The younger Yaoi Brother slapped his hand over his mouth.

"B-brother… I…"

"You went too far that time…" Izzy said, bowing his head.

"Uhhh… Squid, what's a casual gamer?" Otto whispered.

"A casual gamer is someone who plays games very little, like about an hour every day." Sam replied. "They also use reviews, polls, and other things to decide what games they want." Otto raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?" The blond slapped his head.

"It's gamer talk for shoobie."

"Ohhhh…" The redhead said, nodding. They turned back to the brothers.

"Sorry, but it's true. Dr. Robotnik is better." Iggy said, causing the older brunet to glare at him.

"That does it!" He roared before lunging. In an instant, both brothers were brawling behind the counter. The crowd cheered as random sounds were heard. Otto and Sam faced each other with eyebrows raised before turning to the fighting duo.

"Excuse me." The blond said. He was ignored. "Excuse me!" He yelled a little louder. Still no answer. He took a deep breath, but Otto stopped him.

"HEY! WE WANT SOME SERVICE!.!.!.!.!.!"

Everybody else, including the Yaoi Brothers, held their ears.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! What was that?.!" Iggy yelled.

"Ack! Whoever did that has some set of lungs!" Izzy added.

"Ahem!" Otto said with his arms crossed. The two brunets looked up and noticed him and Sam standing. They both blinked and crossed their arms as they stood.

"Prepare for trouble!" Izzy started.

"Yeah, and make it double!" Iggy supplied.

"To protect the world from boredom!"

"To unite all gamers within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of closed-minded people!"

"To extend gay love to the stars above!"

"Izzy!"

"Iggy!"

"We're the Yaoi Brothers, gamers extraordinaire!"

"Surrender your bigotedness now or prepare to fight!"

"That's right!" They both ended, giving both Otto and Sam a thumbs-up. The latter two gave the siblings the most weirded out look they have ever received.

"What—" Otto started.

"The—" Sam added.

"HELL!.?.!" They both ended. Izzy and Iggy cleared their throats.

"Welcome to the arcade! What game would you like to play?" The latter asked. The former looked at the auburn haired guy closely. He grabbed Iggy. "What!.?"

"Conference." Izzy replied. He then said to Otto and Sam, "We'll be right with you." The brothers turned their backs on them.

"Brother, what is it!.?" Iggy hissed.

"Uhhh… Iggy, what did you say that Otto guy looked like?" Iggy put on a thinking pose.

"Let's see… He's supposed to be as tall as you, wears sunglasses, and…" His eyes widened.

"Go on…" Izzy prodded.

"Has dreadlocks that are arranged like Knuckles the Echidna's… You think that's him?"

"Yeah." Izzy nodded.

"So what do we do?" Iggy asked.

"Simple. That Lars guy has to be able to beat Otto. It's pretty obvious what we have to do." They separated and turned back to Otto and Sam.

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"Yes! Did you see me in that last turn!.?" Lars cheered. He and Reggie were riding in the elevator.

"I was right there. Of course I saw it." Reggie replied, rolling her eyes. Despite how crazy her friend was acting, she was happy for him. He has a lot more confidence in his racing skills than he did before his first win.

"I'm so gonna beat Otto!" The guy cheered, punching the air.

"Alright, alright. Let's just take a break before we go back to racing, alright?"

"Fine." The elevator stopped and the two adults walked towards the front desk. They gasped when they got there.

"What do you mean I can't come in!.?.!" Otto demanded. Izzy had his arms crossed. Iggy was standing on the other end of the counter.

"Exactly that. You can't come in." The older brother replied.

"That's not fair!"

"Well that's too bad." Izzy pointed to a sign under the menu. "And I quote, 'We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason whatsoever.'"

"Why you—"

"Sam! Otto!" Reggie said as she and Lars ran up to them.

"Reggie?" Otto said as she faced the two adults. He put on a forlorn expression when he saw the brunet. "Lars…"

"Otto…" Lars said with the same expression. They both blinked and turned away, crossing their arms and blushing. Reggie glared at Sam.

"What are you guys doing here?.! And what's going on?.!"

"Good to see you too." Sam grumbled. "Anyway, Otto wanted to come. I tried to stop him, but you know how he gets."

"Yeah, I know." Reggie rolled her eyes.

"And as for what's going on," He pointed at Izzy and Iggy. "They won't let Otto in."

"Huh?" Reggie turned to Iggy. "Why not?" Iggy put on a sheepish grin and shrugged. He then moved in close.

"I told him about that bet." He replied, pointing at Izzy, who was still arguing with Otto. "I'm afraid he went crazy." Reggie glared at him.

"That's the last time I tell you a secret." She hissed.

"I thought you didn't want him to come, anyway." Sam whispered. Reggie turned to him.

"I didn't. But I didn't want it to happen like this." She lowered her head. "Man… I'm sorry about yelling at you."

"It's alright." Sam said before Reggie kissed him on the cheek. They embraced as Izzy and Iggy gasped.

"That's her boyfriend!.?.!"

"Really, Reggie dear, you could've done better." Izzy said, forgetting the argument. Iggy slapped his head as Sam separated from Reggie and gave the older brother a glare.

"And what's that supposed to mean!.?.!" He yelled. Izzy shrugged and put on a smirk.

"Oh nothing. I just thought she deserved a man with money and prowess at games." He said. Sam growled as he clenched his fists.

"Brother, don't get big headed." Iggy tried.

"I know what I'm doing, thank you very much." Izzy replied, still smirking. Sam was starting to shiver in anger. His knuckles turned white. It was then that he noticed a sign on the desk that was advertising the brothers' promotion.

"Fine! I challenge you to a game!" He yelled, pointing at the brunet. Everybody outside the group of six gasped. Izzy chuckled.

"Hmmmm… You're the first one to challenge me." He said. "So what game do you want to challenge me to?"

'I hate his confidence…' Sam thought bitterly. "I challenge you to Mario Kart: Double Dash."

"Very well then. Iggy, what's the game set up for a Double Dash challenge?"

Iggy walked around the counter and dug around until he found a piece of paper. He walked back to the group.

"It says here that the set up is a best two out of three match in VS. mode, using 150cc engines. You'll be racing on the Special Cup tracks." He said.

"Alright." Izzy turned back to Sam. "Is this ok with you?"

"Yeah." Sam nodded.

"Since you're the first one to challenge me, you don't have to pay the entry fee."

"Good. I wasn't planning to, anyway." The blond replied bitterly. He took Reggie's hand. "Come on."

"Hold it." Iggy said, stopping him. "There's another rule to the challenge. Only one witness is allowed."

"Fine." Sam sighed. "I pick—"

"Hang on."

"What!.?" Sam demanded.

"You and Izzy have to flip a coin to decide who gets to pick." Iggy answered. He gestured to Izzy. "Get over here."

The older boy walked around the counter and stood ahead of Sam. He reached into his pocket and took out a quarter.

"Heads says I pick."

"Alright." Sam replied. Izzy flicked the coin into the air. As it started descending, he turned and started walking.

"What the—?" Lars said. The coin landed and Izzy stopped at the top of the stairs.

"I made my decision." He said. Everybody else raised an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked. He then looked and noticed that the coin landed on heads. He sighed angrily. "Oh. So who do you pick then?"

"I pick the king." Izzy replied with a chuckle. Everybody else looked freaked out by his answer. Reggie then remembered what he said about the shirt Lars wears the first day they met. She turned to the older guy.

"He means you."

"Me?" Lars asked, pointing to himself.

"Oh yeah… Purple is a regal color. That's what he meant by 'the king.'" Iggy commented.

"Well? Let's go already." Izzy said as he continued to the elevator. Sam and Lars shrugged and followed.

"Good luck, Sammy." Reggie said.

"Thanks." Sam replied, waving as he went into the elevator. The crowd watching the fight went back to what they were doing.

"Here's something I don't get." Otto started. "Why did he turn around before the coin landed?" Iggy walked over to the coin and picked it up. He turned the coin around and saw another head. He, Otto, and Reggie put on looks of exasperation.

"It was a trick coin. Figures." All three said with a sigh.

In the elevator…

'Heh. Trick coin. Works every time.' Izzy thought with a grin. He was leaning against the wall, switching his sight between Lars and Sam. 'This was a great plan. Now I'll show that Lars guy how to really race. Maybe he'll learn a thing or two and use that against Otto. Anything to help two guys get together.'

'Still though.' He looked at Sam, who was glaring at him. 'It's almost too bad I have to use this guy as my guinea pig. Almost.'

'What's he looking at?' Sam thought. 'When I get through with him, he won't have anything to smirk about.' He looked at Lars before turning back to the owner of the arcade.

'I can't believe they're in on this whole thing too. I can't wait until Lars races Otto. It'll be weird seeing them together.' He shrugged. 'Heh. I've seen worse.'

'Man! This elevator is slow!' Lars thought, looking at Izzy. 'I wonder. Why did he pick me, anyway?' He then looked at Sam who was glaring coldly at the other eighteen year-old.

'Everybody's so quiet. Not to mention everybody's had at least two lines of thought. Weird.'

The elevator stopped and the three boys stepped out. Lars and Sam followed Izzy into the Double Dash Room and sat down in front of a station. The other patrons were whispering about the fact that the owner of the arcade is actually playing something. After the younger brunet and the blond grabbed their controllers and made the proper adjustments, they got into the player select screen.

'Hmmm… I guess I'll pick my favorite team.' Izzy thought as he selected to use Bowser, King Boo, and the Parade Kart.

"Your turn." He said to Sam, who looked astonished by the other male's decision.

'Man! I've never seen that kart or that character before!' He thought as he looked at the ghost. He shook his head and decided that he would be safer with his usual selection. He picked Wario, Koopa Troopa, and the Koopa King. The screen changed to the tracks listing. Izzy highlighted the Special Cup.

"Since you lost the coin toss earlier, you get to pick the first track." He said.

"Right." Sam said. "I'll pick my favorite track." He chose to start the competition with the Wario Colosseum track.

The screen faded and the two racers found themselves lined up side to side on a track that was designed like the Roman Colosseum. Lakitu appeared and started the countdown. When it ended, both players started the race with a Rocket Start.

'Woah!' Lars thought in surprise as both racers sped around the first turn, ramming into each other.

As they reached the first jump, Sam pulled ahead and got the first item box of the race. As the roulette started, Izzy used a Mini-Turbo to pull ahead. The blond tossed the fake item box he got ahead of him. The dark haired boy almost got hit, but he swerved out of the way at the last second. He hit the dash panels at the second jump and grabbed an item box. He got a green shell as the two drifted into the next turn.

'Ugh! This thing's useless.' He thought as he tossed the shell forward. It careened off the track.

Sam and Izzy reached a row of item boxes. They both grabbed a double item box that was present. For Sam, Wario got a mushroom and Koopa Troopa got a red shell. For Izzy, Bowser got a banana peel and King Boo got…a bob-Omb!.?

"Huh?" Sam said as he noticed the explosive in the ghost's hand. 'Isn't that Wario and Waluigi's special?'

As the two karts reached a huge ramp with dash panels, Izzy made King Boo toss the bob-Omb back. Sam narrowly avoided it as he made his characters switch. When the ramp ended, both karts flew through the air and landed inside a caged sphere. The road started spiraling down. Sam used his mushroom to get ahead of Izzy. The latter muttered to himself as he started drifting, setting up a Mini-Turbo in the process. When Sam's speed boost ended, he did the same thing.

The spiral soon ended and both players were heading towards a row of item boxes. Both of them made their characters switch to get new items. Wario got a green shell while King Boo got a red shell.

'Gotcha!' Izzy thought with a smirk. The road turned upwards and to the right, like part of a roller coaster. He made the ghost toss the shell, causing his characters to switch places again. The shell headed towards Sam.

"Oh no you don't!" He yelled as he fired the green shell backwards. The red projectile was deflected as his characters switched places.

Izzy got ahead as he hit some dash panels. Before he could get to the next row of boxes, Sam launched his red shell. Despite Izzy tossing his banana peel backwards, he got hit and Sam pulled ahead.

'Alright!' He cheered inwardly as he got three green shells from an item box. The track started to spiral a little, so Sam drifted into the sharp turn. As he neared the bottom of the sphere, an egg came from behind and struck him. A banana peel, mushroom, and green shell flew out of it. Izzy sped past.

'What's the deal? Isn't the egg Yoshi and Birdo's special?' Lars thought as he continued watching.

As the racers went into a hard right turn, they hit another row of item boxes. Because Sam still had one green shell remaining, he didn't get a new item. Izzy got a fake item box. He tossed it behind him as he reached the bottom of the track. There were three ways to go: Left, right, or ahead over a small jump. Izzy went towards the middle. He hit a ramp that had a dash panel on it and was launched into the air. He hit an item box that was floating and landed on the other side of the hole, hitting another dash panel as well.

'Ha! I can do that shortcut too!' Sam thought as he too went over the jump. He got a spiny shell from the box and tossed it just before landing on the other dash panel.

"Oh crap…" Izzy said out loud as the winged shell closed in and collided, sending his team into the air. Sam passed by, but not before smacking the brunet's team with a red shell. The dark haired boy used a quick Mini-Turbo to catch up.

When he went over the last jump in the course, he got a star, which he used immediately. Sam crossed the finish line and started the second and final lap (Wario Colosseum has only two laps). Shortly after, he was rammed into by Izzy, who was still invincible. The blond spun out and used a Mini-Turbo to speed up.

After the first jump, Sam got a bob-Omb from the item box. He switched to save it as he struggled to catch up to the elder Yaoi Brother. After the second jump, he got a star of his own. He used it to pass by Izzy as they reached the huge ramp. Sam tossed the bob-Omb back just before he jumped into the caged sphere. Izzy avoided the bomb as he followed.

After the spiral run, King Boo got a triple red shell. Izzy made the ghost fire one. It got Sam flawlessly, but he was still too far ahead. Izzy fired another one that detained the blond long enough for him to pull ahead.

"Hey, what's the deal?" Lars asked. "Only Koopa and Paratroopa can get triple shells." Izzy chuckled as he paused the game.

"It's quite simple. King Boo and his counterpart, Petey Piranha, can get any special in the game. That's why I got three red shells to use."

"Well, that explains it." Sam said with a gulp as the other boy unpaused the game.

He hit the dash panels after the roller coaster turn and got his own triple red shell. He got Izzy with one. He fired another one, but the other boy blocked it with his remaining shell. Sam caught up after hitting Izzy's kart with his final shell. Izzy used a Mini-Turbo as they reached the second spiral. They both drifted around it. Both racers were now very close to each other.

'Hmmm… He's not doing so bad.' Izzy thought as they reached the set of item boxes before the sphere's bottom. 'I gotta make sure I win.'

He pulled ahead as he reached the jump at the chasm. He hit the dash panel and got a mushroom from the lone item box. After he landed and used the other dash panel, he used the fungus and entered an alcove. Sam followed suit and launched the red shell he got from the jump. It hit Izzy just before he could reached some item boxes. Sam sped by.

'Grrr… He's too close.' Izzy thought as he growled. He hit an item box and gave a small laugh as a lightning bolt materialized into King Boo's hand. He used it just as Sam reached the last jump of the race. The blond's team was shrunk as they fell into the gap. Izzy raced past him and won the race.

"Hmph. Looks like I won. Not that it was unexpected, of course." He bragged. Sam glared at him. "Hey, look on the bright side. Since you lost, you can pick the next track again."

"Fine." The blond hissed. He made the screen go back to the track listing. He highlighted the Special Cup and picked the Bowser's Castle course.

The screen faded and our racers found themselves at the entrance to a castle. The entranceway was made in the image of Bowser's head. Lightning struck and thunder boomed as Lakitu appeared to start the race.

"Remember, if you lose this race, you'll lose the challenge and will be banned from coming here for a week." Izzy said with a defiant smirk. Sam scowled at him.

"I know that!" He growled as he gripped the controller. The brunet turned back to the screen with a grin. Lakitu started the countdown. When it ended, both boys performed perfect Rocket Starts and zoomed forward.

'Man, they're good. I hope I'll be able to do this well in tomorrow's race.' Lars thought.

The Parade Kart and the Koopa King crossed the small wooden bridge and entered the castle. After they ascended a small flight of stairs, they got the first items of the race. The path also spilt in two. Izzy went to the left as King Boo received a fake item box. Sam went to the right as Koopa Troopa got a mushroom. Both of them hugged the walls as they traveled to avoid the falling thwomps. Izzy pulled ahead as they entered a new hall with two thwomps.

Sam used the mushroom and crashed into Izzy. The force of the blow caused King Boo to drop the fake item box. Koopa Troopa grabbed it and tossed it back. Izzy got hit and electricity crackled around the kart, stopping it for a bit. The brunet was unable to move fast enough and thus got whomped by one of the stony guardians.

While Izzy was busy trying to get inflated, Sam got through the hall and entered a room full of lava. Big fireballs leapt out and flew through the road, which was a grating at the moment. Sam was able to get through the area, getting a stack of green shells in the process. He hit a ramp and jumped onto a spiral, which he drifted up. When he reached the top, he used a Mini-Turbo to enter a room that had several huge fireballs spinning around the middle. He navigated through the room and got outside. He went up a hill and turned left. He went up another hill and hit some item boxes.

Before he could get an item though, he got hit by a spiny shell. As he was sent flying, Izzy sped under him and entered a room with a huge flight of stairs. Sam landed and followed him. At the end of the room, a giant statue of Bowser was shooting fireballs from its mouth. It kept moving back and forth. Izzy weaved around the fireballs and hit a double item box. King Boo got a giant banana peel while Bowser got a green shell. As Sam reached the item boxes, he noticed the other boy's team jump a small gap and get further ahead.

'A shortcut! I never knew about that one.' He thought as he also hit a double item box. Wario got a red shell and Koopa Troopa got a lightning bolt. Sam grinned as he followed the other boy's team.

As Izzy reached a ramp, he dropped the giant banana peel. Before he was able to make the jump, Sam used the lightning bolt and shrunk him. The dark haired boy lost his shell and fell into the moat surrounding the castle. The blond pulled ahead and started the second lap as Izzy was placed back on the course. He started the next lap as well.

Sam got into the entrance hall and went past the first set of thwomps. As he started going towards the second set, the red shell alarm activated. He defended against Izzy's attack by tossing his own red shell back. The dark haired boy caught up as they entered the lava room. The dueling pair got some items as they reached the ramp and started going up the spiral. Izzy grumbled as he tossed back the fake item box he got. Sam switched to save the banana peel he received.

'That makes sense. I better remember to save items tomorrow.' Lars thought. Both of the other boys reached the room with the revolving fireballs.

As they drove past them, they got new items. Sam got a green shell as Izzy got a red one. Sam tossed the shell back and hit Izzy. As he got outside and prepared to hit another set of boxes, Izzy's red shell struck him. Sam was detained as the other boy caught up and passed him.

After the blond got back to normal speed, he followed Izzy into the room with the fireball launcher. He got a red shell and fired it just as the dark haired boy was getting ready to use the shortcut. Izzy was knocked into a lava pit as Sam utilized the shortcut. The former was placed back on the track as the latter went across the ramp and began the final lap.

'You gotta be kidding me!' Izzy thought in astonishment as he tried to catch up.

Before he reached the ramp, he got a double item box. He received both a star and a spiny shell. As he landed and prepared to start the final lap, he tossed the shell and activated the star. He sped fearlessly past the thwomps and entered the lava room. Sam was being lowered back onto the track. He had gotten hit by the spiny shell as he was making the jump. Both of them went across the ramp and up the spiral.

They entered the fireball room and got some item boxes, again. As soon as they reached the outside area, Sam unleashed the bob-Omb he just got, knocking Izzy into the air. He went around the next turn and switched with Koopa Troopa. Sam got triple green shells from one of the boxes and launched them all backwards. Izzy got hit again as the blond entered the final room. He navigated through the area and defeated the older Yaoi Brother by at least ten seconds. The crowd gasped and murmured at the results. The boy in question gaped in disbelief.

"I…lost…" He said, bowing his head. "I actually lost a race…"

"So where's all your talk now?" Sam asked with a smirk. Izzy growled before recollecting himself.

"Hmph. So you won a race against me. Big deal. We still got one more to do."

"Well, go ahead and pick. If I remember correctly, the loser gets to pick." The blond said with heavy emphasis on "loser."

"Fine." Izzy replied. He got back to the tracks listing.

'Woah. I never saw the Squid act like that.' Lars thought, looking at the boy in question. He shrugged. 'Makes sense though. I'd be the same exact way if anybody made fun of my relationship with Otto. That is, if I get with him after tomorrow.'

'He thinks he's so tough!' Izzy thought, scowling at Sam. He turned back to the screen. 'Well, I have not yet begun to fight. Let's see him get through my favorite course!'

And he made his decision. As they raced, Lars gaped at the sight of the racetrack. It was extremely colorful. It had plenty of twists and turns. The music was top notch too.

'Wow… It's so beautiful. Almost as beautiful as Otto…'

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Sam!" Otto and Reggie yelled as they ran up to the blond and Lars. They and Izzy had just gotten back from the seventh floor. Izzy walked slowly towards the counter.

"Iggy?" He said. The rest of the group turned to him.

"Yes brother?" Iggy asked. The older brother pointed at Sam.

"Give him a coupon to play any game for free for a month." Everybody else gasped.

"You mean…?" The Rockets said, looking at Sam, who was grinning.

"You LOST!.?.!" Iggy demanded to his brother, who nodded grimly.

"Don't make a big deal about it." He said. He turned towards the others. "He deserved it. Anyone who could fight for the one he loves definitely deserved to win." His brother handed him a slip of paper, which he then gave to Sam.

"Congratulations. Please take this prize and my humble apologies for insulting you earlier."

"No problem." Sam replied as he put the coupon into his pocket.

"Please take good care of him." Izzy continued as he turned to Reggie. "People who care for you as much as he does don't come along often." The violet haired girl held her boyfriend's hand and squeezed.

"You got it." Izzy nodded and faced Otto.

"And you, I'm sorry about earlier as well. You can come into the arcade."

"You mean it?" Otto asked. Izzy nodded.

"It was the other thing Sam wanted for beating me. Go on and enjoy the games." He answered. The redhead said nothing as he, Reggie, and Sam walked down the stairs and towards the elevator.

"Aren't you coming, Lars?" Reggie asked as she turned to the older brunet, who was deep in thought.

"Huh?" He asked as he looked up. "Nah. Go ahead. I gotta go home, anyway." He started walking towards the exit. "See you tomorrow, Otto."

"Yeah! You better get ready to lose!" Otto yelled. Lars waved as he left.

'Man, that last course was so cool! I know what to race Otto on tomorrow!' He thought as he continued home.

Back at the arcade…

"I can't believe you actually lost." Iggy said.

"Drop it, brat." Izzy replied as he took his place behind the counter.

"So what track did you lose to him on?"

"It was my favorite track." Izzy replied. Iggy gasped.

"That one? He beat you on the track that only expert players can get through without falling!.?"

"I said drop it already! Sheesh!" Izzy yelled. He looked towards the front door. "I just hope that Lars guy learned something from the races and beats that guy tomorrow."

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Post-chapter Conversation

"IT'S NOT FAIR!.!.!" Izzy screamed as he banged on the floor. "HOW COULD I LOSE TO HIM, AGAIN!.?.!.?.!"

"Well, it's like what you said." I started with a shrug. "He deserved it for fighting for the one he loves." Izzy glared at me.

"What makes you think I was serious!.?.! I shoulda won that!.!.!"

"He's also the greatest action hero in this dimension, remember?"

"Yeah! It should've been obvious that you were gonna mess up!" Iggy agreed. Izzy glared at him.

"Freakin' suck up." He muttered. I turned to the camera.

"Anyway, what track is Lars going to play Otto on? What did Izzy lose to Sam on?" The guy in question sobbed uncontrollably. "Will Lars get with the boy of his dreams? Find out next time in the final chapter!" I waved at the camera.