"Welcome to Beijing!" a panda bear greeted the new arrivals from the Mushroom Kingdom. With the bear was a blue colored girl, and both of them seemed to look alike from a distance.

"We don't want what your selling!" sneered Waluigi.

The blue girl said "no you don't understand! We're the ones that invited you over to the Olympics. I'm Beibei and this is Jingjing. We are two of the five Fuwa who are in control of 2008 Olympic games."

"It is a pleasure-a to meet you" Mario said as he shook their hands.

Looking around, Daisy asked "so where's the other guys? I doubt we're the only participants."

"Ah yes, the other team" Jingjing said. "We have gotten word of their arrival, and two of Fuwa, Yingying and Nini, are greeting them as we speak."

"Enough of this blabber! Where's the Chinese food court?!" Wario demanded.

"Woah!" Yoshi wished to know as well.

"Follow me" said Beibei, gesturing the guests to some cultural cuisine.

They didn't get far, as something heavy broke through the roof and landed right in front of everyone. The citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom didn't take long to recognize this sight.

"BOWSER!?!"

-

"Welcome to Beijing!" a biped gazelle and a girl with a green bird hat greeted Sonic and friends. Like Beibei and Jingjing, these two looked similar to each other as well.

"The representatives of the Olympics Committee, I presume?" deducted Vector.

"Close" the girl with the bird hat replied. "We are the Fuwa, the hosts for this year's games. I'm Nini, and my friend here is Yingying."

"Wow, you're the hosts?" Sonic spoke in a shocked voice. "That's crazy. Don't you think so, Shadow?"

"…" Shadow just stood there with his arms folded.

"Aw come on Shadow, you haven't spoken a word on our way here!"

The black hedgehog finally said "I came here to compete, not to socialize."

"Don't mind him" Amy said to Yingying and Nini. "He's always like that."

Tails rose his arm to gain the Fuwa's attention. "Excuse me, but I have a question. Why did you truly invite us to the Olympic games?"

"That's what would like to know myself." someone spoke from behind. Everyone turned around and gasped.

"DOCTOR EGGMAN!?!"

-

"What are you doing here?" Peach demanded "are you here to kidnap me again?!"

"Well I was going to" the Koopa King answered sincerely. "But then I find all of you here, AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN BRING ME ALONG!!! WHATS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?!"

Toad shouted, "we don't need a menace in the Olympics. Wario and Waluigi are enough of a nuisance without you!"

"Yeah!" the wicked brothers spoke. Realizing what Toad meant, they also said "wait, what?"

"You can join if you like, Bowser" said Jingjing.

"I beg-a you to reconsider!" Mario said. "Bowser is a dangerous-a Koopa!"

"The Olympics do not care about whose good or evil" Beibei responded. "If you are a qualified athletic, you can be in the games."

"Thanks, shrimp" the Koopa said to the blue Fuwa. "I can't wait to crush the competition! Brahaha!"

Luigi sighed. "You're going-a to regret this" he told the Fuwa.

-

"What's the big idea showing your ugly mug here?" demanded Knuckles. His fists were ready for a fight.

"How rude" Eggman said calmly, supposedly unthreatened by the echidna. "I only came here because I was curious to why everyone was here. Now, can you answer why you invited my… friends to this particular year of the Olympics?"

Nini sighed. "Okay, you caught us. Due to some political issues nobody would come to this year's Olympics. We were desperate, so we choose you and some other group to be our participants. I'm so sorry."

"No sweat" the blue hedgehog comforted the Fuwa. "Even if we're second choice we're still honored to be here."

"Thanks" said Nini. Upon looking at a nearby clock she spoke "Oh dear! Look at the time! It's best we get going and meet your opponents."

-

Both sides arrived the Olympic stadium. The size of the place was amazing. The entire population of China could fit in here (and that's REALLY saying something.) It was that moment both sides saw each other for the first time.

"Those are our opponents?" whispered Amy. "They can't possibly be that great with only two animals on their team."

"Look at the size of their heads!" Toad spoke quietly. "I wonder how they can stand up with such skinny bodies."

Their attention was quickly averted by a flaming boy. You could tell he was a Fuwa as he looked very similar to the rest.

The boy shouts "teams of Sonic and Mario, I am Huanhuan, head of the Fuwa. My partners and I are well aware of your athletic capabilities, and we have decided to see how you fare against one another. Though you have overcome dangers that could have destroyed the world as we now it, the Olympics will not be an easy task to accomplish. It will take every ounce of strength, speed, skill, and stamina to win the Olympic gold. I wish you luck to both of you, you'll need it."

And with that, Huanhuan and the rest of the Fuwa left. Now all alone together, both sides stared at one another once more. Not wanting to be rude, Mario walked away from the rest of his pals and came closer to the other team. Sonic followed suite and meet the plumber halfway.

"Nice meeting you" the blue hedgehog spoke, holding out his hand.

Mario shook Sonic's hand, saying "likewise-a."