It was here. If the fight against Count Bleck had not been enough, this was the biggest moment of Toad's life. Toad woke up on Saturday morning, feeling more confident than ever. He had officially qualified for the race, earning a spot as the #5 kart. Fifth in the world, out of all the best Mario Kart racers in the major-leagues.
Toad arrived at Mario Circuit with Toadette, and together they prepared for the biggest race of their life. Shortly after they arrived, more racers and excited fans came rushing in. Toad found out that there was even an announcer up in a booth.
Toad took a deep breath, then smiled. "I can do this!" he thought to himself.
"Everyone, get in your karts!" The Lakitu finally announced.
But before getting in his kart, Toad gazed around the stadium. He saw the fans. He saw the newly paved track ahead of him. On the sideline, he saw a cloth that covered the Ultimate Champion trophy on a table. After today, he would either have made his life dream come true, or... no, he couldn't think about it.
Toad finally got into the driver's seat of his golden go-kart, and waited for the start of his final test.
Suddenly, the crowd grew silent, as the Lakitu hung a golden traffic light over the heads of the racers. "Ready…" Not one crowd member spoke. The only sound Toad could hear was the pounding of his heart. "Set…" Toad gripped the steering wheel tightly and placed his foot of the gas pedal. The wait was over.
"GO!"
The state-of-the-art golden mushroom kart didn't let Toad down. With a force unlike anything Toad had ever felt before, it blasted forward, right into first place.
"And here we go! Starting off in first place are the two rookies, Toad and Toadette, defending champions of the minor-leagues. They are the first rookies to ever appear in a final major-league race. And I'm sure we all know that Toad has done a little more than just race karts, right?"
Gradually, the pressure on Toad started to fade. Now he was completely focused, so focused that he nearly forgot the importance of the race.
However, Toad and Toadette's five star kart wasn't enough to keep them in first place; by the start of Lap 2, they had dropped down to third place.
"In first place now is Mario and Luigi, the only back-to-back champions to ever race in the major-leagues. Yes, they were the Ultimate Champions last year, and they hope to repeat again this year. Mario has also had some accomplishments outside of racing, as we all know."
Toad and Toadette remained in third place for the rest of Lap 2. Then, as they entered the final lap of the season, Toadette found a bow and arrow from an item box. She shot an arrow into the exhaust pipe of the second place kart, which spun out of control into the sideline wall. The main competition was now between Toad and Toadette in second place, and Mario and Luigi in first place.
"Oh, boy, this is gonna get good. Toad and Toadette are racing tremendously well now, and it looks like they're getting closer to Mario and Luigi! This is it! Someone's gonna win this in the final seconds!"
Toad and Toadette were only inches behind Mario and Luigi's kart, and they only had two more turns until the final stretch to the finish line. The two karts passed by the last set of item boxes, but they both missed them. It was all up to Toad now, and his driving skills. As the two karts made the final turn, Toad and Toadette pulled in neck-to-neck with Mario and Luigi. Toad and Mario looked at each other, once heroes of the world, now competing to win the biggest race in Mario Kart history.
"Sorry, Toad," said Mario, and he tried to bump Toad into the sideline wall. However, Mario's bump wasn't forceful enough, and turned into a push. The two karts slowly progressed towards the sideline, with Toad's kart being the one about to hit the wall. Toad slammed the gas pedal to the floor, and slowly started to inch in front of Mario. Just before Toad could be bumped into the wall, he managed to pull away from Mario, who crashed into the sideline wall.
"Toad and Toadette have pulled away from Mario and Luigi! Here they are, racing the final feet of the race… AND THEY'VE DONE IT! Toad and Toadette have won the Mario Kart major-leagues! The first rookies ever to do so! AMAZING!"
Toad looked down and saw his kart cross the black and white checkerboard line. He sat back, breathed a heavy sigh of relief, then threw his arms up into the air, screaming with joy. As his kart slowed down, Toadette stood up, and she too threw her arms into the air. They rode their first victory lap as Ultimate Champions, the new king and queen of Mario Kart.
On the podium, Toadsworth carried forward the large cloth, which hid the most prized possession in the league. Then, as he stood the trophy in front of Toad, Toadsworth tore the cloth off, revealing Toad's most treasure trophy of all. The pure golden cup shined in the sunlight, with the words "Mario Kart – Ultimate Champion" engraved.
Toad hefted the trophy into the air, and jumped with all his might, just like in the image he had been imagining for over a year. Toadette stood next to him, giving the biggest smile Toad had ever seen. Then, she jumped up and hugged Toad as tightly as she could. The whole stadium was roaring with cheers, and confetti flew through the air. Toad wanted the celebration to go on until the end of time.
After a long and emotional ceremony, Toad and Toadette returned to their homes. Despite Toad's polite offerings, Toadette let him keep the cup, knowing how much it meant to him.
Toad rode home in his first-time championship-winning go-kart, the kart that was once called "Bowser's Masterpiece", which was now "Toad's Masterpiece".
When Toad got home, he sat down on his old couch, and thought about just what he had done in the past year.
He had made the history books. Both the "Racing" history books and the "World Heroes" history books. He saved the world from destruction, and repaired the ancient Barrier of Worlds, ending the chaos between his world and the other worlds.
But perhaps best of all, he had made his life dream come true. He was finally, and truly, an Ultimate Champion.
