Disclaimer. This is currently my most popular story! YAY! Random note, I'm actually making the quiz results and I'm putting them in the story too, at the end, during the finale. But on another note, please vote on my poll about the Mole on my profile. If you don't have an account, you can leave an anonymous review. That means you don't have to have an account. Just go ahead and push that little review button down there...

Toady: Hmmm... Maybe it's a clue. Maybe not. You have yet to find out. Mwahahaha... As for the challenge, thanks (Even though I ended it a little short in this chapter. Sorry -.-'). As for Iggy and Toadette wanting the exemption, well, I guess, but if you wanted to stay in, you would want the exemption badly, huh? As for Starlow sucking so much, well, she's never played it before, so I had to make it hilarious! And maybe Starlow would smile. Maybe she had learned from the producers, and just was faking it all, to seem, you know, innocent. Or maybe not.

Rootbeer: Why are you glad Luigi was out first? I don't get it... Oh well. When you get here. As for the challenges, I think I'm getting better. I hope. I shouldn't have started this as my first fic though, because the Mole is really hard to write and actually pull off. But I'm not going to say anything else, since you know, you're not actually here yet.

Explosive Items

DK smiled as the final four players drove around trying to find each other. He lifted up the microphone on his podium, where he made all the time warnings, and said, "Players, please come to the start. The producers would like to show you to a smaller area for the time being. Also, modifications can be made on your Kart."

Peach smiled as she slowly advanced her Kart. She had a good feeling what the 'modifications' were. She was overjoyed that the Mario Kart Committee had allowed the items to be passed. She knew exactly who she would be getting out. Although, she did want the money, no one was going for it. Kooper did have a point. If you are going to need to get all the players that are going for the exemption out, then eventually, only one person would be left. The person who didn't want the exemption. Oh well... If you can't beat them, join them!

Bombette shrugged as the announcement finished. She was surprised she had made it this far in the Battle. Of course, if you knew how the Mole operated, you could get by anything with a little luck. But she was still glad they were making little modification to the Kart. She would need all the help she could get against pros like Peach and Toadette.

Kooper sighed as he drove through the tunnel. He felt like his original plan was turning out badly, hence the turn to get the exemption. But he could still get money. He only had to keep Peach in. Maybe... He sighed again. If she had decided to go for the Money too, he was screwed. Well, he wasn't. The mission was. But he still had to try.

Toadette nodded as the last player pulled into the start. She had been showed the smaller confinement area and was now deciding what upgrade she wanted. They had been planned for a Mario Kart race, but then the committee pulled them from the boxes. But they had let them use them now. She was glad. They were never even explained to the contestants. She looked up at the producer, a pianta, small for its species, but still towering over her. She smiled, "So what does the Rocket do again?"

He smiled back and replied, "It works similarly to a bullet bill, but it aims for the nearest player and then acts like a mushroom. If you manage to collide with them, you steal their balloon. But its boost only lasts for three seconds, so only use it when someone is very close to you. It also blasts them very far back, so if they were near a cliff, they would lose two balloons, one for you and one for the cliff."

She nodded and asked, "And the Li'l Brrr?"

He laughed, "I'm not sure why the committee pulled this one, but it freezes the player in a block of ice. The ice lasts for about five seconds, and the player slides backwards for the duration of the freeze. If they collide with something, they rebound with twice the speed. They also lose a balloon. And if they run over a cliff, they lose two balloons also."

Toadette nodded, "How does the Boo Stone work?"

The pianta smirked, "It's just like the regular boo, but instead of one steal, everyone's items are stolen. But it comes at the cost of one balloon. So if you use it, you will lose one balloon, and everyone's items will be yours to use."

She nodded and asked one last question, "And what does the Globe do?"

He sighed, "I can see why they removed this one. When you use this one, you are given the option of one of three disasters. An earthquake, a lightning strike, or a tornado. It's why they moved you to a platform near the real highway. But the earthquake causes an earthquake to happen, drastically distorting the board. If anyone falls into anyone of the cracks that are formed, they will lose a balloon. If anyone is crushed by pieces of land, they lose a balloon. The Earthquake last about 30 seconds, and the damage doesn't go away. The lightning causes everyone's, except the user of the lightning, everyone's cars to be struck by lightning, therefore making them lose control. The controls are thrown for a minute and are not normal. Say someone who was struck tried to accelerate. Maybe the acceleration is now a left turn, or a brake, and it will be for a whole minute. The tornado whips everything around. Unless you are vigorously trying to get away you will be sucked into the tornado, and thrown violently into a wall, flattening you and making you lose a balloon. The tornado lasts about ten seconds. Only the user can escape. Also, certain, lighter pieces of land, can be sucked up too, and thrown at people. If it's only dirt, it will blind you. But if it's anything else, you will be knocked back and disoriented for a few seconds. Now, before you decide to pick, I have to say that there are only one of each in stock, so only one per person. You can feel free to not choose one, but the others probably are. So you best fight fire with fire. Oh! And the Li'l Brrr is already picked. Just got that on my tablet."

Toadette deviously smiled, "I'll take that one... Yes, I know exactly what I'm doing with that one."

Peach smiled as she looked at the map of the newer course, grinning as the elevators lifted her and the others up onto the platform, a little west of the city. The course looked like Yoshi Falls, but the center of the huge lake was shrunk down about half of the normal size. She smiled as the countdown started. The others were one platforms around the course, "THREE!"

Bombette looked contentedly at her item, one she knew she picked well, "TWO!"

Toadette smiled, looking around the whole course, ready to get everyone out, "ONE!"

Kooper sighed as the players all cast devious glances at each other, "GO!"

Kooper speed away as the loud audience, out of view of the racers, cheered. He smiled and felt sure he could win at least 2,000 coins. If he couldn't, at he would get the exemption, securing his spot in the fourth round. He smiled and then suddenly shrieked as Bombette whizzed around the corner and got ready to throw her Li'l Brrr at him. He backed up and turned. He was tempted to use his item, but he would when he was on his last balloon. He turned at saw Bombette throw the Brrr. He gulped and counted, one, two, three. He opened his eyes and saw her laughing at him, "HA! I was only going for Peach! She's right behind you!"

He turned and saw Peach frozen in a block of ice, sliding backwards, right at the hole into the lake. He sighed and saw she only had two balloons left. The last hope of getting the money was gone. He shrugged and used his item. The dial spun as the three choices decided themselves. Suddenly a large Boo hovered over his head and smirked, "Seems you don't have a stealable item. Too bad. My mistress will be sad."

He cackled and flew away. Kooper just stood there.

Toadette smiled as the Boo came back to her, "I have your items mistress. Only one of the players didn't use it already. Here is your Rocket ma'am."

The Boo faded away and Toadette shrugged as the Rocket put itself into her dial. The item settled and she took off speeding. But as soon as she shot forwards, she started to be jerked every which way. She shrieked as the speed panel right in front of her shot up about three feet in the air. She backed up and sped the other way. Right away, she almost ran into Peach, frozen in a large block of ice, about half melted. It was speeding all over, constantly hitting the raised rocks. She smiled as Peach finally rocketed off the cliff, into the lake. It was one last to deal with.

Bombette was grumbling as the Lakitu dropped her on to the still shaking course. She had fallen through the cracks formed in the beginning of the course. She lost a balloon, only having the two left above her, and she smiled as she landed. She rocketed off to the nearest box, even as the ground shook. She shrieked as Kooper threw a large fake box at her.

She frowned and yelled back, "KOOPER! WHAT ARE YOU DONING!"

He smiled and yelled back, "GETTING AN EXEMPTION!"

She nodded and realized she was on her last balloon. She sighed and wished she had the rocket. She smiled and took off.

Toadette smiled as she felt the earthquake dying down. The earth was split up everywhere, and there were pointed stones and shards of fence everywhere. She decided to see what would happen if she drove out of the normal boundraies. She did and a Lakitu descended down on her. She sighed.

Kooper looked around and saw Toadette fropped back onto the course. He smiled as she lost a balloon, now on her last one. He heard the timer count down, "One more minute!"

He smiled, "Oh goodie! We'll probably get the money!"

He smiled and the suddenly opened his eyes. He shrieked as Toadette suddenly came shooting at him with the Rocket. He tried to dodge but she still hit him. She cheered, "WOOT! I GOT YOUR BALLOON!"

He frowned as his Kart came to a stop. But soon, he smiled as he heard the timer slowly counting the last ten seconds.

Bombette yelled in frustration as the timer started counting down, ten, nine, eight. There was no hope in getting the exemption. She sighed as her Kart came to a stop.

Toadette smiled as she rocketed around, but then sighed as the timer hit zero. She had tried her best to get this exemption, but it was no use. She smiled sadly as the Lakitu lifted her away.

DK smiled at the contestants, "How was the ride?"

Starlow yelled and kicked the chair, "IT WAS HORRIBLE! I COULDN'T EVEN GET PAST TEN SECONDS!"

DK sweatdropped as everyone else facepalmed. Iggy got up and shrugged, "I was really hoping for an exemption. But I guess money is good. If I don't get the exemption, no one does."

Shilo nodded, "Mostly agreed, although I really would have liked to see those items up close, and not just from the audience."

Axel laughed and DK smiled, "Well, We're going right into our next challenge, seeing as it takes a few hours. Will you please divide yourselves into three groups of two and two groups of one?"

Everyone nodded and people went to get with people they worked well with. Shilo immediately raced over to Axel, and they tightly hugged together. Peach wandered Toadette, but she was plastered to Bombette. She shrugged and went to go with Iggy. Starlow sighed, seeing as she was in the group of one. Kooper looked disappointed not to be with Toadette. DK smiled and called the producers, "So, you two, please lead the single players to the approximate spots."

The Goomba and the Para-Beetle lead Kooper and Starlow out the door of the hotel, and DK turned to the remaining contestants, "Welcome, to your next challenge."

Kinda a crappy end, I know. But if you couldn't tell, this is the hostage challenge. With a twist! But anyway, I took a little coming up with the new items, so I ended up cutting the challenge short. *frowns and sticks tongue out* But anyway, please leave a review and vote on the poll on my home page! Thanks ~ Shilo Burbans