A/N: So, since I want to really finish this story, expect more frequent updates! Such as this one! We're back onto the regular Prize Challenge and then Elimination Challenge…and we're finally leaving Pinna Park! Thank Grambi! I think I used just about every ride in the park and then some to make the challenges for these games. Plus, expect more comedy and more romance! It's a bigger and better DreamStakes now that I'm back behind the wheel!

Thanks to those who reviewed!

Yoshpa: Omg thanks so much for such a long and thoughtful review! I really liked your essay about everyone's position in this game. It's interesting to see your thoughts on what you think I'm going to do…thanks again Yoshipaws :D

ultimateCCC: There is, but only in serious conditions like Ballyhoo and Yoshi. Thanks for always revieiwing!

Heysoup: Thanks for the review! Hmm…so you think Mario should go, huh? Maybe you'll get your wish soon…maybe not! Thanks for being loyal!

Gabby-Star: Thanks for reviewing again! I think Rosalina was at the end of her rope. She and the Don were out of people to align themselves with, and she just needed to go. Thanks for your kind words!

The DreamStakes!

Team Manta: Mario, Birdo, Pauline, Princess Shroob, Bowser, Kammy, Black Yoshi

Team Dolphin: Toadsworth, Zess T., Noki, Boo, Wendy, Don Pianta

"Gooooood morning Pinna Park!" Brighton shouted over a megaphone, rousing the thirteen remaining players in their straw huts. However, for added effect, Twila stormed through every hut with an airhorn, blowing them rapidly in everyone's hear.

"Jesus!" Zess T. shouted. "Me ears! I'm an old lady, you rowdy twerp! I can't be havin' no sounds like that in me ears!"

"WAAAKE UP!" Twila shouted at the cantankerous old chef, causing Zess T. to smack her with her frying pan. Stumbling around, Twila let out a garbled, "The sea monkey stole my money," before crashing to the ground.

"Serves ya right," Zess T. said with a growl. "Come on Toodletoes, let's go eat breakfast."

"W-whatever you say!" Toadsworth chirped, hopping out of bed and grabbing his cane to assist him.

Toadsworth: I love Zess T., I really do! B-but…she's got a temper hotter than my Great Uncle's Tamale Sauce! Eh wot?

"Where's Twila?" Brighton asked in a worried tone as everyone began to dig in to their small continental breakfasts.

"I killed her!" Zess T. joked.

"WHAT!?" everyone cried.

"Nono," insisted the chef. "She's just taking a nap in my hut." Everyone then looked a little more relieved, but Brighton nonetheless scampered off down the beach in search of his celestial sibling. He quickly found Twila in a heap on the sandy floor of the hut that Zess T. and Toadsworth shared.

"T-Twila!?" Brighton cried out.

"Eh…what?" Twila asked no one in particular. "Did you see that bacon man? He was like an ice cream man…but with bacon."

"What are you talking about?" Brighton asked, paling with concern.

"The bacon man!" Twila screamed, her eyes wildly flying all the way open. "AFTER HIM!" She shot up off the ground and tore out of the hut, kicking up the sand on the beach behind her as she ran.

"T-Twila! Wait up!" Brighton cried, tearing off after her. He chased her back to where the players were eating breakfast, assaulting all of them with her frenzied look.

"Have any of you seen the bacon man!?" Twila hollered.

She received a chorus of skeptical no's as a reply.

"Then I've no time for you!" she snapped, continuing her sprint down the beach. Brighton just caught up to her as she took off once again.

"G-great…" he panted with labored breath. "F-fine, whatever! I'll just do this episode without her! She can't get too far anyway." He turned to face everyone eating breakfast. "Wait a minute! Where's Bowser?"

"His excellency is sleeping," Kammy said as if it were obvious. "No manner of airhorn or megaphone can wake him. He is a sound sleeper, some compare him to the likes of a rock."

"Well someone wake him up!" Brighton demanded. "This episode is falling apart!"

"Ok…well, I could do it?" Black Yoshi offered with a tip of his head. The black shades he had to wear as part of his contract slid down his nose a little bit. He idly played with the gold chain that was also part of his contract.

"Nonsense!" Princess Shroob shouted. "A plebe such as yourself cannot wake such a foul beast! I will zap him with my ray gun! That shall surely do the trick!" She removed the space gun from her dress and waved it around menacingly, causing everyone to duck and take cover. "Shield yourselves, peasants!"

"How about I just go?" Wendy offered. "He's my Dad after all."

Everyone burst into raucous laughter.

"Shut your mouth, Wendy O. Ugly," Brighton snapped. "You're under contract to never speak again!"

"Since when!?" Wendy screamed, looking abhorred. She then slapped a hand over her mouth as if she'd done something wrong.

"Since now!" Brighton cried, continuing the never-ending squabble of who would wake Bowser. Meanwhile, Boo and Noki had taken their small bagged breakfasts down the shoreline a bit to enjoy the morning away from such loud company. They could everyone shouting high up on the beach behind them, making the trip down to the water worth even more.

"I'm glad you thought of this," Noki said with a smile. "I can't stand to be around everyone when they get like that."

Boo laughed a little, covering his mouth with a stubby white hand. "I agree," he told her. "Sometimes I wonder why I even signed up for this…but I'm glad I did."

"Why's that?" Noki asked, genuinely wondering why. Beside her, Boo's cheeks turned a bit red, and he tried to mask them by focusing on his muffin instead.

"W-well," he said with an embarrassed shrug, "I wouldn't have met you."

Boo: I'm being truly sincere when I say that. This competition can be crazy and quite offensive to minorities at times…but if I hadn't decided to sign up, I would've never met Noki. That's worth the whole game to me…

Noki turned an equally embarrassed shade of red as she heard Boo's answer. Giggling a little, the small seashelled girl said, "I-I feel the same way. When I first stepped off that plane, I wasn't sure what was going to happen. Twila branded me Noki and said I was generic, and that kinda hurt my feelings. I thought…well I thought I wouldn't fit in here, but then I met you. You make me feel included, Boo."

Boo's eyes widened as he picked up on something she had said.

"W-wait!?" the ghost cried, almost spitting out his food. "I remember that now! Twila just slapped the tag Noki on you! I don't even know your real name!"

Noki giggled. "Does it matter?" she asked him. "You met me as Noki, and well…I kind of like it. I know it's just my general species, but Noki the Noki has a silly ring to it. Plus, the name's just pretty in general. I've kind of warmed up to it."

"Are you sure?" Boo asked her. "I mean…you've been going by your real name your whole life."

"I have," Noki said with a nod, "but with a new name…it's almost like wiping the slate clean. I feel like a new person, and I truly do! This competition's made me stronger as a person. I couldn't have done any of that without you, Boo." She took his hand in hers, rubbing it softly. "Thank you."

As the morning sun rose over the two lovebirds sitting on the beach, Boo decided now would be the perfect time to revive the feelings that had been shared on the highest hill of Gelato Beach. Pulling Noki close to himself, he planted a small kiss on her lips. She warmly accepted the gesture, lingering there for just a moment before pulling back and snuggling up against his side.

"This has been my favorite morning yet," she told him.

Boo smiled at that. "Me too," he said to her. "Me too."

Back up on the top of the beach, Brighton had finally sorted out how to wake up Bowser. The details aren't necessary, but it involved a can of hairspray, several coconuts, and a blowtorch. Rubbing his messy red hair, Bowser shuffled up to the rest of the group and awaited the lecture about today's events. Boo and Noki slid back in with the crowd undetected.

"Where'd you two lovey doves run off to?" Zess T. asked with a wink.

"Oh, we just enjoyed our breakfast down by the beach," Boo told her. She gave him a playful nudge, embarrassing him a bit, but Noki just laughed at it.

Zess T.: Boo and Noki are reaaaal cute together as a couple. Not as cute as me and my little Toodletoes, but almost!

"Listen up!" Brighton chirped. "Twila's gone insane, so it's up to me to handle everything today! Pack your bags, because we're moving!"

"Thank the stars!" Pauline cried. "I hate this sandy beach! Hopefully we're moving to a five star hotel once again!"

"Nope!" Brighton told her with a grin. "Even better! You'll be staying in seashell cottages beside a magnificent waterfall, because we're going to Noki Village!"

"Yay!" Noki cheered, earning odd looks from everyone. The introverted girl rarely showed many outward emotions, but her excitement to return home was evident.

Noki: I was born and raised in Noki Village! Going home for this bit of the competition will be the fuel I need to get further in the game by Boo's side! I'm so excited!

As the competitors packed their bags, Don Pianta shouldered past Bowser to enter his hut. The crime lord was feeling a bit down ever since Rosalina had left, and without any allies in this game, he knew he was next on the chopping block.

Don Pianta: Dat team switch really did a number on Rosa an' I. Now dat she's gone, I dunno how long my life in dis game is goin' ta be. Hopefully da teams merge soon…if dey eva do!

As the orange pianta packed his bag, he thought more about Rosalina, but his thoughts were interrupted by Bowser, who the Don and the cosmic princess had shared the three-person hut with.

"Sorry about Rosalina," Bowser told the Don, patting him on the back. "If only we were on the same team, I'd throw in my lot with you in a heartbeat. I can't stand Pauline! She makes me see red! But, she's helping me get further into the game…if only if only."

Don Pianta shrugged. "What can ya do, huh? Not like we gonna be on da same team anytime soon. Just gotta play with da cards ya've been dealt."

Bowser looked a little sad. "You're the only guy around here strong enough to go toe to toe with me. You're a real competitor, Don. I'd hate to see you go just because you ran out of friends." Bowser returned to packing his things, leaving the Don to contemplate his words. Shaking his head, the old mob boss wondered if he could dig himself out of the rut he was in…or was it too late?

Once everyone was packed, they found themselves greeted by a large catamaran docked on the beach.

"All aboard!" Brighton said, wearing a captain's hat. Many of the competitors were shocked to see that Twila had been bound with rope and tied to one of the ship's railings. Her tongue hung out of the side of her mouth limply and she tried to bite a passing butterfly.

"Just ignore her!" Brighton told everyone as they boarded the catamaran. "She's just a little loopy."

"Get back, peasant!" Princess Shroob hissed, smacking Twila in the face as the crescent moon woman tried to bite the space queen's dress. "This is made of royal Shroob silk! We spew it ourselves! It's very difficult to do!"

"You what?" Pauline asked her with a deadpan look.

If it wasn't obvious who was working together before, it was painfully clear by how everyone sat aboard the catamaran. In the bow, the large group of self-dubbed 'heroes' sat and discussed the wonderful sights awaiting them in Noki village. Mario, Birdo, Black Yoshi, Noki, Boo, Zess T., and Toadsworth made up this large group of seven. On the other side of the boat, the remaining players had grouped together. It was seven on six, but the odd dispersion of players on both teams made the alliances a little tricky to keep together.

Wendy: Don Pianta and I have decided to throw in our lot with Pauline's group. Maybe now Daddy will finally recognize me!

However, that was not the case. Bowser and the Don were getting along famously, and when Wendy tried to earn her father's attention, he replied with a quizzical, "Who're you again?" Wendy burst into tears, contemplating flinging herself from the catamaran into the sea that surrounded them.

"Noki Village is such a wonderful place," Noki told everyone. "Has anyone been there before?" Only Mario and Toadsworth had been, so Noki became very excited at the prospect of showing four of her new friends her hometown. "Oh, it's such a wonderful place. It used to be polluted, but now the waters shine like crystals! It's truly magnificent!" Boo couldn't help but smile as he watched Noki get so excited discussing her village. Seeing her so happy made him happy too.

"It's also very romantic," Noki said, smiling at the other couples. Birdo gave Black Yoshi an endearing look while Zess T. launched herself into Toadsworth's feeble arms, nearly breaking them in half as he let out a tired, "Oof!"

"Hopefully we have time to experience everything," Birdo said, keeping her eyes on Stanley. "We haven't had the proper time for a date yet."

Stanley grinned. "Well, if there's time, I'll take you to see everything. You deserve it for what you've endured, but now that you're with us, take some time to relax."

Birdo: I don't know…Stanley just makes me feel so alive. He rescued me from the horrible alliance I was in, and while I'm sad that Flurrie was a casualty in the whole affair…I'm happy knowing that someone values me for the person I truly am.

Stanley wrapped Birdo in a hug from behind as they bobbed up and down on the water. She laid back into his chest, closing her eyes as the rhythmic hum of the catamaran and the gentle waves around them lulled her to sleep. This was the reason why she signed up for this game. To enjoy the serenity Delfino Isles had to offer.

After about an hour of sailing, the catamaran soon came into view of the beautiful tucked away village that was their destination. Rushing to the very tip of the bow, Noki looked forward with excitement sparkling in her eyes. "We're almost here," she whispered to Boo. "I can't wait for you to meet everyone!" She was so excited that her grip on his arm was almost a little painful. However, Boo could barely feel it, because he too was excited to see the place that had Noki so worked up.

The catamaran pulled into the harbor, and the contestants couldn't keep their awe tucked away as they looked around the village. In the center of it all, a crashing waterfall fell from towering heights. Beside it, verdant cliffs rose high into the sky. All along the face of the cliffs that bordered the village and kept it hidden away, spiraled cottages made of beautiful colored shells attracted their vision. Some were pink, bright green, orange, blue…the colors went on and on. The waterfall ended and poured out into a beautiful clean and clear lagoon that flowed throughout the whole village. Large pads of floating sponges made up the walkways of the village, making it even more beautiful. Nobody, not even Pauline, could look anything but inspired.

"This place is beautiful," Stanley commented with wide eyes.

"Quick! Catch that cow!" Twila shouted from the back of the boat, ruining the moment.

"Someone shut her up!" Wendy shouted.

"YOU SHUT UP!" Bowser roared, silencing his daughter at once. Wendy collapsed into a puddle and melted into the lagoon.

"Come on now!" Brighton told everyone. "I'll show you all to the cottages you'll be staying!" One by one, the players grabbed their bags and stepped off the catamaran and onto the walkways of the seaside village. It was like something out of a travel brochure, but then again, this was Delfino.

Excited to see their cottages, everyone followed him down the walkway. Here and there, villagers waved hello to the competitors. Excited to see her neighbors, Noki waved to all of them with a smile.

Pauline: As much as I admire the beauty of this place…it's horribly unfair that we're visiting Noki's village! She knows everything about this place! If we hold competitions here, I'm sure she'll cook up crafty ways to win! We're at a massive disadvantage!

Brighton showed everyone to their cottages, which were made of spiraled seashells and sat along the coast of the bay. Once everyone put away their things, they met him outside upon his request.

"So, we've arrived in beautiful Noki Village," Brighton said to them, "and even though we just got here…it's time for a prize challenge!" Everyone looked a bit nervous, but also excited since they had been denied the chance to win any coins last round.

"Look behind you," Brighton said with a smirk. Everyone did so, but the only thing they saw was the large waterfall that overlooked Noki Bay.

"There's…a waterfall," Boo observed.

"That's right!" Brighton exclaimed. "Your prize challenge today is to scale the waterfall! But, we won't be playing in pairs. Instead, we'll be playing in three teams of four! Someone will have to sit out, unfortunately.

"That's alright," Toadsworth said. "I doubt I could scale such a thing! I'll sit out for this one."

"Are you sure, Toodletoes?" Zess T. asked with a frown.

"Positive!" Toadsworth cried. "Now get up that waterfall!"

"Alright, so with Toadsworth sitting out, it's time to divide up the teams," Brighton said. Everyone turned to one another, trying to sort out who would compete with who. After a few minutes of strategy, the three teams of four were announced.

Team 1: Mario, Birdo, Black Yoshi, Zess T.

Team 2: Wendy, Bowser, Kammy, Don Pianta

Team 3: Boo, Noki, Princess Shroob, Pauline

Princess Shroob: Excellent! Now we can tamper with Noo and Boki! What!? Those aren't their names…ah, well I guess I don't care enough to take note of such things.

"You may use any means to scale the waterfall," Brighton explained. "At the top is a lagoon overlooked by a palm tree. The first team of four to get all of their members in the lagoon at the top will win…80,000 coins apiece!"

Everyone looked stunned by the amount.

"That's right," Brighton said with a nod. "So….go!"

Everyone turned around, scrambling to get up the waterfall. Bowser bumped into Birdo and the two of them fell into the water. Stanley tried to help her up but was pushed in by Kammy who zoomed away on her broomstick with a devious cackle. Wendy tried to keep up with the old hag but tripped and face planted against the ground. Pauline was so busy running towards the wall that she didn't notice Wendy and stepped on her spiky shell. Howling in pain, Pauline fell backwards into Zess T. who was so alarmed she swung her frying pan around wildly, hitting Don Pianta in the face with it. The Don fell backwards with a cry and squished Mario flat, his heavy weight crushing the plumber.

"Well," Boo observed. "That makes things easier for us! Hop on Noki," he said with a grin, patting his ethereal dome. The little seashell gal climbed aboard Boo and the ghost planned to zip up to the top with Noki on his back.

"Come back here!" Princess Shroob roared, firing her ray gun at the ghost.

"W-wait!" Boo hollered, dodging the laser beams. "We're on the same team!"

"Oh?" Princess Shroob asked him. "Oh wait, I don't care!" She continued to fire wildly at Boo and Noki, causing the duo to cry out in pain as they tried to dodge her wrath.

"Princess Shroob!" Pauline screamed from underneath the pile. "Just don't shoot at them for Grambi's sake! We need that money too!"

"I need it more!" Bowser roared, hauling himself out of the water. He charged up a beam of fire breath, but the water had dampened his throat…only a puff of black smoke came out of his mouth.

"Ahaha!" Pauline cried with a mocking laugh. "Looks like you can't do anything!"

"And neither can you!" Kammy Koopa bellowed, summoning her only magic trick…a yellow block. The block fell down from the sky and cracked Pauline on the head, causing her to faint. The Magikoopa then turned her attention towards the duo quickly making their way up the waterfall. Firing off a geometric sequence of spells, the hag shot a magic triangle, circle, and square at Boo and Noki. "Come back here!" she shouted.

Meanwhile, the players were beginning to recover from their mishap. Mario led his team to the side of the waterfall where they could begin the trek up the hill.

"Slow and steady!" the hero clad in red said with a thumbs-up and a grin.

"More like move out of my way!" Wendy shouted. She rolled up into her shell and began spinning quickly at Mario and his teammates. As she neared…Birdo just ate her. The pink dinosaur used her horrendous circular mouth to just suck up the shelled koopaling and spit her back out into the bay.

"W-what-a-the hell!?" Mario gawked in confusion.

"Don't question it, let's ugh…let's just go!" Birdo shouted, trying to sound inspiring. She began the trek up the side of the waterfall. Black Yoshi just looked at Mario and shrugged. Keeping her trusty frying pan by her side, Zess T. followed the black dinosaur up the ridge. Mario looked a bit bewildered, but he followed suit.

"What are you doing?" Pauline asked Princess Shroob at the foot of the waterfall.

"I'm calling Elder Shrooboid," Princess Shroob said, adjusting the translator that was wrapped around her neck. "He'll bring us a saucer and we can fly right up to the top! Our Shroob technology is so advanced that he can be here in ten minutes!"

"R-really?" Pauline asked, slightly impressed.

"Of course, you dolt! Our industry is far superior to that of you peasant mushroom kingdom folk!" She removed a phone from her dress and began to dial a number. Removing her translator, she barked a series of inaudible commands into the phone and then hung up. Replacing the translator, she turned back to Pauline. "Now we wait!" she said. "With Boo and Noki on their way to the top, we'll win in no time!"

"How does Kammy expect us to follow her!?" Bowser roared, stamping his foot against the ground as Don Pianta helped Wendy out of the water.

"I dunno, but I do think dat hag's got a plan," Don Pianta said.

"What makes you say that?" Bowser asked, eyeing the mob boss suspiciously.

"Look at 'er. She's constructin' some sorta thingamajig with her wand and them vines," Don Pianta pointed out. It was true, Kammy was waving her wand around and tying the vines that grew up the side of the waterfall cliff together from her seat on her broomstick. She was making some sort of very long and sturdy rope.

"For us to climb!?" Bowser exclaimed. "But we're all so heavy!"

"Not me!" Wendy pointed out, spluttering water everywhere.

"You're the fattest one here, Wendy, don't forget that," Bowser said in what sounded like a very kind and nice tone, but his words were exactly the opposite. Wendy sobbed into her hands as the Bowser and Don Pianta watched Kammy work.

Boo and Noki had now reached the summit of the waterfall. It had been a scary ride for Noki, but she just shut her eyes tight the whole time and trusted in Boo. The two of them reached the top, and they moved over to the lagoon to enter it and ring in for their team. However, Brighton was waiting for them, and he had a weird grin on his face…

"Hello, Boo and Noki," he said in a very suspicious voice.

"What the hell is going?" Boo asked, folding his arms of his puffy white chest. "You're acting weird."

"Oh…am I? Well, that's probably because of these," Brighton said with a wider grin than before. He showed Boo and Noki two green coins. "These are exemptions he said, and you can give them to however you want…on one condition," Brighton told them. "You stop the prize challenge now, and no one wins any money."

"W-what!?" Boo and Noki gasped in unison. "E-exemptions…but we don't need those," Noki said sweetly.

"Yes, but someone else might," Boo said quietly, peering over the edge of the waterfall. Down below, he could see Mario pointing forward and leading his team ahead. Birdo and Stanley followed closely behind him. Zess T. brought up the rear, clutching her frying pan in a menacing way to ward off the other teams.

"Our allies are in trouble," Boo continued saying. "If Team Manta loses the next elimination challenge…Birdo or Stanley will go home."

"H-how do you know that?" Noki asked, wondering if taking these exemptions would be best.

"It's because of what Pauline said when she eliminated Flurrie, remember?" Boo asked her. "She told Mario she'd strip away every last one of his allies until it was just him and her. If they lose…Birdo or Stanley is out next."

"B-but they can't go!" Noki protested. "Those are our friends."

"Which is why we have to protect them," Boo told her. "If we do this…then Birdo and Stanley can be safe. We don't need them with Toadsworth and Zess T. on our side, but if we give them away…we make sure Birdo and Stanley survive the next time they go to the elimination ring."

Noki nodded. "So…we should take the exemptions?" she asked.

Boo nodded. "We'd either be forcing Pauline's hand to eliminate Mario, which would suck…or she'd turn on Bowser and Kammy."

"This feels dirty…but if it means protecting Birdo and Stanley, we should do it," Noki said. Boo nodded in agreement.

"Alright," he told Brighton. "We'll take the exemptions and protect both Birdo and Stanley the next time they go to elimination."

Brighton took a megaphone and hollered over the edge of the waterfall. "Alright! This challenge is over! Meet me by the cottages for some very juicy news!"

Boo and Noki couldn't hear the others over the crashing sound of the waterfall, but they wondered what awaited them down below…they had made their choice, now what would the consequences be?

Whoops, no one gets money two rounds in a row XD I thought it'd be fun to throw a wrench in Pauline's plans. When she learns the shocking news, will she threaten Mario's game…or turn on the Koopa King and his haggish friend, Kammy? Plus, with the players dwindling down…will the teams ever merge? How will Don Pianta cope without Rosalina in this game…and will Wendy O. Ugly ever win the appreciation of her father? Find out soon…on the DreamStakes!