The DreamStakes!

Heroes: Birdo, Boo, Noki, Zess T., Toadsworth

Villains: Princess Shroob, Bowser, Pauline, Wendy

?: Yoshi, Boshi

Yelling at the top of his lungs, Boshi charged his green rival. Planting his red boots firmly against the ground, Yoshi held out his arms in an attempt to catch the bad blue rival of his. Passed out on the floor from confusion and fright, Birdo wasn't aware of what was going on anymore. Time itself seemed to slow down as Yoshi braced himself for Boshi's impact. He came closer and closer, and right before Boshi made contact, Yoshi jumped out of the way and rolled to the left. Screaming, Boshi flew forward, his momentum carrying him out of the cave and over the side of the cliff much like Yoshi's fall from the windmill had.

"B-Birdo!" Yoshi cried with a gulp. Running to the pink dinosaur's side, he shook her awake with vigor. Blinking, Birdo slowly came to. She glanced around the cave, looking for who she had recently believed to be Stanley.

"Y-yoshi? Is that you?" Birdo asked the green dinosaur. Giving a nod, Yoshi helped her stand up.

"W-where's Stan-I mean Boshi," Birdo said, sadly having to correct herself.

"I'm not sure," Yoshi said. "I dodged him just in time and he fell off the cliff down below." Giving Yoshi a nervous look, Birdo crept to the edge of the cave. The two of them looked down from the height into the blue water of the bay below. There, Boshi's body floated up and down in the wake of the waves. Gulping, Birdo assumed the worst.

"H-he's dead!" she shrieked.

"I'm sure he's alright," Yoshi said quickly. He wasn't sure if he believed that statement or not. Rushing down the edges of the cliff, following the path Birdo and Boshi had taken to get there, Yoshi led Birdo back down the cliff. They reached the edge of the water in no time, where Boshi gently bobbed up and down against the shore. Yoshi waded into the water, plucking the blue dinosaur out of the bay and dragging him to shore.

"B-Boshi?" he asked nervously. There was no reply. "Go get medical help," Yoshi told Birdo. "The village isn't too far." Nodding, Birdo took off down the edge of the shore. By the time she reached the center of Noki Bay, her breathing was belabored and she looked very tired. Coming around to the seaside village, she noticed Toadsworth and Zess T. returning to the town with a basket of mangoes.

"Toadsworth! Zess T.!" Birdo shouted, using just one breath to speak both names. The old Toads turned around, smiling at first but then looking quite shocked upon noticing Birdo's sweaty appearance.

"What's wrong?" Zess T. asked, her voice imbued with motherly concern.

"I-it's too much to explain right now," Birdo breathed. "B-but please…we need medical help by the cliffs!"

"Is Stanley alright?" Toadsworth asked, looking around for the black dinosaur. "Did something go wrong on your date?"

Birdo's eyes slowly began to water. "P-please…w-we…we just need medical help." Toadsworth nodded in an understanding way. Pulling out his cellphone, the old mushroom dialed for the name of the company that was renting out the shell cottages to the players.

"Yes, hello, this is Toadsworth. Yes, mhm, we're staying in some of the cottages with the other players. Yes, listen, we need some medical assistance out by the cliffs. I don't know sir, no, no, yes, please be quick about it. Thank you!" He snapped the phone shut and turned back to Birdo. "They said someone would be out there as soon as possible."

She nodded. "I better get back to Yoshi then," she said. She hadn't even realized the words that'd come out of her mouth.

"Yoshi?" Zess T. asked, narrowing her eyes. "What is he doing here? Stanley's the only other Yoshi around."

Birdo shook her head sadly. "I…I don't have time to explain right now," she said quickly before turning around and beginning the journey back to the Cliffside. Before she could leave, Zess T. put a hand on her shoulder.

"Birdo, let us come with you," she said. "It's obvious you need help."

Swallowing, Birdo nodded silently. Toadsworth set down the basket of mangoes and together the three of them briskly walked back to where Yoshi had Boshi laid out on the beach.

"By my Great Aunt's Glasses!" Toadsworth exclaimed. "Yoshi is here! Who is that chap there with him? He looks like another Yoshi…but blue."

"This," Yoshi said, pointing at the unconscious body of Boshi, "is the person you used to know as Stanley. He was masquerading as my cousin, but he's no such thing. He's actually my rival, and his name is Boshi."

"Speak up, sonny!" Zess T. instructed.

"I said he's not Stanley! His name is Boshi and he played all of you!" Yoshi shouted, annoyed.

Zess T. and Toadsworth exchanged a mixed look and then looked sympathetically towards Birdo.

"That can't be…" Toadsworth murmured. "Stanley is such a nice chap. He'd never do something like that."

"Stanley doesn't exist," Birdo said hollowly. Her voice sounded like a distant echo. "He never was…I was a fool to think someone could love me." Everyone standing on the beach grew silent at this. No one knew what to say. The grave cloud that surrounded them was eventually broken by two Koopa EMTs that arrived on the scene. They asked the four of them to stand back while they resuscitated Boshi and loaded him up on an ambulance boat.

"Is he going to be alright?" Birdo asked one of the Koopas.

"We can't be sure," he said in reply. "He suffered a nasty fall. He's got some broken ribs and he seems to be completely knocked out. We have to make sure nothing bad has happened to his brain."

Birdo swallowed roughly. "T-thank you," she said to them, waving goodbye as the engine of the boat roared to life and they took off for the mainland. Turning back to the others, Birdo wiped a few tears from the corners of her eyes.

"What do we do now?" Toadsworth asked. "I…I just can't believe this."

"I'm so sorry, darlin'," Zess T. said, rubbing Birdo's back. "I can't believe he was such a villain."

"What will you do?" Toadsworth asked Yoshi, who was sort of standing to the side.

"I think we need to tell Brighton and Twila what happened," Yoshi said to the others, who nodded in agreement.

"WHAT!?" Brighton gawked, his jaw nearly hitting the floor. "Black Yoshi was Boshi this whole time!?"

"Seems like it," Zess T. said. "He played all of us for fools."

"I bet he was the one who knocked me out!" Twila wagered. "I'm sure of it!"

"Yes," Zess T. continued on, "yes I'm sure of it too."

Zess T.: Whew…I made it out of that one unscathed…

"So what do we do about the game, Twila?" Brighton asked his sister. She contemplated things for a moment before speaking.

"Well, Boshi obviously can't play," she said. "He not only broke the rules by lying, but he's in the hospital. So, I hereby decree that Stanley, Black Yoshi, Boshi, whatever the hell his name is, is out of the game!"

Birdo nodded. "I imagined so…"

Birdo: Stanley…I…I miss him so much. I want him back….so badly. I had finally found someone who truly believed in me. He was so empowering, he was so kind to me…and he was fake! He was a liar! I…I just can't believe he did that to me…

"What do we do about Yoshi?" Brighton asked.

Yoshi held up his hands. "Oh, no, it's fine. I came here to warn Birdo about Boshi. Once I gained consciousness in the hospital, I started watching the show, I knew who he was right away! So I came as quickly as I could. I bumped into Toadsworth and Zess T. who told me that Birdo and this 'Stanley' had gone up the Cliffside for dinner. I dashed up there and tried to handle it as best I could."

Birdo gave Yoshi a light hug. "Thank you," she said. "T-thank you." She let go and inched away from him slightly.

"So you don't wish to join the game?" Brighton asked him.

"Nope!" Yoshi said with a grin. "I did at one point, but this game is too crazy for me. Plus, I'd ruin my moneymaker again!" He pointed to his face, he conceited nature coming back to light now that the crisis had been averted.

"So what do we do?" Twila asked Brighton. "Wake everyone up and inform them?"

"We'll do that in the morning," Brighton said. "For now, everyone get some sleep. It's been an odd night. Yoshi, we'll have a boat for you back to the mainland first thing in the morning."

Everyone felt that was an acceptable plan, so they left Brighton and Twila's cottage and trekked back to their own. Before Birdo could leave the others, Zess T. stopped her.

"Will you be ok?" the chef asked. "Sleeping alone in your cottage?"

Birdo nodded and gave a weak smile. "That's what I need right now…to be alone," she said sadly. Zess T. accepted that answer, bidding Birdo goodnight and shuffling away with Toadsworth by her side. Birdo envied their relationship. She envied Boo and Noki as well. She thought she had found her couple in this game. She thought she had found someone to be with…but it had all been a lie. Now there was only one thing Birdo could do in this game.

Birdo: If there's one thing Stanley taught me…it was self-empowerment. Despite this horrible revelation…I'm going to move forward. Stanley would want me to focus on winning, or at least the idea of Stanley would. So…that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to win. I can't be like Pauline…I need to be me.

The next morning, everyone was inside the breakfast cottage. Glancing around, the ones who hadn't been involved in last night's drama were confused to see Stanley missing. Yoshi had left on a boat as soon as the sun came up, so none of the others had even noticed he had been there in Noki Bay.

"Where's Stanley?" Boo asked Birdo upon seeing the pink dinosaur. The question brought tears to Birdo's eyes. Sighing, she just said nothing. Boo frowned, wondering what was going on.

"Might we have your attention?" Twila asked the others. Her rage had seemed to disappear since she had decided Boshi had been the one to knock her out the other day. "Last night…something interesting developed. During Birdo and Stanley's dinner date, Yoshi appeared and confronted Stanley. Apparently, Stanley was not who he said he was. He was an impostor by the name of Boshi, Yoshi's rival. Boshi charged Yoshi, but Yoshi managed to dodge him, causing Boshi to fall off the Cliffside and into the water below. He's currently in coma, as the hospital has informed, and we don't know when he'll wake up. From this point onward, Boshi, Stanley, whatever you wish to call him, has been removed from the game due to legal and medical concerns."

Everyone looked shocked, save for the three who had been there last night.

"I can't believe it!" Bowser gawked. "He sure is one evil dude! He played Birdo…even I feel bad! And I don't feel bad often!"

Wendy gave Birdo a sympathetic look. "B-Birdo…" she said. "I-I…I know we're on the 'Villains' team, but that's just a game thing. Ugh…I'm really sorry about what he did. I…that's so terrible."

Birdo gave Wendy a small smile. "I'll be fine, Wendy…but thank you."

Wendy: I can't imagine what Birdo is going through. She…she found someone she loved only for it to be a farce. That's so cruel, even me or my Dad wouldn't do something so terrible.

Pauline was the only person who seemed unmoved by Birdo's tale of woe. She just clicked her jaw, irritated that Birdo was getting sympathy for the loss of Stanley whereas no one seemed to care Pauline had been riding an emotional rollercoaster since the beginning of the game.

Pauline: Thank you Boshi. I think…I think I've finally woken up. Nobody cares about what I've been through! No one! I guess Mario isn't meant for me, but whatever! If people want to heap sympathy on Birdo, fine! Just know this: I'm going to get back at everyone who's considered my emotions wild and careless! Ugh! I hate all of these people!

"So…there's only nine of us now?" Noki asked in her small voice. "I…I can't believe it."

Brighton nodded. "That's right. We began with 20…and now we're at 9. Which means we've decided to dissolve the Heroes and Villains twist as well."

"Wait…what!" Bowser cried. "You can't do that! Wendy and I are on a roll!"

"I'm afraid I can," Brighton said with a chuckle. "There's no point in having teams with such a few number."

Twila nodded in agreement. "He's right. This game is winding down. But, we're still going to do the prize challenges. However, during these challenges, you can win more than just money." Princess Shroob arched an eyebrow at this.

Princess Shroob: Mwahaha! 'Tis a fine day for Princess Shroob! I am free from the terror of that goofy turtle lord and his snobby daughter! I must quickly cut a deal with the former heroes…yes! It's the only way to make sure I make it as far as I can!

"So what kind of prize challenges are these?" Boo dared to ask.

"Well, you'll find out right now!" Twila told him with a wicked, knowing grin. "We're going to play a little game for breakfast we like to call…Order Up!"

Everyone gulped. "Here's how it works," Brighton said. "You're all going to sit around the large circular table we've installed here. Each round, a set of covered dishes will spin around. Once they stop, you'll find one sitting in front of you. If you eat what's inside, you move on to the next round. We keep going until only one person remains, because if you refuse to eat…you're out!"

"I assume these dishes won't be…epicurean, to say the least?" Toadsworth asked.

"You bet your bottom dollar they won't!" Twila sneered, her evil nature rising back up at the sound of a horrible challenge.

Bowser: Haha! I've got this! I eat anything AND everything, baby!

The nine remaining players took their seats around the table. "So before we begin, I'll tell you what you're playing for," Brighton said. He uncovered a table with nine covered dishes on it. "Every time someone is eliminated, you'll get the numbered dish that corresponds to how you ranked in this game. Each one holds something unique…but I can guarantee the Number 1 Dish holds something very valuable that you'll definitely want!"

"So wait…second place could have something horrible in it, but ninth could have something good?" Wendy asked.

"Yep!" Twila answered. "Man, I love this challenge!"

Gulping, the nine expressed looks of fear as the dishes began to spin. Eventually they stopped, and everyone opened their dishes. A wave of grossed out expressions and pleased smiles erupted all over the place.

"Pudding! Yay!" Wendy cheered, gulping down a cup of vanilla pudding with a grin.

"What the hell is this!?" Pauline cried, waving her hand over a smelly bowl.

"That's Inky Pasta!" Brighton told her. "Made with old blooper ink!"

Pauline gave him a look that could kill before closing her eyes and slurping down the black noodles. Her face contorted and squirmed, but she stomached the putrid pasta. Showing her empty bowl, Pauline moved on to the next round.

Bowser's dish was seared tuna, and he happily ate up the good meal. For Boo, things weren't so lucky.

"No way am I eating this," he argued, pointing at the dish of raw fish eggs before him. "I hate eggs, I hate fish, and I hate raw things!"

"Well then you'll be out of the challenge," Brighton reminded him in a singsong tune.

"Fine!" Boo spat. He floated over to the ninth dish, opening the cover. Inside was a dry shroom. "Great," he said, looking ticked.

Noki had to eat a slice of peach, which wasn't difficult at all. However, both of the old Toads had nasty dishes. Toadsworth stomached his octopus leg while Zess T. shoved a ball of seaweed down her mouth. Both of them munched on the tough food for a bit, making sour expressions.

"Urk! I can't!" Toadsworth blurted, spitting the food up in a nearby trashcan. Zess T. managed to finish her seaweed, moving forward.

"Sorry Toadsworth, but if you can't take the heat…get out of the kitchen!" Brighton insulted. Sighing, Toadsworth bumbled over to the eighth place dish, opening the cover and getting…

"A free ticket…good for one ass-whooping!" Toadsworth cried. Suddenly, a Hammer Bro burst into the room, pelting Toadsworth with hammrs. "Urf! Oof! What in tarnation!?"

"Toodletoes!" Zess T. cried. But she was too late to do anything, because the Hammer Bro snickered and ran off as Twila tossed him a sack of coins.

Only Birdo and Princess Shroob were left to go. She had a slice of canned cranberry sauce that wiggled and jiggled in front of her. Despite hating the texture, Birdo slurped it down. Princess Shroob smiled as she ate her piece of beef jerky.

"Time for Round Two!" Brighton signaled. The dishes began to spin around, and they soon stopped. Gulping, the seven still in the competition uncovered their dishes.

"Oh gross!" Birdo cried, seeing the cooked pig's snout on her plate. "No way! I'm out!" She quickly covered the dish and marched over to the seventh place dish. Uncovering it, her eyes glowed as she looked at a pouch of coins.

"That's 1,000 coins!" Brighton told her. "Good work!" Happy with her decision to bail, Birdo held onto her bag of coins and joined Boo and Toadsworth in the sit-out area. Six remained.

Wendy once again had something easy to eat. "This competition is easy!" the koopaling sneered, munching on her French fries while watching everyone else. Zess T. had an easy dish this time, so the chef happily gulped down her tiny milkshake.

"This is gross, but I'm an eating champ!" Bowser decreed as he tossed a dried tomato down his mouth. It was like he barely even felt it. Noki sighed, poking the cooked eel in front of her. She rolled it up, stuck it in her mouth, and tried to get past it. Eventually, she was successful.

"I can't eat this!" Pauline shouted. "No way am I eating some dry whacka bump!"

"Then you're out!" Brighton told her. Looking angry, Pauline stormed over to the sixth place dish. Inside was a pile of dirt. "Great," she spat, "just great."

"You could've been assaulted," Toadsworth told her.

"Shut up," Pauline snapped back at the old toad.

Princess Shroob quickly ate her fig and the round moved on. Five players remained in this challenge. The dishes began to spin, and soon they stopped. Opening her dish, Wendy was revolted to find her first disgusting meal. Crickets on a stick.

"Nope!" Wendy shouted. "Nope! Nope! Time to go!" She stood up from her chair, eliminating herself and opening the fifth place dish. Inside was a little stuffed Luma. "How cute!" Wendy said with a smile. "I love it!" She hugged the stuffed toy and kept it close to her, happy she had lost.

Bowser quickly ate his spicy pepper, not even feeling the heat. He grinned competitively at those who remained. Ever the queen of cuisine, Zess T. didn't let the gross Mistake dish she'd receive stop her. She'd seen plenty of Mistakes, so eating one wasn't a big deal. She wolfed down the nasty meal, showing off her clean plate. Afterwards, she gave Bowser a grin. He simply snorted steam from his nostrils, accepting her duel.

Noki had received a good dish this time, much to her benefit. She happily ate the brownie before her. Princess Shroob however was not so lucky. Faced with a plate of liver, the space princess stuck out her alien tongue and eliminated herself. She opened the fourth place dish. Inside was…a swarm of bees!

"What the (*(&%(&(#*&%)& !" Princess Shroob cursed, waving her arms and running out of the cottage. The nasty swarm of hornets chased her until she threw herself in the bay, staying underwater until the insects went away. The players looked horrified, but Brighton and Twila had to steady one another since they were laughing so hard.

"O-oh! Oh my Grambi! That was so funny!" Twila howled. "O-ok, let's get back to the game. Three remain!"

The plates began spinning once more, and when they stopped, everyone frowned to see a nasty dish. Bowser and Zess T. scarfed down their food, but Noki eliminated herself.

"There's no way I'm eating charred mushrooms," Noki said, "I don't even like mushrooms in the first place." With that, she opened the third place dish to find a bag of coins like Birdo had, but this one held 5,000.

"Oh!" Noki beamed. "Seems like I made the right choice!" Content with her winnings, she sat down next to Boo on the sidelines, who pecked her cheek with a kiss to display his pride in her during the game. Now just two remained. Culinary rivals, Bowser and Zess T. narrowed their eyes and stared down the opposite competitor.

"I can eat just about anything, grandma!" Bowser said with a confident smirk.

"Well I've been around way longer than you, sonny! I've seen my share of hideous food! Prepare to go DOWN!" Zess T. vowed, her rage unsettling Bowser just a bit.

"Oh," said Toadsworth in admiration, "she's so passionate about food! Her determination sways my heart!"

"Disgusting," Pauline said, gagging herself.

The final two dishes began to spin around, settling in front of the final two players very slowly. Reaching their hands out, both players uncovered their dishes to find some of the most horrible food they'd ever seen before them.

"Balut!" Brighton cried. "Partially cooked duck egg! You can see the baby duck forming itself inside! It's considered a delicacy in Asian countries! Anyway, whoever eats their balut first wins!"

Bowser and Zess T. looked down at the food, then up at each other, down at the gross egg, and back at each other again. Realizing what had to be done, they snatched up the eggs and munched on them. However, with his large mouth, Bowser just tossed the whole thing down and chomped up the egg in one bite. Furious, Zess T. spat out her food and resigned herself to defeat.

"This challenge goes to Bowser!" Brighton announced.

"Of course it does," the Koopa King said with a grin. "Now let's see what I won!" He stormed over to the dishes and went to uncover his dish, but not before Zess T. did.

"Empty," she said, looking at the empty plate before her. "All that eating for nothing!" She grumpily sat down on the sidelines with Toadsworth, who patted her back.

"Now let's see what I won," Bowser said, rubbing his hands together. Opening the dish, he bugged his eyes out upon seeing a green coin.

"An exemption!" Twila cried. "That's right, Bowser's won himself an exemption through the first merged elimination ceremony. Someone else will join him in immunity during tomorrow's immunity challenge, which Bowser is not allowed to compete in two. So you know what that means…two people will have immunity at the elimination ceremony!"

Everyone looked fearful of what was to come, save for Bowser, who danced around and called everyone various insulting names.

The teams had officially merged, and now things were about to get a lot tougher.

So, a lot happened that chapter! Boshi has been defeated and removed from the game! What a twist! Furthermore, now that the teams have merged, not one, but two players will have immunity at the next elimination ceremony. Bowser is one…who will join him? Find out next time on…The DreamStakes!