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Previously, on the Amazing Race…

"GO!"

Twelve teams of two, each with a special relationship, departed the lush jungles of Keelhaul Key in a journey around the world…unaware of where they would go, what tasks they would face, or even how their very relationship would handle the stress of traveling. Member connections varied from siblinghood to marriage…co-workers to teacher-and-student…fighters to dating…friendship to things.

In the first leg of the race, the dozen teams were split onto two ferries that sailed the seas to the first new destination: the metropolis known as Mushroom City. Things got off to a bumpy start as several teams ended up getting lost due to bad taxis. Eventually, all teams passed through a task involving a maddening ride down a zip line.

"WHOA, CRAAAAAAAAAP!"

"WHEEEEEEEEEEE!"

"That was actually sort of fun." Zess T. chortled.

Once more the order was scrambled as all were divided amongst three departure times for the next morning, which set the basic form of how teams finished. Before taking a bus to the pit stop, teams partook in a Detour choice between the theatrical arts and challenging kart driving.

"Awesome, now we can try going around the whole race track! This'll be cool!" Andy exclaimed, pushing the gas pedal forward.

"YES!" Queen exclaimed. "I knew my expertise would get us through!"

Pa-Patch quickly grabbed a bright yellow comedy mask, with Toadia obtaining a pink one and putting it on her face.

Andy and King led the pack, edging out brothers Hamma and Flare for a close first-place finish. The race to the pit stop for three other teams was similar in nature as a three-way rush off the bus showed which two were safe. In the end, best friends Screamy and Torque ended up jumping onto the mat in last.

-----

Leg number two sent teams testing their luck at the festive, yet calm city of Faire Square. Arriving on the last flight, Toodles and Toadia were astonished to find the marked car of the Smorg waiting for them in the parking lot, but theirs gone.

"They better be penalized for this…" Toodles groaned angrily.

As other teams left the Roadblock, Pa-Patch and Cortez fought against Husband and Wife for the highly expensive Fast Forward.

"We're going to really run out of money fast…" Wife muttered incredulously.

"We're getting low…we better do somefin' before we go flat broke." Pa-Patch warned.

Friends Pungry and Pungent argued after getting lost.

"We didn't just get lost! WE'RE LOST! WE LOST, FLAT OUT!" Pungent shouted.

An irksome Detour set in a festive casino disrupted the flow of some teams. A few struggled their way through by playing pachinko…

"Okay…that SUCKED." Hamma stated on their first go at the pachinko machine.

"Oh, move that row to the left! No!" To cried as one of the balls fell into an unused hole.

…While others had to depend on luck to push them through roulette.

"This is taking forever…" Bandy Andy realized.

"This is just great…we've only got ONE! It's all YOUR fault, Beldam!" Queen pointed fingers.

En route to the pit stop, the sisters' marked car broke down.

"Well, at least we're safe…that's the good thing…" To sighed, hugging her sister reassuringly.

In the end, winning the Fast Forward didn't land married couple Husband and Wife the top spot, as Shimi and Waitress were able to gather their good fortune and obtained first place. Although they fought hard to catch up throughout the leg, pirates Pa-Patch and Cortez were unable to avoid arriving in last.

-----

The third leg of the race saw teams distributed amongst four flights to Glowflower, Sparkle Bay. At the first Yield of the race, an astonished Toodles and Toadia learned that they'd been Yielded by one of the most unlikely teams.

Toadia sighed as she flipped the hourglass over. The Smorg had Yielded THEM.

Having seen no way to possibly overtake the rivals from their flight, best friends Pungry and Pungent opted to go for the Fast Forward.

"Finally we're done! Thank you!" Pungent hooted, taking the envelope. Pungry just sat there, too stuffed to move.

"…I…feel…like I'm gonna…explode…" Pungry muttered slowly, but Pungent ignored him.

At the Roadblock, where team members climbed a palm tree to retrieve a team flag, several teams had to deal with bickering between married couple Husband and Wife.

"Hurry up, babe! The other teams are already here!" Husband yelled out at his spouse.

"I'm trying! You don't know how hard it is to grip this thing!" Wife shouted back.

"Really?! That's a surprise! It looks fine to me!"

"JUST SHUT UP, YOU GRIM-FACED IMBECILE! YOU DON'T KNOW NOTHING!"

"LOOK IN THE MIRROR!"

Speeding through the challenges to catch up, sisters To and Too claimed a spectacular first-place finish, while the Fast Forward-using Punis accepted fifth. Although they had originally taken a penalty, the Smorg were proclaimed safe, and the Yielded teacher-student team was tenth to plant their flag.

-----

Giant Land became the fourth destination for the marathon around the world. Although the group was originally split by two flights, operation hours forced them to bunch up. While searching for clues inside of a store, Flare squared off with King.

"Dude! That ain't cool, yo!" King K. snapped as he landed on his shell, the result of being tripped by an outstretched foot. He managed to get up and blockade the aisle.

"I don't care! Get outta my way!" Flare shoved the Koopa out of his path.

At Massive Mountain, several team members enjoyed an exhilarating hang gliding experience.

"WHOA! THIS IS SO COOL!" Hamma shouted above the roar of the wind.

"I FEEL LIKE AN ANGEL FLOATING DOWN TO MY OWN ANGEL ON EARTH!" Husband laughed heartily.

"Oh my gosh, I feel like some kind of awesome!" Waitress gushed. "This is SO cool!"

With first-place on the line, three teams swerved into a scary situation.

"DANG! WHAT THE HECK JUST HAPPENED?!" Flare cried out, clutching onto the steering wheel as the car completely spun out.

"DUDE, I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT!" Hamma yelled.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Wife screamed.

"SHUT UP!" Husband roared over the skidding noise his car made as it spun around.

"OH, CRAP! WATCH OUT FOR THEIR CAR!" Zess warned.

"I CAN'T STOP!" Toadsworth gasped as his brakes didn't respond.

Hamma and Flare managed to escape the havoc and reach first place. For the Smorg, things weren't so simple—they ended up arriving last, but were lucky enough to remain.

"…I am…not exactly pleased, however, to inform you that this is the first of three non-elimination legs in the race." Blaise said, trying to avert his eyes from the bouncing discs.

-----

Unscrambling the name of the next target, the Beanbean Kingdom, was the first task in the fifth leg. At the airport, as teams one by one bought tickets, Pungry and Pungent found themselves in a bind. Seeing no other way to get out of it, the two frantically turned to Hamma and Flare for assistance.

"Well…you know how those other three teams allied?" Flare started.

"Yeah…they didn't share any info with us, either." Pungry mumbled.

"Not a surprise…they want to stick together and knock the rest of us off, man. They're a real threat to our success…this is how we get rid of 'em…" Flare muttered, a glint of malevolence in his eye.

Upon encountering the first Hazard of the race, To and Too opted to perform it, and managed to pass Harhall's expectations to obtain a rod.

"…No…actually, maybe we should take the Leech Rod."

"Are you sure?" Too questioned.

"No, but we need to make up our minds and leave…so, let's just get it." To decided.

At the Detour, Queen fumbled by getting caught in her team's own snare.

"BELDAM, YOU IDIOT! WHY'D YOU MOVE THE TRAP AND MAKE IT HARD FOR ME TO SEE IT?!" Queen shrieked.

"What are you talking about?! I've been sitting here the whole time!" Beldam argued.

Later on, at the Roadblock, an impatient Shimi's continuing reminders drove a late Waitress over the edge.

"Please, Shimi! Just shut up and let me do it my way! You're not helping me!" Waitress screamed through tears.

However, the lead teams received a nasty surprise at what they thought was the pit stop…

Miles held out two clue envelopes to the surprised teams.

"…Wait…is this some kind of sick joke? Why are you giving us a clue envelope?" Flare queried.

"Yeah…you just checked us in…" Andy trailed off.

"Sorry, guys…but…as you can see, this leg of the race…it isn't over."

"…It isn't over?" Hamma repeated. "Okay, this ain't cool…"

"What? It ain't yet over?" Wife gawked. "Oh, you're kidding…"

"…Aww, yer kiddin'!" Pungent groaned, and halfheartedly opened the clue.

An equalizer forced the teams together at an overnight stay, leveling the playing field for the next day. In an attempt to pull away from the pack, Beldam and Queen went for the Fast Forward, but met some problems.

"…We're never going to finish this Fast Forward…maybe we should just go to the main track…" Beldam muttered.

Meanwhile, the rest of the teams set out to sea by boat and headed to the freezing Joke's End, encountering a Detour that tested their endurance and tolerance of the cold and each other.

"It's so cold out here…and I'm sweating…" To murmured, wiping her brow.

"Dear, you better not be implying that I'm not helping, because I am!" Wife shouted as she filled a bowl up with soup from the cauldron.

"Come on, bro! Once you get that done, we can get out of this stupid place! My nose is running…" Hamma complained, swinging a large hammer towards the block.

Although the main-track teams spread out upon encountering the Detour, no one was prepared for the Roadblock, which bunched the teams up together once again. Physical limits were tested as a tricky surfing course became the ultimate obstacle for many team members.

"No one has even popped them all yet…I'm starting to think that maybe we should take the penalty and head to the pit stop." Waitress muttered.

"Aargh!" Shimi looked on helplessly as too sharp of a turn caused him to miss an Oho Balloon.

"Ow…belly buster…even with a shell…" Flare gritted his teeth as Hamma laughed in the distance. "SHUT UP!"

"OH, SHOOT!" Pungent shouted as his jump failed, and he fell into the water.

In the end, the Fast Forward paid off, pulling Beldam and Queen to the front with a comfortable lead over the other teams. However, a race to avoid last place came down to the wire as dating couple Zess and Toadsworth narrowly navigated their way to the pit stop minutes before a lost Pungry and Pungent.

-----

Driving over a hundred miles to the Clayouse Mesas desert took up a lot of time at the beginning of leg six. Initially, the long, stressful drive proved uneventful, but for some, trouble quickly kicked in.

"Could y-you stop driving s-so shakily, y-you f-fool! I'm t-trying to get my b-beauty s-sleep!" Queen complained.

"Nothing in sight but these stupid walls…" Flare muttered.

"Make sure we don't lose them…" Zess reminded absentmindedly, speaking in a tired monotone.

During the course of the leg, two teams obtained car problems that made them lose a lot of time.

"GREAT! WE HAVE A FLAT TIRE! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, BELDAM!"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMROGSMORG (They better not take too long with the replacement.)"

Upon arriving in the desert region, brothers Hamma and Flare started cooking up trouble by going for the Hazard…

"Okay…this is a bit more of a waste of time than I would've liked!" Hamma complained.

…and chose a rod that would scramble things up for their opponents.

"This'll get someone out for sure…sounds kinda risky, but risky's our style." Flare admitted.

"You've got that right."

In spite of the occurring action in the leg, the real eye-opener came with another difficult Roadblock, where teams struggled to decipher a tough message in regards to the pit stop.

"There are three three-letter words here…but would one of them really be as common as 'the' or 'and?'" Andy asked himself. "Even if one was, where would I put it?"

"What's this big, strong word? Some of the symbols defeat in other faces…but what letters do they demean?" Shimi muttered. "Urgh, I'm so confused by just talking to my shelf!"

"Gee…uh…I think that since this tells where the pit stop is, two of these words are 'pit stop'…maybe it's these two…" Zess whispered. "I hope I'm right about this…"

"Hmm…" To rubbed her chin, deep in thought.

"This stupid thing is so cryptic! I can't decipher or even understand it!" Wife complained.

However, age and wisdom proved to go hand-in-hand as Zess pulled ahead and solved the puzzle to claim first with Toadsworth. Conversely, their allies Husband and Wife struggled to catch up throughout the leg, and were unable to complete the Roadblock in time to stop Hamma and Flare from checking in. Teams were still even more shocked when the Hazard took effect at the pit stop, as Hamma and Flare did the unthinkable—switch around the members of two teams.

"Give it to them. Who did you switch around for the seventh leg of the race?" Blaise commanded.

"…From the start, we were always really interested in the names of everyone here." Hamma began, searching for words. "Now that we've got this, we thought of something really good."

"Yup. Who here ever thought that we'd have a King and Queen racing together?" Flare joked. "And of course, that means that the mismatched names will be dating for a day…Andy and Beldam."

-----

With two mixed teams and a pair cursed by penalties, the seventh leg began with flight confusion en route to Chomp Fields. The allies of Team Twilight vowed to do their best to make up for the blow to their alliance.

"Well…I guess I'm as ready as ever." Zess said quietly. "We're not just running this race for ourselves now; we're doing it also for Husband and Wife."

Feeling sorry for the two brokenhearted teams, To and Too offered to fix the alliance themselves by working together in turn to using their Leech Rod to catch up in placement to Shimi and Waitress.

"It only made the moods worse for Zess and Toadsworth, and Waitress and Shimi, so we offered to work with them in exchange for them allowing us to place near them. So, we plan to help them out and place high so that we won't end up getting a bad start in the following leg."

For the two mismatched teams, everything went wrong—Andy and Beldam, who had been plotting to help their sister team throughout the leg, were separated from King and Queen.

"Oh, great…if anything, we should've let them buy first…" Beldam groaned.

When teams encountered yet another eating task, several team members shot ahead, but others immediately faltered.

"Beldam, I have no idea how you're handling this so easily…" Andy stated, taking a large swig from his glass.

"Come on, Toadsworth…you're worthy of this. Keep on going…" Zess said kindly, pushing her struggling partner along with her very words.

"We're taking way too long to do this…" Too said, sweating.

Seconds after receiving his plate, Flare downed every single scrap without breaking a sweat.

While scrambling for position for a charter flight, the brothers clashed with the sisters.

Although the brothers barreled into the ticket reservation area, a few moments of hopeless searching caused them to fall behind the Toad sisters, who quickly spotted the marked counter. However, just as they reached the desk, the guys dove under the ropes and moved in front, barely missing the girls' feet with their outstretched legs.

"Hey! Just what do you think you're doing?" Too demanded, stumbling as she tried to stop.

"Seriously. We got here first for the reservations, so you shouldn't try to cut in front of us." To warned.

"These ticket agents are meant for everybody, girls. She's going to help us get on that charter right now." Hamma replied smartly, referring to the Monty Mole sitting behind the computer.

King managed to get Queen, his eccentric partner, to clean her plate.

"Just promise me this…I know that we ain't teammates after this leg…but tryin' your hardest can make up for the time you spent lamentin' over nothin'. Make up for it."

Somehow, Andy and Beldam's teamwork boosted them to the top. However, the plan of Hamma and Flare backfired when King and Queen arrived before their penalty expired. Luckily for them, it was the second of three planned non-elimination legs.

-----

Leg eight ushered teams to the isle of Kong Island. Due to the Leech Rod forcing them a four-hour penalty, To and Too met trouble when asking for a flight with the rest of the teams.

"Our next flight leaves at 3:00 tomorrow morning and arrives at 9:00 in the evening. Would you like me to put you on that one?"

"…This is definitely an elimination leg…there's no way we can take a risk like that, even with the Fast Forward." To murmured.

"I understand perfectly, ma'am. I deal with this kind of thing all the time. Be on time, and you might make the next flight."

"Please let us on…we're begging you!" To pleaded.

"Really! It's mandatory we get on this flight out!" Too added.

After some hair-raising moments, the sisters were let on.

"Alright. There's room." The Goomba nodded. "I can put you on."

The first challenge made almost all of the teams strike out, most of them having little to no prior golfing knowledge. The Smorg skyrocketed in front, while the others fell behind.

"…Well…I've never seen such prodigies before…that's…quite amazing," said the Lakitu. "I guess you get this, then."

Hamma over swung, sending the ball hurtling past where it needed to be. Flare swung, and threw his golf club, but it was retrieved by the Lakitu. King somehow made it onto the green, but his approach accidentally sent the ball off the platform. Andy missed the stage by a few feet. Beldam's ball flew to the right of the platform. Queen nearly whacked someone in the face because of her unusual hands. Toadsworth made it to the rough, but missed the cup. Zess made it to the green, but failed to make both putts. Waitress missed. Shimi missed. To missed. Too's ball bounced off of the spiky wood that pinned the platform down and fell. Hamma completely missed. Flare threw his club again (out of anger, this time). King missed. Andy missed. Beldam missed. Queen purposely threw her club at Flare for a rude comment.

Having no luck in sight, Andy and King opted to go for the Fast Forward. It wasn't easy for them, but they got it down just in time to somehow get ahead of the Smorg and come in first.

"This is a bit harder than I would've liked it to be…swinging from vines…I feel like an untrained ape." Andy remarked dryly.

But for some teams, things were a different story. Beldam and Queen, and Hamma and Flare both quit the golfing task, giving them a four-hour penalty once they checked into the pit stop. Coupled with their thirty minute penalty, things seemed bleak for Hamma and Flare, but luckily for them, Beldam and Queen arrived moments too late.

-----

A familiar concept returned as teams ventured into outer space and Future Dream for the ninth leg. Teams signed up for charter rockets that only had certain capacities—although it was thought that Smorgo and Smorga would finally fall, some teams expressed their disappointment upon finding otherwise.

"…I wonder how the Smorg actually made this rocket?" Too questioned. "That's…amazing…"

"…There's no room left…I thought for sure that the Smorg might have messed up…" Zess fretted.

At the Roadblock, teams learned how to pilot a standard CIRC-X5 UFO. Nearly all team members found trouble with this task.

"Phew…that was close…but I just don't understand why I can't get the gist of this…what is so difficult about it?" Zess questioned.

"GARGH! This is so darn confusing!" Hamma shouted, slamming his fists down.

During the Detour, Smorgo and Smorga once again showed exactly how danger-prone they were when they got caught in an explosion.

"YOU TWO IDIOTS GET OUT OF THERE! THE BOMBS ARE ABOUT TO FORM THE LIGHT BARRIER MATRIX!" the Dry Bones frantically yelled. "IF YOU GET CAUGHT IN THE BLAST, WHO KNOWS WHAT'LL HAPPEN TO YOU?!"

…KABOOOOOM!

Amazingly, the Smorg seemed unharmed—they'd even retrieved the Dry Bones' legs. However…the two were sparkling like glitter in all colors of the spectrum, a possible side effect from the explosion.

Another word puzzle involving pictures hampered the teams on their way to the pit stop.

"Nope…if I didn't know better, I'd think they'd be spellin' out some alphas." King responded.

"…Spelling out letters? Really?" To tilted her head to the side. "I'm not really sure…I can't see it."

"Eh…I don't, either." Andy said apologetically.

"I don't get this at all…my brain has been on overdrive for the past few weeks…this is torture." Flare muttered, his eyes drooping.

Once again, Hamma and Flare's penalty made things grim, but they only cut it close as Zess and Toadsworth became the last team to check in.

-----

The return back to familiar ground ushered teams to the Pristine Plains for leg ten. More familiarities came on the battle lines between the brothers and the homeboys upon the arrival into Moo Moo Farm.

"It's time we got rid of our main competition…we choose to Yield…"

The two posted the pictures almost simultaneously—the first figure literally slammed the stapler into the large photograph, while the second quickly peeled the small rectangle from its paper and stuck it onto the small box in the corner that was labeled "Courtesy Of."

"…Andy and King." Flare declared.

Chef Shimi floundered when he was unable to milk a cow.

"Um…how do you work this sting? I'm very confused…is this dare the milk comes about?" Shimi asked aloud.

"I don't know how to do it…I think you squeeze the udders." Waitress suggested, looking around.

"How come I can't get this right? It's not working!" Shimi yelped, helplessly floundering his fins about the cow's udders.

The other team members sitting around sighed.

"Sir, I think it's broken!" Shimi called out, hyperventilating.

Due to their troubles, Shimi and Waitress opted to go for the Fast Forward instead, but found it just as difficult as the Roadblock. Meanwhile, sisters To and Too wasted time when they parked on the wrong side of a park.

"Thank goodness, we're finally here…" To breathed. "Okay…where's the clue box…"

"Must be around here somewhere." Too stated. "Maybe it's down one of these paths…"

While Hamma and Flare celebrated over coming in first after suffering their thirty minutes, the remaining four teams battled in a car race to the pit stop.

"I'm pleased to announce…that I'm finally the one to eliminate you from the Amazing Race." Blaise smirked.

Unluckily, Smorgo and Smorga were last.

-----

Riding in a charter bus dropped the remaining four teams off at Choco Island to start of leg eleven. Everyone quickly discovered just how unique this leg was with the ushering in of the announcement: this was a Junctionleg.

"'This is a Junctionleg. The teams will be split to accommodate certain paths that lead to the pit stop. You may only take from one clue box at a time; if you choose to switch, please replace all information and return to the proper clue box.'" To read.

Both pairs of teams discovered trouble on their respective paths.

"Oh, this is killer on my legs…it's getting so hard to pedal…" Waitress mumbled.

"We've got to pace ourselves, or else we'll never make it without having to take rests." To stated.

"You're taking too long, bro…you've only got one with writing on it?" Flare sounded. "That's pathetic!"

"I'm afraid it's all going to be on your shoulders…" Andy said apologetically. "My aim isn't helping me on this task at all…"

"I'm not really all that sugar—er, sure…" Shimi mumbled. "Maybe we're swimming around in circles?"

Near the end of the leg, Hamma and Flare made a dangerous maneuver by passing Andy and King on a two-lane street.

"You're almost up with them, bro…just stay on their tail." Flare advised.

Shaking his head, Hamma chuckled. "Oh, no, I'll do better than that…you just watch."

Suddenly, the Hammer Brother made a daring maneuver—he passed the surprised homeboys by going on the left side of the street and zipped back into place right in front of them.

"What the heck?!" Andy stomped on the breaks and honked the horn as the brothers swerved in front.

However, when the homeboys tied with the brothers for a first place arrival, the former earned the last laugh when the latter took their penalty and dropped to second. On the other hand, allies were forced to square off.

"How about if we make this one really count…one actual race between us." Too suggested.

"You're on!" Shimi said, raising his fin.

"Well, alright…" Waitress gulped. "To Zessworth and Team Twilight."

"Sounds good to us," responded the green-haired Traveling Sister.

The victors ended up being Shimi and Waitress, leaving To and Too in last.

"To and Too…as you know, you're the last team to arrive." Miles confirmed.

"We figured that out long ago, Miles." To joked.

"Just give us the news…and make it good, please." Too suggested.

Smirking, Miles nodded. "I'm pleased to tell you that this is the final of the three non-elimination legs, so you two are still in the race."

But due to it being non-elimination, the sisters were allowed to stay in the race.

-----

The penultimate leg ushered the remaining four teams to Neon Heights, city of movies. However, before the ride arrived, Hamma and Flare ran into some problems getting on the flight.

"So you're saying the fastest flight to Neon Heights is World Flyer 42, right?" Flare repeated.

"But I'm afraid that there aren't enough seats for all of you."

"Oh, come on! We need to get on this!" Flare growled. "Listen. This is to us, a life-or-death situation. Do your best to get us on this flight. Oh. And don't even think about calling security. We'll be staying out of your way." Flare added.

Whether by threat or through a threshold of luck, the brothers managed to grab seats on the plane at the last second. However, they found themselves again impeded by problems when their taxi took them to the wrong location.

"Aw, crud! We got dropped off at the wrong place!" Hamma cried, kicking the ground with his boot. "What kind of stupid mistake was that? I was perfectly clear when I said where we needed to go!"

"Why the heck is good help so dang hard to find these days?" Flare queried to the open air. "That was a waste of time and money!"

At the Detour, all four teams opted to go for what was arguably one of the craziest maneuvers in race history—partaking in an unsafe action short with real dangers.

Seeing no other alternative way out, Andy was forced to crawl over the windshield of the van that had nearly slammed over him and jump to safety as it collided with another incoming truck.

"What's with their aim?! Are they TRYING to kill us?" Andy asked incredulously.

Using Shimi, the fishy-in-more-than-one-way bride, as a battering ram, Waitress knocked a few surprised actors out of the way as she ran for the cover of a church column.

"Maybe if I destroy some of these deserts on the table, I can get rid of some of their ammo!" Waitress plotted, spotting the nearby line of tables covered with numerous other foods that did not include wedding cake (which was already scattered all over the floor).

Seeing the mini-grenade land on the fake dirt in front of them, the two Toad girls skidded to a stop and ran in the other direction, just as the bomb exploded and sent bits of mud and small shards flying through the air.

"How'd we get ourselves stuck in this mess?!" Too queried. "This isn't war, this is just plain violent! We're just running from stuff!"

Flare tripped up another one of the goons, causing him to fall backwards over a barbell and land on the matted ground. He then turned around and backhanded another guy before grabbing his wrist and throwing him at an approaching foe. Taking care of his own business, Hamma grabbed a suspended punching bag with the finger part of his fists and pushed it into a crowd, knocking the members over like bowling pins. Feeling the punch of another enemy behind him, the Hammer Brother parried the blow of a boxing Sledge Brother and gave him a punch that floored him down for the count.

"We'll be out of targets to use before our five minutes are even up!" Hamma proclaimed, throwing an attacking Koopa an uppercut with his right glove.

For the sisters, problems arose when they needed to get to their next destination. But due to their money problems, taxi drivers gave them an absolutely dreadful time.

"…I'd estimate about twenty to thirty Smash…that too much for you cheapskates?" the Goomba asked accusingly.

"Well, you see…we don't really have that much…we only have about ten Smash coins left on our card…" To explained.

"Ten? Well, forget it then; I'm not carrying freeloaders to even an ATM! Go find someone else!"

A difficult Roadblock repeatedly tripped up Waitress, who got increasingly more and more frustrated.

"That's so unfair! I'm a newbie, you…you…URGH!" Waitress made a frustrated noise before putting herself back into a waiting position. "Come on! Haven't you ever heard of 'going easy?!'"

Shrugging diffidently (with a hint of I-don't-care mixed in), the Shy Guy threw a third pitch. It roared straight down the plate, not even curving at all. Waitress…missed.

"AAARGH!" Waitress let out a high-pitched scream of frustration. "Why can't I hit the stupid ball! I hate this so much!"

However, in what was most likely the closest finish in race history, the three back teams obtained finishing times that were only seconds apart. But…it was the thirty-minute penalty that made all the difference, bringing the check-in time of the brothers back down past that of the other teams.

Homeboys Construct Final Lead; Ham-Bros. Pwned by Penalty

In short, nine teams fell…

"Screamy and Torque."

"Pa-Patch and Cortez."

"Toodles and Toadia."

"Pungry and Pungent."

"Husband and Wife."

"Beldam and Queen."

"Zess and Toadsworth."

"Smorgo and Smorga."

"Hamma and Flare. I'm sorry to tell you that you've been eliminated from the race."

…leaving the final three. Which one of these remaining teams will make it to the finish line first? So far, these three teams have trekked over thirty-eight thousand miles within the span of twelve legs and several weeks…but only one team can win…who will it be?

-----

This is Neon Heights, the city of fame and fortune for the movie stars of today and yesterday—the place where films originate and bloom into their states of wealth and popularity. This large metropolis of movie studios, production sets, and theaters, is home to an approximated fraction of over three-fourths of all actors and actresses in the entire Mushroom world. And in the residential area of this urban conurbation is the Starrit Apartment Complex, a set of inhabited dwellings set in the center of an unforgiving rush of dreams, hopes, and toils. In the ninth building of the multipart housing, on the highest floor, is the once-secret part-time home of famous actor and model Zip Toad, a legendary star whose looks and moderately eccentric city style are known to precede his presence. This small room was the final pit stop in a race around the world.

Teams checked in at the end of the last leg to take part in a mandatory pit stop that allows them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams. The three teams waiting here have no idea where their next destination is, or what kinds of challenges await them. They must use a series of clues to make their way to the finish line.

With their long-time rivaling Glitz Pit foes finally eliminated from the game, will Andy and King be the ones to rise to the top with their main competition out of the way? As the sole survivors of the original alliance of coed racers, will it be Shimi and Waitress who will rise to meet the challenge and put all their past problems aside to reach the final destination in the lead? Or can To and Too, the adventurous female team that has faced their own difficulties, including money issues and traveling problems, overcome their standing position and become the ones to claim first?

Andy and King, who arrived at 7:42 A.M…

"WOOHOO! First again!" hollered Andy.

…will be the first to depart at 7:42 P.M.

-----

The nightlife of downtown Neon Heights was just getting underway as citizens and tourists alike started flocking to the famous bars, discos, and open theaters to take part in the nighttime entertainment of their choosing. Lights were flickering on and off in rhythmic dances of attractive flashes, calling crowds to come and join the parties that would surely be going on for quite a while.

In the quieter, residential section of the city, things were slightly different. Although the occasional house or room showed the recognizable signs of a social gathering of some kind getting under way, the majority of the area was generally peaceful and relaxed as some early sleepers settled in for the night. This story held true under most circumstances for the occupants of the Starrit Apartment Complex, but in the ninth building, top floor, room 710, it was only a tangible, wanted dream.

Waiting patiently for their departure time to arrive for the final leg, the first-place Andy and King stretched themselves on the mat, limbering up their appendages—Zip T. was long gone, so there was nobody around that would potentially criticize their actions, or their clothes. Andy was still wearing a green robe, but from the absence of dirt and dust, it was either a fresh one, or one that'd been washed. On the other hand, King had reassembled his ensemble of chokers and bands, as well as bringing back the yellow hoodie. And of course, he was still wearing his sunglasses, even though it was dark outside and he was indoors, although justification could've been provided through the lights that were on in the room.

Andy & King: Best Friends- 1st to Depart, 7:42 P.M. (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Top Floor, Room 710)

When the time came by for the two to open their clue, they did so; King suspended the envelope in the air with his hands while Andy tore off the strip and took out the blue folder inside. He opened it, took out the white paper, and began to read.

"'Make your way by any transportation of your choosing to the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars. Within the front hall are three labeled pictures of your next destination.'" Andy stated. "'Research the names to figure out where the disclosed location is located, and board a flight for that region. This industrial plant is the location of your next clue; travel to it by taxi.'"

Teams must now travel approximately 5 miles across town to this location: the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars, a gallery that features the history and humble beginnings behind some of the greatest actors and actresses ever to cross the big screens. In the front entrance, teams will find a set of three pictures drawn out across the walls depicting three locations—Ice Land, Vanilla Lake, and Sherbet Land. Using the name of their next destination given, teams will have to conduct research wherever possible in order to figure out the location of the Frezblock Factory in order to buy plane tickets and fly the 6,306 miles to reach its region. This unique processing plant, which gathers chilly surrounding air to create solid blocks of ice, is the holding area of the next clue, 2 miles by taxi from Coldness Airfield.

"'You have one Smash coin for this leg of the race.'" Andy concluded. "Just one, huh…well, that's just great…we hardly have enough as it is!"

"Kinda symbolic in a ways, dawg…one is what place we wanna be in later on at the final mat." King reminded.

"…Sure, I guess…but this isn't very much at all…" Andy deposited the coin into the credit card and looked at its count. "We only have four coins now…that's just great…"

"Guess we're walkin'?"

"Yeah…and we might have to even ask for some money from some innocent bystanders on the way, too…"

"This experience has been positively amazing, but it still ain't over yet. We still have one final leg to charge through, and believe me, we're going to be giving it our all, every step of the way." Andy remarked. "I dunno how badly the others wanna win it, but King and I won't just sit around idly and let this opportunity be trashed for no reason."

"That's right! We're gettin' to do what we said our goal was in the front line!" King exclaimed, referencing the pre-race interview at the very beginning of the competition. "Now we're here, and we gotta focus on the main prize. You never know until ya try for it, and we'll be tryin' our hardest!"

It didn't take very long for the homeboys to reach ground floor after using the elevator. They walked through the outer hallway and out of the apartment building into the street.

"Well, we better start lookin' for a map of some sort, yo…not gonna be able to find the place if we don't even know where it is." King suggested.

"Right…well, let's go, then."

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 2nd to Depart, 8:23 P.M. (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Top Floor, Room 710)

The second team to depart, the duo aptly named "Shim-Stress" by friends and foes alike, waited on the mat, their allies sitting off to the side on Zip's clean bed.

For the final leg, Waitress was definitely dressed to impress in one of the strangest ways. Her hair was back in the same messy way it had been when performing the Detour from the previous leg; spiked outward from under her cap, but with a bit of feminine flair just for good measure with the glitter. She had on a robin's egg blue-colored long sleeve sweater, lavender mini-skirt, white tennis shoes, and the shell earrings from her boyfriend, along with a bracelet of tiny plastic purple stars on her wrist. Shimi was wearing an orange T-shirt with the inscription, "Kiss the cook with lips opened wide!" imprinted on the backside, and a picture of two fish lips on the front, or in other words, his underside. He had the same blue "Fish Swim, You Sink!" baseball cap on his head.

"We're in the final leg, and it's going to be a really difficult time for us. Not only are we facing off against our allies, the sisters, but we also have a focused pair of Glitz Pit guys to deal with." Waitress expounded on the situation. "Either way, we have a one-in-three shot at being the ones to win the race…it'd be so cool if we made it…we'd actually have a salary boost without actually even getting paid by our employer…"

"It's an honor to be in the spinal tree, facing towards the finish mime! …Wait…uh, what I meant to say was, it's a goner to be in the final spree, gracing the…um…what?" Shimi paused for a moment to try and gather his thoughts and put them into words. "Erm…just skip me, okay?! I'm fad—er, bad, at interviews!"

"All right…there we blows!" Shimi announced as his partner ripped open the envelope.

"'Make your way by any transportation of your choosing to the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars…'"

While Waitress was reading, the other two Toad girls were signaled over to the mat. They retrieved their envelope from the location marker.

To & Too: Sisters- Last to Depart, 8:24 P.M. (Starrit Apartment Complex, Building 9 Top Floor, Room 710)

Both of the sisters wanted to keep their "tandem" style as a finisher to be remembered by, so they both had their hair in the two-ball fashion that the Traveling Sisters were known for. They were wearing their blue jean jackets over white T-shirts with the respective pink and green collars, and had the respectively colored shorts, shoes, and socks. It seemed that they'd also shared glitter with Waitress; their faces shone with the evidence of a small bit of sparkling glitter.

Although To opened the envelope and pulled out the Route Info, she didn't start reading, since Waitress was relaying all the information aloud for them. Instead, she took out the single Smash coin inside of the envelope, looked at it curiously, and handed it over to Too for storage.

"Somehow, we made it this far into the game. I'm not exactly all too sure about how it happened, but it did, and we're up here. At the start, we were just two frolicking girls who wanted to travel around the world, seeing new things and experiencing new adventures. We didn't exactly care for the million—it was just a small bonus in comparison to visiting the world when it was all over." Too explained.

"But, now that we're here, we might as well try to go for it. We may or may not win it, whichever happens…neither my sis nor me really care. We got what we came for, but since we were lucky enough to be given the full opportunity, we won't waste it." To guaranteed. "We'll be playing our hardest when it comes down to it!"

When Waitress finished reading, she relaxed the arm holding the Route Info, bringing it down to her side.

"All right…you guys ready to go?" she inquired.

"Yup…we're all set…I think…" Too nodded.

"We're going to have to ask for more money before we arrive at our destination if we're going to be traveling by taxi again…" To murmured.

"…Maybe we should fork together to grind information about our new place when we find it at the mausoleum—er, I mean, museum." Shimi suggested.

"Yeah, that's a good idea…it'll save us a whole lot of stress…"

Walking back down the hallway, the group of four accessed the elevator to use it to get down to ground floor. They then headed outside and started walking down the street. Although at first it appeared that they didn't know where they were going, they were actually headed for an outdoor tourist stand that still happened to be open, presumably scouted out before leg's start. To grabbed a map from one of the containment holders and held it out under the nearby streetlight.

"It looks like the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars is pretty far away from here…" she mentioned, pointing it out in comparison to their current location. "I guess we'll have enough time to gather money along the way from some late-night joggers or something…"

"Yeah, that's for sure…"

After jotting down some quick, easy-to-follow directions taken from the brochure (so as to not have to pay for the map), the group replaced it and continued on its way.

-----

Even in the darkness of night, the Famed Heights Museum of Superstars was still quite a grand sight to behold. A curving sidewalk led upward through a grassy front lawn from the iron gates of stone walls, the path's edges lined by slanting bricks and mortar. Marble statues of famous figures pranced in a stationary movement in their places atop stands scattered across the neat-trim flats of green. Even more impressive was the building itself—a remarkable glass dome with hundreds and hundreds of rectangular panels making up the outside, just slightly giving tidbits and hints on the profile views of the content inside. A golden, faded star sat by one of its five points on the needle-like nose of a cone that extended from the very top of the piece of construction.

Casually strolling about the sidewalks while avoiding the occasional party of strolling people, two figures carrying backpacks eventually halted to a stop in front of the gates. Under the light of a nearby street lamp, they squinted at the black stone plaque embedded into one side of the stone barrier.

Andy & King: Best Friends (Famed Heights Museum of Superstars, Front Gates)

"Just what I'd thought, dawg…closed." King said in a tone that was almost apologetic.

"Hours of operation… '10 A.M. to 6 P.M.'" Andy read off of the sign. "I guess that none of us would've been able to get a lead here…oh well. At least we were able to collect some money for tomorrow's admission fee…and probably a taxi ride to the airport…"

Holding the credit card out casually in his hand, King's fingers were directed towards the coin count in the center of the two-dimensional piece of plastic. The numbers had slid up to "97," quite a high amount, considering the time it had taken them to travel to the actual location while asking for money on the way.

"Nothin' more we can do, right?" King queried.

"Not that I know of…" Andy responded. "We'll just have to camp out here or something for tomorrow…"

"Naw, not in the middle of the streets…that ain't a good thing to do in this type o' city. We're gonna hafta to rough it in some backstreet alley."

"…Well, if you say so…but I'm thinking we should also try and boost up our funds a little bit more."

"Alright, but then, we get some shuteye…tomorrow's our big day."

"I'm hopeful that in the end, it will be."

Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Famed Heights Museum of Superstars, Front Gates)

"Yeah, it's closed…but I'm not too surprised." To admitted. "Usually places like this are never open for long at all…"

"Uh-huh…just look at those open hours." Too agreed.

Unlike the homeboys, it had taken the alliance much longer to reach the museum; since there were two teams, it had taken twice as long to rack up as much money as the guys had, and the foursome had even gone as far as to both reach up over a hundred, in hopes of racing through the night. But, it just wasn't the case.

"…So…what do we do now?" Shimi asked.

"We wait…" Waitress yawned. "I'm sleepy…we should get some rest before we start again tomorrow."

"Definitely a good idea…" To said sleepily, nodding her head.

"Sure thing…" Too chirped, covering her mouth as she let out a yawn of her own.

9:56 A.M.

It was a brand new day in Neon Heights, and things were still chugging along as strongly as they had the previous night, only in different buildings and businesses, most focused on the obvious creating of more movies and plays. The more popular tourist attractions were starting to open, and of course, none other than the early-bird vacationing sightseers were flocking to get good spots in the ticket lines.

Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Famed Heights Museum of Superstars, Front Gates)

Of course, the three racing teams had claimed the first spots in the ever-growing line, directly in front of the gates. Their business being at the museum was more than just to look around (mostly; To and Too were still being camera-happy with the new environment and provided sunlight), so they were fully prepared to dash right in without hesitation and take care of what needed to be done.

Promptly at two minutes after, a Goomba wearing a stylish red jacket with a small nameplate rushed over to the iron barricades from within the property, and took out a set of keys. She inserted one of the metal pieces into the slot and turned it, unlocking the visible lock to the gates. However, much to the teams' dismay, she wasn't done; she then walked over to a spot behind the stone piece that held the plaque. A few beeping noises were heard before the entrance magically seemed to creak open by itself.

When that happened, the six dashed through at the first opportunity they had. Obviously, the spectators behind them shot off befuddled looks that were only ignored by the back of the racers' heads. They sprinted down the walkway and up the steps to the raised base that had the ticket counters before the entrance into the actual sphere itself.

"Two tickets, please."

"One for me and my sister."

"Just us two."

"That'll be fourteen Smash for total admission…here are your tickets. Thank you, and please enjoy yourselves."

Obtaining the admittance slips done, the group moved away from the ticket counters and hurried through the open doors, just as the rest of the crowd started to move in. Before they could proceed, security ripped the ends off of the tickets. It was only then that they were able to start wandering around.

Almost immediately, To and Too spotted the first of the three pictures on the left side of the entry hall, and broke off with Shimi and Waitress to go check it out. About ten seconds later, Andy and King noticed another one directly on the opposite wall from the doors, and jogged over to it, disregarding the circle of information desks in-between.

"'Ice Land.'"

"'Vanilla Lake.'"

"'Frezblock Factory. Is it here?'"

Although the pictures were different, they had basically the same idea. Above the framework was a sign giving the name of the location, and below it was printed the all-important question. The three teams jotted the name down onto whatever they had available before again going their separate ways—while Andy and King darted back out the door and fought against the crowds to get to the front gates, the co-workers and sisters instead waited until they were gone before trying one of the clerks behind the information desk.

"Hello, how may I help you?" The Toad asked in a well-mannered, practiced tone.

"Hi, uh…this may not have much of an importance to you, but…we need for you to look up what region has a place called the 'Frezblock Factory.'" Waitress informed.

"For the final leg, our approach was to narrow the playing field to make it a bit easier. It was only too obvious that the guys would break away from us to do things their own way, so that left our alliance to work together with more brainpower." Waitress explained. "We were sorta counting on those guys to falter…then it'd just leave us and the sisters. We could deal with that; no matter who won, it would be considered win-win for us, knowing we had a hand in it either way."

"Could you please help us with this; it'd be really, really nice." To requested.

"Uh…um, okay." The Toad nodded and started doing some unseen actions on his computer. It took a few minutes before he spoke up again, but when he did, his voice was confident and firm. "The Frezblock Factory is a place located in the Vanilla Lake region, in Allinav."

"Well, I'm glad we didn't assume it was the one we looked at…Ice Land is way different." Waitress remarked.

"Awesome, thanks!" Too smiled, writing the information down onto her notepad. "Could you also tell us what the closest airport is?"

"I'm pretty sure it's Coldness Airfield in Allinav, but I'll double-check just to make sure…" The Toad spent several seconds clicking the mouse and typing input on the keyboard. "Yes, I'm sure now. Allinav's Coldness Airfield is the closest airport to you've got to that place."

"Thank you very munch!" Shimi exclaimed. "Er, I meant 'much!' Sorry!"

With their discovery part of the task completed, the allied teams made their way through the incoming crowds back outside, and stopped at the street.

"Okay…now just to find a taxi to get us back to the airport…" To mumbled.

"I think I see one coming this way; quick, wave it down!" Too ordered.

The group got the attention of the patrolling van, getting it to stop at the curb.

"Awesome, we can all fit in!" Waitress exclaimed. "Come on, guys!"

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends (Grinternet Café)

Shortly after getting the information from inside of the museum, the homeboys had run across the street into one of the narrower alleyways of buildings, and ducked into an Internet Café they'd spotted beforehand. The two grabbed adjacent computers and set to work looking up information.

"'Kay…looks like our place is in Vanilla Lake. Got that down?" King asked.

"Yeah." Andy nodded. "That was some pretty quick work; it was the picture we'd looked at. Hopefully the other teams didn't figure it out as quickly, and we can get back to the airport before them."

Running back outside, the guys managed to catch a passing cab.

-----

Due to the later hours, Starshoot International Airport was running in much more swing than it had been going when the teams were there the previous morning. Airplanes were coming in at regular intervals, releasing flocks of tourists. The place itself was basically a strangely-shaped star; the center building was a large dome, and the terminals were spaced about along projections from the main area.

A single van pulled up to the terminal meant for departures to snow-filled areas, and allowed its occupants out. They paid the driver for the ride, and pulled their backpacks out of the trunk before heading in through the automatic doors.

Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Starshoot International, Main Dome)

"This shouldn't be too difficult to find a flight…let's try that counter over there." Waitress suggested.

The foursome headed over to the desk labeled, "Snowplow Air," and got the welcome attention of the clerk sitting in his chair behind the desk.

"Hello…and what might I be doing for you today?" The Koopa interrogated.

"Hi…we need to know what the fastest flight to get to Allinav is." Too informed. "Preferably, if it has four seats on it, that'd be good."

"…You're in luck. We happen to have the fastest flight to the Vanilla Lake region today." The Koopa said, clicking on his screen for more details. "It leaves here at noon from terminal R3, and it arrives there at 9:30 in the morning, local time. There aren't too many spots left, but I can probably manage to fit all of you on."

"Cool! Please book four on that." To requested.

(To & Too- 1st on Snowplow Air 3800)

(Shimi & Waitress- 2nd on Snowplow Air 3800)

"Thank you very munch—er, much, sir!" Shimi piped up.

"Yeah…this should be good; we have enough time to get to the terminal if we hurry!" Waitress notified.

"Alright, let's do it!"

Andy & King: Best Friends (Starshoot International, Main Dome)

"And you're sure there's no faster flight to Vanilla Lake?" Andy affirmed.

"Positive…this screen says that our airlines has the fastest flight there today, so you can be assured that you'll get there in time for whatever it is you're needing to do." The clerk replied.

"…Well…sounds good, I guess." Andy turned to his partner. "What do you think?"

"We should go ahead and book it." King confirmed.

"Alright…two tickets, please."

(Andy & King- 1st on Mushroom International 514)

"Thanks." Andy told the Goomba. "Okay…so, hopefully we should get there before the other two…we're counting on this to be the fastest one."

"That's for sure…"

-----

While boarding their plane from the terminal, the allied teams looked around for signs of the homeboys. Having found none, and further reassured by walking up and down the single aisle of their plane just before it took off, they settled in, relieved to know that they at least had peace for the moment, but still unnerved with the possibility that they might've picked the slower flight.

(Snowplow Air 3800- Departing at 12:01 P.M.)

This is the first of two flights departing for Vanilla Lake. It carries two of the three teams—co-workers Shimi and Waitress, and sisters To and Too.

-----

After performing a search similar to their already-departed adversaries, Andy and King sat back down in their plane seats, knowing that they were on the plane alone. This didn't give any calming effect to them, however; they weren't sure if that meant they were ahead or behind.

(Mushroom International 514- Departing at 2:16 P.M.)

This is the second flight headed towards Vanilla Lake, carrying the only other team: best friends Andy and King.

-----

Vanilla Lake was a relatively large, vast area spanning several miles, and completely covered in snow banks and ice. The very center of the region had a gigantic, frozen over lake, around which several cities were scattered about, and primitive paths served as connections between them.

Allinav, the capital city of the district, was one of the places located closer to the center of the frozen waters. However, in preparation for the unlikely event of the ice ever breaking, it appeared that the entire town was situated on top of a gigantic translucent plate that could be moved to safety at a moments notice. The buildings were all made of white bricks and stones that appeared to look like formed ice, and were set in strict columns and rows to form a near-perfect grid.

On the outskirts of Allinav was Coldness Airfield, an airport shaped like a gigantic igloo with rectangular protuberances that served as the holder of terminals in a format similar to that of Starshoot International. Due to the abundance of occasional snow flurries blowing through the area, it was subject to an infinite, indefinite delay, but planes still managed to depart and arrive at respectable times. Of particular note was a Snowplow Air craft that pulled into the runway with a bumpy stop on the few mounds of snow that had been missed on the hourly sweep-through. It managed to even cut in line to reach the terminals, and from there, proceeded to allow its passengers to disembark.

(Snowplow Air 3800- Arriving at 9:57 A.M.)

Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Coldness Airfield, Terminal A2)

Rushing from the access hall that had been attached to the plane, the Traveling Sisters ran out with their backpacks loosely attached to their bodies, Shim-Stress following close behind. However, something seemed completely different this time. It was as if they weren't working in collaboration anymore. Not to mention that they were all dressed warmly in preparation for going outside into the cold weather.

"On the plane, we agreed that from that point on, it'd be every team for themselves." To declared. "It was a mutual decision, and we were all okay with it. After all…we were fighting for first, and it was time to try and stand alone as the pairs we were meant to work as. It had been fun working as an alliance, but good things can't always last forever…so, that was the time to do it."

"Taxis, that way." To pointed out to her sister the sign hanging overhead.

"Got it."

The sisters veered off in that direction, with the lagging employees doing their best to keep up, due to Shimi's hard method of travel. Waitress waited for him, and the two reached the line for taxis shortly after the two girls.

"We need to go to the Frezblock Factory, please." Too told the driver. "As fast as possible, we're in sort of a rush…"

"A race, to be exact." To added while pushing her backpack into the trunk.

"Frezblock Factory; take any way you can to get there before that other taxi, okay?" Waitress directed.

"Our plate rests in your hands!" Shimi stated.

"See you guys there!" To taunted, stepping into the vehicle.

"Sure; but we're getting there first!" Waitress assured.

Taking off from the curb, the sisters' taxi started down the lane and was out of sight before the Excess Express workers' cab could get going.

-----

To & Too: Sisters (Allinav, Flake Avenue)

"It seems we have a really good taxi driver…" To observed. "We're going pretty fast. Neat!"

"Hopefully it's in the right direction, though." Too stated.

"Don't worry; I know exactly where to go." The Bumpty reassured, turning on the wipers to brush a bit of snow off of the windshield. "You'll be there in no time."

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Allinav, Snowball Lane)

"I sure hope that we're ahead of King and Andy…or else that means we're in last place right now." Waitress murmured. "That's highly undesirable…"

"Yeah…we haven't seen them since the mausoleum—er, museum." Shimi stated.

"Not a good sign." Waitress stated.

-----

The Frezblock Factory, a strange plant that had several vents and pipes on the outside, was surrounded by a mess of wrapped ice blocks, presumably prepared and ready to be shipped off to where they were needed. Most of the workers were inside in the relative 'warmth' of the building, overseeing the actions and duties being performed by the various mechanics and machines, but an occasional pair of employees were being deployed outside to drop off stacked blocks in large cranes.

Two taxis arrived at the entrance to the industrial unit in quick succession. Their occupants jumped out and grabbed their luggage as well as paying the drivers before trying to head over and search for the clue box.

"There it is!"

Running over to the clue box, stationed in front of a pile of frozen prisms, the first team reached in and pulled out a clue.

To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 1st (Frezblock Factory, Front Entrance)

Opening the envelope, Too took out the Route Info and excitedly began to read, her breath coming out in visible wisps of gas into the air.

"'Make your way by snowmobile to Frigid City, and search out the Frozen Fishery, where your next clue waits.'"

Teams must now hop onto one of these marked two-seater snowmobiles and use them to propel approximately 4 miles across Vanilla Lake to Frigid City, a frozen town similar in appearance to their landing point in the region. They must locate the Frozen Fishery, a spot on the ice, which, unlike the name, is actually a renowned fishing place instead of a hatchery. It is here that they will find their next clue.

"Snowmobiles?!" To repeated. "Oh, that is so awesome!"

"I know!" Too exclaimed. "I think that those are them, right over there!"

The sisters scurried over to a line of three snowmobiles that were facing the exit, taking care not to slip and fall on the icy ground. In a silent agreement, the pink-haired Toad girl jumped into the front seat, while Too took the back as well as a map she'd obtained from the airport.

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2nd (Frezblock Factory, Front Entrance)

"Frigid City…do we have that on our map?" Waitress asked.

"Yeah…I think so." Shimi briefly looked at the folded paper before looking back up again and nodding. "Yup! Ground it!"

"…Uh, okay, then! Let's go!"

Just as their rivals took off, the co-workers made their way over to the snowmobile obviously modified for them. Waitress hopped onto the front, while the chef Cheep-Cheep took the seat behind her.

"I sure hope I remember how to drive this thing from that pre-race tutorial…" Waitress mumbled before starting the motors. The vehicle jerked forward on her first try with the gas, but she managed to get it under control and going smoothly.

-----

To & Too: Sisters (Vanilla Lake, Allinav-Frigid City Trail)

Coasting along at a comfortable pace on the snowmobile, the sisters had quite a lead over their opposition. To was keeping the steering and speed under a steady control, and since their path was on a one-way road, Too was free to just enjoy the ride on the back seat.

"Are they still behind us?" To asked curiously.

Too looked over her shoulder. "I can see a moving dot back there, so yeah. But they're falling behind."

"Okay…I guess that's a good thing for us." To blinked, pushing what few whipping strands of hair that'd manage to work loose from in front of her vision.

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Vanilla Lake, Allinav-Frigid City Trail)

Evidently, the purple-haired Toad was still having a little bit of trouble with the vehicle; occasionally, it would spurt forward on a burst of gas. But, they were going along at a relatively steady pace and were also having fun with the new form of transport—Shimi had even dug out the goggles he'd obtained from the desert leg, and was using them to protect his large eyes from the snow.

"They're pulling ahead pretty far…I wonder how they're doing that…" Waitress mumbled.

"Maybe ours has a malsuction."

"…A 'malfunction?'"

"…Er…yeah. A 'maltraction.' No, wait, I meant a 'malfraction!' Wait, what was I going to say?"

"…"

-----

The Frozen Fishery, a marked-off ice field on the outskirts of Frigid City, was pretty bland at first glance. Other than the surrounding snow banks that enclosed it, and the tools and equipment scattered about, there was very little to look at. However, under closer inspection of the ice, it became apparent that the ice was moderately thin, and it was possible to just barely see fish swimming deep under the surface.

Pulling up to the area on their snowmobile, the two occupants of the vehicle easily spotted the clue box sitting on the edge of the icy area, surrounded by three mounds of equipment. They disembarked from their ride, leaving their backpacks in the compartment, and rushed over to it.

To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 1st (Frozen Fishery)

Pulling out the contents of the envelope, To grinned. "Roadblock! 'Who is ready to capture and entrap victory?'"

A Roadblock is a task that only one person one perform, and no one person may perform any more than eight on the entire race.

In this Roadblock, the final one of the race, team members will be required to carve five small circular bricks of ice to make holes in the surface, and then use said holes as areas for their lines to go through and attempt to catch one of the many elusive fish swimming in the freezing waters. Once participants have captured at least one fish and reeled it in, they will have to arrange their five bricks to create a small holding area of sorts in which to stash their catch. After that has been completed correctly, teams will receive their next clue.

"I'll go ahead and even out the final counts, so this one's all on me." To announced.

"All right…so, what do you have to do?" Too interrogated.

"…I have to make five circular holes in the ice, and try catching a fish through one." To asserted. She looked down at the ice. "…Looks pretty thin…but I think I can see something moving down there. …Oh, and I also have to use the bricks from the holes to make a containment center."

"Well, I know you can do it." Too enlightened. "Come on, sis, show me what you can do."

Giggling, To nodded and grabbed one of the piles of equipment. She carefully placed a pair of snowshoes on her face before heading out into the center of the ice and placing the rest of the items down. Using the instructions that had been provided to her, she grabbed one of the tools, which looked oddly like an enlarged compass with a blade at the end instead of a pencil, and stuck the needle end into the ice. She then started twisting it around in a set circle, pushing the blade in deeper and deeper with every circle. Within the span of a minute, she was able to entirely cut through the ice, and pull the circular block out from its neighboring frozen water. Taking it off from the needle, she set it aside before placing a rod into the hole and turning her attention to creating another hole in the ice.

Shortly after creating the second hole, To's sister was joined by more company.

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2nd (Frozen Fishery)

Getting off from their snowmobile, the two employees gave a nod to Too before heading over to the clue box and taking out an envelope.

"'Roadblock. Who is ready to capture and entrap victory?'" Waitress read. "Who should do this one, Shimi? You want to?"

"What's she doing out there?" Shimi asked curiously.

"She's making holes in the ice to catch fish." Too answered.

"…C-Catch f-f-f-fish?" Shimi repeated, horrified. "…I'm feeling paint…"

And with that, the Cheep-Cheep promptly passed out.

"…Shimi, I know you're faking." Waitress put her hands on her hips. "For crying out loud, you've served sushi and calamari aboard the Excess Express before! Besides, you'd know how to catch fish—I can't think like one, but you can!"

Shimi perked up from his inattentive state. "…The old built trip, huh? How could you? I'm appealed…"

"…"

Too looked at Waitress questioningly for a hint at what the chef had just said, but the server was just as clueless.

"…Fine. I'll do it…" Shimi grumbled, not even bothering to open the folder as he slid onto the ice, the heap of equipment spread amongst his two fins. "I'm going to have jelly burns…er, belly burns…"

Setting to work on making the holes, Shimi had a bit of trouble adjusting the tool straight to create a perfect circle, but he managed to get the gist of it in time, and made his first block just as To easily finished her fourth. He quickly started to work faster, starting on his third one when To stuck the final line into the fifth hole.

"Great job, sis! You made all of them!" Too cheered.

"Yeah, and now all I have to do is just wait until I get a bite on one!" To replied back.

Deciding to make the best use of her time, the pink-haired Traveling Sister arranged the five blocks of ice into a five-piece circular arrangement of sorts in the middle of her grouping of holes. That done, and no sign of any fish on any of her reels, she sat down on the ice and waited.

Meanwhile, Shimi speedily crafted the rest of his holes and stuck the fishing lines into each of them. He quickly followed what To had done, and positioned his blocks of ice in a circular format.

"Nice job, Shimi! See, that wasn't so hard!" Waitress exclaimed.

"…You have no ID…" Shimi muttered to himself, as if he was talking to his partner. "I'm…sweating under this jack-o-lantern…er…jacket…"

"It's all out of their control now…they just have to wait until a fish decides to tug on one of their strings…" Too observed.

"Yeah…hopefully they don't take all day." Waitress agreed. "At least we know that the Glitz Pit guys are still behind us because of that extra snowmobile…but I don't wanna be here all day until they arrive…"

Several minutes passed, with the group waiting in boredom for something to happen. Whilst Shimi and To concentrated on their lines, Too and Waitress stood off to the side, making the occasional comments in an on-off conversation.

Suddenly, something happened. One of To's lines sharply snapped down in an arc, prompting her to scramble over and pull it in.

"I got something!" To yelled out happily. "Finally!"

"That's great!" Too responded.

Quickly rotating the wheel on her reel, To hurriedly pulled the line in. However, when she'd thoroughly brought it up, she was disappointed to find the end empty and bare of its bait.

"Oh…it got away…" She sighed. "Darn…"

"Don't worry, you'll get the next one!" Too encouraged.

For another long, unbroken period of time, the group was without anything else of interest. Too and Waitress started up their conversation again, and soon, Shimi and To joined in, making it a four-way shout fest, since the non-participants weren't allowed onto the ice. Eventually, though, they all tired of talking, and instead waited in moderate silence that was shifted about by the blowing wind.

After over half an hour without a bite, another rod bobbed up and down, catching the attention of its owner. The team member quickly went over and started reeling in the line, with the other three looking on. Much to everyone's surprise, a flopping fish came out with the end of the thread.

"Whoa!"

Startled, the participant threw the captured quarry into the containment cage of ice blocks, where it started bouncing up and down in futile attempts to escape.

"I…I did it! Yay!"

A Lakitu with an icy-blue cloud hovered over and delivered an envelope on his fishing rod.

"You've completed the Roadblock. Here's your next clue."

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 1st (Frozen Fishery)

"Whoo!" Shimi eagerly slipped the envelope from the hook, and tore it open before sliding back across the ice over to his partner.

"Awesome, Shimi! Now we're in first!" Waitress said.

"Yeah, I know! 'Use your starked snowmobiles to deprive to—hey!"

Waitress laughed nervously, having swiped the Route Info away. "Maybe you should let me read…"

"…Fine…"

"'Use your marked snowmobile to drive to the far edge of Frigid City, and locate the Primordial Park of Natural History. Your next clue waits there.'"

Teams must now use their marked snowmobiles to travel 1 mile across Frigid City, and find this place: the Primordial Park of Natural History, an outdoor series of exhibits detailing the ancient history of olden Vanilla Lake. Here, at the entrance to this unique outdoor exhibition of primitive records, teams will find their next clue.

"Come on, Shimi!" Waitress urged.

Waving bye to their friends, the employees hurried back over to their snowmobile and hopped on. Waitress turned it back on and started in the direction of the main city.

"If we cut directly through Frigid City, hopefully it'll be quicker than going around…" She mused.

"Good thinking! I pedigree!"

To & Too: Sisters (Frozen Fishery)

"…See one bob down yet?"

"…Nope…"

-----

The Primordial Park of Natural History was basically a large field of snow that was surrounded by hilly snow banks. Within its borders were several different exhibits of interest, each looking authentically old and aged; however, some of the actual displays didn't even appear to be actual exhibits at first glance.

A snowmobile came to a stop near the entrance, a break in the hilly landscape, and the two riders leapt off. They landed right next to the clue box, allowing them to simply open it and pull an envelope out without having to move from the spot.

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 1st (Primordial Park of Natural History, Entrance Gate)

"Okay, let's see what we've got here." Waitress pulled out a yellow folder. "'Detour. "Shoot It Down" or "Raise It Up." Partake in an ancient practice of your choosing.'"

A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, the final one of the race, teams will have a choice between two relatively primeval tasks rooted firmly in the history of the area: "Shoot It Down" and "Raise It Up."

In "Shoot It Down," teams will have to head over to the Shooting Range part of the park. Here, they will be given a bow and a quiver containing several arrows, the only tools of nomadic hunters that lived in the area hundreds of years ago. They will then be led onto this ledge, where they will have to break through four ropes that are hanging twenty-five feet away with their arrows, and drop the ice blocks that they are supporting into the water. After doing so, they will be allowed onto the range and to cross the ice blocks to a small chunk of ice containing their next clue.

In "Raise It Up," teams will have to head to Cresttop Hill, a seemingly normal mound of snow in the park that actually houses an attraction. At the bottom of this large hill, teams will be informed about a local tradition that was performed at the break of dawn every other day during the area's years as a primitive town of settlers. Both team members will create small snowballs, and then start rolling them up the slope to reach the top. Because the snowballs will get bigger from gathering snow, the task will get harder as it progresses—if one of the team members accidentally loses his or her snowball, he or she will have to start over again at the bottom. Once both participants have successfully transferred the snowballs to the top of the hill, they will receive their next clue.

"This sounds pretty simple to me…I bet that if we just do 'Raise It Up,' we'll be out of here in no time." Waitress assumed. "What do you think?"

"Well…okay. I can seal with pushing snowfalls." Shimi replied.

"…Um…alright, then." Waitress nodded. "To Cresttop Hill it is!"

Their decision made, the Excess Express workers headed through the gap in the hills of snow. Coming up onto a display board that had a map of the large area, they briefly stopped in front of it to check where they needed to go. After a few seconds of looking at its symbols, they located their destination and started off to reach it.

-----

To & Too: Sisters (Frozen Fishery)

"…Hey, I think I got another bite!" To exclaimed.

"Really?! Pull it in!"

Carefully reeling in one of the lines, the pink-haired Toad girl watched the hole in hopeful expectance. Sure enough, when the end of the line was brought out from the water, a fish was dangling from the hook by its lips, and was flailing its tail about.

"Oh, you poor thing…here, let me get this for you…" To worked the fish's mouth free of the hook and gently placed it down into the container. For some reason or another, the captured prey didn't move once it was put into the circle; it just lay there, moving its lips as it looked at the female through its eye.

Smiling at the fish, To turned her attention towards the Lakitu as he floated over with the clue.

"You've done the Roadblock…so here's the clue for ya."

To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2nd (Frozen Fishery)

"Thank you!" To said gratefully, unhooking the envelope and taking it over to her sister.

"Nice one, sis! Now we can finally move on, and that's good! My fingers are numb!" Too exclaimed, shaking her hands through her mittens.

Giggling, To opened up the blue Route Info folder. "'Use your marked snowmobile to drive to the far edge of Frigid City, and locate the Primordial Park of Natural History. Your next clue waits there.'"

"Cool, let's go!"

Hurrying back to their parked snowmobile, the sisters switched riding positions before driving off in hopes of catching the frontrunners.

-----

(Mushroom International 514- Arriving at 12:35 P.M.)

Andy & King: Best Friends (Coldness Airfield, Terminal B5)

Dashing through the airport with their backpacks in tow, the homeboys desperately tried slipping on their winter wear before reaching the taxi area. They managed to both pull on heavy jackets before making it to the doors, where they were instantly able to snag a ride because of the lack of a line.

"Say, you can get us to the Frezblock Factory, right?" King asked the driver.

"Certainly can." The Mr. Blizzard replied heartily. "Hop in, boys. I'll take you where you need to go."

"Cool…but we have to get there as fast as possible, okay?" Andy requested. "We're in a REALLY big rush."

Slamming the doors shut on their respective sides after depositing their baggage, the best friends awaited an answer.

"…Hold onto your parkas!"

-----

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)

Since the task itself was pretty simple, the two employees hadn't needed any extra explanation. As a matter of fact, several other tourists were already partaking in the ritual when they'd arrived, so they jumped right in along with the crowd. The first step, creating a relatively large snowball to start pushing up the hill, was easy. However, moving it up over time was the hard part, and both of them discovered that relatively quickly.

"It's getting kind of hard to control this thing…" Waitress murmured, unsteadily shuffling up the hill as she pushed the growing snowball up. It was already at least one-and-a-half times bigger than her. "How're you holding up, Shimi?"

Several yards behind on the slope, Shimi was being forced to nudge his growing companion along using three points of contact—his two fins and his lips, the latter of which in particular was getting very cold.

"F-F-F-F-Fine! I-I-I'm d-d-d-doing g-g-great!" The Cheep-Cheep lied. "Brrrrrrrrrrr…"

Now at three-fourths of the way up the enormous hill, Waitress found it increasingly difficult to keep control over the center of the snowball as her unsteady steps turned into unsteady swaying. Suddenly, she lost control of the white sphere. It rolled past her, knocked away the snowball of Shimi (along with several others), and crashed into the bottom with a loud thud.

"…Oh, great…" Waitress groaned.

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Frezblock Factory, Front Entrance)

The homeboys quickly paid their cab driver with their money and retrieved their backpacks before rushing in through the gates to the factory. They spotted the clue box with ease, and took out an envelope.

"'Make your way by snowmobile to Frigid City, and search out the Frozen Fishery, where your next clue waits.'" Andy read.

"Sweet! Snowmobile ridin'!" King exclaimed. "There's our ride, right over there!"

"Neat-o." Andy agreed. "So…who's gonna drive?"

-----

To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 2nd (Primordial Park of Natural History, Entrance Gate)

"'Detour. "Shoot It Down" or "Raise It Up." Partake in an ancient practice of your choosing.'" Too read. "…They both sound equally challenging…obviously both with their own pros and cons."

"Hehe, yeah…so, which one will it be?" To asked. "This is the final Detour of the race…"

"Well…you remember how we did that one Hazard back in the…um…Beanbean Kingdom?" Too recalled.

"Uh-huh."

"…We had to shoot at moving targets with water…I'd think we'd be able to hit stationary ones with arrows, don't you?"

"Sounds like a plan, sis! Great thinking!"

Agreeing on the decision, the sisters took a moment to look at the front map before hurrying off to the Shooting Range.

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)

"Not again!"

Slightly annoyed, a distressed Shimi put his fins over his face in frustration as he bounced down the hill after the dropped snowball.

"Did you drop it?" Waitress called out.

"Yeah! I have to start call over!"

Upon reaching the bottom, the Cheep-Cheep created another small snowball. He started pushing it up the hill, slowing down as it got bigger and bigger.

"You can do it!"

From the top of the slope, Waitress patiently watched her partner. On what she'd guessed was the fifth try, she'd gotten lucky and managed to push her snowball all the way up to the top; it was sitting right next to her at a size of about twice her height.

"Come on, Shimi! Focus!"

"I'm locusting—er—focusing!"

Unfortunately, upon making it halfway up the incline, Shimi accidentally lost his hold on the snowball, and it crashed back down to the bottom.

"Urgh…" He moaned, bounding back down again.

Waitress sighed and sat down. "We might be here a while…"

To & Too: Sisters (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Ledge)

For the Toad girls, things weren't faring much better. Although they'd just gotten started on the arrow-shooting task, they'd yet to get accustomed to the feel of the tension needed to correctly aim and fire—each of their shots had been way off in several directions.

"Okay…maybe this is much harder than we'd initially thought…" Too said admittedly.

"A lot harder…I can't seem to get my aim right onto those ropes…I keep missing!" To complained.

"So do I!" Too said understandingly. "Maybe we're supposed to pull the string back all the way or something to get it to fly farther…"

The next two arrows released missed completely.

"I think it's because I keep on jolting my fingers or something…" To murmured musingly. "It's either that, or my eyes are off."

"I have no idea…but maybe we should just switch if we can't get it…"

The next two arrows were shot. One of them struck a rope and pierced right through, causing the twines to untangle, and the block to fall into the water below with a loud splash.

"…I must've gotten lucky on that one." To chuckled. "But lucky or not…"

"…We just got our starter. Let's keep on going." Too suggested.

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Frozen Fishery)

The homeboys climbed off from their snowmobile, Andy disembarking from the back, and King sliding over the front. They hurried over to the clue box.

"'Roadblock. 'Who is ready to capture and entrap victory?'" Andy read.

"I'll take care of this one; balance out the counts." King stated. His partner handed over the folder. "…Fishing. Can't say that's somethin' of my expertise…eh, well…"

Stepping onto the ice with the remaining mound of equipment and snowshoes attached to his boots, King K carefully maneuvered his way over to an empty spot on the ice before putting his gear down. He briefly looked back at the instructions again before starting to create the first hole with the appropriate bladed tool.

-----

To & Too: Sisters (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Ledge)

"This is getting a bit easier…or we're just getting lucky."

At this point, the Toads with the pink and green hair had somehow managed to knock down all but one of the ropes with their arrows, and were currently firing at it with everything they had.

"Hopefully we'll hit it soon…that clue box over there is just waiting to be opened." To remarked.

"Yeah…I sure hope we're going to get into the lead again…" Too trailed off.

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)

"Don't give up, Shimi! Please, not now!" Waitress shouted.

An exhausted, cold Shimi stubbornly shook his head at the bottom. After how many failed attempts at rolling up the snowball, his lips were still freezing, and he was still without a clue. He was fed up.

"Cover your mouth with something warm! Maybe it can help! Use your jacket—use something!"

"It'd helb if I had my backback…" Shimi mumbled, covering up his large lips with the collar of his parka. "This isn't helbing one bit now by back is dold…"

Nevertheless, the fish set to work putting together another snowball before he started working it up the hill.

To & Too: Sisters (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Ledge 1)

A single arrow whizzed through the air and struck the final rope that was supporting the remaining suspended ice block. The twines quickly unraveled and the rope split, sending the cube plummeting several feet down into the water.

"Yes!"

"Great job, sis!"

Excited to have finished the task, the sisters placed down their bows and quivers. The supervisor gave them the sign that it was safe to head out onto the range, so they leapt off the ledge and made their way across the sheet of ice to the four blocks, which had formed a nice, neat path across the calm waters to another small sheet of ice, where the clue box was situated.

To & Too: Sisters- Currently in 1st (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Clue Platform)

After carefully skipping across the icy bridge, the sisters opened the clue box to take out one of the envelopes waiting inside. They opened it to find a blue folder labeled "Route Info."

"Now, what do we have here…" To grinned before reading. "Listen to this! 'Make your way by snowmobile back to the airport and board a flight bound for Rogueport. Your next clue waits in the southwestern part of town at the edge of a street.'"

Teams must now steer their snowmobiles the 4 miles back across Vanilla Lake to the city of Allinav, and locate a flight at Coldness Airfield that will take them the 4,218 miles back to the general region where the race all started: the city of Rogueport, a slum-like town balanced by the sneaking thieves and the working class. After being dropped off at the developing Rogueport Airfield, teams will have to head down through Rogueport Station to the western side. Here, in the same exact spot where there was a clue box in season one, waits the next clue.

"Back to Rogueport!" Too exclaimed.

"Back to Rogueport!" To repeated excitedly. "Come on, let's hurry!"

The Toads moved back across their bridge and up the steps to the ledge before scurrying through the park back in the direction of the entrance. When they got there, they were surprised to find that there were still two snowmobiles.

"Looks like we beat Shim-Stress out…" To whispered.

"Maybe we'll have a chance to get onto a flight by ourselves." Too said hopefully.

With the possibility of coming in first on their minds, the girls climbed back onto their snowmobile and started back across the frozen tundra to Allinav.

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends (Frozen Fishery)

It had taken quite a while, but King had managed to create all five holes and place the lines down into the water. While waiting, he'd already pre-assembled the blocks into a small containment hold.

"This is just great…our fate lies in the hands of a fish." Andy remarked.

"Yeah, I know…we might be here 'til the race is over, dawg…" King sighed. "Don't see hardly any fish down there…"

-----

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)

"You're almost there, Shimi! Come on!" Waitress encouraged. "You can make it this time!"

"I…sure…hobe…so…"

Pushing up the ever-growing snowball, the Cheep-Cheep struggled along to make the last few feet to the summit. At this point, it was near-impossible for him to bounce without losing control, so he was forced to propel upward by moving his body around like a worm—not only was his tail slashing back and forth, but his whole being was moving in a rhythmic movement.

"Come on, you can do it!" Waitress shouted. "Push, Shimi! Push!"

"…I'm…tryig…"

With one last shove, Shimi tried inching the snowball onto the flat part of the hill.

"Oh, no! What're you—"

Too late. The snowball dodged around Shimi and stampeded back down the knoll, forcing several tourists to dive out of the way. Groaning in disbelief, Shimi angrily turned around and started bouncing down the slope.

"Shimi, remember! Don't get mad; it'll only make it that much harder for you!" Waitress reminded pleadingly.

"…Dats…really…really…harb…" Shimi mumbled.

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends (Frozen Fishery)

"Anything yet?"

"…Nuh-uh."

"…Now?"

"Nope."

"…We're gonna be here forever…"

"I hope not."

-----

The sisters brought their snowmobile to a halt in one of the lots before taking out their backpacks, putting them on, and walking across the street to the main part of the airport.

To & Too: Sisters (Coldness Airfield, Main Igloo)

"It's actually sort of warm in here, even though it looks like it's made out of ice…"

"That's kinda weird."

"Yeah, I know…"

Walking through the main part of the airport, the Toad girls made their way over to an information desk and greeted the warmly-dressed Goomba sitting behind it.

"We need to know the fastest flight to Rogueport from here. Could you tell us what the fastest one is?" To requested.

"And also, how full up it is?" Too inquired.

"…You're out of luck…there was one that just left thirty minutes ago…" The Goomba said apologetically. "The next one here…let's see…it's Cloud Flyers 2007, leaving from Coldness Airfield at 6:30 tonight and arriving at Rogueport Airfield 7:15 tomorrow morning."

"…6:30 today?" To repeated.

Too looked at her watch. "That's kind of late for what we have to do…that's really the earliest one from this airport?"

"Yes, it is."

"Um…"

The sisters looked at each other.

"Is there anything better connecting from another airport that this one has flights to?" Too asked.

"…Uh…let me check. That kind of search might take a minute…" The Goomba started making movements on the keyboard. After several minutes, he looked back up. "Erm…the next flight from anywhere else is at Snow Land, but it arrives at 8:30 in Rogueport."

"…I guess this is our only other option, then…" To sighed. "Thank you."

"Yeah, thanks…"

Somewhat downcast, the sisters turned around and left the counter in the direction of Cloud Flyers to book tickets.

-----

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)

"You're almost there, Shimi! You can get it this time, I know it! Come on, push it! You can do it!"

With one last burst of energy, the exhausted fish heaved the large snowball up onto the flat part of the rise.

"Yes! You finally got it!" Waitress clapped. "Great job!"

"I'b…so…tired…" Shimi moaned.

A waiting Mr. Blizzard leaned over and handed the team the next clue.

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2nd (Primordial Park of Natural History, Cresttop Hill Ascent)

"Thanks." Waitress tore open the envelope. "'Make your way by snowmobile back to the airport and board a flight bound for Rogueport. Your next clue waits in the southwestern part of town at the edge of a street.'"

"Roguebort? Back dere…woo-hoo…" Shimi remarked weakly.

"…You know…I'm actually sort of glad I learned how to carry you last leg…"

Seeing that her partner needed a chance to rest, Waitress picked him up and rushed down the hill before heading back to the entrance. Upon getting there, she placed him in the back seat of the snowmobile before climbing into the front.

"Now, you just sit tight, Shimi. I'll get us back to Allinav, don't you worry." Waitress assured.

"…I won't fall off, will I?"

"Of course not, silly…but I'll have to go somewhat fast if we want to get there…I don't see any other snowmobiles here…maybe that's a good thing."

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends (Frozen Fishery)

"Finally…"

Andy breathed a sigh of relief as he looked at the flopping fish in King's hands. The KP Koopa placed the catch into the crude container of five ice blocks.

"Under normal circums, I really dislike fishies…" King muttered. "…But this is a different story, dawg…"

He turned around to see the Lakitu floating over with the envelope dangling from the line.

Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Frozen Fishery)

King carefully made his way back across the ice to join back up with his partner. While he pulled the wide snowshoes off, Andy tore off the yellow strip to the envelope and took out the Route Info from within.

"'Use your marked snowmobile to drive to the far edge of Frigid City, and locate the Primordial Park of Natural History. Your next clue waits there.'" Andy read. "Come on, let's make this a strong finish."

"Sure thing, dawg…"

This time, Andy clambered onto the front seat of the snowmobile, and King got on the back. The homeboys then veered off in the direction of the center of town.

-----

To & Too: Sisters (Coldness Airfield, Main Igloo)

"Two, please…"

(To & Too- 1st on Cloud Flyers 2007)

With their boarding passes on hand, the two Toad girls walked away from the Cloud Flyers counter.

"Now what do we do…it's several hours before our flight even starts boarding from the terminal." To remarked.

"I suppose we just wait and bide out our time…" Too sighed. "It's probably safe to go ahead and buy something to eat…"

"I haven't had any fast food from a chained restaurant in a while…" To giggled. "Well, if we're hungry, what're we waiting for?"

"Yeah…let's eat!"

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Primordial Park of Natural History, Entrance Gate)

"'Detour. "Shoot It Down" or "Raise It Up." Partake in an ancient practice of your choosing.'" Andy read. "Ancient practice? Really…I thought that this place still did those things regularly…"

"…Still runnin' on rumors, are we?" King asked, an amused look on his face.

"Speculations." Andy corrected. "…So…which one do you want to do?"

"Think you got what it takes to shoot down ropes?"

"…Probably."

"Then let's take care of 'Shoot It Down,' yo."

The homeboys walked in through the front gates, looked at the map for directions to the Shooting Range, and then took off jogging through the snow.

-----

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers (Coldness Airfield, Main Igloo)

"Well, if it's the earliest…then we'll take two tickets on the flight, please."

(Shimi & Waitress- 2nd on Cloud Flyers 2007)

As the co-workers listened to the tickets print out from the electronic printer, they looked around the airport for signs of other teams.

"I wonder where the sisters are…we might be the only team on this flight, even though it's leaving so late…" Waitress remarked.

"Maybe they got bossed?"

"'Lost?' No…they're experts at traveling…there's no way…"

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Ledge 2)

"This is pretty easy…maybe we can catch up to the two other teams."

Within the first few tries, the guys had easily struck down two of the blocks. They were currently alternating strikes towards the remaining two ropes still attached to the overhead log.

"That'd be a sweet deal." King remarked, taking aim and releasing the arrow. He missed.

"Yup…" Andy closed one of his eyes and shot. The arrow successfully made it into one of the ropes, causing it to unwind and the block to drop into the water.

"Nice!"

After about three more arrows, King managed to shoot into the last hanging rope, and it split. That done, they waited for the word from the supervisor before rushing down onto the sheet and making their way across the path of blocks to the clue box in the center.

Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in Last (Primordial Park of Natural History, Shooting Range Clue Platform)

"…We're goin' back to Rogueport!" King exclaimed. "Awesome; finally we can see the Finish Line, man!"

"All right!" Andy grinned. "Come on, we can't waste anymore time! We've gotta try to get the best flight there!"

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends (Coldness Airfield, Main Igloo)

"And you're sure that you've got the earliest arriving flight possible? Hmm…that's really kinda strange…"

"Two tickets for us, dawg. Closest seats to the entrance you can get."

(Andy & King- 3rd on Cloud Flyers 2007)

After accepting the two slips passed over the counter, the homeboys wandered off in a random direction, presumably to plan.

-----

Needless to say, all three teams were quite surprised to see each other in the boarding area when it was time for the riders to begin getting on the plane (especially Shim-Stress and the Traveling Sisters in regards to the guys). When they ended up taking their seats, they realized that it was a somewhat uneven battleground to the finish. The best friends' request had ended up putting them in the very front of the economy class, while the other two teams had been placed in random areas closer to the back end of the plane.

(Cloud Flyers 2007- Departing at 6:39 P.M.)

This is the sole plane carrying teams to the destination holding the Finish Line. All three teams are riding—best friends Andy and King, co-workers Shimi and Waitress, and sisters To and Too.

-----

For some reason or another, the skies above Rogueport had chosen by default to pour down showers on this particular day. Very few people were out and about; the few that were had their bodies covered by ponchos or shielded by umbrellas. Most residents and businessmen had chosen to take shelter in public buildings such as the local inn and bar, some of the second-story shops, and even the Pianta Parlor (which caused business to boom among the slot machines). This left western Rogueport virtually empty minus the falling water droplets and the occasional traveler roaming about.

Rogueport Airfield, the region's under-construction airport, saw more people catching connecting flights than it did seeing eager tourists trying for some of the local attractions; they'd usually find a way to try avoiding Rogueport, because of its unsteady record of thieves and misfits. However, a certain plane pulling in had a different story…

(Cloud Flyers 2007- Arriving at 7:27 A.M.)

Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress / To & Too (Rogueport Airfield, Terminal F1)

After disembarking the plane, the three teams had rushed into the airport, only to get stuck in the customs line. Somehow, the places where they'd sat in the plane came into great play—whereas Andy and King had gotten into the line early and were shortly followed out by another team, a last pair had gotten stuck near the back. And all of a sudden, guess what happened?

A Toad woman had to search through her purse for the passports of herself and her seven kids.

"…A hold-up in the line…that's just the last thing we need…"

"Oh, come on…"

Andy & King / Team ? (Rogueport Station)

Within no time at all, the lead two teams had made their way out of Rogueport Airfield and ran across the road to the station, where they passed through the gates into western Rogueport. They immediately spotted the clue box waiting at the end of the line down the road, and rushed over to it.

Andy & King: Best Friends- Currently in 1st (Western Rogueport)

Ignoring the slight drizzle, the dampened homeboys tore open their envelope.

"'Make your way into central Rogueport, and choose one of the marked tables for the final task.'" Andy read.

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- Currently in 2nd (Western Rogueport)

"'There are thirteen travel brochures, each with descriptions of the destinations you've visited on the race.'" Waitress continued. "'Place them in order of first visited to last visited on the holder provided.'"

"'Once you have put them together correctly, your supervisor will give you a picture with the location of the Finish Line.'" Andy finished.

For this, the final task of the race, teams will have to head into central Rogueport, and choose one of these marked tables. Here are arranged thirteen travel brochures, each labeled with a brief description of all thirteen destinations visited in the race—Mushroom City, Faire Square, Sparkle Bay, Giant Land, Beanbean Kingdom, Clayouse Mesas, Chomp Fields, Kong Island, Astro Avenue, Pristine Plains, Choco Island, Neon Heights, and Vanilla Lake. They will have to figure out the sites from the given portrayals and use them to assemble the brochures on a circular link in that exact order before the supervisor will give them another brochure depicting the location of the Finish Line. From there, the teams will be free to make their way to the platform…

"This is the final task, dawg! Come on; we can't stop now!" King urged.

Although they were all weighed down by backpacks and soggy clothes, the two teams continued racing as they rushed into central Rogueport. Andy and King took the lead and had first priority choosing one of the tables placed in a circle around the gallows, all of which were thankfully covered by awnings. They grabbed the one closest to their entrance, forcing Shimi and Waitress over to the next one near the entrance to the back alley.

"Okay…so we have to arrange the thirteen brochures in order from the earliest to the latest on this link." Andy remarked, eyeing the holes in the top of the thirteen papers and the small metal circle resting on the table. "'A quiet, serene grassland of natural products and wildlife.' That's gotta be the Pristine Plains."

"What leg was that again?" King asked.

"Don't remember…we'll have to figure that out once we get all of the others figured out." Andy plotted.

"This one was Mushroom City on the very first leg…I remember that." Waitress stated, placing a black brochure with brightly lit pictures on the link. "Where's the one for Faire Square, Shimi?"

"Right here. I dismembered that one; it's where we got first!"

"'A freezing tundra of communities built atop an icy lake.'" Andy quoted. "That's definitely Vanilla Lake, this leg…it goes on last…"

"'A collection of landscapes under one major monarchy.'" Waitress read.

"'A desert with strange transport and hilly sand dunes.'" King stated.

"'A dark pity with the rest view of the Mars and planets.'" Shimi misread.

"Gotta be Beanbean."

"Pyramid Park, right?"

"I think so…"

"Wait, let me see that…okay, that's outer space, so…"

"Okay, I can't remember that one…just skip it…"

"Was that leg three or leg four?"

To & Too: Sisters (Rogueport Airfield, Customs Exit)

"Okay, thank you…"

"Finally!"

Rushing out from the customs booth, the stressed-out sisters made every effort to run and catch up as they dashed through the airport, clumsily dodging travelers and workers. Too put the passports back into the fanny pack as she raced alongside her sister.

"I sure hope we're not too late!" To exclaimed.

"We won't be! We can make up for this!" Too assured.

Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress (Central Rogueport, Final Task Booths)

"It's not right?"

"Nope…you have to rearrange some of those brochures…they're not in the right order."

"Darn…"

"I think we need to rearrange those two; we might've gotten Neon Heights and Mushroom City mixed up."

"Where in the world was that place with the beach…"

"Choco Island was leg eleven, wasn't it?"

To & Too: Sisters (Rogueport Station)

"If the last task deals with remembering where we went, then we're a shoe-in for finishing quickly." To remarked, motioning towards the camera concealed underneath her jacket.

"Hopefully it'll count towards our side in making it there first!" Too stated, covering her head from the rain.

Andy & King / Shimi & Waitress (Central Rogueport, Final Task Booths)

"That…is correct. You may proceed."

"What?! Really?! Awesome!"

The lucky team hurriedly accepted the photograph from the Goomba, but their faces fell upon taking a look at it.

"…I've got no idea where that is…"

"We'll just have to guess!"

Grabbing their backpacks, the two team members ran off in the direction of eastern Rogueport and the Warp Pipe that led underground to start up their game of guess-and-check before their opposition inevitably finished.

"What'd we get wrong…"

"Move this here…"

"Wait, wait…"

After a good half a minute, the team presented their finished link to the supervising Doogan. He nodded and handed them their picture.

"Aw, that's too easy! I know exactly how to get there; come on!"

To & Too: Sisters- Currently in Last (Western Rogueport)

"This final task sounds pretty simple…I think we can handle this in no time at all." To declared.

Shielding themselves from the falling droplets, the sisters arrived in central Rogueport just as the second team left the scene in the opposite direction. Two supervisors were blocking the completed tables, forcing them to the last one, guarded by a Toad.

"Maybe we won't need our cameras after all…these descriptions alone are good enough." Too stated.

"Yeah, that's for sure." To agreed.

Within seconds, the Toad girls had effortlessly arranged the thirteen brochures in the correct order. Slightly alarmed at this (it'd taken the other teams several tries each), the supervisor handed over the picture.

"Those pretty leaves and colors…that's simple."

"Come on, maybe we can catch the others!"

-----

Beldam & Queen / Hamma & Flare / Husband & Wife / Pa-Patch & Cortez / Pungry & Pungent / Screamy & Torque / Smorgo & Smorga / Toodles & Toadia / Zess & Toadsworth (Boggly Woods, The Great Tree, Front Door)

Waiting anxiously for the first-place pair to pop out into Boggly Woods and arrive at the finish line, the nine eliminated teams were lined up in a crudely-created pathway of sorts that would lead from the clearing entrance up to the finish line pedestal, situated right in front of the entrance to the Great Tree. Unlike the first season's race, however, the only other crowd watching besides the Yoshi hosts and nine couples were the calm inhabitants of the Great Tree itself—Punis and Jabbis were amassed in a semicircle behind Miles and Blaise in an excited clamor of talking and movement. Strangely enough, Flurrie and Doopliss were also present amongst the pack, patiently waiting alongside fellow veteran siblings Punio and Petuni, but they were separated from the throng, instead standing directly next to the hosts as the guests of honor.

"I can't believe we're standing at the finish line again! This is so great!" Petuni squealed. "It's almost like we ran the race again ourselves!"

"Yeah…but it sounds like it wasn't as big this time around, though." Punio remarked.

"It wasn't, dearie. That darling Miles informed me that there was a lesser distance traveled on this second race." Flurrie responded. "In comparison to what our friends Koopley and Koops and the other final three did, they only gained about half of the distance."

"Well, it's still a whole lot more than what we accomplished, eh babe?" Doopliss chuckled, nudging the cloud actress. "Least those guys went so far…we were the first two to go."

"Please don't remind me, dear…" Flurrie smiled embarrassedly, dramatically placing her hand over her forehead as if to faint.

The foursome company laughed at the memories.

"…I wonder who's going to win this one…not that I'd know who they were. I don't think I even recognize any of these people…" Punio mused, glancing around the crowd.

"I can identify nearly all of them that I can remember…" Flurrie stated, her eyes scanning around the eighteen characters in the lineup. "…I had no idea that there were Smorg in this race…"

Although the majority of the eliminated racers were calm and relaxed in their conversations, saving their energy for cheering when the teams arrived, the Smorg were causing a bit of ruckus in their own way. They were out of line, bothering their fellow competitors by leaping onto their heads, tickling their bodies.

"Get off!" Toodles shrieked, agitatedly swatting Smorgo away with a hit from her purse. "This is a DESIGNER gown, I'll have you know!"

"You said they placed fifth?!" Beldam asked disbelievingly, ridding the group of a problem by freezing Smorga with her powers. "I wouldn't believe it unless I was actually there to watch them get eliminated!"

"Fifth? You've gotta be kidding, amigo…" Cortez shook his skull body.

"Nope…it's true." Hamma insisted. "They got eliminated on leg…what was it…leg ten, I think."

"Unbelievable…that's hard to even think that they lasted so long…" Wife pushed her blonde bangs out of her eyes. "Ten legs, and they made it. Go figure…"

Watching as Blaise eliminated the other dilemma by catching Smorgo on fire with his breath, the four former racers developed sweat beads.

"…Those things are racers?" Doopliss' eyes twitched. "…They look too stupid to even open an envelope…"

"They're kinda creepy looking in a cute sort of way…" Petuni giggled uneasily.

Suddenly, Screamy, who had been ignoring the ruckus occurring behind him, perked up. "Guys, I see movement over there along the bushes!"

Quickly, Miles summoned the power of water to extinguish Smorgo's flames and defrost Smorga before shooing them and the rest of the teams back into formation, just as the frontrunners came down the far path and made a beeline to the blue Warp Pipe. They'd come and gone so fast, it'd been hard to distinguish who it was. In fact, only a few of the spectators that'd been paying extremely close attention had actually seen who they were.

"Who was that…I couldn't tell…" Pungry murmured.

"I didn't see, either…" Toadia complained.

"You'll see in a minute…" Toadsworth reassured.

All of a sudden, the team reappeared, popping up from the corresponding blue Warp Pipe a good number of yards away from the curious arrangement of teams. It wasn't until the two passed over the bridge over the gap between the two landforms and started running towards the Finish Line mat that the entire audience was able to make out the two figures. Immediately, a wild cheer broke out as the eliminated teams and watching Great Tree residents started ushering the pair towards the large red platform holding the two Yoshis.

"Sweet deal, guys! You're FIRST!" Torque informed.

"Congratulations!" Screamy exclaimed.

"Now that's somedin' special right there, especially for you!" Pa-Patch remarked.

"Muy bueno, amigos!" Cortez shouted, floating up and down.

"Go for it, dears!" Toodles encouraged.

"AWESOME JOB!" Toadia screamed.

Somewhat surprised to hear so much applauding and rooting, the drive to reach the mat was instantly fueled as the twosome started moving faster and faster, despite their lack of energy and tiredness.

"Ain't that cool!" Pungent howled. "You guys are takin' that top!"

"Very nice job, indeed!" Pungry clapped.

"The mat's right over there!" Husband pointed. "Come on; don't run so slow!"

"I'm so happy for you two!" Wife jumped wildly in excitement.

"Well…not much to say…" Queen mumbled.

"Yeah, nothing short of CONGRATS!" Beldam added.

Now only a few yards away from the procession of teams, the excited pair became more and more hyped up with all of the shouting and screaming, and gave it everything they had.

"Splendid performance, lads!" Toadsworth cheered.

"I knew you had it in you!" Zess happily declared.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Cheesecake for your thoughts?)" Smorgo suggested.

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Nilly-dilly hippy-potamus!)" Smorga bawled.

"Can't really believe it…" Flare sighed. "Wish it was me doing this run…heh…"

"Almost there, guys! Keep it up, don't slow down!" Hamma shouted support.

When the thrilled competitors reached the lining, they momentarily slowed down to extend their appendages out in acknowledgement of several high-fives before stopping entirely, holding hands, and making a mighty leap onto the mat. At that point, the din quieted down, allowing for the hosts to speak without having to project too loudly.

"…After visiting twenty-eight unique destinations…traveling over forty-nine thousand miles…and taking the blunt of all the tasks we provided to impede your way…" stated Blaise, "…You've finally made it here to the Finish Line."

"All of your hard work and suffering has finally paid off, guys." Miles' face broke out into a huge grin. "…Shimi and Waitress…YOU are the official winners of the Amazing Race, and are therefore the recipients of the one…MILLION Smash coins!"

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 1st Place, Winners of Amazing Race, 7:42 A.M.

Although they'd already known the news, it took a few moments for the employees to even register the words when they were stated by the orange Yoshi himself. However, when it clicked in their brains, their tired faces were lit up like lanterns, their grins stretching across from ear to ear.

"YEAAAAAH! WE WON! WE WON, WE WON, WE WON!" Waitress screamed, clasping her hands together as she hopped up and down for joy.

"I can't believe we actually did it—we got thirst—er, first, place!" Shimi quickly caught himself.

The other teams had gathered around in a small arc, clapping and cheering around the elevated platform as the elated co-workers basked in their victorious glory. But!

It was short-lived.

The blue Warp Pipe on the other side of the clearing shook. Unnoticed before, the two other teams started a desperate footrace to claim the next spot. Observing this, the viral notice spread, causing the nine eliminated teams to open back up again in their two lines leading up to the mat.

In quick succession, the runners-up jumped on. They'd already seen Shim-Stress posed atop the mat from when they entered on the other side, so they weren't surprised to be taking consolation places.

"Andy and King, you are team number two." Miles informed. "To and Too, that makes you team number three."

Andy & King: Best Friends- 2nd Place, 7:42 A.M.

To & Too: Sisters- 3rd Place, 7:42 A.M.

"It ain't first, but we'll accept that." King nodded.

"Definitely; second is a really high position, and we're not ashamed of it at all." Andy admitted.

"Well, we tried our best, and that's all that matters." To remarked.

"Yeah, and we had fun…so if that doesn't count, I don't know what would!" Too exclaimed.

With all three finalist teams standing on the mat, the other eighteen competitors leapt on to join them in a frenzy of wild handshakes and hugs.

-----

Shimi & Waitress: Train Coworkers- 1st Place

"I'm just so happy that we were able to run this race…getting first wasn't what really mattered…it was…just that we were able to make it through all of this." Waitress sniffed, dabbing at the corners of her eyes for emphasis. "I don't know how I would've fared at this game with anyone else… Shimi was a bit hard to understand at times, but he was a great partner…I was so lucky to have entered with him, and I've already decided… If anything happens between me and my current boyfriend, that little chef is my next choice in line…no offense though, babe…"

"Huh? What? I bought I already mold—er, told, you, I'm not up for intraviews! Stop it! Get away, please! I don't bike—I mean, like, intermuse!" Shimi frantically waved his fins, directing the attention of the camera away from him as he blushed in embarrassment.

-----

Andy & King: Best Friends- 2nd Place

"With such a large competition field, it's not at all bad to have to settle for second in the long run. I mean, after all this…I couldn't really care if we'd gotten first or third, either. We ran a great race…things got bumpy along the way with our rivalry and stuff, but in the end, we did it." Andy stated firmly. "Both of us. I couldn't imagine going through anything like this with anyone but King K.—not even any members of my own team. And when you spend nearly twenty-four-seven with a fighting team at the Glitz Pit and would rather hang out with someone else, that's really saying something."

"Well, what is there to say, yo? We navigated the world, takin' names and kickin' butt all the way through. It ain't always the end that matters. This time, it was the journey. We managed to make it through every single challenge we were facin', and not once did we really mess up. I got no regrets, dawg, no regrets. And in only one life, you don't want any, so I'm grateful." King explained.

-----

To & Too: Sisters- 3rd Place

"At first, neither of us were really all too sure of how we'd do…we were expecting to make it through a few legs…nothing too flashy in particular. But look at us now! We entered the top three and raced through the final leg." To fiddled with the buttons of her own camera as she looked down, pausing to search for more to say. "It's been a truly amazing experience…and we didn't miss out on anything. The Traveling Sisters Two made it through the entire race route, and we were able to capture it all on camera, too!"

"I'm willing to bet that not very many people are as lucky as we are, getting to participate in something like this race. It sorta makes me feel kinda sad, having to make our sister miss out on it, though…" Too admitted.

"Yeah…"

"But at least we were able to do it!" Too perked up again, giggling. "This race has really made me realize, though…no matter how much you love traveling like us, there's no place like home. And, yeah, we have one…it's where we'd really like to go right now after going through all of this."

-----

Hamma & Flare: Brothers- 4th Place

"We're not too upset about havin' to settle for fourth place, but we really would've liked to break into the top three. Eh…just goes to show ya what playin' so hard and rough can do, but that's just what we're used to…our strategies and playing styles from the Glitz Pit carried over to the race. Although they didn't carry us all the way, look how far they did take us. It's somethin' to be proud about to say we made it to the second-to-last leg…and we won't lie; we had fun." Hamma grinned good-naturedly. "Just too bad Bamma missed out…"

"Tch, he wouldn't have liked it. Unlike him, we're appreciative of what we get. After having to suffer through all this, I'm lookin' forward to seein' what we can do back in the Glitz Pit…we're takin' that top spot down! I've never felt so in shape in my whole life!" Flare flexed his arm's muscles for prominence. "Well…actually…I think that if I'd been with Bamma, I woulda done better and placed higher in most of those legs…"

"…Why you little—"

-----

Smorgo & Smorga: Miasma Partners- 5th Place

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Cherry chickens quack at dawn!)" Smorgo exclaimed. "SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (I hate candied ships on the high beds!)"

"SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Stroganoff turntables go 'walla-walla!')" Smorga screeched. "SMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORGSMORG (Curtain up the bowels and batten dough ferrets!)"

At that point, the filming crew ignored the Smorg, due to their incomprehensibility. They don't say very much that's important anyway, right? Right?

-----

Zess & Toadsworth: Long Distance Dating- 6th Place

"This race has really given Zess and I the opportunity to really get to know one another, and I must say…I'm truthfully impressed. Never would I have imagined learning some of the finer details about not only her, but also about myself, during this competition, and for that, I'm eternally grateful." Toadsworth said humbly. "We may have been the oldest ones here, but I say! We claimed sixth, and that isn't bad at all. Especially considering one of our very own friends ended up winning…"

"And we're really happy for Shim-Stress, because one team of the alliance ended up winning in the end. I guess all those hours we spent in Sequesterville, making wishes up to the stars paid off." Zess chuckled amusedly. "Well, it's official now… Toadsy-worthsy and I are officially…in a relationship with one another. Isn't that right, dear?"

"Of course, Zessy…"

The two elderly Toads leaned together for a quick exchange of pecks on the cheek.

-----

Beldam & Queen: Formerly Servant & Master- 7th Place

"In my opinion, it's really strange how we did…we placed in the same exact rank that my sisters Vivian and Marilyn did in the first race…" Beldam mused. "I'm really hoping that was just pure coincidence, because I know I could've done better. It was just a slow start for us, and from the get-go, we had a whole lot of trouble that just ended up bringing us down."

Queen tossed her flowing hair aside with a huff. "Will you quit reminding me, Beldam? It's bad enough I bled my feelings out in front of the camera, much less ended up taking seventh out of twelve…oh well. It's been a thousand years since I've seen anything of interest…at least I've got an idea now of what kinds of things have changed… This new world is full of new opportunities…in more than just ONE way…hehehe…"

-----

Husband & Wife: Married- 8th Place

"Needless to say, the two of us are might quite proud of Shim-Stress for making it all the way and winning the race. I admit, I had my doubts, but they did it in honor of us, which was nice." Husband smiled fondly. "Wish we could've made it that far, too, but things just didn't work out that way. It was a great way to see the world, too—I've never really done that much traveling, so it was a great pleasure to be doin' it side-by-side with my dear wife…ain't that right, honey bun?"

"Oh, you…" Wife giggled disapprovingly, lightly slapping her spouse over the shoulder. "We didn't get a chance to do all that we wished we could've, and we really missed out on some of the fun…but with all the daily stress and stuff I have to deal with at home…HIM included…I don't know how I would've handled it. So, we'll settle for eighth…it was fun for us while it lasted."

Hsuband gave Wife a hurt, wanting look. She eventually sighed and gave in. The Twilians embraced and kissed each other lovingly.

-----

Pungry & Pungent: Best Friends- 9th Place

"So far, we were the highest-placing Punis ever to come onto the race…not too much of a record, considering it's only in its second time, but it's still a good thing. We made it into the fifth leg…we, the tiny underdogs that everyone overlooked." Pungry snorted. "It's kinda weird how we managed to even stay in for those five legs, too… After just barely staying in the whole time, hanging around in the last few slots, we finally fell. But it's okay…we did our best, and we did what we could."

"It ain't all that great that we missed out on so many great tasks…that in itself kinda makes me a bit angry that we got ousted so dang early." Pungent shook his head. "…Guess it's really true what they all are sayin'…you never really do know what you got 'til it's gone…up until we were the ones abolished, I was takin' each and every step for granted. Sorta wish I could do the race again…and if I did…Pungry and I'd surely do better."

-----

Toodles & Toadia: Teacher & Student- 10th Place

"We, as a teacher-student team in the field of music, had quite an ambiguous relationship in this competition from the beginning. Our time on the race was short-lived, but in my opinion, it was used to its full extent." Toodles reasoned. "Never have I heard of, much less, experienced, the blooming of such a remarkably beautiful association between two persons whose bond is supposed to merely be one of profession. I'm almost certain that if this pairing of a piano teacher and her learner were able to forge such a deep liaison in such a short period of time, then others like us around the world can do it too."

"I bet that if Luigi saw how we did, he'd be proud of us, no matter what… We got tenth, sure, but Toodles and I learned a whole lot from each other just during our time on the race and the period afterward while waiting in limbo for the end. I think that's something really special." Toadia declared. "It's so cool how the race is able to build together relationships like the one we have, and I really think that anyone else who follows in our footsteps will feel the same way in the end. There's so much more to it than just running at breakneck speeds, you know?"

-----

Pa-Patch & Cortez: Exploring Partners- 11th Place

"Cortez and I didn't make it very far at all…it's not that I'm disappointed or somefin' like that, but I just wished we coulda handled the race a little better and stayed in a bit longer… At least I've got a new sailin' partner now, though…I got so attached to living life at Keelhaul Key, I nearly never went out! So…I guess somefin' good came outta this in the end." Pa-Patch shrugged.

"My newest amigo and I certainly didn't fare all that well…but the time we spent on the race certainly was enlightening. Being a pirate, I never really explored the big city before…just deserted islands and various caves. A few new doors were opened now, even though I don't got hands…" Cortez cackled. "All's well that ends well…"

-----

Screamy & Torque: Best Friends- 12th Place

"Erm…out of all the teams that participated, we were the ones to do the worst, I guess…we ended up being eliminated first, so that really sucked on our part…luck wasn't on our side at all on the very first leg." Torque recalled. "Seriously…when the world's against you like it was against us that day, there's nothing else to do but fight it. In reality, we won the battle even though we lost the race…we made it through without being killed!"

Screamy rolled his eyes. "Sure… Well, I have to say that I'm happy for the winners of this race, even though I didn't get to know them very well…it was more of just getting acquainted with the other eliminated teams as they came in, one by one…but we still had a good time."

-----

After a bit of the excitement had died down, the twelve teams of TTYD2 sat and stood together in a pose on the Finish Line with Miles and Blaise as the camera snapped a shot. It was more than just a developing picture capturing a single moment in time. It was a memory—a memory of the exciting journey that a group of twenty-four people was lucky enough to partake in.

-----

Leg 13 Trivia

- The two-part Roadblock for the finale was based off of the original Detour that was planned, "Craft" or "Catch," and shortened to make it possible for just one team member.

- Cloud Flyers 2007, the flight that carries the teams to Rogueport, is numbered the way it is in remembrance of the year in which this fiction was finished.

- This leg marks the first time the author has referenced the customs aspect of an airport because of its overall importance in the leg.

- The fact that only a fraction of the overall population that exists in Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door attends the Finish Line ceremony parodies off of the fact that TTYD2 received very little attention in comparison to its poorly-written predecessor. The author shuddered when reading through TTYD1 for details and ideas.

- Both Leg 12 and the Leg 13 Finale were completed while traveling abroad in Europe. Over a period of days, the author managed to stick with the story and finish it off while staying in a small town called Bognor Regis of England in the United Kingdom. Part of his inspiration came from listening to music, and somehow, peering out the second-story window of the house he was staying at.

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Author's Note (Completed story on August 9, 2007.): The main leg itself takes up over, I think, 16,000 words by itself alone, while the entire episode in itself is over 20,000. Getting a bit on the lengthy side, but at least it's one of the biggest Mario fanfics in terms of words now that it's finished…

So. The Amazing Race 2: Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door has finally drawn to its close. I'm so glad that it's over… It never fails to fascinate me just how much my writing style has changed from the beginning of TTYD1 all the way up until now…for sure, there's quite a bit of modification in there.

Thanks again to all of the readers and reviewers who have come to this story, especially those in particular who have bothered to repeatedly come time after time to read its long chapters, and even review (and out of all of them, SSBFreak, that means you the most—sticking with this time and time again, I really appreciate your unending loyalty to have pushed this series along ever since its debut). I hope everyone enjoyed it (despite its length), and that some will return for the third season. Just a heads up, though…I won't be surprised if you're uninterested, since the new group of sub-characters is even more unrecognized, but we'll see how it goes…

Until then, it's me, milesyoshidino34, and his two Yoshi personas, signing off. See you around.