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**S1x** · 04-24-2004, 04:25 PM

I nervously but calmly drove my kart up to the starting line. The track was Wario's Stadium course, three laps of crazy jumps and bumps. Lights from every corner of the stadium lit up the track with their annoying brightness as if they were miniature versions of the sun. My concentration had to focus completely on blazing off the starting line to try for an early lead. It didn't seem so hard when I just pictured it in my head.

However, the competition then pulled up as well. Wario and Waluigi were their usual greedy selves, and Bowser looked just plain scary today, most likely because he realized that this was a chance for him to finally win, just like me. Plus he had the brute strength for nobody to mess with him. You couldn't just jump on his head to immobilize him.

Koda was the last one to drive to the starting line, off to the far right. We had a small conversation before the race about what we were going to do.

"You know I can't just let you win, Charles. I really need those coins in order to keep my home and the shell on my back, ya know?"

"I get it. I'll just be watching myself, then."

"Yeah, but watch out for the Wario brothers and their cheap tactics. I can't tell you how many near-victories I've had because of their tricks."

"I'll be too ahead for them to even eat my dust!"

"That's the spirit." After that, he examined his kart while I was leaving.

The Lakitu arrived on his marshmallowy cloud, carrying the light that signaled when we would take off. In mere moments I would be defending my reputation and the records for all Goombas. The first light came on. Sweat was forming onto my forehead, but even though it bothered me like a hungry mosquito, I completely ignored it. The second light flashed. I revved up the engine at the exact moment all the others were. Nobody's spirit could match mine at this very moment. Wario was in it for greed, Bowser was racing for pleasure, but I had the biggest moral to satisfy. The only question now was if that moral would be able to take me to the finish line before anybody else.

The green light lit. I got a fast start, but it wasn't fast enough to beat Waluigi. I kept on his tail until a huge jump sent me slightly to the right and down in fourth. I went straight through the item box and three mushrooms were inside. Staying straight through the turn, I cut down it with my first boost of speed. I moved ahead of Koda to watch Wario and Waluigi trying to battle for the lead.

We went through a series of bumps next. Trying to stabilize my kart through these bumps was like trying to teach a Thwomp to speak French, but I somehow got through without losing any ground. Straight pathway was next. This was where I released my other two mushrooms to cause a three-way battle for the lead. Wario used a Starman and bumped Waluigi, crashing him off to the side. He tried ramming me, but I barely swerved to the outside. After it wore out, he tried speeding away from me. But I made sure he wouldn't be able to pull that off.

We were now approaching the biggest jump of the course. We easily cleared it, and I aimed for another box. This time, I found a red shell. This was perfect for smacking Wario enough for me to blaze ahead of him. Waiting for the final turn, I threw it at him and he bounced off to the side like a helpless sea creature. At the end of the first lap, I was in the lead. But now Koda and Waluigi were catching up to me, followed closely by Bowser.

Going off more hills, I set down a fake item box within a group of real ones. Koda and Waluigi must have been close enough to see me do this, but a second later I heard a "GRRRAAAGHHH" which could only mean that Bowser fell for it. He was way down in last place.

Positions didn't change for a while until the second part of bumps. My kart ended up hanging slightly to the left, and the loss of speed put Koda and Waluigi barely in front of me. I got a red shell and waited for the right time to aim it at second-place Waluigi. The moment I fired, he tossed a banana backwards to negate the shell! I wasted an item, but definitely not the race.

Something horrific happened several seconds later. Approaching the giant jump, Waluigi pulled out a red shell. I gasped and tried to shout something, but my voice was completely masked by the loudness of the engines. Waluigi released the shell, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Koda lifted off the jump. The red shell collided. His kart dropped quickly from under him. He retreated into his shell to not get mortally injured. I didn't see what happened after that because I passed the jump at that point.

Entering the final lap, two red shells approached me. I shot down the first one by firing a green shell backwards, but the second one nailed me. Wario passed me and sent his third one at Waluigi. I zoomed by his crash and was in second again.

I trailed Wario like a dog, but was never quite able to catch him, even going deep inside on the turns. The items didn't help me, either - all just bananas or fake item boxes. The other two were far too behind at this point for it to matter. Once I got a Starman, but only caught up to Wario and he merely laughed and pulled away again.

Near the point where Koda must have crashed, I saw no wreckage. He must have left immediately. Opening another item box, wishing for no more bananas, I got a green shell. A red shell would have helped so much more, but I had to work with what I had. Crossing the big jump for the final time, I realized that I had to aim it now. Luckily, I gained some ground on Wario because he went far outside on the turns.

We were close to the finish line. It was now or never. I kicked the green shell towards Wario, who was too busy staring at the finish line to notice it. It was, going, going.... but a feeling of dread crossed my mind as I realized the shell was going slightly to the left. It would miss him. Wario would be the victorious, and I would yet again burn away my chances...

Maybe I should just be glad I got to race with these guys at all. Perhaps Goombas couldn't keep up with the other great people. Feelings of insecurity and doubt kept crossing my mind. I wanted them to go away. They wouldn't. I knew that the end was approaching, and the burning flame inside my heart was put out once again. And it was suddenly ignited again as I saw a miracle unfolding.

I'm not sure whether the wind was strong, there was a small obstacle on the track, or it was a red shell painted wrong, but the green shell that was slowly but surely heading towards the left aimed directly back towards Wario. He never saw it coming. He collided off to the side in pure surprise, recollected himself, and finished in second place by one and a half seconds. I had finally won.

Still in disbelief as I collected my 50-coin winnings, I looked around and saw that Wario had the most annoyed look on his face ever. Waluigi was sitting off in a corner and Bowser was calling for his Koopa Cruiser. I didn't see Koda, however. I assumed he would be there to celebrate my first ever win on a professional Mario Kart Circuit. A while later, he told me that he actually was there, watching me cross the finish line, but that only confused me more.

Note: I'm only continuing if people want me to continue.

The Entria Saga - a universe and series of stories by S1x

[ July 14, 2004, 11:57 PM: Message edited by: Puzzlemaker S1x ]

04-24-2004, 04:25 PM	#3
S1x VGF RPG Mod Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Either over there or right here Gender: Posts: 5,100 Thanks: 15 Thanked 272 Times in 86 Posts Blog Entries: 1 Points: 138,571.62 Bank: 81,726.85 Total Points: 220,298.47 Donate	I nervously but calmly drove my kart up to the starting line. The track was Wario's Stadium course, three laps of crazy jumps and bumps. Lights from every corner of the stadium lit up the track with their annoying brightness as if they were miniature versions of the sun. My concentration had to focus completely on blazing off the starting line to try for an early lead. It didn't seem so hard when I just pictured it in my head. However, the competition then pulled up as well. Wario and Waluigi were their usual greedy selves, and Bowser looked just plain scary today, most likely because he realized that this was a chance for him to finally win, just like me. Plus he had the brute strength for nobody to mess with him. You couldn't just jump on his head to immobilize him. Koda was the last one to drive to the starting line, off to the far right. We had a small conversation before the race about what we were going to do. "You know I can't just let you win, Charles. I really need those coins in order to keep my home and the shell on my back, ya know?" "I get it. I'll just be watching myself, then." "Yeah, but watch out for the Wario brothers and their cheap tactics. I can't tell you how many near-victories I've had because of their tricks." "I'll be too ahead for them to even eat my dust!" "That's the spirit." After that, he examined his kart while I was leaving. The Lakitu arrived on his marshmallowy cloud, carrying the light that signaled when we would take off. In mere moments I would be defending my reputation and the records for all Goombas. The first light came on. Sweat was forming onto my forehead, but even though it bothered me like a hungry mosquito, I completely ignored it. The second light flashed. I revved up the engine at the exact moment all the others were. Nobody's spirit could match mine at this very moment. Wario was in it for greed, Bowser was racing for pleasure, but I had the biggest moral to satisfy. The only question now was if that moral would be able to take me to the finish line before anybody else. The green light lit. I got a fast start, but it wasn't fast enough to beat Waluigi. I kept on his tail until a huge jump sent me slightly to the right and down in fourth. I went straight through the item box and three mushrooms were inside. Staying straight through the turn, I cut down it with my first boost of speed. I moved ahead of Koda to watch Wario and Waluigi trying to battle for the lead. We went through a series of bumps next. Trying to stabilize my kart through these bumps was like trying to teach a Thwomp to speak French, but I somehow got through without losing any ground. Straight pathway was next. This was where I released my other two mushrooms to cause a three-way battle for the lead. Wario used a Starman and bumped Waluigi, crashing him off to the side. He tried ramming me, but I barely swerved to the outside. After it wore out, he tried speeding away from me. But I made sure he wouldn't be able to pull that off. We were now approaching the biggest jump of the course. We easily cleared it, and I aimed for another box. This time, I found a red shell. This was perfect for smacking Wario enough for me to blaze ahead of him. Waiting for the final turn, I threw it at him and he bounced off to the side like a helpless sea creature. At the end of the first lap, I was in the lead. But now Koda and Waluigi were catching up to me, followed closely by Bowser. Going off more hills, I set down a fake item box within a group of real ones. Koda and Waluigi must have been close enough to see me do this, but a second later I heard a "GRRRAAAGHHH" which could only mean that Bowser fell for it. He was way down in last place. Positions didn't change for a while until the second part of bumps. My kart ended up hanging slightly to the left, and the loss of speed put Koda and Waluigi barely in front of me. I got a red shell and waited for the right time to aim it at second-place Waluigi. The moment I fired, he tossed a banana backwards to negate the shell! I wasted an item, but definitely not the race. Something horrific happened several seconds later. Approaching the giant jump, Waluigi pulled out a red shell. I gasped and tried to shout something, but my voice was completely masked by the loudness of the engines. Waluigi released the shell, and everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Koda lifted off the jump. The red shell collided. His kart dropped quickly from under him. He retreated into his shell to not get mortally injured. I didn't see what happened after that because I passed the jump at that point. Entering the final lap, two red shells approached me. I shot down the first one by firing a green shell backwards, but the second one nailed me. Wario passed me and sent his third one at Waluigi. I zoomed by his crash and was in second again. I trailed Wario like a dog, but was never quite able to catch him, even going deep inside on the turns. The items didn't help me, either - all just bananas or fake item boxes. The other two were far too behind at this point for it to matter. Once I got a Starman, but only caught up to Wario and he merely laughed and pulled away again. Near the point where Koda must have crashed, I saw no wreckage. He must have left immediately. Opening another item box, wishing for no more bananas, I got a green shell. A red shell would have helped so much more, but I had to work with what I had. Crossing the big jump for the final time, I realized that I had to aim it now. Luckily, I gained some ground on Wario because he went far outside on the turns. We were close to the finish line. It was now or never. I kicked the green shell towards Wario, who was too busy staring at the finish line to notice it. It was, going, going.... but a feeling of dread crossed my mind as I realized the shell was going slightly to the left. It would miss him. Wario would be the victorious, and I would yet again burn away my chances... Maybe I should just be glad I got to race with these guys at all. Perhaps Goombas couldn't keep up with the other great people. Feelings of insecurity and doubt kept crossing my mind. I wanted them to go away. They wouldn't. I knew that the end was approaching, and the burning flame inside my heart was put out once again. And it was suddenly ignited again as I saw a miracle unfolding. I'm not sure whether the wind was strong, there was a small obstacle on the track, or it was a red shell painted wrong, but the green shell that was slowly but surely heading towards the left aimed directly back towards Wario. He never saw it coming. He collided off to the side in pure surprise, recollected himself, and finished in second place by one and a half seconds. I had finally won. Still in disbelief as I collected my 50-coin winnings, I looked around and saw that Wario had the most annoyed look on his face ever. Waluigi was sitting off in a corner and Bowser was calling for his Koopa Cruiser. I didn't see Koda, however. I assumed he would be there to celebrate my first ever win on a professional Mario Kart Circuit. A while later, he told me that he actually was there, watching me cross the finish line, but that only confused me more. Note: I'm only continuing if people want me to continue. The Entria Saga - a universe and series of stories by S1x [ July 14, 2004, 11:57 PM: Message edited by: Puzzlemaker S1x ]