RPG OtakuBoards Survivor: Game On! <PG>

[Raiyuu]

[b][color=Magenta][font=Trebuchet MS]"So I, like, sit on the back and throw stuff at the other guys?"

[/font][/color][/b][color=Magenta][font=Trebuchet MS]Yuna nodded. [b]"That seems about the gist of it."

"Sounds fun!" [/b]Xiaoyu jumped on the back of the Bloom Coach as Yuna trundled it out to the starting line. They looked to have the lightest kart out of all the teams, which could end up being an advantage or a disadvantage ... with their average acceleration and low weight they'd probably take an early lead, but the sporty yellow Parade Kart looked like a threat, and the DK Jumbo looked big and heavy enough to flatten them if Crash and Krystal tried overtaking.

Xiaoyu looked from her opponents to the course. She shielded her eyes. [b]"Owwie! How are we supposed to race when the track's blinding us?"

"The [i]Fahrenheit [/i]had a photochromic windscreen," [/b]Yuna reminisced wistfully. [b]"Don't forget the other teams'll be as blinded as us. This should be a close-run thing."[/b]
[/font][/color]

[Doukeshi]

[COLOR=SeaGreen][SIZE=1]Lara was just glad she wasn't driving. After the last challenge she would be happy never to sit behind the wheel of another car again. Having said that, what she was now sitting in wasn't hardly what you could call a car. Rolling her shoulders lara looked down at the small plumber in the drivers seat, his red capped head bobbing up and down excitedly.

[B]"I-a can't wait-a! I'll be-a just-a like old-a times-a!"[/B] Lara could help but smile at his enthusiasm. It was strange to think that up until now they had been adversaries and would probably go back to being adversaries as soon as this challenge was over.

[I]Unless we're voted out[/I] Lara thought morbidly. Shaking her head Lara decided to check her inventory. Looking around for items she frowned when she couldn't find any.

[B]"So what is it I'm supposed to attack the other racers with again?"[/B] Mario looked back and winked his patented Super Mario wink.

[B]"You-a throw-a shells, and banana peels-a and other-a things we find-a on the track-a!"[/B]

Lara looked at the little plumber like he was crazy.

[B]"Are you crazy!"[/b] She yelled, deciding to voice her thoughts[b] "Shells?"[/B]

[B]"Thats-a right-a!"[/B][/SIZE][/COLOR]

[Blayze]

[color=Blue][b][size=1]"Ok, whatever, I guess you can drive," [/size][/b][/color][size=1][color=Blue]said Shadow grudgingly, hopping onto the back of the Kart. It had a decent space for the passenger to stand, and he should be able to get low enough to grab things off the floor.

[b]"It means I get to throw stuff at the other cars. I like that," [/b]grinned the hedgehog, cracking his knuckles in preparation.

[b]"I guess all we can do now is wait," [/b]said Ada, looking a little bored. She looked around at the other contestants.

[b]"What the hell are those girls driving?" [/b]asked Shadow, looking at Team Oriental Beauty, [b]"It looks ancient."

"And Team Furry Flurry is driving a piece of wood."

"Plumber and Plunder have a bright red car. What losers."

"We're definitely going to ace this challenge," [/b]said Ada, slapping Shadow a high-five.[/color]
[/size]

[Raiyuu]

[color=Magenta][font=Trebuchet MS]As the four teams glowered at each other on the starting line, something white and fluffy swooped in from the direction of the garage, hovering lazily in the air above them. It was Mog, sitting on a little cloud, and, for some reason, he was holding a fishing rod.

[b]"On the green light, it's [i]Race ON, [/i]Survivors!" [/b]he squeaked, as a traffic light slid out of the bottom of the cloud. Yuna gunned the Coach's engine as the lights cycled through red, then amber, then ...

There was a roar and a squeal as the four karts took off from the start line. Mog's cloud rocketed directly up into the air to avoid the onrushing traffic.

As expected, the Bloom Coach's acceleration gave Oriental Beauty an early lead, leaving the heavier karts behind as Yuna quickly revved up to maximum speed. Facing backwards in the passenger seat, Xiaoyu could see the DK Jumbo sitting on the line in a cloud of smoke, as Crash's overenthusiastic accelerator foot combined with the vehicle's immense weight caused a screeching moment of wheelspin.

[b]"Whoo, we're winning!" [/b]cried Xiaoyu, bouncing in her seat and punching the air.

[b]"Yikes!" [/b]yelped Yuna, wrenching the wheel around and sending the Bloom Coach skidding almost sideways. Trying to maintain her grip on the car, Xiaoyu twisted round to see what the problem was - Yuna had swerved to avoid a giant coloured block sitting right in the middle of the road.

[b]"Waaa~aaaah!" [/b]Xiaoyu yelled, seeing immediately that they were going to hit the block anyway. Would they crash, and lose the challenge so early?

As the Coach slammed into the block, it shattered into brightly-coloured fragments, which scattered and spun in the air, coalescing to form a red turtle-shell, which dropped neatly into Xiaoyu hands. She looked at it blankly for a second.

[b]"Oooh, I SEE!" [/b]she cried triumphantly, and hurled the shell with as much accuracy as she could towards the Parade Kart, which was burning up the track, eating up Oriental Beauty's lead. The shell was off-target, but curved around, kicking up rainbow dust from the track, and slammed into the side of Shadow and Ada's kart, knocking it spinning. The Red Fire kart took advantage and overtook the Kickarse team.

[b]"Sorry, Adaa~a!" [/b]Xiaoyu yelled after them, turning to Yuna and suggesting, [b]"let's crash into more of those things!"

[/b][/font][/color] [center][color=Magenta][font=Trebuchet MS]1. Team [b]Oriental Beauty[/b][/font][/color]
[color=SeaGreen][font=Trebuchet MS]2. Team [b]Plumber & Plunder[/b][/font][/color]
[color=Indigo][font=Trebuchet MS]3. Team [b]Kickarse[/b][/font][/color]
[color=Orange][font=Trebuchet MS]4. Team [b]Furry Flurry[/b][/font][/color]
[/center]

[JJ]

[Color=Indigo]Ada was already hating the track. Between the blinding colors and flying turtle shells, she had already almost fallen off the track twice. The turtle shells were not really the tracks fault, but Ada still felt better putting the blame there. As much as she did not want to think it, she had a real "thing" going with the others.

That is, until Krystal let loose with a lightening bolt that shrunk everyone. Ada cursed loudly as their cart went spinning dangerously close to the edge of the track and they fell into fourth place. As Ada regained control, she finally noticed the blocks. She watched as Crash drove into one and Krystle got an item. Ada finally realized what the deal was and slammed on the gas.

"Shadow! Get ready!" Ada yelled, not turning back.

"Of course." He answered.

Ada slammed into the block and listened for Shadow's yell of delight. When she did not hear it, she turned around for a second, causing the car to jerk towards the edge.

"Watch where you're going! We're already behind, think you could speed it up a bit?" Shadow critqued.

"What 'thing' did you get?" Ada shouted back.

"A banana." Shadow replied, flatly.

"Crap." Ada said.

Ada kept driving as Shadow held onto the banana. Coming around another curve brought the pair face to face with the giant tube. Yuna and Xiayou were already on their way upwards, with Mario and Lara right behind them. Krystal and Crash still hadn't entered the tube, so Shadow took a chance and chucked the banana peel at them. It landed right in front of them and Crash could not go anywhere as the cart slid over the peel and went spinning off the platform.

"Keep driving!" Shadow shouted before Ada could celebrate.

Ada pressed the gas down to the floor as they ran into another box. Shortly there after, they entered the tube and felt the wind rush past as they were sucked upwards and spit back out on the track. Ada smiled as she saw Mario and Lara set back on the track.

Shadow threw the green shell at them that he had gotten from the box beforehand and chuckled as they were thrown off course.

"Shadow, wanna drive?" Ada shouted questioning.

"Sure, how do we switch again?" He asked.

"Ready? I'm pressing the button...now!" Ada said.

The pair switched places as if they had done it a million times. Ada jumped to the back and Shaodw jumped up front.

"Keep driving!" Ada shouted, pointing to the Flower Coach which was slowly coming back into view.[/color]

1st Place: Team Oriental
2nd Place: Team Kickarse
3rd Place: Team Furry Flurry
4th Place: Team Plumber & Plunder

[Blayze]

[color=Navy][b][size=1]"Get them!" [/size][/b][/color][size=1][color=Navy]shouted Shadow as the pair closed in on the Orientals in the Bloom Coach. Ada nodded and picked up an item from the road.

[b]"What is it? Something we can use?" [/b]asked the hedgehog, never taking his eyes off the twisting, winding track as he slammed the accelerator on to go up a steep slope.

[b]"We got a bomb!" [/b]shouted the woman who sat behind him. She held the bomb steady and firm in her hand, and then, with a grunt of effort, hurled the small black object in front of the leading team's Kart.

With no time to react properly, the Orientals slammed straight into the bomb, which blew them into the air and clean off the track. Ada punched the air in celebration.

[b]"There's another item coming up! Grab it!" [/b]yelled Shadow. The pair zoomed past another item which lay on the road, and Ada reached down and scooped it up. She smiled, something which Shadow couldn't see, as she held a brightly twinkling golden star in her hand.

[b]"Wait until we're behind, if we are at all. Then use the star," [/b]instructed the hedgehog. Ada nodded, thinking that this was a reasonable plan of action.

Suddenly, something slammed into the back of the Kart. Shadow looked back for a moment, and saw the giant behemoth of the DK Jumbo ramming into the back of the Parade Kart.

[b]"Do it again!" [/b]shouted Krystal, who sat behind Crash, holding a red turtle shell. Crash accelerated towards the back of the Parade Kart, and Shadow swerved at the last minute, avoiding the DK Jumbo by centimetres. The bulkier vehicle roared into first place, leaving Team Kickarse in second.[/color]

1st Place: Team Furry Flurry
2nd Place: Team Kickarse
3rd Place: Team Plumber and Plunder
4th Place: Team Oriental Beauty
[/size]

[Doukeshi]

[COLOR=SeaGreen][SIZE=1][B]"Okay I've had just about enough of this."[/B] Lara growled in frustration as yet another banana peel popped up from an exploding box. Those things were next to useless and only seemed to work if one lost concentration. Lara dearly wished for a shell, no particular colour, any shell would do.

[B]"Hey Mario, how bout something useful hmm?" [/B]

The plumber turned round slightly in his seat so he could give the woman a quick sigh before putting his attention back on the road.

[B]"I can't-a control-a what comes out-a of the boxes-a." [/B] He said sternly, for all the world like he was chastising a small child. [B]"Its-a totally random-a."[/B]

Lara grumbled, hefting the latest banana skin in her hand.

[B]"Doesn't seem so bloody random to me."[/B] Mario either didn't hear or chose to ignore her mutterings as he gripped the wheel, intent upon catching Team Kickarse who were close up ahead. Squinting against the glare of the road Lara threw the skin high over the top of the speeding kart. It landed far infront of Ada and Shadow's vehicle, sitting perfectly still, on the road.

[B]"Damnit! They'll never hit tha-"[/B] Lara blinked as a spinning kart shot past them, an irate hedgehog standing in the back was yelling at the driver.

[B]"I said look out for the peel!"

"You did not!"

"I did!"

"I never heard."[/B]

Mario let out a plumberly chuckle, [B]"Nice-a throwing-a!"[/B]

Lara grinned and patted him on the head, crouching down as they sped into second place, slowly catching up with her two former team mates in Furry Flurry. [/SIZE] [/COLOR]
[SIZE=1]
1st Place: Team Furry Flurry
2nd Place: Team Plumber & Plunder
3rd Place: Team Kickarse
4th Place: Team Oriental Beauty[/SIZE]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]"Let's save the red shell for a bit, I'll try and grab something else. Let's switch!" Cash yelled to Krystal. With almost practiced ease [considerng they'd never attempted it before], Krystal swung around one side of the Jumbo and into the driver's seat, whilst Crash swung around the other side and into the 'gunners' position. Krystal whipped the speeding Jumbo down a spiral path, leaving a faint smell of burnt sawdust in the air. She ran straighht through a box on the road, and an identical one appeared in Crash's hands. He was so surprised that he immediately dropped it, and watched in shock as it disappeared behind a slope on the Rainbow road.

Not far behind, Mario sped straight past the box which Crash had dropped, but just behind them Shadow drove straight over it. It washed off some of their speed, and sent their kart bumping up and down with a jarring, teeth-rattling sensation.

Xiayou and Yuna sped past the jittering Parade Car, and into third position. Mario edged closer to Crash and Krystal, and then another well-placed banana by Lara sent Furry Flurry spinning dangerously close to the edge, and Plumber and Plunder into first place.

Krystal narrowly avoided the terrifying drop off the edge of Rainbow road, and ran into another item box. Crash now held a shiny [and spiky] blue shell in his hands.

"I think we'll save this one for later!" Crash yelled to Krystal "but we could sure use that red shell right about now!"

Crash and Krystal switched places, and Krystal checked both ahead and behind. Oriental Beauty was catching up to them, but Plumber and Plunder was sitting just ahead of them.... which way to throw?

1. Plumber & Plunder
2. Furry Flurry
3. Oriental Beauty
4. Kickarse[/size]

[Ellerby]

[color=seagreen]Mario grinned a devious smile now knowing he was in first. He saw what part of the course was coming next and told Lara of it.

"It's-a giant pipe that-a lifts-a your kart and-a [i]shoots[/i] you out at-a the end," he said, maneuvering between boosters on a curved path. "On my mark-a, drop-a the item you get-a from this next-a box."

Lara nodded without asking why and got ready to hold on tight. Just before they hit the rainbow tube, there were two boosters and a row of item boxes. A multi-coloured dice block with question marks on it fell into Lara's hand just before they were blasted up the pipe.

"Get-a ready..."

The tomb raider waited eagerly for Mario to make his call, also noticing that the tube had automatically centered them. As soon as they landed, Mario called out.

"Now!"

Lara dropped the box and watched DK Jumbo land on the ground right behind them, thumbling [i]right[/i] into the secret bomb. Lara cheered with Mario and watched as teams Oriental Beauty and Kickarse landed neck and neck.

Feeling quite happy with himself, Mario got a bit cocky and paid no attention to what else was happening. For when he realized Lara was screaming..

"Turn! Turn!"

It was too late. Furry Flurry had launched a homing shell on them, which always hit first place in a giant explosion. Plumber and Plunder watched helplessly as they plummeted off the course. Mog fished them back onto the race track just in time for them to see DK Jumbo race past them, putting Lara and Mario in last.[/color]

[center][list=1]
[*][COLOR=Indigo]Team Kickarse[/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=Magenta]Team Oriental Beauty[/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=Orange]Team Furry Flurry[/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=SeaGreen]Team Plumber and Plunder[/COLOR]
[/list][/center]

[JJ]

[Color=Indigo]"I'm starting to seriously feel the urge to strangle something." Ada muttered from the backseat as Shadow kept driving.

"What?" Shadow hollared back at Ada.

"Nothing! Watch out for the..." Ada started as a banana peel appeared on the horizon of the track.

Only, the banana peel was about 20 times as big as the normal ones and it seemed to be smiling at Shadow as he swerved to avoid it. Ada glanced back and watched as Crash slammed into the banana and items went flying. Another banana peel and a mushroom landed on the track not too far from the Parade Cart, tempting Shadow.

Shadow pulled a sharp turn and hit the mushroom, throwing the cart forward. Shadow had to turn sharp again to avoid falling off the track, giving Yuna and Ling Xiayou the lead.

"Switch!" Shadow shouted, jumping into the items spot.

"Right, now to get an item." Ada muttered.

"Ada, box!" Shadow practically screamed.

Ada drove into the box and finally heard the ecstatic "cry" of joy that was a good item. Shadow immediately tossed it into the air and Ada could only watch as a giant ball jumped out and started pulling the cart along the track. Ada could only stare in bewilderment as it knocked the Yuna and Ling Xiayou clear off the the track. Ada was so surprised the whole thing, that when Shadow let go, Ada jeered the car off the track.

The pair could only watch as Yuna and Ling Xiayou followed by Krystal and Crash zoomed by. Mog chuckled at Shadow as he set the cart back on the track.

"ADA! Switch now!" Shadow commanded.

"I'll switch you up your..." Ada started as she jumped in back.

"OK, now try not to screw anything up, ya hear?" Shadow yelled.

Ada kept her mouth shut, not wanting to piss the little pin head off any more. A green shell popped out of the next hit box and Ada tossed it back, the shell slamming into the front of Mario and Lara's cart.

Ada thought "whoo" for one second as they crossed the lap line. She and Shadow never saw the red shell that slammed into their backside. All the saw were Mario and Lara's backsides.[/color]

1. Furry Flurry
2. Oriental Beauty
3. Plumber & Plunder
4. Kickarse

[Ellerby]

[COLOR=SeaGreen]Mario and Lara yelped with glee as they raced past Ada and Shadow, who were shouting at eachother. Lara turned her head away from the steering wheel to look a Mario for a split second. She turned her head back to the road and spoke.

"I have to admit. I had my doubts when you asked to switch, but you're really good at getting a kart back on track after it crashes. The red shell was just a fluke, of course."

Mario nodded admittingly, the red shells automatically homed the kart in front of you, not much skill involved in it. Without saying a word, he tapped Lara on the shoulder and they switched places once again. The plumber of Plumber and Plunder leaned forward and eyed Oriental Beauty and Furry Flurry, battling for first place. He hit an item box and waited impatiently for Lara to announce what she had recieved.

Boom[i]!![/i]

Red Fire blasted through the course, straight past Oriental Beauty. Lara laughed with glee.

"I can see why you love mushrooms so much." she said, still laughing. Mario chuckled with her for a bit but they both stopped when they realized they were coming up on Furry Flurry. It seemed that Ling and Yuna had been hit with a banana just before Plumber and Plunder had blasted past them.

Lara grasped the item she had just gotten in her hand tightly and whispered what it was to Mario. He grinned deviously. They came up right beside the DK Jumbo and Lara and Krystal waved to eachother. But when Krystal saw what item Lara was holding, her expression changed to a frightened look.

The tomb raider chucked the fireball right at Furry Flurry and watched as they were not only set a blaze, but tumbled backward aswell. Once again, Plumber and Plunder cheered as they came into their rightfully earned first position.

Mario and Lara glanced at eachother and quickly exchanged seats like pros. Although Mario had a lot of skill with the kart and course, Lara was also an expert driver.

[i]Pzzzt.[/i]

The three teams in front of team Kickarse were all zapped by a singular lightning bolt and shrunk to an incredibly small size, slowing them down. Shadow and Ada laughed as they zipped past DK Jumbo and the Bloom Coach. They inched up on Red Fire and...

*squish*

They flattened them like a pancake. When the kart expanded to it's normal size, Lara and Mario were sad to see that Oriental Beauty had passed them. Up ahead, they spotted Xiayou chuck a red shell at the golden kart and race into first position.[/COLOR]

[center][list=1]
[*][COLOR=Magenta]Team Oriental Beauty[/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=Indigo]Team Kickarse[/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=SeaGreen]Team Plumber and Plunder[/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=Orange]Team Furry Flurry[/COLOR]
[/list][/center]

[Raiyuu]

[b][color=Magenta][font=Trebuchet MS]"Right, we're ahead again!" [/font][/color][/b][color=Magenta][font=Trebuchet MS]rejoiced Yuna, keeping her eyes on the hypnotic rainbow of the track. [b]"Let's stay here a bit longer this time!"

[/b]Xiaoyu was having immense fun in the back seat, throwing shells and banana peels backwards at their pursuers and dancing with glee whenever a team spun out of control or fell off the track. She'd been struck with terror the first time she saw Ada's Parade Kart career off into the black abyss, but now she knew Mog was waiting to swoop down on his cloud and rescue falling teams, she attacked her former teammates with wanton abandon.

Currently she was juggling three green shells, struggling to keep them balanced on top of one another as Yuna threw the fragile Bloom Coach crazily into bend after hairpin bend. The sphere hunter was getting more confident with the controls with every metre of the course, and Xiaoyu's aim was improving too.

As her tower of shells threatened to topple again, she thought she made out Ada shouting something from the back seat of the Parade Kart; next she knew, three red shells were roaring up the rainbow towards her.

[b]"Aa~aah!" [/b]she yelped, losing all composure and dropping her items on the track behind. To her amazement, two of the incoming red homers were neatly intercepted by her own green shells, slamming into each other with a [i]clonk [/i]and bouncing off the edge of the track. The third green shell continued merrily along the track, causing Shadow to swerve violently, just avoiding it and sending it spinning into Mario's Red Fire.

The third red shell [i]smacked [/i]into the Bloom Coach, sending it into an uncontrollable whirl as Shadow piloted the Parade Kart straight past, still injecting his own speed into it. Yuna wrestled with the steering wheel, pulling the Coach back under control just as Mario and Lara caught up. The two karts sped along the straight wheel-to-wheel, sparks grinding off the bodywork.

Boxes loomed, and a second later Xiaoyu found herself holding a translucent pink heart. It split into three identical items, which began to gently orbit the Bloom Coach.

[b]"What do [i]they [/i]do?" [/b]wondered Xiaoyu, noting the worried look on Mario's face.

[/font][/color] [center][font=Trebuchet MS][color=Indigo]1. [b]Team Kickarse[/b][/color]
[color=SeaGreen]= 2. [b]Team Plumber & Plunder[/b][/color]
[color=Magenta]= 2. [b]Team Oriental Beauty[/b][/color]
[color=Orange]4. [b]Team Furry Flurry[/b][/color]
[/font][/center]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]Crash and Krystal were getting somewhat desperate for a decent item as they sat back in last place. The DK Jumbo's speed was allowing them to catch up, but they were still losing a touch more ground than they could afford on the turns. Crash was starting to sweat with nervousness, especially because Mog could wave the checkered flag at any time he felt appropriate. Spending any time in last place was virtually unnacceptable.

Which was why Crash was so ecstatic when Krystal whispered in his ear "I've got a star" that he almost steered them straight off the track. But, once he regained control, Krystal held the Star aloft and with a surge of power, a flickering glow and oddly enough, a pulse of blood-jiving music, the DK Jumbo was blazing past Oriental Beauty, and straight into the exhaust of Plumber & Plunder, who had just thrown a banana straight at them. It had bounced off into emptiness. Crash grinned. He was invincible!

He prepared to ram the Jumbo straight into the back of Red Fire, but they swerved sideways, and avoided the smoking Jumbo.

The Jumbo roared up behind the Parade car, but just as their bumpers were about to meet, their invicincibility ended. Crash looked up to see a pleased-looking Shadow holding a banana by it's very stem. Crash yanked the wheel hard to the right, narrowly avoiding the slippery item, before giving it an even harder tug to straighten the screaming Jumbo back out.

Damn.

1. Kickarse
2. Furry Flurry
3. Oriental Beauty
4. Plumber & Plunder[/size]

[Doukeshi]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=SeaGreen]Lara gripped the wheel of their kart tightly, gritting her teeth as they grinded wheels with the Oriental Beauty team. She heard Mario cursing softly in Italian behind her as the kart beside them was suddenly engulfed in a pink light, small hearts playing around the frame.
[B]
"Mario, what the hell are those?!"[/B] They didn't seem too threatening, but Lara didn't want to take any chances.

[B]"It's-a protection shield-a!"[/B] The plumber said miserably. [B]"It-a means we can't-a hit them with anything-a."[/B] The plumber was looking whistfully at a red shell sitting in his hand and Lara swore as they turned a corner, their wheels still locked with the Bloom Coach.

Sparks were flying and Lara was tempted just to whip out a pistol and shoot their tyres. Something told her that was against the rules, however. Yuna grinned slightly in Lara's direction, her eyes flicking to her partner in the back seat.

[B]"Oh-a no-a!"[/B] Mario yelped as he saw what Raiyuu held in her hand. It was a green shell, and from this distance they couldn't miss. Coming up to a sharp corner Lara pushed down hard upon the accelerator. Yuna, as expected kept up the speed and Lara smirked inwardly.

[I]Wrong move darling[/I] Not even looking back at Mario she yelled out against the noise of the engine.[B] "Hold on my mustached friend!" [/B] That was the only warning she gave as suddenly she wrenched the wheel to the side, forcing the Bloom Coach further to the edge of the track.

[B]"Shield this!" [/B] Lara yelled as they turned the corner. With wide eyes, Yuna yelped as her tires lost their grip on the track in their precarious position and soon found themselves spiralling down into the black abyss, closely followed by a floating Mog.

[B]"Wa-hoo!"[/B] Mario shouted, punching the air. Lara only chuckled and sped up.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=Navy]1. Team Kickarse[/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkOrange]2. Team Furry Flurry[/COLOR]
[COLOR=SeaGreen]3. Team Plumber & Plunder[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Magenta]4. Team Oriental Beauty[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Ellerby]

[color=seagreen]Mario grinned at his new companion and settled back into throwing position. They hit an item block and Mario waited for the item to appear in his hand. An oval shaped, pink-spotted egg made itself at home in his palm and he tossed it up and down a few times, grinning to himself.

The short man whistfully spun around and pitched it at the ground in front of his Kart. The egg, seemingly being controlled by magic, rolled straight towards DK Jumbo and, to Crash's dismay, smacked right into them causing them to spin about.

But the egg also let out three items; two bananas and a mushroom. Lara swirved left, around Furry Flurry, and hit the mushroom almost on the dot. Their engines barked loudly and they gained a short burst of speed which sent them flying ahead, leaving Crash, Krystal, Shadow and Ada behind in rainbow dust.

"Wahoo!" yelped the eccentric plumber. Lara just smiled and tossed some hair out of her face. She quickly accelerated to maximum power, as they were on a straight away, and sharply turned at the end. But the turn was a bit [i]too[/i] sharp and the Red Fire collided with the small fence at the side, giving Shadow and Ada just enough time to reclaim first position.

Lara stomped ferociously on the break, causing the kart to wheel around, not doing anything. She growled angrily and, when she finally got moving again, grabbed Mario with one hand and tossed him into the drivers seat. She took his place in the back and shouted at him.

"Go catch up to them!"

Mario obeyed and maneuvered around some bananas to get up to speed with the Parade Kart. When they were just about beside them, Lara roared and whipped out her pistol. She shot out one of the back tires of the Parade Kart and sighed with relief. She was satisfied with that small bit of revenge. As they zipped by the troubled team of terror, she could see Mog scrambling to fix the tire, laughing all the while at Lara's rage.[/color]

[CENTER][list=1]
[*][color=seagreen]Team Plumber and Plunder[/color]
[*][color=indigo]Team Kickarse[/color]
[*][color=orange]Team Furry Flurry[/color]
[*][color=magenta]Team Oriental Beauty[/color][/list][/CENTER]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]Crash laughed when he saw Lara shoot at Shadow's tires. He laughed even harder as the DK Jumbo blazed past the angry team, whilst Mog feverishly switched tires.

He stopped laughing when a well-placed shell from the Oriental Beauties sent the DK Jumbo tumbling upwards into the sky. By some magic twist of fate, they landed on the track, upright, but with almost no speed.

And Crash certainly didn't laugh when the Parade Car when flying past on their left, as Ada cheerfully waved.

Krystal whispered to Crash that the last item box had given her a blue spiky shell.

"Wait a while, until all three teams are close together... the extra shells that come out of the explosion should take all of them out hopefully." Crash called back to her.

The DK Jumbo was a fair distance behind all of te other teams, and it's acceleration was relatively poor. Switching positions with Krystal, Crash hoped that whatever they got next would allow them to catch up with their opponents.

As Krystal came out of a frighteningly narrow turn, she ran through an item box, and into Crash's hands dropped a miniature lightning bolt. With a cry of delight, he hurled it upwards with all his might, and a chorus of angered and shocked yelling came from around the course. The Jumbo quickly gained grund on it's competitors, who were now in a tiny knot, fighting for pole position.

"Quick Krystal, let's switch!" Crash yelled, just as the three carts ahead of them popped back into their regular size.

Swinging back into the driver's seat, Crash watched in glee as the blue shell flew forward, cannoning into the Oriental Beauties, who were just ahead of the rest of the pack. They flew up into the air, and as smaller shells rained out from the explosion, both Teams Kickarse and Plumber & Plunder went sailing into the abyss.

A harassed looking Mog quickly swooped down to recover the teams, but it was too late. Furry Flurry were back in front.

1. Furry Flurry
2. Plumber & Plunder
3. Oriental Beauty
4. Kickarse[/size]

[Doukeshi]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=SeaGreen][B]"That,"[/B] Lara said curtly, [B]"was just rude."[/B]

She and Mario had switched places and she once again found herself in the assault position. Furry Flurry were now racing ahead of the group, leaving the three remaining teams lagging behind. Mog had thankfully decided to rescue P&P first, leaving them with a slight advantage over the others.

The little kart sped down the neon track, its engines whining as they strained to gain more speed. Mario bust through another item box, the shards splintering into the air and its precious treasure landing in Lara's outstretched hand.

[B]"What-a did we get-a?"[/B] Queried the plumber, his attention focused upon the road, and the pole position.

Lara squinted at the item in her hands, a small ball with a chain attatched to one side. She explained as much to Mario who practically beamed. Grasping her hand he quickly switched places.

[B]"What is it?"[/B] Lara frowned. Mario grinned and grasped tight to the back of the seat.

[B]"Better-a buckle up-a! This is-a going-a to be a bumpy-a ride!"[/B] Not daring to argue Lara safely secured her belt one handed, while steering the kart expertly. Mario threw the ball forwards and Lara gasped as it morphed into a larger ball with angry eyes and sharp teeth. The chain latched itself onto the front of the kart and with little warning the ball surged forward with a mighty roar. The kart jerked as it was pulled along at break-neck speed. They were quickly gaining on the DK Jumbo and Lara could have almost sworn that the ball gnashed its teeth in anticipation.

It looked like Krystal was in the back as they approached. The fox let out a shocked yelp as with a great ripping and splintering of wood the ball chomped a gaping hole into the back of the kart, taking the back tires with it. Sparks flew as the back of the Jumbo dragged along the track, Krystal holding on for dear life as Crash struggled to control the kart. Lara winced as the Red Fire sped by, waving appologetically at her former team mates.

1. Team Plumber & Plunder[/COLOR]
[COLOR=DarkOrange]2. Team Furry Flurry[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Magenta]3. Team Oriental Beauty[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Navy]4. Team Kickarse[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[Sakura]

[COLOR=Magenta]Yuna was getting tired of driving, she took a chance to glance backwards to see how Xiaoyu was doing, she was picking up items, but they weren't having much luck, picking up banana peels and fake item boxes.

[B]"Mushroom!"[/B] Xiaoyu exclaimed loudly, holding the red and white spotted fungus from their mushroom gathering challenge.

[B]"Throw it in the engine."[/B] Yuna told her, gripping the wheel tightly.

Xiaoyu bent over the back slightly and tossed the item into the engine where it burnt up and was absorbed in. The Bloom Coach shot forward, a burst of energy sent them flying, catching up to Team Furry Flurrry.

[B]"Xiaoyu, switch with me."[/B]

[B]"What? I don't know how to drive!"[/B]

[B]"You can do it, just use the accelerator."[/B]

The two of them counted and hopped gracefully from their positions, grabbing parts of the coach to help swing them around. Yuna landed in the back seat and looked as Xiaoyu grabbed the steering wheel, planting her foot down on the accelerator.

They raced into an item box and the rainbow like shards formed into three red shells that she immediately began juggling in her hands, not wanting to drop a single one of the precious homing shells.

[B]"Go, go, go!"[/B] Yuna called, planting her feet as they swerved around a corner.

They got close to Crash and Krystal, Yuna waited until they were turning a corner as she launched one of the red shells, it slammed into the side of the DK Jumbo and blasted them off the edge.

[B]"Sorry Krystal."[/B] Yuna said as they drove on.

Yuna smiled, Xiaoyu was doing great for someone that didn't know how to drive, and it looked like she was having a lot of fun, as she cheered happily whenever they turned a corner crazily.

They saw a gap in the track where they'd have to jump across up ahead. Mario and Lara had already crossed it, they were quite a distance ahead due to a Chain Chomp they'd found.

[B]"Don't lose any speed, if we suddenly drop, we won't make it."[/B] Yuna called.

Xiaoyu nodded and kept her foot pressed down hard. Yuna held the two red shells and watched Team Kickarse behind them in case they tried anything that would make them fail the jump.

[B]"Hold on, Yuna!"[/B] Xiaoyu yelled as they sped over the edge and across the gap.

Yuna had a pained look as she hurled one of the red shells backwards, hitting the Parade Kart as they reached the edge, sending them spiralling down the gap.

[B]"Sorry Ada!"[/B] Yuna called.

She turned to look forward again, she was saving the last one for Team Plumber and Plunder that remained ahead of everyone.

They were suddenly hit behind by a blue, spiked shell as it continued on it's way, hunting out the members of the team that held first position. The Bloom Coach spun out of control, but Xiaoyu maneuvered toward the middle of the track so they didn't fall off.

Yuna saw that the DK Jumbo was catching up to them as they straightened themselves and Xiaoyu gunned the engine. There was an explosion ahead as the spiked shell found its target. They all had a chance to catch up and get into first position.

Yuna saw Furry Flurry had found a red shell and it was launched at them, she knew how to counter now and she threw her own shell at them and the two collided with a hollow sound, dropping away useless.

Xiaoyu drove through a line of rainbow boxes, and the new item they got was a small star.

[B]"Excellent!"[/B] Yuna cheered, snapping it in half.

They were surrounded by sparkles and were shiny as strange music started up. Xiaoyu found that their max speed was boosted tremendously and they sped away from Furry Flurry, going ahead to catch up to Plumber and Plunder.

The two girls of Oriental Beauty raced their hardest as they could see the Red Fire up ahead.

[B]"Come on, Xiaoyu, we can still win this!"[/B] Yuna cried as the star's effects ran out.[/COLOR]

[COLOR=SeaGreen]1. Team Plumber and Plunder[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Magenta]2. Team Oriental Beauty[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Orange]3. Team Furry Flurry[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Indigo]4. Team Kickarse[/COLOR]

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1][b]Editing to take place later, damn Sakura ~_^[/b]
[b]2: It flows reasonably well I guess. The outcome would be the same. And I'm tiiiiired...[/b]

Crash wrestled for control of the half-ruined Jumbo, as the chain-chomping Red Fire flew past them, Lara waving half apologetically, half smugly.

Living in a videogame world was a major blessing though, for as soon as the giant ball and chain disappeared, the DK Jumbo regained it's posterior, and was back in action, just in time to see Team's Kickarse and Oriental Beauty roar past. Krystal tapped Crash on the shoulder, and they switched places once more. She floored the accelerator, and with a bone-shaking rumble, the DK Jumbo chugged forth.

Eventually, the Jumbo was back to full speed, and roaring down the slope before the Launch pipe. Lara and Mario were just reaching the bottom of the pipe, with Oriental Beauty and Kickarse a short distance behind, fighting for second position.

Crash knew the pipe was a vulnerable location.

Krystal steered the Jumbo dangerously close to the edge of the track, and swiped an item box. Into Crash's hands fell a spiky green shell, somewhat larger than the normal shells. He grinned to himself, because he remembered a photo of a giant shell in the garage where the DK had been parked.

The two teams immediately in front of them were just reaching the base of the pipe when Crash hurled the shell forward. It grew to an enormous size, and Xiayou and Ada [the two 'gunners]' let out screams of surprise and fear as the giant shell came hurtling in their direction.

They were sucked up the pipe just before it hit them, but the shell was sucked in behind them. It collided with both teams and sent them flying out of the top of the pipe, spinning off into the starry depths. Or heights. Or something.

The DK Jumbo flew triumphantly out of the top of the pipe, and landed solidly, as it prepared to hunt down Plumber & Plunder.

1. Plumber & Plunder
2. Furry Flurry
3. Oriental Beauty/Kickarse[/size]

[Solo Tremaine]

[COLOR=#503F86]Krystal watched with guilty satisfaction as the two karts carrying three of her former teammates spiralled into a temporary oblivion. She hoped Mog wouldn't get too annoyed for having to fish out two at the same time.

Streaming ahead were Plumber and Plunder; she just caught sight of them leaping over a gap in the track and skidding down a circular slope. As the road's surface undulated underneath them, she deftly twitched the wheel enough for DK Jumbo to pass over the boost patches, rocketing them forwards at a sickening pace. Crash mumbled something about feeling sick; for a split second she was distracted and scraped the kart alongside the barriers after the jump.

"Careful!" Crash yelped.

"Grab something!" Krystal yelled back, trying hard to change the colour of the sparks under the rear wheels to provide them with a boost.

The kart passed through a double-block, causing items to materialise in both the driver and the passenger's hands. Krystal grumbled; trying to drive this thing by itself was bad enough, trying to do so with only one hand would be even worse.

Crash leant forwards. "Look at this! It's [i]pink[/i]!"

"I can't look, Crash- just use it!"

Crash shrugged and threw the item onto the floor. Two pink hearts with saccharin faces encircled the kart, providing a protective barrier around their wheels. Krystal was impressed, but they still hadn't been able to catch up with Team Plumber & Plunder.

From out of nowhere, a red shell thundered up the road behind them and popped one of the hearts; the presumptuous projectile zipped into Crash's hand with a high-pitched 'zipping' noise, probably more surprised than he was. He threw it back, hearing a satisfied scream from Xiayou.

They had one heart barrier left, and in Krystal's hand was held another red shell. They were on their way...[/COLOR]

1. Team Plumber & Plunder
2. Team Furry Flurry
3. Team Kickarse
4. Team Oriental Beauty

[Baron Samedi]

[size=1]The DK Jumbo steamed up behind Plumber & Plunder, doggedly gaining ground. Crash was completely focused on the track, and Krystal was completely focused on the actions of the Red Fire cart. They couldn't afford any mistakes.

Crash fought to keep the wheel steady, as the DK Jumbo thudded back down on the track just past the jump, landing on some booster pads and gaining an extra dose of speed. Up ahead of them, Lara let out a cry of delight as they ran through the row of item boxes. She held aloft a miniature lightning bolt, before throwing it into the sky. With a piercing shriek, three lightning bolts hurtled back out of the sky, heading for the other teams.

---

Xiayou groaned resentfully as their cart shrunk to a toy-sized model. Damn whoever did that!

---

Shadow swore, part with relief, and part with anger, as their cart shrunk. He had just made the jump, so at least he didn't have to be fished up by Mog.

Except he was now tonking along in 'Weak' mode.

---

Crash and Krystal winced as a lightning bolt struck their car, but nothing happened, aside from a small scream.

Their last protective heart was gone, but they were still large as life and in the race. Excellent.

---

Mario and Lara were no longer looking behind them, instead they were focused on the track ahead. Both Lara and Mario had used all the items they'd had, and they needed the next row of items to be something good. It was hard work to continuously fight off threats from behind. Speaking of which....

Lara had a glance behind them, as they sped towards the next item boxes. Her eyes widened, as a red shell shot towards their cart, impacting firmly on their exhaust pipe, and sending the team of Plumber & Plunder flying up into the air, as Furry Flurry screamed past underneath.

1. Furry Flurry.
2. Plumber & Plunder
3. Kickarse
4. Oriental Beauty[/size]

[JJ]

[Color=Indigo]Ada roughly pulled the cart into the turn as Shadow let loose a red shell at Yuna who swerved off the road. The more people they could take out, the easier it would be to get a good lead.

"Shadow, anyone up front?" Ada asked.

"Yeah, look like Mario and Lara. They look like they just got it bad. Got anything to make it worse?" Shadow called back wickedly.

"Oh yeah. If I can throw this right, it'll make things no fun for both teams ahead of us." Ada said, smiling.

Ada tossed the Bowser Shell onto the track and laughed cheerfully as it slammed into Mario and Lara, sending them perilously close to the edge, while Shadow knocked them off.

"We're so going to get that back." Ada thought as looked ahead backwards the approach of Yuna and Ling.

They both seemed dead fixated on Ada as Ling let a red shell fly. Ada quickly tossed back the green shell she had picked up, canceling the effect.

It was then that Ling let the second shell fly. Ada could only shout at Shadow he swereved to the middle of the track to prevent falling off the edge. Ling and Yuna quickly moved ahead, but were stopped by a red shell from Lara and Mario. A new group of item boxes meant new surprises as Ling let loose with a bomb that wiped out Ada and Shadow, giving them second place. Lara let a banana peel fly that stopped Yuna, so they were now in second.

Of course, none of the three teams currently duking it out saw the Bowser Shell come back at them. All any of them could do was pray they were knocked off first as it wiped all three teams out.

Ada could only get mad with herself as they started again. She had set the thing loose after all. A blue shell flew past the car and made Ada feel a bit better as she heard the accompanying explosion. That'd keep Crash and Krystal from keeping a huge lead. A mushroom brought Shadow to the pipe, both teams hot on the trail. It was war now.[/color]

1. Furry Flurry
2. Kickarse
3. Oriental Beauty
4. Plumber and Plunder

[Raiyuu]

[b][color=Magenta][font=Trebuchet MS]"I wasn't expecting to have to do this much work, kupo," [/font][/color][/b][color=Magenta][font=Trebuchet MS]grumbled Mog as he hooked his fishing line under the Bloom Coach's bumper yet again, setting them back on the rainbow within sight of Team Kickarse before swooping down to rescue Lara and Mario.

Xiaoyu stomped on the gas and revved the kart back up to full speed. One advantage of the light frame was that it only took a couple of seconds to reach maximum speed from a standstill, so they could recover quickly from any attacks, though they still couldn't quite match the Parade Kart or DK Jumbo in terms of top speed.

Yuna tossed a banana skin behind them on the off-chance that Plumber and Plunder might hit it, and Xiaoyu did her best to hold the kart on the shortest racing line in a effort to catch up to the nippier Kickarse kart. Shadow and Ada seemed to be having trouble with shells hurled backwards by Furry Flurry, and by the time Xiaoyu smashed through the next item box, the yellow kart was within attacking distance.

[b]"We're coming up to the jump!" [/b]called Yuna over the buzz of the engine, squeezing another banana out of its skin. [b]"Hold us steady and follow Shadow's course!"

[/b]Xiaoyu did, trying to match the Parade Kart jink for jink and swerve for swerve to give Yuna a better chance at aiming. Just as the jump loomed and both teams pumped every last drop of horsepower from their karts in an effort to make the leap, Yuna hurled the slippery banana skin forwards.

It landed almost perfectly under Team Kickarse's left-front tyre, sending them spinning crazily, plummeting backwards off the jump with no hope of making the far side. As the Bloom Coach soared through the black oblivion, Xiaoyu risked a glance back and saw Mog vindictively setting them back exactly at the point they'd fallen, giving them no chance of making enough speed for the jump. The Parade Kart reversed painfully slowly back along the track to try and gain enough of a run-up, the Red Fire breezing cheekily past and bombarding them with shells just to add insult to injury.

[b]"Right!" [/b]yelled Xiaoyu, planting her foot firmly on the gas. Crash and Krystal were in sight, but they couldn't match the Jumbo for speed. She prayed for a useful item as she shattered another item box.

[/font][/color] [center][font=Trebuchet MS][color=Orange]1. [b]Team Furry Flurry[/b][/color]
[color=Magenta]2. [b]Team Oriental Beauty[/b][/color]
[color=SeaGreen]3. [b]Team Plumber & Plunder[/b][/color]
[color=Indigo]4. [b]Team Kickarse[/b][/color][/font]
[/center]

[Doukeshi]

[COLOR=SeaGreen][SIZE=1][B]"You know, kupo! I thought you said you were a kupo driver, kupo!"[/B] Mog said, in a conversational tone, as he fished the Red Fire kart from over the edge of the track.

[B]"Shut up."[/B] Lara grumbled, swatting at the moogle as he set them back down on the track. Mog ruffled his wings indignantly before floating off, again on the hunt for any unfortunate drivers.
[B]
"Thats the kupo thanks I get, kupo!"[/B]

Not even bothering to reply Lara floored the accelerator, rocking the kart forward, ignoring Mario's startled cries as he held on. Zipping around the track they made for the jump, passing over it with ease. Lara let out a vindictive laugh as she saw Mog hauling Team Kickarse back from the abyss.

[B]"That's-a karma for you-a"[/B] Mario piped up from the back. Lara grinned and hunched forward over the steering wheel, intent upon the item boxes up ahead. Crashing through them she hazarded a look behind to check up on their luck.

[B]"So what did we get?" [/B] Mario shrugged as he held up a red shell.

[B]"It's-a nothing special-a but it will do-a."[/B]

[B]"You're bloody right it'll do, lets get them!"[/B] The race had really brought out Lara's competative streak. As the kart sped on they caught sight of the Bloom Coach up ahead. Seeing their relatively unprotected state Lara cheered.

[B]"Let's see you dodge this one! Let'er rip Mario!"[/B] The plumber obliged and they were soon speeding past a very dizzy and rather annoyed looking pair of girls. Lara blew them a kiss as they went by.[/COLOR][/size]

[SIZE=1][COLOR=DarkOrange]1. Team Furry Flurry[/COLOR]
[COLOR=SeaGreen]2. Team Plumber & Plunder[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Magenta]3. Team Oriental Beauty[/COLOR]
[COLOR=Navy]4. Team Kickarse[/COLOR][/SIZE]

[JJ]

[Color=Indigo]Ada was seriously getting annoyed at falling off the track. She could not count the number of times it had happened so far and Ada could see that it was really starting to get on Mog's nerves. Well it was time for Kickarse to take first and stop falling off the track.

"Shadow, run over the item box and then we're switching. I've got a plan." Ada said, bracing herself.

Shadow nodded and did what Ada said. Ada had only a second to get a look at what she recieved, but it was exactly what the doctor ordered. She laughed and kept driving. She rode into the curves before the pipe with ease. Shadow was not sure what Ada was up to, because she was not putting the pedal to the metal. He did not want to question her for fear of her "womanliness", but something was up.

Ada smashed into another box and quickly asked, "Whadaya got?"

"We've got a Lightening Bolt. I'm using it." Shaodw said, throwing his hand back.

"Stop, we're switching, I've got a plan." Ada sternly told Shadow.

He shrugged his shoulders and waited for instructions.

"OK, here's how it's going to go down. I'm going to let this blue shell go and we'll switch. Once Furry Flurry recovers, you'll let your lightening bolt off. From there, we drive like crazy and pray it works. Ready?" Ada asked.

"Let's go." Shadow answered.

****

It happened suddenly. Crash and Krystal were cruising along and unexpectedly, the shell hit, catapulting the pair into the sky. They still had the lead, so once they landed on the track, they just kept driving. It was then that the lightening bolt struck.

Once again, it just slowed them down, nothing too big. Yuna and Ling were starting to catch up, but they were as small as Crash and Lara.

******

Unlucky for Ada and Shadow, Mario and Lara were going up the pipe, so they were unaffected. Mario let loose with a Chain Chomp that he could barely hold onto as soon as they landed. The Kart shot off, the Chain Chomp quickly catching up to and knocking out Ling and Yuna. They fell off the track and the Chain Chomp was ripped out of Mario's grip. It was only a matter of time before the Chain Chomp would get Krystal and Crash as well.

*****

Krystal saw it coming, but unfortunately, it was too late. The Chomp slammed into the back of their kart, sending it spinning off the edge. Mog raised them back up, but not until Lara and Mario with Ada and Shadow on their tail passed them. The race was still on.[/color]

1. Plumber and Plunder
2. Kickarse
3. Furry Flurry
4. Oriental Beauty