Mario Kart 8 Deluxe [0100152000022000][v0][us](... -

The engines roared, a symphony of high-pitched whines and heavy exhausts vibrating against the starting line of . Mario adjusted his cap, his gloved hands gripping the steering wheel of the Blue Falcon. To his left, Pink Gold Peach looked smug in her heavy-frame kart; to his right, a Dry Bones sat rattling in a tiny Buggy. The countdown began. 3… 2… 1… GO!

Mario hit the forest section. The trees blurred past. He checked his rearview mirror—nothing but white snow. Then, he heard it. That high-pitched, rhythmic whistling that haunts the dreams of every racer. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe [0100152000022000][v0][US](...

Pink Gold Peach was meters from the finish line. Mario used his final Mushroom. The boost kicked in just as he hit the final ramp. He soared through the air, his glider unfurling. In a desperate move, he tilted his kart, catching a stray updraft. He crossed the line. The screen flashed. The engines roared, a symphony of high-pitched whines

It zipped over the heads of the struggling racers in the back, a winged harbinger of doom. Mario held a single Green Shell behind him, but he knew it was useless against this. He looked at the finish line—the stadium lights were visible in the distance. He just needed five more seconds. He didn't get them. The countdown began

Behind him, the chaos was absolute. Bowser had just pulled a , circling himself in a defensive wall of stars, shells, and bananas. He plowed through the middle of the pack, sending Toads and Yoshis flying into the deep powder. Link, riding the Master Cycle Zero, narrowly avoided a Bob-omb blast only to be shrunk by a Lightning Bolt.

The Blue Shell circled his head once, mocking him, before slamming into the track. BOOM. Mario was tossed into the air, his kart spinning uselessly. Before he could even recover, Pink Gold Peach soared past him, followed closely by a mocking "Wah-ha-ha!" from Waluigi. Mario plummeted to 5th place.

Mario timed the acceleration perfectly, a burst of blue sparks propelling him ahead of the pack. The first leg of Mount Wario was a frantic descent through icy caverns. Red shells zipped past his ears, shattering against the cavern walls. He drifted hard around a hairpin turn, his tires glowing purple as he unleashed an , widening the gap.