December 19.

            The letters were not actually on the Triforces, but they are shown here to show the configuration of the complete Triforce.  'W' stands for Wisdom; 'P' stands for Power; and 'C' stands for Courage.  With the restoration of the Triforce came a few years of peace.  Then, Ganon restored his old pal, Agahnim, to life.  The terrible duo then decided to assist MotherBrain and the Brain-Team whenever they could.  Anyway, where was the narration before this flashback was begun?

            Oh, of course!

            At Ganon's underworld labyrinthine lair, he and Agahnim were contemplating the situations at hand.  "We must get the Triforce," said Ganon, for the millionth time.  "Unfortunately, Link and Zelda will probably not be good enough drivers for Prince Ludwig von(Bowser)Koopa's race challenge. . . unless, of course, we work some of our magic on them!  Hee, hee, hee!"

            "My fellow wizard," said Agahnim, "even if Link and Zelda were able to be in the race, their anywhere between 56 and 61 nosy pals who were not in the race would still try to stop us."

            "You're right," said Ganon.

            A Moblin said, "May I make a suggestion, Your Powerfulness?"

            "What do you want, you idiot?" demanded Ganon.

            "Uh, why not call von(Bowser)Koopa and ask him to make sure that all members from the N-Team are there?"

            "You idiot!" screamed Ganon.  "It'll never work!  Hey!  We could summon von(Bowser)Koopa and request him to make certain that all members from the N-Team are present for the races!"

            "Oh, a brilliant decision, Ganon!" remarked Agahnim.

            This idea did not go through exactly as planned.  As soon as Agahnim had finished his 'praise,' the one who was supposed to be called did call:  the diabolical Prince Ludwig 'Kooky' von(Bowser)Koopa himself!

            "This is Prince Ludwig 'Kooky' von(Bowser)Koopa to Ganon," said Ludwig.  "Please respond."

            Ganon said, "Yes, Your Royal Diabolicalness.  This is Ganon."  Ludwig's hologram appeared.

            "Ganon, it has come to my attention about the Triforces.  I realise that Link and Zelda constantly keep you from gaining its great power."

            "That is true, Your Evilness."

            "I can work it out so that they - or, for that matter, any member of the N-Team - will not have the ability to stop you from gaining its powers."

            "In return for your service, I can use the Triforce's power to help you win that race!  Ha, ha, ha!  Evil will surely triumph in the end!"

            "Let's not get too cocky!  Those N-Team members are very tricky.  I shall try my best to keep all the N-Team in the area where the race is to be watched, but that is all I can do myself.  I shall have the members of my team who are not in the race where they can watch the doors.  If all goes well, you can have the entire Triforce in your hands before the conclusion of the tenth and final lap of the winner of the first race.  I'll use every secret, non-cheating scheme possible to prevent the N-Team from winning."

            "Fine.  We'll have that golden triangle before the end of that race.  Ganon out.  Hee, hee, hee!"

            "Ludwig von(Bowser)Koopa out."

            * * *

            Bedlama, Limbo.

            At the 'Limbo Track,' the fifth lap was coming to a close for the two best racers on the N-Team:  Captain N and Copper-Kidd.  Steelheart was watching in a tower above the track, where satellite monitors showed her the entire track.  As Kevin and Kidd rounded the final curve above Dolare, Kidd accidentally lost control of his Space Racer.

            "Uh, oh!" said Kevin.  With a new control panel that Steelwill had very recently installed in the car (after the Silver Hawks had given Kevin a permit to park his car in the hangar), Kevin pressed a few buttons.  A tractor-beam activated and saved the Space Racer from ramming into the side of Dolare.  Kevin activated his communicator with the same control panel.  "This is Kevin calling Copper-Kidd.  Are you okay?"

            Kidd responded, "I'm okay.  Thanks, Kevin."

            "You're welcome."  One hundred metres behind them was Bluegrass in the Hot Seat, barely in third place, thanks to Quicksilver in the Sprint Hawk.

            "You're coming along well, skipper," said Bluegrass on the communicator, "but I'm beatin' you!"

            "Well," retorted Quicksilver, "Kevin and Copper-Kidd are beating us both!"

            "One side!" says Darkwing, blazing into third place in a flying version of his Rat Catcher.  "Now I am along with Kevin and Copper-Kidd in beating the two of you!"

            * * *

            Star*Ship Casino.

            Fifty-fourth place was at the point where the loop-style track turned back to Bedlama.  This turn was way out at the Star*Ship Casino.  Way at the back in fifty-fourth and fifty-third were, respectively, Zelda and Link.  In fifty-second place was a certain egomaniac . . . no, not Darkwing.  He was, of course, in third place.  The person being talked about was Simon Belmont.  An excellent vampire-hunter was he, indeed, but a terrible driver was also he.  If he were any more terrible a driver, Link and Zelda, of a world almost devoid of vehicles still, would overtake him.

            In a tie for fifty-first and fiftieth (but appeared to be in this respective order, from larger number to lower) were King Spike Koopa's two youngest, Iggy and Lemmy (Spike)Koopa.  In forty-ninth was Yoshi.  Iggy, Lemmy, and Yoshi were as far forward as Brim*Star, making it a much closer race between those between forty-eighth and first.  In forty-eighth was that objection-filled prosecutor, Hamilton Burger.  In a close forty-seventh, forty-sixth, and forty-fifth were, respectively, those three great law-enforcers, Sergeant Brice, Lieutenant Anderson, and Lieutenant Drumm.  About Lieutenant Tragg?  Well, that guy was speeding up within the top fifteen!  Good old Paul Drake, that law-abiding, speed-law-respecting detective working with the thin-legal-ice guy, Perry Mason, was down with Brice, Anderson, and Drumm in forty-fourth.  Mason was also among the top fifteen racers.  In forty-third was the ultimate crash-maniac, Launchpad McQuack.

            Now here was where it got a little hectic to determine places:  between forty-second and fifteenth.  All of them were between Automata and Dolare, two of the closest planets in the Limbo Solar System.  There were, however, many curves in this area, making the road ten times longer here than the actual distance between the two planets.  In forty-second was SHUSH Agent Grizzlykov, and in forty-first was Director Hooter.  Fortieth and thirty-ninth were being shared by (although the second appeared to be slightly ahead) Mrs. Beakley and Mrs. Crackshell.  (Duckworth, McDuck's butler, had stayed at the mansion while McDuck visited Darkwing on the Audubon Bay Bridge, and McDuck had not commanded him to come.)  Drake, Jr., appeared to occupy both thirty-eighth and thirty-seventh at the same time.  With whom did he share these places, though being slightly ahead of the other?  Good question!  He appeared to share these particular spots with Mason's assistant, Ken Malanski.  About Rupert Jackson?  He was right in front of them in thirty-sixth.  Della Street?  Top fifteen!  Mario and Luigi, though Mario being slightly ahead, were sharing thirty-fifth and thirty-fourth.  Thirty-third, thirty-second, and thirty-first were being virtually shared by (but appeared to be in the respective order, largest number to smallest number, of) Queen Peach, King Spike Koopa, and Princess Lana.  Good old former Commander of the Silver Hawks, Stargazer, was doing his gazing in thirtieth!  McDuck was in twenty-ninth.

            Twenty-eighth to fifteenth were very difficult to discern.  They were extremely close.  Twenty-eighth was occupied by Morton (Spike)Koopa, Jr.  Twenty-seventh to twenty-second fluctuated between (but seemed most frequented by, in respective order from greatest number to lowest number) Wendy (Spike)Koopa, Bengali, Pumyra, Condor, Moonstriker, and Roy (Spike)Koopa.  Twenty-first to sixteenth were the same way (including what was in parentheses in the previous sentence), but with Dr. Wright, MegaMan, Kid Icarus, Chief Aran, Flashback, and Hotwing.  Tragg, Della, and Mason had fifteenth, fourteenth, and thirteenth, respectively.  Twelfth was occupied by Panthro.  Cheetara, Tygra, and Lion-O respectively had eleventh, tenth, and ninth.  In eighth was Steelwill.  In succession from seventh to first, the occupants respectively were Larry (Spike)Koopa, Ludwig von(Spike)Koopa, Quicksilver, Bluegrass, Darkwing, Copper-Kidd, and Kevin.  The order above would remain until Princess Zelda, way back in fifty-forth, crossed the finish line.

            Drake, Sr., called Mason on his communicator.  "Well, Perry," said Drake, "this shows me how much decency you have for the speed laws!"

            "Ha, ha, ha!" replied Mason.  "Don't let it bother you, Paul!  This shows me how much decency you have for the speed laws!"

            "You are an excellent racer," admitted Drake.

            Next, Tragg called Samus Aran on his communicator.  "Hey, Samus, I'm beating you!  Ha, ha, ha!  This damn well serves you right for snapping at me when we first explored around Brim*Star!"

            Samus burst, "You shut the damn hell up about that!  I was just giving you a hard time!"

            "Fine, fine," said Tragg.  "See if I voluntarily work with you again!"  He shut off his communicator.

            On Bedlama, Steelheart, Wilykat, Wilykit, Snarf, Snarfer, Lynx-O, Toad, Roll, Gosalyn, Neptunia, Stegmutt, Morganna, GizmoDuck, Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webbigail were watching on the monitors in Bedlama.  "Most of them are good, are they not?" asked Steelheart.

            "Yes, I would say so," said Wilykit.  "That Ludwig sort of frightened me a little."

            "How so?" asked Steelheart.

            "That cloaking device of his," said Wilykit.  "Can he go around the galaxy and fire at anything he chooses while Metroid is invisible?"

            "Unless he has the same limitations as the Romulans," said Steelheart.  "Kevin believes he does."

            "And who are these Romulans?" asked Wilykat.

            "A certain humanoid species on the Star Trek series.  It's a television show that ran in the twentieth century.  The Romulans are beyond conceit, with an enormous belief in their superiority.  They are also creatures of extremes.  They can be intensely war-like one moment, and, the next, they can be tender.  Anyway, their ship-cloaking limitations make them unable to fire weapons of any kind outside their cloak without first decloaking."

            "What is your definition of a cloaking device?" asked Wilykit.  "Not that we need to know; the Plundarrians had similar abilities until we Thunderians blew those ships away."

            Steelheart thought for a moment; then, she said, "The best definition I could give would be the following:  a device that bends all forms of radiation around the planet or ship.  There is some minor disturbance when the cloaking device is activated, such as a blurring of certain objects the cloaked ship is in front of.  That was the disturbance we encountered before Ludwig fooled us into thinking he was going to decloak the first time.  He has the cloaking device so perfectly synchronised that everything, even the slightest light photon, will go around the planet.  The larger the object to cloak, the more complicated the cloaking device must be."  She sighed.  "He must have a darned good cloaking device if he can totally hide Metroid."

            "Yeah," said Wilykit.  "Plundarrian cloaking devices were never that good."

            "What about that melting effect that occurred when Ludwig deactivated the cloaking device?" asked Wilykat.

            "That occurs because the electromagnetic radiation is allowed back inward.  Since the cloaking device doesn't fully disengage until after a few seconds, some light is still being bent.  When the cloaking device is engaged, the light is bent again, back around the vessel.  Light is let in, so the same melting effect occurs when the vessel is being cloaked."

            "You should remember," said Wilykit.  "We were taught about cloaking devices in science."

            "I forgot," Wilykat admitted.  "Or I shoved it into the back of my mind so far I just thought I forgot about it."

            "That's all right.  Tygra told me that the reason we forgot so much of the hyper-advanced things we learned was because of the gases used in suspension.  It affected us the most because of our age.  Tygra says that by the time our next birthday comes around, the effects will have completely worn off."

            "I hope so."

            Captain N established radio contact.  "This is Captain N to Steelheart.  Please come in."

            "This is Steelheart," Steelheart responded.  "What is it?"

            "I'm coming in with Kidd right behind me."

            Steelheart saw the two on the monitor.  "As I can see, Kevin.  Have a nice landing!"

            "Okay, over and out!"

            "Over and out, Captain N."

            * * *

            Within 10 minutes, everyone had landed.  "Well," asked Steelheart, "how was it to race five laps around the solar system?"

            "Not bad, not bad," replied Kevin.

            "If you want my honest opinion, it's sure a heck of a way to begin driving!" said Link.  "Zelda and I only just started driving lessons."

            "That's why we didn't want to drive," said Wilykat.  "We haven't even started to learn to drive your vehicles yet.  Not like we've had time to."

            "Well, Link, at least you did not bump into everything like I did," said Simon.  "The only reason I beat you was because you were going too slowly."

            "Shows me how much decency you have for the speed regulations," said Drake, Sr.

            "Don't talk to me about speed regulations, Paul," said Link.  "If I had gone any faster, I would have been worse off than Simon Belmont.  By the way, now that you mention speed, I sort of think that Kevin floored it from the start!"

            "Hey, don't get on me!" said Kevin.  "At least I was driving a stickshift."

            "Oh, don't even talk to me about driving a darn stickshift," said Link.  "When I began driver's ed, I was bumping and clanking because I started off in the blasted fourth gear!  And, in the beginning, whenever I shifted gears, the darn gears ground."

            "Just stick it in first, put in the accelerator slowly but firmly, and release the clutch in a similar manner," said Kevin.  "When you shift, release the accelerator, slam the clutch immediately to the very floor, shift all of the way into the next gear quickly, and let out the clutch while putting in the accelerator again.  I'll be happy to help you, Link."

            "I think you handle the accelerator and clutch in a stickshift better than anyone else, Kevin," said Mason.  "It's kind of tough to transpose your technique to the automatic transmission."

            "For the way I drive a stickshift," said Kevin, "I think that an automatic just will not work.  You have to have a manual, because being able to know which gear in which you're driving and using the clutch to coast through certain areas is necessary for the way I do it.  Did anyone here use a manual?"

            "None of the Silver Hawks' vehicles have manual transmissions," said Steelheart.

            "Neither do any of ours," said Lion-O.

            "My gosh," said Kevin.  "And, Kidd, remember where I saved you back there?"

            "Yes," replied Kidd.

            "I was going just as fast as you were.  The moment before I even got into that curve, I downshifted to gain better control at the same speed.  Since you did not have that option, you would have had to go a little more slowly than you were going to go around that curve.  That was my advantage, and that's what makes a manual a better racing vehicle than an automatic."

            "Yes, I can see how you won, Kevin," said Steelheart.

            "Don't get me wrong, you have to know how to operate the kind of vehicle you're using.  Whether you use an automatic or a manual, you have to anticipate what's going to happen.  A manual does make it easier to control the vehicle, but the automatic makes one thing easy, and that is accelerating.  I'm not trying to say that manuals are 'better' than automatics, but if you know how to drive them, they sure can make it a heck of a lot easier when you're faced with a situation where you need to cut the engine power to get around a sharp curve.  I did not win by keeping the accelerator on the floor, and I would not try to do so.  If I did that, my vehicle would not look as good as it does.  There is no substitution for what the clutch does for you.  The brake doesn't do the same thing.  Your clutch prevents the engine from moving the car, whereas the brake just slows the car down or keeps it stopped.  You can't get the kind of performance a clutch gives you if you drive an automatic, because the clutch does not exist.  If you race well with a clutch, that's fine.  If you race well in an automatic, I'd see no need to make a transition to the manual.  The point I'm trying to get across is to drive as well as you can while maintaining the best possible speed.  Link did not do well, but at least he did not run into everything.  Simon did not do well for the reason that he was trying to keep the accelerator to the floor when he could not make an adjustment as quickly as one of the better racers - say, Lt. Tragg - could.  I make my adjustments with my brain, the clutch pedal, the accelerator, the steering wheel, the gearshift, my feet, and my hands."

            "The funny thing is," said Quicksilver, "that most of the rest of us have been driving for a longer time than you have.  I think I expected to do better than you did."

            "I adapt to things very quickly," said Kevin.  "Well, enough of that.  Where should we go now?"

            Steelheart replied, "Well, let's go to Hawkhaven.  We ought to let the Brain-Team do their racer-evaluation."

            "Why should we let them do theirs?" snapped Darkwing.  "They captured us and were going to fry us!  And they tried to make us attack them by playing with their blasted cloaking device!"

            "You are forgetting," said Steelheart, "that I do not normally make snap judgements, featherhead.  I believe in giving everyone a chance, even that dumb vegetable of theirs.  And I've had just about enough of your feathery nonsense, Wingie!"

            "All right, all right, I'll cut back," said Darkwing.  "I know the perfect way to get us and all of our vehicles in their proper places!"  He spread out his cape, and everyone and all of the vehicles disappeared in a mountain of smoke.

            * * *

            Congregation Hall, Cat's Lair, third-Earth.

            Everyone reappeared in the Congregation Hall of Cat's Lair!  However, all of the vehicles had been accurately transported to the hangar of Hawkhaven.  "Uh, whoops!  Wrong location!" said Darkwing.

            "All the better!" said Steelheart.  "There's more room in here, anyway.  Now, let's call the Brain-Team."  Lion-O activated a device that activated the visual and audio communicator.  "This is the N-Team calling the Brain-Team.  Please respond."  Liquidator responded in a good mood.

            "Ah, good day, buenos días {bwáy-nós dé-ahs} [Spanish] (good day), guten Tag {gú-tehn tahk} [German] (good day), bonjour {bawⁿh-zhúr} [French] (good day)!" responded Liquidator.  "How may we help you?"

            "My, but you are in a really good mood today," said Steelheart.

            "Nothing wrong with that, I'm sure," said Liquidator.  "What is the subject of the communication?"

            "We called to tell you," said Steelheart, "that our evaluations of who is racing are finished."

            "Ah," said Liquidator, "and might I inquire as to the results?"

            "I'll tell either Ludwig von(Bowser)Koopa," said Steelheart, "or his first officer."

            "You are talking to the latter.  That's why I'm in a good mood, you see!"

            "YOU?!?" said Darkwing incredulously.  "Why would Ludwig make you his first officer?  We chose our main leader, Steelheart, from a vote of all of the division leaders!  How did you become second to a leader when you are not a leader yourself, huh, Waterhead?"

            "Wingie!" Steelheart said angrily.

            "Our election," said Liquidator, "was arranged so that even that stupid Eggplant Wizard could have become the second-in-command if the greatest percentage went to him.  Luckily, we did not demonstrate the utter lack of wisdom required to vote him into the position.  No, most of us voted for me, then the second-highest number for Mon*Star, and the third-highest number for King Bowser Koopa.  You should have heard Negaduck!  What that guy said went way beyond any possible derivatives of damn and hell!  Mega Volt said some things, but they got nowhere beyond derivatives of those words."

            "That duck always did have a desire to be Public Enemy #1," remarked Darkwing.

            "Anyway," said Steelheart, "we have decided that fifteen from our group are racing in your proposed race.  All the 54 racers crossed the finish line, in sequence from first to last,. . . uh, need a pause to grab a notepad and pen or pencil?"

            "Not at all."  Liquidator formed his right hand into a pen and his left hand into a notepad.  "Ready!"

            Steelheart says, "Gee, I wish I could come up with a pen and notepad that quickly at the communications-radio!  Anyway, in my order, the 54 racers from our group were:  Captain N; Copper-Kidd; Darkwing Duck; Bluegrass; Quicksilver; Ludwig von(Spike)Koopa; Larry (Spike)Koopa; Steelwill; Lion-O; Tygra; Cheetara; Panthro; Perry Mason; Della Street; Lieutenant Tragg; Hotwing; Flashback; Chief Samus Aran; Kid Icarus; MegaMan; Dr. Wright; Roy (Spike)Koopa; Moonstriker; Condor; Pumyra; Bengali; Wendy (Spike)Koopa; Morton (Spike)Koopa, Jr.; Scrooge McDuck; Stargazer; Princess Lana; King Spike Koopa; Queen Peach; Mario; Luigi; Jackson; Paul Drake, Jr.; Ken Malanski; Mrs. Crackshell; Mrs. Beakley; Director J. Gander Hooter; Agent Grizzlykov; Launchpad McQuack; Paul Drake, Sr.; Lieutenant Drumm; Lieutenant Anderson; Sergeant Brice; Hamilton Burger; Yoshi; Lemmy (Spike)Koopa; Iggy (Spike)Koopa; Simon Belmont; Link; and Princess Zelda.  I think that I said this before, but I'll say it again:  the ones racing in your challenge are the first fifteen racers whom I mentioned, or Captain N, Copper-Kidd, Darkwing Duck, Bluegrass, Quicksilver, Ludwig von(Spike)Koopa, Larry (Spike)Koopa, Steelwill, Lion-O, Tygra, Cheetara, Panthro, Perry Mason, Della Street, and Lieutenant Tragg.  Got that?"

            "Got it!" said Liquidator.  "Thank you very much, Steelheart.  My group will get to work within the half-hour.  Tah-tah!"  The screen flipped off.

            "Why, that scheming trickster!" said Darkwing.  "One knows that he's up to something when he acts so jovial!"

            "Well, we can only play along until he reveals his plot in some way," said Steelheart.

            "You're right," said Darkwing, "but the idea of trusting a villain makes me uneasy."

            "We'll play this through until we're sure it's a trap," said Kevin.

            "I only hope," said Darkwing, "that, if we get the bait in their possible trap, we pull our heads out soon enough to keep the metal bar from springing and putting us out for good."