While the preliminary round did a good job of thinning the ranks, there were still a lot of rats left in the Mister and Miss Zodiac Competition. At this point, they would be doing the Best of Breed to determine who would be going on to the final round. The problem was that the Brown Rats still heavily outweighed the other rats and mice. So now the challenges were getting more competitive. There were foot races through smaller mazes, swimming races from a sinking ship, and tough puzzles that needed to be solved in a limited time. To add more motivation, anyone who had the least points after two challenges would be eliminated.
It took a little longer to narrow down the selection of Brown Rats to match the other rats and mice. But once they got to a more manageable level, the competition shifted to a more traditional pageant. It wasn't as simple as walking around in a dress or a suit. The competitors had to show grace and poise. They were also given a random Shakespearean soliloquy that they had 12 minutes to memorize before they had to repeat it. It wasn't instant disqualification for them to get a word wrong, but they lost points depending on how much they got wrong. This may seem unfair, but rats and mice have keen memories, particularly where food is involved.
And going on during this was the interesting rivalry between Mary Piper and Milly Tillman. The odds were favoring Mary, considering she was the matriarch of Animalia's large rat clan and the fact that she was bigger and stronger than the average female rat. And yet despite being a mouse, Milly has pushed herself of what rats accomplished. There was no mouse more determined than her to win this. There's been some betting on the side to see which of them would win Miss Year of the Rat.
And like many pageant contestants, they tended to talk smack to each other backstage. For instance, there was the exchange after the dress part of the competition.
"Well, well, I would have thought a little mouse would have scampered under the spotlight," said Mary.
"Hardly," said Milly, "I was training to be a model while you were still in the sewers."
"Ah, but living in the sewers has made me stronger," said Mary, flexing an arm, "You don't have much to compare to that."
"I gave birth to extra-large twins and managed to lose weight in time for this competition," said Milly.
"Only two?" scoffed Mary, "I gave birth to dozens. I'm tougher than all my offspring combined."
"Maybe you'd be able to prove that if they weren't letting you win," said Milly.
There was a long pause before Mary asked, "You think that's enough for the watchers?"
"It's not like we're having a rap battle," said Milly.
"Oh God, no, I don't even want to imagine that," said Mary with a shudder.
"You looked pretty good on the stage," commented Milly.
"Oh, don't be silly," said Mary, "I'm too swol to be considered beautiful."
"Have you not paid attention?" asked Milly, "Animalia has a different standard for beauty. Amazons like you are considered hot."
"Coming from a top model, that's quite a compliment," said Mary.
"Oh, I wouldn't say top model," said Milly, "There are other models that rank above me."
"Still, you're definitely going to end up top of your breed," said Mary.
"Personally, I think my mom's holding back so she doesn't outshine me," said Milly.
"You give yourself too little credit," said Mary, "That said, I won't hold back when it's the final round."
"I won't really earn that tiara if I didn't had to work for it," said Milly.
Mary and Milly actually respected each other, but considering the people watching this wanted a heated rivalry, they gave the occasional smack talk to each other. But pretty soon, they'll be getting more serious. They eventually came out as the Best of their respective Breeds. Now it will be down to the last round to see who would be Miss Year of the Rat.