The Race Begins
---------------
Three armored jeeps rustled through the forests of Balamb continent. The jeeps arrived at the clearing where three couples surfaced from their transport. Daniel and Rachel, the 'Trepies', was the first couple to come out from the jeep, followed by Jack and King, group CC and Nida and Shelley, the ship-steerers. The next jeep contained Fujin and Raijin, the discipline committee, Xu and Quistis, the instructors, and Dr. Kadowaki and Matron, the old ladies. The next jeep came out Zell and Irvine, the 'Gun and Punch Formation' team, Selphie and Seifer, team 'Fury' and Squall and Rinoa, the 'Lionheart Angels'.
The nine teams circled on a platform and in the middle stood Cid Kramer, who was the host of the event.
"There are eleven legs in this race where you will conduct a series of tasks and at the end of the race there is a pit stop. You'll be given a certain amount of money at the beginning of the race, which you'll use to spend for the next leg, except for airline tickets that you don't need to pay for, and so saving money is an advantage. There is one fast forward pass at each leg where you can skip all tasks when it's been claimed. However, a team can only use it once for the rest of the race. The last team to arrive at the pit stop will be eliminated from the race. Three of these legs are non-elimination points where no team will be eliminated. The first team to reach the finish line will win 1,000,000 gil.
Across the clearing are your luggages and on top of them is a sealed envelope, which will inform you about your next task. After that the rest is up to you.
The world is waiting." Squall tightened his grip on Rinoa's hand as the adrenaline pumped fiercely into his veins. Selphie wanted to hold Seifer's hand but was nastily refused.
"I did not want to team up with up in the first place anyway," Seifer said. Selphie only looked up at him with innocent puppy eyes. Matron and Dr. Kadowaki were having a friendly chat.
"I'm glad my hubby makes a good host, doesn't he," Matron commented.
"Are you ready?" Cid shouted. The nine teams replied "yes" altogether.
"Go!"
The nine teams battled in a race to retrieve their clue firstly. Jack was the first person to reach his luggage. He swiftly picked up the red envelope and tore it open. A piece of paper written with information was unraveled.
"King, hurry up!" Jack shouted at his partner who was still among the running group. King united with Jack and they read the clue together. Presently, the teams arrived at their stations.
"Drive to Balamb Town and take the train to Timber. The first train will depart at 9.10 a.m. and the second will depart 40 minutes later. Hurry! Seats are on a first come first serve basis," Rachel read with enthusiasm.
"BALAMB STATION! YOU DRIVE I NAVIGATE!" Fujin ordered Raijin. Raijin immediately powered the engine of their car.
"Woohoo!! Timber, here we come!" Zell screamed as he hopped into the back seat of the car.
***
After a short while the forest starting rustling again, scaring away the animals which inhabited the canopies, as the cars rumbled and carved their way through the labyrinth of trees.
"I think we should follow those red flags hanging on the trees to get out of the forest. It's written in the clue," Shelley advised Nida, who was driving and they were in the lead.
"Anyone following us?" Nida asked. Shelley turned around. There were three other cars following them and she could clearly see the drivers, which were Squall, Xu and Daniel.
"Squall, Instructor Xu and Daniel are hot on our trail," she informed.
"Okay. No use losing them at this point."
Two minutes apart from the leading pack were Dr. Kadowaki and Matron and Zell and Irvine.
"Wanna make an alliance with the boys?" Dr. Kadowaki, who was the navigator, suggested.
"Yeah sure. I think we're lost." Matron slowed down the car and signaled Zell and Irvine to stop. Irvine pressed the breaks and the car slowly trundled until it leveled the women's.
"Got any problem, ladies?" Irvine asked.
"We're kind of lost so can we team up to find our way out?" Matron asked, which was replied with a wink. Irvine pressed the accelerator and their car whizzed forward, followed by the women's. The both of them spotted the route markers and in no time both cars exited the forest and into the highway.
***
Meanwhile, Fujin and Raijin were having difficulties. Their radiator burned out and Raijin in panic crashed the car on the tree. A squirrel fell from the tree and landed on Fujin's face.
"BAH!!! STUPID ANIMAL!!!" Fujin tried to fend off the critter, which was scratching her face. After the squirrel shyly scattered away from the car, Fujin showed her anger by slamming the door after she got off the wrecked vehicle.
"RAIJIN, IDIOT! COME OUT!" Fujin screeched. Raijin pulled his body out of the car and tumbled on the dirt. Fujin then gave Raijin a kick on the abdomen.
"It's not my fault hon. The car's a goner anywayz," Raijin said innocently. Soon after, Selphie and Seifer's car arrived at the scene.
"Hey guys, what happened? Ooh, what a crash!" Selphie commented as she saw the duo's car sputtered a trail of white smoke towards the sky.
"You fools, hop in," Seifer ordered, "You don't wanna win a million gil?"
"There are seats for two more," Selphie added.
Without hesitation, Fujin and Raijin hopped into their vehicle. In a distance,
Jack and King were also having problems. Their vehicle was crowded with birds.
"Jack, did you bring birdseeds with you again?" King reprimanded.
"I'm sorry birdseed give me energy ya know. Crap, I think I touched some bird shit."
"I'm gonna horn to scare the pests away."
"No, you can't! The clue said..." Jack's warning was interrupted by the blaring sound of the car horn King produced. The birds were immediately chased away from inhabiting the car, but a worry carved Jack's face.
"What you were about to say?" King said, while turning around to see Jack gaping with his eyes widened. King turned back to see a Catchapillar lunging towards the vehicle.
***
"Haha!" Daniel jeered at Nida and Shelley as they overtook their car on the highway. Leading them were Quistis and Xu. The Trepies were too afraid to overtake Quistis as they worship her as their idol. That is what being a Trepie is all about. After a few minutes they arrived at the blue ocean town of Balamb. The instructors were the first to arrive at the port, followed by the Trepies, the 'Ship-Steerers' and the 'Lionheart-Angels'. The four teams quickly exited the cars after they had parked them and made a mad dash to the train station. Three minutes later, the old ladies and team 'Punch and Gun Formation' arrived, then followed by Selphie and Seifer and Fujin and Raijin soon after.
Squall and Rinoa were the first team to purchase the first ticket.
"We rock Squall!" Rinoa cheered, jumping up and down. A blast of cool air-conditioning greeted them as they entered the first train's cabin.
Nida was the next person of the queue to buy the tickets, but to his dismay the ticket girl shook her head and said 'no more' when he demanded tickets for the first train. Shelley was frustrated as Xu and Quistis and the Trepies entered the train.
"I can't believe it!" Shelley exclaimed while pulling her hair in anger as Nida exited the queue with the second train tickets. "We were in the lead!"
"Irony happens," Nida said coolly.
"It's you who's being slow!" Shelley yelled at him with her eyes fixed on his line of sight. She mimicked Nida's voice as she continued, "We shouldn't drive
faster than 50 miles per hour cos we'll be breaking traffic rules."
***
Fujin and Raijin sat down at the nearby café with Seifer and Selphie after they have bought their tickets. Seifer, Fujin and Raijin were discussing strategy while Selphie pressed her nose on the glass wall peering at the wide blue sea.
"Next time Raijin, I DRIVE YOU NAVIGATE!" Fujin screeched, banging her balled fist on the patio.
"Ya know, I think our biggest threat is Squall while we can cheat to lead the others like we used to. I hate Squall when he spots our bag of tricks and this time it's payback time!" Seifer decreed.
"Uh uh, no cheating cuz God's watching us," Raijin said dumbly. Seifer gave Raijin a knock on the head.
"Then what God will do, strike lightning bolts at us?" Seifer sneered. Raijin nodded in apology.
"Umm... what about Selphie? Will she try to sabotage our plans?" Raijin said.
"Good question my man." The three started to near at each other, whispering.
"I'll try to divert Selphie's attention from spotting our dirty tricks. But I need your help."
Fujin looked at her watch. "10 MINUTES TO TRAIN'S DEPARTURE." Immediately, the three departed their seats. Seifer tapped on Selphie's shoulder but she was still lost in her admiration of the sea.
"Why is the sea so blue?" Selphie thought. She was then dragged forcefully to the station with her eyes still stuck on the view of the ocean.
The train hissed and screeched as it stopped at the platform in Balamb Station. Nida and Shelley, who were the first to be in the train, threw their bags on the floor and rested on the seats of the cabin.
"Funny, I didn't see Jack and King at the station yet," Shelley said in wonder.
"I hope they're not stranded in the forest or the highway. They're kinda fun when it comes to Triple Triad," Nida said. "I'm going out to check out the train."
As Nida walked the corridor, Seifer, Fujin, Raijin and Selphie were at a distance. As they encountered, Seifer gave an unfriendly bump to Nida. Nida did not grudge and continued with the exploration. Seifer and Selphie entered their cabins first while Fujin and Raijin admitted into the adjoining cabin. Selphie jumped wildly as the intercom informed them about the soon to come departure.
"I can't wait to look at the undersea the second time!" That gave Seifer a major headache. The ranting about her first SeeD adventure to Timber that Selphie brought into the cabin broke his lazy nap. In fact, Seifer's envy boiled, as he was still an undergraduate unlike Squall, Zell and Selphie.
A minute was left until the train's departure and there was no sign of the CC group. Just before the train started to move, two people smothered in green slime entered the train, huffing and puffing. Many of the passengers were surprised and disgusted, while Nida on the other hand recognised them as Jack and King through the thick slime.
"Glad that you two made it," Nida sighed of relief. He tried not to slap their slimy palms. "What happened?"
"This guy here likes to disturb bugs," Jack pointed at King. The slime on his finger dripped on the floor.
"Shut up, Jack-ass," King pushed Jack to their cabin soon after, leaving a trail of green slimy footprints, which was nauseating.
***
On the first train, the Trepies were sort of honored and lucky to be on the same train with their idol. They hounded Quistis to death by profusely asking to treat her to lunch, while Quistis profusely replied with different excuses such as "Sorry, I'm on a strict diet. I can't eat that... blah... eat this..." and hiding her face behind a magazine cover. Squall and Rinoa were admiring the undersea wonders from the window. As a matter of fact, Squall and Rinoa were about to be engaged soon and they sometimes joke on love and sex while watching the fishes swimming by.
***
On the second train, Selphie joined Zell, Irvine, Matron and Dr. Kadowaki for a game of charades after being chased away by Seifer for disturbing his sleep. Nida, Jack and King played Triple Triad. As always, King had the better hand and won the most cards. Seifer, Fujin and Raijin were chatting.
"I don't get it. How on earth did you pair up with Selphie?" Raijin wondered.
"Grr..." Seifer gritted his teeth, "It's because this Selphie doesn't have a teammate when she really, really wanted to join the race and she knew that I don't have a team mate too. So she just send in the entry with my name and fake signature on it. She also tapped into the school register and copied all my details for the signup."
Fujin paused for a while, wondering about how on earth Selphie can be a professional forger while she looked like an immature and childish teenage girl at usual times. Everyone was hence lost in their thoughts, thinking of the tasks that will be encounter, and especially the thought of elimination.
---------------
Three armored jeeps rustled through the forests of Balamb continent. The jeeps arrived at the clearing where three couples surfaced from their transport. Daniel and Rachel, the 'Trepies', was the first couple to come out from the jeep, followed by Jack and King, group CC and Nida and Shelley, the ship-steerers. The next jeep contained Fujin and Raijin, the discipline committee, Xu and Quistis, the instructors, and Dr. Kadowaki and Matron, the old ladies. The next jeep came out Zell and Irvine, the 'Gun and Punch Formation' team, Selphie and Seifer, team 'Fury' and Squall and Rinoa, the 'Lionheart Angels'.
The nine teams circled on a platform and in the middle stood Cid Kramer, who was the host of the event.
"There are eleven legs in this race where you will conduct a series of tasks and at the end of the race there is a pit stop. You'll be given a certain amount of money at the beginning of the race, which you'll use to spend for the next leg, except for airline tickets that you don't need to pay for, and so saving money is an advantage. There is one fast forward pass at each leg where you can skip all tasks when it's been claimed. However, a team can only use it once for the rest of the race. The last team to arrive at the pit stop will be eliminated from the race. Three of these legs are non-elimination points where no team will be eliminated. The first team to reach the finish line will win 1,000,000 gil.
Across the clearing are your luggages and on top of them is a sealed envelope, which will inform you about your next task. After that the rest is up to you.
The world is waiting." Squall tightened his grip on Rinoa's hand as the adrenaline pumped fiercely into his veins. Selphie wanted to hold Seifer's hand but was nastily refused.
"I did not want to team up with up in the first place anyway," Seifer said. Selphie only looked up at him with innocent puppy eyes. Matron and Dr. Kadowaki were having a friendly chat.
"I'm glad my hubby makes a good host, doesn't he," Matron commented.
"Are you ready?" Cid shouted. The nine teams replied "yes" altogether.
"Go!"
The nine teams battled in a race to retrieve their clue firstly. Jack was the first person to reach his luggage. He swiftly picked up the red envelope and tore it open. A piece of paper written with information was unraveled.
"King, hurry up!" Jack shouted at his partner who was still among the running group. King united with Jack and they read the clue together. Presently, the teams arrived at their stations.
"Drive to Balamb Town and take the train to Timber. The first train will depart at 9.10 a.m. and the second will depart 40 minutes later. Hurry! Seats are on a first come first serve basis," Rachel read with enthusiasm.
"BALAMB STATION! YOU DRIVE I NAVIGATE!" Fujin ordered Raijin. Raijin immediately powered the engine of their car.
"Woohoo!! Timber, here we come!" Zell screamed as he hopped into the back seat of the car.
***
After a short while the forest starting rustling again, scaring away the animals which inhabited the canopies, as the cars rumbled and carved their way through the labyrinth of trees.
"I think we should follow those red flags hanging on the trees to get out of the forest. It's written in the clue," Shelley advised Nida, who was driving and they were in the lead.
"Anyone following us?" Nida asked. Shelley turned around. There were three other cars following them and she could clearly see the drivers, which were Squall, Xu and Daniel.
"Squall, Instructor Xu and Daniel are hot on our trail," she informed.
"Okay. No use losing them at this point."
Two minutes apart from the leading pack were Dr. Kadowaki and Matron and Zell and Irvine.
"Wanna make an alliance with the boys?" Dr. Kadowaki, who was the navigator, suggested.
"Yeah sure. I think we're lost." Matron slowed down the car and signaled Zell and Irvine to stop. Irvine pressed the breaks and the car slowly trundled until it leveled the women's.
"Got any problem, ladies?" Irvine asked.
"We're kind of lost so can we team up to find our way out?" Matron asked, which was replied with a wink. Irvine pressed the accelerator and their car whizzed forward, followed by the women's. The both of them spotted the route markers and in no time both cars exited the forest and into the highway.
***
Meanwhile, Fujin and Raijin were having difficulties. Their radiator burned out and Raijin in panic crashed the car on the tree. A squirrel fell from the tree and landed on Fujin's face.
"BAH!!! STUPID ANIMAL!!!" Fujin tried to fend off the critter, which was scratching her face. After the squirrel shyly scattered away from the car, Fujin showed her anger by slamming the door after she got off the wrecked vehicle.
"RAIJIN, IDIOT! COME OUT!" Fujin screeched. Raijin pulled his body out of the car and tumbled on the dirt. Fujin then gave Raijin a kick on the abdomen.
"It's not my fault hon. The car's a goner anywayz," Raijin said innocently. Soon after, Selphie and Seifer's car arrived at the scene.
"Hey guys, what happened? Ooh, what a crash!" Selphie commented as she saw the duo's car sputtered a trail of white smoke towards the sky.
"You fools, hop in," Seifer ordered, "You don't wanna win a million gil?"
"There are seats for two more," Selphie added.
Without hesitation, Fujin and Raijin hopped into their vehicle. In a distance,
Jack and King were also having problems. Their vehicle was crowded with birds.
"Jack, did you bring birdseeds with you again?" King reprimanded.
"I'm sorry birdseed give me energy ya know. Crap, I think I touched some bird shit."
"I'm gonna horn to scare the pests away."
"No, you can't! The clue said..." Jack's warning was interrupted by the blaring sound of the car horn King produced. The birds were immediately chased away from inhabiting the car, but a worry carved Jack's face.
"What you were about to say?" King said, while turning around to see Jack gaping with his eyes widened. King turned back to see a Catchapillar lunging towards the vehicle.
***
"Haha!" Daniel jeered at Nida and Shelley as they overtook their car on the highway. Leading them were Quistis and Xu. The Trepies were too afraid to overtake Quistis as they worship her as their idol. That is what being a Trepie is all about. After a few minutes they arrived at the blue ocean town of Balamb. The instructors were the first to arrive at the port, followed by the Trepies, the 'Ship-Steerers' and the 'Lionheart-Angels'. The four teams quickly exited the cars after they had parked them and made a mad dash to the train station. Three minutes later, the old ladies and team 'Punch and Gun Formation' arrived, then followed by Selphie and Seifer and Fujin and Raijin soon after.
Squall and Rinoa were the first team to purchase the first ticket.
"We rock Squall!" Rinoa cheered, jumping up and down. A blast of cool air-conditioning greeted them as they entered the first train's cabin.
Nida was the next person of the queue to buy the tickets, but to his dismay the ticket girl shook her head and said 'no more' when he demanded tickets for the first train. Shelley was frustrated as Xu and Quistis and the Trepies entered the train.
"I can't believe it!" Shelley exclaimed while pulling her hair in anger as Nida exited the queue with the second train tickets. "We were in the lead!"
"Irony happens," Nida said coolly.
"It's you who's being slow!" Shelley yelled at him with her eyes fixed on his line of sight. She mimicked Nida's voice as she continued, "We shouldn't drive
faster than 50 miles per hour cos we'll be breaking traffic rules."
***
Fujin and Raijin sat down at the nearby café with Seifer and Selphie after they have bought their tickets. Seifer, Fujin and Raijin were discussing strategy while Selphie pressed her nose on the glass wall peering at the wide blue sea.
"Next time Raijin, I DRIVE YOU NAVIGATE!" Fujin screeched, banging her balled fist on the patio.
"Ya know, I think our biggest threat is Squall while we can cheat to lead the others like we used to. I hate Squall when he spots our bag of tricks and this time it's payback time!" Seifer decreed.
"Uh uh, no cheating cuz God's watching us," Raijin said dumbly. Seifer gave Raijin a knock on the head.
"Then what God will do, strike lightning bolts at us?" Seifer sneered. Raijin nodded in apology.
"Umm... what about Selphie? Will she try to sabotage our plans?" Raijin said.
"Good question my man." The three started to near at each other, whispering.
"I'll try to divert Selphie's attention from spotting our dirty tricks. But I need your help."
Fujin looked at her watch. "10 MINUTES TO TRAIN'S DEPARTURE." Immediately, the three departed their seats. Seifer tapped on Selphie's shoulder but she was still lost in her admiration of the sea.
"Why is the sea so blue?" Selphie thought. She was then dragged forcefully to the station with her eyes still stuck on the view of the ocean.
The train hissed and screeched as it stopped at the platform in Balamb Station. Nida and Shelley, who were the first to be in the train, threw their bags on the floor and rested on the seats of the cabin.
"Funny, I didn't see Jack and King at the station yet," Shelley said in wonder.
"I hope they're not stranded in the forest or the highway. They're kinda fun when it comes to Triple Triad," Nida said. "I'm going out to check out the train."
As Nida walked the corridor, Seifer, Fujin, Raijin and Selphie were at a distance. As they encountered, Seifer gave an unfriendly bump to Nida. Nida did not grudge and continued with the exploration. Seifer and Selphie entered their cabins first while Fujin and Raijin admitted into the adjoining cabin. Selphie jumped wildly as the intercom informed them about the soon to come departure.
"I can't wait to look at the undersea the second time!" That gave Seifer a major headache. The ranting about her first SeeD adventure to Timber that Selphie brought into the cabin broke his lazy nap. In fact, Seifer's envy boiled, as he was still an undergraduate unlike Squall, Zell and Selphie.
A minute was left until the train's departure and there was no sign of the CC group. Just before the train started to move, two people smothered in green slime entered the train, huffing and puffing. Many of the passengers were surprised and disgusted, while Nida on the other hand recognised them as Jack and King through the thick slime.
"Glad that you two made it," Nida sighed of relief. He tried not to slap their slimy palms. "What happened?"
"This guy here likes to disturb bugs," Jack pointed at King. The slime on his finger dripped on the floor.
"Shut up, Jack-ass," King pushed Jack to their cabin soon after, leaving a trail of green slimy footprints, which was nauseating.
***
On the first train, the Trepies were sort of honored and lucky to be on the same train with their idol. They hounded Quistis to death by profusely asking to treat her to lunch, while Quistis profusely replied with different excuses such as "Sorry, I'm on a strict diet. I can't eat that... blah... eat this..." and hiding her face behind a magazine cover. Squall and Rinoa were admiring the undersea wonders from the window. As a matter of fact, Squall and Rinoa were about to be engaged soon and they sometimes joke on love and sex while watching the fishes swimming by.
***
On the second train, Selphie joined Zell, Irvine, Matron and Dr. Kadowaki for a game of charades after being chased away by Seifer for disturbing his sleep. Nida, Jack and King played Triple Triad. As always, King had the better hand and won the most cards. Seifer, Fujin and Raijin were chatting.
"I don't get it. How on earth did you pair up with Selphie?" Raijin wondered.
"Grr..." Seifer gritted his teeth, "It's because this Selphie doesn't have a teammate when she really, really wanted to join the race and she knew that I don't have a team mate too. So she just send in the entry with my name and fake signature on it. She also tapped into the school register and copied all my details for the signup."
Fujin paused for a while, wondering about how on earth Selphie can be a professional forger while she looked like an immature and childish teenage girl at usual times. Everyone was hence lost in their thoughts, thinking of the tasks that will be encounter, and especially the thought of elimination.