The main reason I haven't updated my third race in so long is one thing: I just haven't had fun writing it. It was so hard to keep track of so many teams and it felt like I wasn't getting anywhere with it. So, while I'm keeping the previous races up, I'm starting from scratch, as if the three races I did never even happened. Because of this, my new race will include some of the teams that you guys watched in the original run.
Don't worry. This race will be just like the actual one. Twelve teams. Non-elimination legs. An Intersection-like event. I'm even going to include a couple of surprises along the way.
Once again, I apologize for not being able to finish the last race, but like I said, I just wasn't having any fun.
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Meet the Teams
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The scene opened up to show a huge shot of VG Central, an enormous city that stretches as far as the eye can see. After showing shots of various spots around the city, a helicopter containing the camera flew around a large building that looked like a fighting arena. As the shot zoomed in on the roof, a tall, young man walked into view. He had a full head of blonde hair, a blonde mustache and a small soul patch. He was wearing a dark red vest over a bright red shirt and a pair of black pants.
"I'm standing on the Megamix Dome, one of the largest buildings in VG Central. This dome is the home of the Megamix Tournament, a big event I host." The young man, SSBFreak, told the camera. "However, this dome will serve another purpose today. Twelve teams of two will embark from this arena on a hectic race around the VG Universe."
Three helicopters flew overtop the city, flying towards the Megamix Dome.
"One by one, the teams will be eliminated until the last leg begins, where the first team to cross the finish line at the end will win the one-million dollar prize." SSBFreak explained. "The twelve teams are…"
As each team stepped out of their respective helicopter, their name was announced.
Team One: JAK & KIERARepresenting: JAK & DAXTER
Relationship: DATING
Jak & Keira led the group of teams towards the starting point of the race. Jak was a fairly-muscular young man with spiky, green-yellow hair and a goatee. He was wearing a deep blue shirt with a brown vest over it, and a pair of brown pants. A set of goggles were resting on his head. Kiera was slightly shorter than Jak was, and had a full head of long, green hair. She was wearing a white shirt and black shorts.
"After going through everything I went through in my life, I figured that it would be time for a little vacation." Jak explained. "After seeing an ad for the race, Kiera and I applied and hoped for the best. Well, we actually made it on the show and we're in it to win it. The other teams had better watch out, because we're going to be a real force to be reckoned with."
"I see this race as an opportunity to spend more time with Jak, and the fact that Daxter isn't around to bother us just makes it better." Kiera said. "I hope to keep us going for as long as we can, but if we get eliminated first, we agreed to make the best of it. But I hope we can last a while, because we've never really traveled all that much…"
Team Two: HUGO & PENELOPERepresenting: ADVENTURES OF HUGO
Relationship: MARRIED
The only married couple on the race strolled along just behind Jak & Keira. The most notable thing about Hugo was his salt-and-pepper hair, although his trademark bright blue shirt and pink pants couldn't be overlooked, either. Penelope had long, red hair and was wearing a yellow shirt littered with red flowers and a pair of red shorts.
"Not a lot of people know about me. I haven't seen any work at all since the early-mid eighties." Hugo explained before smirking. "That's not a bad thing, though. After all, I can't be rescuing my wife from danger at every turn."
"Hey! I saved YOU in 'Hugo 2'!" Penelope reminded as she playfully socked her husband in the arm.
"Yeah. Yeah. I haven't forgotten." Hugo chuckled.
"Hugo and I have a strong relationship, and we're willing to put it all to the test in this race." Penelope explained. "Hopefully, we'll stick around in this race long enough to show that even though we're not working anymore, we still have what it takes."
Team Three: VANILLA & CREAMRepresenting: SONIC THE HEDGEHOG
Relationship: MOTHER & DAUGHTER
The two female rabbits walked along with the rest of the teams, looking cheerful. Vanilla, standing as tall as a number of the racers, her singe tuft of chestnut brown hair wavering lightly in the breeze. She was wearing a cherry-red shirt and a pair of jeans. Cream, on the other hand, was one of the shortest of the bunch. With a red shirt and jeans, Cream was dressed just like her mother.
"I have to admit that I've been a fan of the race. And, although I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, I jumped at the chance to apply." Vanilla said sheepishly. "It's taking a bit for all of this to set in, and I still don't think it's set in, yet. I hope that Cream and I can last, because I've been looking forward to something like this for a long time."
"I have plenty of experience for travelling. After all, I DID go adventuring with Mr. Sonic." Cream pointed out. "So doing this race shouldn't take too long to get used to. If mom and I work together, I think we can stay in this for a long time. Everyone else had better watch their backs, because we're in it to win it."
Team Four: BILLY KANE & LILLY KANERepresenting: FATAL FURY
Relationship: BROTHER & SISTER
The Kane siblings walked towards the starting point, both of them with their hands in their pockets. Billy, the taller one, had a full head of dirty-blonde hair and was wearing his trademark denim jacket and jeans. Lilly's dirty-blonde hair went past her shoulders, and she was wearing a white long-sleeve shirt and brown pants. The bandana Billy usually wore on his head was tied around Lilly's neck as a neckerchief.
"Being the bodyguard of Geese Howard, I'm not really given a lot of free time, so this race would definitely be a good vacation, regardless of how long Lilly and I last." Billy said. "If we keep going, we'll get to see many different nodes that we've never been to. If we get eliminated first, we'll get a free month vacation in a beachside villa. It'll work for us either way."
"Billy's always been so caring of me. I figured that it was about time he got a well-deserved vacation." Lilly explained. "This race will give us the biggest chance we can get to have some quality time together and I intend to make the best of it no matter how long we last."
Team Five: EIKE & MUTORepresenting: SUIKODEN 3
Relationship: FRIENDS
The most noticeable thing about the fifth team was that Muto was a large kobold, a dog-like creature, and yet Eike was a human. Muto had a shiny coat of fur and was wearing a blue shirt and a pair of brown pants. Eike was surprisingly pale and had thinning brown hair. He was wearing a white shirt with a brown vest and a pair of trousers. For some reason, he didn't seem to be walking as fast as the others.
"I'm not exactly sure why Muto asked if we could apply for the race as a team." Eike admitted, scratching his head. "I'm not exactly the most enthusiastic person around."
"But you need a chance to have fun once in a while, Eike!" Muto said cheerfully. "This'll be fun!"
Eike gave a shrug. "If you say so."
"I may not be the smartest person at Budehuc, but I know when someone needs a bit of fun." Muto said. "Maybe this race will help him open up a bit more. I wanna be the one to help him through the race, because I think he needs it."
Team Six: TOMOKI & AKIRepresenting: APE ESCAPE
Relationship: DATING
Looking at the tall figure of Tomoki, people would see that there was a Peak Point Helmet (usually worn by the monkeys in the games) welded to his head, the subject of a freak accident. Still, the dating couple paid it no mind. Tomoki was clad in a blue shirt, a leather jacket and a pair of slacks. Aki, standing about four inches shorter than Tomoki, had a full head of long, brown hair. She was wearing a yellow sweater with the hood pulled down and a pair of brown pants.
"At first, I was going to wear my wig to cover this helmet on my head, but Aki suggested to let the people watching see me for what I am and that I'm not ashamed of it." Tomoki admitted. "I hope that Aki and I can prove that even though we're not the best of athletes, we can still outlast more-fit teams. That would be great."
"Tomoki's always been afraid of that helmet on his head, because people always teased him about it." Aki said. "Can't they see that he's a human, too?! Well, if we do well here, that will sure put a stop to all of that jeering. And I intend to be there for him every step of the way."
Team Seven: TABBY & BEA
Representing: ANIMAL CROSSING
Relationship: BEST FRIENDS
Tabby & Bea, being a cat and dog respectively, were two of the four shortest racers on the race, but the two best friends still looked cheerful. Tabby was an orange cat with a few gray stripes and is known for having the largest smile in Animal Crossing. She wore a purple blouse and a pair of jeans, her orange and gray tail sticking out of them. Bea was a normal-looking brown dog with black ears, although she was a couple of inches taller than her friend. She was wearing a dark green sweater and a pair of bright blue pants.
"Bea and I have been friends ever since I moved to her town. So after seeing the ad for the race, we knew exactly what we had to do." Tabby said. "We not only intend to have a blast seeing things we never knew existed, but we hope to cause a little mischief along the way. Hopefully, we'll get the chance."
"Truth be told, we need the money. If it'll get Nook off our backs, we'll do it." Bea admitted. "Running this race will definitely be the biggest thing Tabby and I have ever done, and we're going to try our hardest to reach the Finish Line first. That would be absolutely amazing."
Team Eight: JAMIE THANG & JAMES THANG
Representing: WARIO WARE INC.
Relationship: SISTER & BROTHER
The Thang siblings were a funky couple indeed. Jamie, the younger of the two, had a pink afro with a couple of ponytail-like buns hanging off the sides of it. She had her favourite green top with a white star on it, with a pair of blue shorts. James, despite being older, was shorter than his sister, and also overweight. He had a simple orange afro (…simple?) and was wearing a white shirt, blue jacket and black pants. Another interesting note was that both siblings had red noses.
"Our big brother Jimmy is always working with Wario, trying to come up with new games. It often gets boring around our place." Jamie admitted. "So James saw this ad for the race and we thought it would be a good idea to try out. Well, here we are. One of twelve teams racing for the big bucks. We're going to give it our all and hopefully get through the pack."
"This race is definitely gonna be a change of pace for us, because all our family seems to do is dance at Club Sugar, although Jimmy has that job with Wario." James said. "I hope Jamie and I can last through this and win at the end, because not only would we have gone all over the universe, but we would get a huge amount of cash to help us along the way."
Team Nine: SAM & MAX
Representing: SAM & MAX
Relationship: PARTNERS
Another anthro team walked towards the starting point, the taller one with his hands in his pockets. Sam was a large dog as tall as any normal person, and was clad in his normal getup: A gray suit and a fedora. Max, on the other had, was a short rabbit and was one of the four shortest racers along with Cream, Tabby and Bea. However, unlike them, Max was wearing absolutely nothing.
"Things were getting a little dull over at the office, so Max and I figured we could pass the time running this race." Sam admitted with a chuckle. "Yes, he's hard to handle sometimes, but his unusual personality could help us in later stages in the race. The key to that would be getting him to use it at the most opportune moments."
"Hey, Sam? Can I set the host on fire when we get eliminated?" Max asked, as if he was asking something normal.
Sam smirked. "Sure thing, little buddy."
"Goody!"
Team Ten: PETER PLUM & JOSEPHINE SCARLET
Representing: CLUE
Relationship: FRIENDS
Prof. Plum was an average sized man, although he looked a little scrawny from a distance. He had a full head of orange hair, glasses and was wearing a lavender shirt with a pair of purple pants. Miss Scarlet, on the other hand, had long, dark hair that was wavy and curly at the same time. She was wearing a red top and a pair of crimson shorts.
"Well, after solving that dastardly case of Mr. Boddy's murder, Josephine and I didn't really have that much to do." Plum pointed out.
"I STILL can't believe Colonel Mustard would have done something like that." Scarlet said absent-mindedly, shaking her head.
"Me neither, but we still didn't have a whole lot going on." Plum added. "So when we were given the opportunity to apply for this race, we took it."
"Indeed, and that prize money is definitely nothing to sneeze at." Scarlet pointed out. "Peter and I may not have the best relationship, but we're definitely going to work together if we want to get that money."
Team Eleven: ILIA & BETH
Representing: LEGEND OF ZELDA: TWILIGHT PRINCESS
Relationship: BEST FRIENDS
The female Hylian team may have looked young, but the two racers looked full of spirit and ready to race. Ilia, whom was probably older, had a unique hairstyle, light brown hair going to her shoulders, then sticking out to the right in a spike. She was wearing a white shirt with floral print and brown shorts. Beth, younger but much more outgoing than her partner, had a simple hairstyle for her red hair. She was wearing a red shirt with a brown vest and was wearing a pair of brown shorts, although these looked more poofy than straight like the ones Ilia was wearing.
"The village had been pretty quiet since Link saved Hyrule, so then Beth came up to me and asked me if I wanted to apply for this race." Ilia said. "Well, I DO wish to see the different nodes out there, so I agreed. I certainly didn't expect our team to be chosen, but I hope to make the best of what time we have on the race and enjoy the sights."
"Well, my parents aren't much of racers, so Ilia was my next choice as a partner." Beth explained. "I think I made a good choice, because we get along fairly well and we know how to work together. I think we can do well on this race, so the other teams should list us as an underdog team, because we might strike when they least expect it."
Team Twelve: KOLORADO & BOWYER
Representing: PAPER MARIO (Kolorado) AND MARIO RPG (Bowyer)
Relationship: FRIENDS
Kolorado & Bowyer were a strange sight indeed, even after seeing Sam & Max. Kolorado was a normal-sized Koopa with a yellow shell, but he was wearing an explorer's cap, had a black mustache and had a monocle in his left eye. Bowyer, on the other hand, was at least a full foot taller than Kolorado, and was an unusual bow-like creature with spiky, red hair and a nose that looked like the tip of an arrow. Yellow and green stripes went down his tall and thin body, and other than a pair of gloves and shoes, he was wearing nothing.
"I know we don't look it, but Bowyer and I are smashing good friends." Kolorado explained in a thick, British accent. "We ended up meeting on a race we ran in the past, and we became fast friends. I say, it sure did take a while, but I managed to understand Bowyer's unusual speech pattern. Now that we have a better understanding of each other, Bowyer and I are in this race to pull out on top."
"Nice to me Kolorado is. Much on the last race we were on he showed me." Bowyer explained with an unusual speech pattern. "Glad I am that understand me he can. Run this race we shall and the other teams we will beat! Get the prize money we will because work together we can."
(Author's note: Technically, Kolorado and Bowyer never meet in the games. However, there was a race fanfic I read that got me into writing these things and they had Kolorado & Bowyer as a team of 'guys that just met'. They were my favourite team, so I included them here.)
The twelve teams soon found themselves lined up at the edge of the huge dome's roof. Their backpacks, each with an envelope resting on top of it, were laying a good fifty feet away, and SSBFreak was standing about twenty feet away, standing in between the teams and their luggage.
"In a few short moments, you'll all be embarking on the most exciting trip of your lives. When I give the signal, you'll all run towards the baggage you brought with you, where you'll find your first clue." SSBFreak explained. "Afterwards, you must leave the dome and jump into one of the provided marked cars. What you do after that is entirely up to you."
"Um…What about money?" Ilia asked somewhat timidly.
"She HAS a point. We'll need to do a lot of things on the race." Tomoki provided.
"Not to worry. At the start of each leg, you'll receive a set amount of cash, and anything you have left over at the end of the leg will be carried over to the next." SSBFreak said. "You must use this money for everything except airplane tickets, which the race itself will pay for."
"That sure takes a load off my mind." Billy explained.
"Definitely." Penelope nodded.
Eike gave another silent shrug, but gave a nod as well.
"Each team must be together at all times, except for during a Boss Battle, which requires only one racer to complete." SSBFreak said. "You must work together to stay at the front of the pack, because at the end of each leg, there's a Pitstop. You want to reach these as fast as you can, because if you're last when you check in, you could be eliminated from the race. The first team to cross the Finish Line back here in VG Central will win the one million-dollar prize."
Clearly excited at what was at stake, the teams cheered, Tabby & Bea jumping in place as they clapped.
SSBFreak lifted a hand into the air. "You guys ready to start the adventure of a lifetime?"
The cheering died down as everyone got into position, preparing to run.
"Have fun…"
Tomoki & Aki looked at each other silently, nodded and clasped hands.
"…Play hard…"
A mischievous smirk floated across Bowyer's face as he prepared to run.
"…Travel safe…"
Max cleaned out his ear.
"…And may the best team win."
Kiera narrowed her eyes at her backpack, preparing to start running and get to the luggage before the others could.
SSBFreak looked back and forth between the teams, a smirk on his face. The blonde man then thrust his arm down. "GO!!" He shouted.
All twelve teams burst into a sprint, charging past the tall host, running towards their backpacks and starting the race.
To be continued…
Author's note: Like I said, I apologize for not being able to finish the last race, but I just wasn't having fun anymore. Hopefully, with an amount of teams easier to keep track of, I'll be able to finish quicker.