"It's Going To Come Down To Us And Them."
Previously on The Amazing Race
Eleven teams set out from the City Seventeen Citadel, and raced all the way to Black Mesa East.
Romani and Cremia took the Fast Forward, and the lead with it.
"We should be able to find it again in no time"
Mable and Sable struggled to get it into gear.
"Come on sis, we're still in it!"
Knuckles and Rouge got lost and fell behind.
"Come on Rouge, let's get moving!"
In the end, Mable and Sable couldn't keep up with the other teams and were eliminated.
"You're the last team to arrive. I'm sorry to tell you you have been eliminated from the race"
Now, only ten teams remain. Who will be eliminated next?
This is Black Mesa East, a research facility on the outskirts of City Seventeen. Teams arrived here at the end of the last leg for a mandatory twelve hour rest period. The teams waiting here have no idea what is in store for them and they must figure out where to go next by solving clues in sealed envelopes.
Romani and Cremia, who were the first to arrive at 3:17 PM.
"You're team number one."
Will depart at 3:17 AM
Romani and Cremia- First to depart. 3:17 AM.
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"Fly to Isle Delfino"
Teams must now fly to Isle Delfino, in the Mushroom Kingdom, once there they must make their way to Delfino Plaza and find their next clue.
"Once there search Delfino Plaza for your next clue. Teams must take one of three flights: Delfino Air flight 137, departing at 10:30 AM. Aperture Flight 27, departing at 11 AM and Royal Air flight 392, departing at 1 PM. Tickets are first come, first serve. Teams have 153 coins for this leg of the race."
"Last leg we took the Fast Forward and hopefully we can use the lead we built to stay in front for the rest of the race." Said Romani.
"Hopefully the other teams will underestimate us and we can go on to surprise them." Added Cremia as the two climbed into the cab headed for City Seventeen Airport, arriving there at 3:29 AM.
"Excuse me, which of these flights arrives first?" Asked Romani.
"Let me check… The Delfino Air flight connects in Zebes and arrives at 10 PM tonight… Aperture connects in Aether and arrives at 11 PM tonight and Royal Air is flying direct and arrives at 10 PM."
"What do you think, sis?" asked Romani.
"I think we should take Royal Air, that way there's no chance of missing a connecting flight."
"Okay we'll take the Royal flight please."
"Okay, you are booked." Said the cleric.
Romani and Cremia- First on Royal Air flight.
Marth and Roy- Second to depart. 3:58 AM
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Marth and Roy scanned their clue and hailed a cab to take them to the Airport.
"We finished the best out of the teams that didn't use the Fast Forward" Said Marth "And we're feeling good about that. Hopefully we can stay in the top three until the point where we decide to use ours."
Nana and Popo- Third to depart. 3:59 AM
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"Make your way to Isle Delfino" Nana read. "Alright, lets go Popo." She cried as the two climbed into a taxi hot on the heels of Marth and Roy.
"The top three is always good, if we stay there all race we make the final leg and from there why can't we win it?" Popo said.
The two teams arrived at the airport at 4:12 AM and decided to both book the Delfino Air flight.
"We're on the first flight out and I guess you can't be doing any better than that." Said Roy.
Marth and Roy- First on Delfino Air flight.
Nana and Popo- Second on Delfino Air flight.
Axel and Roxas- Fourth to depart. 4:13 AM
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"Should we wait for Team Rocket?" Roxas said.
"No, lets just get going, we don't know how many seats are left on the first flight" Replied Axel.
Jessie and James- Fifth to depart. 4:16 AM
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"Come on James, we have to hurry" Said Jessie.
"Jessie just chill out, we'll get there with heaps of time to spare." James yelled back.
"We yell at each other sometimes and people think we are arguing" Said Jessie. "But really that's just how we communicate."
Axel and Roxas arrived at the airport at 4:22 AM and asked Romani and Cremia which flight was the best one to take. Once they heard that Royal Air was the best, they rushed to the ticket counter to book there tickets, with Jessie and James right behind. Both teams booked the Royal Air flight.
Axel and Roxas- Second on Royal Air flight.
Jessie and James- Last on Royal Air flight.
Yoshi and Birdo- Sixth to Depart- 4:24 AM
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"I guess we should wait for Fox and Falco and then we can decide what to do together" Said Birdo.
"Yeah, you're probably right" Yoshi replied "We could always use some friends on the race."
Fox and Falco- Seventh to Depart- 4:25 AM
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"What do you guys think we should do?" Asked Fox.
"Well the Delfino Air flight leaves first, we probably should take that one." Replied Birdo.
Fox and Falco and Yoshi and Birdo took separate cabs to the airport.
Conker and Berri- Eighth to Depart- 4:37 AM
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"Come on honey, lets get moving" Berri said excitedly.
"I have no idea how she is so chirpy at four thirty in the morning" Conker yawned back.
Fox and Faclo and Yoshi and Birdo arrived at the airport together at 4:40 AM and walked up to the ticket counter.
"Can we book tickets on the Delfino Air flight please?" Falco asked the ticket agent.
"Okay, you are booked in and departing at 10:30 AM."
"Alright, thanks very much."
"Hi, can we have tickets on that same flight?" Yoshi asked.
"I'm sorry, that flight is full. I only have spaces on the 11 AM flight."
Fox and Falco- Last on Delfino Air flight.
Yoshi and Birdo- First on Aperture flight.
"We're not very happy with Fox and Falco at the moment. We left before them and they should have let us be first in line. We're still going to act like we are their friends at the moment but we cant wait for the point where we put them out of the race." Yoshi said.
Knuckles and Rouge- Ninth to Depart. 4:41 AM
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"Come on darling, the monkeys are right behind us." Rouge said as the two climbed into a taxi bound for the airport.
Donkey and Diddy- Last to Depart. 4:42 AM
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"Come on Diddy. Lets get going" Donkey said, "At the very least we should catch up with a few teams at the airport."
Conker and Berri arrived at the airport at 4:47 AM and booked the Aperture flight to Isle Delfino.
"We don't like Jessie and James at all, they were very rude to us yesterday at the Pit Stop and we hope to see them eliminated as soon as possible." Conker said.
Conker and Berri- Second on Aperture flight.
Knuckles and Rouge arrived at the airport with Donkey and Diddy right behind. Both teams ambled up to the ticket counter and booked tickets on the Aperture flight.
Knuckles and Rouge- Third on Aperture flight.
Donkey and Diddy- Last on Aperture flight.
"We honestly didn't think that we would catch any of the first two flights out and that happened" Said Diddy "But we're happy with the fact that we caught up with three other teams so we just have to make sure we beat one of them to the Pit Stop.
10:30 AM- Delfino Air flight departs.
This is the first flight departing from City Seventeen. It is scheduled to arrive in Zebes at 2:30 PM, departing Zebes at 3 PM and arriving in Isle Delfino at 10 PM tonight. It carries Marth and Roy, Nana and Popo and Fox and Falco.
"We are on the first flight out" Said Nana, "And hopefully there won't be any nasty surprises ahead for us."
11 AM- Aperture flight departs.
This is the second flight departing from City Seventeen. It is scheduled to arrive in Aether at 4 PM, departing Aether at 5 PM and arriving in Isle Delfino at 11 PM tonight. It carries Yoshi and Birdo, Conker and Berri, Knuckles and Rouge and Donkey and Diddy.
"Even though we are on the last flight out, we are still confident that we can come in first this leg." Berri said "We could use our Fast Forward, or if all else fails we could use our U-turn or Yield, whichever one turns up on this leg."
12 PM- Royal Air flight departs.
This is the third flight departing from City Seventeen. It is flying Direct to Isle Delfino and is scheduled to arrive at 10 PM. It carries Romani and Cremia, Axel and Roxas and Jessie and James.
"Although we depart last, we arrive in Isle Delfino equal first, but if there is the slightest delay in connecting flights, we will get in first" James said.
All teams are now headed for Isle Delfino via one of three flights.
3 PM
The three teams were in the waiting room ready to board their plane, when an announcement came over the PA system.
"Due to unforeseen difficulties, flight 084 from Zebes to Isle Delfino will be delayed until further notice."
5 PM- Aperture flight departs from Aether.
The four teams boarded the flight from Aether to Isle Delfino without hassle.
5:30 PM- Delfino Air flight departs from Zebes.
The three teams finally boarded the flight to Isle Delfino, which was now scheduled to arrive in Isle Delfino at 12:30 AM tomorrow morning.
10: 02 PM- Royal Air flight to Isle Delfino arrives.
The three teams all stepped out onto the Delfino airstrip, still unaware that it was separate from the Delfino mainland.
Since Delfino Airstrip is separate from the mainland, teams must take a boat from the airstrip to the Delfino mainland. Each boat can carry two teams and the boats are first come, first serve.
"Look Axel! What's that over there?" Roxas yelled as the two men ran over to the boathouse and took a number. Even though they arrived first, they couldn't go anywhere immediately, because the boathouse opened at 10 AM.
"We're number one and we are definitely taking a lead into the plaza." Said Axel, "Hopefully, the girls we will be with us. We get along with them a lot better than we get along with Team Rocket."
Romani and Cremia caught sight of the boathouse and ran towards it with Jessie and James right behind. Jessie and James were faster and overtook Romani and Cremia, running to the door of the boathouse.
"Hey, you guys have to take a number, you know?" Axel said.
"Really? Where are the numbers?" Jessie replied.
"Back at the gate"
Jessie and James looked back to the gate just in time to see Romani and Cremia take the number two tag, meaning they would be on the first boat to the Delfino mainland.
The two trudged back to the gate and took the number three tag.
"We really hate Team Rocket, and we want them gone. They have been nothing but rude and arrogant and they don't deserve to be here." Cremia said.
"We really wanted to get ahead of the Farmgirls" Jessie said "I don't know why, but for some reason they just don't seem to like us, and if they get the chance I wouldn't be surprised if they Yielded us."
"Sometimes I think Jessie needs to relax" Said James, "We were in front of the girls by a long way and all we had to do was look around and take our time and we didn't do that because Jessie was too busy rushing through everything."
11PM- Aperture flight to Delfino Airstrip arrives.
The four teams all walked off the plane casually, expecting to find the airstrip deserted. Yoshi and Birdo had decided to set off at a run and found the boathouse first, taking the number four tag. Conker and Berri were right behind and took the number five. Donkey and Diddy and Knuckles and Rouge had decided to work together, but when Yoshi came back and told them there were numbers that had to be taken, both set off at a sprint towards the boathouse.
Knuckles was the fastest and took the number six tag for his team, meaning Donkey and Diddy were number seven.
"Were in the mix again" Yoshi said "And it feels more fantastic than Fantastic Thursday."
"Obviously we don't like being in the bottom four again" Said Diddy "But at least this time we have a definite lead over the bottom two."
12:30 AM- Delfino Air flight arrives.
The seven teams were waiting for the final three teams when they arrived on the airstrip.
"What are you guys doing here?" Asked Nana.
"You guys have to go to the boathouse and take numbers; we all leave in the morning" explained Rouge.
"Quick Popo, we have to get to the boathouse first!" Yelled Nana as the two started running.
"Leave your bags there, we'll come back for them!" Screamed Marth.
"Hurry up Fox, we can't be last!" Shouted Falco.
Fox and Falco got to the boathouse first, but made the same mistake as Jessie and James, allowing Marth and Roy to take the number eight tag. Fox and Falco ran back and grabbed the number nine tag, leaving Nana and Popo to take the number ten tag.
"We overshot our destination and we are paying the price for it" Said Fox, "We know that it's going to come down to us and them and we are no where near ready to go home yet."
10 AM
Axel and Roxas and Romani and Cremia boarded their boat, which would depart five minutes before the second boat.
The two teams stepped onto the beach of Isle Delfino and ran towards Delfino Plaza, only a few hundred meters away. Axel and Roxas arrived first and opened their next clue.
Axel and Roxas- Currently in First Place.
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"Fast Forward."
A Fast Forward is a task that allows one team to skip all remaining tasks and proceed directly to the Pit Stop.
To claim this Fast Forward, teams must make their way to Pianta village and find the eight red coins hidden around the village.
"Were in first Axel, we don't need it." Said Roxas.
"Okay, it's the roadblock then. Who feels like going under?" Axel read.
A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform, and each team member may only complete five roadblocks throughout the entire race. In this roadblock the chosen team member must make their way into the Delfino underground and navigate to the top of the Shine Gate, where they will find their next clue. Once they have retrieved it, they must take a warp pipe which will return them to their teammate.
"I'll go" Said Roxas. "It should be easy to navigate underground."
As Roxas put on his gear, Romani and Cremia arrived.
Romani and Cremia- Currently in Second Place.
"I'll do it" Said Cremia "You go look for the gate while I put on my gear." She whispered to Romani.
Roxas went underground and started walking systematically through the tunnels, figuring that he would have to get there eventually.
"Cremia, the Shine Gate is over on the north side of the island. Near Mt. Coronet." Romani whispered as Cremia descended into the tunnels, heading north and passing Roxas, although she didn't know it yet.
Meanwhile, the second boat, carrying Jessie and James and Yoshi and Birdo, arrived on Isle Delfino and the two teams ran for the square.
Jessie and James- Currently in Third Place.
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"I'll do the Roadblock" Jessie said, "We need to hurry and get in front of the girls."
Yoshi and Birdo- Currently in Fourth Place.
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"I'll go for it" Said Yoshi. "We don't need a Fast Forward yet"
Both Jessie and Yoshi climbed down into the Delfino underground and started walking through the system of tunnels as the third boat arrived on the beach, carrying Conker and Berri and Knuckles and Rouge, who both ran towards the Plaza.
Knuckles and Rouge- Currently in Fifth Place.
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"Let's do the Fast Forward darling" Said Rouge, "We need to separate ourselves from the pack"
Knuckles and Rouge headed off for the warp pipe to Pianta Village
Conker and Berri- Currently in Sixth Place.
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"You do this one honey" Said Berri "You're better at this kind of thing."
Conker strapped into their harnesses quickly and got underground just as Cremia arrived back at the Plaza, clue in hand.
Romani and Cremia- Currently in First Place.
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"Detour: Dirty or Clean."
A Detour is a choice between two different tasks, each with its own pro's and con's. In this Detour, the choice is between Dirty and Clean.
In Dirty, teams must make their way into Mt. Coronet and climb to its peak to receive their next clue. It's dirty work climbing to the top of the volcano, but teams with enough strength and endurance could finish quickly.
In Clean, teams must make their way to Hotel Delfino and clean an entire room, which has been hit by Shadow Mario. There's nothing tough about the task, but cleaning the paint filled room, could take a while.
"Lets take the clean option, sis" Said Romani "There's no way we'll be able to climb up the inside of a volcano."
Romani and Cremia set off for Hotel Delfino as Knuckles and Rouge arrived in Pianta village and found their first red coin, waiting for them just outside the warp pipe.
Meanwhile, the fourth boat had arrived on Isle Delfino, carrying Donkey and Diddy and Marth and Roy. Both teams rushed up to the Plaza and hurriedly opened their clues.
Marth and Roy- Currently in Seventh Place.
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"You do it Roy" said Marth "Make sure you head north though, look you can see the Shine Gate from here"
Donkey and Diddy- Currently in Eighth Place.
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"I'll do this one" Said Diddy, "I'm smaller and more agile, so I should get done quicker."
Marth and Diddy got strapped in and descended into the tunnels as Axel re-emerged with the clue, along with Jessie and Yoshi, who were right behind.
Axel and Roxas- Currently in Second Place.
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"Let's take the Cleaning task, climbing up the inside of a volcano will be way too hard"
Jessie and James- Currently in Third Place.
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"We've had to climb up mountains loads of times in our line of work" Said Jessie "How hard can one more be?"
Yoshi and Birdo- Currently in Fourth Place.
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"Let's clean the room" Said Yoshi "We can't climb very well at all."
The final boat arrived on Isle Delfino and Fox and Falco and Nana and Popo ran for the plaza, taking their clues as Marth and Conker returned, clues in hand.
Fox and Falco- Currently in Ninth Place.
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"You do it Fox" Said Falco "You're faster so you should get it done quicker."
Nana and Popo- Currently in Last Place.
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"You do it Nana" Said Popo.
Nana and Fox donned their gear and descended into the tunnels.
"We decided before the race that Nana should do any non physical tasks, that way we minimize the damage that is done during those tasks" Said Popo.
Marth and Roy- Currently in Fifth Place.
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"Let's clean the hotel" Said Roy. "Climbing is hard."
Conker and Berri- Currently in Sixth Place.
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"We definitely have to take clean" Said Berri, "We cant climb a ladder, let alone a mountain."
Marth and Roy and Conker and Berri all took taxi's to Hotel Delfino, where Romani and Cremia, Axel and Roxas and Yoshi and Birdo were already working on their rooms.
Meanwhile in Pianta Village, Knuckles and Rouge had found all eight of their red coins and received their Fast Forward from the Village Mayor.
Knuckles and Rouge- Currently in First Place.
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"Make your way to your next Pit Stop: Pinna Park. Teams must take a cannon from Delfino Beach to reach Pinna Park." Knuckles read.
After claiming the Fast Forward, teams must travel to the next Pit Stop: The entrance to the Roller Coaster in Pinna Park. To reach Pinna Park, teams must take a ride on the cannon on Delfino Beach. The last team to check in here, may be eliminated.
"Okay honey, lets get moving" Rouge said as the two headed for Delfino Beach.
Back at the roadblock, Diddy, Fox and Nana had found their clues and were heading back to Delfino Plaza where their partners were waiting.
Donkey and Diddy- Currently in Eighth Place.
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"Lets climb the mountain" Said Donkey, "Cleaning a room takes hours."
Fox and Falco- Currently in Ninth Place.
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"We have to clean the room Fox" Said Faclo "We're pilots, not climbers"
Nana and Popo- Currently in Last Place.
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"Let's climb the mountain" Said Nana "We've been doing it all our lives."
Meanwhile, Romani and Cremia had finished their task and received their next. Axel and Roxas were half way through their task, Jessie and James were only a quarter of the way up the mountain, Yoshi and Birdo were making strong progress on their room, with Marth and Roy right behind. Conker and Berri were a quarter of the way through the room and Fox and Falco had just arrived. At the mountain, Nana andPopo and Donkey and Diddy were making strong progress and catching up to Jessie and James.
Romani and Cremia- Currently in Second Place.
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"Make your way to Delfino Beach"
Teams must now make their way to Delfino Beach and find the cannon on the beach to receive their next clue.
"And find the cannon on the beach to receive your next clue. Caution: U-Turn ahead." Romani finished.
Meanwhile, Knuckles and Rouge had found the cannon and were flying to Pinna Park, when they arrived; they quickly found the roller coaster and checked in with Phil.
"Welcome to Isle Delfino" Said Shadow Mario.
"Knuckles and Rouge" Phil Said "You're team number one"
"I've got some good news for you. As the winners of this leg of the race, you have won a trip for two to Isle Delfino, courtesy of Mushroom Airways. You'll be staying for five nights at the luxurious Hotel Delfino with ten thousand coins in spending money and you can enjoy that after the race."
"We took the Fast Forward today, and we came in first." Said Knuckles, "Some teams don't get along with us, but we don't care what they think. We came here to win, and we are going to do that."
Knuckles and Rouge- First Place. 12:25 PM
Back at Hotel Delfino, Axel and Roxas and Yoshi and Birdo had finished cleaning their room, with Marth and Roy fast approaching the end. Conker and Berri were three quarters of the way through the room and Fox and Falco were halfway through.
Axel and Roxas- Currently in Third Place.
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"Alright Axel, lets go! We don't want to be U-Turned!" Yelled Roxas as the two caught a taxi to Delfino Beach.
Yoshi and Birdo- Currently in Fourth Place.
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"Come on Yoshi, we can't be U-Turned." Said Birdo as the two followed after Axel and Roxas.
Back at Mt. Coronet, Jessie and James were still struggling with the task and were only halfway up the mountain. Donkey and Diddy had already passed them and Nana and Popo had put their climbing expertise to good use and finished the task.
Nana and Popo- Currently in Fifth Place.
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"Come on Nana, lets U-Turn Team Rocket!" Popo screamed as the two raced back down the mountain.
At Delfino Beach, Romani and Cremia had found the cannon and stepped on the U-Turn mat.
This is the first of several U-Turn points scattered through the race. At this point, any team can force any other team to U-Turn, that is, go back and repeat the detour task that they didn't choose originally. Teams may only exercise their U-Turn or Yield power once throughout the race, so they must decide when it is in their best interest to use it.
"We choose to U-Turn Jessie and James." Said Romani as the two stuck their picture on the U-Turn sign before moving on to the next clue.
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"Take the cannon to your next Pit Stop: Pinna Park. Once there find the entrance to the roller coaster to check in with Phil."
The sisters took the cannon to Pinna Park and quickly found the roller coaster, checking in shortly after.
"Romani and Cremia" Phil Said "You're team number two."
"We worked well together and communicated well together today and it showed again in our good result" Said Cremia.
Romani and Cremia- Second Place. 1:01 PM
Meanwhile, Nana and Popo, Axel and Roxas and Yoshi and Birdo were on Delfino Beach and searching for the cannon. Conker and Berri, Marth and Roy and Fox and Falco had finished cleaning and Donkey and Diddy had taken their clue from the top of the mountain. Jessie and James, however, were still struggling to climb Mt. Coronet.
Marth and Roy- Currently in Sixth Place.
Donkey and Diddy- Currently in Seventh Place.
Conker and Berri- Currently in Eighth Place.
Fox and Falco- Currently in Ninth Place.
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The four teams all raced towards the beach as Axel and Roxas approached the cannon, quickly entering and being shot towards the park. As they departed, Yoshi and Birdo and Nana and Popo approached and followed.
"Axel and Roxas" Phil Said "You're team number three."
Axel and Roxas- Third Place. 1:17 PM
"Nana and Popo" Phil Said "You're team number four"
Nana and Popo- Fourth Place. 1:19 PM
"Yoshi and Birdo" Phil Said "You're team number five"
Yoshi and Birdo- Fifth Place. 1:21 PM
Back on the beach, Donkey and Diddy had found the cannon, while Jessie and James had finished climbing the mountain and were hurrying down to the beach, where Marth and Roy, Conker and Berri and Fox and Falco were searching.
Jessie and James, currently in Last Place.
"Donkey and Diddy" Phil Said "You're team number six"
Donkey and Diddy- Sixth Place. 1:38 PM
Jessie and James found the cannon and were about to ride to Pinna Park, when they saw their picture on the U-Turn.
"Jessie wait, we have to go back and do the other detour!" James yelled as Jessie climbed into the cannon.
"What are you talking about?" Jessie screamed back.
"We've been U-Turned! We have to go back and do the other detour."
As Jessie and James raced towards Hotel Delfino, Conker and Berri found the cannon and rode to Pinna Park.
"Conker and Berri" Phil Said "You're team number seven"
"We chose the right detour today." Said Berri "There was no way we would be able to climb that mountain and Team Rocket probably would have beaten us, even with the U-Turn."
Conker and Berri- Seventh Place. 1:59 PM
Back at the beach, Marth and Roy had found the cannon, with Fox and Falco right behind.
"Marth and Roy" Phil Said "You're team number eight."
"Today wasn't really our day, we got a choice between two tasks that really weren't up our alley" Said Roy "But we stuck in and avoided elimination."
Marth and Roy- Eighth Place. 2:06 PM
Fox and Falco walked up to Phil, thinking they were eliminated.
"Fox and Falco" Phil Said "You're team number nine"
"Are you serious?" Asked Fox.
"Yes, I am serious. You are still in The Amazing Race."
"We thought we were done today, we thought that Marth and Roy were number nine because we hadn't seen Jessie and James all day. I guess they were further behind." Falco said.
Fox and Falco- Ninth Place. 2:10 PM
Jessie and James finished cleaning the hotel and walked back to the cannon, checking in with Phil as it was growing dark.
"Welcome to Isle Delfino."
"Jessie and James" Phil said, "You're the last team to arrive. I'm sorry to tell you you have been eliminated from the race."
"We knew that" Said James "We knew we were struggling when it took us that long to get up the mountain, but once we got U-Turned we knew we were out."
Jessie and James- Last Place. 5:39 PM
STANDINGS:
1st- Knuckles and Rouge
2nd- Romani and Cremia
3rd- Axel and Roxas
4th- Nana and Popo
5th- Yoshi and Birdo
6th- Donkey and Diddy
7th- Conker and Berri
8th- Marth and Roy
9th- Fox and Falco
10th- Jessie and James (ELIMINATED)
11th- Mable and Sable (ELIMINATED)
Next Time on The Amazing Race
The nine teams travel to Los Venturas.
Tension flares between the teams.
One team distances themselves from the pack.
One team finds themselves behind all the others.