Chapter 10: Sonata vs Rin - Poor Sports? Part II - Lost in the Woods!

Minutes later

"And they are off! The adventurers are taking off like excited popcorns!" Zephyr announced.

"That's right! Our main highlights of the day, however, is the two cat-like girls running beside each other - Sonata and Rin! The two of them seem interested in settling their grudge match against each other; something about comparing their cuteness being better than the other is." Chiharu followed. "And what a surprise! Their determination to win had allowed them to bolt out in front to reach the top five, amazing!"

"You think you can win nyah?" Sonata grinned.

"I will win nyah competition and prove I'm better than you, nyah! I will win! I will...whaaaahh!" Rin growled, but she suddenly tripped over and fell flat on her face!

"HAHAHAHA! So long, nyah sucker!" Sonata grinned as she bolted off with the top four runners.

Rin growled in anger as she struggled to get up amidst the other runners rushing past them, covering her in a cloud of dirt.

"NyAAAAH! Sonata tripped me! That nyaaaahty cheater!" Rin angrily accused.

Chris and Alito jogged by and saw a struggling Rin cursing towards the dusty wind.

"Rin! Ya okay there?" Chris shot out in worry as she helped the cat-girl up.

"Look at me! Nyah think I'm all right? Sonata tripped my butt, nya!" Rin scratched her head in a cat-like manner after licking her small wounds upon her right hand.

Chris sighed as she saw a small rock beside Rin. "Maybe you should be careful about where you're going before accusing someone else of cheating..."

"I'm more careful enyaaaough than you could nyaaver be!" Rin pouted as she took off instantly in a blitz of orange bolt.

Alito and Chris looked at each other and shrugged.

Distances ahead of Chris and co...

"Hehehe...sis will be so proud of me once I get to the top three for once! I can't imagine myself either; being in the top three, and better than Rin! Nyahahaha! Who's the better cat-girl now, eh?" Sonata grinned as she slowed her pace down and began strolling at a comfortable pace, only to see a bolt of orange blitzing past her.

"Wha...?" the young orange-hair girl's eyes widened in shock as the orange bolt zipped past her and leaving her coughing up in the dust.

"Eat my dust, meeeoooww!" Rin taunted as she dashed away.

The dust clouded her sight and soon enough, Sonata tripped on a stump and fell flat on her face with a reddened nose.

"Grrr...You TRIPPING CHEATER!" Sonata screeched as she winced and struggled to get up, just as Chris and Alito came jogging by shortly.

"Here..." Chris and Alito simpered as they helped Kanata's young sister up. "You do know that it's just a game, right? It could have been worse, right?"

"So? That cat-girl wannabe tripped my ass! If she wanna change the rules, she's gonna have it in her face!" Sonata gritted her teeth as veins bulged upon her temple her forehead; steam erupted from her ears, and roared.

Rocks erupted from the ground and Sonata's eyes glowed with anger as she charged forward like a steaming locomotive, leaving Chris and Alito in a cloud of dust just when Kanata and co caught up.

"How much are you gonna bet they are going to be muddied towards the end?" Honoka wondered.

"Is that even a question, Honoka?" Kanata looked with an uninterested expression.

"We are rather surprised that they weren't questioning about how we can catch up to them even when they're miles up front." Alito scratched her head.

Meanwhile...

"HEY MEANIE-FACE!" Sonata screamed as she ate up the distance between Rin and her.

"Nya got to be kidding!" the orange hair cat-girl gasped as she broke into a bolt of orange blitz.

"And here we are! After minutes of messing each other up through tripping each other's legs, Rin and Sonata got right back on track! Now they are neck at neck, who will get the edge?" Chiharu shot out.

"Edge? They aren't on a mountain, aren't they?" Zephyr wondered.

"Mountain? Dear me no! Speaking of mountains, the contestants are entering the Camellia Mountains - the mountain that connected the Arland's outskirts and a forested area! Many ways of travelling; multiple ways out! So who will emerge out of the forest first?" Chiharu continued.

Rin managed to edge Sonata in a cloud of dust, hid inside a bush, and smirked as she open up a jar of honey from her skirt's pocket.

"Nyaaaheheheh!" Rin smirked. "Good thing I have a jar of honey from Pamenya (Pamela)!"

The orange hair cat-girl quickly doused the ground with a whole jar of honey and left a long trail as she ran away, laughing to herself.

Sonata came dashing by. Her mind was so preoccupied with catching up to Rin that she failed to catch sight of the honey trail.

"Nononononoooo! KYYAAAAAHH!"

*BOOOOSH!*

*CRASH!*

Sonata slipped up and fell flat on the honey-glazed ground; her cat-costume coated with honey.

"Rinny, you meanie buggeration! Slip me up with honey, will ya?" Sonata growled, but her eyes widened as her ears picked up a crisp, buzzing sound.

The little idol turned around, her eyes became complete white, and her face turned as white as a sheet. A surge of fear chilled her spine and her legs turned to jelly as a massive cloud of black blob charged towards her.

Birds flew away from the forest as a piercing scream rang the skies.

Rin continued to run in a constant pace, grinning to herself, but her ears picked up a familiar scream...

"KKYAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

An immense cloud of dust rumbled forth with a huge black cloud coming in hot on the dust's trail.

"HEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLPPPP!" Sonata cried.

Rin's fur gloves and hair turned bushy with fright; her eyes widened with fright as she realised that her plan backfired.

"EEEEEEKKKK! NYAAAAOT THE BEES!" Rin yelled in fright as she bolted along with Sonata, screaming their lungs off.

*BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!* the swarm of bees chased after the honey-coated idols in hot pursuit. Sonata's hazel eyes caught sight of a flowing river just a few feet ahead.

"RIVER! THE RIVER AHEAD!" Sonata shot out.

The two idols pinched their nose and dive-bombed into the watery bodies, holding their breath and hoping they will go off somehow. Fortunately, the bees - thinking that they have suffered enough tiring punishment - gave up and flew back to their hives.

Both Rin and Sonata swam up to the river surface to grab air while calming down. The AKB0048's youngest idol could not let Rin's naughty prank slip by; her eyes flared up thinking about it and veins bulged upon her forehead.

"YOU IDIOT! YOU DOUSE ME AND MY PRECIOUS KITTY COSTUME IN HONEY?!" Sonata shot out in anger.

"NYA ARE THE ONE WHO TRIPPED ME IN NYEH FIRST PLACE!" Rin angrily shot back.

Sonata snapped as she pounced on Rin in a rage. "YOU TRIP ME TOO NYAH IDIOT! YAAAAAAARRRRGGGHH! "

Sonata chased Rin all over the forest - through lakes, rivers, rock paths, hills, and trees to trees. They rolled, fought, and scratched each other. Dust and mud caked their tattered costume, face and hair.

After twenty minutes of fighting, both Rin and Sonata slumped on the muddied ground, panting in exhaustion.

"You...idiot...Sonata is cuter than you..." Sonata growled softly.

"Nyaaaao...I cuter!" Rin panted.

"Let's race again!" Sonata growled as she picked herself up and dusted dirt off her precious cat costume.

"Nya got it!" Rin shot back as she dusted her hair and skirt, frowning in anger.

The two cat-girls dashed through the forest for a while, but soon themselves in a forest area where only massive dead leaves littered the ground.

Minimum light crawled through the gaps from the tree shades as the surroundings grew darker and darker. Cold wind howled through the woods as Rin and Sonata stopped dead on their tracks; their 'tails' stuck up in fright and chills rippled through their spines.

"R...R...Rin-chan?" Sonata shivered, throwing away her rivalry with Rin for the moment.

"N...N...Nyah?" Rin, who was shivering along, replied.

"Where do you think we might be?" Sonata wondered.

"I think...we're lost...nyaa..." Rin replied.

Silence...then both Sonata and Rin hugged each other in plain fright...

"MOMMY!"