Hello again! Back with another chapter! Now, I will put this heads up, if no one can see the similarities between this chapter and an episode in Fairy Tail, I will be shocked. It was a filler episode, in the first hundred episodes. Well, just read on and have a laugh.

Mataras and Wyvern's Inferno belong to Mataras and TheSib respectively, I only own my OCs!

Chapter 36: Road Race

The next day was just as busy as the previous, a large dome had appeared that morning, and everyone was wondering just what could be underneath it.

"What's gonna be under there?" Asuna asked.

"Who knows? Could be a round robin, battle royal, nothing will shock me at this point," Kirito shrugged.

"I heard some crazy stories yesterday, there's a guy going around with dual swords," Riku said.

"What?! A dual wielder?" Kirito asked.

"I notice you're not in serious mode yet," Mataras frowned, pointing at the fact Dark Repulser was not on his back. "I suggest you equip that second sword."

Kirito nodded, opening his menu and letting the second sword appear on his back. The clock tower that stood in the middle of the plaza rung as it struck midday.

Reiji Mitsusuda appeared on a massive screen like yesterday, "Hello once again players of ORO," He started. "Yesterday was full of action, and today is going to be just as exciting!"

The dome started lifting, fading into thin air. "Allow me to explain today's event, you will be putting not your combat prowess to the test, but your mind and your speed, please pay close attention to this map," a second screen appeared, on it, showed a detailed map of what must be under the dome.

"This will be a solo quest, the mountain you see in the distance is where you will find a quest item, collect it and return to the starting line here," a small X mark showed both the mountain location and the finish. "Don't be afraid to use everything you have at your disposal, Player kills are permitted, the first sixty-four competitors to cross the line will qualify for the final round."

Ion grinned like a madman, as was Ren, "So it's a race," he chuckled.

"Well we know who's coming first and second," Silica sighed.

"Don't be stupid, anything can happen in these scenarios," Mataras told her.

"Will everyone participating please make their way towards the starting line?" Reiji spoke up.

Everyone did so, some navigating through menus while they walked, lots of players with heavier armour seemed to be swapping it out for lighter, not so bulky outfits.

They then took up positions at the start line, getting pumped up for the race, it was noted that Dagger had set up a betting stand nearby, and the red head was happily accepting bets from any player that had come to watch the race start off.

"Watch my start Angel, it'll blow your mind," Ion grinned, casually stretching his legs, even though he didn't need to.

"I don't think I can promise anything," Angel rolled her eyes.

"Aw come on, he just wants to impress you," Asuna elbowed her.

"Not playing hard-to-get, because he's my boyfriend already, and you've never seen Ion's kickstarts before, have you?" Angel assured her.

"They're rather special to watch... from a safe enough distance," Silica giggled from nearby.

Down the line, Kione cleared her mind, focusing on herself, her opponents and the course, "A running race while blinded huh? This is going to be interesting," Mai said from her side.

"I can manage this, I've trained to move at high speed while I have no sight," Kione replied.

"Don't get left behind kiddies," Helios smirked, getting ready to begin.

"Oh don't worry, I am ninety percent sure I'll beat you before you get close to the finish line," Mai shot back.

"And don't underestimate me just because I can't see the road ahead of me with my eyes," Kione glared up at the Unrelenting Psychopath.

"Save the energy for the race guys," Ren sighed. He was looking over at Ion. "It's time to see who's fastest…" He whispered.

"You say something Ren?" Kirito asked, his Blackwyrm coat absent today, leaving him in a black shirt and pants.

"It's nothing, don't worry," Ren assured him.

"Players! Are you ready?" An NPC, a man in a pink shirt and jeans with blonde hair called from the sidelines.

"Ready?" Ion tensed up, ready to cut loose. Everyone else did similar actions.

"Get set…" Everyone looked at the mountain so far away. That was where their objective was.

"GO!" A massive dust cloud kicked up as Ion and Ren burst from the starting line.

Everyone was blown away as the two sped away, Ion grinned, "Let's start this off big! Blink Strike!"

"See what I mean? It's almost impossible to watch Ion go all out," Angel giggled.

"Yeah, I see that now," Asuna agreed.

The crowds around them started getting smaller and smaller, until there were only two left.

"Good luck Angel and Asuna, do your best!" Kione said, setting out, followed by Mai.

"No need to be so polite you know, everyone here today is a rival," The brunette told her.

"Wait a minute…! The race has only just started and we're dead last!" Angel yelped, bursting to her feet.

"Come on!" Asuna nodded, both set off as well, bringing up the rear.

Ion laughed as he ran out of the town, across a bridge and into a desert. Ren wasn't far behind. In the main pack, those in front were Kirito, Silica, Alice and Leafa.

Mai and Kione panted hard as they ran in the middle of the group, a small addition to their visual heads up display, a small number, indicating the position they held in the race, examining it, Mai was glad to see they were around twentieth right now.

Mataras went as fast as his speed stat would allow, cursing himself for not maxing out his speed for something like this. As he ran, he heard some footsteps behind him, glancing back, he saw several other players battling it out to get to his position. One started to advance.

The Red Swordsman saw a chance to cause some mayhem, drawing Guilty Thorn, he flipped it around so he held it by the blade, then he reached back, and hooked it under the player's legs, effectively tripping him. The way this happened caused the player to make more players tumble as well.

"Sorry! Every man for himself!" Mataras grinned, sheathing his blade back on his back, as he looked back towards the front.

"Keep your eyes front, Red!" He was caught off guard by a sudden clothesline punch from Helios, knocking him back into the pile of players.

"Wrong way brother!" Sachi said, running past the pile with a bewildered look on her face.

Back up front, Ion chuckled, noting that he had entered the boundaries of the mountain, there, he saw hundreds of treasure chests scattered around the range. Dashing up to one, he opened it, pulling a scale of some monster out, it was then added to his inventory. "Ok, here we go! Back down and homeward bound!"

"Don't expect me to make it easy!" Ren said, rapidly approaching.

"Ren?!" Ion gasped, he hadn't expected the tactician to catch up so soon. Ren drew his sword, and prepared a swing, Ion drew his own, preparing to block the incoming attack, Ren bashed into Ion's blade, swiping him aside with a surprisingly heavy slash, knocking him down off the mountainside and onto a lower winding road.

"I'll make you regret that Wyvern…!" He growled, watching Ren dash back down the mountain, before he took off along the path he had been forced onto.

Everyone started approaching the chests now, gathering the requirements to win, Kione sighed with relief as she opened a chest, pulling out the thing she found inside. Mai did similar, before beginning the trek back home.

A player that seemed to be struggling would be the youngest member of Wyvern Inferno, Himiko, the closest chest she saw was up a steep incline, and she was having trouble trying to climb up to get there.

"Need a hand?" Angel appeared at the top, kicking the treasure chest down to her level, before sliding down to join the small girl.

"Thanks Angel, hope we both get to the finish line," Himiko smiled, before the two began to sprint back down.

Ren chuckled, he felt bad for knocking Ion off course, but it was for more than first place, it was for the title of the fastest player in ORO. As he ran through the forest back towards the start line, he noticed something horrifying.

His position indicator, which had said 1st, now read 2nd.

Someone was ahead of him. Ren growled, he would come first in this race! Cresting the hill, he spotted the arena ahead, and this compelled him to dig deeper, pushing to his limit.

His indicator then told him he was in first again, making him alert, looking around, that's when he saw the flash of white shoot by at an unbelievable speed.

Asuna had long since left Angel in the dust, sure the dark dressing girl had speed, but the blue haired girl was called 'Lightning Flash' for a reason. She realised she had absolutely no chance in catching Ion or Ren, they were on a completely different league to her, but she'd still try and get at least third place.

As she ran, she heard footsteps, looking back, she saw Kirito, Mataras, Sachi, Silica, Kione, Mai, Leafa and many more, some her friends, some not.

"Sorry girls, third place is mine!" She called back.

"That's what you think!" The most bizarre thing then happened, Melody came into the fray, but she didn't seem to be running. Then Asuna saw what was going on.

Melody was using her greatsword like it was a surfboard.

The small girl whooped with excitement as she shot past Asuna with no troubles.

"Hey, that's a good idea!" Another player, in brown light clothing, equipped a huge greatsword while running, pulled the massive weapon out, before shooting by as well. Asuna was not surprised when she saw the rider.

"No one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition!" Flibjib laughed, as he slid away.

"Not fair!" Asuna pouted.

"Tell me about it," she heard a girl say, a metre behind her. She was wearing a turquoise-blue sleeveless jacket over a black top, and midnight blue leather pants. Her black hair was tied back, and a headband with cat ears was on her head.

"Hey Orchid, long time no see!" Asuna grinned. She often talked with the scythe user back in SAO, but since they had gotten out, they had lost contact for a while.

"Back at ya!" Replied the black-haired girl, a cheeky grin plastered on her face.

Ren skidded to a halt as he crossed the finish line. His head spun up to see the board, and it then lowered in shame.

First Place: Ion

Second Place: Ren

Ion had this smug grin on his face from where he leaned against the railing by the finish, "What kept you?" He asked.

"How'd you pass me? I thought you falling down there would cause you to fall behind," Ren questioned.

"Believe it or not, that ravine actually gave me a cool shortcut underground, it popped out about five miles back," Ion told him.

"WHAT! To think I actually helped you beat me…!" Ren sighed, dropping to his knees in defeat.

Before Ion could say anymore, he saw a sight that made him proud, as Melody crossed the finish line, coming in third.

Then Flibjib came screeching in, followed by Asuna, Orchid, Silica, Kirito, Leafa, Mai, Kione, Mataras and the rest.

"Where's Alice?" Ren asked.

"She hasn't crossed yet, Helios and Riku have yet to cross too!" Mai said. "Maybe that jackass will do us all a favour and trip over."

"I WON'T LET YOU BEAT ME!" Two manly roars announced the arrival of Helios and Riku, both were neck and neck as they sprinted with all they had towards the goal.

"Come on Riku! Pull ahead!" Mai called.

Both players failed to stop as they crossed the line. Ion cringed as they both slammed into a wall.

"Who won?! Tell me I beat him?!" Helios growled.

"Look for yourself," Ren pointed up at the board. Both Helios and Riku had the same number telling what place they finished in, and their times showed the exact same numbers as well.

"A tie!? What kind of crap is that?!" Helios snapped.

"Guess that's the way the cookie crumbles," Riku shrugged.

"And there she is," Asuna pointed, the scythe user looked like she'd fallen in a lake, her outfit was soaked.

When Alice crossed, she came over with a scowl on her face, glaring at Helios, "I'm not saying who, but someone tripped me up! I fell in the river!" She snapped.

"Not me," Helios shook his head. "Psychopath's honour."

"Is there such a thing?" Ion asked.

"Maybe, who knows when Helios is involved?" Kirito chuckled.

It wasn't long before the sixty-fourth player crossed the finish line. Reiji Mitsusuda's screen appeared again.

"Well done to everyone who has completed the race!" He began, a screen appeared next to him, showing the sixty-four portraits of the players who made it to the end. "Tomorrow however, is where the real fight begins, the remaining sixty-four competitors will fight for the title of the Best ORO player in the world!"

At these words, the Black Cats and Wyvern Inferno members all cheered, as well as every other surviving player.

That afternoon, they got together at Diceys. Marcus clinged his glass with someone, "Man. Still can't believe you managed to beat me," the person grumbled.

"Dan, he beat you fair and square," a black-haired girl reminded him.

"Yeah, I know Alicia, still doesn't mean I must accept defeat so soon," the young man was none other than Ren, and the girl was his girlfriend, Alice, or known as their real names, Dan and Alicia.

"How do you think we should stop the grumble brothers over there?" Sarah asked, pointing over to where a big, ashy-haired boy and a blonde boy were muttering between themselves.

"Hyde, Shirou, enough with the weird rival thing already!" Michael muttered. The ash-haired boy, who was Helios, turned around with a sour look on his face.

"Until I put this guy in the ground, our rivalry won't be ending," He said.

The blonde, Riku, sighed, "I'm afraid he's right, the tie we scored today just made things more competitive between us."

"Wait… Hyde and Shirou agreeing on something? What's the world coming to?" Sayuri giggled.

"We're doomed, that's what's happening!" A younger girl was sat a table over from her, Kione, Emma and Keiko were sat around her table. This was Mai.

"Emi, it can't be that bad, can it?" Emma asked.

"Emma, you were never in SAO, and Helios and Riku never agreed to anything," Asuna said, snuggling next to Kazuto, who was working on something on his laptop.

"Brother, put that thing away, you can work on that little doodad for Yui after the title has been given," Suguha sighed.

"I guess it can wait," Kazuto said, closing the program he had been working on.

Emma gave off a light yawn, "That looks like a cue to me," Marcus chuckled, he un-looped his arm from around Sarah and stood up, "I'd better get you home before you fall asleep, then it would be problematic."

The yawn seemed contagious, since Keiko, Kione and Emi all yawned too, Andrew gave a hearty laugh from behind the bar, "Andy's taxi service is ready to go, any requests?"

Keiko put up her hand, as did Sarah, Kione and Rika, "I'll take y'all home in a bit," Andrew said.

Kazuto stood up, folding the laptop up and putting it in his backpack, "Sugu, want a lift home or can you manage to stay later?" he asked.

Marcus walked past them, a slightly drowsy Emma being led to the door, "Meet you guys online tomorrow," He waved, before donning his coat and heading out the door.

A white motorcycle pulled into the Cersy residence driveway, Emma was very sleepy, in fact, her brother decided to just lift her into his arms and carry her into the house and up to her room.

She gave another yawn, as Marcus set her down on her bed, "Get some sleep kiddo," He whispered, giving her a small peck on the forehead.

With that, he walked out the room and went next door. Leaning against the windowpane, he looked up at the clear night sky at the stars and moon, giving a sigh, he gave a smile, before getting changed and going to sleep.

Ion: I had a lot of fun with this chapter.

Mataras: I can guess, this chapter was rather amusing to read.

Ren: I demand a rematch one day!

Ion: Shut up, I won fair and square, don't make me get Alice in here.

Alice: Someone call?

Ren: No! Everything is fine!

All: Next time: Size Matters Not!