"Are you sure you've never taken therapy classes, kid?" Manny asked dryly.
"You think I had time for that between being poor and emo, and also training my ass off?" Jack rolled his eyes, concentrating on spinning the wheel as fast as possible.
"I'm starting to think you did after seeing you comfort so many people, including myself though it didn't really work out with me."
"Aw, you're just in denial, Manny dearest. You just don't want to accept that I managed to make quite a few dents in your heart." Jack smirked, seeing the count pass 400. "Besides, I truly never went to any therapy classes as you suggested. I just tell what I feel and occasionally tell what Elsa might have told if she were in my place."
Waiting for a reply, Jack finished spinning the wheel and proceeded to enter the volcanic area, noticing with a sick feeling in his stomach that the heat was increased way too high to even breath properly. He controlled the temperature of his own body before flying through the smoke, using his wind powers to clear the path in front of him while staying attentive to any direction-changing-fireballs. He wasn't sure when Manny started speaking as his entire focus was on not dying but he heard the end of the sentence as he entered the next stage.
"-like Elsa so much?"
"Say what?" Jack tried hard to understand Manny as he flew away from a huge and angry whale that jumped out of the now water-filled stage of the race.
"Do you really like Elsa so much? Are your feelings genuine, Jack? Will you really protect her heart and not break it?" Manny asked in a surprisingly soft voice.
Knowing that Elsa was a sensitive topic for Manny and that he really meant what he asked, Jack gave a soft smile, "I'm pretty sure you know the answer already, old man. If me emotionally torturing you continuously at the rink didn't already show my feelings, I don't know what will. Besides," Jack smirked as he started the next lap, "I'd be an idiot to leave Elsa behind, and an even bigger one if I ever broke her heart. Let's just hope that she doesn't end up breaking mine by rejecting me after the race 'cause she might have told me to find someone else but I'm still smitten for her."
"Yeah, please don't talk all that romantic stuff about her with me of all people." Manny coughed out, hearing which Jack couldn't help but snicker, "I feel stuck between thanking you for your help and strangling you for thinking of her that way."
"Dont let Elsa know about that second part of your sentence. She might blow you up if she heard you caring about her now." Jack shook his head to himself.
"Let's just hope her feelings change after I apologize properly after all this is done." Manny sighed.
Jack just smiled and focussed back on the race, shooting a wink and a kiss to the main camera -which had the audience going wild- before entering the second stage of the race with the sea stacks.
He dodged all the sky-high pillars of rock with ease, noting how the number of sea stacks seemed to increase the closer they reached the conclusion of the race. Wondering if there's gonna be any space to move in the next and final lap, Jack continued weaving through the rocks, listening to Manny who instructed him to move in the correct directions. He noticed Hiccup and Toothless flying faster than before and Dash easily dodging the sea stacks while running on water.
They're finally racing seriously.
With a smirk, he noticed Hans behind all of them. He couldn't see his face but Jack was pretty sure that Pitch and co were starting to notice that no one was backing away, with how Hans seemed to actually put some effort into flying fast.
Still maintaining his lead, Jack looked ahead and yelled at the wind to take him faster, exhilaration and utter joy seeping into the depths of his soul as he temporarily ignored everything around him. He ignored the race, the people flying behind him, the old man screaming into his ear, the crowd's noise, the 101 cameras focused on them, and everything else. He shot high into the sky diagonally, reaching a greater height while still covering distance. He continued doing so until he reached even above the clouds, where the sea stacks didn't reach.
For a second, Jack truly forgot about everything and took the chance to look at the beauty of the sky. He absentmindedly asked himself when was the last time he had this much fun while flying. Without a second of hesitation, the image of him carrying Elsa on the night they went to her secret garden flashed before his eyes. His heart ached to see her again but he remembered that she is out there, doing her best to save his sister, his one joy, the one person for whom Jack wakes up for everyday. So while she is out there, fighting for his sake, he couldn't exactly afford to fail her by losing the race.
And that's the minute Manny decided to make him deaf but screaming as loud as possible.
"JACK FROST GET YOUR PATHETIC ASS BACK INTO THE GAME RIGHT NOW!"
Oh yeah, I'm still in the race...
As if he had merely forgotten to wear his hoodie and didn't just basically skip out in the middle of what could be considered the most important race of his life, Jack just shrugged and let himself fall, knowing that he was already well past the sea stacks and was hovering over the clear ocean. He let go of his staff and continued to let gravity do its thing, not bothered in the slightest. He even turned around and faced the ocean, grinning in excitement as he hurtled closer to the ocean.
Just before he could hit the waters, his staff flew into his hand and he sped ahead, noting with satisfaction how the water rose and emphasized his path behind him. He dunk his head into the water and reveled in the cold and harsh feeling.
Hearing Manny going crazy, Jack lifted his head and pushed his hair back as he finally reached the end of the stage and was teleported to the next stage, the blizzard.
"What's the order?" He asked cheerfully, chuckling to himself as Manny lost his shit over Jack's laid back attitude.
"What's the order?! JACK FROST ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! YOU'RE DEAD LAST YOU DUMBFUCK!"
"Okay, but I pretty much knew that. Who's ahead?" He asked again, collecting as much energy as he could from the cold around him.
"Hiccup is in the lead, Hans is next and Dash is third." Manny ground out with a voice as tight as it could get.
"Oh, okay." Jack spun horizontally in the middle of the raging snowstorm, sucking all the energy and power of the storm into himself. Manny continued yelling through the intercom but Jack wasn't bothered. He knew what he was doing and he knew he was going to win. So when he was content and fully charged, he entered the next stage. With just one gust of air, he managed to spin the huge wheel at least 50 times. Once he was done, he entered the volcanic stage.
All he did was cover himself in a ball of wind and frost and push himself ahead as much as possible. He noticed with pride and surprise how even a fireball which came straight at him and a volcanic eruption right below him did nothing to damage his little ball of cold wind. So without any worry, Jack flew at a speed Elsa would've been proud of, all those days of practice at the Guardians company and the grounds near the rink finally paying off.
In no time, Jack had passed Dash and Hans and had caught up to Hiccup. And that's when he noticed something was wrong.
Even though all he caught was a fleeting glimpse, Jack could recognise a thickly wrapped bandage around Dash's head that hadn't been there previously, and the wound still seemed to be bleeding. The young boy even had a cast on his arm and was holding it with his other hand as he struggled to run around the mountains. Jack looked around and saw a makeshift cast on one of Toothless's wing and bandages on Hiccup's midsection and right eye. His stump was also bleeding and the blood was seeping up his clothes and falling away behind them as they continued flying with everything they have.
"Manny," Jack called out, all of his previous ecstasy replaced by seriousness as he entered the next stage, "what happened?"
Manny took a few seconds to understand what he meant and sighed when he realised the meaning behind his words. "Pitch and company seem to have realised that all of you are fighting to win. My whole attention had been on you so I hadn't noticed either but it seems like they're pulling the same cheap tricks they pulled with you before, just more intense and dangerous."
He paused for a few more minutes as if he was checking something and Jack heard Manny inhale sharply. "Jack you need to be careful. They literally threw a huge glacier at Dash, which he barely escaped but ended up with a pretty serious wound on his head. Hiccup and Toothless, on the other hand, have been getting hit with attacks since the beginning of this lap. A sea stack they had already passed suddenly broke and headed towards them just as they met with a dead-end and the dragon covered the rider with its wing and had it broken. They were again injured when the rocks in the volcanic stage lifted from the ground and went straight for Hiccup when Toothless and he had been focussed on dodging a fireball."
Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing as he muttered under his breath, "what the actual FUCK?!"
"Jack, its time you get completely serious. Pitch is out for the kill. He literally doesn't care about anything and is focussing on straight-up killing all of you to let Hans win. Please, for the love of God, be careful. And come to the support station at once."
Jack didn't reply and continued to fly through literal fire, which was probably authorized by Pitch to kill Jack and empower Hans. With a roar of anger, Jack snuffed out the fire around him and realised that the fire stays put for a mere second before reappearing.
Ignoring the heat around him, Jack focussed his powers to increase in his staff, and with one wide sweep, he snuffed out the fire in the whole stage. And before it could return, Jack shot ahead and was slamming the button for the support station.
He stayed quiet and just glared at the floor as Anna wrapped him up as fast as possible.
"Did you see them?" Jack asked, trying hard to not let rage take over.
Everyone at the support station looked serious and stoic as they continued with their duties.
"Yes Jack," Anna replied, anger laced in her voice, "We all saw what happened."
"We can't let that happen again," Rapunzel started with determination as she finished curing Jack, just in case he was tired. "You can't let that happen again."
"But how...?" Jack asked as frustration and helplessness finally replaced the anger, "how the hell can I finish the race while protecting them and avoid getting attacked myself?! I'm not Elsa! I don't have a solution for everything and-!"
"Jack, you know what a mess Elsa can be if she lets her emotions take control and that's exactly what's happening to you," Rapunzel stated at Anna continued shoving ice in his mouth. "Clear your head and think, Jack."
Jack sighed and rubbed his forehead hard as Kristoff renewed his magic and pushed him back onto the race track.
"Manny, what should I do? I don't want them to die because Pitch's little baby isn't talented enough to win on his own!" Jack groaned, picking up his speed when he realised that he was last again.
"Focus on what you came for. The rest will unfold naturally."
"Say what?" Jack yelled as he entered the sea stack stage, "I can't focus on winning when there are lives on the line!"
"I'm telling you, Jack. Do what must be done and the rest will unfold naturally."
"Manny, wha-?!" Jack paused, in his speech and in his race, as understanding finally settled in. "Oh."
"Yes, Jack. 'Oh'. What a great thing to tell wHEN YOU'RE LAST IN THE RACE!"
Jack winced, hand reaching up to pull the intercom out on instinct before he rubbed his ear and placed it back in. "Okay, I get it. I'm going now!" He shook his head one last time before shooting into the sky with everything he had.
"Hurry it up already, you useless excuse of a-" Manny stopped and spoke with someone next to him.
Jack raised an eyebrow as he continued listening and trying to understand the muffled conversation. He stopped his vertical flight into the sky when the reached the top of the sea stacks and flew horizontally towards the end of the stage. The air so high up was thin enough that any of the other racers might have suffocated within seconds but Jack's control of the wind proved helpful in providing him the essential gases so high up in the atmosphere.
Just when he was about to finish the stage, Manny came back and seemed to burst with energy.
"Manny, what's wro-?"
"Jack," Manny interrupted him before he could even finish his question, "Elsa's here."
...
"Tooth, over here!"
Elsa waved her hands wildly and sighed in relief when the fairy finally saw them. They shared a quick greeting before Tooth walked past her towards the minivan where Astrid, Flynn and Emma got out one by one.
"Oh my God, Emma!" Tooth hugged the young girl tightly, letting a few tears slip out before she checked Emma's injuries, "We need to get you to the hospital!"
"Tooth, where's the ambulance? Get them here, quick!" Elsa rushed, helping Flynn lift Jamie's stretcher out of the van.
"Wha-? Wait, NO-!" Tooth rushed to their side and took in Jamie's appearance, tears clouding her sight as she fell to her knees, "Jamie-!"
"He's alive!" Astrid crouched down and assured the woman, "He is very much alive and was even conscious till yesterday! Please, we need to get him to the hospital, fast!"
Tooth sniffed and stood up, face full of determination as she led the way. Elsa and Flynn ran after her with the stretcher and helped place Jamie inside the ambulance.
"I'll go with him," Tooth informed Elsa as she got into the ambulance as well, "And Emma-"
"I'm staying here." The brunette stated.
Tooth looked shocked as she looked at the young girl but she quickly got over herself as she glared at her, "Emma, you cant! You're injured! You need to come at once-!"
"I'm not coming!" Emma stated as she walked forward and held Tooth's hand, "Please, Tooth, I want to see my brother. I want to be here when he finishes that race and I want him to know that I'm safe! Elsa already patched me up and fed me so let me stay! Please!"
Tooth stared at her with mixed feelings. She looked at Elsa, who nodded her approval, and she sighed.
"Okay then, be safe." Tooth moved deeper into the ambulance as the driver closed the door. "He'll take you inside!" She yelled before the ambulance left.
"Who?" Flynn cocked his head to the side in confusion.
Just then a puff of golden sand appeared out of nowhere and a short man with spiky golden hair stepped out of the sand.
"Sandy!" Emma squealed as she ran forward and hugged the man tightly. He hugged her back for a few seconds before pulling back to check on Emma.
Recognising the hair, Elsa realised that he had been one of the men who had come to take Jack away at the rink.
"Who's this, Emma?" Violet asked, voicing everyone's confusion.
Emma stepped back and gestured to the man as she introduced him, "Guys, this is Sandy, one of Jack's manager. And Sandy, this is-"
The man -Sandy- stopped her, tapped his wristwatch, and shook his head to show that they didn't have time before gesturing everyone to follow him. They all walked behind him as he showed something to the guard and walked past the huge doors of the stadium, ushering everyone inside.
Elsa felt nauseous as she walked up the familiar stadium stairs. She turned her head to the side when Flynn stood by her and rubbed her back comfortingly, at which she smiled in gratitude. With a deep breath, Elsa walked through another set of doors that opened out to the stadium and was met with a gust of warm air.
I'm back, she thought bitterly.
Before she could think of any depressing thoughts, Astrid's gasp caught her attention.
"Hiccup...!"
Elsa turned back to the huge screens and her heart dropped to her stomach when she saw his injuries. The bandage on his eye was soaked with blood and there were many layers of bandages tied around his waist. Elsa's eyes drifted to the next screen and she noticed Dash Parr's injuries with a heart heavy with sorrow for the young boy. Her suspicions that this might be Pitch's doings were confirmed when she saw an uninjured and pleased Hans flying in the lead. Just seeing his face on such a huge screen made Elsa nauseous and she reached out and held Flynn's arm to remain standing.
She didn't feel bad for long and even smirked with satisfaction when she saw Hans' expression drop. The crowd roared to life as Jack Frost took the lead, face determined and focussed on the race and nothing else. Just seeing him again made Elsa's heart flutter, but that was nothing compared to the pride and love she was filled with when Jack raced ahead without even looking back at Hans.
She glanced to the side and saw Astrid's face filled with concern. She walked to her side and wrapped an arm around her as she whispered, "Don't worry, Astrid. He's gonna be okay."
Astrid nodded almost like she was reminding herself of the fact, her own hand reaching up to touch Elsa's on her shoulder, "Yeah, he is. He's fine. They're all fine."
"We're fine too," Elsa stated, gaze fixed on the screens, her other hand holding Violet's as Emma clung onto Flynn's hand next to them. "And we'll be here when they finally finish it all."
"Yeah," Astrid smiled, "we will."