Chapter 29: Gobstopper, Gumdrop, and Roll
Author's Note: Hello, dear readers! I apologize for how long it took for me to publish this chapter. I had a lot of things going on, so I hope you understand. I'll try to ensure that the next one does not have this long of a wait time. Speaking of wait time, unfortunately, due to how long this chapter became, the demise had to be moved to Chapter 30 instead. However, it is guaranteed that it will happen, so now I suppose that you all have one final chance to guess who will leave the tour next. In the meantime, let me respond to your reviews that you all left in my absence/temporary hiatus. :)
Softkitty55, I'm so glad that you enjoyed the description of the Sandy Sugar Beach! I had tons of fun writing out that area, as well as all the A Box of Chocolates references that came with it. I also really enjoyed writing the new Rock Candy Clarinets room. I actually based the appearance off of not just any high-school auditorium, but off of the high school that I went to before I graduated. Another bit of real-life trivia is that the baby book Chris' grandmother had was based off an event in my twentieth birthday. My grandmother showed me her personal baby book of me during our party, so I thought it'd be a nice touch to include it with Chris as well. As I said at the beginning of this note, the next elimination will guaranteed occur in Chapter 30, right after this one. :D
Matt, a fight, you say? Hm, I think you might enjoy what happens in this one. ;) To be honest, I'm not much of a mobile gamer, either. I just play that in order to get inspiration from their new rooms since they don't have any story mode clips of it online. :P Speaking of the Rock Candy Clarinets, there's actually a big reason as to why I moved them further upwards in this story. You'll discover the explanation at the end of this chapter. Happy belated birthday!
Guest #1, Merry belated Christmas! For my Christmas, I got a Game Boy Advance, some games to go along with it (with one being Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, of course), and lots of Wonka candy! I hope yours was good as well! :D
emeraldphan, I'm glad you enjoyed reading about the Quality Control Parrots as much as I enjoyed writing about them. And don't worry- like Charlie and Mr. Wonka said, they will visit the Spotty Powder room later on in the tour. It may or may not be a demise location, who knows? As for your guess, you'll get one final hint at the end of this chapter, so choose wisely.
Guest #2, thanks for pointing out that oversight! I fixed it; Chapter 11 now properly mentions Jenna's father as the guitarist and founder of Wormhole Citadel.
Guest #3, that may or may not happen later on. :)
Guest #4, I have something in mind for that. If you've read Charlie's Chocolatey Adventure, think about something that happened inside the Dirt Desert. ;)
Guest #5, I have something similar in mind for that suggestion.
Guest #6, strangely enough, I can actually see that happening during the tour, so I'll try to think of a place to include that event. XD
Guest #7, indeed! Our guests have gone on quite an adventure, with much more to come! Stay tuned! :D
Mindy Bell, wow! You really have no mercy for Jenna, do you? On the other hand, your quote will appear in this chapter.
Guest #8, hm...I'm curious what could lead Mr. Wonka to such an event. I'll consider that, maybe a reference or such.
Guest #9, thanks for pointing that error out! I fixed it.
MrWonkyWonka, that corridor was one of the most fun things I've ever written in my fanfiction career, so I'll definitely see if I can find a place for it and come up with some really priceless reactions from Daniel. XD
Guest #10, that room appeared in the original, so it's highly likely that the Fizzy Lemonade Water Park will appear in here.
Guest #11, that idea isn't half bad! I'll see if I can fit that either at the end of this story, or a short spinoff/sequel or something.
Guest #12, dragons will definitely appear in this story, that's for sure. ;)
Guest #13, I can't explicitly say whether or not that specific event will happen, but I will say someone in this group will go down into something.
Guest #14, while that does sound like something that he'd do, I'm not sure where I'd include that. Thanks for making me laugh, though. XD
Guest #15, me as well! :)
Guest #16, considering what happened in the original, you can definitely expect that event to happen in this rewrite.
MOUseonION, Tyler clogging the factory's toilets is also something I could see him doing, but I'm not sure where I could possibly include that within this tour. I appreciate the laughs, however. XD
Guest #17, I 100% agree! However, it appears that Tyler won't be the only one doing harassment during this tour. :(
Guest #18, like I said to Guest #4, I have something in mind for that. :D
Mic Television, thanks!
Now, with all the reviews responded to, enjoy this chapter, everyone! :)
Mr. Wonka turned the handle for the Gobstopper Go-Karts room, and the group was met with an astonishing sight inside. The room that they were now in was as large as a football field. Towards the wall closest to the door were bleachers with cheering Oompa-Loompas on them, but that was all that was normal about it. A paved asphalt track was seen, and it curled into a large tunnel that led to goodness knows where. The beginning of the track had a large arch to show the start and finish of the race, and on the front face of the arch, there was an image of a red Everlasting Gobstopper, and in the center of it was the word, "START." Seven red go-karts shaped like the bottom half of a sphere but with wheels were in front of it.
"Welcome, dear Ticket winners, to the Gobstopper Go-Karts room!" said an Oompa-Loompa announcer excitedly. "Choose a kart, and the race will begin promptly!"
The five remaining Golden Ticket holders walked up to the karts and observed them closely. They noticed that the hood of each kart had some sort of emblem or symbol on it, like a parachute, while another one had a Japanese pagoda. The remaining five had a blue Gobstopper, a laughing clown, a computer, a white cartoonish skull, and a Wonka Bar. Inside each Go-Kart, next to the steering wheel, there was a small, circular screen which was black at the moment.
"Why are there seven of them?" Mr. Adams asked.
"For Antonio and Yuna, of course," Mr. Wonka answered. "I really do wish they could be here to join us. Especially that Yuna. At least she got her wish."
"And what's that?" Mr. Davidson asked.
"Her mother went first," the chocolatier answered.
After several seconds of silence, every pair entered a kart. Mr. Wonka entered the one with the parachute, Charlie entered the one with the maglev, Mindy entered the one with the Gobstopper, and Tyler and Kitsune entered the one with the clown while Daniel entered the one with the computer. When it came to Chris and Jenna's turn, they entered the kart with the Wonka Bar together, with Chris in the driver's seat, leaving their parents to enter the one with the clarinet. As they sat down and began to buckle up, the group watched as a bunch of Oompa-Loompas began walking forward towards the Go-Karts, each of them holding clear jugs with a green liquid inside of them. These jugs had a long straw towards the top of them. The Oompa-Loompas then opened up a small hole in the back end of each kart and began filling up each kart with the green liquid.
"Uh, Mr. Wonka?" Mr. Adams asked. "What's that they're filling these things up with?"
"You remember when we went on the WonkaWar tank?" Mr. Wonka answered. "These Gobstopper Go-Karts use the same fuel, as well as our similar Gummy Glo-Karts. At the moment, those aren't in the current plan for this tour, but don't worry! We have many upcoming transportation methods that are guaranteed to enlighten, enrapture, and entrance you beyond measure, haha!"
"Wow, this is so cool!" Chris gasped as he sat down in the seat of his Gobstopper Go-Kart. "This kart is nice and sturdy, while the seat has just the right of bounciness to it."
"Thank you," Charlie Bucket smiled. "The reason why this room is called the Gobstopper Go-Karts room is actually because the karts you all are sitting in are made of hollowed-out Everlasting Gobstoppers!"
"Oh, boy!" Mindy Bell smiled. "What luck! I'm really gonna enjoy this!"
"Rev up your engines, racers!" the Oompa-Loompa announcer said excitedly, and everyone lightly put their feet on the accelerator of their respective kart. "On three! One…"
At that moment, Chris looked at Mindy, and she scowled at him.
"Two…"
Tyler looked at Chris, and Chris looked at Tyler. They had competitive looks in their eyes, and the same could be said for Daniel, who was also looking at Tyler.
"Three!"
As soon as the announcer shouted, "THREE!", everyone went all-out on their kart's speed. They went as fast as they could down the track, then turned to the right for a u-turn.
As Chris and Jenna were in their Gobstopper Go-Kart, Tyler Smith and Kitsune suddenly zoomed next to them as the prankster gave a mischievous smirk.
"Get lost, Goody Two-Shoes!" Tyler laughed, slamming into the two children causing them to spin out of control. As he drove away, he shouted, "See ya, losers!"
"Oh, no!" the announcer cried. "Tyler and Kitsune have crashed into Chris and Jenna! Will they ever catch up to those two pranksters?"
"Let me take the wheel!" Jenna said as she began to switch places with Chris. "I am so tired of those two morons taking advantage of you!"
Their kart recovered quickly, and the two friends were on their way to coming back by Kitsune and Tyler when they saw a projection of Mr. Wonka's hat appear in front of them. They drove through it, and noticed a small change in their Go-Kart. The previously black screen next to the steering wheel was cycling through various pictures, when it stopped on the image of a single Everlasting Gobstopper next to a cannon.
"What could that be?" Jenna asked curiously.
"I think it's a power-up!" Chris responded. "In our free time, me and my dad play this game called Mario Kart, where racers collect glowing boxes that have power-ups in them. Knowing Mr. Wonka and Charlie, this race must be the same!"
Jenna noticed a glowing button on the steering wheel of their kart and pressed it. Right after she did so, a projection of a large cannon appeared above their heads. As Jenna continued driving, the projection kept shooting Everlasting Gobstoppers of various colors at the racers in front of them, causing them to spin out of control for a couple seconds and allowing the two to pass their fellow tour members up.
"What the-?" Tyler Smith questioned, looking behind himself at all the chaos behind him. "What's going on?"
With no warning whatsoever, a storm of Everlasting Gobstoppers hit Tyler's kart, causing them to spin out of control, just like what he had done to Chris and Jenna. They passed him up quickly, calling back with a giggle, "See ya!"
The other racers did as well, causing the two pranksters to enter last place.
"No, drat!" Tyler shouted angrily as he began to drive once again.
Everyone drove their karts around another turn, and suddenly, a bunch of power-ups began to spread horizontally across the road. Charlie Bucket drove through one of them, and he watched as it cycled through the choices before finally landing on the image of an Everlasting Gobstopper sitting inside a car.
"This is gonna be good," Charlie smiled as he pressed the glowing button on his steering wheel. Immediately after he did so, his car accelerated over eighty miles per hour, passing up Mr. Wonka, Daniel Sparkman, and Mindy Bell in the process.
"Hey, you can't beat me!" Mindy Bell yelled, waving a fist in the air. "I'll get you back, you just wait and see!"
The karts turned around another corner, heading towards the huge tunnel towering above the rest of the track as they had no idea what to expect.
As the group was heading through the tunnel, full-speed ahead, they noticed that towards the end, it split into three seconds, forcing the group to separate. Tyler, Chris, and Jenna went down the first section, Mindy and Mr. Wonka went down the second section, and Mr. Adams, Mr. Davidson, Daniel, and Charlie Bucket went down the third section.
Looking above the section they were going in, Chris and Jenna saw a small sign that read, "GOBSTOPPER DISCO AREA."
As the sign described, Tyler, Kitsune, Chris, and Jenna found themselves in an area that resembled a disco hall, but with the track cycling through it, and a clear barrier to prevent the two sections from colliding. A giant Everlasting Gobstopper was seen spinning on the ceiling of the room like a disco ball, and it was seen changing constantly into a variety of colors. On both sides of the racers, a large group of Oompa-Loompas were seen dancing and singing various 70's and 80's hits.
"Hey, these are some pretty catchy tunes!" Jenna remarked, bobbing her head slightly to the beat of the music as she was driving.
"I agree!" Chris nodded. "I should learn to play them on my clarinet sometimes!"
As they exited the disco section, Tyler sighed, frustrated.
"I wish we could cause some chaos during this race," Tyler whispered to Kitsune."I don't like playing fair."
"Don't worry," Kitsune responded. "We'll get our chance. I just know it."
While Chris, Jenna, Tyler, and Kitsune were driving through the disco area, Mindy, Mrs. Bell, and Mr. Wonka found themselves in an area that looked like something out of a Wonka-esque fairy tale. Right before driving inside, Mindy noticed a sign that read, "GODFREY GOBSTOPPER'S RESIDENCE." The section that they were in had a pink sky with white clouds, and they were driving on a rainbow path that was lined by large Everlasting Gobstoppers as a sort of fence.
"This is just my style!" Mindy Bell said with excitement in her voice. "I do wish Daniel was here, though."
"I thought everyone else was below you, Mindy," Mr. Wonka smirked.
"Well, uh, he is!" Mindy snapped back. "It's just, uh, I want someone else to make fun of in here, that's it!"
"Yeah," Mr. Wonka replied knowingly. "I believe you, little girl."
Mindy, Mrs. Bell, and Mr. Wonka looked around the section that they were in. Somewhere in the distance, they could see an orange Everlasting Gobstopper with a brown hat and a green stripe running around. He had pink arms, white gloves, small green shorts, and pink legs with pink feet. Additionally, he had two large teeth sticking out of his mouth.
"Hi, Godfrey!" Mr. Wonka waved to the sentient Gobstopper, who was running around in eagerness.
"Hey, Mr. Wonka!" Godfrey Gobstopper waved back.
The path turned a couple seconds later, and so did the karts. Looking ahead, everyone saw what looked like a huge replica of Godfrey's head, but this head was actually the entrance to another tunnel. Driving through it, the racers went to the next section.
"I'm gonna beat you, Mr. Wonka!" Mindy Bell shouted as she raced ahead of the famous chocolatier.
"We'll see about that," Mr. Wonka smiled, racing faster towards the egotistical girl.
Meanwhile, Mr. Davidson, Mr. Adams, Daniel Sparkman, and Charlie were heading towards a Gobstopper-related section as well. Daniel observed that this sign read, "GOBSTOPPER SNOWBALLS."
"I'd recommend ducking," Charlie Bucket warned as he sped ahead of Mr. Davidson and Mr. Adams.
"Huh?" Mr. Davidson questioned, then he noticed a white sphere heading straight towards him. "Woah!" he exclaimed as he and Mr. Adams ducked.
After the ball flew over them, the two parents looked around. They were now in what resembled a winter wonderland, with cold snow lining the ground and freezing air dominating the area. All around them, Oompa-Loompas were throwing Gobstopper Snowballs throughout the room, while others were building forts to protect themselves from the barrage of candy. Large candy canes that came in red, green, and white also lined next to the track's sides.
"Now we know how my son and Jenna feel when we throw snowballs at them, and they tell us to stop!" Mr. Davidson remarked.
"Watch out!" Mr. Adams shouted, and Mr. Davidson avoided yet another Gobstopper Snowball.
As they were attempting to avoid the Gobstopper Snowballs, they watched as Daniel Sparkman activated the Gobstopper speed power-up, zooming past every single Snowball- as well as them.
"We better hurry up!" Mr. Davidson remarked. "These Snowballs are really slowing us down!"
"You said it!" Mr. Adams said as the two of them drove out of the Gobstopper Snowballs section, and into the next one, ready for the next obstacles waiting just ahead for them.
While Mr. Davidson and Mr. Adams were busy getting pelted by Snowballs, Chris, Jenna, Tyler, and Kitsune had just entered a section titled, "HOT GOBSTOPPERS." Immediately, they began wiping their brows as they looked around the new track section. They were surrounded by brown and black rock, as well as bubbly lava, and a volcano was in the distance. Eyeing the track, Chris and Jenna noticed little Hot Gobstopper balls jumping constantly out of the lava like fish in an ocean.
While some of the Hot Gobstoppers resembled Godfrey Gobstopper's head, albeit colored red, others were similar, but their mouths were open wide, revealing three rings and a light pink center on the inside of them. Fire was coming out of the lava via several geysers that additionally rained down more of these candies into the hot liquid.
"Hey, I got a good idea," Tyler whispered, looking at Chris and Jenna out of the corner of one eye. "Here it is…"
After whispering his entire plan to his mother, Kitsune responded with a grin.
"Cheating?" she grinned. "What a great idea! Let's do it!"
The two mischievous pranksters then smirked, and drove near Chris and Jenna. Sensing something was up, Jenna attempted to drive away from them, but that only made Tyler swerve ever so closer to the two friends.
"What are you up to now?" Jenna asked firmly, raising one eyebrow in curiosity.
"I'll tell you what I'm up to," Tyler smiled as innocently as he could muster. "I'm about to...burn the socks off of you!"
With a triumphant laugh, Tyler slammed into Chris and Jenna's Gobstopper Go-Kart, sending the two children spinning in terror.
"Haha!" Tyler laughed as they drove off as fast as they could, while Chris and Jenna's go-kart was still spinning out of control. In fact, it was spinning so fast that they were heading straight towards the lava!
"Aaaah!" Jenna screamed, slamming the brakes as hard as she could. "That fox!"
"It's been nice knowing you!" Chris shouted, hugging Jenna tightly as the two of them closed their eyes tightly.
Suddenly, right as they were above the red-hot lava, their car disappeared with them inside it, and reappeared back on the track in a flash of blue light, leaving the two of them looking around in shock.
"What happened?" Jenna asked, confused at what was going on.
"In Mario Kart," Chris explained, "when you fall off a track, you automatically respawn, so what happened to us must have been just like that! Those two really can do anything!"
"Now, let's get going to catch up to those two cheaters!" Jenna said bravely, putting her foot down on the accelerator once again.
Speeding as fast as possible, Jenna drove their go-kart out of the Hot Gobstoppers area, where the two of them were met with a surprise. Every single one of the Ticket winners, plus Charlie and Mr. Wonka, were driving with them into a large arena that resembled a large pinball table. On one wall of this room, there were bleachers that had thick glass in order to protect the audience. Throughout this arena, tall rubber bumpers were seen, as well as metal tracks and red tunnels made out of the same formula as Everlasting Gobstoppers. Power-ups, of course, were also visible, ready to be picked up by the oncoming racers.
"All right!" the Oompa-Loompa announcer cheered. "It seems that all the contestants have made it to the final section of the race! But wait- there's one more thing! In order to get straight back to the start of the race and to the finish line, they must make it to the other side of this arena while at the same time, avoiding our giant Gobstopper pinball! Racers, get ready!"
"Five…"
"Four…"
"Three…"
"Two…"
"One!"
"Giant Gobstopper pinball?" Mindy Bell questioned, and her curiosity was answered when suddenly, an enormous red Everlasting Gobstopper the size of five Gobstopper Go-Karts suddenly emerged from a secret hole in one side of the room and began rolling towards the racers.
"Scatter!" Mr. Sparkman shouted, and everyone followed his lead.
"This is nuts!" Mrs. Bell exclaimed. "What kind of sane person would have something like this in their factory?"
"I'm fascinated by nuts!" Mr. Wonka responded, overhearing her and letting out a childlike chuckle. "I used to be one myself."
"Figures," Mrs. Bell said under her breath. "As if you aren't still one right now."
"You better watch out," Charlie Bucket warned her as he drove away from her, full-force on the accelerator of his kart.
"Or else?" Mrs. Bell chuckled. "What are you gonna do? Sue me?" She looked up, and the enormous Gobstopper was rolling straight towards her. "Woah!" she exclaimed as she just barely missed getting hit by it.
As everyone was driving around the arena in total chaos, Kitsune and Tyler could only chuckle and talk to each other as the ball was conveniently rolling towards everyone except them.
"Hehehe," Tyler chuckled. "Chaos, chaos, chaos…! Just the kind of thing we love...and we didn't even have to make it this time!"
"Hey, I have an idea!" Kitsune told her son. "Let's make it worse!"
"Worse?" Tyler remarked. "I like the sound of that, but how?"
"Just watch me," Kitsune responded. Their Gobstopper Go-Kart was started up once again, and Kitsune and Tyler switched places. Kitsune drove through a power-up, and the small black screen flashed again, showing the image of an Everlasting Gobstopper. Chuckling, Kitsune pressed the button on their steering wheel, and their kart sped up- straight towards Daniel Sparkman!
"It's time to kick nerd butt, Daniel!" Tyler shouted as they were speeding up, and Daniel spotted Tyler driving to them with mischievous grins on their faces.
"What the-?" Daniel looked, shocked at what was going on. Before he could zoom away, Kitsune rammed into him and Mr. Sparkman, making them spin around as her and Tyler drove away, completely unharmed.
As Daniel and Mr. Sparkman were attempting to recover from their dizzy spell, Mindy Bell shouted, "Daniel! Watch out!"
"Huh?" Daniel questioned, looking around. He looked to the right of him, and the pinball was headed straight towards them! "Oh, yipe!" Thinking quickly, he drove his kart in reverse, just barely avoiding the enormous Gobstopper.
"You little weasels!" Daniel shouted, waving a fist towards Tyler and Kitsune in anger. "I know you were planning this!"
Taking in the chaos that was happening around them, Jenna snapped her fingers as an idea popped into her head.
"I've got it!"
"Got what, Jenna?" Chris asked.
"The key to win!" Jenna responded. "But it all depends on if I get the right power-up…!"
Manipulating their Go-Kart around the other racers, Jenna managed to drive through another power-up towards one of the rubber bumpers. Jenna eyed the circle carefully, praying that her idea might happen according to plan. Finally, it stopped cycling- on the image of a golden Everlasting Gobstopper with Mr. Wonka's top hat on it.
"Ha!" Jenna chuckled. "Even better! Let's go!"
The circle in the middle of their steering wheel began to glow, and Chris noticed that the Everlasting Gobstopper was rolling towards them. Smirking, Jenna pressed the button, and their Go-Kart began to speed up, straight towards the rubber bumper.
Boing!
Their kart bounced off the bumper, straight towards the next one.
Boing!
Jenna kept repeating this action, and everyone, except for Tyler and Kitsune, were watching what the duo was doing. Realizing what their plan was, Daniel Sparkman began to follow their lead, followed by the remainder of the group aside from Tyler and his mother, who were too busy gloating among themselves.
"Hehe, we sure showed Chris and his stupid friend," Tyler grinned. "I'm so glad father isn't here, or he'd ruin our fun. Isn't that right, mother?"
"Quite right, son," Kitsune responded, patting her son on the head proudly. A few seconds later, she looked around and noticed that the rest of the group had completely exited the arena, leaving them as the only racers remaining in the pinball segment.
"Hey, where is everyone?" Tyler said, looking around the arena. "They're all gone!"
"Oh, come on!" Kitsune said, disappointed. "I thought, with our abilities to create chaos, that we'd be the winners! Ugh, let's find a way to get past that blasted ball."
"Uh, mother?" Tyler remarked, touching his mother on the shoulder with a single finger.
"What is it, Tyler?" Kitsune asked as her son pointed to the right of their Gobstopper Go-Kart. "Uh-oh." The Everlasting Gobstopper was rolling straight towards them, and Kitsune hurried away as fast as she could on the accelerator of their kart while the others were heading right towards the finish line.
"You won't be the winner, Chris!" Mindy shouted to Jenna and Chris as they were driving inside a tunnel to get to the finish line. "Nobody beats Mindy Bell!"
"We'll see about that, Mindy," Chris smiled back politely.
"There's nothing to see about," Mindy smirked. "Everyone knows that I never lose!"
"You lost the tank game to Antonio," Jenna grinned smartly, causing Mindy to snarl back in frustration.
"Shut up," Mindy Bell mumbled under her breath just enough for the two to hear. "Get lost, you stupid ginger rock star, and stop rubbing my loss in my face."
"You just said you never lose," Jenna responded.
"What did I say about shutting up your stupid face, you witless weed?" Mindy Bell snapped. "Now let me concentrate, you stupid glob of glue, so I can drive and beat your faces up."
"Whatever you say, Mindy," Chris said, with just a hint of a smirk on the corner of him and Jenna's mouths. Mindy snarled one again, and Chris' jab at her only caused the egotistical girl to drive even faster than before, and pass up Chris and Jenna ever so slightly.
"Oh, no you don't!" Jenna exclaimed, trying to speed up closer to Mindy.
"What a fool," Mindy chuckled under her breath. Chris and Jenna just barely managed to drive ahead of Mindy, but surprisingly, she didn't panic, and she didn't attempt to drive past the two of them. Instead, she let out a knowing smirk as Chris turned his head to see Mindy pressing the button in the center of her steering wheel.
"She's got a power-up!" Chris exclaimed. "We've got to get out of here!"
"It's too late for you," Mindy smirked. The cannon projection appeared above her car, and Chris and Jenna tried to speed away before it could hit them. The projection began shooting Gobstopper after Gobstopper, and Jenna managed to cleverly swerve out of the way of each one. They were getting nearer to the finish line with every passing second, and it appeared as if they were about to snatch a victory from the boastful girl. However, as Chris and Jenna were driving, Mindy shouted, "Enough!"
The two children looked behind them, and a Gobstopper was flying towards them just as the cannon disappeared from Mindy's Go-Kart.
"We can do this!" Jenna said quietly. "Yes, we can do this!"
The Gobstopper got closer and closer, and Chris noticed small sparks coming out from the behind of their kart as a result of the speed that they were driving.
"Yes, Jenna!" Chris cheered. "We've got this!"
Seconds away from crossing the finish line, the Gobstopper hit them and caused them to spin out of control, allowing Mindy to clinch the victory.
A few minutes later, everyone, including Chris and Jenna, finished the race and crossed the finish line. Everyone, that is, except for Tyler and Kitsune.
"Where are those two at?" Mr. Sparkman asked. "With how much of a disaster they caused in this entire race, I'm surprised they weren't the winners instead of Mindy."
"Wherever those jokers would've been, I would have won either way," Mindy beamed, her chin up high. "But honestly, I would have chosen to beat the likes of you two any day." Mindy gave a knowing glare to Chris and Jenna, and Jenna gripped Chris' hand, feeling the tension growing between them.
"Let it go, Chris," Jenna said soothingly. "She's just saying those things to get on your nerves. We lost fair and square."
"But-but, she...obnoxious little…!" Chris mumbled angrily, looking back at Jenna as she gripped his back.
"Oh, no, please don't," Mindy smirked. "I would love to beat up your butt."
"I'd never attack a girl," Chris snarled, looking as if he was about to go after Mindy but managing to hold himself back.
"Attack this, you loser!" Mindy shouted in anger. The egotistical girl slapped him in the face, causing a large red mark to appear on one half of his face, and Chris to groan in pain.
"Oh, my word!" Mr. Sparkman gasped. "I admit, I used to be feisty as a child, but not like this!"
"Chris!" Jenna gasped, and everyone looked at Mindy after she hit Chris. The boy's knees collapsed as he fell down in pain, and Jenna helped him up and put one arm around his back in order to console him.
"It hurts," Chris groaned as Jenna gently put a hand on his red spot and felt it.
"Uh, we didn't start that," said a voice. Everyone looked, and they saw Tyler and Kitsune pushing their Go-Kart as it was sputtering. The front half of it was squished, as if a huge boulder had completely rolled on top of their vehicle. As they were getting closer to the rest of the group, Tyler was heard mumbling, "That stupid ball ruined our chances at winning."
Once everyone was reunited, Mr. Wonka and Charlie Bucket turned to Mindy and Chris.
"Are you feeling all right now, Chris?" Charlie Bucket asked, concerned.
"It still hurts, but otherwise, I'm fine," Chris answered.
"Good," Charlie said. "Now, Mindy. I am going to have to ask both you and Chris to apologize to one another. While arguing with others is wrong, so is hitting each other for something that you yourself started. We're not going anywhere until I hear an apology out of the both of you."
"I'm sorry, Mindy," Chris grumbled.
"I'm sorry, Chris," Mindy said in a mocking tone. While no one was looking, Mindy stuck her tongue out towards him, which caused Chris to snarl in anger as everyone moved on with the tour.
Jenna gripped his hand and whispered to him as Mr. Wonka and Charlie Bucket guided the remaining members of the tour group towards a door that was located to the right side of the Oompa-Loompa bleachers.
"That Mindy is one stuck-up prig," Jenna said in a frustrated tone, and Chris nodded his head in agreement.
"For the next part of our tour, we're gonna take a trip down the corridor in which we produce every single variety of our Everlasting Gobstoppers," Mr. Wonka explained, standing in front of the door. "I must warn you, though. Some of these varieties are in the testing phase, so there will be no tasting unless me and Charlie say so."
"I'd listen to them if I were you, young lady," Mr. Sparkman warned Mindy Bell.
"What's it to you, old man?" Mindy Bell snapped.
"I once knew a boy who got into huge trouble due to disobedience," Mr. Sparkman said, "and I wouldn't want you to end up like him."
"Who cares about your friend?" Mindy Bell barked. "He sounds like he was an absolute twit that got what he deserved."
Mr. Sparkman stared at Mindy one final time, before the five group members and their parents entered the Everlasting Gobstoppers corridor with Mr. Wonka and Charlie.
Author's Note: Wow, what an action-packed chapter! What did you think of it? For a bit of trivia, while coming up with transportation ideas, the Gobstopper Go-Karts just popped into my mind as suitable for a nice Gobstopper-themed chapter, and I only added the Gummy Glo-Karts reference once I realized the coincidence. That chapter had Chris and Jenna winning the race, unsurprisingly, but I decided to make them lose in order to add a bit of a twist. Speaking of other characters, Mindy was a real jerk in this one, wasn't she? It makes me wonder if she'll ever learn her lesson! And why could Mr. Sparkman be concerned about Mindy in the Everlasting Gobstoppers corridor? All these answers, and more, in future chapters! Stay tuned, everyone! :D
Until then,
Gabe S. :)