Leg 11.2
Leon and Ibuki
"This is appalling," Leon said, staring at the squirming octopus.
"I think it's pretty cool!" Ibuki replied, wolfing down the octopus. Then, she began choking on it before reaching into the back of her throat and pulling out a long strand.
"Do you take that back now?"
"Nope!" She took the chunk she pulled out of her throat and threw it back into her mouth, only for her to begin choking again.
Chihiro and Hina
"I think Shuichi and Kaede are behind us," Chihiro said. Hina turned around as they saw their competition in a cab behind them.
"What? How did that happen?" Hina asked.
"It's fine," Chihiro replied. "We can beat them at the challenge."
"It should be coming up soon," the driver said. He stopped as they and Shuichi and Kaede got out of their cabs and ran to the stadium.
"Where's the clue box?" Chihiro asked.
"It's probably inside," Hina said. Shuichi and Kaede followed them inside as they rustled for the clue box.
Shuichi and Kaede: Currently in 1st Place
Chihiro and Hina: Currently in 2nd Place
"Roadblock," Shuichi read. "Who's ready to take control?"
[R] Game On
E-sports is known as South Korea's national pastime. Professional gamers like these are known around the country and are treated like celebrities, with competitions aired on national television and millions of people tuning in to watch them live. In this Roadblock, Chihiro, Kaede, Ibuki, and Chiaki must compete against these professional gamers in a game of Super Smash Bros Ultimate. After choosing their characters, these team members must win one game on a one-on-one battle with no items to receive their next clue. But to make sure these professionals don't keep our racers here overnight, the racers will be given a handicap per ten rounds lost.
"Kaede, Chihiro, Chiaki, and Ibuki have to do this Roadblock," Chihiro read. "I'm good at games I would think. We should be fine."
"I guess I have to do it," Kaede replied. The gamers led them to the stage as they both got settled into their gaming booths.
"This is so cool," Chihiro gushed.
"Fun, eh?" the pro said.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Ha, that won't last."
"Oh my god, this is like a cockpit," Kaede said.
"Never in my life have I touched a video game," Kaede explained. "I respect the games, I respect what these pros do, but I have zero experience. I've always spent all of my time pressing keys on my piano instead of pressing buttons on some screen."
"What does this do?" Kaede asked, jiggling the joystick.
"It makes you move," the instructor replied.
"Alright, how do I hit?"
"The rightmost button for your regular attack, and the leftmost button for your special attack."
"What? What's the difference?"
"It depends per character."
"Explain it to me like I'm five."
Meanwhile, Chihiro had it down. "I've played this before. I think I'm ready."
"You haven't practiced!"
"I think I'll give it a go,"
They navigated to the SMASH panel and then picked their characters.
"I'll pick Link," he said. The pro laughed as he picked Mario.
Chihiro: Game 1: Link vs Mario
Link and Mario spawned into the arena as the timer counted down. Chihiro controlled Link to swing his sword at Mario, but Mario hit Link with a burst of fire.
"Oh my god,"
Link jumped up and dodged, but Mario punched upwards, causing Link to fall to the ground. Link spun his sword in a spin, but Mario grabbed him and tossed him off the stage.
"Show mercy!"
"No!"
As Link came back to the edge, Mario smashed attacked against him and blasted him off the left edge of the screen.
GAME!
Chihiro wiped sweat off his face. "This is gonna be a long day.
Kaede: Game 1: Pichu vs Mario
Pichu ran up to Mario as Kaede spammed the attack button to make him headbutt. Mario rolled behind Pichu to punch it a few times before spamming him with fireball projectiles.
"What?" Kaede asked. She kept trying to move, but she couldn't from the fireballs. "I- I can't even get close to get a hit in!"
The gamer laughed as they stopped the fireball barrage and then followed it up by a straight vertical punch off the screen.
GAME!
"This is impossible," Kaede said.
"Don't give up!" Shuichi shouted. "Keep trying!"
Leon and Ibuki
Leon chomped down on the octopus.
"Ibuki's done… she's waiting for you."
"I get it, Ibuki. I get it. I fucking get it." Leon snapped. "Just let me take my time."
Ibuki sighed. "Just-"
"I GET IT!"
Ibuki sat and watched as Leon slowly ate the rest of the octopus in disgust. The waiter walked up to them and handed over their clue.
Leon and Ibuki: Currently in 3rd Place
"That was awful and disgusting," Leon said, putting their stuff into a cab.
"I thought it was really cool!" Ibuki shouted.
"Hard disagree. I can still feel them squirming…"
Chihiro: 4th Game: Link vs Mario
"Oh my god!" Chihiro shouted. "Stop!"
Mario kept dodging Link's attacks as he shot Link straight upwards.
GAME!
Kaede: 5th Game: Pichu vs Mario
"You're not even letting me get a hit!" Kaede shouted, barrage after barrage of fireballs. The gamer laughed.
Shuichi whispered to himself. "Does she know how to jump?"
Leon and Ibuki
"Don't be too upset," Ibuki said. "Hajime and Chiaki are probably behind us. Gloomy weather can't keep us down!"
"But this clue says to go to an E-stadium, which is probably video games," Leon said. "If they show up before we leave, there's a high chance we can go home today."
"Come on! Don't think so negatively! We can do it!"
Chihiro: 9th Game: Link vs Mario
"Let me get up!" Chihiro shouted. The gamer said nothing and continued ramming Link into the ground.
"You're mean."
Link was slapped to the ground and then rebounded off the floor to the sky, where he flew off the screen. Chihiro gripped his head in frustration
Kaede
"Okay, this isn't fair!" Kaede shouted. "Can I change my character?"
"If you want," the pro said. Kaede exited out of the stage selection to instead choose Pokemon Trainer as her character.
"Alright, let's do this!" Kaede said, entering back into the battle as Chihiro looked.
"Kaede really had no idea what she was doing," Chihiro explained. "She swapped characters, but I don't know if she realized that each character was extremely different with different movesets and different abilities, and that was basically resetting her to square one."
Kaede: Game 9: Pokemon Trainer vs Mario
Squirtle and Mario spawned in. The moment the countdown reached zero, Squirtle slid right off the edge of the map and off into the void below.
GAME!
"If we get eliminated because of this, I'm gonna be real upset." Kaede said.
Leon and Ibuki
Leon and Ibuki ran into the stadium and ripped the clue open.
Leon and Ibuki: Currently in 3rd Place
"Are you good at video games?" Leon asked.
"I love video games! Chiaki and I play a lot in class!"
"Alright, well this time you're going to have to beat it before Chiaki gets here."
Ibuki ran into the stadium grounds and into one of the booths, across from the two teams already there. Meanwhile, Leon made his way to sit with the non-participating members in the stands.
"Did you see Hajime and Chiaki at all?" Shuichi asked.
"Nope. I have no clue where they are. But we know they couldn't have been here because there was an extra clue in the box outside." Leon replied.
"The question I want an answer for. Where are they?" Hina asked.
Hajime and Chiaki: Currently in Last Place
Hajime and Chiaki checked their coats at the door as they walked into the restaurant and sat down at a table.
"Alright, what are we eating?" Hajime asked, somewhat excited.
"You know it's not going to be pleasant," Chiaki replied stoically.
"I can dream," Hajime said, picking up the chopsticks and picking up some kimchi and radish. Then the plates came.
Hajime looked in horror. "Oh, what the f-"
Then Chiaki stuffed some in her mouth. "No time for being grossed out. Eat it!"
Then, she picked at her teeth. "Oh, it's getting stuck to everything."
"This is not something I want to eat in a rush," Hajime said, rapidly chewing.
"It doesn't matter. Get it down or go we home." Chiaki replied.
"The last thing I wanted was to go home the leg before the finale," Hajime explained. "If we did, I would feel that everything we did so far was meaningless. We did so well this race, and I didn't want it to go to waste."
Chiaki chewed and then ate broccoli from one of the side dishes.
Chihiro: Game 11: Link vs Mario, One Hand
"You lost ten rounds," the instructor said. "Now he has to play with one hand."
"One hand?" Chihiro asked. "I'm still going to get wrecked… but okay."
They spawned in as Mario grabbed Link and hurled him off the side of the platform. Chihiro got back on only for Mario to weaken him with a few punches. Link shot a few arrows and used his boomerang, but Mario deflected them with his cape and then smashed Link off the stage.
GAME!
Ibuki
"Ooh, which one should Ibuki pick?" Ibuki asked, going through the selections. "Eenie meenie minie… you!" She moused over Kirby.
Kaede: Game 11: Pokemon Trainer vs Mario, One-Hand
"Oh, you're playing with one hand now?" Kaede asked. "Alright. Let's go!"
They spawned in as Mario hurled Squirtle off the side of the platform. She jumped up and returned, and suddenly swapped to Ivysaur.
"What just happened? What in the world did I just do? What happened to my turtle?"
The surprise was enough for the gamer to catch her off guard and stomp her off the side of the platform and off the screen.
GAME!
"Seriously, what the hell just happened?"
Ibuki: Game 1: Kirby vs Mr. Game and Watch
Kirby and Mr Game and Watch spawned in as the timer counted down. Once the game began, Ibuki made Kirby go in and suck in Mr Game and Watch.
"Oh yeah, I'll suck you, I'll suck you real good."
Kirby gained Mr. Game and Watch's power and turned a void black as she tried to go in for a punch, but Mr Game and Watch flung pancakes at her and hit her with a chair and a hammer.
"That's not nice! Don't flip the pancakes at me or else I'll flip the bird at you!"
Mr. Game and Watch launched Kirby off the side of the platform, then went out and smashed downwards to blast her off the bottom of the screen.
GAME!
"That was intense!" Ibuki shouted. "Let's go again!"
Hajime and Chiaki
Hajime began choking as Chiaki got behind him to do the Heimlich maneuver.
"Thanks," he said. "Almost done with this crap. I bet we're going to turn into zombie cannibals or something."
"Just eat."
Kaede: Game 16: Pokemon Trainer vs Mario, One Hand
Kaede hit Mario a few times before Mario hurled her off the stage, and she didn't know how to recover and fell to the void below.
GAME!
"I don't know what to do!" Kaede shouted.
"Just get your shit together and think!" Shuichi shouted from the stands.
"Wow, very encouraging of you! What do you think I've been doing this whole time? Just mindlessly slapping around the buttons?"
"That's what it looks like!"
Kaede sighed.
"Wow, Kaede," Ibuki said. "You suck!"
"Thanks. Thanks for that."
Chihiro: Game 18: Link vs Mario, One Hand
Chihiro used his projectiles as he watched Mario's damage percentage slowly rise up.
"Okay, get up that knockback…" Chihiro muttered. Mario then leapt over the projectiles and then pummeled him from behind, Chihiro tried to smash attack him to the left, but he dodged it and smashed Link to the right.
GAME!
"This is absolute insanity," Chihiro said. "He's playing one handed and still beating me. I don't even know if Chiaki will get this first try, y'know?"
Ibuki: Game 5: Kirby vs Mr Game and Watch
"Okay, you're going down, flat, black piece of paper!" Ibuki shouted. Kirby sucked up Mr Game and Watch and then spat him out before hovering above him and turning into a stone, then smashing him downwards.
"Alright! Let's go!" Ibuki shouted. Mr. Game and Watch flicked pancakes at her and then hit her with a hammer, sending her flying off the screen.
GAME!
"Pancakes are the death of me," Ibuki said.
Chihiro
"Alright, let's go again," Chihiro said.
"It's been another ten rounds," the instructor said. "Now, one finger."
"Oh, one finger," Chihiro said. "Alright. Let's a' go!"
Chihiro: Game 21: Link vs Mario: One Finger
Link swept his sword into Mario as the percentage gradually increased. However, Mario rolled behind him, grabbed him, then slammed him into the air before jumping up and smacking him even more into the air whenever he was about to land.
"Oh my god, stop!" Chihiro shouted. "I'm not a volleyball!"
That was enough for Link to be blasted vertically and out of the screen.
GAME!
Kaede
"I'm gonna swap my character again," She said. "I'm gonna go with this yellow dog. Isabelle."
Kaede: Game 21: Isabelle vs Mario: One Finger
Isabelle began running as Mario began spamming fireballs, all of which hit Isabelle.
"Come on! How do I get past that!" Kaede shouted. Isabelle cast her fishing line, which latched onto Mario and launched him off the platform. But, Mario got back onto the platform and then gave a few punches before throwing Isabelle off the screen.
GAME!
"Oh god, I'm gonna be here all night!"
Ibuki: Game 14: Kirby vs Mr Game and Watch: One Hand
"Come on!" Ibuki shouted. Kirby charged up his hammer as he swung at Mr Game and Watch, significantly increasing his percentage. He then threw a few punches until Mr Game and Watch had 100%.
"Oh, she's gonna get it!" Leon shouted.
Then Mr Game and Watch pushed Kirby out over the gap, then slammed her downwards.
"Aww!" Leon shouted. "Boo!"
"Almost! Almost!" Ibuki said. The gamer smiled and nodded.
Hajime and Chiaki
"Oh, this is sticking to everything! I can't take it." Hajime said.
"That's what the sesame oil is for," Chiaki said. "Just dunk it in. It'll oil it up."
He dunked some of the octopus into the oil and then put into his mouth. "Better, but it's still somewhat sticky."
"Just deal with it."
Meanwhile, back at the stadium, everyone struggled.
GAME!
GAME!
GAME!
"How long have we been here?" Hina asked.
"At least thirty minutes," Shuichi replied. "Hajime and Chiaki are bound to catch up at some point."
Chihiro: Game 31: Link vs Mario: Blindfolded
"He's blindfolded now," Chihiro said. "Which will make me feel terrible about myself if I lose,"
"You've got this Chihiro!" Hina shouted. Link spawned in as he went in for several swings, whittling down the percentage and increasing the knockback. He used the boomerang and the arrows, then used the remote bomb to explode him from a distance.
"Come on! 120%!" Chihiro shouted. "I just need to hit... I just need to hit… He's blindfolded and still really good..."
Mario hit him a few times, knocking him over the edge but quickly recovering. Link then whacked Mario off the platform and off the screen.
GAME!
"Did I get it?" Chihiro asked. "I got it! Yeah!"
"Oh my god did she get it?" Kaede asked. "Drat. She got it."
Chihiro stood up as the gamer handed him the clue. He cheered and ran down to the viewing area where he reunited with Hina.
"You did great!" Hina said. "Come on! Rip and read it!"
Chihiro and Hina: Currently in 1st Place
"Make your way by subway to your next Pit Stop," Chihiro read.
[i] Proceed to Pit Stop: Gyeongbokgung Palace
Teams must now make their way by the subway to Gyeongbokgung Palace. Built in 1395, this was the royal palace of Korea and the center of the Korean Government during the Joseon Dynasty. It will now be the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The first three teams who check in here at the mat will be safe and given the opportunity to race for one hundred million yen in the finale. However, the last team WILL be eliminated.
"We're in first place!" Chihiro said. "Come on! Let's hold onto our lead!"
They left the stadium as they pulled over a cab.
"Wait," Chihiro said.
"What?"
"Our clue says to take the subway."
"Oh," Hina replied. "Sorry," she said to the cab driver. The driver shooed them off as they ran to a nearby station.
Ibuki: Game 25: Kirby vs Mr Game and Watch: One Finger
"Alright, die!" Ibuki shouted. "You've got Ibuki all pumped up!"
Kirby charged up his hammer fast enough to launch Mr Game and Watch off the map.
GAME!
"I did it!" Ibuki shouted, snatching the clue away from the gamer. She ran down to Leon to open their clue.
"She got it too?" Kaede asked, frustrated.
Leon and Ibuki: Currently in 2nd Place
"Make your way by subway to your next Pit Stop," Leon read. "Come on! We can catch up to Chihiro and Hina!"
They ran into the pouring rain and down into a subway station.
Hajime and Chiaki
"We've cleared our plates, sir," Hajime said. The waiter came out and handed them the clue.
Hajime and Chiaki: Currently in Last Place
"E-stadium?" Chiaki asked. "I can smoke that. Just as long as there are teams still there."
Chihiro and Hina
Chihiro and Hina turned around to see the doors close just as Ibuki and Leon ran into the station.
"Oh, thank god," Chihiro said. "I do not want to get second place to Leon and Ibuki of all people."
Leon and Ibuki
"Drat, missed it by seconds!" Leon said. "That's alright. We just need to be in front of a team right now, and right now that's Shuichi and Kaede. As long as she doesn't get it anytime soon and we don't make some stupid mistake, we should be fine."
Kaede: Game 41: Wii Fit Trainer vs Mario: Blindfolded and One Hand
"How?" Kaede asked. "He's blindfolded and somehow still killing me! Are you sure you're blindfolded there?"
"It's alright, Kaede!" Shuichi shouted. "Just calm yourself and play!"
Kaede tried again only to be killed within a minute. "Okay, I give up."
"What?" Shuichi asked. "You're giving up?"
"Well, not 'give up' give up," Kaede said. "I just need a five-minute break."
"What? No! Get your butt up into that chair and keep trying!"
"At that point, I just needed a rest," Kaede explained. "I've been failing at a video game for forty minutes straight, my eyes are all sore, my posture was terrible, and I was really fuming and ready to explode."
"And me on the other hand, was very disappointed in her at that moment. We're the only team here, two teams are already gone, with one possibly seconds behind us, and she wants to take a rest."
Kaede sat down in the stands next to Shuichi and took out her water bottle as she began sipping on it. Shuichi waited a few seconds before telling her off. "There. You've had your break. Now go up and wreck that dude!"
Kaede sighed. "I just need another minute."
Leon and Ibuki
Leon and Ibuki got into their train as they sat down.
"If we do come in second," Leon said. "That's going to be our best placement yet."
"That's kind of sad to be honest," Ibuki replied.
"Weren't you the one yelling at me about being pessimistic?!"
Chihiro and Hina
"Here! Gyeongbokgung Station!" Hina said. They exited their train and ran upstairs.
Chihiro and Hina entered the stormy palace gate and ran to Monokuma on the mat.
"Chihiro and Hina," Monokuma said.
"Yeah?" Chihiro replied.
"You are team number TWO."
"What?" Hina asked. "How?"
"Did Hajime and Chiaki check in?" Chihiro asked, on the verge of crying. "It's always second place for us…"
"Nah, I'm joking, you're team number ONE!"
Chihiro and Hina: 1st Place
"What! Yeah!" Hina shouted, pumped up. "Finally!"
"It's about time, huh?" Monokuma asked. "And I have some good news for you. You are one of the three teams who will be racing in the finale for the one hundred million yen!"
"We're so proud of ourselves!" Chihiro said, hand on his chest.
"Unfortunately, there is no prize today."
"Oh, come on!" Hina shouted.
"But on the final flight back home, you will be pampered in business class. Additionally, you will be staying in a luxury suite to make sure you and the other two teams will be fully rested and comfortable to go into the finale to give it your all."
"That sounds great, Monokuma," Hina said. "We'll be sure to have a nice rest."
"We are so proud of ourselves today about our first place." Hina explained. "This is our first first place of the season, so we're hoping we can carry that streak onto tomorrow. But it just proves that we're not a second-place team. We can actually do this. We can actually beat anyone who's racing with us. We can actually win."
Leon and Ibuki
Leon and Ibuki got out of their subway car as they ran up to Monokuma, next to Chihiro and Hina.
"Leon and Ibuki," Monokuma said. "You are team number TWO!"
Leon and Ibuki: 2nd Place
"Yeah!" Leon shouted.
"And you are one of the three teams who will be duking it out in the finale for one hundred million yen!"
"This is our best placement yet!"
"Is it now?" Monokuma asked.
"Well our previous best was our third place finish all the way back in L.A." Ibuki said.
"That was a while ago," Chihiro said. "Well, congrats."
"No, congrats to you!" Ibuki replied. "You finally got the first you deserve!"
"Not yet we don't." Hina said.
Hajime and Chiaki: Currently in Last Place
"Roadblock," Hajime read. "It's all you!"
"Finally, a gaming challenge," Chiaki said.
Kaede
Kaede sighed and ran back up to the gaming booths. "Alright, let's do thi-"
She looked up and paused as Hajime and Chiaki came into the stadium.
"Oh, fuck," Shuichi said. "Come on, Kaede! You can do this!"
"The moment I see them walk through the door," Kaede explained. "Completely revitalized me. We still have a chance if I could get this in the next few tries."
"Alright, let's do this!" Kaede said.
Chiaki
"Oh my god, Shuichi and Kaede are still here!" Hajime said. "We could survive! Just do as best as you can!"
"Got it!"
Kaede: Game 42: Wii Fit Trainer vs Mario: Blindfolded and One Hand
Wii Fit Trainer hit Mario with a beam of light before hitting him with a few yoga poses. Then, she picked up Mario and threw him over the edge, but he rebounded and hit Wii Fit trainer several times to knock her off the edge of the stage.
GAME!
Chiaki
"Hi, I'm Chiaki," Chiaki said, introducing herself to her competitior. "Alright. Normally… I would like to have some fun… but since I need to get out of here…"
Chiaki picked Inkling.
Chiaki: Game 1: Inkling vs Link
They spawned in as Inkling immediately sprayed Link with orange ink.
"Come on! I'll ink you to oblivion!" Chiaki shouted.
Link swung back a few times to damage her, but she jabbed at him, increasing their percentage at a more or less proportional rate.
"Oh, you're good!" the pro said.
"I am the Ultimate Gamer," Chiaki replied. "Stop distracting me!"
Chiaki initiated the roller, but Link rolled behind her and initiated the smash attack, launching her off the side.
GAME!
"Did I just lose?" Chiaki asked.
"That was the first time I've lost in a game (that wasn't Mario Party against Nagito) in years." Chiaki explained. "In my defense, we were neck-and-neck, and these guys are NATIONAL champions who do this for a living and are totally famous for it. I'm just one of the best people in my age group."
"Chiaki just lost," Kaede said. "Never thought I'd be saying that. But we have a chance!"
"Good game," The pro said. "You've been the best person I've played against in ages."
"Thanks," Chiaki replied. "Let's go again."
Kaede
"I'm swapping my character to Inkling because that's what Chiaki's using, so it must be better," Kaede said.
Kaede: Game 43: Inkling vs Mario: Blindfolded and One Hand
"So, this has been fun and all, but I really want to go now." Kaede said.
"Ha, no," the gamer said. "We'll see about that."
Kaede spritzed ink at Mario.
"It covers them in ink? What does that do?"
"From the looks of it, the reason why Kaede has been here for so long is that she's been constantly swapping her characters every few rounds," Chiaki explained. "Naturally, if you were to pick one character and stick with it, you'd learn about how to play and its mechanics. But these characters are so different that it's like trying to write an essay in English, then swapping to French halfway through and then to Chinese."
Kaede initiated the roller as Mario jumped over that easily. Mario pummeled her a few times, threw her off the edge, then smacked her into the abyss below.
GAME!
"Come on!" Kaede shouted, beginning to tear up. "To go home in fourth… after how well we've done on this race… I'm going to lose to a stupid video game…"
"It's not over yet!" Shuichi shouted. "Keep going! Unless Monokuma tells us so, it's not over!"
Chiaki: Game 2: Inkling vs Link
Chiaki spawned in and Link spawned in. She used the Splat bomb to coat Link in ink, then jabbed at him several times and dodged his attacks. She smash attacked to do some significant damage which launched him off the edge of the platform, but he recovered. Link slashed the Inkling a few times to do some major damage and then whipped out his bow and arrow.
"Not today," Chiaki said. "We're not going home today."
She pulled out the roller and ran over Link, burying him in the ground. She charged up her smash attack while he was still in the ground, and then smashed him to the right and off the screen.
GAME!
"Nice work!" the pro said, handing Chiaki the clue.
Hajime and Chiaki: Currently in 3rd Place
"Pit Stop," Hajime read. "Let's go! You did great!"
Kaede
Kaede walked down to Shuichi and wrapped her arms around his neck, sobbing.
"So disappointing!"
"It's alright," Shuichi said. "It's alright. We don't know what's going on. Maybe one of the others got lost. We don't know, so all I want you to do to 'apologize' to me is to go up there and continue until either we get the clue or Monokuma shows up to eliminate us."
Kaede nodded and took a heavy sip of water before sobbing her way back up to the panel.
"I'm sorry," the gamer said.
"It's not your fault," Kaede replied. "Let's get this over with.
Hajime and Chiaki
Hajime and Chiaki got back into their cab.
"Good thing you took like five minutes," Hajime said. "We don't have to pay a fortune to retain our taxi."
"Right," Chiaki replied. "We know that we left behind Shuichi and Kaede, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll be eliminated. For all we know, we can get lost, the other teams could get lost, there could be some kind of twist at the end where the Pit Stop isn't really the Pit Stop, anything can happen."
"We're not going to count our chickens before they hatch." Hajime said.
Kaede: Game 44: Inkling vs Mario: Blindfolded and One Hand
GAME!
Kaede: Game 46: Inkling vs Mario: Blindfolded and One Hand
GAME!
Kaede: Game 49: Inkling vs Mario: Blindfolded and One Hand
GAME!
Kaede sat there, sobbing with her head in her hands.
"It's okay," Shuichi said. "It's okay."
Hajime and Chiaki
The cab pulled up in front of the palace as they ran inside to Monokuma and the other two teams on the mat. Both Chihiro and Hina and Leon and Ibuki were ecstatic that they were the ones that made it.
"Hajime and Chiaki," Monokuma said. "You are the third team to arrive!"
They sighed in relief.
"However," Monokuma said, as both of them looked up. "You were told to take the subway from the theater to Myong-Dong. I understand you've taken a taxi. For that, you've incurred a thirty minute penalty, which you must wait out before I can check you in."
Hajime and Chiaki: Penalty Time: 30:00
"Oh, you're joking," Hajime said, fingers at the bridge of his nose.
"I'm not joking. I'm also not finished." Monokuma said. "Additionally, your clue instructed you to take the subway from the E-stadium to the Pit Stop. Once again, you've taken a cab. For that, you've incurred a second thirty-minute penalty. A total penalty time of one hour."
Hajime and Chiaki: Penalty Time: 1:00:00
Hajime grasped his face and Chiaki looked down at the ground.
"Please go wait over there," Monokuma said. Hina's jaw dropped as Ibuki looked at them in concern. They both let out a huge sigh as they walked over and sat down on the hard, wet concrete of the stormy Seoul palace, Hajime's face drenched in rain and tears.
"This is it," Hajime said. "We're done. There's no way they're gonna be stuck in there for another hour. No matter how bad Kaede is at gaming."
Kaede: Game 51: Inkling vs Mario: Blindfold, Noise-Cancelling Headphones, and One Hand
Inkling rolled over Mario as she hit him to dwindle down the health. Then, she hit him which initiated a critical hit, launching Mario off the screen
GAME!
The entire audience broke out into applause as Kaede was given her clue.
Shuichi and Kaede: Currently in Last Place
"Make your way by subway to your next Pit Stop," Shuichi read.
"I'm so sorry," Kaede wheezed. "I lost it for us."
"You didn't lose it," Shuichi replied. "I'm not sure if I would've done much better."
They descended down into the subway.
Hajime and Chiaki: Penalty Time Remaining: 0:45:37
"Each round takes around a minute," Hajime said. "And there's the twenty minute ride… we need her to fail forty more times… that's not gonna happen."
"Hajime, hold your head up," Chiaki said. "It's not over until they walk through that gate."
Shuichi and Kaede
Shuichi and Kaede got into the subway and sat down. "Gyeongbokgung station," Shuichi repeated. Kaede sniffled from her tears.
"Maybe… maybe they have a penalty?" Kaede asked. "There were a lot of transportation specifics that were easy to miss…"
"Maybe," Shuichi replied. "That's why we still have to get there fast!"
Hajime and Chiaki: Penalty Time Remaining: 0:36:10
"To go home in 4th… that's the last thing I want," Hajime said. "To fall just short of the finale."
Shuichi and Kaede
"Hey, do you know how many stations Gyeongbokgung is?" Shuichi asked.
"Gyeongbokgung station?" the passerby asked. "Around twenty stops that direction."
He pointed in the opposite direction of the subway.
"That way?" Shuichi asked. The man nodded. "Kaede… we're on the wrong direction train."
"What?"
At the next station, they got out and quickly swapped trains.
"That cost us a few minutes," Shuichi said. "Hopefully it doesn't make any kind of difference."
Hajime and Chiaki: Penalty Time Remaining: 0:19:38
"I can't imagine how stressful that situation is," Hina said. "To be waiting out an hour penalty on the penultimate leg with one team behind you. That's rough."
"We do want them in the final three, though," Chihiro said. "It's nervewracking for us too."
Shuichi and Kaede
Shuichi and Kaede exited their train and ran upwards out of the station and near the palace.
Shuichi and Kaede ran into the palace grounds and towards the Pit Stop and Hajime threw his water bottle in frusturation.
"AAAAAHHHHH!" he shouted.
"Hajime and Chiaki," Monokuma said. "I can check you in now."
They sprung up like a cartoon and darted straight for the mat.
"Hajime and Chiaki, I am proud to tell you that you are officially team number THREE, and you are one of the three teams who will be racing for the hundred million yen back in Japan."
Hajime and Chiaki: 3rd Place
Hajime wrapped Chiaki in a huge bear hug just as Shuichi and Kaede stepped onto the mat.
"Shuichi and Kaede," Monokuma said. "As you can see, you are the last team to arrive."
Shuichi and Kaede: Last Place
"We thought so," Shuichi said.
"Hajime and Chiaki had a penalty that they were waiting out," Monokuma said. "But unfortunately, that just expired less than fifteen seconds before you touched the mat. I am sorry to say that you have been eliminated from the race."
Shuichi and Kaede: Eliminated
They both sighed. "I got out my emotions at the Roadblock," Kaede said.
"Yeah, it's kind of a bummer that we lost just short of the finale," Shuichi said. "But we got to circumnavigate the globe, go to eleven foreign nations, all with my best friend."
"We're grateful for this experience and even though we couldn't complete it, I wouldn't give it up for anything," Kaede said. "See you at the Finish Line."
Shuichi and Kaede walked away from the rainy palace, waving at the teams who made it into finals.
What makes you think that you can beat out your competition for the hundred million?
Chihiro and Hina
"We've been in a massive improvement over the race," Chihiro explained. "We did have a rough start, but we made it up by having a total of six second place finishes and a first place today."
"If that's not an indication of extreme improvement, I don't know what is." Hina said. "We're going to win this."
Leon and Ibuki
"Y'know, we haven't really done all that well throughout the race," Leon said. "But that doesn't mean we can't pull it off in the end."
"The finale is all that matters." Ibuki said. "The past, *floosh*, not important. We just need to make sure we give it our all tomorrow, and you'll see our true strength."
Hajime and Chiaki
"We are definitely the strongest team left," Hajime said. "For the majority of the race, we've been in front of one or both of them."
"If we do our absolute best, we're an unstoppable force," Chiaki said. "Be careful of us. We'll take home the money, whether the others like it or not."
Race Stats:
This Leg:
1st: Chihiro and Hina
2nd: Leon and Ibuki
3rd: Hajime and Chiaki
Eliminated: Shuichi and Kaede
Race Average:
Shuichi and Kaede: 2.45
Hajime and Chiaki: 3.45
Chihiro and Hina: 3.73
Leon and Ibuki: 4.73
Nagito and Nekomaru: 3.56
Makoto and Sayaka: 4.00
Miu and Kazuichi: 6.80
Tenko and Himiko: 6.80
Celeste and Akane: 8.33
Hiro and Rantaro: 8.00
Sonia and Kaito: 11.00
Roadblock Counts:
Chihiro 6, Hina 6
Leon 6, Ibuki 6
Hajime 6, Chiaki 6
Shuichi 6, Kaede 6
Nagito 5, Nekomaru 5
Makoto 5, Sayaka 4
Miu 3, Kazuichi 4
Tenko 3, Himiko 3
Celeste 2, Akane 2
Hiro 1, Rantaro 2
Kaito 1, Sonia 1
Next Time on the Dual-Length Finale of the Amazing Race: Hope's Peak Edition
The Final Three give it their all as they sprint through the nighttime sky of Tokyo.
"This is it, do or die," Chiaki said.
*Hajime falling down the side of the Tokyo Tower while Chiaki watches*
"AAAAAAHAHHHAHAAHHHHH!"
*Chihiro sprinting through Akihabara*
*Leon and Ibuki running up to the Tokyo Dome*
As they fight their way to the Finish Line for a chance at the one hundred million yen.
*Chiaki hanging up red Japanese lanterns*
"It doesn't matter how well we did in the past," Chihiro explained. "We have to win today or everything would've been for naught."
"This is it," Leon said. "The day we finally show everyone how strong we really are."
"We have to give it our all. No other option! This is it! This is what we've worked so hard to achieve!" Hajime shouted.
"One in three! One of three!" Ibuki cheered.
"Twelve Countries," Monokuma said. "Twenty-one cities, over 37,000 miles, I am proud to tell you that you are the official winners of the Amazing Race and the hundred million yen, congratulations!"
What are your thoughts on the final 3? I know some people are gonna be mad that Shuichi and Kaede went home today, but reminder that this is how I planned it out from the very start, before I wrote chapter 1. Just something to note: the Finale will take a while to write because I plan for it to be a full 10K+ word chapter. It's not going to be broken up, but it'll be INTENSE. Anways, who will win? Tough competition Hajime and Chiaki? Progressively improving Chihiro and Hina? Or underdogs Leon and Ibuki? Please let me know in the reviews.
