SSX Tricky and its characters belong to EA games. DJ Rahzel is his own talented self. As far as I know, there is no actual pop star named Naomi Chen, a business tycoon named Mr. Lei-Kung Wang, or a Phoenix Electronics. I must also give credit to a SSX Tricky character FAQ by Fisheye at GameFAQs for a few character specifics. ~_^

PsYkeD

Chapter 2: Preliminary Festivities

Kaori stepped out of Psymon's room, closing the door ever so gently. She had made it a point to wake up extra early that morning to prepare Psymon's 'surprise.'

The teen giggled softly. "Good thing Psymon didn't lock his door. Hee, hee…I can't wait to see what happens!" Still quietly snickering, she tipped-toed back toward her hotel room.

----------------------

"Take a look at all those crazy fans! Half the population of China must be here!" Rahzel was grinning like a giddy schoolboy. If there was one thing that made his thankless job worthwhile, it was those last electrified moments leading up to each race. The SSX spokesman always found himself caught up in the frenzied atmosphere, becoming one with the crowd as anticipation grew to a fever pitch. Facing the group of athletes gathered next to him, Rahzel beamed like a proud father. "Just think, every single one of those people out there are here to see you boyz and girlz do what you do best!"

"If that were the case, wouldn't there be a huge buffet for Luther to, like, pig out on?" Eddie couldn't resist taking advantage of the perfect opening Rahzel presented.

"Why don'cha you come over here and say that to my face!" Needless to say, the big southerner wasn't pleased with Eddie's comment.

"Hey, I would Luther, but the rest of you keeps getting in the way."

"Why, I ought to…" Luther looked ready to pummel the afro'd snowboarder. JP laid a restraining hand on his companion's shoulder.

"Relax, monsieur. I'm sure there will be plenty of opportunity to apply retribution during the competition." Normally, JP might not have cared if his large associate decided to engage in a brawl. However, given the makeup of this particular group, such a tangle would probably become messy. Wanting to look his best for the upcoming group photo opportunity, the Frenchman preferred to avoid any scenario that might damage his well-kept appearance.

"You're da boss, JP." Keeping his composure for now, Luther smiled and cracked his knuckles, already relishing the pain he would deliver to the wisecracking youth.

"You know, Eddie, one of these times Luther is going make good on his promise to 'beat you to a pulp.' " While Elise shared her friend's appraisal of Luther, she didn't want to see Eddie hurt because of his constant taunting of the huge athlete.

Eddie waved off the Canadian's concern. "Don't worry Elise, I can race circles around him all day long."

"Looks like JP's got a leash on him for now," Zoe said sullenly. Impatient to start the race, she didn't see the point to all the preliminary festivities. "Hey Rahzel, how much longer do we have to wait?"

The DJ happily responded, "Just until the camera crew finishes setting up. Then we'll be able to begin the group interview!"

"…oh joy…" the punk girl sarcastically replied.

Moby tried to cheer Zoe up. "Don't worry luv. You and me will give the crowd a bloody good show!"

"Yo man, you doin' a comedy?" Mac, overhearing the Englishman, decided to add his two cents.

Moby directed a glare at Mac. "What's that supposed to mean, mate?"

The sixteen-year old snowboarder shrugged. "I jus' figured you'll be doin' slapstick…what with you slammin' into trees the whole way."

From his vantage point, JP smirked. "I agree with the lad. How do you say it…quite a number of course obstacles bear your name on them."

Moby turned his attention toward JP. "Nobody is asking for your opinion, you bloody french fry!"

The rich playboy continued smiling arrogantly. "Ah, but I give it freely."

"So, what else is new?" Seeiah muttered. Peering down at Kaori, she grew curious. "What are you doing there, kiddo?"

The sitting teenager held up a textbook. "My homework." Sure enough, Seeiah saw what appeared to be a number of geometry problems, some having already been answered.

Seeiah grinned in approval. At least someone was making good use of this extra time. "Good for you, girl."

Brodi walked up beside the two women. He playfully ruffled Kaori's hair. "One must always strive to expand one's horizons."

The teen giggled. "Hai, Brodi-kun!"

Elise strolled over to the small group. Looking down at the Japanese teen, the blonde asked, "Feeling better Kaori?"

The girl winked at Elise and cheerfully responded, "Hai!"

Elise couldn't shake the suspicion that Kaori seemed more upbeat and mischievous than usual. Putting aside her concerns, she mentally shrugged. "At least it beats having do deal with an angry Kaori." Chucking a thumb in the direction of Marisol, she asked Seeiah, "What's up with Sparky?" Brodi and Kaori turned to see what Elise was referring to. They both noticed the Latino bombshell wasn't her usual energetic self. A more thorough examination showed faint rings under her eyes, despite a careful attempt to cover them with makeup.

Seeiah briefly glanced at Marisol before answering, "Oh, she must have been out partying late last night. I heard her stumble in sometime around 3 am."

Elise lifted an inquisitive eyebrow. "You weren't with her?"

The African-American shrugged, "Hey, I'm not her babysitter. If she wants to get sleep deprived before a race, that's her business."

At hearing Seeiah's answer, the blonde Canadian gave a predatory grin. Sauntering over to her rival, she asked, "What's the matter, Sparky? Nobody tucked you into bed last night?"

Hardly in the mood to argue, Marisol simply grumbled, "Cállate, por favor."

Instead of complying, Elise leaned in even closer and gleefully asked, "What was that Sparky? I didn't hear you."

"Ooh boy, it's gonna get nasty." Seeiah didn't like where this little verbal exchange was going.

Apparently, neither did Rahzel. "Come on gang! The crew's about ready to go!"

Elise pouted. "Oh come on Raz…I was just getting warmed up."

Marisol sneered. "Funny to hear that from an ice queen like yourself."

The Canadian snarled back, "So the bitch does have some bite left to her."

The Latino gave Elise the dirty finger. "Any time, any place, chica."

Before the two blonde rivals could engage in a free-for-all, Seeiah smoothly stepped in to ease the tension. "Now, now girlfriends…let's save it for the race, shall we?"

Reluctant to fight with Seeiah, Marisol settled for sticking her tongue out at Elise. The Canadian responded by blowing a raspberry. In no time at all, the two rivals were involved in a silent confrontation involving many rude looks and lewd gestures.

Witnessing the rather childish exchange, Seeiah rolled her eyes. "Sheesh."

Catching himself darting a concerned peek at Marisol, JP quickly regained his composure and calmly strolled toward Rahzel's designated spot. Beckoning Luther, he called, "Come, my friend, the camera awaits."

"Can't see why you like this sort of stuff, JP."

"That's easy, mate. It serves his over inflated ego." Moby wasted no opportunity to offer a little verbal payback for the Frenchman's earlier snide remarks.

Luther defended his friend. "Pot callin' the kettle black, you English mama's boy."

Always the peacemaker, Brodi interjected, "Gentleman, now isn't the time for fighting."

Luther indignantly bellowed, "There's always time for fightin'!"

Eddie chimed in, "Yeah…right between chowing down 15 courses and 20 desserts!"

The heavyset snowboarder rumbled, "Yer pushin' me, boy."

Bowing his head, Brodi sighed. "Buddha help us."

Noting the increasing tension between some of the competitors, Mac commented to himself, "Man, I gotta be careful today. People are more wacked out than usual." Looking over his shoulder, he hollered, "Yo Kaori! You comin'?"

Having been wrapped up in her studies, Kaori hadn't notice Rahzel's earlier summons. Hearing Mac's voice, she looked up and saw everyone moving into an open area near the cameras. She called back to Mac, "Hai!" Noticing the listless Zoe, the teen cheerfully shouted, "Rahzel's ready! Let's go Zoe!"

The punk girl wasn't impressed. As she picked herself up, she droned, "…be still my beating heart…"

As the athletes gathered together, with varying degrees of compliance, the DJ breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Any longer and we might have been short several racers." As it was, the squabbling was making the SSX Tricky manager nervous. Trying to regain his earlier enthusiasm, Rahzel attempted to rally the troops. "O.K. everyone, you know the drill. Tallest in the back and the shorter up front."

Eddie spoke up, "What about Luther?"

Knowing he would regret the question, Rahzel sighed and asked, "What about him?"

"Yeah, what about me, wimp?"

Eddie grinned and continued, "Well, with his size and all, won't he, like, simply blend in with the mountain background?"

It took the combined efforts of both JP and Brodi to keep Luther from attacking Eddie right then and there.

"LET ME AT HIM!!"

"Relax monsieur! We can't do this in front of the cameras!"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT NO STUPID CAMERAS!! I WANT A PIECE OF HIM RIGHT NOW!!"

"Please calm down, Luther. Violence is not the solution."

"IF YOU SAY THAT TO ME ONE MORE TIME, YOU BUDDHIST PANSY, I'LL RIP OFF YOUR HEAD AND FEED IT TO THE ALLIGATORS!!"

Kaori didn't like that mental image. "Euww, gross."

Mac added, "Yeah, and where would somebody find alligators around here, anyway?"

Witnessing JP's and Brodi's attempts to calm the enraged giant, Elise glanced down and saw Eddie cowering behind her. With a note of irony, she asked, "What was that about racing circles around Luther?"

In response, all the wisecracking racer could manage was a feeble, "...eep..."

Marisol chuckled. "Oh, how cute. The boyfriend is hiding behind his woman."

Elise gave the blonde an irritated look. "Just stuff it, Sparky."

"WOULD EVERYONE SHUT UP!!!" Rahzel had had enough. Seeing that he'd gotten the whole group's attention, he nearly pleaded, "Could you please, PLEEEAZZE, work with me gang? Our Chinese sponsors have graciously offered to host this one-time event. Now I realize this part isn't necessarily exciting..."

"You got that right."

Rahzel choose to ignore Zoe's sarcasm. "...and I know we've jumped through various bureaucratic hoops and dealt with more than enough pompous, overbearing, pencil-pushing officials who were too full of themselves..." The DJ noticed Seeiah raising her hand. "Now what?"

The African-American snowboarder pointed and grinned. "Behind you, boyfriend."

Already quite frustrated, Rahzel grumbled as he whirled around, "For crying out......loud......" he weakly finished. Standing just behind the DJ was Mr. Lei-Kung Wang, CEO of Phoenix Electronics, one of the largest and most influential industries in the world. Phoenix Electronics, incidentally, was the main sponsor and organizer of the upcoming SSX Tricky event. Flanking the businessman was a cadre of reporters. Cameras and microphones were aimed at Rahzel, taking in every word he said. The flustered DJ found himself at a loss for words. "...gulp......uh......hi there......ah.......Mr. Wang..."

Mr. Wang coolly arched one delicately manicured eyebrow. "Please, Mr. Brown, feel free to continue."

Moby commented, "There you have it, mates, American diplomacy at it's finest."

Trying to salvage as much dignity as possible, Rahzel immediately put on an overly cheerful smile, clapped his hands together, and exclaimed, "Would you like to start the group interview now, Mr. Wang?"

The businessman gestured to begin, "Lead the way, Mr. Brown."

The SSX spokesman and CEO made their way toward the snowboarders, followed by the various media personnel and translators. Once in place, Mr. Wang began the presentation. "Welcome ladies and gentleman. I am pleased to announce the first SSX Tricky extreme snowboard cross competition being held in China. With me is the official spokesman and tour manager, Mr. Rahzel Brown." Turning toward the DJ, the CEO continued, "If you would please, Mr. Brown?"

Rahzel knew that was his cue. "Thanks Mr. Wang." Looking right at the cameras, the SSX manager felt completely in his element. "Hiya, all you tricky, tricky fans! This is DJ Rahzel and I'd like to introduce you to the fantastic athletes who will be churning up snow on the slopes today!" Rahzel addressed the SSX Tricky group, "O.K. gang. Could you please briefly give your names and any information you'd like the fans to know? How about we start with you Mac?"

"Hey, thanks man." The sixteen-year old addressed the cameras with all the hip attitude he could muster. "Yo! Dis here is Mac 'da Smac' Fraser. During dis race, I'm goin' to show you moves ain't NOBODY'S seen!" Wanting to become a world class DJ himself, Mac was utterly thrilled with the attention he was receiving. Of course, he'd never admit that to anyone directly.

Unable to resist, a beaming Kaori jumped in next. Waving at the cameras, she happily greeted the viewers. "Konichiwa! My name is Kaori Nishidake. I'd just like to say I'm really glad to be here today!"

Mac interjected, "Yeah, and Kaori's my main squeeze too!"

Brodi slapped a hand to his face and groaned, "Oh Buddha, this won't be good."

Confused, Kaori turned to Mac and asked, "What's that mean, 'main squeeze'?"

Moby helpfully explained, "He's saying you're his sexual partner." As Mac's eyes grew to platter-size, the Englishman bent down and whispered into the youth's ear, "That's for the little wisecrack you made earlier, chap."

Taking a moment to consider what Moby had said, Kaori mumbled, "That means…" Blushing red with both embarrassment and anger, Kaori whirled around toward Mac and shouted, "MAC!! That's not true!!"

The sweating snowboarder tried to backpedal away from his angry friend. "Heh, heh…come on Kaori…it was just a joke."

Suddenly, the Japanese teenager became alarmed. Pausing a moment, she whispered, "If father's watching, then he must have heard…Oh no, he'll think…" Lunging forward, she furiously grabbed Mac by the neck and screamed, "DIE MAC!!"

Mac, struggling to breathe, gasped out, "Kaori…need…air."

While several of the other athletes tried to keep Kaori from strangling Mac, an irritated Zoe elbowed the snickering Moby in the gut.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"That wasn't nice, Moby."

"Aw…he's just jealous he doesn't have a girlfriend!" Apparently, Eddie had regained his courage after Luther's earlier outburst.

Not being the type to back down, the English snowboarder boasted, "Pal, there's nobody manlier than ol' Moby Jones! I tell you, women are flocking to me all the time! Why, I practically have Zoe sleeping with me right…now." Too late, Moby realized he might have taken his bragging a bit too far.

Zoe leaned right into the Englishman's face. Snarling, she said, "Is that so?"

Moby found himself waving his hands and doing his own backpedaling. "Now luv…it's not like it sounds."

"You heard it here first, folks! Moby's sleeping with Zoe!" Eddie was having fun bringing his English rival down a peg or two.

"Wachowski! This is all your bloody fault!" Moby went to tackle Eddie.

"Hey! You're not getting away from me that easily!" Zoe leaped to attack Moby.

As the other SSX Tricky competitors tried to separate the various combatants, Mr. Wang turned to Rahzel and noted, "It would seem your tour members are quite competitive."

"Kaori, please calm down!"

"Girlfriend, this isn't going to help anybody!"

"HOW COULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT, MAC-KUN!!"

"…yo…can't…breathe…"

"Hey boss, aren't ya goin' to help out?"

Rahzel simply nodded as he watched helplessly. "Yeah, that's one way to put it."

"I believe I would best serve, how do you say it…as 'backup'."

"Meaning Mr. Fancypants doesn't want to get involved. Hey! You bit me, Zoe!"

"At least some people care about their appearance. Oh good grief! Senora…you must keep better control of your boyfriend!"

"Give it a rest already, Sparky!!"

The CEO continued, "Does this happen often, Mr. Brown?"

"YOU WON'T BE SO MANLY WHEN I GET THROUGH WITH YOU!!"

"Please luv! You know I was only exaggerating! Ow!! For the bloomin' love of…Wachowski!!"

"LIKE, RED ALERT!! RED ALERT!!"

The DJ hung his head and replied, "All too often."

Eventually, the fighting was brought to a halt. With the exception of JP, all the other interceding athletes had some scrapes and bruises. Zoe's facial paint was smeared all over her face and arms, making the punk girl look like some badly decorated ancient tribal warrior. Kaori's hair was totally mussed up and she had lost her snow goggles sometime during the melee. However, as much at the two women were disheveled, their male counterparts fared worst. Eddie was clutching a broken nose. Moby sported two black eyes, and a blue-faced Mac was gingerly rubbing the bruises on his neck.

Satisfied that the ruckus had calmed down for the moment, Mr. Wang said, "Perhaps we can now continue?"

Rahzel nervously asked, "Was all that caught on camera?"

The businessman nodded. "Everything is live, even as we speak."

"Great, just great." Hoping he'd still have a job when this fiasco was over, the DJ wearily called out, "O.K. boys and girls. Let's try this once more."

Brodi interrupted, "Excuse me, but has anyone seen Psymon?"

Kaori giggled. Glancing down at the youth, Elise asked, "Kaori?"

Looking around, Seeiah commented, "Yeah, where is that crazy flyboy, anyway?"

A shout erupted from the back of the crowd, "I'm SOOOOOOOO glad you asked, baldy!! Hey tuna breaths, make way! Shark coming through!" The media crews parted as Psymon stepped forward, making his grand entrance.

Upon seeing Psymon, most of the racers started snickering. Elise was the first to remark, "Bad hair day, Sketchy?"

Indeed, Psymon's hair had seen better days. Instead of the usual spiky hairdo, his thick mop of hair seemed more like a bird's nest. Aside from a couple of normal spikes, the rest of it was messily matted together. Much of his hair was haphazardly lying flat against the top of the Canadian's head.

Mac also wondered about Psymon's attire. "Why are you wearin' that Ghostbuster getup?" In addition to his normal sleeveless shirt, jeans, and boots, the crazy snowboarder had what appeared to be a large canister strapped to his back. A connecting hose ran from the tank to a handheld sprayer, which Psymon was currently pointing toward the group.

Psymon gave a maniacal grin. "Well kiddies, one of you bozos decided to pour syrup into my hair while I was sleeping." The Canadian stopped smiling. "DO YOU KNOW HOW HARD IT IS TO WASH THIS #@$%&\*&@ STUFF OUT!!!" Psymon smirked. "Tattoo-boy and I talked it over, and we decided it was unfair to keep this fun all to ourselves. So…"

Rahzel desperately tried to interrupt, "Wait a minute, Stark!"

"…EAT WEB LOSERS!!!" Psymon activated his sprayer. Whipping it across the whole area, he plastered everyone present with a sticky, web-like fluid. When he was done, media crews, camera equipment, and athletes alike were completely covered with gooey spray strings. The psychotic snowboarder smiled at the job well done.

Not all shared his satisfaction.

"BOY!! I'M GOIN' TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!!!"

"My friend, both you and I shall enjoy pummeling this cretin."

"Sketchy, you just made a BIG mistake."

"For once, chica, I agree with you."

"Count me in, girlfriends. Count me in."

"Man, I'm goin' to smack you sooo bad."

"Psy, normally I would have forgiven you. But I've been having a really lousy morning, so I'm going to make an exception."

"Dish wuff iz wall win my wair!" Eddie's nose had begun to swell, impairing his speech.

"…grrr…" The only reason Kaori wasn't screaming by now was because she was mentally counting to one hundred in both Japanese and English. The teen was trying to follow Elise's earlier advice and remain calm, despite this latest prank by Psymon. Unfortunately, she wasn't having much success.

Moby had no such reservations. "I say, let's jump his bloody carcass!!"

"Wait! Stop!" Brodi leaped in front of Psymon, shielding him from his angry peers. "Please, we can work this out some other way!"

"Step aside, you namby-pamby, or you goin' to get hurt."

"Look, if everyone would just calm…"

"PIGPILE!!!"

Having removed his tank and sprayer, Psymon pounced on Brodi. His action spurred the others to react. The entire group of racers converged on the spot where Brodi had been standing, every single one of them eager to exact some vengeance on the Canadian maniac. Snow, apparel, and spray strings were flying everywhere. Unfortunately, given the number of participants and the intensity of the group's current emotions, the attempt to bring revenge upon Psymon became a completely out-of-control brawl.

"Hey! Watch where you're shoving, Mac!!"

"Your just too slow, Zo!"

"It's Zoe, you little puke!"

"Whatever. Tell it to someone who cares!"

"Move out of the way, mate!"

"Hmmph, didn't your mother teach you to respect your superiors, peasant?"

"Pal, there's no way you're superior to me!"

"I'll make you care, brat!!"

"I am NOT a brat!!"

"Bring it on sister, bring it on!!"

"She wasn't talkin' about ya, little girl!!"

"Perhaps, Luther, you should consider picking on someone your own size."

"KAoRi's a LiTtLe GiRLy!! KaOri'S a LiTtLe gIRRRleeeY!!!"

"What!! You takin' me on, Budda-boy?"

"PSYMON!!!"

"If karma demands it, who am I to argue?"

"Care to prove it, Englishman?"

"With pleasure, ol' chap."

"I've been lookin' forward to this for a long time chumpy!!"

"HELLOOOOO NURSE!!!"

"Up yours, loco!!"

"Ow!! Hey tramp, you did that on purpose!!"

"Ha!! You missed meee!!"

"I was trying to strike him, you stupid…ow!!"

"Forget about somebody, flyboy?"

"What the…tattoo-boy, do we know her?"

"Any time, any place…right Sparky?"

"Of course you know me, idiot!! I'm Seeiah!!"

"Let's dance, chica!!"

"No fair baldy!! You're supposed to play along!!"

"Oh, I'll play alright…oof!"

"Pardon me. I didn't notice you Seeiah."

"Where'da go chumpy boots? I'm just gettin' warmed up!!"

"Stop picking on Brodi-kun!!!"

"OW!! MY WOSE!!"

Carefully wiping some spray strings away from his face, Mr. Wang coolly regarded Rahzel. "Mr. Brown, it appears your level of discipline and control over your athletes leaves much to be desired."

"Careful, Zoe! I'm not your enemy, girlfriend!"

"You want some too? O.K by me!!"

"That's a bloody fine left hook you got, now here's mine!"

"Hey Macky! Let me help you with that cap!!"

"Yo! Where'd everybody go…argh!!"

"Sorry mate! Not that you didn't have it coming, though."

"You English have no style, no fin…erk!!"

"And you, my friend, have no honor."

"Slut!!"

"Weet! Elishe!! Mardiwal!! Woooo!!!"

"Whore!!"

"Wot Wee Afro!!! Wot Wee Afro!!!"

"IIIIEEEAAAAHHHH!!!"

"SOMBODY DRAG THIS CAT WOMAN OFF'A ME!!!"

Rhazel was at the end of his patience. Glaring at Mr. Wong, he screamed, "How easy do you think this is! I have to put up with this @#%#$*%)^@* EVERY SINGLE DAY!!! IT'S LIKE BABYSITTING A BUNCH OF SPOILED FIVE-YEAR OLDS!!!!"

Silence.

Suddenly feeling a foreshadowing of doom, Rahzel slowly turned around. The fight had stopped as quickly as it had started. All the participants were the worse for wear. Seeiah was standing up as gingerly as possible, favoring her right wrist and her left ankle. She was also missing one of her snow goggle lenses. Zoe was crouching next to Seeiah. With a black eye, disheveled hair, multiple bruises, and numerous bleeding cuts, the plucky snowboarder looked more like creature of the wild than a professional racer. Nearby stood Moby. In addition to his two black eyes, the Englishman now sported a bloody, swollen lip and a gashed ear. A few feet from Moby, laying face first in the snow, was JP. The playboy appeared to be knocked out cold. Also unconscious was Mac, lying spread-eagled in a snow bank, his stocking cap stretched over his face. Not far from JP, Brodi was trying to catch his breath. His shirt was in tatters. A bleeding gash was present above his left eye. A short distance from Brodi, Elise and Marisol were kneeling. The two women were almost totally covered in snow and both were clutching tufts of orange hair. Elise had to squint out of her one good eye while the other was swollen completely shut. Marisol was missing a portion of her hair and she nursed a bloody nose. In between the two ladies sat Eddie. Still clutching his own swollen nose, the nineteen-year old was surrounded by the remains of his orange afro lying scattered all over the area. Some ways from Eddie towered Luther. He seemed to missing some teeth and had scratch and bite marks all over his face and head. Draped over the back of the heavyset athlete was Kaori. Clutching Luther's head with a death grip, the teenager's jacket and much of her shirt were shredded, although not quite enough to allow indecent exposure. Nearby lay her stuffed animal jacket decoration, it's lining spilling out onto the ground. Finally, the perpetrator of the whole mess, Psymon, stood close to Mac's sprawled body. The crazy competitor was clothed in even less attire than Kaori, having lost his entire shirt and a good deal of his pants. Most of his body was covered in bruises, scrapes, and cuts, which the maniac proudly wore as badges of honor.

Ten pairs of eyes stared directly at Rahzel, promising much pain and suffering.

Before anyone could take action, Brodi held up one hand and said, "It is only fair that we first allow Rahzel the chance to give a reasonable explanation for his poor choice of words." The ten pairs of eyes quietly waited for a response.

As Mr. Wang slowly backed away from the hapless DJ, the SSX spokesman could only blubber out, "I…that is…gulp…ah…urk?"

Brodi sadly lowered his hand. "I'm afraid that is not a sufficient answer."

With that, all ten remaining, conscious snowboarders descended upon Rahzel. High-pitched wails of agony could be heard from the bottom of the pigpile. Various media personnel watched with bewilderment while others exchanged money won or lost because of bets taken during the earlier scuffle.

Seeing the chaos, Mr. Wang shook his head and whispered, "Quite the interesting group."

----------------------

After a short recess, nine of the twelve SSX Tricky competitors were lined up at the start gate for the beginning of the race. Originally, the plan was to have all twelve compete in this special event. However, due to the pre-race 'warm-up', Seeiah, Mac, and JP were unable to participate. The rest of the athletes had tried their best to tend to their wounds and clothe themselves during the brief interlude before the start of the competition.

"It's about time." Zoe was excited and raring to go. "Look out course, here I come!"

Marisol spared Zoe a frosty gaze. "Don't think you'll win that easily, chica. Accidents can happen." The Latino had yet to forgive the punk girl for having injured Seeiah earlier.

Zoe eyed her opponent. "Is that a threat, party girl?" Shrugging off the blonde's cold glance, Zoe continued, "Well, get in my way and you will pay." Marisol's glare became even chillier.

Ignoring the brewing tensions beside her, Elise smiled at her friend and said, "Hey Eddie, good luck!"

"…"

That wasn't the response Elise was hoping to elicit. "Oh, come on Eddie, don't be that way."

"…"

"You know, a lot of women like the short-haired look."

"…"

Brodi interjected, "Maybe he's worried you'll hurt yourself during this race."

Elise incredulously stared at the surfer as if to say, "You got to be kidding me."

Seeing Elise's expression, Brodi shrugged. "Then again, maybe not. Still, with your impaired eyesight, don't you think it perhaps would be best if you dropped out of this race?"

Elise defiantly shook her head. Hooking a thumb over her shoulder toward Marisol, she replied, "As long as that blonde bimbo is competing, so will I!"

Overhearing the conversation, Moby yelled, "Hey pal, didn't anybody teach you not to stick your nose into other peoples' business?"

Brodi turned toward the Englishman. "Excuse me?"

Moby sneered, "You heard me, Ford. Remember our little scuffle earlier? Here JP and I were having a good ol' slugfest and you come along and pop the frenchy one right across the chops. Knocked him out colder than a fish." The snowboarder sighed. "Ruined a perfectly decent man-to-man fight."

Brodi tried to defend himself. "But I thought I was helping you out."

Moby glared at the Buddhist. "When I want your help, mate, I'll bloody well ask you for it!" He pointed toward the course and added, "And don't think I'll forget this when we're out there, either!"

Feeling defeated, Brodi hung his head and mumbled, "There's no satisfying anyone, sometimes."

Luther added his own input. "Looked to me likes you were having trouble anyway, wimp."

Moby whipped around to face Luther. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The large athlete grinned, exposing his missing teeth. "What I mean is, ya nearly knocked poor Mac clear off the mountain."

Surprised, Kaori peeked around Luther. "You hit Mac-kun?"

Not wanting to be reminded of his own screw-up, Moby shouted back, "Shut your face, tubby!" Glancing at Kaori, he continued, "And who are you to judge me? Last I recall, you tried to strangle your little boyfriend!"

Kaori yelled back, "He's not my boyfriend!"

Intrigued, Psymon said, "Really? Hey, I would have freakin' paid to see that!"

As one, all the other snowboarders turned and glared at Psymon.

"What?" Taking a moment to sniff his armpits, Psymon asked, "I don't stink, do I?"

"Hai, you DO stink. Do you ever take a bath?" Kaori was feeling less than charitable toward the Canadian at the moment.

Psymon pretended to think deeply for a moment. Then he turned to Kaori and smiled. "Once every full moon."

The Japanese youth recoiled. "Disgusting!"

Grinning even more, the crazy racer leaned in close to Kaori and said, "Hey, maybe when this is over, you can fill me in on all the gory details."

Leaning back and holding her hands out to ward off Psymon, Kaori asked, "About what?"

Psymon assumed a shocked expression, as if the teen hadn't needed to ask. "Why, how you tried to bump off old Macky. What else?"

Remembering her rather less-than-honorable moment, Kaori refused to answer. Instead, she turned her head away from Psymon. "Hmmph!"

Disappointed, Psymon grumbled, "Party pooper."

Up in the announcer's booth, Naomi Chen took the microphone. Much to the relief and delight of many of the top brass who organized the competition, the attractive pop star had been available to replace the currently incapacitated Rahzel. Being an avid extreme sports fan herself, Ms. Chen was more than happy to assist. "Hi everyone! Today's event takes place in a scenic local within the Qinghai province of China. With over a 3000 drop in elevation, steep cliffs, and many winding curves, this race will be sure to provide a lot of thrills for both the athletes and the audience! For those of you who are new to the SSX Tricky racing circuit, the racers competing in today's event are: Zoe Payne, Marisol Diez Delgado, Elise Riggs, Eddie Wachowski, Brodi Ford, Moby Jones, Luther-Dwayne Grady…"

The snowboarders, hearing Luther's introduction, all glanced at the large athlete. Several of them began chuckling.

"…snicker…Luther-Dwayne? Your name's actually Luther-Dwayne?" For whatever reason, Elise thought the name a bit pompous for the big man. The blonde found the irony all too humorous.

Moby, too, found the contradiction funny. "BWAH HAA HAA!! That is just too bloody rich! HAA HAA HAAA!!"

Luther became indignant. "Ain't nothin' wrong with the name my mama gave me!"

"…Kaori Nishidake, Psymon Stark…" A technician quickly gave Ms. Chen a notecard. "Umm…due to an earlier…uh…development, several of the regular racers won't be competing today. They are Seeiah Owens, Mac Fraser, and JP Arsenault." Talking to herself, the pop star murmured, "At least that Brodi hunk is still competing."

Hearing Ms. Chen's inadvertent remark, most of the SSX Tricky athletes started laughing.

Chuckling, Zoe yelled, "Hey Brodi! Someone you want to tell us about?"

"Yeah Wodi! Whath's she Liwke?" Despite have a difficult time speaking, Eddie couldn't resist providing some commentary.

"Brodi-dear, please…do tell." Marisol's inquiry contained a bit of an edge in it.

Elise took note of Marisol's tone. "Why Sparky, if I didn't know better, I'd say you're jealous."

The Latino turned away, flicking her hair. "Why should I be jealous of some complete stranger?" Hearing Marisol's response, Elise simply smirked.

"Aw, the bloke just got lucky, that's all." Moby was upset that he didn't get mentioned.

"Is she your new girlfriend?" Kaori thought it fun to tease her friend a little.

Brodi was completely red from embarrassment. Waving his hands, he tried to explain, "No, no. I'm sure she's just a really enthusiastic sports fan."

Luther was shaking in mirth. "I don't buy that! Boy, I never knew ya had it in ya!"

From his position, Psymon shouted, "Brodi! Have you popped her balloon yet!" The lewd question caused the surfer to nearly choke.

The other racers yelled back, "Shut up, Psymon!!"

Kaori bopped Psymon on the head and added, "What a bad question to ask!" In truth, the teenager didn't know what the phrase meant, but if it came from Psymon, it had to be bad.

Muttering some choice words, the crazy Canadian crossed his arms and sulked.

Realizing her last comment was picked up by the microphone, Ms. Chen placed one hand behind her head and giggled nervously. "Well, he IS cute!" Trying to get back to business, the pop star smiled and continued, "Anyway, the race is about to start." She began the countdown. "Here we go! FIVE!"

"Time to get the show on the road!"

"Sí. May the best woman win."

"FOUR!"

"Which obviously isn't you, Sparky."

Despite his irritation with Elise, Eddie couldn't help but smile a little at her witty barb.

"THREE!"

"Buddha, give me strength."

"It's going take more than your Buddha to beat me, mate!"

"I'm goin' to whip both your tails!"

"TWO!"

"IT"S PARTYTIME!!"

"…baka…"

"ONE!"

High above the starting area, in a private viewing box, Mr. Lei-Kung Wang calmly observed the proceedings. He smiled mysteriously and whispered, "Now it begins."

"GO!!!"