Late that next afternoon, Cait Sith led Barret, Cloud and Tifa south through the main prison yard to the wreckage of an old Shinra truck trailer.
Along the way, hundreds of people in the prison had heard strange rumours and watched in awe as the man who had killed the feared, unstable boss of the Prison (as far as they knew) walked through the prison, a determined scowl on his face, and a flickering gold pendant in his one remaining clenched hand, and they all knew that the gold pendant had been the boss' most precious and treasured item in his possession.
Thanks to Aeris, the wounds that seemed to cover all of Barret's whole massive body after the fight with Dyne were healing up nicely, and in another few days, there probably wouldn't even be any scars left at all…except the ones in Barret's memories of this incident, of course.
"(If the Ancients had power like that, how come they had all died out?)" thought Barret, curiously, then he just shook his head and shrugged to himself.
"(Better just leave the thinking to Cloud,)" thought Barret, and he continued on through the Corel Desert Prison, and they walked into a trailer in the Desert Prison.
The man inside the air-conditioned trailer shifted his weight to one foot in surprise when he saw Barret come in and took a half step backwards in amazement, knowing full well from rumours whom he was.
Cait Sith waddled in behind him, with Cloud, Tifa, Aeris, Yuffie and Red XIII bringing up the rear. The man who lived in the trailer was named Mr Coates, and he was basically the warden of the Desert Prison.
"You want something?" asked Mr Coates, curiously.
"I want to go up," replied Barret, flatly.
"Like I've already told the robot cat before, you've got to go get the Boss's permission, and then win the Chocobo races," explained Mr Coates.
"Dyne has got his reasons, and can no longer speak any more. So I got this from him instead," said Barret, showing Mr Coates the pendant of Eleanor that Dyne had gave him.
"Holy shit!!" shouted Mr Coates, surprised and astonished, and he jumped backwards in shock, knowing now that the rumours were definitely true.
"I want to go up," repeated Barret, flatly, putting the pendant back around his neck, remembering the last promise he gave to Dyne, to give the pendant to Marlene, and to tell her the whole truth.
"Right, so then, did you kill Dyne? You must have, or you'd never be holding that thing. So, Dyne's dead, eh? Maybe now this place will calm down a little. Dyne didn't care who anyone was around here," said Mr Coates.
Hearing all this, Barret snarled furiously and grabbed Mr Coates by the collar, lifting him right off the ground and glared hard at him, angrily.
"The hell do you know!!?" roared Barret, angrily. Mr Coates was absolutely terrified, and was shaking with fear.
"R-Right! I-I mean…n-no, I-I don't k-know anything! I'm sorry, p-please don't hurt me!" stammered Mr Coates, terrified and afraid. Barret let go of him, and Mr Coates took a few steps back from him in fear.
"Then will you help get all of us out of this place?" asked Cloud, sharply.
"Huh? Oh man, you guys are mistaken. I already told you, there's only one way to get out of here. That's to win the Chocobo race, and that's held up there, in the Golden Saucer. And only one person can go up there at a time," explained Mr Coates.
"Say what!?" snapped Barret, angrily, stepping forwards menacingly, and grabbing Mr Coates tightly by the collar.
"No, really! Even if you threaten me! A rule's a rule, I can't change it! If I do, the whole system down here will be all messed up! And I can't allow that! Okay, I'll let just one of you go up there. After that, he's got to deal with Dio," explained Mr Coates, terrified. Barret nodded and let go of him.
"Alright then. Cloud, you go. We'll all be waiting down here for ya. Hurry up, and win that Chocobo race, and get us out of here!" ordered Barret.
"Yes, good luck, Cloud," said Aeris, smiling, kissing Cloud on the cheek, causing Tifa to frown once again, but Tifa still pretended to ignore it.
"Right, Cloud. We'll be waiting and rooting for you," said Tifa, reassuringly.
Cloud shrugged and he agreed to do it, deciding it would do no good arguing about it.
"Have you all decided, then? All you need now is a manager, and to register, and get a Chocobo," said Mr Coates.
"All taken care of!" said Cait Sith, cheerfully.
"Hi, I happened to hear your story," said a female voice.
"Ester?" said Mr Coates.
A woman with brown hair, strangely dressed like a clown in a pink dress, walked up to them. Her name was Ester.
"I'll be your manager," said Ester, brightly, smiling.
"Well, I've got nothing against it. Anyways, this here is Ester. She may look kind of funny. But, there's no better manager in the races," said Mr Coates. Ester snorted indignantly.
"That's so rude. Yeah well, nice to meet you, Cloud," said Ester, smiling politely, while giving a handshake.
"Alright then, Cloud. I'll send you up the elevator. Ester will fill you in on all the details," said Mr Coates.
"Cait Sith told me a lot about your story of what happened in the Golden Saucer, and in the fight with Dyne at the prison, but you can fill me in on the rest when we get to the Golden Saucer," suggested Ester. Cloud nodded in agreement.
A while later, Cloud and Ester both went out of the prison trailer, and they went on the elevator to the Golden Saucer. Cloud was explaining to Ester about what happened with Dyne.
"…So that's what happened. Okay, I'll talk to Dio myself, personally. You just concentrate on the race. There are many different types of Chocobo jockeys here. It's not only for criminals. Some people compete here for the fame, some people compete here for the money, and some people compete here for the glory. And then, there are people like you, who compete here for the freedom. Now then, I'll just briefly teach you how to ride a Chocobo," said Ester.
"Alright then," replied Cloud, shrugging, not even bothering to tell her that he had some experience with Chocobos already, as part of SOLDIER training, and he had also ridden one weeks before when the group were using one to travel to the Mythril Mines near the city of Junon to avoid being confronted by the Midgar Zolom.
"It's pretty hard to make the Chocobo run the way you want it to. If the Chocobo doesn't like you, then it won't listen. You can't really help on this one. But most of the Chocobos that I'll provide you with are mellow, and you should be able to handle them. If you go faster then the Chocobo can handle, then it will lose its stamina really fast. There are some bad tempered Chocobos that can't pace themselves, and they'll lose their stamina pretty fast," explained Ester.
After Ester finished explaining, Cloud was soon lost in his own thoughts as the elevator still made its way slowly up to the Golden Saucer.
"(We could have avoided all of this if we had just skipped the Golden Saucer completely, and just moved onto Cosmo Canyon instead. We've wasted at least a whole week here in the middle of nowhere, and every day more brings Sephiroth closer to the Promised Land. What's he want there, anyway? And what's he going to find there? Nothing, but a bunch of dead Ancients? Is he going to use the Mako energy there? What for? The only thing Shinra would use it for is to power their Reactors, but is that any worse than what Sephiroth is up to? Sephiroth, where are you?)" thought Cloud.
They then got off the elevator and they entered a room with some men sitting at a table, waiting for the Chocobo race. One of them turned to face Cloud.
"Are you new?" asked the man.
"Hi, Joe," said Ester, with a smile and a wave.
"Hey, Ester. You're looking pretty as usual," said Joe, with a polite bow. Ester smiled and blushed.
"Thanks…anyway, let me introduce you, Cloud. This is Joe, one of the top Chocobo jockeys," said Ester.
"Nice to meet you, Cloud. If you're with Ester, then…" said Joe, thoughtfully.
"Right! He's an up and coming jockey. He's only been down at the Desert Prison for less than a whole week, and he's already made it up here!" exclaimed Ester.
"What!? Oh, I see. So, what did you do down there? Sorry, you're not supposed to ask about the past over here. Pretty interesting. I have a feeling that we might just meet again. Then until we meet again, Cloud," said Joe, bowing again, and then he walked out of the room.
"I'm going to check on the Chocobo. You just wait here for a while," said Ester. She walked out of the room. A message suddenly appeared on the intercom radio.
"The race will start in a few moments. Will the jockeys for the next race please proceed to the paddock," said the message.
The men from the table got up and they left the room. Cloud started to go and follow them, and just then, Ester came straight into the room, and she walked up to him.
"Thanks for waiting. I registered you in the next race. This is a Chocobo I prepared myself. He won't lose easily. Do you know how to ride one?" asked Ester.
"Yeah, I do," replied Cloud, shortly, nodding.
"Then, good luck," said Ester, with a smile.
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Meanwhile, in the Golden Saucer, Reno and Rude had just entered the Chocobo Square, having been sent to the Golden Saucer to look for AVALANCHE, who had been sited there.
"Our sources were wrong," said Rude. Reno just shrugged.
"Well, we thought they were here. But hey, everybody comes to the Golden Saucer at least once, right? Even those poor, stupid morons from North Corel," said Reno.
Rude just snorted and jammed his hands into his pockets.
"Hey, lighten up, Rude. Hey, as long as we're here, we might as well enjoy it. Wanna bet on the Chocobo Races? I hear they've got some jockey who just got out of the Desert Prison in just a few days," said Reno.
With the prospect of gambling stuck in his head, Rude quickly agreed and followed Reno up the long stairway to the double doors that led inside the Chocobo Race court.
Crowds of people were bunched around the several massive screens showing the racing track and the six Chocobos that were warking madly and running their hearts out as the jockeys thumped their ribs and pushed their birds to the limit.
Reno left Rude to watch the race, and moved on up to the ticket window to place their bets.
"Welcome to the Chocobo Races. Would you like to place a bet? The jockeys for the next race are already up on the stat board behind you," said the female worker behind the desk, cheerfully.
Being a Turk has its definite advantages. Paid vacations, good health care, and all that, but the one thing Reno liked most of all about being a Turk is that being one had its own set of rules, and its own line of luck.
Sure, there was definitely some skill involved in spying, kidnapping, murder, sabotage, and the like, but Reno always thought most of the work he went through required his own luck as well, and he liked to think of himself as lucky, which especially helped in gambling.
When Reno turned around, and suddenly spotted Cloud riding one of Chocobos for the next race though, Reno could have sworn he could feel his luck press down onto him like a heavy iron weight, as he eyes widened in complete surprise and disbelief, then after a moment of shocked, stunned silence, he smirked to himself.
"Wow, what are the odds? Alright then, put five thousand Gil on the guy in purple with the blond, spiky hair," said Reno.
"But sir, he hasn't won or even started a race yet," said the female worker with a chuckle. Reno's grin widened.
"Then make it TEN thousand," said Reno, smirking.
The woman behind the desk gave him a rather confused stare, but she did as she was told, and handed Reno his tickets. The Turk quickly shoved them into his pocket and went to grab Rude's shoulder to get his attention, to tell him what he had just seen. Rude shook his head though.
"Don't tell me, I know. I already saw the board. So it's true after all that you can always find what you're looking for if you look hard enough," said Rude.
"Hey, I just lose more pens that way. I put most of our money on Cloud. He'd better win this, or we'll all be in trouble. Do you want to rub the ticket on your bald head for good luck?" joked Reno, grinning.
"How about you just shut up and watch the race?" said Rude, irritably, with a snort.
On the huge screens hanging from the ceiling, the two Turks watched as the Chocobo paddock opened up and the virtual track was switched on.
The six Chocobos bobbed out of the stables and lined up on the starting line, warking happily and scratching at the ground, anxious to get going.
Riding on the left pole position, though, was Cloud on top of a jittery yellow Chocobo, and he certainly didn't look too happy to be there, either.
Still, he shifted in his saddle to get comfortable, and turned forwards, grabbing a hold of the Chocobo's feathers on its shoulders, and hung on tightly.
"Think he'll make it?" asked Reno.
Rude simply grunted, and folded his arms across his chest, as they watched the race closely.
At the sound of the gun, all six Chocobos warked in surprise and sped forward, leaning their heads down and pumping their long, skinny legs for all they were worth.
The first corner went around and started up a chequered hill complete with several cameras inside spinning diamonds that hung from the ceiling, trained on the Chocobos as they sped by.
One of the jockeys was already losing his nerve and hung near the back of the pack, while Cloud was busy fighting off a blue jockey for the third place position.
The hill came to a stop at a pair of dark blue pillars where, off to the side, a huge clam opened its mouth to reveal a shimmering pearl, equipped with a high-speed camera.
The Chocobos sped through the pillared arena and eventually ran into a huge, sparkling cavern full of bats, what Cloud guessed was supposed to be raw Materia, and, of course, cameras.
His Chocobo quickly skirted around the next tight corner, and wove effortlessly through the stalagmites that shot up through the ground, warking happily the entire time.
The first place jockey was almost within arm's reach, and the end of the cavern was in sight. Exiting the cave brought the Chocobos to a raging river, complete with a rickety rope bridge and a thunderous waterfall.
The lead Chocobo warked in uncertainty and backed off, leaving Cloud free to dash across the bridge and enter the home stretch, an empty void with only the shimmering blue track, a field of stars, and off in the distance, the finish line.
Cloud kicked his Chocobo hard in the ribs and sent it streaking forward, its sharp talons giving it extra traction on the slippery course.
Cloud took a quick look behind him, and saw the other jockeys as they eased across the rope bridge and began to move much quicker, slowly picking up speed and coming up quick on his rear. His own Chocobo was beginning to sweat, and its tongue was hanging out the corner of its beak.
But the finish line was so close, he couldn't lose! Everything was riding on this race! Sephiroth and the Promised Land. It struck Cloud as rather amusing that the fate of the world might depend on him winning one Chocobo Race.
The Chocobo skidded around another corner and suddenly got its second wind as the finish line appeared before them. It was so close, Cloud could almost smell the fresh air outside as the huge bird drew closer. The other jockeys were closing in on him fast and were showing no sign of slowing down.
Cloud kicked his Chocobo in the ribs again and urged it forward, begging it to run just a bit longer. The blue jockey was now almost neck-and-neck with Cloud, and the bright pink one was close behind him, and soon they both flashed past.
Sweat beaded out onto Cloud's forehead as the finish line drew closer still. He wasn't going to make it; the other Chocobos would get there first.
Then from behind, there was suddenly a loud BANG as though it came from a shotgun, and Cloud heard the blue Chocobo wark in surprise as its feet came out from under it, sending both bird and rider crashing to the ground.
The rest of the Chocobos crashed into the flattened jockey and went into a tangled heap of feathers and curses as Cloud sped on ahead and crossed the green beam of light that made up the finish line.
In the main square, the crowd erupted into cheers and whistles as Cloud flew across the finish line and jumped off his Chocobo to receive his trophy.
Several cameras were pushed into Cloud's face and dozens of people began asking for quotes, but Cloud easily pushed them aside and headed back for the jockey's paddock, not knowing that the Turks were watching him from the stands.
"So it looks like your little investment paid off," said Rude.
"What did I tell you, huh? But sometimes, being a Turk means that you have to re-write the rules if necessary…" said Reno, holding a smoking shotgun in his hand, which he had just fired to make the other Chocobo crash out into the others, which of course helped Cloud to win. Rude just grunted.
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As soon as Cloud stepped out of the Chocobo Square and into the back room, he was greeted by Ester, who had a wide grin on her face.
"Congratulations!! Now you're home free! Oh yeah, Dio, the owner of the Golden Saucer, told me to give this letter to you after you won," said Ester.
Cloud took the letter, looking at it curiously, and he read aloud what Dio had written to him.
"Boy, if you're reading this letter, then you must have won the Chocobo race. And won a victory that I am sure you have fully earned. I heard all about Dyne from Ester. Now that you are victorious, I promise that you and your friends will get a full pardon for the terrible misunderstanding, and you will all be set free. And also, by my way of apology, I prepared a little gift for you to use on your journey. Sorry I couldn't be here to tell you all of this in person, but I'm a very busy man. Sincerely Yours, Dio," said Cloud, reading out the letter. He turned to face Ester.
"A gift?" said Cloud, confused.
Just then, the PHS mobile phone ran, and Cloud quickly answered it. It was Aeris. She sounded delighted.
"Cloud, isn't this great!? The assistant manager just stopped by, and dropped off a new buggy for you! Now you can go over deserts and rivers without any problems. Okay, Cloud, me and the others be waiting for you outside," said Aeris.
She hung up, and Cloud put the PHS mobile phone back in his pocket. Cloud looked back at the letter, and then he noticed something else on it.
"The letter continues…?" said Cloud, thoughtfully.
He read out aloud the remaining part of the letter, which he had not read yet.
"P.S. I just recently met Sephiroth. He must have a lot of fans with boys your age, or so I've heard. Why don't you go get his autograph? It seems like he's heading towards the south of the river, towards Gongaga," said Cloud, reading out the last part of the letter, and then he quickly pocketed it as soon as he finished reading it.
"Sephiroth…" said Cloud, thoughtfully, hoping that he and the others might just be on the right track now, after all.
"I guess that this is goodbye for now, then. Yeah, well, if you ever do get your own Race Chocobo, then why not come back here again? I'll take care of your registration and everything. I'll be seeing you again," said Ester, brightly, smiling.
Cloud soon left the Golden Saucer and he went outside it where the others were all waiting. They all quickly got in the buggy, with Cloud driving, and soon they crossed the desert and the river and they travelled in the buggy across fields on their way to Gongaga.
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Meanwhile, the Turks stayed overnight in separate rooms each at the ghost hotel in the Golden Saucer. A phone call at sunrise woke them up. Reno answered it from his room, slouched over the side of the mattress like some kind of rag doll.
It was Tseng calling them from Midgar where it was several hours later due to time zones.
"Sorry to break up your mini vacation, but I promise you all a week off some time after all this," said Tseng.
"What is it?" asked Reno, sitting straight up, suddenly interested because authorized vacation time was at stake.
"Scarlet and I need to check out some Mako Reactors, including the trashed one at Gongaga, near the Golden Saucer. Ordinarily, I wouldn't need to bother you, but our spy has just found out that Cloud helped AVALANCHE escape from the Corel Desert Prison. They're on their way to Gongaga right now," explained Tseng.
"So, you need our help to kill them? This is a good chance for me to get revenge on Cloud for the injuries he and the others caused me in Sector 7," said Reno, thoughtfully, sniggering.
"No, don't kill them. Not just yet. President Rufus doesn't want that right at this moment. AVALANCHE still has some dirty work to do for us, like lure us to the Promise Land or to where Sephiroth is, and what he's up to. However, we should remind them all that we mean business, so you have my full permission to pick a fight with them at any time, just as long as it doesn't get too out of hand. Scarlet and I are flying in by helicopter. Be ready for pick-up in two hours," said Tseng.
"That scrawny old slut bitch whore is coming!? Man, I'd love to punch her right in the face," said Reno.
"What? And risk breaking your hand? Save your strength for fighting Cloud and the others. Oh, and I'll call ahead and reserve you a room in your favourite hospital ward in Midgar after the fight," said Tseng, sarcastically.
"It's my fight, Tseng. I'll decide if and how bad I get injured," said Reno.
"I'll give Rude a Cure Materia in case anything happens to you anyway, like the last time," said Tseng.
"Yeah, yeah, don't worry, I got it all sorted. See you in a bit," said Reno, and he hung up.
By then, the other two Turks were getting up and entering his room, dashing his hopes of getting any more sleep.
"Reno, did you sleep all night in your suit?" asked Elena, grimacing in disgust as she noticing how even messier his Turk uniform seemed than usual.
"Yeah…so? What's it to you? Besides, I thought that you despised my floppy pyjamas, so I figured I'd spare you having to see them. And I don't even intend to comb my hair either. How's that?" asked Reno, sarcastically.
Elena glared at him, and just shrugged, deciding not to answer his childish comments. Rude decided not to either, but then again, he barely said anything.