Izzy: I got a question for ya, Boss.
Me: What is it, Izzy? We gotta get started.
Izzy: You know how in yaoi fics for Digimon and some other fandoms, they name the couplings somehow?
Me: Yea. What about it?
Izzy: Well, what would ya name our feature coupling for this fic?
Me: Ahhh… An excellent question. For those of you who don't know what we're talking about, in animé and game fandoms, most authors name the couplings based on the first part of the dominant person's name and the last part of the subdominant person's name. This is usually done to shorten summaries (at least I think so, anyway). One such example takes place in the Digimon fandom. The coupling Taito combines the first part of the name Taichi (Tai) with the last part of the name Yamato (Matt). This shows that Tai will be the dominant guy in the relationship. Likewise, the coupling Yamachi means that Matt is the dominant guy. Of course, this also works for straight couplings.
Izzy: Now back to my question.
Me: Oh, right. I'm not sure who's gonna wind up being dominant or not, despite the fact I had this fic written nearly a year in advance. In any case, if Otto was to wind up being dominant, the coupling would be called "Otter." This combines the first three letters of Otto's name with the last two letters of Twister's name.
Izzy: And if Twister were to be dominant?
Me: The coupling would be called "Twisto." It combines the first five letters of Twister's name with the last letter of Otto's name.
Izzy: And what about the other couplings people like to write for this fandom?
Me: Later. Now then, before I start this chapter, I need to address something. For the rest of the fic, there may be some inconsistencies as far as the geography of Ocean Shores is concerned. This also applies to the structure of characters' houses. Just apologizing in advance if something doesn't look right. Also, #this text# = Song lyrics.
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Last time on The Runaway…
(To the tune of "It Doesn't Matter" [Sonic's theme in Sonic Adventure 2])
Otto: Hey dudes! Otto Rocket here! I guess I'm doing the summary this time, huh? Ok. Here goes. The night after dealing with that shoobie, I was getting some grindage when I saw a story on the news about this blur that was moving all over Ocean Shores. This crazy scientist said that the blur was caused by the northern lights. Of course, the old guy proved to be nuts. I then went to bed, but for some reason, I had the craziest dream! It involved me & my best bro Twister and he…and then we… Argh! It's way too confusing! Needless to say, I was messed up all during the next day.
While that dream was confusing me, Izzy was in deep thought about one thing or another. It didn't really matter to me though. What did matter though was when I was coming back from making the last delivery of the day. He and Raymundo were shaking hands. My dad said that he is the new assistant delivery boy. To say I was mad was a huge understatement! I was full on pissed! After insults were dealt, including what that shoobie said about skaters being lazy, I challenged him to a race. I don't know, but did I make a mistake challenging him?
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The Runaway Ch. 3: The Race
To the east, the sun rose, breaking the darkness that once gripped the city. As it illuminated the landscape, a lone figure was revealed standing. The caped boy was watching the ocean slowly start to glimmer in the morning sun. He gave a grin as he donned his sunglasses.
"Dawn." Izzy felt a strong gust blow past him. "In six hours, I'll shut that skater boy up." He gave a yawn. "But until then..."
::Thud!::
He landed on the soft grass and started snoring.
(Me: Ugh! A perfectly good scene ruined by bad sleeping habits! Let's move on.)
A few hours later…
Otto woke up with a start. Despite having yet another weird dream involving his life-long bud, he looked ready to skate a mile. He grabbed his usual clothes and bounded down the stairs, jumping at the last two steps. He walked into the kitchen, a confident smirk evident on his face. He gave his sister & dad a cheerful good morning.
'That's the Otto I haven't seen in a long time.' Ray thought with a smile as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
"You're in a good mood." Reggie pointed out.
"You bet I am! I'm totally psyched about this race!" Otto said proudly. "And I'm gonna show that shoobie what skaters are made out of." He grabbed a cup and poured orange juice in it.
'I guess this whole race deal is doing a lot more for Otto than the job idea, but still… What about that other kid?' Ray thought. 'Maybe I should stop the race.'
Elsewhere, two hours later…
"::Yawn:: I shouldn't have done that scene." Izzy said as he walked along the street towards the pier. "I'm about to be in a race & even though I'm confident about my victory, I shouldn't have gotten up at six AM!"
(Me: It's called "building the mood" and you messed it up by falling asleep like that!)
"Are you sure that was building the mood? Besides, I still could've done a decent scene if I got up at a later time."
(Me: Maybe. I don't know. Doing that scene at dawn looked like it made some sense. It put a little oomph into the story.)
"Whatever. At least I can listen to some music while waiting." Izzy took out a blue CD player from his pocket. "o.O Uhh…since when did I have this?"
(Me: Since the beginning of the fic.)
" Oh that's real nice! I could've used this in the last chapter, ya know!"
(Me: Heh. Wanted you to suffer?)
"- -" was all that Izzy had to offer in response as he continued on, pocketing the CD player as well. He noticed that a lot of people were assembling on the pier. They seemed to be on either side of it, as if welcoming a king to his city. He looked to his left and noticed people standing on the sidewalk along the hill. He pushed past the crowd, walked down the vacant area, and stopped in front of the Shack. He saw no one around. His opponent or anybody with any kind of relation to him wasn't anywhere to be found.
"Where is he?" Izzy asked himself as he leaned against the wall with his hat hiding his eyes from sight. He stayed that way for a few minutes before hearing footsteps against the concrete. He looked up and saw Ray & Tito approach.
"Good morning." All three of them said to each other.
"So where is he?" The caped boy asked.
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"Uhhh... Otto?" Reggie said as she walked up to her brother, who was performing last-minute maintenance on his board.
"Yeah? What's up, Reg?" Otto asked.
"Uhh... Are you sure you want to do this race?" She started.
'I can't believe Dad expects me to talk him out of this!' She thought. Otto raised an eyebrow.
"Sure I do. Why you ask?"
"Uhhh... Well for one thing, it's supposed to rain." She tried with little success.
"What are you talking about? Sam told me the weather is fine today."
"Well, you know how wrong those weathermen can be." Otto got a thoughtful look.
"If it's going to rain, then I have to..."
"Yes...?" Reggie asked hopefully.
"Get to the pier fast! Thanks Reg!" Otto yelled as he left the house.
"No! Otto!" Too late. He already slammed the door. "Damn." Reggie slapped her forehead.
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"You want me to WHAT!?!" Izzy yelled.
"Drop out of the race." Ray repeated. Izzy just laughed at the suggestion.
"What on Earth makes you think I would quit this?!" He stopped laughing long enough to ask that.
"Well about Otto... He's kinda a sore loser."
"o.O You're counting out your own son? Dude..."
"That's not what I meant!" Ray yelled. "I mean that if you were to win, he would take it pretty badly." Izzy got a grin on his face after hearing that.
"So you want me to drop out?" Ray nodded. "What's in it for me?"
"I'll give you the job anyway."
"Wouldn't Otto be kind of, well, upset about your decision?" Izzy started. "He would be even more so if he were to find out his own father didn't want him to race." He started to do some stretching exercises.
"He'll get over it." Ray offered.
"Just as he'll get over losing." Izzy countered as he stretched his arms.
"And what about you? If you lose, you can't get the job here, remember?"
"But we don't know that for sure, do we?" Izzy started reaching for his toes. "Besides, it wouldn't be right to just give up and get the job anyway. That's no fun." They then heard two skateboards rolling along the pavement. "Ah... There's my opponent now." He stood up and walked ahead.
"I guess Reggie couldn't stop him." Tito said.
"So you were trying to get both of us to quit, huh?" Izzy asked as he walked past Ray.
"Yeah... Please reconsider. He'll beat you." Ray replied. Izzy just stopped. He seemed to be in thought. He looked over his shoulder at the older man.
"I'm going to win." He simply stated as he walked up to Otto & Twister.
"Hey! Ready to lose?" Otto teased. Izzy just rolled his eyes, although no one was able to see that past his sunglasses.
"Whatever. I'm just here to race. What's the course like?" A referee stepped up to them.
"Hello. I'll be the judge of this race. Here are the rules: The first one to get to the cul-de-sac and back wins." The ref pointed at the cul-de-sac where Otto's house is. The course was basically a straightaway made up of three small hills, which ended in a climb up a bigger hill, ending at the cul-de-sac.
"The race starts from here." The ref continued as a worker laid down a strip of white tape, signifying the starting line. "When I give the signal, the racers will run/skate from here, leave the pier, go up the three hills, and then climb up the final hill and into the cul-de-sac. There, the racers will take a fifteen-minute break before continuing the race by going down the hill. We'll be starting in a few, so prepare." The ref left them.
"How did you set all this up!?" Izzy asked with amazement.
"I got connections." Otto replied. Izzy gave a snort to that one. He turned to Twister.
"And what's with the camera?" He pointed at the video camera Twister was holding.
"I gotta tape the O-man racing. I also wanna see the look on your face when Otto creams ya!" Twister laughed, much to Izzy's displeasure. Otto was blushing, but quickly hid it.
"Thanks man."
"Uhhh… Not to ruin your so-called 'bragging,' but how are you supposed to tape us? I don't think you can keep up with us." Izzy said as he crossed his arms.
"What do ya mean!?" Twister demanded. Izzy kept a calm expression.
"If I remember correctly, Otto said he was the fastest boarder in Ocean Shores. How do ya plan on keeping up with us when we'll be going real fast while concentrating on your camera?" Twister got a defeated expression.
"Damn… Good point…" He admitted.
"Don't you have a zoom feature?" Otto asked. Twister picked up his head.
"Hey yeah! I'll still be able to tape ya! Now what, huh?!" He directed those last words at Izzy, who merely shrugged.
"How much longer is this gonna take?" He asked, changing the subject.
"I guess people are still coming to watch." Otto replied. Just then, the ref came up to them.
"We're almost ready. It'll be about two more minutes." He said.
"Finally." Izzy said as he started to stretch again. After an extra few minutes of preparation, everybody took their positions. Otto and Izzy walked to the starting line. The auburn haired teenager was on the left and the dark haired one was on the right.
"Is there anything you want to say to each other before we start this?" The ref asked.
"Yes, actually." Izzy said, facing Otto. "I would like to give you a gift."
"Isn't it a little late to be kissing up?" Otto replied, generating a laugh from Twister. Izzy glared at him before turning to Otto.
"Very funny. I'm going to be generous and give you a head start."
"A head start? Why?" Otto asked.
"Like I said, I'm feeling generous, so I've decided to give you a chance." Izzy replied. He glanced at Ray, who seemed happy about the boy's decision. He then held up his left pointing finger. "One minute. That's as long as you get before I begin the race. Use it wisely." With that, he stretched while waiting for Otto to begin his skating.
(A/N: He likes to stretch a lot, huh?)
'He's more cocky than me.' Otto thought as he looked ahead.
"Is that your final decision?" The ref asked Izzy.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"Very well. Otto will go first. We'll let you know when a minute has passed." The ref said as he got back into position. He picked up a green flag. "On your mark…" Otto put his right foot on the board.
"Get set…" He leaned ahead as the ref raised his flag.
"GO!!!" The ref waved his flag. The crowd cheered as Otto used his left foot to kick the board ahead. He just kept kicking to increase speed. Watching him go, Izzy took out his CD player and slipped on a pair of headphones.
"I think Speed Highway will be a good song to listen to." He said as he prepared to press the play button.
"'Speed Highway?'" Twister asked with confusion.
(A/N: Speed Highway is the name of a stage in Sonic Adventure 1.)
"Your minute is up. Go!" The ref said as Otto left the pier. Izzy pressed the button and "Run Through the Speed Highway" started to play in his CD player.
Izzy started out by walking at first, but the song picked up and he almost immediately started running with his arms behind him, surprising everybody. In the middle of his sprint, he got into a jogging position and then quickly switched back to his previous position, enabling him to leave the pier in fifteen seconds! He quickly caught up to Otto, who was looking at his opponent with a look of complete shock.
'How in the world—!?' He thought. Izzy gave him a defiant smirk and continued running. They reached the first hill. Otto continued to kick to get up the hill as Izzy ran up in a jogging position. They soon got over the top and the raven haired boy got back into his second position and took the hill. He was now in first place. Halfway through the descent, he saw a pickup truck with a wooden plank leaning on it to his right.
'Perfect.' He thought. He ran up to the top of the plank and jumped off.
#Up and down and all around#
Izzy spun in the air a couple of times before landing on the left side of the street and continuing on, running backwards.
#Up and down and all around#
He got a little further when Otto rolled off the board too. The skater did a 360 in midair and landed on the opposite side ahead of Izzy. The caped boy looked astonished as he turned around. The two racers then ran/skated along even ground and up the second hill. Otto let his board roll up the hill a little before he started kicking up again. Izzy got into his jogging position again. He barely got ahead of Otto as he reached the top and started running at full speed again.
'Crap! How'd he catch up so fast!?' Izzy thought as Otto rolled past him. He picked up the pace and went past him. Otto crouched, making himself go faster. The crowd roared at the spectacle. They just fought for position for a few seconds before going along even ground again and up the third hill. Otto got halfway up the hill before kicking again while Izzy used his second position to climb up instead of jogging. The dark haired teen got ahead again and went over the top. He saw another pickup with a board on it. This time it was on his left. Like last time, Izzy ran up that one and jumped off.
#Up and down and all around#
He spun his entire body around before landing perfectly on right side of the foot of the last hill.
#Up and down and all around#
Otto used the plank to do another 360 to land alongside Izzy as the two raced up the hill.
They reached the top and went, neck & neck, across the small straightaway and across the finish line. It was a photo finish. The song ended with Izzy skidding to a stop just inches before crashing into a group of spectators. He let out a relieved sigh and walked up to Reggie & Sam, who took the photo. Otto was still catching his breath when he too walked over to the judges.
"So—::Huff::—who—::Puff::—won?" He asked between breaths.
"After carefully looking at the photo and considering certain—" Sam started.
"JUST TELL US!" The two racers yelled.
"Otto." Sam said. The crowd roared as Otto punched the air and Izzy slapped his forehead in defeat. The caped boy looked at the photo and saw that the front half of Otto's board did indeed cross the line before one of his feet.
"So Izzy, what do ya say about skaters now!?" Otto bragged. Izzy just crossed his arms and looked the other way.
"This doesn't prove anything. We still have to race back to the pier."
"Well it's going have to wait." Reggie said. "You guys get a fifteen-minute break, remember?" With that, the two competitors separated. Otto went towards a refreshment stand by his house and Izzy went towards one by the Stimpletons' house.
"I would like a glass of water please." The latter said to Mrs. Stimpleton, who was standing behind the table. She seemed to be a kind woman.
"Oh sure! Here you go." She said cheerfully, pouring some water in a plastic cup and handing it to him. Izzy gave his thanks and walked over to the beginning of the hill while taking a huge swig of the clear liquid.
'How'd he do that?' He thought while looking at the course. 'I thought for sure he wouldn't beat me if I went at Speed Two.' He looked over it a few times before coming to a conclusion.
'Wait! That's why he chose this course! He struggled with going up each hill because of the skateboard. But for that same reason, he went down each hill with ease, steadily increasing his speed for the last hill. That means he'll use this hill's decline for his speed on the way back.' He gave a chuckle.
'For a skater boy, he seems smart.' He then got a serious look on his face. 'But that doesn't mean he'll win this. It's time I let the cat out of the bag, pardon the cliché.' He walked back to his stand and got his cup refilled.
With Otto...
"Oh man. That guy just won't let up." Otto said to his friend and sister. "Thanks for suggesting this course, Squid, but he was so fast." He took a sip of his water.
"Yeah… I wonder…" Sam said as he put a hand to his chin.
"What?" The Rocket siblings asked.
"Well, this might sound crazy, but I've been thinking. What if he's the one who caused the blur that appeared two days ago?" Sam said, referring to Izzy.
"What makes you say that?" Reggie asked.
"Well, for one thing, the blur was gray, black, and blue. Now look at his clothes." They all turned towards Izzy, who, for some reason, was talking to Lars.
"Gray hat." Otto said.
"Blue shirt." Reggie said.
"Black pants." Sam added.
"Black cape!" They all said.
"He may be wearing the same colors, but I don't think—" Otto started before he was interrupted by static coming from a radio Reggie had. She answered it and Twister's voice was heard from the other side.
"Man that was an epic race! Great job, Ottoman!" Otto got a forlorn look on him as he heard the voice.
'Twister… You're my inspiration…'
"Anyway, the ref said that fifteen minutes are up! Are ya gonna finish this or what?"
"Otto. Otto? Otto!" Reggie yelled, taking him out of his reverie.
"Wha?" Otto asked with a dazed expression.
"We're ready to do the last half of the race." Reggie pointed at Izzy, who was doing, you guessed it, stretching exercises. Otto grabbed his gear and walked to the starting line. Sam, who was waiting close by, grabbed a green flag. Everybody looked up as some gray clouds started to block the sun.
'That's weird. I thought Sam said it was gonna be sunny today.' Otto thought.
"First one to the Shack wins." Sam said as the two racers got into position. He held up the flag. "GO!" He waved it and they were off. Izzy wasted no time in going to Speed Two. He was barely able to keep up with Otto, who, as he guessed correctly, was using the hill's decline to his advantage.
'Heh. Time to end this.' Izzy thought as his body glowed with a white aura. He started to clench his fists.
"Special technique!" He yelled as he fully closed his fists. "Rocket Accel!" He went faster than he did on the way up. He went so fast, he resembled…a blur?! He dashed past Otto, down the hills, and into the pier in a matter of seconds. He ran past the Shack before skidding to a stop. Stunned, everybody there turned towards Izzy, who was celebrating.
"Yes! I am victorious!" He yelled as he danced around. "Oh yeah! I'm the man with da masta plan!" He gave a thumbs up to Twister's camera. "I've won, so I get my job."
"Yeah…" Ray agreed. "But what happened to Otto?"
Back on the hill, everybody was in a stunned silence.
"I…I lost?" Otto asked himself as he slowed to a stop at the bottom of the hill. He hopped off the board, never losing that shocked expression. "My inspiration didn't help me win. I couldn't prove that skaters aren't lazy." He started to walk up the hill to his house. He didn't talk to anybody that asked him questions. He just walked inside, went up to his room, and closed the door.
Outside, it started to rain.
Back at the pier, Ray, Tito, Twister, and Izzy ran inside the Shack. Everybody else left for their homes.
"Ok… I'll be there soon… Bye." Ray said as he hung up the phone. He walked over to the other three. Izzy was telling them about his win.
"…And then I used a special ability of mine, the Rocket Accel, to dash past Otto and get to the pier in like ten seconds."
"So you were toying with him in that first part of the race?" Tito asked.
"I guess you could say that." Izzy replied.
"That was Reggie." Ray said when he reached them.
"So, when's Otto going to get here?"
"Why?! So you could brag?!" Twister accused. Izzy put on an expression of shock.
"Why would you think that? I only want to wish him no hard feelings. After all, we're going to be co-workers."
"Well anyway, don't expect Otto to be coming around anytime soon." Ray said. Twister & Tito put on looks of understanding while Izzy was just plain confused.
"Why isn't he coming? He's not feeling bad about the race, is he?" Their expressions just about answered his question. He sighed. "I guess I'll just go then. If the rain stops, I'll come by tomorrow." He walked toward the exit.
"I'll drive you. It's pouring out there." Ray offered. He also wanted to know how Izzy did what he just did at the race.
"No, thanks. I got protection." Izzy replied. His body glowed with a light blue aura and he held up a finger. A blue light was glowing on the tip. "Water Shield." A clear barrier surrounded him. Everybody else looked shocked.
"W-What's that?" Tito asked.
"This is my Water Shield. It protects me from drowning and makes one hell of an umbrella. See ya." Izzy then left into the rain.
"Who is he?" Ray asked.
"Forget about that! We gotta talk Otto out of his depression!" Twister yelled with major concern. They left the Shack as well.
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A/N:
Me: Oh I'm evil, aren't I!?! Will Otto get out of his depression? Will we ever find out what's the deal with Izzy? Stayed tuned for the next chapter!
Izzy: By the way, what about the names for those other couplings?
Me: You're still hung up on that? Well, alright. What did ya want to know first?
Izzy: Well, how about the most popular coupling here, Twister/Reggie?
Me: Heh. I don't exactly like that one (more like I don't get it), but I believe in equality, so I'll give it a shot. If Twister was the dominant person, the coupling would be called "Twiggie."
Izzy: o.O
Me: Hey, you try being creative in a short time! And if Reggie was dominant—
Izzy: Is it possible for a girl to be dominant?
Me: Why do I suddenly think I'm gonna get flamed? Anyway, I have no idea, but the coupling would be called "Register."
Izzy: And how about Reggie/Lars?
Me: Again, a coupling I don't like or understand. ::Sighs:: If Lars was dominant, it would be called umm… "Leggie?" And if Reggie were dominant, it would be called—::Shrugs::—"Rars?"
Izzy: Weird.
Me: I know, but it's hard to combine names. Anyway, if anybody wants to use these names for their fics (I know I won't), you don't have to give me any credit. Enjoy the next chapter!