Holy crap...didn't expect so many people to review...THANX!
Responses:
Anters: I'm really glad you enjoy it! This is for you!
Animefangirl11: Thanks. Update is now. And hoogiman beat us to the punch. But I still went ahead with the story. You should go ahead and post yours too.
Ri2: I'm sorry you feel that way. Wait, what?
superdave: We will not eliminate Link and Zelda...not yet, at least...and sorry, CronoMaster beat you to the punch.
Nintendo Nut1: I'm glad to have presented you perfectly! By the way, point that Uzi somewhere else...ooh! Candy! Must eat!
Zephyr Analea, Mewtwo's Amore: Got a co-host. But you can co-host the next chapter if you send in another review soon enough! 11 of the next 13 chapters will present one lucky reviewer a chance to co-host! See the end of the chapter for more details.
Android11: I think the top 3 has their name in it...
Backstage...
"HIHI!" Nintendo Nut1 waved to the camera. "It's time for the next leg! Anyway, the teams-"
"Must you be hyper? That's really no way for a host to act..."
Nintendo Nut1 spun around to behold a stout and tall young man of 16 or 17, his brown eyes narrowed and no comfort emanating from them. A scar graced the skin above his right eye, and the black cloak that swirled around his clothes were tattered from the many battles he had faced. The tan-skinned boy brushed some of his curly black locks from his face and muttered, "Really, you're just a seven-year-old hyperactive kid. Why deny it?"
"How...HOW DARE YOU!" Nintendo Nut1 had an Uzi pointed to his face, which was devoid of fear or worry. "Who do you think you are!"
"I am known as CronoMaster on but call me Crono. And put that down, you silly young chub, Uzis are things you shouldn't be waving around like that." Grabbing her Uzi and tossing it to the ground, CronoMaster made his way to Nintendo Nut1's face, before flicking at her nose. "And don't mess up; I'm the co-host and there's nothing you can do about it."
"YOU?"
"Yes, me. Now don't get in my way."
"WHY I OUGHTA-" Nintendo Nut1 was swinging her fists at him, but CronoMaster dodged every one before tossing her to the ground. Muttering, he made his way to the starting point, Nintendo Nut1 getting up and yelling obscenities at him. Sighing, she followed him to the starting point.
"This is the land of Termina, from the Legend of Zelda games. Within the land is the Makiva Tower, known as the 'Watchman of Termina' because it is visible from all of Termina. Atop this tower was the first Pit Stop in a race around the world." Nintendo Nut1 replied, munching on chocolate.
"The teams that came here now have a chance to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams." CronoMaster remarked through chewing a stick of jerky. "Will Link and Zelda be able to retain their newfound lead? And can Kirby and Jigglypuff be able to pull themselves out of last place? Link and Zelda, who arrived at 11:30 am, will depart at 11:30 pm." CronoMaster turned to Nintendo Nut1 and muttered, "You actually did well, considering you're hyper and all..."
"Was that a compliment I heard?"
"You have to be less hyper. That's all I'm saying." CronoMaster turned to Link and Zelda, who was reading the clue.
Link and Zelda
1st to depart, 11:30 pm
"'Make your way to Romani's Ranch...'" Link read.
"Teams must go to Romani's Ranch and get the next clue from the gate." Nintendo Nut1 said.
"You still sound hyper..."
"Shut up, or you and I are gonna scrap!" Nintendo Nut1 shook a fist at CronoMaster, who just shrugged it off.
"'You have 215 dollars for this leg of the race.' Let's go, Link." Zelda and Link ran down the tower and to Romani's Ranch.
Fox and Falco
2nd to depart, 11:45 pm
"Romani's Ranch, huh?" Falco scanned the clue over to make sure he had read it right.
"Yep...that's it." Fox and Falco ran down the stairs and in the direction of Romani's Ranch.
Pikachu and Pichu
3rd to depart, 11:57 pm
"Let's go, everyone already knows what we are doing..." Pichu ran off, Pikachu a little ways behind.
"Hold up, I need to grab my bag..."
Marth and Sheeda
4th to depart, 12:19 am
"This is fun, traveling around the world and having fun while we're at it." Marth read the clue.
"Yes, I hope our luck continues..." Sheeda ran off after Marth, scooping up her bag on the way.
Ness and Mewtwo
5th to depart, 12:23 am
"Hmm...we go to Romani's Ranch." Mewtwo remarked, not even reading the clue.
"I love being psychic..." Ness grabbed their things and ran off.
Roy and Lilina
6th to depart, 12:35 am
"Ready, Roy?" Lilina asked, holding onto him.
"I am." Roy skimmed over the clue, then remarked, "Romani's Ranch...shall we?"
"Let's!" Roy and Lilina were about to go, but CronoMaster had stopped them.
"Good luck." CronoMaster muttered to them, shaking their hands to verify it.
"Thanks."
Link and Zelda
Currently in 1st place
"Here's the clue." Link reached into the clue box, grabbed a clue, and tore it open. "'Make your way to the city of Fourside...'"
Nintendo Nut1 reappeared and said, "Teams must now make their way to the city of Fourside in Eagleland. Once there, teams must locate the Vertical Clock sculpture in Rosewood Park to find their next clue. Teams can only use one of three flights, each with different departure times: Mushroom flight 412, Corneria flight 271, or Fourside 359."
"Fourside, huh? Come on, Zel, we have to reach the airport." Link and Zelda ran off to the airport, dodging bushes and torches along the way.
Mario and Luigi
7th to depart, 1:03 am
"Okay-a, let's-a go!" Mario and Luigi ran off to the ranch.
Fox and Falco
Currently in 2nd place
"Fourside..." Falco had placed his finger thoughtfully on the clue, thinking out their plan of attack.
"Let's just go already!" Fox dragged Falco off and made their way to the airport.
Yoshi and DK
8th to depart, 1:45 am
We already know what they're gonna do.
Bowser and Ganondorf
9th to depart, 2:13 am
'Nuff said.
Young Link and Dr. Mario
10th to depart, 2:35 am
Yeah.
Peach and Samus
11th to depart, 3:54 am
Hmm...they're going to Romani's Ranch. What else is new...oh my goodness...Peach is PMSing! RUN!
Popo and Nana
12th to depart, 3:59 am
They're going...at least they're not PMSing...
Kirby and Jigglypuff
Last to depart, 4:32 am
We know what they're doing. They're going to the ranch.
Clock Town, Termina International Airport
Roy and Lilina
Currently in 4th place
"I'm glad to be here with you, Roy, traveling the world, seeing new places..." Lilina was staring out the window, watching the lights go by.
Roy ruffled her hair and pulled her close in an embrace. "I'm glad, too...hey, there's the airport." Roy and Lilina got inside and noticed the other teams, who were either asleep or doing only God-knows-what. "Hey, what's going on?"
Link replied, "The ticket counters aren't open yet, and it'll be, like, 2 more hours before they sell the tickets." They stared at the clock, which read 4:45 am.
"I hope the other teams don't get here early..." Lilina remarked.
2 hours later.
"How'd they get here..." Lilina was indeed right; all the other teams had made it within the two-hour time frame. She sighed and remarked to the readers, "We're all tied now. Isn't that our luck?"
CronoMaster remarked, "Now all the teams are on the same flight to Fourside. Why the hell did this happen...anyway, once teams arrive, they-"
"They must find Rosewood Park and the Vertical Clock Sculpture to find their next clue, WHEE! Everyone's tied!" Nintendo Nut1 was spinning around, basically the result of devouring 10 chocolate bars at high-speed. This earned her a sweatdrop from CronoMaster and all the readers on the computer. "YAY! YAY! YAY!"
"How the hell she got the hosting job is beyond me..." CronoMaster muttered, frowning and shaking his head in disbelief.
Fourside, Eagleland International
Fourside 359 from Termina
Ness and Mewtwo
Currently in 1st place
"I'm home..." Ness gasped, a few tears forming in his eyes. "I never thought I'd make my return here..."
"I'm glad you are home, but the race..." Mewtwo reminded Ness.
"Oh yeah. TAXI!" Ness flagged down a taxi, and got in quickly. That was good, for at that minute Bowser and Ganondorf tried to charge in and ended up eating steel and glass. Sliding off the car door with a screech not unlike fingernails scratching a chalkboard, they drove off hurriedly.
Pikachu and Pichu
Currently in 2nd place
"Aha! Taxi!" Pikachu got a taxi for them, and rushed off with everyone else snatching taxis and chasing them.
Ness and Mewtwo
Currently in 1st place
"Sigh...Rosewood Park's colors have not changed one bit...yet I, leaving at 10, have come back older, my colors distilled, and I empty as I was when I first set out..." Ness was strolling through the park, looking back on all the memories. "There's the bench where Paula and I shared our first kiss...and the dead tree Poo and I honed our fighting skills on...and there's the crater Jeff made with his artificial meteor-maker...he always did have his projects blow up on him. I wonder where they are now." Ness sighed wistfully, and turned to Mewtwo. "Sorry about that. I probably sound like a jaded old man..."
"It's okay," Mewtwo remarked, a hint of empathy in his voice. "We should all have good memories to cling to...in the end, your memories are the one thing that keeps you alive."
"Thanks. Hey, there's the clue box!" Ness and Mewtwo ran over to it, and they read the clue. "'Travel by taxi to Nick and Willy's East...'"
Nintendo Nut1 remarked, "Now teams must use a taxi to go to Nick and Willy's East Pizzeria, in the east part of town. DUH! Anyway, once they get inside, they will be served a Big Kahuna pizza, topped with Canadian bacon, mandarin oranges and pineapple. Each team member has to eat four slices of the pizza. Once they finish the pizza, the waiter will give them their next clue." Nintendo Nut1 blinked, and then replied, "I want pizza..."
"You just ate chocolate, and you still want that? Pathetic." CronoMaster scoffed at the idea, and remarked, "This is for April Fools', by the way." He shoved 10 leeches down the back of Nintendo Nut1's shirt, and laughed maniacally as she jumped about and tried to get the leeches out, trails of blood leaking out from under her jacket. "That's for interrupting me earlier."
"No fair!" Nintendo Nut1 struggled as she removed the leeches from her back. "Icky..."
"I haven't been there in a while..." Ness and Mewtwo ran off to their taxi, ordering him to go to the pizzeria.
Young Link and Dr. Mario
Currently in 5th place
"Well, my older self and Dr. Mario's counterpart are ahead of us," Young Link started.
"But-a we paid the driver to-a speed past-a them, and-a he's done well so-a far..." Dr. Mario was clutching his Coke, cars and trucks beeping angrily. "At-a least we'll-a get there first- WHOA!" Dr. Mario and Young Link bounced up and smashed into the taxi roof, because the inept driver sped through the intersection, causing a car crash and running over a pedestrian.
"Never let a Pokémon drive..." Young Link replied as their driver, a Makuhita, burst through the street and careened towards Rosewood.
Mario and Luigi
Currently in 2nd place
"Holy-a crap...did you-a see that?" Luigi was looking out the back and squeaked, "Dr.-a Mario and-a Young Link caused an-a accident and ran-a over a dude-a!"
"Are-a you serious?" Mario looked and ducked as a suitcase crashed into the window and bounced off it. The taxi carrying Dr. Mario and Young Link sliced through the street, flipping over cars and running over lightposts, newsstands and the occasional pedestrian. "I-a think their driver's a Pokémon-a."
"Never-a let a Pokémon drive-a..."
Roy and Lilina
Currently in 6th place
"Whoa! Look out!" The driver barely missed another crashed car as Roy and Lilina bounced around in the back, colliding into the walls and the windows.
"King Lalidama forever!" The driver screeched as he dodged another car. This caused Lilina to collapse onto the seat and Roy to land on top of her. After regaining their bearings, they noticed where they were and the awkward position they were in.
"Umm...hi..." Lilina and Roy were blushing furiously.
"We are here!" Their driver's screeching voice snapped them back to reality and they quickly scrambled out of their position.
"S-s-sorry about that."
"I-it's okay..."
Ness and Mewtwo
Currently in 1st place
"Here we are. I hope they recognize me..." Ness and Mewtwo made their way into the pizzeria, where they were greeted by several voices. "Hey, it's Ness!" "Yo, whazzup?" "My word, it's been too long." "How's the tournament treating you?"
"Hey, guys. I'm on the Amazing Race." Ness remarked. "And this is Mewtwo." He nodded cordially, and Ness continued, "He's one of my friends in the tournament."
"Well, that's good. So you ready for the pizza?" William, the chef, brought out a 14" pizza for them. "You need to eat through this to receive the clue."
"Let's get started..." Mewtwo sat at the table and grabbed a slice.
Pikachu and Pichu
Currently in 2nd place
"I've never heard of this Nick and Willy's pizzeria." Pikachu remarked as their driver took them through the streets of Fourside. "Is it good?"
"According to Ness, it is." Pichu noticed the taxi stop in front of the neon building. "This must be it." They went inside and saw Ness and Mewtwo eating the pizza. "Hey, guys!"
"They're here..." Mewtwo remarked.
"So, what do we do?" Pichu asked.
"You have to eat 4 slices of this." Nick, the manager, came out and held out a Big Kahuna in front of the Pokémon, who immediately began to drool. "Ready?"
"Let's go! I'm hungry!" Sitting himself at the table, Pichu began to chow down on a slice, the warm smells of dough, tomatoes, cheese, oranges, pineapple and Canadian bacon permeating the room.
Link and Zelda
Currently in 3rd place
"We have to eat this?" Zelda stared at the pizza, which was rather big, to say the least.
"Well, it's not going to eat itself..." Link remarked, shoving a slice into his mouth. "This is pretty good..."
Mario and Luigi
Currently in 4th place
"Mmm...pizza." Luigi remarked as he chewed on a piece of pineapple.
"This is-a good." Mario said happily as he lunching his slice in thought.
Young Link and Dr. Mario
Currently in 5th place
"This-a reminds me of a time-a Mario got a bite-a of pizza stuck in his-a throat..." Dr. Mario told Young Link.
"Don't bother me, I'm eating." Young Link muttered in-between bites.
Fox and Falco
Currently in 6th place
"Don't talk to us. We're busy eating." Falco remarked, pointing the camera to Yoshi and DK, who had finished 5 slices total already. "Holy crap, they're fast..."
Roy and Lilina
Currently in 8th place
"They know how to make good pizza." Lilina replied, chewing on some oranges on the pizza.
"Never had anything like this back in Pherae..." Roy agreed.
Marth and Sheeda
Currently in 9th place
"So, do we eat until the pizza is gone?" Marth asked between bites.
"Looks like it..." Sheeda answered.
Ness and Mewtwo
Currently in 1st place
"Mmm-mmm! Just as good as ever!" Ness replied, wiping his mouth. He took the clue from the waiter and read it. "'Detour: Hustle or Tango...'"
CronoMaster said, "Finally. You can eat faster than that..."
"Shut up! You just insult for fun!" Nintendo Nut1 accused, CronoMaster smirking all the while.
"Anyway, a Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons." CronoMaster said. "The choices are Hustle or Tango. Care to say something, Nintendo Nut1? Don't mess up now..."
"Shut your trap for once!" Nintendo Nut1 snapped. "In Hustle, teams must go 1.5 miles outside the city to the Liar X. Aggerate Football Field and kick a field goal from 300 yards away. This takes a lot of strength, but the teams with the needed strength can finish quickly."
"Not bad...in Tango, teams travel a shorter distance of 0.8 miles to the Topolla Theatre to see the Tango Performance. Once there, teams will receive a program with a picture of a tango dancer on it." CronoMaster remarked through a stick of jerky. "Teams must go onstage and locate the person pictured in the program to receive their next clue. This task is not physically demanding, but searching more than 30 people for one person in dim lighting can take a while." CronoMaster added, "Not bad, Nintendo Nut1. I'd almost think you were a good host."
"Listen, you, shut up!" Nintendo Nut1 yelled, pointing an elbow blade eloquently at CronoMaster, who just scoffed at her.
"So, which one?" Ness asked.
"Let's do Tango." Mewtwo and Ness ran outside and got a taxi.
Peach and Samus
Currently in 2nd place
"Clue, please!" Peach grabbed the clue and read it over with Samus.
"Let's do Hustle." Samus said, catching a taxi.
Link and Zelda
Currently in 3rd place
"Hustle or Tango...let's Tango." Zelda said, running to the taxi.
Fox and Falco
Currently in 4th place
"Hmm...let's Hustle." Falco said, getting into their taxi.
Popo and Nana
Currently in 5th place
"Tango, anyone?" Popo asked his sister.
"Let's!"
Kirby and Jigglypuff
Currently in 6th place
"Hustle or Tango...do you want to dance?" Kirby asked Jigglypuff, who nodded eagerly. "All right, it's off to the Topolla Theatre, then."
Ness and Mewtwo
Currently in 1st place
"Here it is...the Topolla Theatre." Going inside the theatre, an usher handed them a program and saw a picture of a young man on the cover. "This must be the person to look for." Going inside, they used their psychic powers to locate the man. When he handed them their next clue, Mewtwo tore it open and read it. "'Go to the Monotoli building...'"
"Teams now must go to the Monotoli building, which is two blocks away from the Topolla Theatre. Once teams reach the building, they will receive their next clue." Nintendo Nut1 said, chewing on a piece of chocolate.
"To the Monotoli building!" Ness and Mewtwo ran outside to the next clue sitting outside the Monotoli. Ripping open the clue, Ness read, "Road Block. 'The Monotoli building is 30 stories tall and someone has to clean it!'"
CronoMaster remarked, "A Road Block is a task only one person can perform, and no one person can do more than 6 in the whole race. In this Road Block, teams must climb onto a window-cleaner's platform and be hoisted 25 stories up to a dirty window. That person must clean the window until they find a secret message inscribed on the window. When they know the message, they must rappel down the building and say the message to the cleaner foreman to receive their next clue...this sounds like a task on the real Amazing Race..."
Stow it! My train of thought is still boarding at the station!
"You do it." Mewtwo told Ness. "I'm unfamiliar with the locals, anyway."
"Sure."
Peach and Samus
Currently in 4th place
"That was horrible. I can't believe that creampuff beat me..." Peach sobbed, embarrassed that Kirby, of all Smashers, beat her in the field goal.
"Maybe if you let me kick the damn thing, we wouldn't be in this predicament!" Samus screeched before reading the clue. "Come on, we have to find the Monotoli building."
Fox and Falco
Currently in 7th place
"How the hell did Falco convince me to do this..." Fox muttered as he cleaned the window. He dropped a bucket of water, and he screamed when it exploded all over the sidewalk. On the other windows were Ness, Mario, Link, Roy, Sheeda and Samus, who were making good progress. "Damn...augh! I hate this!" Fox screeched. He went so crazy he ended up cleaning the whole window while he was waving his arms frantically and yelling obscenities all the while. "Hey, it's clean...there's something written here. 'Little Paddocks.' That's good." Fox rappelled down to the ground and said the message to the foreman, who handed them their next clue. "Thanks. 'The message was Little Paddocks. Now you must go there...'"
"The teams must now go 2.3 miles to Little Paddocks, a small estate that houses the Eagleland tennis team." Nintendo Nut1 explained. "This house was once the head of government here in Eagleland, but was converted into an estate after it relocated to Threed. The former palace where the government of Eagleland resided is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in will be eliminated."
"Come on, let's go." Falco replied, dragging Fox to a taxi and driving off.
Ness and Mewtwo
Currently in 2nd place
"How the hell did Fox finish before us?" Ness vexed, pulling his shirt frantically.
"Calm down. We can warp there." They did so, and saw Nintendo Nut1 and CronoMaster standing in front of Little Paddocks with a blonde-haired girl that Ness knew all too well. "Paula?"
"Hi, Ness! Been a while, huh?" Paula replied, hugging him.
"You know it." Ness and Mewtwo stood on the Pit Stop square.
"Ness and Mewtwo, you are team number 1!" Nintendo Nut1 said.
"Well, well, consider me impressed." CronoMaster replied. He handed them a box with the Earthbound logo on the top. "Here." CronoMaster turned around and walked off.
"Hey, where are you going!" Nintendo Nut1 screeched.
"My co-host job lasts for only one chapter. But it was fun." CronoMaster remarked. Covering himself with his cloak and grabbing Souvenir Set 1 (see chapter 1 for details), he yelled, "May your own River of Words keep flowing!" He then disappeared in a pillar of fire, charred grass being the only indication that he even stood there in the first place.
"...good riddance. He was hogging my spotlight." Nintendo Nut1 scoffed and replied, "Open the box!" Ness and Mewtwo beheld many things, including a Little Paddocks miniature, a Paula figurine, several maps and postcards, and various other items. Next came Fox and Falco, Mario and Luigi, Roy and Lilina, Link and Zelda, Marth and Sheeda, Peach and Samus, Kirby and Jigglypuff, Young Link and Dr. Mario, Bowser and Ganondorf, Pikachu and Pichu, and Yoshi and DK, in that order. Popo and Nana came in last, sadly for all the Ice Climbers fans out there.
"Popo and Nana, you are the last team to arrive. I'm sorry to say that you're eliminated." Nintendo Nut1 handed them both a souvenir set and sent Popo and Nana home, her gaze piercing their sobbing figures.
"I just wanted to see the world with my sis, and I feel the Amazing Race brought us together, so we have no regrets." Popo said.
"I'm glad to have been with my brother on the Amazing Race." Nana sobbed.
In the next chapter, what will happen to the teams as they head to the Hoenn Region, and what happens there? Anyway, you can still be a co-host, since there will be one new co-host in 10 of the next 13 legs! Leave a review with your penname, age, description and favorite Smasher to The Amazing Race! If you are chosen, you'll receive the Souvenir Set handed out to the Smashers! The prizes include these:
The Little Paddocks miniature
A Paula figurine
Maps of Eagleland
A Guidebook to Eagleland
The Guide to Eagleland for Dummies book
A new weapon of your choice
The Earthbound Official Home-Run Bat
R&R to win and/or co-host! See ya next time!
Gamer21