Well, well, here it is, folks: the double-chapter length finale of the Amazing Race! Glad to see that so many people enjoyed my story...70 reviews! (bows with deep appreciation) Here we go!
Responses:
The Author: Well, glad to see you enjoy Roy and Lilina winning...and don't use that penname. Then people would get confused.
LegoMan727: Yep, see you there. And sure, you can use this idea for your Tales of Symphonia story! Just be sure to give me credit for the idea, ok? I'd be offended if you didn't use this idea!
maguskoopa: You are very late. The contest ended ages ago!
jliak sclice: You are also very late. The contest ended ages ago!
HyperMew: I apologize, but the co-host contest ended ages ago! But, since you asked nicely, take this as a gift. (hands him a copy of Double Dash) If Roy and Lilina end up winning...you will have to stick around to find that out.
Anters: Good, good. I'm glad to see you're enjoying this as much as I am. And I'm glad to see you like what I put about you in my profile!
Backstage...
"Yay! We're nearing the finale!" Nintendo Nut1 announced. "Just two more legs to go!"
"Yes, and I look forward to seeing who wins, apparently..." Nintendo Nut1 about-faced and beheld a tall elf of 14 years, a smirk across his features. His brown hair and green eyes also reflected of his inconsistent personality, and his clothing was quite similar to Link: a light green tunic with a brown belt spanning his waist and long brown boots.
"WOW! You look so much like Link!"
"I know." He ran a hand through his hair, and said, "But my name doesn't reflect that. My name is luigifan2234. Now stop staring at me and let's move out!" luigifan2234 grabbed the poor girl by the wrist and dragged her off to the set of Amazing Race, not knowing what to expect this time around.
"This is the Mushroom Kingdom, one of the oldest continents to date here in the Nintendo Planet." Nintendo Nut1 explained. "And this is Princess Peach's Castle, which took the brunt of many of Bowser's attacks on the Mushroom Kingdom. A little ways away is Shooting Star Summit, the altar where the kingdom's denizens pray for the peace and security of the Mushroom Kingdom. This consecrated piece of land was the 10th Pit Stop in a race around the world."
"Teams who checked in last leg of the race obtained a mandatory rest period in which they can eat, sleep and mingle with the other teams." luigifan2234 finished. "Teams have no idea what's waiting for them in this leg of race and must use a system of clues to make their way to the Pit Stop. Pikachu and Pichu, who were the first to arrive at 7:59 am, will depart at 7:59 pm."
Pikachu and Pichu
1st to depart, 7:59 pm
Location: Shooting Star Summit, Mushroom Kingdom
"Yay!" Pichu announced as he tore open the clue. "'Travel to the Marble Road outside the city of Toad Town...'"
"Teams must now make their way to Marble Road, a picturesque roadway of marble (duh!) that snakes its way into Koopa Village." Nintendo Nut1 explained. "Teams must then dredge the nearby Koopa River and search among rocks and water and locate plane tickets to the city of Rogueport the next morning. The flights depart at different times: 10, 10:30 and 11. Once a team has located a pair of plane tickets, they may not search anymore."
"Reaching this 'Marble Road' shouldn't be too hard." Pikachu noted as he spotted several markers pointing towards the castle gate. "Follow the arrows...we may locate the Marble Road that way."
"Gee, who would've figured...?" Pichu remarked.
Roy and Lilina
2nd to depart, 8:05 pm
Location: Shooting Star Summit
"This place is beautiful..." Lilina said as she watched the glittering stars rush to the ground, breaking into stardust all around. "It's very romantic."
"Yep..." Roy said, tearing open the clue. "Marble Road? What kind of a name is that?"
"Who knows...?" Lilina wistfully said, staring off into the night sky.
Link and Zelda
3rd to depart, 8:15 pm
Location: Shooting Star Summit
"Whoa...so beautiful..." Zelda remarked, as the star-kissed earth shone in all its brilliance from the stardust sprinkled around the mountain.
"Like you are." Link said as he kissed her on the forehead and read the clue. "Marble Road? What the devil is that?"
"Maybe we'll find out shortly..."
Yoshi and DK
Last to depart, 8:29 pm
Location: Shooting Star Summit
"Man, I can't see a thing!" DK protested as he stumbled around the summit looking for a light.
"That's a problem..." Yoshi said as he used his pocket light to read the clue. "Marble Road? I wonder what that is?" His question was abruptly answered by a splitting of rock and a loud rumble that signaled a landslide. "What did you do now?"
"Sorry. I think I knocked over the mountain..." DK said. Yoshi watched as a huge piece of the mountain rumbled into the outflow river for Toad Town, clogging it effectively. "I didn't do nuthin'..." Yoshi just sighed and dragged his meatheaded companion out of the dark and to Marble Road.
Marble Road, Pleasant Path
Pikachu and Pichu
Currently in 1st place
"Well, I don't see the road..." Pikachu squinted as tried to locate the road, without any glint of success. "Crap. It's too dark."
"Oh well. AUGH...!" Pichu yelled as he fell down a set of ledges cut into the cliff face like stairs. He fell down to the very bottom of the stairs and flew off into the Koopa River nearby. Pichu was struggling and screaming, "HELP! I'm stuck and cold and lost, WAH!" His foot got hooked on something in the cold, dark river. "HELP!"
"I'm coming!" With some effort and caution, Pikachu found the steps down to the river that Pichu was stuck in. It took more time to find Pichu, and twice as long to yoik him from the river. "You okay?"
"Yes..."
"Good, good...wait, what's on your leg?"
"AUGH! It's a slimy icky gross tentacle!" Upon closer inspection, there was a waterproof bag hooked on the poor Pokèmon's leg containing a familiar yellow envelope and two plane tickets for 10:00 am. "Oh, it's just a clue."
"Just a clue...gimme the bag!" Without warning, Pikachu grabbed the bag and Pichu's leg was unhooked, causing the poor Pichu to land headfirst in the soft ground. "'Fly to the city of Rogueport and locate the gallows...'"
"Teams must now use the plane tickets they obtained from the river and fly to the city of Rogueport." luigifan2234 said. "Once there, teams must locate this gallows in the center of town, where Gold Roger was hanged and thus began the search for his legendary treasure, One Piece. Once they find the gallows, teams will locate their next clue."
"Whoa! I didn't know that!" Pichu announced. "That's so cool..."
"Cool or not, we better get to the airport posthaste!" Pikachu said, stumbling around in the dark. "Now where are those stairs...?"
Yoshi and DK
Currently in 2nd place
Location: Marble Road, Pleasant Path
"Well, well, what ho, Pikachu!" Yoshi yelled to the electric mouse Pokèmon as it cursed vehemently due to its luck. "Don't be hating!"
"Oh, shut up..." Pikachu growled, obviously angry that Yoshi and DK caught up to them. "What troubles doth you bring us today?"
"Not much, I'm afraid..." Yoshi muttered as DK fell off the cliff and crash landed in the river. "DK, what did you do now?"
"Um...something...man, but people have to stop littering and dumping crap into the river." DK reported, dredging up the bag with the clue and 10:30 plane tickets.
"That's the clue, DK."
"Wha-really? Sweet!"
Yoshi sighed, sweatdropped, and rubbed his head to clear his mind. "Sometimes, I think you are just too much..."
Link and Zelda
Currently in 3rd place
Location: Marble Road
"Talk about a show of sound..." Link said upon hearing the arguments between Yoshi's team and Pikachu's team. "This is stupid."
"All they ever do is argue..." Zelda agreed. "What's with them, huh?"
"Who knows...?" At this point, DK was stumbling around in the dark and landed on Zelda, who immediately screamed.
"EEK! It's cold and dark and wet and smelly, GET IT OFF!" Zelda soon stumbled out of the brush she was hiding in and crashed into Yoshi, sending all 3 into the river at the bottom of the cliff. "What's with you? Eew, I have trash on my head..."
"Haha! Sucks to be...wait, that's the clue, isn't it?" Upon closer examination, Zelda realized it was and told it to DK, who noticed the 11:00 plane tickets inside. "Phew. Disaster averted."
Roy and Lilina
Currently in last place
Location: Marble Road
"What a bunch of idiots." Roy noted as he and Lilina made their way to the cliff. By the time they reached it, everyone was just now hurrying off in the opposite direction. "At least we can search the river in peace..."
"Yep..." Lilina said. However, she tripped and sent them both into the river below, and they both came up choking and spluttering. "OH! I'm SO SORRY!"
"Good lord, how clumsy can you get...?" Roy spluttered, as he pulled out something caught in his ankle. "What the-hey, it's the clue and some plane tickets...11:00 am?"
"That's good..." When Lilina climbed out of the river, she noticed that Roy was staring at her indulgently, and she then realized it was because of the river incident that she tripped and fell into the river in the first place. Her clothes were completely soaked, and she noticed they stuck onto her body. She blushed somewhat. "R...Roy?"
"Huh? What? Oh, right..." Roy muttered as he grabbed her by her hand and dragged her towards Toad Town.
"All the teams are now on separate flights to Rogueport that leave at different times: 10, 10:30 and 11." Nintendo Nut1 said. "Once there, teams must locate the gallows made famous by One Piece to receive the next clue."
Rogueport International
Flight #1 from Mushroom Kingdom, 10:00 am
Pikachu and Pichu
Currently in 1st place
"There it is!" Pikachu said, pointing towards a clue box near the gallows in the center of town. "'Detour: Dirty Laundry or Clean Getaway...'"
"A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams must choose between Dirty Laundry and Clean Getaway." luigifan2234 explained. "In Dirty Laundry, teams must meet with a contact in the back alleys of Rogueport and will be given a package. Teams must deliver that package to Ishnail, the leader of a gang called the Robbos, in the West Side in order to receive the clue. In Clean Getaway, teams will make their way to a hidden garage, also in the back alleys. Teams must then drive one of the new Aston Martin V12 Vanquishes to Don Pianta on the East Side. Once the delivery is complete, teams will obtain the next clue."
"Talk about strictly illegal..." Pikachu said. "A Clean Getaway will help greatly. Now where is the freakin' garage...?"
"I hope we can control it..." Pichu voiced.
15 minutes later, after finding the Vanquish
"MAKE IT STOP!" Pichu yelled as they ran over a Goomba on the nearby sidewalk. "I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"
"I'm trying!" Pikachu yelled as they crashed through a fence and several barrels. "This isn't easy, you know!" He swerved around several more people and ran over a light post and a few chickens. "Damn it!"
"We seriously need driver's ed..." Pichu groaned as they crashed through a wooden scaffold, sending bricks, workers, and cement raining down behind them. "Oops!"
Flight #2 from Mushroom Kingdom, 10:30 am
Yoshi and DK
Currently in 2nd place
Location: The Gallows, Rogueport
"Yay! Outside!" Yoshi squealed as they stepped off the plane and onto the ground. "It feels so good to be out!"
"Isn't it always?" DK said as they strolled through the town.
"I suppose..." Yoshi said. "But it wouldn't hurt to stay inside, too, I guess..."
"OK, you lost me." DK said. He spotted the clue box near the gallows and changed the subject, saying, "Maybe the clue box will help us find the way...maybe not." He had read the clue, and he had a grim expression on his face.
"What is it...good lord; don't tell me we're becoming criminals!" Yoshi screamed.
"I hope not...delivering a package sounds a lot quicker than driving around in a car."
"Point taken. Now look for a suspicious dude who could be the contact!"
15 minutes after receiving the package
"Dis ain't good..." Yoshi squeaked. "We got 5-0's runnin' round the 'ole of da town."
"It also made us speakeasies..." DK muttered. "Man, it's like Snakes all (beep) up in 'ere, ya kno'?"
"Whateva' youse says, man...now where's my Gin and Juice? That little (beep) betta' be back wit my dr-iz-ink, that (beep)!"
"That was random..." DK muttered.
Last Flight from Mushroom Kingdom
Link and Zelda
Currently in 3rd place
Location: The Gallows, Rogueport
"Damn, I hate when this happens..." Link muttered under his breath as he, Zelda, Roy and Lilina rushed over to the clue box and nearly ran it down trying to get the clue. "Dirty Laundry or Clean Getaway? What do they take us for, criminals?"
"Obviously..." Roy muttered under his breath. "I don't like the looks of it."
"I don't either, but we really don't have a choice." Lilina spit out. She growled, "Does everything have to be so controversial?"
"Well, they did say that controversy sells..." Zelda answered. "But what are we saying? We must complete the Detour or else!"
"YEAH!"
Pikachu and Pichu
Currently in 1st place
Location: Downtown Rogueport
"Look, officer, I didn't do anything!" Pikachu protested as the officer listened to his story.
"These people beg to differ..." Looking out the window, Pikachu saw the utter destruction he had laid upon the downtown area; people run over, crashed stall and trash cans, even a collapsed building spoke for Pikachu, who was sweating profusely. "Now what are you going to do about this?"
"I-I don't know, officer..."
"You can either get a ticket, or say sorry to all these people that you nearly killed!" He didn't even have to finish his sentence; several seconds later, Pikachu was apologizing to everyone, even helping up some that he had run over. "Well, get out of here." Afterwards Pikachu hopped back into the Vanquish and drove off as best as he could, but not before Pichu said something:
"That's the 11th commandment: Honor all law enforcement lest thou layest in the street on thy belly with thine hands behind thy back cuffeth."
Yoshi and DK
Currently in 2nd place
Location: West Rogueport
"OH dear..." Yoshi said, looking around the whole of the city without any luck. "Where is that Ishnail dude?"
"Who knows? Let's just keep looking." DK muttered.
"Fine..."
Link and Zelda
Currently in 3rd place
Location: Downtown Rogueport
"Hey, shit!" Link yelled as Zelda was being thrown about like a rag doll in the back seat. "Watch where you're going, you crazy idiot!"
"Link! What is with you today-ow!" Zelda said as her head slammed into the car roof.
"Pikachu and Pichu are driving again..." Link said, swerving out of the way to avoid hitting pedestrians and flying fruit. "They're crazy!"
"Gee, who would've guessed-yeowch! Stop swerving when I'm not ready!"
"I really don't have much of a choice, Zel!" Link protested, dodging some fallen barrels and crashed stalls.
Roy and Lilina
Currently in last place
Location: West Rogueport
"Quick! Follow DK and Yoshi!" Roy urged, hiding in the shadows and watching Yoshi and DK stumble around for Ishnail. "Okay, maybe not."
"They don't have any idea where they're going, are they?" Lilina asked.
"Nope." At this time, a humanoid snail stealthily came up behind them and said, 'BOO!', causing them to scream incessantly and to panic Yoshi.
"What was that?" Yoshi whirled around to face behind him, wielding a Mamba 12g.
"Probably a screaming beetle..." DK said, cowering behind Yoshi. "Hide me!"
"I don't like it...it sounded like murder..."
"RUN!" DK yelled, rushing into the street and tripping on an invisible something, crashing and planting his face into the ground. Yoshi followed suit, but he tripped over DK and got stuck in the door of a nearby house. Meanwhile, Roy and Lilina gave the package to Ishnail, the humanoid snail, and had received their next clue.
"Let's see...'Find the Lovely Howz of Badges...'"
"Teams must now locate the Lovely Howz of Badges in the main plaza of Rogueport." Nintendo Nut1 explained. "Teams must then purchase the clue from the manager. Clues are 25 coins."
"What kind of host charges people for clues, huh!" luigifan2234 yelled.
"SHUT UP!"
"That was interesting..." Roy said. "Let's find this Lovely Howz of Badges."
Lovely Howz of Badges, Rogueport
Roy and Lilina
Currently in 1st place
"WHAT!"
"That's right." The manager said. "You must pay 25 coins to get the clue."
"Damn, you're expensive..." Roy grumbled, but handed them the 25 coins. He tore the clue open and read, "'Deep underground is the Thousand-Year Door, a place known to many Rogueporters as a place of treasure, mystery and intrigue...'"
"Teams must make their way to the Rogueport underground and locate the Thousand-Year Door, where the legendary treasure of Rogueport sleeps." luigifan2234 said. "Once there, the teams will get the next clue."
"Whoa..." Roy said, too confused to even think. "Let's go...AUGH!"
"I think he forgot we were two stories up..." Lilina said, looking down at the crumpled Roy, who was unconscious due to his fall. "...oops!"
Yoshi and DK
Currently in 2nd place
Location: The Lovely Howz of Badges, Rogueport
"I don't like doors..." Yoshi muttered. "Especially narrow ones."
"Don't we all?" DK said as they entered the store
"Let's see..." Yoshi said, staring at the various items in the shelves. "DK, the guy wants 25 coins for the clue."
"He's too expensive..." DK muttered, forking over the coin and getting the clue in return. "I swear, these people-hey, dude, you know where the Thousand-Year Door is?"
"It is in the Rogueport underground. Why?" the manager asked.
"Thanks. Now where is that?" DK asked, just as baffled as before.
Link and Zelda
Currently in 3rd place
Location: The Lovely Howz of Badges, Rogueport
"Man, this is highway robbery!" Link yelled at the manager. "What do you take us for?"
"Very gullible people." The manager said.
"Oh, grow up!" Zelda yelled. "I bet some car will crash in here and ruin you!"
"How can that happen?" Link asked Zelda. "Besides, we're two stories up."
"It will happen." She should really watch what she wishes, for Pikachu and Pichu somehow managed to drive the Vanquish car onto the roofs and was now driving erratically on them, knocking over chimneys and roof decorations. Pichu was yelling and arguing with Pikachu about their driving skills; Pikachu didn't look where he was driving and crashed through the wall of the badge shop, sending badges, merchandise, and debris swirling around Link and Zelda. "Holy shit!"
"Zel, did you just cuss?" Link spouted in disbelief. Zelda was frantically shaking her head no, as if to deny the allogation.
"N-no, I didn't!" Zelda said, fighting back embarrassment and failing miserably.
"I knew it, you cussed!" At this point, the doors of the Vanquish flew open and Pikachu and Pichu fell out of the car, cursing and stumbling around to regain their bearings.
"I told you we had to make a right at the train, but no! You had to use the ramp and jump the roofs, huh?" Pichu squeaked. "Now we're stuck in a frickin' shop all because you couldn't ask for frickin' directions!"
"It's no fault of mine; you were supposed to be my navigator!" Pikachu retorted. "If you hadn't fallen asleep at the damn gas station, I would've-"
"You're the driver! It's your responsibility to-"
"Um..." Zelda interrupted, and all eyes turned to her. She found their stares unnerving. "You do know that the drop-off point is that way, near the Pianta Parlor?" She pointed in the direction of the Pianta Syndicate's HQ. "Just follow the neon to the parlor."
"Thank you, Zelda!" Pichu felt vindicated. "I told you we had to turn right at the train!" Pichu had hopped back into the car, Pikachu behind him muttering curses, and they drove through the other wall and onto the street below, leaving splintered wood, badges, glass and debris strewn about the floor.
"At least we can get the clue now." Link reached over the counter and snatched the clue.
The Thousand-Year Door
Yoshi and DK
Currently in 1st place
"Well, there's the clue." DK tore it open and read, "'Road Block: Who's ready to explore the past?'"
"A Road Bock is a task only one person may perform, and no one person can do more than six in the whole race." Nintendo Nut1 stated. "In this Road Block, that person must use clues in a satchel given to them by an archaeologist to locate a specific place, where they will pick up an artifact. That person must safely transport the artifact back to the archaeologist to receive the next clue."
"Ooh, I wanna dig up stuff!" DK said, snatching the satchel from the archaeologist and reading the clues. "'Go to the square, young waverer, and find the next clue at the fountain.'"
"Good luck!" Yoshi cheered.
Roy and Lilina
Currently in 2nd place
Location: Rogueport Underground
"Whoa, talk about huge..." Lilina stuttered. "Why did I volunteer for the Road Block? It's so creepy and cold..."
"BOO!" DK said, scaring the poor girl straight into a faint. "Oops...I didn't do anything!"
"Hey, DK!" Pichu said, waving at the large ape. "You doing the Road Block, too?"
"AUGH! I'm not doing anything odd or suspicious..."
"I never asked about that..." Pichu said, staring at DK with polite incredulity. "Who's that?"
Crap... "Oh, no one." DK rushed. "Oh, look at the time, I gotta go I don't even have time to say good-" Before he could say 'bye,' DK rushed off towards a door, but forgot to duck and smacked headfirst into it, falling over unconscious. "Easy squeezy lemon peezy..."
"O-kay, I'll leave you alone now..." Pichu sweatdropped and looked at the map. "Now where is that fountain?"
Link and Zelda
Currently in 3rd place
Location: The Square, Rogueport Underground
"Talk about a maze..." Zelda muttered with a hint of fear in her voice. "'100 monsters wait for thee, in it exuents only one of three...' What's that supposed to mean?"
"Absolutely nothing." DK said, scaring poor Zelda into hiding. "Crap...I feel so unloved..."
"What the hell was that all about?" Zelda asked. Coming out of the ruin she was hiding in, she tripped on something, which gave a loud 'PICHU!'
"AIEEEEE!" Zelda screamed, fainting on the spot.
"Oops...that's a hit!" Pichu said, rubbing its side from where Zelda tripped on it. "Ow..."
Yoshi and DK
Currently in 1st place
Location: The Pit of 100 Trials, Rogueport Underground
"Two down...'Well done, now head to the Thousand-Year Door with the necklace hanging off one of the walls.'" Looking around, DK spotted a shiny metal neckpiece hanging on one of the walls and grabbed. He then took it to the archaeologist, who gave him the clue. "Yes! 'Travel to the final Pit Stop in this race, the Excess Express...'"
"Teams must now make their way to the final Pit Stop in this race, the Excess Express." luigifan2234 said. "This opulent train runs through Rogueport and is known as the ritziest train ever conceived in the minds of men. This train is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in will be eliminated. WHOO-HOO! Dance, dance, dance..."
"That's a little annoying..." Nintendo Nut1 said.
"Look who's talking!"
"SHUT UP!"
"Well, off to the Pit Stop, then." Yoshi said, reading the clue with DK. "Now where's the exit?"
The Excess Express, Rogueport
"So, who do you want to win?" luigifan2234 asked Nintendo Nut1.
"Link! Definitely Link..." Nintendo Nut1 swooned at the very mention of his name. "It would be so cool for him to win, YAY!"
"Of course..." luigifan2234 ran a hand through his brown hair. "I find that believable, yet I find it a little laughable, as well."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Before she could run her fist through his jawbone, Yoshi and DK had run up to the world mat. She quickly released her anger and said, "Yoshi and DK, you are the first team to arrive!"
"YAY!" Yoshi squealed. He then noticed something. "Where's the presentor dude? He supposed to give us the Souvenir Set!"
"Here..." luigifan2234 said. He dragged over 4 boxes of items, all decorated with the mushroom, the eternal symbol of the Mario World. Tearing it open at once, they pulled out various books, figurines, miniatures, and the like. They squealed with joy and watched as Link and Zelda and Roy and Lilina run up to the world mat, leaving the Pokèmon in last place.
"Pikachu and Pichu, you are the last team to arrive. I'm sorry to tell you that you have been eliminated from the race." Nintendo Nut1 gave them a Souvenir Set and the 4th place prize, $12,500, and watched as they sulked off, sad because of the elimination.
"Well, we gave it our all and lost." Pikachu said.
"Hey, we still had fun on that race!" Pichu replied. He held up the sack. "Look! Money!"
"Now things get intense." Yoshi said to the readers. "We managed to stay this long in the race, and it all comes to the final dash to the finish line."
"We are so close to the finish that we can practically taste it!" DK announced happily.
"That's the banana you're eating."
"Oh yeah."
"The final struggle is in sight." Roy reported. "There were 14 of us teams and now it's down to the final 3."
"And we don't plan on losing, either! We'll win!" Lilina boldly declared.
"Of course! Listen to us! We march to the finish line, and we will win!"
"Well, well, the time is right for a battle." Link said. "I think we will win, hands down."
"Of course. Nothing stood in our way during the race, and nothing will now!" Zelda agreed.
"The final confrontation is but a whisper away...We shall see what becomes of us."
Nintendo Nut1 said, "These are the three teams left. Who will win the $1,000,000 in the final rush to the finish line? Stay tuned and find out!"