-==Chapter 12==-

The Violet Slayer

As Arthur purchased some meals to share to his new friends once they're done with their races, Jackson and Norton arrived at the arcade to see the whole Time Trial thing they've never heard of. This is because Jackson had never knew about the Sugar Rush World Championships, because he never even bothered to ask Heather about Sugar Rush at all, and Norton never even heard about Sugar Rush prior to his first visit to Litwak's, which was ALSO his first visit to a Video Game Arcade. Jackson and Norton then saw Mike and Nancy with their respective racers: Swizzle and Adorabeezle, at the Royal Raceway's starting line with 8 other racers.

And because Jackson and Norton never had experience in Sugar Rush before, they decided not to get involved in this "life wasting bullfire" they are misled to believe by some toxic Non-Gamers, like that one time where they heard some toxic feminist women berating video game companies for petty excuses. And in playing Slaughter Race, they don't try to join the E-Sports league of said game, which Major League Gaming is Slaughter Race's main Sponsor, while Sugar Rush's Sponsor in the World Championships is EVO. Both Jackson and Norton had a lot to learn if they want to join the Sugar Rush League, which had surpassed the Mario Kart Club in 2015.

After a while, Jackson and Norton see the race as Mike and Nancy are in 5th and 6th places behind Candlehead, Rancis, Gloyd, and Citrusella; while said six racers (Which Mike, Nancy, and the 4 other players drove as) are in front of Vanellope, M. Sakura, Emma, and Nougetsia. The race is halfway of Lap 2, and Mike and Nancy have been making strategic overtakes against the other players, closing in on them whenever they pull away. As they approach Nougat Underground, Mike and Nancy managed to overtake two players and took 3rd and 4th place respectively. Jackson and Norton had never seen younger kids be this competent in racing games before.

Jackson: "Man, look at those two kids, they may be younger than us but MAN! They're good!"

Norton: "Who cares? Slaughter race gamers are much moar aggressive than these chumps."

Jackson: "Yeah, whatever. But you gotta admit, these guys are nuts as hell, like Mad Men!"

Norton: "Looks like your devilish Sister from Hell did left a tremendous impact on'em!"

Jackson: "Man, I'm gonna miss her. Every of her actions will be remembered."

Norton: "Every action? Are you saying that your sister had also done some…"

Jackson: "Damn straight, everything. And most of them are extremely problematic! And I ain't gona tell you about the whole thing here, because many gamers are afraid of her title, let alone her name. If you wanna, I'll let you visit my house in our upcoming study group with our classmates."

Norton: "Alright, I'm down. Say, wanna get Arthur in this study group? He's quite smart and he manages to be on par with the likes of Kim, Carson, Martha, and Olivia in terms of Academics."

Jackson: "Sure, I'll get him into this. What could possibly go wrong?"

Later, at the final stretch of Lap 3, Nancy wins 1st and Mike wins 2nd, and they managed to get a closer record below Swati's. Jackson and Norton noticed that the other games were locked and restricted, this is to prevent distraction from the event, and with Nancy being the 1st place winner, she got the free shot, and she races Adorabeezle in Sugar Speed Ring. Mike then met up with Jackson and Norton.

Mike: "Jackson, right? I heard about what Arthur said about you."

Jackson: "Uh, kid, you trying to creep me out or something?"

Mike: "So I heard, you're one of those from…."

Norton: "SHUT UP! Keep it a secret! We don't want any bullroar here!"

Mike: "Suit yourselves, punks, but remember, whatever stays hidden in the dark, comes out to light."

Jackson: "Norton, this guy's creeping me the hell out! Let's get outta here!"

Norton: "I'm with you, let's get to the café."

Jackson and Norton walked away to the Café at Floor 2, where they met Arthur.

Norton: "Hey, Arthur."

Arthur: "Hey, guys. What's going on?"

Jackson: "Listen, you didn't try to expose us, do you?"

Arthur: "Of course not, I wouldn't be that stupid."

Norton: "Well, that's a good thing, cuz' there's this creepy young kid named Mike who talked to us in a devilish tone that came from hell about us."

Arthur: "Just ignore him, he's clueless, that's all."

Jackson just came from his sister's funeral earlier that morning, but he's able to get over it. And later, a big crowd scream is heard. Nancy and Mike managed to get close to Swati's record, and made it to the Top 5 Local Fastest Royal Raceway time: 07:57.244 (Nancy) and 07:58.321 (Mike). After a while, it's time for the third batch. One of the racers in the third batch goes as Vanellope, but the third batch's racers only managed to get only 8 minutes to 9 minutes. After the third batch's winner's free game, it's Molly, Swati, and Nafisa's turn.

Arthur, Jackson, and Norton all watched the race from the Café's Interior balcony seats. It's a long while, but the three girls managed to get to Top 10 out of the Top 36. Swati was unable to reclaim her record, unfortunately, because the new record was so fast. About 8 batches later, it's time for the Last Batch, the 12th batch to be exact, and on Entry Number 70, was a young teenage guy in violet spiked hair and dark lavender outfit. He also had a scar in his left face. His racer is Candlehead. Alongside him is Rebecca, who is Entry Number 72.

Candlehead: "(Claps her hands and a fire is ignited on her candle, and then pumps her right fist up.)"

M. Sakura: "(Pulls up her katana, swings it, and hoists it up with a serious face)"

The final time trial of the day then starts after the loading screen. The violet guy and Rebecca blasts off to the lead, and are now under the heat of 4 other players. Because the violet guy and Rebecca are experts, they are basically leaving the other racers behind. Arthur was surprised to see that this violet guy is basically similar to Isaac earlier. Both their play-styles are similar. Isaac going as Taffyta was one of the many things that Arthur finds interesting, and that part where Taffyta slaps Vanellope for getting stressed out does shock him a little. But Arthur decided not to ask. And after three laps, the violet guy and Rebecca crossed the finish line, the Viole guy being the winner with 07:55.100 while Rebecca came 2nd with 07:55.366, basically reaching Top 4 behind Isaac and Arthur. Because the violet guy wins, he gets the free game, and because it's the last batch, the other games are now open.

Ralph: "ALRIGHT, THE GAMES ARE NOW OPEN, EVERYONE GET BACK TO YOUR POSITIONS!"

The characters at Fix-It Felix Jr. then hurried off to the train station, and board the train to Game Central Station and hurried back to their respective games right on time. Likewise, Arthur walks to Sugar Rush's Seat #1 and have another go. Not only him, but Isaac returns to the Arcade to have another go at Sugar Rush. Tapping his Tobi-Save Card, he checks his stats, and still with Vanellope as his only racer, he confirms her. And Isaac has other racers than just Taffyta, like Rancis (But he drives the Kit-Kart)

Vanellope: "Oh? (Jumps in excitement) Ha-HAAA!"

Taffyta: "(Brushes her hair with one hand and pumps her other one up, carrying a LolliPop.)"

Jackson and Norton then played other games, which are open after the Time Trial ended, and everything goes back as usual, except for Sugar Rush. Swati and Nafisa came to Hero's Duty, where they met Jackson and Norton. Molly went elsewhere to play other games. Sally was nowhere to be seen, which means she had completely missed the first Time Trial of the week. Anyway, Arthur, Isaac, and the violet guy chose Caramel Abyss, but Isaac and the violet guy chose Simulation Mode, which is chronologically the second time Arthur would race using Realistic Setup, something he managed to get a hold of when he first raced Isaac and Rebecca. At the starting line of Caramel Abyss however.

Taffyta: "So, Candlehead, I heard you'll be campaigning for President for 2018."

Candlehead: "You bet I am. I have 2 months to make my campaign!"

Vanellope: "So do i. But when the World Championship is going to be held in 2018, Jubi and Adora suggest that the election should be rigged in my favor, like, what's up with that?"

Rancis: "I questioned that same thing too with those two! Like, seriously?"

Taffyta: "Alright, I'll have a word with them. I'll even get Terry, Ryu, and Mom to talk this out too."

Vanellope: "Sounds good to me! Now who's ready to race at the Abyss?!"

Announcer: "Are you ready? 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! START!"

And the race begins. Caramel Abyss has a short Main Straight of its Starting/Finish Line, and runs on 4 Laps for both Casual and Simulation. From the main straight comes the first Right Slalom into the narrow Valley of Caramel Abyss' environment; Arthur, Isaac, the violet guy, Vanellope, Taffyta, and Candlehead are in the Top 3 of the pack, with Rancis in 4th, Sticky in 5th, Torvald in 6th, Nougetsia in 7th, Citrusella in 8th, Gloyd in 9th, and Swizzle in 10th. Through the gentle left turn across the valley after the slalom comes a sharp left turn into a tunnel, specifically, a Caramel Gold Mine. Arthur and Vanellope are in 3rd place; Isaac and Taffyta are in 2nd, while the violet guy and Candlehead are in 1st. The tunnel was a straight line, leading into a larger tunnel with deep pits, and the track parts that are usually open in Casual Mode to get to shortcuts, are closed in Simulation Mode.

Exiting the mine is into a Bridge that leads the race into the top of the valley, which leads to another bridge back to the bottom of the abyss and a medium right turn into another tunnel, but wasn't part of the mine, and exiting this tunnel is a straight line, also a long gentle left turn back to the starting/finish line. During Lap 1, Arthur and Vanellope stayed in 3rd place because Isaac, the violet guy, Taffyta, and Candlehead were driving pretty much better in Sync. This is where Arthur realized something. The violet guy was suspicious to him.

Arthur: "(Man, that guy in violet drives good. He still managed to stay in 1st place. Isaac and Taffyta are still in second while Vanellope and I are stuck back here. Gotta think of something to pass those two. Molly warned me about…. Wait…. Violet?)"

Arthur realized who the guy in violet was. It was ELVIN. Molly told Arthur about Elvin's title, which was perfectly in line with his color of choice. Halfway of Lap 2 in the first bridge to the top of the Caramel Abyss, both Isaac and Elvin are Neck-and-Neck, and there is an opening for Arthur and Vanellope. And sure enough, Arthur caught up with the two. Elvin was the one who saw it, and he was shocked.

Elvin: "(What?! This new guy's way better than I thought he was! Aaaugh, he's coming up so fast!)"

Arthur: "(Ha! Easy for that to be done when you're distracted. I thought this Elvin was supposed to be good.)"

Isaac: "(Man, Arthur has grown, he's really getting a lot better! I don't know how he managed to catch up, but, it doesn't matter right now. But with him now catching up to me, i….)"

Advancing to Lap 3, it's apparent that Arthur and Vanellope are closing the gap and about to overtake Isaac, Taffyta, Elvin, and Candlehead. As the race progresses, Molly walked back to the first floor, and there, she saw Arthur, Isaac, and Elvin, now in the last lap of Caramel Abyss, and they have just exited the last tunnel to the final straight and long left turn back to the finish line.

Elvin: "(I thought newcomers would be driving sloppy, but this guy is not like any of them! Seriously? Is he really this good since we race?"

Arthur: "(Oh yeah, I am so gonna win this!)"

At the last turn to the finish line, Arthur and Vanellope took the inside and are now in 1st place, but Elvin takes NONE of it, and he drives Candlehead TOWARDS VANELLOPE and BIFF HER ASIDE, Slowing Vanellope down!

Vanellope: "AAAAAAGH!"

Candlehead: "Oops, Sorry, Vanny, this is MY win!"

Taffyta: "Oh no you don't!"

Elvin: "(No one gets in my way! Back Off, Isaac, you're going down too!)"

Arthur: "(Aaargh! That Elvin is one dirty player! He's not supposed to do that!)"

Elvin and Candlehead block Isaac and Taffyta, and with Arthur and Vanellope falling to third place, Elvin and Candlehead won the race.

Candlehead: "HAHA! I WON!"

Taffyta: "Whohw, Great job, Candlehead!"

Vanellope: "Yeah! Way to go, Candlehead!"

Rancis: "Awesome Racing, Candles!"

Swizzle and Sticky: "Yeah, you did great!"

Candlehead: "Aww, thanks, guys. You all did great too!"

Gloyd: "Yeah, you said it!"

Arthur then left the game, and his progress is saved, then he walked to Molly, Swati, and Nafisa.

Arthur: "Hey, Molly, what do you know about this Elvin guy?"

Molly: "Well, he's just an elite Sugar Rush Racer, no more no less."

Arthur: "Not quite. There must be something up with him? When I took the lead in that last lap, he drove Candlehead towards Vanellope and bashed the latter off, is that even allowed in real races?"

Swati: "I don't think so, Accident I get, but a Deliberate Attack is a yellow flag, to be honest."

Nafisa: "So, what do you guys wanna do?"

Arthur: "I wanna check on Molly's Trophy, and, oh, I got a message from Jackson, he said he wants me to be in his Study Group tonight."

Molly: "Sure, I'll take you to my house first then."

Arthur, Molly, Swati, and Nafisa left the arcade and took a ride on Molly's black Subaru WRX to her house. When they arrived, Molly shows Arthur the Champion's Trophy, which has a Monumental design with Racing Flags as wings, and Vanellope's kart, the Royal Racer (Which was her previous kart in the original game).

Arthur: "Whohw, now that's Insanity 101..."

Molly: "You bet. It's a tough challenge to win one like this, but with the upcoming 2018 World Championship, with any luck, you may be the next winner."

Arthur: "You really think so?"

Molly: "I don't think so, i KNOW you can."

Arthur just smiled. Molly is a friendly person, so much so that she understands those who want to do their best. It's not that she thinks they can, it's because she KNOWS that they can. Then, Arthur got a text message from his two new classmates Jackson and Norton, asking him if he wants to join a study group together. Arthur agrees, because he wants to introduce Arcade games in general and Sugar Rush to his new classmates.

To be continued...

Author's note: So, we have another short chapter in this one. So, in Sugar Rush, when Casual Mode is played, the race has a longer description because there are Power-Ups used. Simulation races are shorter in description.