-==Chapter 15==-
Slaughter Night
It was a very busy Friday, after Arthur's victory in Nougat Underground; many other players were interested in racing him. And the reason is quite a lot. Not only Arthur was the saved victim from getting killed and that the savior was an Infamous Arcade Patron that the story became viral on Buzzztube, but also because Arthur also became a new record holder, Second Fastest behind Isaac in the Time Trials.
After a short while, Mike and Nancy came for a visit at the Arcade, and seeing Arthur's classmates garner the two kids' interest. Arthur had just finished a Time Attack in Royal Raceway to practice the track for the second Time Trial next month. He has to maintain the Top 30 to qualify for the Elimination rounds and to the finals. While waiting their turns, Molly was in Seat #1 after Arthur got off to get some lunch.
When Arthur got back, and seeing Molly inserting her first quarter of the day, Molly chose Taffyta of all the racers she's got on her Save Data, the VERY Same character Isaac mains. And in a sudden surprise…
Announcer: "CONGRATULATIONS! You've unlocked a NEW RACER!"
It was Swati, and she just got her shot to pick a Second Racer. Ever since Swati joined the new rendition of Sugar Rush, her main racer is Gloyd, and now, she got Candlehead, and with that, Swati can pick between Gloyd and Candlehead. Not only Sugar Rush is crowded, but so are other games. Arthur checks on Fix-It Felix Jr. and sees many people try to beat Molly's Record and/or Survive longer. It's been a very wild Friday, and knowing that many people will get their shots to play Sugar Rush and join the World Championship of 2018, things will become more special at Litwak's.
That night, when the Arcade closes, Arthur and his friends walked away from the arcade. Molly takes them to Starlight Pizza Palace to have some Pizza dinner. They all talked about Sugar Rush, how fun the game is, and about the upcoming World Championship.
Back at the Arcade, Shank who has been hanging around in Niceland City waiting for her and her team's game update are ready to go back to the Internet, as Slaughter Race's weekday long update that blocks the Worldwide connection feature is complete.
Shank: "Hey, Ralph, It's time for me and the Dark Titans to go back to Metropolis Slaughterville. V, you comin'?"
Vanellope: "Uh, yeah… The Arcade's closed for weekends once per two weeks. A-a-and my campaign for the 2018 election is also going in fine order."
Tamora: "Kid, you and Wreck-It go ahead, we'll cover for you."
Rancis: "Van, good luck out there…."
Taffyta: "Send us postcards too!"
Ralph: "Don't worry, we will."
Felony: "Uh, Shank, the next train to the Internet is arriving."
Pyro: "Yeah boss, you don't wanna be late."
Ralph: "Alright, Kid, come on."
Vanellope: "Ah-O-o-oh Okay!"
Crumbelina: "Wait! I'm coming!"
Jubileena: "Me too!"
Driving the Tira-Missile and the Cherriot, Crumbelina and Jubileena tag along with the gang.
Felix: "Hey, Ralph, uh, you and Shank can take care of Crumbs and Jubie for a while, right?"
Tamora: "Looks like those two have been wanting to check that Slaughter Race game Little Princess Gumdrops has been blowing off steam in."
Shank: "Well, (Looks at Crumbelina and Jubileena) As long as you promise to…."
Tamora: "Let people understand that they are special and Unique?"
Crumbelina and Jubileena: "WE PROMISE!"
Ralph: "Alright, Lina and Jubi, you two and Vanellope wait here at the platform, I'll have a talk with Ryu, Chun Li, Felix and Sarge. (Walks to the four) You sure Crumbelina's going to be alright? I know we all visited the game from time to time, but now two Sugar Rush racers are following my daughter's footsteps."
Felix: "Don't worry, Ralph, we're certain."
Ryu: "We've shown those Slaughterers who's boss, and that M. Bison and Zangief were already comfortable with the Bad-Anon meetings taking place there."
Tamora: "I've gotten familiar to the game from our visits, and it appears that the kids are following their leader. I know Candlehead and Sakura made great campaigns for the elections, but Vanellope still has what it takes."
Ralph: "Alright."
The Internet train arrives, and the 8 cars enter the train. On the way to Slaughter Race, Vanellope is still stressed, especially after her Catastrophic finish that killed her in Sugar Rush, and with her campaign to become president for 2018, she has to blow off some steam somewhere, and when Shank mentioned how Hell Ridge is a new part of Slaughter Race, Vanellope can let loose there. And now, both Jubileena and Crumbelina tag along.
Slaughter Race Announcer: "WELCOME TO SLAUGHTER RACE! ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!"
Shank: "Ralph, V, we're back online."
Ralph: "Come on, Kid, let's log in."
Ralph and Vanellope walked into their respective Slaughter-Cars and log in.
Pop-Up Description: "Wr3ck1tR4lph Logged In. V4n3ll0p3V0n5chw33t2 Logged In."
As Ralph left with his 30-wheeler truck, Vanellope walked to her Nissan Silvia Spec-R AERO S15, and a big Cardboard Box on its side, which contains her very own Helmet Gas Mask, Headphones, a Turquoise Tank Top and Brown miniskirt with Bike Shorts. Vanellope puts her new costume set on, and drove to Hell Ridge. Jubileena and Crumbelina on the other hand, are still in the lobby.
Shank: "(Walks towards the two) Hey, you two need help?"
Jubileena: "How does Vanellope have her name on top of her?"
Shank: "Oh, you wanna register?"
Crumbelina: "Yes, we do."
While Shank helps Crumbelina and Jubileena sign up for Slaughter Race, Vanellope drives along the highway, leaving Metropolis Slaughterville and into the mountains of Hell Ridge.
Update Description: "Welcome to Slaughter Race's new Update: Slaughter Race v5.2. In this new update, new events, upgrade parts, and new quests are added. The new area, Hell Ridge, is finally open. We hope you enjoy the new contents in this update. Thank you, and SURVIVE TO WIN!"
Arriving at Hell Ridge's entrance, Vanellope was AMAZED at that the Industrial Environment. Seeing and feeling how oily and greasy the area is, and how Vanellope is allergic to pollution, she was lucky she got the new gears. Parking in a small parking lot, Vanellope checks out some hot events, but despite wearing the new gears…
Vanellope: "Ah-a-ah-AH-CHOOOUU! (Sneezes loud) Oh dear Sugar…"
Announcer: "HOT EVENTS ARE AVAILABLE!"
Vanellope: "SWEET! (Taps on an Outrun Race HOT EVENT on her car's menu pad.)"
While waiting for the race to start, or would she rather, waiting for other players, Vanellope looks at the cameras linking back to Sugar Rush in her S15. Since Vanellope's running her campaign for the 2018 President's position, this is a Necessity. Her campaign managers are Felix and Tamora for the Weekend while she and Ralph are at Slaughter Race. After a short while, more players logged in. Vanellope looks at her S15's display screen.
Vanellope: "Dirty Socks Five Thirty Sev… JACKSON?!"
That's right, At Heather's house, Jackson is playing Slaughter Race. His account, DirtySocks537, sports the Bald street thug with Muscular Body, Black Tank Top with sleeveless Jacket, the Dollar Necklace, Jeans, and is driving a Black Dodge Charger R/T 1970. Ever since Vanellope discovered that DirtySocks537 was Jackson in her latest visit at Bad-Anon, Vanellope has been thinking very hard, and had sworn that DirtySocks537 was Jackson's cousin Jimmy who kept yelling at their Grandma about doing his homework.
Realizing that This Jackson WASN'T the one rolling with Emma and the Veloci-Wrapper, she knew that starting in this race, and from this point onwards, whenever she crosses paths with DirtySocks537 in Slaughter Race, she's NOT going against Emma, but Jackson HIMSELF. But also realizing that Jackson is Arthur's classmate, Vanellope starts to wonder, WHY THE HELL doesn't Arthur play Slaughter Race.
Number of Players: 9
1. V4n3ll0p3V0n5chw33t2
2. XxX-Bl00dY-B4n63R-xXx
3. DirtySocks537
4. D3R4n63Dw1nN3R
5. 1c3Fr33Z3R-616
6. Cr4Ck3D_G4n65t4
7. CrUmB3L1n4F4Nt45t1c0
8. Xxx-K0lDb01-xxX
9. Jub1l33Qu33n
The 7th and 9th names strikes Vanellope.
Vanellope: "Huh? CrUmB3L1n4F4Nt45t1c0 and Jub1l33Qu33n? Those names sound like…. (Looks at a bronze Subaru Impreza WRX STI 2004, a Ruby Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII GSR, and sees her Sugar Rush friends and her username) CRUMBY, JUBI?!"
Crumbelina: "Hey, Vanellope, looks like this race is going to be amazing, don't you think?"
Vanellope: "Crumby, Jubi, I thought you don't know how to…. Oh, (Realizes Shank had helped her signed up and Vanellope chuckles) Oh, Mom…"
Jubileena: "Say, we got a familiar individual with us in this one."
Vanellope: "Yes, DirtySocks537 is with us!"
Crumbelina: "Oh yeah, He's rolling with Emma back in Sugar Rush, right before your crash, and that Norton kid with Citrusella was close to him."
Meanwhile, in Heather's house, Jackson is in his bedroom, about to race against Vanellope, but he didn't know about Crumbelina and Jubileena. Back in the game, The race is about to begin, and accompanying the players are 4 NPC cars as the remaining opponents.
Announcer: "ON YOUR MARKS! GET SET! GO!"
And the race begins! Vanellope got herself a Launched-Start, and is leaving the 11 racers behind. But in the first curve, Crumbelina caught up to 3rd Place, behind player Cr4Ck3D_G4n65t4 while Jackson is in 4th place behind her. Unlike in Sugar Rush, where you race from Start to Finish, Slaughter Race's main gimmick is Outrun races, and players must leave their NPC opponents or each other 1000 feet or approximately 300 meters behind to eliminate the opponents and be the last man standing.
Vanellope, Jubileena, Crumbelina, and Jackson raced through the tight mountain roads of Hell Ridge, and Zip through Factories, emitting Black Smokes. Crumbelina and Jubileena also wear similar gears like Vanellope, most notably Crumbelina wearing a Gas-Helmet and Jubileena wearing a Gas Mask similar to Vanellope's. Taking up 2nd place in a hairpin set, Vanellope and Crumbelina are Neck and Neck, but while Jubileena is in 3rd place behind Vanellope and Crumbelina, Jackson is right behind them in 4th place, as well as the others.
Jackson: "(Very sneaky indeed, Vanellope… I know you're going Slaughter Race so you can rig the competition with Arthur. I know it's YOU, you little brat.)"
D3R4n63Dw1nN3R: "Dirty Socks, your ASS is going down, Man!"
Xxx-K0lDb01-xxX: "Back off, Dreaded, You're gonna die tonight!"
Jackson doesn't care about the other players, so as Vanellope and Crumbelina took a left turn at a junction and Jubileena took a right turn due to a shortcut, Jackson SHOVES Xxx-K0lDb01-xxX's 1960 Chevrolet Camaro SS, which by a chain reaction SLAMS into D3R4n63Dw1nN3R's 1995 Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX, and the two of them were sent into the right turn, and fall into a cliff, and with the two unable to catch up due to their cars crashing, they are eliminated after they were left 1000 feet behind. Meanwhile, Crumbelina is hot behind Vanellope as if she was Emma when Jackson first rolled with her back home, and Vanellope tries to shake Crumbelina off, until Jubileena came from the other side and SLAMS into Vanellope's S15, and Jubileena is now in 2nd place.
Meanwhile, Jackson asserts his dominance by overtaking Vanellope. Knowing how Emma rolls with Jackson back in Royal Raceway, which was the first time Jackson ever stepped foot in a Sugar Rush driving seat, this situation threatens Vanellope because by the next time Arthur would face Jackson, things will become ugly for him. Vanellope isn't worried about Jackson; she's always looking for a challenge. It's ARTHUR she as worried about; she believes he has no idea about the capabilities of Slaughter Race players.
Arthur had NEVER played video games prior to Heather's undeserving death, and she's afraid that he'll be CRUSHED if Slaughter Race players go rough on HIM. Ever since she logged in 2 years ago, she wasn't fully prepared for what's coming to her. The NPC racers are adjusted to fit her level, but crossing paths with players of high levels than SHE herself was, is where the problem came off. Ralph on the other hand, is SIGNIFICANTLY more durable and prepared since HE was an NPC himself back in his and Felix's game. Vanellope starts to stress out again.
Crumbelina: "Van, why are you worried?"
Vanellope: "It's Arthur. He's friends with Jackson, which is okay, but Jackson came from a breed of racers beyond the capabilities of the Sugar Rush playerbase. And now that we have to face HIM?"
Jubileena: "What's wrong? Isn't that basically the same when he rolls with Emma and you both race?"
Vanellope: "EMMA ISN'T HERE AND WE'RE FACING HIM FOR REAL! THERE'S NO VELOCI WRAPPER, IT'S A 1970 DODGE CHARGER WITH JACKSON'S OWN AVATAR!"
Vanellope accelerates in a state of panic that she took a Cliffside turn on another junction, overtaking Crumbelina and Jubileena who would later follow suit, but SO are the others. The 4 NPC BMW M3 GTR E46s caught up to Vanellope, Jubileena, and Crumbelina. These 4 cars then attempt to knock the three out of the street. Vanellope, Jubileena, and Crumbelina pass a Railroad Crossing, and with a SHOCKING Surprise, the 4 M3 GTRs got BIFFED by an ONCOMING Freight Train whose Flatcars Jackson jumped over (Because of some ramps which are placed on that area.)
Crumbelina managed to take 1st place, leaving Vanellope in 2nd, Jubileena in 3rd, and Jackson in 4th. The other players were too busy with themselves that they didn't realize they took a WRONG street after Crumbelina went to another, that they are eliminated. Now, only Vanellope, Crumbelina, Jubileena, and Jackson remain. Through more factories and crossing junctions, Crumbelina heads off to the Highway, which is dubbed: The Massacre highway. In this highway, Jackson overtook Vanellope and Jubileena, and he is about to overtake Crumbelina.
Vanellope tries her best to get rid of her stress, but combined with her intense racing in this game, Vanellope is losing focus, until… CRASH! Crumbelina SHOVES Jackson's 1970 Charger into a Ramp that SENDS the muscle car FLYING Off the Highway and Lands into a Parking Lot, and without any branch to take him back to the highway, Vanellope, Jubileeena and Crumbelina are the only remaining racers as Crumbelina had eliminated him, leaving only the three of them behind. But since Vanellope is slowing down due to not focusing on the race, Crumbelina and Jubileena left her behind, and now it's only those two left. Crumbelina took a detour to the streets to shake Jubileena off, but Jubileena kept up to her. It was, until a random bus came from the other side and BIFFS into Jubileena's EVO8, Causing her to Crash and leaving Crumbelina the victor.
Later, Crumbelina, Jubileena, and Vanellope are on the Top 3 Winners' circle, cheered on by the NPC fans, and win their Prize money, while the 6 players are sulking on the Backstage, and the NPC opponent racers are THROWN OFF into a Mud Pit. After the results scene, Vanellope, Jubileena, and Crumbelina drove off to the mini market Vanellopefirst drove around in her first ever race with Ralph back in 2015. The Mini Market has a resting area, where Vanellope, Jubileena and Crumbelina are eating Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream, and the parking area shows Vanellope's S15, Jubileena's EVO8, and Crumbelina's WRX parked in the area.
Crumbelina: "Enjoying your chocolate ice cream, Vanny?"
Vanellope: "(Eats her ice cream)"
Jubileena: "Van? Are you okay?"
Vanellope: "Not really….."
Crumbelina: "(Worried and feels guilty) Look…. Vanellope, I… I'm really sorry…. I didn't mean for that…"
Vanellope just smiled, and walking towards Crumbelina and Jubileena, the former glitch girl hugs them both.
Vanellope: "Crumby…. It's not your fault…. But I'm just…."
Crumbelina: "(Speechless) Scared? Don't worry, I'm here…"
Jubileena: "And... I'll make it easy for you two."
Jubileena and Crumbelina tighten the hug, giving Vanellope a sense of warmth. Vanellope closes her eyes in peace, but when she opens her eyes, she saw Jackson and Norton racing again, and a glimpse of a player by the username of dAMagEd_gOodZ, but then they got WRECKED from the Side by Ralph and his truck. Vanellope and Crumbelina saw Ralph biff Jackson and dAMagEd_gOodZ, and the two girls giggled about it.
Crumbelina: "Vanny, your dad's a really good racer, maybe he should become part of the Roster, I mean he's got his own Candy Truck."
Vanellope: "But, if Ralph's racing in Sugar Rush, who wants to wreck the building, if you can't trust the homeless adopted people? I mean, Q-Bert, his friends, and the homeless people are supposed to be Bonus levels. It feels bad If I wish Fix-It Felix Jr. gets unplugged just so that Ralph gets to be a Sugar Rush racer."
Jubileena: "Oh dear Sugar, I forgot."
A while later, Vanellope, Jubileena and Crumbelina drive away from the mini market, and they set off to find more races. While roaming around the streets, they see glimpses of Shank racing in her RX-7 as some of the races involve Shank's presence. About a few minutes later, another series of HOT EVENTS are available. Vanellope picks one of them, and is off to another game. Crumbelina and Jubileena take different HOT Events as well.
Announcer: "PRECIOUS CAR-GO! Deliver a Mercedes Benz SLS AMG to Bert's Chop Shop! But WATCH OUT for Shank's Crew and the Police!"
Vanellope's HOT EVENT, Precious Car-GO is in preparation. Switching from her usual S15 to a modified Mercedes Benz SLS AMG, she drives off from Sequoia Coasts to Metropolis Slaughterville, where the Chop Shop is located.
Announcer: "READY! SET! START!"
And the race begins! Vanellope accelerates and drives along the Big Road, more like Stroad, due to being a Giant Stret Road Hybrid, which is too Car Friendly and dangerous for pedestrians. As Vanellope follows the GPS arrow, she can hear the Police Cars from behind her. Looking at her mirror are Police cars Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions and Ford Crown Victorias. From watching the Wreck-It Ralph movie and remembering the time King Candy went Rogue, Vanellope uses crazy maneuvers to disable them, and evading road blocks like the now expert racer she is made to believe despite being the Beginner Friendly Sugar Rush Racer in REAL LIFE.
While she managed to take out the Police Cars, more came to view, and these would be Police Cars Chevrolet Corvete C7 ZR1s and Nissan GT-R NISMO R35s. She has to use Pursuit breakers to shake them off, but they're not her only problem. Targeting the SLS AMG is the Dark Titans crew, and Shank has eyes on Vanellope's butt.
Shank: "V! HEADS UP!"
Felony: "You're going down!"
Vanellope: "Not this time, Shank!"
Shank and Felony then drive up to Vanellope and try to squish her, but Vanellope brakes, causing Shank's RX-7 and Felony's NSX NA-1 to crash. Vanellope evades the two who began to chase her again in the hopes to destroy the SLS. Butcher Boy swerves from an alley with his CTS-Coupe, trying to slow Vanellope down, but Vanellope swerves in the opposite direction and overtakes the CTS-Coupe. Vanellope is approaching the chop shop, but Pyro, Little Debbie, and their cars, Pyro's Skyline GT-R R32 and Little Debbie's M3 GTR, approach from behind, and grouping with Shank, Felony and Butcher Boy, the Dark Titans approach Vanellope, but so did the police.
Vanellope reaches the Chop Shop, enters the garage, and the adversaries crash to each other. And with that, Vanellope wins the event. Shortly afterwards, she drives out of the shop with her S15. Never in her life had Vanellope played a "Precious Car-GO!" event where her usual car is swapped for another. Crumbelina just won another race of hers.
Crumbelina: "Hey, uh, Van… how's the campaign?"
Vanellope: "Oh, right, well, it's going good for now."
Jubileena: "We gotta return by Monday Morning."
Then, Ralph arrives with his truck and came to a stop.
Ralph: "Hey, kids."
Crumbelina: "Hey, Mr. Wreck-It Ralph, having a good time?"
Ralph: "Yeah, I sure did. Shank did say something about Hell Ridge."
Vanellope: "Ralph, can I be with you, please?"
Ralph: "Uh, sure. You two can join in the next race. I'm about to pick the next event."
Jubileena: "Um, Mr. Wreck-It Ralph, can I ask you something?"
Ralph: "What is it, Jubi?"
Jubileena: "I don't want to sound…. Bad… but… if one day, you and Dad's (Felix) game gets unplugged…"
Crumbelina: "Will you race with us?"
Ralph: "Hmm?"
Vanellope: "Well, the movie did portray me to offer you a place in the Castle…"
Ralph: "Of course, I'd be happy to. But I won't count that yet. I still love my job as the Wrecker for Niceland City."
Vanellope: "I'm really glad to hear that, Dad…. (Hugs Ralph)"
Jubileena and Crumbelina: "Awwwww….."
Ralph: "Hey, uh, Vanellope, what's been on your mind?"
Vanellope: "Uh, Dad, it's about Arthur…"
Ralph: "What's up with him?"
Vanellope: "I'm worried because well, you know how Slaughter Race players play, and I'm not sure if Arthur is ready to face them back in Sugar Rush."
Crumbelina: "I've noticed that Vanellope's been stressed out. This player by the name DirtySocks537 encountered us back in Hell Ridge."
Ralph: "Oh, you're concerned about Jackson?"
Vanellope: "Yes…. Arthur may be friends with him and that Norton guy, but…. Sugar Rush and Slaughter Race are different. I mean, Jackson is rolling with EMMA for Sugar's Sake! But in this place, he's rolling by himself, and I'm just…. I don't know what Arthur would face in the World Championship…. I just don't want him crushed just because he never played Slaughter Race… He's gone through pain and suffering before he rolled with me back when he first came."
Ralph: "(Tightens the hug, giving Vanellope comfort, and loosens it) Vanellope, I don't want you to worry about it. It's not too late for Arthur to observe Slaughter Race players. If he can learn from Sugar Rush, he can learn from Slaughter Race without even touching the game. All he needs to do is to observe how people roll in Slaughter Race, and once he's got a lot learnt, he'll come out on top. I'm 100% certain that in 2018, Arthur will be the Adorable Winner."
Hearing Ralph's wise words made Vanellope smile. The three then go back to racing. And by Sunday Night, it's time to go back home.
Shank: "Hope to see you again soon, guys."
Vanellope: "Sure. And, Farewell for now (Hugs Shank) Mom…"
Leaving Slaughter Race and back to Litwak's, Vanellope and Crumbelina drove back to Sugar World. They're just in time for the next Roster competition. Every character is on the V.I.P. Grand Stand, preparing their bets for Bragging Rights.
Gloyd: "Ladies, you're just in time. Quick, Press your red buttons on the altar if you want to join!"
Sonic, Arle, and NiGHTS: "Taffyta Muttonfudge!"
Ryu and Terry: "Candlehead!"
Felix and Tamora: "Rancis Fluggerbutter!"
Vanellope: "R-Right!"
And after a short while, the race starts and ends with Vanellope in 1st, Taffyta in 2nd, Snowanna in 3rd, Rancis in 4th, Jubileena in 5th, Sakura in 6th, Emma in 7th, Nougetsia in 8th, and Crumbelina in 9th. The racers then gather together at the altar while everyone cheers for them, and the betting losers are griefing in humiliation. At Diet Cola Mountain, Vanellope recalls what Ralph told her to not worry about Arthur, since players are way smarter than what characters were told to expect.
To be Continued...