*Gasp* It didn't take 1-2 months to get a chapter out?
You bet it didn't!
Now for reviews
No One: Yes Lodhi is fast, yes Annie isn't that fond of Herschel at the moment, I'm glad you enjoyed last chapter and I hope this one doesn't disappoint
Gloyd's Only Fan: Lodhi is designed for speed, that's my only excuse, and don't hate Annie, she's just easily manipulated
That Guy: I told you I'm not getting into that stupid which is better debate, also I take your criticism with a grain of a slat since you just stated things without anything to back them up
DISCLAMIER: Herschel belongs to Captain Alaska
Lodhi Crisp, Marcy Mars, Akio Cookie Dough, Annie Brownie and Phipps Twix belong to me
Neither of us own anything else!
Ch.18 Race 2: The Last Corner
(Where we left off)
Akio and Lodhi would take off Annie fancying a go at Lodhi before the first chicane
Phipps and Marcy would start off slow
Vanellope and Herschel would capitalize taking their positions
Both racers would sigh and pick up speed following Vanellope and Herschel
Swizzle would spin his tires again falling down to last
Akio would win the race towards turns 1 and 2 forming the slow right-left chicane
He'd go through cleanly Lodhi and Annie on his tail
Torvald would pass Snowanna before the chicane and would pick up Adorabeezle's spot when she'd skid off the track
Behind them Candlehead would pass Rancis before the chicane
Akio would go around turn 3 which would be a fast right hand sweeping corner
Lodhi would swerve to the right and pass Akio heading towards turns 4 and 5 forming the left-right chicane
Annie would close the distance between her and Akio to a few mere inches heading towards the turns 6 and 7 forming the double-right-hander
Lodhi would lead heading down the bumpy straight towards the fast left-right-left chicane of turns 8-10
Herschel and Vanellope would line up right behind Annie and Akio going through the chicane as they'd go down the very long straight towards turn 11
Marcy, Phipps, Citrusella, Nougetsia, Torvald and Snowanna would follow closely behind the top 5
A gap between Lodhi and Akio would slowly begin to form
Torvald would pass both Citrusella and Nougetsia and get into Phipps slipstream
Lodhi would go through turn 11 which would be a right turn of 180 degrees with a gravel trap on the outside
Vanellope would ride Herschel's bumper as he'd be passing Annie
She'd grin and bump Herschel just a little
But enough
He'd skid into the side of Annie's kart causing her to skid into Akio
All 3 would spin on the track as Vanellope, Marcy, Nougetsia and Citrusella would take evasive action to avoid colliding into them
Out of the chaos Phipps would find himself in 3rd trailing Torvald with Snowanna closing in on him going through turn 11
Behind them Annie and Akio would jerk their steering wheels hard to avoid going onto the gravel
Vanellope having slowed down would let them pass her before picking up speed and getting into their slipstream
They'd get through the turn and start their second lap as the standings would appear on the large screen above the pitlane
1st Lodhi
2nd Torvald
3rd Phipps
4th Snowanna
5th Marcy
6th Nougetsia
7th Citrusella
8th Herschel
9th Annie
10th Akio
11th Vanellope
12th Adorabeezle
13th Taffyta
14th Jubileena
15th Crumbelina
16th Candlehead
17th Rancis
18th Minty
19th Sticky
20th Swizzle
"HERSCHEL!" Annie would yell through her microphone
"Vanellope bumped me from behind…I lost control for a second…" Herschel would respond
"Don't blame me Herschel…" Vanellope would state
"Either way…you better hope I DON'T FUCKING GET TO YOU!"
Herschel would gulp a little bit
"If you wanna hurt him you go through me Annie…" Sticky would state coldly
"Shut the fuck up and try getting out of 19th!" Annie would snap back anger still very much present in her voice
Sticky's line would go dead silent
"That's what I fucking thought." Annie would tear off a strip of her visor covered in dust and gravel
Sticky would press the blue button on her steering wheel and would begin to sob
"You ok Sticky?" A crew member would ask
Sticky would sob more as Minty would see her in her mirrors
"That little brownie themed bitch…" She'd mutter as she'd slam the gas going down the straight towards the first chicane passing Rancis, Candlehead and Crumbelina in the process
Going through the chicane she'd clip the rear of Jubileena's kart sending her spinning off the track and down to last place
Going through turn 3 Taffyta would move over letting Minty get a run on Adorabeezle
Going through the second chicane she'd clip Adorabeezle causing her to go off the track as well
"Sorry about that girls…don't know why that keeps happening…"
Jubileena and Adorabeezle would mutter a few things
Annie would lock up in turn 6 and again in turn 7 dropping behind Akio and Vanellope
And right into Minty's sights
Going down the bumpy straight Minty would pull up beside her
"You got to learn to treat others with respect…"
"Don't start with me…" Annie would glance at her
"You threatened her boyfriend then insulted her for defending him…that's not commendable in any way…"
"Why the hell should I listen to you? Your one of the dirtiest racers in the game…"
"What are you talking about?" Minty would ask
In between races I was talking to some of my fans who had looked up everyone's stats…and you know what stood out?"
"What?"
"The top 3 dirtiest racers were you, Crumbelina with Taffyta being a very distant third…and that's not all…over the course of 15 years the total amount of wrecks caused by you is an astounding 3,056…Crumbelina follows in second with 1,239…and Taffyta with 956…so thanks but no thanks I don't need any fucking advice from you…"
Annie would go through the third chicane and speed down the long straight towards turn 11 gaining fast on Vanellope
Closing in on turn 11 Minty would clip her rear-left wheel
Annie would slow slightly heading through the turn Minty would swerve and gun it down the outside
She'd be 3-quarters of a kart ahead of Annie when suddenly
-WHAM-
With one quick move Annie would slam her front wing into Minty's right-rear tire sending her spinning onto the gravel trap and into the barrier
"I know you clipped me, Adorabeezle and Jubileena on purpose…consider that retribution…" Annie would state through her mic before returning to her pursuit of Vanellope
Heading down the main straight towards the first chicane Vanellope would swerve from side to side trying to keep Annie at bay
Annie would faint to the left
Vanellope would veer to the left
Annie would pull up on her right as the 2 would go into the first chicane side by side
Annie would get the better line leaving the chicane and would out run Vanellope going through turn 3
Vanellope would fall into Annie's slipstream
Akio would pass Herschel heading into the second chicane
Annie would send her front wing into the left-rear tire of Herschel's kart sending him spinning off the track and into the barrier
"Try passing without ramming your competition asshole…" She'd state through her mic
Akio would steal Citrusella's spot when she'd lock up in turn 6
And would take Nougetsia's when she'd over shoot turn 7
His eyes would narrow as he'd line up behind Marcy heading through the third and final chicane
He'd close the gap to a few inches as they'd head down the long straight towards turn 11
He'd dart from side to side Marcy slamming the door each time
He'd see the turn fast approaching
Marcy would move to the left slightly
Akio predicting and reading the move would move to the right and gun it through the turn
Marcy would keep him up against the edge of the track
Akio would hold it together and using his speed would get away from Marcy going down the main straight as well as stealing fourth from Snowanna
Minty would look at the standings
1st Lodhi
2nd Torvald
3rd Phipps
4th Akio
5th Snowanna
6th Marcy
7th Nougetsia
8th Citrusella
9th Annie
10th Vanellope
11th Taffyta
12th Crumeblina
13th Candlehead
14th Rancis
15th Adorabeezle
16th Jubileena
17th Sticky
18th Swizzle
19th Herschel OUT
20th Minty OUT
"With all the boasting of Vanellope being the new Queen of the track she sure is being beaten today…and by recolors…" She'd tell herself
Going through turn 7 Lodhi would lose the back of his kart and spin a complete 360 degrees but would regain control
"What happen Lodhi?" A crew member would ask
"I don't know…I lost ze back end of ze kart…"
"We'll check it out after the race…let's hope this problem doesn't persist…"
Lodhi would get back up to speed but just like in the last race his lead would gone
Going down the straight Torvald would pass him and before the entrance of the third chicane Phipps would get by him
He'd grip his steering tight as going down the long straight leading into turn 11 he'd second from Phipps and going through turn 11 would retake first from the significantly slower Torvald
Well behind heading towards the 3rd chicane Crumbelina's engine would blow and she'd spin
Candlehead would swerve in desperation but would run into Crumbelina
Rancis, Adorabeezle and Jubileena would slam on the breaks to no avail as they would run into the 2 wrecked racers
Sticky would hit the brakes slowing down rapidly
Swizzle would hit the brakes only to lock up and would punt Sticky over the karts of the 5 wrecked racers
Going through turn 3 Annie would overtake Nougetsia and Citrusella
Both would move over and let Vanellope by
Annie would see it through her mirrors
"I've heard of giving chances to the leader…but that takes it to a whole new level…" She'd tell herself
Going through the chicane Nougetsia and Citrusella would both see Taffyta fast approaching in their mirrors
They'd look at each other and nod
Heading towards the second chicane Taffyta would start overtaking Citrusella
She'd go to ram her off the track
Taffyta would slow dramatically
Citrusella would swerve off the track and crash into the wall
Heading towards turn 6 Nougetsia would try the same thing with the same result
Vanellope would see the bright pink kart in her mirrors
Her eyes would narrow as she'd grip her steering wheel tight
"Come and get me you bitch…" She'd mutter
Lodhi would lead the pack out of turn 7 and down the straight seeing the wrecked karts
Torvald, Snowanna, Vanellope and Taffyta would gasp and hit the brakes
Unbelievably Lodhi, Phipps, Akio, Marcy and Annie would pick up speed
Crumbelina, Candlehead, Rancis, Adorabeezle, Jubileena, Sticky and Swizzle would watch in absolute shock
"Are they blind?!" Rancis would state
Lodhi with quick sharp turns of the wheel would weave through the wrecked karts
Phipps would follow closely behind
Akio would clip Sticky's kart and spin losing 3rd to Marcy and 4th to Annie
All 5 would go through the chicane and onto the straight as if nothing happened
Nearly everyone's jaw would drop
"They zigzagged…." Rancis would begin
"Through the wreckage…" Swizzle would add
"Like it was…" Adorabeezle would look on shocked
"Nothing…" Jubileena would look at the wrecked karts then at the 5 rookies speeding off
Vanellope would glitch passed the wrecked karts as Taffyta, Torvald and Snowanna would slowly weave their way through and take off after Vanellope
Race crews would jump over the barriers and clear the track of the karts
Lodhi would lead through turn 11 as Marcy would overtake Phipps the latter skidding dangerously close to the gravel on the side of the turn
They'd start their fourth lap around the track as the standing appear on the large screen
1st Lodhi
2nd Marcy
3rd Phipps
4th Annie
5th Akio
6th Vanellope
7th Taffyta
8th Torvald
9th Snowanna
10th-20th OUT
Nougetsia would sigh. "Even without powerups half of use aren't finishing the race…"
Laps 4-9
Akio and Annie swap places several times
Lodhi and Marcy would breakaway from the rest and would be ahead by nearly a quarter of a lap
Taffyta and Vanellope would swap places a total of 17 times
Lodhi would blast over the line starting his final lap Marcy staying on his tail in his slipstream
Marcy would close the distance between her front wing and Lodhi's rear wing to just a few inches applying as much pressure as she could
Lodhi wouldn't be faze heading through the first chicane and around turn 3
Marcy would attempt on overtake speeding down the straight towards the second chicane
Lodhi would stay ahead as Marcy would lock up going at the entrance Lodhi using the small advantage to break away from Marcy
Heading through turns 6 and 7 the gap between the 2 would slowly grow
Phipps would lead Annie, Akio, Vanellope, Taffyta, Torvald and Snowanna into the first chicane
Annie would overtake him going through turn 3 only to lock up in the second chicane losing 3rd to Phipps
She'd hit her leg in frustration
Heading towards turn 6 Taffyta would smash the front of her kart into the back of Vanellope's kart sending her flying off the track
Taffyta would check her mirrors to see Torvald holding her arms in a "What are you doing?!" manner
Taffyta wouldn't think much of it as she'd look ahead of her at Annie and Akio and the gap quickly forming between the 3
She'd grit her teeth
"Calm down Taffyta…calm down…" A crew member would tell her
"I only have 1 question…WHY…ARE…THEY…SO…FUCKING…FAST?!"
"We don't know Taffyta…but it's imperative you remain calm…it's bad thing to race angrily…"
"OF COURSE, IT FUCKING IS! IT'S JUST HARD REMAINING CALM WHEN THEY'RE JUST LOSING ME EFFORTLESSLY! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MOST SKILLFUL RACER WINNING?!"
"Well seeing how they weave through wreckage at top speed which took everyone else going at a very slow speed…they are skilled…and are in some karts designed for superb speed and handling…they are made to win races…"
"STILL WHY IN THE LITERAL FUCK DID THE DEVELOPPERS MAKE THEM SO OVERPOWERED?!"
"We don't know Taffyta…"
Taffyta would take a few deep breathes trying to calm herself
"No matter…I'm in a position where I'll be able to get ahead of them at the start of the next race…"
Back up ahead Lodhi would lead Marcy through the third and final chicane and down the long straight towards turn 11
Victory would be within his grasp
"…Redemption…" Lodhi would mutter under his breath
He'd lead through the turn
He'd see the finish line
Then suddenly
He'd lose the back of his kart again
"NO!" He'd jerk his steering wheel hard drifting through the turn
But would leave a wide-open space between himself and the inside barrier
An opening Marcy would exploit
She'd go through the small opening
She'd beat the drifting Lodhi by no more than an inch
"YES! That's what I'm talking about! Yes! Woohoo!" She'd fist pump the air
Lodhi would take a few deep breaths griping his steering wheel tight
His fans would cower as he wouldn't wave to the crowd
Lodhi would snap. "FUCK! VY?! VY ZERE?! VY AT ZE END OF ZE FUCKING RACE?! 2 RACES IN A FUCKING ROW I BLOW ZE FUCKING LEAD! FUCK! JUST FUCK! VY?! JUST FUCKING VY?!"
His pit crew would remain dead silent as Lodhi would hit his legs and steering wheel several times
The rest of the racers would finish as the final results would appear on the large screen above the pitlane
1st Marcy
2nd Lodhi
3rd Phipps
4th Annie
5th Akio
6th Taffyta
7th Torvald
8th Snowanna
9th Vanellope DNF
10th Nougetsia DNF
11th Citrusella DNF
12th Crumbelina DNF
13th Candlehead DNF
14th Rancis DNF
15th Adorabeezle DNF
16th Jubileena DNF
17th Sticky DNF
18th Swizzle DNF
19th Herschel DNF
20th Minty DNF
Marcy would drive to her garage and would be swarmed by the racers
She'd get out of the kart and receive high fives and fist pumps
Vanellope would walk up to her
"That was some pretty darn nice racing out there…you earned that win…"
Marcy would take off her helmet and balaclavas with a smile. "Thanks princess…"
Nougetsia would hug her. "That was a great drive!"
Marcy would hug her back. "Thanks, Nougetsia…"
Annie, Akio and Phipps would drive to their garages and receive the same warm congratulations
Lodhi would drive into his garage and get out of his kart his helmet still on
Nobody would approach him as he'd trek to the room leading to the podium
"FUCK!" He'd scream loud enough for even the fans on the other side of the track to hear him
Marcy's smile would disappear
"What's wrong Marcy?" Vanellope would ask
"Even though I can't describe the euphoria of winning a race…I only won because Lodhi lost the back end of his kart…if I was in the same position…I'd probably be doing the same thing…"
"Common…don't let him ruin the moment…" Nougetsia would hug her tighter
"I'm not…" Marcy's smile would return as she'd blush a little
Torvald would grab the arms of Minty and Taffyta and would drag them to her garage in the pit lane
"May I ask what in the fuck are you 2 doing?!" Torvald would ask
"What are you talking about?" Minty would ask
"Annie already hates Herschel…starting to hate Sticky and there you are pissing her off!"
"I don't care if she's new she doesn't get to treat everyone like trash…"
"Still! Vanellope will use what you did against us when she attempts to sway her!"
"Why am I here?" Taffyta would ask
"You wrecked Vanellope in the plain view of everyone and Akio and Annie saw in in their mirrors! You both really fucked up in that race! We can't afford any of them to join Vanellope! And here you are making that more likely!"
"Look…I'm sorry…I was an idiot…I just saw Sticky was hurt by what Annie said…and I didn't think…I just took action…"
Torvald would take a few deep breaths "Look love them or hate them…we need them…once Vanellope is dealt with…you can deal with Annie…just not now…and not here…please…"
"Ok…" Taffyta and Minty would say in unison
Marcy, Phipps, Annie and Akio would walk into the room leading to the podium and see Lodhi sitting down looking at the ground his helmet on his HANS system thrown against the wall across from him
All 4 would silently drink some water
Eventually Akio would sit down in front of Lodhi
"I know you won't take this to heart…but what happened out there wasn't your fault…you drove perfectly…take pride in that…what happened wasn't and never will be your fault…what happened at Silverstone was your fault…here…you didn't fail…the kart failed you…even when you spun on lap 3…it was the kart not you…take pride in the fact you drove beautifully…"
Lodhi would silently nod as Akio would get up and go grab another bottle of water
A few silent moments would pass before Lodhi would finally take off his helmet and put his cap on
Marcy would bring a water bottle to him
He'd silently take it
"Take this to heart though…in that race…I'll admit…the better driver came second…"
"No…ze better driver finished first…ze lesser drifted ze last turn…" Lodhi would respond
A marshmallow would open the door leading to the podium
"The podium awaits…" He'd state
The siblings would walk out in the order they finished
Marcy would fist pump the air and jump up and down
Phipps, Annie and Akio would smile and wave to the crowd
Lodhi would manage to smile and wave to his fans
Marcy would stand on the podium and lift the trophy high in the air screaming with joy
Phipps, Annie and Akio would smile and clap
Lodhi would clap but look at the ground doing so
A photographer would set up in front of them
The 5 would stand closer and smile for the photo
Lodhi, Phipps, Annie and Akio would grab their champagne bottles
Marcy would look down. "Oh shit…"
The 4 would spray her
She'd lift her trophy high and open her mouth catching some of the champagne in it
When the 4 others had finish she'd grab her bottle as spray it above her fans below the podium platform
Her fans would cheer as Vanellope would approach the 5
"Where's the next race princess?" Annie would ask
"It'll be at Spa…in 30 minutes…it'll be 5 laps though…"
"Ok princess…" The 5 would return to their garages
Akio would wipe some dust off his kart when Citrusella would hug him from behind
"Good race out there!"
"Thanks…I would've done better…but right before I took first place back from Lodhi…Annie and me spun…"
"Yea…Herschel couldn't stand the F1 drivers ahead of him…but your sister made him pay…"
"…Yea…"
"Something wrong?"
"Oh nothing…" Akio would respond
Snowanna would walk into Phipps garage to see him watching replay footage of Lodhi drift around turn 11
"I suppose Lodhi still isn't taking too well to that?"
"No…I don't think anyone would…that's 2 races where he's blown the lead…the first race was his fault…here…you can tell just by how his kart went into that drift…his suspension failed and his rear tires gave out…"
"Yea…that's never fun…but he did try to make sure no one saw him get mad…but his F-bomb was louder than he might have expected…"
"Yea…and you finished 9th…I finished 3rd…you lost our bet…"
Snowanna would sigh. "Fine…"
Phipps would chuckle turning his cheek to her
"Oh no…-Snowanna would make him face her-…if I'm kissing you it's on the lips…"
She'd kiss him as her cheeks would turn red
Phipps would hold her his cheeks growing red as well
They'd part for a second
"If you still want to go out for dinner…I'll gladly take you…" Phipps would state
"I'd love that…" Snowanna would respond as she'd kiss him again
Annie would sit on a stool in her garage drink a bottle of water when Candlehead would walk in
"Hi Annie"
"Hey Candlehead what's up?"
"Oh nothing…I just have to know how you and your siblings got through all that wreckage…"
"It was no easy feat…let me tell you that…"
"You all had nerves a steel to do that…"
"If you don't have the nerve…you're not going to win…"
"Mine telling me a little about yourself?"
"Sure, I'd be happy too…"
Lodhi would sit silently in his garage watching replay footage of his drift
He'd take deep breaths trying to remain calm
He'd suddenly feel a hand on his shoulder
He'd look over to see Torvald
"That could've happened to anyone…"
"I know…it's just…back to back races…I had ze lead…and blew it…first race vas running over spikes…zis time I spun…everyone caught up…zen my kart failed in ze last turn…"
"I know…but we all have our highs and lows…and trust me…when you win…you'll forget all about this…you have to have a short memory when you're a racer…you can't let past races haunt you…"
"I guess…"
"Look…keep working at it…when something like that happens…it won't be you losing and someone else winning…the roles will be reversed…"
Lodhi would smile slightly "Thanks Torvald…I needed zat…"
"No problem…" She'd kiss him on the cheek
(A few minutes later)
Marcy would be zipping up her racing suit when Nougetsia would walk in "There's my race winning champion!" She'd wrap her arms around and kiss her
"Thanks, Nougetsia…"
"And for the record during that first lap carnage in turn 11 I let you get away…I could've stolen your position and really screw you over…"
"Sure…" Marcy would state sarcastically with a smile
"I would've! If I didn't nearly rear end Citrusella when swerving to avoid Annie, Akio and Herschel…"
Marcy would chuckle. "We all make mistakes…keep working on it…and you'll gain on me in no time…"
At the Spa track Taffyta would meet up with Crumbelina and Minty
"Am I the only one who really hates Annie?" Minty would ask
"Nope…I do too…" Taffyta would respond
"Same here…" Crumbelina would add
"I'm pretty sure Sticky does as well…Herschel is on the way to hating her…leaving only Torvald liking her somewhat…I doubt anyone will miss her…"
(30 minutes later)
Everyone would be in the pit lane at the Spa track
"Where's the newbies?" Adorabeezle would ask
"In their garages…like the past 2 races…" Jubileena would respond
"Hmm…let's see what their up too…" Vanellope would state
They'd go over to the garages and see the rookies each doing a sort of routine/set up
Annie would look at her helmet modelled after Gilles Villeneuve's
Marcy would have her helmet and HANS system on and would be squatting down in front of her kart rubbing her hand down the front of her kart
Phipps helmet and HANS system would be on as he'd be kneeling in front of his kart silently staring at it
Akio would have his helmet and HANS system on and would be putting on his gloves
Lodhi would be standing in front of his kart staring at his kart than at his helmet in his right hand
"WILL ALL THE RACERS PLEASE HEAD TO THE STARTING LINE!" The announcer would shout through the intercom
Annie would rest her forehead against her helmet muttering a few words before putting in on
Marcy would stand up and crack her knuckles before getting in her kart
Phipps would mutter a few words before getting in his kart
Akio would look at his right hand
He'd clench it than get in his kart
Lodhi's eyes would narrow as he'd stare as his helmet
He'd nod before putting it on
(1 minute later)
The racers would line up on the starting line their positions appearing on a large screen above the pitlane
1st Marcy
2nd Lodhi
3rd Phipps
4th Annie
5th Akio
6th Taffyta
7th Torvald
8th Snowanna
9th Vanellope
10th Nougetsia
11th Citrusella
12th Crumbelina
13th Candlehead
14th Rancis
15th Adorabeezle
16th Jubileena
17th Sticky
18th Swizzle
19th Herschel
20th Minty
5 red lights would appear above the racers
The 5 rookies would grip their steering wheels tight
"May ze best racer vin…"
"Indeed…" Akio, Phipps, Marcy and Annie would respond in unison
The 5 red lights would go out
End Ch.18
Hope you enjoyed the chapter