Leg Ten
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Before the leg starts, we see Mr. Jowai walking through an office.
"The world of Tron. This world has been around longer than a lot of Disney nodes nowadays, but didn't receive as much popularity until it was given some more screen-time in Kingdom Hearts 2." Mr. Jowai told the camera. "And sitting at the top of the EMCOM building, which played a large role in the movie, the office of Flynn, the main character. This office, which became Flynn's after he revealed the past owner of the company to be a phony, was the ninth Pitstop in a race around the VG Universe."
We see clips of the remaining seven teams checking into the Pitstop, starting Shaggy & Velma. We then see the teams sitting at a table, eating. They raise their glasses to each other in a toast.
"After checking into the Pitstop, teams received a mandatory rest period. This allowed them to eat…" Mr. Jowai's voice was aired over the clips.
We see Tiny and Talon having a snoring contest.
"…Sleep…" The portly host continued.
We see Mush and Ron playing a game of Space Paranoids against each other.
"…And mingle with the other teams. Can Shaggy & Velma manage to stay in the lead and score another first-place finish? And will Paula & Jewel, still shaken from their ordeal in the previous leg, climb out of last pace?" Mr. Jowai said. "Shaggy & Velma, whom were the first to arrive, will be the first to depart, twelve hours later."
(PITSTOP)
The sun had already risen, but it wasn't very high, this meant that it was about mid-morning as Shaggy & Velma prepared to leave the Pitstop. The light given by the sun was more than enough not to warrant a flashlight, and once the appropriate time arrived, Velma ripped open the first clue.
(SHAGGY & VELMA – First to Depart)
"Like, where're we going this time, Velma?" Shaggy asked curiously.
"And it's…" Velma replied before she raised an eyebrow. "…Rocky Rodent?"
"Teams must now take a taxi to the airport and book flights to the world of Rocky Rodent, which was a decent game for the SNES but never saw a sequel." Mr. Jowai explained. "One they arrive, they must take one of these marked cars to the Rose Restaurant, one of the places mentioned in the game but never seen, where they'll find their next clue."
"Where the heck is that?" Shaggy asked.
"For once, I'm drawing a blank." Velma said, shaking her head.
"Well, we may as well, like, start moving."
"Yeah. Let's go."
The two detectives briskly left the office and took the nearest elevator down to the ground floor. However, while the two were still in the elevator, the team behind them had already left the Pitstop.
(TINY & DINGODILE – Second to Depart)
"Fly to the world of Rocky Rodent." Dingodile read. "Ah dunno where that is, but we'd better get going anyways, Tiny."
"Okay, Dingodile." Tiny said as he followed Dingodile out of the office. Once the team left the office, they jumped in a different elevator and started going towards the ground level.
(SHAGGY & VELMA)
The two detectives raced out of EMCOM and into the streets.
"You see a taxi coming, Shaggy?" Velma asked.
Shaggy looked around and squinted off into the distance, but was able to spot a taxi coming. "Like, yeah! It's coming from over there!"
"Got it." Velma said as she raised her hand. "Taxi!" She called out.
Luckily, Velma got the attention of the oncoming taxi driver, whom quickly pulled over to pick the two of them up.
"Where to, lady?" The driver asked as Shaggy & Velma got in.
"The airport, please!" Velma said.
"You got it."
(TINY & DINGODILE)
The two giants stood in their elevator, which was slowly but surely going all the way down to the ground floor. Corny music was playing through the speakers the entire trip down.
However, as time passed, the music started getting to Tiny. The giant tiger smiled, closed his eyes and started bobbing his head to the music, and that quickly escalated into dancing in place.
Dingodile lifted an eyebrow. "Uh…What're ya doing, Tiny?" He asked.
"Dancing." Tiny replied casually as he continued dancing.
"Ah. Okay, then." Dingodile said as he looked away from Tiny again.
Soon, the elevator arrived at the bottom floor, and the two giants rushed out of it. They ran out of EMCOM as quick as they could and rushed out into the streets.
Tiny literally did that, running headlong into traffic. "Taxi! TAXI!"
"Tiny, get outta there!" Dingodile shouted.
(JOLENE & MUSH – Third to Depart)
Jolene quickly opened the clue and read it. "Uh…The world of Rocky Rodent."
"I think I might know a bit about that world." Mush pointed out.
"You do?" Jolene asked with a raised eyebrow. "How?"
"Well, considering that Rocky Rodent was only available on a Nintendo console, it's easier for us to keep track of."
"Ah. Good point."
The two mushrooms left Flynn's office and jumped into an elevator, going down towards the ground.
(AIRPORT)
Shaggy & Velma's taxi pulled into the airport's parking lot and up to the front doors. The two detectives jumped out and paid their driver before rushing inside.
Inside, Shaggy & Velma looked around for any open airline that would get them to where they needed to go.
"Like, let's try that one over there." Shaggy suggested, pointing at an open airline.
"It's worth a shot." Velma shrugged as she and Shaggy walked over to the airline.
"May I help you?" The woman behind the counter asked.
"We need to go to the world of Rocky Rodent." Velma explained.
"Oh, really? Not a lot of people end up going there."
"Like, we could've guessed that pretty easily." Shaggy shrugged.
"Well, our earliest flight there arrives at three if that's alright."
"That'll be fine, thanks." Velma nodded.
(SHAGGY & VELMA – First on Flight 1)
(JOLENE & MUSH)
Finally reaching the ground floor of EMCOM Jolene & Mush were quick to get out onto the streets.
"Taxi!" Mush called out. "Taxi!"
Thankfully, it didn't take long for Mush to hail a taxi, as one pulled up quickly.
"Where're you guys going?" The driver asked.
"The airport." Jolene replied.
(PITSTOP)
(TALON & MALON – Fourth to Depart)
"You have thirty dollars for this leg of the race." Malon read.
"Heh. Just some more money that we aren't spending." Talon chuckled as he put the money away.
"Well, dad. This marks the start of another leg. Let's get moving."
"I'm right behind ya, dear."
The two farmers walked out of the office and jumped into an elevator, hoping to get to the ground quickly so they could catch up.
(AIRPORT)
Tiny shoved open the doors to the airport, knocking them off their hinges.
"I think ya overdid it a bit, Tiny." Dingodile observed as he walked into the airport.
"Hmm…Dingodile think so?" Tiny asked.
The two giants quickly spotted the airline and rushed over to the counter to order tickets.
"We need ta get to the world of Rocky Rodent as quickly as possible." Dingodile said.
"You too, huh? Well, our earliest flight arrives at three if that's okay."
"Did the guys ahead of us get that flight?"
"Yep."
"Okay. We'll take it." Dingodile nodded.
(TINY & DINGODILE – Second on Flight 1)
(TALON & MALON)
"Taxi!" Malon shouted, holding her hand in the air. She was quickly able to get a taxi to pull over.
"We need to get to the airport." Talon explained as the two farmers got into the back of the taxi.
"Sure thing." The driver replied. "We'll get there faster than you can say 'sweat-sock' 147 times fast."
(PITSTOP)
(KIM & RON – Fifth to Depart)
"You ready, Ron?" Kim asked
"As ready as I'll ever be."
"Okay." Kim said before opening the clue. "Fly to the world of Rocky Rodent? What the heck is that?"
"It's an old game that never saw a sequel or remake." Ron explained. "I think I played it a couple of times."
"Well, let's get moving."
"Got it."
The two teen heroes left the office and got into the closest elevator, starting the travel down to the ground floor.
(AIRPORT)
Upon entering the airport, Jolene & Mush quickly looked around for the others teams, which was difficult considering that the two mushrooms were half anyone's size. However, Mush was able to spot them after a couple minutes of searching.
"They're over there, sis!" Mush said.
"Then that must be the airline we're after!" Jolene said. "Come on!"
With that, the brother and sister worked their way through airport traffic and eventually arrived at the counter.
"May I help you?" The woman behind the counter asked.
"We need a quick flight to the world of Rocky Rodent." Jolene explained.
"Well, our earliest flight arrives at three."
"If that's the absolute earliest, then sure." Mush nodded. "We'll take two tickets, please."
(JOLENE & MUSH – Third on Flight 1)
(KIM & RON)
The two friends had left the building quickly, and were currently in the process of trying to flag down a free taxi.
"This could take a while." Kim sighed. "None of the taxis we've tried to flag are free."
"Wait, KP! Here comes another one!" Ron pointed out, waving his hand in the air. "Taxi! Taxi!"
Thankfully, this taxi was free, and it pulled over to give the two teen heroes a ride.
"Thank you so much!" Kim said as she got in.
"Don't mention it." The driver replied. "Where to?"
"The airport, please." Ron said, shutting the door behind him.
"You got it."
(PITSTOP)
(GARFIELD & ARLENE – Sixth to Depart)
"Fly to the world of Rocky Rodent and search for the Rose Restaurant." Arlene read after opening the clue.
"Restaurant?" Garfield asked, eyes widened in excitement.
"I highly doubt we'll have an eating task there, Garfield." Arlene said.
"Eh, I can always hope."
The two cats rushed from the office and ran into the first available elevator, taking the trip down to the lower floor.
(AIRPORT)
Talon & Malon were the next team to arrive at the airport, and the farmers were quick to spot Tiny's huge frame in the crowd.
"They're over there!" Malon pointed out.
"Then let's get that there airline over there!" Talon nodded.
The two farmers rushed over to the counter with hopes of getting tickets.
"Yes?" The woman asked.
"We need to go to the world of Rocky Rodent." Malon explained.
"You're in luck. These are the last tickets available for our earliest flight."
"Really!" Malon asked in excitement. "We'll take them!"
(TALON & MALON – Last on Flight 1)
(GARFIELD & ARLENE)
The dating felines were quick to leave EMCOM, but like Kim & Ron before them, they were having trouble flagging down a taxi.
"Man. How hard is it to get a taxi in a city this big?" Arlene asked.
"Let's try this one." Garfield said once he saw a yellow cab coming in their direction. "Taxi! Over here!"
The driver of the taxi saw Garfield flagging him, so he pulled over and granted the two racers access to his cab.
"We need to get to the airport! Quick!"
(PITSTOP)
(PAULA & JEWEL – Last to Depart)
"Well, we're in last place, Jewel." Paula explained after reading the clue. "You think we could catch up?"
"We'll certainly try our hardest!" Jewel said, once again in her bubbly, excited state.
"That's exactly what I want to hear." Paula said with a smirk. "Now let's get going."
The two girls quickly rushed out of the office and jumped into an elevator, taking them down to the ground level.
(AIRPORT)
Kim & Ron walked into the airport and looked around.
"You see any of the others, Ron?" Kim asked.
"Yeah. There's Tiny over there." Ron said, pointing to the frame of the huge tiger standing out in the crowd.
"Great." Kim smiled. "That means we go for that airline, then."
The two the walked over to the counter to book a flight.
"We need to go to the world of Rocky Rodent." Kim explained.
"Our earliest flight is full, but our next flight arrives twenty minutes later."
"Only twenty minutes?" Ron asked. "Sounds like a plan."
(KIM & RON – First on Flight 2)
(PAULA & JEWEL)
The two girls approached the edge of the sidewalk outside of EMCOM and were quick to hail a taxi. It still took them a couple of minutes to do so, but it was quicker than teams before them had managed to do.
"Where to, ladies?" The driver asked.
"The airport will be fine." Paula replied.
"Not a problem."
(AIRPORT)
Garfield & Arlene arrived next. The two cats had to weave through the crowd, but they managed to make it to the counter to book a flight with.
"Yes? How may I help you?" The woman asked.
"We're looking for a flight to the world of Rocky Rodent." Arlene explained.
"My, I never thought so many people would want to go to a place as unknown as there all at once." The woman shook her head. "Our earliest flight is booked, but the next one arrives twenty minutes later."
"We'll be able to catch up easy." Garfield assured his partner.
(GARFIELD & ARLENE – Second on Flight 2)
Eventually, Paula & Jewel arrived. The two girls saw the airline and went over.
"We'd like to go to the world of Rocky Rodent." Jewel said.
"Our earliest flight is full, but the next one arrives twenty minutes later." The woman replied.
"Doesn't sound too bad." Jewel said. "We'll take it."
"See, Jewel? We've caught up." Paula told her friend.
(PAULA & JEWEL – Last on Flight 2)
"All seven teams are now flying to the world of Rocky Rodent on two separate flights." Mr. Jowai explained. "The first flight, arriving at three in the afternoon, carries Shaggy & Velma, Tiny & Dingodile, Jolene & Mush and Talon & Malon. The second flight, arriving twenty minutes after the first, contains Kim & Ron, Garfield & Arlene and Paula & Jewel."
(Flight 1 – Landing)
Shaggy & Velma were the first team off the place and raced through the airport to get outside, where the cars were waiting. Jolene & Mush tried to use their height to their advantage again, but were having trouble in this node. This was mainly because the majority of the people in the Rocky Rodent node were armadillos, moles and giant mice, which meant that they were about the mushroom siblings' heights and sizes. Because of this, Talon & Malon were able to pass them. Tiny & Dingodile were once again having problems getting through the crowd, although they were able to step over a few of the smaller members of the crowd.
Shaggy & Velma raced out of the airport and darted into the parking lot, looking for the marked cars would be.
"Like, you see them, Velma?" Shaggy asked.
"Let's see…There!" Velma replied. "There's seven cars over there that look exactly the same!"
"Like, let's go!"
The two detectives quickly found their car and got in, Shaggy behind the wheel. As they did, Talon & Malon left the airport, followed closely by Jolene & Mush.
"There goes Shaggy & Velma!" Malon said.
"Come on, Malon! Let's grab one of them cars!" Talon said.
The two teams raced towards the marked cars and jumped in. Because their car was closer to the exit of the parking lot, Talon & Malon left first, although Jolene & Mush left shortly afterwards.
As the two teams left the parking lot, Tiny & Dingodile ran out and went over to their car.
"Tiny think he step on giant mouse, Dingodile." Tiny said sheepishly.
"Just keep runnin', Tiny." Dingodile muttered. "Just keep runnin'."
(SHAGGY & VELMA)
"Hang a left!"
Shaggy obeyed and quickly turned left. "Like, how far is it to the Rose Restaurant, Velma?"
"About ten minutes." Velma replied. "If we get good traffic, that is."
"Everyone still behind us?"
Velma glanced out the back window and saw two cars following them. "Uh…There's only two teams following us, Shaggy."
"Like, that's strange." Shaggy lifted an eyebrow. "I wonder which team's behind."
(JOLENE & MUSH)
"I don't think we took the right way, sis." Mush said, scratching his head as he read the map.
"You think so?" Jolene asked.
"Yeah. The Rose Restaurant is the other way."
"Okay." Jolene sighed. "I'll turn it around and go the other way."
"I sure hope we didn't lose too much time." Mush said, slightly worried. "I'm not sure how much of a lead we've got on the teams on the second flight."
(TINY & DINGODILE)
"Where now, Tiny?" Dingodile asked.
The hybrid looked in the rear-view mirror and saw Tiny constantly turning the map over, looking at it from different angles and scratching his head with a confused expression.
Dingodile sighed. "Why don't Ah just follow the others?"
(TALON & MALON)
"This is great!" Malon said. "We're in second place!"
"Pick up the pace a bit and we might be able to beat those detectives to that restaurant." Talon urged.
Malon chuckled, as this was one of few times that her father had actually suggested going faster. "You got it, dad."
(ROSE RESTAURANT)
Although Talon & Malon indeed drive a bit faster to try and pass them, Shaggy & Velma end up beating them to the first clue. The two detectives saw the clue box sitting outside of a small restaurant with letters spelling 'Rose Restaurant' written across the awning.
"There's the box, Shaggy! It's by the door!"
"Like, I see it, Velma!" Shaggy replied. Let me park the car and we'll, like, go for it!"
The two detectives parked their car, jumped out and ran over to the clue box. However, just like it always was in the game, the letters spelling the restaurant's name weren't exactly the sturdiest signs around, and a few letters fell down as the detectives ran underneath them.
"Ouch!" Velma said as an A bounced off her head. "The letters are falling!"
"Like, don't worry, Velma! I've got the clue!" Shaggy said as he reached the clue box and pulled out an envelope.
(SHAGGY & VELMA – First at Clue 1)
Shaggy ripped open the envelope, but when he saw what was written on it, he screamed, threw the clue into the air and latched onto the clue box post, shaking like a leaf.
Velma raised an eyebrow as she caught the clue and read it herself. "Drive yourselves to Melody's Haunted Apartment."
"Team must now get back into their cars and drive themselves to the Haunted Apartment of Melody, the damsel in distress of the game. This apartment is also the home of the second boss of the game, a large ghost that haunts a piano." Mr. Jowai explained. "Inside the apartment, teams will find their next clue."
"So THAT'S why you're so scared." Velma said as she grabbed Shaggy and pried him from the post.
"Like, NO! I don't wanna go there!" Shaggy screamed as Velma threw him into the backseat of their car.
"I'd better drive." Velma sighed.
The two detectives drove away, and as they did, Talon & Malon pulled up. The two farmers got out of their car and raced over to the clue box (getting pelted with a couple of falling letters at the same time), pulling out the second clue.
(TALON & MALON – Second at Clue 1)
"Drive to the Haunted Apartment." Malon read.
"Well, we'd better git going, then." Talon said as he and Malon rushed back to their car.
"Yeah. The others might have landed by now!"
(Flight 2 – Landing Early)
"This sure is a stroke of good luck." Kim said with a smile as she ran through thr airport with Ron. "We managed to and early. And the original schedule was that our flight would arrive only twenty minutes after the first!"
"For sure, KP!" Ron added. "We still have a chance at getting a higher position, then!"
Kim & Ron were the first team out of the airport, although Paula & Jewel were right behind them. Garfield & Arlene followed shortly afterwards. The six racers ran into the parking lot to grab one of the marked cars.
"There they are, Ron!" Kim pointed out.
"Right! Now we just need to find ours!" Ron said.
Although the three teams had arrived at the line of the three remaining cars at almost the same time, Kim & Ron were the first team to find theirs. The two jumped in and drove off. As they did, the other teams jumped into their respective cars and drove off after Kim & Ron.
(ROSE RESTAURANT)
Tiny & Dingodile were the next team to arrived at the Rose Restaurant, and were quick to spot the clue box sitting by the front door. The two giants parked their car, got out and went over to the clue box, but a couple more of the letters hanging on the awning fell on their heads as they went under it.
(TINY & DINGODILE – Third at Clue 1)
Dingodile rubbed his head and ripped open the envelope. "Drive to the Haunted Apartment."
Tiny shrunk back in fear. "H-Haunted?" The giant tiger asked.
"Don't worry, Tiny." Dingodile assured. "It's probably not really haunted at all."
Tiny nodded, hoping Dingodile was right, as he got back into the car. Dingodile jumped behind the wheel and drove off.
A couple minutes after the giants left, Jolene & Mush pulled up to the restaurant.
"Hmm…There was something about this place that you're supposed to watch out for." Mush pondered as he walked underneath the awning. "I just can't remember what it is."
Suddenly, an S hit him in the head. "Oh, yeah."
(JOLENE & MUSH – Fourth at Clue 1)
Instead of watching her brother getting pelted with letters, Jolene ripped open the clue and read it. "Let's get moving, Mush." She said.
"No problem." Mush nodded as he and Jolene got back into their car.
(KIM & RON)
Ron looked back and saw that the others were still behind them. "Step on the gas, KP!" He said. "We haven't lost the others yet!"
"Ron, I'm going as fast as I can without speeding!" Kim insisted.
The blonde boy looked out the back window again, hoping that they could stay ahead.
(PAULA & JEWEL)
"There just right in front of us." Paula said. "You think I should pass them, Jewel?"
"Go right ahead." Jewel said with a smirk.
Paula did just that. She pulled into the left lane and passed Kim & Ron's car before pulling back into the right lane.
Jewel looked out the back window and smirked wider. "Alright! We passed them!"
(GARFIELD & ARLENE)
"Why aren't we trying to pass the others, Arlene?" Garfield asked.
"Those two teams are fighting to stay ahead." Arlene sighed. "If we jump in as well, we may cause an accident."
"Oh. I never thought about that." Garfield's eyes widened in realization.
"Well, we'll still arrive at the restaurant at almost the same time if we all stick together, anyway." Arlene shrugged. "So it's not like we'll be gaining any time if we pass anyone."
"Okay. Another good point."
(HAUNTED APARTMENT)
"Man. Have you noticed that as soon as he got within range of this place, it became dark out?" Velma asked, looking at the dark sky as she pulled into a parking spot outside of the apartment.
"L-Like, DUH!" Shaggy said, shaking in fear in the backseat. "This place is, like, HAUNTED!"
"Oh, come on, Shaggy! How bad could it be?"
It took a bit of effort, but Velma was able to pull Shaggy into the apartment. Just inside the front door, the two detectives saw the clue. Velma pulled Shaggy over to it and grabbed the first envelope.
(SHAGGY & VELMA – First at Split Track)
Velma let go of Shaggy to open the clue. Luckily, Shaggy was too frightened to run away. "It's a Split Track, Shaggy!"
"A Split Track is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons." Mr. Jowai said as he walked through a hallway in the apartment. "In this Split Track, teams must choose between 'Fast' and 'Slow'. In Fast, teams must go to this hallway and stand on this incredibly long and wide carpet, which will move at fast speeds like an out-of control treadmill. Teams must stay running on the carpet for a full two minutes, and if either of them trips, they have to wait five minutes before trying again. Once they complete the task, they'll be given the next clue. This task is physically demanding, but teams with enough leg-power could finish quickly. In Slow, teams must search the mansion's large basement for this record player, which is constantly pumping out music. Once the teams find it, they'll see the next clue. This task isn't physically demanding, but trying to find a single record player in this huge basement filled with ghosts could take a long time."
"I say we go for the quicker task." Velma suggested. "You wouldn't handle the basement."
Shaggy vigorously nodded. "Like, okay! Let's go."
After Shaggy & Velma trekked into the apartment, Talon & Malon pulled into the parking lot. They quickly parked their car and got out.
"This must be it." Malon mused as she and her father went inside and spotted the clue box.
(TALON & MALON – Second at Split Track)
"What do you think we should do, dad?" Malon asked.
"I'm thinkin' searching that there basement." Talon suggested before giving his round belly a good slap. "Runnin' fast won't do me good, y'know."
"True." Malon nodded. "Okay. We'll search the basement."
(ROSE RESTAURANT)
Kim & Ron managed to win the race with Paula & Jewel and got to the Rose Restaurant first. After parking their car, Kim jumped out and raced towards the clue box.
"KP! Watch out for the falling letters!" Ron called out as he jumped out of the car.
"What?" Kim asked, looking back. Suddenly, a U hit her in the head. "Oh."
"It's one of the things I remember from playing the game." Ron chuckled nervously.
Kim didn't bother replying. She simply pulled a clue from the box.
(KIM & RON – Fifth at Clue 1)
"Drive yourselves to the Haunted Apartment." Kim read.
"Let's get going, Kim!" Ron said.
As Kim & Ron got back into their car, Paula & Jewel showed up. The two girls got out of their car and went over to the clue box, walking underneath sections of the awning letters had already fallen from so they wouldn't get hit.
(PAULA & JEWEL – Sixth at Clue 1)
"Kim & Ron are leaving, Paula!" Jewel cried. "After them!"
"Right." Paula said as she ran back to the car and jumped behind the wheel again. Jewel got into the backseat.
Garfield & Arlene pulled up as the two girls left. The two cats were quick enough to avoid the falling letters from the awning and grabbed the last clue from the box.
(GARFIELD & ARLENE – Last at Clue 1)
"We're in last place, Garfield." Arlene noted.
"No worries. We'll catch up." Garfield assured. "Let's go."
(HAUNTED APARTMENT)
Tiny & Dingodile arrived at the apartment next. Parking their car, the two giants jumped out and raced inside, where they quickly spotted the clue box.
(TINY & DINGODILE – Third at Split Track)
"What Dingodile think?" Tiny asked. "Run or search?"
"Ah think we can run." Dingodile suggested. "We've got good stamina."
"Okay. We do that."
As Tiny & Dingodile rushed off, Jolene & Mush showed up outside. After parking their car, the brother and sister entered the apartment and grabbed a clue.
(JOLENE & MUSH – Fourth at Split Track)
"Looks like we'll have to search the basement." Jolene said after reading the clue. "Our short legs won't help us much for the other task."
"You got that right, sis." Mush nodded. "Let's go to the basement, then."
(SHAGGY & VELMA)
Shaggy took a deep breath and stepped onto the huge carpet in front of him, stepping beside Velma. The entire carpet looked like a gigantic conveyor belt, which was probably what it was.
"You guys ready?" A mole asked.
"Might as well give it a try." Velma nodded.
The mole nodded and pressed a button, making the carpet start moving. Although the detectives were able to stay on for a bit, the pace picked up quickly and caused Shaggy to trip over his feet and fly off the carpet. The mole sighed and turned off the belt.
"You guys gotta wait five minutes before you can try again." He said as Velma helped Shaggy to his feet.
(TALON & MALON)
The two farmers looked around the basement, but weren't coming up with anything yet.
"And luck, Malon?" Talon asked as he moved a couple boxes out of the way.
"None." Malon sighed. "That music sounds like it's coming from everywhere so it could be anywhere down here."
Suddenly, Talon looked up and saw a green ghost (which looked remarkably similar to Slimer from the Ghostbusters movie) fly through the air, bobbing its head to the music being played. The ghost went through the far wall, vanishing.
"I've got a hunch, Malon." Talon said. "Come on. Follow me."
As Talon & Malon rushed off, Jolene & Mush entered the basement. The two mushrooms cautiously walked down the stairs leading to the basement, and quickly arrived on the ground.
"You hear that music, sis?" Mush asked, placing a hand to where his ear would be.
"Yeah." Jolene said after mimicking her little brother.
"That's probably coming from the record player we have to look for." Mush explained. "Let's see if we can follow the music."
(SHAGGY & VELMA)
The two detectives watched as Tiny & Dingodile, whom had arrived before the five-minute period had expired, stepped onto the carpet.
"Okay, big guys! Here we go!" The mole said as he activated the belt.
The carpet started moving and the two giants were able to keep up fairly easily. Unfortunately, once the carpet started speeding up, both Tiny & Dingodile tripped, landed on the still-moving carpet and flew off of it. Shaggy & Velma dove out of the way to avoid the giants ramming into them and splattering them against the wall.
"Looks like you guys have got to wait the five minutes as well." The mole said.
(SPLIT TRACK)
Kim & Ron were once again able to beat the other teams to their destination. After parking their car, the two heroes rushed into the Haunted Apartment and grabbed the next clue.
(KIM & RON – Fifth at Split Track)
"What do you think we should do, Ron?" Kim asked.
"Definitely searching the basement." Ron replied. "The other task may be quicker, but it may also have some others waiting in line."
Kim thought for a second and nodded. "You may be right." She mused. "Okay. Let's go."
As Kim & Ron vanished into the apartment, Paula & Jewel showed up. The two girls quickly parked their car, got out of it and ran inside the apartment, where they found the clue box.
(PAULA & JEWEL – Sixth at Split Track)
"I'm up for running on the carpet if you are, Paula." Jewel shrugged.
"If you want to, we'll do it." Paula nodded.
The two girls high-tailed it into the apartment, and once they did, Garfield & Arlene pulled into the parking lot. The two cats were quick to get inside the mansion, not really paying attention as to how the area around the apartment had gotten so dark.
(GARFIELD & ARLENE – Last at Split Track)
"It's another Split Track, Arlene." Garfield pointed out. "Looks like we're going to search the basement."
"What for?" Arlene asked. "The carpet's the quicker task."
"Yeah, but you won't be able to survive if we do that, Arlene!" Garfield insisted.
"Garfield, that's a chance I'm willing to take. We're already in last place, so if we do the quicker task, we could pull ahead."
Seeing that he wouldn't be able to get his girlfriend to change her mind, Garfield sighed. "Okay. But be careful not to strain yourself."
(JOLENE & MUSH)
"That's odd." Mush said as he came up empty once again in the search for the record player. "I could have sworn I heard music coming from over here."
"The music is probably bouncing off the walls down here." Jolene noted. "That's probably what's making it sound like it's coming from different places."
"Well, I hope we can find the real deal soon." Mush sighed. "We could be behind by now for all I know."
(TALON & MALON)
The two farmers followed the green ghost into a large room in the basement, where a bunch of other ghosts of different colours were boogying to the music coming from a lone record player sitting in the middle of the room. A clue box sat beside it.
"There it is, dad!" Malon pointed out.
"Well, let's go get that clue, dear!"
The two farmers ran through the ghost party, went over to the clue box and pulled the first clue from it.
(TALON & MALON – First at Clue 2)
Malon wasted no time in ripping open the clue. "Drive yourselves to the Metro Tower!" She shouted, having to do so over the rock music coming from the record player.
"Teams must now get back into their cars and drive themselves across the city to the Metro Tower, the tallest building in the city and the construction still hasn't finished." Mr. Jowai explained. "At the bottom of this tower, where two entire levels in the game took place, teams will find their next clue."
"Caution: Glitch ahead!" Malon said.
"I see another exit over that way, Malon!" Talon replied, pointing at another set of stairs and a doorway leading out of the basement.
The two farmers rushed towards the steps and ran up them, quickly leaving the basement.
As they left, Kim & Ron arrived at the other end of the basement, joining Jolene & Mush in searching for the record player.
(SHAGGY & VELMA)
Shaggy sighed as he stepped off the carpet again. This time, Velma had tripped and made the five-minute clock start again for the two detectives. During the time they were on the belt, Paula & Jewel and Garfield & Arlene had arrived and had started a line.
The other teams watched as Tiny & Dingodile stepped onto the carpet again to try once more. The mole started the carpet again and the two giants started running with it. They lasted a bit longer, but eventually slipped and flew off the belt again.
Arlene saw this and gulped. If she wanted to do this, she'd need to run as hard as she could for two minutes, and with her low stamina, that would quickly becoming a job and a half.
Garfield saw this and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You sure you want to do this, Arlene?" He asked. "We can switch tasks."
"This is our only hope for staying in the race, Garfield." Arlene nodded. "We need to do this."
(KIM & RON)
"This is pretty tricky." Ron scratched his head as he looked behind a wooden crate. "This catchy music sounds like it's coming from all over the room."
"Well, at least we're finding out where it's NOT." Kim sighed. "But we need to hurry if we're to stay in the race."
(GARFIELD & ARLENE)
The two cats watched as Jewel got off the belt, helping Paula (whom had tripped) to her feet.
"Okay. You cats are up next." The mole said, jerking his thumb towards the carpet.
Arlene took a deep breath and stepped on, Garfield getting on after her. The two cats looked at each other, then looked ahead.
"Okay. Begin!" The mole said, pressing a button.
At first, Garfield & Arlene were able to keep up fairly easily with the moving belt. However, the speed quickly and rapidly increased, making it harder to keep themselves from tripping.
Arlene felt her stamina draining insanely fast the harder she ran, but pressed on, knowing that this was their biggest chance to stay out of last place. Garfield looked like he was having problems running as well, but was keeping up easier than Arlene was.
The two cats didn't bother keeping track of time, because that would just distract them from their goal. Suddenly, they felt the belt slow down.
"You guys finished!" The mole said. "You can come over here and get your clue!"
Hearing that, Garfield quickly jumped off the belt as Arlene collapsed. The orange tabby quickly received the clue.
(GARFIELD & ARLENE – Second at Clue 2)
Garfield opened the clue and scanned over it. Once he was finished, he went over to his girlfriend, helped her to her feet and assisted her in walking out of the room
"Like, I couldn't believe how fast those two were able to do that task." Shaggy said in an after-leg interview. "It was, like, a little letdown because Velma and I had, like, arrived earlier than they did."
(KIM & RON)
Down in the basement, Ron had caught a glimpse of a passing ghost. Normally, he would have freaked out, but getting a hunch, he wandered over to the door leading to where the ghost had vanished into, opened it and looked inside. Sure enough, he saw the record player sitting on the ground. He quickly looked at Kim and called out to her.
"Kim! I found it!" Ron said.
Hearing him, Kim rushed over. The two rushed inside the room, went over to the clue box and pulled out an envelope.
(KIM & RON – Third at Clue 2)
"Drive yourselves to Metro Tower!" Kim shouted over the rock music.
"Oh, man! A Glitch is ahead, KP!" Ron pointed out. "We've got to move!"
(TALON & MALON)
"How far is it to the tower, Malon?" Talon asked as he drove the car.
"We're getting close, dad." Malon replied, reading a map. "Give it about five more minutes and we should be there."
(TINY & DINGODILE)
As Shaggy & Velma got off the belt again, the two giants once again stepped on.
"Ya ready to do this again, Tiny?" Dingodile asked as he got into place.
"Tiny ready, Dingodile." Tiny nodded.
"Okay, let's show everyone that we can do this."
The mole started the belt again. The two giants ran forward……………And fell flat on their faces after about two steps.
"Well, THAT went over well." Dingodile muttered as he slid off the belt. Paula & Jewel stepped on again.
(METRO TOWER)
To say that the Metro Tower was big would be an understatement. Even though the tower was little more than a steel frame that was never completed, it was still the tallest building in the city.
Suddenly, Talon & Malon's car drove onto the scene. The farmers parked their car, got out and rushed over.
"Ya see the clue box, Malon?" Talon asked.
"Yeah! I see it!" Malon said, pointing out the clue box sitting by an elevator. "It's over there!"
"Good eye, sweetie!"
However, in order to get to the clue box, they had to go through a blue mat that read '404 ERROR' on it. A post connected to it held seven numbers and a shelf with an hourglass of sand.
"The Glitch!" Malon said.
"This is the last of two Glitches on the entire race." Mr. Jowai said as he walked along the ground at the foot of the tower. "The first team that wishes to use it can force another team to stop racing for a set amount of time. Once a team has been halted, they must turn this hourglass over and wait for the sand to run out before they can continue on. However, teams can only utilize the Glitch once during the entire race, so they must decide when it's most advantageous to use it."
Talon stepped onto the mat and looked at the camera. "If Geese & Krauser were still in the race, we would have used the Glitch, but since they aren't, we won't." He said as he plucked the number 1 from the post.
The father and daughter rushed over to the clue box and yanked out the first envelope.
(TALON & MALON – First at Boss Battle)
"It's a Boss Battle!" Malon said as she read the clue. "'Who's afraid of heights?'"
"A Boss Battle is a task that only one person may perform, and the team may not proceed until the task is complete." Mr. Jowai said as he walked along a beam of the tower, not bothered at the fact that he was at least two-hundred feet in the air. "In this Boss Battle, that racer must scale the tower and make it to the top, then go all the way down to the bottom using a given parachute. The tower is easy to climb, but it could be hard to complete if the person is afraid of heights. Once the racer lands back on the ground, they may open their next clue."
"I'll do it, dear." Talon said, holding up his hand.
"You sure, dad?" Malon asked. "That's a pretty tall tower."
"Don't you worry about me, Malon." Talon said with a smirk. "I'll do this quickly."
(SHAGGY & VELMA)
The two detectives once again stepped onto the carpet to try the task again.
"Man. We'd better do this soon." Velma sighed. "We must have done this five times already."
The carpet started moving again, but the two remained focused enough that they were able to keep running the entire time. After the two minutes were up, the mole stopped the carpet from moving.
"You're done, guys! You can take your clue now."
Velma obeyed, taking the clue while Shaggy clutched his knees, gasping for breath.
(SHAGGY & VELMA – Fourth at Clue 2)
"Caution: Glitch ahead!" Velma read. "Let's move, Shaggy!"
"Like, right." Shaggy nodded. "Anything to, like, get out of this spooky place."
"If you think up HERE is spooky, you should see the basement." The mole chuckled.
The two detectives wisely chose to ignore him and left the room. Tiny & Dingodile stepped on again.
(JOLENE & MUSH)
"I can't believe we can't find that stupid record player!" Jolene sighed. "I mean, how hard is it to find a running music box in a basement?"
"We've gotta be getting close." Mush replied. "We've been searching for a bit now."
(TINY & DINGODILE)
"Alright!" Dingodile said in triumph as the belt slowed down. "We did it!"
As Tiny got off, Dingodile took the clue from the mole and opened it.
(TINY & DINGODILE – Fifth at Clue 2)
"Drive ta the Metro Tower." The Australian read. "Let's make tracks, Tiny!"
Tiny nodded. "Okay! We go!"
(BOSS BATTLE)
Garfield & Arlene arrived at the foot of the tower. Garfield got out from behind the wheel, helped Arlene out of the back and continued to assist his exhausted girlfriend in walking over to the Glitch mat.
"We're almost there. Don't worry, Arlene." Garfield soothed, talking into Arlene's ear. "You can do this."
Arlene paused, looked at Garfield and hugged him tightly. "I love you, Garfield." She said, although a bit weak because she was still tired.
"You have no idea how good I felt when Arlene said that to me." Garfield said in an after-leg interview. "I really wanted to help her through this race so much more after she said that."
Garfield stepped onto the mat and looked at the camera. "We choose not to use the Glitch." He said as he took the number 2 from the post and helped Arlene over to the clue box, where Malon was waiting.
(GARFIELD & ARLENE – Second at Boss Battle)
"It's a Boss Battle." Garfield explained. "Don't worry, Arlene. I'll do this one."
Arlene nodded, went over to Malon and sat down as Garfield stepped into an elevator.
(TALON)
"Man. Where do I go?" Talon asked himself as he walked along a beam, trying to figure out which way led upwards. "It's like a maze up here."
Eventually, Talon found another elevator. Stepping inside, Talon started going up.
(BOSS BATTLE)
As Malon and Arlene waited for their respective partner, Kim & Ron arrived. The two heroes parked their car and got out.
"Great! No one used the Glitch on us!" Kim said.
"Good. That saves us some time, then." Ron nodded as he stepped onto the mat and looked at the camera. "We choose not to use the Glitch." He took the number 3 from the post as he and Kim continued to the clue box.
(KIM & RON – Third at Boss Battle)
"It's another Boss Battle, KP." Ron observed.
"I'll handle this, Ron." Kim said with a nod. "This should be easy for me to do."
With that, Kim ran towards the first elevator, jumped in and started going up.
(SPLIT TRACK)
Paula & Jewel stepped onto the carpet to try again. The two girls were starting to tire out, but they had spent a lot of time on this task. So much that they just wanted to complete the task, because all the time they used would have been wasted if they switched tasks.
The two friends had gotten used to the belt by now, so they had no problem keeping up with it once it got moving. The belt quickly picked up the pace, but Paula & Jewel were able to keep up, although they struggled immensely.
After what seemed like a lifetime, Paula & Jewel managed to stay on the belt for two minutes, completing the task. The belt slowed down and the girls jumped off, rushing over to the mole to receive their clue.
(PAULA & JEWEL – Sixth at Clue 2)
Paula promptly opened up the clue. "Drive yourselves to Metro Tower."
"Oh, crap!" Jewel cried. "There's a Glitch ahead!"
"We'd better hurry." Paula said, shaking her head. "If one of the teams uses the Glitch on us now, we're done for sure."
(JOLENE & MUSH)
"Wait, bro." Jolene said, stopping Mush from his searching. She looked up and saw another ghost floating by. The ghost vanished through the wall.
"What is it?" Mush asked.
"I have a feeling that door's what we're looking for." Jolene muttered as she walked over and opened the door. Sure enough, the record player sat on the floor, belting out rock music, as ghosts flew around the room, partying, dancing and playing the air guitar. "See? There's the music box."
"Great. It's been there the whole time?" Mush asked. "Boy, do I feel dumb."
The two mushrooms walked into the room and grabbed a clue from the clue box.
(JOLENE & MUSH – Last at Clue 2)
"Caution: Glitch ahead." Jolene read.
"We're probably last place by now." Mush noted with a sigh. "I don't see any point in using it once we get there."
Jolene & Mush rushed up the staircase that was set in front of them and went back upstairs. Once they did, they ran back outside, towards their car.
However, as they were closing in on the front doors, Paula & Jewel came up beside them. The two teams saw each other and stood in silence for a few seconds. Then, everyone started running again, fleeing the apartment and rushing back towards their respective cars. The two teams jumped into their cars and drove off at almost the same time.
(BOSS BATTLE)
Talon finally arrived at the top of the tower, and saw that he could overlook the entire city. The portly farmer took this time to stare in awe.
"Boy. This view is certainly something I'll never forget." Talon noted. After a couple more seconds, Talon turned and saw the clue box sitting alongside a line of seven parachutes.
After taking a clue from the clue box, Talon wandered over to the parachutes, where a giant mouse suited him up.
"All you have to do is walk out on that beam, jump off and the parachute will automatically activate." The mouse said.
Talon nodded, then went over to the beam once given approval. Once he was at the edge, Talon took a deep breath and jumped off. After a few seconds of falling, the parachute activated and deployed, bringing the farmer's descent to a slow crawl.
(ON THE GROUND)
Malon laughed as she saw her father floating towards the ground. "Look at him up there! I never thought he'd actually do something like that!"
While Malon watched her father, Shaggy & Velma showed up. After parking their car, the detectives jumped onto the Glitch mat and faced the camera.
"We're not going to use the Glitch." Velma explained as she took the number 4 from the post. She and Shaggy then raced over to the clue box and took out the next clue.
(SHAGGY & VELMA – Fourth at Boss Battle)
"I'd better do this one, Shaggy." Velma offered. "I know how afraid of heights you are."
As Shaggy went over to join the other waiting racers, Velma rushed towards the elevator, got in and went up.
Once she did, Tiny & Dingodile arrived. The two giants were elated to see that they hadn't been halted again.
"Yay!" Tiny shouted in glee. "No one use Glitch on us!"
"Ya got that right, pal!" Dingodile said as he looked at the camera. "We choose not ta use the Glitch." He said as he ripped the number 5 from the post. He and Tiny continued on to the clue box.
(TINY & DINGODILE – Fifth at Boss Battle)
"Here, Tiny. Ah'll do this one." Dingodile said.
"Okay. If Dingodile want to." Tiny shrugged.
(PAULA & JEWEL)
The two girls were currently just ahead of Jolene & Mush, with Paula once again at the wheel.
"It's going to be close." Paula observed. "As much as we hate to do it, we're going to have to use the Glitch on Jolene & Mush if we get there first."
Jewel sighed and nodded. "Okay."
"You've got that small picture of us that we're supposed to put in the 'courtesy of' section on the board?" Paula asked.
Jewel looked through her backpack, but couldn't find anything. She searched through it again and again, her eyes widening more and more. Finally, she realized something extremely vital. "Oh, no!"
"What 'oh, no'? I don't like 'oh, no'!" Paula said.
"I left it back at Radiant Garden!" Jewel cried. "I was taking things out of my backpack and organizing them better, but I had to take our sticker out to do so!"
"You didn't put it back in, did you?" Paula asked, her eyes widening.
The two friends sat in silence, realizing how much trouble they were in. Suddenly, Jewel sprang forward so her head was close to Paula's.
"We have to beat them to the Glitch, Paula!" The dark-skinned girl cried.
"I know!" Paula nodded as she sped up. "If they get there before we do, they'll use it on us!"
Jewel took a fearful look out the back window and saw Jolene & Mush rapidly gaining on them.
(BOSS BATTLE)
Garfield panted as he walked up the final slanted beam, finally arriving at the top of the tower. The orange tabby quickly saw the clue box, went over and pulled one out.
"Okay, pal. You've got the clue, so come over here and I'll get you suited up." The mouse said.
Garfield nodded. "Okay." He said as he walked over to a parachute, which was quickly strapped to his back.
"Okay, all you have to do is jump off that beam over there." The mouse directed. "The parachute will open automatically."
"Got it." Garfield replied. He walked towards the edge of the beam, looked down and sighed. "All those times jumping out of trees may actually come in handy here." He said before jumping.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Talon had just landed. After he was safely on his feet, he shook the parachute off himself. As Talon opened the clue, Malon rushed over.
"Drive yourselves to the next Pitstop!"
"Teams must now drive themselves to Sunrise Street, which doubled as the first level in the game." Mr. Jowai told the camera as he walked along a sidewalk. "Once there, they must search out this restaurant, surrounded by patio tables, umbrellas and chairs. This restaurant, although never seen in the game, is the Pitstop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here may be eliminated."
"Let's go, dad!"
As Talon & Malon drove off, Kim arrived at the top of the tower in record time. The redhead girl was quickly suited with a parachute and told to jump off the edge of the beam.
"No problem." Kim said with a smirk. She ran over to the edge of the beam and, without stopping, leapt into the air and did a swan-dive downwards.
Meanwhile, Garfield had landed safely on the ground. As he removed his parachute, Arlene came running over. Garfield then opened up the clue.
"We're going to the Pitstop, Arlene." Garfield explained.
Arlene nodded, still short on breath. "Good. Let's go."
(JOLENE & MUSH)
"They're not letting me pass, Mush." Jolene muttered.
"There's a Glitch ahead." Mush reminded. "If they get there first, they're probably planning to use it on us so they can pull ahead."
"Well, we'll just have to foil that plan, won't we?" Jolene asked, narrowing her eyes and stepping on the gas.
(PAULA & JEWEL)
Jewel looked out the back window again and shrieked. "They're catching up, Paula! We need to lose them!"
"I'm trying, Jewel!" Paula insisted. "But I don't want us to get pulled over for speeding!"
Jewel quickly looked at the map, then at the road. "Turn left! Maybe the mushrooms will overshoot it!"
Paula obeyed and hung a hard left, turning down a road. Jolene & Mush drove straight on by.
Paula breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, now what?"
"Keep going. This road'll take us to the Metro Tower." Jewel said.
(TALON & MALON)
"Excuse me," Talon said as he walked out of the car and over to a citizen. "But can you give us directions to Sunrise Street?"
"Certainly." The man replied. "Just keep going down this road, hang a left, then a right and you'll be there."
"Thanks a bunch, partner." Talon nodded as he walked back to the car and got in.
"So what did he say, dad?" Malon asked.
"We're on the right track." Talon explained.
(GARFIELD & ARLENE)
"We're almost there, Garfield." Arlene said as she read a map. She was still a little short on breath, but did her best to ignore it. "If the farmers ran into any problems, we may end up beating them to the Pitstop."
"Well, then. We just need to try that much harder." Garfield replied. "This leg's almost over, so we'll be getting the rest period soon."
Arlene sighed and leaned back. "I can't wait."
(BOSS BATTLE)
Kim touched down on the ground and quickly removed her backpack. As Ron came over, Kim opened her clue.
"Drive yourselves to the next Pitstop!"
"Boo-Yah! Let's go, KP!"
(VELMA)
The brown-haired girl wandered across another beam, looking around for any ways to go up higher. She had no idea how far ahead he was, but Dingodile was long gone, climbing up the tower at a much faster pace.
"How hard is it to find a means to go higher?" Velma asked aloud.
Eventually, she found another ramp. Velma rushed up higher, hoping to make up for lost time.
(PITSTOP)
Mr. Jowai stood on the Pitstop mat, sitting just outside of a restaurant, awaiting the first-place team to check in. At his side was Rocky Rodent, a purple weasel-like creature with a yellow tank-top, denim shorts and a red spike hairdo. Mr. Jowai bent over and told Rocky where the teams would be coming from, pointing off in a direction.
Suddenly, a car drove onto the scene and parked in an open space. The doors opened as the first team jumped out.
Grabbing their backpacks, Talon & Malon raced over to the mat and checked in, breathing heavily and looking hopeful.
"Welcome to Sunrise Street!" Rocky greeted.
"Thanks." Malon said with a smile.
"Talon & Malon…" Mr. Jowai said with his usual pause. "…You are team number one!"
(TALON & MALON – First Place)
"REALLY!" Malon asked. "Alright! Our first win!"
"Yee-haw!" Talon shouted. "This feels great to finally be on top!"
(BOSS BATTLE)
Dingodile arrived at the top of the tower and strapped on a backpack. However, before he jumped, he saw a car coming towards the tower from off in the distance. Dingodile jumped off the beam as his parachute opened.
Meanwhile, the mystery car arrived at the tower. Two doors opened, allowing the team inside to get out.
"There's the Glitch!" Jewel pointed out.
"And there's still two numbers on the post!" Paula observed.
"Come on!"
The two girls, excited that they had beaten Jolene & Mush to the Glitch, jumped onto the mat.
"Because I lost our sticker, we can't use the Glitch." Jewel told the camera, taking the number 6 from the post and running over to the clue box with Paula.
(PAULA & JEWEL – Sixth at Boss Battle)
"It's a Boss Battle." Paula said. "I'll do it."
"If you want to." Jewel shrugged.
As Paula boarded the elevator, Jolene & Mush arrived. They got out of their car and noticed that they were last.
"How are we NOT halted?" Mush asked.
"I dunno, but I'm glad we aren't." Jolene said as she took the number 7 from the post and continued on towards the clue box.
(JOLENE & MUSH – Last at Boss Battle)
"I'll do this one, Mush." Jolene said.
"You sure?" Mush asked.
"Positive." Jolene nodded. "I'll be right back."
Jolene got onto the elevator and traveled to the first floor. As she did, Dingodile landed on the ground, ending the task for him. As Tiny rushed over and helped him out of his parachute, the Australian hybrid ripped open the clue.
"Alright! We're goin' to the Pitstop, Tiny!" Dingodile said.
"Yay! We still in race!" Tiny shouted in glee.
(PITSTOP)
Garfield & Arlene parked their car and rushed over to the Pitstop, stepping onto the mat.
"Garfield & Arlene………You're team number two!"
(GARFIELD & ARLENE – Second Place)
"That's pretty good." Garfield nodded. "Way better than the last leg."
Arlene nodded, too tired to give her reply.
(BOSS BATTLE)
Velma was quickly getting frustrated. She kept running into dead ends and had trouble finding elevators or ramps; so much that she wondered if she even had a lead on anyone anymore.
"I need to get through this quickly." Velma mused. "Who knows where everyone else is."
Paula was having similar problems, although she was slowly catching up to the female detective. Jolene had probably passed the elf girl by now, but Paula remained optimistic that she could beat her to the top.
"Nope. Another dead end." Paula sighed as she turned around and continued running across beams, trying to get to the top.
Meanwhile, on the ground, two of the three waiting racers looked at each other. Shaggy continued to look at the tower and hope Velma make it out quickly.
"So why didn't you use the Glitch on us?" Mush asked Jewel.
"I lost our sticker a couple of legs ago." The dark-skinned girl replied simply. "We knew we had to beat you guys here because you would probably use the Glitch on us."
Mush looked at the ground, feeling slightly guilty that he would have halted Paula & Jewel even though the two girls couldn't do anything to counter it.
(PITSTOP)
Kim & Ron left their car and jogged over to the Pitstop. The two friends checked in and awaited the results.
"Kim & Ron………You are team number three!"
Ron sighed in relief. "Slowly, but surely, we're climbing back to the top!"
Kim nodded. "Hopefully, we'll be able to get first next time."
(BOSS BATTLE)
Jolene managed to beat the other girls to the top of the tower. The small mushroom girl was suited up with a parachute and she approached the edge of the beam. Jolene took a deep breath and made a leap of faith. The parachute opened, allowing Jolene to drift towards the ground.
Mush ran over to meet her as she touched down. One she did, Jolene opened the clue.
"Drive to the next Pitstop!"
"Let's move, Jolene!" Mush urged as Jolene got out of her parachute.
As Jolene & Mush drove off, Shaggy and Jewel glanced at the tower, wondering why their partners were taking so long.
(PITSTOP)
"Pitstop! Pitstop!"
"Ah see it. Ah see it."
After parking their car, it was a mere quick jog to the mat for Tiny & Dingodile. The two giants jumped onto the Pitstop.
"Tiny & Dingodile………You're team number four!"
(TINY & DINGODILE – Fourth Place)
"That's pretty good." Dingodile nodded.
"We do REAL good, Dingodile!" Tiny said happily. "We do even better in next leg!"
"Ya got that right!" Dingodile smirked.
(BOSS BATTLE)
Velma was finally able to make it to the top of the tower, but Paula had made it at almost the same time. The two girls got suited up and approached the ledge, Velma being allowed to go first since she got to the top first.
After Velma jumped, Paula was allowed to jump. The two girls floated down towards the ground with their parachutes as their partners rushed over to greet them once they hit the ground.
Velma and Paula opened the clues at almost the same time.
"Drive yourselves to the next Pitstop!" Velma said.
"Warning: The last team to check in may be eliminated!" Paula read.
"Zoinks! Like, let's go, Velma!" Shaggy said.
"Come on, Paula! It's going to be a photo finish here!" Jewel said.
The two teams jumped into their cars and drove off, each team hoping to get to the Pitstop before the other.
(PITSTOP)
Jolene & Mush ran towards the Pitstop mat and checked in.
"Jolene & Mush………You're team number five!"
(JOLENE & MUSH – Fifth Place)
"Cutting it pretty close, there." Jolene said with another sigh of relief.
"Don't worry, sis." Mush said. "We'll catch up!"
Mr. Jowai and Rocky awaited the final safe team to arrive. Several minutes passed before the host and greeter saw a lone car coming in and parking in an open spot. The front and back door on the car opened as the final safe team jumped out.
Shaggy & Velma, deciding not to bother with their backpacks for now, ran the short distance between their car and the Pitstop, jumping onto the mat and checking in at the same time.
"Shaggy & Velma………You're team number six!"
(SHAGGY & VELMA – Sixth Place)
"Oh, man. That is SUCH a relief!" Velma sighed. "I was afraid that I would have eliminated us."
"We, like, just ran into a bit of bad luck." Shaggy assured. "We'll, like, make up for it in the next leg."
Sad music played as Paula & Jewel arrived at the restaurant, parked their car and checked in.
"Paula & Jewel…" Mr. Jowai sighed. "…You're the last team to arrive."
The two girls nodded, expecting that that was the case.
"I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race."
(PAULA & JEWEL – ELIMINATED)
"I knew that we weren't going to win. In fact, I'm surprised that we lasted as long as we did." Paula said in an after-leg interview. "And I'm just glad that we lost to the people that are still in the race, because I think that they deserve to be here. I'm not too upset that we have to leave, because Jewel and I lasted long enough to get a lot of great memories that I think neither of us will ever forget."
"I'm just glad that we were eliminated here and not in the previous leg. If we were eliminated because I got separated from Paula, I never would have forgiven myself." Jewel said in an after-leg interview. "I'm satisfied with our performance, because seventh place is good enough for me."
"Jewel and I have been friends for a long time, and nothing that happened on this race could have changed that." Paula pointed out. "She's optimistic about everything and is always cheerful, so who could NOT like her? I'm glad to have her as a friend, and I can honestly say that if given the chance to do the race again, I wouldn't do it with anyone else."
"Paula's the best friend and partner I could ask for. Every time I thought we would be eliminated, Paula would always bring my hopes back up." Jewel said with a smile. "During our time fighting in the war a while ago, Paula helped me expand my thoughts beyond a guy I had no chance with and helped me start setting my sights on some of the nicer guys in the army. I couldn't ask for a better friend, and feel honoured that I simply know her."
In a slow-motion shot, Paula & Jewel turned around and left the Pitstop. They reached the end of the parking lot for the restaurant, turned and walked down the sidewalk, off into the sunset.
"On the next leg of the Amazing Race: VG Style…" Mr. Jowai said.
We see four racers running towards a clue box, but Kim accidentally bumps into Velma, knocking her down.
"Kim & Ron make some opponents."
"Like, those two are really asking for it." Shaggy muttered as he helped Velma to her feet.
We see Talon & Malon struggling to complete a task.
"And Malon breaks down."
"Come on, dear! We're almost done!" Talon said.
"I'm TRYING!" Malon shouted angrily.
The screen suddenly went into slow-motion as the camera focused on Malon's angry glare.
Current Standings:
1 – Talon & Malon
2 – Garfield & Arlene
3 – Kim & Ron
4 – Tiny & Dingodile
5 – Jolene & Mush
6 – Shaggy & Velma
7 – Paula & Jewel (ELIMINATED)
8 – Geese & Krauser (ELIMINATED)
9 – Kid & Ally (ELIMINATED)
10 – Xiaoyu & Miharu (ELIMINATED)
11 – Dan & Mika (ELIMINATED)
12 – Raven & Beast Boy (ELIMINATED)
13 – Joker & Harley (ELIMINATED)
14 – Bridget & Dizzy (ELIMINATED)
15 – Harry & Kitten (ELIMINATED)
16 – Diddy & Dixie (ELIMINATED)
Author's note: The next season of the actual Amazing Race starts this Sunday! I'm so excited!