Amazing Race: VG Style Season 2

by SSBFreak

Finished! Sixteen teams from different franchises compete in a huge race while avoiding elimination to win the grand prize.

13. Leg 12

Leg Twelve

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111

Before the leg starts, we see Mr. Jowai walking along outside of a house.

"The world of Wario Ware. This node is known for insanely-fast mini-games and thinking on the fly. It is because of this that this node has gotten a lot of popularity and spawned some sequels." Mr. Jowai told the camera. "And right in the middle of this node: The house of Wario. This house, which is only seen in the Wario Ware games, was the eleventh Pitstop in a race around the VG Universe."

We see clips of the remaining five teams checking into the Pitstop, starting Garfield & Arlene. We then see all of the teams sitting at a restaurant, eating.

"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 Velma resting on a bed, asleep.

"…Sleep…" The portly host continued.

We see Kim, Ron and Malon dancing at Club Sugar.

"…And mingle with the other teams. Will Garfield & Arlene be able to build on their lead for another leg? And will Tiny & Dingodile recover from another close call and climb out of last place?" Mr. Jowai said. "Garfield & Arlene, whom were the first to arrive, will be the first to depart, twelve hours later."

(PITSTOP)

The sun was starting to rise as Garfield & Arlene prepared to leave the Pitstop. There was just enough light out that a flashlight wasn't required to read the clue, which Garfield quickly opened once the appropriate time arrived. Arlene took a deep breath to prepare for another leg.

(GARFIELD & ARLENE – First to Depart)

The orange tabby pulled the blue card from inside the envelope and started reading. "Fly to the world of Streets of Rage." He read.

"Teams must now drive themselves to the airport and sign up on one of two flights to the world of Streets of Rage, which was an older game and what was considered a clone of Final Fight by a good number of people." Mr. Jowai said. "Once they land, they must use one of the given cars to search out this bar, which was the first level in the first game, where they'll find the next clue."

"They've given us the name of the airline, Arlene." Garfield pointed out. "We'd better get moving if we want to secure a good spot."

"Right." Arlene agreed.

The two cats left the Pitstop and walked towards the line of five marked cars sitting at the end of Wario's driveway, waiting for them.

"The race is getting tighter and tighter, and Garfield and I are still in the race, despite my low stamina." Arlene said in an after-leg interview. "We're doing the best we can, and learning so much more about each other as the race continues, so even if we don't win, we won't leave empty-handed."

"It's a good thing we held onto this map from the last leg." Arlene mused as she held up a map. "I've already forgotten how to get to the airport."

"Well, being in a race will do that." Garfield nodded. "With everything happening on the fly and all."

The dating couple drove off in their car, Garfield giving Arlene directions as she drove.

"Let's see…According to this map, it'll take us about seven minutes to get to the airport." Garfield said as he read the map.

"Even with no other cars on the road?" Arlene asked.

"Hey. Diamond City is big." Garfield shrugged. "I guess we should be thankful that it's ONLY seven minutes."

(SHAGGY & VELMA – Second to Depart)

"Like, fly to the world of Streets of Rage." Shaggy read.

"I believe I've heard of that place before." Velma mused.

"Well, we'd better, like, get moving." Shaggy suggested. "It says that there's, like, only two charter flights."

The two detectives left the Pitstop and followed suit to Garfield & Arlene, walking over to the line of four cars.

"Shaggy and I have been using our heads (or in Shaggy's case, stomach) for the entire race thus far." Velma said in an after-leg interview. "It seems to have paid off, because there's only five teams left. Hopefully, Shaggy and I will be able to continue with our good performance and land a spot in the finals."

"Uh…Do you, like, know how to get to the airport, Velm?" Shaggy asked as he got behind the wheel.

"Why, of course, I do." Velma replied. She opened her mouth, but found herself coming up short. "Uh…Okay, I seem to have forgotten."

"You have the map?"

"Uh…No, I don't!" Velma replied. "I must have left it somewhere!"

"Like, don't worry, Velma." Shaggy assured. "We'll just find our way there."

(KIM & RON – Third to Depart)

"Fly to the world of Streets of Rage." Kim read. "Where the heck is that?"

"A side-scrolling beat-em-up." Ron explained.

"How would you know that?"

"Arcades, KP. Gotta love them."

"I would have figured that." Kim said. "Well, we'd better get moving."

"Overall, I'm please with our performance thus far. The only real major problem we had was back in the world of Perfect Dark, and even that only lasted a few legs." Kim said in an after-leg interview. "If Ron can recover from getting hit by a car, I'm confident that we can pull out on top and overcome everything in our path."

After getting into the backseat of their car, Ron searched for the map, but came up short. "Uh…KP?" Ron asked.

"Yeah?" Kim asked as she adjusted the rear-view mirror.

"I don't have the map to help us to the airport."

"Oh, no!" Kim said. "We'll have to ask for directions along the way, then!"

"I only hope that it won't cost us." Ron added as Kim started driving.

(AIRPORT)

"I'm telling you, Garfield. We wouldn't have made it here so quickly without that map." Arlene said in relief as she and Garfield entered the airport through the front doors.

"You hear me arguing?" Garfield asked. "I'm just glad we didn't lose it in the last leg."

"Well, do you see the airline?"

Garfield glanced up at a map of the airport and quickly found the airline. "Yeah, we take the right path and we'll end up at it!"

"Okay! Let's just remember to search for the race's flag!"

The two cats quickly ran through the airport and quickly came upon an airline that had the race's flag posted above the counter.

"There it is!" Arlene pointed out.

Garfield quickly grabbed the sign-up sheet and signed his and Arlene's names down for the first flight. "We're on!"

(GARFIELD & ARLENE – First on Flight 1)

"There's only two slots on the first flight?" Arlene asked, looking at the sheet. "I wonder who'll get on the plane with us…"

(TALON & MALON – Fourth to Depart)

"You ready for another leg, dad?" Malon asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be, I reckon." Talon said as he ripped open the envelope. "Come on, Malon. Let's get going."

"Right behind you, dad." Malon nodded.

"You can't believe how surprised I am to see how well we had done in the race. We had outlasted many more-athletic teams that probably could have made it this far any other day." Talon said in an after-leg interview. "With my huge belly and slow speed, I thought we'd be out on the first leg coming into the race! And now, here we are, still in the race with only five teams left! I guess the world's just FULL of surprises."

"You remember how to get back to the airport, dad?" Malon asked.

"No. Looks like we'll have to go to the map for this one." Talon said before searching around for his map. "Here it is, dearie!"

"Good. Now let's roll!" Malon said as she started the car and drove off. "How long a drive does it look like?"

"Under ten minutes easy." Talon observed.

(TINY & DINGODILE – Last to Depart)

"Ya have thirty bucks fer this leg of the race." Dingodile read.

"It all here, Dingodile!" Tiny said.

"Great! Let's get our behinds in gear!"

"Being in this race, Ah've had the most fun Ah've ever had in mah entire life. Ya couldn't imagine how fun this has all been." Dingodile said in an after-leg interview. "Tiny and Ah have continually surprised ourselves and we have no intention of slowin' down anytime soon."

"Did ya keep the map, Tiny?" Dingodile asked as he got behind the wheel.

"Tiny keep map, Dingodile." Tiny replied, holding the map in the air.

"Good. Ya need to direct me to the airport." The Australian hybrid instructed.

"Tiny do good job, Dingodile!" Tiny said excitedly. "Dingodile drive! Tiny handle rest!"

(SHAGGY & VELMA)

"Excuse me?" Velma said as she and Shaggy entered a hotel and went up to a counter. "We're looking for the airport. Could you tell us how to get there?"

"Of course." The clerk said. "You go to Club Sugar and take a right. Go straight for about two minutes, then hang a left. You should arrive there before too long."

"Like, thanks!" Shaggy said. "That should help us."

With that, the two detectives left the hotel and got back into their car, driving off.

"I hope we didn't lose too much time." Velma said.

(KIM & RON)

Kim was waiting in the car she was driving as Ron had gone into a store to look at a map. After a couple of minutes, he came back out again and got back into the car.

"So where do we go?" Kim asked as Ron buckled up.

"Keep going straight." Ron explained. "After two intersections, we turn left."

"Got it." Kim nodded and started the car again.

(TALON & MALON)

"Are you sure we're going the right way, dad?" Malon asked. "We've been driving around for a few minutes too long here."

Talon scratched his head and looked at the map from a different angle. "I don't understand it. We should be heading the right way."

Malon pulled up to a red light and stopped. "Let me see the map for a second."

Talon passed his daughter the map and let her read over it for a couple of seconds. Just before the light turned green, Malon handed the map back.

"We just missed out turn. I'm going to have to turn around." Malon said.

"Oh, darn. Sorry about that, dearie." Talon apologized.

"Ah, it's okay. We didn't lose that much time."

(AIRPORT)

Despite them leaving last, Tiny & Dingodile managed to get to the airport before the others. The two giants stood tall and looked around.

"Keep yer eyes peeled fer the race flag, Tiny." Dingodile instructed.

"Okay, Dingodile."

The two friends went through the airport for a couple of minutes, but eventually stumbled upon the correct airline.

In fact, Tiny was the one to spot it. "Oh! Tiny sees airline!"

"Yer right!" Dingodile said as he rushed over to the counter, grabbed the clipboard and signed up for the second and last slot on the first flight. "Hey! We're on the first flight!"

"Yay! We pull out of last place!"

(TINY & DINGODILE – Last on Flight 1)

Talon & Malon showed up next. It didn't take the two farmers long to find the correct airline, and they quickly signed up for the second flight.

"How the heck did we beat the other two teams here?" Malon asked. "I thought they departed before us."

"Ah, doesn't matter." Talon pointed out. "We would have ended up on the second flight anyway."

(TALON & MALON – First on Flight 2)

A couple of minutes later and the last two teams arrived at almost the same time. Thinking that they were still in a race for the first flight, they all ran over to the airline, only to get a very rude awakening.

"Oh, drat! We missed the first plane!" Kim said as she signed up for the second flight. "That entire race was for nothing!"

"Well, I guess you can't win them all." Velma lamented as she signed up for the second flight as well.

(KIM & RON – Second on Flight 2)

(SHAGGY & VELMA – Last on Flight 2)

"All five teams are now flying to the world of Streets of Rage on two different flights set a half an hour apart." Mr. Jowai explained. "The first flight contains Garfield & Arlene and Tiny & Dingodile. The second flight, arriving thirty minutes later, houses Talon & Malon, Kim & Ron, and Shaggy & Velma."

(Flight 1 – Landing)

Two very distinctive teams were seen running from the plane after it landed. Everyone had their backpacks, so there was no need to go to the baggage claim terminal and pick anything up. Because of Tiny & Dingodile's massive size, they had problems getting through the crowd of people in the airport. Due to this minor setback for the giants, Garfield & Arlene were outside first.

"You see the cars, Arlene?" Garfield asked, looking around the parking lot.

The pink cat looked around for a couple of seconds before nodding and pointing. "Yes! They're over there!"

"Let's go find ours before Tiny & Dingodile catch up!"

The two dating cats quickly found their car and jumped in, Garfield getting into the backseat and pulling out a map. Arlene jumped behind the wheel and started the car, pulling out of the parking space and driving away.

As Garfield & Arlene were making their getaway, Tiny & Dingodile darted out of the airport. The two giants rushed out into the parking lot and saw Garfield & Arlene driving off.

"Two cats getting away, Dingodile!" Tiny announced.

Dingodile rushed over to their car, opened the door and got behind the wheel. "Get in, Tiny! We'll catch up!"

"Okay, Dingodile!" Tiny replied as he jumped into the backseat. Dingodile started the car and drove off after Garfield & Arlene.

(GARFIELD & ARLENE)

"Quick, Garfield! Where do I go?" Arlene asked as she drove along the streets.

"Left!" Garfield announced, reading a map.

Arlene did as she was told and turned a corner. "Now where?"

"Keep going until you reach 'Jerry's Road'." Garfield said. "From there, you turn down 'Suicide Lane'."

"Who the heck names these roads?" Arlene asked, shaking her head. "Are the giants still behind us?"

Garfield took a glance out the back window and saw that Tiny & Dingodile were indeed still following them. "Yeah. They're right behind us."

"Then let's just hope that we'll be able to beat them in a footrace once we get there."

(TINY & DINGODILE)

"Dingodile follow cats!" Tiny pointed out. "Them going right way!"

"Right, Tiny!" Dingodile replied. "Looks like we'll be runnin' once we get there. Ya up fer a footrace?"

"Tiny ready for anything!"

"Attaboy."

(GARFIELD & ARLENE)

"Yeesh. Look around, Arlene." Garfield said. "There's gang violence everywhere in the slums here."

Arlene took a glance out the window and saw Axel and Blaze (two of the main characters in Streets of Rage) beating down several punks with mohawks. "Yeah. It really makes me glad that we live in Muncie."

"But even still, you live on the streets." Garfield said. "We really need to get you off the streets back home."

Arlene blushed at Garfield's concern (which was becoming more and more frequent as the race went on), but remained silent and continued driving.

(BAR)

Garfield & Arlene pulled up to he bar first, but Tiny & Dingodile were close by. The two cats were quick to get out of their car and raced over to the clue box, which was sitting by the front door.

(GARFIELD & ARLENE – First at Clue 1)

Garfield opened up the envelope and was surprised when he found a green card inside. "Hey, Arlene! A Cheat Code!"

"This is the second and last Cheat Code hidden on the entire race. The first team that finds it and completes it can skip all tasks and go directly to the Pitstop. However, once a team has used a Cheat Code, they may not use another one for the remainder of the race." Mr. Jowai said as he walked along a tall, industrial tower. "In this Cheat Code, teams must race to the industrial part of town and search out this tower where Axel, Blaze and the others fought off two heavy-armoured robots. Once there, they must scale the wall of the tower and repel down the other side in order to complete the task."

"What do you think, Arlene?" Garfield asked. "Should we go for it?"

"We're ahead." Arlene said. "Let's save it for one of the teams at the back of the pack."

"If you want." Garfield said as he took out the normal clue and read it. "Drive yourselves to the amusement park."

"Teams must now drive themselves to this amusement park and search out the 'Haunted Tunnel', which was the home for one of the bosses in Streets of Rage 2." Mr. Jowai said. "Sitting outside of the tunnel, teams will find their next clue."

"Let's get going." Garfield said.

"Right." Arlene nodded as she rushed back to their car and got in.

As Garfield & Arlene went back to their car, Tiny & Dingodile arrived. The two giants grabbed the next clue as the cats drove off.

(TINY & DINGODILE – Second at Clue 1)

"Oy!" Dingodile said as he showed Tiny the Cheat Code. "Ya think we should use it, mate?"

"Tiny don't know." Tiny admitted. "Don't really need it."

"Eh, yer right." Dingodile said as he pulled out the normal clue and read it. "Looks like we're going to the amusement park, Tiny."

"Oh, goody!" Tiny said. "We go now, Dingodile!"

"We'd better hurry." Dingodile mused. "It's been about a half an hour now."

(Flight 2 – Landing)

Shaggy & Velma led the charge through the airport, although Kim & Ron were right behind them. The two teams were so focused on getting ahead of each other that they didn't notice Talon & Malon slip out through a side door rather than the main door. This allowed the farmers to get out of the airport first.

"Remember that we're looking for marked cars and not taxis, dad." Malon reminded.

"Don't worry about me, Malon. I remember." Talon replied. "What? Ya thinking that I'm losing my memory with my old age?"

"Oh, come on, dad. You're not THAT old." Malon chuckled.

The two farmers ran out into the parking lot and saw the three marked cars remaining, waiting the teams.

"Well, what do you know?" Malon asked. "Looks like our strategy paid off!"

"Let's go, dearie! While we're still ahead!"

As the two other teams made it out into the parking lot, they saw Talon & Malon driving off. This surprised all four racers.

"Hey! I thought those two were behind us!" Ron said.

"They were." Velma pointed out. "They must have found a quicker way out of the airport."

The two teams decided not to waste another second, climbing into their cars and driving off after Talon & Malon, Kim & Ron in the lead.

(KIM & RON)

"We need to stay ahead here, Ron." Kim pointed out. "We're already behind and we need to at least stay ahead of the others to stay in the race."

"I hear you, KP." Ron replied, looking out the back window as Shaggy & Velma drove behind them. "We need to pull out each stop now."

"Hopefully, when we get to the next task, we'll get it done quickly."

(TALON & MALON)

"Okay. Hopefully, we have enough of a lead to stay ahead." Malon mused.

"We need to try our hardest, dear." Talon said. "We know we're behind."

"Right. We just need to get to the bar first and find out where to go next."

(SHAGGY & VELMA)

"Step on it, Shaggy!" Velma said. "Kim & Ron are just ahead of us!"

"Like, you got it, Velma!" Shaggy said as he sped up a bit in an attempt to pass the two teen heroes.

"This isn't good." Velma sighed. "We're at the back of the pack and we have no idea how far ahead the others are by now."

(AMUSEMENT PARK)

As Velma said that, two cars pulled up to the amusement park, Garfield & Arlene having a slight lead. The two teams parked their cars in the parking lot and jumped out, running towards the front entryway to the park.

"How do we find out where the tunnel is, Garfield?" Arlene asked as she jogged alongside her boyfriend (trying not to waste her stamina).

"We'll grab a park map once we get in." Garfield explained. "Most amusement parks have those."

Even though they weren't running as fast as they could, the dating cats were still outrunning Tiny & Dingodile, whom were trailing due to their massive girth.

"Tiny hopes to find tunnel before cats do, Dingodile!" Tiny said.

"You and me both, buddy." Dingodile agreed. "We need ta hurry if we wanna find it fast."

The two teams raced into the amusement park, starting the search for the next clue. Garfield & Arlene were quick to grab a pamphlet, which held a map inside it. As Tiny & Dingodile rushed by, Garfield studied the map and continued walking with it.

"You see it, Garfield?" Arlene asked.

"Yeah. It's at the corner of the park." Grafield pointed out. "And by the looks of things, Tiny & Dingodile are searching for the tunnel without a map."

"That could give us some more time, then." Arlene nodded. "Let's get moving."

(BAR)

Talon & Malon pulled up to the bar and jumped out of their car, although the other two teams were right behind them. As the others got out of their cars, Talon & Malon had gotten to the clue box.

(TALON & MALON – Third at Clue 1)

"Dad! A Cheat Code!" Malon said.

"This could be our chance, Malon! Let's go for it!" Talon said.

"But what if one of the other teams went for it already?"

"Then it'll either make us or break us."

As the father and daughter got back into their car, the last two teams raced to the clue and took out the last two envelopes.

(KIM & RON – Fourth at Clue 1)

(SHAGGY & VELMA – Last at Clue 1)

"A Cheat Code!" Ron observed.

"We can beat the farmers there, Ron!" Kim said. "Let's go for it!"

"Right, KP! Let's move!"

"You think we should go for it as well, Shaggy?" Velma asked.

"Like, we can certainly try!" Shaggy said.

"Okay. We'll try it."

With that, the three teams started a three-way race to the industrial section of the city, hoping to get to the Cheat Code first.

(AMUSEMENT PARK)

Due to the help of their map, Garfield & Arlene made it to the desired place first. Seeing the menacing look of the tunnel entrance (that looked like the head of a snarling monster) freaked the dating couple out slightly, but they saw the clue box sitting by the entrance (the open mouth) and rushed over.

(GARFIELD & ARLENE – First at Boss Battle)

Arlene grabbed the first envelope and ripped it open, pulling out a red card. "A Boss Battle."

"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 outside of the tunnel. "In this Boss Battle, that person has to go into the tunnel and search for their next clue, which is marked with by a small, glowing word on the wall."

"I'll do it." Arlene said.

"Arlene, you CAN'T be serious!" Garfield insisted. "Remember the LAST time I let you go into a dark and long tunnel alone?"

"Garfield, you've done two in a row." Arlene explained. "I need to do one to keep our tasks even."

Garfield sighed. "Okay. Just be careful that you don't tire yourself out."

Arlene rushed into the tunnel as Garfield walked over to a nearby bench and sat down.

(TINY & DINGODILE)

"Tiny, Ah don't think we're in the right spot." Dingodile said as he looked around the 'Kid's Area' of the park.

"Well, where is tunnel, then?" Tiny asked.

Dingodile suddenly saw a rack of pamphlets nearby and grabbed one. He quickly found the map of the park. "Gah! Ah don't believe this! We should've grabbed one of these when we entered the park!" He said. "We're in the wrong area!"

"Then we go to right area, Dingodile!" Tiny said. "Come on!"

(INDUSTRIAL AREA)

The three trailing teams drove past tall buildings and factories, towards one in particular. Thankfully, a map was included with the clue to the Cheat Code, so they had no trouble picking the building out.

On the grounds of the building sat a post with five numbers of it. Whichever team plucked the number 1 from it had the right to go first, so each of the three teams were going as fast as they were allowed to in order to get to the building first.

(TALON & MALON)

"You see the building, dear?" Talon asked.

"Yes. Looks like we can't drive in, though." Malon observed. "We'll have to park the car before we go in."

(KIM & RON)

"Looks like we're running." Ron pointed out. "Ready for a footrace to the post of numbers, KP?"

"I'll have to be." Kim replied. "There's three teams here and we're all going for the Cheat Code."

(SHAGGY & VELMA)

"I sure hope we haven't made a mistake, Shaggy." Velma said.

"Like, what do you mean, Velm?" Shaggy asked.

"We're all racing for the Cheat Code and we don't even know if it's still there." Velma replied. "One of the other teams could have gone for it."

"We'll, like, have to take the risk, Velma." Shaggy replied.

The three teams drove until they reached the building's parking lot. The instant they parked their cars, they jumped out of them and started a six-way sprint to the post of numbers.

However, during the run, Ron, Malon and Velma start to pull ahead, turning the race into a three-way run.

"Let me through!" Malon shouted as she tried to slip past Ron.

"There's no way we're letting you go on!" Ron shot back as he ran ahead.

"While you guys are struggling, I'll just go and take the number 1 from the post, and..." Velma said as she easily ran by the two as they were struggling to stay ahead of each other.

"Oh, no you don't!" Malon and Ron shouted as one and sprang forward.

It was a close race, but one of the racers managed to get to the post first, taking the number 1 from it and holding it in the air triumphantly.

"Good going, Malon!" Talon shouted as he rushed through the gates leading onto the building's grounds.

"Yes! I got it!" Malon said victoriously.

Seeing Malon grab the number, Velma quickly went over to Shaggy. "Where's the clue?"

"Like, right here." Shaggy said, holding out the envelope.

"We'll have to proceed normally." Velma said as she took the normal clue out of the envelope and read it. "We're going to the amusement park, Shaggy. Let's go."

As she watched Velma and Shaggy run off, Kim grabbed her clue. "Ron, come on! We'll have to do the leg with the normal clue."

"Okay, KP." Ron sighed. "Sorry I couldn't grab the number first."

"Don't worry about it, Ron." Kim assured. "Let's just go."

As the other teams drove off, Malon sighed in relief. "Let's do this, dad. If we can do it, we'll be in first!"

"Then let's get going!" Talon said.

The two farmers followed the marked path and ended up at the side wall, where some officials were waiting.

"You here to perform the Cheat Code?" One of them asked.

"That we are." Talon nodded.

"Okay. We'll just need to suit you up so you can start scaling this wall here."

"This'll take no time at all, dad." Malon said. "We'll get this done quickly."

(BOSS BATTLE)

Garfield took a glance to his right and saw Tiny & Dingodile running into view. He smirked. "What took you guys so long?" He asked.

"We forgot a map." Dingodile said as he rushed over to the clue box and took out another envelope.

(TINY & DINGODILE – Second at Boss Battle)

"Ah'd better do this one, Tiny." Dingodile said. "Ah think Ah've got more stamina."

"Okay. Dingodile do task quick!" Tiny encouraged as Dingodile vanished into the tunnel.

Once the hybrid was gone, Tiny walked over to he bench Garfield was sitting on and sat on the opposite end of it. Because of the massive weight difference (even for Garfield), the orange tabby found himself hanging five feet in the air.

(ARLENE)

The pink cat had some problems going through the dark tunnel at first, but once her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, she didn't have any problems moving around. Even still, she hadn't found any words written on the wall.

"How hard could this be?" Arlene asked. "I'm looking for some glowing words inside a dark tunnel! How could this be taking so long?"

Arlene pressed her hand against the stone wall of the tunnel and continued searching.

(CHEAT CODE)

Although Malon was going up the wall fairly easily, Talon wasn't having such luck. The portly farmer struggled to climb the wall, going up little amounts at one time.

"Come on, dad! It can't be THAT hard!" Malon said, looking down at her father.

"How can you do this task that fast, Malon?" Talon asked.

"I've had practice sneaking in and out of my room at night to visit Epona for a while about twice a week." Malon said with a smirk.

Talon sighed. "Why am I not surprised?"

(SHAGGY & VELMA)

"It could take us a bit to get to the amusement park, Shaggy." Velma explained. "From the looks of things, it's still a fair ways away."

"Like, I'll get there as fast as I can, Velma." Shaggy assured. "Don't worry."

"I'm not. I'm just hoping that we can make up for the time we lost back there."

(KIM & RON)

"Hang a left, KP." Ron said, looking at the map.

"Right."

"No. Left."

"…You know what? I'm not going to bother starting an old joke like that." Kim said. "If I did, we'd be at it for hours."

Ron looked puzzled. "What're you talking about, Kim?"

(BOSS BATTLE)

Arlene was still searching, and she had to admit that it was starting to tire her out. The pink cat continued to search the tunnel, her breaths becoming deeper and harder every time she did so.

"I've been almost everywhere." Arlene panted. "Where the heck is the clue?"

Suddenly, Arlene saw a slight glow coming from further down the tunnel. Picking up the pace, Arlene found the words 'Clue down here' sprayed onto the tunnel wall with glow-in-the-dark paint. A glowing arrow was pointing down at the clue box, which Arlene quickly went over to and pulled an envelope out of it.

With the clue in hand, Arlene turned around and started making her way back out of the tunnel to meet up with Garfield again so they could continue the race.

Meanwhile, Dingodile was a fair ways away, but was having an easier time going through the tunnel and was running at a faster pace. He unknowingly passed Arlene as she was running back and continued on, eventually finding the clue box as well.

"Score!" Dingodile said victoriously as he dashed back towards the entrance.

(OUTSIDE)

Tiny whistled and twiddled his thumbs as he and Garfield awaited their respective partners to emerge from within the tunnel. Even though Arlene had gone in first, her weak stamina could have allowed Dingodile to overtake her at some point during the race, which meant that it was really either team's game at this point.

Suddenly, the two heard what sounded like a female breathing and panting heavily. Knowing that it was Arlene, Garfield jumped off the bench and rushed over. Sure enough, his pink girlfriend emerged from the tunnel, holding the clue. She looked tired, but definitely not as tired as she did when she completed the tunnel task back in the world of Suikoden 3.

"Are you okay, Arlene?" Garfield asked.

Arlene nodded. "Yeah…I'm…Fine." She panted and handed Garfield the clue.

(GARFIELD & ARLENE – First at Clue 2)

Garfield quickly opened up the envelope. "Drive yourselves to the Baseball Diamond."

"Teams must now drive themselves to this Baseball Diamond, which was a level in one of the Streets of Rage games." Mr. Jowai said. "On the field of this large and popular stadium, teams will find their next clue."

"Well, we'd better get moving, Arlene." Garfield said. "Here. I'll drive when we get to the car."

As Garfield & Arlene went off, Tiny continued to await his partner. It took a few minutes, but Dingodile emerged from the tunnel, a little short on breath but otherwise okay. Once he saw his friend, Tiny jumped from the bench and ran over.

(TINY & DINGODILE – Second at Clue 2)

"Drive ta the Baseball Diamond." Dingodile read.

"We go now, Dingodile!" Tiny said. "We catch up to cats!"

(CHEAT CODE)

It took a bit of effort, but Talon finally made it to the top of the building, where Malon was waiting (and had been for the past while). As soon as he made it, Talon saw that Malon was getting hooked up to a cable on the other side o the roof.

"What's going, on, dearie?" Talon asked.

"We need to repel down this side, dad." Malon explained. "Once we do, the task'll be finished."

"Does this require me to move my arms at all?" Talon asked. "Because I really tired them out on the way up."

"We're just going down this time, dad." Malon assured. "This is going to be a lot easier."

Talon sighed. "Okay. If we'll finish the task one we get this done, then let's get this over with."

(AMUSEMENT PARK)

By the time Tiny & Dingodile made it out into the parking lot, Garfield & Arlene were already driving away, Garfield at the wheel.

"We can catch up, Tiny!" Dingodile said. "Let's get back in the car!"

Tiny grinned and rushed over to their car, getting into the backseat. Dingodile jumped behind the wheel and the two were off, chasing Garfield & Arlene down.

A couple of minutes after the two teams had driven off, the two teams fighting for last place came driving up and pulled into the parking lot, Shaggy & Velma just ahead of Kim & Ron.

After getting out of the car, the two detectives dashed into the park. On the way in, Velma grabbed a pamphlet and opened it to find a map.

"Like, where's the tunnel, Velma?" Shaggy asked.

"That way." Velma replied, pointing off to the right. "Come on."

However, Kim & Ron were right behind the two, and had also grabbed a map on the way in. Kim opened the map and scanned it over.

"From the looks of things, Shaggy & Velma are going the right way." Kim observed.

"Then let's follow them, KP!" Ron said. "We need to catch up!

"Right. Let's go."

(GARFIELD & ARLENE)

Arlene was slowly getting her strength back, and was currently reading a map in the backseat. "Let's see. The Baseball Diamond is about four blocks away." She pointed out.

"And from the looks of things, Tiny & Dingodile are gaining on us." Garfield observed, looking in the rear-view mirror. "Either of us could pull out on top here."

Arlene nodded. "We need to try and beat those two to the Pitstop." She said. "We may be the teams in the lead, but anyone can catch up to us if they play hard enough."

(TINY & DINGODILE)

"We getting close to Baseball Ruby, Dingodile." Tiny said.

"Diamond, Tiny. Baseball 'Diamond'." Dingodile replied.

"How Tiny supposed to know that? He never play baseball before!"

"Eh, never mind." Dingodile said. "The main thing is that we're on the right track and we can beat those two if we try hard enough."

(CHEAT CODE)

Malon was right in saying that repelling down the other side of the building wouldn't take as long as climbing up the first side. Both father and daughter went down the side of the building with ease and quickly arrived at the bottom. After she was unhooked from the cable, Malon was handed a clue.

(TALON & MALON – Cheat Code Completed)

"Thanks!" Malon said as she ripped open the clue. "Congratulations on completing the Cheat Code. You may now go directly to the Pitstop!"

"Having completed the Cheat Code, Talon & Malon can skip all remaining tasks and go directly to the Pitstop: The lobby of Mr. X's Tower." Mr. Jowai explained.

"Dad! We did it! We're going to the Pitstop!" Malon said.

"Great! Let's go!" Talon said.

(BOSS BATTLE)

With the help of their maps, the two trailing teams didn't have much trouble finding the tunnel, although Shaggy stopped when he saw how menacing the entrance looked.

Velma noticed this and pulled him along. "It's an inanimate object, Shaggy." She reminded.

"Oh, right."

Unfortunately for the two detectives, Shaggy stalling gave Kim & Ron enough time to slip by and grab the clue first.

(KIM & RON – Third at Boss Battle)

"It's another Boss Battle, Ron." Kim said. "Here. I'll do it."

"If you want to, I'm not going to stop you, KP." Ron said.

As Kim vanished into the tunnel, Shaggy & Velma got to the clue box and pulled the next clue from inside.

(SHAGGY & VELMA – Last at Boss Battle)

"I'm not going to make you do this one, Shaggy." Velma assured. "I'll do it."

"Like, thanks, Velma." Shaggy sighed in relief as he and Ron went over to the bench and sat down.

(BASEBALL DIAMOND)

The two lead teams quickly came upon the stadium that held the Baseball Diamond. Parking their cars again, they all got out and raced inside, although Garfield & Arlene still had a bit of distance on Tiny & Dingodile.

Running through the empty stadium, the teams eventually found the field, where they saw the clue box sitting in plain sight. Everyone rushed over to the box, and Tiny & Dingodile managed to make it there first, barely edging out the two cats to grab the clue.

(TINY & DINGODILE – First at Split Track)

Tiny opened the envelope and pulled out a yellow card. "Split Track, Dingodile!"

"A Split Track is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons." Mr.Jowai said as he walked along the field. "In this Split Track, teams must choose between 'Ball' and 'Pad'. In Ball, teams must go onto the field and take turns swinging a bat at a pitching machine to hit a total of five baseballs. Once the team has hit five, they'll receive the next clue. The task could be physically demanding, but teams with good arms could finish quickly. In Pad, teams are given a pad and must go into the baseball team's locker room. Then, they must search through the boxes of pads scattered throughout the room until they find a matching pad, which they must hand in for their next clue. The boxes are light, so the task isn't physically demanding, but searching through boxes of pads for a single one that matches could take a long time."

"We've never played baseball before, Tiny." Dingodile sighed. "Even though that seems like the quicker task, we might 'ave an easier time searchin' fer a matching pad."

"Okay, Dingodile." Tiny nodded. "We go to locker room."

(GARFIELD & ARLENE – Second at Split Track)

"As much as I think I'll regret it later, I say we play baseball." Arlene suggested.

"But what about your stamina?" Garfield asked.

"I'll have to put up with it." Arlene replied. "This is the quicker task, so we'll get it done quicker if we try hard enough."

Garfield sighed, defeated. "Okay. You win. Let's go give it a shot."

(BOSS BATTLE)

Velma wandered through the dark tunnel, looking around constantly for the next clue. So far, she hadn't had much luck, and even though she hated to think such thoughts, she was hoping that Kim was having a hard time as well.

"This is bad." Velma sighed. "If I don't find that clue soon, Shaggy & I could very well be eliminated."

Even still, Velma certainly wasn't one to give up, and she quickly picked up the pace so she could hopefully get the task done quicker.

Not too far away, Kim was also searching, and was also having similar poor luck. The redhead hero looked around as she rushed through the darkness, but wasn't finding the clue or whatever was written on the wall.

"I don't believe how hard this is." Kim said, shaking her head. "The writing is supposed to glow in the dark and I'm looking for it in a pitch black tunnel. This should have been a snap to do!"

(TINY & DINGODILE)

The two giants entered the locker room and looked around at the massive amounts of boxes scattered around.

"How do we find pad in one of these boxes, Dingodile?" Tiny asked.

Dingodile saw a black knee pad with a lightning bolt sitting on a table with four others and grabbed it. "Well, at least we got an easy one to look fer."

Tiny nodded as he grabbed a box, opened it and started searching.

(GARFIELD & ARLENE)

Arlene picked up the silver bat and stepped up to the plate to await the pitching machine to throw her a ball. Arlene took a deep breath and prepared to swing as the machine shot a ball at her.

The pink cat swung the bat with all her might, but she missed and the ball went straight on by. Arlene sighed in defeat as she left the plate.

"Don't worry, Arlene." Garfield assured. "We don't need to hit them all in a row."

With that, Garfield stepped up to the plate and prepared to swing. Unfortunately, much like Arlene, Garfield missed the ball.

"We haven't hit anything yet, Garfield." Arlene said. "Maybe we should switch tasks."

"Once we get used to it, we'll have no problem." Garfield replied. "Let's stick with this task for a while."

(PITSTOP)

Talon & Malon quickly found the tower of Streets of Rage boss Mr. X and pulled into the parking lot. The two farmers quickly got out of their car.

"This is it, dad!" Malon said. "The Pitstop!"

"Let's go, Malon!" Talon urged.

The father and daughter rushed through the front doors and saw Mr. Jowai standing on the Pitstop mat with Axel, the game's leading character (whom had been seen beating the tar out of some punks earlier in the leg). Talon & Malon rushed over and stepped onto the mat together.

"Welcome to Streets of Rage." Axel greeted.

"Thanks, partner!" Talon nodded.

"Talon & Malon…" Mr. Jowai said with a pause, although it wasn't really needed. "…You're team number one!"

(TALON & MALON – First Place)

"Alright! We pulled ahead!" Malon shouted in victory.

"And we're in first place again!" Talon added. "We're getting closer to that prize!"

"And I have some special news for you guys." Mr.Jowai said as the two racers calmed down. "In the previous race, you may remember father and daughter team Guile & Amy, whom lasted all the way to fifth place. Well, with this Pitstop, you two have now made it further than they have."

"And you have no idea how great it feels." Malon said with a smile.

(GARFIELD & ARLENE)

The two cats had managed to hit two baseballs by now (one for each of them) and Garfield was up to bat again. He had quickly gotten used to the feel of a bat (after all, it wasn't much different than the spiked club he constantly mauled the mailman with) and was the first to hit a ball.

The pitching machine threw another fastball at Garfield. The orange tabby swung, striking another hit. This one went further than his last hit, but only by a little.

"Alright!" Arlene cheered as she approached the plate again. "That's three!"

"What did I tell you, Arlene?" Garfield asked. "Once we got used to these things, this task just became easier for us to complete."

(TINY & DINGODILE)

Tiny scratched his head as he came up empty-handed again. The box he had just finished searching didn't have the desired pad in it and he was beginning to run out of boxes to check.

Glancing upwards, Tiny saw a box sitting on a shelf. Smirking, the huge tiger climbed up onto a bench and reached for the box.

Dingodile was in the process of searching through another box when he heard a loud crash. Thinking quickly, Dingodile spun around. "Tiny?" He asked before seeing that the shelf Tiny was reaching for was broken and his friend was buried in a mound of junk. "Oh, no! TINY!"

Dropping what he was doing, Dingodile rushed over to the pile of junk and started digging his friend out of it, fearing that Tiny had been knocked unconscious or worse.

Suddenly, a very dizzy Tiny emerged from the pile, triumphantly holding the box he had been reaching for. "Tiny get box, Dingodile…" He said.

Dingodile chuckled as playfully smacked his friend upside the head. "Ah forgot that everything in here's light. Don't do that to me again, Tiny!"

"Do what?"

"Never mind."

(BOSS BATTLE)

Velma continued running through the tunnel and even she had to admit that this task was getting the better of her. She had wasted a lot of time searching for the clue, and didn't want to be eliminated over it.

Suddenly, Velma spotted something glowing just a ways away. "That must be it!" She said to herself as she rushed ahead. Sure enough, it was the words written on the wall, the clue box sitting directly below them. Not wanting to waste any more time, Velma yanked a clue from within the box and rushed back towards the entrance.

However, Kim was right behind Velma at the time and also spotted the clue. "There you are." She said with a smirk as she ran over to the clue box and took out an envelope. Kim then turned around and ran off after Kim.

Outside, Ron and Shaggy awaited their partners to come out from inside the tunnel, both of them hoping that they get to leave the Boss Battle first, because neither of them found the snarling monster face for a tunnel entrance to be very appealing.

Suddenly, Velma emerged from the tunnel with Kim right behind her. The boys let out a sigh of relief and went to join their respective partners.

(SHAGGY & VELMA – Third at Clue 2)

(KIM & RON – Last at Clue 2)

"Drive to the baseball diamond…" Velma read.

"…The next clue will be on the field." Kim finished.

"Like, let's go, Velm." Shaggy said, pulling Velma by the arm. "I don't wanna look at that entrance ever again!"

"I'm with Shaggy, Kim." Ron agreed. "Let's split."

(GARFIELD & ARLENE)

Arlene gulped as she stepped up to the plate again. This had been the seventh time she had tried batting and the cats only needed one more hit to complete the task. That and Tiny & Dingodile had been doing their task for a while now and could finish at any minute.

Suddenly, the machine pitched again. Arlene pulled her bat back and swung with all her might.

With a VERY satisfying 'crack', Arlene hit the ball with full force, surprising both herself and Garfield at the power of the hit. The ball cut through the air and went all the way down the field before depositing itself past the wall on the other side of it.

Both Garfield & Arlene stood in silence, seeing how the latter had managed to hit a home run.

"I don't believe it…" Arlene said in awe. "I actually hit a home run…"

Garfield was handed the next clue, but didn't open it yet. "You wanna run the bases just for the heck of it, Arlene?"

"Can I?"

"Go ahead. You just hit a home run, after all."

As Arlene ran the bases with excited glee, shouting in victory the entire time, Garfield opened the next clue. "Drive yourselves to the next Pitstop."

"Teams must now drive themselves across the city and find this tower, belonging to the late mod boss that went by the alias of Mr. X." Mr. Jowai said as he walked through the lobby of a tower. "This tower, where the final battle for the first two games took place, is the Pitstop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here may be eliminated."

Arlene had just finished running the bases and came over. "Where are we going?"

"The Pitstop." Garfield explained. "Come on! We're still ahead of Tiny & Dingodile!"

(TINY & DINGODILE)

Still searching through the box he had taken from the shelf earlier, Tiny suddenly pulled a pad from inside it. "Dingodile! Tiny find pad he thinks is match!"

"Ya have?" Dingodile asked, whipping out the one he grabbed from the table and rushing over to his friend. He held the two side by side and saw that they were indeed a match. "Yer right, Tiny! They're identical!"

"We get clue now?" Tiny asked excitedly.

"Ah hope so. Let's go show these to the official."

Tiny & Dingodile left the locker room and found the official standing outside the door. Dingodile presented the two pads to him.

"Do they match, mate?" Dingodile asked hopefully.

The official smiled. "Congratulations. You have a match." With that, the official handed Tiny a clue.

"Thanks, mate!" Dingodile said.

Tiny ripped open the clue and gasped. "Pitstop, Dingodile! We go to Pitstop!"

"Let's get our furry behinds into gear, then!"

By the time Tiny & Dingodile made it out of the stadium, Garfield & Arlene were starting to drive away.

"We not far behind, Dingodile!" Tiny said excitedly.

"We 'ave a chance ta beat them, then!" Dingodile said. "Let's go!"

(SHAGGY & VELMA)

"Stay ahead of them, Shaggy." Velma encouraged.

"Velma, like, stay calm." Shaggy insisted. "The leg's, like, not even over, yet."

"We still need to stay ahead." Velma pointed out. "Kim & Ron are no pushovers when it comes to completing tasks, you know."

Shaggy nodded. "Like, you got me there, Velm."

(KIM & RON)

"They're speeding up, Ron." Kim said.

"Don't lose them, KP!" Ron said.

"If I go any faster, I'll break the speed limit." Kim sighed.

"The race doesn't wait for anyone, KP." Ron reminded. "We need to do whatever we can to stay in the race."

"You're right. I'll stay close to them."

(GARFIELD & ARLENE)

"Excuse us?" Arlene asked as she rolled down the back window and looked at someone driving the car beside them. "We're looking for Mr. X's tower. You know where it is?"

"It's just a few blocks down that way." The driver said. "You can't miss it. It's a really big tower."

"Thank you so much!" Arlene replied as she rolled up the window again. "Keep going, Garfield! We're on the right track!"

"Right." Garfield nodded. "We're almost done the leg, Arlene. We need to stay ahead of Tiny & Dingodile."

(TINY & DINGODILE)

"Ah'm lookin' fer the tower that used to belong to Mr. X." Dingodile said to a couple of pedestrians as he showed them his map.

It took a couple of seconds, but Dingodile managed to get directions. "Thanks a bunch, mates." He said as he ran back to the car and got in.

"We on right track, Dingodile?" Tiny asked.

"Yep." Dingodile replied. "It shouldn't take us five minutes ta get there."

(SPLIT TRACK)

Having arrived at the stadium at almost the same time, the two last-place teams raced through the hallways, along the marked path, until they finally got out onto the field. It was a quick race, but Kim & Ron barely managed to edge out Shaggy & Velma.

(KIM & RON – Third at Split Track)

(SHAGGY & VELMA – Last at Split Track)

"We need to play baseball, Ron." Kim said. "Even though I'm not very good at it, it's the quicker task."

"Right, KP." Ron nodded. "Let's go."

"They're doing the one task, Shaggy. I say we do the other." Velma suggested.

Shaggy nodded. "Yeah. We'd, like, probably have better luck searching through some boxes." As the two detectives rushed towards the locker room, Shaggy continued. "Man! It's, like, too bad that Fred isn't here. The baseball would SO be his task."

"You said it."

(PITSTOP)

Mr. Jowai stood on the Pitstop mat inside the lobby of the huge tower, Axel by his side. Even though Talon & Malon had already checked in, Mr. Jowai still pointed out the door and showed Axel where the teams would be coming from.

Suddenly, the two looked out the glass doors and saw a team's car driving up. The two watched the second-place team get out of their car and run towards the tower's entrance.

Garfield & Arlene entered the lobby, saw the Pitstop and rushed over, jumping on.

"Garfield & Arlene………You're team number two!"

(GARFIELD & ARLENE – Second Place)

Arlene sighed in relief. "Well, we slipped down a notch, but we're still in."

"I wonder which team used the Cheat Code…" Garfield pondered.

(KIM & RON)

Ron swung his bat again, missing another ball. He sighed in defeat as he stepped back and allowed Kim to approach the plate.

So far, the two had only hit one ball, and that was from Ron. Since then, the two hadn't hit anything. However, when Kim swung, she hit the ball and sent it flying across the field.

Kim, seeing herself hit the ball, smiled. "That's two, Ron!"

"Okay. Let's get this show on the road, now." Ron said, psyching himself up as he approached the plate again.

(SHAGGY & VELMA)

"Having any luck yet, Shaggy?" Velma asked as she set a box of pads aside.

"Like, not yet, Velm." Shaggy replied.

The two detectives knew what they were looking for: A white pad with a red flame on it. The only problem now was finding it.

"This is pretty tough." Velma shook her head. "These tasks in this leg have been surprising me with the length of time taking to accomplish them."

"Uh…Yeah. Like, what you said." Shaggy agreed, not really sure of a couple of words Velma had just said.

(PITSTOP)

Tiny & Dingodile knew that they were still in the race, so they decided to take whatever they were given. The two giants quickly spotted the Pitstop and checked it.

"Tiny & Dingodile………You are team number three!"

(TINY & DINGODILE – Third Place)

"That's just great!" Dingodile said with a toothy grin. "Ah figured Garfield & Arlene would beat us here, anyway."

"And one other team get Cheat Code." Tiny said. "Tiny can't wait to see whom it was!"

(KIM & RON)

"Come on. Just one more." Kim said to herself as Ron approached the plate again and prepared to take another swing.

Seeing the machine shoot another ball, Ron swung blindly, striking the ball and sending it across the field. Unlike Arlene, he didn't get a home run, but it was decently close.

"Alright! That was five!" Kim said in glee as she was given a clue.

"Boo-Yah!" Ron said victoriously as he set down his bat and joined Kim.

"We're heading to the Pitstop, Ron!" Kim said.

"Let's go, KP!"

(SHAGGY & VELMA)

"Hey, Velm! I think I found it!" Shaggy said as he pulled a pad from a box.

Velma held the sample pad and the one Shaggy had found together. "They're exactly alike! We have a match!"

"Like, let's go grab a clue, then!"

The two detectives quickly left the locker room and handed the two pads to the official. Not surprisingly, they were handed a clue.

"Thank you!" Velma said as she ripped open the envelope. "We're going to the Pitstop, Shaggy!"

"Like, let's go, Velma!" Shaggy said.

The two detectives raced out of the stadium as fast as they could, only to see that Kim & Ron were getting into their car.

"Jinkies! There's Kim & Ron!" Velma observed.

"Like, get in the car, Velma!" Shaggy said. "It's a two-way race for last place!"

The two teams drove out of the parking lot at almost the same time, starting a race to the Pitstop.

(KIM & RON)

"I never thought that it would come to this." Kim said, her eyes wide as she drove. "A race to the Pitstop in cars."

"You just drive, KP. I'll look at the map and guide you." Ron said. "I just hope it's enough to stay in the race."

(SHAGGY & VELMA)

"I'm trying to find a shorter way to the tower, Shaggy." Velma said as she scanned over the map in her hand. "But we need to find one fast."

"Like, yeah." Shaggy agreed. "If we don't get there first, we'll be eliminated."

The two teams continued driving together, trying to get ahead of each other. This continued until…

(KIM & RON)

"Go left, KP!"

"Okay!" Kim said as she turned to the left. "How much further?"

"Two blocks!" Ron replied.

(SHAGGY & VELMA)

"Like, you find a quicker route, Velma?" Shaggy asked his partner.

"I hope so, but it's a risk." Velma replied. "Keep going straight and turn left at the next intersection."

"I hope this way's quicker." Shaggy mused as he passed the road that Kim & Ron turned down.

"I hope so, too."

(PITSTOP)

Mr.Jowai and Axel awaited the final safe team to arrive and check into the Pitstop patiently. Suddenly, they saw another car coming outside. The mystery team's car parked in the parking lot and the team jumped out, running towards the tower and pushing open the glass door.

Shaggy & Velma, not wanting to waste any time, ran towards the Pitstop and checked in, hoping that their recent 'shortcut' paid off.

"Shaggy & Velma………You are team number four!"

(SHAGGY & VELMA – Fourth Place)

Velma practically collapsed into Shaggy's arms in relief. "I don't believe it. We're still in." She said.

"Thanks to you, Velma." Shaggy assured. "You made the decision to take the shorter way."

"But I didn't even KNOW it was shorter."

"Hey. It, like, paid off. That's all that matters."

Sad music played as Kim & Ron ran through the lobby of the tower and checked into the Pitstop.

"Kim & Ron…" Mr. Jowai sighed. "…You're the last team to arrive."

"Yeah. I'm not really surprised." Ron chuckled.

"I'm sorry to tell you that you've both been eliminated from the race."

(KIM & RON – ELIMINATED)

"I'm not upset in the slightest that we're eliminated." Kim explained in an after-leg interview. "We finished in fifth place. We survived longer than I ever would have thought and seen places that I know my friends will be jealous of me for. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Bonnie applied for the next race in a mere attempt to surpass me. Anyway, this race was an amazing experience for me, and it all made saving the world seem…Kinda…Dull in comparison. Now THAT is saying something."

"Fifth place is god enough for me. I'm glad we came this far and went out in a close race rather than falling behind and coming in hours later." Ron said in an after-leg interview. "I had a real ball doing this race. It was the most awesome thing I ever did, and I look forward to telling my parents all about it when the show airs on TV. The only thing I want to do before this race is over is congratulate the winners personally, because whoever wins, they'll deserve every penny."

"Ron's been my best friend since we were kids, and nothing's going to change that." Kim said. "In fact, this race only made my feelings for him grow, because I've seen firsthand that he's willing to do anything for me, even take a hit by a car. I sure hope everyone else looks at Ron with a new light from now on, because I certainly am. He's shown me how much of an angel he is, and I want to show the world that."

"What can I say about Kim? We've done everything together for who-knows-how-long." Ron laughed. "I swear that I wouldn't have enjoyed this race as much as I did partnered with anyone else except Kim. I feel blessed that I can call her my best friend, because I…No…NO ONE could ask for a better best friend than Kim. I may not be Mr. Popular, but with Kim at my side, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world."

In a slow-motion shot, Kim & Ron turned around and left the Pitstop. They walked across the lobby until they got to the door. Ron opened the door and gentlemanly held it open for Kim, allowing her to go through first, then went out after her.

"On the next leg of the Amazing Race: VG Style…" Mr.Jowai said.

We see Velma struggling to complete a task.

"A tough Boss Battle gets to Velma's nerves."

"How could this be so hard?!" Velma shouted. "Why can't I just do this?!"

We see Garfield & Arlene walking when Arlene collapses. Garfield quickly rushes over.

"And Arlene's weak stamina finally catches up to her."

"I can't go on anymore, Garfield." Arlene said in a weak voice. "I just too tired."

The screen suddenly went into slow-motion as Garfield tries to help Arlene to her feet.

Current Standings:

1 – Talon & Malon

2 – Garfield & Arlene

3 – Tiny & Dingodile

4 – Shaggy & Velma

5 – Kim & Ron (ELIMINATED)

6 – Jolene & Mush (ELIMINATED)

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 notes: Hey, updating on the same day as the actual Amazing Race. That's pretty cool.

On a side note for the actual race, I couldn't be happier with the results of the current leg.