CHAPTER 8: A DAY AT THE RACES
At last the day of the triathlon had arrived. Molayne got up from bed early and looked at himself in the mirror.
"Today's going to be a great day," he said. "I'm going to have fun, even though I know I'm not going to win it."
Molayne had a fueling breakfast, took a shower, and got dressed. He giggled a little, knowing that people would be amused at seeing him wearing a speedo. He put his shoes, sweatbands, and number on. His number was 81.
Later that morning, Molayne reported to Route 15. This was where the race started. The first leg of the race was the swim. Next was the bike race, and the last part was the run. He saw Sophocles standing under a tree.
"Hello, Big Mo!" said Sophocles.
"Hi!" said Molayne.
Sophocles gave Molayne a high-five.
"Where's Kukui?" asked Molayne.
"He's busy talking to some old friends," said Sophocles. "They don't think you can do it."
Molayne frowned.
"I know you can do it," said Sophocles. "All that training was worth it."
A fat couple walked over to Molayne. These were Evan and Kirsten, Sophocles' parents.
"So," said Evan, "my little cousin's ready for his big race?"
"You bet!" said Molayne. "Where's Mom and Dad?"
"Your parents are waiting in LoaLoa Town," said Kirsten.
"Thanks," said Molayne. "I'm going to look for my cheering squad."
Molayne saw Sun, Moon, and Hau getting refreshments at a stall. Sun wore his Kommo-o outfit (the one from Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon), Moon wore a Rammstein T-shirt and frayed blue denim shorts. Hau wore a grey Super Mario Bros. T-shirt and green Bermuda shorts. Sun had a bag of churros, Moon had a chili dog, and Hau had a couple of malasadas.
"Hi, Big Mo," said Sun. "Want a churro?"
"I'll have to decline," said Molayne. "Churros aren't proper fuel for a triathlon."
"Okay," said Sun. "All the more for me."
"I like your outfit," said Molayne.
"Thanks," said Sun. "It cost a ton of money."
"We saw Olivia earlier," said Hau. "She's in Tapu Village with her new video camera."
"Hope that speedo isn't too snug on you," said Moon.
"No," said Molayne.
Molayne heard a whistle.
"All competitors in the Alolan Ironman Triathlon please report to the starting line," said a voice.
Molayne reported to the starting line and stood next to Professor Kukui. He was wearing the same tri suit he wore the other day.
"Hello, Kukui!" said Molayne.
"Molayne!" said Professor Kukui. "So good to see you!"
"So I guess we're going to be competing against each other," said Molayne.
"Yep," said Professor Kukui. "It's every man for himself."
"You mean every man and woman," said Molayne. "You gotta be inclusive!"
"That's right," said Professor Kukui.
Molayne heard the announcer speak again.
"On your mark...get set...GO!"
As soon as the whistle blew, everyone jumped into the water. Molayne swam as fast as he could. He ended up being towards the back, while Kukui was towards the front. Molayne paced himself for the long, grueling swim.
"I'm worried about Molayne," said Sun.
"Worried?" asked Hau. "Why?"
"I hope he's able to finish the race," said Sun.
"He'll be fine," said Hau.
"No he won't," said Moon. "He'll be crying for his mommy before the race is even half over."
The next leg of the race was the bike race. Molayne dried up, put on his sneakers, and got on his bike. He rode along the mountain slopes, carefully avoiding any cliffs that would make him fall down. He could not see Professor Kukui anywhere.
"Must...keep...going..." panted Molayne.
Sun, Moon, Hau, and Sophocles decided to take a ride over to Loaloa Town, where the finish line was. Over here, they would wait for Molayne. Nanu was standing there sulking. Acerola was right next to him.
"Hello, Nanu," said Sun. "How are you doing?"
"I'm bored," said Nanu. "They invited me to this stupid triathlon since they insisted that the kahuna be there."
"It's not so bad, Uncle Nanu," said Acerola. "Think about the positives. At least you don't have to run in this race."
"Yeah," said Nanu. "You're right."
"I'm just glad I'm not in it," said Sophocles. "I'm not good at swimming, biking, or running. I'm a total couch potato."
"I can believe that," said Moon.
"Moon!" said Sun.
The final leg of the race was the running. This was hard for Molayne, since he was very tired from the swim and the bike race. He knew that he couldn't give up, since he had come this far. His feet were starting to get blisters from all the activity.
"I'm...almost...there," panted Molayne. "Just...a few...more...miles..."
Of course, Molayne was falling behind. In fact, by now, the winner had already crossed the finish line. The winner was some professional triathlete that Molayne's friends paid no attention to. Same went for the second and third-place winners. Professor Kukui managed to finish in sixth place.
"Congratulations, Kukui," said Sun. "You made it!"
"I'm so glad I finished the race," said Professor Kukui. "And I've gotten my best time yet. I beat my old record by almost five minutes!"
"Amazing!" said Hau. "Did you see Molayne anywhere?"
"He's probably still running," said Professor Kukui.
"Let's wait for him here," said Sophocles. "I'm sure he'll be turning up soon."
The group waited for about an hour, with no show from Molayne. Then, finally, Molayne came within sight of the finish line. He ran as fast as he could, probably faster than he ever did, and bolted towards the finish line, even getting ahead of two other competitors. Finally, after several hours of rigorous racing, Molayne crossed the finish line.
Sun, Moon, Hau, Sophocles, and Acerola ran up to Molayne. Nanu approached casually.
"You did it, Molayne!" said Sun. "You finished the race!"
"How are you feeling, Big Mo?" asked Sophocles.
"I'm...feeling...dizzy..." said Molayne, looking dizzy.
Molayne spun around a bit, and then fell down, losing his glasses in the process. Moon, Hau, and Sophocles caught him.
"There there, Big Mo," said Sophocles. "We've got you."
"I'm feeling tired," said Molayne. "I don't think I'm going to be doing any more triathlons in the foreseeable future."
Acerola walked over to Molayne and gave him his glasses.
"Here you go, Molayne," said Acerola.
"Thanks, Acerola," said Molayne.
Nanu walked up to Molayne.
"You look like you worked really hard today," said Nanu. "I think you need some rest."
"I think so too," said Molayne. "Take off my shoes, please."
Sun took off Molayne's shoes and socks.
"Now my feet can get some air," said Molayne.
Sun looked at Molayne's feet. There were lots of blisters on them.
"I don't think walking would be a good idea," said Sun. "You look too tired."
"Then how the fuck is he gonna get home?" asked Moon.
Professor Kukui walked over to Molayne.
"Congratulations!" he said. "I'm so glad you finished your first Alolan Ironman Triathlon!"
"Thanks," said Molayne.
"Did Molayne come in last?" laughed Moon.
"No," said Nanu. "There were several other people behind him."
"Get on my quad bike, Molayne," said Professor Kukui. "Me and Nanu will help you up."
Professor Kukui and Nanu took Molayne between their arms and helped him onto Professor Kukui's quad bike.
"I'll take you back to your house," said Professor Kukui. "The big party is due to begin at sunset."
"Oh, right," said Molayne, "the party. I'm looking forward to it."
"Hold on tight!" said Professor Kukui.
Professor Kukui and Molayne drove away. Molayne managed to maintain a tight grip so he wouldn't fall off.
Sun, Moon, Hau, Sophocles, and Acerola looked at each other.
"So that's all settled," said Hau.
"What are we going to do now?" asked Acerola.
"We're going to the party," said Sun.
"All right!" said everyone - even Nanu.