Ryo: Here is the next chapter. This chapter is going to be of course, similar to the podrace scene from Star wars Episode 1, except with a few changes. Ya know, like W.I.T.C.H. Fan In Utah's story Team WITCH meets Team Avatar. The story is like Sozin's Comet, except with some changes to it.
Ricky, Toph, Saber, Allen, Will, Ben, Rukia, Wall-E: YES, we get it!!!
Chapter 25: The Race
It was now the day of the race and the arena where the podrace was going to be held was filled with fans and supporters. The hangar where the pods were being held was filled with crewmen and pilots getting the pods ready for the podrace. It seemed that everybody's minds were on the race. Ricky (Still dressed in his white and blue robes, white cape and still goes under the name Raiden but now wears a brown pilot's helmet) walked aside Xin Fu. Xin Fu was anxious for the obvious reasons.
"Now, I want to see you working the moment the race is over!" Xin Fu said.
"Patience, Xin Fu. You'll have your winnings soon." Ricky told Xin Fu calmly.
Xin Fu smirked. "Now then, you know the rules of podracing well, right? No cheating or the bet is off."
Ricky was still calm. "I presume you don't believe that I could win?"
"Don't get me wrong. I have great faith in you. I admire your courage to participate in the race just to free the girl." He told Ricky. He then said smugly, "But well, I know for a fact that Headmaster here is going to win."
Xin Fu then pointed to a huge orange and black pod. Near it was a teenage boy with blue hair and wears a purple jumpsuit. His name was Henry Materson AKA Headmaster. He was sitting in a chair and being massaged by two female masseuses in bikinis.
"So what give you the expression that Headmaster would win?" Ricky asked, raising his eyebrow skeptically.
"Simple...HE ALWAYS WINS!" Xin Fu laughs. "I am betting heavily on him!"
"Wow, then I guess I better watch out for him then." Ricky said sarcastically.
"Good luck then, boy. But I doubt you will ever win the race." Xin Fu smirked as he pats Ricky's back.
As Xin Fu then turns around and walks away, Saber, Allen, Ben, Rukia, Toph and Wall-E came in riding on a trailer, bringing in the pod and engines. Xin Fu then came up to Toph and spoke to the girl, sneering, "If I were you, I would get your friend to cancel his bet, before I end up owning him too."
Xin Fu then walked away, laughing his head off. Toph frowns at Xin Fu in annoyance.
The group then walks over to Ricky and Allen said with a grin as he puts a hand on his shoulder. "Alright, this is it, it's now or never. Good luck at the race."
"Thanks, Allen." Ricky then hugs Allen and pats Allen's back. After the two boys let go of each other, Ricky turned to Rukia who bowed to him.
"Good luck, Ricky." Rukia said.
"Thanks, and don't forget our plan, Rukia." Ricky nods.
"Understood."
Ricky turned to Saber who smiled at him. "Well, good luck. You'll need it."
"Thanks." Ricky said. He and Saber then hugged each other. After that, Toph walked up to Ricky and looked up at him sadly.
"Please Ricky, win the race for me." Toph said sadly. Ricky nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry, Toph." Ricky then kneeled down to Toph's level and hugged her tightly. "I will."
The time had come. The arena was packed and final preparations for the race were getting underway. There were fans in the audience as well as viewing platforms where people could see the race via miniature race monitors. In the arena announcer box, two announcers named Michelle Jones and David Rivera began the announcing.
"Greetings, sports fans! And welcome to today's pod race!" Michelle announced, "I am Michelle Jones, announcing here today with my boyfriend, David Rivera."
"That's right! And a big turnout here today, from all corners of the world!" David continued, and he then motioned to the starting grid of the race. "I can see the contestants are making their way out onto the starting grid right now!"
On the starting grid itself, the pods were being lined up to begin the race. Crewmen helped carry the pods over to the starting line. The pilots themselves were facing the royal box.
"And here are our contestants!" Michelle exclaimed excitedly.
The announcers then announced the racers, making the crowd cheer very loudly. The announcers soon got to the next but most certainly, not least.
"And here is our reigning champion, who is still yet to be beaten, Henry Materson, AKA Headmaster!" David yelled loudly, much to the excitement of the crowd.
Headmaster jumped up onto the cockpit of his pod, making the audience cheer ecstatically. He was the favorite to win, of course.
Meanwhile, Ricky and his group get Ricky's pod ready. Toph hugged Ricky as if saying goodbye.
"Be safe…brother." Toph said.
"I will, Toph." Ricky told her. "I promise."
Toph nodded and left as Ricky got into his cockpit. Saber came over and said to him, "You're our only hope, Ricky. So please win and don't become a slave."
"I'll do it for you." Ricky reassured her with a smile. He leans over and kisses Saber on her forehead, making her blush. She smiled back at Ricky and left.
"Once again, good luck, Ricky. And if you did win the race, you would make a great pilot at the Royal British Army." Allen laughed.
Ricky chuckled. "Thanks, Allen." Allen shook Ricky's hand and left. Ben then walks over to Ricky while frowning.
"Err, just be careful, okay?" Ben said uneasily as he turned his head.
Ricky arched an eyebrow. "Um, thanks." Ben then turns around and left.
"Go Raiden!" Some voices yelled from the audience. Ricky turned to the audience and saw Katara and Sokka waving their hands at him happily. With them was also a woman with dark brown hair, tied to a bun, blue eyes and wears dark blue robes. Her name was Kya, Katara and Sokka's mother.
"You can do it!" Katara yelled happily while Sokka whistles. Kya just simply smiled. Ricky smiled back and gave a thumbs up at the two siblings.
Unknown to Ricky and his friends, Headmaster quietly came over and began twisting and turning a few parts on one side of Ricky's pod. His sabotage complete, he walked over and snickered at Ricky. "So, you're the new racer huh? Well good luck. Even though you will not be able to walk away from this one in one piece, noob." Headmaster laughed at Ricky as he walks away.
Ricky frowned and said sarcastically, "Very funny." He then put on his goggles and grabs the pod's joysticks tightly. Just then, a voice said in his mind.
"Good luck my boy." The voice said.
Ricky widens his eyes and gasps. "Mom?" He said, recognizing the voice in his mind.
"Don't worry. I'll watch over you." The voice said as it fades away. Ricky shook his head in frustration. He mustn't get distracted and concentrate on the race.
The announcers then announced as someone very important was entering a balcony and walks over to her seat. She has come to watch and start the race. It was none other than Azula. A high officer named Bowler Hat Guy (From Meet the Robinsons) salutes her before stepping away from her seat.
"And here to start the race, is our glorious leader..." Michelle said uneasily. She and the citizens of Beijing were forcefully been calling Azula that ever since she and the Faction first conquered China. "Commander Azula!"
The crowd (forcefully) applauded as Azula held her hands up before sitting down on her seat.
Bowler Hat Guy turned to Azula, who nods to him and motions him to begin the race, then walks over to the front of the balcony and yelled to the audience, "Let the race begin!"
Just then, Xin Fu enters the balcony and stands behind Azula's seat. "What took you so long, prison warden?" Azula scoffed as she turned her head to Xin Fu.
"My apologies, ma'am. Won't happen again." Xin Fu bows his head.
"I hope so because we have already lose some men because of their 'carelessness'." Azula said icily as she turns back to the race which is about to begin.
Saber headed to a viewing platform where Allen, Ben, Will, Wall-E and Toph were at. For some reason, Rukia isn't with them.
"Is he going to be okay?" Toph asked, worried.
"He's okay, I assure you." Saber assured Toph with a smile as she rubs her hair.
Ben frowned in disagreement. "I don't think so." The others turned to him with puzzled looks.
"What?" Wall-E said in shock.
"What do you mean?!" Toph demanded Ben.
Ben turns to Toph and yelled angrily. "Because Ricky is too proud of himself. He thinks that just because he's a Templar then he thinks he can drive a pod!" Saber looks at Ben in concern. What's up with him?
"Yeah, but at least he knows what he's doing and right now, he's trying to free Toph from slavery." Allen said sternly to Ben. Ben snorted as he turns back to the race.
"Okay, if you guys are done talking, let's just focus on the race and hope our leader can win." Will said to the group.
With everyone inside and the door closed, the viewing platform raised up above the crowd.
"Pilots, start your engines!" David announced to the racers.
The pilots, including Ricky, flipped the switches that started the engines. The crowd cheered for the race to begin.
Wall-E shivers and covers his eyes, already feeling nervous about the race. Toph giggled and wraps an arm around the robot. "Don't worry, little guy. I'm sure he'll be fine." Toph assured. But she turned to Ricky with a concerned look, "I hope."
Everyone who was not a pilot dashed off of the track. The lights nearby were glowing to indicate the pilots to stop. Azula stood up as she draws out her pistol, then fires it into the air. With that, the green light flashed. The pods shot forward out of the starting grid at a very fast speed.
"And they're off!" Michelle cried.
Ricky's pod only got a few seconds of start before the engine coughed and died. The pods except for one, who also had engine problems, raced off without him.
"Uh, oh. It looks like Raiden has got some engine problems!" David exclaimed.
Xin Fu laughed sadistically at Raiden's misfortune. Azula turned her head to him and Xin Fu stops laughing as he notices Azula's glare. Xin Fu coughed. "Sorry." He said to Azula. As Azula turns her head away, Xin Fu smirked evilly. Looks like he may win the bet after all.
Allen and Will looked worried while Saber put her hand on Toph's shoulder to assure her that everything would be fine. Ben doesn't seem to care at all and he scoffed as he turns his head away.
Also in the audience were Katara and Sokka. They both gasp and look horrified as Ricky failed to start his pod. "Oh no." Katara said.
Panicked, Ricky tried to get his pod to go. He continuously pressed various switches and pulled many levers on the control panel. Soon, after a few seconds of trying and with his knowledge of mechanics, the engine started. His pod took off like a rocket!
"And there goes Raiden!" David announced as Ricky departed from the starting grid.
"He will be hard-pressed if he is to catch up with the leaders!" Michelle added in concern.
Meanwhile, someone in the stadium, a Faction officer named Pain (From Naruto) was walking along the corridor when suddenly Rukia came down from the ceiling and landed in front of Pain, scaring him.
Rukia quickly draws out his zanpakuto, shot ice at Pain and Pain gets pushed to the wall while the ice freezes his body. Rukia walks up to Pain and said to him icily, "Mind telling me where Azula is currently hiding at?"
Out on the racetrack, the leaders fought each other for the lead. Headmaster was fighting dirty with a racer named Dr. Aloysius Animo challenging him for the lead. Around a turn, Headmaster finally knocked his opponent into a wall, causing the pod and racer to crash, killing the racer instantly.
Meanwhile, way behind, Ricky raced past the others that were behind Headmaster, with ease. However, they had to dodge several large mounds of rock and even had to pilot their way through a cave at one point. One of the racers tried to keep Ricky from passing each time. When they got to a cliff drop-off, Ricky backs away and gunned it to pass the opposing racer, leaving the other in the dust.
Meanwhile, Headmaster said into his headphone which is attached to his helmet, "Okay guys, get 'em!"
At another part of the racetrack, a soldier dressed in a green hat, sunglasses, green uniform and green pants named Major Tint (From Rambo 4) said to his headphone. "Roger that, Headmaster!" He hangs up his headphone and throws away his cigarette to the ground. He turned to his soldiers who are all dressed in green hats and green uniforms as well.
"Alright! Let's go!" Tint ordered the soldiers and he and the soldiers drew out their sniper rifles and climbed up to the top of the rocks. Their job were to camp out in the middle of the racetrack and help Headmaster take out any racers that are in front or behind him. As the pods passed, the soldiers fired at the pods that are behind Headmaster, nearly hitting Ricky in the process.
Back at the arena...
"It looks like some snipers are camping out near the canyon dune turn!" Michelle announced as everyone at the arena watches the racing monitor. Ricky's group (except Ben) looked worried as they viewed the monitor and check the process of their leader.
"Ricky?" Wall-E asked Toph.
"I thought you didn't want to watch." Toph reminded the robot.
"Oh yes," Wall-E nodded, covering his eyes again.
Allen, Will and especially Saber looked worried as they all continue watching the monitor.
"Hope he's okay." Katara turned to Sokka in concern. Sokka nodded.
"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Kya smiled as she assured her children.
"What?" Sokka said as he and Katara looked at their mother puzzled.
"What makes you so sure that he'll be okay, mother?" Katara asked.
"Because…" Kya turned her head around, making sure no one is noticing her or her children. Then she leaned her head and whispered, "He's a Templar…"
"What?!" Katara and Sokka yelled surprised. Kya hushed her children, while the spectators turned to them with confused looks. Katara and Sokka chuckled nervously while Katara said, "Oh no, everything's fine. There's nothing to see here." The other spectators shrugged and turned back to the racing monitor.
"All along, he's Ricky Blade? The Templar who just arrived here?" Katara whispered to her mother loudly.
"Yes." Kya nodded.
Back in the race...
Headmaster found himself challenged by another racer named Jet (From Avatar) for the lead. With an evil smirk, Headmaster grabbed a wrench and threw it into the challenger's engine, causing both it and the pod to explode, killing Jet in the process. Headmaster laughed insanely and sped off.
Ricky, meanwhile, was still passing the others, dodging rocks and manovering turnpoints doing so.
Back in the arena...
Ricky's group in the viewing platform watched quietly and anxiously.
Back on the starting line, a racer named Valerie Gray who still couldn't get her pod started was still trying to do so. She then began pounding on the monitor...until the engines went loose, exploding in all directions, putting her out of the race.
"Ooh, there goes Valerie's power coupling," David snickered a bit. "Well, it looks like she's out."
"And here comes our racers, with Headmaster in the lead!" Michelle announced, upon seeing the leading pilots passing the first lap of the race. Indeed, Headmaster still kept the lead and waved obnoxiously to the crowd, who cheered wildly. There were two laps left to complete, so the race was far from finished.
Meanwhile, Ricky's group looked to see if Ricky was okay. They looked at the finishing section of the track in hopes that he would appear soon.
"Where is he?" Will asked anxiously.
"I see him! Here he comes!" Saber shouted happily, pointing to the finishing section of the circuit.
Soon, Ricky came into the arena, finished his first lap, and continued racing. His friends cheered him on.
"YEAH!!!" Toph yelled happily. "GO RIC-" Fortunately, Allen and Will quickly covered Toph's mouth and muffled her scream before she could accidentally expose Raiden's real name.
The podrace was now turning in Ricky's favor, as he passed his fellow racers.
"Raiden is now in sixth place!" Michelle boomed.
"Not bad for a first time racer!" David said amused.
Meanwhile, Headmaster took down another racer challenging him for the lead. As the race got more intense and as more racers crashed thanks to the toughness of the racetrack and Headmaster's tricks, Ricky managed to catch up to him. This continued even, as the two just finished the second lap with them barely noticing, and the third one beginning...
"At the start of the final lap, its Headmaster followed by Raiden!" Michelle exclaimed excitedly.
Ricky's group cheer wildly for Ricky as the third lap continues. Xin Fu, meanwhile, began to get worry.
The two rivals fought each other to either keep the lead or get it. Headmaster tried to use his tricks to take Ricky down but he only managed to force the boy off course.
"Raiden is heading for the service ramp!" Michelle yelled.
"This is insanity!" David exclaimed.
Indeed, Ricky was heading for the service ramp, forcing workers who were watching the race to flee for their lives as he crashed into the gate blocking the service ramp entrance. He was soon sent flying into the air. But Ricky managed to keep things under control and glided his way back towards the track...right in front of Headmaster!
"Amazing! Raiden had taken the lead!" Michelle exclaimed.
David laughed along with his girlfriend, saying "Amazing! A quick control thrust, and he's back on course!"
Headmaster was now way ticked off. He said to his headphone. "Tint, get the guy in front of me!"
"Roger that!" Tint said as he received Headmaster's order. Tint then hangs up and yells to his men. "Aim!" He and his men then aim their sniper rifles at Ricky as his pod passed by them. "Fire!"
Tint and his men fire at Ricky's pod and the bullets hit one of the pod's engines, setting it in fire!
"No!" Ricky yelled in disbelief as his pod starts to slow down due to engine problems. Because of this, Headmaster sped right by him, laughing like the big jerk he is.
"Raiden is having major engine problems! Headmaster has just retook the lead!" Michelle exclaimed.
Ricky's group and the audience gasped as they watched the monitor.
Ricky watches his pod slow down in horror. It's over. He can't catch up with Headmaster now. He yells as he bangs his fist. He has lost the race. He has failed Toph. He has lost everything.
"It's hopeless. I can't win. I've failed." Ricky whispered.
"No. Of course not." The same voice which ricky heard earlier said inside his mind again. Ricky looked up and gasped.
"Mom?"
"Remember. You still have your Carsomyr. Do it." The voice said before it fades away again. Ricky widens his eyes again when he heard another voice.
"Ricky!" Toph's voice yelled inside in his head.
"Toph!" Ricky said.
Back at the arena, Toph stood up from her seat while Saber and the others looked at her stunned. Ricky could hear her from his current location because of his Templar senses. Toph continued, "You promise me you will win! You promise you will win and free me! So please!" Tears rolled down her cheeks as she bangs her fist on the ledge of the platform. "Please Ricky! I WANT YOU TO WIIIIIIIIIIINNNN!!!!!!!"
Ricky came back to reality and narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Yes, Toph! I will win!" He then stood up from his seat, removes his helmet and jumps onto the engine which is on fire.
"I…I don't believe this!" Michelle exclaimed in shock.
"Raiden is Ricky Blade, the Templar?!?!" David added. The audience gasped in shock.
"WHAT?!" Azula yelled in shock as her eyes widen.
"I don't believe this!" Xin Fu said in shock as well. All along, he had a deal with the one who the Faction is hunting down?!
The audience stares at the monitor with stunned looks. But a while later, they went wild and erupted with cheers! They can't believe it, a Templar is here in their hometown!
Ricky then draws out his Carsomyr from his back and plunges the sword into the engine. Then suddenly, the sword glows brightly and with it's power, the sword fixes the engine and the fire disappears! Then, his pod's engines boost faster and Ricky quickly jumps back into his cockpit. He controls his pod again and heads over to Headmaster.
"He's catching up to Headmaster!" Michelle announced, who she and David are now also as delighted as the audience.
Soon, the two racers had reached the tunnel section of the circuit. Ricky tried to pass his rival but no matter what, Headmaster managed to block his path. Ricky quickly faked a move in the inside and tried to go around Headmaster from the outside as the two raced down the final part of the track. Headmaster saw what he was doing and tried to knock him off the track. Ricky tried to knock back but ended up hooking his pod to Headmaster's.
As the two pods were now hooked up, Ricky saw Headmaster up close. Headmaster screamed insanely at Ricky, "NO!! THIS IS MY RACE!!! MY MOMENT!!!! I'M GONNA WIN!!! WIN, YOU HEAR ME?!?!??! WIN!!!! WIN!!!! WIN!!! WIN!!! WIIIIIIINN!!!!!!!!!!" His insatiable lust for winning and hatred for Ricky, at the point where Ricky could steal Headmaster's reputation from him, has made him go absolutely insane.
This insanity had not gone unnoticed by the audience, who were now being a bit put off by it, including Michelle and David.
"Man, and I thought Ricky had gone crazy!" David exclaimed bewildered.
Ricky tried to get free from Headmaster's pod, but it didn't seem to work at first. Finally, he pulled away hard, breaking a part of Headmaster's engine in the progress.
Headmaster screamed balistically at the top of his lungs as one of his engines came loose and his pod went spinning out of control, destroying the other engine doing so. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!" The remains of Headmaster's pod, ala his cockpit, span out of control until it came to a stop. "AAAGGGHHHH!!!" He screamed, realizing that he had just lost, until...
KA-BLAM!!!!
Headmaster's cockpit, as if on cue, exploded in a fiery explosion!! Now, it did not matter what place you came from, that seriously had to have hurt!
"It's Blade!" Michelle and David exclaimed as Ricky's pod raced into the arena and across the finishing line. Ricky had won the race! The crowd went nuts. Allen, Will and Wall-E screamed with excitement, Toph looked stunned at Ricky's win, as Saber smiled happily, while Katara and Sokka whistle and cheered for him. One of the few spectators who were not happy is Xin Fu who screamed in dismay as he began yanking out some of his red hair. Azula ignores the prison warden as she just frowns deeply at Ricky.
"The crowd is going nuts!" Michelle shouted merrily as she and David began to dance in joy.
"I cannot believe it! Ricky has won the race!" Will said amazed. Allen then noticed something in Will's hand.
"What's that?" Allen said and Will yelp as Allen snatched her left wrist and looks at Will's hand. In her left hand was a bidding ticket. Allen looked up at Will. "You bid on Ricky?"
Will giggled and she nods her head. "Yeah! And because of him, I've won 100,000 dollars!" She squealed in joy while Allen shook his head. Oh well, at least now the group doesn't have to worry about their money problems anymore.
As Ricky stopped his pod, everyone came down to the race track and ran to his pod, to congratulate the Templar and two muscular men named The Boulder and Chit Sang put him on their shoulders while the others cheered and chanted.
"RICKY! RICKY! RICKY! RICKY!" The people chanted. The celebrations were going well. Well, until, that is...
"NO!!!" A familiar voice screamed. Everyone stopped and turned around to see a seriously burnt and singed Headmaster angrily coming up to them, throwing his helmet to the ground. "THIS IS A SHAM!! A CROCK!!! I DESERVE FIRST PLACE!!! ME!!! NOT THAT WORTHLESS SCUM!!! WHERE IS MY REWARD?!?!?!"
By now, everyone was sick and tired of Headmaster's attitude. Just then, a boomerang was thrown and the boomerang hit the side of Headmaster's head hard. The Headmaster then rolled his eyes dizzily and staggers as he moaned in pain, "Pretty birdies…" Headmaster then fainted onto the ground. The boomerang then flew back to it's owner and the owner catches it. The owner was none other than Sokka.
"Oh shut up, ya loser." Sokka rolled his eyes in annoyance. Katara and Kya giggled behind him. The other people shrugged and continued their celebration. Yes, this was a day of celebration for everyone in Beijing.
Meanwhile, back at Azula's viewing box, Azula gets up from her seat and turns around. Bowler Hat Guy said to Azula, "Ma'am, what do we do now? The Templar is here. We have to do something!"
"No. There's too many people here in the arena. We'll let him go…for now. And besides, I wish to face him alone, and I sure can't wait for that moment." Azula smirked evilly as she leaves.
END OF CHAPTER
Ryo: Hooray, Ricky won! Let's celebrate! Woohoo! (Crickets chirping.) Yeeeaaahhh, whatever. Anyways, next chapter coming soon, so read and review!
There are many minor Avatar characters in this chapter. Can you spot them?
Michelle Jones and David Rivera are OCs of my friend LuckyKazeLight. Hope you don't mind that I put them in, Lucky.
The Headmaster is one of the villains in Transformers Animated if you guys are wondering.