annabre24: Thanks! I've been working on it. And once again, MWAHAHAHA! *covers mouth* Sorry, I'm getting carried away.

SargeTJCalhoun64: Don't feel bad, my sister and her friend also tried that tongue-twister but got mixed up. It was rather good, wasn't it. And yes, the 'infestation'…

RobinsonSiblings: Twins, eh? I like 'em too. Wait 'till you see how cool their racing is!

crankyman7: I agree about the author's notes; duly revised, with my thanks for pointing that out. Thanks also for reminding me to focus on the conflict (I'll do my best to keep balancing the story carefully).

PsychoMac2: Thanks! Your OC's in here too…

Kam XD: Thanks for sending in your OCs! Wow, you've really put a lot of thought into them. I'm very, very, sorry, but I'm not gonna put them in. Why don't you write a story about them? Would be a shame to waste all that material.

Guest: Um, here you go? Could you leave a name next time? Would appreciate it very much!

SeanXuan: Yes, vveeerrryy looonnngg! I kkknnnnoooowww ;-)

zoruatheshaymin: Thanks for your OC! I'm sorry, but a vampire character is not something I'm looking for. Actually I'm looking for racers. Thanks anyway for reading!

bri.h123: I apologize! Don't worry, I'll identify you more conclusively next time *heehee* (full name, hmmm..)

BlackRose56: I agree. That was a tough turn indeed!

I am so sorry about the two week wait you had to endure. I've been fighting writer's block :-( Anyway, I finally got this chapter out! Enjoy!

Chapter 14: Showdown!

Vanellope rubbed her face wearily. It had been a long and tiring day of racing, getting used to the new machine. New formats, new tracks, new racers! Still, she had racked up a few wins.

There was still the 'oldies' versus 'newbies' challenge. She walked slowly to the Lounge where everyone was waiting for her.

Barry had been the first of several player-created racers to be saved into the machine. The others hadn't introduced themselves yet, and were sitting quietly in the Lounge.

Vanellope walked in and said, "Well, it's been a long day, and many of us are still getting used to the tracks, but I think everyone raced splendidly today!" Cheers rang out through the room. She continued, "Also, we've welcomed some new racers into the roster. Can you all introduce yourselves so that we can get to know you a bit better?" She looked around expectantly.

A girl with brown hair shyly stood up. "Hi everyone, my name is Chocolate Kiss, but call me Coco." She was wearing a dark brown jacket with a white tank top underneath, tan shorts, and light brown shoes. A Hershey's Kiss was perched on her head. "It's been very nice to race with all of you." Everyone clapped politely as she sat down.

A blue-eyed girl stood up. She said, "Stella's my name, racing's my game!" She then introduced herself as Stella Citrustwist. She had blonde hair with blue streaks, tied in a ponytail. She was dressed mostly in orange, except for her tights, which were light brown and white.

Minty spoke up. "You know, you look an awful lot like Taffyta!" Many of the racers agreed.

Stella smiled and replied, "My controller, Molly, really liked Taffyta, so she based me on her."

Everyone clapped as she sat down. The next to stand was a boy. He was dressed in red-and-white stripes, quite obviously themed after candy canes. "Hi everyone. My name is Hilary Carls' Cane." He spoke with a polished accent. Jubileena whispered to Citrusella, "Oh, so charming!"

The last new racer was leaning against the wall with a dark expression on her face. She was a human-animal hybrid, possessing a hedgehog's ears, a cat's claws, and raven-black wings. Shoulder-length black hair streaked with purple cascaded over her face, held back by a purple headband, partially hiding her menacing, slanted red eyes. She was dressed in a sleeveless dress made of black licorice under a grape-colored vest. She also wore a silver belt with a red jewel buckle and a matching red ring on her right hand.

Gloyd looked her over and commented with a wry smile, "Are you sure you're not lost?"

Quick as a flash, a knife embedded itself in his pumpkin hat. The new girl snarled. Her ring blazed bright red. Gloyd flinched and pulled out the knife, saying, "Chill! Can't you take a joke?"

Vanellope stepped between them and tried to calm things down. She asked, "What's your name?"

Still snarling, the girl replied, "My name's Rae. Don't forget it, or you'll regret it!"

Vanellope conferred with Amos for a moment then announced, "Okay, that's everyone! Now, we move on to the challenge race. 'Oldies' versus 'newbies', or, in other words, the long-time characters against the new racers. Each side will choose two racers to battle on five different tracks, which will be Cakeway, Brownie Beach, Cotton Candy Clouds, Diet Cola Mountain, and Lollipop Lane."

Amos continued, "Each race will last for two laps. The winner will receive four points, 2nd place 3 points, 3rd place 2 points, and 4th place 1 point. The player-created racers may choose to race independently, with the 'newbie' team, or not at all. Five minutes to race, people!"

The two teams quickly gathered to strategize. Vanellope quickly said, "Swizz, Dora, you two have high kart control. You'll race on Brownie Beach. Rancis, Snowy, Cakeway is yours. Jubi and I will take Diet Cola. Jerry, you adapt quickly. You and Candlehead will race on Cotton Candy Clouds . Gloyd and Minty will do Lollipop Lane. Everyone clear?" The racers nodded. "Alright, let's show 'em how fast the 'oldies' really are!"

Everyone headed out to the first track, Cakeway. Vanellope's team held the advantage as Rancis and Snowanna had raced there hundreds of times. But the outcome of the race would depend on how well the other team's racers could adapt to the long, winding course.

The racers would climb Mount Birthday Cake and jump off through the love letter at the top. They would then wind their way through a narrow valley leading back to the starting line.

As the racers headed towards the starting line, Swizzle whispered to Rancis, "Hey, bro, you still haven't told me how you recovered so quickly!"

Rancis whispered back, "Not now, man! I promise I'll tell you the whole story after this whole thing finishes."

Swizzle sighed in frustration. "Okay, fine, but this wait had better be worth it!"

The cybug opened its eyes to bright sunshine. It had become… intelligent. It looked at itself and screeched in surprise! It now possessed incredible size. Its entire body was armored and a row of spikes ran down its back. Its tail had been replaced with a double-bladed scythe, its wings had been upgraded to plasma thrusters. It still retained its ability to transform into what it ate, but had lost its egg-laying capability. It thought, "All in all, that's a small loss. Now, what should I eat first?" It began devouring the Candy Cane Forest on the outskirts of Sugar Rush, turning itself into peppermint…

Rancis and Snowanna moved their karts into position and waited to see who they would face. The guest commentator, Taffyta, launched into her spiel. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the first ever Showdown Grand Prix! Two teams of racers will battle it out over five tracks for the right to be called the fastest of them all! We're here live at Cakeway, where the first two-lap race will take place. And here are the racers for each side. For the 'Oldies', we have…RANCIS FLUGGERBUTTER and SNOWANNA RAINBEAU!" The crowd burst into cheers.

Taffyta continued, "And for the 'Newbies', CHOCOLATE 'COCO' KISS and GINGY THE GINGERBREAD MAN!"

The two of them were locked in an intense discussion beside their karts, and merely looked up for a moment and waved to acknowledge the crowd, before continuing their rapid-fire conversation. They spoke for a few more seconds before nodding and jumping into their karts.

Taffyta spoke again. "The racers are in position and ready to race. Are you ready, people?"

The crowd screamed ,"YEAH!"

Taffyta, working the crowd, asked again, "ARE YOU READY PEOPLE?"

The crowd bellowed, "YEAAHH!"

The countdown began. "3, 2, 1, GO!"

Taffyta began her running commentary. "It's been a good start for Coco, who has burst into the lead. It appears that Gingy, now running in second, is blocking Rancis and Snowanna from passing and attacking Coco! It looks like that strategy is paying off as the racers start the climb up the mountain. Rancis and Snow are biding their time, waiting for an opportune moment to pass."

"Coco has just hit the love letter ramp, flying toward the valley. A couple of seconds behind, Gingy, Rancis, and Snowanna round the final turn of the mountain and enter the ramp too."

"Coco has put on a stunning performance so far as the newbie roars towards the Sugar Cubes placed at the two-thirds mark of the track. She's picked up…Syrup Slick! She holds on to it and releases it at a sharp left turn. Slick driving indeed. As the chasing trio enter the turn, Gingy and Rancis barely miss it, but Snow isn't so lucky as she spins off! Oooh!"

"Gingy picks up…Cherry Bomb! He tosses it onto the track but Rancis sees it coming and easily dodges it. Rancis picks up…New Item: Lollipop Hammer! This close-range weapon smashes down on opponents, stunning them for a moment. Rancis aims and takes a swing at Gingy, but the Gingerbread Van is well-built."

"It looks to be a straight fight between Gingy and Rancis for second, as Coco flies on, already beginning the second lap. Suddenly, a Sweet Seeker takes her out! It looks to be Snowanna, who has also shot down Gingy and Rancis, chasing hard to come within a second of third-placed Rancis."

"As the second lap begins, Coco still leads, with Gingy in second, Rancis in third, and Snowanna in fourth. Ooohh! Coco tries to begin the climb at high speed and loses control, nearly spinning off the mountain! She still holds a slim lead, though."

Rancis was frustrated. He had been trying to get past Gingy all race long, but the Gingerbread Van was solid and big, not giving him an inch of room. He thought desperately as he began the climb. Suddenly, an idea hit him! He keyed the radio to tell Snowanna his plan. She replied, "Are you sure? It's real risky. You saw what happened to Coco!"

Rancis replied, "Don't worry. Just make sure you're on my tail. It's our only chance!" Snowanna nodded.

They rounded yet another turn before putting their plan into action. Gingy was covering the centre of the track carefully. Rancis accelerated hard, swerving past Gingy on the outside. Gingy moved too late to try to block him, and Snowanna slipped past on the inside. The crowd burst into cheers at the daring and skillful move.

Taffyta cried, "Wow! What a move by Rancis and Snowanna! They've finally made it past Gingy, and Rancis is rampaging closer and closer to Coco! He hits the ramp just behind Coco! Snowanna seems content to hold third place."

"Rancis is pushing Coco hard, and it looks like the Sugar Cubes may decide the winner! Coco picks up… Sugar Surge! She starts picking up speed, opening the gap between her and Rancis! Let's see what Rancis gets… Sweet Seekers! What a chance! He lines up his first shot and fires! A narrow miss as Coco deftly dives round a corner! He aims his second… and misses again! Unbelievable! That was just plain bad aiming from Rancis. Coco accelerates away as fast as she can! Rancis still has one more shot, though…"

Rancis smacked his steering wheel with his palm in disgust. Two consecutive misses! He shook his head and desperately lined up his last shot. He aimed carefully and fired.

Coco saw the last shot coming and accelerated frantically to no avail. She had exited the valley, leaving a straight stretch between her and the finish line, with nowhere to hide. The Sweet Seeker slammed into her, spinning her around! As her head cleared, she saw Rancis closing in on her, determination etched on his face. She quickly stamped on the accelerator, but Rancis swept past her for the win.

Taffyta yelled, "AND RANCIS FLUGGERBUTTER TAKES THE WIN!" She pumped her fist in ecstasy before continuing, "Coco Kiss comes in second place, Snowanna Rainbeau in third, and the Gingerbread Man in fourth. It's an early lead for the O's (Oldies), with six points to the N's (Newbies) four. It's far from over, though, as Coco showed with a masterful drive. Next, we head over to Brownie Beach. Stay tuned…"

That's right Taffyta! Stay tuned everyone.

Chocolate Kiss belongs to annabre24 (hope you don't mind the nickname Coco).

Stella Citrustwist belongs to BlackRose56.

Hilary Carls' Cane belongs to PsychoMac2.

Rae Ring-Pop belongs to RobinsInTheSkye.

Hey, by the way, let me know if you prefer the races written this way (with a commentator) or like I did previously (third person view/description).

Lastly, please please please review! A small effort from you but great happiness for me... *puppy eyes*

Thank you everyone! JarrettSoon out...