The first stage is almost up. With the forest about to be cleared by the leaders, the checkpoint is no less than a downhill slope and a sprint to the Santa Maria Church away. With fierce competition in many forms, who will be the one to snag the first time bonus? Stick around to find out!
Kenny sped up as he turned a corner, and he saw the bender team in front of him. Though this team seemed like the only one ahead, he knew about the other leaders that had headed into the forest, and he knew passing the benders will only be half the story.
"So, mind telling me what world you're from? I can't really tell because of your outfits." Kenny asked.
"Wow, how did he catch up so fast?" Toph asked.
"He's willing to catch up to us, even if he knows his horse might run out of energy." Zuko stated. "This was the one who effortlessly passed the leaders a while ago. He might be able to find a way to conserve his horse's energy while catching up to us."
"Guys, we are getting close to the slope." Katara stated.
"Good, he'll have no choice but to slow down." Toph stated.
"What do you mean he? Even with this chi redirection, our chances of tripping downhill are the same as his." Zuko asked.
"Don't worry. I have a plan." Toph mischieviously smirked.
As she said this, Aloy and Inspector Gadget rode out of the forest in full sprint, with the latter still hanging onto his horse with his extendable leg.
"Yah! Let's go!" Aloy shouted.
"Whoaaa!" Inspector Gadget eas dangling from his leg.
"Well, it's good to know we aren't far behind." Katara sighed.
"Wait, I remember the daredevil and the runner went in." Zuko stated. "Did they crash somewhere in the forest?"
"No, I can still sense them. They're about to leave the forest… now!" Toph stated.
Something flies out of the forest and lands on the ground. It was a green inflatable tarp with a metal plate on the top that appears to launch things into the air.
"What's that?" Katara asked.
Octane rode out of the forest and rode his horse onto the strange pad. This in turn launches him and his horse high into the air.
"Yepaaaa!" Octane yelled in exhilaration.
"What the?!" Katara gasped upon seeing this.
"Wait, where did the daredevil go?" Toph asked.
"He used that pad to launch him in the air. He used some sort of technology to do what airbenders can." Zuko stated.
"Whoa! Awesome! I wanna try!" Izzy's voice was heard.
The bender team turn to see Izzy leaving the forest, and using the pad to launch herself upwards as well.
"Great, with that launch pad, they have the distance advantage." Zuko stated.
"And it appears he also has the distance advantage." Katara stated.
Katara pointed to Kenny who has already passed the bender team.
"Come on, we can't waste the oppertunity the slope will give us!" Toph yelled.
After Octane and Izzy miraculously land without injury, the leaders are now in a mass blitz towards the slope. During this mad dash, something drops put of Aloy's pouch.
"Damn! I was saving that for later." Aloy exclaimed.
The thing in question was a handheld wooden flask filled with a liquid. The flask's lid gets knocked off as it hits a rock, and it bounces into Inspector Gadget's mouth.
"Hmmm?!" Inspector Gadget immediately sat upright on his horse as he drank the contents of the flask.
As the flask is emptied, Inspector Gadget's expression turned excited. The flask drops, and he was seen wiping the broth-like residue off his face.
"Wowee! Was that a beef-based broth?! What magnificent flavor! I sure would like to give my compliments to the chef!" Inspector Gadget stated.
"Um… I asked Milduf for an extra spicy stew. Are you sure you can handle that?" Aloy asked.
"The spice is incredible!" Inspector Gadget exclaimed.
In his spice-filled excitement, many robotic arms shoot of his hat and flailed around.
"Whoa!" Octane exclaimed as he dodged an arm.
"Watch it, bub!" Izzy exclaimed.
During this, one of the arms from the Inspector's hat slapped his horse in the but, causing it to panic and sprint faster.
"What the?!" Aloy ducked under the arms as Inspector Gadget sped into the lead.
As Inspector Gadget sped forward, Penny and Talon were seen speeding out of the forest.
"Gah! Why weren't you hit by branches?!" Talon had multiple bruises on his face.
"Well, I guess you could say I'm better than you." Penny grinned. "But now isn't the time! I see Uncle Gadget! And he's in the lead!"
"Aw sweet!" Talon exclaimed.
With Inspector Gadget in the lead, the other leaders try to do their best to catch up.
"Wowee! I'm in the lead and got a delicious stew in the process! How lucky can I be?!" Inspector Gadget exclaimed.
During this celebration, something catches the Inspector's eye. He turns to see a figure latched onto a small tree. After rubbing his eyes for a bit and getting a second look, the figure is already gone.
"Hmm… maybe my eyes aren't so lucky." Inspector Gadget proclaimed.
After rubbing his eyes some more, he feels something clinging to his back. He turns to see a wooden, monkey-sized humanoid perching on his shoulder. Its large head was in the shape of an upside-down bucket with green beaded strings for hair, and malformed eyeholes of different sizes. It wears a wreath of many small hollow cylinders and its lips are pierced by a row of small nails.
"Luck is on your side, Gadget!" The strange figure cheered on. "You can hold on to the lead! Trust your instincts, and let luck guide you through your fate!"
"Wowee! A monkey that cheers for me! I really am lucky!" Inspector Gadget exclaimed.
"Speed down the slope! Your luck will have something in store for you!" The figure stated.
"Really, huh? Unorthodox for horse racing, but fine by me!" Inspector Gadget accepted the request.
As the leaders near the downhill slope, most of them slow down in order to avoid tripping on the slope. All except for Inspector Gadget who has taken the slope at full speed.
"What is that idiot doing?" Octane asked.
"He's… he's charging down the slope?" Aloy was perplexed by this.
"Now, let your luck take charge. Hey Ya!" The figure yelled out.
Stand Name: Hey Ya!
Stand User: Inspector Gadget
A sentient humanoid Stand that possesses little to no combat capabilities, and only clings to the User's back. Its sole purpose is to whisper cheers and positive thoughts to reassure the User and fill them with confidence.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Izzy yelled out.
"I'm letting my luck take course!" Inspector Gadget exclaimed.
"What does that mean?" Octane asked.
"Okay! Katara! Get ready for a wicked slide!" Toph yelled.
"I got it!" Katara yelled out while pulling out water from the ground.
Toph uses Katara's horse to jump ahead of her companions. As she nears the start of the slope, she lands to stomp her foot into the ground. With her earthbending ability, she creates a slide-like formation down the hill.
"Okay! Now!" Toph yelled.
Katara launches the collected water into the slide formation to make it muddy. Toph jumps back on Katara's horse as she and Zuko make their horses slide down the muddy slope. It was messy, but incredibly effective.
"Well, I don't know what I expected, but I didn't expect that." Aloy commented.
"Come on Gadget! Remember the cow!" The Stand, now named Hey Ya, said.
"Hmm. Not really a cheer, but it's gotta be something important!" Inspector Gadget exclaimed. "Gotta make sure it's at the forefront of my mind! Go Go Gadg- Whoa!"
Inspector Gadget's horse trips on a rock, and they both disappear into some tall grass. This confused a lot of the other leaders.
"Well well, looks like the luck has run out for that dumbass." Octane exclaimed.
"Is he really doing this with luck alone?" Talon asked.
"Hold on… Wait! I see him!" Penny exclaimed.
Hearing this, the leaders took a glance back at the tall grass. Then out of it comes Inspector Gadget and his horse sliding down the hill on… a cow carcass?
"Whoohoo! My luck is through the roof!" Inspector Gadget yelled out.
"He's sliding down on the carcass! Like the benders, he can use that to keep his speed whilst also letting his horse rest!" Izzy pointed this out.
"Maybe you wanna return what you said about that guy being unlucky." Kenny stated.
"Okay, that was just absurd timing." Octane exclaimed.
"You know what? I'm joining them! That looks fun!" Izzy yelled.
Izzy jumps into the mud slide created by the benders, and they all slide away from the rest of the leaders.
"Shit! They're already ahead!" Josee exclaimed as the group from the forest arrived.
"We better get going!" Heavy yelled.
Before long, Inspector Gadget, Izzy and the bender team quickly reached the bottom of the hill. As they exit the mud slide, they begin a high speed blitz across the rocky terrain towards the church.
"They're getting ahead!" Aloy yelled as the rest of the leaders reached the bottom of the hill.
Seeing that a chance at the time bonus was slippung from her, Aloy activated her Focus device as she gained speed.
"I need to find something. The Inspector is already far ahead, and the chances of me winning are slim without a time bonus." Aloy began to scan around the area.
As this happened, Octane, Kenny and Josee also sped up to near the leaders.
"Pick up the pace! There might be something hidden underfoot!" Hey Ya exclaimed.
"Huh, another strange request." Inspector Gadget commented. "I wonder what it could mean."
Inspector Gadget then unknowningly rides on top of a tree buried under the dirt. This causes the tree to spring up from the ground and cause a heavy dust cloud to emerge from the ground.
"Whoa!" Izzy quickly stopped to avoid the dust
"Gah! The dust got into my eyes." Katara exclaimed as the bender team got caught in the eruption.
"Are you guys okay?" Toph asked.
"Ack! It got in my throat." Zuko exclaimed.
"Don't worry, we still have a chance once the dust clears." Katara rubbed her eyes.
Aloy suddenly rides past Izzy and the bender team and was riding towards the erupted tree.
"Here's my trump card!" Aloy exclaimed with a smirk. "I'm sorry, but I have to leave my horse for a bit!"
Aloy quickly stops her horse and launches herself towards the tree. She then uses the tree's flexibility to spring herself high into the air.
"The perfect height for my Shieldwing!" Aloy yells out as she reaches the apex of her ascent.
A small gauntlet around Aloy's arm began to power up, and from it, it projected an energy glider that kept Aloy up in the air as she soared towards the church.
"Aww, I want one!" Izzy groaned upon seeing this.
Aloy quickly passes Izzy despite the latter's running speed, and she's slowly gaining ground towards Inspector Gadget.
"I'll forge my own path. My resolve will bring me further than luck ever will." Aloy exclaimed.
"They're neck and neck!" Kenny exclaimed.
"No!" Josee growled in frustration.
"Oh, the finish line is just ahead. I better step on it." Inspector Gadget proclaimed.
"You're doing great! Go on! Win this race!" Hey Ya cheered on.
Hearing these cheers, Inspector Gadget eagerly sped up to sprint towards the finisher.
"Oh no you don't!" Aloy yelled out as she tilted her Shieldwing downwards to gain speed.
The two racers were in a high speed blitz towards the church, and it was getting uncertain. They were neck and neck, and that didn't change as they both moved closer and closer.
But then Aloy realised she was gliding too low, and she was close to hitting the ground.
"Shit! The finish line's only a couple meters away!" Aloy exclaimed. "My Pullcaster!"
In a quick decision, Aloy activates a grapple next to her wrist that shoots out a line that attaches itself to the church. She then gets pulled by the grapple at intense speeds.
In a moment, both racers cross the finish line at seemingly the same time. Inspector Gadget slowed down as Aloy tumbled across the ground.
The Golden Voice then appears near the two of them as the first stage draws to a close.
"And that is it! The winner of the First Stage, the first 15,000 meters of the race is…" The Golden Voice began to announce.
The other leaders reach the finish line in disappointment during this pause. They then wait in anticipation for the announcement of the winner.
"The Machine Huntress, Aloy!" The Golden Voice announced the winner. "And with it, you win the one hour time bonus!"
"Whoo! Yeah!" Aloy raises her spear up into the air.
"Wow. Luck may be good, but I can admire those brimming with resolve." Inspector Gadget didn't seem too bummed out.
"Yeah, I gotta hand it to you." Kenny stated. "That was some quick thinking."
As Aloy began to cool of from the immense adrenaline that gave her, Josee was seen getting off her horse with a bitter expression.
"The huntress. She's a capable contender in the race. She even beat someone who for a moment was incredibly lucky." Josee then turned to Inspector Gadget.
"Even still, how did he get so lucky? There were three instances where he would've been knocked off his horse." Josee questioned. "Could the unknown factor the Golden Voice talked about played into his luck? Whatever it is, I'll make sure to use it to crush the competition and win this race."
And that's it. Sorry for the inconvenience, the ffn app had some synchronization issues, but I also had some stuff I was busy with as I am nearing the end of my junior high. And with that, au revior!