Episode 5: Part 1

     Gippal walked through a small town where a village sat in shambles. There was grass all around and a large temple made of marble behind him. He turned to face the camera. "This is the Wind Palace and retainer of the third seed of Mana. It is also the retainer of the fourth pit stop in a race around worlds. Teams departed the Fantasy Tactics verse through a teleporter that took them to the Seiken 2 verse. Some teams struggled to make axes at the detour, while others simply got lost in a series of caves. A physically intense roadblock backed the racers up and allowed the strong teams to push ahead, while teams caught in the bunch-up struggled to stay in the game. Mother and son team Ma and Zell yielded their friends, reunited lovers Freya and Fratley, out of self-preservation, only to discover that hated team Dona and Barthello were behind as well, and the yield made Freya and Fraltey the fourth team eliminated and saved Dona and Barthello. Will Dona and Barthello continue to fight with the other racers? Will Ma and Zell's yield complicate their relationship with other teams? And will Fran and Balthier capitalize on their lead? Fran and Balthier, who were first to arrive at 11:34 am, will depart at 11:34 pm."

<Fran & Balthier: Sky Pirates, 1st to Depart: 11:34 pm>
     Balthier stood with the clue and took a deep breath. "Ah, so refreshing to start in first place, isn't it?"
     "Fitting for the leading man to be in the lead," Fran replied. "It's time."
     "Indeed it is," Balthier said. He ripped open the clue and read it to Fran. "Make your way to Mantengo and pick up a Flammie drum and your next clue."

<Announcer Gippal>
     "Teams must now travel through another section of the Upperlands forest and find the mushroom city of Mantengo. There they will meet with King Truffle, who will teach them to use a Flammie Drum."

<Fran & Balthier: Sky Pirates, Currently in 1st Place>
     "You will have... blimey, zero gil for this leg," Balthier said.
     "A pity," Fran said.
     They quickly jogged out of the Wind Palace and began to wander the Upperlands forest. They started in the pink trees of spring, then found an obvious Amazing FF Race arrow pointing them to the right where a new section of forest greeted them. This area was not themed like the four seasons. It was a typical forest with green trees and a mixture of dirt, rocks, and moss.

<Reno & Rude: Partners, 2nd to Depart: 11:37 pm>
<Reina & Faris: Sisters, 3rd to Depart: 11:37 pm>
     Reina and Reno tore open their clues together as the four stood side-by-side on the pit start mat. Reina and Reno read the clues simultaneously, each trying to be louder than the other.
     "Teamwork again?" Reina asked the Turks.
     "Naw," Reno said. He nodded to Rude, then silently raced out of the Wind Palace. Reina and Faris quickly joined them.

<Zone & Watts: Resistance Fighters, 4th to Depart: 11:52 pm>
     Watts ripped open his clue and read it to Zone. The pair quickly raced off the mat and headed south, out of the Wind Shrine. They followed the signs in the forest by the light of their flashlight headbands and entered the second part of the Upperlands forest.

<Fran & Balthier: Sky Pirates, Currently in 1st Place>
     Fran and Balthier entered a cave and followed a final sign pointing them to a nearby exit that led them into the foggy land of overgrown mushrooms that were about a meter tall. After a few patches of shrooms, they found a small inhabited area across a short bridge. It was like a castle with a solid wall surrounding it, but inside it seemed much more like a farm. There was a small hut out front and a larger, yet similar-looking building behind it. Across the entrance to the large part of the building was a chain with a sign reading "Hours of Operation: 7:00 am - 6:00 pm."
     Fran and Balthier crossed the bridge and approached the door to read more carefully.
     "I expected as much. It's been too long since we've seen some of our competition," Balthier said.
     "We should get some rest," Fran said. "And hope Dona does not attempt to bypass the line again."
     "I will be sleeping with one eye open for that very reason."

<Brahne & Garnet: Mother/Daughter, 5th to Depart: 12:06 am>
<Biran & Yenke: Comrades, 6th to Depart: 12:06 am>
     Biran and Brahne opened the clues for their respective teams and read to them. Brahne read at a decent speed, but Biran's loud, slow, often-pausing reading, it became difficult to understand what either one said.
     "I'm giddy as a schoolgirl to be with our old friends," Brahne said. She reached out to pull the Ronso closer to her, but they both quickly walked away and pretended to be looking for something.

-------------------------{Biran & Yenke: Interview}-------------------------

     "It Ronso secret," Biran noted. "When Ronso not want people to touch them, Ronso pretend to look for things. Yenke does it poorly, but Biran is good."
     "Biran not as good as Biran think," Yenke added.

-------------------------{End Interview}-------------------------

     "Oh look, rock!" Biran said of the only conceivable object anywhere near him: a rock. "That where Biran put it." With that, Biran picked up the random rock on the ground and put it into his backpack.
     "Ohh, you found rock?" Yenke improvised. "Well then, Yenke not need look anymore."
     Garnet sighed, then led the three outside and to the south. She found the sign and led the oversized team through the trees and through the cave until they all arrived at Mantengo, where all the other teams waited in sleeping bags or under blankets.

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, 7th to Depart: 12:14 am>
     "This is for you, Frat-Rat," Zell said. He ripped open the clue and read it to Ma. "Make your way to Mantengo and pick up a Flammie drum and your next clue."
     "Mantengo? That sounds more like a dance," Ma said. "Let's go, Zelly!" Ma said with a smile.

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Last to Depart: 12:21 am>
     "Open it, Barthello," Dona ordered. "It is way too late to be starting a race."
     Barthello agreed and opened the clue. He read it to Dona, then they walked together toward Mantengo.

     When Dona and Barthello finally found the city, all teams seemed to respond by sliding close together to form a very obvious line. They were already in a perfect line, but some still made small adjustments to make sure everything was perfect.
     "Oh puh-lease," Dona said. She took off her fanny pack and handed it to Barthello, who was already carrying two large backpacks. She beckoned for Barthello to join her near a wall far away from the other teams, as well as a long distance away from their next location.
     "There's no sense in being near them when we're in last," Dona told Barthello. "Just make us a bed."
     Barthello nodded and started pulling blankets out of the backpacks.

<7:00 am>
     The teams eagerly awaited the opening of the door. They waited in the order they arrived in, even Dona. Suddenly a small mushroom man with a face on his thick stem and a tan mushroom top with purple spots and emerged from the door and took down the sign. The teams seemed caught off-guard by a man that was a mushroom (or vice versa), but shrugged it off and ran inside quickly.
     Once inside, they saw another mushroom with a purple top and yellow spots, a brown beard, and a small red-and-yellow crown on top of his head. In front of him was a small table with what seemed to be musical instruments laid out on top. Each was labeled with a different team name. The instruments were small drums on sticks. Both sides of the drum were exposed and tied to the sides of the drum were two strings with wooden balls on the ends.
     "Welcome, all teams!" the crowned mushroom said. "I am King Truffle, and I'd like to explain to you all how to use Flammie-Taxi. We have several dragons in service that will fly you anywhere you direct them, but you must first hail them. To do so, simply go outdoors and take this 'Flammie Drum' and hold it by the stick. Then twist it back and forth so those two balls beat on the drums. The nearest Flammie-Taxi will hear it, then come pick you up. Now go ahead, everybody. Take your Flammie Drums and your next clue, which is underneath the drums."
     "Thank you so much," Ma said to King Truffle as she and Zell grabbed their drum and clue.
     Dona was the first to tear into her clue. "Make your way to the sparkling hut on Turtle Island."

<Announcer Gippal>
     "Teams must now travel to 'Turtle Island,' an island named for the resemblance to a turtle when viewed from above. The Flammie-Taxis are not driven by anybody, so teams will have to navigate their friendly, furry dragons on their own. Once they find the island, they must land and find the sparkling hut to receive their next clue."

     "Here goes!" Reno shouted as several teams crammed their way back outside to try to hail a Flammie-Taxi. He twisted the drum once to make a clunk. "I... don't think that was right, y'know?"

     "Ha!" Balthier shouted as he tried his own Flammie Drum. His made a clunk, then he continued to twirl it, but the balls did not hit the drum again. Instead they just spun in circles with the drum.

     Zone took the drum in both hands, then rubbed one hand forward at a time as if he were trying to start a fire with sticks. The drum circled back and forth, creating a clack clack clack clack clack!
     "Like that?" Zone asked Watts, when they were suddenly grasped from the air and carried by a white dragon-like creature. It had four wings like a bird with white feathers and a hard underside like that of a turtle. Its ears were like a cat's and it had a tuft of almost human-like hair on its head. The creature held Zone and Watts in its claws gently and pulled them higher and higher into the air, where it seemed to be waiting on their command for where to go.
     "I have a new fear," Zone whispered to Watts.
     "I might, too," Watts said. "So umm, I hope you're a Flammie-Taxi."
     "Pbreeee!" the creature responded.
     "Let's go that way," Watts said. He pointed to the east and the Flammie quickly fluttered in that direction.

     Garnet lifted her drum in the air and twisted it back and forth. A Flammie-Taxi swooped down on them and lifted them into the air... then put them down. It tried a second time and this time grabbed Brahne with both of its hands and Garnet with one of its feet.
     "Which way?" Garnet asked Brahne.
     "That way, dragon!" Brahne pointed. The Flammie-Taxi flew in the direction Brahne had specified.

     One by one, the teams were lifted away by their own Flammie-Taxis as they figured out the drums. Reina and Faris went next, then Zell and Ma, Fran and Balthier, Dona and Barthello, Reno and Rude, and finally Biran and Yenke.

     "Feels good to be in the sky again," Balthier said to Fran as the wind rushed against their faces. "Too bad we're having no luck looking for this island."
     "It seems the island we're looking for is rather small," Fran replied.

     "Garnet, honey? Does that look like a turtle?" Brahne shouted from the front half of the Flammie-Taxi. She looked over a hexagon-shaped island with six partially submerged islands nearby that from above looked like the head, tail, arms, and legs of a turtle.
     Garnet looked down, a bit surprised to see that the island really did resemble a turtle. "Yes, I think that's it, Mother!"
     "Take us down, dearie!" Brahne shouted to the Flammie-Taxi. It flew by the island and dropped them off. They found the sparking hut not far from where they were dropped off and quickly ran to it. The clue box sat just outside of it. Garnet reached inside and pulled out the clue.
     "There are two tickets inside," Garnet said, handing them to Brahne. "Make your way to the train station on the Lost Continent in the southeastern corner of the map."

<Announcer Gippal>
     "Teams must now travel to the underground train station on the Lost Continent. Once there, they will give their tickets to an attendant, who will show them to their train. The train will take them to their next destination."

<Brahne & Garnet: Mother/Daughter, Currently in 1st Place>
     "Tickets with no destination printed on them?" Brahne said, looking down at the tickets. "My oh my. How mysterious!"
     "We should get going," Garnet said. She lifted her Flammie-Drum and twisted it high in the sky. Their old Flammie-Taxi swooped in and picked them up, this time fully prepared for Brahne. Garnet instructed her Flammie-Taxi to the southeast.

<Zone & Watts: Resistance Fighters, Currently in 2nd Place>
     "Ah ha!" Watts said, pointing to the turtle shaped island. "Land there, please."
     The Flammie-Taxi landed and dropped them off. They ran to their clue just as a second team swooped in behind them.
     "Oh, it's you," Dona said to Zone and Watts as they fished out their clue.
     "Uhhh, yup," Zone responded. He and Watts looked at each other and shrugged, then Watts read the clue to him as Dona and Barthello got a clue of their own. "Well.... bye." Zone lifted the drum and hailed a taxi, which swooped down and picked them up. A second taxi was right behind theirs, picking up Dona and Barthello.

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, Currently in 4th Place>
     Ma and Zell landed on Turtle Island and grabbed their clue. Ma ripped it open and read it to Zell. "Make your way to the train station on the Lost Continent in the southeastern corner of the map."
     "There's a map!?" Zell said.
     "Of course there is," Ma replied calmly. "I just haven't shown you because you have such a tendency to lose things."
     Zell opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came to him. He softly replied, "Thanks, Ma," and hailed a taxi.

<Fran & Balthier: Sky Pirates, Currently in 5th Place>
     "About time," Balthier said. He and Fran landed on Turtle Island, closely followed by Biran, Yenke, Reina, and Faris.
     "Arright, I admit it!" Faris shouted, completely unprompted. "We was followin' yeh! I be a sea pirate, not no mangy sky pirate, so we followed yeh all the way here!"
     "I see," Balthier replied. He looked to Biran and Yenke. "And what of you two?"
     "Biran found it all by Biran's self," Biran said. "But Yenke followed you."
     Fran opened the box and grabbed their clue, then nudged Balthier. "We're not the first ones here."
     "You're kidding.... Okay, let's hurry along then."
     Fran read their clue as Biran and Faris grabbed the clues for their team. Then, in the order they arrived, they departed.

<Brahne & Garnet: Mother/Daughter, Currently in 1st Place>
     Brahne and Garnet landed on the Lost Continent and found the obvious newly-added staircase leading down to the underground train station. The station looked to be under construction, based on all the metal scaffolding along the tan walls. They approached the turnstiles, which also appeared to be under construction since there were only the pillars and nothing in between to block passengers or even count how many have gone by. Because of so many poor experiences with turnstiles before, Brahne was relieved.
     They reached the ticketbooth, where a boyish woman with spiky blonde hair greeted them with her two friends behind her: a boy and a girl. "Imperial spies!?" the woman shouted at them.
     "Goodness, no!" Brahne replied quickly.
     "Then, you're racers?"
     "We are," Garnet said.
     "Oh, okay, sorry," the woman said. "Force of habit. I'm Krissie. Can I have your tickets?"
     Garnet and Brahne handed their tickets to Krissie, who then led them to their train. It looked like a subway train, but from the light at the end of the tunnel, they assumed it eventually traveled above ground. They headed inside and sat in the nearest set of comfortable-looking blue seats.
     "Excuse me, dearie," Brahne said to Krissie. "Do you happen to know when we'll be leaving?"
     "In about twenty minutes," came the reply.

<Reno & Rude: Partners, Currently in Last Place>
     "Oh man," Reno said to Rude as he pulled the clue from the clue box on Turtle Island. "Only one clue left, y'know?"
     "Last place," Rude mumbled. He raised the drum above his head and twirled it to call their Flammie-Taxi.

<Zone & Watts: Resistance Fighters, Currently in 2nd Place>
<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Currently in 3rd Place>
     Zone and Watts landed on the Lost Continent, closely tailed by Dona and Barthello. They headed to the train station with Dona and Barthello no longer trying to hide that they were following.
     "I almost want to take one for the team and lead them in the complete wrong direction," Zone whispered to Watts.
     "I know the feeling," Watts replied.
     All four found the train station and were seated by Krissie and her friends. Dona and Barthello sat in the booth across the aisle from Garnet and Brahne, while Zone and Watts headed to another compartment altogether to strategize.

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, Currently in 4th Place>
     Ma and Zell landed at the Lost Continent and ran to the train station where they watched the train slowly depart from the station.
     "Dang, darn, dagnabit!" Zell yelled, kicking the wall.
     "Zelly! Language!" Ma shouted at him. She handed her and Zell's tickets to Krissie and asked, "How long until the next one?"
     "Not long," Krissie said. "It'll probably get here in about five minutes, depart in ten. We cycle a lot of trains to the place you're going."
     "Man, but I'll bet everybody will catch up by then," Zell said. "Do you know how many other teams already left?"
     "Three. So you're not doing too poorly, right?"
     "I guess not," Zell said.

<Fran & Balthier: Sky Pirates, Currently in 5th Place>
<Biran & Yenke: Comrades, Currently in 6th Place>
<Reina & Faris: Sisters, Currently in 7th Place>
     The three bunched-up teams landed, though Faris lagged behind to talk to the Flammie-Taxi. She smiled at the large dragon, which took a seat in front of her.
     "Yer a good dragon," Faris said to it. "Ye remind me of ol' Syldra. Somethin' about dragons and we Tycoon girls, eh Reina?"
     "Yeah, they're cute," Reina said. "We should be going now."
     "Aye. Sorry, sister."
     "It's okay," Reina said. She looked at the Flammie-Taxi. "Bye, Flam!"
     Faris waved to the beast, then joined Reina in following the other two groups down to the underground train station. They boarded the train that had arrived. Ma and Zell sat closest to the door they entered through, while Biran and Yenke found seats more toward the middle of the train. Balthier and Fran moved closer to another door farther down. Reina and Faris made do with the second closest set of seats to the door they entered through.

<Reno & Rude: Partners, Currently in Last Place>
     Reno and Rude landed on the Lost Continent and headed straight for the train station. They headed down the long set of stairs and ran to the station, only to see the train slowly pulling away from the station.
     "This isn't good," Reno said. He watched the train, which had several other teams pressed against the glass to see if they'd make it.

     "Amazing," Balthier said. "What I'd call our top competitors are in trouble."
     "It's best this way," Fran said.
     "Yes, I like it this way, too. We could knock them out now and be guaranteed a victory. Our other competitors aren't exactly competition. We need to make sure they lose."
     "It won't be easy, even with them so far behind."
     "Indeed it won't. Besides, they'll likely beat out whatever competition is still behind us. I assume the large blue woman is behind us. And as much as I admire her daughter's perseverance, it seems disgraceful that their team is still here."
     "Judging books by their covers, Ffamran?" Fran asked.
     "More judging past performance, I'd say."

<First Train Arriving>
     The three leader teams all waited by the train's doors as they slowly opened. Garnet was the first to squeeze out the door. Brahne blocked anybody else from getting through, so she was next. Zone and Watts, who had already exited the train from a further door, ran at the clue box that waited on the train platform for them. Garnet was first to grab a clue. She ripped it open and read it.
     "Make your way by skateboard to The Usual Spot. Caution: U-Turn ahead," Garnet read. "The Usual Spot? Where are we?"

<Announcer Gippal>
     "The teams have entered into Twilight Town in the Kingdom Hearts Galaxy. From the train station, they must use the skateboards provided at the exit of the train station to reach The Usual Spot: a popular hangout in the alley for the local children."

<Brahne & Garnet: Mother/Daughter, Currently in 1st Place>
     "I can't wait to skateboard," Brahne said. She and Garnet walked around the clue box to leave, slightly blocking Zone and Watts, who were just about to grab a clue from that side. The delay allowed Dona and Barthello to be the first to take a clue.

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Currently in 2nd Place>
     "Make your way by skateboard to The Usual Spot," Barthello read.
     Dona sighed. "Sounds annoy-"
     "Fun!" Barthello interjected. "Sounds fun."
     "Don't start with me, Barthello," Dona said with a half smile.

<Zone & Watts: Resistance Fighters, Currently in 3rd Place>
     Zone opened and read the clue to Watts.
     "Skateboarding?" Watts responded to the clue. "I do a little of that. And for once, you can't say 'no' to boarding with me!"
     "Don't remind me," Zone said.

     Garnet and Brahne exited the glass doors of the train station and explored outside. They traveled down a few steps to get to the main landing. The floors of the whole town were covered in large, non-uniform-sized, auburn tiles. The train station was obviously a prominent feature in the town. It had high scale architecture with two columns out front and large planters on either side of the steps. Across from the station was a ledge overlooking some beautiful landscape.
     At the bottom of the steps were sixteen skateboards. Most of them were identical, but all had a racer's name written on it. A large, sturdy board awaited Brahne. Likewise with Barthello, Biran, and Yenke's boards.
     Garnet and Brahne found their boards and tried them out. Brahne immediately jumped on with both feet, but as the board started to move, she slipped off the back and fell on her butt. Garnet chased down her board and brought it back to her as the other two teams emerged from the train station.
     "Take it easy on me," Zone said to Watts as they stepped on their boards. Watts immediately took off skateboarding toward the town, while Zone moved with slow, cautious pushes.
     Garnet's style was similar to Zone's. Both were very slow, but stayed upright. Brahne's style was loud. Very loud. She screamed whenever her speed exceeded four miles an hour. Dona stood on the board and grabbed onto the back of Barthello's pants. Barthello was not the most stable skateboarder, so with Dona as added baggage, he was not doing exceedingly well.
     Watts led Zone through the city. It was a small city, but it had a lot of tall buildings crammed into a small area. The elevation changed often and made skateboarding more difficult. Zone was starting to pick up the pace, though he was still slow enough that Watts would occasionally circle him and do tricks out of boredom. He also stopped to ask many locals for directions to The Usual Spot along the way.
     After picking up their boards to run up a flight of stairs (which they were privately informed was allowed) and skateboarding another short distance, Zone and Watts found The Usual Spot. It was a small section between buildings where there were several crates and boxes, some of which were covered in old, discarded blankets. Directly in the middle was a clue box.
     Watts grabbed the clue and ripped it open. "Detour: Stand or Deliver."

<Announcer Gippal>
     "A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons.
     "In Stand, teams must work as Grandstanders and entertain a crowd by keeping a ball in the air by hitting it with a couple of sticks. The number of hits they get in before the ball hits the ground determines how much munny they receive for their attempt. Once they have made 150 munny, they must take it back to a boy named Hayner, who will be waiting for them in the Sandlot. The task is difficult, but teams with enough patience and coordination could finish quickly.
     "In Deliver, teams must complete two delivery jobs in a limited amount of time. First, they must deliver five letters in under fifteen seconds. They will have the aid of a skateboard, should they require it, and the delivery locations are all in the same relatively-small area, but if they fail to do it under fifteen seconds, they will have to start over. After completing that, they must head to the Market Commons and put up 20 posters in under a minute. This area is very large and the posters must be in specific locations. If they put the posters up in time, they will be given 150 munny to deliver to Hayner in the Sandlot. This task could be done very quickly, but teams that cannot beat the stressful times could find themselves stuck for a very long time."

<Zone & Watts: Resistance Fighters, Currently in 1st Place>
     "Neither are our thing," Watts said. "I'm decent on a skateboard though, so I say Deliver."
     "Sounds better than being the main attraction for a large crowd," Zone replied.
     They headed out of The Usual Spot and followed a sign labeled "Deliver." On the way, they passed Dona and Barthello, who were starting to get the hang of skateboarding. Well, Barthello was. Dona was still holding onto the back of his pants.

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Currently in 2nd Place>
     Dona and Barthello entered The Usual Spot and found the clue box. Dona ripped the clue open and read the clue. "Detour: Stand or Deliver." Dona paused a moment to think, while Barthello waited in silence. "We'll do Stand. You can keep a stupid ball in the air, right, Barthello?"
     "Yes," Barthello replied.
     "Good, then we're decided."

<Brahne & Garnet: Mother/Daughter, Currently in 3rd Place>
     Brahne and Garnet finally skateboarded into The Usual Spot with Brahne screaming almost the whole time on the skateboard. Garnet grabbed a clue from the clue box and read it to Brahne. "Detour: Stand or Deliver."
     "Dearie, I don't have the greatest coordination," Brahne said. "Both will be up to you, honey. Why don't you decide?"
     "You are... letting me decide?" Garnet asked. "Thank you, Mother. I believe Deliver would be best."
     "Me too, dearie," Brahne replied. With that, the pair headed in the direction indicated by the "Deliver" sign.

     Zone and Watts reached the mail delivery portion of their task. There was a table with several sealed envelopes placed at the top of a long incline. Buildings were on either side of the incline, and toward the end was a low rail on the right side with one final building a bit beyond the rail. Scattered throughout the path were three people and two birds, all of which were waiting to receive a letter. The birds fluttered in place and were marked with a red-and-yellow tag tied to one of their feet to remind racers that they need to be given a clue. Likewise with the people, only they were marked more obviously by a shirt reading "Give Me My Mail!"
     "Whew, looks tough," Watts said. He waited for a response, but when he didn't get one, he looked to Zone, who was in his usual position. Watts rolled his eyes and kicked Zone in the leg.
     "Ow!" Zone said.
     "Come on, just follow behind me, okay? Get anybody I miss. That'll be your job."
     "Roger."
     Zone and Watts grabbed five envelopes each, then waited at the starting line. A man counted them off: "Three, two, one, go!"
     Watts pushed off with his skateboard and started down the path quickly. Zone was behind him going a similar, but slightly slower, pace. They started coming up on a man waiting for mail and Watts took an envelope and tossed it to him. They continued without stopping and whizzed by a bird without even noticing. They came upon the final section of the trail and Watts flipped another piece of mail to a man nearby, then went down the last stretch of incline and looked at a bird above him waiting for a letter. It was really high, but when Watts threw the envelope to the bird, it swooped down and caught it, despite being nowhere near the bird.
     "Time!" someone shouted, stopping Watts and Zone. "You only delivered three letters. Please try again."
     "Geez," Watts said to Zone. "We might've picked the wrong detour..."

     Dona and Barthello reached the large section of crowd and saw the brown orb in the center of them all. There were a couple sticks nearby that were about three feet long and about an inch in diameter. They weren't much different from cardboard tubes from wrapping paper except that they were filled with more cardboard to make them more sturdy.
     "This doesn't look hard," Dona said. She and Barthello each picked up a stick and circled the ball. Suddenly, a machine below the ball blew it up into the air, thus starting the event. "Get it, Barthello!"
     Barthello swung at the ball and knocked it higher into the air. It also went a bit crooked and started hooking left. It floated like a balloon, but it seemed to have something strange inside of it, since the ball moved in a difficult pattern. It began coming down again a lot farther away than they had anticipated. Barthello ran for the ball and dove for it, hitting it into the air again. This time, his hit did not have much force and the ball landed on the ground soon after. Instead of clapping for them, the audience was laughing at them. A man from the crowd approached them and gave them 10 munny.
     "So we just need to suck like this fifteen times," Dona said. "Wonderful."
     The staff began replacing the ball on the machine, then waited as the air compressor in the corner started up and slowly began preparing their next attempt.