Episode 6: Part 1

     Gippal walked out of a large, white mansion and into a large courtyard. "This is the mansion on the outskirts of Twilight Town. I... They tried to explain to me what this mansion and town were all about, but honestly, I couldn't follow it. What I do know is that it was the location of the fifth Pit Stop in a race around worlds. Teams departed from the Wind Palace in the Seiken 2 verse and traveled to Twilight Town by train. Once there, they were faced with several tasks, all being very physical in nature. While some excelled from the addition of a skateboard as a means of transportation, it caused others to fall behind. Zone and Watts held onto an early lead due to being on the first train and beating out their competition, then grabbed their first first-place victory. As the only team on the final train, plus being targeted with a U-Turn by Fran and Balthier, Reno and Rude had a lot of ground to make up, which they failed to do, as they were the fifth team eliminated from the race. Will Brahne and Garnet remain allies with constant villains Dona and Barthello? Will Zone and Watts continue to hold their lead? And will Biran and Yenke stop referencing their horns? Zone and Watts, who were first to arrive at 10:10 am, will depart at 10:10 pm."

<Zone & Watts: Resistance Fighters, 1st to Depart: 10:10 pm>
     Zone and Watts stood on the Pit Start mat and turned on the flashlight headbands they each wore. Zone ripped open the clue and read it to Watts. "Travel by train to Sunset Hill."

<Announcer Gippal>
     "Teams must make their way to the train station, then take a short ride to the nearby Sunset Hill. Once there, they will find their clue box at the train station upon their arrival."

<Zone & Watts: Resistance Fighters, Currently in 1st Place>
     "You have 120 gil for this leg of the race," Zone finished reading.
     "Okay, let's go," Watts said. He took the clue and put it in their clue pouch and headed to Twilight Town with Zone. They traveled on foot through the darkened, vacant city and found the train station. The lights were off and the large, glass doors were closed. On the door was a sign reading "Hours of Operation: 5:00 am to 10:00 pm."
     "Just missed it," Zone said. "I suppose we're camping tonight."

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, 2nd to Depart: 10:38 pm>
     Zell ripped open his clue and read it to Ma. "Travel by train to Sunset Hill. You have 120 gil for this leg of the race."
     "We sure do," Ma replied after thumbing through their gil. "Ready, Zelly?"
     "You bet, Ma!"

-------------------------{Ma & Zell: Interview}-------------------------

     Ma and Zell sat in a couch inside the mansion. The windows showed the outside to be very dark.
     "We're totally psyched for this leg," Zell said. "We're in second place, and we intend to keep that."
     "Or increase it," Ma added.
     "Right, or that. But it's like we're finally back to where we started. We ended the first leg in second place, but we lost it and dropped way down. We've been fighting ever since, but now it's like, we're back! So we're fired up!"
     "Some more than others, but we're both definitely eager to win this one."

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

<Biran & Yenke: Comrades, 3rd to Depart: 10:41 pm>
     Yenke ripped open the clue, which Biran grabbed from him and read. "Travel by choo-choo to Sunset Hill."
     "Why Biran stealing clues from Yenke?" Yenke asked.
     "Yenke is horrible reader."
     "So is Biran!"
     "But Yenke is a time-waster!" Biran grabbed his backpack and punched Yenke in the arm, then motioned for him to follow.

<Fran & Balthier: Sky Pirates, 4th to Depart: 10:45 pm>
     "Should be a rather relaxing race now that our competition is gone," Balthier said to Fran. He opened the clue and read it to her.
     "Try not to get too cocky," Fran said.

     Ma and Zell reached the station, where they found Zone and Watts in sleeping bags right beside the door.
     "Dangit!" Zell shouted. "I wanted to keep our lead!"
     Ma shushed Zell. "People are sleeping. Use your nighttime voice."
     "Sorry, Ma," he whispered. They began rolling out their own sleeping bags as Biran and Yenke arrived, closely followed by Fran and Balthier.
     "Not sleep time!" Biran shouted. Zone and Watts both were awakened by his voice. "Biran sleep whole time at big building! Biran not want sleep!"
     "Yenke either!" Yenke piped in.
     "I don't think we're going to get a whole lot of sleep now," Watts said to Zone. He rolled over and stuffed his pillow over his head.

<Reina & Faris: Sisters, 5th to Depart: 10:58 pm>
     Reina opened the clue and read it to Faris.
     "I be a bit frightened now," Faris said. "The best racers be gone. I expected ter face them in the finals. Seems anybody can win this race..."
     "I know what you mean. But at the same time, I think we'll have a better chance at winning with them out of the way."
     "Aye."
     The two ladies walked through Twilight Town, making sure to navigate to the train station correctly. They finally stumbled across the station and found most teams either resting or huddled in a circle, sitting and talking. Faris and Reina decided to join in the conversation. Faris found a seat between Biran and Balthier, while Reina used the gap between Ma and Zone. The only two that were not in the circle and instead opted to rest were Fran and Zell.
     "Glad you could make it," Balthier said as they sat down. "We were just talking about the disappearance of Reno and Rude."
     "I 'eard it were you that gave 'em the boot," Faris said to Balthier. "Thanks fer that."
     "Believe me, it was my pleasure. The U-Turn is an absurdly powerful delay point. As is the Yield, for that matter."
     "And Xing!" Biran added.
     "Err, no. Not really."
     "I hear you won," Reina said quietly to Zone. "Congratulations!"
     "Th-Thanks," Zone replied quietly.
     "We should work together."
     "What?"
     "To get ahead," Reina said. She looked around before saying more. "You and I should share information. Faris and I worked with the Turks once and were second and third place. We should do it from here until the final three. It should be both of our teams in the finals."
     "I agree, but I should check with Watts," he replied. He started to move to get up, but Reina touched his hand and asked him to wait. "I think we should keep it between only you and I."
     "Why?"
     "I don't think my sister wants me to share information."
     "Watts and I are really trying to avoid helping any teams though. It was our policy in this game to not help or hurt any teams."
     "I understand," Reina said. She paused for a moment. "Although, didn't Shinra and Rufus win because of their alliance with Yuna and Rikku?"
     "Possibly."
     "That could be us! Only this time, the girls might win," Reina smiled and elbowed Zone lightly in the ribs.
     "I'll think about it."
     "Great! I think I'm going to get some sleep. If we're on the same train, you should sit by me and we'll talk more."
     "Okay," Zone said. "I have to go lie down, too. My stomach hurts more than it has ever hurt before."

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, 6th to Depart: 11:23 pm>
     Barthello ripped open the clue and read it to Dona. "Should we wait for our alliance?"
     "Of course not," Dona replied. "We only help them when it is convenient. Now lead me to the train station."
     "Yes, ma'am."

<Brahne & Garnet: Mother/Daughter, Last to Depart: 11:26 pm>
     Brahne opened her clue and read it to Garnet. "Do you see our allies anywhere?"
     "No, I do not," Garnet replied as she counted their gil. "Shall we go?"
     "Hmm, fishy they would not wait." Brahne tapped her foot with her hands on her hips. "Okay then. Garnet! Let's go to the train!"

     Upon reaching the station, Brahne and Garnet joined everybody in unfolding blankets to sleep the night in front of the train station. Even the Ronso were ready to sleep, despite their earlier tirade. Upon seeing Garnet unfolding a sleeping bag, the Ronso decided to move their sleeping pads to either side of her.
     "You aren't seriously going to sleep on either side of me, are you?" Garnet asked them as she crawled into her sleeping bag.
     "Hornless summoner need some Ronso protection," Biran informed her.
     "And three horns better than one horn," Yenke added. "Oh, look! Summoner not even have one horn! Hornless! Hornless!"
     "Hornless summoner howl alone!"
     "I'm not- I- You two are such pests!" Garnet said before ducking her head down into her sleeping bag.
     "You be quiet you selfish little girl!" Brahne added. "If only I were the meat in this kinky sleeping bag sandwich."
     Biran and Yenke both looked to each other and shook their heads. They stood up, grabbed their pads, and moved to a new location.

<5:00 am>
     All the teams had already put away their sleeping gear and were waiting at the glass doors leading into the train station. The doors opened automatically and all teams rushed inside to the ticket booth. There were two tellers handing out tickets. The first team to line up was Reina and Faris, followed by Zell, who was later joined by Ma. These two teams each approached one of the windows.

     "What's your earliest train to Sunset Hill?" Zell asked.
     "There's one leaving in a half-hour," the teller informed Zell.
     "Great, we'll take it!"

     "And how many seats are left?" Reina asked.
     "All of 'em. It's around a hundred," the teller replied.
     She looked back at the line, which seemed to be growing restless. Zone was slowly creeping into his fetal position and Garnet had her hands over her ears as the Ronso constantly yelled stupidities at her. "I see. Four please."

     Zell took his and Ma's tickets, then headed to the train. Meanwhile, Reina took the four tickets and walked to the line. She handed two tickets to Watts and smiled.
     "There are plenty," Reina yelled over a crowd that started yelling at her for giving tickets to another team. "I'm just getting these two out of the line."
     "Thanks," Watts said. He took the tickets, then grabbed Zone by the arm and dragged him out of the line. They walked toward the train to catch up with Zell and Ma while Fran and Balthier walked to teller one and Dona and Barthello walked to teller two.
     "How much do we owe you?" Zone asked Reina.
     "Only forty gil," she said. Zone dug through their money and handed it over.

-------------------------{Reina & Faris: Interview}-------------------------

     Faris and Reina stood alone in a corner of the train station. In the distance, each of the teams could be seen buying their tickets at the ticket booth.
     "I feel so bad about it, but we had to force an alliance," Reina said. "Zone and Watts have only let one thing out about their playing style: they're running their own race. But Faris and I decided to change that."
     "We bought 'em tickets and purposely made a scene to give it to 'em," Faris said. "By doin' so, even if they don't be needin' an alliance with us, it'd seem like they did."
     "The only downside to alliances, that we can figure, is that other teams will view you as a bigger threat. And we know Zone and Watts are trying their best to not be a big threat, but we're kinda forcing them to be viewed as such."
     "Now we be better off as allies. They be needin' the help."
     "We're just hoping the all-girl team will be the 'weaker' of the teams, so teams will target them over us.... Sorry, Zone! Sorry, Watts!"

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

     All teams purchased their tickets, then entered the train. Dona and Barthello joined Garnet and Brahne in a booth, making their alliance public. Reina and Faris joined Zone and Watts in a booth farther away. The Ronso sat as close to Garnet and Brahne as possible without Brahne screaming at them to get back. All other teams separated and sat in their own booths.

     The train soon arrived at the station in Sunset Hill. As the doors opened, the teams pushed and shoved to get out the doors and over to the clue box on the train platform first. The first to reach the platform were Ma and Zell. Zell grabbed a clue and ran to a corner with Ma. Zell ripped open the clue and read it to Ma. "Figure out one of this town's Seven Wonders to receive your next clue. You will not receive credit for a wonder if another team has already figured it out."

<Announcer Gippal>
     "Sunset Hill is partly known for being the town with Seven Wonders. That is, seven places or events within the town are listed as being unexplainable, yet, each is actually very easily explained. Each team has a map with a marking and label telling them where each of the wonders are and what the wonder is. At each location is a box with an electronic display on the front. If the box says 'Wonder,' then teams may work to discover the wonder. Then when they explain the wonder to the box, it will open and give the team their next clue. At this point, the word 'Wonder' will change to 'Taken,' meaning that clue has already been taken and teams should move on to the next wonder. Phew, that's a mouthful!"

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, Currently in 1st Place>
     "It says one is... right here!" Zell shouted, looking at the map. "The Spooky Steps. It says here that somebody once noticed there are a different number of stairs if you count from the top down than from the bottom up."

     "...a different number of stairs from top down versus bottom up," Balthier paraphrased as he read the wonder to Fran. "We should get counting then."

     "We need to get this one so we do not have to run to another wonder," Garnet said. "Let's start counting stairs!"

     "Let's move on," Zone said after reading the first wonder. "People will get caught up here. Let's go to the next closest. I don't care for crowds. Especially not on stairs."
     "I agree," Watts said. "Besides, it says one of the wonders involves a train."
     "Let's do that one!" He and Watts quickly ran past the crowd of teams looking over the stairs and headed for the next wonder.

     "I think they're on the right track," Reina said to Faris. Faris agreed and they, too, ran past everybody on the stairs to search for a different wonder.

     "We're too late," Dona said, watching people count the steps. "You're too stupid to count faster than them, so we should find a different wonder."
     Barthello nodded. They ran down the steps and headed for the next wonder.

     "It mystery!" Biran noted of the stairs. "Eighteen going down, seventeen going up!"
     "Even bigger mystery! Nineteen going up, seventeen going down!" Yenke added.
     "No, it's eighteen both ways," Balthier said. "Whoever counted these stairs is as daft as you two."
     The wonder box unlocked and a picture of Balthier and Fran appeared with the word "Taken" written in the foreground. Fran grabbed the clue as the other teams angrily ran off to find their next clue. She opened the clue and pulled out two clues: one yellow, one green. "There's a Fast Forward," she noted.

<Announcer Gippal>
     "This is the first of only two predetermined Fast Forwards. With a Fast Forward, teams can follow a set of instructions and bypass all remaining obstacles in the leg and go straight to the Pit Stop. However, teams can only use the Fast Forward once, so they must decide when it's most advantageous to use it. In this Fast Forward, teams must travel to Radiant Garden, formerly known as Hallow Bastion, and find a shack owned by Scrooge McDuck. What teams will not know is that, once there, they must each eat one of his famous "Sea Salt Popsicles." Once they have finished, they will hand their popsicle sticks to Mr. McDuck for their next clue."

<Fran & Balthier: Sky Pirates, Currently in 1st Place>
     "What do you think?" Balthier asked. "I'm near certain we're in first place. But we also might require the Fast Forward at a later point in time."
     "Let's try," Fran said.
     "Agreed." Balthier and Fran headed to the train station, where a new section of gummi ships awaited them. They boarded a ship and flew out into space.

<Announcer Gippal>
     "Teams have been provided gummi ships, which are ships made of blocks that are capable of space travel, to travel to their next destinations. I... probably should've mentioned that earlier, but hey, it's in the clues."

     "The Friend From Beyond the Wall," Faris read to Reina. "People be findin' lots of balls as if they were thrown from this here brick wall."
     "Let's investigate then!" Reina said. She and Faris searched the wall just as Ma and Zell were jogging by.
     "It's taken," Zell said. "They're smart. We should find the next spot."
     "Good idea," Ma said. She and Zell continued to the next location.
     "I don't get it," Reina said to Faris. "So people find balls here and- wait! What's that?" Reina touched a small button on the wall and a panel of bricks moved. Behind the panel was a gymnasium where several kids were playing dodgeball.
     "So.... Somebody moved this panel and loose balls be flyin' out?" Faris said. The box opened and revealed their clue.
     "Nice!" Reina said. She ripped open the clue and showed Faris the Fast Forward. "You think?"
     "It be quite the risk, but she might be worth it," Faris said. "Let's try it!"
     "Okay!" she read the Fast Forward to Faris, then the two headed off to find a gummi ship to take them to Radiant Garden.

     Zone and Watts stood on a hilltop waiting for the train to come by. Zone rechecked the clue and read it out loud. "The Ghost Train Mystery. According to rumor, a train with no passengers on a track to nowhere sometimes appears."
     "Well, we found the tracks, I think," Watts said, pointing down the hill at a set of train tracks that did not enter the Sunset Hill station. And look! It goes to Twilight Town, which is hardly going to 'nowhere.' And I can't see very far the other way, but I assume it goes somewhere... far."
     "There it is!" Zone shouted in Watts's ear. The train chugged along the tracks heading from Twilight Town to the mystery location. "And I think I saw somebody in there."
     "Looked like a boy, a duck, and a...weird...dog...thing."
     The wonder box popped open and pushed a clue out, which Watts quickly grabbed. He high-fived Zone, then opened the clue and pulled out the Fast Forward. "You think?"
     Zone quickly shook his head. "The stair counter will probably go for it. Let's return to our middle strategy."
     "Deal." He changed from the Fast Forward to the detour card. "Detour: Swim This Way, or Search That Way?"

<Announcer Gippal>
     "A detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In Swim This Way, teams must make their way to the underwater world of Atlantica and help direct a performance. Since it is underwater, they will have to put on underwater suits, then they will have to give cues to the performers based on a prompter in front of them. Whenever an exactly-timed cue is given, they will receive one point. If they are close but not perfect, they receive nothing. And if they are way off, they lose a point. In a total of twenty cues they must give, they must have five points by the end of it in order to receive their next clue. The task is not difficult, but putting on the suit could take a lot of time. And listening to their ridiculous song, might rot their brains.
     "In Search That Way, teams must make their way to the Land of Dragons and work with an army of Chinese soldiers that are awaiting an attack. Teams must help them discover the enemies that are preparing to ambush them by searching a nearby mountain path for the hidden soldiers. There are eight in total. When they find each one, he will give them a thumbprint on a piece of paper. When they have eight unique thumbprints, they will receive their next clue. The task is fairly easy, but climbing the harsh terrain can be very difficult, and finding all eight enemies could be difficult."

<Zone & Watts: Resistance Fighters, Currently in 3rd Place>
     "I think we should find the Land of Dragons," Zone said. "Underwater is high on my list of fears."
     "It sounds the most manly anyway," Watts said. "Now let's find those gummi ships!"

     "The Moans From the Tunnel," Zell read as he and Ma entered the tunnel. "Moans are heard in this tunnel and nobody knows what they are."
     "Let's search!" Ma said happily. She ran through the dark tunnel until she came to an area lit by a single oil lamp. Zell joined her and they watched as a small black mage emerged from the corner, swinging away wildly with a blue foam bat.
     "He's such a little guy!" Zell said.
     "Looks like he's training for The Struggle," she replied. "Must be why there's all the moaning."
     They heard a box opening in the distance and both perked up immediately. They ran outside and found the box with their clue resting inside. Zell removed it and pulled out the Fast Forward, but passed it up for the detour card. "Detour: Swim This Way or Search That Way?"
     "Swim This Way sounds so much more fun. Can we, Zelly? Please?"
     "Sure, Ma! Let's go find the gummi ships!"

     "There," Dona said, pointing to the wonder box beside a small, manmade waterfall. "What was the wonder again?"
     "The Doppleganger, where people reportedly see their doppleganger in the waterfall," Barthello informed her.
     "That's stupid. Is this whole world so stupid? It's a reflection."
     The wonder box popped open, putting a picture of Dona and Barthello up and the word "Taken."
     "I hate it all," Dona grumbled, taking the clue from the box. She opened it and pulled out the Fast Forward. "Should we?"
     "Others before us might have already-"
     "We're doing it," Dona said. "Nobody would choose to do it. There's a second one. They'll all be babies and want to save it for later in the race. Besides, if we mess up, Brahne's team will give us enough information to catch up."
     "I hope you're right," Barthello said. Dona gave him a mean look, causing him to change his tone. "I mean, I know you're right."
     "Thank you, Barthello."

     "This not fun at all!" Biran said, looking at the wonder box with Ma and Zell's picture on it. "Everything already discovered!"
     "We not tried Doppleganger yet!" Yenke pointed at the location on the map.
     "We try Doppleganger!"

     "Mother, please hurry," Garnet said. They rode a trolley from one side of the town to the other and disembarked near the Doppleganger Wonder. They hurried to the waterfall, only to find the clue had been taken by Dona and Barthello.
     "Drat, drat, drat!" Brahne shouted. "That only leaves the mansion, which requires going back to Twilight Town, and the Animated Bag one, which is even further from here!"
     Garnet's ears perked up when she heard the word "hornless" blowing in the wind. "Oh no." She looked over her shoulder and, sure enough, the Ronso were walking their way.
     "Is summoner's wonder already taken?" Biran teased.
     "Need Ronso help figuring out hard wonders!" Yenke said.
     "There's only one wonder left here and the other is way back in the town," Garnet yelled at them. "And we're going to get it! And you're going to go home and 'howl alone!'"
     "Hornless summoner have backbone," Biran replied. "But Ronso will discover wonder first and make summoner go home to howl alone!"
     "Howl alone! Howl alone!" Yenke echoed.
     All four ran to a lone hill on the outskirts of town, where, on a cliff overlooking the waters below, a bag danced around in the dirt around some trashcans.
     "Biran will get it!" Biran shouted. He ran at the bag and hopped on top to try to stop it from dancing around, but the bag continued to dance with him on top.
     "The Animated Bag," Garnet read. "There is a sack that occasionally moves or hops."
     "It's the devil!" Brahne guessed. The box did not respond.
     "There's something in the bag," Garnet noticed.
     Suddenly, Yenke rushed the bag and tackled it and Biran. The bag flew off and revealed a dog underneath. The dog seemed a bit angry that the large Ronso were on top of it.
     "Ronso win!" Biran mocked Garnet.
     "It's a dog under the bag," Garnet commented. The wonder box popped open with a picture of Brahne and Garnet on the cover.
     "Not fair! Biran did all work!"
     "But you didn't figure it out," Garnet informed them as she took the clue. "You two should hurry to Twilight Town to solve the mansion wonder."
     "Good luck, sweetums!" Brahne said to the Ronso as they ran back toward the Sunset Hill train station.
     Garnet ripped open the clue and pulled out a Fast Forward. Brahne made a weird, happy squeal, but Garnet shook her head and instead pulled out the detour. "Detour: Swim This Way or Search That Way?"
     "I'd love to direct undersea concerts!" Brahne said happily.
     "Good. I'd really rather do it, too. It seems more our pace. Especially with our backgrounds with theater."
     Brahne and Garnet headed back to the train station area to receive their gummi ship.