Episode 11: Part 3

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, Currently in 2nd Place>
     Zell held Ma aboard the S.S. Liki, or at least a boat resembling it. She was on the ground and Zell was holding her head up slightly as a few men on the boat came to aid her. One of the men handed Zell a rolled-up towel, which he put under Ma's head. Shortly after, an on-board medical crew raced over to Ma and pushed Zell out of the way. He was struggling to see what they were doing to her, so he just walked away and plopped down on the deck in a sitting position. His legs were sprawled out in front of him and fists were pointed down, resting on the ground. Occasionally, he lifted one up and punched the ground.
     "It's all my fault," he said to himself. "I pushed her too hard! Stupid stupid stupid!" he punched the ground with each stupid.
     A man from the medical crew approached Zell. "Son, I need to speak with you about your mother."
     "Will she be okay?" Zell asked. He jumped to his feet and grabbed his shoulder. "WILL SHE!?"
     "She'll be fine," he said, desperately trying to pull Zell and his death-grip away. He eventually succeeded. "She's mostly just exhausted. A bit of dehydration. Some blood pressure issues. No permanent problems for now, but she really needs to rest."
     "Okay, doctor. Thanks."
     "I'm not a doctor, but you're welcome." He and the rest of the crew helped Ma to a deck chair under an umbrella and left her with a water bottle. Zell slowly walked over to her. He looked as if he were five-years old and had just gotten caught coloring on the walls.
     "Don't look like that, Zelly," Ma said. "It's not your fault."
     "It is though! We could've just walked the whole time! We could have taken the third boat like Reina and Faris! And if we didn't win, I mean, that'd be fine! I sure as heck want a million gil, but I want my mom more!"
     A tear escaped Ma's eye. And then she reached out and punched Zell in his thigh. "Oh Zelly, you big jerk! They said I'm dehydrated, and you're making me cry!"
     "Oh come on, Ma. I'm bein' serious! Should we just withdraw from the race?"
     "Not a chance, Zelly," Ma said. "Dinchts are winners, and that's just what we'll do!"
     "Okay, Ma."
     "Don't gimme that 'okay, ma' stuff! Reply like you mean it! Dinchts don't settle for second! I'm not here because you pushed me too hard! I'm here because you didn't push me hard enough sooner! Now let's do this!"
     "ALL RIGHT!" Zell cheered. "Let's DO THIS!"

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Currently in 1st Place>
     Dona and Barthello's boat maneuvered around another boat, the S.S. Winno, which was anchored about ten meters away from the docks in the festive city of Kilika. The city was entirely over water with stilted huts connecting to the bridges below by wooden staircases. There was a path straight up the middle of the town, between the two main bridges. A man in a small gondola used this passage to transport people across the busy town. The town stretched to the north, but never east or west; just a thin strip full of half-dressed people.
     The boat docked at the pier on the south-end and the two racers exited the boat. The next clue box was waiting for them right where they disembarked.
     Dona ripped open the clue. "Make your way to the Kilika Temple on the north-side of the island. And make sure you know: 'Craven Monkey' is even, 'Carved Monkey' is odd."

<Announcer Gippal>
     "Teams must now make their way to the temple on the far-side of the island. They will travel through the town, then through a small forest. They will finally reach the temple steps where temple guards will ask them a question with a numeric answer. They must answer this by using the password "Craven Monkey" if the answer is even, or "Carved Monkey" if the answer is odd. If they answer incorrectly, they must wait for three minutes before trying another question. Once through, they will find their next clue at the temple's entrance."

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Currently in 1st Place>
     "I hate that monkey stuff," Dona said. She and Barthello walked the crowded bridges of Kilika just as far as the gondola. Without even speaking to the gondolier, she and Barthello stepped in.
     "Dona! Welcome home!" he said.
     "Just take us to the end and hurry," Dona told him.
     "Same ol' Dona." The man pushed them in the gondola all the way through the town.
     They finally reached the end where Dona and Barthello stepped out and walked through a large, open gate leading to the forest. The forest had many different paths to travel through, but Dona and Barthello walked through with no problem. They knew the forest well and had no trouble finding the path all the way through. They crossed a stone bridge in the middle of the forest and eventually broke off to the right. Their path went around the forested area on a path overlooking the ocean. After this, they were faced with a large set of steps leading up to the temple. An armored man approached them with a rifle, complete with an attached bayonet.
     "If you wanna get by, answer me this!" the man shouted at the pair. "This is the number of delays used in the race. What is the password?"
     Barthello held out a fist and started counting them on his fingers as he spoke them. "Okay, it started with the Xing on Leg 2. Then--"
     "It's fifty-fifty," Dona said. "I'm just guessing. 'Carved Monkey.'"
     ".........correct! You may pass."
     "Much better than thinking," Dona said. "Come, Barthello."
     "Yes, Dona," Barthello said. "And...very good, Dona!"

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, Currently in 2nd Place>
     Ma and Zell disembarked at Kilika with Zell being extra careful with Ma. He was acting as if she was 100-years old and could break a hip and fall over at any minute. Ma swatted at his head.
     "Oh, knock it off, Zelly," she said. "I'm fine. Now let's win this!"
     "Okay, Ma," Zell said. He took the clue from the box and read it to Ma.
     "That monkey business sounds weird." Ma pointed to the forest in the distance. "I think that's where we're going."
     "Nowhere else to go," Zell said. He walked to the nearby gondolier. "Hey, can you take us to the other end?"
     "Sure," he said. "I mean, no."
     "Pardon?" Ma asked, joining Zell by the gondolier.
     "See, Dona and Barthello told me not to let anybody else on," he explained. "They live here and like to boss a few of us around. But well, I am pursuaded by gil."
     "You got it, my man," Zell said, tossing the man a handful of gil. "We've been saving for just this reason!"
     "Hop aboard!"
     Zell and Ma boarded the gondola and he pushed them through the city. Zell asked if gil would make him go faster. After testing his theory by tossing a few gil on the ground, the gondola started going even faster.
     "Nice!" Zell said. "See, Ma? We can do this without you even needing to run!"
     "Oh, Zelly. I'm still going to run," she explained. "It's only one more leg."

     Dona and Barthello reached the top of the steps and walked through the temple grounds. The whole area was stone and had an abundance of columns, pillars, and arches. In the center was a glowing, fiery, circular-section of floor. On top of this was a clue box. Dona reached in and pulled out the clue.
     "Make your way through the cloister of trials within the temple to the chamber of the fayth," she read.

<Announcer Gippal>
     "Teams must now complete one of the three models of the cloister of trials here on Kilika Island. There is only one true temple, but we have built models so that each team can complete their own without the influence of other teams. However, all cloisters eventually intersect in their final area: the chamber of the fayth. Once here, teams will find their final clue box of the race."

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Currently in 1st Place>
     Dona and Barthello were both trying their best to hide their extreme exitement of a challenge that would be potentially easy for them, but difficult for others. They followed a staircase leading down into the main temple area. Inside there were several people around the circular room, singing the Hymn of the Fayth. Ahead was a staircase leading up to a door marked with a red-and-yellow race flag. They went up the stairs and inside the marked room, where there were three circular elevators. They were not normal elevators as they were only circular platforms with strange markings on them.
     Dona and Barthello, having used these before, knew exactly how they worked and stepped on the middle elevator. The symbol on their elevator turned a bright-red color, then started slowly moving down.

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, Currently in 2nd Place>
     Zell and Ma stepped out of the gondola and Zell tossed him a couple more gil.
     "Keep an eye out for us, okay?" Zell said. "We need all the transportation help we can get...just in case, you know?"
     Ma and Zell raced out the city gate and started searching for a route through the forest. They continued to pick a path, then Zell ran far ahead to see if it dead-ended and returned to Ma if it did so she wouldn't have to run as far when they turned around. The strategy worked fine for keeping Ma from too much physical exertion, but for the first time in a long time, Zell was starting to feel exhausted.

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Currently in 1st Place>
     Dona and Barthello headed through the dark corridors of the cloister of trials...replica. Neither seemed to hesitate too much when solving the large series of puzzles. There were sockets on the walls that held glowing, orange, "Kilika" sphere. In front of them was a stone archway that was likely a doorway, but it was filled by a solid wood-like substance with an amazing pattern carved into it. There was an empty socket beside the archway.
     Dona moved quickly and grabbed one of the spheres from the wall and put it into the socket beside the archway. A bright line led to the doorway and the wood caught on fire and quickly burned away. All that was left was a grid frame that burned in the archway, preventing access. But Dona knew how to get through this and she removed the sphere from the socket. With the Kilika sphere no longer fueling the fire, the rest of the barrier fell away. Dona kept the orb with her and headed into the next room with Barthello.

<Reina & Faris: Sisters, Currently in Last Place>
     Reina and Faris disembarked and grabbed the last clue in the box on the dock.
     Reina read the clue to Faris. "Make your way to the Kilika Temple on the north-side of the island. And make sure you know: 'Craven Monkey' is even, 'Carved Monkey' is odd."
     "Come back time," Faris said.
     "Come back time," Reina repeated.
     The girls raced down the crowded dock as fast as they could. Seeing how crowded the docks were, they found a staircase to a second level and started racing along that. When the second level reached an abrupt stop, they leapt off to the first level and ran the rest of the way to the gate.

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, Currently in 2nd Place>
     Ma and Zell reached the soldier with the monkey question at the steps to the temple. He told them both to halt, which both seemed to appreciate since they were both exhausted.
     "If you wanna get by, answer me this!" the man shouted at them. "This is the number of delays used in the race. What is the password?"
     "Ohh, the monkey thing!" Zell shouted. He turned to Ma. "Check the clue. See which answer is which."
     "No clues!" the man shouted. "Pull out a clue and it's an instant fail!"
     "Don't worry, Zelly," Ma said. "I remember." She started to sing a really obscure tune. "Craaaven is eeeeven; Carrrrrrrved is odd; yeah!"
     "You're so weird, Ma," Zell said. "Okay, so how many delays were used?"
     "Well, there were two X-ings, since we were X-ing-ed and so were Fran and Balthier. There were two U-Turns because I remember noticing how scary those were since two tough teams dropped because of them. And then there was the yield we used on Freya and Fratley. So....five. Odd."
     "Carrrrrrrved Monkey!" Zell shouted at the man.
     "Correct," the man said. "You may pass."
     Ma and Zell started to climb the steps to the temple. Neither climbed incredibly quickly, though both tried their best to advance quickly.

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Currently in 1st Place>
     Dona and Barthello continued to rock the cloister of trials. Dona took a green glyph sphere from the previous room into a final room with a gorge full of fire. Across this fiery pit was a very decorated door that was the final destination. As Barthello removed an orange, Kilika sphere from the wall, Dona inserted the glyph sphere in its place. A hidden wall moved and revealed a hidden room where they saw the Kilika sphere fueling the fire. Dona took the sphere and the fires instantly disappeared.
     They made their way down the stairs into the previously fiery pit, then across to a staircase leading to the other side. They walked up to the highly decorated door, which like before, was blocked, with a socket beside it for a sphere. Dona inserted her Kilika sphere and the door went up in flames. After a second of burning, she removed the sphere and let it fall to the ground as the fire estinguished itself and allowed them entry to the final room before the chamber of the fayth.
     "Just like old times," Dona said.
     Barthello nodded and headed inside with Dona. There were three entrances to this room, as this was the location that all three replica cloisters intersected. Then, in the distance, was a final door leading to the chamber of the fayth. In the center of the room was the final clue box for the race.
     Dona took the clue from the box. "Roadblock: Who knows thy enemy?"
     "I...I don't know," Barthello said.
     "You do it. You pay more attention to this race."
     "...Yes. I won't let you down."

<Announcer Gippal>
     "A roadblock is a task that only one team member may perform. In this roadblock, that team member must enter the chamber of the fayth where three boards have been set up. Each board is tied to a specific team from the top six, though not from the top three. These teams are Biran and Yenke, Fran and Balthier, and Zone and Watts. Each board has five facts about each team, but the facts are a complete mess. There are several scattered words on each wall that teams must find and put into the correct locations in order to form six true statements regarding each team."

     Barthello stepped inside the chamber of the fayth and saw the large, transparent area on the floor where summoners would stand and pray to obtain an aeon. Barthello respectfully bowed when he entered this area. He could tell when he stepped inside that this was the true chamber of the fayth and not just a replica. On each of the walls, not counting the one with the door he had just passed through, were six statements about each team. Biran and Yenke were on the left, Fran and Balthier ahead, and Zone and Watts to the right. In the center of the room was a huge collection of spheres. It was a meter tall and was a circular bin with a diameter of two meters, and was full to the brim with spheres. Each of the spheres projected a word or term above it. Terms like "yielded" and "Cecil and Rosa."
     Barthello thought about his choices and told the camera about his thoughts. "The Ronso were the most recent, so we would have the most knowledge about them, but Fran and Balthier were talkative, although not to me. Reina and Faris would greatly profit from Zone and Watts, so if I took a team somebody else would profit from, it would delay them greatly. But I...I don't know if I can answer them that well." He thought for a moment, then finally, "I'll do Biran and Yenke."
     He approached the board and looked at the responses he had to fill in.

Biran & Yenke
Biran & Yenke used an Xing on ___________ in Leg __
Biran & Yenke were given plane tickets by _________ in Leg __
Biran & Yenke barely beat ___________ to the first ___________
Biran & Yenke teased _______ constantly about being a ________ _________
Yenke copied _________'s slide puzzle in the ________ on Leg __

     "This will be hard," Barthello said. He headed to the large bin of spheres and pulled one out. It had the word "Celes" on it. He looked back at the wall, then after reading through all the blanks, he tossed it back into the bin.

<Ma & Zell: Mother/Son, Currently in 2nd Place>
     Ma and Zell reached the clue box outside Kilika temple and read through the clue.
     "Make your way through the cloister of trials within the temple to the chamber of the fayth,"Ma read.
     "Sounds complicated," Zell said.
     He and Ma entered the temple and headed to the door up the stairs. Inside, they picked the far right elevator and stood on it. It slowly lowered them into the cloister.

<Reina & Faris: Sisters, Currently in Last Place>
     Reina and Faris approached the man with the monkey question.
     He asked them the same question as the other two. "If you wanna get by, answer me this! This is the number of delays used in the race. What is the password?"
     "Carved!" Reina said quickly.
     "Correct! You may pass."
     "Very good, sis!" Faris said as they walked up the stairs quickly. "How'd yeh know so fast?"
     "There were six delays in the race and all of them were used except one because we all used them too soon. So...odd!"
     "Keep that memory up, an' we may still have a chance at this booty."
     "I will!" Reina said happily. "...Though, I also kiiiinda heard Ma and Zell answer that question."
     "Har! I'll still take it!"
     Reina and Faris reached the top and obtained their next clue from the temple grounds, then made their way inside the cloister of trials.

     Barthello started filling in a couple spots on his board, but not many. On the last line, he put a "10" sphere into the final socket. The previously white sphere turned green to confirm the correct response.
     "I wish I had seen that task," Barthello said to himself. "I wish I had seen most of this! Oh Dona, I'm sorry. . . ."

     "This is hard!" Zell said when Ma pulled the Kilika sphere from the first door's socket, making the flames fade away.
     "But fun!" Ma said. She raced to the next room with Zell and started trying to figure out the next room, which introduced the glyph sphere, which sat in a pedestal to the left. The right wall held a Kilika sphere, while the left wall and the front wall had empty sockets.
     Ma set her Kilika sphere in the far wall's socket and started to investigate the new glyph sphere, when suddenly Zell pointed at the wall where Ma had just left a sphere. A strange glyph had burned itself into the wall behind Ma.
     "Check it out!" Zell said. He took the sphere out, then put it back, then took it out again. The glyph stayed there. "Either you did something right, or some of our victory money is going to be spent repairing this place." He started dusting the glyph with his hand to see how permanent the burn marks were, when the glyph suddenly turned green and that section of wall rose into the ceiling, revealing the next room.
     "Good job, Zelly!" Ma exclaimed.
     "Piece of cake."

     Barthello's wall still remained generally empty. He had filled in the numbers to each of the blanks after "Leg" in each line that had one. He told the camera that they were the easiest because of trial and error. He stuck the word "Ma" into the slot in the last line for who Yenke copied. The word Ma turned red, so he removed it and tossed it back into the bin.
     "I'm starting to wish we'd joined in a few more of the group conversations," he mumbled to himself.

     Dona stood in the middle of the room, tapping her foot. At one point, she started stretching her leg as it started cramping from all the tapping. She saw one of the three doors leading to the replica cloisters go up in flames and turn to a burning wireframe. Through the wires, she saw Zell and sighed. "They're here."
     The door completely disappeared and Zell and Ma entered the room. They walked around Dona and grabbed the clue from the box.
     "We caught up!" Zell whispered to Ma, though it was really loud for a whisper.
     Ma took the clue from the box. "Roadblock: Who knows thy enemy?"
     "You do, Ma!"
     "Okay. Wish me luck!"
     "Good luck, Ma!" Zell shouted.
     Ma walked into the room with the puzzle and left Zell to sit in a corner of the room and glare at Dona, while she glared back at him. Inside the chamber of the fayth, she looked over the large puzzle and saw her remaining two boards. Fran and Balthier or Zone and Watts. She read through both boards and finally walked to the Fran and Balthier board.
     "I think I know the most answers here," she said.

Fran & Balthier
Fran & Balthier U-Turned __________ in Leg __
Fran & Balthier were crossed by __________ in Leg __
________ and _________ founded the ____________ Alliance against Fran & Balthier
Fran & Balthier and _________ are the only two teams to never place lower than _____ place
Fran & Balthier found the first of the _________ at ______ Hill in Leg __

     "Okay, let's see," Ma said to herself. "The alliance was the Anti-Pretty-Boy Alliance. That was an amusing name. It was founded by Celes and Garnet's teams. And the hill was Sunrise or Sunset or something. It was the 7 Wonders task. Aside from that though...hmm."

     "Sure be hot in 'ere," Faris said. She and Reina were in the fire room, trying to figure out how to power down the fire. Reina was excited when she removed a Kilika sphere from the right-most wall, but it didn't work. She and Faris shifted around a lot of the spheres until Faris finally inserted the glyph sphere into the wall, allowing access to the hidden room with a Kilika sphere.
     "Tricky!" Reina said. She grabbed the sphere from the wall and finished the remainder of the cloister with Faris.
     The two girls entered the room with Dona and Zell. Zell waved to them and Reina waved back.
     Faris took the clue and read it. "Roadblock: Who knows thy enemy?"
     "Both of us?" Reina replied. "Want me to do it?"
     Faris took a moment to think. "Aye. Yeh paid attention ter the other teams more."
     "Okay!" Reina headed inside and was really excited to see that the only board left was Zone and Watts. "We're still in this!" she said to herself. She looked over the board she needed to fill in.

Zone & Watts
Zone & Watts were U-Turned by ___________ in Leg __
Zone & Watts and __________ were the only ones to pick the _______ Detour in Leg __
Zone & Watts and __________ were the only teams to fail a portion of the _____ parade/gun show in Leg __
Zone & Watts and ___________ are the only two teams to never place lower than _____ place
Zone gave ________ to ______ to help with Freya's wound in Leg __

     Barthello filled in the "Reno and Rude" blank on the plane ticket statement. "I remember that! We were so angry!" He went back to the bin to grab more random spheres and meanwhile checked on his competition.
     Ma was picking up steam and had filled in quite a few answers. She filled in the information about Fran and Balthier U-Turning Reno and Rude, plus all the blanks regarding the Anti-Pretty-Boy Alliance.
     Reina was quickly filling in all the leg numbers, just like Barthello had done, but was finding herself surprisingly stuck. "All these happened before we got to know them," Reina said to herself, sadly. "We talked about some of this, but not much. We mostly talked about puppies! ....Well I mostly talked about puppies."

     Faris sat beside Zell and waited with him.
     "I'm surprised yeh ain't pacin'," Faris said. "Yeh always pace."
     "I'm so stressed I can barely move!" Zell replied.
     "I hear ya. This be intense. Savin' the world were probably tougher, but knowin' I be against those who did the same makes me nervous that I won't be gettin' me booty."
     "You know what," Zell said, talking a lot quieter. "I really hope one of us wins. And if it comes down to the two of us, I apologize in advance for anything I may do to you." He offered Faris a handshake.
     "Aye. Likewise of me," she replied, shaking his hand. "May the best team win."
     "We will," Dona said. "You two do realize this room echoes?"
     "Gyar. . . ."

     All three boards were getting filled quickly as the bin of spheres started to shrink. There were still several spheres that would never be used, but several of them were discarded by the three teams, knowing they would never be used. These spheres included "Sin," "X-Zone," "Apple Pie," and "Abraham Lincoln," among countless others. The boards around the room were shown as per their completion.

<Barthello>

Biran & Yenke
Biran & Yenke used an Xing on Ma & Zell in Leg 2
Biran & Yenke were given plane tickets by Reno & Rude in Leg 3
Biran & Yenke barely beat Barret & Dyne to the first Pit Stop
Biran & Yenke teased everybody constantly about being a hornless goatling
Yenke copied Reina's slide puzzle in the Roadblock on Leg 10

<Ma>

Fran & Balthier
Fran & Balthier U-Turned __________ in Leg 5
Fran & Balthier were crossed by __________ in Leg 9
Celes & Cid and Brahne & Garnet founded the Anti-Pretty-Boy Alliance against Fran & Balthier
Fran & Balthier and Reina & Faris are the only two teams to never place lower than sixth place
Fran & Balthier found the first of the 7 Wonders at Sunset Hill in Leg 6

<Reina>

Zone & Watts
Zone & Watts were U-Turned by Dona & Barthello in Leg 8
Zone & Watts and Brahne & Garnet were the only ones to pick the Find Exit Detour in Leg 3
Zone & Watts and Barret & Dyne were the only teams to fail a portion of the Gold Saucer parade/gun show in Leg 1
Zone & Watts and ___________ are the only two teams to never place lower than _____ place
Zone gave disinfectant to Sir Fratley to help with Freya's wound in Leg 3

     Reina looked over her chart while she contemplated the answer to the third statment. She had her arms full of locations she remembered being early in the race, but was unable to figure out exactly which one it was. She plugged in "Shin-Ra," which turned red. As did "Costa Del Sol" and "Nibelheim." She finally plugged in "Junon" and the result turned green.
     "Yes!" she cheered.

     Meanwhile, Barthello was staring at his board and wondering what could possibly be wrong.
     "It's true though," he said to himself. He saw the keyword in the bin and smiled happily. The word was familiar to him. "Summoner." He plugged it in after "hornless" and it turned green. Remaining in the bin were only two possible answers, as he knew the two summoners of the group to be Dona and Garnet. But the Ronso knew better than to tease Dona, so he frantically searched for a "Garnet" sphere.

     Ma saw how close Barthello was to completing his board, but tried her best to stay focused on her own. There were only three left and she knew the answers to two of them.
     "Reno and Rude! Reno and Rude!" she shouted as she searched the bin. "Why can't I find them!?"
     She finally spotted the sphere and raced it back over to her board. "Fran and Balthier U-Turned Reno and Rude! And Reina and Faris," she pulled the incorrect "Reina and Faris" sphere from her board and moved it to the correct spot, "crossed Fran and Balthier."
     "And the only team that didn't place lower than sixth is..." She paused to think. "Not us. Not Biran and Yenke. Apparently not Reina and Faris. And it has to be someone from the top six..."
     "GOT IT!" Barthello shouted. He pulled a "Garnet" sphere from the bin and put it into the empty socket.

Biran & Yenke
Biran & Yenke used an Xing on Ma & Zell in Leg 2
Biran & Yenke were given plane tickets by Reno & Rude in Leg 3
Biran & Yenke barely beat Barret & Dyne to the first Pit Stop
Biran & Yenke teased Garnet constantly about being a hornless summoner
Yenke copied Reina's slide puzzle in the Roadblock on Leg 10

     A clue slid out from a slot beneath his question board as if it were coming out of a printer. He pulled it open and raced out of the room. Zell and Faris jumped to their feet when they saw somebody emerge, but both hit the wall near them and said "DAMMIT" when they saw it was Barthello. He joined Dona, who was openly happy for the first time in the entire race.
     "Okay, okay, shut up," Dona said. "We haven't won yet." She took the clue and ripped it open. "Make your way to the Finish Line aboard the S.S. Winno just off the Kilika pier!"

<Announcer Gippal>
     "Teams must now race back to the Kilika pier and find the S.S. Winno floating a mere ten meters away from the pier, so teams will have to swim for it. The first team to reach the Finish Line will be the winners of The Amazing FF Race and will win the one-million gil."

<Dona & Barthello: Summoner/Guardian, Currently in 1st Place>
     "We must hurry!" Barthello said. He and Dona raced backwards through the cloister of trials to reach the elevator at the beginning. It took them back to the entrance of Kilika temple and they raced outside. Both were starting to laugh as they ran down the steps to the temple, when, suddenly, they were halted by the monkey guard.
     "It works this way, too," he told them. Their hearts sank. "This is the number of worlds in the race. What is the password?"
     "Craven Monkey," Dona said quickly.
     "Incorrect!" he shouted. "You have to wait for three minutes!"
     "Nooo!" Barthello cried.
     "Did you know the answer?" Dona asked, feeling a little guilty for being so hasty.
     "No, I didn't. I just hope none of the other teams are close to finishing, since both teams were fairly close."
     "How close?" Dona asked.

     Reina glanced at Ma's board to see how close she was, when she noticed Ma had completed a question that was not only similar to one of her own, but identical. "Zone & Watts and Fran & Balthier never placed below sixth?" she said to herself. She found some spheres in a pile of discards she left near her board and found a "Fran and Balthier" sphere. She plugged it in and searched for a "sixth" sphere.
     Ma was diving around in a bin of her own to try to find a "Zone & Watts" sphere, when suddenly she crouched down and started holding her side. She gave a quick wail of pain, then tried to stand up.
     "Are you okay?" Reina said, racing to her aid.
     "I'll be fine, thank you," Ma said. She walked to her board. "You know...Reina? I can't win. With such a head-start, Zell will likely try something stupid to get me to the finish and end up hurting himself."
     "That doesn't mean you can't--"
     Ma pulled out her own "sixth" sphere and handed it to Reina. "Don't let them win."
     "A-Are you sure?" Reina asked.
     Ma nodded. "Go get 'em!"
     Reina raced to her board and stuck the "sixth" sphere in the wall. Her final clue popped out the slot in the wall and she raced with it to the waiting room.

Zone & Watts
Zone & Watts were U-Turned by Dona & Barthello in Leg 8
Zone & Watts and Brahne & Garnet were the only ones to pick the Find Exit Detour in Leg 3
Zone & Watts and Barret & Dyne were the only teams to fail a portion of the Junon parade/gun show in Leg 1
Zone & Watts and Fran & Balthier are the only two teams to never place lower than sixth place
Zone gave disinfectant to Sir Fratley to help with Freya's wound in Leg 3

     "Yer kiddin'!" Faris shouted, when Reina came into the waiting room. She joined Reina and quickly became excited. "Come on, read on the way! I know where we be goin'! They read loud."
     "Okay!" Reina said, ripping open the clue as they headed through the cloister of trials backwards. Reina read the clue as she ran, then tucked it into her fanny-pack.

     "Try again?" the monkey guard asked them after their three minutes had elapsed. "New question. This is the number of galaxies in the race. What is the password?"
     "Craven Monkey," Dona said. "We'll just keep trying that until it works."
     "Well, it worked this time," the guard said. "You may pass."
     "Thank goodness!" Barthello said. He and Dona tossed their bags aside and started to jog through the forest.

     "There we go," Ma said, finding the "Zone & Watts" sphere and placing it in her board. She walked to Reina's board and took back her "sixth" sphere and plugged it into her own question. Her clue popped out of the slot and she took it out to find Zell.

Fran & Balthier
Fran & Balthier U-Turned Reno & Rude in Leg 5
Fran & Balthier were crossed by Reina & Faris in Leg 9
Celes & Cid and Brahne & Garnet founded the Anti-Pretty-Boy Alliance against Fran & Balthier
Fran & Balthier and Zone & Watts are the only two teams to never place lower than sixth place
Fran & Balthier found the first of the 7 Wonders at Sunset Hill in Leg 6

     "Good job, Ma!" he said. He grabbed the clue and ripped it open eagerly. "Make your way to the Finish Line aboard the S.S. Winno just off the Kilika pier! We can DO THIS!"
     "I can't," Ma said. "I'm sorry to hold you back like this, but I'm too old to run across an island." Her eyes started to well up with tears.
     "Oh don't do that, Ma! We're not crying, okay? We're just going to get to the Finish Line at our own pace!"
     "You're such a good boy," Ma said, trying to not cry, but only crying more. "I love you, Zelly."
     "Love you too, Ma!" He picked Ma up on his back and raced out of the temple with Ma riding piggy-back.

     "Halt!" the monkey guard shouted at Reina and Faris.
     "Not again!" Faris shouted. "Craven Monkey!"
     "I haven't even asked the quetion yet!" he shouted. "Aha! This'll show you! This is the number of worlds--"
     "Carved Monkey!" Faris shouted.
     "Dangit, fine!" he said, letting the girls pass. "But I do not like you!"
     "Sooorry!" Reina shouted back at him as they raced through the forest.

     Dona and Barthello reached the Kilika entrance and rushed to the pier. The people in the city recognized them and started clapping for them and moving out of the way. The gondolier waited at the entrance for Zell and Ma, but quickly made room for Dona and Barthello as they hopped in the gondola.
     Dona tossed all her gil at the feet of the gondolier. "Go! FAST!"
     "On it!" he said. He started pushing the boat as quickly as he could.
     Dona watched the S.S. Winno in the distance as it grew closer and closer. Suddenly, Barthello tapped her on the shoulder. "What?" she asked. She looked over her shoulder and saw Reina and Faris coming through the entrance as well. "Oh no..." Dona looked around at the crowded streets, where people had moved to one side to let Dona and Barthello through. "Everybody get in their way!" Dona shouted. The crowd complied as they began to meander around the docks aimlessly.

     "Pardon us!" Reina shouted at the people as she ran down the right dock and Faris took the left. They raced along both sides so that they took up less room in the crowded city's docks and were able to maneuver fairly well through the streets. Many parents pulled the kids out of the way, despite their desire to interfere and help the home team.

     "I'm almost as far as I can go," the gondolier told Dona and Barthello. "This boat ain't got no motor or oars, so it'd be best to swim it when we reach the end of the docks. Ain't enough ground for my stick to push off."
     The end of the dock was coming up quickly and Reina and Faris were both gaining ground on them, though they were still only halfway.
     "I cannot swim that far!" Dona told the gondolier. "Just try to push us over there!"
     "He can't," Barthello said as the gondola reached the end of the dock and the gondolier haulted the gondola. "We'll swim!" Before Dona knew what was going on, Barthello picked her up by her red straps on her back and the criss-crossed stitching near her butt, then hurled her out into the ocean before diving in himself immediately after. Dona flew through the air and splashed down about halfway to the S.S. Winno and started to swim, despite how much she was currently pissed off at Barthello.
     "Ready, sis!?" Faris shouted as she and Reina neared the ends of their respective docks.
     "Ready!" Reina and Faris both dived into the water and swam full-speed for the boat.

     Aboard the ship, out on the dock, was the large, red platform with the words "The Amazing Final Fantasy Race" written on it. Gippal stood alone on the platform, waiting for the first team to arrive. Leading up to the platform were all the eliminated teams outlining a path to the platform. The teams stood by their partners and waited for the winners to arrive. Barret and Dyne ducked down in the front so that Cecil and Rosa beside them could see. Beside them were Reno and Rude, Zone and Watts, and Biran and Yenke, who were right up against the platform. Across from them, Cid and Celes waited eagerly beside Freya and Fratley, Brahne and Garnet, and Fran and Balthier, who were closest to the platform, across from Biran and Yenke. They all waited, several holding their breath.
     "Oh no!" Rosa shouted as Dona rounded the corner at full-speed.
     The teams waiting were startled by Dona's appearance, but started clapping nonetheless. The clapping soon escalated into a much louder applause and several people started shouting happily. Dona raced by the first pairs of past racers, when suddenly Reina and Faris swooped around her on both sides and dove for the platform. Dona was so startled that he legs went weak and she completely collapsed, only to be caught by Sir Fratley at the last second.
     Gippal began his speech with a large smile on his face. "Eight galaxies, thirteen worlds, countless miles, Reina and Faris, you are the official winners of The Amazing Final Fantasy Race!"
     "YAH-HAR!" Faris shouted, helping Reina up to her feet, only to watch her crumble right back down.
     "We won!?" Reina said through trembling lips. "I-I-- I don't believe it!"
     "Believe it er not, sis, but the booty be ours!"
     "No way!" Reina jumped into Faris's arms and hugged her tightly. Her legs dangled above the ground as Faris continued to lift her higher and higher while swinging her around.
     Barthello finally reached the ship and raced for the end, but saw the sisters celebrating and Dona on the floor, sitting down near Fratley.
     "We lost," she told Barthello. "We're already home, let's just go back."
     "No," Barthello said sternly. "We're not going to be sore losers." As he walked toward the platform, he grabbed the red bow on Dona's back and dragged her up to the platform. She finally started yelling for him to stop and walked herself up.
     "Dona and Barthello," Gippal said, "you're officially second place!"
     "I'll take it," Barthello said happily. A hideous smile formed on his face. "I was so glad to race with Dona, even though so many people might think otherwise. But I....I....I love her!"
     Dona looked up at Barthello with a shocked expression on her face. "You...do?"
     "Yes. I've told you that before, Dona."
     "But I never believed it. But now...why tell me now? We just lost."
     "I never lose if I have you," Barthello smiled. He grabbed Dona and pulled her in for a tight hug. She tried to squirm out at first, but then embraced him back. After hugging Dona, he turned around to the Tycoon sisters behind him and opened his arms. They looked around nervously and after repeating "oh no" several times, were caught in Barthello's giant embrace.

     Not long later, Zell and Ma hopped up on the ship and joined in the celebration for the girls.
     "Ma and Zell," Gippal said, "you're officially third place!"
     "Who won?" Zell asked.
     "Reina and Faris," he said.
     "You're kidding!" Ma exclaimed.
     "Yeah, it was actually Biran and Yenke."
     "Okay, now you're kidding!" Ma smiled. She turned to Reina and Faris and was attacked by Reina, who gave her a huge hug and many thanks.
     Zell walked up to Faris and wiped his hand off on his pants, then extended his hand for a handshake.
     "Can yeh wipe yer whole body?" Faris asked. Before Zell could figure out what she meant, she pulled him in for a hug.
     "What a great season, guys," Gippal said. "Let's take a group picture and call it a night, okay?"
     "No way," Reina said. "See, nobody has hugged you yet."
     "And nobody needs to. You're all soaking wet!"
     "That's how I know you've yet to be hugged."
     "Oh well, don't worry about it. Just...hug your partner again, okay?" He turned to run, but almost ran right into Barthello, who was behind him for a hug as well. He tried to cut through another direction, but Zell and Ma blocked him. "Yikes." Before he could react, Reina, Faris, Barthello, Zell, and Ma all came at him and hugged him from all sides.
     "This is ridiculous," Dona said as she started to leave the festivities on the boat. She walked along the edge of the boat to get by everybody, when Zone and Watts approached her.
     "Good race," Watts told her.
     "Right," she said. She tried to avoid him, but he continued to block her path. "What?"
     "Just...a hug, okay?" he said. He moved forward and she moved back, when suddenly she noticed that the rope protecting the edge of the boat was not behind her as she expected, but was instead was unattached. The unattached end was in Zone's hands. Her foot stepped half-off of the boat and she started to stumble. She reached out to try to grab onto something, but couldn't regain her balance and she fell off the side of the boat and splashed down in the water below.
     "Forest Owls!" Zone and Watts cheered.
     "Dona?" Barthello said, breaking his hug/crush on Gippal. "Dona!" He raced for the edge of the boat and dove in after her.
     "We're never going to get to that group picture, are we?" Gippal said to the camera. "Oh well. Till next time, folks! We're actually making enough money to have a third season, so we hope to see you all there!"
     The camera showed some final clips of the group fishing Dona and Barthello from the waters, then posing for a final picture. It showed Reina and Faris a final time before fading to black.