A Girl of the Future

by Vanessa Krowd

  flight leaving for Toad Town that gets in at 5:30 PM."

  "Let's get on that." Tina said.

  "…Fine." Stacey said.

  Stacey & Tina Tina: Friends – 1st on FLIGHT 2

  "Thank you." Tina said.

  Athena & Janey: Engaged (Clubba Airport)

  Athena and Janey walked into a small travel agency office.

  "Hi, we're looking to get to… Boston?" Janey asked. "Could we book our flight here?"

  "Unfortunately, it's national flights only out of here, so you'll need to fly to Toad Town or Mushroom City and then book a flight to Boston from there."

  "Ok, when's the next flight out to either of those cities?" Athena asked.

  "There's a flight leaving for Toad Town at 9:15 AM."

  "That's less than 15 minutes. Think we can make it?" Janey asked.

  "Are there seats available?" Athena asked.

  "Yes."

  "Okay, let's try it." Athena said.

  Athena & Janey: Engaged – 2nd on FLIGHT 2

  "Good luck!" The clerk said, as the engaged Pandorans rushed out of the travel agency.

  FLIGHT 2 (Boo Airlines) – Departure (Clubba Airport) / 9:15 AM

  "This is the second flight leaving Boo Woods, bound for Toad Town and carrying friends Stacey & Tina and engaged Pandorans Athena & Janey."

  "We managed to make the flight to Toad Town, and we're flying with Stacey and Tina." Athena said (During-Leg). "We figure that the other four teams are ahead of us on an

  earlier flight, but we're hopeful that we'll catch up at the airport."

  "We're on the same flight as Athena and Janey, which is cool, 'cuz they're from Pandora like me." Tina said (During-Leg). "Us Pandorans gotta stick together."

  Kirby & MetaKnight: Friends/Star Warriors – 7th to Depart / 9:20 AM

  "Looks like we're headed to the United States." MetaKnight said.

  "(Where?)" Kirby asked.

  "Boston." MetaKnight said.

  (Clubba Airport)

  "We're looking to get on a flight to Boston." MetaKnight said.

  "Sorry, no international flights out of here." The clerk said. "Your best option is flying to Toad Town or Mushroom City and getting on a flight to Boston from there. We have an

  11:45 AM flight to Toad Town, getting in at 8:00 PM."

  "(Anything earlier?)" Kirby asked.

  "No."

  "We'll take that, then." MetaKnight said.

  Kirby & MetaKnight: Friends/Star Warriors – 1st on FLIGHT 3

  "(Thanks.)" Kirby said.

  Alex & Aubrey: Friends – 8th to Depart / 10:19 AM

  "Sweet! We're going to Boston." Aubrey said. "We'll find our first clue at Fanueil Hall."

  "Awesome. Let's roll." Alex said.

  Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokemon – Last to Depart / 10:49 AM

  "…take a taxi to Faneuil Hall and search for your next clue. You have 1000 coins for this leg of the race." Ash read.

  "It sucks starting with a 30-minute penalty and knowing we could get another 30-minute penalty at the Pit Stop." Ash said (Before-Leg). "We're not ready for the race to end."

  FLIGHT 3 (Boo Airlines) – Departure (Boo Woods) / 11:45 AM

  "This is the final flight leaving Boo Woods, bound for Toad Town and carrying Star Warriors Kirby and MetaKnight, friends Alex and Aubrey and trainer-Pokemon team Ash and

  Pikachu."

  FLIGHT 1 (Boo Airlines) – Arrival (Mushroom City) / 4:00 PM

  The dating Sages and the Yoshis walked into the airport from their plane, as the Kongs and Team Star Fox rushed in and started searching for an airline to get them to Boston.

  CJ & Shaylene / Yoshi & Yoshi Jr

  The two teams rushed through the airport and soon came to the American Airlines counter.

  "Hi, we booked tickets on the 5:15 PM flight to Boston." CJ said.

  "So did we." Yoshi said, approaching another clerk. The clerks took the racers' names and within a few moments, they printed the tickets.

  CJ & Shaylene: Dating – 1st on FLIGHT 1 to Boston

  Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son – 2nd on FLIGHT 1

  "Well, we've got close to an hour to kill." CJ said.

  "Let's grab something to eat." Shaylene said.

  "Sounds like a good idea." Yoshi said.

  DK & Diddy: Best Friends

  "Diddy, over there." DK said, noticing the dating Sages and the Yoshis walk away from the American Airlines counter. The Kongs rushed over. "Excuse me, did those people

  book a flight to Boston?"

  "Yes." The clerk said.

  "Can we get tickets on that same flight?" DK asked.

  "Yes you can." The clerk said.

  DK & Diddy: Best Friends – 3rd on FLIGHT 1

  "Awesome. Thanks." DK said.

  Fox & Krystal: Married

  Team Star Fox ran into a travel agency.

  "Excuse me, we're looking to get onto a flight to Boston." Krystal said.

  "Just a sec." The travel agent said. "Okay, there's an American Airlines flight leaving at 5:15 PM, arriving at Logan Airport at 2:45 AM."

  "Awesome. Let's grab that." Fox said.

  Fox & Krystal: Married – 4th on FLIGHT 1

  "Thank you very much." Krystal said.

  FLIGHT 1 – Departure (Mushroom City) / 5:15 PM

  FLIGHT 2 – Departure (Toad Town) / 9:00 PM

  "All teams are now on their way to Boston. Leaving from Mushroom City are dating Sages CJ & Shaylene, father-and-son Yoshi & Yoshi Jr, married mercenaries Fox & Krystal

  and best friends DK & Diddy.

  All other teams – Stacey & Tina, Athena & Janey, Kirby & MetaKnight, Alex & Aubrey and Ash & Pikachu – are leaving from Toad Town."

  FLIGHT 1 – Arrival (Logan Int'l Airport) / 2:45 AM

  The lead four teams rushed out of the airport, all managing to quickly hail cabs.

  "Faneuil Hall, quick!"

  CJ & Shaylene / DK & Diddy (Faneuil Hall)

  Two cabs pulled up outside the historic brick building.

  "How much?" CJ asked.

  "$25." The cab driver said. CJ handed him the money as the Kongs settled their fare as well. The dating Sages and the Kongs jumped out and scanned the area.

  "And just like that. Over half of our money was gone." DK said (After-Leg). "633 coins for a cab ride."

  "Where's the clue?" DK asked.

  "No idea." Diddy said.

  "Uh oh… Look." CJ pointed to a sign on the door, reading "Hours of Operation: 10 am – 9 pm"

  "The clue's inside?" Shaylene asked. "Of course…"

  "And yet again, here we are, all tied." CJ said (During-Leg). "On the plane ride here, I had a sneaking suspicion that our clue was going to be inside. I wish I wasn't right."

  (Faneuil Hall / 9:50 AM)

  All nine teams stood outside Faneuil Hall, waiting for the doors to open.

  "Here we are. All tied up, just waiting on our clue." Janey said.

  "It's going to be a mad dash for the clue." Fox said.

  "I'm glad we're all caught up." Aubrey said. "I have some confidence in my ability to navigate Boston, so I think we have a slight advantage."

  (10:00 AM)

  The doors opened and the teams rushed in, quickly finding their clue in the center of the indoor marketplace.

  "Make your way on foot to the New England Aquarium." Yoshi read.

  "Teams must now make their way on foot to the New England Aquarium, where they will find their next clue."

  "Caution: Yield Ahead." MetaKnight said.

  "A Yield is a point in the race where one team may force another team to Yield… that is, stop racing for a predetermined amount of time. A team's yielding power is limited,

  as they may only use the Yield once. After that, they can't use another for the entire race, so they must decide when it is most advantageous to go for it." Toadsworth

  said. "Once a team has been Yielded, they must turn over this hourglass. Once all the sand has fallen to the bottom, they ca
n continue racing."

  "Go go go!" Tina said, running off. Several other teams took off, as the two teams of Sages stood back and ran over to one of the shops in the marketplace.

  "What's the fastest way to the New England Aquarium?" CJ asked.

  "Head out along Merchant's Row and then shoot straight up State Street. Can't miss it."

  "Thanks." CJ said.

  (New England Aquarium)

  "Over there! I see the Yield!"

  "It's right there! Go!"

  "Run! Come on!"

  Several teams sprinted toward the Aquarium from various directions. Alex and Aubrey outran everyone and stepped onto the Yield mat.

  "We choose to Yield Ash & Pikachu." Alex said.

  "We knew Ash and Pikachu were marked for elimination, so we Yielded them in the hopes of slowing them down enough that they wouldn't reach the Pit Stop in first." Aubrey

  said (After-Leg).

  "Phew… We're safe." CJ said.

  "Aw man!" Ash said, as he and Pikachu stepped onto the mat and flipped the hourglass.

  "Beat by seconds…" Ash said (During-Leg). "This sucks. We could've Yielded someone if we were faster. Instead, we're sitting here waiting, and of course, we're marked for

  elimination, so this could end up taking us out."

  The other teams quickly rushed in the front doors of the aquarium, locating their clue in the lobby.

  "Detour… Duck or Dunk." CJ read.

  "A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams must choose between two well-known tourist attractions in Boston… Duck

  or Dunk.

  In Duck, teams must head sign up for one of Boston's famous Duck Tours, leaving from the New England Aquarium. Although the task requires no physical work, the tour will

  take approximately 80 minutes, is first come, first serve, and there is only room for five teams. Once teams return to the Aquarium, their tour guide will hand them their

  next clue.

  In Dunk, teams must take one of the 2016 Chevy Cruzes waiting nearby and drive themselves approximately one mile to TD Garden, home of the Boston Celtics and Boston

  Bruins. Once there, they and their partner must each throw 5 basketballs through the hoop, while being blocked by a member of the Boston Celtics. While it could be faster

  than the duck tours, teams that lack athletic prowess could find themselves struggling for much longer. Once they successfully net 10 throws, Lucky the Leprechaun, the

  Boston Celtics mascot, will hand them their next clue."

  "Let's do Duck." CJ said. "I have no doubt you could do Dunk, but I don't think I could."

  "Let's do Duck." Yoshi said.

  "(I think Dunk should be okay.)" Kirby said.

  "Dunk doesn't sound too hard." Athena said.

  "Dunk. Easy." Krystal said. "We can nail that faster than the tours will take."

  "I like the idea of Duck." Aubrey said.

  "A tour of some of Boston's most historic sights?" Alex asked. "Count me in."

  "Duck." Stacey said. "I'm not the athlete I used to be."

  "We can slamma jamma Dunk." DK said. "Can't we, little buddy?"

  "Oh yeah!" Diddy said. Everyone rushed out of the aquarium. The Dunk teams booked it out to the road and started running, while the Duck teams ran to a small board not far

  from the aquarium entrance, which read "Duck Detour – Tour Begins at 10:40 AM."

  CJ checked his watch. "15 minutes."

  "Should we switch?" Shaylene asked.

  "No." CJ said.

  "I knew we were taking a gamble with the Duck Tour, but I was also confident that the tour would finish faster than I'd be able to shoot 5 basketballs." CJ said (After-Leg).

  Kirby & MetaKnight / DK & Diddy / Athena & Janey / Fox & Krystal (TD Garden)

  The four teams walked into the basketball court, where several tall men waited. All of them were wearing white tank tops and shorts that had the word "Celtics" across the

  chest in green lettering. In front of the men was a rack of basketballs. Each team rushed over to one of the men, each racer grabbing a ball on the way.

  "Welcome to the TD Garden." One of the Celtics said. "We'll take two teams over to each hoop, and you'll alternate shooting."

  "(Cool.)" Kirby said.

  CJ & Shaylene / Yoshi & Yoshi Jr / Stacey & Tiny Tina / Alex & Aubrey (New England Aquarium)

  The four teams climbed into a waiting amphibious vehicle known as a DUCK. The DUCK was blue and had the words "Boston Duck Tours Land & Water" painted on the sides. On

  the front end of the boat were the words "Faneuil Holly". As the teams climbed in, they were greeted by a brown-haired gentleman who looked like someone out of a

  barbershop quartet, with a red-and-white-striped shirt and a straw hat. On his shirt were pins reading "Vote for Me" and "Don't Whine. VOTE".

  "Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the famous Boston Duck Tour. I'll be your conDUCKtor today. My name is Worcester T. Filibuster." The man said. "Climb on in and let's

  take you on a ride through scenic, historic Boston."

  Ash & Pikachu: Trainer/Pokemon (New England Aquarium)

  Ash and Pikachu readied themselves as the last bit of sand fell to the bottom of the hourglass. As soon as it dropped, they rushed into the aquarium.

  "Detour… Duck or Dunk." Ash read. "I just saw the duck boat leave, so I guess we're doing Dunk."

  Kirby & MetaKnight / DK & Diddy / Athena & Janey / Fox & Krystal / Ash & Pikachu (TD Garden)

  "Banana slama!" DK said as he leaped into the air, shooting the ball. He watched as it swished through the net with ease. Across the court, Athena jumped up and shot, as one

  of the Celtics swatted the ball away, sending it bouncing toward the side of the court.

  Ash and Pikachu ran into the basketball court, quickly grabbing a pair of basketballs and choosing a player. Ash looked up at the hoops.

  "This might be tougher than I thought." Ash said. Across the court, Kirby ran toward the hoop, swiftly zipping under the legs of one of the Celtics due to his small size. He

  dribbled toward the hoop, leaped into the air and tossed the ball. It struck the backboard, rolled around the rim of the net a few times and fell off to the left, bouncing and

  rolling to the side of the court.

  "(Dang.)" Kirby said.

  "Watch and learn." Fox said, stepping up. He dribbled the ball a few times, shot and watched as one of the Celtics jumped up and grabbed the ball and shot it in himself.

  Kirby – 0 / MetaKnight – 0

  DK – 1 / Diddy – 0

  Athena – 0 / Janey – 0

  Fox – 0 / Krystal – 0

  Ash – 0 / Pikachu – 0

  "What were supposed to learn, exactly?" MetaKnight asked.

  CJ & Shaylene / Yoshi & Yoshi Jr / Stacey & Tiny Tina / Alex & Aubrey (Boston Streets – Duck Detour)

  "With its gas street lamps and brick sidewalks, Beacon Hill is one of Boston's most beautiful neighborhoods. The Massachusetts State House is the oldest state house in the

  nation. John Adams and Paul Revere laid the cornerstone in 1795." Worcester said.

  "Like I said. Rich in history." Alex said.

  "I'm glad we chose this Detour." CJ said.

  "Me too." Yoshi said. "It's really cool getting to learn this stuff."

  Kirby & MetaKnight / DK & Diddy / Athena & Janey / Fox & Krystal / Ash & Pikachu (TD Garden)

  The Star Warriors zipped on opposite sides of their opponent, each dribbling a ball. Once around him, Kirby shot first, followed by MetaKnight. Kirby's ball bounced off the

  backboard and away from the net, while MetaKnight's circled the rim of the hoop before sliding in. Meanwhile, Diddy faked a shot in front of his opponent, slipped around him to

  the left and shot, tossing the ball almost perfectly into the net.

  Kirby – 1 / MetaKnight – 2

  DK – 3 / Diddy – 3

  Athena – 2 /
Janey – 0

  Fox – 1 / Krystal – 1

  Ash – 0 / Pikachu – 0

  "Man, DK and Diddy are killing us…" Ash said.

  "This is insane." Fox said.

  "Athena, I can't do it." Janey said.

  "Yes you can. I believe in you." Athena said.

  CJ & Shaylene / Yoshi & Yoshi Jr / Stacey & Tiny Tina / Alex & Aubrey (Boston Streets)

  "And here is the famous TD Garden, home of the Boston Celtics and the Boston Bruins. It also hosts concerts and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus."

  "I wonder how many teams have finished the Dunk detour." Shaylene said.

  "No idea." CJ said.

  Kirby & MetaKnight / DK & Diddy / Athena & Janey / Fox & Krystal / Ash & Pikachu (TD Garden)

  "Hyah!" Fox grunted as he threw the ball. One of the Celtics jumped up near the hoop, smacking the ball to the ground. "Damn."

  "Athena, I got one!" Janey cheered as her ball swished through the net.

  "(Woot! Got one!)" Pikachu cheered.

  Kirby – 1 / MetaKnight – 3

  DK – 4 / Diddy – 3

  Athena – 2 / Janey – 1

  Fox – 1 / Krystal – 1

  Ash – 0 / Pikachu – 1

  "Let's go, Diddy! We got this!" DK said.

  CJ & Shaylene / Yoshi & Yoshi Jr / Stacey & Tiny Tina / Alex & Aubrey (Boston Streets)

  "And here's the Bunker Hill Monument. The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought on June 17, 1775. Fifty years later, on June 17, 1825, the monument's corner stone was laid."

  "What's the Battle of Bunker Hill?" Tina asked.

  "It was one of the battles fought in the early stages of the American Revolutionary War." Worcester said. "American colonial forces attacked the peninsula where Boston now

  stands in the hopes of taking it from British control. Much of the battle was fought on the hills surrounding the city, including Bunker Hill and the nearby Breed's Hill. Ultimately,

  however, the battle ended in favor of the British, although they suffered discouraging casualties. Stories of the battle also popularized the famous quote: 'Don't fire until you

  see the whites of their eyes.'"

  Kirby & MetaKnight / DK & Diddy / Athena & Janey / Fox & Krystal / Ash & Pikachu (TD Garden)

  "Come on, Diddy! You got this!" DK cheered. Diddy rushed forward, dribbling the ball, slipped around the opposing player, took the shot and screamed with excitement as the

  ball swished through the hoop.