"At the Roadblock, teams were stumped by questions about the Pokemon world around them…"
"Question 7: What Pokemon has the unique ability Toxic Boost?" Bonnie asked.
"Um…. Muk?" Diddy asked.
"Question 6: What Pokemon learns the unique move Flying Press?" Bonnie asked.
"Um… Aerodactyl?" Jr asked.
"Question 4: What fully evolved Pokemon is known as the Mock Kelp Pokemon?" Bonnie asked.
"(Um… Kelpasaur?)" Kirby asked.
"At the Detour, teams were tasked with the choice of eating a small buffet of sushi…"
"Welcome to Sushi High Roller. How may I help you?" The waitress asked. CJ held up the clue envelope. "Follow me." She led the Sages to a marked table in the restaurant and
the sat down. A short time later, she returned with a large tray in the shape of a boat. Filling the boat were various different kinds of sushi rolls, some were simple balls of rice
topped with slices of fish, and others were rolls filled with fish and veggies, wrapped in seaweed. At the two ends of the boat were four wasabi bombs, two at each end.
"You ready for this?" CJ asked.
"I was born ready." Shaylene said.
"Stupid question, but are you sure you can eat all that?" MetaKnight asked, looking at the boat of sushi.
"(Worry about your own stomach! I've got this down no problem!)" Kirby said.
"…Or searching a store for one of several specific-looking stones."
"Hi. We're here for the Amazing Race challenge." Stacey said.
"Okay. If you can find a specific Mega Stone among the many stones in my store whose colors match the colors of the race markers, I will reward you with your next clue."
"Any luck yet?" Stacey asked.
"Nothing." Tina said. "Oh wait! I think I found it!" Tina grabbed a small marble-like stone. It was light blue in color and had a mostly yellow, but also red and orange swirl in the
center. The two rushed over to the counter and held out the stone.
"I'm sorry. That's not correct."
"But it's the right color!" Tina said.
"I'm sorry, but that is not the correct stone."
"Following a Yield in the previous leg, Dating Sages CJ and Shaylene excelled at the Roadblock and Detour…"
"Question 5: How much does Excadrill weigh?" Bonnie asked.
"90 pounds?" CJ asked.
"That is incorrect." Bonnie said. "Question 6: What three moves can only be learned by starter Pokemon?"
"Blast Burn, Hydro Cannon and Frenzy Plant." CJ said.
"That's correct." Bonnie said. "You have correctly answered 5 questions." Clemont stepped forward and held out a Voltage
Shaylene took a deep breath before taking a bite out of one of the wasabi bombs. Within a few seconds, her eyes started to water and her face turned a bit red. CJ took a
bite of one as well before closing his eyes tightly and grabbing the top of his head in a failed attempt to ease the pain from the spice.
"Holy crap! That's wicked hot!" Shaylene said.
CJ took a swig of a nearby glass of water. "Whoo that has a kick!" He then took another big bite. "Come on… We've gotta… power through this."
"I know." Shaylene said, taking another bite. "Ow ow ow!"
"And found themselves coming in first place, following a penalty given to Star Warriors Kirby and MetaKnight…"
"CJ and Shaylene…" Toadsworth said. "You're the second team to arrive."
"Not bad." Shaylene said.
"Wait…" CJ said.
"However…" Toadsworth said.
"There it is." CJ said.
"Kirby and MetaKnight have incurred a 1-hour penalty for improper use of their race-provided credit card, and because of that, you are officially team number one." Toadsworth
said.
"What?!" Shaylene exclaimed.
"No way!" CJ said.
"Marked for elimination, friends Stacey and Tina arrived to the Pit Stop in 5th Place and were assessed a 30-minute penalty..."
"Welcome to Lumiose City." Sycamore said.
"Thank you." Stacey said.
"Stacey and Tina." Toadsworth said. "You're the fifth team to arrive. However, as you know, you are marked for elimination, and you have incurred a 30-minute penalty, and I
cannot check you in until your wait that out."
"I guess we just have to hope that it takes Athena and Janey longer than 30 minutes to complete the Detour…" Stacey said.
"Which wasn't exhausted prior to engaged couple Athena and Janey arriving at the Pit Stop, leading to Stacey and Tina being eliminated."
"Athena and Janey." Toadsworth said. "You're the last team to arrive… However, Stacey and Tina are marked for elimination and are waiting out a 30-minute penalty, so that
officially makes you team number five."
"Cutting it close." Athena said.
"Girls, you can come on over." Toadsworth said. Stacey and Tina walked over to the mat.
"Sorry, girls." Janey said.
"Stacey and Tiny Tina… Unfortunately, all the other teams have checked in to the Pit Stop. I'm sorry to tell you that you have been eliminated from the race."
"Oh well…" Stacey said. "It was a good run."
"I had fun." Tina said. "Sucks that we're going home though."
"Five teams remain… Who will be eliminated next?"
Dating Sages too hot to handle; Team ADHD hits rock bottom
(The camera races through Lumiose City, past Sycamore Pokemon Lab, up Vernal Avenue past the Stone Emporium, circles around Prism Tower and flies over a small river
running through the center of the city, finally coming to a stop over Lumiose Station, where Toadsworth stands outside.)
"This is Lumiose City. On the eastern side of the city is this place, Lumiose Station. This train station, which houses the train that takes trainers to Kalos's own battle facility
and safari zone, was the seventh Pit Stop in a race around the world. The five teams waiting here have no idea what's in store for them in this next leg. Can frontrunners CJ &
Shaylene and Yoshi & Yoshi Jr hold up the front of the pack? Can trailing team Athena & Janey recover from last place and stay in the race? CJ and Shaylene, who were the
first to arrive at 1:04 AM, will depart at 1:04 PM."
CJ & Shaylene: Dating – 1st to Depart / 1:04 PM
(The Sages stand on the mat in front of the station, clue in hand. CJ is wearing navy blue sweatpants and a black t-shirt with a classic NES controller on it, along with the
word "Addict". Shaylene is wearing black running shorts and a simple light blue t-shirt.)
"Make your way on foot to Lumiose City Airport and get on a flight for Toad Town. Once in Toad Town, make your way to Toad Town Station and take a train to Shy Guy City.
You have 236 coins for this leg of the race." CJ read.
"Teams must now make their way on foot to Lumiose Airport and get on a flight to Toad Town in the Mushroom Kingdom. Once there, they must make their way to the Toad
Town train station and catch a train to Shy Guy City. They'll find their next clue in the Shy Guy City train station. What teams don't know is that trains to Shy Guy City are
few and far between, leaving once every 6 hours."
"Leg 8, baby!" CJ said. "Final five!"
"Going into this next leg, I'm super nervous." CJ said (Before-Leg). "We're down to five teams. Sure, we've been doing consistently well for the most part, but I'm worried that
our luck has to run out at some point."
"We've had some snags, but we're holding mostly solid in top spots. I think we can hold our momentum and stay in the lead." Shaylene said (Before-Leg).
(Lumiose City Airport)
The two rushed into the airport and started looking around.
"Mushroom Airlines?" Shaylene asked.
"It's probably our best option." CJ said. "They likely have the most flights to Toad Town." Shaylene began scanning the airpo
rt.
"Boom. To our right." Shaylene said. The Sages rushed over to the counter.
"Good afternoon, we're looking to get on the earliest arriving flight to Toad Town." CJ said.
"Just a moment… Ah, we have a flight leaving here at 2:00 PM, arriving in Toad Town at 6:55 PM."
"Awesome. Can we book tickets on that?" CJ asked.
"Yes you can."
CJ & Shaylene: Dating – 1st on FLIGHT 1 (Mushroom Airlines)
"We're on the first flight out, leaving at 2:00 PM and arriving at 6:55 PM." CJ said (During Leg). "There's a good chance the Yoshis and the Star Warriors will make this flight,
and the Kongs have a slim chance. So we're going to try to find something leaving sooner from another airline."
Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son – 2nd to Depart / 1:23 PM
"…make your way to Toad Town Station and take a train to Shy Guy City." Yoshi read. "Shy Guy City's a nice place."
"What's it like, Dad?" Jr asked.
"Just like it sounds." Yoshi said. "A city filled with Shy Guys."
"Sounds awesome." Jr said.
CJ & Shaylene: Dating (Lumiose Airport – GooKoo Airlines)
"Do you have any flights to Toad Town?"
"Yes, we have a flight leaving at 1:40 PM, arriving in Toad Town at 5:30 PM."
"Are there any seats available?" Shaylene asked.
"Yes, we could fit you."
"That would be amazing, thank you so much." CJ said.
CJ & Shaylene: Dating – 1st on FLIGHT 1 (GooKoo Airlines)
"As I expected, we were able to find a better flight." CJ said. "We're leaving 20 minutes before the other flight and arriving over an hour before it."
Kirby & MetaKnight: Star Warriors/Friends – 3rd to Depart / 1:30 PM
"(Take a train to Shy Guy City. You have 236 coins for this leg of the race.)" Kirby said.
"Let's go." MetaKnight said.
"Going into this leg, not only are we down to the top 5, but we've been slipping up more lately." MetaKnight said (Before-Leg). "First the misread clue in Driftveil, then the
incident in the restaurant. We need to be extra careful going into this leg."
Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son (Lumiose Airport – Mushroom Airlines)
"Excuse me, when's your next flight to Toad Town?" Yoshi asked.
"2:00 PM."
"And when does it arrive?" Yoshi asked.
"6:55 PM."
"We'll take it." Yoshi said.
Yoshi & Yoshi Jr: Father/Son – 1st on FLIGHT 2 (Mushroom Airlines)
"At this point, finding anything better than a 2:00 PM departure is unlikely, so we'll just wait for this flight." Yoshi said (During-Leg).
FLIGHT 1 (GooKoo Airlines) – Departure (Lumiose City) / 1:40 PM
"This is the first flight leaving Lumiose City for Toad Town, carrying dating Sages CJ and Shaylene."
Kirby & MetaKnight: Friends/Star Warriors (Lumiose Airport)
The Star Warriors walked into a small travel agent inside the airport.
"Excuse me, we're looking to get on the next available flight to Toad Town." MetaKnight said.
"Well, Mushroom Airlines has a flight leaving at 2:00 PM, arriving in Toad Town at 6:55 tonight."
"Could we still make that flight?" MetaKnight asked, handing over their passports.
"Yes. It's at Gate 6." The clerk said, printing tickets.
"Thank you." MetaKnight said, as the two rushed out of the office.
DK & Diddy: Best Friends – 4th to Depart / 1:47 PM
"Looks like we're off to Shy Guy City." DK said.
"Sounds like fun." Diddy said.
(Lumiose Airport)
The Kongs ran over to the Mushroom Airlines counter.
"When's the next flight to Toad Town?" DK asked.
"Well, we have a flight leaving at 2:00 PM…"
"We need tickets on that! Please!" DK said.
"I'm sorry, but it's impossible to make that flight."
"Please… We're desperate." DK said. "We need to get on that flight. We have to get to Toad Town as soon as possible."
"I'm sorry, the best flight we could put you on leaves at 2:50 PM, arriving in Toad Town at 7:20 PM."
"We'll take it." Diddy said, interjecting before DK had time to think.
DK & Diddy: Best Friends – 1st on FLIGHT 3 (Mushroom Airlines)
"We coulda made it." DK said (During-Leg). "Now we're stuck waiting almost an hour."
FLIGHT 2 (Mushroom Airlines) – Departure (Lumiose City) / 2:00 PM
"This is the second flight leaving Lumiose City for Toad Town, carrying father-and-son Yoshi & Yoshi Jr and friends Kirby & MetaKnight."
Athena & Janey: Engaged – Last to Depart / 2:28 PM
"You have 236 coins for this leg of the race." Athena read.
"It sucked seeing Tina and Stacey get eliminated." Athena said (Before-Leg). "We built a relationship with Tina. All of us Vault Hunters have. She's like a little sister or a
daughter to us. And Stacey... We built a friendship with her when she and her friends ended up on Pandora. And that was strengthened through our alliance on the race."
(Lumiose Airport)
"Excuse me, when's the next flight to Toad Town?" Janey asked.
"We have a flight leaving at 2:50 PM, getting into Toad Town at 7:20 PM."
"Is it possible to get on that flight?" Athena asked.
"Yes. There are still some seats available, and the flight hasn't started boarding yet."
Athena & Janey: Engaged – Last on FLIGHT 3 (Mushroom Airlines)
"Awesome. Thank you very much." Janey said.
FLIGHT 3 (Mushroom Airlines) – Departure (Lumiose City) / 2:50 PM
"This is the final flight leaving Lumiose City, carrying best friends DK & Diddy and engaged couple Athena & Janey."
(Toad Town)
A plane touched down in a bustling town in the Mushroom Kingdom. At the north of the town was a glistening white castle adorned with red roofs on the towers and main parts
of the castle. To the south was a harbor and a train station. Northeast of the town was a tall hill where shooting stars could be seen falling frequently.
FLIGHT 1 (GooKoo Airlines) – Arrival (Toad Town) / 5:30 PM
The Sages rushed out of the airport and scanned their surroundings.
"We need to go south to get to the train station." CJ said.
(Toad Town Station)
"Excuse me, when's the next train to Shy Guy City?" CJ asked.
"8:00 PM."
"Can we get tickets for that?" CJ asked.
"Sure can."
"So… we're waiting here for a little over 2 hours for the next train." CJ said (During-Leg). "Which means there's a good chance that everyone's going to catch up to us."
FLIGHT 2 (Mushroom Airlines) – Arrival (Toad Town) / 6:55 PM
The Yoshis and Star Warriors ran out of the airport. Yoshi quickly ran toward the south of town, with Jr shortly behind him. The Star Warriors noticed them and followed, trying
to keep up.
FLIGHT 3 (Mushroom Airlines) – Arrival (Toad Town) / 7:20 PM
The Kongs and Pandorans rushed out of the airport and DK quickly ran over to a nearby Mushroom Person walking.
"Excuse me, where is the train station?" DK asked.
"Southeastern-most part of town." The Mushroom Person said. "You'll know you're close once you see the Li'l Oink Farm. Train station's just beyond there."
"Thanks!" Athena said, listening in on their conversation.
"Rude!" Diddy said, as the Pandorans rushed off.
Yoshi & Yoshi Jr / Kirby & MetaKnight (Toad Town Station)
"Hi, we're looking to get on a train to Shy Guy City." Yoshi said.
"Next train's in a half hour."
"Awesome. We'll take two tickets." Yoshi said.
Athena & Janey: Engaged (Toad Town Station)
"Hello, we're trying to get on a train to Shy Guy City." Athena said.
"Next one's at 8:00 PM.
"
"Awesome, we'll take that." Janey said.
TRAIN 1 – Departure (Toad Town) / 8:00 PM
"All teams are now en route to Shy Guy City, via the same train out of Toad Town. Once teams arrive in Shy Guy City, they will find their next clue waiting for them in the
station."
(Shy Guy City)
A small train pulled into a remote mountainside town. Very few modern vehicles could be seen driving around. Everyone was travelling around town either on foot or bicycles.
Some folks were being pulled around in rickshaws, a job that kept some of the local Shy Guys well employed.
TRAIN 1 – Arrival (Shy Guy City) / 10:45 PM
As the train pulled up, Shaylene took quick notice of the clue box outside the station.
"There it is!" She said. The train came to a stop and the doors swished open. The five teams rushed out and grabbed their clues as quick as they could.
"Travel on foot to Shy Guy Market, where your next clue awaits you."
"From the train station, teams must navigate through Shy Guy City on foot to the Shy Guy Market. Deep in the heart of this market, filled with food stalls, clothing shops and
various other products, teams will find their next clue nestled amongst the chaos." Toadsworth narrated.
"Let's go!" Janey exclaimed.
"Come on, Shay! We've got to hustle!" CJ called out.
"As I expected, the train evened us all out again." CJ said (Post-Leg). "Once we actually got into the city, I knew we needed to haul ass to stay on top."
(Shy Guy Market)
Teams rushed toward a busting marketplace in the center of the Shy Guy run city. Deep in the heart of the marketplace was a small stand with a clue box in front of it. Teams
began navigating the maze of shops and stalls until one of the teams finally found it.
"DK, over here!"
DK & Diddy: Best Friends – Currently in 1st (Shy Guy Market)
"Detour… Fly or Fry."
"A Detour is a choice between two tasks. In this Detour, teams must search the local marketplace for items related to two different varieties of Shy Guys… Fly or Fry.
In Fly, teams must search the market for different desserts based on flying creatures throughout the Mushroom Kingdom… Flutter Cupcakes, Marshmallow Lakitu Clouds,
Boo Brownies and Sky Guy Balloon Cookies.
In Fry, teams must search the market for a series of local foods, most of which are seen as strange in much of the rest of the Mushroom Kingdom… Bloopers, ParaGoomba Wings, Buzzy Beetles and Spiny Eggs.
A Girl of the Future Page 25
