Race Leg #8 – Tellius

 

With just six teams left in the race, the teams gather once again.  The eighth leg of the race awaits, beginning at the Seafoam Islands’ Articuno Cave. 

 

“This cave, the resting place of Articuno, the ice bird of Kanto’s trinity of legendary pokemon is now the start of leg number eight, in a race around the world.”

 

“Zelda and Link were the winners of the last leg, so they will depart first at 7:12am.” 

 

Zelda & Link:  Five, four, three, two, one…Go!  **tears open the clue.  Take the SS Anne passenger ship to the Kingdom of Gallia!

 

Zelda: This should be an interesting leg…we’re going back into the medieval country.

Link: The modern world is good to visit, but way to noisy and hectic for my tastes.  Zelda agrees.

 

“Teams must now head to the port at Shamouti Island, where they will climb aboard the passenger ship SS Anne.  This passenger ship, based in Kanto’s port city of Vermilion, is a deluxe passenger liner, which provides cruises all over the Nintendo universe.  The ship will travel nearly three thousand miles across the ocean to the Kingdom of Gallia.  Once there, the teams will disembark and travel by covered wagon to Gallian army headquarters, where they will find their next clue.”

 

Krystal: **tears open the clue.  Board the SS Anne passenger ship to the Kingdom of Gallia? 

Fox:  Oh great, we’re going back in time to the boondocks. 

Krystal: What do you mean? 

Fox: Ask them! **points at Ike and Lyn, who are still inside of the production truck.

Krystal: You mean their country, where people still fight with axes, pitchforks, and swords?

Fox: Uh-huh.

Krystal: So in other words it’s just like Sauria.  What’s so bad about that? 

Mario: **tears open the clue.  Board the SS Anne passenger ship to a-Kingdom of Gallia.

 

One by one the teams make their way across the Seafoam Islands to the port at Shamouti Island.  Once aboard, the teams settle in for the long voyage. 

 

Olimar: Wow this room is nice.  A shame we can’t take off our spacesuits, they can be really cumbersome to sleep in.  My helmet needs to be washed bad.

Louie: I do hope we get home to Hocotate soon…there should be a leg there coming up.

Olimar: If we do well in Gallia we’ll find out soon enough. 

 

For once in the journey, the teams finally get to chill out and relax.  Captain Falcon and Jody Summer oogle at the pokemon trade machine, which in effect is a computerized tracker that can assign pokemon to different trainers based on numerology.  Mario and Luigi spend time at the pool on the main deck, splashing around aimlessly and drawing a crowd due to their peculiar moustaches.  Meanwhile, below the deck, Zelda and Link share a traditional medieval dinner with Ike and Lady Lyndis. 

 

Link: To the end of technology!

Ike: To Tellius!

 

They knock back their drinks and laugh.  The main course, literally a pig carcass roasted in a brick open flame oven is served.  During the dinner, strategy is discussed. 

 

Zelda: Lyn, look I know we’ve helped each other several times already.  I think this would be the perfect time for us to team up.

Lyn: Why do you say that?

Zelda: Look these other teams are dangerous, particularly Fox and Krystal, they’ve won the most legs so far.  But in your country, them, the freighters, and the daredevil racers are all going to be at a disadvantage.  They’re used to modern technology, machines and convenience of which your country has none.

Ike: Why should we team with you?  You’re just as much of a threat, and Zelda, you’re smarter than anybody here.  How do I know this isn’t a trick?

Link: We’ll let you win the leg.

Ike: Excuse me?

Link: We’ll complete the leg, the four of us together, and move way in front of the others and let them fight it out.  At the end, we’ll let you run to the mat first.  It’ll be perfect, you win your home country’s leg and we all advance to the next leg.

Lyn: This seems shady to me.  I don’t know about this.  I’ll sleep on it.

 

Two days after the ship set sail, it arrives in port in Gallia, not far from its borders with Crimea and Daein.  The teams come running off the ship as quick as they can. 

 

Olimar: To Gallian army HQ!  Fast! Fast! Fast!

Mario: To the army headquarters, a-quickly!

 

The wagons all ride down the bumpy dirt path until they get to a chain link fence at the outer portion of the base camp.  Once through the security detail, the wagons proceed to the flagpole, where the flag of Gallia waves high above.  At the base of the flagpole is the clue box.

 

Falcon: Roadblock, who’s on target?

 

“In a medieval kingdom like Gallia, fighting is old-fashioned, and relies on one’s strength, technique, and agility.  In this roadblock, one member of each team will be required to break ten targets, going through four common disciplines to do so.  First, they must shoot three targets on the archery range.  Then they must throw axes at three more targets from a range of twenty feet.  Third, they must saddle up one of the waiting horses and grab a lance, using it to knock down two targets in the tournament arena.  And lastly, they must engage in swordplay with one of Gallia’s military officers, disarming two targets on the front of their armor.

 

Once all ten targets have been adequately destroyed, they will receive their next clue.”

 

Krystal: I’ll do it!

Louie: I’ve got this one!

 

The teams make their way through the roadblock in the order that they think would be most to their advantage.  Lady Lyndis starts over in the swordplay arena.  Within seconds, her blade starts whirring so fast that you can hardly see it.  The officer, familiar with Lyn’s prowess, defends furiously but is clearly overmatched.  Lyn disarms him in under a minute. 

 

Officer: My goodness!  How long have you practicing your skills?

Lyn: Oh, ever since I was a little girl.  But I got really good after my parents were murdered by a group of bandits from Caelin.

 

This news sensitizes the officer, and makes him want to fight even harder.  His second adversary, Louie, feels the brunt of it. 

 

Louie: Dang, I can’t even get close enough to reach the targets!  How am I gonna do this? 

 

While Louie stumbles through his paces, Zelda makes enemies on the archery range.

 

Zelda: There’s just a bit of breeze from the northeast.  It is three inches worth.  **shoots

 

The arrow lands dead bulls-eye.  Jody Summer, who is in the booth next to her winds up and takes her shot, putting it not even halfway to the target. 

 

Summer: I don’t even understand this…you pull the bowstring back and it propels the arrow?

Zelda:  Indeed.  Take a look. 

 

Zelda lines up her second shot and fires.  It lands on the target, though not in the center.

 

Zelda: Think of it this way.  The target is a racer in front of you that you have to catch.  You aren’t fast enough to catch it yourself, but the bow and arrow is.  It’s your racer.  Envision the target in your mind and stay calm.

Summer: I wouldn’t have thought of it that way.  You speak and think so eloquently.

 

Jody lines up her next shot.  It flies strongly, but the wind takes it off course and it misses.

 

Zelda: Almost!  You’re getting better already!  Zelda hits her third target and moves on.

 

Over at the tournament arena, Luigi holds his lance steady. 

 

Luigi: I’m-a gonna knock down that target! 

 

He speeds forward on the horse, but the ride is rough and choppy, and Luigi drops the lance, holding both hands tightly to the reins.

 

Luigi: Oh my ducky, this is-a much harder than riding Yoshi. 

Mario: Let’see-go Luigi!  We-a cannot fall behind!

 

Luigi steadies himself and grabs a new lance from the rack at the end of the arena.  He aligns the horse toward the target and takes off.  This time he holds firm and displays more confidence, which the horse detects.  They perform well, running strongly by the target.  Luigi nails it.

 

Mario: Yippee!  We’re-a gonna win this leg!

 

The roadblock wears on, with the various non-performing team members looking on.  They all wait for the first teammate to arrive.  Perhaps not surprisingly, Lady Lyndis is the first to appear, but right on her heels is Princess Zelda.

 

Lyn: You did very well in there.  When did you learn to ride horses? 

Zelda: When I was little, my father was good friends with the owner of a ranch in Hyrule Field.  Horseback riding is our livelihood.

Lyn: As is ours.  Good to see we’re ahead.

Zelda: You’re so skilled in swordplay, I bet you could even beat Link! 

 

Link is within earshot of Zelda’s exclamation and throws her an inquisitive look.  Ike sees this and smiles.

 

Ike: We might just have to test that theory after we complete the leg.

Lyn: Make your way across the border to Daein Castle, where your next battle awaits!

Ike: Daein Castle, that’s where we fought King Ashnard! 

 

“Teams must now head across the border from Gallia into the Kingdom of Daein, to Daein Castle, where they will receive their next clue.”

 

Fox: Come on Krystal, hurry up.  You have to throw overhand!  None of this sidearm shoulder pivot nonsense!  The axe will never find the target this way!

Krystal: These things are heavy, and they don’t fly straight.

Fox: But you’re not giving yourself a chance!  You’re not stepping into the throw!  You throw like a girl!

Krystal: Okay Fox, number one I am a girl, and number two stop yelling at me!

Olimar: Let’s go Louie, get on the horse and hit those targets!

 

Louie is so short that mounting the horse is a real problem for him.  He struggles with the saddle and cannot swing his leg over without jumping.  On the third attempt to mount, he does jump, but his momentum takes him over the horse and right to the ground.

 

Olimar: Oh gosh!  At least he’s wearing a helmet!

 

Luigi and Jody Summer battle on the last of their disciplines, the axe-throwing challenge.  Luigi’s first throw finds the mark.  Jody’s first few throws are nowhere close.  After some verbal berating from Falcon, Summer powers into her next attempts, cutting right through the next two targets.  Luigi hits his second target on the fourth throw as well. 

 

Luigi: It’s-a battle.  I’m-a gonna hit that target before you.

 

Jody says nothing and winds up for the next throw.  The axe hits dead center, sending her team through to the next challenge. 

 

Summer:  I’m sorry, did you say something?

Mario: Whoa!  Such an attitude Luigi…these-a bounty hunter women are crazy.  Don’t-a let it get to you!

 

Luigi shakes it off and nails the target on his next attempt.  The plumbers receive the clue and set forth for the covered wagon, hot on the trail of the bounty hunters.

 

Up ahead, Lyn, Ike, Zelda, and Link reach Daein castle as a pack of four.  Right on the drawbridge over the moat is the clue box. 

 

Ike: Intersection!  Pair up with another team and fight your way to the throne!

 

“This castle is the home of the throne of Daein, once held by the evil King Ashnard, who invaded the neighboring kingdom of Crimea in 2006.  He was defeated by a combined Gallia-Crimea force led by Ike later that same year in a climactic battle.  In this intersection, teams must pair up into groups of four and fight their way to the throne and capture it.  They must do so in the traditional method of warfare in Tellius, by turn based role playing.  Once the combined teams have captured the throne against Ashnard’s virtualized force, the teams will be handed their next clue.”

 

Lyn: It’s a re-creation of the battle against Ashnard.

Link: So how do we do this? 

Ike: We all pick weapons and we move against the opposing force to defeat them.  Depending on which weapon you have you have differing attack strength.  Your physical speed determines how many spaces you can move on a turn.  If we stay tight and not like the enemy congregate we should be fine.

Lyn: Zelda, since you’re strong with magic you will be our mage.  When we are injured you will heal us, and the other three of us will attack. 

 

The teams get their weapons and enter the throne room, which is effectively a giant checkerboard with many squares demarcated on the marble floor.  There are twelve different people ahead wearing the colors of the Daein army, effectively acting as their adversaries.  There are two pockets of three on either side of the room halfway down, followed by a straight line of six near the back of the room near the throne. 

 

Ike: Here’s the plan, we move quickly and take out one group of three before the other group can engage us.  We’ll then see how organized that back line is and act accordingly.

 

Ike, Link, and Lyn take their first two turns with purpose, quickly surrounding the regiment to their left.  Their swords dealt a lot of damage and knocked the regiment off the board.  The second regiment on the right moved to engage, and the three responded in kind.  Then the line in the back sent their two middle soldiers forward to overwhelm the group. 

 

Ike: We should pull back toward the entrance.  Zelda!  Move over to the right three spaces.  Lyn and Link, let’s move into an inverted triangle formation just beyond the entrance!

 

By this point, the plumbers and the racers have appeared on scene. 

 

Luigi: Intersection!  Pair up with another team and a-move to the throne!

Falcon: I guess this means we’re paired up with one another.  But how do we do this?

 

Falcon walks up to the drawbridge, but is stopped by several Daein soldiers who deny him entry.

 

Falcon: Why can’t we go in?

Soldier: You cannot begin until the first group has completed or failed the challenge. 

Mario: Well then let’s-a find out what we can.  Ike and Lyn are from here, let’s-a watch them. 

 

As he predicted, Ike saw the opposing army group spread their force thin in a vertical column of sorts, strung out across the central part of the throne room. 

 

Ike: All out attack!  Lyn and I to the right, Link and Zelda to the left!  Zelda, make sure your bow is ready, you’re going to move out to the square beside Link and take aim at the center of the column.  The rest of us will take out the lower end. 

Lyn: Great plan, the soldiers in the rear are still out of range!

 

It all unfolded perfectly for the two teams of yesteryear.  With the soldiers in the front and middle swamped and taken out of play, the four could now focus on the rear army group one-on-one.  Since the Daein armies were of poor quality, the damage they took in terms of HP was mild.  Even Zelda was able to defeat the soldier opposing her without any real danger of getting knocked off the board.  All four surrounded King Ashnard’s throne with smiles on their faces.

 

Ike: I’d say this was a nice re-enactment.

Link: If only fighting Ganondorf were this easy.

Ike: Who’s Ganondorf?

Link: Oh a diabolical thief and villain who sought the ultimate power of the Hyrulian goddesses in order to rule our world with his evil, twisted mind.

Ike: So he was pretty similar to Ashnard then?

Link: If he’s anything like that, then yes.

Lyn: **tears open the clue.  Proceed by wagon to the city of Melior!

 

“Teams must now make their way back across the continent of Tellius, traveling from Daein to Melior, the capital city of the Kingdom of Crimea.  Once there, they will proceed to the historic Halls of Justice, the seat of the kingdom’s royal council, where they will receive their next clue.”

 

Zelda: Let’s keep our wagons together.  It’s a long trip back across the continent.

 

Mario and Luigi open their movements against the opposing armies in the throne room.  They opt for a similar strategy as the one they just saw acted out by the teams from Hyrule and Tellius.  Without a true user of magic in the party, Jody Summer does her best to administer first aid, but the team takes damage early.  However, the first six soldiers are eliminated without any casualties.  Just as the front groups are taken off the board, Krystal and Fox arrive on the scene.

 

Krystal: Intersection!  Pair up with another team and move to the throne of King Ashnard.

Fox: Wait, so we have to do this with another team?  But we’re behind and there’s two teams already doing the challenge. 

Krystal: The only team left behind us…

 

A wave of horror washes over the foxes as they realize what this means for their chances. 

 

Fox: The freighters couldn’t even get themselves on the friggin horse.  We’ll be stuck here for hours!  Arrgghh!

 

The remaining Daein soldiers perform a two-wide thrust right toward the center of the team.  It is a more decisive move than the one they just performed against the teams from Tellius and Hyrule.  The teams from Mushroom Kingdom and Mute City fight hard to stem the tide.  Luigi is able to take out one with a fire spell, his use of fireflowers back home helping him to understand the Tellius-based magic enough for rudimentary use.  Mario takes out another with a well-timed axe throw.  On their turn, the Daein forces swarm, and they gang up on Mario, taking out his remaining HP and removing him from the board. 

 

Summer: Oh no, Mario is out.  We’ve lost!

Luigi: I-a don’t think so…the clue didn’t-a say we had to keep everybody alive. 

 

Falcon takes a strike from a lance.  He retaliates with a crossbow, his speed allowing him to get in a retaliatory turn before the enemy turn is over. 

 

Falcon: They are weak.  I have to sacrifice myself and go all out!

Summer: But Falcon we need you!

Falcon: Look, there’s four of them and three of us, if I can take out the strong one in the back this turn and get a few retaliating blows in before I get knocked out, you two can clean up the rest.

Summer: I don’t like this, but okay.  I’ll heal you as much as I can first.

 

Falcon takes the HP boost and rams right into the enemy line with a sword, destroying one soldier thanks to a critical hit bonus.  Luigi and Summer use their turns to weaken other combatants.  As expected, the enemy attackers surround Falcon and take him out, but not before he gets a retaliatory blow against one, defeating it.

 

Summer: Two against two now Luigi, let’s finish strong!

 

Summer takes out a crossbow of her own and defeats the soldier defending on the right, while Luigi’s magic spell is enough to defeat the one defending on the left.  They quickly run to the throne and celebrate.  Falcon and Mario run back onto the board and grab the clue.

 

Falcon: Travel to the city of Melior!

Fox: Great!  They just won the challenge.  We’re in real trouble now.

Krystal: We can’t dwell on it.  The freighters will get here eventually, and we’ll have to do our best when they do.  We’ve been in worse fights than this one.

Fox: I get that, I just hate losing.

 

The teams from Tellius and Hyrule pull into Melior simultaneously, just as the sun is beginning to set.  They proceed to the Halls of Justice, where the clue box is visible.  Zelda gets there first.

 

Zelda: Put it all together and your destination becomes clear.

 

“One of the main industries throughout the continent of Tellius is masonry.  This challenge is an ode to that, as well as a test of mental and physical strength.  Teams must complete a sliding puzzle consisting of 15 heavy stones with pictures displayed on them.  Once they have assembled the puzzle, they will see their completed artwork, a mural of a castle.  The teams must then figure out that the mural is a picture of Crimea Castle.”

 

“This castle, located right here in Melior is the seat of the monarchy of Crimea, and is now the Pit Stop for this leg of the race.  The last team to check in here…may be eliminated.”

 

Ike: I think I know what it is already.  Move that stone to the bottom.  Then let’s get that one to the top.

 

With Ike’s direction, Lyn moves the stones into the spaces he wants.  Eventually she gets tired though.

 

Lyn: These stones are really heavy, do you mind helping out here? 

Ike: I’m on it.  You just tell me where I have to move to.

Link: So these are grass tiles, but there’s blue on the top portion.  What could that be?

Zelda: Maybe its sky…no that doesn’t make sense, they’d be way too close together.  Maybe it’s a river of some kind.

Link: A river?  You don’t suppose this is a picture of…

 

Link’s voice trails off, and he looks out into the distance toward an impressive building ahead.  Suddenly the lightbulb goes off for Link and Zelda and they start moving furiously, moving tiles all over the board.  They move so quickly that the weight of the tiles proves tiring.

 

Back at Daein Castle, an embattled Louie and Olimar finally arrive.

 

Fox: Nice of you two to finally show up.

Louie: What are you doing just standing here?

Krystal: It’s a two team intersection.  We have to move across this virtual game board to capture the throne at the back of the room.

 Olimar: Great, well let’s do it.

 

Having not seen any of the other teams, the duo from Hocotate is clueless as to the strategy involved in turn-based warfare.  When Fox and Krystal engage the left army group, Olimar and Louie go the opposite way, engaging the group on the right. 

 

Fox: No!  That’s not what you’re supposed to do, we’re outnumbered on both sides now!

 

Fox watches as Louie and Olimar struggle against the right army group.  The trouble is that they are used to having pikmin to do their fighting for them, so they are physically weak and don’t know magic either, so they are unable to inflict much damage on their adversaries.  Luckily their HP declines rather slowly because of their spacesuits providing coverage.

 

Krystal uses her staff as a lance to take out an enemy at close range.  Fox uses a similar weapon to wear down and eventually defeat the remainder of the left army group.  On the next enemy turn, the group in the back moves toward the Lylatian duo.

 

Krystal: They’re swarming us!

Fox: Our partners are to blame.  They left us and went on their own and they’re too weak to break through.

 

Meanwhile, back in Melior, Ike and Lyn put the finishing touches on their puzzle.

 

Lyn: Just have to get the piece with the spires into the corner.  Great, now bring it around!

 

Ike, always the bastion of strength, moves the last few stones into place without breaking a sweat.  The two engage in a hug amid cheers as the stone mason gives them the thumbs up.

 

Zelda: Oh no, they’re leaving.

Link: It’s okay, they were bound to win this one.  They probably knew what the puzzle was just from looking at the jumbled up pieces.

Zelda: I think I see another team though.  It’s the plumbers.  We need to finish this and leave.

 

Back in Daein, Fox and Krystal watch Louie and Olimar’s demise, their spacesuits only keeping their HP intact for so long.  Seven soldiers remain on the board. 

 

Krystal: Only one thing we can do now, we need to go outside and outflank them.  My staff can work as a long range weapon.

Fox: I agree, as much as I want to try to break through, we have no armor and we’re outnumbered.  Let’s try it. 

 

Krystal and Fox run backward, then to the right, then back forward along the right wall on their next three moves.  Their evasive maneuver shocks the enemy soldiers, who expected them to stand and fight like the other teams had.  Their speed allows them to cover many squares quickly, quick enough that the tightly grouped Daein forces find it hard to give chase. 

 

Fox: It’s working.  We’re gonna break through that fleet!

 

Despite taking a few glancing shots from arrows, Fox and Krystal retain their HP enough to make it completely around the Daein army and capture the throne.  They embrace one another in the midst of their prize.

 

Krystal: Why after you, King McCloud.

 

Fox blushes as he grabs the clue, telling them to proceed to Melior.

 

Inside the Great Hall of Crimea Castle stands several dignitaries, including Queen Elincia, who stands beside him.  She quickly becomes overjoyed when she sees her former mercenary bodyguard and his teammate enter the room.  Ike takes Elincia’s hand and kneels before her, the bond between them still very evident in their eyes.

 

Elincia: Welcome to the Kingdom of Crimea.

Ike: Thank you your majesty.

 

“Lyn and Ike, you are team #1!”

 

Although they already knew it, Lyn and Ike still let out a shout of happiness over their victory.

 

“As the winners of this leg, you have won a trip for two from Koopa Air, and you are traveling to Yoshi’s Island!  You will spend five nights at the historic Yoshi Green House Resort & Spa, right on the north shores of Yoshi’s Island.  You’ll enjoy relaxing days on the beach, hike through the mountains and tour the historic Castle of Raphael Raven, and play golf at the Yoshi’s Island Golf Links, home of the annual Yoshi Championship tournament.”

 

Ike: That sounds amazing.

Lyn: It’s about time we won one of these.  And in our home country too! 

About ten minutes after Lyn and Ike cross the finish line, Link and Zelda arrive at the Pit Stop.

 

Elincia: Welcome to the Kingdom of Crimea.

Zelda: Thank you.  Zelda curtseys to Elincia, and seeing the hyrulian monarch’s golden crown, she does the same in return.

 

“Link and Zelda, you are team #2.” 

 

Link: Alright.  Hey, we did our best today.  We knew Lyn and Ike would be very tough to beat today, and all things considered I think we did pretty well. 

 

About an hour after Link and Zelda finish, Mario & Luigi engage in a literal race to the finish.  The racing bounty hunters live up to their lineage and beat the plumbers to the line to finish third.  The two plumbers aren’t quite happy with their performance but are happy to be moving on to the next leg. 

 

Back at the Halls of Justice, Fox and Krystal arrive alongside Louie and Olimar.  It is down to this, one challenge against one another to determine who will be eliminated. 

 

Fox: Push that one into the corner.

Olimar: You can see the façade in this stone, it goes near the middle.

Louie: Let’s get the outside first…the grass is plain to see, let’s get those on the bottom.

 

Having had to do all the fighting and moving inside Daein Castle themselves, Fox and Krystal find that the stones become heavier and heavier as the challenge wears on. 

 

Krystal: I can barely push these anymore.  The middle is still a mess, we need to get that drawbridge out of there.

Fox: Don’t give up, we’re very close.

 

Louie steps back from the mural a second, then spawns into intense action.  He moves four stones on the left then moves toward the right of the mural, stopping in the top right.  He asks the stone mason to check his work, but he gets a thumbs down.  He steps back again to reassess the picture.  By this point Fox and Krystal are almost to the point of exhaustion, their skinny, furry bodies heaving with each push and pull.

 

Olimar: What do you see Louie?

Louie: Bring the one with the flagpole to the opposite end, we need to reverse it with the square with the two soldiers in it. 

 

Olimar and Louie move frantically, shifting around the two pieces they claim to be reversed.  Their own bodies strain to move the heavy pieces.  Before they get them into position Fox asks for a check.

 

Olimar: They better not have it.

 

The mason gives Fox the thumbs down, to which the foxes look again.  Olimar and Louie complete the piece reversal and ask for another check by the mason. 

 

Mason: It’s good. 

Olimar: Yes!  But where is this? 

Louie: That’s our Pit Stop Olimar.  Let’s go!

Olimar: Yes but its dark, I can’t see anything out beyond this street! 

Fox: Not good, they got the puzzle.  Krystal we need to finish this!

 

Krystal thinks for a minute, and then pulls two pieces up from the center to the top of the mural.  Quickly Fox moves into action.

 

Fox: Of course, those were the balconies from the towers!  It all makes sense now. 

 

About three or four minutes after Olimar and Louie have left, Fox and Krystal get the thumbs up from the mason.  They sprint in the general direction of the brightest light in Melior, in hopes that the castle is the source of the light. 

 

Phil and Elincia await the final teams’ arrival.  Shortly before midnight, the fifth team makes it to the mat.  They are tired, their faces dim with anxiety.

 

“Olimar and Louie…you are still in this race you are team #5!”

 

Olimar: Oh yes…I thought we were in big trouble.

 

“However, I have some bad news.  Since both of you failed to complete the intersection challenge as an individual unit, you are charged a 2 hour time penalty.  This penalty will be assessed at the start of the next leg.”

 

Louie: Ouch…really?  Well at least we’re still alive in the race, that’s all that counts.  We’ll come back and fight through it tomorrow.  Right Olimar?

Olimar: Right.  As HFP always says, the best always deliver on time, even when there’s delays.

 

About twenty minutes later, a dazed Fox and Krystal enter the castle.  They are visibly shaken with the knowledge that their journey is about to come to a premature end.

 

Elincia: Welcome to the Kingdom of Crimea.

 

Fox & Krystal: Thank you.

 

“Fox and Krystal, I am sorry to say that you are the last team to arrive.”

 

Krystal turns to Fox stone-faced.  She looks as though she’s going to put her face into Fox’s chest and start bawling.  Fox realizes this and puts a hand on her shoulder.

 

“This was a tough day for you two, wasn’t it?  I’m used to seeing you guys out in front.”

 

Krystal: This area is so old-fashioned and medieval, it doesn’t play to our strengths. 

Fox: Having to wait for the freighters didn’t help!

 

“Well I have good news.  This is a non-elimination leg.”

 

Without even thinking, Fox and Krystal jump high and hug one another, inadvertently falling to the mat right in front of Elincia.  They sheepishly rise but emit screams of joy as they do. 

 

“How does it feel?” 

 

Fox: Like I was just shot out of the sky but somehow landed in a field of fluffy pillows!  It’s unbelievable.

 

“As per the rules of the race, as a result of coming in last place you will have to complete a speed bump at some point in the next leg.”

 

Krystal: We’ll find a way to overcome that.  We’re a strong pair, we’ve fought against bigger demons in the past and we’ll find a way to get through this as well.

 

Results for Leg #8:

1^st – Ike & Lyn

2^nd – Link & Zelda

3^rd – Falcon & Summer

4^th – Mario & Luigi

5^th – Olimar & Louie (2 hr time penalty for next leg)

6^th – Fox & Krystal (revived, non-elimination leg, must complete speed bump next leg)

 

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