Eyes on Final Fantasy Forums > General > Writer's Corner > The Amazing FF Race, Episode 8: "This Task Need Brains. You Have None"

[Rodney]

Hello and welcome to the eighth installment of The Amazing Final Fantasy Race! Hope you're ready for another exciting episode, as the game really intensifies on this next leg. What'll the final five teams be doing now? Once more, look out for spoiler-ish info from the first season. Enjoy!

Episode 8: Part 1

(Announcer Gippal)
“Previously on The Amazing Final Fantasy Race, six teams set off from Fabul Castle in an unnamed world and traveled over 500 miles to the Land of Dragons in the Kingdom Hearts universe. At the Roadblock, team members faced off with a talented Struggle player, and Tseng neglected to put on important safety gear. Meanwhile, Gau had a struggle of his own to overcome. Fratley attempted to get revenge on master and student Quale and Quina for their Yield and shot their gummi ship out of space. At the Detour, coworkers Tseng and Elena and father and daughter Godo and Yuffie pulled ahead, while allies Cyan and Gau and dating couple Freya and Fratley fell behind. Fratley’s latest trick had comrades-in-arms Lucil and Elma rethinking their alliance. In the end, Tseng and Elena arrived first at the Pit Stop, but were dealt a forty-five-minute penalty for Tseng’s failure to put on the safety gear. This allowed Godo and Yuffie to finish first, while Freya and Fratley barely came back from a major navigation error to barely beat Tseng and Elena’s penalty. As a result, Tseng and Elena finished last, and the Turks were eliminated. Now, five teams remain. Who will be eliminated . . . next?”

An overhead shot showed a large palace overlooking lots of mountainous terrain and protected by a large gate. Gippal was then seen walking out in front of that very palace.
“This is the Land of Dragons,” he said, “a land known for its victorious battle against the dangerous Huns. And in the heart of this beautiful world is the Imperial Palace, where the noble emperor resides. This palace was the seventh Pit Stop in a race around worlds.”
Over a montage of the five surviving teams’ prior arrivals at the Pit Stop, Gippal’s voiceover continued.
“Teams arrived here at the end of the last leg for a twelve-hour, mandatory rest period that allowed them to eat, sleep, and mingle with the other teams,” Gippal explained. “With one of their allied teams down for the count, can the alliance of Lucil and Elma and Freya and Fratley hold strong, or will it crack due to Lucil and Elma’s new information about their remaining allies? And can the Fun Bunch teams of Cyan and Gau, Godo and Yuffie, and Quale and Quina continue humiliating the opposing alliance?”
There was another shot of Godo and Yuffie arriving first at the Pit Stop as Gippal concluded his introduction.
“Godo and Yuffie, who were the first to arrive at 2:43 p.m., will depart at 2:43 a.m.”

(Godo & Yuffie: 1st to depart, 2:43 a.m.)
Godo stood on the left side of the mat in front of the Imperial Palace. He tore open the clue and read it to Yuffie, who stood on the right side.
“‘Make your way on foot to the village,’” he read.

(Announcer Gippal)
“Teams must now make their way on foot to a nearby village, where this world’s army stays and awaits the emperor’s battle orders. In the middle of the village, teams will find their next clue.”

(Godo & Yuffie: 1st to depart, 2:43 a.m.)
“Let’s go,” Godo said.
“Yeah,” Yuffie said. “Let’s kick some ass!”
They ran toward the gate and out of the courtyard.
“We finished first again, which makes us both very happy,” Godo said in an accompanying interview. “But now’s the time to start getting more aggressive. We’ve won two legs, but we still think there’s room for improvement for us.”
“The old man and I are starting to trust each other a little more each leg,” Yuffie added. “Doing that has helped us do better in this race than we’d ever expected to do together.”
It was a short walk, but the father and daughter reached a clearing that had many tents set up in it. It was covered with snow, though, so things had gotten pretty cold all of a sudden.
Yuffie pointed to the clue box in the middle of the village, and the two of them ran up to it and pulled out their clue.

(Godo & Yuffie: Currently in 1st Place)
Yuffie opened the clue and read it aloud. “‘Using the enclosed Gate Key, open a time portal in the nearby cave and use it to travel through time to Ioka Village in the year 65,000,000 B.C., the prehistoric.’”

(Announcer Gippal)
“Teams must now use a Gate Key to open a time portal that will send them millions of years backwards through time to the year 65,000,000 B.C., into a world that existed eons before magic did. Once there, they must make their way to Ioka Village, where they will find their next clue.”

(Godo & Yuffie: Currently in 1st Place)
“The Gate Key is right here,” Godo said, pulling a key out of the envelope the clue had been in.
“Good. Come on, old man,” Yuffie said. “We’ve gotta find that cave.”
They didn’t have to go far. There was a cave just a few feet outside of the village. They ran inside and looked around in the back of it. Finally, they spotted an orb of bright, blue light.
“This must be it,” Yuffie said. “Go on, old man. Open it.”
Godo nodded and stepped forward. He held out the Gate Key and he watched in wonder as a portal opened up before himself and his daughter.
After a slight hesitation, the two of them entered the portal and waited as it closed up after them.

(Quale & Quina: 2nd to depart, 2:57 a.m.)
Quale stood on the left side of the mat as Quina, who stood on the right side, opened the clue.
“‘Make your way on foot to the village,’” Quina read.
“Move, Quina,” Quale said.
“Yes, Master Quale,” Quina answered.
The two Qu left the mat and jogged out of the castle.
“We very surprised we make final five,” Quale said in an accompanying interview. “We get highest finish ever on last leg, and still in race. We both thought we be out by now.”
“We past halfway point,” Quina said, “which means race get harder. But we want win race. We want show other teams we strong Qu. But we only team that not win leg yet.”

(Lucil & Elma: 3rd to depart, 3:07 a.m.)
Lucil and Elma stood on the mat, with Lucil on the left and Elma on the right. Lucil ripped their clue open and read it to Elma.
“‘You have 150 gil for this leg of the race,’” Lucil said.
“Got it,” Elma said, holding up that much gil.
“Then let’s go,” Lucil said.
The two women left the mat and left the Imperial Palace behind.
“It is down to the final five now,” Lucil said in an accompanying interview. “We know the race is only going to get tougher from this point forward now that it’s halfway over. However, our minds have been on something else since the last leg.”
“It’s one of our allies,” Elma said. “Fratley shot Quale and Quina out of space while they were in their gummi ships. According to the two Qu, he attempted to kill them and get them out of the race permanently. We lost our allies, the Suits, on the last leg, and we think we’re about to lose Freya and Fratley as our allies, too — because we might be cutting them loose.”

(Cyan & Gau: 4th to depart, 3:10 a.m.)
Cyan stood on the left side of the mat and tore open the clue. He read it to a patient Gau, who stood on the right side.
“We are going to a village, it seems,” Cyan said. “The next clue will be in the middle of this village.”
“Cool!” Gau said. “Let’s go, Cyan!”
“Right,” Cyan said.
The two of them ran off the mat and out of the palace courtyard.
“Our alliance struck quite a blow to the opposing alliance at the end of the last leg, as the Suits were mercifully eliminated,” Cyan said in an accompanying interview. “Actually, the opposing alliance struck itself a blow, as the Suits eliminated themselves with a penalty, or so Gippal informed us. So knowing that our alliance outnumbers the other alliance three teams to two at least gives us the satisfaction of knowing at least one team in our alliance can indeed make the final three.”
“But we want all teams in our alliance in the final three,” Gau said. “It be great race if we do that. Suits finally gone, but we want PackRats and Chocobo Knights to follow.”

(Quale & Quina: Currently in 2nd Place)
Quale and Quina reached the clue box in the village and got their clue out of it.
“There portal in cave nearby,” Quale said after ripping open the clue and reading it.
“And here Gate Key,” Quina said, showing Quale the enclosed Gate Key he’d found.
“Good,” Quale said. “We find cave now.”
They ran out of the village and found the cave they were looking for. Then, they went into it and found the portal without a problem. After using their Gate Key, they stepped into the portal and began their trip through time.

(Lucil & Elma: Currently in 3rd Place)
Elma spotted the clue box in the village and ran to it. She took out a clue and opened it.
“The clue says we need to find a cave around here somewhere,” she said to Lucil, who was looking down at the snow. “C-Captain? What are you doing?”
“I am looking down at the snow,” Lucil said.
“Why?”
“I see the tracks of two teams in front of us.”
“Really?” Elma asked.
“Yes,” Lucil said, pointing to the tracks. “See? One set is Godo’s, one is Yuffie’s, one is Quale’s, and one is Quina’s.”
“Wow,” Elma said. “Good eye, Captain. We’re following the tracks?”
“Of course,” Lucil replied.
The two of them followed the other teams’ tracks out of the village and were easily led to the cave by them. They found the portal right inside.
“Do you have the Gate Key?” Lucil asked Elma.
“Yes, right here,” Elma answered, pulling out the Gate Key and approaching the closed portal. She held out the Gate Key and opened the portal instantly.
The two women stepped inside the portal and waited for it to close.

(Cyan & Gau: Currently in 4th Place)
Cyan and Gau had already seen Lucil and Elma heading out of the village, so they knew the clue box was around there somewhere. Gau actually found it as soon as they got there. He opened a clue he pulled out of it and gave it to Cyan.
“We must find this cave at once,” Cyan said. “I believe the Chocobo Knights were making their way toward it.”
“Cave . . . CAVE!” Gau yelled.
Cyan shushed him. “’Tis the middle of the night, Sir Gau,” he whispered. “The soldiers may still be asleep. We must allow them to rest.”
Gau covered his mouth and nodded quickly.
The two of them hurried out of the village and found the cave easily. They ran inside and Gau pulled out the Gate Key that’d come with the clue. He held it out, opened the portal, and ran inside it. Cyan joined him and the two of them were off.

(Freya & Fratley: Last to depart, 3:26 a.m.)
Freya stood on the left side of the mat while Fratley, who stood on the right side, opened the clue and read it.
“‘Make your way on foot to the village,’” Fratley read. “Well, let us hope that we can catch up.”
“That’s all I’m hoping for right now,” Freya said.
They dashed off the mat and out through the palace gates.
“We survived the last leg by the skin of our teeth,” Freya said in an accompanying interview. “We just barely made it through to this leg by beating a penalty another team received by less than a minute.”
“That other team was, unfortunately, our allies, Tseng and Elena,” Fratley said as the camera flashed to a black-and-white shot of the Turks’ elimination. “While I am overjoyed that we were not eliminated, watching our allies go was incredibly difficult. We’d only really known them a few days, but Tseng and I had quite a few things in common. Now that our entire Task Force alliance cannot make the final three, it is at least time to make sure the entire Fun Bunch alliance does not, either.”
The two Burmecians reached the village and looked around for the clue box. They found it after just a minute of searching and Freya pulled out the last clue.

(Freya & Fratley: Currently in Last Place)
“‘Using the enclosed Gate Key, open a time portal in the nearby cave and use it to travel through time to Ioka Village in the year 65,000,000 B.C., the prehistoric,’” Freya read after opening the clue. “Well, the Gate Key is in here, so that’s good.”
“I can see the other teams’ footprints,” Fratley said, looking down at the snow. “We should follow them.”
“Good thinking, Fratley,” Freya said. “We shall follow the tracks and hopefully catch up to the other teams.”
The two of them followed the tracks to the cave. Once inside, they instantly saw the portal and Freya used their Gate Key to open it. They stepped inside and the portal closed after them.

(Godo & Yuffie: Father/Daughter)
Godo and Yuffie emerged from the time portal and saw right away that they were at the bottom of a rocky canyon.
“Man, this place sucks already,” Yuffie muttered. “It’s so dark and gloomy and no one around here for miles.”
“Shh!” Godo hissed.
“What do you mean, ‘Shh?!’” Yuffie said. “It’s not like I said anything that bad!”
“You said something, period,” Godo whispered, pointing to a pack of sleeping creatures that looked remarkably like Velociraptors, only their noses were much, much longer and pointier, like swordfish.
Yuffie looked over at the dinosaurlike creatures and realized she needed to stop talking, stat.
“We’ll move quietly and get past them,” Godo said, taking his daughter by her shoulders and slowly leading her past the carnivorous creatures.
About a minute later, they were clear.
“Whew,” Yuffie said. “That was a close one. I did not wanna end this race early because I became some dinosaur’s midnight snack! Wouldn’t look good on my epitaph, either.”
“Come on, Yuffie,” Godo said. “I think Ioka Village is north.”
“How do you know?” Yuffie asked her father. “We don’t have a map of this friggin’ place.”
“I can sense it,” Godo replied. “Yes. Yes, it’s definitely the only village here in this world. At least, in this time. Now let’s hurry.”
Yuffie nodded and the father and daughter set off for Ioka Village.

(Quale & Quina: Master/Student)
Quale and Quina walked out of the time portal and into the canyon.
Immediately, Quale caught sight of the Velociraptor-like creatures and fell completely silent.
“We need be quiet, Quina,” Quale said. “We wake monsters, we good as dead.” He was met with nothing but silence as his response. “Quina?” he said. He looked around for his student — and saw him about to do the worst thing ever.
“Ooh,” Quina said, mooning over one of the sleeping monsters. “This look like tasty morsel. I think I lick it.” And that’s just what he did. Or tried to do.
He pretty much would’ve had Quale not dashed at him, jumped, and tackled him quickly enough.
“Nooooooo, Quina!” Quale whispered fiercely. “Creatures not food! They make us food! No wake them!”
“Oh,” Quina said. “I sorry, Master Quale. I not know.”
“You know now, Quina,” Quale said. “We go now.”
They left the canyon just as the next team arrived through the time portal.

(Lucil & Elma: Comrades-in-Arms)
Lucil and Elma stepped out of the portal just as Quale and Quina had left the canyon. Both women saw the raptors as soon as they’d stepped out and drew their swords to defend themselves.
After a few seconds in their attacking stances, Lucil calmed down. “At ease, Elma. They are resting and are thus no threat to us at the moment.”
“That’s good,” Elma said, also calming down.
“We shall slip by them and make our way to Ioka Village,” Lucil said.
“Captain,” Elma said with her expectedly-respectful salute.
They easily snuck by the raptors and left the canyon behind, heading off for Ioka Village.

(Cyan & Gau: Allies)
Cyan and Gau came out of the portal next and were quick to avoid the raptors in the canyon.
Or so they thought. Unfortunately, since it was dark, they just couldn’t keep track of where they were going. Gau ended up stepping on one of the raptors’ tails as a result.
This woke up the raptor right away, and he was undoubtedly angry.
“Oh, goodness, Sir Gau,” Cyan said, pulling Gau back. “This isn’t good in the least.”
The raptor looked at Cyan and Gau, feeling hungry for a late-night snack the moment he saw them, and let loose with a loud roar. It woke up the other raptors in the pack, who also instantly felt hungry when they spotted Cyan and Gau.
“We must do something before we become these creatures’ meal,” said Cyan. “But what?”
Gau thought over what to do and came up with a solution in all of five seconds. He walked toward the raptors.
“Sir Gau, what the hell art thou doing?!” Cyan shouted, fearing for the young boy’s safety.
Gau took a deep breath, stood just three feet in front of the raptors, and let out a loud, thunderous roar that may have shaken the canyon walls.
The raptors, frightened at the sound of Gau’s roar, turned tail and fled, leaving Cyan and Gau alone.
Cyan gaped at Gau for fifteen silent seconds as the raptors got farther and farther away.
“Sir Gau, that — that was — that was incredible,” Cyan said. “How did thou do such an amazing thing?”
“It pays to live on the Veldt,” Gau said simply with a slight shrug.
“Quite,” Cyan said, not disagreeing with Gau’s assessment. “Well, the worst is over for now, so let us be off to this Ioka Village.”
Gau nodded and the two of them left the canyon.

(Freya & Fratley: Dating)
Freya and Fratley made it out of the time portal and looked around at the now-empty canyon surrounding them.
“My, what a big place,” Freya said. “They chose quite a location for our next leg.”
“They truly did,” Fratley said. “There is not much around this place, so obviously, this is not Ioka Village. We might have to head north to find it.”
“How do you know?” Freya asked.
“In this kind of situation,” Fratley said, “always head north. I suppose it’s something I learned from watching Steiner last season when the teams were in Zeal.”
“Right, when that kind old man and his adorable, although rather uptight, granddaughter were eliminated by those two very unpleasant old men,” Freya said.
“Of course,” Fratley said. “Well, we must go before we end up much like them.”
“Of course,” Freya said. “To Ioka Village!”
They ran out of the canyon.

This is part one of the episode. Part two continues in the post below.

[Rodney]

Episode 8: Part 2

(Godo & Yuffie: Father/Daughter)
Godo and Yuffie arrived at a village with huts made entirely out of dried grass and animal hides. Obviously, they had made it to Ioka Village.
“Damn, that is a good sense of direction you have, old man!” Yuffie marveled. “You got us here quickly, and I think we’re still in the lead!”
“Yes,” Godo said, “but I’m not sure for how long.” He pointed to the clue box, which sat in the middle of a large, wide-open space that could only be entered through a set of large arches.
Unfortunately for them, hanging down across the arches was a sign that read, “Ioka Village Hours of Operation: 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m.”
“Such a drag,” Yuffie groaned. “So not what we needed. We’re bunching up now.”

(8:00 a.m.)
A few hours later, bright and early, Ioka Village finally opened up to the five teams, all of whom had reached the village during the night and had slept there to rest up.
The teams ran into the open space and opened the clue box. Fratley was the first one to retrieve a clue for his team.

(Freya & Fratley: Currently in 1st Place)
Fratley ripped open the clue and read it aloud to Freya. “‘Detour: Soup or Salsa.’”

(Announcer Gippal)
“A Detour is a choice between two tasks, each with its own pros and cons. In this Detour, teams must choose between Soup and Salsa. In Soup, teams must find the Ioka Village chief, Ayla, and face off with her in a soup-eating challenge. Once both members beat her, she will hand them their next clue. This task doesn’t require any physical strength, but teams who are not fast eaters could take a long time. In Salsa, teams must find a group of Ioka Village dancers, learn a popular dance from them, and perform it to their satisfaction. Once they are successful, they will receive their next clue. It is a very physical task, but coordinated teams could finish quickly.”

(Freya & Fratley: Currently in 1st Place)
“Salsa,” Freya said quickly.
“Really?” Fratley said. “You would choose dancing over eating? Do you even know how to?”
“Maybe I should retell you about the Cleyra incident before you showed up there,” Freya said.
“Oh, of course,” Fratley said. “It is quite embarrassing that I forgot.”
“Well, you’ve forgotten much more than that, so I’m not really surprised,” said Freya.

(Lucil & Elma: Currently in 2nd Place)
“Salsa,” Lucil said. “We’re both very coordinated.”
“Agreed, Captain,” Elma said.

(Cyan & Gau: Currently in 3rd Place)
“I believe we should do Soup,” Cyan suggested. “We are both very fast eaters, after all, Sir Gau.”
“Soup! Soup!” Gau agreed eagerly.

(Godo & Yuffie: Currently in 4th Place)
“Salsa,” Godo said.
“Definitely,” Yuffie said. “We can’t eat that fast at all.”

(Quale & Quina: Currently in Last Place)
“We both big eaters,” Quale said, “and fast ones, too. We do Soup.”
“Yay! We do eating challenge!” Quina yelled joyfully.

(Freya & Fratley: Dating)
(Godo & Yuffie: Father/Daughter)
(Lucil & Elma: Comrades-in-Arms)
Freya and Fratley, Godo and Yuffie, and Lucil and Elma all walked over to the left side of the area (which the teams had learned was called the Meeting Place), where they saw a group of female dancers dressed entirely in animal hides and bones dancing a very peppy, but very savage-looking, dance.
The dancers saw the three teams waiting and approached them. One stepped forward and addressed the teams. “You here for Detour?” she asked.
The teams all nodded.
“Good,” she said. “Then we show you dance. Come up and watch us, then you do what we do. Okay?”
The three teams all gave their okays, prompting the dancer to rejoin her fellow dancers and start showing them their dance.

(Cyan & Gau: Allies)
(Quale & Quina: Master/Student)
Cyan and Gau and Quale and Quina looked around the Meeting Place for about a minute before they saw a young, blonde-haired woman wrapped in animal hides sitting near a bunch of clay bowls.
“Hi,” Quale said. “We look for chief. Name Ayla.”
The woman smiled at them. “Me Ayla!” she said. “You come eat soup with me?”
“Yes, madam,” Cyan said. “Shall we begin our little contest?”
“Yeah,” Ayla said. “One person, each team.”
“Right, then,” Cyan said. “Sir Gau, thou can go first if thou would prefer to.”
“Thanks!” Gau said, sitting down in front of a bowl.
“I go first, Quina,” Quale said, taking a seat in front of another bowl.
“Ready?” Ayla said to both of her opponents.
They both nodded.
“Go!” Ayla began chugging down her soup as fast as she could, not letting a single drop escape her.
Gau dug into his soup, as well, pouring as much into his mouth as he possibly could and swallowing it quickly.
Quale, however, was amazing. He gulped down his entire bowl of soup without needing to come up for air! He downed it all within at least thirteen seconds.
After he finished, he waited on Gau and Ayla to finish their bowls, and he watched as the former finished two seconds before the latter.
“Done!” Gau yelled.
“You both good at eating,” Ayla said. “Beat me fair and square.”
“Thanks!” Gau said.
“Thanks,” Quale said, a little more calmly.
“Now for partners,” Ayla said, motioning toward Cyan and Quina.
Cyan and Quina nodded and sat down in Gau and Quale’s places, respectively.
“Ready?” Ayla asked them. And after Cyan and Quina gave her nods of confirmation, she said, “Go!”

(Freya & Fratley: Dating)
(Godo & Yuffie: Father/Daughter)
(Lucil & Elma: Comrades-in-Arms)
The dancers finished up their demonstration and took a group bow for the three applauding teams.
“Okay, now all of you try,” the lead dancer said. “Do what you just see now.”
The three teams stepped into the dancing space and stood apart from one another at certain lengths.
The dancers clapped them a slow tempo to start them off with, and the teams began dancing.

(Quale & Quina: Currently in 1st Place)
Quina swallowed the last few drops of soup and slammed down his bowl. “I done eating!” he yelled.
Ayla finished a good eight seconds after Quina, wiped off her mouth, and said, “Wow, you both good at this. Ayla impressed.” She reached into her clothing and pulled out a clue. “Here your reward.”
“Thanks!” Quina said, nodding rapidly as he took the clue. Then, he licked his chops with his extra-long tongue to get the rest of the soup off his face. He took the clue over to Quale, who took it from him and tore it open.
“‘Make your way to the Dactyl’s Nest up north, where five pairs of marked Dactyls await you. From there, fly yourselves to the Laruba Ruins,’” Quale read.

(Announcer Gippal)
“Teams must now make their way a short distance north and find the Dactyl’s Nest. Once there, they must choose a pair of marked Dactyls and fly them approximately fifteen miles to the Laruba Ruins, the remains of a prehistoric village attacked and destroyed by the evil Tyrano tribe. Here, the teams will find their next clue.”

(Quale & Quina: Currently in 1st Place)
“We go north now, Quina,” Quale said. “There northern exit to Meeting Place right there.”
“Okay,” Quina said.
The two Qu ran out of the Meeting Place and headed north.

(Cyan & Gau: Allies)
“Ayla sorry,” Ayla said to Cyan, “but you not beat me. I done before you. Try again?”
“Well, of course,” Cyan panted after wiping his mouth off. “We do need that clue.”
One of the cavemen came over with a new bowl of soup for Cyan, who took said bowl and got ready for another round with Ayla.
“Ready?” Ayla asked him. “Go!”

(Quale & Quina: Master/Student)
Quale and Quina reached the Dactyl’s Nest and were quick to find the ten dactyls — pterdodactyl-like creatures — waiting for them.
“Ooh! Big, flying creatures!” Quina said. “I know we ride them, but I bet they food here. Taste like fried owl, maybe.”
“Just get on, Quina,” Quale said, climbing onto a Dactyl.
Quina obeyed his master and climbed onto a Dactyl sitting next to his.
Quale then looked at something extra written on the clue. “‘Your Dactyls will know where to go. Just tell them the destination.’” He looked at his Dactyl. “We go Laruba Ruins. You take us?”
The Dactyl responded simply by spreading its wings and taking flight.
Quina told his Dactyl to head for Laruba Ruins, as well, and it took off right behind Quale’s.

(Freya & Fratley: Currently in 2nd Place)
“How is that?” Freya asked after she Fratley completed their dance. “I trust that met with your satisfaction?”
“That great dance!” the lead dancer said. “It exactly like we show you! You pass!” She pulled out a clue and handed it to Freya.
“Thank you,” she said, opening the clue and reading it to Fratley. “‘Make your way to the Dactyl’s Nest up north, where five pairs of marked Dactyls await you. From there, fly yourselves to the Laruba Ruins.’”
“We must make haste,” Fratley said. “Those Qu already completed the other Detour.”
“We are likely in second right now,” Freya said, “so we are hopefully in good shape.”
They left the Meeting Place through the north exit and ran for the Dactyl’s Nest.

(Cyan & Gau: Currently in 3rd Place)
“Finished!” Cyan said after finishing his soup just a split second before Ayla finished hers.
“Beat me by hair,” Ayla said. “Good job.”
“Thank you, madam,” Cyan said. “It was more difficult than I imagined it would be, what with all the soup, but it is good to have finished it.”
Ayla gave him the clue and Cyan went over to Gau with it.
“The Dactyl’s Nest?” Cyan said after opening and reading it. “Well, I saw Sir Quale and Sir Quina leave that way” — he pointed to the north exit — “so we may have to go in that direction to find it.”
“Let’s go!” Gau said, running out through the exit with Cyan on his tail.

(Freya & Fratley: Dating)
Freya and Fratley made it to the Dactyl’s Nest and selected their pair of Dactyls. They wasted no time in getting on them.
“We can tell them where we wish to go and they will take us there in no time,” Freya said to Fratley.
“Excellent,” Fratley replied. To his Dactyl, he said, “To the Laruba Ruins!”
His Dactyl took to the air and winged its way to its destination. Freya’s Dactyl flew close behind Fratley’s.

(Cyan & Gau: Allies)
Cyan and Gau reached the Dactyl’s Nest just after Freya and Fratley had taken off.
“Mount thy Dactyl, Sir Gau,” Cyan said, leaping onto the Dactyl closest to him. “We must move fast to keep up.”
“Uwaaoooooooo!” Gau cried, jumping onto a Dactyl. “We riding a Dactyl! This be fun!”
The two of them gave their Dactyls the destination, and then both held on as they flew off toward the Laruba Ruins.

(Lucil & Elma: Currently in 4th Place)
Lucil and Elma completed their dance, this time nailing it.
“There!” Elma said. “That’s right, isn’t it?”
“That right,” the lead dancer said. “Here your clue.”
“Thank you,” Lucil said, taking the clue. “Now, I wonder why we did not pass that first time?”
“It’s probably because we jumped where we should have spun and vice versa,” Elma said. “Also, we clapped where we should’ve stomped, and vice versa.”
“I see,” Lucil said. “You were very good at that dance, Elma.”
“It pays to have watched Lady Yuna perform all of those sendings,” replied Elma. “Also, I did take lessons.”
“Quite amazing,” Lucil said, opening the clue. “The Dactyl’s Nest is up north. I saw Lady Freya and Sir Fratley go through the exit leading to it. Let’s go at once.”
“Captain,” Elma said with a salute.
The two women grabbed their backpacks and ran out of the Meeting Place as fast as their legs could carry them.

(Quale & Quina: Currently in 1st Place)
Quale and Quina looked down at the land below them as they flew over it.
“Look at land,” Quale said. “It beautiful down there.”
“It really pretty,” Quina said. “Remind me of view from Hilda Garde 3. Just as pretty.”
Quale nodded at Quina’s words and then looked down again. “Ah. I see ruins. Look like we here.”
Their Dactyls flew down and landed on the ground near a clue box sitting on the ground.
“Stay,” Quale told his Dactyl while petting it. “You stay. We return.” They ran for the clue box and pulled out the clue inside. He ripped it open and read it. “Roadblock,” he said. “‘Who’s ready to scramble to stay in the race?’”

(Announcer Gippal)
“A Roadblock is a task that only one person may perform. In this Roadblock, that person must complete a fairly simple task — a word scramble. One member of each team will have to approach a Nu in the Laruba Ruins. That Nu will hand them a sack full of letters that he or she must then use to unscramble and form the name of a hero known throughout various times in this world. Once they think they have unscrambled the name, they must give the Nu their answer, and he will hand them their next clue.”

(Quale & Quina: Currently in 1st Place)
“I do it,” Quale said. “This task need brains. You have none.”
“Aw, thanks, Master Quale,” Quina said, feeling flattered.
Quale sighed. “You see?”
It wasn’t until he’d headed off into the ruins that Quina realized what he’d meant. “Wait minute!”
Quale approached a creature that basically looked like a big, blue ball of blubbery fat with webbed feet and arms hanging off him almost like they were melting off. The face covered the entire front of the creature’s body, so it almost looked like a big head. There was a tuft of greenish hair on the head of the creature, and large, gaping eyes and a huge mouth on his face.
From watching the teams at the infamous back-scratching Roadblock on the fourth leg of the previous season, Quale knew just what he was looking at. He confirmed as much in an accompanying interview.
“I know Nu right away from first race,” Quale said. “I remember teams need scratch back and find scratch point to get clue. Beatrix arouse Nu and get sick from it. It very disgusting.” There was a flashback to Beatrix of Steiner and Beatrix throwing up after jerking off the Nu she was scratching by accident. “I just glad I not need scratch Nu’s back.”

(Quale)
Back in the Laruba Ruins, the Nu, who had been sleeping, woke up when he heard Quale coming.
The Nu saw the Qu and handed over the bag of letters.
Quale walked over near Quina and dumped out five tiles with white letters on them — “A,” “E,” “L,” “M,” and “R.” He got right to work in coming up with his first combination.
“I try . . . ‘r’ at start of name, then ‘a,’” Quale said, placing the “r” and “a” next to one another. “Then I try ‘m,’ ‘e,’ and . . . ‘l.’” He place the last three letters next to the “r” and “a” in that the order he’d said named them. “Make ‘Ramel.’” He left the tiles on the ground and ran over to the Nu. “Is name Ramel?”
The Nu stared at him for a few seconds, then answered, “No. Sorry.”
Quale groaned a bit and went back to the letters.
“We still have time, Master Quale,” Quina said. “We still in front.”

(Godo & Yuffie: Currently in Last Place)
A panting Godo and Yuffie ended their dance and looked at the dancers exhaustedly.
“That it?” Yuffie asked them.
“No, no, no!” the lead dancer yelled. “That not it! You get it all wrong! It left stomp, right stomp, left stomp, right stomp, jump one, jump two, spin around once, jump one, jump two, clap, clap, clap!”
“‘Jump one, jump two, spin around once, jump one, jump two?’” Yuffie echoed. “Oh! Oh! I know! I see what you mean now!”
“Y-Yuffie?” Godo said.
“Just watch me, old man,” Yuffie said. “I’ll get us out of here in no time.”
The beat started again and Godo and Yuffie performed the routine as described by the lead dancer, Godo following Yuffie’s lead the whole time. This time, they executed their dance perfectly and impressed the dancers.
“Good! Good!” the lead dancer said. “Perfect dance! Perfect! Here clue.” She handed the two of them their clue, which Yuffie took.
“Thanks,” she said to the lead dancer, who nodded back to her. Then, she opened the clue and read it. “Dactyl’s Nest up north,” she said. “Come on. Everybody’s gone. We’re in dead last right now.”
Godo nodded and they ran out of the Meeting Place. “By the way, Yuffie,” Godo said, “that was fantastic, what you did at that Detour. How did you suddenly nail that dance?”
“Oh, that’s simple,” Yuffie said. “‘Jump one, jump two, spin around once, jump one, jump two?’ I do that part of the dance every day — after I defeat a monster or any of my enemies!”
Godo stared at his daughter for a moment as they ran. “Uh . . . okay.”

(Lucil & Elma: Comrades-in-Arms)
Lucil and Elma ran up to one of the last two pairs of Dactyls waiting in the Dactyl’s Nest.
“We must hurry if we want to keep Godo and Yuffie behind us,” Lucil said.
“The Laruba Ruins, please,” Elma said to her Dactyl, which took off after getting the order. Lucil’s Dactyl, after getting her order, was only a few seconds behind.

(Freya & Fratley: Currently in 2nd Place)
Freya and Fratley’s Dactyls flew down and landed in the Laruba Ruins. They jumped off them and ran to the clue box.
Freya opened the clue. “Roadblock,” she said. “Well, it is my turn, so I shall do this one.”
“Good luck,” Fratley said.
As Freya headed off to find the Nu, Fratley looked over and saw Quina waiting for Quale to finish.
Fratley walked over to Quina and, quietly enough to stay out of Freya’s earshot, he said, “You two just won’t die, will you?”
“No,” Quina surprisingly taunted in reply. “We like cockroaches.”
“Yes, well, the missile on the gummi ship was just the beginning, you miserable Qu,” Fratley said. “You may have survived that one, but so help me, I’ll have you and the rest of your Fun Bunch out of this race yet.”
“How?” Quina asked, holding his own against Fratley’s veiled threat rather surprisingly. “Three teams run final leg, so you only get two of us out of race. Maybe.”
“Oh, we’ll do that,” Fratley said. “Freya and I will do that.”
“Oh, I think not,” Quina shot back.
“Oh, I think so.” Fratley spat testily, losing his cool and grabbing Quina by the throat and squeezing it tightly. “I’ll not have you sullying this race with your fun-admiring selves.”
“You hurting me,” Quina gagged.
“Oh, my God, let him go!” someone else called.

(Cyan & Gau: Currently in 3rd Place)
Cyan and Gau’s Dactyls had landed in the Laruba Ruins and the two were just heading for the clue box when they saw Fratley close to strangling Quina.
Fratley, seeing as how he didn’t want a fight on his hands, let go of Quina’s throat and backed up.
Cyan and Gau kept their eyes on him as they made their way toward the clue box and took out their clue. They kept watching him as Cyan tore open their clue.
“Roadblock,” Cyan said. “Leave this to me, Sir Gau. And thou should watch him.” He pointed to Fratley as he jogged toward the Nu.
Gau looked at Fratley and asked, “What your problem?”
“What is my problem?” Fratley asked. “You are my problem. Your two teams and that aggravating father and daughter. To put it quite plainly, your three teams have been quite the nuisance to me this entire race, and I will not be resting until your teams are out of this race and my alliance reaches the final three.”
“How?” Gau asked. “Suits get eliminated already.”
“Well, Freya, myself, Lucil, and Elma, and whichever team in your alliance proves to be the strongest,” Fratley answered. “Or at least the least weak.”
“You not take us out,” Gau said. “We not let you!”
“Is that a challenge?” Fratley asked smugly, narrowing his eyes at Gau.
“That promise,” Quina chimed in, backing up Gau.
“Fine,” Fratley said. “Promise all you like. I will meanwhile be biding my time, ready to delight in the day your teams are eliminated.”

This is part two of the episode. Part three continues in the post below.

[Rodney]

Episode 8: Part 3

(Quale)
Quale, after several minutes of playing around with the tiles, finally arranged them to form his second choice: “Lamer.”
“That sound right,” Quale said, going over to the Nu. “Lamer?”
The Nu shook his head. “Wrong.”
Quale sulked for a moment, and then, he ran back to his letters.

(Freya)
Freya had already gotten her bag of letters and was now arranging the letters in the hopes of finding something. After thinking of something she thought would make sense, she formed her first word.
“Excuse me,” Freya said to the Nu, “but would the name of the hero happen to be . . . Ralem?”
“No, it isn’t.” The Nu shook his head.
“Damn,” Freya said, hurrying back to her tiles. “I was so sure I’d get it on the first attempt.”

(Cyan)
“This should be what I am looking for,” Cyan said, looking at the letters he’d arranged. “‘Arlem.’” He walked over to the Nu. “The name is Arlem, if I’m not mistaken.”
“Unfortunately, you are,” the Nu said. “Try again.”

(Godo & Yuffie: Father/Daughter)
“Here they are,” Yuffie said, jumping onto one of the last two Dactyls left. “Get your ass in gear, old man.”
Godo ran up to the last Dactyl and climbed onto its back. “The Laruba Ruins, if you please,” he said to it.
His Dactyl took flight and flew off toward its ordered destination. Yuffie’s Dactyl was right behind it.

(Lucil & Elma: Currently in 4th Place)
Lucil and Elma landed in the Laruba Ruins and got their clue out of the clue box. Elma tore open the clue.
“‘Who’s ready to scramble to stay in the race?’” she read.
“You do it, Elma,” Lucil said.
“All right, Captain,” Elma answered, going over to the Nu and getting her bag of letters.

(Quale)
“This it,” Quale said. “This answer.” He jogged over to the Nu. “Marel?”
The Nu again shook his head. “Nope.”
Quale went over to look at his letters once more.
“What I do wrong?” he wondered to himself. But then, he had an idea. “Maybe vowel at end of word.”
He arranged the letters to spell “Merla.” He then went to the Nu with that word, but once again was rejected.
“That not it,” Quale said. “Then maybe . . .” He switched the “a” and “e” around and got “Marle.” “Yes. Yes, that might be name.” He walked over to the Nu. “Is Marle.”
The Nu stared at Quale for a silent moment that seemed to take hours. But then, he smiled, winked, and pulled a clue out from behind his back.
“Thank you, Nu,” Quale said, shaking the Nu’s hand.
Then, clue in hand, he ran over to rejoin Quina. He opened up the clue and started to read it.

(Quale & Quina: Currently in 1st Place)
“Yay! Master Quale finish Roadblock!” Quina said happily.
“And not moment too soon,” Quale sighed. “I feel like I go crazy coming up with names.” He cleared his throat and read the clue. “‘Fly yourselves on your Dactyls to the next Pit Stop, the Tyrano Lair.’”

(Announcer Gippal)
“Teams must now fly themselves twenty-five miles on their Dactyls to this place — the lair of the Tyrano tribe, the feared and revered tribe of carnivorous dinosaurs with human intelligence. At the front entrance of this lair is the Pit Stop for this leg of the race. The last team to check in here . . . may be eliminated.”

(Quale & Quina: Currently in 1st Place)
“Come, Quina,” Quale said. “Pit Stop next!”
“Okay,” Quina said. “Back on Dactyls!”
Quale and Quina ran to their Dactyls and jumped on quickly. Just before they took off, Quale caught sight of one small detail on the clue.
“‘You may not tell the Dactyl where to go this time. You must navigate yourself there,’” he read. “Is no problem. I know way there.”
“Really?” Quina asked.
“Yes,” Quale responded. “In Ioka Village, man give me lay of land. He say it twenty-five miles southeast.”
“Ooh!” Quina said. “Good! We get there easily!”
Their Dactyls took to the air and flew off.

(Elma)
Elma turned in her first guess to the Nu.
“Is it . . . Relma?” she asked.
“No,” the Nu answered simply.
“,” she hissed, returning to her letters.
As she rearranged her letters, she explained the situation to the camera right there on the spot. “It was just on a whim, but all I did was spell out my own name and add the ‘r’ to the beginning of it. It was like I was giving my name an extra ‘r,’ or giving an extra ‘a’ to the name of that adorable little girl from last season, Relm.” There was a flashback to Relm from the previous season, who was shown standing at her final Pit Stop with her grandfather, Strago, at the Blackbird in Zeal.
Then, turning her attention back to what she was doing and away from the camera, Elma moved the “r” to the end of her name, forming “Elmar,” and submitted that as her next guess to the Nu.
“Sorry, no,” the Nu said.
“Well, damn,” Elma said, walking back to her tiles and kneeling down in front of them.
And then, she noticed the tiles Quale had left behind. They spelled the name “Marle.”
“Hmm,” Elma said. “Those are Quale’s letters, and he left just after using that combination. I wonder if maybe . . .” She stood up and ran back over to the Nu. “Is it Marle?”
The Nu stared at her for a moment before nodding and handing over the next clue.
“Thank you,” Elma said, rejoining Lucil immediately. Well, not immediately. First, to throw any of the other teams off the trail, she went over to Quale’s tiles and rearranged them so they formed “Meral.” Then, sure she’d potentially thrown the other teams off the trail, she rejoined Lucil.

(Lucil & Elma: Currently in 2nd Place)
“Excellent work, Elma,” Lucil said.
“Thanks, Captain,” Elma said, opening the clue and reading it. “The Pit Stop.”
“The Tyrano Lair?” Lucil said. “Yes, a villager told me how to find it. Mount up and let’s be off, Elma. Just follow close behind me and I will get us there.”
“You got it,” Elma answered.
The two women ran over to their Dactyls, climbed on, and flew off into the sky.

(Godo & Yuffie: Currently in Last Place)
Godo and Yuffie finally landed in the Laruba Ruins just as Lucil and Elma had left. They got their clue out of the clue box and Yuffie opened it.
“Wonderful,” Godo sighed, reading the instructions. “This should be a piece of cake.”
He rushed over to the Nu and got his bag of letters.
“Roadblock,” Yuffie said. “Your turn, old man.”

Gippal stood on the mat in front of a large mountain palace. Beside him stood a tall, green, sinister-looking dinosaur named Azala. He had long, sharp claws, teeth just as long and sharp, metallic armor draped across his chest, and a long, red cape.
Gippal pointed at the first team whose Dactyls he saw coming. The Dactyls came in for a landing and landed right near the entrance of the lair. The team climbed down off their Dactyls, raced toward the mat, and stood on it. Who was it?
“Welcome to 65,000,000 B.C., the prehistoric!” Azala joyfully greeted the team in a deep, guttural voice. Just as the camera cut to . . .
“Thanks,” Quale and Quina replied in unison, Quale standing before Gippal on the left side of the mat and Quina standing before him on the right side.
“Quale and Quina,” Gippal said, “you’re team number one!”
Quale and Quina both cried out loudly and happily at this news and hugged each other tightly. In fact, they both fell to the ground, still holding onto one another as they cheered at their victory. Gippal, amused, smiled at this spectacle.
After the two Qu had collected themselves, Gippal said, “Well, guys, I have some good news for you. As the winners of this eighth leg of the race, you’ve won a trip for two to Fisherman’s Horizon and a seven-day, six-night stay at a beautiful inn. This trip comes complete with fishing, live performances by world-famous bands, and a special VIP tour of the city. It’s all compliments of Ragnarok Airlines, and you can enjoy it after the race.”
“F-fishing? As in, for fish? Thanks!” Quina nodded rapidly, licking his chops as he pictured the fine fish meal he’d soon be having.
“So, after eight legs, you’re finally team number one,” Gippal told the Qu. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks, Gippal,” Quale said. “It good leg on both our parts. This leg perfect. We make no mistakes and race better than we have since race begin. Go from third to second to first, we finally peak. And it great feeling to have.”
“I so happy,” Quina said. “We last team to win leg, and we finally did. Now we not feel so weak compared to other teams.”
In their post-leg interview, Quale said, “It good to win leg, at last. Very good. But we need keep moving.”
“We need keep momentum and race strong,” Quina said. “We do that, win more legs, and maybe whole race!”

(Godo)
Godo arranged the letters on the tiles to form “Ramle.” He took his guess to the Nu.
“Nope. Keep trying,” the Nu said.
“All right,” Godo said. “Hmm. Maybe I’ll just switch two of the letters around this time, and see what I get.” He switched the “m” and “r” around, forming the name “Marle,” and decided to go with that. He approached the Nu. “Marle,” he said.
The Nu stared, nodded, and gave up the next clue.
Godo ran back over to his tiles, kicked them a distance away to scramble them up again, and trotted over to Yuffie.

(Godo & Yuffie: Currently in 3rd Place)
“Old coot, not bad!” Yuffie said, impressed with her father’s performance on the Roadblock. “It only took you two tries!”
“Well, that was kind of through luck,” Godo said, “but whatever gets us out of here is fine by me.”
“Ditto,” Yuffie said, ripping open the clue Godo had brought over. “Oh, Gawd! The Pit Stop!”
“We’re in at least third right now,” Godo said, “so we should be fine.”
“Let’s hope so,” Yuffie said as they ran to their Dactyls and took off.

(Freya)
“Freya, Godo and Yuffie just departed!” Fratley called to Freya.
“I know. I saw them,” Freya said, turning in her next guess. “Elram?”
“Sorry,” the Nu replied.
“Damn!” Freya said, very close to shouting it. She was feeling very tense now, knowing she and Cyan were the last two people doing the Roadblock.

(Cyan)
Cyan ran up to the Nu with his next guess. “Relam,” he said.
“Incorrect,” the Nu responded.
“Blast!” Cyan said. “I hope I can finish this one soon.”

Gippal stood at the mat as Lucil and Elma landed their Dactyls and ran up to him. Lucil took her place in front of him on the left side of the mat, while Elma stood on the right side.
“Lucil and Elma,” Gippal said, “you’re team number two!”
“Yes!” Elma said, jumping up once. “Awesome!”
“We’re glad to have moved up like this,” Lucil said, “considering we were so close to last earlier.”

(Freya)
“Wait a minute,” Freya said. “Maybe if I place all of my letters in reverse order.” She placed the letters of her previous guess, “Elram,” in the reverse order they were in before, coming up with a new name, “Marle.” “It is a longshot, but one I will gladly attempt.”
She ran over to the Nu.
“The name is Marle,” she said.
The Nu stared at her, grinned, nodded yes, and gave her the clue.
“Smashing!” Freya said, running back over to Fratley.

(Cyan)
Unfortunately for Freya, she had given up her guess loudly enough for Cyan to hear, and when he saw her receive her clue and hurry to rejoin Fratley, he ran up to the Nu and said, “Marle.”
The Nu handed over the last clue to Cyan, who ran back to join up with Gau.

(Freya & Fratley: Currently in 4th Place)
“I was beginning to think you’d never get that done,” Fratley said, sighing in relief.
“So was I,” Freya admitted as she opened the clue. “My Lord, Fratley. The Pit Stop!”
“We must take to our heels immediately!” Fratley said as he and Freya ran to their Dactyls and took off.

(Cyan & Gau: Currently in Last Place)
“That was not a very enjoyable task, Sir Gau,” Cyan said.
“I bet,” Gau said sympathetically. “So, what clue say, Cyan?”
Cyan tore open the clue. “It’s the Pit Stop. Last team could easily be out of the race.”
“Let’s go!” Gau cried. “Go, go, go!”
“I’m right with thee!” Cyan said. “But no channeling Sir Wakka!”
They ran to their Dactyls and flew off as quickly as their Dactyls’ wings could carry them.

(Godo & Yuffie: Father/Daughter)
Godo and Yuffie looked all around at the ground below them.
“Oh, wow, I’m totally clueless!” Yuffie declared.
“That would be my diagnosis,” Godo chuckled.
“Not that, you idiotic old fart!” Yuffie yelled. “I’m talking about the Pit Stop at the Tyrano Lair! I don’t see either one below!”
“I think we’re lost,” Godo said, “which is the last thing we need right about now.”

(Freya & Fratley: Dating)
“I see the Pit Stop ahead,” Freya said. “We should be there in at least two more minutes.”
“Good,” Fratley said. Then, he spotted something else. “There are Godo and Yuffie.” He pointed to them. “That loathsome father and daughter,” he then added under his breath, just loudly enough for the camera and sound guys to pick it up.
“They might be lost,” Freya said. “This works to our advantage now. Let us ascend.”
Both of their Dactyls flew up and over the puzzled father and daughter, staying out of their sight.
Of course, no leg would be complete without Fratley getting another idea. He turned his Dactyl around and ordered it to swoop down. So it did. It zoomed down toward Fratley’s target — Yuffie’s Dactyl.
Wanting to make sure she saw him before he struck, Fratley whistled quite loudly, drawing her attention.
“Could I give you a hand?” Fratley called to her. “Or, should I say, a wing?”
He increased his altitude just enough so that his Dactyl’s wing collided with Yuffie — and knocked her right off her own Dactyl!
“Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!” she screamed. “Heeeeeeeellllllllp!”
Fratley took another moment to watch her fall, and then turned back around to catch up with Freya as they neared the Tyrano Lair.

(Godo & Yuffie: Father/Daughter)
“Yuffie, hold on!” Godo shouted, flying down as quickly as he could on his Dactyl. He got lower than Yuffie and caught her on his Dactyl’s back.
“Whoa,” Yuffie gasped. “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it,” Godo said. “That was a close one. Are you all right?”
Yuffie inhaled deeply twice before nodding.
Godo flew Yuffie back up to her own Dactyl and let her jump back onto its back.
“Now, come on, Dad,” Yuffie said. “We’ve got a dirty rat to catch!”

Freya and Fratley landed their Dactyls and ran up to Gippal on the mat. Freya took her place on the left side of the mat in front of him, while Fratley took his own place on the right side.
“Freya and Fratley,” Gippal said, “you’re team number three!”
“What a great relief,” Freya said. “Passing Godo and Yuffie the way we did certainly helped us.”
“You mean passing and pushing,” Gippal laughed.
“What?” Freya said.
“Nothing, Freya,” Fratley said. “Just . . . nothing.”

(Godo & Yuffie: Father/Daughter)
Godo and Yuffie finally caught sight of the Tyrano Lair and Gippal at the Pit Stop mat.
“There he is,” Godo said.
“Yeah, I see him, too,” Yuffie said. “Come on, come on, land time, land time.”
They began their descent, but then, Godo looked back and caught sight of something else.
“Uh-oh,” Godo said. “Here come Cyan and Gau.”
“Crap,” Yuffie said. “Why did they have to be in last place? Do they have any idea how tough it is to race against your own allies for last? Full speed ahead, old man!”
Godo and Yuffie sped up their Dactyls as they approached the Tyrano Lair.

(Cyan & Gau: Allies)
“Godo! Yuffie!” Gau screamed, pointing to Godo and Yuffie’s Dactyls flying ahead of Cyan’s and his own.
“I see them,” Cyan said. “They either lost their way and are now in fourth, or Lady Freya and Sir Fratley lost their way and we are now in fourth. I am hoping for the latter, but let us hurry, Sir Gau, in case it is the former, and we are still in last place.”
“Hurry! Hurry!” Gau agreed.
Their Dactyls turned on the speed and started to close the gap between themselves and Godo and Yuffie’s Dactyls.

Gippal stood at the mat with Azala, waiting for the next team to arrive. Would it be Godo and Yuffie, still out in front, or Cyan and Gau, after making a last-minute, come-from-behind finish? Who would it be? Who would it be?
Godo and Yuffie landed their Dactyls and ran up to Gippal. Godo took his place on the left side of the mat and Yuffie took hers on the right.
“Godo and Yuffie,” Gippal said, “you’re team number four!”
“We figured,” Yuffie said. “We figured, after we had that little problem back there.”
“Yeah, what was that all about?” Gippal asked. “I could see it from here.”
“More dirty play,” Godo answered. “But no matter. We’ll get even.”

Cyan and Gau flew down and landed their Dactyls where the other teams had landed theirs. They counted eight Dactyls, aside from theirs, and knew for sure they were in last place.
“Well, Sir Gau,” Cyan said, walking slowly up to the mat with Gau at his side, “it was a very pleasurable experience running this race with thee. I could not have picked anybody I would rather have done it with.”
“Thanks, Cyan,” Gau said with a sad sniffle as they stepped onto the mat and faced Gippal, Cyan on the left side and Gau on the right side.
“Welcome to 65,000,000 B.C., the prehistoric,” Azala greeted them somberly.
“Thank thee,” Cyan said.
“Thanks,” Gau said quietly.
“Cyan and Gau,” Gippal said, “you’re the last team to arrive.”
“We are fully aware of that,” Cyan sighed sadly as Gau tearfully leaned against his side.
“I’m” — Gippal paused for a fairly long moment — “pleased to tell you, however, that this is the second of four predetermined non-elimination legs, and you’re still in The Amazing Final Fantasy Race.”
Cyan and Gau’s eyes lit up at the sound of this news.
“Oh, my God, thank thee, Gippal!” Cyan said. “Thou art a truly merciful host!”
Gau bounced up and down happily upon hearing the good news.
“However, I have some bad news for you,” Gippal said. “You will have to hand over all of your cash.”
Cyan and Gau, without hesitation, took out all of the money they still had, which turned out to be quite a bit, and turned it over to Gippal.
“Just so you know, you will be given no money at the start of the next leg, so you’ll be starting the next leg with zero gil to your name,” Gippal said. “And I also have some more bad news for you. I must also have you give up all your possessions except your passports, and you must even give up the clothes on your backs.”
“Oh, the dresses,” Cyan moaned.
“Gau hate the dresses,” Gau said.
“Sorry,” Gippal said, taking out two big, pink dresses that were tailored to fit Cyan and Gau’s frames. “Race rules and all that, you know? Anyway, yes, you will be racing in clothing we have provided.”
Cyan and Gau uneasily took the dresses.
“So, you’re still in the race,” Gippal said. “Anything you plan to do to get yourselves out of this bind?”
“Race, race, race!” Gau answered.
“Exactly what he said,” Cyan said. “Race more strongly than we ever have before and get ourselves back in the game. And most importantly, not come in last again.”
In their post-leg interview, Cyan said, “All we have is each other now. While our loads are definitely lightened, we need to rely on our own personal strengths now more than ever if we want to show the other teams we have what it takes to win this race.”
“Gau and Cyan get second chance,” Gau said. “We not take that for granted. We not take race for granted. We use that chance to show we still belong in the race. We use that chance to win.”
And after one final slow-motion shot of Cyan and Gau walking off the mat, leaving their backpacks behind, and entering the Tyrano Lair to rest up with the other teams, the screen faded to black.

To remind you, the teams finished this leg in the following order:

#1. Quale and Quina (Prize: Trip for two to Fisherman's Horizon, Courtesy Ragnarok Airlines)
#2. Lucil and Elma
#3. Freya and Fratley
#4. Godo and Yuffie
#5. Cyan and Gau (Stripped of cash, possessions, and clothing; must start next leg of race with no money or clothing)

There you have it. The eighth episode of an ongoing saga. Five teams are still left in the race. Are you happy Cyan & Gau are still in it? Or did you want them to be eliminated? And Quale & Quina won their first leg ever! Happy about that? And, of course, no episode would be complete without a Fratley trick. That set you off something fierce? Did you recognize where they went? And how do you now rank the final five teams, from 1 to 5? Same as last week? Or different now? And of them all, who do you think will go next week? Discuss below.

[Agent0042]

Another excellent installment. Featured a world from a game I've never played myself, though seeing it featured in these races does make me curious about it. (Oh, and not long now till the start of Amazing Race 12, ya'ay!)

Well, now that the newest installment is up, it's time to consider the performance of the teams once again. It's time for Thinking Smart!


The Amazing Final Fantasy Race 2: Thinking Smart in Episode 8


Halfway home. It was a blast from the past for the racers this week when teams found themselves in the prehistoric. It was all the way back to 65,000,000 B.C. for those intrepid racers who have managed to stick it out so far. At this point in the race, the smallest advantages can make all the difference. The race can be a real thrill, but sometimes it pays not to get swept up in emotion, as others could be waiting to capitalize on any mistake you make.

At the top of the leg, teams faced an unexpected task – potential peril from a pack of vicious dinosaurlike creatures. Teams were required to pass by it on their way to Ioka Village. Most teams were successful in passing by without any trouble. However, when one of the racers accidentally awoke the slumbering beasts, it turned out that getting noisy was just what was called for.

In Ioka Village, a Detour gave teams a choice of either Soup or Salsa. The Soup task involved exactly that –- a date with a bowl of hot soup. After locating Chief Ayla, the racers competing in this task attempted to best her in a speed-eating competition. For those in the mood to move and groove, there was the Salsa task. Teams participating in this task were required to witness and then replicate a popular village dance. This task required both attention to detail and the physical ability to replicate a series of complex dance moves.

This leg’s Roadblock featured a creature that should have been very familiar to any racer who watched the first season of the program – the Nu. Fortunately, they were not required to scratch it this time. Instead, one racer from each team retrieved a bag of letters. Since there was really no way for any of the racers to know the name of this hero, this task was pretty much pure luck, with a bit of memory for spice. All they could do was try various likely combinations and hope to stumble upon the right one. The memory aspect, obviously, was simply not making the mistake of trying the same combination twice. None of the Roadblockers tried this, suggesting that Killer Fatigue hasn’t yet set in. There was an interesting twist to this challenge, though, in that it was very easy to peek at or overhear other racers’ answers. More than one racer used this loophole to their advantage.

Nobody was eliminated in this leg of the race, but with only five teams left, placement is more important than ever. Any advantage teams can find may be the all-important one that keeps them in the race. With that in mind, which teams were thinking smart in episode eight?

Quale & Quina: All right, so remember what I said about these two being dark-horse contenders to win it all? First-place! A speed-eating challenge? You just know these two would have it made. Indeed, choosing the Soup task was a no-brainer as far as the Detour went. Both of the Qu were able to guzzle their soup well in time to best Ayla. Quale completed the Detour, eventually lucking onto the needed name. In his excitement, though, he made a critical error by leaving his tiles in plain view of prying eyes. Except for this error (which was capitalized on by a member of an opposing alliance – ouch), the Qu had a mistake-free leg. After they were nearly eliminated in the very first leg, this is an amazing finish indeed.

Lucil & Elma: Who knew these two would do so well at dancing? Perhaps Yuna should consider them for one of her performances sometime. That’s right, these two chose the Salsa task for the Detour on the basis of being “very coordinated.” All right, so they messed it up the first time, but nailed it the second time. It turned out that Elma had some experience with dancing, so good on her! Elma also did the Roadblock for the chocobo knights. She was the one who capitalized on the previously mentioned mistake and it was this bit of smart thinking that allowed this team to remain out in the lead. It was a wonderful recovery after having fallen behind earlier in the leg.

Freya & Fratley: Go north, young knights. And dance, dance, dance! Freya & Fratley also opted for “Salsa” and performed the best of all the teams that chose this task. Freya took the lead here with her past dancing experience and Fratley was apparently able to follow along well enough. It was Freya’s turn to complete the Roadblock and as she did that, Fratley took the opportunity to stir up some drama. It took Freya a long time before lucking onto the right answer and completing the task. Here, however, she made a similar mistake to Quale’s, which once again helped a member of a non-allied team. On the way to the Pit Stop, Fratley saw yet another opportunity to try to knock another team out of the race. He used his Dactyl to dive-bomb Yuffie and knock her off of hers. As usual, this move only succeeded in creating more hostility.

Godo & Yuffie: Given Yuffie’s “weak constitution,” the Salsa task was almost certainly the right choice for the Detour. By the time they completed the task, they had dropped to the back of the pack and worn themselves out to boot. Fortunately, luck was on Godo’s side at the Roadblock. In just two attempts, he was able to come up with the required name, putting these two on the way to the Pit Stop. It was a bad break that they got lost on the way to the Pit Stop. They would have done well to ask a local for directions, as did Lucil & Elma. This navigational error allowed Freya & Fratley to catch up in time for Fratley to perform his bit of earlier-mentioned trickery. It was a leg of ups and downs for these two, but they managed to avoid last place in the end. Another victory, of sorts, for the “Fun Bunch.”

Cyan & Gau: This team opted for the “Soup” task –- seemingly a good choice given that they both were fast with the hot-dogs back in the first leg. The soup-eating was more challenging than expected for Cyan, however. To his credit, he stuck with it without complaint (not that I would ever expect any from him) and soon mastered it. Cyan completed the Roadblock, but once again, it was no luck, at least not for a good while. Unable to come up with the required name, Cyan’s break didn’t come until he overheard Freya shouting out the correct answer. This bit of good fortune wasn’t enough to save Thou & Gau from a last place finish. I was glad that Cyan & Gau weren’t eliminated, as it was mostly just a streak of bad luck that led to this ending. These two definitely thought they were eliminated and were thrilled to have an opportunity to keep racing. At this point, I think these two are a bit of a wildcard. They definitely have a strong desire to win and some strengths going for them, but at this stage of the competition, I’m just not sure they have enough.

[Rodney]

Originally Posted by Agent0042 ^

(Oh, and not long now till the start of Amazing Race 12, ya'ay!)

Three days to go! YES!

[Laddy]

Three days! Awesomesauce!

The location, from Chrono Trigger, the leg, awesome. I'm beginning to dislike Fratley so much, AGH!!!

[Rodney]

And, of course, Laddy, the Qu won the leg!

[Laddy]

HELL YEAH! WOOHOO! Thank yoo.