Pokéball Run
Episode Two
(Tom Wallace appears in the studio.)
Tom: Greetings ‘ballers… I have to think of a better
name to call you. I’m Tom Wallace and welcome to the second
episode of Pokéball Run. The first episode introduced us to six
very unusual teams, and their six very unusual drivers. Each of
the six have taken off and are headed to
(The screen next to Tom displays Izzy and Rika analyzing the
key.)
Tom: Izzy and Rika of Brains & Blondes put their heads
together, and by going to the right locations, sabotaging others
and avoiding sabotage themselves, as well as finding their
driver, they are the first to head off.
(Display of Brains & Blondes taking off in the brown car.
Mihoshi waves at the camera.)
Tom: Of course, with the driver being Mihoshi from Tenchi Muyo,
things could take a turn for the stupid.
(Display of Shinji, opening a garage door.)
Tom: The Angels- Mimi, Yolei, and Eva pilot Shinji, fell victim
to a sabotage orchestrated by Gary of Just Us Guys.
(Display of the pink Angel car taking off, followed soon
afterwards by the purple car.)
Tom: They still took off second, but
(Display of TK and Kari meeting their driver, Nakago.)
Tom: After initially going to the wrong location, TK and Kari of
Hope & Plight recovered nicely and met up with their driver-
the evil Nakago from Fushigi Yuugi.
(Display of Nakago, TK, and Kari leaving in the yellow car.)
Tom: They took off fourth.
(Display of Ash and
Tom: The Impulsive Idiots tried implementing a strategy where one
sought the car while the other sought the driver. It had mixed
results, as Ash,
(Display of Jessie and James’s Meowth balloon deflating
on the streets of
Tom: And finally, crime didn’t pay for Jessie and James of
Triple J. Their ride to the parking lot ended up costing them
more time than it was worth.
(Display of Jessie G, Jessie, and James taking off in the blue
car.)
Tom: Triple J, now joined by Jessie Gurtland of Battle Athletes,
are in last place.
(Now the screen displays a map of the Eastern U.S. A path is
marked from New York City to a location in Western Virginia.)
Tom: The first day of the course will be the first half of the
first leg. It will take them from New York to Blacksburg,
Virginia. After the wild run to find the car and driver, called a
Jumpstart Challenge, the teams will have smooth sailing from here
to the destination. Or… will they? Despite the fact that the
Angels have one of the two New Yorkers on their team in Mimi,
they seem to be somewhat… lost, and have slipped behind Just
Us Guys.
Leg One- Day One
Yolei: We’re supposed to be going to Virginia, which
is a different state than New York. I’m not too familiar
with American road systems, but I expect that we’d need to
get on an Interstate sometime soon.
(Pink car. Mimi’s trying to read the map, while
Shinji’s driving. They are in a residential area somewhere
in Newark, New Jersey. Caption: "The Angels- Third
Place")
Yolei: You live here, how can you not know where we’re
going?
Mimi: Well, I never really got too familiar with New Jersey. New Jersey kinda smells. I don’t go there much.
Yolei: I see. Do you know where we’re going Shinji?
Shinji: (meek) I’m just listening to the directions Mimi gives me. She hasn’t given me any in ten minutes, so I don’t know where the heck we are.
(Brown car. Mihoshi’s driving calmly down the interstate.
Izzy and Rika are somewhat relaxed, but still a bit tense.
Caption: "Brains & Blondes- First Place")
Izzy: (calmly) Look, we’re on the interstate, all we have to
do is take this road for two hours until we hit… Rika?
Rika: Harrisburg.
Izzy: Harrisburg. Are you sure you’re going to be okay?
Mihoshi: (almost crying) Oh, just stay off my back! I can’t stand backseat drivers!
Izzy: Okay, I’ll just… shut up until we get there. Okay?
Mihoshi: Leave me alone!!
(Izzy sits back down and looks at Rika, who looks very apprehensive.)
(Purple car. Caption: "Just Us Guys- Second Place")
Brock: So, uh… Akane? You seeing anybody important?
Akane: Um, well, actually I have a fiancé.
Brock: Oh. I’m, uh… very sorry to hear that.
(Akane sighs)
Akane: It’s okay. I manage. I don’t know how but I
manage. It’s a rough life.
(Red car. Ash, Davis, and Ruri are stuck at a very congested
tollbooth. Caption: "Impulsive Idiots- Fifth Place")
Davis: C’mon, can this line move any slower?
Ruri: You do have money, right?
Davis: Jeez, Ruri, do you think I’m some kinda moron? Of course I have money. They gave us some, remember.
(Davis reaches into his pocket and pulls out a bill.)
Davis: Hey Ash, got change for a $100?
Ash: Uhh…
(Blue car. Jessie G. observes a sign reading "Tollbooth
Ahead- Pay 50˘" Caption: "Triple J- Last Place")
Jessie G: Hey, what time is it?
James: About 3:30, why?
(Jessie G. slides over to the right lane and quickly gets off
the highway next exit.)
James: Are we in Virginia yet?
Jessie G: No.
Jessie: Then why are you getting off?
Jessie G: There’s usually a lot of buildup at the tollbooths around this time.
Jessie: So? The other twerps all have to go through it, why don’t we?
(Jessie G turns around and points a finger in Jessie’s
nose.)
Jessie G: THAT’S the kind of attitude that will get you
nowhere! You need to find the opponent’s weakness, and turn
it around to your own advantage!!
Jessie: Um… right.
Jessie G: I will not put up with any losers on my team, and if you are a loser, you can just get off right now!
(James silently goes over to open the door when Jessie stops
him.)
Jessie G: If he’s a loser, let him leave.
Jessie: No… we need him around if we want to win.
Jessie G: Shoot.
(Shot from outside of the blue car driving around a side
street near the interstate.)
Manny: (VO) The strategy works as Triple J passes the Impulsive
Idiots and claim fifth place. Jessie Gurtland, a bona fide New
Yorker, is helping out a lot more than Mimi, and could be the
"J" that turns Triple J around.
(Pink car. Shinji is waiting impatiently for Mimi to give
directions.)
Mimi: Hold on… I’m still trying to find it…
Shinji: Forget it.
(Shinji pulls over to the side of the road, gets out, and
walks up to someone.)
Shinji: Excuse me… um. Do you know how to get to Interstate
78?
Passer-by: Yeah… you go down two blocks, take a left on 13th street, and go down until you see the signs.
Shinji: Thank you.
(Shinji gets back in the car and starts driving. Mimi and
Yolei are stunned.)
Yolei: What the?
Shinji: Mimi wasn’t helping. I had to know where we were going.
Mimi: Yeah, but… you asked for directions.
Shinji: So?
Yolei: And you call yourself a guy?
Shinji: Is something wrong with that?
Mimi/Yolei: Shinji, you suck.
(Outside the yellow car, which is very aggressive on the
road.)
Tom: (VO) Even if the Angels are getting back on track, Hope
& Plight and Triple J have passed them to claim third and
fourth places respectively. Mimi’s lack of navigation skills
have dropped the team from second to fifth.
(Inside the yellow car, TK and Kari are concerned about
Nakago’s aggressive driving. Caption: "Hope and Plight-
Third Place")
Kari: Um… aren’t you worried about getting into an
accident?
Nakago: Not to worry. I have my protective chi surrounding this car. If we get into an accident, we will be unharmed.
TK: What if we run into somebody?
(Nakago gives off a sinister laugh.)
(Mihoshi is driving, but appears to be handling everything
okay. Rika and Izzy are in the backseat, with a map, working out
a plan. They remain quiet, trying not to bug Mihoshi.)
Rika: This road looks like it joins I-81 before Harrisburg. If we
stay on, it should take us right up next to Blacksburg.
Izzy: Okay, good. We’re in the lead, we can just ride this all the way.
Rika: Yeah, there might be a few shortcuts… but I don’t trust her.
Mihoshi: Oh… stop talking back there, you’re making me a nervous wreck!
(Back in the studio, with Tom.)
Tom: Although there is an alternate route through Philadelphia,
all six teams appear to be taking the same route to Blacksburg.
The route is pretty simple, and after the Angels get back on
track, nobody gets lost. But just because a team knows where
they’re going does not mean that their cars will cooperate.
(Triple J’s car is pulled over to the side of the road,
with the hood open. The two Jessies are looking over it.)
Jessie: What do you think the problem is?
Jessie G: I don’t know… jeez, this is costing us time.
James: It still runs… why can’t we just ride it until it blows up? That’s always worked for us before.
Jessie: He’s got a point, there’s always the possibility that we land in Virginia after getting blasted off.
Jessie G: Is this some kind of joke to you two? I intend to win this race, whether you like it or not!
James: Well, I have some bad news for you.
Jessie: We never win stuff like this. But it’s okay, we’re quite accustomed to it.
(Jessie G punches Jessie in the face.)
Jessie G: (dark) You sicken me.
(Meanwhile, in the pink car…)
Yolei: Hey, is that Team Rocket?
Mimi: Yeah it is! They’re stuck!
Shinji: Good, we need to make up some ground.
Mimi: Yeah, honk the horn at them.
Shinji: Why?
Yolei: Just do it Shinji!
Shinji: Why, we don’t need to bug them.
(Yolei reaches across the seat and goes up to hit the horn themselves.)
(Back on the shoulder, Jessie G and James are contemplating
their next move, while waiting for Jessie to regain
consciousness. The Angels drive past honking their horn madly.
Mimi has a hand out the window, and is waving at them.)
Jessie G: That’s it, if it’s a fight they want…
get in the car James!
(James does so. Jessie G. grabs Jessie, throws her in the front seat, slams the hood shut, and gets in the car. It starts, and takes off after the Angels.)
(At a gas station, Gary is refueling. Akane’s in the
driver’s seat. Brock comes out with a few snacks and sits in
the front.)
Akane: What are you doing?
Brock: Well, we can’t race on an empty stomach.
Akane: I mean sitting in the front.
Brock: All the better to see you with, my dear!
Akane: Are you still going to navigate?
(Gary gets in the back seat.)
Gary: No way! Brock already screwed up once, so you’re going
to get the great Gary Oak as your own personal navigator!
It’s an honor, I’m sure.
(Akane looks peeved, and pulls out. Brock is watching her in admiration while Gary pulls out a mirror and watches himself in admiration.)
Akane: They asked me to be a part of this, and help out a
couple of Pokémon guys, and say that I’ll get to get away
from Ranma and Happosai and all those other perverts for a while.
So I’m totally up on the idea. But these two are even worse!
Gary is completely full of himself and thinks that he’s the
greatest thing in the world, while Brock makes a pervert like
Ranma look good! I have only so much patience, and I doubt
I’m going to have any left when we hit Virginia.
(In the back seat of the brown car, Izzy and Rika are sleeping
peacefully despite what seems to be a bumpy ride. Eventually,
Izzy wakes up, and looks outside. He looks scared and quickly
nudges Rika awake.)
Izzy: Rika, get up!
Rika: (sleepy) Huh? What is it?
(The car is driving aimlessly through a hilly field.)
Izzy: Mihoshi!
(Unfortunately, Mihoshi has also fallen asleep.)
Izzy: MIHOSHI!!
(Mihoshi wakes up)
Mihoshi: What’s going on? Waaugh!
(Mihoshi jams on the brakes, causing the car to spin out, out
of control. It flips around a couple times, before landing right
side up and sliding to the right, to be stopped when it’s
broadsided by a tree. It’s truly a Mihoshi moment! Inside
the car, however, the three inside aren’t amused. Izzy is
holding Rika, both crouched down and braced for impact. Izzy lets
go, in a little bit of pain.)
Izzy: You okay?
Rika: Yeah.
(Mihoshi’s crying. Izzy sighs, and gets out of the car,
with Rika following. They are in the middle of nowhere. Izzy is
trying to cope with the situation.)
Rika: I’m going to kill her.
Izzy: No, no… it’s not her fault. Well… it actually is. It’s entirely her fault. But we probably shouldn’t have fallen asleep.
Rika: True.
Izzy: I guess we just have to try to move on. The question is where the heck are we?
Rika: I think I see a farm over there in the distance.
(Izzy looks in the direction Rika was pointing. Indeed, there
appears to be some plowed fields and a couple buildings.
It’s a ways away, though.)
Izzy: Okay. I’ll walk down there to see if somebody can give
us a hand. Or at least tell us where we are.
(Mihoshi gets out of the car.)
Mihoshi: I’m really, really sorry.
Rika: Well you should be…
Izzy: (stern) Rika…
(Izzy seems tired, and a bit mad himself.)
Izzy: It doesn’t help to blame people. We have a long ways to go… and we have to try to stick together. I’m going to go check out that farm. Mihoshi, do you have a flare gun or something?
Mihoshi: Yeah, I think so.
Izzy: Okay. Send a shot off in… half an hour so I know where to go. You two stay here, no matter what.
Rika: If we meet somebody, we’ll keep them here.
Izzy: Yeah.
(Izzy starts off.)
Izzy: That was very… painful for me to go through.
Physically I just hit my shoulder a little hard, but it’s
just tough to move on after something like this. The car’s
pretty banged up, and Rika seems to be mad at Mihoshi. Not that I
can blame her, I’m a little ticked too. But I suppose
I’m the one that has to try to get the team back together.
And really, it’s a tough job for me.
(Blacksburg, Virginia. The checkpoint of the first leg is
nearby. The purple car approaches it.)
Brock: There it is! We did it!
Gary: I knew I could do it!
(They pull into the lot. Brock runs out and is greeted by
Manny.)
Manny: Congratulations, you’re the first to make it, punch
in and make it official.
(Brock takes a purple card and rings it through an electronic punch-clock. Gary and Akane walk in. On a nearby leader board, Gary takes a sign, with the team name on it, and slams it into the number one position. Caption: "Just Us Guys- First Place- 9:10 PM)
Akane: I can’t believe we’re in first!
(Brock high-fives Gary and hugs Akane. She looks annoyed.)
Manny: (VO) Sure enough, with the leaders Brains & Blondes
stuck, Just Us Guys punch in first in Blacksburg.
(At a gas station, a mechanic is looking at Triple J’s
car. Jessie and James are stuffing themselves with food while
Jessie G. looks on, annoyed.)
Jessie: (eating) Remember, you decided to stop.
James: Yeah, you didn’t listen to us.
Jessie G: The car didn’t sound good. It’s a primary rule of an athlete- you have to take care of your equipment or it’ll let you down. I couldn’t ignore it any longer.
James: Oh, we can just steal another one.
(The mechanic walks up to Jessie G.)
Mechanic: Okay, it was just a bit overheated. I put some coolant
in, it should definitely get you to Virginia.
Jessie G: Thank you. Jessie, get some money for his fee.
(While Jessie does so, Jessie G. looks at the highway. She
happens to see the red car driving past. She instantly turns
angry, and rushes for the car. James turns to Jessie.)
James: Hurry up Jess, she’s going nuts on us again.
(Jessie rushes out. Team Rocket runs to the car and gets in. As soon as they do, they pull out.)
Jessie G: I don’t get passed. No matter what the
situation is, I refuse to get passed. If somebody tries it,
they’re going down.
(In Blacksburg, Hope & Plight has arrived. TK punches in
while Kari puts the sign up.)
Kari: Second place- not too shabby.
(The two high-five. Caption: "Hope & Plight- Second Place- 9:42 PM")
(In the middle of nowhere, a farmer is looking at the brown car, while Izzy looks on.)
Farmer: This looks bad.
Izzy: Well, how far away is Blacksburg from here?
Farmer: Blacksburg?
Rika: It’s by Roanoke.
Farmer: You mean Roanoke, Virginny?
Rika: Wait… aren’t we in Virginia?
Farmer: Nope… this be West Virginny.
Rika/Izzy: (shocked) West Virginny??
(Izzy turns to Mihoshi)
Izzy: Mihoshi! We’re not even in the right state. We’re
in West Virginny!
Farmer: Yeah, and I don’t know of any mechanics that could fix this rig.
Izzy: I can’t believe this…
(In Blacksburg, The Angels check in. Caption: "The
Angels- Third Place- 10:55 PM")
Manny: (VO) While Brains & Blondes are stuck in West
Virginny… er, uh, West Virginia, The Angels, despite getting
lost in Jersey, still claim third place.
(On the road, Ash and Davis are looking over their shoulders.)
Davis: Uh, Ruri… we got a problem.
Ruri: (annoyed) What?
Ash: It’s Team Rocket!!
(Sure enough, Triple J has caught up, and is in a serious road
race with Impulsive Idiots. Jessie G. is all serious as she
approaches. Ruri looks in her mirror. She’s at a loss as to
how to avoid it.)
Davis: You gotta do something or they’ll pass us!
Ruri: Um. Okay… uh…
(Ruri changes lanes, trying to block their path. She does so,
but Jessie G. makes an evasive maneuver, and is able to change
lanes as well, allowing Triple J to get ahead. Inside the red
car, Ash and Davis looks disappointed, as does Ruri.)
Ruri: I’m sorry.
Ash: (encouraging, as if he was talking to one of his pokémon) It’s okay, good work Ruri. You did your best. I’m proud of you.
(Ruri turns around and looks at Ash oddly. She looks back to
the road.)
Ruri: (muttering) Idiots.
(Meanwhile, a tow truck is taking away the brown car. Izzy and
Rika look depressed.)
Manny: (VO) The brown car has suffered some injuries, and will
have to be towed to Blacksburg. That is legal, but with a few
catches. Tom will get into those later.
(Jessie G. clocks in and puts Triple J’s sign up. She
looks angry. Caption: "Triple J- Fourth Place- 11:14
PM")
Manny: (VO) Meanwhile, Jessie Gurtland has helped Triple J to a
fourth place finish.
Jessie G: We’ll get back at them later.
(Jessie G. looks over at Jessie and James, who are dancing
giddily.)
Jessie/James: We’re not in last! We’re not in last!
(They hear a honking, and get out of the way. The red car
pulls in behind them. Davis gets out and punches in, while Ash
puts the sign up. Caption: "Impulsive Idiots- Fifth Place-
11:16 PM")
Ash: I can’t believe I lost to Team Rocket…
Brock: (OS) Hey, Ash! You made it!
(Ash goes over to Brock, standing outside the house they are
staying at.)
Ash: Hey, is that you in first?
Brock: Yep.
Ash: Congratulations!
(Ash and Brock shake hands as Davis approaches Kari.)
Davis: So who’s left?
Kari: Um… Izzy I think.
Davis: Didn’t they take off first?
Ash: I wonder what happened to them.
(Dissolve. The tow truck has reached Blacksburg. Izzy, Rika,
and Mihoshi get out of the cab. Izzy punches his card, while Rika
angrily puts the sign on the board. Mihoshi yawns. Caption:
"Brains & Blondes- Sixth Place- 11:56 PM")
Tom: (VO) The teams will begin with a staggered start tomorrow,
meaning that they depart in the same order they arrive, with the
same time differential. But since Brains & Blondes was towed,
they will be forced to leave exactly one hour after the fifth
place team, Impulsive Idiots.
(Manny is standing in an upstairs hall, where there are
several doors to bedrooms.)
Manny: One thing we also neglected to mention to the teammates
were that they weren’t just sharing a car, they would also
be sharing a bedroom for the rest of the trip. Given the odd
teams, that’s a slight problem for some.
(Shot of Brock and Gary sleeping. They are leaving Akane alone, but she’s still nervous about the whole idea.)
Akane: It’s something I wasn’t planning to deal
with. We’re in first place, and we’re doing a great
job, but it’s very uncomfortable for me to be sleeping in
the same room as these two. They haven’t tried anything, so
I’m even more nervous. If we can stick together and work as
a team, I know we can win this race, but that’s becoming
very hard for me to do.
(Kari is asleep, but TK and Nakago are both up. TK’s
trying to get to sleep, while Nakago is sitting up in his bed,
deep in thought.)
TK: Hey, aren’t you trying to sleep?
Nakago: Not yet. I’m concentrating my chi. There has got to be a way we can get into first.
TK: Don’t worry about it, man.
Nakago: I’m just thinking of ways we can sabotage the leaders. How skilled is Kari at the art of seduction?
TK: Please, don’t joke about that.
(TK turns around, trying to sleep.)
Nakago: Who was joking?
(Shinji is trying to sleep, but can’t, because Mimi and
Yolei are yakking about everything and nothing at the same time.)
Yolei: Hey, do you think we can try to delay the others tomorrow?
Mimi: Like how?
Yolei: Well, knowing Brock’s weakness, maybe we could…
(Yolei whispers in Mimi’s ear.)
Mimi: Uh huh, uh huh… Yolei! That’s just… dirty.
Yolei: We don’t have to be too serious about it. It’s just for fun, right?
Mimi: (giggly) I know but… the others won’t like that too much. It’s sounds pretty bad… Let’s do it!
Shinji: Could you go to sleep please?
Mimi/Yolei: Put a sock in it!
Leg One- Day Two
(TK, Kari, and Davis are splashing around in a pool behind the
house.)
Davis: So where’s blondie?
TK: I’m right here!
Davis: No, I mean the freaky guy.
Kari: I don’t know, and I don’t care. He kinda scares me.
TK: I think he kinda scares everybody. (to Davis) At least your partner isn’t evil.
Davis: Yeah, I guess so. (to the deck) You aren’t evil, are you Ruri?
(On the deck, Ruri’s on a lounge chair, typing on a
laptop.)
Ruri: If I am, you wouldn’t know.
Davis: Hey, where’s Yolei? Why isn’t she here?
Kari: I don’t know, she said she had to do something before the first team left.
TK: You don’t think Yolei would actually try to sabotage people, do you?
Ruri: I wouldn’t ask Davis. From what I can tell, he doesn’t think at all.
(From his bedroom window, Mimi is watching the four. Yolei and
Shinji are inside the room as well.)
Mimi: Hmm… this gives me an idea.
Yolei: Another one?
Mimi: Yeah. How long before the Guys leave?
Yolei: About three minutes.
Mimi: Okay… I gotta hurry. Right before they take off, you know what to do.
Yolei: Right.
(Yolei rushes out. At the entrance is Manny.)
Manny: And Just Us Guys will be the first to take off this round. They leave in about two minutes.
(In the hallway, Gary and Akane rush out with their luggage.
Brock follows. Gary and Akane run down, but before Brock can,
Yolei steps out of nowhere.)
Yolei: Hey, um… Brock? Can you help me with something?
(Brock stops, and looks at Yolei. He looks back and forth at
the stairs and Yolei, obviously in a conflict with himself. He
turns to Yolei.)
Brock: Sure! What do you need?
(Outside, Gary and Akane are putting their bags in the trunk
of the car.)
Akane: Hey… where’d Brock go?
Gary: I don’t know… (yelling) Hey! Brock!
(Yolei leads Brock into her room.)
Brock: Nice room.
Mimi: Hi Yolei!
(Mimi is now wearing a somewhat revealing bikini. Brock is
going insane. Yolei is smiling.)
Mimi: I thought I’d go for a swim later… did you find
them yet?
Brock: Find what?
Yolei: Well, we were goofing off a lot last night, and now we’re trying to pack and I can’t find, um…
(Yolei whispers in Brock’s ear. Brock melts, then
recovers nicely.)
Brock: Ah. Well, I will most certainly help you find them. Of
course, the first thing any master sleuth needs… is a
physical description of the missing goods.
(Yolei’s face turns beet red as Mimi tries to contain her
laughter. Mimi nods at Yolei.)
Yolei: Ooookay…
(Downstairs, Akane punches her card, clocking out. She walks
over to Gary, who is beeping the horn.)
Gary: Brock!! Where are you?!
(Upstairs, Brock is going through the dresser in the bedroom.
He happens across the "drawer of forbidden treasure,"
if you catch the drift.)
Brock: I think I hit the jackpot!
Yolei: Yeah, but uh… you see there are only three pairs in there. I brought four along.
Brock: I see… better investigate further.
(As Brock checks out the stash, Yolei turns around and looks
at Mimi, obviously more than a little annoyed at the invasion of
privacy. Mimi nods, and goes over to the closet, and bends over,
apparently looking for something. Yolei continues the act.)
Yolei: Mimi, did you find anything?
(Brock turns around, and visibly enjoys the view. He walks up
to Mimi.)
Brock: Yeah, are you having any luck?
(Outside, Akane and Gary are getting impatient, still honking
the horn.)
Gary: That’s it, go get him.
Akane: Me? Why me?
(Gary looks at Akane and cracks a half-smile. Akane heads back
inside.)
Akane: Oh never mind.
(Upstairs, all three of them are trying to figure out where to
look next. Actually, Brock is quietly ogling Mimi, but same
difference.)
Brock: Let’s see… what now?
(Akane barges in and grabs Brock by the arm and drags him
off.)
Akane: NOW we’re going to be taking off! Is that alright
with you?
(Mimi waves goodbye. Yolei even walks into the hallway behind
him.)
Yolei: (to Brock) Oh never mind! Turns out I was wearing them the
whole time!
(Mimi bursts out laughing, Yolei re-enters, shaking her head
and laughing. She collapses on the bed.)
Yolei: And the scary thing is that this probably cost them like
ten minutes!!
Mimi: I know. You did a great job!
Yolei: Thank you!
(Mimi sits down on a nearby chair, only to find Shinji already
sitting there. She stands up, shocked.)
Mimi: Shinji??
(Shinji sighs)
Shinji: Yes?
Yolei: Shinji? I didn’t even notice you! How long have you been sitting there?
Shinji: Half an hour.
Mimi: Wait a second… did you see me changing into this swimsuit?
(Shinji stands up and walks out.)
Shinji: Don’t worry… it’s nothing I haven’t
seen before.
(It’s Mimi’s turn for her face to turn red.)
(Just Us Guys finally takes off. Caption: "Just Us Guys-
Delayed 13 Minutes")
Manny: (VO) Capitalizing on Brock’s lustful ways, The Angels
have successfully delayed Just Us Guys a full 13 minutes. Still,
the Guys are still the first to leave, heading for their next
destination- Radford, Virginia.
Mimi: If it really was Gary that sabotaged us last time,
then it’s pretty fair revenge. It was just for kicks, and me
and Yolei had a blast doing it. And we cost them some good time.
I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve for the future, and
fortunately most of them involve keeping my clothes on!
(TK and Kari enter their room, clad in swimwear and towels.)
TK: Okay, one… two… shoot.
(Each hold out a hand. TK has "scissors." Kari has
"rock.")
Kari: Rock crushes scissors.
TK: Okay, you change first.
(TK begins to head out, then goes and opens the closet door.
Nakago is inside, talking to a mysterious figure on the wall.)
Nakago: And we’ll have the forces converge around
Atlanta…
(TK grabs Nakago by the collar.)
TK: Come on!
(TK and Nakago walk out.)
Nakago: Unhand me.
TK: All clear Kari!
Kari: Thanks!
(The yellow car heads off.)
Manny: (VO) Hope & Plight could benefit the most from Just Us
Guys’s delayed start. Their gap from the leaders has been
cut in half thanks to Mimi and Yolei.
(Radford, Virginia. Akane pulls into a race track. They are told
to park, and are greeted by Mike and an unknown male, in his
mid-thirties.)
Mike: Okay. This is one of the many challenges we’ve set up
along the way. Later on, you’ll be able to earn the right to
skip challenges such as this. But right now, you actually will
get the option of whether you want to do this or not. Of course,
there is a distinct advantage to doing it, but will cost you
around twenty minutes. It’s up to you to decide whether
it’s worth it. I’ll give you the details.
(Mike points to the track. Around it, and inside it, are
several obstacles, markings, and such, making it look like a
driver’s ed course.)
Mike: You may find it beneficial later down the road to have two
qualified drivers on the team. This challenge lets one of the two
non-drivers get a crash course on the art. After completion, if
Mr. Instructor here says so, that person will be allowed to drive
on the road in the race.
Brock: I think we should do it. We can always use another driver and we are in the lead.
Akane: Yeah, if only you weren’t such a pervert, this wouldn’t be a problem.
Gary: I say we do it anyway. It’s gotta be worth it. Brock, why don’t you drive? You can’t read maps and you’re not doing much else.
Brock: Sure.
Mike: Okay, let’s do it!
(Shot of Brock, getting a crash course behind the wheel.
Literally. The older guy is an instructor, and is teaching him
the basics. Brock slowly gets the hang of it. Show Gary, Mike,
and Akane, watching him.)
Akane: He should be able to pick up on this. It wasn’t that
hard for me to get it.
Mike: The only catch is that you will have to show him the finer points, some of the more detailed rules, and do some front-seat supervising while he does this.
(Akane nods. Mike stands up.)
Mike: Gotta go, new team’s here.
(Mike greets Hope & Plight and gives them the basics.)
Mike: So will you do this?
(Nakago sees the instructor and Brock get out of the car. The
instructor shakes Brock’s hand and nods. Akane and Gary go
up to him.)
Nakago: No. No need. I can handle this.
TK: But I’d be kind of…
Nakago: Do you dare question me??
TK: Uh… no.
Mike: Very well, you may head out.
(The yellow car leaves, just ahead of the purple car, driven
by Brock (fairly-smoothly, I might add). Caption: "Hope
& Plight- Takes the Lead")
Mike: (VO) Hope & Plight takes the lead, but Nakago will be
the only driver on their team. Eventually, the other teams arrive
as well…
(Shot of Mimi shaking the instructor’s hand, giddy.)
Mike: (VO) Mimi accepts the challenge…
(Shot of Jessie G. and the blue car exiting the track.)
Mike: (VO) While Triple J does not. This puts Triple J just
behind The Angels, all but erasing a nineteen minute deficit.
(Shot of Ash, getting out of the car, he raises his hands in
success.)
Mike: (VO) Ash is allowed to get behind the wheel…
(Shot of Izzy, getting out. He smiles at his teammates.)
Mike: (VO) As does Izzy, but the decision not to save time by
skipping the challenge keeps Brains & Blondes in a distant
last.
Rika: For all intents and purposes, this is our bad leg.
We’re about an hour behind and we don’t see much of a
way to catch up. Heck, we’re lucky the car even got repaired
overnight. But I’m ready to sacrifice this leg in order to
give Izzy a chance behind the wheel. Then we don’t have to
rely as much on Mihoshi, who is by far the weakest link on the
team.
(Back in the studio, the screen changes to a map of the
Southeastern U.S. A line connects Blacksburg, Virginia to
Alpharetta, Georgia, near Atlanta.)
Tom: The teams will now have to race from Radford to Alpharetta,
Georgia. There’s no direct route, so navigation, and
determining the quickest path prove to be essential to success.
Let’s go down to Manny for the details.
(Manny is at the finish line outside Alpharetta. It’s a
dirt road outside of town, and it’s getting dark.)
Manny: Alright, I’ve just received word that the first team
will be arriving shortly.
(The yellow car pulls into the road and crosses the finish
line first. TK gets out and punches in. Kari is right there with
the sign on the leader board. TK and Kari hug happily when they
see they’re in first place. Nakago smiles evilly. Caption:
"Hope & Plight- First Place")
Manny: (VO) And Kari’s good navigation combined with
Nakago’s driving gives Hope & Plight the victory for the
first leg of the race.
TK: It does feel good to win the first leg. We’re
getting off to a great start, and although Nakago isn’t the
best person to be around, we make a fairly decent team.
Kari: I don’t know. It seems like a bit of a tainted
victory. Nakago’s methods are only borderline ethical. It is
just for fun, but I’m just afraid one of my friends might
get hurt because of him.
(Next up is the purple car. Gary punches in and puts the sign
on the board. Akane looks mad at Brock. Caption: "Just Us
Guys- Second Place")
Manny: (VO) Less than ten minutes behind are Just Us Guys, and
the delay early on may have cost them in the end.
(The blue car follows. Jessie punches in while James puts the
sign up. Both are very happy. Jessie G nods a bit, but it’s
clear she wants more. Caption: "Triple J- Third Place")
Manny: (VO) Although Jessie Gurtland’s aggressive driving
got them ahead of the Angels, they still finish over an hour
behind the leaders, in third place.
(Next up are in fact the Angels, as Mimi punches in. She sees
who won and by how much and points it out to Yolei. Both are
exited. Caption: "The Angels- Fourth Place")
Manny: (VO) It was a moral victory for The Angels, having helped
boost friends TK and Kari into the lead. Unfortunately, however,
they slip into fourth place for their efforts.
(Half an hour later, the red car shows up. Davis quickly
punches in and puts the sign up. All three look disappointed.
Caption: "Impulsive Idiots- Fifth Place")
Manny: (VO) Ruri was able to navigate while Ash drove, but it
didn’t help matters out much, as the Impulsive Idiots claim
fifth.
(Finally, the brown car arrives. Rika quietly punches in and
puts the sign up. She looks at Izzy. They discuss something
briefly and nod. Caption- "Brains & Blondes- Last
Place")
Manny: (VO) And although Brains & Blondes gained fourteen
minutes on the Impulsive Idiots, they were unable to climb out of
last place.
(In the studio, Tom is ready to close the episode.)
Tom: And that concludes the first leg of the race. The good news
for some teams is that everybody starts out with a clean slate
tomorrow as they begin the second leg. The bad news is that the
end of that leg will end with one team being eliminated in a
Roadkill Challenge. Who will get the ax? Find out next time, on
Pokéball Run!
End Episode Two
Next Time-
* The war continues, as two teams form an alliance
against the others. But at what cost?
* After almost totaling the car, can Mihoshi actually prove
useful to Brains & Blondes?
* And will a show of good sportsmanship lead to one team’s
demise?