Hi! I’m back! Three episodes to go after this one! Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. Thank you! * * * * * * * * * * Oak: (VO) Last time, on Roomies... Richie: I want to talk about when can we have this date? I want to have it as soon as possible! Chelsea: Why’s that? Richie: ‘Cause I love you so much! Oak: (VO) Richie and Chelsea were already starting to plan their date... Richie: You give me something extra when we have our date. Chelsea: Extra? Like what? With that, Chelsea hangs up the phone. Richie sighs and wonders what the heck went wrong. Richie: What exactly happened to that conversation? Did I say something wrong? Oak: (VO) Sort of. In the meantime, the battle lines were being drawn... TK: Okay... not counting the last day we’re here, we’ve got eight days to turn the tables on Tai, Matt, Izzy, and Joe. (pumps his fist) We’ll show them who’s the better group of Digidestined. Oak: (VO) But it’s Season 1 that strikes first... Tai: Well, since everyone’s almost done with breakfast and none of them knows how to cook... Matt: I get it! Either they’ll fix their own breakfast or they’ll starve until lunch! As the group finishes up breakfast, Davis, TK, Cody, and Ken make their way into the room. As they do, Li gets up and quickly exits the room, dumping his empty plate and dirty silverware in the sink. Everyone gives him an odd look as he leaves. The four Season 2 Digidestined then look at the table and see that almost all of the food is gone. All that’s left are a four partially eaten bagels and four sausage links. Davis: (eyes wide open in surprise) What happened to all the food? Joe: Besides, Tenchi will start cooking lunch once he gets back from the grocery store. Davis: (whines) But we want to eat! Izzy: If you guys want to eat, then you’ll have to fix it yourselves. Cody: (as his stomach grumbles) That’s not fair! Davis: (beginning to cry) No breakfast? Tracey: Oh, come on! There is still some stuff. Davis looks at the table and sees that the plates on the table are now completely empty. He looks around and sees that TK, Cody, and Ken have each grabbed one of the partially eaten bagels and a sausage link to stick between the two halves... or what’s left of them. Davis: Wait... weren’t there four bagels and four sausage links? Ash: (munching on the fourth bagel) Nope. Oak: (VO) So, how do you settle a Digidestined rivalry? Play soccer, of course... Tai: Ready to get burned? Davis: We’ll see about that! Matt: (still dribbling the ball) TK! Kari’s calling you! TK: (raising his head) Kari? But she’s back in Tokyo... This distracts TK long enough for Matt to pass the ball to Tai, who shoots a one-timer right to the opposite side of the goal. TK sees it and dives to stop it, but he jumps way too late. The ball flies past the two cones denoting the goal. Tai and Matt stop dead in their tracks and high five each other. Oak: (VO) Season 1 wins this battle, but one of their members has some personal matters to take care of... Tai: Only one more to go... and then everything’ll be in place. The camera moves over to get a better look at the list that was in Tai’s hands. There were four names on the list. Three were crossed out: Viridian City Nurse Joy, Whitney, and Erika. Only one name remained on the list... Delia Ketchum, Ash’s own mother... * * * * * * * * * * Tai: Sixteen young guys... Tori: From four different anime shows... Cody: Spend forty two days living alone in a mansion... Tracey: With one lucky soul walking away with up to one million dollars in cash. (Begin theme song) Gary: In this game, you’ve got to trust the right people... Tenchi: Choosing the wrong person could make the difference... Ken: You could lose out on that prize you wanted... Izzy: Or you could lose out on a hundred thousand dollars. (A picture of each of the contestants is shown, in alphabetical order, changing every second. In order, Ash, Brock, Cody, Davis, Gary, Izzy, Joe, Ken, Li, Matt, Richie, Tai, Tenchi, TK, Tori, and Tracey.) Li: Form your friendships wisely... Matt: Getting along is the big key... Brock: Do all of this, my friends... TK: And you could walk home as the big winner... (Show several shots from past episodes, featuring several of the guys achieving victory) Joe: Some of these guys will form long lasting friendships... Davis: Others will develop intense rivalries... Richie: But only one will walk out with up to a million dollars in cash and prizes. All 16 Guys: (together) We are... Roomies! (Four group shots, each featuring four of the girls, flashes on the screen for about two seconds each) - Group 1 - Li, Gary, Joe, and Izzy - Group 2 - Davis, TK, Matt, and Tai - Group 3 - Brock, Ash, Tenchi, and Richie - Group 4 - Cody, Ken, Tori, and Tracey (End theme song, with a picture of all sixteen contestants in front of the mansion) Ash: The boys’ edition finals! * * * * * * * * * * Roomies Story Written by Freedom Fighter * * * * * * * * * * Episode Seventeen - The Amazing Race, Part 1 Night Thirty Five At exactly five o’clock in the morning, the doorbell begins to ring. It rings for minutes on end, until someone finally walks downstairs to answer it. It happens to be Tenchi. Tenchi: (as he reaches for the doorknob) Who could be dropping by this early? He opens the door. Professor Oak is standing there, with an envelope in hand. Tenchi: Professor Oak? Oak: (smiles) Sorry to disturb you this early, but I have a new challenge for you. Tenchi: (rubs his eyes) Can it wait? Oak: Nope. You all have to be packed and at the lab at exactly 8 a.m. With that, the professor leaves. Tenchi reluctantly has the job of waking everyone up and informing them of their new challenge. Day Thirty Six TK: (yawns) What’s going on? Tenchi: Professor Oak said that we have another physical challenge this morning. We’re going to meet at seven thirty in the recreation room to view the tape. After a short breakfast, all of the guys are now in the first floor recreation room. They are about to view the tape which describes their next challenge. Oak: (as the tape starts) Ah! Good afternoon! You know, at the end of the week we will shrink the sixteen of you down to one single, solitary winner. I bet some of you are nervous about that, so to get your mind off of it, I have a challenge for you. Seeing as most of you are new to the Pokéworld, the next prize challenge has to deal with a race across it. Don’t dare stop for too long... because the last one to arrive at a checkpoint will be eliminated from the challenge. We’ve got a cool prize, too, so let’s see if you’re ready for the Amazing Race! See ya! The tape ends. Tenchi opens the envelope and reads the instructions out aloud. Tenchi: Pack your bags... you must report to the lab at 8 a.m. sharp. From there, you’ll be competing in a race over the next four days... through both the Kanto and Johto regions. Follow the clues along the way to figure out where to go next! You will be paired up with your roommate. The four pairs that make it to the end will win the final prize challenge and the prize that awaits. Good luck! Ash: A race, huh? Tai: Seems like it. Li: It’s nice to get a decent challenge for once. Tori: (sighs) Let’s just get this over with. Cody: I can’t wait to see how this turns out. Everyone packs their stuff and carries their bags down to the road and to Professor Oak’s laboratory. Professor Oak meets them out by the front steps of his lab at eight on the dot. Oak: Good morning! I hope you all had enough rest last night! Richie: (yawns) Not quite enough... Oak: Before we begin, you probably want to know what you’re competing for. Professor Oak opens a computer store flyer and shows the gang a picture of a Dell computer system. The guys are visibly excited about it. Oak: This is a Dell Dimension 8200, which retails just over $1200. It has a 1.8 GHz Intel Pentium 4 processor and has a storage of 100 GB, as well as an advanced video and graphics card, which can be upgraded up to as much as 64 MB. Practically perfect for the computer user who needs almost everything, from broadband Internet access to advanced multimedia options. Tai: (smirking as he glances at Izzy) I know just who that would be perfect for... Izzy: That computer system will be mine! Tai: Yep... I guessed right. Oak: Okay, here’s how the challenge will begin. (points up the stairs, right by the front door) Up at the top of the steps are sixteen backpacks. Each one has a name on it. Needless to say, you need to find the bag with your name. Your first task is to take whatever you can from the bags you brought down here and stuff as much as you can into your bags up there. Now, for each pair, one of the bags will have a map inside of the Kanto region. The other will have instructions as to how to proceed from here. You will also get a thousand dollars for anything you may need today. Note that you will not get any more until the beginning of the next leg, so use it wisely. Good luck to all of you. Li: (claps his hands together) Let’s do this, then. [The teams for this challenge (remember, assigned in pairs by roommates): Red - Brock and Gary Gray - Cody and Richie Blue - TK and Izzy Green - Tori and Tai Black - Li and Tracey Brown - Tenchi and Ken Orange - Matt and Joe White - Davis and Ash] Tai: (CC) We don’t know where we’re going, but the last team to get there is eliminated. Oak: Let the race begin! Professor Oak blows a whistle and the boys head for the stairs. The stairs can only accommodate, at most, three people side by side at a time. That means that the guys have to rush to get to the stairs first. Tori and Tenchi reach it first, followed by Brock, then Tai, Matt, and Li, Ken and Joe, Izzy and Ash, Gary and Richie, TK, Davis, and Tracey, and last, but not least, Cody. They all reach the top and head for their bags. As they start transferring stuff from one bag to another, some of them take a gander at where they have to go next. Gary: (reading aloud) Your first stop is the Viridian City Poké-Mart... Cody: (reading aloud) There are two ways to get there... Tori: (reading aloud) The easy, but slow way: head to the Route 21 entrance of Pallet Town. There, you’ll find vans waiting for you to drive you to Viridian City. A driver will be provided for each them. They are not from the area, though, so it is your responsibility to guide them in the right direction. Matt: (reading aloud) The fast, but hard way: head to the Pokémon Preserve behind the professor’s laboratory. Six Ponyta and two Rapidash await you. You may use them to get to Viridian, but you have to gain their trust first... which won’t be easy. The teams make their decisions. The green and brown teams decide immediately to head for the vans stationed on Route 21. All of the other teams head to the back to get to the wild Pokémon, in hopes of getting to Viridian faster. Tori: (CC) Seeing as how neither Tai or I know anything about Pokémon, it would be of our best interest to go the old fashioned way and hope that the other teams don’t beat us. Ken: (CC) It seems that the old heads are thinking more reasonably and are less likely to take a chance. Whether or not that’ll cost us is anyone’s guess. Tori and Tai reach Route 21 first. They find their van and their driver. As they throw their stuff in, Tenchi and Ken arrive. Tori and Tai pull out first, with Tenchi and Ken about a minute and a half behind. [Inset: Red, Gray, Blue, Black, Orange, and White] The other six teams are in the preserve, looking for the six Ponyta and two Rapidash. Ash, Gary, and Tracey are the most familiar with the reserve, so their teams (white, red, and black, respectively) head right for the fire Pokémon pen. Davis: So, which one should we choose? Ash: Rapidash is the evolved form of Ponyta, so they would be faster. Davis: Rapidash it is, then. Gary: Hold up, losers! We’re getting Rapidash! Brock: Right... um, losers. We’re getting Rapidash! Tracey: I think we should have a say in this. Li: Exactly. We’re more worthy than any of you are. Ash: I say we should all just try to tame the Rapidash and whoever succeeds should get them. Li: (smiles) No problem. Li walks over to one of the Rapidash. He reaches out to touch her on the mane. Tracey: Li, wait! If you’re not careful, you’ll burn your hand! Li ignores his teammate’s plea. He touches Rapidash on the mane... and does not get burned. Ash, Gary, Brock, and Davis are all stunned. In all of the confusion, Tracey runs over and climbs on the other Rapidash without any problem. This stupefies the others even more. Gary: (stutters) Bbbbbbbbut... Ash: How? Li: (smiles) I’m not a descendant of Clow Reed just for show, you know. Brock: And you, Tracey? Tracey: Well, let’s just say it helps to spend a lot of time with the professor and all of the Pokémon. Making sure that their bags are secure, Li and Tracey take off on the two Rapidash, heading for Viridian at what seems like supersonic speed. The red and white teams move on to the Ponyta. Ash and Davis impulsively try to grab two of the Ponyta. Ash reaches out to touch one while Davis jumps onto another. You can guess what happens next... Ash: (screams as his left hand is on fire) AAAAAAAHHHHHHH! Davis: (screams as his attempts to put out the fire on his butt) OUCH! HOT! HOT! As the duo runs off to find some water, Brock pulls out some Pokémon chow and places his hand out for one of the Ponyta to eat off it. As the Ponyta eats, though, Brock is surprised that he is not burned. Luckily for Gary, he too has spent some time with the Pokémon. He hops onto a Ponyta without incident. After a few minutes of hesitation to make sure he doesn’t get burned, Brock also jumps on. The two then ride off. At that point, Ash and Davis return, along with the other teams. There are now only four Ponyta left to use. Davis: (still rubbing his behind) Stupid Pokémon! Why does it have to do that? Ash: (cringes as he massages his left hand) Ponyta and Rapidash defend themselves by making themselves very hot to touch. Only trainers whom they trust can get onto them without getting burned. Richie: That is one unfortunate predicament... Cody: So, what do we do? Izzy: I’d rather not get burned. Want to turn tail and use the vans? TK: I’m with you. The blue team runs off to head for Route 21. Joe: (shudders) I’m not looking too forward to getting burned, either. Matt: Agreed. How am I going to play my guitar with a burnt hand? The orange team departs, heading off after the blue team. Cody: Should we really try this? Richie: I think we should. The white and gray teams continue their attempts to get the Ponyta to allow them to ride them. After about half an hour, Cody and Richie decide to quit and head for the vans. All the while, Ash and Davis continue to get burned. Finally, ten minutes after that, Ash and Davis succeed in getting the Ponyta calm enough to ride. They strap their stuff on and then head off for Viridian City. Oak: (VO) At this early stage, Li and Tracey have the early lead, thanks to their Rapidash. They are already halfway to Viridian. Other teams up front include Brock and Gary and Tori and Tai. In the middle are Tenchi and Ken and Matt and Joe. Bringing up the rear are TK and Izzy, Cody and Richie, and Davis and Ash. Camera looks ahead to the Route 2 marker. Two small green flags are tied to it. Oak: (VO) In each leg, there is special detour in which a team can pick up a Fast Forward pass. This pass allows the team who finds it to proceed immediately to the next checkpoint, bypassing any remaining tasks in this leg of the race. There is only one per leg, though, so if more than one team goes after it, the teams who fail to reach it first will end up wasting time. Li and Tracey, riding their Rapidash, fly past the Route 2 marker so fast that they do not notice the flags at all. They ride on to Viridian City. Brock and Gary, riding Ponyta, notice the markers. They pull to a stop. There is a small path leading away from Route 2 and down a small hill. With Brock leading, the two ride their Ponyta slowly down the path. It takes them almost twenty minutes, but when the duo reaches the bottom, they find a brown haired girl in a silk white dress sitting on a red and white checkered blanket. On it, besides her, is a picnic basket. She is sitting next to the small lake beyond her. There is a makeshift fishing pole made out of an ordinary stick and some string set up as if she was catching some fish. Next to it was a large flag post. A green flag with the symbol for fast forward on it was flying from atop it. The girl, hearing the two Ponyta approach, turns around. She gasps in surprise as she realizes who it is Girl: (as Gary and Brock get off of their Ponyta) Gary! Is that you? Gary: (grumbles) Hello, sis. Girl: I’m surprised to see you here. I would think that you wouldn’t need a fast forward pass. Brock: (blushes at the sight of the girl) Excuse me, ma’am, but allow me to introduce myself! I am Brock! Girl: (getting up to shake hands with him) Well, I’m May Oak. Gary’s older sister. Brock: (eyes wide open in surprise) You’re Gary’s sister? I didn’t know he had a sister! Gary: I don’t talk about her much, that’s why... Brock: (beginning to flirt with May) Oh May. They say that April showers bring May flowers... and you’re the prettiest flower I’ve ever seen! Gary: (to Brock) This isn’t the time to be flirting with my sister! (to May) Where is this fast forward pass? May: Oh, that. One of you has to dive into the lake and get it. It’s in a round, aluminum cylinder. You can’t miss it! Brock: (quickly throwing off all of his clothes except his underwear) I’ll do anything for you, May! Brock runs towards the lake and dives in. May, confused, just watches as Brock swims out to the center of the lake. Gary just shakes his head in embarrassment. Gary: (CC) Can’t Brock go one minute without flirting with a girl? Why he flirt with my sister anyway? She’s a ditz. As Brock fishes out the fast forward pass, Tenchi and Ken’s van pulls up to the Route 2 marker. Tenchi: Should we go for it? Ken: I think we should. Who knows what awaits us ahead? The two tell their driver to wait for them as the duo makes their way down the path. Back down at the lake, Brock swims back, with the canister in hand. Once he gets out, he hands it to Gary, who opens it as May quickly throws a towel to Brock so he can dry off. Brock: So May, now that you’ve seen how athletic I am, why don’t you go on a date with me so I can show you how good I am at impressing girls. May: I don’t know... Gary: Forget that! Listen to this! (reads the brochure aloud) Congratulations! You have found the fast forward pass. Please proceed immediately to Bill’s House, just off Route 25. Brock: Bill’s House? That’s north of Cerulean, right? Gary: Precisely. Let’s go! Gary runs to his Rapidash and jumps on. Brock, though, is still flirting with May. Gary growls to himself before throwing a small pebble at Brock. Brock winces in pain after getting hit. Gary: Come on! We gotta go! Brock says goodbye to May as he hops aboard Rapidash and follows Gary back up the hill. On the way, they force Tenchi and Ken off the path as they ride by. Tenchi and Ken panic and start running back up the hill. Shortly thereafter, Gary and Brock continue on towards Viridian City. Tenchi and Ken eventually return to their van, and make their way after the duo. A camera is now overlooking Viridian City. We watch as Li and Tracey pull their Rapidash to a stop right in front of the Poké-Mart. Oak: (VO) Once in Viridian City, they have to go to the Poké-Mart and get the next clue from the shopkeeper. There’s one catch: they must buy a few things from him first. Li: (CC) For once, I’m stepping aside and letting Tracey do this, since he knows what he’s doing. [The Items List: - 5 Potions - 5 Pokéballs - 1 Awakening - 1 Paralyze Heal - 1 Antidote - 1 Pokémon or $100 in cash] Tracey pays for the stuff and points to his Rapidash outside. The shopkeeper accepts his payment and hands him the next clue. Li and Tracey read it together. Li and Tracey: It’s time to take flight! Head to Viridian City International Airport and catch a plane to Cerulean City. A flight leaves every hour on the hour up until 1 p.m. The next flight after that is not until 3:30 p.m., so you’d better hurry! The duo heads outside. Tracey unties his stuff from his Rapidash’s back and ties it to Li’s Rapidash’s back. He then hops on with Li as the single Rapidash heads off towards the airport. Once there, the duo unties their luggage and leaves their Rapidash. They head into the airport and try to get on the ten o’clock flight. [Inset: Black] Cerulean Skies Flight 100 takes off from VCI at 10:06 a.m., on route to Cerulean City. [Inset: Green] Tori and Tai arrive in Viridian City at a quarter after eleven o’clock. After taking care of things in the Poké-Mart, which includes giving up $100 since they didn’t have a Pokémon, they head off to the airport. [Inset: Red] Brock and Gary arrive just minutes later. With the fast forward pass, though, they know that they must head straight for the airport. But, an idea hits Gary. Gary: Our best shot lies in our ability to tame a Pidgeot to fly us to Cerulean! Brock: But where will we find a Pidgeot willing to transport us? Gary spots a random trainer and his Pidgeot landing on the street, just a few minutes away. Gary and Brock go over to convince the trainer to lend his Pidgeot to them. * * * * * * * * * * As Gary and Brock take to the air with their borrowed Pidgeot, the blue and orange teams arrive at the Viridian Poké-Mart almost simultaneously. They go in and complete the tasks at hand... with some objections. Matt: A hundred dollars? It’s already costing us twenty seven for this stuff! TK: Calm down, bro. It’s just money. Izzy: TK’s right. Just forget about it. Joe: Besides, who knows how far we’re behind? Matt reluctantly pays up. The two teams then head off together for the airport. At that moment, Ash and Davis arrive on their Ponyta. They take care of their stuff. It’s not until about a quarter to twelve that the final team, Cody and Richie, arrive in Viridian. They do all of the necessary tasks before heading for the airport. [Inset: Green] Kanto Airlines Flight 59 takes off from VCI at 11:14 a.m., on route to Cerulean City. Tori: I think we got lucky that we obtained the last two tickets, making everyone else wait for the next flight. Tai: Yeah. We don’t have to worry about them when we get in Cerulean. [Inset: Blue, Brown, Orange, and White] Kanto Airlines Flight 244 takes off from VCI at 12:10 p.m., on route to Cerulean City. [Inset: Gray] Indigo Air Flight 99 takes off from VCI at 1:18 p.m., on route to Viridian City. Oak: (VO) A normal flight from Viridian to Cerulean takes just over four hours. Luckily for the red team, they can fly directly to Bill’s House. Since they departed Viridian around 11:20, they should reach the checkpoint just before 4 p.m. Let’s check in with the other teams in the meantime, okay? [Inset: Black] Li and Tracey arrive at Cerulean City Municipal Airport at 2:24 p.m. Once off the plane, they get their stuff and immediately head off. They are directed to the local Pokémon gym, where the next clue awaits. Li: (entering the gym) Let me handle this, Tracey. Li walks up to the desk, where Daisy is sitting, filing her nails. Daisy: (noticing Li) Oh! Like, are you here for that Roomies clue? Li: I’m amazed that you can read minds. For someone as weak as you. Daisy: Weak? Who are you calling weak? How about I don’t give you the clue, buddy? Li: That’s not fair! I need that clue! Tracey: (comes in, overhearing the argument) I apologize for my friend. He’s not a people person. Daisy: I can see that. Tracey: Anyway, may we please have the clue? After some begging, Daisy finally relinquishes the clue to them. Once outside, they open it and begin to read it. Tracey: You may now make your way to the first checkpoint... Bill’s House, along Route 25. Head to the local Pokémon Center, where you’ll find a van and a driver who will drive you there. Remember, they are not from the area, so you must direct them to your destination. Li: What are we waiting for? Let’s go! Tracey and Li head for the Pokémon Center. They make the transfer to the van and are quickly on their way. Just about an hour later, Tori and Tai’s plane lands in Cerulean. They quickly make haste to the Pokémon gym and then to the Pokémon Center to head for Bill’s House. The other teams follow suit upon their arrival. The blue, brown, orange, and white teams arrive in the city at approximately 4:30 p.m. The gray team, the last to arrive, lands at 5:24 p.m. They complete their tasks and head up Route 24 to Bill’s House. A camera now overlooks Bill’s House, the first checkpoint. Oak: (VO) This is Bill’s House, located at the end of Route 25. This is also the first checkpoint. Each team must remain at a checkpoint for twelve hours before moving on. But the last team to arrive here will be eliminated. [Inset: Red - 3:58 p.m.] Gary and Brock land their Pidgeot just outside Bill’s House. Gary recalls Pidgeot before the two run off. At the front door, there is a circle drawn on the ground, eight feet in diameter. Bill is standing right in front of it. Gary and Brock run to the circle and stand in it. Bill: Welcome! I am Bill and this is my house! You are the first team to arrive! The duo high fives each other as Bill points them into the house. A few servants then guide them to one of the bedrooms. [Inset: Black - 4:09 p.m.] The van carrying Li and Tracey pulls up. They get out with their stuff and make their way to the circle. Bill: Congratulations, you are the second team to arrive. Li: Second? I thought we were ahead! Tracey: Me too. [Inset: Green - 4:51 p.m.] Tori and Tai arrive, as they run up to Bill and stand in the circle. Bill: You are the third team to arrive. The two breath a sigh of relief, as they go in to take a break. [Inset: Blue, Brown, Orange, and White] The four teams are racing to Bill’s House. They are along Route 25 currently. The brown team is ahead, but behind them, the others race for position. The vans finally arrive at Bill’s House. The brown team arrives first. [Inset: Brown - 5:40 p.m.] Tenchi and Ken make their way to the circle. Bill greets them. Bill: You are the fourth team to arrive. Tenchi and Ken share a smile as they head inside. [Inset: White and Orange - 5:42 p.m.] The white team’s van pulls up first, followed closely by the orange team’s van. Ash and Davis run out, get their stuff, and head straight for the house. Matt and Joe follow suit, but they’re too late. Bill: (to Ash and Davis) You are the fifth team to arrive. Ash: Thanks! Ash and Davis step aside as Matt and Joe step into the circle. Bill: Welcome! You are the sixth team to arrive. After being greeted, Matt goes over and starts yelling at Ash and Davis. Matt: I can’t believe you two tried to run us off the road! Davis: Hey! If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen! Ash: We’re just doing what it takes to win. [Inset: Blue - 5:43 p.m.] At that moment, the van carrying TK and Izzy pulls up. They take some time to unload their stuff before heading up to the circle. Bill: Greetings! You are the seventh team to arrive. Izzy: Seventh? That’s not good. TK: I’ll say. [Inset: Gray - 6:40 p.m.] About an hour later, the van carrying Cody and Richie pulls in. As they make their way to the house, Professor Oak is waiting for them. They breathe heavily as they enter the circle. Oak: Cody. Richie. You two are the last to arrive. You have been eliminated from the game. Cody and Richie droop their heads in defeat. Richie: (CC) Well, I figured we spent too long in Pallet. We paid for it. Cody: (CC) If only we wouldn’t have gone after those Ponyta. Looks like we’re out of this challenge. Professor Oak offers the duo a ride to the airport, where they’ll be transported to the next checkpoint. Along the way, there are informed that there will be a physical challenge there, so they will have time to rest. Night Thirty Six Oak: (VO) According to the rules, each team must spend a minimum of twelve hours at a checkpoint before moving on. Here, at Bill’s House, the teams will be directed to their next destination. [Inset: Red - 3:58 a.m.] Gary and Brock take their stuff and head for the vans. They take off, heading back down Route 25. Brock: We’re in a rush because Li and Tracey are only ten minutes behind us or so. Gary: We’ve got to get to the Route 25 marker, where we’ll get a clue as to where to go next. [Inset: Black - 4:09 a.m.] Li and Tracey run out of the house and into the vans. In seconds, the engine of their van roars to life as it heads down Route 25. [Inset: Green - 4:51 a.m.] Tori and Tai leave Bill’s House, right on schedule. Meanwhile, at the Route 25 marker, Li and Tracey have arrived there. Gary and Brock’s van is still there, signifying that they are still looking for the flag with the next clue in it. Li and Tracey get out and begin their search. By luck of the draw, the two teams locate the flag at the same time. They each grab one of the brochures inside the container on the flag pole and figure out their next destination. Gary: (reading aloud) The next clue is located at the house of Briana Sicily, a Pokémon trainer who lives in Cerulean City. Li: (reading aloud) Before getting the clue, though, you must figure out what her favorite Pokémon is. A paper edition of the Pokédex is provided to help. The two teams head back to their vans. They head towards Cerulean together, as the trainers try to figure out the solution to the riddle. [Inset: Brown, White, Orange, and Blue - 5:43 a.m.] Since the last four teams came in almost together, they decided to go out together. They head out to the Route 25 marker... where the green team has already found the next clue and is on their way to Cerulean. The four teams pull up to the marker about 40 minutes later. It only takes them a few before they find the flag. They try to solve the riddle together. Matt: Well Ash, it’s up to you, seeing as your the only Pokémon trainer. Ash: Okay. I can use my Pokédex to help. What are our clues? TK: It’s a water type. Tenchi: It’s the final evolutionary form. Ken: It is not a starter Pokémon. Joe: And it evolves through regular methods. Ash: (typing in the clues) Let’s see... that leaves us with Golduck and Seaking. Davis: So, which one is it? Ash: Well, we’ll just have to pick one when we get there. The four teams pile into their vans and head off to Cerulean City. In Cerulean City, the red and black teams arrive. Now, they have the task of finding this person’s house. But who would be awake at 4:30 a.m.? They begin their search around the city. The red team heads one way, while the black heads another. They knock on doors in hope that someone will know where this Briana lives. Fifty minutes later, Tori and Tai pull into the city. While doing so, Tori comes up with a great idea. Tori: I think we should head to the local police station. They should know where this trainer lives. Tai: Good idea. The two now have to locate the police station. Meanwhile, the red team has finally gotten some luck. They, by accident, stumble upon Briana’s house. It turns out that Briana is one of the assistants at the Cerulean City Pokémon gym. The flag is hanging on the wall inside her house. Gary: So, we have to guess what your favorite Pokémon is. Briana: That’s correct. And you only get one guess. Brock: Let me guess... it must be a Goldeen! Only a beautiful fish Pokémon would be fitting for a beauty like you. Briana: (blushes) I’m flattered, but that is incorrect. You were close, though. Gary: I can’t believe you said Goldeen! Goldeen is not a final evolution! Seaking is! Briana: Now that is the correct answer. Unfortunately, you already answered wrong, so you must serve a penalty. (hands them a piece of paper and a Pokéball) You must go to the Pokémon gym and challenge one of the Waterflower sisters to a battle. You must win a one-on-one match using the Pokémon that I am giving you. Only if you defeat one of them and bring back a Cascade Badge will I direct you to the next portion of your journey. Oak: (VO) That’s right. Those who answer incorrectly must challenge the gym leaders to a battle. One problem... the gym does not open until 9 a.m., which means that Gary and Brock are now stranded in Cerulean until then. Meanwhile, Li and Tracey are finally directed to Briana’s house. Tracey correctly guesses her favorite Pokémon and they are sent onward. Li: (reading the next clue, a red brochure marked ‘Roadblock’) Proceed to the Cerulean Daycare Center, located along Route 5, to the south of the city. There, you must help the caretakers there find a lost Oddish. Oak: (VO) Roadblocks are tasks which must be completed before a team can move on. The only way you can bypass a roadblock is to use a fast forward pass. Speaking of which, another one can be found with a trainer stationed to the east of the city, along Route 9. Also note that a team can only use one fast forward pass in the entire challenge. Ten minutes later, Tori and Tai find the police station. Officer Jenny points them to Briana’s house, where they proceed to answer the question before them. They also get it right. They proceed onward to Route 5. Day Thirty Seven At a quarter to seven, the other four teams arrive in the city. They also decide that their best bet is to find Officer Jenny and have them directed to Briana’s house from there. By seven, all four teams stand in front of the house. Matt: Since our team got here first, we should go in first. Davis: What? No fair! We got here last! TK: I think it’s fair. (turns to Matt) Go ahead, Matt. Tenchi: Besides, this is a good time to see if our hunch is right. Matt and Joe go up to the door and answer Briana’s question. They decide to answer Golduck, which is incorrect. Matt and Joe head off for the Pokémon gym. TK and Izzy go up next and try the other answer, Seaking. They get it right. Tenchi and Ken and Davis and Ash follow suit and get the same clue. The blue and brown teams head south to Route 5, while the white team takes a detour and goes east to Route 9 to find the fast forward pass. It takes them fifteen minutes, but they finally locate Robert, a Poké Fan. He shows them a secret cave hidden along the bottom of the mountains. Inside, they find a flag and the container that holds the fast forward pass. The duo celebrates excitedly. Davis: (reading the clue) Congratulations! You have found the fast forward pass. Please proceed immediately to the Saffron City Fighting Dojo. Ash: Alright! Saffron City, here we come! [Inset: Black] Li and Tracey arrive at the Daycare Center just after seven o’clock. Given a special Pokéball, they begin their search for a small wild Oddish. It doesn’t take them long before they find an Oddish with a small container attached to his neck. They capture the Oddish and bring it back to the Daycare Center, where they open the container and hand them the next clue. Tracey: (reading it aloud) The next clue is located at the entrance to the building of a major corporation in Saffron City. (putting the paper down) That must be the Silph Company building! Li: Good work! Let’s move it! As they leave, Tori and Tai arrive and set out to capture an Oddish. It takes them a bit longer, but they finally catch one. They get the clue and then move on to Saffron City. At eight thirty, the blue and brown teams arrive at the Daycare Center simultaneously. They go in and set off to catch an Oddish. The blue team captures one first. They decide to leave the brown team behind. TK: I’m not sure we should be breaking our alliance this early, Izzy. Izzy: It was going to break up anyway. Besides, I don’t want to lose this challenge. The brown team takes an extra thirteen minutes before they find their quarry and return to the Daycare Center. Ken: I can’t believe they left us! Tenchi: No matter. We know that two teams are still behind us, at the very least. We’re fine for the time being. The Pokémon gym opens at 9 a.m. sharp. The red and orange teams go in. Gary and Brock, who had arrived there first, get to challenge a sister first. They decide to go with the middle sister, Violet. Gary, knowing that Violet would distract Brock, steps in to battle. Gary: Pokéball, go! Gary throws the Pokéball into the water. A Seaking comes out of it. Violet responds by throwing out a Pokéball that contains a Staryu. Gary had the advantage, since Seaking was a fully evolved Pokémon. Staryu’s hard shell couldn’t save it, as Seaking defeats the star shaped Pokémon in only ninety seconds. Violet reluctantly hands over a Cascade Badge and escorts them out. Brock and Gary then run back to Briana’s house. She hands them the same clue as the others received. They head off towards Route 5. Matt and Joe follow the same procedure. Matt decides to battle, in hope of throwing Lily, the youngest of the three sisters there, off her guard because of his good looks. It didn’t help matters that Lily was cute herself. In fact, the two of them find themselves staring at each other for five minutes before Joe snaps them out of it so they can battle. Matt uses a Seaking to combat Lily’s Goldeen. Although Matt didn’t know much about Pokémon moves, he knew that Seaking would wear down Goldeen eventually because she was bigger and stronger. After a few minutes, that was the case, as Goldeen fainted. Lily cried as she handed over the Cascade Badge. Matt began to console her, but Joe thought otherwise. Joe: I know you feel sorry for her, but we don’t have time! We’re behind, remember? Matt: Be compassionate for once, Joe! I don’t care about a stinking computer, okay? Joe could do nothing but watch as Matt tried to console Lily... * * * * * * * * * * [Inset: Black] Li and Tracey are now in Saffron City, at about 11:23 a.m. Unfortunately, they seem to be having trouble locating the Silph Company building. Li: Tracey, you’re holding the map upside down! Tracey: No, you’re the one holding the map upside down! Driver: Look, either tell me where the dang building is, or I’ll make you walk and find it yourselves! [Inset: Green] Tori and Tai follow in about fourteen minutes later, also in the same predicament. They decide to stop at the city outskirts and find the place on foot. Tori: Tai, come on! Tai: I’m coming, I’m coming! After about half an hour of searching through the northern part of the city, Li and Tracey finally find the Silph Co. building. At the base, as stated in the clue. Unfortunately for them, Tori and Tai are already there, reading the clue. Tai: (reading aloud) You may now make your way to the next checkpoint... the Saffron City Fighting Dojo. A reminder... the last team to arrive there will be eliminated. Tori and Tai take off, running north. They remember seeing a dojo of sorts as they entered the city. Li, noticing it too upon entering Saffron, reads the clue and immediately chases after the duo, with Tracey in hot pursuit. [Inset: Green - 12:25 p.m.] Tori and Tai arrive at the Saffron City Fighting Dojo first. They see a flag waving in the air from atop the building. They go inside, where Karate King Kiyo awaits in front of a circle. Tori and Tai step into the circle. Kiyo: (bows to them) Welcome to Saffron City. You are team number one. Tori smiles as Tai pumps his fist in the air in joy. Tai: (CC) We got here first! Unbelievable! [Inset: Black - 12:29 p.m.] Li waits for Tracey to catch up as they enter the dojo. They stand before the karate king as he bows to them. Kiyo: Welcome to Saffron City. You are team number two. Li snaps his fingers in frustration as Tracey attempts to catch his breath. [Inset: Blue] Minutes later, TK and Izzy arrive in Saffron City. They’re not sure where to go, so they start asking people on the street. Luckily, they find a resident of the city rather easily, who directs them to the Silph Co. building. [Inset: Brown] As the blue team makes their way to Silph Co., Tenchi and Ken arrive in Saffron. They too are unfamiliar with the area, so they decide to ask around. After a few minutes, they find the same guy TK and Izzy talked to. They then hastily make way to the flag. [Inset: Blue - 12:57 p.m.] TK and Izzy, after finding the final clue, discover quickly that the dojo is on the northern end of the city. They go there, passing the brown team’s van along the way, which is on route to the Silph Co. building. TK and Izzy enter the building and step into the circle. Kiyo: Welcome to Saffron City. You are team number three. TK and Izzy yell in celebration, happy that they improved their standing. TK: You know, this whole Season 1 - Season 2 rivalry has taken a backseat to this competition. Izzy: You said it. It’s the last thing on my mind right now. [Inset: White - 1:05 p.m.] While the brown team remains downtown, trying to find the dojo, Davis and Ash, who had obtained the fast forward pass, arrive at the dojo just minutes after entering the city. They get out of the van and head inside. There, they are greeted appropriately. Kiyo: You are team number four. Davis: (wipes the sweat off his forehead) Four, huh? Thank goodness. [Inset: Brown - 1:41 p.m.] After nearly an hour lost downtown, Tenchi and Ken are finally pointed in the right direction. They arrive at the Pokémon Dojo. Kiyo: You are team number five. [Inset: Red and Orange] Forty five minutes later, the red team arrives. They head immediately to the Silph Co. building and find the clue. As they head for the dojo, which they have some hint of where it is, the orange team arrives. Matt and Joe ask around to find out where to go. [Inset: Red - 2:53 p.m.] Kiyo: You are team number six. Gary kicks the ground dejectedly as he storms off. Brock’s not too happy about his team’s performance, either. [Inset: Brown - 3:19 p.m.] Finally, Matt and Joe arrive at the dojo. Unfortunately, they know what’s about to happen, as Professor Oak awaits them in front of the circle. Oak: Matt. Joe. You two are the last to arrive. You have been eliminated from the game. The duo can only shake their heads and wonder what went wrong. Matt: (CC) It looks like being the guinea pigs for that question spelled our doom. Joe: (CC) If only we knew the answer to that question... someone else would have been eliminated, not us. Night Thirty Seven At about seven thirty that evening, all of the boys, including those from the two teams that were eliminated, are gathered outside the dojo. They are then lead to the Pokémon gym next door. There, they are introduced to several of the staff members there. They aren’t able to see Sabrina, though, who is busy working with her psychic Pokémon. Oak: Good evening, gentleman. I know you’re tired from your excursions over the past two days. But tonight, we’re going to have a physical challenge. A collective groan can be heard from the entire group. Oak: Don’t worry... it’s very short. There will be a little girl in here to explain the challenge momentarily, but first, we need to choose teams. I’ll leave that up to the two team captains: Izzy and Ken. [The team assignments (picked in random order): Red - Izzy, Li, Brock, TK, Joe, Tori, Davis, and Richie Blue - Ken, Tai, Ash, Matt, Cody, Gary, Tracey, and Tenchi] Oak: And now, let’s introduce Saffron’s resident child prodigy psychic, Alyssa. An eight year old girl who resembles Sabrina at a young age (although the two are not related) enters the room. Alyssa: Hi! Oak: Now Alyssa, please tell these young men what their task is tonight. Alyssa: (after a brief pause) Find Cleffa. Ken: Cleffa? Izzy: What’s a Cleffa? Oak: Cleffa is Alyssa’s Clefairy doll. The challenge is to find it. All sixteen boys facefault to the ground. Tenchi: (CC) Not exactly the most exciting challenge, you know. Ken: Somewhere in Saffron City, we have to locate this Clefairy doll. The only way to find it is to figure out the clues that we were given. Ash: So, let’s read the clues so we can find out where it is! As the teams begin the challenge, Professor Oak provides a few more details... Oak: (VO) In this challenge, the teams will split up in two. Four members stay in the gym, attempting to locate the doll using a laptop and the list of clues we have given them. The other four members are sent out to search physically for the doll in the city. Brock, Tori, Davis, and Richie are sent out for the red team. Tai, Tenchi, Matt, and Ash are sent out for the blue team. Everyone else remains at the gym to decipher the clues. Oak: The challenge begins with the first two clues. One, the doll is not in a public place. And two, the doll is in someone’s house; they had found it and were contemplating whether or not to find its rightful owner. The teams pass it on to those who are out in the field. [Inset: Red Team] Tori: I think we should start here and work our way downtown. Richie: Good idea! We’ll cover all of the houses that way. Davis: No offense, but that’s a lot of houses! There’s got to be hundreds of thousands of houses here in the city alone! Brock: And think how long it’ll take us to search them all. Tori: It’s our only option until we get a clue to narrow our search down. The four begin to knock on door after door, trying to find Alyssa’s missing Clefairy doll. [Inset: Blue Team] Matt, Tai, Ash, and Tenchi have decided to split the city in half. Tai and Matt decide to catch a cab and head to the southern part of the city, while Ash and Tenchi remain in the northern half, checking houses there. The search continues for half an hour, but both teams come up empty thus far. Back at the gym, the two home base teams prepare to receive the next clue from Professor Oak. Oak: Seeing as how you’ve had no luck so far, here’s another clue. The great Mr. Psychic will show you the way. Joe: Mr. Psychic? Tracey: He might be in the Saffron City phone directory! Quick! Look it up! Ken logs on to the Internet and does a search for the Saffron City phone directory. Unfortunately, Tracey had said his idea aloud, so the other team was doing the exact same thing. The blue team finds the needed information first. Ken: Okay, here’s his address. I don’t know where it is, though. Gary: I do. Give me the headphones, Cody. Cody does so without hesitation. Gary begins to talk into them. Gary: Guys, can you read me? Ash: (after a few seconds of silence) Loud and clear, Gary. Ash here. Gary: Ash, we just got a clue that Mr. Psychic knows where the doll may be. Ash: How do I get to his house? Gary: It’s on 38th Avenue, SE. Building number 2005. Ash: Wait... where’s that? Gary: It’s in the southeastern part of the city! Now, hurry up! Ash: I’m going! I’m going! Ash breaks transmission and tells Tenchi what he’s learned. The two then head off towards the southeastern part of the city, not knowing where exactly Matt and Tai, their teammates, are. Soon after, the red team follows suit, as all four field players head towards Mr. Psychic’s house as TK relays them directions on how to get there. [Inset: Red Team] At five minutes to nine, the red team’s taxicab pulls up in front of Mr. Psychic’s house. Brock and Richie stay in the car while Tori and Davis go up and knock on the door. The door opens after a few seconds and out comes Mr. Psychic. The three of them stand there for about a minute before Tori and Davis walk away from the house. Richie: What happened? Brock: You guys didn’t even talk to him! Tori: (getting in) Somehow, he talked to us telepathically. He told us that the doll we seek is in a house in the southwestern part of the city, directly west of his house. Davis: (also getting in) He somehow knew where my favorite teddy bear, Chuckles, is! I had lost him four and a half years ago. Boy, I’ll be glad to go back to my apartment and find him again. Richie: (sweatdrops) Oh brother. Brock directs the driver to head for the southwestern part of Saffron City. [Inset: Blue Team - Matt & Tai] Matt and Tai are now going door to door in the southwestern part of the city. Without the headphones, though, they are unable to contact their teammates. Not that it mattered... they hadn’t found the doll yet. [Inset: Blue Team - Ash & Tenchi] Ash and Tenchi are still trying to find Mr. Psychic’s house when they are contacted by Cody from home base. Cody: Ash! We just got another clue. It seems that the local Nurse Joy saw someone holding a Clefairy doll with the name Cleffa check in their Pokémon to the Pokémon Center about an hour ago. The professor says the trainer won’t be back ‘til morning, but she should have his local address on file. Ash: Okay, good work. We’ll find Matt and Tai and head over there right away. Cody: Huh? Where are they? Ash: We split up. Cody: You did what? Tenchi: (taking the headphones from Ash) Okay, so maybe it wasn’t a good idea, but we thought we could cover more area faster this way. But don’t worry. We’ll find them. With that, Tenchi signs off. The duo then tries to locate the Pokémon Center. [Inset: Red Team] The red team had also gotten the clue from their teammates, so they decide to head for the Pokémon Center instead. Richie and Tori go in, seeing as Brock and Davis have already had some unforgettable experiences with other Joys. They return a few minutes later and head off. Richie: She wouldn’t give us the exact address, but she gave us the street. Tori: It’s E Street, SW. It’s only about five minutes from here. They direct the drive to E Street and continue their search there. [Inset: Blue Team] Fifteen minutes later, Ash and Tenchi find Matt and Tai waiting for them outside of the Pokémon Center. Tai: About time you two showed up. Matt: We haven’t be able to contact you! Ash: Sorry about that, guys. Tenchi: So, what’s up? Matt: Nurse Joy said that the house is on E Street. She refused to give us a specific address, for confidentiality reasons. Tenchi: We’d better get going, then. I’m sure the other team is ahead of us. The foursome makes their way to E Street. They decide to go from house to house and search each one personally. At the first house, Ash and Tai go in while Matt and Tenchi wait outside. Surprisingly enough, the owner of the house allows the two to search his collection... though he believes that he does not have the Clefairy doll they seek. Tai: (holding up a strange orange lizard doll) Is this it? Ash: That’s not a Clefairy doll! That’s a Charmander doll! Tai: Well, you’re the Pokémon trainer, not me! [Inset: Red Team] Oak: (VO) While they are using the same strategy, the red team has inadvertently stumbled upon the target house: 39 E Street. The woman of the house lets Richie and Davis in to search the small collection that her husband has. Davis: It’s gotta be here! It’s just gotta! Richie: Let’s not get our sneakers tied in a knot just yet. We’re probably not looking hard enough. All of a sudden, Davis stumbles upon a Clefairy doll. He’s not sure what a Clefairy looks like, so he begins to toss it aside when Richie notices it in his hand. Richie: Davis! Don’t throw that out! That’s a Clefairy doll! Davis: It is? (sees that the Clefairy has a name tag) Hey! It has a name tag. Richie: (reads the name tag) My name is Cleffa. I belong to Alyssa Shiramiso. (looks up at Davis) I think we found it! Richie and Davis run out of the house and tell Tori and Brock the good news. They then pass it on to their teammates at home base. Oak: (VO) And so, a very tiring day comes to an end. The physical challenge is over, but the prize challenge is only half over. The Amazing Race continues, next time! End Episode Seventeen Oak: (VO) Only three episodes to go! On the next episode of Roomies... Tai: Excuse me ma’am, but when’s the next train to Goldenrod City? Oak: (VO) The Amazing Race continues on into the Johto region... Davis: The bicycle shop doesn’t open ‘til ten! Ash: We can’t wait that long! Oak: (VO) Who will make it to the next checkpoint? Tracey: This is amazing! Tori: This can’t be! Oak: (VO) What about the finale? Li: Could Cianwood City be the finish line? Ken: Really? I thought it was Olivine City. Oak: (VO) There’s so much packed in to our next episode that we can’t even tell you what’s in store! All we can say is stay tuned! Copyright Date: 10/5/01