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Part 5 of The Amazing Race stories
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2020-11-12
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2021-05-06
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The Amazing Race: Anime Edition

Summary:

22 characters from 11 anime are chosen for a special Anime edition of The Amazing Race. Eleven teams must travel the world, navigate themselves in foreign areas, perform brutal challenges, and avoid coming in last place for a shot at 100 million yen. Contains teams of characters from Konosuba, Re:Zero, Rising of the Shield Hero, A Certain Magical Index/A Certain Scientific Railgun, Sword Art Online, K-On!, Your Name, Kill la Kill, Food Wars, No Game No Life, and Steins;Gate.

Chapter 1: Leg 1.1 (Honolulu, USA)

Chapter Text

Author's Note: Please note that I've had to tweak some backstories in order to justify all these characters being in the same world together. Exactly how they've been tweaked will be prevalent in their introductions, though I will step in with an Author's note if I need to.

I understand there is a high chance that you haven't seen all of the anime in this fic. Of course, there will be spoilers for a few of them. But if you don't mind that, knowing the source material is not at all necessary for enjoying this fic. The characters will be treated as if you're a TV viewer who's never seen them before (but of course, knowing the source material for most of them will add a whole depth of dimension).

In case you're wondering, the host is actually an original character. He's not from any anime whatsoever, I just picked a generic Japanese hame, but it's difficult and not really worth my time to find an anime character who fits the role, I'm familiar with, and isn't affiliated with any of the existing 11 teams.

Lastly and most importantly, all the characters in this fic will be speaking English, as well as all of Japan. Because of the nature of this fic (world travel), it's difficult to show a language barrier between Japanese and English when this is already written in English. There will still be some language barrier between English and other languages, however.

With that Author's Note out of the way, enjoy!


Plain Bold text signifies when the focus is shifted onto another team. Current placements may or may not be shown.

Bold Italics text signifies when the host is speaking directly to the audience. The racers themselves are not hearing this exact speech.

Plain italics signifies a confessional, which is when the contestants are speaking directly to the camera. The confessional will take place after the leg is over, and they will be talking about the events of the race in retrospect. However, the confessionals themselves will be shown as the race unfolds.


Leg 1, Part 1


A young man stood in front of Tokyo Tower.

It's early morning here in Tokyo, and the sun has just risen, giving rise to a brand new day. From this city, eleven teams will embark on a race around the world for 100 Million Yen. My name is Hinata, and I will be the host for this race.

The camera zoomed in on a bus making its way across the busy Tokyo streets.

The teams are now making their way to the starting line at the base of the Tokyo Tower. The eleven teams are:

The bus came to a stop as the teams climbed out, one by one.

Souma and Erina

Anime: Shokugeki no Souma

"We're both aspiring chefs," Soma explained.

"Totsuki Academy is the best culinary academy in the world," Erina said. "Souma's the 1st seat, meaning he's currently the best chef in the academy, and I'm actually now the director or headmistress of the school."

She leaned into the camera. "Between the two of us, I'm still the better cook."

"Not true, you'll see one day." Souma replied. "We know we're probably going to have to deal with cooking on the race," Souma said. "But that doesn't mean cooking's all we can do. We're strong, we're smart, we've got this in the bag."

Note: This version of Soma and Erina come from between Season 4 and Season 5 of Shokugeki no Soma.

Kazuma and Megumin,

Anime: Konosuba, Isekai Quartet

"I'm Kazuma, that's Megumin," Kazuma said.

"..." Megumin stayed silent. "Is that all you have to say?"

Kazuma sighed. "Fine. We came from another world. Then we pushed a button, and then we're in some kind of high school, yada yada yada…"

"I'm the best Crimson Demon mage in the world! Everyone bows down to my Explosion spell!" Megumin chanted. "To think a Crimson Demon can't complete a simple game like this is simply preposterous!"

Kazuma sighed. "You're not Aqua, at least."

"What do you mean 'At least'?"

Subaru and Emilia,

Anime: Re:Zero, Isekai Quartet

"I'm Natsuki Subaru, and I'm broke as hell!"

"Subaru…" Emilia replied, looking at him in disapproval.

Subaru sighed. "Alright, I'll be serious. Emilia and I are in the same scenario as Kazuma and Megumin. We pushed a button and we got transported to this world. We come from a different world, but we're already somewhat familiar with them.

"We've got this," Emilia said. "We don't need to be tough to win."

Naofumi and Raphtalia

Anime: Rising of the Shield Hero, Isekai Quartet

"My name is Naofumi, and this is Raphtalia," Naofumi said. "I'm the Shield Hero from another world, but yes, I do originally come from this world. I've made my way through life with my shield being my only weapon. Raphtalia isn't weak either, both of us have undergone large amounts of training."

Raphtalia nodded. "If you couldn't tell from my ears and my tail, I'm a raccoon and tanuki demihuman. I'm sure that not very many people in this world know exactly what I am, but I won't let that stop us. As the only demi-human on this race, I'll be sure to do my best! For both me and Master Naofumi!"

"Raphtalia and I were transported to this world from that dimension after a button appeared on my shield when I was blocking something," Naofumi said. "And we ended up in some kind of high school. That was over a year ago, though, so we've been living here for a while."

Note: This version of Kazuma and Megumin, Subaru and Emilia, and Naofumi and Raphtalia come from the crossover series Isekai Quartet. As such, they already know each other, and may reference characters from Overlord and Youjo Senki, despite characters from those animes not being in this race. They've also been attending the school for over a year, so they're all somewhat familiar with the layout of Earth.

Mako and Ryuko

Anime: Kill la Kill

"I'm Mako Mankanshoku!" Mako said, doing a cutesy pose.

"And I'm Ryuko Matoi," Ryuko stoically replied. "We're friends who come from Honnouji Academy. We've been through a lot together, like fighting student council members, and a bunch of… weird… stuff… that I'm not comfortable with explaining on air."

"I was Ryuko's first friend when she came to the academy! She made a fool of herself, trying to kill the student council president with half a pair of scissors, bu-"

"Okay, okay, that's enough," Ryuko said. "That's enough."

Taki and Mitsuha

Anime: Your Name

"I'm Taki Tachibana," Taki said. "And this is my girlfriend Mitsuha!"

Mitsuha waved.

"We first met on a staircase in Tokyo," Mitsuha said, "And somehow, we both saw each other and just felt a connection. We've had no problems with anything since."

"Now, we're not as… special as a lot of the other teams here, but that doesn't mean we can't do anything. We're fans of the show, we've trained a lot, and we know we can do this."

Kirito and Asuna

Anime: Sword Art Online

"Asuna and I met in Sword Art Online," Kirito said. "I assume you've heard of it. 10,000 players were trapped in the Sword Art Online VRMMO game. We couldn't log out, and if we died in the game, our VR sets would kill us in real life."

"It was really tough," Asuna replied. "But we managed to get through it. If we could survive that, there's nothing stopping us from surviving this race."

Touma and Mikoto

Anime: A Certain Magical Index, A Certain Scientific Railgun

"I'm Kamijo Touma, and this is Biribiri!"

"I have a name, you know!" Mikoto scolded, then sighed. "I'm Misaka Mikoto."

"Heh," Touma said. "We're from Academy City. It's a city full of technology, and both of us have been put through a lot of things. I'm a level 0 esper, meaning I have no special powers, but Biribiri here is a level 5 esper, the 3rd most powerful in Academy City."

"That doesn't really mean anything," Mikoto replied. "I mean, we're not allowed to use esper powers on the race, anyways. That's not important."

Ritsu and Mio

Anime: K-On!

"Ritsu and I are bandmates in our school's Light Music club," Mio explained. "I play the bass while Ritsu's on drums."

"It's a lot of fun," Ritsu replied. "We get to eat sweets, drink tea, hang out-"

"And practice…" Mio interrupted.

"Y-Yeah. Practice. Anyways, while we might not be as physically fit as any other people here, I'm going to argue we have one of the strongest bonds here." Ritsu said. "If we argue, we'll work it out. If we make a mistake, we'll recover."

Sora and Shiro

Anime: No Game No Life

"Shiro and I are brother and sister!" Sora announced.

"We play games a lot," Shiro said. "Isn't this what the race is? One big game?"

"Yup, that's exactly what it is!" Sora said. "Honestly, travelling might be a big issue. We typically never leave our house and stay up for hours on end playing games. But when you've got a game this big with a reward that large, you know we're going to take the opportunity. As long as we're together, we can do this."

"We've done a lot of thinking and research on this show," Shiro said. "We've strategized, tried to learn what to expect, who should do what challenges, we're certain we can win this 100%."

Note: This version of Sora and Shiro stem from before they were taken to the land of Disboard. They will have no knowledge of anything in their new world.

Okabe and Kurisu

Anime: Steins;Gate

"My name is Hyouyin Kyoma!" Okarin shouted as Kurisu facepalmed.

"We're on live TV, here." Kurisu replied. "Don't make a fool of yourself."

Okarin sighed. "I'm Okabe Rintaro, but you can call me Okarin for short. And this is my assistant Cristina!"

"I told you a million times, don't call me Cristina! It's Makise Kurisu and you know it!"

"We are mad scientists who will take over the world!"

Kurisu sighed again. "We are scientists. Okarin's still in college and I'm a graduate. But we're not taking over the world or anything like that. He's just a little… delusional."

Note: This version of Okabe and Kurisu comes from the Steins;Gate worldline after the events of Steins;Gate. While Kurisu may not have any memories from the events of Steins;Gate, Okabe does remember.


The teams lined up in front of Tokyo Tower.

"Welcome to Tokyo Tower, and the starting line for your Amazing Race!" Hinata shouted.

Everyone applauded.

"In just a few minutes, you'll be setting out for the journey of your lifetimes. But first, I would like to explain the rules of this race in case you guys need a refresher, as well as for the sake of those watching at home."

"This race will be split into twelve segments, known as 'legs'. Through these legs you will have to go to different locations, complete challenges, and check in at the Pit Stop in order to complete the leg. Eight of the twelve legs on this race are elimination legs, meaning if you check into the Pit Stop last, you will be eliminated. However, three of the legs are non-elimination. On a standard non-elimination leg, the team that came in last will not be eliminated, but instead be issued a penalty on the next leg. That penalty will be to complete an additional task called a Speed Bump."

Hinata picked up a yellow envelope with the words "The Amazing Race" printed on the front. "This is what is known as a clue. These contain information, such as where to go next, what challenge to do, and so forth. There will be three main types of challenges in this race."

"The generic challenge will be given in a Route Info clue. It will tell you to do a challenge together as a team or find a certain location. That's it, it's simple."

"The Roadblock is a challenge that only one team member may complete. The non participating member is not allowed to offer any assistance, unless the clue says otherwise. However, be sure you properly assign who does which Roadblock, because each team member cannot complete more than 5 Roadblocks at the end of Leg 10."

"The Detour is a choice between two challenges, though you only have to complete one. Each of these challenges has their own pros and cons, so you should choose which one you want to complete based on what you think will be faster."

"There's an element in this race called a U-Turn. A U-Turn board will be situated directly after a Detour. If you arrive at a U-Turn board, and put the name of a team that has yet to arrive, they will be forced to complete the side of the Detour they did not complete. However, be sure you use this wisely. You're only allowed to use a U-Turn once in the entire race. If you U-Turn someone who has passed the U-Turn board, there will be no effect. And if you U-Turn someone and they survive that leg… well, they'd be very pissed at you."

"The team that checks into the Pit Stop first on this first leg will win two Express Passes." Hinata said. "The Express Pass is a powerful tool that you can use before, or during any challenge that you don't want to complete. All you have to do is turn it into the judge, and they'll hand you your clue. You can keep one Express Pass for yourself, though you have to give the other Express Pass away to another team by the end of Leg 4. The passes themselves can be used up until the end of Leg 9."

"After 12 legs, the first team that crosses the Finish Line will win the Amazing Race, and the ONE HUNDRED MILLION YEN!"

The teams all cheered.

Hinata then pointed behind him to the racers' bags, as well as a field of balloons behind them. "Over there is your first challenge, as well as the bags that you brought with you. There's a clue on top of them. The information is in the clue. Read it carefully."

Hinata got into a starting pose. "Well then, the world is waiting for you."

He put his hand up as the racers got into a starting pose.

"Travel safe…"

The camera panned over all the teams.

"GO!"

All the teams raced to their bags, then picked up their clues and ripped them open.

Sora and Shiro: Currently in 1st Place

"Route Info," Sora read.

Ritsu and Mio: Currently in 2nd Place

"Pop the balloons to find the keys to one of the cars parked in the street," Mio read.

Kazuma and Megumin: Currently in 3rd Place

"Once you have found some car keys, drive yourselves to Tokyo Narita Airport and fly to Honolulu, Hawaii." Megumin read.

Souma and Erina: Currently in 4th Place

"Warning: There is only enough room for four teams on the first flight," Erina read. "The second flight is set to arrive almost an hour later."

[i] Fly to: Honolulu, Hawaii

Teams must now run around this field of 100 balloons and pop them in a search to find one of eleven car keys. Once they have found the keys, they must locate the car the keys are for, then drive themselves to the Tokyo airport and book their flights to Honolulu, Hawaii. There is only room for four teams on the first flight, which is set to depart one hour earlier than the second flight.

"Let's do this," Kirito said.

Naofumi and Raphtalia

"Just pull them down," Naofumi said. Naofumi and Raphtalia pulled down adjacent balloons and then tried to squeeze them with their hands.

"The balloons we had to pop were actually very tough," Naofumi said. "It took a lot more effort than it appeared."

Raphtalia tried to squeeze it between her knees until it popped. "No key in here, Naofumi-sama."

Kazuma and Megumin

"I just wish I could explode all of these balloons here," Megumin said.

"Yeah, that'd totally not incinerate the keys," Kazuma replied.

Megumin grabbed one and used her nails to pierce the balloon. "Kazuma, Kazuma!"

"Yes, I'm Kazuma."

"I found it!"

Megumin reached into the balloon and showed him the key.

Kazuma and Megumin: Currently in 1st Place

"Was that your first one?"

"Yeah!"

"Great, let's go!"

Sora and Shiro

"You got it, Shiro?" Sora asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," she replied, pulling down the balloons and popping them with speed.

"What Shiro ended up doing was folding up the clue into a triangle," Sora explained. "And then using that pointed edge in order to pop the balloons. We were definitely going through them quicker than any of the other teams."

*POP*

*POP*

Ritsu and Mio

"How are they doing it so fast?" Ritsu asked, staring at Sora and Shiro.

"Ritsu," Mio clapped. "Don't worry about them. Worry about us."

"Alright, alright," Ritsu replied, pulling a balloon down. She pressed it against the floor and body-slammed on top of it to pop it. "Why are these balloons so tough?"

Touma and Mikoto

Both Touma and Mikoto were struggling to pop the balloon. Touma had the balloon pressed up against the ground while Mikoto was trying to squeeze them between her hands.

"I'm so tempted to zap this right now," Mikoto said.

"We don't want a penalty, right?" Touma asked.

Mikoto managed to pop it, but nothing was inside.

"Seriously?" she asked.

Kazuma and Megumin

"Where's the car?" Megumin asked.

"I'm looking," Kazuma replied. He pressed the button, then heard a car honk from a car a few cars up.

"There it is," Kazuma said, running to it. He and Megumin hopped inside as he started it up and drove out onto the street. "We're going to Hawaii!"

Sora and Shiro

*Pop*

"I have it, Sora," Shiro said.

Sora and Shiro: Currently in 2nd Place

"That's great!" Sora replied, grabbing the keys and running out of the field.

Mako and Ryuko

"Ryuko! Ryuko!"

"Did you get it, Mako?" Ryuko asked.

"Nope."

"Then why the hell were you calling m-"

Subaru and Emilia

Subaru punched a balloon until it popped.

"Do you have it, Subaru?" Emilia asked.

"No. We have to keep going if we want that first flight."

Touma and Mikoto: Currently in 3rd Place

"Biribiri," Touma said. "I got the key,"

"I told you, don't call m- huh?"

"I got the key."

"Then why are you standing there, idiot? Go!"

Okabe and Kurisu

"I got it, Okabe," Kurusu said. "Ive got the key."

"Aha! As expected of my assistant Cristina!"

Okabe and Kurisu: Currently in 4th Place

Ritsu and Mio: Currently in 5th Place

Ritsu and Mio ran out of the field after the scientists, key in hand.

"We're fifth out," Ritsu said. "We could still beat another team to the airport and get to the first flight. It's not a lost cause."

Kirito and Asuna

Kirito shook the balloon as the key inside popped it.

Kirito and Asuna: Currently in 6th Place

"Asuna, let's go!" Kirito shouted.

Taki and Mitsuha

Mitsuha grabbed the balloon and stomped it with her shoe, revealing a key inside.

Taki and Mitsuha: Currently in 7th Place

"Taki, let's get out of here," Mitsuha said. She and Taki hightailed it to the parking lot.

Naofumi and Raphtalia: Currently in 8th Place

"That took way too long," Naofumi said, hopping into their car. "That's really annoying."

"We can get though it." Raphtalia replied.

"I never said we couldn't."

Mako and Ryuko

"Ryuko, RYUKO!"

"Mako, don't waste my time."

"Fine, then I guess I'll hang onto the key then."

"You found it?"

Mako nodded.

Mako and Ryuko: Currently in 9th Place

Mako and Ryuko ran to the street and unlocked their car.

Souma and Erina

"This is really irritating," Erina said. "We're the last ones here."

"We're not last," Souma said. "There's still Subaru and Emilia."

He pointed to Subaru and Emilia, who were holding a key and running out of the field.

Subaru and Emilia: Currently in 10th Place

"Okay, never mind, we're last," Souma said.

"Graah, how can you be so calm?" Erina asked. "You're always like this, you show no sense of stress or urgency!"

"Oh, I'm stressed of course," he replied. He popped the balloon, revealing a key. "I found it."

Erina snatched it away from him as they raced to the street.

Souma and Erina: Currently in Last Place


Tokyo Narita International Airport

Kazuma and Megumin raced inside.

"We're looking for the marked counter, right?" Megumin asked.

"That sounds right." They ran around the airport, completely passing by the counter marked with red and yellow stripes.

Sora and Shiro

"Here, here here!" Sora pointed. He and Shiro ran up to the counter. "Two tickets to Honolulu, as fast as possible."

The agent nodded and handed them their tickets. "You're on the first flight."

Sora and Shiro: 1st on Flight 1

"We're on the first flight, hell yeah!" Sora grabbed Shiro's hand and thrusted it up into the air.

Touma and Mikoto

Touma and Mikoto ran up to the counter right after Sora and Shiro. "Tickets, please."

Touma and Mikoto: 2nd on Flight 1

"We got it," Touma said. "Woah. My heart's racing."

Kazuma and Megumin

"Oh, it's right there!" Kazuma shouted. "Why didn't you see it? You might've been able to see it better without wearing this!"

He pulled on Megumin's eyepatch.

"Kazuma, stop, it seals my power!" Megumin shouted. Kazuma let go of the eyepatch, causing it to recoil back and smack her in the eye.

"Ow!"

Kazuma sighed. "Take that off!"

Megumin pouted and took her eyepatch off and put it in her pocket.

Kazuma then turned to the counter and asked for their tickets.

Kazuma and Megumin: 3rd on Flight 1

Ritsu and Mio

"Go, run!" Ritsu shouted.

"I'm going, Ritsu!" Mio replied. Kurisu and Okabe were right on their tail, but the girls arrived at the counter first.

Ritsu and Mio: Last on Flight 1

"We got it!" Ritsu said, hugging Mio.

"Dammit, missed it by seconds," Kurisu said. "That's fine."

Okabe and Kurisu: 1st on Flight 2

With that, all the teams rushed in and booked their remaining flights onto Flight 2.

Taki and Mitsuha: 2nd on Flight 2

Kirito and Asuna: 3rd on Flight 2

Naofumi and Raphtalia: 4th on Flight 2

Mako and Ryuko: 5th on Flight 2

Subaru and Emilia: 6th on Flight 2

Souma and Erina: Last on Flight 2


Flight 1

"Attention all passengers, this is your captain speaking" the loudspeaker said. "Unfortunately, there seems to be a problem with the engine."

"Are you kidding me?" Touma asked. "Just my luck."

Sora rammed his head into the seat in front of him.

"Unfortunately, it seems we will not be able to leave for at least ninety or so minutes. Sorry for the inconvenience."

"So," Mio said. "If the other flight goes perfectly, that means the four of us are racing for last. Ugh… this is not what I needed today."

"Well, that's… we just need to make sure we're in front of someone else. Someone to push behind us." Kazuma said. "The girls don't seem very strong. We can beat them."

"You're sitting right next to us," Ritsu said. The camera panned out to show Kazuma was literally sitting in the seat right to Ritsu.

"Oh. S-Sorry, Ritsu."


[i] Proceed to: Waikiki Beach

Once teams touch down in Honolulu, they must make their way to Waikiki Beach, where their next clue awaits.


Honolulu International Airport

Flight 2: 4:30 PM

The plane touched down in Honolulu's airport. As the jetbridge connected to the plane, the door opened up as the seven teams aboard rushed outside.

All seven teams began rushing their way through the airport and outside to the cabs.

Taki and Mitsuha

"We need to get to Waikiki Beach. Do you know?" Mitsuha asked. The driver nodded and motioned for them to get inside.

"We're on the race," Taki said. "And we're in Hawaii. This is amazing."

"And I'm here with you! This is like a honeymoon. Before we get married."

He looked away from her. "That's just a normal vacation." he whispered.

Subaru and Emilia

"It's really odd for me to be somewhere this hot," Emilia said. "Normally in Lugunica it's just snow and average weather."

"Yeah, I get that," Subaru replied. "I bet a lot of places we go to are going to be really hot, though."

Kirito and Asuna

"This is just like a game," Asuna said. "It's a game, in a really… beautiful place, really."

Okabe and Kurisu

"I'm back in America," Kurisu said. "This is actually pretty nice."

"It's not America, it's Hawaii." Okabe said.

"I don't know if you're trying to be funny, or if you're just stupid."

Naofumi and Raphtalia

"Naofumi-sama, look at all those beaches!" Raphtalia pointed.

"I see them," he said.

Ryuko and Mako

"I wonder what we're going to do here," Mako said. "Maybe… eat some Takoyaki… eat some Okonomiyaki… eat some sushi…"

"Those are all Japanese things, Mako," Ryuko said.

Souma and Erina

"I'm still mad we couldn't make the first flight." Erina said.

"We could catch up. You don't know what this course has to offer."


Kirito and Asuna hopped out of their cab and ran up to the clue box.

Kirito and Asuna: Currently in 1st Place

"Route Info," Kirito read.

[i] Row, Row, Row

Teams must now use this kayak and row themselves out to the ocean and to this buoy, which holds their next clue.

"Let's go, then," Asuna said. They ran up to the kayaks. "Do you want to go in the front or in the back?"

"I don't care, I guess I'll be in the back." Kirito replied.

Kirito and Asuna put their lifevests on as Kirito hopped in.

"Kirito, we need to push it more into the water first."

"Just push me."

"Huh?"

"I'm not getting out. Just push me into the water."

Asuna pushed Kirito out of the boat, splashing him into the water.

"No, push the boat into the water, not push me into the water!"

"Oh."

Souma and Erina: Currently in 2nd Place

Souma and Erina pushed their boat into the water and hopped inside, beginning to row out to sea.

"Ah, the counter current," Souma said.

"It's just when getting off the shore." Erina replied. "Don't worry about it and keep rowing."

Taki and Mitsuha: Currently in 3rd Place

Taki climbed into the front as Mitsuha went into the back.

"What are we looking for?" Mitsuha asked.

"Some kind of buoy," Taki replied. "It's probably going to be yellow and red because those are the colors of the race."

Kirito and Asuna

Kirito and Asuna finally got the hang of it as they rowed after Taki and Mitsuha.

"Okay, we got this, let's power past them." Kirito said. Asuna nodded agreement as they both sped up their rowing.

Taki and Mitsuha

"How are they going so fast?" Mitsuha asked, looking behind them.

"Don't worry about them. Just row, we've got the whole leg to catch up to them."

Mako and Ryuko: Currently in 4th Place

Mako and Ryuko pushed their boat into the water as Subaru and Emilia showed up right behind them.

Subaru and Emilia: Currently in 5th Place

"Let's do this, Emilia-tan!" Subaru shouted. They climbed into the kayak together and began rowing themselves into the tide.

Kirito and Asuna

Kirito and Asuna rowed fast enough to overtake Souma and Erina.

"Dammit," Erina said.

"It's alright," Souma said. Kirito looked back at them, then looked forwards again as they encountered the buoy.

"Alright, it's right here," Kirito said. He took the clue and unhooked it from the buoy before ripping it open and reading it right there.

Kirito and Asuna: Currently in 1st Place

"Detour: Play with Fire, or Oven Require?"

This Hawaiian luau at Sand Island will now be the stage for the Race's first Detour. It will be their choice: Play with Fire, or Oven Require.

[D1] Play with Fire

In Play with Fire, teams must dress up and learn this Hawaiian fire dance while holding a flaming torch. If they can manage to do the dance perfectly in front of an audience, teams will get their next clue.

[D2] Oven Require

Kalua pig is a staple in Hawaiian luaus. In Oven Require, teams must create an underground oven for cooking the pig. First, they must dig this ditch to the exact dimensions as the example. If teams are observant enough, they will realize the diameter and depth of the hole is marked on the length of their shovel. Once they've dug the ditch and got the OK from the judge, they must start a small fire on the bottom, cover the fire with coals and stones, and then carry a large pig to the ditch to get their next clue.

"What do you think, Asuna?"

"Can we row back to shore, first?"

"Oh, right, okay."

Souma and Erina

Souma and Erina grabbed their clue. Souma clenched it in his teeth as he and Erina rowed back to shore.

Naofumi and Raphtalia: Currently in 6th Place

"Come on, Raphtalia. Put some effort into it. It's just like our training." Naofumi said.

"I'm trying, Naofumi-sama. This is my best."

Okabe and Kurisu: Currently in 7th Place

Okabe and Kurisu cruised through the water.

"This is fun," Kurisu said.

"Sure," Okabe replied.

"Would you rather be testing your lab gadgets?"

Kirito and Asuna

Kirito and Asuna returned to their cab and hopped inside.

"Sand Island," Kirito said. They opened their clue and read through it.

"Which Detour do you think is better?" Kirito asked.

"Well, I think fire dancing might be easier for us. We're already used to swinging around swords." Asuna replied.

"Alright, we'll try it." Kirito said. "But the fact that it's a dancing challenge really bothers me."

Souma and Erina: Currently in 2nd Place

Souma and Erina returned to the beach. "Detour: Play with Fire or Oven Require?"

"Well, it's obvious," Erina said. "We make the oven. It's cooking."

"Well, we're not actually cooking anything. We're just digging the ditch."

"I'd be better at that than dancing," Erina replied.

Mako and Ryuko

"Mako, what are you doing back there?"

"I'm rowing!"

"You're making us turn weirdly!" Ryuko scolded. "Do you not know how to row?"

"I'm rowing fine! I'm not doing anything!"

"Then why are we going in circles?"

"Our rowing was atrocious," Ryuko explained. "I mean, even now we're still arguing over whose fault it is, but regardless of the reason, we were going in circles and all the other teams were passing us."

"I don't know? Maybe it has to do with the audaciousness of the wind turbulent antidisestablishmentarianism."

"...What? Stop using random words to justify your point. You're not helping."

Taki and Mitsuha

Taki and Mitsuha rowed back, seeing Mako and Ryuko arguing.

"Seriously? Arguing already?" Mitsuha asked.

"Mitsuha," Taki said. "Focus."

"Right," Mitsuha replied. They made it onto shore as they ripped the clue open.

Taki and Mitsuha: Currently in 3rd Place

"Let's do the dance," Mitsuha said. "I did some dances back when I lived in Itomori."

"Oh, I know. You were a shrine maiden, right?"

"..."

"What?"

"How do you know that?" Mitsuha asked. "I never told you about that."

"You… uh… you did, I think"

"I don't tell anyone that isn't from Itomori about that. I'm really self conscious about it."

"We're wasting time, let's just go do the dance."

Subaru and Emilia: Currently in 4th Place

"Let's do the ditch digging." Subaru said. "We're bound to mess up the dancing challenge. I can't dance."

Naofumi and Raphtalia: Currently in 5th Place

"Oven making," Naofumi said. "I'm not dancing."

Okabe and Kurisu: Currently in 6th Place

"There's no way we can do dancing," Okabe said. "There's just no way in hell that Hyouyin Kyouma could dance well."

"Yeah… I was about to say that…" Kurisu said.

Mako and Ryuko

"Mako," Ryuko said. "Whatever you're doing, stop it."

"I'm not doing anything," Mako replied.

"We're literally backwards now, and everyone's come and gone. We're last." Ryuko said. "Let's just turn back around and get to the buoy before our gap widens."

Ryuko and Mako tried to turn themselves around, but the kayak ended up tipping, throwing them both into the water.


A/N: What do you guys think of Chapter 1 so far? Who are you rooting for? Who do you think gets eliminated?

Anyways, some things to say before I end off this chapter.

This is the format I will be writing in. Each 'leg' of the race will be split into two chapters, a front half and a latter half. However, the finale will always be one 12,000+ word chapter. So, the next chapter you'll be seeing the results of this leg.

Though I'm writing these chapters as they come out, the winner and boot order has already been determined. The route actually is up in the air right now. I have a route written, but i'm open to change it if I can think of anything better. Feel free to suggest locations, but this route is an eastwards route, so I won't consider locations that are significantly west of where we currently are. If you have any questions, (as long as they're spoiler friendly) I'll answer them in the comments section on Ao3, or in PM's or the next chapter on FFN.

By the way, there is Season 32 of the Real Life Amazing Race airing on CBS (CTV in Canada). You should watch it if you enjoyed this. (Past seasons are available on Hulu and Amazon Prime).