Zataria's Last Light
Chapter 50: The Hurdle Problem!

Chapter 50: The Hurdle Problem!

The participants gather for the next challenge, which is set on the track where Daru and Reiji previously raced.

Junko: Welcome to the third challenge! Zodiac and Sai will be competing in a hurdles race around the track.

Zodiac surveys the track and notices that the hurdles are spaced apart.

Zodiac: So how does this game work?

Sai chuckles at Zodiac’s confusion.

Sai: Wow, you don’t even know what hurdles are? Are you living in the Stone Age?

The Scarlet Crew bursts into laughter.

Mako: That was a good one, Sai!

Reiji: Don’t you think that was a little mean?

Souta playfully taps Reiji on the head.

Reiji: Oww!

Souta: Shut up, Reiji! That was hilarious!

Gram: That wasn’t funny at all!

Himitsu: Well, it’s not our fault we grew up in a different environment!

Lith: Oh really? Your world must have been awful if you don’t know a simple game of hurdles.

Kono: It’s perfectly fine if you don’t know, Himitsu.

Ohma: Exactly. The beauty of life is to go out there and expand your horizons!

Sai: Heh, I bet you’re really mad, Zodiac.

Zodiac: Why would I get mad at a brain-dead joke? If I were in your position, I would pick up a book about the circus and start reading it since you want to act like a clown.

Sai: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!?

Gram: (laughing) Ouch! Zodiac just took a shot at you!

Himitsu: Yes, how does that feel?

Daru: (smirking) That was a good one.

Sai: (annoyed) Junko, hurry up and explain the rules!

Sai turns around to find Reiji struggling to contain his laughter.

Sai: If you laugh even once, Reiji, I will put your head on a stick.

Reiji: (shaking his head rapidly) I-I won’t, Sai, I promise!

Junko: Alright then, let me explain the rules. You will be running around the track for a total of three laps while also jumping over the hurdles in your designated lanes.

Kono: Well, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Junko: However, there is a catch to this challenge.

Gram: Oh, of course there would be a catch. (sarcastically)

Junko: During the race, anticipate a surprise element from the hurdles, but that’s all I’m going to say.

Ohma: Wait, why?

Yoshi: It’s called a surprise for a reason. Are you stupid?

Ohma: U-uhhh, I don’t think so? Are you asking me that because you’re the stupid one?

Yoshi adopts a serious expression.

Yoshi: You better watch your mouth, kid. Don’t make me regret it.

Lith: Can you all just shut up and let the game start? I don’t want to be here all day!

Yoshi turns around, crossing his arms.

Junko: Alright, that covers everything you need to know. The first one to complete all three laps wins!

Sai and Zodiac move to the track, with Zodiac in lane 1 and Sai in lane 2, both positioned behind the white line. The Mavielance and Scarlet Crew cheer for their teammates.

Souta: Make sure you beat this loser, Sai!

Mako: Yeah, I believe in you!

Himitsu: You’ve got this, Zodiac!

Gram: Yeah man, I’ve got money on you!

Kono: Huh? No, you don’t, Gram.

Gram: Just let me pretend, okay!?

Daru looks at Zodiac.

Daru: We cannot afford to lose another challenge, so you better win this.

Zodiac: You’re telling me to win when you didn’t even win your own challenge? How does that make sense?

Daru grows frustrated.

Daru: I only lost because I didn’t carry the ball on my back. Otherwise, I would have won easily.

Zodiac: It’s unfortunate that your ignorance led to your defeat...

Daru: I’m one second away from smashing your face into the ground. But you better win this, no matter what.

Zodiac shakes his head.

Zodiac: Okay, whatever...

Zodiac and Sai begin to stretch, preparing to run. Sai glances at Zodiac.

Sai: Are you ready to lose?

Zodiac: You’ll be the one losing.

Junko: Alright, let’s commence this challenge! The race begins in three, two, one, go!

Zodiac and Sai take off, generating a significant gust of wind behind them.

Ohma: (Covering his face) Wow, they’re fast!

Souta: Yeah, well, Sai is faster.

Gram: Nah, I think Zodiac is faster.

Souta: Okay then, you’ll see.

As Sai and Zodiac run side by side at the same speed, Zodiac thinks in his head.

Zodiac: This guy is pretty fast.

Sai: (Thinking) He’s quick, I’ll give him that, but it won’t be enough to beat me!

As they reached the opposite side of the track, the competitors approached the hurdles, preparing to jump over them. They cleared the first and second hurdles without issue, but as they neared the third, a platform unexpectedly rose beneath Zodiac, causing him to fall back to the ground.

Zodiac: What the hell!?

The Mavielance Crew was shocked.

Ohma: What just happened?

Gram: A platform came out of nowhere and hit Zodiac!

When Sai reached the fourth hurdle, a similar incident occurred. However, he utilized his powers to phase right through it, clearing the remaining hurdles with ease.

Daru: What kind of ability is that?

Lith: That would be Hypervelocity. It enables him to move faster than normal, allowing him to phase through objects.

Himitsu: What? You’ve got to be kidding me. How is this fair if Zodiac doesn’t have something like that?

Yoshi: Get better; that’s a start.

The rest of the Scarlet Crew chuckled.

Zodiac quickly regained his footing and jumped over the remaining hurdles just as Sai was completing his first lap. Junko picked up a microphone to announce the current standings.

Junko: It appears Sai is about to finish his first lap!

Souta: Keep it up, Sai!

Mako: Leave him in the dust!

Kono: Come on, Zodiac!

Himitsu: Show them your true speed!

Daru: I swear, if you lose this...

Zodiac could hear the faint cheers from his crewmates.

Zodiac: They need to shut up. The race isn’t over yet.

He began to accelerate, preparing to make the turn as Sai completed his first lap.

Junko: Sai has completed his first lap!

Lith: Sorry, Kono, but it seems we have the superior crew. You might as well give up.

Reiji: You guys can’t beat us!

Kono: No! It’s not over until it’s over!

Ohma: Miss Kono is right!

Kono: Umm, Ohma, you don’t have to call me ’miss.’

Ohma: Okay then, Kono!

Gram was touching his pimple as it slowly began to subside.

Gram: Yes! My stupid pimple is finally going away!

Yoshi shook his head in disbelief.

Yoshi: What a bunch of idiots...

As the race continued, Sai approached the hurdle section again just as Zodiac finished his first lap.

Junko: Zodiac has finished his first lap!

Sai heard this and laughed.

Sai: And here I thought Zodiac would give me a challenge. How lame.

Sai leaps over the hurdles one by one, activating a platform with the third one. He phases through it effortlessly.

Gram: That power really gives him the upper hand.

Himitsu: Yeah, it’s almost as if they rigged it to make Zodiac fail.

Lith: What? We didn’t rig anything. You’re just mad we’re about to get our third win.

Souta: You might as well go home.

Zodiac approaches the hurdles again, anticipating the third one to be a trap. He quickens his pace to pass it, but nothing occurs.

Zodiac: (to himself) Huh? The third hurdle didn’t activate.

As Zodiac jumps over the fourth hurdle, a platform rises from the ground, knocking him back down.

Himitsu: Okay, this has to be rigged; there’s no way.

Lith: Like I said, it’s not rigged. The trap hurdles randomize with each lap.

Ohma: But aren’t you supposed to explain that?

Gram: So you guys are cheating!

Reiji: I mean, I guess?

Lith hits Reiji on the head.

Reiji: Oww!

Lith: Shut up, Reiji. It’s not cheating. You can even ask Kono; she knows about it.

Gram and the others look at her.

Gram: So you knew about this?

Kono: U-uhh, yeah.

Gram: THEN WHY DIDN’T YOU MENTION IT BEFORE WE STARTED?!

Kono: Sorry! It’s been a while since I played this game. When Junko mentioned a surprise, I had no clue what she meant.

Gram: (pulling out his hair) Man, we’re going to lose again!

Daru: You don’t know that for sure. Can all of you just stay quiet and watch the race?

As this unfolds, Zodiac navigates the remaining hurdles while Sai completes his second lap.

Junko: Sai has finished his second lap!

Himitsu: This isn’t good. Sai has a significant lead, and Zodiac hasn’t reached the other side yet.

Zodiac: (to himself) So the trapped hurdles change with each lap. Additionally, Sai has a substantial lead and is approaching the hurdles. Looks like I’ll have to elevate my performance.

Zodiac closes his eyes, concentrating his energy. When he opens them, his irises glow white, propelling him to run faster, astonishing everyone around him.

Mako: Whoa! Zodiac is running faster now!

Yoshi: And his eyes have changed color!

Daru: Finally, he’s stopped messing around.

Gram, Himitsu, and Kono: You can do it, Zodiac!

Ohma takes a deep breath and shouts at the top of his lungs.

Ohma: AHHHHHHHHHH!

Everyone instinctively covers their ears.

Yoshi:

Souta: YOU’RE HURTING MY EARS!

Daru grabs Ohma and pulls him closer.

Daru: Stop that!

Ohma: I’m sorry, guys. I’m just excited, that’s all.

Zodiac quickly crosses the white line, completing his third lap and catching up to Sai.

Sai: What is going on!? How is he going that fast!?

Junko: It appears Zodiac has completed his second lap! Both Sai and Zodiac are now on their final lap!

Lith: You better not lose, Sai!

Mako: Get us another win!

Zodiac: Now you’ll see just how fast I can go.

They both reach the other side of the track, heading toward the hurdles. Sai begins to jump over them, but the fifth one is a trap. He phases through it just as Zodiac prepares to start. As Zodiac jumps over the hurdles, he notices a strange aura emanating from the sixth hurdle.

Zodiac: (to himself) What the? I see a weird aura coming from that hurdle. It must be a trap.

Zodiac accelerates and quickly jumps over the hurdle just before it can hit him.

Souta: What!? He jumped over the trap!?

Yoshi: It’s as if he knew that hurdle was a trap.

Gram: Come on! I’ve got money on you, Zodiac!

Himitsu: Beat him!

As Zodiac clears the last hurdle and sprints down the track, he catches up to Sai, running side by side.

Sai: How did you—

Zodiac: It’s time for you to lose.

Sai: No! I won’t let you beat me!

Sai gets close to Zodiac and bumps him, causing Zodiac to fall to the ground.

Daru: What the heck!?

Gram: Hey, he pushed Zodiac down!

Himitsu: Now that’s cheating!

Kono: Lith, your crewmate can’t do that!?

Lith: (smiling) A win is a win. The rules never mentioned pushing.

Ohma: Well, that’s not fair!

Reiji: Now we’ve got this win in the ba—

Junko: Zodiac has caught up with Sai!

Everyone: WHAT!?

Zodiac makes it back to Sai, reaching the final stretch of the race. As Zodiac is about to pass Sai, he locks eyes with him, sending a chill down Sai’s spine.

Zodiac: Touch me again and you die.

Zodiac passes Sai, leaving a gust of wind in his wake as he crosses the finish line.

Junko: Noooo! How could you lose!?

The Mavielance Crew cheers for Zodiac.

Kono: Zodiac won!

Himitsu: You did it! Let’s goooo!

Gram: I’m glad I placed my bet on you!

Ohma takes a deep breath.

Ohma: AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Everyone covers their ears again.

Himitsu: Stop YELLING!!

Ohma: Sorry...

Daru: Not bad, Zodiac.

Lith, frustrated, approaches Sai.

Lith: How could you lose to him!?

Sai: I—I tried, Lith, but he got that speed out of nowhere!

Yoshi: I’m disappointed in you, Sai...

Sai: Shut up! You had an easier matchup than I did.

Yoshi: At least I won mine; you didn’t.

Souta: Seriously, how could you lose that? You even bumped him and still lost.

Reiji: (laughing) That’s really embarrassing!

Sai approaches Reiji and hits him multiple times.

Reiji: Owww, owww, owww!

Sai: I don’t want to hear it! We’re still ahead by two wins anyway.

Junko: Sai is right. We just have to win the rest of them, and we’ll come out on top!

Mako: You got that right, Junko!

Zodiac approaches his crew, out of breath and sweating.

Ohma: Good job out there, Zodiac!

Kono: Yeah, you really came in clutch at the end.

Zodiac: It’s whatever. I got the win, and that’s all that matters.

Gram: You know you can say thank you, right?

Zodiac: Yeah, no...

Daru: But how did you know that one hurdle was a trap?

Himitsu: Yeah! You ran through that hurdle faster than the others.

Zodiac: I’m not sure. When I activated my eyes, I noticed a strange aura around it. That’s when I realized it was a trap.

Kono: Maybe you unlocked some kind of ability with that light power you and Daru have.

Zodiac: I suppose so.

Ohma: Ummm, by the way, are you and Daru human?

Zodiac: Huh?

Daru: What kind of question is that?

Gram: Well, no, they’re not. They are no ordinary beings. They are the ancient, the myth, the legend, the—

Kono: They’re Zatarians, Ohma.

Gram: Hey! You didn’t let me finish!

As they were talking, Souta heard something from Kono, but it wasn’t clear.

Souta: What did she say? What are they talking about?

Zodiac: What made you ask that question?

Ohma: I don’t know. It was just a feeling, I guess.

Lith and the others walked up to them.

Lith: Okay, losers, you finally got your first win, but that doesn’t mean you’ll beat us.

Yoshi: We still have the lead, so don’t get comfortable.

Kono: We weren’t planning to, don’t worry!

Mako: So who’s going next?

Souta raises her hand.

Souta: Let us go next. I want to put this idiot in his place.

Gram: I’m not an idiot!?

Himitsu places a reassuring hand on Gram’s shoulder.

Himitsu: You got this, bro. Don’t stress!

Gram: Yeah, you’re right! Gram the Great never stresses!

Daru and Zodiac exchange disapproving glances.

Daru: Just hurry up and pick a challenge!

Junko: What will it be?

Gram: Ummm, let’s do—

Souta: High jump.

Gram: Come on, I was about to pick one!

Lith: Oooo, nice choice, Souta.

Yoshi: You’ll definitely beat him with this.

Kono: So high jump it is, huh?

Zodiac: I know Gram is good at running, but is he also good at jumping?

Gram: Of course, I’m good at that, Zodiac. Why wouldn’t I be?

Zodiac: Just a question that needed an answer.

Junko: Well then, let’s get moving!

They all start walking towards the next challenge, approaching a large soft bag with a yellow bar suspended between two poles.

Junko: Here we are, the high jump challenge. In this event, you must jump over the bar and land on the bag without touching it. The bar will be raised higher after each successful jump. You have a total of three attempts. If you exhaust all your attempts, you will lose, and the opposing participant will be declared the winner. Is everything clear?

Souta: Sounds good to me.

Gram: Pfff, this will be a cakewalk!

Daru: Don’t get cocky, Gram.

Gram: But I’m not!

Daru: No, I’m serious. If you lose this, I will destroy you.

Gram: Okay, okay, calm down, jeez.

Ohma: I believe in Gram, so do your best!

Kono: Yeah, you got this, Gram!

Zodiac: I’ll slice your head off if you lose.

Sai: Don’t let that bastard win!

Mako: I’m rooting for you!

Souta: I won’t let him. Never in a million years.

Junko: Alright, let’s have Souta go first.

Gram: Wow, I see how it is!

Souta: (smiling) Ladies first.

Souta stretches her legs and arms, bending down to touch her toes. As she does, Gram takes a quick look at her.

Gram: (to himself) Wow, she is thick!

Souta rises and turns her head toward Gram, who quickly averts his gaze.

Souta: (to herself) What a perv.

Junko: When you’re ready, you may begin.

Souta takes a deep breath, runs to the bar, and jumps over it, striking the bag successfully. The Scarlet Crew begins to applaud.

Lith: Great jump, Souta!

Reiji: That was an outstanding jump!

Souta: (flicking her hair) I’m a natural, thank you.

Junko: Now it’s your turn, Gram.

Himitsu: Looks like you’re up, bro.

Gram: Yep. You guys just stay back and watch the great Gram do his thing!

Zodiac: He’s going to mess up...

Gram becomes energized and prepares to run.

Kono: Yeah, he’s going to mess up...

Ohma: Don’t say that. Let’s have some faith in him.

Gram begins to run at the bar but makes a poor jump, colliding with the bar and falling to the ground.

Gram: (holding his forehead) Owwww!

Daru: IDIOT!

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