"Roomies 3: Digital Frontier," written by Freedom Fighter Disclaimer: I do not own any of the anime series, characters, or locations represented in this fanfic. I also do not own any of the reality show elements presented as well. = = = = = = = = = = Tenchi: (VO) 16 contestants from 12 anime shows. 42 days living by themselves in the wild Digital World. But only one will walk away with a grand prize of one million dollars. (Begin theme song, showing each of the contestants one at a time for 1.5 seconds each) - Amy M., the brainy Sailor Mercury - Amy R., Sonic's admirer from the planet Mobius - Haruka, tea house owner - James, member of Team Rocket - Jet, bounty hunter from the future - Keith, Duel Monsters American champion - Nabiki, money-grubbing middle sister - Rally, gunsmith and bounty hunter - Rini, the princess of Crystal Tokyo - Takuya, leader of the Frontier Digidestined - Tally, government employee - Trowa, pilot of the Gundam Heavyarms - Trunks, young Super Saiyan - Whitney, Goldenrod City gym leader - Yugi, duelist and holder of the Millennium Puzzle - Yusuke, spirit detective (Show scenes of James trying to catch a wild Digimon, Rini putting on a baseball helmet, Yusuke getting pelted by a paintball, and Rally pointing straight at a flag.) Tenchi: (VO) Some of them will become the best of friends. Others will develop grudges against those they hate. But only one will walk away with up to a million dollars or more in cash and prizes. (A log cabin appears in the background.) Tenchi: (VO) These men and women are... Roomies! (End theme song, with a picture of all 16 contestants standing with Flame Terminal behind them in the background.) = = = = = = = = = = Episode 4 - The Trowa and Whitney Show (02.04.03) Day Five As Trowa and Whitney were trying to get over their seemingly unfair disqualification, the other teams continue to press on. Keith, Nabiki, and Trunks are all searching high and low for the Gomamon statue, the only one the three of them are missing. The four other runners, Amy R., James, Yusuke, and Jet are still behind, but are all slowly catching up. Rally: (shouting at Amy R.) Move it Amy! We're really behind here! Amy R.: (seen climbing a tree) I'm trying! Wait... I've gotta one! Amy R. hops back down with a Patamon in hand. Seeing her come from that tree, James runs over to get a Patamon for himself. James: (smiling) She doesn't realize that she's helping me out as well. Meanwhile, Yusuke is wandering back around the starting line. He has a Palmon in hand, but he seems to be searching for another caricature to add to his team's collection. Yusuke: This sucks! Why am I even wasting my time doing this? He then notices the giant bucket of water off to the side. He runs over to get a drink of water. But upon dipping his hands in, he pulls out a Gomamon. Yusuke: Yeah! Now that's what I'm talking about! Yusuke runs back, looking around to see if anyone saw him get Gomamon, and hands off his two caricatures to Tally. Tally: Great job! We just need one more and we're done. Yusuke: (running off again) It's gotta be somewhere. Unfortunately, someone had noticed where Yusuke had come from. And it was Nabiki, who had seen him run from the starting line. Nabiki immediately made a dash in that direction, not caring who saw her. Trunks didn't have to see her... he sensed her movement. Trunks: Whoa! Nabiki must have found the last one! I gotta beat her to it! As Nabiki and Trunks ran past the arrangers' circle, Rally started yelling out to her teammate. Rally: Amy! (pointing in the runners' direction) Over there! Over there! Amy sees what's going on and gives chase. But so does Keith and James, who also head off in that direction. Ian: (running towards someone) Disqualification! Rally: (a bit surprised) Wha? Ian: It's against the rules to help your teammate, Miss Vincent. You and Amy are out. Tally: (CC) These guys are definitely not letting anything slide. Yugi: They weren't even doing anything wrong! Ian: You cannot help your teammate in anyway. Those are the rules of the challenge. Rally: Shit! (turning around) Forget it, Amy! We're out! Amy R.: (stops running) Why? Rally: I damn forgot I'm not allowed to help you! As Rally tries to apologize to her teammate for making a mistake, the scramble to get Gomamon reaches a fever pitch. Nabiki and Trunks reach the big water bucket at the same time. They both dip their hands in. Nabiki: Hey! Remember our deal! Trunks: When I've got a chance to win? Forget that! Nabiki smiles as she pulls out a Gomamon and beats a hasty retreat. Trunks, meanwhile, finds his arms too short to reach to the bottom. Trunks: I'll have to dive in. Without taking off his clothes, Trunks jumps into the large bucket to get the Gomamon caricature. As Nabiki runs back, she sees Keith and James running towards her. Nabiki: It's inside the water bucket! James laughs out loud as Nabiki goes past them. James: Thanks for the info, twerpette! Keith: (running side-by-side with him) She's lying. James: Wha? Keith: You think she'd honestly tell us the truth? James thinks of a response to that, but he gets his brain jarred after he runs off the path and right into a tree. Keith: (laughs) Ha! You're such a sucker! James: (getting up and rubbing his nose) Ow! You'll pay for tricking a Rocket! In the arrangers' circle, Jet and Nabiki arrive with a caricature in hand. As Jet runs towards where everybody else is now coming from, Nabiki stands back and smiles happily as Rini puts in the Gomamon and checks her arrangement. Rini: (shouting) Hey! We're done! We're done! Ian runs over to check their box and make sure the arrangement is correct. After looking it over, he gives the girls a thumbs up. Ian: We've got a winner! Nabiki and Rini start jumping up and down giddly, celebrating their win. Trunks appears just as this is happening. He is soaking wet, but he does have the Gomamon caricature in hand. Trunks: (getting ready to hand it to Amy M.) It's all yours! Ian: Remember teams, keep going! You're still competing for who stays in the cabin the next two days! Amy M.: (immediately finishing) Done! This time, Ky Kiske runs over to check their box. He immediately approves it. Ky: Second place over here! Amy and Trunks smile in satisfaction, though they both wonder what could have been. Meanwhile, Yusuke returns to Tally with a Patamon in hand, while Keith has a Gomamon to hand to Yugi. Tally and Yugi: (at the same time) Done! Ian runs over to check Tally's, while Ky looks at Yugi's. Ian: Two of them are in the wrong place. And as Tally tries to remember which two... Ky: This team's done! Third place! James appears and gives his Gomamon to Takuya. But they've only got five so far, as James runs off. As he departs, Tally asks Ian to inspect her box again. This time, Ian gives her a thumbs up. Ian: Fourth place. (yelling aloud) That's it! We've got our cabinmates! Jet and James, still in the process of looking, stop what they're doing and return to the others. ====== All of the teams (except for Whitney and Trowa) are standing at the starting line, where Ian and Ky are about to award this challenge's prize. Ian: First of all, great job from all of you today. It seems a few of you forgot the rules, but overall, the challenge was played very fairly. Ky: But there has to be a winner, and today the prize goes to Nabiki and Rini. The two girls step forward, to the applause of everyone in the group. Ian: Each of you will get a Dell Dimension 4550 computer to take home, which you'll receive at the end of your stay here, regardless of whether you win the grand prize or not. As Nabiki and Rini celebrate their victory, Trowa and Whitney are off sulking. Trowa: It's my fault, Whitney. Whitney: Don't try to take the blame! You weren't breaking the rules at all! (pounding her fists on the ground) It's so unfair, so unfair, SO UNFAIR! Trowa: Will you stop beating yourself over it? We can't change what happened! Whitney: So what? You're just willing to accept defeat? Trowa: No... but obviously what I did was against the rules, at least by their standards. Whitney: Which is totally wrong! The rules said you couldn't help me search, but there's absolutely nothing saying looking for a piece that you had dropped wasn't allowed! Trowa: What do you want me to do? Whitney: Shouldn't we be allowed to challenge the ruling? Isn't there a provision in the rules about that? Trowa: (scratches his head) I suppose. Whitney: Then we'll submit a formal appeal! I feel we were wronged, and it needs to be corrected! Trowa: As long as it makes you happy, then fine. As Whitney walks back to join the others, Trowa breathes a sigh of relief. Trowa: (CC) I think Whitney's competitive nature is getting the best of her. I understand why she wants an appeal, but I don't think it will hold up. Whitney: (CC) I've worked too hard in life, and faced many situations where people have tried to screw me over! I've never let one slide before, and I'm definitely not letting this one! [Location Recap: Staying in cabin: Nabiki, Tally, Trunks, Yugi, and Yusuke To cabin: Amy M., Keith, and Rini To campsite: Amy R., Haruka, and Whitney Staying at campsite: James, Jet, Rally, Takuya, and Trowa Guilmon remains at the cabin; Gatomon remains at the campsite] ====== As the changing of the home sites goes on, Trunks has some words for Nabiki outside the cabin. Trunks: What kind of deal was that? You said that you would let me a win the challenge if I gave you a chance! Nabiki: Win a challenge. 'A'! Trunks: You didn't just trick me! As far as I'm concerned, you tricked everyone! Nabiki: I'll do anything it takes to win. If that means tricking a few people, then so be it. It's not really cheating as long as it's within the rules. Trunks: You could have at least given me a chance to beat you. Nabiki: It's not my fault that my arms are longer than yours. Trunks: I still say you didn't make it fair. Nabiki rolls her eyes before heading inside the cabin. ********** Night Five That evening, the eight campers were trying to make the best of their situation... by having a friendly conversation while holding marshmallows over the fire. Amy R.: Yeah! I love this game! Conveniently disguised as a game of Truth or Dare. Takuya: That's a girl's game! Amy R.: (smirks) Someone must be scared! Takuya: I am not! Amy R.: Oh yeah? Truth or dare? Takuya: (hesitating) Um... truth. Rally: (under her breath) Chicken. Jet: Pardon me guys, but being from the future, I've never heard of this game. Haruka: It's simple. One person asks another 'truth or dare?' If the person picks truth, he or she must answer a question truthfully. If the person picks dare, he or she must do whatever is asked of them. Amy R.: Couldn't have said it better myself. (to Takuya) Now, what type of person do you see yourself as? Jet: What kinda stupid question is... Before Jet could finish, Rally hushed him by covering her hand over his mouth. Takuya: As a leader. I'm headstrong, able to make quick decisions, and keep the whole team focused on our goal. You could say I was born to lead. Trowa: Well leader, you have to make sure you're reaching your goal first. Takuya: I'm working on it! Anyway, it's my turn right? Let's see... Takuya looks around the circle and picks out... Takuya: James! Truth or dare? James: Why me? Takuya: As a leader, I command you to choose! Truth or dare? James: (reeling back in fright) Eeeeee... okay... how about dare? Takuya: I dare you to lie your head on Amy's shoulder and stay there for the rest of the game! Amy R.: Wait a minute! James: (leaning over) Okay. Amy R.: (to herself) Just imagine it's Sonic and I'll be fine... Amy is trying to keep calm as James rests his head on her right shoulder. Takuya smiles as he rubs his hands together. Takuya: Oh yeah! I love this game! Rally: (whispering to Jet) Great. We haven't even been playing for a minute and it's already gotten to his head. Jet: (whispering back with a smile) Wait until it's my turn. I'll put him in his place. Amy R.: As long as you're lying on my shoulder, you might as well take your turn, James. James: (perking up) Oh. Almost forgot about that. James looked around the circle as he thought about who to pick. Naturally, his gaze first set upon Whitney, who still seemed a bit down after what had happened during the challenge. James: (VO) It would be nice to pick on Whitney while she's down, but I'd rather do that away from everyone else. He then turned to Jet, who shot back an evil glare at him. James: (VO) Okay, definitely not Jet. Who knows what he'll do to me. James then looks over at Trowa, who is on the other side of the circle. Trowa is unnerved, as if he didn't care whether he was picked or not. James: (VO) I really don't have anything against Trowa... but I have to find out if what Bandit Keith told me this morning is true. (out loud) Trowa, truth or dare? Trowa: Truth. James: Okay... are you gay? Everyone was looking at James, wondering what possessed him to ask that question. Even Whitney had come out of her stupor to add her queried face to the mix. But Trowa didn't seem worried at all. And he proved that with his firm, one word response. Trowa: No. James: (shaking his head) I didn't think so. Rally: Are you an idiot or something? Jet: You can't ask that! Not with kids around! Amy R.: James? What do you mean by asking Trowa if he's gay or not? Jet: You see? You got Amy all curious now. Takuya: Actually, I'm curious too. Never heard of someone being gay before. Haruka: You really should think before you ask, James. James: (waving his arms around to defend himself) I'm just curious! Keith told me that he thought Trowa was gay, so he told me so. Rally: What? How dare he? Takuya: I knew that guy was trouble from the day he got here. But that still doesn't explain the whole gay issue. Amy R.: Yeah! I want to know too! Haruka: You two are much too young to be worrying about that. Trust me on that. Amy R. and Takuya: But... Haruka: The subject is closed. Trowa, I believe it's your turn. Trowa nodded and began looking over the group to decide who to choose. The game continued on for another hour before they broke up and went to their tents. ====== Day Six Morning has come to the Digital World, and several of the cabinmates are already up and about. Trunks and Yusuke are off sparring, Tally's in the bathroom, Keith and Nabiki are still asleep, Yugi is going over his dueling deck, and Amy M. and Rini are fixing breakfast. Amy M.: How's the toast coming along? Rini: (peeking into the toaster oven) Almost golden brown! How about the rice? Amy M.: (taking the lid off of the rice cooker) It's ready. Let's go get everyone, okay? The two Sailor Scouts nod as they began to get the crew to the breakfast table. ====== Over at the campsite, Trowa is sitting in front of the campfire, boiling water to be used to cook their breakfast. While he waits, he seems to be looking at someone, but we don't know who yet. James pops out of his tent and sits down next to Trowa. He lets out a stifling yawn as Trowa eyes him curiously, who then turns his attention back to what he had been looking at before. James: Sorry about last night. Trowa: It's okay. I get it all the time. James nodded, then looked off towards where Trowa was staring at. Whitney was standing 30 feet away with her back towards them. Trowa knew that she was talking with Tenchi, who had arrived a few minutes ago. Trowa: Whitney thinks we were unfairly disqualified yesterday, and she's appealing to Tenchi to overturn the ruling. James: Does that mean we'll have to do that challenge all over again? Trowa: (shrugs his shoulders) Maybe. The two of them watch as Whitney does her best to convince Tenchi to take her appeal. Whitney: Trowa had dropped one of his caricatures... the Gabumon... onto the ground. He was searching in the grass right around the area for it. Tenchi: The rule was that the arrangers were not allowed to do any searching. Whitney: The rule never said anything about retrieving one that Trowa already had and accidentally lost! Tenchi: Why do you want to go through with this appeal in the first place? Whitney: Because I felt we should have been allowed to continue, Tenchi. Trowa and I might not have won, but we could have gotten to stay in the cabin. Tenchi: You do realize that there's no way to redo the challenge, right? Whitney: Why not? Tenchi: How would everyone else feel? There's no way everyone would perform the same way as they did anyway. But I'll tell you what... I'll look over the tape, and if I think you were unfairly disqualified, I'll allow you and Trowa to spend tonight in the cabin. Whitney: Thank you. I guess that's all I can ask for, huh? Tenchi: At this point, yes. As Tenchi heads back to the village and the Trailmon station, Whitney walks over to Trowa and James. Trowa: And? Whitney: It wouldn't be fair to redo the challenge, but he said he'll look at the tape and see if the mistake was big enough to allow us to spend tonight in the cabin. Trowa: It's better than Tenchi saying completely forget about it. Whitney: (sighs) Yeah. Now we have to hope he'll overturn the results. James: All of this just for another night in the cabin? Whitney: It's better than sleeping out here! I hate it when people ignore how good I am because I'm a woman! It's downright sexist! Trowa: Isn't that going a bit far by calling the judges sexist? Whitney: I didn't say the judges are sexist! My point is, people have been trying all my life to put me down! When people heard I was inheriting the Goldenrod City gym from my parents, almost every guy in town tried to stop me from turning it into an equivalent of Erika's in Celadon City! James: You mean you didn't? Whitney: Of course not! But no one was willing to give me a chance! No high-ranking male officals were, anyway. Trowa: What did you do? Whitney: What didn't I do? I hired the best female trainers I could find to serve as my assistants, captured the rarest and most powerful normal-type Pokémon, and gave back parts of my earnings to citizens of Goldenrod! Now, I'm the city's most popular celebrity! James: (sarcastically) I'm happy for you. Trowa: All we can do now is wait. Whitney: Yes. Wait and hope. ====== A few hours later, the campsite was pretty much empty as everyone had wandered off somewhere. Trowa and Takuya wandered off with Gatomon, hoping to get some training done, when they meet Tally, Nabiki, and Guilmon halfway between camp and the cabin. Trowa: You girls training here? Nabiki: No. Tally and I just needed to get away from the house. Tally: Yeah. The guys are watching "Love Hina" right now and they're hollering and drooling all over the place. I never understood why it's so popular. Nabiki: And I didn't wanted to be reminded of home. I'm just glad to be away from Ranma and my sisters. It can get just as hectic there. Takuya: Do you mind if we train Gatomon here? Tally: Not at all. Go right ahead. Trowa: But you two are on the opposite team. Wouldn't showing you our training techniques give you a big advantage? Tally: Good point. (to Nabiki and Guilmon) Nabiki, Guilmon, let's go find some other place to rest. Tally and Nabiki turn to walk away, but Guilmon stays put as he looks over Gatomon. Guilmon: Are you a rookie? Gatomon: I'm a champion, bub. I've got nine lives and I'm ready to use them up for my team! Nabiki: Guilmon, let's go! Takuya: Hey, the Digimon don't seem to want to separate. Why don't we train together? Tally: Why? What about being fair? Takuya: Isn't it fair if Guilmon and Gatomon spar on equal terms. At least then, we can all get a measure of where we are thus far. Trowa: A practice fight? It could work. Tally: I'm all for it. Nabiki: Me too... as long as neither of them gets hurt. Takuya: (to the Digimon) What do you say, guys? Up for a battle? Gatomon: You bet! Guilmon: I think so. Tally: Then it's settled! We'll all stay here! ====== A little later, after the sparring match had been settled, Nabiki, Takuya, Tally, and Gatomon had all fallen asleep on the grass. That just left Trowa and Guilmon awake. Guilmon: I'm bored. Can I go to sleep like everyone else now? Trowa: (reaching into his pocket) Hold on... I want to try something. Trowa pulls out a trick coin, in which both sides have heads on it. Guilmon: What's that? Trowa: A coin with heads on both sides. Guilmon: Why are you using THAT coin? Trowa: Because it seems it's the only way I'm going to win anything. Guilmon: Is winning good? Trowa: Yeah. Especially if you're like me and haven't won anything yet. Guilmon: (blinks) How does it work? Trowa: (flips the coin into the air) Heads! The coin flips several times and lands on the ground heads side up. Trowa: No matter how many times I flip this coin, it will always come up heads. Guilmon: Wow! So that means you always win? Trowa: As long as I don't call tails, yes. Guilmon: What's so bad about tails? I have one! Trowa: (laughs) I'll explain that using a real coin... ====== Night Six The sun was setting, and there was still no ruling from Tenchi. Whitney waited patiently in her tent, pacing around and not allowing anyone bother her except for the host himself. Jet: (standing outside) I don't think it's normal to pace around all day. Trowa: She's just nervous, that's all. Jet: You really think Tenchi will overturn the ruling? Trowa: (nods and points in front of him) We're about to find out. Jet turned and saw Tenchi had arrived at the campsite. Trowa: Whitney, Tenchi's here! Seconds later, Whitney emerged from her tent, took a deep breath, and then walked over to where Tenchi was standing. ********** As Whitney waited for the verdict, Tenchi waved Trowa over, since he was a part of the incident as well. He wanted to tell the two teammates his decision together. Tenchi: Whitney. Trowa. I reviewed the video from yesterday's challenge. After looking at it, I decided that Trowa's actions were not against the rules since he was still in the immediate area of his pedestal. So, the disqualification is overturned. Whitney: (happily jumping up and down) Yes! I knew I was right! Tenchi: But... Whitney: (stops jumping) But? But what? Tenchi: I examined where all the teams were at the time of your disqualification. At the time, you had three. Two teams had seven, and two more teams had six. I do not believe that had you been allowed to finish the challenge that you would catch up and place in the top four. Trowa: So that means we're staying here? Tenchi: (nods) Yes, on the grounds that it would not have changed the final result. I hope you both understand. Whitney's a little saddened, but she takes it in stride. Whitney: It's not exactly what I wanted, but at least the right call has been made. Thanks, Tenchi. Tenchi: Don't mention it. As Tenchi left, Trowa stopped Whitney from walking back to her tent. Trowa: Are you sure you're okay with it? Whitney: Yeah. All I wanted is for the disqualification to be dropped. Staying in the cabin would have been nice too, but you can't win 'em all. Whitney then trotted back to tell the rest of her campmates the semi-good news. Trowa: (CC) Whitney's really impressive. She's great physically and mentally. The emotional part needs work, but I'm sure what she has now is more than sufficient. As Whitney spreads the good word, Jet and Haruka observe as they have a smoke away from camp. Jet: You didn't actually buy into that crying act of hers yesterday, did you? Haruka: It's definitely not Academy Award material, that's for sure. But it must have worked. Jet: She really knows how to get what she wants. Haruka: I think it's only because she doesn't always get what she deserves. Jet: Neither do I. No one does! Haruka: To be a female in a male-dominated profession. I can only imagine what she goes through. Jet: You could ask Rally that... there aren't many female bounty hunters. Haruka: I could... but let's not bring her into this. The two of them stop for a minute to get in another puff of smoke. Haruka: Sometimes it's better to forget about your troubles for awhile. Smoking really helps me do that. Jet: Is that you or the nicotine talking? Haruka let a light chuckle escape her lips before growing serious again, as the two spend some quality time together. ====== Day Seven Those in the log cabin get a rude awakening as the doorbell rings at 7 a.m. (Tokyo Standard Time), with someone delivering a message to them. Amy M., always the punctual one, answers the door and passes the message onto the others. Amy M.: (CC) We have a challenge at ten o'clock this morning. It's a physical challenge with Keith and Rally as the captains, though all it said about the challenge itself is that we need to be familiar with the world. ====== The sixteen Roomies leave their lodgings and make it to the challenge area in time. Before Tenchi even shows up, teams are already picked according to the captains. [Team Assignments: New York - Keith, Amy M., Jet, Tally, Yusuke, James, Nabiki, Takuya Chicago - Rally, Haruka, Trowa, Whitney, Trunks, Amy R., Yugi, Rini] Tenchi: (appearing on the scene) Good morning, everyone! I know you're all glad to have me back, so let's get down to business. Today, with your help, we're going to help bring one of the most successful computer games back to life for a day. Tenchi leads them away from the regular challenge field to another open field nearby, where a giant electronic map is set up on top of a platform. Tenchi: Today's challenge is named directly after the computer game that it's inspired from. It's called 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' A few of the older Roomies are happy about this, but most of the group seems to be unfamiliar with the game. Tenchi: Here's the premise, for those of you who don't know. Carmen Sandiego is a master thief. She can steal whatever she wants, whenever she wants, and still get away with it. Anyone would quit right there, while they're ahead. But Carmen loves the thrill of the chase. She leaves clues for her pursuers, in hopes that they'll figure out where she's going next. Jet: What's the point? She's just asking to get caught. Tenchi: That's the thing. People come close, but no one ever catches her. Unless you're playing the game, of course. What fun would the game be if the player never won? Amy R.: That would be one dull game. Tenchi: Anyway, today all of you will be playing a life-size version of it. And although we don't have Carmen Sandiego here herself, or a decent lookalike for that matter, we've got a prize worthy of her attention. $100,000 for each person on the winning team. Eh? Amy R.: I don't think it's fair because I'm not from this world! Jet: I'm not even from this time period! James: Geography was always my worst subject. As was math, grammar, and recess! (whines) Why do we have to do this? Tenchi: 'Cause it's fun! Takuya: (looking down) Why do I feel like J.P. all of a sudden? Tenchi: The rules of the game are as follows. Two members of each team will be on the map at the beginning. I will ask the foursome a geograpy question and give them three choices. Those three choices will light up on the map that you will all be standing on. Run to the correct choice, and you stay in. Pick one of the two wrong ones and you're out. One of your teammates must replace you. We continue on until either one team has lost all their members or I get through the entire 10-question set. If that happens, the team with the most people remaining wins. Rally: (CC) Now that I look back 20 minutes, picking Whitney was a really bad choice. She can't find her way through a small Digimon village. How can I expect her to find a third world country on a map? Amy M.: (CC) The last couple of challenges have all been mental ones, which I'm very good at. But I'm beginning to wonder if my outstanding perfomance is making me a target. Maybe it's just me, but I doubt that five weeks from now everyone's going to want the person with the most money earned to win. ====== [Physical Challenge 2: Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?] Team New York (Keith's team) is standing to the left of the map platform, while Team Chicago (Rally's team) is on the right. Tenchi: Would the first two competitors from each team step up and stand over their respective cities? Jet and Keith step on New York (lighted in blue) and Whitney and Haruka head over to Chicago (lighted in red). Yugi: (to Rally) Why's Whitney going first? Rally: If she screws up, it's better she does so early rather than later. Besides, maybe Haruka can help her out. Tenchi produces a stack of index cards from out of his pocket. Tenchi: Competitors, you will have 15 seconds to make a choice when I finish reading each question. That will allow to change your mind if you think your first hunch is wrong. Keith: Heh. This one's in the bag. Tenchi: The game begins now... which American city hosted the last Olympic games? Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, or New York City? Haruka moves first, trotting over to Salt Lake City. Keith and Whitney follow soon after. But Jet decides to go for Los Angeles, and heads there. Tenchi: Salt Lake City. Jet, you're out. Jet steps off and is replaced by James. Tenchi: In the anime series 'Mobile Fighter G-Gundam,' the Shuffle Alliance is represented by five world nations. Which of the following is not one of them? France, Australia, or the United States? James and Whitney both look utterly confused. Haruka shrugs her shoulders, as if she was suggesting 'the hell with it' as she decided to stay in the U.S. Keith walks over to Australia. The two Pokémon trainers wait until the very last second before James heads over to join Keith, while Whitney remains with Haruka. Tenchi: Australia is not one of the nations represented by the Shuffle Alliance. Haruka and Whitney step off the map as they are replaced by Trowa and Rini. Tenchi: Which of the following Canadian cities is home to the Maple Leafs, the Raptors, and the Blue Jays, three professional sports teams? Edmonton, Toronto, or Vancouver? Keith starts to walk towards Edmonton, while Trowa goes for Toronto. James is confused yet again as Rini leaves him and goes to Vancouver. James then makes a play for Toronto just as Keith does as well... leaving Rini alone and away from the others. Tenchi: Toronto is the correct answer. Rini, that's an incorrect answer. Rini is replaced by Amy R. She, Keith, James, and Trowa are now standing by the Great Lakes. Tenchi: In what country would you find the largest known man-made structure of Jesus Christ? Brazil, Costa Rica, or Indonesia? The four of them don't move for a second. But when Trowa jumps, the foursome makes a mad dash for South America, shoving and nearly knocking each other over in the process. Luckily, they all get to Brazil unscathed. Tenchi: And you're all right! The answer is Brazil. So far, Team Chicago is down three, while Team New York is down only one. Next question... which of these island nations is closest to the International Date Line? The Fiji Islands, French Polynesia, or Papua New Guinea? This time, all four of them are confused. James goes with his gut and goes for French Polynesia. Amy R. and Trowa follow him, but Keith decides to go for Papua New Guinea. Keith: Guess who's still gonna be here, suckers? Tenchi: (smiles) Obviously, none of you Keith, because the correct answer is the Fiji Islands. Keith mumbles incoherently as he and everyone else on the map exits. Tally and Takuya are in for NY, Yugi and Trunks for CHI. Yusuke: (CC) I knew this game was going to get ugly. I just didn't think it would get this ugly. Man, they all suck! Tenchi: What European nation would you find at the coordinates 40 degrees north latitude, 20 degrees east longitude? Hungary, Poland, or Switzerland? Since there are no latitude/longitude lines on this map, all four competitors must guess yet again. Tally goes to Hungary, Takuya and Trunks to Poland, and Yugi to Switzerland. Tenchi: At 40 degrees north latitude, 20 degrees east longitude, you will find yourself smack dab in the middle of Hungary! Everyone but Tally, you're out. Takuya, Trunks, and Yugi exit, with Nabiki and Rally coming up. Only two people come up because Rally is the only one left for her team. Tenchi: Rally, you are your team's last hope. You've got these two and two more in the waiting to beat. Rally looks over to see Amy M. and Yusuke awaiting their turns. Tenchi: Question Seven... in which Middle East country would you find a city named Antalya? Lebanon, Turkey, or Armenia? The pressure's on for Rally as she tries to decide where to go. Obviously, Nabiki and Tally are just as confused. Tally finally goes for Turkey. Nabiki decides to go against her teammate and choose Lebanon. Rally goes with her gut instinct and joins Tally on Turkey. Tenchi: If you're in the city of Antalya, you're in the country of Turkey! Tally and Rally are staying, Nabiki, you gotta go! Nabiki exits and is replaced by Yusuke. Yusuke: Ha! I'm the only guy left! How lucky can I be? Rally: Don't get too excited! I'm not dropping out yet! Tenchi: Mt. Kirkpatrick can be found on what continent? Antarctica, Asia, or Europe? Tally immediately walks over to Asia, leaving Yusuke and Rally to ponder their choices. Rally goes with Tally again, joining her in Asia. Yusuke: (shrugs his shoulders) Either we're all right, or we're all wrong. Yusuke joins the two women in Asia. Tenchi: Mt. Kirkpatrick is located in... Antarctica. And although all three of you are out, Team New York still has one player left. Thus, they have won today's challenge! All of the members of Team New York scream their lungs out with glee as they jumped for joy. The same can't be said about Team Chicago. Rally: (CC) Where did I go wrong with my picks? Keith obviously had all the right people. I... I just didn't. Keith: (CC) Back to the cabin for me! No more sleeping out on the ground! Trunks: (CC) I don't wanna go back to the campsite! I don't wanna! ====== After the celebrations, Tenchi brings out the scoreboard for everyone to see. Tenchi: After today's challenge, these are the current standings. Miss Mizuno didn't have to do anything today, yet she will take the overall lead at $210,000. James, Jet, and Keith are right behind at $200,000 even. Now, as is normal, the members of the winning team get to stay in the cabin until the next challenge. The others stay at the campsite. I suggest you get moving, as it looks like some rainclouds are rolling in. A brief glance at the sky confirms it, as the sky begins to get dark. The group separates as those who need to move head back to pack their things. Tenchi: (VO) One week has past thus far here in the Digiworld. But there are still five left to go, and the challenges get tougher from here on out. How will the 'rabbits' of the game like Amy Mizuno fare the next few days? And what about those at the bottom of the charts? Will they finally get their heads in the game? Looking at the scoreboard again, Rini and Trowa are at the bottom with $0. Tenchi: (VO) This game's only just begun... ========================= End Episode Four ========================== Tenchi: (VO) Next week on Roomies... Tally: Welcome to civilization! Tenchi: (VO) Inclement weather brings the games to a halt... Amy R.: (under a tarp) I only have three sets of clothes, you know! Trunks: (holding his nose) No wonder you stink. Tenchi: (VO) But not the arguments... Amy M.: I'm a kind person, honest! I would never do a thing like that! Yusuke: You expect me to believe that? Tenchi: (VO) The deal-making... Trowa: It's in our best interests that we work together. Nabiki: (cheerfully) Would a face this cute lie to you? Tenchi: (VO) Or the friendly bonding... James: (crying tears of joy) I've never been this happy in my entire life! Jet: You're all nuts! Haruka: (sarcastically) Glad to see someone cares. Tenchi: (VO) It's all on the next episode of Roomies. Yugi: (holding a glass) Got milk? Additional Author's Notes: I don't remember if I've ever done an episode centralized around just two of the characters rather than the whole cast. It's interesting, to say the least, but it cuts out time for other pieces. As you all know by now, Keith had been telling James about how gay he thought Trowa looked. Obviously, it's a shot at the whole 'Are the Gundam Wing boys gay?' issue. It's also a shot at James, who is rumored to be gay because he crossdresses often. Then again, so does his partner Jessie. Someone answer me this... you get a series like 'Gundam Wing,' which has a predominately male main cast that most people think is gay, while on the other hand, a series like 'Love Hina,' with predominately female leads, is not thought off to be lesbian. Isn't it weird how anime works like that? And I do realize there are exceptions, but this is just in general. Many of you may have noticed that scenes did not seem complete or could have been carried out more. Especially in the middle part of this episode. That is intentional... I promise that you'll all get a chance to see some of the stuff that didn't make the original cut a little later on. Just for fun, two questions were not asked in the 'Carmen Sandiego' challenge. 9: In what African country does the Blue Nile River originate from? Sudan, Ethiopia, or Uganda? 10: What is the largest city in Japan closest to my home in the Okayama prefecture? Tokyo, Osaka, or Sapparo? I'll give the answers in the Author's Notes next week... but if you can't wait, e-mail me and I'll tell you! Voting for the Final 4 also officially begins this week. To keep in line with the Fanfiction.net bylaws, voting will only be done offsite. For details, please e-mail me! You are still allowed to put the whole 'I hope so and so wins' in your reviews. It's always nice to see who everyone's cheering for. If you haven't seen it on my profile page yet... chat with me this Saturday, February 8th on Yahoo! Messenger. I hope to be on throughout the afternoon that day, but we'll see. Episode 5... possibly a more peaceful episode? We'll see on Tuesday!