When the camera fades in from commercial, the show?s title card is placed over a shot of some jungle plants next to Olmec and the Cave. The pendant logo splits, the title fades into the distance and the camera segues to Kirk standing in front of the Pit of Despair with the two remaining teams.
?Welcome back to Legends!? he says. ?Now the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, so let?s talk to our team players.? He turns to the left side of the screen to talk to the Red Jaguars, starting with a slightly-taller-than-average, hazel-eyed boy with a dark brown hair visible under the helmet. ?On the Red Jaguars, we have Cal. How old are you??
?Fourteen.?
?And I understand you swim and skateboard,? Kirk reads off the index card in his hand, ?but it says here you collect dangerous pets. Tell me about that.?
?Well,? explains Cal, ?I have a few pet snakes now, and I used to have a lizard and a tarantula before.?
?Ah, well? make sure you keep an eye on ?em,? Kirk laughs before moving on to Cal?s partner, a freckled girl with blue eyes and straight brown hair reaching the middle of her back. ?And also on the Red Jaguars, we have Katy. How old are you??
?Thirteen.?
?And it says here you play two really different things,? Kirk reads. ?Tell me about that.?
?Yeah, I play soccer,? Katy explains, ?and I play violin.?
?Well? that IS different,? comments Kirk with a little chuckle. ?Which do you like better??
?Probably? soccer ?cause I?ve been doing it longer and I can play any position.?
?All right,? Kirk replies. ?Well, this is a well-rounded team, so let?s hear it for the Red Jaguars!? The audience cheers for a few seconds, during which Cal and Katy themselves clap along and Kirk turns stage-right to talk with the Purple Parrots. ?Hi, Purple Parrots!?
Both Purple Parrots wave; the girl appears to say the words ?Hi Kirk,? although not loudly enough for the camera to catch it.
?On the Purple Parrots,? Kirk comments as he moves toward a hazel-eyed boy with short, strawberry-blond hair, ?we have Andrew. How old are you??
?Thirteen.?
?And I understand you play baseball and soccer, but you also collect comic books,? reads Kirk. ?Tell me about that.?
?Um? I have a lot of? Fantastic Four and Batman comics,? Andrew explains. ?Mostly newer stuff.?
?Oh, very nice,? replies Kirk, moving to the far-right region of the screen to talk to Andrew?s partner, a tan-skinned girl with shoulder-length dark hair and dark brown eyes. ?And Emily, how old are you??
?Thirteen,? she answers.
?And I understand you play basketball and you want to be an actress. Tell me about that,? says Kirk.
?Well,? says Emily, ?I like a lot of? action and adventure movies, so I might wanna do one of those.?
?What kind of character would you wanna play??
?Probably? an athlete??? Emily giggles.
?We got a creative team here! Let?s hear it for the Purple Parrots!? Andrew and Emily high-five during a round of applause from the audience.
"You guys ready to play?" Kirk asks the Red Jaguars.
"YEAH!" reply Cal and Katy.
"How about you guys?" Kirk turns to the Purple Parrots.
Andrew and Emily give a similar response.
"All right, then go get ready for the Temple Games!" Kirk says, pointing in different directions, and the players walk offscreen? Cal and Andrew off to the left, Katy and Emily to the right? before Kirk turns towards the camera again. "In the Temple Games, each team is competing to win?" he opens a pouch and pulls out a small gold medallion to show to the camera? "Pendants of Life. The winning team will need those Pendants to protect them from the DREADED Temple Guards as they make their way through the Temple. There are three Temple Games, and Olmec: tell us about Temple Game #1."
Olmec begins:
"Pyrrhus was a great military leader until the Battle of Ascoli, and had a number of decisive victories. In this game, the grid before you marks nine different places where Pyrrhus scored a victory. When Kirk gives the signal, put a rock between your legs, grab the trapeze, swing out over the grid and drop the rock into the grid to mark a victory in that location. Then, swing back, grab another rock and try again.
"The first player to drop a rock in all nine holes in the grid? or the player that's dropped rocks in the most holes in 60 seconds? wins."
"They gotta mark some wins on a map? Why don't we get them started?" Kirk comments from in the middle of the area used for the game. "Let's set the clock for one minute?" With a bang, a countdown clock appears in the bottom-right corner of the screen, and Kirk takes several steps to the side to get out of the way. "On your marks, get set, GO!"
Cal and Andrew swing out as soon as Kirk shouts ?Go,? but neither lands their first ball in the grid; both just bounce off and fall short of it. The first point is scored by Cal, in the center-left hole of the grid with 49 seconds to go. However, Andrew evens the score by landing a ball in the bottom-center hole at the :44 mark. Both fail to score on the next attempts, but Cal eventually fills the bottom-left hole of his grid (:34).
?This game is all about timing and placing!? remarks Kirk as Andrew swings out, but misses the grid, with thirty seconds to go. ?You gotta figure out where the ball?s gonna go when you drop it!? A few more failed attempts occur; by the :15 mark, the score is still 2-1 Red. ?They go out again? Red Jaguars score again!? Cal covers the upper-left hole with twelve seconds to go and heads back. ?Can the Purple Parrots catch up? Just a few seconds left?!? Andrew misses again on his next shot, but finally scores in the bottom-left corner with three seconds to go. ?Just needs one more to tie it up?!? However, before either of the boys can try one more time, the countdown clock hits zero and splinters. A pattern of ceiling spotlights flashes to signify the end of the game, and Kirk runs back onscreen to count the scores.
?All right, time?s up! Let?s check it out?? Kirk calls over Cal and Andrew, who let go of their trapezes and walk down the ramps to meet him. ?Purple Parrots covered up two holes?? he gestures to Andrew?s grid before doing the same to Cal?s? ?Red Jaguars got three holes! They win a half a Pendant of Life!? The audience temporarily cheers as Kirk and Cal high-five. ?The next game is worth a half-Pendant. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2.?
Olmec continues:
"Like any general, Pyrrhus had to prep himself and his troops for battle, and often this involved gathering weapons, armor or warhorses. In this game, you must gather four of Pyrrhus's warhorses, who have gotten lost on the mountain before you. When Kirk gives the signal, climb the mountain using the rope in your hands. When you reach one of the horses, grab it and stuff it in your pack, then keep climbing. When you reach the top, turn around and climb down the other side."
"The first player to reach the ground on the other side of the mountain with all four horses? or the player that's further along after 60 seconds? wins."
"These are some small horses," chuckles Kirk, standing in front of the girls and the mountains. "Let's put 60 seconds on the clock." The countdown clock reappears in the bottom-right corner of the screen, and a red half-Pendant appears in the upper-left corner as Kirk takes a few steps to the side and out of the camera frame. "On your mark, get set, GO!"
Katy and Emily start to climb up the first side of their ?mountains,? but it isn?t long before they reach the first of their stuffed horses. From the start, Katy moves faster, however, and manages to stuff the first horse into her pack with 52 seconds remaining. Emily delays a little when she nearly loses grip on the rope, so by the time she reaches her second horse, Katy has just stuffed her second one in her pack (:45). This pattern continues for a while? by the time only 33 seconds are left, Katy has already stuffed all but her last horse into her pack, but Emily has only stored two.
?They?re almost at the top,? explains Kirk, ?and when they get there, they?re gonna have to turn around and come down the other side!? Mere seconds later, however, Katy gets the fourth and final stuffed horse inside her pack and starts across the top of the mountain while Emily finishes stuffing the third of her horses into her pack (:26). ?Purple Parrots trailing! Red Jaguars just need to come back down, but can the Purple Ja? Purple Parrots catch up?? Emily finally stuffs the last horse into her pack with nineteen seconds on the clock, but it?s too little, too late? Katy makes it down the other side of the mountain, and her feet touch the floor just as the clock reaches ?0:14.?
?That?s it! C?mon over Katy!? Kirk announces as he meets Katy and, eventually, Emily at the base of the mountain. ?Red Jaguars made it across with all four of their horses first, so they get another half-Pendant of Life!? The audience cheers once more for Katy, then Kirk goes over to stand by Emily. ?So now the Red Jaguars have a full Pendant, the Purple Parrots don?t have anything yet, but the next game is worth a full Pendant, and it?s the third and final game. Olmec, tell us about Temple Game? #3.?
Olmec narrates:
"Legend has it that Pyrrhus was advised to take down the enemy from three sides, but rejected the plan. In this game, you will need to take down a small army that used that same tactic. One of you is suspended in a sack. When Kirk gives the signal, swing your partner at one of the soldiers and knock it over.
"The first team to knock over all three soldiers? or the team that knocks over the most targets in 30 soldiers? wins."
The camera transitions over to Kirk. "Purple Parrots need this one to tie," he reminds the audience. "Let's put 30 seconds on the clock?" The clock reappears onscreen in the bottom-right corner, along with a red full Pendant in the upper-left. Kirk then takes a few steps back as the camera cuts to a side shot of the two teams and their targets. "On your marks, get set, GO!"
Cal and Andrew pull the suspended sacks containing their partners back towards the starting line; in a surprise move, Cal pushes Katy towards the Red Jaguars? leftmost target, and Andrew throws Emily at the Purple Parrots? rightmost soldier. Both, however, manage to knock over their first targets within seconds. ?That was the first one, but now they gotta change directions, and that?s always tough!? Kirk declares as the girls swing back. Subsequently, Andrew pushes Emily towards the middle target, which she manages to kick down with a full nineteen seconds still on the clock. On the other hand, Cal swings, but misses. ?Red Jaguars missed it, that could cost them, ?cause the Purple Parrots need just one more?!? Sure enough, the Purple Parrots kick their final target down with twelve seconds left, even before Katy could come into contact with another target. The countdown clock and full Pendant disappear from the screen, and Kirk dashes onscreen once more.
?That?s it! That was fast!? he remarks, and spotters run over to grab the girls? sacks to make sure they stop swinging and/or spinning. Kirk walks over to where Cal and Andrew are standing as the cameraman stands in front of the targets and faces the three. ?Purple Parrots came back in that one and they got the full Pendant, so now each team has a full Pendant? it?s a tie! Let?s bring in the tiebreaker pedestals!?
Two spotters roll in the tiebreaker pedestal, then walk off as the boys run over to it? joined by their female partners mere seconds later? and stand behind their respective gongs as directed by Kirk. "Okay, here's the tiebreaker rules. In a moment, Olmec will ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, hit the gong in front of you. You'll have three seconds to answer and I must accept your first response. If you're right, you and your partner will be going inside the Temple in search of the Thrown-Away Battle Plan, but if you're wrong or run out of time, I'll give the other team a chance. All clear?"
The players nod in response.
"Olmec!" Kirk shouts. "What's the final question?"
Olmec asks:
"Was the Battle of Ascoli called a 'Pyrrhic victory' because: Pyrrhus was in charge, It was a draw or The win came at a dange??"
Cal rings the gong first: ?He? won but it? uh, came with a price.?
There is a brief pause.
?That? is? correct.?
?Olmec?s made his decision!? Kirk announces as Cal and Katy go in for a hug and celebrate by locking hands and jumping up and down. ?The Red Jaguars are goin? to the Temple!? He then goes to talk with the Purple Parrots. ?Purple Parrots gave it a great effort too, it was a close match and we enjoyed having ?em. But we got a great gift for ?em and here?s what it is.? Andrew and Emily will each be receiving a $100 U.S. Savings Bond provided by Skechers.
The screen wipes to show only Kirk and the Red Jaguars standing behind the tiebreaker pedestal. ?We?ll see if the Red Jaguars can make it through Olmec?s Temple, retrieve that Battle Plan of Pyrrhus? right after this!? The camera runs along the outside wall of the Temple until it reaches the Graveyard of Ships. At this point, it zooms in on the Thrown-Away Battle Plan on the stage-left grave, and the show?s logo reforms before the camera fades to black for the commercial.
Topic: Rediscovery EP: The Thrown-Away Battle Plan of Pyrrhus (Read 860 times)