We return from the break to find Kirk standing in front of the Temple with the two remaining teams.
“Welcome back,” he says. “Now, the glory goes to the fastest and the strongest, but first, let’s get to know our teams a bit better…”
Kirk turns first to the Red Jaguars, who are made up of a tall girl with short, nappy brown hair and blue eyes and an equally tall Hispanic-looking boy with short, shiny jet-black hair and hazel eyes.
“First, on the Red Jaguars, we’ve got Holly. How old are you, Holly?”
“Thirteen,” says Holly.
“And here it says that you like science and history, and you want to be a pediatrician someday…why’s that?”
“Well,” explains Holly, “I like kids, and…um, I really like working with kids and…I just think it’d be a cool job to have.”
“Ah, nice,” says Kirk as he turns to interview Holly’s partner. “And here, we have Carlos. How old are you, Carlos?”
“Fourteen,” Carlos replies.
“And it says that you like to play basketball, but you also like to draw…what kind of stuff do you like to draw?”
“Um…mainly cartoon stuff,” replies Carlos. “I, uh…like to make up characters, and…I’m thinking about making a book with ‘em one day.”
“Sounds like this team isn’t short on creativity,” says Kirk. “Let’s hear it for the Red Jaguars!” Carlos and Holly applaud along with the audience.
Kirk now turns to the Green Monkeys, who are made up of a petite brown-eyed girl with straight, shoulder-length brown hair and a taller, brown-eyed boy with his long black hair tied back into a ponytail.
“And over on the Green Monkeys, we’ve got Gwen. How old are you, Gwen?”
“Thirteen,” she says.
“And it says here that you play basketball and soccer, but you really like the outdoors…tell me a little about that.”
“Well, I really like to go hiking…swimming, that sort of stuff,” says Gwen. “I’ve got two older brothers who are real outdoorsy, and…they kind of got me into it, too.”
“Okay, neat,” says Kirk as he turns to interview her partner. “And this is Craig. How old are you?”
“Thirteen,” he replies.
“And…you like to play basketball, but you also play the guitar…how long have you been playing? The guitar, I mean…”
“Um…about two years,” replies Craig. “I got started when I was about eleven, and…I’m getting better at it.”
“Can you play any songs?” asks Kirk.
“…A few,” says Craig hesitantly.
“Well, we’ll see if you can rock these Temple Games,” says Kirk. “Let’s hear it for the Green Monkeys!” Gwen applauds along with the audience as Craig puts his hand on her shoulder and pumps his fist in the air.
“All right, are you guys ready to play?” Kirk asks the two teams.
“Yeah!” they reply.
“All right, then—go get ready for the Temple Games,” Kirk instructs as the players all scatter in various directions to do so. “Now, in the Temple Games, our teams are competing for…” Kirk retrieves a Pendant of Life from a pouch at his side and holds it up to the camera. “…Pendants of Life. The winners are gonna need these Pendants to protect them from the incredibly scary Temple Guards as they make their way through Olmec’s Temple. There are three Temple Games—Olmec, tell us about the first one, if you please…”
The black lights under Olmec come on as he begins to explain the first Game:
“In the days of feudal Japan, samurai like Hanz? often had to maneuver through meticulous terrain to get from place to place. In this game, you’ll see what that may have been like. When Kirk gives the signal, place your sword behind your head, and without taking your hands off it, maneuver your way through the bamboo thicket before you. If you remove your hands from your sword, you must go back and start again. The first player to reach the exit, or…the player that’s further along at the end of sixty seconds…wins.”
“Lost in the woods…who’s gonna make it out first?” asks Kirk. “Let’s find out…set the clock for sixty seconds!” The clock slams down in the bottom right-hand corner with a loud gong sound. “On your mark, get set, GO!”
Gwen and Holly each place their plastic “sword” behind their head and begin making their way through the maze of bamboo poles. Gwen manages to take a considerable lead at first, but she has a little trouble getting through the intersections of poles when she comes to them, allowing Holly to catch up to her each time she comes to one. Still, Gwen manages to maintain her lead up to the end of the game, and makes it to the exit with only six seconds left on the clock.
“Okay, that’s it!” Kirk shouts as he rushes back onscreen. “That’s it—the Green Monkeys made it out just in the nick of time, so they get the half Pendant of Life!” The audience applauds for a few seconds. “Red Jaguars can catch up in this next game. It’s also worth a half a Pendant—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #2, please…”
Olmec begins:
“As a member of Tokugawa Ieyasu’s guards, Hanz? often had to fend off many intruders at one time. In this game, you’ll have to take down four intruders of your own. When Kirk gives the signal, load your slingshot and fire a ball at one of the soldiers. Then load another ball and do it again. The first player to knock down all four intruders, or…the player who knocks over the most in thirty seconds…wins.”
“Looks like we’ve got some exterminating to do,” remarks Kirk. “Let’s set the clock for sixty—thirty seconds!” The clock slams down in the corner with the usual sound effect. “All right, ready…aim…FIRE!”
Craig knocks over the left-middle target on his first shot, but Carlos only totters his right-middle target. On Carlos’ next shot, he knocks over the target, but Craig pulls ahead only two seconds later by knocking over his right-middle target. Fifteen seconds into the game, Carlos knocks over his left-middle target to tie up the game. As time ticks away, it seems as though the game will end in a tie, but Craig manages to hit his leftmost target with six seconds remaining. With only two seconds left, Carlos hits his right-hand target, but it only teeters, staying fully erect when time expires.
“All right, that’s it!” says Kirk as he appears back onscreen. “Hold your fire, everybody! The Green Monkeys—let’s count it up and see how we did. The Green Monkeys got three targets down, and…the Red Jaguars got two targets down! The Green Monkeys get the half Pendant of Life!” Kirk pauses to allow for applause. “So now, it’s—the Green Monkeys have a full Pendant; the Red Jaguars don’t have any yet. But now, it’s time for the third and final Temple Game. It’s worth a full Pendant—Olmec, tell us about Temple Game #3…”
Olmec begins to explain the final Temple Game:
“In this game, you’ll be doing what Hanz? never got a chance to do—capture F?ma Kotar? and bring him back to the shogun’s court. When Kirk gives the signal, propel your boat off the dock toward your destination. When you reach it, climb out and load the ninja into the boat. Then, turn around and sail back. Be careful not to touch the water, or you’ll have to go back and start again. The first team to make it back to the dock, or…the team that’s further along at the end of sixty seconds…wins!”
“This is for the Temple,” says Kirk. “Let’s get…put sixty seconds on the clock!” The clock appears in the corner, all ready to go. “Lemme just get out of the way…all right, on your mark, get set, GO!”
Both teams push their boats off the dock and roll toward the destination on the other end of the stage. They both climb out to load the rag doll clothed in a black ninja outfit waiting for them there, but Craig accidentally sets foot on the floor, and not the dock, prompting the spotters to send he and Gwen back. The Red Jaguars, though, load their ninja doll into the boat and slowly start turning their boat around with 42 seconds left. On their second trip, the Green Monkeys manage to keep off the floor and step onto the dock and load their doll. They quickly start to turn their boat around, but by then, it’s too little, too late, as the Red Jaguars make it back to where they started with ten seconds remaining.
“Okay, that’s it!” Kirk shouts as he appears back onscreen and runs onto the dock. “The Red Jaguars made it back first, so they win the full Pendant. That gives them one Pendant; the Green Monkeys also have one Pendant—we’ve got a tie! Bring in the tiebreaker pedestal, please!”
A spotter wheels in the tiebreaker pedestal, and the teams position themselves behind it. Kirk stands beside them as he begins to explain the rules:
“All right, teams, here’s what’s about to happen. In a minute, Olmec will ask you a question. If you think you know the answer, hit the gong in front of you. You have three seconds to answer, and I have to accept your first response. The first team to buzz in and answer correctly will be going inside the Temple in search of the Oil-Soaked Rags. All clear?” Both teams’ members nod in response. “All right…Olmec, what is your final question?”
Olmec begins to ask the final question of the day:
“Samurai usually carried two of these weapons: slingshots, swords, or spears?”
The Green Monkeys ring in as Olmec is giving the final choice. “Swords?” answers Craig.
“That…is correct!” Olmec booms.
“The Green Monkeys are goin’ to the Temple!” Kirk exclaims as Gwen and Craig high-ten one another and applaud excitedly. “Red Jaguars, you guys—come over here. You guys were amazing, too—it came down to one final question. We’ve got a great gift for you guys, and here’s what it is!” They receive the game Pictionary Man.
As the prize disappears off-screen, we see Kirk standing next to the Green Monkeys. “They did it—now we’ll see if the Green Monkeys make it through Olmec’s Temple and retrieve the Oil-Smoked—Soaked Rags of the Japanese Ninja, right after this!”
The camera pans in on the Temple and zooms in on the clump of Oil-Soaked Rags before the title appears onscreen, and we go to a commercial.
Topic: Legends: Rebirth-The Oil-Soaked Rags of the Japanese Ninja (Read 1679 times)