| night.I know that most of you Have some sort of ill feelin' Towards the Nicktoon "Rocket Power" And their "Race Across New Zealand". So let me write a summary But it's different from the norm That instead of just plain words, It'll be in poem form. This little adventure started With the athletic pee-wees Collecting up enough fees To go to the land of the kiwi. Running a food delivery service, They used their sporting skills To ensure that all deliveries Would be completely filled, Especially with Lars and the gang Trying to do some food-stealin'. With the tips counted, Sammy said: "Looks like we're going to New Zealand!" The Stimpletons came in and wondered What their fuss was all about. They were competing in a race, As they (and the viewer) found out. It was called the "Waikikamukau", More on that from the team brain: The word was native Maori for "Out of this world", Sam explained. Six teams in four races, The winners being the fastest team, With the title of Prince (or Princess) Going to the one who reigned supreme. Ray went on to a flashback, Back to the very first race, In which he and Tito ran... Ray only got second place. Ray raced a local, Chester McGill, (And of course, so did his mate) At biking and canoeing, And even discoing on skates. It came down to downhill skiing, In which Ray was most deft. Coming into the Flat Stick Fork, Ray went right, Chester went left. When he arrived at the finish line, Ray saw that he'd been defeated: "I don't know how he did it, But I know he cheated!" That flashback was obviously Foreshadowing, no doubt, All that info will come in handy, As we'll later on find out. Anyhow, Ray said that This time they weren't leaving New Zealand empty handed. Otto added: "Not even." And Violet said she and Merv Would help run the Shore Shack While they tore it up in New Zealand... With that, we'll be right back. On the plane to New Zealand, Twister was quite alone In his inability to grasp The concept of time zones. The race had changed a lot, As one could plainly see, And Otto said, "Man, this race Is custom-made for me!" "You mean custom-made for all of us," said Reggie, Otto's big sister, Seeing that Ray apparently left out Her, Sammy, and Twister. Anyhow, Ray said to everyone Especially Otto, with care, "You can never be sure that Everybody's going to play fair." Meanwhile, in another seat, Tito didn't feel quite right, There wasn't any vegemite spread, At least not on this flight. Upon landing in New Zealand, Look who they ran into. The race location coordinator, A local guy named Tatupu. As well as that Chester McGill Who beat Ray all those years ago. Coincidences do run high In these types of things, you know. ;) Chester was now race chairman, That's what he was here for. He introduced his own son. His name was Theodore. He was sure that Ted could beat Otto And come out number one: "You know what they say, 'like father, like son'." While the team watched Theodore play, Otto might as well have snorted. He said "Dudes like that are so bogus." "Remind you of anyone?" Reg retorted. Next it was time for briefing. Everyone ran to the tent Where Chester went into detail On the various events. Included among the others Was a snowboard race Around the Flat Stick Fork. The team knew well about this place. Twister was a bit confused. He asked the rest of the crew, "How are we going to snowboard?" It was summer, for all he knew... Sam tried explaining to Twister: "We're in the southern hemisphere. It's summertime at home, But it's wintertime here." Twister being so clueless, To the point it's near insane, Just said, "You mean we wasted Our whole summer on the plane?" Judging from the events, Otto was sure he'd do fine. He went as far to say: "That crown is as good as mine." A quick look at the Shore Shack Showed Violet in the mood To give customers like Tice A change from their usual fast food. OK, back to New Zealand, And guess who Team Rocket met. Theodore McGill again, And the race hadn't started yet. During all that pre-race taunting Twister was feeling quite smug When Theodore said to Otto: "I see you got yourself a good mug." Apparently, our clueless Twister Was pretty much a newbie To slang in New Zealand, Where "mug" means the same as "shoobie". Now let's go over the bike course: Not much cause for concern. This one was very simple, Except for a tight hairpin turn. But now Tatupu was leading them To a bunch of plastic orbs. "Race doesn't start here. It starts up there with the zorbs." The surprising inclusion of the zorbs Bewildered the team as a whole. Tatupu explained how to move: "Moving is simple. Lean forward and roll." After the quick introduction, Sam felt a little ill: "Are there medical professionals At the bottom of the hill?" In light of Sammy's nickname (He's also known as the "Squid"), Tatupu gave a small necklace With a lucky charm to the kid. Tatupu's explanation Was really quite brief. The lucky charm was a club Used by a certain Maori chief: Chief Kupe, the only Maori bold enough To battle Tawiki, the giant squid. "It will give you power and confidence," Tatupu said to the little kid. Ray and Otto had a pep talk, A little boost of self-esteem, Practically ignoring Reg and the rest of the team. From this point on here, There's really not much attraction In poem-ing this sequence Because it's mostly sports action. Which in my opinion, Would be quite a hard test For most rhymers out there... That said, I'll do my best. After all that zorbing That Sam really didn't like, Otto, Reg and Theodore Were the first onto their bikes. While Ray was looking at the race, Tito was having a slight fit. Chester was eating vegemite: "Did I mention I got the last bit?" During the conversation Between the rivals' dads, Otto was really pushing it, Biking around like mad. Well, remember that hairpin turn Mentioned a segment ago? Hairpin turns are tight, And should be approached slow. But Otto was going a bit fast Entering a turn this tight... If you were expecting an adbreak, You'd be absolutely right. Otto's huge risks paid off, As he rounded the hairpin, And came across the line In first place for the win. Besides Otto's hot start To this extreme race, Sam said "Our combined times Put us in first place!" But Ray's attention to Otto Put Reggie in quite a fuss. She summarized it best When she said: "What about us?" Meanwhile, Chester asked Theodore On his loss, feeling a bit galled. His reply was quite simple: "He got lucky. That's all. Next race, I'm going to do better," Said Theodore McGill. And his dad Chester's reply Was simply "Yes, you will." Indeed Chester McGill Wasn't giving up without a fight. He sabotaged Team Rocket's stuff In the middle of that night. Next morning, on the bus, On the way to the next race, Reg, Sam and Twister discussed The turn that gave Otto first place. But the next thing you knew, Twister was in panic mode. He screamed, "We're driving on The wrong side of the road!" Sam said that's how they drive there Not much cause for fright. But Twister said: "People here think Right is left and left is right?" Tito, Otto and Ray conversed About that race-winning turn, too, When Chester came along. More taunting would ensue. Ray won his first race too, When he competed way back when. Chester added: "Well, we all know How that came out in the end." In response to that little taunt Ray said, "No way a McGill Is going to win again", As Otto had a destiny to fulfill. Tito gave somewhat cryptic advice, Obviously meant for Ray. Ray dispensed it to Otto instead, Making it useless anyway. The second race of four Had a slightly odd design, Combining rafting through caves, and dirtboarding to the finish line. Entering the underground caves Twister writhed and squirmed. He had quite a deal of fear Of its indigenous glowworms. It was enough that those glowworms Really made him feel unwell, But Otto also said, "They suck your brain And leave your head an empty shell!" Exiting the underground tunnel, The team was on a roll, As they approached the next part, Involving totem poles. It required them to place The four rafts on the poles' tops. There wasn't, obviously, Any time for them to stop. This task was duly completed Helped by a certain clueless pre-teen: Twister jumped on the tops of the tubes Like they were trampolines. While Tito chased a kiwi bird That took his vegemite, As the team took to their dirtboards, All seemed to be going right. "This has got to be a record time," Ray thought Otto had this race sealed. Not long into the dirtboarding though, Guess who lost a wheel? This is just about where The race stopped being fun. As you'll see later on, The race was open for number one. During the dirtboarding race Were the first signs of discord When Otto asked his sister: "Reggie, let me use your board." She wouldn't lend it to him Despite his situation, And carried along her merry way, Much to Otto's frustration. Since Reg wouldn't lend him her board, Otto had to use Twist's instead, And Sam's attempt to fix the one that broke Required him to use his head. Why was Otto's board So difficult to repair? An axle bolt was missing, And so were all his spares. With a little quick thinking, though, And the necklace from the other day, He used it to repair the board, And was soon back on his way. Coming to the finish line Of this leg of the race, Reggie and Theodore Finished tied for first place. Sam was jubilant about her win And so was their teammate Twister. Otto, however, had quite a few Choice words about his sister. Otto told his father, With a feeling of discord, About how his lame-o sister Wouldn't lend him her board. Sam, however, backed Reggie up, Just to make the argument fair, With the thing about the axle bolt, And all those missing spares. After Ray listened to This quite odd circumstance, He told his little son: "You can't leave anything to chance." Clearly, all Ray cared for Was Otto's broken wheel. Reggie was quite frustrated, And said: "What is the deal?!" Back at the Shack, Violet required Collared shirts for the men. Seeing that Tice wasn't wearing one, She gave him one right there and then. That night, the competitors Were afforded a chance To check out the Maori "haka", A local tribal dance. Chester was still not pleased With Ted's tie for first place. He certainly couldn't call that "A cracker of a race". While Otto was with Twister, Letting off a lot of steam. Twist attempted to tell him that They were doing well as a team. Despite the team's performance, though, Otto was still quite a sad sack: "My sister steals a win from me And I got Raymundo on my back." Speaking of those two, Reggie and her father Ray, Were discussing what was causing Her feelings of dismay. The discussion got nowhere fast, Because Raymundo assumed That Otto's loss in dirtboarding Was causing Reggie's gloom. Without taking in to in account How Reg was competitive. Considering that discussion, Clearly, something had to give. While all this was going on, Their map for the windsurfing race Was replaced by one that had A sandbar in the wrong place. This little sabotage was Courtesy of Chester McGill. You'll see how important it would be, Just trust me, you will. The following morning, The third leg of the race Consisted of windsurfing In a rather interesting place. Tatupu gave Sam and Twist An interesting brief On these waters being "tapu", According to the Maoris' beliefs. As this was where Chief Kupe Battled the giant squid, Adding that the "tapu" was something About which one shouldn't kid. The siblings were discussing About the previous race, Where if you'll recall, Reggie tied for first place. Otto thought that Reggie Was willing to apologize About not giving him her dirtboard... But he was in for a surprise: She was only sorry about the wheel That caused Otto to fall. "As far as my board goes," she said, "I'm not sorry at all!" When the teammates met, Sam wanted To pay homage to the chief. Otto wouldn't allow this, As he felt that time was brief. So Sam told the teammates that, From what his map implied, A sandbar was near one of the buoys, Requiring them to sail wide. Raymundo was checking out Every piece of Otto's gear He really didn't want Any more mishaps here. Ray was keen on supporting Just his son Otto alone. Reg said she was pulling for him... In a slightly scornful tone. As expected Otto had A quick start to this race, And not surprisingly, He got an early first place. He seemed to be simply taking This windsurfing race in stride, But a sandbar awaited him When it was time to go wide. Well, remember the map That Chester McGill replaced? Its misplacement of said sandbar Affected Otto's run in the race. The others managed to avoid it tho, Sending Otto to the back, Meaning he'd have to work hard To make up for the slack. Now it was a race between Reggie and Theodore. They were fighting for the lead As they were duking it out some more. Reggie eventually took the lead, And boy, she really knew it. But she also heard Ray yell at Otto: "Come on, Otto! You can still do it!" So maybe she wasn't quite Raymundo's favorite kin. But you'd think, just to get noticed, She'd try and get herself the win. Instead, you probably want to ask: "What the heck did she think?" She stopped in the middle of the race And jumped into the drink. Leaving her board to obstruct Her little brother's path. Otto ran straight into it. Well, you do the math. After the windsurfing race (By the way, Reg finished last), Otto gave his teammates A very angered blast. This race was starting To not be of much fun. Ted now had 1 1/2 wins, And Otto still had just one. Even Twister seemed to be More like an outcast. Otto called him a "mug", Leaving him standing there aghast. Ray tried to talk with Reg about How she caused her team to lose. Ray may have finally noticed her But she was not amused. Reggie uttered to her dad With quite a bit of furore, "Since when do you care about the team?" Before slamming her door. Reg was sitting an a log Much later that night. Ray decided to come by To try and set things right. Raymundo apologized For going overboard With his support for Otto, And leaving his teammates ignored. Especially Reggie, who had A tear running down her face. Not to mention Sam and Twister Who were also in the race. All Raymundo ever wanted Was for his son Otto to beat Chester's own son Theodore To make up for his defeat. Ray now realized how his support Was not in the best of taste. With all that out of the way, Father and daughter embraced. After all that hugging, Ray added, about their chat, That Reg wasn't the only one Who needed to hear that. The following morning, It was becoming pretty clear That Team Rocket was in tatters, As they were packing their gear. Seeing Otto step on his book, Sammy felt quite bugged. And Twist was still not over Otto calling him a "mug". Reg decided to apologize For costing Otto the race, And she probably could not have Picked a better time or place. Reg added that right now they needed To end their feelings of disgust. Otherwise, to quote Reggie: "This whole thing is going to be a bust." Seeing that his sister Had now apologized To the other teammates, Otto also did likewise. On the way to the venue Of the final leg of the race, Sam explained that the team was Behind in second place. But the way he figured, If the whole team came in With a good combined time, The team could still get the win. And both of the siblings Could still easily contend For the individual title, So it wasn't over 'till the end. Going over the snowboarding course, Sam explained their situation: At the Flat Stick Fork, they needed To go right at the rock formation. In contrast, Chester McGill Told his kid to go left there. It was the longer way around, As far as Ted was aware. He was told to take a shortcut, And to him, it didn't sound Like it would be playing fair: "Dad, that's out of bounds." Chester then elaborated On his attempts to fix the race: Otto's broken dirtboard wheel And the map that was replaced. Theodore didn't want this. He said he'd rather be beating Otto Rocket on his own, Rather than by cheating. Despite all that Theodore Had been trying to say, His father still insisted That he go left anyway. Ray had another pep talk, Not just with this son, But with his daughter too, Just before the race begun. As the race got under way The team had a hot start Now that they all were Racing with all their heart. Reg and Twist neared a pair of jumps One was low, the other high. Twist let Reg take the low one And decided to let himself fly. Launching off their respective jumps, The two teammates soared like hawks. No sooner than Twist landed, though, He ran straight into a rock. Seeing that there was trouble, Reggie informed her brother. Twister had broken his knee... Speaking of breaks, here's another. With the race now on the line, The team could not afford To have a team member Who really could not snowboard. With Twister's broken knee, This proved to be the case. Guess who Otto wanted To go for the first place? Well, it wasn't going to be him, As he would have to drag Twister. And Sam wasn't in contention. So it had to be his sister. Theodore passed the team, And they all certainly knew it. As Reg took off to chase him, Otto said, "Go, Reg! You can do it!" There was quite a lot of course That the team had to traverse. Otto was now riding "fakie", Which is snowboarders' for reverse. Dragging Twister along, of course, Lest you forget his plight. Meanwhile at the Flat Stick Fork, Ted went left and Reg went right. Coming up to the same fork, Twister wasn't quite deft On the concept of direction. He still thought right was left! Amidst all the confusion Otto and Twister split, And leaving Twist on his own Was definitely unfit. But Otto managed to grab him And keep him remaining upright. Meanwhile, near the finish line, The race was getting tight. As Reg closed in on the finish line Ted appeared out of nowhere, Having taken the shortcut He himself deemed as unfair. Surprised to see Theodore Ahead of her there and then, She put up some more hustle And tied Theodore again. As the others crossed the line None of the team felt blue, Even though Theodore's tie Had been enough to see him through. OK, now you're wondering: "Ted won? This really bites..." But we've got a couple scenes to go For things to be alright. Well, time for the awards ceremony. Guess which team got the first prize. Yes, it was Team Rocket. Not much of a surprise. But among the individuals Theodore reigned supreme, With a new record time, to boot. Well, that was how things seemed. However, everyone was in For quite a huge surprise When Theodore came up To receive his first prize. Instead of accepting his medal, The newly-crowned McGill Confessed to taking a shortcut. This was quite against his dad's will. Amidst all the controversy Chester accidentally let slip That he'd used the very same shortcut Thus explaning how Ray got pipped. With all that information That had just surfaced anew Both of the McGills Were immediately DQ'd. Theodore, quite willingly, Gave Otto and Reg his prize, Making the Rocket siblings Quite pleasantly surprised. The race had its very first tie As it was Reg and Otto's day, While Chester's title was stripped And then awarded to Ray. In short, all that the McGills had won Went to the Rocket clan instead, Including the winner's crown, Which Otto placed on Reggie's head. Despite all his confusion Twister was feeling quite glad. His feelings in a nutshell: "This backwards New Zealand place is rad!" The team went back to Ocean Shores In quite a mood of cheer. Reggie said, "Tomorrow We start training for next year." And Tito still had to contend with Birds stealing his vegemite. That's it, there is no more, So to everyone, good | |
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