It's another typical day in Seal Island. Blue skies, seals loafing around, the familiar sound of a parent yelling at their kid to turn off the radio after hearing that same bad pop song for the 47th time...
The siblings were sitting on the couch and watching "Aviators", a game show with RC planes. The main goal of the show is to be the first plane to navigate a challenging course and cross the finish line. As the rounds progress, the courses get more difficult.
The contestants had reached the final round and would be racing on one of the most difficult courses on the show: Moonwing Fortress.
"You think anyone will conquer the course this time?" Amelia wondered.
"Yeah, right!" Lily laughed. "Piloting an RC plane through a ravine, a forest and a giant stone castle with limited vision?"
"Yeah, finishing the course with barely any knowledge of it seems pretty far-fetched," Porter agreed.
"Pshh-! Put me on the show, I'd get through that whole course without a hitch! I mean, I can fly!" Zaire chortled.
"You're not a plane though," Lily pointed out with a smirk.
"Touché."
"Come on, let's see what happens!" Amelia smiled, pointing at the screen.
As the contestants readied themselves and the holographic planes were put at the starting line, the crowd started to count down.
"3, 2, 1, Let's fly!"
With a ring of a bell and a whir of the propellers, the remaining four planes were off. Although most people who participate in the show are well familiar with its courses, maneuvering through them is a lot easier said than done, particularly with courses similar to Moonwing Fortress.
One of the planes crashed into the first obstacle - a large tree with spinning leaves, and another crashed into the cliffside due to how narrow and dark the track is. Only two planes remained.
The second obstacle in tow was a set of stone arches and boulders which rolled down the hill like pinballs. Though flying around them was easy, making sure the planes were still above the incline at the same time was the challenge. One hit the ground rather hard after getting run over by a boulder, rendering it unusable.
After maneuvering through a couple of tight turns, the last plane was on to the next obstacle: A set of shifting stone walls with small holes dotted in them. Getting past this obstacle was deceptively difficult, as the space the planes could fit through was slim to impossible.
One of the planes seemed like it would get through the hole, but its wing bumped into the side of the wall, pivoting it off course and into the cliff face before exploding. Funny thing is, they weren't even an eighth through the course!
"Oohhh..!" the audience groaned, shielding their eyes from the explosion.
"Oh, that's too bad!" the host shouted through the mic. "Alas, while our valiant competitors didn't get through the course, they still put on one thrilling chase! And, they'll be able to get their own RC airplanes! But as for now, let's give 'em a round of applause!"
The camera panned onto the many faces and hands of the crowd.
"Well, that's the show for today. Tune in tomorrow where more young pilots brave the challenges of our treacherous tracks! I've been your host, Orv Rockopeller, saying good night, and fly on."
As the credits ran across the screen, the siblings chatted about the courses and how difficult they can be.
"Moonwing Fortress... I'm surprised through all three seasons so far, no one has been able to clear that course!" Porter remarked.
"I will admit that course is difficult, but it's not any harder than Moltenrock Ravine," Bro replied.
"Or Cerulean Aqueduct," Lily mentioned.
"Or Short-Circuit Circuit," Zaire added.
"Maybe," Porter nodded, looking back at the TV.
"Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we were contestants on the show?" Amelia pondered. "Or at least part of the audience?"
"I think there's a way you can apply for an audience member on the website. Give me a moment to check," Bro replied, taking out his phone and walking to another room.
A little while later, Bro came back with something to say.
"So, there are good news and bad news," he announced. "The good news is that there are seats available."
Everyone cheered in excitement. Seems like this would be something fun- being in a live audience of one of the most popular shows in Seallium.
"What's the bad news..?" Lily asked.
"That's the thing. They're available 27 years from now."
After a few seconds of processing, the four groaned in frustration.
"Will the show still be on by that time?" Porter complained.
"The real question is will the host still be alive by that time? Isn't he in his 70's?" Zaire added.
"So, being an audience member is out of the window," Bro sighed. "I could check the site again to see if we could be contestants for tomorrow's show."
With that, he took his phone out again and walked back to that same room. Meanwhile, the other four walked to the kitchen, talking about what they wanted to see if they managed to participate.
"If we manage to get on the show, what courses do you think we'll have to face?" Zaire asked.
"I hope one of them is Rockopeller Street!" Lily exclaimed. "They've been teasing that course since Season 2!"
"I'd love to see Moonlit Canopy. It's bright, it's colorful, and above all, it's beautiful!" Amelia sighed. "I wish it was real- it'd be a great place to go for a walk."
"For me, I hope we get to see Chill Hill Thrill!" Porter chimed. "It seems like they improve that course with each season, so I wonder what they did to it this time."
"I hope Glade Glide returns," Zaire replied. "It's so open spaced. Shame it's only appeared four times so far during the series."
Amelia looked around. "I wonder if Bro's back yet."
"Dystopia Square," Bro replied from behind, spooking his brothers.
"What?" Zaire questioned.
"Dystopia Square," he repeated. "I want to see it again. It's one of the most visually intricate maps in the series. The ruins of a city, collapsing under the weight of its own corrupted society, and its survivors must escape to safety."
"Of course you'd like it, it's all gray and red!" Lily pointed out.
"Uh, Bro, did you find out if we're able to participate?" Amelia asked.
"Hm? Oh, right. Yeah, I checked, and yes, we can be on tomorrow." he answered.
Lily took note of the lack of change on Bro's face.
"But..?" she asked, leaning her head.
"But what?"
"We could be on, but..?"
"But we'll need to participate in groups of four," he added. "Me, Lily, Zaire and Amelia could probably be in a team, but what about Porter?"
"Oh, that's fine!" Porter shrugged. "I can probably find two other people who want to play, and then I have Seal with me!"
Seal poked his head out from behind Porter's neck and let out a quiet bark. The others didn't seem impressed.
"I don't think seals can be contestants in the show," Lily remarked.
Hearing this, Seal let out a sad groan and hid behind Porter again.
"So, how else are we supposed to form a second team?" Zaire complained.
Just then, the doorbell rang. When Zaire answered it, Mary, Lini, and Cypher were standing on the other side. Noticing Mary first, Zaire squeaked and hid behind Amelia.
"Cypher!" Lily shouted, running up to and hugging her robotic friend. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, me and Lini saw this robot at the beach earlier today," Mary explained. "It scanned us and said it would add us to its database, whatever that is. We didn't know you were friends with it, though."
"Yep. They helped us stop the Villain League again," Bro nodded.
"The who?" she asked, looking over at him.
"So, what are you guys up to?" Lini asked.
"We're trying to make a team so we can be on Aviators!" Lily replied cheerfully.
"What?!"
Cypher stood by and booted up its search engine.
"Aviators is a game show created by brothers William and Orv Rockopeller in 2007," it explained. "In the game, contestants must reach points A to B using remote-controlled planes-"
"I know what the show is about!" Lini shouted. "I mean you're going to be on the show?"
"When we're able to form two teams, yes..." Porter nodded.
He took a second to look at the people in the room and shouted, "That's it!"
"What's it?" Amelia looked over at him.
"There are eight people here, that means we have enough people to participate!"
"Oh, I can't wait to be on a game show! We're gonna have so much fun!" Mary cheered.
"Lini and I will register you guys. We're the oldest ones here," Bro declared before walking into the kitchen, Lini following.
"How about we play against each other?" Amelia asked.
"Sure, I'll be on whichever side Mary's on!" Zaire announced, standing beside her.
"I was thinking boys versus girls," Lily added. "Bro, you, Porter and Cypher can be on one side, while Amelia, Lini, Mary and I can be on the other."
"Oh..." Zaire replied in a groan and dragged his feet toward the boys.
"Alright! Boys vs. Girls!" Porter shouted. "No amount of makeup will be enough to cover your shame when we beat you!" he chuckled.
The three remaining girls looked at each other in confusion.
"What?" Amelia replied, not understanding the taunt.
"Let me try," Mary replied, stepping forward. "At least the seal can get a girlfriend faster than you guys!"
Cringing, Porter ran into his room, passing Bro and Lini.
"Sheesh, what a glass cannon," Bro muttered to himself. "Anyway, we were able to get registered into the show. They'll send us the address a day and a while before the show starts, so don't be late."
After some light conversation, the three friends left the house, preparing for the day that they would be on the show. As Amelia shut the door, Porter poked his head from outside the bedroom. Seal was also there, sitting on his head.
"Seal, promise me you won't get a girlfriend before I do..." he begged.
A Day Later
The group of eight were walking through Streetlight Studios, the recording district of Seal Island.
"Building 7D. That's where the studio hosting Aviators is," Bro announced, looking at the directions on his phone. As for the others, Zaire was flying around the backlot, also searching for the studio. Lini, Mary, Amelia, and Lily were chatting about the show, and Porter and Cypher were silently following, the former mentally preparing to never have a girl look at him for the next 20 years.
After a few minutes, they arrived at the building. Bro tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. There was no intercom to ring the building either.
"That's strange. The show doesn't start for another hour," Bro muttered. "Zaire, see if you can find someone who can open the door."
"Right!"
As Zaire ran behind the building, someone inside walked towards the front door.
It was an elderly man- Tall with gray hair, dark blue shirt, beige jacket, and appearing very cordial. A few medals were adorned to the front of his jacket along with a name tag reading, "Orv."
The man also tried to move the door, pulling and pushing to no avail. There was also no lock on the door, leaving everyone to think the door was jammed.
Orv made a gesture, pointing behind himself with his thumb and mouthing the words, "Go through the back."
Wordlessly walking around the building, they found Zaire standing in front of the door.
"Found a door," he smiled.
Orv appeared and unlocked the back door soon enough. He looked somewhat relieved to see that the group had finally arrived.
"Oh, thank goodness you're here! I thought we'd have to send in the interns!" he sighed. "I apologize for the inconvenience, though I'm pretty certain the door was just fine a few minutes ago..."
"Probably just a door malfunction," Bro reasoned. "Come on, let's go check out the set."
"My, my! Eager, are we?" Orv chuckled. "Well, I'm sure as contestants, you're more than excited to fly across this today's roster of courses! But enough talk, let's get you ready for the show!"
Orv led the group through the halls of the studio, passing by a trophy case holding several achievements and milestones: The Top-Rated Game Show of 2009 and 2011, Seal Island's Public Access Breakthrough Award, and a gold medal for Most Innovative Game Show, amongst other things.
Soon, they were backstage, where all of the other contestants were. William Rockopeller, the director of the show, was also there.
"Omigosh, it's Mr. William!" Lily squealed, running up to him. "Mr. William, Mr. William! Can I get your autograph?"
Her request was met with shuffling and stuttering from William. Porter stepped in between the two, trying to intervene.
"Lily, give the man some space. We can get autographs later. Let's go say hi to the other contestants," he suggested.
She nodded, hesitant but compliant, and walked off to another part of the studio. Once she was far enough, Porter let out his inner fanboy.
"Omigosh, I can't believe it! I'm talking to THE Mr. Rockopeller! Can I get your autograph? Can I, can I, please?"
Like Lily, Porter's enthusiasm was met with nothing but stuttering as William tried to shuffle away.
Meanwhile, Bro and Amelia were sitting on one of the couches, watching the audience assemble. A family of four walked past, the mother squinting at the two as if she knew them from somewhere. Her pace slowed down as she got a closer look at the two. As she continued to stare, she realized exactly who she was looking at. Bro and Amelia also realized who they were looking at in that same instant.
"You?!" they all yelled, simultaneously pointing at each other.
"What are you doing here?!" Bro shouted.
"What are YOU doing here?" the woman shouted back. The ensuing noise drew the attention of the other siblings, the rest of the woman's family, other contestants, and the two hosts.
"What's going on, guys?" Lini asked, being the first to react. Her question was met with realization when she noticed the woman.
"YOU?" she shouted, drawing surprise from both Bro and Amelia.
"Lini, you know her?" Amelia asked.
"Do I!" she growled. "I used to babysit her kids. The daughter was fine, but there's NO way their son is human!"
"How dare you! My son has been nothing but an angel to you!" she hissed back.
"If by 'being an angel' you mean 'throwing cutlery at my face, smearing food on my glasses, and switching my tea with dirt water', then yes, your son has been nothing but an angel!"
As the woman was turning red in the face, her husband tried to speak up.
"Felicity, we don't need this right now. Let's just get to the playspace and not make eye contact with anyone," he whispered.
"Oh, not yet! I have a nose to pick with them!" Felicity retorted. "Where's the host?"
"Present," Orv replied, standing behind her husband. "What seems to be the issue?"
"How can you let these criminals inside this building? They kidnapped my son and held him as ransom!" she yelled.
"Mother, they didn't kidnap anyone!" The daughter pointed out. "If anything, Shaw will only listen to you, even if he knows you're putting him in complete danger!"
"Quiet, Cassidy! I'm trying to get these reckless teens out of this building! If anyone's winning this show, it's going to be us!" Felicity replied loudly.
"Sort of like how you tried to keep them out of the building when you turned off the breaker to the front door?" William interjected.
He then pulled out a tablet displaying footage of one of the cameras in the studio. It showed the circuit breaker and a little boy walking up to it. He switched off several levers before his mother appeared in the shot and gave him a high five.
Everyone stared at the mom and son, giving off glares.
"It's not my fault! I was just trying to get my son to the bathroom! You need to start labeling your doors if you want this issue to stop so badly!" she complained.
"The bathroom; in a room that's specifically labeled 'Electrical Room- Do Not Enter'? What sort of sense does that make?" William retorted.
The woman only let out several mutters of defense when William interrupted and continued his statement.
"Listen, we'd kick you out and replace you with the interns, but the show is about to start, so grab your name tags, get to your places and let's get this show in the sky!" he ordered.
She and her son, along with her husband and daughter put on their name tags and walked over to Booth #4. As for the other contestants, Amelia, Lini, Mary, and Lily stood by Booth #3 while Bro, Zaire, Porter, and Cypher stood by Booth #2. Two more teams were also playing. Each booth had four seats along with a headset and controls reminiscent of a flight simulator in front of them.
With 30 seconds on the clock, the set crew also prepared to get ready for the show. The lights were focused, the camera was positioned, and the audience was ready to act out. William would direct the show, and Orv would keep it rolling with his charisma. The backlights shut off as another episode began.
5, 4, 3, 2, 1...
As the theme song of the show began to play, everyone hardened their faces, trying to not look like total clowns on camera.
"What's that in the sky?" the announcer yelled. "It's not a bird, it's not a plane... Just kidding, it is a plane, and this is Aviators!"
The audience let out a deafening wave of applause, one that tempted the players to cover their ears, lest them hearing the sound of ringing until they got home.
"And guiding you through tonight's flight, your captain, Orv Rockopeller!"
Orv walked out from behind a tall screen, waving at the audience and shouting his greetings and thanks.
"Hello, hello, and thank you for coming to tonight's show! We've got a storm of a show this time and a new group of competitors in the cockpit!
The camera focused onto the five teams, who let off multiple mixed reactions, like Amelia and Lily who were waving and cheering, Zaire smiling awkwardly to Porter sweating profusely.
"Now, the rules are simple. Reach the end of the course and try not to crash. If no one makes it to the finish, the teams that qualify are determined by the first three planes that were the closest to it. The teams with the most surviving planes move on to the next round. With that all said, let's get to the action!"
He motioned Cassidy over to him and pointed at a big red button in front of a screen.
"To start things off, our friend Cassidy will press this button and determine what the first course will be. Go for it, darling!"
With a bit of encouragement, Cassidy nodded and pressed the button, shuffling the list of courses. There were 5 different tracks, with one of them being Glade Glide.
"Come on, Glade Glide, Glade Glide..." Zaire muttered to himself.
The spinner on the started to slow down, leaning towards Glade Glide, much to the anticipation of Zaire. Soon, it halted an inch off another track.
He didn't show it, but he was ecstatic to play an obscure course on the show, let alone be on the show.
Just when he was about to display his excitement, the list moved one final time, landing on a course called Wester Shores.
"Wester Shores! That's a fun course! It's deceptively difficult, but I'm sure it won't be a problem for you guys! Anywho, let's get to it!" Orv said.
The entire studio cut the lights momentarily and returned with the competitors on a beach. All twenty planes were arranged at a starting line in front of a large island. Each plane was separated by a certain color and a number on their wings.
"Now, if you put on your headsets, you'll get a first person view of the front of your planes. You'll also be able to see other planes in the game as well. To move the plane during the flight, pull up on the controller to move up and push down on it to move down. Tilt the controller to steer left or right and use the throttle to adjust your speed. Trust me, it's easier when put into action. Speaking of action, let's get to it, shall we?"
Each contestant picked up their respective controllers and all was ready to go.
"Well Zaire, you ready to fly?" Bro asked.
"What sort of question is that?" Zaire smirked. "Course I'm ready!"
Round 1: Wester Shores
After a countdown from the audience and the ring of a bell, the planes took off. All except one, which belonged to someone on Booth #4.
"Dad? Dad?!" Cassidy yelled, trying to wake up her father. He had fallen asleep while Orv was discussing the rules of the game.
"Max, wake up!" Felicity shouted, smacking her husband awake.
Max woke up in a total panic, still holding his controller.
"What happened? Are we playing now?" he mumbled.
After a moment of learning the controls thanks to his daughter, he was off to catch up with the other opponents.
As for the other 19 planes, Zaire's plane was leading while Shaw, Mary, Amelia, Bro, and everyone else was following behind. After a few seconds of competitive speeding, they reached the first obstacle.
In the path was a set of large stone pillars. As the planes flew closer, some started to tilt in their direction. Cypher was the first to notice this.
"Danger, oncoming hazard collision imminent. Initiating evasive maneuvers..."
Just like that, Cypher did a barrel roll and skillfully dodged the pillar. While the others were following closely, it would be slightly harder to pass Cypher with all the falling pillars.
One plane flew into a pillar while it was falling, and another got crushed attempting to fly under it. Another pillar began to fall, aiming towards Porter's plane. He pulled back on the throttle, just enough to slow down yet remain in the air. The pillar barely missed him, as well as Lily, who was directly behind him.
"Look out!" she yelled.
Another pillar fell in their direction, targeting both of them. They were both able to dodge it in time, but they were slightly behind the other competitors.
Meanwhile, Lini, Amelia, and Mary were flying ahead, focusing on the track and keeping their eyes out for any other hazards.
"This is fun!" Amelia chimed. "I wonder what other courses we'll be able to see!"
Suddenly, her headset was met with nothing but static.
"Hey, where'd my plane go?" she asked. "Is there a fog or something?"
"You didn't lose connection, did you?" Mary responded.
"Maybe she found a warp zone," Lini joked.
Her and Mary's planes were still airborne, with no sight of Amelia's plane anywhere. It's as if it vanished into thin air.
"Well, guess that means I'm out, huh?" she sighed. "Oh well. It was fun while it lasted. Go and win this for the girls!" she cheered, pulling off her headset and taking a seat, staring at the map on screen.
Lini and Mary looked at each other, nodded, and picked up the pace to catch up with everyone else.
As for the others who were in front, Bro was behind Felicity, who was behind Cypher, who was behind Zaire, who was still leading. The second (and last) obstacle in the course was a group of geysers hidden under the sand. Mary and Lini were the first to notice and carefully moved away from the spots the geysers would appear, signified by the small mounds with X's carved into them.
Meanwhile, Lily and Porter were behind Shaw, who was taunting them.
"Haha, out of gas, you two?" he laughed. "I'm ready for you to give up, you're not getting past me!"
In that moment, his plane got launched out of control by a geyser. He didn't crash, but it was enough for him to slow down and give Lily and Porter time to pass him.
"No fair! I didn't see that! It went after me specifically!" he whined. "Wait for me!"
Max, who was lagging behind everyone up until now finally managed to catch up to Lini and Mary. He smiled and waved at the two. Mary took note of his baggy eyelids and dead eyes.
"Hey mister, you okay?" she called.
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Just had an extra long shift at the shop. I'm running on 15 minutes of sleep here, but I can manage. Wouldn't be the first time," he admitted.
Lini shook her head. "Max, you really should get some rest."
"I wish. I fear if I got to sleep, I may not be wakin' up for a while. And I've got kids to watch after this," he declined.
The girls nodded and thought for a moment. Mary looked back at Max and suggested, "Tell you what- After this, we'll babysit your kids for as long as you need. You can catch up on all the sleep you missed and leave when you feel fully rested."
Lini glared over at Mary, realizing what that proposition would mean. Mary, completely unaware, simply smiled until her friend gave in.
"Fine," she sighed, "see you after the show, Max."
As the two flew ahead, Max smiled to himself.
"It's nice to know some people outside the family care about my well being..."
Back at the front, the four were in hot pursuit of each other. Zaire was the first to spot the finish line, a giant gold ring adorned with a checkered flag.
"Ha! Victory is mine!" he cheered, ramming his controls at full force and passing through the ring first. Bro managed to take second after passing Felicity, followed by her, Cypher, Porter, and eventually the other participants.
"And that's course #1 complete!" Orv shouted from the stage. "What a show our competitors put on, wouldn't you say?"
Of course, the audience let out a round of applause.
"Folks, we have plenty of show left for you, but for now, let's take a look at our rankings, shall we?"
He then pointed at William, who turned on the screen with the positions of the teams.
"In first, Team #2! In second, Team #4! Third, Team #1, and last, Team #3! Team #5 has been eliminated as no one from that team completed the course," Orv announced.
The members of Team #2 only let out shrugs of confusion while Team #1 and Shaw and Felicity let out taunting sneers.
"Uh... Well, let's not waste any more time stalling! Let's move on to the next round!" he stuttered. "The winner will choose the next course to fly through! Now, where's our winner?"
Sure enough, Zaire hopped onto the stage and stood in front of the same button which was used earlier.
"Anytime you're ready! Of course, it'd be nice if you chose before the day's over, but..." he joked.
Unbeknownst to him, Zaire pressed the button the moment he got on stage.
"Oh, you already pressed it!" Orv nodded, looking over to the screen. "Very well, let's take a look at the chosen course."
Lily's eyes lit up when she saw the spinner stop on a certain track: Rockopeller Street. She didn't have any time to react, as the lights turned off again, replacing the setting from a beach to the rooftop of a tall building.
"This is it!" Lily cheered. "The course they've been teasing since Season 2!"
"That's right!" Orv confirmed. "And we've spent so long testing it to make sure it was up and ready for Season 3! Like our audience, I can't wait to see you guys race on the brand new track! So, what are we waiting for? Let's get to it!"
Lily was the first to put her headset back on. She noticed the lineup of planes had changed to make up for the participants who lost.
"Is everyone ready? Great, 'cause here we go! Audience!" Orv shouted, just as excited as Lily.
As the audience started to count down, Felicity, who was next to Lily and noticed her enthusiasm leaned over and whispered to her, "Hey, don't embarrass yourself. Public TV is great for watching people make fools of themselves."
Lily looked back at her smug face and responded with the same smug grin.
"I agree. You'd definitely know about being seen on TV and making a fool out of yourself, right?" she sneered.
Felicity just scoffed and looked straight ahead, pretending not to hear that.
Round 2: Rockopeller Street
With a spin of a propeller, the four remaining teams were off into the track. The start of the course featured a dive under a bridge and a set of wide turns that got more narrow the further they got. Soon, they reached a split in the course. One half of Team #1, Bro, Porter, Zaire, Lini, and Cassidy took the path on the right while the other half of Team #1, Lily, Mary, Felicity, Shaw, and Max went left.
Meanwhile, Cypher was approaching the split, not turning an inch. Instead, they were trying to figure out which path would be easier to traverse.
"Gathering information of current track... Calculating chances of survival for each path... Data processing successful. The best path to take is on the-"
They didn't get to announce which side was better as they crashed straight into the sign dividing the paths.
"Error. Airplane controls unresponsive. Plane has crashed. Participant has been eliminated,"
Cypher sighed before taking a seat and muttering, "Why couldn't whoever created me give me a better CPU?"
The scene of the track changed to the skyscraper-high sky for both sides, though the hazards were different for each path. Objects suspended by cranes and high bridges would test the skill of anyone who took the path on the right. However, neon signs which would tilt or fall out of place would challenge the players on the left.
Mary was in the lead and was looking around, awestruck at the setting. Her sightseeing was cut short when Lily interrupted her thoughts.
"Mary, watch out!" she yelled.
Refocusing on the road, she saw one of the signs sparking and losing power. It then fell forward, hanging upside down directly in front of her. She let out a bleat and performed a roll to the left, barely missing.
Another sign fell, tilting several feet from its original position. Lily, Mary, Shaw, and Max kept a fair distance from the sign, while Felicity kept flying straight. The sign broke off its post and began to fall, hitting her plane on the way down.
"WHAT?!" she screeched. "Are you kidding me?! That came out of nowhere!"
Frustrated, she dropped her controller on the ground and stomped over to her seat.
Back on the right side, Cassidy was leading, with someone from Team #1 closely following behind. Zaire and Bro were also behind, engaging in conversation as they flew.
"Yo, dude, sorry about not seeing Glade Glide. I'd pat your back if I wasn't so busy piloting," Bro remarked.
"Ah, it's fine. Someone might get it tomorrow," Zaire sighed. "We still have a chance of seeing Chill Hill Thrill, Dystopia Square or Moonlit Canopy. For now though, what are your thoughts on being on-"
"Hold on a second," Bro interrupted. "Let me just-"
Zaire flew through a pipe, and just for kicks, Bro performed a barrel roll around the pipe Zaire was in. As Zaire flew out, he rejoined his brother in their little chat, his plane still upside down.
"There. Please continue," Bro requested.
"I was going to ask your thoughts on being on the show so far."
"Eh, it's fine so far," he admitted. "I'm definitely honored to be one of the first to race on the new track. But I don't know. Personally, I find it more fun to root for other people on the show than be on it. I guess to me, it's because I never know who's going to do what or which team will continue on. In this case with all of us, I know that at least one of us is going to finish the course and whether it's us, the girls, or that other family, I think it's safe to say one of us is going to reach the last course. It just feels sort of predictable to me. You get what I'm saying?"
"I guess I could understand that," Zaire nodded. "With all of us here, it would be sort of easier to guess who'll make it. But even with us, you can't exactly tell who's gonna win specifically. That's what makes this game fun to watch!"
Bro was about to respond when he heard the sound of Lini's voice.
"Can you PLEASE stop flying upside down, Bro? You might crash!" she warned from behind.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Just watch this." Bro then turned right-side up and flew away from the two, heading straight towards a suspended cargo box. Just as his plane was about to crash, he pulled up and barely avoided the crate, doing a loop before returning to the group after the stunt.
"You're really worrying me..." Lini whined.
"Why worry about me when you can worry about the course in front of you?" Bro remarked, pointing at the track.
By now, the two routes were about to merge, and alongside the path was their next obstacle: A narrow street plastered with more neon signs. Avoiding them was just part of the challenge; anyone who flew too low would get struck out by oncoming traffic from below.
Partway through the area, the remaining pilots took caution not to bump into anything and avoid flying too low until a sign caught someone from Team #1 off guard. They bumped into one of their teammates, which bumped into another like a pile of floating dominoes. Three of the team either crashed straight into another sign or fell into the traffic. Only one member that team was left. Soon enough, the path became more spacious with the last area of the course up ahead.
The final section of the course was a twisty ascent up a skyscraper with the finish ring at the very top.
The climb was slow and difficult. Between the strong wind currents, there were also bridge piers that could either be flown under or over.
"I can see the finish up ahead!" Cassidy cheered.
The last player from Team #1 rushed ahead, attempting to pass everyone else and secure their place.
"Oh no, you don't!" Shaw yelled, flying out of nowhere, bashing his plane into the lone player and knocking them off course. The plane lost control and crashed into the side of a bridge.
Shaw was the first to cross the finish line, followed by Mary, Max and Cassidy, the remaining siblings, and Lini.
For once in the series, nobody applauded when anyone got past the finish. The entire studio was silent.
"Yes! I did it!" he laughed, running off his team's booth and dancing on the stage.
"Folks, THAT was an unexpected turn of events, but remember that in this show, anything can happen on the track! Now let's check out those rankings, shall we?"
Orv watched in embarrassment as he saw the winning team scroll on the screen.
"Now in first somehow, Team #4! In second, Team #3, and in third-"
He was interrupted by Shaw standing next to him, staring at the screen with all the courses on it.
"Uh, kid, w-why don't you choose the next course for us?" Orv suggested, gesturing to the button.
"Oh sure! I want... this one!" Shaw replied, ignoring the button and pointing to one of the courses. The course he was pointing to looked green and lush, like an untouched forest. Despite the clear frustration on his face, he let out a small chuckle.
"Kid, you have to press the button and you might get to play it," Orv replied with a restrained smile.
"I want that one!" Shaw repeated.
"Kid, you-"
"That one!"
"Kid..."
"That one, that one, THAT one!" Shaw started to whine.
Orv now with a unamused look on his face walked over to the button and pressed it, watching the list of courses flip through like a slideshow.
He glanced over at William over at the control room, who caught sight of his brother's concerned expression and typed something in the computer next to him.
After a few seconds, the spinner stopped on the course, Botany Kingdom, the one Shaw was pointing at prior.
Shaw paid no attention to the studio changing from a neon-fueled city to the entrance of a flourishing forest, and it only took Orv to speak for him to notice.
"There, happy?" Orv asked, a trace of anger in his voice.
Looking around at his surroundings, Shaw smiled innocently as if he broke a vase and was trying to prove himself not guilty. Orv let out a sigh in response.
"Go ahead and put on your headsets. We'll be counting down shortly," Orv instructed.
Quickly, the 9 remaining players did so.
While the audience began counting down, William hopped down from his director's seat, approached his brother and whispered, "Are you really going to let that kid continue playing? It doesn't seem like he should continue, given how he treats the competitors."
"Nah, he'll get what's comin' to him. You know what they say: No bad deed goes unpunished," Orv whispered back.
Round 3: Botany Kingdom
Once again, the planes were off. The course started with a small drop off a cliff and into the forest below. It wasn't long before they made it to the first hazard.
In their path was a large group of vines which could jam the planes' propeller if they weren't careful. Shaw's plane was the first victim to it, as he was quickly losing altitude with the vines entangled his propeller and wings. He bumped into several rocks on the ground and tumbled into a river at the bottom of the cliff before exploding.
"No fair! This is impossible!" he yelled, ripping off his headset.
He looked over at Max and got an idea.
In a swift motion, he shoved his father and stole his headset. To his relief, Max's plane already got past the first obstacle.
A left turn later and the pilots were at the second obstacle- a group of flowers all growing in various angles. These flowers spun like pinwheels, and that wouldn't be a problem if the strong winds they blew didn't point towards the sharp rocks on the cliffs.
Lini, taking account of the wind blowing from the flowers and the speed of her plane, threw some numbers around in her head and had an idea.
Using a flower that was blowing to the right, she positioned herself away from the flower and turned in a way that would allow her to gain a boost once she left the current. Her little trick pushed her into the lead.
"Nice boost, Lini!" Mary cheered from behind.
Shaw, who was behind Lini, looked around for a flower to boost off of, completely unaware of the physics she used to perform her maneuver.
Shaw found another flower which was blowing to the left and flew directly in the wind's path. Instead of the using the wind currents as a boost, they blew the plane off course, where it landed straight into the river again.
"Are you kidding me?!" Shaw screamed, tossing the controller down and throwing a tantrum. "This is stupid!"
"You're the one who chose the course, Shaw!" Cassidy pointed out.
"Shut up, Cas! How was I supposed to know that stuff would be there?"
Shaw looked over at Cassidy's controller and saw she was just behind Zaire and Mary.
He snuck up behind her to steal her controller, and...
"Oh, no you don't, little boy," Felicity said, grabbing Shaw's arm and pulling him over to his seat. "You've played enough for today. Let your sister take her turn."
By now, the planes reached the next section of the course: A crystal-clear lake with cattails sprouting out from between the rocks.
"Guys, watch out! Those plants are swinging!" Bro warned.
The pilots steered carefully around the plants and almost made it to the next area, until Mary flew too close to one of the plants and broke off one of her wings.
The lake had a drop down a waterfall, which everyone had to fly down to continue and where Mary was quickly descending from. Zaire caught sight of Mary's horrified expression as she zoomed closer to the waters below.
"Don't worry, Mary! I'll save you!"
Zaire moved away from the pack of pilots and carefully flew himself directly under Mary's plane.
"Zaire?! What are you doing?" Mary asked in a panic.
"Don't worry, I got you," he replied.
The rescue attempt didn't go very well, as Zaire's plane was weighed down by Mary and both planes plunged into the basin.
"Yep, you got her," Lily giggled.
Zaire facepalmed himself as he walked over to his seat in shame. As he waited to see how the round would end, Mary walked over to him and gave him a hug.
"Hey, win or lose, I still had fun playing with you and your family. Thank you for inviting me," she said.
Zaire tried his best not to blush as he hugged her back. Sure, he looked completely normal on the outside, but on the inside, he was screaming with joy.
Back on the course, the planes reached the next obstacle, which was inside a giant log. Inside the log hid a group of thorny vines that sprung out when the players got close enough.
One vine caught Lily at an awkward angle and cut through part of her wing.
"Ack!" she yelped, trying to stabilize herself.
"Is this what happens when nature strikes back?" Porter joked as he passed her. Meanwhile, Cassidy, Bro, and Lini were neck and neck to the finish line. Bro performed a roll and pulled himself a bit into the lead, taking first. Lini and Cassidy tied for second, while Porter came in third and Lily last.
Orv nodded in approval. "Not bad, not bad. We're halfway through the show already, folks! But don't fret, because we still have half the show to enjoy! In the meantime though, how about those rankings?"
He looked around and breathed a sigh of relief, probably because Shaw and his mother were nowhere to be seen. He refocused his sight on the leaderboard.
"In first, Team #3! In second, Team #2, and in last, Team #4!" Orv announced. "Now that we're halfway through the show, that also means the courses from here on out will get more difficult. With that bit of extra knowledge, where's our previous winner? We need them to press the button!"
Bro stepped up to the stage, pressed the button, and hurried back to his team, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself. The spinner stopped and landed on a course rather quickly.
"Oh, seems like a course has been chosen already." Orv nodded, looking over to the audience. "Now, what was the course that was chose-"
As he was speaking, the lights cut out yet again, going from the forest back to the city. However, this city looked nothing like the one from Rockopeller Street. This one looked abandoned, buildings falling apart and dust roaming the area.
"Oh. This course," he frowned. "Who- Did they- Was this part of the- Whatever. Just get yourselves ready."
The five put their headsets back on and readied their planes near the start- at the gaping hole of a building in ruins.
The audience started the countdown.
"3, 2, 1, Let's fly!"
Round 4: Dystopia Square
Cassidy, Bro, Lily, Porter, and Lini began their dangerous flight through the city ruins. Dodging between fallen pillars and navigating through the layout of the course, things didn't seem very difficult until the last part of the first section. Up ahead were several cracked windows, where breaking through them was a game of chance.
Lily, Cassidy, Bro, and Lini were able to smash through a window and continue on, while Porter on the other hand ran into a window that wasn't fully cracked. He broke through the window, but suffered his plane becoming unresponsive as a result. The plane still kept up for some time until the track called for a right turn. The uncontrollable vehicle rolled down the slope and got launched off a ramp, exploding in the air afterwards.
The audience let out a gasp and after a few seconds of silence, burst out in a wave of laughter.
Meanwhile, Porter sighed and took a seat between Zaire and Cypher at the booth.
"Hey man, you did your best," Zaire chuckled, patting his brother on the back. "You managed to beat me in a flying game, so there's that I can respect you more for."
"Agreed," Cypher nodded. "You can hold it over his head in an argument."
Seal poked his head out of Porter's shirt and gently nuzzled his face into his neck.
"Yeah. I guess I did do good," Porter smiled, patting his seal buddy. "And come on, Zaire. I beat you at almost everything," he added, smirking at his brother.
"Hey!" Zaire sneered, playfully punching Porter's arm.
Back at the track, the remaining competitors gave it their all, not backing down an inch. Their pursuit for each other continued through the remains of the abandoned city, flying through several more buildings and circling around the statue in the center.
The last area in the course was a dried up sewer, rubble and graffiti being the only things to decorate this place.
By now, the damage on Lily's wing started to become more noticeable. She noticed the wing beginning to break off the plane and panicked as it got more and more loose.
Knowing the loss either way, she put her controller on the table, took a seat with the girls and watched from a distance as her plane crashed into a wall and exploded.
The narrow space in the sewer gradually became larger as the end of the course was approaching. Suddenly, the room started to shake and parts of the ceiling started to crumble.
Through all the debris, Bro could see the finish line up ahead. With his skillful steering, he evaded every bit of falling rubble in the way as if he was a spaceship dodging asteroids in space.
Flying out of the exit, he saw it and inched closer to the end.
Out of nowhere though, Amelia's plane fell directly onto the wing of Bro's plane, throwing his plane out of control and missing the ring, flying out of bounds before exploding instead.
"Wait, WHAT-?!" he yelled.
"Sorry, Bro!" Amelia shouted from her seat.
As for the other two who actually completed the course, Lini made it first while Cassidy took second.
Unable to take the surprise and overloaded with confusion, he simply accepted his odd loss and took a seat with his brothers.
"Wow! Now THAT was unexpected!" Orv laughed. "Well, folks, it all comes down to this! We have our top 2 finalists here! Who's gonna survive our last course?"
And just like that, Lini was sent up to the stage to press the button. In traditional Aviators fashion, everyone watched as the courses scrolled by. Some of the show's most difficult courses appeared, one by one, Cerulean Aqueduct, Hard Rock Junkyard, Short-Circuit Circuit, even Moonwing Fortress was visible for a moment. Eventually, the spinner stopped on a pitch black panel with a question mark.
"Ooh, boy!" Orv cheered. "This one's gonna be fun!"
The studio cut its lights off one final time and turned back on, the scenery changing from a city in ruins to a small ice floe drifting between a snowcapped ravine.
"I'm sure you know how things work at this point, so I'll leave you two to it. Have fun!" Orv said.
Cassidy and Lini put on their headsets and looked at the starting line, and as the audience started to count down one final time, the two looked at each other and nodded, ready to take on the final course on the show.
Final Round: Aurora Canyon
Lini and Cassidy started the last flight of the show. The path was treacherous, the uneven walls of the canyon waiting to catch someone off guard and knock them off into the freezing water below. Little did the two know they were already in the path of the first obstacle.
Part of the canyon started to break off and splash into the water, creating a massive wave to avoid. Lini was able to pull up and avoid the wave, and so was Cassidy, but another giant rock fell near her and washed her out with the following wave. It was only Lini now.
Following a slide through an icy tunnel, she reached the next obstacle- A series of large ice floes in the water that sped toward her as she had to evade them. It didn't end well as she hit one of the ice floes in her path.
The audience let out a groan of pain followed by the sound of applause.
"Ah, nuts..." Orv smiled. "No dice this time, but I have to say you all performed very well! I hope you enjoyed yourself on the show."
The siblings, along with Lini, Cassidy, Cypher, Mary, Max, and the players from Teams 1 and 5 all gave nods of approval.
"After the show, we'll give all of our wonderful participants their own RC airplanes, but as for now, can we appreciate our competitors before they return home?"
The audience let out one more round of applause as the music from the show started to kick in.
"Well, that's the show for today. Tune in tomorrow where more young pilots prove their endurance, their skill, and bravery. Until then though, I've been your host, Orv Rockopeller, saying..."
Lily and Porter joined in on Orv's farewell, much to his surprise.
"...Good night, and fly on!"
The applause continued until the cameras cut off and every last light in the studio shut off for the night.
The Next Day
The five siblings, along with Mary, Lini, and Cypher were watching a rerun of the show from yesterday. Everyone was chattering about how much fun they had and how cool it was to hang out with the host of their favorite TV show.
"Is that what I sound like?" Porter groaned, hearing himself say the closing line from the show. "Ugh, why did I say that?"
"Technology will do weird things to your voice," Cypher pointed out.
After watching the credits roll, Amelia turned off the TV and looked over at the group.
"Say, now that we have planes of our own, you guys wanna have an obstacle race in the backyard?" she asked.
"Yeah! Let's do it!" Lily and Porter agreed.
"I'll just watch. Probably commentate," Bro shrugged.
"I can see it now: Aviator Garden... That ought to be a new course, huh? Let's send that to the studio!" Zaire suggested.
Lily and Porter made their way to the backyard first, holding their planes.
"How about a rematch? Boys vs. Girls," Porter proposed.
"Sure. This should be easier for you since there aren't any windows," Lily giggled.
"Just as long as you don't get your wings ripped off," Porter replied with a laugh.
The two of them laughed as the group joined them outside.
"Alright, you two ready?" Lini asked.
Everyone began to count down as the two of them readied their planes.
"3, 2, 1, Let's fly!"