Digimon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction / Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction ❯ Around The Anime Horn ❯ No turning back now. ( Chapter 10 )

AROUND THE ANIME HORN

A/N: The season finals for Around the Anime Horn are in this chapter. Here is where our finalists from the last nine weeks (Gary Oak, Misty Waterflower, Yugi Mutou and Kouji Minamoto) will vie for $250,000, the title of `Best of the Arguments: Season 1-A' and the first spot in the Grand Championships at the end of the year. From there, one will be crowned champion and take home $2,000,000 (US). Because these are the season finals, there will be a new format, which will be explained later, and I've thrown in a few more twists. Check out season one of `Around the Animation Horn' in the Non-Anime section of mediaminer.org next week. And don't miss season two of `Around the Anime Horn' this June. So, if you are ready, and I hope you are, let's finish this season with a bang only Sparks Enterprises can give you!

Day 10: No turning back now. (Recorded April 7, 2003)

(we're on the air)

Announcer: 36 of them came throughout the world of imported US Anime to make it to this point. Only nine of them could cut through the mustard and show they had the bantering genes to make it to this one important night. But the final cut eliminated five from their apparent destiny and left four on the verge of making potential history. But only one can make that penultimate step on the ladder of competitive bantering greatness. Who will that one be? Find out on this… the season finale of Around the Anime Horn.

Cut to a stage and a studio audience of fans rooting for whom they want to advance.

Announcer: And now… your emcee for this evening, please welcome Mr. Artemis Read.

Cut to a large corridor and several doors and tonight's emcee with a hands-free microphone.

Read (while walking): Thank you to our announcer upstairs and all of the fans that came out to support their favorites.

Our emcee successfully gets a rise out of the crowd.

Read (still walking): The reason I'm not out on the stage yet is because I'm interviewing tonight's panelists to see how they are doing. We gave each of them dressing rooms so that they could practice however they felt most comfortable. None of the panelists were allowed to talk to each other since their arrival, but what they don't know is that I will not be doing the scoring for tonight's show. Instead, I have personally enlisted a panel of three judges to help me out for this night. They have not been revealed to the eye of the public at all for the time they have been here, but when I walk out on stage, they will be unmasked. And there are two bonus judges for tonight, as well, so stay tuned. Now first, we will go into the dressing room of Kouji Minamoto to see what he's up to.

As Artemis enters into the dressing room, his identical twin brother, Kouichi Kimura, who was the runner up for Opening Day, greets him. We see Kouji looking up news websites to get ready for tonight. He takes a break as he sees Artemis and greets him as such.

Read: So, how are you planning for this night?

Minamoto: I couldn't sleep at all last night. I was just thinking about how close I am to getting this cash prize, but being the chosen kids sole representative has made me a lot more assertive than before and has opened me to several new possibilities after doing the series.

Read: Has your brother given you any help?

Minamoto: Well, he did tell me that it might bode me well if I studied news sites, so right now I'm just cramming for what to expect tonight.

Read: Best of luck to you and I'll see out on stage.

Minamoto: Thank you.

Our emcee has left Kouji's room and is now going to Yugi's room. However, he finds Mutou meditating by himself and the answers to his questions suddenly become self-explanatory. He is now going to Misty's dressing room, but he finds a `Do Not Disturb' sign on the door. He promptly ignores it telling the panelist that he would interview her before the contest. As Artemis enters, the reasoning behind the sign became crystal clear. He sees Misty in the process of dressing, but he is in front of the camera enough so that we can only see the head (no pun intended) of the water Pokémon trainer. As usual, Misty got steamed. She shouted just about every obscenity in the book (in both English and Japanese) and threw some things at Artemis, as well.

Read (shouting to no one in particular): Next time, I'll do as my name says and Read!

He makes the last stop to Gary Oak's room to find that it is wide open and to also find that he has a visitor. He and the female companion are watching the ESPN version of Around the Horn.

Read: What are you doing with her in your room?

Oak: Well, she was somewhat angry the way she was treated on your show and I also have a little announcement for everyone in attendance tonight.

Read: Can you whisper it into my ear?

Gary whispers the secret and gets an unexpected reaction from Artemis in the from of a hug.

Read: I never would have expected her of all people to be in your dressing room with a bombshell like that. Anyway, I want to apologize for my behavior. If you only knew the way some girls treated me where I came from, you'd understand where I was coming from. But Gary, why are you watching episodes of Around the Horn?

Oak: Let's just say I am studying tactics from the masters of the exercise to get the best out of tonight's performance. I feel that if I can learn from the first, I can learn from the best.

Read: All right, thanks for your time. (Artemis leaves, but then comes back) One more thing, weren't you on the show when Gary won?

Mystery female accomplice: Yes, I was.

Read: You do realize that not many people are going to be fans of this, right?

Oak: We're willing to take chances with this.

Read: Good luck to you both. I mean it.

Artemis finally exits and gets ready to go on stage.

Read: We will reveal our mystery judges and find out our two bonus judges and we'll begin the race for $250,000 after this commercial break.

(commercial break but we end up staying with Artemis)

Read (slightly poor audio) (talking to a stagehand): Man, I can't believe that I actually saw Misty Waterflower in her purest form. I don't think I'll ever recover from that.

Stagehand: I don't think you're going to here the end of this one.

Read: Yeah, but I specifically told the panelists to be ready for an interview.

Stagehand: I saw you coming out of that Mutou kids' dressing room pretty quickly. Did he do something to make you want to leave?

Read: No, he was meditating and I felt it would be rude and disrespectful to disrupt his concentration. Listen, can you promise to keep a secret that has to do with Gary Oak?

Stagehand: I'm listening.

(A/N: Keep in mind the live audience can only hear what happens between commercial breaks.)

Read: It seems as if right after the fourth episode that Gary and Kari Yagami have sort of a thing with each other. I'm saying to myself I really hope that Tai Yagami doesn't find out about this because when you think it over, they really make a fine pair.

As if on cue Tai arrives in the corridor but can only hear what Artemis has to say about him.

Read: But Tai won't allow his younger family members to enjoy their lives. He is a cynical asshole that can't even keep a relationship with that tennis chick, Sora Takenouchi. I'll tell you this. If he were here right now, I would tell him straight to his face that he is a hypocrite and a tyrant for wanting to make sure his innocent little sister stays that way, at least until college. Just you wait until I meet him out in the audience or the parking lot. He hasn't had a good talking to in a while and this will be for his own good.

Yagami: You want to call me a cynical asshole, Read?

The emcee cringes at the site behind him. But soon after, he receives his saving grace.

Producer: 30 seconds to air. Send in the panelists. Read, get set over on the stage.

Yagami (cold tone): We'll settle this later.

He heads for the audience without saying another word.

Producer (slightly annoyed): 15 seconds to air, Read.

Read: 10-4, boss.

(we're back on the air and lead into an applause from the audience)

Read (trying his best not to show face, with no success): Welcome back to our show. As you all know, the top four winners from the nine previous telecasts are invited to come back and try for our $250,000 cash prize. And I think it's about time you meet exactly who I'm talking about, do you?

(audience cheers madly)

Read: First, from episode two, he is the star of the hit Kids WB! series Yu-Gi-Oh!, please welcome Yugi Mutou!

Mutou enters the stage in a black and white tuxedo and acknowledges his rooting section and friends before he shakes Artemis' hand and goes to his left.

Read: Our next contestant is that arrogant, cocky and smooth Pokémon expert. Welcome the other Pallet trainer, Gary Oak!

Gary gets a `Jeff Gordon' treatment from the crowd, meaning simply that he must put up with a mix of cheers and boos. The former of which coming from his small rooting section including his family and surprisingly Ash Ketcham came to offer support. (A/N: It's a Pallet thing.)

Read: Our next competitor is another Pokémon trainer that has recently used her mouth more than her monsters as the staple of whine, whine and more whine. Please welcome almost everyone's favorite water Pokémon trainer, Misty Waterflower!

Misty gets about the same treatment, except for more cheering for her appearance, and surprise, her sisters are in the audience to support her. (A/N: Or get a cut of the money.) She goes to Artemis and takes a swing at him.

Read: We might need security for tonight. And last but not least… he is the sole representative of the Digital Monsters series in general. And when you get to know him, he is a real nice guy. So please welcome the new hotness, Kouji Minamoto!

Kouji gets the largest reception of the night. He has several rooting sections at his disposal. He is wearing a white dress shirt with a black tie.

Read (with the panelists standing to his left): I see that we're all pumped up and ready to get this party started, right?

He sparks another cheer from the crowd.

Read: First… first, we have to reveal our three judges for the night. Each of our studio audience judges count for one-fifth of the total score for our panelists. Our studio audience counts for another one-fifth of the score and I will also throw my hat in the race as I count for 20% of the total voting power. Our first judge always has appeared to be the over protective mother to this primary voice in USA-Anime. She doesn't look old at all, but apparently she was old enough to be the mother of special guest Ash Ketcham. Our first judge is Delia Ketcham!

As usual, we get cheers and applause from the audience.

Read: Our second judge should receive some sort of award for being able to carry more chocolate in one trip to the digital world than anyone else. He isn't the round mound of rebound, but if you take off the rebound part, you would be close. Please welcome from Digimon Frontier, J.P. Shibayama!

J.P. salutes the crowd, who gives him a healthy applause in return.

Read: And finally, this next judge has shown herself to be a formidable oppressor to Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Téa. Her name might be synonymous with February the 14th, but to be honest, she is her own Valentine, because she is Mai Valentine! Give it up for her!

Mai receives some boos from the women in attendance, but the cheers overshadow those.

Read (serious): I would just like to remind everyone to please not confuse these three with another triad of judges.

(audience laughs)

Read: It's really getting old. Anyway, when we return, we will tell the panelists about the special format that will be used exclusively for Around the Horn finals. That and a whole lot more, right after this.

(audience cheers into a commercial break, but once again, we stay with Artemis as he walks off stage along with the four panelists)

Read (talking to the quartet): All right, guys. As you know, there will be a coin toss to see who goes first. (With a silver dollar in his hand.) This side is heads and this side is tails. Kouji and Gary will be our first match. Kouji, call it in the air.

Read flips the coin and Kouji called it tails. Unfortunately, it lands on heads, meaning Kouji could either go third or last in the argument.

Read: Misty and Yugi is our second match. Misty, call it in the air.

Waterflower (while coin is flipping): Heads.

The coin lands on tails and Yugi and Gary will meet to decide who goes first.

Read: All right, you two. Before I toss your coin and determine who goes first, I must find out who goes last between Misty and Kouji. So Kouji, call it in the air.

Kouji would go with tails again, but once again it didn't pay off and he will have to start last.

Read: Okay, Gary and Yugi. Whoever wins this coin toss will start first in the arguments, and that is a big advantage. So Yugi, call it in the air.

Yugi is tense, because everyone that has called in the air lost his or her toss. He reluctantly chooses tails, and it lands as such. He can hardly contain himself.

The panelists order is:

Yugi Mutou

Gary Oak

Misty Waterflower

Kouji Minamoto

Read: We'll be about six minutes before we go back on the air, so head back on stage and I'll meet you there later.

Read (talking to a production assistant): Tell the producers I'm going to be in my dressing room.

Assistant: You got it.

The emcee walks into the room. He requested that his room be filled with two recliners, his 60" plasma-screen TV, a mini fridge filled with Coca-Cola to the brim, 25 feet of strong rope and six rolls of duct tape. Artemis is about to go to a closet in the room until he is interrupted by a female visitor.

Woman: Mr. Read?

Read (turns around suddenly): Oh, Cherie. You startled me.

Cherie is Artemis' assistant and is a woman in her mid-20's.

Cherie: I just came to tell you that the show will go back on the air in five minutes.

Read: OK. Thanks, Cherie. You can go know.

As soon as Cherie leaves, Artemis goes back to the closet. We find a girl that looks as if she was in her mid-teens. She has been tied up in duct tape and rope. The same things Read requested for his dressing room. The young lady can't stand up or talk because of the duct tape over her mouth, so Read goes down to her level and delivers this chilling message.

Read (in a disturbing and chilling voice): You may think that you are the highlight of this night, but soon everyone will realize exactly what you are. Sure, you wanted to jump on my bandwagon back in '95, but your wallet spoke louder than your true desires. But then came 2002 and you did your best 50 Cent impersonation and made a comeback to end all comebacks. You wanted to be the original Mary Alice Crosswire, but then you came across opportunities you thought would further your career.

In an impromptu action, he takes some of the young lady's hair and puts it between his fingers. He then proceeds to lick the unexposed areas of her face before leaning in for a nonconsensual kiss on the other cheek.

Read (continuing): I was going to have you sign a $2.1 million contract with a guarantee of a yearly raise up to the year 2004. You planned to sign right there on the dotted line and say proudly that I work for Marc Brown. But you had to go to the dime-a-dozen world of anime where no one heard from you again. But did you tell me about this little escapade of yours? No. You ran like the bitch that you are without even saying goodbye. You loved me and you left me like some Old French whore. Leaving with the mentality that you could do anything like MacGyver or something.

Read stands up because he hears the producer saying two minutes until the show starts, but he doesn't leave without a bang.

Read: And speaking of bitches, payback is one. A good one at that.

He kicks the young female in her exposed lower abdominal and then locks the closet and leaves to begin the game.

(we're back on the air and the crowd is wild)

Read: Welcome back to our presentation. Now it's time for the game portion of tonight. Each of our panelists will have thirty seconds to answer questions I give them about twelve categories on this screen behind me. The catch is, each panelist has a choice of only three categories and the judges, our studio audience and myself will judge them on a score of one to ten for their overall argument skills. And of course remember point of view, style and information. But each panelist must know the topics they could be arguing about beforehand, so let's reveal them.

Tonight's Topics:

Bloomtown

This is the big one!

Mind your "P's" and cuse.

We're not in Kansas anymore.

No real safe haven for anyone.

Something Fisi going on in F1.

Bombs over Baghdad.

Death may come sooner for snipers.

The keyword in "No. 1" is NO.

Master Gatekeepers.

NHL & NBA playoff picture.

April Timeline.

Read: And those are tonight's subjects. We held a toss backstage to see who would have the advantage of going first and that honor is held by…Yugi Mutou.

The audience cheers knowing whom they wanted to win would go first.

Read: Our other three panelists will go backstage in soundproof rooms. They will not be able to see or hear the progress of Yugi and before the show, all of the panelists signed a deal not to mention the topics discussed on this stage. (to Yugi) Now if Yugi will come with me and sit in this director's chair, we will begin.

Read (at a podium): Now, which one of the twelve categories would you like first. Remember that you only get thirty seconds each for three topics.

Mutou: I'll pick bombs over Baghdad.

Read: Very well. Here is your first subject. U.S. and Allied Forces have made their way into the capital of Iraq, Baghdad. From there, they hope to bring own the regime that Saddam Hussein and his sons have kept in power for over 25 years. Here is your question. Do you think people in Iraq really support President George W. Bush and his mission for a new Iraq? Yugi, your thirty seconds begins now.

Mutou: I will honestly say that the Iraqi people will label Bush as their savoir and will sing his praises until troops leave Iraq to the people for good. It would seem as if the war has been all but dominated by the American and British forces, with the exception of those prisoners of war (POW's) and those missing in action. (MIA) From about September of 2002, the plan has been fairly simple; eliminate Saddam Hussein from his position as ruler of Iraq for not just failing to disarm of weapons of mass destruction, but the mistreatment and proven torture of the Iraqi people. Saddam has kept so many things from his people for so long that an entire generation has passed without much of anything to say about what's going on in the world. It is despicable and at all costs, must be stopped.

(horn blares)

Read: See, we have the horn with us. Okay, Mutou. That was your first topic and now we shall move on to your choice of one of eleven remaining topics.

Mutou: Let's try the keyword in "No. 1" is NO.

Read: All right. Here is your next subject. For those that don't remember, or simply forgot, the #1 seeds for the 2003 NCAA Men's basketball tournament were Kentucky, Texas, Arizona, and Oklahoma. Three of these top tier teams (UK, U-AZ and OU) were eliminated in the round of eight, or the elite eight, while Texas lost to Syracuse in the National Semifinals. But I want to know if any of these teams' losses were in vain? You have thirty seconds and they begin right now.

Mutou: Of course the loss that Kentucky had over Marquette should have never happened, but I'll tell you why it did. Everyone had been pumping Tubby Smith and his program for the entire season. They were undefeated in the SEC and the Rupp Arena. They won the SEC championship. They go all the way to the elite eight and lose to a formidable Marquette team out of Conference USA by more than ten points. Arizona's loss to Kansas is something that stems back to the number of quality teams that were in the West bracket. Oklahoma has never faced the type of 2-3 zone that Jim Boeheim and his squad have been using all season. And, of course, you can't forget Carmelo Anthony, who should be picked for top 3 honors in the NBA Draft. Same story goes for Texas in the National Semifinals. But I guarantee you the team that is hurting the most is Kentucky, who did not cut down the nets in the SEC Championship, because they wanted to do it for the Final Four. Unfortunately, they never got the chance to do so.

(horn blares)

Read: Great statement. Now, you must choose from one more topic out of the ten remaining. Which one will it be?

Mutou: Let's try we're not in Kansas anymore.

Read: You've got it. Here is your final subject of the night. University of Kansas coach Roy Williams has a tough decision beyond the national finals. He can either stay with the current program he's in or try his luck at UNC. Do you think he could do great justice to the legendary program at UNC? Your thirty seconds begin right now.

Mutou: When you look at Roy Williams, you see a class act with his program and the people in it. It is unfortunate what happened to Matt Doherty, but this is a fine opportunity for Roy to make Dean Smith proud. But I suggest that he do this before Larry Brown gets a piece of the pie, because he is the next guy of Dean Smith U that would be in line. But let's be honest about Roy and the Kansas program. He has gone to the Final Four too many times and come back disappointed too often. Everyone at Kansas knows that he is way past due for the National Title. I suggest that he pack his bags for Old Tobacco Road and make a fresh start in Chapel Hill before the Kansas hopeful makes that decision for him.

(horn blares)

Read (walking to the judges): Yugi, follow me.

Mutou walks out of the director's chair and to Read's left to hear the judge's opinions.

Read: The judges will give you a score of one to ten based on your performance, but they along with myself and our studio audience will have to wait for our other three panelists before making a ruling. For now, they will just share their opinions, starting with Delia.

Ketcham: You show yourself to have the ability to not get nervous up on a stage of people. You had awesome style and have convinced me that you could go head to head with the big boys on the real ESPN show.

Audience cheers.

Shibayama: I think your ability to take a topic, no matter what it may be and make it your own was what struck me into giving you a good grade. You did have some moments there, but through it all, you have shown yourself not to waver from the ultimate goal and that is perfecting the argument.

Light cheers from the crowd.

Valentine: Yugi, you've shown yourself to be the best of the bunch, so far. But I will have to consider order in my scoring when I do this, because you had an entire array of topics to argue, while our final panelist will have no choice, whatsoever. But you did well enough to raise some eyebrows.

Read: All right, Mutou. You've heard what the judges have to say. You can now head to the back. (while Yugi heads to the back) Now will you introduce our second of four panelists for this affair. He scored 44 points on his way to victory in Day 4. Welcome Gary Oak on stage.

Gary walks over to Artemis then over to the Director's Chair for the same procedure.

Read: Gary, you have a choice of our remaining nine categories for tonight. Which one would you like first?

Tonight's Topics:

1) Bloomtown

2) This is the big one!

3) Mind your "P's" and cuse.

4)

No real safe haven for anyone.

Something Fisi going on in F1.

7)

8) Death may come sooner for snipers.

9)

10) Master Gatekeepers.

11) NHL & NBA playoff picture.

12) April Timeline.

Oak: I would like NHL & NBA playoff picture, please.

Read (getting the statement): Here is your first subject. The playoffs for the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) will both begin within the next two weeks. There is little competition for the bottom-feeders in the NHL and their number eight spots. Number one in the west and east appears to be Dallas and Ottawa, respectively. In the NBA, it appears to be a dogfight for number one in the Western conference between Dallas, San Antonio and Sacramento. The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers are currently sixth in the West, while another dogfight for number one in the east can be called four ways between New Jersey, Indiana, Detroit and Philadelphia. While Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards are all but out of the playoff hunt. So, who are legitimate teams that could vie for a national championship? Your thirty seconds begins right now.

Oak: With the NBA going to a best-of-seven game playoff for the first round, it will be an advantage for the teams that are better at home. Of course, it will be a lot harder for upsets to occur, but a best of seven is a good thing for those teams that get better every time they play someone. It may be a bit of a surprise, but I will hold out in saying that the Lakers have a great shot at winning it all because they are too inconsistent with teams that are going to have home field advantage for the playoffs. So, I will go with a proven team in Sacramento to take it all the way to the top. For the NHL, you can never expect who will come out on top. It is possible for #1 seeds to lose to #8's and that can mix things up incredibly. I have to say Detroit isn't the team it was last year, so the team I'll put my money on is Denver.

(horn blares)

Oak: That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Read: Gary, you must select from one of eight categories remaining. What's it going to be?

Oak: Let's go with Master Gatekeepers.

Read: I really like this one. Here is your next subject. Martha Burk of the National Council of Women's Organizations (NCWO) has planned to have a strike, along with her group, at the main gate of the Augusta National Golf Club on the first day of Master's play. I want you to give me sort of a road map as to how Martha Burk will pull off getting a woman into the golf club? Your thirty seconds begins right now.

Oak: Martha Burk can pull off getting a woman into the golf club in a little less than a year and here's how. The world was able to get its first glimpse of the golf prodigy that is Michelle Wie. Combine that with Annika Sorenstam wanting to play in various men's tournaments and you have a launching pad for the ultimate goal. But Martha Burk has to continue to push this issue, even if it means going to the highest court in the country and pleading her case there. Hootie Johnson says that the decision to let women play in the club is not his decision alone, but if you would for a moment imagine how Augusta first felt when African-Americans were allowed to play. If they would get off their segregated minds for one moment, they would realize how much of an effort is being put into integrating this prestigious club.

(horn blares)

Read: All right, Gary Oak. You have one more subject to choose from. So, where are you headed?

Oak: I'll go with this is the big one.

Read: Here is your next subject. At the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, NASCAR driver Ryan Newman blew a tire out resulting in a 27-car accident, the largest in track history. These wrecks by the way are known by many as the big ones. So what can we do to stop the big one from happening? Your thirty seconds begins right now.

Oak: The drivers in the Winston Cup community have constantly talked about removing the restrictor plates from the cars to make the horsepower go from 415hp to the average of 820hp. From there, we can really see who is the fastest and won't need artificial means of race quality to deliver a great product to all the viewing fans. The problem with getting this to happen is that NASCAR will make the argument that safety is not up to par enough with the speed and will take years to try and make absolutely sure that taking off the plates is a safe measure.

(horn blares)

Read: If you'll follow me to the judges' panel, we will begin with Delia and her judgement call.

Ketcham: You handled yourself well out there making sure you picked topics you weren't clueless about and giving as much as possible in thirty seconds.

Shibayama: I think you could have put some more effort in one question, but overall, you performed very well considering the time constraints.

Valentine: I actually think you did better than Yugi considering the number of topics you had to choose from. You made those arguments your own and because of that should stir things up in the final voting.

Read: All right, you've heard your comments from the judges. Keep in mind, we're halfway home and have two more panelists ready to bump heads in that argument. We'll see them, after the break.

(commercial break, but I think you get the drill)

Artemis is seen by a security camera (A/N: Keep in mind, they all have sound.) going to his dressing room. He opens the door and is about to go to the closet again, but he is interrupted by a male voice.

Male: Hey, Arthur, or are you getting to primetime for that name?

Read turns around to see someone he didn't expect.

Read: Max Kellerman? (A/N: he is the host of ESPN's Around the Horn)

Kellerman: I just wanted to congratulate you on a successful first season.

Read (walking to a chair and sitting down): I just want to congratulate you on finally getting away from that Friday Night Fights mentality. But listen. Just between the two of us, I feel that this run by the Kansas City Royals is going to be prematurely stopped by money and power.

Kellerman: But what do you think of Theo Upstein so far.

Read: Listen. Anytime you can't have a manager or pitching coaches decide who will be the next to pitch, you are cornering yourself between a rock and a hard place. This bullpen by committee is just another way to attract big business to the game, which we do not need.

Producer: One minute to air, Read.

(A/N: Keep in mind that throughout the whole discussion, Read kept the closet door slightly open.)

Read: Ok, boss. Tell you what, Max. Walk with me and we can talk about some other things of interest, like Woody Paige.

As they walk out of the door, the camera raises up to see a young lady hanging from the ceiling. She is trying her best not to fall down or breathe too loud.

(we're back on the air)

Read (with Misty on his left): Welcome back gang. I said before the last commercial break that we would be going to the finish from here, and I can't think of anyone else than this girl who scored 44 points in Day 5. Give it up for Misty Waterflower!

She curtsies in response to the crowd.

Read: We are ready to play the game with Misty Waterflower.

Artemis walks over to the podium and Misty sits in the director's chair facing the audience.

Read: Gary and Yugi left you with six categories to make your point with and here they are:

Tonight's Topics:

1) Bloomtown

2)

3) Mind your "P's" and cuse.

4)

No real safe haven for anyone.

Something Fisi going on in F1.

7)

8) Death may come sooner for snipers.

9)

10)

11)

April Timeline.

Read: You need to pick three of them, but you only have to pick one right now. What will it be?

Waterflower: I'll pick Bloomtown.

Read: Bloomtown. Misty, here is your first subject. On Sunday, the world lost one of the more enthusiastic and charismatic journalists of our time. David Bloom of NBC News died of lung complications while filming coverage of the war in Iraq. He is survived by his wife, three daughters, parents and two brothers. He was 39 years old. Here's the question. What is the significance of Bloom to the NBC News team. Your thirty seconds begin now.

Waterflower: I think David had some of the best hard hitting reporting skills of anyone at NBC. He had a way of delivering the story, whether it was Hurricane Andrew, 9/11 or the war in Iraq, he delivered the story the way you wanted it. Bloom will be missed because he came from a background that made you want to get to know him. He didn't report the news with any arrogance, cockiness or a sense of thinking that he couldn't do any better. Hard work has eventually paid of for him and all the NBC journalists will respect him for years to come. He may be gone, but his spirit is alive and well.

(horn blares)

Read: Good job. What do want to delve into next?

Waterflower: Let's go with mind your "P's" and cuse.

Read: Very well. Now, here is your next subject. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim has spent 27 years with that team, but everyone says this is the best lineup he's ever had. Here is the question. What are some of the things that could make this year Boeheim's best? Your thirty seconds begins now.

Waterflower: If you look at some of the weapons Jim has this year in Carmelo Anthony and Joey Macnamara, you will see if you haven't already that the older you are the better you are in college basketball. We're talking about two freshmen that seemed to come at just the right time for everything to gel into place. I'll bring down all those rumors of Anthony not going to the NBA this year and refocus our discussion on LeBron James because if you look at it from all directions, these two will be the number one and two picks in the upcoming draft. He won't play another year because he is too good to have that talent go to waste in the big business of college basketball.

(horn blares)

Read: One more subject to take care of, so what's it going to be?

Waterflower: Let's try April timeline.

Read: This is a good one, too. Here is your final subject. On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh bombed the federal Oklahoma City building, along with other adversaries. It was the largest scale of homeland terrorism in the history of the United States. He was given death by lethal injection on June 11, 2001. Also, on April 20, 1999, a mass school shooting, where thirteen were killed, rocked Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. After the mass murders, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the suspected gunmen, then pulled the triggers on themselves. Do actions that threaten the American way of life, such as these make us better people inside? Your thirty seconds begins right now.

Waterflower: I think that Americans have no other choice than to step back and evaluate their own lives on the brink of mass tragedies such as the Oklahoma City bombing or Columbine. It forces us to tell our children and our parents that we love them and that we want to give them a hug before they go to bed at night. They want to show everyone how much they appreciate each other. They know that their time is running out and how they act today is how people see and feel them tomorrow. Having a heart is simple human nature and the practice of having a heart will show through to mask the face of tragedy.

(horn blares)

The crowd give Misty a standing ovation and applause.

Read (walking to the judges): Follow me. Delia, what did you think?

Ketcham: She had this crowd in the palm of her hand and that's what it will take to win.

Shibayama: It's amazing. She hardly seems nervous up there and with the lack of topics she had to choose from, she has shown me she deserves to be on top.

Valentine: I think you have a great sense of realizing that you can't control what you receive, but you can control how you give it out. Good job!

Read: All right, Misty. The time for the judges to butter you up is over. You can head backstage now. So ladies and gentlemen. This leaves only one more panelist that will try his luck on the path of bantering greatness. This competitor scored 40 points in Day 6 to make it to this point. Welcome Kouji Minamoto to the stage!

The fangirls are in effect tonight as Kouji makes his way onto stage. He like the others stands on Artemis' left.

Read: If you'll walk over to the director's chair, we'll get started. As you know by now, Kouji lost the coin toss backstage and has the disadvantage of going last in this playoff. You only have three topics and since you are doing three topics, I just want you to give me the order in which you want to do them.

Kouji will do the three remaining topics in this order:

Something Fisi going on in F1.

Death may come sooner for snipers.

No real safe haven for anyone.

Read: Kouji, here is your first subject. At a wet and wild Formula 1 Grand Prix of Brazil, Giancarlo Fisichella passed leader Kimi Raikkonen on lap 54. On lap 55, a Mark Webber wreck that led to a Fernando Alonso wreck one minute later pulled out the red flag and a race stoppage. Fisichella was seen crossing the line to complete lap 56, but Raikkonen was shown as the winner. In F1, if a race is stopped with no way to continue, race control goes back two laps from the stop lap to get the end result of the event. Was the entire event, like the weather, a wash? Your thirty seconds begin now.

Minamoto: This entire Formula 1 season, I can honestly say has been the most exciting of the bunch, because you have no idea what will happen next. Bear in mind that weather and accidents have had an affect on all of the races, you have to give Max Mosely and Bernie Ecclestone credit where credit is due. Bernie might say that some things like qualifying don't have as much significance, but sometimes things in life have to take a back seat for what is most important. For the second time this year, a Ferrari did not make the podium, Michael Schumacher had his first DNF in nearly a year and a half and we had controversy, which always sells on Monday.

(horn blares)

Read: Here is your next subject. The Virginia State courthouse continues testimony in the Metro area serial sniper case. We have found out that John Allen Muhammad can be given the death penalty for being involved in the shootings even though he wasn't charged with firing shots. Should a person not formally charged but clearly involved be put on the stand and sentenced to death? Your thirty seconds begins right now.

Minamoto: Just being involved in a series of random murders, but not being charged with killing anybody should not fetch the penalty of death. Give that to the people charged with first degree murder and those involved with treason. But if you can't find out if someone actually murdered another person then they should only be charged with conspiracy or the harboring of a criminal. The U.S. court system is already screwed up as it is, but because John Lee Malvo was apparently the only one charged with firing shots, he is the only one that should be considered for death by lethal injection.

(horn blares)

Read: Here is the final subject of the night. Aside from David Bloom of NBC News, three other journalists have been reportedly killed. They include Reuters cameraman Taras Protsyuk, Al-Jazeera TV reporter Tariq Ayoub and Julio Anguita Parrado of the Spanish newspaper El Mundo. Here is the final question of the night. Was the idea of placing all of the media in Iraq a bad idea from the start? Your thirty seconds begin right now.

Minamoto: Whenever you have media caught in the crossfire of a war, the end result can be death. All these journalists and everyone else that has stepped foot onto foreign soil must realize and understand the risks. We are watching a war like we have never watched a war before. It can't be entirely blamed on the media, because they know that some people will want nonstop coverage of the war. And these networks have developed the technology to be able to fulfill that request. But no matter what, it is a tragedy to see journalists getting caught in a war that is silent without them.

(horn blares multiple times to signal the end of the game)

Read (while walking to the judges): Follow me. Let's hear what my girl Delia thought of that.

Ketcham: You have a passion that no one else has brought to the table tonight.

Shibayama: You are going to have the guys on CNN's Crossfire eating out of your shoe one day. It was awesome.

Valentine: It will be hard to call this one. I say everyone's equal.

Read: All right. Let's bring out the other three panelists and I'll break down how we will score this one. Each panelist will get a score out of 50 points. 30 of those come from our judges and they each control 10 points each. I control 10 points and this studio audience controls 10 points. And I think since this is such a great audience and all, let's tally up their scores right now. Using your keypads, vote for Gary, Misty, Yugi and Kouji on a scale of one to ten, with ten being the best. And the best part is you can do that right now.

The five on stage wait 30 seconds until studio audience voting was over.

Read: Now the votes from our studio audience have been tallied and finalized. And I really don't mean to steal this catchphrase, but why don't you hit me with those digits?

Audience results:

Gary Oak: 7 points

Misty Waterflower: 9 points

Yugi Mutou: 8 points

Kouji Minamoto: 8 points

Read: Well, as you can see, it is still a close one. But now it's time for our judges and myself to shake that total up. When we return, the final results from the Around the Anime Horn tournament will be revealed. Until then, I feel that these four should just work off the pressure and go into our studio audience. We'll be right back.

(commercial break as Artemis leaves the stage and the panelists go to the studio audience)

Artemis has ten minutes to come up with his results. He goes to his dressing room to fill out the ballot. He does so and sends them to the producers for them to take care of at the end of the show. He returns to his dressing room and heads for the closet as usual, but just before he reaches to open the door, he is interrupted by a voice that gives him chills.

Young Lady: You're not going to find me in there. It's over Read.

When Artemis turned around, he had a look that said he could go ballistic any second. But luckily, he was able to keep his cool, for now. The room went silent for what seemed like an hour, but was only a minute or more. Then, Artemis finally breaks the silence.

Read: How the hell did… there was no way you could've gotten out of that tape, or the rope?

Young Lady: I can't believe with all your intelligence, you still don't get it. I said it before and I'll say it again. I can do anything.

Read (somber): That's not something the girl I knew would say. What happened to you? You just couldn't be second banana to anyone. You had to take everything I worked hard for you to get and leave it on the sideline. You left me for a life you chose to live. A life without me. (getting colder) You seemed to turn out fine on the surface, but I know it was eating at you inside. Now I don't want to have to hurt you or leave you disappointed, so you have a chance to leave, but only after you hear what else I have to say. Don't forget who you are and who got you there.

Young Woman: Your terribly mistaken. But you do make one good point. I am Kim Possible and I got here ALL BY MYSELF!

Read was about to turn to leave his dressing room, but suddenly he turns back and lands a punch right on Kim's nose. He then proceeds to tackle her to the ground and grab her by the neck.

Read: You listen to me and you listen long and hard. You are NOTHING without me. I made you into the star you are today. Nobody else would do it but me. So quit wasting your damn time and come back home, where you belong.

Kim then proceeds to kick Read in the head with her legs. She turns him around, tackles him and chokes out her former mentor.

Possible: Now, you listen to me. You are a bastard through and through. You held me back from doing anything I wanted to. It was always about fulfilling the needs of Marc Brown and your sorry ass. You want to know why I left? The contract you presented me pushed me to my breaking point. Sure, I might have seemed glad to finally get to sign on the dotted line…

She uses this opportunity to punch Read in the face.

Possible (continuing): …but it was all good acting. You had your goons tie me up and put me in that closet. I could barely breathe in there and you still think that…

Kim is caught off guard when Read catches a punch on Kim's chin. He then gets up and begins a series of body shots to Kim's exposed midsection. He then shoves Kim into a wall hard enough to break it. Kim recognized the situation and took Artemis' glasses away from his face. Now Kim begins to go on the assault with a barrage of kicks and punches to the midsection and head. Read was finally able to catch a break when Kim trips on one of his shoes. Unfortunately, she held on to her mentor and they both continued the assault. For nearly two minutes, they were at an all our war of who would be able to stay on top. (A/N: Don't get any ideas.) Artemis then gets an idea. He removed his belt and cracks it one time loud enough to get Kim off of is abdominal. He gets his glasses, closes his dressing room and uses a folding chair to barricade it. All this happens in enough time for Read to get back on stage and finish the show.

(we're back on the air)

Read (in a slightly raspy voice): Welcome back. Please excuse my voice. I think I may be coming down with something. I have the four panelists right here to my right. They are about to find out who among them will win our $250,000 cash prize. Remember that none of you will go away empty handed. As our three runners up will receive $50,000 cash prizes to go with the $25,000 they won each day of our tournament. (holding an envelope) I have the results here in my hand and the good news is that I will not wait any longer. Here are the results. (our emcee opens the envelope) We have a tie.

The audience has surprised reactions to this news.

Read: We have a tie… for last place between… Gary and Kouji. I'm sorry, but you both are out of the running for the cash.

Gary and Kouji cut their losses and look on the bright side that says they will go home with $75,000.

Read: And then, there were two. It has now come down between Yugi Mutou and Misty Waterflower. Here are the results. (he seems to take forever) Yugi? You're going to the finals.

The crowd goes absolutely nuts when they find that out. Out of good sportsmanship, Misty hugs Yugi and Yugi does the same for Misty.

Read: So, Yugi Mutou wins. And I think (trying to calm down the audience) listen to this. I think that because you weren't able to take face time at Day 2, I'll give you fifteen seconds to say whatever you want about anything, then talk about the win. So, your fifteen seconds begins now.

Yugi Mutou: This is a plea out to everyone that has a heart for what is going on in Iraq. Please pray for our prisoners of war and those missing in action. They need the strength to carry on for the tough times that may be ahead. So remember our troops on this day and all days, and as always, we pray for their safe return home.

Read: Now I want to know how you are feeling right now.

Mutou: Man, I didn't know that I could pull it off like I did. I don't really have anything to say right now except, I'll see you all in the finals. Cheer me on. And one more thing. To my friends and family back in Domino City who couldn't be here tonight, a message exclusively for them. It has to come from deep down in the heart in order for it to be found. And I found it.

(unaired footage)

Read: I feel that you have shown yourself to be a competitor amongst competitors here tonight.

All of a sudden, screaming can be heard throughout the auditorium.

Read (half-confused): What was that?

It happens to be Kim Possible, who escaped from Artemis' barricaded dressing room to get another piece of her ex-mentor. She tackles him, but can do no more damage as the four panelists and security have her escorted off the stage. She takes the time she has remaining to trash talk to read before she is arrested.

Possible: You're not going to get away with this! I swear to God in heaven you will pay dearly! They will all find out sooner or later!

She whines on until she is completely removed from the stage. Artemis and the panel try to get the crowd settled and eventually accomplish their feat.

(back to the unedited footage)

Read: Well, I have to say it has been a fun and interesting experience working with everyone on this project. Yugi, since you are the winner, you get the last word.

Mutou: You couldn't have offered better competition than the 35 others and me that stepped into your realm. It was great fun and I'll see you later in the year.

Read: For the entire cast panel and crew this is your emcee with the most Artemis Read telling you to not fret because we still have Around the Animation Horn in one week to look forward to and the second season of Around the Anime Horn premieres in June. Until then, so long!

Here are the judges and emcee results:

Delia Ketcham

Gary Oak: 9 points

Misty Waterflower: 9 points

Kouji Minamoto: 8 points

Yugi Mutou: 8 points

JP Shibayama

Gary Oak: 8 points

Misty Waterflower: 9 points

Kouji Minamoto: 7 points

Yugi Mutou: 9 points

Mai Valentine

Gary Oak: 7 points

Misty Waterflower: 7 points

Kouji Minamoto: 6 points

Yugi Mutou: 7 points

Arthur `Artemis' Read

Gary Oak: 5 points

Misty Waterflower: 7 points

Kouji Minamoto: 7 points

Yugi Mutou: 10 points

Total Scores:

Gary Oak: 36 points

Misty Waterflower: 41 points

Kouji Minamoto: 36 points

Yugi Mutou: 42 points

(we're off the air)

Stay tuned to Around the Animation Horn in the Non Anime section of mediaminer.org.