The Ultimate Ride

Chapter 1: Japan or Bust …

Myzuki jumped from the roof of her school, not wasting any energy with one of her usual tricks. Her brain felt like it was going to explode with the news she just received. Her hand caught the flagpole, and the Air Trek on her left foot hooked into the worn grooves left from countless slides.

She slid down the pole, absorbing the shock of her landing by bending at the knees. Like so many other times her fathers job required for him to relocate. This was the dilemma occupying her mind.

She barely noticed the two walls she rode to clear the fence that was in her path. Again, those walls were etched from her AT wheels. More times than she can remember she had taken this route home.

She didn't want to consider the possibility that this time would be the last time she would take this route. The problem was that unlike before her mother and father were divorced, which left her relocating with her old man.

Trepidation filled her as the last obstacle between her and her dad was cleared. She slid to a stop in the driveway. Her expression showing the anger she didn't want to hide.

"DAD!" Myzuki yelled. It was the middle of the school year, when Myzuki received the news from her mother that they would be moving to Tokyo.

"Yes sweetheart?" Myzuki's father replied entering the living room, to find a very pissed off daughter.

"Dad why didn't you just tell me? Why did I have to hear the news from mom? Its my senior year, there has to be a way I could stay?" she pleaded.

"Look sweetie I found out a couple a days ago and you know your mom, she rather you go with me then her having to actually take on the responsibility of taking care of you." Her father replied.

" I don't need anyone to watch me, I'm seventeen years old, I think I can handle myself." she suggested rather annoyed.

"I am your father, and what I say is final," Her father stated firmly.

Myzuki bowed her head in defeat and found her way to her bedroom. She relaxed and took a shower. She looked in the mirror and she glanced at herself.

Being that she is only half Japanese she has charcoal black eyes that are exotic, which are noticeable Asian, her skin smooth and tanned from living in Long Beach, California for so long.

'Man I hope I don't get pale living over there.' She reflected.

She called all her friends and broke the news. They were considerably upset to say the least. Later on that night she headed towards the kitchen. Myzuki discovered her father making one of his oh so infamous "Protein Shakes".

He's a very tall man, with a lean built. Unlike Myzuki he has a pale complexion with more of the Asian features. His hair is short and black; he slicks it back. He definitely looks like a businessman. He wears glasses and his eyes are just a black as his hair.

"So…when do we leave?" She asked her father.

"The day after tomorrow." he replied.

Myzuki finished her dinner and she went to her room to relax. She sat on her bed and started contemplating on the up coming events and what life would have in store for her and drifted off into a restless sleep.

The sun slowly crept in Myzuki's room lighting it up. She fluttered her eyes open and blinked a couple of times. Her father was right in her face

"I WAS Wondering when you were going to get up," Her father spoke loudly with a big smirk on his face trying to be obnoxious.

He knows Myzuki is not a morning person. She was so surprised, shocked, and scared that she scooted back so fast that she hit her head on the headboard of her bed.

"AAHH, DAD let me get dressed, GET OUT!" she yelled out of frustration.

Myzuki's father liked pissing her off on purpose, because she was so easy to get mad, which made her an easy target. He chuckled to himself as he left her room.

The morning came and went relatively quick. Myzuki had most of her things packed by the time she went to sleep. When she got up in the morning she quickly finished packing her carry on stuff.

When she was done she went into the living room and found her dad their confirming there departure time for their flight. It was at that moment when it all sank in for her that she was leaving California and moving to Japan. She freaked out, and let out a yelp while running to her room to drown her tears in her pillow. Her father quickly followed, and sat on the edge of her bed.

"Why are you crying? I told you last night, and its not like you don't know how to speak Japanese, and a good majority of the people there speak English. So what's the matter?" Her dad inquired.

"I'm not going to know anybody up there, and I would be letting my friends down. My friends won't be there and frankly I don't care about making new friends up there. So, don't give me that speech about how I can make new friends, ok. Just save it." Myzuki explained while trying to stop crying and wiping her tears from her face.

Her dad looked at her and sighed and brought her into hug.

"You shouldn't be that way. You're a naturally outgoing person. I bet subconsciously you won't be able to help yourself, and before you know it you will make new friends. You never know what may lay ahead. So, stop being so stubborn. You know very well when one door closes another one opens." He said soothingly.

That's one thing she loves about her dad, that he always knows what to say to make her feel better.

Afterwards they left and headed towards the airport. The flight was uneventful. Once they got there, they quickly got their luggage and head towards their new residence. The house didn't look that much different from the ones she has seen in the neighborhood.

It was a two-story house, in bland earthy colors. A nice size front yard that was fenced in, with concrete steps that lead to the front door; for the most part it seemed somewhat dull and it smelled of freshly cut grass. She didn't like that the neighbors were so close, but that seemed to be the trend up here.

Once inside it looked like your typical house, except it was already furnished. It had wooden flooring and white base coat for the walls. The kitchen, living room, and eating area were located on the first floor. While the bedrooms and one bathroom were upstairs. Which she thought that having to share a bathroom with her old man sucked.

Myzuki's father wanted to unpack as soon as possible but she had plans of her own. She went upstairs and changed her clothes.

She put on a short black t-shirt that bared her midriff and her favorite ripped jeans. She loved them because they hugged the curves to her slender body where she needed and were loose where she needed so she can skate. She tied her black hair in a ponytail. Then threw her black AT's on, that had silver lightening bolts that adorned the sides of them.

AT's is short for Air Treks, basically they are inline skates with a four Kilowatt miniaturized motor no bigger than a tiny gear. They are modified rollerblades that allow someone to go faster and higher than you can possibly imagine.

For Myzuki her AT's has been a source of comfort since her parents got a divorce. She's been able to find peace no matter how difficult her life has been.

She told her dad she would be back later on that night, she wanted to go check out the neighborhood that they just moved into.

Myzuki removed the flash drive from the AT's before she took off. Doing this she would be able to maintain some type of anonymity. She was never to fond of people being able to scan her Air Treks for her stats. It felt almost like an invasion of privacy.

She rode around till it got dark. She decided after a pretty monotonous night she would go home, until she came across a plaza, where there were quite a few people there, and they all mostly had AT's. She knew AT's were known worldwide, but she didn't have a clue that they were this popular over seas.

Myzuki definitely had her interest peaked, so, she decided to watch but from a distance. At least in America she had her friends for support, but here she was all by herself and well she didn't want to get in over her head. Who knows how things were done over here.

In Cali she had her own storm rider team, they are known as "The Long Beach Riders", yeah not very original, but there was a lot of storm rider teams in the US and in California in particular, to avoid any confusion storm riders usually would name their team based on the region they are from.

With that being said Myzuki was very aware of the rules and how things can get, and to show up to a meeting without a crew was just asking for it.

Storm rider teams usually consist of a group of AT riders that battle for team emblems, parts, or to see which storm rider team is better, and so on.

Myzuki soon found a tree that she jumped into to sit back and enjoy the show. She noticed that they had similarities to how things were done back home. Before long her cell-phone rang.

"Hey dad", she answered.

"Where are you? Are you aware that you haven't even unpacked anything?" Her dad replied and quickly hung up.

"Jeez what's his problem?" She thought to herself.

When she jumped out of the tree she really wasn't paying attention, she landed on something soft and somehow hard. That's when she realized that she had landed on someone.