Time seemed frozen for a moment.
The cold bit at her skin...well, what skin was exposed. She'd never understood why the other riders wore the things they did. There was Psymon, in a tank top, grinding the rail 'above' him in a futile attempt at gold. Behind him, an upside-down Elise wore a bikini. Crazy gaijin.
Her ears heard the crowd and she felt a rush. Far from home, these people wanted her to win.
Time unfroze, and Kaori felt herself moving again, landing the victory backflip just inside the finish line. The crowd roared, and she beamed at them.