Mei pushed his foot down hard on the accelerator as his R32 was propelled forward. Mei held back and let Nakazato take the lead. He pulled behind him as they entered the first, uphill, right hand turn

Mei gripped the corner along with Nakazato, following the same line. Nakazato reversed his technique and gripped the second corner as well. Mei followed his technique again and felt something weird in his front tires.

Mei kept following Nakazato. He was copying his every move from his braking point, to his turning angle, to his entry and exit speed. And yet Mei still felt something weird in his front end. His tires were acting oddly.

Mei and Nakazato entered the hairpin turn and Mei decided to whip his back end out, therefore keeping his RPM up. Nakazato gripped and got ahead lightly. Mei swore under his breath as he gripped into the next left.

Mei powered through the right/left/right combo and then accelerated hard towards a long, medium right at the end of the straight. Mei gripped this turn with Nakazato's technique and felt his front end become unstable once again.

Mei powered into a left hand turn and tipped the back lightly. The slight over steer made his car feel stable once again. He was wondering why Nakazato's technique causes the front end to become unstable.

Mei powered into a tight S-curve. He gripped the first once again and then feint drifted into the second. Nakazato once again caught some ground on Mei. Mei kept his brain pounding while trying to get ahead.

Mei accelerated into a light right and looked at a Green S-14, Red FD, and a Silver ER33. He smiled as he looked over momentarily. He then focused back on the road and tried to catch up once again...

---------------

The FD driver sighed, "He better stop gripping like Nakazato if he wants to win."

Sato looked over at her, "Why? Nakazato's gripping technique is effective on an uphill. Mei should stop drifting because the heavy body does it no good on an uphill."

She shook her head, "I'm not saying Mei shouldn't grip. What I'm saying is that he shouldn't grip like Nakazato. It's easy to see that his front tires are losing pressure. He's drifting because it makes him feel stable, but he could be plenty stable if he just didn't brake as much and stopped letting his tires lose pressure like they are."

Sato asked, "So why is he copying Nakazato?"

She smirked, "Because he's an idiot?"

Sato said, "How is he an idiot?"

---------------

Nik sighed, "He's an idiot because he's attacking the corners in a defensive manor. The power of Nakazato's R32 has always allowed him to get ahead of an opponent and he just wanted to stay there. Because of this, he created a defensive driving style. The trick to being the driver behind is driving offensively. Mei's copying Nakazato's technique, therefore making him drive defensively."

Al sighed, "Yeah, agreed, but is there anything Mei could do to win?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah, it's very simple..."

---------------

"Mei just has to use his own uphill technique and stopping trying to be Nakazato."

Sato asked, "That's all?"

She nodded, "Yup, but if he doesn't soon, there goes the uphill."

Sato sighed, "That would suck for Sara. She's waiting to see the white 32 come rushing past the finish line, not the black one."

The FD driver nodded, "Come on Mei, your good, just remember it..."

---------------

Mei attacked a right/left/right combo behind Nakazato. Mei's front tires still felt weird. He only felt comfortable during a drift and when he drifted, he lost ground on Nakazato.

Mei and Takeshi past the half way mark and powered towards a long right. Mei decided to try a pass on Nakazato. Mei knew after that right, came a sharp left. He just might be able to get ahead.

Mei took the outside of the right corner. He powered along with Nakazato. Nakazato's R32 was only slightly more powerful then his own, perhaps 40 or 50 bhp. Mei could keep up and did.

Mei and Nakazato entered the sharp left that marked the mid-way point. Mei pushed down his accelerator hard. Mei used full, four wheel grip to propel him into the corner.

Mei managed to get ahead of Nakazato, but only momentarily. Nakazato's powerful R32 let him push back on front before the next corner. Mei growled in the seat of his R32 and went towards the next corner.

Mei downshifted into fourth gear as he aggressively gripped a left hand turn. Mei's power gave him no advantage on an uphill against the same car. Nakazato's uphill power was the thing that gave him the overall advantage.

Mei knew he had one shot, and that shot was the downhill corner at the highest point in Myogi. Mei's aggressive downhill technique would give him the advantage. In a downhill, it's not all about power, it's about technique.

Mei slammed down the accelerator, attempting to ride Nakazato's tail. He was doing a somewhat good job. Mei attacked the light, low grade uphill corner and felt the back end slide. He corrected and continued behind Nakazato.

Mei could feel the car become smoother. His own technique took into account every aspect of the car, most importantly the weight. The heavy R32's weak point was the weight.

Although the uphill lessened the effect of the weight on the tires, it was still there. Mei knew that Nakazato would keep driving the way he did no matter what anyone told him about driving, which would always ultimately be his downfall.

Mei powered around a wide hairpin and then accelerated up a steep hill, approaching the downhill corner of Mt. Myogi. He shifted into fifth gear and pulled alongside Nakazato for the final stretch. He had the inside.

Mei watched as Nakazato broke and then he took his chance. He waited until his car was ¾'s of the way past Nakazato's R32 before turning inwards and flooring the accelerator.

He felt the rear traction break and he let the car slide around the sharp corner. Mei then counter steered at just the right time, causing the angle to return to normal and he pulled to the front of Nakazato and shifted into fourth gear.

Mei powered past the line and broke hard as he skidded to a stop. He pulled down the overhead mirror and looked at his face. He looked like he'd just had sex. He smiled and stepped out of the R32.

He immediately felt the arms of Sara wrap around him. He wrapped his own arms around her and smiled. He looked at the mountain as he watched the ER33, S-14, and FD drive up next to him.

He smiled and received the congratulations from them. It felt good to have won. He kissed Sara and then looked as he saw the black FC coming up the mountain.

Immediately, the team members disappeared into the crowd, with the exception of Sara. Nik pulled up next to the R32 and congratulated Mei along with Al. The Nites where half way there.

---------------

Nik looked over at Shingo as he was talking to Nakazato. Nik looked back at Mei with a smile, "Go find a good vantage point. I'll see you later man."

Mei nodded and whispered in his ear, "Watch your ass out there..."

Nik nodded, "I will."

Nik then felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked behind him and saw Shingo with an evil smirk on his face. Nik turned to face him, "Yes?"

Shingo smiled, "Why don't we make things interesting?"

Mei's eyebrow rose, "What do you mean interesting?"

Shingo smiled, "We'll, I figured a talented racer such as you would be up for the challenge of racing with a little added danger..."

Nik looked at him, understanding his intentions, "You're talking about the duct-tape death match, aren't you?"

Al looked at Nik, "What's that?"

Nik's eyes narrowed, "Mei, take Al."

Al felt Mei grab his shoulder and Al reluctantly went. Nik then looked back at Shingo, "You're on."

Shingo smiled as he turned back to his car, "At least you're brave..."

---------------

Al had left the 86 at the bottom of the mountain, so he now drove down with Mei. Mei drove down calmly, barely breaking the speed limit. Al's hand gripped his jeans tightly, worried about Nik.

"So do you want to know what the Duct-tape Death match is?"

Al nodded, "Yes."

Mei sighed, "Have you ever tried drifting with one hand?"

Al nodded, "Ya, on my delivery runs."

Mei nodded, "No imagine drifting with your hand stuck at 2 o'clock."

Al put his hand out and turned it on an imaginary wheel as his eyes widened, "Oh my god..."

Mei nodded, "Yeah, Shingo is able to do it because his car is FF, but FR's require more counter steer."

Al's eyes filled with more worry, "Is there anyway to beat it in an FR?"

Mei nodded, "Yeah, with practice, but to do it without crashing on the mountain requires a level of adaptability only the top drivers have."

Al sighed, "I hope Nik doesn't do anything stupid."

Mei smiled, "When has Nik ever done anything stupid?"

Al cringed.

---------------

Nik clenched his fist as much as possible, dealing with the sticky feeling on his hand. He looked over at Shingo as some of the Night Kids backed away from him and his evil smirk now faced Nik.

Nik ignored it as he pointed himself back down the road. He centered himself and felt his calming feeling flow over him as his eyes shut, Ok Hogashinu, this is it. Still no job, still no girl, still barley getting by. Same as always, now drive.

Nik tapped his accelerator and felt the rotary engine rumble lightly beneath him. He looked forward towards the uphill corner as Takeshi did the countdown. At go, the race that would decide the fate of Myogi's masters began.

Nik used heel/toe to slow down when entering the first corner. Shingo was tailing. Typical. He pressed down the accelerator harder. As he drove around the light downhill corner, he held a tight inside lane, keeping four-wheel grip.

Nik then saw the first corner he would need to drift. He broke early, letting his speed drop low before turning in. He fought his natural instinct to floor the throttle for an aggressive drift and tapped it lightly, causing a very mild over steer. He still had to counter fully with his right hand before straightening out again.

Nik realized how much of a pathetic corner that had been, but he felt like that would be the limit of his run this night. He wanted to drive more aggressively, but he had to consider other important things, like the tire pressure, spin-outs, car damage, and then the less important things, like staying alive.

Nik entered the next corner twenty km/h faster then the last corner. His car slid simply, but he had forgotten about the next corner which completed the set. Nik countered until his arm felt like it was going to fall off. Then he pushed harder.

Brake and throttle control allowed him to get the back end pointing the right way again. He began to realize how the car was controlled more with the throttle and brake then with the steering wheel. This could make things easier.

Nik entered the left/right/left combo, using the accelerator gently to control the slide of the car. He was starting to get the hang of it. He entered a light right and felt the car control itself through the turn. He was beginning to generate speed. He smiled.

---------------

Mei listened over the radio as the checkpoint guy went over what he saw, "This is the 17th and 18th corners, both cars just passed, the FC still has the lead but the EG6 is following close behind. Shingo looks like he's waiting for something..."

Al looked up at Mei, "What do you think he's waiting for?"

Mei fist clenched, "I've got a feeling he's going to pull a move like the one on Akina against the Panda Trueno."

"What'd he do their?"

"He destabilized the rear end by tapping into the bumper during a drift. The 86 somehow recovered, but I don't know about Nik's ability to..."

Al's eyes widened, "But that's like cheating."

Mei nodded, "Yeah, but this is Touge. All rules are unwritten."

Al sighed, "I hope Nik will be ok..."

Mei nodded, "Me too..."

---------------

The driver of the red FD sat on her hood as she looked up at the lights from the S-curve. She sighed and crossed her arms. The ER33 driver noticed her movements and asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm just worried about Nik."

He smiled, "Don't worry; I'm sure he'll be fine."

She still had a worried look on her face as she noticed the FC and EG-6 drive around the previous hairpin turn. She sat up off her hood and watched as the car powered towards the corner.

The FC entered at a decent speed and turned in lightly, using the throttle to bring the back end around. She smiled just before she noticed it. The EG-6 had made contact with the corner of Nik's rear bumper.

She watched in horror as the FC spun out, the back end heading towards the guard rail. It hit it and continued to spin in the same direction. The front end of the car went directly into the guard rail, causing a dent as the car came to a stop.

The engine died and she leapt over the rail, hurling herself towards the FC until she felt a hand on her shoulder, holding her back. She looked back at Sato and he said, "We can't."

She looked over at the car, seeing the paint scratches and body damage. She looked on as everyone around ran to the FC, to see if he was ok. She wanted to be there...

---------------

Mei listened over the radio as the events of what happened were relayed to him and Al. Nik's condition was still unknown to anyone. The car door had been locked. Typical Nik.

Mei looked at Al. They both wanted to go up. The both stepped into Mei's R32 and Mei fired up the engine. He squealed the tires as he pulled out of the lower lot and started up the mountain.

Al listened over the radio, "This is the 26th corner, Shingo just passed. He's driving like its Sunday."

Al clenched his fist and Mei pressed down the accelerator harder. Then the car squealed to a stop as they heard the radio come on again. He said, "This is the crash site. The FC's engine just started up again and he started down the mountain."

Al and Mei stared at each other. They smiled.

-----------------

31st corner-"The EG-6 just went around the next turn. He's still driving normally. I can hear the FC. It sounds close...hey, it just passed me. It looks like he's getting more of an angle then before."

35th corner-"The EG-6 just noticed the FC. Shingo's starting to get his speed up again. The FC's still closing."

41st corner-"The FC is tapping Shingo's bumper. He just through his backend out. His drift is amazing. It looks like Ryosuke's driving it."

46th and final monitored corner-"The FC and the EG-6 just exited. The FC drifted the outside lane and their now dead even going into the last hairpin."

--------------

Mei and Al watched as they came around the last corner. They were sprinting to the finish. Shingo was ahead by two inches...one inch... ½ inch...a tie? The finished dead even.

The FC pulled into the car lot still going full speed. They watched as the FC squealed to a stop and did two complete 360's. Mei ran over and heard a sound come form the door. Click.

Mei opened the door and looked at Nik, sitting in the bucket seat of the FC. Mei saw how his right arm hung lower then his left. Mei quickly took out his pocket knife and cut Nik's hand free of the steering wheel. He pulled him out.

Mei set Nik down on the hood of the R32 and looked at him. His eyes were barley open and he could see dried blood in his forehead. He was breathing heavily and he sat there silently.

When Mei placed his hand on Nik's right shoulder, his silence was broken by the sound of his painful scream. Mei helped him stand by supporting his left arm. Alex opened the door to the 32 and prepped it for his brother.

When Nik sat, he spoke. He said, "Don't take me anywhere."

Mei and Al stared at him. They watched as he painfully lifted his body up, "We have one more race..."

Mei pushed Nik back down gently into his seat, "No, I have to take you to the hospital."

"Race now, heal later..."

Al aggressively pushed Nik down into his seat, "You stay, and that's final."

Al turned and looked at Takeshi and Shingo, "I race."

Shingo smirked, "Sorry kid, you aren't even worth my time."

Al's fist's clenched but Mei held him back, "Why don't I race you. We both know you're little ass tap won't work on my 32."

Shingo smiled, "That would work. You're on, the downhill in ten."

Mei nodded and looked at Al, "Get him in the 86 and take him to the hospital, I'll take care of the FC."

Mei was about to step into his 32 when he heard a strained voice talk to him from behind, "Mei...if you lose, I'll kick your...ass..."

Mei smiled, "We'll good then, just go make sure you can kick my ass."

--------------

Mei stepped into his R32 and began his uphill climb. He was halfway up when he pulled to the side by the silver ER33. He stepped out and was quickly greeted by the question, "Is Nik ok!"

Mei nodded, "Yeah, he should be. It looked like he dislocated his shoulder because of his hand being duct taped."

Mei noticed the Brazilian man on the ER33 smirking. Mei asked, "What's so funny?"

"You do realize something, don't you?"

"What?"

"Shingo's scared."

"How can you tell?"

"First, he challenges Nik to the Duct-tape Death Match, then, on top of that, he makes him spin out. He's scared that you're going to win."

Mei smiled, "Well, I guess he is. Thanks for noticing Kev."

Kevin smiled, "Of course, by the way, I got your parts and bring Al by if you want me to take a look at the engine."

Mei smiled and stepped back into his R32 and drove back up the mountain. He had made a fool of himself on the uphill, but now he would attack the downhill and win the mountain.

Mei turned around when he got to the top of the mountain with Shingo and parked next to his EG6. Mei revved up his 280 hp engine. It was more powerful then Shingo's 250 hp engine.

Takeshi made the countdown. At one, Mei took his left foot off the clutch and pressed down on the throttle. He floored ahead of Shingo as they entered the uphill corner. Mei's power pushed him ahead.

Mei then entered the sharp left hand turn. His drift was nearly flawless. Mei entered the following turns with the same level of excellence. He knew Shingo's tricks and he wasn't going to lose.

Shingo's driving style relied on his tricks like the FR bump or the Duct-tape death match. Although Shingo was an excellent FF driver, he couldn't contend truly without his techniques, especially against an opponent who wasn't FR.

Mei powered past the halfway point and waved at the team members of his little 'project'. Shingo was still almost five seconds behind him and falling farther and farther.

Mei powered past a hairpin set and saw the final 3 continuous turns. He drifted through them before seeing the lights that hung over the car lot. He skidded into the lot and pulled next to the empty FC.

He watched as Shingo pulled next to Takeshi. He smiled as he watched Nakazato walk over to him and put his hand out to him, "Congratulations, the mountain is yours."

Mei smiled and shook his hand, "We had a good battle."

Takeshi reluctantly smiled, "Yeah, I guess we did."

Mei watched as Kevin, Sato, Sara, and the FD driver pulled up next to him. Sara stepped out of the ER33's passenger side and ran over to him, planting a long, sensual kiss on his lips.

Mei accepted her gift happily and then asked her, "Would you and Kev do me a favor?"

Kev walked over and asked, "What?"

"Would you take the FC back to my place and then give Sara a ride home? I gotta go check on Nik."

Kev nodded, "No prob."

Mei watched as Kev and Sara drove up the mountain towards his house and he looked at the girl in the red FD, "I'll call you as soon as I find out how Nik is."

She nodded, "Thank you Mei."

Mei nodded before getting back into his R32. He shot out of the lot and drove to the Myogi Hospital quickly. He parked by Al's Trueno and walked into the building. He saw Al sitting in a waiting chair and he sat next to him, "Is the doctor seeing him?"

Al nodded, "Yeah, he told me to wait."

Mei nodded and sat next to Al. Five minutes later, a dark haired man walked out of the room, with his right arm in a sling and his heads bandaged. Mei smiled, "You ok Nik?"

Nik nodded, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Mei stood up and led him outside and into the 32. Al took off ahead of him and Mei followed as he drove casually in fourth gear. Mei then looked over at Nik, "What happened up there?"

Nik shook his head, "I don't know. I entered the corner normal, felt a tap on my bumper, and then I just spun. Shingo past by me during my initial spin and then my side hit the rail, causing a reverse spin and then I sped into the guard rail."

Mei nodded, "Yeah, I guess. I heard over the radio you were getting more of an angle after the crash, was that cause of your shoulder."

Nik nodded, "Yeah, I had actually thought about dislocating it on purpose so I'd have more reach, but I guess the crash got to it before me."

Mei smiled, "I'm glad. I got Sara and her friend to drive the car up to the house for you. It should be in the driveway."

Nik sighed, "How did it look? Everything after the crash is kind of a blur."

Mei cringed, "There's paint damage all across the left side and your front end is dented in pretty far. I didn't look under the hood but I'd guess the engine is ok because you did finish your run."

Nik nodded as they pulled into their garage. He got out and walked into the driveway where the FC sat. The body damage was immense. He sighed and sat down on the hood, "We really fucked you up this time, huh?"