Hey guys! I'd like to give you a heads up. I'm going to Job Corp on the 9th and I won't be bringing my laptop with me because they won't do anything if something were to happen to it. I'm allowed to come home on weekends, but I won't be able to do that unless I reach certain requirements and my mom and I have decided on an every other weekend routine. So my updates won't be as routine as they normally are. I'll try to still stick to the once a month schedule, but the updates will most likely be a lot more random.
The Wei family plus Jordan sat in the stands of the race track. The moon was high in the sky and fire was lighting up the arena.
"Good job sweetie, we're proud of you," Maya whispered, rubbing her eldest daughter's arm.
"Thanks," Eva replied.
"Will this start soon?" Molly yawned. She clutched her blanket and pulled it around tighter.
"We told you that you could stay with Stan and Koji at the pit," Don sighed.
"No, I wanna watch sissy," Molly declared.
"Thanks Molly," Eva chuckled, kissing her sister's forehead.
"The six remaining pilots, please step forward," the head judge requested.
"Here's our big moment, let's shake a leg Eva," Jordan smiled, nudging her with his elbow.
"Right," Eva nodded, standing up. They walked over to the marker but Jordan was stopped by a Scrub.
"Pilots only, please return to your seat," the Scrub ordered.
"Looks like I'll be watching with your family," Jordan smiled. "Go on, it's okay." Eva nodded and turned back, going towards the Earth Team mark. "Why do pilots get all the fun?"
Eva stepped onto the marks and looked at the shadowed figures of all the racers. "Toros, Rush, Satis, Aikka, myself, and Spirit. Out of these racers, Toros, Aikka, and I will be going to the finals. That doesn't mean it'll be any less difficult even if I know the result. And Satis knows as well. No doubt he'll try to make our race harder, just to test me. Well bring it on, I can take anything you can dish out."
"What's wrong Don?" Maya asked, noticing her husband's concerned look.
"This race started with 96 competitors and now only six remain. It's a miracle we made it this far," Don muttered.
"Don't worry, everything's going to be fine," Maya whispered.
"How long are they going to stand there?" Molly muttered, rubbing her eyes.
"Don't worry sweetie, it'll be over soon," Maya told her, pulling her daughter into her lap.
"Yeah, these things may take forever to start, but they're over in ten seconds," Jordan told her.
"Alright," Molly yawned. "I hope they start soon." Just as she said that the symbols illuminated and they shot up. Pink winds whipped through the stadium and the Avatar appeared in a beam of light.
"Could you be any more dramatic, Satis?" Eva smirked to herself.
"Well, we're not in Kansas anymore," Don muttered.
"Congratulations pilots," the Avatar said. "Toros, Colonel of the Crog Imperium." The symbol under Toros lit up, showing him completely. "Rush, from the planet Byrus." Eva looked over at him and sighed.
"Nice guy, he's a nice guy, no matter how freaky his axe is." Eva repeated in her head.
"The special envoy from the planet Adalou, Super Racer!" Satis smiled and struck a heroic pose when his symbol lit up.
"God Satis, couldn't you have picked a less goofy outfit?" Eva muttered to herself, chuckling. As if hearing what she said Satis turned towards her and shook his head. Eva choked back her laughter, a smile on her face.
"Aikka, prince of Nourasia." Aikka held up his arm, making it level with his chest.
"Prince Aikka," Eva gasped softly. Aikka looked over at her and smiled. Eva blushed and smiled back.
"The representative of the Earth Coalition, Eva Wei." Her symbol illuminated and she straightened her posture, standing at parade rest.
"And Spirit, ambassador of the Phils!" Eva looked over at Spirit and smiled. Maya and Don stood up in shock, trying to get a better look at him.
"That's him," Maya breathed.
"Who?"Molly asked, looking up at him.
"An old friend," Maya answered.
"And now, you will all race in turn against each other. Each win will earn the winner one point. At the end of the six races, the three pilots with the most points will be deemed worthy of going to the grand finales on the planet Oban."
"I did it once, and I can do it again." Eva thought determinedly.
"Race like the wind pilots! Towards Oban and the ultimate prize!" With that the Avatar disappeared and pillars sank to the ground.
"Eva," Aikka called, walking over to her.
"Hey Aikka," Eva greeted.
"I am glad that you made it," Aikka congratulated.
"Thanks, I'm glad that you're here too," Eva smiled. Aikka looked behind her and Eva saw Spirit looking at them. She turned back to Aikka and smiled. "I have to go. Molly's falling asleep in the stands, if she's not already." Aikka nodded in understanding.
"I will see you some other time." With a bow the alien prince left. Eva turned back around and approached Spirit.
"Do you recognize me?" she asked. Spirit looked down at her and ruffled her hair, nodding.
"Spirit," Maya greeted. Spirit turned towards her and nodded. "I didn't know you were racing here too."
"I apologize for not approaching you earlier." Spirit said. He looked down at Molly and blinked.
"This is Molly," Eva smiled. "She's my little sister. She was born three years after the race."
"Hi," Molly muttered, swaying on her feet. Maya giggled and picked her up. Spirit reached over and rubbed her head as well.
"Greetings Molly," Spirit said. Molly nodded back at him and rested her head against Maya's shoulder.
"Sleepy," she whispered.
"I will let you get back to your pit." Spirit said.
"We'll catch up soon," Maya promised. Spirit nodded in agreement.
Eva sat on her rocket seat and positioned her foot, pushing on the pedal. She looked up and saw G'dar walking past. His leg was injured and he was limping. The beetle was giving off screams of pain. Aikka wasn't paying attention to anything other than his mount. He was stroking G'dar's shell and trying to sooth his pain.
"Prince Aikka," Eva muttered.
"Looks like your boyfriend took a beating. Not that he didn't deserve it," Jordan said. Eva looked at his image and turned back to watching the prince.
"Don't go there Jordan." Eva huffed as she pushed down on the kickstand to start it properly. "Besides, we still have to do better than the prince."
"That shouldn't be too hard," Jordan smirked. "The guy rides a bug." With that Jordan turned off communication.
"Why do boys always have to make everything into a fight?" Eva huffed.
"And now it's the Earth Team! Challenged by Colonel Toros!" Eva flew into the stadium and hovered next to Toros's ship.
"Eva look, it's a Crog Trident. They used those things to attack the Earth," Jordan said in awe.
"I remember," Eva said. Eva gripped the handlebars, her eyes narrowing at the sight of the Trident. "They showed us pictures at school. But a picture's nothing like the real thing."
"Both of you listen up," Don ordered. "We're entering the playoffs with a clean slate. I know Toros is tough, but that doesn't mean we can't pull off a surprise victory. You've both shown that you have the ability to beat the odds."
"We won't let you down sir," Eva said. "I may be able to do some things over, but beating Toros? Even I'm nervous."
Stan covered his communicator microphone and turned to Don. "I heard Toros has never been beat. Do you really think that they can do it?" Don covered his own communicator and sighed.
"We have to believe in them. If we don't, no one will."
"Go Eva!" Molly cheered from the stands.
"You can do it sweetheart!" Maya cheered. The stones dropped and the two racers took off.
Eva pulled ahead of Toros, but the Crog was not far behind.
"Try the other pedal Eva! He's gaining!" Jordan shouted.
"Shut up Jordan! Do you want to drive?" Eva shouted. She stomped on the pedal, trying to go faster. The Trident sped up and flew towards her. Eva growled and gave an edge so the Arrow II didn't get destroyed. The Trident passed by and she righted the racer.
"His cruising speed is greater than yours. You'll have to catch him on the turns," Don told her.
"Go it!" Eva shouted. The mentioned turns came up and Eva swung back and forth, passing Toros. The two pilots got separated through two different paths.
"This is a Crog Eva, stay alert and keep away from the blades." Don ordered.
"I'll try," Eva told him. She left her course first and Toros came soon after her. "Jordan, head's up!" She flipped over the Trident and Jordan began shooting at it. The Trident pulled back and Eva took the lead. Toros sped up, catching up quickly.
"He's back," Jordan growled. Toros adjusted the ship to where the blades were pointing at Jordan. Eva narrowed her eyes and passed under a fallen column. The Trident didn't even stall and ran straight through, the blades cutting through the stone.
"This Trident is bad news," Jordan growled, shooting at him.
"Eva! It's too early to overtake him! Let him pass or he'll ram the Arrow II," Don ordered.
"I'll try," Eva agreed. She swerved back and forth but the Trident followed his every move. "I can't do it! I can't shake him!"
"Do something!" Don ordered.
"The only thing to do is to get some distance!" Eva shouted.
"Then do it!" Don said.
"Alright," Eva nodded. She quickly pressed the buttons, engaging the hyper drive. Her speed increased and she quickly left Toros in the dust.
"Eva! You're out of the way of his blades! Disengage now!" Don ordered.
"In a moment," Eva growled.
"Eva look out!" Jordan shouted in horror as a few obstacles came up. Eva flew past them, not even batting an eye. Once she broke from the enclosed track and entered the open area she disengaged the hyper drive.
"Keep your pace," Don told her. "And watch your tank level. The race isn't over yet."
"Alright sir," Eva nodded.
"Ha ha! I'd love to see the look on that Crog's face!" Jordan laughed. As if hearing his request, Toros appeared on the screens.
"Are you done playing now human?" Toros growled out. "It has been entertaining to watch you struggle in your pathetic excuse of a ship. But I have grown bored."
"Well don't let us keep you," Jordan smirked.
"Very well."
"Oh no," Eva muttered. She pushed down on the pedal to prepare herself to dodge but gasped when it wouldn't move. She frantically slammed down on the pedal, trying to get it to budge. She tugged on the handles, trying to move her rocket seat. Her eyes widened and she looked around frantically as her rocket seat stuck and wouldn't move. "Stan! Koji! I'm stuck!" she screamed.
"What do you mean stuck?" Don shouted.
"The seat is stuck! Nothing will move!" Eva shouted frantically. "And I can see him coming!" She looked back in horror to see the blades of the trident glowing bright yellow. Electricity was coursing around them. She turned back to the seat and tried pressing on the screen, but it wouldn't respond. "Canaletto…no!" Her eyes widened and she could feel her heart stop when Toros sliced through the ship.
"Sissy!" Molly shouted in fright.
"Eva…" Maya whispered, her frame shaking.
"Eva, Jordan, do you copy?" Koji called.
"Can you hear us?" Stan asked. Both of them were met with static.
Eva groaned as she came back into consciousness. She stood up and climbed to the top of the wreckage and looked out.
"You'll pay for that Toros! Do you hear me? You'll pay!" Jordan shouted. Stomping his foot on the engine. Eva slid back into cockpit and hung her head.
"Alright, if that's how you wanna play, then you've got another thing coming," Eva growled. "Come on Canaletto, you know me, you know your puppet. I don't back down and give in that easily. And I certainly won't give in to you. If this is punishment, you're going to have to try a whole lot harder."
"Well, can it be fixed?" Don asked.
"Well, we got two ships for the price of one," Stan said. He looked into the engine and sighed heavily. "One thing's for sure, you can kiss the hyper drive goodbye. It's completely shot."
"What about the rocket seat?" Maya asked.
"I checked on it, and it seems like the shaft connecting it to the controls was bent and it wouldn't move," Stan sighed. "I don't know when it happened, but it should be easy to fix."
"Vehicles can be repaired, but I'm worried about them," Koji sighed, looking at Eva and Jordan.
"Eva, it's fine, you'll win the next one," Molly whimpered. Eva ignored her sister and glared into her cup of coffee.
"I've been worried about them since the beginning. They were showing signs of progress, but now…oh they've clearly reached their limits," Don sighed sadly.
"If only we'd known more about the Trident, we could have done something," Jordan sighed.
"You two did your best," Maya told them.
"But our best wasn't good enough, was it?" Eva muttered.
"Every professional must experience the agony of defeat at least once in their career," Don sighed.
"Sweetheart, I'm going to let you in on a secret," Maya smiled, winking at her daughter. "When I first started I won so many races. Nothing could stop me. Then I raced someone that was better. He left me in the dust. I know what you're going through, and trust me, it gets better. Toros was just too powerful." Eva looked at her and sighed. She set her cup to the side and grabbed her clothes.
"Then you know that you should just leave me be for a while," she muttered, stalking towards the bathroom.
Eva stalked out of the pit, fully dressed.
"Greetings Eva," Satis smiled. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"
"No," Eva growled. "But I do have one thing to say, a message."
"For Canaletto I presume," Satis hummed. He stroked his beard and nodded for her to continue.
"Tell him that I won't be controlled so easily. If he wants to play dirty and make things hard, then he's got another thing coming."
"Very well," Satis smiled. "I don't doubt that for a moment, my dear."
"Good," Eva smirked, walking past him. "I may be his 'most trusted pawn' but that doesn't mean a damn thing."
"Good girl," Satis said.
Eva ran into the first open pit as the rain came harder. She was startled by a loud screech. She turned around and saw G'dar.
"Hey big guy," she greeted, stepping forward slowly. G'dar screeched once more, his shell was open in caution. Eva smiled gently and kneeled in front of his stable. "I guess you've had a rotten day too, huh?" G'dar's screech became a purr. His shell collapsed and he let Eva pet him. "Yeah, that's it, I'm not gonna hurt you. You're a big softie, aren't you?" G'dar screeched softly and stuck out his curled tongue, licking her cheek. Eva giggled and stroked him, looking up at the main room for the Nourasian pit. She bit her lip, debating whether or not she should go and see Aikka, or leave. G'dar screeched, calling for her attention. Eva chuckled and scratched his head, standing up.
She ascended the staircase and peered into the makeshift practice room.
"Aikka! Keep your guard up! No wonder Spirit surprised you!" Canaan scolded, swiping at him with a knife. Aikka jumped out of the way, and turned around to face him. He came to a stop when he saw Eva in the doorway.
"Eva?" He gasped. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought you would like to talk, you know, since we both lost," Eva suggested.
"This is clearly a lie," Canaan growled, brandishing his sword. "Any opponent would be rejoicing in our defeat. She is clearly a spy! She was conspiring with Spirit last night."
"What? Are you serious?" Eva shouted. "So just because I talked to someone who beat you, that means it was a conspiracy?"
"What else would it be?" Canaan growled.
"How about talking to the person that saved my mother's life," Eva growled out. Her statement shocked both Nourasians.
"What?" Aikka asked. Eva huffed and crossed her arms, leaning against the wall.
"Ten years ago Earth held the First Interplanetary race to help foster and improve the alliance with the Clans, and the Phils, Spirit's race," Eva began her explanation. "My mother was one of the best racers there. She made it all the way to the finals, were she raced against Spirit. During the last stretch of the race, her star racer, the Cloud II, exploded. She would have died if Spirit hadn't grabbed her and gotten her out of there. I owe Spirit. My family owes Spirit. If he hadn't saved her…I don't even want to think of what would have happened." She looked away from them and glared at the floor. "So yes I talked to Spirit, but I was talking to an old family friend. Is that really a crime?"
"No," Aikka said quickly. "I understand why you would be close to Spirit. And it was not our place to judge."
"Damn right it wasn't," Eva muttered. Aikka chuckled and tucked his dagger into its sheathe.
"Would you like something to drink?" Aikka asked, holding out his hand.
"Uh…sure," Eva nodded, taking his hand.
"I do not like this," Canaan said grumpily. He was standing next Aikka, watching over Eva as the prince made some tea.
"Canaan, she is our guest. And she is my friend," Aikka told him. He placed two teacups on a tray and walked over to Eva, setting it down on the table. "I apologize for the rough reception. Nourasians are well known for their hospitality."
"I think I've heard that before," Eva chuckled, taking the offered cup.
"It has been an unfortunate day," Aikka said, taking a sip of his tea.
"For both of us," Eva muttered. She brought the cup on it and blew on it to cool it down. She took a sip and was pleasantly surprised with how it warmed her up. "That's really good."
"Thank you," Aikka said, nodding his head.
"Is your mount going to be okay?" Eva asked, looking over at the giant beetle.
"G'dar will be fine," Aikka assured her. "He just needs some rest."
"At least your 'ship' is easier to 'repair' than the Arrow II," Eva muttered. "It's cut in half."
"I'm sure you will be able to fix it," Aikka told her.
"Thanks," Eva smiled. She took another sip of her tea, relishing in the warmth. "Okay, what is in this? I take one sip and my body feels warm."
"It is a special Nourasian blend made for especially cold days," Aikka explained.
"I like it," Eva smirked. Aikka laughed at her antics and smiled.
"I am glad." The two sat in a companionable silence. "Can I ask about your mother?"
"Sure, what do you want to know?" Eva asked.
"You said 'was'. Does she not race anymore?" Aikka asked.
"No, not since the crash," Eva answered. "And my dad is doing his best to make sure she never does again. And he's pissed that I'm racing too. He doesn't want what happened to her to happen to me."
"I can understand his reasoning," Aikka said, defending her father. "He's just looking out for you."
"Yeah, I know. Doesn't make him any less annoying when he gets like that," Eva sighed.
"Canaan is much the same way," Aikka chuckled. Canaan, who had been listening in, sputtered in indignation. Both pilots chuckled at him. Canaan grumbled and crossed his arms, glaring at the wall. "But he means well." Canaan nodded in agreement.
"Adults are like that," Eva laughed.
"How is Molly?" Aikka asked.
"Scared mostly likely," Eva sighed. She rested her chin on her hand and looked down at her cup. "This is the first race she's ever been too. And she may be older than I was when mom crashed, but she's still never experienced anything like this before. She's only heard stories about what happened during my mother's last race. Just thinking about that scares her. And then seeing Rick crash, then his condition, and now me against Toros, I worry what it's doing to her."
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Aikka smiled.
"She was watching your race with Spirit you know, so was mom," Eva told him.
"I am sorry I did not impress," Aikka chuckled.
"Oh no, she was more worried about G'dar than she was about you," Eva laughed. "The girl is nuts about bugs."
"I am glad to hear that," Aikka said with a smile. He finished his tea and looked outside. "The rain does not seem to be stopping."
"Dang, I so don't want to walk back in that," Eva groaned, turning around to see the rain.
"Please, excuse me for a moment," Aikka said, bowing as he stood up. Eva watched him leave and then turned towards G'dar. She got up and walked over to him.
"Hey G'dar," she greeted. The beetle cooed and crawled closer to her. Eva laughed and sat down, scratching his chin. When Aikka returned he was shocked to see G'dar so close to Eva.
"I have never seen him warm up to someone so quickly," He said. Eva looked over at him and smiled, rubbing G'dar's shell.
"I'm surprised," Eva confessed. "He's just a big softie. I just had to say I wasn't going to hurt him and he relaxed instantly."
"Interesting," Aikka muttered, looking at G'dar. G'dar cooed and licked Eva, causing her to shriek with laughter. Aikka chuckled and walked over to Eva. He opened a straw umbrella and smiled. "May I walk you back to your pit?"
"Oh, uh, sure," Eva agreed. She stood up, giving G'dar one last pat. The beetle cooed in sadness, causing Eva to laugh. "Your beetle is like putty in my hands."
"Is what?" Aikka asked, tilting his head.
"It's this earth thing that's kinda like slime, except it's really more complex than that, and it's a toy. You can squeeze it and squish it and roll into a ball. It's just something you can manipulate. I'm not helping at all, am I?" Eva said with a frown.
"I think I got the idea," Aikka told her. He held out his arm and smiled. "My Earth Princess." Eva chuckled and took his arm. The Nourasian led them out of the pit and down the road. They traveled in silence, enjoying each other's company.
"Thanks for walking me back," Eva said. She peered into the pit and saw that no one was around. "I had no idea it was so late."
"It was my pleasure," Aikka told her. The two stood in silence. Aikka opened his mouth to say something but was cut off.
"There you are," Maya said, leaning against the railings for the upper floor.
"Hi mom," Eva greeted.
"Hello," Maya greeted with a smirk. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to put your sister to sleep when she doesn't know where her big sister is?"
"Sorry," Eva apologized.
"It's fine," Maya assured her. "But I would get up there before she comes down to find you. And you," she pointed at Aikka, who stiffened. "You should leave before my husband sees you. He's not a big fan."
"Don't worry, he's not a big fan of much," Eva told him. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight Eva," Aikka bid. He bowed to both of them before walking back to his pit. Eva closed the door to the pit and turned to glare at her mom.
"Don't look at me like that," Maya said with a smirk.
"You couldn't have waited one more minute?" Eva muttered. She climbed up the steps and entered the elevator.
"Would you have preferred me to walk in on you two kissing?" Maya asked, entering behind her.
"At least then I would have known," Eva huffed. Maya chuckled at her daughter and pulled her into a hug.