"So, this is the big climax to the racing universe, ARI. don't know why they called it Arc Racing company, for ARC, but whatever." Orb said, clicking a remote.
Yang smiled giddily, summoning some popcorn. Ironwood also settled, a smile on his face.
"I was unaware that irondick could smile happily," Qrow whispered to Tai, who just chuckled.
The scene opened with Jaune and Yang walking out towards the start line. "Are you ready for this?" Jaune asked, looking at the one hundred and twenty cars there. Yang only shook her head as they stood there, not sure what to say. Jaune started to move towards his car, the Caroca Mors II, but yang grabbed his hand.
"Jaune." she said looking into his eyes.
"Yes Yang?"
They held that moment for a bit.
"Blehg!" Ruby made a face, mocking her sister.
"HEY! Let me enjoy the movie!" Yang defended, just a bit of a blush on her face. Qrow made a gagging noise in the back.
"Be safe, ok, loverboy?" Yang said pleadingly. Jaune nodded before jogging to his white and gold car.
"Racers to your marks." The announcing voice of Port said over the speakers.
Jaune slid into the driver seat, popping a data stick into the dashboard and radio controls. "Ready to go, Penny?"
"Of course Friend Jaune. I'm driving ready!" Penny's voice said as the touch screen radio control circle pulsed with the sound. Jaune gave a laugh before starting his engine.
"Racers Ready, Racers Set." Port said after a moment of hyping the crowd. Jaune took a breath in, focusing himself. The camera cut to Yang, revving her engine. Then to tower control, where Ruby and Ren sat, Ruby still in her wheelchair.
"Racers, GO!" Port said as the cars raced out from the start position.
"And their off! Look at the line up we have tonight, the final race of the Gran Amity Prix! Spectacular, isn't it! Up front is our favored winner, Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible girl herself!"
Pyrrha grumbled at that title.
"Huh, even in other worlds Pyr can't escape that title." Nora noted, patting the redhead spartan on the shoulder.
Jaune didn't listen though, weaving in and out of the various cars on the track. The track itself was kind of wack, twisting and looping like a hot wheels track on crack. "Friend Jaune, Car 21 on your left." Penny warned, putting up Jaunes additional shielding as a buzz saw skated off Jaunes left hand door.
"There is no way that that is legal!" Ironwood protested. Orb just looked at him. "All drivers may use any weapons designed to damage the car and not injure the driver, and yes, the amount of deaths in the sport is record high."
Ironwood's eyebrow twitched.
Jaune sped past, making a drifting turn into the next fifth. "Hey Penny, play my racing Soundtrack please." Jaune asked kindly as he dodged another attack before ramming the car to the side.
"Of course friend Jaune. Playing Racing Playlist" Penny said as sound filtered from the speaker.
GAS, GAS, GAS! Gotta step on the gas! The music played, the last gas sounding just as Jaune shifted gears, speeding up even faster.
"Hey, Jaune, what are you doing there buddy?" Ren asked over the intercom. "Is that Music? Jaune, if I may advise not to."
Jaune took a breath in, hitting a button. "Be quiet Ren. please." Jaune said, making another drift.
Ren had a bit of a disbelieving look on his face. "Is this Jaune just a bit conceited, or did something happen?" the monk asked Orb.
"Something happened." Orb nodded.
"What happened between fearless leader and Renny?" Nora asked.
"You tried to sell his company behind his back. To the SDC no less."
Orb was met with a stunned silence after that.
"That is not cool man. Not cool." Sun admonished finally
As Jaune drifted, the screen showed an overhead view, showing that Yang was reaching ahead, closing in on the black car that wrecked Ruby and Pyrrha Nikos's Spartan III. Jaune was just in the middle of the pack, keeping up with the other rougher drivers. As the song faded out, it was replaced with another one. A sharp drift, a corkscrew, several jumps later they had completed one of five laps.
Energy, a heart explosion
All I need, adrenaline
Never stop to is in my mind
Fire away, adrenaline
Rollercoaster of emotion
I just need adrenaline
Setting all the worlds afire
Energy, adrenaline. Played on the radio as Jaune completed the first lap.
"Got to say, this has got a killer soundtrack." Mercury said, bopping to the beat.
Yang agreed. "Yeah, what is this called?"
"Eurobeat. I can send you back with some disks if you'd like."
"And Pyrrha Nikos is running away with the competition right now, being nearly a full fifth lap ahead from any other car! These other racers are going to have to pull quite the rabbit out of their hats to win this race!"
"Aww, damn." Jaune cursed, drifting again. He could, however, see what was ahead. Not in the same sense that one could look ahead with their eyes and see things, but in the sense that he could see exactly how things were going to play out on the course itself. Lines, afterlines of his own car going in various directions on the track splayed in front of him.
Yang blinked several times. "What in the world is going on?" Wiess asked, attempting to not get a migraine.
"That is Jaune Arcs 'Ability.'" Orb explained. "The more that he travels around a place, the faster and more accurate he can make predictions about how people will move and what not."
Glynda blinked. "It's precognition."
"Basically."
Deja Vu,
Jaune looked at the gentler turn up ahead. A bright green line directed him to oversteer onto the below road. Jaune took a deep breath in, shifting gears. He drifted a severe amount, sliding off the edge of the track.
"NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Weiss yelled, standing up at the stunt.
"Ohhh, that can't be possible." Blake said blankly
I have been in this place before
Jaune hit the pavement just as the red car zoomed past him. He shifted down some gears, racing forward on the track.
Higher on the street
"I DON'T BELIEVE IT! JAUNE ARC HAS COMPLETELY SKIPPED AN ENTIRE FIFTH OF A LAP, PUTTING UP IN SECOND PLACE! AN OUTSTANDING MOVE!" Port yelled into the microphone as the crowd yelled in crazy hysteria.
The crowd as also in similar adrenaline high,
"That was insane." Neptune said, eyes glued to the screen as Jaune sped up ever faster.
"Yeah…" Roman puffed on a cigar. "This kid is cracked."
Jaune rushed forward, chasing after the red spartan's car. "And he's caught them! Caroca Mors has caught up with the invincible girl! That is one hell of a driver!"
Jaune did not listen, instead he only could hear the engine and the beat blasting his ears. He looked down at his RPM, hovering in the near red line at 8500 RPM. the red and gold car was starting to pull ahead.
"Why is Pyrrha getting ahead? Jaune's hovering at 105." Ruby said from the command tower. Ren looked over an interface, a holographic version of Jaunes car displaying statistics.
"No, he's hovering at 85 hundred RPMs." Ren said finally. Nora took a moment to think before briskly walking out of the room.
"Where are you going! Nora! NORA!" Ren yelled after her, but did not chase. Nora just strutted down a hall, the scene cutting from behind a pillar to a gambling den, a large blackboard on the wall. Nora pulled it off the wall, much to the protest of the gamblers.
"Gambling, is that legal here?" Ironwood asked, disapproving. Emerald and Torchwick were already thinking of fixes and cons that could be pulled.
Nora marched again, pushing her way through security. They tried to stop her in vain as she made it to the overarching bridge above the lap line. Jaune was coming in for lap three at this point.
"Penny, is that Nora?" jaune asked, craning his neck to see the sign that was written.
"It is, friend Jaune." Penny said, confirming what Jaune saw. The camera cut to Nora, holding up the sign above her head.
8500+ GO TO HELL! The sign read
Jaune laughed, shifting gears. "Alrighty then. Hate to disappoint." he said, speeding up as his engine whined. Nora smiled as she saw him speed up towards the indomitable red car. Pyrrha looked behind her, worry in her eyes and a smile on her face. "You want a race, Jaune? I'll give you a race."
The two cars were rapidly approaching neck and neck as a side panel in Pyrrha's car opened, a long spear shooting out of it. Jaune leaned back, not even worried as the spear broke his window, almost impaling him. He looked back at pyrrha, an almost bored expression in his face.
"Friend Jaune, your heart rate is at 100 beats per minute, i recommend that you slow it."
Jaune closed his eyes for a moment. "Nearly took a spear to the face, Penny. Nearly took a spear to the face."
Mercury blinked for a moment. "You seem pretty Fucking Calm about it, Then!" he yelled at the screen.
"Man, not even Fearless Leader is this fearless." Nora said with a whistle.
Jaune made a tight turn, just barely on the inside road of the curve.
"Whats this? The black cat is catching up to the two lead cars. It's speeding down the track, aiming for Caroca Mors!" The announcing Port yelled as the camera followed the black car. The same car that rammed Ruby in the first race. The screen cut to Wiess sitting in a box, sipping a sparkling drink.
"That's it Blake." She smiled evilly.
Ruby looked offended. "Wiess! Blake! How could you!" The monochrome pair were in silence.
"Blake is a hired driver to ensure that Pyrrha Nikos wins her races, not that Pyrrha needs the help necessarily." Orb explained to no one in particular.
The black car raced onwards, approaching Jaune at dangerous speeds. "Penny, Shields right side!" he yelled as he tried to straighten out and avoid the blow. The shielding unfolded just as Blake rammed the car. Jaune was pushed off, tumbling down a bowl that the curve outlined. Smoke rose from the car as it sputtered to death.
"Damn, no no no! DAMN!" Jaune cursed, slapping the wheel.
"Friend Jaune, we have lost the engine and power cells. Nitrite readings are everywhere in the fuel block."
Jaune looked as the other racers passed him. "We would need to jump start and flood the system.." he trailed off, knowing that he did not have a way to do that.
His head hit the wheel with a sign. "Fucking damn it."
"Jaune, don't give up." Pyrrha said softly. Cinder just made a disappointed 'tch' sound. "Soft hearted fools." she muttered, full of vile.
A hissing sound of a panel opening caught the blonde drivers attention. He looked down to a cylindrical opening, a green LED lined handle sticking out.
"Penny, what is that?" Jaune said, much like asking a dog what the shit on the carpet was.
"This, friend Jaune, is a TX-577 Fusion Powercore, Schnee Co. Tm" Penny said, a hint of pride in her voice. "Me, Nora, and Ruby stole it."
Ironwood made a face of disgruntlement and disbelief.
"To be fair, Ruby and Nora did steal Penny out of the SDC hands." Orb said nonchalantly.
Wiess's eye ticked. "Ruby, why are you stealing my property?"
Ruby panicked at this. "be...Because you're evil?" She asked, trying to avoid a fight.
This was not the right thing to say. Evidently because Wiess went into a banshee rage and attacked her poor leader.
Sun leaned over to Neptune. "This is the chick Jaune likes?"
Neptune only shrugged, not necessarily disagreeing with Jaunes taste. But Neptune liked all tastes really.
Jaune took a deep, deep breath in as the song ended. The soft intro started to crichendo in the music.
The scene cut to the tower, where the three compadres watched Jaunes car remain motionless.
"What's wrong? Why isn't Fearless Leader moving?" Nora asked, fearful.
Ruby thought for a moment. "The crash must has dislodged or busted a Fuel rod. A surge could fix it, but…" Ruby trailed off
"Would he know that?" Ren asked. "Would he?"
Jaune, from inside his cockpit, took a deep breath as he pulled out the green core. "Penny, you think this will kill me?" he asked
"No idea, Friend Jaune." Penny said, the shift in the music rising
"Alright. Here we go." Jaune replied, slamming the trigger down as the music dropped into the rapid paced Eurobeat.
"What's this? The Final lap and Jaune Arc has started his car back up! He's moving forward! Caroca Mors is back in the race!" Port exclaimed over the intercoms.
Final lap, i'm on top of the world and I will never rest for second again.
One more time I have beaten them out, the scent of gasoline announces the end.
Jaune raced onwards, passing cars with ease, leaving a fading blue to green trail from his engine behind him.
"I don't believe it! Jaune Arc is forging onwards, no hesitation at all. Nothing phases him."
Jaune could only focus on the red car ahead of him, the camera following his line of sight, zooming to a close up of Pyrrha's own grit filled face.
They all said i'd best give it up, What a fool, to believe their lies!
Now they've fallen, I'm at the top. Are you ready now to die?
Goodwitch made a face. "That seems… a little extreme." She said with a gulp of water.
"It's just a song. Jaune doesn't actually kill anyone in this race." Orb assured the blonde, much to Cinders dismay.
I came up from the bottom, and into the top. For the first time I feel alive
Jaune raced onwards, passing Yangs car with a wink.
"Just look at the speed of that car! It must be shattering records!"
Jaune paid no attention to the announcer, instead drifting into the next half of the lap.
I can fly like an eagle and strike like a hawk. Do you think you can survive
The Top?
Jaune was almost at the Black Cat, coming up from behind. They turned, Jaune streamlining behind Blake's car.
One more turn and I'll settle the score. A rubber fire screams into the night
Jaune raced onwards, coming up to a rather sharp turn. Going to fast to take the inside, he instead went up the curve, launching into a spin in the air.
Crash and burn is what you're gonna do. I am the master of the asphalt fight.
He landed, using the slope to sling shot himself at the black car, ramming it from behind.
They all said I'd best give it up. What a fool, to believe their lies! Now they've fallen, I'm at the top
He made a sharp spin, slamming the back of Blake's car to the side, exposing the open and undefended flank.
Are you ready now to die?
Jaune sped forward, bisecting the car in front of him in half with sheer power.
As he raced onwards, the chorus repeated twice more as he got closer and closer to the red car, getting neck and neck when the music went almost mute, the soft intro playing as he looked to meet Pyrra, eye to eye.
What were you thinking, telling me to change my game?
This style wasn't going anywhere it was kaput!
You want to see what I've done with this place, this whole thing?
Jaune looked over at Pyrrha, a confident smile on his face as he pulled out the Powercore one more time.
You want to see that I changed the game? No, I am the game!
Before I knew where this was going, I would've listened to you. Right now, I distance myself from what you have to say! I made this something way bigger than you're ever gonna be.
With one last smile, Jaune slammed the green core down, as the camera followed the surge of green plasma energy though the tubing of the car into the cylinders, which it followed to the wheels before Jaune zoomed over the camera, leaving the viewpoint in the dust
I made it this far and I'm taking it to the top.
Jaune zoomed, the speed evident on his face as it pulled his cheeks away. Blood spurted from his nose as he peaked at 405 miles per hour.
"Ok, that can't be good. He's going so fast he's bleeding out of his nose." Ruby said. While her body was protected from the effects of high speeds due to her semblance, she knew what it could do to others without that ability.
"And jaune arc has in an incredible burst of speed launched himself past Pyrrha Nikos and into the finish line! He has done it! Jaune Arc has won the Amity Grand Prix!"
Jaune finally stopped, falling and tumbling out of the car when it was finally opened. He heaved deep breaths, laying on the ground. "Holy shit." he finally breathed as he stood up. The crowd was cheering as he stumbled, leaning on his car. The screen faded to black as he stumbled off to the side lines
"Whoooh." Tai breathed, adrenaline still rushing through him. "Let me catch my breath here, that was an adrenaline rush."
Neo agreed with him silently. She could still feel her heart in her brain after that intense race. After signing to Orb "could the next one be a little slower?"
Orb considered this, and decided that giving them a bit of a restful one. "Why don't you guys take a break, huh?"
Qrow nodded. "Yeah, could I get more booze?" he said, waiving his flask around. It magically refilled as it sloshed to full.