My Turn

by Captain JN

I get truck-kun'd into my favorite anime of all time, equipped with all my knowledge of Initial D, into Ryosuke's body. This time, I won't lose. How will I make sure to be the best street racer with no prior skills? The Gamer of course. Pairing: Mako/Ryosuke.

57. Downhill Sorcerer

III

57: Downhill Sorcerer

III

The peak of Mount Tsukuba's "Fruit's Line" was dead silent.

I got why, Doctor Toshiya Joshima was walking this way.

I was wearing an outfit similar to the one I wore the night I raced Akina's 86 on the downhill, I was reminded heavily of that night.

I wasn't afraid because of Gamer's Mind, but there was something chilling about the level of calm and focus in Toshiya's eyes as he approached. Everyone watching, dozens of fans and representatives of and from both teams, the Akagi Red Suns and Purple Shadow looked at us in silence.

Joshima stopped in front of me and smiled lightly.

"So." Joshima said when we were standing in front of each other. "You must be the young man I've heard so much about. Ryosuke Takahashi?"

"That's right. Thank you very much for coming out here to race tonight sir."

"Oh please, it's my pleasure. Are you by chance involved in medicine?" asked Joshima.

I nodded. "I'm a year away from graduating medical school and starting to practice medicine full time."

Joshima smiled lightly. "Thought so. You must be related to Shozou Takahashi right?"

I nodded again. "He's my father, sir."

"Ah. There isn't a man in medicine who hasn't at least heard of your father. Extremely influential, even outside of Gunma. Just thought it might make some sense as you both share the same family name and you're both from Gunma." Joshima sighed. "I've been going on. I wanted to talk to you about something."

"What is it?" I asked.

"You know in the many years I've been a part of both racing and medicine. I haven't once met a young man with your level of ambition. You remind me a lot of myself at your age. Trying to teach street racing a thing or two about what it means to drive with pride, honor, tact, and above all patience and strategy. I've been waiting a long time for people to take street racing as seriously as I've found you do. This race should be one I'll remember for a long time."

I bowed my head. "Thank you Doctor. I appreciate that very much sir."

Joshima stopped smiling. "Of course I really hope that means you can drop any ideas that you'll go easy on me out of respect. For that very reason, I'll be doing the same for you young man. I want nothing but your very best tonight, and you'll see mine as well."

"I understand."

Joshima nodded and walked to his S2000 and got in. I did the same in the FC.

III

As Fumihiro and the crew members prepped the course I sat in the driver's seat of the FC watching Keisuke approach.

"So big brother. This is it. You look. Different."

I waited a moment before what I was going to say. "Keisuke. I don't mean to frighten you with what I'm about to say. But there's a chance I might actually lose this."

"What!?" he asked. "What do you mean?"

"It's not something I've previously considered. Nor am I admitting defeat. But this has been the one race where defeat has been a very real possibility."

I looked at Keisuke. "That being said. This battle will be very hard fought. Take pride in watching this battle little brother. I will be going all out for the only time the Red Suns will require me to race this hard."

Fumihiro called out. "The mountain is ready for the first run!"

I rolled the window up. I felt all the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Joshima was going to make up his mind or not if I was worthy of his time attack line in the next run in this one downhill.

It was all or nothing now. I would have to improvise a strategy and probably lose or impress him enough with this run.

Ninety eight percent. Not a shred of error.

III

"Race starts in! Five! Four!"

With the FC starting in front and the AP1 following, their naturally aspirated engines began to rev.

"Three! Two!"

The 13B-T and F20C began to roar. Every crowd member was nervous, the whole mountain was ready to watch the battle unfold.

"One! Go!" Fumihiro yelled and threw his hand down.

Right off the line, the FC got much better traction and took off the AP1 following with a tiny gap off the start.

The crowd cheered at the starting line as Keisuke thought. 'Ryosuke said he probably won't win this. But it doesn't matter. No one can out drive or out strategize my brother. It's begun. The ultimate downhill battle for the fastest in the Kanto region.'

'Ryosuke. Drive your heart out.'

Keisuke's hand tightened into a fist.

'Please.'

Ryosuke was flooring the gas at full power as the 13B-T revved. The rev limiter approached the red line, and Ryosuke quickly braked and downshifted.

The front tires began to skid for just a moment, controlled for the entire time as Ryosuke took a straight line through the right corner. The FC was zooming loudly as it cleared the turn, the AP1 less than half a car length behind.

On the exit of the turn, the FC had excellent grip and horsepower, widening the gap slightly before Toshiya throttled and caught up.

The white FC was accelerating quickly downhill, the 13B-T screaming as the twin rotaries spun faster and faster. Ryosuke thought of nothing, only keeping his eyes on the downhill.

Toshiya meanwhile was focusing on both the road and the FC in front of him. He took a line much closer to the inside on the entry of the next left hairpin, gaining much more stability than Ryosuke but having equal entry and exit speed due to the timing of Ryosuke's braking and the better balance of his car.

The split second the FC began to pass the apex Ryosuke tapped the gas slightly before flooring it when the FC regained traction.

Toshiya stayed right on his line, following easily. The blue AP1 remained within half a car length at all times.

At full speed down the straight, the gap changed slightly in the FC's favor, but entering the next sharp right corner, Toshiya was able to close the gap a little.

Seeing the speed they were picking up through the turn as both cars used very similar lines and technique, Takihiro, Kenta, and dozens of fans in the galleries cheered.

"That's what I'm talking about!" Takihiro said seeing him hold the lead. "Come on Ryosuke!"

"Let's go Ryosuke!" cheered Kenta.

Toshiya nodded a bit as the AP1 could follow the FC easily through an S hairpin section, both cars picking up incredibly high speed staying stable the whole time. 'Now isn't this interesting. His style on the downhill is quite similar to mine, yet his own all the same. This kid, is really really good.'

The FC's acceleration was so strong that at full power on the throttle split seconds before he regained traction on the exit of a left corner, he was able to keep Toshiya at bay half a car length behind him.

As the FC's tires screeched, Ryosuke held the lead smoothly as he controlled the slight bit of slide with perfect slip angle. Toshiya used the exact same technique to skid the tires of the AP1 and let it slide for a bit around the turn before maintaining traction.

'It's been about seven turns and he hasn't made a single mistake yet. His handling of the rotary engine is nothing short of an art. It's amazing to watch.'

Toshiya began to take better lines entering the turns, and the AP1 began to draw closer to the rear of the white FC3S.

The taillights in the FC glowed, Ryosuke using its excellent cornering speed to use slip angle at high speeds around a tight right hairpin staying as close as he could to the inside without hitting the mountain wall.

Ryosuke shot off the inside moving directly to the left of the straightaway to try and gain as much speed on the straight as he could.

Toshiya was able to follow with ease noting anything the FC did. 'He's using as much of the track as he can. The control over his speed and traction is superb. No matter how hard he's trying, this is impressive. If he can reach the first checkpoint at this pace, then I have no choice.'

Ryosuke knew the AP1 was trying to draw closer on the entry of the next left corner, the resulting straight, and the right hairpin at the end.

Flying past the cheers from the gallery, the FC held the lead against the AP1, its tires screeching, zooming at high speed down the hill.

Toshiya pressed the gas down, upshifting with a single hand as he kept one hand on the steering wheel only at all times.

The FC accelerated quickly down the straight, the blue AP1 following tightly as the gap widened on the straight, sharply closed a little on the entry of the hairpin, and widened as both cars began to pass the exit and throttle.

"This is the first checkpoint!" Yakuma said. "The FC is about point two seconds ahead of the S2000. Ryosuke's never had this kind of pace before, not even on his best runs in years he hasn't been near these times!"

Toshiya smiled a little bit following the FC down the straight. 'Well that curve back there was something mighty impressive. Even as well tuned as your car is, there's no denying how good your timing on the accelerator is.'

The blue AP1 remained now a quarter car length behind the FC. 'A very powerful car. With a very powerful driver. This next run is going to be the best I've ever had no doubt. I gotta shake this kid off my tail as soon as I can. Otherwise tonight will turn into a nightmare real fast.'

The high frequency screeching and skidding of the tires, the high speeds of the FC and AP1 through every turn, every hairpin, corner, and straight set the crowd on fire. They were cheering, keeping their eyes on the track as the walkies reported the battle.

Ryosuke kept his foot on the gas as much as he could, taking the straightest lines Tsukuba had to offer.

The FC's downforce was so well tuned and Ryosuke's brake, shifting, steering, and acceleration timing was so strong that he wouldn't give Toshiya an inch. Even with the pressure the AP1 was putting on him, Ryosuke didn't break.

He didn't even sweat. All he did was drive, Ryosuke didn't let the FC slide, not even for a second. All he used was the throttle, and for split seconds the brakes.

Approaching a tight left corner, Ryosuke would approach from the far right of the straight, take his foot off the gas, brake lightly and lower his speed well enough to nearly strike the guardrail taking the inside as tightly as he could.

The FC shot off the apex throttling hard, the AP1 following a quarter of a second later as the FC flew out of the turn and ended up on the outside of the turn almost instantly.

'Outside, inside, outside. Classic racing stuff. This kid knows his lines. I can't pick any weaknesses yet, so I have to stick to the only plan I got. The next run, I have to put everything I got into leaving him in the dust.' Toshiya smiled again. 'I can't stop appreciating what a great race this is shaping up to be.'

The FC experienced slight oversteer on the exit of the next turn, a right corner, corrected instantly by Ryosuke but resulting in a reduced exit speed, letting the AP1 draw even closer before the FC pulled ahead again on the straight.

Toshiya shifted with one hand and steered to the right, appearing in Ryosuke's side view down the straight. The F20C's pistons sang as Toshiya throttled, the AP1's speed down the straight so strong Ryosuke was nearly in trouble before the left hairpin arrived.

Taking his foot off the gas, Ryosuke tried to stay as close to the inside as he could at a safer yet lower speed to maximize his speed on the exit. The FC responded perfectly, but Toshiya's driving was so skilled that with a bit more throttle than it appeared the corner needed, the AP1 was able to close the distance a bit more.

Smiley Sakai and Daiki Ninomiya of the Todo School watched the AP1 and FC fly downhill from their spot behind the guardrail of their previous hairpin.

Down the long straights toward the second checkpoint, Ryosuke was able to rest using his superior aerodynamic and mechanical tuning, but just barely. The AP1's speed through the straightaways was only a tiny bit slower.

Around a long left corner, Ryosuke took a wider turn that required more throttle instead of braking however and was able to achieve better exit speed than Toshiya.

It wasn't enough to widen the gap enough, however, it gave Toshiya some trouble trying to recover the time the AP1 lost.

'He got me a bit back there. Tricky, I wasn't expecting him to take a turn that fast so early on. From here to the finish line are the fastest corners on this course. They're even harder to tackle than the first section of the course. Come on boy, let's see how good you really are.'

Ryosuke was nearly flooring the gas pedal. The FC3S' twin rotaries whirring like a jet engine, as Ryosuke throttled.

At the sharp left, Ryosuke took his feet off the gas, braked lightly and guided the FC around the right turn, clutching the inside tightly.

The AP1 took nearly the same line going slightly outside before entering the right corner, reaching the apex and beginning to accelerate once more.

"This is the chicane right after the longest straightaways in the course!" said Aisuke into his walkie seeing the FC and AP1 disappear around a long yet tight right curve. "Ryosuke's barely holding the lead within two tenths of a second! He's never had anyone keep up with him like this before! That S2000 is insanely fast!

Toshiya was noting everything he could seeing the way Ryosuke drove. How the FC responded in the portions where it had to brake, start steering and enter a curve. How Ryosuke executed his slip angle to walk the tightrope between grip and drift into a corner just like him, the control over his speed that nearly matched Toshiya's own cornering abilities.

'Impossible.' Toshiya shook his head slowly watching Ryosuke's entry and exit through a wide yet sharp S hairpin. 'This kid is just something else.'

The FC's tires screeched loudly as Ryosuke throttled out of a long left curve.

The AP1 followed closely, and Toshiya was both elated and analytical, watching every bit of Ryosuke's driving he could.

Approaching the fastest corners in the course, a set of wavy and long turns approached, just barely denying a straight line in between them to even the most skilled drivers.

Both Ryosuke and Toshiya found a line in between them and used only the throttle pedal. They only took their right feet off the pedal the moment the corner was about to begin to decrease their speed to clear the turn before accelerating again.

The FC and AP1 were nearly at their top speed battling their way through another tight S hairpin at almost full throttle when the crowd gasped, the entire gallery at the third checkpoint gasped, not expecting both Ryosuke and Toshiya to arrive so quickly.

A crew member from the Purple Shadow forgot his neutral commentary and yelled with a fist in the air as the white FC and blue AP1 flew past his section of the gallery. "What incredible pace sir! That FC's got nothing on you tonight!"

He cleared his throat raising his walkie. "Both cars are less than a tenth of a second apart, the FC is a second and a half behind the course record. Toshiya's pace has been consistent, but the FC looks to be faster only in between the first two checkpoints." he said checking the times he recorded on a clipboard.

Pressing their feet down hard on the throttle, Ryosuke and Toshiya maintained complete control over their cars at all times. The FC and AP1 never came close to even grazing the guardrails or the walls of the mountain or spinning out or sliding even from how fast they were going or how close to the edges of the course they raced.

'Power wise our engines have the same output, and his clearly doesn't have any turbo or supercharging systems. But his engine revs up much faster. Odd, but not troublesome.'

Approaching a tight right hairpin, both Ryosuke and Toshiya engaged a heavy amount of their traction control systems by letting the FC and AP1 skid a little before controlling the slide angle with perfect steering.

Whipping around the turn with all four tires still gripping the ground after the slight slide, Ryosuke and Toshiya mashed the gas down and continued to accelerate towards the finish line.

Around another left hairpin, Toshiya was observing the line Ryosuke was taking around the turn. Just like his own AP1 the FC was taking the straightest line it could through slip angle, combining grip and drift to both let the car skid a little to glide faster around the hairpin while still using grip to maintain better traction and stability to ensure top cornering speed.

Zooming out of a quick left corner later and the S hairpin was completed in seconds.

Hard on the throttle, both the FC and AP1 were accelerating quickly down the second to last straight.

'He fought hard and drove amazingly well. But he gave away something key, something very important.' Toshiya said keeping his eyes on the rear of the FC. 'He was spending the entire race looking. Where the better line was, where a slightly better entry or exit gave him better traction. You told me too much too early kid. This next run is in all likelihood mine, he's looking for the best line. While I already found it.'

'I appreciate what you've done here. And this has been a very fun race. But in this next race you're not going to need to look for the fastest line down this course, son. It's going to be right in front of you, if you can keep up with me that is. You'll see it all right. I hadn't planned on taking the time attack line out so early, but with my tires this fresh and the pace so high in the first run. I have no choice but to end it.'

Toshiya upshifted and both cars neared the last two corners a sharp right turn followed by a sharp left.

Screeching out of the left corner, the FC approached the finish line, and the AP1 was practically on its tail, almost right on its rear bumper.

They both crossed the finish line and the stopwatch beeped, crew members instantly approaching both cars the moment their engines shut off to check on the drivers and the FC and AP1.

III

"Awesome!" Itsuki said. "Ryosuke Takahashi can still show what Gunma's made of right here against an opponent this badass!"

Iketani nodded. "He keeps driving like that and the Red Suns will walk away with quite the victory on their hands." he said as the Speed Stars all agreed.

Kenji chuckled. "I just can't believe Gunma's very own White Comet can actually corner with the same speed and style as freaking God Arm."

Takumi looked towards the track downhill. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

"What do you mean?" asked Kenji.

"From what they were saying over the walkies, Ryosuke was only faster in the sections where his car had the advantage. Other than that, it looked like he was struggling to keep the gap existent at all. When they came through this turn right here." Takumi pointed. "The FC had great stability, yes, but I can tell the S2000 had a better line."

"Better line? How?" Itsuki said.

"Well from the way the S2000 braked and began to skid." Takumi said, replaying the moment in his head. "I don't know, it's just something about the way the drivers turned and cleared the corners. It might've looked similar to you guys, but the S2000 knew what it was doing better."

Kenji and Iketani looked at each other, the Speed Stars were surprised at how much sense Takumi was making. "The way the tires of both cars skidded, the subtle way they turned or changed speeds. The S2000 had the advantage without a doubt, I don't know if it comes down to course knowledge or driving ability. But my guess is probably both."

"I really wish it wasn't so. But everything I know tells me Ryosuke's probably gonna get hosed tonight." Takumi frowned.

III

As dozens of crew members up and down Tsukuba's course made sure the entire track was clear for the next run, Toshiya was sweating and draining a water bottle in the seat of his car.

"You mind telling me what the hell that was?" Kozo asked, leaning on his S2000. "The kid should've gotten smoked. Even if it was the first run."

"It's this heat, been bugging me since last night. Even with the air conditioner it's annoying me. And the kid is really good Ko, I can't beat him as easily as you're thinking."

"He's just a kid. I don't care how good he is you mess around out there, these runs can end up going who knows where." Kozo said. "End this nonsense, so we can go home."

"I plan to. From what I saw, I can't toy with him on multiple pace controlled runs and then pull away when his confidence is drained like I normally do. He's too smart and too skilled." Toshiya mumbled. "If this time attack line doesn't work, then like you said this will turn into a giant mess real fast."

III

Keisuke and the crew made sure I was well hydrated and checked on the systems in the FC.

"You look like you're going through hell out there. And it's only the first round." Keisuke said. "I've never seen you like this bro."

I sighed. "I've never felt like this." I admitted. "Trust me it's no fun for him either. By what I've predicted, he'll be forced to abandon any semblance of strategy and go right for the jugular."

"You mean? He'll-" Keisuke trailed.

"You're about to see the very best time Toshiya God Arm Joshima can ever drive on this hill. The fact that I've been able to achieve this is a victory on its own. That being said, it's ironically the only possible outcome to my defeat."

"Victory? Sounds like he's going to put you over his knee and paddle you like you're a bad kid in school."

I would've been amused if the circumstances weren't so grave. "This must be a great blow to Joshima's pride. He's forcing himself to admit I'm good enough to get his extreme best the first time he's in the lead. An all out battle, no need for fancy tactics. Only driving past the limit."

"I'm worried big brother." Keisuke said. "Hearing you talk like this."

I sighed again. "I know. This won't mean the end of the Red Suns, far from it. But even if I survive this round. It'll be clear this run will belong to the Purple Shadow."

I thought of the first time the Red Suns had come to Akina, the first time I'd seen it. I was probably twelve or thirteen years old.

I know thought of what the name of the team meant. It was the only racing tag I'd kept on my FC.

The name of the Takahashi brothers. My fastest racer theory. It might all end here effectively.

"Toshiya Joshima. Show me your speed."

I muttered one more sentence.

"Ryosuke Takahashi." I muttered to the version of myself I had met in Initial D's canon. "Thank you for all you have shown. I will make you proud."

Literally every notable person the Red Suns or myself have raced were here tonight. If this really was the end of the line, then I needed to remind them one last time of the power of the rotary engine. Of the FC.

Of Akagi's White Comet, myself, Ryosuke Takahashi.

III

"Okay here comes the second run!"

Fumihiro was standing in front of the AP1, directly behind which the FC was waiting.

"Five! Four! Three! Two!"

Ryosuke opened his eyes. He was holding the steering wheel tightly, placing the FC into first gear from neutral.

"One! Go!"

The twin rotaries roared as Ryosuke hit the gas, the AP1 having worse traction off the line, Ryosuke needed to stay as close as he could.

Heading down the first straight, the FC began on the AP1's tail.

Entering a very long and wide right curve, Ryosuke was using mostly throttle to clear the turn as Toshiya was doing the same.

Taking his foot off the gas for a moment, Toshiya entered the hairpin using the lightest amount of braking and heavy one handed steering to skid the car around the turn using slip angle.

Ryosuke was doing the same, but Toshiya's driving was so much better that a gap widened up from the difference in speed upon hairpin entry.

As complete traction returned to the AP1, Toshiya hit the gas hard, shooting out of the turn like a bullet. As if it were on rails, the FC sharply exited the turn powerfully accelerating.

Even at full throttle on the exit, Ryosuke was unable to close the gap at all.

Into another left hairpin, Toshiya braked much later than he did in the previous run, letting him reach the apex sooner hugging the inside tighter allowing him to use more throttle taking a faster and shorter line.

Ryosuke's own slip angle turn was a half second afterward, and even as the FC's twin rotaries hissed with power and he floored the gas passing the apex of the turn and entering the straight, it wasn't enough.

The gap refused to close or widen.

Toshiya's blue Honda AP1 remained a half second ahead no matter how fast Ryosuke tried to corner.

Into another long and looping right curve, both cars were heavy on the throttle despite the way the course curved from how good their steering was.

They both quickly took their feet off the throttle and steered quickly to the inside of the next turn, moving from the far right to the left, quickly throttling again.

Down the next straight, even with a much faster car in the straights, the FC was unable to close the gap.

Into the next corner, Toshiya braked, downshifted and steered, using a slip angle heavier on grip than drift to corner around the long yet sharp left.

Ryosuke's twin rotaries, the screeching of both tires, and the roar of Toshiya's F20C engine were all the crowd could hear amidst the cheering.

Nearly a half second worth of a straightaway later, the AP1 and FC experienced a heavy amount of G force from the drop in speed and direction of the next hairpin, a tight left requiring both drivers to drive to their absolute limit.

Toshiya kept his foot on the gas down until the very last second, braked to induce a hint of tire skid to let the car sail around the hairpin with all four tires retaining grip with the ground. Ryosuke's own turn required the exact same inputs into the FC but a completely different speed.

Slowing down slightly to clear a long straight that curved sharply towards the left, Ryosuke took his foot off the gas for a moment before holding the gas down completely.

The FC again found no pace against the AP1 down the straight, and Toshiya remained completely ahead.

Clearing a light right bend by merely taking their feet off the throttle and then back on again, they instantly had to enter a tight left hairpin at full speed.

The complete drop in speed and direction would've knocked them both clean out or caused serious physical damage had they not been strapped into very well tuned cars and bucket seats.

Both tires screaming, the AP1's slip angle again outmatched Ryosuke's. The FC, even on its record and breakneck pace, was not as fast as the AP1 in any hairpin or corner.

Accelerating down a short straight, both drivers took their feet off the gas to complete a sharp right corner, requiring both the FC and AP1 to take it wide to maximize the amount of throttle they could use.

Approaching the turn Toshiya and Ryosuke took their feet off the gas and braked, entering it they steered around having slowed down enough to corner at the best speed the sharp curve would allow before accelerating instantly out of the turn.

As Ryosuke and Toshiya appeared at the top of the straight, the crowd cheered as the FC was utterly outpaced by the AP1.

"Checkpoint one!" Takihiro said in alarm as both cars quickly slip angled around the following tight left hairpin next to the gallery. "Ryosuke is nearly three quarters of a second behind the S2000! And they're five hundredths of a second slower than the course record!"

Hard on the throttle at full power, Ryosuke was flooring the gas as the FC accelerated.

'I've never pushed the FC this hard before in my entire life.' Ryosuke thought knowing the straight barely offered him time to think at the speed they were both at. 'If there was one person I've raced who physically pushed the limits of how fast a car can go on the downhill it's this man. Thank you Doctor.'

Toshiya nearly oversteered the S2000 on the exit of the next right corner from how fast he entered it, having such great steering and awareness that he corrected it before it even happened.

On the entry of the next left hairpin, Ryouke just barely was able to close the gap, both drivers hard on the throttle passing the apex of the turn.

Both cars screeched taking almost the same line into the next corner, burning rubber loudly from how sharply and quickly they were able to decelerate and accelerate with just taking their foot off the throttle, entering the sharp right curve and flooring it again.

'Calling him a God of Steering is really underselling him. He's a god of all aspects of driving. This level of driving ability borders on magic, purely supernatural nearly.'

Ryosuke had no chance to think again, bracing himself for the complete plummet in speed from a narrow and long straight into a 90 degree right corner.

The FC zipped around the curve its engine screaming, both rotaries being the loudest thing the crowd behind the guardrail had heard that night.

Into a right hairpin, Ryosuke, even despite the fraction of a second worth of time that he had was able to follow Toshiya's line and even see it.

The FC was able to close the gap slightly again and Ryosuke drew closer. Not enough so that the gap was noticeably closed, but enough so that Ryosuke could see the tires of Toshiya's blue AP1 better.

'He's ignoring the apex the hairpin offers. It's like he sees a completely different one. But the timing is so precise that I can only copy it based on rhythm. I have to stay this close for a while if I can learn it.'

Into the next left hairpin, Ryosuke was driving past his limit and being forced to measure where exactly the S2000 had to curve.

The FC began to de-accelerate with a light tap on the brakes letting the tires skid and starting the slip angle combination of grip drift, and Ryosuke cornered having been close enough to see the AP1's entire hairpin.

'It's basically impossible to predict your own traction on that level. But I have to do it. I have to.' Ryosuke gripped the steering wheel harder, nearly white knuckling it for the first time.

Toshiya as well had started to sweat greatly, actually pulling ahead on the long straights to the second checkpoint and the final sets of high speed corners before the finish line.

Braking for the next left corner, both Toshiya and Ryosuke were trying to maximize how much throttle the AP1 and FC respectively used and made them go in the straightest line possible through the curves.

The FC again drew closer down the long straights.

Toshiya didn't even have to look into his rearviews. 'He's keeping up, just barely. But we both know how fast the next few corners are. The ridiculous amount of grip and downforce that FC has won't help him at this speed, we both know this will be a battle of driving ability.'

"This is the second checkpoint! The gap closed to half a second. Joshima's a third of a second faster than the course record!"

Sharply taking their feet off the gas for a split second to change the direction of their cars between straights through a small chicane before mashing the gas back down to the floor, Ryosuke and Toshiya were flying down the straight at top speed.

Toshiya and Ryosuke's lines were different by a split second and nearly exact timing and placement.

Toshiya curved the AP1 sharply to the right to the left to corner from the outside of the straightaway to the inside of the turn. Ryosuke did the same in his FC.

At the sharp right turn Ryosuke almost lost control of the FC from how hard he was pushing it and at the speed he was on. He corrected the rear slide instantly, but the gap widened through the long right hairpin.

They flew past the galleries where team Emperor was standing.

"Alright! What a lead from the S2000!" Seiji cheered with glee as the other Emperors cheered.

Kyoichi watched as about two thirds of a second later, the FC's headlights appeared and Ryosuke flew past.

Kyoichi mumbled. "He's grasping at straws."

Seiji looked at him. "What?"

"Ryosuke has no clue how he's keeping up you can see it from the way he takes his corners." Kyoichi pointed towards the FC's entry into the next turn. "It looks smooth, but. He never would've started to let the gap widen again here. Regardless of how this whole thing plays out, to me, Ryosuke lost this run. Very badly."

The crowd watched as the FC was outpaced during every hairpin turn and corner. As the crew members in the galleries announced it, the two thirds of a second gap refused to widen or shrink.

Ryosuke and Toshiya thought of nothing else but the downhill and the turns. They were keeping their feet almost flat on the gas pedal, still retaining complete control over their cars despite their speed through pure driving ability.

In the turns, it looked to the crowd as though the FC and AP1 would probably spin out or crash into the guardrail at full speed from how fast they were going.

They placed complete faith into their brakes and tires, approaching the corners, both drivers were analytical like aways, but were so engrossed in the battle they just drove.

At full speed, their slip angles wowed the crowd, leaving them all speechless as they had reached the fastest part of their battle.

Both of them going all out, the FC and AP1 had warmed up tires, completely focused drivers with only one intent: to drive downhill as fast as they possibly could.

They both pushed harder and harder. With how warmed up their tires were and how good their lines were, the crowd didn't realize it, but the FC now looked faster.

Without realizing he was doing it, Ryosuke was sweating more than he ever had, but at the same time, Doctor God Arm Joshima's line made more sense.

The curve looked different to Ryosuke. Reading the way Toshiya was able to corner around hairpins, the braking point didn't vary. It was the same every time, Toshiya saw his own line regardless of the turn, keeping them all from Ryosuke from how high his pace was.

Ryosuke overcame the mental block that came with following a driver so fast, and was confident in his own ability.

The FC reached its stride as did the AP1. At full speed both cars were screaming down the straights loudly looking to the crowd as if they were professional rally cars, the pistons of the F20C and the twin rotaries of the 13B-Ts.

As the rotaries in the hood of the FC spun faster as Ryosuke was redlining it in almost every straightaway, pushing his tires to the limit from how much grip his slip angle corners required.

Entering a right hairpin, Ryosuke was able to understand Toshiya's line so well that the FC caught up a bit more.

Both drivers took their foot of the gas, tapped the brakes lightly to start to skid their tires, and took the same line through the curve point for point by a hair. In the hairpin the FC almost directly behind the AP1 as they slowed down and curved around the turn.

On the exit, both drivers had anticipated their own hairpin's apex and could predict their traction so well that they slowly pressed the gas down until the AP1 and FC were at full power.

Through the curvy and wavy corners right before the third checkpoint, the FC was able to catch up to the AP1, Ryosuke drawing a slightly straighter line than Toshiya.

Unable to increase their pace any further in the straightaways or the corners, the FC and AP1 stayed at such a consistent space from each other it shocked the crowd. It must've been no more than a meter, and it was eerie how both cars took the exact same path through a turn.

The way the tires skidded, the timing of the brakes, shifter, steering, and throttle.

Zooming past the cheering crowd, the AP1 and FC flew directly past the gallery almost instantly.

"This is the third checkpoint. The FC can't find a line at all to get anywhere near the Joshima's tail, but they're equal. I don't know how he's done it!"

In the final sections of straightaways and hairpins, Ryosuke was able to time his slip angle turns directly before the AP1 and the remained the same no matter how hard either driver tried to change it.

Unable to get close enough to even consider overtaking, Ryosuke had adapted well enough to just barely keep up, pushed beyond his limits. Covered in sweat, Ryosuke continued to corner, not thinking at all about his lines or the condition of his tires or brakes.

All he could do was keep the FC steady and push it as fast he could through the turns to keep up with the S2000.

Toshiya was unable to go any faster, but because Ryosuke's line was an imitation of his own, he kept the lead. The AP1 for the time being appeared to be winning, but was unable to leave the FC behind in the dust.

If the gap widened by fractions of a millimeter it shrunk that amount the next corner. Both drivers never let the car slip, not once, not even for a second.

They never let up, keeping grip in all four tires the entire time, even from how fast the AP1 and FC entered the left and right hairpins right before the finish line.

Slowing down and using their perfect combinations of grip and drift to corner, Toshiya and Ryosuke ignored the actual apex of the turn and accelerated sooner, dangerously accelerating before the curve allowed and nearly striking the guardrail by millimeters.

Always taking straight lines even as the road curved, the AP1 and FC remained dead even, with Toshiya strongly in the lead but failing to shake the FC.

Mako and Sayuki watched, shocked speechless by the smoothness and speed the AP1 and FC were able to reach in the hairpin in front of where they were standing.

Ryosuke couldn't find any more speed in the corners or straights, his tires and the curves of the hairpins wouldn't allow it.

The AP1 entered a corner first, and a bit over a tenth of a second later, the FC instantly shot smoothly around the turn in a slip angle combination of grip and drift at just the same speed and stability.

Braking strongly for the next turn, both the AP1 and FC backed up and then shot around the sharp right corner, accelerating just as the corner began to end.

Peeling out of the last left corner at full speed, the crowd was roaring, the AP1 was approaching the finish line, the FC crossing the finish line just after the AP1.

A crewmember raised his stopwatch.

III

"The gap is point one and a half seconds." A Purple Shadow driver said. "That's it right? We've won?"

The sentiment shared across his comrades made it clear that was not the case.

"Sir?" a Purple Shadow driver ran to Joshima's car.

He was panting, sweating profusely. "Sir are you alright?"

"He kept up with me. How?" Toshiya mumbled to himself.

III

I never felt more drained in my life. If I was this tired I could only imagine how tired Joshima must be.

The FC never had pace advantage over the S2000, not even for a second. But I couldn't believe that I had adapted. The answer to surviving was right in front of me, one that was impossible, to imitate Joshima's line.

At that speed I couldn't copy a straight line with a ruler on a piece of paper with a pencil, but the Gamer must've given me the reflexes to do it. I think it must've been a thousandth of a second at most during the entry? But I had read the line.

It just took getting close enough to pull it off.

My cell phone rang.

"Are you alright?" I heard Keisuke ask. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. After all these street races you ask me now?"

"Don't fuck around here bro, you know how fast that was. Are you fine?"

I chuckled. "I'm fine. A bit tired but a bit of water and some electrolytes and I keep battling."

"Holy shit man." Keisuke's tone switched from scared to relieved. "We thought you might've flown off the side of the mountain or you and Joshima might've crashed. We just heard. How the fuck did you do that? That makes your victory over the 86 look like pussy shit."

"Joshima's line was right in front of me the whole time. The pace difference was small enough at one point for me to see the points." I sighed. "I lost though. He had me three times, he basically got me."

"Doesn't sound like a loss to me. The night's not over. We thought the Suns were done for bro."

"So did I."

Joshima emerged from his car.

I left my car as well as he spoke. "Son. I mean this in all respect, but, and I know this might sound strange. But are you a human being?"

"Yes sir I am. But the same could be said for you too."

"Never, in all my years of racing have I seen anyone learn a line so quickly. In the course of a single race you've developed a line milliseconds slower in all turns than a line that took me years. I get you must be adaptable but I." Joshima sighed. "How? I must know."

It was the Gamer purely. Not me. Never in a million years could Akagi's White Comet get close to Bunta Fujiwara or Joshima's top speeds on the downhill. This run was not my own victory, or even a victory at all.

Joshima's driving technique was better than me, I just had better adaptability because of the Gamer.

"I just did, sir. I don't know what to say."

"Well I'll say this then." Joshima chuckled. "You mind if we take a bit of a break before the next round?"

"Absolutely sir." I said.

I wanted to draw a cigarette and smoke, but that came after the race was over.

We would not be able to do that again. Even if he pulled out his time attack line again and I attempted to barely survive, our tire grip would be so much lower and the condition of the brakes so much worse it would be significantly slower.

III

"Should we tell him or." a Purple Shadow member asked.

His friend shook his head. "Not until after the race."

The Purple Shadow member checked his stopwatch labeled "AP1 time" and compared it with a time written on his clipboard. "A course record improvement of over one and a half seconds. Those two could've died at that speed."

"Of course they could've, it's a street race you idiot."

The younger man shook his head. "Even for them, those speeds were way too high even for the most drivers experienced in the mountains. I've seen Joshima race for years man, even on the best of his best days he set this course record. This Takahashi guy clearly lost in terms of driving ability, it's not even close by a mile, but he really shook something loose out of God Arm's head."

He turned towards Ryosuke who was talking to shocked members of the Red Suns. "We're damn lucky to watch these battles tonight. No one can ever dethrone the Gods, but they can sure make them battle."

III

I was deeply saddened to see my results. Even at my very best, adapting to Joshima's line thanks to the Gamer, and surviving an all out downhill with fresh tires against God Arm, I had proven there was a better driver than me in street racing.

I lost control of the FC's traction once. That was a mistake, and Joshima's run was flawless. Scarily enough, even if I didn't barely avoided failing that one corner, I wouldn't have made a difference overall.

It was survival by pure guts. I was ashamed when the members of the Red Suns congratulated me.

I never pushed myself this hard.

I could go onto the next runs, but after a run with both of us pushing this hard, everyone here would know the winner would be up in the air.

Now came the absolute torture that would be Joshima and I having multiple, extremely messy downhill runs tearing each other apart limb from limb until one of us cracked. I held the stamina advantage, but because his course knowledge was so much better than mine, if I made another mistake like I did in the previous race, and how fatigued I would be, I wouldn't just lose the race without a doubt.

I would die. I would fly clean off the mountain and crash into the mountain below.

This was a risk every race I had so far contained, but from how hard I had to push the FC to survive against a guy this fast, again and again, would be the riskiest race I had so far.

This night was a complete disappointment to me. I know the rest of the team would be ecstatic that even if I lost a later run I survived this one, it wasn't enough.

I was disgusted with myself for stooping to the lowest of tactics. Winning on exploiting advantages I couldn't create.

I had always prided myself on being a strategist. But even after this run, I wasn't faster than Joshima, I wasn't close and even the best strategies I created couldn't overcome that not even the strategies I improvised during a race to survive, not win. Being faster implied I was able to contest the lead at any point during the run.

These runs would be painful.

III

The crowd gasped in awe at the battle downhill.

After three entire runs of non stop racing down Tsukuba's hill, Ryosuke was still racing Toshiya without giving an inch.

Flying past the galleries of cheering fans, the FC's rotaries hissed and whirred as the AP1 appeared a split second after it cornered.

Ryosuke calmly looked downhill, Akagi's White Comet and Doctor Toshiya God Arm Joshima were entrenched in a battle of grit and focus.

Neither driver let off the throttle, unless it was to brake suddenly or let the cars begin to slip angle around the hairpins for a moment before regaining traction and continuing to accelerate.

Back at Tsukuba's peak, Kenta and Keisuke were speaking.

"Ryosuke actually survived an all out attack from God Arm in the lead? That's awesome, that means we won!" said Kenta.

"Not yet pipsqueak." Keisuke muttered.

"What do you mean?"

"My brother isn't one to make mistakes. Not now, not ever. He hasn't made one in the years of racing, but tonight he lost traction on a corner exit."

Ryosuke was sweating profusely as his younger brother continued to speak to his protege, never having been pushed so hard on the downhill. "If Ryosuke's been taken to that level of speed where he can't control the FC's traction, even for a split second, it means his opponent has really given him a run for his money. And traction and throttle control is Ryosuke's thing."

"Wouldn't the opposite be true as well?"

Keisuke nodded. "Precisely."

God Arm was sweating far more than Ryosuke, while he was unaffected by the searing heat the night created even with air conditioner, he looked to be getting increasingly fatigued. "Even with a basic layout of Ryosuke's abilities after watching him for the first run, the race should've been over by now. If Ryosuke's still out there battling him, then it's not because God Arm let him. He's not stupid enough for that."

He saw the look on Kenta's face. "Yup. Ryosuke was able to keep up with an opponent with abilities we've never seen. The best of the best of the best. You're not seeing nonstop battles out there Kenta, this a war."

The FC screeched out of another turn, Ryosuke again preventing a lock up of his front tires or brakes as well as losing traction on the corner exit by timing the throttle and steering inputs just right by a fraction of a second.

He knew that if for a second, he let up, Toshiya's blue Honda S2000 AP1 would gain ground and catch up.

Toshiya was equally focused and strained, wanting to get as close to Ryosuke's bumper as he could, wanting to apply as much pressure as he could to contest the lead.

"These two might be battling hard, but they're not forgetting one key fact everyone tonight is overlooking. The second round was nothing but racing, these two now have to figure out the weaknesses of the other driver under hard pressure for multiple rounds. It might not look like it, but these two are almost exactly the same outside of their driving style. They're observant and strategic enough to determine where they have advantage by milliseconds over each other. And they both know it too."

Keisuke sighed as Kenta looked at him in shock. "Outside of driving ability. This is a battle of strategy. Ryosuke's praying he can hold on for long enough before can determine a guaranteed opening in a later run. And Joshima knows that with how much tire grip this must be costing both cars, the AP1 will collapse first from the tuning difference in grip."

"Huh. You sound like Ryosuke sometimes, you know that?"

Keisuke snorted at this. "Last round Ryosuke was caught on the ropes. He was struggling hard. The only reason he turned it around and stopped himself from losing was because Joshima's line must've been clearer to him after seeing it the whole race. I can hardly believe it myself. It sounds almost like a superhuman thing to do, but adapting is what Ryosuke and I are known for."

III

Ryosuke and Toshiya were so engrossed in the battle all they were doing was driving and keeping their eyes on the lines they were taking.

Toshiya looked from behind his pair of glasses directly at the path the FC needed to take around the hairpins and the corners.

Toshiya upshifted with one hand, only using the other to steer while using slip angle just like Ryosuke to corner in a drift styled grip run.

Screeching out of the turn, the FC regained traction to reaccelerate quickly, the AP1 zipping out of the turn loudly as the N/A F20C engine roared and Toshiya flattened the gas.

Down the long straight, Toshiya thought calmly. 'We're both at an impasse here alright. This kid is more than just adaptable, he's as strategic a driver as I've ever seen. He specifically waited until I had stopped using my time attack line to stop stressing his tires at full power. He's adjusted his entire line while trying to keep the lead.'

III

The war Keisuke described continued.

For over half an hour only taking two minute rests in between to drink water and cool off as well as check their pace, Ryosuke and Toshiya dueled downhill.

When following in the FC, Ryosuke was doing one thing besides trying to keep up and keep the AP1 in his sight at all times: find where the AP1's pace changed.

Knowing this, Toshiya was forced to choose between the proper times to keep Ryosuke pushing the FC and strain himself instead of gauging the S2000's pace, or give Ryosuke fake lines to see that would've given him nothing in terms of data to determine where the AP1 was weak.

To the crowd, they saw the AP1 and FC driving downhill at speeds they'd never seen and assumed it was only a close race, but Toshiya and Ryosuke were having a staring contest. A duel of strategy and grit.

The lines changed by millimeters between runs, and the crowd and crew thought from their times they were consistent, but even as almost invisible as the changes were, Ryosuke and Toshiya were observant enough to detect changes.

Toshiya saw the way the FC's pace changed when Ryosuke tried accounting for the loss in traction on exit of some turns.

'It's not his mistake. It's the speed of the turn, he's just not used to it at a pace like this. Next run, I'll have to put more pressure on him in this section.'

Whenever he was following however on the next run, Ryosuke saw absolutely nothing.

Toshiya was so fast the S2000 revealed nothing to Ryosuke. The FC was fast, fast enough on the corners, hairpins, and straights of Tsukuba's downhill to keep up and not lose sight of Toshiya but Toshiya was so aware of what Ryosuke was trying to do and how to counter it he gave nothing up.

Ryosuke steered hard, using nearly the brakes and steering only to emphasize the FC's grip and power on the exit to account for the drop in speed into the turn. Exiting, Ryosuke timed his acceleration to the apex perfectly and kept up with the AP1.

'His braking changed, and so did his shifting. But the entry speed is only a bit slower. He knows I'm looking for an opening, he must know I'm trying to prevent him from determining too much about the FC's capacities in an endurance run like this.'

Ryosuke braked for the next turn, both drivers braked downshifted and steered, holding the inside while Ryosuke kept his eyes on the tail of the AP1, noting the way the traction responded, how Toshiya controlled it for every part of the corner.

'On the entry the gearbox and suspension seems to do exactly what Toshiya inputs. I can see it from how well he can maintain the AP1's slip angle. Same thing with the throttle and the revs.' thought Ryosuke. 'This is just a very good car driven by someone who understands it extraordinarily well. His speed on the straights is about as high as any downhill machine can reach. Doctor, it is an honor to follow a man of your ability with such control over his car.'

Toshiya's eyes stayed on the road while he began to think, entering another corner. 'He's kept up with me until now. Five runs in and all cards are on the table.' he thought, exiting the turn.

'I didn't think the pace would even out so much after the second run, but he must've learned exactly how my car is tuned by now, but the same goes for his car now too on my part. I've only got enough tire grip for two more runs, I'll pressure him in the high speed corners in the last third, and then pull out my time attack line in the seventh. I don't have any choice outside of that to win.'

Ryosuke's thoughts were equally desperate as he followed Toshiya's blue S2000 downhill. 'My back's against the wall here. With a driver this skilled, strategic, and aware, I can't overcome this kind of speed. My only choice is to survive. I'm sorry FC, this is not a race I thought we'd ever have to run. But we didn't win this.'

The FC accelerated out of one of the last turns on Tsukuba's downhill towards the finish line, hot on the AP1's trail towards the end of the fifth run.

III

I sighed, draining a water bottle dry after Kenta passed it to me.

"You look like shit big bro." Keisuke said. "You're going through hell."

I threw the water bottle away in a nearby trash can. "The FC's auxiliary power and electrical systems for the boost controllers and rotaries haven't ever been pushed this hard for this long. I'm not losing time, but it's not good for the car's condition."

"Can it be fixed?" asked Kenta.

"It can be fixed just fine. But I never thought I'd have to push the FC so hard. I'm throttling at the maximum level of pressure I designed it to withstand. It's a serious blow to my pride to try this hard and not have won a race by now, especially with what I'm putting the FC through."

The car's full computer would need a complete reset after the battles tonight. Some fuses and charges would get utterly fried after the next two runs. As much money as I spent on the FC, this much pressure really wasn't good for any car.

Ironically, the central twin rotaries were doing just fine even after having five five minute runs almost at the red line. The level of care and maintenance I had put into ensuring B-T 1 and B-T 2 had finally paid off after years of tuning.

III

"You're blowing it Toshi you're blowing it!" roared Kozo, shocking the younger members of Purple Shadow.

"I'm trying my best big guy. I promise. It might not look like I am, but I am not giving that kid a second to breathe out there. I can only pull out the faster lines when I'm trying to end it, he's too fast and too smart otherwise." Toshiya wiped sweat off his face with a clean towel his team members handed him.

"He's a goddamn kid! He's not even 25 years old and he's keeping up with you for crying out loud!" Kozo held the bridge of his nose. "Fast or not, the only way he could've held that line in the second run and survived until now is if you made a mistake. I just know it. It's not like he knows the course better than you, you must've given him the steps to take the hill properly."

"I wish I had made a mistake. But I didn't." Toshiya sighed. "But you're partially right. He must've pieced together the way to battle at my pace in the second by watching me."

"Sir are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just a little tired is all." Toshiya said reassuredly.

"End this. Please." Kozo said. "I can't stand to see a twenty year old punk in an FC actually think he can put up a fight to us for this long on the downhill."

"It hasn't been easy. But I've been building up an attack that's for sure. And if that doesn't work I have a fail safe."

III

Fumihiro walked up to Keisuke and I and spoke. "The crew is gonna need another few minutes to clean up the debris. Apparently you and God Arm have really bled your tires out."

"Then how are you two still battling?" asked Keisuke.

"Guts." I said. "He might look old but he really does not want to lose to me, not after what we've put each other through tonight. We only have two runs left in our tires anyway."

"You look worried."

"He's going to try to pass me." I said. "I've done my best to hide it, but even if Joshima wasn't trying to look he would've seen it. No matter what I do, finding the right line maintaining good stability through the first set of hairpins in the high speed section in the downhill's final third is essentially impossible on our pace unless you've driven it like God Arm has."

"But you can always counter overtakes, right? Like you did against Tachi's EK9?"

I shook my head. "Not this time. He has too many hairpins to choose from."

III

"Starting the sixth run! Get ready guys!" shouted Fumihiro.

Toshiya began to rev up his AP1's engine in thought. 'The FC has way too much speed in the straightaways to pull off a pass outside of a turn. You heard Ko Toshiya. Purple Shadow is counting on you.'

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

Fumihiro threw his hand down. "Go!"

The AP1 followed the FC downhill off the start.

Ryosuke's 13B-T revved up so quickly that within a few seconds he upshifted into second gear.

Toshiya followed the FC into the first set of corners, beginning to build his pace strongly. Approaching a right hairpin, Toshiya braked later, drawing closer to the FC on the corner entry.

Expecting him to try to pull away, Toshiya steered the AP1 dangerously closer to the inside with his tires nearly over the guardrail free inside of the road, millimeters away from the lidless gutter and a certain spin out.

Ryosuke throttled and began to accelerate in thought before upshifting. 'With stunts like that he's going to be all over me this run.'

Screeching out of a right hairpin, the AP1 was almost in tailgating distance of the FC.

The crowd cheered, seeing the renewed level of pace from the lower powered previous rounds.

Roaring down the straight at full speed, Ryosuke kept his foot on the gas hard on the power.

Toshiya was watching the rear of the FC closely, Ryosuke trying to ignore the looming threat of the S2000 attempting to close the distance and pass.

The Speed Stars cheered loudly as the FC passed, keeping the lead against the daunting AP1.

Drawing slightly to the outside to brake, downshift, and stick to the inside, Ryosuke steered the FC to as close to the right corner's inside guardrail as he could, and split seconds before the apex appeared he hit the throttle as hard as he could.

The FC's twin rotaries whirred and the battle continued, Toshiya again beginning to draw closer.

"This is the first checkpoint! Joshima's laying it on thick on Ryosuke! A bit more distance and he'll be on the FC's bumper!" said Takihiro.

Screeching left and right as the cars turned, the FC's slip angle was very fast, but still outmatched by Toshiya's superior driving and sync with his car.

The S2000 exited a turn almost starting to tailgate the FC but its linear acceleration outperformed the AP1's so much that at full power Ryosuke was able to shake it off by a tiny bit.

With Toshiya starting to pressure Ryosuke so hard, the crowd was cheering louder.

Seeing the FC appear at the top of the straight, the AP1 appearing a split second later, Smiley and Daiki looked to watch Ryosuke zoom down the straightaway as fast as he could.

The AP1 quickly chased after it, and the gap began to narrow again on the corner entry. On the exit it widened, and Ryosuke continued to hold the lead.

"Why does this run look different?" asked Daiki. "Is Joshima just using more throttle?"

"No you idiot." Smiley muttered. "Joshima is trying to end this all. And from what I've seen, I think he'll succeed."

Ryosuke took his foot off the gas and went to the inside, letting the tires skid with a tap on the brake before drawing a short but straight line around the turn with slip angle. Toshiya followed suit, and the AP1 started to tail the FC.

Ryosuke had to clear a long and wavy left with nothing but throttle, taking his foot off the gas for a split second to curve the car leftward before putting it back down when the road was straight again.

On the straightaway, Ryosuke had no choice but to flatten the gas and try to gain distance in the long straights in the halfway section of the course.

"The FC and S2000 just flew past the second checkpoint! Joshima is still putting down a lot of pressure on the FC!"

From the speed their cars were at, Ryosuke and Toshiya cleared the straightaways quickly, entering the sets of fast corners before the finish line.

The AP1 began to close the distance again and again, and after three corners, the AP1 was sitting on the FC's tail.

The gallery gasped, Toshiya was drafting Ryosuke. The AP1 was directly behind the FC.

With a complete loss of drag from how close he was to Ryosuke's FC, Toshiya was able to easily follow his line through the resulting right and left 90 degree corners.

On the entry of the next right hairpin on the straightaway, Toshiya dived in, placing the S2000 so close to the lidless gutters and uncovered part of the mountain the guardrail didn't cover to gain the fastest line to the inside as he could.

The S2000 was taking a line, on the verge of overtaking the FC as both cars curved and began to exit the hairpin, Toshiya found that something strange happened as they left the turn.

He recognized it instantly. 'He improvised my line!?'

Ryosuke had been able to change his speed and Toshiya saw Ryosuke was cornering just like he had during his own corners.

Toshiya watched as he attempted the same overtake through the inside again, but Ryosuke had been able to change his style, resulting in different cornering speed and stability.

The FC stayed ahead of the AP1, even though Toshiya tried twice to overtake.

At that point, Toshiya saved his tire grip for later and returned to tailing the FC.

III

On the seventh run, the crowd had returned to wanting to cheer louder than ever.

The pace had returned from the earlier runs, Ryosuke and Toshiya were rumored to go all out again.

"Five!" Fumihiro said. "Four! Three! Two! One! Go!"

The AP1 took off first downhill, the FC following closely.

'The final run. Make it your best Ryosuke.' he thought as he upshifted into second gear.

Through the first looping left turn, both the AP1 and FC used almost entirely throttle.

'My focus is getting shot to pieces with all this heat. I only have another run left in me anyway. Better make this one count.'

The tires were warmed up quickly, a few hairpins at full speed, and Toshiya and Ryosuke were reaching their peak pace.

The rotaries hissed and spun, being a sound the crowd in the galleries never forgot that night.

Ryosuke braked, going from the outside inward to use a simple grip run like Toshiya did through the left corner.

Passing the apex, Toshiya hit the gas hard a split second before Ryosuke did.

With great speed on the straights, the FC caught up, but Toshiya was going first into the hairpins. He knew them, he knew all the lines.

The blue AP1 was tearing through corners faster than even the second round, and the white FC was able to keep up.

The crowd behind the left hairpin was either completely shocked at how fast they were or beside themselves in cheers.

Ryosuke was keeping his foot flat on the gas, only taking it off for a moment before moving to the inside using slip angle to enter the right hairpin.

Both cars slowed down and used a skidding grip run to sail around the turn faster than their six previous runs.

Takihiro restrained himself from cheering. "This is the first checkpoint! They're half a second ahead on the first section! The S2000 is only ahead by a third of second but they look tight!"

Through a long left hairpin, the S2000 began to pull ahead with better traction in and out of the turn, Toshiya using a better line than Ryosuke, being much straighter and smoother.

Ryosuke wasn't deterred from losing time, instead throttling hard down the next straight as the FC zoomed out of the hairpin at full power.

The twin rotaries again began to roar as the pistons of the F20C sung louder, both drivers shifting into third gear halfway down the straight before reaching the long right curve.

Because of how much downforce both cars were tuned to have and how much control over the throttle Ryosuke and Toshiya had, they took a line requiring almost only acceleration through a relatively curvy straight.

When the road ahead became completely straight, Ryosuke and Toshiya floored the gas pedal, and throttled almost the entire way down.

They both went wide, braked lightly, downshifted and took the slip angle turn through the left hairpin.

As they went around the turn burning rubber, the crowd cheered as the FC was about half a car length behind the AP1.

Through the next corners, Toshiya was again able to create more distance between both cars as his line was solid. Ryosuke's pace was strong, but Toshiya was so used to Tsukuba's hill that he began to gain better traction as the gap widened again.

Both drivers sweating heavily but focused, and again Ryosuke lost time to Toshiya when both the FC and AP1 had reached their highest speeds.

Steering hard with one hand out of the turn, Toshiya upshifted instantly with his other hand and hit the gas.

Ryosuke again began to lag behind in the next turn, and the gap changed.

In the next hairpin, Ryosuke tried changing the timing of his braking, only to find Toshiya got better entry speed.

The AP1 was faster than the FC into the right hairpin, even on Ryosuke's best ever run.

On the exit however, Ryosuke was able to find better traction and got a faster exit than Toshiya, closing the gap a little down the next straight.

Still keeping completely straight lines, the AP1 and FC turned left and right, screeching through the corners, accelerating sharply as they exited.

Tearing out of a hairpin at full speed, the gap now was over half a car length inbetween the FC and AP1.

As they entered the long straights, Toshiya knew how much speed the FC could reach and preemptively put more throttle into his exits, ignoring how much extra tire strength so much acceleration needed with the knowledge it was the last run.

"Checkpoint two! The AP1 is two thirds of a second ahead of the FC but it's still in the race! They're now three quarters of a second ahead of the course record! I didn't even think anyone could be this fast on the downhill, the second run wasn't nearly as quick!"

The AP1 entered a light left bend first by Toshiya simply taking his foot off the gas and then putting it back on hard, Ryosuke did the same in the FC, and both cars continued their battle downhill, clearing the long straights quickly.

Tapping the brakes, the AP1 and FC had to use a strong grip run to complete the sharp left corner. They had to start from the very right of the turn, brake and downshift, steer to the left and nearly graze the guardrail on the inside.

They both timed the apex of the corner so well that the crowd was shocked at the speed they both got into and out of the turn.

Engaging the same slip angle turn they had been using for the entire night, Toshiya and Ryosuke made the tires skid with a light brake, went around the entire right hairpin with traction maintained in all four tires.

Rounding the last hairpins before the third checkpoint, Ryosuke began to draw closer to the AP1. The gap shrank, and the FC began to gain ground on the straights and on the exits of the turns, the speeds in the corner entry too similar between both cars to change it.

"Third checkpoint! The FC's a third of a second behind now!

Toshiya continued to sweat. 'How did I get this tired? How is he still keeping up?'

Still able to match Toshiya's line in some hairpins by just doing his best to time his inputs on the steering wheel, brakes, shifter, and accelerator like he did, Ryosuke was past his limits, and his tires were nearly out of grip.

Still, Ryosuke accelerated down one of the last straights before the end of the course. Entering the hairpin, he noticed something very odd in the way Toshiya entered the corner.

It wasn't nearly as fast or stable as the slip angles had been in every previous hairpin, and the FC drew much closer.

Ryosuke's eyes widened. 'He's done. He can't race any longer with this much heat.'

Exiting the turn, Toshiya began to see dots in his vision as he pressed the gas pedal down. He began to feel lightheaded. Even drinking plenty of water and keeping the air conditioner on for the entire race wasn't enough, the fatigue became too much.

A wave of nausea hit Toshiya so hard he barely resisted the urge to vomit.

Entering the next turn, Toshiya was so fatigued that his line and speed control was completely off. Toshiya was about to send his S2000 directly into the mountain wall and strike it, but was able to save the car at the last second.

However, he lost complete control of his car, and the AP1 was sent into a spin.

The crowd was dead silent, nearly everyone jaw dropped as Ryosuke had made Toshiya spin out.

With a strong black asphalt burn mark on the ground, the S2000 stopped completely just off the guardrail.

Ryosuke was close to the AP1 but still had enough time to react, continuing his run until it was safely ahead enough that it could be proven the run was his.

Then he instantly stopped his FC with a screech of the tires and got out.

III

Spectators in the galleries were surrounding Toshiya's car.

They made way for me, I knew Joshima would spin out and I had to check on him.

We all watched as the door to God Arm's car opened, and Joshima nearly collapsed onto the ground.

He vomited onto the asphalt in front of us before blacking out and falling back into his bucket seat inside his S2000.

I checked him over. He was fine, just completely lacking in electrolytes.

"Water. Anything. Now." I said.

A few seconds later a coffee surely from a nearby vending machine was thrust into my hands.

I began to pour the cool drink into his mouth. He would need to rest, but he'd be fine.

A nearby crewmember handed a walkie to me as I began to revive Joshima. "Ryosuke?" I heard Fumihiro ask. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"The doctor blacked out. He's fine, he just needs to be given some electrolytes and rehydrate. But I'll take him back up to the peak in a second."

The walkie was silent. "Wait. But the course record."

"It doesn't matter. I truly don't deserve to take home the timed run if I can't do it with the proper line in front of me to mimic."

"Um." Fumihiro said. "What do you need?"

"I'm going to need a set of hypersofts for the FC and someone to look after Dr. Joshima's car when I take him up." I said.

"I've got Purple Shadow members coming down to make sure nothing happens to the S2000."

III

As Joshima quietly recovered in the Purple Shadow area of the parking lot, Matsumoto approached me. "The FC looks fine internally, but the power and computer systems are going to need a full reset. It's going to be a couple hours before we can take her back to full strength."

"That's fine. You can start sending the rest of the team home, I don't think I can get close to the record tonight. The runs were exhausting."

Toshiya Joshima was walking towards us, and the excited and happy conversations of the Red Suns all died down instantly.

"Doctor." I said. "Are you sure you should be walking around sir?"

"I'll be fine. I got a bit to eat and cooled off. Mind if we have a chat?" Joshima asked.

Matsumoto quietly excused himself as the entire Akagi Red Suns pretended they weren't looking in our direction all of them well out of earshot.

"We can talk about the race in a second." Joshima said. "But first something that's been on my mind for a while."

I nodded. "Alright."

"Son doctors across the Kanto region have heard what you've done down at Gunma's top med school in your first few years. We know talent when we see it. I wouldn't often offer this to someone so young, especially someone still in school, and your father would certainly not appreciate it. But."

Was he offering what I thought he was suggesting?

"After you graduate, I would really like you to consider practicing medicine with me in my clinic in Shimotsuma. You and I could do some really impressive work together, and the pay would be well beyond anything you could make working for your father or anyone else I'm sure." Joshima nodded. "Trust me. You wouldn't be something like a trainee or intern like the other young men your age, in a couple years, you'd be a co-owner, at the top of the board with me."

This was probably the best offer anyone had ever given me. Basically a top position in my first year of medicine with basically one of the best doctors in the entire country, in one of the top clinics around. There probably wouldn't be a better offer out there than this.

"I'll have to think about it sir. Could you think of maybe partnering with my hospital?"

Joshima sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "I could. Our practice isn't the largest, rather small actually. We could put together the paperwork. But it would take years to merge, and I'd honestly feel safer about the whole thing when and if you took charge of your father's hospitals instead of him being the owner."

I trusted Joshima meant well, but the timing of this offer was incredibly convenient. While it was genuine, he only did it after our race was finished. Did he only want me to join him after he respected me for my driving?

"I can imagine you have a lot to consider." Joshima raised a hand slightly and nodded again. "You can take as much time as you'd like. As for the race, that was very impressive, nothing I've ever seen before. It was one thing to try to copy my line well enough to keep up, another to stay ahead. But I don't think I've ever met someone who could keep me battling for an entire hour of nothing but racing."

Joshima chuckled. "Guess that's why I tried ignoring my limits. I guess when you really boil it down, us old guys can't keep up with guys your age."

"Please sir. You had me beat tonight. You had me multiple times, especially in the second run."

"Don't act so modest young man. I hope to meet your father real soon and we can get this whole partnership mess sorted out. I'm sure he'd be happier to comply with a smaller practice outside of his prefecture than a larger competitor in it."

I smiled. "My father hasn't been known to share much of anything sir. But I'd be more than happy to set it up."

"You're going to be a great doctor someday, kid. Tonight is something I'll find myself in your debt for a very long time. Not just for making sure I was okay but for really giving me a good race."

He began to walk away before he spoke. "Oh yeah. And by the way, I really admire the way you and your brother chose a pair of rotaries. I can't tell you how refreshing it is to see street racers go with something the entire racing world dismissed as unreliable and weak."

I wasn't satisfied. If it wasn't for the Gamer, I probably would've lost. It would've been pretty close here and there, but ultimately he would've pulled away completely or passed me.

I sighed, calling for Matsumoto. "Um. Shuichi." it felt odd calling him by his given name.

He approached. "Yes?"

"I'll help you reset the FC myself. I want to get this done, it's been a long night." I said.

"You've been racing nonstop, Ryosuke. Have some rest."

I responded by grabbing some wires and getting to work, which he promptly accepted.

III

As the Red Suns prepared the FC for the timed run, Kozo Hoshino watched Kyoko jump into Keisuke's arms from afar and give him a hug.

For some reason, it made him smile a lot, and he approached Keisuke.

"Your girlfriend?" he asked as Kyoko had walked off to join the rest of the Northern Saitama Alliance.

"Sort of."

Kozo gave a sigh. "Now you really remind me of myself when I was your age. Anyway, you and your brother did very well tonight. But he's already planning on moving on to medicine right? Toshi mentioned it."

"Uh yeah. Why?"

"Well, were you hoping to get into professional racing by chance? I can help set that up if you'd like."

Keisuke's heart leapt in his chest. "Yes," he said instantly and loudly. "I mean. Yeah, why?"

"Well I know the K2 is the big thing this year but tryouts and qualifiers aren't until March of next year and to even sign up you need a certain number of league points by December. You got a long road ahead if you want to make a name for yourself in the circuits. I got some good contacts that could get you a nice track, coach, sponsors, and you can even bring your old mechanic crew along if they agree. What do you say?"

"Um." Keisuke's face was that of someone getting everything they had ever wanted. Complete shock, awe, disbelief. "Yeah. Yeah I'd love that. Can I have your phone number?"

III

Matsumoto leaned over as the FC had been outfitted for an all out timed attack run in under a half hour with my personal help. "Remember. You don't have to worry about burning a fuse out there. Push it as hard as you want."

I nodded. "Understood."

III

The FC began to take its victory runs down the mountain, but the stopwatches told the same story.

Ryosuke was always a few fractions shy of the new course record Toshiya had set in the first battle.

By the end of the night at around eleven, it was clear Ryosuke could get no more than a tenth of a second close to Toshiya's course record.

III

Fumihiro sighed and looked at the readings my computer gave on the FC and the times I set. "I don't get it. Is it a power issue or a tire issue? We have enough time tonight to tweak the suspension too."

I shook my head. "The problem isn't the car. My driving just isn't there yet."

"I don't get it bro." Keisuke said. "You beat this guy. You made him spin out. How can you not get under a tenth of a second to his best?"

"Because I had one simple rule of racing on my side the entire night. Passing is much much harder than pulling away. And I had my whole strategy built around surviving not beating him. Like I said, I could be able to beat him in a stamina run only, even if I had been able to survive him wanting to end the race twice."

Keisuke sighed. "So is that's it then? The uphill time looks even harder than the downhill and if you can't even break it then that's it for us right?"

"In essence yes." I said. "I could come back after a month and a half of off and on practice and maybe beat it by almost nothing but it wouldn't matter at that point, the Red Suns will no longer be a team."

Fumihiro looked at me, and I gave him a nod.

"All right everybody!" he called out. "We're done for tonight, pack it up!"

Matsumoto whistled loudly and the entire team prepared to leave.

III

A few days later as I began to prepare for the Kanagawa expeditions, I was resting my head in Mako's lap.

The two of us were at the top of Mount Usui listening to the quiet screeching of tires below.

For some reason, the view of much of Gunma and part of Nagano at nighttime was really relaxing.

"So you won." Mako said brushing her fingers through my hair.

"Not really but yes." I said. "I didn't win based on technique or driving ability. And I pushed the FC far more than I should've."

"But he did spin out?"

I closed my eyes and sighed. "Yes."

"I know the team has their last expeditions. But do you think we could maybe spend some more time together?" asked Mako.

I smiled. "Yes. The sim and tuning work takes up less time now with how used to it both myself and the team and crew are."

"And how many more races do you personally have?"

I thought of my final opponent. The Red Suns' final opponent. Ironically, it was my first real one, the Red Suns' first real one, and my first entry into the series'. The Red Suns now had course records in every mountain in every prefecture except for the one we'd be remembered for.

Kanagawa.

"Just one more. A little 86."

Mako laughed. "Just like Akina's?"

"Yes Mako. Just like Akina's."

Mako kissed my forehead. "I love you Ryosuke."

"I love you too." I mumbled.

"I still remembered what the night you raced the 86 was like. Sayuki wanted to root for the 86 I think. But she knew we were still dating back then."

I nodded.

"That was a really fun night. I don't know why, but that night felt different than these."

"The Red Suns technically still only raced in Gunma at the time. I wasn't balancing too much between being a strategist and coordinator for the Suns, more of the top driver everyone listened to. And the 86 was all the rage that summer. Hard to believe I was able to beat it with how strange that car was."

"And now you're planning your last races."

"I am."

My crazy little love with street racing was about to reach its conclusion. The Akagi Red Suns were on the verge of legend.

With Purple Shadow only technically defeated, the path forward was clear. Defeat Sidewinder and its four layers of defense, and ingrain the names of the Red Suns into racing history for all time.