New chapter! "Plot" keeps moving forward!
Like before, up to around 2016/2017-ish lore and characters aspects, not described yada yada yada.
"In true camaraderie, we decided to leave him behind." = Dialogue
'I hate that prick.' = Thoughts
"Shock!" = Song title / lyrics
Alpha'sThrowawayAccount Presents:
JNPR Car: Fourth Stage
Nolo leaned against his car, a yellow Messa RK-8. The car hummed as its dual-rotary engine idled. The RK-8 had only just been released a year ago by Messa, Maestro's sports division, and Nolo had already done significant modifications to it. Rally suspensions, turbo tunes, roll cage, weight reductions, the works, peaking at 320 HP. He and several members of his team, the Hashiriya no Teku, were relaxing on a clearing by the side of the road tonight. On the edge of the clearing was a cliff, with ocean waves crashing along the cliff walls. The sound of the waves provided a welcome routine sound.
"We're waiting for the Maniacs today?" Asked one of his two present teammates, Kurt Cobalt. Kurt was a former circuit racer whose career was cut short after a scandal by a rival team. He sat in his car, his fingers drumming the steering wheel of his blue ZMX Z4 convertible, supercharged to produce 350 horsepower.
Nolo shook his head. "Nah, they're busy with a new project tonight. Heard they had to rebuild one of their cars."
"Oh. Hope it doesn't cost them too much."
"What're we here for then, anyway?"
And there it is. One of the best drivers of his team, Vert 'Greenie' Wheeler. He was sitting on his white Heya Prelude's trunk, overlooking the ocean. His car was arguably one of their most advanced ones. Pushing 400+ horsepower, its drivetrain had also been almost entirely rebuilt to support even more modifications. It's borderline a custom car at this point, though its body remained stock to fool other racers, the only unique thing added being a retractable spoiler.
"Calm down, Vert. The reason I've brought you all here tonight is 'cause I'm meeting with the top heads of the Night Kids tonight."
At this, Vert seemed to perk up. 'Always eager for a challenge.' Nolo thought.
"The Night Kids?" Kurt spoke up. "The team from Miruka?"
"Yeah."
"That's a long way." Kurt looked at the sky. "Wonder what they're doing out here?"
Just then, two roars of distinctly street-tuned engines pierced their ears. Nolo smirked. "Guess we'll have to find out."
Not long after, the Night Kids pulled up. Takeshi stepped out of his R32 Cloudline, Shingo following suit from his EG6.
Takeshi closed the GTR's door behind him and walked forward, towards Nolo. "I assume you're Nolo?" Said person got off of his car and approached Takeshi. "I am. You're Takeshi of the Night Kids?"
"Yeah." Takeshi held out his arm. "Pleasure to meet you, Nolo." Nolo shook his hand. "Right back at ya. So, what does the Miruka team need us for?"
"I'll cut straight to the chase. We're looking to form an alliance with all of the Street Series racers around Vale. Our mission is to stop the Blizzards from taking over Greater Vale."
"Really?" Nolo arched an eyebrow. "You're serious?"
"One hundred percent."
"Damn." Nolo muttered. He had to pay respect to this guy, willing to swallow his own pride and ask for help. And going so far to meet them face to face wasn't something he could brush off either.
Nolo decided to ask again, "How many people have joined up?"
Takeshi shook his head. "You're the first we're asking. After this, whether you accept or not, Shingo and I will be visiting other teams on the way back to Vale Capital. Plan is we'll have our showdown there."
"Hmm…"
"Doesn't sound so bad." Kurt spoke up from his Z4. "Get a chance to get out of here, at least."
"I don't know, Kurt." Nolo turned to him. "We don't really know these guys…"
"Hey, we teamed up with the Maniacs before, didn't we? You ask me, there's far more beef with them than there are with a couple of strangers."
"I don't mind either." Vert spoke up. "Still, you're the Teku leader. It's your call who races."
"If it helps," Takeshi cut them off. "Jaune agrees with me."
At that, all of HnT snapped to attention. Not a lot of people remember the former Fastest in Vale anymore, and none of that was Jaune's fault. It's just that since the Street Series is a relatively new sport, people and names keep popping out so fast. New racers keep popping out of the woodwork, replacing old talents that once shined before they came.
In the end, even though Jaune only retired a few months ago, people were beginning to forget about him. But not those who saw the climax of his era. At most, Jaune will only be pushed to the back of their minds, not completely forgotten.
"Really? Nolo asked with surprise written clear on his face. "Is he… planning on making a return?"
"Sadly, No. I just asked him about his thoughts on this. He agrees with me. An alliance is the best bet we have at beating them."
"I mean, he has a point." Vert agreed. Having once led a team of his own, he could recognize the potential of working together. "I mean, it's better to cooperate than to lose altogether, right? 'Sides, we'll get more rep this way."
Nolo sighed. They all had a point. With a fond smile, he looked back to Takeshi. "I used to say that no one's more important than the Teku… but I guess this is."
"Glad to have you with us." Shingo spoke. "By the way, kid, that a Heya Prelude?"
Vert got off his trunk and slapped his car's hood. "Sure is."
"You made a good choice." Shingo nodded his head. "Still, if we raced, you won't beat my EG6."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Vert challenged. "I know Beachside Valley better than anyone. I used to come out here and surf before I could even drive!"
"Shingo…" Takeshi warned his second-in-command. Meanwhile, Nolo and Kurt pinched their nose.
"Whatever, dude~" Shingo emphasized in a fake "surfer" accent "I was driving before I could drive."
"What does that even mean?!"
Discussions were going to start soon, Takeshi remembered. Probably about how they're going to go about doing this Alliance. Everything had to be mutually agreed, after all. And Shingo and Vert were didn't show any signs of stopping.
Takeshi's shoulder slumped. It was going to be a long night.
Poke.
"Race me."
"No."
Poke.
"Race me."
"No."
Poke.
"Race me, c'monn."
"No, Yang."
It was lunchtime, and the previous scene became entertainment for team (J)NPR.
"They've been at this for 15 minutes now." Pyrrha said. Team (J)NPR watched on as Yang continued to poke Jaune with a stick to no avail. The two racers were sat a bit away from them. "She's persistent, I'll give her that." Nora said as she took another mouthful of syrup-coated pancakes.
They watched as Yang threw her hands up in exasperation and lead closer to Jaune, asking why he didn't want to race. Jaune just said "I told you before." and tried to push the Huntress back. However, Yang refused to budge, and the stalemate lasted for quite some time.
"Honestly, I'm wondering why we're even trying at this point." Ren spoke. "I say just let Jaune deal with his feelings towards racing himself. There's no need for us to keep blocking him."
"Hm?" Pyrrha turned to Ren.
"I mean," Ren took a slurp of his noodles. "I've been thinking about it. Replaying that night's events. Jaune had full control of the car, Pyrrha."
"I guess so…" Pyrrha trailed off.
"I'm not saying what he did was right, Pyrrha." Ren continued, "I didn't like screaming for my life either. I'm just saying we should put some more trust in our leader."
"It's not that I don't trust him!" Pyrrha denied fervently. "I just don't want to be stuck in a 200 KM/H death trap!"
"Isn't that how he probably felt when he first came to Beacon?" Ren retorted. "He didn't understand a thing about Hunters and Huntresses. He didn't even have his Aura, the magical shield that protects us, unlocked. He was probably scared out of his mind when we pulled stunts we thought were normal. Yet time and time again, he trusted us, trusted you. He tried to understand what made us Hunters. Maybe we should learn what made Jaune a racer."
Pyrrha looked down. "You do have a point…"
"Just ask him to show you what he is, Pyrrha. I'm sure he'll be happy to comply."
Pyrrha sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Yeah…" Her voice was still laced with skepticism.
Yang finally gave up and left Jaune, storming off with a slight huff. Jaune let out a breath in relief and went back to the team.
"So, leader, how was it?" Nora asked.
"I somehow get the feeling that this isn't the last she'll be asking me." Jaune began. "But I just don't feel like racing in a car."
"You know, Jaune." Pyrrha slowly said. "Maybe you can explain to us how exactly you, umm.. 'drift' was it?"
Jaune's head whipped to look at his partner. "Really? I thought you hated it."
"Well, I figured maybe if I could understand it better…"
Jaune hummed. "Well, I guess I can explain the basics to you guys. Not in the car!" He hurriedly added before Pyrrha can object. "Just on a whiteboard maybe, at the library…. I admit it is one of the scarier driving techniques out there, as well as being rather intimidating…"
"Can you show us tonight, then?" Nora, ever the cheerful one, piped up.
Jaune shrugged. "Sure. Why not."
The library was full of books, including the history on how the Grimm appeared suddenly one day and destroyed the world as the people back then knew it. They tried so hard to push them back, discovering magic, Aura, Dust, focusing defence on 1 continent and leaving the other 4 barren. Their efforts even were so strong that they made technology that can destroy the moon. It wasn't enough, however. As time went on, those four continents sank, and the final last continent was slowly being consumed by Grimm. That's where they are now.
However, that's not what Jaune was looking for. Instead, he grabbed several books on physics and the basics of racing. While he was grateful for these books, he had to wonder, just what were they doing here?
Bah, who cares. He plopped the thick books down in front of his teammates, who flinched back at the small thump the stack made. Scattering the books apart and opening a few pages, Jaune smiled and nodded. He pulled out a marker and dragged in a whiteboard.
Team (J)NPR were beginning to have doubts. How complicated was this?
Jaune smiled. "Let's get started."
In his office, Ozpin sipped his coffee. Yes, he could remember the memories of his predecessors vividly. He had no doubt that when he died, his memories would be sent to his successor, someone he didn't know just yet. There was one thing they all had in common, though. They were all a fan of racing.
'I wonder if all those books will ever be used…'
Two Hours Later
Jaune stood in front of a whiteboard, avidly explaining drifting while drawing several diagrams picturing the stages of a car going through a corner.
"So when the car's here." Jaune pointed to a certain point in the corner. "With the inertia of the car going left, along with ample weight distribution to the front…"
Pyrrha and Ren could barely keep their eyes open. Meanwhile, Nora had gone asleep 30 minutes into Jaune's explanation.
Jaune had gone on for two whole hours about the origins, use, benefits, drawbacks, and physics of drifting, even writing down some equations about relative speed and centre of gravity. Honestly, Pyrrha had to hand it to him, he really knew his stuff, even though she couldn't understand 90% of it.
"…Of course, this isn't counting for the grip that the tire has at the moment, which is traced to tire quality, temperature, wear…"
Her eyes drooped lower and lower. She thought it'd just be a short explanation, not a full-on college lecture!
Well, at least she can take away that Jaune wasn't just some maniac behind the wheel. He knew about drifts inside and out. The only question she had left was how he got so good at it.
"…If that happens, you're going to want to actually centre the wheel instead of counter-steering, then feather the throttle. After that, if you've done all of those properly, you should get through the corner faster than gripping. On street roads at least."
Jaune clapped, and with that Pyrrha and Ren's attention snapped back. Jaune had a wide smile etched clear on his face. "And that's that! What drifting's all about. Any questions?"
"Uh..." Pyrrha struggled to find the words. Ren also had trouble finding what to say.
Nora shifted awake, rubbing her eyes blearily. "Is it-" She yawned wide. "Is it over?"
Pyrrha finally had something to say. "Well, I have to hand it Jaune, you sure have your priorities set straight." Jaune chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Aw, it was nothing, Pyr."
"It certainly wasn't." Ren added. "Most Hunters don't have that degree of intricate knowledge about their own weapons, and they built it. You just explained something that's not even specific to one car, but you had knowledge that's not even comparable to ones that Hunters have about their own weapons. It's amazing, Jaune."
"Heh, I guess you're right. The theory side of racing always was my backbone." Jaune agreed.
"But if you're so good, the why'd you quit, leader?"
At that, Jaune stiffened. Then he relaxed and gave Nora a grin. "Well, I just didn't feel like it is all."
'Lie.' Pyrrha noted. She did her best not to show it. Inside, though, alarm bells were ringing in her head. The way he stiffened, forcibly relaxed, giving that easy-going smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes…
Well, it reminded her a lot of how she was forced to act as Mistral's Champion. Always having to act cordial, being forced into things she didn't exactly want to… She couldn't stand seeing it in her partner.
"Well, if there aren't any more questions, I guess we're done here."
As the team left the library, Pyrrha kept note of how he acted. Jaune kept answering Nora's many questions about drifting, as well as Ren piping in once in a while. He kept his answers cordial, just enough to make them satisfied, but also not going too in-depth.
'Diverting the topic and keeping answers simple and sweet.' A strategy she herself has used multiple times. It tore her heart, to see him acting like this. She didn't want him to feel alone. She wanted him to know that he's got team JNPR backing him.
No. She won't stop him anymore. If racing was something to him like running to Beacon was to her, then who was she to stop him?
Her tires squealed against the asphalt as her car went sideways. She feathered the gas, then…
'There!'
She pressed her foot down all the way. The GC8A lurched forward with acceleration unique to that of a rally car. She felt the G's slam her back against her seat.
'Damn! Vomit-boy's tips worked! That was a lot faster than before!'
The next turn was coming up, a medium left with a downhill slope. "Remember, girl. Carry enough speed through the turn.."
As the corner came, she let her car come closer to the start of said corner. It went past her usual braking point. The guardrail turned bigger and bigger.
"Now!"
Quickly downshifting and kicking the clutch, she let the Intressa drift, with entry speeds she never tried before. The car slid into the corner, all four wheels delivering power.
'Feather the throttle, just enough to keep the angle!'
With this newfound attention to detail, her car stayed at the right angle. The nose was aimed close enough to the guardrail so that a drift is done, but not too wide causing a spinout. Yang countersteered while continuing to feather the throttle.
She noticed the car's slide beginning to decrease as the corner was ending. 'Time to start planning the exit!' Carefully aiming her car to go straight after the exit, she then stepped on the gas as the exit came to view. Her car's engine rumbled and kicked more power onto her wheels. With remarkable speed, the GC8A blew past the corner.
"Yes! Thanks, Jaune!"
She continued to follow his tips, going faster than she ever did before. She grinned wide. Yeah, this is where it's at!
She eventually reached the end of the downhill course. Yang slowed down and parked her car in the parking lot located at the foot of the mountain. She fished out her stopwatch and checked the time.
'5 minutes and 10 seconds?! That's a 20 second cut!'
She couldn't believe it. Was she really that fast now, following just a few tips?!
'Seriously, Jaune, just how good are you?!'
She shook her head. All the more reason to get him racing, then.
Just then, she noticed another car come down the mountain and approach the parking lot. It was a yellow Evo, with the sticker 'TRAILBLAZERS' written on its side. Yang steeled herself. 'Act cool, calm.'
The driver parked his car across her. The Evo's lights turned off and its driver stepped out of the car. It took a second for Yang to realize who it is.
'That's Amaya, isn't it? The Trailblazers' leader.'
Yang tried not to grimace. From watching the videos, she never liked him. While some drivers had a hot-headed or prideful personality, Amaya wasn't any of those interesting personalities. He was just an all-around jerk.
The Trailblazer's leader went to her car and tapped her window. Yang pressed her window button and let the window roll down. "What is it?"
"You a new racer around here?"
Yang shrugged. "Pretty much. What's the matter?"
At this, Amaya smirked. "I'll tell you, you're pretty good. Getting close to our times, even. So here's the deal. How about a battle? You and me on the downhill."
Yang didn't let any emotions leak onto her face. Inside, however, her blood was pumping. Her hearing was fading slightly. Was this it? Her first battle?
'Oh, you're on!'
Yang smirked. "You wanna lose? Sure. What's the time?"
Amaya chuckled "Heh. Saturday night, this week. 10.00 PM. Don't be late, Ms…"
"The name's Yang Xiao Long, and don't you forget it."
Takeshi was not in a good mood. Take note of that.
First off, Shingo and Vert's arguments didn't stop until 01.30 AM, even when Takeshi, Kurt, and Nolo were discussing serious business. He'd know because he counted every minute those two bickered until he had the almost unbearable urge to throw his watch off the cliff and those two drivers along with it.
(It was decided that Nolo was the only one that was going to go with them, the others can come to Vale Capital once the battle date was decided. Takeshi was glad. He'd sooner crash his GTR than let Shingo and Vert interact for one second longer.)
Secondly, the day they decided to depart from Beachside Valley's local town (two days after the first meetup, they needed some rest after all), the weather was very, very hot. It was the type of heat that pierced through your windscreen and somehow got even hotter. Then, the GTR's A/C decided not to work at full potential, so he wasn't even getting cooled properly.
Thirdly, they got caught in some massive traffic. They barely moved 10 meters in an hour, and it was grating everyone involved. Sports cars tend to respond horribly to stationary conditions.
Fourthly, Nolo had spotted a road leading away from the highway that no one was using. Pointing it out, the Night Kids members decided to follow the HnT leader, assuming he knew the road well since he was a local.
(He didn't.)
And now, after going through broken, bumpy, and dusty asphalt for 2 hours with only trees around them, Nolo's car did the unquestionably worse thing to do.
"Nolo have you broken down?"
Nolo tried desperately to turn his RK-8 back on. But no matter how hard he turned his key, the engine kept stalling. In his mind, Nolo cursed. For all the benefits of a double rotary engine, that also meant double the unreliability. With a sigh, he turned on the radio and responded to Takeshi.
"Yes."
He could hear Takeshi's grunt through the radio. Then, all three of them got out and approached Nolo's opened engine hood.
Nolo gave it a general inspection. Looks like the engines got some dust in it as they went through the country road, as well as received a few bumps along the unstable asphalt.
"This is a really considerate place to break down, all things considered." Takeshi tried desperately to keep the mood up.
"And why is that?"
Shingo pointed to a small clearing just beside the road Nolo broke down on. It was just enough to fit one car. "'Cause Takeshi and I can just go through there."
"Off you go then." Nolo went to his trunk to get his tools.
Meanwhile, Takeshi went to look for a closer look. Sadly, Nolo had already come back from getting his tools and pushed him away.
"Leave it!"
"I'm just trying to help!"
"You don't know enough about rotary engines to help, now get off."
"Fine, fine."
In his mind, Shingo noted one thing. 'Everybody's getting a bit angry. Might be 'cause of the heat.' He turned on his engine and the sound of his B16A echoed through the woods. 'If we see a wild animal, then everything will be fine.'
Takeshi jumped back into his GTR, Shingo's EG6 just behind him. With his engine ready, being the eager man that he is, Shingo overtook Takeshi as the Night Kids leader was starting his engine, going through the clearing first. Takeshi followed behind Shingo soon after, positioning the GTR right behind the EG6. However, the clearing had signs of mud on it, and Shingo's EG6 was left stuck.
Takeshi groaned. Loudly.
"Oh now we're in trouble."
Shingo didn't recognize that Takeshi was behind him. Panicking from being stuck, he switched to reverse gear and punched the gas.
"Whoa!" Takeshi cried and he pressed his siren. It was no good, however. With a crash, Shingo's EG6's rear rammed into the R32's front. Takeshi snapped.
"SHINGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Shingo doubled over laughing.
"YOU FUCKING MORON!"
Shingo gathered his thoughts. Slightly, just enough to speak.
"I-Haha!-I'm sorry! I didn't know you were-"
"SHINGO! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!"
"Hahahahahaa! I-I was stuck! I didn't know you were behind me!"
Takeshi popped out of his car's window and pointed to Shingo repeatedly "USE! YOUR MIRRORS!"
"Hahahahaha! I-didn't-"
"YOU TOTALLY SMASHED THE GTR'S FRONT BUMPER!"
"Hahahahaaa!"
Got finals coming up in Monday, so next few chapters might take a hot while to work on. Sorry! Anyways, remember to review!