Lap 5- The Mysterious Magician Spade

It was the wee hours of the morning when Destini caught sight of the massive cargo ships and spire like buildings of Port Town. Exhaustion weighed heavily at her eyelids, and she wondered where she was going to sleep that night. In spite of her tiredness, worry still lingered in Destini's mind. What if she was ambushed while she slept? Why did Don Genie want his underlings to catch her alive? If she was caught, what would he do to her? Would he kill her? Or worse? The young woman tried her best to push aside these thoughts as she pulled the Purple Tabby into an alleyway between a pair of old, worn down warehouses. There didn't seem to be another soul around, which eased Destini's worries for the time being. Nowhere to sleep but the cockpit of her machine. She removed her boots and pulled her knees up to her chest, trying to find a comfortable position in her seat to sleep in. Given her exhaustion it wasn't that difficult, and within a matter of minutes Destini was fast asleep.

Destini was awoken the next morning by a chill through her body and growling in her stomach. Even though it was summer, the temperature would still drop a good amount at night. Not to mention Destini hadn't eaten anything since early on the previous day, and in her haste to leave Aeropolis she didn't bring any food or credits with her. How was she going to get something to eat? She sat up, put her boots back on, and revved up the Purple Tabby's engines. Perhaps there was a place she could steal some food from... it wouldn't have been the first time she would have to steal for a meal.

Destini lazily drove down the long and winding streets of Port Town, out of the industrial sector and into the residential sector, where the city's geography was more akin to Mute City, with more lifeforms and commercial buildings than warehouses and terminals. She pulled into an alleyway and parked the Tabby. There was a restaurant a few buildings down, and it was likely that there would be some leftovers that she could nab from the kitchen. She crept behind the buildings and followed a chef-droid in through the back door, but stuck her foot in the doorway so it wouldn't trap her inside. All the young woman was able to reach was a small bag filled with about half a dozen bread rolls. It's something, Destini thought as she grabbed her prize, pushed the door back open, and slipped out, presumably undetected. She took out one of the rolls and began to eat it, stashing away the rest in the cockpit of the Purple Tabby, then casually strolling out of the alleyway and leaning against the wall of a building, just trying to look like any other city dweller. Where to go or what to do next, she wasn't sure. As Destini ate, she noticed a group beginning to gather at the corner of the street. What's going on? she wondered, stuffing the remainder of the roll into her mouth and heading in the direction of the crowd.

Destini managed to squeeze between a pair of short Furikake to get a better view of whatever was going on. The center of everyone's attention was an individual Destini could swear she had seen at least once before, and in the F-Zero spotlight no less. He was tall and dressed in grey and white with a small red cape, a spade emblazoned on his chest. But his most eye opening feature was the golden-yellow orb that resembled an eye resting where his midsection should be, dividing his body into two distinct halves. As soon as Destini saw the orb, she remembered who this person was. She remembered seeing him a few years back on television when he made his debut in the Grand Prix, along with a sleek white machine with a large wingspan.

"Spade?" Destini whispered, easily remembering his name. She stood attentive and watched to see what he was doing. Spade levitated some cards above one of his long-fingered hands, but kept them turned away from the crowd so they couldn't see them. He knelt down and beckoned for a young human girl to approach him. With a little encouraging from her mother, the girl shyly approached Spade, obviously somewhat intimidated by his appearance.

Spade fixated his gaze on the girl, staring at her with all three eyes and an unwavering smile on his black lips. "Now, take a card," he instructed in his echoed voice. The girl did as she was told and plucked one of the levitating cards out of the air.

"Now don't be shy, show it to everyone." Again, the girl did as instructed and showed her card to the group, an ace of spades. She turned back to Spade and tried to return the card to him, but the magician didn't take it back. Instead, he asked, "Would you like to see the other cards?" Wordlessly the little girl nodded. With a gesture from his free hand, the levitating cards turned to face the onlookers. Destini rolled her eyes and there was some murmurs in the group as the cards were revealed to all be the ace of spades.

"That wasn't much of a trick," the girl finally spoke, sounding disappointed. Spade turned the levitating cards away from the group once more and stood back up. "Really?" Spade questioned the girl. "Look at your card again."

Skeptically, the girl looked back down at her card and her eyes widened. "Show it to everyone," Spade chuckled. The girl held up the card, which had clearly and undoubtedly been in her hand the whole time, revealing that it was no longer the ace of spades but rather the queen of hearts! There were gasps, murmurs and applause from the group. "Not bad," Destini mumbled under her breath, but she wasn't super impressed.

There were more reactions from the group as Spade revealed the levitating cards once again, and none of those were the ace of spades either! Somehow, they had changed to the 11 of clubs, the joker, the king of diamonds, the seven of hearts, and the jack of spades. Not once did he return the cards to his deck or switch them out. Spade took the card back from the little girl and returned it to the deck, along with the other cards. The group applauded again, and the girl returned to her mother. Spade looked through his deck of cards and tilted his head slightly. "Where did my ace of spades go?" the magician wondered out loud. He turned his attention to a burly, middle aged man with a long beard and approached him. The man flinched a little as Spade reached over to him and pulled the ace of spades out from within his jungle of facial hair. "Ah, there it is."

Spade levitated about a foot into the air and bowed as he was applauded a third time. "Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. My troupe and I have much more where that came from, so please come see our performance. You will not be disappointed."

As the crowd dispersed, Destini stayed behind. She was a little skeptical of Spade's abilities, but if his enigmatic powers extended beyond card tricks and levitation, he might be able to help her. The young woman waited until everyone was gone before she approached the magician.

"That was really neat," Destini complimented as she walked over to Spade. He looked down at Destini with interest, and only then did she notice how tall he was compared to her. "You enjoyed my performance?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. "Yes," Destini nodded. "And I wanna see what else you can do." Spade fixed his unblinking gaze on the young woman. Destini felt slightly uncomfortable when she realized that Spade never stopped smiling. Did he not blink either? She tried to not focus on those thoughts, but stiffened slightly as Spade stepped closer to her. "What is your name?" he asked, placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Destini."

Spade moved his hands from the young woman's shoulders to the sides of her head. "Now, Destini. Look into my eye and focus," he instructed, lowering his head slightly so she could only see into the eye on his forehead. Destini tried to move her head but couldn't. Spade's grip was surprisingly powerful, so she had no choice but to stare into the black abyss of his third eye. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then Destini felt her body starting to weaken and her vision started turning white at the edges. Her head felt lighter than a helium balloon, and it took all her effort to keep her knees from buckling beneath her. "Wh-what're you..." Destini tried to speak, but it was nearly impossible at this point. Amongst the white fuzz that her vision had become, she saw flashes of recent memories.

Rainbow Phoenix hitting the wall. The gleam of Ankoku's red visor in the garish light of the bar. The noise and activity of the casino. Fat Shark poised for attack. Don Genie holding his rifle. Dr. Clash's gleeful laughter. Purple Tabby losing control and skidding all over Sonic Oval. Ankoku's gun pointed in Destini's face. The great escape down the streets of Aeropolis.

As Destini slipped deeper into her trance, she began to levitate. Spade kept his firm hold on the young woman's head to ensure that her eyes, now glazed over, remained focused on his third eye. Her muscles had lost all strength and she hung limply in the air like a doll. Right as Destini was about to completely lose consciousness, Spade broke eye contact with the young woman and dropped her to the ground. The impact shook Destini back into reality, and the next thing she was aware of was the fact she was on the ground staring at Spade's feet. It took her a few moments to be able to form a coherent thought.

"Wh-what was that?" Destini asked as soon as she was able to speak. Spade chuckled, a low and resonant sound that seemed to echo. He looked down at the young woman at his feet, his unblinking gaze almost piercing her. With a wave of his hand, Spade brought Destini back to her feet without laying a finger on her. Destini was a little unsteady at first, but soon regained the strength in her legs. She glared up at Spade.

"You didn't answer my question. What was that?" She repeated.

Spade tilted his head slightly. "A magician never reveals his secrets."

Destini huffed. "Never mind that, I want to know if there's any way you could possibly help me."

That seemed to catch Spade's attention. "Oh? Well why didn't you just say so from the start?" His tone was mischievous, almost playful.

Destini glared at him. "Just listen to me. If you can mess with my memories, could you possibly mess with someone else's?"

If Spade could smile any wider, he would. "Possibly," the magician chuckled again. "What trick would you like me to perform?"

Destini locked eyes with Spade. "You're an F-Zero racer. I reckon you have probably heard of Don Genie? He pilots the Fat Shark."

"Of course."

"Well," Destini squared her shoulders, "I want to know if you could possibly... wipe his memory. Not all of it, just his recent memory."

Spade tilted his head. "Oh? And may I ask why you're asking this from me?"

Destini almost growled. It seemed like Spade wanted to get on her last nerve. Maybe he thought it was amusing to annoy the young woman. "I'd rather not talk about it," she muttered darkly, "but is there anything you can do?"

Spade was silent for a moment, either musing over the idea or pausing to be dramatic.

"All right," he agreed. "I can help you out."

Destini felt like the weight of an entire galaxy had been lifted off of her shoulders. With a simple snap of Spade's long fingers, Don Genie would forget about the bet he and Destini had made, and the subsequent heist in Vegas Palace. He would no longer send his underlings to hunt her down, and she could live her life as an F-Zero pilot peacefully without having to look over her shoulder every few minutes. Destini could be free again.

"But," Spade's echoing voice broke through Destini's elated thoughts. "I am not a dog, I will not perform a trick on demand. You will have to give me something in return."

Destini held back an urge to slap the magician. She didn't have anything to give. "Like what?" She demanded. Spade placed a hand on her shoulder and walked behind her, then took hold of the young woman's long braid with his other hand. "How about... this section of your hair?" He suggested. "It will grow back, will it not?" Destini stepped away, pulling herself out of Spade's grip, but as she did she felt a brief, sharp pain in her scalp. Ignoring it, she suggested a better idea.

"How about we race instead? I have a machine. If I win, you help me out."

Spade chuckled mischievously. "And if I win?" he inquired.

Destini narrowed her eyes. "Then you can cut off my braid and keep it."

If Spade could smile any wider, he would. "Sounds good. I am curious to see how you will dazzle me on the F-Zero circuit."

A short time later, Purple Tabby and Magic Seagull were on the course called Aero Dive. It was a mostly simple course, with lots of staircase like drops, but its most prominent feature was a massive drop about midway through the track. A pilot would have to be careful going off that drop. One wrong move, and they'd plummet off course.

"Ready yet?" Destini asked, looking over at the sleek white machine next to hers. For some reason, she was unable to see the inside of the Seagull's cockpit. The windshield was opaque black. How did Spade see out of it?

"I am ready when you are ready." Spade's voice echoed in Destini's head. She narrowed her eyes and tightened her hands on the controls, firing up the Tabby's engines.

"Then let's go!" Destini smirked.

Since it wasn't an official race, there was no countdown screens. Instead, Destini opted to do the countdown in her head.

3...

2...

1...

GO!

As soon as the word went through her head, Destini sent the Purple Tabby on its way with Magic Seagull tailing close behind. Destini clenched her teeth as her machine and body jolted on each of the stairstep drops. The lighter Magic Seagull seemed to gain speed from the drops and pulled ahead, almost appearing to soar on its wings. The track widened and Destini took the opportunity to try and steady her machine. Magic Seagull hit the yellow boost pad and was sent even further ahead as the Tabby slipped and missed the boost. Destini growled under her breath in frustration and boosted in an attempt to catch up. She did gain on the Seagull a bit but in her attempt to drift around the turn she scraped the Tabby's wing against the guardrail, causing sparks to fly and slowing her down all over again as the purple machine dropped down another step.

Destini heard Spade's low chuckle in her mind again. "I am awaiting your performance, young Destini. I cannot imagine this is all you have to offer," his voice echoed.

"Get back here and I'll show you," she growled as the two machines started their ascent to the course's namesake dive. Once Destini had steadied her machine she managed to hit each boost pad before cresting the jump. She could see Magic Seagull elegantly diving down to the track's largest stairstep portion. As soon as the Tabby had landed Destini boosted again, but she quickly became aware that the engines were becoming strained. Any more stress on them and they could fail, or worse yet burst into flames. The last thing Destini needed right now was for her machine to break down. She skidded across the last turns, scraping her machines wings as she stayed close on Spade's tail.

Spade laughed again. "No elegance, no grace, but I still find myself entertained." He boosted ahead across the finish line with Destini following behind, starting the second lap. Now that the Tabby's engines had been restored by the multicoloured pit zone, she boosted again. But before Destini could react, Spade launched a spin attack that was too quick for her to avoid, between her machine's poor handling and the Seagull's impressive wingspan. She held on tight as her machine was sent reeling backward and briefly skidded out of control.

"Don't focus so much on the finish line that you miss the tricks I'm pulling right in front of you!" the magician crowed.

"I'll show you my trick," Destini growled, her temper rapidly approaching its breaking point. She boosted and aimed a side attack as best she could. It wasn't a direct hit, as the only the Tabby's nose struck the Seagull's left wing, but it was still enough to knock the white machine off balance. Spade laughed again as Destini glared at the Seagull's black windshield. The two machines dropped onto the wide portion of the track with the same boost pad that she had missed earlier. Grinding her teeth, Destini boosted and launched another side attack. The second hit landed much harder than the first, and Purple Tabby had Magic Seagull pinned against the wall on the right side of the track. This time the Tabby's heavier weight was an advantage, easily holding the Seagull against the wall as sparks flew from both machines. "Like my trick?" Destini taunted.

Now it was Spade's turn to growl in frustration. He tried to boost in an effort to escape, but his machine's right wing collapsed and the cockpit fell onto the track, sliding for several meters as the engine exploded into flame before coming to a stop. Destini hit the brakes and stopped her machine. She smirked as she climbed out of the cockpit. She figured she meant that she had won, meaning that Spade would have to hold up his end of their deal. Hands on her hips, Destini strutted over to the wreckage of the Magic Seagull. Oddly there appeared to be no sign of its pilot. Destini tried to search through the wreckage as best she could without injuring herself in any way. She couldn't find any way to open up the cockpit. The windshield seemed to be firmly attached to the now dirty and charred white metal.

After several minutes, Destini gave up. She backed off from the wreckage in case it exploded, and started searching her surroundings instead. He has to be here... she thought, folding her arms across her chest. She felt anger rising in her chest as she realized she had likely been tricked. Of course... she should've known better than to trust someone like him. Spade was a trickster, and Destini had fallen into his trap. Just as she was about to leave in a huff, she heard a familiar laughter above her. Looking up, she saw Spade standing up on the wall looking down at her with his unwavering smile, red cape blowing in the wind. How he'd gotten up there, Destini had no idea.

"Well? Are you going to help me like you said?" she called up to him.

Spade waved one hand and the young woman was levitated up onto her back. "Whoa!" she cried out in surprise.

"You did not win. I did not lose. We did not agree that damaging my beautiful machine was the same as victory," he said calmly as ever.

"You lied to me!" Destini accused.

Spade laughed. "You did not hold up to our agreement. But that's all right, I have everything I need from you."

Destini was perplexed and briefly frightened by what she had just heard. "What are you talking about?" she demanded. But Spade did not answer, instead he waved his hand a second time and Destini fell onto her back hard, pain briefly jolting through her body.

"That was quite the interesting performance you showed me, young Destini. I would love to race against you again. We can put on quite the show!" Spade chuckled one last time before a burst of smoke appeared. When it dissipated, the magician was gone. Destini got up, rubbing her lower back. She shut her eyes and sighed through her nose, mentally kicking herself for being so naive. I should've known it was too good to be true... she thought dejectedly. But it was strange. Destini was angry, but she also felt oddly satisfied. This was the first real race she ever had. Even though she felt like she had indeed won fairly and was being denied what was promised, she still felt as if she was not leaving empty handed as she climbed back into her machine and drove off back to the long streets of Port Town. She was leaving with valuable racing experience.

Destini did not stop until she was in the city's outskirts. She parked on a relatively empty street corner to sit and eat more of her stolen food, while paying close attention to everything around her. Thankfully, the few lifeforms that were also in the area were not familiar to her, and nobody seemed to recognize her either. As she looked around, she caught a glance at a concrete wall that had many posters and flyers plastered up onto it. Most seemed to be old and worn out, but one stood out as neat and pristine, likely only recently put up. Intrigued, Destini jumped out of her machine to check it out. The poster was bright blue with large white text:

F-Zero Grand Prix

Lightning: Thunder Road

Prize- 100,000 space credits

All competing pilots must register with the F-Zero Committee, up to a maximum of 30 competitors.

We hope to see you there, racers!

Destini raised her eyebrows. Now was her chance! If she could get to the Lightning area fast enough, she could register for her first official race in the F-Zero. She excitedly tore the poster down and ran back to the Purple Tabby, climbing in and taking off down the road. It was time for Destini to make her big break!

...Meanwhile...

Spade reappeared within his dark lair. All manner of strange creatures and small animals were strung up from the ceiling, and a large red cauldron filled with glowing green liquid sat in the middle of the room. The sound of his footsteps seemed to echo though the room.

"You don't believe in magic? I can change that," Spade murmured to himself as he observed the single strand of black hair wound in his long fingers. With his free hand he grabbed a dead newt off of its string and threw it into the cauldron, followed by a live mandrake root. The creature shrieked when it was pulled from its string but was silenced when it fell into the green liquid. Finally, he added the strand of Destini's hair that he had managed to pull from her head without her realizing. Just one was enough. A large puff of white smoke appeared as it fell in, indicating that his spell was a success. Spade laughed as a silohuette of a young woman appeared surrounded by hellfire.

"Enjoy your next race, miss Destini."