Tak stood at the foot of Akina Mountain. It was snowing hard. He had no plans for racing in those conditions. He had come up there to think. This was the first time he had stood there since his race with the mysterious man. He remembered the race. Every corner the man had made was perfect. He stayed in the middle of the road for the whole race. Almost as if he had been driving a slot car. Then the part he thought was the weirdest. How the Celica had just disappeared into thin air. If it had made its way up the mountain again then surely his friends at the top of the mountain would have seen him. He also remembered the way they had bonded without words. The strong stare the man had given him just before he had escaped. Just as if to say "thank you", or "until next time". Tak had realised that he had been no ordinary driver. His skill had exceeded that of even the best drivers in the area. The only place where people drove with that skill was the city centre. There, racing was not a pastime, but a religion. There everyone had a car. Driving had evolved out of drifting. Now there were drag racers. Their aim was to get as fast as possible on a long stretch of pavement. They had evolved with the introduction of American cars and parts. Hydraulics and Nitrous Oxide had been imported from America. Nitrous was an extra burst of speed in a bottle. Tak could not keep up with the city racers even if he tuned his Trueno to it's full potential. There they used cars like the fabled Toyota Supra© and other flashy cars. The cars were literally street rockets. Here at his home Tak could only dream of owning one. But he knew he had to find the driver of the Celica. Tak would have to drive all the way to Tokyo to try and find the driver.

In a large car park complex in the centre of Tokyo, Red sat on the hood of his Toyota Celica. He and the other racers from his team sat in a circle of cars. Among them sat Ray, a tall blonde and muscled American who owned a gold Mitsubishi Eclipse©. Alex, a tall scrawny Asian man in a black suit and dark sunglasses who owned a white Mazda RX-8 with a carbon hood. And Debbie, an Asian girl who owned a neon green Nissan 350-Z. "So Red, How was your little trip to the country?" asked Ray in a mocking tone. "Shut up"! Red replied. "The competition there is better than I expected. They aren't all a bunch of country bumpkins". "Maybe it's not them getting better but instead it's you loosing your touch," Teased Ray. "That's enough," shouted Red. "One more word out of you and you're gonna be kicked out of the Speed Pirates"! The speed pirates were the name of the racing team Red, Ray, Alex, and Debbie belonged to. They were the premiere racing team in the city. They beat everyone at all motor-sports in the city. "So, did you find any talent?" asked Alex. "There was this one boy," replied Red. "He was ok I guess. I went easy on him. He shows potential at drift but I don't know if his car can handle a drag race. It was an old hatchback Trueno," "Ha! Did his mommy buy that for him?" asked Ray. "Shut up," said Debbie. "I've heard enough from you. Why are you even here?" "He is awfully annoying," Replied Alex. "It seems no one hear wants you around anymore said Red still casually sitting on the hood of his Celica. "Why don't you leave now with your dignity?" "You can't just kick me out!" protested Ray. "I'M THE BEST RACER THIS TEAM HAS! I'M NOT LEAVING!" Ray was now shouting. "The only way you can prove that you are worth keeping is to race me," Red said while getting to his feat from sitting. "You said I was loosing my touch, now you can prove it". "Oh come on red. You know I was just joking", Ray pleaded. "This is your last chance", replied Red. "Prove yourself!" Red got into the Celica and started the engine. "You're making a huge mistake," pleaded Red as he got into his car. As the Celica and the Eclipse lined up on the pavement Ray was praying to win. His entire racing career was lying on this one race. Finally, both cars launched themselves off the pavement and started to accelerate. They shifted gears perfectly every time not allowing the engine to overheat. Finally both cars were in fifth. Ray let out a spray of nitrous that put him in front of Red. However, Red had three bottles of nitrous instead of Ray's one bottle system. Red's car jumped in front of Ray and by the time he crossed the finish line he was more that five seconds ahead. Both cars screeched to a halt. Ray opened the door to his car and collapsed onto the floor. "No… NO!!! This can't be!" Red got out of his car and strolled over to his victim. "Get up you maggot!" He yelled as he kicked Ray in the gut. Ray crawled to his car and turned on the engine. "You'll be sorry! I'll show you! You're all idiots!" Ray reversed away from the finish line. Just then Alex and Debbie arrived in their cars. "So, how much did you kick his ass by?" asked Debbie. "5.86," seconds replied Red casually. "Ha! He soooo deserved it!" replied Debbie. "Yeah," said Alex.

"Why don't you tell us about this kid you met at Akina"…

"Tak hoped inside his car and lay a map in the passenger seat. He traced a path to Tokyo with a pencil. "Ok I'm ready." Tak turned the key in the ignition and the engine inside his Toyota Trueno GT-Apex AE-86 roared to life. He drove into the horizon towards Tokyo…