Chapter Six: Fiery battles erupt…Battle One…
ColeIketani: Ooo! It's here! The first battle….ooo! Are you as excited as I am? Let's go!
The time was about 10:30 when Jin and the rest of Alpha Redline arrived at the bottom of Mount Ikaoia. The galleries of fellow racers and other fans of either Alpha Redline or Firestorm Flash were already filling up. Although Alpha Redline was a "new" team to the underground Japanese Touge circuit, they had made a name for themselves on the battles on other opponents' home territories. This was the first time that a team had challenged AR on their own home turf, so word was spreading like wildfire throughout the underground circuit. As Jin had driven up to the top, he had looked out at some of the cars parked along the side of the road, some of the team decals he noticed right away, such as team Lightstone from Akirana or Team Lazy-Drivers from Tokyo. Drivers from all around sat on guardrails or in the small lots next to the road, looking at the young team of drivers as they ascended the mountain. Jin noticed cars that varied from GC8 to the occasional R33 GTRs. This was quite the galley of racers, but that was to be expected with the types of teams that were going to be battling tonight.
Firestorm Flash wasn't a pushover team either so word about this battle between the two teams pulled in names from all over. Jin's heart started to beat a little faster, but his eyes almost burst from his head however when he drove by and saw a very familiar yellow Mazda FD3S next to a strikingly familiar white FC3S, almost like Jin's red. The two cars weren't personally familiar to him, but any racer who was anyone knew about them once they saw the banner that graced the rides from the team of Mount Akagi. "The Redsuns are here…" Jin said as he swallowed a huge lump in his throat and continued heading up the mountain. They would have quite the audience tonight.
The trio of racers known as Alpha Redline arrived at the top of the mountain moments later. Jin could see that the Firestorm Flash team had already arrived, waiting for them. Kira Fujiwaka's DC2 Integra could be seen in front of the large pack of cars. The white front engine/front wheel drive rocket was sitting in the road adorned with a new carbon fiber bonnet and new golden BBS rims. From the way the cars were set up Jin guessed that team Firestorm Flash wanted her to run the downhill first. Behind the DC2 was the ominous black of Akira's S13. Jin's mind raced back to the battle just days before and was determined not to have a repeat of the situation. Suddenly he was brought back to reality and pulled his car into the parking lot across from where the other racers had gathered. Behind him, Rina and Taihosi parked along side him with their respective cars. Jin sat in the seat of his FC3S just absorbing all the atmosphere of the pre-battle meeting.
Running his hands gently over the steering wheel, Jin said a small prayer to himself as he looked as his friends were getting out of their cars, looking at Jin for some sign of action. Jin smiled and flashed each of them a charming smile, although on the inside part of him wanted to run away…oh well, too late for that. Jin cut off the engine of his Mazda and opened the door, getting out noticing that a majority of the people at the top of the mountain had been staring at them, waiting for the two teams to approach one another.
"Well at least we can say we made a good entrance." Taihosi said jokingly. Rina couldn't help but let out a small smile and Jin just nodded as he put his hands in his jean pockets starting to head over to the cars of Firestorm Flash. Jin's shoes quietly stepped on some leaves that were on the ground, making small popping noises as he walked over toward the main road. The group of people standing there were murmuring and talking amongst each other. Jin picked up some comments about Alpha Redline as a whole or about of one of the drivers. Some of the people were making bets on the outcome of the battle and some were just commenting on the physical looks of the drivers, about Rina most of all. Jin smiled a bit as he looked over toward Akira's S13, seeing the seasoned driver leaning against his car, smoking a cigarette looking at the ground as if he was going to start playing with his shoelaces. The look on Akira's face was deep in thought, but at the same time playful in a way.
Jin was intercepted by Kira who aggressively stepped in front of him, causing the young racer to take a small step back in surprise. "So you all decided to show up. I guess you beat the odds then." Kira said loudly and boldly as if to let the entire crowd know what she was saying. A small murmur rose from the crowd as if they were waiting for Jin or another one of Alpha Redline to make some boasting comeback. Taihosi was about to open his mouth in retaliation before Jin cut him off. "So how were you looking to run this battle?" Jin asked to Akira, speaking around Kira who lightly growled at Jin before speaking again.
"We're going to do a best of three matches, since there are only three members on your team and so many on ours. This means…" Rina interrupted her speaking for the first time that night. "We know what it means…" she said quietly, her eyes meeting with Rina's, a first for the two female racers, as if they were sizing each other up for battle. Jin nodded as well, this means that which ever team took two out of the three matches would be claimed the victory. "You don't have to speak to us like we're kids." Rina continued to say as she spoke a little louder to Kira.
The older racer of the DC2 walked over to the SW20 driver and stood inches from her, again, the two ladies sizing each other up. A comment was made about how hot this looked by one of the people in the crowd, but Jin ignored it. "Well, then little lady, let's get started. You and me on the first run…how about it?" Kira said to Rina who had stepped in front of Jin still glaring at her a bit. Jin was taken a back a bit by how aggressive his girlfriend as being right now, but at the same time it was very attracting for him. "Let's go…" Rina said as she looked at Jin, her eyes turning suddenly from glaring hard to compassionately soft. Jin felt a small lump in his throat as he looked back at her, quickly glancing at Taihosi to make sure that all was ready for the first race. His friend nodded at him before running toward one of the members of Firestorm Flash, asking for a walkie-talkie to check all the checkpoints before the battle begain.
Jin and Rina started to head back to the smaller lot where the three cars were parked. Rina's yellow SW20 was sitting to the left of Jin's FC. The two racers walked over to the midship in silence slowly thinking about the events that had just transpired. As the two approached the nose of the SW20, Rina stopped and looked at her car, gazing at it. A lot of tuning and time had gone into this car and Rina was proud of it, Jin could tell that every time that she looked at it. The two stood there for a few moments, before Rina looked at Jin and quietly spoke. "Jin, I'm a bit nervous…" she started to say. "I'm afraid I might let the team down if I lose this one…" she continued saying as Jin put one arm around her waist, her form pressing into his a bit as he continued to look at her Toyota and then at her, noticing those soft eyes still glazing at him. Jin smiled at her, rubbing her side gently as he gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.
"Come on Rina, you know you're a fine racer. The battle that we had brought that to the surface. You know that we started Alpha Redline to have fun with touge racing, so I'm not demanding anything from you. I just want you to go out there and do you're best. You know I'm with you in spirit…" Jin said letting those words sink in as Rina stared to smile at him. "Hey win or lose, we're still Alpha Redline, and I still love you…" Jin said interrupted by a kiss from Rina, a deep one… The two stood in an embrace for a moment before Jin parted the kiss and looked over at the starting line. "Alright, get in your car. We've got a battle to win." Jin said jokingly as he gave her a small pat on the butt, Rina squealing a bit before laughing getting into her car, the engine of the MR2 gently idling as the car started and her headlights flipped up. Rina put the car in gear and slowly headed for the starting line. Jin slowly walked next to the SW20, his hand on the roof of the car as if he was guiding it over to the starting gate.
Kira was standing next to her DC2, leaning against it as Rina's SW20 approached. Jin, who was still walking next to Rina's car, glanced over at Akira, who still hadn't moved from his position since the two teams had arrived. "He sure is a creepy guy…" Taihosi said to Jin as his friend nodded back at him. "We're all ready to go Jin." Taihosi handed Jin the walkie-talkie and leaned up against the guardrail. Jin started to walk in front of both cars, nodding at Rina and then Kira who had now gotten in her Integra. Both cars started revving gently, the differences in their powerhouses sounding in the night air. Jin raised his arm as his fist opened up showing all five fingers. "Drivers Ready!" Jin shouted, as the two cars revved loudly. The people in the galleries started cheering a bit as he started the countdown. "5…4….3….2….1…GO!" Jin shouted as he lowered his hand and the two cars shot past him, causing enough wind to blow in his face. Jin turned around to see the two cars racing down the straight away that lead to the first corner. Rina's SW20 had gained a small lead over Rina, her drivetrain having a better traction advantage in her launch. Jin didn't know Kira's Integra's horsepower numbers or anything like that or he couldn't tell if she had gone all out on her launch or at let Rina gain a small advantage just so she could follow her. Rina's MR2 however had about two hundred horsepower pushing down at the wheels of the midship and Rina had the skills, so he knew this was would be a good race.
In the yellow midship, Rina aggressively stomped down on the accelerator, the SW20 almost bucking under her command. The rear tires screeched as the power placed upon them was at first too great for them to effectively grab the road, but moments later they gripped, launching the car down the road like a bullet from a gun. She didn't pay much attention to the people cheering her on, as she placed one hand gently on the shifter, as she started the intricate dance of shifting smoothly from first into second, which then moved into third gear. The whining of her motor pulsing through her body as she glanced back at the white Integra that was behind her, not far enough for her liking, still close enough to be a threat. Putting her full attention back on the road, she aggressively drifted the nimble Toyota through the first corner, her tires howling as the yellow rocket came through the corner, Kira right on her ass. Many people that were standing at the first corner were at first speechless from the speed of the two racers, right from the start, but seconds later they were cheering and commenting on the duel that they just saw.
Jin walked over to Taihosi who was chatting with some of the racers in the galleries. The howling tires from Rina's and Kira's cars could be heard as the two cars rounded the corners. "So does Rina really have a chance?" one of the guys asked the two other drivers of Alpha Redline. "I know you guys are somewhat good, but word is that this Kira girl is fast all over the area…". Jin and Taihosi looked at each other. They hadn't really discussed it. Objectively, Rina's MR2 had major advantages over the DC2, just solely because of its weight distribution setup and drive train, both, which are superior to the FF DC2, but if Kira was as good as word said, she would know how to turn her disadvantages into her strengths. Jin's walkie-talkie sounded and he picked it up hearing that Rina was still leading into the first row of hairpin corners. A small smile went over Jin's face as he heard the news. Things were looking good for her, at least for right now. Jin looked up from the walkie-talkie as Taihosi started walking over to his S-14, popping the hood and looking into the engine bay. It looked like he was making a last minute check incase he had to run tonight. Probably a good idea, but Jin was too busy focusing on Rina's battle. Resting against a small section of guardrail, he chatted with some of the racers next to him about their individual teams, cars, and tuning, just anything to pass the time between checkpoints. Jin's walkie talkie sounded again reporting that Rina and Kira was blazing down the mountain, Rina still had a slight lead, but Kira was applying pressure from behind as the two would exit corners. Rina would pull away in the straights, but Kira would quickly gain on her whenever they would enter a corner.
"What am I doing wrong, she's still on my ass!" Rina slightly squealed to herself as she brought her car through another corner, the Integra's headlights slightly falling behind as they had many corners before. Placing her foot more deeply into the floor matting as she gave the car more throttle in the upcoming straightaway, she tried her damnness to gained some distance before the braking duel of the next corner which, if the history of this battle would serve right, she would lose and Kira would gain distance yet again. The people standing in the galleries on the corners that the two racers were approaching where in awe of the speed the two drivers rushed into the corner with, the crimson taillights of both machines flashed in defiance of one another, the lighter DC2 sliding in more to gain on the SW20. At the point that the cars had stopped braking, Kira had gain a good thirty feet on her opponent just by her superior brake control in the corners. Rina gripped the steering wheel more tightly after more roughly shifting up into third gear. She was going to win this battle, for Jin, if for anyone else, for Jin. If she didn't, Rina didn't know what she was going to do!
The gallery was full of chatter as the reports would come back on the battle between Rina and Kira. For most of the battle Rina had kept a commanding lead over the Firestone Flash driver, but they were coming to some of the more difficult turns on the course were coming up. Jin's walkie talkie chattered again. "Rina's still got the lead going into this next turn, but Kira's Integra is breathing down her neck now. I'm not sure if she can…OH WOAH!" The scream over the radio almost made Jin's heart stop. Had something happened? Had there been an accident?
Rina screamed as the rear end of her SW20 started to break away from the direction of the corner, not under her own will. Her rear tires had slid on the sand that had been covering the road on the inside of the corner. Kira's headlights were still glaring down on her as her midship lost control. Rina's hands and feet frantically worked the throttle and brake, trying to recover, the narrow guardrails of this part of the course coming closer…
"Report back! What happened!" Jin shouted into the walkie talkie, gravely waiting for an answer. What felt like ten lifetimes passing by, the two-way device squawked again. "I don't believe it!… Rina spun out. She's alright though, but she barely missed the guardrail. She brought it back again and started driving, but Rina passed her in the spin and I don't think she'll be able to catch up!" Jin let out a huge sigh of relief, at least she wasn't hurt. That was the important thing, but it was unfortunate that she spun out like that. It had happened last time during the practice battle between himself and Rina, but he was hoping it was something she could have taken into account. It was a trait that made midships so temperamental. The reports kept coming in till the end of the race. Kira had won, by a good seven seconds because of Rina's mishap. So the first bout went to the Firestorm team. A small cheer went up from the rival team as Jin kicked the dirt a little bit as he relayed the news back to Taihosi. The young touge racer gently closed the hood on his black S14, showing a more relaxed posture than Jin would have expected. Looking over at his friend, Taihosi just smirked and said. "Don't worry man; we'll get the next one. In all fairness I should run it. I doubt that they'll have Akira run with me. Let's just wait for Rina to get back up here before we continue…" Taihosi said as two drivers waited for their friend to arrive back up the mountain.
Moments later, two sets of headlights arrived back up to the top of the mountain. Kira's white Integra was first followed shortly by Rina's SW20. Kira stuck her arm out the window fisting the crowd in victory as a small cheer erupted from the galleries. Rina slowly drove her car back over to the lot where Jin and Taihosi's cars were parking. She cut the engine and just sat in her car looking straight-ahead for what seemed like eternity before Jin came over and slowly opened her door. He saw that the young woman had tears running down her face as she leaned back in her chair. Trying to console her Jin said, "Rina, it's fine." The young woman's face almost whipped over at Jin, her voice cracking in almost anger, not in sadness. "It's not alright Jin! I was supposed to win!" Rina said slamming her hands down on the steering column. "I let the team down," she said looking back ahead, "I let you down…" she said as she slightly lowered her head.
Jin put one of his hands on top of hers and another on her leg, crouching down to get close to her. "No Rina. You could never let me down. Not if we lost every race from here to Tokyo, not if we never even made it to Tokyo. You'd never let me down." he said gently rubbing her leg as she looked up at him. He flashed her smile as he unbuckled her harnesses. "Come on, let's go. We've still got another chance, and you know that Taihosi would want us to cheer him on." Jin said as he helped her out of the car, giving her two gentle kisses on her cheeks.
The two racers walked over to the black Nissan of Taihosi. He was already in the cockpit and heading his car to the starting line. As Rina and Jin followed behind, they saw that a red Subaru Impreza WRX, a GC8 was lining up next to him. Jin held his breath hoping that his friend had what it took to win this one for the team. He was guessing that the driver behind the wheel of the Impreza wasn't as skilled as Rina's opponent, but he couldn't be one hundred percent sure. Plus the power and advantage of the Subaru AWD system might be too great of a challenge for his FR layout.
Kira walked up between the two cars and started the countdown. When she hit "Go!", the two cars rocketed away from the group, the Impreza gaining the quick lead over the S14. Jin held Rina's hand tightly as the two cars rounded the first corner….
ColeIketani: Sorry for the long time between updates, but here is another chapter. All the reviews from what seems to be my sole reviewer have been great! THANKS!