ACT 6 – 6000RPM 'The Tournament Begins'
Days have gone past since maintenance at F5 had begun maintenance, and coincidentally, the BXD Underground Street Racing tournament was to commence up to date. Route F5 was now operational, but many hazard signs and a few construction operations were still being carried out. However, the route was open and cars are now able to pass through under a strict speed limit. F5 was the only route that connected itself to the city. There were other routes that lead to other provincial areas, which were totally out of the way.
Fao cruised his way down the newly restored tunnel section of F5 in his black AMG E55 with Roni on the passenger's seat, followed by his wife, Reiko in her titanium gray RX-7 Spirit R.
"Are we
going to see auntie tonight, dad?" asked Roni.
"Yeah…"
replied Fao putting his sunglasses on as he rolled up his windows. "I
think she's gonna be racing with your mother too."
"Auntie
Kanae always says its dangerous to race in the street," commented
Roni.
"And your dear auntie is quite right," explained Fao.
"She's a good woman. You should listen to her. But when people
begin to race on the street, the become crazy."
"So auntie and
mother are crazy?" asked Roni.
"Haha… well yes," agreed
Fao. "But they are extraordinary indeed…"
"Um… daddy,
what does extraordinary mean?"
The Benz strolled down the
rest of F5, as the moon reflected on it's shiny black exterior, and
tree branches are nearly mirrored on its body.
"It means they're
crazy," Fao laughed.
Route C4 was a little while longer
to go. Fao and Reiko reached into the city, and then took another
route along the outer perimeters, and into the provincial areas.
The
wind was calm, but as they approached the premises, more and more
people were in sight. The galleries were going to be packed tonight
at the first round of the tournament. It was 8:45PM, a little
'reception' area was set up at the parking area of Route
C4.
There were a total of eight drivers participating in the tournament. Reiko, as representative of Bu Xia De, stood before the crowd and explained the rules. Her husband assisted her, holding out a box.
"The first round of the tournament takes place here, in C4, as you all already know," began Reiko. "We have eight drivers. Each of the participants, including myself will draw numbers from this little box. The number you draw will determine who you race against, and so on. Racer 1 will race racer 2, and racer 3 will race racer 4 and so on. There will be two races tonight, and then two races again on the next race night. The semi-final will be moved to Route H3, consisted of two races in one night. And the grand finals…" Reiko paused… "We haven't decided yet. The grand prize is 10,000. Semi finalists receive 5000 each."
The crowd grew louder and louder as the galleries cheered and whistled excitedly. Reiko had a list of the eight racers in front of her;
-Mirishima,
Reiko
-Gallard, Raide
-W, Shireishou
-Fukada, Kumiko
-S,
Shireishou
-Mirishima, Kanae
-Carjack, Ohjay
-Chuan, Fu
Huo
"First one up, is me, Mirishima Reiko. I'll draw first," continued Reiko. She reached her hand into the box Fao was holding, and pulled out a number.
"Number 6. I am racer
number 6!" she announced. "Okay, second contestant, Mr. Gallard
Raide?"
"Yes, I'm here," Raide stepped away from his S2000
and walked over to Fao and reached inside the box.
"Number 5.
Looks like I'll be taking you on first up," Raide showed
Reiko.
"Let's have a good one then," she
commented.
"Indeed," added Raide.
"Okaaay! Third contestant… wha? What kind of name is…" paused Reiko, looking closer at her sheet of paper. "Shireishou W?"
A young man stepped out of the yellow FD3S parked nearby and made his way over to Fao. "I'm Shireishou W," he claimed, as he reached into the box. "It looks like I'm racer 8."
"Okaaay! Racer number 8 is… Shireishou W!" Reiko shrugged herself as she realized she started sounding like a game show host. "Next up… Fukada Kumiko, step right up!"
In a split second, the crowd
gave a great big roar and screams could be heard along the galleries
as if the ground was shaking from the extreme cheering.
Shouts
could be heard from the crowd, the typical "Marry me, Kumiko!"
and "May I have your autograph!" echoed along the
sidelines.
Kumiko walked over and shook Reiko's hand. "My,
you've changed," commented Kumiko.
"Well, I can't say the
same for you, Kumi," smiled Reiko.
Kumiko reached into the
box… She moved her hand back and forth, shuffling the numbers
inside, and finally, pulled one out.
"Number… 7?"
W's
jaws dropped in shock… "I…I… I… I'm racing Master Ku
first round…?"
Kumiko looked at W and gave out a grin, "Don't
worry, W. Whoever wins or loses between us, it still won't affect
our mission… Unless you don't remember?"
"Of course,"
agreed W. "Operation: Zheng Fu…"
"Okaaay! Next up is…
um… another guy called Shireishou… this time its Shireishou S!
What a weird name for a road racer! Step right up!"
S walked away from his fierce Evolution VII, walking over to Fao and reaching into the box. "Number 1."
"Racer number 1 is… Shireishou S! It looks like you'll be first up! Good luck!" called out Reiko, shaking his hand. "Okay… next up… Well, look who it is, my dear sister in law! Mirishima Kanae, step right up!"
The crowd began to cheer again. But this time not as loud as Kumiko's crowd. Though Kanae still got her props for being the fastest and bravest in F5.
"Nice to see you again,
Rei," said Kanae, shaking Reiko's hand.
"What's wrong,
Kanae?" Reiko noticed something. "You seem glum,"
"Oh…
its nothing…"
"Are you having your…?"
"Nah… its
not that…"
"Heheh… I guess its just you. Anyway, draw a
number, honey,"
Kanae reached into the box… "Number
4."
"Okaaay! Racer number 4 is… my dear sister in law,
Mirishima Kanae!"
The crowd cheered again. "Next is… Mr.
Carjack. Step forward please."
The ever so arrogant Ohjay made
his way to the box, walking in his arrogant pose, big smile of
confidence on his face. He reached into the box… "Racer number
3!"
Kanae glanced at him, and instantly, she was turned off completely. Ohjay gave her a little wink. But Kanae poked her tongue out at him.
"And finally, Mr. Chuan. Chuan Fu Huo will be Racer number 2, the only number that hasn't been drawn," explained Reiko. "Best of luck to you all, and hope you all make it safely. May the best driver win!" she announced.
Fu Huo met up with S during that time. They shook hands. "It's been a while Fu. It'd be an honor and a pleasure to race you again!" said S.
"Just like old times…" added Fu. "The honor is still mine."
The
two cars revved their engines wildly as they rolled by slowly and
parked side by side. The crowd was nearly muffled by the sound of the
roaring Evo's, as Reiko walked slowly in between the two cars.
She
motioned them forward to line up, then moved her hand once again,
motioning them to stop.
"All sections are clear," reported
Fao.
"Good…" said Reiko. "I'll begin the
countdown…Five…Four…"
Vrrm! Vrrrrrmmm!
"Three…Two…"
Vrrrmmm…!
"…One… Go!"
Tires screeches along the road, as the Lancer Evolution V and VII zoomed forward, shooting themselves taking the full advantage of their drivetrain system, to the sound of Fly High – Ayumi Hamasaki (Euro Power Mix).
I 'hanarerarezu
ni ita yo zutto
minarete'ru keshiki ga atta kara'
S
gripped the steering wheel, as he throttled hard. The two cars were
side by side so far. The first corner was not too far away.
Fu
aggressively took the inside and sped ahead, while S lay off the
throttle a bit and let Fu take the lead. They have raced so many
times on Zui Hou's test track, but hardly on the street.
"Let's see how you do…" muttered Fu. "…off the track!"
Fu Huo throttled on, pressing on to the accelerator and shifting up a gear. His Lancer showed its power on the mild straight away, as he made use of his grip and blocked the inside within the next corner.
"So who do you think will win?" asked Reiko, who watched on from the galleries, holding her radio. "They seem to be using very similar cars, yet I bet they're much different drivers, aren't they?"
Kumiko stood next to her, watching as the battle begun and looking on from further on. "The names might be the same, but Fu's Evo V is different from the South General's Evo VII…" she began to explain. "Fu Huo's car, although mildly tuned for performance on the street, most of it is more like a social car…" Kumiko continued, "This is the same car he drives to work, to cruise, and whatever else he does during the day. However, it is less tuned for racing compared to S's ride."
Kumiko shrugged to her side, and looked onto the horizon, slowly walking forward. "S's car is heavily tuned for rally. His gear ratios are closer, and his tires give him good grip. Plus, he's also had the most lightweight modifications and weight reduction done compared to Fu's Evo V."
"I see…" replied Reiko. "They've
raced each other before, yes?"
"Correct… But not on C4,
however," said Kumiko. "Fu Huo's probably got at least 350HP…
S's car is around 280HP. Fu most likely wouldn't be able to use
its 350 horses on a track like this. Plus, his car is slightly
heavier."
"So basically, the VII would have better
handling?" asked Reiko.
"…How am I supposed to know?"
shrugged Kumiko. "I don't drive an Evo VII."
Vrrrmm…!
The
music continued to blast from Fu's Lancer
'itsu ka mata
kono basho e kite mo
onaji sora o onaji you ni miete
utsukushii
to ieru no ka to
boku wa kangaesugita no ka mo shirenai
sukoshi
no nemuri ni tsuite mata asu isogou'
The Evo V and VII
exited the next corner at the same speed. They both quickly regained
traction after completing their drift and there was almost no gap
between the two.
Neither of them could go full throttle. "I
know your style, Fu," S pulled up just half inches away from the
Evo V… "You have a way of making your opponents make mistakes…
even if you're infront… But not tonight, bro. I'll show you how
much I've improved!"
S turned in aggressively. Fu Huo kept
his cool, as he slowed down and cleared the next few corners.
S
was almost staring at his tail lights, as they kept glaring at him on
and off, "This is getting annoying…" but S decided to remain
patient. It was gonna be him that was to make his opponent make the
mistake.
"I know what you're trying to do…" Fu Huo saw a set of blind turns ahead. "But are you ready for this?"
The angle of the next turn was sharp, followed by another turn on the opposite direction. Fu Huo smiled to himself, he turned his wheels to the right, taking the outside line into the corner.
"What're you doing? You're gonna understeer…" S noticed his opponent, "Hmm… so early in the race, and you've already screwed up… It's not like you…"
The Evo VII stole the inside,
getting half a car length ahead of the Evo V. They were at the apex
of the corner, the Evo VII was now fully in front of its
opponent.
But the Evo V suddenly started to skid sideways, facing
itself in the opposite direction of the corner they just came out
of.
"Where are you going?" S maintained grip as he
throttled forward. But as he switched his eyes from his mirror, to
the front, he realized he was about to get into another blind turn…
"Oh… shit!"
The Evo V continued to skid, as its opponent
understeered into the blind turn just shortly after. Fu Huo saw it
coming before his opponent did. His car was already in position to
take the next corner, losing a minimal speed. The Evo VII slowed down
and took the corner with minimum velocity, as the Evo V took the lead
again.
Fu Huo cruised on, throttling out of the turn. "He
fell for it…"
The gap widened a little, but S was able to
pick back up his pace.
"Damn…" S rammed his foot on the
accelerator. "If he keeps doing stunts like that, it'll be hard
to predict his actions. I guess it's his way of telling me not to
copy his moves."
Fu Huo saw the next sharp corner. He purposely dropped his speed, and gripped the outside cleanly, slowing down his pace. This gave some time for S to get right back at him. S decided to copy his opponent's line, thinking that Fu entered the corner in the fastest manner. "What the hell? He should've drifted this corner… why didn't he?"
The gap did not
change much after. "He's playing tricks on me… I can't figure
out what he's trying to do anymore. Has he been practicing on the
street more often?"
S could hear the loud music coming from Fu's
car, as he felt a mad rush within himself.
'nan da ka
subete ga chippoke de
chiisa na katamari ni mieta no wa
aoida
sora ga amari ni hatenaku
hirosugita kara datta no ka mo
shirenai
kimi no tonari ni ita kara ka mo shirenai'
Kumiko
rested on the other side of the guardrail. She looked at the time. It
was almost 9 o'clock.
"S has improved a lot…" continued
Kumiko. "And I used to think the General of the North was nearly
invincible. But S has come a long way into rivaling N's
records."
"I always believed that you were the invincible one,
Kumiko…" commented Reiko.
"Nah…" Kumiko humbly replied.
"I've reached my limit. I can't improve any more than I already
have."
She closed her eyes in thought. She spoke softly, "On the other hand, I don't know how much Fu Huo's improved either… I haven't spent much time with him in a while. The last time we trained, he probably could've beaten me. I only just got lucky…"
"Oh? So is the great Fukada Kumiko losing her
touch?" asked Reiko.
"Maybe…" Kumiko paused, but then
smiled to herself, "But then again, maybe not."
"That's
just like you," said Reiko. "Always like to hide your true skill,
huh."
"I envy those two actually…" added Kumiko. "They
probably never stop improving. They have no limit. It's just a
matter of time until they break mine," she smiled to herself.
"But
who do you think is better?" asked Reiko.
"I don't know…
Well, car wise, Fu Huo's got a few disadvantages that he can cope
with. Like I said before, Fu Huo's car does well on highway and
traffic light battles. S's style is rally. His techniques are
appropriate for a duel like this. Fu Huo would just have to manage
and squeeze out some maneuverability and hope for the best if he
wants to win."
'atama de wa wakatte'ru tsumori
demo ne
surechigau doko ka no dare ka no koto
furikaette
nagamete wa urayandari'
Tires screeched along Route C4,
as the galleries watched in awe, stepping back as the cars rocketed
past them and quickly disappeared.
"This is almost like watching
a rally event, but better!" cheered a guy in the gallery.
The
Evo V was still infront of the Evo VII. S struggled to squeeze out a
full throttle assault, but instead, was met with a low speed hairpin
curve.
"I'm still keeping up with him. But the gap doesn't
seem to close any more than this…"
They both began to use different cornering techniques now. S drifted in the next corner, as Fu Huo used grip and closed the inside.
"I can't risk copying his lines and techniques…" S regained grip of his car. "I guess I'll just have to tackle the course MY way!"
S throttled hard on the corner's exit, following the Evo V right behind…
