ACT 7 – 7000RPM 'Games'
It
was a quiet and peaceful afternoon, Ling Luan had drove by an old
friend's house, just near the peak of route D1 and along the
suburban area. It was a small house, and lived a young man who spent
a lot of his time in the garage, playing around with his car.
Ling
Luan parked his LanEvo VII in the driveway, as loud hip hop music
pumped from within the garage. Inside, was a dark coloured Pulsar
GtiR.
"It's been a while, Hokuto," called out Ling
briefly.
The loud music had ceased, and the young man named Hokuto
slowly walked out from the garage.
"Hey man," greeted Hokuto, along with a complicated brotherly handshake. "Damn, haven't seen the likes of you in a while. And… your car… where did you get something like that?"
Hokuto did not
expect Ling to have such a car like an Evolution VII. He was just too
young to have such an expensive ride.
"It's complicated,"
said Ling Luan, "It's only partially mine,"
"I see,"
replied Hokuto, "Well, I've paid every dollar and cent I've
saved up just for this baby here," continued Hokuto, pointing over
to his GtiR.
"I guess I'm lucky," admitted Ling. "Anyway
man, how have things been fo' you these past years?"
"Too
kind man, almost too kind," explained Hokuto, "By the way, you
been racing wit' dat thing?"
"A little…" admitted
Ling.
"I see, I see," continued Hokuto, "So the Evo VII I
saw in the BXD tournament was yours,"
"Yeah man, I lost
against a teammate," explained Ling.
"That Fu Huo guy?"
asked Hokuto, "The young Sky Dragon from Route D1, as our leader
would call him,"
"Gallard Raide? How's his 2000 going?"
"Oh,
he's still figuring out how to drive it. But its no doubt an
awesome machine for sure. I heard he wanted it to closely resemble
one of Master Hyuga from C4's cars."
"Are you serious? I
think I heard Fu Huo tell me that he saw an S2000 somewhere in our
branch with a C4 sticker on it," claimed Ling Luan.
"That car,
along with the other C4 racing vehicles are all relics now. You don't
see them either on the track or the street anymore. Your Emperor
probably bought some of them as a collector," hunched Hokuto.
"So
there are more of them than the ones Fu Huo have seen?" wondered
Ling.
"Yes, definitely," explained Hokuto, "If you're able
to find an extremely old archived record of course times, you'll
probably find some information about C4, as well as DOLLS and the
cars that they've used and other stuff. But they're all of
course, very rare and virtually impossible to find nowadays,"
"You
think Raide would know more about it?" wondered Ling.
"Possibly,"
said Hokuto, "So might Fukada Kumiko,"
"Master Ku?"
"Yeah,
but that's a big maybe. Raide once said that she was in close ties
directly with C4 members themselves, and which most of her car
knowledge and skills were derived from," added Hokuto.
"I
guess I'd better catch up with Master Ku some time and ask her some
things. It's always Fu Huo that keeps hogging her
attention,"
"Haha, I don't blame him," said Hokuto,
"But she's a bit too old for us, man. I don't think she'd
ever look at us."
"Doesn't matter," said Ling
Luan.
"What's that? It's not like you, Ling," said Hokuto,
"Or have you already found another girl?"
"…Maybe,"
admitted Ling quietly.
"Haha… horny kid, what's her
name?"
"Uh… Jeni."
"Well anyways, she must be pretty
good, considering your standards. You know what, there was a chick at
the BXD tournament that was pretty cute too. And she's also a road
racer, haha, what a combo,"
"Man, Jeni is a road racer too,
hehe," said Ling.
"Oh wha? She's a road racer? You're not
talking about Jeni from Bu Xia De?"
"That's her,"
"Oh
you pimpsta," praised Hokuto, "Anyways, have you see that Kanae
chick at the tourney?"
"Hmm… yeah, I think I remember her.
She was in the semi-finals. Though I often saw her with Fu Huo,
haha," teased Ling.
"Ha, damn,"
"Speaking of Fu Huo…"
began Ling, "He's racing tonight at Route F5. Wanna check it
out?"
"Sure, it'd be awesome," agreed Hokuto, "I've
got much respect for the Sky Dragon. He's much of what we have left
to define that men are still as dominant a driver as women are. I
think he's more of a showstopper than Kumiko is… only Kumiko is
just one hot babe, haha,"
"Oh quit talking about girls you'll
never get, Hokuto," teased Ling Luan.
"Haha, shut up. Anyway,
who's Fu racing?"
"Some guy from Bu Xia De called Alex,"
confirmed Ling Luan.
"…Alex? You don't mean…"
"Mean
what?"
"Fu Huo is racing the Burning Ruby?" asked
Hokuto.
"It's just an SW20, so what man?"
"What do you
mean just an SW20? That's beside the point!"
"What are you
trying to say?" asked Ling.
"I know Fu Huo is great and all.
He's a rising star this and that, but… he's racing the Burning
Ruby, man."
Hokuto slightly turned his back and held his
head in astonishment. He briefly shook his head, staring at the
driveway. Ling turned to look the same way, in confusion.
"What
gives?" he asked.
"Fu Huo is pretty much screwed," claimed
Hokuto.
"I'll
raise you fifty!" claimed Mark arrogantly, smacking a small pile of
gambling chips on the table.
"Oh get real man, I fold!" said
Stephen, as he quickly discarded a set of cards from his hand and
threw them down on the table.
It was meanwhile around the late afternoon, Kouda's did not seem as busy as it usually was. However, all the pool tables were occupied, and the Shireishou Divine Unit Generals, West and North spent their time with a game of poker, along with the boss herself, Maya. It was times like this that Koda's was not just a restaurant. Various people often used Maya's venue as a little mini-casino, in which people bring and use their own money and their own chips and dealers.
"I'll see your fifty," said Maya softly, as she gently took a small pile of chips and placed them to match Mark's bet, then took another pile of chips of the same amount and placed it down, "…And raise you another fifty,"
"Hoooh, damn, looks like you're going down,
Mark!" teased Stephen.
Mark was close to shivers. There was
clearly more than a hundred dollars in the pot. Fair enough that his
hand was decent, yet there was always the fear of his opponent having
better.
This is the fourth turn she's bluffed. She's
succeded three times already. But what if she's got something good
this time?
Maya stared Mark down. She tried to not to be nervous, yet the pot she raised seemed rather intimidating. She appeared to have the edge at this point. Will it work a forth time…?
"Ah, what the hell, all in!" claimed Mark,
holding his breath.
Oh man… Maya soon appeared to feel
extremely nervous and seemed to lose control of the game. At least
that was what she wanted her opponent to think before Mark went all
in. …I guess he fell for it.
"Call!" said Maya,
looking deeply into Mark's eyes.
Mark's face exposed the shock
from Maya's decision. Damn! What if…
"Let's see what y'all got," said Stephen, eager to see the outcome of the round, "You first, Mark!"
Mark exhaled, and then
slowly revealed his hand, "Full house! Kings full of aces!" he
announced arrogantly accompanied by a hideous and childish
laugh.
"Whoosh," Stephen was blown away by Mark's hand. "I
knew I should have folded!"
"You know, Mark…" began
Maya, "Something I noticed… you tend to breath differently
sometimes,"
"What do you mean?" wondered Mark.
"You
know. You seem to sometimes hold your breath, yet sometimes breath
normally, and sometimes exhale, in accordance to what kind of cards
you have,"
"What the hell are you talking about?" asked
Mark. "What does my breathing have to do with it,"
"You
exhaled at the last moment, you usually do that when you give off a
sigh of relief. Which means you usually have a good hand and you knew
you were going to win."
"Your point?" asked Mark
cockily.
"I took a chance anyway," said Maya.
"…And?"
"I
predicted that you did have a good hand. Kings full of aces, that's
hardcore man," continued Maya, as she unfolded one card from her
hand, "Now that beats one," she unfolded another, and it was the
same card as the last one. It was a pair of queens. "Two," Maya
turned over another card from her hand, revealing a third queen,
"Three queens…"
Finally, Maya unfolded her fourth card. She turned it over quickly, and revealed a seven of hearts. "…but not four!" Maya finally revealed her entire hand, and showed Mark her fifth and final card, a fourth queen.
"Oh…you…can't…be
serious!" said Mark slowly in shock, as he stared at Maya's four
of a kind.
Stephen sarcastically applauded Mark for his valiant
efforts to win Maya's spare dosh. "Sorry man, four of a kind
beats full house," stated Stephen obviously.
"Damn, Maya,
man don't you got enough money on ya?" complained Mark childishly
and sarcasticly.
"Okay, okay, I'll give you a chance to win it
back," said Maya, flicking a few chips to Mark's side of the
table.
"Hey, I'm still in this game," announced Stephen.
The game continued longer than expected. The two had continued playing, winning and losing for until the early evening almost non-stop.
"Fold!" said Maya, throwing her cards
down.
"Straight to the six!" called out Stephen, showing his
hand.
"Flush!" yelled Mark in his usually arrogant laughter as
he showed his cards and sweeped the pot of chips to his side of the
table.
The game progressed for longer, and neither player
seemed close to being short of chips, yet Maya still had the slight
chip lead.
Another set of rounds were played.
"Two pair!"
said Mark.
"Haha, I got three of a kind, bro," laughed
Stephen.
"Y'all lose, I got a straight flush!" claimed
Maya.
"Damn, lucky!" complained Mark.
Stephen began to
start dealing again, and another round of games were played.
It
was already 7:45PM, and the game had not died. A few moments after, a
pair of familiar faces entered the venue. Minako and Fu Huo had
stopped by, after their little day out for a drive.
There were
still a few seats left on Maya's table, and the two had made their
way towards her.
"What's happening, you two?" greeted
Maya.
"I'm okay," replied Minako.
"Yeah, same here,"
followed up Fu, as he and Minako took a seat at the table, "Deal us
in," he then added.
"Aren't you racing tonight, Fu?"
wondered Mark.
"That's right," replied Fu Huo.
"Really?"
asked Maya out of curiosity. Again? "Where abouts are you
battling, son?"
"Uh… Route F5," said Fu Huo. "Against
some MR2 from Bu Xia De's Street Elite,"
"Alex?" said
Maya in shock.
Maya handed them a spare set of playing chips from the other table. And divided them between Fu Huo and Minako, "We're playing five card draw." This should be interesting. I wonder how Fu Huo will hold up against Alex.
The cards
were dealt, and the players had taken a look at their respective
hands.
It was Stephen's turn to open, and immediately, he folds
his hand.
It was Fu Huo's turn to call, "I'll open for
fifty," he claimed, holding three Jacks and a 2 and 3 of
diamonds.
"Whoa, big man," said Mark, as he immediately folded
and threw away his cards.
"I'll see your fifty," replied
Minako in a soft, innocent voice, "And I'll raise you another
twenty-five," she added, holding a 6, 7, and 8 of spades, and two
aces.
"You can't be serious, you lot," complained Maya with
a secret little pinch of sarcasm, as she held in her hand four kings
and a 3 of clubs. "I'll call."
It was a three way battle at this point, Fu Huo holding three of a kind, Minako with a pair of aces, and Maya with a whooping four of a kind first hand.
"You
first, Fu," said Stephen, asking how many cards Fu Huo wanted to
exchange.
"Two," replied Fu Huo, discarding the 2 and 3 of
diamonds from his hand, as Stephen dealt him two new cards.
"Minako?"
continued Stephen.
Minako stared at her hand and thought for a
long while. Should I…?
The table waited patiently for
about a minute, and finally, Minako threw away her pair of aces and
asked for two more cards. I dunno why I just did that…
Stephen
dealt her two new cards.
"I'll take…one card!" boasted
Maya, discarding her 3 of clubs.
Stephen dealt her a card, and the
players were ready for the next round of betting.
"Alright,
I'm raisin' it by another twenty-five!" announced Fu Huo. The
pot was now $125.
"Call," said Minako, as the pot became
$150.
"Hey Fu," interrupted Maya, "Who made the challenge
for tonight's race?"
"Well, it was initially meant to be a
race between Alex and Kumi at C4. But knowing her current situation,
I've counter-challenged Bu Xia De myself. We had agreed to switch
the location to F5," replied Fu Huo.
"You're one crazy
bastard man," said Maya, "Good luck," Sometimes I wonder if
Kumiko puts too much faith in her apprentice. Fu Huo is a mere kid
against somebody like Alex. Am I missing something?
"Maya,
you gonna call?" asked Stephen. Maya glanced at her cards one more
time.
In a quick and straight voice, Maya claimed, "All
in."
"Wow, now it's getting scary!" said Mark.
"Maya's
gone all in," announced Stephen. "Fu's turn to call."
Without
hesitations, Fu Huo immediately called, "All in. Let's see what
you got,"
"Same here," confirmed Minako.
"Damn man,
somebody's going to be very lucky tonight!" said Stephen.
Fu
Huo's main concern was Maya. He stared at her, as the look on her
face seemed that she was sure to win. Though it could be another one
of her bluffing poker faces. But the moment of truth has
arrived.
"Alright, eat this," called out Fu Huo, revealing
his hand. The two cards that he drew from Stephen was a queen and
another jack. "Four jacks!"
Maya laughed. However, it was a
real laugh. She quickly layed down her hand excitedly, "Four kings!
Ace high! Haha!"
"Damnit! You got me!" Fu Huo said
surprisingly. Four of a kind was definitely a good hand. Yet Maya was
still unbeatable.
"Hey wait a sec," said Minako softly, "I
haven't shown my cards yet,"
"Haha, y'all've lost
anyway," said Maya.
"Hey, I can beat that," continued
Minako, pointing at Maya's four kings.
"What?"
Minako slowly revealed her cards one by one. She first put down a 6 of spades, followed by the 7 and 8 of spades. Holding her breath, Minako layed down her last two cards, a 9 of spades, and finally, the 10 of spades, completing her hand in a straight flush to the ten.
"You…cannot…be … serious!" said both Fu Huo and Maya at the same time.
The deciding race
of the unofficial Bu Xia De versus Zui Hou R team battle was finally
due to commence. Route F5 was dead silent; spectators were kept to a
significant minimum, as the weather was also a little turbulent.
It
was almost ten o'clock, Alex and his crew had already lounged
themselves near the peak, at the beginning of the downhill route.
I
wonder if the so called Sky Dragon is as worthy of such as status as
Fukada Kumiko.
Alex leaned on his car and lit himself a
cigarette, as he waited patiently with his teammates for the arrival
of his opponent. He was dressed in a black suit and a white working
shirt without tie; Alex is usually clad in business attire when it
comes to road races.
He was much quieter and very sombre whenever
he was scheduled a serious race.
He must be. Or else Kumiko
wouldn't send him. She wouldn't have everything rest on a
failure.
Alex's SW20's red paint reflected the moon's
glow, like the burning ruby that it is, while Alex stood by it, in
control and in position. He tried to look as humble as possible, yet
he knew inside him that he had a great chance of winning.
"Have
all the sections checked," ordered Alex to the rest of the Bu Xia
De staff around the area.
"I was just about to get to that
part," said Sly, "There is a vehicle on the way up her from the
bottom up right now as we speak."
"Is it Chuan Fu Huo?" Alex
had to ask.
"No. It's a different car," corrected Sly, "It's
a pale silver coloured Impreza S202."
"What did you
say?"
Shijian? What is he doing here?
A brief
moment had passed, and the S202 had finally reached near the peak of
Route F5. Shijian parked his car on the opposite side, away from all
the other Bu Xia De vehicles.
Alex slowly made his way to it, and
attempted to figure out what was going on. Shijian slowly stepped out
of his car and shut the door.
"It's you," said Alex.
"What business do you have here, Shi?"
"That's no way to
greet me, Yun," replied Shijian, "My business?" he pointed to
the Zui Hou R sticker on the back window of his vehicle, "I'm
just here to cheer for my teammate, if you don't mind."
"I
see. I only just found out that you were also the rumoured East
General of the Divine Unit." Alex said.
"Well, now you know,"
said Shijian, "By the way, do you even know what you're up
against tonight?"
"Partially," admitted Alex. "Yet what's
the excitement with knowing what to expect."
Shijian shrugged
his shoulders briefly, and having his arms crossed, he spoke, "Oh
you'll be excited alright. Because you really do have no idea about
Chuan Fu Huo other than what he did at your little
tournament."
"Then we shall find out tonight, won't we?" replied Alex.
Meanwhile, Sly had just received a message from
one of the staff positioned at the entry point for Route F5.
"Alex!"
called out Sly. "He's here!"
