ACT 10 – 10000RPM 'Not Legal Anymore'

Moments later, Kumiko had set out on her own, after skipping work to do some changes in her car settings secretly within one of the tuning garages.
She had fitted and configured back the old settings, what her GTO used to be before her battle with Fu Huo at Route F5. The classic Neon Serpent, such immense power combined with Kumiko's smooth flowing movement of all her vehicle's instruments were just some of the few formulas to the mix.

I'm going to need all the power I could handle…
The 3000GT had already been purely stripped out of many extra features that were unnecessary for her vehicle on the street. Surely, the GTO was not the ideal car for almost any touge battle. But for one last time, Kumiko must overcome the limitations of her weapon of choice.
I don't understand how Fu Huo screwed things up. His Evo should be much more balanced than my GTO…

There was only one explanation Kumiko could come up with. Being with Fu Huo for quite a while, she had hunched the exact mistake that he might have probably done during last night's race.
Fu Huo's acquired what used to be one of my weaknesses… He must have not been driving his best due to how much pressure was on to him. He's already lost at F5 once. He just badly wanted to prove that he was my standard.

Kumiko and a few staff had just finished finally testing the 3000GT on the dyno. The next step was for her to give it a test run. The SW20 would indeed be a tough opponent. If Fu Huo had only driven properly, he could have won by some chance.

Finally operational once again, the GTO rolled its way out of the tuning garage and moved on to the track pits. Kumiko fully accelerated, quickly sending her car almost flying past the entry.
Let's see if I still got it…

Kumiko quickly brandished her car's real power, taking full advantage of the twin turbine kit system, along with reduced in additional extras similar to the Twin Turbo MR model. It was as if her VR-4 had already been altered by Zui Hou to compare to the TT MR, yet with more power.
It was time to test the car for maneuverability.
The first corner was rather mild, and Kumiko began to turn at high speed.

I'm starting to feel it again. I remember… this power. It's seemingly uncontrollable power that I eventually was able to harness as I please… It was a feeling I missed…

Kumiko visualized her line. Her delicate throttle and braking precision was almost perfectly timed and set up for the S curves up ahead. She steered hard, braking and throttling, moving the steering wheel almost back and forth sequentially.
I can see why Fu Huo would have been frustrated. The MR2 in the hands of someone like Alex, could either be in front of behind as he would have desired at this point.

Kumiko continued to visualize an opponent in front of her. She then evened out her actions and applied a smoother flow to her cornering. At this rate, Fu Huo would have been struggling to catch up to his opponent and would hold down the throttle aggressively, causing him to speed up and understeer. Doing this while cornering would obviously have negative results.

The GTO smoothly cruised through the corners, maintaining an ideal line with less tyre spin. In his mind, Fu would think that he's already pushing his car to the limit, yet he still can't seem to keep up, which leads him to throttle even harder and less control of his actions.

In fact, it was not entirely the car's fault. Fu Huo just wasn't ready for someone like Alex. Something else must have happened at F5. But indeed, Fu Huo still has much to learn. I guess having said that he was the only one who can defeat me really got to him and backfired. Or maybe I'm just a bad instructor? In any case, the Emperor was right about him. His mind is really connected with the way he drives. Which is probably why he was the ideal subject for KYOKO.

Without KYOKO, his mind ran wild and free, and so did his driving. His lack of concentration was one of the biggest factors that destroyed him last night. Even the most experienced drivers have little troubles in their mind that affect them negatively while driving at high speed. His car's limitations were only an excuse for his own mistakes. Now it is time for me to correct them.

Kumiko continued on to raise hell at the Zui Hou R test track. Her settings have been changed from a balance between grip and drift, to a more stable platform in order to be able to fully utilize the increase in power output that she had just upgraded back to an estimate of 355HP. Downforce settings, tyres, and braking balance have also been altered in order to challenge both downhill and hillclimb battles.
Regardless of any changes, the car was still very much Kumiko.

Alex will surely be a tough opponent. Considering the MR-2's capabilities on touge, and his already finely tuned skills, it would take all the luck I can get to manage a victory. But that's a chance I'm willing to take!

Meanwhile during daytime, Ling Luan had spent most of his time out at the city cruising with some of his friends, as they were all off work during that Sunday. Fellow team member, Stephen, Dreadnaught's Hokuto and Bu Xia De's Jeni, accompanied him as they killed time together until the afternoon.
They had parked their rather awesome machines at the parking lot and strolled around the shopping mall like they would during the day like normal citizens, which was much different from their secret life during the nighttime.

After the movie, the group had decided to catch a break at the most popular multifunctional café in town – Koda's. The place had almost been a home of frequent modified car visitors and other form or shape of road racer.
Their cars; Ling's LanEvo VII RS, Stephen's RX-7 A Spec, Hokuto's Pulsar GtiR and Jeni's Skyline GT-R had almost decorated Maya's parking lot.
However, the owner's MINE's Impreza WRX, nor the familiar black LanEvo V were nowhere to be seen.

The crew stepped inside the facility and took a seat at a nearby table.
"I've never been here before," said Jeni softly.
"It's the best place out there, hands down," said Stephen proudly.
"Not really. But I admit it's my favourite place too," added Ling.
"Well, everybody knows Kouda Maya. And this is her fortress now. And not a bad one at that!" explained Hokuto, "Even though it's own by who was once the leader of our rival team."

Ling had then momentarily taken Jeni to the bar area, while Stephen and Hokuto further discussed some recent events to date. However, the regulars, Minako and Fu Huo were not present.
Maya greeted the table and prepared to take some orders.

Stephen asked, "Maya-chan, is it true?"
"What is?" replied Maya, handing out some menus.
"About Fu…?" continued Stephen.
"Chuan Fu Huo? Oh, the race at Route F5 yesterday…?" interrupted Hokuto, "Do you know how it went?"
"I heard… it was a tragedy," said Stephen.

Meanwhile, Ling spend time with his new friend from the opposing race team, Jeni, whom had recently reconciled with him for her deception.
"I had fun today," claimed Jeni softly.
"Really? That's good to hear. So, you busy tonight?" replied Ling.
"Well, now that you mention it, I might be out at D1 tonight,"
"What's there?" asked Ling curiously, "You racing someone again?"
"No… But there is going to be a race, I think. I'm not sure yet,"
"You're just going to spectate, huh. It must be worth watching then?"
"Yes… my idol is due to compete tonight, if she decides to accept my fellow team mate's challenge," announced Jeni.
"Your idol against your teammate?" asked Ling Luan curiously. "So whom are you rooting for?"
"I don't know… But it'll be a good battle for sure…"

"So Chuan Fu Huo is not racing anymore?" asked Hokuto, continuing the conversation at the table.
"I highly doubt he could," said Maya, "I don't think he should get back to it at the rate he's going. It just showed how inexperienced he was when he crashed his car. I guess the Sky Dragon was only legend…"

"But hey, the legend of Zui Hou R still continues through Mark, Ling and I," announced Stephen.
"Maybe so. Oh well. I'm over that sort of stuff. I've retired for a reason," added Maya.
"It's a shame really," began Hokuto, "We've been getting word from other teams of potential challenges and offers for Fu Huo… Looks like it wasn't to be,"

"Speaking of Fu Huo, where is he now anyway?" asked Stephen.

It was about time for Alex to take action. He and Sly wasted no more time and finally headed on their way to the main Zui Hou R headquarters in the town area. They made their way anxiously through the city streets and traffic lights finding their way to their real target. Much to their surprise, Alex's one true opponent had already been waiting for him out the front gate.

Standing proudly in front of the empire she had sworn to defend, Kumiko was ready to intercept the incoming prey. She glared on at her enemies as they slowly arrived strolling by; valves hissing and revs squealing while then slowly began to park directly in front of her.

Alex and Sly stepped out of their vehicles to finally greet Kumiko and predict her absolute defeat.
"I knew you'd come back," said Kumiko in a sharp voice.
"Whoa, hey, we haven't even got started yet," interrupted Sly.
"Let this to me," said Alex, stepping forward from his vehicle.

Kumiko had a fiery look on her face. I'm ready. Just bring it.
"I'm sure you already know what I'm here for, Fukada Kumiko," continued Alex, "I have passed through your apprentice and now it's time for me to go through you."

"Whatever, I'm ready to go," accepted Kumiko without a second thought.
"So soon to decide? I appreciate it. I want to challenge you at your own home course of Route D1. Since you claim you are ready, how about we do it tonight?"

Kumiko paused for a while in thought. Though the idea did not seem to matter. The sooner the better, she wanted to end things as soon as possible.
"You got it!" accepted Kumiko, "Ten thirty at D1!"
"Thank you," thanked Alex politely, "For the pride of both our teams, let us race for fun and on another note, let's hope we both finish in one piece," laughed Alex insultingly.

"I'll make you pay for what happened to my student!" claimed Kumiko angrily.

Without saying a word, the two Bu Xia De members slowly stepped back into their vehicles and exited the area.

Route D1 tonight? Now he tells me. I feel so insulted, even just by being thought of losing on my own home course. Oh well… I'll do my best. For Fu Huo… for Zui Hou… and for myself. The three main things that have meant the most to me in my life…

It was like a session of counseling; Fu Huo spent the remainder of his day with his closest friend, Minako, who he seemed to be just the one to take his mind of most anxiety. The two had driven near the small lake near the provincial areas of D1, where it was more quiet and peaceful than the city.
They spent their time with less driving, more walking, with Maya's Impreza parked along the carpark near the lake.

Fu Huo felt most comfortable with Minako around – it was like being with his Evo, making him feel right at home. She was somebody who, even no matter how stupid or dumb he would act, she would always look at him for his true self, despite his other, more mysterious and bitter side.

Minako was getting rather tired of all the racing talk. She began to feel as if the whole game is ruining their friendship, taking Fu Huo away from her bit by bit, paying more attention to his Lancer than anything else.

"Hey Fu…" began Minako, sitting near the side of the small bridge-like pier.
"Yeah?"
"Do you remember anything about your parents?" she continued.
"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"
"You know, we haven't talked about stuff like this too often. I feel like I don't know you anymore. Besides, you don't always want to talk about cars, do you?"
"Yeah, I guess you're right," replied Fu Huo, "I appreciate what you're trying to do. You gotta know how it feels to fricken crash your most precious car… Well, it's my only car…"
"It's just a box on four wheels, Fu,"

Fu Huo walked over to Minako and slowly got down to side next to her. She's right. It might be a LanEvo, but it's still just a car. Perhaps there really are other things I can do besides being a street racer…

"My parents? Well… I'm not sure where to begin; I don't remember much…" explained Fu Huo. "I've never met my mother. I literally know nothing about her at all. Not even her name, nor what she even looks like,"

"Really? Do you know how she died?" asked Minako curiously.
"Not exactly. My father told me that she died giving birth to me," explained Fu Huo, "I was never shown a picture of her, nothing. We actually hardly talked about her,"
"Your father? What about him? Do you remember him much? I remember he used to let you stay at or house because he was always busy."
"Actually, that's what my caretakers used to say to your parents whenever they make me sleep over your house. My father actually left a long time ago, when I was still too young to even know what was going on… His name was Shuo." Chuan Shuo

"Caretakers? You never told me about them," said Minako.
"Well, they're the ones who looked after me when I was taken in. I did not know what was going on at the time and I just did what I was told. They said they knew my father and that he told them to look after me," explained Fu Huo.

"They took care of you well, didn't they?" wondered Minako, "Do you know why your father left you?"
"Yes they did. But I don't think they knew why my father left me,"

It had been a while since Minako had anything disclosed from Fu. Being friends with him for so many years, it was like she still did not know anything about him, due to his recent revelations.
"By the way, where did these 'caretakers' come from, anyway?" asked Minako.
"They told me they worked for a man know as Emperor Zui Hou. He was the one who covered everything for me, put me through school; found me careers, and a new life. I've only actually just met the guy recently. I never got a chance to ask him about why he showed me all this gratitude and sent me all these caretakers. However, there was once catch to it all – after I had reached a certain age, I was to be entered into the automotive scene, and they made me start driving at a very early age. That's when I realized that I was taken in be a very large corporation… or 'empire' as they called it, which specializes in different forms of car-related business called Zui Hou R…"

"That's interesting. I'm surprised I never knew all this stuff," admitted Minako.
"You never asked, haha," teased Fu Huo, "Anyway, to this day, I still don't know why my father handed me over to Zui Hou R."
"So you moved out eventually?" confirmed Minako. "It's a good thing they didn't control you entirely. At least we still saw each other."
"Yeah, I moved out. They actually helped me with a lot of things. They wanted me to move out eventually anyway, because apparently they had to fund a new project that required a lot of time and effort. But I still continued to work for them as a parts dealer, vehicle maintenance, and some accounting. It paid decently, however, my bank account already had a fair bit of money in there for some reason before I even deposited. I used that, plus all the money I've saved up from work to buy myself a Lancer Evo."

"So that's why you loved it so much…" realized Minako.
"Yeah… that Evo symobolizes my life. Everything I've worked to achieve is what the Evo means to me. To further increase my profits, I used the Lancer for street racing under Zui Hou, even though I mainly own the car. And now… the car is broken…"

The time has come. The overall dominance between Bu Xia De and Zui Hou R was to finally be decided. Strangely, Route D1 was not as jam-packed even though their hometown heroine was due to show up. Even Bu Xia De would have wanted their victory to be seen by as many people as possible. However, a lot of the races between both factions have not been properly scheduled and severely rushed. Impatience has it's own terms and conditions.

The two heavyweights, Alex and Kumiko had taken their place on the line up with their vehicles side by side. Neither of them wasted any time for small talk. It was due for them to prove that they can let their skills speak for themselves. There were also fewer Bu Xia De staff along the area, but still sufficient enough in case of an emergency.

It was 10:25PM, revs were soaring in the middle of the night, the tides have risen and the great stench of petrol shrouded the scene. Once again, Sly had taken the role of counting down for the race.

Vrrmm! Vrrmm!

"Go!" announced Sly.

This is it. Let's hope for the best, my GT… Kumiko shot her car through take off, easily overpowering Alex's MR-2.

Huh…! The same thing Chuan Fu Huo did last night. But would she make the same mistakes? It's too early to tell. Alex kept on the throttle, accelerating his vehicle without hesitations.

Kumiko quickly glanced at her mirror, checking her opponent's current position. Not bad. He's managed to right on my tail even after start-up. Midship-engined cars actually do have slighty better take off than normal rear-wheelers. But I have no time to make assumptions about my opponent right now…
She knew Route D1's downhill like the back of her hand. Every inch, every leaf, every angle and shadow, it appeared to be Kumiko's night.

Alex waited patiently. His compact MR-2 was free of movement around D1's wider sections. It was almost as if he was free to overtake the GTO anytime he pleased. Just what I would expect from someone like Kumiko… Go on. Show me your true power!

The GTO flew past the next few mild corners, followed closely by the SW20. Alex had really pushed Kumiko since the beginning. Giving her no time to stall, Alex had a way to almost dictate the pace of the battle itself, even though considering Kumiko is more in favour of power.
She felt it in her body; Kumiko had not even a split second to relax. The MR-2 just would not leave her mirror. I must stay calm. I can't repeat the same mistakes of Fu Huo…

Though it seemed that Alex had been holding back, his SW20 actually already had great difficulty keeping up with the 3000GT. His manueverabilty was slightly more superior, however.
This is what I want. This is what I've been waiting for!
The GTO slowly, but surely was able to pull away on the straight road.
But just like Alex's previous opponent, the GTO seemed to have been slowing down enough during the curves allowing him to easily drift through the sharp line and catch it.

Kumiko had not been much for drifting that night. She was dead serious in leaving her opponent behind clueless. A consecutive hairpin section was coming up. Kumiko smoothly released the throttle, slowing down a little, and then applied the throttle again just before the first turn while she held down the brake with her left foot. Her car slowed down in time to take the corner, yet power was still being distributed to the wheels enabling it to turn a little better.

Out of nowhere, the MR-2 slid sideways, positioning itself directly behind the GTO as it completed the first hairpin. Kumiko did not let this phase her mind. Setting her vehicle straight, she continued to apply the throttle, which she now pushed even harder. The MR-2 suddenly poked itself into Kumiko's view, as it drifted along the outside line at great speed. With Kumiko giving her opponent such chances like this, it would only be a matter of time until she is 'taken…

It was already past ten o'clock in the evening; Minako and Fu Huo remained by the lake even just after their small little picnic earlier in the afternoon.
Fu Huo layed on his back, heading leaning on the soft grass next to Minako, who was sitting up staring at the lake with the Impreza parked a few meters behind them.

"Are you sure Maya wouldn't mind us taking the car?" wondered Fu Huo.
"We'll pick her up later. She'll just call," explained Minako.

Fu Huo placed his palms at the back of his head and kicked back. He had been with Minako almost the entire day. But all he could think about was the night before. At least it was a change from the usual dangerous games that he would usually compete in at around this time of the night.

"I don't feel like going back…" muttered Fu Huo, shutting his eyes.
"Then I guess I'll just have to leave you here," replied Minako, "You okay walking by yourself?"
"…Yeah," said Fu Huo without a second thought.
"Hey, I was kidding," chuckled Minako, "But if I wasn't, would you really have let me go?"
"I dunno," Fu Huo knew the answer. But it just was not to come out truthfully.

He slowly sat up and focused his eyes on Minako. No matter what they have been through in the past or present, he still always had some respect for her.
"Hey Mina…" he called out softy, "Thanks,"
"For what?" replied Minako cheerfully.
"…A lot of things," explained Fu Huo briefly, "…you know, you're actually as good company as my Evo,"
"What's that mean? I'm no more to you than just a car?"
"…Well, to put it that way, I wouldn't mind riding you," laughed Fu Huo.

Ohh! That little pervert! Minako's face had quickly glared red. "Looks like you still haven't changed…"
"Oh, but you're wrong," objected Fu Huo, "I have changed,"
"Doesn't look like it to me. How so?" challenged Minako.
"…You wouldn't understand,"

There he goes again. His usual 'you wouldn't understand' kind of line. It's his way of trapping me into asking him about more. It's his way of trying to get my attention…
"Okay, Fu. Maybe I wouldn't…"

They had usually often played games with each other in this manner. Always fighting for the last comment. "Thought so," said Fu Huo.

The two lay in silence for a brief moment. The air seemed just as quiet and peaceful with the moon's glow reflecting on the face of the lake.

"Fu…" began Minako, "…so have you found someone yet?" she asked shyly.
"What do you mean?" pretended Fu Huo in confusion.
"…You know what I mean," insisted Minako.
Fu paused, then replied, "Maybe…"
"Really?" asked Minako in curiousity.
"I'm not sure. To be honest, I really don't know," explained Fu Huo.
"…I see. You mean you're in that spot in which you don't know how you feel at the moment?"
"…Something like that," agreed Fu Huo.
"It's just like you. It's just like how you always like to get involved with a woman, no matter who she is, without even having any feelings for her whatsoever. It's rather cold and deceptive… and at the same time, rather immature."
"Are you jealous or something?" fired back Fu Huo, not taking any more criticism from Minako.
"Jealous? No. If I wanted you, I would have you by now," replied Minako sharply.

Since when did she develop such an ego? Who does she think she is?
"Let's drop it. You got my answer," surrendered Fu Huo, "We've only just made up, and I don't want to get into a fight with you again…"
"We're not fighting, are we?" chuckled Minako as she teasingly hugged Fu Huo, almost strangling him by the neck.

"H-hey, watch it!" squealed Fu Huo, as Minako stacked it in front of him, taking him down with her.
The two wrestled playfully along the grass, giggling at each other as Minako had finally pinned down Fu.
"Ha!" said Minako.
"I guess this is how bored we've become," laughed Fu Huo.
"Nah… this is how boring you've become," teased Minako.

Fu Huo lay on the grass, turning his head upward, catching a glimpse of Maya's Impreza.
"Hey, Mina…" he called softly.
"Yeah?"
"Can you drift that thing?" wondered Fu Huo.
"What thing? The car?"
"What else?"
"What's drifting anyway?"

I can't believe she just asked me that…
Fu Huo began to try to explain, "Well… it's a cornering style in which the driver manages a controlled loss of traction to be able to manipulate the vehicle's position through a curve at a certain speed… uh… I think…"

Minako replied in confusion, "Um… I have absolutely no idea about what you just said,"
"Ah, fine… well, its when you make the car skid when you turn so you can come at some angle… uh… well I don't really know how to explain it. It's better shown than done," Fu Huo glanced at the Impreza again, "Wanna see?"

"Um… I don't know, Fu…" hesitated Minako.
"Scared?" teasted Fu Huo.
"No!"
"You think your sister would mind?"
"I don't think so. Well, I make the car skid sometimes for fun when we go along D1…" confessed Minako, "But I'm not too good though. Maya cracked it at me once when I made the car spin out by accident. Good thing I didn't damage anything… Or crash the actually car… like somebody I know…"
she continued teasingly, as she poked her tongue out.

The second hairpin in the chain seemed even tighter for Fukada Kumiko and her GTO, as Alex continued to tail her by sending his vehicle skidding wildly along an angle through the outside in the attempt to get right around the GTO's wide body.

It's almost as annoying to turn as a Skyline… Kumiko did not bother to downshift, as her revs shot through while keeping the throttle on through the turn as well as braking with the other foot.
The best chance I have is on the straightaway. But I know I'm going to need more than that. I'm going to have to search a remedy for my cornering…

Alex had worn the tyres a little more than Kumiko. Her original strategy was to overpower the MR-2 in order to keep Alex trying to pounce at her relentlessly by frequent skidding and eventually lose his grip near the end of the race. The battle had been continually serenaded by 'Game' – Ayumi Hamasaki.
Alex had been much more underestimated than expected.

'Hora sukoshizutsu anata no nokoshita
nukumori ga tokedashite'

Kumiko was badly in need of a back up plan. The MR-2's agility had really played a big factor against her GTO in this match up. Little did she expect that car conditions could sometimes overcome the driver's overall skills.

'zenbu kietara konna karada wa
nan no imi wo motsu kana'

Alex's SW20 and the addition of his delicate and precise weight shifting seemed to prove a virtually invincible combination. It was apparent that Kumiko had been a little overconfident and somewhat blinded with her own pride. She thought almost endlessly of how she could pull something out of the hat for this battle.

The next hairpin seemed wider than the others. Kumiko continued to sway her car from the outside to inside gradually as she continually tapped the brake to managed her speed. Yet Alex continued to slide and drift through, taking a tighter and more precise line nearing the apex.

There was now almost a closed gap between the MR-2 and the GTO.

'Shoudou ga kasanariatte
degechi no nai meiro ni hamaru
fui ni osou genjitsu-tachi ga
nukedaseru michi wo sagasu'

The two vehicles swayed themselves into the opposite direction, positioning for the next hairpin in the chain. Both drivers could feel what was coming. Each angle had been a closer step for Alex to steal the lead.

'Na no ni naze fushigi na kurai
kono basho wo hanarerarenai'

Kumiko could almost feel exactly what Fu Huo had experienced during his own battle with Alex. She could be right about finding out when he cracked. At this rate, Alex would now have two victims for his trap.

'Ashita no imagoro niwa umaku waraeru
sou maru de nanigoto mo nakatta ka no you ni'

Out of the corner's exit, the cars were now side by side. There had been no changes in their variety of movement so far. And so it was, Alex had finally jerked his vehicle to the outside just as soon as he saw the glimpse of the GTO's taillights flash and sent his car drifting right around it as Kumiko had just reached the apex.

'itsu datte sou yatte aruite kita no ni
kono GEEMU omou you ni sousa dekinai'

In a flash, Kumiko had then caught sight of the MR-2's taillights. It had finally been completed. Alex had overtaken Kumiko at the last hairpin of the chain almost effortlessly. Kumiko had been phased at how easily she had been passed, her mood had began to spark, sending her right into Alex's trap.
She struggled to longer maintain her focus; her plan had been foiled so early into the race.
It was just like how her apprentice had been dominated beforehand, now it seemed that Kumiko was next in line…

It was a late night; Minako and Fu Huo had taken some time off to do some late driving across the curvy plains near the lake area to kill some time. They were both often the kind of people who prefer to spend most of their leisures during the night.
Fu Huo had taken behind the wheel of Maya's Impreza WRX tuned by MINE's and began to demonstrate a few basic cornering.

Minako watched on, sitting in the passenger's seat almost in complete boredom even to the sound of the Impreza's boxer roar. Fu Huo had soon noticed this and began to try something different.

"Are you drifting yet?" asked Minako.
"Uh, no," replied Fu Huo, as he then sharply pulled the e-brake of his car to make the vehicle slide across a mild corner. "See that? That's an e-brake drift,"

"Oh, is that all? That's pretty easy," bragged Minako, "I've done it before. You just pull the handbrake and do a powerslide of some sort,"
"Uh, not quite, but yeah…"

Fu Huo upped the pace, pushing the Impreza a little harder. This MINE's technology is fabulous. All the hardware, the computer, it is all sweetness. Maya really has this thing decked out!

"Let's see what this thing can do," claimed Fu Huo.

He then turned the car outward slightly at the opposite direction of the turn he was about to make, then quickly executed a hard feint drift motion right after heel-toe shifting and easily set the car sliding at an angle, positioning the car right into the exit with minimum time lost.

"Wow!" cheered Minako. "What was that?"
"Well… I sorta drifted…" explained Fu Huo. "This is a rally style of drifting used by sort of whipping your car from one side to the other by suddenly turning in allowing the momentum to send the vehicle into a skid… I think,"
"Sounds kinda… complicated," commented Minako.
"Yeah, I'm not really good at explaining these things. It's my instructor that does that,"

Fu Huo continued on, and then made a quick U-turn, heading back the same way he just came again.
As he approached the same curve at such a high speed, he quickly punched the clutch, causing the car to rev wildly s he kept his foot on the throttle.

"Fu! What're you doing?" called Minako.

Fu Huo then turned into the curve, as the car had managed to break traction, sending the Impreza gliding through the corner at an extreme angle.

"Is that drifting?" wondered Minako, almost recovering from a little bit of panic.
"Uh, yeah… I dunno what it's called though. But its basically when you enter your car too fast for the turn, then suddenly kick in the clutch to over-rev the car as you turn, and somehow, it gives enough oversteer," Fu tried to explain.

"I still don't understand," admitted Minako.
"Perhaps you'd like to give it a try?"

The Impreza had momentarily slowed down, and then came to a complete stop. The two had then swapped places, with Minako now in the driver's seat.
The WRX made a U-turn once again, going back into the same direction it was before previously.
"Now, just like I showed you," began Fu Huo, as Minako hesitantly began to speed up.

I don't get what such thrill there is in this… Minako continued on, speeding up the vehicle.
She then hesitated, and slowed the car down a little while taking the corner at moderate speed.

"That's not it, try again," suggested Fu Huo.

The Impreza U-turned again, and went back and forth, as Minako continually kept practice on the same corner. It's more difficult than I thought…

"You'll get the hang of it some day," cheered up Fu.

Another round, Minako sent the Impreza rolling past again, slowly making slight skidding of the tyres. After a few more tries, Minako had tried different speeds of taking the curve, as Fu Huo guided her through her moves and lines.

"This is too hard," admitted Minako.
"You're doing well," praised Fu Huo, "You'll eventually learn it over much practice,"
"No way," said Minako pessimisticly, "I can't seem to do it,"
"Oh well…"

The battle at Route D1 continued. Alex had now begun to take charge of the duel as Kumiko helplessly followed him behind. The harder she turned, the heavier the car felt. Kumiko had been struck hard, so easily after the consecutive hairpin curves earlier on. She began to lose a bit of focus, revving her vehicle higher and increasing her speed more and more, catching the MR-2 on the straightaway, but a little sloppier on the cornering.

Why? Why are you like this, my GT?
Kumiko struggled a little too shoot past the next blind turns, only to see the SW20's rear skid across the line, sliding eventually from the inside then exited on the outside.

This is starting to get repetitive… Alex continued his pace, flinging his car through the sharp turns and gliding through the mild ones. She's failing in the same areas Chuan Fu Huo did last night…

The two supercars continued along the downhill at insane velocity, almost swiping past the bushes violently, as well as past two rather familiar vehicles.

"This is bad…" said Ling Luan, who stood next to his LanEvo VII parked in the tourist view area.
"I wonder what Alex did?" mentioned Jeni, "It's such a surprise to see Kumiko behind, especially at such a crucial time of the battle,"

"The SW20 really is a tough opponent," admitted Ling Luan, "I heard it rocks the quarter-mile too. And it's virtually perfect balanced weight distribution gives it a definite edge against Kumiko's GTO."

"Don't you believe in your own heroine?" asked Jeni, "Has Kumiko really lost hope?"
"Kumiko is good," said Ling Luan, "But just like Fu Huo said, she's not invincible,"
"Either way, whoever wins is good enough for me," said Jeni, "It's an awesome race,"
"Yes indeed," agreed Ling I don't know what's going on now. Why Master Ku? You have to win. You're the one who is meant to correct Fu Huo's mistakes. Only you!

Kumiko could not take her angry eyes of the MR-2's tails. Her turn-ins began to move aggressively, yet more and more reckless.
Alex quickly glanced at his mirror. She's getting desperate.
Utilizing the only way he could to enable him to temporarily pull away from the GTO's power, Alex continued to let his car flow through the corners while not pushing his tyres harder than he already was.

I… don't wanna lose this battle. I just don't want to lose to someone like Alex. He's already taken out Fu Huo…
Kumiko began to helplessly follow her opponent, closely watching him as she briefly closed the gap on the straightaway. …Fu Huo? Wait a sec…

Her driving began to alter slightly. She eased off the throttle a little bit, moderating her speed for the next sharp corner to be taken efficiently. At this rate… this is how Fu Huo lost last night…

Kumiko exited the corner at moderate speed, and then picked up the pace again. I can't repeat his mistake. I must concentrate and find a way to turn this duel around!
She patiently moved in closer to the SW20, observing Alex's movement and flow. Kumiko strategically decided to try and mimic her opponent's lines as closely as possible.

Alex continued on, using his superior abilities to clean through the mild S curves ahead followed by some wide hairpin curves.
The MR-2 swiftly drifted sharply to the inside, gliding through the apex in a flash and then slowly flowed back to the outside line just before the corner's exit.
Alex had used this method to save what little is left of his tyre grip to instead of forcing the car to stay within the inside line, he would just let it flow right back out of the curve, ending up around near the outside line.

Kumiko began to copy this and used the same inside-outside line flow. Using her car's power, she was able to plow through the corner while catching the MR-2 without having to trigger a loss of traction. She was able to grip the turns more fluidly, yet the power still greatly distorted her turning ability.
However, Kumiko had been saving her tyres up to now. But it seemed that she needed to begin to sacrifice a bit of grip in order to bring her closer to her opponent.
He has to let his car flow outward slowly in order to maintain his grip. However, he needs to set his car at an angle so that he can exit at a better position to take the corner. But in order to do that, he has to drift…?

Alex continued to skillfully move his MR-2 in the way of the GTO. He quickly stole the inside line, while Kumiko did the same. The MR-2 had moved slightly to the side, yet the GTO was still able to keep at the inside.
In an instant, Kumiko had then noticed the flaw in Alex's line.

…I've got it.

The two vehicles exited the hairpin, as Alex continued the lead with the GTO positioned at the corner of Alex's eye, tailing him closely as 'Crazy 4 U' – Koda Kumi kicked in.

Kumiko watched on at Alex's cornering. She quickly pulled the E-brake slightly, in order for her to copy the MR-2's angle of drift a little more accurately. Alex continued on, flying straight past the apex, yet this time, followed very closely by the GTO. The MR-2 had slightly flowed to the outside slowly, yet the GTO still had enough grip to maintain a closer line to the inside.
The two cars shot back out of the curve, with the 3000GT a part slightly catching the MR-2 on the side.

'sono kurayami de tsume wo migaite wa
nerai sadamete kuchibiru ubatta'

The next corner, Alex had partially figured what Kumiko had planned. He slowled down during the turn, trying to maintain an ideal path to conserve his grip. But the GTO had overpowered the MR-2 in this same method.

'shouganai desho kakugo kimete yo!
konya wa nagai yoru ni naru wa'

Alex knew he had to slow down in order to block Kumiko from taking the inside line. It was not over for him yet. But he could not tell what was the anxiety he began to feel whenever the GTO poked itself in his view constantly.
Suddenly, the GTO slowly moved near the outside line.

'itsumade mo kawaranai nante
arienai keredo (crazy 4 u … ) '

The short straightaway came up, and the GTO had now been catching up to the SW20 portion by portion. But it was not enough, as another sharp curve came up.
Alex tried to grip the inside yet again, in another attempt to keep Kumiko at bay. Yet this time, Kumiko did not fall for the bait, as she flung her car sliding around the outside and right around the SW20 while it lost speed trying to grab the inside.

'demo hontou wa zutto
kawaranai mama de itai no'

The two racers were now side by side, followed by another sharp curve coming at Kumiko's side of the road. As Alex began to try and drift around the GTO, Kumiko had bravelet attempted the same, while maintaining the inside line, warding off the MR-2 almost near the outside barrier.

'Crazy for your love!
sono te de kowareru hodo no hageshii wana!'

Alex was left with no other option but to brake in order to stop himself from moving further to the outside and hit the barrier, as he watched helplessly at the GTO slowly pulling up past him through the apex and near the exit.

'Only for you!
dakiai kuzureta mama no
It's love game!

The 3000GT had swiftly moved back in position upon exit, as Kumiko controlled her vehicle fluidly setting her vehicle for the straight. She had finally turned the tables on Alex, utilizing the full capability of her car combined with her skill, she was able to reverse Alex's own tactic against him as she proudly chomped the high speed corners of the final section of D1.

'kagiri naku tsuzuku yozora wa haruka kanata
yagate kuru kakekaenai kono asa'

Alex watched helplessly at his current state, moderating his vehicle's speed to tackle the remaining corners. He had no options left, or he would completely ruin the tyres if he had pushed any harder.
He could feel his defeat arriving slowly, realizing what an opponent he had just challenged.

Kumiko proudly completed the remaining sections of her home course confidently in relief. The mighty GTO flew past the pass in all great class, as Kumiko always was.

'Crazy for your love
sono te de dakareru tabi ni hageshiku naru
Only for you
honki ni naru no ga kowai
The trap of love'

Kumiko ran swiftly across the street in her vehicle, sharply taking the win with exclamation. Alex tailed behind and and passed the finish just half a second after the GTO.

'kasaneau sono kuchibiru ga furueteita
hontou no kokoro wo ima miseru wa'

And so it was done, Fukda Kumiko had finally struck the final blow on Bu Xia De, with Zui Hou R claiming it's superiority over all entities in street racing to date. At the end of the day, it had been once again, the Neon Serpent of D1 sitting at the top of the racing realm.

'Crazy for your love
sono te de kowareru hodo no hageshii wana
Only for you
dakiai kuzureta mama no
It's love game

kagiri naku tsuzuku yozora wa haruka kanata
yagate kuru kakekaenai kono asa'

Moments later, the two opponents had finally settled at the nearest tourist gallery at the foot of the Route D1 pass.
The MR-2 had parked itself in front of the 3000GT, just under the street lamps before the bridge.
Alex slowly stepped out and made his way to Kumiko.

"Well done," congratulated Alex.
Kumiko stepped out of her car, and shook hands with the loser.

"I apologize if I had made you feel insulted," said Alex.
"It's okay," Kumiko cut it short, "It was a good battle though,"
"I never doubted you for a second, Fukada," said Alex, "But I just had to see for myself, with my own two eyes. You delivered more than what I've asked for…"

"I don't need to be patronized," said Kumiko, "After all, I'm not the one that lost,"
"That's true," admitted Alex, taking the hit, "Through your performance last night, I can really see why you're such an inspiration for many female road racers out there, even males too. You know, even Reiko admits that she admires you a little,"
"Reiko?" laughed Kumiko.

"By the way, sorry about your student. How is he holding up? He refused my help last night and demanded me to leave him," wondered Alex.
"I guess that makes two of us on the retirement list," laughed Kumiko…

Days later after the ultimate demise of Bu Xia De's Street Elite, road racing just had not seem at it's prime craze at the moment. With Kumiko the icon barely ever in full active competition anymore and Fu Huo currently without a vehicle, fewer fanatics have been around Route D1 to see the true heavyweight competitors come out and play, other than the locals, such as Honey-C, MIVEC Club, and the newly established Convertible Connection (which is a dedicated team which only sports convertibles, such as MX-5's, S2000's, MR-2's, etc.) are more frequently present.

It was another typical day for Chuan Fu Huo, except for one major factor. His Lancer did not seem to run properly and is rather distorted in handling and efficiency.
Public transport was always an option. Koda's was a close fifteen-minute walk from his apartment. But Zui Hou's tuning branch was a different story.

Fu Huo stepped out of his door wearing dark pants and a dark gray blazer, as he locked up and made his way out on the street.
In a short moment, his cell phone began to beep. Fu reached for his pocket and noticed that he had been prank called by Kumiko.
She always had odd ways of looking after him. Instead of wasting some phone credit, they would usually prank each other to signal something or get their attention.

After a moment, Kumiko's 3000GT had slowly pulled up in front of Fu Huo out of nowhere.
Kumiko rolled down her window and called out to him, "Hey, let's get to work man. Come on, I'll give you a lift,"

"Thanks," it was a relief for Fu Huo. And just as he thought, Kumiko had always had a way of looking after him.

The two had continue to drive along the city, on their way to the Zui Hou R tuning branch in town. Fu Huo stared at the window, watching all the other drivers in their precious little cars.
He had not said a word, as he made himself comfortable sitting in Kumiko's GTO. It was his turn to ride with Kumiko, just like he had given her a ride in the legendary NA2.

"Fu Huo," began Kumiko softly.
"Yeah?"
"Listen to me…" continued Kumiko; "I've just had a discussion with the Emperor…"

Fu Huo knew the feeling inside him could not be good. He forgot all about what would happen if the Emperor had found out about his recent accident.

"Well… what did he say?" wondered Fu Huo.
"I was able to cut a deal with him," explained Kumiko. "I thought you should get a second chance…"

Second chance?

Kumiko continued, "I tried to convince the Emperor to let you have another shot. After all, he still sees some potential in you, and that you're of less use to him without a car,"

"So what are you saying?" asked Fu Huo curiously.
"Basically, the Emperor will allow you to have a second chance at racing again. Under certain conditions of course," explained Kumiko further.
"Really?" said Fu Huo surprisingly. "What are his conditions?"

Kumiko made a long pause, as she continued to drive her way around town. She calmly focused her eyes on the road, as she tried to contain her excitement.

"You don't have enough money to repair your Evo, do you? The Emperor's deal is that he'll allow us to repair it with Zui Hou R's resources for a certain cost,"
"Which are?"
"Since we're gonna be fitting your car with parts currently owned by Zui Hou R, then your Evo partially becomes property of Zui Hou," said Kumiko.
"So basically, they'll restore my car if they own half of it?" confirmed Fu Huo.
"Yes… that means you can use the car for your battles whenever you wish, but the car must stay at the base,"
"So I can't have it for personal use?" asked Fu Huo.
"Yes," replied Kumiko, "Think it over, ok? You don't have to decide now,"
"I appreciate you forwarding this with the Emperor, Ku. Thanks. I'll think about it," said Fu Huo, "So I get to use my car for battling, but I gotta return it back to headquarters when I'm not using it…"

"That's basically it. Besides, by the time we're finished with your car, I doubt it would be legal for everyday use anymore…"