ACT 3 – 3000RPM 'Stipulations'

Hyuga sat himself down at a table within a spectator's booth located along the upper level of the Zui HQ overlooking the test track that held a series of circuit training for the newcomer members that night as car screamed along the track and zoomed past each lap.
The Emperor stared out the window; as Ling Luan and Kumiko had sat down to join him on their break during the evening.
Ling took a sip of coffee and spoke, "Have you heard? Dreadnaught's gone to F5."
"Yeah. I figured as much," replied Hyuga. "Their motive does not interest me much. However, this Bao Fu person is rather puzzling."

"He should have arrived recently, as Raide had claimed," explained Ling. "As powerful as Raide claims Bao Fu to be, he has not shown much impact as of yet."
"Perhaps they plan to start at F5?" guessed Kumiko.

"That could be it," agreed the Emperor. "However… I just have this feeling… that what Raide says… it's all true. I just feel it somehow,"
"You do not fear this… Bao Fu, do you?" asked Kumiko.
"Fear is nothing to do with it. However, when you consider the factors… there is a high possibility that Dreadnaught still has the blueprints that Chuan Fu Huo had sold them. That means…" continued Emperor Hyuga.

"But wouldn't there also be a chance that Fu Huo lied?" contemplated Ling.
"No… if anything, Fu Huo did not lie at that time. He already knew that he would meet his end shortly after…" explained Kumiko. "KYOKO had already shown him his fate and that is the result."

"Hold on a sec… Do you think there would be a chance that Fu Huo himself is this new Emperor that Raide spoke of?" hunched Hyuga.
"We will never know until we meet him. But it makes sense… if Dreadnaught still plans to make use of the blueprints they had bought then they need a qualified test subject to pilot the program. I only know of two people who are able to handle such a system, and that is Minako and Fu Huo," guessed Kumiko.

"That is a valid theory. In that case, I'd like you to investigate more on Bao Fu and uncover his true identity. If he really is Fu Huo, then learn his motives while you are at it. Perhaps all hope of his existence still remains," ordered Hyuga.

"It's weird… even though his body was never found, it was all as if he was really dead," spoke Ling, "After racing alongside him for so long, then after a long and sudden disappearance… he comes back as our enemy…?"

"Then we must still meet with Bao Fu nonetheless. And hope that the new rise of power to Dreadnaught really isn't Fu Huo," said Kumiko.
"My original objective in this mission was to retrieve back the blueprints. I guess now I have to do both that and find out about Bao Fu," said Ling Luan.

"There's not much reason to doubt that it is Fu Huo. All along his main goal was to use KYOKO to conquer all he desires and now if he were alive, he would have direct access to it from Dreadnaught. Unless…"

"You mean… a third pilot for KYOKO has been found? Is that… Is that possible?" wondered Kumiko.
"It is just as possible as Fu Huo being alive," explained Hyuga.
"By the way… I don't think it would be wise to start any commotion about it. Raide and the rest of Dreadnaught still see us as allies. This should come easier to us than we think," said Ling.

"Ling could be right. After all, they are headed to F5, which is very much further away from us," suggested Kumiko, "If Fu Huo was in charge of them then the first thing he'd certainly do is prepare to overthrow us in the racing scene. Besides… 'we' were the ones who… tried to killed him."

"I wonder what the princess would think of this…" said Ling.
"It is best not to alarm her about it. She has already gone through much. It would be best to keep her as relaxed as possible," suggested Hyuga.

Meanwhile that evening, an underground drift show-off took place behind the scenes at the nearby D1 park track. Various competitors with various different vehicles made an appearance to either compete or spectate, though most of the competition had been forced to spectate due to the insurmountable results of certain two competitors.

Apart from the 180SX's, Silvia's, and Savanna RX-7's were two rather distinct vehicles from the same group representing the same team name. These two drivers came in the two rides; a yellow series 6 RX-7 FD3S, and a white NSX-R.
The West and Central Generals of Zui Hou R's D Unit tore down the show during the evening, as the only two remaining on the track.

Stephen accelerated his FD3S into the next lap and flew at an angular direction with great velocity down the twist. The screaming rotary roared its way past the audience as they cheered and chanted in praise of the yellow RX-7 from Zui Hou.
A short moment later, a great and soothing hum slowly began to approach the twist, moving in closer and closer. A bright white light shot out from the previous curve, lashing dust and smoke right into the sidelines and Minako began to fully accelerate.
The NSX-R nearly started to crabwalk the straightaway, then swiftly dived into the twist at such an extreme angle as tires spun and smoke began to clear. In an instant, the humming noise quickly faded away into the distance.

Stephen continued further on the track set-up, and motioned his vehicle's rear from the outside over as his FD's front nose was almost literally staring down the apex, followed by Minako in the NSX-R at full speed into the corner, steering hard with a quick loss of throttle and using the momentum to send the vehicle into the drift.
The NSX-R caught its way up to the RX-7, and the two Generals set themselves up for a twin drift…

Moments later, the two had slowly rolled in with the audience as the crowd cheered wildly for their efforts that evening. Stephen stood leaning on his FD makng himself busy chatting up with some ladies, as Minako stepped out of her car with a puzzled, yet shocked look on her face. She observed the crowd thoroughly, looking for the mysterious individual whom she had caught eye while she was drifting. However, it was only now that she had begun to remember it, as her concentration was absolute during the stunt.

People clapped and cheered on, as Minako looked toward them, observing keenly at a distant figure whom merely stood watching quietly and patiently among the bystanders. It was a young man whom appeared very familiar to Minako, having a face in which was forever engraved into her mind. The young man had dark brown hair, medium length that ran down past his ears and had fringes. He had a medium build and was a little tall and had a very familiar pair of sunglasses on. He wore a black leather jacket and some black slacks.

Oh it can't be… Is that…?

Minako did not blink for a long moment. Her face seemed really pale and cold as if she had just seen a ghost. "Hey what's wrong?" called out Stephen, noticing the strange look on Minako's face. She turned to glance at him, shaking her head, and then looked back into the crowd.
The young man she thought she had seen was gone.

Minako shook her head once more and thought to herself whether she was hallucinating. It was probably another side effect of KYOKO, she thought. But it has never done something like this.
What s going on?
She held her palm into her head, as Stephen made his way past the other people to come check on her.
"Princess, what's wrong?"

Minako looked down upon herself, eyes open wide as if she had just had a nightmare. "I… um, I don't feel well… I'm going home…" she explained.
"Should I escort you?" offered Stephen.
"It's okay… I can manage on my own…"
"What did you see out there anyway?"
"Nothing… maybe I'm just tired…"

After about an hour, the mountain pass of Route F5 slowly ran busy. Street racers had now occupied the place by ten o'clock, and the main treat came from none other than the Dreadnaught Racing Team.
Their second stringers and trainees ran a few downhills and hillclimb runs alike, awaiting themselves some challengers from the locals. The wind was harsh and thunder pierced through the senses of the galleries.
Near the sidelines were parked the high-ranking drivers of the group. There was Hokuto and his Pulsar, Raide and his S2000, and soon arrived the elevating presence of the Skyline prototype driven by Emperor Bao Fu. The 350GT passed through the tunnel section and cruised its way right back up and over at the starting point.
The Skyline parked beside the other cars, though it could hardly blend in as it had such an untamed and unseen aura surrounding its presence. The door opened, and Bao Fu slowly stepped out of the 350GT, dressed in a coat along with his mask.
The weather became colder, yet all was dry as Bao Fu made his way to greet Raide and the others.

"Running well tonight, sir?" asked Raide politely.
"Sure. Though I haven't seen anything spectacular tonight," commented Bao.
"Well, hopefully sir, the local champion will notice us as come to us. Our settlement here is merely a front to lure them out," claimed Raide.

"I'm not going to wait here all night," argued Bao, "Go and find me a worthy opponent,"

Hokuto then briefly interrupted with a suggestion, "Um, excuse me sir, but there might be an opponent who might be worthy of your time, here at F5," he announced. "A woman named Kanae. If she isn't worth your speed, she is still rather attractive, hehe… maybe you can…"

"I'm not here to waste my time on hookers," said Bao Fu aggressively, "I am here to demonstrate the power of AYUMI and cast the first wave of fear into this god-forsaken motorsport you call street racing."

"She's not a whore. Trust me, she was a runner up in the last tournament too!"explained Hokuto, who desperately wanted to catch a glimpse of the woman named Kanae.
"Is there anyone else?" wondered Raide.
"Um, not that I know of. Kanae is apparently one of F5's fastest,"

Several minutes have past, and Bao Fu had lost patience. He slowly walked over to his car and reached for the door. By then, a distant engine noise could be heard coming from the opposite direction, which was the route upwards to the provincal area surrounding F5. This hurling sound caught Bao Fu's attention for a moment.

Vrrrrrrmmm…!

It's an SR20 turbo… hm… well so what…

A pearl aqua Sileighty with a strawberry-faced conversion had soon arrived at the scene, hissing and growling at the crowd as it slowly rolled by near the starting point. Various ornaments and small little stuffed animals sat along the dashboard and Bao quickly thought to himself that it must be a female driver.

"There she is!" announced Hokuto, "That's Kanae!"
"This… 180SX is the best of F5?" asked Bao, "There is nothing here that compares to AYUMI after all,"

"You might wanna give her a chance, Master Bao. It's not the car that's important, is the woman's skills," suggested Raide.
"I'll go and talk to her for you," volunteered Hokuto.

Kanae slowly and shyly stepped out of her vehicle, observing the scenery that was taking place. She nervously looked around and witnessed a group who were strangers to F5, as well as strangers to her. Hokuto had then slowly approached her and greeted her, "Um… good evening. You are Kanae?"
"Uh…yes," replied Kanae softly.
"You have come here to race, have you not? Well I do not want to waste your time, but I have an opponent who has heard of your incredible talents and achievements and wants to challenge you," explained Hokuto.

"I can make challenges for myself in person," interrupted Bao Fu, who intimidatedly walked up to the conversation impatiently, wishing to challenge the local champion. "I do not need you to do it for me,"
"Um… okay, sorry sir," apologized Hokuto.

Kanae looked up onto the Emperor Bao Fu. She gave him her usual puppy-dog beady-eyed look and could not speak a word. She did not feel very comfortable, as Bao's mask expressed no emotion whatsoever. On the other hand, Bao observed Kanae, but only for a short moment. It seemed that he had already made up his mind and just by glancing at her, it was clear that he was not about to treat her like she was on his level.

"I am Emperor Bao Fu of Dreadnaught R. I already know who you are. They say your are the best along this course, are you not?" introduced Bao.
"Um… I am unsure…" replied Kanae.
"Then if you do not mind, let us find out, shall we?" persisted Bao.
"Okay…um… yes…" Kanae looked down upon herself shyly and began to ask, "How much wage?"
"Twenty-five large. How 'bout that?" suggested Bao, "Can you handle it?"
"That's fine. What are your conditions?"

Bao Fu tucked his hands in his pocket and began to think. At last, an idea had struck his head.
To make things more interesting, he suggested, "How about a sudden-death outrun? You are familiar with this are you not?"

"Yes, but that style of battle is not suited to this course as there is a hillclimb and downhill section," explained Kanae.

"Okay then, how about this; you speed ahead while I tail behind. If I am unable to pass you, you win. If I do, then I win. Is that okay with you?" said Bao.

Is he serious? Does he plan on winning that way? Maybe this is just his way of analyzing the course before he really turns things up?
"Um… I guess that's possible… But don't you think…"
"…it is unfair?" asked Bao, "I like to defeat my opponents as disadvantaged as I could possibly do it. That way, I can show them just how hopeless they are in reality…"

Reiko stood on the balcony, staring at the dark clouded sky that continued to conceal the moon as lightning flashed across the night. She leaned on the sliding door, arms crossed and thought to herself. Moments later, her husband Fao walked in to greet her and ask her to return inside to shelter from the turbulent weather.
They walked inside, as Fao began to speak in a soft yet serious voice, "You've heard about tonight, haven't you?"
"About F5? Yes, of course. But it is none of our business," commented Reiko.
"Oh okay. I just thought it would be in the best interest of Bu Xia De to survey this battle. A storm is brewing up, and it is coming from the Dreadnaughts. It is only a matter of time before they settle toward you and your crew," guessed Fao. "Should my sister lose tonight, they will definitely come for you and the others,"

"And hasn't the D Unit taken any action about this new situation?" wondered Reiko.
"Why are you so concerned about Zui Hou R? You guys no longer have any business with them. You should really try and act on your own, without any input from them,"
"I'm not saying we should work together with Zui Hou," explained Reiko, "In fact, we still consider them as our enemy. However, if we are to keep a clear shot on either side of us, we must not let any other obstacles get in between us."

Fao shrugged, "You act like you still have a chance against them. So be it. But at least be ready to defend your team once the Dreadnaughts aim toward you."
"And you're acting like you are still in the racing business," backed up Reiko, "You're not going to lend us a hand, are you?"
"Hmm… no. Although it is rather interesting to me, I do not want to get myself fully involved. Besides, I would not dare take my car to a mountain pass, or even the track for that matter,"

Reiko continued, "Anyway, to get to the point, we can take on the Dreadnaughts by ourselves. I'll warn Jeni and Sly, yet it is not like such a small threat would worry Alex,"
Fao grinned slightly, and said, "You are not only up against Gallard Raide. I hear the Dreadnaughts have acted under a new lead. Bao Fu, as he is called, and there are rumours of that individual possessing a new unknown street weapon. They say it's the most lethal vehicle to ever be used on the street to date,"
"Not while my Spirit R still has a drop of gasoline it ain't," bragged Reiko.

The couple had then decided to take a short walk to their home garage. Loud howling noises could be heard from outside due to the harsh wind. Not even their own footsteps across the marble tiles could be heard around the house.
Fao and Reiko had stepped into the garage. There lay their everyday activity family car, an AMG E55. Next to it, was none other than a titanium gray RX-7 Spirit R.

"You haven't changed the settings since then, haven't you?" asked Fao.
"No… not since that battle with Chuan Fu Huo," admitted Reiko, "Though it is specifically modified to racing at Route H3."
"Route H3 can still be as unpredictable, even for the local champions. The weather can really change the attitude of the entire course itself…"
"My car's spring rate has been set on my own as well as the new shocks. I have just recently replaced the superslicks and I…"
"Hold it… your car isn't set for Route H3. It's been set for your team circuit track," explained Fao.
"Huh? So what?"
"Your aerodynamic settings are from the last annual competition, am I right?" continued Fao. "Listen, I am not too sure how you were defeated by Chuan Fu Huo, but he did use my sister's car after all. She has a different set-up from you; actually, her ride is less stable. Her car is more tuned for the street compared to yours. If you want, I will ask her for some assistance after her battle… She told me something about a special brake and suspension setting combination she learned from a certain friend…"
"So Kanae did not fully customize her vehicle on her own? Is that what you're trying to say?"

I do not understand… my modifications are state of the art compared to Kanae's… But it is true, my style is track battle after all… But what would minor changes in settings matter? With the right skill, one can adapt and correct it's own errors on road.
Reiko had no comment. Her pride somehow did not want to rely on even Kanae's help. She stared at her RX-7's bonnet, staring at her reflection.
Kanae, please don't lose…