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…
