ACT 6 – 6000RPM 'War Briefing'
Twelve days have passed; the legends of the past, present and future come together into one epic battle in accordance to one man's ideal. Aware of their odds being outnumbered two to one, many of Zui Hou had already taken notice toward the new threat. Racing is a sport. Road racing is an illegal sport. But what was to take place was to be known as a 'war'. On one hand, lies the steadily growing power of the new Bu Xia De and Dreadnaught R alliance lead by Emperor Bao Fu – the Super Dreadnaught. The other opposition lies the ever concealing Zui Hou R and the Shireishou Divine Unit Generals.
Hyuga had
called in the remaining of the few elite as well as the currently
active Divine Unit Generals in a brief meeting down at the
headquarters that afternoon. He stood at the podium, in front of the
announcer's booth located along the track, overlooking the starting
grid where all the members had stood to listen to the Emperor's
announcement.
However, most participants were more student racers
and learner drivers, as the rest were consisted of mechanics rather
than active drivers. Not all of the organization was actually blind
of the incoming invasion. Hyuga had already predicted the odds and
organized a stand against the opposing forces of Super Dreadnaught.
"We have layed in the shadows long enough, though through our current and immediate exposure, we have never lost a battle as far as I can remember," praised Hyuga. "The champions of all other provinces have united to pit themselves against the champions of the ultimate racing organization,"
Emperor Hyuga continued, "Zui Hou after all, means the 'final ultimate'. I guess if there was ever a time that we should prove just that, then there is no better chance than this!"
The generals and other road racers alike fully agreed and cheered as Hyuga continued to speak to his warriors of the road. When his speech was over, Hyuga had kindly asked his remaining Divine Unit members to stay behind and privately discuss on the situation.
"What exactly are we up against?" Hyuga asked Kumiko. "We have the finest racers in the region. We may not have a perfect record, but as a team, we are undefeated. But our adversaries have now joined forces, shared resources, exchanged knowledge, and have overall grown stronger. Kumiko, can we win this war?"
"The merger with Bu Xia De and Dreadnaught have surely gained them much resources both technologically, financially and the share of roster, giving them a significant advantage," began Kumiko, "Let us begin with the Street Elite, the more significant adversaries. Our Divine Unit has defeated them in the past, though barely managing two loses, from General S and the previous General X."
"I say we can win,"
claimed Ling Luan, "They might have improved, but so have we."
"The
Street Elite shouldn't be a concern. It's the new Dreadnaught I'm
worried about," said Stephen.
Mark stepped in and added, "If
their Emperor took over Bu Xia De to begin with, we're just going
to have to prove to them that we are better than even both of them
combined!"
"By the way," continued Kumiko, "I have
organized a meeting with their Emperor already,"
"Really? It
is about time," said Hyuga.
"We still haven't uncovered the
mystery behind Bao Fu. Perhaps with this battle, we can achieve all
our goals in one swift strike," said Stephen
confidently.
Meanwhile, Bao Fu himself had made a last preparation for his own force, before he prepares himself to confront Zui Hou R's representative in order to announced the proper official challenge. At Dreadnaught headquarters, members of Bu Xia De had also been invited to attend the briefing. These individuals of today whom spent their lives behind the wheel have no doubt treated the situation as if their own lives were at stake, even if they were not. To a lot of these people, road racing and driving is probably the only thing they have left. However, the true intentions of the one man known as Bao Fu have yet to surface, though it was quite clear that those intentions were great, considering the grand stage that he had just set in this battle of the biggest racing teams of the region.
Bao Fu stood in front of his comrades and began, "We have had our differences in the past, but then now I guess we are brought together to share our similarities. We have at least one similarity, and that is to be the best of the best on the road today,"
The Emperor continued,
"We will divide our force into three waves. One for Bu Xia De, one
for Dreadnaught, and finally, one for me,"
"What exactly is
your plan, Master Bao?" asked Alex, "Zui Hou R will definitely
not be a walk in the park, as we've face them before. We have been
defeated by them before, though neither of us closely compare to
their Divine Unit Generals,"
"Oh yes you do. Don't look
so down upon yourself," cheered up Raide.
"We will have Alex
and his crew take care of one definite nuisance that have aided Zui
Hou R for quite some time now. That is why I have wanted to take you
guys in the first place," explained Bao Fu, turning to Alex, "I
will leave you in charge of taking out Zui Hou's greatest ally, the
Notorious Angel,"
"Notorious Angel? But what makes you so
sure they will be involved in this?" wondered Reiko.
"It's
all part of my plan," explained Bao, "It is part of the process
for me to lure a certain someone out,"
"Just leave the
planning to the Emperor," suggested Raide.
"Where will you and
the Emperor be?" asked Alex.
"I won't be around during this
battle," explained Bao, "Raide and I will have to confront Zui
Hou's representative, to deal with another issue at hand,"
"Okay,
then it is settled. We'll easily outrun the N-Angel racers, but
without you in battle, who will take on the Divine Unit?" agreed
Reiko.
"That's right. I think we should focus more on them.
After all, they have Kouda Minako," reminded Alex.
"Kouda
Minako is nothing. And I'm having Kanae take care of the D Unit,"
claimed Bao.
"M-me…?" noticed Kanae by surprise, "Are
you…?"
"Yes, I am sure. You'll be fine. Just don't
disappoint me," continued Bao, "You'll be taking them all on at
once in a highway outrun,"
Kanae was rather stunned with the
news, though she was used to all the surprises by now. Bao Fu had
always been hard on her. She did not have much of a choice. Kanae
also knew that Bao would force her to use the AYUMI again.
Moments
later, the briefing had ended and Bao Fu had made his way onto the
driveway along with his escort. Raide and a few other members have
tagged along in SUV's and sports sedans. It seemed that Bao Fu did
not intend to take the 350GT with him. For such a small meeting,
there seemed to be an unusual amount of escort.
The group had drove out of the Dreadnaught headquarters on their way to the designated parking lot building, where they are due to meet up with Zui Hou's representative…
"Are we sure that all of us are completely ready for this? I hope you all don't think that we have nothing to lose," explained Hyuga, who stood along the pit lane around the Zui Hou test track, observing his team. "I am certain that Bao Fu plans to wager everything in this battle, just like with Bu Xia De. However, we are sending our representative to confirm all of the battle's purposes and meaning. That way, we know how high the stakes really are and what their true motives are,"
"I'm ready. My and this good ol' CT9A
have never been so pumped," said Ling, "The Evo and I feel that
we are going to win a great victory tonight,"
"So does my FD!"
added Stephen.
"I'll do my best," said Mark.
"Hold
on a sec…" interrupted Kumiko, "Where is Shijian?"
"Oh,
I have sent him on a seminar on another region and won't be back
for another week," explained Hyuga.
Away from the main
group, Minako stood by, leaning her back pressed on the wall with her
arms crossed, overhearing the conversation. She knew that she was
probably one of the most important factors in the situation. Though
she was not taking the battle as seriously as others. She believed
them to be fools at heart, as she was the only one who had an
alternate future other than racing.
Minako was dressed in a mere
singlet and hotpants and some comfortable sneakers, which gave her a
bit of an urban look as she stood silently, looking down without
emotion almost as if she was meditating.
"What about
General X?" wondered Ling Luan. "Surely, we will still have an
edge with the NSX-R on our side?"
"Indeed," said Mark,
"Minako, will you be joining us?"
Minako opened her eyes
and stood off the wall and replied, "I'm sorry. KYOKO won't be
joining this battle."
"How come?" asked Kumiko.
"I have
to take care of something," said Minako, as she slowly walked off
and made her way to her garage.
"Okay then, that settles it. I hope you are all ready. I have to leave and confront Bao Fu in order to settle the issue on the Chuan Fu Huo transaction from long ago," departed Kumiko, "I'll be back soon. Hopefully, I'll be able to join you guys,"
Kumiko then rushed off, making all the way to her GTO in excitement, though at the same time, very nervous. She had not been this nervous in a long time. Though she also had a stinging thought in her mind, which was the strong possibility of Bao Fu actually being Fu Huo in disguise. She hoped so hard that she would not have to find out, and even though she already is about to do so, she wished that it really were not him. Yet it was all out of her hands, it would cause her a bit of pain to even consider her beloved student as her enemy, even just after the phase of accepting the fact that he was dead.
The rest of the
Generals had made their way to their garages in order to prepare
their vehicles for the battle ahead against Super
Dreadnaught.
Feeling like a hero on a mission, Ling Luan jumped
into his Lancer and started praying for luck and safety.
He
rested his fate on the legendary Lancer Evolution in which he had
only recently become acquainted and fell in love with. Moments later,
he began to hear footsteps, walking toward him and his car just
before he reached for the ignition to start the car.
Ling rolled
down his windows, as Minako stopped by to see him off.
"Hello,
Princess," greeted Ling.
Minako cut short and began to speak
softly, as she revealed an item that she carried in her arms and
handed it to Ling, "I have a bad feeling," she spoke, "You have
to make sure you are absolutely ready."
Ling was shocked at what he had just taken from Minako, and held it in front of him, observing it closely. "This…this is…? No way, Princess, I can't!"
Ling had just realized that Minako had just given him the old helmet unit that was once used in the old version of the KYOKO System before the headset and visor came along. Just by catching sight of it gave him the chills.
"You can do it, Ling. Put the helmet on. I have a feeling you're going to need it. Of course, the system is not wired to your vehicle, so you can't change the settings onboard. However, it should still do well in assisting you with some data on the situation. Let her guide you in this fight, my brother. I have programmed it so that you can activate by calling out her name. Just say the name 'KYOKO', and she will take care of the rest."
"No, Princess! You know I can't
do it! There's just no way, I…" complained Ling, who seemed to
undermotivated to use the dangerously intimidating KYOKO
duplicate.
"Good luck." With nothing more to say, Minako made
her way out of Ling Luan's garage. The soft breeze brushed through
her thin-layered hair as she slowly made her way over to her own
garage.
In fact, she was actually the one who was more serious
about the situation than anyone else. Making Ling Luan use the KYOKO
System was a clear sign of just how serious she really was.
With great doubt, Ling Luan merely placed the helmet on the passenger's seat next to him, with no intention of using KYOKO, as he accelerated out of the garage and continued to join the other members…
Hokuto had then taken his time to accompany Kanae down to the main garage area, Super Dreadnaught's own pit lane located on their circuit-like setup in an abandoned airfield. The sun had begun to set as Kanae followed her new ally on their way to her designated garage. Hokuto began to explain the remainder of Bao Fu's will to her as he handed Kanae a new set of keys.
"You're giving me a new car?" wondered
Kanae.
"No, the Emperor said that he would make you drive this
one car specifically for this one race," explained Hokuto, "To
tell you the truth, I had not seen it myself, but from the key
design, I bet I can take a good guess,"
Kanae still had a lot of doubt in her mind. She had let Bao Fu control her almost too many times. She had basically let him take advantage of her as much as he possibly could. I hope that he would not provide me with a car that I am not comfortable with…
"Emperor says
that there is nobody else left in this base more qualified to drive
this thing than you," continued Hokuto, opening the garage
doors.
They walked in, as they approached the cloaked vehicle
while Hokuto continued to explain, "As long as you use AYUMI, you
will be victorious no matter what it is,"
Kanae stepped up to the vehicle and began to unveil it herself, with the help of Hokuto. They slowly exposed Emperor Bao Fu's own sick idea of a symbol for revenge – a black Lancer Evolution, armed with a HKS Kansai kit. The ever-familiar Evo stared fiercely out of door, while Kanae almost fell over in astonishment.
"He…he… wants me
to drive this?" surprised Kanae.
"Oh my… of all the cars…
it had to be this one… and it just had to be prepared in this
manner…?" added Hokuto.
Kanae walked around the Lancer,
observing it closer. The car had such a striking resemblance to Chuan
Fu Huo's old 'Resurrection' CP9A. Its presence alone
overwhelmed the two racers, and also in spite of the fact that they
clearly remember exactly who this car reminded them of.
However,
Hokuto had noticed something a little different.
"This model
is an Evolution VI TM Edition… though Bao Fu had customized it to
look like Fu Huo's reborn Evolution V," examined Hokuto.
"I
see… I finally understand now," began Kanae, "This is Bao Fu's
way… he wants me to defeat the D Unit Generals… as Chuan Fu Huo
tonight…"
"I realize that Master Bao had really prepared
for this. By lending you this car, he really wants you to win this
battle for him," said Hokuto.
"I guess I'm… a little
scared," said Kanae, "Though I don't know whether I'm either
too scared to drive this thing, or too scared to disappoint the
Emperor…"
The
evening had finally arrived, and Kumiko stood at the top of one of
the parking lot buildings where the fateful meeting between the two
representatives was organized to take place. As usual, she wore a
thin gown-like dress, though she also wore a pair of sneakers, which
did not really match yet it was a clear sign that she had prepared
for something she would most likely be dragged into.
Kumiko stood
and leaned against her 3000GT, awaiting the arrival of the one
Emperor Bao Fu and his escort.
She felt as nervous as ever, which
was quite unusual for someone like her. She thought that perhaps it
was not wise for her to meet him alone.
After a short moment,
the stinging noise of about a dozen vehicles made their way upward,
signaling the coming of great company. A group of SUVs and sports
sedans had pulled up and surrounded Kumiko's GTO, preparing to stop
and barricade all her means of exit.
Without wasting further time,
the man himself had stepped out of one of the SUVs, dressed in his
usual trench coat, suit and of course, his red mask that made him
look like some sort of wrestler.
"Good to see you, Fukada
Kumiko of Zui Hou. You look splendid, even far better than what I
have heard," complimented Bao. "As you probably know, my name is
Bao Fu,"
"Save it, Bao. We need to talk. But first, is all
this really necessary?"
"What? You mean the escort? I sort of
figured that you would have done the same,"
"No. I was under
the expectation that you and I would be due to meet each other…
without any strings attached," fired Kumiko.
"Oh well,"
laughed Bao, "Looks like you've screwed up even before we've
gotten started, hm?"
"I assume that you have won your
victories over those you have conquered, through the use of our own
KYOKO System, am I correct?"
"No doubt that you are correct,"
agreed Bao, "Is this the important issue you wish to
discuss?"
"That is only one matter. I am requested to retrieve
back the stolen blueprints you have purchased from Chuan Fu Huo,
several months ago. I stand here before you now with no bodyguards
and I ask that you kindly return them and any other product produced
from it back to us," negotiated Kumiko.
"Oh you're no
fun," teased Bao, "You really want it that simple, huh?"
"Why
have you come here, Bao Fu? What purpose does KYOKO serve you in the
first place?" Kumiko cut short and went straight to her main point.
"Hey now, getting a little hasty are we? Is this your way
of asking my number?" Bao teased on.
"I already have it, and
that's not what I'm here for. What business do you have here
thinking you can just challenge us to a race war for such stakes?"
persisted Kumiko.
"Haha… and I thought you people were
supposed to be sophisticated," mocked Bao, "Have you heard of the
initials, L.F.D?"
"What are you talking about?"
"L.F.D,
or 'LilFiloDriftah', as his codename states. He is the chief
representative of the United Racers alliance – the biggest
gathering of racing teams in the region, as well as the organization
that have sent me here on my mission," explained Bao Fu.
"Your
mission?"
"Yes, and the main objective is to conquer the
greatest competitors, who devote their lives to this dangerous form
of motorsport and forcefully merge them with the United Racers."
"So…
you've come to merge all the racing teams here for these 'United
Racers' group?"
"That's only one part of my design, I am
also here on a personal account,"
"And what would that be?"
continued Kumiko.
"To carry out the will of Chuan Fu Huo,"
"What
did you say?"
"That's right. Chuan Fu Huo was my only contact into this region of road racers before I have come down myself. I had told him about our unification project and agreed to carry it out on his own. Before his untimely death, he vowed to be the person who will unite and bring all three factions together as their chief representative. In his own design, he wished that the final, the strongest of all the teams be conquered last and in a matter that resembles their own customs. That is the reason for the duplicated KYOKO System, and this mask as your Emperor also wears a mask. There is nothing that can defeat Zui Hou other than Zui Hou itself, as he once said,"
"Since when was he in league
with the United Racers?" asked Kumiko.
"About five months
before he died," confessed Bao. "Now all that is needed is the
fall of Zui Hou. And all will come to one in unity under the United
Racers, though not under Chuan Fu Huo, but under Bao Fu,"
"In
any case, we cannot allow you to continue your project. You must
surrender the KYOKO duplicate to us," demanded Kumiko.
"I was
getting to that. But I don't think it would be that easy,"
laughed Bao, "You'll have to defeat me first. Are you up for it?
Give me your best racer and accept my challenge!"
"Fine. So be
it. I'll defeat you myself!" announced Kumiko. "And for Zui
Hou, we will take everything away from you, as a reversal of all you
plan for us. Though our Emperor no longer wears a mask as he aims to
leave his true image etched in your minds being the fools that you
are who thought you could overthrow Zui Hou!"
"It is
settled then, though we will race on your own conditions,"
requested Bao Fu.
"My conditions? Okay… well first of all, I
want to know exactly who I am up against!"
"You're really
dying to see, aren't you?" teased Bao, "Okay, fine then."
The
Emperor turned around slightly, and slowly pulled off the mask out of
his head. Layers of platinum dyed hair lay down as he turned to look
at Kumiko.
Bao Fu had the face of a young man, who had pale white
skin and blue eyes. The man looked half-European, half-Asian and he
had thin and medium length platinum hair and a small silver stud on
his left ear.
Kumiko sighed in relief, as she looked down upon him
and then looked away.
"You look disappointed," spoke Bao
Fu in his proper voice, which sounded like a calm and charming young
teenage voice, "Who did you expect to see… Brad Pitt?"
Kumiko
ignored the comment and responded sharply, "I am redirecting the
battle to Route C4. Since there is no one left qualified in that
area, I will be defending that course which remains yet to be
conquered!"
"Haha, that is fine. How appropriate to have
your own defeat staged in the hall of the legends," insulted Bao Fu
as he placed his mask back on and closed it. "Ten o'clock tonight
then,"
"You got it!"
Bao Fu seemingly rushed his way
back to the SUV as if he needed to retreat very quickly. He stepped
up into the vehicle and shut the door quickly, and sat next to
Raide.
"That was well done. You did great out there," said
Raide.
