A/N: Hello and welcome back. Now, as I said, I will continue this story because I know there are some of you that still want to see this story through to the end. Also, sorry for not being active as much last month, but things got complicated on my end, and my schedule is really pushing me back right now. So, this month, I'll be active and make more chapters for this story. So, thanks so much for being patient and taking an interest in this story. It means a lot to me.

Now, this chapter is where the racing really begins. Even though its training, you'll still get some action-packed racing in the upcoming chapters. So, without further ado, buckle up and prepare for a wild ride.

Disclaimer: Hyperdimension Neptunia belongs to Idea Factory and Compile Heart, Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit belongs to EA, any cars used in this story belong to their respective brands and any references used in this story belong to their rightful owners.

Hyperdimension Racing: Hot Pursuit

Chapter 3 PT 1: Planeptune Training

The next day, Neptune and Nepgear drove their vehicles to the training track at the Planeptune Speedway to meet up with the others. Neptune still couldn't believe that Rei Ryghts, of ALL people, managed to pull the M3 GTR card yesterday, no thanks to Noire's cockiness. But most importantly, she couldn't believe she was stuck with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, one of the worst cars in NFS: Hot Pursuit. She knew VERY well that the Lancer Evo X isn't one of the best vehicles in Hot Pursuit or its remaster, but yet, she is stuck with it.

"I can't believe I ended up drawing this car. I'm the protagonist, and yet I'm given something like this? What the heck, author?" Neptune muttered to herself, eyes focused on the road.

"Um, Neptune, you do know your radio is on, right? I can hear you." Nepgear said on the other end.

"Whatever. Let's just get this day of training over with." Neptune said before turning her radio off.

In her car, Nepgear let out a sigh and shrugged it off.

"This is going to be a LONG day..." Nepgear thought to herself.

12:00pm, Planeptune Speedway

After that quick drive, Neptune and Nepgear arrived at the Planeptune Speedway. The sisters parked in the parking lot, exited their vehicles and walked into the main building to meet up with the others. Inside the office, the girls were sitting, with Iffy and Compa at the front. Neptune and Nepgear took their seats before Iffy began her announcement.

"Good afternoon, girls. Now that everyone is here, ready for a day of training? Iffy asked.

"Yes!" Kurome, Uzume and Adult Neptune answered in unison.

"Wait a minute. Where is Rei?" B-Sha asked, now noticing that Rei was not amongst the group.

"She said that she would be practicing by herself today. You see, I told her about the training that we'd be doing, and she said that she didn't want to risk the M3 GTR getting damaged before the tournament, so...yeah." Iffy answered.

"Makes sense. I mean, the BMW M3 GTR is a prized possession. No one in the world would want to see that car demolished. No one." Kurome said.

"Agreed." Adult Neptune added.

"Why does it matter? In the tournament, the cars are going to be damaged anyway, due to the possible obstacles and the chasers, so why is it important for her to practice by herself instead of being here with all of us?" Neptune asked.

"Nep, can you please stop? Can you please stop for five minutes?" Iffy asked.

Neptune only rolled her eyes in response.

"Wow. Nepsy is still salty about her vehicle choice, huh?" Uzume asked.

"Yeah. She's been like this all night." Nepgear answered.

"Oh, come on, Nep-Nep. At least you didn't get a terrible car choice like Noire." B-Sha replied. "Speaking of, I wonder how Noire is doing."

"I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to drop out due to her choice. It seems like she cared too much about her image and reputation." Kurome said. "Classic Noire."

"Agreed." The other girls said in unison.

"Okay, everyone. We're getting off topic. Now, any questions before we begin?" Iffy asked, getting back to the situation at hand.

"Um, yeah. What kind of training will this be?" Nepgear added.

"Good question, Nepgear. First, let me ask everyone this. Does anyone here know of "Nascar?" Iffy asked.

The girls nodded in unison.

"Well today, we'll be doing a classic nascar inspired race in this stadium. Now, we were given permission to use this speedway as our training ground until the tournament, so what we're going to be doing is 3 laps around the racetrack. Think of this as a practice race, to get us prepared." Iffy explained. "Now, any other questions?"

"Um, yeah... One more question. Did anyone check the website this morning? I ask because I forgot to check it." Nepgear asked.

"Now that you mention it, yes. Some of the rules got updated." Iffy said, pulling up the website on her phone. "Okay. So, we don't have to worry about damaging the cars before the tournament, cause if the cars get damaged, we gotta return to Chuko's shop to have them repaired the day before the tournament begins."

"Again...My point on why Rei can't join us?" Neptune butted in.

Iffy groaned upon hearing Neptune's comment and decided to ignore it.

"Okay...Any other questions?" Iffy asked.

"Yeah. Any news on the chasers yet?" Uzume asked.

"Not yet. Man, they're taking their sweet time hiring drivers." Iffy answered. "I wonder why they're taking so long. Anyway, anything else?"

The girls didn't reply, indicating they no longer had any questions.

"No further questions. Now, let's get to the racing." Adult Neptune replied.

"Heh. Eager to start, are we? Well, okay then. Get into your vehicles and meet us on the track." Iffy said before she and Compa left the office.

On the racetrack...

On the racetrack, the girls were in their cars, positioned like a real stock car race. Meanwhile, Compa was standing to the side of the starting line, two flags in hand, ready to start the race.

"Oh yeah! I know this is a practice race, but still, I'm going to win this thing!" Adult Neptune exclaimed, letting the other girls hear her.

"Heh. We'll see about that, Adult Nepsy." Uzume replied. "Best of luck, Kurome."

"I wish the same for you." Kurome stated.

"Alright, everyone. I wish you all luck, cause you're going to need it." B-Sha said before looking back at the track.

"Neptune, I wish you the best of luck. May the best Planeptune CPU win." Nepgear said, waving to her sister.

Neptune didn't say anything and instead took a few deep breaths and gripped the steering wheel. She and the other girls gave each other looks of determination before looking towards the track. Just then, they heard the sound of a motorbike. They turned to see Iffy riding her green motorcycle and she postioned in between Neptune and Adult Neptune.

"Alright, everyone! This will be a clean race! I don't want to see any shunting or boosting. Even though we'll be allowed to do this in the tournament, this practice bout will be focused on speed. Which one of us is fast?" Iffy explained.

"Me!" The girls said in unison.

"We'll see about that." Iffy muttered under her breath.

Compa walked in between the front cars, checkered flags in hand. She raised them up and started the countdown.

"Racers ready? 3..."

Neptune and Nepgear gripped their steering wheels in anticipation. They had their foot close to the gas pedal, ready to go.

"2..."

Adult Neptune and Kurome revved the engines of their high-class vehicles, alongside Uzume.

"1..."

B-Sha looked at the other racers in anticipation, then back at the track ahead of her. She had her hands gripping the steering wheel of her vehicle.

"GO!"

Compa brought down the checkered flags in a swift motion, signaling the racers to begin. The girls slammed on the gas, causing them all to zoom past her and race away. Once the path was clear, Iffy started up her motorbike and zoomed past Compa. With that, the race began.

LAP 1

Uzume and Kurome were dueling for 1st place while Adult Neptune was catching up. Meanwhile, B-Sha was ahead of Neptune and Nepgear, but at the same time, she was trying to prevent Iffy from passing her. Whenever Iffy tried to past her from the inside or the outside, B-Sha would swerve to that same side, preventing Iffy from passing her.

"Damn. B-Sha is REALLY holding her position. I'm going to have to fake her out if I want ANY chance of passing her." Iffy thought to herself.

Iffy went ahead and put her plan in action. She steered to the left, and that was when B-Sha swerved to the left to prevent Iffy from passing her. However, Iffy quickly steered to the right, catching B-Sha off guard. B-Sha was unable to react in time and almost lost control of her car, giving Iffy a window of opportunity.

"Heh. Not bad, B-Sha. However, I've seen better." Iffy exclaimed as she passed her.

"Clever girl..." B-Sha groaned as she regained control of her car and slammed down on the gas.

Meanwhile, Neptune and Nepgear were in the back of the pack, dueling it out for a higher position.

"I gotta say, for someone who has a low tier vehicle, you're sure keeping up with me." Nepgear said.

"Easy for you to say. You have a low tier as well!" Neptune pointed out.

"Well, considering neither of us are going to make it into the top three, let's see who has the fastest low-tier car." Nepgear stated.

"You're on, even though there is no challenge here because I'm the protagonist." Neptune replied confidently.

Nepgear only groaned in response.

LAP 2

First lap has been completed, and Uzume had an instant lead, but Kurome was catching up in an instant. Uzume tried to stay on the inside, keeping Kurome from passing her, but her plan backfired when Adult Neptune drove past her. Uzume was completely oblivious to Adult Neptune's presence that she forgot that she was close to her and Kurome.

"Huh? Adult Neptune just passed us." Uzume said on her radio.

"Yeah. For a moment there, I forgot she was even behind us." Kurome replied on her radio.

Uzume pushed down on the gas pedal and positioned herself behind Adult Neptune, gaining the slipstream advantage. However, Adult Neptune saw Uzume in one of her rear-view mirrors.

"Is she using slipstream? Clever, but not clever enough." Adult Neptune thought to herself.

Just then, Adult Neptune moved to the outside, giving Uzume the opportunity to pass her, only for Adult Neptune to go behind Uzume and gain the slipstream advantage.

"What the? Hey! That was my tactic!" Uzume exclaimed.

While the two were going back and forth, gaining slipstreams off each other, Kurome took that as an opportunity to pass them both. However, during the back and forth struggle, Adult Neptune accidently bumped the left side of Kurome's car, causing her to lose control and spin off course.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH" Kurome cried as she tried to regain control of her car driving on the grassy area.

"Whoops. Sorry Kurome." Adult Neptune thought to herself as she regained first place.

"Adult Nep! If you spin someone out again, you'll be disqualified!" Compa's voice echoed through the speakers.

Meanwhile, Neptune and Nepgear were still dueling for a higher position, none of them making any progress whatsoever.

LAP 3

The final lap was underway, and Adult Neptune, Uzume and Kurome were dueling for first place, while B-Sha was ahead of Iffy once again. Kurome had a lot of ground to make up since she spun out of control. Adult Neptune looked at her rear-view mirrors and saw Uzume on the left AND Kurome on the right.

"Give it up, Adult Nepsy. No matter which one you block, the other one will pass you." Uzume stated.

The finish line was just inches away, and she had two Pagani Zondas behind her. Adult Neptune had to do something, She could either block one, but the other one passes her and wins, or she could attempt to block them both at the same time. The second option may be playing it risky, as she could possibly lose control of her car and flip it over, but in all honesty, what other choice did she have?

She decided to try and attempt to block them both at the same time. She swerved from left to right, making it harder for Uzume and Kurome to pinpoint an exact opening to pass Adult Neptune.

"What the?" Uzume said in surprise. "Come on! Go left or right!"

"Nope. Neither of you are passing me." Adult Neptune said before poking her head out the open window and stuck her tongue out at them.

However, Adult Neptune was so busy taunting Uzume and Kurome, that she wasn't even holding the steering wheel. Just then, her car began swerving too much to the left and was now driving on its left wheels.

"Woooah!" Adult Neptune cried as she tried to maintain balance.

Uzume and Kurome both found this as an opportunity to pass, but it was too late. Adult Neptune crossed the finish line first, while Uzume crossed it second, followed by Kurome, who crossed it third. Adult Neptune successfully got her car back on its wheels and skidded to a halt.

"And THAT is how you manage to win a race, Adult Neptune style!" Adult Neptune exclaimed.

Uzume and Kurome stopped their cars and got out, high fiving Adult Neptune in the process.

"Amazing. I don't think anyone was able to do that, in like, forever." Uzume said.

"Yeah, You might be the first to do a two-wheel drive and succeed. I'm proud of you." Kurome added.

"Heh. Thanks." Adult Neptune said with a blush.

Meanwhile, while everyone else crossed the finish line and finished the race, the Nep sisters were still on the track, dueling for the 6th position.

"Just give it up, sis." Nepgear said. "Like I said before, no one is the protagonist in this story

"Never!" Neptune shouted. "Activating race protagonist powers!"

Neptune pushed her foot on the gas, gaining a little bit of speed, but Nepgear did the same thing. With the finish line just moments away, this was ANYONE's position. Suddenly, Neptune began to lose control of her vehicle due to the speed she was going and slid out of control for a moment, giving Nepgear the opportunity to pass Neptune and cross the finish line, finishing the practice race in 6th place.

"NO!" Neptune shouted when she crossed the finish line, finishing the practice race in last place. "My powers have failed me again!

Practice Race Results

1st Place. Adult Neptune

2nd Place. Uzume Tennouboshi

3rd Place. Kurome Ankokuboshi

4th Place. Iffy

5th Place. B-Sha

6th Place. Nepgear

7th Place. Neptune

"Alright everyone. Put the cars in park." Iffy said, stopping her motorbike.

With that said, the girls drove into the parking lot of the speedway, parked their cars, and got out to meet up with IF and Compa.

"Okay. So, what's next?" B-Sha asked.

"Nothing. We're done for the day. Adult Neptune won for today." Iffy answered. "Congrats, Adult Nep."

Adult Neptune pumped her fist in the air and shouted, "Oh yeah", celebrating her win.

"Nice job, Adult Nep." Kurome said, applauding.

"Yeah. Nice job. With a strategy like that, I can already tell she is going to be ready for the big tournament." Uzume replied.

"Yeah, but let me remind you that there are multiple contestants with high-tier cars. So, trying to pass them from the outside won't always work." B-Sha stated. "If you're really unlucky, they can juke you if you don't see it coming. I found THAT out the hard way."

Iffy just silently chuckled upon hearing that. B-Sha looked over to Iffy and groaned.

"Just know that little trick won't work on me in the tournament..." B-Sha said.

"Heh. Keep telling yourself that." Iffy responded.

"You all just got lucky cause I have a low tier car! If it was the other way around, I would've drove circles around you all." Neptune butted in.

"Nep-Nep, please stop complaining about your car choice! You're sounding just like Noire, you know." B-Sha snapped. "Just be lucky you WERE selected! Otherwise, you would've not been selected to compete, like Plutia."

"Yeah...Speaking of Plutia, has anyone seen her since the contestants were chosen?" Nepgear asked out of curiousity.

"No. Last time I checked, Histoire told me that she was called over to Leanbox to do something. I don't know what for, though." Iffy responded. "Anyway, nice job everyone."

"Yeah, nice job indeed..."

A familiar voice was heard, catching the girls by surprise. The Planeptune girls turned to where the voice came from, only to see a guy, leaning on the hood of his Nissan 370z, removing his shades when they turned their attention towards him.

"Secretary?"

To be continued...