Eva groaned in her sleep, turning around so she was on her side. Her ears twitched as she heard a sound coming from the hangar. Her eyes snapped open and she sat up, listening for the sound again. She heard the pounding of metal and got out of her bed. She ran out of her room and down to her star racer. She looked between it and saw a dark figure stroking it.

"Who are you?" Eva asked, raising her fists.

"Hello my dear," a voice hissed. The figure turned around and Eva gasped in shock.

"You," Eva growled. Canaletto chuckled darkly and reached out a hand. Eva bared her teeth and slapped the hand away. "What the hell do you want?"

"Careful Eva, I destroyed your family once, and I can do it again," Canaletto told her. He held out a hand and Maya appeared. Eva's mother was doubled over in pain, and bleeding.

"Mommy!" Eva gasped.

"You cannot escape your fate," Canaletto warned her. He closed his hand and Maya screamed in pain.

"No!" Eva shouted.

"Heed my warning Eva," Canaletto told her, disappearing.


Eva's eyes snapped open and she took a deep breath.

"Sis…you okay?" Molly muttered, peering at her from the bottom bunk. Eva looked over at her and nodded, sitting up. Molly crawled into the top bunk and sat in front of Eva. "You sure, you were muttering something about mommy."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Eva nodded. She pulled Molly into her arms and combed her fingers through the eight-year-old's hair "Do you want me to do your hair?"

"Um… braid," Molly answered.

"Okay, I'll braid your hair," Eva chuckled.


"Morning!" Molly greeted.

"Morning Molly," Stan smiled.

"Lookie lookie! Eva did my hair today!" She pulled on her braid, showing it off.

"It looks nice," Koji complimented.

"Yeah, didn't know you had talent with doing hair," Stan said to Eva.

"It's just a braid," she shrugged, leaning against the star racer.

"Still, maybe you could do Koji's sometime," Stan snickered.

"Stan," Koji hissed.

"Do you want a braid?" Molly asked, looking up at the Japanese boy.

"I'm actually fine with my current hairstyle," Koji told her.

"What would happen if you braided Rick's hair?" Stan chuckled.

"I did that once!" Molly declared happily.

"Seriously?" Jordan asked in shock.

"Yep!" Molly smiled. "No one can resist my puppy eyes!"

"Speaking of, where is Rick?" Eva asked.

"Rick is…away for now," Don said, approaching the group.

"Away? Where did he go?" Eva asked.

"That is not important right now," Don said.

"Of course it is!" Molly huffed, stomping her foot.

"Molly, Rick just needs a little time to himself," Maya told her. "He was told he could never race again, that's hard for him. Give him time, he'll be back before you know it."

"Alright," Molly muttered. "Does this mean Sis is racing?"

"Yes, it does," Don sighed. "But heed my warning, you are to no longer disobey me. You show promise as a pilot, but you need to stay in line. Doing whatever you want is no way to win a competition. You better behave, or else this will be the end of your racing. And it will be the end for the team as well."

Eva took a deep breath and nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good," Don muttered.

"I'm going for a walk," Eva muttered, walking out of the hangar. Jordan followed after her.

"Hey, about yesterday I'm sorry. I was so happy about Rick being back. I know I let you down, are you angry?" Jordan asked.

"Yeah I'm angry," Eva growled, speeding up.

"Really?" Jordan asked in shock. Eva laughed and turned around, sticking out her tongue.

"Kidding! I was happy to see Rick too you know. I have known him longer after all," Eva smirked.

"Right," Jordan muttered, breathing a sigh of relief. He jogged up to Eva and they walked through the pits. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Don't know," Eva shrugged. "I just wanna walk."

"Hello," a little voice greeted. The two turned around in shock, seeing a robot. "Today is your lucky day! Mr. Jordan, your name has been chosen from all the competitors on Alwas to commemorate the opening of Paradise City, our new video arcade!"

"Are you kidding me?" Jordan muttered. The top of the robot spun and slid out, revealing a token.

"And here is your personal VIP pass!"

"You serious? For once I won something?"

"Hey, you won the target practice that let you onto the team," Eva muttered.

"Hey Eva, why don't we go out and have some fun for once?" Jordan suggested.

"Jordan, this isn't a great idea," Eva told him.

"Oh come on, don't you wanna check it out?" Jordan asked.

"No," Eva told him. "This is a bad idea."

"Suit yourself, I'm going to go," Jordan smiled. Eva narrowed her eyes and watched him take the token.

"Jordan, do you really think this is a good idea?" Eva asked. "It could be a trap for all we know."

"Come on Eva, do you have to be so pessimistic?" Jordan told her.

"I'm not pessimistic, I'm just being careful," Eva said with a sigh.

"Well, I'm still going. See you later," Jordan said as he followed the robot away. Eva growled and stalked back towards the pit.


"Stan need any help?" Molly asked.

"No, I'm good," Stan told her. "Just need to finish this last part." The welding machine in his hand suddenly stopped and the whole place seemed to shut down.

"Sis!" Molly shouted, running over to her sister. "What's happening?" Stan grabbed a flashlight and walked over to the main machine for the welding tool.

"Whatever it is, it's not coming from here. Everything looks fine," Stan said. Eva walked over to it and looked at it.

"Think it could be something else?" Eva asked.

"It's gotta be," Stan muttered, hitting the machine to try and make it work.

"Um guys," Molly called, pulling on their overalls. The two looked over and saw the whizzing Arrow II hovering in the small space.

"What the hell?" Stan muttered.

"I have a bad feeling," Eva muttered, pulling Molly closer. The turret slid out and the guns positioned themselves on the trio.

"This looks very bad," Stan gulped. Once the turret locked on it began firing at them. Stan jumped over the battery while Eva ran behind it, gripping Molly close. The little girl held her sister tightly and screamed in fright.

"Koji! What's going on?" Stan shouted.

"Molly! Eva!" Maya shouted from the balcony.

"Mommy!" Molly shouted, seeing her mother.

"What is going on?" Don shouted. Stan glanced over the battery when the firing stopped.

"Is it over?" Eva asked. The left reactor began sparking and blew up.

"Not yet," Stan shouted, grabbing her arm. He pulled the two away from the battery pack before the Whizzing Arrow could crush them. They landed on the ground and covered Molly as the blast continued. Once it subsided they sat up and looked at the damaged star racer.

"Aw man," Stan muttered.

"Molly, are you okay?" Eva asked. The little girl nodded, but she was still frightened.

"Eva! Molly!" Maya gasped, running down the stairs.

"Mommy!" Molly shouted, running over to her.

"We're fine," Eva groaned, standing up.


"Koji, what's the damage?" Don asked, stepping over to him.

"I guess we're lucky that I shut off that hacker at the last moment," Koji said."We still have one reactor, it's better than nothing."

"And everyone's fine, so that's another good thing," Maya said. The group was distracted as Jordan ran into the pit, staring at the damage in shock.

"Just in time for clean up, you missed all the fun," Stan said.

"I wouldn't call being shot at fun," Molly grumbled.

"The left engine," Jordan muttered.

"HA! You're team is so disappointing!" A female voice laughed. "They got the lowest score ever!" The team looked around for the source of the voice.

"Koji!" Eva said, pointing at the computer resting on his hip. Koji quickly brought it up and the group gathered around it.

"Para-dice," Jordan gasped. Don looked up at him and glared. The gunner laughed nervously.

"And your security system stinks! A 12-year old could crack it! Blindfolded! I should know. I'm turning twelve next week!" The cat laughed once more.

"When I find that cat I'll take all nine of its lives!" Don growled out.

"How is she even getting in? This computer isn't even connected to the network," Koji muttered.

"Hey, look," Stan muttered, pointing to an object on the screen. "That's my drill. I was wondering where I left it."

"Of course, a short-range HF connection," Koji gasped.

"That means she has to be nearby, right?" Maya asked. The group looked at a closed off area and glared at it. They walked over to the door and Stan and Jordan gripped it, trying to pry it open.

"Why don't you just give up on the race now? It'll stay our secret! I mean, that would be so much easier for me!" The door slid open and the group blocked the entrance. Para-dice turned around, not even batting an eye that she was found.

"Yeah sure, do you have another request?" Eva growled, holding up her fists. With a meow Para-dice stood up and stretched.

"Nope, that's all!" the cat said.

"Get her!" Jordan shouted, lunging forward. Stan followed her. Para-dice meowed as she flipped onto the wall and then jumped over the group.

"Get back here!" Eva shouted.

"Let her go," Don ordered. "We have less than an hour until the race starts, everyone get to your positions."

"Right!" They nodded, running to their posts.

"Jordan, you wouldn't happen to anything about this, would you?" Don asked. The gunner flinched and gulped, a grimace settling on his face.


Koji plugged his computer into the Arrow II while Eva and Stan worked on the engine.

"A game arcade!" Don shouted, causing them to pause.

"Not our fight," Eva muttered, drilling a loose piece back into place.

"He's your partner though," Stan muttered.

"I hate you," Eva groaned. She set the drill down and stood up. "It was my fault, sir! I take full responsibility!" Don and Jordan both looked over at her in shock.

"But Eva, you were here the entire time," Maya pointed out.

"I may have been here during the hack, but I was with Jordan when he was told he won the game arcade pass!" Eva declared. "I had a bad feeling about it but I let him go anyway, I should have tried harder to stop him! I'll take responsibility!" Don looked between the two of them and sighed.

"If you have understood the error you both have made, then get ready to race," Don ordered, exiting the main pit. Eva breathed a sigh of relief and picked the drill back up.

"Nothing's leaking, and there aren't any repairs that can't wait until after the race," Koji announced. "Just cover it up for now and we'll fix what needs to be fixed later."

"Right," Stan and Eva nodded.

"Hey Eva," Jordan called.

"What?" Eva asked, picking up a metal sheet and pressing it against the Arrow II. Stan pressed a screw to it and began drilling it to the hull.

"It was my fault that this happened; you didn't have to take the blame for me." Jordan told her.

"It's no big deal," Eva muttered. "That's what partners are for. Don't worry about it."

"Thanks," Jordan smiled.

"But, how about a deal," Eva suggested, taking the drill from Stan. She began drilling it into the hull as he grabbed some more metal. "Next time I say something is bad idea, you listen."

"Deal," Jordan chuckled.

"Good, now reload the turret," Eva told him. "It used up a lot of bullets."

"Yes ma'am," he said with a mock salute.

"That was very nice," Maya smiled.

"Yeah yeah," Eva muttered, waving her off.


"Today we continue the fourth round of pre-selections with the Earth Team!" Eva flew the Arrow II into the stadium, ignoring the confusion about the state of her racer.

"They will be racing the little prodigy from the planet of Wetta, Para-dice!" Eva looked over at Para-dice's star-racer and glared. Para-dice appeared on her screen with a meow.

"Takes a lot or courage to pilot a wreck like that!" Para-dice taunted. "But don't think I'm going to take pity and go easy on you, big girl."

"My name is Eva," The pilot said with a growl. "And play-time is over. This is the real thing, and if you think I'm just going to back down and let you win then you've got another thing coming."

"You humans never learn!" Para-dice laughed. "I'll never let you win the ultimate prize!" With that Para-dice's screen disappeared.

"Good thing I don't want it," Eva growled in her head.

"Today's race will include a special rule! Arena race!" The gong went off and the two pilots prepared their speed racers. When the final stone dropped they were off. Eva turned through the tracks, baring her teeth when she saw the tunnel coming up.

"Come on Eva, you can do this, you just gotta hit the pipe," she thought. "You can do this!" She tried to steer the ship through the dark tunnel but hit the wall a few times. She exited the tunnel and pulled on her rocket seat to try and direct it towards the pipe. She skimmed over it, barely denting it.

"Shit!" she cursed.

"What is this place?" Jordan asked.

"It's our arena," Eva replied.

"Ready or not! Here I come!" Para-dice shouted. Eva gasped and steered the star racer away. "You didn't hide very well," Para-dice taunted. Eva gasped and tried to doge the missiles the cat sent their way.

"Eva do something! I can't hold them off!"Jordan shouted, trying to shoot at them. Eva spun the Arrow II and directed it into a tunnel.

"We lost her," Jordan muttered. Eva curved with the tunnel and flew back out into the arena. "Are we in another arena?"

"Jordan, I think it's the same one," Eva said. She took the chance to look around, trying to find the pipe that would indicate which tunnel was the right one. "Which one? Which one?"

"There you are!" Para-dice shouted. "Peek-a-boo!"

"Oh great!" Jordan shouted.

"You're horrible at hide-and-seek!" Para-dice laughed. Missiles flew at them again and Eva steered the racer into the tunnels. A dust cloud picked up and she used it to slid between two entrances, hiding.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are," Para-dice cooed.

"This place is one big maze," Jordan whispered. "What do we do now?"

"If this is a maze, there has to be a way out," Eva muttered. "We can go out the way we came in, but that's going to be hard."

"What makes you say that?" Jordan asked.

"Look at these tunnels, they're all identical," Eva pointed out. Para-dice began shooting at the tunnels and Eva revved up the star racer, flying through the main tunnel.

"You might as well give up Eva!" Para-dice declared. "I want the ultimate prize very very very very very badly!"

"You know what, all I've heard from you is nothing but nonsense! You're worse than my sister when she went through her question everything crazy phase!" Eva shouted.

"Don't play innocent with me! The ultimate prize gives the winner any wish! Any dream!" Para-dice cheered.

"I could have any wish? Any dream?" Eva asked, feigning ignorance.

"You have a wish, don't you Eva?" Para-dice asked.

"Nope, I've got everything I've ever wanted," Eva said.

"So then why are you racing?" Para-dice asked. "What's the point if you're not going to use the ultimate prize?"

"I have something bigger in mind for the ultimate prize. Something much more than a wish or dream," Eva declared. "Besides, where's the fun in just wishing for your dream to come true? Haven't you ever heard of something called 'hard work'?"

"Why would I do something like that when there are things much more fun?" Para-dice laughed.

"Honestly, you're just a selfish little brat. You'll never win the ultimate prize with an attitude like that," Eva smirked.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Para-dice shouted. The bullets from the cannons passed over Eva and she took the opportunity to slide behind another post.

"Eva, I'll buy us some time for you to find a way out of here, just get me in close," Jordan told her.

"Alright," Eva nodded, revving the engine. "Just keep us out of that lake." Eva flew into the arena and Jordan began shooting at Para-dice's ship.

"Somebody hit that cat!" Jordan shouted. The bullets hit Para-dice's ship, knocking it off course for a moment. Para-dice responded by shooting more missiles at them. Eva flew past Para-dice and looked around frantically.

"Come on, come on, where's the pipe?" Eva muttered, her eyes darting around wildly as she searched for the right pipe. "There!" She gasped, spotting it.

"Eva what are you doing? Get down to the water before we're hit!" Jordan shouted.

"No way! I've found it!" Eva shouted. She flew into another tunnel and curved with it. She exited, ending up back in the original track.

"You did it!" Jordan cheered.


"Alright!" Stan and Koji cheered, slapping their hands together.

"They really did it!" Koji laughed.

"They're just so great!" Stan smiled.

"But know we have to do the repairs all over again," Koji said glumly, the realization hitting him.

"What else would we do? We're mechanics," Stan laughed, placing his arm on Koji's shoulder. "Cheer up."

"Sis won! Sis won!" Molly cheered, jumping up and down.

"That was quiet a race, wasn't it?" Maya asked her husband.

"Yes it was," Don nodded.

"Oh come on, admit it, you're happy for her. She's a great pilot," Maya smiled.

"I'm not denying it," Don said. "If you'll excuse me, I need to make a call."


Don entered the hangar and the team stopped their work.

"So is it true? Does the ultimate prize really grant any wish, any dream?" Eva asked, even though she already knew the answer.

"You'll just have to win the Great Race of Oban to find out," Don told her. With that he exited the hangar, the door slamming behind him. Eva growled, tightening her hands into fists.

"What's this about?" Jordan asked.

"You know Don, you shouldn't underestimate your own daughter!" Eva shouted at the door. "You're in for BIG surprise!" A smirk found its way onto Eva's lips.