CHAPTER 2-Goroh: The Vengeful Samurai
Falcon chases a bounty into the
wastes and lands in an ambush...
Falcon was driving through Red Canyon, going after a bounty. There was no name on the card, but there was an alias: "Fire Stingray". The reward was 2,000 credits-good pay for Port Town. Or so he thought, for he didn't know that he was being led right into a trap. As he came around a turn, he saw a lot of samurai with all kinds of projectile weapons, and they were all forming a line in the path, blocking the Falcon.
At the forefront was a man, undoubtedly the leader of all those other men, who Falcon recognized immediately as his longtime rival, Samurai Goroh. He was a-well, "portly" would be putting it mildly-man with a red bandana and a Japanese character on his A-shirt. He entered every F-ZERO Grand Prix without fail in an attempt to beat Falcon on his home turf, so to speak. Falcon stopped and Goroh moved over to the Falcon, yelling,
"You stole the prize money from us last time! You'll pay for that!"
Whatever, thought Falcon. He opened the visor, and Goroh ran his hands along the side of the machine.
"That's a fine-looking machine you're driving, Falcon," complimented Goroh.
To each his own, thought Falcon.
"You know the law here in Red Canyon?" Goroh asked.
Yes, I know the law, but you're about to tell me anyways, thought Falcon.
"If you lose the race, you forfeit your machine."
As you've told me a thousand times.
The gang laughed.
Falcon started up the Falcon, and Goroh held the blade at Falcon's throat.
"You can't back down now," Goroh taunted, coming close to threatening. "The mighty Falcon can't back down from a challenge, now can he?"
"Let's do it."
Goroh almost didn't hear Falcon accepting his challenge, but he did a couple of backflips, and then, pointing to a pair of raised flags off in the distance, said,
"All right then, the first one over to that checkpoint over there is the winner."
Goroh got in his machine, with a communicator turned on, and said,
"I can't lose in my Fire Stingray."
Chuckling to himself, Goroh started up his racer. Falcon ignored the crack. The flag was dropped, and the race was on. Rocks of all sizes were falling along the track as the two eternal rivals danced with death. More than once, the lead was traded.
At one point, a HUGE boulder almost fell on Falcon. A quick boost, however, and he was out of danger. Man and machine had passed the test.
But so, too, had Goroh and his Stingray.
Eventually, they were neck-and-neck on the final stretch. But Goroh made a wrong turn in the right direction(yes, I know that doesn't make sense) and crashed into the rock face as Falcon crossed the finish line. He staggered away from the wreck and yelled,
"Falcon, I'm gonna get you in the Grand Prix!"
No, you're not, thought Falcon, and he was right. The Fire Stingray exploded, and the shockwave threw Goroh, bodily, headlong into the rock face.
Ouch. He'll need superstitches after that one, thought Falcon as he raced off through the canyon towards Mute City.
TBC...
Next: High Stakes in Mute City