When we last left off, Ash was battling Seiji Iwaki of Team Emperor. Ash's Supra was in an early lead with Seiji's Evo IV not far behind. Ash was trying his best to keep Seiji behind him.
Seiji then said "No matter how hard you push you car in the corner, a Supra is a Supra after all."
Seiji then started to gain speed on Ash. Ash then remembered something Seiji said to him saying that racing a Supra wasn't worth his time.
Ash then said "You don't know who'll win until you race. I will show what my Supra is capable of doing!"
One member of Team Emperor with a green sweater said "With the speed of the Evo IV, Seiji should take the lead before the first corner, despite that Supra having a better start."
Another member of Emperor said "That wasn't even Seiji's full start, though."
The guy with the green sweater said "He stayed behind on purpose? Is he on Simulation 2?"
Kyle said "Offensive-minded Seiji is being very careful."
The guy in the green sweater said "There's no need for that against a Supra. Simulation 1 should be enough to beat him."
Kyle then said in his head "Not necessarily. Seiji is a top-notch racer, but he isn't clever. So far, all his races were easy, so he's getting careless. Simulation 3 is to tighten his loose mind. If Morikawa was able to beat me with a Corvette ZR-1 that tells me he can drive almost any car. I'm impressed! Seiji will need some luck to win because he's going up against one of Japan's fastest cars, the JZA80 Supra."
At the start line, Max said "That Evo IV like all Lan-Evos are powered by a 2 litre turbo-charged, 4-cylinder engine. I'm impressed he's able to keep up with a twin-turbo, 6-cylinder engine like the 2JZ-GTE in Ash's Supra"
Kyle then said in his mind "Don't mess up now, Seiji. Stumbling before facing Ryousuke is unacceptable."
Seiji was now on Ash tail and Ash seemed like he couldn't match Seiji's speed. Ash drifted at the next corner to pull away a little on Seiji.
At the start line, Max said "Maybe it's too much to ask. But I believe Ash can win because he has a car capable of beating a Lan-Evo."
Kenji said "Basically, the Evo IV is a WRC rally car. It's light, and is equipped with turbo and 4WD. On top of that, the driver has first-class technique. I'm afraid Ash might lose."
Drew then said "Come on, Kenji and Max! Why are you always so pessimistic about things? Besides, the Lan-Evo isn't the only street car perfect for rally racing. My GC8 is also a top quality rally racer. However for the past 3 season in the World Rally Championship, Tommi Mäkinen has dominated the series with the Lan-Evo. Anyway, Ash is racing and he is just as good as May! Ash will make something happen in this race."
While racing, Ash plus Seiji were racing hard going to the next corner. Seiji said to himself "CRAP! I hate this. It's so frustrating. DAMN IT!"
Ash then make a power slide at the next corner and Ash was able to pull away from Seiji a little. But Seiji then started to close the gap again. Both cars were now starting to get faster.
At the start line, Max said to Drew "Why didn't May come?"
Drew said "She had to work late tonight at the police station. She won't be done until 11:30 PM."
Meanwhile, May was on patrol. She was driving around town to make sure things were all right. She said to herself "I hope Ash can win. I wish I could be there to support him."
Both Seiji and Ash were now picking up the speed. Seiji got a little too close to Ash bumper so he had to push off the gas pedal a little bit.
Seiji then said "This is a total joke. Why does my Evo IV have to stay cooped up behind this Supra? I can barely step on the gas. I'm getting frustrated. Full Blast is all that's in my Evo IV dictionary. Why use Simulation 3 against this somewhat ancient Supra? He's nowhere near that good, Kyle!
Kyle then said "Don't rush to win, Seiji."
Seiji then said "What's this anger? I'm so irritated! Why am I so pissed off?"
At a corner, Hiroshi asked Keisuke "Hey, Keisuke. What did Ryousuke say about this race?
Keisuke told him "He didn't say much. He told me to come here if I was going to watch."
Hiroshi then said "It sounds like there's a reason behind that."
Keisuke agreed with Hiroshi.
Kenta then said to Keisuke "Normally, you would think an Evo IV wouldn't stand a chance of winning against a Supra. The Supra's faster than a Lan-Evo."
Keisuke then said to Kenta "Don't act like you know everything, Kenta. Normally you'd think your S14 would be faster than that R34 that girl drives."
Ryo then told Keisuke "Stop being rude to Kenta. Kenta's race against the R34 was good experience for him."
Keisuke then said "Well, whatever. Team Emperor or whatever they're called, one thing will be certain after this battle against Ash on Haruna's downhill."
While racing, Seiji said "This is the longest straightaway on this course. I can easily get ahead of him if I want.
Keisuke then said to himself "If you get impatient and jump ahead, the race is over for you."
Seiji then said "DAMN IT! I've had enough of this!
Keisuke said "That's how everyone lost, including my brother."
Kenta then asked "You'll lose if you take the lead?"
Keisuke then said "Right. Can you understand that paradox, Kenta?"
Seiji then yelled "HERE I GO!" and took the lead away from Ash.
Seiji then said in his head "Simulation 3 or not, Kyle. I just have to win this race, right?!"
Ash then said "HE'S FAST!"
Seiji then said "Now you'll see how outclassed you are. I will keep blasting away until you disappear from my rearview mirror. SEE YA, MORIKAWA!" Seiji then sped off to the next corner.
In Haruna, May was on her way home in her R34 thinking if she should go to Mount Haruna.
She said "I want to see the race but I'm too damn tired to drive. I will go straight home. It's not worth it driving while tired. I learned that in driver's ed. Anyways, I think Ash can pull off the victory and beat that Evo IV. Those guys will be the laughing stock of Gunma when this race is over with."
Back at Haruna, at the start line, the Emperor member in the green sweater said "What? Seiji got ahead of the Supra? He's pulling away"
His friends said "ALL RIGHT"
Max said "I knew it."
The guy in the cream jacket said "That's the Seiji we know. He's gone now!"
Thy guy in the green sweater said "That Supra is nothing!"
The guy in the cream jacket then said "YEAH! Despite his looks, Seiji is highly skilled. He won't lose now."
Kyle then threw a cigarette on the pavement in anger and said "THAT IDIOT!" He then stomped on the cigarette in disgust.
Kyle then said in his mind "Seiji has mastered driving his Lan-Evo fast. He knows a 4WD car has to enter a corner at top speed to be able to drift through it."
Seiji drifted at the next corner and Ash was able to gain some ground on him.
Kyle then said "During the drift, you can only control the car by steering while flooring the accelerator. The car tends to fishtail if you try to control it with the pedal like you would with an FR. Full acceleration is the 4WD's way. That's the hardest thing about driving a 4WD car. No mediocre racer turn with full control. But once you master the technique, you can turn any corner at remarkably high speed. I guess I don't have to worry about Seiji, but why I am feeling so anxious?"
While racing, Seiji said to himself "Enter with speed and turn with full acceleration. It's completely different from the junker FR's slow "crab" turn. Watch me and learn. Of course he has to be close by to see it. I doubt he's anywhere near me. He's so far…"
Then Seiji saw Ash closing the gap on him. Seiji said in disbelief "WHAT? He's right behind me instead of far back! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! He can keep up with my drift? He's much better than I thought. I see"
Ash was now closing in on Seiji and both racers were drifting through the corners with an incredible amount of speed.
Seiji then said "I get it now. My irritation didn't come from not being able to speed up on the straightaways. I guess I was aware of the actual reason while I was following him. I hate to admit it, but I… I… I'm slower in the corners!
Ash then said "Somehow, I've managed to keep up with him this far."
Seiji then said "There's another reason why I can't pull away. The straightaways are short on this part of Haruna, so the power gap is less significant. But I will show you in the high-speed section and make you disappear from my rear view mirror. I bet my Lan-Evo racer's pride on it!"
The two then went full throttle and Seiji said "At the end of a long, accelerating straightaway waits a hairpin turn. That's how it is. Here it comes. I will outrace with my technique, not my machine's capabilities."
The two were now approaching the 1st hairpin with Seiji holding a big lead.
Ash then said "He is definitely fast. His car is very fast. That Evo IV is a very fast car."
At the 2nd hairpin, Yuichi was watching the race. He said "They'll be here shortly."
One guy named Koji said "The Lan-Evo is ahead."
Another guy named Ryoji said "Haruna's famous five hairpin turns.
Koji said "What power!" & Ryoji said "It's like a WRC car."
A guy named Heijiro said "The Supra is way behind. I've never seen him this far behind at the five hairpins in past battles."
A guy named Gunpei said "Maybe the Supra can't pull it off this time. The car is too inferior."
While driving full speed ahead, Ash said "Now it's time to use the ditch!"
Koji said "That was fast." & Ryoji said "How did he turn so fast?"
Yuichi said to Masashi "See that, Masashi? That's how Ash drives. He learned that from his father, Robert."
Masashi said "You're kidding me! It looked like his dad was driving it. The sound alone shows how great he is. He was flooring the pedal for a long time. No normal 18-year-old has skills like that."
Yuichi then said "Like father, like son."
Masashi then said "But, that kind of driving sure is rough on the engine."
Meanwhile, Seiji was drifting through every corner but wasn't making it work well. He said "These are tough turns. But I don't think I lost any time. No matter the car, any driver would lose speed on these turns. I should be safe with this much of a lead."
Then Seiji saw Ash was using the ditch to gain ground on him.
Seiji was shocked to see Ash catch up to him He said "What happened? This can't be!"
Ash now kept the gap constant which got on Seiji's nerves. Seiji then said "This is humiliating. I can't shake him off, even with my technique and power! What is this? YOU PUNK, DON'T INSULT ME!"
The two were heading to where Keisuke and his friends were.
Keisuke said "It's almost time for them to come."
Kenta said "I wonder who's ahead, the Lan-Evo or the Supra? Keisuke, you said earlier that the Lan-Evo would lose if he was out in front. Why is that?"
Keisuke said "I know from that duct tape death match that he won't let you run away with the lead. He sticks right with you like super glue. If you get irritated and rely on the car's power to shake him off, the tires deflate."
While racing, Seiji was getting more mad Ash kept with him. Seiji then said "Damn it, he's right on me."
Keisuke then said "The key is how you use the tires. Anyone who jumps ahead without knowing that will lose."
Seiji then said "The front tires are losing pressure. This is irritating. I just can't stay focused. Don't panic. No need to shake him off. I will win if I keep my lead. I'm certainly in a more favorable position. No matter how fast he can turn, he can't pass me at a corner. And I'm way faster on the straightaways!" He then took a deep breath and said "I wasn't wrong. Taking the lead back there was the right move. I'm the winner, Kyle!"
Seiji blocked every time Ash tried to make a pass.
