The roar of the crowd drowned out the screaming wail of the engines as the mechs passed by the start/finish line. The only thing that could be heard was the maniacal wail of Benjamin Bright as he called the race from high overhead.

"And the teams have now entered the final lap! It's been a showdown of epic proportions as expected, but Takeshi and River are still going at it as if it's their first time on the track!"

Michiru stood with her hands gripping the edge of the observation room table, her eyes focused intently on the monitors in front of her. On her right was Andrei, his arms folded and his legs crossed, mumbling something incoherent into the ear-piece that he sported. To her left was Jessie, her eyes centered on the monitors as well, but with a more urgent and nervous context.

"Takeshi and River have put quite a bit of distance between themselves and the rest of their teams," Benjamin continued. "Is this all part of a plan, or is this simply two of the IG-1's hottest young-guns going at it with everything they've got with everything on the line?"

"Can't Takeshi break away from River?" Jessie inquired.

"If he's controlling the pace like he usually does-," Michiru started to answer, but Andrei interrupted.

"He's not."

"What?"

"Takeshi never intended to set this fast of a pace." Michiru glanced over her shoulder at Mark, who hustled into the room and took his seat between her and Andrei.

"What do you mean?" Jessie asked.

"When we were planning strategy for the last race, Takeshi said that the way we were going to win was for him to take River out so that Amy and Liz could get an advantage and win the race for him."

"The thought was that River and the other guys from Sledge Mamma would be so preoccupied with Takeshi that Amy and Liz could slip past them," he added.

"But…then that means…?" Michiru said in broken verse.

"River realized that that was what Takeshi was trying to do," Andrei answered simply. "And then he did the smartest thing he could have."

Michiru understood now. "He sped up."

Mark nodded. "River's been setting such a fast pace that Takeshi's been forced to adhere to the pace River sets," he continued. "Right now he's the only one who can keep River from winning this race…but to do it, he's having to race River's race instead of his own."

Michiru swallowed hard. "Neither Takeshi nor River can keep this pace up forever," she pointed out. "By the end of the race both their mechs are going to be practically out of power."

"That's exactly how River wants it," Andrei said.

Mark added, "Even without energy, Sledge Mamma's mechs are more powerful than ours, so if they both run out of power around the same point, River could easily overpower Takeshi and win the race."

"Which is why I've got to beat him, now!" Takeshi cried over the radio.

Takeshi threw his mech at River's, but the Sledge Mamma pilot was quick, bringing up his fists to respond with several attacks of his own.

Michiru watched with increasing unease. If Takeshi's mech ran out of power now…

"He'll be fine." She glanced at Mark, who was smiling reassuringly at her. "It's Takeshi…he'll make sure we win this race."

"There's no one that can beat Takeshi, Amy, and Liz," Jessie added. "I know they'll win!"

Behind the leading duo, Amy and Liz were having their own battle with Sledge Mamma's two other pilots, Yamma and Dimma.

After absorbing a powerful attack from her counterpart defender, Liz yelled, "We've got to get up there and help, Takeshi!"

"But how? We're way behind as it is and there's only half a lap left!" Amy responded.

"The mechs have now exited the spiral and are heading for the final few corners!" Benjamin cried. "It looks like it's going to come down to Takeshi and River! Which of these two will be able to outlast the other and take home the IG-1 championship?"

"How much power does Takashi have left?" Michiru asked.

"Not much," Mark admitted. "If my calculations are right…"

"They are," Michiru said.

Mark smiled slightly at the compliment.

It quickly disappeared. "…he'll run out just after the finish line." Michiru frowned. "And that's if he switches to speed mode in the next few moments."

"But River's not going to let him do that," Michiru pointed out grimly. "He'll keep hounding Takeshi until the end of the race if he has to."

"Or until he breaks Takeshi's mech in half," Andrei added darkly.

"That won't happen!" Takeshi screamed.

Behind them, Liz managed to break the hold that Dimma had on her mech and pushed him into the barricade. This created some separation so that she was able to move forward without interruption…

…Right into Amy's flying mech after it had been tossed aside by Yamma. The old pilot was now streaking ahead of them, attempting to catch up with Takeshi and River who were almost out of sight.

"You alright?" Liz asked the blond-haired girl.

"Yeah," Amy answered.

"What about the cat?"

"I'm fine, thank you."

"We've got to catch up with Yamma!" Amy declared. She started to go forward, but Liz grabbed her mech's shoulder and halted her. "Liz?"

"We've got to help, Takeshi. He's the only one who can win this race at this point," Liz said.

"But won't we have to-?"

"That's the idea," Liz interrupted. "We take Yamma out and get you up with Takeshi."

Amy finally understood. "Let's do it."

"The mechs are coming out of the hairpin and heading onto the long straight before the final corners. Takeshi and River are still setting a blinding pace, but incredibly Yamma is actually closing in on them! Team Satomi looks like it may be in trouble here with Takeshi potentially having to deal with two Sledge Mamma mechs. The adrenaline is really pumping now!"

Takeshi attacked River once again and forced both mechs into the barrier. He could see Yamma quickly approaching from behind and he could also hear the Sledge Mamma pilot laughing inside his cockpit.

"Yamma's going to catch them at the end of the straight," Mark announced.

"And then he'll take Takeshi and let River escape," Michiru finished.

"Why doesn't Takeshi just pass River and switch into speed mode?" Jessie asked.

"He can't. River's not going to allow him to get that separation!"

Michiru clenched her jaw. Everything felt helpless. As every second passed, they were getting closer and closer to being ex-champions.

"Wait until we get onto the straight, Liz," Amy warned her.

Liz leaned forward and grabbed the legs of the mech in front of her. "Just give me the signal."

The two Satomi mechs rounded the bend and raced down the straight. The mechs in front of them were like tiny specks; this was their only chance.

"Go!" Amy shouted.

Amy sprung forward, her mech leaving the surface of the track. At the same time, Liz rotated her mech at a blinding speed, increasing the momentum and energy that Amy's mech was now carrying.

Ahead, Takeshi slammed into River, but the Sledge Mamma pilot brought both of his fists down on top of Takeshi's head. He had heard Amy's signal and now could see what his teammates were planning. If this worked…

Then he saw the blue speck approaching fast from behind them. He opened his mouth to sound a warning.

"Liz, watch out!" Mark shouted.

"Now!"

At the same moment that Liz released her hold on Amy's mech, Dimma slammed into her from behind and propelled both of their mechs into the barricade, ripping Liz's legs off and sheering off all of Dimma's limbs.

Both mechs were out of the race instantly.

Amy flew on, speeding toward the three mechs in front of her. "Hold on!" she warned Luca.

The cat closed its small eyes.

"Takeshi, get out of the way!" Mark warned.

Takeshi punched River's mech and attempted to separate himself from the Sledge Mamma pilot, but something grabbed onto his mech's shoulders and stopped him.

"You're not going anywhere!" Yamma shouted.

"Yamma!"

"River, go!"

"Watch out!" Takeshi shouted.

Amy's mech slammed into the back of Yamma's driving both he and Takeshi's mechs forward and sending them crashing into River.

"Oh, there's a colossal collision!" Benjamin shouted.

"Takeshi!" Mark cried.

"No!" Michiru yelled.

The mechs surged forward toward the end of the straight and the barrier that bordered the track.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion…the four mechs racing toward certain annihilation with the barrier…the squirming of limbs as the individual pilots attempted to break free…the cries of the pilots as they attempted to wrench control back…and at last…Takeshi managing to squirt free…

Amy's mech slammed into the barrier at full force, virtually destroying hers and Yamma's mechs except for the cockpits.

Takeshi's escape had broken him and River free, but while River's mech hit the barrier with its back, Takeshi managed to maneuver his mech so that he hit the barrier with his feet. With his mech's joints screaming in pain, Takeshi was somehow able to reverse his momentum, bounce off of the barrier, and transformed into high speed mode in mid air before slamming back down onto the asphalt.

"Oh my goodness gracious!" Benjamin screamed, his voice cracking.

"What the…?" Mark breathed, unable to find acceptable words.

"Oh my…" Michiru echoed.

"Holy…" Jessie added.

"Nice," Andrei finished.

River had managed to keep his mech upright and had now switched into speed mode as well, but he was a good distance behind Takeshi with only a few corners to go.

"Amy…Amy…?" Mark spoke into the radio. "Are you okay…?"

"Yeah…" Amy responded quietly. "That wasn't what I meant to do…sorry Mark…"

"I've never seen anything like it! Four mechs are out of the race and it comes down to a one-on-one contest between Takeshi and River!"

Michiru found herself trembling as she watched Takeshi nervously navigate the final few corners, his mech clearly showing the damage that had been done to it by Amy's near suicide maneuver.

"Come on…come on…I know you can do this…"

"Takeshi looks squeamish as he comes around the final corner! River's closing in! It's going to be another photo finish!"

"Push it, Takeshi! Push it!" Mark said to himself.

"Don't let him draft you, don't let him draft you," Andrei coached.

Absent-mindedly, both Michiru and Mark were so caught up in the scene on the track that they didn't realize that his hand was now covering hers.

River was right behind Takeshi, trying to slipstream him so that he could blast past. Takeshi weaved to the right and to the left, trying to break the draft and deprive River of that opportunity.

"Takeshi…!" Jessie said nervously.

"Come on…" Michiru said hopefully.

"Just a little further…" Mark added.

As they approached the line, the mechs were so close together that they could have touched.

"Here they come! Down to the finish line! Who's going to win it?!"

Mark hand tightened on Michiru's, enough now that Michiru realized that he was holding onto her. Rather than tell him to let go, she was thankful for the support and was once again reminded of how good it felt to have someone to feel this way about.

"We've got it…" Andrei whispered.

"He's not going to be able to do it…" Mark echoed.

"We've got it…we've got it…we've got it!" Andrei shouted, bolting from his chair.

"Yes!" Mark cried, throwing his arms up into the air.

The mechs screamed across the finish line, their engines drowned out by the roar of the crowd.

"Unbelievable! Takeshi wins it! Team Satomi have won the IG-1 for the 3rd consecutive season!"

Michiru squealed in ecstasy and threw her arms around Mark, then embraced Jessie who was beside herself.

"Let's go down and congratulate them!" Jessie said, already bolting for the door, dragging Michiru behind her.

"I'll be right behind you," Mark responded. "I'm going to close up shop here."

"Way to go, kid," Andrei said, patting Mark on the back. He could hear Takeshi and the other pilots whooping with joy over the radio.

"Thanks, Andrei," Mark sighed. "Geez…I've got to learn how to deal with this…this is hard…"

"That's not what I meant."

Mark glanced at him curiously. Andrei was grinning at him.

Mark closed his eyes and smiled. "Thanks, Andrei."

A few minutes later, with the roar of the crowd still echoing in the distance, Mark stepped out of the observation room and into the hallway.

He took a deep breath, rolled his neck from side to side to work out the kinks, and pumped his fist.

"Yes!" he hissed. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

"I've never seen you so happy!"

Mark froze. He slowly turned to his right and his insides twisted at the sight of her smiling face and sparkling eyes.

"Michiru!"

"Mark!"

Their embrace was powerful and tender. All the emotion seemed to drain out of them and they merely enjoyed the sensation of being able to hold one another and feel their loved one being so close.

"Congratulations…" she whispered, caressing his cheek.

"Congratulations to you," he responded, pressing his forehead against hers.

"Three-time champions…" she said.

"That doesn't matter to me." She pulled back, shocked. "As long as I have you…nothing else matters."

She sighed. "Why do you do that?"

"Because you love it."

"Uh-huh."

"It is my great pleasure to introduce to you, the now three-time champions of the IG-1, Team Satomi!"

The thunderous applause and blinding flashes from cameras overwhelmed the senses. Takeshi, Amy, and Liz each strolled out onto the stage waving their hands to their supporters who were cheering like mad.

Behind them, Michiru started to make her way onto the stage as well, but she glanced behind her first.

"Come on, Mark."

Mark glanced at her dumbfounded. "Uh…no thanks…"

"No, no. Come on…you need to be up here too."

Mark was still hesitant. "Uh…no…cameras aren't really…my thing…"

"I insist," Michiru persisted. She stepped toward him and took his hand. "You're the Chief Mechanic and you need to be honored for what you've done for the Team."

"Michiru…" Mark stammered uneasily.

"Come on." Mark glanced behind him at Andrei and Jessie with an expression that said, 'Help!' The other two merely smiled and waved goodbye to him.

The instant Mark stepped onto the stage, he was blinded by the insane amount of camera flashes going off and his ears felt as if they would explode due to the applause.

Before he knew it, a decorative wreath had been placed around his neck and he was being pushed toward the center of the stage along with the rest of his team.

The enormity of the situation was almost too much for Mark to fathom. However, the situation was eased when Michiru glanced over her shoulder at him and smiled. "You okay…?" she asked, her voices containing traces of a giggle.

"Uh…I guess…" Mark managed to respond. "Now I know why I never came up here before…"

"It only gets worse," she warned.

"How could it possibly get worse?"

"And now race fans we bring you an exclusive interview with the new champions!"

Mark shuddered as his ears were split by Benjamin's screech.

"I can't believe you threw Amy that hard, Liz," Takeshi said, clutching the championship trophy in his arms. The entire team, save for Andrei, was making their way back to the Team's headquarters for the after-party that would follow the celebrations at the track.

Liz glanced at Takeshi suspiciously. "I got hit from behind, thank you! You want to try doing that, next time?"

"Hey, hey, let's not argue about that now," Jessie said, trying to play peacemaker. "We won the race and the championship. Let's celebrate!"

Mark and Michiru walked behind the younger pilots. Mark was blinking his eyes in rapid succession. "So when should I expect my vision to come back?"

Michiru grinned slyly at him. "Give it ten, more minutes."

"You won't let me walk into a wall until then, right?"

She sighed sadly. "I'd never do that to you, Mark."

"Just checking." Then he laughed. "I know you'd never do that to me. I'd never do that to you, either."

She took his hand as they walked. "Make sure you never forget that," she said dreamily.

"I won't," he responded, smiling.

"By the way, Miss Satomi, how did-?" Jessie froze in mid-sentence and her mouth dropped.

"What's wrong, Jessie?" Amy asked, glancing behind her, as did Takeshi and Liz. Each one of them soon had the exact same expression on their faces.

Both Michiru and Mark were curious as to what had happened, but they noticed that they weren't looking at them; they were looking at their interlocked hands.

Mark's face turned bright red and he dropped Michiru's hand quickly.

However, the damage had already been done.

"Wait…does that mean that you guys…?" Jessie's eyes were wide and hopeful.

Mark glanced at Michiru uneasily, finding her giving him the exact same look, and then stumbled into an attempted response.

"Well…uh…I guess…well, I…we…uh…oh."

Mark's attempt was ceased immediately upon the feeling of Michiru's lips pressed against his cheek. He glanced at her smiling face out of the corner of his eye as she turned to the rest of the group and proudly stated, "Yes."

The next few moments were a blur, with many smiles, laughs, embraces, and pats on the back.

"Way to go, Mark," Takeshi said as he gave the burly mechanic a pat on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Takeshi."

"Now I don't have to worry about being the only guy around here in a serious relationship."

"Oh, that's real nice." Liz slapped Takeshi hard in the center of his back. "I didn't know that I was that much of a burden on you."

"Liz…I was being sarcastic," Takeshi responded, his voice strained by the pain that he was now feeling in his back.

Liz picked up the trophy that Takeshi had set on the floor and started to walk the other way. "Some things will never change," she said.

Jessie, walking beside her agreed. "Uh-huh."

"Uh…wait up!" Takeshi bolted after the three girls, leaving Mark and Michiru to themselves behind them.

"That was…interesting," Mark commented.

"Yes."

"Please tell you're not going to be doing that to me," he asked, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

She rested her head on his shoulder as they walked. "Well…if you ever do something that stupid…"

"What?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "Kidding, Mark."

He smiled down at her and kissed her lightly on the lips. "I'm glad."