Episode 9

Episode 9

The wind blew. The field was silent except for the breeze and the words of one man. One man who should never have to be called.

The flowers spread everywhere flowed like wheat from the brush of the wind. Takashi thought of his sister. When she was young, she would love to pick flowers in their grandmother's garden. He returned his eyes forward to the box held over a wide hole. In his mind, she was somewhere right now doing just that. He couldn't help but let a tear fall.

Liz saw it. She was standing next to him. She took one of her tissues and offered it to him. He took it in silent thanks and dabbed both cheeks. The ceremony continued.

Everyone had gone. The only ones left were Takashi and Liz, and for several minutes, nothing stirred but the flowers. "I should have been there," Takashi said, his gaze still on the closed casket.

"It's not your fault," Liz said softly as she put a gentle hand on his back. "You know you couldn't control yourself."

"Yeah, but I still feel guilty. You know, that spirit right now would probably be telling me to just leave."

Liz turned her head. "And what do you want to do?"

Takashi turned his head. His eyes were misty. He softly put his arms around her, nestled his head against her shoulder, and cried. It had been so long since he had. He wanted to feel the anguish, the torment of sorrow. He didn't stop for several minutes. When he did, he felt like a burden had been lifted. He felt human again.

Liz jerked her head. "We should go."

Takashi nodded and turned back. He placed his hand on the casket: his last goodbye. With that, the couple left and the diggers began their work.

About half an hour later, Takashi and Liz stood inside a small hospital room. A man with a neck brace lay on the bed. Several monitors let out beeps every few seconds.

The sight made Takashi a little sick. He had done this to him. His teammate.

Liz put her hand on Takashi's arm. "We need to get going," she whispered softly.

Takashi nodded, never taking his eyes off the bed. Liz stepped out of the room, leaving the two men alone.

Takashi walked over and put his hand on River's. "I'm sorry, bro," Takashi whispered, even though the other couldn't hear. He needed to get the words out, regardless if they were to deaf ears. "I'm sorry I did this to you." A tear rolled down his cheek and he brushed it away. With one last pat, he turned away.

Takashi went to the locker room as soon as he got back to the track. He could faintly hear the rumble of the crowds high above. The year's All-Star Festival was on the same day as his sister's funeral. How ironic.

Ben looked over the packed stands. "Welcome, race fans, to this year's All-Star Festival. Today, we'll see every pilot in the league show off their best moves. The normal festival events have been put off this year for something totally new! This year holds the introduction of the Cross Races! Pilots will be split up by position, and then put into mock teams and race using a different mech. Forwards will use Defender mechs, Midfielders will use Forwards, and Defenders will use Midfielders. This should make for some very interesting combat.

"To make things a bit more interesting, the first race, the Forwards, will put rivals Takashi Jin, Cunningham Hume, and Yamma on the same team! Can the once mortal enemies come together as a group? I can't wait to find out! And, for some unknown reason, Vince Hugo will not be racing today. Instead, Shingo Magoto, their Defender, will race twice today."

Liz was waiting as Takashi approached her mech. "You better not mess up my mech, Takashi."

"I won't, honey," he replied. A few mechanics laughed. No one had ever seen anyone call Liz "honey" and get away.

Takashi fired up the mech and began to walk out. It felt sluggish and stiff. It would be hard using this thing in battle. But if nothing else, he could use his weight to cause more damage.

Yamma and Cunningham joined him outside the hangar. Their opponents entered the track from the opposite side. Takashi took point, Cunningham at mid, and Yamma the tail end.

"This is only a one lap race, so anything goes as soon as the mechs hit the gas!"

"What's the plan, guys?" Takashi asked his "teammates."

Cunningham adjusted his mech's arm pressure a bit. "Just take a target and go one-on-one."

"That good with you, Yamma?"

Yamma scowled. "I don't care. Do what you want."

"Humph. Fine." Takashi wondered if Yamma was going to turn on him. He probably was, but not until later. He'd just have to keep an eye out for it.

The countdown started.

3

2

1

GO!

The mechs pushed off. Straight out of the gate, Yamma turned on Johannsen and the two started trading punches. Takashi took his lead and came into attack range of Zanak. "We didn't get to fight in our race," Takashi said to his opponent. "This should be fun."

"Indeed," Zanak replied. He made the first move, a straight punch.

Takashi spun out of the way, but the mech was slower, making it a close miss. He carried the momentum into a backhand that only hit air. Zanak pulled back for another attack.

Takashi may have been taken over, but he could vividly remember most of the time he had been out. Mainly, the spirit's battle tactics. When faced by a foe, take a moment to observe their movements. And that is just what Takashi did.

Zanak came in for a furry of punches. Takashi merely dodged them all and watched the mech closely. One punch nicked off Takashi's chest and Zanak leaned slightly. Takashi caught it in that one instant. Zanak wasn't used to the weight, and it was throwing him off. A plan instantly formed in his mind to use that momentum to his advantage.

Zanak charged in with a single punch. As the punch approached, Takashi leaned back and grabbed Zanak's arm. At the same time, he pushed off the ground, using Zanak's momentum to send them into a spin. Takashi landed on top, pinning Zanak to the track in a screech of steel. With a twist, Takashi jumped off, taking half of Zanak's arm with him.

He smiled to himself. That should take Zanak out.

The crowds cheered. "What a move by Takashi Jin! That's one mech down. Wait! Cunningham has just taken out Shingo Magoto! This race is starting to look a little one-sided."

Takashi and Cunningham pulled ahead as Yamma continued duking it out with Bjorn from Edgeraid. Bjorn made a dangerous pounce move which Yamma pushed aside with one fist. He took that moment to swing his arms around and activate the drills. The spinning blades dug into Bjorn's mech, snapping wires and sending sparks everywhere. Bjorn crumpled, his mech powerless.

Yamma turned slowly. "Come on, let's go." The trio dropped into speed mode and got into drafting formation: Cunningham in front, Takashi in the middle, and Yamma behind. They went through the last quarter of the track and finished in that order.

"Wow," Ben said. "That was anticlimactic. I was expecting one person to turn on the others, but the three pass in near perfect formation. Great teamwork. Next up is the Midfielder's race."

Takashi docked and powered down as Amy started up his mech. He sat and watched as it lumbered out. Shana of Fire Fox and Max from White Snow joined her.

Amy ducked nimbly under the fast Velshtein punch and spun around to deliver an uppercut. The mech flipped forward and tumbled head-over-heals but got up. It dropped into speed mode for the last stretch. Amy gave chase, but couldn't catch up in time. She placed second.

Liz didn't fair so well. She wasn't used to the extreme agility of the Midfielder mech and couldn't keep herself under control. Luckily, neither could most of the other Defenders. She placed 5th.

Liz stepped out of the changing room along with Amy and Jesse. She sported a long, black evening gown. It went high on the left shoulder and low to her other underarm. The lower half was similar, starting below the left hip and dipping low to the right ankle. White specks made it sparkle brilliantly. They were all hoping for another win at the Fashion Show.

Takashi was waiting outside.

The girls stopped in front of him.

He gave Amy and Jesse weird looks.

Amy got the hint first. "Oh, sorry." She grabbed Jesse's arm. "We'll leave you two alone." The quickly turned the corner at the end of the hall.

Takashi couldn't help but gaze up and down her figure. "You look absolutely beautiful."

Liz laughed nervously. "Thanks." She flipped the skirt a bit. The sparkles sent a few beams of light across the dimly-lit walls. "I'm planning on wearing this for the ball tonight."

"That's what I wanted to talk about. I don't think you should wear the engagement ring tonight."

This surprised Liz. That was a strange request. "Why? Aren't you proud that we're going to get married?"

Takashi rubbed the back of his neck. "Of course I am!" he said with a smile. "It's just that I don't think we need all the paparazzi. Just not yet."

Liz got a half-angry, half-sad look. "You can't be serious? This is a commitment, Takashi. Don't tell me you're backing out already?"

Takashi suddenly felt ashamed. After all he had put her through, this was a stupid request. "You're right. I'm sorry. In fact, show it off. Who cares about the stupid cameras? Let the whole world know that Liz and Takashi are in love!" Takashi grabbed Liz and pulled her in for a deep kiss. She was startled, but gave in.

Amy and Jesse watched from around the corner, each with a grin. "Ah, how romantic," they said in unison.

The main hall was packed. Every team member and city politician was there. It was just like the Opening Ceremonies Dance. As soon as Takashi and Liz entered, they were stopped by a reporter. There weren't many: only about 15 were ever let into these big IGPX occasions. The man asked about the team and their plans for the finals. Takashi answered like any other time and he left, without noticing the ring. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Liz pocked his side. "Don't be so nervous. Like you said, 'Who cares?' Come on. Let's dance."

A fast dance beat started up and the two wondered out. A few other pilots said hello during the dance, but for the most part the two just enjoyed each other's company. Especially when the slow song came. Liz was reluctant at first, saying that she didn't do slow dances, but Takashi pulled her in and started, forcing her to take step. After a few seconds, she relaxed and laid her head on Takashi's shoulder. He leaned over and gave her a light kiss on her head. It was absolutely perfect.

Three songs later, Takashi excused himself for the bathroom. He weaved through the crowd, saying hello to a few people, and entered the room. There was only one other person inside: Vince. He was standing straight up with one hand on his hip. He seemed to have been expecting Takashi to come. His eyes were piercing and harsh. "You got lucky in our last race. Don't expect me to go down so easily again."

Takashi looked back and smiled. "You're right. It was luck last time. But it won't be this time."

Vince got mad. "I will take you down this time, Takashi Jin! You can bet your blood on that!" He recomposed himself and walked out, knocking Takashi off-balance in the process.

"We'll just see about that."

Takashi did his business and went back to the dance. Right outside the door, Liz was surrounded by several women. All of them were ogling over something, and Takashi could probably guess what it was. Ten reporters appeared out of nowhere, and all of them were asking one question. "Would you care to comment on your engagement?"

Takashi let out a sigh. "Oh, man."

To Be Continued…