Episode 11
Takashi looked at the machine that crouched before him. Only moments ago it had been a normal upright mech. But now it was more like an animal. It reminded him of team White Snow's Snow Man, but only in the fact that it had transformed.
Vince eyed his opponent. Except that it wasn't Vince. It was his inner demon. His eyes had turned a blood red and his teeth had grown a small amount to form fangs. His appearance could almost match his mech's new form.
Shana was calling to her teammate, trying to stop what she knew was going to happen. "Vince, stop! You've got to snap out of it!"
The man turned off the radio, blocking her out. Shana cursed. She couldn't attack her teammate, but she didn't want team Satomi to get hurt. She shook her head. She would just have to play it out and hope for the best.
Amy made the first move of the restart. She came up behind Shana and gave her a backhand. Shana was still in thought and didn't see the attack coming. The two quickly went into a bout.
Liz came at Shingo slowly. They grabbed hands and went into a sumo-struggle. Shingo tried to move down, but Liz pulled the hands back up. Thinking quickly, Liz dislocated her shoulders for a moment. With a burst of energy, she spun in a backflip. Her rising leg caught Shingo between the legs and he went tumbling. Liz watched him for a moment before turning. "I'm surprised that worked twice."
Liz quickly came up behind Shana. For a moment, Shana panicked and dropped her guard. The girls took advantage and began a team barrage.
Neither of the two men moved. They stood in their stare down. Takashi didn't want to provoke Vince into an attack he couldn't block, but at the same time wanted to attack him. He would have to be fast. He entered Keashin and came up next to Vince in an instant.
He wasn't fast enough. Vince pushed off with his legs and dove out from under the attack. With a quick turn, Vince pushed himself at Takashi, claws held forward. Takashi caught Vince with his forearm and carried him over in an attempt to throw him into the track. Vince twisted and instead landed on his feat. He pushed off again. This time Takashi ducked under it and swiveled out to the other side of the track.
This wasn't good. Vince was moving too fast and he wasn't even using Keashin yet. Takashi ducked under another dive.
Liz broke off to take on Shingo again. They got back into their sumo stances. Liz caused her shoulders to pop again and Shingo quickly broke off, not wanting to get struck in the groin again. But instead of backflipping, Liz came forward and connected a punch to Shingo's chest. The force was too much and he went tumbling again. "These guys aren't so tough." She returned to help Amy with Shana. After only a few more punches, Shana's arm was ripped off, followed quickly by the other arm. With no other options, she drew back out of attack range.
Amy looked at Liz. "You go help Takashi. I'll take care of Shingo."
Liz nodded and accelerated after her fiancé.
Takashi did a flash jump above Vince's mech and sent a punch from behind. Vince hit the track and tumbled once before finding his footing. Takashi blinked back out and came up behind Vince with an uppercut. He flashed back out and in of visibility, pounding Vince from every angel. The machine lurched back and forth, throwing Vince's head like a rag doll.
Vince finally found a break and jumped away. The mech was wobbling. The spirit grew furious. How could such a worm be beating him?! The spirit forced out energy from the machine's core. Parts all over began to fix themselves until the mech was back in working order.
Takashi watched in amazement. The machine was actually fixing itself! "No way."
Mark watched the readings. "Incredible! The machine's energy output has tripled! This type of thing shouldn't even be possible."
After only a moment, it was done. The mech was completely fixed, except this time it hung in mid-air slightly, like a werewolf would during its "wolf" stage. The head threw back and Vince let out another howl.
"Holy Cow! I thought I had seen everything in this sport, but never had I thought I'd see this! With just over half of the final lap left, Vince Hugo is primed to go. Can Takashi Jin take him?"
"This can't be good," Takashi whispered to himself as he went into a defensive stance.
Vince's feral mech crouched. The head glared menacingly before he vanished. Takashi quickly entered Keashin, but even with the advanced eyesight he couldn't follow the motion. There was a whir of motion and a hose in the mech's hip erupted. Gas started to billow out. The mech nearly buckled, but Takashi transferred the weight to another area and caught himself. Then another blow came at the other side. Another hose ripped open and spilled its contents onto the track. He almost buckled again, but Takashi was somehow able to remain standing.
Takashi saw a slight flash of light. He was coming again! Takashi threw the mech back, but the attack was too fast. The claws tore into the chest armor and sent Takashi sprawling backwards. Sparks flew across Takashi's panel as the world spun. Without realizing it, Takashi threw out an arm, caught the track, and pulled his legs under him.
Without looking, Takashi could tell his mech was finished. There was almost zero pressure in the legs and he would be lucky to have enough energy left to crawl across the finish line.
He looked up and Vince was there. The man laughed evilly. "Face it, Takashi! As long as you face me, I'll always win." Vince hit the accelerator to go for the killing blow. But instead of moving, the mech just shuddered.
Vince spun his head with a ferocious growl. Liz was standing over him, her arms wrapped around the mech's torso and shoulder, effectively immobilizing him. "I got you now, bastard."
Vince gasped in shock. How had she gotten behind him? He tried jumping into Keashin but she somehow held him tight. He was completely trapped.
There was a creaking from ahead. Vince turned his eyes to another shock. Takashi was standing! The legs were wobbling visibly and it took all Takashi had to stay upright. Takashi stared into Vince's face with a scowl and grin at the same time. "Then thank God that I don't have to do it alone."
Takashi brought one fist over his head. Green energy laced across it, building for a quick blow.
Vince tried to shake once more, but only managed to squirm. Liz tightened her grip. Vince looked up again and wished he hadn't. To him, it looked like a demon from hell. For a moment, Takashi thought he saw the mech's head turn into a horrified mask.
"Until you learn to work with your team, you'll never win the IG-1." Takashi brought his energized fist down. It dropped on Vince's mech's head and the unit crumpled. Energy coursed through the now open circuits, frying everything inside.
Suddenly everything in the cockpit went black. Vince froze for a moment, his eyes still wide.
Liz dropped the mech and it tumbled down the course. Takashi, still trying to stand, buckled as the remaining pressure vanished. Liz whipped in underneath and caught his arm over her shoulder. Takashi looked over at her. "Go ahead. Win us the race."
Liz shook her head. "No way, man. We're a team."
Takashi smiled and nodded his head. The two pressed on the last leg of the race while Amy came up behind them, a partially crippled Shingo behind her, and Shana way behind.
As she crossed, Shana kept playing that battle in her head. She had seen someone do the impossible.
Vince sat on the track. When he finally came to, he realized that something was strange. Not bad, just strange. His mech was dark and lifeless. Everything around him was dead.
Wait!"
He searched around with his mind. Nothing. The machine was dead!
Vince quickly threw opened the panel and jumped out onto the track. He quickly ripped his helmet off. Everything looked so much brighter. The wind rustled his hair, sending a slight cold shiver down his spine. But he welcomed it. The demon was gone. Vince was back.
Takashi and the group jumped up onto the stage. Lights flashed and reporters shouted out their questions. Ben quickly stepped in with his mic. "That was quite a race, Satomi. You gave a nice show, even for this veteran star. What was the secret to your success?" he asked throwing the mic into Takashi's face.
"Teamwork." The one word said it all.
"Thanks a lot. You'll be going up against Sledgemama in the finals. As you may know, River Mark has yet to recover from his coma. Are you hoping for a victory?" The question went to Liz.
"You know it. Though we do hope River can get better as soon as possible."
Ben turned back to Takashi. "You know, several fans sites are starting to call you by the name Rocket T. Would you care to comment?"
Takashi hadn't heard of this and it shocked him for a moment. "Wow. It's really awesome to be compared to someone I consider sort of an idol. I'll try to wear the title well."
"Thanks for the interview, team Satomi!" The crowd cheered as the team slowly made their way off.
Walking towards the hanger, Takashi saw something in their way. He instantly recognized team Fire Fox. The team came to a halt a few paces away and went into a small stare down. No words were spoken. The silence was ominous and heavy, waiting for something or someone to break it.
It was broken when Vince slowly lifted his hand. Takashi looked at it suspicious, but then saw Vince's face. He was…smiling? "I want to thank you," Vince said. "I've been so caught up in winning, that I forgot what being on a team was about. Thank you for beating my back to my senses."
Takashi smiled and took Vince's hand in a firm shake. "Don't worry. The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. Just trust you friends. They'll pull you through."
"Don't expect us to lose next time, though. I'll be watching you, Takashi Jin." Vince made a gun out of his hand and pretended to fire it at Takashi.
"Same back at you."
Vince nodded and walked off, Shingo close on his heels. Shana stayed behind. She came over to Takashi and took his hand. "I can't thank you enough. You've brought Vince back to us. We owe you everything." Shana then bent over and kissed Takashi's knuckles. Takashi blushed deeply. Shana dropped the hand and ran after her friends.
As they walked off, Vince put his arms over the other two's shoulders. "How about we go out for some Chinese? My treat."
Takashi stood for a moment, his face still red. Liz saw his cheeks. "Don't get any ideas, Takashi."
Takashi turned back at her. "What does that mean?"
"I'm your fiancée, not her."
Takashi smiled big. "Of course you are. And to celebrate, I'm taking you girls out."
Luca gave a loud "Meow."
"And you too, Luca."
The three turned to the hangar and went inside, all of them thinking about the race they had just survived and looking on to the finals against Sledgemama.
To Be Continued…
