Disclaimer: 89 of teens prefer to eat a large bagel for breakfast instead of a smarter, healthier choice of whole wheat toast. I own nothing from Oban: Star Racers

A/N: Whoa! I bet you're all thinking: "ZOMG Andrea's alive!?!?" And I don't blame any of you one single bit. It's just that this is my very first freshman year of high school, and my very first time attending a public school, so I've been busy trying to get myself in order. I also feel that I should apologize to everybody, since it wasn't only school that was keeping me away. Instead of meeting my obligations as a writer, I have been indulging on watching all 51 episodes of Rave Master and some .Hack//Legend of the Twilight episodes on youtube, and I apologize for it. It just really helps me think.Besides, I have a certain weakness for those animes, and I haven't watched 'em in awhile. I was cleaning out my room, found an old R.M. manga I hadn't touched in a few years, and re-fell in love with the plotline. I love Haru-san all over again now[chokes him to death in a hug Seriously. What a cool dude. [clears throat

On a slightly different note, I've just checked the Oban Fanfiction forum, and it seems I'm not the only one who's vanished. So, yay for that! There are all new people and all new stories, so yay for that too! New people, please review!!! Although read through the whole thing first, or you seriously won't get any of it. That might take awhile, as this fic is turning out to be an epic novel [he he…not my fault. Also, the return of Fjord! For those of you who even remember him from the first chapter, that is…he's just one of my favorites, and he ties into the story really well. So I'm using him a lot more.

Also, I decided that I'm gonna make my chapters shorter. This is for a couple of reasons:

The only reason that I made them long in the first place was because I didn't want to end up with like 50 chapters, and STILL not be done with the fic TT I'm over that now.

Lets face it—it's just an easier read for everyone (including me, since I proofread every chapter)

I just don't have the time to write 20 pages per chapter any more. Sorry guys (or your welcome, if you find it a relief of some sort!)

This does not mean they're gonna be like two pages. Don't worry, I don't completely disregard my readers like that. No, they'll be 7-10 pages at most now. Shorter, but they get more action packed as we go along. I'll warn you guys ahead of time if there's going to be a long chapter, like the Belle of the Ball.

Note: Listen, guys, this may sound like a lame excuse, but this is the first chapter I've written in awhile, so it might not be as good/grammatically correct as my other ones. Sorry in advance! I'll try to get back in my writing groove.

Uhm, well, that's all I gotta say other than enjoy the next chappie!

APurpleAvacado Actually, I was watching my brother play World of Warcraft when I thought Aleen up. Her anatomy is mostly the same, although the ears and some other minor details are a little different. Plus, I incorporated other elements from other books I've read into her. She's going to be a main character, so I spent lotsa time on her.

-Catgirl-of-Bavaria- Thanks! The whole "aikka's-fiancee thing is pretty overused, huh? That's why she's not his fiancée! You'll find out who she is soon. I'm glad you liked the chapter! I'm also happy to see that you updated your story, which is Uber-awesome, may I add. I'll have to find some time to review to it...although I don't possibly know where to begin, it's so wonderful. Keep it up!

RomanticAngel: Ah, well, this fic is probably gonna be an A.xE fic, because I honestly don't see the Avatar being able to, er, "marry" anybody. But you never know what I'll come up with :K You probably won't like Aikka's Red-Haired Wonder, even if she isn't his fiancée. She may be getting in the way of you Aikka/Eva dream!

Well, that's all I gotta say, other than the usual begging for reviews;

R&R!!! Seriously. Don't make me get Shuda in here!

And don't think I won't know if you don't review. There's no way I have like a thousand [exaggeration hits but no reviews. But still, the ratio should add up.

An Unexpected Twist: Sudden Death Elimination!

Eva was awoken from her slumber the next day by an odd drilling sound. She groaned, tossing over and pulling her pillow over her head, willing the sound out of her system. However, soon the whole room was shaking slightly, and her attention zipped up at a large crashing sound from the room over. Removing the pillow, she raised her head upwards. This was greeted by a gruff;

"Oww, Stan! You fell on top of me!"

Followed by a series of grumbles and "Hmmm? Well, it's your fault for choosing the bottom hammock."

"I didn't think you would fall on me!"

Eva sat up, not realizing the hilarity she might have seen in the situation were she any more awake. However, even in her half-asleep state, she did notice the buzzing and vibrations growing stronger. It took her another moment to realize that it was the ship making these movements. 'What could be happening?' she thought curiously, fully awake by now. On the other side of the room, Trent groaned slightly and sat up

"Who's shaking the room?" He asked lazily. Eva shook her head, unable to say. "Well, it's giving me a killer headache." He grumbled, stretching his arms out, and giving a yawn.

"Hey guys, you're up too." Koji's voice drifted from the other room, and both of them walked into Eva's and Trent's room.

"Well, how can we sleep with all that noise and shaking?" Trent shrugged, pulling the covers off of him and folding his legs over the bed. "You think that Rick's awake yet?"

"I woke up a while ago, actually." Came Rick's cool voice, not sounding the least bit as groggy with sleep as the rest of them. Everybody's heads turned to Rick's bedroom, which was all the way in the back, to find him casually leaning against the door frame, an amused grin on his face. He had clearly seen the bed-heads at their worst. Eva was about to ask if he knew what was going on, when the loudspeaker sounded again.

"Good Morning, Contestants! I trust that you have all slept well. We have arrived on Wheel, at an estimated 0:34:12 seconds ahead of time! This is good news. Please do not mind the mild turbulence, that is simply the ship setting into charger mode. In just a few short hours, the Races of Wheel will begin. I will request that all crewmembers report to the Cargo Hold to see that your ship is in order. In only a few short minutes, pilots will be escorted outside by an attendant to go to the Breakfast House. The attendant will knock on your door to signal his arrival, and you may step outside any time. Please, leave all your luggage in the ship. When you return in the evening, they will already be in your Team's living quarters. Have a good day!"

As Dellinious was talking, Rick gave Eva a solute, and headed out the door to attend to the Windbreaker. The door slid shut behind them, and once Dellinious had finished speaking, she plopped herself back onto the bed, still her in pajamas. Trent had already pulled on a black T-shirt and red basketball shorts, but Eva hadn't even thought about getting dressed. Hastily, she went into the bathroom and washed up. While she was getting dressed, she heard a knock on the door from outside.

"Yo! Eva, the attendant's here. You ready yet?" Eva hastily pulled over her shirt and placed her infamous pink and white goggles atop her head, before throwing her reflection a wink.

"I'm gonna win this one." She said, promising her mirror self. Then she opened the door and replied "Ready!" while swinging the main door open. As promised, there was a sleek robotic figure waiting ever patiently outside of the door. Although, it was taller in frame than Honig, and a bit lankier as well. However, unlike Honig's rusted, copper finishing this robot seemed to have a newer, silver shine to it. It looked up at her as she and Trent walked out of the room, and began to speak.

"Ah, you must be Eva Wei of the Earth Team. I have heard many wonderful things about you. Allow me to introduce myself, I go by the name of Fjord, and I am to be your guide throughout the competition. Please, if you will…" he gestured towards the end of the hallway, indicating that they should start walking.

"Oh, um, right! Sorry, Fjord, it's very nice to meet you. I'm kind of spacing out today. I'm not really a morning person, y'know?"

Fjord tilted his head. "Not…a morning person? Meaning that you dislike the early time of day, because you malfunction. I believe I understand. But perhaps you will feel better after some breakfast?"

"I second that notion." Trent cut in. "My stomach has been arguing with me for the past half hour. How far is the Breakfast House from here, anyway?" Fjord smiled, or that's what it looked like. The silver fringes on his mouth plate shifted upwards, which created the image of a smile.

"It's just beyond the ship. You'll see when we get there." Trent nodded eagerly, but Eva was already looking around, seeing other Teams emerging with other robot guides. Not many of them were in any sort of conversation, however. Eva took this time to observe the different forms and colours of the Wheel. She saw different shades of bronze, silver, gold, copper, and even a tad bit of a cerulean colour that blended with them.

"Hey, Fjord…" She wondered, trying to break the silence, but not wanting to be too loud, as nobody else was really talking. "How come there are some robots that look really beaten up, and others that are sleek and shiny, like you?"

Fjord looked at her, mildly surprised by her sudden question, however he answered her question after a moment or two. "The very old robots are made out of different aluminums and coppers, whereas the younger robots are Created from newer materials, so our appearance is more becoming, I suppose."

"Oh. So you guys are created? By whom?" Trent asked, the idea popping into his head.

Fjord laughed. It was a harsh, bark like laugh, but enjoyable nonetheless. "By elder Wheel, of course. There is a certain sect of Wheel, who study and learn to build parts to complete us. They are called Creators, because they create the physical body we live in. When our old bodies become inaccessible, or as you humans would say, when we "die," the Creator will detach our soul from the body and place it with our newer ones."

Eva was dumbstruck. "Detach your soul?" She repeated. "That sounds awfully harsh. Does it hurt?"

Trent, however, was deep in thought. "He doesn't mean it like that, E. He means that when they die, their souls get transferred into a newer body. Sorta like reincarnation. You do mean reincarnation, right?"

Fjord frowned. "Reincarnation? I am not familiar with this term. However, your assessment of the Creator Cycle is accurate. It is a difficult process, and not everybody makes it. There are perhaps 2 Creators for every 36 Wheel."

"But, that would mean…that you guys never die? I mean, you 'die', but you just get new bodies again. So, like, even if your body is only one year old, the soul inside is like eighty or something?" Eva said slowly, working this out in her mind. This was not the type of thinking she liked to do in the morning, but the topic intrigued her.

However, before it could continue, Eva was greeted by many gasps, sharp intakes of breath, and many "Oh, my!"s from the other contestants. Drawing her attention away from Fjord, whom she had been focusing on, she looked around to realize that they were on the main deck, and the scenery of the planet around them had become visible.

To say that Eva was shocked would be a massive understatement. She gasped, she really couldn't help it, at the sight in front of her. She had imagined a hard, rather desolate mechanical planet. After all, what would be a more suitable place for a race of robots to live? However, the sight that she was could be described as the exact opposite.

The sky took on a purple-red hue, and had three suns in the air. Or, at least Eva assumed they were suns. They really just looked like orbs of pure white light—but way to bright to be moons. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, however there were darker and lighter patches of colour in it, as though the whole thing were an oil pastel painting. The landscape around her was even more beautiful than above. The earth was a dull maroon colour, although it looked beautiful fitted with the snow white grass around it. There were some strange flowers that Eva had never seen before in her life, that were so many colours she wasn't even sure if she knew all of them. The leaves on the trees were occasionally green, although they were mostly blue or yellow.

"Eva! Check it out!" She heard Trent's voice calling her, and looked to find him at the edge of the boat, wedged between two people. "Come look!" He called, oblivious to the stares he was getting. Eva rushed over and peered on the other side.

"Whoa!" She said, staring at the scene below. The water here was nothing like it was on Earth. It was a sort of pale-red orange-y colour, although it was crystal sea through at the same time. You could see little patches of yellow shrubs on the bottom, and even some of the odd creatures that inhabited the ocean. "This is so cool." She said in wonder.

"Yes, yes, Wheel is a beautiful planet. But, please, we must get going." Fjord's voice cut in, and Eva reluctantly drew her eyes away from the magnificent scene.

"Okay…" She sighed, a bit downcast. The beauty and serene of the planet overwhelmed her, but in a good way. She and Trent followed Fjord down the ship, still looking this way and that. However, they were squashed between an army of contestants, so they did not exactly have all the leisure in the world.

Fjord had been right; They barely crossed up the first hill when they saw the huge building in front of them. It was dome shaped, the front made completely out of glass, and the other half looked like something similar to iron, but she had never seen that metal on Earth before, so she figured it must be an alien-based metal.

Fjord spoke again. "Eva, and Trent of the Earth Team. You will go into the Breakfast Hall and have time to eat for about an hour and a half, and directly after the announcements will be made regarding the event of Races. Please, have an enjoyable time!" As they reached the entrance of the vast dome, the Wheel stood aside on either side of the massive door in straight lines, clearing a path for the contestants to walk through. The door slid open as people started to pile in.

The inside of the building was just as cool as the outside. The walls and floor were a creamy yellow sort of colour that Eva couldn't place, and the furnishing was very…exotic. All of the tables conjoined with the walls, and were a silvery shimmery colour. A huge buffet table was coming out of the wall on one side of the room, stretching all the way from the beginning of the wall to the end of the wall, which must have been over 3 miles, by Eva's count. The room was huge. On the other side, there were smaller clusters of tables. For chairs, there were little floating white disks that floated in midair.

"Eva!" Eva turned her attention to the sound of her voice, which was being called by Stan. He, Rick, and Koji were already sitting at a table with another team, what could only be the figure of a Byrussian. Eva couldn't imagine that the hoverdisks could sustain that much weight, but apparently they could. "Over here!" He called, and Eva nodded towards him, dragging Trent, who was eyeing the food hungrily, along.

Koji, Stan, and Rick already had a plateful of different foods which Eva had never seen before. She was something that had the shape of a pear, but was orange and fuzzy. When Koji bit into it, she could see the dark blue colour of the fruit beneath the skin. Was that really safe to eat? Eva turned her attention to the Byrussian sitting on the other side of Rick. "Hi." She said brightly. Byrussians were known for their kindness and openness, so this was one alien party Eva felt more than comfortable talking to.

"G'morning, little lady." The large male replied in a cheery tone. He had watery grey-blue eyes and blond hair. His actual hair was covered by what looked like a large, orange ski hat, but he had a distinct blond beard and moustache jutting out. He looked to be in his late thirties, and wore a sort of jumpsuit. It compiled a large blue jacket, with yellow lines across it, with a matching pair of pants. His shirt was a vast stretch of cloth, in a pale sepia, made from a material Eva couldn't place. "How old're you?" He asked curiously.

"Sixteen. In, uh, Earth years." She added, just in cases he wasn't familiar with it. The Byrussian seemed to calculate for a moment, before slapping his head on the table.

"Well, that's just about Pasha's age, isn't it?" Seeing Eva's puzzled expression, he laughed. "Pasha's the pilot representing Byrus. She's also my niece." He added proudly. Then, seeming for forget the new guests, he laughed loudly, so that a few faces turned to see what the sound was. Seeing it was only a jovial Byrussian, and nothing worthwhile seeing, they went back to their business. "Oh, where are my manners! I get so carried away, you know…I am Barrack, Chief of Racing Management. I train the youngin's how t'race." His wide grin faltered a little, and he looked like he was about to say something else, but then it was back again and he laughed some more. "Well, I'm sure Pasha will be here any moment. You can met her then. She's a great sport, you know. So lively…"

Trent started to fidget. "That's great it's very nice to meet you can't wait to see you again Eva let's go get some food!" He said the last part urgently, and Eva rolled her eyes, but she was hungry, too.

They made their way towards the buffet table, and Trent instantly disappeared from Eva's side and into the fray of choosing food. Eva, on the other hand, took her time surveying each food, before finally selecting one of the Orange-Pears she had seen Koji eat, and some rolls that were stuffed with something she didn't know.

"Hey, Eva!" Eva's head turned, yet again hearing her name called, but this time by Aleen. Just like during the Ball, Aleen's hair was up in a ponytail. She was making her way towards Eva, with Linius by her side. "D'you mind if we sit with you? Things are getting awfully obnoxious back at my table…"

Eva grinned at her friend. "Not at all. I was just heading back myself. You're not gonna have anything to eat?" Aleen shrugged.

"On my planet, we don't have breakfast." She explained. Eva found this a bit odd, but she supposed she wasn't one to judge other's rituals.

"Mmm. Plus, Aleen doesn't wanna be near the guy our mom wants him to marry." Linus added in, causing the tip of Aleen's ears to turn the furious shade of fuchsia, in the odd blush that her kind had.

"Shut up, Linius." She snapped, but he just laughed at her, and soon she was laughing along with him. Eva was giggling herself, so much so that she didn't really notice where she was going, and accidentally shoved into somebody else.

"Oh! Sorry about that, I just—" She stopped talking when she received a withering glare from the girl that she had shoved. She was tall, maybe 5"9 or 5"10. Her skin was a pale yellow, and her eyes were a cold shade of icy pink. Her hair was also yellow, but it was a much darker shade than her skin, so that it looked almost bronze coloured. It was woven and tied together in two buns behind her head in a red material, and she wore a simple white sleeveless gown, tied together by a red sash that looked like something similar to silk. She didn't say anything to Eva, but continued to glare at her. For Eva, that spoke more than words. Her glare was already sending the "I'm-better-than-you" vibe, and she actually took the time to scoff at Eva. Aleen noticed this.

"Hey, it was a misunderstanding. There's no reason for unpleasant behavior as the reaction for an accident." A low growl emitted from the ground, and Eva's eyes were drawn to the floor, where what could only be the girl's pet was glaring profusely at the lot of them. It looked like some weird mix of a bunny, a cat, a dog, and a scorpion. It had a dog's muzzle, but car ears. The body was that of a normal four-legged animal, although it's long tail was spiked upwards just like a scorpion's, and it's feet looked suspiciously like a hare's. The girl was unfazed by this, however, and turned away.

"Come, Nuff. We haven't the time to deal with vagrants today." She huffed out, as if it pained her to bother speaking to them at all. Her voice was soft and melodic, but held no real emotion in it. The dog…rabbit…scorpion…thing that was with her shot one more glare at the lot of them before trotting off after his master.

"What was that about? Who was she?" Eva wondered. What a sour girl. Aleen shrugged.

"That was Serphie. She's the daughter of the Head Councilman on her planet, I think." Aleen said, racking her memory. "If I'm right, that is. I've heard a lot about her, but it's never really added up. Some people think she's an angel, and others absolutely hate her."

Linius snorted. "I think we know which one she is." Aleen and Eva both nodded their agreements.

"Lets just go back to the table." Eva sighed, wanting to just forget all about this girl. "Oh, and, there's this girl racing from Byrus, too. I think her name was…Pasha."

Aleen grinned. "Byrus? You mean…the planet, that…you know. Got totally annihilated?"

"Wow. Way to put that in gentle words, Aleen. Why would you even bring that up?" Linius scolded her seriously. Aleen shrugged. "I'm not going to say it to her face. And besides, everybody's been talking about her, lately, anyway." She huffed, pouting at being yelled at. By her Sharpshooter, no less.

"Why is that?" Eva asked, interested. However, they had reached within earshot of the table already, and the girl was sitting there. Aleen gave her a "tell-ya-later" look at took a seat besides Trent. And so Eva began with the introductions. "Rick, Stan Koji—Aleen and Linius. Aleen and Linius—Rick, Stan, and Koji." Eva sat besides Aleen, and Linus between her and the Byrussian girl, who indeed introduced herself as the pilot, Pasha.

She had a large brown vest on, made of what looked like leather. Underneath, she wore a pink dress made out of a strange material that Eva couldn't recognize. The dress was more like a connected shirt and skirt. On her feet were two combat boots. She had a sash strung around her waist, with a large, thick sword hanging limply on her left. She had bright orange eyes, and dirty blond hair wrapped into three separate braids. She was much smaller than her Uncle, but still rather large. She might have been 5"5-ish, from what Eva could tell. Just like the other two Byrussians Eva had met, she had that same, jovial expression on her face.

The group commenced in small talk for a little while, and Eva found that she rather enjoyed her strange fuzzy pear. It was very sweet, and very filling. She caught glimpses of the other contestants better now. There were a bunch of them who's anatomies were remarkably alike to one another. Eva caught the glance of the Phyl she had spoken to earlier at the Ball, and he waved at her before going back to his table, his golden eyes gleaming. Eva loved how she could almost him smile with his eyes. She also spotted Serphie again, with a large crowd of people behind her, but the girl did not meet Eva's eye. Eva also glimpsed the Prince, but he was with his fencing master, and the Red-Haired Wonder, so she decided against going up and talking to him just yet. It would be rude to her other friends, anyway.

Rick and Barrack were having a rather pleasant conversations about racing, Aleen was busy ogling at Trent, whom she had developed a crush on, Eva realized. She chuckled slightly, wondering what Marissa might think of it. Trent was still stuffing his face, but also had some input in the conversation. Linius noted that Trent ate too much. Pasha smiled shyly; she had turned out to be really nice, and Eva rather liked her. She was soft-minded and very sweet.

It was when they heard a bell-like sound that everybody's heads turned to the front of the room, where the buffet table was, their conversations ceasing to jitters, then whispering, and then dying away completely. Eva looked over to see the buffet table disappearing into the wall, and a robotic figure making it's way up to the now-empty space in the front of the room.

"Hello, friends! It is with great pride that I welcome you to my beautiful home planet, Wheel. I am Ellipse." A soft female voice sounded, her vocals reverberating off of the walls to create a sort of echo. The voice sounded as if she were in her mid-thirties, but after what Fjord had told Eva earlier, she wasn't too sure about how old any of them were now. "You have all waited patiently for the beginning of the Races of Wheel! And all of you, I have no doubt, will soar to victory in your own way! However, only one may be the winner. Before we start with the actual race, there is a…procedure that needs to be done. At this moment, there are many different representatives from 99 different planets. By the end of the next day, only 18 will be left."

This caused a sudden clamor, and even Eva doubled back. More than three quarters of contestants eliminated in one day? The whispering and gasps carried on until Ellipse held her hand up for silence. She looked around the room once before continuing.

"Here is how the Races and Preliminaries will be run: The 99 planet's delagites will face off in a single race, whose course and challengers are selected at random. The aim is have the most points when Time runs out. All of this will be explained at the actual race, later today. No second chances, no redos. This is Sudden Death Elimination. The preliminaries will end when there are only 18 teams left. Those 18 will be the ones who actually participate in the real Races of Wheel, and will be split up into "tag-teams" for 7 more racers until only two pair remains. Those four racers will then have one main conflict with each other in 3 individual races to find out who the grand winner is. That person will be named the Best Racer in the Quatrum—and win the Wheel's alliance and support. I wish you all good luck. Now, for the first race." No sooner had the word "race" left Ellipse's mouth, a large, black screen the size of a billboard lowered down from the wall. "This board," Ellipse explain "Will decided where each race is and who is going to be racing. Observe." She took out what appeared to be a small, round metallic lighter from behind her, and flipped over the cap. However, instead of a flame, there was a small red button. She clicked it twice. The screen hummed for about ten seconds, before showing an ocean landscape.

"The first race will take place in the Anui Gorges, out near the Kunriai Ocean, where the ship docked." She clicked the button on the lighter again, only this time she only clicked it once. "And the first Planet or System to participate in the Preliminaries is…"

There was a humming sound for about five seconds, before a strange symbol appeared on the black screen, in a neon lime colour.

"The Srior Republic!" There was a slight whispering around the room for about ten seconds, before everybody quit again. Ellipse pressed the button on the screen again.

"And the planet that will be going up against them, is…"

The humming noise sounded again for five more seconds, and an all-too-familiar symbol flickered onto the screen.

"Earth!"

A/N: There's not a lot of action in this chapter, this is just really to get familiar with some new faces that'll be appearing a lot in later chapters, and also to get familiar with their personalities. Aikka doesn't have a part in it…but he'll be in almost every single chapter after this, so…bear with me here. Next chapter, we meet: Shadow, Dellude, Aikka's "mystery person" [refusing to give name and a bunch of other supporting characters xD

Um, okay. So. You will be seeing more of Serphie, you can be sure of that. And next chapter I think I'm gonna introduce the mysterious Red-Haired Wonder. my next chapter should be up within two or three days. YEY! Also, I promise that I won't totally vanish like I recently did. [bows to all my readers I am so sorry, again! That's all, folks ;) Review please!