(A/N: Well, back on Prime Empire now)
The Ninja were successful in finding the first Key-Tana before they soon prepared to go for the second Key-Tana, which Jay told them is a prize in a race.
Upon returning to the town, and seeing a car pass by, Jay turned to the others. "Guys, welcome to Terra Technica." He said.
"Uh, weren't we just here the first time?" Geoff asked.
"That was actually the market division. This is the racetrack division, the main point. The second Key-Tana is here, but the only way to win it, is to be crowned champion in the Speedway Five Billion."
"What's that?" Lloyd asked. Gewuji shakes his shoulder to get his attention and points up to a nearby holo-board screen that showed race cars driving around a track.
"Only the most dangerous race in Prime Empire. The track is lethal, the turns are deadly, and the other drivers are wild." Jay turns left to walk on with the others following behind him.
Many players, NPCs and rats were either talking, doing check ups on their vehicles, or carrying components before coming across a robot speaking to a pink rat. "Your receipt and directions to the nearest healing zone in the likely even of a fiery crash." It said before the rat walks away and the robot turned to the Ninja. "Next!"
They come up to it. "We're here to sign up for the Speedway Five Billion." Cole said.
"Uh, maybe we should start smaller?" Kai asked. "Do you have a Speedway Five Hundred?"
"No." The robot replied.
"We can't win a Key-Tana that way, Kai." Nya said to him, annoyed at his attempted persuasion. "We need to race in the Speedway Five Billion."
"Wonderful." It soon opened a display, showing the rules. "The entry fee will be deducted from your account."
"How much is it?" Gewuji asked.
"200 credits each. You must register as a team of five, which means you need 1,000 credits."
"1,000?" Lloyd asked.
"A team of five?" Geoff asked.
"Wow. Okay, let's pool our money. And the two with the least will have to sit out of this." He soon opened his credit display. "I got, uh, 160."
Everyone soon opened their displays. "I've got 198." Nya said.
"200." Gewuji said.
"153." Cole said.
"160." Jay said.
"127." Geoff said.
They all soon turn to Kai, who looked nervous before confessing. "Twelve." He replied.
"Twelve?" Jay asked as everyone glared at him. "How the hell do you only have twelve?"
"What did you waste your credits on?" Gewuji asked.
"This sick new avatar." Kai replied, sliding along his menu before touching the avatar selection option. He closes his display before he glows and it immediately fades away, revealing now in a red sleeveless gi with orange lightning bolts, black gloves, red face paint and blonde hair. He soon turned around to show them a snake symbol on the back of it. "Huh, huh?" He turns back around. "What do you think?"
"That looks awesome!" Jay replied.
"Wish I had something like that instead of this stupid kabuki avatar that Jay bought for me at the beginning." Gewuji said, agreeing with Jay.
"Then, why do you still have it?" Cole asked.
"Because I can't sell an avatar once it's bought. Though, I am beginning to get use to it."
"And, Geoff, 127? I thought you had 377."
"Kai made me waste 250 credits on this avatar." Geoff said with honesty as he slides his screen along before touching the avatar selection option, and glows briefly before it fades, showing him in a new avatar. He now looked like a person completely made of sand with sandy brown hair, wearing part of a kimono and black leather pants with many belts and accessories attached to it. "Though I do kinda like it. I mean, I never truly owned a pair of leather pants."
(A/N: Geoff's avatar is based off that the top of his loosened yukata was his Departed Robes, and the leather pants was based off Squall Leonhart's from Final Fantasy VIII)
"Wow." Gewuji said. "That looks better than mine."
"Okay, that gives us 1,010 credits." Nya said, reminding everyone of the situation. "And, Kai, Geoff, you both sit out of this, since you both have the low amount of credits because you wasted them on those stupid avatars."
"What?" They both ask.
"Not to mention, you're both on your last lives." Lloyd said, agreeing with Nya. "Something could happen out there on the racetrack."
Geoff moans. "But, I was hoping to race in this." He replied.
"Well, if we were allowed a team of seven. That would also acquire 1,400 credits if it happened."
"But, we can't." Jay said. "So, you'll need to get over it."
Sounds of marching were heard as the administration robot discreetly moves away. "Oh, no!" Nya said. They turn around to see some Red Visors marching towards them. They immediately summon their weapons while Lloyd, Cole and Nya summon their hoods. The Red Visors soon fire their blasters, and the Ninja start to swing their weapons to deflect them as best as they could as Nya notices her kama fizzling a little before quickly moving to block another blaster shot. "We can't afford to upgrade weapons!" She moves to the right and Kai deflects a few behind her. "We need every credit we got!" Kai jumps back and rolls before landing and spins to strike down two Red Visors.
Lloyd and Geoff come across some tyres before getting in one each before pushing them to make them roll with them inside, taking down a few Red Visors in their path before turning in different directions as Lloyd's tyre turned on its side, and he comes out, head spinning, while Geoff continues on before jumping out as the tyre hits three more Red Visors and immediately dove out before it hits a Red Visor that backed into a wall. Nya finds herself surround by a Red Visor on each side of her before she quickly jumped and spun backwards as they fire and end up shooting each other before landing. Gewuji moves her cinquedea to deflect the blaster shots before it is soon shot out of her hand and it lands behind some Red Visors advancing on her. "Uh oh." She said to herself before immediately opens her display menu then turns to her agility level.
"Upgrade ability for 200 credits?" The menu asked. Taking in a deep breath, she immediately purchased another level, depleting her of all her credits before she soon jumped in the air and spun over the Red Visors, landing with a roll while grabbing her cinquedea, turns back and swung it, sending an energy wave at them, striking them all down and they disappear.
Jay swings his kusarigama to deflect some Red Visors' blaster shots as he backed away from them before one shot hits the handle, disabling the weapon. He then looked on to see them about to converge on him. "Sorry, guys, gotta upgrade!" He said, opening his weapon display with an upgrade mode.
"Jay, don't touch a single thing on that!" Gewuji yelled. "I'm coming."
"Upgrade weapon for 100 credits?" The menu asked before Jay touches it, deducting his credits from 160 to 60.
"Better to be poor and alive!" Jay said to himself, closing his display, summoning his kusarigama, which briefly glows orange before he spins, comes at the Red Visors and strikes them all down.
Geoff swings his naginata to deflect blaster shots as several Red Visors surround him and fire at him. Geoff spins his naginata to deflect laser shots before noticing it was fizzling a little. "No, no!" He yelled as he looks at it until the blade fades away. "NO! I'm sorry, Lloyd!" Geoff immediately opened his display, swiped to the weapon upgrade menu.
"Upgrade weapon for 100 credits?" The menu asked before he presses it, deducting his credit score from 127 to 27, and his naginata's blade conjures, briefly glowing orange. He then charged at the Red Visors before jumping to somersault over them while raising his naginata high and strikes one, making it disappear.
He reaches Lloyd, who had taken down a Red Visor himself. "What were you thinking?" He asked, referring to Geoff upgrading his weapon.
"I'm down to my last life, okay?" He asked. "I did what I had to do to survive."
"Well, thanks to you, Jay and Gewuji, we're now short on credits."
Geoff soon pushed Lloyd to the wall. "What did I say about survival?"
"Okay, okay." He soon noticed three Red Visors raising their blasters at them. "Look out!" Before they could even get a shot off, three laser shots suddenly hit them, making them turn into bytes. They both turn to see Cloaked Character in an alleyway, who then smirked underneath the hood before he backed away, double jumping up to a nearby building and running away from the edge, out of their view.
"Are you guys okay?" Nya asked as she, Kai, Jay, Cole and Gewuji came up to them.
"We're fine." Geoff replied.
"Cloaked Character saved us." Lloyd replied, looking up at the rooftop to see him running.
"Though, we have some bad news." He opens his credit display to reveal his 27 credits.
"You're not the only one." Gewuji said, opening her credit display to reveal she is completely empty.
"I'm afraid I had to waste mine, as well." Jay said, opening his credit display to reveal his 60 credits.
"Great!" Lloyd sarcastically replied. "All of you wasted 400 credits, so it leaves us 390 short. Where the hell are we supposed to get that kind of money?"
"Way to go, guys!" Kai sarcastically said to Jay, Geoff and Gewuji.
"Hey, you're the retard with the fancy new avatar!" Geoff replied.
"So are you!"
"You made me!"
"There's gotta be a way!" Lloyd said, interrupting their petty argument.
"Enter the Terra Technica Dance Off!" An announcer on a nearby holo-board said as everyone else opened their displays to see their miscellaneous items that would sell for at least 5 to 20 credits, but would not be enough between them all. "One night only! Winners receive admiration, acclaim and 500 credits!"
"Maybe we can do some quests or something, earn some extra credits." Jay said.
"We could try to go after that Cloaked Character guy." Cole replied. "His capture reward has just increased to 150,000 credits."
"We're not going after him." Gewuji replied. "He may be an ally or just an NPC keeping us safe. He did gives us that ring back in Terra Karana." She soon comes across a 20 credit reward for defeating an ogre. "Hey, here's one where we can fight an ogre."
"That could be fun!" Jay said.
"Yeah, but it's only 20 credits." Cole replied.
"And a good chance of getting crushed." Geoff said. "No thanks."
"Well, what else can we do?" Kai asked.
"Guess we have to go after Cloaked Character." Lloyd replied, causing Gewuji to sigh out of reluctance. "Let's see what we can upgrade."
"Competitive dancing!" The announcer said. "It's fun, you won't get hurt, and you won't have to bounty hunt." They all turn to the holo-board. "Sure beats fighting endless ogres for credits! Or hunting down an elusive bounty, who pops up when you least expect it!"
This gave them an idea. "Are you guys thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I think I am." Nya said.
"Dancing time!" Jay said before he and Nya smile at each other and fist bump, confusing the others.
