Becoming The "Spirit of the Night": The Tale of Kenji Yamamoto
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It's just a elaborate deception; it's just a transmitter attached to the car.What does a talking car add to this story?
Of course, Kenji doesn't know that.
The "Voice" is actually someone important that will be coming up later.
It's all part of a major plot twist coming up.
Re-read the last part of the chapter and you will see a bit of what's going to happen.đź’ˇ
- 5,481
- Seattle, WA
- RykonZero
This is looking good. KITT's back, I guess.
- 2,436
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- Weather_Systems
Sorry for being away too long. School stopped the production of my RS. The photos will be uploaded soon, as I need some time to upload all of them.
As always, post constructive criticism below.
Thanks for reading!
Chapter Six: A New Friend
After yesterdayÂ’s events, I was looking forward to a nice day of track testing.
I was trying to find info on a track near Boston, but the nearest one besides Trial Mountain was one called “Autumn Ring”, which was near the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“Hmmm… this one looks good.”
“What? A pet rock commercial?”
“No, stupid… A track for some testing on.”
“Wait… the dude who leads HKS e-mailed you something about that track… something about a race…”
“Oh, great. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“Because when I was going to, I got kidnapped.”
Matt has gotten more lazy and somewhat more stupid since yesterday, which I think was nearly impossible. Oh wellÂ… there are new methods I found out for dealing with that.
I opened the e-mail, and it said:
“Dear all HKS drivers; We need you to go to the Autumn Ring circuit in Pennsylvania and drive in one of the races there. The races are very similar to the ones some of our drivers were at a few days ago at Trial Mountain.
The race is tomorrow.
Good luck to all who go to the track.
~HKS USA”
“Good. I need something to do. Let’s go to the track a day ahead of time, so we can do some testing.”
“Why? I need to rest… that’s what the doctor said…”
“You’re coming. I’m driving the RX-7 up, and you are driving the Mirage up.”
"WaitÂ… I actually get to drive?"
He got up and disappeared in a flash. I was wondering what he was doing, when he came into the room 5 minutes later with both of our suitcases packed.
“Hey, I thought that you needed to sit and rest.”
“Nope, I’m not missing this opportunity.”
The only real reason I was going to bring the Mirage up was to get him off his sorry butt and come with me. IÂ’m still not that good of an RX-7 tuner (or any car, for that matter.) so I need him to help me.
We were ready within 10 minutes, and we left for the open road.
We got there within 2 hours, and we registered at one of the many motels in the area first thing..
It was actually clean, with not too many weird people hanging out around it.
We left the Mirage at the motel for now, and drove down to the track. There were about twice as many people there than at Trial Mountain. There were a few JGTC cars, some DTM cars, and some ALMS cars as well.
“Why are there so many race cars here?”
“This is one of the world’s most known racetracks. Most racing series have at least one stop on their schedules here.”
“Does that mean that I have to race actual race cars?”
“No. You will be racing cars in your class. Let’s get registered and go testing!”
This time, there were a team of officials and police with drug-sniffing dogs.
They asked to search our car. We got out, and they began the inspection.
“Why does the inspection have to be so thorough?”
“We are stepping up our enforcement of the Gran Turismo racing policies - no alcohol and no drugs for the drivers. There have been too many crashes resulting in fatalities here that are related either to drugs or alcohol. Anything else is free game for the spectators.”
After 5 minutes, the official says;
“All right, your car checks out. Have a nice day.”
We were handed a piece of paper with the track layout and what garage bay we were in.
“Bay #17? OK.”
“Let’s get over there and get set up for some testing.”
When we get there, we notice a sign above the garage reading;
“HKS Drivers Parking Only. No drunks allowed.”
‘We get special treatment? Sweet….”
“This must be one of HKS’s reserved garages. That’s good, because they have all the equipment we need set up already.”
We decided to do a few laps before making any changes.
I went out, while Matt was on a new radio, since the first one was destroyed.
“The first turn is one where you need to brake a lot on. Be sure not to go into the gravel trap.”
“Alright, that seems easy enough.”
“Next is a series of four quick, alternating left and right turns. Be careful of where you apex the corners.”
“That’s a small challenge. Give me something harder.”
Well, after the small straight, there is a sharp right-hand turn. Be careful you don’t screw up.”
“No problem.”
“Next are two left-handers; the second one leads into the straight under the bridge.”
“The bridge is cool..”
“Don’t bother with crap like that and pay attention to the road. Now make the left-hander that leads onto the bridge.”
“Ok, ok. I’ll pay less attention to the scenery and more to the track.”
“Now for a series of corners; they go left, then right onto a small straight, another right, then a left onto the main straight.”
“Wait… that’s it? Lap finished? Man, this track is short…”
“Compared to Trial Mountain it is, but it’s considered a medium - length track in the GT world.”
I pull into our parking garage after my lap, and I look at the times sheet.
“Wow! 1’45’562! Is that a record?”
“Yes. Here, though, they send your prize through the mail, so in a few days you should get your prize.”
“OK. Should I make another run?
“Not now, let’s go back to the motel and get the Mirage. We need to test that.”
================================================================================================================================
NOTE: This part of the chapter is written from MicaiahÂ’s perspective, not KenjiÂ’s.
Hi, my name is Micaiah. I donÂ’t pride myself on my good looks, or anything like that.
I pride myself on being a racer, and proving that women can race with the best of the men. However, I know I have a long way to go before I can be at the top of the racing world, and I need someone to help me reach that plateau, that pedestal.
I need someone who can teach me how to be the best; to teach me how to drive correctly, to the very best of my ability. How can I find someone like that? Well, thatÂ’s why I have come to Autumn Ring, one of the worldÂ’s foremost racing circuits, to find someone to teach me.
My car is a white 1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R N1 (R32). It was a gift from my father before I was disowned by my family, so it is upgraded and tuned to high standards. I live off of the money I get from racing, so
I saw a lot of JGTC drivers, some DTM racers, and some ALMS drivers. They all drive race cars, though, and I want someone who drives a regular street racing car to teach me.
I noticed a black Mazda RX-7 making a few laps, and he looked to have pretty good technique.
“Who is that driver?”
Spectator: “I believe his name is Kenji Yamamoto. He only just started, but already he’s beaten the Trial Mountain FF time attack record.”
“Then why isn’t he driving an FF now?”
“He works with HKS as a driver/tester. He also received that RX-7 from HKS as a present. I really have no idea why they gave him it when he only has won one race so far.”
“Ok. Do you think he is good?”
“Yes, one of the best I’ve ever seen. He needs to work on his technique a bit, but he is really good.”
“Ok, thanks.”
As I was walking down to the pits where my Skyline was parked, I glanced at the times board and saw that the RX-7 driver had posted a record laptime.
“Wow! Who is this guy?”
I need to find out if he can teach me, or if he is just a rich kid with gobs of money that tunes his car to the max so he can get fast laptimes.
================================================================
As we were getting ready to leave for the motel to pick up the Mirage, a white Skyline R32 parked in front of the bay entrance.
“Hey, get out of the way! Can’t you see we’re leaving?”
“Matt, wait. Let’s see who it is first before chewing them out.”
My assumption was that is was the driver of the R33 at Trial Mountain congratulating me on my time trial run. However, once the door opened, my assumptions were blown wide open.
“Who are you?”
“Hi. My name is Micaiah. I’ve heard that you are an up-and-coming racer with great talent. I need someone to teach me to be the very best driver I can. You fit the bill.”
“Uhh… Okay… But I make no profession of being the best racer there is. I hardly even know how to tune a car’s setup! How can I teach you if I barely know anything?”
“Then I’ll learn with you as you go along. You can teach me, and I can teach you about what I know.”
I though that over for a bit, and I said:
“I guess I can show you how to be the best…after we go back to the motel I’m staying at and get my Mirage.”
“Fine. Anyway, what’s with the guy standing near the computer monitor?”
“Oh, that’s just Matt, a friend of mine who does the tuni…”
When I turned around, I saw Matt standing there with his jaw open, looking at this girl that had come out of nowhere.
“Matt, this is Micaiah. I’m going to help her out with her driving skills, and she’s going to help me with my tuning and other stuff like that. Also, it’s time to go and pick up the Mirage.”
“Hi, Matt.”
“…”
“Just get in the damn car…”
“…OK…”
================================================================
Fin Chapter Six
As always, post constructive criticism below.
Thanks for reading!
Chapter Six: A New Friend
After yesterdayÂ’s events, I was looking forward to a nice day of track testing.
I was trying to find info on a track near Boston, but the nearest one besides Trial Mountain was one called “Autumn Ring”, which was near the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“Hmmm… this one looks good.”
“What? A pet rock commercial?”
“No, stupid… A track for some testing on.”
“Wait… the dude who leads HKS e-mailed you something about that track… something about a race…”
“Oh, great. Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“Because when I was going to, I got kidnapped.”
Matt has gotten more lazy and somewhat more stupid since yesterday, which I think was nearly impossible. Oh wellÂ… there are new methods I found out for dealing with that.
I opened the e-mail, and it said:
“Dear all HKS drivers; We need you to go to the Autumn Ring circuit in Pennsylvania and drive in one of the races there. The races are very similar to the ones some of our drivers were at a few days ago at Trial Mountain.
The race is tomorrow.
Good luck to all who go to the track.
~HKS USA”
“Good. I need something to do. Let’s go to the track a day ahead of time, so we can do some testing.”
“Why? I need to rest… that’s what the doctor said…”
“You’re coming. I’m driving the RX-7 up, and you are driving the Mirage up.”
"WaitÂ… I actually get to drive?"
He got up and disappeared in a flash. I was wondering what he was doing, when he came into the room 5 minutes later with both of our suitcases packed.
“Hey, I thought that you needed to sit and rest.”
“Nope, I’m not missing this opportunity.”
The only real reason I was going to bring the Mirage up was to get him off his sorry butt and come with me. IÂ’m still not that good of an RX-7 tuner (or any car, for that matter.) so I need him to help me.
We were ready within 10 minutes, and we left for the open road.
We got there within 2 hours, and we registered at one of the many motels in the area first thing..
It was actually clean, with not too many weird people hanging out around it.
We left the Mirage at the motel for now, and drove down to the track. There were about twice as many people there than at Trial Mountain. There were a few JGTC cars, some DTM cars, and some ALMS cars as well.
“Why are there so many race cars here?”
“This is one of the world’s most known racetracks. Most racing series have at least one stop on their schedules here.”
“Does that mean that I have to race actual race cars?”
“No. You will be racing cars in your class. Let’s get registered and go testing!”
This time, there were a team of officials and police with drug-sniffing dogs.
They asked to search our car. We got out, and they began the inspection.
“Why does the inspection have to be so thorough?”
“We are stepping up our enforcement of the Gran Turismo racing policies - no alcohol and no drugs for the drivers. There have been too many crashes resulting in fatalities here that are related either to drugs or alcohol. Anything else is free game for the spectators.”
After 5 minutes, the official says;
“All right, your car checks out. Have a nice day.”
We were handed a piece of paper with the track layout and what garage bay we were in.
“Bay #17? OK.”
“Let’s get over there and get set up for some testing.”
When we get there, we notice a sign above the garage reading;
“HKS Drivers Parking Only. No drunks allowed.”
‘We get special treatment? Sweet….”
“This must be one of HKS’s reserved garages. That’s good, because they have all the equipment we need set up already.”
We decided to do a few laps before making any changes.
I went out, while Matt was on a new radio, since the first one was destroyed.
“The first turn is one where you need to brake a lot on. Be sure not to go into the gravel trap.”
“Alright, that seems easy enough.”
“Next is a series of four quick, alternating left and right turns. Be careful of where you apex the corners.”
“That’s a small challenge. Give me something harder.”
Well, after the small straight, there is a sharp right-hand turn. Be careful you don’t screw up.”
“No problem.”
“Next are two left-handers; the second one leads into the straight under the bridge.”
“The bridge is cool..”
“Don’t bother with crap like that and pay attention to the road. Now make the left-hander that leads onto the bridge.”
“Ok, ok. I’ll pay less attention to the scenery and more to the track.”
“Now for a series of corners; they go left, then right onto a small straight, another right, then a left onto the main straight.”
“Wait… that’s it? Lap finished? Man, this track is short…”
“Compared to Trial Mountain it is, but it’s considered a medium - length track in the GT world.”
I pull into our parking garage after my lap, and I look at the times sheet.
“Wow! 1’45’562! Is that a record?”
“Yes. Here, though, they send your prize through the mail, so in a few days you should get your prize.”
“OK. Should I make another run?
“Not now, let’s go back to the motel and get the Mirage. We need to test that.”
================================================================================================================================
NOTE: This part of the chapter is written from MicaiahÂ’s perspective, not KenjiÂ’s.
Hi, my name is Micaiah. I donÂ’t pride myself on my good looks, or anything like that.
I pride myself on being a racer, and proving that women can race with the best of the men. However, I know I have a long way to go before I can be at the top of the racing world, and I need someone to help me reach that plateau, that pedestal.
I need someone who can teach me how to be the best; to teach me how to drive correctly, to the very best of my ability. How can I find someone like that? Well, thatÂ’s why I have come to Autumn Ring, one of the worldÂ’s foremost racing circuits, to find someone to teach me.
My car is a white 1991 Nissan Skyline GT-R N1 (R32). It was a gift from my father before I was disowned by my family, so it is upgraded and tuned to high standards. I live off of the money I get from racing, so
I saw a lot of JGTC drivers, some DTM racers, and some ALMS drivers. They all drive race cars, though, and I want someone who drives a regular street racing car to teach me.
I noticed a black Mazda RX-7 making a few laps, and he looked to have pretty good technique.
“Who is that driver?”
Spectator: “I believe his name is Kenji Yamamoto. He only just started, but already he’s beaten the Trial Mountain FF time attack record.”
“Then why isn’t he driving an FF now?”
“He works with HKS as a driver/tester. He also received that RX-7 from HKS as a present. I really have no idea why they gave him it when he only has won one race so far.”
“Ok. Do you think he is good?”
“Yes, one of the best I’ve ever seen. He needs to work on his technique a bit, but he is really good.”
“Ok, thanks.”
As I was walking down to the pits where my Skyline was parked, I glanced at the times board and saw that the RX-7 driver had posted a record laptime.
“Wow! Who is this guy?”
I need to find out if he can teach me, or if he is just a rich kid with gobs of money that tunes his car to the max so he can get fast laptimes.
================================================================
As we were getting ready to leave for the motel to pick up the Mirage, a white Skyline R32 parked in front of the bay entrance.
“Hey, get out of the way! Can’t you see we’re leaving?”
“Matt, wait. Let’s see who it is first before chewing them out.”
My assumption was that is was the driver of the R33 at Trial Mountain congratulating me on my time trial run. However, once the door opened, my assumptions were blown wide open.
“Who are you?”
“Hi. My name is Micaiah. I’ve heard that you are an up-and-coming racer with great talent. I need someone to teach me to be the very best driver I can. You fit the bill.”
“Uhh… Okay… But I make no profession of being the best racer there is. I hardly even know how to tune a car’s setup! How can I teach you if I barely know anything?”
“Then I’ll learn with you as you go along. You can teach me, and I can teach you about what I know.”
I though that over for a bit, and I said:
“I guess I can show you how to be the best…after we go back to the motel I’m staying at and get my Mirage.”
“Fine. Anyway, what’s with the guy standing near the computer monitor?”
“Oh, that’s just Matt, a friend of mine who does the tuni…”
When I turned around, I saw Matt standing there with his jaw open, looking at this girl that had come out of nowhere.
“Matt, this is Micaiah. I’m going to help her out with her driving skills, and she’s going to help me with my tuning and other stuff like that. Also, it’s time to go and pick up the Mirage.”
“Hi, Matt.”
“…”
“Just get in the damn car…”
“…OK…”
================================================================
Fin Chapter Six
- 2,436
- Eastern PA
- Weather_Systems
It's all coming up in the next few chapters.I wonder why Micaiah's (sp?) family disowned her?
- 3,902
- St.Pete, FL
- NotThePrez
- NotThePrez
Great Chapter. I like how Matt was awestruck at the end. 
- 5,481
- Seattle, WA
- RykonZero
Pace yourself. Just remember, always quality over quantity.
- 2,436
- Eastern PA
- Weather_Systems
Exactly. That's what school has been doing, slowing my pace of storywriting so I can think more about what I'm writing, how it fits with the rest of the chapters, rewriting and re-working the problems in the story.
Also, the chapter I'm working on was started last Thursday, with the previous one completed on Thursday. I've taken my time on writing this one, as it will be big and reveal a lot of the major plot details.
*Forgot to add to the above*
Or if I stop playing War Of Legends every single chance I can get...
Also, the chapter I'm working on was started last Thursday, with the previous one completed on Thursday. I've taken my time on writing this one, as it will be big and reveal a lot of the major plot details.
*Forgot to add to the above*
Or if I stop playing War Of Legends every single chance I can get...
- 5,481
- Seattle, WA
- RykonZero
I need to stop playing minecraft, and hurry up the planning for my sequel.
- 2,436
- Eastern PA
- Weather_Systems
Good, I'm not the only one who shares an addiction to a game thatr interfers with my RS.
Anyway, working on the next chapter in my free time (right now.) It's coming along good, and hopefully will be up by this weekend along with the pics from the previous RS chapter (this one doesn't have very many at all.)
Anyway, working on the next chapter in my free time (right now.) It's coming along good, and hopefully will be up by this weekend along with the pics from the previous RS chapter (this one doesn't have very many at all.)
- 2,436
- Eastern PA
- Weather_Systems
Chapter Seven: Revelations(This chapter is going to be dialogue-heavy, with only ONE car photo and NO racing at all. ItÂ’s just essential for the plot to come together, and was originally going to be half a chapter, [6.5] but because of the way it all flowed from my head, it became a chapter in itÂ’s own right.)
*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! *
This chapter contains extremely gruesome photos and explicit language. For those that are weak-hearted, and cannot see a singe swear word in print, leave this thread. For those that have a weak constitution when it comes to destruction of automotive glory, please also leave this thread.
For those that want to read on, go shoot yourself in the foot and come back.
Read at your own risk.
*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! *
The three of us drove down to the motel, with Micaiah following us in the GT-R.
Matt was still looking like he was punch-drunk, and I really was getting annoyed. He was supposed to be the navigator, and he was reading the directions backwards. We got lost three times, and I was seriously getting annoyed.
“Matt, just forget about the girl and tell me where the 🤬 we are supposed to be going.”
“…”
“Just leave him alone…”
“How did you….”
“I checked your radio frequency before we left.”
“Now why didn’t I think of that…”
We found the motel after about an hour of searching, and a ghastly sight met my eyes as we pulled into the parking lot, right next to our rooms.
“WHAT THE 🤬 HAPPENED TO MY CAR?!”
“What the…. Why the…. Why would anyone do this?”
“…Gurgle….”
A scene of destruction met our eyes. My Mirage was sitting there very badly damaged.
All of the windows had been smashed, the headlights and tailights were gone, the doors and most of the body panels littered the ground around the car, and the tires were slashed. The only thing good that could be said about the scene was that the Alfa racing wheels didnÂ’t even have a scratch on them.
“WHO WOULD DO THIS TO ME?!”
“Well… do you have any enemies - in the racing world or otherwise?”
“Actually… I do. There is a guy named…. Ryosuke Takehashi.”
“…..Well, that simplifies things. Him and his crime buddies did this. However, I would have though they would have went with attacking your RX-7 instead of the Mirage…”
“No. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. He lost twice to me, first in the Mirage at Trial Mountain and then in the street race at the old S.S. Route 5 against the RX-7.”
“Ok… that makes sense. By the way, what was he driving in both races against you?”
“Well… the first time, he had a ’95 Celica 4WD. The next race, the street race, he had some odd little blue sports car. I had no idea what it was.”
“… It must have been the ASL…”
“The what?”
“He has a light blue ASL Gariaya. It’s mid engined and is tuned to produce around 350 HP.”
“How in the world do you know so much about him and his car? Wait… did you say he’s in a crime gang?”
“More like crime operation. His father, Kentaro, is the head of a Mafia-style crime group that operates out of the Tokyo Bay. Drug smuggling, gun smuggling, you name it. He rolls in the money and spends a lot on financing Ryosuke’s racing ambitions, even though Ryo only wins on power and barely has any talent.”
“That still didn’t answer my previous question. How do you know so much about him?”
“Well… He’s… my brother.”
I was struck speechless for a minute. When I recovered and looked back at her, she had a really embarrassed expression on her face.
“Well, that explains it. I have one last question, though. How can a really nice girl like you be from that awful family?”
“… I really don’t know. I was the outcast from the time I was born. My personality, my beliefs about racing, everything about me was different.
When my dad enrolled us both in his racing school near Tsukuba Circuit, thatÂ’s when the rift started. I won almost every race that was held between the trainees at the school, and also many other races.
My brother was always the one who got the better equipment. I resented that, but back then I didnÂ’t understand the implication from it.
The last race I did with the school was with the GT-R. I had won it from a rich kid that had it tuned a lot. ThatÂ’s what did it. I finally had the equipment to beat Ryo straight up, and he hated it. He got Dad to believe he was better, and that I had cheated.
The night after the race against Ryo, which I won by at least half a lap, my dad snuck out to the garage where the R32 was kept. He had a can of gasoline and a lighter in his hands.
He was going to light it on fire. I stopped him in time to prevent him from doing it, but the damage was done. I left the family that night, and was in America with the GT-R and my stuff within a day.”
“…Wow. You can deal with all of that?”
“Yes. That’s why I needed someone to teach me how to race better, to make enough money to support myself and the car. Will you still do that, or will you hate me for the rest of my life because of my family?”
“I’ll teach you. I respect what you have gone through, and I will help you.”
“Thank you so much!”
Micaiah then hugged me, which made me feel like a fish out of water for 5 seconds.
We decided to look in the motel rooms to see if anything else was damaged. No less than 10 seconds after we had gotten it, we heard Matt:
“Two things; I found something interesting, and please help me out of this goddamn wrecked piece of 🤬!!”
We ran back outside and saw MattÂ’s legs sticking out of the driverÂ’s side - he had his head under where the glove box had been, rooting around to try and find anything, but he had gotten stuck.
“Man, how can you get yourself stuck in that ridiculous position?”
“I don’t know, it’s just that I have a natural talent for being in the wrong situation when something bad happens or I do something bad.”
“That’s disturbingly honest.”
“Well, you can stand there discussing how I could be stupid enough to get myself stuck in a car with my legs hanging out, or you could pull me out and I’ll show you this piece of paper I found.”
We pulled him out, and he handed me a piece of paper.
“Read it and see who did it for yourself.”
“Attention Kenji Yamamoto;
This is Ryosuke, the driver who you faced a few days ago.
I strongly urge you to stop your racing career before you or your friends get seriously hurt.
If this message is found by someone other than you or your friends, my life is in danger.
If that does happen, I urge you to leave the racing world as I will be forced to take the punishment for all I have done to get this far. I am only suggesting this for your safety.
-Ryosuke Takehashi”
We all though about that or a few minutes, and I finally spoke;
“He’s in danger, then.”
“Yes. It must be from all of what his father has done, and now he is reaping the punishment. The danger itself, I have no idea who or what it could be.”
“Someone connected with his crime organization?”
“That’s a possibility. Another one could be that it may be some people from the racing team he’s on… I don’t know what the name is yet.”
“Are we still going to race, though?”
“Yes. We have to. I didn’t receive the RX-7 to be a daily driver.”
“I didn’t win the Skyline to sit at home for 10 years or more.”
“Well… as long as I don’t get clunked on the head, thrown in the trunk of a car and duct taped up again…”
“How did that happen?”
“Long story… We have one problem, though; I no longer have my Mirage, so one of the races that I was going to do is out.”
“Right… Does it cost anything to withdraw from a race?”
“No idea.”
“Hey guys… someone’s here…”
We turned around, and coming into the parking lot was a Honda Integra DC2.
It had a black hood, like a ricer, and it had an odd exhaust note that, surprisingly, wasn’t the “coffee-can” or “fart-can” exhaust sound or style.
I was wondering who would come here with a sort-of-ricer, when the door opened and the guy from Trial Mountain with the R33 stepped out.
“Hello again. I heard about your lap record, and I came to say congratulations.”
“Ok… that’s nice and all, but now I need an FF drivetrain car for the race tomorrow.”
“Why? I thought you had one?”
“Look over there.”
He was silent for a minute.
“I see.”
“Do you know someone who will let us borrow one?”
“Yes, I do. Me.”
“… Ok… What car is it?”
“This one. I won it from a rich kid with no sense. He bet his pink slip that he could win against my Lotus Esprit. I really have no use for it, so you can borrow it for the time being while your car is being fixed.”
“Well… I don’t have the money to repair it yet.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
He then called the towing service.
“Why are you doing all this for us?”
“That’s neither here nor there.”
That was an odd comment to make, and I was going to ask him what that meant, but he had already began walking away. I called out;
“Hey, wait a minute; what is your name?”
“My name is Takeo Ota.”
He then continued walking away.
After thinking for a bit, I asked Micaiah something.
“Do you know who he is?”
“… I have to say that I actually have no idea.”
“I do.”
We both stared at where we thought Matt was, but he wasnÂ’t there. We looked around, and saw him sitting in the Integra, looking up stuff on his laptop yet again.
“Well, what did you find out about him?”
“A lot. First off, he’s won almost every racing event there is in the world. LeMans, F1, JGTC, you name it. He retired from regular racing in 1997, after being forced into the wall at Fuji while driving a F1 car, and he nearly lost his life then. He went back to the street and track racing world - where he started - in 1999, after a year’s recovery. He became the leader of the racing arm of HKS in 2001, and he‘s stayed there ever since. He’s also become a teacher, in a way, helping young drivers through the ranks.”
“Ok. Then I can see where he gets his power and skill from.”
“He was a street racer?”
“Apparently he was, and a very good one too. He is known now as ‘Jintei’ in the racing world.”
“Was he a Wangan or Touge racer?”
“Both.”
“That must take skill to be able to drive two different types of track styles.”
“Then he probably knows how you got the RX-7. It was originally a street racing car.”
“How did you know about the RX-7’s history?”
“It’s one of the most famous street racing cars in history. I first saw it when I was five. It was at an exhibition in Los Angeles, but back then it was painted a pure-white color.
There was a plaque with it’s history and achievements on it. I remember it well.”
“Well, then did you hear about what had happened to it?”
“No. Do you know?”
“Yes. It was crashed during a race on the Wangan in Japan near Tokyo at over 210 mph. The driver almost died, and the car was almost completely destroyed. It was rebuilt, but no one could drive it because it was said that there is a malevolent feel to the car.”
“Well, then how did you get it?”
“It was a gift from HKS USA’s president. He felt that I could drive it, when no one else could. I can drive it, and he said I could keep it if I could drive it.”
“Wow. Can you really drive it without any problems?”
“Yes.”
“Can you take me for a ride sometime?”
“You can drive it now if you want. We need to head up to the track.”
“Then you drive the GT-R.”
“Alright. Matt, you drive this Integra-”
“It’s not just a regular Integra, it’s a Spoon Integra Limited Edition. Makes much more power and handles a lot better than a normal Integra. And before you ask, I found the info on the computer.”
“Well, since you now know so much about it, you get to drive it back up to Autumn Ring.”
“ALRIGHT!”
“Does he ever have any joy in his life besides things to do with cars?”
“Not really… Ever since I pulled him out of that nice, bland, cramped office cubicle he was sitting in for 10 hours a day, randomly typing words on his office computer, he’s been way happier, almost to a fault.”
Micaiah burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles at this wisecrack, while Matt gave me a scornful look.
A minute later, and she finally stopped.
“Ha…ha… that was a great joke. Do you know any more?”
“That was all in actuality. It's completely true.”
“OH. Ok then, but that’s kind of lazy…”
Matt gave me another scornful look, and I realized that I maybe should shut up and get going to the track.
“Alright, swap your keys.”
“Alright! These are cool…Takeo has SOME style.”
“Hmmm…. A Wangan Midnight style keychain….Cool.”
“What is… ‘Alabama Football’?”
“A sports team that Matt roots for… Wait. Wrong set of keys; those are the ones to the Mirage. Matt’s set.”
“Oh yeah… forgot about those.”
“Here’s mine; I’m the only one with the RX-7’s keys.”
“Now THESE look way more like RX-7 keys.”
“Now that that’s settled, we need to get back down to the track. Let’s go.”
“Okay. Is there anything that needs to be set before I drive the RX-7?”
“Nope, not as far as I know. Go ahead.”
“YAY! MASSIVE FF BURNOUT TIME!!!!!!”
“None of that… I don’t want to go pay for new tires because of some idiot killing the front tires in a massive burnout.”
“Come on… Oh well. Maybe later…”
We all left the motel parking lot, me in the lead, Micaiah behind me, and Matt last.
Now, if we can just find our way back to the track in time for some testingÂ…
Fin Chapter Seven
*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! *
This chapter contains extremely gruesome photos and explicit language. For those that are weak-hearted, and cannot see a singe swear word in print, leave this thread. For those that have a weak constitution when it comes to destruction of automotive glory, please also leave this thread.
For those that want to read on, go shoot yourself in the foot and come back.
Read at your own risk.
*WARNING! WARNING! WARNING! *
The three of us drove down to the motel, with Micaiah following us in the GT-R.
Matt was still looking like he was punch-drunk, and I really was getting annoyed. He was supposed to be the navigator, and he was reading the directions backwards. We got lost three times, and I was seriously getting annoyed.
“Matt, just forget about the girl and tell me where the 🤬 we are supposed to be going.”
“…”
“Just leave him alone…”
“How did you….”
“I checked your radio frequency before we left.”
“Now why didn’t I think of that…”
We found the motel after about an hour of searching, and a ghastly sight met my eyes as we pulled into the parking lot, right next to our rooms.
“WHAT THE 🤬 HAPPENED TO MY CAR?!”
“What the…. Why the…. Why would anyone do this?”
“…Gurgle….”
A scene of destruction met our eyes. My Mirage was sitting there very badly damaged.
All of the windows had been smashed, the headlights and tailights were gone, the doors and most of the body panels littered the ground around the car, and the tires were slashed. The only thing good that could be said about the scene was that the Alfa racing wheels didnÂ’t even have a scratch on them.
“WHO WOULD DO THIS TO ME?!”
“Well… do you have any enemies - in the racing world or otherwise?”
“Actually… I do. There is a guy named…. Ryosuke Takehashi.”
“…..Well, that simplifies things. Him and his crime buddies did this. However, I would have though they would have went with attacking your RX-7 instead of the Mirage…”
“No. It wouldn’t have mattered anyway. He lost twice to me, first in the Mirage at Trial Mountain and then in the street race at the old S.S. Route 5 against the RX-7.”
“Ok… that makes sense. By the way, what was he driving in both races against you?”
“Well… the first time, he had a ’95 Celica 4WD. The next race, the street race, he had some odd little blue sports car. I had no idea what it was.”
“… It must have been the ASL…”
“The what?”
“He has a light blue ASL Gariaya. It’s mid engined and is tuned to produce around 350 HP.”
“How in the world do you know so much about him and his car? Wait… did you say he’s in a crime gang?”
“More like crime operation. His father, Kentaro, is the head of a Mafia-style crime group that operates out of the Tokyo Bay. Drug smuggling, gun smuggling, you name it. He rolls in the money and spends a lot on financing Ryosuke’s racing ambitions, even though Ryo only wins on power and barely has any talent.”
“That still didn’t answer my previous question. How do you know so much about him?”
“Well… He’s… my brother.”
I was struck speechless for a minute. When I recovered and looked back at her, she had a really embarrassed expression on her face.
“Well, that explains it. I have one last question, though. How can a really nice girl like you be from that awful family?”
“… I really don’t know. I was the outcast from the time I was born. My personality, my beliefs about racing, everything about me was different.
When my dad enrolled us both in his racing school near Tsukuba Circuit, thatÂ’s when the rift started. I won almost every race that was held between the trainees at the school, and also many other races.
My brother was always the one who got the better equipment. I resented that, but back then I didnÂ’t understand the implication from it.
The last race I did with the school was with the GT-R. I had won it from a rich kid that had it tuned a lot. ThatÂ’s what did it. I finally had the equipment to beat Ryo straight up, and he hated it. He got Dad to believe he was better, and that I had cheated.
The night after the race against Ryo, which I won by at least half a lap, my dad snuck out to the garage where the R32 was kept. He had a can of gasoline and a lighter in his hands.
He was going to light it on fire. I stopped him in time to prevent him from doing it, but the damage was done. I left the family that night, and was in America with the GT-R and my stuff within a day.”
“…Wow. You can deal with all of that?”
“Yes. That’s why I needed someone to teach me how to race better, to make enough money to support myself and the car. Will you still do that, or will you hate me for the rest of my life because of my family?”
“I’ll teach you. I respect what you have gone through, and I will help you.”
“Thank you so much!”
Micaiah then hugged me, which made me feel like a fish out of water for 5 seconds.
We decided to look in the motel rooms to see if anything else was damaged. No less than 10 seconds after we had gotten it, we heard Matt:
“Two things; I found something interesting, and please help me out of this goddamn wrecked piece of 🤬!!”
We ran back outside and saw MattÂ’s legs sticking out of the driverÂ’s side - he had his head under where the glove box had been, rooting around to try and find anything, but he had gotten stuck.
“Man, how can you get yourself stuck in that ridiculous position?”
“I don’t know, it’s just that I have a natural talent for being in the wrong situation when something bad happens or I do something bad.”
“That’s disturbingly honest.”
“Well, you can stand there discussing how I could be stupid enough to get myself stuck in a car with my legs hanging out, or you could pull me out and I’ll show you this piece of paper I found.”
We pulled him out, and he handed me a piece of paper.
“Read it and see who did it for yourself.”
“Attention Kenji Yamamoto;
This is Ryosuke, the driver who you faced a few days ago.
I strongly urge you to stop your racing career before you or your friends get seriously hurt.
If this message is found by someone other than you or your friends, my life is in danger.
If that does happen, I urge you to leave the racing world as I will be forced to take the punishment for all I have done to get this far. I am only suggesting this for your safety.
-Ryosuke Takehashi”
We all though about that or a few minutes, and I finally spoke;
“He’s in danger, then.”
“Yes. It must be from all of what his father has done, and now he is reaping the punishment. The danger itself, I have no idea who or what it could be.”
“Someone connected with his crime organization?”
“That’s a possibility. Another one could be that it may be some people from the racing team he’s on… I don’t know what the name is yet.”
“Are we still going to race, though?”
“Yes. We have to. I didn’t receive the RX-7 to be a daily driver.”
“I didn’t win the Skyline to sit at home for 10 years or more.”
“Well… as long as I don’t get clunked on the head, thrown in the trunk of a car and duct taped up again…”
“How did that happen?”
“Long story… We have one problem, though; I no longer have my Mirage, so one of the races that I was going to do is out.”
“Right… Does it cost anything to withdraw from a race?”
“No idea.”
“Hey guys… someone’s here…”
We turned around, and coming into the parking lot was a Honda Integra DC2.
It had a black hood, like a ricer, and it had an odd exhaust note that, surprisingly, wasn’t the “coffee-can” or “fart-can” exhaust sound or style.
I was wondering who would come here with a sort-of-ricer, when the door opened and the guy from Trial Mountain with the R33 stepped out.
“Hello again. I heard about your lap record, and I came to say congratulations.”
“Ok… that’s nice and all, but now I need an FF drivetrain car for the race tomorrow.”
“Why? I thought you had one?”
“Look over there.”
He was silent for a minute.
“I see.”
“Do you know someone who will let us borrow one?”
“Yes, I do. Me.”
“… Ok… What car is it?”
“This one. I won it from a rich kid with no sense. He bet his pink slip that he could win against my Lotus Esprit. I really have no use for it, so you can borrow it for the time being while your car is being fixed.”
“Well… I don’t have the money to repair it yet.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”
He then called the towing service.
“Why are you doing all this for us?”
“That’s neither here nor there.”
That was an odd comment to make, and I was going to ask him what that meant, but he had already began walking away. I called out;
“Hey, wait a minute; what is your name?”
“My name is Takeo Ota.”
He then continued walking away.
After thinking for a bit, I asked Micaiah something.
“Do you know who he is?”
“… I have to say that I actually have no idea.”
“I do.”
We both stared at where we thought Matt was, but he wasnÂ’t there. We looked around, and saw him sitting in the Integra, looking up stuff on his laptop yet again.
“Well, what did you find out about him?”
“A lot. First off, he’s won almost every racing event there is in the world. LeMans, F1, JGTC, you name it. He retired from regular racing in 1997, after being forced into the wall at Fuji while driving a F1 car, and he nearly lost his life then. He went back to the street and track racing world - where he started - in 1999, after a year’s recovery. He became the leader of the racing arm of HKS in 2001, and he‘s stayed there ever since. He’s also become a teacher, in a way, helping young drivers through the ranks.”
“Ok. Then I can see where he gets his power and skill from.”
“He was a street racer?”
“Apparently he was, and a very good one too. He is known now as ‘Jintei’ in the racing world.”
“Was he a Wangan or Touge racer?”
“Both.”
“That must take skill to be able to drive two different types of track styles.”
“Then he probably knows how you got the RX-7. It was originally a street racing car.”
“How did you know about the RX-7’s history?”
“It’s one of the most famous street racing cars in history. I first saw it when I was five. It was at an exhibition in Los Angeles, but back then it was painted a pure-white color.
There was a plaque with it’s history and achievements on it. I remember it well.”
“Well, then did you hear about what had happened to it?”
“No. Do you know?”
“Yes. It was crashed during a race on the Wangan in Japan near Tokyo at over 210 mph. The driver almost died, and the car was almost completely destroyed. It was rebuilt, but no one could drive it because it was said that there is a malevolent feel to the car.”
“Well, then how did you get it?”
“It was a gift from HKS USA’s president. He felt that I could drive it, when no one else could. I can drive it, and he said I could keep it if I could drive it.”
“Wow. Can you really drive it without any problems?”
“Yes.”
“Can you take me for a ride sometime?”
“You can drive it now if you want. We need to head up to the track.”
“Then you drive the GT-R.”
“Alright. Matt, you drive this Integra-”
“It’s not just a regular Integra, it’s a Spoon Integra Limited Edition. Makes much more power and handles a lot better than a normal Integra. And before you ask, I found the info on the computer.”
“Well, since you now know so much about it, you get to drive it back up to Autumn Ring.”
“ALRIGHT!”
“Does he ever have any joy in his life besides things to do with cars?”
“Not really… Ever since I pulled him out of that nice, bland, cramped office cubicle he was sitting in for 10 hours a day, randomly typing words on his office computer, he’s been way happier, almost to a fault.”
Micaiah burst into a fit of uncontrollable giggles at this wisecrack, while Matt gave me a scornful look.
A minute later, and she finally stopped.
“Ha…ha… that was a great joke. Do you know any more?”
“That was all in actuality. It's completely true.”
“OH. Ok then, but that’s kind of lazy…”
Matt gave me another scornful look, and I realized that I maybe should shut up and get going to the track.
“Alright, swap your keys.”
“Alright! These are cool…Takeo has SOME style.”
“Hmmm…. A Wangan Midnight style keychain….Cool.”
“What is… ‘Alabama Football’?”
“A sports team that Matt roots for… Wait. Wrong set of keys; those are the ones to the Mirage. Matt’s set.”
“Oh yeah… forgot about those.”
“Here’s mine; I’m the only one with the RX-7’s keys.”
“Now THESE look way more like RX-7 keys.”
“Now that that’s settled, we need to get back down to the track. Let’s go.”
“Okay. Is there anything that needs to be set before I drive the RX-7?”
“Nope, not as far as I know. Go ahead.”
“YAY! MASSIVE FF BURNOUT TIME!!!!!!”
“None of that… I don’t want to go pay for new tires because of some idiot killing the front tires in a massive burnout.”
“Come on… Oh well. Maybe later…”
We all left the motel parking lot, me in the lead, Micaiah behind me, and Matt last.
Now, if we can just find our way back to the track in time for some testingÂ…
Fin Chapter Seven
- 5,481
- Seattle, WA
- RykonZero
Aww, the Mirage is a really cool car though...
- 5,481
- Seattle, WA
- RykonZero
I still have all of you (Except for a few) beaten. And in a few minutes, I'll have you all beaten more.
- 2,436
- Eastern PA
- Weather_Systems
We know that you destoy us all... Anyway, "Micaiah" is one of the main characters from a video game series I play (Fire Emblem, anyone?)
Also, the photos from the previous chapter are up and running (FINALLY!) so I will put them on in a little bit.
Thanks for the encouragement.
Also, the photos from the previous chapter are up and running (FINALLY!) so I will put them on in a little bit.
Thanks for the encouragement.
- 799
- Chance2012
Nice chapter.đź‘Ť
- 2,529
- Alton, Illinois
- big_noobowski924
You needs to update your story. Im hooked.
- 2,436
- Eastern PA
- Weather_Systems
Can you say "bad internet"?
I'm doing my schoolwork on the library's computer becuase of our home internet being the worst of all time, and i barely have any time to even get the photos up and running. BUT... the next chapter will be up by next week, all thanks to my new Alienware MX-11 laptop with a working Wi-Fi card. Sweet!
I'm doing my schoolwork on the library's computer becuase of our home internet being the worst of all time, and i barely have any time to even get the photos up and running. BUT... the next chapter will be up by next week, all thanks to my new Alienware MX-11 laptop with a working Wi-Fi card. Sweet!
- 5,481
- Seattle, WA
- RykonZero
Heh... Alienware...
Well, glad to see that your story will be up in a few days, right as GT5 comes out.
Well, glad to see that your story will be up in a few days, right as GT5 comes out.
- 3,620
- Slovenia
- csiApok
Already?....
Oh yeah
I need to get my hands on a
Not that anyone remembers my story.
- 2,436
- Eastern PA
- Weather_Systems
Here is the long awaited chapter eight.
Chapter Eight: The Lines Are Drawn
As we were driving back to Autumn Ring, a black Ford GT flew by us at a high speed.
“Whoa! Watch it, dude!”
“AAGHHH!”
“Pay attention!”
Either he didnÂ’t care, or he was drunk. He disappeared around the corner ahead and was lost to our view.
“Who was that?”
“My thoughts exactly. No one I can place - I haven’t seen a driver I know with a Ford GT yet. It’s someone with a lot of money - those cost a lot.”
“He nearly snapped my mirror off!”
“It’s a she. Or, in this case, me. Hasta la vista!!”
“Hey, what the heck?”
“Who was that?”
“Probably our mysterious driver. I definitely don’t recognize the voice, for sure. But we now know it‘s a woman.”
“Yeah - about the only good thing.”
The rest of the trip to the track proved to be uneventful, except until when we got there.
As we pulled into the inspection area and got out of the cars, I noticed the gates were closed and that there were a lot of emergency and cleanup vehicles on the track.
“That’s not good. Look at the end of the main straight…”
There, at the end of the main straight, was a Dodge Viper sitting there. IN FLAMES.
“What in the depths of the ocean’s waters happened?”
An inspection official came over after hearing MicaiahÂ’s comment and explained.
“Apparently, there was a black Ford GT that came out of nowhere onto the track. The Viper driver had to fling the car off to the left to avoid hitting the GT, but left, in this case, was the barrier at the end of the straight. He rolled it three times when he hit the wall, and got out before the gas tank exploded. Amazingly, the guy ran off before we could find out who it was. The Viper was also stolen from the pit lane.”
“Well, now we know the driver has a murderous intent and is not just careless, plus a litte bit of a crime wave in cars. First my Mirage, now this guy‘s Viper.”
“Yeah… What do we do about it?”
“No idea…”
We sat on a bench and pondered the situation.
“Will the same thing happen to us if we go out and drive?”
“I’m inclined to think so; but I’m willing to take the risk of doing that anyway.”
Suddenly, a loudspeaker burst into life around the track.
“Attention, everyone; The track is now closed until we can clean the mess in Turn One up. We will also begin an investigation on the car reported as the cause of the accident. If anyone sees a black Ford GT with white stripes along the sides and on the hood, please contact the GT Association. We will do all we can to prevent this from happening again.”
“Well, that settles it.”
“Now what do we do?”
“I guess the only thing we can do is to go back to the motel and wait to see if they re-open the track.”
“Yeah.. We really can’t do anything right now…”
We all headed back to the motel.
================================================================
Meanwhile, in the pit lane of Autumn RingÂ…
“He’s made of sterner stuff than I imagined. He WAS going to continue, even with the supposed threat.”
“Well, you did do a good job of pulling off a fake wreck on me. Even though it WAS a fake, everyone is going to be looking for your GT now. Do you have a contingency plan?”
“Yes, I do. I had the GT flown out to El Capitan 10 minutes ago. The GT-R is ready to go at any moment.”
“The silver R34?”
“The very same. Now, do we have an idea what Holmstorm is going to do tomorrow when he sees the RX-7?”
“With any luck, he won’t go completely insane. If he does see it - that might push him over the edge. I just hope he doesn’t go ballistic like Jizo did way back then…”
“Just thinking about that fateful day makes me shudder…”
================================================================
“Well, since we can’t practice on the track… should we do it in the parking lot?”
“I guess… Matt’s the one who needs the practice; I think you and me are good with what we are doing.”
“Well, yeah… It’s one driver per race entered, right?”
“Yes. Per race, one driver is allowed to enter. You have the FR one, I have the 4WD one, and Matt needs to race in the FF one. Otherwise, you lose the entrance fee you paid to get in.”
“I see. So… parking lot attack, anyone?”
5 hours later, after numerous burnouts, gasoline refills, and a parking lot covered in skid marks, we were finished.
“WOOHOO!”
“Well, I think you are ready for tomorrow…”
“I think so too… but maybe we should have went to Wal-Mart instead. The motel’s management isn’t going to be happy with us…”
“Yeah… maybe I should have thought of that BEFORE we did the burnouts…”
“How much gas did we use?”
“Maybe 50 gallons….”
“Wow. How much money…”
“It’s free in the GT World.”
“Ah. So, is anything else free?”
“The replacement tires were. The oil, wheels, and wings aren’t, if we decide to get them.”
“That’s quite a lot of free stuff.”
“Well… let’s go to bed before the management finds out it was us that did this…”
“Yeah…Goodnight.”
“The same to you.”
“SNORE? Zzzzzz….”
================================================================
Next morningÂ…
“I guess they didn’t find out who it was last night… we get breakfast, at least.”
“Mhhmmm…. Cinnamon Raisin Bagels are decent at 8 in the morning…”
“Yeah… they’re good, but bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches are my favorite.”
“Is it just me, or does this cereal taste like pencil shavings?”
I grabbed a spoon, while Micaiah took a look at the cereal box.
“YUCK! THEY ARE 🤬 PENCIL SHAVINGS!”
“Correct, according to this box… Hey… where are you two going? Guys?”
We had ran to the menÂ’s room and hurled into the toilet by the time she finished the sentence.
5 minutes laterÂ….
“Now we have something to brag about in bars, if we ever decide to tell the world about it…”
“Are we ever really going to do that?”
“I wouldn’t ever… we’d be the laughingstock of the world.”
‘I’m lucky I didn’t eat the cereal…”
“Yeah - at least we didn’t become truly sick…”
“Should we get back to the track? It’s time to race in an hour…”
“Oh yeah… we need to go now to make up for what we might face during the trip…”
“Hey… where did Matt go?”
Suddenly, the screech of tires sounded through the building. Micaiah and I ran out to see Matt drive off, flying down the road.
We ran to our cars and took off after him, leaving one irate motel manager in the dust.
!0 minutes later, we had caught up with him.
“WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!”
“Trying to beat you there… why?
“We just drove at top speed for 10 minutes. I almost hit a cat, and Kenji ran over a squirrel. Do you think we are happy now?”
“No idea.”
“Is he being stupid, or what?”
“Nope, that’s normal for him. I should have told you that before, but now it can’t be helped. He used to sit in a cubicle at a accounting business before I pulled him out of that death trap. I’ve gotten used to it after a few years…”
“OH. My cousin was like that, but he became a decent racer after a few years. As far a I know, he got up to Group C of the JGTC series before that was discontinued. He now works as a tuning garage operator in Japan, near Suzuka.”
“Cool, Do you think he might help us out if we go to Japan?”
“Knowing him, yes. He‘s the decent one of the family. And his dad - my uncle. He owns the tuning shop.”
“Hey… we’re at the track now.”
We had not been paying attention to where we were driving, and we had arrived at the track without a problem.
“That’s odd. How did we get here?”
“I guess by not paying attention to where we were going.”
“Or by following my amazing directions to get you two here half an hour early!”
“Can he be this insufferable at times?”
“Yeah… Come to think of it, how did he get us here?”
“I’m using the GPS in this thing. Why?”
“There’s a GPS?”
“Yeah - I think it was Takeo’s. He must have added it…”
“Good. It helped us get there faster - but can we get past the officials today?”
We all drove over to the inspection bay. An official - the same one as yesterday - came over and gave us some good news.
“The track was cleaned up from yesterday’s accident. It’s good to go.”
“Did you catch the driver who did it yet?”
“No. They’ve pulled most of us off of our regular duties to find the driver, but no luck so far. I’m still doing the inspections here, so we still can have the races.”
“Alright! Where is our parking garage this time?”
“Here’s the list for you three.”
We studied the list for a second.
“Well, Bay 17 is where we were last time, right?”
“Yes. Let’s see what we have there now that changed from last time…”
================================================================
We all drove over, and nothing was out of the ordinary.
“Everything checks out on all of the cars, and inside the garage, too.”
“None of the equipment is damaged, either. I think there is a security system for this particular garage, since nothing has been touched since we were here last.”
“There IS a security system.”
Unbeknownst to the three of us, a man in a Peugeot racing suit had come up behind us.
“Who in the halls of racing drivers are you?”
“Very creative with the language there. Do you know anymore?”
“No, we don’t. Who are you?”
“That depends. What is the impression you get when looking at me?”
“No idea, besides that you drive for Peugeot.”
‘Correct. Where do you think I am from?”
“France.”
“Wrong - just because of the team I race for does not mean I am of that nationality. Automatically, people assume things. In my line of work, you NEVER assume.”
“Intriguing. Your accent says… British, right?”
“Good job. Now, which one of you three are racing today?”
“We all are…”
“Makes sense - three cars, three drivers. I have a proposition for you - meet me at the LoBue coffee shop in half an hour.”
“There’s a race in half an hour!”
“That’s the MR class. Judging by your cars, you aren’t in that one. There are spaces of two hours between major class races, such as the FF and FR ones.”
“Ok, makes sense.”
“Be at the LoBue in half an hour.”
He then walked away, into the distance.
“Can we trust him?”
“I for one don’t think so.”
“I do - somewhere I saw his face. I have no idea where, though…”
“He’s a rally driver, at least - the racing suit was emblazoned with the Peugeot 206 rally team’s specific patches. He sounds like someone I’ve heard of - I can’t place the face with a name, though.”
“He’s a Brit, too - I can’t shake the feeling I know who he is. I think we can trust him. Let’s go.”
“Does my opinion count for anything?”
“Nope - not since you left that irate manager screaming obscenities at us.”
“I’m inclined to say that, too - but he DOES have a good prediction skill. How he got it, I have no idea…”
“Anyway… that shop has some odd concoctions for a replacement breakfast. I know you BOTH need something else besides pencil shavings to eat. Let’s go.”
We all drove off. In the distance, on a mountain, was a shining light reflecting off of somethingÂ…
================================================================
“Did they see the binoculars?”
“Nope - same with the scope from the sniper rifle. I would have had him if he didn’t move that much.”
“.50 caliber sniper rifles don’t miss at this range. You know that, Oridou - you could have had him.”
“Don’t push it, kid. Holmstorm is a suspicious man - you see how he didn’t stay long. If he wanted to be really inconspicuous, he would have stopped wearing that racing suit a long time ago.”
“Old habits die hard, right?”
“Yup. Used to be the same way for me - until I took a shot from an AK-47 and got a titanium knee as a gift while wearing my old team colors. The new ones are better. Less conspicuous…. Oh 🤬”
“What is wro - OH. I see - this complicates things, right?”
“Yeah - the fact that she’s back in the States is bad news. That goes for everyone - including Holmstorm, Ota,, Tano, your three little ‘friends’ - and herself. We might even have some problems, but our job is made much easier with her being here. We need to inform your dad - my old boss.
================================================================
“Now what’s the plan? He came today?”
“Yes. Surprising, isn’t it? And he didn’t go insane when he saw the car. This does complicate things…”
“I think I have an idea…”
A minute is spent in a whispered discussion.
“That’s insane! Do you know how mad he will get if he finds out we did it?”
“Yeah - but we have two things working for us. First - he believes us both to be dead. Second… It’s his lifeblood. If it’s ruined, he will go insane. We want that - the three of then need to learn as little as possible about what actually happened.”
“That means…. Everyone who knows about it?”
“Yes. Including… Sanaki. If you can find her… do it.”
“That’s a little extreme - but she retired a year ago. No one has seen her since. She also has refused to talk about it anymore - she is keeping her mouth shut.”
“How do you know that?”
“Simple enough, Takeo.”
“What the 🤬 are YOU DOING HERE?!”
“Repeating what Illyana has stated - I refuse to speak of it.”
“Where do you live now?
“The abandoned Fuji Speedway section. I practice my racing there nowadays.”
“It’s been closed off for who knows how long now. Did it actually re-open?”
“I bribed a few people to install a hangar for my cars with a house next to it. The portion of the track is closed off to all but me an a few other people. Now, people believe the ghosts of dead race drivers haunt the banked part of the track - good thing I had the Toyota 7 ghosted to help with it. I wanted a secluded place - and I got one.”
“Intriguing. And they allowed it?”
“Bribing Toyota officials to create fake recalls was a great idea. A hacker friend of mine sliced some fake codes into the ECU on the newer Camrys to create a scandal that is regulated by Toyota. The president of the company is even in on the deal. They make money, I get a free secluded spot.”
“Ah.. The days of bribing officials to get your way… Good times, they were.”
“If you want… I can hide the Ford GT there.”
“Good idea. You need to pick it up from El Capitan, though.”
“Don’t worry - I bought a convineient 747 jet for 99.9% off with a million gallons of jet fuel added for free. It’s been converted into a car carrying plane.”
“Didn’t I hear that somewhere before?”
“Yes, you dirty idiots, in the (insert insanely most awesome title that you can think of here) Race Story written by Rykon Zero.”
“Isn’t that the one with that idiot Rinehart in it?”
“Rindheart, yeah. Git.”
“Didn’t we agree on not breaking the fourth wall until Chapter 12? And also no derogatory statements about other people in Race Stories?”
“No… I set the rules; I write the story. Rindheart is, well… a dirt bag.”
“(cough)Communist(cough). Anyway, we know that about Rinehart.”
“I heard that, you know… Anyway, on to Richmond!”
“No, the next chapter, you Civil War buff (and an idiot on top of that). Richmond would be appropriate for a NASCAR game, NOT this. That does not include Gran Turismo 5.”
“Let’s get to El Capitan to plan the next move.”
“Forgive me - blasting apart Confederate soldiers with primitive hand grenades are too much fun. Anyway, EOC! (End Of Chapter.)
“NOT YET! I’m going to milk my part in this chapter as much as possible. Let’s get to El Capitan to plan the next move.”
“Ok. The silver GT-R?”
“Yes. Here we go…”
SCREEEEEECH!!!!!!!
“Takeo, you idiot… you left tire tracks all over my keyboard… you owe me something now. Again… EOC.”
Fin Chapter Eight
i know i have to redo the coloration, i didn't have time to do so. I'll do it soon.
Chapter Eight: The Lines Are Drawn
As we were driving back to Autumn Ring, a black Ford GT flew by us at a high speed.
“Whoa! Watch it, dude!”
“AAGHHH!”
“Pay attention!”
Either he didnÂ’t care, or he was drunk. He disappeared around the corner ahead and was lost to our view.
“Who was that?”
“My thoughts exactly. No one I can place - I haven’t seen a driver I know with a Ford GT yet. It’s someone with a lot of money - those cost a lot.”
“He nearly snapped my mirror off!”
“It’s a she. Or, in this case, me. Hasta la vista!!”
“Hey, what the heck?”
“Who was that?”
“Probably our mysterious driver. I definitely don’t recognize the voice, for sure. But we now know it‘s a woman.”
“Yeah - about the only good thing.”
The rest of the trip to the track proved to be uneventful, except until when we got there.
As we pulled into the inspection area and got out of the cars, I noticed the gates were closed and that there were a lot of emergency and cleanup vehicles on the track.
“That’s not good. Look at the end of the main straight…”
There, at the end of the main straight, was a Dodge Viper sitting there. IN FLAMES.
“What in the depths of the ocean’s waters happened?”
An inspection official came over after hearing MicaiahÂ’s comment and explained.
“Apparently, there was a black Ford GT that came out of nowhere onto the track. The Viper driver had to fling the car off to the left to avoid hitting the GT, but left, in this case, was the barrier at the end of the straight. He rolled it three times when he hit the wall, and got out before the gas tank exploded. Amazingly, the guy ran off before we could find out who it was. The Viper was also stolen from the pit lane.”
“Well, now we know the driver has a murderous intent and is not just careless, plus a litte bit of a crime wave in cars. First my Mirage, now this guy‘s Viper.”
“Yeah… What do we do about it?”
“No idea…”
We sat on a bench and pondered the situation.
“Will the same thing happen to us if we go out and drive?”
“I’m inclined to think so; but I’m willing to take the risk of doing that anyway.”
Suddenly, a loudspeaker burst into life around the track.
“Attention, everyone; The track is now closed until we can clean the mess in Turn One up. We will also begin an investigation on the car reported as the cause of the accident. If anyone sees a black Ford GT with white stripes along the sides and on the hood, please contact the GT Association. We will do all we can to prevent this from happening again.”
“Well, that settles it.”
“Now what do we do?”
“I guess the only thing we can do is to go back to the motel and wait to see if they re-open the track.”
“Yeah.. We really can’t do anything right now…”
We all headed back to the motel.
================================================================
Meanwhile, in the pit lane of Autumn RingÂ…
“He’s made of sterner stuff than I imagined. He WAS going to continue, even with the supposed threat.”
“Well, you did do a good job of pulling off a fake wreck on me. Even though it WAS a fake, everyone is going to be looking for your GT now. Do you have a contingency plan?”
“Yes, I do. I had the GT flown out to El Capitan 10 minutes ago. The GT-R is ready to go at any moment.”
“The silver R34?”
“The very same. Now, do we have an idea what Holmstorm is going to do tomorrow when he sees the RX-7?”
“With any luck, he won’t go completely insane. If he does see it - that might push him over the edge. I just hope he doesn’t go ballistic like Jizo did way back then…”
“Just thinking about that fateful day makes me shudder…”
================================================================
“Well, since we can’t practice on the track… should we do it in the parking lot?”
“I guess… Matt’s the one who needs the practice; I think you and me are good with what we are doing.”
“Well, yeah… It’s one driver per race entered, right?”
“Yes. Per race, one driver is allowed to enter. You have the FR one, I have the 4WD one, and Matt needs to race in the FF one. Otherwise, you lose the entrance fee you paid to get in.”
“I see. So… parking lot attack, anyone?”
5 hours later, after numerous burnouts, gasoline refills, and a parking lot covered in skid marks, we were finished.
“WOOHOO!”
“Well, I think you are ready for tomorrow…”
“I think so too… but maybe we should have went to Wal-Mart instead. The motel’s management isn’t going to be happy with us…”
“Yeah… maybe I should have thought of that BEFORE we did the burnouts…”
“How much gas did we use?”
“Maybe 50 gallons….”
“Wow. How much money…”
“It’s free in the GT World.”
“Ah. So, is anything else free?”
“The replacement tires were. The oil, wheels, and wings aren’t, if we decide to get them.”
“That’s quite a lot of free stuff.”
“Well… let’s go to bed before the management finds out it was us that did this…”
“Yeah…Goodnight.”
“The same to you.”
“SNORE? Zzzzzz….”
================================================================
Next morningÂ…
“I guess they didn’t find out who it was last night… we get breakfast, at least.”
“Mhhmmm…. Cinnamon Raisin Bagels are decent at 8 in the morning…”
“Yeah… they’re good, but bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwiches are my favorite.”
“Is it just me, or does this cereal taste like pencil shavings?”
I grabbed a spoon, while Micaiah took a look at the cereal box.
“YUCK! THEY ARE 🤬 PENCIL SHAVINGS!”
“Correct, according to this box… Hey… where are you two going? Guys?”
We had ran to the menÂ’s room and hurled into the toilet by the time she finished the sentence.
5 minutes laterÂ….
“Now we have something to brag about in bars, if we ever decide to tell the world about it…”
“Are we ever really going to do that?”
“I wouldn’t ever… we’d be the laughingstock of the world.”
‘I’m lucky I didn’t eat the cereal…”
“Yeah - at least we didn’t become truly sick…”
“Should we get back to the track? It’s time to race in an hour…”
“Oh yeah… we need to go now to make up for what we might face during the trip…”
“Hey… where did Matt go?”
Suddenly, the screech of tires sounded through the building. Micaiah and I ran out to see Matt drive off, flying down the road.
We ran to our cars and took off after him, leaving one irate motel manager in the dust.
!0 minutes later, we had caught up with him.
“WHAT DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?!”
“Trying to beat you there… why?
“We just drove at top speed for 10 minutes. I almost hit a cat, and Kenji ran over a squirrel. Do you think we are happy now?”
“No idea.”
“Is he being stupid, or what?”
“Nope, that’s normal for him. I should have told you that before, but now it can’t be helped. He used to sit in a cubicle at a accounting business before I pulled him out of that death trap. I’ve gotten used to it after a few years…”
“OH. My cousin was like that, but he became a decent racer after a few years. As far a I know, he got up to Group C of the JGTC series before that was discontinued. He now works as a tuning garage operator in Japan, near Suzuka.”
“Cool, Do you think he might help us out if we go to Japan?”
“Knowing him, yes. He‘s the decent one of the family. And his dad - my uncle. He owns the tuning shop.”
“Hey… we’re at the track now.”
We had not been paying attention to where we were driving, and we had arrived at the track without a problem.
“That’s odd. How did we get here?”
“I guess by not paying attention to where we were going.”
“Or by following my amazing directions to get you two here half an hour early!”
“Can he be this insufferable at times?”
“Yeah… Come to think of it, how did he get us here?”
“I’m using the GPS in this thing. Why?”
“There’s a GPS?”
“Yeah - I think it was Takeo’s. He must have added it…”
“Good. It helped us get there faster - but can we get past the officials today?”
We all drove over to the inspection bay. An official - the same one as yesterday - came over and gave us some good news.
“The track was cleaned up from yesterday’s accident. It’s good to go.”
“Did you catch the driver who did it yet?”
“No. They’ve pulled most of us off of our regular duties to find the driver, but no luck so far. I’m still doing the inspections here, so we still can have the races.”
“Alright! Where is our parking garage this time?”
“Here’s the list for you three.”
We studied the list for a second.
“Well, Bay 17 is where we were last time, right?”
“Yes. Let’s see what we have there now that changed from last time…”
================================================================
We all drove over, and nothing was out of the ordinary.
“Everything checks out on all of the cars, and inside the garage, too.”
“None of the equipment is damaged, either. I think there is a security system for this particular garage, since nothing has been touched since we were here last.”
“There IS a security system.”
Unbeknownst to the three of us, a man in a Peugeot racing suit had come up behind us.
“Who in the halls of racing drivers are you?”
“Very creative with the language there. Do you know anymore?”
“No, we don’t. Who are you?”
“That depends. What is the impression you get when looking at me?”
“No idea, besides that you drive for Peugeot.”
‘Correct. Where do you think I am from?”
“France.”
“Wrong - just because of the team I race for does not mean I am of that nationality. Automatically, people assume things. In my line of work, you NEVER assume.”
“Intriguing. Your accent says… British, right?”
“Good job. Now, which one of you three are racing today?”
“We all are…”
“Makes sense - three cars, three drivers. I have a proposition for you - meet me at the LoBue coffee shop in half an hour.”
“There’s a race in half an hour!”
“That’s the MR class. Judging by your cars, you aren’t in that one. There are spaces of two hours between major class races, such as the FF and FR ones.”
“Ok, makes sense.”
“Be at the LoBue in half an hour.”
He then walked away, into the distance.
“Can we trust him?”
“I for one don’t think so.”
“I do - somewhere I saw his face. I have no idea where, though…”
“He’s a rally driver, at least - the racing suit was emblazoned with the Peugeot 206 rally team’s specific patches. He sounds like someone I’ve heard of - I can’t place the face with a name, though.”
“He’s a Brit, too - I can’t shake the feeling I know who he is. I think we can trust him. Let’s go.”
“Does my opinion count for anything?”
“Nope - not since you left that irate manager screaming obscenities at us.”
“I’m inclined to say that, too - but he DOES have a good prediction skill. How he got it, I have no idea…”
“Anyway… that shop has some odd concoctions for a replacement breakfast. I know you BOTH need something else besides pencil shavings to eat. Let’s go.”
We all drove off. In the distance, on a mountain, was a shining light reflecting off of somethingÂ…
================================================================
“Did they see the binoculars?”
“Nope - same with the scope from the sniper rifle. I would have had him if he didn’t move that much.”
“.50 caliber sniper rifles don’t miss at this range. You know that, Oridou - you could have had him.”
“Don’t push it, kid. Holmstorm is a suspicious man - you see how he didn’t stay long. If he wanted to be really inconspicuous, he would have stopped wearing that racing suit a long time ago.”
“Old habits die hard, right?”
“Yup. Used to be the same way for me - until I took a shot from an AK-47 and got a titanium knee as a gift while wearing my old team colors. The new ones are better. Less conspicuous…. Oh 🤬”
“What is wro - OH. I see - this complicates things, right?”
“Yeah - the fact that she’s back in the States is bad news. That goes for everyone - including Holmstorm, Ota,, Tano, your three little ‘friends’ - and herself. We might even have some problems, but our job is made much easier with her being here. We need to inform your dad - my old boss.
================================================================
“Now what’s the plan? He came today?”
“Yes. Surprising, isn’t it? And he didn’t go insane when he saw the car. This does complicate things…”
“I think I have an idea…”
A minute is spent in a whispered discussion.
“That’s insane! Do you know how mad he will get if he finds out we did it?”
“Yeah - but we have two things working for us. First - he believes us both to be dead. Second… It’s his lifeblood. If it’s ruined, he will go insane. We want that - the three of then need to learn as little as possible about what actually happened.”
“That means…. Everyone who knows about it?”
“Yes. Including… Sanaki. If you can find her… do it.”
“That’s a little extreme - but she retired a year ago. No one has seen her since. She also has refused to talk about it anymore - she is keeping her mouth shut.”
“How do you know that?”
“Simple enough, Takeo.”
“What the 🤬 are YOU DOING HERE?!”
“Repeating what Illyana has stated - I refuse to speak of it.”
“Where do you live now?
“The abandoned Fuji Speedway section. I practice my racing there nowadays.”
“It’s been closed off for who knows how long now. Did it actually re-open?”
“I bribed a few people to install a hangar for my cars with a house next to it. The portion of the track is closed off to all but me an a few other people. Now, people believe the ghosts of dead race drivers haunt the banked part of the track - good thing I had the Toyota 7 ghosted to help with it. I wanted a secluded place - and I got one.”
“Intriguing. And they allowed it?”
“Bribing Toyota officials to create fake recalls was a great idea. A hacker friend of mine sliced some fake codes into the ECU on the newer Camrys to create a scandal that is regulated by Toyota. The president of the company is even in on the deal. They make money, I get a free secluded spot.”
“Ah.. The days of bribing officials to get your way… Good times, they were.”
“If you want… I can hide the Ford GT there.”
“Good idea. You need to pick it up from El Capitan, though.”
“Don’t worry - I bought a convineient 747 jet for 99.9% off with a million gallons of jet fuel added for free. It’s been converted into a car carrying plane.”
“Didn’t I hear that somewhere before?”
“Yes, you dirty idiots, in the (insert insanely most awesome title that you can think of here) Race Story written by Rykon Zero.”
“Isn’t that the one with that idiot Rinehart in it?”
“Rindheart, yeah. Git.”
“Didn’t we agree on not breaking the fourth wall until Chapter 12? And also no derogatory statements about other people in Race Stories?”
“No… I set the rules; I write the story. Rindheart is, well… a dirt bag.”
“(cough)Communist(cough). Anyway, we know that about Rinehart.”
“I heard that, you know… Anyway, on to Richmond!”
“No, the next chapter, you Civil War buff (and an idiot on top of that). Richmond would be appropriate for a NASCAR game, NOT this. That does not include Gran Turismo 5.”
“Let’s get to El Capitan to plan the next move.”
“Forgive me - blasting apart Confederate soldiers with primitive hand grenades are too much fun. Anyway, EOC! (End Of Chapter.)
“NOT YET! I’m going to milk my part in this chapter as much as possible. Let’s get to El Capitan to plan the next move.”
“Ok. The silver GT-R?”
“Yes. Here we go…”
SCREEEEEECH!!!!!!!
“Takeo, you idiot… you left tire tracks all over my keyboard… you owe me something now. Again… EOC.”
Fin Chapter Eight
i know i have to redo the coloration, i didn't have time to do so. I'll do it soon.
- 2,436
- Eastern PA
- Weather_Systems
Finally came back.
At the moment - this version is going to be put on hold. The new one's first chapter is ready.
Hope you all like the new one. I'm coming back to this one - I just need the time to make it fit in with the new one's plotline.
At the moment - this version is going to be put on hold. The new one's first chapter is ready.
Hope you all like the new one. I'm coming back to this one - I just need the time to make it fit in with the new one's plotline.
Last edited:
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