The Missing Link - Some Hints About The Sequel (Part 2)

[RCKakashi14]

Page 10: White vs. Black - The Battle of Two Stigs

The day has arrived. Takanori is preparing himself for his race against Takuma. He zips up his white Alpinestars race suit and then carries his white Simpson helmet as he goes downstairs.

Takanori's mother: "You look good in that outfit..."

Takanori: "I've been wearing this the whole time everyone thought I was dead. I was racing carrying The Stig name..."

Takanori's mother: "I see. Shall we go?"

Takanori: "Yes. Let's go meet your other son..."

After an hour of driving, they have arrived at the mountain pass at the outskirts of Tokyo. A few minutes later, Makoto has also arrived.

Makoto: "Well well well, my favorite race car driver is here!"

Takanori does not reply.

Makoto: "Oh please... You have to be sociable at one point, Takanori! Haha!"

Takanori: "Hehehe... Well, we're just waiting for one more person."

Takanori's mother feels excited.

Makoto: "Ms. Kanonji, shall we go to the finish line at the bottom of the hill?"

Takanori: "You can meet him after the race, Mom..."

Takanori's mother: "Okay then, take care okay?"

Makoto: "Let's go."

Makoto and Takanori's mother get in Makoto's SV and then head off to the bottom of the hill. Takanori then waits for Takuma to arrive.

Wind is blowing hard, and leaves just blow past him as he crosses his arms in wait.

And then finally, a very loud racing exhaust note is heard from far away. Takuma and his Zonda R has finally arrived. He gets out from the car and takes a good look at Takanori's R32. He is now wearing the Black Stig racing suit and helmet.

Takuma: "Sorry I'm late. I must say, your R32 is very interesting. That wide body and that huge rear spoiler means that it's a serious machine."

Takanori: "So, shall we begin?"

Takuma: "Let's go, White Stig! The rules are simple; whoever gets first at the bottom of the hill wins."

The two cars are lined up at the starting point.

The wind once again blows violently. Then a single leaf slowly falls on to the road. As it touches the concrete, the two cars rocket away.

Though Takanori's R32 is off at a bad start since he released the clutch at the improper RPM, making Takuma's Zonda R grab the lead in an instant thanks to its advantage in power and weight.

Takanori: "Crap, that's a bad start!"

Takuma: "4WD cars can be tricky to launch! Especially when you dumped the clutch at the wrong RPM."

Then the two cars approach the first corner.

The Zonda R's weight and its cornering prowess manages to spread its gap from the R32.

Takuma: "I'll show you why the Zonda R is the fastest in the Nurburgring!"

Takanori: "It's fast... It's really fast! I think this battle is not in favor of me!"

He attempts to enter the corners as fast as the Zonda R, but he ends up in understeer, spreading the gap even further.

And then, the Zonda R is out of Takanori's sights...



End of Page 10

 

[halfcab23]

cant wait for the next one!

 

[RCKakashi14]

cant wait for the next one!

Next page will probably be posted on Thursday evening.



Oh, I will post a next book. It will be a prequel, and its time setting would be the Supercar Boom era of Japan. And it'll be about Michiharu's past life as a racer.

Working Title: The Boom


As you have read, there is a Lancia Stratos in Page 9, which gives a hint of the next book.


And there will be a few pages left before the current story ends!

 

[WTFnews]

yo kakashi, i love to read your storys man! i see you in the chat?

 

[RCKakashi14]

Page 11: Father-Son Bonding

The Zonda R is now out of Takanori's sights.

Takanori: "Damn... The Zonda R is everything what a race car should be. Aerodynamic body, carbon-fiber construction, mid-engined rear wheel drive, and a powerful engine! Combine that with Takuma's skill, and I'm doomed to lose!


But... He forgot one thing."

"Dad used to bring me in this very mountain pass just after his track sessions in Tsukuba."

"In this section, blind corners are ahead..."

"He'd always say that in a blind corner, you must go outside and aim for the inside."

"Whenever the car goes off the ground, Dad just feathers the throttle."

"Then this banking... now I shall hit it!"

Just before the race, Takanori had plugged his smartphone in the car's aftermarket auxiliary input. He turns it on and the music plays 5OUL ON D!SPLAY.

Takanori: "Let's go, R32!"


Meanwhile, Takuma's Zonda R is at a short straight after those consecutive corners.

Takuma: "What's wrong Takanori? Where's your so-called 'Determination'?"

But then, he sees the R32 at his side mirror.

Takuma: "What!? How could this be? I outrunned him at the very start!"


Takanori: "You may have mastered the track... But a mountain pass is very different! Too bad.... that's it's your first time racing here and you won't master this mountain pass in an instant!"


End of Page 11

 

[WTFnews]

good page man!

 

[halfcab23]

Another great chapter!

 

[Mat123]

Great chapter once again!

BTW, when do you plan on posting the next book?

 

[RCKakashi14]

Great chapter once again!

BTW, when do you plan on posting the next book?

It depends on how busy I am.


Anyways, there will be 2 upcoming books. Aside from The Boom which will be posted after this story, there will be another one which is the sequel of this story.

 

[halfcab23]

cant wait!

 

[RCKakashi14]

Fellow readers, I'll post the next (and the last!) page Thursday evening or Friday.

For now, I'll put up some Character Bios!




Takanori Kanonji

Age: 20
Occupation: High School student (though have stopped school due to his racing career), Professional Race Car Driver, and a part-owner of his family's Mochi shop.

Cars he had owned and driven: Michiharu's Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R, Michiharu's Lamborghini Countach 25th Anniversary, Ben's Lamborghini Countach LP400, Ben's Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4, Kaido's Honda Civic Type R (EK9), Honda S2000.

Special Skills: Clipping the apex of every turn, Martial Arts, and Mochi making.

Takanori is a young man and just a high school student with aspirations of being a race car driver. He drew a lot of inspiration from his father, Michiharu, when he was just a kid. However, after his father's disappearance, all of his dreams seems to have been shattered and as such, he was just stuck playing GT5 and other racing games. Though this does not mean that he had lost hope of reuniting his father. In fact, he goes online and even makes phone calls to the government agencies to find leads for him.

He helps out his mother in their family's Mochi shop which they run ever since Michiharu's disappearance. It is their only source of income at that time.

His skills in GT5 proved to be his valuable asset when he uses them in races. Clipping the apex in every corner is his forte, similar to his father since he also teaches Takanori some of his racing skills at the time they spent together every weekend on race circuits around Japan.

When he accidentally met Makoto in school, the two formed a friendship in an instant. Upon knowing that he is the son of her father's best friend, Makoto urges Takanori to rebuild his dreams and as well as to continue his search for Michiharu. As times go by, the two formed a very close bond... and eventually , they have feelings for each other to the point of love.

In Part 2 of the Reaching The Apex, he finally reunites with his father, albeit a short and a very sad one. Takanori has forgiven his father in his deathbed, and vows to pursue racing seriously for his father's honor. Now in the big leagues, he continues to fulfill his dream that was once shattered.

In the The White Wind, everyone thought that he is dead. In fact, he is alive and well, but suffers from retrograde amnesia. Under Ben's tutelage, he improved his racing skills and had learned some Martial Arts as well. He took on the guise as The Stig whilst racing for his half-brother named Axel Eisenberg.


Makoto Kurosawa

Age: 21
Occupation: High School Student, Heiress and secretary to her father's wine business, and often helps out the Kanonji family's Mochi shop.
Cars that she owns: Ferrari SP1, Ferrari 512BB, and Lamborghini Murcielago LP670-4 SV.

Special Skills: She sometimes makes her clothes, playing Tennis, and can tell every single detail of a car's engine.


Makoto is a very wealthy girl and is an heiress to her father's big wine business based in Italy. Since her father - Gan Kurosawa - was also a race car driver back in his heyday, she also learns to race and tune cars under his tutelage. She sometimes perform maintenance and restoration work of some of her father's racing car collection.

Despite her vast wealth, she is a very down-to-earth person and she even wants to experience what an average person's life is like by helping out Takanori's mother in the Mochi shop.

She is also responsible for Takanori to restart his dreams as a pro race car driver since he is the son of her father's best friend. As times go by, she grows feelings for him... and eventually grew to the point of love.

Makoto was devastated and sorely depressed when she found out about Takanori's "death". She misses him a lot and was not the usual cheerful girl that everyone knows. However, upon knowing that he was alive and well, she immediately confessed her feelings and Takanori returned them and also confessed his feelings to her as well. Now, the two are in a relationship.



Takuma Kanonji

Age: 20 (though 6 minutes older than Takanori)
Occupation: Professional Race Car Driver
Cars that he owns: Pagani Zonda R, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6)
Special Skills: He sets lap records on every circuit he has been, Martial Arts, Cooking.


Takuma is a long-lost twin of Takanori. He was adopted by a British named Ben when a hospital fire occurred that separated the twins after their birth. He grew up under Ben's tutelage for his whole life, and has also gotten serious in the world of racing.

He took on the guise as the Black Stig since he finds black "cool" and "fits his personality". As such, he acts in a calm and in a professional manner. He seems to have harbor some hatred for his father, and after his father's death, he simply forgets him.

Along with Ben, he saved Takanori from death in that car explosion. Though the reason for doing this is because he wants to surprise Takanori and challenge him to a race as a "proper entrance" to the Kanonji family and to show who is the fastest among the duo. He also, somehow, hates his twin brother as well since he gets all the love and attention from a parent that Takuma hasn't experienced.


Ben McCarthy:

Age: 58
Occupation: A former race car driver, and now a crew chief.
Cars he owns: Aston Martin V12 Vantage, Nissan Skyline GT-R R34, Lamborghini Countach LP400.
Special Skills: Braking at the exact point before entering the corner, fluent in Japanese language.

Ben is British national and a former racing car driver and now works as a crew chief in his racing team. He knows a lot about the Kanonji family. Initially, he served as Michiharu's right-hand man to look out for the man's well-being. The intention of doing so is because he intends to tell about Takuma's origins, but he had failed to do so. He had taught both Takanori and Takuma his racing know-how and some martial arts as well.

He will appear once again as one of the main characters in the upcoming book titled The Boom which is set 30 years before the current storyline.



Trivia: Ben McCarthy's name is based on 2 people who have played the role as The Stig. Ben Collins (as the former White Stig) and Perry McCarthy (as the Black Stig).

 

[RCKakashi14]

Page 12 - The Corner That Makes Decisions

Takanori is singing the lyrics of the song he is playing inside the car as he gets closer to Takuma.




Takanori: "Eyes go shut... I dissipate. Into thin air leaving no trace."

**********************************************************


At the base of the hill, Makoto and Takanori's mother drink a can of warm coffee while waiting for the race to finish. Then Ben arrives as well.

Ben: "This is where the race is, right?"

Makoto: "Yes. And I think they're almost done. I'm hearing loud car sounds already."

Ben: "Takanori will win this one..."

Takanori's mother: "Of course he will!"

Ben: "No... Let me explain."

Makoto: "Huh?"

Ben: "Takuma sets lap records in every circuit he's been to. He's giving everything he can so as the lap times would be almost impossible for his rivals to beat."

Makoto: "Then what makes him lose now?"

Ben: "He's not familiar with mountain passes. A mountain pass requires a wholly different skill level. And since Takuma gives everything he can in setting lap records...



...his car's tires suffer in an instant. That's why he wants to finish the session as quickly as possible. In this situation, Takanori has lots of opportunities to overtake. He should use his familiarity to this mountain pass."


Takanori's mother: "Ah... Takanori and his father used to go here every weekend after racing in Tsukuba."

Makoto: "But then, the Zonda R is a formidable opponent. Its Nurburgring lap time is no joke."

Ben: "This is not the Nurburgring.... Just go to any mountain pass everywhere in the world. They're a lot more dangerous than the Nurburgring. Yes, the Zonda R can hold its own against Takanori's R32 in every possible way; but its high amount of power coupled with being a rear wheel drive can also induce excessive wheelspin especially on the corner exits. Takuma had once spun out that car. And the loss of tire grip could make that happen... Add that to Takanori's experience here, and Takuma has already lost this battle."


*********************************************************


Takuma is just alarmed on how close the R32 is to his Zonda R. Then as he steers, the steering wheel becomes heavy.

Takuma: "Shoot! I used up all the tires!

The Zonda R understeers.

Takuma: "Crap..."

In the R32, Takanori continues to sing.

Takanori: "Give me one reason to take the breath we breathe for granted
Hold it in so long that you forget to say..."

Then he already notices that his opponent's car suffers from understeer.

Takanori: "His Zonda shows some signs of understeer... How's that possible?"

Then he looks at the Zonda's tires.

Takanori: "He has used up all the grip. No wonder the Zonda R acts weirdly. But I have to act now! A few corners left before that downhill straight to the finish!"

Takuma: "Crap, he closes in!"

The R32 closes in to the Zonda at the corners. But once again, the Zonda's power advantage lets it even the odds as the gap is widened once more.

Takuma: "Straights are my only chance to outrun him? That's pathetic..."


Approaching the final corner before the downhill straight to the finish, Takanori slams the brake pedal hard.

Takuma: "He slows down early. Why is that?"

Takanori: "You fool! It's another blind corner! You go too fast and you'll greet the guardrail! Your tires can't grip already!"

Takuma feels that his Zonda R does not turn anymore.

Takuma: "I can't turn!"

Then he sees the guardrail upon the end of that blind corner.

Takuma: "A guardrail!? S**t!"

As a result, the Zonda crashes on the guardrail.

Takanori sees what happened and decides to stop after he passes Takuma's car. He gets out of the car and rushes to the Zonda R.

Takanori: "Takuma!"

Takuma opens the door and takes off his helmet.

Takuma: "Hehehehe... I can't believe it. I lost to a street racer."

Takanori: "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Takuma: "I'm fine. My bruises will heal with some spirit."

Takanori: "I'm sure your car can be fixed. Don't worry... I don't count this as my victory."

Takuma: "Are you crazy? In a circuit race, a crash is considered a loss, and you know that."

Takanori: "Let's head down. Someone wants to meet you..."

Then the two cars have reached the base of the hill.

Makoto: "The Zonda R's front end is damaged."

The twins get out from their cars. Takanori leads Takuma to their mother.

Takanori: "Takuma... I want you to meet our mother."


Their mother hugs Takuma in tears.

Mother: "Takuma? I'm so glad to see you! You've grown quite a lot! I am thinking of you every single day, you know?"

Takuma hugs her back.

Takuma: "Mother..."

Takanori: "Welcome home, my twin."


Takanori wipes his tears. Makoto is happy for them.

Makoto: "At last, they have reunited."

Ben: "I guess Takuma have found happiness."

**********************************************************

At the evening, they have arrived home in Tokyo.

Takanori: "Takuma, this is our home."

Takuma: "It's a nice place to live. Even though it's kinda small, it's already luxurious to live with."

Mother: "Takuma, you know there is an empty room upstairs just for you. We will furnish it by tomorrow. For now, you are going to sleep with Takanori in his room."

Takuma: "I see. Thanks, mom. I want to know my twin a little more."

When the twins enter Takanori's room, Takuma sees the gaming steering wheel with bucket seat and pedals in front of a flat screen HDTV.

Takuma: "So you play GT5 too, huh?"

Takanori: "Yep."

Takuma: "I'm sorry..."

Takanori: "Why do you apologize?"

Takuma: "All my life, I've envied and hated you. Because I did not experience being a child with loving parents, you know? I'm thinking all along that you are being showered by all the love from our parents. The very reason why I showed up and raced you because I want you to realize that you should not be conceited and get all the attention."

Takanori: "Don't mention it. You are very much welcome here in our home. I am even happy because I have a brother!"






Meanwhile, at the Laguna Seca circuit in the U.S., a heavily-tuned orange Scion FR-S blitzes through the infamous Corkscrew.

The End

 

[Mat123]

Awesome chapter!

 

[WTFnews]

cool chapter Kakashi

 

[RCKakashi14]

Bonus Page - How I Met Your Father



The next morning, Takuma and Takanori are playing GT5. Even though Takanori is using the steering wheel, he lost to Takuma in their 2 player battle.

Takuma: "You're pathetic. You clearly had the advantage of using the steering wheel, and yet you lost against a DS3 player?"

Takanori: "How could that happen? I was already winning, and then the car just understeered! Crap!"

Takuma: "Oh well, you're cleaning the room since you lost. I'm going down to help mom."


So Takuma heads out from the room and goes downstairs. He sees that their mother is preparing Mochi before she could open the shop.

Takuma: "Mom, I'll help you with that."

Mother: "Oh don't worry! Can you just open the shop for me?"

Takuma: "Okay then."

So he goes to do as he instructed. He unlocks the shop's doors and raises the window shades. He also arranges the tables and chairs.

Takuma: "Such a nice-looking shop. Well, I've entered here before. The shop provides a good ambiance to the customers."

After organizing, Takuma heads back.

Mother: "Oh, I think I can't put the laundry in the washing machine since I have to put these Mochi in the shop for display. Can you put all our laundry in the washing machine?"

Takuma: "Sure... Where is the washing machine located?"

Mother: "At the back of the kitchen, dear."

Takuma: "Okay."

Takuma heads to the laundry room at the back of the kitchen. He plugs in the washing machine. But the room is rather dark.

Takuma: "Hmmmm... this room is too dark."

He looks for the switch. He finds it and turns on the light. However, only one light bulb is working which only lights up where the washing machine is.

Takuma: "Still dark."

However, another light bulb suddenly worked. It showed the other side of the room. It also reveals the broken and rusted blue Lancia Stratos. He is shocked at what he just saw. One tire is missing from the car and that tire is just stowed away at the wall. Dust covers almost the entire car.

Takuma: "Mom? Takanori? Can you come over here?"

Takanori hears this and goes to that room. He is also surprised.

Takanori: "I haven't seen that before..."

Takuma: "Really? You lived here all your life and yet you're not aware of that car?"

Takanori: "I swear! I just saw that thing right now!"


Then their mother steps inside and the twins look at her as she comes closer to the car.

Mother: "Children, I think now is the time to tell you..."

Takanori: "About what?"

Mother: "How I met your father 30 years ago."


End of Bonus Page







The Boom will be posted soon!

 

[halfcab23]

nice one bro!

 

[RCKakashi14]

Some hints about the upcoming sequel


Currently, I'm working on the story titled "The Boom". Though you'd be wondering why there was a Scion FR-S in this book's last page.

It hints on this book's sequel, and it would be connected to The Boom as well. There's this "unfinished rivalry" which would be the focus of the sequel. What rivalry? The answer will be seen on The Boom. The place setting would be in the USA.

The working title is: Millisecond

Okay, expect to see these cars (though I would not spill all of them):

Nissan GT-R Black Edition
Mazda RX-7 TC
Honda CR-Z
Scion FR-S


You could actually request cars that you want to see on the sequel.

 

[WTFnews]

ruf RGT!!!!!!!!

 

[Auraxir]

it is too much to ask for the McLaren F1??

 

[RCKakashi14]

Teaser Page from the Sequel:


This is one of the pages that will be posted in the sequel soon. Of course, what you'll read is not all of it.

*********************************************************

The twins stopped by at a cemetery at the city before heading home. They get out from the car and then walk a few steps until they stop at a gravestone.

The gravestone has the name of Megumi Kobayashi engraved on it. Takuma stares at it for a while and then looks up at the cloudy sky.

Takanori: "Megumi Kobayashi? Who is she?"

Takuma: "Someone very special to me."

Takanori: "Girlfriend?"

Takuma: "Takanori, if you love someone, hold on to that person no matter what. Don't make the same mistake I did..."

Takanori: "Aniki..."

Then rain suddenly pours. Little does Takanori know that Takuma's eyes are shedding tears, albeit the tears on his face are being washed away by the rain.

*********************************************************


That's it for now! Well, who is this Megumi Kobayashi? Find out soon...

 

[RCKakashi14]

Character Pictures!


Takanori:

Takuma:

Makoto:

I just used Anime Character Maker 2

 

[DarkAvengerZR1]

Lol nice.

 

[RCKakashi14]

Some Hints About The Sequel (Part 2)

I did some changes in the character design, particularly on the twins' hair. I'm not satisfied with their hair length, so I decided to lengthen their hair.


Takanori:

Takuma:

The young Michiharu:

Also, I decided to drop the Honda CR-Z from the sequel. Instead, a Mazda MX-5 (NA) will appear.

The reason? Well, I like the MX-5 better than the CR-Z. And it will be as awesome as Takanori's R32.