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> [FANFIC] Initial D - The Contenders, Chapter 13 up! 3/23/09
Drew
  Posted: Nov 16 2008, 07:59 PM


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Well, since my last two fics got royally screwed due to a crappy flash drive, I decided to entirely start afresh with an entirely new idea. The synopsis for Chapter 1 is that its D's last battle, and their opponents have decided to come and scout out the competition.

enjoy, everyone!
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Initial D - The Contenders

Story by Thir13teen

Chapter 1: Contenders from Hokkaido

The night sky of Haruna was chilly and crisp as it commonly was on a fall night. All the local drivers on Haruna were parked in the common gathering place. It had been almost two years since the pass’s ace, Takumi Fujiwara, had entered the Japanese underground racing scene. Recently, Fujiwara had been running with the uber-legendary Takahashi brothers and their team, Project.D. This living God of Haruna had made a candid appearance at the Speed Stars’ monthly time trials. It was due to the team leader Iketani asking Takumi to come up and give some advice to the teams’ drivers.

“So, Takumi,” Iketani said, watching Takumi take a walk around the lot, “How do we look?” “I’m sad to say this,” the young driving savant said, scratching his head, “But no one on this team has enough power to run a proper uphill time trial.” “Not even Kenji?” Iketani asked, knowing that his friend’s turbo KA24 was the most powerful engine in the team at a whopping 250 horsepower. “Nope,” Takumi said flatly. What both didn’t realize was that Kenji was standing behind him, listening to everything that was said. “I get it,” Kenji said, “I’m just not good enough, am I?” “No, no,” Takumi said, trying to save face, “It’s just that, well, Haruna’s straightaways are way too long for a middleweight car with 250 horsepower and a gear ratio of that stature.” “What’re you saying?” Iketani said, “Is he hitting top speed too soon?” “If that’s how you put it, then I guess so,” replied Takumi, “If it had a six-speed, then there’d be no problem.” “Do you know how hard it is to find a good enough Silvia six-speed nowadays?” Kenji replied, “If it wasn’t for all these American whack jobs putting SR20s in their cars, none of this would be a problem. Nowadays you can’t get one for les than a million yen.” “And no one on the team makes that kind of money to just throw around,” Iketani replied, suddenly ashamed of being a gas station manager.

Starting the time trials later that night, the Speed Stars set up checkpoints around the course to record the progress. Tonight was both Iketani’s turn to make a downhill banzai run, and for Kenji to attempt to beat his old uphill record. Watching the runs with Takumi was his all-time best friend, Itsuki Takeuchi. “Takumi!” Itsuki exclaimed as he saw his old classmate, “I’ve done it!” “What?” Takumi replied. “My suspension’s been finally dialed in! It handles sooooooo much better now! Ya gotta make a run with me!” “Well maybe next time Project.D has a break from racing,” Takumi replied. “I guess you guys are about done running, huh?” Itsuki said, opening a can of soda, “It’s been over a year now since you started with them, and your 86 is a totally different animal now! Man I wish my car could have a roll cage like your Trueno! Speaking of which, where’s your next excursion?” “Hokkaido,” Takumi flatly stated, waiting for the start.

“Okay, how are we looking guys?” Kenji asked through the walkie-talkie, “1st checkpoint’s OK.” “3rd straight’s looking good,” “5 hairpins are go.” “We’re good at the finish line here-wait,” “What’s up?” Kenji asked. “We got three cars coming up pretty fast here. All three aren’t locals.” “Crap,” Kenji said, irritated that some outsiders interrupted their time trial, “We’ll just hafta wait it out until they get up here.”

As they waited, the sound of easy going, low-revving engines came into earshot. Down the straight, three cars not seen on Akina before were coming in to park in the lot. The first was a car that was terribly similar to Kenji’s. The turquoise color shone under the lights, and the exotic deep-dish rims were polished to a mirror finish. Pulling in next to it was a dark blue four-door subcompact. From it came a loud, high revving sound. The car pulled in next to the hatch. The final car was a newer car than the other two. It was a mid-size, dark green rally-style wagon, with fog lights and a whooshing sound that erupted after the driver revved up the high-strung boxer 4-cylinder. “Who are these guys?” Itsuki asked, irritated along with the rest of the Speed Stars. The pilots then emerged from their cockpits. They walked over to the group and were talking along the way.

“You can’t even keep up with me, Keio-san!” the one driving the wagon said, “Now if you turbocharged the car-“ “You still don’t get it, do ya?” Keio said, “Turbos kill gas mileage, and I am the downhill ace, so the power really doesn’t mean that much! Oh, and by the way, that wagon may be the greatest sleeper ever created, but it still needs something.” “Like a hundred kilos off the back end!” the third driver said, “In my opinion, wagons have never been good for anything but hauling parts and making out in the back.” “Well that does make sense, since I am the shop owner,” the wagon owner said, “And tsiuundeno has never been my type of racing anyway; I’m better on the freeway.”

As the three came into the light, it was clear that they were not from the area. The air was chilly, and all three were still wearing short-sleeves while the locals wore sweatshirts and jackets. The self-proclaimed downhill ace, Keio, was the oldest of the three. His unnaturally blonde hair was cut short and he wore a tattered baseball hat. The hatchback driver was a little younger, but not by that much. His long black hair matched his large beehive beard. He wore a pair of checkerboard Vans slip-ons, low-rise jeans and a West Coast Choppers t-shirt. The third wore baggy pants, glasses and had fussed-up brown hair. His shirt was an old polo that had grease and grime all over it. It was clear that he was the team’s mechanic.

“Yo,” the one wearing the Vans said, “Sorry about our interruption. If we knew that you guys were running tonight, we’d come up sooner.” “These guys seem fishy,” Itsuki said to Takumi. “I know,” Takumi shot back, “I’m guessing they’re that team from Hokkaido we’re supposed to take on.” “You just here to watch?” Itsuki said. “Kind of,” the mechanic said, “Oh, wait, we’re terribly sorry; we forgot to introduce ourselves. I’m Reiji Matsuzaka, team mechanic.” “Name’s Keioichi Jinryu,” the blonde man said, “Keio for short. I’m the downhill driver.” “And I’m Makoto Nagato, team captain & uphill runner for team ‘D-Contender’.” the final driver stated. “Well, since we’re done with the intros,” Keio stated, “What we’re really here for is a simple request.” After speaking, Keio locked eyes with Takumi, who stared back with equal intimidation. “Fujiwara-san,” Keio said, “I ask that you ride with me in my 180.” “Uwaaaah?” Itsuki exclaimed, “Takumi, are you gonna ride along with him?” “I don’t see anything disadvantageous for me,” Takumi flatly stated to his friend, “So why not; I’ll take a ride with you.” “Cool,” Keio stated, “Fujiwara-san, could you come with me?” At this point, everyone was no longer focused on the trials that had begun; these three strangers had shown up from nowhere and had stolen the limelight; tonight was going to be extremely big.

This post has been edited by Thir13Teen on Mar 23 2009, 07:21 PM
Meteor
Posted: Nov 16 2008, 08:26 PM


Were you expecting something else?
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Disappointing to know that your other unfinished stories will probably stay that way.

However, this story has no problem interesting me. So hit it!
Spaz
Posted: Nov 16 2008, 08:42 PM


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ZOMG 'Preza wagon! I approve.
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Drew
  Posted: Nov 20 2008, 05:59 AM


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new chapteh is upz!

And, the CRX that is mentioned is a partial dream car f mine that came to me in a dream once.

Chapter 2: Keioichi’s Warning

The group had crowded around the three outsiders’ cars. Up close, they could easily be identified. The first one was a Honda CRX. It was a terribly small car for an uphill battle, but it suited its peculiar driver and team leader. The hood, roof and rear hatch were all carbon fiber. “It’s still a work in progress,” Makoto said, “But I’ve already dumped a bunch into it.” “Look at these wheels!” Iketani said in shock, “Where did you get a set of Mugen NR-10s?” “Let’s just say I’m big into classic parts,” Makoto stated. Where the backseat was, however, was a custom-fabricated aluminum hatch. “What’s that?” Itsuki questioned. “That?” Makoto replied casually, “It’s the engine bay.” “E-engine bay?”Everyone exclaimed in utter disbelief. Makoto just nodded. “Makoto’s a full-blown mechanical engineer for Honda,” Keio stated, “This is entirely his own design.” “I thought, why not build a non-Kei car Honda-style MR2?” Makoto replied, “The engine’s an NA K20 that’s been built and spec’d out by myself,” Makoto proudly stated, “It’s mated to a brand-new Civic Si six-speed transmission. We’ve dyno-tested it at over 250 whp.”

“250?” Itsuki stated, “Doesn’t Keisuke-san’s FD have almost 400?” “Yes,” Takumi stated, “But this car’s gotta be at least 75 to 100 kg lighter than the FD. It’s also NA, so it has a much better torque curve without the need to spool up a set of turbos. It seems purpose-built for uphill racing at a course with short straights.” “It almost is,” Makoto said, “But I wouldn’t want to use this against Keisuke-san. I’ll just use one of my other cars to race him.” “So how about my car?” Keio asked.

After checking out the CRX, the group wandered over to the real star car of the night. It was a Nissan 180SX. The bodykit was simple with the exception of the dry carbon roof, hood, and hatch. The stance was lower than the CRX. The wheels on it were 17-inch silver Work Emotion XD9s rims that covered the red-caliper AP Racing brakes. “Internally, the engine and transmission are stock units,” Keio stated, “The only major thing I did was to do an NA SR20 swap along with swapping out the original transmission with a six-speed unit from an R32 GTR. It’s perfect for the downhill.” “What’s its horsepower?” Takumi asked. “200 horses,” Keio fired back, “It’s a light car so the power really doesn’t push that much. On the downhill it’s a beast. It used to have a hard time keeping up with the straights of Hokkaido. I dumped almost all the money I had left in this car into the chassis and transmission. You ready for the drive?” Takumi nodded. They got into the car, and pulled up to the line.

“You ready?” Keio said, checking his harness and gauges monitoring the vitals of the car. Takumi gave a nod, and the car burst forward with immense force. The car came up to the first turn. With ease, Keio put the small 180 hard into the curve. The smell of tire particles permeated through Takumi’s nose. It was common to him, but then he became shocked when he looked out the window; the car’s nose was only a few centimeters away from the guardrail! From what Takumi saw in this guy’s appearance, Keio hadn’t been up to Akina enough to drive this well. After hitting the apex, Keio began accelerating hard. In the exit of the turn, the other side of the Nissan was as close as the bumper was to the apex.

Looking over at Keio, however, it’d seem like he was just out on a leisurely drive. “How the hell can he be this fast?” Takumi asked himself, “This guy’s gonna be a tough rival; maybe the hardest I’ve raced against!” By this point, they were at the long straightaway. Keio decided to ease off the gas, and pull over to the side of the road. Getting out of the car, Takumi stared down the driver of the 180. “I hope that you guys bring your best to Hokkaido,” Keio stated, “Your car control must be top-notch. I bet that you have never done a rally race in your young career, am I right?” Takumi nodded his head as a firm yes. “Well, you have a week to practice,” Keio stated, looking at his new competitor, “If you can find a dirt road in the area, I suggest that you run up and down that road and dial that AE86 in before you even consider coming up to Hokkaido.” “Understood,” Takumi stated. “I’ve also heard that this race might be D’s last,” stated Keioichi, “If it is, I hope that you guys are in top form, since Hokkaido is a hotbed for major rally teams. Now let’s go back to the parking lot.”

The ride back up the hill was one of intense silence. Both occupants of the vehicle knew what was coming. It was going to be the toughest week of driving in both of their lives. “Oh, and Takumi,” Keio said, breaking the silence, “Keisuke will be having the worst time in his FD. That car wasn’t built for rally racing at all. Well, at least not in its current state.” “And what about my car?” Takumi asked. “You’re in a bit better situation in your Trueno than Keisuke is right now,” Keio replied back, “But it will still be hard for you to control an FR on dirt. Believe me, I know. It’s nothing like snow, ice or wet pavement. You will slide, but the road will not be smooth. Every turn you throw your car into, you will have the possibility of not having any grip at all, or just catching a curve so wrong that it will damage your car. As I stated before, begin to practice as soon as you can. The longer you drive on dirt, the better you will be.” Once again, Takumi nodded a resounding yes.

Getting out of the 180, Takumi walked over to the group that sat in the lot. “How was the ride?” Iketani asked. “He’s amazing,” Takumi stated, a little shaken, “If he wasn’t seemingly so out of place, I’d say that he could be a high-caliber local.” “How high caliber?” Iketani asked, confused at the statement. “As high caliber as I was a year ago,” Takumi stated, “I’m afraid of seeing how good he is on his home course.” “He’s that good, huh?” Iketani asked. “Yes,” Takumi said, “Iketani, do you know of any dirt roads in the area?”

Meteor
Posted: Nov 20 2008, 07:27 AM


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Interest level - UP

I am looking forward to the epic battle. MOAR PLZ!
Drew
  Posted: Nov 25 2008, 01:06 PM


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New sheeit, yo!

Chapter 3: Rally-style

It was 3 AM on a Sunday. The sound of Haruna’s morning birds was joined with the harmonious sound of a boxer engine. A blue Subaru coupe was flying down the mountain faster than usual. “Iketani said that there would be a small road up on the left at the second-to-last turn here,” Takumi thought, looking for a narrow dirt road. After being asked about the dirt road, Iketani and Takumi got into a discussion about why this road was needed.
* * *
“Of course,” Iketani stated, giving the directions to the dirt road, “Why do you ask?” “The next race we’ll be in will be a dirt rally race,” Takumi stated, “I need to practice there so I can get a better feel for the dirt.” “If I were you,” Iketani said, “Ask for your dad’s WRX for the first day or two. I may not be an expert, but that’s how I’d tackle the situation.” “Thank you, Iketani,” Takumi asked, “I’ll ask my father if that sounds good. If so, I’ll take it out to the dirt pass tomorrow morning.”

Later that night, Takumi asked his father about Iketani’s idea. “Go ahead,” the old man said, smoking a cigarette, “I don’t see any problem in his logic. Just make sure that later that night, you run it in the 86, got it?” “Why?” Takumi asked, perplexed by this logic from his father. “I’m going to set up the 86 for rally courses why you have the WRX out,” Bunta stated, “D may be good in setup for the track day, but they won’t cover a full rally-spec build.” “What’re you gonna do to it?” Takumi asked. “You’ll see,” Bunta stated, “Now get to bed; you got a delivery tomorrow morning.”
* * *
It was now that next morning. Takumi was looking down another different road that he never noticed. It was much narrower than Haruna’s main road. It also was a lot steeper, too. The surface consisted of broken-up concrete, pavement, dirt and gravel. “Well, here goes,” Takumi thought, as he put it into gear and started heading up the pass. As he headed up the pass, Takumi began to notice that the road was very bumpy as his father Bunta had stated. What came next, took Takumi by surprise; the WRX was drifting like the 86 did on tarmac. “Did something go wrong with the suspension?” Takumi wondered, glancing at the dashboard. No lights were flashing except the shift indicator light when he reached the car’s redline. “Is this what Keio meant about the control of the driver having to be top notch?” the car was drifting through each and every corner of the narrow pass. As he headed up further, the lack of guardrails would’ve started to make any normal driver be a little worried. Takumi however felt no such panic. He had realized what this road had reminded him of. “Shomaru-touge!” Takumi exclaimed in his mind, “This pass is almost exactly like Shomaru-touge! It’s just a lot rougher!”

At the top of the pass, Takumi looked down at this new course. Strangely enough, it opened up at the halfway parking lot of Haruna’s paved course. “It’s short,” he thought, “but it’ll have to do for now.” He then got back into his car and started up the turbo boxer four. Shifting into gear, he began his rapid descent. “If this course is like this in the WRX,” Takumi thought, “The 86 will have a much more difficult time. I’ll just have to deal with it, that’s all.” As he was in thought, Takumi’s car all of a sudden flew into the air. “Shit!” he thought, bracing for impact. The bump was barely a worry on the uphill, but on the downhill, it caused the Subaru to fly a good hundred feet with about ten feet of air under the tires. The car crashed back down, and Takumi slammed on the brakes, trying not to spin out. After recovering the car, he continued his run. “If that’s what’s common in rally racing,” Takumi thought, “The 86 will need all the suspension it has.”

As Takumi finished the run, he pulled over to the side of the road to see what damage had been done. Walking around to the front, Takumi groaned as he saw that one of the spotlight covers had been dislodged, and that the front bumper had been all scraped up. The wheels spitting up gravel had also scratched up the paint. Takumi crouched down, holding his head. “Oh man, dad’s gonna kill me,” he thought. He then got in the car and drove off, ready to face his father.

Pulling into the tofu shop after his work that day, Takumi noticed the 86 in the driveway. It had a few different features on it. The first thing that caught Fujiwara’s eye was the higher stance. As he got out of the WRX, he walked over to the Trueno. Behind each wheel were four large black mud flaps. The wheel wells were not filled with the common Watanabe RS8s; the wheels in their place were white ones with “RACING HART” emblazoned in red across the large white face. Around the rim, the “Racing Hart” was joined with “D-Spec”. The tires on these wheels were a set of fat and knobby BF Goodrich rally tires. As he continued to look over the body, Takumi noticed the roof scoop, which wasn’t on there before along with the set of two Hella fog lamps placed in line with where the headlamps would be if they were on. The 86 was now a completely different animal.

“So how was the run today?” Bunta asked, startling Takumi, “My WRX isn’t banged up, is it?” “Well, that’s a funny story to why it is banged up,” Takumi stated which was followed by a nervous laugh. “Eh,” Bunta said, “I can have it repainted; body panels and paint are cheaper than suspension parts, so no real harm done as long as the car will drive with no problem.” Takumi let out a sigh of relief. “But it is coming out of your pay,” Bunta said, exhaling smoke from his mouth. “Damn,” Takumi grumbled, “I thought I was off easy.”

Later that night, Takumi got into the 86 and headed up to Akagi, where D would be briefed about their trip to Hokkaido. This week, the meeting was being held at Ryousuke’s condo. As he walked into the living room, there were boxes and boxes of things, and the floor was all but stripped of its furniture. What was left was a couch, a television, and a coffee table of which three boxes of pizza sat. Takumi walked in and saw the team carrying boxes out into the living room. “What’s up?” Takumi asked. “Ryousuke’s moving,” Kenta said, putting down a box labeled ‘Kitchen supplies’, “This meeting’s going to be half a moving party and half a team briefing from what I hear.” “Hey Takumi!” Keisuke yelled, “Get your butt in here and help me with this bed, will ya?”

Later that night after the boxes were all packed into the living room, D gathered around Ryousuke’s big-screen television. “So what’s the plan for our last race, aniki?” Keisuke said, wolfing down a slice of pepperoni pizza. “As I stated before,” Ryousuke said, “It’s in Hokkaido. We’ll be leaving from the Akagi rest stop at precisely 0600 hours on Thursday.” “Thursday?” Takumi asked, “Why?” “We need to get some runs in on the course before Friday afternoon qualifying,” Ryousuke stated, “They only allow drivers who can beat the pre-set time to run on Saturday and Sunday.” “That’s odd,” Keisuke replied. “It’s for safety precautions,” Ryousuke said, pressing start on the camcorder used to record the course, “night running on this course is terribly dangerous. As you can see, there are no lights whatsoever on the course. Along with that, there are areas where the cars can get airborne. Takumi ought to be okay in his 86, but Keisuke will have problems with the FD’s bodykit. We can remedy that by re-installing a stock kit for temporary use along with raising the suspension and putting on a set of Direzza tires.”

“What about are opponents?” Keisuke asked, finishing his fifth slice. “Our opposing team is D-Contender, consisting of team leader and uphill driver, Makoto Nagato, and downhill savant Keioichi Jinryu. Nagato-san has built a rally-spec car for this course. It’s a Honda Civic EK9 Type R that has been fitted with an AWD system from an early-model Lanevo. Obviously, Keisuke will take him. Takumi is racing Jinryu-san in his S13. This car is stock when it comes to engine modification, but the amount of work done to the suspension makes up for its lack of power. Skill-wise, he’s as good as Takumi, if not better in some other areas. However, the 180 is slower due to the stock internals, giving Takumi the speed advantage as has been in the past, but Keioichi-san has been able to overcome this with his skills in blocking and pressuring the opponent. When he’s on his home course, they call him the “Nightmarish Enforcer”, due to his blocking skill holding anyone in check. I want both of you to try to come up with strategies to beat both drivers by out practice session on Tuesday.”

“One more thing before we head on out,” Ryousuke said, “I’m very, very proud of each and every one of your hard work and determination. Whether you have raced your heart out, or just drove a support van during the long journeys, I am truly proud of each and every one of you. Just to let you know, Mazdaspeed, TRD, Nismo, and Spoon are all looking towards this race to see if any of you are ready to be hired, so do your best out there, guys.” With those final words from their fearless leader, the group headed on out into the night.

This post has been edited by Thir13Teen on Nov 26 2008, 09:10 PM
Spaz
Posted: Nov 26 2008, 07:44 AM


Just a guy towing a car across the country to chase a dream.
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Sorry, but I have to:
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It's not an STi RA V-limited, but whatevs, it's still a GC8.

On another note, roof scoops suck when you get fully sideways, because you almost always get dirt coming in.
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Drew
  Posted: Nov 26 2008, 09:07 PM


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Okay, this isn't an update, just a clarification.

When I was writing this fic in the beginning, I was originally planning for the 180SX driver, Keioichi Jinryu to actually be Tessoichi Jinryu. (guess what he drives) After realizing that I had another cameo in the beginning (Dori), I've decided to move Tessoichi to later in the storyline. Tessoichi becae his younger brother Keioichi who began driving a Honda Fit, thus explaining Ryousuke describing the 180 as a Honda, along with other mistakes that may have gotten through my proofreading. Finally, I just said "Ah, f**k it", and I replaced the Fit with the 180SX you are reading about now.

Just wanted to clear that shit up for y'all. wink2.gif
Meteor
Posted: Nov 26 2008, 10:54 PM


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Another nice update. And the very idea of a rally course adds to the win. And, as expected of Bunta, he knew that Takumi wouldn't be able to get the Subaru through the course scratch free.

What's the roof-scoop on the 86 for?

I think I've spotted a typo here:
QUOTE
“I’m going to set up the 86 for rally courses [[why]] you have the WRX out,”

Shouldn't that be "when"?

And. . I'm not sure if I read this properly, but. .
QUOTE
Takumi is racing Jinryu-san in his [[S13]]. This car is stock when it comes to engine modification, but the amount of work done to the suspension makes up for its lack of power. Skill-wise, he’s as good as Takumi, if not better in some other areas. However, the [[180]] is slower due to the stock internals, giving Takumi the speed advantage as has been in the past, but Keioichi-san has been able to overcome this with his skills in blocking and pressuring the opponent.

Wait. Takumi'll drive Jinryu's S13 against his 180? Takumi's racing against Jinryu in his S13 and 180?


Anyway. MOAR PLZ!

@cmspaz: Nice pic is nice.
Spaz
Posted: Nov 27 2008, 11:19 AM


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QUOTE (Meteor @ Today at 12:54 AM)
@cmspaz: Nice pic is nice.

Thanks! I have some drastically better ones from that event, but that's the only decent one of the GC8.

I <3 rally. I'd do it myself, but the equipment isn't out there for the 2G Talons, and I don't have room or money for a second car right now. So I settled for photographing it this season, and am going to be looking into co-driving a friend's WRX wagon for next. Should be great fun.
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Drew
  Posted: Nov 28 2008, 08:20 PM


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QUOTE (Meteor @ Yesterday at 1:54 AM)

Wait. Takumi'll drive Jinryu's S13 against his 180? Takumi's racing against Jinryu in his S13 and 180?

S13=180

Or so I herd....

And BTW, expect new chapz up tomorrow night!

EDIT: Say hello to teh new chapz!

Chapter 4: R for Rampage

Keisuke, who was determined to win the final race, got right into his yellow FD3S and headed down to D’s garage to start his thrashing. “Hopefully this D-Contender’s uphill driver will show up here tonight,” Keisuke thought, “I’d really enjoy seeing what this guy has done to this car, and hopefully he’ll give me a ride-along like their downhill ace did for Takumi.” Driving down the road, with the 13B humming solemnly in the night, Keisuke looked back on all the battles they had been. From that first race against the R34, Keisuke was pumped. Their next race against the Todou School was intense since Keisuke’s DC2-driving opponent was able to change his driving style mid-race. Keisuke also felt shameful and disappointed when he wasn’t chosen to drive against the Todou School’s pro driver. He even had a romantic relationship with another FD driver. “Wonder what Kyoko-chan’s doing,” Keisuke thought, after he smashed her heart atop Akagi-touge. He felt terrible when he did so, but he seemed like he couldn’t focus on a relationship along with the obligations of D. After that race, was the endurance battle in the rain against another AE86 that was decided in a split second when Wataru lost his concentration at a critical moment. After that battle came the emotional roller coaster against a team of gambling scumbags in Lanevos who would win at any cost. Keisuke tore them apart with the borrowed FD of his admirer, Kyoko. The payback that was issued upon the dirt bag drivers was sweet when their plan to beat D senseless backfired when Keisuke’s Yakuza relations saved everyone’s butts. Their next opponents were the toughest they had ever faced. Keisuke’s battle with Hoshino Kozou, AKA God Foot, was intense and was decided at the end of the intense race. Ever since that battle, Keisuke never saw anyone else as much of a threat. Now this final team seemed like they could top everyone else that hey had faced in the past.

As he pulled into the garage’s lot, Keisuke caught the sight of a Hokkaido-plated white EK9. The driver sat outside of the car, smoking a cigarette. “He’s here,” Keisuke thought, “Now I can see what this guy is really packing.” “Yo,” the young man said, putting out the cigarette, “You must be Takahashi Keisuke.” “Yeah,” Keisuke said, shutting the door of his FD, “And you must be Makoto Nagato, right?” “Bingo, my good man,” Nagato said, putting out the cigarette. “Why are you here?” Keisuke asked. “Just want to check out the competition, that’s all,” Nagato said, “And I guess you want to see what I’m packing, right?” “I’d have to agree there,” Keisuke said, “Let’s see what you got here.” Nagato popped open the hood to reveal a newer-model VTEC engine with a turbocharger and intercooler. “It’s a K20-K24 turbo hybrid engine,” stated Nagato, “I custom built it myself. It’s been dyno’d at 350 awhp. It’s a well-built car, and a fine competitor against your FD.” “So why are you guys willing to race us?” Keisuke said. “We know we can beat you,” Nagato said strongly. Keisuke was shocked when he heard those words. “We’ve studied your every move since your race against the Todou School where I graduated with top honors from a year before you guys raced them.” “How?” Keisuke asked in defiance, “By building cars that can trample us? That’s just cheap!” “You think this car is better than your FD?” Nagato asked, “This thing can’t even hold a candle to your FD on pavement. On dirt, however, I’m sure that the two would be evenly matched. And you’ll have even more of an advantage after you complete your planned modifications to the suspension and body. It will still be the hardest race you or I will ever run, no doubt about that, but even if you lose, you’ll still get a sponsorship.” “And that explains the team name,” Keisuke said. “Exactly,” Makoto stated, “We are D’s ultimate contender; the yin to your yang. I scoured all over Hokkaido and northern Japan looking for the best drivers and mechanics. We’ve been training ever since your battle with the Northwestern Saitama Alliance. We have beaten every major team in Hokkaido and the surrounding area. I hope that you and Fujiwara-san bring you’re A-game this weekend. So, do you want to drive my car?” “Why not?” Keisuke said. He knew that this would be a great way for him to gauge the opponent’s potential.

As the EK9 pulled out of the garage lot, another car started to follow them. “Who’s that following us?” Makoto asked Keisuke. “Dunno,” Keisuke replied, “Looks like an Evo 5.” Unbeknownst to Keisuke, however, the Evo driver was one of the slime bag Evo drivers from Saitama. There was only one thing on his mind; desperate revenge.
“So it is you, you little shit!” The Evo driver thought, “Why are you driving that EK9? It’s only an FF! The drivetrain won’t even have a chance matching my Evo 5’s drivetrain on the pass! Your body will be found tomorrow morning in the valley of Akagi after I’m through with you, you little f**k!”

As they got onto the pass, the Evo then proceeded to speed up, trying to rear end the Civic. “Hold on, Makoto!” Keisuke said, slamming on the gas, and beginning a high-speed hillclimb. “Wait, hold up,” Makoto said, wondering what the hell was going on, “Who the hell is driving that Evo?” “Do you remember the last battle we had in Saitama where we almost got killed by the Yakuza?” Keisuke said, looking in his rearview to see if he had lost the Evo; unfortunately, the Evo driver had built up his skill in the last six months after getting physically and emotionally put down by Keisuke, “That’s the guy who put oil down on the road to ruin my FD!” “You’ve got to be kidding!” Nagato exclaimed, “How do you know?” “I saw his face in the rearview!” Keisuke said, heel-toeing the EK9, “Shit, I’m gonna have to push it a little. Lucky you, you get to see how good I really can be!”

Keisuke’s throttle control, which was fine-tuned in his rain battle with Wataru Akiyama, was being put to good use in this impromptu battle. Looking out the passenger window of his EK9, Makoto saw the guardrail that was closing in on the door, getting only a centimeter or two away from the door. “I never realized how scary it is sitting in the passenger seat when someone is driving this fast,” Makoto pondered, “When I went all out, it never occurred how terrifying it must’ve been for my inexperienced passengers. I know how good Keisuke was before this, but the fact that we’re running this quick is terrifying, even though I am confident with Keisuke’s skill.” Looking in the rearview, Makoto noticed something about the Evo’s driving style. “He’s becoming more erratic,” Makoto thought, “He doesn’t want to win, as much as he wants to destroy Keisuke.” The inconsistent style of the Evo driver had him hitting guardrails with brute force, running the front tires in the dirt through turns, and cutting through any spot where he could make up the space put between them in a desperate attempt to destroy the FD’s driver.

As the drivers approached the top of Akagi, they hit the singular most difficult part of the course. The turns in this one section were rapid-fire steep hairpins that seemed to keep coming as one went continuously uphill. The Evo driver, out of sheer desperation, began to try and cut off the many hairpins in order to somehow ram Keisuke. “You f**king bastard!” the Evo driver thought, losing his front bumper from running through a safety net, “I’ll make your ass pay for the humiliation you bestowed upon us! You’ll f**king pay dearly!” In a fit of rage, the Evo driver slammed on the gas as the EK9 was braking into a turn in an attempt to ram him. The EK9 dived out of the way of the attack, causing the Evo to go off the course. What the driver didn’t know is that about 100 yards beyond the course was a 50-foot sheer drop. The Evo began to roll violently as it hit the curb. Two trees set up like a field goal saved the driver. The car’s front end and rear impacted the tree, causing the trees to snap, but the car stopped. It was only another five yards left until the cliff face. The Evo driver’s blind rage almost killed him. Keisuke and Makoto stopped the car. “Is he okay?” Makoto asked, worried about the driver “He’s fine,” Keisuke said, seeing him stagger out of the wreckage, “Let’s go back down and let him deal with what he had done. It was his irresponsible actions that will get him arrested for driving downright recklessly.”

As they reached the garage again, the sun was beginning to rise. “One thing I can say about your EK9,” Keisuke said, “It might just be the hardest opponent I’ll ever face.” Both drivers now were locked in a stare-off that seemed to penetrate each driver’s souls. “I will bring my best against you,” Keisuke said, “I just want you to do the same.” Makoto then nodded at this comment, and got into his Civic and drove away. Keisuke, who was tired as hell, got back into his FD. He drove it into the garage, turned off the engine, and fell asleep almost instantly.

Later in the day, Project D came in to start the work on the FD. “The FD’s here,” Kenta said, putting down a box on the floor, “But where’s Keisuke?” “Yeah, that is odd,” Fumihiro said, “Keisuke? You in here?” everyone started searching the shop. No one was getting lucky with finding Keisuke anywhere. As everyone was looking for Keisuke, the sound of a rotary came into earshot. The driver got out and walked into the shop, “Um,” a female voice said, “Is this the garage of Project.D? I’m here to start working on Keisuke’s…F…D…!” The young woman was Kyoko Iwase, a young racer who was infatuated with Keisuke, calling him her “Darling”. “Darling!” She yelled, waking up Keisuke who was inside the FD. “WAAAH!” Keisuke yelled, banging his head on the steering wheel, “Wha-what’re you doing here?!” “It’s a long story,” Kyoko said, looking as if she had done something. “Ah, there you are, Keisuke-san!” Fumihiro said, coming down the stairs, “Oh, you’re freaked out about Kyoko-san being here, right?” “Yeah,” Keisuke said, confused about what was going on. “She’s going to drive the fourth support van along with being there to help in setting up the FD for rally racing.” “Thank you for explaining that, Fumihiro-san,” Kyoko said, regaining her composure, “I’m actually the only rally-specialized FD driver in the area. I am here strictly for my advice and expertise in the subject matter. Nothing else.” “So let’s get started with this conversion, shall we?” Fumihiro said, “Hopefully tonight we can begin the test and tune.”



This post has been edited by Thir13Teen on Nov 29 2008, 08:03 PM
kyonpalm
Posted: Nov 29 2008, 10:53 PM


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LOL! (Picturing Keisuke's reaction to Kyoko's presence)
This is really good!
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Spaz
Posted: Nov 30 2008, 01:54 PM


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Just curious, but how would one go about doing an AWD EK9 conversion? I can't honestly think of any decent way to go about it.
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.M.
Posted: Nov 30 2008, 05:21 PM


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QUOTE (cmspaz @ Today at 1:54 PM)
Just curious, but how would one go about doing an AWD EK9 conversion? I can't honestly think of any decent way to go about it.

maybe hes a rich asshole with too much time? whistling.gif
Spaz
Posted: Nov 30 2008, 07:07 PM


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LOL. I meant component-wise. As far as I know, Honda doesn't have any AWD trannys that would fit a Civic.
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Drew
  Posted: Nov 30 2008, 07:54 PM


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Well, it was mentioned that Makoto was an engineer for Honda with a vivid imagination (remeber the MR CRX from chapter 2?), and that the AWD system is from an Evo III. The logistics can be up to you guys, but I figure that any car can become an AWD with ingenuity, intelligence on the matter, and a little elbow grease. Also, here have been AWD conversions for CRXs in the past, so why not an EK9? It seems logically possible to me.

Well, that's the writer's theory, that's all.
Spaz
Posted: Nov 30 2008, 09:01 PM


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I can live with that. grin2.gif
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Meteor
Posted: Dec 1 2008, 03:55 AM


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I liked the bit at the beginning where Keisuke thought back to all the battles he'd done as part of Project D, and the stuff that happened in between.
And that EK9 sure has had some tuning down to it. An FR specialist was able to drive it for his first time without problems while an Evo was trying to kill him.
Also, Kyoko surprising Keisuke like that = LOL.

We would like to see more.
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Posted: Dec 2 2008, 01:28 AM


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QUOTE (cmspaz @ Nov 30 2008, 07:07 PM)
LOL. I meant component-wise. As far as I know, Honda doesn't have any AWD trannys that would fit a Civic.

Actually... There is a Civic that has been modified to be AWD.
AWD Turbo EF Hatch
Spaz
Posted: Dec 2 2008, 07:16 AM


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QUOTE (Xcert @ Today at 3:28 AM)
Actually... There is a Civic that has been modified to be AWD.
AWD Turbo EF Hatch

Ah, I see what they did there. I forgot about the Civic wagovan. Very cool.
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Drew
  Posted: Dec 4 2008, 08:30 AM


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Hey bitcuhs!

New chapz for yeh!

Chapter 5: This is Awkward…

The Project.D garage was filled with hands working hard at completing their goal of retrofitting the FD to be a better rally racer. Keisuke was currently working on the removal of the original shocks. Kyoko was concerned about mounting the set of dirt tires on the rims supplied to her. “Wow, these rims must’ve cost Darling a bunch!” Kyoko thought, cleaning off the face of the wheels, “I remember the last time I saw these on his FD. Darling was in an accident, and the entire right front end was damaged to the point of no control. This place has got to be a gold mine of rare and high-quality parts.” “Kyoko-san,” Fumihiro said, “How are those rims? Is the face on them large enough to cover the brakes from debris?” “They seem so,” Kyoko stated, “But why these rims? They’ve got to be almost twice as expensive as the ones on my FD! You know how much these could fetch?” “We know that,” Fumihiro said, “But we are in a hurry, so whatever we’ve got will have to suffice.” “Got ya,” Kyoko said, grabbing one of the rally-spec tires and a wheel. “Wow,” Fumihiro said to one of the mechanics, “she sure does know her stuff.” “Well, why wouldn’t she?” he replied, “It’s been about four months since we helped her out on the pass. She’s probably felt bad about that ever since and has wanted to make up for it.”

By noon, the entire FD was stripped of its vital body panels and suspension parts. The next part was to install all of the new components from the rally shocks to the new wheel and tire combination and bodykit. The body was a stock FD kit from the newer Spirit R version. It’s style was more common to Kyoko’s FD than Keisuke’s original body panels. Some modifications were made to these sections, however. The front bumper had a bar across the top. That was meant to hold the four fog lamps. The rear wing was also replaced with an STi-style one. The new Tein coilovers were multi-adjustable pieces that could be changed on the fly from the car’s output jack. The freshly mounted tires fit well on the ultra-rare Mazdaspeed wheels thanks to Kyoko’s help. These wheels and tires covered a set of WRC-spec Brembo brakes specially designed to work well in a full-throttle rally race. As it was commonly known throughout Japan, Project D’s money was most commonly seen put to work on the FD of Takahashi Keisuke, and this time it was no exception.

Later that night, Project D went out to test the car and fine-tune it on the dirt. Kyoko decided to let Keisuke drive her rallycross-spec FD on the fire road in Akagi. The confrontation between the two, which most of the team thought was going to be awkward, seemed like it was starting out already on a bad foot. “Why don’t we just start in my car, Fumihiro?” Keisuke asked, not wanting to deal with the girl of whose heart he had broken. “Because,” Fumihiro said, slightly annoyed at Keisuke’s lack of judgment, “Her car’s set up excellently for rallycross. You know that she won—” “Yeah, yeah,” Keisuke said, “You’re right. I guess I’ll have to drive her car.” While Keisuke tried to make it sound as if he was just confused with the data, he knew what was really going on; it was a way of Ryousuke trying to get the two back together. “Maybe aniki’s right,” Keisuke pondered, walking over nervously to the black Mazda with its owner resting nonchalantly against the rear wing, “I was terrible to her that night. I still feel bad about it. I guess since we’re so close to D’s final race that aniki finds it okay for me to get back into a relationship. From what this Makoto guy was saying, if I do win, I ought to be set into my foray into the racing world. I won’t really have to worry about just racing from there onwards.” After regaining his composure; standing up straight and with an air of confidence, Keisuke made the decision, “I’m gonna ask for her forgiveness here and now!”

Walking over to the FD, Keisuke realized that just a strong will wouldn’t do him good against Kyoko, still terribly heartbroken from being dumped. “Oh, it’s you,” Kyoko said with a hint of disgust, “You finally decide to show up, huh?” “Sorry about that,” Keisuke said, trying to make her feel a little better, “I just got caught up talking to Fumihiro-san, that’s a—” “Get in,” Kyoko said flatly, “We’ve got to start the setup soon.” “Oh boy,” Keisuke thought, sighing, “This is gonna be extremely tough.” Getting into the FD, Keisuke noticed something different about it from the last time he sat in it. “The car, it seems different,” Keisuke said to Kyoko in a desperate attempt to make small talk, “I dunno, maybe it’s these new racing seats. They’re nice. What’re they? Brides?” “Today, Keisuke-san?” Kyoko said, getting more and more irritated as the seconds ticked on. Keisuke rolled his eyes and put the car in gear. As he approached the designated start point, Keisuke revved the engine and held in the clutch with the car in first. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Kyoko said, fastening her seatbelt. “I know what I’m doing,” Keisuke said with an ignorant tone. “If I can’t use small talk,” he thought, “I’ll just give her something to talk about.” When Fumihiro’s hand dropped, the car’s rear tires began spinning. They kept spinning until eventually, they gained grip. “See what I told you?” Kyoko said, sniggering, “Ease into first. Just stop trying to show me how large your right foot is and listen to me for once.” “I’m no longer in control,” Keisuke thought as Kyoko began to give him advice, “She’s got me by the balls now.”

After giving him basic advice, Keisuke’s intuition allowed him to start and grasp how to control the car. “The surface is like very wet and broken up pavement,” Keisuke thought to himself, “It gives you a rough ride, but the coefficient of friction between the road and tires is virtually null. I should’ve realized that from the beginning when I spun the tires, but I guess my heart took over my intellect’s command and I acted on impulse. Why was I so stupid then? I must’ve made myself look like a total douchebag.” “you’re improving,” Kyoko said, as they went through the third uphill run. By the fifth run, Keisuke was able to run the course at close to a hundred percent. “Now remember, Keisuke-san,” Kyoko said, “When you’re pressured, it is absolutely crucial to keep pinpoint control. One mistake will make you spin out.” “Got it,” Keisuke said as they pulled into the dirt lot. Keisuke was about to get out when Kyoko grabbed him by the arm. “I’m not through with you, Takahashi Keisuke!” Kyoko stated firmly, “Get back in here!” Keisuke sat down in the driver’s seat and closed the door. “I feel sorry for him,” Fumihiro said to Kenta as the two watched the door shut on the Seven. “Yeah,” Kenta replied, “He’s gonna get destroyed.”

“So,” Keisuke replied, “What is wrong? Is it my steering ability? Or is it my overall time? Just tell me, okay?” All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Kyoko’s hand flew across Keisuke’s face, slapping it with tremendous force. Keisuke’s face was red from the impact. “Do you know how much you hurt me that night in Akagi?” Kyoko said, “I didn’t drive for weeks and weeks. I felt as if I never had a chance with you when you said what you said to me. You remember what it was?” Keisuke stood still, feeling mixed emotions of anger, fear, and guilt. “You told me that we’d never be together,” Kyoko said, getting more and more angry as the conversation went on, “Were you true, Keisuke? Was that what you really meant? Are you just that cowardly to not admit that you actually love someone?!” “Kyoko-chan,” Keisuke interjected as Kyoko’s eyes began to tear up, “I was thinking about that situation and I—” “You what?” Kyoko said, beginning to cry, “Felt sorry for what you did to me? Well that just won’t cut it! What you did to me is unforgivable! You and I were destined to be together!” She was talking hysterically through her sobs. “What in the hell do you want for me?!” Keisuke yelled, “You tell me I can’t love you again, but you keep saying that you loved me! Why the hell is that?!” “I have my reasons!” Kyoko said, starting to cool down, “Now let’s get out and get the FD ready for the race.” Keisuke, all of a sudden turned silent. He knew that he had to get Kyoko back somehow. “I just wish I knew how to,” he thought as they soldiered on into the night, setting up the FD.

Meteor
Posted: Dec 4 2008, 09:19 AM


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Damn. That was one long, awkward moment. Ouch, Keisuke even got five across the face! But with the way he ended it earlier, that's to be expected. How he'll fix this mess?

May our Lord and Savior Turbo deliver to us the next chapter, so that we may be saved from the deep depths of Boredom.

This post has been edited by Meteor on Dec 4 2008, 09:21 AM
Drew
  Posted: Dec 11 2008, 07:34 PM


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DROPPIN AN UPDATE ON Y'ALL!!

Chapter 6: They Don’t Need Anymore Help From Me

In the misty morning of Haruna, a small hatchback cut through the fog like a knife. It was Fujiwara and his 86. It had been a week since he started driving on dirt, but in that week he learned a lot. He had even begun to use the one-handed driving method that he picked up in Ibaraki from his ride-along in God Arm’s S2000. Takumi had also been driving with the WRX every other day. He even had taken the week off to practice on the scarcely used dirt road. Whenever they could, the Speed Stars showed up for moral support. Even Takumi’s father, Bunta, showed up a few days in the WRX not to race his son, but to watch him diligently run up and down the earthen switchbacks with vigor and aggression. On the final day of his runs, Bunta decided to come back up one more time. As he was waiting the 86 flew by him as it hurtled uphill; Bunta chuckled. “I thought that I’d never say this,” he thought to himself as he took another long drag on his Lucky Strike, “So I won’t; this kid can beat me. He’ll have one helluva hard time, but if he’s pulling off four-wheel drifts as close to the walls as he usually is at those speeds in the dirt, then he might just have a shimmer of hope.” After a couple of minutes, Bunta began to get into his car, when he heard the 86 coming back down the pass. This time, however, the old man noticed something different in it’s movement. “Wait, is he gonna try that?” Bunta thought, as he saw his son fly uphill. Swinging the front end around, Bunta saw that the two tires pointing into the curve were up in the air as the car went sideways. Bunta just smiled as the car flew through the turn and came back down on all four wheels. He knew that it was a perfectly executed ski drift. “He’s on his way, no doubt about that,” pondered Bunta, with a smile on his face as he turned over the Subaru’s boxer four and put the car into gear, “I’ll have to see when I’m open again one of these mornings so we can finally race properly.”

Later that Thursday morning, the rest stop outside of Akagi was filled with cars ready to go up to Hokkaido. The two aces were there in their highly advanced machines that seemed more like spacecraft in their design than automobiles. Along with the aces, another set of expert drivers were there with their cars. Ryousuke’s FC was going to be coming along with the group along with Kyoko Iwase’s FD that had now been changed back into its normal road race attire. Next to come were the seven support vans that were being driven by the entirety of the rest of Project.D. Finally, the rest of Gunma’s major drivers had shown up. All of Takumi and Keisuke’s competitors from when they started had shown up. Nakazato and Shoji of the NightKids were there, braving the trip in both of their cars due to their distaste for each other. Sayuki was also there, tagging along with Takeshi. Even the Speed Stars were going to journey up to Hokkaido, but the three were all carpooling in their leader’s S13 due to the price of gas.

“So how’s Mako-chan doing in Tokyo?” Nakazato asked Sayuki as they waited for the group to roll out. “She’s fine.” Sayuki replied, “She just wishes that she and Iketani-san were in a better relationship before she had to leave.” “Eh, what can ya do,” Shingo said to her, “That Iketani never had the balls to take the chance in the beginning anyway.” “Believe me, I’ve been regretting it ever since I did so,” Iketani said, putting his head down. “Y’know,” Sayuki said, “She might be there. Hokkaido is a hotbed for young racers.” “I’ve heard that the area’s crawling with hot girl racers!” Kenji, the racing scene expert said, “Like Sawako Morita, the S14-driving goddess!” “Like you’d ever have a chance with her,” Itsuki said, snorting at the thought, “You’ll forever be the lonely driver of Haruna.” “Isn’t that for all of the Speed Stars, if I’m not mistaken?” Takeshi said nonchalantly, not realizing how ashamed it made Haruna’s street racers feel, “Ah crap, I’m sorry about that guys.” “It’s okay,” Itsuki said glumly, “We’ve just got bad luck, that’s all.” “Very bad luck,” Iketani added, sighing at his own futility.

“We’ll be leaving for Hokkaido in five minutes!” Fumihiro said to the team as they sat around, “Let’s get ready!” Each member of the team now had their own van to pilot. Project.D was fully being utilized. “Ryousuke,” Fumihiro said to their fearless leader, “What kind of plan do you have this time.” “None,” Ryousuke said flatly. “You’re joking, right?” Fumihiro retorted. “No,” said the elder Takahashi, “They’ve learned all that they could from me. Now they’ve just got to do what they do best and race. We ready?” “We should be,” Fumihiro said, “Why?” “I want you guys to go on without me for right now,” Ryousuke said, “You ought to be able to handle the qualifiers by yourselves, right?” Fumihiro nodded to verify this. “Good,” Ryousuke said, “I’ll see all of you on Saturday night when the racing starts.” “If I may ask,” Fumihiro said, “Why aren’t you joining us for the trials?” “I’ve got unfinished business to do in Tokyo,” Ryousuke said, “Just some friendly collegiate competition, that’s all.” With that last statement, Ryousuke then walked towards his RX7, started the engine, and headed towards the big city.

“Keisuke,” Takumi said, as they headed towards the car from the rest area’s pavilion, “Why did your brother have to head to Tokyo for?” “Oh, that?” Keisuke said, “It’s been four years already?” “Since what?” Takumi replied. “It’s a long story,” Keisuke said, “Too long for us to talk about here, anyway.” “Okay, okay,” Takumi stated irritably, “I can wait.” “Alright everyone!” Fumihiro exclaimed, “Let’s head out!” The group of Gunma racers exalted at the announcement, and proceeded to start their cars. The group then pulled out into traffic, heading north to Hokkaido and north to new beginnings.

* * *

The night sky in Tokyo was replaced with daylight. At a parking lot of a small café, three exotic cars sat at rest as the owners were enjoying their meals inside. The first car was a white R32 Skyline GTR. Next to that was a black Porsche 911 Carerra. The last car was a white Mazda RX7 FC3S. These cars all belonged to three legendary Wangan drivers; two of them reunited again as they always did at this time. The three were seated at a table while they ate lunch. “Welcome back, Ryousuke,” one man said. This man was the legendary Blackbird, Tatsuya Shima, and he was talking to. “Yeah,” Ryousuke said, “It’s been a long time since we last did this. Last year we weren’t able to race due to your blown engine from the race you had with the Devil Z.” Reina, the only female of the group, seemed nervous about this name. “Reina-san,” Tatsuya said, “Are you all right?” “Y-yeah, I’m fine,” she said, “Just a little light-headed.” “Speaking of which,” Ryousuke said after taking a bite of his sandwich, “Where is he?” “You haven’t heard?” said Tatsuya. “Heard what?” queried Ryousuke. “He’s been missing for about a month now,” Shima replied grimly, “It was after our last race. He beat me, and then went back to Kitami-san’s garage and asked for a detune of 400 horsepower. After he finished the mechanical work, he left and was never heard from again. No one’s sure where he is right now.” “That’s odd,” Ryousuke said, seemingly nonchalant. In reality, he was worried for the legend’s safety and curious about his whereabouts. Little did he know that the Devil Z would make a re-appearance in front of their very eyes later that night.

Meteor
Posted: Dec 15 2008, 04:41 AM


Were you expecting something else?
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I'm pretty sure Tatsuya drives a 911 (964) Turbo. Or did he suddenly get himself a new car? Anyway, good read is good.

What's this? The Devil Z has been detuned into a machine suitable for corners?! Akio "Corners are boring" Asakura actually told Kitami to do that?!
Well. . Time changes people.

*raises hand* I want a new chapter.
Spaz
Posted: Dec 15 2008, 09:53 AM


Just a guy towing a car across the country to chase a dream.
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QUOTE (Meteor @ Today at 6:41 AM)
*raises hand* I want a new chapter.

I second.
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