Becoming The "Spirit of the Night": The Tale of Kenji Yamamoto

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Heaven's Fence
Anathema-Kure
Justin Jectlol
Prologue:
To make better sense of this race story, Matt’s words are in Green, and Kenji’s are in blue. Thank you for the time you took to read this, and I hope you enjoy this production.
EDIT: The uploading system for GTPlanet refuses to let me upload my pics right now. I am putting placeholders of what car they are until I can get the pictures uploaded. I am sorry for the missing pictures.
Chapter One: The Beginning of a Legend

RING! RING! RING!
I try to smack the alarm clock off, miss, and fall right out of bed, yet again. I slowly wake up, enslaving myself to another boring, dull day where I question my existence on this planet called Earth. My name? Kenji Yamamoto, a 22-year old McDonald’s cashier in the bustling city of Boston, Massachussets.

I finish beating my alarm clock into the ground, and walk downstairs. I open the fridge, and see the disgusting array of food that my friend, Matt, buys. (Yuck… Organic food is so wrong…) Oh well. At least my milk and cereal aren’t organic. Matt, of course, is sleeping in until 11:00 AM, which is normal for him. As I eat my Froot Loops, I start my computer and see what new spam I have in my inbox. YAY.

I delete all of it (2000 spam messages.), I’m going to get ready to take the bus to work. YET AGAIN. Welcome to the world of traffic. However, I just barely save a nice, friendly message from the destruction engine: Mr. Kenmore, who owns the used car dealership right down the road, might have some cars that might fit into my budget of $10,000 dollars I’ve saved up since, well, 4 years ago.
I wake up Matt and tell him to go get ready to go the car lot.

I walk down to the car lot with Matt (and his *amazing* laptop. Great.)I see… 5 cars, all in different amazing (sort of) poses:
IMG0002.jpg

A 1996 Nissan 180SX (SR20 engine), white, 3 different owners, 26,000 miles. $9,341.
Hmmm… I’m not too sure I liked it, since it looks (and sounds) like rice, and it eats almost all of my savings.
IMG0003.jpg

A 1986 Toyota AE86 Trueno, red/black, 54,550 miles. $6,783.
Now this is cool, but from what Matt says, the reliability isn’t all that great, and it needs a lot of work (badly cutting my savings down.)
IMG0004.jpg

A 1990 Honda CRX, gray/black, 234,000 miles, $3.990.
I definitely think that Mr. Kenmore wants this ricer crap gone from the dealership.
However, I am NOT going to buy it. Ugly, slow, the only thing good it has going is the price.
IMG0005.jpg

A 1986 Toyota MR2 G-Limited Supercharged Edition, red, 37,457 miles, $5,000.
Now this is cool. It is a rare edition, and for that price, it is a great bargain.
There may be better deals,, though and the last car is one of them.
IMG0022.jpg

A 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage Cyborg-ZR, blue, 12,043 miles, one owner, $7,500.
This is great. Low mileage, and it comes with a basic parts tuning kit that comes with flywheel, clutch, sport exhaust, ROM chip, turbocharger (stage 1) basic race suspension, and basic racing transmission. It also has black (apparently racing) Alfa Romeo wheels. The kit is already in place, so I just have to change the oil if I buy it.

“I’d say buy the Mirage. For coming with all that equipment, the low mileage, and the price are just screaming for you to buy the car.”

“Are you sure? It kind of looks ricey with those wheels…”

“I just Googled those wheels after taking a picture, and those are, oddly enough, off of the Alfa Romeo 155 Race Car.”

“……….”

“Is that a yes or a no?”

“Alright, I’ll take your word for it, for once. I’ll buy the Mirage.”

I pay Mr. Kenmore, and he thanks me for my patronage (whatever that means.?)
I drive to the nearest auto parts store (Advance Auto Parts) and buy 4 quarts of oil.

As soon as I get home, the first thing I do is change the oil. It isn’t that bad, but has the consistency of black watery oatmeal. Yuck. Matt takes one look and immediately goes into the house and throws out all the oatmeal we have. (Fortunately, it isn’t that much)
Luckily, he didn’t throw up.

After that, I give the car a wash, park it in the garage, and go to bed.
Zzzzzz…….

Next morning, and I am rudely awakened by the sound of the neighbor’s Chihuaha, instead of the alarm clock.
Great. I find the paintball gun I have hidden and fire a barrage of nice, pleasing red paintballs. About ¾ find their way to the dog, covering it in a nice red coat of paint.

I then quickly run in the house and hide the gun. I then get ready for work, stare at the car in the driveway for 5 minutes, and head out to work..

500 “May I take your order‘s?” later, and I am on the way home. However, I see a older man in his sixties having trouble with his car.

IMG0020.jpg


I realize what the car is, and my jaw drops to the ground. Then the man comes around the car, and if miracles are possible, this is one of them: Rick Hendrick, the owner of Hendrick Motorsports and owner of one of the world’s best car tuning operations.
I’m in total shock as he comes around.
He asks me if I can help, and the best I can stammer out is “sure….”.

We soon get his car going again. Before he leaves, though, he hands me a piece of paper and says: “Son, you have a real, honest look about you. I like people who take time out of their busy day to help an old man. There aren’t many people around here that will anymore.”
“I can’t help you now, but that piece of paper has some information that will lead you to someone I know who can. Thank you for helping me.”

He then drove off, and I’m still standing there in total shock. I very slowly get into the Mirage, and wonder if it wasn’t all a dream…

As soon as I get home, Matt is wondering what is up. I tell him the story, and show him the paper afterwards.

“…. Part of this is contact info for a race at Trial Mountain…”

“Trial Mountain?”

“You know, the racing circuit in the mountains west of here. It’s only 20 miles from here.”

“Yeah, I sort of remember it. Really hilly, and very technical. Anyway, what does the rest of it say?”

“….. If I’m reading this right, it is contact info for a representative of a tuning company that will be at the race at Trial Mountain. The race is also in two days.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Yes, I am.”
Matt can’t joke around or lie at all. So, it must be true.

“Great. Just great. A race in two days, and I haven’t even taken a thorough look inside the car.”

“Well, while you were working, I took the liberty of looking through some tuning tips and files for Mirages and other cars, and I have a general knowledge of the car’s parts and how to change the settings through the tuning equipment.”
I stare at Matt in amazement. Never in his whole life has he done anything as useful as that. I think for a few minutes, and finally decide:

“Well, good, because I’ve made up my mind: I’m going to that race, and I’m going to win it. Give me that computer so I can see this tuning stuff.”

Now it’s Matt’s turn to stare in amazement.

“Dude, you can’t be serious. There is no way that a rookie can win that race.”

“Want to prove it? Remember, I used to race karts for a year when I was 10. I‘m not your everyday so-called ‘rookie‘.”

Matt sees the serious look in my eyes, and decides to do this with me.

After three hours of testing and tuning on the highways and roads near my house, we decide that tomorrow we will go up to Trial Mountain and do some testing before the big race.

Fin Chapter One
 
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Forgot to add this in the original post...
Please post comments/criticism below.
This is also my first Race Story work, and I'm not sure if it's good or not.
Please post how you think of it below.
 
I'll probably do another chapter tomorrow or Friday.
Anyway, there are some references within the story that will come to light later, such as the karting reference and the tuner reference.
Also, the Alfa Romeo wheels are actually what are on the car at the moment. I may be starting a topic on rare wheels in the "Used Wheel Lot."
I have found the Takata Dome NSX wheels also, and they are attached to a car that will come up later in the story.
 
Oooh, terrorizing the neighbor's tiny dog with cruel and unusual armament. Where have I heard that before? :rolleyes:

All in jest my friend. Great start, but I use photobucket for my pics.
 
Great start, but I would like to see pictures. You do have a USB flash drive, right? :odd:
 
Oooh, terrorizing the neighbor's tiny dog with cruel and unusual armament. Where have I heard that before? :rolleyes:
Yeah, it was in your race story.
However, I can bet that you actually haven't done that to your neighbor's dog.:mischievous::sly:
I based that off of an actual paintball attack on a poodle down at the end of the road by our house.
I just think that a Chihuaha makes a worse bark than the poodles do, so I changed it.💡
 
I was actually initially inspired by my brother's terrier. It always barks right in the morning, and I have to keep myself from storming into his room and strangling it.

I'll assume you have your pictures, but don't use GTP's upload system. It's not very good for race stories.
 
Great start, but I would like to see pictures. You do have a USB flash drive, right? :odd:
Yes I do. However, for some reason GTPlanet won't let me upload them, but I can on another website. I probably will just upload them to photobucket, then put them on here.

Chapter Two: Trials of Testing
This chapter was originally intended to be part of the race at Trial Mountain, which is the next chapter, but it somehow kinda sorta evolved into its’ own chapter. The title was just a placeholder originally, but it became the chapter title after a bit of deliberation. As always, please post comments below. If I screw the spelling up, please PM me and I will change it.)

I get up at 7:00 today to go get the Mirage ready for a test day at Trial Mountain before the big race, so I can fine - tune the setup and drive the car for a while to get practice. Matt gets up, after I threaten to go get a backhoe to drag his sorry butt out of bed.

We head down to the track, and are instantly amazed by the number of people and cars that are there. At least 500 people showed up just to drive their cars.

I go register the car at the gate, all the while staring at the automotive beauty that is represented at this race. Aston Martins, Lancias, RUFs, Dodges, and some South Korean thing called a Proto Motors Spirra…?

Anyway, we go down to the garage area, and receive a detailed description of the track, and a radio set; one for the driver and car, and one for the crew chief. We look at the map of the track for a bit, and I decide:

“Lower the suspension and ride height, and change the gear ratio for more low end torque.. I’ll need more power coming out of the corners and better stability in the turns.”

“Are you sure? I’d think you would need more speed on the straights…”

“No. There are only two long straights, and the Mirage has more than enough power down them.”

“Alright, we’ll make the changes, and go our for some track testing. I hope you are right about this, you know.”

We start the testing in third place.
IMG0023.jpg

I see a black Alfa Romeo ahead of me, so I set my sights on that first.
IMG0024.jpg

I soon catch up to the Alfa Romeo driver, and pass him.
IMG0025.jpg

Alfa driver: “Hey dude, nice Alfa racing wheels!”

“I KNEW they would attract the wrong kind of attention…”

In the distance, I see a grayish-blue car; I set my sights on that next.
IMG0026.jpg

When I get to it, I recognize a Golf R32 Mark IV.
( I lost the pic that was supposed to go here. Sorry.)
Golf driver: “What the… How can a little FF ricer even PASS me?”
Of course I pass it. Duh, Mr. Over-inflated Ego Golf Dude. However, I try and set a fast laptime to prove I can handle this car, and get a startling jolt back into the world of reality:
IMG0028.jpg

Matt, of course, begins screaming his head off as we start the spin.

When we get back on the track, and my head stops spinning, I see that two cars have passed me: the Golf, and a R33 GT-R. How he caught up to us I will never know, but I wanted to set a fast laptime still, to prove I can drive great.
Any car in my way now was only an obstacle to that quest. A burning desire settled into my chest, and nothing else mattered in the world.
My vision grew faint, and I could only think of one thing; beating that GT-R’s laptime.

I absolutely blow by the Golf on the back straight.
IMG0027.jpg

Golf: “What the (censored)! How can a little FF ricer blow by me like that? He must have some skill to do that!”

I then set my sights firmly on that GT-R.
(Missing another one)
Nothing is going to stop me. I catch up to the GT-R, and try to pass.
(Missing another one)
Again.
IMG0014.jpg

And again. Finally I do it, and come in after the cool down lap.
Matt immediately jumps out of the car and finds the nearest bucket and hurls into it.

An GT official comes up to me while I’m still sitting in the car, and he’s holding an envelope. I’m wondering what is inside when he says:

“Kenji Yamamoto?”

“Yes?”

“You have set the lap record for FF cars on Trial Mountain, with a time of 1’45’512. Your prize is $5,000 dollars. Here you go, and congratulations.”

I watch the official walk away, and realize that I have just won $5,000. I’m in a state of shock. Never would I have thought I could win something like this, and on my first test day, too. It wasn’t even the race day.

The GT-R driver stops in front of our garage parking spot, while wearing his helmet so we can’t see his face, and says:

“Nice job on beating my GT-R. Although I won’t be racing you tomorrow, I’ll be wishing you good luck, and congratulations on the lap record.”

I’m a little mystified by why he was wearing his helmet, but it leaves my mind as soon as we start driving home.
When we get home, Matt goes right on his computer and starts typing something… I have no idea what it could be. I tried to look, and he shut the top of the computer so I couldn’t see it. I decided not to press the point, since he’s probably mad at me for the spin that made him upchuck….

=====================

After they leave, two mysterious men are talking together:

“He IS good. To catch up and pass my GT-R, even though the GT-R was stock, is amazing.”

“He’s only proven that he can do time attacks, and recover from mistakes well. His skill index is great, but until I see how he does in the race tomorrow, it’s still a toss - up between the two.”

“You want to see who is the better in a race between them? That might not end well for one of them.”

“It’s a risk they both have to take, if they both - or either one - want to join my tuning operation, even if they don’t know which one it is. Hendrick told me to watch for him - he’s got a right conscience, to take time out to help someone in need.”

“Alright… I see your point. I’ll be watching him in tomorrow’s race, and I might see you again as well.”

We see a white R33 GT-R leave the parking lot in a cloud of smoke…

“You might be right, Takeo, you might be right. However, I have different methods than you for deciding whether people can drive well enough and whether they can join my tuning company…”

An odd tuning car leaves the parking lot, leaving a trail of tire smoke down the higway..

Fin Chapter Two

This is a re-written version of this chapter, and I am much more pleased with it than before. Hope you enjoy.
The pictures STILL aren't loading right, so it might be awhile before they are uploaded.
 
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Chapter Three: The Big Race
Finally I got the pictures working on the original post. I'll do the rest tomorrow (including this chapter.)
Also, I need a new title for this chapter. Please post suggestions below this post.

I am rudely awakened by Matt this morning at 8:00 AM. He was yelling something about a race, I guess.
I get up, but almost instantly sit back down on the bed. First, Matt has never woken up before 11:00 AM without my help. Second, I am going to drive in a race today, at Trial Mountain. Oh yeah, I forgot. Better get ready to go.

I go get breakfast, and when I’m finishing it Matt comes running in. He says that the race starts in one hour, and my car hasn’t even been inspected by the officials yet, even though I was at the track yesterday.
In a flash, I get ready and we both jump in the Mirage and head out to Trial Mountain.

When we get there, I still am amazed at the amount of people and cars here - but today is the actual race day, so I didn’t see as much of the high - end cars as yesterday. I see cars that are obviously for track days and official races.

We get to the gate, and have the Mirage inspected by a team of officials.

Next to me, I see a Renault Espace van being taken apart. I mean, completely apart. Body panels litter the ground around the Espace’s now bare body frame.
I ask why, and one of the officials who’s inspecting the Mirage says: “We are checking any and all vans to see if they are Honda Life Step Vans in disguse - apparently Japan’s military forces were destroyed by one.

“Man, that is odd. Who do you think did it?”

“Probably some wacko…”

We're not completely sure, but the information is classified by the Gran Turismo League at the moment."

“OK… That doesn’t help us a bit. Now can we get on with the inspection so I can get racing?”

The official gives us a dirty look, and after 5 minutes reluctantly says:

“Alright, your car checks out. You are in Race #34, which starts in… oh… 10 minutes.”

We get to the garage with five minutes to spare. We get a paper from another official on our race, and we view it:

“Alright, this seems easy. A two - lap race around Trial Mountain. Simple. Let’s get out to the starting line.”

“Ummm, can I stay behind in the pits for this one, and be the crew chief?”

“Ok. Why, though?”

“You know…”

Yeah, I do. I don’t want him throwing up in the car, so I let him stay.

I get to the starting line, and go to my assigned spot. I see a Mercedes 190 E, a Volvo T60, a Stagea 25S RT Four, a Lexus 300SX Crossover, and a newer model ‘95 Toyota Celica 4WD.

“6th? Why the 🤬 am I starting here?”

I get a message through the radio in my car:

“This is the Lexus driver in 1st. Your start position is determined by how you did yesterday in practice. I spun out in the first tunnel turn by accident, so I’m starting in 1st. You must have done good, because you and the guy in the Celica were almost equal.”

“Hey, I beat him by a full three seconds, and he’s not that good of a driver anyway.”

“🤬 you. He used an underpowered car, with the worst statistical drivetrain, and he beat a Skyline GT-R. You just cut through the grass right by the final straight, and that’s the only reason you beat him.

“Whatever. I’m still gonna beat all of you losers.”

“Wow. That guy has a BAD attitude.”

“Just forget about him…”

We started the race, and almost at the beginning the Celica and me passed the Mercedes.
IMG0015.jpg

“????? How the…”

The Volvo was taken down by both of us. However, I dived to the inside while he went high. We split the Volvo going into the corner.
IMG0016.jpg

“🤬! How did they do that?”

Because the Celica driver went wide on that turn, I passed him going through the tunnel turn.
IMG0017.jpg

“🤬🤬🤬! I can‘t lose to a little FF ricer!”

The Stagea lost in the next two turns.
IMG0018.jpg

“….”

And the Lexus driver was passed, oddly enough, on the back straight. I wasn’t expecting that, but whatever works for me.
IMG0019.jpg

“Nice, nice job.”

I just cruised to a 5-second victory over the Lexus driver.

I went around for the cool down lap, but a car was sitting in the middle of the road.
Not just any car, though.
IMG0021.jpg

My mouth dropped open in shock when I realized what it was: HKS’s 2004 Silvia D1GP drift car. Before my mind could register who would own this car, the driver stepped out.
If my mouth could drop any further, it did. The driver was Kazumi Kobayashi, the owner of HKS.

He walks over to where I’m standing on the pavement in a stupor, and says:

“I got the message from Mr. Hendrick on how you can help people in need. I was also watching you race yesterday and just now. I believe you have what it takes to join my tuning operation, and I’d like to have you as a driver for us.”

“Uhhh…. Uhhh….. Sure….”

“Thank you. Here are the papers to sign to make this agreement official.”

I look through the papers, and notice a few interesting things.

“Wait… What? I don’t get paid? What kind of agreement is this?”

“No, you DO get paid, but mainly with tuning parts for your cars and occasionaly complete cars. You also get a salary of $5,000 per week.”

“You’re serious.”

“Yes I am.”

Quick as a flash, I sign the papers. I was praying we wasn't like Matt, and was actually joking.

We both get back in our cars, and we head to the garage area.

Matt’s eyes grow as big as dinner plates when he sees the car behind me.
You could have heard the THUD of his jaw hitting the ground a mile away.

“How did you get that car?”

“I didn’t. I DID join the tuning operation that made it, though.”

Another THUD. Hmmm, I might consider buying a jaw restraint so Matt doesn’t break his jaw.

Kazumi drives off, but before he leaves, he says:

“There is a surprise waiting in your driveway for when you return. Make good use of it for now, until I see you again.”

As we’re getting ready to leave, a GT official comes up and hands me yet another envelo… wait, a box?

Official: “Here is your prize for winning the race. Congratulations. I suggest you open the box at your house.”

Well, we finally try to leave, but suddenly the Celica drive shows up out of nowhere and says:

“I won’t forget this. Expect to see me beat your sorry 🤬 in a race sometime soon.”

“OK, I’d like to see you try that. Now get YOUR sorry 🤬 out of the way so we can get home!”

We finally got to drive home after this, and when we pulled into our driveway I got a shock:

A black 1993 Mazda RX-7 RZ (FD) was sitting in the driveway.
IMG0010.jpg

Me and Matt sat there for almost 10 minutes looking at that representation of automotive beauty.

When we finally went inside the house with the box from the official, we saw another box. Yay. We opened that one, and inside were the keys to the RX-7 and a detailed stat sheet and info on the car. We decided to leave that and the other box until the morning, as it was almost 10:00 PM and we were dead tired.

Fin Chapter Three
 
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Excellent story. This is getting good.

By the way, they're not supposed to know the van's owned by David. They're actually not even supposed to know it's a van that caused the destruction, just saying...
 
By the way, they're not supposed to know the van's owned by David. They're actually not even supposed to know it's a van that caused the destruction, just saying...
That's why the chapter is unfinished as of now... I forgot a few details, and now I have to re-write that part.:ouch::grumpy:
 
Where's the pictures? Sorry, but I prefer stories with pictures. But it is a good chapter.
 
The picture problems are fixed; I'm uploading them to PhotoBucket right now.
They will be done within 15 minutes, along with the fourth chapter and its pictures.
 
Chapter Three Point Five: The Secret of the RX-7
(There aren't any pictures in this chapter, since it is mainly used to build up the plot and tie in with the story's title. I hope it is satisfactory.)

I woke up the next morning with a feeling of anticipation. I forgot why, though, until I went to get breakfast and saw the two boxes from yesterday; one opened, one shut. Now I remember; I won a race yesterday and joined HKS’s tuning operation.

I looked through the opened box, at the RX-7’s info. I noticed it has been modified in similar ways like my Mirage. 400+ HP, most of the same tuning parts already on the Mirage (suspension, clutch, brakes) and a down force adjuster.

I decided to wait for Matt to get up to open the second box and go test out the RX-7 on the roads by my house. Surprisingly, he got up only half an hour later.

We opened the box, and we almost broke both of our jaws; a whopping total of $10,000 dollars. Now I understood why the official said to open it at my house.


“What are we going to do with this kind of money?”

After thinking for a bit, I decided to:

“Put it in the bank.”

“WHAT? Are you CRAZY! You know what we could do with this money!”

“Yes, I do. However, we are getting all we need to maintain the cars and more through my agreement with HKS.”

“Oh yeah… I forgot. Anyway, why put in the bank anyway?”

“If I find a car I like, I can save up money to but it, like a 4WD or MR car.”

"Ok, THAT I understand. I guess that’s a good idea, and your money will also be secure.”
Matt then looks through the RX-7’s info, and says:

“Hmmm… Decked out similarily to the Mirage is… Now I need to find out some FR tuning tips… Wait…. What? Let me get my computer a second…”

He runs off to get his computer. In the meantime, I look at the stat sheet again and I don’t notice anything unusual that I didn’t see before.

Matt comes running in, and Googles the car info. I still am mystified on what’s wrong.

I waited three minutes with total silence in the room as my only companion, until:

“Found it! I AM right!”

“What? What did you find?”

“This.”

I take the laptop from Matt, and I feel my eyes grow wide with shock: This is the “Night Spirit” RX-7, which was a legendary machine in Japan’s sport car scene. It won over 50 races, set numerous time trial records, and was generally the car to beat at any sporting event in Japan during the 1990’s. It got the name from its color and its reputation.

“WOW. How much is this car worth? Do I even have the right to drive it?”

“Read the rest of the article, and I’ll tell you what I think.”

I look through the rest of it, and I find out that the car was crashed during a race on Suzuka Circuit. The driver, who had owned the car since he started racing, almost died; the car itself was almost completely destroyed. A tuning company rebuilt it, but no one could drive it to its former glory.

The driver for that tuning shop said in an interview with a Japanese tuning magazine that:
“….the car feels… possessed. There was a certain unearthly feel to the car when I drove it… I believe it will only drive at its former glory when someone worthy of the car receives it as a gift. It’s just the way I feel…

“Wow. That’s some history. I don’t understand, though: Why did I get the car?”

“That’s easy; the tuning company that isn’t mentioned in the article is HKS. They decided you are worthy of driving the car. Also, I believe the driver for the company might be the driver of the R33 you beat two days ago.”

“I guess… I still don’t feel worthy, though.”

“You’ll get over it. Let’s go test the RX-7 out on the roads near here.”

“OK. I’ll get to see whether I’m worthy of the car.”

Fin Chapter Three Point Five
 
That RX-7 sounds a lot like the Devil Z...
 
From Tokyo Xtreme Racer Zero?
Now that I think of it, it does.
However, I didn't use that as inspiration. It's just a coincedence.
 
This story best be set about 3 years ago... That "FWD record" is bunk. Mind telling me what's done to the Mirage exactly? I'm curious.
 
Mind telling me what's done to the Mirage exactly? I'm curious.
First off, this is a work of fiction, and the times were made up. It isn't an actual world record. If it was, I'd be dancing
Secondly, the Mirage has:
-Stage 2 turbo, semi-racing muffler and racing chip-
-Racing brakes and brake controller-
-full customize transmission, twin-plate clutch, racing flywheel, full customize LSD-
-racing suspension-
-lvl.1 weight reduction and ridigity refresher plan-
-Alfa Romeo Racing Wheels (they are actually what are on the car.)-
=====================================================
Chapter Four: The Challenge
(Here we are with another chapter. Great. This one might be a little sinister compared to the previous ones. I should have the next chapter up and running by tomorrow afternoon.)

“You know, I have an odd sense of ill foreboding about this testing. Do you really think going out on the roads around here to test the car is a GOOD idea?”

“Yes. For one thing, we can’t go up to Trial Mountain right now, because the racing is still going on from yesterday.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“Why? I though the racing ended yesterday…”

“No; this is the biggest race weekend in the state; the racing doesn’t end for at least a week. That’s also the reason that you won $5,000 yesterday.”

I think for a few minutes, and finally say:

“I suppose you are correct: I’d guess I’d better get the RX-7 ready, and we need to go to the bank after we finish testing, to drop off all this money.

“That, too.”

We start our testing, and almost immediately I start drifting without trying:

“Whoa! Why is the car doing this?”

“It’s a rear-wheel-drive car, and RWDs have a tendency to oversteer. We can change that, if you want.”

“Yeah, I do. But… I like the way the car feels, besides that. Can you leave it the way it is and change the drifting problems?”

“Sure. All I need to do is lower the torque input to the rear wheels and add some toe out, which gives a wider - and therefore less responsive - steering input. This makes it less easy to drift.”

We made the changes and started up again.

“Wow, it feels much better now. I like this setup.”

“Good. Now try and set a decent laptime around a certain section of the highway that I mapped out before we left. I‘ll be watching you through a satellite feed input and communicating with you on the sideline through the radio.”

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“Alright, LET’S DO THIS!”

“Nice run through the first turn!”

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“WOOHOOO!”

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“Watch the long, sweeping right -hander.”

“YEAHHH!”

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“Man, you need to shut up or turn down the radio’s volume.”

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“Sorry. Anyway, this car is FAST. Like, REALLY FAST. I now think I actually DO deserve to drive it.”

“Yeah, I told you. How about trying a… What? What do you wan…”

CLUNK.

“Matt? Matt? If you can hear me, call in NOW.”

“He won’t be hearing anything now for a while. If you want to hear him, go to the blue tire barriers after the first turn and leading into the second.”

I heard the sounds of screeching tires as a car left the spot where Matt was. The radio then went dead.

I very nearly hit my head on the steering wheel for my carelessness in getting Matt kidnapped, but I decided to find out what these guys wanted, and so I drove to the turn where the guy said to go. Sitting there, in his blue sports car, was the guy who drove the Celica against me yesterday.

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“You! What did you do with Matt! Tell me right now!”

“I can assure you he has no long term injuries. However, if you want him back, you need to beat me and a few other friends tonight in a street race.”

I pondered that for a few moments, and asked him:

“Where is the race?”

He handed me a map and said, “Right here.”

“The old Route 5 Special Stage? I’ll be there, and I will kick your 🤬 and get Matt back.”

“You say so, but can you prove it?”

“Yes, I CAN. I have one more question, though; What is your name?”

“My name? It is Ryosuke Takehashi. Well, I’ll see you tonight at the race.

He drives off in that odd blue sports car thing of his, and I wonder who his so-called “friends” were. All I know is that I will be at that race.
I have to.
Matt will never be seen again unless I win that race. I know it.

I must win.

Fin Chapter Four
 
Ryosuke Takahashi?! What the eff?! Last time I checked, he wasn't a villain!
 
Turned dark much faster than I expected.
:D:D:D
That's because of my natural storywriting style; I have a high amount of dark parts to a story where there is more than one character. I picked the style up after reading a lot of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mysteries.:) It fit for how I wanted to have the storyline progress, so that's the first part of this statement.
Ryo really doesn't like losing, does he? :P

That's because of two things that will later come up in the story, and it might surprize a lot of people who are reading and following this story.
 
Chapter Five: Battle Of The Night

I drive back to my house berating myself and smacking my head against the steering wheel of the RX-7.
I feel terrible for letting Matt get kidnapped by a bunch of street hoodlums.

When I get back into the house, I think: “Man, when have I ever felt worse?”
Suddenly, my vision faded and I blacked out.
==================================

“Son, you know how difficult it is to drive this car, let alone for a kid your age.”

“Daddy, I know I can do it. I will never give up, no matter what!”

“Neither will I!”

“Alright, I’ll let you and your sister drive it. I admire your persistence, which is what makes a great race car driver.”

“Where are we going to drive at, Daddy?”

“The racing circuit in Pennsylvania, Autumn Ring.”

“How far away is it, Daddy?”

“Only 20 minutes from here. Amy, we’ll see you later. Say goodbye to your mom, both of you.”

“Bye, Mommy.”

“Bye, Kenji."

“Bye, Mommy.“

“Bye, Sanaki. When will you three be home by?”

“Around 8 PM or so.”

“Alright, I’ll see you then.

==========================

When I woke up, I realized that I had indeed actually blacked out. It was 30 minutes before I had to go save Matt from the hoodlums. I distinctly remember a dream I had during the blackout, and it confused me.
I tried to shake it out of my head and dismiss it from my memory, but it stayed.

I knew I had to think about more important things, so I left for the highway.

I got there with 10 minutes to spare, and Ryosuke came over and said:

“Good, I wasn’t expecting you to take this challenge without prior knowledge of the other competitors. You may just have what it takes to beat me.”

“… You know I’m going to beat you.”

“What, you’ve lost the all-powerful spark that provided you with those insults that served you so well earlier today? Maybe you aren’t that good of a racer as I thought, because you need to have a fiery spirit to survive in the harsh world of the lonely race driver.”

I just jumped back into the RX-7 to avoid his taunts, but he did make sense; I didn’t have the spark I did. It’s because of that dream I had, and it’s bugging me more than ever before.

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I went to the starting line, and I noticed that these opponents were more powerful than I had ever faced yet. A 300ZX, an older NSX, a Lexus creation, a Legacy, and Ryosuke’s beast.

I was wondering whether I could actually do this. I was seriously doubting my ability in such a critical situation.

That’s when the RX-7 started acting up. The rotary engine stopped completely.

My heart sank. I knew it was over for me and for Matt.

That’s when I heard the “Voice.”

“Kenji.”

“What?! Who?! Who is talking to me?”


“The RX-7 you are driving.”

“You…You…You can talk?”

“Yes. Why do you think I was called the “Night Spirit? It wasn’t just for looks, you know.”

“I can’t believe this. Me, talking to a car?”

“Anything is possible in the Gran Turismo World, my friend.”


“What world was that?”

“Never mind. Anyway, I’m not going to work for you unless you show you have a competitive spirit, like earlier today. You must win that race, I know that. However, you need to prove you can do this. Forget the problems bothering you, and let go of your inhibitions. You can and will win this race. YOU CAN DO IT!!!”

“You know what? I’m not going to doubt myself anymore; I’m going to prove I will be the greatest. I will save Matt. I. WILL. WIN!!!!!!”

The RX-7 fired right back up, and we started the race.

I blew by the 300ZX going into the first turn.

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300ZX: “Whoa, what was that?”

I caught up to the NSX next, and found a lane open for an inside pass that turned into an outside pass.

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NSX: “What? Where did he come from?”

I passed the Lexus on the inside corner, but he tapped me which set me up to pass the Legacy two seconds later.

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Lexus: “🤬…”

Legacy: “????”

Then it was only me and Ryo.

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I found out right away that he is a dirty driver, and he blocked me A LOT.

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He forced me outside on the one turn, but that set me up to pass him.

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“No! this car is unbeatable! I cannot lose!”

“YESSS… Wait… Oh great.”

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I ran wide on the hairpin turn, and so he got back around me.

“Can’t touch this!”

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However, in his excitement, he let me have the bottom line leading out of the turn and so I rocketed past him down the straight. It was clear sailing after that for the rest of the race.

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‘NOOOOOO!!!!!! I CANNOT LOSE!!!!!!”

“Shut up and deal with it.”

I pulled into the pits and a Mercedes S-Class drove over.

“Where’s Matt?”

“Right here.”

The hoodlum opened the trunk and there was Matt, gagged and wrapped up with duct tape.

“Here you go.”

The dude lifted him out of the trunk and placed him on the ground. The car then drove off with him.

“Matt! Are you ok, dude?”

“Yes. Now get me home and make me a tuna fish sandwich.”

”With an attitude like that, maybe I should have left you with the hoodlums.”

“Ha ha ha. Now get me home.”

“OK, whatever you say.”

We drove home and that day (and the challenge) were over.

=============================

“Do you think that was wise to do that? Implant a transmitter in the car to make it sound as though it was actually sentient?”

“Yes. He needs to have a competitive spirit, like the “Unforgettable Fire” my father had. Then, and only then, will he become one of the greatest drivers the world will even know.”

“Why can’t you just go down and meet him? It would have been easier to do…”

“…. All I can say is that it’s personal.”

“ I see… This might turn out to be a problem.”

Fin Chapter Five
Photos are finished right now; I just need to get the links working right.
 
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The car talks! (maybe) I don't know why but that's funny to me for some reason. Great Chapter! 👍
 
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What does a talking car add to this story? :confused:
 

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