RYO WATAWATA - The Rally Exhibitionist
Around 2 hours after the Kanjo Honda one-make meet, Ryo is hanging around with a truck driver from the meetup.
Ryo: Here, my shop is right here.
Ryo points out a medium sized warehouse to the tow truck driver.
Driver: Alright, but doesn't it seem a little too big for a workshop.
Ryo: I'm going to have to agree with you, but if your job is motorsport, you're going to need it.
The driver laughs: “Yeah I guess so, do you want me to leave it out here?”
Ryo: No, bring it inside, I'll get the door open.
Ryo hops out of the truck and walks over to a panel by the garage door. He presses a few buttons, the garage door opens up. He then walks over to the driver side of the truck.
Ryo: If you can just drop it by the lift, I can deal with it after.
The truck backs the Wrecked EP3 by the lift, and Ryo pays the driver. When the truck is out of the shop he then closes the garage door and sighs.
Ryo: Why did I decide to go out tonight....
He looks at the EP3...
Ryo: What are you smiling at? Your the one who got wrecked. (Sighs) I guess you had fun out there, well for as long as you could. I know you felt the bump from the CRX as much as I did, if not worse. Although that Takata guy did help get us back, and I didn't want to completely ruin his night by completely having a scene. I'm also not all that use to hitting over 160kph on tarmac, hell, I hardly go over 130kph on a rally stage. Never the less I'll get the crew to fix you up like nothing ever happened, but for now I got to prep the Impreza for testing tomorrow in Hokkaido.
5AM next morning...
The alarm clock goes off in Ryo's room, at this hour it might as well be the fire alarm. Ryo still underneath the covers reaches for the alarm clock over on nightstand. Although efforts are useless as there is a cat sleeping on his arm.
Ryo: Damn cat, look I love you but you really have to move.
Ryo Pushes the cat off and slams his fist on the clock, which ends up breaking the clock. He then pushes himself up, sliding his feet off the edge of the bed on to the floor, rubs his eyes, and walks to the bathroom for the usual morning routine. Ryo walks out of the bathroom and is immediately greeted by his crew chief Kaito.
Kaito: Hey! Hows it goin sleeping beauty, looks like you had a fun night.
Ryo: It was a hoot. (Sarcastically)
Kaito: Well we got the car in truck and got you some breakfast, so we can ride the trucks to Hokkaido.
Ryo: Alright, good let me just grab my keys.
Kaito: The Subaru keys? We got'em.
Ryo: No, the Altezza.
Kaito: Your Bringing that? Why, its only going to last a couple hours. We'll be back by lunch.
Ryo: Ehh, I took the civic out last night, I'm thinking all the cars could use some fun.
Kaito: Alright, well we're good to go, so when ever your ready.
Ryo grabs the Altezza keys off of the night stand and heads downstairs. He greets all of his crew in the normal fashion with a handshake to a few, and others get a trick one. Shortly after he gets in his Altezza.
He hesitates before he puts the key in and thinks: “Why do I feel like there's going to be more than just that one meeting with Takata.” He then puts the key into the ignition, starts it up, and heads to Hokkaido with the team.
Around about 3 hours later in Hokkaido
Kaito over the headset to Ryo: Alright this'll be the last test run, we just got a weather update saying there's going to be a storm coming so we want to get everything back to base before it hits.
Ryo: Alright I'll plan to go all out then.
Ryo turns to his co-driver Rin.
Ryo: You ready for this?
Rin: God, I thought you'd never ask.
Kaito: Hold up it seems there's a white car coming on to the stage.
Rin: A white car?
Kaito: It's an Mitsubishi Evolution X, we already told him that this is a private Subaru rally testing area for today, but he ignored us.
Rin: How rude of him!
Kaito: He stopped before the dirt, and he seems to be revving his engine, it seems like he wants to race.
Ryo turns to Rin in a rarther over the top dramatic fassion, some-what of a movie styled effect.
Ryo: Get out.
Rin: What?! You can't be serious.
Ryo: If I wasn't I wouldn't have told you to get out.
Rin: Why do you want me to get out? We're testing for the next rally.
Ryo: Because I don't want him to have any excuses for his loss.
Rin: Fine, but if you lose, the boss is going to be really pissed.
Ryo: Yeah, I know.
Rin: Just come back in one piece, this team wouldn't be anything without you.
Rin gets out of the car, and stares back at Ryo through the passenger window.
Rin: On a personal note, if you lose your buying me dinner.
Rin starts walking back to the crew. Ryo thinks to himself “I'll buy dinner for the rest of our life if I do.”
Ryo: Ok I'll take your challange you little evo fan-boy! I'm waiting, when are you going to start..?
Ryo waits patiently waiting for the evo to start. “Maybe I should be a little less subtle.” Ryo starts revving his engine to match that of the Evos. “God I love the sound of the low burble that the boxer engine gives.” The Evo finally launched after sitting there for a couple minutes. He looked like he had no intentions to stop to line up next to Ryo. So he just blew right passed, what an over-aggressive move.
Ryo: Jesus Christ! He nearly took my mirrors off.
Ryo slammed on the gas. As the Evo took off with as much of a head start as he could. Do to the power bias to the rear the Impreza struggled a bit to grab grip, but quickly put the power down.
Ryo: If this guy is competent I might not catch him! I hate it when people start unfairly!
Ryo pushed through the first three corners and caught up immediately. It was like the evo was standing still.
“The Evo is taking all these corners wide, if he keeps this up he'll fall off the mountain and thats not a mess I want to clean up. He's not keeping it tight, no wonder why I caught up so quickly. He's sliding all over the road. Sliding on the dirt doesn't make you faster. Yes it does happen a lot in rally but it doesn't improve your time. You have to be clean, smooth with it. Any slip you get should just to get the car rotated. To a rally driver, the perfect definition to this would be a four wheel Drift!”
The two cars battle tooth and nail down the steep hill, with little room for error. Both drivers are pushing as hard as they can down the hill, with both cars struggling for grip.
“God I've gotten so close so quick. I know where to end this, I'm going to pass him after the two sudden jumps. I will admit for being a Subaru guy, I respect the evo. It's a quick car, but in the hands of this guy, he's only embarrasing it.”
Coming to the final corners of the steep down hill, Ryo is right on his bumber. Staying behind, and waiting for his chance. Coming around the last corner before the jumps the Evo X slides wide and Ryo comes in through on the inside. He slams on the at the exit and gets side by side with the Evo.
Ryo: If I scared you, you deserve it, because from what I've learned in rallycross, in times like these, the only way to win, is to hold on to your seat and come in with a death wish!
Both cars launch into the air, the evo slips sideways due to bad lineup on the take off. They are absolulty revving wildly through the air, desperately wishing they were grounded. The braking point for the next corner was right after the landing. The evo once again missed the point, but this time uncontrollably slid wide. Ryo took this opportunity to drive passed the evo to secure victory.
Ryo then pushed the rest of the way through the stage to seal the deal. The Evo was doing more than eating the Imprezas dust, it was choking on it. Ryo then quickly returned to the paddock, where Rin, Kaito, and the rest of his crew was patiently waiting for him.
Mechanic: How were the settings? Did it feel fine?
Ryo: It felt great everything was set up perfectly, nice work!
Mechanic: Are you being serious or are you just saying that because you won?
Ryo: I'm serious, half of the win was because of the settings, thank you.
Kaito walks over to Ryo in a very furious manner, the rage was alike to that of an anime-character with flames emerging from his eyes...
Kaito: What the hell were you thinking! We can't be involved with some stupid race, with this car! If Subaru finds out about this, do you know how screwed we would be?
Ryo: He started it.
Kaito: What are you, twelve!? Look we need to get this packed up and brought back the shop so I dont have time for this now.
Ryo got back in the car and went to put the car back in the truck. He then got out and just looks at, before once again speaking with a car.
Ryo: Was a fun day today, we should do it again some time.
Rin: Talking to your cars again I see..
She said with a grin on her face.
Rin: I told you he'd be mad.
Ryo: Yeah Yeah Yeah, I know. What are you so happy about?
Rin: Oh nothing, just wondering where I'd like dinner.
Ryo: But I won.
Rin: I know.
She walks away to get ready to head home. Ryo goes about his own way to find Kaito.
Ryo: Hey! Boss! I think I'm going to stay here for the night. Just take in the sites, like the good old days.
Kaito: Alright, but you stay out of trouble, we don't need any more attention with the rally a month away.
Ryo: I'll be good, I promise mom. Heh!
Kaito just shakes his head and calls out that its time to go. The trucks move out, and starts to head back to the main land. As clouds roll in, the sky starts to get grey and dark. Ryo thinks to himself “Wonder why everybody's leaving for the indoors, the rain is the best weather to play in. First though I need some food”. Ryo gets in his Altezza and heads for the diner at the bottom of the pass.
END Part 1
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