-The Next Day (Y/n's POV)-

I was currently on the phone with my beloved girlfriend. It was a warm, sunny day, only but a few clouds in the sky. The birds were chirping their songs, cars were going down the road, and I was happy. I had huge plans with the upcoming race and the future beyond that, and I wanted to tell Rikka about it to see what she thought. I also had to tell her some other news. The phone rang until she finally picked up.

"Hello?"

"Sup, Rikka?"

"Hey, Y/n! How are you?" She asked in her usual cheery tone.

"I'm great actually. Hope you're doing well, yourself."

"I'm doing alright. I'm a bit hungry. I just got out of the shower."

"Ah, I see. Maybe I can solve that hunger problem. I was calling to see if you wanted to eat some lunch with me? I got some news for you."

"I'd love to! How's the diner sound? I could really go for some of that."

"You're dead-on. That sounds wonderful right about now."

"Alrighty. I'll be there soon."

"Since I can get there quicker, I'll wait for you outside."

"Aww thanks!" She then hung up. I couldn't help but grin after every time I talked to her. I loved her with all my heart. I stretched a bit and got into my car before heading to the diner.

Once I got there, I waited a bit for Rikka to arrive. I was excited. I didn't know why, as I've spent time with her before, but still...

...

...

Her red FC soon pulled in and parked next to the Impreza. She got out and smiled at me, hugging me afterwards. She was wearing a pink shirt with a few thin, yellow stripes; A thin, white jacket, jeans, and her usual New Balances (Sneakers).

"Hey, It's good to see you." I greeted her, returning the hug, rubbing her back.

"Good to see you too, Y/n." We both separated, her with a slight blush. Suddenly, a loud grumble came from her stomach. It then became a bit awkward... and quiet.

"Jeez, you are hungry." I laughed.

"Yeah, I slept in, so I really didn't eat breakfast." She giggled while scratching the back of her head.

"Well, we need to get you fed. Let's head in and get some food." I walked to the door, holding it open for her.

"Thank you." She said walking through as I trailed behind her. We both found a booth to sit at before taking our seat. A waitress soon came over and we took our orders, giving us glasses of water. "So, what did you plan on talking to me about?"

I closed my eyes took a breath in and out, grinning and opening my eyes afterwards.

"I managed to challenge Keisuke Takahashi to a race." After hearing me say that, she gasped.

"You did?!" She almost stood up in her seat in surprise. The restaurant quieted down after her little excite. She then slowly sat back down, a blush on her face. The diner's crowd started talking again, bringing the ever so lovable background noise back into our ears. "Sorry.."

"It's alright. I did. I was able to call Takumi and ask him to tell Keisuke that I challenged him to a rematch."

"You think Project D will actually come back? Where and when even is the race?" The waitress then came with our food, setting the plates down on the table. "Thank you."

"Thanks" I said to the woman. She smiled and walked off as I turned my attention back to Rikka. "It's this Thursday night on my course."

"That gives you plenty of time to practice with your improved car." Rikka then started eating.

"That's true. What really matters though, is if they'll show up. I gave up on them the last time, so they have every reason to just move on and forget about me."

"Shoot, that's also true. What if they don't come to the race?" She asked me, taking a sip of her water. That was something I really didn't think about. What if they didn't show up? What would I do?

"Maybe I'd just stick to Gunma, or maybe go to some other places like Sadamine, or Shomaru, or maybe even Irohazaka. I don't really know. Right now though, I'm going to assume Project D is going to be there Thursday night, and I'm going to be ready." I took a confident bite out of my curry and immediately went wide-eyed. "AHH! HOT HOT HOT HOT HOT!"

Rikka busted out laughing, almost spitting out her food in the process. I quickly drank water to bring the temperature down. After drinking my entire glass of water, I was able to finally relax with a cooled off tongue. Rikka was hiding her face in her arms, banging on the table lightly, still laughing.

"Jeez it wasn't that funny, Rikka."

"You should have seen your face!! Oh it was hilarious." She started making silly faces, mocking mine when I was in extreme pain and suffering. I huffed with a grin.

"Alright, alright. I guess it was kinda funny. I forgot that curry is pretty hot right out of the pot. Wasn't really paying attention to it. Anyway, there's something else I wanna tell you."

"Hm? What's that?" She tilted her head in question.

"While you were in the bathroom at Iori's shop the other day, he told me something that I haven't told you yet. Kinda wanted to tell you now since I got you here with me."

"What did he say?"

"Those new parts with the new engine..." I leaned in a little and almost whispered the next part to make it sound more secretive. "They're from the Rally Division." I watched as her eyes slowly lit up with a bit of shock. "Those parts on the new engine are from brand new Rally-Tuned Subaru's. They are practically top quality as of what's being made right now in the market."

"You're... You're kidding, right?" She was almost in disbelief. "So you're saying your new engine is basically just a Rally-Spec Subaru engine?"

"Kind of. My car won't go as fast as the actual Rally-Spec Imprezas, especially on an asphalt mountain pass, but I think this is the next best thing."

"No wonder it felt so different than your older engine. The parts definitely looked higher quality from just seeing them. That's crazy, Y/n."

"I know right. Makes me even more thankful to have someone like Iori.. and Dad..." There was a long pause between us. We just kept eating, waiting for one of us to speak up again.

"S-So..."

"Huh?" I put my spoon down. "What's up, Rikka?"

"I was wondering if I could... be there for the race on Thursday? I wanna see you win, and I wanna be there for you." She had a shy look on her face as her head hung down a bit. It made my heart almost skip a beat, hearing her ask if she could watch the race, and just be there for me in general.

"Of course you can. What makes you think you need my permission to watch?" I asked her. Why did she need to ask to watch me race?

"Well, I felt like having me there could impact your focus, make you think about me more than the race itself." Her reasoning was sound, and made sense... but....

"Nonsense. My mind is too far set on beating the fire out of Keisuke that having you there wouldn't be a problem."

"Yesss! Yay!" She cheered silently. Then, an idea or something must've popped into her mind. She looked back up at me. "Oh! I forgot to mention, I saw on the news that there's a chance of storms Thursday night. Are you sure Thursday is a good day to race?"

"Storms? Hmmm..." I thought to myself. Rain would be a pain to deal with... But it would leave both Keisuke and I with the same visual disadvantage. "I think it'll be alright."

"Another thing..."

"Yeah?"

"What if you lose?" She asked that question, a dreaded question. "What if he beats you, fair and square..?"

It took a bit to think about. I something would tell me to give up, but I wouldn't want to. Beating Keisuke Takahashi was the one goal set in my mind. I had to overcome it. If I couldnt, then I either just walk away or keep pushing, which gave me an idea.

"If I lose the race against Keisuke... I'd practice my ass off, then race him again. If I lose that battle, I'd do the same thing over and over until I beat him. My goal right now is to win against Keisuke Takahashi. If I can do that, then I know I've improved, I've reached a new level. Though, that's if I lose. I don't plan on losing this time. I have you, my car, and my brain." I tapped the side of my head with my index finger, referring to my brain.

"You're really cool.... You know that?" She asked me. It caught me off guard and my face started to become flushed.

"I.. I.. Thanks, Rikka. You're the best."

...

After a while, we finished eating. We then paid for our food and headed outside.

"That was nice." She said. "I enjoyed that. Thanks for asking me to come with you to eat."

"Ah it's no problem. I was planning on going on a little date with you sometime anyways, as well as tell you the news. I'm glad we were able to kills a few birds with one stone."

"I guess burning your tongue wasn't part of that list of birds to kill, huh.." She giggled a bit. I laughed along with her.

"No I guess it wasn't."

"So, what's the plan?" She asked me once we got to our cars. "What are you going to do before the race Thursday?"

"I'm going to practice of course. I'm going to make sure I win Thursday without a doubt." I nodded confidently.

"Good. Well, I gotta head home and do some chores. If I don't see you the rest of the week, then I'll see you Thursday."

"Oh! How about we meet up for dinner on Thursday before heading to the gas station and Iori's? After that, we can head to the pass."

"Oooh, that's a good idea. Alright we'll go for that." She opened her car door, getting inside.

"I'll call you later."

"Okie dokie." She closed the door, started her car, and drove off to her place, leaving me at the diner, alone.

...

...

-Thursday Evening (Y/n's POV)-

It was finally the day of the race. I've spent every night I had practicing on Myogi. I was on the way to the mountain after Rikka and I had ate and stopped for gas. Iketani and Itsuki said they weren't gonna be able to make it, but they sent their regards. I was excited, and a bit scared, but that didn't matter. I was ready, that's what mattered, and I was happy to have Rikka alongside me for this. We then went to Iori's and he got me squared up and ready to race.

-Miyogi Pass (Keisuke's POV)-

"So, bro, you think he'll show again?" I asked my older brother, who was drinking from his bottle of water.

"He did challenge us, Keisuke. I wouldn't see why he would waste our time by not showing up." He capped his bottle.

"Yeah. He's probably on his way right now. That or getting his vehicle ready. Give him a little longer." Fumihiro suggested.

"Fumihiro's right, don't focus too much on it. Besides, you need to focus more on your FD and your mind for the race." Ryosuke cleared his throat as I sighed.

"Right..." I turned my attention to Tomiguchi. "How's she looking?"

"She's perfect and ready for you to race, Keisuke." He got up from the engine bay, closing the hood. He looked to me and gave me a thumbs up, fixing his glasses in the process. "Don't forget, it's expected to storm soon. You'll need to be careful if the bottom opens up while you're driving."

"Tch, I know. I'm hoping the kid gets here quicker, so we wont have to be caught in it while we race." I looked up to the dark, cloudy sky. Soon, I heard the sound of an engine coming up the mountain. I looked at the road down the pass. "I hear someone coming up. You think that's him?"

He closed his eyes, probably to hear the engine.

"I hear that EJ Engine of his... though...." I turned my head to bro again, who then opened his eyes. "It sounds slightly different than last time. Plus, there's someone with him."

I stopped and listened a bit more, and heard a second car engine. It sounded familiar.

"Yeah, you're right. Wait... That's a rotary engine." I was a bit shocked to hear the familiar sound of a rotary that wasn't our own.

"Yes it is. Must be a friend of his, or just another random racer." He grew a small smile.

"Well if it's a random racer, we're going to have to tell him off since we'll be doing the racing tonight." Kenta crossed his arms.

"Right." Fumihiro drank some of his water before speaking up again. "Ryosuke, you said his engine sounded different than last time. What do you mean by that?"

"It sounds a bit louder, stronger maybe."

"Yeah, I can hear it too." Matsumoto put his hand to his chin in thought. "It sounds more fine tuned, cleaner, but definitely a bit stronger like Ryosuke said."

"You think he got a swap?" Kenta asked.

"No. It still sounds like an EJ. Either he improved his old engine, or he has a new one installed."

...

We waited a couple more minutes before headlights came from the hill's horizon. The Impreza drove up and slowly came to a stop, but it looked vastly different than the last time I saw it. It had a new wing, and a carbon fiber hood. A bit after it parked, a red FC stopped just behind the kid's vehicle. We watched him and his friend get out of their cars and walk up to us. Ryosuke, Fumihiro, and I were in the front of the team while everyone else kinda hung back.

-Y/n's POV-

Rikka and I exited our vehicles and looked up at Project D with both the feeling of absolute confidence and slight bit of nervousness, though of course it was warranted. I mentally grit my teeth, breathed in and out, and walked up to the team, Rikka following behind. Keisuke stood with his arms crossed while Ryosuke and Fumihiro stood plainly.

"It's good to see you again, L/n." Fumihiro greeted me. "And it seems you've brought a friend."

"Yeah, she wanted to cheer me on." I smiled to him as I got closer to the group. "This is Rikka Hachiya of Usui Pass."

Rikka smiled and bowed to the gentlemen. "Nice to meet you." She addressed Fumihiro and the others.

"So you're Hachiya. It's a pleasure." He returned the gesture before turning to me. "There's also something I wish to discuss with you before we begin." I had a feeling I knew where this was going. "The last time we met, you seemed to be in a mood of some kind, which affected your ability to race; Furthermore, your vehicle wasn't even in any shape to battle."

"Yeah, I'd like to know what happened that night. What were you thinking?" Keisuke spoke up after Fumihiro finished his sentence.

I sighed and gave it to them straight. "That day... my father passed away." Hearing that surprised them.

"What?" Keisuke uncrossed his arms and looked at me in disbelief. The rest acted similar, shocked, surprised. They grew frowns. Rikka just kept to herself quietly.

"He'd been in the hospital the past few years due to a nasty illness and that day... he lost his fight. To tell you the truth; When we first met and you were challenging me, I was afraid. I knew I was gonna lose. I knew I wasn't ready and I knew my car wasn't ready, but I accepted regardless. I had planned to call it off, but that day came and I got so angry and sad, and just... upset." They all listened to my explanation silently, taking in the words I was saying. I sighed again before continuing. "That fueled every bit of emotion that drove me to come up here to race you. I was clinging to some hope that I'd somehow win, but in the end, you know how racing while blowing off steam works, huh?"

"I'm.. sorry for your loss...and I know what emotions do all too well..." I heard Takumi say as he stepped up to the other side of Keisuke. He head a slight frown to his face.

"Huh?" I asked him. Did he go through the same thing I did?

"I went through the same thing, though it was an entirely different situation, of course. I got so upset and frustrated and raced against an opponent I knew I was gonna lose against. Like you, I had a feeling if I tried my hardest, I could win... but.... It costed my car's whole engine, and a lot of tears. I just want you to know that you're not alone." Takumi stated to cheer me up.

"Thank you, Fujiwara." I nodded to him before taking my attention back to everyone in general. "To everyone, especially Keisuke Takahashi..." I bowed in respect and apology. "...I humbly apologize for my behavior that night." There was a good sized pause. I was awaiting some form of reply.

"You could have just told us, you know." Keisuke said with a saddening sigh, putting his hand to his hip. His voice was at a calm and low tone. "If you had came to us that night and told us about what happened with him, we could have overlooked our race and moved on. What you were going through was heavy stuff. I'm really sorry about your dad."

"Likewise. If you had wanted to call off our race prior to his passing, we could have worked something out. To put a race on you while your father was in that condition, and also without warning was a bit bad on our part. It must have been very stressful for you when we showed up unannounced. I apologize for that." Fumihiro added on.

"You have my condolences as well, L/n." Ryosuke even spoke.

Hearing them all have my back somehow got me emotional on the inside. It meant a lot. Made me realize that even if they were legends of the road, even if they were intimidating, they were still humans like Rikka and I. "I...I thank you all for your understanding. It means a great deal to me."

...

"Hey, let's say we set up for our rematch, huh?" Keisuke gave me a small smile and a nod, trying to deter the sadness of the conversation.

I followed him up on the change of subject. "Yeah."

"So what are we looking at this time?"

"Wait, before we get into that... I have a condition....I want to add."

"A condition? What, you want something if you win?" Kenta asked. "And why shoul-"

"Kenta." Fumihiro silenced him. "What's your condition. I'll hear you out."

"If I win, I want to join Project D along side you." I stated firmly. Hearing that caught everyone by surprise.

"What are you talking about?" Kenta butted back in.

"You want to join us?" Fumihiro asked me.

"Yes. I believe if I can beat Keisuke, It will show I have the ability to beat people on your level." I said. Keisuke thought about it to himself before looking over to his brother, who was definitely deep in thought. His eyes were closed. He then opened them, peering into me like he once did before with that gaze of someone who was untouchable.

"What are you thinking, Bro?" The younger brother asked the older one.

"I'll consider it." His words were almost heavy feeling.

"What?" Everyone got shocked again.

"That is if you're able to beat my younger brother."

"You're seriously thinking about adding him to the team?"

"If he's able to beat Keisuke, then he's probably able to beat any of our future opponents." Takumi wanted in on the conversation. "Plus, it could help us if there are more than two drivers in a team."

"That..." Kenta sighed. "...is a good point."

"With that aside, what will our condition be if you are to lose?" Fumihiro asked me.

"Anything you want it to be, within reason of course." I replied to him. Keisuke gave it some thought before coming to a decision.

"If you lose, you will stay away from Akagi from now on, given that you've broken our records."

"Yeah... that's fair." I scratched my head. "So, is it a deal?"

"It's a deal."

"Good. Let's get this thing started, yeah?"

"How do you wanna run this race?" Keisuke put his hand on his hip, ready to get this started as well.

"I was thinking something similar to last time, mixed course. The only difference is that I want to start side by side rather than it be a cat and mouse." I explained.

"We do need to start soon. It's gonna rain any minute now." Fumihiro stated. "Kenta, would you mind putting a cone down at the end of the course?!" He called to the scout.

"Got it! I'm gonna stay at the bottom so I can see them round the cone!" The boy replied.

"Alright!"

Kenta got into one of the Bongo's and started driving down to the end of Myogi. We made more small talk with Rikka included.

"So, Hachiya, I never knew you drove an FC." Keisuke brought up, amazed.

"Let alone a rotary." Ryosuke nodded, going along with his brother.

"It's technically mine and my dad's car, but he's practically relinquished it to me at this point." She giggled happily.

"It's quite excellent." Ryosuke complimented. "I always thought red was a great color choice for the vehicle."

"Thanks!" She grinned.

"Mind if I take a look at it?"          

"Of course!" She walked over and unlocked the car, letting the older brother inspect the interior and the engine bay. It was odd seeing him with a smile. Rikka seemed giddy to talk about her car to someone who owned the same vehicle.

"So, you and her..." Keisuke took my attention from Rikka. "...You two a thing?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, we are. Been so for a while now."

"That's cool. She seems nice."

"She is. Really likes cars, too. I'm thinking sooner or later she's gonna get into the mechanical level of it."

"Like, what, become an engineer or a mechanic or something?"

"Possibly."

"Neat."

The sky looked like it was about to bust. The night was dark, but the clouds made it seem darker.

"Well, no sense in hanging around any longer. Sky's gonna open up soon. Ready to get our cars into place?" My opponent asked me.

"Yep!" I nodded to him in agreement. We drove our are cars up next to each other. Me on the left, him on the right.

The Subaru WRX, and the RX-7 FD.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(Let's Dance / Jock Lee)

With our cars put into position, we both got out. Keisuke and I faced each other. "You know, I never thought I'd race you again. Name's Keisuke Takahashi if you've forgotten." He held out his hand for me to shake. He had kind of a confident smile, the kinda smile you give an opponent before engaging in a serious battle; Almost a form of comradery.

I took his hand firmly and gave it an honest shake, returning the smile. "I had every intention of racing you again. My name is Y/n L/n in case you've forgotten as well, and I'm not gonna lose to you again."

"Well, I hope you can back that up."

"Alright, to your cars, gentlemen." Fumihiro stated. Me and Keisuke both nodded to each other, getting into our vehicles. Ryosuke went over to Keisuke to talk to him while Rikka came over to me.

"Be careful, okay? I don't want you overdoing anything." She had a bit of concern about her.

"I'll be fine." I gave her a reassuring grin. "I got this."

"Do your best! Love you!"

"Love you too." She walked away from the car and I started her up. I watched Ryosuke walk away from Keisuke's FD as he started his own vehicle up. "You got this..." I told myself.

Fumihiro stood in front of the two vehicles looking at both for confirmation. Once Keisuke and I gave him the nod, he began, raising his arm in the air.

"This battle is between Keisuke Takahashi and Y/n L/n. An FD and a GC8. The race will begin in..."

"FIVE..."

"FOUR..."

"THREE..."

"TWO..."

"ONE..."

"...GO!!"

With one swift movement, his arm went downward and both of our cars shot forwards, engines roaring, signaling that the battle has begun. As we went down the longest straightaway in the course, I noticed Keisuke slowing down a bit, getting behind my vehicle. "Ah. I see you're gonna play it like last time: Watch how I drive, study, wait for me to falter, then strike swiftly afterwards. Well, it's not gonna happen this time." I floored it, showing some courage and confidence, boosting my car away from his. Now his car was not one to toy with, regardless of it needing a new engine every 65,000 km. Laughed to myself at that thought as I was approaching some actual curvature to the road.

-Switching to Keisuke's POV-

Seeing the Impreza shoot forwards like that secretly surprised me a bit, there was definitely something different under that hood than there was the last time I saw it, that and it lost a few pounds with the new gear he tacked on. I pulled up and stuck myself behind him to watch how his driving differed from last time. Following the rules of big bro. We took a small left, then a small right to another right. From what I saw, his driving was much more conformed and concise, already a large improvement. I was a bit excited, I wanted to see that car's full potential. Ahead of us were a couple more curves before hitting the first checkpoint. 

As we hit a little more than halfway between the first and second checkpoint, a light drizzle of rain started falling on the windshield. It wasn't enough to really be a huge problem, so I pressed on behind the Impreza without a worry. There was a long straightaway in front of us. If I timed it right, I could pass and hit the 90 degree right before him and make a complete pass. "Alright." I breathed in sharply and stepped on it, getting beside him. I looked to the right to see him keeping his eyes ahead. He wore a smile and slowed his car down ever so slightly, enough for me to pass him completely before the turn, but also enough to still be right on my tail as I got in front of him.

"Did he just allow me to pass him?" I asked myself. I put the thought behind me as there were more turns up ahead and I needed to stay focused. We made a couple more turns and soon enough the second checkpoint was behind us. "His technique's definitely good. Let's see if he can keep up with this!" I kicked it into high gear and made my cornering a bit faster as well as my straightaway speed. As we drove, I had started noticing people on the mountain doing some night walking, or maybe they were just watching, who knows. They had umbrellas and coats.

NYOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

NYOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

"Was that... an FD?"

"Yeah, looked like an Impreza following right behind it, too."

"Wait, that yellow FD, you think that could be..."

"You thinking it's Keisuke Takahashi?"

"Maybe, but why would he be here? I thought Project D were going outside of Gunma."

"It probably has something to do with that Impreza tailin'em."

We were at the triple corner right turn of the course, roughly halfway between the second and third checkpoint. My opponent was doing pretty damn well after I picked up the pace a bit ago. He was right behind me and was staying. "Gotta give the guy props." As we entered the first corner of the turn, He came to my left and starting speeding forwards, creating some momentum. He initiated a drift as we rounded the curve and he was able to keep in line with my braking. He quickly stepped it up after the corner ended and pressed on the next straightaway before the next corner. "Is he trying to pass me?" 

The next corner came quickly and he repeated his previous action, initiating a drift next to me, causing me to be cautious and aware of my braking. The next straightaway before the next corner was longer. I had to make sure he didn't pass me.

-Y/n's POV-

I had to make my shot. After exiting the second corner, I quickly stepped on it, getting a few feet ahead of the FD down the slightly longer straight. He and I then braked for the last turn, but I cut inward into the turn before he could, causing me to take the lead after the final corner ended. "Let's go!" I cheered to myself. I was back in the lead and happy. We took a smooth left and a sharper right, which lead to another left and a second left. Soon, we were gonna hit the third checkpoint. I was hoping the rain would steer clear from being heavy, it was still a light drizzle at the moment.

(Stop Eurobeat)

-Rikka's POV-

We were still at the top of the mountain. I was wondering how Y/n was doing. It had started drizzling a bit ago and of course I forgot my umbrella at home. I sighed to myself. Everyone else had an umbrella which made me just feel worse. Ryosuke and that Fumihiro guy stood and took in the dark scenery of the mountain and the distant cities all lit up. Ryosuke had a phone out, likely to hear when the racers hit the cone from Nakamura, who went down in the bongo. I just stood by my lonesome, until...

"Hey, need an umbrella?" I heard someone call to me. I look over and see a guy in glasses with brown hair and a taller guy with black hair. The brown haired individual was holding an umbrella.

"Oh! Thanks! I left mine at home. Total dumb move on my part." I grabbed the umbrella and opened it up, keeping myself dry.

"Don't worry about it. It happens to the best of us."

"Who might you two be? You race for Project D, too?" I asked them. I had already met Ryosuke due to the short time we had together as he was inspecting my FC. He also told me about Fumihiro a little.

"Sorry, I don't believe we've introduced ourselves. I'm Suichi Matsumoto and this here is Tomiguchi. We're the designated mechanics for the Eight-Six and RX-7."

"I'm Rikka Hachiya. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise."

"So, you're the mechanics for Project D?"

"We sure are."

"What's it like?"

"How do you mean?"

"Oh, uh, what's it like being a mechanic for a race team like this? What's it like being a mechanic in general? Being able to tune and mess with the cars on the go, and get them ready for each race seems interesting."

"I find it exhilarating, personally." Tomiguchi stated first and foremost. "Being able to tap a car into its potential is something I enjoy doing. I love learning about the parts and everything that can make a car go faster and work better. I also enjoy making the driver of the car comfortable in knowing that their car is in safe hands and that they'll be getting my 100%." Hearing that was like listening to a heartfelt speech. I was amazed by his words.

"I like tooling with cars too. Making them work the way the driver wants. If they want it faster, I'll make it faster, if they want more control, I'll give them more control. I decided to become a mechanic to give people guarantees and results, not something to get by with." Matsumoto said. "Yeah, working with Project D so far has been probably the best experience I've had as a mechanic so far in my life. Wouldn't you say so, Tomiguchi?"

"Definitely. So, what about you?" The shorter mechanic asked me. "From what I'm told, after the previous top racers in Usui went pro, you took the mantle."

"W-Well, I was the fastest until Y/n beat me." I giggled a little, embarrassed. "I'm starting to think I don't wanna race anymore."

"Why's that? You do have a nice car."

"Yeah, nice enough for Ryosuke to take a liking to it, haha."

"Well, I don't know. I just think I'm taking more of a liking to the other aspect. I like looking at the parts and engineering of the vehicles. I like seeing what makes cars go faster and what makes them stronger. I like seeing all the intricate designs and ingredients that goes into a racing car. I also like the idea of helping people and making people feel safe when I fix something."

"Ah, so you're thinking about becoming a mechanic like us?" The two grew a smile.

"All I can say is, the more you put your heart into it, the more you'll get out of it." Matsumoto made a thumbs up. "It's a fun job to have, and a great hobby once you can mess with your own car like you do others."

"Exactly!" Tomiguchi agreed. I sighed and thought about everything they said and smiled back at them.

"Thank you so much for the help."

"Not a problem at all." During the time we were talking, I hadn't noticed that the rain had gotten heavier, much heavier.

-Keisuke's POV-

We were close to the fourth checkpoint, which meant the cone was just ahead. I had to pass him there and keep in front of him the rest of the way back. The rain had finally hit its full, and it was coming down, hard. I could barely even see the damn road. "Just follow the lights." I told myself. I knew Myogi pass alright, but you couldn't pay me to do it blindfolded. I had a plan for when we hit the cone. I wanted to try something new. Ever since that race with Kozo Hoshino, I couldn't get the move he pulled on me out of my mind. So, "With that being said...." I furrowed my eyebrows and put myself in the most focus I've ever had.

-Y/n's POV-

We had just passed the fourth checkpoint and I could just smell the traffic cone. The rain was pouring and my wipers were putting in the work. I needed to turn around the cone and make sure he didn't pass me on the way back on the uphill portion. I believe Kenta was at the bottom, waiting to let Ryosuke know when we arrived. Keisuke was still on my tail and we were on the long straightaway before the last two turns in the downhill. For some reason, I had an odd feeling. I felt an aura behind me, like someone was peering into my soul, ready to strike.

-Kenta's POV-

I stood and waited for the cars to arrive. I had my phone ready and my umbrella out to keep me dry.

"Have they arrived yet?" Ryosuke asked me via the phone.

"No, but I think I can hear them getting closer. They should be here any second now."

"Understood, make sure to give me the details once they pass the cone."

"Will do!" As I finished the conversation, I could see the headlights in the distance closing in and the sounds of the engines getting louder. "They're here!"

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(Wonderland / Mega NRG Man)

Suddenly, Keisuke got into the right lane and sped up, getting right beside the Impreza. This baffled me. What was he doing?! I watched as both the Impreza and the FD were going to attack the cone at the same time. "Wait, is this..."

They both braked at the same time and started a drift, though Keisuke seemed to be in much more control of the situation, as he pushed forwards a little faster than the Impreza. A Large crack of lightning illuminated the sky to show the positions of the cars in their full color. It was insane! The Imp drifted in too early and went to far behind the cone while Keisuke had it nailed. He went around closer to the cone with L/n going behind him, circling the other direction. The sound of thunder roared through the air, over the sounds of their engines. As they finished their round, Keisuke was able to take the lead with L/n following behind loosely. L/n seemed to be shocked as well from what Keisuke pulled since he was both late on the entry and the exit. I then realized... It... It was the same thing GodFoot did during his and Keisuke's race!

"Ryosuke! Keisuke did the move that Purple Shadow did against him, on the Impreza!" I was so shocked and excited to tell him.

"So he did the maneuver where he went beside him and passed him around the cone. L/n had nowhere to go, so either he would have had to slow down and get behind him, or tried to match Keisuke's technique by staying beside him. Since the kid's likely not seen something like this, he likely wasn't prepared."

"It was crazy! I never thought Keisuke had it in him!"

"I didn't think Keisuke would do something like that either. Hm. I'm proud of him. He's definitely improved and learned since fighting Purple Shadow."

"Now all we gotta do is wait for him to hit the finish line!"

"Don't call it too early."

"Huh? What do you mean Ryosuke?"

"They still have the uphill. That's plenty of time for more overtakes to occur, Kenta."

"You're right. I'll be on my way up soon."

"Bye." He hung up.

I sighed put the cone back in the bongo, hopped in, and started my slow ascent. "God, that was crazy."

-Y/n's POV-

"What the hell was that!?" My heart was beating out of my chest. I thought I was going to crash. "What the hell did he just do? How did he do that?! Damn this guy is good!" I had to catch up to him. I shook my head and got back into the game. I put that whole event behind me for the time being. We went back up the straightaway before hitting the two cones. He was about 10 meters from me. I had to pick it up. The rain was relentless, and I had to be careful. Lightning and thunder plagued the sky every minute or so. All I had to do was get back behind him, and pass later on.

-Keisuke's POV-

VROOOOOOOOM!!!

VROOOOOOOOOM!!!

Our cars roared through the rain and thunder. It was getting more difficult to see. Felt like my wiper blades were screaming at me. Half of me was confident and half of me was sweating. I couldn't believe I was able to pull something like that off back there. That was crazy, but it did the trick. I was in the lead and he was a bit behind me. I didn't wanna crash him or crash myself. Felt lucky, but at the same time, I felt like I've improved enough to be able to have tackled that type of maneuver. The rain was starting to become a real pain. I had to be careful. One wrong move and I'd slip and crash. The only downside on my end is the drivetrain of the Impreza is better against the rain, so he'd have better traction on these wet roads. "I'm willing to admit, this kid's done pretty well. I'd say I'm impressed, but now it's time for me to win this." I sent my car up the long straightaway after passing the first checkpoint on the uphill, watching his headlights get further behind me.

As I drove, I wondered about everyone up at the top, what they were thinking. I was also wondering about our next steps as Project D. Even then, I was wondering about what my next steps were as a racer. I shook my head. I needed to keep those out of mind for now, save them for later. I kept my eyes focused on the road, taking a left, then a right, then another left. I looked in my rear view and noticed he was gaining speed, getting closer. I grit my teeth and pushed onward.

-Y/n's POV-

I was sweating, it was hot, and the race was exhilarating. I started exerting myself more, using more energy and focus to catch up to him. After the next couple turns was a long straight I could try and make a pass at. If I failed there, I had two other places and no more. I had the three corner turn, and after that, the long straight after the third checkpoint. I couldn't attack on the longest straight before the finish line. There would be no use. It would be too much of a straight shot, and even then, in terms of raw power, he'd likely have me beat. I had to make these next corners perfectly to get right behind him at least.

We came around a left and I saw myself inching closer. I got as close as I could to the guardrail without touching it and cut inward into the turn to gain as much extra footage as I could. I did the same on the next corner, then the next, and the next. As soon as the next left ended, I bolted. I made a dash to overtake him on his right, but his car sped up a little and safely cut me off. "Damn! He's really not wanting me to pass. He's blocking me!" I still had the three corner turn ahead of me to give it a second go.

(Stop Eurobeat)

-Keisuke's POV-

"You think I'm gonna let you pass? You may have caught up to me, but I'm not gonna let you get in front of me again. I'm a four-wheel-drive killer!" The next bit was a long stretch of zig-zags with mini straights in-between them. I had realized these corners weren't as tight as Akagi's. To be honest, there weren't really any hairpin turns on this course. No wonder Nakazato ruled this mountain pass for a time, a Three-Two would excel here. I went into the corners. Right: break turn, boost; Left: break, turn, boost. I just repeated those steps and kept at my own pace. The one In the lead controls the race and controls the pace of the battle. "I wont lose this one, bro."

-Y/n's POV-

We went through the zig-zags awfully quickly. The race was picking up a little bit. I could tell we were both getting kinda antsy. We've been racing for quite a while and our mental was slowly draining with our concentration and focus, and the thunderstorm wasn't helping. It was still raining super hard and there was still lightning and thunder in the air. Coming up was the three corner turn. I had to make another move there. It was vital. he and I made the next couple corners quickly, and I was right on his tail once more. We turned right into the first corner... then we turned left into the second one... "GO!" I made another dash, this time to his left.

BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!

My car zoomed. He quickly did the same thing previously. "Damnit!" He sprinted forwards and blocked me off again. "Come on! The guy knows every time I'm gonna pass and he acts so quickly. His reaction time is nuts!" We made a swift left. I had no time to move on the next small straight so I had to just stay put behind him. I had only one more shot, and that was after a few turns beyond the third checkpoint.

At this point I was getting desperate. We made one more left and we were out of the three corner turn. There were only 10 or so corners till the third checkpoint. What was I going to do? My breathing started becoming hasty as anxiety started creeping in. "I... might lose this." I said to myself. We hooked another right, to a left, to a right up through a small straight before curving another smooth left. "He keeps blocking me, knowing where I'm attacking. What am I going to...."

Suddenly... It hit me...

"Maybe... Maybe he doesn't need to see where I'm attacking..." My eyes looked at my headlight switch for a split second. I was thinking, hard, and almost careless.

A sudden boost of confidence rose within me. I furrowed my brows and grit my teeth.

"I know this course better than the back of my hand. There isn't a nook and cranny I don't know about. I don't need these lights. I'll make sure I catch you by surprise. I'll be a ghost."

I flipped the switch, and everything on my end went dark. All the sounds felt like they were drowned out by my heartbeat and my breathing. Everything became instinct. I was... invisible.

-Keisuke's POV-

Out of nowhere, all of the light behind me went out. "What?" I was confused. Did I go too far ahead of him? Did he slow down? Did he stop? Those were all questions pondering in my head. I surely couldnt hear his engine with all this rain. "Where did he go?" I asked myself, looking in my rear view mirror, hoping to find a glimpse of him behind me somehow, either at a small distance away from me or far back. I went around a smoother right and into another, still wondering where he was.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning lit the sky and everything around me for a millisecond or two. That flash answered all the questions I had about where his location was.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

(I'll Never Break / Ace)

My eyes widened. The breath was almost taken out of me. I was stunned, no, beyond shocked. I couldnt believe it. He was right there! Right behind me the whole time! His headlights were.... they were turned off! "The kid's driving with his freakin lights off!" I yelled. "What the hell is he doing?!" Everything got super tense as went through a couple more bends before heading up to a 90 degree left. I had no clue when he would attack or if he would.

"Holy crap! It's the FD and the Impreza again!"

"WOAH!! The Impreza has its lights off and he's tailing right behind the FD!"

"No way! How can he drive like that!?"

"I don't know! He's gonna get himself hurt!"

I then realized... this was something I've seen before. Takumi did this... against the EK9 when we were racing Todo School. He did a blind attack by turning off his lights and his opponent wasnt able to see him. He was able to make a pass that way. How was this kid able to do the same? Was he like Takumi, or is it something else?

As we turned the 90 Degree corner, another flash of lighting came and....

"What?! He's Gone! Don't tell me!" He was gone from my rear view, he wasn't behind me anymore.

-Fumihiro's POV-

"Say, Ryosuke...?" I got his attention.

"Yes, Fumihiro?"

"Why did you tell Keisuke that it was in his best interest to race him again? We could have easily just moved on to our next team." I asked him, curious.

"Hm." He gave me that classic smile of his. "Well, there are two reasons; The first being, that no matter what, you'll always learn something from a race. Doesn't matter if you win or lose. I expect that out of my younger brother."

"I see. That's logical. What's the other reason?"

Ryosuke paused a minute in thought.

"Ryosuke...?"

"Sometimes, when given the opportunity, people at their best can do things that blow you away when you least expect it."

-Back to Keisuke's POV-

We entered the long straightaway and I could hear it.. His Engine! I looked to my right to see his blue vehicle coming up beside mine in the dark. His headlights flashed on brightly, almost blinding me for a split moment. I was barely able to see his face as his front seats got in line with mine. I was baffled. He was well focused and his concentration was at full max, his eyes ever forward. He put his foot down and gained some footage, using a right bend for some help. He was overtaking me. He had gained enough on me to cut in on the next 90 degree right, resulting in fully passing me. I was behind him now. "Damnit!" I still had time, I had to pass him!

We had only a few corners left, then the longest straightaway up to the finish line. I tried my best to keep behind him and look for an opening, but every time I tried to make a pass, he blocked me. He was doing the same thing I was, every single time. Then... the straightaway came. It was over.

He won.

"After all that..." I sighed. I ended up with a smile on my face as we drove up the rest of the straight. I was upset at the loss, but I was oddly happy. It felt weird. I hadn't lost a race since the time Takumi beat me back on Akina. Thinking about it made me feel old, even though it wasn't that long ago. "Tch." That kid surprised me. Just like Takumi. We slowed our cars down to a normal speed to conserve whatever amount of gas and tread we had left.

-Ryosuke's POV-

I could see the headlights of the lead ahead, coming close to the finish. Much to my surprise, it was not Keisuke's. I watched the Impreza and the FD park, L/n's car in front.

"Woah, the Impreza won." Takumi spoke out loud. He stared at the blue car, almost intensely.

"HE DID IT!!!!!" I heard Hachiya cheer for him boisterously, running over to his vehicle to help him out. He seemed very happy and so did his friend.

Tomiguchi helped Keisuke out of his car and got him a fresh bottle of water.

"It seems Keisuke lost." Fumihiro said to me.

"Yes. It seems he did." I saw my younger brother look over to me, grabbing the extra umbrella Tomiguchi brought to him. He made his way over to me, drinking the rest of the water he had left.

"You don't seem upset." He told me.

"That's because I'm not. You did well. You've learned a lot."

"Yeah, I'm not upset either. I found it almost fun." Keisuke crushed his bottle and handed it over to Tomiguchi to toss.

"How did you get passed in the end?" Fumihiro asked.

"That kid drove with his lights out for the last bit and was able to make a pass without me seeing where." This caught me and Fumihiro by surprise, and even Takumi.

"What?" Fumihiro was confused. "So you're saying he was able to do Takumi's blind attack from back when he raced Tomoyuki?"

"Apparently. Never thought I'd experience it first hand. The kid's got me beat there."

"Hmmm." I said, looking at the kid as he talked with is friend while Keisuke explained everything that went down during the race in detail.

-Y/n's POV-

"You did it!" You did it!" Rikka kept hugging on me. I was beat, really tired. That race was nuts. "I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, Rikka."

"So, what happened?"

"I got passed twice or so. I was able to pass him in the end though. He kept blocking me off when I tried to make a move so I made sure he didn't know when I was gonna pass. I turned off my headlights and went for it after the 3rd checkpoint."

"WHAT?! YOU TURNED YOUR LIGHTS OFF?! ARE YOU CRAZY?! YOU COULD HAVE GOTTEN HURT!" She yelled at me, concerned with anger.

"Well, it was the best option I had, and with me knowing the course like I did, and the rain going hard, I had faith that it'd work out."

She sighed heavily and ruffled my sweaty hair. "What am I going to do with you?"

"I don't know? Come with me to a celebratory dinner tomorrow?" I laughed nervously.

"How can I say no?" She giggled. "You silly."

I looked over to Project D and they were having their group chat about what went down. With all the umbrellas and the rain, someone could think it was a funeral, course we weren't wearing suits.

"So, your dad okay with you being out this late?"

"Don't worry, I got off the phone with him a bit ago. Said I'll be home soon. Can't wait to give him the news though."

"Lord, I can't wait to give Iori the news. I just freakin' beat Keisuke Takahashi." It felt like it was still hitting me. Couldn't believe it. I actually won.

"Be careful, you might give him a heart attack." She giggled. I laughed along with her.

Soon, Ryosuke, Takumi, Fumihiro, and Keisuke came over to Rikka and I.

"I'd like to congratulate you on your victory." Ryosuke started off with the conversation. "From what Keisuke told me, you were quite impressive, especially with keeping up with him and even pulling that maneuver at the end."

"Ah... Ehm.. Thank you." I bowed to them out of respect, but I was definitely embarrassed from the compliment. "At the end there, I almost thought I was gonna lose. He pulled off that cool move at the cone and I couldnt get around him till way later on." I then looked over to Keisuke. "You're a phenomenal driver."

"I appreciate it, man. I think you did very well considering we haven't seen you at your best before. You definitely surprised me there with that move you did at the end." He replied, scratching the back of his head.

"You've certainly caught my attention." Ryosuke closed his eyes and grew a smile before opening them again, asking me a question.. "How were you able to drive with your lights off to overtake Keisuke? Takumi was the only one able to do that until we encountered you."

I got a little confident. "Oh, I know this pass forwards, backwards and upside down. There isn't a part of it I don't know. I just knew from muscle memory from driving, so I guess the lights didn't really matter too much when I was trying to find a way to pass him. I just needed him to not know where and when I was attacking so I could go for it."

"That was a good answer. I like that. Thank you. Fumihiro..." Ryosuke handed over the conversation to him.

"After our conversation with Keisuke, we had a discussion over if you could become a racer for Project D. In the end, it was up to Ryosuke to make the call."

My heart was beating a mile a minute. This was it. This is for everything I worked for, I raced for, everything my father and Iori did for me, everything Rikka's done for me...

Ryosuke took a step forward closer to me and held out his hand to shake. I looked up at him after him doing so and he wore a smile.

"It will be a great pleasure working with you, Y/n."

I was internally shaking. I felt like crying tears of joy, but I couldn't in front of these guys. I firmly grabbed Ryosuke's hand and shook it.

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I will not let you down."

"Good." We released our grips. "Now, you'll need a proper mechanic to tune your car for our upcoming races. Shall I find someone for you or do you have someone already in mind?"

I looked over to Rikka and giggled. "I know I guy." I said, facing back to Ryosuke.

"Alright. Here. I'll give you my contact information so we can stay in touch." We spent the next bit getting each other's contact info. Keisuke then wanted it, then Takumi, then Fumihiro. It felt odd, it was like I was already getting too friendly with them.

Suddenly, and finally, Kenta rolled back up in the Mazda Bongo. He parked next to the other Bongos. He hopped out, popped an umbrella and ran to everyone.

"What's going on?! Who won?! What happened?!" Everyone shared a laugh, and Kenta looked over to me. "Who won?"

"You're looking at him." Keisuke said, referring to me.

"What?! Keisuke lost?!"

"Yep, fair and square." He crossed his arms. "It was a good race though."

"Now he's a part of Project D." Takumi added.

"WHAT?! Ryosuke are you serious?"

"I am. Is there a problem?"

Kenta fumbled with his words a bit before coming to a "No."

"Good."

"I'll call you in the next few days. I hope you get your mechanic in order by then." Ryosuke nodded to me, then walked off to the team vehicles with Kenta following. Fumihiro bowed to me before making his way over. Keisuke nodded and made his way to his car. Takumi just stood there and looked at me for a second before doing a small wave and taking his walk. They all packed up their gear and drove off, leaving Rikka and I in the rain together.

"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" I yelled to the top of my lungs in happiness.

I was finally above where I wanted to be. I was in Project D. I was in the Major Leagues.

(Stop Eurobeat)

...

...

...

THIS IS THE END OF PART ONE!!!

-Somewhere Else in Gunma (???'s POV)-

I breathed in the air of Gunma, exhaling loudly. I was on top of Akina, smiling to myself taking in the scenery. There was a rainstorm happening about an hour north of here. Had a friend with me as well.

"Ahhhh. That's nice. It's good to be back. Air feels lighter here." I looked back at my Evo VI. "You've gotten me this far. Let's see what you can do now that I'm back."

"You going after Y/n?" My friend asked me. "I've heard he's grown quite the rep in Gunma since you've been gone."

I laughed. "Nah, Not yet. That can wait."

"Then what's the plan, Jin?"

"I have a few people I wanted to get out of the way first." I looked back at him.

"And who's the first on that list?"

"A man named Kyoichi Sudo."

TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO!!!