Author's Note
Hello! My dear readers, here is the update that all of you had been waiting for. I know I am several weeks late, but I have compensated it well with the length of the chapter: 4200 words. Also, I have a small announcement to make: I will be uploading one chapter per week and the uploads will be done on Monday now, rather than Sunday. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
With love,
-Val
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Eloise had been riding through the woods for hours now. Her clothes were muddy and her body ached from the intensive exercise. She should have reached the town by now...unless she got lost. Which wasn't possible as she had been following the direction from the compass for as long as she could remember.
She stopped to catch her breath, hoping she would reach that town soon. The Sun was about to go down in a few hours and if by then she didn't manage to get out of the forests, she would have to spend the night there. Her eyes were burning and there was a dull ache at the back of her head from when she fell headfirst in the cave. She was weak with hunger and didn't knew how long she could stay upright.
'I feel so tired now. I want to rest.' She thought, being fully tired.
However, as soon as that thought came to her mind, her eyes came across a wooden sign. Wide awake now, she scurried over to the sign and wiped the dust and dirt off it.
'Mediso Town 15 km'
The sign pointed towards the north direction. Overcome by adrenaline, Eloise jumped on her bike and dashed towards the north, a new fire of hope burning inside her. She couldn't rest now, she had to find that town before nightfall. Or else she would be stuck in the forest for the whole night.
After almost an hour of riding, she reached a deserted building. Its windows were shattered with a few pieces of glasses sticking out while the doors were unhinged. The place screamed 'DANGER' from far away itself. However, being utterly tired already, Eloise decided to check that place out. She got of her bike and slowly started walking along the trail that led to the house, rolling her bike beside her. There was no way that she would leave her bike behind.
Without making any sound, she entered the house. The insides were just as same as the outsides. Bare grey walls greeted her as she stood in the middle of the room. It was eerily quite, and she could hear the sound of her breath too. After inspecting every inch of the room, she made her way out, uneasy that there was no one inside who could have helped her. However, as soon as she stepped out she met with three MTB riders, all of whom stared at her with animosity.
Shocked, she took a step back, staggering to gain back her footing. She observed those men. They seemed to be wearing some kind of similar uniform with with two bones forming a cross behind a shark. All of them were dressed in rider's costumes and had strange, creepy smiles on their faces.
Before she could say anything, one of them rolled his bike a bit closer, startling her. Somehow, she had a feeling that these men meant her no good. But nonetheless, she had to try to talk to them.
"Hey! I am lost and..."
Before she could finish her sentence, one of the riders took off his helmet, revealing his youthful face and raven black hair.
"You seem new here. Let's have an Idaten battle." He spoke, his eyes devilish.
"A what?" Eloise asked, confusion clearly evident on her face.
The guy smirked and said, "Come have an Idaten Battle with us." His companions laughed in unison and rolled their bikes closer to where Eloise was standing.
Eloise balled her palms into fists, confused at what those guys were saying and frustrated at their lack of helpfulness. She was having a dull headache and could collapse on the ground any moment. However, that didn't stop those guys from harassing her lack of knowledge about this place.
"Trying to win an emblem from a newbie again, Corey?" A voice boomed, shattering the silent atmosphere like a piece of frail glass. Eloise diverted her focus on another figure who had emerged from behind the trees.
A guy wearing brown leader jacket, black pants and thick leader boots was standing in front of them. His hair was disheveled and he had an expression of mockery directed at the other three riders.
"Stay out of it, Ren." The guy named Corey warned, a threating glint in his eyes.
"Well, I can't really stay silent and watch you snatch an emblem from a newbie, that too a kid." Ren responded, his tone carefree and mocking.
Corey turned towards me and said, "I challenge you to an Idaten battle at noon tomorrow. We will wait for you here." And with this being said, all three of them turned their bikes and rode off towards the forest, leaving Eloise and Ren behind.
Ren started walking towards Eloise, his arm extended for a handshake. As if on impulse, Eloise took a step back, eyeing his extended arm wearily.
"Don't worry. I mean you no harm." Ren said, his arms up in mock surrender.
Eloise sighed slightly, and extended her arm as well when she realized Ren really meant her no harm. He shook her hand firmly. He was around twenty years of age and seemed quite cheerful.
"Who were those boys?" She questioned, motioning towards the direction in which they rode off.
"That's Corey and his boys. They keep inviting trouble for themselves all the time. Don't worry about them." He replied nonchalantly, "Although, you don't belong from this neighborhood, do you?"
"No, I am not." She answered, her voice low and filled with tiredness. He eyed her up and down, and nodded to himself as if confirming what she just told him.
"Then you must be one of the MTB riders that came here from the other world." He said suddenly.
Eloise nodded, surprised that he knew anything about it at all.
"Are there other riders as well?" She asked him.
"Yes. A lot of them."
He smiled politely at her, and for one moment she could see kindness flashing in his eyes. However, she wasn't ready to trust him so easily.
"Would you like to come with me to the city?" He offered her.
'As if I have a choice', Eloise thought to herself.
She nodded politely and Ren gestured for her to follow him. In less than 15 minutes, they reached a small town at the countryside. The houses and buildings had their paint coming off at some places and people were wandering about conducting their daily business with ease. The town seemed warm and welcoming and Eloise couldn't help but sigh in relief that she was somewhere safe.
As she crossed a shop, she couldn't help but look at her reflection on the window. She grimaced at her condition. No wonder why those guys felt she was an easy prey. Her colds were muddy with a few scratches on her hands and legs. Her hair looked like a mess and there was some dried blood matted across her skin from where she hit it on the floor. She looked as if she had been through hell.
'At least my head doesn't hurt too much anymore.'
She followed Ren towards a small building made of wood which had a huge board saying 'Eagle Saloon Bar' nailed at the top. There were a few drunk men outside the shop with scattered beer bottles all around them. Eloise scrunched her nose up slightly at the stale smell of alcohol but followed Ren inside nonetheless after parking her bike safely at the narrow pathway that led to somewhere behind the inn.
There were around fifteen people inside sitting at different tables while a counter was situated at the back end. She made her way behind Ren to the counter where he shook hands with the owner and ordered some food for them. He took her to an empty table and offered her some food and water.
Pulling out a chair from across her, he sat right in front of her. Ignoring his peculiar stare, Eloise happily munched on her hamburger and drank some much needed water, gulping it down in one go.
"Slow down, girl. Or else you're going to choke on water." A man commented, coming to stand near them.
"Leave her alone, Aoi!" Ren smacked Aoi on the back of his head and continued, "The girl has been through hell. Can't you see?"
Aoi nodded slowly, as if noticing her for the first time. Eloise felt a bit awkward as many people in the inn were now staring at her. She cleared her throat and put her now finished plate of hamburger down, thanking Ren in the process.
"Can you tell me something about X-zone?" She asked him, hoping to know all that she could regarding this place.
"Alright. What all do you want to know?" Ren asked, his expression solemn.
"Everything." She replied instantly, her curiosity just around the corner.
"Sometime back," He started, "A lot of MTB riders from your world started to come into X-zone. Their numbers kept on increasing and soon they all started to challenge each other in MTB races while betting on their emblems."
"An...emblem?" She murmured.
Ren didn't seem to mind the interruption and continued, "All of those rides had some emblem on their bikes. They betted on their emblems and raced against each other. Whoever won the race would keep their opponent's emblem. This is what they call Idaten Battles."
"It is said that whoever has ten gold emblems can go back into their world. But it's not easy to find ten gold emblems. Most riders have silver emblems on their bikes." Aoi said.
"But how will those ten gold emblems help us in returning back home?" Eloise questioned.
"We don't know that. All we know is whoever has ten gold emblems can go into X-city and from their they can go back in their world." Ren replied.
"No one knows how you'll came into X-zone. Many things are still unclear."
"Oh...so that means my only way to get back home is to win ten gold emblems and then go to X-city?" She asked, to which Ren nodded.
"Ten silver emblems make one gold emblem." Aoi added, a small frown on his face.
Eloise couldn't believe what she was hearing. Firstly, she was stuck in a place she knew nothing about. And now, she has to find her way back herself.
'Can it get any worse?' She thought to herself bitterly.
Right at that moment, Ren decided to remind her of something important.
"Don't you have an Idaten Battle with Corey tomorrow in the afternoon?"
Eloise smacked herself mentally. This was not good at all. She didn't knew anything about Idaten Battles but she was already challenged for one. How was she ever going to win?
"You don't have to accept his challenge, kid." Aoi spoke, his voice filled with worry. "Corey is an amazing rider and he barely lost one time in his life till now."
"That is because no one dares to stand up to him, let alone beat him." Ren murmured begrudgingly.
"Why?" Eloise couldn't help but ask. "Why is everyone so afraid of him?"
"He's a member of team ST. They fund him well and many of them live nearby. They come and go from this town at Corey's beck and call. Since he never lost in this town, he takes whatever he wants from any household or shop. If anyone stands up to him, they get either beaten up brutally or challenged to an Idaten battle that they can never win." Ren responded, his voice laced with disgust.
"Will you defeat him?" He asked her, his eyes hopeful.
"This town have suffered more than you can imagine under Corey. He's a torturous person and he makes everyone's life miserable." Aoi added.
In that instance, Eloise couldn't say no to them...for Ren. His expression disheartened her. He looked...broken. As if Corey had costed him a lot more than anybody could ever comprehend. The hope he held in his eyes melted Eloise slightly and she knew he had to win against Corey.
'I'll get an emblem too. It'll be a start to my journey home as well.' She thought.
"Alright. I'll race against Corey." She declared.
Almost immediately, there was a chorus of 'Hurray' and everyone started talking excitedly. For some reason, they had a lot of hope from her. She couldn't let them down. No matter what, she had to win the race.
"Come on, I'll show you a place where you can rest for tonight." Ren said, a small smile on his lips.
Eloise got up slowly, remembering how she has no money to pay for the hamburger. However, Ren didn't seem to mind paying in her place as he took out several MTB parts and handed them over to the cashier. She was surprised at how the cashier took the parts without any hesitation and waved them goodbye as they headed out the inn.
"How?" She questioned, her mouth agape. Ren understood what she meant and laughed heartily. He replied, "Here you can use spare bike parts or emblems as money to buy food or other necessities.'
Eloise shook her head slightly, wondering just how much weirder this place was going to get for her. Ren followed her to the narrow pathway where she had hidden her MTB and from there, they continued down the path until they reached the back side of the inn.
There was a wooden staircase leading to the second floor of the building. Everything seemed quite old but Eloise was glad for whatever she was getting. She followed Ren quietly up the staircase and inside one of the rooms.
There was a small couch situated at the corner of the room beside a table. The floor was covered with many wrenches, tires, brakes etc. The lighting was dim but enough to clearly see the various books on MTB scattered everywhere. There was a door on the right that led to a hallway.
"You...live here?" Eloise questioned lowly.
"Yes. I know it looks shabby but trust me its quite comfortable." He responded shyly, rubbing the back of his neck.
Eloise kneeled on the floor, picking a random book and looking at its content. After a few moments, she placed the book back and stood up, facing Ren.
But before she could speak, Ren raised his hand, stopping her. He sighed a bit before saying, "I am an MTB mechanic. This is my workshop."
Eloise's eyebrows shot up in surprise. No wonder this place was covered in tools and MTB parts. However, she was surprised that Ren was a mechanic rather than a rider. He had a bold and carefree personality that was well suited for a rider.
"I'll sleep on the couch. You can sleep inside the bedroom. Come on, I'll show you the way." He said, breaking Eloise out of her chain of thoughts.
"No no, there's no need for that. I can take the couch. I don't want to cause you anymore trouble than I already have." Eloise explained in haste.
Ren smiled slightly, and said "I usually stay up pretty late studying about bikes. You won't be able to sleep here if I work. It's better if you sleep in the bedroom."
Eloise nodded, unsure of whether to take up the offer or not. Ren had already been too kind to her. He saved her from Corey and his gang and gave her food and shelter. She didn't wanted to bother him anymore. As if he could read her thoughts, he laughed out aloud, surprising her.
"Don't worry, kid. I usually end up sleeping on the couch many times. Its no big deal. Don't stress over it."
Eloise smiled sheepishly before following Ren in the hallway and into a neat and tidy room. It seemed the only room in the house. The hallway had only two doors, the other one leading to the bathroom as she assumed.
He left her to settle down and relax while he got her a fresh towel and some warm water. When she looked at him questioningly, he pointed at her head, reminding her of the gash and the dried blood. As Ren left the room, Eloise began cleaning her wound, wincing in pain every now and then.
'This is gonna be a long night.' She thought.
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When she woke up in the morning, it was already pretty late. The sun was shining brightly in the sky and her room was filled with sunlight. She groaned softly and put her hands in front of her eyes, trying to shield herself from the blinding rays of sun. However, she had little choice as she got up, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.
Yawning slowly, she got out of the bed, hoping that yesterday's events were a bad dream. However, she knew that it was all real. The ache at the back of her head was proof enough to make her believe that this was real. She was in X-zone.
After getting dressed, she made her way towards living room where Ren was supposed to be asleep. But when she got there, she found no sign of him. The couch had a thin blanket at its feet and the room looked messier than before.
Just then, Ren came out from outside, holding two coffee mugs. He offered one to Eloise which she took gratefully.
"You dine at the inn downstairs?" She asked, attempting to initiate a conversation.
"Yeah. That inn belongs to my brother." He replied, sipping onto his coffee calmly.
Eloise's eyes widened at this in shock. But she didn't say anything, choosing to stay silent for Ren's sake as he looked really tired. It seemed as if he didn't sleep all night. Eloise felt guilty and somewhat responsible for that. Maybe he couldn't sleep because the couch was uncomfortable?
'I should apologize to him' She thought.
However, Ren was deep engrossed in his thoughts. She didn't wanted to disturb him.
"Are you sure you want to race against Corey?" He asked her all of a sudden.
Eloise stopped sipping and looked at Ren in surprise. Wasn't it yesterday when he and others were asking her to win against Corey? What changed so suddenly?
"Yeah, I am. Why do you ask?" She questioned.
"I think its better if you don't race against him." He replied back, standing up and turning away from her.
He turned around and kept the empty coffee mug on table. Eloise started at him, hoping to find some reason to what he just said. He couldn't be serious, right? This town had suffered so much under Corey, why would he want her to give up this one chance she has to free all of them? This didn't make any sense. She kept on looking at him in shock, not knowing what to reply.
Ren didn't turn around to face Eloise but his words kept revolving in her head. She didn't knew what to think anymore. He looked agitated, as if he was in some extreme pain. His voice didn't sound like the kind and polite Ren she met yesterday, but like a stranger who was cold and tough.
"Why?" She asked him softly, not wanting to agitate him anymore.
He sighed in response, saying nothing. Eloise got up from her place on couch.
"I deserve a reason, Ren." She asked again.
He turned around abruptly, grabbing her by her arms. Surprised and shocked at the same time, she punched him in the jaw reflexively. Gabu had taught her how to fight since an early age and she was really thankful for it right now. Ren staggered back due to the force of her punch. Wincing slightly, he rubbed his jaw which had turned slightly red from the force of the punch.
"What do you think you're doing?!" She exclaimed, moving away from him.
"I am sorry." He said, his voice genuine. "I just don't want you to be hurt because of Corey."
Eloise stared at him, not knowing whether to believe him or not. However, he took her silence as a green signal to continue.
"Corey...is different. He never loses." He said, stopping in between as if to hide some details.
Eloise raised her brow as if asking him to elaborate. Ren sighed again frustratingly but continued, "Long time back, there was a girl like you who was confident she could beat Corey. She was an amazing MTB rider and had a lot of experience. She would have defeated Corey...if she hadn't been hurt during the race."
"Hurt? How?" Eloise questioned.
"There were some traps set on the track by Corey's friends. She fell into one and couldn't make it out." There was a sense of remorse on Ren's face while his eyes held a deep pain.
"She fell headfirst and was gravely injured. She couldn't survive for long." He continued, "And that girl, s-she was my sister." He finished.
Eloise stared at him in shock, not knowing what to say. Suddenly Ren's hatred for Corey, his extreme emotions regarding them and his refusal to let her race against him made complete sense. He had seen a sibling die because of Corey, he doesn't want Eloise to suffer from a similar fate.
Her gaze softened as she slowly approached him. Putting a hand on his shoulder she said, "You just gave me another reason to defeat Corey."
Ren turned around with wide eyes, unsure of whether she's joking or not. Eloise smiled softly, telling Ren that she meant every word she said.
"I'll be careful, Ren. Please don't worry about me. This is the only chance we have of driving Corey and others away. Once I defeat them, you all can kick them out of your town. I can't let this opportunity go." She said.
Ren looked at her in admiration. He never expected her to be so mature and brave to risk her life in order to prevent something wrong from taking place. He remembered the time when he was like her, brave and courageous and not afraid of any challenge. How did he turn into someone who's scared to stand up to a bully like Corey? No, this wasn't like him. Eloise was right. This was one chance when they can finally get free of Corey and his goons. He can't back out now.
"Alright. If you are sure then I'll help you in any way I can." Ren said, looking hopeful now.
Eloise smiled gratefully at him. He had been a huge help for her till now.
"Let's finetune your bike. I'll make it perfect for the weather and the track." He said cheerfully, making Eloise laugh.
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Soon it was time for the race. Eloise took a few deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. She knew how important winning this race was, not only for the town but also for herself. She had always been an MTB lover for as long as she could remember. Gabu and Taiga taught her to ride an MTB from a really young age and as she was a fast learner, she soon became one of the best riders in their group.
Ren accompanied her to the track along with Aoi. They brought the driver launcher along with them, assured that Corey will surely use one.
"A driver launcher?" Eloise asked curiously.
"Yes. If used correctly, it can give the rider an acceleration of 100km/hr." Ren replied, smiling at the look of disbelief on her face. "I am sure it will help you in your victory."
Corey and his friends were already present at the track when Eloise reached. They were all set up for the race with their drive launcher. Eloise felt a strange feeling at the pit of her stomach. It was the first time she was going to race against someone alone. In the past, Gabu and Taiga had always been with her during any race, to either give her a pep talk or to scare her opponent away. But this...was a real race. Her race.
'I have to win this race.' She thought, taking a deep breath.
Adjusting their bikes on the drive launcher, both Eloise and Corey got ready for the race.
"We have to go behind this building into the forest and from there into the landing." Corey said, explaining the track to her.
Eloise focused on the track. It was a straight path into the jungle from where they had to go through the various natural obstacles and downhill onto the landing. She had to take a lead from the beginning, or else it might get difficult for her to get ahead inside the forest. Her bike; Falcon X is best on straight paths so it would be better if she could make use of it.
Putting on a helmet, she got on her bike. Ren came beside her, wishing her luck.
"Stay cautious. There might be some traps set on the racetrack." He whispered softly when no one was looking.
Eloise nodded solemnly and adjusted herself on her bike. Ren had changed her tyres into the ones which were best fit for the track. Moreover, she had tight brakes and the right gears.
Ren and Aoi pulled the lever of driver launcher continuously, fueling it.
"Idaten...GO!" She cried out, launching out in the air and into to the race.
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