Previously...
"Okay. Let's get to the track." Braedey announced, him and the others now leaving with their vehicles for the track. "Good luck out there, and take care."
"You too." Speed nodded as they go forth to the track.
"Time for Silverbolt to race." Kou announced, now lowering the visor on his helmet.
~*~*~
Down on the track, there seems to be some kind of confrontation or something going on. The group now get out of their cars and now made their way over to the group of people to see what's happening.
"Hey. What's going on?" Speed now asked to one of the folks.
"There's been news of a new track being made for the upcoming season cup." One teenager answered back. "Some are speculating about what track it might be."
"Some are even putting bets on them." Mitch added in.
"Really? All this for some ridiculous speculations?" Kou questioned as he walked up. "I mean, really?"
"It's just the way those folks are." Blaze countered.
"By the way, have you heard about anything interesting regarding this new track?" Kou asked to the others.
"Your guess is as good as mine." Speed answered back honestly.
"Maybe it's on a sweets and candy racetrack." Conor suggested, the others giving him a blank look. "Or not."
"Right now, I'd be more concerned about our next exam rather than the race." Braedey commented, the others all snickering in response. "What? It's true."
Blaze smiled, but his internal senses were giving him a warning. He lowered a visor over his eyes, which was now bringing up a scan of the area, some cameras in places activating in response, and Blaze checks one of the cameras, a group of black/green muscle cars driving past it on a stretch of road a few miles away from the academy.
'Hmm... Very peculiar.' Blaze thought to himself, now sending the footage to Human/Autobot Alliance HQ for Jackson Martin to decipher and to inform him. 'Let us hope there's some good news from this...'
"Hey, guys. Look at this." Braedey's voice spoke up, the others now walking over to see what he has found. "It looks like this race is what could be described as a survival race."
"A survival race?" Conor asked in concern.
"Hey, lanky legs. Relax." Kou said to Conor. "But, for all intents of understanding, what is this survival race?" He asked to Braedey.
"Not sure. Looks like we'll find out during... Professor Aniskov's class." Speed muttered.
"He's not really the best of teachers, but he means well." Lucy stated, then she patted Speed's shoulder in reassurance. "You'll do fine."
"Thanks, Lucy." Speed thanked.
"Let's get going before we get caught for being late." Ken suggested, the others following on after him. "I'd rather be
In the classroom, Professor Aniskov stood before the students in his class, holographic image of the track they'll be racing on appearing next to him, but no image or information about what the track could be, all except for the map.
"This race will be one of agility and sharp strikes against your opponents. You will have to oust yourself from the pack and show what you can do in tight situations." Professor Aniskov stated to everyone in the class.
'Sounds like this'll be a tough and tight race.' Braedey thought to himself. 'Best choices for something like this would be utilising the environment around me, or some fast modes that could be utilised.'
"In addition to this course, this'll be where most of you will race with an occupant alongside you." Professor Aniskov added in, which did get some off-guard. "They'll be your navigator, so you won't be utilising your GPS systems."
"Aw, man. Not cool." Jesse fumed.
"Like, what a total pain." Jared added.
"So we can't use the GPS? Okay, then." Conor sighed.
"That sounds like a good challenge." Kou mused.
"I see. So it seems we will have someone alongside us in the cars." Blaze concluded, then raised his hand. "Professor? Are we allocated a navigator, or will they be chosen at random?" He asked.
"A good question, Blaze. For your answer, those that will have a navigator have already been allocated, and you'll meet them before you go to the track." Professor Aniskov stated to them.
After that explanation, the students all made their way down to the track to get ready for the lesson. As they go over to their cars, they noticed a holoscreen board informing to everyone who gets their own navigator:
•Braedey - Rin
•Blaze - New Student
•Kou - Mitch
•Speed - Conor
•X - Lucy
"This might be an issue." Rin said to Braedey as they walked up to the Transformer. "I mean, there's only one seat built into this car. How are we supposed to race together?"
"Good thing I'm five steps ahead." Braedey taps some commands into the Transformatrix, and in response, the cockpit and bodywork began to stretch and expand in size, a second seat now forming within the cockpit, making the Transformer like that of a two-seater jet. "There. Easy as putting a nut to a bolt."
"Wow. That was easy." Rin commented.
"You never know when you need to give a passenger a ride." Braedey shrugged back to her.
DJ Reyes walked up, he and Braedey sharing a brofist. "Good luck, and take care of yourself out there." He advised, walking back to his car.
"Time to have some fun." Rin smiled to Braedey.
Sure enough, it was time for the race to begin. Braedey puts on his helmet and straps in, revving his engine a few times, the ground shaking as the other cars also rev their engines. He looks behind to see Rin get her helmet on and strap in, now giving a thumbs-up to him. Blaze cracked his neck as he shifts into gear. He looks to his new navigator, and took note: the navigator is a female in a black and pink racing suit, while having a pinkish racing helmet that has a set of cat ears on top. DJ Reyes wraps his black ascot around his neck, putting his gloves on, as he grips the steering wheel. Kou strapped in, his helmet on as he drops the visor over his eyes. He rolled his eyes as Mitch strapped in, and despite the fact he wanted to talk, he knew Kou won't want to talk back to him. Ken revs his GT40's engine for the off, Jennifer also ready to go. Speed and X both also got ready for the off, Conor and Lucy with the two brothers.
As the countdown begins, unbeknown to the others, a sleek black custom-built concept muscle car of sorts roll up onto the startline, the driver inside gripping the wheel and gearstick, the occupant alongside hidden by the dark tinted windows alongside its passenger.
The cars launch off the line, the Transformer and GT40 up ahead. The Howlin' Heat now shot into the lead, the Mach 6 and Shooting Star behind it. The Transformer slides in behind them, DJ Reyes and his Hell Charger also closing in, Kou and the Silverbolt alongside the Transformer, with Jesse and Jared's var just behind him, the GT40 chasing along after them, along with the sleek black racecar.
As the cars race round the course, the section of track opens to reveal mechanical computer components. A second later, two large steel rings rise from the track and lock together, forming the steel arch ring, the blue glow appearing in the centre of the arch, creating the Virtual Track portal. The racecars charge around the main circuit once more, then enter the blue portal. Once they enter the Virtual Track, everyone saw they were racing around some kind of mountains with many switchback roads and high steep ledges. It was like something out of the classic Monte Carlo rally course.
"Okay, this could be tricky." Braedey forced the car to slide around the turn, thanks to the T-180 wheel design and control, and they began to spin around quickly and efficiently without delay. "But nothing the Transformer can't handle."
"Wow, this is cool." Rin commented as she held onto the straps. "This car handles like it's on rails."
"You ain't seen nothing yet." Braedey laughed, forcing the Transformer to slide past two cars on the outside of a hairpin, then shoot forward and pass them. "Okay. What's next?"
"Oh! Okay." Rin now checks on the map she has with her, which was given to all the other navigators. "You have another set of switchbacks ahead, a few tight straightaways, a tunnel or two, plus a few swooping curves." She informed to him.
"Got it. Let's go!" Braedey shifted up another gear and powered on ahead with a roar of its engine.
The white/blue racecar now slides and travels on forth around the switchback turns, passing by some of the other cars in the process. Up ahead, they could see Jesse and Jared, the two of them arguing over who's navigator and driver. Braedey smirked, now racing up to them and began nudging their back bumper, now catching their attention, only for the Transformer to now shoot by and race off, sliding around another of the switchback roads, eventually, coming up to one of the straightaways.
"Hey! Get back here!" Jesse called out.
"I'll get him!" Jared argued back.
"No! I'll do it!" Jesse argued with him.
"No! I will!" Jared snapped.
"I'm driving!" Jesse complained. "You're navigating!"
"No! I'm driving!" Jared argued back with his twin.
The two were both arguing against one another as they struggle with one another, the two sides of the twins' car now separating in response, and they race off after the Transformer. The two attempt to chase on after the white/blue racecar, only for Braedey to make the car ride up the wall and onto the roof, going up-and-over some of the cars ahead, landing on the road further down the road as they exit the tunnel, Jared and Jesse both stuck behind the other drivers, then blasting their horns in response to get them out of the way. Out of frustration, the twins ram their way through and chase on after the Transformer, wanting to get some revenge.
Further on down the road, the Mach 6, Shooting Star, Hell Charger, Silverbolt and GT40 were all battling for the lead, the navigators unable to say much aside from giving out warnings about tight turns and steep ledges. The roads were narrow, so there wasn't much room to manoeuvre around as they race through the mountain.
"Definitely gonna be right here." X said to Lucy.
"Just be careful of the ledges." Lucy advised hesitantly.
"What now, Conor?" Speed asked to Conor. "There's not much room to manoeuvre and get past the others."
"Okay. According to the readout, there might be a tunnel on the left side that cuts through the mountain, and we'll be in the lead." Conor informed to Speed. "It'll come up in about 5 seconds."
"'Might be' a tunnel?" Speed asked, Conor shrugging in response. "Okay. Hope you're right about this."
Speed waited for his moment. At the five second mark, he turns the Mach 6 into a sharp left turn, now entering the tunnel, while everyone else was now driving along the road that leads around the mountain. But as the Mach 6 raced through the tunnel, the Transformer and sleek black concept muscle car find the tunnel and go down it, with Jared and Jesse missing the tunnel and chasing on after the others. Kou managed to find the tunnel and race on through the tunnel.
Eventually, the Mach 6, Transformer, and muscle car exit the tunnel and make it into the lead, about five seconds ahead of the other drivers. Kou now caught up with the others.
"Wow. Talk about a shortcut." Speed commented, just as he saw the Transformer and sleek muscle car just behind them. "Looks like we've got company."
Braedey was about to charge on ahead, but then, his rear-view mirrors picked up on Jared and Jesse's cars closing in on them. "Looks like some rats are still chasing after us." He stated to Rin.
"What's the plan?" Rin asked.
"Hopefully, the guy next to us understands hand signal messages." Braedey looked to the sleek muscle car, now making a gesture with his hand regarding the two twins behind them. "Here goes nothing..."
At once, the two cars began to swerve left and right across the road, blocking the twins as they try to get past them. Jared attempted to swerve around onto part of the rock wall to get around, only to be forced up a particular rock, sending him flying through the air and ending up being teleported out of the virtual track. In response, Braedey deployed spikes from his tyres, and began to drive the Transformer along the rock wall at speed, Jesse unable to reach the car, with the sleek muscle car bumping Jesse towards the guardrail edge. At the last second, the muscle car slams on the brakes as Braedey charges at the twin's car, just as Kou and the Silverbolt does the same, the two knocking Jesse into the air and teleporting him out of the virtual track.
"Wow. That was some smart driving." Rin commented, then looked to the muscle car next to them. "And have to give that guy credit for the assist."
"As well as Kou and the Silverbolt." Braedey smiled.
Braedey saluted to the muscle car before racing ahead, the sleek machine flashing its lights in response to him. Braedey smiled in response and shot ahead, Kou racing alongside.
Just behind them, the Shooting Star, Hell Charger, and GT40 were catching up with the Mach 6, black muscle car, Silverbolt and the Transformer. It was going to be a close one, indeed. DJ Reyes hits the boost switch and with fire erupting from his engine and exhaust, he shot ahead and powered on ahead.
Eventually, the cars exit the virtual track, Speed taking the win, Braedey coming in second, Kou and DJ Reyes both taking third position.
"That was a close race." Speed commented.
"Have to say, that was... exhilarating." Rin breathed out, climbing out of the cockpit, albeit with shaky legs. "I've... I've never gone that fast before. How do you do it?" She asked.
"If you've been travelling with folks that can drive or fly faster than you've gone before, it becomes the norm for you." Braedey replied casually. He then smiled to Kou. "Nice slam manoeuvre."
"You too. Teamwork makes the dream work." Kou adds in. "Nice driving."
"Thanks." Braedey smiled back.
"Hey, good work out there." DJ Reyes shook hands with Speed and Braedey. "Definitely was a close run."
"But the big question I'd like to ask is who's the driver of that beast?" Braedey walked over to the sleek black muscle car, gently knocking on the window. A second later, the window opens a little, but nobody could see who's inside. "Hey, thanks for helping out on the track. Could we know more about you?" He asked.
A moment later, the engine of the muscle car rumbled to life, and the car began to slowly roll over towards the garages, the others heading on forth to see who are the occupants of the vehicle. As they look on, the doors now open, and two occupants climbed out of the car.
The first occupant is a blonde male with spiky blonde hair, blue eyes, and white skin. He is a slender and well-built male at 6ft tall. He has on a black shirt with a cross necklace, a red fairy symbol on the right side of his chest, with dark blueish jeans with a brown belt around his waist, and black boots.
The second occupant is a woman with tan skin; she is a tall, slim young woman with curves. She has long, mid-back length brown hair, with two shoulder-length strands of hair framing her face, with the left one starting from a prominent high fringe, making it thick and wavy. She has large blue eyes, visibly long eyelashes, and possesses a curvaceous figure. Her outfit is a red dress that ends just above her ankles, red heels, and black ribbon strips around her wrists.
"Hello. Name's Dante. She is Clementine, my girlfriend." The blonde male introduced himself and his girlfriend to the others. "This is our car: The Gov'ner."
(A/N: Dante, Clementine, and the Gov'ner belongs to Alienkiller3000 )
"Bonjour." Clementine greeted in French.
"Pleasure." Blaze nodded.
Nice set of wheels. And thanks for the assist." Braedey thanked, shaking hands with Dante. "By the way, your car is definitely impressive."
"Yeah. The Gov'ner is built to be tougher than tanks." Dante clarified. "A reinforced chassis that can take heavy hits, toughened drivetrain to withstand strikes, plus bulletproof tyres and armour plating across the body, and can reach up to 300mph."
"Impressive." Braedey nodded, looking around the car. "Built like a tank but as fast as a hyper car."
"Great job out there." Speed comments, shaking hands with Dante and Clementine. "Hope we get the chance to race together again."
"I hope so too." Dante nodded in agreement. "Let's race again one day."
After that, the group made their way back to their cars and drove off back to their garages. Dante looked to Clementine, telling her to get their car to their garage. As she drives off, Dante eyed the twins with suspicion, especially when they're talking with a figure that's in a cloak and hat before said figure walked away. Dante narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but he goes off to meet back up with Clementine.
'Whatever is going on behind the scenes, we'll be ready for whatever happens.' Dante thought to himself.