December 25, 1945
Nürburgring Nordschleife
Iron Blood Main Territory
9:00 AM
Third person PoV
"Good day! Good day people!~ This is your host, San Diego broadcasting to you live from the infamous "Green Hell"!" San Diego's upbeat and cheerful voice echoed throughout the vicinity.
"And sitting next to her is none other than the greatest idol the world has ever seen~ Sister Sara!" Saratoga chimed in.
"A beautiful day here in Iron Blood, and man I'm seeing a whole lot of cars around here! I don't even know where to start looking!" San Diego exclaimed.
"You sure are right Sandy, now let's get into the garages for some insight on our competitors!"
The scene now changes to the different factions, showcasing different vehicles inside their tents. Each one just as beautiful as the last.
"Alright! I'm seeing a lot of beautiful performance machines today Sara!" exclaimed San Diego.
"Oh yes indeed they are beautiful!" replied Sara,"These things are works of art to gaze upon!"
"No kidding! Let's have a closer look on our competitors' automobiles!"
"First up is Eagle Union, with cars powered by sheer freedom, these gals know what they're doing!" Sara commented.
(I've been changing team names a whole lot, it's irritating for you and me. So these will be the final ones, hope u like em.)
"Talon Motorsports (aircraft carriers) sure is soaring high in their all new Chevrolet Corvette C8.R!" San Diego compliments as a vibrant yellow C8.R came to view. "Having bagged a total of twenty five podium finishes, they are a force to be reckoned with."
"Next up we got the battleships' Team Ravage! They're definitely gonna be hitting hard in that blue, sleek Dodge Viper SRT GT3!" Saratoga commented excitedly. "The gals at Ravage sure are turning up the heat in this season!"
"I see another one Sara! And it looks like Pound4Pound Motorsports' (heavy cruisers) big, red, BMW M8 GTE!" San Diego comments, "Despite being one of the heavier cars in this race, it makes up for it in sheer power."
"And last but not least in the Eagle Union's lineup coming back from their defeat last season, the anti-aircraft experts in their latest Ford GT Le Mans, and my personal favourite, CL RAZR!" San Diego ecstatically voiced out, "Will they finally bring home the bacon? Or will they fail yet a second time?"
(sorry if you guys don't like this one)
As the majority of CL RAZR are listening to the commentary by the two idols, with some are outside polishing the car, they felt a little bit of nervousness knowing the competition will definitely be fierce.
The PA sounded out again.
"Now that's done, coming in from the east, in the land of the rising sun, Eagle Union's rival, the Sakura Empire!" Saratoga announced.
"First up from their lineup, having been one of the best teams in history, their knowledge of racing is almost unparalleled, they are Raiko Racing (light cruisers)!" Sand Diego introduced, "And here they are in their Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3!"
CL RAZR felt a sense of dread in the upcoming race. Raiko Racing was the team who slammed the door on the Eagle cruiser's faces. Especially their top driver and four-time champion, Kinu. She was known as the "Speed Demon" for a reason.
"We're not even halfway through the list yet Sandy," Saratoga remarked.
"Of course Sara, that's why we have to go on," San Diego sighed tiredly.
"So much for that, another mighty contender has appeared, finishing second place in the Sakura Empire GT500, a fierce team also gunning for this year's championship, Hayabusa Motorsports (aircraft carriers)!" Saratoga exclaimed.
"Here they are in their sleek Acura NSX GT3 Evo!
"Coming up next are the heavy hitters of the Sakura Empire!" San Diego resounded.
"These gals don't need to introduce themselves any further, they are "Project: Yamato"(battleships)!" Saratoga cheerfully intoned, "Here they are with their Lexus LC500 from the GT500 series!"
Here's a list of the rest of the cars by the different participating teams:
Sakura Empire
Scion Racing (heavy cruisers) - Toyota GR Supra GT500
Royal Navy
Javelin Motorsports (light cruisers and yes, Javelin owns the team) - McLaren 720s GT3 Evo
Team Valor (heavy cruisers) - Bentley Continental GT3
Cloud 9 Racing (aircraft carriers) - Aston Martin Vantage GTE
Vanguard Elite (battleships) - Mercedes AMG GT
Iron Blood
Blitzkrieg Auto (light cruisers) - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
Team Razgriz (heavy cruisers) - BMW M8 GTE (official M Sport livery)
Schnell Autosports (aircraft carriers) - Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo
Project: Kaiser (battleships) - Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo2
Iris Libre and Vichya Dominion
Triomph Motorsports (mixed no destroyers) - Renault RS 01 GT3
Dominatus VD (mixed no destroyers) - Renault RS 01 GT3
Northern Parliament
Shellshock Autosports (mixed no destroyers) - Porsche 911 GT3 RSR
Dragon Empry
Radiance Motorsports (mixed no destroyers) - Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo
Sardegna Empire
Rosso SE (former 3-time champions) (mixed no destroyers) - Ferrari 488 GT3
Different teams and drivers, all with the same expression plastered on their faces..
... determination.
"This is it folks, the race will begin in a short moment," Sandy announced, "All cars are tuned and optimized for the Nurburgring!"
"Hold on to your panties ladies!" Saratoga remarked, "It's gonna be a bumpy ride!"
Y/N's PoV
The time has come, this is it. The first of three different events of the Manjuu Grand Prix. I've never felt this nervous in a while. But nonetheless, I am sure this will be enjoyable.
As I made my way to the pits for the final preparations, I took the opportunity to admire the other factions' works. Amazing was just an understatement.
Different models, different advantages. The mere thought of it gets my adrenaline pumping.
While on the way, I noticed something, rather someone behind one of the tents. I took a closer look, it was Helena. And she seemed to be muttering something.
"You can do this Helena, your team is counting on you. Don't let them down," she muttered as motivation.
"Don't worry, we have faith in you. You'll do great," my voice startled her.
"Eeeeek! Y/N don't scare me like that!" she shouted but not too loud, "You almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Sorry, won't happen again," I apologized whilst scratching the back of my head.
"What are you doing here anyway?" she inquired.
"I was just making my way toward the pits and on my way there, I noticed you muttering something," I explained.
"I don't think I'm cut out for this," she sighed sadly.
"Don't say that, believe in yourself. The race hasn't started yet. And we need you, I need you to win this thing. Only you can help us through. So please, don't beat yourself up, It pains me seeing you like this."
With teary eyes, she enveloped me in a friendly embrace, which I returned. She then met my gaze and smiled.
'That's the cutest thing I've seen in a while,' I thought to myself.
"Thanks Y/N, I really needed that," she said whilst wiping her tears away, "We should go now, the race could be starting anytime soon."
"That's the spirit! Race you there!" I said taking off immediately.
"Oi, not fair!"
I chuckled, I could hear her screams of complaints as I sprinted towards the pits.
(Trust me, it ain't the end yet...)
Timeskip brought to you by Helena and Cleveland having an arm wrestling match
(Place your bets ;)
Third person PoV
By the time Helena and Y/N got to the track, the opening ceremony had just ended. As they looked around, they saw thier teammates hyping themselves up for the race. Helena went to Cleveland's side to ask her something.
"Took you long enough," Cleveland said a little disappointed.
"Sorry, I was caught in a little jumble, but it's all good now," Y/N reasoned out, "Say, what's the situation here?"
"It's all good, I'm more worried about the opponents though," Cleveland expressed,"Thier cars looked faster than ours!"
Y/N overheard their little conversation, so he decided to step in and ease Cleveland of her worries.
"Don't you worry Cleve, I made sure these babies are up to the job. We may have the lowest power output at five hundred and forty horsepower (540hp), but our cars are by far the lightest of all the other cars. I made sure to remove all the unnecessary weight I can remove. And thanks to the ultra lightweight titanium chassis, it's rigid and reliable," he explained.
"Wow, that's actually pretty good. By the way where'd you get the titanium chassis?" Cleveland inquired.
"W-well you see, I had help from an outside contact. And once she agreed, it was smooth sailing from there," Y/N slightly stuttered.
Meanwhile in the Iron Blood team section...
"Achoo!" the heavy cruiser, Admiral Hipper sneezed suddenly. This resulted in Prinz Eugen looking worried.
"Are you alright, schwester?" asked Prinz Eugen.
"Yeah I'm alright, I just felt that someone revealed my secret."
"Oh, care to elaborate?"
"Oh shut up! It's meant to be a secret!"
"Whatever you say."
Back to the Eagle Union section...
As the team were doing some final preparations and fixes, they suddenly heard the PA go off.
"ATTENTION ALL DRIVERS! PLEASE PROCEED TO THE TRACK! I REPEAT, ALL DRIVERS PLEASE PROCEED TO THE TRACK!
THE RACE WILL BEGIN SHORTLY!"
The order was now issued, all driver pairs scrambled towards the track. On the first thirty five laps, Bunker Hill and Mobile Bay would be driving. Then Port Royal and Y/N on the last.
All drivers stood side by side as the opening ceremony began, followed by a speech by the great Bismarck herself.
"Thank you all for being here," she began, "It has been a great honor to host this year's Manjuu Grand Prix. Our personel has been most delighted to see the flood of people enveloping Iron Blood soil. But that aside, I personally requested for the race to be held here; in our very own Nurburgring. To the Azur Lane participants, rest assured that no threats to your lives would be attempted throughout the event."
"So now for the million dollar question, why host this event here? Wouldn't it be a total waste of precious time?" she said, "The short answer; because it is Christmas. A holiday that is meant to be celebrated together with friends and family. And what better way to celebrate it with a race?"
"I know it is difficult to trust me, a core member of the Crimson Axis, but even I have feelings. I simply miss my old friends," she admitted, hinting towards a special person.
Somewhere in the midst of the crowd, a certain elegant lady was listening to Bismarck's speech. She clutched her heart, the sense of longing filling her.
"Bismarck my friend, you haven't changed a bit since our last time being friends," she said softly, "I hope you and I get the chance to bond again like we used to."
Just then, a voice sounded out near her, making her flinch and breaking her train of thoughts.
"Lady Hood, are you alright?" the voice said.
However, despite the emotions the battlecruiser felt, and being the calm and elegant lady she is, she kept her elated posterior suppressed.
"I'm just fine Edinburgh, no need to fuss about it", she said with a slight giggle, "In fact, I feel today is going to be a great day."
Hello lads and lass! I hope you guys can forgive me for this long overdue chapter. School's been a total pain in the ass and It's getting stressful. I only got a few more weeks until summer break, and when the time comes, I shall bring more chapters to all of you.
Thank you for your support, lads. Have a good one mates.
To be continued...