It was in the evening, with the sun slowly setting. There were two kids, a boy and a girl in the playground. There wasn't a parent in sight, they had come alone.
"We would always be together no matter what!" The girl with blonde hair raised her pinky finger to a promise. The boy with brown hair smiled, he lifts his finger and they both agreed in promise.
"Pinky swear?"
"Pinky swear."
Rachel: "Gwwahhh!!"
Rachel woke up from her bed with cold sweat and her hair in a mess. She checked her surroundings, she was in her own room.
"Jeez." She had a slight headache. It was weird, she had that same dream again. She did some research about dreams the previous day. It said to be impossible to have the same dream twice or more. If it does happen, it is considered to be a memory. But she couldn't remember much from her childhood past. Judging from the girl's blonde hair in her dreams, it would be herself. However, she wondered who was that boy. And where was that mysterious playground?
"Sweetie come down downstairs and have breakfast! Get ready for school!" Her mom told her downstairs.
"Ok, mom!"
Rachel looked at the time, it was already 7 a.m. So she got off her bed to get ready for school.
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Episode Ten~The Fall of The Fire Element
*Ring!!*
The school bells rang, signaling that class was about to start. Rachel was almost late when she ran to the school gates.
"Damn I shouldn't have wasted so much time to put on the red ribbons on my hair!" She cursed. Her blonde hair swung around as she ran.
Rachel got into her classroom just in time. She was exhausted from all the running. She sank on her desk, breathing heavily.
"Just in time............... Eh?"
She got a glance of Louis and Joel talking away. She starts to stare at Joel, admiring him. She did have a crush on that new kid. She agreed JL was cool, but she felt that Joel was more handsome.
"Pinky swear."
The dream Rachel had suddenly replayed itself in her head. She tries to snap out of it.
Then, Joel noticed someone staring at him, he turns and saw Rachel who turns away, blushing.
Joel: "Hmmm?"
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"Alright, class, I need to take your attendance." The class's homeroom teacher, Mrs. rose annouced.
"Tom?"
"Present!"
"Paul?"
"Here!"
"Louis?"
Louis: *raises his hand*
"Jack?" Mrs. Rose asked, but no one replies.
"He's absent teacher." A student told her. The class felt relieved. Jack was the class bully, he was loud, arrogant and always disruptive during class. However, today his desk was empty.
"Again, this is strange. He's been absent since Monday." The teacher began to worry. However, Louis, JL, and Joel was celebrating inside.
"Oh well, let's start with our lesson...." Then the teacher remembers something and turned her attention to Joel. "Oh, Joel could you see me after class, we need to discuss something."
Joel was shocked, he tried to think why the teacher would call him up. "Arrrrr.....Ok."
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(Later...)
The homeroom teacher passed Joel his report card book. Joel was shocked when he read it.
"Your grades are falling behind Joel, if this keeps up I can't let you graduate." The teacher was worried. "You got to brush up, the final exams are coming in a few months."
"I understand." Joel acknowledged.
"Ok, you're dismiss."
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(At lunch...)
"How it go?" JL asked Joel after swallowing his mouthful of spaghetti. It was Friday, and the school canteen always serve something special on that day rather than the usual mixed rice on Mondays to Thursdays.
Joel looked up from his meal. "It's fine I guess." He sounds gloomy. "But I probably can't graduate this year if my poor grades keep up."
"What!?" JL freaked out.
"That's news," Louis said.
"The thing is, racing takes a lot of my time that I should use for studying." Joel signed. "Well, I don't really know what to do now. I feel lost."
Then JL had an idea. "How about we go for another race to cheer you up," he suggested. "I'm sure they'll notify us about a race by now."
Then Louis felt something vibrated in his pocket. He took out the device that Airi gave him. It was ringing.
"Guys we got a race," Louis announced. "Keep me covered." He told the two as they nodded in acknowledgement.
The hoodie then ducked under the table and pushed a button at the side of the device. It then projected a hologram of the world map underneath the table. The map then zoomed in by itself showing east Asia and then Japan and then Yokohama city where the race meet will be taken placed, marked with a red dot.
"At seven tonight. We'll meet up in the warehouse."
"Alright, let's do this!" JL felt pumped up.
"........" Joel stayed quiet.
"I can't keep this up, I have to let it go." He thought.
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(Yokohama City, Japan)
The race meet was at the Daikoku Parking Area that was nestled beneath the towering overpasses of the Bayshore Route highway or the Wangan highway to the locals. The place was like usual when Louis, Joel, and JL reached it, racers hanging, talking, inspecting their cars for any problems or having a good time. Soon the purple R32 GT-R showed up. Mr. Alex and Airi got out of it, slamming the car doors behind them.
"Welcome to Yokohama city everyone!" Airi raised her voice and the crowd went wild. "Today, we're going for highway racing!"
"Wow, she really knows how to excite the crowd." Louis thought, admiring her from a distance.
"I need volunteers, who wanna race first?" she asked the crowd.
"I'll go." Joel raised his hand. "I've hadn't race for a while and I might feel refresh if I did race today."
"Well, he's onto something." Said Rhys the blue hair from L.A. noticing Joel.
"Just let the dude race, he'll be fine," JL assured him.
Another racer stood up, confident of himself. "Let's do this!" He said with enthusiasm.
"Ok, here's the track." Airi pulled out a map and signaled the two volunteers to come forward. Some other naivë racers also decided to check out the map with them.
(Image of map)
"Listen up, we're not gonna race on the whole highway, so were starting from the Daikoku Area up to the toll booth at Oi JCT." She told them. "There will be some staff waiting for you two there, and there might be some heavy traffic on the way so be careful."
"Right!" The two racers acknowledged and got into their cars. Joel saw his opponent's car, it was a black Mazda RX-8 R3 with a wing upgrade.
"Nothing I can't handle." Joel got in his car.
"Alright, ready scorch?" He asked his partner.
"Let's do this." Was it's reply and the two cars sped off into the highway. Leaving the crowd cheering behind.
"I sense something is off...." Louis thought. "JL can we follow them, just in case."
"Well sure, we can see the whole race better from the back of them." The blue hair agreed and got in his GT-R.
"I'm afraid something bad will happen....." Louis thoughts and went to his Mercedes.
"Just stay here Mercy, I'll be back in a bit." He told his partner.
"Alright, I'll stay here."
"Come on Louis let's go!" JL yelled as Louis ran to the GT-R.
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Joel's V35 Skyline 350GT Coupe and the black RX-8 R3 raced on the highway. The road wasn't packed as it was 2 a.m. at night. Joel was in the lead, the black R3 was tailgating. Joel sped up shifting to fifth gear but the RX-8 was still sticking. Soon there was a tunnel ahead. The two cars entered it and the interior of Joel's V35 glowed orange-red.
He dodged some cars and started to sweat. The R3 was getting closer.
"Damn, I have 430 horsepower and this guy is still on my tail! He must have more horsepower than mine!" Joel began to worry.
"It's ok Joel, We'll lose him." The V35 told him. Joel shifts to sixth gear and floors it. JL's R34 was behind the R3 and 350GT. The GT-R was falling behind.
"Those two are going leave you in the dust JL!" Dax the R34 said. "Better catch up."
"Dude, I'm trying my best here, maybe you should help by accelerating faster!" JL angrily replied.
"Well, it's not my fault you didn't upgrade my horsepower. Or maybe it's because of your not a good driver enough." The car challenged him.
JL: "Damn, you can be really annoying sometimes."
"Ha, you two are hilarious." Louis laughed. "But to be honest, those two really are leaving you behind the dust JL...."
JL: "Oh really....." *emits his aura in anger*
Louis: *laughs hysterically, sweating behind*
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Joel felt uneasy, he was sweating like a pig in a butcher house, ready to be slaughtered. The R3 was pushing him beyond his limits. He soon remembers his defeat with the Lancer Evo 9 two months ago, it was the very same feeling of nervousness.
"I'm gonna lose, I'm gonna lose, I'm gonna lose!!" The words played repeatedly on Joel's mind. He was starting to lose control of his car. Random thoughts began to play in his head
"Hah, what a loser!"
"I don't think you know a damn thing about your skyline, Dumb-ass."
"Your grades are falling behind Joel, if this keeps up I can't let you graduate."
Then suddenly, a lorry appeared in front of the V35. Joel snaps out of his imagination and steers right to avoid a collision. His car spins uncontrollably. The driver in the R3 takes a deep breath and dodges the V35 spinning and continues down the freeway. Joel manages to steer his V35 to the side of the highway and stops. JL and Louis both saw the whole scene. The R34 stops at the roadside as Louis comes out and runs to the V35.
Joel was in his seat, breathing heavily in shock. Then the rage filled his body as he yelled angrily at the lost of his race.
"DAMN IT!!!!"
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The staff were waiting at a rest area of the highway next to the tollbooth. The black RX-8 showed but the V35 was nowhere in sight. The timekeeper waited for a littile while longer, but after five minutes of waiting he sense something wrong and went to asked the RX-8 driver who was drinking a can of coffee from a vending machine nearby.
"Hey, do you know where your opponent is?" The staff guy asked. "We've thought he had fallen behind you so we decide to wait longer. But it's been five minutes already."
"That V35 Skyline ?" The racer began. "Oh, it spun out during the race to avoid collision with a truck. I thought of pulling over to help it but there was also a GT-R behind us to help that spun out V35 racer so I continued the match."
"Damn, why didn't you tell us sooner!" The staff began typing on his phone.
"Hello?"
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(Back at the Daikuko Parking Area.....)
"The V35 Skyline spun out?" Airi was in the midst of a phone call.
"Oh a GT-R was there to help."
"Ok thanks." She ended the call.
She stood up to the crowd. "Looks like the R3 won!" The crowd went nuts. However, Marcus, Rhys, and prayter the reminding three members were shocked and worry for Joel.
"How could this happen?" Prayter asked in english since his two friends the American (Rhys) and English (Marcus) wouldn't understand. "Isn't Joel the best at highway racing?"
"Looks like your right Rhys." Marcus concluded. "There really was something about him today."
"Let's hope he can quickly recover from his lost." Rhys hoped.
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(Two days later.....)
Joel had already thought it through and he agreed on it. He told JL and Louis to meet him at class after school. When the last of their classmate went out, Joel began his story.
"I'm quitting racing." He suddenly said that shocked JL and Louis.
"Your kidding." JL didn't believe it.
"After what happened on Friday night you'll know I'm dead serious JL." He replied in a stern tone.
"Dude, but racing your life!"
"But my grades are more important!" Joel shot back.
"He does have a point JL, he is falling behind class." Louis told the blue hair. But JL couldn't accepted it.
"Then what about your partner? What are you going do about him?"
"I don't mind giving him a farewell to someone else." Joel replied. "Someone better than me...."
"But you can't do that it doesn't work that way!" JL tried to stop him, only to make matters worse.
"You don't know that! We all don't! We don't even know when the darkness is coming! We don't even know if it's already here! We don't even know the elements true power!" Joel angrily said. "But what I know is that I'll have to repeat the grade if I can't gradurate!" He stood from his chair.
"You only seem to care of yourself JL!" He exited the class with rage.
Louis tired console JL. "He just need some time dude."
"What does he think he could just quit like that?!" JL angrily stood. "Well I'm going for the race on the highway tonight!"
"But there's school tomorrow."
"Does it look like I care? You could follow me of you like. We'll meet at 7p.m. tonight." JL exited the room.
Louis stayed in the classroom, helplessly. "Damn, what am I suppose to do in a situation like this?"
Louis glance at his watch. It was 4p.m. "Maybe I should get home. I'll meet with JL later."
_________________________________________
Joel was walking along the streets alone. He regretted losing his cool on JL like that.
"The dude was only trying to help..." His thoughts told him.
"You should watch where your going!" A man said furiously. Joel turned around and saw a man scolding a girl. On the floor below them was a beer bottle in pieces. The girl looked frighten, tying her best to apologize to the man.
Joel went to help. "Excuse me, what's the problem here?" He asked. That's when Joel noticed the girl, that turned out to be Rachel. She was also surprised to see Joel.
"Well, while I was waiting for the bus here drinking my beer, this young lady that wasn't looking where she was going bumped into and made my beer spill on the floor." The man tired to keep his cool but he wasn't going to hold for long so Joel took out 10 bucks from his wallet and hands it over to the man.
"Here, you could go buy another." Joel offered. "She didn't did it on purpose, so let's just put this behind us."
"Well, better watch where your going next time young lady." The man left to buy his bottle of beer.
Rachel felt relieved. "Thanks I was afraid he was gonna lose his cool on me." She thanked Joel. "Joel, right?"
"Yup that's me." Joel said with no sight of enthusiasm. He saw Rachel holding a magazine.
"So, you were reading that while walking?" Joel asked as Rachel turned red and hide the magazine behind her back.
"Can I see it?" He asked the blonde hair. Rachel knew it would be rude not to show him it. After all, he helped her.
Rachel: "Here." *blushes and hands the magazine to Joel*
"Wow this is the latest aftermarket wing for a Nissan Fairlady S30Z!" Joel was surprised. "You're into racing?"
"Yeah, go laugh at me all you want." Rachel replied blushing, her hands at the back.
"Laugh? This is awesome, I didn't knew you were into cars." Joel told Rachel who was shocked at his reply. "I thought girls like you are into makeup stuff, but guess you can't judge a book by is cover."
Rachel's eyes sparkled. Finally, she knew someone else than Louis who is interest in cars.
"You have a ride?" Joel asked blondie who nods.
"I got an S30Z." She replied with her cheeks red.
"Not bad." Joel complements her.
"Why am I blushing!" She asked her body. "Maybe it's because of Joel. Well look at him, he's so cute, handsome, kind, and a car enthusiast!"
"I need to find a way to repay him, he helped me after all!" Rachel thought. Then, she got an idea.
"Hey, do you have time this evening, why not we grab a bite. It's on me." Rachel offered him.
"What?" Joel began to blush. It happen so suddenly.
Joel: "I should accept her offer, it will be rude if I refuse."
"Yeah I got time."
"Great, my dad is working overseas and my mom will not be back home till 8. So, I thought I bring you somewhere to thank you." She said. "Wanna go now?"
"Oh sure, lead the way." The two walked along the streets.
_________________________________________
Rachel
Elemental Drifters
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Rachel picked a cafe by the street. The two got themselves a nice table by the window. Joel wasn't really hungry at the time. So he only ordered a grape juice. Rachel got herself a latte. There was an awkward silence until Rachel broke it.
"So, what about you? What your car?" She asked.
"Oh me, it's a Nissan V35 Skyline 350GT Coupe. Not much really, I got the car because it was the cheapest I could find in the car dealership. Still though, it has a powerful twin turbo engine even if it looks like it's design for casual driving." Joel explained that impressed Rachel. "But what's the point telling you....."
"Sorry?" Rachel was confused.
"I'm quitting racing. As you haven't noticed my grades are failing behind." Joel signed. "Actually, I'm not sure even. A part of me tells me to stop but the other tells to continue racing. I don't know what to do now. I'm sitting in between the fence now."
Rachel felt the need to help him. "Just follow what your heart desire." She told him. Their drinks arrived during the conversation, being served by a waiter.
Joel took a sip from his grape juice. "Easy for you to say. My heart is a little indecisive now."
"Well, I always remember this saying. I've forgotten where I heard it from or who had told me. But I remember it clearly." She began. "It said that you don't really need to care about your grades or whatever life throws at you. All you need I to follow your heart and do what you love."
"That's weird, that's what my mom used to tell me everyday when I was little." Joel thought.
"And I love racing." She added. "So what do you love?"
"What do I love?" Joel thought about the question.
"I wanna be a racer when I grow up!"
"Good, then we'll both do it together."
"Ya, together."
The thoughts played in Joel's head. He had promised someone he'll be a racer when he grows up. He had forgotten who he made that promise to. However, he had swore not to break that promise to whoever that person was. Was it a girl? Maybe, it was a very long time ago.
Then, the race notifier began vibrating inside Joel's left pocket.
"Sorry, excuse me for a sec." He told Rachel with a raised finger and turned around. He took out the device and pushed the button on its side. The same hologram of the world map was projected. A race has been announced at the Wangan highway again.
All of a sudden, the brown hair was filled with determination to race.
"I'm sorry, but I need to rush now. Thank you for the drinks." Joel stood from his seat. "Oh, and to the answer to your question is I love racing too." He added and took off. Leaving Rachel blushing in her seat.
Rachel: "I finally pulled him back to racing again!"
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(Yokohama city, Japan)
"He's quitting?!" Rhys, Marcus, and prayter was shock at the news JL told them. He nods miserably.
"That's sad, we all meet each other because of racing." Marcus mentioned.
"他的车呢? (Then, what about his car?)" Prayter asked in chinese.
"Plans to give it away." JL told the red hair in his language.
"Wait isn't that him?" Rhys saw a red 350GT showed up, it was Joel.
"Just in time!" Joel said getting out of the car. "Look guys, I'm sorry, I was being a jerk back then. I only seemed to care about myself and not think about you guys. So, I've decided to continue racing for you guys."
The team felt relieved. Then, JL went to Joel and both of them did a bro hand shake.
"Sorry I lost my cool on you." Joel apologized.
JL smiled. "It's ok, your back now."
"Alright I feel pumped up! Let's race!" Joel exclaimed. But then everyone began to gasp. The team wanted to find out. They looked for the source of the drama and saw him......
JL: "No freaking way..."
Louis: "It can't be..."
Joel: "This all makes sense now....."
They were staring at a racer. He had the same golden hair and wore the same clothing. Behind him was a black Nissan Skyline GT-R BNR33 with a NISMO racing bumper and wing. Both car and driver emitted a dark fiery aura.
"He's been chosen by a fire element!" Louis exclaimed.
"Nope, he's partner isn't a fire element anymore," Airi said, joining the conversation.
"Then, what is he's element?" The team asked her.
"He's partner has betrayed the Light and joined the dark side. He's now a Dark Fire Element." Airi explained looking at the dark, scary, and fiery aura of the racer.
"This is why he didn't show up in class for many days...." Joel trailed. "Cause he's been chosen by it."
Airi: "You know this guy?"
"Of course, who wouldn't recognize a guy so loud, disruptive and arrogant like him. His fiery element even tells it all." Joel stated.
"Alright, who's your pro fire element racer! I demand to race him now!" The racer yelled standing on the hood of his car. Everyone was frighten and scared. No one had the guts to race a dark element racer yet.
Joel pushed his way through the crowd and revealed himself to the racer who was a little shock of seeing such coincidence.
"Well, well, well if it isn't Joel the loser." The racer said in seeing Joel. "I didn't know you were chosen."
Joel chuckes and then he's expression change. "It's has been a while........Jack!"
To be continued.....