Biker Mice from Mars - Mountain Drift

Chapter 12: Shifters

Manuel got out of his car and walked up to Takumi.

"You're even better than you claimed to be! Good race!" Manuel said. "Whew! What a rush..."

"Got that right," Takumi said. "That was some good driving you did there..." Takumi then looked to Manuel's CR-X and raised an eyebrow. "...You might want to check on your friend, man..."

Manuel looked over to the passenger seat, and he couldn't suppress his laughter. Throttle had passed out!

"A little... a little too much speed, I guess..." Manuel said between laughing and trying to catch his breath. "Poor guy... Let's got back up the mountain and go to my dad's diner, Shifters, and get a soda or something and wait for the Takahashi Brothers. Let's call them and tell them to meet us there. He might wake up by then..."

Later, at Shifters...

Hesus Vernandez walked around as he checked on his restaurant and employees. The business was at a normal level for the restaurant. His son, and main delivery boy, Manuel, had taken some time off to spend with his friends that were in town from Japan. He was a little irritated with the sudden notice but knew there wasn't anything he could do about it. Manuel was an adult now and was old enough to make his own decisions. He just didn't like the substitute delivery drivers that much. Every other driver besides Manuel always seemed to spill something in their cars on the way up the mountain.

He was surprised when he got back behind the bar counter to see Manuel's car drive up outside with a white panda Trueno Eight-Six. Manuel walked in with several Japanese boys about his age and someone in a hoodie with sunglasses.

"Manuel, my boy! Where have you been?!" Hesus said happily. "Come here and tell me what you've been up to!"

Manuel felt a little embarrassed, everyone's eyes on him now. It was only natural, he thought, to be embarrassed by one's own parents when in the company of friends.

"Hey dad," Manuel said as he walked up to the bar area. "Could we get a table, and then talk for a bit?"

"Oh, sure, no problem, my boy!" Hesus said. "Will, you or your friends be having anything to eat or drink?"

"Sure. And Takumi, I'll pay for all of us" Manuel said.

"Good to see you, my boy!" Hesus said. "I'll catch up with you soon. Wait here, a waitress will have you seated shortly." He then went back to what he was doing, which was managing the bar section.

Everyone looked around the diner. It had the typical decor of an American northwestern diner except for the many car pictures and posters on the walls. There were also some scale model cars in display cases around the diner and on some of the tables. There was a jukebox near the cash register and neon lights above the bar counter. Parts of the bar stools looked like they had been fashioned from car wheels, and the booth seats looked like bench seats from sedans.

Someone sure does love their cars." Throttle said.

"It's complicated," Manuel said. A waitress he knew quite well, Rosie, walked up.

"Hi, sweetheart." She said, causing Manuel to turn a deep shade of crimson from even further embarrassment. He knew she loved doing that. She'd done it ever since he first came into the diner when he was seventeen. "I have a table right near the window, just follow me."

"Thanks, Rosie." Manuel and his friends followed Rosie to a booth and sat down. Rosie handed them some menus.

"Take your time. I'll be back in a few to check up on you." She said, then walked off to check on other customers.

Throttle looked through the menu. They seemed to have some good food. Their chili dogs looked especially appetizing, so he figured he'd have one. Manuel decided to have one as well. Takumi, however, was a little confused. He didn't know what to order. He finally settled on a cheeseburger. Iketani decided he was going to get one as well. Itsuki, feeling adventurous, decided on Fish and Chips.

"So, what's with the car-themed decorations?" Iketani asked.

Manuel was quiet for a moment. He had a sad look. "It's kind of dedicated to my older brother. He... used to race."

"He must have been a good driver, to get an entire diner dedicated to him," Iketani said.

Manuel put on a pained smile. "He sure was. Back then, my brother was the best in the state. He was good enough to go pro if he wanted. All I thought back then was that Hector was the best. Everyone else was just competing for second..."

Rosie then came back and took their orders, right as the Takahashi brothers drove up outside.

They watched Ryosuke walk in first, followed by Keisuke. They looked around the diner, spotted Takumi, and walked over.

"Sounds like you two had quite a race," Keisuke said.

"Congratulations on your victory against Manuel, Takumi," Ryosuke said. "Was he a challenge?"

"Definitely," Takumi said. "I've never seen anyone besides you guys drive at the level Manuel does..."

"Good to hear." Ryosuke smiled. "If this were Japan, I'd offer to let him join Project D."

"Uh, Project what?" Manuel asked.

"It's a small racing team that we're part of," Takumi explained.

"Well, Takumi, me and my bro are going to hang around here for a while before heading back to our hotel. See you around." Keisuke said.

And they went over to the bar section to wait for a seat. Manuel was giving Takumi another eagle eye.

"Project D, huh?" He said with a smile. "You never mentioned that before."

"Yeah, I kind of forgot about that..." Takumi said.