I'll prove I am good enough

What an Idiot

Kenji...

"Aaa" is the only thing that came out, I was searching for words, hunting for them.

"Of course not" replied Taiga on my behalf. He said it seriously, so Gabu wouldn't suspect anything, but Gabu was cleverer than I previously imagined. He came down from the top, with the help of a lift, which I had no idea ever existed.

Gabu's next sentence echoed through my ears, "Taiga, leave us, would you?"

Even though it was a question of choice, Taiga did not have the authority to refuse. He tried to act as calm as he could, but his face had betrayed him. Obediently, he left me in the same room with a very old friend of mine, who was as gentle as a kitten.

"Are you really skilled?" he asked, as if he already knew the answer. This is the most annoying characteristic of his attitude, he says everything in a way that he always is right and doesn't care a bit about what anyone else says.

"Well, you could say that"

"Really?" he replied.

"Would you like to prove it?" he continued.

'Same old Gabu, best way to settle a dispute, race and winner takes all.'I don't know why, but his smirk along with the emotions in his eyes always taunt me, plus I had a score to settle with him.

"I accept."

"Right...that's all I needed." He replied, he was rather happy at my answer, "Taiga...stop eavesdropping by the door and come in."

So he did, but he was quite ashamed that he was caught. He was instead giving me a deadly stare, the obvious reason was why I accepted his challenge, clearly Gabu was going to set me up against some very tough opponent, who I would lose to.

"You are up, against Shadow!" exclaimed Gabu.

"That's completely unacceptable, Shadow is an assassin, he doesn't ride to race, he rides to destroy his opponents" protested Taiga.

"Well, take it as a survival training" Gabu replied, sure about the fact I would lose.

"Is that it? Won't the great leader of Team ST face me?" I asked, tauntingly. Somehow I felt the need to prove myself to Taiga, my brother, Gabu and most importantly to myself.

"WHAT?" the brother's said unanimously, Before Taiga could say a word, Gabu's Astounded face changed into a evil smirk, which means trouble.

"I accept, it's not usual that I accept challenges by you puny weaklings but, I've started to gain weight, I need to lose some" he replied in a cunningly-joking voice.

Taiga was quite obviously terse with me, he simply scolded me and gave me some first-aid, because he was certain I would get hurt, I mean, why was he so pessimistic, Gabu isn't a god. It will take some hard work to beat me, now that I've learned.

Gabu...

'A while after I accepted that stupid kid, Kenji's challenge, I was cleaning my bike. I don't know why, but whenever it is someone who I knew before the X-Zone, I really get charged up. Though, chances are I won't break a sweat to beat him, but, it's always this thrill that I feel now is what drove into MTB. The fun, the pain and the pleasure, they all come together. After all, it's the only thing I can be myself in, crazy and passionate. I regretted showing this side of me to the world once, never again.'
While I was engrossed in my thoughts, Taiga came in.

"I've got news" he said

" OH yeah, what?" I replied, putting my thoughts aside.

"Daigo and his team were killed in the rebellion in the south" he replied.

Those words stuck onto my ears, they echoed, no matter how hard I tried to make it stop. Taiga left, his head down and after going a distance, he awaited a response.

"Well, he wasn't a very good rider, anyway" I replied as I bit my lips and extended my eye muscles to control myself form crying. Taiga stared at me then he narrowed his eyelids and smiled, when he shut his eyes, white glistening drops fell from it, they were for me, definitely.

Daigo, was my first opponent in the X-Zone, he was actually a great support as well, when he lost, he handed me his emblem and smiled. He said he was honoured to have raced with a rider like me, he told me with my skills I can rule the world, although I pretended to have heard that a lot of times, I felt really happy on the inside. He voluntarily joined when Team ST was formed in the X-Zone, I faced many harder opponents, but he was my first opponent, so I guess I had developed a special bond with him. I entrusted him in the 'Southern Rebellion Control' camp, hoping he would return a better rider and I would cease the opportunity to race him. But, here I was, Daigo, was an orphan, so I was the one who was going to be at his funeral.

And so it was, a few days later, I stood near the open ground of the X-Zone, where coffins were buried. Taiga stood there quite a long time, I came back before by the car and his Daigo's last words haunted me, words I had heard before I transferred him.

"Be who you are, don't let anyone say otherwise. I don't know why Gabu but, I feel this is not you, inside you are different"