Boy Racer 2: Tale of a Grand Tour

Chapter 3 - Round 2: Hiroshima

The next week, Alwyn and Ichiro raced their way to a hotel in Hiroshima where the competing racers will meet and be assigned to the rooms they were to stay in with all expenses paid in advance. However due to some setbacks, each room will be assigned to two drivers which means they're likely to get to know each other throughout the weekend. Surprisingly enough, Alwyn and Ichiro were assigned to the first room since they were the top two drivers to finish the first race in Tsukuba. And so the Welshman and his Japanese acquaintance settled in and sat around, waiting for the details on their upcoming race which will be taking place in the streets of Hiroshima. "So...how long have you been in Japan, exactly?" Ichiro asked the Welshman in curiosity, "A couple months, i believe...." Alwyn answered. "That's quite odd since you look like you've been here for years." Ichiro commented, "Well that's what an mechanic's job will do to Welshmen like me..." Alwyn replied and then asked in return "how 'bout you? what's your story?". "You know one of those Mitsubishi plants where you build those Lancers? i've been working there for ages...at least until i got fired." Ichiro answered him, "Heh...what'd they throw you out for?" he asked. "I uh...stole my Lancer from the assembly line, fixed the defects then i got caught." Ichiro answered, "That's bloody crazy..." Alwyn commented. "I know...i never even thought it would happen..." Ichiro added, moments before they suddenly hear someone ringing their doorbell. "Two of you, conference room." Sharpe's voice can be heard from the other side of the door followed by footsteps fading out as he heads over to the conference room where the drivers are advised to meet up. Once everyone got to meet up at the conference room, Donington's team chief laid out pieces of paper that lay out the route of the upcoming race. "Now this will be round two of the Sunday cup. Because of how tight these roads are gonna be compared to Tsukuba, i'm expecting you all to be careful while doing your best, that is all." Sharpe said to everyone before casually leaving the room. "So how do you think this is gonna work out?" Alwyn asked as he looked at the route of the race, "Dunno...i hope the police is okay with this..." Ichiro guessed before all the six drivers returned to their respective hotel rooms. On the following evening after dinner, Alwyn and Ichiro sat around with the TV running as they memorize the route of the upcoming street race which is hopefully being approved by local police which aren't normally very fond of street racing in their town. On the following day, the young Welshman took his Skyline out of the parking lot and drove his way to the starting grid like the other drivers whom just left. He kept his mind focused on the race route as much as he could while trying to be neither late or lost, not even knowing what he may be running into on the way to the race. Up ahead was a young and apparently beautiful girl holding on to what seems to be a lacrosse stick, apparently a year younger than Alwyn which is what may be desired by a pair of foreign looking men who momentarily ran into her and decided to grab her. "target acquired!" one of the men said in an odd sounding accent, similar to a Spanish one despite their Asian ethnicity. As the two began to hold the girl in place both from in front of her and behind, she began to resist, trying to call for help. Luckily for her, the young Welshman in his Kenmeri Skyline was just a couple seconds away. Alwyn would then slow down and witness what looks like two men trying to kidnap an innocent young lacrosse girl, prompting him to pull over as he immediately deployed the parking brake and took a red pipe wrench from his glove compartment (because self defense) and intervened. "Oi!" he called out to the two men who were grabbing the girl by two sides, he then gave them a good hit and pulled the girl to safety, followed by a double strike to each of the adversaries before putting the girl in the passenger seat of the Skyline with the lacrosse stick in the back. However not knowing how this would impact his performance in the race, Alwyn decided to drive straight to the starting grid. Once the Welshman pulled out of the scene, the two kidnappers embarked a grey Toyota Hi-Ace van which was parked in a nearby alley and drove after the vintage Nissan. As Alwyn and the lacrosse girl arrive at the starting grid at the last minute before the race began, the girl herself was suddenly concerned of what is going on. "W-what is going on? who are you?" she asked the Welshman, "I'm Alwyn Maddock...and i believe those two men were trying to get it on with you." the Welshman answered. "Look, they're probably given up the moment i pulled you out of there. You're probably safe here." He said to the girl, not knowing that the kidnappers didn't really give up. "hai, okay..." The girl said before opening the passenger door and stepped out before spotting the grey Hi-Ace driven by the two men that they just escaped from. "They're here!" she said to Alwyn, moments before the countdown began. Alwyn then looked at her with concern and then shook his head as he decided to go on while being chased, thinking that he might lose them as it continues. Once Sharpe gave the signal to the drivers to get going, the Skyline and the other cars launched forward and began racing each other to the finish point while being chased by a suspicious looking van. Just a minute in, Maddock himself took first place and used the cars behind him as cover from the kidnappers' van. Sharpe eventually began to take notice of the unknown vehicle in the race and was suddenly concerned as it then broke the "no-contact" rule by bumping into one of Alwyn's opponents in the rear, "Who the bloody hell is that...?" Sharpe mumbled before alerting the team, "i think someone's attacking our grid, we may need the police on this" he said before one of the mechanics alerted one of the police bikes about the van as the vehicles approach it in an intersection. The officer in the bike then identified the van and alerted his colleagues as they zoom their way through, alerting the roadblocks up ahead while at it. As they passed the midway point, several police bikes came in only to stop the van, letting the race go through all the way to the finish point where Alwyn then won the second round of the second round of the Sunday Cup with a girl on his side as well even though it wasn't supposed to happen. Following the end of the race instead of heading straight back to the hotel to celebrate, the lacrosse girl directed Alwyn to drop her off at her home. "So what's your name?" The Welshman asked in curiosity since she wasn't supposed to be in on the event, "Yumiko Minami, i was just heading home from practice.". "Alwyn Maddock, i was supposed to be in on this race alone." The two introduced themselves to each other, "Anyway, it's best you tell whoever you're living with about this. I'll only be in town for the weekend, after all." The Welshman said before Yumiko stepped out of the car and took her lacrosse stick from the back with her, "Will we meet again?" She asked him with a curious smile on her face. "Maybe" Alwyn answered her before she closed the door. "I hope i'll see you soon, bye bye!" She said as she walked towards her home, leaving Alwyn be as he drove off back to the hotel with a weak smile on his face.