The Kaga Saga

Part 9: The Big Race (Shimakaze)

"Today I will race against Shimakaze." Kaga chose.

"Be prepared to lose you giant slow hunk of metal. I almost feel bad for racing against you." Shimakaze spoke confidently.

The carrier and destroyer lined themselves up at the start of their course and prepared to do a final check on their racing conditions. "I can't watch." Kamikaze R said. "Don't worry Kam. I have full confidence that Kaga knows what she is doing." Enterprise ensured. "How can you say that?" New Jersey was baffled.

"You'll see."

Enterprise launched her planes to act as track marshals throughout the course. Le Fantasque was at the finish line to see who will win. Tashkent was at the starting line to green light the race and the other ships spread themselves throughout the course to watch the race. The course of the day was a windy one with several corners. The ships had to pass several pairs of marked buoys and had to stay within them in order for it to count. They'll be disqualified if they cut the corners or go too wide. When Kaga practiced on this course, she had noted the currents within it. If she can use them correctly, she'll gain a speed advantage. Shimakaze then spoke up and made a proposal for Kaga.

"I'm in a good mood today. Let's mix things up for a bit. I'm going to give you a one minute head start."

"Wait. What?"

"Take it now or lose it. It doesn't matter because I'm going to beat you either way."

"Alright then. I'll go first." Kaga accepted the offer. Tashkent raised his gun, signalling that the race was about to start. "Racers, start your engines!" The two racing ships started their engines and a quick blast of smoke came out of their stacks. Kaga lifted her anchor and Tashkent fired a shot, signalling that the race had begun. The carrier used all her might to push herself as fast as she could go and slowly gained speed. A minute has passed and Shimakaze went full steam ahead. The gap between her and Kaga since the start was only 500 metres which meant the destroyer had no trouble of catching up. Shimakaze zoomed right past Kaga on the first corner and pulled away.

"No hard feelings but you had no chance since the beginning." Shimakaze said before disappearing behind an island. Kamikaze R was freaking out that her chance of joining the racing club was ruined. "What are we gonna do? That carrier can't beat Shimakaze. She's racing out of her class." "Calm down Kam. Kaga is going to pull something that will surprise you. My planes are tracking her now. Let's get going to the finish line. We'll see the winner from there." Enterprise calmly replied.

Back at the race, Kaga was lagging behind but she started gaining momentum. Her speed gradually increased from 25 to 31 knots but it was slowly climbing above that. She gave herself words of encouragement like, "You can do this," and "I must win." Eventually, she had gained so much speed that she was slowly catching up to Shimakaze who was forced to slow down a bit around the corners. Kaga could see her in the distance and knew that with the current she was on, she'll pass her soon. Shimakaze was confident that she has this race in the bag. She's cruising at 40 knot speeds at the straights but she loses a little at every corner. She heard splashing sounds behind her but wrote it off as her own. What happened next would surprise everyone.

After exiting the next corner, Kaga blew right by Shimakaze and shocked everyone witnessing the race. "Nani?" Shimakaze was taken aback. "How the fuck did she just pass me?" A plane from Enterprise reported over to the carrier and said that Kaga was travelling at a staggering 40 knots. "Unbelievable. Where did Kaga get all that speed?" Kamikaze R asked Enterprise. "Well she made use of the currents in the water, plus she has superpowers." Enterprise explained.

"Superpowers?"

"Yes, superpowers. She gained them after touching some magic treasures and is able to use it to win this race. Trust me, I've seen what she is capable of."