Need For Speed Night Streets

Chapter 24 - Forgiveness of Despair

7:50 p.m. Jackson Heights. Downhill Start. April was looking at the 350Z to make sure it's prepared and ready for the battle as it was at the starting line. "They chose to be the chaser." Adena said. "I see." Jill replied as she walks up to Ellie when she gets out of the car and closes the door. "Let me give you some advice on pace management. Visibility is poor, so go at 80% right after the start. Once you pick up the rhythm, raise it to 90% and when you're confident, go full throttle." Jill explained. "I see. How long should I wait for the timing?" Ellie asked. "No more than one-third of the course. Finish it off before that." Jill answered. Ellie gets back in her car as Kenna is behind her as well. They were revving their engines as they were about to start the race. "I'm starting the countdown. 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Go!!" Adena exclaimed as she started the countdown and the cars came off the start fast. They were coming in fast on the straightaway down the hill. Ellie grips the next corner as she was pacing it at 80% while Kenna is behind her. "Here they come. Who's in the lead?" A spectator wondered as he heard exhausts roaring and they were coming into the next hairpin. "Ellie." Courtney wondered as she sees the green 350Z in front and Ellie takes the next hairpin as she was drifting. "The wings." Courtney said in her mind as she saw the wings of Ellie's 350Z. Flashback. It shows her taking the next corner and the wings were rising in the dragon machine. They were gripping on the mid speed section. "Alright, I can do this. She's not slow, but not as fast as I thought. It's only natural because of the fog. I'm gonna give you a hard time by putting pressure on you from behind. I was absolutely right when I chose to be the chaser." Kenna said in her mind. Starting point. "You told Yajima something before the start, didn't you? What's your strategy?" Adena asked. "It's not exactly a strategy. Yajima can win thanks to these conditions." Jill answered. "Then what did you tell her?" Adena asked. "An instruction about not giving too much data to our opponent. My mind is already on the final race." Jill answered. "You mean the final URL Race against the Wraiths?" Adena asked. "Yeah, you could say that." Jill answered. They were on the end of the first half of the course. Ellie shifts up as she picks up the pace and pulls away a little from the Golf GTi. "She picked up the pace. Even though she's not a local, she can see the course in this poor visibility. This isn't about technique. She's got good driving sense. But she won't be able to continue this pace very long. Even that tough Gabriella lost her concentration. Keep trying hard as you like. You'll make a mistake in the second half. That's when I'll make my move." Kenna said in her mind as she shifts up to 4th gear and accelerates hard. Downhill finish. "If you ask me, I'd say the result was obvious even when the race began." I said. "But the opponent's car is so well-tuned. I used to be a Golf owner myself, so I can tell by just looking. I think the balance of turning, braking, and acceleration are better than Yajima's 350Z. Normally, she'd be at a disadvantage." Elisa replied. "What do you mean by "Normally" ? Like driving on a circuit on a sunny day? If that's the case, vehicle potential makes a difference. But in conditions like these, it's all about the driver. Jill's blind training was inspired from Yajima's natural cluelessness. Not just visibility, but as all the conditions deteriorate... the Yajima Zone gets refined. So much so that I hate it. I keep telling you the same thing over and over, Elisa. The most fearsome mountain pass driver is... ...her." I explained. Ellie was now on the second half of the course and she was on the long straightaway. "The way this girl's stomping on the accelerator is scary. This speed feels twice or even three times faster because of poor visibility. What kind of nerves does she have? The next turn is a right-hand hairpin." Kenna wondered one her mind as she sees Ellie accelerating hard pulling away a little to kick up the pace. "Is she challenging me to a braking battle in visibility as bad as this? No thanks. Nobody can be sure whether she'd wreck her car or not. I don't want to be involved. Even if I fall behind a little during braking, I should be able to recover my loss during acceleration. I'm not going with you. Go ahead and disappear from the course alone." Kenna said in her mind. The 350Z was on the end of the straightaway. As Ellie sees the right hand hairpin, she brakes in and shifts down as she takes the corner at a fast speed. "You went in way too fast! You won't be able to turn like that!" Kenna exclaimed as she saw Ellie taking the right hairpin fast and she warps through as she disappears in her vision. "What the hell?! Is my sense of speed dull because of the fog? What's important is not to panic in a situation like this. If I accelerate precisely while minimizing wheel-spin, the car will narrow the gap by itself. My car is tuned to do exactly that. Even if I don't take a risky gamble, if I keep driving so I won't lose, victory will end up in my hands regardless." Kenna wondered as she was clearing the corner at her normal speed and Ellie is far ahead from her as she takes the corner and warps again to pull away. "She's fast! What happened?! This is ridiculous. Is that a 4WD?!" Kenna exclaimed in her mind as she saw the 350Z warp again. She was taking the next corner fast and the next thing she knew is that Ellie disappeared and pulled away. "It disappeared... it really disappeared from the course!" Kenna exclaimed her mind. Downhill finish. "Alright!" Elisa exclaimed as she and the crowd cheered as Ellie was the first one ahead to win. I gave a chuckle and a smile as well as she won. A few minutes later. "That was some sick driving Ellie!" April exclaimed as she gave Ellie a high five and she gave one back to her. "I knew my objective so here I am. But apparently she seemed to hesitate for a while." Ellie replied as Jill walks up to her. "So today, I learned about staying at a average percent in the race and kicking it up a notch when I'm in the rhythm." Ellie explained. "That's my driver." Jill replied as she gave her a pat on the shoulder and Ellie smiled. I saw Courtney walking up to me from behind and I gave her the cold shoulder as I walked away from her back to where Ellie was with April. "You know you can't just ignore me forever." Courtney suggested as I kept walking away and ignoring her. "What did I tell you about not showing up? I told you to not come to my races. I didn't want you here and now here you are, trying to push yourself on me." I replied. "I only show up here is because I want to and you can't stop me." Courtney said. "Then you shou-." I replied as I was interrupted by April and Ellie. "Okay! That's enough. I think you guys are taking this way too far." April exclaimed as she broke down the argument. "April, keep an eye on him. Courtney and I are gonna have a talk." Ellie replied as she and Courtney walked away from me and April while they were walking to a private temple. "Look, I understand how you feel about him ignoring you but maybe you should consider giving him space." Ellie suggested. "I understand what you mean but I just like him. It's like I felt connection between us when we first met. I really like him Ellie." Courtney replied. " *sighs* I don't want to do this but I'm gonna be very straight with you. I am actually the one who likes Branden..." Ellie sighed. "Geez I should've known that you were the one to go for him... now you made it worse..." Courtney replied as she started crying as tear drops starting falling. "Look, just listen. I have a simple deal and things will be fine. Trust me. Here's how it will go. If I win, you get to talk with Branden but you don't flirt or at least play sexual with him but you should remain friends with him. But if you win, you can do whatever you want to him. Does that sound fair?" Ellie suggested as she asked. "I. Guess so." Courtney answered. "Jill, does that sound fine with you?" Ellie asked and Jill answered with a nod. "Ellie, are you sure about this?" Adena asked. "I just need a practice run before we run the final URL race so why not." Ellie answered. "We will run the race on the mountain?" Courtney asked. "Yes." Ellie answered. They both walked away as Yajima was walking to me and April as I was sitting down. "Is he okay?" Ellie asked. "He's okay, he just needed to get his head right." April answered. "I made the deal with her Branden. If I win this race against her. She will just stay as friends with you but she won't touch you because you are my property. But if she wins, she'll get to have you." Ellie replied. "Are you sure you want to do this Ellie?" I asked. "Don't worry, I at least settled things with her. I'm gonna win this thing. Just count on it." Ellie answered. I gave a sigh and got back in the R34. A day later. 4:40 a.m. "Man,, I can't believe I felt the rush when I raced yesterday. At some point, I felt good when I was confident I can win." Ellie said in her mind. Flashback shows her warping in the next corner." Present. "But to be honest, I don't think I was even trying to beat her. I was doing the best I can. If Jill could've take on that girl. We would've had an upper hand. Wildcard or nothing I've gotta get better." Ellie said in my mind as I looked at the rear view mirror while I heard an engine rev from behind and headlights were flashing. "Am I being chased...? She's fast." Ellie wondered in my mind. "She's gaining on me how am I supposed to do? Should I let you pass or just dust your dumbass and teach you some manners? Well I'd afraid I don't like letting you pass. Not especially after last night. And it's sure as hell not gonna happen on my own turf!" Ellie said in her mind as she shifted down to 2nd and she started racing. It was a Lancer Evolution 8 while they were racing. She drifted into the corner and it drifted in the corner as well. It was literally right behind me while Ellie was taking the corners and the straightaways. "You've gotta be kidding me! Does this girl have an info on me or what?! Who are you?!" Ellie wondered in her mind as she felt an aura of the Evo behind her. Meanwhile. City Core. The water started dripping in the sinks as the lights were out and no one was home. The Evo was still on Ellie as she couldn't shake it. "Damn it!" Ellie exclaimed in her mind. "Mrs.Enigma here might be the toughest opponent I've ever seen on Bayview. This is insane!" Ellie exclaimed in her mind as she saw the corner and she slammed on the brakes hard with a braking drift. Ellie shifted down as well to regain speed. "Alright you tricky bastard. Time to show you a few things I've got on my sleeve." Ellie said in my mind as she gripped the inside and performed the gutter run while the Evo 8 did the same thing. "Holy shit!" Ellie exclaimed in her mind as she felt shocked that they did the same move and it went side by side with her. It passed her and Ellie started to feel a weight on her shoulders. She lets off the accelerator because she couldn't catch up to it's speed. "It's over, I can't beat a driver I can outbreak. That son of a bitch got me." Ellie said in her mind as she let off the accelerator and the Evo 8 pulls away from her. 6:30 a.m. "Hello? Hey Mom, are you home? Aw come, where did you have to run to this early?" Ellie wondered as she came back into the garage. Meanwhile. Auto Shop. "So you sure you want an upgrade to your RX-8?" France asked. "Yes. I am going to race in that U.R.L race is why I'm requesting for an upgrade France. Will you and April be up to it?" Adena asked as she showed some money to France. "Sounds like a plan. We'll get to work on it." France answered as he took the money from Adena and he and April were about to upgrade the RX-8. 2 hours later. "Woah!" Ellie and I exclaimed as we saw Adena pulling up to the garage. "Woah. The car looks different from before." Elisa said. "How does she handle?" April asked. "She handles fine but she has more power from before and now I can floor it even harder." Adena answered. "I can't even that my mom gets to have a fast car like that." I said in my mind. 6 hours later. 8:15 p.m. Jackson Heights. The RX-7 was in front of the 350Z. "Jill, we got the word that they're gonna lead for this run." Adena said. "I guess one of them made that decision after Branden's battle. She might use that method to take us out which doesn't matter. We'll still have the upper hand right away... So my point of view Ellie. The third half with hairpin turns is critical. Watch her speed and follow closely. When it's right, just take the opening and overtake, even if it's on the 1st round!! Do not hold back." Jill replied. Ellie gave a nod and got in her car. "Okay! The countdown begins!" Adena exclaimed. "This battle's gonna be awesome!!" Elisa exclaimed. "It sure is." France replied. " *sighs* I don't know guys." I said. "Is something wrong?" France asked. "I have a bad feeling that Courtney has a plan up on her sleeve that's gonna blindside Ellie. I'm not sure where but I know for sure Yajima's chasing and I have a bad feeling that it might turn out wrong." I answered. "You're worrying too much dude. Just relax and watch the race." Elisa suggested . "3, 2, 1, GO!!" Adena exclaimed as she started the countdown and the cars launched off the start. "RX-7 and Z33 350Z. Both of them come with lightweight bodies and chassis. Both of them are also twin turbocharged but the Z's stock output would be NA and the RX-7 is turbocharged. They are one of the winding road machines on this course." Jill said. "Those drivers know the car's true potential. But then... this battle is going to depend on the drivers instinct... Courtney Tang, the FD's driver... and Ellie Yajima, the Z33's driver. This battle is gonna come down to them listening to their cars for a moment and it's how the battle will turn out from my calculations." Jill explained. "Well I understand your point of view but it seems like you make it think that the cars sound alive." Adena replied. "Maybe so. But if the driver doesn't listen to the heart of the car will instantly lose this battle!" Jill answered. They were still racing but Ellie is starting to keep up with Courtney and the FD. "As long as the car is FR, I'll still be able to handle it. However it's not the end of the racing season and I don't have much of a budget. I cannot just waste gas, that's why I went with the RX-7, the car is light and fast but since we are running a downhill battle, this lightweight car should be able to win!! The Z33 should be based as the same concept but I will not lose... I just need to focus!!" Courtney exclaimed in her mind as she braked into the next corner early and shifted down which was caused to trick Ellie and throw her off guard. She saw the braking time but was still able to catch up. The two hairpin sections. "How different do you think this battle will be?" France asked. "It might not be easy from my point of view. All of these racers have a very high skill leve. My last race wasn't that easy and I can sense Yajima's opponent will be much harder to beat since the race against the Impreza." I answered. "But her opponent is probably as good as you can get from a street racer. Could you really see that?" Elisa asked. "Of course.. at least I can. Yajima's feeling the same way as me right now." I answered. Ellie was still keeping up but Courtney is starting to pull away a bit on the corners while the Z is catching up. "The FD in front may hide it's full potential until they show up at these hairpin turns we're at right now. Not only that, but this opponent we're talking about know this course on the back of her head. The third half can be a bit steeper and the road's conditions are very worse, that will be the key point to determine the outcome of this race." I said. "It'll be tough for the Z33 because the suspension is rather old but the car's power seems to not be in par with the RX-7's." France replied. "Right, that is unfortunately our disadvantage. But this isn't the first time we've been engaged in these types of situations. Ever since we started this racing team, we expected to be put at a disadvantageous positions. The strategies and battle plans Jill thinks of will handle almost anything. If you say that our opponent is the course specialist, then our team is designed to counter all the opponent's strategies. And if you want to know who is better off because of these facts... Well, that will really depend on the outcome of the race." I said. "This racing team can achieve the impossible. As long as we have our local genius Jill Green... that's what I choose to believe in!!" I exclaimed in my mind. The cars were racing down the hairpins section and they passed it. Then they were coming up on a series of turns. Courtney shifted down to 3rd and Ellie shifted down to 2nd as they turn their wheels and start drifting on the turns. "Go Tang!!! Show them what you've got!!" A female spectator exclaimed. "Beat that Z33!!" A male spectator exclaimed. Courtney drifted into the corner and Ellie drifted as well but was catching up. They were approaching the 1st hairpin turn. Starting point. "In mastering the course. The braking distance is increased on the downhill, and if you make one mistake you could lose your life. I consider braking is the most important technique used on the downhill. You can only use the objects on the side of the road to make an approximate judgement. Compared to the circuit, a street is very dangerous that it has no markings to indicate where the braking points are. It's all cause of the potential of the human mind. Especially Yajima's, she has an excellent braking sense. That's the reason she can keep winning against the local drivers who've overdriven those downhill roads." Jill explained. "Yeah, just practicing will not make you that good." Adena replied. "She must be born with that type of talent if you ask me." April said. "When you are chasing, all you can do is stay close to the opponent in front. While remaining behind, if you watch your opponent carefully you can work out their potential on how they brake. But your opponent could hide their abilities and will want to wait for the right moment carefully to unleash their potential." Jill explained. They were about to approach the next hairpin turn after the second corner. Courtney approached the hairpin and braked early that caused Ellie to come off guard. The red braking lights shined on her eyes as she saw the late timing. "I was late, very late, but I don't know. I might've done it late for sure. That super hard braking from the straightaway. But then even if it was that one time. It was because I was late in braking!!" Ellie exclaimed in her mind as she braked too late on the hairpin turn and caught her off guard. Starting Point. "Basically, Mazda's rear-wheel drive cars are designed to have the roll axis a little forward of the rear point." Jill said. "The Roadster is no exception, but the FD in particular has a better handling feel thanks to it's biased load to the front." April replied. "But if you push it harder, it has a tendency to oversteer because of the MR layout and the load to the rear. It becomes an unavoidable issue when fine tuning a Huayra. There are many different approaches, but you can't eliminate the car's natural oversteering tendency. I wonder how they did it." Jill explained. "Oversteering on the downhill is very bad. Instead, you can go faster by understeering. Know our opponents, her car must be perfectly tuned and suited for this course, but... if something destroys that balance, Yajima will have a chance." Adena replied. They were approaching the bridge section before the hairpin turns. The Z was struggling to catch up but the gap hasn't widened yet. "Grr... I can't keep up, but... the gap hasn't widened, even though I'm only tracing her car's line and speed." Ellie said in her mind as she was trying to catch up but struggling. "Wow! It's a miracle she's keeping all! Maybe I shouldn't look my rear view and just look ahead. I'm just gonna have to win by doing that method." Courtney said in her mind as she moved her rear view mirror to the right. Ellie started to listen what her car was saying while she was in the race. She flipped the headlight switch to turn off her headlights for a blind attack. They were shut off and they approached the next corner. "The Z33's headlights are off!!" A spectator exclaimed. "No way! On this pitch black mountain pass? What's going on?!" A female spectator exclaimed. "The Z33's headlights are off?! A blind attack, huh?" Adena asked. "Jill..." April called. "During the race until now, Yajima must have intuitively learned that she's at a disadvantage in the high speed sections. Ellie's god sent talent... no, she must have heard the voice of the Z33." Jill answered. They were approaching the 3rd half of the course that leads to a straightaway. "The blind attack, which is Yajima and Branden's forte, is a two sided diversion technique of confusing their opponents as well as hiding their offensive strategy." Jill explained. "But when the opponent is familiar with the course and highly remains focused." Adena replied. "Right, but it doesn't create the desired effect. But then... the Z doesn't have retractable headlights but if they do, it would have a lower drag coefficient value when they're lowered." Jill said. "Can it be because of the less air resistance?" April asked. "Ellie must've wanted to increase her top speed by reducing the drag, even by a little small amount." Jill answered. "Yajima's tenacity?" Adena asked. "Her tenacity might create... a breakthrough." Jill answered. They were approaching the next corner on the third section. "Just before her braking action... I'm not exactly sure, but most likely... Right here!" Ellie exclaimed in her mind as she flipped her headlight switch back on to turn on her headlights and it reflected the mirror into Courtney. She saw the light reflecting and turned to the left which gave Ellie an opening to the outside. Yajima accelerated hard and went side by side with the RX-7. Melayna gasped as she noticed the Z right next to her. "It was too soon, little by little... what the hell happened? Damnit, I'm not gonna lose after coming this far." Courtney wondered in her mind as they approached the turns. "I'll keep my space, can you keep it up?" Courtney said in her mind as she was trying to pull an inch away but the Z was close to her on the narrow roads. She stomped on the brakes as well as the Z braking. But then the FD slammed into a road sign which caused the lip spoiler to be damaged. "I messed up the wing. I've gotta keep the race short, I'll end this on the first run!" Courtney exclaimed in her mind as she was trying to focus on taking the corner but the car was unstable. Ellie was starting to see how unstable the RX-7 was. "The car's unstable. I don't know what's wrong with the wing, but the car's lateral balance is off. I would've been better off without it if it didn't break off completely. Shit, no need for excuses. I just have to motivate myself to raise my limit." Courtney said in her mind as she started to sweat after shifting up. Ellie starts slipstreaming from behind and saw the FD losing control. Courtney tries to keep it stable but then she spins out. Ellie saw her spinning out as she dodged her when she lost control and lost the race. Ellie performs a braking drift on the last corner and she grips it at the end.