Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Aa! Megami-sensei! ❯ Making Tracks part 1 ( Chapter 7 )
[ P - Pre-Teen ]
By: Peter_L._Ward 
Anime/Manga: Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.22.2001 | Updated On: 11.12.2001 | Pages: 11 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 901 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Ah My Goddess Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 10.22.2001 | Updated On: 11.12.2001 | Pages: 11 | Words: 6.1K | Visits: 901 | Status: Completed
Imported From: RAAC
falcon@best.com (Peter L. Ward)
Aa! Megami-sensei!
by Peter Ward
Episode 8: Making Tracks Part 2
Recap: At the end of Kokashi Jun's first week at Furinkan high,
she is invited by Akagami Tetsuo to accompany him and the rest of
the newly-formed Furinkan High School Auto Tech Club (FHS ATC for
short) to an amateur and collegiate track meet. Not being
familiar with Tetsuo's well-deserved reputation for Roman Hands
and wandering eyes, Jun accepts and goes with the club despite
warnings from her new mentor, Urd, as well as Tendo Nabiki, the
club's treasurer.
The others along for the ride with Jun, Nabiki, and Tetsuo are
Tategawa Minoru (the head of the club), his father acting as
chaperone, Hasegawa Noriko (Minoru's date), Dozul Hegaba, Billie
Kraftwerk, and the newly-remodeled Mackie. As the club gathers
for the meet, Nabiki starts to figure out that the aliens, for
the most part, tend to be gulliable and are easy marks for her
money-making schemes.
Also at the meet are the NIT MCC (with Urd in her usually skimpy
cheerleading attire) and the NIT FWC. Most of the ATC members
are shocked when they see Urd and her costume, except for Nabiki
who decides to sneak a few pictures for money-making purposes.
While Jun, Minoru and Noriko go with Urd over to the MCC tent for
introductions, Tetsuo slinks off to the FWC tent...
* * * * * * * * * *
"Minoru!!!"
Noriko ran over to where Minoru collapsed in front of Tamiya, a
victim of the infamous "Tamiya Treatment". Luckily, it wasn't
fatal and Minoru was still conscious, but in pain as Noriko
started to probe his torso for any injuries.
"Hmmmm...well, there doesn't seem to be any broken ribs or other
bones." she said matter-of-factly as she opened up the front of
his racing suit to get a good look over his chest. "Looks like
it's mostly bruises, plus shortness of breath."
"Heh...good thing you're planning on being a nurse, Noriko."
Minoru said, trying to smile. "Too bad about the pain or I'd be
enjoying this."
"Oh, hush, Minoru." Noriko said sadly, then looked upward to
Tamiya in anger. "You idiot! What did you think you were
doing?! You could have seriously injured him, you know that? Or
is your brain too small to register that concept??"
"Uh....sorry about that. Didn't mean to hurt him." Tamiya said
uncomfortably, not being used to being confronted about his
greeting techniques. As he stood there abashedly, Urd and Jun
knelt down beside the two.
"Is he going to be all right?" Urd asked.
"He will be in time." Noriko said softly as she gave Minoru one
more look-over. "He's going to have to take it easy, though, and
that means he won't be driving in today's competition."
"No way!" Minoru almost shouted out before wincing in pain.
After a moment of painful silence, he continued in a lower,
strained voice, "Who are we going to get for a driver?"
"We'll figure it out when we get you back to the Furinkan tent."
Urd said as she got up. "Guys, I'm going to take Minoru and the
others back to their tent and watch over things there. I'll be
rooting for you from over there. Okay, Keiichi?"
"Sure thing, Urd!" Keiichi said, relieved that Minoru survived
the Tamiya Treatment. "You've got your students to look after!"
"That's right, Urd." Belldandy said with her usual look of
understanding. "You've got your responsibilities now."
"Don't remind me." Urd groused.
"Sorry 'bout that!" Tamiya called out as they were leaving.
"Didn't mean nothing by it!"
"I know!" Minoru attempted to call back as Jun and Noriko held
him up on either side. "Just promise me you won't do that again
when I join up next year!"
"Uh, sure thing, buddy!" Tamiya yelled.
While the group made their way slowly to the ATC tent, things
were getting a bit stirred up at the NIT Four Wheels Club tent.
"Excuse me, boss..."
"Yes?" Aoshima Toshiyuki asked as he turned to one of his female
"assistants." "What is it?"
"Um, there's this high-school student hanging around our tent and
bothering all the girls."
"So? Tell him to get lost or something." he said as he turned
back around to continue inspecting the team's bike, his latest
hope in winning Belldandy from Keiichi.
"We tried. He doesn't seem to be able to take 'no' for an
answer."
"Alright. I'll go have a word with him if it'll make you ladies
happy." Aoshima said, not too happy with being interrupted in the
middle of his inspection.
As he stepped out of the tent, he saw Tetsuo getting fresh with
one of his club's girls. <Hmmm...looks like this guy needs a
lesson in style, not to mention manners. How 80's can you get?>
he thought as he walked on over to where Tetsuo was.
"Excuse me, young man. May I ask what you are doing here? This
area is off-limits to non-members."
"Oh! Sorry about that, um, Mr. Aoshima, is it?" Tetsuo stammered
a bit while the girl he was pestering slipped away in relief.
"I'm Akagami Tetsuo, and I'm with the Furinkan high school team.
I'll be going to NIT next year, if I pass my exams, and I'm
planning to join your club when I do!"
"Very nice, I'm sure..." Aoshima said, not the least bit im-
pressed until he ran the name "Furinkan" through his mind again.
<Hmmmm...where have I heard that name before?>
"Maybe you know one of my teachers, Urd-sensei? I understand
that she hangs around your rivals at the MCC."
<That's it!> Aoshima thought, barely containing himself. <I
remember from that news story a few weeks back now! Urd's
teaching chemistry at a Tokyo high school. And this kid's one of
her students, hmmm? Looks like I have an oppourtunity here...>
"Why yes, I do know Urd, as well as her lovely sister, Bell-
dandy." Aoshima said, being really friendly all of a sudden. "I
had no idea you were so lucky to have Urd as your teacher. It's
certainly as if God himself has blessed you more than doubly.
Oh, but where are my manners? I'm so sorry for being rude a
moment ago, but you do understand, don't you? Here, let me make
you a special guest here at the NIT Four Wheels Club since you've
expressed an interest in joining us next year!"
"Thanks!" Tetsuo said, overwhelmed by the sudden show of courte-
sy. "I can tell I'm going to love it being with you guys!"
"Don't mention it." Aoshima replied, then thought to himself,
<First, I can win him over to my side by giving him preferential
treatment. Then, I can use him to influence 'Urd-sensei' in the
future should the need arise. Finally, that influence can be
used in my ultimate victory in winning the hand of the lovely
Belldandy. It's a perfect oppourtunity!>
After showing Tetsuo to a spot where he could have a good view of
the races, Aoshima walked back towards the tent and was confront-
ed by the girl who first reported the incident to him.
"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, expressing the
mutual feeling of all the girls there. "I thought you were going
to get rid of that sleaze, not invite him to stay!"
"Take it easy." Aoshima whispered back. "Here, if it'll make it
go over easier with you ladies, I'll pay you double what you're
getting. Just make sure Mr. Akagami enjoys himself and has a
good time." With that, he brushed her off and went back into his
tent.
Glaring at the tent opening that Aoshima used, the girl fumed,
"Double pay isn't worth putting up with that jerk!"
As this was going on, Nabiki was reaping in the dough back at the
Furinkan tent, running her pictures-with-Mackie scam. She was
right in her thought that the kids at the meet would love to have
pictures taken with Mackie, who looked like a Fire Valkyrie now.
She suprised herself when she set up the deal with Mackie, which
involved a fee of 1000 yen per shot. That 1000 yen broke down to
100 for Mackie, 450 for her, and 450 for the club (with a "cer-
tain percentage" of that going into her own pocketbook as club
treasurer).
Between that and the pictures she secretly took of Urd-sensei a
while earlier, Nabiki was really enjoying the win-win situation.
She also noticed that Mackie and Dozul, both aliens, treated the
rather lopsided deal as normal, while the humans present at the
time of the deal, Jun and Billie, were shocked at her business
practices. Nabiki decided to observe the aliens further, in
order to exploit what appeared to be a prime oppourtunity.
Before she could go further in her scheming, Nabiki felt a tap on
her shoulder and turned to find Kiddy Sazan and Takaya Michiko
standing behind her.
"Oh! What are you guys doing here? Didn't know you two were
coming." Nabiki said to the two.
"Well, we're here for the school paper." Michiko said as Kiddy
wandered off to a post where a loudspeaker was mounted. "After
all, this is the first competition for the ATC, right?"
"That's true, they would send someone out here to cover it.
Didn't think it'd be you two since you deal with the gossip
column, Michiko. By the way, what's Kiddy doing there? Looks
like she's cutting into the speaker cable."
"Oh, she's probably trying to tap into the PA system. Probably
child's play for her, after seeing her tap into the intercom
system at school. You woudn't believe all the leads we've gotten
after she tapped into that, as well as the school's phone lines."
"Really?" Nabiki mused as Kiddy finished up quickly and headed
back their way. <Hmmmm...something else to make a note of...>
"Hi guys!" Kiddy said cheerfully as she walked up to them.
"Sorry for wandering off like that, but I had to set up our audio
feed. Not only will we be able to record what's going over the
PA system, but we'll be able to eavesdrop on the announcers when
they aren't broadcasting, since their microphone's picking up
various things in the background."
"I'm not even going to ask, partner." Michiko said, not quite
comprehending what Kiddy did as usual. "So, where's the racing
boy?" she asked Nabiki.
"Not here at the moment." Nabiki replied. "He, Noriko, Jun, and
I think Tetsuo went off with Urd-sensei to the Nekomi Tech tent.
Should be back pretty soon since the first collegiate heat is
supposed to start in a few minutes."
"Urd-sensei's here? I didn't know she was sponsoring the club."
Michiko said, suprised at the mention of their chemistry teacher.
"She's not sponsoring the club, but she does have some connection
with the NIT team from what I understand. By the way, you really
ought to see what she's wearing to this meet. I'll bet it'll
make for a juicy tidbit in your column."
"Really? So, she has some connection at NIT, huh?" Michiko
asked. "Looks like I'll have to check with my sources that are
at NIT to see what info they have on our mysterious teacher."
"Cool! I'll tap into their computer systems to see what I can
dig up as well, partner." Kiddy added, delighted that they
finally have a lead as to their teacher's elusive origins.
It was at this point that Minoru was finally dragged back to the
FHS tent by Jun and Noriko, followed by Urd. Seeing that Minoru
was apparently in bad condition, everyone crowded around the
small group, not even taking notice of Urd's attire.
"Oh my gosh...Minoru, what happened?" Michiko asked, worry on her
face.
"He fell victim to the missing link." Noriko answered with
sarcasm.
"What she means," Urd explained, "is that one of the heads of the
NIT Motor Club was a little too enthusiatic in greeting someone,"
then muttered, "as usual."
"Is he going to be all right?" Nabiki asked, more concerned with
the wagers placed on the event back at school than she was in
Minoru's well-being.
"As a matter of fact, it'll take him some time to recover."
Noriko replied. "He's definitely not going to be racing today,
that's for sure."
"Can't you do something?" Nabiki said in irritation, visions of
yen floating away on little wings filling her head.
"No." Noriko said simply, then added, "I'm sorry if this ruins
another of your money-making schemes, but we are dealing with a
person here."
"That'll be enough, Noriko." Urd said before the two girls could
escalate their spat. "Now, you guys do have an alternate driver,
don't you?"
She was met with silence as the members of the ATC looked at each
other. "Hmmm...guess not."
"I'll volunteer!" Billie called out, raising his hand.
"You?" Nabiki asked, not bothering to hide her disbelief.
"Um, yeah, me." Billie replied. "Not only is my family excellent
in engineering, but we are of German stock, meaning that we are
natural-born drivers. I'll be glad to represent the school in
the event."
"Okay, someone get him suited up." Nabiki said, not quite com-
pletely believing him. However, she was the only club officer
besides Minoru present and a decision had to be made.
It was just then that the female announcer's voice boomed through
the PA system, announcing the start of the first collegiate heat.
While everyone else went to watch the heat, Dozul and Minoru's
father took Minoru and Billie into the tent to get the racing
suit off of Minoru and onto Billie.
The first heat was a single lap around the racetrack and featured
thirty-two competing racers, including Keiichi and the FWC rider
of the week. It would have been difficult to figure out who was
who in that crowd, but Urd quickly pointed out Keiichi in the
MCC's colors of blue, yellow, and white.
As both the Furinkan team and the MCC cheered him on, Keiichi
placed highly in the winning sixteen, earning the right to ride
in the second heat. The FWC rider also placed in the winning
group, while the other sixteen who fell behind were eliminated
from the competition.
While the collegiate teams got ready for the second heat, Billie
emerged from the tent, the racing uniform fitting rather loosely
on him. As he stepped away from the tent opening, Minoru's
father held the opening while Dozul pushed the team's go-cart out
to finish getting it ready for its race after the second colle-
giate heat.
"Real impressive there, Kraftwerk." Nabiki said sardonically as
she looked him over.
"Thanks, Nabiki!" Billie said, oblivious to both his sorry
appearance and Nabiki's sarcastic tone. "I feel like a winner
already!"
"Um, yeah, sure thing..." Nabiki said, taken aback by Billie's
obliviousness to her comment.
Before either could continue, Minoru slowly made his way out of
the tent and over to the track-side barrier. "How'd the first
heat go?"
"Keiichi placed near the top!" Jun cheerfully said.
"Really? Too bad I missed it, then." Minoru replied. "I really
liked that guy, even if he was a bit shorter in real life than I
expected."
"Yeah, he's a pretty cool customer" Urd said, watching the 16
riders from the first heat assemble for the second.
"I can say that I have a pretty good idea what he has to put up
with in the club now." Minoru joked, trying to keep his laughter
to a bearable level. "Guess that's what I'm going to have to put
up with next year..."
"Don't tell me you're still going to join up after what that
roughneck did to you?!" Noriko said, not believing what she
heard.
"Sure, Noriko. Besides, Tamiya said that he wouldn't do it to me
again."
"I don't believe this...I go through the trouble of making sure a
patient's all right, and he turns around and decides to put
himself through it again..." Noriko said in exasperation, putting
her face in her hands as if she was warding off a migraine.
"By the way, Urd-sensei," Michiko cut in. "What's with that
outfit and what's your connection with the NIT club anyway?"
"Oh, didn't know you were here, Michiko." Urd said in suprise.
"Well, Keiichi is my sister's boyfriend, and I was here with the
Motor Club to cheer him on. That's why I have this outfit on."
"What?! Skuld has a boyfriend already??" Michiko said in shock,
not knowing that Urd had another sister besides Skuld.
"No, no, no..." Urd said, getting a bit irritated. "Belldandy,
my other younger sister. She goes to NIT with Keiichi. The way
those two are progressing in their relationship, though, you
wouldn't think that they were a couple."
"I think they're doing just fine, sensei." Jun replied. "Just
because your plans haven't exactly worked from time to time
doesn't mean they already love each other. Keiichi told me about
some of the stuff you tried in the past, but that's okay...at
least you're trying to get them closer together."
"Damn right I'm trying to get them closer together!" Urd said.
"Otherwise, they'd be worse than a couple of schoolkids, no
offense intended, guys."
Before any of the students could reply, the announcer's voice
came over the loudspeakers again, declaring the start of the
second heat. The discussions at the Furinkan tent died down as
the sixteen racers began their competition to be among the eight
to race in the third and final heat. The second heat was five
laps in length and featured a slalom strech in one of the
straightways in order to toughen things up a bit.
It was a bit tough, but Keiichi managed to place on top in the
second heat to the cheers from both the MCC and the Furinkan
team. Aoshima and company took some pleasure in the fact that
their hired rider placed a close second for the FWC, setting the
stage for yet another showdown between the two rival clubs. A
showdown that the crowds usually loved wherever the two clubs
raced against each other.
As the crowds cheered for the teams that made it into the third
and final heat, the track personnel cleared off all of the slalom
markers to get ready for the high-school event. The various
high-school teams began to push their go-carts to the start line.
"Hey! Can someone give me a hand here?" Dozul called out as he
attempted to push the Furinkan go-cart, with Billie in it getting
mentally ready to race.
"Sure thing!" Mackie said as he seperated himself from the kids
present and strode over to where the two were.
"Hey, don't take too long with that!" Nabiki yelled, not happy at
the prospect of lost revenue. "By the way, hasn't that jerk
Tetsuo come back yet? He should be helping out with this!"
"Never mind, Nabiki." Mackie replied as he went through the
transformation from Battroid to GERWALK mode. "I've got it
handled, no problemo!"
With that, he grabbed the rear foil of the go-cart and engaged
the thrusters. The weeks of design and careful assembly on
Billie and Dozul's part paid off as Mackie quickly and smoothly
pushed Billie and the go-cart into the start position. As soon
as this was done, Mackie decided to show off a bit by raising his
altitude, transforming into fighter mode, and did a flyby of the
stands before returning. He transformed back into Battroid mode
before landing on both feet back in front of the kids standing in
awe.
"See, Nabiki? What'd I tell ya?" Mackie said with a grin, which
was possible with the new faceplate that his friends designed and
installed.
"Okay, already. You've made your point." Nabiki said before
thinking, <As well as making me a few extra yen. Good thing I
caught several pictures of him in flight.>
After a couple of minutes, the race officials signalled the start
of the race. Normally, the race would be one lap around the
track, making it a simple one with sixteen competitors. However,
there were some problems this year...
"Where does he think he's going?!" Nabiki yelled out, watching
Billie make a U-turn just after the start, causing five other
go-carts to lose control and crash into either the barriers or
each other. While the remaing ten racers continued on, Billie
went back across the start line and weaved all over the track as
he started his lap in the other direction.
Urd, as well as the students and parent present, were amazed at
Billie's sheer luck that he didn't crash into anything as he
rounded the curve and drove haphazardly along the straightaway,
heading right for the ten competitors driving in the right
direction. Tetsuo, being at the FWC tent all this time, was left
wondering what happened to Minoru's driving since he didn't know
about what happened to him. The crowds were also puzzled as to
what was going on, with the possible exception of the MCC crew
since this was all because of Tamiya's over-enthusiasm.
It wasn't long before Billie drove right into the pack of ten,
causing them to also crash into each other or into the barriers
like the previous five victims. Two of the drivers wound up
side-swiping Billie, damaging his front left-hand wheel. Howev-
er, all of the drivers were knocked out of commission while
Billie proceeded slowly (due to the damage) along his meandering
way.
While Billie continued on, Kiddy was monitoring the discussions
in the announcer's/judges' booth. "Hey, Nabiki, guys, they're
debating what to do about this race!"
"Oh?" Nabiki said wearily, getting a migraine thanks to Billie's
lack of driving abilities and what it might cost her in terms of
betting revenue. "What's up, Miss Cyberpunk?"
"Well," Kiddy continued, taking Nabiki's name-calling in stride,
"it seems some of them want to give the race to us in default
while some others want the race called off because of what
happened out there. All the other high school teams are also
demanding that the race be called off."
"Just great." Nabiki groused. "If that idiot ever gets back
here, he's going to have a lot to answer for."
"They're taking a vote now," Kiddy went on, ignoring Nabiki's
complaining. "Wait a second....okay, they're giving us the race!
It was a close vote, but we have it as long as Billie completes
the lap!"
"That is, if he does manage to complete it before the day's
over." Nabiki said in sarcasm, but inwardly relieved that her
betting arrangements back at Furinkan would be intact and she'd
be making some money out of it despite Billie's incompetance.
Everyone waited for several minutes after the announcement was
made while Billie had a rough, slow ride to the "finish" line
(which was actually the start line). Of course, some people
weren't content to sit and wait, so they decided to take bets as
to whether or not Billie would actually make it. Eventually,
though, Billie crawled across the finish line and was promptly
rushed back to the Furinkan tent by Mackie.
"Hey, what's the big rush?" Billie asked as Mackie set him down
unceremoniously. "Shouldn't you be taking me to the victor's
stand?"
"Billie, you idiot!" Nabiki yelled. "Don't you realize that all
fifteen of the other high school teams want to lynch you along
with the rest of us?"
"What for?" he asked, genuinely confused. "I finished the race
fair and square, didn't I?"
"'Finished the race fair and square'?!? You went the wrong way
and caused the other teams to crash! Where did you learn to
drive??"
"Ummmm...my parents insisted on using their private driving
track. Besides, is it my fault that the other drivers were bad?"
Before Nabiki could explode further in anger, Urd cut in. "Let's
just say that it's going to be quite a while before anyone lets
you behind the wheel again."
"Hey, leave him alone, you guys!" Kiddy said, coming between
Billie and the others. "He made it back alright, and we ended up
winning, so what else do you guys want out of him? Blood?"
"That'd be a start..." Nabiki muttered.
While everyone was arguing over Billie's driving, Minoru laid
back, a bag of ice on his head to deal with a headache, and said,
"Geez...wish I was in better shape for the race...I don't think I
can handle any more of this mess..."
Meanwhile, back at the MCC tent, tempers were raised for related
reasons.
"What? You guys aren't going to clear off the debris and wrecked
go-carts??"
"That's right." a track official told an agitated Keiichi. "The
judges decided that in order to make the third and final heat
more challenging, they're going to leave the wreckage on the
track as obstacles, in addition to the 10 laps you'll be riding."
"Aw, geez...Tamiya, this is all your fault! If you hadn't
crushed that kid earlier, we wouldn't be in this predicament!"
"Now, Keiichi," Belldandy interrupted, "calm down. I'm sure
everything will be all right. If anyone can drive with those
odds, you could. So don't yell at Tamiya or anyone else over
this and keep calm for the race."
Keiichi sighed, then said, "If you really think so..."
Belldandy looked right into his eyes and said with a smile, "I
know you can do it, Keiichi."
Any remaining anger in Keiichi melted away before Belldandy's
gaze. <If she puts it that way,> he thought, <there's no way I'm
going to let her down! Wrecks or no wrecks, I'm going to win
this one for Belldandy!>
"All right, then!" Keiichi exclaimed. "Let's go show those other
teams what we're made of!"
As the final eight teams, including the MCC and the FWC, got
ready to ride to victory despite the increased odds, Urd sensed
Keiichi's fired-up spirit from where she was at the Furinkan
tent.
<Alright, kid! Show her what you're made of! 'Cause if you
don't..."> she thought as she went over to the barrier with most
of her students to watch the final race. The only ones not with
them were Billie (who was confined to the tent), Minoru (fending
off a migraine), and the still-missing Tetsuo.
Of course, the FWC crew was also paying close attention to the
upcoming race. <I hope the rider I hired earns his pay today.>
Aoshima thought. <It'd be a real shame should Morisato lose the
race, but that's why I hired my driver. After all, if Morisato
loses, odds are that he and Belldandy will break up and she will
be mine after all this time.> Taking a glance at Tetsuo, who was
getting fresh with any girl unfortunate enough to get near him,
Aoshima added, <And I'll be able to lose this jerk since I would
have no need of him.>
Time seemed like an eternity for all teams involved before the
starter gun was fired and the eight racers shot from their
positions. Being the top twenty-five percent of the racers at
the event, all eight were able to handle the obstacles left
behind from the high-school go-cart race during most of the final
heat.
However, the obstacles proved not to be the greatest of Keiichi's
worries. As they went lap after lap, Keiichi found himself under
pressure as the FWC rider tried to force him into the various
obstacles along their path.
<Sheesh! Does this guy think he's in a Mad Max movie or some-
thing?> Keiichi thought, trying to keep his eyes on the track
ahead while fending off the FWC rider. What kept him going was
the thought of Belldandy and what she had told him before the
race.
Two of the other riders weren't so lucky and ended up crashing
into obstacles during the seventh and eighth laps due to mental
exhaustion from all the dodging involved. This only put pressure
on remaining six.
Meanwhile, back at the Furinkan tent, while everyone else was
watching the race, Mackie seemed to be staring off into space in
a single direction. Michiko took notice of this out of the
corner of her eye and asked him as to why.
Startled, Mackie glanced at her and said, "I think I found out
where Tetsuo's been hiding."
"What? Where is that jerk?" Nabiki asked, still irritated at
earlier events.
"Over there, across the track. He's at one of the other team's
tent!"
"Let me see that!" Nabiki spat out as she grabbed a pair of
binoculars that was laying around and looked over where Mackie
was pointing. "Now why would he be at the NIT Four Wheels Club
tent...oh, never mind." She said the last part because she saw
Tetsuo making a pass at one of the girls still present at the
tent.
"'Four Wheels Club'?! Give me those binoculars, Nabiki!" Urd
yelled, almost yanking the binoculars from her. Sure enough,
Tetsuo was there as they said. "Now why would that jerk be
hanging around that Aoshima slime? Hmmm...guess birds of a
feather do flock together..."
"Urd-sensei? Let me see that." Jun asked evenly as she took the
binoculars from Urd.
"I don't think that's a good idea, kid..." Urd said warily as Jun
took a good long look across the track.
Jun frowned as she was greeted by the sight of Tetsuo, unaware of
all the attention he was getting at the moment, feeling up one of
the FWC girls. She slowly set the binoculars down and stood
there glaring. Urd and Kiddy, who were standing next to her,
felt the energy rise around them, but Urd was the only one of the
two who knew what the nature of the energy was.
"Wait, Jun, don't! You don't have enough control yet!" Urd
yelled. Jun, in her anger, wasn't paying attention and proceeded
with the spell.
"Wings of Justice, heed my call!
I, Kokashi Jun, beseech you
as one who has been wronged.
Seek out the flames of lust
in the reprobate who spurned me,
and add fuel to that fire!"
Unfortunately, Urd was proven right as what looked like an
explosion occurred at the FWC tent....
* * * * * * * * * *
"What was that?!?"
Aoshima stumbled around the smoke, trying to figure out what
happened at his tent a moment ago. One minute, everyone was
savoring what would surely have been their victory over the Motor
Club, the next, there was a loud bang and a thick cloud of smoke
where they were at. He reached for the arm of the person nearest
to him and grabbed it. However, he was suprised at the sticky
substance covering it along with something feathery. "What
the..." was all he managed.
"Mr. Aoshima!" a girl's voice shouted through the rapidly dissa-
pating smoke. He looked to see one of his hired girls beside
him, partly covered in what looked like tar and yellow feathers.
"What happened to you, Mizumi?" Aoshima asked, trying to make
heads or tails of her appearance.
"I don't know, boss! One moment, that high school kid was
getting fresh with me; the next moment, I got splashed with this
stuff and I couldn't see much of anything because of this smoke!"
Aoshima looked to over where Tetsuo was sitting and saw that the
barrier in front of the chair was torn down and an unrecognizable
figure completely covered in the same stuff that covered Mizumi
wandering onto the track. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw
the pack of racers rapidly approaching the person on the track.
"Oh, no!" was all he could manage.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Oh no!" Megumi yelled as she saw the pack, led by Keiichi and
the FWC rider, approach what looked like a rather messy mascot
that wandered onto the track from where Aoshima's gang was.
The rest of the MCC looked in apprehension as the racers looked
certain to run into the interloper, who was certainly part of one
of Aoshima's schemes all along. All except for Belldandy who was
making a few gestures and unrecognizable phrases...
* * * * * * * * * *
"What the?!" Keiichi yelled to noone in particular as he spotted
what he thought was a poor imitation of some American chicken
mascot on the track in front of him during his final lap.
"What's going on here?"
As he braced for a collision, though, his bike seemed to take a
bit of a life of its own and veered away from the guy. As he
passed him, he wondered, <Belldandy's doing?>
The FWC rider wasn't quite as lucky. He managed to avoid the
wanderer, but wound up losing control of his bike. As he spilled
all over the track, so did two other riders, leaving Keiichi and
another two.
While the crowd was in an uproar, Keiichi won the race for the
Motor Club, followed by the clubs from Bekkoame and Osaka,
respectively.in second and third places.
* * * * * * * * * *
It as a full minute after Keiichi won that Urd finally turned to
Jun and asked quietly, "What did you try to do that time?"
"I was trying to give that jerk a 'hot time', but I wound up
tarring and feathering him instead." Jun replied, still angry.
Part of the anger was towards herself, though, for messing up yet
another spell and nearly costing Keiichi his race.
Kiddy turned to them and asked "*You* did that, Jun??"
Before Urd could keep her quiet, Jun turned to Kiddy and said,
"Yeah, I'm afraid so. Guess my little secret's out..."
"Wow!" Kiddy nearly gushed. "You really showed that turkey! I
was hoping someone would really humiliate him, but this takes the
cake! Good job, girl!"
"Um, thanks..." Jun stammered, not being used to praise for her
magical abilities, or lack thereof.
Urd finally managed to cut in and say, "Listen, Jun, I'm going
over to the Motor Club tent to congradulate Keiichi. I think you
ought to come with me so we can go home as a group before you can
cause any more trouble. Kiddy's right though. Even if you
didn't do exactly what you wanted to do, you got him good, I'll
give you that. You've got potential, kid." she smiled at last.
"Thanks, sensei!" Jun said, relieved that Urd wasn't going to
chew her out over what happened. "Listen, guys, I'm going home
with her, so I'll see you on Monday, all right? Give my 're-
gards' to Tetsuo!"
"I'm sure he already has them, Jun." Nabiki said, observing that
Tetsuo was being escorted off of the track from a distance.
* * * * * * * * * *
That night, the temple was alive with activity as the Motor Club
celebrated Keiichi's great victory against such odds that day.
Of course, Keiichi and Belldandy kept quiet about her little
spell that saved Keiichi from a certain spill. Urd and Jun were
rather quiet as well, trying to keep Jun's part in this secret
rather than letting it ruin the party.
"So, Jun, how did your date go?" Belldandy asked as she carried a
tray full of goodies to the teacher and student.
"Don't ask!" Urd and Jun said simultaneously. The two looked at
each other, then broke down laughing and joined in on the party.
Next Episode: A Potion For Your Troubles?
All Aa! Megamisama and Ranma 1/2 characters copyright Fujishima
Kosuke and Takahashi Rumiko, respectively. All other characters
copyright Peter Ward, Tim Dunn, Tim Holt, "Snafu", and Ray Yeen.
Thanks to Wei Lik for pointing out to me how Nabiki handles her
photography (see below).
E-mail all comments, suggestions, etc. to falcon@best.com.
They're always welcome...even the flames to a certain extent ^^;
* * * * * * * * * *
"What the?!?"
Nabiki stood at the counter looking over the photos she had
developed from the race the day before. Most of them turned out
alright, but some were conspicuously blank. All the blank ones
corresponded to where the pictures of Urd-sensei would have been
on the rolls. Nabiki quickly inspected the negatives and found
that they were blank in those spots as well.
Nabiki slammed them down in anger, upset at the sudden drop in
revenue that she would have gained from those pictures of Urd-
sensei. This would have to be investigated most thoroughly...
Peter L. Ward falcon@best.com Kyusaku on IRC #Anime!
Caretaker of the Urd Shrine (http://www.best.com/~falcon/urdhome.htm)
"Okay, *here's* an idea...I've heard the best cure for memory loss
is...SHOCK TREATMENT!!" - Urd
falcon@best.com (Peter L. Ward)
Aa! Megami-sensei!
by Peter Ward
Episode 8: Making Tracks Part 2
Recap: At the end of Kokashi Jun's first week at Furinkan high,
she is invited by Akagami Tetsuo to accompany him and the rest of
the newly-formed Furinkan High School Auto Tech Club (FHS ATC for
short) to an amateur and collegiate track meet. Not being
familiar with Tetsuo's well-deserved reputation for Roman Hands
and wandering eyes, Jun accepts and goes with the club despite
warnings from her new mentor, Urd, as well as Tendo Nabiki, the
club's treasurer.
The others along for the ride with Jun, Nabiki, and Tetsuo are
Tategawa Minoru (the head of the club), his father acting as
chaperone, Hasegawa Noriko (Minoru's date), Dozul Hegaba, Billie
Kraftwerk, and the newly-remodeled Mackie. As the club gathers
for the meet, Nabiki starts to figure out that the aliens, for
the most part, tend to be gulliable and are easy marks for her
money-making schemes.
Also at the meet are the NIT MCC (with Urd in her usually skimpy
cheerleading attire) and the NIT FWC. Most of the ATC members
are shocked when they see Urd and her costume, except for Nabiki
who decides to sneak a few pictures for money-making purposes.
While Jun, Minoru and Noriko go with Urd over to the MCC tent for
introductions, Tetsuo slinks off to the FWC tent...
* * * * * * * * * *
"Minoru!!!"
Noriko ran over to where Minoru collapsed in front of Tamiya, a
victim of the infamous "Tamiya Treatment". Luckily, it wasn't
fatal and Minoru was still conscious, but in pain as Noriko
started to probe his torso for any injuries.
"Hmmmm...well, there doesn't seem to be any broken ribs or other
bones." she said matter-of-factly as she opened up the front of
his racing suit to get a good look over his chest. "Looks like
it's mostly bruises, plus shortness of breath."
"Heh...good thing you're planning on being a nurse, Noriko."
Minoru said, trying to smile. "Too bad about the pain or I'd be
enjoying this."
"Oh, hush, Minoru." Noriko said sadly, then looked upward to
Tamiya in anger. "You idiot! What did you think you were
doing?! You could have seriously injured him, you know that? Or
is your brain too small to register that concept??"
"Uh....sorry about that. Didn't mean to hurt him." Tamiya said
uncomfortably, not being used to being confronted about his
greeting techniques. As he stood there abashedly, Urd and Jun
knelt down beside the two.
"Is he going to be all right?" Urd asked.
"He will be in time." Noriko said softly as she gave Minoru one
more look-over. "He's going to have to take it easy, though, and
that means he won't be driving in today's competition."
"No way!" Minoru almost shouted out before wincing in pain.
After a moment of painful silence, he continued in a lower,
strained voice, "Who are we going to get for a driver?"
"We'll figure it out when we get you back to the Furinkan tent."
Urd said as she got up. "Guys, I'm going to take Minoru and the
others back to their tent and watch over things there. I'll be
rooting for you from over there. Okay, Keiichi?"
"Sure thing, Urd!" Keiichi said, relieved that Minoru survived
the Tamiya Treatment. "You've got your students to look after!"
"That's right, Urd." Belldandy said with her usual look of
understanding. "You've got your responsibilities now."
"Don't remind me." Urd groused.
"Sorry 'bout that!" Tamiya called out as they were leaving.
"Didn't mean nothing by it!"
"I know!" Minoru attempted to call back as Jun and Noriko held
him up on either side. "Just promise me you won't do that again
when I join up next year!"
"Uh, sure thing, buddy!" Tamiya yelled.
While the group made their way slowly to the ATC tent, things
were getting a bit stirred up at the NIT Four Wheels Club tent.
"Excuse me, boss..."
"Yes?" Aoshima Toshiyuki asked as he turned to one of his female
"assistants." "What is it?"
"Um, there's this high-school student hanging around our tent and
bothering all the girls."
"So? Tell him to get lost or something." he said as he turned
back around to continue inspecting the team's bike, his latest
hope in winning Belldandy from Keiichi.
"We tried. He doesn't seem to be able to take 'no' for an
answer."
"Alright. I'll go have a word with him if it'll make you ladies
happy." Aoshima said, not too happy with being interrupted in the
middle of his inspection.
As he stepped out of the tent, he saw Tetsuo getting fresh with
one of his club's girls. <Hmmm...looks like this guy needs a
lesson in style, not to mention manners. How 80's can you get?>
he thought as he walked on over to where Tetsuo was.
"Excuse me, young man. May I ask what you are doing here? This
area is off-limits to non-members."
"Oh! Sorry about that, um, Mr. Aoshima, is it?" Tetsuo stammered
a bit while the girl he was pestering slipped away in relief.
"I'm Akagami Tetsuo, and I'm with the Furinkan high school team.
I'll be going to NIT next year, if I pass my exams, and I'm
planning to join your club when I do!"
"Very nice, I'm sure..." Aoshima said, not the least bit im-
pressed until he ran the name "Furinkan" through his mind again.
<Hmmmm...where have I heard that name before?>
"Maybe you know one of my teachers, Urd-sensei? I understand
that she hangs around your rivals at the MCC."
<That's it!> Aoshima thought, barely containing himself. <I
remember from that news story a few weeks back now! Urd's
teaching chemistry at a Tokyo high school. And this kid's one of
her students, hmmm? Looks like I have an oppourtunity here...>
"Why yes, I do know Urd, as well as her lovely sister, Bell-
dandy." Aoshima said, being really friendly all of a sudden. "I
had no idea you were so lucky to have Urd as your teacher. It's
certainly as if God himself has blessed you more than doubly.
Oh, but where are my manners? I'm so sorry for being rude a
moment ago, but you do understand, don't you? Here, let me make
you a special guest here at the NIT Four Wheels Club since you've
expressed an interest in joining us next year!"
"Thanks!" Tetsuo said, overwhelmed by the sudden show of courte-
sy. "I can tell I'm going to love it being with you guys!"
"Don't mention it." Aoshima replied, then thought to himself,
<First, I can win him over to my side by giving him preferential
treatment. Then, I can use him to influence 'Urd-sensei' in the
future should the need arise. Finally, that influence can be
used in my ultimate victory in winning the hand of the lovely
Belldandy. It's a perfect oppourtunity!>
After showing Tetsuo to a spot where he could have a good view of
the races, Aoshima walked back towards the tent and was confront-
ed by the girl who first reported the incident to him.
"What do you think you're doing?" she hissed, expressing the
mutual feeling of all the girls there. "I thought you were going
to get rid of that sleaze, not invite him to stay!"
"Take it easy." Aoshima whispered back. "Here, if it'll make it
go over easier with you ladies, I'll pay you double what you're
getting. Just make sure Mr. Akagami enjoys himself and has a
good time." With that, he brushed her off and went back into his
tent.
Glaring at the tent opening that Aoshima used, the girl fumed,
"Double pay isn't worth putting up with that jerk!"
As this was going on, Nabiki was reaping in the dough back at the
Furinkan tent, running her pictures-with-Mackie scam. She was
right in her thought that the kids at the meet would love to have
pictures taken with Mackie, who looked like a Fire Valkyrie now.
She suprised herself when she set up the deal with Mackie, which
involved a fee of 1000 yen per shot. That 1000 yen broke down to
100 for Mackie, 450 for her, and 450 for the club (with a "cer-
tain percentage" of that going into her own pocketbook as club
treasurer).
Between that and the pictures she secretly took of Urd-sensei a
while earlier, Nabiki was really enjoying the win-win situation.
She also noticed that Mackie and Dozul, both aliens, treated the
rather lopsided deal as normal, while the humans present at the
time of the deal, Jun and Billie, were shocked at her business
practices. Nabiki decided to observe the aliens further, in
order to exploit what appeared to be a prime oppourtunity.
Before she could go further in her scheming, Nabiki felt a tap on
her shoulder and turned to find Kiddy Sazan and Takaya Michiko
standing behind her.
"Oh! What are you guys doing here? Didn't know you two were
coming." Nabiki said to the two.
"Well, we're here for the school paper." Michiko said as Kiddy
wandered off to a post where a loudspeaker was mounted. "After
all, this is the first competition for the ATC, right?"
"That's true, they would send someone out here to cover it.
Didn't think it'd be you two since you deal with the gossip
column, Michiko. By the way, what's Kiddy doing there? Looks
like she's cutting into the speaker cable."
"Oh, she's probably trying to tap into the PA system. Probably
child's play for her, after seeing her tap into the intercom
system at school. You woudn't believe all the leads we've gotten
after she tapped into that, as well as the school's phone lines."
"Really?" Nabiki mused as Kiddy finished up quickly and headed
back their way. <Hmmmm...something else to make a note of...>
"Hi guys!" Kiddy said cheerfully as she walked up to them.
"Sorry for wandering off like that, but I had to set up our audio
feed. Not only will we be able to record what's going over the
PA system, but we'll be able to eavesdrop on the announcers when
they aren't broadcasting, since their microphone's picking up
various things in the background."
"I'm not even going to ask, partner." Michiko said, not quite
comprehending what Kiddy did as usual. "So, where's the racing
boy?" she asked Nabiki.
"Not here at the moment." Nabiki replied. "He, Noriko, Jun, and
I think Tetsuo went off with Urd-sensei to the Nekomi Tech tent.
Should be back pretty soon since the first collegiate heat is
supposed to start in a few minutes."
"Urd-sensei's here? I didn't know she was sponsoring the club."
Michiko said, suprised at the mention of their chemistry teacher.
"She's not sponsoring the club, but she does have some connection
with the NIT team from what I understand. By the way, you really
ought to see what she's wearing to this meet. I'll bet it'll
make for a juicy tidbit in your column."
"Really? So, she has some connection at NIT, huh?" Michiko
asked. "Looks like I'll have to check with my sources that are
at NIT to see what info they have on our mysterious teacher."
"Cool! I'll tap into their computer systems to see what I can
dig up as well, partner." Kiddy added, delighted that they
finally have a lead as to their teacher's elusive origins.
It was at this point that Minoru was finally dragged back to the
FHS tent by Jun and Noriko, followed by Urd. Seeing that Minoru
was apparently in bad condition, everyone crowded around the
small group, not even taking notice of Urd's attire.
"Oh my gosh...Minoru, what happened?" Michiko asked, worry on her
face.
"He fell victim to the missing link." Noriko answered with
sarcasm.
"What she means," Urd explained, "is that one of the heads of the
NIT Motor Club was a little too enthusiatic in greeting someone,"
then muttered, "as usual."
"Is he going to be all right?" Nabiki asked, more concerned with
the wagers placed on the event back at school than she was in
Minoru's well-being.
"As a matter of fact, it'll take him some time to recover."
Noriko replied. "He's definitely not going to be racing today,
that's for sure."
"Can't you do something?" Nabiki said in irritation, visions of
yen floating away on little wings filling her head.
"No." Noriko said simply, then added, "I'm sorry if this ruins
another of your money-making schemes, but we are dealing with a
person here."
"That'll be enough, Noriko." Urd said before the two girls could
escalate their spat. "Now, you guys do have an alternate driver,
don't you?"
She was met with silence as the members of the ATC looked at each
other. "Hmmm...guess not."
"I'll volunteer!" Billie called out, raising his hand.
"You?" Nabiki asked, not bothering to hide her disbelief.
"Um, yeah, me." Billie replied. "Not only is my family excellent
in engineering, but we are of German stock, meaning that we are
natural-born drivers. I'll be glad to represent the school in
the event."
"Okay, someone get him suited up." Nabiki said, not quite com-
pletely believing him. However, she was the only club officer
besides Minoru present and a decision had to be made.
It was just then that the female announcer's voice boomed through
the PA system, announcing the start of the first collegiate heat.
While everyone else went to watch the heat, Dozul and Minoru's
father took Minoru and Billie into the tent to get the racing
suit off of Minoru and onto Billie.
The first heat was a single lap around the racetrack and featured
thirty-two competing racers, including Keiichi and the FWC rider
of the week. It would have been difficult to figure out who was
who in that crowd, but Urd quickly pointed out Keiichi in the
MCC's colors of blue, yellow, and white.
As both the Furinkan team and the MCC cheered him on, Keiichi
placed highly in the winning sixteen, earning the right to ride
in the second heat. The FWC rider also placed in the winning
group, while the other sixteen who fell behind were eliminated
from the competition.
While the collegiate teams got ready for the second heat, Billie
emerged from the tent, the racing uniform fitting rather loosely
on him. As he stepped away from the tent opening, Minoru's
father held the opening while Dozul pushed the team's go-cart out
to finish getting it ready for its race after the second colle-
giate heat.
"Real impressive there, Kraftwerk." Nabiki said sardonically as
she looked him over.
"Thanks, Nabiki!" Billie said, oblivious to both his sorry
appearance and Nabiki's sarcastic tone. "I feel like a winner
already!"
"Um, yeah, sure thing..." Nabiki said, taken aback by Billie's
obliviousness to her comment.
Before either could continue, Minoru slowly made his way out of
the tent and over to the track-side barrier. "How'd the first
heat go?"
"Keiichi placed near the top!" Jun cheerfully said.
"Really? Too bad I missed it, then." Minoru replied. "I really
liked that guy, even if he was a bit shorter in real life than I
expected."
"Yeah, he's a pretty cool customer" Urd said, watching the 16
riders from the first heat assemble for the second.
"I can say that I have a pretty good idea what he has to put up
with in the club now." Minoru joked, trying to keep his laughter
to a bearable level. "Guess that's what I'm going to have to put
up with next year..."
"Don't tell me you're still going to join up after what that
roughneck did to you?!" Noriko said, not believing what she
heard.
"Sure, Noriko. Besides, Tamiya said that he wouldn't do it to me
again."
"I don't believe this...I go through the trouble of making sure a
patient's all right, and he turns around and decides to put
himself through it again..." Noriko said in exasperation, putting
her face in her hands as if she was warding off a migraine.
"By the way, Urd-sensei," Michiko cut in. "What's with that
outfit and what's your connection with the NIT club anyway?"
"Oh, didn't know you were here, Michiko." Urd said in suprise.
"Well, Keiichi is my sister's boyfriend, and I was here with the
Motor Club to cheer him on. That's why I have this outfit on."
"What?! Skuld has a boyfriend already??" Michiko said in shock,
not knowing that Urd had another sister besides Skuld.
"No, no, no..." Urd said, getting a bit irritated. "Belldandy,
my other younger sister. She goes to NIT with Keiichi. The way
those two are progressing in their relationship, though, you
wouldn't think that they were a couple."
"I think they're doing just fine, sensei." Jun replied. "Just
because your plans haven't exactly worked from time to time
doesn't mean they already love each other. Keiichi told me about
some of the stuff you tried in the past, but that's okay...at
least you're trying to get them closer together."
"Damn right I'm trying to get them closer together!" Urd said.
"Otherwise, they'd be worse than a couple of schoolkids, no
offense intended, guys."
Before any of the students could reply, the announcer's voice
came over the loudspeakers again, declaring the start of the
second heat. The discussions at the Furinkan tent died down as
the sixteen racers began their competition to be among the eight
to race in the third and final heat. The second heat was five
laps in length and featured a slalom strech in one of the
straightways in order to toughen things up a bit.
It was a bit tough, but Keiichi managed to place on top in the
second heat to the cheers from both the MCC and the Furinkan
team. Aoshima and company took some pleasure in the fact that
their hired rider placed a close second for the FWC, setting the
stage for yet another showdown between the two rival clubs. A
showdown that the crowds usually loved wherever the two clubs
raced against each other.
As the crowds cheered for the teams that made it into the third
and final heat, the track personnel cleared off all of the slalom
markers to get ready for the high-school event. The various
high-school teams began to push their go-carts to the start line.
"Hey! Can someone give me a hand here?" Dozul called out as he
attempted to push the Furinkan go-cart, with Billie in it getting
mentally ready to race.
"Sure thing!" Mackie said as he seperated himself from the kids
present and strode over to where the two were.
"Hey, don't take too long with that!" Nabiki yelled, not happy at
the prospect of lost revenue. "By the way, hasn't that jerk
Tetsuo come back yet? He should be helping out with this!"
"Never mind, Nabiki." Mackie replied as he went through the
transformation from Battroid to GERWALK mode. "I've got it
handled, no problemo!"
With that, he grabbed the rear foil of the go-cart and engaged
the thrusters. The weeks of design and careful assembly on
Billie and Dozul's part paid off as Mackie quickly and smoothly
pushed Billie and the go-cart into the start position. As soon
as this was done, Mackie decided to show off a bit by raising his
altitude, transforming into fighter mode, and did a flyby of the
stands before returning. He transformed back into Battroid mode
before landing on both feet back in front of the kids standing in
awe.
"See, Nabiki? What'd I tell ya?" Mackie said with a grin, which
was possible with the new faceplate that his friends designed and
installed.
"Okay, already. You've made your point." Nabiki said before
thinking, <As well as making me a few extra yen. Good thing I
caught several pictures of him in flight.>
After a couple of minutes, the race officials signalled the start
of the race. Normally, the race would be one lap around the
track, making it a simple one with sixteen competitors. However,
there were some problems this year...
"Where does he think he's going?!" Nabiki yelled out, watching
Billie make a U-turn just after the start, causing five other
go-carts to lose control and crash into either the barriers or
each other. While the remaing ten racers continued on, Billie
went back across the start line and weaved all over the track as
he started his lap in the other direction.
Urd, as well as the students and parent present, were amazed at
Billie's sheer luck that he didn't crash into anything as he
rounded the curve and drove haphazardly along the straightaway,
heading right for the ten competitors driving in the right
direction. Tetsuo, being at the FWC tent all this time, was left
wondering what happened to Minoru's driving since he didn't know
about what happened to him. The crowds were also puzzled as to
what was going on, with the possible exception of the MCC crew
since this was all because of Tamiya's over-enthusiasm.
It wasn't long before Billie drove right into the pack of ten,
causing them to also crash into each other or into the barriers
like the previous five victims. Two of the drivers wound up
side-swiping Billie, damaging his front left-hand wheel. Howev-
er, all of the drivers were knocked out of commission while
Billie proceeded slowly (due to the damage) along his meandering
way.
While Billie continued on, Kiddy was monitoring the discussions
in the announcer's/judges' booth. "Hey, Nabiki, guys, they're
debating what to do about this race!"
"Oh?" Nabiki said wearily, getting a migraine thanks to Billie's
lack of driving abilities and what it might cost her in terms of
betting revenue. "What's up, Miss Cyberpunk?"
"Well," Kiddy continued, taking Nabiki's name-calling in stride,
"it seems some of them want to give the race to us in default
while some others want the race called off because of what
happened out there. All the other high school teams are also
demanding that the race be called off."
"Just great." Nabiki groused. "If that idiot ever gets back
here, he's going to have a lot to answer for."
"They're taking a vote now," Kiddy went on, ignoring Nabiki's
complaining. "Wait a second....okay, they're giving us the race!
It was a close vote, but we have it as long as Billie completes
the lap!"
"That is, if he does manage to complete it before the day's
over." Nabiki said in sarcasm, but inwardly relieved that her
betting arrangements back at Furinkan would be intact and she'd
be making some money out of it despite Billie's incompetance.
Everyone waited for several minutes after the announcement was
made while Billie had a rough, slow ride to the "finish" line
(which was actually the start line). Of course, some people
weren't content to sit and wait, so they decided to take bets as
to whether or not Billie would actually make it. Eventually,
though, Billie crawled across the finish line and was promptly
rushed back to the Furinkan tent by Mackie.
"Hey, what's the big rush?" Billie asked as Mackie set him down
unceremoniously. "Shouldn't you be taking me to the victor's
stand?"
"Billie, you idiot!" Nabiki yelled. "Don't you realize that all
fifteen of the other high school teams want to lynch you along
with the rest of us?"
"What for?" he asked, genuinely confused. "I finished the race
fair and square, didn't I?"
"'Finished the race fair and square'?!? You went the wrong way
and caused the other teams to crash! Where did you learn to
drive??"
"Ummmm...my parents insisted on using their private driving
track. Besides, is it my fault that the other drivers were bad?"
Before Nabiki could explode further in anger, Urd cut in. "Let's
just say that it's going to be quite a while before anyone lets
you behind the wheel again."
"Hey, leave him alone, you guys!" Kiddy said, coming between
Billie and the others. "He made it back alright, and we ended up
winning, so what else do you guys want out of him? Blood?"
"That'd be a start..." Nabiki muttered.
While everyone was arguing over Billie's driving, Minoru laid
back, a bag of ice on his head to deal with a headache, and said,
"Geez...wish I was in better shape for the race...I don't think I
can handle any more of this mess..."
Meanwhile, back at the MCC tent, tempers were raised for related
reasons.
"What? You guys aren't going to clear off the debris and wrecked
go-carts??"
"That's right." a track official told an agitated Keiichi. "The
judges decided that in order to make the third and final heat
more challenging, they're going to leave the wreckage on the
track as obstacles, in addition to the 10 laps you'll be riding."
"Aw, geez...Tamiya, this is all your fault! If you hadn't
crushed that kid earlier, we wouldn't be in this predicament!"
"Now, Keiichi," Belldandy interrupted, "calm down. I'm sure
everything will be all right. If anyone can drive with those
odds, you could. So don't yell at Tamiya or anyone else over
this and keep calm for the race."
Keiichi sighed, then said, "If you really think so..."
Belldandy looked right into his eyes and said with a smile, "I
know you can do it, Keiichi."
Any remaining anger in Keiichi melted away before Belldandy's
gaze. <If she puts it that way,> he thought, <there's no way I'm
going to let her down! Wrecks or no wrecks, I'm going to win
this one for Belldandy!>
"All right, then!" Keiichi exclaimed. "Let's go show those other
teams what we're made of!"
As the final eight teams, including the MCC and the FWC, got
ready to ride to victory despite the increased odds, Urd sensed
Keiichi's fired-up spirit from where she was at the Furinkan
tent.
<Alright, kid! Show her what you're made of! 'Cause if you
don't..."> she thought as she went over to the barrier with most
of her students to watch the final race. The only ones not with
them were Billie (who was confined to the tent), Minoru (fending
off a migraine), and the still-missing Tetsuo.
Of course, the FWC crew was also paying close attention to the
upcoming race. <I hope the rider I hired earns his pay today.>
Aoshima thought. <It'd be a real shame should Morisato lose the
race, but that's why I hired my driver. After all, if Morisato
loses, odds are that he and Belldandy will break up and she will
be mine after all this time.> Taking a glance at Tetsuo, who was
getting fresh with any girl unfortunate enough to get near him,
Aoshima added, <And I'll be able to lose this jerk since I would
have no need of him.>
Time seemed like an eternity for all teams involved before the
starter gun was fired and the eight racers shot from their
positions. Being the top twenty-five percent of the racers at
the event, all eight were able to handle the obstacles left
behind from the high-school go-cart race during most of the final
heat.
However, the obstacles proved not to be the greatest of Keiichi's
worries. As they went lap after lap, Keiichi found himself under
pressure as the FWC rider tried to force him into the various
obstacles along their path.
<Sheesh! Does this guy think he's in a Mad Max movie or some-
thing?> Keiichi thought, trying to keep his eyes on the track
ahead while fending off the FWC rider. What kept him going was
the thought of Belldandy and what she had told him before the
race.
Two of the other riders weren't so lucky and ended up crashing
into obstacles during the seventh and eighth laps due to mental
exhaustion from all the dodging involved. This only put pressure
on remaining six.
Meanwhile, back at the Furinkan tent, while everyone else was
watching the race, Mackie seemed to be staring off into space in
a single direction. Michiko took notice of this out of the
corner of her eye and asked him as to why.
Startled, Mackie glanced at her and said, "I think I found out
where Tetsuo's been hiding."
"What? Where is that jerk?" Nabiki asked, still irritated at
earlier events.
"Over there, across the track. He's at one of the other team's
tent!"
"Let me see that!" Nabiki spat out as she grabbed a pair of
binoculars that was laying around and looked over where Mackie
was pointing. "Now why would he be at the NIT Four Wheels Club
tent...oh, never mind." She said the last part because she saw
Tetsuo making a pass at one of the girls still present at the
tent.
"'Four Wheels Club'?! Give me those binoculars, Nabiki!" Urd
yelled, almost yanking the binoculars from her. Sure enough,
Tetsuo was there as they said. "Now why would that jerk be
hanging around that Aoshima slime? Hmmm...guess birds of a
feather do flock together..."
"Urd-sensei? Let me see that." Jun asked evenly as she took the
binoculars from Urd.
"I don't think that's a good idea, kid..." Urd said warily as Jun
took a good long look across the track.
Jun frowned as she was greeted by the sight of Tetsuo, unaware of
all the attention he was getting at the moment, feeling up one of
the FWC girls. She slowly set the binoculars down and stood
there glaring. Urd and Kiddy, who were standing next to her,
felt the energy rise around them, but Urd was the only one of the
two who knew what the nature of the energy was.
"Wait, Jun, don't! You don't have enough control yet!" Urd
yelled. Jun, in her anger, wasn't paying attention and proceeded
with the spell.
"Wings of Justice, heed my call!
I, Kokashi Jun, beseech you
as one who has been wronged.
Seek out the flames of lust
in the reprobate who spurned me,
and add fuel to that fire!"
Unfortunately, Urd was proven right as what looked like an
explosion occurred at the FWC tent....
* * * * * * * * * *
"What was that?!?"
Aoshima stumbled around the smoke, trying to figure out what
happened at his tent a moment ago. One minute, everyone was
savoring what would surely have been their victory over the Motor
Club, the next, there was a loud bang and a thick cloud of smoke
where they were at. He reached for the arm of the person nearest
to him and grabbed it. However, he was suprised at the sticky
substance covering it along with something feathery. "What
the..." was all he managed.
"Mr. Aoshima!" a girl's voice shouted through the rapidly dissa-
pating smoke. He looked to see one of his hired girls beside
him, partly covered in what looked like tar and yellow feathers.
"What happened to you, Mizumi?" Aoshima asked, trying to make
heads or tails of her appearance.
"I don't know, boss! One moment, that high school kid was
getting fresh with me; the next moment, I got splashed with this
stuff and I couldn't see much of anything because of this smoke!"
Aoshima looked to over where Tetsuo was sitting and saw that the
barrier in front of the chair was torn down and an unrecognizable
figure completely covered in the same stuff that covered Mizumi
wandering onto the track. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw
the pack of racers rapidly approaching the person on the track.
"Oh, no!" was all he could manage.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Oh no!" Megumi yelled as she saw the pack, led by Keiichi and
the FWC rider, approach what looked like a rather messy mascot
that wandered onto the track from where Aoshima's gang was.
The rest of the MCC looked in apprehension as the racers looked
certain to run into the interloper, who was certainly part of one
of Aoshima's schemes all along. All except for Belldandy who was
making a few gestures and unrecognizable phrases...
* * * * * * * * * *
"What the?!" Keiichi yelled to noone in particular as he spotted
what he thought was a poor imitation of some American chicken
mascot on the track in front of him during his final lap.
"What's going on here?"
As he braced for a collision, though, his bike seemed to take a
bit of a life of its own and veered away from the guy. As he
passed him, he wondered, <Belldandy's doing?>
The FWC rider wasn't quite as lucky. He managed to avoid the
wanderer, but wound up losing control of his bike. As he spilled
all over the track, so did two other riders, leaving Keiichi and
another two.
While the crowd was in an uproar, Keiichi won the race for the
Motor Club, followed by the clubs from Bekkoame and Osaka,
respectively.in second and third places.
* * * * * * * * * *
It as a full minute after Keiichi won that Urd finally turned to
Jun and asked quietly, "What did you try to do that time?"
"I was trying to give that jerk a 'hot time', but I wound up
tarring and feathering him instead." Jun replied, still angry.
Part of the anger was towards herself, though, for messing up yet
another spell and nearly costing Keiichi his race.
Kiddy turned to them and asked "*You* did that, Jun??"
Before Urd could keep her quiet, Jun turned to Kiddy and said,
"Yeah, I'm afraid so. Guess my little secret's out..."
"Wow!" Kiddy nearly gushed. "You really showed that turkey! I
was hoping someone would really humiliate him, but this takes the
cake! Good job, girl!"
"Um, thanks..." Jun stammered, not being used to praise for her
magical abilities, or lack thereof.
Urd finally managed to cut in and say, "Listen, Jun, I'm going
over to the Motor Club tent to congradulate Keiichi. I think you
ought to come with me so we can go home as a group before you can
cause any more trouble. Kiddy's right though. Even if you
didn't do exactly what you wanted to do, you got him good, I'll
give you that. You've got potential, kid." she smiled at last.
"Thanks, sensei!" Jun said, relieved that Urd wasn't going to
chew her out over what happened. "Listen, guys, I'm going home
with her, so I'll see you on Monday, all right? Give my 're-
gards' to Tetsuo!"
"I'm sure he already has them, Jun." Nabiki said, observing that
Tetsuo was being escorted off of the track from a distance.
* * * * * * * * * *
That night, the temple was alive with activity as the Motor Club
celebrated Keiichi's great victory against such odds that day.
Of course, Keiichi and Belldandy kept quiet about her little
spell that saved Keiichi from a certain spill. Urd and Jun were
rather quiet as well, trying to keep Jun's part in this secret
rather than letting it ruin the party.
"So, Jun, how did your date go?" Belldandy asked as she carried a
tray full of goodies to the teacher and student.
"Don't ask!" Urd and Jun said simultaneously. The two looked at
each other, then broke down laughing and joined in on the party.
Next Episode: A Potion For Your Troubles?
All Aa! Megamisama and Ranma 1/2 characters copyright Fujishima
Kosuke and Takahashi Rumiko, respectively. All other characters
copyright Peter Ward, Tim Dunn, Tim Holt, "Snafu", and Ray Yeen.
Thanks to Wei Lik for pointing out to me how Nabiki handles her
photography (see below).
E-mail all comments, suggestions, etc. to falcon@best.com.
They're always welcome...even the flames to a certain extent ^^;
* * * * * * * * * *
"What the?!?"
Nabiki stood at the counter looking over the photos she had
developed from the race the day before. Most of them turned out
alright, but some were conspicuously blank. All the blank ones
corresponded to where the pictures of Urd-sensei would have been
on the rolls. Nabiki quickly inspected the negatives and found
that they were blank in those spots as well.
Nabiki slammed them down in anger, upset at the sudden drop in
revenue that she would have gained from those pictures of Urd-
sensei. This would have to be investigated most thoroughly...
Peter L. Ward falcon@best.com Kyusaku on IRC #Anime!
Caretaker of the Urd Shrine (http://www.best.com/~falcon/urdhome.htm)
"Okay, *here's* an idea...I've heard the best cure for memory loss
is...SHOCK TREATMENT!!" - Urd