Inside of Morino's house…
Kia was seated on her bed, holding a picture of Morino, her face solemn.
"Father…I don't know what to do anymore…if you were here, what would you do?"
Suddenly, a wave of shadows appeared to surround her, making her fall out of her bed.
"I wouldn't sit in this bed and mope. What kind of weak daughter are you? You're the daughter of an esteemed princess, and you cower within your walls."
She looked up to find a shadowy version of Morino staring at her, and she backed into the wall.
"…Father?"
"Not quite…dear."
The figure shifted and twisted, before resembling none other than her own husband, Kuroten, who reached out to her.
"Kia…Kia…"
"No! It isn't you! You're gone! I lost my husband years ago!"
Kuroten stepped closer. "Come now…you believe in chance, don't you?"
"I…I…"
Kuroten suddenly stopped. "No more hiding Kia, dear. No more lying to the kids. No more lying to yourself."
Kia remained silent, breathing hard. Just as Kuroten disappeared, there was a knock on the door.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
She nervously got up. "Who is it?"
There was no answer.
Kia approached the door, and a man in a hood was standing before it, holding a bouquet in his hands.
"Who…who are you? Are you another shadow of my mind?"
The man looked up, his blood red eyes shining in the moonlight. "If it doesn't bother you…I would like to come inside."
Meanwhile…
"Eat my dust, losers!"
Jirou races ahead of the cars behind him, avoiding the underground pillars of the subway while using his car to boost.
"Where's that dweeb at?" he shouted, looking back. "Wrecked already? Haha! Lame!"
A girl with silver skin and hair drove by him on a motorcycle, glancing at him as she passed.
"Your overconfidence is a glaring weakness, Jirou," she commented. "It will result in your downfall."
She sped up.
"Hey!" Jirou called out. "Don't try and lecture me, Kikai! I'm the best racer any Voltian has ever seen!"
"Uh-huh."
She stood up on her motorcycle, using one foot to steer it as she collected a boost out of the air.
"Boost Collected! Bomb Activated!"
A bomb formed in her hand, and she cocked her arm back and launched it at Jirou, nearly taking out his wheels. "Watch yourself, girl!"
"Goodbye."
She took off, and as Jirou prepared to step on the gas, he heard a voice behind him.
"She's not very nice, is she?"
Jirou whirled his head around to find Luca anchored to the back of his car, using his axes to hold himself in place. "You? How the hell did you catch up to me? I saw you guys crash!"
"I'm pretty fast, you know," Luca told him. "When I'm a wolf, I can even dodge bullets."
Jirou began working his wheel, attempting to shake Luca off. "Get lost! I've got a race to win! Why the hell are you hitching a ride on my car, anyway?"
"No reason. Just to make sure my pal doesn't lose track of you."
"What?"
BOOM.
In the distance, a large thunderous explosion could be heard, and every racer in sight turned around immediately. Jirou's eyes widened.
"What the hell is THAT?"
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
"That's my cue," Luca stated.
Luca jumped off the car, but before he hit the ground, a massive mechanical hand grabbed him out of the air. Jirou and the other racers watched in shock as a large mech tore through the subway like tinfoil, running as fast as the cars around it.
"Shit, shit, shit! No one told me there would be giant robots running around down here!"
The exit to the subway got within reach, and everyone raced through it. The mech's mask opened, revealing Marachii sitting in the center cockpit, with Naito, Yūsuke, Naoki, and Fido behind him. Luca jumped into the cockpit.
"Hahahaha!" Marachii laughed. "This is awesome! No one told me I could do THIS! This is a heaven that only I can REACH!"
Jirou blankly stared at Marachii. "Dude, the hell? You lost your car and you pull out a giant mech? What coping mechanisms do you have?"
"The kind that can kick your ass!" Marachii declared. "Victory will be—-"
The mask closed, and a deep robotic voice spoke. "MINE!
Kikai briefly glanced back, lifting an eyebrow as Jirou caught up to her. "Mmm. Seems your new friend has a few tricks up his sleeve."
"Doesn't matter! And he's not my friend!"
"Whatever."
They began riding through a grassy hillside, dodging traps and pitfalls as they got closer and closer to the next checkpoint.
From inside the mech, Marachii began frantically tapping buttons, an almost psychotic smile on his face. "Faster! Faster!"
Naoki looked around the cockpit. "What an interesting machine, Marachii. I didn't know you could produce such powerful technology!"
"I didn't either," Luca admitted. "He usually sticks to cars and rockets."
He felt along the walls. "Reminds me of Runea's, but a lot more advanced."
"Punch it!" Marachii ordered, slamming his hand into a control panel.
The mech began to hover across the ground, advancing.
"There's another girl next to him," Naito pointed out. "She appears to be the bigger threat."
"Hehe," Marachii grinned. "Elara, debrief me."
"Debriefing. Elemental Weapon Detected: Techno-Mech. Fully armed with launchers, machine guns, cannons, melee weapons, and thrusters. Also can use the power of other Elementals to boost its strength. Usage drains battery, however."
"Whoa," Luca remarked, patting him on the back. "Your weapon is a battle mech? That's a bit overkill, isn't it?"
"THIS is a weapon?"
"Apparently so."
Marachii began to laugh uncontrollably. "I can't wait to flex on the others! Who needs shields or gauntlets when you can run through anything!"
"Stronger with the power of other Elementals…" Luca recalled. "Computer, what does that mean?"
Elara's voice rang out. "Beast Element Detected. Incorporating."
The floor beneath Luca disappeared, dropping him into the chest compartment. He landed in a seat, and two gloves attached themselves to his hands. "Successfully bonded. Beast Element is now ready to use."
"Luca!" Marachii shouted from above. "What did you do?"
"Wait a second…" Luca realized. "Don't tell me…"
His body began to glow green, and sure enough, the mech began to glow green as well. "Marachii, brace yourself."
Outside, by the time Jirou could look back at the mech, it now had the armor of a werewolf, including its claws.
"That bastard can shift it at will?" Jirou gasped. "Who IS that kid?"
"Clearly he has the Power of the Elements," Kikai noted. "It's a simple solution. We have to take him down."
"We?"
"That vessel poses a threat for both of us in this race," Kikai explained. "The only way to remove it is to work together."
"Fine," Jirou relented. "Item Boxes ahead! Let's grab one and trip this kid up!"
They both raced through the item boxes.
"Item Box Opened! Slime Launcher and Tripwire: Activated!"
"Perfect!" Jirou said. "Let's hit him where it hurts!"
The mech leapt from hill to hill before jumping forward and landing right behind the two racers, attempting to slash them with its claws.
"Now," Kikai announced. "Hit him!"
She turned her motorcycle around and began firing the slime launcher attached to her vehicle, spraying the mech in the eyes. As she did so, Jirou fired the tripwire cannon, attaching a wire around the mech's legs and forcing it to fall.
"Yes!" Jirou cheered. "We got him!"
"Now to gain distance," Kikai said. "Bye-bye."
"Hey, you little—-!"
The mech slowly got up as more cars zipped around it. From inside, Marachii slammed the dashboard. "Pick this thing up, Elara! We've got a race to win!"
"Dear," Naoki warned. "Please be careful with this thing!"
"Oh, I will, Miss Naoki. I will."
BOOM.
The mech took off running, knocking over racers and traps. From below, Luca moved his arms around, in turn causing the mech to bat cars out of the way.
"Marachii, this thing has my vote!" Luca smirked. "It IS pretty cool!"
"I know, right?" Marachii said back.
As they made their way to the final stage of the race, which was a high climb up a cyberpunk tower. Jirou and Kikai were already racing up, with other racers behind them.
"There he is. That girl's right beside him." Yūsuke pointed. "If we take them out of commission, we succeed."
"Say no more," Marachii replied. "Elara, how fast can this thing climb?"
"The Beast Element enhances climbing by 110%."
"Perfect. Climb this baby, Luca! Climb!"
The mech jumped onto the tower, using its claws to scale upward. With its massive frame, it was close behind the top two racers once more.
"This thing won't stay down," Jirou groaned. "Once this race is done, I'm giving that kid a piece of my mind!"
Kikai pressed a button on her motorcycle, and it began to drive itself. "The race never said you have to be inside your vehicle when it crosses the finish line. Good luck catching my bike, Jirou Kaminari."
"Wait, what are you saying?"
Without warning, she jumped down, landing on the head of the mech. With a single punch, she staggered it, causing one claw to lose its grip.
"Losing steam, Captain!" Luca yelled. "She packs one hell of a punch!"
"That bitch!" Marachii exclaimed.
As Kikai prepared to punch the mech again, Naito stepped forward, drawing her fans. "Keep this thing steady."
"Huh?"
She pressed the release button, opening the cockpit. "And don't stop climbing."
"Dear, wait!" Noaki interrupted.
Before anyone could protest, Naito jumped onto the head of the mech, stopping Kikai in her tracks.
"I recommend you get off of this thing," Naito ordered.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Kikai asked.
"Naito Kei," she answered. "General S-7."
"That's cute," Kikai mocked. "Down here, labels don't mean a thing, sweetheart. I'll show you."
With great speed, Kikari swung a spinning kick at Naito's face, who ducked under it and retaliated by sweeping her legs. Kikai recovered mid-air and landed on her feet.
"Impressive," Kikai remarked. "So you weren't lying."
"Your physical abilities are high," Naito analyzed. "And you don't have the appearance of a normal Voltian. What are you?"
"I don't know," Kikai shrugged. "Whatever you make of me."
In the blink of an eye, she punched the head of the mech again, causing it to slide down the wall.
"Enough," Naito demanded.
She threw her fans at Kikai, but the girl blocked them both and sent them flying toward the ground. With a snap of her fingers, they returned to Naito's hand, and she and Kikai began trading attacks atop the mech.
"You move well, General," Kikai complimented. "But you still have limits."
With a kick, she sent Naito flying over, forcing her to grip onto the edge with her hand. "Sorry, not sorry."
Naito looked up, watching as Jirou neared the finish line at the top. "Don't be."
With her free hand, she launched her fan into the air, causing it to hit both Jirou's car and Kikai's bike, knocking them off balance and sending them flying.
"Whoa, not cool!" Jirou screamed."
Kikai watched as her bike spiraled toward the pavement. "What'd you just do?"
"This."
With a snap of her fingers, the fan zig-zagged before hitting Kikai in the back of the head, causing her to lose her footing and topple over, hitting the ground with a painful thud.
"Ouch," Luca winced. "No way she's walking away from that."
The mech continued climbing, and with a final leap, it reached the top, and a horn played.
"Race 2 Completed! Winner: Marachii Jones!"
Marachii opened his cockpit and pumped his fist. "Yes! We did it! Technology rules!"
The tower began to lower itself until it reached the ground, and a door behind them opened, revealing a new room. "Checkpoint B: Reached! Team Level 10!"
Everyone exited the mech, and it disappeared back into Marachii's body. Naoki squeezed Marachii's shoulder. "You did well, dear! But please, don't move so fast next time."
"No promises!"
Yūsuke gestured to the door. "We can move forward now."
But once they walked up to the entrance, a red laser gate blocked them, forcing them back as the voice rang through. "Clearance Level 12 Needed! Unauthorized Clearance!"
"Didn't we just win?" Luca questioned. "Why would they lie to us?"
"Because," a voice explained. "You need us."
Behind them, Jirou and Kikai walked forward, holding keycards in their hands.
"Oh, great," Marachii sighed. "The defeated now want to help!"
"Listen, man, do you want our help or not? You won the race, so I'll oblige your request and move you to the next checkpoint. Even if you cheated."
"Fine. How are you even still standing? You both fell off the edge!"
Jirou cracked his arm. "My car has a parachute."
Kikai stepped forth, readjusting her head. "Don't look at me. After all, I'm not really a person."
She tapped her chest, and it retracted, showing a pile of circuits and machinery. "I'm a machine."
"That explains everything," Luca noted.
"Well, what are you two waiting for?" Naoki stated. "Scan us through!"
"About that…" Jirou admitted. "It's not as simple as scan you through. Every gate from here on out needs the proper clearance."
"What are you saying?" Yūsuke asked.
"That if you want to go any further, you'll need to bring us on your journey."
—-