F-Zero: Seppuku - Part 1/3, Lap 10

Lap 9 < | > Lap 11
After an awkward meeting with Galactic Federation's Jody Summer, Chiya and Earl find themselves making the finishing touches to the Red Dove for the next race.
==Chapter Reading==
==Lap 10=
A few days went by with little to no gang violence. The day of the next race was here at last and would be taking place in Casino Palace. Earl had yet to begin installing the parts into Chiya’s machine, as all priority was given to the Red Dove to ensure that it's ready for optimal performance. 
Chiya and Earl were hanging out in the garage, this was now considered a typical beginning to the day. Chiya had been helping Earl the past two days with getting the Red Dove ready. Earl was now considered Chiya's best friend and she even came to him often times to have casual conversations. Seppuku had entered an unusual state ever since his meeting with Jody where he isolates more than usual and even skips out on 'hunting'. He always locked his office door, a clear indication that he wanted nothing to do with his two associates.
After a hard afternoon of work, Chiya wiped her forehead with a rag and stepped back from the F-Zero machine. “I think that’s the best we can do for the dents,” she said with a content attitude.
Earl came by and looked at the body from her perspective, they had gotten the dents from previous action out. The F-Zero machine took damage from both the Blood Hawk and Wild Boar, Seppuku would see much of the same today.
The mechanic was content with their work, but still went on to say, “Alright, let's keep working.”
“What is there left to work on? Looks fine to me.”
Earl grinned, “Nothing, it's perfect. But if I stop working on the Red Dove, Seppuku will lecture me for being lazy. It doesn't matter how well it looks.”
Seppuku kicked the garage door open without warning, leaving Chiya shaking with wide eyes. The Man of Darkness proceeded toward the two without expression, then proceeded to inspect the Red Dove. Earl was preparing for a review, and Seppuku had a history for being the strictest of critics.
Following much silence, the man nodded, “Perfection.”
Earl was beyond surprised by the compliment, “Wh- What? Uh, yeah, alright... thanks!”
Both associates were sent back in shock as Seppuku then made an abnormally skilled jump onto the roof of his machine. There he stood with his lengthy rifle down like a cane. 
“Alright, listen up, girls!” Both Chiya and Earl came together with almost obedient faces. “This race is going to be much more intense, we've got Chain on the track and he's pissed beyond comprehension. Along with this, there's Blood Falcon—he's a douche. Both racers are natural enemies of our cause, so I'll need both your help.”
Chiya puckered her lips upon hearing this, “Wait, I get to come!?” 
Seppuku nodded, “Don't get too excited, I'm putting both of you on a case study. I demand a report from both of you on the tactics that the Wild Boar and Blood Hawk use. Don't concern yourselves with my other opponents.”
Chiya narrowed her eyes, “Who are your opponents, exactly?” she asked with a suspicious gaze.
“Anyone who poses a threat to me.” He got inside the machine and turned on the engine, then turned his head and pointed at Chiya, “Don’t be late.”
Seppuku drove out of the garage and hit the streets. Chiya removed her beanie hat to rub her sweating forehead. Moments later she put her hat back on and walked to Earl’s car.
“This sounds like it could get hairy. Should I bring my gun?”
“You should leave it in the car, the F-Zero committee will just confiscate it.”
Following a nod, Chiya tossed her handgun in the back seat and sat in the car. Earl looked at the car's clock and shrugged, they were leaving a bit early.
“Here's hoping for a victory…” Earl said with a grin.
The two were later driving to the track known as Casino Palace. The theme of the track was, as to be expected, a casino. The track used flashing lights and decorations to leave the drivers disoriented. This track was found not in the Upper City nor the Lower City; but rather, the 'Gambling Area'. This was a gambler's paradise, a section of Mute City styled after Las Vegas. 
Chiya had remained silent most of the trip and kept her head down. This was concerning her new friend, who much preferred seeing her happy on a daily basis.
Earl glanced at Chiya with a concerned look, “Something up? You’ve been very quiet today.”
Chiya looked up and forced a smile, “No, I’m fine! It’s just that Seppuku’s been a real mood killer and it’s kind of distressing me...”
Earl nodded with a grin, “Sometimes I think he’s in love with Jody Summer. I'm sure that's who he's angry at, right now.”
Chiya raised an eyebrow, “I was beginning to think he didn't know love.”
“He used to talk about her all the time. He's spoken tales of when he was in the Federation, but most of his stories were centered around Jody's leadership, always in a negative way. He doesn't like Jody, therefore, I doubt love plays a role in this.”
Chiya looked out the window and rested her head against the seat. Despite her current mood, Chiya was ecstatic to see her second F-Zero race. Seppuku wanted her present to study his two rivals, but he may have also wanted her to see how F-Zero works up close, since she may very well become a racer one day.
“He’ll get over it, I promise you that much,” Earl concluded.
About half an hour later, they arrived at a huge dome stadium. The windows were emerald green and the roof painted gold. The parking lots were filled with cars. Chiya and Earl walked through the entrance and were suddenly surrounded with concession stands. Many concession stands were revolved only around specific racers, such as: Captain Falcon, Samurai Goroh, Pico, Dr. Stewart, and even Blood Falcon. There were no Seppuku stands, however. 
The two friends walked through an immense crowd of people while on their way to the track. Off the corner of Chiya’s eyes was a Captain Falcon beanie hat for sale, it was blue with a golden eagle stitched on top. The Mysterian smiled and began moving toward the stand while searched her pocket for money. Earl quickly grabbed her hand and pulled her away.
“Seppuku would kill you if you wore that...” he explained.
Not much later, the two made it to a large metal booth. This was a private booth preserved only for those invited by that racer. This was Lieutenant Seppuku's private booth. The booth had quality chairs, a TV displaying the race, a couch, and kitchen. Chiya was leaping around the booth in joy and continued going on about how amazing every single thing was. Earl was finding great humor in her excitement.
Chiya ran up to Earl, “Look at this! The booth has a cooling unit in case it gets hot!”
“Yep, it's great.”
The Mysterian opened up a mini fridge and looked inside, then puckered her lips, “Food!”
Several minutes passed by and the time for action had come. All racers were to drive up to the starting line for introductions.
The track announcer tapped his microphone, “The F-Zero committee would like to thank all of those here for the second race of the annual Grand Prix. At this time we will introduce the racers.”
Chiya dropped an expensive sandwich and ran up to the front of the booth, her mouth was left open with excitement. The booth was designed like a machine gun bunker, so she could look out at the track from an opening. Seppuku’s booth was situated near the starting line, which gave Chiya the benefit of seeing the racers come up to the starting line in person.
“Taking first the previous race, the bounty hunter and living legend of F-Zero, Captain Falcon!” 
The Blue Falcon raced to the starting line. Thousands, if not millions, of people cheered the legend on as he waved to the crowd.
Chiya exhaled with great passion and blinked with a lovestruck smile, “Isn't he dreamy, Earl?”
The mechanic rolled his eyes, “I guess...” He looked away from Chiya for a moment and smirked, “He's not, like, mechanic dreamy; but sure...”
“The man born in a lab, set out to kill his clone brother, Blood Falcon!”
The Blood Hawk drove up beside the Blue Falcon. He leapt out on top of his F-Zero machine and proceeded to bang his head with a stuck out tongue. Most fans were booing him, except for the small amount of people who were clapping—the Blood Falcon fan base.
“Chief commander and spokeswoman of the Galactic Federation, and stunning to say the least, Jody Summer!”
The White Cat drove up next to the Blood Hawk. Jody and Captain Falcon exchanged nods, she then opened her cockpit and saluted the crowd.
“The Man of Mystery, laying low and keeping his enemies close, Lieutenant Seppuku!”
The Red Dove drove up to the White Cat, but Seppuku did not acknowledge the crowd. Not much reception was given by the fans, aside from a loud bunch of fans booing in Michael Chain’s booth, directly across from Earl and Chiya.
Chiya widened her eyes and pointed toward the adjacent booth, “It’s Michael Chain’s goons!”
Earl didn’t regard these men, but he did he groan at the Red Dove, “What a horrible group…”
“What’s wrong?”
His expression became very serious after swishing a hand toward the four racers on the track, “You got both Falcons, Jody Summer, and Seppuku. A recipe for disaster! Let’s pray they don’t get into a pre-race conversation…” 
The announcer continued introducing each racer, meanwhile, Seppuku got out of his machine. Captain Falcon got out after seeing Seppuku leave his machine, and this caused both Jody and Blood Falcon to get out as well. The four walked toward each other and stood in separate corners. Seppuku initiated a chain reaction by getting out of his machine.
Earl slapped his cheek, “Dammit, Seppuku! Well, here we go…”
Captain Falcon grinned and saluted Seppuku, “May the best man win, Lieutenant.”
Seppuku was about to respond, but was interrupted by an approaching Jody Summer, “Save your breath, Captain. Getting a compliment from him is as rare as seeing-”
Blood Falcon ran up to the three laughing, “Falcon, Falcon! I look forward to crushing you in my machine!” 
Captain Falcon gave him a grim look, “I’ll let you kill me. But you have to catch me first!” he spoke with a grin.
Seppuku chuckled, “You two are what make F-Zero what it is. Random rivalry leading to death,” he ceased chuckling and grinned, “It's why I love the sport. Idiots killing each other on the track because of unneeded rivalry...”
“You have more rivals than anyone here, Seppuku,” Jody countered.
Seppuku glanced at Jody with gritted teeth, when suddenly loud footsteps could be heard approaching the four. For whatever the reason, Michael Chain had made an early debut—completely ignoring the fact that he was supposed to be introduced last.
Chain shoved Jody onto the ground and grabbed Seppuku by the neck, lifted him into the air, then shook him around like a doll. “Seppuku! I wanted to thank you for damaging Red Star! It saved me a lot of time, but it’s a shame you're still alive!”
The lieutenant remained calm, despite being throttled, “You need to work out more, I could easily break out of your grasp if I wanted to...”
Chain shook in anger before throwing the man aside, Captain Falcon grabbed Chain by the arm, “Calm down.”
Seppuku stood back up and brushed his coat, “I didn’t need your pity help, Falcon.”
A while later all racers were present at the starting line, “At this time, all racers may start their engines!”
All of the F-Zero machines began to power on, Seppuku looked to his side at Jody, who’s machine was next to his. He nodded and tilted his hat as a declaration of challenge.
Three. Two. One. Go! 
Each racer took off and the fans exploded with cheers. Chiya was bouncing up and down excitedly, the race was on and she now had true incentive to root for Seppuku.
The Blue Falcon led the pack of racers, but both Blood Falcon and Seppuku were close on him. The Crazy Bear was gaining on Seppuku, though did not appear to have any hostile intentions of ramming into him. Dr. Clash was the driver of the Crazy Bear, an obese man with gray hair and a yellow skin suit. He was the top engineer of the Galactic Federation. The Blood Hawk drove up to the Blue Falcon’s side and tried a side attack, Captain Falcon dodged this by hitting the brakes. Blood Falcon was now in 1st with Seppuku behind him in 2nd.
“Why didn’t Seppuku hit Captain Falcon if he hates him so much?” asked Chiya.
“Seppuku isn’t that much of a fool. If he took out Captain Falcon, how much respect would he lose from F-Zero fans? There are millions, maybe billions, of Falcon fans. They would all hate Seppuku if he took him out, and Seppuku’s already bad reputation would perish.”
“Blood Falcon attacks Captain Falcon,” she countered.
“Well no one likes Blood Falcon, anyhow.”
The Blue Falcon passed the Crazy Bear and was behind the Red Dove. Seppuku decided to perform unneeded aggression by hitting the brakes just as the Blue Falcon got behind him, this forced Falcon to an immediate stop. The fans all booed the Man of Darkness for this, both Seppuku and Captain Falcon were sent back a couple positions now and allowed for racers such as Samurai Goroh and Michael Chain to pass. Blood Falcon was still having no issue keeping up in 1st place, Jody was the only one close enough to try and stop him.
Michael Chain slowed down to combat Seppuku, who surprised the gangster with a sudden side attack. The Wild Boar was beat aside and now had a huge dent on the side. Seppuku had done severe damage to Chain’s machine, the gang leader backed away from Seppuku. Most racers completed their first lap and thus unlocked their boosters. 
Seppuku boosted forward, but was still far behind the other racers. Captain Falcon was battling Zoda, a racer many found to be annoying. Seppuku growled at the Wild Boar, and in what could be seen as a controversial move, used the majority of his energy tank to boost toward Chain, who had boosted past Seppuku after completing a lap. If the Red Dove’s energy level were to deplete, the machine would turn off and 'retire' from the race.
“What’s he doing?” asked Chiya, confused by his decision to exert so much energy boosting.
Earl grinned, “Finishing business. Didn't expect any less from the man…”
Chain was beginning to panic, he had to reach a restoration pad and drive over it in order to restore his energy tank. But as it would appear, Seppuku could finish him off with a single strike. Chain didn't have enough energy left to withstand another attack. 
Likewise, Seppuku had very little energy left to shed, so he would need to be careful. A simple strike against the Red Dove could retire him from the race, incentive to stay away from Chain; but Seppuku had his jingo on and was seeking destruction.
In a very surprising moment, Captain Falcon drove into Seppuku's rear and bumped him forward. This was helping Seppuku gain fast ground on Chain.
Earl rubbed his chin in awe, “Son of a gun...”
Chiya looked at Earl with wide eyes, then back at the screen. Michael Chain was considered a big rival because of the gang war he partook in, ensuring that he couldn’t win the one billion credits in prize money was crucial. 
Seppuku came neck and neck with the Wild Boar and soon pinned him close to the wall to prevent an attack, Chain’s only option was to make a complete stop. This decision was made too late, however, as Seppuku rammed him into the safety rail and continued dragging him along the track. This left a trail of sparks for nearly a mile. After sucking all the energy away from Chain's machine, Seppuku released him and drove through a restoration pad. He was now restoring his energy to full and soon boosted forward again. Chain pounded on his machine in a desperate attempt to start it back up, but it was no use. It was a consecutive retirement.
The fans cheered Chain's second retirement, this almost shot down any chance he had of winning the Grand Prix. Chiya and Earl hugged with great optimism while cheering with the rest. Chiya looked forward and pointed toward Chain's private booth with an excited smile. 
“Look!”
Chain's gangsters were all expressing their rage by lifting dumbbells and shouting at what had just happened.
Captain Falcon drove beside Seppuku and saluted him, but Seppuku, yet again, disregarded this. Blood Falcon rammed into Jody and sent her spinning, then laughed with imperialistic joy. Seppuku drove up beside Blood Falcon by surprise and side attacked him. Everyone cheered once more for Seppuku, but unfortunately, his attack did little to Blood Falcon besides slowly him down. Blood Falcon was in 3rd place now.
“Seppuku’s getting quite some attention, this might help his fan base,” Earl spoke with optimism.
The final lap had arrived. Blood Falcon was trying to catch up with Seppuku with a passionate desire for challenge. The two engaged in combat with a mutual ambition to kill the other, both were matched in what appeared to be anyone's fight. 
Jody drove up to Blood Falcon's other side, both Jody and Seppuku had him cornered. Blood Falcon could be destroyed within an instant if he didn’t slow down. Blood Falcon came to a quick stop and cussed aloud. This put Jody and Seppuku together with Goroh gaining on both racers. Jody and Seppuku were gazing at each other from their cockpits. Both looked like bitter rivals, yet, they chose not to fight each other.
With Jody distracted, Goroh snuck up from the left and side attacked her. She was sent flying into the air. Her machine sparked and smoked across the air as she propelled far ahead of everyone. Seppuku could see the White Cat start on fire as he challenge Goroh to a fight. 
Seppuku looked at the Fire Stingray angrily, but quirked his mouth and growled toward his waist. After quick thinking, he sighed and made a less predictable move. He came to a stop near the White Cat, then opened his cockpit to get out onto the track. The crowd was out of control, Seppuku was walking on a track with thirty-some racers going over 1,000 km/h.
“Seppuku’s out of his mind!” Earl panicked.
Chiya was left amazed by this bravery; to save someone he had no care for at all, not to mention, he was taking a huge risk walking onto an active track. This was most inspiring to Chiya.
Seppuku ripped open the White Cat’s cockpit window with abnormal strength and grabbed Jody. He carried her back to the Red Dove as fast as he could, though she was somewhat rejecting this with growls and grunts. By the time they got in, he was already in last place. Seppuku boosted up toward the rest of the F-Zero machines, but had already cast his fate.
Blood Falcon also failed to catch up, but was still ranked in 6th. Captain Falcon was ranked in 8th. Seppuku drove past a few F-Zero machines and made it to 20th. But it was too late, Samurai Goroh finished in 1st, followed by Pico, Dr. Clash, and Mrs. Arrow.
Chiya was smiling with her eyes watering at what Seppuku had done, this was a true heroic act. She wasn’t disappointed in the fact that he placed so low.
The Red Dove eventually exited the track. All in all, Seppuku now had an overall rank of 12th in the overall standings.
The two friends remained in the booth talking. Seppuku stormed into the booth from behind and complained, “Awful race, just terrible! But at least Michael Chain has been dealt with.” 
Chiya launched herself toward Seppuku and wrapped around him with her lips tucked inside her mouth, “That’s not true, it was a good race! Everyone saw what you did.”
Seppuku grunted, then pushed her off of him, “Shut up, child! Get back to base now, w- we have serious matters to discuss!” he yelled with a finger going toward the exit.
Earl and Chiya acknowledged the order and walked away. Seppuku watched the two leave with his fists clenched, then turned around to face the track. The fire on the White Cat was being put out, and the Wild Boar being pulled away. Michael Chain was flailing his arms around in a loud conversation with his gang, they were walking with the broken F-Zero machine. While Seppuku watched the Bloody Chain walk, a figure approached Seppuku from behind; it was Jody Summer.
She stood still looking at him, and Seppuku turned with nothing to say. She had no expression and was just staring at him. Seppuku soon tipped his fedora, at least acknowledging her presence.
“Thank you,” she spoke fast.
Seppuku got an angered look, “Wh- Whatever! I still need you around is all,” he said before pushing her aside. 
The man stormed out his booth in rage. Jody watched him walk away and got a grin, “You're the world’s oldest child, Seppuku...” she muttered aloud.
Much later in the day, back at the base, Seppuku sat in his office alone reading news articles on the race. Most of them were about how he rescued Jody and risked his life in place of winning the race. Seppuku soon looked up and raised an eyebrow. Chiya now stood in front of him with a small smile.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“You’re a hero, Seppuku,” Chiya said while smiling.
Seppuku remained silent and calm, then slammed his arm down on the desk, “I’m no hero! Never call me that!”
The Mysterian was beyond surprised, “How can you think that? Don't you want to be a hero?”
“All I did was save someone who didn’t deserve death. No more, no less. I did the same thing for you.” He continued staring at his computer screen, “I expect someone like you to do the same, if you are ever in a similar predicament.”
Chiya rolled her eyes and departed, leaving Seppuku to gaze at the same headline for the online article, 'Seppuku’s Heroic Act'. For whatever the reason, Seppuku didn’t want publicity. He had done many things in this race that would boost his ratings. Unknowingly to everyone else, fame was the last thing Seppuku desired. A billion credits, perhaps; but did not desire fame—for he feared publicity could destroy him.
To be Continued!
Lap 9 < | > Lap 11
==Author Notes==
====Private Booths====
This chapter introduced the concept of the 'private booth' into F-Zero races, an idea inspired by the luxury suites in the National Football League. The idea was that all official F-Zero pilots were awarded their own private booth at tracks that they can invite their companions into. Curiously, I decided to describe these as 'military bunkers' in the sense of WWII German coastal fortifications in Normandy, but an easier way of putting it is that these were protruding luxury suites designed in a way where fans in attendance are sitting under, over, and beside the booths. In the case of Earl, this story invention creates the suggestion that in Lap 1 when Earl and Chiya met, Seppuku had called Earl away to get ready for the race, henceforth, the implication being that Earl was present at the Lap 2 race, but was simply present in Seppuku's private booth. This explanation does create a potential plot hole though, as there was still the matter of Earl having two tickets to the race, and a question of why he would not have offered a potential date access to the private booth. The simple answer was that I didn't have this all figured out when I originally wrote Lap 1.
====Fan Strategy====
Another concept this chapter introduced into the world of F-Zero is that the popularity of each F-Zero pilot levies so much fan support that one must strategize around the fandom while racing. Captain Falcon being such a popular racer implies that provoking his fans can create ramifications for the offender simply due to the zeal and quantity of Falcon fans. Lieutenant Seppuku, on the other hand, does not have a lot of fans, therefore hostility towards him yields low risk for the offender. This concept makes its presence most of all in Part 1/3, but by Part 2/3 starts to weaken a bit, with my lazy excuse perhaps being that the F-Zero Committee made moves to protect its racers more from fan interference. A bit of a fun fact to add is that how popular an F-Zero pilot is in the story was determined largely by how much I liked that racer, and boosted significantly by how much the F-Zero fandom likes that pilot.
==Chapter Illustration==
This chapter illustration depicts a scene where Captain Falcon and Blood Falcon are boosting alongside each other. Due to an unknown sense of urgency or possibly fatigue from a long night of drawing, this illustration was made using past drawings, as both machines and characters present in the picture had been drawn long prior. This was, however, the first time F-Zero booster use was shown in a drawing, which consisted of a white inner line surrounded by a colorful glow, a practice that would persist for years to come.
This chapter illustration was produced over Paint.NET on August 11th, 2013, as part of a continuing set of illustrations all prepared from August 10-11. The illustrations for Laps 8-11 would be made in the early hours of August 11, with this one being finished at 4:53 AM, a mere 13 minutes after the illustration for Lap 9.
==Characters Introduced==
====Blood Falcon====
Blood Falcon makes his spoken debut in this chapter as he gets into a pre-race banter with the group, and then imposes himself as a constant on-track threat throughout the race. While Blood Falcon's role as a villain is left quiet at this point, he rises in F-Zero: Seppuku as a major recurring villain as the story continues. Blood Falcon is the evil clone of Captain Falcon, created by the banned F-Zero racer, Black Shadow, as a means of protecting himself from Captain Falcon. While his primary goal in life is to destroy Captain Falcon, he holds a special animosity for Lieutenant Seppuku as well and vice versa.