'Alexander, I'm still not sure that this will work.'
'Sure, it will. Trust me. And you can call me Alex.'
Alex's idea was a bit risky. A bit for himself and life-threatening for Takumi.
In the short amount of time they had, Alex made a jet engine and welded it onto Takumi's bike. He made the most straightforward kind of jet engine.
A cylinder which provided the fuel, propane. A long metal tube that Alex bent into a U-shape. He hammered one side to have a small diameter, from where the air will enter, and expanded the other, making the exhaust. A little combustion chamber was also forged, a fuel injector nozzle and a spark plug to ignite it all was placed inside. He used a pure 12-watt lithium-ion battery for the spark plug.
The bicycle looked more like a bicycle of death than a Jet bicycle. The only safety Takumi had was a helmet and goggles. They were going to the decided location for the race.
'Alex, where did you learn how to build this thing?'
Takumi was amazed by how flawlessly Alex's hands moved when he built the engine. It was as if he was doing this since he was a little kid.
'I once saw a video on the internet a few years back, someone had built one using these.'
The explanation was a bit unsettling, but Takumi had other things to focus on. They soon arrived, and the girl was there, waiting on her Speed Freak Ninja 300.
Her eyes widened when she saw Takumi with something which looked like it came straight out of a cartoon. An old silver bike with a huge U-shaped bike welded to the back, and a small cylinder on the passenger seat.
'I'm surprised you even bothered to show up, but what is that?'
'It's…..a…Jet bike.'
'Jet bike?'
She couldn't contain her laughter. After a good laugh, she said.
'Well, I did allow you to add anything you want on your bicycle. So, have you decided how you want to lose?'
'Well...ummm-'
'Yes, he did.'
'Who are you?'
The girl finally inquired about the second person who was with Takumi.
'I'm Takumi's friend. He asked me to be the judge of this race. I'll also explain the rules of the race.'
'Fine, whatever, let's get this over with. I have better things to do.'
Alex explained the rules of the race.
The race was a single lap from start to finish. Both the starting point and finishing point were different. The race consists of 4 checkpoints, each where there are two flags. The participant must grab a flag from that place as proof he/she went there.
Both participants have the choice of collecting the flags in any order they want. The first person to bring all four flags to the finishing point wins. Alex gave the girl the map where all four checkpoints and finishing point was marked.
'That's it? This is going to be easy. Let's get started.'
The girl put her key in the bike and turned it on with a loud roaring noise and proceeded to fix her helmet.
The Jet bike had to be started in a rather peculiar way. Alex handed Takumi a ring that was attached to a string. He looked at it like this was supposed to be a joke.
'Alex, I can afford a ring myself to give to her.'
Even with fear adding inside him, the boy still had the nerve to think about the future.
'I'm sure you can. That is why this is your throttle.'
'You mean you didn't attach it to the handle!'
'I forgot, don't sweat the details.'
'That is Not a Small detail.'
The adding fear started multiplying.
The fuel would inject as Takumi would pull the ring, which he wore on his thumb. He pressed the button for the spark plug, and Alex blew air into the pipe to get it started using a blower. Takumi only needed to press the button once to create the initial reaction.
The girl watched the whole scenario with amusement, thinking, why did Alex decide to help this idiot. Finally, the Jet bike started.
Alex pulled a handkerchief and went to start the race after drawing a starting line with a chalk.
'On your marks, get set.'
The girl was readily clenching the throttle. Takumi swallowed a big lump in his throat.
'Go!'
They took off.
'Now then, better get to the finishing point to get things ready or else Takumi is going to die. This day has been crazy.'
Alex ran to the finishing point.
The race was going worse than expected, for the girl.
Alex knew it was going to be a one-sided match if he chose a drag race, the Speed Freak was just too fast. Takumi and his Jet bike wouldn't stand a chance. So, Alex used the substantial body, high speed, and expensiveness of the Speed Freak against itself.
Alex chose all the checkpoints in major populated areas where you cannot go more than 40kmph due to laws and regulations if you go through the main roads. However, you can go at a speed of 60kmph if you go through alleys and close streets.
Due to fear of getting her sports bike scratched and the frustration of maneuvering through incredibly tight corners, the girl chose the main roads but spent a lot of time waiting at signals while Takumi had only one objective; Win at all cost.
He didn't care what happened to his bike and kept going.
On his way, he hit his bike many times from houses to trash cans to dumpsters, but he didn't stop even for a moment, not even when he hit a cat that was licking itself.
Though the Speed Freak did also went up to 90 kmph but not for more than a second.
The race was going well. Due to this advantage, Takumi would arrive before her at three checkpoints, but she appeared just before him at the fourth checkpoint, the last leg of the race.
The road to the finish line was an open straight one. Now the Speed Freak could truly shine and show what it was capable of.