02x06 - The Devil of Ashinoko Skyline

[bunniefuu]

The leading group

is about to pass the Ekiden Straight.

Car No. 12 has changed lanes.

But it doesn't seem to be

an attempt to overtake.

Car No. 4 brakes hard

and makes a right turn!

Next, they will surge up the uphill

of the Hakone mountain road.

As he was about to pull alongside me,

he eased off the accelerator and advanced by momentum.

Was he boasting

that he could overtake at any time?

The third-place group has not yet

appeared on the Ekiden Straight.

They haven't arrived yet.

Here they come!

A red vehicle, it's No. 2, Kaito Akaba.

Behind him are the fourth-place

car No. 13, Maezono,

and the fifth-place car No. 86, Katagiri.

They are in an intense battle!

(MF GHOST 2nd Season)

(Turn 18: The Demon of the Ashinoko Skyline)

7 seconds behind

is car No. 5, Yudai Sakamoto.

They've pulled away.

After car No. 1 disappeared,

the three cars ahead suddenly sped up.

I must narrow the gap with Katagiri

on the upcoming uphill.

Otherwise it'd be embarrassing.

It's car No. 8, Taylor.

And car No. 9, Aiba.

Shun Aiba is planning to make his move.

He surged forward in the middle of the road

by using the slipstream!

What will the outcome be?

Successful overtaking!

Car No. 9 has climbed up one position.

What do you think, Mr. Ikeda?

Your student Shun Aiba is now doing well.

I can only say it now.

Among the students I've taught,

Aiba wasn't sort of a good student.

Really?

He certainly has a talent for driving.

But the problem lies

with his mental aspect.

He is much too competitive

and it has led to bad results.

Indeed, he always has a forceful sprint

in the first half of a race

and decelerates in the end

due to excessive tire wear.

But he seems different in today's race.

I believe the rain has

brought him an advantage.

The MFG exclusive tires

are all-weather tires.

When the friction of the road surface drops,

there is no need to consider durability.

Therefore, in this race,

he doesn't have to suffer from tire wear.

I hope he can realize

this key point this time.

Despite how Aiba looks,

he actually has quite a following.

He's quite favored by the staff as well.

Moreover, he takes

good care of his juniors.

He's truly a kind-hearted,

passionate good guy.

Personally, I'm also eager

to see the moment

when Shun Aiba from Odawara

stands on the podium.

The screen switches back

to the Ekiden Straight.

Three cars are racing past.

Car No.7, Ohtani.

Car No. 18, Kitahara.

And car No. 6, Yanagida.

I've only just noticed

EMERGENCY ROAD

the rain has stopped.

The rain over Lake Ashinoko has stopped.

The screen cuts to the fourth-place group.

Judging from the scenes near the Hakone

mountain road, the rain has indeed stopped.

The rain clouds in the western sky

have clearly dispersed.

It's gradually clearing up.

Mr. Ikeda, after the rain has stopped,

what kind of impact will it have

on the upcoming race?

The condition of the road surface

won't change much.

The leading group

has now entered the third lap.

The road surface

won't dry up before the end of the race.

But,

there's one thing that worries me.

The spray from the car ahead obscured me

so that I didn't realize

the rain had stopped.

The water on the road is getting less,

which is disadvantageous for me.

Even if I can overtake the NSX

in the sector 1, which has more corners,

I'll be overtaken again in the sector 3.

I must fight for a lead advantage.

Is there really no way?

I wasn't like this

during the opening race.

I was just happy to be able

to participate in the MFG.

But now it's different.

I crave the strength to compete

with the top racers even without rain.

When did I become so greedy?

Is it the racer's instinct within me

gradually being awakened?

LAKE ASHINOKO SKYLINE

Chasing after car No. 2, Ferrari,

the two cars vying for fourth place

have passed the starting point gate.

Car No. 13, Maezono, and car No. 86, Katagiri,

have entered the final lap.

What sort of outcome awaits them?

The battle for fourth place

among domestic cars is arresting!

The battle for fourth place

Kanata is gaining attention,

and he will become a celebrity.

But Kanata will still be the one

he used to be, right?

He won't change, right?

He will still greet me

with a "Good morning"

and have his gentle smile.

Please don't go

to a faraway strange place.

The racers ranking among the top

are entering the final lap.

Car No. 5, Sakamoto.

Car No. 9, Aiba.

Car No. 8, Taylor.

ATTENTION

MFG FINAL RACE INFORMATION

Oh, this is bad.

According to the information

I received just now,

the Lake Ashinoko Skyline

has been already foggy.

So it got foggy after all.

This is what I was worried about.

Lake ashinoko skyline's famous spot,

the White Devil.

After the rain stops and the airflow changes,

there's a fairly high chance of being foggy.

And that's not all, Mr. Ikeda.

It's the latter half

of the lake ashinoko skyline getting foggy.

So it almost overlaps

with the Slippy Trap, right?

That makes it even worse.

The Grim Reaper and the Devil

join forces to attack the MFG racers.

Continuing the race might lead to danger.

The organizer might be forced

to make a tough decision.

Send out all the drones!

Provide as many images as possible!

Mr. Yama, I can't see anything.

How are they supposed to race like this?

The fog over Lake Ashinoko moves so fast.

The two leading cars are approaching.

If we're going to cancel the race,

we need to make the decision now.

At least, we need to issue

a non-overtaking order for this section.

This matter is too serious

for us to decide.

Help me contact the General Manager.

This is Joyu.

I understand the situation.

Let everyone hear what I'm about to say.

I'll get straight to the conclusion.

The race will continue.

Forgive me, General Manager.

Have you seen the footage?

This is my judgment after watching it.

If visibility is poor,

then drive accordingly.

Didn't those 15 racers stand out exactly

because they can handle this situation?

Isn't that what racing

on public roads is all about?

Rain and fog are not reasons

to stop the race.

This is the fundamental

philosophy of the MFG.

For the same reasons, I also disagree

with issuing a non-overtaking order.

I hope that the racers

can continue to race fairly.

I believe in the abilities

of these 15 racers.

Additionally, if any accidents occur,

I will take full responsibility.

That's all.

The General Manager is so cool.

I have a new respect for him.

If Ryosuke were here,

he would say the same thing.

Today's race will become a legendary one.

How can we let it end with an anticlimax?

Please, they must finish the race safely.

Car No. 4 calling the rest area.

There's fog up ahead.

And it's the really bad kind.

Should I just charge straight into it?

Over.

This is the rest area.

The Center hasn't issued any instructions.

So we're supposed to continue racing

even through the fog.

Over.

That's really gutsy.

As expected of MFG.

It's just what I wanted.

Follow me then, German boy.

Don't get lost, though.

Car No. 4 calling the rest area.

I'm going for it.

The leading group has

charged into the foggy area!

This is the drone control team.

We are reducing the distance

of 3 meters down to 1.5 meters.

Ogata to Kanata, there's an emergency.

There's heavy fog on the track ahead.

The decision from headquarters

is to continue the race.

You need to significantly slow down

once you enter the foggy area.

Thick fog

Heavy fog

Thank heavens!

This might be a great opportunity

bestowed upon me.

Do you remember the countdown tactic

we used during the opening race?

Do you plan to use that move?

Wait, the situation

is completely different.

It's now a joint offensive

by Slippy Trap and White Devil.

No problem.

We are challengers, right?

Mr. Ogata.

Please listen carefully.

As rushing into the foggy area,

I'm going to challenge

the car ahead, car No. 13.

Start the countdown from that moment.

I want to catch up to car No. 2

in this area and overtake him.

Are you serious?

Don't just say that so lightly.

I'm about to faint from anemia.

Car No. 2, who was in third place alone,

has been swallowed by the fog.

And behind him, the two cars

in fourth place are closing in.

It's crazy to continue the race

in these conditions.

Then don't think of it as a race.

No idiot would engage

in a dogfight in this place.

I'll get back to my original pace

once visibility returns.

Huh?

It's gone.

Car No. 86 passed by me and then vanished.

Was that a drift?

The visibility here is so poor,

so what is that guy doing?

(MF GHOST 2nd Season)

(MF GHOST 2nd Season)

This is Ogata.

About 3.8 seconds from car No. 2.

Over.

Roger.

Project the images in my mind

onto a white screen.

Full throttle for about 2 seconds

before the next left turn.

Maintain the same gear,

and decelerate for 1 second.

Next comes a right turn.

Full throttle for 2.3 seconds.

Maintain the gear.

Decelerate for 1.5 seconds.

This is Ogata, a 3-second gap, over.

Roger.

Car No. 86 has pulled off

something incredible.

He took advantage of the NSX

slowing down to navigate the fog safely

and successfully overtook him.

Maezono in car No. 13

was utterly unprepared

for its unusually high speed.

REPLAY

And he used the drift, Mr. Ikeda.

REPLAY

The drift that broke the record in the death zone

during the preliminaries.

He's pulled it off again here!

It gives me goosebumps.

I didn't expect him to do that.

A wildly unexpected situation

has occurred!

That 2-liter NA Toyota 86GT,

the magical boy, Kanata Katagiri,

is sprinting through this dense fog!

Rest area to Kanata,

you're 1 second behind.

Roger.

Seven.

Six.

Five.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

What was that?

Did I just see a mirage in the fog?

Car No. 86 has caught up to car No. 2.

The two red cars were side by side

for just a moment.

Unbelievably, he has

surged into third place.

Now he finally has a chance

of standing on the podium.

I might get the chance to kiss Katagiri.

I'll pretend to kiss the cheek,

but go for his lips.

This is Ogata.

Now you have only two cars ahead of you.

19 seconds behind car No. 12.

Roger.

Although it's unlikely to catch up,

I must increase the distance

from the car behind.

Once the fog clears,

Ferrari will power up and catch up.

Now that the rain has stopped,

I must widen the gap to maintain the lead.

The time to give 100 percent

of my strength in today's race

is now.

Go, car No. 86.

The Godly Fifteen stormed into

the death zone filled with dense fog.

Every car slows down as much as possible

in the death zone.

But surprisingly,

the organizer did not issue

a none-overtaking instruction.

This decision

may face criticism from all sides.

This must be the belief

of the MFG's senior management.

I can understand.

I once led the predecessor of ZERO. ACADEMY

that specialized in road races.

We raced in Hakone against a team

engaging in the same activity in Northern Kanto.

As a result, we suffered

a crushing defeat.

That night was just like today

with poor conditions of rain and fog.

The opposing team had two ace racers

with exceptional skills.

They were not at all

afraid of the thick fog

and bravely challenged the racetrack.

Not only that, they used

the adverse conditions

to their advantage.

The members of that opposing team

are now in the senior management of MFG.

I can feel that this decision

is the unshakable belief of MFG.

Under today's harsh conditions,

every racer is forced to slow down.

But the degree of slowing down

varies depending on the racer's ability.

What is demanded

is the racer's ability to respond.

And in this lies the message

that Ryo Takahashi wants to convey.

I seem to glimpse

behind the decision to continue the race

the idea that is fraught

with such foresight.

I do not think such a decision

should be criticized.

I fully support their belief personally.

Thank you, Ikeda.

Having you as a commentator

was indeed the right choice.

And without looking at the data,

the racer with the least reduction in speed

under these conditions

is Kanata Katagiri.

This is unquestionable.

It's really astonishing.

This rookie in his first year of competing

showcases the spirit of MFG

better than the other racers.

The image isn't clear enough,

which is truly regrettable.

Perhaps we cannot precisely convey

the impressiveness of car No. 86 to you.

But please take a look right here.

Almost every racer corners

close to the inside of the track

REPLAY

Almost every racer corners close to the inside of the track

REPLAY

because they can't see what's ahead.

REPLAY

But only Kanata Katagiri

REPLAY

accelerates after passing the apex of the turn.

REPLAY

Right here, can you see it?

REPLAY

He speeds along the suddenly appearing guardrail.

It really gives us goosebumps.

This performance is beyond imagination.

You're quite skillful, Sawatari.

Still maintaining

maximum focus in the fog.

You're doing well.

You must have expended

a lot of energy by now.

However, I'm not tired at all.

Because there is

an outstanding leader ahead.

If our positions were reversed,

I would be the one using up energy.

It seems I am the one favored by the gods.

The leading group is passing

the Kojiri Pass Junction,

about to cross through the dense fog.

There it is, car No. 4, Sawatari.

Along with car No. 12, Beckenbauer.

Next, both will increase their focus again

and compete for the top spot.

No, it is rather the dense fog that

forces them into a state of tension.

You mean

When two or more cars

are close to each other,

the leading racer will

be especially fatigued.

While the following vehicles just need to

observe the car in front and drive accordingly.

It's quite hard for the leading racer of the group,

as well as the one driving alone.

So that's how it is.

If that's the case,

then Kanata, driving alone

and faster than others,

would use more energy than anyone else.

Full speed for 2.8 seconds.

Shift to the 4th gear,

and full speed for 0.5 seconds.

Decelerate for 2.8 seconds.

Downshift from 4th to 2nd gear.

The red sports car

dashes out of the white mist!

Car No. 86 crosses

the White Devil's death zone!

Kanata to Mr. Ogata.

How far ahead am I from car No. 2?

8.73 seconds.

Amazing, Kanata.

Your speed in the fog is astonishing.

8.73

It's not quite enough

Car No. 86 has completed the sector 1,

about to enter the sector 2.

I want to check his lag with the leading group

at the Kojiri Shinbashi checkpoint.

Okay, this is the place.

An astonishing number appeared!

TIME: 15 SECONDS

An astonishing number appeared!

Before entering the death zone,

car No. 86 was still in fifth place.

The time gap with the leading group

is 27 seconds.

And now this gap has

shortened to 15 seconds.

This means car No. 86 has passed through

the devil's area 12 seconds faster

than the two cars competing

for first place up ahead.

Next episode,

Turn 19,

Lonesome Cowboy.