Hitomi takes the bet

“Alright! You’re on!” she announced before realizing what she had just said. She couldn’t take it back now though. She’d have to face whatever repercussion that came, should she lose. She felt a guilty rush of excitement at the prospect of losing as well.

“That’s my girl,” Christie smiled. “Let’s get this show on the waters then! Lisa, hop on, let’s race!”

“About time!” Lisa called out as she stepped into her wave rider. The three lined up at the starting line. Lei Fang stood by the sidelines, ready to signal the beginning of the race. Hitomi looked over her competition. Both looked at ease on their sea doos while she was still a little unsure about herself. Christie leaned against her handle and smiled over to Hitomi. Hitomi turned her gaze to the course and revved her engine.

“Read… set… go!” Lei Fang called out.

In a flash of water, the racers were off! Hitomi struggled to stay up in the turbulent wake of the other racers leaving her in their ocean spray. She gassed up, determined to catch up. Up ahead, she could see Christie watching her, back to wind, from the lead. At least this way, she could get an idea on how to tackle the course, she concluded.

Following the wake of the other two wave riders, Hitomi picked the best line she could and guided her ride up to the first turn. Just ahead, Lisa and Christie were trading spots, vying for the lead. As the two jockeyed for position, Hitomi pressed forward, unencumbered by traffic. She blasted through the two and took the lead!

Hitomi looked back with a grin to see the two realize what just happened. She returned her attention to the course as the first ramp came up. She initially went around this, but this time she felt like she could make the jump. She braced herself as she raced up and was suddenly in the air. It was a rush as well as a gut drop like on an elevator as gravity caught up to her. She suddenly wasn’t sure how to land! She met the water in a big splash!

Quickly, Hitomi swam up from the water, finding her sea doo nearby. She felt the roar of an engine jet by her as she climbed back on. So much for her lead. She wasn’t done yet though. She accelerated after her rivals. It seemed hopeless though, after her spill. She was so far behind. They were already rounding the next corner and were out of sight. She wondered how they got so fast.

Making a beeline for the next turn, Hitomi noticed something on the wave rider. It seemed to light up every time she passed the buoys on the proper side. She wondered if they were deducted time for missing buoys like they would in skiing. Not wanting to risk a loss due to technicality, she stuck within the path while still going as fast as she dared. It was tumultuous trying to stay on for the tight turn but she managed to keep on her feet and caught sight of the other two. They seemed to be showboating for each other. Christie was mid air doing a corkscrew while Lisa did a backflip. They weren’t taking Hitomi seriously, but that was her chance to make them pay. As she passed the eighth buoy, suddenly the wave rider took off with a burst of speed! So that’s how they did it! Hitomi thought as she tried to steer at the higher velocity. She found it required more precision at this breakneck speed. Still, she was determined to catch up, so she used every bit of her agility and reflexes to make the right cuts into the water to position herself for the next buoy. She didn’t want to break the streak and risk losing her speed. Soon, she was coming up to the start line again. There was another ramp positioned right in front. She was making progress, so didn’t want to risk another spill. Instead, she went around and raced her way back to the leaders.

Christie’s eyes widened as she spotted Hitomi gaining ground. She then narrowed her eyes, getting serious. She spun around so that she perched on the nose of her vehicle and turned her head to see where she was going. Technically she was still riding backwards. Lisa turned to see why Christie had changed her demeanor and got serious too. Hitomi was up to the first ramp again. The two skirted around it and Hitomi followed suit. As first and second place came back around the second bend, they bumped into one another, veering off the course of the buoys. Suddenly their sea doos dropped in speed dramatically. Hitomi gunned it and pulled herself passed the two with no one between her and the finish line! Christie and Lisa made up their speed within a few seconds and were nipping at Hitomi’s heels. She could feel the pressure, but needed to concentrate on maintaining her speed.

A crashing wave sent the young girl careening to one side, but she managed to prevent her sea doo from spinning completely. She corrected herself, but it was enough leeway for Christie to catch up. She was racing right beside Hitomi now and eyeing her instead of the course. Hitomi wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of a glance, keeping her eye on the finish line. The ramp was coming up again. Christie looked like she was gearing up to take it. She had returned to her standing position and was poised to make the jump. Hitomi had to decide whether she would risk it too or take the safe path around and hope she would be fast enough to finish first.