Tailenders (TAILENDERS)

Terulus, a planet undergoing rapid environmental upheaval

caused by a haywire terraformer that was supposed to reclaim the planet.

The "stampede" phenomenon has ravaged the planet for centuries,

causing tectonic deformation, extreme climate change and mutations in wildlife.

Mankind, unable to settle in these unforgivable conditions,

developed oversized wheeled cities to live in.

I've stared at your back for way too long!

Loser King, may god rest your soul. This is the day I surpass you!

Out of my way, back marker!

Shiro!

Follow in the tracks of the champion's ghost!

Passed the seventh pylon.

Old Man, this isn't good!

The engine's gonna blow!

What?!

Shiro!

Shut it!

Like hell I'm gonna pull over when I'm so close!

Don't push it, Shiro.

What did you say?!

I mean, it's impossible for someone like you.

You bastard, Goodspeed!

You have my praise for making it this far with that pathetic engine.

However, only the ultimate all-rounder will reign supreme today!

Shut the hell up!

Anyway, by that logic

I'll definitely win!

No, I will!

The racers will be passing the eighth pylon in a few seconds.

This is bad, Old Man.

They're forecasting a level four stampede.

We might have to cancel the race.

What are you saying? Let it run!

Anyone born and raised on Orks

ain't gonna get scared by some natural bump in the road!

We're gonna win this thing!

Y-Yes, sir!

Shiro!

Gotcha!

Today's the day Loser's great hundred year old record falls.

The stampede's hit!

And it's a whopper at that!

This isn't my finish line!

That was unfortunate, wasn't it?

I wouldn't say that.

Loser... King.

This isn't over yet.

I can still do this!

Let me...

Let me race!

His heart has stopped completely.

I guess this means...

Don't say it! He's still alive!

The stampede has even caught up with Orks.

We won't last long here.

The other medical districts are already starting to evacuate.

We can't leave him like this!

Give it your best shot!

Shiro...

Come back to us soon.

The car can easily be fixed, but it's pointless without you, its driver.

Hey!

Wh-Who the hell are you?

We're in the middle of an operation!

They have been subdued.

Good job.

Are you sure you don't want to go after Goodspeed?

I don't want to have to deal with a married man.

Only someone hardened and headstrong can ride with me.

I heard the legend had a similar disposition.

So just zip it, okay?

Take your time.

Well now...

This is a really nice room.

I mean, it's not too shabby a place to spend your last moments in.

You were so close, yet so far away.

A little further and you'd have smashed the unbeatable hundred year record

of the legendary racer, Loser King.

If the race hadn't been interrupted, you would have surpassed him.

What a shame.

That engine just won't cut it.

Don't you want a better engine?

I'll give you the best one ever.

As for compensation...

Well, let's see...

How about your life?

Not a bad deal, is it?

Don't get so excited about racing again.

If you want to move forward, I will give you a new power!

Now, rise! Rise with my Tomoe Drive!

I will give you the power!

Rise, Tomoe Shiro!

Rise!

What in the...

Morning, Shiro.

Any comments on how well the Tomoe Drive beats?

The name's Mikagura Tomoe. I'm your new mama!

What? You don't look all that happy.

As promised, that's the best engine you can get.

But it also serves as your heart.

Let's take part in a certain race, shall we?

Oh! It's here.

Here comes the host.

Anna Perenna.

The last wheeled city that can only move forward.

And that's quite an audience building up.

Wow, that one over there is a real classic car.

Hey, Shiro, look...

Orks has been consumed by the stampede.

I can't surpass Loser there anymore.

This is the only race for me.

The Planet Redevelopment Race!

Listen up, fearless idiots!

You'll be racing at Ground India for an enormous prize!

The Planet Redevelopment Race at Ground India?

Yeah, we're heading there now.

It's one of the 26 unexplored fields on the planet.

I guess we'll just have to cut through the heart of it to reach the south.

That's the starting point for this race.

The race where Loser disappeared over a hundred years ago.

You don't look like the same guy who was complaining just a second ago.

You'll have to plant this on the terraformer

located in the heart of India.

The first person to plant their transmitter is the winner.

Wait a tick.

Wasn't the whole point of wheeled cities

to get us as far from the terraformer as possible?

It's foolish to make that place the goal.

"Tailenders," was it?

You call it foolish?

Then, to surpass the legend of Loser, you must become an even bigger fool.

What's your angle, anyway?

Elaborate.

Big prize money...

Not to mention, the host of the race

just wants to scythe open the unexplored fields.

But that's not what you're after.

You're a sharp one.

Shut it and just focus on the driving.

Maybe I am after the cash.

You haven't paid for your surgery yet.

You just meddled around with my body for your own selfish needs, didn't you?

It's a wonderful thing y'know, broadening our horizons of unexplored lands...

Oh, shut it.

If that's your true intention, you can go on without me.

It's meaningless to go without you.

My objective is to crush the terraformer with my Tomoe Drive.

I will crush that wretched machine causing all these environmental fluctuations

with one hit from my Tomoe Drive.

Only the person who brings the wall down first can become a legend.

Even if death awaits him on the other side.

Didn't I tell you already?

The Tomoe Drive functions as your heart as well as the engine.

What's up? You don't look so good.

It's nothing.

I'm just itching to start racing. That's all.

Faster, faster.

These guys are the Tailenders.

This is the Planet Redevelopment Race.

The race that even Loser wasn't able to finish.

And I shall be the first to cross that finish line.

I want to see you do that. Make sure you show me this time.

Someone you know?

Nope.

All right, the race is starting.

A stampede? Why now?

Déjà vu much?

Goddamn! It's too dangerous to hang about here.

How can you be so sure?

Intuition!

I see.

That driving style...

He can't possibly be who I think he is.

Shit!

Go!

Great!

Crap, we're off to a slow start.

Hey, I thought it was pretty good!

"Pretty good," my ass!

I'll destroy you.

Let's keep it safe, gentlemen.

What the hell is happening here?!

Is this one of the effects of the stampede as well?

Why do you think the terraformer ends up creating this kind of environment?

Well, if it hasn't gone haywire, it must hate us with a vengeance.

Miss Tomoe.

Yeah?

I'm going to send you the rest of the course data now.

Roger!

Also, there's a name you should note on the list of competitors--

What the hell?

My data didn't say anything about an obstacle like this!

Well, it is a hundred years out of date.

I say we go around it.

We're gonna smash through it!

Say what?

It's obvious, isn't it?

I can't beat Loser if I take a detour!