Takumi Fujiwara vs Miki (Rescuing Natsuki)

The impromptu battle between Takumi Fujiwara and Miki is the twenty-fourth battle of Initial D.

Prior to the Battle
On her way to her job at the gas station (during a shift at Fast Burger in Third Stage), Natsuki is confronted by her ex-boyfriend Miki, who offers her a lift to work, later picking her up after her shift and driving up Akina (in the anime, Miki picks her up after her shift without meeting her beforehand). Miki hits on Mogi continuously, wishing for the two of them to go back to their previous relationship, with Mogi rejecting him. After finding out that Mogi likes Takumi (after she rejects his advances in the anime), Miki speeds up the mountain in a rage, telling Mogi that he wants the two of them to have some privacy, implying that he wishes to assault her. At Lake Akina, Mogi again rejects Miki's advances, after which he slaps her and attempts to assault her. Mogi manages to escape his grasp and calls Takumi's home to try and get him. Takumi arrives home just in time to hear Mogi pleading for him to come to the lake. Miki subdues Mogi and pulls her back into his car.

During the Battle
Takumi hurries to Mogi's rescue. Miki intends to go further down the mountain where he will assault her. As he drives, Miki passes Takumi in the opposite direction. Takumi begins his pursuit of the ST205 in the snowy weather. Miki believes that his car is superior to Takumi's, as his car is a 4WD, which perform best on snow compared to other drivetrains. But was shocked when he saw the AE86 on his rear view mirror almost moments later. Takumi keeps chasing Miki down the mountain until the latter tries an inertial drift in order to lose Takumi, but due to the snow, the wheels get stuck from which the steering wheel gets stuck too. As a result, the front bumper crashes into the guardrail and the car spins out. Takumi narrowly avoids crashing into Miki and slides to a stop ahead. Natsuki gets out of the car after the crash. She and Takumi meet, when Miki leans on his steering, shocked that he was beaten by an AE86.

After the Battle
Whilst driving Natsuki, she admits everything that went on with the Mercedes driver was for money, saying that she regrets ever doing it. Mogi explains that she felt like she was losing part of herself, which is the reason she got her job. After dropping her off at home, Takumi confesses his feelings for Natsuki. In Third Stage this all happens when Takumi stops on Akina.

After their graduation, Mogi and Takumi head to Lake Akina and talk about their relationship. Mogi tells Takumi that she doesn't want their relationship to end and asks him to move to Tokyo with her, an offer he declines. Later, Takumi explains to Mogi that he wants to become a professional driver. He then takes her on a downhill run to show her his talent and the reason that he wishes to pursue his dream. Mogi offers to stay in Gunma with him, however he says that he can't let her do that, as she may live to regret it. The two of them drive off into the night, not getting back until much later, implying that they spent the night with each other. The two part on a high note, with Takumi seeing a tearful Mogi off at a train station as she departs for Tokyo.

Third Stage

 * Strike On - M.o.v.e
 * Max Power - Dr. Love feat. D. Essex

Battle Stage

 * Dancin' In My Dreams - J. Storm-GTR performed by Olaf Thorsen

Arcade Stage 8 Infinity

 * Prayer - Ducky Chix

Arcade Stage 8 RivalSide Info
Story arc: Akina SpeedStars

Driver: Miki

Car: Toyota Celica GT-FOUR (ST205)

Opponent: Takumi Fujiwara

Team: Unaffiliated

Car: Toyota Trueno GT-APEX (AE86)

Mission: Do not get overtaken by Rival

1-ryu Condition: Never get overtaken

Cho 1-ryu Condition: Never get overtaken and outrun the Rival by 90 m

Course: Akina

Rule: Downhill

Start: Rolling

Weather: Snow

Time of day: Day

Trivia

 * This was the only battle of Initial D which was not a race battle. Instead it was a rescuing chase.
 * This was also one of the few battles of Initial D which did not take place in total night time, instead it took place in late evening/dusk time.