Drive
*Crash*
Ugh! I missed?!
It was right in front of me, and I still screwed it up... Damn it.
Let's take a break, Harley.
No, one more.
I can't let a pathetic mistake like that slide.
Cool your head.
That's the third time today.
But...!
Harley, I'm saying this as your Captain.
Nngh...
Fine, fine. You're only this firm when it suits you...
Maybe it's because of Dave, but Harley still seemed restless.
Training had been going smoothly until recently. Now, mistakes were piling up.
Is Dave still acting the same?
*Sigh* Yeah.
He disappears more and more, and takes longer to come back each time.
Yesterday he didn't return until dawn.
What if Dave's hanging around with some shady types...?
How about tailing him?
T-tailing him? You want me to spy on Dave?
...Nope. That's not happening.
Didn't I tell you? Dave and I are like family.
If anything, I should be trusting him more, not sneaking around behind his back. That's not what a real man does.
Still, you're clearly worried.
And I think you've waited long enough.
...
A few days later...
Harley and I ended up watching Dave from afar.
Ah...!
Look, Captain. Dave just jumped the fence.
Let's go after him.
We chased Dave down on borrowed bike hogs from Harley's crew.
After a long ride, we arrived at a forest far from NOA.
Why would Dave come all the way out here?
Could city life have been stressing him out...?
Is that common for bike hogs?
Even the calm ones can get aggressive like a Kabanos if they're stressed.
Wild bike hogs usually go rampaging when people push them too far.
Damn it, I hope this isn't something serious...
Be careful, Captain.
If they get too agitated, bike hogs will attack anything in sight.
Got it.
Harley and I cautiously made our way through the underbrush.
After a while, we heard a hog's growl.
That's...
That's Dave. Stick close.
What the heck is he... Huh?
Beyond the bushes, Dave was surrounded by other bike hogs.
All but one was small enough to fit in my arms.
Are those...?
Newborn bike hogs. That means they're Dave's kids.
Dave!
Grrnk?!
Dave, surrounded by his pups, jumped in surprise.
You rapscallion, do you have any idea how worried I was?
Grrnk, grrn...
Dave nuzzled Harley's cheek with his nose. Was that an apology?
Haha, that tickles, Dave.
You think you can get off easy just because you're being cute?
Grrnk...
I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Don't pout like that.
Your kids are adorable. Mind if I hold one?
Grrnk!
Harley scooped up a baby bike hog like a pro.
They look just like you, Dave.
Bet they'll be tearing down roads in no time.
Grrnk!
I know. We'll still be the fastest, no doubt about that.
Ahaha! Look, Captain, it's licking me.
Think it's saying it's no slouch either?
Grrnk, grrnk!
Thankfully, the little ones seemed to like Harley too.
Harley, I've got a question.
Why did Dave hide that he had pups?
Ah, well...
Bike hogs used to have dedicated breeding grounds.
Endless grasslands where you could ride forever and never see the edge.
Wild hogs, ones not raised by people, would roam there to find mates.
Used to...?
Yeah. It's gone now.
Platina Express laid tracks right through them, splitting everything up.
Since then, wild hogs have been raising their young in secret.
I remember when you were chased for damaging rails.
...You've got a good memory, Captain.
That's right. I saw them while riding, so I smashed right through.
Bet those local officers had nothing to say about that.
They laid the tracks however they pleased.
Didn't care at all about the hogs that lived there.
You really do love hogs.
Of course. You might make yourself a real man in spirit, but to ride for real, you need a hog at your side.
Ain't that right, Dave?
Grrnk, grrnk!
Maybe it was because the misunderstanding was cleared up, but that day, Harley smiled with real relief for the first time in a while.