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"Endings are always tough, but I believe when something ends, there are new beginnings, new opportunities and now things to be excited for, too."
"So this is the corridor that you have to join in to reach your vehicles. It's not a long road ahead, it's pretty mellow, you have enough time to drink some water prior to the race, eat something small, and interact a bit with other racers in passing. Once you reach the vehicles area, don't forgot to connect all the machineries to their right positions as instructed, so we could guide you through the race. Don't think that it's gonna be you alone in the marble vehicle, in case of help, I'm here anytime to guide you or announce you of anything that may possibly come by. Any questions?" coach Neptune explained, while two relatively new marble athletes were scanning the area.
It felt like yesterday when they both graduated from the most prestigious academy that specialized in marble racing in Dunduei. The two rookies, namely Siren and Nereid, were recently scouted in the official Oceanics roster after the departure of two members, and everything felt so new. They both managed to impress Thetis, the current manager of the Oceanics, with their racing skills and technical abilities on the course, giving them a chance to debut on the big stage at the Marbula One.
The two rookies were quite the opposite of one another - while Nereid was the more spontaneous, eager to debut rookie, Siren was somehow more hesitant, a bit rather closeted to himself as a personality. In spite of all that, they managed to tie together quite wonderfully, with Siren toning down on Nereid's excitement from time to time and Nereid slowly bringing Siren's confidence as a potential aspiring racer. After all, Siren managed to gain a promising high score when he got scouted from a select few by Thetis and Neptune. That's not something many could brag about.
This was actually Nereid's debut in Marbula One on the Tumult Turnpike Grand Prix, but given how the two are still extremely new to the whole thing, Neptune opted to bring Siren as well and make a small introductory course for the two on the spot. She looked very excited about the opportunity to arise and was counting the seconds before she'd be rolling on the tracks next to some of the most acclaimed marble athletes across the Marble Universe. That's a one in a lifetime opportunity for both of them, and Neptune didn't want to scare them away with plethora of technical information they won't be able to remember, therefore slowly integrating them into the Marbula One universe was the best course of action.
"Coach Neptune?" a small voice popped up out of the blue with the hand raised.
"Yes, Siren?"
"Do we have the schedule on who is performing in which Grand Prix?"
"Oh, we do actually, let me just get it." Coach Neptune was roaming through his backpack, pulling a small document out of it. "So Nereid will take the first two races starting with tomorrow on Tumult Turnpike as we discussed earlier. Siren, you will officially debut at O'Raceway. We've taken count of your introverted nature and we decided to let you have a moment to see how this work out before we put you in the field. You'll both receive a copy of the schedules so you know to which races you have been assigned and which racers will join you on the course. Keep in mind that the racers tend to change, so don't expect the racers from - let's say Tumult Turnpike - to all show up for Sakura Garden, for instance. For the rest? Just do your very best, after all this is your debut edition, this is all extremely new to you, don't focus on the placements too much. Would be lovely if you manage to pull great results, but we're not asking for consistent top 3 results as a mandatory requirement. The only thing to make sure of is not to get into accidents, otherwise I think you two will be doing just fine. I assume you know where the dormitories are and the resting space for athletes?"
"We do!" both exclaimed in unison, much to coach Neptune's delight.
"I'm glad. Well, this is the end of the introduction course for you two then. Remember that if you need assistance and wanna ask for additional questions, I'm a phone call away. Be free to interact with other marble athletes too, this will be a great opportunity for you to build friendships outside Dunduei and exchange experiences. After all, this is not only a competitive field, you can easily bond on different subject matters. I'll have to go for the meanwhile to sign some papers, but be free to explore the area." coach Neptune added, while patting both Siren and Nereid's heads. He slowly left the area, leaving the two rookies alone.
"I may have to go to eat a bit." said Nereid, "Are you gonna explore further or you're joining?"
"I'll stay back and check the race. Just save me something to eat for later." Siren smiled, with Nereid taking notes before leaving for the dormitory to get some pocket money.
And thus, Siren remained mostly alone on the Tumult Turnpike sidelines. He was somewhat at peace, in spite of how overwhelming this race looked. After all, he was glad that he wasn't debuting in this one, given how complicated all the sections looked from the first sight. He was wondering around, seeing most of the key elements of this race and taking notes for himself, finding some kind of strategy on how to work that section out smoothly and without accidents. It wasn't necessarily the race itself that startled him initially, but rather the 90 degree turns whom look like they'd be a tough match for any marble athlete.
In the typical fashion of the Balls of Chaos, Tumult Turnpike looked chaotic and unpredictable. Given it was early in the morning for Hunluen, not many teams arrived to explore, he merely saw anyone besides the Oceanics delegation and his own teammate. Presumably most of them didn't even reach the city as of yet or haven't woken up at all.
Siren followed the corridor that led to the start of the race, with a spacious zone fit for marble vehicles and the famous starting line. He thought Hunluen was a pretty city seen from the highest point of the race, an antique city whom had developed quite rapidly in the past decades or so due to investors and several projects meant to modernize the area without damaging the historical landmarks. It was a stark juxtapose between the modern day influences in terms of architecture and the buildings that may have been older than his entire native city. It was quite funny to see an ancient building decorated with modern lights, but it seems this is just a mere ordinary day for the residents there.
He also noticed a figure at the very start of the race, somewhere near the first corner. He looked similar with him in age, short black hair with magenta highlights that were more visible under the light, dressed in white uniform with pink details all over it, maybe slightly taller. Siren considered him to be one of the racers, presumably one who will start the season at Tumult Turnpike. He was exploring the course, taking a greater interest in the banked curves that were added, tapping on them with his foot. Siren didn't knew how to approach this guy, him being near the fence that separated the course from the designated spot for the teams and the marble athlete in cause sitting a few meters away from him. If it was Nereid in his position, she'd have done moves to catch his attention immediately, but Siren was too shy to do such a maneuver mostly because he feared of making a bad first impression.
It only took Siren to trip on air right into the fence for the athlete in cause to notice someone was already there. Siren was usually clumsier than most athletes, a habit he still did not manage to overcome. That instantly made him turn around and notice Siren clinging for dear life on that fence to keep his balance, almost getting his arm stuck between the spaces. The athlete immediately rushed, wondering what just happened.
"Hey, are you okay? You slammed into the fence quite hard." he asked, checking for any signs of injuries and safely releasing Siren's arm, much to the rookie's embarrassment. Siren didn't even mutter a word, only nodded ever so slightly that the athlete in cause did not even notice. "Oh, not the talkative type, I assume? That's okay, we can work with that too. You're not injured badly, are you?"
"I'm fine." said Siren, ever so silently.
"At least that, I don't think anyone would've risked an early injury right before the Marbula One would begin." said the athlete, relieved, before turning back to Siren's level. "Also, do I know you? I don't think we've met before, are you part of the media or something?"
Siren nodded in disapproval, raising more questions from the athlete's part before he showed the tag that he kept around his neck, proving he's a racer. After slightly picking it up, the individual let a slight "oh" come out of his mouth, now realizing who Siren is.
"Oh wait, I think I know you now!" he exclaimed with a surprised tone, "Siren, right? Weren't you at that Championship Race recently for the Oceanics? We've slightly met there during the race but I don't think we've introduced each other properly. You did quite the moves out there, came 2nd, almost overcoming Red Eye. It's impressive." He was met with a very overwhelmed Siren, whom did not expect to be praised in such a manner.
"Um, yeah, that's... that's me." said Siren after recollecting himself.
"Nice to meet you! Also seems like it's just us two for the time being, want to explore the course? Maybe that makes it easier for you to get accustomed to it." the athlete offered, handing his hand for support given that Siren had to climb the fence. Siren hesitated, mostly due to fearing that he'll fall face flat on the road and a bit due to fearing of getting in trouble.
"It's fine, it's allowed for racers to explore a bit as long as we don't venture too far. I've been here before, I know the rules too. Also I can help you, if you'll fall at least you'll fall on me."
Siren hesitantly put a step on the fence and a second one not long after, only to cling to the athlete for the top half. Holding his waist tightly, he backed down slowly, letting the Oceanics rookie finally pass the fence safely and without to fall.
"There you go!" smiled the athlete, enthusiastically, "See, that wasn't too hard, right? You're shaking like a leaf though, you must've been really scared of falling given that trip you had a few minutes ago." he let go of Siren's waist, with Siren slowly letting go of his shoulders as well. Siren checked the athlete's team logo that was plastered on his uniform - he was part of the Raspberry Racers, one of the most hyped teams in recent Marble League history, the team that won the League back in 2019 and whom have been mostly on an ascending trend since. He felt ashamed on how he didn't catch onto that earlier given his uniform was obviously giving the clue in plain sight.
"Your shoelaces are untied." he pointed out, now kneeling down to tie them, "No wonder you tripped, I don't know why your team is insisting of using these types of boots. Shoelaces can be a menace to society, I swear. Buy some boots with a velcro closer, it'll save you so much time." Siren stood there silently, not knowing how to fall into the void due to being embarrassed. "Oh, also I forgot to introduce myself, my apologies on that matter. I'm Ruzzy! Proud member of the Raspberry Racers, as you may have seen already."
Siren smiled softly, now that Ruzzy stood up at the very last to do a brief handshake with him. Perhaps that wasn't so bad after all, he seemed quite nice, although very talkative for what he's used to. Nevertheless, a good start given his shyness that usually blocked him into making friends.
The two casually went to the same spot Ruzzy was exploring, with him crouching to its level and test it.
"Is it dislodged?" asked Siren, quietly.
"No, it's very well fixed, thankfully." stated Ruzzy, "It's a new addition though, never dealt with these before. I was only in one past season and none of these were on the race. I don't know what to think of them."
Siren was checking his back every single time he heard rustling. Usually it was the wind, but he couldn't feel at ease thinking he's in the course itself and potentially getting in trouble. Even with Ruzzy's reassurance, he felt like that was a terrible way to make a proper first impression.
"Bud, its fine." Ruzzy said, now noticing the constant unease that Siren was into. "At the very most they'll just ask for identification and escort us back to the safe zone, you won't get in trouble. After all, keep in mind that we've all done this at some point in time. Never heard a single one to get in trouble due to exploring the course."
Siren was not sure, but for the moment he didn't have a choice but to trust his new companion. Ruzzy seemed to know a thing or two about the whole Marbula One thing, given he did mention he was there before. And it seemed like they still were the only ones on the field, with no one else in sight besides coach Neptune passing the premises and Nereid who went to eat something. He assumed that Ruzzy's partner for Marbula One, alongside the coach, were also in the area somewhere.
"Alright then," said Ruzzy, rubbing his gloves to remove the dust that laid on there, "should we go this way? There should be a gate right in the designated area for athletes, we wouldn't be walking far."
"Uh, I guess we can, yeah." replied Siren, following the Raspberry Racers athlete as if he was a mere duckling.
The two slowly proceeded to walk on the way of the course, with small pauses in between just to check on whether there were new additions or just for Ruzzy to get an opportunity to know his new friend a little bit better. Siren was still kept shut in his shell, very tough to crack still. But that didn't deter Ruzzy in the slightest.
"Are you racing at Tumult Turnpike, by curiosity?" asked Ruzzy, looking at Siren whom was a bit startled by the sudden question.
"I'm not, I debut at O'Raceway. Nereid should be racing here though." stated Siren.
"Aw, guess we're not racing together then." Ruzzy pouted, "A bummer, I was awaiting to see you race."
"This one looks too complicated for me to get in though." Siren admitted, now realizing the actual extent of the course. "Feel like Nereid could pull this better."
"Oh, it's both of you? Didn't expect your team to put you both into Marbula One so early in the game, but they seem to have a lot of fate in you two. Nereid is your colleague from that Championship Race too, isn't she? She also did well there, perhaps she can pull it off."
"Maybe, guess we'll see soon." Siren stated, now stopping in his place.
"Something wrong?" asked Ruzzy, only to be met by Siren pointing at the steep drop that came just before them. Guess that took him a bit by surprise given that thus far the walk had been smooth, but that was to be expected given the race was meant to be a little bit chaotic.
"How are we going to pass that without getting hurt?"
Ruzzy points out at the fence just behind him, now going alongside the road. He positioned himself with his back on the fence, using his arms as leverage to prop himself up on said fence, now casually sitting on it.
"Easy, we'll slide this fence all the way down. It's metallic, so it should be an easy way out of the issue. Here, I can help you up if you want." Ruzzy offered, much to Siren's shock. To slide all the way there? Isn't it dangerous?
"Uh... sure there isn't a better way to do it?" asked Siren, albeit hesitantly.
"Well you could follow the road itself but you're more prone to injuries..."
Siren sighed, now following the route Ruzzy used. Thankfully he's a quick learner, given how that was the first thing coach Neptune and manager Thetis noticed about him during the selection round, which surprised even Ruzzy himself. Now they were both sitting on top of the fence, ready to slide it.
"Remember not to go either forward or backward when you slide." Ruzzy instructed, "Stay straight, use your hands as leverage if you feel like you're going too fast or if you lose control, and I'll catch you when you reach the end."
Siren nodded, with Ruzzy starting immediately to go on the fence as a slide. He definitely made this look a lot easier than it seemed, presumably did this far too often than he'd admit. Once he reached all the way down, he jumped off the fence, now facing Siren who was still up there.
"It's your turn, Siren!" Ruzzy shouted, prepared to catch him near the end. "Just stay straight and let yourself go, I'm here to catch you!"
Siren almost paled at the sight of Ruzzy suddenly looking a lot smaller down there, proving the distance was actually pretty significant. Sure, he made it look like it was a walk in the park, but Siren was still the scaredy cat Siren that he knew himself as. He felt like his hands started to sweat out in fear, now that it was his turn to go. He wanted to forfeit immediately, it looked a tad bit too dangerous and he was too scared in spite of Ruzzy being there as safety ground, but if there is anything Siren knows way too well, is that fate isn't holding his side. And all he could muster was inner screaming, his eyes closing and feeling his body sliding down the rail as he tried to remember Ruzzy's instructions. And then, a pair of hands stopping him in some kind of awkward embrace from sliding further, with Siren taking a deep breath and trembling through all his joints.
"You made it!" Ruzzy cheered, in spite of Siren's visible fear after this whole moment. "You may still need to work on being more confident in yourself though. There's no need to shake like a leaf all the time, what are you going to do in the actual race or in Marble League if you still doubt yourself?"
Siren tried, he knew how much he tried to fight for this opportunity and once more, his main weakness is still hindering him. He tried to be more confident and he thought he did a good job thus far - befriending Nereid during the marble race school, managing to score an impressive debut for the Oceanics and even making friends with one marble athlete that happens to be from one of the best teams in recent Marble League - and yet he still cannot conquer his fear unless the fate pushes him from the back. Ruzzy had a point, if he behaves like this in Marbula One, may as well be over for him as a racer. He'd be the laughing stock of a nation.
Ruzzy didn't look like he judged Siren too much, if there was anything, he tried to help as much as he could. Siren felt lucky to find someone that didn't judge him for his clumsiness and that actively tried to come to his rescue even if they merely met for like 10 minutes. Siren still didn't knew if Ruzzy meant all of it or if he tried to be nice for the sake of being nice, but for the time being, he was stuck with Ruzzy.
Ruzzy broke the embrace, now offering his hands again to Siren for getting off the rail and on the ground. He was still visibly shaking after the whole rail slide, so Ruzzy had another plan in mind - he was about to carry Siren all the way to the gate. Securing Siren's legs in his arms, he picked up the Oceanics member into a piggy ride, much to his shock and disbelief as he tried to cling to Ruzzy's neck.
"You're still trembling and I didn't knew if you'd be able to walk all the way to the gate, so I'm picking you up now! Also you're holding too tight of my neck, I promise I'm not dropping you. Said that last time too, remember?" Ruzzy added, now slowly making his first steps onto the course and right in the direction of the exit gate.
"Is this really needed?" Siren asked, now feeling like Ruzzy was picking up the pace a bit too fast for his own liking.
"It is, given you tripped on your shoelace and almost saw death with your own eyes in the span of 10 minutes. The gate is close, I think I see someone there."
There was someone indeed, another marble athlete presumably, with a coat all over their uniform. Siren later on realized that was a woman with her hair tied in a ponytail, now looking in their direction almost as if she didn't knew whether to laugh at what she saw or to pity Siren for being stuck in this situation. Turns out to be an important figure, because as soon as Ruzzy noticed who it actually was, suddenly he was sprinting like crazy. Siren was clinging for dear life to him, hoping that he's not gonna trip on the course or anything of that matter.
"Ruzzy, slow down!" Siren exclaimed, panic almost installing in his body.
"It's okay, Siren, we're almost there." Ruzzy said, his voice feeling hoarse due to exhaustion, but didn't let go.
Siren admired Ruzzy's core resistance and his way to maintain a solid posture during a tedious sprint, even more so given Ruzzy was carrying him on his back. Didn't take a moment to slow down, only gradually increase his speed while maintaining composure. Siren would've tripped in 2 steps and Ruzzy was able to carry him while sprinting. That takes another type of skill. Suddenly, the speed decreased, now reaching the gate where the woman was meeting them to open it.
"Alright, Ruzzy, put the guy down, he looks like he's seen a ghost." The woman gently pried Siren off Ruzzy's back, now with Ruzzy taking a small step back to take a breath, while she checked on Siren's condition. "Need a chair or anything?"
"Are we in trouble?" Siren silently asked, much to the woman's amusement.
"You aren't, but Ruzzy may be in a few minutes, because what was in his head to do such a thing?" she looked at Ruzzy, with him awkwardly smiling back, "Sprinting with someone on your back? I should've actually asked you first whether you're alright, Ruzzy, not him."
"I'm fine! Better than ever!" Ruzzy replied, almost victoriously. "Although I do need a bottle of water..."
She only facepalmed at that reply, with Siren looking slightly concerned. "You're racing at Tumult Turnpike in a few hours and you don't know how to pull Rizzy's stunts faster, try to explain that to coach Berry if you can because I'm not doing that for you."
"I promised I'm not doing a Rizzy, I'm just having a bit of fun with my new friend over there." Ruzzy said, now turning to Siren, "And in my defense, he couldn't walk properly after we went on that steep part of the course. Either it was that or we'd both have our legs broken. I'm sure coach Berry will understand."
"Wait, friend?" she stared at Siren, slightly confused.
"Yeah, that's Siren! He's been recently in that Championship Race for the Oceanics, he's new here!" Ruzzy exclaimed, much to Siren's attempts at hiding his face.
"Oh? Didn't knew you were selected for Marbula One too, you did great at that race. Should explain why you don't wear your uniform yet." she added, now reaching a hand for a handshake. "I'm Razzy. You seem to have met my partner in crime this season already, hope he didn't overwhelm you too much, he loves to interact with everyone."
"Captain of the Raspberry Racers, right?" Siren replied, shaking her hand.
"The one and only." Razzy smiled, now fixing her glove. "I think I saw your colleague too while joining the dormitory, Nereid, right?"
"Yeah, she went to get lunch."
Razzy stared again at Ruzzy, now coming closer for a hug. "Now, what did you mean by the part when you said that Siren couldn't walk properly? He seems fine to me."
"Oh, well... He wears the old boots the Oceanics have. You know those ones with the long shoelaces?"
"They still didn't get rid of them?" Razzy asked, surprised. "I thought everyone moved to velcro boots."
"Nope, and it seems Siren got a pair of those. He kept tripping on them."
Siren was trying to hide his boots from out of sight, mostly to cover the shoelaces that were clinging. The Raspberry Racers members didn't judge the guy too much for the decision that was technically the management of the Oceanics' fault, but perhaps they were in some kind of debt they didn't knew of.
"Well, I can-" Ruzzy got stopped by a slight jolt on the side, which made him flinch. Siren rushed to his aid, while Razzy brought a chair for her teammate.
"Are you okay? Can I bring water? A blanket? Anything?" Siren looked alarmed, but Razzy pat his shoulder to keep him grounded.
"He's fine, he's just forced himself. So much so for all the medals he got at hurdles and short tracks..." Razzy said, calming Siren a bit. "But it's sweet that you thought of him."
"We're friends, right?" Siren asked, while Ruzzy nodded in approval.
"Well, friends as friends, but next time if Ruzzy even thinks of doing such a thing, you have my approval to yell at him or physically drag him down. I don't think you're that kind of person to do such a thing, but just as a note for self, I wouldn't blame you if you did anything in order to stop his nonsense." Razzy stated.
Ruzzy was slouching in the chair provided by his teammate, finding a more comfortable position, much to Razzy's constant glaring and Siren's worried look. But he couldn't dwelve on it further, as he received a message that was important.
"Coach Neptune, may I guess?" Razzy asked, with Siren nodding. "Perhaps you should go and see what's all about. It's probably urgent matters."
"Can I say goodbye to Ruzzy then?"
Razzy softened up at his request, he seemed like a lovely guy now that she had the time to interact with him a bit.
"Aw, you're sweet, but you don't even have to ask me, he's right there. I'm not blocking you from your new friend."
Siren slowly made his way to Ruzzy's chair, now bending to his level to hug him. Ruzzy hugged him back, smiling from ear to ear that he's made another new friend. Siren may have been quite the introvert, but he's slowly warmed up to Ruzzy's antics.
"Good luck on Tumult Turnpike, Ruzzy. Please don't sprint the way you did today."
"It's okay, I won't. And thanks, Siren. I'll do my best out there."
And with that, Siren said his goodbyes to the Raspberry Racers members before heading back to the spot where they last met with coach Neptune for the final talks. Nereid was supposed to come there too, presumably for her final training prior to debuting on Tumult Turnpike officially. Siren felt somewhat relieved now after today, in spite of Ruzzy's unexpected bits of energy, he managed to make a friend. That meant a lot to him, given that he wouldn't have imagined himself even talking to anyone besides his family at home.
Maybe things are getting better after all.