Chapter Text
"A Grand Prix?" Those were the first words that escaped Rayman's mouth, as he shot an incredulous look at the two Rabbids he was talking to.
A part of him couldn't quite digest the information he received from his friends a few seconds ago. Apparently, he just got invited to a prestigious racing event, which would be taking place in the Mushroom Kingdom.
In complete honesty, he had not a clue about what that place is; the only way he knew of its existence was because of his two new friends, they had mentioned it repeatedly in the past; after all, it's where they currently made their home. It seems to be a nice and peaceful place to thrive, Rayman figured. Besides, he couldn’t deny the fact that he would occasionally fantasize about having the opportunity to visit one day.
However, he was a little confused by the sudden invitation because, first, he's never set foot in that supposed kingdom before, and second, he’s never met the ruler of that place. So, how was he able to gain this person's approval to the point of being sought out for something so important to their kingdom?
Putting that little dilemma aside though, he would be lying if he said that the idea didn't excite him; after all, this isn't the first time he's participated in this kind of activity.
Back at Rayman’s home, the Glade of Dreams, a small go-kart event was hosted once. It was so little known that only six people in total signed up to it, including his best friend, Globox, and even Grand Minimus himself. To this day, he still can't grasp how the other teensies weren’t aware of the race, their own king was one of the participants for Polokus’ sake!
Fortunately for Rayman, though, despite the irrelevancy of the event to the point that no one else knew it was even taking place, it was an unforgettable experience for the hero of the Glade. The adrenaline rush he felt through his veins when he took the steering wheel was a sensation he'd never been able to achieve with anything else since. It's such a shame it failed so greatly that nothing similar has ever been done since.
That’s exactly why, Rayman thought, that this was the perfect opportunity to relive those few days of fun. He didn't want to waste this opportunity so easily...
His cheerful thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a voice addressing him.
"Mhm," Rabbid Mario nodded, with a slight smirk being drawn on his lips while he touched up his moustache with his right hand. "The princess wanted to thank you for your gift last time. She's eager to meet you."
A slight blush appeared on Rayman's cheeks upon hearing that comment from the Rabbid. For some reason, he felt a tiny bit shy at the thought of being so well-liked by such an important figure, to the point of her inviting him to an event as important as this Grand Prix. It gave him the impression that she was a kind and humble person.
That doesn't mean he doesn't appreciate the gesture; on the contrary, he can't help but be grateful for the action in his mind.
Without having many words within his vocabulary to respond at the moment, Rayman could only muster a short answer.
“I see…”
Just as that sentence made its presence known in the air, a small silence worth a few seconds filled the space where the three individuals stood. It wasn't exactly awkward, except that they didn't know what to say in that tiny lapse of time. For example, Rayman was still analyzing the great news he received.
That said, despite his notable surprise at the situation, he was inclined to accept this cordial invitation. After all, as previously mentioned, he missed the excitement that go-karting gave him.
And not only that, but, if his internal clock serves him right, he had already been in charge of keeping an eye on the Rabbids working in the studio for approximately three weeks straight.
It’s a position Rayman took upon himself after he, with the help of Rabbid Mario and Rabbid Peach, defeated the former network director, Phantom, who was seeking revenge, the reason for that is that apparently, he’d been humiliated on a previous occasion by the Rabbid heroes and their friends.
But now that the mentioned villain was gone, someone had to make sure that the Rabbids working there had a guiding figure, and that’s how, indeed, Rayman himself got the idea to take on the role.
He didn't mind doing it at all. Thanks to this newfound occupation, he began to develop a liking for the world of television studios. He was interested in everything involved in the process of producing something worthy of being watched by thousands of people around the world from the comfort of their homes.
Yet, he couldn't deny that it was mentally exhausting having to monitor every single step of the Rabbids who were still there. Because, well, just like the same bunch he met a long time ago in the Glade of Dreams, they were clumsy beings, more likely to cause some kind of catastrophic accident if they were reckless enough, Rayman always had to make sure to avoid the worst case scenario, or at the very least, make it happen as little as possible.
Rayman himself is surprised by the amount of patience he's managed to muster through all of that, but he couldn't ignore that the stress was already catching up to him.
He definitely needed a short break so he probably doesn't lose his mind, and what better way to take a slight vacation than to discover a completely new world unlike anything he's ever seen in his countless adventures? And on top of all that, participate in a highly anticipated go-kart event?
It was nearly impossible to resist such a tempting opportunity, especially for someone like Rayman, who was desperately looking for a way to relax, he's aware that it has been only three weeks since he started his self-proclaimed “job”, but, in his defense, keeping an eye on more than… fifty? a hundred…? rabbids was an arduous task.
You know what? To hell with it, I'm going to win that race whether they like it or not! Beware racers! This guy is going after all that's precious to you all!
Okay, that was an exaggeration, he was just going to sign up for the fun of it, he didn't care that much about some compensation.
Just as Rayman was going to open his mouth to ask a question, Rabbid Peach cleared her throat so she could catch the attention of the other two. It seemed like she realized that the silence was starting to get actually awkward by how long it took for anyone to speak up.
“Yeah, so...” She began. “The event starts, like, in two days, so you need to make up your mind fast.”
Damn, why is it so soon?
…Was he invited last minute? That's the only way this time crunch could be explained; it’s hard to believe that something as big as a go-kart race that's held once a year would just spawn out of thin air.
Besides, it's not like they knew him for longer than just three weeks, this was planned probably months in advance, it just so happened that they met Rayman a little bit too late, no one's fault, really.
Well, it's not like he cared about that, he already made up his mind about going, but he still expected to have a little bit more time to prepare himself mentally for this new experience.
Oh whatever, he's still immensely grateful that he got the chance to race.
“I'm going,” Rayman replied, with a confident smile. “I'll show them what I'm made of!”
Both Rabbids couldn't help but let out a snort at that last statement. Which made Rayman chuckle as well, that sentence wasn't meant to be taken seriously, and he's glad that they caught on to that immediately.
“Great, then!” Rabbid Mario patted Rayman's back, “Can't wait to see your ass kicked!”
“Hey! Have some faith in me, will ya?” Rayman countered, pretending to be offended.
Soon after, the room was filled with laughter coming from the trio, joking as if they were long time friends.
The hero of the Glade of Dreams himself didn't expect to befriend Rabbids, never in his eternal lifetime, he had such a deep distaste for them, he thought it was impossible for him to look past that.
And he had a valid reason for it, after all the stuff he went through back at home because of them, oh, he doesn't even want to get started on that!
Now, look at him, enjoying this playful bantering with his two new friends.
He definitely learned that not all Rabbids are ill-intentioned, at least not the ones he had been running into recently. The fact that they were striving to be better made him proud in a way he couldn't piece together with words…
He only hoped they wouldn't go back to their old ways.
His tornado of thoughts were, once again, interrupted by none other than Rabbid Peach, who had already calmed down from the laughter from a few seconds before.
“Okay, for real, though,” She said, “We'll pick you up tomorrow first thing in the morning, so you have time to pack or whatever.”
Rayman nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
“Good,” She began walking towards the warp portal, Rabbid Mario following close behind her. But, she was not done talking, because she pointed her finger to the limbless hero.
“You better not sleep in, or I'll drag you out of bed myself!” She threatened in a joking manner.
“Yes, mom,” Rayman replied in a sarcastic tone, clearly not doing a good job at holding in a giggle, “Tell Beep-0 I said hi.”
“Will do!” Rabbid Mario responded, “He was bummed that he couldn't come with us.”
“Yeah, busy helping with kart maintenance or something.” Rabbid Peach finished.
Kart maintenance, huh?
Rayman didn't know Beep-0 was familiar with that area in particular. It was impressive, to say the least…
He shouldn't have been that surprised though, after all, the robot owns a spaceship that he designed himself.
But, how was he able to do all that?, considering that he's just a floating... what was it again...? vacuum cleaner…?
Hold on, he was getting off track there.
“Anyhow!” Rabbid Mario started putting a step into the portal, “Bye Rayman!, see ya’ later!”
“Yeah, bye!” The blonde Rabbid followed, doing the same thing as her companion, “Don't forget, first thing in the morning!”
“Yeah, yeah, got it,” Rayman waved at his friends, with a warm smile drawn on his face, he couldn't hide the fact that he was glad to see them again, “See you guys tomorrow!”
Both Rabbids waved him back while they entered the portal, until they weren't in the room anymore.
Being by himself once again, Rayman sighed in content. He was happy to see his new friends again, especially since they were so kind to invite him to such an event.
It's been a good while since he had an opportunity to drive a kart, so he was probably a little bit rusty in that regard. But he didn't want to let that stop him.
Rayman was also looking forward to meeting the people in the Mushroom Kingdom, especially the princess, he needed to thank her for giving him the chance to participate in the Grand Prix!
And not only that, the kingdom itself piqued his interest, he wanted to know what it looked like, the structures, the people, everything! The fact that the Rabbid duo talked so positively about it fed his curiosity.
Sure he felt a little bad that he would leave the Rabbids working in the Space Opera Network alone for a while, but, they'll manage. Whatever happens, he assumed he would deal with it in his return.
That was a problem for future me to worry about later, that's for sure.
Not wanting to waste any more time, the limbless hero decided to go towards the room he was staying at to pack his stuff, which, honestly, wasn't much, just a pair of spare hoodies. He didn't consider himself the kind of guy who owned a lot of items.
And right after that, he needed to let the Rabbids know about his supposed vacation, they probably wouldn't care or even listen, but hey, manners were manners.
Oh, he couldn't wait! He wasn't even sure if he would be able to sleep with all the excitement invading every single corner of his body.
A long day was awaiting for him tomorrow, better get to business!