Out by the beach, Sonia stood with her annoyance and impatience displayed. On her player screen, two webcam videos opened. They showed the portraits of two individuals in fancy, hexagonal-patterned business suits. Both probably used an entire can of hairspray to slick their hair back, but one had a receding hairline while the other wore glasses. Sonia knew the one with the receding hairline; the vice president of Marathon, C. Apu Khom. The other was an unfamiliar face.
"Good day, Natsuki. Thank you for taking this conference call," Khom bowed out of courtesy.
"It's a pleasure to meet the number one player of Marathon. We've enjoyed watching your success throughout your career. I am Nathaniel, one of the Game Masters of Chanterelle," the one with glasses only nodded their head. Their glasses were the holo-styled ones; very futuristic.
"Make it quick. I have a race to prepare for," Sonia said, aloof.
"I'm sure you've heard by now, but we can't have you take that risk," Khom appeared worried. It made sense; he must be working hand-in-hand with PR. Khom spoke with a managerial tone, "We are doing this for your safety. You have a high score that shouldn't be stolen away by a serial cheater. Please, log out and delete the invite code."
Sonia's nerve was twanged by his phrasing, "You don't think I can beat him?"
Nathaniel interjected, "Gamer has surprised all of us, Sonia. We thought his two point five million high score before his eternal gamenation was fluffed by his cheating, but it appears his skills matched his rank. He is a danger to all players."
Sonia's heart skipped a beat, "Did you say...two point five?"
Khom went next, "Allow me to make ourselves clear; do not engage with Gamer. If you proceed, you will no longer be with the Marathon association. Your ad revenue, your views, your followers, and everything Marathon provides for you, will be forfeit. We hope to see you here at the headquarters soon. Stay safe, Natsuki."
Without another word, and without another option for Sonia, Game Master Nathaniel and Vice President Khom logged out.
***
It was time for the race. The Vtubers signed in one after another and took charge in opening the racetrack. Shivervale and IronRat took to the entrance. They used VHolo resources and set up a stream link to the audience stands around the track. Tickets were sold, money was made, and anticipation filled the seats. The stands filled with players from across the world. They could emote, make simple movements, but per the parameters, could not leave their seats. Dedicated fans from VHolo were displayed in the front rows, and the remaining seats were then sold off to the broader video game community. The race, and Gamer's rise or fall, was turned into a global spectacle.
Aprilcock, ProjectMelonie, and Zenplaya worked together to check in the racers. They each changed their looks to have matching cute and sexy racetrack apparel. They lined the racers up on the track, first come-first serve rules.
The first to arrive was Captain Vulcan. He pulled in with his ostentatious hovercraft. It functioned fine after the attack from Asterion the previous day. Captain Vulcan took the first spot, popped the cockpit hatch open, and then posed before the crowd. They showered him with cheers and admiration.
"Hello, and welcome," Melonie greeted the captain while holding a clipboard. As she wrote on the clipboard, video billboards along the track displayed Vulcan's placement and name. A third column next to these remained blank. Melonie asked, "May I have the name of your car...jet...thingie, please? And thank you."
"The Red Roman!" Vulcan held a fist forward, his passion manifesting flames around it. It bedazzled the Vtubers and crowd, and the vehicle's name filled in the empty space.
The next to arrive were the nameless fodder from the previous day. They were sticking to their guns in hopes of being the dark horses of the race. One drove up with a purple hoverbike. The thrusters were near the front, which looked like it could ram a hole through a building. The other brought a giant bird. It was saddled, with yellow feathers and strong legs, and seemed well-behaved. The Vtubers gushed over it.
Master Chaffe entered after them with a military, all-terrain SUV. The vehicle could seat four, but Chaffe was a lone shark.
"May I have the name of your vehicle?" Melonie asked.
"Warthog," Chaffe kept it simple.
"Warthog? Like the mythical creature?"
Aprilcock nodded, "I've heard legends of such beasts..."
"No, it's a real creature," Chaffe argued.
"Nooo, I don't think so. Fake news," Melonie reinforced.
Zenplaya nodded, "It looks more like that Mexican animal. What was it? Chupathingie?"
"Chupathingie?" Melonie asked, but also typed it in as the official name.
"No, please, stop," Chaffe begged.
"Chupathingie!" Aprilcock and Zenplaya unified. The name became official on the video boards. Chaffe sighed and grumbled his way to the starting point.
The garage door of the vehicle bay slowly opened. It surprised the Vtubers, since they didn't know somebody was inside the vehicle bay. As the door raised, the headlight beams of a vehicle shined out. Anticipation built and all eyes were on the new arrival.
Minnie stepped out and used her boxing shells like guiding wands. The vehicle pulled out, and for the first time in a long time, saw the light of day. It was a rainbow-colored Volkswagen beetle, with a grey alien head decal on the sides. The group polished the vehicle clean and made it look practically new.
It drove up into the lineup. Gamer captained the beetle. Asterion and Sweet Heart closed the garage door, and they joined Minnie on the passenger side of the adventurous racecar.
"Dope! Those are some hot wheels," Melonie wiggled her eyebrows.
"I love the colour! So pretty!" Aprilcock admired.
"Tell us you have a good name for it," Zenplaya looked at Gamer.
"A name? I haven't really thought about that. It can't just be anything; it must carry importance," Gamer tapped a finger against his chin.
"How about Tiptup? That's the name of my cousin, who loves to race," Minnie offered.
"I say Rhinoceros. A strong beetle to represent a strong car," Asterion went a different route.
"Ego..." Gamer finalized his choice.
Asterion's expression softened, taken aback by Gamer's suggestion. The cheater grinned, "Let's honor the guy and make him internet famous."
The sentiment touched Asterion. He patted the hood of the car, "Alright, Ego, let's go for one more ride."
The name was added in, and the group were officially part of the race. The rest of the attendees saw the name and scoffed at it as a brash statement, not a tribute.
"Nothing is going to stop us with a ride as perfect as this!" Gamer declared.
"Don't underestimate our contenders," Asterion warned. He glanced at the other racers, but saw no glaring blues, "Where's Sonia?"
"She hasn't arrived yet," Shivervale answered. She and IronRat joined the rest of their associates.
Asterion shrugged and moved over to the passenger side door to open it. He ushered Minnie in, and she took her place by Gamer.
"How are you going to fit, Asterion? You're too biiiiig!" IronRat piped.
"Heh, don't worry about that. I have a skin specifically for these situations," Asterion entered his character screen. Once he made changes to his character, he saved, and instantly turned into a miniature minotaur. His proportions were like that of a plush, and his head was slightly bigger than it should be, but that only made him more endearing. He had beady eyes and tinier horns. Asterion held his hands up and still had the voice of his taller form, "It is I, Minitaur!"
His chibi form made all the Vtubers squeal. They gathered around him like he was a toddler who just learned to walk. Mini was accurate; the seven foot behemoth was now a mere two feet tall.
"I retain all my strength and abilities like this. My height is the only size change, too," Asterion winked. It made the Vtubers erupt in laughter.
Minnie buckled up and patted her lap. Asterion finagled his way up and onto her thighs. Gamer asked, "So do we call your Supers something else now? Like Kid's Menu Clothesline?"
Asterion chuckled, "I was thinking more along the lines of Subatomic."
The Vtubers stepped over to the remaining open spots on the raceway. They used summoning tools to bring forth their very own vehicles and mounts.
ProjectMelonie straddled a motorcycle coded to her colors and with the VHolo insignia on the side. Shivervale brought forth a huge blue slime with an overly cutesy smile and eyes, and she hopped onto it like a hat. IronRat brought in a sports vehicle with anime decals across its body, such as an anime dude wielding a gun sword on the hood. Aprilcock stepped into a pickup truck with its bed full of peaches – very sussy, plump peaches. Zenplaya simply transformed her whole body into a speed racer in her image. On top of that, a two-foot gecko monster that looked similar to Zenplaya bobbed about behind the wheel. It wore the smuggest expression, and made eye contact with the Minitaur. They both passed each other the bull horns hand gesture.
"You ladies are joining the race?" Gamer asked. He looked up at the video board and saw the five new entries pop up.
"Of course! We only promised Asterion to help you survive. Since taking your life isn't a prerequisite, it can't hurt for us to take that score of yours," Shivervale smiled sweetly. It quickly turned into the yandere expression, "You'll receive no mercy today, Gamer! Hehehe!"
Gamer glanced at the fear bulge in his pants, and reflected, "Something is wrong with me..."
A motorcycle rev caused everybody's head to turn. The final contestant pulled into the raceway; Sonia had arrived. Melonie added her in, and all the entries were locked.
Gamer leaned out his window and eyed Sonia, "Running late? Too many chili dogs for lunch?"
"Just living on the edge of tomorrow," Sonia grinned. She equipped her helmet and the spinning lights on the side started up.
Compared to the modern and futuristic choices, Gamer's beetle appeared outdated and laughably easy to beat. Ego became the number one target in everybody's eyes – be it killing Gamer or simply winning the race.