Dreamer: Mario Kart 8
She is in awe, watching as her friend single handily creams the other man and women in the second pool of competitors. The dark chocolate colour woman takes another look around, meeting the disproving glares of the mothers and fathers who are here with their children in the under seven and under fifteen age groups. Anyone sixteen to eighteen, there is a group for that as well, did not have their parents accompany them and all are currently making the most noise through the entire gym. Back to her adult age group, the dark brown woman sees the men, the ones who weren't discouraged by the as mentioned glares, focussing all their attention to the large, plasma screen. The few women in the crowd glance between the screens and the person currently leading the pack of virtual kart racers, or gaze bored around the crowds. Ruby lips pull into a smile as she meets the gaze of a carmel skin woman that she, the darker skin woman, is to go up against next. Her other two opponents are two white men; too busy watching as her friend decimates the new leader with a well-timed red shell. The carmel skin woman gives a hesitant smile back, before going to watch the screen again.
With a chuckle, the dark skin woman goes back to watching her friend on stage. The vanilla girl on stage holds her borrowed Wii Remote close to her four pack chest, leaning her entire body with the turns of the road. With skill one wouldn't think to be in the small twenty-something years old, she holds down a button and has a banana peel sticking out behind her kart. Internally, while during a drift around a quick corner, both women are beaming with joy as the trailing peel gets shot into the fast catching, second place central processing unit. With a few more turns, the white girl cheers in victory. The others in her group, and some of the competitor's friends, groan in defeat. With a congratulation, and warning not to stray too far, the girl gives back the Wii Remote and heads down to her grinning friend.
"How was that?" asks the short blonde. She grips her friend's raised hand and shakes their intertwined fists.
"Beautiful, darling," the dark skin woman drawls with a shake of her tied back black, blonde tip hair. "I don't think you could have obliterated them more even if you tried." Before the blonde can say anything, the announcer on stage calls the dark skin woman's name. "Sorry, but I'm goin' to go 'nd break your record."
With a scoff, the blonde gives her exceedingly tall friend a push towards the stage stairs. "I better see you get the first slot. If not, then you're never goin' ta live this down."
Ruby lips pull into a smirk as she makes her way up the stage last, giving a flare of her slim hands on the last step. The shapely woman makes her way beside the carmel skin woman from before, just now noticing her three opponents are glaring at the items of use. Three Wii Remotes are spread across the table, with a Wii U behind them. After the first round of the day participants complained that using the Wii U would have the driver at a disadvantage, the rule became that one person had to voluntarily take it before the other three could choose their Wii Remotes. Seeing as the Wii U has never been used by anyone for Mario Kart 8, and that the last two to use it in this category came fifth and sixth, not one of her opponents seem to willingly want to choose it.
I'm going to regret this, the woman thinks as she shakes the blonde tips behind her shoulder. Giving it a few more seconds, she sighs. I'm really going to regret this. With a clumsy grip, she pulls the Wii U off of its shoddy stand and passes it to the store's manager. The man flashes a grateful smile, as two of her opponents do towards her back, and starts setting up the game for the new tournament. The carmel skin woman grabs the Wii Remote for the third player with the other two men taking second player and fourth player.
When it comes to character selection, the woman gets the Wii U back as the three other people finish making their choices. The woman scoffs in her head, jerks. I can't believe they'd choose so quickly after the advantage I'm giving them. If anything, I'd think we should choose in order of player number.
"You going to choose, or what?" asks the man who claimed the second player Wii remote.
"Give me a second," the woman replies. "Gosh, have a little patience." As the man huffs, she glances at her options. Okay, so no Baby Luigi, Daisy, or Yoshi. Meh, why not Koopa Troopa? Sure, let's go with him, or… er her?
Even clicking on Koopa Troopa with the buttons seems difficult on the Wii U. The woman resists the urge to touch the screen pad on the item in her hand, not wanting to add to the ever building germs. Next comes vehicle choosing. Not wanting to struggle through that, she picks the first option to appear, a standard kart with the colour design matching the green shell Koopa Troopa. At the end of this part, the woman has to bite her tongue as her and the other two wait for second player to pick his kart. He sure takes his sweet time, she grumbles as he finally chooses a kart. Making their way through the final options, the four competitors are finally left with the one tournament to choose from; the 'Mushroom Cup'.
"Everyone good?" the dark skin woman asks, more out of politeness. The carmel skin woman gives a small smile and nod, attention already absorbed to the screen. The fourth player, a white man with baby blue eyes, nods and speaks his agreement. Second player just grunts. "I'll take that as a yes. I guess it's go time then."
"Pipe down and press A," second player complains.
"What's the magic word," she snipes with a mean smirk.
"Mam'," the manager speaks in a calm tone, "if you would please press A to continue?"
"At least some people are nice," she mutters, pressing A as the manager politely asked. Just a simple click on the bulky gaming device, but it has a large impact. The gamers tense as the screen fades to black, loading for the game. The crowd waits in suspense as the third round knockout begins in just a few seconds.
;;;
"And ready to lead the pack, there is Mario!"
What, the dark skin woman asks the darkness surrounding her. What's going on? Why can't I see anything? My- me eyes? Okay, lift your hand slowly up, come on girl, and feel… Yep, I still have eyelids. Now, open them. Shake off that droopiness and focus; get your eyes open.
"After him, taking the second slot is the man in green, Luigi!"
That has her eyelids snapping open. A sudden rush fills her as lights and sounds try to consume the sanity she is holding onto. Her hands clench around the dark purple steering wheel, and then she notices her hands are covered by dark purple gloves. What the-
"In the third seat, Bowser sits high on his motorcycle!"
The heck? Okay girl, one step at a time. Where are you, yes let's start with that. Looking around, the woman pulls her ruby lips into a silent O. She is on a race track; that much is obvious with the gray cement under her and pit crew lining the sides. Around her, on the track, are multiple characters from the Mario franchise. And some random white guy on a green motorbike to her left, but right now he isn't the most important. The pit crews, all of different colours, have their faces at a height that would normally come to her hip height, with the top of whatever is under their large, medicine ball size helmets coming to her upper chest. Toads; her sane mind supplies the word. Yah, those are Toads. I'm actually seeing Toads in pit crew outfits. I wonder what finally caused my mind to snap.
"Fourth, as of now, is the ever beautiful Princess Peach!"
The person four cars from the front waves and blows kisses to the crowd. The audience goes nuts, chanting 'Peach' over and over again. From her position in presumably seventh, the dark skin woman gazes past all the drivers to follow the track she's on. A large gulp sounds from her as the track goes up and eventually turns on its side, defying all laws of physics.
"Intimidating, yes?" the dark hair woman snaps her head to face the man on her left, who just spoke. "I'm sorry, but you wouldn't know where we are?"
"On a race track," the woman has to shout over the noise of the audience and the helicopters shining a light on the next to be announced.
"Having chosen her starting position in fifth, the sportiest woman we know and love, Princess Daisy!"
"You're hilarious," the man, presumably in eighth place, shouts back.
"I really don't know where we are," the dark skin woman shouts. She looks up to the night sky, squinting and flinching as fireworks go off. Her eyes avert downwards, where she then looks over her dark purple, standard go-kart. In the center of her steering wheel is what looks suspiciously like a Wii U gamepad. After one hysterical laugh, the woman calms down and everything begins to focus and process in her mind. "All I know is that I'm not in the gym anymore."
"And I'm not at the opening," the man says, "although, this is one type of opening for Mario Kart 8."
"Wait, you were at a Mario Kart 8 opening as well?"
"In sixth position, squeezing in just in time for the first tournament of the year, is Baby Luigi!"
"Yep," the man says, shifting a green helmet in his hand. "My round was just starting, but I just, sort of, blinked and poof I'm here."
"Same," the dark skin woman replies. Before she can say anything else, the helicopters shine their lights on her. A yellow creature on a cloud, Lakitu, floats in her face with its camera. Another comes up with a microphone.
"Our first of many newcomers this year, in seventh position, is Princess Grape!"
The woman forces herself to relax and waves at the camera. She swears the man on her left snorts, but she ignores him to give the recording a large, beaming smile. The crowd gives her a great big welcome in return. The spotlight still on her, the two Lakitu fly up to wait for the change in lighting.
"Princess Grape?" the man chuckles out the question.
"Not my name," the woman throws over to him. "What's yours?"
"Casper," the man says nonchalantly to her. "You?"
The spotlights quickly move over to the man, not allowing for an answer. The Lakitu fly down and announce his name as the man whistles to the crowd through his green gloves.
"This tournament's eighth and final member, accompanying his sister as a newbie racing this year, is Prince Grape!"
As quickly as they came, the Lakitu fly away from the last members with the spotlights following them. The two in the back of the racers share shocked glances.
"I'm an only child," says the woman, recovering first. "You aren't my brother, and will not be." Unconsciously, she takes a purple helmet from one of the Lakitu that are handing them out to the go kart racers.
"I have three sisters," the man states, strapping his helmet on, "and honey, you aren't one of them."
"Don't you worry, Prince Grape," she taunts. In uneasy motions, she puts her helmet on and buckles up. "Besides, this is only for fun, right? It's better than the competition I was about to compete in anyways."
"You ever drove a go kart before, Princess Grape?"
With a stunned blink under her visor, the woman grips her oddly shaped wheel at ten and two and shakes her head. "No, but there's a first time for everything. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?"
"Nope." They share hidden smirks. "So, what's your real name, Princess?"
An announcing Lakitu cuts through the conversation, shouting into the microphone from above the starting line, "Alright racers, on your marks!"
"How about this," the woman starts, adjusting her seatbelt and hiding the shock of there being no gas or break at her feet, "if you beat me then I'll tell you my name?"
"Seems unfair since you know mine," Casper grumbles.
"Take or leave it."
"Taking," he answers quickly as a Lakitu flies in front of the starting line. The floating yellow creature hangs a stoplight off a fishing poll; the top, red colour is lit. "Good luck."
"And to you as well."
"Ready!"
Another check to her strange steering wheel just proves how strange it is. The center holds a screen pad that shows behind her. Her right thumb is by an A labelled button, with the X over and slightly left of it, B under it, and the Y button is across from the A.
And if that's not confusing, the woman thinks to herself, than what do these buttons on the back of the steering wheel do? You know what? I just need to focus on trying to win this race; and trying to start. How do I start with no gas pedal?
"Set!" The stoplight turns yellow.
All around the track, engines rumble in the anticipation of the final word. The dark skin woman draws in a breath and hovers her thumb over the A button. I can do this. I can learn how to drive this go kart in the next few seconds. Yep, let's start with A. A could mean accelerate, after all.
"Go!"
At the green light, six racers are hurtling past the start line; four of them moving at fast speeds. All the purple racer can think about, with a smile beaming from under her helmet, is how this beats any Saturday afternoon.
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Mario Kart 8, the Wii U, or any Wii products. Those rights belong to Nintendo.
I hope everyone has had, is having, and/or will have a happy May 29th, 30th, and 31st.