Ryland On Wheels: Part 1
"I'm sorry Jessica. I just can't see you anymore."
"What?! Why not, John?"
"Because I literally don't have eyes anymore."
"Oh my God…"
"Why are you acting surprised? You've already known about this for a week now."
"Then why are you acting so dramatic about it now?"
"You just asked me to look at the new glasses you bought! In fact, now that I think about it, why would you even ask that if you knew I lost my eyes? Also, why did you even buy glasses in the first place?"
"I wanted to see if you'd catch my joke."
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" a laughing track played.
"We'll be back with more of The Romantic Drama That Was Secretly A Really Bad Sitcom after these messages!"
At the Mystery Shack, Mabel and Ryland watched television sat beside one another in the same living room chair. As they watched the show, they remained more amused by how bad it was rather than the humor itself. Still, an occasional joke would come off as too much and it would result in them cringing within their seat.
"Never change, Gravity Falls Public Access Television. Never change," Mabel said with a smile, admittedly glad that television still remained one of the town's low points, which in turn, kept it's authenticity intact from her perspective.
"Gotta say. It's pretty admirable that they continue to put out bad shows and movies," Ryland said. "Though as laughably bad as these are, I do miss quality television shows."
"Whaaat? You saying this isn't quality?" Mabel asked, gesturing toward the television.
"A different type of quality," Ryland said with a chuckle. "But I know you know what I'm talking about. Also, a town with television that's eight years behind the current schedule is kind of annoying."
"Yeah, I can understand that," Mabel nodded. "Though I think it adds to the Gravity Falls charm. An old town with old people who have old TVs with an old schedule."
Ryland glanced down at his watch. "Speaking of old people, I should probably be getting back home before my parents blast me for being out past curfew." He then glanced over at her as he stood up from the chair. "Uh, not that they're old, but uh...you know what I mean. I was just trying to be clever."
"I get it," she quickly brushed off with a smirk. "But c'mon, it's a Saturday night! Would you get in trouble just for staying to watch one more episode? I mean, we're about to get to the part where John gets his eyes back and then Jessica gets into that tragic accident that makes her lose her eyes!"
"I probably wouldn't, but to be honest, I think I've had enough eye puns for one night," Ryland said as he put his jacket on. "Besides, tomorrow's the day of BMX finals. Gotta rest up for that anyway."
Mabel gasped, shooting up from her seat in excitement. "Oh right! Your big bike-trick-making event! I forgot you still had that going on. You've haven't said a word about it for weeks."
"Eh, nothing to boast about," he shrugged as he walked toward the front door. "Just gotta go and give it what I got."
"I should totally come to the park tomorrow so I can watch you then!" Mabel said as she followed him.
Ryland's eyes bulged as she suggested this. "No! I mean...that's not necessary...for you to do…" He began rubbing the back of his neck nervously as he tried to come up with the words to tell her. "I mean...look, it's going to be pretty uneventful. I doubt many people are gonna show up. It's pretty boring actually. Like, so boring that you couldn't even lighten it up with your usual cheery spirit. So yeah, I wouldn't recommend showing up."
"Boring?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow. "I thought this was a big event for you."
"It is, but BMX events aren't the same scale as something popular like football or soccer," he explained. "I mean, this is happening at the local bike park. That should tell you everything that you need to know."
"Yeah, it tells me I should still try to be there to watch my new boyfriend at one his big events based off his favorite hobby," she said as she grabbed his hand, reminding him of their newfound relationship. "I mean, c'mon. Don't you want me to be there to support you?"
Ryland looked down at their joined hands before looking back up into her eyes, which he could tell displayed her genuine want to be there for him. He then smiled gratefully, despite his stance not exactly changing.
"I do," he nodded. "It's not that I don't want you to be there. It's just...I know it won't be as great as you think it'll be. Trust me, this isn't my first time making it to finals in a BMX event. I know how it goes. I'm just telling you not to waste your time."
"But-"
"Crap, I really should get going," Ryland cut off as he glanced down at his watch again. He put his hand on the doorknob and pulled the door open before looking back at her with a smile. "I'll text you later."
Mabel gave him a look of hesitation, somewhat dejected by his attempt to tell her off from coming to his event. Still, she gave him a slight nod as she smiled back.
"Okay."
They leaned in and shared a quick goodbye-kiss before Ryland pulled back and stepped out the door, closing it behind him. Walking down the stairwell, Dipper found himself arriving at the right time to catch them share their final moment of the night, much to his own disgust.
"Of course, I walk down just in time to see that," he said to his sister distastefully.
Rather than paying attention to her brother's comments, Mabel found herself staring at the door glumly as she thought suspiciously of Ryland pushing so hard for her not to show up to his event. They hadn't even been dating for a week yet, and it already seemed like he was trying to keep secrets from her.
That came across as a surprise to her because, in comparison to her upon the first few weeks of knowing one another, Ryland had never been very secretive. In comparison with her, he had always been very open since they had met, whereas it was always her trying to hide something about herself from him. Since they became a thing, she's been way more open with him, yet now it seems like he's trying to hide something from her. But she didn't have a clue as to what kind of thing that he'd want to keep secret.
"Dipper, what do you think of Ryland?" she asked him curiously.
Dipper thought about it as he walked into the kitchen. "Eh, he's cool, I guess. Though, have you noticed that he sweats a lot? And not like constant sweating. I mean, if he sweats at all, it's like all of his pores turn into Niagara Falls. Seriously, I hope he keeps hydrated."
"Huh...I haven't noticed that…" Mabel realized as she thought about it.
Dipper opened the fridge and took out a carton of milk, pouring himself a glass before turning back to his sister. "Anyway, why are you asking what I think? He's your boyfriend and probably the most normal and unsuspicious one you've ever had."
Mabel could agree with 'normal' but wasn't as sure about 'unsuspicious'. "I don't know...I mean, do you think he's the type of guy who would cheat?"
Dipper had taken a large sip of milk prior to her question, which he then spat out right as she went on, surprising her. He then turned his head toward her and gave her a questionable look.
"Woah there! You two have only been dating since Monday, and you already think he's cheating on you?" Dipper asked, dumbfounded and growing enraged. "No one messes with my sister like that!"
"Wait, no!" she shook her head. "I didn't mean-"
"Hang on, sis," he cut off as he began marching his way toward the front door, rolling his sleeves up. "Let me see if this jerk is still out in the parking."
"Dipper!" she shouted as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the kitchen. "That's not what I meant! I just wanted your thoughts on whether you think he's the type of guy to do it. I don't think he's actually cheating on me!"
"Well, why is that even a concern in the first place?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
She sighed as she rubbed her arm. "I don't know…Ryland has this big BMX event of his tomorrow and when I offered to come to support him, he acted all weird and kept telling me not to. It just seemed like he was hiding something."
"Isn't jumping straight to the idea of him cheating kind of a big stretch then?" he asked.
"Is it? I mean, outside of those we already know, I've never met his friends," she explained. "Maybe there's another girl. Maybe...I'm not the first one. I mean, I hate to think like this, but these kind of people are out there, Dipper. I'd be crushed if I found out he was one of them after all that we've been through in such little time."
"Well, then, let me be the one to bring you back down to Earth for a second," Dipper said as he put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "To answer your first question, I don't think Ryland's that type of guy. He's always been pretty straightforward and real from what I've seen. So, while that doesn't make him innocent in itself, cheating isn't the first conclusion I'd jump to in his case."
"I guess not," she admitted in agreement, looking to the side. "I just don't know why he wouldn't want me to be there to watch him compete in his favorite activity. It feels like he's blocking me out from a part of his life."
"If you're really curious, then just go check it out anyway," he told her. "I assume an event like that is public for whoever to watch, so who's he to stop you?"
"Maybe you can come with me," she suggested. "You know, for brotherly support and all! Also, in case I grow a bit too crazy like I tend to do with my boy situations..."
"Can't. I already agreed to work with Ford and Stan tomorrow to locate parts for the Bill gun," he told her. "There's no way I can drop out of that now."
"Drat!"
"Hey, don't worry. You're capable of handling this on your own," he assured her with a smile. "I'm sure you got this."
She sighed before giving slight smile back. "I hope so."
"Just think positive for now," he suggested. "I mean, you said that this is a big event for him. Maybe he just thinks you'll make him nervous or something."
"Pfft, nervous?" she questioned with a chuckle. "Why should he feel nervous about a girl who he's seen stuff gummy worms into her own nose?"
Dipper stared at her for a moment. "You...put gummy worms in your nose in front of him?"
"It came up over lunch and he wanted to see it," Mabel explained.
"And you still shove gummy worms...into your nose…?" Dipper asked with a look of disgust. "After all these years?"
"Some talents you just need to make sure you maintain," Mabel simply told him with a shrug.
Dipper continued to stare at her, unable to come up with further words to add to the conversation that would properly display his current feelings. Then, he simply decided it wasn't worth it and just proceeded to walk out of the kitchen.
"I'm going to bed," he simply said as he began walking up the staircase to the attic.
"Have a good sleep, bro-bro!" Mabel casually waved at him, not properly reading his shock and repulsive feelings toward her actions.
Now standing downstairs on her own, she thought for a moment. Thinking back to Dipper telling her that the BMX event was likely public and there was nothing really stopping her from actually going to see Ryland the next day, she decided that was what she was going to do.
"I guess I'll just surprise Ryland at his event tomorrow. And if he thinks I can't lighten up a boring crowd on my own, then I guess some extra support will be needed…"
She then grabbed her phone and quickly started a group call. It rang for a few seconds before picking up.
"Candy, Grenda! Clear your schedules tomorrow!"
By next morning, Stan and Ford stood outside the Mystery Shack. Ford held a map in his hands, which had the layout of the entire town, including basic illustrations of the surrounding woods and forests. As he looked at it, Stan was kneeled down, poking at his ankle bracelet.
"God, this thing is strangling my leg," Stan claimed, irritated. "Seriously, can't you loosen this thing just a little bit, Ford?"
Ford sighed as he looked away from his map. "Stan, we've already been over this. Making that thing any looser makes escaping that bracelet much easier for Bill should he take over," he reminded him. "And I've already loosened it to the bare minimum that allows your blood to continue circulating normally underneath. It's perfectly fine for your wellbeing. It may not be the most comfortable, but no one ever said safety meant comfort."
"This is getting irritating, Sixer," Stan told him with a groan. "By the end of today, we better have gotten these weapon parts you're after. You don't understand how tired I am of hearing Bill as the same excuse for every single bit of misery I've endured since we returned."
"Stanley, I've dedicated nearly every bit of my time to trying to solve this problem since we first came back to Gravity Falls," Ford reminded with narrowed eyes. "I understand how frustrating this is to you, but if you think I'm any less adamant than you about wanting to destroy Bill, then you're wrong. I know selflessness isn't your strong suit, but you need to realize that this isn't just your problem here. This is our problem. And we're already working as hard as we can to solve it."
Stan sighed guiltily, realizing his tone and words before had really sounded far more selfish than he intended. "I'm sorry, Sixer. I'm just…"
"...impatient, cranky, and angry?" Ford finished as he looked back at his map. "Yes, I'm already well aware. Anyway, as for your hopes of wanting to find the needed weapon parts today, I'd say that's very much possible. I've already pinpointed a bunch of spots in the forest where we can locate them all. We're just waiting for Dipper and his friends to provide their assistance and then we'll be on our way."
"On an unrelated note, nice to see you still haven't managed to make your map digital for your fancy-schmancy watch," Stan said with an amused smirk as he watched his brother holding up his unfolded map of the town.
"I've been trying to," Ford admitted as he looked down at his wristwatch. "Unfortunately, I think I might have messed up a circuit or something in my initial construction of Meridian. Some features are still very glitchy, with some functionality relying on chance. And every time I try to fix one thing, another thing breaks. I'll probably have to take apart the whole watch if I want to figure out what the issue is. But at that point, I might as well just design another version. This is still just a prototype after all."
"Whatever you decide to do, I suggest adding a map as one of your first features instead of a toast maker," Stan replied.
Ford sighed. "I'll give it a closer look once we're clear of our current matters." He then looked up and noticed Soos's pickup truck pull up in front of the Shack. "For now, it looks like our assistance has arrived."
As Soos's pickup came to a stop, Dipper got out from the driver's seat. From the passenger seat, Derrick exited, and from the backseat, Evan hopped down, pulling a satchel along with him before closing the door. The three promptly approached Stan and Ford.
"Sorry, Great Uncle Ford. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long," Dipper apologized.
"Nonsense. The morning's still just begun," Ford assured him. His eyes glanced between Derrick and Evan. "So, these are your friends?"
"Yeah, you guys have met Derrick before," Dipper nodded as he gestured toward Derrick.
"Of course. From the bunker," Ford nodded as he proceeded to shake hands with Derrick. "Your performance last time does not go unappreciated."
"Thanks. Though I wish it was appreciated enough to where I'd actually have a chance to eat breakfast before getting dragged here," Derrick said in a somewhat peevish tone as he glanced over at Dipper.
"Hey, I've already told you since the bunker adventure that you're one of us now," Dipper reminded him. "Which means you're committed to these immediate tagalongs."
"I'm pretty sure his mom never told him that breakfast is the most important meal of the day," Derrick told the others as he gestured to Dipper.
"Anyway…" Dipper proceeded as he walked over beside Evan. "Grunkle Stan, Great Uncle Ford; I don't believe either of you met my good friend, Evan Reeds."
"Greetings," Evan said as he offered his hand out to the Stan brothers.
"Greetings," Ford returned as he shook his hand.
"Wow, another person that actually says 'greetings'," Stan realized as he shook Evan's hand next. "Look at that, Ford. You ain't alone after all!"
"Hey, Evan's young, but he's incredibly gifted for his age," Dipper told them. "Believe it or not, he's a pretty smart guy too."
"Another brilliant mind, huh?" Ford said with a smile as he looked on at Evan. "Well, ever since meeting you Dipper, I've learned not to underestimate the minds and talents of the youth. So, if you claim this young fellow is gifted, I see no reason not to believe you. It's a pleasure to have you with us, Mr. Reeds."
"It's a pleasure to be here, Mr. Pines," Evan nodded with a smile. "I've been an avid researcher of the supernatural of Gravity Falls since learning about it when my family moved here. Dipper called me and told me about your circumstances and I think I may be able to provide some assistance in your mission today."
"Evan's been eager to assist on one of these types of adventures since I met him," Dipper explained. "So I decided to finally bring him along for once."
"I see," Ford acknowledged as he rubbed his chin. "Well, I suppose we should just jump straight into things then." He pulled out a set of papers from inside his coat. "The weapon parts we are looking for aren't so much weapon parts themselves. Instead, they're parts needed to design a source of power for the weapon."
"What about the actual weapon parts?" Dipper asked.
"Fiddleford's already handling that section of the schematic," Ford explained. "My responsibility is just to find the power source."
"Sounds easy enough," Derrick remarked.
"Well, the catch is the pieces we need are actually from three separate anomalous sources," Ford revealed.
"I retract my statement," Derrick claimed.
"So what're we looking for?" Dipper asked.
"Luckily, nothing I haven't handled before, so I'm aware of what we're up against," Ford claimed as he dug out a set of papers from his coat. "I cataloged them in my journals long ago and so I tried to retain as much as I possibly could to write down. We need to retrieve a Spearrel's pearl, a rare purple Crushroom, and a Queen Scornet's honey."
Dipper, Stan, Derrick, and Evan all stared at him with utter confusion for a solid moment, not having a single idea as to what he just said. And while Dipper considered himself an expert of the third journal's content, he had only ever had very brief reads through the other two journals and so, he too had no immediate idea as to what Ford was referring to.
"Quick question- what the hell are those?" Stan finally spoke up.
"I'll explain on the way. C'mon," Ford gestured as he began walking toward the woods. "Best we start walking now while the sun's still rising. Make use of every second of daylight as we can."
"Oh, great. Walking," Stan said unenthusiastically as he followed behind.
"Yeah, I agree," Derrick said as he walked behind him.
"You're young. How's this a problem for you?" Stan asked.
"Just don't have the energy for it," Derrick replied with a shrug before glaring over at Dipper behind him. "That'd probably be different if I wasn't literally dragged away from breakfast this morning…"
"Ha!" Stan chuckled. "Holding grudges over realistically minor annoyances. I admire that."
Dipper still stood alongside Evan outside of the woods behind everyone else. He glanced down at him.
"Hey, Evan, man. You know, Gravity Falls can be pretty crazy at times," Dipper told him. "I know most of your knowledge is stemmed from behind a screen, but we go firsthand with these types of creatures. So if things start getting too intense for you, we're not gonna force you to stick along. If anything, I'll just take you back home."
"Trust me, Dipper. Even if none of it was truly firsthand, I've done enough research to understand what I'm getting myself into. I think I'm more than prepared," Evan brushed off.
"Alright. If you say so," Dipper nodded.
"Plus, I'm twelve," Evan added. "Weren't you and Mabel twelve when you guys first encountered the town's weirdness?"
"Yeah, we were," Dipper confirmed. "But, you know, even we had our limits then. I'm not trying to say I don't think you can handle it. Otherwise, I wouldn't have invited you in the first place. I just want to make sure you know that you're not locked in. If you want out, we won't hold you back."
"I appreciate it, Dipper, and I appreciate you thinking to bring me along for this adventure," Evan told him gratefully. "But I'm prepared to prove myself for whatever situation awaits my knowledge. I've invested enough in researching the supernatural to know that there isn't anything that'll turn me away from this opportunity."
"Alright, man," Dipper said with a smile as he slapped Evan on the back. "Let's see what you got."
Evan flinched, eye twitching as Dipper's hand touched his back. "Ow..."
"I barely touched you," Dipper said, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not physically strong..." Evan bluntly admitted through his pain.
"Oh."
Walking along a designed path around the town square, Mabel, Candy, and Grenda made their way toward the local bike park.
"This is so exciting!" Mabel eagerly exclaimed. "I've never been to a BMX Tournament before."
"I never even knew what BMXing was until five minutes ago," Grenda claimed. "Who knew there was an actual word for doing fancy bike tricks?"
"It might sound as simple as that, but I've seen Ryland go and those tricks don't lie." He knows how to rock on that bike!" Mabel told her.
"Exciting," Candy nodded as she held up a video camera in her hands. "Perhaps, this event will give me the inspiration I need for my film project."
"Oh, right. So what is this film you're working on even for again?" Mabel asked.
"Candy's working to become a film major in college," Grenda explained.
"Yes. I've been taking TV/Film Production classes all of high school so far," Candy nodded. "To progress, my summer assignment is to put together a twenty-minute documentary on any topic of choice by the end of summer."
"Twenty minutes? Yeesh."
"Yeesh indeed," Candy agreed. "But again, it's a topic of my choice, so it won't be too bad. Perhaps, I can make it about the life of a teenage biker." She thought for a moment. "You wouldn't mind if I stalk Ryland this summer for footage, would you, Mabel?"
"Hey, I'm fine with it. Though, I think you might wanna run that by him first…" Mabel replied.
"Awareness ruins authenticity," Candy claimed. "I'll have to just watch him from a distance."
"Well...okay then. Just, ya know, don't be too weird about it," Mabel told her with an accepting smile.
"Don't be too weird," Candy repeated as she pulled out a notepad and wrote down Mabel's precaution. "Got it."
"Anyway, I can't wait to see the look on Ryland's face when he sees us there to support him. Especially when he sees this new sweater I knitted for the occasion," Mabel told the two as she gestured down at her bright orange sweater with a bike wheel pictured on the front of it.
"Ooooh," the girls fawned.
"Yeah, I just hope he doesn't get mad that I didn't stay back like he wanted," Mabel said, looking down somewhat hesitantly.
"Yeah, why would he not want you to come to his big event?" Grenda asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds suspicious."
"I don't know. He just said it would be way too boring for me. That hardly anybody even shows up," she explained.
At that moment, the girls all froze as they turned a corner in their path and stared ahead.
"Uh, was he sure about that?" Candy asked.
Right ahead of them was the bike park, which had already been arranged for the event. There was also a set of bleachers that sat in front of the course. Much to Mabel's surprise, they were packed with people of various ages, all looking eager for the event.
"Welcome to the Gravity Falls Bimonthly BMX Tournament, here at our local bike park!" an announcer spoke out over a microphone. "Weather's great and we got a lively crowd. Perfect day for some good ol' BMXing. We're going to introduce our three finalists shortly."
"Holy moly…" Mabel awed as she looked around at how prepared everything was, which was opposite to what Ryland had told her. "But...I thought he said that nobody ever showed up!"
"You think he lied to you?" Grenda asked.
Mabel pondered the idea for a moment before brushing it off with a smile. "Whaaat? Of course not! Maybe he just didn't expect so many people to show up. He tends to be way too humble sometimes."
Despite her reassurance, Candy and Grenda exchanged unsure looks, as if their expectations fell out of line with Mabel's. She quickly realized this herself and turned back toward the bleachers.
"C'mon, let's just go find seats," she told them before walking up the bleachers.
The girls followed her as she found an open set of seats within the middle of the crowd. They all sat down and focused their sights on the course while surrounded by a rowdy crowd of other teens or townsfolk. The announcer sat down at a table at the bottom with a microphone in front of him.
"And for our first finalist; born in the state of Hawaii! He's big, he's bold, and for this, he might be too old! Four years out of the slammer, give it up for Makanui Kahale!"
At that moment, a large, bulky man with pure white eyes angrily tore through a set of curtains. He pointed over at the announcer from the stage.
"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT USING MY REAL NAME?!" he shouted as he proceeded to stomp menacingly toward him.
The announcer stood up from the table fearfully with widened eyes as he realized his mistake. "Oh sh-"
"AGGGHHH!" the finalist shouted as he tackled the announcer from the stage and started beating him up.
"GHOST-EYES! I MEANT GHOST-EYES!" the announcer screamed into his microphone as he received several punches to the face. "AHHHH! SOMEONE HELP!"
The crowd awkwardly watched the commotion just as security ran in to try and separate Ghost-Eyes from the announcer, which proved a struggle due to Ghost-Eyes' insane strength. Mabel watched with slight confusion due to her recognition of Ghost-Eyes, to which a boy rose up from his seat in front of her.
"GO GHOST-EYES!" cheered Gideon with an eager smile as he watched his friend absolutely pummel the announcer.
"Gideon?!" Mabel questioned in surprise from behind him.
He turned around, eyes bulging. "My-oh-my! Mabel Pines! What a surprise it is to be seeing you here!"
"I'd say the same for you," she said with a raised eyebrow in suspicion. "I mean, what are you doing here at a BMX event?"
"I always come to BMX events! My good buddy, Ghost-Eyes, has been a partaker in the sport for a while now and I've always been there to support him through his big events."
"Isn't he like...kind of old for this sport though?" Mabel asked.
"Eh...maybe," Gideon slightly agreed. "But ya see, the thing about Ghost-Eyes is that he never learned how to ride a bike as a child. He only just learned how after getting out of prison, since his driver's license has been invalidated and he's legally not allowed to be on the road anymore. But anyway, he just got so into biking that he wanted to take his skills to the next level. Which led him to learn how to do fancy tricks that he knew he wanted to show off. And as you can see, after four years, he's finally managed to get himself all the way to finals." He clasped his hands together and glanced back over to him like a proud parent. "I'm so proud of him and his progress."
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Ghost-Eyes' angry voice was heard as he began strangling the announcer, with security still trying to separate him.
Gideon looked on for a moment before turning back to Mabel. "Yeah, he tends to be a mixed bag sometimes."
"I see…" she acknowledged.
Soon enough, the security guards finally managed to get Ghost-Eyes off of the announcer. He bitterly crossed his arms as he was pulled back onto the stage. A security guard helped pull the announcer back up as a medic was on standby. Despite his beating, the announcer smiled as he grabbed his microphone.
"I'm okay!" he assured everyone. "I'm A-okay! Just gonna ignore the sharp pain in my lower spine." He then gestured back toward the stage. "Anyways, up next, we have our second finalist. Born in the great city of Paris and...somehow made his way to a small town in the middle of Oregon...you know him from past events! Give it up for Ryland Reeds!"
Ryland proceeded to step out from behind the curtains next. He had a casual smile on his face as he stood beside Ghost-Eyes and waved. There was some light cheering and clapping from most of the crowd at his entrance.
Mabel knew this was her chance to kick things up a notch though. She jumped up onto her seat and stood tall as she put her hands around her mouth. "YEEEAHH! GO RYLAND!"
Ryland looked her way, to which his eyes immediately bulged in horror. Several people in the crowd glanced over at her, as she stood out most from everybody else. He could see them glance back at him curiously.
Mabel realized the crowd wasn't getting as excited as she was and knew she needed help from her friends. "C'mon, girls. We all gotta be loud so it convinces everyone else to cheer for Ryland!"
Grenda paused for a moment, thinking about how to react. "AHHHHHHHHHHHH! RYLAND! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"WOO!" Candy threw her hands in the air. "Go Ryland!"
"THAT'S MY BOYFRIEND, GUYS!" Mabel announced to other members of the crowd. "AND HE'S GONNA WIN THIS!"
People threw annoyed looks Mabel's way, nobody else joining in on her cheering. The three girls quickly noticed this and glanced around somewhat awkwardly. Mabel looks back at Ryland himself, seeing him still standing completely shocked and unamused.
"Why doesn't he look happy to see us?" Candy asked, also spotting his look.
"Should I use my real scream instead of my quiet one?" Grenda asked.
"Just sit down, girls," Mabel gestured them to do as she sat back down herself.
"Well, it looks like Ryland's got some fans. Haha," the announcer chuckled as he looked up at the girls. "Moving on, then. Born with a New Jersey tongue, we have another familiar face. Give it up for two-time BMX tourney winner, Yuri Wyatts!"
From the curtains, another teenage boy stepped out onto the stage. He had long black hair and wore a black and purple T-shirt and jeans. The second he appeared, the crowd erupted with cheering and clapping, many rising from their seats too.
Mabel looked around at those who had risen to cheer for Yuri, which was a far greater amount than those who bothered to even clap for Ryland. "Well, that's a lot of cheering."
"What can you say?" Gideon shrugged. "Yuri's the big name around here. His stunts are always what grabs the most attention to these events. If only he was as selfless as he was skilled."
"These events?" Mabel asked, raising an eyebrow. "As in it's always this crowded for finals?"
"Duh. It's finals. Of course it's always crowded," he replied.
"Anyway, our three finalists are gonna start warming themselves up for the first round," the announcer continued. "While they do that, our people are gonna dismantle this stage, which was only set up for the purpose of this introduction and nothing more. The first round will begin in approximately fifteen minutes."
The crowd broke back out into casual chatter amongst themselves as Ryland, Yuri, and Ghost-Eyes walked backstage and another group of men began to dismantle the stage itself. Mabel watched; her suspicion about Ryland having grown too large for her to be able to dismiss it again.
"I'll be right back, girls. Mabel has questions!" she said as she stood up from her seat and quickly moved along the aisle before running down the steps and off the bleachers.
From there, she made her way around and found an easy entrance backstage among the side. She looked around as she walked past people helping set up the general event itself. Eventually, she spotted Ryland by a bike display, appearing to be setting up something.
"Ryland!" she called out to as she walked toward him.
He turned around and faced her, eyes narrowing slightly. "Mabel…what the hell are you doing here? I thought I told you-"
"I know," she cut off. "You didn't want me to come because it'd be too boring and nobody ever shows up. Well, I don't know about you, but that looks like a lot more than nobody," she told him as she gestured back outside.
Ryland awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, knowing she had caught him in an act of suspicion. "Mabel, look…"
"Ryland, this is ridiculous," she continued, narrowing her eyes. "We haven't even been a thing for a week yet and you're already trying to push me away and lie to me?"
"What? I'm not trying to push you away," Ryland defended.
"Then why didn't you want me to come and see you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because…"
"Ryland Reeds!" a voice called out from behind.
Ryland turned around and narrowed his eyes annoyedly as he was promptly approached by the person. "Yuri Wyatts…"
Yuri grinned as he walked up to Ryland, staring him down with confident, yet arrogant eyes. "Man, can't ya believe this is already our third time doin' this little rodeo of ours?" he spoke with a thick Jersey accent.
"Yeah. Time flies," Ryland bitterly agreed as he crossed his arms.
"Right? I mean, geez, feels like only yesterday when I first kicked ya ass into second place back in the February tourney," Yuri reminded him with a chuckle. "Not before ya face planted against the ramp and chipped ya tooth. Oh, and the April tourney when ya crashed ya bike into a tree? Classic."
"I don't understand how you always find joy in my pain," Ryland told him.
Yuri laughed. "Because ya keep telling yourself again and again that you'll 'do better next time.' That you'll 'snag first place from me next time, for sure.' Well, where's your first place trophy, Ryland? Definitely not sitting in a glass case in my room. Nope, not at all."
He broke out laughing, leaving Ryland to just stand there, blood beginning to boil.
Mabel's eyes had progressively grown more unfriendly as she had listened to Yuri's words while watching from the side. Looking over at Ryland's face, she could tell that this was exactly the kind of talk he anticipated from Yuri, which meant this was exactly the type of person he was.
As Yuri calmed down his laughter, his eyes eventually caught Mabel and turned toward her. Interest piqued, he smiled at her.
"Hey there," he greeted. "Who's this, Ryland?"
"Mabel Pines," he replied, catching the look he gave her. "My girlfriend."
"Such a shame," he said as he took Mabel's hand and shook it. "Yuri Wyatts. A pleasure to meetcha," he greeted before smoothly kissing her hand.
Instantly, Mabel pulled her hand away in disgust. "Ew! Did you miss the part where he said I was his girlfriend?"
"My apologies. It's just the Jersey way of greeting," he claimed with an innocent shrug before turning back to Ryland. "Anyways, I'll catch ya during the first round, Ryland. It's the only first-anything you'll have any part of today."
He walked away laughing, leaving the two on their own. Ryland was trying hard to contain himself, his anger visibly showing through his reddening face and shaking fist.
"The Jersey way?" Mabel questioned as she wiped the back of her hand on her sweater. "My Grunkles are from Jersey and they say that people there only greet one another by punching each other in the face or stealing their wallets."
"Wait, so he did that just to kiss you?!" Ryland asked, finally snapping as he clenched both of his fists. "That sleaze! I'm gonna kill him!"
He took a step forward, to which Mabel quickly pulled his arm back. "Woah, Ryland! Calm down! I mean, as punchable as his face may be, there's no need to start trouble. Not now, at least."
"Ugh!" Ryland groaned, dragging his hand over his face angrily. "Well, now you know why I didn't want you to come."
"Because of that jerk?"
"Well, not exactly," he said as he sat down on a nearby bench. "You already know that I've been BMXing for years before I even came to Gravity Falls. Well, ever since I got here, I've competed in these town tourneys and always made it to finals. But, I've always lost to Yuri. And every time I lose, it's because something goes wrong when I bike. I end up getting pretty hurt as you heard him say. And it's always embarrassing, and so I didn't want you to come and feel embarrassed because of me. I know you've seen me bike before and think I'm like…'amazing', but the truth is, I'm nothing compared to Yuri. And despite me getting to finals every time, I just can't beat him." He hung his head low as he continued. "And so, I just didn't want you to waste your time watching me mess up and fail like I usually do."
Mabel processed his words for a solid moment before smiling. "Aw, Ryland...I couldn't feel embarrassed about you. You're a great guy and you're amazing at what you do."
"Still nothing compared to Yuri."
"Forget about that sleazeball!" she encouraged. "Look, I brought my friends so we could all come out and support you! And win or lose, we're still going to support you. Because this is your hobby, Ryland, and you're great at it! You didn't start BMXing to beat Yuri one day. You started because you loved doing it. So if you can't beat Yuri, then forget about him and just do this for fun. Because in the end, having fun is what matters most."
Ryland thought about it for a moment and smiled. "Yeah...forget Yuri! I just gotta enjoy myself. Who cares about a stupid tournament? I mean, the grand prize is just a fifty dollar gift card to Samba Smoothie."
Mabel's eyes widened and mouth salivated as she thought as he told her this. "Oh man, I love Samba Smoothie…"
"What'd you say?"
"I mean, that's the spirit!" Mabel corrected herself, trying to suppress her own personal desires. "You don't need to worry about a stupid gift card! I mean, maybe have it as a light goal...but, it's not as important as having fun!"
"You're right," he nodded as he stood up from the bench. "Thanks, Mabel. And I'm sorry for trying to hide this from you. I know we're still kind of just starting and that keeping this a secret was stupid and all. But it means a lot that even then, you're still willing to support me."
"Of course," Mabel nodded with a warm smile, holding his hands supportively. "Whatever happens, we'll be watching. You got this."
Ryland warmly smiled back at her, mentally expressing his thankfulness for having someone as supportive as Mabel by his side.
"Ryland!" a voice called from the back.
He glanced behind him and back, pulling himself away from Mabel. "I gotta get ready. I'll talk to you later."
"Good luck!" Mabel waved.
"Yuri!" the same voice called for.
"Yeah, I'll be right there, man!" Yuri called back.
Mabel looked over at Yuri by his bike setup, digging through his backpack. He noticed him pulling out a necklace, which he stared at in the palm of his hand for a moment before clenching it in his fist. He then zipped up his bag and looked up in her direction, to which she quickly turned her head just as he looked at her.
She promptly walked out to prevent engaging in any further conversation with him. Although, he watched as she did, narrowing his eyes somewhat suspiciously. He then threw his bag to the side and proceeded to head where he needed to be.
Ruffling through the bushes, Ford pushed through the leaves and poked his head through them. His eyes narrowed at what he saw within an open clearing.
"Here we are," he announced as he walked into the clearing. "This damned spot."
Dipper, Derrick, Evan, and Stan followed behind him. However, Stan was incredibly out of breath compared to the others.
"Finally," he said through his panting before face planting with the ground. "Now I can catch my breath."
"Damned spot?" Dipper asked Ford, disregarding his other uncle. "Great Uncle Ford, what does that…?"
Dipper cut himself off as soon as he glanced over toward the middle of the clearing. His eyes widened and his skin went cold. A few mere feet away from him was the infamous stone petrification of Bill Cipher, which was still stuck in the ground with his hand sticking out to them.
"No…" he said in slight horror.
"I suppose the sight speaks for itself, huh?" Ford nodded, knowing just how his great-nephew felt.
"Bill's physical form? We haven't seen it since Summerween!" Dipper recalled. He knew it wasn't the first time he'd seen it, but it was still a sight to remained horrified by.
"What do you know? It looks ominous during the day too," Derrick claimed as he looked on at it, admitting to the unsettling sight.
"You haven't seen it since Summerween," Ford clarified. "Though, I returned here with Fiddleford the other day for further study when designing the schematic for our weapon. Shaking the hand is the catalyst for bringing Bill back to his full potential. So studying his petrified form would likely give us more insight as to what it might take to destroy him."
"And what did you figure out?" Dipper asked.
"Frankly, not much. Though we did learn of one very odd trait that it exhibits…"
Ford then proceeding to kneel down and pick up a small stone from the ground. He then pitched it at the statue with all of his force. The stone flew toward the statue until it made a near-direct impact with it. To everyone's surprise, a sort of orange force field suddenly formed around the statue, which the stone hit and promptly bounced off of with a force stronger than the way Ford had thrown it.
Stan happened to be standing up from the ground at the same time that the stone deflected, and was almost hit as it flew right in his direction.
"WOAH!" he shouted as he barely managed to dodge the stone. "Hey, watch it, Poindexter!"
"What the…?" Dipper asked, both shocked and intrigued.
"It seems as though the petrification is covered and protected by some sort of barrier similar to that of the unicorn spell we used to protect the Shack," Ford explained. "Only difference is that this one is a kinetic barrier that deflects heavy impact instead of acting like an weirdness shield. It protects the weirdness instead of protecting against it."
"And how'd you figure that out?" Stan asked as he walked up toward him.
Ford awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, uh…"
A Few Days Ago
"I just don't know, F. We're getting nowhere with this statue so far," Ford told Fiddleford as he looked at a device that was connected to the statue via wires. "All of our data is just blank."
"Hmm…" Fiddleford wondered, thinking. "Maybe we should just try destroying it. I'd say the best that could happen is destroying Bill, whereas the worst would just be bringing about the end of the world."
"I'm not so sure that's a good idea," Ford replied with a reluctant look.
"Any idea is a good one if it works."
"Well, then I'm not sure that'll work."
"Only one way to find out then," Fiddleford said, gesturing toward the statue.
Ford sighed, still not keen on the idea. Nonetheless, he figured he may as well comply to Fiddleford's insistence. He promptly took out a hammer and ran toward the statue with a charging force, prepared to swing at it. He slammed his arms down as he came into contact with it. However, before making impact with the statue itself, his hammer struck down on a barrier that suddenly became visible to the eye. Without a second to react, the kinetic force from hitting the field deflected back to Ford's hammer itself, which promptly shot backward. He let out a brief scream as his body flung through the air for a moment before crashing violently into a tree. He slid down to the ground before laying still, expressing his agony through soft groans.
Fiddleford stood to the side, having watched the whole thing. His expression was nonchalant and his eyes were more analytical than concerned.
"Alright, new plan. You do it again, but this time, you hit it even harder."
Present
"That's not important," Ford responded to Stan after making a recollection that he refused to tell to the others. "Anyway, as far as I'm aware, that barrier is impenetrable."
"So why are we even here then? To stare at it?" Derrick asked.
"Well, we're currently looking for Spearrels to retrieve one's pearl. And the last time I was here with Fiddleford, there happened to be multiple surrounding the statue before scurrying off as we arrived. So I brought us here because I figured it would be our best bet at finding one," Ford explained as he looked around the empty clearing. "However, it doesn't look like there's any around at the moment, which is quite odd because this spot was full of them yesterday."
"Well, first things first- you wanna tell us what a Spur-rrel even is?" Derrick asked, growing a bit irritated at Ford's presumption that they had any idea what he was even talking about. "Never heard of them before and my mind keeps imagining sentient cowboy boots." He paused for a moment. "Yeah, I kinda wanna stop thinking about that."
"Spearrel is a bit of a name play that I made up myself. They're a cross between a squirrel and a…" he explained before looking over toward the statue, eyes bulging in horror. "EVAN!"
"A squirrel and an Evan?" Derrick asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, I'm not seeing the name play."
Seeing Ford's concerned look, everybody else glanced over at the statue, only to display horrified expressions of their own. Right in front of them, Evan's hand was found joined with the statue's. He appeared to have been pulling on it before, but nonetheless, he was still shaking the hand. He glanced back over at them at the call of his name, his expression immediately displaying one that said he had been caught.
"EVAN! WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!" Dipper exclaimed as he ran over toward him behind Ford.
"That kid is insane!" Stan shouted, placing his hands amongst the sides of his head.
"Wait, it's not what it looks like!" Evan tried to tell them as he let go of the hand.
"You shook the statue's hand!" Ford said as he towered over the boy. "Are you trying to doom us all?!"
"I wasn't trying to shake it! I was pulling on it!" Evan tried to clarify, growing panicked himself. "You said it had a barrier that reflected kinetic movement and heavy impact! So I figured pulling on it might be enough force to break it off from the rest of the statue!"
"You still made contact with the statue's hand!" Ford continued to press, growing more anxious each second. "It's a still figure! You don't have to actually shake the hand! You just need to make contact with it, which you've done! Which means…" His eyes bulged again as he turned his head back. "STANLEY!"
Stan's skin went cold as he came to the same realization as Ford. "Oh no...oh no!" He shouted as he covered his head with his hands in panic.
"Grunkle Stan, no!" Dipper shouted.
"Stanley, are you okay?!" Ford asked as he ran over to his brother, placing his hands on his shoulders.
"I feel fine!" he admitted as he continued to keep his eyes shut and his head covered. "I'm just bracing myself!"
Ford paused. "Wait...you feel fine?"
Stan opened his eyes and looked back up at him. "I mean, yeah. The walking killed my feet, but overall, I feel pretty good." He stopped for a moment and glanced around his surroundings. "Getting kinda hungry. Is it lunch yet?"
Ford's horror had turned into confusion by the lack of reaction from his brother. He glanced back and forth between him and the statue, raising an eyebrow. "The hell?"
"Shouldn't there be like...something happening?" Derrick asked as he looked around at the sky. "Or is the end of the world this bland?"
"I don't even think anything happened," Ford assumed. "But I don't understand. Evan may not have intentionally shaken the hand, but he still gripped it."
"What's shaking the hand supposed to do again?" Evan asked.
"As far as I'm aware, it's supposed to restore Bill to his physical form," Ford explained as he pulled out his gold-colored mind scanner from his coat. He aimed it at Stan's head and pulled the trigger. The light flashed yellow for a moment before going red again. "But Stan's mind still shows anomalous activity, which means Bill is still in his head."
"I don't get it. I thought Bill wanted someone to shake his statue's hand to free him. If Evan shook his hand, why has nothing happened?" Dipper asked.
"He wanted me to shake his hand when he held Stan hostage. But when he held me hostage, he wanted one of you to do it instead," Ford recalled. "I figured that meant anybody could shake his hand to fulfill his wants."
"Which goes back to what Derrick said that night," Dipper said as he glanced over at Derrick. "If it's been out in the middle of the forest all this time, how is it that not one random person came along to shake his hand and unintentionally free him? Is it possible that only certain people can set Bill free?"
"Anything's possible at this point," Ford replied as he put the mind analyzed back into his coat. "Though, going by that possibility, what exactly makes Evan differ from us?"
"He is the youngest out of all of us," Dipper said as he looked over at him. "Is it an age thing?"
"Pfft, yeah. You must sixteen years or older to bring about the end of the world," Derrick joked.
At that moment, there was a sudden ruffling in the bushes that attracted everyone's attention. Ford stared at the ruffling bushes intently, narrowing his eyes as he realized what might've been there.
"We'll have to save this discussion for later. I think we have a Spearrel in the area," Ford said a quieter voice as he began to slowly creep up on the bushes. "As I was saying before, the name play comes from the fact that it's a type of squirrel that produces pearls within the fur of its tail. A simple, yet, odd enough characteristic for a mammal species."
"Why do we need one of its pearls for them?" Dipper asked.
"Can we sell 'em?" Stan asked greedily.
"The pearls themselves have a special type of unworldly conductivity; a type which we need to retrieve to use as a base for a power source," Ford explained.
"And why are they so common in this area?" Evan asked as he looked around the clearing.
"They usually aren't. I typically find them around the bottom edges of the hanging cliffs. Usually mossy areas," Ford explained. "Finding so many in one spot around the statue the other day was a surprise. It was like they were drawn to it…"
He very slowly and cautiously dug his hands through a bush, pulling it apart to look inside. Inside, he spotted a squirrel with gray fur that stared right back at him.
"There…" Ford whispered with cautious eyes.
"Oh man. A grey squirrel. How weird is that?" Stan asked sarcastically.
At that moment, though, the Spearrel let out an ear-piercing screech that sounded like an eagle amplified a hundred times.
"AHHHH!" Stan yelled as he and everybody else covered their ears up in response to the screech.
"They are also susceptible to using a very deafening screech when they feel threatened!" Ford yelled out to the others as he pressed his hands against his ears as hard as he could.
"THANKS FOR THE WARNING!" Derrick sarcastically yelled back.
The Spearrel's screech eventually stopped, to which it then proceeded to scurry off through the forest. Everybody else got up on their feet and watched as it got away.
"Don't let it get away!" Ford shouted before running after it. "C'mon!"
Dipper and Derrick immediately ran along with him, to which Stan slowly began to follow, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Oh, great. Now we're running."
He then started running behind them, though at a slower and more exhausted pace. However, unbeknownst to them, Evan stayed back by the statue. Having examined the Spearrel before it took off, he turned toward the statue and walked up to it. He then tore off a long vine hanging off the arm, stuffing it in his satchel before catching up with the others.
As Ford chased the Spearrel down through the forest, eventually, it decided to run up a tree. It hopped into a defensive stance as it looked down at Ford, who approached the trunk of the tree cautiously after a brief chase.
"Dammit," Ford simply said, slightly annoyed.
"A squirrel's first instinct is to run up a tree. What a surprise," Derrick claimed just as he, Dipper, and Stan caught up to him.
"Sixer's got a big brain, but he ain't the fastest with it sometimes," Stan said as he leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath.
"Is there any way to get it to come down?" Dipper asked.
"Uh…" Ford thought for a moment. "Here, Spearrel! It's okay! Be a good Spearrel and come down now!"
Stan stared at his brother for a moment before facepalming. "You've got to be kidding me."
"I'm trying all I know!" Ford said defensively.
"So, nothing?"
"You wanna give it a shot then?" Ford asked, standing back for his brother to give it a try.
"You want a squirrel to come down from a tree? You gotta give it something it wants. For example...ehem!" Stan said as he calmly walked up to the tree. He then pulled out a pulled out a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket and offered it to the Spearrel in the tree. "Want twenty bucks?"
The Spearrel then let out another vicious screech at him, prompting everyone to cover their ears yet again.
"What?! That ain't enough for you?" Stan asked angrily. "Why…you picky…I bet you're a Northwest pet!"
"Sit down, Stanley," Ford annoyedly told him, growing tired of his ineffective involvement.
"Yeah, okay," Stan complied, taking a step back and sitting at the edge of a tree.
Ford sighed, attempting to think but couldn't come up with a solution himself. "Any ideas, Dipper?"
"Sorry, Great Uncle Ford, but I got nothing," Dipper admitted.
"Alright, well, I didn't want it to come to this, but I suppose we have no other choice," Ford said before suddenly diving a hand into his coat and equipping a crossbow.
"Geez…" Dipper said, shocked that this was the road that his uncle was legitimately considering.
"Not gonna lie, I was thinking that but I figured you guys would tear me apart if I suggested it, so I just kept quiet," Derrick admitted as he glanced around at everyone. "That said, I'm not against this."
"Trust me, I'm not a fan of it," Ford assured them. "But desperate times come for desperate measures. With daylight burning by the minute, figured it's for the best that we just get this out of the way now."
Dipper still remained hesitant as he watched Ford aim the crossbow at the Spearrel, but then figured he may have been right to an extent. They could potentially get into a million more chases with the Spearrel and bring about further delay in resolving Stan's condition, and that was ultimately something they couldn't afford to risk getting any worse.
"Whatever works, I guess," he said with a sigh as he turned away.
"Wait!"
Everybody turned around and watched as Evan ran his way over toward them, finally catching up. He appeared slightly frantic as he watched as Ford was about to shoot the Spearrel.
"Don't shoot it!" he urged as he arrived. "There's another way!"
"There is?" Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I wasn't sure what Mr. Stanford meant when he said Spearrel, but after hearing his description and seeing it for myself, I figured it out," he explained. "It's an anomaly that I personally named the Screaming Vine Squirrel."
"That's a better name than Spearrel honestly," Stan said with a chuckle.
"They're known for their ear-piercing shriek to fend off predators," Evan continued to explain as he dug through his satchel and pulled out the vine he had ripped from the statue. "They're also extremely attracted to overgrowth. Stuff like old vines and moss, which the Bill statue is covered in. Which is probably why they've become so drawn to that area, as Stanford said. There's not much overgrowth otherwise in this part of the woods."
"Attracted to overgrowth? Really?" Ford asked, lowering his crossbow as he processed this new information.
"Extremely. It's their main diet," Evan nodded as he held the vine out to the Spearrel in the tree.
The Spearrel entered a defensive stance as Evan held the vine out to it. However, it began to quickly grow curious, eyeballing the vine in his hands in a twitchy manner as a normal squirrels do. It eventually started to slowly make its way down the tree stump before hopping directly into Evan's hands as they held the vine. As it began to eat directly the vine itself, everyone else stood back and watched in awe.
"Holy…" Ford remarked, absolutely stunned and impressed.
Evan smiled. "Case and point."
"Evan, man! Way to go!" Dipper cheered on with a chuckle.
Ford approached the back of the Spearrel as it was distracted by the vine and carefully pulled a small, shiny red pearl hidden within the fur of its back. The Spearrel didn't even appear to take notice or harm to his action and simply continued to eat the vine without issue.
"Fascinating. I wasn't aware they exhibited such a trait," Ford claimed as he examined the creature.
Evan then held his hand to the ground, allowing the Spearrel to promptly hop off his hands and scurry back into the wilderness with the vine. He brushed his hands off and stood confidently in front of the others.
"You see? And nothing had to die."
"Could take or leave this one, but I do hope I get to see something get shot with a crossbow at some point. Oh man...what if I shot something with a crossbow? That'd be sweet!" Derrick fantasized for a moment before getting elbowed in the shoulder by Dipper, who glared at him. "Nonetheless...good work, kid."
"Good work, indeed, Evan," Ford agreed as he stored the red pearl in a small container that he then stuffed into his coat. "I know what you've given was a basic fact, but your knowledge still impresses me. I wasn't even aware of a Screaming Vine Squirrel's attraction to overgrowth and I've been in contact with them multiple times. I often gave up on the ones that climbed up trees. You've done all your research through a screen and yet, you still managed to learn something that I never could.
Evan appreciated his compliments but figured to keep a sense of humbleness. "Well, as you said, it is basic stuff."
"Nonetheless, I might need to see how exactly you do your own research one of these days. A balance between fieldwork and computer research could be the key to unlocking Gravity Falls' greatest secrets."
"Yeah, of course! I'd totally be willing to share my findings and how I came across them one of these days," Evan nodded.
"Brilliant. As for right now, we have the pearl. Now, we should be getting a move on to the next stop," Ford said as he began walking through the forest again. "We have a long walk from here to the waterfall."
"Aaaand we're walking again. Fantastic…" Stan moped as he stood up from the ground and began following his brother.
"Man, getting hands-on with Gravity Falls weirdness is great," Evan claimed enthusiastically as he followed behind Stan, turning back once to look over at Dipper. "Seriously, thanks for bringing me along, Dipper. I think I finally found the first activity outside my room that I actually enjoy."
"Heh, no problem, man," Dipper replied with a slightly awkward chuckle as he stood in place beside Derrick. "Great...great work."
"You good, man?" Derrick asked him.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"
"Because I know the look you get when you're jealous," he said with a smug look.
"Jealous?" Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Great Uncle praises little kid for knowing something that neither he nor his super smart great-nephew knew," he pointed out. "You're worried he's gonna steal your spotlight."
"What? No! I'm not jealous," Dipper assured him. "Evan did something respectable and helpful and got rightfully praised for it." He thought for a moment. "Sure, it's more praise than some of the other times Ford's given me credit, but I mean, this isn't about me. Evan deserved credit. He's got talent and more than you too."
"Hey, if this isn't about you, then in no way is this about me either," Derrick addressed before walking off, following the others far ahead of them. "But I'll take your word for it."
Dipper continued to stand in place as he watched him walk away. For a moment, he thought about what he said before brushing it off as ridiculous. He respected Evan's intelligence and had no reason to think he would replace him in the eyes of his own Great Uncle.
There's nothing to be jealous about. Derrick doesn't know what he's talking about. he thought to himself as he continued his way through the woods with everyone else.
Ghost-Eyes had been up for the first one up for the first round of the BMX tournament. Everyone set their eyes on him as he went through the first arrangement, which was a very basic setup for the first round. The goal was to show off one's skills the best one could given the course and the three judges would score based on the level of impressiveness.
Forty seconds into Ghost-Eyes' sixty-second run, he pulled off a few average tricks and spins, but nothing that the judges could call off as impressive. His riding was very sluggish, which appeared to be due to his large size on top of a smaller bike that didn't seem to make up for it. He was visibly struggling to control his turns and even his tricks seemed barely successful. However, he continued to push forward, beginning to make his way back toward the main ramp.
"And it looks like Ghost-Eyes is about to go for the ramp to finish his first round," the bruised and beaten announcer called out over the microphone.
However, at that moment, Ghost-Eyes pressed down on his right pedal hard enough to enough to snap it right off the bike.
"What the-?" he questioned before looking down. He quickly noticed his problem, but only just before looking back up ahead to realize he was still heading for the ramp. "Oh NO!"
SLAM!
Seconds after his realization, Ghost-Eyes' body violently planted against the ramp. His bike was also totaled from the impact, with various pieces spread out amongst the bottom of the ramp. The crowd winced at the sight in reaction. Although, the judges just displayed nonchalant looks that lacked any sympathy or impression.
"Ohh! That's gonna leave a mark," the announcer remarked as Ghost-Eyes stood back up and brushed himself off, having received light scratches.
ZZZZZZ! the alarm buzzed, signaling time running out.
"And that's the end of Ghost-Eyes' first run," the announcer responded before glancing over at the judges' table. Let's see what the judges think."
The judges quickly exchanged looks with one another before holding up three numbered signs. From left to right, their scores read 4, 5, and 3.
"Oooh...rough start for Ghost-Eyes."
Ghost-Eyes processed the scores for a moment before narrowing his eyes angrily. "DANG IT! STUPID BIKE! YOU'RE TOO SMALL!" he yelled furiously as he picked up the remains of the bike and tossed them out of the bike park with all of his strength. "ARRGGGH!"
Realizing Ghost-Eyes' temper, Gideon quickly stood up and called out to him. "It's okay, Ghost-Eyes! Your bike may be small, but your heart is big! Remember that!"
Ghost-Eyes' had his fists clenched tightly as he looked up at Gideon. Processing his words though, he inhaled deeply and tried to maintain control of himself as he proceeded to walk out of the course.
"There's nothing greater than the power of friendship. There's nothing greater than the power of friendship. There's nothing greater than the power of friendship…" he quietly repeated to himself.
"There you go, Ghost-Eyes! You got this next round!" Gideon cheered supportively.
Behind Gideon, Mabel was watching the ongoing preparations taking place on the other side of the course. There, she could see Ryland beside his bike strapping his helmet on as he was being spoken to by one of the tournament runners.
"Looks like Ryland's up next," she said to the other girls.
"Perfect. Video opportunity!" Candy said enthusiastically as she held up her camera in preparation for the round.
Gideon glanced back at Mabel, hesitant to ask a question he had been pondering. Despite his hesitation, his curiosity got the better of him.
"Ehem…" he cleared his throat, grabbing Mabel's attention. "So, erm, how long have you and this Ryland fellow been...acquainted?"
"Oh, not too long. We only just met earlier this month, but we starting going out a few days-" she explained before cutting herself off once she realized it was Gideon who was asking her this. "Wait a second...you're not still into me, are you?"
"W-What?!"
"Don't act like you don't remember our history, Gideon," she reminded him with narrowed eyes. "I'm warning you now not to try anything funny. I already had to kick a jealous gnome's butt and I won't hesitate to kick a creepy child's next."
"It was just an honest question!" he assured her. "Trust me, my darli- I mean...Mabel. I've already accepted that we just weren't meant to be. I'm willing to settle for being just friends."
"Look, you may have helped my brother and I that one time with Mr. Buttface Nessman, but you still have a lot of trust left to gain from us before we even begin to consider you a friend," Mabel told him.
"Fair enough. The road to redemption has never been easy," Gideon accepted. "But mark my words, Mabel Pines. One day, you'll see that I'm worthy of trust and friendship. One day, I'll redeem myself. You'll see," he assured her before creepily rubbing his hands together. "You'll see…"
Mabel raised a skeptical eyebrow. "The creepy whispering isn't very assuring."
Gideon tightened up upon her calling him out. He sighed. "Still trying to break that habit."
"Now, we have Ryland Reeds, coming up for his first round," the announcer spoke over the microphone.
Eyes throughout the crowd looked in Ryland's direction as he stepped out onto the edge of the course with his bike. As he adjusted his helmet strap once more, Yuri stood out, watching from the sidelines.
"Good luck, Ryland," he told him mockingly. "You're going to need it."
Ryland glanced over at him and confidently smirked. "Much appreciated, Yuri."
As he looked back at the course, he failed to notice Yuri's insulting eyes grow unappreciative of Ryland's confidence. He backed into the sidelines and walked off as he stared Ryland down at the corner of his eye.
"YOU GOT THIS, RYLAND!" Mabel called out supportively from the bleachers.
"SUPPORTIVE SCREAMING!" Grenda added.
Ryland chuckled as he looked up at the girls, shaking his head somewhat uncomfortably despite his appreciation for their support. He then got on his bike and prepared himself to start.
"Ryland's got sixty seconds on the clock on the basic stunt track," the announcer claimed as he watched the timer, which eventually started. "Aaaand he's on!"
Ryland immediately pushed himself down onto the course as the timer began. He rode toward the ramp at a fast speed and started his run off with a backflip, which seemed to wake up a majority of the crowd due to the lack of an impression that Ghost-Eyes had left previously. Several people woah-ed and woo-ed as Ryland went along performing a variety of different tricks among a basic course. Tricks ranging from holding onto his seat or raising his feet from the pedals.
While Ryland had shown off his skill to Mabel before, she had never seen his performance on an actual course and ramp. She was immediately impressed, yet, anxious at his riskier-looking clips. She had faith in his skill but still hoped not to witness him snap his own neck on the concrete. Nonetheless, she and her friends cheered him on the whole way through.
"He's killing it!" Mabel exclaimed excitedly.
"This type of performance would make well for the opening shot!" Candy claimed as she filmed the action with her camera.
"DON'T GET DISTRACTED, RYLAND!" Grenda shouted, oblivious to the delivery of her own words. "YOU DON'T WANT TO CRASH!"
"Grenda!" Mabel alarmed.
"Sorry," Grenda awkwardly apologized as she realized what she was doing.
"This is a solid run for Ryland so far!" the announcer remarked as he glanced back between Ryland and the timer. "He only has ten seconds left this round."
At that moment, Ryland knew how he wanted to end off his run. He aimed for the ramp once more with complete determination. Full speed, he rode up the ramp and soared up into the air. With a secured height, he faced the sky and threw his feet off of his pedals as he held on tightly to his handlebars. He let the rest of his body hang out in the open air, completely separated from his bike, allowing himself to take the stance of a superhero flying up into the air. The only difference was that he was holding his bike out in front of him.
It was a very risky trick, and the crowd reacted accordingly as he pulled it off. Shocked gasps and fearful cries came from several people. Mabel remained composed, but even she felt chills running down her spine as she witnessed him pull the trick off.
As the bike then came rushing down backward, to which Ryland promptly pulled himself back onto his seat and his feet placed firmly upon his pedals again. His wheels touched round, quickly rushing down the ramp and rolling out onto the course backward. The crowd promptly erupted into cheers.
"Holy…" Gideon remarked in shock.
"THAT'S MY MAN!" Mabel cheered, excitedly rising from her seat along with her friends.
"WOW! An impressive backward Superman!" the announcer called out enthusiastically. "And with only three seconds left to spare. What a flawless run for Ryland!"
All of the sudden, as Ryland rode backward, his bike made a hard lean to the right, forcing him down along with it.
"WOAH!" he reacted.
Within a few seconds, he found the right side of his body running against the ground as his bike continued to move. His right arm, right leg, and the right side of his face painfully grinded against the concrete ground for a solid few seconds before his bike came to a complete stop, throwing him off and sending him rolling an extra few feet away.
"Ooooh!" the crowd winced.
ZZZZZZ!
"Ouch. Well...an almost flawless run…" the announcer finished.
Mabel covered her mouth with her hands in shock. "Oh no…"
"Well, that probably wouldn't be the best opening shot…" Candy said as she awkwardly lowered her camera.
"Do it again! I wasn't looking!" Grenda shouted with a mouthful of hot dog as she faced forward.
Ryland began to pull himself up from the ground, groaning in pain as he did. He had received several long scratches and knicks along his right arm and right leg. He had not yet analyzed the scratches himself, though he was well aware they were there.
What he was less aware of was the longer, deeper, and bloodier scratch amongst his right cheek. It was the most serious looking injury he appeared to have received, but he hadn't seemed to have even noticed yet. As he sat up, he looked around in confusion, wondering how he had suddenly crashed the way he did.
"Agh. The hell happened there?"
"Unfortunately for Ryland, that crash might affect his performance score with the judges," the announcer claimed. "Nonetheless, let's see what they have to say."
Ryland rubbed his scratched up arm as he looked over at the judges, who all exchanged brief looks with one another before raising their scores.
6, 6, 5
"An average score. Not bad, but it could've been better," the announcer summarized.
Ryland stood with a look of outraged shock for a moment. Quickly, however, the look changed into disappointment with himself.
"Dammit," he said to himself annoyedly before picking up his bike and dragging it along with him. Everybody watched as he made his walk of shame across the course back to the sidelines.
Mabel looked on at him with remorse, feeling terrible for the fact that his biggest fear actually managed to come true. Figuring he needed an ounce of support to pick him back up, she stood up from her seat and made her way down the bleachers.
"Hold on, girls," she called back to her friends.
She quickly ran down and head toward the sidelines where he was heading. She then positioned herself at a fence post, patiently waiting for Ryland to pass by as he walked by. Soon enough, he made his way along the sidelines where he caught Mabel's eye.
"Hey!" she greeted cheerfully as an attempt to raise his spirits, if even barely.
Ryland sighed as he stopped in front of her. "How bad did that look?"
"Whaaaat? Pffft! It wasn't that bad," she told him.
"Hey, man!" a man at the lowest seat of the bleachers called out from right above the two. "Are you okay? That looked fall look pretty bad!"
Swiftly, Mabel swiped a hot dog from a vendor standing close beside her and stuffed it in the man's mouth from below as a means of getting him to be quiet. She then turned back to Ryland and put her cheery smile back on.
"Again, it wasn't that bad!" she repeatedly "It was just a small mistake that could've happened to anyone else."
"Yeah, and anyone else could've probably avoided it too," Ryland said dejectedly.
"Aw, cheer up. The tricks themselves were awesome!" she assured him. "One mistake doesn't make you any less than one of the best BMXers I've ever seen. Don't beat yourself up over it."
"Next, we have Yuri Wyatts, two-time Gravity Falls BMX Tournament winner," the announcer spoke over the mic at that moment. "Let's see how he kicks off his road to becoming a three-time champion."
Mabel and Ryland glanced over at the edge of the course and spotted Yuri standing by, clicking on his helmet and strapping it on tightly. He glanced at Ryland at the corner of his eye and looked forward again as he got on his bike, grinning.
"Sixty seconds on the clock...aaand he's off!"
Yuri has quickly sent himself biking down into the course and proceeded to speed his way toward the ramp. With the full intention to beat Ryland's beginning, he drove his way up the ramp into the air at a fast speed and pulled off a double backflip before riding back down.
The crowd riled up at the stunt, but Yuri's presence was already enough excitement for them due to his local status.
"YURI! YURI!" they chanted.
He continued to go back and forth, riding up the ramp at high speeds. All of his tricks were extraordinary. At one point, he had performed a front flip while holding onto his seat with both hands. Another point had him spin his handlebar at the same time he did a spin in his seat mid-air. It was a wonder how he pulled the tricks off, as it seemed each time that he only barely had enough airtime to be able to do each one.
Mabel had no reason to respect Yuri after her first meeting with him and seeing how he treated Ryland. However, even she couldn't deny that the tricks were unlike anything she had seen. Each trick bested the ones Ryland had done, which clearly seemed to be the point. Regardless, she stared at him with her jaw hung open in utter disbelief.
ZZZZZZ!
"Wowzers…" Mabel remarked with wide eyes just as Yuri finished his round.
"HOLY HELL! And Yuri continues to impress! Absolutely outstanding first run!" the announcer claimed enthusiastically. "Let's see what our judges think!"
Mabel and Ryland glanced over at the judge seats, noticing them all exchanging words with one another in a seemingly pleased way. They then raised their number cards with glee.
9, 9, 8
"Twenty-six!" the announcer totaled. "A great first round for Yuri! He takes lead, leaving Ryland in second with seventeen, and Ghost-Eyes in last with twelve. A solid lead, but anything's possible this early on. For now, we'll just start readying up for Round Two."
Ryland stood open-mouthed for a moment, shocked by Yuri's success at besting him once again alongside his injury. A single glance from Mabel and she could immediately tell what he was feeling. They both then watched as Yuri made his way past the two with his bike. He took off his helmet and looked over at Ryland, smirking.
"Second place, huh? Not bad," he remarked. "Though, I don't consider someone as brainless as Ghost-Eyes competition. As far as I'm concerned, this is just between me and you, Ryland. And right now, I'm not sure there's much left for you to prove."
Ryland clenched his fists as Yuri spoke, growing progressively angrier each second. Mabel could feel his anger increasing without even having to look at him.
"Anyway, have fun with your scratches, Ryland," Yuri insulted as he passed by, suddenly breaking out laughing as he looked at Ryland's face. "I can already imagine the scar that one on your face will leave."
Ryland's anger suddenly halted as he processed Yuri's words. He put two fingers up to the side of his face and felt the deep scratch, which had been unbeknownst to him until that moment. As he looked down at his fingers and frowned at the blood he had drawn. He let out a disappointed sigh before dropping his bike dejectedly. He then turned away and walked off dejectedly, not even paying Mabel any glance.
"Ryland…" Mabel said sympathetically, reaching her hand out for him as he walked off.
Despite this, he continued on his way, leaving her alone and not daring to look her back in the eye.
(Updated as of June 13th, 2020)
As an actual topic of the chapter, this is actually the first episode that truly focuses and delves into one of the OCs I've introduced so far. While Ryland has been apart of a lot of episodes so far, this is the first time I'd say we really focus on him. Not that I want to start putting full focus on the OCs, but I feel that looking into him a bit more closely will provide some needed development for his character.
Also, since he's with Mabel now, I didn't want to do nothing with them or just have them being cutesy with one another going forward. That's boring. So this, hopefully, isn't.
Anyways, that's all for this one. Until next time!
-Absolute Rift