Fiber internet definitely isn't slow. And Richard definitely wasn't enjoying this roller-coaster of internet speeds for the second time.
"Oh my god, MAKE IT STOP!" Richard shouted, clutching the handrails like his life depended on it. The moment the words left his mouth, the shuttle seemed to go even faster. His grip tightened as if that alone could help him.
"WHOO-HOO!" Vanellope cheered beside him, arms raised and fearless. "I forgot how thrilling this was! Faster! Faster!" she yelled with glee.
"PLEASE, NOT FASTER!" Richard screamed out.
And then, just like that, the shuttle came to an abrupt halt. The force sent Richard flying out of his seat, slamming him into the front window with a loud thud. "OOOF!" he groaned.
Vanellope gasped and reached out to help him. "Oop! You okay there, buddy?"
Richard groaned, taking her hand to steady himself as he slid back into his seat. "Y-Yeah, I think so," he muttered, still trying to catch his breath.
A robotic voice echoed through the shuttle: "Wi-Fi connection terminated. Recalibration started."
Richard blinked, looking around in confusion. "Wait... the internet's down?" he muttered aloud.
Vanellope nodded, brushing it off casually. "Yep, happens sometimes. Even when I'm traveling with Shank through the internet."
"Huh..." Richard said.
Vanellope leaned back and crossed her arms, "I remember this one time, everything shut off..." She blinked. "It was a little creepy to be honest... all the lights shut off, the users around us froze..." She folded her arms. "It definitely made me uncomfortable, but Shane told me that it happens every now and then..."
Richard blinked. "Hmmm, I'm make a hunch that... might have been the internet being down,"
Vanellope looked at him, "Really?"
"Happened to me a few months ago. Big storm knocked out a powerline, and boom—no internet for the whole neighborhood."
Vanellope tilted her head. "You think that's what's happening now?"
Richard sucked on his teeth. "I'd say yes... but to my knowledge the storm cleared yesterday..." He said. "We've been getting a lot of storms lately too for some reason,"
As if on cue, the shuttle swayed left, then right, making both of them grab for support, as creaking sound echoed outside.
"Woah..." Richard muttered, staring down the tunnel. The cord they were traveling through was swaying in the distance. "What was that?"
"No clue," Vanellope said, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.
"Recalibrating..." the robotic voice chimed again.
"Looks like we're not getting internet anytime soon," Richard said with a sigh. Just then, he heard a faint grumble and turned to Vanellope.
"Oops, that was my tummy," she admitted with a sheepish grin, rubbing her stomach. "Didn't eat much this morning."
Richard smiled. "Well, I'm sure you can eat something when we finally reach back into my grandpa's arcade," he said.
He glanced at her again, hesitating for a moment before speaking. "You know... I'm kinda surprised you guys even have stomachs."
"Huh?" Vanellope tilted her head. "I mean, yeah," she said, lifting her hoodie slightly. "See? Stomach. Oh, and belly button too," she added, poking her navel. "Did you know Sugar Rush had a planned beach race? That's why me and the other racers have belly buttons. I, uh, found out way later than I should've, which is weird considering I'm the main character. Turbo probably erased that bit from my memory... stupid old racer..."
Richard felt his cheeks flush as she poked her navel. "N-No, I meant, like... stomachs. You know, internal organs—lungs, hearts, intestines, all that stuff." He gestured vaguely. "You guys have that too, right?""
Vanellope giggled, letting her hoodie drop back into place. "Duh, of course we do, silly-head! We're alive, aren't we?"
"Yeah, it's just... strange," Richard admitted, looking out the shuttle's window. "When I first came here, I wasn't expecting the need to eat. I remember Ryu and Ken taking me to Tapper's, and I was so shocked I could actually drink the root beer."
Vanellope smirked. "I guess I can't blame you for thinking that. You're the first human to ever cross into our world. At least... as far as I know."
"What if it's happened before?" Richard asked, glancing at her curiously.
Vanellope shrugged. "I'm sure people would have noticed, and word would have spread. I mean... wait... the others back in the arcade know you're a human, right?" Vanellope asked.
Richard nodded. "Yeah. Well, I'm not sure all of them knows. But my three racers boy... uh... friends know," Richard still didn't know what to call them.
He felt like a connection was between him and the other three, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions about this. He was never good at relationships for some weird reason either. Anytime he would find someone school, it was as if... they just disappeared. This happened year after year. He always pulled a guy or a girl and they had fun together...
then they just vanished, and left him in confusion. He always thought it was because of him why they had left.
Vanellope tilted her head. "Three racers... oh! You mean Gloyd, Rancis, and Swizzle! Wow, I haven't thought about them in forever." She folded her arms, frowning playfully. "Rancis could be such a jerk sometimes. Gloyd too. But Swizzle? Total sweetheart."
Richard tilted his head. "Wait... huh?"
Vanellope chuckled. "They're not that bad, trust me. You know gotta get to know them,"
Richard thought about telling her how close he'd gotten to the trio—how it felt like there might be something between them—but before he could say anything, the shuttle jerked sharply again, throwing them off balance.
"What is going on?" Richard muttered, gripping the rail tightly.
Vanellope squinted her eyes, "Like, seriously?"
"Recalibration complete. Wi-Fi back online," the robotic voice announced.
Richard gasped in surprise.
Vanellope burst out laughing. "Oh-hohoho! You better hold on, real-life boy! We're about to blast off!"
Before Richard could even process her warning, the shuttle surged forward with a sudden burst of speed.
"OH SHIT!" Richard yelled, clinging to the railing for dear life.
"WHOO-HOOO!" Vanellope cheered, throwing her hands in the air like it was the best rollercoaster ride of her life.
"Okay... remind me to never... ever... ride this thing again unless they slow it down," Richard groaned, stumbling out of the shuttle with a dazed expression.
Vanellope giggled. "Oh hush you big wuss," She teased, as she hopped around the front of the shuttle, to meet Richard on the other side. "That was awesome! You gotta learn to love the thrill!"
"Yeah, no thanks," Richard muttered, brushing himself off as they started walking. "Roller coasters aren't really my thing."
Vanellope smirked mischievously. "Oooh, I smell a prank coming on. One day, I'm trapping you in RollerCoaster Tycoon—muhahaha!" She added a dramatic evil laugh for flair.
"Let's not do that," Richard snorted, rolling his eyes but unable to hide his amused grin.
Still giggling, Vanellope nudged him. "You know, me and Shank once broke into a RollerCoaster Tycoon game. Was it 2 or 3? Hmm..." She tapped her chin in thought. "Anyway, yeah, we probably shouldn't have done that. Almost got caught by a player. Pretty reckless."
Richard blinked. "Yeah... that sounded like a terrible idea."
They both stepped into the teleportation device that linked back to Game Central. Richard's mind wandered as they walked. It's Monday, isn't it? he thought, a knot forming in his stomach. He still didn't know if he'd ever make it back to his grandpa—or home. But those worries were pushed aside as the device deposited them into Game Central, where an entirely new problem awaited.
Vanellope took one step forward and froze. "Uh... why is it so dark?" she asked, her voice wary.
Richard frowned, scanning the area. "No idea?"
The entrance archway leading to the station was pitch black, the kind of darkness that swallowed everything whole. It reminded Richard of the blackout during the last power outage.
As they moved cautiously toward the opening, faint voices reached their ears.
Poking their heads out, they squinted into the gloom. Shapes moved in the shadows—people, but it was hard to make out who.
"Stay close to me," Richard whispered.
Vanellope nodded, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Okay, but dang, I can't see squat. I'm trying to spot Ham Hands' big ol' body. Is that... nah, that's Zangief," she muttered.
"Any luck finding him?" a familiar voice called out from somewhere.
"No! Not at all! Oh geez, I've looked everywhere!" another voice replied, frantic.
"He couldn't have gone into another game, could he? Oh geez, if something bad happened to him—"
"Come on, let's go around and search again! We have to find him!"
"Hey," Richard whispered to Vanellope, "I think that's—" He was cut off as someone bumped into him.
"OW!" a voice yelped.
Richard looked down, blinking in surprise as the figure turned to him.
"RICHARD!"
Before he could react, arms wrapped around him in a crushing hug. "OOF!" he gasped, the air squeezed from his lungs. A familiar scent—peanut butter and chocolate—wafted over him.
"RICHARD?! WHERE?!" another voice called out.
Seconds later, a second set of arms joined the hug.
"OH MY GOD, YOU'RE ALIVE!"
And then a third person tackled him. The group toppled to the ground in a tangled heap.
"OUCH!" they all groaned in unison.
Richard blinked, trying to process what just happened. Gloyd, Rancis, and Swizzle beamed down at him, their faces alight with relief and excitement.
"Oops, sorry about that," Gloyd giggled, helping Richard to his feet.
Richard opened his mouth to speak, but Rancis shoved his shoulder. "Dude, where the heck were you?!" he snapped.
"Seriously, didn't you hear us calling you around the station? We were worried sick!" Swizzle added.
Richard stared at them, confused. "Wait... what happened? Why's it so dark?"
"There was a power outage!" Swizzle explained.
"Again!" Gloyd chimed in. "The storm didn't clear up after all."
"And Litwak closed early," Rancis said with a sigh.
Before Richard could respond, Gloyd grabbed his face and squished his cheeks. "We thought you went into another game and... you know!"
"I didn't—" Richard started, but Gloyd cut him off by pressing his lips to Richard's.
Richard froze, his mind blanking. Before he could process it, Rancis leaned in and kissed his cheek.
Vanellope, standing nearby, stared at the scene, her expression equal parts amused and baffled. "Wow..." she finally said, her voice teasing. "Rich, you got some explaining to do."
The trio turned slowly, their faces flushing as they realized Vanellope was watching.
"Va... Van..." Swizzle stammered.
"VANELLOPE?!" Richard yelped, his face going redder.
"VANELLOPE!" Gloyd screamed, leaping onto her. "BEST FRIEND!"
Both of them tumbled to the ground as Vanellope laughed.
"What...? Vanellope?" one of the arcade characters nearby muttered.
"Vanellope!" Swizzle grinned, running to her. "How are you back? What happened?"
Vanellope chuckled, pushing Gloyd off her. "Best friend, huh? You pranked me non-stop, pumpkin head."
"Hey, that's what friends do!" Gloyd said, standing up with a grin.
Vanellope dusted herself off.
"How are you even here? I thought you were in Slaughter Race," Swizzle asked.
"I just wanted to visit!" she said with a shrug.
"Visit?!" Gloyd blinked. "It's been five years! What made you decide to come back now?"
"Well," Vanellope started. "If your lover boy never showed up, I wouldn't have decided to come~," She teased.
The boys turned to Richard in unison, their faces a mix of surprise and suspicion.
"You... went to the Internet?" Rancis asked slowly.
Richard blinked. Was he not supposed to do that? Maybe not. "Uh... yeah?"
Rancis shook his head. "Dude, you could've gotten lost!"
"And you made us worry!" Gloyd added, pouting.
Richard sighed. "I'm sorry, guys. I just... I didn't want to be stuck here for half a day."
Rancis sighed too, patting his shoulder. "Fair. That would've been boring. But seriously, don't scare us like that again."
Gloyd hugged Richard tightly. "Yeah, promise you won't do it again!"
Richard smiled, hugging back. "I promise."
Swizzle leaned against his side, grinning.
Vanellope cleared her throat. "So... you four wanna explain?" She giggled, pointing to the four of them. "Like, what happened? A cupid shot all four of you at the same time?"
Gloyd's face turned tomato-red, and he jumped back from Richard. "Uh, well... you see... um..."
Richard stammered too, his face equally flushed. "Uhhh..."
Vanellope just giggled. "Fell for a human, huh?"
Swizzle tilted his head, "You told her?" He asked.
Richard nodded. "Yeah,"
"KID?!"
The loud, booming voice startled them all.
Vanellope's eyes lit up. "RALPH!" she screamed, running forward.
"KID!" Ralph's voice was filled with joy as he scooped her up in a hug.
Gloyd chuckled, nudging Richard. "Look at that. Total brother-sister reunion."
Richard chuckled. He was happy that He was right about Ralph missing her.