Race 5 — "Hey and bye!"
The crowd is buzzing.
Dozens of monkeys fill the metal stands, and the air above the steel track pulses with noise, lights, and engine vibrations. Colorful banners hang over the spectators' heads, and old speakers crackle with announcements.
This is Kaiyo's first race. He's 12 years old — a young macaque, skinny, with uncertain eyes and a tight throat. He's smaller than the rest, almost lost among the bigger, confident racers. He wears a new racing suit, slightly too big, still smelling like the warehouse. His gloved fingers tremble, not only from nerves.
Kaiyo sits tense in the cockpit of his vehicle, hands gripping the steering wheel. His throat is dry, but not from nerves — from concentration. Around him stand more experienced racers, known from local tracks. No one looks at him. And no one expects him to matter.
The judge appears on the podium — a dignified orangutan in a red jacket. He slowly raises his arm, and the crowd falls silent as if cut by a knife.
— Start! — he shouts.
Engines roar, metal beasts launch with screech and flash.
Kaiyo starts strong, faster than many expected. He sticks to the track, focused, as if the asphalt were an extension of his thoughts. For the first few corners, he keeps pace… until suddenly — something's wrong.
He feels a slight slip from behind. The vehicle enters corners late, as if the tires suddenly don't want to cooperate. Grip is slipping away.
And then, from the side, a capuchin monkey darts past — short, skinny, with a wicked grin and wild laugh. At the last moment, he overtakes Kaiyo and says:
— Haha! Someone's got slippery tires!
Kaiyo tries to regain control. But it's too late — the rear slips, then the front. The machine spins and crashes hard into the barrier.
Commentator: "Oh, rookie macaque is out!" Then adds: "And… Szpic wins!"
The crowd explodes with cheers, and Szpic triumphantly throws one last contemptuous glance at the fallen Kaiyo, then says:
"There's no place here for monkeys like you."
NOW
"There's no place here for monkeys like you."
"There's no place here for monkeys like you."
"There's no place here for monkeys like you."
"There's no place here for monkeys like you."
"There's no place here for monkeys like you."
Kaiyo remembers it and hears it in his head all the time, gripping the wheel of his vehicle as he drives through the twisting training track.
Kaiyo: "There's no place here for monkeys like you…"
Those words come back to him like a shadow from the past, reminding him of that defeat and humiliation.
But now it's different. Kaiyo knows he must be better. Faster. Stronger.
Every turn, every quickened breath, every engine knock — it's all part of his fight for a place at the top.
He can't let anyone hurt him like that again.
Because now he's the one who will rule.
Kaiyo finishes the training lap, stopping his vehicle by the trackside. Sweaty but smiling, he feels he's making progress. Now he's ready to fight.
Next to him appears Tsuki — his monkey friend.
Tsuki: "So? Everything good? No repairs needed?"
Kaiyo nods, clutching his little hands tight.
Kaiyo: "Nope, all good. Gotta win this one. If I do, I'll keep my streak of three wins in a row!"
Tsuki: "Aha!"
Together they head toward the place where the next race will soon take place.
Two hours before the race.
On the empty track, still without spectators or noise, Kaiyo carefully checks his car. Next to him stands Tsuki, tuning settings.
Suddenly, a capuchin with a spark in her eye and a smile appears. She approaches slowly, so as not to scare.
???: "Hey, Kaiyo, right? You won the last race? Looks like now it's our turn. Can't wait!"
She says excitedly, smiling wide as she moves closer.
Kaiyo looks at the capuchin.
Kaiyo: "Hey, yeah, that's you… sorry, forgot your name, but I saw you on the list finally, after so many races… you're really good from what I've seen."
The capuchin shrugs and smiles wider.
Ayatsuri: "Ahh, I'm Ayatsuri." She said with a smile.
Kaiyo nods slightly with a small smile.
Kaiyo: "Mhm. Don't you have a nickname? I don't either, but some here do, like Kenji 'Zigzag.' Have you raced him? He's great! Does these zigzags…"
Ayatsuri interrupts Kaiyo, then leans close to his vehicle, chuckling quietly.
Ayatsuri: "Yeah, yeah! I raced him but lost…" Ayatsuri smiled.
Ayatsuri: "But now I prefer to focus on you. Good race! If you need anything, I'll help, haha!" He laughed and hopped away on his feet.
Tsuki looks suspiciously at Ayatsuri.
Kaiyo: "Heh… weird monkey…"
Tsuki: "Yeah…"
The race starts in a few minutes!
Kaiyo is already in the car, helmet on, ready. Tsuki checks something in the car, then walks away. Suddenly, a familiar macaque approaches Kaiyo's car — the macaque Kaiyo beat in the last tough, balanced race. Kenji "Zigzag."
Kenji: "Yo, what's up?"
Kaiyo, surprised: "Oh, didn't expect to see you here…"
Kenji: "And yet, here I am."
Kaiyo: "All good… I guess. Hey, I gotta ask. I'm racing that capuchin, Ayatsuri. He seemed nice. Are there really racers who are nice and good?"
Kenji: "You're proof of that. But he… he's not. He's a devil incarnate."
Kaiyo, shocked, close-up on his shrinking eyes.
Kaiyo: "What..? How? But…"
Kenji: "Don't you know the guy? He's literally the most popular and the most dangerous capuchin. A manipulator, pretending to be nice to get info out of you or to mess with your car so it breaks during the race. He wants you to trust him — it always works. You see, you trusted him, didn't you? He's the most manipulative monkey in Apepolis… Ayatsuri… Ayatsuri 'Jesutā.'" (Jesutā — Jester)
Kaiyo is stunned, can't believe what just happened.
Kaiyo's thoughts: "He… he touched my car, definitely tampered with something… but I don't have time to check, 6 seconds to start…"
Commentator: "RACE START IN 3… 2… 1, GO!!!!!"
The orangutan judge raises the start flag.
Kaiyo speeds off but still distracted. After a moment, he shakes it off, when suddenly Ayatsuri pulls up close beside him.
Jesutā: "Hey and bye! Good luck!"
Ayatsuri laughs almost maniacally, like a circus clown — or worse, like a horror show… then overtakes Kaiyo.
Kaiyo makes a hard turn, then drives straight, slightly behind others but not last.
Kaiyo's thoughts: "Hey and bye…? What's that about? I'm driving normally…"
Commentator: "OHH! THAT DOESN'T LOOK GOOD! CAR ON FIRE?.. IT HURTS JUST TO WATCH!"
Kaiyo: "Huh…? Car on fire?"
Kaiyo slowly turns his head. Smoke rises from his vehicle. Something hisses, something sparks.
He unbuckles his belt, wants to jump out—
BOOM!
Explosion tears through the track.
Flames, bang, parts fly through the air.
Everything vanishes in smoke.
The stands freeze.
Commentator: "RESCUE TEAM ON THE TRACK! I REPEAT — RESCUE TEAM ON THE TRACK!"
The wreck burns.
At the front of the track — Ayatsuri keeps racing. Calm.
Glancing sideways with the corners of his eyes, he whispers with a smile:
Jesutā: "Hey and bye."
The camera zooms in on his face.
A wide smile is visible.
Seconds later, black screen. Silence.