Arthur waited till his parents were making dinner before going to his room.
He closed his door and sat on his bed. He then brought up the system interface with a thought.
"Simulation Suite," he said quietly, selecting the option.
His surroundings disappeared.
One moment he was sitting in his bedroom with toy trains on the floor. The next, he felt like a giant hand took him and tossed him through space. He couldn't see clearly and for a scary moment, he thought something had gone wrong.
Then his feet hit the ground.
Arthur found himself in what looked like a professional racing paddock. The smell of fuel and tires filled his nose. He could hear the distant sound of engines that came from the rows of team garages. Everything looked real around him.
"Holy shit," he said in a low voice. He quickly checked around to make sure no one heard him curse.
A transparent screen showed up in his vision, listing available races and vehicles. Most were locked, only showing question marks and "LOW FUNDS" warnings. But there was one option available: a basic mini-moto circuit with a simple kart-style bike.
Arthur chose it, complaining in his head about having to start with kid's gear. The paddock around him changed, transforming into a smaller setup. A small track stretched out before him, with gentle turns and reasonable straight parts. It looked like something designed for children to learn on.
Which was probably the point. But Arthur had just started racing on the kart-style bike when he heard a voice.
"ARTHUR!"
The voice exploded behind him like a starting gun, and Arthur turned around so fast he almost fell. A figure was appearing, becoming real as he watched. It was a man putting on fancy racing suit covered in sponsor logos.
"WELCOME TO YOUR NEW WORLD!" the man yelled, giving a grand gesture. "ARE YOU READY TO CONQUER IT?!"
Arthur looked at him for a long moment. The man seemed like a super excited sports announcer he always wanted to punch.
"You're the Apex Guide," Arthur said.
"THE ONE AND ONLY!" his voice starting to sound bad in is ear. "I'M HERE TO HELP YOU BECOME THE GREATEST RACER WHO EVER LIVED! ISN'T THAT EXCITING?!"
Great. A cheerleader. Just what I needed. Where's the mute button on this thing?
Arthur crossed his arms. "Just show me the damn bike. Less talk, more speed."
"I LOVE THAT ATTITUDE! BUT FIRST, WE NEED TO COVER THE BASICS!"
Before Arthur could say anything, the Guide started talking and moving, as he showed a proper riding posture on a bike that appeared from nowhere. His movements were flawless, Arthur had to admit, but the constant talking made him want to find a way to strangle a hologram.
"SEE HOW THE SHOULDERS STAY RELAXED? TENSION IS THE ENEMY OF SPEED! AND DO YOU SEE THE FOOT POSITION ON THE PEGS!"
Arthur watched with growing irritation as the Guide went through basic positioning, throttle control, and brake application. It was all stuff he had learned before his first real race in his previous life.
"Look," Arthur spoke up when the Guide stopped for a moment, "I already know how to..."
"KNOWING AND DOING ARE DIFFERENT THINGS!" the Guide said cheerfully, not listening to what he said at all. "YOUR MUSCLE MEMORY NEEDS TO BE REBUILT FROM THE GROUND UP! NO SHORTCUTS!"
A virtual mini-moto appeared next to Arthur, sized perfectly for his current body. It was a simple machine, nothing like the high-performance bikes he remembered.
The Guide pointed at the bike with much dramatic energy. "YOUR TURN! SHOW ME WHAT YOU THINK YOU KNOW!"
Arthur sat on the bike, his small hands tightly holding the handlebars. Even in the simulation, he could feel the machine's weight, the little vibrations of the engine. His Track Sense started working, giving him information about tire pressure, surface conditions, even how hot or cold the air was.
He turned the throttle, feeling the engine's response. The bike jumped forward and he had to fight to keep it under control.
"WHOA THERE!" the Guide called out. "EASY ON THE THROTTLE! YOU'RE NOT TRYING TO LAUNCH INTO SPACE!"
Arthur started to feel angry. In his previous life, he could have pushed a bike like this to its limit with his eyes closed. But this body was different. His arms didn't reach correctly, and his balance was off.
"THAT'S NORMAL!" the Guide said. "YOUR BRAIN KNOWS WHAT TO DO, BUT YOUR BODY NEEDS TO CATCH UP! THAT'S WHY WE START WITH THE BASICS!"
Arthur forced himself to slow down, to really pay attention as the Guide showed him the correct techniques for his current size and strength. The hologram's enthusiasm was still annoying, but his knowledge was very good. Even better than good, actually.
After an hour of intense practice, Arthur finally managed a clean lap without any major mistakes. His recorded time was very low compared to what he knew he could do, but it was progress.
"EXCELLENT!" the Guide cheered. "YOUR NATURAL TALENT IS SHOWING! BUT THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING!"
Arthur got down from the bike, his body already tired from the mental strain of processing so much new knowledge.
"How often can I come here?" he asked.
"AS MANY TIMES AS YOU WANT! TIME MOVES DIFFERENTLY IN THE SIMULATION! AN HOUR HERE IS ONLY A FEW MINUTES IN THE REAL WORLD!"
That was useful.
"TOMORROW WE'LL WORK ON CORNERING TECHNIQUE!" the Guide announced. "AND THEN BRAKING DYNAMICS! OH, AND RACE STRATEGIES! SO MUCH TO LEARN!"
Kill me now, Arthur thought as the Guide began to show what lessons were next.
The Guide was gesturing expressively as he showed training schedules and skill progression trees. Arthur stopped listening to him, already planning how to get the most out of his time in this virtual world.
He would accept the constant cheering if it helped him get faster. And once he no longer needed the simple lessons, he'd find a way to either shut the Guide up or reprogram him entirely.
After all, every system had ways to get around it. And Arthur was very good at finding them.
"ARE YOU READY FOR TOMORROW'S SESSION?" the Guide asked.
Arthur looked at the virtual track laying out in front of him, then at the bike that was the first step to getting back all he'd lost.
"I'm ready," he said.