Author Notes: Here's another one-shot. This story was spawned by me wanting to try out writing stories under 500 words, let's see how I do it here.
Disclaimer: I do not own Sword Art Online, I just own a pack of instant noodles.
Edit: Credits to Interfector for pointing out some errors and helping bring down the total word count.
The boy was a ten-year-old in a thirteen-year-old body.
It all started with a baseball being smacked into the air by another ten-year-old. It was a good hit. The ball flew high, without flutter, and curved a steep arc before falling back towards the ground at third base.
The boy, with his Nippon cap and brown glove at the ready, went for the catch. The ball thundered down at a frightful velocity, no wind disrupting its trajectory. The boy reached out with both hands, and he could almost feel the roundness of the ball in the glove's pocket. He imagined the adoration and cheers of his teammates. Success was several metres away. But in the moment, he forgot the most important thing in baseball: keep your eye on the ball. The ball slipped below his hands, and barreled into his throat. A moment of intense pain, and then total blackness.
The boy's parents were called to the hospital. The doctor explained the situation; a crushed windpipe. He couldn't breathe, so the doctor had to insert a tube into his airway, and it would stay there, for the rest of his life. The parents gasped, but thanked that it wasn't worse. It was just a small tube, no longer than an eraser, easily able to hide behind a shirt's collar.
However the doctor wasn't finished. A brain could only survive without oxygen for five minutes before the cells starts dying. The paramedics took thirteen.
He could no longer remember what you told him an hour ago, but still knew everything before the incident. And so, the hospital became his home. His parents visited almost daily, the mother having changed jobs so that her office was closer to the hospital. It was tiring, sure, but they loved him too much and wanted to see that smile of his every day.
You see, despite losing the capacity for new memory, he kept his love for daydreaming. How great would it be to live life as an athlete, or singer, or hero? And he had the free time to do just that.
One day in particular, he thought of knights and castles. He was watching a cartoon with his mother who came over during her lunch break. The mother stepped on the remote by accident and the channel switched. A commercial of an upcoming game was playing. The glitter of metal, showering of arrows, and clanging of swords caught his attention.
Sword Art Online. The commercial ended after those words, and the boy begged his mom for it.
Later that day, the parents met with the doctor. A discussion ensued and a conclusion was reached. The doctor gave the A-ok, and even offered to dive in with the boy as well. Thus two NerveGears were bought, and two copies of SAO were pre-ordered.
And on the 6th of November 2022, the boy went in the game, and stayed in the game. Forever.
Author Notes: Final word count: 488
So I met the word count limit of 500 words, but how did I do plot wise? Write your thoughts in a review.
I know the description of setting, scenery, internal monologues are lacking, but that's because writing under 500 words forces you to focus solely on plot. I wanted to try that.
Anyway, that's the end of this 500 word story, see ya.