Chapter 1: The World of Psychics

The sound of a phone ringing. Rough carpet prickled bare feet. A clicking sound follows, answered by the voice of a young boy.

"…Hello?"

"Ah, you're home. Good."

"Dad? Is that you?"

A weak, hesitating smile on both sides, then silence.

"I can't talk long, son. Can you come outside? Right now?"

"Oh—! Yeah, OK!"

The phone is gently placed back to its original position. Footsteps trampled quickly from the rough carpet to the chilling echo of the next room's wooden floor. The rustling of sandals whiff, and a bare hand twists the doorknob. A low groan creaks as the door opens.

"Dad!"

Footsteps trample even quicker than before, rushing up to the front gate. The boy meets his father face-to-face, a reunion all too suspicious that gave him a realization.

"What's wrong, Dad? Why aren't you at work?"

"It's your birthday, isn't it? I brought you a present. Here, hold out your hand."

Bare skin hesitates at the feeling of graspable, hardened wool. A small smile, and then a growing grin.

"Wow! It's the hat you promised me!"

"It's a very special hat, son. No one makes a cap like this anymore. There's nothing else like it in the world… and I want you to have it."

"You're serious? You're really giving it to me? Thanks, Dad! This is so cool!"

"Like I said, it's very special and I need you to take care of it."

"No problem, Dad! I promise to take good care of it!"

"Good. Now promise me one more thing… keep it with you, always. Even when you're all grown up, I want you to keep it safe, OK?"

"Uh-huh! You got it, Dad! I'm gonna wear it all the time! I'm never, ever gonna take it off!"

"Good. And… think of me when you wear this hat."

"Uh-huh! I will!"

A light pitched ring sounds between them.

"Look at the time... Dad's got to go. You be a good boy now. Make sure to take good care of your sister too, OK?""

Footsteps echo softly even as the wet ground threatens to muffle them.

"Huh? You're leaving? But you just got here…"

"I'm sorry, son, but I have to. There's some work only your old man can do. I have to go. Good-bye, son… …and remember, think of me when you wear that cap. Take care of it. Don't forget, all right?"

"I won't! But… Dad, where are you going?"

"…Far away. I have to go to a place that is very far away."

The roaring of a car engine, louder than before. Tires rapidly dig into gravel, and roll away gradually.

"Dad…?"

~W~W~W~

The year is 23XX.

Humans eventually discovered the supernatural potential of the powerful mind. Those who could wield such mind powers—known as psychics—possessed mental capabilities that pushed humanity's evolution beyond expectations. As a result, psychics contributed to a major part of advancement in science and technology. Psychic powers became so commonplace that technology revolved around their work, and such abilities became more of a plaything rather than something to admire and worship.

No one disliked psychics—it was hard not to. Being able to use psychic abilities on common ground provided a sense of amusement to everyday life, and just seeing powers used by others was satisfying to watch. Combined with everyday life of endless and nourishing food and self-revitalizing nature, it was safe to say that humanity reached its pinnacle as a civilization.

Despite that, the dream for eternal peace seemed rather… uncertain. It was without a doubt that those who had power would learn to use their abilities for evil, falling to the sinister desires to gain more power. Because of this, crime was still an apparent element that intimidated the world of psychics. But with favorable access to psychic powers, it was up to those who remained adamant with justice to maintain order and keep the world free from danger...

…

…

…

"WAKE UP, BIG BROTHER!"

"Gaaah!"

Ness wakes up with a cold sweat racing down his spine. Next to him, a blonde girl stares at him with her dark marine eyes in the form of playful anger.

"Honestly, Ness!" His little sister, Tracy, crosses her arms and taps her feet like she was an age-old caretaker rather than the youth she is. "Don't you know what today is?!"

"…My birthday?" Ness answered, still half-asleep.

"Yes, and also the first day of school! Just because it's your birthday doesn't mean you get to sleep in and skip! And don't you even forget about your psychic assessment too!"

"Oh, right…" The young man yawned afterwards, casually flopping half of his body onto the bedside. He rubbed his eyes with the little bit of energy that was piling as he woke up.

Tracy sighed. "What would you do without me?"

"Probably be a jobless good-for-nothing that lies in bed and play games all day and night," Ness joked, weakly chuckling after. He patted his sister's head, who appreciated the gesture, but shrugged it off.

"Come on. Get dressed, grab a pill, and let's get going. I'll wait for you outside."

"Got it."

Once Tracy left the room, Ness walked to his closet and grabbed the next clean set of clothes. As he changed, he investigated his mirror and stared at himself. His eyes seemed a little more shaded with violet than yesterday.

After changing, he finally donned his favorite red and blue-billed cap hanging right beside the mirror. He finished the morning with a brave smile.

Right before he walked out the door, he pressed three buttons on a wall panel. The apparatus beside it reacted and spit out a yellow pill. Ness threw the pill into his mouth and boldly swallowed it, hoping its effects would last just before he craved the lunch of the day.

Tracy had been waiting outside as expected. Together, they left their apartment and headed towards the main entrance and exit of the complex. Just as they turned the corner, they met the apartment owner and hardworking maid.

"Oh, good morning!" Jackie, landlord of the Yado Apartments, greeted the two youngsters walking towards them.

"Good morning." Tessie, the sole maid of the complex, stopped sweeping and curtseyed to the guests.

"Good morning!" The siblings greeted them back.

Jackie eyed the two of them up and down, grinning. "Well, look at you two! All gussied up and ready to go for your first day of school?"

"That's right," Ness answered.

"And, Ness has his psychic assessment after!" Tracy added in.

"Oh, that's right…" Jackie mumbled. "That's that thing where they evaluate you based on your abilities, and tell you what career is best for you, right?"

"Basically," Ness confirmed. "It's my first step to getting a job."

"Oh, a job…!" Jackie gasped happily. "That's wonderful! You know, we've been worried about you both… and it's not just because of the rent, you know!"

"You've been worrying about us?"

Tessie nodded to them. "But of course. Not a single word from your father for years… and then a letter comes out of the blue, telling us he's passed away? It must have been terrible for you both…"

"It was, but we've managed," Ness told.

"Yeah, living off their savings for years… and a little bit from my part-time job," Tracy added, almost sarcastically.

"Well, now it's your big brother's turn to get a job!" Jackie exclaimed. He looked sternly at the older sibling. "You better not come back without one! And it better be good pay, too, for both of your sakes!"

"I'll do my best," Ness promised. "I promised my Dad I'd take care of both of us, so I can't let him down."

"That's the spirit! Now go on, both of you. You don't want to be late!"

"Thanks! I'll do my best!"

Tracy waved her hand back as the two adults saw them off. "Bye-bye!"

~W~W~W~

Earthbound Academy, a school for children of all ages. While children were educated on basic things such as English, Math, and Social Studies, one's advancement was determined by their innate psychic ability, their natural intelligence, or both. Once you became an adult, you were either a good-for-nothing, stuck with the career you were given at sixteen, or took graduate studies in the vast concept of PSIence (pi-ɛs 'aɪəns) that shaped the world that was today.

Ness and Tracy followed the straightforward path to the academy. The entire campus was viewable from just their apartment window, as it was one of the most special buildings in the world.

An audible sigh was heard from Tracy, and Ness looked down in concern. "Something wrong?"

Tracy glanced at her brother, and then pointed her head in the direction across the street. Four young boys were grouped together, but two of them were engaged in a fight. Ness found the sight a little surprising, seeing as the two boys were carrying expensive devices in their possession.

"I'm just a little jealous," Tracy stated.

"That those kids have a PHD?" Ness finished. His sister nodded. "Their parents must be hard workers... or scientists." He guessed logically.

"Don't you mean PSIentists?"

"Well… the word works for both. Science revolves around psychic powers these days."

"Okay… but yeah, I just wish I had my own PHD."

Ness questioningly looked at his sister. "What would you do with one?"

"Have PSI-Fights, of course! And then I could get stronger, and then I could get a really good job, like… working in the police force! The police force pays really good! They work right under the government!"

Ness chuckled weakly. They stopped right at the school gate and he kneeled to pat his sister's head. "I appreciate you taking care of me ever since Mom and Dad passed away. But… leave the money troubles to me from now on."

"But you don't have a PHD either… what do you plan to do?"

"I'll figure something out. Just trust in me. Don't forget how strong I am! I'm sure I'll land a really good job with my skills."

Tracy grinned and nodded. "Okay. I believe in you, big brother."

"Good. Now, you go to your class. I'll see you around dinner time, OK?"

"OK!"

Ness watched his little sister run off with the other kids, rushing to their class building. He looked at the clocktower standing tall in the center of the school grounds. It was almost 9 o'clock. He nodded to confirm his agenda for the day, and then moved forward.

~W~W~W~

The last class of the day was the subject of PSIence. It was a required focus, as anyone can develop psychic abilities at any age, but performing them required certain measures. It was necessary to teach young children the safety of psychic powers, and to help develop them as it stays with the rest of their lives.

The class's instructor was a young lady, who kindly greeted her class with decent expectations. She announced that the day's class was only going to be a review of PSIence… based on the supplemental summer review homework.

Among the forty or so students in the room, Ness seemed to be the only one who had forgotten to do his homework. Not that it mattered much as he was aware of some PSIence concepts beforehand, as basic ideas were known even to kindergarteners. Regardless, he kept a straight face in his seat. He just hoped he wouldn't have to answer a question he didn't know the answer to.

"Let's start at the very beginning," the instructor began. She clicked a button on a remote, and a projector displayed a high-quality slideshow to guide the class along.

"Psychic powers are supernatural abilities that derive from the human mind. With the right mind, anyone can conjure fire, water or ice, and even lightning! Some are also able to read another one's thoughts, or have a conversation entirely through the mind. Indeed, psychic powers are a wonder in this world. That's why everyone is encouraged to never underestimate the psychic potential of yourself—each and every one of you. However, while psychic powers do exist, they aren't just available to everyone at any time. You will always need the help of a certain device. "

The next slide displayed an image of said hinted device.

"Can anyone tell me what this is?"

The instructor held up a circular object in her hand, looking exactly the same as what was portrayed on the screen. It was immediately recognizable as wristband. Some were about to respond with such an answer, but another had responded first and differently.

"That's a PHD!"

"Correct. Now, can anyone tell me what a PHD is? What does it stand for, and what does it do?"

A young girl raised her hand first, and was called upon. "PHD stands for Psion Helper Device. It's a gadget for psychics to do PSI-Fights with."

"Yes, that's what PHD stands for… but I'm looking for an answer that's a bit more broad. We'll get to PSI-Fights soon—but, how does a PHD help a psychic?"

A different girl raised her hand. "A PHD reacts to the psions emitted from our minds. When there's a certain ability we want to invoke, the PHD reacts by reading our psions and processes them."

"Correct! Everyone has psions, but alone, they're just psions. That is why the PHD was invented: to process our psions into something more tangible and usable for us. A PHD is a psychic's best friend in today's world. They are a little expensive on the market these days… but they are required to unleash your psychic powers. Which brings me to my next point…"

On the next screen, a male and female teenager were staring at each other with a PHD in their possession. In retrospect, it seemed like the two were only having an expressionless staring contest.

The instructor continued. "Can anyone tell me what is happening here?"

A male student answered. "Those two are having a PSI-Fight."

"Good! Now, how is that possible?" she asked the same student.

"It's because of their PHDs. The PHDs create an imaginary fighting arena called an Animorbis made from two people's minds, where each person's psions fight with each other… right?"

"Right! In today's world, a PHD is required to engage in a PSI-Fight, because the only way you can 'battle' with someone else's mind is through a PHD's help. When two minds conflict with each other, it creates psions agitated with emotions. Both PHDs react to their agitated psions, and puts each person's mind into an Animorbis to the arena where they compete with each other—almost like you're spirited away. Your physical body may be unconscious, but your mind is fighting another in the Animorbis."

The next screen displayed something extraordinarily relatable to a PHD holder. It was a first-person view of a familiar Animorbis environment: a fighting arena with various walls and obstacles with a background modeled after a nearby park within the city. The center of the view was the female example from the previous slide—looking fuzzy and rather spiritual-like.

"Who can tell me what happens in a PSI-Fight?"

Another student raised their hand. "Both people fight each other using psychic attacks like psychokinesis."

"Yes! Now, how is that possible when in the Animorbis?"

The same student answered back. "While you're in the Animorbis, your psions react with your PHD. You think of what kind of psychokinesis you want to use, and the PHD helps create your attack using your psions."

"Right! Now, psychokinesis isn't the only way to win a fight. Your psions can simply just clash with your opponent with no specific attack… in the Animorbis, this feels like you're just punching and kicking the other person, which can work if your attacks hit. By landing successful hits, you deplete your opponent's psions. Once the PHD senses that someone has nearly no amount of psions left, it reacts and ends the fight on your behalf."

A student raised their hand, wanting to ask a question. "If PSI-Fights are common these days… why aren't PHDs as common and cheaper?"

"Good question. Unfortunately, PHDs are not cheap to make. They need to be stable and process the average person's psions with enough speed and accuracy. To achieve this requires a lot of time and money to manufacture and reproduce. Not to mention… PHDs can be quite fashionable in colors and styles when they're a wristband or bracelet, and sometimes a watch! Fashion is just another factor when it comes to making sure a PHD works just fine."

Another student raised his hand. "What do you do if someone has a PHD, but you don't?"

"Unfortunately, you can't do anything. You need a PHD to solve conflicts these days. Without one, you're just a regular person. Of course… if there's a fight that needs to be solved but you can't do anything, you can always call for help, such as school staff, or the police squad."

The teacher perked up, and lifted a finger to keep a sudden thought clear. "One thing to keep in mind… just because someone has a PHD, doesn't mean they're an experienced psychic. A PHD is only something that assists in creating psychokinetic energy. How powerful that energy is, or how fast you can create it, is entirely up to how much psions a person innately possesses. Generally, the more psions someone has, the more powerful they are. But the tables can turn if you are skilled enough when it comes to a PSI-Fight."

She ends the slideshow, and then picks up a metallic bracelet to put onto her wrist. "Unfortunately, we can't give out anything like test PHDs. But, I'm willing to bet a few of you have a PHD of your own. I've always believed first-hand experience is the best teacher. That said, would anyone care for a friendly sparring match?" She bended her arm and pumped a fist upwards. "If you manage to beat me, then you'll earn some extra credit points for the entire class!"

Nearly half the class stood up with PHDs pulled out or equipped onto them, eager to fight the professor. Others were excited enough to watch a friendly PSI-Fight occur before their eyes during school hours—with a teacher, no less. Psychic battles were indeed the highlight of everyday life.

Everyone's attention was on the professor and the first brave student. Right before the Animorbis formed, Ness meekly slipped out of the room, sighing.

"No point in watching one, honestly." He looked left and right through the empty hallways. "Maybe I'll have an early lunch."

~W~W~W~

There weren't as many people as he expected to be in the cafeteria, seeing as he left his class early than he was supposed to. It wasn't a recent habit to skip classes, but he just didn't want to watch something if he couldn't partake in it. PSI-Fights were like video games—nothing is more boring than watching someone else play unless you could be a part of it too. And without a PHD, he couldn't do anything.

As he punched the wall panel to order his food, Ness thought about the job he might land. He was confident of his own abilities. In fact, after comparing just how stronger his psions were compared to his sister, he had to be confident. Though he never put them to practical use in a PSI-Fight before, he knew he had a substantial amount of psions enough to hold his ground in a battle. Ever since he learned of this fact, he often thought about how powerful his psychokinetic attacks could be. He would even imagine his corporal body in Animorbis, punching and shooting simple psion waves at his weaker opponent, overpowering him with pure mental strength.

Most curious to him, however, was what power he had latent within that made his eyes change color from blue to purple. He had not known anyone else that had eyes as rare as his own. Biological changes such as these were usually a side effect of strong latent psions stored up without a medium to unleash them often, such as everyday PSI-Battles. It was never a problem in psychic history, in fact, it could be a sign of overwhelming strength or an hidden ability unique to him… or it could just be nothing. He'll only find out for sure at his psychic assessment, which was more than an hour away.

With time to kill, perhaps he could take his time savoring his food. It was, after all, food produced by the government, and it was always top quality in both appearance and taste. At the end of the lunch line, he grabbed his tray of food spit out by a mechanical peripheral: a tender and fine cut of medium-rare steak.

As he sat down, he noticed a face looking towards his direction. An inquisitive blond, probably around the same age as him, had immediately shifted his head down when their eyes met. It was an often misconception that when someone was looking at you, they were usually looking past you or beside you, staring at something else. But this particular boy made it seem otherwise so obviously that Ness became curious… but not enough to bother asking him personally. It was of little matter to him right now: a fresh hot meal was right in front of him.

~W~W~W~

After the school day was completed, Ness set off to his next destination: the PSIence Research Laboratory. At the reception desk, he was guided to his scheduled appointment. A government-appointed scientist greeted him and brought him to an assessment room.

The psychic assessment was a simple test that required little effort from the examinee. All Ness had to do was lay on a bed with sensors attached to his head, shoulder, and chest. The sensors, designed to detect psions, are able to tell the strength of the examinee's latent psions in both a resting and agitated state. Achieving reads on agitated psions was possible by sending harmless electric signals through the sensors, which stimulate the owner's brain and their psions. In addition to this, the examiner also uses a PHD to send analytical psions connected to the sensors, which can provide insight to the examinee's aptitude when it came to a PSI-Fight.

The assessment lasted only a half-hour at best, and it was both exciting and bizarrely relaxing. Ness felt like he just woke up from a short nap and was enthusiastic to hear the results. The scientist made did a quick overview of the final report before printing the summary. Face-to-face in chair, Ness leaned in to make sure he didn't miss a word.

"As you know, the career scale is ranged from 0 to 1000," the scientist reminded.

"And my score is—?!"

"…100."

"100? One hundred? You sure you're not missing a 0?"

"One hundred. I'm positive."

Ness's mouth dropped. "How?!"

The scientist sighed, looking through the report to reconfirm the data. "Well, you do have strong psions…"

"Well, that's gotta be a good start!" Ness cheered lowly.

"…but unfortunately, it seems they can't create any offensive psychokinesis."

"…Huh?"

"It is as I said. Your psions aren't compatible to create common psychokinesis attacks. According to the report… while your psion signals are strong individually, if they try to process and merge through a PHD, they would end up collapsing as the concentration won't be able to hold long enough in a tangible psychokinetic form. A bolt of fire would extinguish upon release, a jolt of electricity would fade before it could reach your opponent… and etcetera."

"But… there must be something I can do in a PSI-Fight, right?"

"Unfortunately, it seems your best option is close-combat, and we both know how bad of an idea that usually is if your opponent is able to use psychokinesis. Curiously enough, you do have one kind of offensive PK… but it seems to be a unique form that our machines aren't able to read. You'll have to get a PHD to personally figure it out. But because of that, your offensive PSI ranking is still very low. If you only have one form of attack, you don't get variety, and in a PSI-Fight, it can be easy to predict."

"…Great."

"You do have something else that is unique, however. It seems that you can conjure healing PSI… but unfortunately, that's not very helpful either."

"But healing PSI is rare! Isn't being able to heal a good thing?"

"All healing PSI take a substantial amount of time to complete. Psions processed to destroy is easy… processed to heal, on the other hand, takes time because they must identify the damage that is dealt first before reversing their effects. In a real PSI-Fight, surely you can't expect your opponent to give you time to recover, do you?"

"I guess not…"

The scientist closed the report. "If you were able to use healing PSI in reality, I'm sure you would have a higher career score. But since PSI is locked to use in an Animorbis, it doesn't help you a lot. Not to mention that the only harm to worry about nowadays is mental strain post-PSI-Fight. We have a hospital, but today's technology can do a better job faster than healing PSI."

"So, I'm at the bottom of the barrel, huh…" Ness sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up too much about it. There's still job options for you at a score of 100."

"Really?! What are they?! I'll do it!"

"Well…"

~W~W~W~

"A. Freaking. MERCENARY?!"

Ness stamps along the ground as he trots down the hallway. Upset at the report in his hand, he forgot he was in a public area, and calmed the scowl on his face.

A mercenary could be defined as something akin to a vigilante. While their goal is to help maintain peace, they are usually given jobs that the police force don't want to bother dealing with. The range of jobs typically deal with trivial conflicts or situations that a single policeman could handle. They were authorized to use PHDs to help solve conflicts as needed, since their only method of pay came directly from the client. Even then, the pay isn't usually good, and that's if they can finish the job before the police squad or other competing mercenaries do. Because of the competitive nature and low pay, mercenaries were seen as bottom-feeders eating the scraps of other jobs.

"This sucks!" Ness yelled loudly in his head. "I've been waiting my whole life to see what I can do, and my best bet is one of the worst jobs in the world?!"

Ness looked down at the folder of his report. "Not to mention… if that scientist was right about not being able to use psychokinesis, then I can't even fight! What mercenary group would hire someone who can't fight? I'm basically a good-for-nothing! Some birthday this is…"

When he looked up, he saw a nearby examination room open automatically. Accompanied by a kind-looking female scientist and a dorky-freckled male scientist, he slowly remembered the face of the timid blond he saw at the school cafeteria. He was looking down at the floor, paused, lifted his head, and looked around. Ness was too focused on what was so odd about the boy that he didn't notice the blond perked when their eyes met again, and then quickly retreated away with the scientists shortly after. Watching them walk away, Ness shook his head and got rid of the trivial thought quickly.

He looked down at his report again. "I can't go back home jobless. I have to try applying to places at least. But one look at this report and they'll shut me down quickly… but I still have to try. For Tracy's sake… and for Dad."