Not sure if I'm going to continue or finish this. I've written before when I was younger but never posted anything, I was far too insecure back then. I replayed this game recently and got hit by the writing bug. Figured instead of having this just sit in my doc folder I'd upload this little piece of writing for your pleasure (hopefully). I wrote this with the player moving into Hillside and attending Forester instead of Midheart and attending... Midheart. I didn't want to just rewrite the game, not my cup of tea. I wanted to write the game, of course, but change things about it. Sort of, change the route but have the destination be the same (or as close to the same as it could after taking the changes into account) if that makes sense. Anyway, this little story right now is just over 4k words, read and enjoy. But read and enjoy knowing it might not get continued or finished.
It was massive, the smooth black metal reflecting the intense red light of the lava. Running, don't stop running. Can't stop running. Jason dove out of the way of another volley of laser fire. He rolled and got back to his feet, firing back the black behemoth of a Robo as he continued to move, his Blade Gun merely peppering the giant. Each step Jason took he could feel and hear the stone ground beneath his own metal feet. He couldn't stop moving, couldn't stop sprinting, couldn't afford to slow down. If he did, the bombs or pods would send him flying, inflicting damage he couldn't afford to take. There was little smooth ground left though, the fighting had been going on for so long. The lava was beginning to spill from the river into the crevices left by their violence.
It continued to slowly, menacingly hover above the ground, bombarding Jason with laser fire, bombs, and homing pods. Like a skilled acrobat Jason jumped, ducked, and weaved around each threat, the brilliant colors of the explosions and the red tint provided by the lava was overwhelming. Jason wasn't sure how much more he could take.
The Robo was descending, now was his chance! Jason leapt, firing off everything he had as he danced around the enemy's arsenal. This was it, all or nothing… Do or die! Blade Gun thrusted forwards Jason accelerated for a melee attack.
SNAP
He was on the floor of his room. In his pajamas. It was all a dream. Was that all it was though? It felt too real. Jason turned his head, his ketchup red hair becoming staticky as it rubbed against the carpet. He looked over at the martial arts and gymnastics trophies on his shelf, the pictures of him with his parents when he won them. Looking at them every morning was tradition. He never felt pride when he looked at his trophy stand. No. He had no dreams pertaining to martial arts, or gymnastics. Those were merely steps on the stairway that led to his goal. His dream.
The IPC.
The International Police Corp. They hunted the worst of the worst. The most dangerous criminals on the plant. The most vile, most disgusting scumbags the planet was able to produce was put down by the IPC. That was what waited for him at the top of his stairway. Having all those trophies, those achievements and the skills he developed to acquire them were simply a means to an end.
Jason got to his feet and walked over to his workout equipment and got to work. It was a school day so he couldn't do anything too strenuous, but it was necessary. The IPC wouldn't accept a noodle no matter how skilled a Commander he was. That thought made Jason shake his head, that step was one he had yet to even attempt to climb.
But he needed to get started on that soon, very soon. He was seventeen, about to start his last year of high school. Minimum age for the IPC was twenty one. He needed to get a Custom Robo, to join the CRA and start developing his skills as a Commander. The reverse was true as well, it wouldn't matter how jacked he was if he was shit with a Robo. He needed to be good enough to join the local Police Force by his eighteenth birthday and build a reputation to get the attention of the IPC by the time he was twenty one.
Setting the dumbbells down Jason wiped the sweat from his head and got on with his morning routine. After a good shower and taking some time to get dressed Jason took a few seconds to look himself over in his bedroom's full sized mirror. It felt odd to Jason to not be wearing a uniform. He liked that he could attend Forester Prep in clothing of his choice, provided they didn't break dress code, but it was unfamiliar to him. He grew up on the opposite side of the planet, in his father and step-sister's home country. Back there every school had a uniform.
Black sneakers, casual well fitted blue jeans with a black belt and silver buckle, a simple white shirt under his blue blazer. It was a standard business casual outfit that Jason thought would be appropriate for school, but he wasn't sure. He couldn't be sure, he'd never been to a High School where you could choose what you wore. Would he be overdressed or, god forbid, underdressed? Jason pointlessly tried to tame his head of medium length hair. It was impossible to style, like it had a will of its own, but he always made an attempt each morning. And each morning it was for naught.
Closing his bedroom door behind him Jason was greeted by his older step-sister Tamara. She had the same ash grey colored hair as her father done into twin tails with two red bands she wore a yellow button up and purple pencil skirt, an odd combination that suited his sister perfectly.
"G'morning lil bro!" she greeted with an amount of cheer that should be illegal in the morning. "You ready for your first day at a new school?"
"Tama, you know how bad I am with people" Jason replied with a good natured shake of his head
"Well maybe if you stopped tunnel visioning on your future and learned to enjoy the moment you'd have some time to actually interact with people" she teased, giving Jason a little hip bump as she passed him in the hallway.
Jason turned and caught up with Tamara, "I do interact with people Tama" he half heartedly defended, the corners of his lips upturned ever so slightly.
"Yeah, only the people you need to when you need to, and even then you don't bother to get to know them lil bro. I swear, you have the soul of an old cantankerous business man trapped in that teenage body of yours" she shot at him as they descended the stairs to their house's main floor.
Jason couldn't help himself and chuckled, "I can think of worse fates than being an old soul Tama"
Now Tamara was the one laughing "Only you, my dear little brother would be able to spin that against me" she said, grinning.
"My, you two sure are chipper this morning" their mother commented from behind the stove, hard at work preparing the family breakfast.
"Must be the new city excitement getting to them Dear" their father chimed in, looking up from his tablet computer with a smile "good morning children" He said, getting up and standing in front of the kitchen countertop.
Melissa and Edvin Geary. His parents. Jason loved them both, even if his dad was technically his step-father. He was an intelligent, strong willed man with nerves of steel. They may not share blood, but the man loved and cared for Jason like he was his own, no different from Tamara. It was why Jason agreed to take Edvin's surname when he married Jason's mother three years ago. Edvin was for all intents and purposes Jason's father and Jason would have it no other way.
Melissa, Jason's biological mother, was the perfect mom in Jason's opinion. She was an incredibly talented woman, she had a Business Degree, and a Culinary Arts Degree. She sold her restaurant chain for a ludicrous amount of money (his mother's exact words) when they had to move because of Dad and Tamara's transfer. Now she was a full time stay at home mom, and Jason was ever so thankful for it. His mom was a goddess in the kitchen.
"G'morning Mum, Dad!" Tamara called to them happily
"Good morning Mom, Father" Jason said, bowing ever so slightly
"Son, I know we never got to celebrate your birthday properly because of the move…"
Jason shook his head "Don't worry about it Father, you risked disciplinary action to try and get them to delay the transfer. You did more than you had to, more than most would"
"Yes, well, you see... Your mother and I had big plans for your birthday and the transfer sort of threw a spanner in the works, so to speak. Because of the move, and the lack of the party we had planned as a result, we got you a little something extra."
Jason scrunched his brows, and tilted his head. "You didn't have to do that"
Edvin chuckled, a mischievous smile adorning his rugged features "You don't even know what we all got you yet"
"Yeah lil bro, you might want to be eating your words when you see what we all got you for your big one seven" she teased, a mirthful grin on her lips.
"Oh quit with the teasing you two," Melissa called, masterfully working four different pans "breakfast will be ready soon. You're on a timer"
"You heard the boss, so without further adieu" Edvin stepped aside, revealing the countertop, his arms gesturing to it dramatically. "Late though it may be, happy birthday Jason"
Jason's eyes lit up, standing on the counter was a Custom Robo. Not just a Custom Robo, but also a Commander's Garage, a new cell phone, a CRA license and band, and a portable Holosseum!
Jason was speechless. He approached the counter slowly, hesitantly, like he was worried it would all disappear. When he finally reached the counter he picked up the CRA license in his name, using his last year's school photo, in near disbelief.
"Mom, Father, Tama… This and the Robo would have been enough. But the Garage, a CRA membership, a portable Holosseum AND a new phone? This is all too much"
"Uh oh" Tamara said cheekily "who gets to tell him then?"
Jason looked over at his sister, a single brow raised "tell me? Tell me what?"
"Oh Tama, you're horrible" Melissa chided good naturedly, stepping away from the stove "breakfast is ready to be plated, by the way. It just needs to cool a bit first."
"What your sister means Jason is that there is more" Edvin said, putting a large hand on Jason's shoulder, "come on out front"
Jason's mind was reeling. Out front? What could he be getting that couldn't be insi- NO.
His Father led him outside, followed by his mom and sister and Jason could not believe his eyes. "This last gift is both a part of your birthday gift and a reward for getting your license"
It was a Supercar. No, not just a Supercar. It was a Hypercar, a top of the line Supercar. A 2081 Koenigsegg Regera. "Father, Mom, Tama. I- I can't accept that"
"Oh yes you can, and you will. Trust us adults lil bro, that car was no big expense" Tamara replied
"I don't see a car for you out here" Jason countered
Tamara winked "that's because they aren't getting me a car. Mum and Dad are getting me my own place over in Bayside Prefecture. Totally paid off, no mortgage or anything."
That left Jason speechless.
"Trust your Father and I Jason, we want you to have this, and our lives won't be changing because of it. Please accept these gifts" Melissa pleaded
Jason repressed a sigh. "Only if you promise that on my eighteenth we can do something small. Please"
Jason watched his parents look at each other then back to him "Of course dear, that's more than fair" His mom answered
Jason smiled "then I thank all of you for these wonderful gifts and I promise to take good care of them"
"Awesome! Now that we got your lame car out of the way let's get back inside so we can set up your Robo lil bro!"
"Lame? She is not lame!" Jason called after his sister, following her back inside
"She?" Tamara asked, amused "and ten seconds ago you didn't even want the car!"
Jason gritted his teeth "fair point"
Tamara shook her head in mock disapproval "you're losing your edge lil bro. But I'l cut you some slack this morning, after all you did just have a two million dollar car dropped on you"
Jason rolled his eyes and decided to let it go "So, the Robo?"
Tamara nodded excitedly, "right, this is the Ray MKIII. A Shining Fighter model, the last one made by Lambda before yours truly at NeoBrain bought the licensing rights to the Ray Series. Its a well balanced Robo, very adaptable if a little old. Dad and I took the liberty of choosing its default equipment. Can't have my lil bro going around with basic and standard stuff. No way. You got the Blade Gun on this baby, the Direct Bomb, Satellite Pod, and Short Thrust Legs. Nothing fancy or exotic. But they're all dependable parts"
Jason followed his sister's finger as she explained all the different pieces of equipment on the Ray MKIII. He paid extra attention as she went on to explain the tactical nature of Pods, "How you utilize your Pod can make or break a battle Jase. The Satellite Pod specifically I think is a great Pod. Its strong against Robos that prefer the sky, but it can still dive to strike Robos that run beneath it. You will want to spread the Pods around to limit where your opponent can safely move. Your Blade Gun has weak homing"
Jason interrupted here "homing?"
Tamara nodded "Most Robo weapons home, some home much better than others. Like I was saying, your Blade Gun has really weak homing, almost none at all. So you'll have to learn how to lead your shots which is incredibly difficult to do in the heat of battle when you're under pressure and constantly moving, or control where your opponent can move. If you see your opponent moving towards your Pod, aim your Bomb behind them so they can't turn and run back then lay into them with your Blade Gun when they're helplessly trapped. Get what I'm saying?"
Jason nodded "I can't just muscle my way through a Robo Battle, they involve a lot of thinking and planning."
Tamara smiled, Jason could see how proud she was of him in her eyes. "So while Mum and Dad prepare the plates, let's get your Eye-Scan Registration taken care of so you can hop into your Holosseum and get used to Diving. Just tap the back of your Robo then look into its eyes as they open."
Jason did as instructed, and nearly flinched when the small machine's brown eyes snapped open and locked onto his. The sensation Jason felt was unlike any other. His eyes were tingling. The tingling traveled to his brain, it was so odd. Not quite uncomfortable, but Jason doubted he'd forget the feeling any time soon. The tingling traveled back down from his brain and rapidly made its way all over his body like a wave then shot straight back up to his eyes before finally dissipating.
Jason shook his head and heard his sister giggle. "Felt strange, right?"
"Yes, that was… well, strange, yeah" Jason said with a nod.
"Now, we can get to the fun part, Diving!" Tamara said excitedly, swiping the purple portable Holosseum from the countertop.
Jason grabbed the now recubed Robo and followed his sister.
As it was it the Portable Holosseum looked like a purple rectangle, the size of your average playing card but as thick as a full deck.
"You see the black square there?" Tamara asked, holding it up as she led him to the living room
Jason nodded
"Just press down on that, place it on the ground, and wait ten seconds"
Just as Tamara said, ten seconds later metal plates shot from the small rectangle, growing and molding together, glass appearing seemingly from nowhere and stretching across. It was surreal to see.
"Tada! A Custom Robo Holosseum. Now, on two opposite ends you'll see a station for your Garage and a receptacle for your Robo. When you've finished any last second part swaps just put your Robo Cube in the receptacle to feed it to the Cannon right there inside the Holosseum then talk some smack to your opponent and then Dive"
Jason listened closely, nodding along. "Right, so… How do I dive"
"It is a lot simpler than it sounds. Diving is when you merge your consciousness with your Robo's. You essentially see through your Robo's eyes when you're inside the Holosseum. Practically speaking, when you're diving you aren't you anymore in a sense, you become the Robo. you lift the Robo's arm as you would your own because it essentially is your own when Diving, you press the trigger on the Gun with the Robo's fingers just like you would with your own. Firing your Pod is almost like blinking, or flexing a muscle. Do you understand? To Dive, simply focus on your Robo. Before you performed the Eye-Scan nothing would've come from your focus. But now that you're synched to your Robo it will respond to your focus and allow you to Dive"
Jason nodded, and put the Robo Cube into the receptacle and focused.
"Oh, Jason!" Tamara nearly shouted
Jason looked at her, brow raised
"I should probably mention, Robos have thrusters in their legs they can use to dash through the air. Shining Fighters have two dashes, meaning they can use their leg thrusters twice before needing to cool down. Best way to use them is to angle your legs and think 'that way!' your thrusters should respond to your thoughts. At least, that's what works for me"
"Got it, thanks Tama'' Jason took a deep breath and focused again. He imagined the face of the Ray MKIII he saw just minutes ago, and the strangest thing happened. Purplish pink energy enveloped him for a moment before everything went black.
Next thing Jason knew he was on his back staring up at… it looked like his living room, only fuzzy. Fuzzy and so much bigger. He thought he could maybe make out the outline of Tamara, but it too was fuzzy, and she seemed to be moving so slowly. Jason got to his feet and looked around. The floor was a glistening dark silver colored metal. In the center was a near perfect square area of sand, there were short diagonal walls going across the corners of the large sand square, and two metal crates in the sand. Speaking of crates, there were wood crates scattered along the metal exterior floor. Ah, this was his Holosseum.
Jason raised his arm and looked at it, his hand connected to a large Gun. Secured to his wrist and wrapping around his hand was a large bladed Gun. Oh, it was the Blade Gun Tamara mentioned. The blade was an impressive length, maybe short sword length? Jason wasn't exactly familiar with swords but it was too long to be a knife or dagger.
Pulling the trigger Jason was amazed that there was basically no recoil and that another blade was immediately ready to fire right as the first one launched and stabbed itself into the metal wall.
"Wow" Jason breathed out.
He pressed the trigger again, and again, and kept on firing it as fast as he could and he was amazed to see the swords just kept flying out non stop.
Trying out the Bomb next Jason pointed it towards the far wall and fired, there was a bit of kick back but Jason steadied himself. The bomb flew like a rocket, exploding in a beautiful mix of red and white flame against the far wall. Sadly the Bomb wasn't immediately ready like his Blade Gun. But a few seconds later his Bomb was rearmed.
Next, his Pod. Tamara likened using the pod to consciously blinking, or flexing a muscle. Jason wasn't sure if flexing was possible, now that he was practically a machine, but he tried anyway while thinking of his Satellite Pod. And sure enough he heard a sharp exhale of air. Jason looked up, and saw a pentagonal metal blimp with a large red top. It had three thin metal wings and sharp, drill-like protrusion pointing to the ground. Jason repeated the action a couple more times and now had three Pods floating above hime. Sadly any more attempts were fruitless.
"Limit of three I suppose," Jason said to himself.
Jason decided it was time to get his feet wet and took off running. To his amazement it was no different from running in his human body, the Ray MKIII responded to him perfectly. Jason upped the ante and started going through his gymnastic routines, flipping, twisting, running handsprings into backflips, he pulled out all the stops and performed every fancy trick he could think of and he pulled them all off flawlessly. No BETTER than flawless. This mechanical body was so much stronger than his own. With more time and practice Jason knew he could learn to do things that no human could possibly pull off.
That just left trying out the leg thrusters. "Angle your legs and think 'that way'" Jason repeated to himself, looking above him. Jason stood still, his eyes not moving from where he was looking above him. He shuffled his legs, shaking his feet. "Look where you want to go, not where you're going" he whispered.
Jason started running and jumped, he looked over to his right and responded instinctively his feet were in place and he heard the ignition and roar of the thrusters before he felt the propulsion in both legs fire him to the right. It was short, but incredibly powerful. Back! Just like last time his legs shot out and the thrusters fired rocketing Jason into a back flip and he landed gracefully on the ground.
Jason thought for a moment. He highly suspected his short, but incredibly powerful thrusters were a result of his short thrust legs. He wondered if he had to use both legs at the same time. Could he use each leg twice, or did he have to use both legs each time for a total of two thrusts?
Jason readied himself and jumped again, angling only his right leg this time Jason tried thrusting to the left. To Jason's absolute euphoria it worked! Only, he traveled half the length and his distance was all ready quite short. But it was enough. Or, he hoped it would be when he started battling others. Everything he was trying right now was theoretical.
Back on the ground Jason jumped again, using one leg to shoot himself diagonally to the northwest, other leg north east, northwest, northeast. Jason was laughing as he descended. He felt like a god zipping around as he was!
Jason wanted to keep going, to try to incorporate his acrobatics with the thrusting but he had school today and Jason was afraid he might have already spent too much time in here.
Jason wasn't sure how to leave his Robo, but he was sure the sophisticated tech inside the Ray MKIII had to be able to tell when he wanted out, right. Then it all went black again.
Colors, so many colors! Jason stumbled and almost fell backwards when his father caught him.
"Wow there son, steady now" Edvin said with a chuckle.
"That… that was amazing!" Jason said in awe "I've been missing out"
"Yeah, Custom Robo has been a world wide obsession ever since they first came about. There is nothing else quite like it" Tamara said, smiling at her little brother.
"I have to ask Jason, How was diving?" Edvin asked
"It was like I was still me, but metal, stronger, faster, I could almost fly! It was awesome in the most literal sense of the word" Jason answered
Edvin's lip quirked up "Yes, I started watching you when you started going through your gymnastics. Tell me, did you experience any lag while you were diving? Delayed reactions?"
Jason frowned, "No, none at all. It was like I was still me"
"Fascinating, perfect mental synch. Very rare"
"Huh?" Jason asked "is this Robo Dev lingo?"
"What Dad is talking about is Mental Synchronization. There are levels that all Commanders fall into, the majority of commanders, myself among them, have between a half second, to a second and a half delay. Then you have the two opposite fringes with about a quarter second delay or a second and three quarter delay. After that you get to the furthest fringes with the least amount of people. The ones with perfect synch, like you, and people with a two second delay. People with a two second delay can technically Command, but I don't know anyone so out of synch that they competitively battle" Tamara explained
"I see, guess I'm lucky then" Jason mused
"Right, well breakfast is on the table kids, pack up the Holosseum and let's dig in. You have your first day at your new school Jason, and you and me Tama have our first day in our new lab"
A new school. A new city… A new Robo. Things were shaping up. Jason was excited to see what Midheart City had in store for him.
I hope you liked it. trying to put Diving into words was tough, but I think I did a passable job. Again, no guarantee that this will be continued or finished. I hope you readers are having great days and are staying safe. Until next time.