"Why? I'm younger?" Bethesda thinks has he look himself in a mirror, he in fact looked like a nerd with his glasses, the opposite of an athlete, he then dress himself just by a school uniform and head down the stairs, this is quite a big house and he goes to the kitchen and see a familiar robot with two legs and two arms and smaller than a man "This is RL-3, he haven't changed since we built it."

"HELLO BETHESDA." RL-3 says while weaving at him

"Hi RL-3." Small Bethesda responds "Uh? that's weird I can't control anything I see or I do. That's weird since I'm lucid dreamer." Bethesda thinks at the same time, he then take a seat and RL-3 serve him breakfast

"EGG AND BEACON, AS USUAL." RL-3 says "DON'T FORGET TO GO TO SCHOOL."

Bethesda don't wait and start eating it "By the way Father is not here?"

"HE WENT TO THE FACILITY AS USUAL."

[Later that day.]

Bethesda enter the house with is glasses broken, his father looking at the TV looks at his son see this and goes to him "What happened?"

"Some bully beaten me."

"Defend yourself."

"But everyone is stronger than me..."

"Tell it to your teachers."

"He don't do anything! Every time I tell him he doesn't care! No one do anything!" Bethesda starts sobbing

The father sighs "I'm gonna take care of this. I will go see him tomorrow." He then thinks for second "I have someone to show you."

"Oh, who this is?"

"Your sister."

"Uh?"

The father than get up and get in another room, he then bring a young girl with a long brown hair and olive eyes, wearing a sundress to Bethesda

"This is Id. I found her when getting back form work, this poor girl was homeless and starving. Please be nice to her."

"Uh... sure. I'm going to my room" Bethesda says with a point of disinterestedness he then leave them and goes upstairs while the two are left disappointed


LEANBOX

THE MORNING OF THE NEXT DAY


Bethesda and Id walks in the street, both wearing uniforms and heading to the middle school

"I heard that you got bullied." Id says

"Why are you worrying about that?" Bethesda asks

"We don't know since a lot of time but we are now kinda like siblings."

"You're not my sister."

They both continue walking in silence for a moment

"But why exactly?" Id asks

"For some dumb reasons, the first one that i'm more intelligent that everyone. But I can defend myself"

"Don't lie, if you could you wouldn't be bullied in first place. I was next to the living room and I could hear what you say to Father."

"You got to it quickly." He remarks in a slightly annoyed way

[Later.]

They both arrive to the school, its busy as always, they enter inside and some people seem to laugh "Hey, its the small nerd." someone giggle seeing Bethesda while Bethesda and Id stay silent *

"Let him be with his imaginary continent!" Another one say

"That sucks." Id thinks "What continent they are talking about?"

"The PC continent, where I come form."

"Uh."

The two kids then enter the classroom and they sit down in silence, the main teacher go see Id "You are new there? Never seen you." He asks,Id nods and the teacher speaks "Come with me then, what's your name?"

"Id."

They go in front of the board "Hello pupils, there is a new student I have to introduce you."

"Hello… My name is Id." Id says "I'm also the adoptive sister of Bethesda." Id says and everyone in the rooms turns toward Bethesda while he stay here, partially confused. Id than go take a seat near Bethesda

"That's gonna be funny if she is stronger than you Betty." One of the kids mocks

"Shut up!" Bethesda responds, Id just indirectly looks

"Calm down you two!" The teacher says and then reach for some papers "This is the results of the test of yesterday." He than go around the classroom and give the results, it was a math test and the pupils have different reactions upon seeing their notes

There is the one who are happy because they got a good one like A or B, some are disappointed or sad of their bad grade and there is also some who don't give a shit like Bethesda even if he got a A "Not a big surprise." he says

Id just looks at his paper but something else catch her attention "Betty gave me wrong answers! He gonna pay for it!" she hears form a neighboring table

[Later.]

DRRRIIINNNNGGGG

The bell rings and the kids go in the yard, Bethesda goes outside and sit on bench while the other's kids plays together, Bethesda is not accepted among the other kids to play, another kid goes toward him he's around the same size than him and have orange eyes and dark brown hair, it was the only one who did accept Bethesda "Hello Bethesda!" He says with a friendly tone

"Hello Arkane." Bethesda responds with a smile

"Mind I sit with you?"

"You are not playing today?"

"No. By the way your adoptive sister seem to go be good at integrating herself."

They look at Id playing football and score a goal

"Yeah. But well you know its a weird thing that they care more about sports than about intelligence."

"I can't say a lot about it but try to get better at it."

"It doesn't interest me anyway, its not kick a freaking ball into a goal that will make me useful or rich."

"There is football stars tough that are pretty rich!"

"There is some but well not everyone is born with a talent to it that make you distinguishable, there is a lot who try but never succeeds."

"...Yeah. But well it always had a sports culture in leanbox. Maybe because of that."

"It must be because of that."

[Later.]

DRRRIIINNNNGGGG

And the pupils get back inside "Wow you are good!" A pupil say to

Id "Thanks." She responds, she see Bethesda and goes to him "You don't seem to like sports."

"I don't." He responds

"I have to tell you something."

"What?"

"There is someone who want to beat you up because apparently you gave him bad responses to the test."

"Oh, that dumbass? He beaten me up and he threatened me to do it again if I don't give him answer but well since I didn't want to give hi decided to give him bad responses on purpose."

"He's after you now. I heard him say something like: "Im going to take care of him for giving bad answer."

"...Crap."

The rest of the school day was quite tense, there some papers balls thrown on Bethesda which of course ended by him insulting the kid who threw it and of course the kid don't say that its him even if its obivious and the teacher end by scolding Bethesda for his behavior but nothing else really happens…

DRRRRIINNNNGGG

The bell rings announcing the end of the day, pupils exit the class room and head out, Id stays near Bethesda and at the school day, The bully is outside the gate waiting, Bethesda starts sweating, Id frowns

"Hey Betty! Looks like you are not that smart to give me false answers!"

"Still smarter than you."

"And i'm gonna crush you, i'm also 4 time stronger than you." The bully crack is knuckles, a crowd of kids start to assemble

"0x4 is still 0 tough."

"SON OF A BITCH!" The bully than throws a punch toward Bethesda

Bethesda rise his arm to block it but…

"Ughh!" Someone punched the bully in the cheek

Bethesda looks and see it was Id who did that "I don't need your help!"

"Let me take care of this." Id responds

The bully than looks and see the girl around his age "You?! Oh that's it you are protecting your brother! Little Betty need some girl to protect himself! I'm gonna take care of you quickly th-"

"Shut." Id says while punching him again. He falls on the ground and Id stomp his head with a kick "You are a pathetic shit. You can only succeed by taking other things that people worked for because you don't want to make any effort but you still want to be better than anyone."

"Wow I didn't expected that." Bethesda says looking at Id

"Let's get out of there." Id says and starts running

"Wait!" Bethesda starts runs after her

[Later.]

Bethesda is panting heavily while walking at the same time Id is no really exthaused "Why you did that?" Bethesda asks

"You are now my brother and I have to protect you. Not like I did with my actual brother."

"What happened to him?"

"Well actually we were some orphans who had to steal to survive."

"That quite ironic considering what you said to the other bully."

"That's the point, after relaxing with all the stuff we got form the stolen money, a group of people found us and my brother defended me and pushed me away, when I came back in the area everything was gone, my brother included."

"Wow just wow, and I thought that my life sucked. I'm sorry."

"Why you should be?"

"For your loss and for rejecting you."

"...Let's go back to home, father is going to worry if we are late."

"Y-yes."

The two kids walks in the city and finally reaches their house, Bethesda get the keys out of his pocket and opens the door, Id and Bethesda see RL-3 cleaning the house, not an unusual sight until the robot speaks:

"HERE YOU ARE, YOUR FATHER WAS WAITING." the robot says

The two kids than move to the next room where the father is sitting with his arm crossed "So... What you two did?"

"I-"

"A bully wanted to beat Bethesda because he gave him false responses to a test. So I prevented that." Bethesda is cut off by Id

"I see, I went to see your teacher and he told me that Id destroyed a kid for no reason."

"It's totally fake!" Bethesda yells "Like she said, she just defended me."

"I sure believe you." The father sighs and continues "Look like I will have to do something about it."

"Thanks." Bethesda says and start moving upstairs "Come with me Id." Id then follows him "Its your first time going at school?"

"No, but that was a long time since I wasn't been there."

"You must have a very low level then, but I'm gonna help you with this. Let me return the favor." Bethesda says and then opens the door of his room and they both enter and closes the door

Bethesda father looks and think "They quickly bonded tough." He smiles "Good thing."

Id and Bethesda are in their room, they both share it but its quite large

"So I will make you start by looking at some thing we are being taught at school and you are gonna responds if you know them or not."

"Okay."

Bethesda then shows some lessons to Id in all things that the studies, at nearly all of them Id responds by a no

"I didn't expect it to be this bad." Bethesda says in a bit of disappointment "You know what, form now we are siblings! And we won't let each other down!" Bethesda raise his hand toward Id

Id responds by a smile and she grabs it and in a shake: their pact as been made.

"By the way I'm wondering, someone talked to me about a continent far away you were talking about, what is it?" Id asks

Bethesda thinks for a moment "...Some day, I will show where I come form."

Bethesda help Id with the studies while Id protects him and also allow him to finally be accepted among the students (even if he's not really popular.)


Bethesda wakes up and looks around, he's back at Planeptune in a small room "that was a dream or a flashback?" he thinks confused, he then head to the bathroom and look at himself in the mirror and he's not longer dreaming: it was him "I should take care of that." he says while looking at his hair and beard "It make me look a way older and I don't look like im 25 but 38 year old."


PLANEPTUNE

A ROOM IN THE BASILICOM

A FEW DAYS AFTER THE RESCUE OF NEPGEAR


Knock Knock Knock

Someones knocks and says "Beth? You are awake?" Bethesda recognize IF voice

"Yes." Bethesda responds

IF then enters the room Bethesda then exit the bathroom wearing his usual clothing "By the way, IF do you think I should go at the barber shop?" he asks

"It won't hurt for sure." she responds "Anyway, how do you feel?"

"I'm fine. Do Nepgear is okay?"

"She's still sleeping but Compa told me that she would wake up soon." IF phones rings and she get it "Never mind, she just woke up.

[Later.]

Bethesda and Histoire are in a meeting room

"So? What was that weapon that you used against that robot?"

"The little boy: I made it for the military during the war but the problem is that it never got used in battle relic told me that it was too dangerous and can also potentially kill allied troops."

"For sure, he was right about that, but it allowed to you four to escape the graveyard."

"And it was the only thing that could damage it! I needed to use a mini nuke launcher to just to damage it! We are clearly not strong enough to kill it."

"That's gonna be problematic but that's why we have to get Nepgear to see the mascots."

"Mascots?"

"I will explain it when everyone will be there."

"Okay."

Histoire see some silhouettes behind Bethesda, she lean a bit and see IF, Compa and Nepgear she then move on the side "You three joined us at the good time. We were waiting for you to come so we could talk about the following of the plans." She turns to Nepgear "Well… firstly, I'm truly sorry for sending you into a fool's errand."

"Y-You don't have to be sorry about that. It was my fault to not be strong enough..." Nepgear responds

"That might be sudden but I have to ask you what happened on the battlefield, that day."

"Of course..." Nepgear then thinks and tell what happened exactly "When we landed in the graveyard to arrest the leader, we found some hostiles robots that we defeated rather easily but it was only a lure and she showed herself: wearing an armored bikini..."

"Stupid." Bethesda comments

"…a pink hair and an eye patch and in another eye, shining in bright yellow and a scythe. After some combined attacks of all of us which she blocked with no difficulty and started to mock us. She quickly beat the other's CPU's and made them unconscious, and then myself… I was powerless."

"That's insane! You all lost to a single opponent?!" IF says shocked

"That's so hard to believe… How could the CPU's lose?" Compa says

Bethesda scratch his head "Wait a minute your description remind me something… A eye patch, an armored bikini and a scythe right? Bethesda asks

"Yes." Nepgear responds

"Yeah, its totally Magic. Its her our greatest threat."

"You know her?"

"That's a weird story but during your captivity. I was basically training with a legendary maker and we got found by her some day, my master gained time against her to allow me to get away."

"And what happened to your master?"

"No idea."

"I think he's dead. It was THQ and you know that when someone close to you die even if he's not there, you feel something. It's what happened with Relic"

"THQ? I barely heard about him." Nepgear says

"Its because most of his exploit was made before you were born Nepgear." Histoire says

Bethesda get confused for a moment but he think that he should ask later

"Wow, uhm can I ask a qestion? What happened to Gamindustri after we lost that battle?"

"Shortly after the capture of you and the 4 other's goddesses; the ASIC thought that we are the weakest target, we managed to push them back to the mountain range at the cost of the destruction of numerous buildings which cost us billions of credits to repairs and thousands of lives."

"That's terrible!"

"Don't worry the syndicalists painfully understood to not fuck with us!" IF says

"Yeah! These terrorists lost a third of their forces! They starved to death!" Compa adds

"L + death ratio + no supplies + steamrolled." Bethesda says

"My goddess!" Nepgear responds shocked "I wonder if that's the war that changed all of you because you all went a bit brutal!"

"That's war a real one, Nepgear it was a necessary evil and they are terrorists anyway." IF says

"She right. You thought that we would just solve that in a gaming competition? Even if personally I quite liked killing them, especially the moment when I sl-"

IF interrupts Bethesda by putting a hand in front of his mouth "Don't." she says

Nepgear is confused "Uh, what he wanted to say?"

"Nothing." IF responds

"There is something that its better that you don't know." Histoire says

"Isn't about the thing that you are also hiding to me?" Compa asks

"Probably." IF responds

And then Histoire restart her explainations "Anyway, let me continue where I stopped: a cease fire was concluded after the end of the war between the ASIC and Planeptune but they didn't stop here, while were busy on the reconstruction of the city and also taking care of other things, they managed to change the mind of a lot of people to make them worship Arfoire who is the presumed real leader of the ASIC, which translated by a drop of shares and now they are very low. The situation is bleak since that mean that ASIC heavily influences the whole world now."

"That got at some point that even kids see piracy as normal and they put all their faith on it." IF says

"In other words: everyone belive in the ASIC which made faith that powers the CPU's as got very weak. Making that sharecite crystal took us nearly 3 years." Compas says

"At this point we only could count on the guild and the army to keep Planeptune up." Bethesda says

"Well, with the CPU's missing form their nations, its no surprise. We failed to save them." IF says

"And recently we have come to learn that ASIC's goal is to revive the deity of sin. And the worst thing is that how the world is declining, they might achieve their goal." Histoire says

"But… there isn't a way that we can stop them?"

"Yes. One way yet exist."

"Killing all the traitors that submitted to Arfoire?" Bethesda says while smiling

everyone else stare at him with their eyes wide open

"That's a way to radical!" IF reacts

"I mean that would work technically. Maybe a bit too gamer." Bethesda responds

"A WAY too gamer!" Compa says

"That might sure work but its might be the ultimate plan in case the other's failed but we will refrain form do it. The best way is you, Nepgear. Along with the other CPU's younger sisters, your fellow CPU's candidate!"

"Wait, me? There also other CPU's candidates?"

"Correct. As you know, only the CPU's themselves and the CPU Candidates are able to gather shares. If enough Shares are recovered, ASIC and those affiliated with It, should weaken."

Nepgear touch her fingers "They want me to get share's in my sister stead? I want to help Neptune. I want to help the world but… There is no way I can beat such a strong opponent. I don't have a chance." She thinks

"Isn't that approach too slow? ASIC might be able to gather Shares faster than we can reclaim them." IF remarks

Bethesda and Compa nods

"Good point. And even the people who still belive in the CPU's must think that they've lost by now." Compa says

"In that case, we could request assistance form the Mascots that reside in each nation." Histoire says

"Like, game mascots?" IF says in a small confusion

"Born form the ancient goddesses, they oversee the balance and order of our world in a passive manner. They preside over the nations to ensure prosperity, and remain neutral to all else. But when needed, they will stand by the CPU's and rid the world for evil influence."

"I had no idea that they even existed." Compa says

"I never heard of them before." Bethesda says

"Indeed. Not even i am aware of their precise location. I have been researching to where the Mascot of Planeptune resides, but t no avail. I will inform you all once I find something of note. In the meantime, please regain Planeptune's shares. This will also serve to rehabilitate Nepgear's combat ability."

"Make sense. I mean, Gear didn't move much past three years, outside of the fighting." IF turns to Nepgear who seem lost in her toughts or sleeping "Hey are you listening Gear?"

Nepgear snaps back to reality "Uh? Um yes."

"Pretty sure you wasn't." Bethesda remarks

"No I was!"

"Very well, then allow me to give you this." Histoire give an object to Nepgear

"What is it?" the candidate asks

"You serious? You shown me this 3 years ago you made this! The N-gear!*" Bethesda says (* see the chapter 4 of the volume 1

Nepgear looks at it "Did I?"

"Its a portable device with a multitude of functions. It should prove invaluable to you."

"Actually Histoire it was a Gaming device but I modified it to make it more things."

IF, Compa and Nepgear exit the room, Bethesda start to follow them but...

"Bethesda, you should continue making inventions to help us instead of going directly with Nepgear, but I have also tell you that the funds of the research got cut so we can spend more on other's important projects." Histoire says

"That sucks." Bethesda says with a point of disappointment "But it will just take me longer to make wonders. I have one project in mind and its going to be a game changer." He then smiles and leaves to get to the lab under the Basilicom and get to his office "Its time to get to work!" He says while looking at the note he made before leaving Leanbox with written on it "Mechanized suits"


TO BE CONTINUED


Im gonna let y'all gonna guest what the Mechanized suit is form (its quite obvious tho.)

This volume and the 1 or 2 next one form now are gonna probably split between Bethesda point of view and the one of Nepgear, I was also thinking about skiping some moment that are identical to Rebirth 2 because it wouldn't be interesting.

By the way a fact about this fanfic is it was originally supposed to be a AI dungeon scenario and the main character wasn't Bethesda but Obsidian! It was supposed of course to be an interactive fanfic but I discontinued it due to AI dungeon being a WAY too random and the colossal amount of work it required to make something that work a little. And so I decided to directly write one.


BONUS SCENE


After a few hours Bethesda comes back to see Histoire in a room of the basilicom

Hisoire notice the inventor coming inside "Hello again Bethesda."

"Sorry to bother you but i was confused by something, You know that we don't have candidate at Leanbox?" Bethesda asks

"Yes, why that?"

"I was also wondering how the candidates are born?"

"They are in fact birthed by shares."

"So they are just born adult?"

"Most of time yes. But they might act younger or older."

"How old is Nepgear? At least her lifetime"

Histoire thinks for around 3 minutes "I think she's around 6 years old but like I said she looks older."

Bethesda just stands there and start sweating

"Uh… are you alright?"

He sweats even more "Shit."

[Chapter 9 vol 1 flashback]

Neptune speaks "Hi Comp, Hi Iffy, Hi generic-"

"Finish your sentence and I will fuck your sister." Bethesda cut off Neptune

[End of the flashback]

Bethesda sweats even more "Goddess! Do that mean I threatened to fuck a minor?!" he thinks