[CHAPTER 10001]

"...that blue-and-white ball is orbiting a rather normal star, tucked away on the outer edge of a galaxy…"

James Lovell

H.O.R.I.Z.O.N.

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A chorus of Pidove announced morning had arrived across the sleepy town. Ancient woodland surrounding Azalea was home to a range of bird-type Pokemon which disturbed the peace of the quaint settlement. Even as the most southerly settlement of the Johto region, the HORIZON-simulated town had everything you could possibly need. Most trainers passed through to pick up supplied on the way to catch a glimpse of Celebi at the shrine in Ilex forest. Others visited simply to buy a handful of customizable Pokeballs for an extortionate price.

A pair of sleepy slowpoke basked in the morning sunlight. They spared a brief look at two people walking by, unaware of who the couple were. James looked every part the Pokemon trainer, with a red cap and brown satchel bag housing plenty of room for future gym badges. The uploader reviewed the picturesque town with a warm smile.

Normality

It was a surprisingly refreshing to return once more to the confines of HORIZON. Not that James had truly left, but he'd almost forgotten his existence had become an inherent part of the simulation. Strolling down the street in his own body, James enjoyed the simplicity of being able to mooch around on two legs without a long metallic tail trailing behind. Adapting to the LEONOV had been a fun challenge, but the uploader was glad to be back in his comfort zone. There was a familiarity to the perfection of the Pokemon realm. Even if the geology still needed tweaking, the sounds of Pidgeys in the trees was enough to bring a smile to his face.

'What's made you so happy then?' Rikola gave a sly sideways glance. The young trainer, back in her rather garish attire topped by bright blue hair, ambled down the pavement. Missy trotted by her feet. As a rather tall Braixen, the fire type could have been mistaken for a child wandering alongside the two young adults. She whirled a stick between her paws in thought, toes scuffing at the stone beneath her feet.

James hadn't been listening to his friend. The man scratched at his unruly brown hair before rubbing his nose. Even if James knew he was still within a simulation, the modelled feeling of wind on his cheeks (not to mention an actual mouth to bend in a small grin) was enough to bring a smile to his face. Sure, the LEONOV was cool, but it wasn't designed for uploaders like himself missing reality. The robotic feline had been designed for zero gravity rather than comfort. James had doubts that a market for homesick virtual players would be profitable any time soon.

The two trainers, with a somewhat glum Missy trailing behind, waited to cross the main Azalea highstreet. A couple of small electric cars trundled past driven by NPC. A Machamp was leading traffic, waving the pedestrians over once a bus had taken a turning.

'I don't get it.' Rikola blurted out once they'd crossed. 'You're grinning like you're holding in a fart whilst Missy here seems to be brooding over something.'

Upon hearing her name, the Braixen's huge fluffy ears perked up. She sent a confused mumble in Rikola's direction before shrugging.

'I think she's missing somebody.' James massaged his cheeks. It had become a bad habit of reminding himself he was no longer housed in a machine. 'You know. It actually feels weird being back home. With you, I mean.'

'Huh, thanks...' Rikola rolled her eyes.

'Not like that! I mean, uh...now I know more about you!' James backpedaled the conversation, holding back a laugh. 'Like, we've met in real life and stuff! You could have been anybody before.'

'Well you've only got Baba to blame for that.' Rikola faked a pout. It was amazing how accurately the cheeky expression matched the real woman. Apart from the stark blue hair and the strange choice of military-cut clothes, Rikola looked almost identical to her real self. Eva was presently sat in their house in Jersey with a SONY headset on. James didn't know whether HORIZON was scanning her face as they spoke, or it was simply another projection of his own perceptions.

Missy twiddled her stick absently. Now and then she struck is gently through her tail like a match, achieving a weak flame that puffed out a few seconds later.

'I've heard the gym here has a good coffee shop...' James voiced aloud. 'I bet they have a good choice of Truffles too.'

Upon hearing the mention of said Pokemon treat, Missy's mood flipped in an instant. The Braixen pretty much leapt on the spot. Sticking her twig into the fur of tail, the fire-type twirled before tugging onto Rikola's hand.

'Braaaixen~!' Missy chimed happily. Rikola's face went through a rollercoaster of emotions. After shooting a rather flat expression towards James, she bent down and ruffled the fur on the Braixen's head. James pretended not to notice the affection behind the gesture.

'Sure! We can have a look.' Rikola played down the offer. However, the fire type licked her muzzle at the mere thought of food as her trainer straightened. 'You know, we could just chat in the living room? It's not like I taste what I'm drinking.'

'Well how the tables have turned!' James replied in mock horror. The sly response only achieved getting a small elbow in the side from Rikola. 'Anyway. Missy wouldn't get her Truffled.'

'Hmmph!' The fire-type agreed with a cute nod.

The Azalea town gym specialised in bug-types. If it wasn't clear from the large letters on the sign outside, it became unavoidable inside the main lobby. Spiders were everywhere! From Spinarak playing with Joltiks on the reception desk, to a rather butch challenger walking besides an even larger Dewpider. Rikola shuddered, almost glad she was holding Missy's hand. The fire-type had spotted the gym cafe almost instantly. She practically dragged the two trainers across the reception area to the counter. Only then did she let go, bouncing over to the glass display cabinet housing a multi-coloured range of Truffles. James was surprised the Braixen didn't leave behind a trail of drool.

'Right. So we know what Missy wants...Fancy a coffee? Uh...You can just hold it I guess?'

'Eh, whatever.' Rikola glanced up at the board. She didn't look at the various options for long, choosing instead to scan the small cafe setup. A collection of square tables with bamboo stools were positioned next a curving glass window. Wooden sideboards and signage seemed to match the jungle theme characteristic of the gym.

'Why coffee?' Rikola asked once they'd ordered and found a seat. Missy perched on a stool with them. A fist-sized red Truffle didn't last long on the plate in front of her as the fire-type gobbled up the sweet treat. The Braixen was content to sit and lick the remaining morsels from between her vulpine teeth.

'Why not? It's a new mod that Baba wants me to try. She's updated the taste simulations and wanted me to give it a test drive.'

'Taste?' The young woman stirred her drink, marveling at just how well HORIZON simulated complex liquids like hot chocolate.

'We're working on it. I've tried a few ideas and Baba seemed impressed, so we're-'

'Wait wait wait.' Rikola interrupted, holding up her hands as a physical sign to pause the conversation, 'You've been trying things? Like actual programming with Baba?'

'We've been doing it for a while now. I don't really need to rest as such, so Baba has been teaching me a few tricks whilst you've been sleeping. The geology mod was going to be way too hard...so I've been starting small. Taste was something I wanted to get right.' James admitted the latter with a grin. The uploader picked up his cup of steaming coffee, sipping at the surface. Rikola watched his face across the table as young man squeezed his cheeks in sourly.

'Not good?'

'It needs work.' James mumbled, placing the cup down with finality. 'I'll have to tweak a few things. It's more sharp than bitter.'

'Tweak?' Rikola almost didn't believe the young man.

'I'll talk to Baba.' The uploader sighed, fiddling with a teaspoon. 'She's been showing me some tricks on manipulating the codes. It's kinda hard to explain. I feel like I'm some kind of intern way out of my depth...but I'm learning stuff.'

'I didn't think you'd be allowed to mess with HORIZON just like that? Does Yana know about all this?'

Rikola played with the fur on top of Missy's head, voicing the question absently. The Braixen enjoyed the petting, even if the motions were completely illusionary to her trainer. Eva lacked any form of haptic feedback, meaning the pats were nothing more than playable actions. The warm smile spreading across the fire-types muzzle, however, did create a very real bubble of pride in the player.

It took James a while to contemplate an answer, 'To be honest, my whole being here is kinda illegal. Being uploaded like this makes things a bit difficult. I think Baba is just trying to keep my mind busy and in the right place. It's cool to think I'm helping in some way.'

Rikola just grunted in agreement.

James took a few moments to scan the small cafe area and the rest of the lobby beyond. A surprising number of challengers were coming in and queuing at the front desk. Many had Pokemon on their sides or balanced on their shoulders. The uploader spotted a few of the franchine favourites - an Eevee cuddled up in the arms of one trainer and a Pikachu sat on the shoulders of another. There was a tense vibe as the different players waited for a slot to battle the bug-type masters. Yet, any mood of apprehension was muffled by a buzz of excitement in the complex.

Not a pre-programmed emotion, but real genuine excitement. James marveled at how well a simulation could capture such things. No statrolls were needed to identify the energy in the steps of challengers that exited back through the lobby space - this time with bright red ladybird badge in their collections.

Rikola wasn't sharing the same mood. She tickled Missy under the chin, clearly growing bored of the small coffee shop. James adjusted himself on his stool, and tried to make conversation.

'You think Nintendo are going to get done for the crash?'

'Nah.' Rikola puffed out a sigh, 'Has it even been reported that the crash was initially triggered on the Pokemon platform?'

'Maybe not.' James just shrugged.

For a few minutes, Rikola seemed content to pet her Pokemon and watch players interact with the simulation. A few trainers appeared to make use of the small cafe, but a quick check of their statrolls identified them all as NPCs. They were needed to bolster the ambiance of the cafe, what with the soft jazz playing from behind the drinks counter. Rikola wasn't paying much attention. It was clear she was thinking about something, playing with the hot chocolate before her. James wondered just how much of Rikola's tense frustration was being translated from the real world.

'Uugh!' The young woman finally burst out. She brushed short blue hair out of her eyes, 'I just don't get why this is all happening!'

The uploader's blank stare forced her to explain further,

'I mean you uploading and Rich immersing...and me sat here on my SONY. You'd have thought that the whole concept of global VR would have broken the world. But nope! Everyone just gets pissed off when it all shuts down. Humans get used to advancements so quickly they never seem to fathom what's really changed. Well...until they hear about Gaia. That thing killed exDEV. I bet you they'll be making movies about it.'

'So...what you're saying is that you don't get people?' The young man reiterated with a chuckle. James took a sip of his coffee before remembering just how rank it tasted. Rikola couldn't hide a cheeky smile as she regarded the sour-faced man in front of her. For all the wonders of technology that James representing, the man was so average it was almost funny.

'Humans are weird.' James agreed. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, 'Am I allowed to say that? Now that I'm technically not human any more…?'

Rikola waved the comment away, not wanting to give-in to the man's poor attempt at humour. 'I don't think the team at GOKIA really get the credit they deserve. I mean...HORIZON is…well...'

She trailed off. For a long few moments, the woman stared into the distance.

'I just don't get what people have against it. Like, being in VR isn't something people should feel entitled to have.' Rikola finished tiredly, 'I can't believe after all of this...that people actually distrust GOKIA?'

'Harry isn't exactly the type of follow the rule book.' James pointed out.

'But life isn't like that...' The young woman mumbled. She scanned the small cafe area, remarking at just how far removed it was from her first experiences in virtual reality. Bending the rules had become part of her life. Well, before Baba had swooped in and dragged her out of the misery of being an adav. Unless that wasn't true at all…? Rikola didn't want to think about the mysterious benefactor that had funded her. Corey who was somehow Baba but also somehow Harry's ex-partner?

For a long while the two sat in silence.

The sound of soft jazzhop filled the gaps between the sound of customers chatting and baristas' working away in the background. James took a moment to study Rikola when she wasn't looking. Missy was leant against her side, one of the woman's hands gently ticking the fox's ear.

'You know, seems we're here, you might as well have a crack at getting a badge.'

'Wait...what?' Rikola jumped out of her internal musing,

'A gym badge.' James grinned, nodding at Missy across the table. The Braixen had perked up, eyeing the two trainers expectantly. 'Missy seems keen. Might be a good excuse to start the trainer's circuit?'

'At the second gym?' Rikola replied flatly.

'Come on...You've got enough training in to wipe the floor with them. Fire is super-effective against most bug-types anyhow!' The young man spoke quickly to get his point across before Rikola could argue. Much to James's surprise, she seemed to consider the possibility.

'It's a thought.' The young woman pondered, her face softening. 'Hmm, whatcha think Missy?'

The Braixen was nodding so fast that the simulation almost blurred.

'Aaaixen!'

'Well that's a yes from her. How about you? Have you caught anything or…' Rikola trailed off, remembering at the last moment what James had once promised, 'Ah, yeah. Sorry.'

'It's complicated.' James waved away the woman's concern, 'I promised Baa-Richard we'd do it together. I...I don't know what's going to happen with that now. He can't immerse in here without this Gaia thing going berserk. And his mind is...yeah. It's complicated.'

Rikola drummed her fingers on the table,

'You know, uploading might be an option?'

'For Richard?' James sucked on his teeth, 'I'm not sure...what with ethics and stuff. He's due a full checkup and scan tomorrow, so we'll take it from there.' James studied his palms. There were a few moments delay before he realised how much he'd dampened the mood, 'Anyhow! We've got to go and get your signed up!'

'Braixennnn~!' Missy echoed, pumping the air with a paw before hopping down off her chair.

'Doesn't look like I have a choice.' Rikola groaned with mock horror. However, it didn't take much to notice the glimmer of excitement in her eyes.

'That's the spirit.' James chuckled, leading them over towards the front desk.

END

There's not much to comment on for this chapter. I'm expecting to write another two chapters to wrap up the story, and maybe a third to tie up all the loose ends (depending on how I choose to segment the concluding story arc). I've decided to focus on tying up this story before moving onto Fort Haste, so expect a chain of uploads in the coming weeks.

A huge thanks to Repenexus for the review! There's a bit more Pokemon stuff going on in this chapter for a Pokemon fanfiction! Otherwise, thanks as always for the views, favs, and follows! And a shout out to R'love again for helping read through and point out increasingly obvious spelling mistakes...Enjoy!