After work, Miko was dropped off by her friend Five. She eagerly waved goodbye to him, her best friend. Ironically, he was her only friend for the most part. Despite their rocky first meeting, they had become inseparable, understanding each other and becoming tech heroes together.
But before that…
She bit her lip, reminded of the times she spent alone. While she agreed she had taken things too far, it was an accident. That stupid animatronic had scared her so badly. Admittedly, kicking its head off was excessive, especially considering she was just a little kid at the time, even by her standards.
Despite trying to apologize, she had seriously scared all the partygoers. It got to the point where she was more or less alienated by the other kids in town, leading her to dive deeper into video games and become more of a hikikomori. School wasn't much better; she was ostracized, either by bullies or by classmates who were too scared of her.
In a twisted way, Miko felt somewhat relieved when she was told she had a disorder—Attention Deficit or something like that. She always struggled to say and remember the full name. Either way, it allowed her to be homeschooled, much to her relief. She could stay home and play, enjoying her favorite hobby—video games. While she knew she was far from the average tomboy, she didn't mind that most games were geared toward male audiences. She loved video games, and she knew she was an oddball in more ways than one.
Ironically, her love for video games led her to the arcade, which ended up changing her life for the better. Joystick Junior's was her main haunt, where she spent many days gaming alone, honing her skills. Eventually, she discovered a game called "Sock 'Em Rockers." It was surprisingly fun, and she practiced her dance and gaming skills, climbing higher and higher on the scoreboard. On one special day, she became the first to beat the high score, reaching one million points, which got everyone's attention. Miko was praised for her gaming prowess, something that made her feel vindicated. From that day forward, she became known in the gaming world as "Me_K.O."
Although Miko had been accepted by her family, she often felt like the odd girl out. She was an avid video gamer and the only one homeschooled while her family, even her younger siblings, attended public school. Not that she missed it, but it definitely didn't help her fit in with her siblings. Luckily, Hinobi came and changed all that. Her new job made her parents proud and more trusting of her, which improved her life. Even her siblings began to understand the enjoyment of video games. Everything was better now.
As she sat on her bed, opening her Hinobi Switch, she thought to herself, Nothing can go wrong now.
Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. She opened it to see her mother standing there.
"Oh, err, hey, Mom," Miko greeted nervously, wondering if she had gotten into trouble again.
Miko's mother, Mayumi Kubota, sat on the bed and spoke. "Your father and I have decided that since you've shown maturity by having a job, yet still staying home playing video games—"
Miko interrupted, fidgeting. "Yeah, see? I told you that you could trust me to be responsible and all."
Her mother paused, "Of course, I understand, but we've decided that you should return to public school, specifically Lumise Academy."
Miko froze, her skin paling before she screamed, "WHAAAAAAT?!"
Her mother was about to continue, but Miko interrupted her again.
"Mama, hohohoho! You cannot be serious about this. I mean, I was bullied so much. And you can't forget the window incident that got me suspended for a year! AND THOSE FRIGGIN' TESTS! They make me feel so dumb. I suck at math. I flunked out twice, and those stupid bullies made me feel like an idiot."
"Sweetie, you were a preteen when that happened. And your father and I know about your…condition—"
"And those stupid counselors! I know they were trying to help me, but they treated me like a little kid…I'm not dumb, I'm not dumb, I'm not—"
Mayumi gently hugged her daughter. "Miko, I know you had problems in school before. But your growing maturity and your ability to make new friends recently mean we believe you can handle it this time, at a better pace."
"But—"
"And this academy is new and takes things slow and easy, so you won't feel overwhelmed. But they won't treat you with kid gloves either. Trust me, Miko. I've had my share of school issues in my past…but we're trying to help you, and we both believe in you."
"I…fine."
"Thank you, sweetie," her mother said, hugging Miko, who looked utterly defeated.
"You're welcome, Mama."
Miko huffed as she stood outside her home in the early morning. Despite summer coming to a close, the heat was still relentless. Wiping sweat off her brow, she grumbled to herself, "Yup, I'm totally fine with this. Toootallllly fine."
Miko sighed as she saw the bus pull up to the appropriately named bus stop. She hated buses. They were always crowded and full of people who hassled her. Fortunately, she had managed to sneak her Hinobi Switch into her backpack for an easier ride. Inside the noisy bus, Miko found a seat in the corner and quickly made her way over, accidentally knocking a student's notebook out of his hands as she sat down.
"Ah! No…" the boy said, quickly scrambling to pick up his notebook, visibly nervous.
"Oh, cheese and crackers… Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Miko blurted, trying to help him pick it up.
"No, no, no, that was my fault, heh, sorry," the boy replied, hastily grabbing his notebook. "I was just sitting in the wrong position."
"Yeah, but I was rushing too… Errr, what's your name?" Miko asked, trying to make up for the awkwardness.
"Ohhh… umm, Ca-Casey Briers," the boy stammered, still looking anxious.
Miko noticed that this guy was a nervous wreck. He wore a blue sweater with a horizontal white stripe across the middle over his uniform and had a perpetually uneasy expression. Compared to this dude, even Five and Bergy seemed calm and collected. "Miko. Miko Kubota."
Casey looked up, sweating as he saw one of his friends signaling him over and patting a spot next to them.
"Err… l-look, I'm going to go sit with my friends, do you mind at all?" Casey asked nervously.
"No problem, dude," Miko waved, watching as Casey stumbled over to join his friends. She settled in, relaxing as she played her game, when she noticed a familiar brown-haired girl with big glasses: Ridley Croft.
"Yoooo, hold up! Ridley?!" Miko sputtered, shocked and happy to see her.
Ridley, who had been oblivious due to her earphones blocking everything out, perked up when she felt a nudge from a familiar face.
"Miko? Holy Hasbro, it's you!" Ridley exclaimed, genuinely happy.
"Yeah, my parents made me go back to school. First time in years," Miko replied, rubbing the back of her head.
"Yup, I've been in school for a while. I got sent here because they said there'd be fewer bullies and it's more accessible," Ridley said, using air quotes.
"Oh, you too?" Miko asked curiously. "My parents said basically the same thing. Today, they told me it would help with my Attention Doohickey… gosh… umm—"
"Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder?" Ridley offered.
"Yeah, that," Miko shrugged. "It makes me feel like they think I'm dumber than everyone else, and I hate it."
Ridley responded casually, "Well, you're not the only one. Turns out I have autism, and that hasn't stopped me from being a genius."
"And having ADHD hasn't stopped me from being the best gamer around. Weirdos for life?" Miko boasted, raising her fist for a fist bump.
Ridley grinned and met the fist with her own, "Weirdos for life."
Miko blushed and giggled for once, thinking that maybe school wasn't as bad as she remembered.
As the bus stopped at Lumise Academy, a security camera unnoticed by anyone glitched, and a yellow eye watched the gamer girl leave the bus solemnly.
The viewer smirked.
Miko had to admit, this place was impressive. Lumise Academy was a massive building with various locations on campus. Its bright location in the city of Vale, right next to Beacon Academy, made it a pretty nice place to be. There were loads of students, all bustling to their classes. That was pretty much the best Miko could say about this place.
Since she had been out of the school system for so long, it had been years since she last used lockers. Luckily, the teachers were helpful for once, allowing her to more or less find her classes. Nothing particularly noteworthy happened, and Miko mostly blocked it out. The most she could recall was working with a student whose hair covered his eyes—a look that seemed pretty edgy and mysterious by her standards.
Eventually, she made it to lunch, where she sat down and spotted a familiar face. She was always so hungry, and her hunger had only seemed to grow stronger lately. If she were honest, eating was second only to gaming in her list of priorities.
"Wait, Five, you come here too?!" Miko blurted out, slamming her lunch tray on the table.
Five gasped, equally shocked. "Wait, you're here too? I thought you said you were homeschooled?"
"I was!" Miko said, pointing her finger up dramatically. "Until, ya know, my parents decided I should return to school."
"Oh, bummer. So, umm, is everything going well here?"
"Yeah, just a shame I didn't see you in any of my classes."
"I think we have different schedules."
"Oh, you gotta be kidding me!"
"Easy, Miko. It's not that big of a deal. Besides, after school, we can continue our other jobs."
"Errr… what jobs?" Casey asked nervously.
Both Five and Miko nearly jumped out of their seats before realizing Casey had been sitting beside them with his friends.
"Oh, nothing, just regular old back-to-school jobs," Miko said, lying badly. Five facepalmed.
Luckily, Casey fell for it. "Oh, th-that's cool. I w-wanted to introduce you to m-my friends, I-I thi-think—"
"Yeah, yeah, Casey, we get it. They understand what you're trying to say," snarked a student sitting beside Casey. Most notably, he had white hair and heterochromia, with one red eye and one blue eye. He wore a Cheshire-esque grin with surprisingly sharp teeth as he spoke snarkily.
"Come on, Prism. I told you to stop interrupting Casey," responded another one of Casey's friends. He had lightly tanned skin, and his eyes seemed permanently shut as he spoke calmly and friendly, exuding an air of warmth.
"I-it's okay, V-Ven. Miko was probably getting annoyed with m-my speech pattern anyhow," Casey said, pointing at the gamer girl.
Miko raised her hands, shaking her head. "Nah, I wasn't getting bored, Casey."
"You three sure are a colorful bunch," Five commented, observing the trio.
Ven sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Ahh, yeah, sorry about that. I'm Ven Vestro. This is Prism White, and you've already met Casey. We would introduce you to Rubes… but she got transferred to that other academy."
Miko nodded. "Well, now that we've been properly introduced, this is my friend Five." She pointed at Five, who sheepishly waved.
"Wait, wait, aren't you two the jokers that work at Hinobi Tech Support?" Prism asked.
Miko and Five tilted their heads. "Yeah, how'd ya know?"
"Mrs. Lawson's always bringing up how this Five guy and his cute girlfriend are always helping out."
Miko made a shocked choking noise and coughed up some fries. "Ack! Girlfriend?!"
Five facepalmed. "Ohhh, nerds. I keep telling her she's not my girlfriend."
Miko blinked. "Yeah, we're just friends."
Casey elbowed Prism, who just shrugged, smiling. "Sorry."
Miko responded by drinking her water. "No, no, no. You just didn't know… just don't suggest it again. Ever."
Eventually, the bell rang, and the group separated, returning to their classes. For Miko, at least, she was able to see Casey's friends again since they were pretty much all in her classes. That's pretty much all she remembered. As she ran down the hall when the school bell rang, ending the day, she stuck out like a sore thumb with her multicolored hair swaying and bobbing as she carried her homework and textbooks in her heavy backpack.
"Sweet release from—oop!" Miko nearly slipped but quickly recovered, resuming her run. "Sweet release from death!"
Miko breathed in the fresh air, planning to head to her job after this, using the bus to return to her town of Bailey in the city of Vale. To be fair, she barely knew much about this Vale place. All she knew was that it was simply a bus ride from here to there. Heck, she didn't know much about the big talk surrounding Beacon Academy since it was all the students at Lumise talked about. She was looking for her bus when…
"Uh… hey," spoke a low, sullen voice, nudging her shoulder. Miko jumped nearly out of her skin.
She quickly turned around to see the kid she had partnered with earlier. His gray hair covered his eyes, and he wore a drab gray sweater with a notable green stripe. "Oh, you're that weird kid I partnered with in class."
The boy looked at Miko's brightly colored hair.
Miko paused. "Ahhh… sorry, hypocritical of me to say 'weird' with my own… quirks. Touché."
"Ummm… sorry for my odd behavior. The name's Gray. Yeah, I wanted to apologize for being off-putting earlier. I'm new here, and I know I was a bit creepy and strange."
"Gray, huh," Miko said, eyeing his gray sweatshirt.
"Well, sorry, the name was made on a spur of the moment."
"Oh, trust me, I can tell. Name's Miko Kubota, in case I didn't mention it earlier. And well—"
Suddenly, her phone rang, and she picked it up. "Oh, crud, it's my job. I'd love to keep talking, but they really need me, so peace."
"You mean that Hinobi job?"
"Wait, how'd ya know…?"
"Ermm… I overheard you guys at the lunch table, those three guys and the tall one… Five, right?"
"Wait, were you spying?"
"Errr… I was too shy," Gray responded awkwardly, waving his hands as he pulled his hoodie over his face.
"Pfft… I'm not that mad, dude. Besides, you must have some pretty good skills for us not to see you. Now I gotta get going. See ya later, ya little dork."
Gray awkwardly waved at her. As Miko left, he decided to go look for someone.
Miko smirked as she suited up, her gauntlet sparking to life and covering her in her suit. After a long day of school, she was thrilled to finally be back in action. She merrily skipped over to meet Five.
"Aww yeah, finally back in gear!" Miko said cheerfully to Five. "So, uh, what's on the agenda today? Phil called us in."
Five shrugged. "Not sure. Phil just said it was urgent."
The duo walked into the meeting room where Phil stood at the front, a large Hinobi screen behind him. The setup reminded Miko of the "Finding the Glitch" exercise, which brought back uncomfortable memories of being accused of being a glitch. While she was grateful Five had defended her back then, she knew she would have done the same for him, human or not—he was still her best friend.
Miko sat down beside Five, glancing around the room at the familiar faces of her fellow techs, partners, and even a few frenemies. Everyone seemed just as confused as she was. BITT, the not-so-official mascot, greeted them with a cheerful smile.
"Greetings and salutations, Hinobi workers!" the robot chirped.
The group responded with mixed reactions—some waved, while others just nodded. Zahra, Haneesh, Bergy, Nix, and even Mitch were there. Mitch, of course, sat in the corner, always the self-isolator. He was the first to speak.
"Boosh, so what's this about? Someone stealing all the Hinobi Toolkits or Manuals?" he asked sarcastically.
Zahra crossed her arms. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm with Mitch on this one. What's the issue? We haven't had anything major recently, no code greens."
Phil turned on the screen. "Simply put, something has been lurking around this town and the city at large."
The screen flickered to life, showing a silhouette with a distinctive bright yellow glow. Phil cycled through images of graffiti-like hazard signs on alleys and buildings. The footage played, but the figure moved too quickly, causing the camera to glitch before getting a clear view. The techs watched in shock as the being attempted to enter a store, only to be repelled by its forcefield, sending it off.
"Despite our efforts, we haven't been able to capture clear footage of this thing," Phil said firmly. "We know it's a glitch, but we don't know what type it is. It's somehow managing to keep its glitch signature down, which is why none of you noticed it until now."
The room was filled with gasps—even Mitch seemed surprised.
"A glitch that not even Mitch noticed?!" Bergy stuttered, his voice shaky.
Mitch glared but stayed silent.
"Is it code green?" Haneesh asked, checking his gauntlet for information on other glitches.
"We don't have enough data to classify it yet," Phil replied. "We don't know what game it originated from or what kind of glitch it is."
Zahra's voice dropped to a whisper. "Phil, it couldn't be... that one, right?"
The room grew tense as Bergy, Nix, Haneesh, and even Mitch seemed to get nervous.
Phil shook his head. "No, it's not. The trace doesn't match that one at all."
Five and Miko perked up in unison. "What's 'that one' you're talking about?" they asked.
Phil shook his head again. "I'll tell you two when you're ready, but for now, all you need to know is that it's not here."
Miko and Five exchanged a glance but decided to drop the subject, at least for now. Miko was curious but knew she had to focus on the immediate threat lurking in her hometown.
Phil continued, "We've noticed it's been siphoning plixel energy from our console—not a lot, but enough to be concerning. We don't know its purpose."
Five's eyes widened. "Oh nerds, so this thing could be growing in power."
Miko tried to lighten the mood with a smirk. "Heh, Mitch is probably gonna be hunting it down just to get all that XP."
Mitch rolled his eyes, muttering something about Miko being a moron, while everyone else stared at her. Five gave her a look that said, Not the time, Miko.
"Okay, okay, maybe a bit too lighthearted. But what should we do, Phil?" Miko asked, blushing slightly.
"For now, I want you all to be on the lookout during patrols. BITT and I are working to gather more information, but any intel you can find will be crucial," Phil instructed.
Everyone agreed to help, even if Mitch was more interested in the potential XP. Miko's mind drifted to the strange symbols and what they could mean.
"Oh, and one more thing," Phil added casually. "We're bringing in some new recruits from different sectors—one of huntsmen and one of guardians. You'll all have new partners."
"WHAT?!" everyone yelled in shock.
Phil opened the door to reveal familiar faces to Five and Miko.
"Heey..." Ven waved with a sheepish grin.
Elsewhere…
The creature adjusted its right yellow hand, the fingers sharp as claws. It used its other hand to hold the cracking, glitching limb in place. Its hideout was an old, ruined house, far from Bailey and Vale—a secluded base of operations. The creature's hand shifted, transforming into a scanner-like weapon that emitted a beam, repairing the damaged limb and restoring it to its original yellow state.
It spoke in a distorted, electronic tone, "Interesting... very interesting. I've heard myths of this world, but I never imagined it would develop plixel technology similar to our own. With this new supply, it could greatly aid my superior... and empower me as well."
The creature examined its once-broken hand and continued, "But I must build a proper vessel for myself. I certainly don't need those Glitch Techs—whatever they call themselves—reducing me to broken code... or worse, more broken than I already am."
It stood, revealing its unusually tall and lanky frame. "I must alert the others. The first phase must be executed perfectly."
With that, it opened a portal, similar to the ones the techs used to access HQ, but this one was tinged with green and flickered with the chaotic energy of the glitches from games. The creature stepped into the portal, which then vanished into the night.