"Don't you worry, Mr. Sato. Everything is under control."
Inside a meeting room, a group of unseen figures were seated at a table, watching a giant screen with cameras that oversaw a city.
A man in a tuxedo stood up, his face unseen. "What is that?"
He pointed to a live feed of a teenager's bedroom, seeing a fighting game taking place.
"It seems to be a street fighting game, sir. What should we do?"
The man adjusted his tie. "You should know, such games are illegal. They disturb the peace. Confiscate them all."
The man turned on his heels and left the room. He entered into another room, which appeared to be a laboratory.
"Son," he said, looking at a figure inside a cryogenic pod. "We will figure out a cure for you, don't you worry."
He put a hand on the pod. "Society will bring it to me, I promise."
Then he left the room.
Meanwhile, a 16-year-old African American boy named Mykhail Jordan was busy playing video games in his bedroom.
"Pfff, these combos don't even work. Who the hell invented this?"
Mykhail was busy playing a fighting game, spending all day in his room learning the rules.
"Screw it. I'll just grind and figure it out myself."
As he started up another level, his mother, Maria, walked in. With a smile, she unplugged the TV and took the game out of the console.
"Mom!" Mykhail exclaimed. "What the hell?"
She smiled and stood in front of him with her hands ready to hug him. "Mykhail! These types of games are illegal! Come join us for dinner!"
Maria walked out, almost like a robot, and headed toward the kitchen. Mykhail sunk in his chair. "I hate this planet."
Mykhail got up, reluctantly heading to the kitchen for dinner. At the kitchen table sat his dad, Alex, and his dog, Rocky.
"Son!" Alex said, in a cheerful but monotonous voice. "Sit! I can tell you're hungry!"
Mykhail rolled his eyes. "Yep, I could use a bite."
He sat down in the seat with his name on it, looking at the plate of food in front of him.
"Fish again?" he thought. "It's been fish for the past 489 days in a row!"
Maria sat in her seat. Together, she and Alex grabbed their silverware and began digging into the fish.
"Son," they called out. "Are you going to eat your food?"
"Yeah, yeah!" Mykhail said. "I'll eat, just give me a second."
He reluctantly picked up his fork and dug into his food, while Rocky sat perfectly still next to him.
"Ugh, it tastes the exact same too," Mykhail thought. "I can't believe this."
While they ate, Maria began to engage Alex in discussion. "Honey, have you worked today?"
"Yes," Alex replied. "I've done construction work all day. I'm glad we all get a chance to help out our wonderful society!"
Maria nodded. "Indeed! We each contribute in our own ways!"
Mykhail nearly choked on his fish, but he managed to swallow it. "Ridiculous," he thought. "They've done this same discussion again and again, for the last 3 years now. At the SAME time."
Once everyone had finished eating, Alex and Maria both stood up, hugged each other and Mykhail, then headed into their room.
Rocky was left at Mykhail's feet, wagging his tail and sitting in place.
"Rocky," Mykhail said. "You can get up."
Rocky rose to his feet and followed Mykhail as he went to his room. Mykhail sat in his gaming chair, putting his head down.
"Rocky, when will it end? Why is everyone the same? Why is there no FUN in life? Why? Why? Why? Am I in some dream? Am I even on Earth?"
He lifted his head to look at Rocky, but the dog just gave him a confused stare. "Nevermind. Sit, boy."
Mykhail heard a text message on his phone, and he picked it up and read it. "Kumiko? Right, I forgot she asks to hang out at the same time EVERYDAY."
He texted her back before plugging back in his TV. Unsurprisingly, all the fighting games were replaced by romance and comedy games.
"Of course. Mom must have reported me."
He clicked on a romance game for a moment, but quickly clicked back off. He put his head down to rest, and after half an hour, he heard a knock on his door.
"Hi, Mykhail!"
Without even asking, a girl with long black hair threw his door open and hugged him. "Hi, Kumiko."
"Always barging in," Mykhail thought. "What is my life?"
She sat on his bed. "What should we do today? Want to go help around the neighborhood with Kurumi and Takehiro?"
Mykhail sat up, sighing. "I've got nothing better to do, so sure. When are they heading out?"
"Right now!" Kumiko replied. "Let's go meet up with them!"
She got up and walked out the door in an orderly fashion. Mykhail shook his head and walked after her. They left the house, and as evening set in, they headed down the street.
Mykhail looked at the plain neighborhood he lived in. The streets were all clean and symmetrical, each house was the same size and colored light blue, and everyone's yard looked the same. People were out talking to each other and doing similar routines. They also wore similar clothing.
Kumiko found a slim green-haired girl down the street, along with a bulky white haired-boy, who seemed noticeably older. When the two spotted them, they both waved at the same time.
"Mykhail! Kumiko!" the pair greeted. "Nice to see you two!"
Mykhail waved back. "Sup, you two."
Kumiko pulled them both into a hug, while Mykhail watched from afar.
"Friends," he thought. "Why are they all so similar?"
After 6 minutes of hugging, Mykhail interrupted them. "So, guys? What's the plan for today?"
The white-haired boy, Takehiro, held up a paper. It had various chores on it. "This is a list of all the neighbors in need! Won't it be fun?"
The paper stretched from Takehiro's hand to the ground. Mykhail groaned. "Are you KIDDING me?"
The green-haired girl, Kurumi, clapped her hands together. "Let's help, let's help!"
"Fine," Mykhail said, relenting. "Who's first on our list?"
Takehiro examined the paper. "Mr. Kenta! He's always such a joy to see!"
"Yeah!" Kumiko and Kurumi announced. "Let's help him!"
Mykhail just slapped his forehead, and the four walked down the block, scanning houses for Mr. Kenta's house.
After 15 minutes of searching and walking, they found a house that seemed closed off from everyone else's.
"Silly Mr. Kenta!" Kumiko remarked. "We'll have to tell him again gating his property isn't legal!"
"I wish having a mind of your own wasn't either," Mykhail muttered under his breath.
They entered through the gate and Takehiro threw open the door. "Mr. Kenta! We're here to help you with your bear problem!"
An elderly man walked out of a bedroom, limping. "Oh! Hello, children! Great day to you all!"
Almost on instinct, they all hugged Mr. Kenta. Mykhail stood a few feet back, watching it unfold.
"Same old, same old."
Once they were done hugging, Mr. Kenta shook Mykhail's hand. "Mykhail! Always great to see you!"
"You...too, sir."
Mr. Kenta motioned for them all to gather around. "We'll need to take a trip to the woods. Everyone ready to go?"
They all nodded, except Mykhail, who simply gave a thumbs-up.
"Good! Let me get the equipment, and then we'll head out to my lodge!"
He grabbed some snacks, some drinks, and some bear spray, and they got in his car. One by one, Kurumi, Takehiro, and Kumiko entered the backseat. Mykhail noticed the front seat was open, and he sat down.
"We saved the passenger seat for you!" Kumiko said. "It's now your turn to sit up front!"
"Thanks..." Mykhail said back. "How nice of you."
Mr. Kenta got behind the wheel. "Let's head to the woods!"
All in sync, Mr. Kenta and the others put on their seatbelts. Mykhail reluctantly did as well. They headed out of the neighborhood and into the nearest Forest Park. Mr. Kenta drove down a dirt road until he reached a small lodge.
"Here! We've made it!"
He parked the car and got out, and one by one, the others did the same. They walked into the lodge, enjoying the fresh smells and sights.
"Amazing!" Kumiko said, taking a long sniff. "It smells like fresh apples!"
Kurumi walked around, feeling the walls. "They feel so smooth and clean!"
Takehiro went from room to room, inspecting each one. "Neat and organized!"
Mykhail sighed. "Why, just why?"
Mr. Kenta gave each of the four a can of bear spray. "Alright, kids! We'll go out and peacefully ask the bears to leave! If they don't, use the spray and make them go away!"
"Alright!" Takehiro, Kurumi, and Kaori exclaimed.
"Yay," Mykhail muttered. "Power of friendship."
Mr. Kenta walked outside the lodge, and everyone followed him. "We'll split into teams! Me, Kurumi, and Takehiro will go left! Kumiko and Mykhail, you guys go right!"
"Okay!" they said, except Mykhail.
As the others walked into the woods, Kumiko and Mykhail were left alone.
"Let's go!" Kumiko said, eagerly.
Mykhail motioned toward the trees. "Ladies first."
She grabbed his arm. "We go together, remember? We all go as one!"
"Kill me," he thought.
They hiked in the trees, looking around for any bears. Despite the sky darkening and heading deeper into the trees, they didn't find any bears.
"Maybe this patch is clear! Let's go help the others!" Kumiko suggested.
Mykhail stopped her for a moment. "Kumiko, do you have a second?"
She nodded. "Yep!"
He looked around, making sure no one was listening. "What do you think, of all of this?"
She gave him a confused stare. "The forest?"
"No, the way you guys act. The way the WORLD acts. Can't you see that this isn't normal? You're supposed to be free, unique, not like everyone else!"
She appeared even more confused. "Hmm?"
"Ugh! I mean, you should think for yourself, woman!"
She appeared perplexed by his words. "I am! Are you feeling okay? Should we let you rest?"
Mykhail sighed. "One day, one day you'll understand—-"
"Grrrrrr..."
They both stood still as a noise was heard behind them. Mykhail turned around and found a huge bear sizing them up, looking ready to pounce.
"Kumiko, watch out—!"
As Mykhail stood in front of her, the bear jumped on him and tackled him to the ground.
"Get off, damn furry!"
Kumiko curiously watched the pair wrestle on the ground. "Are you guys playing? This bear looks friendly!"
"Kumiko! Use your can and spray this thing!"
She held the can up. "I think it wants to be friends!"
"No!" Mykhail said. "No, it doesn't!"
As she stepped forward, attempting to pet the bear, it grabbed Mykhail in its jaws and flung him deeper into the forest.
"AHHHHHH!"
"Oh!" Kumiko exclaimed. "That wasn't very nice!"
The bear turned to face her, sniffing her before walking in the direction it threw Mykhail.
On the other side of the forest, Takehiro, Kurumi, and Mr. Kenta were looking around for bears using Mr. Kenta's flashlight.
"No sign of them yet!" Mr. Kenta remarked. "Let's keep searching for them!"
"AHHHHH!"
"Did you guys hear something?" Kurumi asked.
Mr. Kenta shrugged. "I'm sure it was a wild animal!"
Kurumi pointed in the distance. "Look! I see a bear!"
Meanwhile, deep into the woods, Mykhail stood up, bruised and bloody. "Why do I let this girl talk me into the most stupidest of things? Why?"
A group of bears surrounded him, all growling. "Oh no."
They all lunged at him, and he began to run. "Crap, crap! Time to go!"
He began jumping over branches, rocks, and vines to try and get away, as the bears started to gain on him.
"Is there anywhere nearby?" he wondered. "The lodge! Maybe if I turn around, I can reach it! Damn, what about Kumiko?"
He paused for a moment, but the bears cornered him. "Guys, how about you let me go, and I don't totally beat the life out you all?"
They ignored him and continued to advance. "So, no then?"
They forced him back, and as he got deeper and deeper into the woods, he felt something weird beneath his feet.
"What's this? A sinkhole?"
He took another step and in the blink of an eye, he fell through the ground.
"NO, NO, NO!"
He hit a solid surface, and when he looked up, he saw the bears high above him, looking down at him before turning away.
"They're gone, but this drop is too far! I don't have a ladder!"
He looked around the room, which seemed to be an underground bunker of sorts. There were a few tables nearby, with writings Mykhail couldn't understand. There was a bed in the left corner which was dirty and empty, and there was a door at the far end.
"This must be someone's house," he thought. "Mr. Kenta's? But he has a lodge..."
As he took a look at the door, he almost thought he could see a faint blue glow coming from underneath it. He walked up to it, hesitating for a moment, before pushing it open.
Inside, there was a giant sword made of iron, decorated with gold and light blue on its hilt and blade. The blade itself began to glow the same light blue color as the hilt.
"Woah..." Mykhail muttered. "I'm dreaming."
With his curiosity getting the better of him, he reached out and touched the blade, and in an instant, he felt a rush of power, and the blade released a powerful explosion of light blue energy, destroying the entire bunker.
—-