Joey zipped up his jacket, feeling the weight of the day settling in, when Nova's voice broke the silence with an unusual tone of curiosity.
"Most intriguingly, there's a message from Servo."
Joey paused, raising an eyebrow. "Servo? What's he up to now?"
Nova's image flickered slightly as she processed the data. "He managed to access footage from the simulator room cameras and, inexplicably, from your body cam during the training exercises."
Joey's eyes narrowed. "Wait… my body cam footage? How the hell did he get that?"
"I'm uncertain," Nova admitted, her voice calm yet tinged with a hint of concern. "That footage is encrypted. His methods remain… elusive."
Joey sighed, shaking his head in half-amused disbelief. "Not the first time he's pulled something like this. He's got a knack for slipping through the cracks. What's his game this time?"
"Shall I play the message?" Nova asked.
Joey smirked, curiosity getting the better of him. "Yeah, why not. Let's see what he's geeking out over now."
The room dimmed, and the holo-screen lit up with a burst of pixelated, 8-bit graphics. Servo's retro-styled intro was back, complete with an upbeat chiptune melody that could have come straight out of an old arcade game. The pixelated version of Servo grinned widely on the screen, his digitized voice crackling through the speakers.
"Yo, Blue! Buckle up, 'cause I just caught your latest sim runs, and man, you've been on fire! Where do I even start? Let's kick this off with that epic 1v1 against the elf archer, shall we?"
The screen shifted to show an 8-bit recreation of the Zord battle, complete with brightly colored distortion pillars flashing in and out of existence, and Joey's Zord dodging arrows in slow motion. The background music switched to a frantic, fast-paced MIDI track as Servo narrated.
"Boom, boom, boom!* Arrows everywhere, man! You were dodging like you were in an old-school bullet-hell game! And those distortion pillars? Just when I thought you were cornered, bam, you used them against the elf! The way you mapped out those zones like you had some kind of cheat code? Genius!"
A pixelated explosion rocked the screen as Joey's Zord lured the elf archer into the mines, triggering a shower of 8-bit sparks and debris. The music swelled, and Servo's avatar did a little victory dance as pixelated coins rained down.
"You flipped the whole thing on him, laid out those mines, and boom! Elf archer? Game over. Timing? Immaculate. You made it look like a speedrun out there!"
Joey chuckled, crossing his arms as the satisfaction of the moment played out in exaggerated, retro glory.
"And just when I thought it couldn't get better," Servo's voice jumped an octave, "you go and pull off that epic 3v1 against Madam Woe and her goons. Dude, are you even real?"
The screen glitched for a second before pixelated versions of Madam Woe and her two escorts appeared, circling Joey. The scene was set against a dark, stormy 8-bit backdrop, with Woe's hair snapping like electrical wires as her escorts charged. The music switched to something darker, like a MIDI version of a boss battle theme.
"Madam Woe was coming at you with her creepy hair and claws, phasing in and out like she was glitching the system! And those escorts? Trying to lock you down while she went full 'mirror dimension' on your ass? That was some serious nightmare fuel right there, man!"
On screen, pixelated Woe summoned her mirror, warping the arena, while her escorts flanked Joey. Servo's voice was almost breathless as the battle ramped up.
"I thought for sure they had you when one of 'em landed that nasty spear shot to your ribs. But then—then—you just turned it up to eleven! The way you shrugged it off? Grabbed that spear and drove it right into Woe's chest? You didn't just win, Blue. You broke her."
The screen flashed as Joey's pixelated avatar impaled Woe with the spear, shattering her mirror into a million tiny pixels. Her escorts flew back from the blast, the music hitting a triumphant crescendo with 8-bit fireworks popping in the background.
"Shattering Woe's gem like that? Chef's kiss, bro. And then you didn't even give her escorts a chance to recover! That shield bash into a combo takedown? You were practically speedrunning the 3v1!"
Joey smiled, watching as the 8-bit version of himself dispatched the remaining escorts with swift, fluid strikes. The screen flickered with retro sound effects—pow, zap, wham!—as each escort fell in rapid succession.
"But then—oh man, you're gonna love this—I thought that was the peak, but then came the real finale. The big one. The 4v1."
Servo's voice went quiet for a second, as though building up dramatic tension, and then the screen exploded into motion again, showing four pixelated Rangers surrounding Joey. The music shifted into a tense, action-packed tune that felt like the final level of a retro platformer.
Servo's 8-bit avatar popped onto the screen again, practically jittering with excitement. "But oh man, Blue—let me tell you about that 4v1! Dude, that wasn't just a fight—that was a legend in the making."
The screen flashed, pixelating into an exaggerated 8-bit recreation of the four Rangers—Red, Black, Pink, and Yellow—circling around Joey. The retro game music kicked in hard, sounding like something out of a classic beat-'em-up game, matching the high-stakes atmosphere of the simulation.
"All four of them, man! Red, coming at you with those twin pistols, firing like she's trying to end your whole career. She was relentless—bam bam bam, and you—you just tanked those shots like a champ! Didn't flinch once!"
The screen showed Red's pixelated avatar unloading a rapid barrage of shots, with Joey's avatar standing still, the bullets pinging off his armor, sparks flying everywhere.
"You let her empty those clips, and then, what do you do? You close the gap and take her out with that brutal shoulder check—just bam, right into her! Sent her flying across the screen, health bar dropping like a rock!"
Pixelated Red was launched across the screen with exaggerated retro sound effects, crashing into the ground as her health bar plummeted to zero.
"And Black? Coming at you like a freakin' juggernaut with that massive axe. You two clashed like titans, but you outplayed him—dodged that heavy swing and then countered with a quick strike. You made it look easy!"
On the screen, Joey's avatar moved with precision, dodging Black's axe swing and countering with a swift, clean blow, knocking him down.
"Yellow and Pink thought they could back you into a corner, but you weren't having any of it! Yellow tried to come in with those fast strikes, but you outmaneuvered her—turned her own speed against her!"
The screen showed Joey's avatar dodging and weaving around Yellow's quick attacks, landing a counter strike that sent her staggering.
"And Pink? Oh man, her with that sniper rifle, trying to get a bead on you. But you were too quick—closed the distance before she even had a chance. You took her out with a clean, brutal hit. All four of them, down!"
The pixelated representation of Joey's final strike against Pink Ranger played out, with her avatar falling to the ground as the triumphant retro music swelled. Joey's pixelated avatar stood tall in the center of the screen, the fallen Rangers lying around him as fireworks exploded in 8-bit glory.
"That was legendary, Blue. A 4v1, and you made it look like it was nothing. They couldn't touch you! That's the kind of battle people are gonna be talking about for years, man."
The screen faded out as Servo's avatar did a final celebratory dance before disappearing, leaving the room in silence once again.
Joey stood there for a moment, his arms crossed, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Servo's enthusiasm was contagious, even if Joey wouldn't admit it. The 4v1 had been brutal, but hearing it laid out like this made him feel the weight of that victory.
With a final glance at the now-dark screen, Joey grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. "Yeah," he muttered, "not bad."
The retro music started to wind down, but Servo's pixelated avatar popped back onto the screen one last time, his enthusiasm still bubbling over.
"Blue, I gotta tell you—I live for this stuff! You and Nova? You two are killing it out there. That 4v1? Absolutely insane! But don't think you're off the hook yet. I want more. Get yourself back in that sim and give me something even bigger to work with! I know you've got it in you, Blue—can't wait to see what you pull off next!"
His pixelated figure did one last celebratory dance, 8-bit fireworks exploding behind him, before the holo-screen flickered and went dark. The room was suddenly quiet again, except for the soft hum of the display powering down.
Joey smirked, shaking his head. "That guy's got way too much time on his hands."
Nova's voice broke the silence. "He certainly seems to take great pleasure in watching you perform in the simulations. Particularly when it comes to combat scenarios."
Joey raised an eyebrow, turning to the holographic projection of Nova beside him. "You think it's just about the fights? He's always going on about your programming too. Guy's obsessed with how you analyze the data and adapt mid-fight."
Nova considered that for a moment. "Indeed. His admiration for my systems is apparent. He praises the algorithms I've written to assist you during combat. Still… we know so little about him."
"Yeah," Joey muttered, folding his arms. "Servo shows up whenever he feels like it, hacks into systems he's not supposed to, gets his hands on footage no one else should have access to… but he hasn't made any moves against us. Seems like all he wants is to watch us fight."
Nova's projection flickered slightly. "He's fascinated by our dynamic. My programming, your abilities… It seems harmless enough, but without knowing his true identity or motives, we should remain cautious."
Joey nodded, his expression thoughtful. "You think there's more to him than just being some cyber-obsessed fan?"
"It's possible," Nova replied. "But at present, there's no direct threat. He's never interfered in a way that has compromised us. That said, we must remain vigilant. His skill set is… unusual, to say the least."
Joey let out a deep breath, the weight of the unknown hanging over him. "Yeah, you're right. He's not your typical hacker. But hey, as long as he keeps out of our way and doesn't mess with anything important, I'm fine letting him watch."
Nova inclined her head slightly. "Agreed. I will continue to monitor his activities closely."
Joey smirked again, more relaxed this time. "And if he's going to keep watching, we might as well put on a good show, right?"
Nova's voice took on a warmer tone. "It would seem that's exactly what he wants."
Joey slung his jacket over his shoulder and made his way toward the door. "Alright, back to work. We've got more simulations to run, and I've got to make sure Servo gets his content."
As he exited the room, Nova's voice followed him. "I've already queued up the next series of simulations for review. I trust they will meet Servo's… expectations."
Joey chuckled under his breath. "Let's hope so."
As Joey stepped into the corridor, he glanced at Nova's projection. "Anything else we need to handle? I was going to head over to Solari Delta later to visit Black's parents."
Nova hesitated, her image flickering slightly. "There is… one more thing," she said, her tone careful. "I've been instructed to schedule a session with Dr. Zeddicus Zophram. Imperator's orders. The session starts in ten minutes… and," she paused, clearly uncomfortable, "the teleporters have been locked down until you comply."
Joey stopped mid-step, his jaw tightening. "Locked down?" His eyes narrowed, and he shook his head in frustration. "Damn it. She got me good this time, didn't she?"