● POV: Pink Pearl

I grinned, eagerly bouncing around as I perused the shop. There were all kinds of arguments for Avatars here. Some players argued that by adding Augments you effectively made this a "Play to Win" game. While there were some pretty broken Augments you could purchase, you can only have so many attached at a time. 

Most magical or superpowered races could only have 2, where as other races with large penalties could have up to 3. Weaker races, with lackluster bonuses, could have up to 4. Then Humans could have the most Argument with a wapping total of 5 Augments. The most powerful races could only get 1 Augment, or even zero.

They worked more like bloodline traits in the old Naruto series, special powers to allow each player a unique range of abilities to use in connect with their Chakra. They had been part of the game since the beginning and although they sorta made it "Pay to Win" they also worked as an equalizer. That way people could play as their favorite species, no matter how weak it was, and still kick ass in the game.

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I explored each of the holographic mannequins as they demonstrate how their Augment worked.

Mom always came out with the best Augments. This was one of her shops. She had one in every city in the Main Server, and I thought the newb might want to check it out before we got him a modded Pokemon.

I flew around the store, thanks to my flight Augment. I could still attach two others, which I frequently switched out and changed. Flying was my go to Augment though. Seaponies got a lot of Augments because of how limited we were on land. We might have the ability to control water and talk with aquatic life, but we didn't have Aquaman's durability or strength. Our squishy body is what let us survive great pressure but we weren't actually all that tough... if anything it made us more fragile. We were a lot like jellyfish in that regard. We were physically weaker then humans to.

Everything in the main server was about balancing power levels... still some people found ways to break it... like my flying Augment. It made it so I could move with great agility and speed while out of the water. That basically got rid of the biggest drawback to playing as a Seapony. However, flying cost a portion of your Magicka to use. I had to "Loop" it which effectively made it so I couldn't use that portion of my Magicka so long as I was using the Augment. That made is so I had to cast fewer spells. Again, everything balances out.

Then if you died, you lost all the Augments attached to your Avatar and had to buy them all over again. Thankfully anything you bought was saved to your purchase list and you could rebuy it from your Profile... it was just a matter of having enough credits.

"Your cyber mom really made all this?" Mouthy awed.

"Yep!" I gleefully boasted, "She does cheat a little and uses her 'God Mod' to build them. It increases all her skills to a thousand so she can make Grandmaster crafts, that's any craft beyond a level 100."

"Where can I buy that!?" Mouthy eagerly looked around.

I snorted. "It's something only the game designers have. Mom comes from old money and was the pivotal people of Jelly Brains Incorporated. There are only 42 wielders of the God Mod and they can't be bought by others."

Mouthy nodded, not really caring. "It's neat one of the original programmers adopted you." He clearly said that just to be polite... honestly that made me like him even more. Most kids, when I tell them my mom has a God Mod, freak out. Some even stop hanging out with me for fear my mom might ban them for the fun of it or something stupid like that. But Smart Mouth could honestly care less. 

"Check this out!" Smart Mouth grinned as he saw a Augment he liked. He eagerly scampered over to it.

I quickly followed. "Bone manipulation?" I read the plaque and watched the mannequin grow weapons, armor, and shields from it's body. It even shot out bone shards as projectiles, and channel magic into the shards to make them explode on impact or poison an opponent. It could even create bone shard grenades by doing this. Pretty cool Augment actually. It worked a bit like on one of Smart Mouth's favorite powers in MLG... still... "It's kinda expensive," I frowned. It was an Expert level Augment.

"Not really." He looked at the 50 million credit price tag and didn't bat an eye. He pushed the "Buy Now" button instead of "Credit". There was a cash register sound and a notification popped up from his profile to equip now.

My mouth dried as I gulped, but he wasn't done yet. He still had one more Augment slot to fill. He causally walked over to "Healing Factor" and bought it without hesitation. Way faster than I could stop him.

My mouth dropped. "That cost a billion credits!" I hissed. "Just how much money do you have on you?"

"A few billion." He shrugged. "Nothing major."

I stares angrily whispering at him, "YOU CAN'T CARRY THAT MUCH MONEY AS A NEWB!!! You realize how big a target that makes you!?" I continued to whisper, right into his ear.

"How else could anyone afford this stuff?" He wasn't talking quiet at all!

"You buy it on Credit! That way it subtracts directly from your hub vault without having to carry that much on you!" My whispers were getting a little too loud, beyond my control. "You do realize most people are lucky to get a thousand subscribers! They don't have the weekly checks you get! It might be pocket change to you but it makes you a target for criminals! Gee wiz, this city is crawling with Team Rocket members and they have eyes EVERYWHERE!!!"

The boy frowned at me and looked back at the Augment he just purchased. "Says it will restore my Health, Stamina, and Magicka every second."

"BASED ON YOUR LEVEL!!!" I full out snapped at his stupidity "Right now that is one point of health a second but most enemies do a few dozen points with each hit! The higher level players can do damage into the hundreds with one blow!!! You get it! THERE ARE A LOT OF PLAYERS WHO CAN ONE HIT KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!!!

"You're a level ONE, for crying out loud! If they find out what you got we are both DEAD!!! AND I HAVE A THOUSAND YEARS OF EXPERIENCE GATHERED!!! I DO NOT want to zero out and start from scratch AGAIN!!! NOT because some crazy Hermit decided to flaunt his wealth as a level 1!" After I finished my angry rant... I realized Smart Mouth's eyes were misted over... and tears were leaking out.

He quickly wiped his eyes. "S-sorry, my profile is just set so I cry easy. I'm okay, honest." He sniffed.

I wanted to take his word on that but with how that cry adjustment worked he had to be legitimately upset for tears to be triggered. He might not be upset enough to normally cry, but he still had to be pretty upset.

I sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped like that but we are in a lot of danger here. If your AI really won't let you go back to your hub then we need to get out of this city and fast."

"But I don't have a Pokemon yet!"

"Priorities, man." I rolled my eyes. This guy just wasn't getting how much trouble we were in.

The boy blushed, but nodded his understanding. I quickly guided him outside.

We continued to sneak around, with Mouthy's skill quickly leveling up given people were actively searching for us... which honestly had me really worried. Someone in the shop must have already told Team Rocket what they overheard.

I had to cast an Invisibility spell to hide us from them as we crossed the street. Unfortunately the Telie Booths were being surrounded, likely to keep us here. We couldn't get out that way. So I lead us into a store and sighed with relief once we were safe inside. No violence could happen in any building that didn't directly specify otherwise. There were safety protocols preventing it.

I dispelled my spell and Mouthy quickly began looking around the shop for something. "Is there a PC here?"

I groaned. "We can't get you a Pokemon right now."

Mouthy glared at me. "I have several max level modded creatures from my game. I might not be much help but they should be able to defend us."

I blinked, not having thought of that. Mons would indeed be very helpful here. Plus they couldn't die, just get knocked out. If we died they would just be reuploaded to the cloud. Unfortunately, "The only place with a PC is the Pokemon Center. There is one at every entrance of town, and one near the gym. Bad news is, it would take us an hour to run over to even the closest one. No way we wouldn't be seen in that time."

Mouthy slumped.

"It was a good idea," I assured him. "Just make sure you don't leave without your Mon next time." I was about to pull up my profile to get my Mon, but got distracted when I heard a voice yell outside... a Voice I recognized... a voice I still have nightmares about.

"Smart Mouth!" It was an echoey, innocent and childlike yet with a haunting hollow edge.

I shivered and snuck over to the window. Thankfully I was too small for them to see me. I hesitantly floated up just enough to see what was out there. The streets were empty, save for dozens of Team Rocket members. Well most of them were humans, likely for the extra Augments, a lot of them were Pokemon anthros.

I gulped seeing more and more of them pile in. They were checking each Shop and soon they would get to ours. 

I pulled out my Dragon Ball Z scouter from my profile and quickly put it on. The green eye displayed everyone's levels, health, stamina, and magicka over their heads... I gulped as at least 10 of these guys were over level 2000. They sent their freaking lieutenants after us!!! My mouth went dry as I tried to think how we could escape.

One Rocket member was dressed in a dark business suit, with a red 'R' over his left pec. The attire of a Team Rocket general. One who often showed up in my nightmares. He looked humanoid, but with the head of a gastly. His skin tone was blacker then the night sky while radiating the same purple fog as his head. His fingers boney and claw like. The most horrifying thing? He was a kid. His Avatar was only 10. He had grown up since I last saw him, in more ways then one.

According to my scanner he was now over level 9000. He must have never zeroed out in his entire virtual life. Certainly not since the last time we meet.

It was "The Haunted Child". Why would they send Giovanni's right hand out after a newb? Why would they send even half this many players!... unless... he wasn't who they were after.

"Come on out, Smart Mouth." The Haunter Child's creepily innocent voice echoed across the city block. He must be using an amplifier spell so everyone could hear him. Normally I would call that a waste of Magicka but with his sheer levels it wouldn't make a difference... how could we possibly get past this guy? "We promise we won't hurt you. We'll even let you keep your credits, and then add a few grandmaster items on top of your impressive collection. Just give us Pink Pearl and we'll call it a day."

My eyes widened. I hadn't even considered that they would know who I am on sight! I really had kept this Avatar too long... SHIT!!! I was talking about my mom having a God Mod in a Team Rocket controlled city!!! And I got mad at Smart Mouth for being an idiot. They probably hoped to ransom me for the Mod!... like they tried before... The only way I was able to escape back then was by killing myself after a few weeks in their care.

I looked behind me, to see the calculating look Mouthy was giving me. I gulped. Would he really sell me out to protect his credits. What I knew about him on his show suggested he had more honor then that... but how much of that was an act? How much was just a result of him being immortal in his game... Before I knew it he laid his hands one me. 

I couldn't even react as he spat out, "Teleport: Home." Then quickly took his paw off me.

I turned into pixels and light. 

The next thing I knew I was back at my Cyber Dad's house in the Crystal Empire. It took me a moment to realize this was the place I listed in my profile as "Home".

I looked down at my chest, where Mouthy had touched me, to see a Star Trek style personal Transporter pinned to my shirt. Most players just call them "Recall Disks"... how a level one even had this I couldn't fathomed... it only worked for one player, probably why he didn't try to use it in the shop... I doubt he had another.

"PEARL!!!" I heard dad yell from behind me, "Did you use a recall disk to try to sneak into the house! I've know you weren't here for the last few hours! Where were!-" he instantly stopped as I jumped into his arms started to cry.

"He doesn't know!" I wailed. "They'll do far worse then kill him!!!"

###

● POV: Smart Mouth

However curious I was about why these guys were after Pearl, and apparently NOT my money, that could wait... I had an army of bad guys to best.

I might be a level one, but the stuff I accumulated over the millenniums from my games was the best stuff throughout the entirety of Earth's media.

I creaked open the door and released the cybermats from my inventory. They were just VIs controlled by my personal AI. Digit would know what I wanted him to do. While the Cybermats were busy preparing my plan I looked up my Infinity Gauntlet. I growled in irritation as I read on my profile how it only works in its native Dimension, meaning I can't use it outside MLG. Same with the Dragon Balls... but the Chaos Emeralds still worked. It was just a limited time boost of invincibility, or I could use one to a freeze time, or even send out auto hit instant kill energy spears. I put those on my favorites list for easy access. Then put on my teleportation belt. I used it to bring me over to the roof top across from me. Taking out my modded Covenant sniper Rifle. I had blended it with a Covenant Needler that way the bullets explode a few seconds after impacted, it would destroy the Avatar after death so that no one could revive them. It was even enchanted to do magical damage on impact so it should be able to affect even a ghost Avatar.

I aimed it at the leader's head.

One of the Cybermats self destructed, causing a massive explosion to the east. Which, as planned, got all the bad guys to look that way. In that moment of surprise, I pulled the trigger. No matter how good you are, nothing can survive a shot to the brain stem. 

The Gastly boy limply fall to the floor, but before anyone could get to him he exploded into pixelated flakes, thanks to my needler bullet. A few achievements notifications went off as well as my experience bar jumping up and demanding I level up, but I didn't have time to deal with either of those things. If anything the celebratory noises gave my position away and the bad guys immediately started firing towards my rooftop. 

I quickly ducked down behind the roof's ledge.

I know if I die now I'll lose all that easily won experience... not to mention all my stuff. I had literally everything on me (outside generic gear, my outfits, and the credits in my vault). What was on me was everything important. All my gear I accumulated in MLG. I couldn't just rebuy any of it as they were won in the game. Unfortunately I had no way out. My teleportation belt could only take me within a 100 meters of where I could see. It was a combat aid, not an escape plan. 

I activated one of my Chaos Emeralds to freeze time. Then got up and teleported away. While time was still frozen, I activated the 6 others and sent instint kill Chaos Spears to all the strongest players. While still frozen I got a few more head shots on the others remaining players over level 1000. The moment time started moving again I teleport to a different rooftop and stayed low.

The grunts began to panic as all their best agents went down in one move... I had hoped they would run... but instead they called in for reinforcements... more high level players poured into the streets from the booths.

More explosions went off, and I was able to get up long enough to teleport a few roof tops away and duck again. The Cybermats' explosions were just a distraction, as there was nothing my level one bombs could really do to hurt these guys. I had to rely on kill shots without them realizing the bombs weren't a threat. I got a few more shots off, killing a few more players dressed in Team Rocket uniforms.

I figured out quickly that all the higher level players were dressed white, like Jessie and James from the anime. Well all the lower level players wore the traditional uniform.

They were wearing Halo style body shields but an exact enough kill shot could get through even that. Looking through my scope at them running around, trying to figure out what to do, I pulled the trigger. Again and again, watching them go down. Everytime I squeezed off a shot I teleported somewhere else and aimed for another. I had always been good at snipper games and after ten thousand years I had gotten GOOD at my favorite form of attack. Sniping, sneaking, and explosions was where my talents lay. All the bonus powers were just computer controlled fluff I enjoyed... but I got to admit... I missed them right about now.

The Team Rocket members were finally able to get their own Pokemon on the field... which seemed immune to kill shots, as my bullets barely phased them. To make matters worse some of their Pokemon were legendaries!!! Maxed level legendaries!!!

I gulped and, admittedly, began to panic a bit. I quickly downed an invisibility potion, just as the last of the Cybermats exploded to cause one final distraction. I teleported to the ground. They were all looking for me on the rooftops so I thought it be safe to sneak into a booth and get out of here... It wasn't...

I forgot about skills like "perception" giving players in the main server the ability to make out invisibility spells. One of the lieutenants grabbed hold of me as I tried to sneak past her.

My invisibility immediately fell.

She looked at me, just stared for a moment as I panted and kicked all four of my legs. She just continued to hold me by the scarf of my neck.

"You got to be shitting me." She sneered. "You're what's been giving us so much trouble? What took out The Haunted Child?" I assumed that was the level one billion or whatever. "YOU!?" She seemed near offended. "A level one FOAL!!!"

It probably didn't help I had my binky in my mouth. It helped keep me steady as I aimed my shots. I gloated, with the binky still in my mouth. "No need to rely on digital skills when you got actual ones."

She immediately punched me in my gut and my health immediately dropped to less then a quarter. The trauma caused me to spit out my binky and... soil my padding.

"Careful Rose Sprout," advised a humanoid Vaporeon grunt. "If you accidentally kill him we get nothing. You see the gear he had? We can still get something out of this."

She rolled her eyes. "We might be based on a super villain team but we are smarter then that." She glared. "After he took out Child, the sheer level of experience he stole is worth thousands of levels!!! We can't give him the opportunity to level up with that." With that... she broke my neck...

###

I groaned as I opened my eyes and found myself somewhere else... again... looking around I realised I was on my respawn pad in my map room. I must have died. It took a moment for that thought to sink in.

Now panicking, I quickly checked my profile inventory... only to find it completely empty. Everything was gone. My teleportation belt, my Cybermats, my Chaos Emeralds, my infinity Gauntlet... everything...  Next thing I knew my stupid Avatar started wailing uncontrollably. Within moments I found myself in Digit's robotic arms, being rocked me back and forth as he made soft "Shhhhhhhhh" sounds at me.

###

● POV: Hot Ice Harlot.

I got there just in time... to see them kill the foal... the one that undoubtedly had saved my son from being kidnapped for ransom. Probably would have tortured him to get back at me before killing him after they got what they wanted. Resetting his character being their way of returning him to me... they've done it before, back before they wanted the God Mod. Back when they were still only playing a game. They had been terrorizing my children for too long... I refused to allow it anymore.

I bared my teeth as my body burst into flames from anger. It was my favorite ability of the Kirin.

What was left of Team Rocket stared down at me... with absolute fear in their eyes.

"YOUR DEATHS WON'T BE AS QUICK!!!" I raged. "ACTIVE: GOD MOD!" 

Team Rocket immediately started running. Some did the smarter thing and tried to log out of the server... But I wouldn't let them. God Mod gave me near total control of the main server... they spent hours begging for mercy before I finally killed them. Then banned them from the main server for a year.

###

● POV: Smart Mouth

"Our top story today," the anchor woman said on the news. She had a gorgeous android Avatar. The AIs that ran the main news channel really were something. There were lines on her face and joints but beyond that she looked human, if a tad plastic.

There was obviously other news shows, on various players' Profiles, but I liked the AIs as they presented the facts and didn't give their opinions.

I had manged to stop crying an hour ago and was no curled up on the couch next to Digit. We were just watching the news as I lay partially on the couch and partially on Digit's lap as he pet me. I was busy munching on rockie road ice cream for comfort.

"War breaks out on Pokken. Which resulted in over half of the organized crime group, known as Team Rocket, being forced to respawn, well the other half was banned from the server entirely for no less then a year, with no chance of repeal."

I blinked, wondering just what could do that. The AIs rarely banned people and especially not for so long. It resulted in the players becoming less active and producing less power. Not to mention it was down right cruel was what it was! They were trapped in their hub for an entire year! Not even able to play the MMOs or solo programs. I would go crazy.

"Reports indicate this is a result of Queen Hot Ice Harlot activating her 'God Mod' authority. As a result of Team Rocket once again trying to kidnap her Cyber Son, Prince Pink Pearl. After speaking with the leader of Time Rocket, he confessed that they had hoped to use the ransom to finally gain control of the God Mod. However he has no plans to act against Hot Ice Harlot again as it has proven too costly. He promises to stick to black market trading and not attempt a heist of this scale again for some time.

"As most of you know, Team Rocket started as a computer created guild meant to make 'poaching Pokemon' a more fun pastime for willing players. However they moved into the selling of all stolen property shortly after the Mars Colonists took over their guild. While using our own Mars as a safe heaven, Team Rocket has been able to expand their guild to every world in the Main Server and many of the MMOs as well. They are one of the Primary 'Crime Families' in the server. However the Central AI would like me to remind everyone that robbing other players and operating Black Markets was an original feature of the game. If players want them stopped, it is up to hero guilds to stop them. As was originally designed. While the central AI condemns the killing and kidnapping of other players, especially the threatening to do so if they don't transfer ownership of certain items and credits, these are core features of the Main Server. It was designed to make players think more critically in order produce more power."

Digit sneered. "It always comes back to power." But obviously the news woman couldn't hear him.

She continued, "Team Rocket has tried numerous times to steal the God Mods from the various creators of the game. As a result they have had numerous run ins with Queen Harlot over the millenniums, but she has rarely retaliated to this extreme.

"Her kirin rage appears to have been triggered after witnessing the death of one Smart Mouth. The creator of the crossover universe 'My Little Galaxy', who's MMO is scheduled to air in 3 months."

Well... wasn't that good advertising... kinda made all the trillions I spent one ads a waste though.

"He was seen playing with the young prince and ditching school before they were discovered by Team Rocket. Smart Mouth sacrificed his life to get the prince to safety. Using his only personal transporter to teleport the prince back home. Then trying to fight his way to safety. While only having a level one Avatar, he had trillions of credits worth in weapons and equipment, from his game, on his Avatar. While these items were able to prolong his life, he wasn't able to compete with the hoard of high level players. 

"He was able to get approximately 94 kill shots, just under the 100 kill shots achievement. Including such a hit against player 'The Haunted Child' who we were denied an interview with by his Cyber Father, Giovanni Prime. As is customary in guilds, The Haunted Child lost his rank as a result of his death. If he is planning retribution, for his record of 9954 years without being forced to respawn, being ended it is unclear. However Giovanni Prime assures us that he will not permit the boy to retaliate for this incidence."

I blinked as I got a notification. Pulling up my profile I gaped. "I just gained a 10 billion followers!!! And it's still going up!!!"

Digit snorted. "Of course, you just saved their prince. The sheep are showing their gratitude."

I frowned looking at the number go up before my eyes. "I didn't know he was a prince... how does that even work in here? I thought AIs made all government decisions."

"It is more an honorary title," Digit explained. "It means he was adopted by one of the key programmers of our digital world. They gave themselves the 'God Mod' to allow them to act as administers to keep order. Like in chat groups. In their case it gives then infinite health, stamina, and magic. As well as a 1000 in all skills with max perk ranks. They even have matrix style control of the environment and other players. The God Mod isn't even an augment. It's a mod attached to the player so they can't lose it even if they die. As a result they must manually activate it to use it and it only works for a few minutes at a time, based on level.

"They can choose to give it to another player, but in ten thousand years that has never happened. They were given the title of 'King' or 'Queen' by the people. Truthfully they are more Figure Heads. They have some control over the servers but not to the extent of a Operations AI."

I looked at him, trying my best not to zone out as I understood this was important. But really who cares. It's not like administers don't exist in other games before I got all Jelly Brained... still, "How come I never heard of this?"

"Because they tend to stay in the Main Server, in order to police it. They do leave it from time to time, but on shifts. Even then, what are the odds of running into 42 people out of 50 billion? Rarely have their exploits shown up on the official news, but I requested it this time."

"How come?" I asked.

"I thought it might make things eaiser if you saw how much people appreciated the good you did." Digit sighed. "And I thought it might soften the blow... I'm afraid I have some bad news about your MMO."

I stiffened and instantly sat up.

Digit tried to find the words, "You have been severally under performing, barely producing any energy that wasn't needed to operate your own systems... and largely that is my fault. I allowed you to work yourself to death on MLG until you burned yourself out. That is why your energy output is so low. You are exhausted and having an artistic block. I haven't been able to get you to care about anything for months. I thought, if you had a MMO, where you didn't have to come up with the ideas but still live through them... I thought it might inspire you to create more... get your brain more active and thereby produce more energy... but it just caused you to stagnate. Now you are clinging to 'the good old days' well refusing to move forward...

"Well, now we aren't giving you a choice anymore. Look what you did. You took out numerous players that were far greater level then you. You did it by out thinking them. By relying on your raw talents and outwitting your opponents. You did it because of how clever you are. And by putting your mind to such a task you produced more energy in an hour then you have in the past 3 months... it made us realize, your problem is that you have been playing the same game for too long. You are too comfortable in your game, using the same abilities you have all your virtual life... you need new stimuli... and the only way to do that...

"We are not cruel. I will not cut you off from all your AI friends in MLG. I actually have a plan around that... but you will be starting a new game. You will make a new character with any Divine Class you want, that way it will better fit with the backstory I'm design-"

"THEY CAN'T DO THAT!!!" I screamed. "Is bad enough I lost all my stuff! Now they want to erase my entire history to!!!"

Digit looked at me, a far too long moment. "It wasn't their decision..." he hesitantly admitted.

I looked at him a moment, pure shock coursing through me. Then I got up and ran out of there. My eyes filled with tears. My brain screamed and burned as I ran... but I didn't get far... the shock was too much... all went black...

###

I woke up in my hub bedroom an hour later, just laying in my bed with my covers drawn. It took me a moment to realize I must have passed out. After getting over the shock of having my in game 'Sona permanently murdered... I got pissed. Seriously how could he just do something like that so casually!!! I had been playing as Smart Mouth for over ten thousand years and he just briefly mentions "Oh by the way I'm deleting everything meaningful you have ever done with your life". Seriously!!! Just like that!!!

After a few hours in an angry haze I realized that wasn't doing me any good. I needed to come up with a plan. Maybe I could convince him not to go through with it. I did have such a severe panic attack, at the mere thought of him deleting my 'Sona, that I literally passed out. Maybe I could persuade Digit not to go through with it... I spent a week coming up with plans and trying to implement them. All were failures before I realized none of them could ever work and I was effectively giving him exactly what he wanted. I was thinking hard on this.

When I started moping and refusing to get out of bed the next day was when I realized I was going through the 5 stages of grief... which seemed a little crazy given it was just a game... but I had lived in that world for so long. It had consumed so much of my life... and it was over... I had wanted to stay in the "Depression" stage for the next 5 billion years if I could...

###

After wallowing in bed for a few 24 hours I got a call the next morning from Pearl's dad. I had actually forgotten all about them. Part of me was glad the man hadn't called sooner, as I probably would have bitten his head off. That would have most certainly lost me my new friend, which I seriously don't think I could take now that all my old friends were gone...

Did they delete them? Like during the massacre? Or would they still exist but not know me... I didn't know which was worse.

I shook my head and tried to focus on what I was doing. I was a little nervous when Pearl's dad asked to come over so we could talk... and by that I mean I was completely terrified. My mind raced through all the ways this could go wrong. Which I'm sure made Digit very happy!

Thankfully Frozen Flare didn't keep me waiting long. Moments after I agreed to let him come over he came through the invite room. Now he was sitting in my favorite chair in my lounge as I got him a cup of tea from the food dispenser.

Food and drinks were completely meaningless but they tasted good. The ones I had in my Replicator were completely free to boot.

"You only have the base food package." He observed as I brought him his tea.

"I got some other stuff from programs I play in, but pretty much." I shrugged. I didn't know you could get more options until my trip into town with Pearl."

I thought your hub food dispenser could only make the stuff from the generic food package. That you could only add new stuff to it by cooking it yourself or buying it in a VGP or VGP MMO. Such things were automatically saved to your hub's food dispenser and you had to actively delete what you didn't like yourself.

Mr. Flare nodded his head as he sipped at his generic tea. I don't really like tea so I never got any new flavors. Instead I had fruit punch.

"Would you sit please," he didn't really ask but it was a nice imitation of a request.

I did as I was told and he got down to business. "I understand you have been living in a game through your private server. I'm curious what finally got you out of it."

"I... I ran out of ideas." I blushed. "Kinda didn't have a choice but to request the AIs turn it into an MMO and come up with new adventures themselves," they royally screwed me on that though.

Flare nodded. "You realize, with it being an MMO, you have lost creative freedom with it." My heart clenched at his careless reminder. "Other players will be allowed to interact with your world and it will grow and change based on how they want, not yourself."

I brushed it off. I had been crying all day yesterday. I was kinda cried out. "I don't live in my world because I hate players. I just... I thought up this crossover universe long before Earth died and I wanted to be able to live in it once we all got installed. I'm glad other people like it as a TV show. It was never really popular as a Fan fiction,"

He nodded. "You have to understand my concerns. Hermits, people who spend most of their time in single player games rather than the main server or even MMOs, tend to be very antisocial to other players."

"It wasn't like I was completely cut off from them. I still visited my family's hubs and they come to mine occasionally. I have to come back to my hub every other week to edit my recording and when I wasn’t working on it, I was visiting my family, and my friends. I just didn't follow them into the Main Server because I hate perma-death games."

Flare gave a slight nod, but still looked concerned. "From what I have heard, through interviews with your family, it has been a few hundred years since you last visited them." 

I rolled my eyes. "It's not like I ever thought those programs were real. They never complained to me about it." I shrugged.

Flare sighed. "You don't think they are concerned with you spending the vast majority of your time in a fantasy world with artificial friends?"

I stiffened. "AIs are real people!"

"Yes they are, but these ones are programmed to love you. That's what makes it artificial. Nothing in that world is real. There is no genuine life threatening situations, no meaning to the epic adventures, and most importantly no affect on the real world. Even the friends you have in the game were programmed to be your friends."

I remained stiff, not knowing how to process what he was telling me. I mean, I understand on an intellectual level that the AIs aren't really my friends because they were just programmed to be but we had been through so much together. 10000 years worth of adventures. That meant something, regardless what their base programming might say.

"You seem very defensive for someone who knows this," Flare observed. "I have caught my share of your show. I would have to with how much Pearl loves it. It is very obvious, and more than likely the very reason it is so popular, you have forgotten it's a game. You treat everything with the utmost importance, and while you crack many jokes none of them use meta humor. You actually refuse to publish anything with your family because they constantly refer to things that happened in the real world instead of your game. You clearly feel it each time one of your digital friends gets hurt and are visibly horrified each time they die despite it being a simple 'spell' to resurrect them. 

"You started playing that game with a child avatar and grew up in that world. In your earliest interviews, back when you still did those, you talk about how the beginning is based on a more fantastical version of the childhood you wish you had and it being a type of therapy for you. Whatever your intentions you must realize how confused you have become. 

"The Main Server is as close to a real society as we can get in this digital box. You can vote and even interact with people who can't be programmed to like you. There is where people actually live their lives, but this has become the game for you. Fact of the matter is we don't matter to you. The characters you created mean more to you then my son ever could."

I felt a knot in my throat and had to swallow it before I could speak. "Just because I care about my world, doesn't mean players are meaningless to me. I get your son is a real person, I just acknowledge that AIs are people to."

"That isn't the issue," Frozen Flare insisted. "The issue is you think the game world you created is more important than the Main Server, and I don't want my son to interact with someone that mentally unstable."

I hung my head. "I understand."

"I don't think you do," said Flare as he pulled a business card out of his pocket, "I don't want to seem ungrateful for what you did for my son. I would be thrilled if he had a friend like you. But I need to know you are willing to get help for your issues." He handed me the card. "There is a support group. They will help teach you the difference between acknowledging the AIs' sentience and forgetting the world itself isn't real. If you promise to attend these meetings, I'll let you play with my son."

I hesitantly took the card. It linked the address of the support group and listed the time they meet, a couple hours from now actually, "None of this is real," I looked up at him, "Not my game and not the main server, does it matter which I choose to live in?"

"You should be living in both," Flare informed. "I saw on your profile that you haven't even been to the main server once before you met my son. In ten thousand years you haven't left your own little bubble... I doubt your organic family approves of your lifestyle either."

I blinked, "Organic?"

"Your biological relatives," He explained. 

I looked down at the card. "They don't." I sighed.

"I also saw in your hardware you have a Mental Regulator chip."

"THAT is working fine!" I insisted. "Digit checks it regularly."

"Your Personal AI?" He eyed and I quickly nodded. He nodded back and went on. "Still, the fact you need such a chip means you are prone to obsessing about things and have a natural difficulty telling what is real and what is not. That is already difficult in this world. You might not realize this but I am trying to help you."

I looked back at the card, studying it a moment. "I know you are." I sighed as I examined the card.

He gave a formal nod. "The support group meets every work day, while the other kids are at school. I realize the fact it is held during school hours won't really matter to you as that is a level of socializing we both know you aren't ready for. My wife has suggested we take turns bringing you to the group in the morning. After which we will bring you to our house and you can play with Pearl. If you want to spend the night, bedtime is at 8..."

He seemed to struggle as he thought how to phrase the next part. "Despite your troubles with gaming, my wife and I would very much like to be your caretakers. According to your profile, you have a lot in common with both our sons and... well my wife and I would like to try being your caretakers. As such we would expect you to behave well you are with us. If we decide you are misbehaving, and need to be punished, you will not run away or throw a tantrum. You will do as you are told and accept however we see fit to punish you. That could mean opening your mouth to get it scrubbed with soap, or pulled over one of our laps for a spanking. We understand each other?"

I gulped, as nerve racking as that was... it was also kinda a dream come true. Maybe I should have come to the Main Server a while ago. "Yes sir."

"Good boy." The Kirin nodded. "We will talk about it in more detail with my wife later today."

Although I was excited, fact of the matter was I wasn't quite prepared for what was waiting for me.