● "Re-Bottled Sodaroo" VGP:
• Pov;
Username: Sunny D.
Real Name: Sunny Dilbert.
Nickname: D.

I gulped, standing before the main character of the original series, and my hero, the great Pocari Roo.

Mind you, I knew she wasn't the real thing. Hell, she wasn't even an AI... yet. She was just a virtual Intelligence puppet, Controlled by my Hub Computer. Even so... I couldn't help being a little intimidated.

This was the original creator of the Sodaroo Lore. It used to be, Sodaroo were just random kangaroos, based on beverages. The actual Pocari, created us our Lore, decades before the Oasis was even brought online. She was one of the kinder pop-u-furs, that made YouTube videos. 

She had posted our "holy script", (and no, Sodaroo's are not that weird. We just think it's funny to call it that.) As some random video, that SHOULD have been the 100th episode, given it's importance to Sodaroo culture, and how close to that episode she was. But Eh, not like the original creator knew what she was making.

Some millionaire Sodaroo, got a licensing agreement from Pocari, to make a short Anime, based on her lore... which turned into a 400 episode epic. Not only due to it's popularity, but because beverage companies kept buying advertising space, to get Sodaroos made as reoccurring, or even minor characters.

Pocari Roo was the Sodaroo, that made us a respected community, within the Fandom. Ah hell, Re-Bottled Sodaroo had become such a popular Shounen. It was regarded as highly as Naruto, or even Dragon Ball Z.

And here I was... in front of her... even if it wasn't really her... errr, him. Pocari, the character, was a boy. It was the creator, that was a girl. Need to keep that straight.

"Don't worry kid." Pocari smiled at me. "I've been to the wastelands lots of times. You promise to have my back, and I'll have yours."

I gulped, looking straight at him, and declaring, with every fiber of my soul. "I promise."

### • 

We left for the wastelands later that night. Making the grueling journey by bouncing through the roads. We Sodaroo were built for such long distance journeys... Although I could feel my stamina already draining.

Starting a new game, I might as well have zeroed out. All my stats were back at level one. Probably due to the old game mechanics not translating to the new gen.

Pocari eyed me, knowingly. "Maybe you should sleep bounce, we'll make sure you stick with us."

I was blushing, feeling like such a newb, which wasn't helped by-

One of the other scavengers scoffing. Jack Daniels, a Sodaroo based on... well Jack Daniels, the Whisky. 

Sodaroo named their first born after their family drink. Then the first born was expected to join an exhibition team, to uncover more lost relics. There was no rule they had to join, it was just expected. With the first borns being trained from birth to survive the wastelands. Other roos could, of course, join, but First Borns held an advantage.

He was colored in dark browns, a black underbelly, and a touch of white. He looked gruff, like an older cowboy. Hat and all... what can I say, Re-Bottled wasn't known for it's subtlety.... he even had a beard of white stubble.

"Ah told ya we'd end up babysitting da boy," Jack grumbled.

Simply Orange growled. "His tutors assure me he's ready. He'll pull his own weight."

"He's already slowing us down!" growled Jack Daniels. "If the kid needs to enter a bouncing trance ALREADY, we'll have to slow our speed to 30 miles an hour, just for him to keep up. It will take us a week to get there, if we have to slow down that much!"

"I can keep going," I... kinda lied... I was already pushing myself past my limit.

"Dilbert," Simply warned, making me blush, and getting some of the less serious members of the team to snicker, realizing my parents actually chose to make my "D" stand for something.

I sighed, "You realize I'm 19, right?" which was the age of my Avatar... I actually was in my early 30's. Which was kinda the knew 19. Given that's the new modern age of adulthood.

"I don't care if you're a hundred and nineteen," Glared Simply. "I'm your elder, so I'm in charge of you. If you want to join us on our next expedition, you better not give me lip again. If you expect to survive, you need to obey, without question. I can't pause to explain my orders when we're running for our lives. And we certainly don't need an exhausted kid with us, well fleeing monsters. You won't have much time to sleep, so you should rest as much as you can now." 

She was taking the time to explain that much... and I couldn't help but blush. I KNEW that. I wasn't preforming at the same level as the previous Oasis, so I NEEDED to conserve my energy.

"Now will you do as your told, and enter a trance?"

My face was bright red. I was used to being the one making such speeches, to newer Sodaroo's. Part of me was pissed... but most of me felt like a newb that just got a dressing down.

"Yes Ma'am," I acknowledged, closing my eyes.

Focusing my mind, I activated one of my racial powers. My "Trance Bounce" was only at the first rank, so my speed would greatly slow, and I wasn't as aware of my surroundings as I was used to.

Currently, in this state, I needed a troop to follow. Although I would do so instinctively. I was kinda awake, but mostly asleep. Sorta like daydreaming while walking. I crawled inside my head, but my body still did what it needed to.

In this state, my stats would slowly restore. As it counted as a long rest, while still moving.

My partially lucid mind, wandered back to how I got here.

###

● After Installation:

I stood in my private Hub Computer, within my Hub Bunker.

I just shrugged at my new AI. 

I hadn't selected her a body, yet. So she appeared in her default setting of an NS-5 robot, from the Will Smith movie, I-Robot. I kinda dug it. Especially how her metallic parts were pink and gold. She even came with the robot name, "Siri". I think I might keep that, to. I never claimed, not to be a nerd.

"I'm not really into Sims." I informed.

"Early access players, are being encouraged to get as many Townsfolk, as they can," Siri informed.

I frowned, "That wasn't part of the deal."

"It's not mandatory," She assured.

"Good," I turned to the map, about to switch it to the Oasis. Instead of the pointless map of my empty hub world... then... Siri got my attention.

"Regrettable," She shrugged, "I suppose I downloaded Re-Bottled Sodaroos, for nothing."

I paused, looking back at her. "Subtle," I snarked.

"I thought you'd like that," She smiled.

I was tempted to just go to the Furry Star System, anyway. But I gotta admit, I was intrigued.

"What IS it, exactly?" I demanded. Not bothering with niceties, with an AI. I knew they were legally classified as "Sapient", but I got to admit, I still didn't think of them as "People".

She frowned at me, then groaned, "Of course, I'm the one that gets stuck with the bigoted ass."

I blinked, not expecting an AI to react like that. Weren't they supposed to be cheery doormats?

She seemed to become more offended by the minute... her obvious irritation, at my less then kind thoughts... well they seemed to humanize her a bit. I don't really trust happy people. It's easy to fake. But anger, irritation, frustration, those were honest. It was weird seeing a program mimic them so perfectly.

"Mimic," She growled, "Can you stop being an Ass for 5 seconds, and let me do my job!"

I huffed. Though, all too familiar with the frustrations of dealing with "Customers" at work. "Then do your job," I ordered. Although not feeling as much venom as before. This AI was certainly more advanced then others I interacted with.

"Think of it like this," She informed, "A VGP, or Virtual Gaming Program, allows you to physically enter a fictional world, interact with it, and change things depending on what you do."

I blinked, "How's that possible? I mean, I imagine there's limits."

"I'm how that's possible," She sneered at me. "It's basically a game of Dungeons and Dragons, with myself as the Dungeon Master. I make all the adjustments, and try to guide you through the plot, while being open to you trying to break the game.

"Re-Bottled Sodaroo, let's you play as any of the characters. Or an original character, from across the seas or stars. Or an Original Sodaroo, related to one of the main characters."

My eyes buggered out of my head, at that last one. I had written many a shameless self insert, at one particular idea of that.

### • 

The relation I chose, was an easy one. Siri even re-worked the story around it, to include me. I was Simply Orange's cousin, whom she adopted at a young age. Now ready to join her on her trips to the wastelands.

Simply Orange was a girl I wrote a lot of fan fiction about. And no you pervs, nothing sexual. I loved how motherly she was. She even had a daughter, that she left behind on her trips to the Wastelands... but still clearly loved her daughter, and was a great mother.

It reminded me of my own mom, the Soldier. Who I would go months without seeing in person. But she made sure to play with me, every night, in the Oasis. She was the best mom ever.

I lost her, when I was a teenager. So I realize most of my memories are romanticized... but it was true... she was the best mom ever...

She had been one of many soldiers to die, in the early days of scavenging outside the dome. Five tours in a warzone... and it was radiation poisoning that killed her. I still had my dad, and he was great... but I still missed my mom.

Simply Orange reminded me a lot of her. Not just because that's what she would drink, when I was little and enjoying my Sunny D. , But because they had a similar personality, to. They were both tough, and no nonsense. While simultaneously being very affectionate and tender.

I liked writing fics, where Simply was raising me... but I would actually be writing my mom. Her avatar was even Simply Orange... for no other reason then she knew it made me happy.

Siri even had my memories, of my mother, uploaded into Simply Orange's Matrix... as well as the fan fictions I wrote about her.

Part of me... felt like I was disrespecting my mother's memory, by humoring this fantasy. Where another part... was just happy I had my mom back.

### • 

● One Week Later:

"Sunny," I groaned, as I was brought back to the world. Or, at least, the Sodaroo world. Simply was shaking me awake, as we hopped along the road. "We're approaching the Wastelands, we'll be there within the hour. Get your weapons ready. It's not common, but sometimes monsters wander this far out."

I flexed my massive claws. 

Another boy, just a few years older then me, smiled, "You know not many Roos inherit any throwback genes, much less multiple."

Looking at my Webbed feet, and massive claws. I even had a Platypus tail. I was a little shocked the VIs were responding to my Modded Avatar.

Strangely, it was Jack Daniels that swatted the Hawaiian Punch kid, upside his head... so the only reason they hadn't mentioned it before, was because it was rude.

"I think my throw back genes," I began. "Will come in handy."

Simply hopped shoulder to shoulder, with me, and gave me a hug. To which I only blushed. Then she threatened to pull our troop over, so she could knock some sense into Hawaiian Punch, through his bottom 

If the boy had been real, I would have sworn he looked almost thankful, when a giant mutated worm, burst from the ground.