The hyperloop pod shot through a translucent tube at dizzying speed, carrying Fujimi and his classmates toward the famed Leho City central plaza. Fujimi stared out the window nervously. He still couldn’t believe this strange futuristic world he found himself in. Just this morning, he’d woken up in his normal bedroom back in 2022. Now here he was, over a century later in 2142, riding some kind of magnetically-levitating transit capsule to a city bustling with unfathomable technology.
As the pod began to slow on its approach to the station, Fujimi turned to his friend Takashi sitting beside him. Back in his own time, Takashi had been an athletic kid who loved sports and always wore the latest flashy fashions. Here in 2142, Takashi looked remarkably similar - talking excitedly to their friends about this Reality Sphere gacha prize he hoped to get.
“Dude, with the Reality Sphere you can literally warp reality!” Takashi exclaimed, gesturing dramatically with his hands. “People have used it to turn themselves into mythic creatures, make solid gold appear, even conjure entire castle lairs. It’s the most coveted gacha prize ever!”
Fujimi just nodded vacantly. In truth, he was only half listening, still wrestling with the implications of this unbelievable future he found himself in.
The hyperloop pod glided to a stop at the station and the doors hissed open. Fujimi followed his enthusiastic classmates out onto the platform, which was bustling with people of all ages. Immediately he noticed citizens chatting with glowing AI companions, boarding hovering skateboards, and wearing mind-boggling garments - from programmable nano-suits to shimmering wings on their backs.
Fujimi shook his head in awe, reminding himself this was his new reality now, as crazy as it seemed. Together the group of students descended from the platform and made their way toward the massive Leho City central plaza. As they walked, Takashi filled Fujimi in on where they were headed.
“So this new Reality Sphere gacha is at the Ultra Luck Pavilion in the plaza,” Takashi explained. “It’s made by Munthan Corporation and uses quantum nanotechnology to warp probability.”
Fujimi just nodded as if he understood. In truth, he had no idea what any of those words meant when strung together like that.
As they approached the plaza, Fujimi could see towering holographic billboards above a large central structure shaped like a massive roulette wheel. The billboards flashed slogans like “FORTUNE AWAITS!” and “ALTER YOUR DESTINY!” while displaying images of people winning incredible prizes from the gacha capsules.
The scale of it all made Fujimi’s head spin. Back in his own time, gacha machines were simple devices that dispensed candy or small trinkets. But here, it was like they were the focal point of society - promising untold power and possibilities.
Making their way into the crowded plaza, the group was immersed in the frenetic energy of the place. neon signs blared advertisements as competing mascots tried to usher people toward their company’s machines. Fujimi noticed stalls selling “gacha insurance” to protect your winnings as well as escort bots to safely carry away big prizes.
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Nearby, Fujimi spotted a man wearing levitating shoes and augmented reality glasses. A woman walked past with cat ears and a tail implanted via genetic modification. Outlandish futuristic fashions and transhumanist experiments seemed to be everywhere. Before Fujimi could take it all in, he heard a familiar voice call out.
“Fujimi! Over here!”
Fujimi turned to see three kids from his class waving at him: Miku, Erica, and Akihiko. They looked similar to how he remembered them back in 2022. Miku was a warm, welcoming girl who brought people together. Erica was bookish and intelligent, already drawing up a chart analyzing probability algorithms for different gachas. And Akihiko was energetic and enthusiastic, eyes wide as he took in all the sights and sounds around them.
Fujimi felt relieved to see familiar faces, like anchors tying him to his old reality. The group exchanged excited greetings, marveling at the scale of the pavilion and wondering what incredible prizes awaited.
“The new Reality Sphere gacha is inside,” Miku said, pointing to the giant roulette wheel structure. “I heard only 1 in 1 million capsules contains a Reality Sphere! But that’s why we’re all here - to try our luck!”
The others nodded eagerly, but Fujimi felt his heart sink. He knew his family was never rich, and in this futuristic world that gap seemed wider than ever. As his friends boasted about how many plays they could afford, Fujimi quietly checked his student account balance: 52 credits, barely enough for one try.
Noticing Fujimi’s change in mood, Takashi spoke up. “Here dude, take these.” He handed Fujimi a pack of glossy vouchers. “They’re good for 7 free plays. I got tons of them.”
Fujimi’s eyes lit up. “Takashi, thank you! This is awesome.”
Takashi grinned. “What are friends for? Now you’ve got as good a shot as anyone of getting that Reality Sphere!”
Buoyed by Takashi’s generosity, Fujimi followed the eager students toward the massive roulette wheel structure housing the Reality Sphere gacha. His spirits lifted even more when he noticed a special “Low Income Students Only” entrance with its own queue. Perhaps in this future world, the gap between the rich and people like Fujimi wasn’t completely insurmountable.
Passing through a gleaming antigrav turnstile, the group entered the towering central chamber at the heart of the pavilion. Inside, the booming voice of the Munthan Corp announcer reverberated as the massive roulette wheel whirled, displaying different colored gacha capsules along its circumference. Fujimi stared up at its size, intimidated by the prospect of competing with so many others for prizes.
Looking around, he noticed digital leaderboards flashing names and profiles of recent big winners. A girl cried tears of joy as she hugged an adorable flying pet dragon she had just won. But on the far side, Fujimi saw a dejected man holding worthless talismans, his hopes dashed.
“Better luck next time!” the Munthan announcer roared, while crowd clapped and cheered. Banners hanging all around reminded viewers they could watch live streams of the most extreme gacha unboxings on their holodevices.
Swallowing his nerves, Fujimi steeled himself. There were no guarantees, but he had to try. As he approached the machine’s bank of glowing capsules, he couldn’t help but think back to the simple plastic gumball dispensers of his own time. Back then, gacha was just cheap candy, not the all-powerful arbiter of people’s hopes and dreams that it had evolved into.
Taking a deep breath, Fujimi stepped forward and inserted his student ID into the machine. There was no turning back now. He pressed the start button, and the roulette wheel began to spin.