“Question 1/20: What is your favorite season?”
A white dialogue box pierced through the darkness, floating in front of him, waiting eagerly for an answer. Daniel blinked and looked around at the void. Light reflected off of his brown skin and his yellow jacket, as if coming from above. But, when he looked up, there was no spotlight, no sun — just more darkness, aside from the white dialogue box. It floated in front of him, like a computer screen had decided to ditch the monitor.
He smacked his lips. Really? This was the first question of the ultimate personality test? He shrugged and tapped springtime. It rained a lot, sure, but it was never too hot, and it was never too cold. It was perfect jacket weather.
“Question 2/20: How often do you watch television with subtitles on?”
“What the heck?” Daniel said to himself. The questions were supposed to determine the kind of abilities he’d get, weren’t they? What did TV subtitles have to do with anything?
His hand hovered over the choice for turning on subtitles. He always did, even if he could hear the show perfectly fine. But, what would a strong, trained fighter pick? They’d probably pick no subtitles. They probably had hearing so good that they didn’t need subtitles.
He tapped no subtitles, but the box flashed red, splitting the silence with an error notification. “Please answer honestly. Everyone uses subtitles.”
Daniel chuckled. A joke question. He tapped the option for always turning on subtitles.
“Question 3/20: What’s your favorite color?”
Daniel didn’t hesitate to tap yellow. But, every question after that followed the same pattern of being either dumb, or useless. It felt more like taking an online personality quiz in the middle of class out of boredom than a test to determine his level of power. What did his favorite subject in school have to do with anything?
Daniel answered the questions as fast as he could, struggling to stretch his patience throughout all twenty questions. Finally, he made it to the last question.
“Question 20/20: Choose an underrated emoji.”
Daniel didn’t even look at the options before he pressed a random emoji. How could they matter? Maybe he made a mistake, or picked some wrong answer that might give him bad abilities, but he would rather lick a trash bag than do that test again.
“Personality test complete,” the box read. “Beginning scenario simulation. Your life will be threatened. Please resist.”
Daniel drew in a sharp breath. Before he could audibly protest, a seatbelt strapped him to the backseat of a car with a tan leather interior. Sunshine beamed through the windows and through the sunroof.
The car fell.
He screamed at the top of his lungs, gripping the handle on the ceiling. The car hit water with a heavy splash, landing dead in the middle of the ocean. As the car floated in place, a dark shape slithered underneath the crashing waves, circling the car, fin pointing out of the water.
The car couldn’t float forever. Daniel fought to take his seatbelt off as the nose of the car dipped further underneath the surface. He launched from his seat, landing face first against the headrest of the driver’s seat, gripping it tightly. His heart pounded in his chest.
What he thought was a shark circled the sinking car once again, and Daniel peered forward to get a better look. It wasn’t a shark. It wasn’t anything real. A jet black, unrecognizable “fish” moved through the water, leaving a smoky trail in its wake, shooting goosebumps through his skin.
He counted the ways this could end, frightening himself more and more with every scenario. If he opened the window now and tried to swim away, that thing would get a free lunch. But, if he stayed, water would seep into the car, sealing him to a slow death. Or, even worse — it might sink so low that the pressure would crush the metal itself.
His hands quivered, even while they held onto the headrest. But, the late nights alone at home flashed through his mind, bringing along the hours of doubt and the rush of excitement when his parents finally came home.
They probably miss you.
You have to get back.
Daniel clenched his teeth, climbing to the passenger’s seat, checking the glove compartment for anything to break the window or to fight back. A lone yellow screwdriver rested inside.
Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
He could stab the sharp tip into the window to break the glass. But, the thing swimming outside would be a problem. The screwdriver could work as an improvised weapon, but not if he had to fight and swim at the same time. He only had advantage here in the car; the water was the creature’s turf.
Could he get the creature in here and kill it at the same time?
Half of the car was under the water. Sick, gray ocean water pooled below the dashboard, rapidly rising to his level. The creature circled the car, seemingly hesitant to attack. As he stared at the creature through the car window, lightbulbs went off in his brain. The creature looked too big to comfortably fit through the window!
He had to draw its attention. Daniel pulled out his phone, switching to the flashlight. If he got the creature to lunge through the window and get itself stuck, he could take it down and swim out at the same time.
He flickered his flashlight on and off. The creature paused in the water for a moment, as if seeking out the source of light. Within seconds, its “head” locked onto him. It lunged into the car, cratering the door inwards. The creature drew back and rammed into the side of the car once more, and cracks spread through the side window. One more time. Daniel took a deep breath, gripped the screwdriver in his other hand, and flashed his light one last time.
The creature’s head exploded through the window, throwing a wave of glass and rushing water as it wildly snapped at him. Just as he thought, its head was too big to pull out. Holding his breath, Daniel thrust the screwdriver into its smooth, misty head. Smoke billowed from the wound, and the creature let out an alien cry, thrashing furiously. He stabbed again and again, releasing more and more black smoke until the creature vanished in a burst of mist.
With the creature gone, the ocean invited itself into the rest of the car’s interior. Daniel swam through the window and upwards, breaking the surface and taking in the warm, simulated summer air. It actually worked!
After he blinked, though, he was back in the cool black void, perfectly dry, as if it never happened.
Because it never did. Daniel calmed his heart, chuckling to himself. It was just a simulation, a realistic one, at that. There was never a reason to worry. The system wouldn’t have really let him die.
…right?
A white menu box appeared. “Simulation test survived. Good job.”
Daniel smiled. “Thanks,” he said, alone in the black area. Was this the part where he became a powerful fighter due to picking the right answers? Hastened by the excitement, he pressed okay.
“You are now a Joke Fighter. Congratulations, Daniel Chase,” the box said. “Please reference the Self page for more information.”
The joy disappeared as soon as he read it, and he read it a second time to make sure he wasn’t reading it wrong. A joke Fighter? What? Daniel swiped on his wrist menu and navigated to his Self page. Where there used to only be his health, hunger, and stamina, a new array of stats appeared to fill in the blank space.
[https://i.imgur.com/lD6ioDD.png]
Daniel tried to understand it the best he could. High Damage, High Speed, and High “Close-Range”, whatever that meant. Everything else looked like it was low, but he had as many low stats as he did high stats. He felt a bit of hope rising in his chest, fear close behind it. These stats didn’t seem so bad. What made him such a joke?
Below the stats page, a new button had appeared for his Command List. As he was greeted by the only two entries, it all made sense. First was his only super move: Hard Punch. Below that, his only special move.
“COUNTER: Enter indicated pose at the moment an attack lands to nullify the attack and gain a second of invincibility. Works in the air. Works on any attack.”
“That’s it?” Daniel audibly exclaimed, his voice echoing in the darkness. What happened to shooting fireballs, or doing the spinning kick through the air? He could’ve even gotten a badass sword, but after being scared half to death, this was all he got?
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Next to the name of his counter special move, an illustration showed a small figure with his hands at his side. Daniel tapped it, and a new window opened showing him doing the pose. He tried to follow the guide. Chest puffed out, hands in fists at his side — he was leaving himself open, wasn’t he?
That was the point. If he timed it wrong, the pose left him so open that he’d be smacked in the face. But, if he timed it right, nullifying the attack and gaining a second of invincibility could be really useful.
Daniel pressed the X, hiding the demonstration window and closing his menu. When he looked back at the System’s white menu box, a new option appeared. “View demonstration?” the button said.
He pressed it, and two figures appeared a few feet in front of him. One was a white dummy, its skin soft and plushy like a mattress. The other was him. It looked just like him, even down to his messy black dreads — seeing them in the mirror like this made it clear he needed a hat. He tried to walk forward, but the air itself formed a wall, keeping him several feet away from the demonstration.
A new menu box began the explanation. “You are skilled at identifying weaknesses and taking advantage of opportunities. As such, you have been given a Counter that can nullify all attacks with perfect timing,” it said.
Daniel pressed the “next” button. The dummy suddenly sprinted towards the dummy Daniel, lunging in with a punch. Just before his fist drew close, Dummy Daniel hit the counter pose — chest out, fists at his side — and shimmered blue when he should’ve been punched. He took no damage and instantly struck the dummy with a punch of his own.
“‘Counter’ works on Normals,” the box said. “Counter your enemy’s normals and strike while they’re still recovering from their attack.”
Every time Daniel hit next, the system continued demonstrating exactly how his Counter worked. It worked on special moves and even Ultimates, too — Dummy Daniel countered back to back against a massive fireball, taking no damage at all.
But, it showed him the risk, too. Against another Ultimate, Dummy Daniel missed the counter, and the blazing fireball reduced him to dust. Daniel gulped. If it was that easy to screw it up, maybe it wasn’t as amazing as he thought. He shook it off. All he had to do was time it right; how hard could that be?
He pressed the next button, and luckily, Dummy Daniel returned in the blink of an eye.
“‘Hard Punch’ is your Level 1 Super,” the box read. “Empower your fist with Meter and punch with all your strength. Hold your fist back for longer to charge more Meter.”
Next to it, it had an assortment of directional arrows with a punch icon at the end. Daniel struggled to conceive how he’d physically do that, but Dummy Daniel did it in a flash. He pivoted and lunged back and forth, and, when he drew his fist back, blue energy gleamed around his palm. The energy charged up with an intensifying pitch. In a burst of speed, he flew towards the dummy and slammed his fist into its jaw, knocking it far into the infinite darkness.
Daniel gasped. Did that defeat the dummy in one hit? How much Meter did he need to do that? He quickly swiped his menu open and went to his Fighter menu, where it told him it needed at least one bar.
What the heck was Meter, anyway?
“Demonstration over,” the box said. “Please enter your Fighter Alias. Leave it blank to use your real first and last name.”
After a moment of brainstorming, he tapped the empty box and entered his first idea. But, the box flashed red. “‘Counterking’ is already taken. Please choose another Fighter Alias.”
Daniel sighed in frustration and entered his second idea. Chase. He smiled. Rolled right off the tongue, and it was easy to remember.
“Fighter Alias registered,” the box read. “At any time, use your Self menu to change your registered name. However, once you have entered ranked matches, you will no longer be able to change your name. Are you ready to return?”
Daniel rubbed his hands in anticipation. Carmen would go crazy when she saw how powerful his counter could be. His moveset was small, but it was probably better than hers! He imagined the defeated look on her face after he’d beat her in a 1v1, and chuckled to himself. Soon, that would be a reality.
Daniel pressed confirm.
“Returning to the real world…”
The white menu box disappeared, along with the mysterious spotlight, leaving him in a neverending void. He lost track of when he did or didn’t have his eyes open, and soon realized that his eyes were closed. Since when? Daniel opened his eyes, finding himself back in the testing room, sitting at the same white fold-out table. The sky streamed through the windows as brightly and happily as it did before. He checked his phone, and only two minutes had passed.
Daniel gasped. That’s what they meant by time dilation! It felt like he’d been gone for twenty minutes, fighting for his life against the fish and learning his moves, but it had only been two.
Once the proctor noticed he was back, he approached with a smile. “How do you feel?”
“Like a million bucks,” Daniel said, returning a smile.
The proctor laughed. “I understand what you mean. Seeing how excited people are when they finish their test is the best part of my job. What kind of moves did you get?”
“Nothing but a counter and a super move!” Daniel cheered.
“Excuse me?”
“Seriously. Look.” Daniel swiped open his wrist menu and opened his moveset list from the Self tab.
The proctor studied his extremely brief moves list, stroking his chin. “Interesting. I’ve never heard of a moveset this small. The counter must become stronger if you Break your stats.”
“If I what?”
“Oh, yes, that’s what I’m supposed to tell you about,” the proctor said. “Did you notice how you have the same amount of strong stat points as weak stat points?”
Daniel looked at the chart.
[https://i.imgur.com/lD6ioDD.png]
“Every stat you raise sacrifices another in exchange. The system gave you high Speed, high Damage, and high Close-Range potential in exchange for low Health, Combo Potential, and Long-Range capabilities, but you can return to raise and lower those stats even further. You can raise your Damage to a Broken level of Damage in exchange for, say, non-existent Combo Potential, to become a master at one-hit KO's. A few weeks ago, a man exchanged all of his Speed for Long-Range potential. He had to be carried out, but he’s probably an amazing Zoner.”
“He gave up the ability to move? Why would anyone do that?”
The proctor shrugged. “He must’ve loved the zoning fighting style that much.”
Daniel nodded slowly. Sacrificing something to gain more power — a simple concept. “I’ll remember that,” he said.
“Good to know. What is your Fighter name?”
“Chase!” Daniel pointed a thumb at himself.
“Well, Chase, congratulations on becoming an official Fighter. I think your friend will be returning soon.”
A few seconds later, Carmen reappeared in a flash of white, placed in the same seat across the room.
“You may leave from that door when you’re ready. I must help her.”
Daniel rose and pushed in his chair, following the proctor over to Carmen. She spotted Daniel and the proctor approaching, a bright smile on her face.
“How do you feel?” the proctor asked her.
“Great,” Carmen said. “Daniel, you won’t believe the kind of things I can do. I’m a Rushdown Puppet Fighter!”
“A what?”
Carmen laughed. “I’ll show you in training.”
The proctor nodded. “Interesting combination! I haven’t heard of an archetype mix like that. What’s your Fighter name?”
“Eléctrica,” Carmen recited, Mexican accent thick in her tone.
“Amazing. You seem more familiar with the system than your friend. Are you aware of Breaking stats?”
“Making one stat OP in exchange for making another terrible. We just have to come back here to do that, right?”
The proctor clapped. “Then, there’s nothing more I need to tell you. Exit from that door, and you can enter training. Good luck on your journey, you two.”
The proctor went to go help another patron who returned from their simulated test, repeating the same question as he did for them. Daniel and Carmen made their way towards the door.
“What moves did you get?” she whispered.
“You won’t believe it. I got a counter that works on everything!”
“What else?”
“That’s it. I got a super move where I punch really hard, but it’s just those two.”
“That’s it?”
“Don’t worry,” Daniel said, smiling. “It’s better than you think.”
“I’ll find out soon. We have to go into training. Come on.”
They left the testing room to the same hallway as before, passing the chairs where others waited to become Fighters, too. Daniel followed Carmen into the double doors across the hall, greeted by the largest gym he’d ever seen. Fighters! Fighters were everywhere — benching dumbbells thicker than him, sprinting down treadmills, even striking yoga poses on a set of mats.
A line snaked up to a counter right by the door, and they took their place to wait. Daniel looked ahead. Everyone who spoke to the woman behind the counter opened their menu afterward and disappeared in a flash of white. Was this “training” just like the simulated test they survived?
Once they reached the front counter, Carmen asked the woman about opening a training lobby. After a few taps on her own menu, the woman showed them how to join, and Daniel hit the button at the same time as Carmen.
The world plunged into darkness. At this point, his mind was accustomed to the process. Everything would go dark, he’d feel that his eyes were closed, and he’d open them to find himself in a new setting. A blue grid pattern covered the empty training room's black floor and black walls, with inexplicable light shining down from above.
Carmen threw her arms up. “We’re here! I’ve always wanted to see what these are like.”
“Whoa…” Daniel’s head was on a swivel, taking in every identical inch of the wide room. The air was sterile and clean, and he crouched to run a finger along the floor — cold, but smooth, like the world’s best kitchen tile. “This is a training lobby? Why do they bother with the gym if this exists?”
“Because you can’t fire off special moves in a gym. Gyms are for exercise, but here, Fighters can practice combos and stuff alone in a safe place. In our menu, we can change the gravity, spawn dummies, change the terrain, anything!”
“Wow! How about we go train on Mount Everest, then?”
“You mean Mount Apex? No, no. I didn’t say I knew how to change the training room. That’s just what the ads say,” Carmen said.
“Dang. I was looking forward to freezing to death,” Daniel chuckled, adjusting his jacket. “So, am I gonna show you my move list? It might be too long.”
Carmen shook her head. “Don’t tell me. Show me. I challenge you to a casual Fight, Chase!”
Her voice echoed throughout the training room, and a white menu blinked in front of Daniel’s face. “You have been challenged to a casual fight by Eléctrica,” it said. “Accept?”