BEEEP! BEEEP! BEEEP!
The shrill beeping of my phone's alarm and the persistent vibration on the bedside table stirred me from a nightmarish slumber. I had intentionally set the alarm for 3 AM, allowing ample time to freshen up, change into a fresh set of clothes, and catch the Hotel-Airport shuttle by 3:30 AM. As I reluctantly rose to silence the intrusive alarm, a sense of unease washed over me as I reached for my phone. An unexpected message caught my eye among the notifications in my Gmail inbox.
[Jet Jones,
Congratulations!
You have been chosen as a Digi-Destined candidate from Earth 008.
The installation file for converting your smartphone into a Digivice is attached at the end of this email. After installation, you will receive a Digi-Egg bonded to your Tamer I.D number 111401003.
You will become an official Digi-Destined if you raise your Digimon Partner to the Mega-Level in 30 days.
Good luck!]
I stare at the message for several seconds in disbelief.
Are fans of the Digimon franchise dumb enough to click on this obvious scam to hack or steal data?
I clicked the trash button on the right side of the mail and pressed it with my thumb, but the message wouldn't disappear. I thought something was wrong with the touch screen, but I could delete the other Spam messages without a problem.
"Weird!" I commented out loud and then realized I wasted 10 minutes on this when I should have gotten ready for my flight. I tossed the phone on my bed, rushed to get changed, and called the Hotel reception through their landline to confirm the schedule of the Airport Shuttle.
Twenty minutes later, I boarded the self-driving electric bus, which was empty except for me, in the 50 seats. I checked the display, which indicated a 30-minute journey to the airport, and settled into a seat at the back.
When I unlocked my phone, I noticed something was wrong. My home screen wallpaper had changed to an animated image of an Orange Digivice. Upon checking my mail, I found the Digivice file had been downloaded.
I cursed myself, realizing I may have accidentally touched the install button when I tossed my phone onto the hotel bed. I searched through the download folder and confirmed my suspicion when I found the downloaded file and the time it was stored.
A notification popped up when I tried to use the uninstall button.
[The Digivice cannot be uninstalled unless the candidate fails to become a Digi-Destined in 30 Days]
"Are you freaking serious?" I muttered out loud.
I went onto Google to see if this scam had affected anyone else. To my surprise, a few hundred people worldwide posted about it on Reddit and made YouTube videos. They all mentioned how the file was undeletable and how the company that owned the Digimon Franchise had no clue about it.
Some posts mentioned that their smartphones refused to shut down or reboot to factory settings, which I found disturbing. The hacker who created this program could mess around with all brands of smartphones. But they should eventually run out of battery. But then I noticed a post that said Digivice-infected smartphones have a 100% battery, even after playing high-graphic battery-draining mobile games for half an hour. The online community took it as a joke and mocked the one who posted it.
I glanced at the battery icon, which showed 100%. It didn't surprise me; I had left the phone charging overnight and only disconnected it 10 minutes ago when I left my hotel room. I planned to test some gaming apps to see if they would drain the battery. Upon reaching the airport, the battery was still at 100%, confirming what I had read online. I quickly left a comment to express my gratitude for the helpful tip. After getting off the bus, I hurried to the self-check-in counter to drop off my suitcase and obtain my boarding pass.
The airport's departure terminal was eerily quiet, with only a scattering of people standing in line, waiting for assistance from the ground crew for their respective flights. A few weary travelers were queuing up at the nearby coffee kiosks, desperately seeking a caffeine fix to combat their sleep deprivation. Despite having had enough rest, I couldn't resist the temptation of a butter croissant as I strolled towards my departure gate. However, upon arrival, I was taken aback to find that my flight was nowhere to be seen. The digital display near the gate revealed that the flight was delayed due to an unexpected weather phenomenon. Originally scheduled to depart at 4:30 AM, the new estimated departure time was now 6:30 AM. Frustrated by the delay, I resigned myself to waiting. As I settled near the gate, I attempted to connect to the airport wifi to check if the Digivice issue had made the news. To my surprise, my smartphone was already connected to the internet without requiring a wifi connection, leaving me puzzled once again.
When I launched the BBC News app, the headline article immediately caught my attention. It described the sudden emergence of an enigmatic email and reports of phones infected with Digivice exhibiting extraordinary capabilities. These enhanced phones were said to maintain a full charge indefinitely and access an unlimited internet connection at an astounding download speed of 50 GB/sec. I was startled by the download speed and involuntarily let go of my phone, causing it to plummet to the floor with a resounding thud.
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
"Shit!" I cursed as I picked it up, inspected the screen, and felt relieved to see no damage.
I returned to the BBC app and found a new article with a video showing an old man whacking a construction hammer on his smartphone, failing to break the device or even damage the screen.
"It made our phones indestructible!" The man said.
I wanted to confirm if it was true, so I hurled my phone to the polished white marble floor with all my might. The clatter caught the attention of the airport staff and passing travelers, causing my cheeks to flush with embarrassment. "Sorry! I have anger management issues!" I blurted out as I hurried to retrieve my phone, only to find it miraculously unscathed, without a scratch or dent.
"Damn! What else can it do?" I mutter with a smile.
"Is everything alright, sir?" a woman in a crisp uniform bearing the British Airways logo asked, concern etched on her face.
"Yes, I just lost my temper," I replied, trying to sound annoyed to keep up the lie.
"Because of the flight delay? If it helps, we can upgrade you to first class as compensation since several seats are available there," she offered with a sympathetic smile.
"Oh, that would be great! Thank you so much. I feel much better now," I replied with genuine gratitude, feeling guilty for lying.
"Are you traveling for tourism or business?" she inquired, her voice laced with curiosity.
"Ah! I was accepted to Cardiff University in Wales for the International Human Resources Masters program. I will be studying there for a year," I blurted out, a mix of excitement and nervousness evident in my voice.
"There's nothing to worry about. You must be excited about this opportunity. Give me your boarding pass, and I will upgrade it," she reassured me warmly.
After a few minutes, she returned with my boarding pass, but her expression had changed.
"Your flight is no longer coming to this airport. So, I switched your boarding pass to one that is about to leave in 10 minutes for Paris. You can take a connecting flight from there free of charge," she informed me, apologetic but hopeful.
"What happened to it?" I asked.
"The aircraft experienced a controlled crash landing. I probably shouldn't have shared this with you, but the information will likely spread quickly. Everyone on board survived, as far as I know. A collision with some bird caused the crash," the attendant disclosed, leaving me startled and wide-eyed.
I thanked her for sharing the sensitive information and upgrading my boarding pass for another flight. In a rush, I made my way to the gate, where the final boarding call was being announced, and managed to secure a last-minute ticket. As I settled into a plush first-class seat, an air steward informed me that my suitcases had been successfully transferred to the plane.
The aircraft took off several minutes later, and I gazed out the window at the sprawling city below. My seat's inflight entertainment screen informed me it would take over ten hours to reach Paris, and it would be an hour before food would be served. Instead of watching a movie on it, I chose to inspect the Digivice app, which caused a glitch in reality to make smartphones gain godly abilities.
When I opened the app, a seventeen-minute countdown appeared. I learned that the countdown was for users attempting to access the app. I put on my ear pods and waited patiently, scrolling through the news articles and watching short videos until the countdown reached zero.
The Digivice app opened and loaded independently, revealing a wiggling white Digi-Egg on the phone screen. I had previously played Digimon games on the Nintendo DS, where players had to touch the Digi-Eggs to hatch them. I tried the same, and the egg cracked with just one touch. I repeated the process until the egg shattered and a Botamon was revealed. Then, a notification screen with its details appeared.
[Your partner is a Botamon!
Level: Baby / Fresh
Botamon is a newly born creature with a slime-shaped body covered in thick, black fuzz. Being just born, it is not capable of engaging in battles. One of its attacks is "Bubble Blow," where it produces bubble-like objects from its mouth to intimidate its opponent]
The Botamon appeared as a 2-D animation and made bubbles when I touched it. However, that was also possible in many touch-screen games.
A cartoon animation of a chibi, Black Gatomon, popped in from the right side of the screen and explained a few things in English with a female voice.
[Congratulations on hatching your first Digimon!
Create a Digi Farm to raise your new Digimon
Adding Tiny Meat field - Provides 50 KG of food per day
Adding Punching bag - Increases ATK, DEF and DEX
Adding Treadmill - Increases HP, STA and SPD
Adding Water fountain - Provides water to hydrate
Adding Bookshelf - Increases WIS and MP
Adding Digi-World Portal - Locked]
[If you wish to know more about your Digifarm features, ask me!]
Is this an evolved version of ChatGPT?
Does she operate with voice commands? There is no harm in trying.
"Umm... is this a game?" I ask.
[Sorry, but the Digi Farm is not a game. It's the home for your Digimon Partner and contains the portal to the Digital World]
Black Gatomon points to a blue portal on the diamond-shaped farm's northern end.
[Your Botamon needs to Digivolve into an In-Training and then Rookie before he can go through it. Be warned, the Digital World is filled with hostile Digimon who will try to kill him. But if he dies there, he will reappear here as a Digi-Egg, and you will have to raise him from a baby again. So, do your best to make him strong enough to survive and bring back plenty of resources to upgrade your Digi-Farm so that he can Digivolve to Champion, Ultimate, and finally Mega! If you manage to do it within 30 days, you will qualify to become a Digi-Destined and go to the Digital World]
Go to the Digital World? Is that possible?
At one point in my childhood, I dreamt of becoming a Digimon Tamer and exploring the Digital World. But I buried this dream when reality set in, and I had to focus on my studies.
"I see. Can I only raise one Digimon?" I ask.
Most Digimon games I played before allowed a Tamer to raise two, three or six Digimon.
[Your Digivice has a total of six Digi-Egg slots. When your partner defeats a Digimon in the Digital World, they will revert into a Digi-Egg. Bring it back to the farm, and it will be bonded to your Tamer Account. However, only three Digimon partners can be sent to the Digital World at a time, and only one of them has to reach the Mega Level to fulfill the condition for you to become a Digi-Destined officially. So you do not need to raise them all to get the job done]
To be continued in the next episode...