While the denizens of Marvel were eagerly awaiting the release of Halo, within the vast subterranean tunnels of the Sinnoh region’s Underground, a young boy could be seen happily smashing away at the cavern walls. Dressed in simple worn out purple shorts and an old olive drab shirt, he was seemingly content with doing nothing else.
This was not the first time he’d entered this region either. For the last two months, every day the sounds of breaking rocks and crumbling walls echoed throughout the tunnels.
It was a shame that there was no one to witness the boy’s actions, as it would’ve surely sparked wild speculation across the forums over whether this was the first Full Dive player in the world.
Not that the boy would’ve cared mind you, he was more than pleased to be left alone to do his favorite thing, smashing.
“ARGH!” he suddenly cried out. “Stupid shiny stones! Stupid [Bag Full]! Hulk no care if bag full! Hulk only want to SMASH!”
In a fit of anger the boy ripped off his pack, that somehow always managed to return to his back when he wasn’t paying attention, and poured out all its contents. After doing so, he proceeded to stomp on all the rocks, gems, and bones, crushing them into powder with a satisfied snort.
However, his scowl quickly returned after seeing 15 colorful plates unharmed by his tantrum yet again. With a roar of rage he kicked them out into the darkness of the tunnels once more, despite knowing they will somehow find their way back into his bag.
Deciding it best to just ignore them, Hulk tossed his pack aside and returned to his most important duty.
An hour later, more cry’s of rage could be heard for a short distance away. Sixty minutes after that, 15 sparkling plates could be seen soaring through the air once again.
It wasn’t until nearly half a day that this pattern of aggression came to an abrupt halt as, unbeknownst to the boy, the first hidden achievement left behind in ASTIR had been completed while he dug.
Either unheard or uncared for, just a few short minutes prior, an elegant and regal woman’s voice notified the world of his accomplishment.
[ASTIR World Message: Congratulations to player {HulksNameHulk} for completing the first Hidden Achievement in Pokémon; ★Collect all of Arceus’ Elemental Plates★!
Note: A new Leaderboard has been created on the Pokémon world within the Hub! All future Achievements for this franchise will now be listed there. Please enter Full Dive to keep up to date on the records of all your favorite Pioneers!]
•••••••••••
…of all your favorite Pioneers!]
All across the VR, people stopped what they were doing and looked up to the sky. They watched, dumbfounded, as the golden message faded away amidst a cacophony of multicolored fireworks.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Seconds passed by in stunned silence while everyone processed what they’d just heard.
Hidden Achievements? Hub Leaderboards?
It took less than a minute for people to put the pieces together and get what this meant. Eternal glory! The chance to have your name engraved for all to see for all time!
While no one has access to Full Dive at the moment, everyone knew it was only a matter of time!
When that thought crossed the minds of everyone, the silence was shattered by an eruption of excited discussion.
Shortly afterwards, forums, new channels, and social media all followed suit as the hype of Halo’s release was temporarily overshadowed.
Pokémon’s player count skyrocketed for the next few hours as people tried the most random things, all in the hopes of unlocking an achievement. Alas, they were destined to be disappointed as even if they could trigger another, only the first in a franchise would be announced to the world.
But while some were delving into the furthest corners of the Pokémon game, many more were interested in the one who’d brought this hidden system to light.
Swiftly, the silly gamertag, ‘HulksNameHulk,’ was trending across the world and gaining a huge fan following. Theories abounded over how this wise scholar could’ve discovered what the rest of humanity had missed.
TV stations and news agencies posted huge cash rewards if said person would step forward to share their story, while some with not-so-friendly intentions posted a bounty for the unknown user’s private information.
Alas, all were destined to be disappointed as even weeks later, no one had stepped forward with any concrete proof. Slowly the hype around the mysterious ‘HulksNameHulk’ died down as more pressing events took place within the real world.
Thus, the name was buried under the sea of ever changing news, only to be revived years later amidst similar circumstances.
But sadly, that’s a story for another time.
•••••••••••
While the world was goin crazy over him, the reveal of Hidden Achievements, and a new way to become immortalized, Hulk was having a meeting with the most powerful being in Pokémon.
“Congratulations young hero, for collecti…oh, it’s you.“ Arceus was cut off as a tiny fist made its way towards his foot. Right before it could land however, a barrier appeared around the Pokémon which flung the boy back with equal force.
Unfortunately for Arceus, even in VR Hulk didn’t know how to quit and so he roared angrily while charging forward once again, “Go away! Hulk no like shiny deer! Stupid deer stop Hulk from smashing monsters!”
*sigh* “And here I was wondering why the Queen had me send you here after you insisted on fighting Pokémon yourself,” with another barrier, Hulk rebounded back into the opposite wall. Before he charged in once more however, Arceus raised a pointed leg and froze the boy in place. “Look, Hulk. I’m not here to fight you. You completed a Hidden Achievement and so I’ve come to grant you one wish. That’s within my power as the God of this world.”
Hulk paused after hearing these words, after all he was just simple, not stupid. In fact he was actually quite smart, the only reason he even tried fighting the shiny deer was because he knew it wasn’t ‘real’. Had he met the deer in the real world, he would definitely make sure stupid Banner didn’t go near it.
So seeing how his nemesis was offering him a gift instead, Hulk decided to try and put off smashing him for another time.
“Hulk’s wish?” the boy asked for confirmation, to which Arceus nodded.
“Hulk only want to smash more,” he said simply, without a second thought. “Also! Hulk wants stupid [Bag Full] to go away, forever!”
Arceus rolled his eyes and was about to refuse the second wish, when a message came to him via his link to Queen.
“Just give him these,” James’ voice sounded in his ears while an image of two bulky green foam fists appeared in his mind. “Just make it so that they have an unlimited inventory and auto pick-up, that’ll count as one wish.”
The Pokémon nodded to itself and sent back an affirmation before turning to the still frozen boy, “Done, here have fun.”
Arceus tossed the two foam fists towards the boy, who now had stars shining in his eyes, before leaving as soon as possible. He may have just been an AI, but he still had his pride as the God of Pokémon. He couldn’t be bothered with someone who didn’t show him an ounce of respect.
Hulk didn’t care about the shiny deer’s disappearance either, his gaze was transfixed upon the two foam fists lying on the ground before him. To him, they were the most beautiful thing in the world but most importantly, they were his. Nothing stupid Banner could do would take these from him.
Slowly, more gentle than he’d ever been before, Hulk slipped his tiny hands into the gloves and clenched his fists. He pounded them together and laughed with pure joy as the most innocent smile spread across his face.
Turning towards the wall he’d just been pounding on before being so rudely interrupted by the not-so-bad shiny deer, the boy let out an excited yell and swung his fist forward, “Hulk, SMASH!”
And the Sinnoh region shook.