[Aerith Tower: Quest Hall]
The moment Arlo stepped through the portal, the familiar scent of ozone and sterile metal hit his senses like a splash of cold water. The HUB's skybox—blue, artificial, too perfect—spread out above him. Towering holo-screens advertised guild updates, recent Pioneer feats, and flashy gear drops. Normal chaos. Nothing burned. No monsters. No dead ends. He muttered under his breath, "And we're back. From hell to bureaucracy." His boots echoed across the polished floor of the Central Hall as he walked toward the Quest Desk.
The receptionist—slim, silver hair in a bun, gaze locked on her screen—didn't even blink when he stopped in front of her. The nameplate on the counter read: Mariel
Arlo cleared his throat. "Just wrapped a double quest."
Mariel didn't look up. Her fingers tapped calmly against a holographic panel keyboard. "Please upload your completion data via BrainLink. Hidden quests are recorded under auxiliary tracking." She said it like someone asking for a library card return, not a record-breaking survival quest through a zombie nightmare event.
Arlo sighed inwardly and opened his interface. With a flick of his thoughts, the system broadcasted his quest logs straight to her terminal:
---
[Quest Completed: Survive the Raccoon City Outbreak]
[Note: Survivors assisted. Enemy Encounter ratio: 96%]
---
Mariel's eyes finally moved. Briefly. One glance at the data, and then back to typing."Verification complete. Your Pioneer ID will be updated momentarily," she said. "Please hold still."
Arlo felt the tiny pulse as his Pioneer ID synced in his BrainLink. A small notification pinged in his vision:
---
Pioneer Identification Card Arlo Leeroy
Gender: Male
Species: Human
Pioneer Rank: D - Rank
ID No. : 0-2000-1321
Quest Completed: 0 - S Rank / 0 - A Rank / 0 - B Rank / 2 - C Rank / 3 - D Rank / 1 - E Rank
---
"Thank you for your service, Pioneer Leeroy. Good luck with your future endeavors."
"Yeah," Arlo replied. "Sure." He turned without waiting for more. No fanfare. No applause. Just another cog in the machine. But part of him liked it that way. Recognition felt fake when you were the only one who knew how close you came to dying.
Outside the Aerith Tower, the breeze simulated from hidden ducts tickled the edges of his coat. Arlo pulled out his BrainLink and called a hover-taxi.
The display flashed: [Destination: 18th Astra Street – Battle Brawler Club. ETA: 4 minutes]
He leaned against the railing, trying not to think about the smell of Raccoon City still clinging to his mind. Link needed help. That came first.
...
[Battle Brawler Club: First Floor]
The Battle Brawler Club looked more like a cross between a training gym and a small stadium. Inside, holographic trainers battled across glowing arenas. The first floor had a fully equipped Pokémon center—clinical white walls, neon-blue accents, and the scent of antiseptic.
A nurse in a sleek lab coat behind the counter looked up as Arlo approached.
"I need a full diagnostic check on my Rockruff, Link," Arlo said, voice low but firm. He pulled out Link's Luxury Ball and handed it over.
The nurse scanned it with a quick wave. "Understood. Please wait in the lobby. We'll take care of him."
Arlo nodded and sank into a bench nearby. His muscles ached more now than they had during the fight. Adrenaline gone. Just skin, bone, and exhaustion now.He leaned back, eyes closed, listening to the faint whirr of healing machinery beyond the partition. Link had taken hits that would've killed a an adult person. No fainting animation. Just real pain. Real stakes. He muttered, "You better be okay, buddy."
Ten minutes later, the nurse returned, followed by a Chansey pushing a recovery cart. On it was Link, snoozing peacefully on a cushioned pad. Bandaged, but breathing steady.
"Your Rockruff sustained heavy damage," the nurse said professionally. "We've stabilized him, but he'll need proper rest. No battle activity for three to five days minimum."
Arlo stood. "And?"
She added, "He's also nearing evolution. His current growth rate suggests he's one trigger away. You'll need to find what pushes him over—emotion, environment, or a battle stimulus."
Arlo opened Link's status screen.
---
[Link] Rockruff ♂
Level: 24
Type: Rock
Species: Puppy Pokémon
Nature: Adamant
Potential: Elite Level
Ability: Own Tempo / Hidden Ability: Steadfast
Movesets: Play Rough (Egg move), Protect (TM), Quick Attack, Leer, Sand Attack, Double Tea, Rock Throw, Sucker Punch, Bite
---
So close. He exhaled and nodded. "Thanks. Really."
Link stirred slightly, tail giving a weak wag. Arlo smiled faintly. Before leaving, Arlo stopped by the on-site TM shop. A sales lady offered him a digital catalogue of options. He filtered by Link's compatibility and stared at the short list.Two stood out: Fire Fang and Thunder Fang. Both 2500 credits.
Fire Fang would help against grass and ice types. But Thunder Fang… that gave Link coverage against water types, his biggest threats.
He made the call. "I'll take Thunder Fang." Purchase complete. Now he was only left with [15,945 Credits] but still worth it. Arlo give Link's luxury ball to the sales lady and was put to the TM Machine, the move downloaded into Link's Luxury ball directly.
Arlo thought to himself, They really need practice their new moves as soon as possible
They left the club after that—quietly, without fanfare. Arlo flagged another hover-taxi, destination: Quantum Cube Apartments. Inside the cab, Link dozed with his head in Arlo's lap.
"You earned your rest," Arlo said softly. He patted Link's head. "Tonight, we feast. No rations. I'm talking actual meat. And berries. Hell, even dessert."
Link barked weakly, "Ruff, ruff, ruff," his ears twitching.
As the city lights passed by the taxi window, Arlo leaned his head back and closed his eyes. For now he can relax, he wasn't on alert. No sirens.
He thought to himself, I can finally sleep without checking the exits.
And for the first time in what felt like weeks, he let himself believe that maybe—just maybe—it was time to get some time-off.
***
[Quantum Cube Apartment Complex: Arlo's Apartment]
Sunlight bled through the cracks of the auto-curtains, landing square on Arlo's face like nature's version of a wake-up call. He squinted, groaned, then yawned hard enough to crack his jaw.
"Feels like I got hit by a truck full of cement," he muttered.
The HUD in his BrainLink pinged softly: Rest Duration: 24 Hours.
He blinked. "Huh. Full system shutdown."
Link was still out cold on his small bed, legs twitching in a dream. Probably chasing a Machop or chewing on a giant bone. Arlo lay back for a second, thinking about the night before. They'd eaten like kings—actual kings. High-grade beef cuts, rotisserie chicken dripping with sauce, five-layer cakes, Moomoo Milk milkshakes, even a personal pint of Pokébean swirl ice cream.
Cost him [500 credits] easy, but worth every single one. You don't survive Raccoon City and eat instant noodles. His stomach let out a long, gurgling growl. Right. Food.
Arlo used the BrainLink to order a basic breakfast set—bacon, eggs, waffles, and a large coffee with two sugars. The order would be auto-delivered to his door in under ten minutes.While it was on the way, he dragged himself to the shower. The heat helped pull some of the weight off his limbs. Blood from old bandages swirled into the drain, along with layers of dried sweat and maybe trauma.
By the time he stepped out, hair dripping and steam clinging to the mirror, Link had finally stirred. The little Rockruff yawned with a whine, ears flopping down over his eyes.
"Good morning, sleepyhead," Arlo said, ruffling his companion's head. "Who's the good boy, huh? You are."
"Ruff! Ruff!" Link barked, wagging his tail like a helicopter rotor.
Arlo prepped a bowl of Pokéblocks with a MooMoo Milk at the side, slid it to Link, and watched him tear into it like it owed him money.
The knock at the door came right on time. Arlo grabbed the tray from the delivery drone—nothing fancy, just hot food and real coffee. He sat at his table, took a sip, and closed his eyes for a moment. The bacon was crisp, the eggs runny, the waffles fluffy. Real food. No survival crunch bars or sterile protein paste. It was the kind of breakfast you didn't rush.Every bite felt like another step back to normal. Or whatever passed for normal here.
After the meal, he flopped onto the couch, letting his system settle. Link curled up on the floor next to him, looking full and content.
Arlo opened his BrainLink browser, scrolling through local feeds and guild reports.
One headline caught his eye: TRAILBLAZER GUILD COMPLETES A-RANK QUEST IN RECORD TIME
He raised an eyebrow. "Aria's not pulling punches."
The article detailed how Aria and her team had cleared a high-threat containment operation in the Southern Marsh Sector. Enemy count was triple-projected estimates. Minimal casualties. Efficiency rating: 94%.The comments were already buzzing—praise, hype, and the usual internet noise. But Arlo's eyes narrowed a little. Fame like that didn't just attract guild recruiters or sponsors. It attracted opportunists. The dangerous kind.
Still, he had to admit—Aria could handle herself. And her team wasn't soft either. Chloe, Piper, even Kane had solid field records. Still... public attention this fast could turn volatile. Especially in a place like the HUB, where power shifted hands like a hot grenade.
He bookmarked the article and closed the tab, his expression unreadable. He looked down at Link, who was now lightly snoring.
"Better stay sharp," Arlo muttered. "If things go sideways, we might be back in the game sooner than we thought." But for now? He leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and let himself enjoy the quiet. Just a little longer.
...
Arlo sat up on the couch, still feeling the weight of rest on his body. The idea hit him mid-scroll. I should call Aria. Congratulate her properly.
She didn't need praise, but credit where credit's due. Completing an A-rank quest wasn't just skill—it was survival against system-breaking odds.He opened his BrainLink, found her ID, and initiated a video call. A few seconds later, her face appeared—still wearing her half-zipped field jacket and that unreadable look she always had after missions."Morning," she said plainly, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear.
"Good morning, Aria," Arlo replied. "And congrats. A-Rank quest cleared in record time—that's impressive."
A slight smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Thanks. We got lucky. Found a shortcut that bypassed most of the hard objectives. Should've taken us a year to wrap that one. Instead, it felt like skipping to the last dungeon with the boss key already in hand."
Arlo raised an eyebrow. "Shortcut or not, you still pulled it off. A win's a win."
Aria shrugged. "Yeah, well, luck's just resourcefulness in disguise." He leaned back, exhaling. "Speaking of wins… I just finished my first double quest." Her expression didn't shift much, but the silence said everything."…You serious?"
"Yeah," Arlo nodded. "Not gonna lie—it was rough. Close calls, low health, and a Zombie Monster. that wouldn't die without turning half a facility into a crater. But I walked out with data and my team intact."
Aria paused, thoughtful. "I'm not shocked. If you prepare well, you can survive almost anything. But don't let that make you cocky. Complacency's the quickest route to a grave."
Arlo chuckled dryly. "Message received. I don't plan on pressing my luck anytime soon. Honestly… I was thinking of taking a break. Some time away from the HUB. Maybe universe travel." She studied him. "Not a bad idea, if you've got the clearance."
"I figured you'd have some insight," Arlo added. "Any recommendations?"
"That depends," she replied. "You're a D-Rank Pioneer, which limits your options. You can visit other D-Rank universes. Maybe a few C-Rank ones—if you're willing to risk it."
Arlo thought about that. "Remind me how that works again? Universe ranking system?"
"Same logic as quests," Aria said. "F-Rank universes are basically baseline Earth-type worlds—no magic, no high-tech. Just alternate timelines. Think 'What if the Cold War never ended' kind of vibe. E-Rank adds more historical divergence—like Nazis winning WWII or ancient empires surviving into modern day."
"D-Rank Universes," she continued, "is where it starts getting weird. You'll find worlds with mild supernatural elements, low-grade magic, or limited tech that hasn't gone global yet. Stuff like hidden vampire societies or cities with minor psychic zones."
"C-Rank universes are different," she added. "These worlds are fundamentally changed by supernatural forces—zombie outbreaks, magic systems tied to the ecosystem, or advanced alien conflicts. Dangerous but manageable, if you're careful."
"B-Rank universes," she said flatly, "are planetary threats. Events that affect different planets. Planetary War-zones. If you're not B -Rank, don't even look at those. And A-Rank? That's top-tier. Whole Sector of an galaxy can collapse. You mess up in those, you're not coming back." Arlo absorbed the info. He remembered her saying this before during training, but it hit different now. Maybe because he finally had the ability to go.
"I'll stick to D or C - Rank for now," he said. "Low risk. Low noise. Somewhere I won't be hunted by genetically modified abominations or newbie pioneers trying to farm XP." Aria nodded. "Good call. I'll send you a link to a travel agency. It's vetted. Mostly safe destinations. A few exotic ones too, if you want to spice things up."
A message pinged into his inbox a moment later.
"Got it," Arlo said. "Thanks, Aria. And seriously—congrats again." She gave him a nod. "Appreciate it. Be safe out there, Arlo."
Then the screen blinked out. Just like that. Arlo stretched his arms overhead with a groan, cracking his back against the couch cushion. "All right. Vacation mode engaged." He looked down at Link, who'd stirred at the noise. "We're taking a break, bud." Link blinked and tilted his head, then wagged his tail. "Ruff!"
"You like the sound of that, huh?" Arlo said, rubbing Link's head. "No missions. No labs. No monsters. Just rest. Maybe a universe where the worst thing is stepping on a LEGO."
Link barked happily, tail beating the floor.