Author's Note

Disclaimer:

Hi everyone, I'm going, to be honest:
I was way too lazy to come up with new names for every single video game that will appear here in the fic, so, I hope I don't get copyrighted for this.
second, this is a work of FICTION!!!! I don't want anyone to believe that League of Legends or Fortnite have been cancelled.
And third, Guardians is based on the "Not so great" Destiny.
Suggestions are welcomed anytime.

Guardians Ch.1 The forgotten legend

“... AND WITH THAT GREAT POWER MOVE, THE DRAGONLANDS HAVE DONE IT, THE HAVE WON THE WORLD SERIES FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY!!!!!”

“WE HAVE JUST WITNESSED ONE OF THE GREATEST COMEBACKS IN ESPORTS HISTORY, FROM BEING DOWN 30 TO 5, THEY HAVE OVERCOME THE RESULT TO WIN IT 58 TO 76!!!”

“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, REMEMBER THEIR NAMES… OR, IN A PARTICULAR CASE, THEIR CYBER ID’S!!!”

“Next up, we have the handing of the trophy, to end this beautiful story of a group of underdogs who believed in their abilities and came out as world champions!” came the anchor’s voice from the cellphone.

A lone student sat at his desk in a now deserted classroom, his eyes glued to the scream of his phone as he watched the members of the team lift the trophy and celebrate.

“Those were the days,” he thought

“Ha, look at that loser, sitting all alone, watching highlights of a game that is obsolete,” said a male voice

“Yeah, you can tell he's a weirdo, who, in their right mind, will sit in an empty classroom to watch videos without headphones?” said another male voice sarcastically

“I know, right, HAHAHAHA!” said the other male voice

“Come on, let’s go see what REAL pros are doing,” said the other voice as they walked away.

The boy listened to what they said but paid them no attention, he only collected his things, plugged his headphones into his phone, and began to blast some music, before walking out of the classroom, talking to himself… provably.

“Hi… My name is Spencer Davidson, but my friends call me Spike… well, the nickname wasn't given to me by a friend… it’s actually a derogatory nickname, that was changed by a teacher in elementary school, back then, I was called porcupine, or pineapple, due to my hair being green, and being a mohawk… which was one of my father’s pranks… one of his last pranks that is… Anyway, I’m 19 years old, and as of earlier today, I am a High school graduate; Yup, in 4 months I’ll be a freshman in college… anyway, I’m what people call an “Emo nerd”, yup, long hair, glasses, skinny frame, and quiet… the only exceptions are the fact that I like to work out, I’m tall, have good grades… I’m not crazy about anime, despite the fact that I like hentai… and, of course, I love videogames, with a passion… just like everyone else,” he said as he walked through the deserted school hallways.

“To be completely honest… I used to be one of the best players in the world, a “Legend” of the Esports, but… I retired… after my favorite game, LOL, became a “secondary” game and was abandoned by the masses and forgotten, I lost many things, my friends, my status… my only talent… and I fell into a deep depression, a depression that almost ended me… after the scare, I decided to take a shot at other things; I discovered that I have a great memory, which helps me when it comes to studying and learning, heck, the last time I studied for a test was… in the 4th grade, ever since then, I don’t really study and always get straight A’s,” he said as he walked down the stairs

“But that wasn’t enough for me, I needed something to keep my mind and body occupied, so, I turned to learn music, I watched many hours of videos on youtube, and I learned to play many instruments, yet, that still wasn’t enough, after I mastered the instruments I wanted to master, I was met with the same dilemma, “The fuck do I do know?” and so, I decided to sign up for a gym and some sports clubs here in school,” he said as he looked out a window and his eyes rested on the soccer pitch below.

“Even after all that, I still felt the need to do something else, and since I didn’t leave with my parents… for obvious reasons… and wasn’t really receiving much money from my grandparents, I decided to get a job at a local Video Game store and arcade, that is owned by my best friend’s family… actually, his my only friend, Martin Cresswell, or MicroChip, as we call him… actually I’m heading there right now, and…” was the last thing he said as he felt someone bump into him and shove him out of the way, causing his headphones to fall off his head, only for him to catch them in mid-air.

“SORRY DUDE! BUT WE CAN’T-MISS THIS!!!!” said a group of underclassmen as they ran past him

“Rude… I wonder what that was about?... well, they’re headed to the Gamer club… something big must be happening!... better go check it out,” said Spike as he followed the underclassmen

“If you’re wondering what all that was about, well, about 10 years ago, everyone became enamored of video game competitions, it started with World of warcraft all the way back in 08, but it became mainstream with video games like NHL, FIFA, 2K, PUBG, LOL, and Fortnite… LOL, being the one that made it so popular, Esports became so popular that every city created their own teams, some cities even have up to 10 teams, on occasions… this school isn’t the exemption, the Gamers club is the team that represented the school in those tournaments, and they aren’t half bad...WOW,” said Spike as he turned the corner and saw the massive crowd of students around the doors and windows of the room.

“Half bad was an understatement, in reality, we have the best Esport team in the city, the girls went undefeated for 3 years… and yes, I said girls,” said Spike as he walked to the back of the crowd.

Since he was the tallest person there, he had no trouble looking into the room, where 7 girls were sitting next to each other as they held a match against a bunch of underclassmen, and they were annihilating them.

“It’s to be expected, these girls are all elite… if you’re wondering what that means, well, we divide the levels of expertise in Esports in 8 categories: noob, beginner, amateur, semi-pro, pro, semi-elite, elite, and legend,” said Spike as he walked a bit more to the left of the hallway to gain a better view at the girls.

Their eyes were glued to the screens and they pressed the buttons in their controllers as fast as they could getting point after point

“The girl to the far left is the leader of the group Thea Sandoval, she’s is 18, a tad younger than me, about 5’4”, has long purple and magenta hair, cerulean eyes, and has a somewhat curvy body, she is a massive bookworm and, according to many other students, she has a rivalry with me for who is the smartest student in the school… despite the fact she doesn’t even know who I am,”

“The girl next to her is Scarlet Stuart, Thea’s childhood friend, and temporal rival, she used to be a very mean person… and she still has a lot of work to do with her gamer rage and anger management, but putting that aside, she’s a nice person, a complete 180 from the beginning of our high school lives… She is 18, we share birth week, but I’m older by 5 days. She's about 5’6”, give or take, has red and yellow colored hair with orange highlights, blue eyes, and has almost the same body type as Twilight… according to what I know, her boobs are a bit bigger than hers, but, I couldn’t tell you for sure,”

“Next is Phoebe Diane Patterson, she is the school party animal, as her nickname explains, she loves throwing parties, no matter the occasion, she even threw me a small birthday party, but, no one came… well except for her and Micro chips… she is also a good baker and works at a local cafe called Sugarcube Corner… from what I know, she just turned 18, about 5’5”, has long, pinkish wavy hair, and a nice body, with no unnecessary extra fat anywhere… possible because she is so hyper,”

“Next to her is Adeline Jackson, she’s one of the schools’ hottest girls, not fat in the wrong places, just muscle, from what I know, her family owns a farm in the outskirts of the city, Sweet Apple Acres, they mostly grow apples and brew one of the most, IF not the most delicious cider in the world, all that hard manual work I bound to give you hard muscles… yet, she’s not bulky like if she was a bodybuilder, but you can make out the muscles… she’s tall, almost as tall as me, about 6’1”... I’m 6’2”, she has long blond hair, jaded green eyes, and… well, I think I already over explained her body figure… 18, 4 months older than me, she’s nice, once you get to know her, sadly, I didn’t get to do it much,”

“Next comes Freya Sullivan, unlike her name, she is nothing like the north goddess… much, Freya is extremely shy, and usually avoids making eye contact with anyone she doesn’t know, she barely talks at all, and when she does she mostly whispers… nonetheless, that shyness makes her look really cute and added to the fact that she has big boobs, she is one of the school’s hotties, possibly #2, sadly for many all the guys, single or not, she never accepted anyone’s proposal, sometimes she didn’t even show up to the confession… I remember that around April, on our sophomore year here in school a rumour started to spread saying that both her and her friend Rachel Donovan were actually lesbian lovers, but it was immediatly denied by Rachel… Freya is 17, about to turn 18 which makes her the youngest member of the team, she is not very tall either since she is only 4’9”, she has long pink hair, blue eyes, and a very lean body, except for her boobs that is… maybe she is one of those girls who store all of the fat they consume in their boobs… no, wait, she’s a vegetarian, or was she vegan?... nope, Vegetarian, she loves Ice cream, pistacho is her favorite, I remember the ice cream party that Pinkie made for our graduation 3 weeks ago, she ate 4 gallons of ice cream by herself… she is also a BIG animal lover, and works part-time at an animal sanctuary, she even has a pet bunny, the name’s Angel… though, he is more of a little white devil to me… Believe it or not, Fluttershy is ranked #2 in the team from best to worst, it seems that when she is in the other dimension she is a completely other person,”

“Next we have the aforementioned Rachel Donovan, Freya’s childhood friend, and #1 of the team, despite the fact that she prefers to play sports and be outdoors more than sitting in front of a screen for a long time, she is the school’s top athlete and has broken almost every record in the school, including the “saved by the bell” record, she isn’t much of a study nut, but she isn’t dumb either… she has almost the same amount of muscle than Adeline, but if I have to guess I still think that Adeline is stronger than her, she is 18, born a month after me, and stand at 5’9”, has rainbow colored hair, God knows why, and has reddish eyes, when it comes to her body, she is curvy, but if we put all of the girls bodies into perspective, she has the smallest boobs; everyone calls her Rainbow Dash, the same name she uses online, never really cared to ask why; they say she joined the club only to be close to Freya, I think she was being bullied by other members, so she skipped soccer practice that day and headed to the club, she stayed there the whole time and at some point she started to play and she became a full-time member despite still being a member of the soccer, basketball, volleyball, and swimming teams… from all of the girls in the club, I think I know much more about her, I mean, she kind of forced me to join all of the school sports teams, including football were I was selected for the All Equestrian team… she has a strong sense of loyalty but she can also be a sore loser… You know, I remembered something very curious, last year, Rachel tried to join the city’s Esports team but they said no, they said it had something to do with the fact that she wasn’t a nerd or something, I didn’t pay much attention to the story…”

“And lastly we have Rosalia Belle Bellingham, the school Queen, the #1 hotty in the school, and… the biggest drama queen there is, both in the school theater and in real life; she loves fashion and design, TO DEATH, I think she even has her own boutique, one of the good things about coming from an amazingly rich family… still, I never really learned why she decided to join the gamers club, she used to shame everyone that liked to play video games or watched anime and all that kind of ish… but then, all of a sudden she began to hang out with the girls in the club and started talking to many other students, including the ones dubbed as “nerds”... except for me, once she tried but called me Simon, who was another student in the school, I told her that and she walked away after apologizing; she is tall, but since she is always wearing high heels people think she is taller than she really is, 5’7”, she is 18, but she is one of the youngest members of the group, she has long dark purple hair, which she is always combing and styling, she always dresses fashionably with expensive clothes, yet she isn’t the one to brag about her wealth, plus, she can be really generous, she has purple eyes and a perfect body, which is kind of surprising, since she never worksout ,maybe that’s just her type of body…”

Spike was about to continue when he heard the crowd cheer

“Oh!,Rainbow Dash just surpassed her previous record, and set a new high score for the club” said Spike as Rainbow Dash threw her arms in the air and celebrated her achievement

“Well done Dash!” said a girl with long Purple and green hair with a beanie

“Oh, that’s Sheila Garrison, she is another member of the team, but she isn’t an elite… yet, she is in the Pre-elite group , but she is good… she is a very supportive person, and sometimes works as the school counselor, but many students say that she was really mean before, she is around 5’8” and is one of the oldest members of the team, a month older than me, she has magenta eyes, and a curvy body… but don’t get your hopes up with her, she is already taken, despite the fact that her boyfriend goes to a different school… don’t really know much more about her… which is funny since I have a great memory,”

At that point Spike heard a voice coming from the screen

“ATTENTION GUARDIANS, FINAL ROUND!!!!” said the female robotic voice

“If you’re wondering what game they’re playing, the game is called Guardians, it’s almost like Halo, but everyone prefers this game do to the fact that the this game includes a feature known as “Live Environment” which makes every single map have a different level of difficulty when playing in it, this alone caused everyone to become obsessed with it, and I know, like I said before I was interrupted, I work at a video game store, and every day we have at least 100 people coming in to ask if we have a copy of the game for X/Y consol, but it solds out as soon as we place new ones in the stand, it’s almost a crime not to have one copy… I haven’t seen something like this, since Fortnite came out, which is the closest game considered a rival for Guardians, except, everyone prefers that game on PC… you might think this is funny, but… I don’t like Guardians, I know of it, but I’ve never played it… I don’t really game anymore, ever since… welL, HOLY SHIT I’M GOING TO BE LATE!!!” said Spike as he looked at his phone screen as he ran down the hallway.

He was unaware that the game had ended and that a certain someone saw the back of his head as he disappeared from the window.

“Dash… something wrong?” asked Freya as they all placed their controllers on the table

“I think I saw Spencer looking at us play,” said Rainbow Dash, her eyes glued to the window

“Who’s Spencer?” asked Adeline

“Our teammate in the soccer team… the one with the green hair,” said Rainbow Dash

“Long hair?” asked Adeline

“Yeah,” said Rainbow Dash

“Isn’t that Sandalwood?” asked Rosalia

“No, not him, the other one,” said Rainbow Dash

“Oh! the emo looking dude,” said Phoebe

“Yeah, him!” said Rainbow Dash

“So what?” asked Adeline

“Nothing, it’s just… I’ve never seen him around here before,” said Rainbow Dash

“Well, in our defense, our eyes are always glued to the screens so, he might’ve been here before, but we didn’t realize it,” said Twilight

“Maybe you’re right,” said Rainbow Dash as she turned her screen off

“I still don’t know why you made a big fuss about it… so what if he was watching us play?” said Rosalia

“Yeah, It’s not out of the realms of possibilities that he… WAIT!!! You have a crush on him don’t you?!” said Phoebe as she got on Rainbow Dash’s face

“N-no!” said Rainbow Dash turning red

“Oh yeah, she definitely likes him,” said Rosalia

“NO I DON’T!!!” said Rainbow Dash

“She loves him,” teased Sheila

“GOD YOU GALS ARE ANNOYING!!!” said Rainbow Dash as she ran out of the room

“Do you think she actually likes him?” Scarlet asked Freya

“It’s hard to say, but, after Santiago and Sophie became a couple and graduated, maybe she developed a crush on him, why?, I don’t know,” said Freya.

IN ANOTHER PART OF TOWN

“... AND, MADE IT!” said Spike as he crash landed inside the arcade after successfully jumping off his bike.

“Dude! you know you have a phone right!” said Microchips as he helped Spike up

“I know, but I got distracted,” said Spike as he dusted himself up

“I’ve got to hand it to you, Spike, that was some perfect aim,” said Microchip’s father as he pointed to Spike’s bike, stationed perfectly in the bike rack.

“Thanks, I’ve been practicing,” sais Spike sarcastically

“Well, go and lock it up and then get ready to work,” he said

“Right,” said Spike as he went outside and looked his bicycle

SOME TIME LATER

“... Sorry kid, we are all out copies of Guardians, the next shipment is coming in on Monday,” said Spike to a kid not older than 10 as he walked away with a sad face.

“How many are there today?” asked Micro Chips as he walked up to Spike

“22… 7th in the last hour,” said Spike

“Well, that’s a new record,” said Micro Chips

“What’s the point with this game, and why is everyone so desperate about it?” asked Spike, mostly to himself

Micro Chips stopped typing in the computer and looked at Spike

“What’da ya mean “The Point”? Guardians is one of the greatest games to ever exist, the graphics are awesome, the gameplay is straight forward, and the competitions… oh, don’t get me started,” he said

“Is it really that good?” asked Spike

“Is Pepperoni pizza good?” said Micro Chips

“Yeah… but I don’t see the connection,” said Spike

“Dude, you’re… oh, right… you don’t game anymore,” said Micro Chips

“Did you forget that small detail?” asked Spike

“Small?” said MicroChips in disbelief “Dude, you were… are a legend, one of the greatest gamers ever, and all that before you turned 14, while I am an elite, and I’ve been stuck in that division since I was 15,”

“You’re right, I am a legend… a forgotten legend,” said Spike

“Bro, I don’t know why you’ve taken that stance about playing video games like if you weren’t a pro, oh… is it, for what happened before you came here?” said Micro Chips

“Yeah… After that I decided to stop playing professionally… or playing altogether,” said Spike

“But why?!” said Micro Chips

“Because that life style almost killed me,” said Spike

“So?” said Micro Chips

“So? so?! That’s all you can say?” asked Spike getting angry

“Dude, we all have our tumbles once in a while… I understand why you are so afraid about it, but…” Micro Chips began

“Excuse me sir,” said a boy, not older than 13

“Something wrong?” asked Spike

“The person playing in rig number 5 is cheating,” said the kid

“Are you sure?” said Spike

“Yeah, maybe he is just good,” said Micro Chips

“I know it’s true, I shot at him and he didn’t die, despite me kick-scoping him in the head,” said the kid

“In which rig are you?” asked Spike

“Rig number 2,” said the kid as he walked towards the rig with Spike in tow

“Dad, can you take over the counter for a second,” said Micro Chips

“Sure, something wrong?” asked his dad

“A possible code 13,” said Micro Chips

“Right… what does that mean again?” asked his dad

“Forget about it,” said Micro Chips as he followed Spike and the little kid

“There, this is me, and that’s him, the one in the red and black gear,” said kid

“Oh… you’re playing Guerrilla wars,” said Spike

“Yeah, and he isn’t dying,” said the kid

“Can I? I want to prove a theory,” said Spike

“Sure,” said the kid giving Spike the controller

Spike immediately began to play the game, killing all of the enemies he found on the way, but for some reason he couldn’t find the “Cheater”

“Wow, he is good!” said the kid

“Yes, well, That’s Spencer Davidson, also known as GRIMDragon, but you probably don’t know him,” said Micro Chips

“I know him! He was one of the greatest LOL players ever!” said the kid

“Not only is he one of the greatest LOL players ever, he is the undefeated champion of Guerrilla, al 5 tournaments done for the game, he won them all, without receiving damage at all,” said Micro Chips

“Awesome!” said the kid

“Found you!” said Spike, this caused the 2 of them to look at the screen

Spike was chasing the “Cheater throughout a mountain pass while shooting at each other

“Where is he going?” asked the kid

“1 of 2 places, Deadman’s drop or… Oh you lousy bastard,” said Spike as he stopped chasing him and followed another route

“What? what is it?” asked Micro Chips

“The only other place in this mountain is known as “BOOM alley” it’s perfect for an ambush,” said Spike as he continued jumping over the ledges

“But wouldn’t it destroy him?” asked the little kid

“Of course, unless he is using the IGS cheat,” said Spike

“IGS?” asked the kid

“I’m a God Simulator cheat,” said Spike

“Wait, you’re telling me that there are cheats in Guerrilla?” asked Micro Chips

“There are millions, for the ones that give you better armor, all the way to the God Cheat,” said Spike

“SO is he using it?” asked the kid

“Only one way to find out,” said Spike as he jumped off a ledge and started shooting at the “cheater”

Spike didn’t miss a single shot but he wouldn’t die, instead the “cheater” aimed at Spike while on the air and fired, despite the bullet missing, Spike still was killed by it

“THE HELL!!!” said Micro Chips

“Confirmed,” said Spike

“What?” asked the kid

“he IS using IGM and Grim Shot,” said Spike

“I know about IGM, but the second one…” said Micro Chips

“It’s not only a cheat, but it’s illegal to use it, even if you are playing by yourself,” said Spike

“Wow, really?” asked the kid

“Yup, the developers created this cheat to test levels before selling the game, but they forgot to remove it,” said Spike

“Why don’t they remove it with an update?” asked the kid

“The cheats is deeply rooted in the shooting codes, if they remove it, the shooting system will become obsolete,” explained Spike

“Wow… is there a way to counter this?” asked the kid

“There is, but not in the game,” said Spike as he got up

“Where are you going?” asked the kid

“You’ll see soon enough,” said Spike as he and MicroChips went back to the counter at the entrance.

“So, are you going to do it the nice way or make him regret it?” asked Micro Chips

“If I told you… it wouldn’t be any fun,” said Spike as he started typing codes down on his laptop

After a few more clicks and clacks of the keyboard Spike was finally able to access the cheater’s account and was able to see his screen.

“Do you see it?” asked Micro Chips

“Not yet… but if I do this… and that… BINGO!” said Spike as the cheater’s console command came into view, and there, highlighted, were all the cheats he was using.

Most of them were harmless, but the last 2…

“IGM and Grim shot… they never learn do they,” said Micro Chips

“Yeah… not to mention, this kid isn’t even that good, he is only a level 15,” said Spike

“That means he must be new to the game, taking into consideration that Guerrilla ranks you up quickly,” said Micro Chips

“Then… how did he find out about these cheats… you think there is a video on Youtube?” asked Spike

“Doubt it, and if there is it would’ve been taken down,” said Micro Chips

“Then someone else told him about it… oh well, time to show him a lesson,” said Spike as he began to type different command settings into the console command

“Whaddya gonna do?” asked Micro Chips

“Wait and see,” said Spike as he hit Enter.

Immediately after that they heard a small shout

“WHAT THE HELL?!!!” said the cheater

“It’s showtime,” said Spike as the 2 of them walked over to the rigs

A few seconds later the cheater shouted again as his avatar once again died, this was repeated again and again for a bit over 5 minutes.

“WHAT IS GOING ON?! WHY DO I DIE EVERY 30 SECONDS!!!!” screamed the cheater

“Maybe you’re just not good at this game,” said Spike

“Yeah, just keep practicing and you’ll make it,” said Micro Chips

“But… But- I’ve been playing so well before, I don’t know why my luck changed so suddenly,” said the cheater

“Well, maybe you’re body is tired, call it a day,” said Spike

“Yeah, guys you’re right,” said the cheater as he paid and turned to leave

“Oh, and one last thing… if we ever catch you cheating again… a quick death bug will be the least of your concerns,” said Spike

This caught the attention of the cheater as he turned and saw Spike’s face

“No… it can’t be… you’re...you’re…” said the cheater

“That’s right, now leave,” said Spike with a serious face

“RIGHT!!!!” said the cheater as he ran out of the arcade

“Wow, that was awesome, “ said the kid from earlier

“Nothing out of the ordinary if you ask me,” said Spike

“I can’t believe you're GRIMDragon!” said the kid

“Keep your voice down,” said Spike

“Ups, sorry,” said the kid

“What’s your name kid?” asked Micro Chips

“William, William Morgan, but everyone calls me Button Mash,” he said

“Well, Billy, hope you learned something today,” said Spike

“Yeah, I learned 2 things, to not cheat in Guerrilla, and 2, to never anger you,” said Button Mash

“Good kid, now, call it a day, and go do some real sports,” said Spike

“Yes sir!” said Button Mash as he paid and left

“And you said you didn’t have a paternal side,” mocked Micro Chips

“I was just being nice,” said Spike

“And doing something illegal,” said a male voice behind them

“DAD!!!!” said Micro Chips

“Don’t dad, me, we’ve had this conversation before,” said Micro chips’ dad

“We only wanted to stop an illegal cheat, nothing more,” said Micro Chips

“And the second you take something else out from someone’s computer it’s a felony,” said his dad

“Remind me, why do you run an arcade when you have a law degree?” said Spike

“The best of both worlds… plus, it was a good investment,” said Micro Chips’ dad

“If you say so,” said Spike as he continued to place price tags on video games that were going to be placed on display

“Listen, kids… I know that you don’t have evil intentions when you do the hacking, but…” said Micro chip’s dad

“We may get caught and sent to jail, blah, blah,” said Micro Chips as he continued monitoring the right game times

” I only want you to realize, that the 2 of you have great potentials in other areas, look at this, for example…” said Micro Chips’ father as pulled out his phone and accessed a video on youtube

“How did you find that?” asked Micro Chips’

“You friend Sofia showed it to her dad, and he showed it to me, and I have to admit, I’m pleasantly impressed,” said his dad

“I told you to make sure she didn’t say anything,” said Spike

“I ain’t her dad,” said Micro Chips

“Isn’t she your girlfriend?” said Spike

This made Micro Chips turn red

“Scribble isn’t my girlfriend, we’re just friends,” he said

“Well, anyway, you guys have a gold mine here, look, you guys have over 10 millions views,” said his dad

“Micro has, I only helped compose and write the song,” said Spike

“but aren’t you talented in this business as well?” asked Micro Chips’ dad

“It’s not for me,” said Spike

“Then what is?” asked Micro Chips

“I… I don’t know,” said Spike

“Dude, ever since your game was brought down, you don’t seem to be like yourself,” said Micro Chips

“Let me remind you, we met after that,” said Spike

“And I have youtube, I’ve seen every video of you playing... the hunger, the concentration, the… sheer will to keep fighting, and most importantly, the happiness… it’s all gone, and now, you’re even afraid of lifting a controller and playing,” said Micro Chips

“Well, I did retire,” said Spike

“Why, because you didn’t want to go with the current?” asked Micro Chips

“Because I wanted a real education,” said Spike

“If an education is what you want, why don’t you let me pay your tuition too?” said Micro Chips’ dad

“I appreciate the gesture, but, one tuition is enough strain in your pocket, plus, do to my grades, I got a scholarship,” said Spike

“Well, if something happens, or you change your mind, my offer still stands,” said said Micro Chips’ dad as he walked away

“That was weird,” said Spike

“Well, he does see you as his second son,” said Micro Chips

“Wow, I’m touched… listen, Micro… about gaming…” said Spike

“Dude, you have to get over your fear, what happened that day, happened, it’s in the past, stop running and learn from it,” said Micro Chips

“Heh, I never thought you were going to give me a life lesson,” said Spike with a smile

“I’ve learned from the best,” said Micro Chips

“Ok… I’ll give it another try,” said Spike

“Finally, follow me, I have something for you,” said Micro Chips as he guided Spike to the resting room and to his locker.

“Something important?” asked Spike

“I’ve been saving this for the moment your brain started working again and you decided to play again,” said Micro Chips as he handed Spike a video game

“Guardians… I though they were sold out,” said Spike

“They are, I bought this one 3 months ago,” said Micro Chips

“How much was it, I’ll give you the money back,” said Spike

“You even dare to hand me money, and I’ll cut your hand off,” said Micro Chips “Consider it a gift for all you’ve done for me this past 3 years,”

“Are you sure?” asked Spike

“I was born sure,” said Micro Chips

“Thanks… now I just have to go buy a console, I sold my old one to… you!” said Spike

“That’s right, and I got it revamped, now it’s almost brand new,” said Micro Chips as he handed it over to Spike

“Dude, seriously, I have to pay you for this,” said Spike

“What did I say about the money?... plus, when Kurt broke my computer you fixed yourself and you didn’t charge a penny, let’s call it even Steven,” said Micro Chips

“My name is Spencer, but thanks,” said Spike as he placed everything in his backpack

“Now, I piece of advice, don’t play the campaign,” said Micro Chips

“Why?” asked Spike

“No one does, they say it’s broken, just play the tutorial and when you’re ready, head over to the survival mode, that’s where everyone plays,” said Micro Chips

“Really?” said Spike

“Yup, the higher your level the more respect you get… I’m a level 67 and I’m on the 2nd division, It might take you a while to get there,” said Micro Chips

“Right… I’ll restart everything and give it a go,” said Spike

“Now that’s what I want to hear… also, If I were you I’d change my online name, I’m pretty sure everyone will grow suspicious, if they saw your tag on the screen,” said Micro Chips

“Right, will do,” said Spike

“Hope to see you in the second soon, or possibly the first who knows!” said Micro Chips as he exited the rest lounge, leaving Spike alone with his thoughts.

“Well, I’ve got nothing to lose… I’ll just go buy some extra food for the weekend,”

LATER THAT NIGHT

“Let’s see… GreenDeath? nah, not… powerful enough… Phoenix!... nah, it’s already taken… how bout… DrakeReaper!... perfect, I hope no one recognizes this… then again, no one remembers me and it’s better than just writing “Spike” on the ID…,” thought Spike as he finished fixing the ID of the console and waited for the game to download

“I should get everything ready, maybe even use an alarm to tell me when I’ve played for long enough and take a break,” he said as he got up and started fixing everything.

Sometime later, the game was ready to play, Spike just had to wait for it to finish installing

“Ha, and Micro said that buying a Sofabed and a bed was a waste of money...well, let’s see what this game is all about,” said Spike as he prepared to play the game

He was about to access the tutorial just as Micro Chips instructed when his phone rang

The sudden jolt, made Spike jump and accidently press the campaign option

“Hello?” said Spike as he took his phone and answered

“Hey, Spike, just me, Micro… listen, I was just calling you to let you know that i’ll be checking on you form time to time,” he said

“Wow, thanks dad,” said Spike sarcastically

“Don’t mention it, after you giving you the console I started to think of the possibility that you fall into one of those “Gaming trance” of yours and forget to breath,” said Micro Chips

“Right… anyway, thanks… if you don’t hear of me in the next 48 hours…” said Spike

“I can assume you died,” said Micro Chips

“What?! No!” said Spike

“It’s a possibility,” said Micro Chips

“Hahaha, very funny… I was going to say that, you can assume I fell into some sort of trance… you have a copy of my apartment key so…” said Spike

“Yeah, I got you covered,” said Micro Chips “Good luck and… happy hunting,” he said as he hang up

“sigh, well, let’s get into it… WAIT, WHY IS IT SET FOR THE CAMPAIGN?!!!” said Spike as he tried to exit the campaign

he was about to exit when a narrator began to say

“Hundreds of years ago, a mysterious new life appeared out of nowhere, at first we believed they were coming in peace, to join our intergalactic community, but we soon found out, their mission was nothing but violent, that new life, called themselves Thretieks, and unlike their know relatives the Kriqas or the Zadrats, who are peacekeepers, the Thretieks only cared about one thing… Power, after negotiations with them failed the attacked, fast and devastating as a Hurricane, and they quickly took over our galaxy, killing everything and everyone that dared to oppose them,”

“50 years later, and the life on the galaxy was almost extinct, but luckily, a group of exceptional life forms were suddenly born amidst all of the suffering and death, these life forms are able to the galaxy at their will… we call them Guardians!... And with their help and leadership, we are ready to take back our galaxy.” finished the narrator as the screen went white and 3 different options appeared before Spike

“Choose your category!” said the Narrator

“Ok this is getting interesting,” said Spike as he looked at the 3 different categories

“Category one, Berserker, You possess inhuman strength and resilience, allowing you to take more damage before being killed, you can also make a new way if there is no other choice, since your muscles are so tough, you can run through any structure known to us,”

“So basically a muscle head… the plus sign is you can carry heavier weapons with ease… the down side… you aren’t exactly fast, so mission that require stealth are out of the question,” said Spike

“Category two, Rogue, As fast and silent as the wind can be, you are wild and able to take on various challenges at the same time, maybe a level must be take out quietly, or someone needs backup at the otherside of the map, well, they can count on you for that,”

“So, you get inhuman speed and agility, which is perfect for stealth, downside is, carrying heavy weapons makes you incredibly slower, not to mention, your major asset is support moves, which also means, solo missions are even tougher that normal, especially against bigger opponents,” said Spike

“Category three, Mage, You mastered the secrets of the galaxy and it bends at your will, summon your inner power when on a tight spot to create more chances, aid your comrades and lead them to victory, the more knowledge you possess the better,’ said the narrator

“So, Mages are free to use any weapon and skill they prefer, which is good, but the downside is that they must rely on their knowledge of the terrain, enemies and weapons to be effective… now I see why there are so little mages in the game, it’s so complicated… and I accept the challenge,” said Spike as he selected the mage category.

“ARE YOU READY TO FIGHT?!!!!!... GREEN LIGHT, GO, GO, GO!!!!” said the narrator as the screen went black.

When the screen lit up again, Spike found himself in a what seemed to be a deserted wasteland

“What the fuck?” he said

“Hello!” said a robotic voice behind him

“Holy shit, don’t do that!!!” said Spike

“Sorry, I am your “Ghost” my main mission is to aid you while you fight your way through the game, including, but not limited to, the multiplayer platforms like survival and Guerrilla wars,” said the Ghost

“Great… what’s your name?” asked Spike

“Give me a name you desire,” said the Ghost

“What about… Peewee?” said Spike

“Peewee?” said the Ghost

“I had a pet that went by that name,” said Spike

“Then Peewee it is, Thank you DrakeReaper,” said Peewee

“Ok, just call me Spike, it’s easier than my cyber ID,” said Spike

“Alright then,” said Peewee

“So, what do I do first?” asked Spike

“First… RUN FOR IT!!!!” said Peewee as he noticed a group of aliens charging towards them

Spike turned and saw the aliens, he then made a run for it

“Quick, into the hangar to your left,” said Peewee

“Which one?” asked Spike

“The only one that is open!” said Peewee as Spike continued to run

Spike could hear the steps of the aliens getting closer as he rushed through the hangar doors.

As soon as he was inside, Peewee closed the doors locking the aliens out.

“What are they doing here?” asked Spike

“This land was lost to the Thretieks many years ago, it was just a coincidence that we ran into a patrol,” said Peewee

“What now?” asked Spike

“You must find a way outta here,” said Peewee

“Easier said than done,” said Spike

“Look, there is a map of this hangar, it seems that there is launch pad at the otherside of the Commonwealth, on the top floor, we just have to get there and search for a ship,” said Peewee

“What if there isn’t any?” asked Spike

“We’ll find something, even if it’s an alien ship... this way, there should be some stairs to your left, that would take us to the second floor,” said Peewee

“Ok then… wow, they even created a sentient AI for this part of the game… maybe that’s why you should play the game with a wifi connection,” said Spike as he followed Peewee

Spike and Peewee dashed through the darkened corridors of the abandoned hangar, until it seemed they were running in circles.

“Up ahead,” said Peewee

“What, are those the stairs to the third floor?” asked Spike

“No… there is a supply crate, and by the looks of it, it’s still sealed, quickly, I’ll open it for you,” said Peewee as it started to hack the lock.

After a few seconds, They heard a click and the crate opened

“Voila, weapons,” said Peewee

“An M-16 rifle and an Assault rifle,” said Spike as he equipped them

“If you turn to your left you will find a revolver on the ground,” said Peewee

Spike did as he was told and found the revolver

“Ok, I don’t have much ammo, what do I do if I ran out?” asked Spike

“Every time you kill an alien, they may drop ammo, in some particular cases, they will drop especial rewards that you may keep or sell at the home base or even trade with fellow players, and if after all that you still have trouble, don’t forget about your abilities, just bres L1 and R1 together and you will be able to use it,” said Peewee

“Ok, got it,” said Spike

“Good, cause there are aliens up ahead,” said Peewee as he showed Spike the map with heat signs on them

Spike creeped towards the alien life forms and saw the life bars also contained the level they possessed

“They’re all level 1s,” said Spike

“Yes, but I do recommend that you don’t take their levels for granted, here a level means almost nothing,” said Peewee

Spike however, didn’t pay attention and headed in, guns blazing, he was able to kill one of the aliens with a perfect headshot, but the remaining 4 took cover and began to fire back hitting Spike various times forcing him to take cover and wait for his health to replenish

“Man this is harder than it looks,” said Spike

Spike struggled for a few seconds to take out the remaining aliens before continuing up the hangar.

“Man that was tough,” said Spike

“Spike, I should warn you, this hangar has many more alien forms, some of which are tougher than the last, you should prioritize strategy,” said Peewee

“If you say so,” said Spike as he entered a pitch black room

“A hive,” said Peewee

“A what?” said Spike

“A Hive, aliens use the darkness to recharge their energy, just like you do when you sleep, only… there might be a bit too many for you to take on your own,” said Peewee

“So, I should go through this quietly?” asked Spike

“As much as possible, or, if you are feeling brave or… suicidal, start firing,” said Peewee

Spike began to move slowly, doing his best to not make much noise.

He was half way through the hive, when he stepped on something… or someone

He quickly aimed down and saw an alien, looking back at him

Spike then tried to melee him but pressed the wrong button and fired a load shot into the skull of the alien

“You were supposed to do this quietly!” said Peewee

Spike then made a run for the otherside of the floor, unfortunately he was not fast enough, and was cut off by a group of level 10 aliens

“Fuck this I’m heading out of here!” said Spike as he opened fire around him

Spike was killing aliens left and right, but at the same time he was receiving so much damage, his whole screen was red

“The door!” said Spike as he ran out through it with all of the surviving aliens not far behind

He made it down the stairs and to his horror, he saw 5 aliens at the bottom of the stairs

“THE HELL ARE THEY DOING?!!! I KILLED THEM!!!” said Spike as the aliens turned and charged at him

That’s when Spike noticed the bodies of the aliens he killed earlier

“That the patrol that we outrunned outside, they must’ve blown the door down,” said Peewee

“Oh, fuck, I’m dead,” said Spike as he saw the massive wave of aliens crowding him.

Then, as if on impulse, Spike pressed a random combination of buttons and created a massive explosion around him killing all of the aliens around him and causing the ones nearing him to burn alive.

“What just happened?” asked Spike

“Well done Spike, You were successfully able to create a Nova discharge, a rare skill,” said Peewee.

Spike looked at the carnage around him and said

“Can you give me a minute,” and paused the game

He got off his sofa bed and looked at the control

“That combination… it’s the same one for Guerrilla, to use a hidden ability… that’s too much of a coincidence,” said Spike as he headed to his computer.

He opened the browser and quickly searched for the Guardians video game, and when the information popped up, a smirk appeared in his face

“SO it was created by the same studio that made Guerrilla… heck it was the same game developer… Max Hellstrome… the controllers are also the same, same buttons, and same combinations…” said Spike

At that moments a memory came into his head

“No one plays the campaign,” said Micro Chips

“Why?” asked Spike

“It’s broken,” said Micro Chips

“What did he mean, broken?” said Spike as he searched for information regarding the campaign of Guardians.

“Bingo… the reason no one seems to last too long playing the campaign in Guardians is due to the map and enemy randomness, which irritates many players… “If you are able to work your way around the enemy and map system for the campaign, you can become the best player… or you could play the multiplayer function of the game and grow there, it takes longer however,” said lead developer Max Hellstrome… “It a chance to demonstrate the you are not following a code, but gut feelings, in the real world, you wouldn't be able to see the skill level of your opponent, yet you are still forced to fight against them… the game is about strategy, not another, Shot him, shot that, sequence game in which you are made to fight against rivals of your own level to level up, here you have to follow your instincts to come up on top,” said Max… That’s the mentality of a legend… wait a minute, that’s the way I used to think before the cancelation of LOL, That’s why I like Guerrilla so much, it didn’t really had a code or logic, it was all skill or luck, and if this game works the same way… then, it’s time for me to face my old demons… one last time,” said Spike as he turned his computer off and walked back to his sofa bed.

“It’s gaming time!” he said as he pressed play.