As the say starts nearing to and end, Nikko goes to check on John who is staring at his computer screen with a face of pure concentration. Curious, Nikko walks up to him and asks what he is doing but John doesn't reply and starts typing away at his computer, Nikko turns his focus to the computer screen and sees a document of sorts with multiple people working on it. With further observation he sees it's a document on a new game but very different with the ways it works especially in coding, using simple yet complex coding techniques. Then as John scrolls through the concept art and level design section of the document, Nikko quickly stops him and observes the many characters, enemies, hubs and massive levels ranging in a variety of styles. "Do you need help with any of this?" Nikko enthusiastically asks, John says the game is almost finished and everything just needs to be polished and that they are working on one more hub and level of a specific design. Nikko says he'll create the concept art while already thinking of what to do, John only looking at him with a face of disbelief he sighs and agrees to let Nikko work on the level design. John points to a spare computer that Nikko could work on and he goes to work on the computer, opening up a 3d-design program as John tells him the style the level and hub is supposed to be in.
Luckily the design is set in a large scaled futuristic city with many spacey themes and holograms everywhere, Nikko first starts getting the general idea of how the hub will look and starts working on the hub. From looking at the size and shape of all the other level hub's he decides to make his a tiny bit bigger and more rectangular in shape, with diagonal edges and lights lining the room. Starting with the general shape of the entire room he starts adding a second floor and balcony to the hub, as the time passes he adds more and more details. Nikko either refines some shapes or details or adds more to the room, making different parts bigger or smaller and then starts planning where to place the NPC's for the hub. He moves onto the lighting, making some corners brighter or darker than others and balancing out how much light is in the room while lining the walls with strips of light and making intricate designs. Nikko pulls up some pictures online of futuristic rooms to get some inspiration and then starts adding environmental and interactive objects in various places like holograms, mission center's, NPC's, windows, doors, hover pads, and other sprites made from the dev team. With the hub finished and all of the sprites and details in place he zooms out to take a look at the hub and fix mistakes and refine the hub as much as possible.
After some time and refining, Nikko saves the hub and sends it to John and the rest of the dev team as told so in a message. He quickly starts to work on the level itself and starts adding the building's and level sprites as provided by the dev team along with adding his own little touch to the level with various neon colors and lighting across the sky and a few building's. Before Nikko can start adding the flying objects and vehicles to the level, John comes to Nikko and asks him about the hub he made. Nikko starts getting worried quickly and asks if there is something wrong or an error message that he needs to fix, John quickly dismisses anything bad and asks how hard it was. Nikko looks at him confused and says it wasn't hard at all, saying he just placed things in the right places and tried his best without actually trying to make the level look the best it can. John smiles and congratulates Nikko on how well he did as he starts saying how much the team loved the hub he made, Nikko smiles back happily and starts going back to work on the level. With some more time passing he adds some environmental hazards and interactions like explosions, destructible environments, and even small minigames in various parts of the level.
Halfway into the level design with all of the buildings and objects in place, Nikko decides to add his own little easter egg in a very inconspicuous part of the level on top of a building in the far back of the level. He adds a little 90's jukebox and a famous song from the 90's while styling the area in a 90's aesthetic, then soon after he goes back to finishing up the level. One to two hours pass and Nikko finishes up placing all of the NPC's and moving objects in various spots of the level while going throughout the level and refining details and polishing up the level. A few hours pass and Nikko finishes with the entire level with some time to spare to check up on Jessica but before he can leave John asks him if they could talk. Nikko nods his head yes "what's up?" he asks, then John asks Nikko if he has done level design before, Nikko says no and asks why.
John: what why? Dude you have some sort of natural talent like this level and hub is highly polished and designed
Nikko: really? I thought it was pretty mediocre I kinda just...made the level without too much thought
John: umm yeah you have serious talent, maybe you could help us with our next game? Everyone in the dev team loves your level designs
Nikko: oh really!? Heck yeah I'd love to help you on your next game!
John: that's awesome, you'll be a big help in the design of the next game
Nikko: haha wow thanks a bunch, mind telling me what the next game will be about?
John: it'll be a sequel to this game
Nikko: wait what really so soon???
John: trust me dev's do this all the time, it gives us more time to perfect the next game and it'll have the same vibe and feel
Nikko: ohh oh okay that makes a lot of sense wow
John: well thanks again for the help man, you surprised me today
Nikko: hah no problem dude cya
Nikko makes his way out of John's room and starts to wonder even more about John and the type of person he is while thinking about seeing what Jessica is up to. Ultimately he decides to check up on Jessica but before he does so, Nikko decides to get something to eat and starts walking towards the kitchen. He sifts through the pantry and fridge to find things to make food out of, then he picks up some salt, eggs, bacon, along with various meats and seasonings like black pepper and garlic powder. Nikko turns on the stove and oils the pan, then he moves on to cracking the eggs and whisking them along with the garlic and black pepper, with a touch of salt. He puts the eggs in the pan and lets them boil, then moves on to cooking the bacon on a separate pan while also evenly dropping pinches of black pepper on the individual strips of bacon. He gets a pot and fills it halfway with boiling water, then he drops the pieces of pork ham along with garlic and salt. He drops in some parsley and soy sauce for added flavor along with a bit more salt and puts the lid on, letting the pot boil as he goes to tend to the eggs. Nikko stirs the eggs and pulls them apart to make scrambled eggs and adds a small slice of butter for extra flavor, then stirs the eggs around the pot some more.
Nikko grabs a plate and drops the eggs onto the plate but as he is taking off the bacon from the pan with a fork Jessica greets him "no wonder the apartment smelled so good! Wow this smells tasty~" Jessica exclaims while slightly drooling. Nikko laughs as he moves onto the pot to check on the meat "there's enough for everyone Jess so don't go eating everything haha" he says happily as he stirs the pot and leaves it for a bit more to boil some more and let the flavors fully come in. Jessica quickly goes to John's room, yelling at him to come outside or miss out on amazing food and then runs to the table to take a seat. John stumbles out of his room and walks to the kitchen and smells the food from closer, quickly regaining his energy "yo what? This smells actually good, who knew we had a chef here" John says happily. Nikko smiles bright from the positivity and his surprising cooking as he waits a few more minutes for the pot to boil and talks with John. Before Nikko decides to get the plates for everyone, Jessica quickly rushes into the kitchen and pantry, getting plates, forks, spoons and then goes to set up the table "Mr. chef! No need to set up the table you worry about the food!!!" she exclaims.
John takes a seat at the table and with a smile, Nikko goes to the pot and turns of the stove, then brings the pot to the table and holds the lid. The buildup and climax grows more and more as Jessica eyes down the pot intensely, getting closer and closer to the pot. Nikko quickly pulls the lid off and the scent quickly rises out of the pot and Jessica starts to freak out a bit "mmmmm! Gimmie gimmie! Bring everything else c'mon!!" Jessica and John take their share of the stew as Nikko gets the eggs and bacon. He sets them on the table and takes a seat by the table, everyone getting their fair share of food, Jessica quickly eating but far from messily as John starts eating while taking a bit more and more food. Nikko starts to eat his food and the first bite of each individual piece of bacon, stew and eggs he gets full of both deliciousness and surprised at how well he made the entire meal.
Jessica: how long have you been cooking for!? This is amazing! Mmm how did you cook this? Wait no...are you a god of cooking?
Nikko: what no haha, I just kinda...put everything together
Jessica: how can you say that so casually!??!
Nikko: I-I don't know but I'm serious I just kinda, put everything together child! I thought of what would taste good and what to cook pretty much ehhh don't yell at me!
Jessica: well whatever, you're a cute god of cooking hmpf! Nom nom~
John: She isn't wrong this is surprisingly good, it has the perfect synergy of different flavors and it just tastes so good
Jessica: see see!
John: quite Jessy, just stuff your face
Jessica: haha easy!
Nikko: um..thanks haha and is she always like this?
John: yep, she always does this when we go to a restaurant with friends and family
Nikko: well I guess now she doesn't have to go anywhere huh?
John: pretty much haha, I think she made you her personal chef actually
Jessica nods yes furiously while eating
Nikko: oh geez living here got a bit more complicated huh? I don't know how I feel about this
John: imagine how I feel
Jessica: is that supposed to be an insult you two!?!?
John: not at all~
Nikko whistles and looks away slowly
Jessica: *pouts* I see how it is meanies...nom~ atleast the food isn't mean!
Nikko: I was kidding child~ you're fun to live with
John: true
Jessica: can you two please make up your minds!? I don't know how I feel about you two now...
John: I was joking small one
Nikko: welcome to my world Jess
Jessica: is that supposed to make me feel better?
Nikko and John: just go back to stuffing your face
Jessica: hmph whatever!
Nikko: anyway, I made this surprisingly good, I didn't expect it to come out this well
John: seriously? It seemed like you really knew what you were doing
Nikko: I kinda just...um, thought about what to do I guess?
John: oh, well ok fair enough
Nikko: I think it's from my mom to be honest, cuz this felt really natural
Jessica stops and stares at Nikko with a face full of surprise
John: really? To normal people this would be really hard
Nikko: eh well for me it's just really putting a bunch of stuff together, then boom there's your meal
John: we need more people like you honestly, no one here can cook without measurements
Nikko: damn seriously? Is the other side of the world different where they just put stuff together?
John: nope that's never existed, in fact the other side of the world uses more measurements
Nikko: dang well haha your welcome you two
John: thanks man, this is really good
Jessica gives an excited thumbs up and continues to eat
Nikko: no problem
The three continue to eat and starting with John, they all soon finish eating and slowly get back to what they were doing. Before Jessica goes back to her room she decides to help Nikko in cleaning up everything, they both decide to wash the dishes together and in no less than ten minutes everything is cleaned. Jessica starts to make her way into her room, Nikko asks if he can come in before she closes the door, saying he's curious about her research. Jessica happily says yes and let's him come in, she takes a seat on her bed where she left her laptop and pats the spot next to her, signaling for Nikko to sit there. He takes a seat next to here and quickly eyes down her laptop screen and sees the page opened up on her internet browser. He sees a website for students that are learning about robotics and many pictures of highly advance motors, computer chips, circuit boards and even coding and he sits there slightly stunned while trying to understand everything. Jessica giggles as she gets back to what she was doing and clicks on her other tab, revealing the plans for a robotic stuffed animal and even a 3D model where she starts modifying it slightly and figuring out where to put everything. Nikko helps her decide on where to put everything, saying since it's going to walk on two legs that the heaviest part should be in the center where the stomach is.
He points to the head and says the put the lightest part there and then Jessica places the the parts from in her computer where he said, then asks what else to do. Nikko tells her to place everything else where they would have to go like the motors in the joints and legs for movement and she does so almost instantly. He asks about the processing chip and about how strong it is and she replies saying that it's the most advanced chip available. He then says that she should put in some shielding and filtering on anything electronic, especially on the computer chip just in case of some sort of EMP, she writes it down on a notepad next to her. "Wait so how do you know all of this?" she asks "oh, I'm just a really curious person especially in stuff like this so I just sift the internet and learn random stuff, plus some of it just comes naturally" he replies, then she stares at him surprised but also very impressed. Some minutes pass and she finishes assembling her robotic stuffed bunny and then runs a simulation program that accurately simulates her bunny so she can see if it walks properly. With one test she celebrates and hugs Nikko who is staring off into her pile of plushies, he jumps a bit and hugs back, confused. She tells him that it works and moves properly and that it took her almost a week of trouble just to even get it balanced, Nikko exclaims and congratulates her while hugging back tight.
Jessica thanks him as she orders the parts and everything else and submits her project to her teacher online, then closes her laptop and rests it besides her. She lays down with a sigh of exhaustion and Nikko gets up while telling her he hopes she does good on her test "oh, yeah no that project was the test, I meant the time to submit our projects where coming up" she says. "Ooohh ok ok, I see, well have a good rest bye" he says as he walks out of her room, she says goodbye and gets comfy in her bed and then quickly falls asleep. Nikko walks into his room and stares out of his window as he observes the beautiful city and moon rise along with the night taking over, the city becoming only more stunning as night arrives. He lays down in bed and then stares at his armor and gear, reminiscing about the other trials and everyone he had met along with his hard fought battles and hardship. Suddenly something quickly flashes through his mind, an image of a king in full white, glowing bright white as he grins evilly at Nikko and hears "It's mine now~" whispered to him. Nikko quickly zips out of his bed and to the other side of the room but sees no one next to him, hesitantly he lays back down in bed and closes his eyes, slowly falling asleep deep in his thoughts.
Back on his earth where Shelby and Alice are staying, Shelby is helping Alice with finishing up her room and setting everything up "these past few days have been very odd, everyone's way of speaking is so...laid back and quick" Alice states while sitting on her bed. "Well hey you were born in times way before this so it's to be expected" Shelby replies as she finishes setting up Alice's computer, Alice nods as she thinks about Nikko and his trial.
Alice: umm, Shelby?
Shelby: yeah?
Alice: how would I fit into this world? I am from long back as you have said
Shelby: oh don't worry, overtime you'll slowly get used to how everyone talks and then adapt so you're fine
Alice: ok that is good to hear, also why do you have a plushie of Nikko?
Shelby: u-umm..no reason I just, found it (thank god she didn't go into my closet, she would've seen the life sized "play" doll of him)
Alice: oh ok, I wonder where you found it though, well no matter at least I can finally rest properly once the time comes
Shelby: yeah definitely, so what will you do now?
Alice: I honestly have no clue...
Shelby: you could browse the internet?
Alice: erm...in-ter-net? What is that?
Shelby: oh yeah I completely forgot, ok sit here
Alice: oh um ok, well now what?
Shelby: you see that thing there right?
Alice: yes, it has a..string attached to it, everything here has a string attached to them what are they?
Shelby: oh these "strings" are called wires, I'll tell you more later, so rest your hand on that and move it around
Alice: ok, so what does this do?
Shelby: look at the screen while moving the mouse
Alice: I can see something moving
Shelby: yep that's called a cursor, now move that to this icon and with your right finger, click the right button on the mouse
Alice: um..where is this button?
Shelby: *click* that's it, those are the buttons but the actual buttons are hidden underneath
Alice: ooh I see now, well now this has opened so now what?
Shelby: click here
Alice: okay
Shelby: now look at the keyboard in front of you, it's the large rectangle with the letters on the buttons, those are called keys
Alice: oh so it is like a typewriter?
Shelby: yes! Exactlly, ok so type "how computers and technology work", you type by pressing the keys like a typewriter
Alice: okaayyy and done! Now what?
Shelby: see this button here?
Alice: it says enter
Shelby: press that button, it confirms what you wrote and the internet will pull up results
Alice: oh my, this is such a spectacle! How this works I would love to know
Shelby: haha yeah, what you searched will help you learn everything you need to know so come to me for help
Alice: gladly
Shelby walks out of Alice's room and into her room, then she sits on her bed and lets her mind drift in thought as she closes her eyes, letting her mind go wild. "Oh Nikko, when will you get back to us?" she says to herself as she thinks about him, then she starts thinking about how dangerous everything might have been if God hadn't found her a new home...or exactly how much danger she was really in before. She starts to get sad a bit and then slowly hugs her plushie of Nikko she has, along with some of her other plushies that she bought so she can calm herself down and then starts drifting in her thoughts again. Suddenly an image pops up in her mind for a few seconds and then goes away, an image of a girl with white hair and red highlights, pale white skin and red colored eyes, a red and black shirt and white pants along. While in her state of shock, she hears something whispered to her"Th-iss..iss..me...now~..." Shelby hears, she hugs her plushies tighter and shakes her head no as she empties her mind. Shelby quickly goes to sleep as she mutters "god may you have mercy on Nikko once the trial really starts..."