Bab 13: Secret Basement

Seeing the determination in her daughter's eyes, how can she even dare to reject her. "You're just like your father. Fine, I'll let you play."

Alex poised to hug her. "Thanks, mom."

Irene stopped her approaching daughter by raising her index finger. "But in one condition."

Before she could even finish what she's saying, she sees her daughter's lips pouting. "Why are you looking so upset? I already agreed to your request."

"It's because you don't completely agree with me."

"How can I even unconditionally agree with you after seeing you cry so hard in front of me. Besides, one condition won't hurt, doesn't it?" Irene lightly smacked her daughter's hard head because of how stubborn she was.

...

Alex can only yield to her mother. One condition probably won't affect her that much, she thought. "Fine, what is the condition?"

"It's pretty simple since they said that this is a multiplayer game. As long as you can make your father play together with you, then I'll be at ease letting you go wild in that world."

"What?? No, I refuse! Think of something else!!" Isn't daddy's age already too old to play games? Besides, won't it be kind of awkward if daddy's following me around?" Alex complained, who would even enjoy having her father stalking around whenever she hang out or play with her friends.

She can't just let her daughter play without any protection. While she recalls what happened to her daughter two years ago. "I didn't say that your father needs to be a stalker. I just need him to play, however he wants. He doesn't need to follow you. Your father's presence in there is enough for me to feel at ease. That way, helping you whenever you are in trouble will be easy."

"But daddy sucks at playing games, he once tried playing with me, but daddy's skills at playing is simply trash." She will not simply back down. Knowing that having her father around is very embarrassing. Specially her father acts cool despite his age.

"He sucks at playing PC games, but you know that he's actually good at playing VR since he managed to last one hour in the first Virtual Reality Game. According to a survey the Archeon Government did, they only know ninety-nine people that persisted on the one-hour mark, and your father is one of them." Her mother had a smile on her face with eyes that seemed to sparkle while convincing her. "Your father might even have hit the thirty-minute mark, if only he didn't take care of me and my cravings when I was pregnant. He could have spent more time becoming stronger in the game...."

Her mother is so proud of her father, she kept on talking, even mentioning his past achievements. Listening to her mother's chattering, Alex gives up. Her mother is just too difficult to argue with. The only thing she can do is yield to her mother's request.

...

Outside of Arturia Famly's house

Zach stride to the door in his GI, with black tops and black pants with a black belt bicolored with red stripes, while sweat's dripping on his face and a mildly rough breathing cause he just finished training by himself.

He has closed his dojo early today since his dojo is dead silent again.

"I'm home..." When no one answered Zach, looked around the house and noticed the kids playing with each other in the living room. He then treads towards them.

"Ahhh, papa." El was the first one to notice him.

"Have you been good to your mother today?" Zach patted El.

"Uhnn!!" El nodded.

Zach noticed someone tugging his uniform on his side. "Papa, papa, mama said... not... noisy, baby sleep." Ax said, stuttering.

He looked in the direction of the baby's crib there he sees Zandra sleeping peacefully. "Sorry." Zach apologized with a low voice.

"Pa... Pa..." He also sees Serene having a hard time walking towards him with open arms.

Zach lifted his angelic daughter. "Mama, where?" Zach asked while kissing his daughter's rosy cheeks. His daughter is just too adorable he can't resist spoiling her.

"Up... up..." her daughter answered while pointing at the stairs.

"You guys stay and watch over Zandra, okay." Zach slowly said to the twins.

"Kayyy....." The twins answered harmoniously in a hushed tone.

He then started walking upstairs with Serene in his arms.

...

Alex has endured her mother's blabbering for a while now. She can't find the right time to butt in. While still pondering on when to stop her mother, she notices the door opening.

"Dad!!!" Alex cried out, seeing a savior in her current predicament.

Her mother turned around. "Why are you guys so early today."

Her father walked closer to her mother then smooched her forehead. "I got bored." Her father answered while scratching the back of his head. Her father quickly changed the topic to avoid getting scolded. "You, why are you home so early. You still have classes, right?."

...

"Nevermind that, you have seen the news, right?" Noticing that it's useless to scold her husband, Irene decided to go directly to the point.

"The Virtual Reality Game?"

"Yes."

"Why??"

"Will you play with your daughter on that one?" Irene asked.

"Why?" Zach turned to look at his daughter confusingly.

Zach sees her daughter's pleading eyes, seeing that her daughter just looked like she was pleading to tease her.

"I'm not letting her play the game if you're not playing."

"Nahhh, I'm not playing. I still have to watch the dojo." Zach wanted to tease her daughter more. But when he looked in Irene's direction, he met a very threatening gaze from his wife that looked like she would kill him any second now.

"I'm joking, joking. I already planned on playing it. It's too dull in the dojo alone, with Alex attending school."

"Close that dojo of yours already. There's no one coming there every day anyway." Irene insulted. It's her punishment to him for teasing her daughter.

"Close? No way, I invested a lot in that dojo. Kids these days don't see the benefits of learning martial arts. They are too focused on their phones." Zach started an argument.

...

Alex left her parents arguing with each other and grab her vibrating phone. It was a chat from Ezekiel.

IMPORTANT DETAILS

~Game starts at 11:59 midnight today

~Game can be played with 1st Generation capsules if you still have one

~2nd Generation capsules can be purchased in any Archeon branch department store.

~Game-related announcements will be announced in the game once the servers are up.

~We can also use smartphone applications in the game to access forums, chats, etc. to connect with the real world.

If you don't have the 1st Gen capsule call me, I can get the 2nd Gen. Capsule for you since stores are crowded with customers.

Alex reads Ezekiel's chat aloud so that her parents can hear her.

"Dad, can you buy 2nd Gen. Capsules for us??" Alex asked.

"We don't need 2nd Gen. I still have the 1st Gen. Capsules."

"Huh?? Haven't you thrown those away already?" Alex asked in confusion since she has seen him throw one capsule in the trash.

"You've only seen me throw your mother's capsule away, since your mother doesn't like seeing it in the house, and it takes too much space. So I hid ours in my secret basement." Zach uttered.

"We have a secret basement??" Alex was bewildered, she lived in this house for 18 years. She never thought that they actually have a basement.