2 Chapter 2 - Old friend

"Lina, play some entertainment news while I walk."

[Sequels to recent movies or sequels to classics?]

"Sequels to classics, of course! That's where all the big-budgets and hype go to anyways."

[Entertainment News:

Article 1: The Nation of Disney has been blessed by the birth of a new princess in its Star Wars property. Princess Kathleen of the planet Maha Devi has finally appeared in the long-awaited Episode XXX: The Force is female!. The all-female cult of Jedi and Sith are ecstatic with the confirmation that the world George Lucas created was meant for little girls and not young boys. One of the oldest surviving fans alive when Episode IX: Rise of Skywalker was released says, 'It is about damn time.'

Article 2: Fast & Furious: Legacy of the Family is said to break the hearts of fans around the world. According to the several famous directors who are in charge of the movie. They have all sworn to social media influencers that this will be the last entry into the series. It started as a movie about a family participating in illegal racing. However, it has reached the point where the family battles aliens on Pluto in their modified cars. Writers of the F&F universe say that they have exhausted every idea possible and feel it is about time to end it. But an anonymous source has hinted the descendants of the family might have a possible cross-over movie with the Transformers on Cybertron.

Article 3: The upcoming six-hour Godzilla movie will bring a breath of fresh air to the dying franchise. If you are bored seeing giant Kaiju monsters battle each other, seeing a baby born by mixing human and Godzilla DNA will leave you stunned. In addition, the series is entering the Horror genre by letting this baby defile all humans it comes across in unimaginable ways. For too long, fans complained that the humans in the movies were pointless and Kaijus weren't cool or scary anymore. Now they get the best of both worlds and experience the horror of the Son of Godzilla!

Article 4: James-]

Dale lets out an exhausted breath and bends over to massage his knees.

"Lina, I think I hit my limit. I need to stop for a bit to recharge."

[User Dale has walked less than 800 meters]

"Only? I could have sworn that was at least 1 kilometer."

[Human perceptions of distance is highly inaccurate]

"That doesn't change the fact that I need a break... how far is Mash Royce's place from here?"

[1.6 Kilometers to your destination]

"Damn it! Why does Mash have to live so far? Can you call in a drone cab?"

[Does User Dale wish to spend his remaining funds for it?]

"Stop reminding me of my finances. But since you pointed that out, I think pushing my limits is not bad." Dale replied as he resumed his walk.

[User Dale's dedication to fertilizing a digital egg is admirable]

"You don't realize how bad that sounds?" Dale pointed out with an expression of disgust.

[Encouragement is said to be a strong motivator for the human mind]

"I don't think anyone wants to be encouraged like that. You should try motivating me with information that will provide positive reinforcement."

[According to recent public health data, individual User Dale's fitness capabilities match those in the 'extreme health risk' category. Thankfully, rigorous exercise, medication, change in lifestyle, and diet can bring the body back to 'low health risk' within four months]

"I said say something positive! Why are you making me feel miserable?"

[Alternative methods of encouragement to exercise were analyzed, this was the most positive reinforcement available]

"You know, I wonder why dad had wasted all that money to get a customized butler? I could have used that money to invest in some business."

[User Dale's investment history reveals that such a decision would not have resulted in any changes to the current situation]

"Remind me again, which one of us can mute the other?"

[Is User Dale willing to try?]

"Fuck it! Talking to you is the only distraction I have."

[Is User Dale committing to hatching the egg before the final date?]

"Why do you ask?"

[It will be challenging to fertilize the egg within the specified time limit stated by the Monster App with User Dale's current body fitness]

"There are still thirty days, right? But, as the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race."

[Sounds like procastination]

"Who programmed you to be so mean?"

[User Dale's father]

Dale continued his arduous walk to his friend's house. He kept bickering with Lina to distract him from the pain searing through his legs with each step. Finally, half an hour later, he finds himself in the front yard of a luxurious villa.

It has a freshly mowed grass lawn, a small greek fountain, and a cobbled path towards the front door. The villa has three floors, a garden balcony, with three fancy cars parked in an open garage.

Dale walks up to the door and rings the doorbell, getting his breathing under control. A few seconds later, he hears a familiar voice rushing toward the door.

"Hold on a minute. I'm coming down!"

The door opens, and the face of his friend Mash is revealed. He is the type that turns heads anywhere he goes with fair skin, short blond hair, brown eyes, and a chiseled jaw. His easy smile and frank attitude led them to become friends so long ago.

"Long time-"

Just as Dale opens his mouth, Mash snaps to attention before slamming the door shut on his face.

Dale was surprised by the behavior. Did Mash not recognize him?

"Mash! It's me, Dale."

"Begone demon! You will find no money here!" Mash shouts from behind the door.

Dale pauses, surprised at the reply.

"I'm not here to ask you for money, Mash."

"I'm not helping you to find a job either! I am all out of contacts!"

"I'm not here for money, and I don't want help to get a job. I only wanted to stop by and catch up with you."

After a short pause, the door opens slightly. Mash peeks his head out somewhat before asking.

"Really? You just came to see me?"

"Yes, I dropped by to see you. Why is that so hard to believe?"

"When was the last time you didn't want a favor or money from me?"

Dale winces, realizing the truth of Mash's words. Then, raising his hands up, he tries placating his friend.

"Look, I'm sorry about that! I've been in a bad place recently, and it's affected our friendship."

Still wearing a suspicious look on his face, Mash invites Dale into his house.

"Why are you covered in sweat? Did you walk here?"

Mash asked as he glanced at the sweat stains on Dale's clothes.

"Ya, you shocked?"

"Of course, look at yourself. I hardly recognize you under all that fat."

Mash's words stung deep into Dale.

"If you don't mind, I would like some water. I am about ready to collapse."

"Sure, take a seat in the living room. I will get you a bottle."

Dale walked over to the expensive sofa in the living room and hesitated to take a seat. He wondered if his sweat would ruin the fabric and grabbed an old chair instead. He reversed it and sat down as he rested his hands on the head of the chair.

Mash walked in with a plastic water bottle and tossed it over to Dale to catch.

"Is this from that water bottle company you work for?"

"Correction, I am a partner at the company that creates environmentally friendly recyclable plastic. Bottled miracle-tonic water is just one of our products."

"Moving up in the world, I see. I still remember when we were interns at that crappy spa hotel in Germany."

"Those were good times, even though it was just cleaning dishes and prepping food all day. We never had to worry about anything other than getting through the day."

"I remember skipping work to explore the tourist hotspots instead."

"You asshole! I had to cover for you while you dumped me with your work."

"Says the guy who wanted more opportunities to get close with a certain waitress. What was her name?"

"You mean Melani?"

"Ya, that one! You still fantasizing about her?"

"Actually, I ended up marrying her."

"What! When did that happen?"

"We reconnected a year ago and decided to settle down."

"You shitting me! Where was my wedding invite?"

"The wedding was in Germany, and you just lost your dad. So I didn't tell you about it."

"Is she here in this house?"

"Ya, she is taking a shower on the third floor."

"Cool! It will be fun to chat with Melani again."

"I don't think that is a good idea. Melani wanted me to cut all ties with you after you kept asking us for favors and ignoring my invitations to meet up."

"I said I was in a bad place."

"Trust is hard to rebuild, no matter how long we knew each other."

"I understand..."

"So, what made you decide to start exercising?"

"I discovered a new game, which I am trying to work out. So, since you are the only game expert I know, I thought I would drop by and see if you had also tried it."

Mash looks at him, interested.

"Is it Pokemon Go Forever?"

"No, but it does seem similar. You remember the headlines talking about the mysterious app that no one can delete from their phones?"

"Are you saying that app is a game?"

"You didn't open it?"

"Nah, I have too much work-sensitive info on my phone."

"Well, it is called The Monster App."

"Hold on! Weren't you worried about data theft or viruses?"

"Hah! What data is anyone going to steal from me?" snorts Dale.

"Fair point."

"There weren't any viruses either. It was just that the app needed DNA codes to open."

"Curious. So what is it about?"

Dal informs Mash about what he encountered while using the app. The message from the app makes Mash laugh. He finds it surprising that the 'missions' issued were fitness-related ones.

"It has to be some kind of troll screwing around with the governments."

"You will try it out?"

"My company is against anyone touching that app out of fear of what it can do. But there isn't any rule against using phones not related to work, so I might try it out on Melani's phone."

"Cool, maybe we can clear these goals together and hang out again like before."

"I do have a job, you know? Today was my day off, and I have my own gym here."

"Ah... no worries. I will finish the walk and head back home to work on the other tasks if I can still move my body."

"What's the rush? Don't tell me that you really believe that message about an apocalypse in a month?"

"Not really, but I am curious about what's inside the egg."

"We both played plenty of monster games. So what makes this one special?"

"A troll who calls himself 'The Majestic Pink Fluffals The Third' has to have something special inside it, don't you think?"

"He could be trying to waste people's time and energy who think that way."

"Someone who can grab the world's attention like this has something to prove."