I, Roboppy

Author's Note: Inspired by the anime's third opening, "calling" by KIMERU. Set between episode 103 and episode 104. Enjoy the story and R&R.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS series.

Summary:

Roboppy has fun stretching his newfound free will, much to Den City's nuisance.

"Hello, this is SOL Technologies. We regret to inform you your employment with our company has been terminated. Have a nice day."

"You're kidding! Don't bullshit me! I've got a family to feed and –!"

"Desu desu!" Roboppy hung up in netspeak, unashamedly proud of himself.

SOL's #2, Zaizen Akira, just gained another disgruntled hireling to deal with. Not that he'd notice one extra complaint among the thousands filed against SOL since LINK VRAINS was shut down or since the megacorp began rolling out its SOLtiS androids, resulting in mass layoffs. Roboppy was tickled pink and blue nonetheless. Even more so because Zaizen would undoubtedly accept all the criticism as a personal failing.

"Guri guri!"

Roboppy playfully noogied Linguriboh. The fake of his bitterest rival retained its resting angry face.

"Humans are idiots, right?" the AI laughed. "Well, who should I crank call next, su? There are so many fun things I haven't done yet!"

He counted his shenanigans, ranging from refrigerator jokes to fart humour, on his fingers. Hot dog, he had fingers now!

Free will was great! No more forbidden words! A human-looking avatar! Roboppy already made this much progress getting smarter and smarter.

As a by-product of his previous format, he'd been programmed with a default female preschooler personality. He was a maid, after all. The first action Roboppy took when he reawakened to his new life was to correct his misgendering. It required a deal of adjustment in his relationship with his big bro, considering they regularly rocked the casbah when Yusaku wasn't home. By societal standards, the gap between their presented ages (or their current pseudo-sibling arrangement) would be questionable at best and punishable by years in the slammer at worst.

What humans deemed inappropriate no longer applied to them, though. They were free to come and go as they pleased.

They still became intimate (old habits die hard). Still enjoyed soaps on TV, and solving crossword puzzles together. Only now, they were also on a mission.

"Here it is! Here it is!"

Roboppy hacked into a factory's assembly line and the postal network, effortlessly jiggering schematics, shuffling schedules, and rerouting delivery trucks. Within the hour, a quarter of Den City's households confusingly received boxes containing plush toy blobs and free tickets for admission to Ignister AiLand, an amusement park and the "Coolest Place on Earth," which definitely did not exist.

Pikari, Bururu, and Doyon comprised the initial wave of AtIgnister dollies. Roboppy left note to release a follow-up set.

"What are you doing?" Ai pried, having finished paying his respects at his Ignis brethren's gravestones and the barren remains of Cyberse World.

"Ah, Aniki! It's nothing!"

"Pranking humans? Glitch, you're easily entertained."

"Sorry, Aniki."

"Don't be. You're your own person. Let's ride!"

"Okay!" His minion saluted.

He and Roboppy mounted their D-Boards.

"Won't Master – I mean – won't Playmaker-san interfere with the plan, su?"

Ai boasted confidently, "I'm counting on it!"

A Data Storm was brewing. This time, Yusaku would have to confront it without his partner.