"Legends of Aluna? Is that a new game?" Ace asked, racking the combined minds of Ace Riveral and Ace De Guia for any relevant information. All he could find were academic papers and experimental data from his current body's extensive research, nothing about this game.
"New? What are you talking about?" Luke replied, his eyes sparkling with evangelical zeal. "This game is currently the No. 1 worldwide! It has nearly two billion active players!"
"Two... two billion players!?" Ace was genuinely stunned. In his time, no MOBA had ever achieved such a staggering number of active users, not even the game that had made him a champion.
"Exactly," Luke boasted. "The competition is fierce because the player base is huge. Many companies have tried to imitate its success, but they've all failed." Seeing his genius brother finally interested, Luke hoped Ace might actually play with him.
"So, what kind of game is it? I know it's a MOBA, but what differentiates it? Why is it the sole dominant force in 2220 with no real competition?" Ace pressed for details. It defied logic; there had to be a crucial factor elevating this game above all others.
"Because it has the exclusive rights to the Virtual Console," Luke explained simply. "This game was the first true Virtual Reality MOBA ever created."
"V-Virtual R-Reality... You mean that one?" Ace was trembling with excitement, leaning in and gripping his brother's shoulder, almost drooling.
"W-What one?" Luke was thoroughly confused by his brother's manic behavior. Ace truly seemed like a completely different person.
"The kind where you can control your actual body inside the game environment!"
"Yes, that's exactly how you play it."
"OH MY F*CKING GOD! VIRTUAL REALITY IS REAL! LIKE SAO AND HACK! I CAN FINALLY GO INSIDE A GAME!" Ace shouted, overcome with emotion, tears streaming down his face. "The long-held dream of humanity has finally been achieved! Thank God I'm alive to see this! BANZAI! BANZAI!"
Ace had been an avid fan of VR concepts since he first watched Sword Art Online at the age of twelve. This news brought forth an overwhelming surge of pure, ecstatic joy. He never imagined he would witness the realization of full-dive VR in his lifetime.
"What on earth is he crying about?" Luke muttered to himself, watching his brother shed tears like an idiot. "Virtual reality has been mainstream for almost ten years; it's not even new."
For the next three hours, Ace relentlessly questioned Luke about every aspect of the game: its mechanics, what the in-game experience felt like, the competitive circuit, and the existence of tournaments. Every detail Ace could think of, he asked.
"So, where do I buy the console, and how much does it cost?" Ace finally asked the most critical question.
"Huh? You're actually going to play?" Luke was stunned; this was the first time his brother had shown any interest in gaming.
"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I play such an incredible game?"
"What about all your research?"
"Ah, that," Ace dismissed with a wave of his hand. "I'm just burnt out. I need a breather for a while." (Ace Riveral genuinely didn't care about the other self's research.)
"W-WHAT!?" Luke's shock intensified. His genius brother, who dedicated his life to research, was suddenly tired of it? What in the world is happening to him? Luke wondered internally.
"Don't 'What' me! Just tell me where I can buy it and the price," Ace demanded, his expression shifting to annoyance.
"You can buy it online, but that takes three days for delivery," Luke explained. "Otherwise, you can purchase it directly at a shop in the Metro and install it yourself. The price for the standard console is P30,000, and the most advanced model is roughly P100,000." (P = Pesos; P50 $\approx$ $1 USD).
"Three days for online shipping? No way. I'm not waiting that long. I'll just head to the Metro today," Ace decided. It was still only 2:00 P.M., so the shops would be open. Money wasn't an issue; his current self's research had left him with a bank account holding millions of pesos.
"By the way, you're coming with me. And I won't take no for an answer." Ace delivered the command before quickly storming into his room to change his clothes.