*Beep-Beep*Beep-Beep*Beep-Beep*Beep-Beep*
"Ugh... what the hell."
The sound of cans falling and the creaking of an old bed accompany the sounds of the blaring alarm clock as the tenant of the room begins to stir awake.
A large hand, angrily, emerges from the warm covers, groping around for the source of the noise before eventually finding the alarm clock and slapping the snooze button with significant force.
"It is too damn early for this...ugh..."
'Wait a minute. Too early?'
As the realization of his thought dawns upon the man, he shoots up in bed like a rocket, sitting up completely straight with wide eyes.
'I thought...I thought I died, where am I? This isn't the hospital.'
Indeed, it is not the hospital. A quick sniff or a brief glance would be more than enough to confirm that assumption. The room itself, was a small bedroom with an attached bathroom and closet. The room is full of cans, lots of dirty laundry strewn, and what looks to be cat hair all forming a funky smell only a teenage boy's room could muster.
'Dear lord, what is that smell and why is this room so dirty?'
Looking around some more, he sees a desk in the corner, one that has been used as an extra storage area for dirty clothes and trash as opposed to a spot for academic pursuits. The nightstand nearby contains a small lamp, a phone that has been plugged in and some medication bottles. It was also the location of the alarm clock that now finds itself on the floor. However, the most striking piece of furniture in the room is a tall, full-sized mirror and the sight it reflects make the man pause as a single thought pounds in his head.
'This isn't me!'
The person reflected in the mirror is an intimidating yet relatively handsome man with piercing blue eyes, sharp jawline and solid facial features. Yet the most shocking point is his hair. The hairstyle itself is interesting, having been cut short on the sides yet left long and wild on the top with it cut into uneven layers. It is thick and wild with a definite intention to be styled in a more wild way than the typical neater fashion, but the color is the real surprise. Pastel pink, not brown, black or even blonde, but a soft, pink.
He cannot stop himself from running his hands through his hair to confirm what he sees. Feeling the oily texture that is expected after a night of sleep and thick, wild hair only acts to validate that what he sees is the truth.
'W-What is this hair...'
Before he can get too deep into his thoughts; a blue, holographic image in the form of a neat, closed envelope appears in front of him with a crisp, ding like, sound. Hesitant and a little put off by the strange occurrences that seem to be happening one after the other, he stares warily at the envelope for a bit as he gathers his thoughts.
Waving his hand through the holographic image and seeing it pass through unobstructed only acts to heighten his confusion.
'What is this? I heard a sound when I was dying but there is no way that was actually something, right? I though that was some dream or hallucination my mind made up.'
Taking just a bit more time to gather his thoughts and realizing that the envelope presents no immediate harm, he succumbs to his curiosity and presses on the >Open< button below the envelope. Upon pressing, a small little cutscene plays as the envelope slowly opens as some words begin to fly out and form themselves into sentences.
>Welcome to the Apex System, Host.<
>Apologies for the confusing environment, but the previous situation required drastic measures to be employed for Host's safety.<
'Apex System? What is this, some kinda weird novel trope?'
>This is not a novel nor a trope. The Apex System is a tool designed to help assist the assigned host reach the pinnacle of the sport of basketball.<
'Tool to reach the pinnacle? What a minute... did you just read my mind!'
>That is correct, Host. Fear not though, after this conversation, that will not be the case. <
'O-kay. That feels...invasive. But I guess I don't have too much of a choice. Can you explain what is going on?'
>Certainly, due to the Hosts death in their original body. A transplant was necessitated to ensure the continuation of the hosts ability to play basketball.<
'Transplant? So...this is not my original body...'
>Correct, you have been placed into an ideal body based on the criteria of position you provided when the initialization began. <
'Ideal body? Provided position?'
As he sits bewildered by the terms used a flash of understanding lands as a certain string of words replays in his head.
'You mean when I said I wish I was tall and you just assumed I wanted to be a center!'
>Yes, exactly. Didn't we do excellently! This body was deemed to be 282% more effective and significantly more talented at the game of basketball. <
An unstoppable twitch of the man's eye occurs at the shameless self praise of the so called system and badgering of his previous body and life. Taking a deep breathe to help shelf the rising annoyance, he continues his questioning.
'So, what exactly is the Apex System?'
>As stated before, the Apex System is a tool designed to help the host achieve the pinnacle of the game of basketball. Although mainly a tool used to quantify and better understand the direction of the host's growth. The Apex System will provided quests to challenge or guide the host .<
'Okay. I know what those words mean, but I am not sure how they apply in this context but I'm sure I'll figure it out. Who am I though?'
>That is where we will end this conversation. You will now be directed to the overview page where you can collect your starter gift. That screen will answer any lingering questions. S̷̬̥̻̞̈̾́̈́̊ë̴̡̛̻͕͙́̃̐ẽ̴͔̒̕ ̵͇͍͕͆͂͑́͂y̸͚̝͙͛̌̾̎o̷̱̒͊͝͝u̷̧͖̇̒͘ ̵̺͖̓̇ḁ̶̟̟̣̎͌t̷͎̹̜̓̇͝ ̵̮̩̯̿̉t̵͉͕̩̩̻̓̾h̷͕̯̭̠̉́̊̚͘ë̶͍̰̳̠́ ̷̟̬́͘͘͜͜t̴̻̊͗͘ò̶̯̥̈̊͗p̴̖̳̖͛̀́͌!<
'Wait, what was tha-!'
Before he can finish that thought, the words and envelop disappear, being instead replaced by singular screen.
--------------------------
Lance Moss
Position: Center
Age: 16 (Incoming First-Year)
Height: 7'2"
--------------------------
Shooting: F- *Click for detailed breakdown*
Finishing: F+ *Click for detailed breakdown*
Playmaking: F- *Click for detailed breakdown*
Defense: E *Click for detailed breakdown*
Rebounding: D- *Click for detailed breakdown*
Physical: C *Click for detailed breakdown*
--------------------------
Skills: [Bull - Novice][Skywalker - Novice][Iron Man - Expert]
>Claim Starter Package Here<
--------------------------
Quests:
Main Quest: Start the first day of class!
--------------------------
'Did that just say seven foot two?!'