Big eyes, small mouth, tiny nose. Long legs, short body, small waists, petite. Such were the girls of Idol Master 3000.
"Come on, Lily. We can win this!" Bob said. "Just dance to the rhythm!"
"I'm doing my best, Bob!"
It was their favorite game, Idol Master 3000. The latest version had just sold out, and so they bought an oddly discarded one, desperate to play.
The game was simple at it's foundation, just some idols, mostly girls, battling each other on the dance floor. In depth, the relationship between the characters was complex, each having an intertied backstory.
Lily could never understand the plot, but she was in for the simplicity of it, compared to other games Bob played, gun shooting and all. It was virtually the only game that they both enjoyed together.
Soon, they reached the last level, Steampunk Dance Station.
"Hello," a clockwork girl said. The girl was bronze, brass, copper; metallic; made of metal parts, just a robot. Like a human she was, wearing an ankle length dress, hiding a jetpack in it.
"Hello," Bob's avatar replied. "Where's your master?"
"My master? Hahaha."
"What's going on?" asked Lily's avatar sternly.
"You want to fight him, I guess."
"Of course. How much has she laid waste in our town!?"
"Right behind you."
Bob and Lily turned their avatar around. There, in front of them, they saw steam emerging from the ground, with a green light behind it. Soon, they noticed a shadowy figure behind, dancing to music that just start playing.
As usual, it was time to fight. Bob tried to move his character in front but he was unable to. "Lily, try moving your character."
"Okay," she said. "Umm... It's stuck."
The steam slowly disappeared, revealing a girl in a black suit, with a top hat and round gold coloured glasses. "Hahahahahahahahahahahhahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahah," she laughed maniacally. With the camera pointed directly at her, she said, "Your avatars are now mine, robots."
The camera turned to the avatars, revealing the robotic girl turning keys into the backs of Bob's and Lily's avatars.
"Hello," the avatars, now robots, said glassly.
The camera then turned back to the girl in black, her face covering the whole screen.
"You guys wanna continue?"
"Lily, do you want to continue?"
"Continue, and you get to fight me. Retreat, and you have to restart the whole game," the girl in black said, showing them two buttons, Continue and Retreat.
"Continue," Bob said. "We can win this."
"Brace yourselves," the girl said once Bob pressed continue.
Bob and Lily suddenly found cyan beams emerging from the telly, heading right at them. Instantly, they were sucked. Into the game world.
"Hello," the girl in black was in front of them. "I bet you know me."
"Gothko," Bob said. "The final boss."
"Boss? I prefer head mistress."
"Head mistress?"
"Dance."
Suddenly, the dance music changed, a disco and pop song played.
"Girl, close your eyes, let that rhythm get into you," Gothko sang, Lily closing her eyes.
"Don't try to fight it, there ain't nothing you can do, relax your mind, lay back and groove with mine."
"What are you doing to Lily!?" questioned Bob angrily, seeing Lily dance along with Gothko.
Gothko didn't reply, and continued dancing. Lily, on the other hand, was stuck in a trance. She just danced along with Gothko, copying every single move she did, but in the opposite direction. Gothko raised her left hand, Lily raised her right hand. Mirror.
"You gotta feel that heat, and we can ride the boogie, share that beat of love," she sung, now having Lily under her control.
Suddenly, Lily's body became shorter, and her legs grew longer, making her stay at the same height as she was. Her hair grew longer, coloured in white. Her attire changed, a top and miniskirt it became. Her face changed a bit, a bit cuter. Overall, she changed to better fit in with the other idols.
"I wanna rock with you," Gothko sang. "All night," Bob couldn't resist to sing.
"Dance into the day." "Sunlight..."
"I wanna rock with you," Gothko let go of Lily, allowing Lily to dance by herself. "Sing with me, Bob!" "All night..."
"Dance the night away!" Lily sung. "Dance the night away," Gothko ended.
"That was fun! Your turn, Bob."
Bob was freaking out about what just happened. That wasn't him singing. He never wanted to sing. And Lily, what had gotten into her? Had she forgotten who she just sang with?
"It's your turn to sing, my dear," said Gothko, passing over the microphone. "Choose a song."
"Alright!"
Suddenly, an electric organ appeared in front of him, with a stool as well.
"Play it."
Bob was confused. He didn't know how to play the organ. However, he knew that to progress the battle, he had to play it, play the music.
So he sat down on the stool. His digits, they suddenly moved on their own, playing an ominous chord, a weird series of chords.
"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came, that voice which calls to me, and speaks my name. And do I dream again? For now I find, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my mind..." Lily sang.
Bob played the ominous chords again, with a mask appearing in front of him. "Sing once again, with me, our strange duet. My power over you, grows stronger yet," he sang.
Lily glanced behind, winking at Gothko. Gothko winked back at Lily, knowing that it was nearly time.
"And though you turn from me, to glance behind, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind."
The ominous chords played again, but this time it wasn't Bob. Lily looked back at Bob, who was standing up from the organ.
"Pick up the mask," said she. "Wear it."
He picked it up, wearing it.
"Those who have seen your face, turned back in fear, I am the mask you wear..."
"It's me they fear," Bob sang, looking at Gothko, dancing along to the music.
"My spirit and your voice," sang Bob, and Lily sang, "Your spirit and my voice,"
"in one combined, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside," they sang together.
"my mind." "your mind."
Bob's clothes changed unknowingly, now a black suit with a cape.
"He's there, the Phantom of the Opera! Beware, the Phantom of the Opera!" Gothko sang as backup, changing Bob's mind slowly.
This time, key change occured and a different section was played instead of the ominous chords.
"In all your fantasies, you always knew, that man and mystery... "
"Were both in you."
"And in this labyrinth, where night is blind, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside..."
"My mind." "Your mind."
"Sing, my angel of music!" Bob sung, suddenly remembering the labyrinth that he had. The labyrinth of darkness, the forest of mirrors, the torture chambers. Yes, he was the genius of Persia.
"He's there, the Phantom of the Opera!"
"Sing!"
"Aaaaah, aaaaaaah, aah, aaah, aah, aaah, aaaah, aaaaaaah!" Lily sang, her voice able to reach higher points then before.
"Sing for me!" cried Bob, causing Lily to sing more.
"Sing for me, my angel of music!" Higher she sang, her voice becoming more and more intense, Bob's mental changes more and more intense.
"Sing for me!" Once again she sang higher, nearly reaching the top.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" She had reached her peak, ending the song; Bob reaching the peak of his mental changes, ending his transformation.
"Hey, Bob. Remember what you were supposed to do?"
"Yes, of course. Come with me, Lily. Let's enjoy this trip down my river."
"Okay, Bob."
"Just call me Phantom."
"Okay, Phantom."
"Come on, Lily. We can win this!" Bob said. "Just dance to the rhythm!"
"I'm doing my best, Bob!"
It was their favorite game, Idol Master 3000. The latest version had just sold out, and so they bought an oddly discarded one, desperate to play.
The game was simple at it's foundation, just some idols, mostly girls, battling each other on the dance floor. In depth, the relationship between the characters was complex, each having an intertied backstory.
Lily could never understand the plot, but she was in for the simplicity of it, compared to other games Bob played, gun shooting and all. It was virtually the only game that they both enjoyed together.
Soon, they reached the last level, Steampunk Dance Station.
"Hello," a clockwork girl said. The girl was bronze, brass, copper; metallic; made of metal parts, just a robot. Like a human she was, wearing an ankle length dress, hiding a jetpack in it.
"Hello," Bob's avatar replied. "Where's your master?"
"My master? Hahaha."
"What's going on?" asked Lily's avatar sternly.
"You want to fight him, I guess."
"Of course. How much has she laid waste in our town!?"
"Right behind you."
Bob and Lily turned their avatar around. There, in front of them, they saw steam emerging from the ground, with a green light behind it. Soon, they noticed a shadowy figure behind, dancing to music that just start playing.
As usual, it was time to fight. Bob tried to move his character in front but he was unable to. "Lily, try moving your character."
"Okay," she said. "Umm... It's stuck."
The steam slowly disappeared, revealing a girl in a black suit, with a top hat and round gold coloured glasses. "Hahahahahahahahahahahhahhahahahahahhahahahahhahahah," she laughed maniacally. With the camera pointed directly at her, she said, "Your avatars are now mine, robots."
The camera turned to the avatars, revealing the robotic girl turning keys into the backs of Bob's and Lily's avatars.
"Hello," the avatars, now robots, said glassly.
The camera then turned back to the girl in black, her face covering the whole screen.
"You guys wanna continue?"
"Lily, do you want to continue?"
"Continue, and you get to fight me. Retreat, and you have to restart the whole game," the girl in black said, showing them two buttons, Continue and Retreat.
"Continue," Bob said. "We can win this."
"Brace yourselves," the girl said once Bob pressed continue.
Bob and Lily suddenly found cyan beams emerging from the telly, heading right at them. Instantly, they were sucked. Into the game world.
"Hello," the girl in black was in front of them. "I bet you know me."
"Gothko," Bob said. "The final boss."
"Boss? I prefer head mistress."
"Head mistress?"
"Dance."
Suddenly, the dance music changed, a disco and pop song played.
"Girl, close your eyes, let that rhythm get into you," Gothko sang, Lily closing her eyes.
"Don't try to fight it, there ain't nothing you can do, relax your mind, lay back and groove with mine."
"What are you doing to Lily!?" questioned Bob angrily, seeing Lily dance along with Gothko.
Gothko didn't reply, and continued dancing. Lily, on the other hand, was stuck in a trance. She just danced along with Gothko, copying every single move she did, but in the opposite direction. Gothko raised her left hand, Lily raised her right hand. Mirror.
"You gotta feel that heat, and we can ride the boogie, share that beat of love," she sung, now having Lily under her control.
Suddenly, Lily's body became shorter, and her legs grew longer, making her stay at the same height as she was. Her hair grew longer, coloured in white. Her attire changed, a top and miniskirt it became. Her face changed a bit, a bit cuter. Overall, she changed to better fit in with the other idols.
"I wanna rock with you," Gothko sang. "All night," Bob couldn't resist to sing.
"Dance into the day." "Sunlight..."
"I wanna rock with you," Gothko let go of Lily, allowing Lily to dance by herself. "Sing with me, Bob!" "All night..."
"Dance the night away!" Lily sung. "Dance the night away," Gothko ended.
"That was fun! Your turn, Bob."
Bob was freaking out about what just happened. That wasn't him singing. He never wanted to sing. And Lily, what had gotten into her? Had she forgotten who she just sang with?
"It's your turn to sing, my dear," said Gothko, passing over the microphone. "Choose a song."
"Alright!"
Suddenly, an electric organ appeared in front of him, with a stool as well.
"Play it."
Bob was confused. He didn't know how to play the organ. However, he knew that to progress the battle, he had to play it, play the music.
So he sat down on the stool. His digits, they suddenly moved on their own, playing an ominous chord, a weird series of chords.
"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came, that voice which calls to me, and speaks my name. And do I dream again? For now I find, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside my mind..." Lily sang.
Bob played the ominous chords again, with a mask appearing in front of him. "Sing once again, with me, our strange duet. My power over you, grows stronger yet," he sang.
Lily glanced behind, winking at Gothko. Gothko winked back at Lily, knowing that it was nearly time.
"And though you turn from me, to glance behind, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside your mind."
The ominous chords played again, but this time it wasn't Bob. Lily looked back at Bob, who was standing up from the organ.
"Pick up the mask," said she. "Wear it."
He picked it up, wearing it.
"Those who have seen your face, turned back in fear, I am the mask you wear..."
"It's me they fear," Bob sang, looking at Gothko, dancing along to the music.
"My spirit and your voice," sang Bob, and Lily sang, "Your spirit and my voice,"
"in one combined, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside," they sang together.
"my mind." "your mind."
Bob's clothes changed unknowingly, now a black suit with a cape.
"He's there, the Phantom of the Opera! Beware, the Phantom of the Opera!" Gothko sang as backup, changing Bob's mind slowly.
This time, key change occured and a different section was played instead of the ominous chords.
"In all your fantasies, you always knew, that man and mystery... "
"Were both in you."
"And in this labyrinth, where night is blind, the Phantom of the Opera is there, inside..."
"My mind." "Your mind."
"Sing, my angel of music!" Bob sung, suddenly remembering the labyrinth that he had. The labyrinth of darkness, the forest of mirrors, the torture chambers. Yes, he was the genius of Persia.
"He's there, the Phantom of the Opera!"
"Sing!"
"Aaaaah, aaaaaaah, aah, aaah, aah, aaah, aaaah, aaaaaaah!" Lily sang, her voice able to reach higher points then before.
"Sing for me!" cried Bob, causing Lily to sing more.
"Sing for me, my angel of music!" Higher she sang, her voice becoming more and more intense, Bob's mental changes more and more intense.
"Sing for me!" Once again she sang higher, nearly reaching the top.
"Aaaaaaaaaaah!" She had reached her peak, ending the song; Bob reaching the peak of his mental changes, ending his transformation.
"Hey, Bob. Remember what you were supposed to do?"
"Yes, of course. Come with me, Lily. Let's enjoy this trip down my river."
"Okay, Bob."
"Just call me Phantom."
"Okay, Phantom."
And from them on, Bob and Lily both lived in the game world, the game world of Idol Master, Idola Land. Recurring characters they became, from Idol Master 3000 and it's further sequels and spin-offs.
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