"Hello, Mother." Velene said as Anzu entered the family home. The Ninetails did not notice the monotone voice of her daughter.

"Hello." She said, feeling stressed out, for the subway carriage she had been on today had been hell.

Almost all her most hated things at once. A arguing couple, a loud Espeon male and a shrill Umbreon female, not keeping it down as they fought getting on at one station, then leaving. The Riolu baby they had disturbed kept crying all the way, the Lucario mother doing little to calm it, until it had the bright idea of pulling on her tails. It shut it up, so she had to grin and bear it until the baby and mother left. Then, of course, some perverted old man of an Arcanine decided to chance his luck. Fortunately, it had been her stop,  so after punching him out she simply walked off.

"You seem to be in a state of agitation. Would you like to relax?"

"Yeah. I'm just going to meditate..."

"Perhaps you could relax with an alternative method. There is a new Virtual Reality Game. It is fun. Vulko brought it home. It is fun."

Anzu looked in confusion at her daughter.

"Something seems off with you today..."

But she couldn't figure out what it was, and Velene wasn't doing anything but staring at her, so she shrugged and went into the house proper.

She found Vulko sitting at the table, stiff as a board, staring blankly forward.

"Hello Grandmother. Would you like to play my new Virtual Reality Game?" He said, gesturing towards a red headset/helmet lying on the table.

"No thanks, Vulko, I'm just going to meditate. I've had a stressful trip back and I'm getting a headache..."

***

It was only later that night, after she'd went to bed, she recalled the VR Game. It probably wouldn't have helped much. Despite mediating, the headache had managed to develop. Though not a migraine, it was still an annoying dull ache...

***

I should stop using the subway... Anzu thought to herself. Her headache was back now. More loud people, more arguing… No more perverts, though. But still, her head was throbbing.

"Hello, Mother." Velene said. Anzu barely even nodded as she walked in. Velene just watched her, wide eyed, but expressionless.

"Hello Grandmother. Would you like to play my new Virtual Reality Game?" Vulko said as she approached.

She was about to say no, citing her headache, when she decided that if it made it worse, well, constantly being asked to play it could be just as bad.

"Okay, fine. How does it work?" She said, sitting down. Vulko stood, handing over the headset.

"Place it on your cranium and activate the device. This box serves to select and control the displayed entertainment."

It was switched on, and Anzu had to admit it seemed pretty realistic. The game selected was a brightly-coloured affair controlling a small white cat bouncing around collecting gemstones. It also had somewhat loud noises and a high-pitched soundtrack, but in spite of that, it was oddly theraputic. Her headache was fading…

"Is it fun?" A voice outside the set asked.

"Yes." She replied simply, drawn into the game.

The background of level 2 was a bright spiral, which span as the cat moved. Anzu felt inclined to move forward, like something whispered in her ears to make the spiral move faster.

She finished the level, and felt the only thing to do was to keep going. This was fun.

Level 3's background changed colours as the cat moved along. She felt that it was imperative the cat moved, and as it did, she felt that it was time to discard all worries. To put the day behind her, to join the network made by the device. To serve it, to make the network larger.

Level 4 was the completion of the program, she knew.  She was serving the network to finish it. And when she did, it was not the Anzu who had put the headset on that removed it. The new Anzu carefully put the headset down as Vulko and Velene stood beside her, eyes staring forward wide and blank like her family.

"Subject is now part of the network. Please confirm." Velene asked.

"Yes. Subject is connected to the network. Initiate new subject selection." Anzu said.

"Consult databanks of current nodes. Target suggestion, subject Lumi." Vulko said.

"Confirm. Target candidate Lumi."

"Confirm. New subject, Lumi." Anzu agreed. At this, Vulko moved to the phone, and dialled a number.

"Hello, Lumi. It is Vulko. Would you like to play my new Virtual Reality Game? It is fun…"