Chapter Text
Once everyone was settled in their seats, Kade reappeared in front of the whole audience at the center of the large arena-like stage before the gigantic silver screen with both Jen and Billy by his side and he materialized a microphone, tapped it and then spoke into it.
“Hello and welcome, everyone, to my magnificent theater.” He began as if he were the emcee at a concert. “Of course, I had to make a few arrangements in order for everyone to fit inside this place and create enough seats for you all. But anyway, for the first movie we’re about to watch, it is going to be about Barney and Ron.”
He said pointing directly at the two themselves. Barney’s eyes widened and his friends had the same faces as he did.
“It is the story about a social loner surrounded by kids who all have a B-Bot, except for him. But when he finally gets on, something seems off about it. What follows next is a journey about the true meaning of friendship. The message will become clearer and clearer as the movie progresses. What makes a true friendship and what is it all about? Well, that’s for you to decide.”
“Huh, this’ll be fun.” Kris shrugged.
“Kinda reminds me of a robot friend of my own.” stated Hogarth.
“Lights!” Kade shouted and in response, all the lights in the theater dimmed down and he teleported himself, Jen and Billy to their own personal seat way down in front of the audience, the best front row seats in the house.
“Camera!” The projector switched on, activating the movie ‘Ron’s Gone Wrong’ from the very beginning and the screen lit up, illuminating the theater as the movie began to play.
“And……..action!”
(We are shown a large spherical building, which is the headquarters for renowned tech giant Bubble, that rests on the edge of a large dam before a great lake in the middle of the forest accessible through road bridges and a helicopter pad outside the front entrance. The exterior appearance of the building is made entirely of thick transparent window glass and inside can be seen a thick pillar that connects to a series of rooms from top to bottom in a curious fashion akin to a DNA helix atomic structure - all of which were bubble-shaped as well as it is the apparent motif and namesake for the company.)
“Wow! That building looks amazing!” Hiro beamed bubbly at that spectacle of a building and it was built right on top of a dam, no less.
“I know, right?” Tadashi agreed, smiling.
“That looks amazing! So futuristic!” Hogarth’s eyes turn alarmingly round. Given he’s from the 50’s, he’s never seen a sophisticated and avante-garde structure like this before in his life. “How did you guys make it like that, anyway?”
“He’s right.” Victor F. agreed with him, since he is also from the 50's where tech and establishments this beautifully revolutionary are scarcely low and never been invented as of yet. “The exterior of that place looks like one giant window and what are those giant colored bubbles inside?”
“Oh, those are the different rooms inside.” answered Marc.
“So neat!” smiled Victor F. giddily.
“And they built it on top of a tall dam?” asked Wasabi, both amazed and terrified of the infrastructural concept. “I mean, that’s pretty cool, but also kinda scary if you think about it, especially with a building shaped like a giant sphere.”
“Relax, it’s totally safe. We’ve taken precautionary measures with the architects when constructing the place.” Marc assured him comfortingly.
“What in Kumandra are those white things outside that enormous round thing?” Tong demanded, peering intently and inquisitively at the round-shape white cars wheeling in.
“And what is that object flying in the sky?” Victor V.D. asked, referring to the helicopter.
“Well, those white things are called cars.” Jen answered the first question. “It’s what we use for transportation in these modern times.”
“That flying thing is called a helicopter. It’s used for transportation by air.” Then Billy answered the next question.
“I’ve seen a flying metal bird before, but never one with spinning blades on the top.” Long vacillated, scratching his chin.
“That’s what’s called an airplane.” Kade told him with a deadpan.
“But those vehicles are on the ground with wheels.” Searcher sputtered. “That means they roll on the ground to get places. Why do they need to do that?”
“And why aren’t they using horses to pull those odd carriages?” asked Victoria.
“Well, that’s just how they were built. Nobody’s ever achieved flying vehicles. At least not yet.” remarked Kade, whispering that last part to himself. “And they don’t need horses for transportation anymore. In fact, they still do, but not for everything. That’s why we got creative over time.”
“But why? Are they not farming any pando in that world or something?” asked Searcher desperately.
“Pando?” Raya peeped, a single eyebrow raised upward.
“Pando?”
“What’s pando?” asked Mirabel, looking at all her family, but they didn’t know either.
“You mean ‘panda’, mister?” asked Ming.
“No, I mean ‘pando’. It’s this-”
“Nevermind, Searcher. We can all find out at a later date.” Kade interrupted him sternly and the farmer sighed in defeat.
“So what is that company called?” asked Yi.
“Bubble.” Barney replied.
“Bubble?” Mei chirped in amusement.
“Hence the building’s design.” Marc added in acknowledgement.
ANCHORMAN:
“Back in five, we are streaming live from Bubble HQ.”
GUEST #1:
“It’s launch day at Bubble.”
GUEST #2:
“What incredible tech are they about to unveil?”
GUEST #3:
“We’re going in.”
(Outside the Bubble HQ, thousands of people are entering through the doors in pure excitement for the company’s launching ceremony in which they shall unveil their latest creation for all the world to see.
”Tech?” Sisu asked, tilting her head. “What’s that mean?”
“Technology.” Kade answered. “It’s something we use in the modern day.”
MARC:
“Have you ever felt completely alone?”
”I have.” Kris said with a deadpan. “At least I used to.”
“Me, too.” Yi raised her hands.
Nimona, Claire, Hogarth, Mirabel, Norman, Coraline and Jack could also relate to this. Nimona’s been alone for years and years after being betrayed by Gloreth and called a monster by everyone and since then she had given up on doing good in a world where everyone hates you, which is why she steered down the road to villany instead, give everyone the monster they so desperately want. Claire had no friends since she wasn’t allowed friends due to the strict life plan that her ever-calculative and overbearing mother had intuitively constructed her and the countless hours of endless studying she was made to do in order to get into Werth Academy and the only friend she had was an elderly aviator that lived next door to her. Hogarth had no human friends outside of a giant robot from space so he was basically a loner at school.
Because Mirabel had no gift of her own like her family, she had been turned away by most of her family, mostly Alma, and pretty much the majority of the Encanto, specifically in part due to an unhealthy obsession over the magic the Miracle granted the family that everyone benefited from. Norman didn’t have a lot of friends at school or outside of school because of his ability to see ghosts that nobody else could see. Since she had to move from her old home, Coraline didn’t have any new friends at first until she started warming up to Wybie.
And as for Jack, he’s been invisible to everyone around him everywhere he went for billions of centuries, much like Nimona, but only because nobody believed in him, nobody knew he existed. He was basically invisible to them, like a ghost, a wandering, restless spirit. And it took so, painfully long for him to finally find someone to believe in him - Jamie Bennett.
(Cut to the inside of the office of one MARC WYDELL, CEO of the Bubble corporation, a young African-American man with bushy black hair and a blue hoodie, as he is rehearsing his lines for the ceremony with the help of his invention - a skateboard with robotic arms wearing rubber gloves, holding up a slab for him to read off of.)
MARC:
“Standing on the edge of things, so awkward, not daring to approach anyone? What if you could have one perfect friend who thinks you’re awesome, who could help you find friends and make it all easy?”
”I wish.” Nimona grumbled to herself, remembering her years of loneliness and isolation from society thanks to the one person she considered a friend. Ballister gave her a sympathetic gaze.
“I’ve been alone most of my life before I finally found my family.” Billy commented, thinking back to Freddy and the rest of his family.
INTERCOM:
“All staff to the launchitorium.”
(At this, Marc gets up from his desk to prepare himself.)
MALE VOICE:
“Marc, they’re ready. Marc?”
”So what’s the new tech gonna be, Marc.” asked Mark curiosity.
Marc didn’t say anything, only watched and waited.
MARC:
“So, this is it. (CHUCKLING EXCITEDLY) This is finally it! The day that we at Bubble give the whole world a new best friend!”
(The scene around him transitions to later on once he’s up on the big stage at the launchitorium in front of a massively receptive and anxiously eager audience ready to bear witness to the latest addition to the company. Everyone cheers and gives a standing ovation, even chanting his name.)
”You guys build best friends?” Miriam asked.
“Not really. Just a device that can be your best friend and help you make new friends.” Marc clarified.
“How can a device do that exactly? That’s kinda weird.” Annie, however, didn’t quite understand the idea.
“You’ll see in a few minutes.” Kade reminded her.
EVERYONE:
“Marc! Marc! Marc!”
MARC:
Aww, we did this together, guys! This is what it’s all been for. Right back to the time in the garage where Bubble started.”
ANDREW:
“My garage, folks. My garage.”
(That had been ANDREW MORRIS, executive of Bubble and Marc’s business partner at the edge of the stage - a middle-aged and rather smug and pompous-looking pot-bellied guy with graying hair and glasses.)
”Okay, he looks like a total dick already just by looking at him.” Stig grumbled.
“Yeah, he almost reminds me of Krei.” Gogo conceded, popping her bubblegum. “If Krei had gray hair and a pot belly.”
“Who is he?” asked Mirabel.
“That’s Andrew Morris, my business partner and co-CEO.” Marc sighed discontentedly when he saw Andrew onscreen. “Apparently, he and I have very different ideas on success and running a business.”
“Let me guess, all he cares about is money.” Kate retorted with a grumpy look in her eyes.
“Yeah, that’s kinda the gist of it.” The tech genius nodded.
MARC:
“Of course, yes, Andrew. Thanks, uhh…....but today, we take a huge leap from Bubble’s phones and tablets and watches to a whole new world of connection. And at its heart, my code. My algorithm for friendship.”
(Up on the giant screen behind him, the exact words ‘THE ALGORITHM FOR FRIENDSHIP’ alongside the aforementioned algorithm itself are presented above his head and right before the eyes of the crowd.)
MARC:
“The code that drives your new best friend - the Bubble Bot!”
“Huh, so that’s what the B stands for.” Din wondered out loud.
“I think that was kinda obvious already, in my opinion.” Katie responded.
“This Marc better not try to throw this creation away for a new replacement like mine did with me.” PAL growled.
Mark, for his part, froze up and winced, looking all around, completely nervous, embarrassed and equal parts ashamed of this harsh reminder of his past actions.
“What does the talking phone lady mean by that?” asked Ping.
“Not now. Later.” Kade interjected.
(Everyone cheers. Three guests in the audience are shown wearing T-shirts that read ‘I Heart Code’.)
FEMALE VOICE:
“Welcome to the future of friendship.”
MARC:
“You wanna meet it? Okay!”
(Then the large screen begins the search for the lucky candidate, scanning through a long list of numerous social media users’ accounts while the crowd shouts out anxiously, all begging to be picked. Finally, one particular user has been carefully selected - EllieB9; a young redheaded girl about 10 or 13 years of age.)
MARC:
“Do we have an ‘EllieB9’?”
(The girl in question perks up from a row near the stage and rushes over to the stage.)
ELLIE:
“Oh my gosh! That’s me! That’s me! Hi!”
(Marc’s robot assists her onto the stage where she comes face-to-face with Marc, brimming with excitement as Marc opens up her account.)
“Wait, where are that girl’s parents?” Ming demanded, seeing a young girl just walking up to a stage alone in front of a massive audience at a tech company.
“I’m sure they’re there with her.” Rick replied. “Like, it’s not like she just drove to that place herself.”
MARC:
“Hi. So, that’s your posts and your friends and photos, right?”
ELLIE:
(NODDING) “Yeah.”
MARC:
“Okay. Ellie, this is for you. The world’s very first Bubble Bot.”
”Oh, exciting!” Fred bursted.
(Suddenly, the lights dim and as everyone watches with baited breath, it happens. A single spotlight shines down from above the stage in between Marc and Ellie while the audience gasps with wonder in their eyes, using the flashlights on their phones. Like a glowing angel descending from the heavens, an object is slowly lowered downwards via drone with Ellie watching on wide-eyed with anticipation. It is a bright blue spherocylindrical capsule with a hand-print scanner on it.)
”Wait, is that it?” asked Raya, put off by this when she looked directly between Ron and the object shown on the screen. “That B-Bot looks different. I thought the B-Bots were white?”
“It’s the blue casing that it comes in.” Marc informed her. “And they’re not all white.”
MARC:
“Go ahead.”
(On Marc’s encouragement, Ellie carefully approaches it, wondering what could be inside. Then she places her hand directly on the scanner. In response and a low chime, the capsule opens up to reveal - a white pill-shaped robot inside with 2D-animated black dot eyes, stubby arms and wheel feet that can retract flush into its body perfectly - the Bubble-Bot (or the “B-Bot” for short). Everyone is amazed and so is Ellie. And then, Marc accesses Ellie’s account to install everything and upload it onto the B-Bot, or “installing friendship” as it so says on the tablet. The B-Bot starts obtaining several apps in the process.)
”What’s going on?” Edward asked. “What’s it doing?”
“I’m simply downloading all of her account’s content and apps to her B-Bot in order for it to be her friend.” exclaimed the Bubble CEO.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t understand any of that.” Susan gently replied since the vernacular is foreign to her.
“They’re from the 50’s, Marc. We gotta try and be more specific. Use simpler terms.” Kade said to him sternly.
“Uh, right.”
ELLIE:
“What’s happening?”
MARC:
“It’s getting to know you. Everything about you.”
(The B-Bot finishes uploading and with a DING!, it smiles at Ellie with a heart-shaped icon on its belly.)
B-BOT:
“Hi, Ellie.”
”Oh, that is so cool!” Margot gushed like a child on Christmas or her birthday.
“Totally awesome!” Trevin cried with eagerness.
“It’s leaving my tingling on the inside with unsuppressed exhilaration like no other.” Bliss droned with an extensive vocabulary to best describe her own version of feeling joy and anticipation.
“I like her.” Priya smirked.
(Then it adopts the character skin of a purple cartoon bunny character with its arms stimulating rabbit ears.)
ELLIE:
“Danger bunny! That’s my favorite show!”
B-BOT:
“Mine, too!” (BOUNCES AROUND)
ELLIE:
“Awesome!”
“Spectacular!” Yi exploded.
(Everyone is amazed by this as they watch the B-Bot dance around, taking on new skins like a teal-colored DJ and Captain Marvel.)
”Yeah, this is something else.” Roar said, nodding his head in approval. “I wonder when they’ll start making stuff like this back at home.”
“By my count, I’ll probably be dead before that happens.” Stig theorized sardonically.
“That looks like Captain Marvel.” Hiro said, eying the second skin.
“Yeah, it kinda does, doesn’t it.” Jen nodded in agreement since it did remind her of Carol from her universe whom she had worked with from time to time.
“Hey, that’s one of the names I was taking!” Billy shouted incredulously.
“Seriously?” Jen was taken aback.
“I’ll explain it later.” whispered Kade to her ear.
MARC:
“Infinite downloadable skins!”
(The next skin of a red-colored monkey.)
“Skins?” asked Dean.
“Boy, this is getting better and better.” Raúl stated.
ELLIE:
“I love monkeys!”
MARC:
“Apps, contacts, photos, chat.”
”I’m failing to get a firm grasp of any of this new localism.” Victor V.D. replied, still unsure of what to make of this so-called modern technology.
“It’ll take some getting used to, son.” Callahan told him.
(Ellie searches through several options on her new B-Bot and selects the music app, making her new bot friend turn into a green-ish disco ball as it plays a tune that they dance to.)
MARC:
“Music, of course.”
”Oh, I am so there.” Mei beamed.
(Now the B-Bot turns into a racecar.)
MARC:
“Jump on!”
(Ellie hops on it and she rides it, having the time of her life.)
MARC:
“Incredible safety settings to keep your parents happy.”
”Hopefully.” Julieta firmly remarked with maternal concern. “Nobody wants their child to get hurt by those things on their watch.”
“Especially the ones who are too busy looking after a bunch of lazy idiots to even care for their own children.” Kade retorted to her, making her rear back in surprise and eventually hurt. The rest of her family are appalled by his sudden rude attitude towards her, especially Alma. Though, deep down, she understood why felt that way, but it was truly her own fault her children fault at being parents since she wasn’t exactly a stellar herself.
“Kade.” Jen slapped his arm.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t help it.” He stubbornly reproached.
ELLIE:
“You can be anything in the world?”
B-BOT:
“In the universe! (TURNS INTO A SPACE ROCKET - MALE VOICE) Hold on!”
(Next, the B-Bot creates a very realistic holographic simulation of the POV shot of a rocket blasting off into outer space, into the stars and onto the surface of Mars.)
ELLIE:
“Oh, I love space!”
B-BOT:
“Me too!”
MARC:
“360-degree immersive projection.”
”Whoa!” Fred chorused with wide eyes filled with wonder, the many possibilities the B-Bot were just astounding. Many other younger members of the audience were just as amazed, including those from a non-advanced era. Many were already wondering what it would be like to own a B-Bot of their own. The Big Hero 6 gang had similar reactions to Fred, since they were experts themselves when it came to state-of-the-art technology and engineering. In fact, in their world, it would not be impossible for them to build a B-Bot themselves since they have the smarts, the tools and the tech wizardry know-now, not to mention the usual proficiency in social media.
“Is it weird that I kinda want one of those?” asked Katie curiously and eagerly.
“Kinda, but…..” Rick answered, wincing to himself since he’s still adjusting to the idea and use of modern technology.
“I want one!” Aaron shouted gleefully, raising his hand.
“I want one, too!” erupted Jin, briefly jumping up from his seat, making Peng laugh at his cousin’s behavior while Yi shook her head with an exasperated sigh.
“I want one, three!” Ruby raised her hand.
“Me four!” So did Margot.
“I wonder if I could build some at PAL Labs.” Mark murmured to himself, deep in inquisitive thought.
“Hey, maybe Hiro can build one!” Fred brazenly suggested, bursting with childlike zeal.
“Uh, yeah…….I could, but……..I’m so sure how that B-Bot was made.” answered Hiro nervously twiddling his thumbs.
B-BOT:
“First selfie from the red planet?”
ELLIE:
“Okay.”
B-BOT:
“Sharing.”
(The B-Bot snaps a selfie with her, then transfers that photo to the phones of the people in the audience.)
MARC:
“Constant connection to the Bubble network.”
“Sweet!” Jin gushed. “Now I really gotta get my hands on one of those babies!”
“Oh, man.” Yi facepalmed.
However, Savannah felt uncomfortable hearing that part about the network, thinking back to a traumatic experience that resulted in one single dumb decision, quite possibly the worst decision she had ever made in human history.
(At an instant, everyone shares, likes and comments on the photo they just received as influencers are wont to do. With the thousand likes it was gaining, the B-Bot transforms back into a monkey to pursue its goal.)
ELLIE:
“What’s she doing now?”
MARC:
“This is why we’re here, Ellie. To find you some new friends.”
”Pardon me, but do we really need technology for that?” asked Kris. “Why can’t we just make friends on our own?”
“It’s a newer age, my friend.” Kade addressed calmly before Marc could. “People connect with each other in a new and improved way via social media and the internet.”
“That is correct, ladies and gents.” Billy backed him up. “Facebook, Twitter, DeviantArt, Instagram, TikTok, however you slice it. Nowadays, the only friends we ever make are the ones we meet and share things with online.”
“Not sure I understood any of that.” Luisa furrowed her eyebrows in perplexity.
“Boy, you humans are so ridiculously complicated sometimes.” Wendell cackled.
(He checks his tablet to show the B-Bot’s coding doing its work, searching for friends for the girl until it manages to find two of them; Grace-May11 and Pete66, both young adolescent children around Ellie’s age.)
ELLIE:
“Oh, really?”
(Then the B-Bot jumps like a monkey into the audience and seeks out those two friends. In no time at all, it located the first child, Grace-May11 herself.)
B-BOT:
“Grace-May11 wants to be an astronaut, too. You wanna friend Ellie?”
GRACE-MAY11:
“Yeah, sure.”
(Then it hops over to the other friend it found, Pete66.)
B-BOT:
“Hey, Pete66!”
PETE66:
“Yes!”
(Both children join the B-Bot as it races back over to the stage to join Ellie’s side with the audience applauding.)
B-BOT:
“Pete’s a fan of Danger Bunny!”
PETE66:
“Hi, Ellie! This is so cool!”
GRACE-MAY11:
“Yeah, I went to Space Camp last year!”
“Wow, so she’s making friends with total strangers she literally just met?” Ugly Dog balked. “I mean, good for her, but that sounds kinda sketchy if ya ask me.”
“That odd one-eyed blue dog thing is right. What if these kids turn out not to be great friends at all?” Mrs. Zhong replied. “What if they’re only using her for some social status or something of the sort? Are they really friends just because a bot brought them together?”
“Well, everyone defines friendship in various ways, I guess.” Ian guessed, rubbing his neck.
“No, I’m siding with her on this.” argued Ming, knitting her eyebrows like any strict parent would. “What if those kids try to kidnap her or trick her into doing something she shouldn’t be doing like drugs or drinking alcohol?”
“But they’re not old enough for that.” Linda disagreed.
“Exactly my point! They shouldn’t be doing that! So what if that Ellie girl just befriended the wrong people?”
“Mom, don’t overreact, please.” Mei rubbed her eyes at her mother’s overzealous and anxious need to prevent some likely or unlikely scenario from occurring in the future
“I’m not overreacting. I’m stating the obvious.” Her mother obstinately rebutted.
“Oh, get a grip, lady.” Stig affronted with a massive eye-roll.
At that, Ming scoffed in offense with a mouth agape at that level of shameless disrespect. Meanwhile, while this sort of debate was going on, Barney and the gang were sharing unnerved and remorseful looks to one another as they desperately stayed quiet on Kade’s request to not spoil anything.
ANDREW:
“Your best friend out of the box!”
(The B-Bot projects a sticker on its chest with those exact words on it. The crowd goes wild and at that moment, thousands of drones overhead carrying billions of other capsules containing B-Bots start flying out through a large circular window behind the two CEOS on the stage as it gradually reveals the outside world, allowing all the B-Bots to be flown out and delivered to many lucky young consumers.)
MARC:
“Let’s do this! Let’s make friends!”
”Oh, this is gonna be good.” Gogo smirked as if sensing something that might go wrong could actually go wrong in the near future.
(A montage presents a plethora of children being delivered their own B-Bots. Many of them receive their own “Best Friend Out of the Box” with different personalized skins, thousands of children placing their hands on the handprint scanner of their blue capsules, ready to make friends. The montage ends with the last kid pressing his hand on a blue surface……which is not a B-Bot capsule, but actually a door.)
”Hey, Is that you, Barney?” asked Gobi, smiling.
“Yep, that’s me.” He answered.
DONKA:
“Barney?”
BARNEY:
“Yep?”
DONKA:
“You have safety vest?”
(Upon opening the door and stepping outside, we meet our protagonist. This is Barney Pudowski, a lanky, dweeby and socially-awkward young lad of 11 wearing his helmet, safety vest and holding his lunch box, ready for school.)
BARNEY:
“Uh-huh.”
DONKA:
“And snack?”
(He opens up his lunchbox to check its contents - an apple, his inhaler and a severed chicken leg.)
”For real?” Tyler chuckled at what he was seeing. “That’s all you’re bringing?”
Priya, who was sitting next to him, punched him in the shoulder.
“Ow!”
“I understand the apple, but why the, uh……..chicken leg?” asked Giulia hesitantly, a little creeped out by the sight of it.
“I’d rather not say. It’s a culture thing my Gran likes to do, I think.” Barney replied, not really sure himself, but his grandmother does insist that chicken’s legs have a lot of fiber and protein or something like that. It’s really hard to justify this practice exactly.
“And what’s that other thing?” asked Sisu.
“That’s my inhaler. I have asthma.” replied Barney.
BARNEY:
“Yeah, Gran. I’ll see you later.”
(He hops on his scooter and wheels off down his neighborhood street and onto the sidewalk towards school, looking confident. Up ahead, he passes two kids playing with their B-Bots.)
B-BOT #1:
“Omina mitotae!”
”No idea what that means, but that looks so cool!” Alfredo marveled.
(The B-Bot “zaps” his opponent, earning coins for his owners as Barney continues on without looking back. Just then, two other girls race past him using their B-Bots as skateboards. Together at the same time, they fly through the air and snap photos of each other in mid-air.)
GIRLS:
“Selfie! Whoo-hoo! Yeah!”
“That’s such a risky move doing something like that.” Fei Fei shook her head.
“But that did look pretty badass, though.” disagreed Fred.
(Another kid with a B-Bot is about to cross the street, but it stops him since a car is driving by. Once the vehicle passes, it gives him permission to cross, even projecting a pedestrian walkway for him on the road.)
B-BOT:
“Safe to walk.”
”Well, it’s good that they’re at least keeping them safe.” Julieta mused.
“Indeed. But only if they’re actually paying attention to the road.” Rick concurred, while not totally technologically-inclined like his family, but he was grateful that those B-Bot had safety features that enabled them to ensure the welfare of their adolescent owners when crossing the streets.
Marc looked proud of his achievement.
(Barney swoops down a hill to go under a bridge where yet another kid is playing with their B-Bot, using an immersive hologram of the ocean on the wall. Wheeling himself through the market of the town he lives in, passing by a Bubble store sitting dead in the center. It had that same futuristic advanced technology on the exterior architectural design; it was naturally bubble-shaped and could show text and such on the screen outside like ‘Good morning’ for instance. As he meanders by, Barney eyes longingly at the store, observing everything inside, marveling at the magnificent sight and even wondering what it’d be like to check out the place inside.)
”Astounding.” gaped Victor V.D. with widened, glistening eyes at the building.
“Indeed.” Emily agreed.
“So futuristic.” Rudolf exclaimed, pupils nearly the size of golfballs.
BARNEY:
“Wow.”
(But suddenly, out of nowhere, Barney unknowingly put himself right in the path of a delivery truck, which thankfully skidded to a full stop right in front of Barney the moment the driver saw him to narrowly avoid running him over and the boy on the scooter yelped and he halted.)
DRIVER:
“You got eyes, kid?”
BARNEY:
“Sorry. I’m so sorry.”
”Watch yourself, mister. You shouldn’t get distracted when you're riding down a busy street.” Laurel affirmed strictly and maternally with a sharp frown.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. I just got caught up in the moment.” Barney winced, blushing in embarrassment.
“I can’t say I blame him. I mean, that place looks so cool.” Luca effused, eyes twinkling like stars as he wondered what it’s like in there himself.
Alfredo chuckled at him while shaking his head.
(Barney scuttled off as the delivery man climbed out of the truck in irritation before seeing that a B-Bot had fallen out of the vehicle because of the stop.)
DRIVER:
“Aw, seriously?”
”Well, that’s great.” Brooke harrumphed. “Now you just caused potential property damage.”
But as Barney watched the screen without even acknowledging the mother, he took a good look at the B-Bot capsule that just fell off the truck and noticed the dirt marks on it, which looked familiar to him, especially when he first received Ron on day one. With this in mind, it really made him think. Was he the reason Ron became glitchy like he was when he got him?
(He goes to pick it up before we cut to Barney arriving at his school, Nonsuch Middle School, where every single one of his classmates had a B-Bot of their own, playing around with them while making their way to school. A bunch of kids stood by the other end of the street with their B-Bots, which had Stormtrooper and Darth Vader skins.)
B-BOT:
“Look left, Ethan. Right. Now let us cross.”
KIDS:
“To the dark side!”
BOT #2:
“You have 9 new messages.”
BOT #3:
“You have 10 likes.”
GIRL:
“Message Abby, tell her I’ll be there in five.”
BOT #4:
“Jack wants to friend you.”
BOT #5:
“By Odin’s beard, you have 6 messages.”
GIRL:
“Did you see Ruby’s post? Sharing.”
”Honestly, I just don’t understand this generation at all.” Rick groaned pathetically.
Just looking at all the children talking the typical jargon, Kade chuckled knowingly and spoke with a light heart, “Yep, kids and their devices.”
“Typical millennials.” Billy retorted as he hypocritically browsed through his own phone.
(Meanwhile, Barney enters the school, walking through the crowd of chatty kids and their B-Bots, all the while looking all around, like a blonde, bespectacled girl in a classroom, going over a science presentation with her B-Bot. Her name is Ava, by the way, a nerdy type.)
AVA:
“So, you see how the magma from the upper mantle pushes up into the chamber.”
KID:
“That’s cool.”
AVA:
“Label chamber.”
”Sounds like my kinda girl.” Ruby mused amusedly and warmingly to see someone else who had nerd smarts like her. While not exactly into science herself, she was a mathematics genius so it was still on the same level.
“Oh, thanks.” Ava herself blushed at the compliment.
“Great. Another boring nerd!” However, Tyler complained from his seat with a huge eye-roll.
“Shut it, Tyler!” growled Mei.
“What? One nerd is enough for me, okay?!”
Mei and the girls, of course, rolled her eyes at the Vietnamese boy’s immaturity, growling in frustration and muttering under their breaths. Mei even wondered how she ended up being friends with him, but she knew it was for a good reason.
‘Hmm, I don’t know why, but she sounds similar’ , Miriam thought to herself in her mind, taking in Ava’s voice.
RICH:
“Guys, guys, is she coming yet?”
(Looking another direction, there on top of a vending machine was the mischievous and chaotic prankster, the class clown, Rich Belcher and his two cronies, Jayden - a tall dude in a hoodie - and Alex - an obese kid. Rich himself had a street look with backwards-facing baseball cap and an oversized jacket with a fur trim. In preparation for a prank they are about to pull, Rich dons a zombie Halloween mask.)
”Okay, what is this now?” Stig looked suspicious.
Savannah rolled her eyes and facepalms, remembering this same stupid prank he pulled on her and how ridiculous he looked. On the other hand, Rich froze up and cringed, looking back at himself from those days. Sure, it seemed funny to him, but was it really?
STUDENTS:
“Hey, Savannah!”/“Hey, Sav! Cute kicks!”
(Savannah Meades, the popular girl in school according to her likes - a stylish young preteen girl with long brown hair, a flawless complexion, a skin gold jacket and fluffy pink skirt. She was coming down the hallway with her friend by her side as well as her B-Bot that had a peach-colored, cat-faced skin.)
SAVANNAH:
“Thank you.” (TURNING TO HER B-BOT AS IT RECORDS HER) “Hey, guys. Savannah, here. So, later, I wanna talk to you guys about plastics in the ocean (HAIR FLIP) and this new great blowout.”
Isabela looked away as she was starting to remind her of her old self. Her old vain, entitled and self-absorbed self.
“At least she knows where it’s at.” Mei nodded in impressed approval.
“Plastics in the ocean?” Luca gasped. “I found a lot of stuff underwater, but never plastics, whatever they are.”
“Yeah, apparently, people throw a lot of stuff in the ocean like trash, plastic bottles, glass bottles, candy wrappers, tires, tons of stuff that may become harmful to marine life.”
Everyone who wasn’t aware of this winced and gaped in either surprise and horror at the thought of fishes and other undersea creatures suffering at the hubris of humanity, having their watery habitat turned into one giant trash bag for humans to dump their waste in without any regard of the those inhabiting it.
Sisu was the most disgusted, being a water dragon. Most people may be reckless and deceptive at times as she has come to accept, but violating and polluting the waters with their rubbish is a whole new level for her and it sickened her to think that fishes living underwater would have to deal with a bunch of trash, recyclables and a bunch of other nasty disposables invading their personal space and posing some potential danger to them, like broken glass and such.
(All of the sudden, Rich makes his move. He pops his head out from behind the wall, hanging from the clock on the wall like a monkey, yelling like a zombie in an attempt to scare Savannah, only to slip and fall off and then fall flat on his face in front of Savannah, taking the clock down with him. But Savannah is unfazed, however, apparently used to his pranks by now.)
Everyone winced when he fell on his face like that since it looked like it hurt. However, some people also exclaimed annoyance at this brand of childish buffoonery. Rich, himself, winced, seeing how painful that fall must’ve been from a different angle. Wendell and Wild, however, were laughing their asses off as Rich's epic fail of a jump scare prank as did Nimona, almost choking on her popcorn.
"Oh, man, that was priceless!" Wendell howled, clutching his chest.
"I know, man, and then he just, like, fell right down on his face!" guffawed Wild maniacally. "Damn, kids can be so stupid!"
"Shut up, you two!" Kat snarled at the demon brothers.
This, however, did nothing to stop Rich from groaning in embarrassment and hiding his face under his hat to avoid looking directly at anybody.
“Are you crazy?” shouted Daniela, exasperated. “You could’ve been injured!”
“I was really desperate for views and followers, okay?” He defended.
“I hope your parents didn’t have to pay for that clock.” Agatha frowned at him.
SAVANNAH:
“Lame, Rich.”
”I agree.” Priya nodded with her usual monotone.
“Ditto.” Li Na deadpanned.
"So, so funny." Elsa commented sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Juvenile and pathetic, more like." Wage crossed her arms.
“That was just plain dumb.” Kris attested with a stony face. “And yet, I’ve seen dumber idiots than him.”
"Hey!" Rich growled.
RICH’S B-BOT:
“Top quality footage.”
(Bruised, but undeterred by his pratfall, Rich lifts up to address his viewers on his B-Bot.)
RICH:
“Like and subscribe.”
RICH’S B-BOT:
“Posting to your channel.”
Now mostly everybody’s rolling their eyes, gripping her faces in irritation and throwing their heads back at how desperate Rich seemed in gaining fame on the internet.
"You gotta be kidding me." Gogo massaged the stress from her eyes.
"What's wrong with him?" Claire retorted with vexation.
"ADHD? Borderline personality disorder? Delusions of grandeur?" Her mother listed down any possible neurological disorder Rich may suffer from.
"Stupidity." Stig sharply suggested without a second thought.
“Yeah, you have no idea of the lengths some people will go to just to obtain fame and recognition.” Even Kade shook his head, scoffing to himself. “Whether it’s jumping off a bridge or drinking a dozen energy drinks in one sitting or even showing up at a bank with an unloaded gun to pretend to rob it just see everyone's reactions, they’ll try anything if it means people will like them for it.”
(While Barney goes to open his locker, another kid named Noah, an avid gamer, is in the middle of a fighter game with another student on either side of Barney while they play.)
NOAH:
“Weep, trollboy! I am fire!”
(Noah has his B-Bot shoot fake, holographic green lightning at his opponent, which startled the crap out of poor Barney as he jumped and screamed as if he were being attacked, instinctively shielding his face with his backpack, accidentally spilling out its contents, including several yellow sheets of paper on the floor. Calming himself down, Barney realizes that the hallway had fallen silent because of his slight overreaction. Everyone froze to give him odd looks.)
Barney facepalmed in the inside of his mind for being all jumpy like that. Chelsea rolled her eyes snootily.
“What a loser.” She remarked jeeringly.
“Hey, lay off!” Ava barked at her on the boy’s behalf.
"Sorry, Barn, I didn't mean to startle you like that." Noah apologized.
"It's fine, Noah. I overreacted." Barney lamely reassured.
BARNEY:
(CHUCKLES SHYLY) “Nothing to see here.”
Everyone started to pity the poor lad. It must be hard being that one kid in the whole school that everyone doesn't understand. One they find off-putting and being written off. Even Kris relates to this enormously to the highest degree.
(He drops to the ground to hastily pick everything back up as if trying to hide evidence. The yellow sheets are revealed to be party invites to his birthday party.
SAVANNAH:
“Wow, Barney. It’s your birthday. And you still didn’t get a B-Bot?”
”Is that really all that matters, kid?” Rick scolded her.
Savannah winced and realized how superficial that comment sounded.
“It was your birthday?!” Helen and Lily exploded when they noticed the invites.
“Yeeeeaaaahhhh…….” As if wincing in pain, Barney eased his answer out sheepishly, then exhaled a defeated sigh.
“Of course, he does. I am his B-Bot. I’m his best friend.” said Ron with that smile on his screen face.
“Well, not yet, Ron.” Barney reminded him.
BARNEY:
(THINKING) ‘Thanks for breaking that down.’
SAVANNAH’S B-BOT:
(PICKING UP ONE OF THE INVITES) “Barney is having a party.”
SAVANNAH:
“Really?”
BARNEY:
“Uh, no, no, no.”
”Wait, you’re not gonna invite her or anyone?” asked Jin L., baffled at why he was not giving those invites out to any of his classmates.
Barney didn’t answer nor did he look into anyone’s faces. And as for Savannah and the rest, they eyed him with slight regret since they now remember the last time they came to his birthday party at his house and figured that must be one of the reasons he hesitated in inviting them over.
“Barney, I, uh…..” Savannah tries to start, but loses her sentence before it even begins.
“Oh my god, just man up and invite somebody! You must have friends!” Kat bellowed impatiently.
“Unlike some people.” Raúl retorted under his breath, though Kat glared at him for that.
“Just ignore her.” Sister Helley reassured Barney.
(He rushes to get everything back into his backpack, then freezing when he picks up the chicken leg. He chuckles nervously at her while she stares back.)
BARNEY:
“Fly free, little one. Phoosh!” (TOSSES IT IN HIS LOCKER)
Everyone winced while Barney covered his face to hide from the others.
SAVANNAH:
“You okay, Barney?”
BARNEY:
“Yeah. Oh, sorry. I’m in your shot.”
(Her B-Bot is apparently still recording with Barney now on live camera.)
SAVANNAH:
(CHUCKLES) “That’s so sweet. But I have a filter for that.”
(She does this by erasing Barney’s presence from the livestream, as if he wasn’t there anymore.)
”Ouch.” Roar exclaimed, unamused. “Way to read the room.”
“That seems kinda hurtful.” Rudolf didn’t seem to like how the girl was onscreen. As a matter of fact, she seemed to be one of those cool kids who come off as obviously condescending without either meaning it or realizing it.
“Yeah, that actually kinda was.” Mirabel remarked, thinking back to Osvaldo.
Savannah’s face fell as a stinging guilt panged her heart. Looking back now, she made it seem like she was casting him aside and disregarding him without even acknowledging his feelings for a second. Did she really let herself become this shallow?
“I’m sorry…..” Was all she could say at the moment.
“It’s……….fine.” Barney answered back, but those around them knew he had to be sugarcoating it.
SAVANNAH:
(LEAVES) “Ciao. This is your girl, signing off. Love you, guys.”
(With her leaving, her B-Bot perches itself onto a charging station and adopts the school’s insignia to be left alone to charge while she’s away in class. In fact, there was an entire wall of dozens of charging stations specifically designed and built in for the students to put their B-Bots on while they’re busy with school. Barney grumbles and scoffs to himself, slamming his locker shut and sending a parting gaze upon the one single, solitary spot on the whole wall of stationary B-Bots left completely empty and untouched. If it’s any indication, this could possibly be reserved for the one kid in the entire school who didn’t own a B-Bot - Barney himself.)
”So you didn’t have a B-Bot?” asked Luca, looking at him.
“Yeah, not until I met Ron.” Barney responded, casting Ron a warm look. “In my school, literally everyone had their own B-Bot and I was the only one without one. And there are two types of kids in the social ladder of my school. Those who have B-Bots and those who don’t. And if you don’t have what everyone else has, then you’re a total loser.”
His friends flinched when he said that and started to wonder how Barney felt when he was surrounded by kids who had B-Bots while he was stuck being the only kid without one. Kids who were connected with each other through their B-Bots and social media, who had chatrooms to communicate on and share similar interests, who probably had dozens of friends themselves while he was just all alone. Had nobody to talk to, to share stuff with, to open up to.
Meanwhile, this reminded Mirabel of when she didn’t receive a gift like the family and was left underappreciated, overlooked and sometimes even ridiculed and scolded for the littlest things all for not having a gift like the rest. Even her family seemed to realize the parallels themselves and it once again caused Alma to feel agony for the pain she caused from the start. All the pain she caused her family and most of all, the pain she so callously brought onto her granddaughter’s life all because of her relentless and obsessive dependance on the Miracle and all the magic it bestowed upon them.
“Why is even owning a stupid B-Bot so fucking important anyway?” Stig complained, irritated. “It’s just a dumb toy.”
“It’s called a trend. It becomes so popular that everyone wants in on it.” Hiro debated.
“Bunch of clout-chasing morons.” Stig rolled his eyes, growling.
Everyone who was from a modern age felt offended by this, but mostly the Nonsuch kids. He really came at them hard with that vulgar criticism, but perhaps he wasn’t completely wrong. Why have they become so obsessed with B-Bots getting them friends who probably weren’t real in any sense?