Bubble: Trial For The Brave

Operator Record Trial For The Brave
In the large tribal totem, there is a small Cerato girl carrying a big, heavy shield and charging forward. Unlock conditions Raise Bubble to Elite 2 Level 1. Have at least 50% Trust with Bubble.

Characters
Ceobe Bubble Orchid Popukar Shamare Shaw Flustered HR Operator Frantic HR Operator Human Resources Operator Logistics Operator Wall That Suddenly Appeared/ Bubble's Papa
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5

“

Now officially a regular operator, Bubble wants to accomplish even more and help everybody. After a series of coincidences, she finds that she is already her papa's pride.

”

<Background 1>
[A crowd of operators applauses.]
Human Resources Operator	Lastly, we have Operator Bubble, the youngest of this batch of promoted operators.
Bubble	Yeaahhh!
Human Resources Operator	(Stand still, Bubble. I know you're excited, but we can't have you stomping...)
Bubble	....Yeaahhh!
Human Resources Operator	...... Ahem, atennnnn-shun!
Bubble	Rhodes Island Trainee Operator Bubble! Present and accounted for!
Human Resources Operator	Bubble, this is the moment you've been waiting for since you came onboard. Are you ready?
Bubble	I'm super ready!
Human Resources Operator	Alright, then. Operator Bubble, you have passed the regular operator exams. As a trainee operator, your abilities and performance have met the standards befitting a regular operator. With Dr. Kal'tsit's approval, Human Resources is executing your promotion to a regular Rhodes Island Operator. This here is your medal certifying it. Keep at it and let's see some more outstanding results on your next exams!
Bubble puffs out her tiny chest as the HR operator bends down to neatly pin the medal on her. Bubble sneakily stands on her tiptoes in an attempt to make herself a bit taller, in hopes of looking just as tall as all the operators who seem to be doing such amazing things each and every day.
Bubble	(I'm a proper operator now. I gotta hold myself to a higher standard. No more crybaby stuff. I'm on my best behavior.) (Just like Blaze... or Nearl. I gotta be a great operator who can help lotsa people!)
<Background 2>
Bubble	My papa's over five meters tall! He's covered head to toe in our tribal totem tattoos! When I was a kid, I followed right behind him all the time, but I could only see a little bit of the tattoos on the back of his legs! I thought about what those tattoos were supposed to be. A painting? A weapon? Something else? I asked Papa, but he just told me I'd figure it out when I become a warrior one day. When I finally stand on his shoulder, I'd be able to see it all. But then, I found the answer myself! I'm the only one who knows it, too! It's... a secret map—!
Shamare	Morte tastes exaggeration.
Bubble	...Ahem! Nuh-uh! Don't act like you know. In our tribe, tattoo maps are secret maps that only our braves can see, and I, Bubble, am a warrior of my tribe! I've received a mystical guidance!
Popukar	I remember Midnight saying he got a mystical guidance once, too, but then I saw Orchid pulling his ear...
Bubble	Focus! I'm not done yet! Following that guidance, I made my way to a secret training base. Then, there was a rumbling sound coming from behind. All of a sudden, there were, like, five hundred sandbeasts rushing at me! I went for the mouth with one hand, grabbed its tail with the other, and sent it flying a hundred meters in one big swing! Then, I plucked up a tree, did a big sweep, and all the needleflies behind me got smacked away! Finally, with a sandbeast in my left hand and a needlefly in my right, riding on a five meter tall tuskbeast, I proudly charged into the gloompincers' nest and wiped the floor with them!
Shamare	Morte knows that those animals wouldn't be living in the same region.
Bubble	Like every warrior before me, I raised my weapon high and successfully completed my training as a brave! I saw my papa putting me on his shoulder and recognizing me as a new addition to his braves!
Ceobe	But how did you see your papa holding you up...?
Bubble	...Ahem! Okay. I didn't see it. I made it up... My papa hasn't recognized me as a brave yet, but I know I'll get there one day. I'll stand on his shoulder, and I will get my tattoos. They'll have a map to the next brave's trial! Just like... that map.
A map with a yellow arrow is posted on the wall in a corner of the playroom. Bubble tries her hardest to stand on her tiptoes in an attempt to read its bottommost part. A few days ago, she saw a bunch of busy operators passing around that map. Their faces were covered in ash and scars, and they all had a serious, solemn look. It was really badass. But they never let Bubble join in when they're hurrying down the hallway. They always stop her with an anxious look: You're still young. Get clear!
Bubble	(Maybe this map is just like Papa's tattoos. It's a map to a secret mission that only awesome people can read?) (Papa wouldn't tell me what his tattoos are all about, and those older operators wouldn't let me help them, but I'm a full-fledged regular operator now. I can help.) (And if I do help, they won't chase me away the next time there's a big mission, right?) Ahem, I know one more secret, and that's—this map. It's a map to a critical Rhodes Island mission! That's our trial! Once we finish it, those awesome operators will see what we can do, and maybe they won't stop us the next time there's a critical mission. Papa and Mama told me. Braves don't become true warriors until they go through trials that are too tough for anybody else! I wanna try. Even if it's only for a little bit, I wanna go! I—I want to become a Rhodes Island brave!
Ceobe	Whoa... Me too! I wanna become Rhodes Island's biggest brave!
Bubble	I'm the biggest!
Popukar	Me... Me too!
Shamare	...Morte says he wants to try, too.
Bubble	Okay, then have you guys heard any mystical guidances that only braves can hear? Like, say, maybe shooting an arrow toward the east of the mountain will lead us to a treasure. Or like maybe there's a huge fowlbeast perched on a snowy mountain somewhere. Like they do in games!
Ceobe	I've been hearing a lot of knocking sounds in the hallway, and they sound really far away. Definitely not Vulcan forging stuff, and it's also not the sound of my blades bumping into things. They're coming from the floor, and the pipes, even further down from Vulcan's den.
Popukar	Orchid's been telling me not to go to the lower decks. They're doing something really important there. But I saw all the cool operators going to the lower decks.
Shamare	Morte says there's a burnt smell down in the lower decks, and he ate it all up.
Bubble	Okay... Yeah, I have an idea, then...! They posted this map out of our reach on purpose, but we've already figured out its secret. It's... there's a secret critical mission here aboard Rhodes Island! That's the mystical guidance that only official braves can hear. All of you are regular operators, right?
Popukar	......
Bubble	Don't worry about it! As long as we work our hardest, as long as we finish a big mission on our own, they'll know that we actually have what it takes to help them and that we won't be a burden! We need to make our own critical mission team and hop onto the missions that they won't let us join! C'mon, let's go!
<Background 3>
Frantic HR Operator	Bubble! And Kay...? Shamare and Popukar, too!
Flustered HR Operator	(Whispers) Aww... shucks. What are they doing here?
Bubble	I... I'm training!
Frantic HR Operator	Oh, that's it? We're just here to get a couple pieces of equipment. We won't get in your way, will we?
Popukar	Not at all! You wouldn't get in our way...
Flustered HR Operator	Then... Do you see that anti-shock pad there? What do you think? Big enough? It's like two meters long, isn't it...?
Frantic HR Operator	(Whispers) Let's go with that. Orchid told us to keep it from them. Let's wait till they're gone before we come to pick it up.
Bubble	Do you need any help? If you need help, I'm real strong!
Ceobe	I'm stronger!
Flustered HR Operator	Oh, no, that's okay. We can manage!
Frantic HR Operator	Yep, sure can. We'll take care of it on our own!
Flustered HR Operator	Alright, we're going now! Bye!
Bubble	They're usually pretty happy about me helping them all the way to their office. Why aren't they letting me help this time?
Shamare	Morte, follow them.
<Background 4>
Logistics Operator	—Eep! Watch out! We just took this door frame down. You kids watch out. Don't get yourselves hurt!
Bubble	It's okay. I'm strong. I can help you!
Logistics Operator	Bubble, it's all loose screws and sheet metal here. Be careful...!
Bubble	Hmph! That's nothing! Where'd you get this broken doorframe?
Logistics Operator	Uh, hm... we found it during a routine inspection...
Shamare	(Morte's back. This tastes like a lie.)
Bubble	(I knew it! They're hiding something!)
Popukar	It looks like something smashed into the doorframe, just like that time I passed out and woke up a while later...
Logistics Operator	Uh... This is just normal wear and tear...!
Shamare	(It's not.)
Bubble	But this doorframe's really badly damaged. Right at the top, too.
Ceobe	(It must've been broken by someone really tall!)
Bubble	Where did you find this?
Logistics Operator	Um... On a lower deck.
Bubble glances at her little buddies.
Bubble	(No mistaking it. Something big must've happened down there. They need our help. Let's go!) Got it. Thanks!
<Background black>
[Bubble and the others head to the lower deck.]
Bubble	Nobody saw us, right?
Ceobe	*cough*! There's so much dust! I can't breathe!
Bubble	...*cough*...! The critical mission objective... the place where they need our help... *cough*...! ...should... be here!
<Background 5>
Bubble	The strange knocking sound, and the cordon in front of the door. This is the objective!
Popukar	Then... Bubble, how are we gonna help them?
Shamare	Morte says there are lots of different anxious tastes here filling his stomach right up.
Bubble	There's gotta be an ultra dangerous, ultra scary environment hiding behind this door! There might be lots of enemies and wild beasts, too! But I think, as a brave, I gotta trust myself. I'm stronger than I know. I can do much more, and I can help a lot of people... I know I can do this. I'm a regular operator now. I'll lead the way, just like the stories of the braves I told you all before!
Bubble the Brave clears her throat.
Bubble	"Bubble the Brave donned her armor, raised her mighty weapon, and charged toward her objective." "She knocked over a tree that blocked the road and crossed a long river, sped through the forest and the desert, and found the goal of her brave journey." "Just like every warrior before her, she raised her weapon high!" —Charge!
[The group runs towards the door while aimlessly attacking everything around them.]
Bubble	"Bubble the Brave has overcome her trial, and the whole tribe is cheering for her!" "The whole tribe is celebrating!"
[Bubble hits the pipes, causing them to collapse.]
The pipes at the end of the dark corridor are slammed hard and let out a creaking sound, followed by a cloud of dust filling the air and the spiraling pipes suddenly collapsing. Bubble raises her head and looks at the dust-shrouded darkness before her expectantly.
Bubble	*cough*! *cough*...! What just dropped down?
Popukar	A medal?
Ceobe	Baddies?
Shamare	The instructor?
[Something hits the ground.]
???	Aaaaagh—
A furball falls down from the ceiling, and the little heads gather round to see what exactly it is.
???	Who— Whoknocked thesepipesdown? I'vebeeninspectingthisarea foralongtime. Thesepipesaresocomplicated it'sgonnatakemeforever justtoputtogether aproposal. Whotookthemalldown?
Bubble	*cough*... *cough*!
Popukar	It's over... *cough*!
Ceobe	Did we mess up?
Bubble	*cough*... Why is...? Shaw...!
Shaw	Haaahhh! Whoknockedallthesedown? Whodidit?
Popukar	......
Ceobe	......
Shamare	......
Bubble	...Sorry, Shaw... I...
Shaw	Nonononono! WhatI'msayingis it'sperfect! Iwasgonnaask Engineeringtohelp demolishtheabandonedpipelines sincetheywereafirehazard. Theyweresocomplicated, butyoutorethemalldown inonego! Didyouknock'emdown, Bubble? Youwereagreathelp!
Bubble	Yeah...
Shaw	Mybuttstillkindahurts, butthat'sfine. Westillhavelotsofpipes thatneedtearingdown, butthissavesus lotsoftime!
Bubble	I...
Shaw	Whatkindofreward doyougirlswant? EverytimeIgivelectures, Ibringsome medalstogiveout. Howaboutthose?
Shaw pulls out a small, metallic medal. Each one has a thumbs-up etched on it.
Shaw	You'reabunchof littlefirefightingwarriors, contributingtoRhodesIsland's firepreventionefforts! Thisisyourreward! Here, yougetamedal, yougetamedal, everybodygetsamedal!
Bubble	This mission...
Shaw	Thanks, girls, buttherearestill moreplacesthat needtobeinspected. Youcanall headbacknow. I'llgetallthese removedpipestakenaway. Don'tcomeback beforethat'sdone. OnceI'mfinishedhere, I'lltellyourinstructor abouteverythingyou'vedone!
[Shaw leaves.]
Bubble	Alright... So this isn't Rhodes Island's critical secret mission...? Even though I'm a regular operator now, all I've done is... pitch in a little bit...
Bubble strokes the small medal that Shaw gave her.
Bubble	Shaw was really thankful, but I wanna complete a real awesome mission... I've been improving all this time, and I wanna show Papa how far I've come... ...I don't wanna be left out anymore... I wanna help everyone do even more awesome stuff... No, I can't. I'm a regular operator now. I can't cry! ...I want Papa to think that I'm a brave...
<Background fades out and in>
Wall That Suddenly Appeared	......
Popukar	Shaw's so nice! I'll keep doing my best!
Ceobe	Vulcan's looking for me. I'm gonna show her the medal I got today!
Popukar	Was that the critical mission that Bubble was talking about?
Shamare	Morte just had dessert. It was sadness. I think Bubble's sad, because this didn't feel like a critical mission.
Wall That Suddenly Appeared	...Bubble...?
Popukar	But Shaw looked very happy, so we probably accomplished something, right? Huh? How come Bubble's still inside?
Wall That Suddenly Appeared	...Hm...
[The three run against a big man and get knocked back.]
Popukar	Ow! I got knocked back, like a little fowlbeast flying away!
Shamare	Why is there a wall? This wasn't here before.
Ceobe	*sob*... Vulcan said not to hit my head or I'll turn stupid... What do I do?
Shamare	Hold on, look at all the patterns on the wall... They're just like the patterns that Bubble told us about in her stories.
Popukar	Shamare, you remember everything! I already forgot what she told us...
Wall That Suddenly Appeared?	You girls...
Popukar	There's another rumbling sound from above! Is this the critical mission Bubble talked about?
Ceobe	Do we need to knock this wall down to complete it?
Popukar	Bubble, where are you? Is this wall the mission you were talking about? Bubble—?
Ceobe	Bubble—!
Bubble	—Papa?!
The little heads look back at Bubble, who was all depressed just a moment ago.
Team 140's	...Papa?!
Bubble	—Papa!
[Bubble runs towards her father.]
Bubble wants to throw the thing in her hand away to hop into the embrace of her papa who wouldn't have come to visit until a whole lot of days or even months or maybe years later. But she also wants to show her medal to her papa, and so her hand reaches back to grab it. This causes her left leg to trip over her right. She almost falls onto the ground bum first, but she has very good reflexes thanks to her training at Rhodes Island. She instinctively adjusts her posture to have her shield fall onto the ground— But instead she falls onto a big hand that's firm yet soft to the touch.
Team 140's	Wow... Bubble's papa is a moving wall...!
Bubble	*sob*... Papa... Papa, why are you here so early...? *sob*...
Bubble's tears fall down her cheeks. She sniffles to shake them off as quick as she can.
Bubble	(No, I can't. I'm a regular operator already. I can't be a crybaby anymore!)
She takes the medal that she treasures so much from her chest and raises it for Papa to see.
Bubble	Papa, look! I got promoted yesterday! This is my medal. I'm a regular operator now! And this!
She points at the small medal that Papa likewise caught, but all of a sudden, she also feels kinda embarrassed about it. Would Papa think that was a stupid little mission for babies? Would he think she isn't up to completing badass, awesome missions like the grown-ups, that she can't help anybody, and that she can't call herself a brave yet?
Bubble	Err... actually, I guess maybe I'll show you next time!
But Papa keeps rubbing the two medals with a smile. The circular metallic pieces look so tiny in his big hands, but he seems to be looking at them with such admiration. These tiny metal bits are nowhere close to covering the patterns on his palm, but they are more than enough to make him crack a smile. It's almost like he's trying to see all his young daughter's hard work and growth in these two tiny medals.
Bubble's Papa	You earned both of these? That's my girl!
[Orchid comes running.]
Orchid	Oh, Popukar! I knew I heard something strange down here... Didn't I tell you to stay away from this place? What are you doing here?
Popukar	I didn't mean to... but this is where our critical mission is...
Orchid	*sigh*, so there was no hiding it... I'm very sorry, sir. I wanted to discuss throwing Bubble a surprise party, and I specifically told the girls to stay away, but they still found the place in the end... Since we don't have a bed large enough for you, I was thinking of using the anti-shock pads they use for training as your mattress as well as widening the door frame, but it seems we got careless...
The Cerato warrior dismisses her apology with a wave and a smile. He bends down and picks up his tiny-as-ever daughter and raises her up high, before setting her down on his broad shoulder.
Bubble's Papa	Don't worry about it. I'm sure getting to see me so soon is a big enough surprise to her.
Ceobe looks up to find Bubble so very, very high up that she can touch the ceiling just by raising her hand. It reminds Ceobe of how valiant Bubble often said she looked in her stories.
Ceobe	...Bubble's just like those stories right now! "Bubble the Brave stands proud, tall as a tree... in a full suit of armor!" Awesome...!
As Bubble sits on her papa's shoulder, the shield on her back just happens to form a pauldron. She remembers how when her siblings were first recognized as braves, they all sat on their parents' shoulders, just like this. When she was little, all she could ever see, no matter how hard she craned her neck, would be a small fragment of all the totem tattoos on his body. Papa always said that when the time came that she could stand on his shoulder, she would see the full picture of his tattoos. Now, she finally sees them in their entirety.
Bubble	Papa, move your neck a little. I wanna see your tattoos! I wanna see what they show!
The Cerato warrior leans his neck a bit to let his daughter see his latest tattoo. In the large tribal totem, there is a small Cerato girl carrying a big, heavy shield, and charging forward. She charges on, as if she will break through all the hurdles that lay in front of her, toward a boundless, limitless swath of land, free of any obstacles. The 'map' that she saw when she was small is approaching completion. She is the one standing at the top of this mystical map. She is her papa's little pride.
Bubble	Papa... Am I your pride? I helped a lot of people, didn't I? I am, right? Right?!