Chapter 1:

Cavities rule the world

Don't cry over a bad teeth


Ren Yaeba woke up to his phone's alarm clock. As usual, 5h30 marked the start of his day. This time however, he hit the snooze button, he had the day off to go to the doctor's office and he had forgotten to turn off his alarm. He slowly went back to the kingdom of sleep where he once again dreamed of being someone else. Someone that could topple mountains, lift planets and set himself apart from the rest.

Of course, as the alarm clock screamed for the second time, he had to leave the comfort of his dream to resume his reality. 

It's not that he was unhappy. He had a decent salary which allowed him to go to the restaurant twice a month. He could afford some frivolous spending in his day to day life without having to fast for a week in response to a bad purchase. He just hoped life was more than just a daily task to complete and a short rest to rinse and repeat.

He brushed his teeth a little harder than usual... After all he had to be presentable for the dentist, he didn't want to look like someone with bad hygiene. He took a quick shower and put on clothes he wouldn't miss too much in case blood spilt on his clothes or something like that.

He walked towards the bus station, making a quick detour to the medicine station that was at the corner near to where he took the 325. He put his hand towards the machine and a probe started scanning him.

"Good morning, Ren. Today, June 30 2026, is a Tuesday. Your body is in good condition. You have a cavity in your upper left canine. An appointment is already booked for today. Administering medicine...... Please hold........"

A needle shot from the probe into his arm before he could react and a soothing liquid coursed through his veins. He instantly felt relieved as his pain lowered dramatically.
 
"Pain level has been reduced to 15% of its original 100% value, a medical bill will be sent to your address for the expended medicine. An invoice has been sent to your phone. Have a good day."

After rubbing his arm, he checked his phone to confirm the invoice was received and headed towards the bus station. He entered his destination and a scanner collected his DNA. His phone started reading the daily news for him inside his headphone implant with a mental nudge.

"Good morning Ren, today, June 30 2026, is a Tuesday. It is currently 8h15 You have a dentist appointment in 45 minutes. it is currently 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The weather is clear and no rain in sight. Now with the daily news. Since you picked this topic during your last inquiry, we will be playing news from Canada regarding the mass murderer Richard Lamontagne. Will that be okay?"

He used a mental nudge once again to decline the topic. He had heard enough horrors about this freak.

"In that case, would a science update fit your taste better today?"

He nodded mentally and the robotic voice continued and he closed his eyes to listen to its calming monotony.

"Following the wake of recent technological breakthroughs, many of the scientists, doctors and inventors who were now obsolete have been pushed to advance technology even further! former Doctor Himari Takahashi has been studying human anatomy and is now looking to enhance it with many robotics. Her first prototype, tested on a dog who had lost a limb has been widely recognized as a breakthrough. Unfortunately, the bulk of her invention cannot yet be supported by the dog so a drone needs to follow the dog in order for it to be able to roam. Its battery use is also insufficient, it is unable to perform activity for more than 6 hours, creating quite the predicame-"

He opened his eyes as his seat vibrated slightly to indicate his station was reached. His headphone immediately interrupted its spiel.  The pilot robot turned its head around to stare at him and the other passengers as they left. Once he disembarked the bus, it went on its merry way.

He still had a bit to walk so he started heading towards the dentist office, the windows of the shops he was passing through reflecting his appearance. He was a normal height, slim, short brown hair, normal brown eyes, normal nose.... Well, all in all he was extremely normal. Some of his friends would often tease him as being the basic character in a character creation menu before you made changes.

He stopped in front of the dentist office and the door opened, letting him in to the dentist's room. The nurse aid, a robot still, took him into the office of the doctor where he was laid down. He noticed a TV screen strapped to the roof. A show was playing. He didn't know what it was but found it funny that they used such an old technology to keep guests entertained. Normally they'd just give you an audio track to listen to or let you enjoy other stuff.

A sliding door opened after the robot nurse administered him the necessary necessary to keep his mouth unfeeling for the procedure.

"Ah! Greetings Yaeba. It's been a while since I've last seen you! Last time I think you were 17. Time sure passes! Has your mom been well?"

"She's doing great, thanks for asking Dr. Ito. Any progress on your projects?"

They exchanged small talk for a bit and then the doctor started working. His mouth was totally numb so he barely felt anything except for the doctor pushing against the teeth with those weird prod screwdrivers that they used. Ren took a while to consider why he even bothered to come to this place still. They used very primitive tools and they'd probably end up running out of business. More pulling and pushing ensued until the canine finally let loose with a satisfied grunt from the dentist. From that point, the dentist picked up one of the artificial tooth and quickly used a pincer to reopen the gums. He shoved the new tooth in and instantly, Ren could feel a weird pain he had never felt before, as if he had gotten a bolt of electricity in his head. He flinched and let out a slight whimper.

"Oh geez sorry! I thought you were completely numb! I didn't expect you to feel that."

"No, no it's fine. I was just surprised. Go on."

Dr. Ito chuckled, stepping back and getting a mirror to show it to Ren. Ren looked at his reflection and grimaced so he could see his left canine, now a more metallic color than the rest.

"I'm already all done over here Yaeba. All I need to do is apply the right paint coating so it fits with the rest and --"

Before he could finish, Ren smiled and shook his head

"That'll be alright. I actually like the sort of metallic color that it currently has. I'd like it as is."

Dr. Ito shrugged and smiled at him, gesturing Ren towards the door so the Dr. could continue his work.

Ren did as he was told and walked out, getting his invoice on his phone and trailing back towards his home, unknowingly bringing with him a canine that would definitely change his smile... and his life.



Armorien
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