Chapter Text
It was the year 2006, the year the seventh generation of game consoles released.
Some, maybe not you, but some. May believe that 2006 was a prime year for gaming. After all, it brought the introduction of the motion gaming era of video games. Beginning with the release of Microsoft's Xbox 360 home console in 2005. Followed shortly by Sony and Nintendo with the competition of Sony's PlayStation 3, and Nintendo's Wii in 2006. With the new introductions each console brought such as Xbox 360 games at high resolution graphics, HD movie playback on PlayStation 3, and motion controls with the Wii console. It was safe to say that the Seventh Generation paved the way for the new consoles to release in the future each one competing to best the last.
2006, was a prime year for gaming.
Though not every fan of these consoles was happy with this particular year.
A young boy, by the name of Kyle Sanders. Would never be capable of looking back at this year, without the painful reminders of what it was he endured that particular year. It was a wound in his skin, that won't ever heal.
On November 28th, 2006. Kyle received a Wii for his 7th birthday from his father, Jonathon Sanders. Nine days after the original Wii launch on November 19th.
If you asked Kyle today, he'd tell you that even in his present life. He could still remember that overwhelming happiness as he opened up the present his dad brought into him that day. Even in the struggles they had after Kyle had lost his mother, his father still pulled together the money to surprise him with a Wii. A present that, while he didn't understand the full sincerity of at the time of his age, Kyle appreciates in his adulthood. The tearing of wrapping paper as a Nintendo logo was quickly revealed, and the icon of the Wii. It left Kyle in awe at the sight of actually getting to own a Wii. He'd heard so many great things about it from kids at school who had managed to get one early. Not that many did.
Kyle embraced his dad in an overjoyed excitement, thanking him over and over for getting him a Wii.
"A Wii? Really dad?? That's amazing!! Thank you!"
He remembers saying. Watching his dad give him a tired, happy grin back. His dad informed him that he did have a bit of work to do, but he'd be more than happy to help him set up the Wii before he got to work.
Jon got right to work with helping Kyle set up the Wii in their living room. When he finished, he ruffled his son's hair and told him that if he needed anything at all. He'd be in the kitchen preparing dinner and working.
Kyle thanked him and got right to playing the Wii.
His favorite thing about the Wii already was the way the controller worked. When pointed at the Wii's sensor, he was capable of moving it all about the screen. A small hand icon with a blue shading to it and a '1' in the center moving around the Wii's main channel. It was an amazing sight to see, at least to Kyle's 7-year-old brain. The way the controller looked also reminded him of a TV remote. A fitting description, Kyle thought.
Kyle's eyes locked on the mii channel for a moment. He recalled kids at school mentioning that the Wii had this sort of... character customizer! He believed it had to be the Mii Channel, since... really the only other channel was the one with the packaged game inserted into it.
Clicking on the channel, Kyle opened it up to see what it looked like. Considering his Wii was brand new he wasn't expecting any Mii's to be on the channel yet. However, when the channel loaded, there was a single mii in the middle of the channel. The mii was short, with a black shirt and some strange... necklace. Kyle didn't know at the time what it was, but when he was older, he'd come to learn it was an Ern of sorts. The mii was bald, with large, dilated eyes, a big grin, and a small nose. When Kyle went to click on the mii, its name read out 'Eteled.'
He wasn't sure if he was pronouncing it right, Et-uh-led, Etaled, Etiled? Eteld? He didn't know.
The name, regardless, made no sense to him at first but was strangely familiar in it's letters... but as he started to look into it more. Examining what letters were there, he soon realized the name was backwards.
"Delete?"
Kyle said aloud to himself in confusion.
It was a... strange... name that was for sure. Although the Mii creeped him out, Kyle left it be. He instead headed to the Mii maker, beginning to make a mii variant of himself! He figured if he'd be playing Wii Sports, it'd be nicer to be playing as himself!
He made the mii, giving it a red shirt. Favoriting it. The new mii had light brown hair, and green eyes. Finishing the mii, he returned to the Mii Plaza.
Though... what happened next, gave Kyle a horrible fright.
The original mii, Eteled. Turned his head over to look at Kyle's mii, his smile beginning to soften before he turned back to look at Kyle himself. He gave a happier look, his eyes less dilated. The mii looked weirdly happy, so much so it almost seemed... human.
The mii soon spoke, in a deep voice: "Thank you, for not deleting me."
Almost as if 'Eteled', had set up his own downfall. Kyle let out a yelp, immediately grabbing the mii and without hesitance deleting him.
Kyle... never recalled anyone saying anything about the Mii's talking.
He looked all over the plaza for a moment, before beginning to check out some other icons of the channel. Beginning to make a Mii for his dad! Whenever he wants to play with Kyle on one of their days off. When Kyle finished that mii however, returning to the plaza revealed Eteled. Back with that same, creepy smile. Though his eyes were back to their dilated look. Kyle didn't think twice or notice the way the mii trembled. He simply grabbed him again and deleted him once more.
Beginning to grow fed up with the channel now that Eteled had returned after deletion. Kyle quit the channel. He didn't want to screw around in there anymore in case Eteled came back. If it keeps happening, he might warn his dad about it... after all, his dad did work for Nintendo. He might know something!
To distract himself from the creepy mii, Kyle headed on over to Wii Sports. Wii Sports was very simple, and Kyle quite liked it. It was a compilation of five sports. Tennis, Baseball, Bowling, Golf, and Boxing. Kyle was so excited to see Bowling in the list. It was one of his favorite sports! On some of John's days off when they had the money, they'd have these amazing family bonding trips! They'd go to their local Bowling Alley, and they'd compete against each other!! It was so fun! Though Kyle was 100% convinced John was going easy on him!!
When the game was ready, Kyle saw his mii. Unlike in the channel, the mii didn't have arms. Meanwhile background mii's didn't have arms, nor legs. He could see both lanes on either side of him, and when it displayed his mii, he could see background mii's behind his own mii. Popping his fingers, Kyle got right into his game. About halfway through the game, he'd gotten 2 strikes, a spare, and various other scores. He noticed a particular mii, appear in the lane on his left. A mii with a black shirt, and no hair. The paranoia set in. Frightened that this particular mii was who he thought it was...
As it walked up to the lane, it prepared to throw the ball and on its first try it got a strike! As the mii turned around to celebrate with other mii's, it revealed that same... face. Dilated eyes, large grin, small nose. Exactly, like Eteled. Kyle felt a twinge of anxiety shoot up his spine as he watched the mii walk off camera. He could've sworn... no... No, he knows he deleted him! How was he back?
Kyle paused his game, exiting to the main menu. He could easily just... delete him again. It's no big deal! Right?
As he opened the Mii Channel, he looked at Eteled for a moment. Moving the cursor to delete him, until the mii started speaking up once again. "I'm sorry for scaring you. Please stop trying to delete me."
It had happened twice now, the mii had spoken to him. He wasn't sure what was going on. Something in him was telling him to respond, maybe because he was raised to have manners. But it felt... rude. Not to respond. "..what do you- what do you mean...?" He asked, in confusion and terror. There was some part of him, that felt stupid talking to his TV like this. I mean, it's not like Eteled could hear him. Maybe there's... a reason Eteled's talking! Someone hacked his Wii surely right! That seemed logical to Kyle. To Kyle's surprise, Eteled responded.
"You know what I mean, you've done it twice now." Eteled spoke. A small hint in his voice suggesting he was irritated. Though did his best to make it less obvious.
"I-... I just don't want you in my Mii Channel!" He shouted. "Y-You're creepy, and weird.. a-and you're freaking me out! I'm sorry!" Kyle explained, apologizing for the way he felt. Something Kyle would later learn, was nothing to apologize about.
"Oh. I'm freaking you out?" Eteled asked, his smile shifting to a frown. "You say that like Mii's don't have feelings too kiddo... You wouldn't be happy either if I deleted you." He spoke. Emphasis on the word 'you' as he said it.
The screen suddenly cut too static. For a few seconds before the Mii Plaza was visible again.
The screen was close up on Eteled's face. There were visible eye bags under his eyes. Dark bags, suggesting he didn't sleep. His pupils were verrry large. That Kyle thought they were almost black. With just small hints of white. He had his hands up, like he was pressing them against the screen itself. Banging a fist against the screen. In a poor attempt to escape, not that it'd allow him to do so. He had a very angry expression on his face, and as seconds passed, his pupils became smaller. The banging against the screen grew faster, and the anger evident in his face grew more and more angry. He opened his mouth to speak but it was at this point Kyle hit the home button on the remote, set it down, and ran to the kitchen to retrieve his dad.
He was on the phone, preparing plates for himself and Kyle. So, Kyle waited until he was finished.
"D-Dad! Dad there's something wrong with my Wii!" Kyle wept, clinging to his father. Who looked down at him in confusion. Setting the plates down and taking his phone from between his head and his shoulder to put away. He essentially dropped everything to ensure his son was okay. Turning around to face him, he put a hand on the kid's shoulder. Giving the kid his full attention. "Heyy, hey buddy, what's wrong?"
"Th-The Wii! There's a creepy mii on it! I-I don't know what's wrong!"
Kyle explained, grabbing his dad's hand to lead him off.
When he got back to the living room, Kyle pressed the home button to leave the pause menu and show his dad the screen. However, when the channel was gone. The only thing that remained in the channel was John's mii that Kyle made earlier. Neither his mii, nor Eteled was in the plaza.
"Whh.. what... where did. Where did he go? H-He was right there dad! He was!! I-I swear!" Kyle exclaimed in terror, fearing he wouldn't be believed.
Jon looked at the screen for a moment before looking down at Kyle. He pat his sons head, to try and calm him down.
"Can you explain what happened?" His father asked.
"Th-There was this mii! I-It kept coming back after being deleted! I don't know why! A-And..." Kyle paused, unsure if he wanted to share with his dad that the mii could talk yet.
"Coming back after being deleted huh?" John lifted Kyle up, to carry him back to the kitchen. "I can help with that; it sounds like a deletion bug. Don't worry, it's entirely normal. The Wii is still new, so there's gonna be bugs." He smiled, hugging his son tightly, before setting him in one of the chairs at the kitchen table. "How about this, let's take a break from that Wii, have some dinner, and tomorrow when I'm home from work. I'll try and work out that bug, mkay? I can call Mike over and he can help!"
Kyle seemed to smile at that. "Can you tell him to bring over his dog?" Kyle asked. Making John chuckle, and nod. "Mhm, of course."
So, Kyle took a break from his Wii. Joking with his father while they ate. It really helped to soothe the poor kids overwhelming anxiety and fear about the situation.
When he returned to the Wii, he picked up the remote. Turning off the Wii menu, that... Kyle didn't remember bringing back up when he'd left it earlier.
For a moment there was an animation that played of Kyle's mii, that originally had disappeared earlier when he was trying to show his dad Eteled, being deleted. Kyle stared on in confusion for a minute. Questioning what the hell had happened, before a dialogue box appeared on the screen. The message on it read out, "Goodbye, Kyle." With the only interaction button being [ OK ]. Then the mii channel automatically shut down, booting Kyle back to the Wii menu. Desperate to restore his deleted mii, he kept trying. Trying hard to get back into the mii channel. But every time he did, a box would appear with the message reading out.
" Wii Deleted You. "