WELCOME TO THE NEXT LEVEL
By
Darkness Shade

Gamindustri

A world unlike ours, born from the very essence of cyberspace and technology; this bustling world is divided into different factions of gaming all worshiping the Console Patron Units that rule over the four main kingdoms of Gamindustri.
However a new menace has arisen that threatens the stability and peace of this magnificent land, this threat is known as the Arfoire Syndicate of International Crime.
The ASIC has used its overwhelming strength and connections to turn a majority of Gamindustri against the CPU goddesses and embrace this easier lifestyle of pirating all major gaming materials, a move which severely weakened the CPUs that depend on the faith of their citizens to give them strength.
As a result, the four CPUs: Purple Heart, Green Heart, Black Heart, and White Heart were captured and kept imprisoned in the dismal place known as the Gamindustri Graveyard. This horrid place is where all those in Gamindustri whose popularity or usefulness has run out go to pass on into the next life; due to this it is a creepy, unsettling place full of old and abandoned technology.
A bright ray of hope appeared, however, when two of the CPUs greatest allies, IF the sarcastic and masterful guild operative and Compa the ever hopeful med student, were able to use what little of the world's remaining faith in the goddesses to free Purple Heart's younger sister that had also been captured; only through some quick thinking were they able to escape the Custom Firm Ware forces that guarded the CPUs…

…but all good things are accompanied by bad and despite having rescued Nepgear, she herself only a CPU candidate yet to reach her true potential, they found that without returning the faith of the land from Arfoire's villainous grasp they had no hope of rescuing the other CPUs.
"I know Histoire stated that finding the mascots of each kingdom would help give us strength…but all these fetch quests make it seem like we're going in circles." Nepgear lamented as she fiddled with the N icon holding her neckerchief in place.
IF gave a sigh and readjusted the leaf-shaped bow on her head as she tried to figure out what their best course of action would be which was difficult given that the guild had been pretty much no help whatsoever.
"Oh come on you two! We can't give up on Nep-Nep and the others!" Compa shouted, fidgeting back and forth, "We'll find a way to move forward, but for now we've got to work these quests…it's the only way we can restore faith in the CPUs."
Nepgear only gave a nod and pulled out a strange rectangular shaped device emblazoned with the word 'N-Gear' on it before fiddling with its menus and looking over their taken quests.
'I wish I could be stronger…if only we had some bigger help with all this.' Nepgear thought as she aimlessly looked over what info they had gathered, 'I just wonder if we can do this…sister…'
At this thought, her N-Gear began to make a strange beeping noise and acted erratically before a strange whirling vortex appeared…and began pulling her into it.
"Eep! Compa, IF, help!" Nepgear stated as her legs got pulled into the vortex, "Oh this is so not cool."
"Ge-Ge!" Compa shouted, diving and grabbing her arms before feeling herself get dragged into it as well, "I won't let go!"
"Ugh, those two." IF huffed as she tried her best to tug on Compa's legs, but the vortex clearly wanted them more, "How do I get into these situations?"
With that the trio was pulled into the vortex which promptly disappeared and left no trace that they were even there…

==========================
Something closely resembling our reality

"Jeez, what is with this old thing?"
This question received no answer as a man in his mid twenties fiddled with an old gaming handheld he'd gotten a few days ago.
"I should of known my nostalgia would part me from my money again…it's acting all glitched up; I knew that deal was too good to be true."
Groaning, he was about to switch it off and deal with it later when he felt a shock emit form it.
"Ow, the heck? Uh, why is it glowing? This isn't good…"
A few moments later, the young man was knocked back into his chair when the handheld let forth a pulse of energy that also knocked him out cold; the unit itself landed on his bed and soon a vortex arose from it…though much smaller than the one from before.
"Geronimo!" Nepgear shouted as she exited the vortex and landed roughly on the bed before skidding to a stop on a small pillow, "This just reminds me why I don't use Warp Pipes…Wait, where are the others? Compa? IF?"
Hearing two other screams, Nepgear barely had the time to turn around before not only seeing but feeling the two girls as they flew out and landed on top of her; groaning she noticed the vortex vanish and a strange silence settle over the area.
"Huh, I guess that's what my grandpa meant when he always said 'There was a hole here, it's gone now!'." Compa remarked as she pulled herself off of Nepgear and IF.
"Hmm, just where did that device send us anyway?" IF asked, taking a moment to survey their surroundings, "…something is off here."
Nepgear, finally having gathered her senses back, pointed in shock at what she saw.
"Those look like Black, Green, and White Heart's platforms…" Nepgear stated as the trio walked over towards what appeared to be a really huge PS3, XBOX360, and Wii, "…hey, I know that one in the box too…that's my sister's favorite."
"That makes sense; it probably reminds her of the good days before she went third-party." Compa remarked, "I wonder why it's in a box but the others aren't?"
"Uh, I think the better question is why they are so large?!" IF questioned, noting that a lot of things were larger than they should be.
"Iffy? I t-think that's w-why!" Compa nervously shouted pointing at the large form of the young man passed out on a nearby chair.
"Wow…he's really tall…at least he's asleep." Nepgear muttered before hearing a large, booming groan, "Oh no!"

"Ugh…what hit me?"
Clutching his head, the young man tried his best to shake out the cobwebs before his vision refocused…which had him blinking when he swore he saw three girls on his bed that couldn't have been much taller than roughly eight inches.
"What am I doing? That's not important right now…"
Realizing the girls hadn't moved and simply stared in terror at him, he felt a little bad; he'd never hurt anyone, especially someone small like them, but obviously they were very confused about where they were and what was going on.
"That makes two of us…" he remarked before focusing on them and talking in a soft voice, "So…who might you girls be?"
The three of them stood quiet for a while before IF apparently made a judgment call and jumped at him, brandishing the hidden claws in her sleeves.
"Get out of here you two; I'll hold this guy off…somehow." IF shouted as she began to slash at his legs…and did no damage against his jeans, "…I think I bit off more than I can chew."
Frowning a little that she felt fighting was her only option but admiring her spirit, the man gently picked her up by her over-sized jacket and held her in front of his face hoping his soft smile would put her at ease.
However, all this did was cause her to fidget about in terror as her mind clearly yelled at her for making such a dumb decision.
"I can't…I can't just let someone I care about get hurt again!" Nepgear shouted as a bright light surrounded her.
"Ge-Ge, what are you doing?! You're just going to make things worse if you Hard Drive Divinity!" Compa cautioned, "I don't think he's going to hurt us…"
Unfortunately Nepgear heard none of this and, wielding what the man could only see as a very impressive, yet tiny, gunblade, flew towards him slashing across the arm holding IF.
Grunting in pain, the man felt his grip on IF loosen and managed to position her over the bed before he saw her fall from his fingers and bounce softly; holding his arm he could see the wound wasn't severe but it was bleeding a bit much for his taste.
"…what was that for?" the man cried, grunting at the pain he felt.
"I told you he isn't going to hurt us so stop!" Compa cried as loudly as she could, finally getting Nepgear to hear her words and snap out of it.

"Compa? IF?" Nepgear asked as she saw them safe on the bed for the moment, "…I guess I got a little carried away there."
Landing back by the others, she turned back to her normal self and hugged Compa, apologizing for losing control.
"I-it's okay Ge-Ge…just listen next time okay?" Compa sighed before shaking her head, "Like my grandpa always says 'If you are impatient like the frog, you'll get hit by a truck.'."
"…well, that certainly was interesting." IF huffed as she caught her breath, "How do you know he won't hurt us anyway?! What if this is some trap from Arfoire?"
"I can just tell…his eyes tell me he's okay." Compa replied, "Besides, if he really was with Arfoire he wouldn't have wasted any time taking us out…especially with us so small."
"Sometimes I forget you can be smart when you want to be." IF remarked, "Um…sorry I jumped to conclusions there big guy."
"Ugh…it's okay little one; I'm sure this'll heal soon enough but jeez…that purple-haired girl is crazy!" the man remarked before laughing softly, "Huh? What is it?"
"Hey, let me see your wound Mr. Giant." Compa shouted up at him before pulling something out of her little bag, "I am a nurse in training so I should be able to patch you up…to make up for our little incident."
Figuring there was no harm in trusting them since they seemed to be trying to trust him, the man lowered his arm so Compa could look it over and true to her word she somehow worked her magic and had his wound on its way to healing.
"Heh, that's something else…oh, but where are my manners? My name is Ryan…though calling me Mr. Giant is cute." Ryan stated as he sat on the floor so his head was level with them, "Hopefully this makes me less intimidating…"
"A little…" Nepgear remarked, "Well I'm Nepgear but you can call me Ge-Ge or Gear if you wish…"
"Ahhhhh, but Ge-Ge is my special nickname for you…" Compa whined, "Please Mr. Giant don't steal my nickname! Oh, right, I'm Compa!"
"Heh, okay, okay…I'll just call her Gear for short." Ryan replied with a wink, "And then that just leaves the fool-hardy but brave girl that decided to take on someone roughly nine times her height."
"Yeah, yeah, it was reckless but…Gear's craziness is infectious at times." IF coughed before collecting herself, "My name is IF…"
"Could I call you Iffy?" Ryan asked, teasing her slightly.
Rolling her eyes, IF merely nodded as she heard Compa and Nepgear giggle at how Ryan seemed to come up with the same nickname Nepgear's older sister had.
"Oh, that's right…this isn't any good." Nepgear mumbled, shaking her little head back and forth, "If we're here…how can we save my sister and the others?!"
"…your sister? What do you mean?" Ryan asked, unhappy that she seemed upset about something.

A short explanation later, Ryan's face was contorted in concern since he wasn't sure just why they had been sent here…or what he could do to help.
"Well, I mean you're welcome to stay here until we find a way to send you back but…this world of yours sounds awesome; well, except for the whole piracy force trying to take over the world and destroy it bit." Ryan commented, laughing nervously, "Strange to think all the consoles here have living, breathing goddesses that represent them over there."
"I wonder…" IF thought, pacing back and forth on Ryan's bed, "I remember Histoire telling me once that events in Gamindustri could affect other realities gaming existence; has anything strange happened here with your world's gaming scene?"
Ryan took a moment to think, leaning back into his chair and stroking his chin in deep thought.
"Well, now that you mention it…the industry has been having some crazy stuff happen: we had a popular mascot get revived for an impossible sequel only to have his parent company not only cancel the game but other games by him and even force his creator to leave and open his own company. Fighting games have had a rise in popularity not seen since the nineties…and indie gaming has gotten really popular. There have also been big debates involving anti-piracy management, DRM and all that nonsense." Ryan explained, "I'm sure there's more but I can't really think of them."
"That…sounds depressing." Compa sighed, "So they do affect one another..."
"For a company to abandon a mascot they've had for so long…there's no doubt." IF agreed, "Histoire was right…so maybe we're here to get some help or something?"

"Um, who's Histoire? You keep mentioning her so…" Ryan asked feeling a little out of the loop.
"She is Planeptune's Oracle; she's in charge of the guild doings and also making sure the kingdom survives." Nepgear explained, "She's also technically the world's Oracle having been made by the first and true CPU goddess…I just wish my sister and I could have done more to help save our home."
"So this Planeptune is your home…country I suppose?" Ryan asked, noting how sad Nepgear was looking, "Don't be sad Gear…we'll figure out something."
"We?"
"Of course…I don't know what I can do but until we find a way to send you back I'll take care of you three. I'm not sure why you ended up this size but I can only imagine how bad the world would be for three little women like you." Ryan replied, "Besides, maybe you can find something information wise here that'll help you there, okay?"
"Um…I g-guess so." Nepgear replied, trying to be optimistic while she stared at her feet, "I'm just not sure I'm strong enough."
Ryan, against his better judgment, took a chance to comfort her and reached towards her slowly before extending a finger and caressing her hair.
Nepgear was a little startled at first when she felt his finger but soon closed her eyes and relaxed into it as she felt her worries melt away; despite being so much larger than her he was trying very hard to be gentle.
"Ah…how come Mr. Giant is being all lovey-dovey with Ge-Ge when I'm the one that patched him up?" Compa whined in protest.
"Heh, turning into a green-eyed monster over a giant's attention…only you Compa." IF slyly remarked as she grinned, "Still, if he's willing to help us he's really nice or, more likely, really lonely."
"Well, he is a guy and I'm pretty sure no guy could deny us three cuties." Compa shot back as she watched Ryan pull his hand back, "…lucky Ge-Ge."
Ryan for his part could only grin and rub the back of his head awkwardly, they certainly nailed it on the head with that statement; still he was starting to be glad he bought that handheld now…

After doing his best to make some type of living arrangements for the girls (which involved trying to make something that would give them privacy as well as something to sleep in), Ryan found himself cooking up something for dinner as the girl's sat on the table looking over Nepgear's N-Gear to try and get some kind of clue.
"It's no use you two, it just won't power up." Nepgear lamented, "Ever since we got here it's shut off and won't reboot."
"Maybe it has something to do with this handheld?" Compa remarked, pointing at Ryan's gaming device he'd set on the table as they requested, "This looks like something Nep-Nep had…"
"It certainly does seem familiar; I wonder if Neptune would know if she were here?" IF asked more to herself, but that didn't stop Nepgear from frowning as her thoughts drifted to her sister.
"Hey now, no sad faces." Ryan remarked as he cooked, "You girls will find a way back and I know from experience you have the strength needed so no moping."
"Okay." Nepgear softly spoke, a small smile making its way across her face.
"Oooh, she's thinking about before isn't she?" Compa asked, noting Nepgear's face blushing red, "Heh…I called it!"
"Quit teasing her…besides, it's dinner time." Ryan explained, setting a plate down in front of them, "I hope you girls like chicken…I just wish I had something you could use to eat easier."
"We'll manage." IF remarked as she walked over to plate and grinned, "Despite my size I'm still rather capable."
Ryan was a bit puzzled by her words until he saw a small knife emerge from her sleeve and slice of a few pieces of the chicken; he was pretty impressed at how well she was handling things but from what he could tell Iffy was pretty stable-minded…which made him wonder just how these three became friends.
Shaking his head and chuckling he figured it didn't really matter and so went to fetch his own dinner while the girls ate theirs.

As they ate, Ryan and the girls talked more about their worlds and more about each other; he was coming to find out that they were pretty tough to handle what they had and had to laugh at how a lot of concepts in his world had actual form over there.
"So, it was like some tripped out giant robot that looked like a Sony handheld?" Ryan asked, laughing at the idea, "That's something I'd have to see."
"He was really tough…we would have been goners if not for some quick thinking." Compa whined the memory still able to shake her up, "…darn! I thought that'd get me some comforting for sure."
At this Ryan couldn't contain his laughter; she certainly was an interesting one with how she acted and talked.
"Maybe later little Compa." Ryan teased, winking at her, "As for now, I need to clear our plates and get situated for bed."
With that Ryan stood up, putting away the leftovers and sticking the dirty dishes in the dishwasher for later; with that done he turned his attention back to the girls.
"Um…well…seeing as it did take you a little more effort to get up the table and around than it usually would I was wondering something…" Ryan stated fidgeting a bit, "Well, it'd probably be easier so I was wondering if you'd be comfortable with me carrying you guys…I mean gals?"
IF simply shrugged her shoulder, he'd already kind of picked her up to begin with so she had no problem with it.
Nepgear couldn't really form a response, her eyes looking at his fingers and just remembering how warm and gentle they were.
"Of course! I've been trying to get you to do something like that for hours now after what you did with Ge-Ge!" Compa nearly screamed in frustration, "Um…well…I mean…oh, grandpa had a saying for this…something about 'A girl in the hand is worth two on your arms.'? That doesn't sound right…"

"I get the point little one." Ryan chuckled, placing his hand on the table and offering it to them, "Well, shall we adjourn to bed?"
"Who uses that word anymore?" IF asked as she walked over and sat in his hand, "Hmmm, we might not all fit."
"Oh! I know what to do!" Compa excitedly stated, climbing up Ryan's arm and situating herself on his shoulder, "Ah, this view is much better."
Ryan blushed a little at Compa's forwardness but kept his composure, offering his other hand to Nepgear.
"Well…okay." Nepgear noted as she elegantly situated herself in his hand.
"Okay, hold tight." Ryan whispered before lifting the two girls in his hand up and heading towards his bedroom, "Compa…what are you doing?"
"Um…um…I'm sleepy?" Compa quickly stated from her position, her head snuggled against his neck.
"…okay, I'll buy that." Ryan stated with a chuckle as he set Gear and Iffy on the dresser, "Compa? Compa?"
"Somehow I'm not surprised by this." IF joked as she shrugged her shoulders, "Falling asleep on a giant…"
"I'm not asleep! Uh, I mean…zzzzzzzzzz." Compa shouted back, before trying to restore her cover, "…did he buy it guys?"
Gently scooping her off his shoulder, Ryan placed Compa with her friends but couldn't help a smile at her hinjinx.
"I think my sister rubbed off on her too much." Nepgear sighed before giggling, "Come on let's get to bed."
With that Nepgear rolled into the bed, situating herself in the middle of the bin.
"I still don't see why we have to share one bed." IF complained as she shrugged off her jacket and flopped into their makeshift bed to the right of Nepgear.
"Oh come on, we know how much you're beaming inside getting to sleep with Ge-Ge." Compa teased as she joined them, "After all…it was you being all lovey-dovey with her that helped jump-start her transformation ability again."
"Um, well…I wasn't…oh…I'm going to sleep." IF groaned, fluffing her pillow and rolling on to her side.
"I know it's not much being a bin with my sweatshirt folded up but it should be soft enough, sorry though Iffy…" Ryan remarked, scratching the back of his head, "At least I had those tiny pillows you can use…oh, you need a blanket don't you? Hmmm…"
Rummaging through his dresser, he found the shirt he was looking for and unrolled it over them.
"This is my most comfortable, softest, snuggliest t-shirt I own so I know it'll make a kick-butt blanket for you girls." Ryan noted as he watched them get settled, "…sorry, but you three look so adorable."
"Don't be stupid…" IF shot back as she stuck her tongue out at him.
"Mr. Giant thinks we're adorable…how cute." Compa teased which only made Ryan's face turn redder.
Nepgear was already fast asleep, the day seemingly too much for her body to deal with.
Ryan paused for a moment mulling a thought over in his mind before he decided to take the chance and leaned down, gently placing a soft kiss on Iffy's, Compa's, and Gear's head.
The girl's were caught off-guard at this, well except for Nepgear since she was already snoozing, and heard Ryan wish them good night before turning off the light and getting in his own bed.
"FINALLY!" Compa squeed in joy before she felt IF reach over and silence her, "…sorry."
Ryan chuckled at her little out-burst before closing his eyes and calming his breathing, his mind slowly replaying the day's events before he too joined the realm of sleep…

Ryan yawned as his eyes fluttered open, his natural rhythm waking him up on his day off.
"Hmmm…so glad I'm off today." Ryan softly mumbled to himself before standing up and stretching, "Huh? Oh…I guess it wasn't a dream."
Looking over at the three from yesterday, he'd noted they'd all snuggled up with one another at some point in the night and couldn't help but grin at just how cute they looked.
Quickly grabbing his phone, Ryan took a picture to preserve it forever…just in case they vanished on him or something.
'Considering how they appeared I don't think they'd be able to leave quietly.' Ryan thought with a smile as he watched Compa fidget a little in her sleep, 'Seems she's having a bit of a bad dream.'
Reaching down, Ryan gently caressed her hair till he saw her calm and snuggle up to Gear before peacefully sleeping again; it was at this point Ryan noted how odd it was for the sun to not be up in the morning and then he heard a huge boom rock his apartment.
'Well, that explains that.' Ryan thought, noting the sound of rain falling outside now, 'I hope the girls sleep through it, they certainly seem to need it from what they've told me.'
Figuring they'd be okay for now, Ryan headed to the kitchen to work on some breakfast as he was certain they'd be hungry when they awoke.
As he was cooking, the lovely scent of food began to waft through the air before tantalizingly dancing around Compa, Nepgear, and IF's sleeping forms.
"Mmm…that smells great Compa." Nepgear spoke in her sleep before chewing on her hair, "Huh? Bleck…"
"I had the strangest dream you guys…" Compa yawned as Nepgear had woke her up, "I was being chased by this Pixelvader that thought my hair was spaghetti and then it tried to eat it…why's my hair wet? Was it not a dream?"
"Ugh…will you two be quiet?" IF moaned as she opened her eyes and noted where she was, "Um…how did I get here? Gear? Uh…this isn't how it seems."
"Oh, she's all red again." Compa teased, "Don't feel bad Iffy, Ge-Ge apparently was chomping on my hair so…hmm, was I tasty?"

"What? What kind of question is that to ask me Compa?" Nepgear sputtered, totally embarrassed at the actions from her sleep, "Anyway, don't you smell that good food…?"
"Hmmm…oh, I bet it's the big guy cooking breakfast." IF deduced, "Hmmm…he didn't really leave us a way to get down."
"Yeah he did, look." Compa stated, pointing over at what appeared to be a string tied tightly around a nearby DVD rack, "I don't recall seeing that before."
Getting out of their makeshift bed and walking over to the rack, Nepgear looked down and noted it was a bit of a drop; she continued looking back and forth between the ground and the string until IF came over and nearly spooked her over the edge.
"Whoa, careful there." IF sputtered as she grabbed her, "Don't need you breaking anything."
"Well, like my grandpa says, 'String theory is only useful if you can physically grab it.' So here I go!" Compa shouted, grabbing the string and sliding down after she double-checked the knot, "Wheeee!"
"That girl…she's always so impulsive." IF sighed before seeing her touch down on the ground, "Okay, my turn."
Nepgear watched IF make it down and, gulping, she grabbed hold and closed her eyes as she slid down, not realizing she'd hit bottom till IF pried the string from her hands.
"That was kind of scary…but fun." Nepgear spoke with a nervous laugh, "Wow…everything is so big from down here; I'm kind of glad Ryan lives by himself."
Nodding in agreement, IF and Compa began trekking to the source of the smell with Nepgear close behind; eventually they'd made it to the small kitchen where Ryan was busy cooking so they could alert him to their presence.
Unaware that the girls were up and adventurously making their way to the ground, Ryan was mulling over a strange dream he'd had the night before…
In it there was a strange blonde-haired girl resting on a book but her wings that put any butterfly to shame was what stood out most to him.
Much like Gear and the others, she was what he assumed was eight inches tall but she seemed to be aware of what had happened.
"I am glad to see they are safe with someone trustable." The girl stated to him, looking up at his sitting form, "I am Histoire."
"Ah, so you're this Histoire they mentioned. Jeez, are all the people there lovely girls?" Ryan remarked with a laugh, "That definitely sounds like an awesome place."
"It is fortunate that they found you but they don't know why they are there do they?" Histoire asked as she smiled at his comment.
"Hmm, no, they have no clue why they ended up here." Ryan grumbled, a bit annoyed at how he couldn't do much to help them, "Do you know?"
"I believe Nepgear may…but she probably doesn't remember such." Histoire explained, "Something about your world is necessary to help them…but I'm afraid it would take me three months to pinpoint what exactly."
"That's inconvenient. I wonder if it has to do with this Arfoire person they mentioned…"
"That is a possibility; however I'm sure you'll be able to help them. I didn't get to be an Oracle without gaining how to read people so I can tell you are a kind soul."
"Jeez Histoire, are you trying to make me blush? Hmmm, though now that I think of it…"
"Hmm? Did you think of something?" Histoire questioned, looking up with hopeful eyes.
"I think so little one…I'll have to check but…I might have an idea." Ryan replied, as he smiled down at her, "So don't worry, I'll have them back home before you know it."
Histoire gave a smile before floating up to Ryan's check and caressing it, drawing a surprised look from him.
"I'm sure it's tough for you having your own life to deal with to stop and deal with this, so thank you for watching out for them." Histoire explained before giving his cheek a kiss, "Now wake up because knowing those three they'll be hungry…but don't worry, we'll be seeing each other soon…"

'I get the feeling everyone from this Gamindustri has quite the quirkiness about them.' Ryan thought as he finished scrambling the eggs, 'I wonder if I'll ever find out for myself? Though that last bit she said…'
As he mulled this over and tended to the bacon he heard a small voice cry up at him and when he turned his head he saw the three girls on the table, Compa waving enthusiastically.
"How'd you get up there?" Ryan asked with laugh, "I see you found the string though."
"See? I knew he'd left that for us." Compa beamed happily, "Mr. Giant is very thoughtful."
"We climbed up the chairs." IF explained, "It seemed easier to get your attention from up here."
"Can we eat please?" Nepgear pleaded as she clutched her tummy, "That climb on an empty stomach was no fun!"
Chuckling, Ryan set about dividing up the eggs and bacon and couldn't help his smile as he enjoyed breakfast with his girls.
'My girls? Jeez Ryan…I know you're lonely but that's pretty bold of you to think that.' Ryan thought to himself with a sigh, 'Still, I guess in a way they are until I can help them get home.'
Compa couldn't help but note Ryan's sigh as she ate, but she figured he was probably just tired from cooking and hungry like the rest of them; still she'd have to ask him later what was eating at him.
Eventually our little group finished their meal and while Ryan cleaned up, the girls began chatting trying to figure out what they could do.
"I say we should check the internet here." IF suggested, as she pulled out her phone, "We might be able to find some clues…ugh, figures; I have eight phones and none of them get service here."
"…dare I ask why you have eight cell-phones?" Ryan asked with a bemused look on his face, "You could always use my computer if you wish…"

That, as it turned out, was what they did while Ryan was busy digging around a bin he'd pulled out of his closet.
"It still seems so unreal." Ryan remarked to the girls while he shifted around some old electronics, "That the Console Wars were actually a literal war in Gamindustri…the more I hear about this place the more I wish I could experience it. It sounds like somewhere I'd fit into quite easily."
"Heh, that's certainly sure enough given all the gaming stuff you've got." IF teasingly replied, "Any luck Compa?"
"Nope, Mr. Computer here is doing his best but the gaming information we're finding doesn't seem to have any clues at all." Compa sighed, "Although I did read up on that one thing you said about piracy…it really seems like they're trying to crack down on that here as well."
"Well, it is a problem but…the tactics they use tend to cause more problems than not." Ryan stated as he rummaged through more of the junk, "Ugh, it's got to be here somewhere."
Nepgear was sitting off by herself looking over her N-Gear trying to figure out just why it wasn't working at all and not having much luck.
"The batteries don't seem corroded and nothing seems broken." Nepgear mused to herself, trying to think back to what happened, "I was looking through those files…and then I wished we had bigger help with…oh sweet SEGA!"
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden?" IF asked, noting Nepgear's exclamation, "Did you figure out something?"
"Well…I think I know why we're here…silly as it may seem." Nepgear nervously replied, twiddling her fingers as she spoke, "I just remembered wishing for some bigger help with our problem and then…heh, there was the vortex…and then Ryan…silly huh?"
"Grandpa always did say 'Be careful what you wish for cause she might end up divorcing you and taking half your money.' I sometimes wonder where he got all these sayings…" Compa mused, "Besides, even if this is because of your wish then that means that Mr. Giant has to be here to help!"
"Would it kill you to call me Ryan?" Ryan sighed into a laugh as he continued poking around until finally he found the box he had been looking for, "Bingo!"

IF, Compa, and Nepgear regarded Ryan strangely as he finally emerged from the closet entrance and walked over to their place on his desk.
"Now what's gotten into you?" IF questioned, noting the eager smile on his face, "Did you think of a way to help?"
"Well, I don't know if it is, but last night I had a strange dream." Ryan explained as he relayed to them what Histoire had explained, "So assuming she's right then something related to this Arfoire person in this world might be what sent you to me, er, I mean here."
Ryan laughed nervously at his little flub and from what the girls could tell his cheeks were a slight red.
"So then what did you find that makes you think we can get back on track?" Nepgear asked with hopeful eyes, "Oh I hope it is something that can help!"
"Mr. Giant wouldn't let us down, he promised to help us so he will!" Compa added, making Ryan blush a bit more, "Well, don't leave us in suspenders…what did you find?"
With a nod Ryan produced two small, somewhat square shaped cartridges from behind his back, one white and the other black; what he hadn't counted on was the reaction produced from the girls upon seeing them.
Given their look of fear mixed with shock he was rightly confused, unsure as to why this would make them react so.
"Girls…what's the matter?" Ryan asked, his concern growing as they stared almost fearfully at him, "Girls?"
"…why do you have that?!" IF exclaimed, pointing at him accusingly and shakily raising her knives, "…why?"
Ryan frowned at how nervous she felt and felt his heart sink even more when he saw her draw her weapons; just what hold did these devices have to strike such fear in her heart?
Just as he went to explain why to try and defuse the situation, a large crash of thunder was heard and a bolt of lightning lit up the room…which seemed to jump-start Nepgear's N-Gear and it sparked to life.
The girls only had a moment to react before a bright light emerged and a large vortex opened up over the bed in Ryan's room, easily pulling the girl's towards it.
Thinking quickly, Ryan jumped forward to grab them and held them close as he fought against the pull of the opening but he soon felt himself slipping.
"Oh crap…I don't know where this is going but I'm not letting go of you girls!" Ryan shouted as he felt his feet leave the ground, "…at least it had the decency to do this after I got dressed."
With that the four of them were pulled into the strange vortex which momentarily swirled in on itself before disappearing completely, leaving Ryan's bedroom to sit in empty silence…