Chapter 3: Game Start!

ALO's forests were always so peaceful. The air would whistle through the trees, the wild bird mobs will scurry along the sky, everything was calm.

Well, that's only if you don't count the random monsters that spawn left and right. The SAO gang are currently fighting a monster of immense size.

"This guy just doesn't want to die!" Klein shouted.

"Keep at it!" Lisbeth said. "It's bound to fall at some point!"

The gang kept at it, slashing and hacking the monster this way and that. But it took a while. However, Kirito was able to deliver the killing blow. The monster shouted a death rattle, and fell to the ground.

"Well, anything else?" He said smugly.

Lisbeth pouted, and punched him hard.

"Why do you always have to get the last laugh?" She said.

"Hey, at least I killed the thing." Kirito retorted.

"I was hoping to get some of the drops!" She shouted.

"Now, now." Klein interrupted. "At least we killed the thing right?"

Everyone laughed. But they weren't paying attention that the monster still hasn't gone away yet. Sinon was the first to notice this.

"Hey…" She began. "Shouldn't the monster be gone by now?"

Everyone turned back at the monster, seeing how it was still just there.

"Maybe it's lag?" Leafa threw in.

"No." Asuna replied. "No lag would be this slow in a game like this."

Then, the monster began to buzz wildly. Orange blobs started to appear all over its body. And with one final buzz, the monster dissipated into a cloud of the same orange blobs. Silica cowered behind Kirito.

"Um…" She whispered. "What's going on?"

"Not sure…" Kirito muttered. "But whatever it is, it's not a good sign."

The cloud then descended and formed into a humanoid shape. It turned into a nice gentleman with a gauntlet on his left arm and a black top hat.

"Finally! Separated from that insufferable thing!" He shouted.

Everyone drew their swords. Kirito spoke up.

"What's your deal?" He said.

The gentleman turned and saw the gang.

"I am Salty." He announced. "I have dwelled inside that thing for quite some time. Now, all I must do is defeat you, and I shall be complete!"

"Well, it does like to babble." Lisbeth whispered.

"Looks like A.I." Leafa said. "But it doesn't seem so."

"Well, defeating us is out of the question!" Asuna shouted.

Salty observed the players. He saw that they clearly outumber him.

"Let us even the playing field than, hm?" Salty smiled.

He stretched his hand to his side, and a bunch of minions in chef uniforms spawned.

"Guess fighting's the only option, huh?" Kirito whispered.

"Let us make haste! Chefs!" Salty declared, snapping his fingers.

The minions charged towards the players.

"I get to kill first!" Klein yelled.

He quickly slashed at one of the minions, but instead of dying, the minion popped back up.

"Uh…" He uttered. "How do you kill these things again?"

A minion also got closer to Lisbeth, and she smashed its head in, but the head only regenerated.

"I dunno!" She shouted.

And as the other players began to try and diminish the numbers of the minions, Kirito paid attention to Salty.

'Maybe if I defeat him…' he thought.

He jumped into the air. Using the minions' heads as a walkway, he made his way to Salty. Glowing swords in hand, he darted down towards Salty… only for the attack to faze right through him.

"What?" He said.

"My, aren't you a salty fellow?" Salty smiled.

He picked up Kirito, and thrusted him straight into a pack of minions. They tossed him around like a rag doll before throwing him back to the rest of the gang.

"Kirito!" Asuna cried, hurrying over to him.

She helped him up, but by this point, the minions have basically overwhelmed and outnumbered them.

"There's no end to them!" Leafa yelled, punching one out of her face.

"They just keep coming!" Silica shouted, in the air.

In the distance, Salty laughed out loud.

"Oh, such a salty sight!" He said. "To see such mighty warriors fall!"

Kirito gritted his teeth. This was when he was reminded of SAO, and the overwhelming numbers he and Asuna faced in the past.

"So…" He whispered. "This is how it goes, huh?"

"Once my chefs have finished making you salty, I shall be complete!" Salty announced, cackling in victory.

MIGHTY ACTION X!

And on that moment, a pink game field spread out all over the area. Brown 2 by 2 by 2 blocks placed themselves all around, and everyone just looked on in confusion.

"What the-?" Klein began.

Salty only turned and saw a familiar Salamander, holding a gaming cartridge and wearing a belt.

"Ex-Aid…?" Lisbeth whispered.

"My, have you come to become salty as well?" Salty taunted.

Ex-Aid smiled.

"Nah." He said with a smile. "I'm here to clear you right out of the game!"

Ex-Aid posed. It was the same exact pose he did when he fought Kirito, and with a brief pause, he inserted the cartridge into the belt.

"Henshin!" He shouted.

GASHATTO!

LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!

I'M A KAMEN RIDER!

The figure of Ex-Aid was replaced by the same chibi figure. There was a brief silence before Ex-Aid turned the lever on the belt.

"Dai Henshin!" He shouted.

GACHANN! LEVEL UP!

MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!

The chibi figure jumped into the air. Its arms and legs popped off and spewed out another, slimmer-looking limbs. A head also popped out, before landing back on the ground.

"I'll clear this game with no continues!" He declared.

His weapon wheel appeared around him, and he grabbed his go-to weapon.

GASHACON BREAKER!

Ex-Aid then proceed to attack the minions first. But unlike the SAO players, Ex-Aid was actually able to kill them. But he made it look so easy. For example, some got a hit on the abdomen, and they died instantly. Others would either get bonked on the head or kicked, and with another bonk, they would die immediately. And everytime Ex-Aid would land a hit, a giant "Hit!" would occasionally appear on the target he hit, sometimes an "Amazing!". The players looked on with mouths open with awe and shock.

"You guys seeing this, right?" Klein said.

"Yeah…" Leafa muttered.

"Someone pinch me." Lisbeth said.

And with only a couple of more bonks on the head, all of the minions were defeated.

"First leg: Complete!" Ex-Aid cheered.

That's when Salty just tackled the guy straight from the back.

"You are an insufferable salty man!" He shouted.

Ex-Aid brushed it off, and stood back up.

"You Bugsters are really persistent, aren't ya?" He taunted.

"So SALTY!" Salty yelled.

"Time to close your kitchen!" Ex-Aid retorted.

He pressed the B button on the Gashacon Breaker twice and swung the thing straight up Salty's chin. Then he pressed the A button.

JA-KIIN!

And pulling the gaming cartridge back out, he blew into it, then inserted it into the Gashacon Breaker.

GASHUUN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!

The Breaker began to glow with cartooney effects and energy. Salty gathered himself up and seethed with anger.

"So SALTY!" He squealed.

Ex-Aid ignored the whining, and prepared for the finisher.

MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!

Salty charged, but Ex-Aid jumped out of the way, and landed behind him. And without a moment to spare, he slashed the back of Salty.

KAISHIN NO IMPATSU!

"Im… Impossible!" Salty shouted. "I… I have become salty!"

And on the lovely note, Salty exploded. Ex-Aid turned around and posed for the camera, pretending there was one.

"Did it!" He smiled.

GAME CLEAR!

Ex-Aid sighed loudly and cancelled his transformation.

GACHUNN! GASHUNN!

Ex-Aid then fell back on his back. Then, from his POV, the SAO Players just stared on from above him.

"Uh…" He began. "Hello?"

"Hey there." Asuna greeted, waving.

"Can I help you?" Ex-Aid asked.

"You have some explaining to do, pal." Kirito replied, smiling evilly.

Within the next 30 minutes, they were now in a pub in Sylvain. Ex-Aid, holding his hands in front of him, was in front of 7 pairs of eyes from the SAO players.

"Well… this is awkward." He commented.

"Start talking, man." Klein began. "What was that thing? That was no simple monster."

"That was…" Ex-Aid began. "No, no, I shouldn't say."

"Come on!" said a voice. "We can trust them!"

Everyone looked around.

"Who was that?" Silica asked.

Then, from one of his Ex-Aid's pocket, a pixie flew out and landed his shoulder.

"Poppy!" Ex-Aid scolded.

"Aw, come on!" She whined. "Do they look like people that would look untrustworthy?"

Ex-Aid carefully observed the SAO players. After a few minutes of silence, Ex-Aid has decided.

"Alright. Guess you have the right to know." Ex-Aid admitted.

Just then, Yui also popped out Kirito's pocket. She flew to Poppy, so she can get information.

"That was known as a Bugster." Ex-Aid explained. "They just started to appear last year. They've been implanted in many AR games. I'm still looking for why it happened so. All you guys need to know is that you can't fight them."

"Is there a way we can?" Kirito asked.

"Well…" Ex-Aid pondered. "Poppy?"

"Okay!" She said cheerfully.

Poppy flew to the SAO player's weapons. She put her hand on each of them, and after getting the last one, she went back to Ex-Aid.

"All done!" Poppy said cheerfully. "Your weapons have been recoded to deal with the Bugsters!"

"Now that's done." Ex-Aid continued. "It is best you stayed out of what we have to do. You would only get in the way."

Poppy flew back into Ex-Aid's pocket, and Ex-Aid begin to log out.

"Wait!" Leafa shouted. "Could you at least tell us who you are?"

Ex-Aid ignored them and just logged off, leaving the SAO players in the dust.

"Man… what a jerk!" Klein whined.

Everyone just looked on what Ex-Aid has just revealed to them. Bugsters have been implanted in other AR games as well? What will they do about this?