Note: Cybersystem Gaiden is set to occur in the world of Cybersystem Chronicles, but centered on another character that is also in the Cybersystem Gaiden RPG.
Chapter 7: Celestial Darkside
"It is a good thing that Dr. Daikou gave you time for a break, Ryuu-san," Arisa mentioned as she set a cup of tea for Ryuu, "I was worried that we won't be seeing each other again."
"You could say that again..." Ryuu replied as he thanked Arisa for the tea, taking a sip to savor the flavor of the beverage, "I actually didn't notice how time passed by so quickly when Daikou gave me drills around the clock."
"Very true, if it weren't for the synchronization, the strain of the battle would be too much for me," Gaius added as he watches through the monitor of Ryuu's PET. Ryuu couldn't help but make a silly grin, remembering how grueling those training sessions compared to the usual drills at the Academy.
"That's right..." Ryuu then spoke up when he thought of something, "How are you doing lately? I mean... Since I'm not around to help."
"I'm doing fine, Ryuu-san," Arisa answered with a smile, taking a sip as well before continuing, "The instructor is teaching us on certain netbattling techniques to that we can defend ourselves better against stronger viruses."
"That's right!" Iris added from the confines of her PET, "Arisa-chan's virus busting skills have improved a lot from the last time we have been together!"
"N, not really, Iris..." Arisa mentioned, slightly embarrassed at how her Navi mentioned that she got better, "But we can take care of ourselves now."
"I see, that's good," Ryuu said with a smile, wondering what else they should talk about. Having finished his tea, Ryuu puts the cup on the table as he looks around the room. It is then that the doorbell rang.
"Excuse me, Ryuu-san, I'll take a look who's at the door," Arisa excused herself as she went to check the door.
"Okay, I'll wait here," Ryuu nodded in reply as he looks to Gaius, as if trying to tell his Navi that he has ran out of ideas on what to say. Gaius shook his head, showing that he has no idea on what to suggest to Ryuu.
"Who is it?" asked Arisa as she checked over the monitor beside the door to see who is on the other side, only to find nobody there. Curious on a possibility that it may be somebody pulling a prank, Arisa opens the door to take a look.
The only problem is that the door refused to budge. For some strange reason, the door seemed to have been stuck in place. Arisa pressed the button for the door to open a few more time, and each time receiving no response.
"Is there something wrong, Arisa-san?" Ryuu asked as he got up from the couch and beside Arisa. His attention is now on the door, which is the source of Arisa's concern.
"The door's stuck..." Arisa replied as she looks to Ryuu, a worried tone apparent as she spoke, "It has never happened before."
"The system might have gotten a bug," Ryuu suggested as he plugged his PET into the door's terminal, "Let's take a look at it, Gaius!"
"Plan confirmed, Ryuu," Gaius responded as he appears into the door's computer in a flash of emerald light. All around the verdant Navi are doorways that reflect the nature of the software. Further ahead, Gaius could hear electronic pleas of help.
Without hesitation, Gaius proceeded towards the source of the voice, and arrived at a clearing where a program is running around and being chased by three viruses that looked like hands, the Count Bomb viruses.
"HELP! HELP! HELP!" the program kept calling out as it strives to keep away from the viruses as fast as it could.
"Ryuu, we've got viruses in the system!" Gaius mentioned as he charged forward and bashed down on of the Count Bombs with his fist, "I need battlechips now!"
"Got it, Gaius! Battlechips are headed your way!" Ryuu responded as he drew three battlechips from his belt pouch and inserted them in tandem into his PET's chip slot. At the same time, the Count Bombs have broken off from chasing the frightened program and concentrated on dealing with the interfering Navi, setting up time bombs that started counting down.
"Graaahhh!!!" Gaius yelled as he lifted one of the time bombs and tossed it at the Count Bomb he struck down earlier, causing it to explode and dissipate into strands of data. He then rushed forth to the next Count Bomb that is tending to its time bomb and pierced a Long Sword right through, stepping back to toss a Cross Bomb at the viruses' position to take out the hand and the remaining time bombs.
With one virus remaining, Gaius strode forward at the virus and held it at its finger right before it is starting to form another time bomb. He sent it down onto the ground with a shoulder throw before pointing a Hi-Cannon at it and blasting it away.
"Viruses deleted, Ryuu," Gaius reported to Ryuu as he then turns to the program that is hiding behind a corner, "I'll go check on the program to find out what's going on."
"All right Gaius," Ryuu replied to Gaius as he looks around the room. Trying out the other doors around the room, he and Arisa have found themselves locked in with the same problem: none of the doors or windows are responding to the system.
"VIRUSES ARE TAKING OVER THE SYSTEM!" the program immediately spoke when it recognized Gaius approaching it, "PLEASE FIX THE SYSTEM! USE THIS KEY DATA TO DEAL WITH LOCKED DOORS."
"You heard that, Ryuu?" Gaius called out to contact his operator upon receiving the key data, "It's strange to find out that such a system can be easily contaminated by viruses, wouldn't it?"
"You've got a point there, Gaius..." Ryuu mentioned as he looks at his Navi's status, "All the exits in the room are locked, we're going to need you to unlock the system."
"Let me and Iris help out too," Arisa mentioned as she plugged her PET to an open terminal as well, sending Iris over into the system as soon as possible.
"We should split up, we could cover more ground that way," Iris suggested as she looks at the many doors that represented the locks of the room's system, "We can contact each other in case help is needed."
"Let's get going then!" Gaius exclaimed as he takes the door that he managed to open up with the key data, providing Iris with a copy of the data so that she could open the locks as well, "We don't know what bad things could happen if we stay here any longer."
The system is relatively easy to fix, with the capabilities of the two operators to work together. Soon, the two Navis come to the remaining door that they have yet to open.
"I recall that the main operating system is past this door," Iris said as she keeps rack of their progress. Gaius approaches carefully with key data in hand as he finally opened the last door.
"So whoever is behind this, has someone waiting for us in here?" Gaius asked as the door opens without any problem.
"Of course there should be someone waiting for you here," a heavy voice spoke from past the opened door as a tall and stout Navi stood in between Iris and Gaius and the main control panel. The Navi resembled a large padlock with a door-like object as a shield and a large key at the end of a chain.
"Is he the one behind all this?" Ryuu asked as he sees the Navi through the visuals of his PET, "Why are you doing this?"
"Who are you, and what do you want here?" Arisa also asked as she gets some of her battlechips at ready.
"My name would be Archeos the Gate Warden," the Navi introduced himself with a bow, "As for my purpose for causing you trouble, I'm afraid, is because of some orders."
"Orders?" Gaius asked as he cautiously entered the room. Iris followed a few steps behind him.
"Unfortunately, Jyagatsu has considered you as a danger to whatever he is planning, and wanted you to expire as soon as possible," Archeos mentioned as he began to swing his key chain over his head, sending it flailing towards the two Navis before him once he gathers enough momentum to strike, "We are merely following orders, so we apologize for doing this before you truly satisfy what we need to do."
Gaius moved forward, bringing up a shield to block the incoming attack. The key did not bounce off the green Navi's shield, however, instead embedding itself with a solid "click" before pulling out. Archeos then charged forward to tackle Gaius down with his own shield.
Bracing himself, Gaius prepares to take the attack with his shield. The result is a resounding crash, as Archeos rams into the startled Gaius like a bullet train, sending the armored Navi to the floor.
"What happened?" Ryuu asked in surprise as he checks Gaius' status and noticed that the shield program became inaccessible, "Could it be that his key...?"
"That's right..." Archeos seemingly grinned as he started swinging his key chain again while turning around to face the two, "I can render programs locked when I want to."