I was on the right island. I knew that I was on the right island. It was in the place I remember it being from the game. "So where the hell are all the sentry robots that are supposed to be patrolling the island?"

The hidden floating island I was currently on was my one Hail Mary to get out of getting married off to an old hag, not to mention sparing my younger brother from a similar fate. Desperation and spite fueled me to demand things of my family that I was pretty sure I never really earned. Even so, they gave me everything they could acquire even with their meager holdings. I was definitely going to repay my parents for this gamble.

"That's not what this building is supposed to look like." I mutter to myself as I look upwards to a large, surprisingly intact looking, structure. It was a large, sleek, building that was dominated by a massive tower topped with a sphere that looked like it was made of metal. There was overgrowth from all the plant life throughout the walls I could see, but there was no real structural damage to speak of. I was expecting a dilapidated building on the verge of collapse, like the one in the game. That this place looked fine and seemed like a completely different building altogether set me on edge. It implied that I had no idea what could be inside it, if I could even get in. "Well, it's not like I can run home with my tail between my legs."

I proceeded to look for any sign of an entrance I could use to get in, eventually finding a pretty secure looking metal door with an electric control panel next to it. The display on the panel suddenly lit up and I immediately took several steps back and shouldered the rifle dad got me for this trip. I cautiously approached the display after confirming that nothing was going to attack me. To my surprise, it was flashing something on the screen. The message kept switching to a different looking language every few seconds. To my further surprise, some of the text looked like they came from languages of Earth!

Are you human? Please use the keyboard to type your response.

That is what I read when the message switched to Japanese. The prompt to type something made me look down to see an on-screen keyboard. The layout is what I remember it being from a standard computer keyboard. After some hesitation, I reached out and typed my response.

Yes

I pointed my rifle at the door as it started opening. I waited for a few more moments for anything to come out before risking a peek inside. A hallway greeted me that seemed to lead further in. I was about to complain about the darkness when the edges of the ceiling started lighting up bit by bit. Well, that was convenient. I took a breath and went inside. My nose crinkled at the quality of the air I was breathing in. I had never known what stale air was like, but I guess I would smell like this. As if reading my thoughts, I started hearing a soft humming sound. A moment later, a gentle flow of cool air touched my skin.

"This place even has air conditioning? Wow." I was definitely impressed. I saw some doors as I walked along but none of them opened for me. Even the control panels at their side remained unlit. Without any way to get inside, I continued on until I was met with a door that did have its control panel lit up.

Press to Open

Well that seemed simple enough. The door opened to reveal a much larger room, a warehouse more like. I had to force my eyes shut as the lights went on all at once. When I opened them again, I immediately backpedaled into the hallway and nearly fell on my ass. It was a skull. It was a gigantic skull that was partially crushed. Moreover, it looked like a dinosaur skull.

"What the hell is even this place?!" My cry echoed throughout the warehouse without any response. Something in the corner of my vision got my attention and I saw a door in the far end opening. It seemed that the building wanted me to go even deeper. I readied my rifle and went over to the open door, my footsteps becoming uncomfortably loud as they echoed. By the time I got to the door, the lights in the adjoining hallway were already lit. With one last glance at the dinosaur skull, I proceeded.

I eventually encountered a door to the side of the hallway that had its control panel lit up. I looked between it and the rest of the hallway I had yet to explore and deliberated my options. Hoping that the building I was in wasn't labyrinthine in design, I opened the door and was met with an…office?

It definitely looked like an office, an expensive one considering the carpeting and fine furniture within. There were books lined on one of the walls and paintings of people and places I didn't recognize on another. At the end of it was a large wooden desk with a chair behind it. The surface was bare of anything, made even stranger when I ran a finger on the surface.

"No dust." How the hell had dust not accumulated? Is someone actually here? As I asked myself those questions, the surface of the desk suddenly slid open to reveal a sphere the size of a baseball. Was this the cheat item I was looking for?

I backed away and quickly aimed my rifle at the sphere when it started moving. Finger on the trigger, I waited for it to make the next move.

Can you understand Japanese?

I blinked at the gravelly voice coming from the orb. It sounded like an old man who was really tired of everything. It spoke to me in Japanese so I responded in kind, "I can."

The sphere moved around in its container some more until I saw a lens looking back at me. I wasn't about to risk anything and continued to point my rifle at the object until it spoke again.

Is humanity intact?

The question made me lower my rifle a bit. That was a pretty complicated thing to ask. Considering the lore of the setting of this world, the humanity this thing was probably expecting was already long gone. I thought about how I should respond and eventually decided to be upfront about it.

"The humanity you remember is probably gone. There are still humans thriving in the world, but they're not the same anymore." The sphere remained silent for a few moments more than I was comfortable with. I was about to speak again but was thankfully interrupted.

Scans show that there are subtle differences from humans on record. No corruption from Invader cells detected. Further observation is necessary to determine if this evolution was achieved through natural means.

"Okay?" I said in uncertainty. The sphere suddenly floated up from its container and proceeded to exit the office.

Follow, New Human.

"Hey wait!" I called out as I ran after the sphere. After a quick look around the hallway, I followed the floating thing through the rest of the way I had not explored. As I walked, I decided to try to find some answers because this definitely wasn't in the game that I remember. "What even are you? What is this place? How long have you been here?"

I am the control system of this laboratory. This is the Final Saotome Research Lab. Active Atomic Clocks in the lab indicate that it has been seventy-two thousand years since my last activation.

And that pretty much sealed it that this is completely new. There was no such place in this island from the game, at least not one that was actually shown. "So what should I call you?" it actually paused as if considering my question.

No official designation was ever given to me. Though everyone simply referred to me as 'Control'. You may also use that moniker if you wish.

Pretty on the nose but not the weirdest name ever, "My name is Leon Fou Bartfort, nice to meet you Control."

It is also nice to meet you, Leon.

Control continued to float down the hallway with me following behind. I was at least thankful that there wasn't anything hostile in here. I was prepared to fight for my life in order to get the cheat item and claim this island, but I won't complain about this place being so accommodating. "So where are you taking me anyway?"

To the main control room. Further explanations will be provided there.

Deciding to trust Control, I was led through several more corridors and even a couple of elevators. I was still amazed at how well kept everything was. From what Control said, it hasn't been active for thousands of years. So the mystery as to why everything didn't look old and messy is still there. Eventually, I stood in front of a much larger metal door with the words Control Room 1 written above it in English. There was a beeping noise and the doors slid open. After the lights came on, I was greeted with a pretty futuristic looking control room that wouldn't be out of place in a sci-fi movie. I followed Control inside until it stopped in front of the large screen at the front of the room. I was about to ask what was supposed to happen when the screen lit up and seemed to play a recorded video.

"If you are watching this, then what we have hoped and feared has come to pass." An old scientist in the video spoke. He looked pretty ragged. Long, unkempt gray hair, a messy beard, and a suit with a lab coat that didn't look like it had been washed in a long time. "My name is Hayato Jin. If humanity was successful, then it shouldn't matter to you who I am."

"You are currently inside the last of the Saotome Getter Ray Research labs. With any luck, none of those words would mean anything to you either." And it certainly didn't. The man paused to take a swig from a flask in his hand. Was he doing this while drunk?!

"As of the recording of this video, humanity has been embroiled in conflict against one foe after another for decades. An utterly endless stream of pretty much anything you can think of with the sole intent of wiping us out." The scientist–Hayato–continued, looking even more tired as he went on.

"We were hoping that, after we have overcome all our foes, humanity will finally have peace. Instead, we find that we are partially causing the very problem we are fighting against. That after everything is said and done, humanity will eventually inflict the same death and misery to others that we have experienced in the past." Hayato proceeded to angrily throw the flask in his hands somewhere behind the camera. "I suppose that it is simply human nature to destroy. Will we be so afraid that, bereft of any more common enemies, we would turn on each other as we've always had? That looking for even more foes to crush was the only way to keep us united?"

The camera zoomed into Hayato's face, making his horrible complexion and bloodshot eyes even more prominent.

"That shouldn't be what Getter Rays are used for. With that in mind, we will soon enact a plan that will prevent the future that those three saw. This may very well end up wiping us all out, but…" he trailed off. Hey wait a second. He had just just been talking about some pretty unbelievable stuff. The implications of what he was saying was just–

"If you are here then that means that humanity has survived past this. You may also be one of the last, but I'm choosing to be optimistic for once. I just hope that humanity has evolved past the need of constant conflict and destruction by your time." I winced at his words. I had some pretty bad news if he was still around.

"Control here will lead you to our legacy. It is a ship we've named 'Nagare' after an old friend. I hope you keep the name." I immediately perked up at that. A ship? Hey now, this might just work out after all. "It is almost completely automated with almost no maintenance required. Control will fill you in on the details later. Alongside it, I leave behind what will become the final functional Getter Robo. I hope you won't mind the smaller stature compared to its siblings."

I had no idea what that was, the name tingled something at the back of my mind but I couldn't get a hold of it. Still, a free robot from an ancient civilization definitely sounds like a Lost Item.

"It is my final wish that you do not use it to destroy humans. The Getters were all created with the intent to protect humanity, even though that wish will eventually be twisted. Defend what you hold dear with it if you want, but do not make our mistakes. Don't try to turn Getter into a God or a Devil." The context had eluded me, but the weight of his words didn't. Whatever this Getter was, it was apparently strong enough to become either of those. Good news was that I had no intention of becoming a God or a Devil. That would have been way too much hassle.

"Despite everything else. I am glad that humanity lives on after us. This is Jin Hayato. Goodbye." Those were his last words before the video ended and the screen shut off. There was definitely a lot to unpack there. Seemingly picking up on that, Control spoke.

Do you wish to see the Nagare or do you want a few more moments to compose yourself?

"I'll be fine. But I do have a question." I responded as I looked around. Grabbing a nearby chair, I sat down and regarded my surroundings. "So that man, Jin, is leaving the ship at that Getter Robo thing to me. But what about this building and the island it's on. Can I have those too?"

There are no restrictions against it. May I ask why?

After all the absurdity I had just heard from a man from tens of thousands of years ago, I figured that I would see how Control would respond to my next words. "Would you believe me if I said that I was reincarnated from another Earth?"

Yes.

"Wait really?!" I asked in surprise, not expecting the immediate agreement.

The anomalies humanity has encountered before the current date have been vast. There is no reason to think that the continuation of the human soul in some form is impossible.

"And if I said that the current world we are in is based off of a video game dating sim?" I added, the words sounding even more absurd to me when spoken out loud.

You have already stated that you are from another Earth. The memories of one parallel world being transferred by para-dimensional means to someone in another reality who then uses it as inspiration to create a form of media is not impossible.

"You're taking this pretty well. You'll believe me just like that?"

Humanity has seen weirder things. Though I would like to learn more about what you are talking about if you do not currently wish to go to the Nagare.

"You know what, we can talk while we walk." I said as I stood up. We exited the control room and I started to explain everything that I knew. After keeping all of this to myself for all these years, it was just so liberating to be able to just talk about it without being looked at like an insane person. I spoke about the setting of the current world, the matriarchal society, the magic, the Armors, the monsters, the geography, as well as what I expected the plot to be. I made sure to emphasize that I had no intention of being involved with all Saint nonsense. Being called in to fight if I end up as an Independent Knight is expected, but I'd leave the big stuff to the main characters.

I hope that you have learned from the circumstances of your past life. It would be poor form if you have not taken the effort to improve yourself after experiencing the consequences of remaining sedentary.

"Hahaha! Yes! Of course!" There was a bit more alarm in my voice than I intended but Control thankfully did not comment on it. After taking one more elevator several more floors down, we ended up in front of another set of large doors. Control took a moment to get the doors open and what I saw inside made me laugh out in relief and triumph.

The thing that stood out the most immediately was the color. Red, blue, and yellow with red being the dominant one while the blue and yellow were more like highlights or accents. It was pretty huge and had cannons that indicated that it can be used as a warship as well. The sleek angular design definitely continued the futuristic motif I've seen in the rest of this place.

I present the Nagare. One of humanity's final gifts to its future. Would you like a tour, Leon?

As exciting as this was, the offer made me remember something else. "Jin said that there is also something called a Getter Robo in here. I'd like to see that first."

Of course, please follow me inside. It is currently stored in the Nagare's hangar.

Giddy from the prospect of getting everything I could have wanted from this adventure, I happily followed Control inside the massive ship. I wasn't expecting the inside of the ship to be so spacious but the hallways and elevators had a lot of clearance on all sides as if it was expected to house a lot of people. But didn't Hayato say that this thing was mostly automated?

Welcome to the hangar, Leon. I present to you Black Getter F, the third unit to have the Black Getter designation and the final Getter Robo that was assembled.

I look up at the intimidating looking machine. It definitely didn't look anything like any of the Armors from the game. From its size, it was probably at least a head taller than Armors used by the capture targets.

The Black Getters are defined by the circumstances of their creation. The previous two units were built from spare parts of other Getters, with this one continuing the tradition.

"Wait, this thing was made from spare parts?" I asked, not taking my eyes off Black Getter F. Its arms and legs were all very thick and strong looking. I saw that the knuckles were tipped with yellow spikes and the left arm had three dangerous looking blades. I couldn't see any other visible weapons due to the black scarf and cape that it was wearing.

Indeed. The original Black Getter was built from another Getter Robo as a base with assorted parts and improvements added. The second Black Getter was much the same though it took parts from several other models instead. Both units were assembled out of great need and a lack of time.

"And this one as well?" Most of the torso was gray aside from the black chest armor that also had green panels on it. There was what looked like a sealed circular opening in the middle of the robot's stomach but I couldn't be sure. I couldn't see the neck either due to the cape scarf.

Correct. This unit was originally intended to be a second Devolution unit but construction had to be stopped part way and it was cannibalized for parts for the first unit. By the time it could be worked on again, it had to be redesigned once more and refitted with parts from older Getters. At the rate it was being constructed, it would already be replaced by newer models. Professor Hayato decided to take it as a personal project instead of scrapping it and further converted it into what you see today. As the Professor stated, it is much smaller than its contemporaries.

"Right. Small. Sure." I muttered while glancing at the metal mask that seemed to hide the lower half of its face. Red lined the edge of the robot's yellow eyes and continued down to make it look like it was crying. More green panels on the top of its head and a pair of pointed black horns coming out of the side of its head at an angle completed the menacing visage.

"So much for not making it look like a Devil." I commented at the striking visual design of the whole thing. "How do I get inside? Is there an access point in the chest somewhere?"

The cockpit is located inside the unit's head as is tradition. You can access it by retracting the face mask. Please follow me.

Control led me to a set of stairs that went up the left side of the robot. It then extended a walkway that went in front of Black Getter's face. It definitely looked even more intimidating up close like this. With a beep from Control, the entire front metal face mask retracted down to reveal an opening. With one more look to the floating sphere, I hopped inside and immediately noticed something.

"Why are there so many levers?!"