The dust began to settle down, tiny motes and particles carried away by the wind. The night sky vacuumed the air clean, eventually dispersing any remaining trace of the cloud that had been born from the falling branch. Random rustles from brushing leaves became the dominant sound once more.

Kirito was lying against the side of a boulder, clutching Zero's lifeless body. The blood-red bar representing her HP, barely visible, was only a sliver of an inch wide, indicating how beat-up she was. His own HP wasn't too healthy either.

...Raphael?

Kirito looked down at his savior, a tiny, humanoid «Ralts» who looked back up at him in about the same manner. Surprise, curiosity.

Yes. And to answer the rest of your question... Raphael lifted his hand off of Kirito's shoulder and peeked over it with his large, soulful eyes. The mismatched orbs stared at the «Zorua» in his arms. I guess... well, like I said, you intrigued me.

Wary, Kirito held Zero closer to his body protectively. Intrigued how?

The Ralts watched the movement of his arms. You're different. You care about others... He turned his eyes back to him; those deep eyes seemed to see right into Kirito's soul. I thought you humans were all selfish and despicable. I watched the other one; he ordered his companion to distract the «Weepinbell» away from his position and die for him when he realized his stealth was compromised.

Kirito's brow furrowed as he narrowed his eyes. Cooper...

The idiot had tried to «PK» him with a horde of Weepinbell to attempt to steal Kirito's rare quest item and to try and capture Zero, but had been killed himself due to the fact that his low-level «Concealment» didn't work on them.

Then his own Pokemon, Weed, free from him after his death, had chosen to sacrifice himself to give Kirito a chance as repentance. The memory wrapped a tight knot around his heart.

Was that his name? Raphael sighed. He was vain and selfish, much like most humans I see in here... but then you didn't abandon your partner, nor did you treat her as a tool... You tried to protect her just now, even if it was a hopeless prospect, and I'm curious as to why.

"Is it really that strange?" Kirito quietly asked out loud, his voice barely audible over to rustling of the leaves. It was more of a whisper. "To protect people you care about? Is it really that alien to you? Humans and Pokemon are all diverse. There's good and bad. Don't clump everyone together."

Raphael regarded him silently.

While remembering what Weed had done for him, Kirito had forgotten he was speaking to a Pokemon that, although «Psychic» and with a mature mentality, probably only had the memories of a few hours in his head. He had probably been born with the preset thoughts of "evil humans".

Muttering a quick apology for his thoughtlessness, Kirito weakly opened up the menu on his «Pokelink». Looking into his inventory, he only had two «Potions» left. He selected them both and two purple-accented spray bottles formed on the ground beside him. Ignoring the numbness that occupied the feelings of his right leg, he twisted the nozzle of the first and sprayed the contents onto Zero's wounds.

The fox hissed and tightened in pain, but her HP bar slowly went back up. The deep red of the growing bar slowly morphed to yellow until it stopped at around thirty-five percent. Kirito threw the bottle away, watching as it dissolved into nothingness, then twisted open the second Potion and treated Zero's wounds on the other side.

The sickly yellow color became a rather healthy green as Zero's HP levels stopped at around sixty-five percent.

...Good enough.

Kirito sighed and looked up at his own HP bar; the gauge hovered at a dangerous ten percent. He realized all of a sudden that he had forgotten to use a potion on himself as well, and momentarily cursed this hindsight.

Here.

A white hand thrust a round object into his field of vision. Squinting, Kirito's vision focused on it: it was a typical round, oval-shaped berry, shaded a deep blue and capped with a green stem. An «Oran Berry»; a consumable item that healed fifty points of HP. About thirty percent of Kirito's current maximum health.

This should help heal you.

In the beta, Kirito was sure that «Berry» type items didn't work on players, and only worked on Pokemon. However, if Raphael was suggesting it, that probably had been changed in the official release. Reaching out, he accepted the item.

Thank you.

...no problem.

Kirito tapped the item to make sure it was an Oran, then took a bite out of it. All five flavors equally spread through his mouth, creating a balanced flavor that was strange, yet not unpleasant. With every mouthful, Kirito's HP rose higher, back to stable state.

He drew the back of his sleeve against his mouth, wiping the leftover juices off. It was nice. Strange but nice.

I feel the same when I eat one. The pokemon held out a second one. Want another?

It's alright. I'm strong enough.

Alright. Raphael withdrew the item. Anyways... I would like to join you.

Kirito blinked. Join me?

Yes. Raphael made a meaningless gesture with his hands. Become your partner. I would like to help you.

Kirito stared at him for a while. It's alright with you? Humans are selfish?

As I said, you feel different... Raphael hesitated. And, well, my psychic powers are indeed a little weak... but I can still recognize your emotions and base feelings. They are a little clouded... gray, even, but I sense that, at the core, you are pure.

...me, pure? Kirito would have laughed at that had his throat not felt like a cheese grater. Raphael tilted his head.

You can doubt it, but-

-KSHHHHH-

A sudden burst of static lanced through Kirito's head. His hand went up to clutch his forehead.

Eh?

-you are still- Raphael continued, not noticing Kirito's confusion.

Suddenly another bolt of interference pierced through his head, but this time it carried a tangible sound with it: a human scream. Within seconds it happened again, but this time a sharp thud rang out, like something large and heavy had crashed into something with the speed of an airplane.

What-

Raphael's voice suddenly shorted out. The rustling of the trees vanished, replaced by an unstable voice screaming out an unintelligible sentence. It cut in and out, replaced here and there by static like a defective walkie-talkie.

-Has-KSHHH-Armo-

KIRITO-

-KSHH-It-KSHHH-

-WAKE-

-fast-KSHHH-

The world around him vanished. Everything was replaced by darkness, save the large whip of bulky grey objects lashing down towards him at an incredible speed. He screamed as his defensive instincts flared and raised his hands to defend himself, scrambling back to avoid it.

-UP!

A dangerous creaking sound rang out from the cafe chair's legs as he leaned back too far. With a shout, Kirito was unceremoniously dumped out of it, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

Zero blinked in surprise, in her human form and with hands outstretched, about to grasp him by the shoulders and shake him awake.

...not like that, Kirito.

Chapter 5: Prismatic Paths

After being exposed to the laughter of the cafe's several «NPC» and player patrons, Kirito groped his way back onto his seat with a red face. His hair was disheveled, messy even beyond Kirito's normal messy hairstyle.

He pondered for a moment as he recalled the ending of the dream he had. It had started out with his meeting with Raphael, but then something had happened near the end. He tried to remember the details, but his drowsiness was already wiping the thoughts from his mind.

I wanna sleeeeeep...

Kirito placed his hand on his mouth as he stifled a gaping yawn, prompting an annoyed look from Zero. The girl picked at her «Black Bread» and took a sip of milk to try and hide it behind a slightly regal air, but her thoughts weren't as guarded.

Why are you two just so listless? You're just about as active as a mud-covered «Pignite» right now.

Kirito sent a sleepy "I don't know" back over the link as he laid his head back down on the table, shifting around to find a comfortable position. Zero forced his head back up with her hand, brow furrowed and mouth tightened in a disapproving frown.

It only made her look cuter, not at all menacing.

Over the month that had passed since the beginning of the game, Zero had grown a sort of sisterly instinct. Always fussing over Kirito's and Raphael's state of being, making sure they were always in tip-top shape both HP and status-wise, and just generally caring for them. As time wore on and they continued to fight through the available areas, struggling to grow stronger, she lost most of her usual laziness and began fussing over them more and more.

Like right now.

Well... we did stay up all night in the final floor of the «Tower». Kirito mumbled in protest. He lazily scratched his hair, messing it up even further. For two nights straight. I didn't know Argo would want to arrange the meeting this early so I didn't want to waste time...

You should have exercised some restraint. Zero tapped Kirito between the eyes and placed her hand on her hip. We could have just did some exploring today after your meeting with her instead.

We were already there anyways... I don't fancy walking there and back to waste another hour. Kirito yawned again, this time not even bothering to hide it. More efficient that way. It doesn't matter. He sleepily waved his hand in a go away fashion. I can just sleep now while waiting.

Hey, hey, wake up, you stupid Kirito-kun! Zero started shaking his arm roughly. It's morning! Wake up! I'm usually even lazier than you guys and I'm still wide awake!

Stop bothering meeeee... Kirito whined pathetically. Why don't you bother him instead? He's just as... -ffwahhhhhh- ...guilty.

He flopped his arm in the direction of Raphael, who was sitting in the boosted «Pokemon» chair at the opposite end of the table to bring him to a comfortable level. Like Kirito had been, the «Ralts» was snoring peacefully, his head slumped neatly between his plate and cup. His horns were glowing slightly, giving off a faint, barely visible ruby light, but even as Kirito watched they faded to normal.

As Raphael was level fifteen, in range of his standard evolution level at twenty, his body was starting to change into that of his evolved form, a «Kirlia». Already his hair was starting to grow out to reach down to his shoulders while the hairline above his eyes was shrinking. His horns were inching closer to the center of his head, and the hem of his dress was receding as well. Eventually the two horns would move to the sides of his head and look like hairpins, while his dress would shrink into a tutu.

Unlike Zero, he hadn't changed at all since he had joined them.

Well he SHOULD WAKE UP TOO!

Zero's complaint escalated into a mental shout, causing Raphael to stir. He blearily lifted his head off the table, looking at them through squinted eyes.

...what?

Zero bopped Raphael on the head with a light punch. He looked up at her and just stared without seeing, his mind still somewhere in dreamland. His green hair was just as disheveled as Kirito's.

You guys shouldn't sleep right now! Zero growled. Kirito's client could be coming at any minute!

Just let me rest. Raphael leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Zero was on him immediately, grasping his head with both of her hands.

Do you want to make a bad impression?

Raphael opened one eye. Argo knows us. She'll understand... How are you so awake now anyways? You «Dark» types get lethargic in the mornings.

Zero gritted her teeth. Yes I'm sleepy, but I have some self-control, unlike two certain numbnuts here! Both of you, wake up, and just wait patiently!

You recharge energy naturally during nighttime. It's not fair. Raphael expressed his childish side as he shook her off and turned over, attempting to go back to sleep. Why me... Go bother him instead. He's sleeping too.

The «Zorua» turned around with a jolt; Kirito was already snoozing in his chair while the warm sunlight played around on his face. A silly smile rested on his lips as he frolicked in a figurative imaginary meadow somewhere.

Why you-

A mental snore rang out in her mind, and Zero knew Raphael had fallen asleep too. Hope deserted her, and she collapsed back into her own wicker chair. A look to the left: one dead trainer. A look to the right: one dead Ralts.

A nearby NPC waitress giggled at the scene. Zero sighed deeply.

...why do I even bother?

Sinon hoisted the «Nemesis Lightweight Anti-Personnel Particle Rifle», also known as the Nemesis, up onto her shoulder and peered through the scope bolted to the top of the weapon.

The crosshairs inside centered on the back of an unsuspecting «Machop», right between the shoulder blades. The small of the back was a Machop's «Weak Point», but it was hard to hit in a normal fight as it would always face you. When taking it by surprise, however, it was an easy target.

Sinon inhaled deeply, then exhaled it all out, calming her heart. She shifted her arms, slowly aiming the muzzle at the second Machop right next to the first. This one was looking past her concealed position, so she couldn't aim at the weak point, but the head seemed just as fine of a target as any other.

She spent the next ten seconds realigning her aim at the first until Hecate sent her a mental signal to inform her that she was in place. Replying with an affirmative, Sinon focused hard on the Machop's back.

The targeting reticule was still far too large.

Calm down...

Her heart rate slowly went down as she cleared her mind, focusing on the target. The blinking circle shrank.

Align the target...

Only a dot.

Locked on.

And fire. Sinon concentrated on a certain feeling.

Tssseen!

A thin, piercing beam flashed through the intervening space and neatly nailed the target. The Machop went to its knees with a surprised expression on its face as 3/4ths of its HP vanished in an instant. A smoking hole was etched into its back.

Its partner's eyes immediately snapped up to Sinon's position and it crouched, ready to dash in and attack.

It was never given the chance as Sinon fired again, sending it reeling backwards as the beam ground against one of the three ridges on its forehead, burning it pretty badly but not able to pierce through. Reeling backwards, it landed heavily on its rump and prepared to get up again.

Tseen! Tseen!

Sinon pinned it down with two more consecutive shots and watched as it disappeared into thin air. When she glanced over at the first one, she found Hecate already sitting there and waiting for her to come down, the remains long gone.

Targets eliminated.

Hecate muttered the words quietly before getting back up onto four legs and shaking herself down.

The barrel of the Nemesis was warm to the touch as Sinon lowered the weapon and stiffly climbed out of the neat little crevice she had been crouching in. Her finger relaxed on the trigger as she tread lightly over to Hecate.

I see your shooting has improved. Hecate commented while licking the bottom of her paw to clean off a bit of dirt. Despite it being winter time, over the past month the ruff around her neck was starting to grow smaller, and her tail was growing more sleek as opposed to fluffier, opposite of what Sinon had expected. Wouldn't she be cold like that?

Then again, she liked the cold, so maybe it was personal preference. Sinon shook her head and just offhandedly acknowledged the praise.

Ever since that day when she had partied with that boy, the memory of that certain feeling, along with Hecate's support, had slowly erased the symptoms of her phobia.

I'm becoming stronger.

The knowledge lightened some more of the burden that had been keeping her heart weighted for four years. She looked down at the Nemesis in her hand, but nothing too serious jumped in her.

While hunting in another quest with Hecate, Sinon had chanced upon this certain «Weapons Chip» dropping from a rare «Boss Type» Pokemon she had found at the end of it. She had never heard of it before; never encountered it during the beta, nor on the compulsive item list on the beta-exclusive forums. It had superb stats for such an early weapon, as well as a healthy amount of enhancement slots for further improvement. The beam was faster than most as well, trading raw power for speed, precision, and piercing ability. At best, Sinon speculated that it would be able to last her perhaps up until the tenth «Tower».

Stronger... I can protect myself, you see? You don't have to do it for me anymore.

Sinon randomly snorted in derision at her thoughts, then wiped her nose with a pained expression.

Speaking of Towers, the location Sinon was currently was the third floor of the First Tower, or as most beta players liked to call it, the «Pewter City Gym», as reference to the original forgotten Pokemon games. It consisted of ten floors of wild Pokemon with the «Tower Boss» residing on the tenth level.

The inhabitants spanned a variety of types but all sticking to the theme of "tough" and "sturdy". Machop like the ones she had just taken out were common, in addition to «Geodude» and «Phanpy». «Makuhita», «Aron», and the occasional «Rhyhorn» also inhabited the floors. Curiously, the place was devoid of «Zubat», unlike in the beta where the godforsaken things were everywhere.

Like Professor Oak once famously said, "There are three infinite things in this world: the universe, human stupidity, and the number of Zubats in a cave."

Hoisting her rifle, she continued forwards after taking out a stationary Geodude lying on a nearby rock. If she hadn't had Hecate's senses, she would have completely missed the camouflaged Pokemon and been pummeled in a surprise attack.

Even at her relatively high level of nine, it was still an extremely dangerous area to be going solo in. Usually adventurers would party together in groups of six to explore the areas for clearing and loot, and even then there was a large risk involved. That was why she was sticking to the lower levels; the third floor was just about as much as she could handle solo without too big of a risk. The enemy «Cursors» were just at a normal red color here.

Sinon quickly checked the time on a small LCD screen on her «Pokelink». In «Pewter City», she had found the «NPC» that had allowed her to customize her Pokelink, and she had a watch installed. It saved a her a lot of trouble when checking the time.

...3:00 PM is when the meeting is. I still have time.

She squinted as she passed under a torch bolted to a bracket in the wall, taking careful stock of her surroundings. The entire dungeon was shaded in darkness save for regular light sources along the walls. Although it was clearly a man-made dungeon, random rocks and uneven floors dotted the entire area, and with vision clouded by all the uneven shadows, it was easy to trip oneself or get lost.

Usually she relied on Hecate for observation, but she felt she couldn't slack off herself either. She peered into a passageway to her left, straining to see anything in the pitch-black space-

Disturbances up ahead. In the open intersection.

Sinon's eyes snapped up as her mind kick-started back into full alertness. Lightly, she hefted the Nemesis into a quick-fire position. Another trait of the weapon was that it was far lighter than most other «Sniper Rifle» chips, allowing for easier in-combat aiming.

After moving closer, she could hear the faint clamor of a fight coming from up ahead. A deep thud rang out through the floor as something massive dropped to the ground; Sinon surmised that a Rhyhorn had just been taken out.

Is this another hunting party?

When Sinon had passed by another party the day before the din had been just about as loud as the one she was hearing now. However, Hecate shook her head.

Many Pokemon. More than five. One human.

One?

As she stealthily ran, making sure her feet made as little noise as possible, she realized that most of the clamor was composed of primal grunts and groans. The clear sounds of steel striking stone were few and far between.

Even a party wouldn't take on an enemy/party member ratio of two to one without being brain dead. Five to one?

Hecate sniffed the air. They appear to be in trouble.

Sinon didn't respond verbally, opting instead to just run faster. That's bad.

She dodged around the wall as it ended and dashed into the doorway, shielding her eyes as the sudden change in light temporarily disabled her. Her boots screeched against the ground as she ground to a halt.

Shing!

Just as her vision refocused on the scene: a large, full HP Rhyhorn bearing down on someone, a bright streak of white light resembling a shooting star filled it and caused her to falter again.

Wha-!

As the bright light faded, the massive bulk of the «Spikes Pokemon» thudded to the ground lifelessly. Its outline shivered, and the entire thing shattered into rapidly evaporating sparkles.

Full HP to zero!? What kind of power-!?

Then Sinon looked past the twinkling polygons and saw, as if in a series of lightning flashes: A cloaked figure, arm outstretched and a «Rapier» type sword in her hand, frozen in the lunging pose that came after execution of the «Linear skill», the unnaturally even light glinting off of the weapon's sleek edge. Granite stalactites and stalagmites jutting from the floor and ceiling. Another «Eevee» locked in a headbutting battle with a Phanpy, both parties' eyes squeezes shut as their heads met rather painfully. The two Machop mid-dash, en-route to attack the player's exposed back. One's hand was glowing in preparation for a deadly «Karate Chop» attack. The lone Geodude floating in after the Machop, both hands wielding sizable rocks for projectiles.

The Nemesis snapped up as if it had a life of its own, the muzzle alive and flashing. Despite the quick reaction, her attack was still too slow; the beam only drilled into the Machop's left eye after it had dealt a serious-looking blow to the player's back. Suddenly disorientated and half-blinded, the «Fighting» type Pokemon stumbled and screamed, its second slice hissing through thin air.

With a heavy slump, the cloaked figure fell to the ground. A steel clatter rang out as the Rapier spun away from the limp fingers holding it.

Go!

Without waiting for a response, she took full advantage of the Nemesis's quick recharge time and crouched, instantly locking on to the second one through the scope and firing.

Right after she had given the order, Hecate dashed towards the Phanpy the other Eevee was attacking. Leaping forward, she executed the beginning sequence for the «Take Down» move, slamming hard into the enemy's flank and knocking the blue elephant sprawling. Without waiting for the other Eevee to move, Hecate leaped off the ground, flipped in the air once, and rammed the fallen Pokemon with a gravity-assisted tail slam.

A sizzling hole melted into the second Machop's shoulder, causing it to fall to its knees in pain. One second later, the recharged Nemesis spat out another accelerated particle payload, this time puncturing the gray skin covering its right hip, destroying its balance and sending it sprawling onto the ground, effectively out for the count. Sinon turned her attention to the final unscathed enemy, locking onto the Geodude's left arm joints.

The hair on the back of her neck stood up, and her legs moved on their own, dropping her to the floor as a sharp, lethal-looking rock rocketed through the empty space above her head. Her mouth went dry at the close call, but her finger still managed to pulled the trigger, severing the thin connection between the Geodude's main body and its arm. The floating head wailed as the weight of its other limb dragged it sideways, giving Sinon just the right amount of time to pierce through it twice more to drop its HP to nil.

A flicker of movement caught her eye; the scope left her face as she ducked, narrowly avoiding the side of the first machop's open hand. Something inside her guided her body to jump up, skillfully evading the «Low Kick» that had come chained right after. The same sensation forced her legs to back away, creating some distance between her and her assailant.

The machop's eye socket was a burned mess, adding even more hellishness to its already enraged visage. Its remaining eye was stained crimson, and if Sinon looked closely, she could swear there was a fire burning within them. It charged at her, screaming in a wordless cry.

Then Hecate ploughed into its side with amazing speed, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. She hung there for a second, then the velocity of the move caused her to slip past the Machop's body and fly behind it. The «Quick Attack» didn't do much in terms of damage, perhaps nudging it down about seven percent. However, it did make the recipient pause in its stride as the air was forced out of its lungs.

That was enough for Sinon to begin the startup movement for a close-combat Sniper Rifle skill. A sky blue glow surrounded her hands and the muzzle of the Nemesis, indicating the presence of «System Assist».

Her hands moved, hefting the weapon up towards the Machop's chest and firing twice in quick succession. Two ice blue bolts pierced through its upper chest and stomach, forcing it back. Then Sinon leaped towards it, flipping the stock of the rifle over and slamming the target hard on the head.

The skill «Plan B» had the effect of temporarily stunning the target due to concussive damage, but the overuse of energy to shoot twice without a recharge left the weapon unable to fire for several seconds. It wasn't a problem though; as logic dictated, having taken a weighted gun to the side of the head, the Machop was reeling with dizziness. A quick ram from Hecate from behind depleted the last of its HP.

It toppled over lifelessly and disintegrated into the usual death animations. Sinon flipped her rifle back into position, still targeting the spot the enemy had just recently occupied. Her mind was still overcharged with adrenaline, fired up and tense.

Enemies eliminated.

Hecate's words pierced the hazy shroud that usually descended upon Sinon in combat. Sinon blinked as if she had just been woken up by a bucket of cold water. Looking over the scene, she saw the other player's Eevee crouching over the minute remains of the other Machop that Sinon had disabled earlier. Next to it, the player still lay prone on the ground.

Sinon stepped forward-

Ding!

«Hecate has leveled up!»

A notice appeared detailing the event, complete with Hecate's new level, 14, and her stat gains. Brushing aside the usually happy news without a glance, Sinon ran over to the fallen figure and knelt, rolling them over with a concerned look.

"Are you okay?"

Sinon sucked in the air through her teeth; the cloaked figure was a girl. Long, chestnut hair spilled out of the hood, framing the her small, egg shaped face and porcelain features. Even though she was unconscious, the girl's face was contorted with uneasiness, and her breathing was fitful. Now that she was close up, Sinon could notice that her figure was smaller than most; it had been hard to tell at a range because of the amorphous cloak she was wearing.

Staring at her body caused the system to materialize her health bar, and Sinon's eye twitched at the gauge's lack of contents. The girl had been a hit or two away from dying. Looking over to her Eevee, whom now was conversing with Hecate tiredly, she saw the Pokemon's HP was in a similar state. To accent that, its fur was messy with several cuts here and there, and every aspect of its posture indicated exhaustion.

Is the Eevee okay?

Hecate spared her a glance. She had been constantly battling with minimal sleep and food breaks in this area for over three whole days.

Sinon's head snapped back to the unconscious girl, as if expecting a confirmation. As one might have expected, there was none.

What! Three whole days?

That's what she's saying.

Sinon remembered the godly «Linear» strike that she had seen, instantly able to take out a beefy Rhyhorn with only a single hit. That was a move that could have only been pulled off through natural talent or insane amounts of practice, but...

She placed a hand on the girl's forehead: seemed like a normal temperature.

Someone actually stood here for seventy-two hours and farmed nonstop? No real rests? Even a beginner player wouldn't do something as suicidal and stupid as that! They'd still go off to take a break after their mind started to get worn out...

The nearest safe area is not something that can be reached easily from here either. Hope says they didn't go to one either. Hecate noted. They must have just risked their chances sleeping in a crevice somewhere... or just out in the open.

Sinon felt queasy. That's just too reckless. Just who-

The sound of rock scraping against rock caused Sinon's ears to prick up. She abruptly recalled that they were still in a dungeon; a Tower, no less. It was dangerous to space out here. There could be Pokemon spawning nearby and wandering in.

She still held onto the Nemesis tightly, eyes flicking back and forth between the entrances to their room. Sliding a finger over her «Pokelink», she opened up her inventory and looked for the «Escape Rope» she always had in case of emergencies.

We'll evacuate her. Sinon ordered. We can't just let her die.

Hecate consented. Hope asks that you talk some sense into her.

Hope?

Her Eevee. That's her name.

Sinon frowned. Socializing was dangerous for her, but...

A footstep sounded. Something was coming, most likely another Machop. It could be one of the rare «Graveler», though, which presented a much larger problem. Sinon decided to postpone the thinking.

"Later."

A tap, and the long coil of heavy hemp rope materialized in her hands. Flicking it upwards to activate it, Sinon watched as the tip latched onto something in the darkness above her, perfectly between two stalactites. Hecate ran over and jumped into the crook of Sinon's arm, and Hope, the other Eevee, held onto her owner's arm. Escape Ropes transported everyone holding onto the user, so bodily contact was required.

Sinon felt the rope stiffen in her hands, and she pulled down hard, causing them to break up into data particles as the item transported them all outside, away from danger.

Just as the light effects faded, a «Machoke» lumbered out of the passageway to the right, a skull and bones emblem decorating its HP bar to indicate its rare Boss status. It scratched its head, sure that it had heard some prey to smash to a pulp. After a moment of slow pondering, it shrugged and swaggered off into another passage, absently smashing a rock on its way.

The first thing Asuna noticed was the light. After three and a half days of perpetual musky darkness, the sun's rays were like lasers burning into her eyelids. Even though her eyes were closed, she still felt like she were staring into lighthouse beacon.

The chilly, light breeze that kissed her skin could only be found outside. As Asuna regained more of her senses, she could feel the grass underneath her. She was no longer in that hellhole of a «Tower». She was outside, somewhere that the open air could touch.

Blearily, she tried to remember what had happened. Her past three days seemed like they had been melted down and poured into a pot together; everything felt the same. She couldn't clearly remember what she had been doing.

The floating rock... little gray guy. Big rock rhinoceros. The big gray guy. Little elephant? What was next? Some bread. Fitful sleep. More sleep. Some rock. More rhinoceros. More rocks. Endless rocks, and then another big rhinoceros, and then-

Ah.

She must have been hit from behind. Asuna still remembered the blunt force hamming in between her shoulder blades. Combined with the fatigue that had build up with her lack of proper sleep and meals and the neverending strain of combat, it had been the final push to send her to dreamland.

...I killed and killed and destroyed so many. That... should have been enough.

Yet she wasn't dead. She could feel the feeling coming back to her fingertips, and the rise and fall of her stomach.

Or was she? Maybe this was heaven.

Asuna?

She was probably dead. Hope most likely got sent to the afterlife with her.

Oh, thank goodness you're okay... you stupid, stupid human. I said we should have left!

...

Oh, you're not dead. A paw swiped harmlessly across her cheek. Wake up.

Or maybe not. Asuna silently cursed fate and stirred, squinting open her eyes.

Her body was lying in the shade of a tree near the path heading towards the entrance to the dungeon. Even though it had been in a shaded area, the light had still been enough to hurt her eyes, just showing how accustomed Asuna had become to the darkness. The tall, circular structure itself was a ways away, yet large enough to fill a good portion of the horizon.

Hope was looking at her worriedly, sitting right next to her on her left side, her paw outstretched. On the opposite side, a black-haired girl sat cross-legged, a deadly-looking «Sniper Rifle» across her lap. She looked troubled, her mouth pressed together and one hand supporting her head, almost like a delinquent. Her hair was cut short except for two bangs on either side of her face, tied together with ribbons. Soft, black eyes stared sightlessly across the landscape.

Her face wasn't anything special, though Asuna guessed most males would call her "cute". The most prominent feature, though, was the heavy look in her eyes. Something wasn't sitting well with her.

Another Eevee sat in front of her, ears pricked. It immediately sensed Asuna's gaze and turned its head, keeping its ears facing outwards to catch any unusual sounds. It appeared to alert its trainer through its link, as the girl flinched as if stung by a wasp. Quickly, she flung her weapon to the ground; it immediately returned to the «Pokelink» on her right arm.

She looked over at Asuna, rather emotionlessly. "You okay?"

Her voice was soft, too. Shy and quiet.

Asuna looked down her body: the gashes across her limbs and torso, exposing the red wireframe of her avatar, had vanished. Her eyes flicked to the corner of her vision: her HP was beating a healthy green, completely full.

...not dead.

"Why did you save me?" Asuna muttered with a voice benefitting a corpse. The other girl raised an eyebrow, as if she couldn't understand what she was saying.

Hope on the other hand, understood all too well. She sent a mental image of a facepalm to her. Not again! Asuna!

Hope... I just can't.

The «Eevee» physically smacked its head into the ground this time, in imitation of a facedesk. You need to. This is your life we're talking about! There's always hope. This is why that «Rat» girl is still dissatisfied with your answer!

A cough interrupted their mental argument. The other girl was frowning in confusion. "Excuse me, what?"

"Why... did you save me...? It's... unnecessary effort."

Asuna repeated her words, this time louder. She coughed afterwards, her throat parched. Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she wished she had a glass of water. The rest of her just shut that notion down.

The girl tilted her head, then seemed to remember something. "Why do you ask that?"

Flatly, Asuna said, "You should have left me to die there. I shouldn't be alive right now."

Hope was doing something unadvisable due to her frustration, but Asuna just tuned her out. It wasn't because she hated the Eevee; on the contrary, she felt closer to the Eevee than anyone else in this world. She was just tired of the hope nonsense.

Sighing, the other girl shook her head. "I can't do that. I won't just let someone die in front of me."

"You should have walked away then. Just left me."

The other girl's eyes narrowed. "I told you, I will never, ever do that. Besides... your Eevee told Hecate, my Eevee, about your three days of torture? What are you thinking?"

"Kill them all." Asuna simply said. "Kill as many of them as I can. Destroy them, pierce them, grind them to dust. Until I die."

Silence. The girl's mouth flopped open, but no sound came out, as if Asuna's words had stripped her vocal chords out of her body. Her right hand opened and closed, clenching and unclenching like a dying crab.

Finally, she responded feebly, "...but your life."

"It doesn't matter."

Something akin to indignation was beginning to form on the other girl's face. "Don't you have a dream? A goal? Someone to protect?"

I had a dream. I wanted to become a successful businesswoman and lead a happy and stable life. That was my goal. I would protect my family with my funds when I grow older and sustain their retirement.

"But none of it matters."

Since he sentenced us all to a slow, torturing death.

"Everyone will die in the end, anyways." Asuna finished.

The girl knelt next to her. "You can't just say that. Lots of people have hope. We can clear this game!"

Asuna didn't even hesitate as she rebutted in a hoarse voice.

"One month. It's been one full month, thirty days- I don't even know your name but, in this one month, over fifteen hundred people have died. We haven't even passed the first Tower. It's impossible to clear this game."

"I know that, but-"

"It's impossible." Asuna cut the girl off. "We'll all be dead before we even capture ten percent of the map, and that's not even counting any setbacks from the Pokemon takeovers that stupid Kayaba Akihiko told us about. I used to think that... maybe. But the facts are facts. Face it, you. We're all dead." She worked herself up against the trunk of the tree, getting up into a sort of sitting position. With her shoulders, she gave a faint shrug. "There's no hope anymore."

Yes there is, Asuna! Hope started scratching at her leg. Just listen to me-

"There's still hope."

"No there-"

"Just listen to me." The girl pointed a finger at her. "Today at 3:00 there's a whole group of players meeting together in «Pewter City» to discuss the plans for the first boss fight. Apparently a party discovered the boss's room yesterday. There are lots of people going, and they all know that we can clear this game! You're fighting too, you should go!"

"I-" Asuna started.

"Just look at your Eevee!" The finger moved from her to Hope. "She's still fighting. She had spirit, and she believes! She hasn't given up-"

"Shut up. I don't."

The words effectively did what they meant. Asuna tilted her head to the side due to fatigue, a weary expression on her face.

Asuna! Please-

"I don't have hope, and I don't have spirit." Asuna ignored Hope's pleas, just ploughing on relentlessly with facts. "A thousand five hundred dead. Nothing has changed. They'll be adding fifty or so, however many you guys have, to the count in a while."

The girl acted like she was starting to get mad, her face scrunching up into a frown. "You shouldn't force your opinions on others. None of that is concrete. We can live, and we can fight our way out."

Asuna wanted to giggle. Oh, how she wished the world was so rosy. "Life is unfair. We're not protagonists of a story here. If this is a story, it's one where everyone dies in the end."

"No, you-"

"It's only a matter of time." Asuna plowed on as if the other girl hadn't spoken. "In the end, we die. So I fight. I'll kill, delete, destroy as many of them as I can... so they know that I exist, and that I hate them. Our lives mean nothing!" She looked the other girl straight in the eyes. "We mean nothing. We're dead in the end. So I'll destroy them, attack them, and die satisfied. I won't regret it this time, because I will have actually done something. I'll have shown them, all of them, even Kayaba Akihiko, that I exist. It's better than harboring a false hope till your inevitable death. As far as the world is concerned, we are dead. My life, and yours. It's time you realize it; your life is the same, it's no-"

The girl's eyes widened in shock. She gasped and tried to say something, reaching for throat, then weakly slumped over as if she had been tasered.

Startled, Asuna stopped mid-sentence, instinctively reaching out with her right arm to steady the girl by the shoulder. "Hey, are you okay-"

She choked as a hand lashed out and grabbed the scruff of her cloak, dragging her off of her behind and then roughly smashing her against the tree. The breath was forced out of her lungs as her mind went into a state of emergency at being attacked so suddenly.

"Gahk-!"

Wha-! Asuna! You, what are you-

Hope indignantly turned to attack the other girl, just to stop her. The other Eevee also faced around to do the same, but then the girl turned to look at them. Something in that gaze made both of them deflate and cower in fear. The girl switched her attention back to Asuna, her gaze looking quite calm, but Asuna could feel something ominous underneath it.

Asuna's hands felt cold and clammy. Something died a little inside of her as she began to tremble.

Every manner of her bearing was completely different from before: Her face was strangely emotionless with hidden rage lining every inch of it, her body leaned forward aggressively, her eyes were alight with a strange blaze. So bright, in fact, that her eyes appeared to be gray.

It was like she had become an entirely different person.

Despite the relaxed smile, when the girl spoke again, the entire tone and feeling of the voice had changed. From soft, shy, and protesting, her entire aura had morphed into confidence, disdain, and a sort of air that foretold killing instinct. She spoke extremely quietly, the words coming out at a volume lower than a whisper.

"Shut up."

Asuna didn't need those words to tell her that. Her throat had already clammed up. Her heart was pounding like a set of drums.

The corner of the girl's mouth twitched up further at the fear in her eyes.

"You stupid, ignorant, non-existent nothing." She spoke softly, her words dripping with contempt. "False hope? To hell with your false hope. I speak in facts, and I will live to be myself, while you die cold and lonely, forgotten and useless to the pitiful end, as a corpse no one will look twice at." She slowly turned her wrist, tightening the knotted cloth by a bit. "You die, you cease to exist. No one will remember you. No one cares about how many you killed before you die: you're still dead and gone. Not me, not Kayaba Akihiko, not anyone in this world. Your existence will be recognized by no one. And also... no one dies satisfied."

Asuna could only stare. Her body was completely frozen, not responding to any commands her frantic mind gave it. Something icy coated her nerves, freezing the signals trying to run through them.

"Have you watched the life ripped from someone..." The girl suddenly twisted the hem of Asuna's cloak harder, and snorted quietly when she visibly stiffened. "...right in front of your very eyes? By your own hands? For your own life?" Her lips twitched upwards in what should have been a smile, but it died out before it could even begin to express itself. "I didn't think so. Someone as soft as you would never be able to understand how painful death is. It's impossible to die satisfied."

That little indication of amusement faded from her face as she continued.

"The only way to make a meaning for yourself is to live, little girl. The weak fall and are forgotten, and you fall neatly into that category. Meaningless. Just as close to nothing as she is; even your purpose for being here is just as laughable. To fight on and die satisfied?" Her face grew dangerously emotionless. "Such innocent, sad ideology. You were right about one thing: life is no fairytale. Dying is dissatisfaction in and of itself."

Asuna couldn't think. Something was clouding out her thoughts.

"Even though I usually don't care about anyone else other than her..." Her head tilted a few degrees as one of her eyebrows rose. "Well, you're just so utterly hideous. A person who doesn't value their own life and views something above it is so despicably pitiful."

"I'm not-"

Asuna coughed as she dragged the hem of her cloak higher, forcing Asuna to stand on her tip toes to avoid being strangled. While lack of air did damage a player's HP, it did so very slowly. Asuna had no intention of suffering through all that pain. Watching her struggle, the girl studied her with morbid curiosity.

Despite the fact that her face was cold, near devoid of life, Asuna thought she could see a maniacal fire inside her eyes.

"Don't interrupt. What made you so warped, hmm? You've deluded yourself into thinking you're actually worth something to others when you die. You've deluded yourself into thinking death is a quiet ending where one can rest. Truly, truly pitiful. Are you-"

The girl paused. Her head froze at the same time her eye twitched. The hand holding onto Asuna's collar suddenly released it.

Asuna stayed silent, not even daring to breath even though the constricting cloak had been loosened. Something told her that if she said something to attract her attention, something bad would happen.

Finally, after several seconds, the girl closed her eyes and bowed her head. She uttered an annoyed tch and muttered, "No fun..."

Then when she looked back up, her eyes lacked that strange glint to them. Back to normal. A confused expression rose up on her face, and she momentarily stumbled, as if getting used to using her body again.

She blinked at Asuna, and her own outstretched arm.

Then she shrieked in horror and flung herself backwards, falling hard on her behind in the grass. Scrabbling against the wet turf, she managed to scramble away a few meters before suddenly losing the will to run any further, collapsing onto the ground.

"I... no, no, I'm sorry, that wasn't me-" she spluttered, eyes riveted on Asuna with fear. "I didn't, I'm not-!"

Asuna stared at her, still unable to catch up with what was happening. Everything that had just happened was veiled by a thick wall of fog in her mind, and she was having trouble remembering exactly what had happened. Vaguely, she felt Hope butting her head against her leg.

Asuna! Are you okay?

I'm...

The girl's words echoed back in Asuna's head, breaking through the shock.

"The only way to make a meaning for yourself is to live, little girl."

She had told herself before that she would fight, just so she wouldn't regret a second time; the first time being when she had been nearly crushed by the «Bronzong» without putting up a fight at all. So that when she died in this inevitable death trap, she wouldn't be weak. She would be remembered.

"You've deluded yourself into thinking you're actually worth something to others when you die. You've deluded yourself into thinking death is a quiet ending where one can rest. Truly pitiful."

That couldn't be true.

"Someone as soft as you would never be able to understand how painful death is. It's impossible to die satisfied."

...

"You can't just..."

Asuna? Asuna... they ran away. That girl ran away.

"You can't just tell me that... I do exist, my... if I die now, I did it, I..."

Asuna, they're gone.

..uh..?

She looked up to see that she was alone. Both the other girl and her Eevee had vanished, leaving behind nothing but the memory of her words and a constricted cloak around her neck.

Kirito woke to Zero punching him rather crudely in the chest.

Ow.

Wake up. Zero rapped him on the bridge of his nose with her knuckles. Sleepyhead. «Slowpoke».

Kirito flailed his arms to try and brush Zero off. A bit of drool rolled out of the corner of his mouth as he wiped it away sleepily. We've... waited the whole morning, Zero... He tried, unsuccessfully, to stifle a yawn. She probably forgot.

He glanced down with cloudy eyes at the digital clock on the side of his «Pokelink»: 2:26 PM, nearly five and a half hours past when they had agreed to meet with Argo. Or at least, it was the arranged time Argo had forced on him before hanging up, not even bothering to listen to another word.

And then she had the nerve to leave him hanging for five hours! Kirito had finally gotten sick of it and left a note at their arranged table in the cafe for her to come over to the park outside of the «Pewter Museum of Science».

Despite his irritated mood, he had to admit the area was quite beautiful. Circular gardens surrounding a central fountain radiated out for several hundred meters, covered in the many different kinds of flora that could be found in the game. Blue, green, purple, yellow, orange, almost every color of the rainbow was represented in the park. «Grass» type Pokemon could be seen wandering around without a care in the world, and as the garden was under the «Area Protection Code» along with the rest of the city, they had no fear of having to be caught in a battle.

Then to the north end of the gardens, the Pewter Museum of Science. An old-fashioned stone building bearing the mark of the «Pokemon Association» above the front entrance, it felt like the structure was a few hundred years old and would stand for a few hundred more. Inside it, Kirito knew, were many different exhibits including old fossilized Pokemon skeletons, a space shuttle, geological samples, and much more. Unfortunately, admissions was fifty «Poke», which while not very expensive, was a little more than what Kirito was willing to spend. The money could be used elsewhere.

Looking up, the pristine blue sky seemed to stretch out for forever. Extremely beautiful, something not even real life could match. The virtual world improved upon reality, even if it was fake.

Kirito could imagine he was lying down amidst the tall grass of a sleepy prairie, not on a bench in the middle of a city, if he just gazed at that sky. Just lying down there, the stalks rustling rhythmically together to create a soothing sound, his eyelids slowly drooping shut, sleep coming upon him and gently allowing him to rest...

...

He couldn't breathe.

More accurately, something pinched his nose shut. Or even more accurately, a certain «Zorua» with an elder sister mentality closed his sinus passages to make him wake up.

The lack of air caused his virtual body to kick-start his brain, instinctively banishing all the sleepiness, telling him to do something about it or die.

Unable to bear it, Kirito gasped and swatted Zero's hand away from his face, suddenly awake from the rush of cool air flooding his lungs. His eyes shot open and the first thing he did was glare at Zero's disapproving face, quickly getting his breathing under control.

"Uncalled for." He growled out loud. Because he had been forced wide awake, like one would when a bucket of cold water is thrown on them, his natural crankiness from staying up two nights in a row was compounded. "She hasn't been here all morning, and she probably won't be here until the boss meeting either. Stop bothering me."

It's already 2:30. Zero pointed at Kirito's Pokelink to prove her point. Even if she doesn't come you should be getting ready for the meeting.

Glumly, Kirito rested his hand against his forehead and closed his eyes. "That's thirty minutes away."

You don't want to attend this with a clouded head.

She's right Kirito. Raphael chimed in from his position on the bench to Kirito's right. After sleeping the morning away mostly undisturbed by Zero, he had regained most of his vitality and was now perfectly fine, opposite of what Kirito had went through in the morning. You've got to get ready for it. Sleepiness will reduce your efficiency, and negligence causes people to make mistakes.

Traitor. Kirito accused privately. Out loud, he moaned, "Just wake me up when ten minutes are left."

Zero gave him a disapproving eye. That's too late. And he's right. I've heard of sleepy people doing stupid things, and this is something important. You need to be awake.

Kirito ruffled the front of his hair with one hand, squinting up at the bright sun with his one uncovered eye. Over the link, he could feel Raphael losing interest in the conversation and inspecting a nearby flower patch.

They say if you cook this flower, it'll become poisonous. Raphael noted as he read the plaque over the blooming buds.

The «Ralts» was like that a lot. Despite his mature mentality, he still exhibited the childish mindset of a seven-year-old boy from time to time; something that came with technically being a month old. Forever curious about the world and other beings, he'd wander off and comment on his new findings, even if Kirito and Zero were discussing something important at the time. Usually it consisted of human behavior or Kirito's sword techniques.

Grunting in a verbal "whatever" gesture, he closed it again and tried to fall asleep.

His Zorua was having none of that. Wake up, Kirito.

A sudden thought occurred to him. "Hey, can you speak out loud?"

Eh? She paused, startled. He pressed on, his sleepiness pushed to the side as his curiosity took the forefront of his mind.

"Like, talk." Kirito made a Pac-man sign with his hands. "Talk out loud, not just over the link. You're always using your «Illusion» ability to make yourself appear like that girl. Can you talk while in that form? It's solid enough."

Zero hesitated. Well... I should be able to when I evolve, but I don't think I can right now.

His attention switching back to both of them, Raphael chimed in with a question of his own. Have you ever tried?

Um... no.

Well, then try. Raphael tried to make his mental voice sound a bit more sagely, but failed, instead making his young boyish tone even more childish. You'll always miss the attacks you don't throw.

Zero glared suspiciously at Raphael and Kirito, convinced that they were trying to make fun of her, but she could only feel curiosity across their link. Still, she crossed her arms and pouted. I would rather not. I might be able to say something... but no. At least, not in front of you two.

Kirito blinked, then pretended to look hurt. "Why not?"

"Because it's bad for a boy to ask a girl that, Kii-bou."

The black swordsman felt someone wrap their arms around his neck and perch their head on his from behind the bench. He tensed at the first touch, his hand reaching out to call out his weapon, but he relaxed as his mind recognized the voice, as well as the brown and pink device on her arm, half covered by a rough cloth cloak.

Zero and Raphael looked up at Kirito's attacker as well, but neither of them looked too surprised, having seen the figure coming up from behind Kirito. Kirito would have appreciated a warning or something to keep his heart from jumping, but Zero was peeved, and Raphael was probably just curious as to how Kirito would have reacted.

"It's like asking a girl her weight. You just don't do that." The voice continued mischievously.

Kirito sighed. Without turning around, he asked "Why are you so late?" in an exasperated voice. "You said morning and just hung up. I've sat in that cafe for the whole morning with Zero beating on me for not staying awake for you."

The person relieved Kirito of their weight and slipped into the seat beside him lightly. "Don't rush a girl, and don't ask a girl where she's been either, Kii-bou. Learn some manners."

"What, you want me to treat you like a king?" Kirito rebutted tiredly, glancing at Argo's smirking face out of the corner of his eye. The appearance of the person who had caused him much grief the entire morning caused some annoyance and a little bit of resentment to brew in his heart."I thought monarchies were banished a long time ago."

"Not as a king, Ki-bou." Argo shrugged. "Just as benefitting as a girl deserves. Heyo, Zee-wou. Raphy." She leaned over and hugged Zero lightly, and gave Raphael a handshake.

Both Pokemon nodded and exchanged greetings with her. Being «Psychic» type, Raphael could speak with others without the use of a link and even project a voice if he concentrated hard enough. Zero, though, was «Dark» type, and although she had much mental control, the link was her only way of communicating effectively with a human. Raphael had to act as an intermediate for Zero to speak as she relayed her responses across the link with Kirito as a hub, as Zero's Dark typing prevented Raphael from speaking to her directly.

Argo was someone he had met long ago in another game. They had struck up a healthy relationship, mostly revolving around the business side of Argo's preferred job as an info dealer. Kirito, being an avid adventurer, would naturally accumulate information about the various quests he undertook and areas he explored. Argo would deal with him in that data and in turn give him some various snippets to benefit him. Sometimes they would party together, although combat wasn't Argo's forte.

They had exchanged emails and found they had similar interests in games, even meeting entirely by chance again in a newer MMO. After a year or two of companionship and gaming, they had both been selected as beta testers for «Pokemon Universe» and both ended up trapped in this world.

Argo was, in truth, perhaps the only friend Kirito had ever made, even if she was also the most annoying person he had ever met. Spending a moment to reflect on that, Kirito leaned back and closed his eyes, hoping to catch a wink of sleep now that Zero was distracted.

Nope.

Only to be mentally prodded and woken up again. Kirito scrunched up his face, refusing to open his eyes to the cruel world outside.

"Well, it is good to see all three of you again, anyways." Argo clapped her hands and smiled. "You wanted to talk to me about the pamphlets, yes?"

Kirito rubbed his eyes and stared at her, annoyance on his face. "You were the one who asked me for some more information and made me wait all morning for some secret reason. You ask me."

Argo playfully flicked a clump of hair aside from Kirito's face, speaking in a lighthearted tone. "Come on, humor me, Ki-bou."

"I'm a little irritated right now, Argo. I don't want to play games." Kirito grimaced and placed a hand over his eye, sighing in frustration. Lack of sleep clouded his judgement and soured his words with an annoyed undertone. "I could have gone off and grinded half a level along with Zero and Raph, or at least have gotten some sleep! I've waited all morning for some stupid unknown reason you won't tell me about and you still sit here trying to annoy me. The boss meeting's happening in less than half an hour; ask what you want and be done with it!"

Argo fell silent, her usual feline smile slowly melting away. Her happy aura faded to one an upset child would make.

Kirito's stomach upended itself as he realized he had probably gone too far. Zero was immediately on his case, mentally berating him for being far too harsh. Raphael on the other hand watched impassively, only placing his arms on Argo's back.

"Ah... um, sorry Argo." Kirito apologized hesitatingly. "I went too far."

"Nyah..." Argo shook her head. "No, it's my fault. I shouldn't have made you wait this long... Sorry, Ki-bou."

She hugged him apologetically, and he flushed at the close contact. Kirito knew that although she was usually jolly and money-hungry, she still had a heart. He could tell this was a sincere apology, though he wondered if the hugging bit was also the same or merely teasing.

Both of them fell silent for a bit before Argo released him.

"It was another client." Argo finally said. "Considering some very important information. I had to wait for him, he was late as well. Wouldn't say a word about what he had been doing."

"Who? What?"

"Now that's confidential, Ki-bou." Argo put a finger to her lips and smiled, seemingly regaining some of her old chipper. "You'll have to pay extra."

Kirito immediately declined. He wasn't about to engage in a price war with the other party over this; he didn't even have any interest in this information.

His natural awkwardness took over their conversation for two full minutes before Argo suddenly remembered why she had come in the first place.

"Ah, we should get to it, Ki-bou, we have twenty-five minutes left before the meeting." Argo swiftly called out her menu with a motion that seemed ingrained into her, materializing a pen with a «Pikachu» motif. A few more selections and a pamphlet dropped into her hand, along with two cans of «Fresh Water». She handed one to Kirito. "Here. Take this, on me... so what's new?"

Kirito accepted the peace offering, understanding its meaning as an apology. He unscrewed the cap off and took a drink. Wiping his mouth, he opened it to respond, then hesitated.

"Oh... Am I getting paid for this?" He just wondered. He didn't like being selfish, but hey, he had to get some compensation for losing his morning.

"You'll be paid in Argo points." The «Rat» absently replied, fiddling with the pen. She flipped back her hood and took a nice breath of fresh air.

"Argo points?" Kirito took another sip. Zero, watching on this conversation, suddenly had an amused smile on her face for whatever reason.

Argo turned her head and gave him a "Cheshire Cat" kind of smile. "Redeem them for hugs and kisses from Argo."

PFFFFFFT-

Went Kirito's drink as it flew all over the ground in a fantastically executed spit-take. Gasping for breath and nearly dropping the container, he stared with wide eyes and a flushed face at Argo's evil grin.

"W-w-wha-?" He stammered. Argo placed a hand on her mouth and looked away with an obviously fake facade of embarrassment.

"Oh my, Ki-bou. I didn't know you looked at me in that way~!"

"I- no- I don't- you-"

Argo's mask of innocence finally broke and she sniggered. Zero broke out into annoyingly raucous laughter within the confines of Kirito's skull. Even Raphael let out a mental heh.

"Okay, okay, Ki-bou." Argo patted Kirito on the shoulder. "I'll pay you with information. Come on, let's get serious here~"

"You get serious first!"

Still, Kirito could feel his rage ebbing away with the teasing, replaced by the usual resigned embarrassment. Even if she was unreasonable at times, Argo was still the closest to a real friend he had. It was hard to stay angry at her when he knew she didn't intend to make him mad.

"Alright, down to business then, we had better hurry." Argo forced herself to sober up and placed the tip of her pen to the pad, looking at him expectantly.

Kirito understood and quickly searched his mind for the mental notes he had taken down before explaining them to Argo. Raphael and Zero helped him with that, supplementing the information with bits Kirito might have forgotten or gotten wrong.

What Argo was here for today was more updated information for her «Pokemon Universe Beginner's Guide», or more precisely, aspects of the game that had been changed since the end of the beta test. She had been working on a pamphlet that she had distributed to merchants for a small price, which contained a wealth of information about the game. Linking, weapons maneuvers, early easy quests, and basically everything needed for a beginner to get set up in the game was in there. According to her contacts, it had been purchased in large quantities and probably had saved many people from dying due to lack of information.

Then, two weeks or so after the start of the game, Argo had asked Kirito to gather a certain kind of information for her: differences between the official release and the end of the beta test.

"...so how many more?" Kirito asked, the rest of his good mood evaporated as their conversation turned to something serious.

Argo bowed her head. "A hundred fifty more in the past week, give or take. Five hundred in total; that's more than seventy of the total amount of testers that continued playing into the official release."

Out of the thousand lucky beta testers for the game, seven hundred had stuck with the game through to the official release. Of those numbers, only two hundred remained alive; in other words, twenty-eight percent of them. Compared to the percentage of normal players surviving at eighty-six percent, it was far less.

One would think that a beta tester would have a bigger chance of surviving, but that only held true up to a certain point. Their knowledge, while more advanced, was antiquated. Changes between the official release and the beta began taking their toll as beta testers, confident they knew what was going to come, fell prey to an entirely new trap all together. As a beta testers herself, Argo only knew what other testers knew, and her pamphlet reflected that. It held a disclaimer that the contents were all beta-period information, but she felt it wasn't good enough.

So she had asked Kirito to report to her as many differences as he could.

Kirito himself had fallen prey to several of these differences as well. As he reiterated his experiences, mostly of trivial things, he made sure to note the dangerous ones too.

"The «Sprout Tower» doesn't have any «NPCs» left in there, but the wild Pokemon have become a level higher. There's also a trapdoor on the third floor, on the left side of the hallway" Kirito grimaced. "It's full of «Bellsprout», easy enough, but there are a lot of them. There are a few «Ghastly» floating around as well, and «Hoothoot»."

Argo blinked as she jotted the information down. "Sounds nasty. Did you fall in?"

Kirito sighed. "Yes. «Lake Verity» to the west has «Psyduck» coming in and loitering on the shore." He tapped his forehead as he tried to remember the rest of the information.

They know «Confusion». Zero pointed out. Even though they're at a low level, it could still be pretty troubling to deal with for beginners. Raphael translated it for Argo, who nodded and recorded it.

Five minutes later, Kirito wiped the sweat from his forehead that had accumulated due to his concentration, and sighed. "I think that's it."

With a click, Argo stowed away the pen and tapped the paper a few times, working with a menu only visible to her. "And there. Thank you, Ki-bou. I've updated the pamphlets."

"...anytime."

"Next question you ask will be on the house, then." Argo stowed away the writing pad, and while doing so, caught eye of something in her inventory. Her face lit up. "Oh, Kirito, would you like to buy a copy as well?"

"Of the beginner's guides?" Kirito shook his head. "I already practically know everything in them already. I'm responsible for half the information in them, for heaven's sake."

Argo shoved a copy towards his chest. "Come on. Just take it, I'll even give you a discount price at five hundred «Poke»."

The promise of a discount from Argo of all people immediately put Kirito on guard. "No."

"There are some stuff that even you don't know in there that I added in last time." Argo winked. "It'll be worth your while, I swear."

Kirito sighed, finally relenting. Five hundred Poke was a drop in the hat for his funds anyways, if it would stop Argo from nagging at him. Once the girl was set on something, she never backed down.

A pleasant ding rang out as he completed the transaction, accepting ownership of the booklet in return for a few Pokecoins. Without even glancing at it, he stuffed the papers into his inventory, checking the time along the way: 2:56.

Both Argo and Zero giggled as if they knew something he didn't. His mouth pressed together tightly as he stood up, throwing them an ugly look. Even though Zero was his Pokemon, both she and Argo always exchanged amused looks as if they knew something he didn't. It annoyed him to no end.

So what is it this time?

Nothing came back in response except a vague feeling of amusement. Kirito sighed, deciding that he would never understand girls, even if their minds were linked to his. His eyes felt weary as he stood up, stretching his sore limbs, eying both Argo and Zero out of the corner of his eye with a quiet promise to get them back someday.

But then again, someday. Now was not the time: it was time for the boss meeting. Playtime was over.

"It's nearly time now... We should be going."

Understanding that, Argo went back into serious mode. She flipped her hood back on, shadowing the majority of her face. Zero and Raphael hopped off the bench.

"Alright, Ki-bou."

Author's Note:

So originally, this chapter was going to be 23,500 words, give or take. So I split it in half. DOUBLE UPDATE!

Multi-POV chapter, what do you think? Kirito meets up with Argo, Asuna meets up (sorta) with Sinon. Argo teases Kirito to death, as is her favorite hobby, and Sinon(?) gives Asuna a lecture on how she sees her reason and way of living. Asuna will start to man up, yay.

Now everyone's starting to come together. Next chapter is the boss meeting! Hit next.

The chapter after that, I believe, I'll make it a bit more lighthearted. Less plot, more fun. It would actually be the first time I write something like that, so I'm going to have fun with it!

Soon I'll begin revamping the first chapter, because it was written (literally) a year and a half ago; the second chapter came out only 2 months ago. There's an obvious difference in writing quality, and a lack of actual planning in the first chapter. For example, I didn't put much thought into the skills or weapons system: I aim to revise that over the next few weeks to make it more coherent and sensible. Zero should be able to transmit her thoughts from the get-go, and etc.

I recently began interning at a computer chip company. From nine to six or seven, working with orders and samples and cleaning out old chips from the 1900s - I've been pooped. Going to continue working for about another month, so updates may be delayed due to that. I hope this double update will help!

I might accept OCs, but they won't have any actual plot relevance.

Please go ahead and leave a review with anything you liked or disliked! Constructive criticism is always needed! I still need to improve my writing.

I do not own Sword Art Online or Pokemon.