Hibiki watched as the Bugster Union continued to ravage the foundry. The guns of the armed forces proved to be completely ineffective as the bullets were soaked into its being like water into a sponge. Her feet felt glued to the ground as she inwardly cursed herself for not being able to do anything.
"Brave is what?" Asuna asked through her phone, "The army can't hold off the Bugster much longer! We need as much help as we can get!"
"What's happening?" Hibiki asked, looking over at her, "Sensei, there's someone coming to help us, right?"
Asuna slowly shook her head in regret, "We only have one person who can fight the Bugsters on even ground... and there's currently another outbreak going on as we speak."
"Huh?" Hibiki looked devastated.
"That's why I was out today. As of right now, we are severely shorthanded in combating the pandemic. I was looking for a certain someone who I think might be capable of using the Gamer Driver and Gashat," she continued, referring to the cartridge and belt in her briefcase. "These are the only weapons that can neutralize the Busgster Virus."
Hibiki looked at both of the items closely. If she didn't know any better, she would've mistaken them for an old game system. "With those things? We can save that girl with that?"
"If you can transform into a Kamen Rider, you can," the headmistress answered. "But with this, the amount of people who can use it is so small you can count them on your hand."
"Kamen... Rider...?" Hibiki knew the name well. They were armor-suited superheroes who fought monsters. Ever since the first Kamen Rider appeared in Hinata City years ago, more of them slowly appeared throughout Japan year after year. There were even rumors that the Kamen Riders operated as early as the 1970s. By instinct, she remembered some old photos of her great-grandfather with other men who seemed to be dressed in bug suits.
Then she remembered the yellow Kamen Rider who took that killing blow from that dragon Bugster to protect her, before vanishing into nothing.
'There's no one left to beat those things,' her mind whispered in despair. 'If this keeps up, there will be nothing left!'
'Fight...
'FIGHT!'
She was dragged back to reality when Asuna grabbed her into her arms and jumped into a dive as an armored van crashed past them. At first, she was stunned. That lasted only a second before she took the briefcase from her hands and got up, running at the Giant Bugster.
"Wait! What are you doing?" Asuna demanded, getting up after her, "Get back here! As your school headmistress, I'm telling you to stay away!"
"There must be something I can do!" Hibiki shouted back, taking the Gamer Driver and Gashat while dropping the briefcase behind her. "If it gives me a chance then I'm going to fight too!"
"Didn't you listen to me?!" she continued, running after the girl, "That isn't just any game a kid like you is suited to play!"
Hibiki fitted the Driver to her waist as a belt ejected from the side and strapped to her waist. "It's a game?" she wondered curiously. Without thinking, she pressed her thumb on the trigger.
"MIGHTY ACTION X!" the Gashat shouted as it lit up.
A screen flickered behind her and flashed the start-up screen of the "Mighty Action X" video game and the words "Press Start" appeared over her belt. Pink blocks flew out from the holographic screen as the landscape slowly began to shift outward from under Hibiki's feet, turning into a polygon-like world from out of a video game before quickly returning to its organic form.
Asuna couldn't believe what she was seeing, "She generated the level map?"
"We've located a new signal! It's not coming from the Bugsters!" one of the SD technicians said. "This signal is... operating in an opposing pattern!"
"What?" Genjuro looked baffled, "Identify the signal, hurry!"
Ryoko's fingers stroked over her keyboard as new information was presented before her. What she found made her gasp in disbelief, "This is... a Cross of Fire!"
Upon the SD's main screen, the same start-up screen of Mighty Action X suddenly appeared, and underneath it was the words 'Ex-Aid Activated'.
"I don't believe it," Genjuro muttered, "Asuna actually did it."
Hibiki closed her eyes, inhaling deeply through her nose. When she opened them, they were no longer filled with worry or panic. Instead, they had hardened into a self-assured glare and a cocky smirk spread across her face. "When it comes to video games, I'm your gal!" her voice even became bolder.
"...What?" the sudden shift in personality completely baffled Asuna.
Hibiki's smirk dropped as she held the Gashat at her side and swept it across, stylishly holding it up, next to her, "Henshin!" she shouted before holding it above her and slipping it into the first slot of the driver.
"GASHATO! LET'S GAME! METCHA GAME! MUTCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?! I'M A KAMEN RIDER!"
A character-select circle appeared from behind her, revolving with several screens of characters and a few others that were blackened out with question marks over them. Hibiki landed her hand on one of them, a character with wild pink hair and large orange eyes behind a black visor. The screen slammed into her before it formed into a wireframe and solidified into a suit.
In Hibiki's place was someone that may as well be from a video game. If anything, the term would be 'super-deformed'. Along with the wild pink hair and eyes under a visor, the figure seemed to be in a wide white suit of armor with a black bodysuit over it. The chest plate looked like a controller pad, with four buttons on the right and a health bar on the left. Really, the design was more cute than intimidating.
"...Eh?" Hibiki's reaction was slow, looking down at herself before turning to her hands. "Eh?" she gasped visibly as her arms flipped out. "W-w-w-what's this? I feel so chibified right now!"
"That suit is known as Ex-Aid, and its first form is known as Level 1!" Asuna called over to her, "Use it to exorcise the Bugster!"
Just as Ex-Aid looked back at the women, the Giant Bugster suddenly turned its attention to her. It stomped towards her as its right hand started to shrink while its hand enlarged as if the mass was being transferred, holding it high for a crushing smash. Ex-Aid looked up before making a jump, a jump that was several meters high and with an audible [boing], to avoid being flattened. The viral monster screeched as it swung its fist around at the living plush toy again and again. Ex-Aid jumping made her quick and nimble, jumping around like a demented rabbit, avoiding anything the Gaint Bugster threw at her. She landed square on the Bugster's head, and the monster absentmindedly bashed its skull in just as she jumped off.
Ex-Aid spun around in the air before coming down for a landing, looking back up at the Giant Buster was dazed from the self-inflicted hit. "What's wrong? Can't take your own hits? Guess you sub-bosses can't amount to much!" she taunted. The Bugster Union hissed before it rushed at her again. Ex-Aid tucked and rolled herself into a ball, spinning over the ground as she rolled away from the stomps and swings of the Bugster. She bounced off from her back and landed a distance away. A circle flashed around her and brought out a weapon for her to grab onto. It was mainly white, with a green head and a pink jagged edge that seemed folded inside. Two buttons were on the head, a pink A button and a Green B button.
"GASHACON BREAKER!" the hammer introduced itself.
"OK!" Ex-Aid grinned as she spun the hammer in hand, "This game will be cleared with no continues!"