Chapter 10: All Assembled
The Bugster is still tearing down the road.
"Hey! Get back here!" Lazer yelled from behind.
The Bugster looked back, and only accelerated. Lazer tried to keep up with it, but in the end, the Bugster was able to escape.
"Catch me if you can!" The Bugster yelled, smiling.
Lazer scoffed, but then, he spun out. That was when he cancelled out of his transformation.
GACHUNN! GASHUNN!
Lazer reverted into a Sylph again. He tumbled for a short bit for getting himself together and stopping. He looked at his Gashat concerned.
"Guess you can't reach full speed without a rider…" He sighed.
Kirito and the others landed just a bit off of him.
"Did you lose him?" Kirito asked.
"Yeah, but I'm sure he'll turn up again." Lazer said nonchalantly.
Klein looked at him closely. He observed Lazer closely.
"Kiriya…?" He whispered.
Lazer perked up. Then, he looked at Klein.
"Ryotaro?" He asked.
After a brief pause, the two laughed and slung each other over their shoulders.
"So, this is where you manage your downtime, mate?" He asked.
"Everybody needs a hobby." Klein chuckled.
"Um, excuse me." Kirito interrupted. "Klein, would you like to introduce your friend here?"
"Ah, sorry!" Klein smiled. "This is Kiriya Kujo. I just met him few days ago."
"Hiya!" Lazer smiled. "But call me, Lazer!"
When he said Lazer, he spun around and did a pistol move.
"Okay…?" Lisbeth shrugged.
"Nice to meet you!" Silica greeted.
"Alright." Leafa shrugged.
Just then, Sinon and Asuna floated in from above. They landed just a bit off where everyone stood, and they walked toward them.
"Is this the other one?" Sinon asked.
"Yeah." Klein replied. "This is Lazer."
"Hey." Lazer greeted.
"Hello." Asuna said. "Kirito, what happened to the Bugster?"
"It got away." Kirito answered.
"Hey, don't be so glum about it!" Lazer smiled. "It'll pop up again!"
"You say that like you're certain of it." Kirito commented.
"That's because he is." Said a voice.
Everyone looked up and saw Ex-Aid fly in from the sky. He landed close to them.
"Yo, pro!" Lazer greeted.
"Hey." Ex-Aid replied. "That Bugster is from the same genre of Lazer's game. And knowing the mechanics, it will definitely come back for him."
"Genre?" Asuna asked.
Lazer showed them the Gashat. It read Bakusou Bike.
"Bakusou Bike…" Asuna interpreted. "Isn't that the free-for-all racing game?"
"Yep." Lazer replied. "You have any means given to you to win the race."
"Kind of barbaric, don't you think?" Sinon added.
"Hey, I'm not the developer so I'm not complaining." Lazer joked.
Kirito looked at Ex-Aid.
"Why are you here?" He asked.
Ex-Aid turned to Kirito.
"The GENM CEO wants to meet with you. All of you." He said.
Everyone perked up from that statement. They began to huddle around.
"The CEO wants to talk with us?" Lisbeth asked.
"Yeah." Ex-Aid explained. "Looks like the word of you kids helping us got around fast."
"When will this meeting be?" Sinon asked.
"Next week, at 12." Ex-Aid said. "The GENM Corp. building, addresses will be sent to your homes."
Everyone understood. Now that the CEO has taken hint to their involvement, they had to come clean.
"Bugster located!" Poppy suddenly shouted from Ex-Aid's pocket.
She flew out and pointed in the direction where the Bugster signal is coming from. Ex-Aid looked at Lazer, who smiled.
"Let's get started!" Lazer cheered.
He put on the belt and he pulled out his Gashat, pressing it.
BAKUSOU BIKE!
Then he twirled before inserting the Gashat into the belt.
"Henshin." He said smoothly.
GASHATTO!
LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!
I'M A KAMEN RIDER!
Lazer was replaced by a chibi figure. Then, he swung his arm around and spun.
"Second gear!" He shouted.
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!
The chibi figure popped off. Then, the wheels he held onto flew out of his hands and attached themselves on either end of him. Then, he landed back on the ground as a dirt bike.
"Alright, let's go!" He said.
Ex-Aid walked over to Klein.
"You go." He said.
"Me?" Klein asked.
"Yeah." Ex-Aid smiled. "I've seen you fight. The way you swing that sword; you're compatible with Lazer's speed."
Klein hesitantly agreed, and proceeded to get on Lazer.
"Ah, it's you?" Lazer asked delightedly.
"Yep." Klein said. "Is it a bad time to mention that this is my first time on a motorcycle?"
"Well, hope I can make a good first impression!" Lazer smiled. "Press the button on the side!"
Klein looked around, and eventually found the button Lazer talked about. He pressed it, and it set the stage.
STAGE SELECT!
The setting now became a race track of some kind. The others were off to the side, in audience stands it seems. Klein looked around, only snapping back when Lazer roared his engine. Right there, the Bugster rolled up beside him.
"If it's a race, there is no way I will lose!" It said triumphantly.
"You wish!" Lazer and Klein said at the same time.
Suddenly the lights above shone red.
Both Klein and the Bugster took their stances.
The lights turned yellow.
Lazer roared his engine.
The lights turned green.
And with tires screeching, both racers took off. The first bit of the race was a straightaway. The Bugster took the lead here. The next portion of the race was a series of zigzagged turns and straightaways. Klein took the lead here. This was partially due to Lazer's periodic stopping and going, while Klein only steered.
"Go, Klein!" Lisbeth shouted.
"Beat him!" Silica shouted.
"Come on, Lazer!" Ex-Aid shouted.
Kirito, Asuna, and Sinon winced, but eventually joined in on the cheering.
"Why I ought a!" The Bugster shouted.
He then began to cause explosions all over the track. Klein did his best to dodge them all, but they were enough to slow him down. The Bugster took the opportunity to tear by him.
"Hey!" Klein yelled. "That's cheating!"
"Advice: Cheating is the play of this game!" Lazer informed him.
Klein, taking that information in, thought of an idea. He whispered it to Lazer.
"Sounds risky…" He said. "Let's do it!"
Klein twisted the throttle, speeding up. As he approached the Bugster, he took out the Gashat from Lazer's belt and inserted onto the side of the belt, pressing the button as well.
GASHUUN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
Lazer, the jumped into the air. Klein stood up, both feet still on Lazer, and drew his sword. He then crouched down and pressed the button.
BAKUSOU CRITICAL STRIKE!
Lazer did a front flip, launching Klein in the process. Klein went for a straight slash at the Bugster's bike. The bike blew up. The Bugster flew in the air for a few minutes and tumbled down the road. Klein landed on the road like a hero, with his sword outstretched to his side. Lazer landed a bit behind him, but he drifted around him.
"It worked!" Lazer cheered.
GAME CLEAR!
The setting reverted back to the plains of ALO. Everyone else ran towards Klein and Lazer.
"That was awesome!" Lisbeth complimented.
And, slyly, nudging his abdomen, she added, "For a first-time, you race really well."
Klein rubbed the back of his head.
"Well, I didn't think I had it in me." He laughed.
Lazer revved his engine.
"I knew you had it, bro." He assured.
Klein looked at Lazer. He knew Lazer was smiling.
"Come on, you love-birds." Ex-Aid joked. "Lazer, we have to get going, remember?"
"Oh. Right!" Lazer said.
He reverted back to his chibi form, and cancelled his transformation.
GACHUNN! GASHUNN!
Lazer was now back in his Sylph body.
"Sorry, guys!" He said. "We gotta go!"
Klein understood, saying goodbye with a handshake. With that, Lazer, Ex-Aid, with Poppy in tow, flew into the sky.
"I like that guy." Klein smiled.
Lisbeth shook her head, giving Klein on pat on his back.
"Everyone, over here!" Silica suddenly called.
Everyone walked over to where Silica was. Timidly, she pointed at something. It was the carcass of the Bugster Klein had just beaten.
"That…" She said timidly. She then ducked behind Kirito.
"What should we do with it?" Sinon asked.
"I'd like to analyze it." Said a voice.
Yui flew out of Kirito's pocket. She flew around and landed on Asuna's head.
"Do you think you can do it, Yui?" She asked.
"Yes." Yui replied confidently. "I've been having hard time deciphering these Bugster things. This leftover should help me gather further research."
With that, Yui slowly floated towards the Bugster carcass. But, when she got closer, three laser shots flew in from nowhere. Asuna was able to jump in and grab Yui clear of the shots. But the shots were meant for something else. All three blasts landed on the Bugster carcass, destroying it instantly.
"Who are you!" Kirito shouted.
Nearby, footsteps can be heard. Those steps belonged to the black Ex-Aid, who is now approaching the SAO gang. He still didn't say anything.
"What's your deal, dude?!" Lisbeth shouted.
"What's your connection to the Bugsters?" Silica asked.
Just then, he just reached to a holster on side of his belt. He pulled out another Gashat, which resembled the one he used on Snipe, Asuna, and Sinon a few moments ago. He pressed it.
SHAKARIKI SPORTS!
A neon green game area spread out all over the area.
"Everyone, get ready!" Sinon shouted, drawing her bow.
"He's going to summon a bike again!" Asuna reminded.
Everyone drew their weapons in response. They had heard this attack from Asuna before, so they knew what to anticipate.
But, they were wrong. The black Ex-Aid closed the belt back up.
GACHANN!
He then inserted the Gashat on another slot next to the Gashat he already had in in the belt.
GASHATTO!
He then opened the belt up again, revealing something very new before the SAO gang.
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!
A GACCHA!
SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD! BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!
The bike did appear, but in a bit of a different way. The bike rode around the black Ex-Aid for a few seconds, before floating to the top of him. Then, the front wheel and the handlebar twisted and landed on top of the black Ex-Aid. Now, he has a torso armor.
"What?!" Klein shouted.
"He didn't do that before!" Sinon said in a shocked voice.
The black Ex-Aid just inserted the other Gashat into the side of his belt and pressed the button.
GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
He reached to his right side, and pulled out the rear bike wheel. He then arched forwards, holding the wheel backwards. And with his other arm, he pressed the button.
SHAKARIKI CRITICAL STRIKE!
The rear bike wheel then glowed with energy. The black Ex-Aid threw it straight at the SAO gang. It bounced into Kirito's arm, then onto Asuna's abdomen. It bounced a bit and landed on the back of Klein's head, and tore through Silica, Lisbeth and Sinon. All of the hits were followed by an explosion. All of them fell to the ground. All of their health bars are at 9.
"Just that one attack…" Kirito groaned.
Everyone else was too much in pain to respond. They were groaning and scoffing. The black Ex-Aid turned away and slowly walked away. Kirito looked on with a slight bit of fury in his eyes.
'Just who is that guy?' He thought.
Back in the real world, Pallad was just playing on his mobile device again. The same man that always seemed to be with him appeared on a nearby screen again.
"Looks like all of the players have joined." Pallaed smiled.
"Yes." The man griped. "But at what cost?"
Angrily, he left the screen. Pallad only chuckled and continued to play.
"Now, to the next level!" He cheered as he beat the game's current level's boss.