Chapter 16: Soar High Pt. 2
"He took Yui?!" Everyone shouted the next day.
Kirito and Asuna both silently nodded.
"What are his terms?" Sinon asked.
"All he wants is the Gashat." Asuna explained. "Which we don't have."
Sinon then scrolled down her item menu. She summoned the Jet Combat Gashat into her hands.
"Does he mean this one?" She asked.
"We have to assume so." Kirito replied.
"And if we don't comply?" Silica asked.
Kirito only drew one finger, and drew a line across his neck. That was enough to get the message through.
"Kirito and I both decided what we're going to do." Asuna admitted. She then stood up from her seat and grabbed the Jet Combat Gashat from Sinon's hands.
"We're going to save our daughter." Kirito agreed.
Then, he stood up from his seat and began to set out. But as Kirito was walking out, Sinon grabbed his arm.
"I'm going with you." She bluntly said.
"Why?" Kirito asked.
"You don't know Snipe. I do." Sinon explained. "You are going to need all of the help you can get."
Kirito didn't want to argue, so he just let her come.
"Fine." He answered. But then he turned to Silica, Liz, and Leafa. "But the rest of you are to stay put. Got it?"
The other three girls just silently said yes. And with that said, Sinon, Asuna, and Kirito took off to the air. Which left Leafa, Silica, and Liz at the log cabin.
"Well…" Leafa shrugged. "And then there were three."
"Speaking of which." Silica started. "Where's Klein?"
"Oh, he messaged me a while ago." Liz replied. "He had something to take care of."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Leafa asked.
"Hey, I don't know!" Liz said.
Klein was doing something. He was currently behind a wall pillar. He was observing Lazer. The latter had his Gamer Driver on, and was doing some magic tricks to pass the time. When he heard another set of steps, he quickly hid.
Lazer stood up and welcomed the guest. His guest was an Undine, complete with white garments and a staff. On top of him was the name Genmu.
"So, you're an Undine?" Lazer asked. "Fits you."
"Why, thank you." Genmu replied. "I think I fits me as well."
He then unbuttoned his cloak and revealed another Gamer Driver on his waist. Klein looked out just in time to see that.
'A Gamer Driver?' He thought.
"You really got me there, sir." Lazer commented. "Now, I got no one to turn to!"
"You still have that Klein fellow, do you not?" Genmu asked.
"Yeah, but I don't think you actually count him." Lazer retorted.
'"Count"?' Klein thought confused.
"But anyway." Lazer continued. "Who was that friend of yours that filled your spot?"
"He is of no concern either." Genmu answered.
Then, there was a brief moment of a staring competition. If looks could kill, there would be an ALO genocide.
"So, shall we?" Lazer asked.
"Most definitely." Genmu answered.
Lazer chuckled, and then the two pulled out both of their Gashats and pressed it.
BAKUSOU BIKE!
MIGHTY ACTION X!
Trophy stands and brown 2 by 2 by 2 blocks arranged themselves all over the area. Lazer twirled and Genmu just extended his hand out.
"Henshin…" Lazer said smoothly.
"Henshin." Genm said.
GASHATTO!
LET'S GAME! MECCHA GAME! MUCCHA GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!
I'M A KAMEN RIDER!
Then, both figures are replaced by the chibi figures of their Level 1 forms. But neither of them stayed like this for long.
Lazer was the first one to act. He tossed his wheels aside, and pulled out the Girigiri Chambara Gashat. He pressed it, summoning the samurai robot.
GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!
Genmu pulled out the Shakariki Sports Gashat as well, He pressed it, with the BMX bike parking right next to him.
SHAKARIKI SPORTS!
"Third gear!" Lazer announced.
"Grade 3." Genmu said solemnly.
Both then inserted their Gashats into their respective Drivers.
GASHATTO!
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!
A GACCHA!
SHAKARIKI, SHAKARIKI, BAD! BAD! SHAKATTO, RIKITTO, SHAKARIKI SPORTS!
BAKUSOU! DOKUSOU! GEKISOU! BOUSOU! BAKUSOU BIKE!
A GACCHA!
GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! GIRI! CHAMBARA!
Both now level up into their Level 3 forms. Lazer, who jumped into the air to level up, did an action roll and then attacked with the weapon that spawned in his hands.
GASHACON SPARROW!
Genmu chuckled, and also obliged his invitation for the battle.
All this time, Klein was watching. He was flabbergasted by what he saw.
'Uh…' He thought to himself. "What just happened?"
Meanwhile, the trees rustled as the wind whistled through their branches.
A bit out ward, was a small quarry. On a rock, Snipe was checking his ammo. A bit a far, was Yui. Tied up to a log, supported by some rocks. Yui was struggling to free herself. Snipe looked up to her. He chuckled at the sight.
"This looks real poetic, doesn't it?" He asked.
Yui just stuck her tongue at him while she continued to free herself. Snipe ruffled her hair.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you!" yelled a voice.
Snipe turned to the direction where the voice came from. He saw Kirito, Asuna, and not to his surprise, Sinon walking towards him. He pulled out his magnum and shot the ground in front of them.
"That is as far as you go!" Snipe warned.
Kirito and Asuna grimaced. But suddenly, Snipe began to laugh.
"To be honest, you two are more gullible than I thought!" He said. "I knew you didn't have it anyway!"
"Wait." Kirito asked. "Then why did you take Yui?!"
"Well, I had to get my Gashat somehow!" Snipe taunted.
Asuna pulled out the Jet Combat Gashat.
"This is what you want, right?!" She yelled, holding it high up in the air.
Snipe looked at the Gashat as closely as he could.
"Wow." He said. "It's legit, alright."
"Now, give us back Yui!" Kirito demanded.
"The Gashat's first." Snipe reminded.
"Give us Yui!" Asuan shouted.
Snipe rolled his eyes. He pressed the A Button on his magnum, turning it into a rifle.
ZU-KYUNN!
And, without a second thought, he just pulled the trigger. The bullet landed straight into Yui's open left leg. She screamed in pain.
"YUI!" Asuna and Kirito both shouted.
"Ah-ah-ah!" Snipe reminded. He then gently placed the barrel right on the side of Yui's head.
"Give me the Gashat." Snipe called. "Sooner or later, I might just shoot her in a place that actually matters!"
This is when Sinon snapped. She had to say anything.
"YOU LOST EVERYTHING, DIDN'T YOU?!" She shouted.
Everyone just turned to Sinon. Sinon had the most furious look on her face.
"You were a gentle man!" She continued.
"Sinon…" Asuna whispered.
"You were always there for people! Back in GGO… when I just began… you were there to help me get the basics! What happened to you?!" Sinon shouted.
Snipe scoffed. He held the bridge of his nose in amusement.
"Look, sweetheart." He answered bluntly. "That was the old me."
Then, he pointed to his body. "This, is the new me."
Kirito realized this wasn't going anywhere. He grabbed the Gashat out of Asuna's hand. He then sprouted wings and flew up to Snipe.
"This is what you wanted, right?" He asked.
Snipe held up his hand. "Thank you for complying."
"We'll make a simultaneous trade." Kirito suggested.
"Very well." Snipe replied.
He undid the chains that held Yui and grabbed her by the arm. And the trade happened. Kirito dropped the Gashat in Snipe's hands as the latter let go of Yui in Kirito's grasp.
Kirito carried Yui bridal style and floated back down to the ground. Asuna rushed over and cradled her daughter.
"Yui…" She whispered. "I'm glad you're okay…"
Yui silently cooed. Both girls had tears down their cheeks.
"C'mon, let's go home." Kirito said warmly.
Then, the group began to set off. But that's when Snipe jumped down from the where he was, resulting in thud sound. He pointed the Gashat at them. Sinon turned around just in time to see it.
"Everyone!" She shouted. "Look out!"
Snipe scoffed, and pressed the Gashat.
JET COMBAT!
A small jet-resembling robot appeared before them. Snipe closed his Driver and inserted the Gashat.
GACHANN! GASHATTO!
"That looks fun." He commented. "If you two want to play husband and wife, go back to kindergarten."
He then opened his Driver back up.
"Phase 3." He stated.
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
BABANGBANG! BANGBABANG! YOW! BANG BANG SHOOTING!
A GACCHA!
JET! JET! IN THE SKY! JET! JET! JET COMBAT!
The robot attached itself onto Snipe's torso. Its "arms" became machine guns that attached to its wings, which sat on Snipe's back, and now he had breathing mask that fighter pilots use. He scoffed and felt its power.
"So this Level 3…" He whispered to himself.
Asuna covered Yui, while Sinon and Kirito both drew their respective weapons. Snipe raised his Magnum slowly.
"Mission… start." He said.
He then began to shoot. Kirito deflected some shots but wasn't able to get all of them. That's where Sinon helped. She shot the bullets Kirito wasn't able to deflect out of thin air.
Snipe then took to the air. No wings were necessary, as he was flying because of the booster on his back. He put his magnum away, and grabbed the two machine guns on the wings. He pointed them forward, and pulled the trigger. What followed was a storm of bullets flying down from the sky. He then opened up a panel on his back, and that fired two warheads; both were heading down towards Asuna and Yui.
"Look out!" Sinon shouted.
Asuna covered Yui and braced herself. Then, she realized she wasn't hurt. Something had blocked the explosion.
DOREMIFA BEAT!
"You should carry a shield around with you, Asuna." Brave suggested.
"Brave!" Asuna said happily.
Brave, in Level 3, looked up at Snipe.
"So the doctor finally comes…" Snipe said.
GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!
Also, a robot fist flew out of the ground and landed an upper cut. Snipe fumbled but eventually regained his balance.
"Don't forget about me!" Ex-Aid cheered.
"Ex-Aid…" Sinon whispered.
The robot fist returned back to Ex-Aid's right arm. He looked up at Snipe.
"Great… and the reporter…" Snipe scoffed.
But his train of thought was interrupted by Kirito, who slashed right across his torso. Luckily, Snipe was able to dodge by the skin of his teeth. He twirled and bicycle-kicked Kirito straight down. That sent him into the ground.
"Kirito!" Sinon cried.
She darted downwards to help. Asuna also came, after telling Yui to hide somewhere else.
"You dishonorable…" Brave groaned, pulling out his Gashat.
He grabbed his sword and inserted the Gashat there.
GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
He got into his stance and got ready.
DOREMIFA CRITICAL FINISH!
He the slashed up at Snipe. But Snipe was able to dodge it. Then, as Brave continued slashing, he inched closer and closer. Once he was close enough, he ignited the engines and rammed Brave into rock. The impact sent him flying, losing grip of his sword as well as the DoReMiFa Beat Gashat. Snipe picked it up when Brave was incapacitated.
"One down…" Snipe whispered.
"Brave!" Ex-Aid shouted.
He was about to run over, but he was stopped by something. He looked behind him and saw a tree with a face was grabbing hold of him.
"A Monster?! Right now?!" He groaned.
The monster roared and lifted Ex-Aid into the air. But luckily, Asuna and Kirito sliced both of its arms off and freed him.
"Thanks!" He said.
"Save the thanks when we get out of this!" Sinon reprimanded him.
Yui also turned into her pixie form and flew into Kirito's pocket. There, she predicted attacks the monster was about to do.
Brave regained enough conscientiousness to see the monster attacking. He struggled out, but fell over due to the pain. He looked up and saw Snipe positioning himself a bit far from the monster battle.
'What's he doing…?' He thought.
"Not planned, but I guess it helps." Snipe shrugged.
He then pulled out his Gashat and inserted it into the slot next to the belt, pressing the button as well.
GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
Brave looked on, then he realized what direction he was about to shoot in. He turned to the monster battle.
"It's a trap!" He shouted. "Run!"
Snipe pressed the button once more. After that, he grabbed the two machine guns, and pointed them at the monster fight.
JET CRITICAL STRIKE!
What followed was chaos incarnate. First, bullets streamed down from the sky like rain, and as the bullets continued firing, the back panel opened up again and fired a flurry of missiles. All headed towards the same direction as the bullets. Sinon looked behind her just to see that.
"EVERYBODY RUN!" She screamed.
But it was too late. Before anyone could realize it, explosions engulfed that whole fight. While the monster did get defeated, Ex-Aid and the SAO gang were caught in the crossfire of the finishing attack. One final explosion finally had them screaming in terror and pain. Snipe looked at the carnage. He then something sparkling fly out of the explosion. He flew to catch it. It was the Gekitotsu Robots Gashat.
"Mission: Complete." He announced.
GAME CLEAR!
While everything above was going on, Genmu and Lazer were busily locking horns. In all seriousness, Genm was superior in terms of intellect, but strength-wise, they're both on equal ground.
Lazer slashed one of his Sparrows downward, which Genmu dodged, but that was a rouse. He slashed his other Sparrows upward, which sent Genmu twirling into the air and back a few feet.
"How'd you like that, huh!?" He taunted.
KER-POW!
Genmu twisted his weapon, now mentioning the name Gashacon BugVisor, around and shot Lazer in the chest. That sent him into the ground.
"Why I ought a…" Lazer groaned.
He flung one of his Sparrows into the air, and inserted his Gashat into the other one.
GASHUNN! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
Genmu also did the same, but twisting the BugVisor back the other way.
GE-IING!
He then pulled out his Gashat out and inserted into the slot next to the belt, along with pressing the button.
GASHUNN GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
Both of them the began to glow. Then they got into their stances.
Lazer's Sparrows began to glow.
"Try this on for size!" He said.
GIRIGIRI CRITICAL FINISH!
Genmu's BugVisor also glowed, and he pressed the button on the belt side once more.
SHAKARIKI CRITICAL STRIKE!
Then, both Riders charged at each other. They slashed right across from each other, but no visible damage can be seen from either of them. It looks like they missed on purpose.
"What is the GENM CEO doing this?" Lazer asked.
"For the same reasons you are, of course." Genmu replied.
Lazer made a confused sound as he watched Genm cancel out of his transformation.
GACHANN! GASHUNN!
Genmu summoned his staff, and spoke his mind.
"I want to know how the Bugsters came to be as they are now." He explained. "My story to those children were only an inkling of the story."
"And in order to find out that truth, I created the Gashats and the Rider system." Genmu continued.
"You are very aware of the compatibility surgery, yes?" He asked. "I went through with it as well."
"So, what?" Lazer asked.
"However, there is one person among us who had become a Rider without the need for that surgery." Genmu concluded.
Lazer thought on that for a moment, but that's when it hit him.
"Emu…" Lazer said.
"Correct." Genmu replied. "Consider that food for thought."
With that, he walked off. He sprouted wings and flew away.
Lazer, cancelling out of his transformation as well.
GACHANN! GASHUNN!
Then he walked off. Klein hid again to avoid detection and just saw Lazer walk. Once he was out of sight, he stood up, flabbergasted what he just saw and heard.
Back in the fight with everyone else, Snipe had cancelled out of his transformation. He was holding both the Gekitotsu Robots and DoReMiFa Beat Gashats. He looked behind him at the carnage that he just unleashed.
Sinon had a tree on top of her, but she was fine. Kirito was unconscientious, but he was in Yui and Asuna's lap, so he'll be fine. Ex-Aid was on the ground, and Brave slowly walked toward them.
"You… really changed didn't you?" Sinon groaned from under the tree.
"Time changes a man." Snipe remarked.
He then began to walk away. Ex-Aid stopped him though.
"Gashats…" Ex-Aid groaned. "They are used to help people!"
"Spare me the heroic bullcrap." Snipe retorted. "You can barely even use these to their fullest potential."
"Besides…" Snipe thought. "You aren't even a legit Rider…"
And with that, Snipe sprouted his wings and flew away. Ex-Aid stopped moving. He had to absorb what Snipe meant by that.
'Not a legitimate Rider…?' He thought.
"Hey, kid!" Brave shouted. "Help out here!"
Ex-Aid snapped back, and proceeded to help Brave getting Kirito, Asuna, Yui, and Sinon to some proper care.
Meanwhile, in the GENM CEO office, Pallad was doing some snooping around. He saw that the black briefcase he mentioned earlier open, and also, he had one USB out. There was also a note attached to it. He opened it. It simply read this:
You know what to do.
He smirked, and then plugged the USB into Dan's computer.
In VR, Graphite was just sulking around. Then he saw something pixelate into his hands. It was a Gashat, but different. It didn't have any sort of color. It was purely black, and even the artwork of the game was black and white. But he didn't care. He just took possession of it and then took off.
Pallad watched the whole thing on a screen. He scoffed and then walked out of the office.