Chapter 27: Final Fantasy XVI… Wait
Ex-Aid woke up suddenly. He had no idea what just happened. The last thing he remembered was Genmu telling him that he had game disease, which had taken a toll on his body. He looked around. He was in his bedroom inside Brave's mansion. As he stood back up, he still had a sharp stinging in his head.
"What was that all about?" Nico asked later.
She then stood up and got to Taiga's office, who was staring out into space.
"Do you know?" She asked.
"Beats me." He replied cooly. "His game disease broke out, that much is obvious though."
Taiga wasn't the only one with these questions. Hiro and the SAO Survivors are at his desk, trying to deduce what happened to him.
"Why didn't the Bugster reveal itself?" Hiro asked.
"Hey, at least he's okay!" Keiko stated.
"Is it, though?" Shino replied. "The Bugster is still inside him. We have to stay on our toes."
"What are you guys talkin' about?" asked a voice.
Everyone looked over and saw Emu.
"Emu?" Rika asked.
"Hey there." Emu greeted.
"You shouldn't be up!" Asuna said. "You get some rest!"
Now, usually, Emu would oblige and go back. But this was different.
"Alright, thanks for the worrying, but I'm fine. Okay, little miss?" Emu laughed, patting Asuna's shoulder.
Emu then turned back to his bed with his AmuSphere, and put it back on.
"He's not even playing, but he's still as M?" Suguha asked.
Everyone got deeply interested in Emu all of sudden. What was going on?
Dan was not happy. He slammed his fist against a wall very angrily.
"Emu Hojo was supposed to vanish…" He growled.
Ex-Aid was still experiencing his game disease. But at when the virus was at the point that would usually kill a person, the disease subsided and Ex-Aid fell on the ground unconscientious.
Dan angrily threw some miscellaneous items off his desk. After that small tantrum, he sat down at his computer.
"No one or thing will stand in my way now…" He said silently. "All I need is a little more Bugster data, and my game will be complete…"
He finished typing and then he smiled as the screen displayed something.
"Only six Bugsters remain…" He scowled.
Meanwhile, out of nowhere, it cuts to a random Undine city. In the middle of the city, appears to be a training ground of some kind. Here, Undine warriors trained to become better mages and, subsequently, better fighters. One particular Undine, was significantly showing some lack of combat skill, and she was getting some slack for that.
"Hey! You!" called the drill sergeant. "Front and center!"
The woman quickly ran over to the drill sergeant.
"Out of all the Undines, I've trained, you're showing the least amount of growth!" drilled the drill sergeant.
"I know that sir, but-" The woman began.
"Don't interrupt me!" boomed the drill sergeant. "You better start training on your own!"
"Yes, sir, of course!" The woman said.
Just then, they both began to feel a little pain. The drill sergeant was experiencing something from his neck, but he realized it was just some little kids playing pranks on him. While he was agitated, he shrugged it off.
"Heh." He chuckled. "Kids today…"
The woman was a different story. Her eyes turned from blue to blood red. She then turned to the others that were training. She walked over. They were more heavily built, so they thought it was cute that this tiny little woman was going to try and beat them. But they were sadly mistaken. With one simple punch for each of them, they were thrown several yards from where they used to be. The drill sergeant was impressed. He walked over to compliment her, but he only got a pile-driving punch to the face. The woman then began to walk away. All the while making robotic whirring noises.
Outside Brave's mansion, there was a small field. It is usually used for training purposes. There are wood stems to practice sword strikes, wood slabs to practice magic on, and several monster spawns. There was also a small area for 1v1 combat. That is being used at the moment.
Lis was holding her shield as hard as she can. Ex-Aid was landing hit after hit on her. All she could do was defend and block.
"Alright!" Ex-Aid smiled. "Now for the famous swift strike!"
Ex-Aid then began to twirl his sword like General Grevious. It would often spark the ground, and Lis was starting to lose ground.
"Mou! Ex-Aid!" Poppy shouted from the sidelines. "Stop fooling around!"
Ex-Aid ignored her and continued attacking Lis.
"Ex-Aid…" Silica spoke. "You're not acting like yourself…"
Ex-Aid stopped attacking, and quickly had a chat with Silica.
"Whatcha talking about, half pint?" He smiled. "I'm who I am!"
Ex-Aid then turned back to Lis and landed a combo of strikes.
"Half pint…?" Silica asked.
Leafa, who was watching as well, quickly ducked behind Kirito.
"Hey, Kirito…" She said quietly. "He's scaring me… What's going on?"
"I wish I could answer that…" Kirito replied.
Brave walked up beside them with Asuna.
"Could it be when his game disease broke out, the Bugster took control of his personality?" He theorized.
"Is that possible?" Asuna asked.
As they continued, they were interrupted when Poppy shouted.
"Bugster found!" She called.
"Really, now?" Sinon asked.
Ex-Aid, who currently locked blades with Liz's mace, just threw Lis off of him and skipped over.
"Alright!" He cried. "Now the real game begins!"
"A game?" Sinon asked.
"Well, yeah." Ex-Aid replied. "The Bugster-beating game, right?"
He then placed his hand on Klein's shoulder, shoving him out of the way.
"I ain't losing to nobody." He smirked. "Let's do this!"
And with that, Ex-Aid sprouted his wings and then flew away. Brave and the others also flew after him, while Silica stayed behind to help Liz back up.
"What's gotten into him?" Liz asked, getting up.
"I have no idea…" Silica muttered.
The same Undine woman slowly walked towards a public plaza, where most players would relax and recharge. But, that wasn't their main focus right now. All the players were just looking at the Undine, who was still moving very stiffly and making all sorts of robotic whirring noises.
"Hey, lady!" The Undine drill sergeant called. "This isn't part of the training!"
The woman then stomped her feet, causing a shockwave, knocking all the nearby players off of their feet. Once they recollected themselves, they all cleared the area as the Riders and the SAO gang arrived.
"Is that her?" Ex-Aid asked.
Poppy looked at the woman more closely.
"The Bugster is there!" She cried. "It's only visible to me though!"
"The virus must've evolved a bit further…" Brave admitted.
Just then, Asuna, Kirito, Sinon, and Leafa all landed behind them. Asuna was the first one to notice who it was.
"Wait-" She started. "Siune?"
Brave turned to Asuna.
"You know her?" He asked.
"Well, yes." Asuna replied. "She was a part of a guild called the Sleeping Knights. I kept in touch with her, but I never thought she would be online right now…"
"Well, in any case!" Ex-Aid interrupted. "We got ourselves a patient!"
Siune then turned to face the Riders. Her eyes glowed blood red once more.
"I have taken control of this woman's body." She said, in robotic male voice.
Then, orange blobs consumed her body, and she was transformed. The figure of Siune was replaced by a robot, red and purple in color, and a large gauntlet for the right arm, and a dumbbell for the left arm.
"Systems activating. Level 30." The Bugster beeped.
"Level 30?" Leafa asked.
"Well, would you look at that." Ex-Aid smiled. "It's Gekitotsu Robots's last boss, Gutton!"
He then put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his two Gashats.
"Time to play then." He smiled.
"Intern, wait!" Brave said, grabbing his arm. "You're in no condition to operate. Give me your Gashats!"
"No way in hell, bro." Ex-Aid said, throwing Brave's grip off of him. "This is my game we're talking here."
He then turned his attention to Gutton and pressed his Gashats.
MIGHTY ACTION X!
GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!
He smirked as Gutton rotated his arm around.
"C'mon, let's play!" Ex-Aid smiled, inserting the Gashats.
GASHATTO! GASHATTO!
"Dai Dai Dai Henshin!" He announced, opening the Driver.
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!
A GACCHA!
BUTTOBASE TOTSUGEKI! GEKITOTSU PUNCH! GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!
Ex-Aid transformed into his Level 2 Rider form, and soon afterwards the small robot split apart and attached its respective parts onto Ex-Aid, giving him access to Level 3.
"I'll clear this with no continues!" He announced.
Ex-Aid began to run towards Gutton. He landed a punch on Gutton's chest, but he responded with an uppercut swing. That sent him into a pile of neatly stacked logs. Ex-Aid tried to gather himself, but Gutton had other plans. He just picked up Ex-Aid and then threw him into a pillar.
"Okay… that hurt!" Ex-Aid groaned.
When he got up, Gutton launched a flurry of punches. Ex-Aid kept on blocking, which is all he could do at the moment.
"This level gap kinda sucks!" He whined.
He just taken one more punch to his chest, which sent him back stumbling. Ex-Aid looked to his right and saw an Energy Item. That's all he needed.
"Maybe…?" He asked.
Gutton charged slowly. Ex-Aid twirled past him, and then began baiting him.
"C'mon!" He taunted. "Come and get me!"
Gutton responded with a ground pound, but Ex-Aid rolled out of the way just in time, and at the same time he got the Energy Item.
METALIZE!
Gutton returned to his punching, but only metal clanking can be heard. Ex-Aid's body turned silver, turning him into iron. After one more punch, Gutton was thrown back. Ex-Aid began to walk forward, cancelling out the Metalize.
"After that, comes this!" He smiled, looking up.
He jumped up and got another Energy Item.
MUSCLE UP!
Ex-Aid then just began punching Gutton. However, this time, Gutton was being pushed back. He kept on blocking, but every punch he received from Ex-Aid was another step backward. And with another punch, he was knocked into a tree. Ex-Aid smirked, and with a several swings of his gauntlet fist, he punched Gutton right through the tree.
"Wham-O!" He cried.
"Wow…" Leafa awed.
"He was just getting beaten a minute ago!" Asuna commented. "What happened?"
"It's simple, miss." Ex-Aid explained. "The best part about games like these is figuring out how to beat stronger opponents!"
Just then, Gutton, who walked over, sat down in front of them.
"Energy levels low. Switching to sleep mode." He said, lying down.
Gutton then lied down onto his back, and flashed a bright yellow light. Then, as the light subsided, Gutton's body was replaced by Siune, who appeared to be unconscientious.
"Siune!" Asuna called.
"She's reverted back!" Leafa cheered.
Ex-Aid sighed, and just silently walked over to Siune's side. First, he slapped her face very lightly. Then, he began to yank on her arm.
"C'mon, Gutton!" He cried. "Is that all you got? Come out and fight!"
Asuna quickly rushed over and shoved Ex-Aid off of her friend. And after throwing his arms up, she quickly closed his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashats.
GACHANN! GASHUNN!
Ex-Aid cancelled out of his transformation, and immediately got disappointed.
"What was that for?" He whined.
"The game's over." Asuna replied.
Ex-Aid scratched this head, and just sat down exasperatedly.
"Aw man…" He groaned. "And we were just getting to the good part…"
Sinon and Leafa carefully lifted up Siune and helped her to Brave's mansion. Asuna followed behind. Brave waited until Ex-Aid came quietly with them.
Siune slowly opened her eyes and stood up. She looked around and saw Asuna sitting by her side.
"Miss Asuna…?" She whispered.
"Siune!" Asuna replied happily.
She scooched over closer, and she gently held her hand.
"I… I don't remember what happened." She said shakily. "What happened to me?"
Asuna breathed in. This was Siune's first exposure to the Bugsters, and while it was public knowledge, none of her friends ever had gotten exposed to it. So, she was anxious to tell her.
"Do you know of the Bugster virus?" She asked nervously.
"Yes." Siune replied. "They announced it several months ago, didn't they?"
"And… well…" Asuna said slowly. "You're infected with it."
Now, Siune's face is usually very much the same in terms of expression, but whenever she does make one, it is very subtle, but you could see her emotion clearly. This was one of those expressions. Siune held her arm steadily.
"It's… not…" She started.
"Oh, don't worry!" Asuna assured. "It is curable!"
Siune sighed. At least that was calming. Asuna rubbed her shoulder. This is the least she could do for her friend.
Back in the commons room, Ex-Aid was just fiddling around with his sword. Brave eyed him suspiciously. Leafa had taken cover behind Kirito, as she was still scared of Ex-Aid's current mindset, while Sinon, Liz, and Silica were sitting as far away as they can. Klein had left, as he had other issues to sort out, but he wished them the best of luck. Poppy continued fly around Ex-Aid and reported back to Brave.
"Pipopapo." Brave said. "What can you make out of this?"
"Nothing, yet." Poppy replied. "I can't detect anything."
Asuna walked into the room carefully. After silently closing the door, she walked over.
"Siune's doing fine. We can ask her some questions now." She told them.
"Thanks." Brave replied, not looking at her.
Asuna turned their attention to Ex-Aid, who was now swinging the sword around.
"Well, if he's a patient, we can cure him if we defeat his Bugster, right?" Sinon asked.
"Right." Kirito replied. "If that's possible though; we don't even know what or who's his Bugster."
"Hey, Blacky!" Ex-Aid called. "I'm fine! So, don't treat me like a patient!"
He then sheathed in his sword, and then stood up to go to the door.
"Just call me when Gutton shows up again, okay?" He asked.
That got everyone's attention. Ex-Aid was usually the first one to give any sort of comfort to the patient as he wants to return their smile. This was new for even them.
"What about the patient?" Silica asked.
"What about her?" Ex-Aid replied.
"Aren't you supposed to be all caring for her?" Liz asked.
Ex-Aid rolled her eyes and turned to Brave.
"That's his job." He said.
Brave looked up at Ex-Aid, who had walked over so that he could see him.
"You can take care of that part, right?" He said, flipping out his Gashat. "All my job is beating the Bugster."
Ex-Aid then began his way to the door. Kirito began to walk after him, but Brave stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. Then, Brave turned around and he walked up to Ex-Aid. He flipped Ex-Aid around and decked him clean in the face, making him fall to the ground and dropping his Gashat. The SAO gang got a bit shocked at that. Ex-Aid groaned and turned around to face Brave.
"What's this about?" He asked.
"Get your act together." Brave said in his most serious voice. "This isn't you: You're supposed to cure the patient, make them smile again!"
Ex-Aid was about to respond, but then he clenched his head. A sharp pain banged into his head very hard, but when Asuna and Liz tried to help him up, the pain stopped, and he just pushed them out of the way.
"I told you: I'm fine!" He shouted.
Brave realized there's no way of getting through, so he just turned to the door himself.
"You're dismissed, intern." He said. "I'm talking to patient. Asuna, you're with me."
"Wait, me?" Asuna asked.
"You know the patient." Brave replied. "She would feel a lot more comfortable."
"Okay…" Asuna replied.
"But don't you not like to do stuff like this?" Sinon asked.
"If the intern could do it, then so can I." Brave replied.
Before he left, he walked over to Ex-Aid's side and picked up his Gashat. Mighty Action X.
"You're no doctor right now." He said before leaving.
As he left the room, Asuna quickly scurried after her.
"Hey! Give that back!" Ex-Aid shouted.
Ex-Aid went after him, but Silica, Liz, and Kirito stopped him.
"So… let me get this straight." Nico said, pacing back and forth in Taiga's office. "If M became the genius gamer because of the Bugster inside him… I lost to the Bugster instead of him?"
"Hell if I know." Taiga replied nonchalantly.
Nico walked over to Taiga, grabbing a chair to sit on.
"What do you want with him, anyway?" She asked.
"It's like I said before." Taiga replied, grabbing a bottle of water. "All I want is his Gashats, that's all."
"Let's say you did that. What's next?" Nico asked.
Taiga stopped and turned back.
"Then all of the Bugsters are one step closer to extinction." He said.
"So…" Nico smirked. "What you're saying is you should be the only one to do just that?"
Taiga didn't respond. He only just walked away as Nico went back to her room.
Ex-Aid was back on the training grounds with Silica, Liz, Sinon, and Kirito. Silica, Sinon, and Kirito were just watching, while Liz was still trying to shield herself from the onslaught that Ex-Aid was bringing upon her. Poppy was also on the side lines.
"Ex-Aid!" She cried "Snap out of it!"
"She's right!" Liz shouted from beneath her shield. "Brave is talking to Siune instead of you! The guy who hates being involved with patients!"
Ex-Aid stopped. But then he shrugged it off.
"'Instead of me', huh?" He whispered. "I don't really care."
He then raised his sword up to Kirito.
"As long as I get to play games, I'm fine." He smiled.
"Looks like I'll have to beat it into you…" Kirito groaned.
Kirito walked over as Liz let him take her place.
"Go easy, okay?" She whispered. "It's still Emu we're dealing with…"
Kirito nodded, but he had other ideas as he unsheathed his swords.
Meanwhile, Brave was standing next to Siune's bedside while Asuna was trying to provide as much comfort as she could.
"To be honest, I'm actually training myself to be a better fighter." Siune explained. "But, after seeing what Asuna and the others could do, I don't think I can match up to them…"
She rubbed her hands together shyly.
"Maybe I'm just not good enough…" She admitted.
Asuna was about to speak, but Brave cut her off.
"You're the one who wanted to train. It's your own will." He told her. "If you're afraid of the result, it just means you lack the resolve."
"Brave!" Asuna whispered loudly. "She doesn't take harsh critism all that well!"
"No, no, Miss Asuna, it's fine…" Siune replied. "That is actually the reason… And now that I'm sick again…"
"Again?" Brave asked with a raised eyebrow.
Asuna quickly shook her head. Brave noticed, and dropped the subject.
"Anyways, how you face your stress is something you have to deal with yourself." Brave continued.
Siune sighed. Asuna saw the chance to speak.
"Don't worry, Siune!" She assured. "We'll have to in ship-shape in no time!"
Siune smiled weakly, but then she clutched her head. She then gasped in pain, prompting Asuna to get away. Once that's done, her eyes glowed blood red. Consumed by orange blobs once again, her body transformed into Gutton. He swung a punch, which Asun dodged and Brave quickly stepped back to.
"Systems rebooted." Gutton replied. "Rendezvous to designated coordinates."
Then, Gutton ran out of the room and jumped out the window. Brave and Asuna went after him after recovering from the initial attack.
Gutton was quite fast, given his slow movements. But when he reached his location, it was rather odd. He had made his way to the entrance hallway of the Dungeon on Floor 27 of New Aincrad. Luckily, there were no players nearby, as this Dungeon was already cleared.
"Objective acquired." He said.
Brave and Asuna quickly ran up behind them. They saw him slowly walk towards the Dungeon doors.
"Why is it here?" Asuna asked.
Brave just put on his Gamer Driver. Asuna looked over as Brave pulled out the Gashat he had taken from Ex-Aid earlier. Brave looked hesitant to use it, but he pulled it up to his face and pressed it.
MIGHTY ACTION X!
The game area spread throughout the area. Asuna was surprised by the game, as she always associated it with Ex-Aid. Gutton turned around and saw Brave and Asuna.
"Enemy located." He said.
"Henshin." Brave replied.
But when he was about to insert it into the Gamer Driver, a hand popped out of nowhere and grabbed the Gashat.
"That's my Gashat you have there, noob." Ex-Aid smirked.
"Don't get in the way of the operation!" Brave ordered.
Ex-Aid turned serious and just threw Brave into Asuna. The two were pinned into the wall. Ex-Aid then put on his Gamer Driver and posed.
"Dai Henshin!" He cried.
He then inserted the Gashat and opened the Driver up.
GASHATTO!
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!
Ex-Aid turned into his Level 2 Rider form, and then he rubbed his hands. A weapon wheel appeared around him as he grabbed a familiar weapon.
GASHACON BREAKER!
He grabbed the Breaker and swung it around.
"I'll clear this game with no continues!" He shouted.
Ex-Aid then charged at Gutton, who just fired a laser blast. Ex-Aid slashed the beam in half and continued to attack.
"That idiot…" Brave groaned.
He was about to give Ex-Aid a piece of his mind, but Asuna stopped him.
Despite his rash behavior, he was doing well. Ex-Aid was on par with Gutton. They kept on exchanging hits and punches between each other. As they went on, Kirito and the others walked up to them.
"We should help!" Silica called.
But just as she said that, Genmu appeared out nowhere and landed a kick on Ex-Aid's back. Genmu then continued to attack him. First, he kicked him several times in the stomach, and then slashed him horizontally with his Sparrows. Ex-Aid was back into a wall, where Gutton landed several gut punches.
"We have to take the battle somewhere else!" Kirito shouted. "This place is too cramped!"
Liz and Silica nodded. With Asuna, Kirito, Leafa, and Brave, they all sprouted their wings and grabbed everyone. Brave and Kirito grabbed Gutton, Liz and Silica grabbed Ex-Aid, and Asuna and Kirito grabbed Genmu. Then, they all found the portal to get out. They threw them through there, where they landed in yet another populated area. Genmu used this chance to fire several arrows at Ex-Aid and the surrounding players.
"This is just too easy…" Genmu said. "I'll shall now take your Gashats."
He threw his Sparrow aside and pulled out the marron Gashat from before. Brave and the others also made it through the portal, and saw Genmu just in time to twist the knob on the Gashat. That summoned forth the monster from before. The monster floated around as it gathered energy to attack.
"Okay…" Ex-Aid said. "This is going to hurt…"
Just then, a flash image of someone grabbed his Gashat and ejected it out of his Gamer Driver. Then, next to Ex-Aid, stood Brave, with the Mighty Action X Gashat in his hand.
"If so, you could play of game of keep away, right?" He asked.
Genmu gritted his teeth, and seethed with fury.
"Go." He ordered.
The monster obeyed, and charged down at Brave. Luckily, he had some practice in as well. Brave sprouted his wings, and then flew up to the air. The monster floated after him sending energy balls at him. Brave flew to the left, and then to the right, as the monster continued to throw energy balls at him. However, one shot landed straight on his back, sending him to the ground and tumbling near an Energy Item. He noticed it, and then called back to what Ex-Aid did earlier in the chapter.
'If he could do it…' He thought. 'Then so can I!'
The monster roared, and dived down towards Brave. As soon as he was within reach, Brave jumped out of the way as the monster roared past him. And it received the Energy Item.
CONFUSION!
"Confusion?" Liz asked. "The monster's confused now?"
Leafa and Asuna quickly took positions and casted a protective barrier in front of them and Ex-Aid.
The monster has now lost any sort of control. It shot out energy balls in a scattering direction, landing on nearby buildings and players, who had hidden. The monster then roared down to Genmu and Gutton, and while Gutton was blown away, Genmu tried to block for as long as he could. Then, with one final push, the monster exploded and Genmu was thrown back, losing grip of the Gashat. The Gashat flew into the air, and Asuna took the chance to snatch it out of the air. Brave landed on the ground with a thud, and Asuna quickly got to heal him.
"Genmu's Gashat: Get!" Poppy cried.
As Brave was getting healed, Asuna quickly placed the Gashat onto Brave's open hand. He looked up at her with a confused look.
"What's this?" He asked.
"Use it." Asuna replied.
Asuna had finished healing. Brave stood up as Genmu began chuckle.
"I see… Well played, doctor!" He cried. "However, that Gashat Gear Dual β is a Level 50 Gashat!"
"A mere Level 5 novice like you could never master it, let alone control it!" He laughed.
Brave had a nonchalant face, and he just put his Gamer Driver back on.
"Let's test that theory of yours." He said.
He raised the Gashat and then turned the knob to the right.
TADDLE FANTASY!
The monster from before appeared again, but not as an enemy, but as an ally. It flew around Brave, spewing out a cloud of magic behind it.
LET'S GOING! KING OF FANTASY!
Brave waited a bit more, as the monster continued to fly around him.
LET'S GOING! KING OF FANTASY!
"Henshin." He said quietly.
He then inserted the Gashat into the Driver.
DUAL GASHATTO!
Brave then opened up the Driver to level up!
GACHANN! DUAL UP!
TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!
Brave transformed into his Level 2 Rider form, and shortly after, the monster plopped itself on top of Brave, giving him a new body armor, face mask, and a cape that flew down his back like a black, inky, waterfall.
"Brave… Level 50…!" Asuna whispered.
But something felt off. Brave held his body, and was also grunting in pain. And with one final gasp, his eyes turned red, and he turned to Ex-Aid and the SAO players.
He swished his cape, and huge cloud of magic dust flew everywhere. And those clouds formed into Bugster mooks with magical cloaks and pitchforks.
"Hiro!" Asuna called out.
"Ah, mou…" Ex-Aid groaned.
"Everyone!" Kirito shouted, summoning his swords. "Get ready!"
The Bugster mooks charged, and began attacking the players. There weren't doing much, but they were in overwhelming numbers.
Genmu couldn't help but feel happy.
"So… it took control of him." He chuckled.
Brave stood there for a bit, but then, he clenched a fist. Genmu was surprised to see that.
"Don't… lump me… together… with that… intern…!" Brave struggled to say in a distorted voice.
That's when all of the Bugster mooks stopped attacking. They were on top of Kirito and Ex-Aid, were about overwhelm Liz and Silica, and some groups had Asuna, Sinon and Leafa over there heads. When they all stopped, they just dropped them onto the ground.
Brave opened his hands and raised his hands slowly.
"I'm… the best… doctor…" He began.
"In the world!" He shouted.
He swished his cape again, facing Genmu and Gutton. All of the Bugster mooks had disappeared. His eyes began to faze in and out between yellow and red as magic aura oozed out of his body.
"Nothing will stand in my way of fulfilling my duty!" He continued on with the same distorted voice. "I have the resolve to do my job of saving lives!"
"Resolve…" Ex-Aid whispered.
"As an SAO Survivor… and as a doctor…" Brave continued. "That's what it takes…"
He swished his cape forward and then backward.
"To be entrusted with life!" He cried, with his eyes shining bright yellow.
TADDLE FANTASY!
And with that one declaration, that aura disappeared and Brave stood triumphantly with his newly acquired power of Level 50.
"Doctor…" Ex-Aid whispered again.
Then, the sharp pain in his head returned. He clutched his head as he fell to the ground. And surprisingly, Leafa was the one to get to him. Ex-Aid cancelled out of his transformation and then the pain had stopped.
"Huh…?" Ex-Aid said. "Where am I…?"
"Ex-Aid… have you returned to normal?" Leafa asked.
Brave took a quick glance at Ex-Aid, and then spoke to Asuna.
"Asuna." He called.
"Hm?" She replied.
"Get the intern out of here." He ordered. "I'll finish this."
Asuna nodded, and together, she and Leafa helped Ex-Aid out of the battle area. Silica, Sinon, Liz, and Kirito also exited with them. Genmu was still stunned by what just transpired.
"He's… controlling the might… of the Demon King?!" He spluttered.
Brave then raised his hands to make his signature stance.
"We will now begin Bugster excision." He said.
He then stretched his hands to his side, emitting a magical aura. The aura formed into the same Bugster mooks, and they began to attack Genmu and Gutton, however, Gutton punched them all towards Genmu, as he charged towards Brave.
Brave only responded by stretching out his hand. Gutton stopped moving, as he found himself flying towards a wall. Brave then waved his hand towards a pillar, and that sent Gutton into one of the pillar, demolishing it instantly. He then waved his hand again, sending Gutton flying into a nearby field by some ruins. Brave silently floated over. Once he landed, he walked over. Genmu jumped and slashed, but Brave simply fazed through it.
"If you insist on using my items, two can play at that game." He growled.
A weapon wheel appeared around him and he grabbed the weapon he was looking for.
GASHACON SWORD!
Genmu then charged with both the Sword and the Sparrow in hand. He first slashed and then fired the Sparrow. Brave quickly dodged them effortlessly. Then, Gutton threw a punch by his side, getting his attention. Genmu saw the chance and slammed the Sword down. Brave noticed the feeling, and just by looking back, he summoned a protective barrier around him to block the attacks. Genmu was thrown off when he tried to fire the Sparrow. Gutton threw a punch, but Brave avoided the attack with a swift backward spin. And with one eye glow, he emitted a force that threw Gutton towards Genmu. Genmu just grabbed Gutton and just tossed him out of the way. After recovering by oozing out the black smoke, Genmu braced himself for another attack. Gutton rotated his gauntlet arm, and the two charged. Brave swished his cape, and he teleported behind them. He then wrapped his fist around the cape and sent out several drill punches towards the duo. Gutton was thrown back by only a few punches, but Genmu deflected most of them. He then fired the Sparrow, but Brave summoned a barrier again. And after that, Brave opened a magic hole that fired several projectiles at Genmu. This time, Genmu was thrown back. But he landed on his feet.
All the while, Asuna and the others were watching it all go down.
"Okay. That's cool." Liz admitted.
"This is crazy…" Asuna whispered.
After gathering himself again, Genmu pulled out two Gashats and inserted them into the Sword and Sparrow.
TADDLE QUEST! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
DRAGO KNIGHT HUNTER! Z! GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
Genmu used the Sparrow to summon the dragon of the game, and then he got into a battle stance.
TADDLE DRAGO KNIGHT CRITICAL FINISH!
Brave swished his cape as he saw Genmu with the Sword.
"That's my scalpel." He said. "If you don't mind, I'll be taking that back now."
He closed up the Driver.
GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!
After gathering energy, he opened the Driver back up.
GACHANN!
TADDLE CRITICAL SLASH!
Genmu slashed and sent the dragon towards Brave, and Gutton fired several laser blasts, but they all dissipated within Brave's emission of magic aura. His arms turned into magic blades. And with one glow from his eyes, he charged. He slashed Genmu, sending him out of the way. He dropped both the Taddle Quest and the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashats. Then, he went forGutton. He first slashed him right, then the left, and to finish it off, he finally slashed him across in an X-Shape. Gutton stopped moving, and sparked insanely. Then, he exploded into a cloud of smoke.
VICTORY!
GAME CLEAR!
When the smoke was gone, Siune fell on her knees and fell over unconscientious. Brave just picked up the two Gashats that Genmu dropped. Speaking of which, he was breathing heavily, only using the BugVisor to absorb the Bugster residue left by Gutton.
"Looks like I underestimated your resolve…" He growled as he disappeared.
Brave scoffed. He closed his Driver and pulled out the Gashat.
GACHANN! GASHUNN!
But suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. While it was only for a moment, it was still painful enough to notice. Once he lived through it, he put the Gashats away and made his way over to Siune. He then lifted her up bridal style and walked away. From behind some trees, Snipe and Nico were watching. Snipe was worried.
'Looks like Mr. Surgeon is overexerting himself…' He thought.
Brave looked over Siune's body. Once he was done, he stood up.
"The operation is finished." He replied. "You're cured."
Siune stood up.
"Thank you." She smiled.
"I will do my best in training!" She said with gusto in her voice. "Just like your determination, Dr. Kagami."
Brave slightly blushed at this, but he didn't make it too visible. Siune then thought of something.
"If you don't mind, I would like to invite you to a dinner." She requested.
Brave blushed again, so he quickly turned away.
"Sorry, but I make an effort not to involve myself with patients." He quickly said.
Then, he began to walk away. Siune bowed as a gesture of thanks, and she also said something.
"Send Asuna my regards!" She called.
Brave walked on and stopped by a nearby rock. He clenched his chest hard. The pain was still lingering. He then noticed the others with Ex-Aid slowly walking towards.
"Brave." Sinon said. "Ex-Aid's back to normal."
Ex-Aid scratched the back of his head, and then he apologized.
"I'm so sorry!" He cried. "I have no idea… what happened to me…"
Brave just shrugged it off and just tossed Ex-Aid something. It was the Mighty Action X Gashat.
"You'll have to train your mentality." Brave criticized. "I believe Asuna can train you with that."
And with that, Brave logged off. Ex-Aid clutched his Gashat. He was going to get better. Kirito gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder as the others smiled at him.
From afar, Pallad, who was strangely absent for the entire chapter, observed Ex-Aid, saying only one thing with a smile.
"Welcome back… Emu."