Chapter 28: Scramble All Fighters!
Ex-Aid Online
"I've seen some scary things in my life…" Snipe said lethargically. "But this… this takes the cake."
He then fell on his knees, using his hands as a support to face the ground. Behind him, Nico was happily stretching.
"Man, that Dungeon was fun to clear!" She smiled.
She sheathed her sword away, and looked down her item menu.
"Wow! These are some good drops!" She smiled.
"I rushed all this way because you said it was a Bugster…" Snipe muttered, looking around. "But there's nothing here!"
"Well, you were so mopey that you lost your Gashats, I thought this might cheer you up." Nico retorted.
"More like you cheered yourself up." Snipe shot back. "Now that you know Ex-Aid has game disease, you don't have to dump your anger on him anymore."
Nico frowned and walked forward to face Snipe.
"You sure you want to talk back at me?" Nico asked. "Unless…"
Snipe stopped her right there. During the time in that Dungeon, while Nico attacked up front, Snipe had been supporting from the back. Mostly it was for support, but it was for another reason. When they entered the first time, the first thing Snipe had come in contact with was a not-so-subtle looking ghost. He literally jumped at the sight, and as he turned around, ghosts started to appear left and right.
"You want me to tell everybody that your afraid of ghosts~!" Nico teased as she skipped away.
Snipe got up to go after her, but then, someone blocked his way. Strangely, it was Recon.
"It's hopeless…" He sighed as he also fell on his knees.
Just then, his face had static with the color of orange. Snipe and Nico both noticed this, and they moved Recon to safer location.
Ex-Aid was standing very still in a garden full of flowers. Brave had his Gamer Driver on, and Asuna, Poppy, Sinon, Liz, and Silica were behind. The Kirigayas will be online sometime later today. But at the moment, this was an important moment. Brave pulled out his Gashat and pressed.
TADDLE QUEST!
As the Game Area and the Energy Items spread throughout the area, Ex-Aid closed his eyes, in the risk of his Bugster coming out. But even after waiting a couple of minutes, the Bugster didn't come out. The Energy Items disappeared and the Game Area dissipated.
"The Bugster won't just come out, huh?" Liz asked.
Brave put his Gashat away, and Ex-Aid slowly approached him.
"I'm sorry for taking your time, just to cure me…" He apologized.
"There's no need for an apology." Brave replied. "I'm just doing this because it would tarnish my reputation if I just left you in your condition."
Ex-Aid rubbed his arm sheepishly.
"So, the reason I change whenever I play games is because of my Bugster…?" He asked.
And, quietly, he added, "I'm scared…"
Poppy flew over and sat on his shoulder.
"Don't worry!" Liz assured, punching his other shoulder. "We'll cure ya, just you wait!"
Ex-Aid felt a bit happier as he has some company to make him feel safer, but it was still not enough.
Just then, Poppy yelled.
"Bugster found!" She called.
Brave put his stuff away and ran out of the garden. Followed by the girls of SAO, and lastly Ex-Aid.
"Five more…" Dan growled. "Five more Bugsters… and once that is done-"
"Kamen Rider Chronicle… will be complete… right?" Pallad finished.
Dan turned around from his computer and saw Pallad sitting on a chair. He scowled at him.
"Pallad." He said. "You've got some guts coming back here."
"Well, I told you I'm going to beat M, but you didn't listen." Pallad chuckled. "Someone had to beat it into you."
Dan leaned back on his chair, unimpressed.
"Do you really want to go against me?" He asked. "You were looking forward to this, after all."
"Oh, hush." Pallad said. "You're going to finish this regardless of what happens to me, right?"
Pallad and Dan had a short glaring competition before Pallad began to walk away.
"But, imagine that though; Brave getting to Level 50!" He commented.
And, in an echo, he added. "He just might be a bit fun to play with…"
Dan rolled back to his computer and began to work again.
Nico tapped her foot annoyingly, waiting for Ex-Aid's company. When she saw them, she was annoyed.
"You took your sweet time getting here!" She said. "You should get here within five minutes!"
"Oh, hush!" Sinon said.
Brave saw Snipe observing Recon.
"Wait, Recon?" Silica asked.
"So, what's he infected with?" Brave asked.
"It's Vernier." Snipe replied. "Jet Combat's Bugster."
Recon slowly looked up.
"Wait, I'm infected?" He asked panically.
"Hey, hey, cool it, kid!" Nico said. "Girls don't like wimps, y'know."
That sent something to him. With that one statement, Recon began to yell and grunt in pain, as the Bugster took over his body. Once done, his eyes glowed blood red, and he stood up.
"Commencing attack!" He replied.
Then, orange blobs took over his body, and his body was replaced by a figure with a jet turbine engine for a right arm, a missle launcher for the left arm, a machine gun mounted on the right shoulder, and wings on the back. This was Vernier.
Brave put on the Gamer Driver, and pulled out the Gashat Gear Dual β.
"I'll do the operation." He said.
"Hold it." Snipe interrupted. "Level 50 Gashats are too much for you."
He put his hand forward to take it.
"Hand it over." He demanded.
"Your presence is a no thank you, licenseless doctor." Brave replied coldly.
He then turned the knob upward.
TADDLE FANTASY!
LET'S GOING! KING OF FANTASY!
The monster appeared and it flew atop Brave. Snipe rolled out of the way to avoid getting hit by his magic aura.
LET'S GOING! KING OF FANTASY!
"Proceeding to Level 50." He said. "Henshin."
Brave inserted the Gashat in, and then he opened the Driver up.
DUAL GASHATTO!
GACHANN! DUAL UP!
TADORU, MEGURU! RPG! TADDLE FANTASY!
Brave transformed into his Level 2 Rider form, and then the monster attached itself on top. Brave's armor and cape appeared once more.
"We will now begin Bugster excision." He said.
He stretched his hands and magic aura blasted out of him. Soon, Bugster mooks with magical cloaks and pitchforks appeared. With that, they all charged at Vernier. Brave swished his cape back, and he began to walk forward. Ex-Aid walked up behind.
"C'mon, get in there!" Liz griped.
"Right!" Ex-Aid replied.
He pulled out his Gashat, but then he stopped. He slowly put it back down.
"Hey, you okay?" Liz asked again.
"C'mon…" Whined a voice. "Get on with it, Emu."
Everyone saw Pallad was sitting by a rock. He was smiling away.
"Pallad…" Asuna whispered.
Pallad pulled out his Gashat and shook it.
"Let's make it two-on-two." He suggested. "That's fair, right?"
"No." Ex-Aid replied.
Everyone saw that he was shaking. Snipe was the first to notice this.
"Then give me the Gashat." He ordered.
"Hey, he just can't give it to you!" Sinon retorted.
Meanwhile, Brave had just finished slashing Vernier. He then summoned several needle-like sharp blades and fired them at him. Vernier was thrown back as he took major damage.
"Received heavy damage…" He groaned. "Returning back to base!"
Vernier reformed back into Recon, who was groaning. Ex-Aid and the others took this chance to help him. Quickly, Silica and Liz lifted him up and flew out with Asuna and Ex-Aid flying behind. Pallad sighed as he watched them fly away.
"I'll prevent further infections." Brave declared. "Pallad. I'll eliminate you."
Pallad, while not worked up, smiled at the sight.
"Alright." He chuckled. "You better be worth my time."
He put the Gashat by his face and turned the knob downwards.
PERFECT PUZZLE!
WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?
"Henshin." He said, pressing the Gashat.
DUAL UP!
GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!
Pallad soon became Para-DX in his Perfect Puzzle form. He put the Gashat by his side, and he got ready for an attack.
Brave responded by summoning the same Bugster mooks from before. He sent the army forward as Para-DX received them from blow by blow. After fending off one more mook, he raised his hand upward and made the entire army disappear. Brave saw his chance. He slashed Para-DX, sending him backward. Para-DX went for a punch, but Brave dodged it, giving him another chance to slashed him in the back. Para-DX then saw an Energy Item. He dodged Brave's attack to get it.
RUBBERIZE!
Brave slashed, but the Para-DX's body became malleable. Every time he would land a strike, Para-DX's body would go along with the shape of the slash. Brave solved this problem by sending a cloud of magic aura towards him. That cancelled out its effects, making Para-DX's body solid again.
As the two continued on fighting, Nico and Snipe watched it all go down.
"Wow, he's doing pretty fine, seeming as he's taking on this Pallad guy." Nico commented.
"Just how much longer he could keep this up is the question." Snipe observed.
Sinon, who had stayed behind, was interested.
"What are you talking about?" She asked.
"Well… using that Gashat took a lot out of him the last time." Nico replied.
Brave slashed Para-DX a few more times, then, placing the blade on his shoulder, he slamed the Sword down, getting Para-DX to his critical health. Breathing heavily, Para-DX gathered some Energy Items and collected the two he needed.
RECOVERY! RECOVERY!
"Alright! Now we're talking here!" Para-DX smiled.
He pulled out his Gashat and twisted the knob upward.
KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!
THE STRONGEST FIST! ROUND 1! ROCK AND FIRE!
"Dai Henshin!" He said, pressing the Gashat.
DUAL UP!
EXPLOSION HIT! KNOCK OUT FIGHTER!
Para-DX changed into his Knock Out Fighter form, and then he swung his arm around.
"Let's do this." He smiled.
He then began to send Brave a swirl of punches. Brave blocked the first couple, but Para-DX landed a lucky critical hit on his chest, sending him back. Para-DX then sent a firestrike, but Brave blocked with a barrier. He tightened the grip on his Sword, but then, the pain from his chest returned. He had to take it, but not in time to block Para-DX's attacks. First, he punched him the abdomen, making Brave lose his footing and weapon. He then punched him upward, knocking him back. And finally, he went for one clean punch to the face. But strangely, he stopped.
"Looks like you can't handle Level 50 yet." He said.
Brave grunted, and cancelled out of his transformation.
GASHUNN!
Para-DX shrugged and walked away.
"Let's play together again some time." He said as he disappeared.
Sinon quickly rushed over to Brave's side, as Snipe also followed. Nico stayed back. While Sinon tried to get Brave to wake up, Snipe just picked up the Gashat Gear Dual β he had dropped.
"I warned you." Snipe scolded. "This is too much."
Brave glared at Snipe before going unconscientious. Snipe then looked at Sinon.
"Bring him to my place." He said.
Ex-Aid, Poppy, Asuna, Silica, and Liz were in the commons room. At this point, Kirito had joined. Leafa was somewhere else in Sylph territory to sort something out.
"What happened to you back there?" Asuna asked.
"I was scared." Ex-Aid replied. "What if the Bugster took over me when I transformed again…?"
Asuna walked over and gave him a reassuring pat on the back.
"In any case, let's talk to the patient." Kirito said. "You're all about making them smile, right?"
With that, the three began to walk towards the room where patients are kept. Silica and Liz decided to sit this one out. They opened the door, and found Recon sighing depressingly.
"Recon?" Kirito asked.
"Kirito…" Recon replied.
"So, what's the source of your stress?" Ex-Aid asked.
"Well… I… uh…" Recon muttered.
"It's Leafa, isn't it?" Kirito answered for him.
Everyone just turned to Kirito when he said that answer.
"How did you know?" Recon asked.
"You're like an open book, mate." Kirito chuckled. "Alright, out with it. What's up?"
Recon sighed, so he stood up on the bed.
"Well… the fact of the matter is…" Recon explained. "I finally mustered up the courage to ask out Leafa!"
"But… when I actually thought about doing it…" He went on. "It's too much pressure!"
"If that's the case, why were you at a Dungeon?" Poppy asked.
"Well, doing that kind of stuff usually clears my head." Recon answered. "But, it only got me this…"
Recon sighed again. Ex-Aid tried to understand.
"I don't really think you have to force yourself-" He started.
"You're just going to ask her out, right?" Poppy then roared in her most serious voice.
She floated right in front of Recon's face.
"If you want to make her yours…" She roared. "Man the hell up!"
Ex-Aid quickly grabbed Poppy and stuffed her into his pocket. He then led both Kirito and Asuna out of the room.
"What should we do?" He asked. "I'm not an expert in this kind of thing…"
"I… have an idea…" Kirito said. "But I don't think Asuna's going to like it."
"Hm?" Asuna muttered.
To make a long story short, Kirito asked Asuna to go out with Recon for the day, so his stress would go down a bit. And surprisingly, she was very cool with it. So, for the entire day, Asuna hung out with Recon for the entire day. And she had to admit it herself, she did have a fun time.
To end the day off, the two decided to have a dinner. It was really good-looking dinner at that.
"Wow!" Asuna smiled. "I must say, Recon, you know your way around this game!"
Recon rubbed his head and blushed.
"Thank you…" He said.
The two happily enjoyed eating their meal together.
"Recon?" Asuna asked. "Could you pass me that sauce?"
Recon obliged, and grabbed the sauce for her, but in doing so, he tripped, dropping the sauce all over Asuna's face. Recon panicked, and tried to wipe it off, but in doing so, he fell over the table.
After that fiasco, they were outside of the place they were having their dinner in. Asuna was still wiping off her face, but Recon was in an anime depression with a shadow glooming over him.
"It's over…" He whispered. "I can't ask her out at this rate…"
Asuna tried to do her best to cheer him up.
"I-, it's okay, Recon!" She assured. "Accidents happen!"
Recon couldn't see it though. But then, Recon began to grunt in pain and his eyes glowed blood red.
"If I bombard this Leafa girl, I shall be complete!" Recon shouted in a different voice.
Then, Recon sprouted his wings and flew away towards the general vicinity where Leafa was. Asuna chased after him, sending a message.
Brave woke up with a startle. His upper clothing was laid nicely on the side, and his whole upper was bandaged. Sinon was by his side.
"Brave!" She said, walking beside him.
"What happened?" Brave asked.
They saw Nico by the door, grinning
"Wakey, wakey." Nico teased.
"Did you do this?" Brave asked Sinon.
"No." Sinon replied. "He did."
Enter Snipe, remaining as cool as he is.
"This isn't like you." He commented. "I thought you were the fan avoiding "unnecessary risks", Mr. Surgeon."
"Shut it." Brave shot back. "Where am I, anyway?"
"We're at his place." Sinon explained. "This is place where we could treat you."
Just then, Brave and Sinon's message boards popped up with an emergency.
Bugster broke out!
Help!
-Asuna
Brave began to move towards the door, but the pain in his chest weighed him down. Sinon was there to support him.
"Easy, easy…" She said.
Snipe loomed over the two with a condescending look.
"A patient should just lie down and shut up." He told them.
He then reached into his pocket and pulled out the Gashat Gear Dual β.
"I'm using this." He said.
"This Gashat is two games in one." He went on. "One is the one you used, and the other… is mine."
"Who would've thought your games would be the one to share a Gashat?" Nico chimed in, sitting on the bed next to Brave.
"Genmu improved upon our old Gashats to make this." Snipe explained. "So, in other words, I hold half the ownership of this."
Brave winced, and he just threw Sinon off of him to approach Snipe.
"You think it's all over?" He demanded. "Just because you treated me, you think it's all forgiven now?"
He then grabbed Snipe's collar and got really angry.
"You were the one who let Yuko die!" He yelled.
Snipe only scoffed at the sight.
Leafa was talking to some of her friends now. She was going on for some time now.
"Leafa! Look!" one of her friends yelled.
Leafa turned around and saw Recon running towards her.
"Him again?" another one griped.
"I got this." Leafa said.
She stood up and faced Recon.
"Hey!" She called out. "I don't know why you're here, but you better leave!"
Recon did stop at that, but didn't leave.
"He's so dopey!" another one of her friends commented.
Just then, Recon looked at Leafa interestingly.
"Hey… Recon?" She asked. "You okay?"
Suddenly, Recon's body was consumed by orange blobs, and Vernier soon took his place. Leafa was taken aback by this site, and her friends quickly ran away. Leafa drew her sword to retaliate, but Vernier fired a flurry of bullets that even she couldn't deflect. A couple bullets hit her leg, so she collapsed on one leg and used her sword as a support. Vernier pointed his missile launcher at her face.
"Once I bombard you, I shall be complete!" He declared.
But, he was interrupted. Kirito popped in and slashed his back. Vernier turned around, only to be met with a kick from Asuna. Ex-Aid walked up from behind, along with Silica and Liz. Vernier, in response, took to the air and fired missiles from the sky. Liz was able to defend most of it off with her shield, but they were still knocked back.
"Asuna! Everyone!" Leafa cried. "What's with that Bugster?"
"Long story!" Silica replied.
Ex-Aid pulled out his Mighty Brothers XX Gashat, but then again, he stopped. He was still afraid of what might happen.
STAGE SELECT!
Suddenly, the area changed into a quarry, with a lot of open spaces and and piles of gravel. They then saw who was next to Vernier. Genmu, with the BugVisor on, was smiling evilly.
"Do you really want to use it?" He asked. "If the virus broke out again, you might never be able to go back."
Ex-Aid looked at the Gashat fearfully, so he set it down on his knee. Genmu was delighted by this sight.
"You've lost your will to fight; you are no longer a threat." Genmu said. "I shall now retrieve your Gashats."
He pulled out his Gashat and pressed.
DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!
"Henshin." He said.
He inserted the Gashat and pressed the button.
GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP!
DANGER! DANGER! GENOCIDE! DEATH THE CRISIS! DANGEROUS ZOMBIE!
Genmu changed into his Zombie Gamer form, and soon he growled at the SAO players. A weapon wheel appeared as he reached out for the weapon he needed.
GASHACON SPARROW!
He aimed it at Ex-Aid. Lis got her shield in position and waited for an attack. Ex-Aid wanted to pressed the Gashat, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
"Okay." Snipe's voice said. "This is pathetic, even by your standards, Ex-Aid."
Both groups turned to see Snipe and Sinon walking in. Genmu chuckled at their entrance.
"Says the man without any Gashats." He said.
Snipe smirked and reached into his pocket, pulling out the Gashat Gear Dual β.
"Then what's this I have here?" He asked.
"Why do you have that?" Asuna asked.
"I assume you took it from Kagami Hiro?" Genmu asked.
"Something like that." Sinon replied.
"Why did you let him go?" Nico asked.
Brave was sitting on the bed, still recovering. But he still remembered what transpired.
"A single mistake from us can be fatal to our patients!" Brave told Snipe.
"You haven't failed yet, Mr. Surgeon…" Snipe replied. "And besides, how can you perform an operation in your condition?"
Brave let go of Snipe, and sat back on the bed.
"I have nothing left to lose; You have yet to fail." Snipe declared.
"And that's why I keep saying this: The world needs only one Kamen Rider, and that should be me." He finished.
With that said, Snipe then left to fight. But before he did, he had Sinon go with him, and had Nico stay as caretaker.
"The full disclosure is that I haven't forgiven nor accepted him." Brave said. "I just chose the most effective means of taking care of the Bugster."
Nico shrugged off and smirked.
"So, you chose the best way to solve a puzzle, huh?" She said. "You're getting pretty games, sir!"
"Shut it, girl." Brave shot back. "This is just a doctor's diagnosis."
Snipe glared at Genmu.
"Do you think you can control Level 50?" Genmu asked. "I hold no responsibility if you don't, just like 5 years ago."
"Back then, I had no idea what I was getting myself into." He said. "And thanks to that and the Proto Gashats, I've become what I am now."
He then raised his Gashat up to his face.
"I think-, no, I will handle the power." He declared. "The current me."
He then put on the Gamer Driver and turned the knob of the Gashat downward.
BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!
Then, a small battleship emerged above Snipe, and it flew around him slowly.
I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!
I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!
"Henshin!" He called, inserting the Gashat.
DUAL GASHATTO!
He then opened the Driver up.
GACHANN! DUAL UP!
SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI! HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATION! HASSHIN!
Snipe transformed into his Level 2 body. Then, the battleship split apart to fit Snipe's body. The bow of the ship split into two as they arm gauntlets. The rest of the ship flipped around to fit onto his torso. Thus, his new armaments gave him AA guns on his shoulder, upper arm, and his gauntlets.
At first, Snipe struggled to keep the power in check, but then, with a yelp, Snipe handled the power.
"Snipe… Level 50…!" Sinon uttered.
Genmu scoffed at the sight, but Vernier took off to the air.
"Deploying reinforcements!" He shouted.
Then, smaller fighter planes flew from his back and began firing at Snipe and his immediate surroundings. Sinon took cover, but everyone else took the front of the blow. Ex-Aid was thrown, losing grip of his Gashat.
"Mission start." Snipe stated after taking the first wave of attacks.
Snipe then began to fire on all of the fighters above. He was taking down fighter after fighter, as they all smoked and crashed onto the ground. As the numbers dwindled, a radar appeared on his left eye, giving him an exact count of how many targets are left. And with that said, he fired once more, and every fighter was shot out of the sky. Even Vernier, who crashlanded, consumed in an explosion along with Genmu.
Ex-Aid recovered, and saw his Mighty Brothers XX Gashat. He reached out to it, but stopped. He was still afraid.
"Ex-Aid." Snipe said, walking up to him. "If you're going to just sit there, leave your Gashats and beat it."
Ex-Aid thought about what he wanted to do. Two very controversial and mind-bending quotes came to be.
"If the virus broke out again, you might never be able to go back." – Genmu
"This isn't you: You're supposed to cure the patient, make them smile again!" – Brave
"Just sit there only caring about yourself and smiling by yourself." Snipe said.
That was it. That's what Ex-Aid needed to get back in.
"I don't want that." He said.
Snipe stopped and looked at Ex-Aid. The SAO gang also watched.
"I… am a doctor!" Ex-Aid declared.
He then grabbed his Gashat and ran in front of Snipe. He put on his Gamer Driver and pressed the Gashat.
MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!
Ex-Aid posed, and then he inserted the Gashat into the Driver.
"Henshin!" He called.
DOUBLE GASHATTO!
He then opened the Driver up.
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE HITORI! MIGHTY BROTHERS! FUTARI DE VICTORY! X!
Ex-Aid turned into his Level 10 chibi form, but he didn't stay long in that form as he closed the Driver.
GACHANN!
"Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai…" He started. "Henshin!"
He then opened the Driver back up.
ORE GA OMAE DE! OMAE GA ORE DE! WE ARE! MIGHTY, MIGHTY BROTHERS! HEY! DOUBLE X!
Ex-Aid then split up into his two Mighty Brothers XX counterparts, XXL and XXR.
"You got over your fear…" Genmu growled.
Then, XXR and XXL quickly did a fist bump and then charged at Genmu. The two exchanged punches and kicks with him, and XXR quickly grabbed a weapon to help along.
GASHACON KEYSLASHER!
XXR and Genmu quickly locked blades, but XXL used that chance to quickly kick Genmu off of him. Snipe saw this all from the back, and slowly walked in. As this went on Vernier took the chance to take to the air and fire a bullet storm from the sky. But he was quickly denied when Snipe shot him down.
"Pay attention to who you're fighting here." Snipe said.
He then closed his Driver.
GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!
Then, slowly, all of the cannon barrels slowly rotated and adjusted themselves to target Vernier. Once all cannons were in position, he opened his Driver back up.
GACHANN!
BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!
And then, with all targets laid onto Vernier, Snipe fired all cannons. The recoil sent him back a few feet, but Vernier exploded. His figure was taken by Recon, who fell over unconscientious.
MISSION COMPLETE!
GAME CLEAR!
Meanwhile, the two Ex-Aids were still tackling Genmu. XXl was pinned to the ground. Genmu slammed the Sparrows down, but XXR blocked and gave XXL an opening for a kick. Once that was done, XXR helped XXL up and inserted the Gashat in the the KeySlasher.
GASHUNN! DOUBLE GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!
"Let's do this!" XXR cheered.
And with that, a second KeySlasher appeared in XXL's hand.
"Right!" He said.
Then, the two put their blades together and prepared to attack.
MIGHTY BROTHERS CRITICAL FINISH!
The two Ex-Aids first slashed downward, sending a wave towards Genmu, but after that, they sent an X-shaped slashed towards Genmu, with that being the one to defeat him. But, when the explosion cleared, Genmu was just absorbing the Bugster residue of Vernier. Once he was done, he just disappeared. The Ex-Aids just watched him go.
"Mission complete." Snipe announced.
The area reverted back to the area where Leafa was hanging out. Poppy flew over to Recon and checked it over.
"He's cured!" She smiled.
Recon looked all over his body, and he felt really good.
"Thank you!" He said. "I'll… do my best!"
Ex-Aid smiled as he stood up and walked towards someone. Kirito quickly pulled Leafa back for a short bit and whispered something into her ear. After that was done, Leafa slowly approached Recon.
"Leafa?" Recon asked.
Leafa breathed in, and then she spoke.
"Seven…" She whispered.
"Huh?" Recon asked.
"Seven o'clock!" Leafa shouted with a blush. "I'm free tomorrow at seven, so pick me up then!"
And with that she sulkily walked away. Recon, processing what he just heard, stood up and jumped for joy. Somehow, even Liz and Silica got into it.
"How did you-?" Asuna and Sinon both asked.
"I'm a persuasive guy." Kirito smiled.
While all that was going, Ex-Aid met up with Snipe.
"Kid, didn't you listen?" Snipe scoffed.
"Yes, I did." Ex-Aid retorted. "I will continue to face my problems… as a doctor and a Kamen Rider… for the patient and my body."
Snipe scoffed again, and then he walked away.
Dan threw off his AmuSphere. He was still recovering from the attack from Ex-Aid. But when he woke up, he saw Pallad sitting in front of his computer.
"Cleared your head?" He asked.
He then turned around to face him.
"Y'know, the best thing for you right now is just sitting your ass in front of this computer and finishing this game." Pallad suggested.
"You know nothing…" Dan said.
He walked over and pressed some keys, which had the screen display the Dangerous Zombie Gashat.
"Why do you think I went out of my way to retrieve data on my own death?" He asked. "Why do you think I chose Dangerous Zombie as my Gashat?"
"Yes, while this Gashat may be Level 10…" He said. "It is also Level X…"
"Level X?" Pallad asked.
Dan then faced Pallad with his most demonic slasher smile.
"X…" He said. "The unknown…"