Chapter 33: Enter the Game!
Emu, with the SAO gang behind him, was speechless at the sight of what he was seeing. Several brown Kamen Riders were fighting the Bugsters, several with his weapons. Salty could be seen among the crowd, and he was having the time of his life. Just then, Pallad walked up beside him.
"Enjoying it, M?" He asked with a smile.
Then, he looked down on him.
"Welcome…" He said.
To the ultimate game world…
I've gotta believe!
(Kirito and Ex-Aid are back to back, facing a horde of Bugsters. They lift their weapons and charge as the title appears)
I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara
(The SAO gang are chilling out together in a nearby café)
I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni
(Suddenly, all bystanders all transform into Ride-Players)
Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far
(Brave remembers the time that Yuko died, with Asuna's afterimage looking at him; Snipe remembers the time he was defeated by Graphite, with Sinon's afterimage looking at him)
Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa
(The Riders and the SAO gang together walk towards the horde of Ride Players)
The new beginning
(The Riders hold up their Gashats)
Michi no ryuoiki ima wo kirihirakunda
(The Riders transform into their Lv 2 forms)
I've gotta believe!
(The SAO gang turn on Ordinal Scale)
(Turn it on!) soutou
(Together, they all charge at the Ride Player horde)
EXCITE! EXCITE! Takanaru
(Ex-Aid goes into Lv 20, and splits into XXL and XXR; Brave twirls into Lv 50, sending a bunch of Ride Players back)
EXCITE! EXCITE! Kokoro ga
(Snipe jumps into Lv 50, and rains fire upon the Ride Players; Ex-Aid jumps down in Lv 99, and slams the ground)
Michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake
(The Ordinal Scale players make their way through the horde one by one)
(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now
(Klein, Lisbeth, Silica, Agil, and Leafa stay back, while six figures strike a battle-ready pose. Ex-Aid raises the Breaker to his face, while Kirito goes into his battle stance. Asuna also goes into her battle stance, while Brave flips his Sword around, so he could grab the blade with his free hand. Sinon and Snipe both their weapons tightly)
(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now
(A silhouette of Kamen Rider Para-DX Lv 99 glares at them, with his eyes glowing)
EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa
(Ex-Aid and Para-DX smash their fists together)
EXCITE! EXCITE! Kotae wa
(The SAO gang fight various Bugsters from all of the games from the Gashats)
(One!) kono te no naka
(Snipe and Sinon go back to back)
(Two!) susumubeki Life
(Brave and Asuna slash right next to each other)
(Three!) ikitekudake
(Ex-Aid and Kirito together jump up and slash downward, cutting back to the title)
The sun shone brightly in the real world. But we venture into a hospital office. Hiro was silently eating a slice of cake. He wasn't enjoying it, but he was taking it as a light snack. He then looked forward, and saw Emu. But something was off. Emu was pouting, feeling pretty down by the looks of it. To add to that, he even sighed exasperatedly. Feeling something, Hiro moved his cake slice closer to him.
"So, you're going to internal medicine next?" He started. "And can I guess you already have no plans for it?"
"Huh?" Emu started. "Oh, that's not it…"
"It's just…" He explained, slightly tapping his Augma. "We haven't been hearing a lot from Poppy lately…"
Hiro looked up at this Augma HUD. It was true. Poppy was nowhere to be seen.
"Now that you mention it, it has been unusually quiet for a while…" He agreed.
Just then, one of the phones began to ring. Emu got to it first.
"Cyber Rescue Center." He said. "I understand."
He put the phone back down, and explained.
"We have a patient." He said.
Hiro stood up to say that he's going, but then, another phone rang. He picked it up, but he hung up pretty soon as well.
"We've got another one."
Then, they both check their cellphones and saw that several warnings of the same thing. The two phones then began to ring again, making them overwhelmed.
"Why are there so many?" Emu asked.
"No time for answers." Hiro replied bluntly. "You go to your patient. I'll go to mine."
"Right." Emu answered.
Then, the two ran out of the office to seek out their patients.
Emu ran down an alley. He looked around for his patient.
"Hey!" called a nearby construction worker. "Over here!"
Emu quickly made his way over to him, and asked him about the patient. The worker showed him the patient, who was currently breathing heavily.
"I'm from CR. Let me treat you." Emu said, crouching down to him.
Emu then used his Augma to scan him, and it showed the sign of infection, but instead of the typical icon, it showed a small picture of Salty.
"Huh…?" He muttered. "This is different from the usual symptoms…"
"This is not safe place for ya, kiddo." The worker commented.
"Sorry…" The patient said, getting up. "I was chasing a boss, and I guess, I took a spill."
"Boss?" Emu asked. "But I thought Ordinal Scale was shut down…"
"Oh, it's not Ordinal Scale." The patient remarked. "Sorry, but I have to get going before the others do."
He then raised his hand. And in that said hand, he was holding… a Gashat?!
"A Gashat?" Emu shouted.
The patient smiled, and pressed the Gashat.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…
He then pressed the Gashat again, developing pixels all over his body.
ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!
Then, in the place of the patient, stood a brown Kamen Rider. But unlike our Kamen Riders, this one was plain looking. He didn't have any sort of special features.
"Alright, let's do this!" the Brown Rider announced.
Then, he bolted down the street, with Emu going after him. The Rider ran for a good stretch of time. Emu couldn't keep up with his current stamina. When the Rider finally stopped in front of his location, Emu finally had the chance to catch his breath. He caught it quickly then he thought, as he literally lost all other thoughts at the sight of what he saw.
Several Bugster mooks in chef outfits were fighting several other Kamen Riders, who were all brown, not different from the patient. In the middle of all the fighting, Salty chuckled to himself, only occasionally throwing a punch. The patient then raised a blade-like weapon, and got into a battle stance.
"I'm going to beat Salty!" He declared.
Then, the brown Rider charged in, slamming the mooks and other brown Riders out of the way.
"What in the world… is this…?" Emu spluttered.
The situation over with Hiro wasn't any better. He just saw two people transform into the brown Kamen Rider right in front of him. However, the Bugster mooks they were fighting had magician's cloaks and Alhambra was there.
"What's going on…?" He muttered. "Game patients fighting Bugsters…?"
Then, the two doctors put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats.
MIGHTY ACTION X!
TADDLE QUEST!
"Henshin!" The two yelled.
Then, they both inserted their Gashats and opened the Drivers.
GASHATTO!
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!
TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!
Emu became Ex-Aid, and Hiro became Brave respectively, and they charged in.
Ex-Aid came in and tried to separate the Bugster mook and the brown Riders.
"Please!" He pleaded. "Stay away from them! It's for your own good!"
"Hey, chode!" scolded one Rider. "I'm playing a game here!"
Ex-Aid got confused, but then, two Riders grabbed from either side.
"Alley-oop!" They yelled as they threw Ex-Aid out of the fight.
Ex-Aid flew in the air anime-style, but then he landed on something hard. He shook his head, and saw Rika below him. Keiko was not far behind. Of course, his hands were on her… chest area. He noticed this quickly, and quickly picked his hand up.
"Ow…" Rika groaned. "Wait, Emu?"
"Uh… hi, there." He greeted sheepishly.
"What's going on?" Keiko asked.
"You tell me…" Ex-Aid groaned, just sitting down on the ground.
Just then, another boy came. He seemed to be about high school age. Rika seemed to recognize him. He was holding something in his hand. It was a Gashat. He looked at it from all angles trying to figure it out.
"Okay… so… how do I turn this on?" He asked. "Is this it?"
He pressed the Gashat's button, activating it.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…
He pressed the button again, engulfing his body in pixels again.
ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!
The boy's figure was replaced by a brown Kamen Rider. Rika and Keiko dropped their jaws at the sight.
"Wait, what?!" They both yelled.
The brown Kamen Rider scratched his head about what he was about to do next.
"Okay… now how do I do this?" He asked himself. "Is there like a tutorial or something?"
Just then, a bright light came into view. The light took the form of a young woman, pink hair, yellow poofy dress, and colorful stockings.
"Hi~~~!" She called. "You called?"
While the brown Rider had no idea who she was, Ex-Aid, Rika, and Keiko knew.
"Poppy!" They all yelled.
"Poppy Pipopapo will guide you through the game!" She announced cheerfully.
Taiga was blown away. He was checking the stocks of GENM Corp., which had sky-rocketed over only a few days.
"What in… how is this possible…?!" He spluttered.
Then, he began to type on what is going on right now. But right as he was getting somewhere, Nico jumped in.
"Hey, you have to look at this!" She shouted.
"I'm busy right now!" Taiga retorted.
"Just look!" Nico insisted, shoving her phone right in Taiga's face.
Taiga resisted for a bit, but when he did look, he was speechless.
"What?!" He said.
It was a video, and judging by the contents of it, he knew what he had to do. He stood up and began to walk out.
"He-hey!" Nico stammered. "Where are you going?"
"You know where." Taiga simply replied. "Let's go."
He then walked off with Nico trailing behind him.
Brave slashed Alhambra one more time, but then, Poppy pixelated right behind him in a cute pose.
"Pi!" She said with a smile.
"Poppy Pipopapo?" Brave asked, kicking Alhambra again.
"Explanation!" Poppy smiled. "In this game, the players take the role of the heroic Ride-Players, and fight the Bugsters in real life!"
"And that game is called…" She started.
She then twirled cutely, and finally stopped with her fist in the air.
"Kamen Rider Chronicle!" She announced.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…
"Kamen Rider…" Ex-Aid started.
"…Chronicle?!" Brave finished.
Just then, everywhere with a screen played a commercial for Kamen Rider Chronicle, and of course, Poppy is the mascot.
It's the new age of gaming!
Real and Virtual worlds come together to create the ultimate multiplayer game!
Kamen Rider Chronicle! Now Available!
You are the hero of your story!
"Kamen Rider Chronicle…?" Taiga whispered.
Then, he and the other Riders called back to when they were introduced to the idea. Dan Kuroto explained the entire game. A world where anyone can become a Kamen Rider and fight monsters.
"They actually finished it?!" Brave exclaimed.
"You're kidding me, right?" Ex-Aid demanded.
Poppy then snapped her fingers. A small pyramid appeared next to her. It was like the food chain pyramid, only the food is replaced with small Gashats.
"There are 13 Bugsters in total, each varying in strength!" Poppy continued. "If you defeat them all, collecting the Game Clear marks along the way, the door to the ultimate Bugster will open!"
A small black and blood red portal appeared over the pyramid, showing a shadowy figure. Then, it closed back up, concealing the identity of it forever.
"Poppy!" Ex-Aid yelled. "You're not making any sense! What are you talking about?!"
"Alright then!" said the newbie Ride-Player. "All I have to do is beat Salty, right?"
He then charged in.
"Hey!" Rika shouted.
The Ride-Player looked back and saw her.
"Rika! Just you wait!" He shouted. "You'll be mine once you see this!"
Then, the Ride-Player attacked the Bugsters. However, all the other Ride-Players had the same idea, tripping over themselves.
"Salty's mine!" shouted one.
"Hey! I called dibs first!" shouted another one.
Then, one by one, they all attacked Salty. However, Salty simply blocked all of their feeble attempts and just swatted them away.
"Try as you might!" He said. "But you are not worth my salt!"
Salty then released a shockwave attack, sending all of the Rider-Players back.
"You are all far less-seasoned." Salty remarked. "Another dose of training might do you good."
And with that said, Salty pixelated away. All of the Ride-Players whined and punched the ground exasperately, missing their chance.
"Here's a special hint for our new players!" Poppy shouted.
All of them turned their attention to Poppy.
"Somestimes, rare characters called Kamen Riders will appear in the playing field!" Poppy explained.
Ex-Aid and Brave stopped at the mention of their names.
"Kamen Riders have all sorts of special items!" Poppy went on. "You can steal their Gamer Drivers, Rider Gashats, and Gashacon Weapons to beat the Bugster!"
"So, if you see one, first come first serve!" She finished. "Let's game!"
And with that Poppy pixelated away. Ex-Aid stopped to gather what just happened.
"Poppy! Wait!" He shouted.
"Uh, Emu…?" Keiko whispered, pointing in front of them. "I think we have other issues right now?"
Ex-Aid then turned to the army of Ride-Players in front of him, Rika and Keiko. They were all staring at him.
"Hey… that's gotta be a Kamen Rider, right?" one asked.
Ex-Aid realized they were talking about him, so he began to walk backwards cartoonishly with Rika and Keiko following him.
"Alright then, people!" declared one of the Ride-Players. "Let's get ourselves some power-ups!"
Then, all of them charged at Ex-Aid with their blade weapons out.
"Rika, Keiko!" Ex-Aid quickly said. "Get out of here!"
"Right!" Rika shouted.
"Be careful!" Keiko shouted.
Then, the two girls ran away as the Ride-Players one by one attacked Ex-Aid. They all tried to reach for the Gashats and the weapons, but Emu resisted such as moving sporadically and moving around.
"Please, wait!" He shouted, locking blades. "We're on the same side!"
The situation over with Brave isn't any better. His set of Ride-Players were using the dive strategy, attacking him from all corners. Brave did his best, but the numbers were stacked against him. After some players shot him in the back with some kind of firearm, he had had enough.
"This…" He seethed. "Is not an operation anymore!"
And with one fire slash, he disappeared. All of the Ride-Players pouted that he was gone.
Meanwhile, with Ex-Aid, he just can't find an opening to escape. His Ride-Players were just bearing down on him.
"Alright, fine!" He shouted, finally fed up with the little ant-attack. "Since you won't listen to reason…!"
He pulled out his Mighty Action X Gashat and pulled out the Maximum Mighty X Gashat. He pressed it, temporarily stopping the Ride-Players.
MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!
"Max Dai Henshin!" He announced
Ex-Aid quickly inserted the Gashat into the Driver and after opening the Driver, he slammed down the little Ex-Aid on the Gashat.
MAXIMUM GASHATTO!
GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!
MAXIMUM POWER! X!
Ex-Aud jumped up. Then, the Maximum Armor ate him and extend out its arms and legs. Ex-Aid small head popped out of it, and then he slammed his fist on the ground, causing a small quake. The Ride-Players were tripped up, and fell on their backs. Ex-Aid held the KeySlasher, just in case, but the Ride-Players were too tired to go on.
"He's… stupid strong!" exclaimed one, running away.
And one by one, all of the Ride-Players ran away, with several curses of that they'll be back. However, one Ride-Player stood his ground, still determined to beat him.
"I'm… just getting started!" He shouted.
Ex-Aid sighed, and just cancelled out of his transformation.
GACHANN! GASHUNN!
Ex-Aid reverted back to Emu. He was worried for the patient.
"It's over. I won." He stated.
The Ride-Player sighed, and just grabbed the Gashat again. He pressed it, reverting back to his original body. But then, he clenched his chest, and he began to faze in and out. Emu quickly helped him up.
"Your condition is getting worse!" Emu shouted, picking him. "I'm taking you to CR."
As Emu carried him away, he took quick glimpses of the Gashat he was holding.
'Kamen Rider Chronicle…' He pondered.
Meanwhile, a snow-white car pulled up to the entrance of the GENM Corp. building. And out of it, stepped off Amagasaki Ren, the current CEO of the company. He thanked the chauffeur, and he went on his merry way.
"So, you're the new CEO?" asked a voice.
Ren turned to see Taiga. Behind him, were Nico and Shino. Shino just came along on her way back home, since she didn't have a lot to do.
"My, my…" Ren chuckled. "You have quite an entourage behind you…"
"Entourage?" Taiga asked.
He then looked back to Shino and Nico, and the three quickly distanced themselves from each other.
"But to answer your question, yes." Ren continued, pulling out his card. "I am GENM Corp.'s new CEO, Amagasaki Ren."
He then twirled in front of Shino and Nico.
"My motto is 'I love yous to the world.'." He added.
After that brieft moment, Nico quickly ducked behind Taiga while Shino just became disgusted.
"Are all GENM CEOs a bunch of whackjobs?" She commented.
Taiga had other concerns, as he was more upfront about it.
"What bright idea were you thinking, releasing Kamen Rider Chronicle?" He asked. "Dan Kuroto's original idea."
"I'm afraid that's confidential." Ren replied.
He then began to walk towards the entrance, but then Hiro stopped him in his way.
"Then why is Poppy Pipopapo the mascot?" He asked. "She is an assistant assigned to the Ministry and CR. What did you do to her?"
"Oh, I simply offered her a role in our new game, that's all." Ren responded. "Is that a problem?"
Hiro didn't respond. Ren smirked and said some things.
"In time, you shall also see the magnificence of our new game…" He declared. "Kamen Rider Chronicle, of course."
And with that said, Ren entered the building, leaving the doctors behind. Shino quickly pulled out her phone and texted all of the rest of the SAO gang. They needed to know about this. Once that was done, she quickly put her phone away.
"What are you thinking?" Taiga asked.
"If you remember, Dan Kuroto was collecting Bugster data." Hiro explained. "With that said, I feel Poppy Pipopapo had an important role in this."
"So, what are you going to do about it?" Taiga asked.
"I'll think of something." Hiro replied.
"Well, this much is certain." Shino chimed in, stepping forward. "This game is pretty dangerous."
Hiro grimaced, looking up at the GENM Corp. logo.
A bit later, the SAO gang were in Asuna and Kirito's log cabin. They were in their casual wear, not their armors. Asuna and Kirito had Yui sitting right in between them, while Leafa, Lisbeth, and Silica were sitting on the other couch right across. Klein was casually sitting on the chair. After a bit of waiting, Sinon came in.
"Thanks for meeting up in such a short notice." She said.
"It's okay!" Silica replied.
"So, what's going on, Sinon?" Leafa asked.
Sinon didn't reply. She simply opened up her menu and sent all of them a video message. They didn't know how to respond. It just showed them the commercial for Kamen Rider Chronicle, along with several clips of Ride-Players transforming.
"So…" Kirito sighed exasperatedly. "It's out, huh?"
"Yeah." Sinon replied. "No announcements or anything."
"But I thought… Dan Kuroto…" Leafa stammered.
"No, GENM Corp.'s new CEO released it." Sinon explained. "I don't know how they completed it though."
"What's our next move then?" Kirito asked.
They all thought hard. However, as it was now released, they can do nothing now.
"Has there been any signs of foul play?" Asuna asked.
"Not yet." Sinon responded. "But considering how the company is, we could expect some things."
Just then, Lis turned to see she got a small message.
"Who is it?" Klein asked, leaning over.
"Oh, he's just a friend of mine." Lis replied.
She opened the message tab to see who it was, and she froze at who it was. The name was Slash, but she knew him IR. His name was Kurosaki Shoutaro, and he was the guy who spoke out to her as a Ride-Player. She quickly stood up and began to log out.
"Liz?" Asuna asked. "What's up?"
"Sorry, I have to go!" Liz replied quickly.
And with that said, Liz logged off. Sinon bit her lip, as it might have something to do with Kamen Rider Chronicle. So, she told everyone that we have to deal with this themselves, so they should meet up IR. So, they all logged off.
"Poppy Pipopapo!" Ren called out.
He had made his way down to basement levels of the GENM Corp. building, where all the fully evolved Bugsters were hiding out. Graphite had his arms crossed, leaning against a generator, while Pallad was just sitting on a makeshift chair. Poppy quickly ran up to Ren, who spun her around held her from a fall with her leg up.
"Thanks to you, my dear…" Ren smiled. "Kamen Rider Chronicle has become a phenomenon!"
"Really?" Poppy asked, smiling. "Yay! That's wonderful!"
Poppy slapped Ren playfully, then she spun around in joy. Even Graphite had to admit it, this was quite a feat that they've accomplished.
"I almost feel bad for Genmu." He chuckled, patting Pallad's shoulder. "He spent his entire life making this game… only for us Bugsters to snatch it right under his nose."
Poppy quickly walked over to Pallad, who was enjoying himself.
"Pallad!" She called. "Your wish has finally come true, right? This is what you wanted!"
"Yep." Pallad agreed wholeheartedly. "My soul's stirring."
He then stood up, and turned to his Bugster friends.
"This… is our time now!" He declared.
They all smiled. They cannot wait to see how Kamen Rider Chronicle will turn out.
Rika ran down the street as fast she could. She was worried about something. As she ran down, she turned and ran into a park. As she entered, she found her friend, Shoutarou, waiting patiently for her.
"Shoutarou!" She called.
Shoutarou turned and saw Rika coming towards him.
"Rika!" He said, astounded. "I wasn't sure that you would come…"
"What's this about?!" Rika asked hastily.
"Well…" Shoutarou started. "Since you rejected me yesterday… I've been trying to figure out ways to impress you again… however cheesy that sounded."
Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat.
"But with this…" He said, hopefully. "I can finally do something about it!"
Rika looked at the Gashat, and then realized what it was. She had to think up something fast. She began to yank on Shoutarou's arm.
"He-hey! You don't have to go that far!" She insisted. "Look, tell you what. I'm free tonight, so we can hang out!"
"But you said you were busy tonight." Shoutarou corrected.
Rika hesistated slightly, but Shoutarou just threw her off of him. Right at that moment, Kazuto and the others caught up with her. Keiko and Asuna picked her up.
"If you see what I can do, I can finally prove my worth to you!" Shoutarou declared, pressing the Gashat.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…
"Shoutarou! Stop!" Rika pleaded.
But it was too late. Shoutarou pressed the Gashat one more time, transforming into a Ride-Player.
ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!
Shoutarou then grabbed hold of a weapon, and charged in. Right as he did that, Emu came into view.
"Why did you not stop him?" He asked.
"You don't think we tried?" Kirito shot back.
Emu looked at the pandemonium in front of him. The Bugster mooks were in chef outfits, and several Ride-Players were seen battling the Bugster mooks. And once more, Salty could be seen.
"Wait, you guys are seeing this, right?" Emu asked, looking at those with Augma's on.
"Uh… yeah?" Asuna replied.
And without saying anything else, Emu put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashat. He pressed it quickly.
MIGHTY ACTION X!
"Dai Henshin!" He announced.
He then inserted the Gashat into the Driver and quickly opened the Driver up.
GASHATTO!
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!
Then, Emu transformed into Ex-Aid and quickly summoned his weapon.
GASHACON BREAKER!
He then charged in. The SAO gang just looked on.
"Wait, how do we help him?" Suguha asked.
Kazuto thought for a bit, but then he decided to try something. He stood up and planted his feet firmly.
"Ordinal Scale, on!" He announced.
Soon, Kazuto's attire changed into his Ordinal Scale outfit, and subsequently Kirito. He saw that one Bugster mook was thrown towards him. He raised his blade and quickly made a slash. To his surprise, the Bugster mook dissipated.
"Hey… it works!" He smiled.
He then ran forward. And one by one, everyone else activated Ordinal Scale and ran after him.
By this point, the battle was going fierce. Ex-Aid was attacking Salty head on, while the rest of the SAO players were trying to separate the Ride-Players from the Bugsters. Liz was working the hardest, as she was trying to figure out which Ride-Player was Shoutarou.
Ex-Aid slammed into some containers as Salty slapped his hands together.
"Well… you've improved Salty!" Ex-Aid chuckled.
"Of course!" Salty replied. "We Bugster evolve every time we are conquered in combat!"
And with that, Salty picked up an oil barrel and threw it at Ex-Aid. Ex-Aid rolled out of the way, but then was met with Salty's kick.
"I am now… at Level 10!" Salty declared.
"Wait, 10?" Ex-Aid commented.
He then pulled out his Mighty Brothers XX Gashat.
"This should be an easy score!" He smiled.
"Oh, I don't think so…" Salty smiled.
As Ex-Aid stood up, someone kicked him in the side, making him tumble. He quickly recovered to see that the Ride-Players have begun to gang up on him.
"Alright!" shouted one of them. "Here's our chance to grab some rare gubs!"
Then, one by one, the Ride-Players began to attack Ex-Aid. The SAO gang quickly caught up from behind, and tried their best to hold them off.
However, as skilled as they might be, the numbers were not to their favor.
Three Ride-Players took on Kirito. Two of them locked his arms to his sides, and they squeezed hard enough to make him lose hold of his sword. Another one was able to grab them from fall, and he used it to slash Kirito out of the way.
"Kirito!" Asuna cried.
But she had her own problems. Another set of Ride-Players were overwhelming her. Three of them currently locked blades with her, and a fourth one jumped in and struck her in the back. One of whom she locked blades with quickly grabbed her rapier by the blade and quickly smacked her with the handle.
Everyone else was getting overwhelmed as well. Sinon and Leafa were thrown into a set of crates as the Ride-Players threw them off from their weapons. Silica just tripped over some ropes that were lying about, and Klein got several punches to his… important area.
Liz, on the other hand, was having a one-on-one. She finally grabbed the Ride-Player that was Shoutarou, and was trying to reason with him.
"Look, Shoutarou." She pleaded. "You don't have to do this! I'll be your girlfriend! Just stop!"
Shoutarou tightened the grip on his weapon, but he was still determined.
"I don't want that kind of acception!" He shouted. "I'm going to prove my worth to you through skill! Even if I have to beat you to get it!"
Lis resisted the urge to shout back, so she only raised her mace.
"Then… I hope you understand…" She whispered, going into a battle stance. "This isn't personal!"
She then ran forward. She swung her mace down, to which Shoutarou dodged easily. She continued to swing it, but Shoutarou dodged all of them easily. When an opening was seen, Shoutarou quickly kneed her in the stomach and then threw her into a wall. That knocked her out, as Liz fell to the ground, unconscientious with Shotarou quickly picking up her mace.
"It kinda feels personal." He commented.
With that said though, all of the Ride-Players turned their attacks back to Ex-Aid, some using the weapons they acquired from the SAO gang, they quickly overwhelmed Ex-Aid. Shotarou delivered the final blow with Liz's mace, sending him flying and cancelling out of his transformation.
GASHUNN!
Emu tumbled on the ground, and just in front of him, his Gamer Driver and his Gashats, minus Maximum Mighty X, all clacked onto the ground.
"Yeah!" Shoutarou cheered.
Then, one by one, the Ride-Players picked up the Gashats. One picked up the Gamer Driver itself, but didn't know what to do with it. As for everyone else, they just pressed the Gashats they all got.
MIGHTY ACTION X!
GEKITOTSU ROBOTS!
SHAKARIKI SPORTS!
BAKUSOU BIKE!
GIRIGIRI CHAMBARA!
MIGHTY BROTHERS XX!
And the following weapons appeared into the hands of some Ride-Players, some cheering at the sight.
GASHACON BREAKER!
One of them received the giant hammer that sprouted a blade on top.
GASHACON SPARROW!
Another got a crossbow like arrow that could be changed into two sickles.
GASHACON KEYSLASHER!
Another got himself a sword-like weapon, with a digital keypad, gun barrel and an axe blade.
Others that got Gashats received the following things respectively: Lazer's Level 1 wheel weapons, the giant rocket fist of Gekitotsu Robots and the BMX from Shakariki Sports.
With the new items got, all of the Ride-Players attacked the Bugster one more time. Some who had gotten the Ordinal Scale weapons still used them on the Bugsters.
Emu, with the SAO gang slowly getting behind him, was speechless at the sight of what he was seeing. The Ride-Players were heavily fighting the crowds of Bugsters, with Salty even overpowering them. Just then, Pallad walked up beside him.
"Enjoying it, M?" He asked with a smile.
Then, he looked down on him.
"Welcome…" He said. "To the ultimate game world!"
Pallad smiled upon the crazed battlefield. He was beyond happy right now.
"Kamen Rider Chronicle is a game of my dreams!" He stated, looking at the fight. "And Genmu made that dream a reality!"
Emu became wide-eyed at the statement. All he saw was a madhouse of Ride-Players and Bugster just punching each other. And unbeknownst to them, their lives were on the line.
"Pallad…" Emu whispered. "You killed Genmu… just so you can play this game?"
"Bingo." Pallad smiled.
Lis clenched a fist, and made her way over to Pallad.
"You… sick… twisted… sonuva-!" She shouted.
But Leafa and Silica held her back, as Lis swung her fists in the air. Pallad chuckled, and just simply rubbed Lis's head. He then pulled out his Gashat, and approached the fight.
"Righty-o, then…" He smiled. "Let's play!"
He raised his Gashat to his face, and turned the knob.
PERFECT PUZZLE!
WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?
And as the Gashat was activated, the Game Area spread all over the area. As a result, the Bugster mooks pixelated away, confusing the Ride-Players.
WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?
Then, they all turned their attention to Pallad, who was smiling with his Gashat in hand.
"Henshin." He said, pressing the Gashat.
DUAL UP!
GET THE GLORY IN THE CHAIN! PERFECT PUZZLE!
Pallad's body pixelated into Kamen Rider Para-DX Perfect Puzzle form. He stored his Gashat on the slot holder on his side, and rubbed his hands.
"Is he a Kamen Rider too?" One of the Ride-Players holding the KeySlasher asked. "Well, you're toast, donzo!"
Then, all of the Ride-Players charged at Para-DX, madly swinging their weapons. Para-DX obliged their request, just pushing them away with punches and kicks. And he was actually holding back. It's like he was toying with them.
"Please!" Emu shouted. "Please stop!"
But his pleads fell on deaf ears, as all of the Ride-Players continued attacking Para-DX. One Ride-Player, being Shoutarou, was thrown back from a kick. As he tumbled, Kirito caught him.
"Hey, did you not hear?" He asked. "Stop!"
"Buzz off, has-been!" Shoutarou exclaimed, throwing Kirito off of him.
Kirito fell back, but Asuna quickly caught him. Then, Shoutarou ran back into the fray.
However, Para-DX was still pummeling them. It was like a crowd fight, only the crowd being a bunch of predictable bots. And finally, with one roundhouse kick, Para-DX launched them all back. He then raised his hands, gathering up all nearby Energy Items.
"Now… for the puzzle of fate." He remarked as he selected his chosen Energy Items.
MUSCLE UP! SPEED UP! JUMP POWER-UP!
He then pulled out his Gashat and twisted the knob back and forth.
KIMEWAZA!
All of the Ride-Players froze in fear, however Shoutarou was determined. He held Liz's mace firmly.
"I could do this all day!" He declared.
"You asked for it, buddy." Para-DX chuckled, inserting the Gashat back into the holder.
DUAL GASHAT!
PERFECT CRITICAL COMBO!
Just as that happened, Hiro, Taiga, and Nico came into the park. Para-DX's legs charged up, and then got into a stance. Shoutarou used that opening, and charged towards him. Para-DX smiled, and then he dashed forward, knocking him and the other Ride-Players into the air. Then, he jumped into the air, and dash-kicked every single Ride-Player critically. When he was done, all of the Ride-Players landed on their backs, cancelling out of their transformations.
GAME OVER!
Para-DX landed gently on the ground, and looked back at the defeated Ride-Players.
ALL CLEAR!
The Ride-Players reverted back to their normal attire, but Shoutarou forced himself back up, with his Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat in hand.
"I'm not done yet…!" He said, stretching his hand out.
Just then, he felt something all over his body. It's like he was losing energy. He then saw his hand, as it was pixelating. He looked around, and saw that the other Ride-Players were pixelating as well. They began to mumble about what's going.
"Hey!" Shoutarou shouted. "What is this?"
Poppy quickly came in.
"Hi~!" She smiled. "You called?"
Everyone turned their attention towards her. She was still smiling.
"Poppy Pipopapo will guide you through the game!" She said. "If a player gets defeated, and gets a Game Over…"
She waited to reveal what she was about to say next.
"He disappears!" Poppy exclaimed.
That shocked the Riders and the SAO gang. Especially the SAO gang. All of their flashbacks of Sword Art Online flooded in like a waterfall.
"Disappear…?" Shoutarou uttered.
Then, his hand completed fazed from view, which dropped the Kamen Rider Chronicle Gashat onto the ground. Then, one by one, the Ride-Players' bodies slowly began to disappear as well.
"No…" They all mumbled. "I… I don't want to to disappear!"
Shoutarou then turned to Lis.
"Rika…!" He spluttered, beginning to run towards her.
Liz stretched her hand, as Shoutarou got closer. Just then, the Ride-Players and Shoutarou completely dissipated into nothingness. In the place where they used to be, sat all of Ex-Aid's equipment, such as his Gashats and his Gamer Driver.
"You get no continues, BTW!" Poppy added. "Be careful with your only life next time!"
"Aim for the number one spot!" Poppy cheered. "Let's game!"
And with that, Poppy disappeared again. Liz was speechless, only collapsing onto her knees. Asuna and Leafa covered their mouths with their hands, and the doctors just looked away, with the exception of Emu, who just grimaced. Para-DX sighed happily, and cancelled out of his transformation.
"Well?" Pallad asked. "Is this the most exciting game in the world or what?"
Emu and the SAO gang did not respond for a while. But Emu was able to say a few words.
"Why…" He whispered. "Why would you do this…"
"Because I can't stand you humans." Pallad replied.
Everyone perked up at that phrase. Pallad then walked over to Ex-Aid's items.
"You humans think you're on top of the world…" Pallad explained. "But this game helps break that line."
"You see… Kamen Rider Chronicle isn't a game where humans defeat Bugsters…" Pallad went on, picking up the Gamer Driver and Mighty Brothers XX Gashat. "It's a game where Bugsters defeat humans."
"A game to exterminate humanity!" Pallad concluded.
Everyone froze at that. Silica quickly cowered behind Sinon, who covered her with her free arm. Pallad then turned his attention to Kirito.
"You guys should be familiar with this situation, right?" He asked. "That whole Sword Art Online thing…"
Kirito clenched a fist very hard. He knew what exactly Pallad was talking about. His memoery of losing Sachi and his first Guildmates was not something he wanted to look back on. Pallad smiled, and just tossed all of Ex-Aid's items over to Emu.
"Relish those who disappeared in this game." Pallad stated. "Play the game."
And with that, Pallad turned around, and dissipated into the air. Emu gathered up his stuff, but then he yelled in frustration as loudly as he could. Everyone else just stood there, still trying to take this all in.
Back at the GENM Corp. basement, the Bugsters were enjoying their latest achievements.
"Looks like things are finally going our way." Graphite commented. "It will only be a matter of time before we Bugsters claim this land for ourselves."
"But I want people to enjoy the game!" Poppy whined. "We need to attract more players!"
"Well, of course…" Ren agreed, getting up. "A one-sided game will not be a seller."
Then, he crouched down and presented Poppy with a bouquet of roses, to which she was surprised by.
"Poppy Pipopapo…" Ren then said with his voice changing. "We look forward to your next achievements…"
Poppy then slowly reached into the bouquet. She then grabbed two items from within. One was a device similar to the BugVisor that Graphite currently had, but it was turquoise, and the other is a pink and white Gashat.
"He's right!" Pallad complied. "A game is something meant to be enjoyed thoroughly! It's nothing without its dedicated ones!"
Poppy pondered as she took in the Gashat that was in her hand. The title of the game of the Gashat simply said Toki Meki Crisis.