Chapter 35: A Silver Lining
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)
It was another calm morning across the city. Everyone was walking down streets, minding their own businesses.
The same could be said for the Kirigaya household. Kazuto and Suguha were having breakfast. They also had the TV on with the news, and were using it as background noise. Kazuto yawned loudly.
"Up late again?" Suguha teased.
"Yeah…" Kazuto replied. "Just couldn't sleep properly."
They both looked at the TV, with the news still going on. Just then, the screen blacked out, and then it showed GENM Corp. logo with the music of Kamen Rider Chronicle. Then, Amagasaki Ren appeared on screen.
"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen." He started. "I am GENM Corporations' Chief Executive Officer… Amagasaki Ren!"
The siblings quickly stood up and moved over to the couch.
"What does this guy want?" Kazuto asked.
"A few days ago, the Ministry of Defense announced a recall of our newest game, Kamen Rider Chronicle." He went on. "And while that is a feature of our game, it is not a defect."
This was also being shown all over the city. So, the other SAO players were watching it. In addition, the doctors were watching this from Hiro's office as well. Even Taiga and Nico were watching, despite through Nico's phone.
"When all of the Bugsters are defeated and their prizes have been collected…" Ren continued. "You can summon the final boss. And when that final boss is defeated…"
He paused for effect.
"All of the deceased players…" He concluded. "Will be revived!"
That delivered a shock. Kazuto choked on his cup of coffee, making Suguha help him back. Emu, on the other hand, actually dropped his cup of coffee, spilling all over the table.
"Even if you're a poor lass at studying or a physical activity…" Ren went on. "Or even personal matters aren't going in your favor… you can still be a hero!"
Ren then stood up and pulled out a Rider Chronicle Gashat from his shirt pocket. He then walked around his desk so that he is closer to the camera.
"Level up and beat the game…" He finished. "And you can save mankind. That is the way… of Kamen Rider Chronicle!"
He pressed the Gashat, and then his body pixelated into a Ride-Player.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE!
ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!
He then spun around to deliver his final line before the interview was cut.
"You… my friend…" He declared. "Are the hero of your story!"
Then, the interview ended. Everyone was abuzz thanks to that. They all began to talk about the players who already got a Game Over from Kamen Rider Chronicle.
Nico had a thought. Just as Taiga was out of sight, she quickly snuck away. Taiga had other plans. He had departed to GENM Corp.
Later that day, the SAO players have reconvened at Hiro's office. All the talk they've had up until now was just the announcement that Ren made that morning.
"They're still trying to get people to play this hell game…" Rika muttered.
"But…" Emu spoke up, who had thrown away the last bit of paper towels he used to clean up his coffee spillage. "Is it possible to bring back the players who vanished?"
"Of course not!" The entire room shouted at him.
Suguha quickly moved over beside Emu and whispered into his ear.
"Quick to the trigger, aren't ya?" She remarked.
Emu then realized that he just had a lapse in judgement. Other than Shino, he and Suguha were the only ones in the room that weren't trapped in devil game known as Sword Art Online. And that game is already known for its massive body count.
"There is no way to bring back a lost life." Kazuto made clear. "I found that out the hard way."
A memory flashed into his brain. It was of a particular girl that he knew. He shook it off, ignoring it.
Just then, to break the moment of tension, the alarms went off. Another patient was found. The doctors darted out of the office, with the SAO players right behind them.
The Bugster was located in a nearby amusment park. It was Revol. He was currently with his Bugster soldiers fighting a Ride-Player. All of the bystanders have fled, but the Ride-Player stayed. She was still trying to beat Revol. But she was getting close, as the Bugster soldiers just tossed her around like a doll. One even locked her arms to keep her from moving.
"Let go!" She demanded.
"Target locked." Revol said, as he charged his cannon.
He pulled the trigger, and the cannon bullet landed on the Ride-Player. She was blown back, and was thrown into a pillar. She grunted, and cancelled out of her transformation. That's when Emu and Hiro ran up.
"Are you okay, ma'am?" Emu called.
Emu quickly helped the patient up while Hiro just checked her over.
"Revol's disease." He stated.
Emu nodded, and quickly moved the Ride-Player to safety.
"Please, don't move." He asked. "We'll cure you of your game disease."
"Thank you…" The Ride-Player answered.
Then, the two doctors put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats. They were about to activate it, but they were stopped by call.
"Hold the phone!" The voice called.
The SAO players, in Ordinal Scale, also walked up just in time, only to see that Nico had arrived.
"I'll be going at him!" She declared.
She raised her hand, and she showed them something rather surprising. It was a Rider Chronicle Gashat. She smiled as she pressed it.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…
She then did a little dance, and twirled around. She outstretched the Gashat and smiled again.
"Game start!" She called, pressing the Gashat.
ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!
Nico's body then slowly pixelated, but something odd happened. Normally, a Ride-Player just gets normal brown armor on their body and that's just about it. Nico got a whole new armor set. On the brown torso armor, she gained a little sticker with her name on it. On the arm armor, she has the bracelets that she always wore as well. Then, to top it off, she also got the hat she always wore.
"The strongest… cutest… player!" She started. "Ride-Player Nico… is here!"
She got excited, and she prepared herself.
"Hey!" Hiro called. "What are you doing?"
"Buzz off, rarity!" Nico called. "I'm clearing this game!"
She then quickly trotted over to where the SAO players were standing. Since Leafa was the closest, she quickly grabbed her sword.
"Hey!" She exclaimed.
"I'm borrowing this!" Nico called.
She then ran over to Revol, who was trying to assess what was going on. Nico landed right in the middle of a firing squad that he brought with. They all fired, but Nico just simply ducked, and the Bugster soldiers just shot themselves. She stood back up, only to see that the only one left was Revol. She swung the sword around, and charged. Revol began to fire his machinegun, but Nico just used a serpentine move to dodge them. Once she got close enough, she slashed Revol upward. Revol was launched back into a hotdog stand.
"Switching to heavy armaments." He stated.
He then opened up a panel on his arm, which revealed two missiles. He fired them. The missiles flew at her, but Nico was smart. She found an Energy Item, and used it to defend.
REFLECT!
She then twirled and used her sword to fling the missiles right back at Revol. The missiles exploded in Revol's face, knocking him back.
"I'll finish it with this!" Nico then declared.
She looked around and saw a roller coaster track above her. She quickly clambered up a nearby tree and got on the track. Luckily, no roller coasters were going by at the moment.
"Kimewaza!" She called. "Nico… Critical… Slash!"
She then raised the sword over her head, and then jumped down towards Revol. She slammed the sword down, landing a critical hit on Revol. Revol exploded into a fiery smoke. The smoke cleared quickly, and then the announcement went on.
GAME CLEAR!
"Yay!" Nico cheered. "I did it!"
The SAO players slowly walked over to the doctors, who were just as stunned as they are.
"Okay…" Kirito said. "She's good."
Nico tossed Leafa's sword aside, then something caught her attention. There was a small flickering light that had gotten her way to her palm. She threw up her hand, and the light took form. It was the Bang Bang Shooting Gashat, only that the top part was a stub, and there was no black hold.
"What's this?" She asked.
And then on cue, Poppy pixelated into the area.
"Hi~!" She called. "You called?"
Everyone looked over and saw Poppy.
"When you beat a Bugster, the special token of reward is a Gashat-Trophy!" Poppy explained. "On top of that, you're the first Ride-Player in the entire country to beat a Bugster!"
She then pulled out a confetti-cannon out of nowhere, and fired it at her.
"Congratulations!" She cheered.
Nico then celebrated as the confetti rained down from above.
"Keep fighting and beat Bugster until the last boss!" Poppy reminded. "Let's game!"
And on that note, she disappeared. Nico then cancelled out of her transformation.
Then, the SAO players walked over to Nico, while Hiro and Emu moved onto the Ride-Player, who was just cured.
"Why are you playing this game?" Hiro asked, picking up her Gashat. "The Ministry should've made it clear of its ban."
"I'm sorry…" She admitted. "It's just… my little brother got a Gamer Over from this game."
Everyone stopped at that. People are actually buying into the whole players can be revived thing?
"I want to bring him back!" She explained. "He'll come back if I clear the game, right?"
"Well…" Emu began.
He then looked up at Hiro. He shook his head unnoticeably. Emu nodded, and then just changed the subject.
"At least you're okay." Emu smiled, picking her up. "Leave the rest of us to CR."
The girl nodded, and then walked off. Hiro then turned his attention to Nico, who was just being congratulated by the SAO players.
"Then there's you." Hiro stated. "Explain yourself."
"What?" Nico asked confidently. "You got a probl-"
She stopped when she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her body. She pixelated orange, and fell on her knees. Sinon and Silica quickly caught her, and Emu quickly rushed over.
"Great…" Hiro sighed. "More unnecessary work."
Then, slowly, everyone hlped Nico into CR.
Taiga quickly rushed into the CR patient room. He saw Nico lying in bed with Emu quickly scanning her over.
"Looks like you're infected with Vernier." Emu answered.
"Vernier, huh?" Nico admitted.
Taiga was overwhelmed with anger right now. Nico had made some dumb mistakes before, but this just was something even she should've avoided.
"Just what the hell were you thinking?!" He yelled as he walked up to her bedside.
Nico glared back at him, propping herself back up.
"What the hell, dude?" She shot back. "It's my turn to shine."
Taiga's face was a mixture of confusion and anger, but Nico had her reasons to back her up.
"Look, I've been just sitting and watching all this time." She explained.
She then reached into her pocket. She pulled out her Rider Chronicle Gashat.
"But with this…" She said. "I can finally help. No one can clear a game faster than I can."
Taiga was really getting tired of this. He wasn't putting up with this anymore.
"You know that game is dangerous." He said. "You get a game over, it's all over!"
"You don't think I know that?" Nico glared back. "There's no way we could get a game over!"
She then laid back down with a pout. Taiga extended his hand out.
"Hand it over." He ordered.
Nico didn't react, so Taiga tried to force it out of her hands, but when he did, Nico yelled in pain as she pixelated orange at an alarming rate.
"Taiga! Stop!" Emu pleaded, breaking the two apart. "You're accelerating her condition!"
"Looks like not being able to play games is her likely source of stress." Hiro added.
"Huh?" Taiga muttered.
Nico then got back up, and just shoved Taiga onto the floor. She then got off her bed and let out her steam.
"All you worry about are Gashats!" She cried. "'I'm the only Kamen Rider they need' my ass!"
She then got on top of Taiga and began to slap him weakly.
"You act like my doctor, but you don't even do anything for me!" She cried. "When I even asked you to beat M for me, but you didn't! Just why are you caring for me?!"
Taiga then just shoved Nico off of him, and then he let out his frustration out.
"You're the one that barged in!" He shouted back.
"Oh, right…" Nico replied. "Then what I do shouldn't concern you!"
She then ran back to her bed, but Taiga got back up to go after her. Emu tried to stop him, but Hiro beat him. He grabbed Taiga by the shoulders and pushed him out of the patient room.
Hiro pushed Taiga out to the hallways, where Taiga just angrily punched a wall.
"We'll handle her game disease." Hiro said.
"It won't matter!" Taiga retorted. "Even if you cure her, she'll just play Kamen Rider Chronicle, so she'll be infected again!"
"Then why did you overlook her safety?" Hiro asked.
Taiga took his fist off of the wall, and looked away from Hiro.
"It's none of your business." He said.
Hiro then sat down at a seat nearby.
"It was only a matter of time she lost her patience." He stated plainly. "With that attitude, you ignored what she wanted to do and didn't try to understand how she thinks."
"Shaddup." Taiga whispered.
He then angrily walked down the hall. Hiro watched as Taiga disappeared, and then Hiro just turned back and reentered the patient room.
Meanwhile, in a nearby city street, the SAO gang were casually taking a stroll down the street. However, someone was a bit off. Shino was on the phone, talking with someone. After a bit of explaining and talking, Shino then hung up the phone.
"Well?" Kazuto asked.
"We're clear." Shino replied.
Everyone then nodded, and quickly darted down the street toward a specific location.
A little while later, they were now in the nearby playground, and were just chilling out in some benches.
"You sure this is going to be okay?" Ryotarou asked.
"We got clearance." Kazuto explained. "And besides, this might be a way to help."
"But… what about Nico?" Keiko asked. "When she tried it, she got infected!"
"I mean, we got the immunity surgery, so an infection should be preventable…" Rika added. "But still, it's not a guarantee."
"I get it: This game isn't safe." Kazuto sighed, but we can't just sit around and do nothing. Let's get going."
He then turned on Ordinal Scale, turning into Kirito. The others followed after him, all turning into their Ordinal Scale Avatars. Once that was done, Kirito reached into his pocket to grab a certain item.
"Here goes nothing…" He muttered to himself.
He pressed on that certain item, activating a game area.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…
Kirito pressed it one more time, and then his body began to pixelate again.
ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!
Kirito's body pixelated, but nothing happened. Normally, when someone activates Kamen Rider Chronicle, they get turned into the brown-armored Ride-Player. But, for him, nothing happened. Kirito then pressed the Gashat again, disengaging the game. While no signs of game disease immediately sprang up, but still, nothing happened.
"That's odd…" He admitted.
The others also used their Rider Chronicle Gashats, but then again, much like him, nothing happened.
"Okay…" Klein said. "Should this be happening…?"
"Um…" Everyone else muttered. "No?"
"Well, we proved one theory." Kirito said. "This game has no effects on us."
Everyone smiled lightly, knowing that they'll be able to help the Rider Doctors now.
"Wait." Silica spoke up, looking around. "Where's Sinon?"
Kirito and the others looked around. They were too busy buying their Gashats and then testing their theory of their Rider Chronicle Gashats, they never noticed that Sinon wasn't around.
"She must've gone off somewhere." Leafa suggested.
"Well, she doesn't have to go through it like we did." Asuna commented. "I'll text her."
Speaking of Sinon, or Shino, she had gone inside the GENM Corp. building. After she had bought her Gashat, she saw Taiga walking into the building. While normally, she would've ignored him, but ever since Nico joined, she had been seeing him a lot lately. So, she had quietly followed him inside.
Back in the basements of that said building, a computer screen was showing statistics. It was a line graph, with the right end just soaring to the top of the y-axis.
"Wow!" Poppy yelped happily. "The playerbase is so large now!"
She then happily hopped over to Pallad, who was playing with his portable game device.
"Pallad! Your idea worked!" She smiled.
Pallad also smiled in turn, and then spoke his mind.
"It's only natural." He explained. "Humans value lives the most."
"Lives…?" Poppy muttered.
"Unlike us Bugsters, they only have one chance at it." Pallad went on. "And because of that desire to protect their lives, medical care flourishes."
Poppy thought for a bit, and then slammed her hands together.
"Oh!" She called. "If they think they'll be able to bring back those lives, they'll play the game super harder, right?"
"Bingo." Pallad smiled.
Meanwhile, in the CEO office of the building, Ren was just casually looking through letters from from the two employees that were at his desk. It was letters of resignation.
"What are you doing with this game, sir?" One of them asked. "Are you trying to bring down our company, Mr. CEO?"
"Please… calm yourselves." Ren said. "No one will bring this company down…"
"As long as…" He then said, menacingly ripping the letters into two. "The lives of those that vanished are at stake…"
"So, a corrupt company never changes even with a new CEO?" barged in a voice.
Everyone then turned to see Taiga just strolling into the office with a security guard right behind him.
"I'm sorry, sir." He apologized. "He just barged In-"
"Please." Ren hushed the peanut gallery. "No need for haste. You are all excused."
Then, the two employees and the security guard left the office, leaving Taiga and Ren alone. But they left in such a hurry, they just zoomed past Shino, who hid by the couches outside the office. She quickly peered out and watched what Taiga was doing.
"I don't believe you've made an appointment with me…" Ren chuckled.
"Just cut the crap with bringing back the people that vanished already." Taiga demanded.
"I'm afraid I can't do that." Ren replied nonchalantly.
Taiga angrily slammed his hands down on Ren's desk, getting more furious by the second.
"I know that it was all a lie!" He shouted. "You even dragged women and children who love games into this…"
Ren, realizing what all this was about, just stood up from his chair and walked out to one of the spare tables.
"Oh…" He pondered. "I see what this is about… It's about her, isn't it? Saiba Nico… was it?"
"Afraid of losing her?" He added.
Taiga looked back at him with scornful eyes, slowly ready to peak.
"But… don't you have a replacement for her?" Ren added slyly. "A girl by the name of Asada Shino…"
Shino pulled a face when she heard her name slightly there. Taiga, got furious on the other hand. He grabbed Ren by his collar and pinned him to a wall.
"Just who the hell are you?!" He shouted.
"Please let go." Ren asked politely. "These suits are hard to come by."
"Why are you helping the Bugsters?!" Taiga demanded.
"I said you are wrinkling it!" Ren shouted, letting out a scream.
That scream was enough to blow Taiga back into Ren's desk, flipping the table over in the process. Shino, now ignoring her first priority of avoiding exposure, ran into the office and over to Taiga.
"Taiga!" She called. "You alright?"
Taiga didn't pay attention to her, as he was more concerned with Ren.
"Wait…" He said. "You're a Bugster?!"
Ren stood up straight, and try to flatten out the wrinkles on his suit.
"Ruffians like you…" He called out. "Are what I distaste among humans!"
"Then…" He then said, voice changing and putting a rose into his mouth. "Shall I seduce her?"
Then, Ren twirled as he dissipated into thin air. Taiga stood up to go after him, but Ren was already gone. He scowled, as Shino just stood beside him.
Back in the hospital, Hiro was eating his weekly intake of sugar, which is a slice of cake. He saw his phone vibrate, which happened to be a text. He read it, as it was from Ministry, and then put it back down, going back to his cake. Just then, Nico walked in, with Emu right behind her.
"Why are you letting the patient into my office?" Hiro asked.
"You think I let her?" Emu replied. "She just got out of bed on her own!"
"There's stuff on Vernier around here, right?" Nico asked.
"Yeah…" Emu replied. "But we would be at a lot more of an ease if you were in the quarantine room."
"I'll cure myself, thank you very much." Nico shot back.
She then moved over to one of the couches, and pulled out her game console. She turned it on, and began to play.
"But…" Hiro spoke up. "That was quite something from a genius gamer, beating Revol that quickly."
"That was nothing." Nico replied. "But Taiga… I just don't get that guy!"
"Gaming is my career." She went on. "And Taiga's treating it like some crime!"
"At least try to understand his concern for you." Emu chimed in.
"I do!" Nico shouted back, kicking Emu in his groin. "It's just… why do I have to understand him? He doesn't even make sense half the time!"
Just then, the alrams went off in his office. The doctors responded, but Nico was the first one to run off. They knew it had to be Vernier, so Nico took the lead. Emu and Hiro ran right behind her.
"Hey." Hiro called, still running.
"Yes?" Emu replied.
"You got that text from the Ministry, right?" Hiro asked.
"Yes." Emu answered. "You think it might be for the best?"
Hiro didn't reply, but simply made a face. That was enough of an answer for Emu.
Meanwhile, walking down a river, Taiga and Shino just received the alarm as well through their phones. Taiga was about to throw his phone out of frustration, but he stopped himself, with Nico's words echoing through his mind.
"Hey!" Sinon called. "Are we going or not?"
Taiga looked down, pondering what to do.
It was just as they thought. Vernier was fighting a Ride-Player in some kind of park with a large fountain nearby. The Ride-Player was trying his hardest to even land a hit on him, but Vernier would just basically bounce him from the ground like a basketball.
"There he is!" Nico called.
"Nico, it'd be best if you stayed back." Emu suggested.
"Over my dead body!" Nico shot back.
"Let's just finish this before her stress go out of hand." Hiro replied.
Emu and Hiro put on their Gamer Drivers and pulled out their Gashats, but they were stopped by someone. From behind a tree, Ren walked out with a rose in his hands.
"Welcome, gentlemen." He said.
"GENM'S CEO?" Emu asked.
"What are you doing here?" Hiro asked.
"Well, I called this in, of course!" Ren replied, twirling.
He then pointed at Nico, who got startled a bit.
"These pests shall be rid of by yours truly." Ren declared. "Please, miss, enjoy the game to your heart's content."
He reached into his jacket, and then pulled out a BugVisor. He pressed the A Button, beginning its startup sequence.
"Baiou…" He said with his voice changing.
He pressed the A Button once more, and then he changed form.
INFECTION!
LET'S GAME! BAD GAME! DEAD GAME! WHATCHA NAME?!
THE BUGSTER!
Ren's body turned into a Bugster with white cloak and shoulder pad that seemed to resemble a bouquet, and his legs were green. He twirled around, placing one foot on its toes, and made pose resembling a stroked chin.
"Now come out, my lovely girls!" He then called.
And on that note, Poppy and a group of Bugsters in maido outfits appeared.
"The game begins!" Poppy declared.
"What in the world…?" Hiro muttered.
"Poppy?" Emu questioned.
But they had no time, and they just went to activating their Gashats.
MIGHTY ACTION X!
TADDLE QUEST!
"Alrighty then!" Nico smiled, activating her Gashat.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…
"Proceeding to Level 2." Hiro said. "Henshin."
"Dai Henshin!" Emu called.
Then they both inserted their Gashats into their Gamer Drivers, and then they opened them up.
GASHATTO!
GACHANN! LEVEL UP!
"Game Start!" Nico called, pressing her Gashat again.
MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!
TADORU MEGURU! TADORU MEGURU! TADDLE QUEST!
ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!
They all transformed into their respective Rider forms. With Hiro and Emu becoming Brave and Ex-Aid, and Nico just becoming her Ride-Player self.
Nico then ran over to Vernier. Brave and Ex-Aid went after her, but the Bugster stopped them by blowing them away with a twirl.
"Now, go get them, my lovely girls!" He called.
Then, all of the maido Bugsters ran towards them, with the Bugster himself and Poppy staying behind.
The maido Bugsters… had a unique fighting style. For example, with Brave, they just bopped him back forth in between themselves, with an occasional slap here and there. With Ex-Aid, they did the same, the only difference being that they would sometimes bump him with their bums. Snipe's appearance didn't make the situation any better. As he ran up, he fired the Gashacon Magnum, but every direct hit was registered as a "MISS!" He continued on, but the Bugster had other ideas.
"Oh, I don't think so!" He called.
He extended out his hand, and several strings of vines at Snipe, binding him. He threw him away from the fight, but Snipe quickly retaliated by firing more shots. However, the Bugster just spun around, flower petals flying everywhere, making the laser blasts dance around him. Then, raising one hand, the laser shots were directed right onto Ex-Aid, Brave, and Snipe.
Meanwhile, Nico tumbled on the ground, but she stood back up quickly. She quickly ran forward for a punch, but Vernier just fired a barrage of bullets that just forced her back. Once Vernier stopped firing, he took to the air and dove down at Nico. Nico braced herself, but something caught her attention.
KAMEN RIDER CHRONICLE…
ENTER THE GAME! RIDING THE END!
Sinon jumped into the scene, holding her Ordinal Scale sniper rifle. She held it up, and pulled the trigger. Vernier smoked a bit, and landed a few feet away from Nico.
"Hey!" She called. "Where did you come from?"
"You're welcome." Sinon replied, with an eyebrow raised.
Then, behind her, the rest of the SAO gang appeared. They all just put away their Rider Chronicle Gashats away for a bit.
"So, what did we miss?" Kirito asked, pulling out his sword.
"Oh, not much." Sinon replied.
Then, together, with Nico going ahead, the entire SAO gang attacked Vernier.
Meanwhile, back with the Riders, they tumbled to the front of a large fountain. The Bugster walked down to them, arms crossed, and his entourage of maido Bugsters and Poppy behind him.
"Now then…" He said, still in his seductive voice. "How about you all come at me?"
"Master Lovelica~~!" Poppy cheered, with the Bugsters maidos squealing.
The Riders slammed their fists on the ground, and just raged their frustration on Lovelica, who, still somehow registered all of their hits as misses. He twirled around, unleashing an aura that sent them back again. Snipe growled, and fired several more shots, but Lovelica received no damage.
"You're making my heart pound!" He called, doing a small Michael Jackson-esque pelvic thrust move. "OW!"
"Don't get too cocky!" Brave shouted.
He and Ex-Aid slashed together, this time, holding their blades down on Lovelica's body. However, those were still registered as misses, which got them thrown back to Snipe.
"None of our attacks are working!" Ex-Aid said.
"Well, only ruffians resort to violence, no?" Lovelica chuckled.
Then, he made an X shape with his arms. Then, the maido Bugsters and Poppy together yelled "Boo, boo!"
A large X suddenly appeared and landed on the bodies of the three Riders. While nothing happened, only a dark and gloomy anime cloud just appeared over them.
"Wait, booing?" Ex-Aid asked.
"I am Lovelica." Lovelica introduced himself. "My game, Toki Meki Crisis, is a game where you use your personal charm to appeal to the opposite gender, winning their hearts!"
As he explained his game, the maido Bugsters lined up beside him, letting Lovelica greet them one by one. At the end of the line, he stroked Poppy's chin, making her comically faint and the other maido Bugsters catch her.
"And… her wish to play this game is pure!" Lovelice announced, pointing to somewhere far off.
He was pointing at Nico, who was currently locked arms with Vernier. However, she didn't seem to be excepting the help of the SAO Players. When Vernier threw her off, he fired his machine guns, which Kirito and Klein both deflected the bullets from. Nico would just stand tall, and just shove them out of the way, only wishing to get the final blow on Vernier herself.
"To her, I say…" Lovelica smiled. "I-Love-You!"
Then, all of the maido Bugsters and Popyp squealed, all assortment of hearts all flowing out of them. They all gathered around above Lovelica, who just absorbed them into his body. He glowed a bit.
"Let me share some with you!" He called out.
He then threw out three hand gestures, which fired out three heart shaped energy blasts. They landed on the three Riders' chests, and, somehow, they were blown into the air, and then dropped into the fountain. They all cancelled out of their transformation as well.
GASHUNN!
"What… was that?" Hiro asked.
"That was an attack!" Emu deduced. "I think… it was a spell that uses words with a high level of charm!"
Then, all of the maido Bugsters, Poppy, and Lovelica began to point and laugh at the three Riders' humiliating predicament, but the Riders weren't paying attention to that.
Nico, who had just been kicked out of the way, looked over and saw Taiga. She quickly got up to speak to him.
"Taiga!" She called. "Why are you here? Don't get in my way!"
Vernier went for an opening, but the SAO gang blocked his path. So, Vernier responded appropriately. He took to the air, and fired a set of rockets at the SAO gang, which sent them flying into the water fountain as well. He also wasted no time in firing another set of rockets at Nico, which also sent her flying into the water fountain. However, Taiga caught her, stumbling a bit. The other two Riders helped the SAO gang. As a result of Vernier's attack, they all cancelled out of their transformations.
"Are you okay?" He asked.
However, Nico wasn't having any of that. She just kicked Taiga off of her.
"Shaddup!" She yelled. "This is your fault!"
Taiga fell again, but he caught himself before his full body became submerged in the water. All the while, Lovelica and his Bugster entourage laughed on.
"Well, would you look at that?" He smirked. "A word of advice: Raise your charm!"
"Oh, but what am I saying?" He corrected himself. "Conceited ruffians like you will never be able to do such a feat, so why am I even telling you this?"
He laughed loudly, along with his Bugster entourage. Taiga, realizing something, stood up, and faced Lovelica with piercing eyes.
"I don't fight because I like to." He stated, making everyone stop and turn to him for a bit. "Everyone has a future they can call their own… That's why I fight, as I have nothing else left… No matter how hard the fight will be… or whoever resents me for it… I'll fight alone."
"But…" He added, looking over to Nico. "Despite not having a license, you said I'm your doctor. That made me happy in a long time."
He walked over to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder, uncharacteristically soothingly for him.
"If being unable to play games stresses you, then I won't stop you anymore." He said. "Just… don't leave my side."
"Taiga…" Nico whispered.
Then, he walked over to Shino. She had picked herself up, but was still stumbling a bit.
"And you, Shino." He said. "Do you still resent me about your mother?"
Shino stopped a bit, taken aback by his question. Shino stuttered a bit, but eventually came to an answer.
"I've gotten past her death…" She admitted. "But… I'd be lying if the resentment was still… kind of there."
"Despite this, you stand by me." Taiga responded. "Why?"
"Well…" Shino stuttered again. "I guess… blaming you isn't going to get me anywhere… so…"
Taiga, satisfied with the answer, then turned back to face the Bugsters. Lovelica was befuddled by what was going on, but the maido Bugsters were began to gleam with affection. Taiga pulled out his Gashat Gear Dual β and twisted the knob.
BANG BANG SIMULATIONS!
I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP! I'M READY! FOR BATTLESHIP!
"Phase 50." He announced. "Henshin!"
He then inserted it into his Driver and opened the Driver.
DUAL GASHATTO!
GACHANN! DUAL UP!
SCRAMBLE DA! SHUTSUGEKI HASSHIN! BANG BANG SIMULATIONS! HASSHIN!
Taiga transformed into Snipe Lv 50 form. He quickly turned back to Nico.
"You're my patient." He said. "I'll cure your game disease no matter how many times you get infected."
Nico stayed silent, only being in awe. He then looked over to Shino.
"And this… is my atonement." He said. "For not being able to save her…"
Hiro heard most of it, but still, he just shrugged it off. Shino bit her lip, not knowing how to respond.
Vernier then began to charge at Snipe. He first went for a punch, but Snipe blocked it. He then gave him his own punch, followed by another kick to the body. He then landed an uppercut, which sent Vernier flying back onto his back, into the water. He then closed his Driver. He wasn't wasting time.
GACHANN! KIMEWAZA!
He quickly opened up his Driver again, and clasp his gauntlets together. The cannon barrels on his upper arm all positioned themselves towards Vernier, and began powering up.
BANG BANG CRITICAL FIRE!
He fired at Vernier, who took the blast all over his body and his face. As a result, he exploded, thus giving Snipe a Game Clear and curing Nico of her game disease.
GAME CLEAR!
After that was done, Snipe cancelled out of his transformation, and reverted back to Taiga.
GACHANN! GASHUNN!
Once that was done, Nico quickly hopped over to Taiga, grabbing hold of his arm.
"Taiga!" She called. "Would it be okay for me to say 'I'm sorry' now?"
Taiga just looked away, flustered.
"Just don't do it much." He replied.
Shino hobbled over to them. She just patted Taiga's shoulder with only a slight chuckle.
"Thank goodness…" Poppy whispered.
Emu saw this, and quickly got interested.
"Poppy…?" He asked.
However, Lovelica wasn't having any of it. He hastily tried to get his maido Bugsters' eyes off of Taiga. Speaking of which, the maido Bugsters all had hearts flowing out of them.
"Enough! Stop! Stop it, this instant!" He beckoned, throwing them all off their feet.
He quickly turned his frustration over to Nico and Shino.
"Well... you're the same!" He declared. "You both have no taste in men!"
"Is that so?" Shino responded.
"Well, you're super samui*!" Nico retorted.
That struck a nerve within Lovelica, as he went full anime-mode here. He froze over entirely, and then he was flung into the air. He landed back on the ground, but in the fountain with a loud thud. He was wet all over, but he tried to keep it professional.
"Dislike me all you want!" He said hastily, all flustered. "But you'll soon fall for me!"
He then splashed some water and disappeared away, along with his maido Bugsters and Poppy.
"What's up with that guy?" Shino asked.
Just then, Emu walked up to them.
"Taiga. Nico." He said. "From now on, can we fight together against the Bugsters?"
"HUH?" Nico sounded loudly. "No way in hell I'd co-op with you!"
She then shoved Emu really hard, making him fall into the water again. Kazuto and Ryotaro quickly picked him though.
"We'll clear Kamen Rider Chronicle." Taiga declared.
Then, together with Nico, he began to walk away. As they went along, Nico suggested that they eat something warm.
"Looks like you weren't the one to return her smile." Hiro commented.
However, Shino was confident.
"Taiga can look after her." She said. "They'll be fine."
Then, the SAO gang and the two doctors also began to walk away. As they went though, Rika and Suguha complained about being wet, so Kazuto treated them to a nice, warm bowl of ramen at a restaurant nearby. Unfortunately, he didn't have any cash on him, so Emu had to pay for it.
Later that night, Emu was back home, lying on his bed. He had his AmuSphere on as well.
Emu, as Ex-Aid in ALO, was just walking around Brave's mansion. He entered his room to sort out some item he had gotten in a recent quest he had been on. As he walked over to his item drawer, he noticed something. It was something on small coffeetable by the side of his bed. It was a small bed, small enough to fit a pixie in. He remembered something, and began to hope for the best.
"Thank goodness…"
"Poppy…" He whispered, walking over to the bed.
He then began to make the small bed.
"That smile…" He whispered to himself.
*(Samui means cold/lame in Japanese)