Ex-Aid Online

by Jinova108

When the threat of the Bugsters threatens every AR game in existence, heroes must rise. Will Kirito, Asuna, and the others join forces with the Kamen Riders to exterminate them, or will the virus overrun them all?

39. An Unlikely Ally

Chapter 39: An Unlikely Ally

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

(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 next morning came around faster than they thought. Now, normally, both the doctors and the SAO players would be minding their own business, but the appearance of Dan Kuroto had got them on their toes.

Speaing of which, they were currently watching a screen where Poppy and Kuroto were busily going back and forth about room décor.

"Wait! That's doesn't fit my room at all!" She complained.

However, Kuroto seemed to be just ignoring her, as he just kept on moving chairs and small coffee tables around. He even added some posters to the walls. On top of that, he had just made a giant line with his side of the room and Poppy's.

"Just… stop…" Poppy whined. "Redecorating without my permission~~~!"

The SAO players had no words to describe this situation. Even Emu, Hiro, and Nico were speechless. Taiga, on the other hand, just got angry just looking at him.

"I have a lot of questions!" He shouted at the screen. "Get your ass out here, Dan Kuroto!"

Then, suddenly, the screen cut to a close-up of Kuroto's eyes. Following that was every other screen inside Hiro's office turning on to a close-up Kuroto's eyes. Everyone quickly got out of the small screen of Poppy's and just looked around the office.

"I have abandoned the name Dan Kuroto." He stated. "Ima watashi wa…"

There was a small silence. Everyone tensed up.

SHIN DAN KUROTO DA!

That was… surprising, to say the least. They just had a stunned look that is a mixture between confusion and more plain confusion. Then, suddenly, Kuroto pixelated in behind them. Pushing them aside to get up front, he turned around to face them.

"From now, I'll be using CR as my office." He smiled.

"And who said you could do that?" Hiro asked, going in for a tackle.

However, Kuroto just pixleated away and somehow rematerialized behind Hiro.

"I must say…" He commented, looking at his body. "Being a Bugster is quite convenient…"

Taiga approached him, but Poppy quickly pixelated in between them, stopping Taiga. With all of this going on, however, Emu had a question.

"Are you really Kuroto?" He asked. "How are you alive?"

"Well, I'm the gamemaster, dear friend." Kuroto smiled, sitting down on a chair. "You really thought I wouldn't think of a backup plan?"

Taiga, still mad, then turned his anger onto Poppy.

"Just why the hell did you revive this bastard?!" He shouted at her.

"Hey, back off!" Shino called.

"I… just wanted… to save Emu… from Pallad." Poppy choked out, scared of Taiga.

Emu looked over to Poppy briefly. She went as far as to revive their former enemy just to save him?

"Kuroto, just repent and apologize for what you did, okay?" She pleaded, standing up Kuroto.

"But… I don't believe I've done anything…" Kuroto replied. "That requires an apology."

Everyone stopped at that. This guy doesn't remember all of the atrocities he commited when he was still… alive as a human?

"A lot of people died because of you!" Poppy scolded.

"As long their save data is okay, nothing is at risk." Kuroto replied.

Everyone got confused when Kuroto said save data, but suddenly, one of the phones began to ring. Emu quickly rushed over and picked it up.

"This is Cyber Rescue Center." He said. "Thank you. We'll be going now."

Emu hung up the phone, and then he turned to everyone.

"We found a Bugster." He reported. "let's go."

"Sorry." Hiro replied. "I have an arrangement with a patient today."

"Okay then." Emu smiled. "We'll go."

Emu then proceeded to leave, with the SAO players trickling out one by one. Taiga, before he was escorted out by Nico, watched Hiro leave. He saw something that he didn't think he'd see from Hiro, but he couldn't say anything as Nico just shoved him away.

Back out by a coastal looking area, Charlie of Shakariki Sports had stolen a bike from a Ride-Player. He just did a wheelie and tore by the Ride-Player, who fell back.

"Give me back my bike!" She shouted.

"Sorry, bud!" Charlie called out. "But this is how you ride a bike!"

"Stop it!" shouted a voice.

Charlie looked up and saw Emu running towards him. He had just put on his Gamer Driver and inserted the Maximum Mighty X into the Gamer Driver. The other SAO players, in Ordinal Scale armor, were running a few feet away from him.

MAXIMUM GASHATTO!

GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!

MAXIMUM POWER! X!

Emu quickly transformed into Ex-Aid Level 99, and slid on the ground as he stopped.

"Get the patient out of here!" He ordered to the others.

"Got it." Kirito replied.

Then, as Ex-Aid charged at Charlie, Asuna and Leafa quickly grabbed the Ride-Player and pulled her away to safety.

"Bikey go!" Charlie cheered as he rode the bicycle towards Ex-Aid.

Then, the two began to converge on a point. However, Charlie did a bunny hop, hitting Ex-Aid with his front wheel. Ex-Aid stumbled but quickly recovered. Then, Charlie quickly made a quick turn and rode back towards Ex-Aid. He was ready this time. Then, with one swing of his arm, he punched Charlie off of the bike. He stood there, however, someone interrupted.

"Emu!" Pallad called.

Ex-Aid turned around and saw Pallad just casually walking towards him. He just put on his Gamer Driver, and pulled out his Gashat.

"Time to finish our duel." He smiled. "Our's got interrupted, just when I was about to show you the perfect defeat of a loser…"

Ex-Aid didn't have time to waste on Pallad. He already had his fight with him the previous chapter, but Pallad just wants more?

"The patient come first!" He said, turning back to Charlie.

Just then, Poppy walked into the scene. She just saw Pallad with his Gamer Driver on, holding his Gashat. So, she had to act fast. She quickly extended out her BugVisor, and a cloud of the orange Bugster virus assimilated in the space between Ex-Aid and Pallad. The cloud then quickly took the shape of Dan Kuroto.

"Pallad…" He growled with a smile.

Pallad sighed in annoyance. He wasn't going to put up with this crap.

"You again?" He asked.

"How dare you use my Gamer Driver without my permission?!" Kuroto scowled. "You shall suffer for your crime against the gamemaster!"

"Hey, just back up Emu!" Poppy called out.

Kuroto ignored her, and just put on his Gamer Driver and pulled out his Gashat.

MIGHTY ACTION X!

A black Game Area spread around, and Kuroto just hung the Gashat by his finger.

"Grade 0." He said, inserting the Gashat. "Henshin!"

GASHATTO! GACHANN! LEVEL UP!

MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!

Kuroto transformed into Kamen Rider Genmu Level 0. Pallad, realizing that he's not going to find a buy, just inserted his Gashat.

DUAL GASHATTO!

"Max Dai Henshin." He said.

GACHANN! MAZARU UP!

AKAI KOBUSHI TSUYOSA! AOI PUZZLE RENSA! AKA TO AO NO KOUSA! PERFECT KNOCK OUT!

Pallad transformed into Kamen Rider Para-DX Level 99. Then, with that done, Genmu just lunged himself at Para-DX.

"Kuroto!" Poppy insisted. "Help Emu with the patient!"

Genmu just ignored her, and just madly swung his punches and kicks at Para-DX, all of them missing. Para-DX landed two critical punches on Genmu's torso, but Genmu persisted.

Meanwhile, Ex-Aid focused back on Charlie, who had just propped the bike back up and began to ride it away. Ex-Aid went after him as fast as his large Level 99 body could.

"Help me!" Charlie cried as he rode on.

He pedaled faster, but he never anticipated a kick from someone. With the force, Charlie was thrown back, tumbling on the ground. Ex-Aid, not realizing this, just walked up to him.

"Let's finish this!" He smiled, pulling out the Gashacon Breaker of all things.

However, he never got the chance to use it. As when he pulled it out, Leafa stepped in and grabbed the weapon out of his hands. She also grabbed a Gashat off of Ex-Aid's belt.

"Hold it!" She smiled. "I'll finish this!"

"Wait, what-?" Ex-Aid began.

"Hey, don't you get it?" Kirito called out. "You can't clear a Bugster's stage unless a player clears it!"

Leafa, with the approval, quickly went up to Charlie, who was just getting back up. She pressed the A button of the Breaker, pulling out its blade form, and she just inserted the Gashat in.

GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!

Leafa then carefully placed the Breaker by her side, preparing for a final strike. Just as she charged, Nico ran in, hastily trying to get her kill.

"Hey, wait!" She cried. "Don't you even try and-!"

SHAKARIKI CRITICAL FINISH!

Leafa then charged, slashing straight through Charlie. Charlie yelled as he exploded. Leafa then twirled the Breaker aaround, like she had just won a kendo tournament. She then slightly bowed. She looked up and the Shakariki Sports Gashat-Trophy fell right on her hands.

GAME CLEAR!

"Bingo!" She cheered.

Nico stomped her feet angrily, and she turned around and just wailed on Taiga, who just sat there, looking away at her. By the looks of it, Nico was saying a lot of bad things at Taiga as she blamed him for not being able to get a kill. Despite this, Ex-Aid, reverting back to Emu, quickly went over to the Ride-Player, who had reverted back to her civilian form. Poppy had been protecting him for a while with Silica. Emu quickly checked her over, but then something caught his attention when he was done.

Genmu rolled on the ground, taking significant damage. Para-DX then grabbed his collar and picked him up. In a bizarre way, Genmu grabbed hold of the arm that Para-DX was using to pick him up.

"Got you!" He shouted.

Para-DX got confused, so Genmu decided to enlighten him.

"Level 0 is the power of nothingness!" He cackled. "And by that, I can suppress your virus upon any form of contact!"

"Consequently, your level is trickling down!" Genmu finished.

Para-DX quickly looked at his Level meter, and saw that it was declining fast. So, he quickly threw Genmu out of his hand, making his level drop stop at Level 75.

"How are you compatible again?" He asked. "I thought M reprogrammed you."

"Well, I am reborn as a Bugster with my human genes, so that makes me compatible again…" Genmu breathed. "Giving me to chance to punish you sins!"

Para-DX sighed. Genmu had just become more of a pain in his ass then before.

"Huh… just when I thought you couldn't get more annoying…" He groaned.

Genmu then just charged in. Para-DX responded by just turning the dial on his Gashat to the Knock Out Fighter side. He then closed his Driver,

GACHANN! URAWAZA!

Genmu just kept on charging in like a madman as Para-DX just opened up his Driver.

GACHANN!

KNOCK OUT CRITICAL SMASH!

Genmu threw a fist, but Para-DX ducked and nailed Genmu right on his chest.

"Die." He simply said.

K.O.!

Genmu experienced the full brunt of the blow, with his HP going down to 0 in an instant. And with that, Genmu fell on his knees and then dissipated into nothingness.

GAME OVER…

Everyone actually got wide-eyed by what they just saw. Genmu died to Para-DX in what just one go. Granted, the Level difference was massive, but still, he was done in one hit.

"Kuroto!" Poppy cried.

"He's dead?" Taiga and Nico both said.

Para-DX himself was surprised as well. However, he was more disappointed than sad.

"Well, that was anticlimactic." He admitted.

Then, he heard Kuroto's signature cackling. He looked around to see where it was coming from, and found the source. A purple pipe shaped like one from Mario, with the word "continue" on it with large letters. Then, with fanfare sound, Kuroto popped out of the pipe, smiling away as if nothing had happened.

"Wait-what?" Para-DX spluttered.

"He's back?" Taiga and Nico asked.

Kuroto smiled, and just showed off the black Mighty Action X Gashat to him.

"This Gashat is the very first one I developed." He said. "The alpha. It has a continue function built in."

"'Continue'?" Emu asked.

"Speaking of which, I have lost a life." Kuroto smiled, pointing next to him. "I now have 98 lives left!"

There, a life counter appeared. The number had decreased from 99 to 98. Para-DX sighed.

"Lame." He said, disappearing.

"Wait!" Kuroto shouted.

But it was too late, Para-DX had gone away.

"The game is not over!" He shouted into the air.

A seagull squawked overhead, as a little bit of time passed. When that time passed by, the former Ride-Player explained her reason for playing Kamen Rider Chronicle, with our heroes reverting back to their civilian states.

"I had a son in middle school." She said. "And he got a Game Over playing this game…"

"So… you were trying to save your son?" Rika asked.

"I will do anything for my son!" The former Ride-Player decalred.

And with that declaration, and a warning of avoid playing the game, the Ride-Player grabbed her bike and carried on her way. Along the way, Ryotarou decided to escort her back to her homestead.

"Playing an unfamiliar game to save her son…" Kuroto commented. "What a heroic mother."

Emu stared down Kuroto hard. He's complimenting the mother, but it seemed like he was doing it out of pity, instead of out of genuine care.

"Do you even understand her pain?" He asked. "The pain of losing a family…"

Poppy looked out to Kuroto. Then, something flashed before her eyes. It was the image of that same adult woman she had before, but this time, Kuroto, as an adult, was in it. The adult woman reached out to him, and as such, she also reached out to someone, only that someone being Emu. She stopped herself, but Emu looked worried. Poppy, shaking her head, then quickly whispered something to Emu. Then, grabbing Kuroto along their way, they returned back to the hospital.

Hiro walked into his office. He found that everyone else was present as well. Nico, Taiga, Kazuto, Asuna, Ryotarou, Yui, Rika, Suguha, and Keiko were here. Hiro sighed, as he just pulled out one his of chairs and sat down.

"This better be important." He said bluntly.

Emu and Poppy were standing at the front, as if they were about to announce something. They prepped themselves, and then they spoke.

"I finally remembered…" Poppy said. "…who I infected."

Everyone got wide-eyed when she said that. A Bugster remembered who their infected was. This could be a giant step forward for them.

"Well, who was it?" Taiga asked.

Poppy, in response, slowly moved around the table. Eventually, she now stood behind Kuroto, and Emu pulled out his tablet.

"Kuroto's…" Poppy finally spoke. "Mother."

Everyone, still wide-eyed, got even more stunned. This was quite the revelation. Emu put down his tablet and presented the records of his mother to Taiga and Hiro.

"Her name was Dan Sakurako." Emu explained. "She was a patient in this hospital some time ago. However, no records of her death were found."

"You infected her with the Bugster virus…" Poppy replied, turning to Kuroto. "And turned her into data, creating me."

"You wanted to preserve your mother's data before she died because you didn't want to lose her." She went on, crouching. "Is that why you created Kamen Rider Chronicle, to revive your mother?"

This time, Kazuto was got peaked. He knows that lost lives can't be restored, especially after the whole Sword Art Online debacle the others and he went through, but if this technology was possible, he just wanted to confirm.

"Well?" He asked.

Kuroto breathed in, and then spoke his mind.

"All I didn't want to lose…" He began. "Were my talents of a god!"

Everyone just got stunned again, albeit for a different reason.

"Ridding the world of my talents would be the biggest sin of all!" He declared, standing up. "And that's is why I preserved the data of lost lives, thus… creating the continue system."

"What kind of nonsense are you spouting…" Emu seethed, turning to Kuroto and clenching a small fist. "Treating lives like a game…?"

Despite this though, Hiro had a question too, but Kazuto also had one, but since their questions were essentially the same, Hiro spoke for both of them.

"Will clearing Kamen Rider Chronicle really bring back those who have vanished?" He asked.

"And if I said yes, what will you do?" Kuroto replied nonchalantly.

Hiro gritted his teeth, and just angrily stood up. He proceeded to leave his office, but Taiga stopped him.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

Hiro didn't reply. He just shoved Taiga out of the way, leaving. Taiga, interested, went after him. Nico followed. A few seconds later, Asuna stood up and walked out after Hiro. Kazuto quickly went after her, with Yui and Shino behind him. That left Suguha, Poppy, Rika, Kuroto, Keiko, Emu, and Ryotarou.

"This is a hospital…" Emu choked out, angrily glaring at Kuroto. "Not a place… for a person who doesn't understand the meaning… that a life can't be continued."

Those that had left the office had now gone off to the roof of the hospital. The sun was now just glistening the now assembled grey clouds.

"So, you mad at Genmu or something?" Nico asked.

Hiro didn't reply. He just stopped and just stared off into the distance.

"You believe what Genmu told you?" Taiga asked. "I mean, the side of you that is not a doctor?"

"You're no different from him, hoping to revive the loved one you lost." He went on, walking up beside him.

Hiro struggled for a bit, but he found an answer.

"No." He simply said, shaking his head. "Impossible!"

Taiga scoffed, and just reached into Hiro's pocket. Pulling his hand out, he also grabbed the Taddle Quest Gashat-Trophy.

"Then why did you swipe this from Asuna?" He asked.

Asuna, noticing the Gashat-Trophy, then quickly looked into her purse. She just noticed that the Gashat-Trophy she got Alhambra was missing.

"When did he-?" She whispered.

Hiro quickly swiped the Gashat-Trophy back from Taiga's grasp, and just sulked away.

"Laugh at me if you want." He said.

"Why would Taiga laugh?" Shino called out. "Actually, why would any of us laugh?"

Then, the crew quietly approached Hiro. They sympathsized with Hiro's dilemma, and tried to help him bare it.

"I'm only using Genmu so I extinguish the Bugsters… and then put an end to Kamen Rider Chronicle." Taiga explained.

Shino walked up, and made a display on her HUD. Conversely, everybody else got the same display, which showed every single Gashat-Trophy they had earned so far.

"We only need a few more to get to the upper-tier Bugsters." Nico explained.

"This time, I'm going to finish off Graphite." Taiga declared. "That's why you should personally witness what happens when we clear it."

Hiro bit his lip. Taiga was right. Unless they clear the entire game, there is no guarantee that the people who had lost their lives would return. It's quite the gamble to even trust the words of Dan Kuroto, who had deceived them for so long. He sighed, and silently returned the Taddle Quest Gashat-Trophy back to Asuna.

"I'm sorry…" He whispered.

"It's okay." Asuna replied. "At least we can do this together now."

Then, with that said, the crew slowly headed down back to Hiro's office.

Back in Hiro's office, Kuroto was silently drinking a cup of coffee while Emu just sat on the table. Ryotarou left because of some business, leaving Rika, Keiko, and Suguha. Suguha quickly pulled out her phone to check for any Bugster sightings, and as luck would have it, she did.

"Pallad has been sighted…" She whispered quietly.

Kuroto, with ears as sharp as a predator, slammed his cup of coffee and put the cup down. He then proceeded to leave. Poppy tried to stop him, but Dan didn't. He only stopped when Poppy threatened him with her BugVisor.

"Stop acting on your own!" She scolded.

"Just stop." Emu spoke up.

Everyone that stayed behind all turned to Emu. He had folded his hands together, and seemed really lethargic.

"He should've been by his mother's bedside when she was suffering from an illness…" Emu started. "But he doesn't even understand how obvious the importance of life should be to everyone."

"I do understand." Kuroto retorted. "That's why I will restore their save data and accomplish what you doctors cannot."

That was the final straw with Emu. He slammed his hands on the table, startling everyone. He then walked up to Kuroto and grabbed his collar. His eyes said everything. Kuroto was just making a game out of this whole situation. However, he just let go of him.

"Poppy… I'm sorry." He choked out, turning away. "I… just can't work with a man like this."

"I know…" Poppy replied, putting away her BugVisor. "Kuroto can never be forgiven for what he did…"

"But hey, stopping Kamen Rider Chronicle is our priority." She went on. "Kuroto, you should help us to minimize casualties!"

"Please… I begging you two…" She sobbed.

The two men stood there for a bit. Rika, Keiko, and even Suguha were just watching. They didn't want to interrupt, as they didn't want to be disrespectful.

"I'm going to eliminate Pallad." Kuroto said, pixelating away.

"Kuroto, wait!" Poppy shouted, pixelating away as well.

That just left the only humans in the area. Emu just propped himself on the table again, not knowing what to do exactly. Rika went up to him quietly, but stopped, as Emu just dashed out. Rika, not knowing what to do, just turned to the other girls. They didn't know what to do either.

In some kind of dam, two Ride-Players were fighting Para-DX. However, they were just too weak against him. So, they were back into a corner, right by a ledge.

"C'mon, where you going?" Para-DX smiled. "The game's not over, y'know."

"Pallad!" called a voice.

Para-DX then turned to direction of the voice and found Kuroto, Gamer Driver on, just silently walking towards him. He got annoyed, so he just let the Ride-Players go freely.

"You again?" He groaned.

"I'm here to eliminate you." Kuroto declared.

He pulled out his Gashat, and pressed it.

MIGHTY ACTION X!

"Grade 0." He said. "Henshin!"

He inserted the Gashat into the Driver, and quickly opened it to transform.

GASHATTO! GACHANN! LEVEL UP!

MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!

Kuroto transformed into Genmu Level 0, as Para-DX jumped down to face him. However, it was just a one-sided beating if anything. Genmu would just flail his arms and legs around as if he was punching and kicking, but nothing. All of them amounted to nothing, as Para-DX landed punches that actually landed on his body.

"Don't you ever know when to give up?" Para-DX asked as he kept on punching.

Just then, Poppy pixelated in as well. She turned to see Para-DX just beat up Genmu. Genmu was trying to put up a fight, but the level was just too big to balance out the fight.

"Kuroto!" She called. "Stop acting on your own!"

"You do not order me around…" Genmu growled.

"We have to work together!" Poppy insisted.

"Silence…" Genmu growled again.

"We have to work together!" Poppy cried. "Please listen to me!"

"AND I ORDER YOU TO BE SILENT!" Genmu burst out finally.

He had finally had enough of Poppy ordering around. So, ignoring her, he focused all of his attention onto Para-DX. Poppy, realizing this, faced the ground.

"Okay…" She whispered. "In that case…"

She then pulled out her cyan BugVisor, and put it on her waist.

GACHANN…

She also flipped out her Gashat, pressing it.

TOKI MEKI CRISIS!

As the Game Area spread, she twirled around and inserted the Gashat into the BugVisor.

"Henshin!" She called, pressing the button below the Gashat port.

GASHATTO! BUCKLE UP…

DREAMING GIRL! HEY! KOI NO SIMULATION! OTOME WA ITSUMO TOKI MEKI CRISIS! HEY!

Poppy quickly transformed into Kamen Rider Poppy. Para-DX noticed this, and just got amused.

"Give it a rest." He chuckled. "If he can't beat me, what chance do you have?"

Poppy ignored this, and just pressed the B button on the BugVisor twice.

KIMEWAZA…

CRITICAL CREWS-AID...

"Pipupepo…" She muttered. "Power~!"

She stretched her arm into the air, and several music lines formulated around it. She then sent her arm outward, launching the music lines from her arm. The lines twisted this way and that, making their way to Pallad. However, the attack ignored Para-DX and they all landed on Genmu. Because of this strong attack, Genmu was forced out of his transformation.

GASHUNN!

It was also at this point Emu had ran in. Following him were the girls in Ordinal Scale form. They had decided to follow Emu. They all just saw Kuroto fall on his knees. Poppy slowly went up to him, cancelling out of her transformation as well.

GASHUNN!

"You dare go against the gamemaster?!" Kuroto spluttered.

Poppy then crouched down to Kuroto.

"Even so…" She said gently. "I'm grateful to you."

Kuroto stopped and looked at her. Poppy placed her hand on his shoulder. It felt like a warm water bottle gently placed on his shoulder.

"You were the one that brought me into this world…" Poppy reminded. "Gave me a name… a personality… and a purpose."

"If anything…" She smiled. "You're like a father to me."

Emu paused at that. This side of Poppy… is something he hadn't seen before, given all the time he had spent with her.

"Emu." She called out. "I'm sorry for forcing this onto you. I know you'll never forgive him… but…"

She then turned back to Kuroto. He didn't have anything to say either. Emu paused to ponder Poppy's words. However, Lis walked up and spoke for her,

"Huh." She admitted. "Who knew that adorable pixie was a pep-talker?"

Silica and Leafa chuckled quietly, but they too felt the emotion. Para-DX, however, did not share the sentiment.

"Okay, are we done with the Disney bullcrap?" He asked angrily.

He angrily turned to Poppy.

"Poppy." He said. "That right there, is why you're not fit to be a Bugster anymore."

He pulled out the Parablagun in gun form, and then inserted a familiar white Gashat into it.

GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!

When he did, black and purple energy coursed through him. It made him choke and suffer, but all of that energy eventually coursed into the barrel of the gun.

ZOMBIE-PERFECT CRITICAL FINISH!

He pulled the trigger, and the shot soared through the air towards Poppy and Kuroto. Poppy, in haste, quickly embraced Kuroto as to protect him. Correspondingly, Emu and the other girls began to run toward him. When Poppy embraced him, Kuroto had a momentary flashback himself. His mother, lying on her hospital bed, hugging him. He then gave him a reassuring pat on his arm. As a response, he grabbed onto Poppy's back as well. However, he didn't just embrace her. He threw her behind him, as he stood up and transformed back into Genmu. He stretched his arms out to protect her as the shot nailed him right on his chest. That was enough for Genmu to fall on his knees, and then pixelate into nothingness.

GAME OVER…

Everyone was surprised by that act from Genmu, even Para-DX.

"Kuroto…?" Poppy whispered.

Silica, Lis, and Leafa quickly rushed over to see if Poppy was okay, while Emu confronted Pallad.

"I will not let you eliminate Poppy…" said a voice.

The voice belonged to Kuroto, who had just come back from a continue spawn. His life meter just decreased from 98 to 97.

"She is something I created…" He declared. "A life!"

That declaration sent a clear message to everyone. Emu, now realizing what he had been putting up, finally got himself straightened out. As Kuroto stepped forward towards Para-DX, Emu stopped him.

"Your continues are not your own lives." He stated. "They are chances for you to atone for your sins!"

"You will help us beat Pallad, and end Kamen Rider Chronicle!" He called.

Then, turning back, he put on his Gamer Driver.

"You have a duty to fight with me." Emu said, grabbing a Gashat.

Kuroto couldn't help but chuckle.

"So, now my talents are needed?" He smiled.

"Don't get the wrong idea." Emu corrected. "I will never forgive you."

"And I'm not going to beg for it either." Kuroto agreed.

Then, the two finally raised their Gashats together. Emu with Maximum Mighty X, and Genmu with his black Proto Mighty Action X. They both pressed it, activating the Game Areas.

MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!

MIGHTY ACTION X!

"Max Dai…" Emu started.

"Grade 0." Kuroto said.

"Henshin!" They said together.

Then, the two both inserted their Gashats into their Drivers. They both opened them, turning to respective forms. Genmu Level 0, and Ex-Aid Level 2, albeit being Level 99.

MAXIMUM GASHATTO!

GACHANN! LEVEL MAX!

GASHATTO!

GACHANN! LEVEL UP!

However, Emu had to go a step further, as he slammed down the smaller Ex-Aid on the Gashat. The massive Level 99 armor ate him, and then ejected him out.

MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGH~TY ACTIO~N! X!

MAXIMUM POWER! X!

Now, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid and Kamen Rider Genmu stood side by side. They both stared down at Para-DX.

"I'll clear this game with no continues!" Ex-Aid called out.

"I'll clear this game… even with continues!" Genmu called out.

Then, the two charged at Para-DX. Poppy smiled happily at the sight of the two, almost identical Riders working together against a common enemy. She still had to get clear however, as Lis, Leafa, and Silica quickly got her to safety.

The three Riders went at it. Ex-Aid provided a knee kick, which Para-DX quickly brushed aside, and then Genmu went in for a kick. However, Para-DX easily dodged all of it.

"Okay, I'll be honest." He admitted. "Who would've thought you guys would team up?"

He turned his Parablagun into his axe form, and continued his attacks.

ZU-GONN!

"It's to protect those important to me!" Ex-Aid answered, pulling out the KeySlasher.

"It's to eliminate unwanted pests like you!" Genmu replied, pulling out the Breaker.

The two went for a slash, and they briefly locked blades with Para-DX. Then, Para-DX, throwing the weapons off of him, grabbed Genmu by his wrist and threw him aside. However, Ex-Aid quickly tinked an Energy Item over to Genmu's falling body.

INVISIBILITY!

Genmu, noticing this, went in, turning invisible. Ex-Aid jumped over Para-DX, but Para-DX followed his moves. He didn't notice Genmu had grabbed onto him. He only noticed when hie Level was beginning to decrease. Luckily, he was able to throw him off at Level 75. This time, he threw Genmu into an Energy Item.

RUBBERIZE!

Genmu then stretched his arm out towards Para-DX. The arm wrapped around Para-DX, decreasing his Level again. Para-DX struggled to break free, but Genmu persisted. Ex-Aid was able to land several hits on Para-DX too, only difference being that the damage was actually visible. At last, Para-DX broke free of Genmu's wrap, but by this point his Level had decreased to Level 50. While still stronger than Genmu, he was weaker than Ex-Aid now. With that said, Ex-Aid had kicked him in the back, sending him into some blocks that have spawned. Genmu and Ex-Aid went after him, jumping from block to block. They all grabbed the same Energy Item during this fight as well.

SPEED UP! SPEED UP! SPEED UP!

Now, they all fought in a blur. Only sounds were them grunting and clashing of metal. However, eventually, Ex-Aid and Genmu gained the upper hand, and the two kicked Para-DX back onto the ground. Each Rider landed on either side of him, and then the two inserted the Gashat into their respective weapons.

MAXIMUM GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!

GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!

The two charged their attacks as Para-DX struggled back up.

MAXIMUM MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!

MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!

Then, the two slashed like madmen. For the first flurry of slashes, they just slashed all over his body. When Para-DX was slightly thrown back, Ex-Aid and Genmu switched places, and they continued to slash the same areas a thousand times again. And then, to finish off, they landed one critical slash right across Para-DX torso, causing an explosion.

Para-DX, grunting in frustration, pixelated away in the chaos of the explosion. Genmu stopped, and then opened up his hand. And as if on cue, the Dangerous Zombie Gashat fell into it. Ex-Aid also stopped, but he just looked at Genmu. Genmu, in response also stared back. The two didn't make any sort of noise, only the fire of the explosion crackling between and around them.

Poppy, Silica, Leafa, and Lis, who had watched the whole fight from afar, were actually stunned by how good they worked together.

"Two… Mightys!" Poppy smiled.

"Wow…" Leafa said. "They actually make a good team together!"

Later, back at the hospital, in Hiro's office, Poppy had just told the entire gang tat Emu and Kuroto finally settled their differences.

"So… here's the deal." She concluded. "Until we put an end to Kamen Rider Chronicle… could you guys all turn a blind eye to Kuroto?"

There were small murmurs among the group, but Poppy thought it was just an agreement murmur. She also had Kuroto bow down, but when he popped back up, he smiled innocently.

"I have a present for you all!" He said.

Everyone just sighed. He's going to be quite the handful now.

"First, to Emu, and you kids." He said, pulling out something. "For saving Poppy after she was brainwashed."

He placed a Gashat-Trophy onto Emu's palm. Emu studied it a bit, but Keiko was happier to see it.

"It's DoReMiFa Beat's Gashat Trophy!" She smiled.

The SAO gang briefly cheered, but Ryotarou had something else to say.

"That's not all, folks!" He smiled, reaching into his pocket.

To everyone's surprise, he pulled out the GiriGiri Chambara Gashat-Trophy.

"Wow, man." Kazuto admitted. "Where did you get this?"

"My boy Andrew and I cracked that nut wide open!" Ryotarou smiled. "Pretty cool, right?"

Even Nico had to admit, while she was sad that she wasn't able to get the kill, still getting a Gashat-Trophy was a plus. In fact, that was the last of the mid-tier Bugster Gashat-Trophies.

"And Dr. Hanaya, this is for you." Kuroto went on.

He then presented Taiga a Gashat Gear Dual β. He was surprised to see it.

"A second one?" Taiga whispered.

However, Kuroto then turned his attention to Hiro.

"And Dr. Kagami…" He said. "I will answer your question."

"The data of those that have anished are stored in the Proto-Gashats of the same type as the virus that infected them." Kuroto explained. "Whether you reunite with your loved one… now depends on you!"

Hiro didn't know how to respond. AT least he now knew that his girlfriend can be brought back. Shino took a quick note of his face.

Nico approached Kuroto to say something, but Kuroto quickly pulled out a handful of Jolly Ranchers. Nico gladly took them, popping one into her mouth.

"Be grateful to your God's blessings!" He yelled.

Just then, Poppy blew into a whistle, getting Kuroto's attention. She then presented him with her cyan BugVisor and small paper with a drawing of her as a chibi blowing on a whistle.

"Penalty!" She simply stated.

Kuroto then quickly ducked behind a chair, with Poppy still aiming her BugVisor at him. Emu sighed, as he was just tired of this.

"Let's clear Kamen Rider Chronicle as fast as we can." He suggested. "And let Kuroto atone for his sins."

"Well, he seems very useful now…" Hiro admitted.

Taiga just simply nodded at that. Poppy turned around, and smiled that everyone finally agreed with her decision.

Everyone then quickly moved onto the large table. When they did, there was a small knock. Kazuto opened the door to let Andrew in. He can only be there for a short time, as he had to go back soon. Kazuto assured this would be over quick.

Then, one by one, they all began to set down the current Gashat-Trophies that have now. Nico put down Bang Bang Shooting, Lis put down Mighty Action X, Asuna put down Taddle Quest and Bakusou Bike, Shino pout down Jet Combat, Andrew put down Gekitotsu Robots, Suguha put down Shakariki Sports, and finally, Keiko and Ryotarou put down GiriGiri Chambara and DoReMiFa Beat down.

"Okay, this all makes nine!" Nico declared. "Plus, they are all lower and mid-tier Bugsters!"

"That's amazing…!" Emu praised. "When did you guys…?"

"Well, we had some spare time." Rika smirked.

Then, Kazuto and Suguha quickly rushed over to Hiro's computer. Kazuto install a memory stick into the computer and began to type something.

"Kazuto? What are you doing?" Asuna asked.

"Sugu and I made this in our spare time." Kazuto explained. "Helped us keep track of what was going on."

When he pressed "Enter", it was ready. Suguha then turned the projector on, revealing what they had made.

They had made a pyramid chart of Kamen Rider Chronicle. The pyramid was divided into thirds. The bottom was of the lower tier, the middle is of the mid-tier, and the top is of the upper tier Bugsters. And on the top of the Pyramid, there was a question mark box. This mark the final boss of the game, which they have no idea of.

"So… it's time to move onto the upper tier, huh?" Andrew said.

And on that note, everyone prepared themselves. They are now very close to clearing Kamen Rider Chronicle and beating its boss. Let's just hope nothing gets in their way, shall we?