GT: Hiya folks! Here's the second one! *looks over at all the wrecked Mobile Suits* Er…sorry for the destruction around here. The 'Char Clones' kept doing it when Z0 said stop. *The Gundam Epyon crashes through a wrecked building nearby before shooting back through it* This is why I avoid them, folks. I don't wanna cause this kinda nonsense going on due to misunderstandings or buttons pushes.
Z0: AMAI! *large crash and explosion goes off* put me in a robot and it's three…no! 9 times better then before! HAHAHAHA! *more explosions* Oh hang on, I'm putting it on autopilot! *My body crashes through the only good window left* I'm here!
GT: Heya, Z0. So…half the city's leveled right now. *sees the tilted head Z0 gives* …Eh, fair enough. *looks at the reader* So…we do not own the Gundam nor Megaman franchises. Sunrise and CAPCOM do.
Z0: GUNPLA FIGHT! GO!
GT: Aye! *quickly pulls down a curtain just as the Gundam Epyon smashes the camera*
"Mmm…" Lio frowned, tapping a finger on his upper arm as he had his arms crossed over his chest, "It shouldn't take this long to get a new Gunpla all ready for the Metaverse."
"It could be a case of her WiFi has gone down," Sarah noted, walking over and putting down a tray with tea on it at the table, Fumina long since leaving due to her job in GM, "It's quite worrying when it happens."
"Mmm…" Rhyme whimpered, his ears and tail drooping before the entry link to the school lit up, "Hm?" Alex and the boy materialized, "Ah! Alex-nee!"
"Sorry, sorry!" Alex apologized as she caught the EL-Diver in mid-jump, "I got distracted with this other kiddo who wanted to understand about G Gundam."
"A Jii Gundam?" Rhyme tilted his head, innocently thinking of an RX-78-2 Gundam walking around with a cane and a long beard.
"I don't think he understood what you mean, Ms. Alex," the boy noted, sheepishly scratching his cheek before Sarah approached him, "Huh?"
"You are…an odd child…" Sarah stated as she put her hands on his face and began pinching and lightly pulling on his cheeks, "I've never met an EL-Diver like you…How old are you?"
"M-My age?" he asked, blinking a few times.
"I think he's about the same as Rhyme," Alex noted, "He knows zilch about Gundam whatsoever."
"You are…older?" Sarah tilted her head, as if not sure herself but it felt wrong to say he was a newborn in terms of EL-Divers; no…he felt different. Very different, not bad, not at all, but still different. Not like any she'd ever met before…and she's met many wonderful and odd ones since her earliest days in GBN.
"I…I guess," he replied, not sure how to respond before shaking his head and giving them a honest smile, "I'm Megaman. It's nice to meet you."
"More like Megakid," Lio noted in amusement.
"H-Hey…" Megaman pouted.
"Alex-nee, where are the Gunpla friends you were bringing?" Rhyme asked.
"Ah, don't worry, don't worry. I've got a lot on display and one that I think you'll like to see," Alex assured, petting the dog's head.
"Gunpla? I thought she called them 'Gundam?'" Megaman pondered, causing Sarah to giggle.
"Gundam are the names of them. Gunpla is the term given to the model kits that Gundam come from," Sarah explained, "Either term can be used intermittently depending on the situation."
"Gundams are the ones with human-like appearance, two eyes, and a mask that seemingly covers the face," Lio explained, "Typically, a Gundam belonging to a Hero has white coloring, with blue or red added over it. Typically enemy Units are determined by their Monoeye designs. However, neither concept is exclusive as there have been heroic Mono Eye Mobile Suits, and Evil Gundams."
Megaman nodded, "Alex told me about one. The…Dark Gundam, I think?"
"Ah Americans and their religious censoring…" Lio grumbled before speaking aloud, "It's real name is the Devil Gundam. Due to censorship, the one Alex saw called it the Dark Gundam and the main character's second Gundam went from God Gundam to Burning Gundam."
"Ohh…" Megaman nodded, "That honestly explains the confusion of why it said 'God Gundam' on the display's description when she kept using 'Burning Gundam.'"
"Display?" Sarah repeated.
"Uhn. Of the end of the final battle between Master Asia and Domon Kasshu," Megaman replied, "It's where I met Ms. Alex and she brought me here since it would help me learn more about Gundam and this place." he bowed, "I hope to learn a lot. Everything so far has really been amazing."
"You met two in one day?" Lio noted to Alex, "Are you some kind of magnet for them?"
"I dunno," Alex shrugged before Rhyme tugged her kimono again, "Yes?"
"Can we see the Gunpla?"
"I don't know. Can we?"
"Eh? But you brought them."
"..." Alex giggled as she pat his head, "It's called good manners, Rhyme. When you want to use 'can,' you need to use 'may' and don't forget the magic words."
"There are magic words?" Rhyme gasped in awe.
"Yes. They are 'please' and 'thank you,'" Alex explained, "So what you want to ask is 'May we see the Gunpla, please.' Okay?"
"Uhn!" Rhyme nodded, "Mmm…May we see the Gunpla, please?"
"Of course!" Alex beamed, "And since you technically don't have ta go to school today, we'll do it a fun way! I found a beginner Mission of finding a flower using Gunpla!"
"A…flower? By using giant robots?" Megaman blinked a few times.
"Oh, I remember that one," Sarah giggled in fondness, "It was the first Mission I participated in. It's where I met Magee-Onee-san and learned how to use the Friends list on GBN."
"Friends list?" Megaman repeated.
"Yes. Watch," Sarah spoke as she made a screen pop up and form a digital letter that she sent over to Alex and Rhyme.
"Shiny~" Rhyme awed, reaching out to his before it vanished, "Oh! It's gone!"
"So like this?" Alex pondered as she tapped her letter and let it vanish before making her screen popup and send them to the others there.
"Huh…Interesting," Megaman noted as he accepted it and copied her, "It feels easy enough to get a handle on but you also need to send it back for it to be accepted…"
"You're quite fast at understanding things, Megaman-san," Sarah noted with a smile before giggling, "Maybe this would be a good idea then!" she turned to Alex and Lio, "May I ask you both to take these two on the Flower Hunting mission?"
"I have no battles or missions for the day," Lio nodded, "Besides I wished to show my Gunpla to Rhyme as well."
"Are they all Gundam Frames?" Sarah asked.
"...Maybe…" Lio muttered.
Alex giggled, "The ones I brought are some of the SD Gundam I have and my favorite Pettit'guys that I won in an international contest."
"You seem to have a lot of good fortune," Sarah noted, "Maybe it helped you make these new friends."
"Maybe…" Alex scratched her cheek sheepishly, "For some reason, when I do things with Gunpla, I get really lucky."
"SD?" Megaman raised a brow.
"SUGEI~!" Rhyme squealed in excitement in the hangar area, his tail wagging excitedly with stars in his eyes as he gazed upon a large Star Winning Gundam with the white painted silver, the cardigan yellow painted gold, and the stickers replaced with actual paint aside from the eyes.
"This is the Star Winning Gundam. It's a copy of one that won an international three-person championship with two other Gunpla," Alex explained, "She's my first SD Gundam I assembled and painted."
"SD~!" Rhyme awed, "She sounds really happy to be here!"
"What does 'SD' stand for?" Megaman asked, looking at Lio.
"Super Deformed typically. Though one anime that involved SD Gundam called them 'Superior Defenders,'" he replied.
"It really is different compared to the God Gundam and Master Gundam I saw when I met Ms. Alex," Megaman compared.
"Every Show, or rather every timeline of Gundam, typically has a different Mechanical Designer," Lio explained, "No two Shows' worlds have totally similar designs. For example, the God and Master Gundam came from G Gundam, which was a much more fantastical and action packed show of the Super Robot Genre. They are designed to look like fighters with more believable articulation for martial arts combat. In the show, they are called Mobile Fighters. However, a vast majority of the Gundam shows are Real Robot. There is more of a focus on the realness and impact of war on the lives of people, and often if a robot is destroyed in Real Robot shows, the pilot dies." he explained as Megaman flinched from the heaviness of that implication, "But they are still a show, and the very real themes are meant to teach lessons that hate and conflict are wrong, but sometimes one must fight to defend ideals and life." he went on, "The lessons and morals are real so as to earn a very real reaction from us. Life…is fleeting, but even in the darkness and cruelty of conflict, there lies hope, and the beauty of life will always shine through."
"A-Amazing…" Megaman awed as Rhyme and Alex walked over, the latter holding the former.
"Ne, ne, Lio-nii, what about your Gunpla?" Rhyme asked, looking around, "Please and thank you?"
"You almost got it right," Alex giggled, tapping his nose.
"Very well," Lio grunted as he held his arm up, "Let's see…I changed it to one of my new Straight Builds to show off to Rhyme-kun," he traced a circle in the air as an azure ring formed in the sky as words began forming within spelling out a name, "Koi Gundam Asmodeus!" At that, the ring turned into a sigil before flashing as a tall Gundam landed before them, it was painted in a gray-blue with chartreuse accents on the back of its ankles, the vents on its shins, its thighs, its chin and horns, with unique wide crest atop its head, and blue eyes. Its arms each had these large black canisters attached to the bottom of its forearms. Attached to its rear waist armor was a large machine gun and in its left hand was a unique sword that had its blade extend over the hand like a guard, "Or as its name is translated for Americans…Asmoday…" he sighed.
"It sure is threatening-lookin'..." Alex gulped.
"Ohh~!" Rhyme awed, "Azo…Lazlo…mmm…"
"As-moe-dee-us," Megaman supplied.
"Thank you," Rhyme thanked, "Asmodeus seems really strong, but doesn't know where it stands." Rhyme giggled before looking at Asmodeus, "You're standing right here, silly!"
"Probably because I have many Gunpla of his type," Rio stated, "I never ranked my Gunpla by strength, just how well I did, and I always make sure to paint whatever I can. I'll admit getting that shade of chartreuse was difficult, I spent hours mixing paints before it matched the stickers. But he is one of my most recent builds. I'm still waiting on the Hajiroboshi and Marchosias HG's."
"HG?" Megaman asked.
"Gunpla Model Kits are divided between the grade of them, HG is short for High Grade," Alex supplied, "But we can talk as we head for those flowers, alright?"
"We can carry you two around," Lio offered.
"You could ride on the Gunpla or share the cockpit," Alex added, "Though, uh…I think it's better to be inside the Gunpla. I read on some forums of how scary it is to fall off the hand while thousands of feet in the air."
"O-Oh.." Megaman gulped.
"Oh~! May I ride in Star Winning? Please and thank you?" Rhyme asked, looking at Alex with puppy dog eyes.
"Okay, okay," Alex giggled, picking up the canine EL-Diver and opening her menu, letting them enter the Gunpla.
"I tell ya, the irony is not lost on me," Lio shook his head, "The gal has a Star Winning Gundam…and she just met the lady who built the original one."
"Huh? Original one?" Megaman tilted his head.
"Yeah. Some famous Gunpla Builders and Fighters can make an agreement with the Gundam Base to do limited runs of previous Gunpla they've made or piloted," Lio explained, "It's often a decent method of income for them for their creativity, and it leads to people inventing their own Original Gunpla as well." he explained, "Typically it's famous Builders who have won tournaments or earned high rankings."
"Huh…That's honestly a neat way to earn an income, building these giant things," Megaman noted.
"Iie…" Lio swung his hand making Gundam Asmodeus vanish before reforming in his arm in its actual size, "This…is Gunpla, the Digital World of Gunpla Metaverse merely allows us to realize our creations into real size."
"Really?! That's amazing!" Megaman awed.
"Our world lacks such advanced engineering," Lio explained, "We still have yet to crack the necessary means to replicate the amazing concepts of these shows. We still have made life sized statues of the Gundam, but…they can't do much more than move a little. No, we decided to move to the digital world to bring our beloved Gunpla to life."
Megaman nodded, "It really is amazing and I've only been here for a few hours. Though…for a digital world of amazing giant robots…why is there a mission for picking flowers?"
"This is what we call a Beginner Mission, like most games have a generic fetch quest to ease players into the mechanics for traversal and to show off the world," Lio explained, "Likewise here, this is to let new players explore the world, learn how to control their Gunpla, and the mechanics that differentiate this method of Gunpla control from the old GBD, a system that let the Gunpla move around in real life." he explained, "For example, here you can make your Gunpla arrive this quickly," he swung his hand, summoning Asmodeus again, before making it vanish and then appear in Gunpla size, before tossing it up and letting it reform to Real size again.
"Whoa~" Megaman awed, "It's really efficient and you could surprise an opponent with this kind of trick if they don't know that method."
"It's allowed in most forms of open battle. But typically you do need to abide by rules depending on the different types of battle formats." Lio added, "Obviously you are expected to enter into an official match with rules already within the Gunpla." he explained, earning a nod from the inquisitive Megaman, "But Open Battles are Open Battles, their own rules. Normally anything goes, and from their skill is all that matters. In others obviously with rules in place, skills and tactics are important. Some are more realistic, IE limited ammunition and energy reserves depending on the type of Gunpla. Since, in some series, the Gundam has a special internal engine with limitless energy generation, others have a high performance but very limited performance time before needing to recharge."
"Meaning in those kinds of battles, you need to know a good amount about your Gunpla's limits and possibly have one that could be an all-rounder in case the opponent goes either extreme or even does an all-rounder as well," Megaman guessed.
'Huh…This kid is already fast at combat strategies. Must have come from combat data like May-san,' Lio noted, "You're a fast learner," he chuckled, "I'll answer any questions on the way," he put his hand on Megaman's shoulders and made them warp into the Asmodeus's cockpit. Megaman awed before jumping when a cable flew from the ceiling above and plugged itself into a segment of armor on Lio's back that lifted open.
"Ah! Wh-What is that?" Megaman asked in shock.
"The Gundam Frames of the series Iron Blooded Orphans…" he paused, noting the look on his face, "It makes sense in the context of the show, it tackles some heavier subjects," he explained, "Anyway, this is the Show's unique piloting system known as the Alya-Vijnana. It allows me to link to the Gunpla's piloting system and allow me to pilot via instincts, essentially making my unit an extension of me." he explained, "It's not as intense as the show, here it's a very easy system to unlock…when you reach A Rank. Don't worry, unlike the show it's not actually linked to my real body, it just makes piloting simpler for me. Practically hands free," he explained as the Gundam's thrusters ignited and took off with his hands doing nothing.
"Amazing! This system basically removed the moments between order and action," Megaman noted, 'It's like FullSynchro…'
"I assure you, while the shows can tackle some more serious topics, Gunpla Metaverse is a world for everyone. Typically, you need to be a certain age to be allowed to log on by yourself, but a parent or guardian's permission can allow even a young child to log into this world."
Megaman nodded as he looked at the screen displaying what the Gunpla was seeing, 'It really is amazing here. Why have I never seen a place like this before?'
"Pretty~" Rhyme awed, looking out to the forest they flew above.
"I'll say," Alex agreed, "They really didn't skimp on the budget for detailed work in this place." she looked at Rhyme, "Hey, you wanna see something Star Winning can do?"
"Hm?" Rhyme tilted his head before Alex grinned and selected an option with a twist of her wrist before a black visor covered Star Winning's eyes as the middle of the top of it flipped forward to make a cockpit before the feet rotated 180 degrees while the arms moved to the sides as the shoulders flipped down to make small wings from them, "Oh~!"
"You like? Star Winning is a very fun Gunpla! She has different modes that she can turn into," Alex explained.
"Really?! Sugei! Star Winning sugei da!" Rhyme cheered before a screen popped up to show Lio and Megaman.
"Oi, oi, oi! Slow down there, you two! We're not as speedy as that!" Lio scolded.
"Ah! S-Sorry," Alex apologized, quickly slowing down to let Asmodeus catch up and let the screen be dismissed, "Was just showing Rhyme Star Winning's ability. Forgot she gets faster in this mode."
"Gunpla can even transform?" Megaman asked.
"Several Mobile Suits are capable of that," Lio replied, "Both in the shows and in both certain Gunpla from the shows or from being customized with that ability." he explained, "Typically for the shows most Mobile Suits, the term for the humanoid Robots that are Gundam and otherwise, they are able to enter some form of vehicle mode, called Mobile Armor mode," he held a hand up, "Trust me, I know it's not much of a difference, but…I didn't create the terms." he nodded simply as Megaman nodded in understanding, "Typically, these alternate modes are a Jet or aircraft to allow further flight distance. There are also odd exceptions like aquatic crafts, alternate combat modes, and in the very odd occurrence what you could call an animal-like form. But that's kind of stretching the term…"
"Poor Tryon-3…I only got to do the combination once," Alex sighed.
"Head's up. We're approaching where you normally get the flower for the mission from," Lio informed as Asmodeus pointed ahead to the start of a forest area, "We'll have to land. The place where the flowers are prevents Gunpla from being summoned at full size or maintained if you're already in one."
"Why's that?" Megaman asked.
"Well think of it, you need to collect a lone fragile flower…any jerk flying at mach speeds would ruin the entire patch," Lio pointed out, "So as to prevent a griefer from ruining it for everyone 'till the area respawns the flowers, it's easier to just remove their ability to ruin it in the first place."
"I guess it also doubles as a way to let people see more of the area on the ground level, helping them deal a little better with any audio and visual feedback through a forest's natural sounds so they can be better prepared for Gunpla Battles," Megaman guessed.
"It can be a bit much for those who are not used to the differences between digital and real. But the updates have made it simpler, Metaverse has gotten so advanced that people can wear it and log in, and allow their bodies to gain the benefits of REM sleep."
"It's how I'm here when it's the nighttime where I'm at," Alex noted as the two Gunpla landed and were dismissed.
"We live on different ends of the planet," Lio added, "It's the middle of the day for me."
"Huh?" Rhyme tilted his head before looking at the sky, "Mmm…So we're near Lio-nii?"
Megaman chuckled as he patted the kid's head, "No, no. We're in a digital world, Rhyme. Right now, it's daytime here but it could change as easy as putting in the right set of codes. Lio lives in a place where it's daytime outside of here while Alex's home is currently the nighttime."
"Mmmm…" he nodded, "I still don't get it."
"..." Lio held his hand up and tapped a screen forming a donut to form in his hand, "Rhyme, Nom!" he tossed it to him.
"Oh~!" Rhyme awed, bouncing up and biting it, "NOM!" stars appeared in his eyes, "Umei~! Fluffy and crunchy~!"
"A donut? Wait, why di…" Megaman began before a donut got him in the mouth, "Mmm?! Mmmm?!" 'What the…?! S-So flavorful…a-and its soft and fluffy, but…but the glaze is a tiny bit crunchy from it hardening onto it…Where's the rough texture? The rough crunch? But…the more I taste this…the more I prefer it?'
"Alright, no more questions, I suppose," Alex noted, seeing the two distracted with the donut they both had, "So…onwards to the flower!"
"This way," Lio turned her around.
"Oh…Yeah, thanks," Alex sheepishly thanked, rubbing the back of her head.
Sure enough, it was a relatively short trek by foot 'till they reached a giant field of flowers. Megaman and Rhyme couldn't hold in their awe at the vast field of them, all bunched together and lavender in color.
"What kind of flowers are these?" Alex asked as Rhyme ran into the field with a squeal of delight.
"Fireweed. It's a rather symbolic flower because it was planted by Shakti from V Gundam. It was originally planted to help her parents find her," Lio explained, "But it became a symbol for peace."
"A symbol for peace?" Megaman repeated as he looked at them before Rhyme came back out of the field with a bouquet's worth of them.
"Alex-nee, Lio-nii, Rock-nii! Kirei~!" Rhyme awed.
"Huh? R-Rock-nii?" Megaman pointed at himself, "Rock?"
"I guess he came up with a nickname for you," Alex giggled before Rhyme held the bouquet up to her, "Aw~ Thank you, Rhyme." she sniffed them, "Oh! They actually smell wonderful!"
"I smelled for the bestest smelling ones!" Rhyme beamed.
"The data for smell took a while, though it led to a few…uh…questionable few to say weird stuff…" Lio muttered, trying not to get specific with children around.
"Oh, like smelling things you don't want to smell?" Megaman asked.
"Exactly," Lio nodded before turning to Alex when he looked away and shaking his head 'no' to her, who nodded in agreement to not ask further.
"Still…these are really beautiful," Megaman noted, kneeling down and picking one, 'I wonder if Roll would like one. Kinda wish there were more colors than this one, though.'
"Hmm…Hey, why don't we take a screenshot for a successful mission?" Alex suggested.
"Screenshot?" Rhyme tilted his head.
"It's like taking a photo of something, but for objects on a screen," Megaman explained.
"...But isn't that a photo?" Rhyme innocently asked.
"It's a little more complicated than that, Rhyme," Megaman chuckled awkwardly, trying to think of how to make it simpler for the canine EL-Diver.
"Let's not overthink it," Lio offered, "Technically neither is wrong, so let's just do something to remember our first mission together."
"Mmm…Uhn!" Rhyme nodded, "Picture!"
"Remember to say 'cheese' before it's taken," Alex advised.
"Right, you in the middle since you've got the big bouquet of them," Lio ordered, "Megakid, you got Rhyme on your shoulders."
"Megaman, not kid…" Megaman muttered, but still picked up the EL-Diver and put him on his shoulders, letting the kid giggle while leaning a bit on the older-looking boy's head.
"Let me set it up," Lio chuckled, forming a holographic screen as he typed a few things as it remained in the air aimed towards them as a timer began ticking down, "Right, right! Everyone around the fox lady with the flowers of peace before it goes off!"
"Hai/Okay!" the two youngest cheered as they all got together as the timer began ticking louder, Rhyme and Megaman to Alex's left and Lio to her right.
"Mmm…Rock-nii, do you see the cheese Alex-nee was talking about?" Rhyme whispered, looking around.
"No, no. You're supposed to say it because saying 'cheese' tends to leave your mouth looking like it's smiling," Megaman explained.
"Aw~"
"We can see if a place is selling some later," Megaman assured.
"Yay~!" Rhyme cheered before the timer ran out and the photo was soon taken of all four smiling with Alex holding the bouquet and all four surrounded by the unpicked fireweed.
"When you get a Base, these would look great in a vase," Lio noted as they began to make their way back.
"Base?" Megaman repeated.
"Is it something tasty?" Rhyme asked.
"No. A Base is a place a Force can live at when they're on the Metaverse, a sort of 'home away from home' place so to speak," Lio explained, "Of course they are meant for a Force which is a group of friends who play together."
"We're not a Force?" Rhyme asked.
"We've just met. We're friends, but I am not a Force type of person. I'm always playing high level missions." Lio explained, "I just haven't found the right team for me yet."
"What if we're the right team?" Rhyme asked.
"I don't know…I mean I play only S rank missions," he muttered.
"Well no wonder you haven't found them yet," Alex frowned, "If you just focus on those, you don't get to take your time to see other talents and the personalities of others outside of 'Grrr…Imma bash their heads in with my fists or blast 'em with my blasters.'"
"Hey…Not all of the people in S Rank missions are like that," Lio noted, "Some enjoy maiming the enemies with swords."
"Pfft…" Megaman stifled a laugh.
"Mmm…Lio-nii is smart. Alex-nee didn't mention that one," Rhyme admitted, Megaman having to take a moment to lean against a tree as he struggled to not laugh.
"Ugh…" Alex facepalmed with her free hand, "Look, the point I'm trying to make is that maybe your Force isn't at that level yet. I heard that Forces like Avalon and BUILD DiVERS all formed from people with different ranks to them, not just sharing the same Rank."
"I suppose that is true," Lio muttered.
"Ne, Lio-nii…Why do you only do S Rank Missions?" Rhyme asked.
"To train, so that I can one day become the next Champion," Lio declared as he gripped his fist, "I seek to become the strongest, to battle the strongest, to seek them out, for nobody loves Gunpla Battle more than me!" he declared loudly as he suddenly raised his fist up, "I raise my fist to the sky as my vow! I am the man who shall become Champion! Then I shall be able to battle the strongest, for the title is not enough!"
"N-Not enough?" Megaman asked, "What else could there be that you want?"
"Gunpla Battlers are a greedy lot! We only want to battle with the best, and be challenged!" Lio declared, "The thrill of battle with one who claims their love of Gunpla Battle is greater than yours, to face the best with a smile on your face, to meet any challenge, regardless of win or lose, that is the thrill of Gunpla Battle!"
"Hoh~" Rhyme awed, his tail wagging in amazement.
Alex giggled, covering her mouth with a sleeve, 'Ahh…The battle junkie kind of guy…'
"Lio…" Megaman let a small smile form on his face, 'He's a lot like us, isn't he…Lan?'
"What do you have?" the Game Master asked, approaching a pair wearing labcoats.
"It…It really is a Virus," the female of the two, a woman with long blond hair and sapphire blue eyes with pink and red armor underneath her coat, informed.
"What kind? Ransomware? Worm? Trojan?"
"Any kind it wants, sir," the male of the duo, donned in black armor resembling the Gundam Exia that left his face exposed, replied.
"...What?"
"It's honestly the most advanced virus Alia and I've ever seen," the male spoke, "It can become any kind of malware it wants from what the data we've gathered has told us."
"Gate's right. With the right coding, it could turn into any kind of virus, almost as if it's just second nature to it doing that," Alia grimaced…before looking at the strange Virus in a hard-light cage happily nibbling on an apple, "But right now, it's docile."
"Where did it get the apple from?" Game Master asked.
"I had gotten hungry and tripped when I was coming back with a few snacks," Alia admitted, blushing a little in embarrassment, "But we now know it can eat like a Diver or EL-Diver."
"We were able to trade some food for its weapon to scan separately," Gate added, holding up its weapon, "This seems to be what allows it to begin its infection process and can even create a trail of shockwaves along the ground in the direction it's aimed at when it hits the ground."
"Who did you test that on?" The Game Master asked, "I know that tone, that's the 'you let it do it on someone' tone. Who am I going to sign off on mental health pay?"
"Er…"
"...It was Kobayashi-san again, wasn't it?"
"It was," Alia admitted.
"Alia~!" Gate groaned as the Game Master closed his eyes and pinched the part of his mask where his nose would've been.
'You were the one who wanted these two EL-Divers in the administration after those high aptitude scores they received…you only have yourself to blame…' he thought to himself. He formed a holographic screen, "I'm going to have to bother Ms. Tori at home at this rate. We've never seen anything like this, and it's quite literally alien. Not since the Eldoran AI known as Alus invaded has such a…hah…oh no…" he realized, "Something linked to another cosmic digital source."
"Hm?" both pondered as the Virus finished the apple and fell asleep, the helmet expanding to become a makeshift tent of sorts.
"Why is this horrifying example of computer virus and digital technology disaster…something so…oddly…"
"Cute?" both asked.
"Yes," The Game Master replied, "But I shall isolate it into a personalized drive with a Build Decal to contain it. Don't tell anyone without high level clearance. I'm taking this to an isolated system to examine and study." he paused, "Repeat to me what I just ordered you to do." he demanded like a very exasperated parent.
"You're isolating it into a Build Decal-enhanced personalized drive. We're not allowed to tell anyone without high level clearance because you're taking it to an isolated system to examined and study," both replied, sounding like children who had to repeat it often.
"Good," Game Master nodded, "And you are apologizing to Kobayashi-san when they have recovered, Gate-kun."
"H-Hai, sir," Gate replied.
"Alia, please ensure he does so. I'm leaving you two to monitor the situation; and, if anything bad happens, contact the Champion, fill him in on all we know-"
"Which is not much," Gate interrupted.
"And ask him to keep the peace and prevent panic. Likewise, contact Sarah and the other EL-Divers, so that they may help or evacuate incase we need to launch an emergency patch," The Game Master finished.
"Understood, sir," Alia saluted.
"Good," Game Master replied.
"...Wait, which Champion?" Gate asked.
"The Champion, of course," Alia replied.
"But which one? Because right now a few different ones are on," Gate argued.
"Kyoya-san, of course. If we told Reiji-san, Meijin Kawaguchi-san, or, kami forbid, Kamiki-san, we'd have more patches to do…again."
"Right…after that, Alia, you now outrank Gate for the next month," The Game Master sighed, "No complaints." he typed something as the Virus vanished and him shortly after. But not long after a message came to them, reading: Don't cause panic again!
"So we caused a panic one time…When will he let it go?" Gate groaned.
"Come on, Gate. Go take a break, get something to eat, and I'll get to work on keeping an eye on any developments with a message for Kyoya-san on standby," Alia ordered with a sigh before glancing at where the Virus had been, 'I hope this isn't a premonition of things to come…'
"Kawaii~!" Rhyme awed, looking upon three tiny-looking Gunpla resembling bears in either bronze, silver, or gold coloration…all in top hats and bows.
"These are Freddy, Speedy, and Goldy! They're Pettit'guys!" Alex beamed.
"Aren't these from that online contest where you had to buy Gunpla to get entry codes?" Lio asked.
"Yep! I bought five and next thing I know, they came in a box to assemble!" Alex beamed, "Though I did have to purchase the tiny hats and bows from Gramps and Granny's store, but I couldn't resist! They're so cute in them!"
"Freddy…hat…isn't that like that one game you Americans like to play even though it scares you…like a lot?" Lio asked.
"Gunpla Battle can get pretty scary, yet you don't see me fleeing from it," Alex countered.
"A game that scares people?" Megaman asked.
"Yes, it is oddly fun to watch people play it and get scared by endless jumpscares. But they also get really angry after a while," Lio explained, "I think they made a movie about it…"
"They did," Alex confirmed, "But I couldn't resist the naming scheme. They are just so cute and I love it when the AI opponents in the GPD get stunned that they've been defeated by such an adorable teddy or three!"
"Alex-nee is…a little scary sometimes, isn't she?" Rhyme whispered, a drop of sweat going down the back of his, Megaman, and Lio's heads, as Alex cracked up laughing at the memories.
"Strong girls normally are underneath gentle personalities," Megaman sighed before blinking a few times while looking to the distance.
"Huh?" Rhyme pondered.
"I see someone coming," Megaman replied.
"Hm?" Lio looked to see a trio of modified Zaku II/Gouf hybrids flying their way, "Ah…Those three again?"
"Hm? Those three?" Alex pondered as she dismissed the trio of Pettit'guys.
"Idiots that keep trying to sneak one over on newcomers," Lio noted, "They call themselves the Neo Black Tri-Stars…and for some reason…they just keep coming at me."
"Why? You're an insane Solo Player who does insane challenges?" Alex asked.
"Technically, my global rank is only 16." Lio replied .
"Ah…They want the rank," Alex realized.
"Yep," Lio nodded.
In the lead customized Gunpla, a stocky male in the uniform of the Principality of Zeon looked at something in the corner of his screen, "Ah! Oi, look, boys! Rank 16's right there!"
"Mmm…Chief, is now really a good time to fight him? We just got outta that escalation mission," another in the same uniform with a warthog's head and pink-rimmed sunglasses asked.
"Hm? Hey, he's with others," the last of them in the same getup but resembling a lion noticed, tapping at the screen before the feeds of the other two zoomed in, focusing on Alex, Rhyme, and Megaman, "?!"
"Hey, yo…Ain't dat blue boy…?" The warthog began as their leader opened a screenshot of an email with bits of a strong-built guy with messy blond hair and a feline-looking Eldoran in a dress looking at it.
"Ah…I think it's the one from that email we saw that BUILD DiVER boy receive. If we catch him, we can turn him in to the Game Master and probably get a Title!"
"Whoo! New Titles are the best!" The warthog whooped.
"We just got to get him while the others are distracted," the lion noted.
"Ah," the leader nodded, "Good thinkin', Shirojishi."
"I sense stupid…" Lio sighed.
"You had that same feeling?" Megaman asked.
"Mmm…Those Gunpla are all fussy," Rhyme noted, "They're all sleepy but the people in them are being dummies."
"Sleepy?" Alex repeated.
"I guess they just finished a mission," Megaman guessed, "And they're heading right for us."
"Any idea what their rank is?" Alex asked, glancing at Lio while pulling her menu up to call on her Gunpla.
Lio shrugged, "I always trounce them, so haven't bothered to pay attention."
"Hoo boy…" Alex grimaced, "I'll keep Rhyme and Megaman in Star Winning with me. It'll be safer in a Gunpla than just out here."
"For EL-Divers, that's true," Lio nodded, "You and I are basically just anime characters."
"Hopefully, we're not Red Shirts," Alex spoke.
"Huh? But…you're in a kimono and bodysuit," Rhyme noted.
"It's a bit of a trope from America. Red Shirt means 'person who dies first' and comes from a…" Alex began before yelping as Megaman tackled her and Rhyme while Lio rolled to the side, all three avoiding the sweeping grab attempt, "Ah! Were they just…?" she grit her teeth, "Oh-hoh-ho…You did not try to make me a damsel in distress! I got that enough from Drama Club in high school!"
"I think that one was the pig," Lio noted.
"Ey-yo! I ain't no pig! I'm a warthog!" the Zaku-Dom hybrid that had tried the sweep snapped, shaking a fist at Lio before pulling out an axe to block the sword-rifle of the Star Winning, "Hah?!"
"Isn't that a Straight Build?" Shirojishi pondered.
"Who cares? Shoot 'im!" the chief barked, pulling out a machine gun and began to fire at Asmodeus, who swiftly avoided the shots.
"Too slow," Gundam Asmodeus spoke, jumping around without using its thrusters, "You haven't restored yet, you're barely at full power." he jumped over a rocket…and stepped off it before landing on the head of the Zaku-Dom, "Your Gunpla aren't even ready for battle," he twirled around his blade and held it upside down before stabbing it into the backpack, making the thrusters sputter before exploding and making the hybrid unit fall face first to the ground.
"Onore…!" the chief growled as his unit pushed itself up.
"Gah…I hate fighting SD Gundams…always so tiny to hit," the warthog complained as Star Winning zipped about him before cleaving his rifle in two.
"And ya know what I hate? Being a damsel in distress!" Star Winning snapped as, in the cockpit, Alex twisted her wrist to select another option because Star Winning came apart with its extra parts attaching to make the arms and legs longer along with a piece to form a waist part to the Gunpla before the head removed itself, revealing a smaller Gundam-sized head that attached a piece that came off the SD Gundam's head while said head attached to the back and extended its wings, "Star Winning Gundam! Real Mode!"
"It-It transformed again?!" Megaman awed.
"Sugei~!" Rhyme awed, stars twinkling off his body as his tail wagged hard enough Megaman had to grab him to keep him from flying up to the ceiling, "SD Gundam saikyou da~!"
"Real mode?!" the Warthog gawked before Star Winning slammed a fist into his mech's torso, sending him rocketing into the ground.
"Baka! Why didn't you shoot while it was transforming?!" Shirojishi demanded only to yelp when Asmodeus slammed its palm into his suit's chest and a shockwave knocked it back, "CHIEF! He knows some sort of kung fu magic!?"
Asmodeus spun around as the large cylinders clicked before an explosion went off as they both extended out suddenly to form giant tonfa attached to the arms. The Gundam spun around and slammed the left tonfa into the Chief's head, crushing part of it in, only for the right tonfa to thrust into the chest and knock it off its feet. With a burst of its thrusters the Asmodeus rushed and swung up to slam its left tonfa into the chin of Shirojishi's and knock its entire head unit off. The Gundam's eyes flashed as it swung its right and slammed the tonfa into the torso of Shirojishi's Dom, causing its body to groan as it was now dented in, and fell over. The Gundam stood still before spinning around and grabbing its machine gun before aiming it at the Chief as he moved for a bazooka.
"Don't move. If you don't want to lose the points you've earned, stay still." Lio ordered as he crossed his arms while appearing on the Chief's screen, the Asmodeus's tonfas contracting back in, its free left arm grabbing its blade and bringing it up to tap on its shoulder, "I was having a good day, and you helped me test my Asmodeus's performance. So consider this a kindness."
"Ghh…Gouda, now!"
"Hm?" Asmodeus pondered before a shadow came over him and Star Winning, making them look up, "...Huh…A II Neo Zeong?"
"DEKA!" Rhyme yelped before the two quickly moved back, barely avoiding the massive hands that tried to grab them.
"Shoulda blew me up, yo~!" the warthog laughed, his Gunpla docked into the off-white and gunmetal mobile armor.
"What the heck is that?!" Star Winning panicked, grabbing the side of her head with one hand while frantically pointing at it with the other.
"...You haven't seen anything Gundam Unicorn?" Lio asked as the Asmodeus stumbled a bit in shock, "How…?"
"Wait…This is from the same show or movie or whatever Gundam Unicorn comes from?!" Star Winning asked in surprise, "...Don't tell me it can open up like my Perfect Grade Unicorn Gundam, does it?"
"...Nanda kono Rookie?" The Chief asked.
"No…but…its design was made with the intent to kill the Unicorn in the show…" Asmodeus explained, "I…mmm…you are going to be so confused by these folks. They are hard core Universal Century fans…" he then swung his sword and deflected multiple beams…right back at the II Neo Zeong.
"You can do that!?" Gouda gawked as the beams were deflected by an I field, "Chief, did you know Gundam Frames could do that?!"
"I keep telling you to watch Iron Blooded Orphans!" Chief barked, "No beams! Just smash!"
"The Title makes me worried about the content…" Gouda muttered, "It feels too real and gritty to me…OH GOD!" he panicked as the Asmodeus jumped up and thrust its sword only for it to…eject while attached to a wire and pierce into the shoulder of the II Neo Zeong…and drag it in.
"If I recall from examining the model…" Asmodeus slammed its fingers into a panel…and began ripping it off, before yanking out a Bazooka that was stored within, "Faithfully rebuilt, right down to the weapon storage. Nice work."
"Whoa~" the trio in Star Winning awed.
"Oi! You can't jack our weapons!" Gouda panicked.
"Open Battle, no rules saying I can't, or…that the weapons have friendly fire disabled." Asmodeus spoke, aiming and shooting the Bazooka into the back of the mobile suit, making it falter and lose altitude a little, "5…6…" he counted with each fire, "7, and depleted. Nice work remembering the one in the chamber." he tossed the spent bazooka away.
"Don't praise our build while wrecking it!" Gouda snapped as one of the arms detached and moved to try and grab the Asmodeus as it leapt off, "Oi! Wait…did you steal anything else?"
"You mean like the beam axe?" Asmodeus asked, spinning around a long halberd with two beam axes at each end.
"Aw cra…" he began before screaming as he quickly used the thrusters to move away to avoid the first swipe at him.
"Whoa…He's really good at this," Megaman noted.
"No wonder he's in the top ranks," Alex agreed, Rhyme having stars in his eyes still.
"I thought this would be easy; he's not even using his scary Black Gunpla!" Gouda panicked.
"He's not in the top 20 for nothing! Don't forget, on his public record alone, he's practically the Second strongest in the game!" Shirojishi reminded, the torso of his Gunpla opened to let him watch.
"I know~" Gouda sobbed as he deployed a shield to block the axe.
"I Fields and Beams, so difficult to account for…" The Asmdoeus sighed as he kicked away from the II Neo Zeong, "But I suppose this is my chance. Humor me and unleash all you can upon me!" he ordered while landing on the ground, "I have wanted to see if I can counter beams with beam blades."
"He's using us to train!? That no good samurai jerk…" Shirojishi grumbled in outrage as he bit into his sleeve out of frustration.
"The Beams won't even work on his Gunpla, the Nanolaminate armor dissuades Beams…" The Chief sighed, tapping something on his menu, "You need to crush it with brute force, smash it!" he ordered, "Use the…"
"He damaged the extra arms with the bazooka~" Gouda sobbed.
"You idiot!" Shirojishi snapped, eyes blank and teeth sharp while slapping the air.
"I know my Gundam Lore. Don't think I haven't dismantled one of these with far less arms," Asmodeus spoke.
"You mean Armaments?" Shirojishi asked.
"No, arms…I lost an arm before fighting it. I only needed one and my sword," he explained.
"Demon…" Kurojishi and Gouda whimpered.
"Lio's probably too strong for them, isn't he?" Megaman chuckled awkwardly at the sheer difference in battle skill being presented, "But how dangerous is this machine?"
"In the lore of its world, it is a highly dangerous mobile armor meant for deploying a powerful tool known as the Psycho Shard Generator which, when activated with the Psycho Frame system, would allow its user to actualise their thoughts into reality." Lio explained.
"WHAT!?" Alex and Megaman gawked.
"...Eh?" Rhyme tilted his head in confusion.
"Think that if it worked like it does in its lore, you think of a donut and it will just appear," Alex summed up.
"...Ohhh~!" Rhyme awed, tail wagging and a bit of drool in his mouth.
"Though, that's in the fiction of the show…Here in Gunpla Nexus, it's an overpowered giant weapon rack," Lio shrugged.
"You call it 'overpowered' while ripping it apart with your bare hands!" Everyone but Rhyme snapped at him.
"He doesn't have paws…" Rhyme muttered.
"I mean…I could do it that way. The Asmodeus's tonfas are meant for battling giant mobile armors after all…Actually, Mobile Armors are what Gundam Frames are built to fight…and destroy with great pleasure…Heck, in the Iron Blooded Orphans extended universe, a Gundam gave a Mobile Armor AI PTSD," Lio went on.
"Ya see?! I knew I don't wanna be watchin' that, yo! That be all kinds of wrong right there!"
"I'm still waiting on the model for that very Gundam," Lio declared with a glint to his helmet's visor, "Would you consider a rematch with me when it's done? …All of you with II Neo Zeongs?"
'I'm getting me and Lan vibes from him, but for Gunpla and not…' Megaman began before a shadow came over them, "Huh?"
"GAH!" all three yelped as a second II Neo Zeong grabbed the Star Winning from behind and began to rocket away.
"Oi, oi, oi…What are you doing?" Lio scowled, about to chase when the headless Zaku/Dom hybrid grappled onto him, "Hah?"
"Dogpile!" Gouda called as his mobile suit detached from the wrecked II Neo Zeong and grappled onto Asmodeus from behind.
"Nanda kore?!" Asmodeus demanded, trying to get them off him.
"We don't care 'bout the points! Not with the bonus we're getting thanks to that one in there!" Gouda declared.
"We'll do all we can until chief can get outta here with him!" Shirojishi declared.
"Ah…..?" Asmodeus asked as its head leaned down to hide its optics, "My friends?" red lightning began leaking from the optics.
"Oh no…" Shirojishi gulped.
"Why's he crackling with red lightning? What's the deal with the red lightning?! Why am I terrified of the red lightning?!" Gouda panicked.
"Alya-Vijnana system limiter…Release…" Lio growled out.
"Oh frick," Shirojishi uttered.
"I have no idea what it is!" Gouda freaked.
"You jerk! Let us go and I swear you'll get blasted!" Star Winning snapped as the II Neo Zeong got through a warp gate, changing the forest and mountains to a barren wasteland, "I had enough of this role in Drama Club, dang it!"
"Not a chance! You've got someone in there that's gonna give our Force major points when we bring 'em to the Game Master!" the chief declared.
"Game-…We already met him!" Alex complained.
"He was nice!" Rhyme nodded.
"Wait…he's never nice to us…" The Chief muttered.
"I don't think anyone is," Megaman muttered, "Who's the Game Master?"
"Nice man who keeps this world going okay!" Rhyme cheered, "He was nice and gave Alex-nee a lot of stuff called paperwork…which is not a nom!"
"Oh good, you paid attention to that one," Alex nodded before Star Winning struggled in the massive hand holding her, "UNLIKE THIS JERK ON RELEASING US!"
"Doesn't matter! You have that guy in there and I am taking you right to him!" the chief declared, giving a loud cackle, "Force prize, here I come!"
"Ghh…" Alex groaned, "I can't even turn the head around to use the Winning Beam on him because the pack is in the way."
"Hahaha! I'm no fool, kid! I recognize your Gunpla. I had front row seats for that tournament!" he laughed, "I know what secret moves it has; it's why I won't goof and let you aim that thing at me. Plus, I know Real Mode is more draining on its energy levels, meaning soon you won't even be able to shoot. Unlike my boys, I know a good few things, mostly when to run from a total Battle Maniac. That guy wasn't even close to serious; he didn't use his Limiter Release, his Diver Ability, or his Special Moves."
"Hoo boy…" Alex groaned.
"What do we do now?" Rhyme whimpered as Megaman looked at the feed.
"...I know this place," Megaman recognized.
"You do?" Alex pondered before blinking as the two yellow rectangles on his helmet flashed for a moment before he grinned.
"Oh finally…" Megaman noted, "Guess going into here too far caused a disconnect."
"A…A what?" Alex blinked a few times.
"Ms. Alex, how do I get out of Star Winning?" Megaman asked.
"Oh you can make it go woosh like Lio-nii and it becomes sparkly stuff and then make it appear again to catch us!" Rhyme cheered.
"..." Alex facepalmed, "To be fair…this is my first day here."
"Same here," the two agreed with a smile on their faces, earning a smile from her.
Star Winning glowed before vanishing, leaving the trio to start falling. As Alex began to resummon the Gunpla while holding onto Rhyme, the canine EL-Diver tried to reach out for Megaman…who shook his head. Just as Star Winning reformed in SD Mode, Megaman vanished.
"What the…?!" the Chief gawked.
"He vanished?" Rhyme and Alex pondered before a sharp whistle made Chief turn his Gunpla's head to see Megaman glaring at him from atop his right shoulder.
"I don't like people who mess with friends, especially when I just became friends with them," Megaman stated.
"How did he…?" Alex began before Megaman's right hand twitched…before the blue glove swelled up into a bulky cylindrical gauntlet that had frost flaking off it, "Huh?"
"Wah~" Rhyme awed at this.
"ColdPunch!" Megaman shouted, lunging and slamming the large fist into the Zaku-Dom hybrid's head…before it was engulfed in ice.
"Gah! I-Ice?!" the Chief gawked.
He tried to grab at Megaman, only for the bottom of his backpack to glow and enlarge the 'pipes' on the lower half of it to form thrusters that he used immediately to take flight away from the grabbing hands. A blue mask formed over the lower half of his face as his gauntlet changed into a blue and gunmetal cylinder that deployed a blue beam sword. He shot down and cleaved one of the hands off, the hand exploding after a moment of being separated.
"...Can you do that?" Alex asked, looking at Rhyme with wide eyes.
"Uh-uh," Rhyme shook his head, watching in awe at Megaman flew about the II Neo Zeong as it kept trying to grab at him.
"From what I saw from another version of this thing, it's loaded with all kinds of weapons that it can deploy or be used by others if we get to them first," Megaman spoke to someone they couldn't hear, "...Yeah, I have no idea why we seem to always deal with something gigantic like this, Lan. …Okay, sounds good to me!" his sword glowed before it was replaced with a large, bulky, three-barreled blaster, "Magnum!" he quickly aimed at the right shoulder and fired a blast from it, ripping a hole through the shoulder and causing miniature explosions to start going through the limb from the ammunition in it being set off.
"What is…What is this?!" the Chief panicked as he blinked and Megaman was gone, "Gh?! Where did he…?"
"BIGHAMMER3!"
"?!" Chief looked up on hearing the shout…only for his Gunpla's still frozen head to be shattered by the bulky green and pale-gold mallet as big as Megaman slamming down on it, held by the blue boy with ease, "What the heck?! Just…Just what are you? What kind of EL-Diver are you?!"
"I'm Megaman," Megaman replied, narrowing his eyes as he landed on Star Winning's shoulder as she assumed Real Mode, "Can you use it now?"
"Oh yeah~" she confirmed as the crest on her helmet shined brightly along with the emerald pieces on her arms and legs.
"Then let's hit him together," Megaman replied as his right glove changed into the sword while his left glove turned into a bulkier version with two gold 'horns' on the sides while the blade was wider at the end.
"I'm…I'm going to be wrecked…by a buncha Rookies?" the Chief struggled to realize as Megaman held the swords above his head…before they began to shine as bright as Star Winning Gundam's crest, "?!"
The blades melded together, turning a brilliant violet in color, seemingly made of raw plasma. Megaman grasped it in his hands.
"Winning…" Star Winning began.
"Program Advance…" Megaman intoned, reeling his blade back.
"BEAM!" she roared as a golden 'W' beam fired from her crest.
"LIFESWORD!" Megaman shouted, swinging the blade and unleashing a shockwave from it.
The beam and shockwave overlapped, turning the golden 'W' into a multicolored 'W' that spun around. The II Neo Zeong quickly deployed his I Field…only for a harsh wind from the north to suddenly erupt and cause sparks to come off of his I Field generators until the I Field vanished. The Chief choked out a noise of shock from the sudden action before the beam slammed into and through his Mobile Armor, leaving behind a stylized 'W' in the front and a stylized 'M' in the back. He screamed as the II Neo Zeong erupted into several explosions as it fell from the sky, ultimately going up in an explosion upon impacting with the ground below. All three sighed after a moment, realizing it wasn't going to get back up, before Star Winning landed and let Alex and Rhyme out as it was dismissed, letting Megaman hover down from small bursts of air from the soles of his boots.
"Sugei~!" Rhyme awed, looking up at Alex and Megaman in awe, "Alex-nee and Rock-nii are so cool~!"
"It…It wasn't all that much…and most of it was Star Winning and Megaman," Alex sheepishly rubbed the back of her head before looking at the blue-wearing figure, "Speaking of…"
"I'm really glad we managed to reconnect, Lan! I've learned so much from this place!" Megaman noted, talking to someone they couldn't hear, "Hm? Oh! These are Alex and Rhyme! Apparently, humans can come here like in Pulse Transmission. …No, Rhyme's like me. Ms. Alex is a human. …No, I have no idea why Ms. Alex has tails and ears."
"Uh…" Alex blinked a few times before all three yelped as Asmodeus shot by them in the air, nearly knocking them over.
"Grah! Where is it?!" Lio roared, Asmodeus looking around with the red lightning still crackling off its optics, "Where?!"
"Lio-Nii is mad along with Asmodeus," Rhyme stated.
"It's like the anger is literally radiating off him," Megaman awed before frowning, "No…No I don't know why it's so scary, Lan…but it is."
"Ah…wait a minute…?" the lightning stopped as the optics returned to normal, "Oh…you guys got him…I mean, it's not hard when you know how to handle a Mobile Armor, but that's still impressive."
"Lio-nii~! SD Gundam saikyou da~! Rock-nii saikyou da~!" Rhyme cheered, waving up at the Gunpla happily.
"Ah…" Lio sighed as Asmodeus landed and proceeded to vanish, letting Lio land before them, "I'm just glad you guys are okay. I was worried I'd need to warp right to Administration," he paused, "Where's the Idiot who nabbed you? Did you kill his Avatar?"
"We can do that?!" Megaman and Alex gawked with wide eyes.
"Yes," Lio explained as he summoned a katana into his hand, "It's part of the War game aesthetic," he then noted their looks of worry, "Ah…nothing bad happened; it's just the same as a Game Over. For Human Divers, it normally means next they log in, they have been demoted a rank and lost most or all progress they might have had in their last session."
"Hmph. Well, good riddance to him then," Alex huffed before picking up Rhyme while patting Megaman's head, "That guy wanted Rhyme and Megaman for some reason."
"Really?" Lio asked in confusion, "That…makes almost no sense. Good lord, were they drunk before logging in?" he asked, "I swear, one guy found out you can carry the buzz in and it stays for as long as you're logged in…now every jerk tries it…"
"Ech. No thank you. I don't drink alcohol," Alex grimaced.
"I'm underage," Lio reminded.
"Oh~! Lio-nii! Lio-nii! Rock-nii flew!" Rhyme beamed in excitement, "He froze the meanie's head a-and then he cut off a hand and then he did lots of flying and then made a big sword that made the beam with Star Winning~!"
"...Rhyme-kun? How many fingers am I holding up?" Lio raised his hand with three fingers up, a bit of concern in his voice, "Did you find a way to get tipsy?"
"No, that…that really did happen," Alex noted, looking at Megaman who sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Megaman teleported to his Gunpla's shoulder, made his fist grow and punched him so hard the head unit froze over. Then his backpack turned into rockets and he smashed the head with a giant mallet and took off a hand with a sword. Then I fired the Winning Beam and he made a giant sword of light that I think he called a Life Sword." she looked at Megaman, "It was Life Sword, right?"
"Yes. A LifeSword Program Advance," Megaman confirmed.
"...That's not normal for an EL-Diver without a Mobile Doll Gunpla…" Lio explained as he looked at Megaman.
"Huh? It's not?" Megaman titled his head, "But…I do this all the time with Lan."
"Who?" Lio and Alex pondered before Megaman's helmet's two rectangles flashes repeatedly.
"Ah! Lan, the alarm is going off! We'll be late for hanging out with Maylu, Roll, and the others!" Megaman exclaimed.
"Wait, wait. Who and who?" Alex asked before Megaman glowed again.
"I'll see you all later. I promise," Megaman waved before he vanished, momentarily turning into the words 'LOGGING OUT' before vanishing.
"Ah! Yurei?!" Rhyme gawked.
"...Can you do that, Rhyme?" Alex asked.
Lio mumbled something incoherent before snapping his head back, "NANJA KORA!"
"Gundam Metaverse?"
Skating down a sidewalk, a young boy around eleven moved quickly, wearing a white long-sleeved shirt under an orange vest, black shorts, and a blue bandana holding up his chocolate-brown hair. His chocolate brown eyes were focused on a rectangular device with rounded ends. On a holographic screen being displayed on it…was Megaman.
"Yes, Lan. It's really big and people there can pilot giant robots called Gundam, Mobile Suits, or Gunpla," Megaman explained.
"I knew that path in the Undernet was gonna be interesting!" the boy beamed, "Next time, we're going in there in FullSynchro so we don't get disconnected! I wanna see what's in there, too! Well…aside from that giant robot that tried grabbing you."
"I have a series that a friend I made there, Ms. Alex, gave me a copy of. We could watch it later so we can understand things a bit better," Megaman offered.
"A series?"
"Yes. She said it was called Mobile Fighter G Gundam. It was how she was introduced to the franchise. I'll have to turn on the Translator in the PeT for it since I think it's in Netopian."
"Well sounds fun to me. Those robots looked cool! Especially that one that showed up after the fight," Lan smiled, "And holy cow! That beam you combined with the LifeSword was massive!"
"Also…there was one other thing there…"
"What's that?"
"Their donuts are amazing!" Megaman exclaimed, stars in his eyes, "They were fluffy and soft and really sweet and crunchy! I've never had one like it before!"
"I…I see…" Lan blinked a few times, a drop of sweat going down the back of his head, before shaking his head, "W-Well…Let's go back after we watch the whole show, alright?"
"Right!" Megaman nodded, "Hopefully, the screen works and you can talk to them and not try to through me."
"If not, then you could always get whacked on the head and we'd split up in it," Lan suggested.
"Can we not? I get hit enough on the head Virus Busting in the Undernet," Megaman groaned.
"It's fine~ It's fine~"
"Tree."
"Wait, what?" Lan looked up and screamed before skating right into a tree, "GOI! U-Ugh…"
"Lan…" Megaman sighed, facepalming as he pulled out the Fireweed to look at it, '...I can't wait to see you all again. Ms. Alex…Rhyme…Lio…'
GT: *wearing a hardhat while doing repairs to the city* Well, that was nuts!
Z0: Told ya we'd get to it, which again this will totally be multiple chapters at once, so we never let you complain in the first place. Preemptive strike!
GT: Indeed. Well, hopefully next chapter, Megaman does meet them again. Here's hoping nothing goes wrong, eh? …Eh? *slumps* Something's gonna happen, ain't it?
Z0; Oh you bet your sweet bippy, binky-boy. Lets call it a night folks we need sleep…but can only write in the middle of the night. Don't question our torture.
GT: Indeed. So until next time, please Read and Review!