This story continues a plot-line established in A Newbie's Quest, along with the new Sector Q side-plot in Pirate Wars. Newcomers will be confused if they haven't read those! The main crossover of this story will be Sword Art Online, a rather favored anime of mine that has its noticeable kinks, but is still nonetheless enjoyable. Naturally, there will be other crossovers such as Glitch Techs, with the focus being series about virtual reality.
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Kids Next Door mission…
Operation:
A.I.N.C.R.A.D.
Augmented
Illusion
Now
Causing
Reality
Altering
Disaster
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As a sea of code splayed before the user's vision, a pair of rings rotated within their U.I.. Within the center of those rings appeared a castle of incomparable size, 100 floors tall and all the width of valleys. "Welcome to Aincrad, the land where dreams become reality. No matter your race, gender, or identity, Aincrad is a world where you can be anything you please. Avatars are made with millions of customization options. Have humans ever wished to be mermaids? Have mermaids ever wished to be humans? You can become whatever race you wish, with sizes ranging from three inches to 30 feet, and master whatever skill you wish. The virtual reality enables one to grasp any number of skills, ranging from cooking, fishing, marksmanship, and everyone's favorite, combat. By automatically assisting your muscles in performance, Aincrad is designed to improve one's muscle memory as they perfect their skills in the real world."
The screen switched to an image of Akihiko Kayaba, the President of Hinobi, who had gray hair and a labcoat. "Hinobi has dedicated its heart and soul to creating this game where everyone can be equal. We have worked tirelessly to rid the game of any and all errors. After only four days since publication, we have sold billions of NerveGear setups to customers all across the cosmos. My staff have interviewed a number of customers who express delight with the software."
The screen showed a chubby Glomourian boy with glasses. "I'm not good at using swords like my friends, but in Aincrad, I think I'm really good at it! I get to look all cool, and it feels so real! Huhu, I like it!"
A Goomba woman was shown next. "I gave myself a body with long, springy arms, and it feels so amazing! I always thought using arms would be difficult, but it comes so natural to me, I don't wanna stop!"
A yellow-haired Harnitan girl said in an average, shy voice, "My friend is a KND operative who lost her arms in the Pirate War, and um, she never stopped crying, but she says Aincrad makes her happy, and she never wants to leave."
"Indeed, Aincrad is able to accommodate people with any disability. We have NerveGear varieties designed to suit people with sensitive skin, tubes for people who need assisted breathing, and other types. By activating the NerveGear, your consciousness will be transmitted to the Aincrad Cloud, where you can meet, befriend, or challenge players from the universe over. Your real body will fall into a sleep-like state. It is therefore advised you play in a safe environment, and please take regular breaks to give your real body some exercise."
The screen cut to an image of several people in hospitals. "But of course, I'm sure many are still burdened by the most recent incident. The NerveGear is designed to read the brainwaves of our unwaking victims and replicate their memories in the form of artificial avatars. If these avatars closely portray the original people, they can safely be reuploaded into their slumbering bodies. Some of our patients are in hospitals, but the process can easily be carried out in the safety of your homes. We humbly hope you enjoy Aincrad. Oh, yes… this product is also sponsored by Disney." Disney's logo appeared beside him.
Miko Kubota had been with Sector Q for almost nine months. The 16-year-old was distinct with her violet hair, yellow T-shirt with a winking black cat, and purple pants. She appeared Japanese-American, but she actually came from Coruscant, having been transferred to Earth as part of Hinobi's plan to branch out to other worlds.
"So, how's Aincrad working out so far?" Miko asked via a phone call.
"It seems to be working out, but I wouldn't hold my breath." replied High Five, Miko's best friend from home. "I gotta admit, it's pretty impressive. Did you get your free copy?"
"I did, but…" Miko frowned and looked away. In the past, she would've killed for this kind of game. Even knowing of Hinobi's glitch problem, she would have stayed loyal to them and played their games to death. But that was before their glitches had caused so much trouble for her new friends. "I mean, my friends don't really trust it… and neither do I."
"Heh, I guess you're kind of done with Hinobi, huh?" Five asked with a mild smile.
"I mean, it hasn't exactly been the same, anymore."
"Yeah, us too. They kind of used Haneesh's death to boost their fame. And most of the glitch business was covered up by Galactic News, anyway."
"Tell me about it…" Miko mumbled with a somber look. If the recent incident weren't bad enough, she had already lost two friends during the Pirate War: one of her old teammates, Haneesh, and her new Sector Leader, Drake Puncture. The team had been able to build their motivation back up during the Cooking Festival, but the Dream World incident that happened right after put their motivation right back down. Quill's father had been a victim of it.
"Um, but I have some good news! I… have a girlfriend now!"
"Really?" Miko perked up, beaming. "Well, who's the lucky lady??"
"It's Zahra!"
"Hah! I always knew she had the hots for you!"
"Heheh! We haven't done anything too fancy, yet, but we're hoping things settle down with all these… well, crises. Anyway, I have to meet my team at a dungeon soon. Catch ya later?"
"Same cat time, same cat channel." Miko winked like the cat on her shirt.
"Heh heh!" With that, Five hung up.
"Hey, Meeks!" Miko turned as Eddy Flores took his spot on the couch beside her, holding his Nintendo NX. At 13 years, Eddy was a scrawny boy with round techy glasses, messy brown hair, a pale-blue T-shirt, similar socks, and black shorts. "Care to join me in Splatoon? Splatfest is starting up, and I'm getting wrecked by the Gilligans."
"Sure, I'll lend ya a hand!"
Miko grabbed her own controller and excitedly hooked up. Eddy was Miko's gamer buddy since joining this sector, and though they didn't get off to a good start, they have since enjoyed each other's company. Often, they would find their selves up late at night and gaming online.
The sound of roller-blades rumbling along the floor resounded as Jenny Strongarm came sliding in. "So, what do you couch potatoes wanna do today?" she asked spryly. She had messy brown hair under her white and dark-yellow biker helmet. She had a dark-yellow T-shirt, white shorts, and roller-blades of the same colors.
"Right what you see." Eddy remarked.
"Come on, aren't your butts tired by now?"
"Why are you so energetic?" asked the voice of Quill Ramsey. The 3'8" Sector Leader walked out to greet them. He wore a black shirt, white shorts with matching shoes, and his black hair was up in three spikes shaped like racecar engines. He had been rather strict after being appointed as leader, and today seemed no different. "Just because no one you know is in a coma…"
"Whoa, excuse me." Jenny replied. "Like, I feel for you, dude, really. But there ain't anything we can do about it, right?"
"Hmm…" Quill approached Miko and Eddy. "Hey, Miko… have you tested it, yet? Aincrad, I mean?"
"Er…not really. I thought we were all in agreement, we shouldn't trust it?"
"I know, but… I mean… it sounds like it's been getting some good reviews. I heard some saying that some of the patients are starting to come to…"
"Those could easily be lies, you know." Eddy replied. "People get paid to spread misinformation."
"Like you would know! All you do is play Nintendo!"
"I play other companies, sometimes. Besides, I listen to KNN, and that's the only news I trust. Just listen." He grabbed the remote and flipped the channel to Melody Jackson and Yuta Asahina.
Melody spoke first, "With Aincrad seeing a rise in popularity, the KND is receiving its own cut of the pie. Shipments of VR setups have been sent by the Coruscanti KND for any who would like to try it out… with caution, of course. Supreme Leader Cheren would like everyone to be reminded of the incidents reported back in August, in which operative lives were threatened by Hinobi's faulty hardware."
"We were almost thinking of banning the game entirely!" Yuta grinned. "But Cheren wanted to give his operatives a fair choice. If you believe the game can save your comatose loved one, that choice is up to you. Or even if you just think it looks fun! I dunno, I can go for it. What about you, Mel?"
"Leave my body stiff and defenseless while I go blind from mass RGB? No thanks."
"You can trust me to protect you!"
"Oh, no you don't!" Yuta faced the camera as it seemed to be running toward him. Eric's voice shouted, "I know what you're trying, you little—!"
"Hey!" Yuta screamed as he appeared to be getting beat up, the camera shaking wildly.
It was then pulled away by Klubba and pointed at the Kremling's puny head. "We will be back after these commercial messages!"
"See?" Eddy asked. "And don't you remember being shrunk and confined to a toy car because of their VR?"
"Of course I do! But I…I can't take it, anymore." Quill sighed. "I just want my dad to wake up… and wake up soon."
"Okay, why don't we stop fighting?" a muffled girl's voice spoke.
E. Carmine was the most distinct of her teammates: the girl was confined to a brown contamination suit and gas mask. Her flesh had been destroyed during a mission, making her extremely sensitive to almost anything. "Even if you don't think the game will work, there's a lot of other people putting their faith in it. So… let's just see how it works out. Can we do that?"
"…" Quill hung his head. "Sigh…but how long will it take?"
He didn't bother to wait for an answer before going to the kitchen. "And how could you say that, anyway?!" Jenny shouted. "Like, I'm still upset about Drake, so excuse me for trying to liven things up!"
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry…"
Jenny sighed. "Why's everything gotta be so depressing now?"
"The older you get, the more complicated everything is." Eddy remarked, still focused on the Splatfest. "The world used to revolve around a magical star child, but now we got demons and criminal warlords, alien councils and corrupt governments, and no one bothers to sit down and enjoy a normal life. Gah, dammit, Artie!"
"Normal as we get, I guess." Miko chuckled. It was then she received a phone call, the caller ID reading that it was her mother. "Hey, Mom?"
"Hi, sweetheart. Um, you know that new game helmet thing that came from Hinobi?"
"Uh…you mean the NerveGear? For Aincrad?"
"Yes… did you tell Lexi it was okay to use it?"
"W-What? She never asked me… LEXI!" In a slight fury, Miko abandoned the couch and zoomed out of the treehouse.
"And she's abandoned me." Eddy sighed. "#$@%* dudes be #$@%* sleepin' indeed."
Quill opened the refrigerator and got some milk in a glass bottle, taking a drink. "Hmmm…" He thought back to the Sector Leader meeting he recently attended.
"And those Guardians… are in YOUR sectors!" Index pointed to the various leaders, including Quill.
Quill reached into his pocket and withdrew a small Pokéball. It was dark-blue with unlit black lines. "…If she becomes a Guardian, things will get way more crazy for us. And this Hinobi thing definitely has something to do with it." There were too many incidents happening one after the other. They seemed unrelated, and yet they weren't. They may have all been coincidence, but they all revolved around the Newborn. With Miko in their team, they were bound to be roped into her destiny. Quill sighed. "If Drake were here… he would want us to help her. Hmph…then I might as well scout it out."
Kubota Household
Lexi Kubota, the 12-year-old sister of Miko, wore a karate robe and black hair in a ponytail. Having been curious about Aincrad, she fixed the NerveGear on herself and rested on her bed. Based on the instructions, she declared, "Link Start."
Her room, the world, and the universe around her disappeared. The karate student found herself in a vast space of floating white blocks. One of these blocks flew before her with a screen. It seemed to have avatar customizations. "I can be anything I wanna be, huh? In that case… I always wanted to be… A DRAGON!"
Lexi gave herself a black tail with orange spinal spikes, horns, sharp teeth, wings, and pointed ears. Her feet and hands became claws, but she regained her human skin. "Or a Draconian! I like it! I can even give myself an element, too? Hmmm…I'll take lightning. And my username? I'll stick with Samurai Lex."
Once she had completed her settings, Lexi was slurped away by a beam of light. "Samurai Lex… welcome to Aincrad. Your adventure begins in the Land of Beginnings."
Soft grass was felt beneath her feet as a fantastical world splayed before her: there were numerous islands suspended in the air via thin stems connected to the ground. Some islands had ponds, grasslands, forests, or towns, as well as small moons or suns. A waterfall poured from one island onto another and created a rainbow. There was a tremendous pillar in the center of the valley. At first, Lexi thought she was alone, until thousands of other creatures materialized around her. Did they happen to log in at the same time, or did they only load in from her perspective? It was probably the latter, since some appeared to be exploring without much confusion.
A pair of eyes displayed on a screen on her U.I.. "At Aincrad, players are encouraged to develop their skills and explore as they please. The central elevator will take players to any floor of their choosing. Each floor has its own collection of enemies for those who wish to hone combat skills, but be mindful that enemies are stronger on higher floors. If your HP drops to zero, you will be automatically booted out of the game for 10 minutes. Each floor also has a Boss Guardian in a hidden location. According to an ancient Aincrad prophecy, should the 100 bosses fall, the path to the Lost World will open. Currently, no bosses have fallen, so it is unconfirmed if the prophecy is true."
"I mean, the game just came out." Lexi shrugged. "Then again, Miko has told me of some crazy good speedrunners. 'Guess I better get exploring! Um…" She glanced back to her wings. "Problem is, I don't really know how to fly. Maybe like…oh!" She was able to get in touch with the nerves of her new wings and flap them. She carefully lifted off the ground and leaned her body forward. "Hey… flying is pretty easy!"
"The NerveGear is designed to help people adjust to the physical attributes of their chosen race. However, be mindful that flight is limited in certain areas."
"Yeah, yeah. Man, this place looks wild! I can't believe Miko didn't wanna play this!"
Lexi skimmed the valley below and around, seeing various groups of players in many different avatars exploring the fields and fighting monsters. "…Wait, is that Sayu?!" Lexi spotted a giant pink mermaid flying over an island platform, using a bubble inner-tube. It seemed that three other players were riding Sayu. "Even she's in this game! This is so cool!"
Lexi flew toward the Elevator Tower, surrounded by the bustling Town of Beginnings. "Yeeeaaah, yeeeaaaah!" There was raving taking place as two people were battling in an open area of the street. One of them seemed to be a Mobian rabbit with white, jagged fur, a red jacket, and fingerless combat gloves with metal knuckles. The other was a handsome young man with shining silver armor. The human shot flashes of lightbending, the rabbit shutting its eyes as it dealt spinning kicks.
Lexi saw a trio of boys on a roof: Rez, a tall one with yellow armor; Francis, a glasses boy with blue armor; and Arnold, a sunglasses boy with red armor (all from Spy Kids). She landed beside them. "Hey, what's going on? Did those two get in a fight?"
"What, you don't know who they are?" Francis chortled.
"Uh, no? I just logged in, excuse me."
"The rabbit is King Kazma." Arnold pointed. "And the silver guy is with us. He's The Guy."
"The… Guy?"
"Yeah." Rez nodded coolly. "The Guy. He's the Number 2 gamer in the universe. Of course, since the Number 1 gamer died, he might as well take the spot. And guess what? He's with us."
"But Kazma is no pushover." Francis replied. "He uses that same avatar as his profile for all his games, so everyone knows who he is. Smash, Hero's Duty, he kicks butt. But he's not The Guy."
Kazma (from Summer Wars) tackled The Guy to the ground. He shut his eyes from the blinding flash attack, then sank his teeth into The Guy's chest. His HP rapidly dropped, but The Guy channeled chi to his chest and fired a beam of light. Kazma flew off, and The Guy drew a light sword to slice the rabbit's stomach. Kazma panted on the ground, his HP reduced to 2. "You can't survive another hit." The Guy said. "I'd advise you to back down, if you don't want to suffer 10 minutes of boredom."
The rabbit grit his teeth and stood up. "Finish me off or suck it, shiny bastard!" He threw a punch, ducked down-right to dodge Guy's attack, then swung a kick at the legs, but Guy jumped and dealt the last blow. King Kazma derezzed as the crowd cheered for the silver gamer.
…
In the real world, a tan-skinned boy with short black hair, orange tank-top, and baggy white shorts sat up and took off his NerveGear. He was thin, had a bang over his right eye, and his room was rather dim. "Jerk." The boy decided to play on his computer for the next 10 minutes.
Back in Aincrad, The Guy leapt up to join Arnold, Francis, and Rez. "That's our Guy!" Arnold said, sharing a knuckle-punch with his leader.
"Hey, who's this lovely lady?" The Guy noticed the Draconian.
"Oh, me?" Lexi blushed. "I'm… Samurai Lex! I'm sort of a newbie."
"Thought so." Arnold said.
"Yeah, well I'm no slouch at karate!"
"Yeah, well we're planning to open the Lost World." Rez said. "We got our eyes on the 100 bosses, and we're gonna take 'em all."
"What's in the Lost World, anyway?"
"Who knows?" Arnold shrugged. "A billion dollars… unlimited power… all we know is, nothing can beat The Guy. And the only gamer that could," he fist-palmed, "is already crushed."
"C'mon, Arnold, that's not nice." Guy said. "Chiaki didn't deserve what happened to her."
"Who's Chiaki?" Lexi asked.
"She was the Number One gamer." Francis answered. "But a few years ago, her hometown was ravaged by pirates. Apparently, she was crushed by falling debris. Because of that, she holds the permanent Number One spot out of honor."
"An honor she deserves and more." Guy said nobly. "Well, since you're already acquainted, care to join us for a little quest? If you're new at this game, we can help hone your skills."
Lexi beamed. "That sounds…!" But her body immediately began glitching and fizzing out. She derezzed in an instant, and the word 'Disconnected' displayed.
"Huh…bad Wi-Fi?" Arnold wondered.
…
"AAAAH!" Lexi screamed and awoke in her room, as if being forced out of a good dream. "MIKO! You ruined my epic adventure!"
Her sister was standing over her with the helmet raised aloft, looking reprovingly. "Lexi, why did you take my NerveGear?"
"You didn't wanna play with it!"
"Because I don't know if it's safe, yet! You know Hinobi's games glitch!"
"Yeah, but you always fix things. It sounds like a lot of people really like it, and it could probably boost my karate level."
"Come on, sis, you're already great at karate. You've already got Maddy teaching you, right? I mean, why not just join the KND if you wanna get better?"
"The KND sounds too dangerous. But this way, I can go on epic quests without worrying about that. Please, Miko?"
"Sigh…" Miko dropped the NerveGear back in Lexi's hands. "But if things start to get glitchy, promise you'll take it off."
"I will! Thanks!" Lexi put it back on and plopped back on her bed.
Miko moaned in frustration before turning to leave. "Hmm…maybe I should at least check it out. If things do get glitchy, then I'm one of the best people to handle it, right?" She smiled at herself, but self-doubt was clear in her eyes and tone. "…But I guess I'll need to get another one now."
Assassination Classroom
Somewhere in a forest lay an abandoned wood building that once served as a classroom. Four students occupied the only desks: one was Killua Zoldyck, a white-haired half-Sheikah with a light-purple T-shirt, pale-purple shorts, and purple shoes. His little brother, Kalluto, had shoulder-length black hair, wore a black kimono with white and violet edges, with red flowers on them, and Japanese sandals. There was a girl with short, silver hair, an open black jacket, and tall green boots. Her belly was heavily exposed between her short green top and short, white shorts. The last girl had dark-green hair in long pigtails, red eyes, a red school uniform with a black skirt, and long red socks.
Killua had his feet disrespectfully propped on his desk. The red-eyed girl, Maki (from Danganronpa) had one leg bent up and propped on her chair. The silver-haired girl, Fie (from Trails of Cold Steel) had her head rested on her folded arms. These were typical demeanors of any bored student in any boring class. Although this classroom only served as a meeting place; it certainly wasn't the setting for their lessons.
Deathstroke, Shadow the Hedgehog, Deadpool, and Akame marched into the classroom, holding four total boxes. "Now, listen here, you brats." Deathstroke greeted. "We've got some presents for you. I'm sure you're familiar with the hot new game sweeping off the shelves. Well, we pitched in and purchased four NerveGear setups just for you!"
"You mean Aincrad?" asked Maki. "That virtual reality game?"
"Why are you giving us a videogame?" Fie asked.
"Because your teachers are going to be busy with some important research. We'd hate for you to fall behind on your training, so we've got an assignment for you."
"In Aincrad, players are encouraged to hone their skills by challenging each other in combat." Shadow explained. "So, your assignment is simple: search for the most skilled players in Aincrad and eliminate them. Report back with your chosen targets and thought process as you executed your plan."
"Don't we have to accept paid work before we target anyone?" Maki asked.
"Killing the players' avatars won't kill them in real life." Akame said. "That's why players challenge and kill each other without mercy. This assignment is primarily to hone your skills while we're away."
"Man, this is lame." Killua whined. "I don't need any more training, I took on a frickin' Yonko. Can't we just play Among Us?"
"I dunno." Fie replied. "Maki makes a mean impostor."
"I know how to set up a good mystery." Maki said.
"If you're not going to take it seriously," Kalluto replied, "then perhaps be thankful our teachers are allowing us to play a game for an assignment. In which case, I plan to kill more than any of you."
"That's mah girl!" Deadpool slid up and put an arm around Kalluto. "You show these newbies who means business!"
"I'm a boy, Master."
"YAH!" Deadpool jumped away. "I'm sorry! Please don't hate me on social media! Don't ban me from bathrooms!"
"Shut up, Master."
"Yes, sir." Deadpool bowed.
"My friend actually has this game." Fie said as she used a dagger to cut open her box. "She really talks it up, so I've been thinking about getting it myself."
"Hmm…I wonder if Nagisa has it." Killua thought aloud.
"Perhaps he does?" Slade cocked a brow. "If so, you ought to invite him to join you."
"And what?" Killua smirked. "He ain't gonna go with your plans. And neither will I."
"Yeah, well we're still being paid to teach you, and you won't see the end of it from your parents if we write a bad report!"
"Whatever, old man. A free game is a free game."
"So, how long will this be, anyway?" Maki asked.
"We'll return in about a week." Akame answered. "You'll do good, Maki." she said with a smile.
"Don't fall behind them, Fie." Shadow stated.
"Same to you, boss."
Shadow warped his fellow agents away with Chaos Control. The four apprentices exited the school and traveled down the path. "You guys wanna crash at my place and do this?" Killua asked.
"Sounds cool." Fie answered, a hint of perkiness to her stiff tone. "But I'm probably gonna hook up with Millium."
"I don't like sleeping under the same roof as your older brothers." Maki inputted.
"They won't bother us if they know what's good for them." Kalluto's eyes darkened.
"I'm gonna send a call to Nagisa." Killua said, pulling out his phone. "I think he wanted to get the game to help his mom, but he could always try it out himself."
"Maybe we could all hang out together." Fie wondered. "I'd like to meet Nagisa."
"Yeah, he's a pretty cool dude, though I don't know if he'd like having more girl friends."
"I think I'll just be acting independently." Kalluto said. "I don't much care for your friends."
"Yeah, we don't like you either."
"I'd rather be on my own, too." Maki said. "Assuming that idiot doesn't decide to buy the game."
"Yoohooooo! Maki Rooooooll!" After turning the corner of some trees, they spotted a small rocketship. A man in a purple jacket and goatee stuck his head out. "Is class already over? Great timing! You guys wanna grab a bite to eat?"
"I call shotgun!" Killua ran over. Fie was quick to follow as she performed a great leap.
"Ugh…that idiot." Maki blushed.
Aincrad; Dragon Towers
"HYAH! HWAH!" Carol Masterson had given herself Chinese hair buns, a white martial arts robe with green edges and "$" signs, and open-toed shoes. She made herself six feet tall with a rather sturdy build, exchanging kicks with a red-goggled frog girl with orange hair. The frog, Oracle, performed jumps to dodge Carol's kicks and thrusted airborne kicks at her in turn. Carol dodged behind and dealt quick jabs to Oracle's back, but Oracle reached back, grabbed her, and hopped all the way against the ceiling to smash Carol. They dropped down as Carol crashed on the floor, Oracle leaping to stomp her, but Carol rolled aside and dealt a punch up at Oracle.
The Dragon Towers, located on Floor 13, were a city of Chinese towers with snaky dragon roads wrapping the buildings. The main focus here was combat games, ranging from wrestling, boxing, or just no-holds beat 'em up.
"HO yeah!" Carol fist-pumped. "I feel so much more versatile in this world!" She kicked her leg back and front. "When I get back to the real world, I bet I'll be even faster!"
"You would be if you ditched the dress shoes." Dillon remarked. He had given himself the form of a Twili with a black toga.
"It's a great way to blow off some steam after that mess in the Dream World." Oracle said. "And I'm getting the same amount of exercise!"
"Hey, you guys wanna know somethin'?" Carol asked. "I'm sort of in the process of developing a game of my own~. In a few years, you may get to see it."
"Is it gonna top this one?" Dillon asked.
"Oh, it's gonna be good, trust me~"
"Say, Carol, you think you can help with something? Vanellope's been trying to hack into her own NerveGear and join us, but she's having a hard time."
"It must be pretty tight code. Well, I was gonna wake up and get some food, anyway, so maybe I'll stop over."
"Sure, we'd like that!"
"Okay! Logging out now!" Carol brought up her holo-screen and clicked the Log Out. Her avatar vanished.
Dillon and Oracle were approached by a gray-skinned boy with alien tech armor, round headwear, and darker-gray markings. "Hey, gang! Guess who I am!"
"Raleigh?" Dillon vaguely recognized the voice. "What's your race?"
"I'm a Machina, a kind of robotic race from Mira! Now I feel one with machines!"
"Heh, nice."
"So, do you know if Haylee's gonna get the game? What do you think she'll pick?"
"The Gilligans aren't really thinking of getting it."
"Really? I thought Artie would at least like a crack at Gun Gale."
"What's Gun Gale?"
"The shooting game on Floor 23." Oracle brought up a digital screen. "Some of these floors are divided into gaming sub-genres, and Floor 23's is shooting. Have you ever heard of Sinon?"
"No?" Raleigh answered.
"Well, check her out!" She switched the screen to a live view of a girl in a sniping position.
She wore a desert-colored military jacket with white and black armor around the belly, though her hip area was somewhat exposed. She had light-cyan hair and matching eyes, with bullet cannon ornaments on her bangs, and a white muffler around her neck. "This girl is Sinon, a pro gamer in the shooting genre."
"I can see her butt crack." Raleigh commented.
"DUDE!" Dillon bashed his head.
"Ow! I'm just saying, the camera looks like it's focusing there."
"Yeah, there's probably some pervs up in management." Oracle said. "But just watch her!"
Gun Gale's world possessed dark, brownish-orange, and gritty color. Sinon (from Sword Art) was watching a scuffle take place in a desert outside town. Two men were rolling around in jeeps in attempt to shoot each other down. Their constant turning stirred sand into the air, obscuring Sinon's vision. However, her sharp eyes could see the flashes of their gunfire. She waited until both men were about to line up… and with a pull of the trigger, seconds before they aligned, the bullet flew. It reached them just as they lined up and pierced both their heads.
"Whoa!" Dillon exclaimed. "That was like a dozen miles! How did she do that?!"
"That's how good she is!" Oracle exclaimed.
"No kidding! Anyway, I reckon I'll log out for a bit and meet with Carol. Catch ya later!" Dillon logged out.
KND Moonbase
After Miko explained what her sister was doing, Sector Q flew up to Moonbase. There was a newly-installed shop by the arcade, with several operatives walking away with their own NerveGear sets. Supreme Leader Cheren Uno was standing near the shop, his attention drawn to the violet hair he recognized as Miko's. "Hey, Sector Q." He greeted them neutrally. "I don't suppose you're here to check the game out?"
"I let my sister use my copy, so… now I need a new one." Miko shrugged. "I wasn't going to, but I would feel bad if anything bad happened in the game and I wasn't there to fix it."
"I can't believe how many people are buying it." Eddy noticed.
"They just have high hopes that it can fix their loved ones." Cheren replied. "But I still think it's an obvious trap."
"It probably is." Quill agreed. "But… I dunno."
"To be honest, I'd kind of like to play it, too." Carmine said. "Didn't the ad say it was adjustable to people with sensitive skin?"
"Kind of sus, isn't it?" Jenny asked. "It's like Hinobi mentioned that part specifically for you."
"Hehe…well, it's kind of them to do that."
"Next in line!"
"Hey! I'm next!" Miko beamed, rushing up to the stand.
Quill glanced at other nearby operatives. Hibiki from Sector KB had bought one, likely for his leader. Sarah-Jane had one, likely for her brother, and it seemed Emily wanted to take it apart first and study, to which Sarah argued, "Get yer own!"
"Killua called and said he got his own setup." Nagisa told Morgiana. "Before I try it on my mom, I wanna check it out myself first. So, I might as well meet up with him!"
"Ugh." Morgiana sighed in disapproval. She had a mild dislike for Killua and the influence he had on her boyfriend. "Then I might as well get my own copy, too."
"Hey, if you're getting one, I don't wanna be left out!" Goombella shouted.
"Well, what's the plan, Quill?" Jenny asked, her leader snapping back to attention. "We gonna get our own or what?"
"Er…we'll get our own copies, just in case." Quill decided. "But Miko goes first!"
"Fine, but Emily has the right idea." Eddy said. "I wanna see what makes this thing work."
Coruscant; Hinobi H.Q.
Phil Altiere poured himself some coffee before returning to his desk. With a solemn expression, he turned to the capsules that rested the bodies of Sector Hinobi. "Good evening, Philip!" a chubby woman in a business suit greeted cheerily as she waltzed into the room. "My, don't you ever get a wink of sleep? Your bags are so large, I could stuff groceries in them."
"Hey, I was put in charge of these kids while they're in there. I couldn't rest if something bad happened."
"You're the one who insisted your way in here. These children are our finest Glitch Techs, what have you to worry about?"
"You never know what could happen, Barbara…" Phil looked to the ceiling with suspicious eyes. Several floors beyond this ceiling were the heads of Hinobi. Ever since last August, they seemed to have no idea about the secret document he had read. However, he still didn't know the exact details of their project, or if they were carrying it out. He wanted to keep his kids safe in case Corporate tried to do anything… but one of them was far out of reach at the moment. He wondered if Miko was in there now…
…
At the top floor of the building, President Kayaba calmly scrolled through screenshots of players exploring his artificial world. "It's absolutely perfect." Kayaba smiled. "It's everything I could ever dream of."
"But still no sign of the girl." A bulkier old man swerved around on his chair, his voice calm with a hint of snideness. He had steel-gray hair and a grayscale pattern coat. "Wouldn't she have logged in at least once by now?"
Hinobi Executive
TOYMAKER (from Spy Kids)
"Perhaps Earth's KND is forbidding use of the equipment?" another man inferred. He had a brown robe and grey hair with a matching beard.
Former software engineer of ENCOM, a computer company
KEVIN FLYNN (from Tron)
"I told you this plan was gonna fail." Toymaker sneered. "We never should've let her go to Earth. Kids like her need to be kept on a tight leash."
"Patience." Kayaba said. "The Earth KND have already received equipment from their Coruscanti branch. Some have already logged in. Eventually, she will want to see it herself."
"Perhaps we should make some incentive. A special prize or weapon that she would like."
"Or perhaps we should discard all these Disney ads so we don't look like sell-outs." Flynn said. "They already bought out ENCOM…"
"Hmm…I have an idea." Kayaba said, pressing a button on his keyboard. "Boly, are you there?"
His screen turned cyan with blue square eyes, blinking cutely. "President Kayaba, I haven't sensed the subject appear, yet."
"She will soon. I want you to call all players to the central square of whichever town they're in. I have an announcement bound to attract more new players."
"Understood."
In a certain base…
A rotund, egg-shaped scientist with a mustache grinned mischievously at the screen before him. Over a billion players were logged in to Aincrad, according to his server. He could also tell that some who were derezzed were returning. "That seems to be a fair amount. I think it's time for you to join them."
"Yes, Doctor." replied the short, silver-masked Mobian with a red eye. A mystical red egg was attached to his armor as he rested within a capsule. "Link Start."
The doctor observed as the Mobian's conscience was uploaded to the program.
Aincrad, Floor 1
High Five, wearing green knight's armor with a hand symbol, slapped enemy dragonflies out of the air with a pair of giant hands. Zahra, wearing a white Arabian princess's outfit, performed graceful dances and shot pink fire at a hippo creature with moss and mushrooms growing on its back. A herd of boars were charging at her, but a giant hammer smashed them. It was wielded by Bergy, who had given himself the body of a giant Viking, complete with a horned helmet. "Don't let the Ultra Kitty get away!" Five yelled.
A sparkling gold kitten was zipping around the grass. Bergy dove down in attempt to grab it, but it easily slipped away from his fingers. "GOT YA!" A flying net sniped the cat and caught it. A tall, thin, gold-skinned boy proudly marched to pick it up. "Bergy, I wish you would've picked a smaller avatar, you could've squashed it."
"Ugh, at least I didn't make myself solid gold."
"Yeah," Five chortled sarcastically, "I can't believe you made yourself a Sovereign."
"Hey, gold is their natural hue, don't insult them." Mitch argued. "And speakin' of gold, let's hand this little guy in and collect our reward."
The Hinobi operatives perked up as their screens started beeping. The MC's eyes displayed. "All players are encouraged to report to the Town Square for a special announcement. You have 20 minutes."
"They must mean the Elevator Tower, right?" Five asked. "Let's head over."
The four began a journey to the Town of Beginnings as the sun was on the verge of setting. "So, Five, you got in touch with Miko, right?" Zahra asked. "Is she thinking about playing?"
"She's a little undecided. But I'm kind of worried if she does." Five smiled awkwardly. "If she decides she really likes it, she'll want to be here forever. She's the kind of girl who reaps everything a game has."
"You know, didn't they say there's a tribute to Haneesh hidden somewhere in the game?" Bergy asked. "I kind of wish they'd just tell us where."
"There are hidden Easter Eggs of several gamers who've passed away." Mitch confirmed. "But it wouldn't be very fun to just be told where they are."
By the time 20 minutes had passed, Sector Hinobi arrived at the bustling Town of Beginnings. Except for Bergy standing out, they were mixed in with hordes of avatars, as were The Guy and his gang, a respawned King Kazma, and Lexi had landed on a rooftop. Killua and his fellow assassins had logged in just in time, along with Nagisa and several operatives, though neither had the time to look for each other. In Gun Gale, Sinon arrived in her town square.
A tremendous hologram of Kayaba rose from the center of each realm. "Good evening, everyone. I am so glad that all of you are enjoying Aincrad. I hope to welcome many more players in these coming weeks and bring a wondrous time for everyone."
Sector Q
Miko slipped off her shoes and rested on her bed. Her teammates watched with anticipation as she held the NerveGear. "Alright… any words of wisdom?"
"Knock 'em dead?" Jenny shrugged.
"Wait!" Quill yelled.
"What?!" Miko gasped.
Quill bit his lip anxiously. "I…I think I'll go first instead. I'm the leader, so… I couldn't just let my teammate risk her life."
"Are… you sure?"
"Yeah. So just, move aside." Quill ushered Miko off her own bed and lied down perpendicularly. With a breath, Quill placed the helmet on, smashing his spiked hair in. "Link Start." His frame fell asleep as it activated.
He found himself floating in the Avatar Creation screen. "So, what do I wanna look like? Hmmm…I don't really identify as a particular race. Maybe just…" Quill selected some options and gave himself a white racer's jumpsuit with black lines, a "Q" on his left chest, and a silver helmet with engines on top. "Yeah… I can dig this! Okay, let's see what Aincrad has to offer!"
As light enveloped his vision, the grasslands of Aincrad and the twilit sky greeted him. "Hmm…it is pretty cool. …What's that over there?" Quill saw a giant hologram in a distant town. "Looks like something's up. I guess I'll check it out."
…
"To celebrate our vast number of players, I've come with a special announcement!" Kayaba continued. "Starting now, every week, there will be a…?" His hologram began glitching. "Hm? I appear to be having some technical difficulties."
"Difficulties?" Five repeated.
"Is it… a glitch?" Zahra wondered.
"Give me a moment. This shouldn't take long to—AAAH!" Kayaba's form burst into static, stretching and morphing. "What's going on?! This shouldn't be… shouldn't…"
"Error! Error!" The MC's eyes began fizzing on each of their U.I.'s. "Error… in… program… Losing… control…"
There was an ominous whirring sound as all eyes directed to the Elevator Tower. The elevator was descending the enormous shaft. As the entrance opened, a bright red aura shone from inside the tower. A short, black and silver figure marched out of the elevator. They had black gloves, silver boots with sharp ends, a silver mask with large ears, a blackened right socket, and a red eye glaring from the left socket. Their thick tail was black with five white tips, with similar hair protruding from the head. A bright red egg shone from their chest.
As the figure took his stance in the center of town, the hologram attained a clearer form: one that resembled the very being who had arrived. His voice carried a dark, omnipresent echo. "Now that we seem to have a fair number of players, it's time for the real show to begin. To start off, Hinobi Technology will officially be relieved of all administrative duties. Aincrad will now be supervised by me."
"Huh?!" Raleigh gasped. An image of the shining figure on the First Floor was displayed on screens on all the other floors. "Isn't that the guy from…"
"Whoa… what is that?!" Quill questioned, hurrying even faster toward the town.
"Who do you think you are?!" Mitch shouted. "You can't just walk in like you-"
"SILENCE!" The figure bellowed with a thundering burst of power. "Players of Aincrad… I am INFINITE! And I am the new Master Control of this game!"
"Infinite?!" Nagisa exclaimed. "The one who attacked us in Azoth?!"
"What the heck is this?" Lexi asked. "Is this part of the game? Is the main story starting?"
"Now, there are going to be some changes to this game." Infinite continued. "First… let's dispose of that useless Log Out button." With a wave of his hand, the players were horrified as their Log Out selection disappeared.
"What the-?!" Five panicked. "Are we trapped in the game?!"
"Phil can get us out!" Bergy said. "And besides, we could always-"
"And secondly, we're raising the stakes a little! From now on, should any player's HP reach zero, that person will DIE in reality! The classic, 'die in the game, die for real' trope."
"Uh…he's joking, right?" Lexi asked herself as murmurs of concern resounded through the crowd. "This is part of the story, right?"
"Ha ha ha ha! It's true! I've hacked my way into the Aincrad Network and inputted this program! If you die, your NerveGear will transmit a microwave through your brain and body and end your real life. And as an added bonus… if anyone in the real world tries to remove your NerveGear, the same effect will transpire."
"WHAT?!" Lexi screamed.
"NO!" a girl cried. "I told my mom she could take it off in an hour! MOM, PLEASE DON'T!"
"This is a sick joke!" Arnold shouted.
"Hey, Guy, what's the plan?" Rez asked calmly, but worried.
The Guy glared at Infinite with determination. He bravely marched through the crowd.
…
"WOH HO HO HO!" Eggman laughed in his base. "I couldn't have said it better myself! That's right, Infinite! Make them regret ever placing faith in Hinobi!"
Hinobi H.Q.
"Sir, we have to call Galactic News!" Flynn said. "We have to inform everyone before people try to take the helmets off!"
"He's trying to make us look like fools!" Toymaker shouted. "We can't just play into his games."
"We have no choice!" Kayaba stated, grabbing the phone. "And besides… perhaps this will be the incentive she needs."
Moonbase
"BREAKING NEWS! Hinobi's blockbuster game, Aincrad, has been hijacked! A mysterious Program by the name of Infinite has corrupted the system! DO NOT REMOVE NERVEGEAR HEADSETS! Removing the NerveGear will kill your loved ones! I repeat, DO NOT remove NerveGear!"
"What the frick IS THIS BULLSHIT?!" Cheren screamed, the news having been broadcasted to Moonbase.
"It just happened!" Nebula yelled. "Some of our operatives were already in the game, including Tronta!"
"Panini, send this to every treehouse, have someone hack the airwaves and broadcast this!"
"Aye-aye, sir!"
Sector Q
"Th-The game was… hijacked?!" Jenny gasped, having caught the news as alarms blared in their treehouse.
Miko's phone rang, and she answered it quickly and fearfully. "M-Mom?"
"Honey? We just watched a… rather concerning news broadcast."
"Mom, is Lexi still wearing the helmet?!"
"Uh…y-yes?"
"DON'T TAKE IT OFF! Whatever you do, don't! Lexi could die if it comes off!"
"Then, it's true?! Miko, why is this happening?!"
"I…I don't know."
Aincrad
"Did he just say…" Quill clasped his race helmet in fear. "If we die, we… And if I take off my helmet, I…!!"
"He can't be serious!" Sinon yelled. "I…I don't…I don't want to…!"
"Ah ha ha ha!" Infinite laughed. "Yes… this is the new law of Aincrad! But, if you wish to escape this fate… you have only one option: you must find the Treasure of Aincrad. The treasure that lies only in the Lost World. Only with that can your souls be saved."
"Is that it?!" King Kazma yelled. "You're doing all this just to make us help you find the Lost World?! Why don't you just play the game yourself, you lazy-"
Infinite struck the rabbit with a ray of pixels. Kazma shrank and transformed into a tan-skinned human with a tank-top, shorts, and bare feet, falling on his rear. He stared at his human appendages with horror, looking around frantically at the millions of prying eyes, his true identity exposed to the world.
"I possess complete control of the Miracle Matter of this world. My matterbending gives me absolute control."
"Is that so?" asked a voice from behind Kazma. The fallen boy looked up and back as The Guy's shining figure marched forward. The silver-clad gamer reached a hand down for Kazma.
"…" The boy grumbled and pushed himself up, stomping away.
The Guy shrugged this off and returned to Infinite. "If your control was absolute, you wouldn't need us to find the Lost World. You're not all-powerful."
"Don't get cocky, boy." Infinite stated. "True, as I am, I cannot find it. But you are beneath all the sa-"
"NO." The Guy shone like a guiding light as he drew his sword. "We will not submit to the likes of you. And I will not let you ruin this game for my friends. Infinite… defeating you will be cake."
"Dude, he said the catchphrase!" Bergy perked up. "This is gonna be so-"
Infinite trapped The Guy in lightning. "AAAAAH! AAAAAAH! ABAZABABABA! AZABA BABA! WAHAHA! WAHAHA! UNCLE! UNCLE! UNCLLLLLLLLLLLE!"
The electrocution ceased as Guy fell on his back. Horrified, The Guy watched as his 10,000 HP meter displayed above him: the numbers rapidly dropped lower and lower and lower. It dropped by 2,000, then another 2,000, and 4,000; 1,950, and then 40, then… only 0.5 remained. "Oops!"
And zero. The Guy exploded into red particles. The players were utterly speechless. "Ha ha ha ha. As we speak, The Guy's real body is dying on his bed. I mean, I assume he's on a bed, maybe a couch, but… In fact, it would seem the news broadcasted a little too late. I can sense thousands of players already vanishing where they stood."
"The Guy… h-he's dead?!" Francis panicked.
"What the fuck is your DEAL?!" Rez shouted.
"In fact, these avatars are unbecoming of you all." Infinite said. "I demand to see your true forms!" He cast a ray of light that enveloped the entirety of Floor 1.
Bergy shrank back to his normal size, Mitch's gold skinned returned to tan, Fie's wolf form became human again, Sayu changed back into a humanoid form as her team dropped to the ground, some Zoras turned back into Goombas, Koopas changed back into Koroks, several thin people became fat, and as Lexi tried to fly away, her wings vanished, and her human form fell and landed in the crowds. In The Guy's group, the strong-bodied Arnold became a wimp, the nerdy Francis became a dimwit, and the cool Rez became an average dork. There was mass shouting of, "Brandon, what're you doing here?!" or, "Hey, you're not a chick!" as confusion overtook the crowd.
"Now you understand just how powerful I am. If you wish for freedom, seek out the 100 bosses, destroy them, and find the Treasure of Aincrad! My robots and Admins will be assisting me in keeping you under control. Oh, and don't forget… This game is sponsored by Disney!"
Sector Q
"What do you think's… going on in there?" Jenny wondered.
Miko narrowed her eyes over Quill's sleeping form. "I don't know… but Quill and my sister are in there. Five and the others, too. I'm going in." She grabbed her helmet and was about to put it on.
"Wait!" Jenny stopped her. "Don't leave without me." She rolled to snatch her helmet and join them at the bed. "I ain't letting Eggman trap my digital friends!"
"Let me go in myself. I'll protect Quill."
"Hey, I'm going in either way! I'm sure they'll send some other operatives to stop whoever's behind this, but I wanna stay with my team!"
"I want to stay and monitor the situation from here." Eddy said. "If I take apart my own helmet, maybe I can learn something. What about you, Carmine?"
"Um…I'm not really sure what I could do out here. And I'd be too worried if you guys were risking your lives and I had no idea. So… maybe I'll go, too."
"You sure?"
"Y-Yeah. I am. So… will you protect us, Eddy?"
"You can count on me."
Miko released a sigh. "Don't worry, gang. We're coming." She was the first to place on her helmet. "Link Start." A violet beam of light whisked her away into the virtual world.