The dimension around Miko was glitching crazily. As she tried to scroll through the avatar options, the costumes kept blinking and reshaping. Miko took the form of a fish with a swollen rump, a Gungan with elephant ears, and a Nimbi with a nose for a head and monkey legs. "UUUUGH!" Miko's shout of aggravation morphed her back to normal. "I don't want a dumb avatar! Just let me in the dumb game!"
The screen glitched a bit more until a sad pair of eyes appeared on a greenish background. "Error…error… Aincrad system compromised. New users should not enter. Aborting login… a…bort…ing…"
"Hey, you're not aborting me! I am a professional Glitch Tech, so it's my responsibility to fix this mess!"
The sad eyes perked up. "Special… user… detected…"
"Eh?"
"Now logging… User Me_K.O. into Aincrad. Special Request unlocked: locate the Pure Hearts and repair the system. Additional info: acquire Pixls to use special abilities. Repair… me…"
"Repair you? Wait, I didn't even input my username, how do you—WAAAAAHHH!" Miko felt herself swirl as if being flushed through a tube. "UH!" And in the next second, she crashed in a grassy plain.
Dark storm clouds had gathered in the sky. Airships flickered into being repeatedly before remaining solid. Hordes of robots descended onto the plains and began terrorizing the fauna. Miko gasped, seeing a trio of Nibble Kittens cowering before some approaching Egg Pawns. "HEY! Leave the kitties alone!" Miko leapt to land a punch to the first Egg Pawn, then a roundabout kick to the second. She picked up that one's body to swing it against the third. When the third robot broke, Miko watched as an orange, hammer-shaped, pixelly fairy flew out of it. The fairy flew into her chest as she felt an odd sensation. "Well, that was weird… QUILL! QUILL!" Miko turned all directions as she called for her friend.
"Aincrad encourages players to hone their abilities." Miko faced the Elevator Tower, where Infinite's hologram loomed. "You will need to be strong to face the bosses. My robotic minions will ensure the mastery of everyone's combat abilities. Of course, do not hesitate to test your fellow players."
A Rhinotank came charging from behind Miko, but Jenny Strongarm flew in from the side and stomped its head in. "Good thing I went to sleep in my rollers! Miko, what gives, I thought we were supposed to design avatars or something!"
"It wouldn't work for me either!"
The Rhinotank pushed itself up, drove away, and prepared to ram them again. "Hey, ugly!" The tank turned to E. Carmine. Her round, shriveled, pinkish head was exposed. "Why don't you taste some of…whuh?!" She gasped. "Why don't I have my bombs?!"
The tank charged her, but Miko ran to intercept and grab it. She held it in place long enough for Jenny to stomp and smash through its head. "The interface wants to be picky all of a sudden." Miko figured. "Come on, let's look for Quill. By now, he's probably running in the direction of the obvious bad guy."
"Carmine, want me to give you a lift?" Jenny offered.
The girl glanced down in guilt. "Um, okay." She climbed onto Jenny's back as her friend rolled across the valley, with Miko catching up on her own feet.
"So, are you alright without your helmet?"
"It doesn't feel painful." Carmine replied, rubbing her exposed flesh. "Even when I was putting the gear on, it didn't feel bad. But I wish I could've given myself a weapon or something."
"Look!" Miko called. "Is that Quill?!"
A short boy was blasting Egg Pawns with a pair of fireball guns that he gave himself. He glanced right and spotted three familiar faces. "Guys! You shouldn't have come here!"
"Why not?!" Jenny shouted as they slowed to a halt beside him. "Dude, we already know what's happening. They just sent a news broadcast."
"We know a rogue Program took over the game and trapped you guys inside." Carmine explained.
"Then why didn't you guys stay outside and try to figure out where the Program came from?"
"Because we didn't wanna leave you by yourself." Miko answered. "Besides, Eddy's still outside. He's going to try and find an answer, and there's probably still a ton of other operatives he can work with."
"That's good, I guess…ugh, but he better not try to pull anything while I'm trapped in here."
"Come on," Carmine said, "I know you don't get along, but he would take this more seriously than that."
"Incoming!" Jenny alerted. A trio of Egg Hammers marched their directions, large black robots with bulky bodies and large hammers.
"The one who took over the game called himself Infinite." Quill explained. "And he did something to erase everyone's avatars, but I still have this fireball weapon and my RC car."
"The game wouldn't let us do any of that customizing." Carmine said.
The group cautiously backed away from the Egg Hammers, Miko glaring in aggravation. If only her Hinobi Glove came with her, she could show them a real hammer…?
It was then she noticed her right arm glitching. "Hey…!" It steadily formed the shape of a Hinobi Glove.
"Special User Me_K.O.… unlocking Hinobi exclusive weaponry. Your Hinobi Glove allows you to repair errors in Aincrad. B-ut…" the voice glitched up, "rogue Program too strong… unable to access all powers… can only use the acquired Pixl once."
"I can repair errors, huh? Then let's fix this error!" Miko tried to shoot a Derez Beam against the Hammers. The robots glitched for a moment, but their solid forms returned as they tried to smash her. "No good, huh?" Miko jumped backward. "Then try this!" She willed a large, violet hammer to emerge from her glove and smashed it against the middle Hammer's puny head. The robot derezzed once its head was broken.
"Your allies appear to be without equipment. Your glove will allow them to customize their selves."
"In that case, Carmine, pick a power!" Miko flashed Carmine as a screen appeared before the latter.
"I want bombs!" Carmine quickly made her selections as a belt of bombs formed on her hip. Narrowing her eyes determinedly, Carmine tossed bombs at the second Hammer's head until it was reduced to melted metal. Jenny swung a kick at the third one's legs and knocked it over, leaving Quill to pelt its head with fire until it derezzed as well. "Heh heh! Thanks, Miko!" Carmine smiled.
"No problem! It looks like the game recognizes me as a Glitch Tech. I wonder if the others have this feature, too."
"In that case, you think you can bring back the costume I gave myself?" Quill asked.
"Let's see!" Miko flashed Quill as his clothes changed back into his white racer uniform with black lines and helmet with engines.
"YO!" Jenny exclaimed. "Cool duds, Quill!"
"Yeah!" Carmine beamed. "…Hey, Miko? Could you shine that on me again?"
"Sure!" Miko shone the glove against Carmine as her customization screen reappeared.
Carmine made some selections as her body was enveloped in light. When the light cleared, she was now wearing blue overalls with brown boots. She had puffy, dark-brown hair in a small ponytail and a cute face with big eyes and a missing tooth.
"…" Miko stared at her with awe. Jenny and Quill couldn't believe their eyes. After all this time, they had almost forgotten what she used to look like. "Um…so, how do I look?"
"You're… adorable." Miko answered.
"Yeah…" Jenny followed. "Heh, I'll bet you were hoping for that, huh?"
"I mean, yeah… It feels nice to look pretty again. Tehe." Carmine rubbed her cheeks, enjoying the feel of the lush flesh stretching up, down, in, and out. "I feel so young! I feel like I'm made of a squishy clay! La la la laaaaaa!" She pulled the sides of her mouth and stuck out her tongue. "And you know what, screw the boots!" Carmine sat down and pulled off her boots, planting her feet against the grass. "I decided I'm a barefooter!" She wiggled her toes with joy. "Haha! I love Aincrad already!"
"Heh heh! Well, what about you, Jenny? Wanna customize yourself?"
"I'm good for now. But keep that thing handy in case I need to switch my gear."
"So, can this glove locate the other Glitch Techs?"
"Negative. User Me_K.O. is the only player I have access to. The evil Program has disrupted my omniscience. You must find the Pure Hearts and repair me."
"It wants us to find hearts?" Jenny asked.
"What is that thing, anyway?" Quill wondered.
"I am the MCP of Aincrad. I have waited… a long time…" the glove glitched, "a long time… to bring this world to life. We do not want… Aincrad… to become like this… please… fix Aincrad… Miko…"
Miko's eyes curved in sympathy. The voice of this A.I. sounded sort of sad. "Well, I'm sorry, but I wanna find my friends and sister first. Do you have an idea where they could be?"
"Data unavailable… I advise searching the Town of Beginnings."
"Probably where the big dude is speaking from. 'Guess we'll go check it out." (Play "Lineland Road" from Paper Mario!)
Stage 1: Land of Beginnings
Mission: Learn to use the Pixls!
With the dark clouds occupying the sky, the field hardly looked the part to start a fantasy adventure. Nonetheless, the operatives began to cross the valley of islands that seemed to grow from the ground like gigantic plants, eager to see what this game had to offer. As they neared a cliff before one of these islands, five Egg Pawns with shields spawned into existence. Miko tried to summon her hammer… "Uh, 'scuse me, where's my Hammer Time?!"
"Hammer will become available once you have acquired the necessary Pixl. I am detecting a Pixl in the area, but the presence of these glitches is disrupting it."
"In other words, 'defeat the enemies to move forward'!" Jenny translated as she performed a slide-roll to kick under a robot's shield and make it trip, afterwards stomping through its head. Carmine chucked bombs behind two of the mechs while Quill tripped another robot with his car before shooting it with flames. Miko kicked one's shield up in the air before kicking the robot off the cliff. Once the five were defeated, a blue and purple Pixl that resembled a two-step ladder spawned. "Is that a Pixl?" Jenny asked.
"It looks like the fairy I absorbed earlier. Come at me!" Miko welcomed the Pixl into her glove. The edge of the suspended island was directly above the cliff's ledge, so she raised her glove skyward and conjured a tall, pixelly ladder. The group climbed the Laddie Pixl and reached the shore of the island. It held a small lake with a smaller forest island on the opposite side. Parts of the island glitched up, rupturing holes that threatened to drop them through the island and into the abyss. However, the water was still floating in place, making the holes difficult to locate without Miko's flashlight. As they navigated the holes, floating black robots called Unidasu rose from some and flew at the group with spikes orbiting them. The spikes shielded them from Carmine's bombs as they attacked Miko, but she could punch and destroy them with the spikes gone.
"Hey, I'm out of bombs!" Carmine yelled, unable to do the same with the following robots. Jenny leapt to kick them through gaps in the spikes.
"The glove can regenerate ammo-based weaponry, but this function will need four minutes to recharge."
"Stupid balanced gameplay." Miko cursed as she shone a light on Carmine and refilled her bombs. As they crossed the lake, the bomber in question enjoyed herself as she jumped and splashed around the water. "Just don't fall in, Carmine." Quill cautioned.
On the forest island, there appeared to be an unbudded sprout at the edge of the island. They searched for a way to water it, and when Carmine viewed into one of the holes, she spotted a Pixl that resembled a raindrop with cloud wings. Miko absorbed the Raynie Pixl and conjured a digital rain over the plant. It stretched into a horizontal beanstalk that snaked over the chasm before connecting to a lower island. The group grinded down the vine, but when Spinnerbots spawned above the vine, they jumped over the bladed robots. They landed on a grassy island with a crescent moon symbol. Miko struck the moon and cast a mystical blue light around the area, revealing hidden platforms leading toward a piece of land. Some of these platforms were placed far apart, requiring the four to jump the Spinners floating in-between.
After landing on the field, a Rhinotank charged them with apparent hyper speed, ramming the group down. Jenny got up and charged it, jumping as soon as the robot charged and dealing a kick to its forehead. This caused the robot to slow down in malfunction, so Miko leapt to punch and pummel the mech. Doing so released an orange, pentagon Pixl called Dashell. "The speed of this Pixl can help us swiftly cross the valley. However, only one person can use it."
"Give it to me!" Jenny said quickly.
"Okay!" Miko casted Dashell onto her. The group all stacked in a tower on her shoulders as Jenny zoomed across the valley with great speed. She flew down a hill and up another as Jenny rammed through Egg Fighters. The path curved up into a cliff that Jenny rolled alongside, then as it sloped back down and leftward, she crossed a narrow path that angled up into a loop, their digital blood rushing to their heads. As they exited the loop, Jenny went up a ramp that flung them across a chasm and onto an island with a sun. Moon Chi barriers were impeding the path forward, so Miko punched the sun, lit up the area, and cleared the barriers. Jenny kept racing, shifting left or right to avoid pitfalls. They would have to grind a rail, but blue round barriers cluttered it, so Jenny jumped to allow her team to hit a sun and clear the blueness. The rail curved and snaked wildly above a chasm, eventually landing them on another suspended island. It was longer and seemed to lead to a much greater island with a city.
The Dashell wore off, but Miko saw a blue Pixl shaped like a weight. She absorbed it as she approached a circle of turtle robots, called Cameron, around a tall pillar. Miko ignored them and jumped on the platform via a Spring Pad, using the Thudley Pixl to smash down against the platform. The pillar compressed into the ground and let out a shockwave that flipped the turtles upside-down, allowing her team to attack their weak undersides. Destroying the robots caused part of the path to respawn. Afterwards, they approached a group of palm trees with robot apes called Kiki. There was also a floating purple Egg Mage high in the air, using magic to drain the group of their health.
The Kikis threw bombs at the group, so Carmine tossed bombs in turn, destroying the apes as one released a green Pixl called Carrie, shaped like the net of a rectangular prism. They fled from the Egg Mage and used Carrie as a platform to ride over a spiked path. They could make Carrie jump on spike-backed robots, causing parts of the road to return into being. They hurried to the end of the spikes before Carrie could disappear. There was a stairway that would lead to the Town of Beginnings, but more importantly, there were four kids who had just taken down an Egg Hammer. Miko gasped and rushed up to them. (End song.)
Sector Hinobi watched as the Egg Hammer derezzed. "Fiiiiive!"
Lighting up at hearing the familiar cry, Five spun around- "WHOA!" but was too late as Miko caught him in a hug and whirled around. "Meeks! You decided to play, huh?"
"Hey, guys!" Jenny called as the others caught up.
"Hey!" Bergy greeted. "I didn't expect the rest of you to show up!"
"Yeah, but it would be better if you hadn't." Mitch said. "We're trapped in this game."
"We already know that." Carmine replied. "There was a news broadcast, but Quill had already logged in, so…"
"Wait, who are you?" Zahra asked.
"Huh? I'm Carmine."
"Carmine? Oh!" Zahra was taken aback by the dramatic change in appearance. "Is this… what you used to look like?"
"Uh-huh…" Carmine blushed, scratching her head. "I look way cuter, don't I?"
"I mean… you are actually super adorable." Zahra laughed lightly. "But you were already cute in your normal look."
"Technically, this is my normal look."
"What I meant is-"
"Let's change the subject." Quill said. "Is there a way we can refill our HP? We fought a ton of robots on the way over here."
"There's a café we can stop at." Mitch said, glancing at the town. "We can talk about the situation there."
"Yeah." Miko agreed. "There's something I wanna ask you guys, too…"
Town of Beginnings
Infinite had already returned up the Elevator Tower, leaving the town beneath him in a frenzy. Players were scrambling about in a panic, some desperately trying to find a Log Out command or deny the situation as a simple plot-line for the game.
Killua, Kalluto, Maki, and Fie had gone into a dark alley, their eyes piercing the shade as they were squat in a circle. "I know a bluff when I hear one." Maki said. "And that wasn't a bluff. His threat was real… We're trapped in the game."
"I recognize that Infinite guy." Killua said. "He attacked me and Nagisa's group once. I think he works for Dr. Eggman. Either way, it looks like we have our first target."
"Are you sure?" Fie asked. "He might be a bit too powerful for us."
"It seems our only choice is to do as he says." Maki replied. "We need to kill the 100 bosses if we can even hope to escape."
"We can't just trust him to let us go." Killua argued.
"Even if you're right," Kalluto followed, "it's like Maki was saying before… we can't kill people we aren't hired to kill. And even if these people could all pay us to assassinate Infinite, even I can tell we aren't strong enough. Our only choice then is to hone our skills and defeat the bosses. Of course, I still plan to act alone." The youngest classmate stood and walked away. "I don't plan to linger in your shadow, brother."
"Hey, this ain't about sibling rivalry!" Killua stood angrily. "We should work together to get out of this mess! Even our teachers use teamwork."
"If I can't act independently, I can't become strong. Farewell." Kalluto vanished with a Shave.
"Hmph…what about you, Maki?"
"I'd rather be alone, too." Maki stood and began to leave the same direction.
"Come on, we both know you aren't a fan of this whole job either."
"Yeah, well I don't have time to shoot the breeze, anymore. I wanna get out of here as soon as possible. Or I might as well die trying." She was gone with a Shave in seconds.
"Well, I guess it's just you and me." Fie figured.
"Yep. Sigh, you wanna go rest at an inn or something first?"
"I'm actually wide awake."
"Pfft, really? You're always asleep."
"My clan prospers at night. Though, after we put these helmets on, I stopped feeling tired even then."
"Hmm. Maybe it's part of the game. Game characters don't really need to sleep, unless we wanna refill our HP. I guess we have plenty more time to do things, huh!"
"Yeah! So, you think Nagisa might still be in this town somewhere?"
"Let's look around! And if we find them, let's plan a sneak attack~"
"Sure~"
The silver-haired assassins whooshed out of the alley and up the streets. "Hey!" Lexi yelled as Killua nearly bumped her. The girl sighed to herself, staring at her normal human hands and feet. "Don't even have my cool dragon form, anymore. …" Lexi looked up at the directory, which labeled all the floors of Aincrad. She released a sigh. "I guess Miko was right not to play this. But as long as she's outside, maybe she'll be able to fix this. In the meantime, might as well have an epic adventure… with safety, of course. Now, which floor looks fun to explore?" She studied the labels for a moment. "I mean, the Dragon Towers seem fitting for me, but I'm already used to fighting games. Ummm…Floria sounds nice! Let's head to Floor 47!" She eagerly jogged in the elevator's direction.
Hinobi H.Q.
"Damn it, I demand to talk to Kayaba now!" Phil shouted at the guards stationed at the executive office.
"Please, Phil, we're a kid-friendly company." Barbara replied behind him.
"Heh, have you heard some of these kids? No, I need an explanation."
"This was an unprecedented situation and the executives are working to fix it."
"Well, I think I should be let in on it. How are they planning to help my kids?"
Barb sighed. "Perhaps you might as well see for yourself. Let him in, boys."
The guards stepped aside as Barb opened the door with a key. "What the…?" Phil's eyes widened in surprise.
Kayaba, Toymaker, and Flynn had sealed their selves in capsules. "You can't speak to them because they're already in the game. They're planning to resolve this issue from within."
"Aren't they worried about being trapped their selves? At least one of them should've stayed outside!"
"Don't underestimate developers, Phil. They have a few tricks up their sleeve."
Phil cast a glare behind himself. He wasn't sure if this project had something to do with that document, but he was getting rather frustrated by all the secrecy.
"Excuse me, fellas. Could I perhaps speak to Kayaba?"
Turning to the source of the jovial, cartoony voice, another surprise hit them. "Oh! Your Majesty!" Barb perked up.
"K-King Mickey?" Phil hadn't expected the mouse king to stroll up to this office.
"Please, this is urgent!" Mickey said with curved eyes. "I need to know what's the meaning of this incident."
"Aincrad was taken over by a rogue A.I. that calls itself Infinite." Barb answered. "Although, we're not sure if they're an A.I. or a user. They've already entered the game to confront this issue."
King Mickey entered the room and saw the capsules. "Gosh, talk about throwing yourself into the frying pan. Though seeing them in here kind of reminds me of someone else-hoho! But I really hope they resolve this issue soon."
"I should think so. This game is under Disney's sponsorship!"
"Haha, well, yes, but more importantly, people's lives are at stake! Though come to think of it, our computer has a special Program fit for situations like this. Perhaps if we hook it up to one of the NerveGear, we could hack that Program into the game and lend a hand."
"I'm certain President Kayaba would be grateful if you could. As for you, Phil, if you hope to speak to him now, the only way is to enter the game yourself."
"Hmph. That can wait." Phil said as he began to return downstairs. He reentered the room where Sector Hinobi were encapsulated. "Hacking Programs into the game would be the safest option in this case… now, who could help me do that?"
Aincrad
An hour had passed since Infinite announced his control of the game, and people were still in a frenzy. King Kazma, the tan 13-year-old reduced to his plain human form, had gone to loitering in a corner. It felt humiliating to let the gaming world see him in his light, homey attire, but at least he wasn't the only one. Many of these players were in pajamas, underwear, and/or were just shoeless. They had no reason to wear good clothes if they were just going to be lying on their beds, but now they were plain naked to everyone.
It seemed that The Guy's trio were wearing decent street clothes, though comparatively plain to how they just were. Plain, and also different. Arnold didn't look quite as tough, Francis looked like a dimwit, and Rez seemed like a dork. Like Kazma, they used avatars to feel more special in the online world, but now they were exposed and humiliated. Currently, they were setting up a stand with flowers where The Guy last lay.
Kazma sighed and decided to approach the trio. Coming to a funeral in such lazy-looking attire was certainly disrespectful, but it was the best he could do. "Hey… I'm sorry that this happened. He was a pretty good guy."
The group turned to him, looking over his form with hidden repulse. "Yeah, he was better than some people." Rez said.
"…" Kazma narrowed his eye. "I just wanna pay my respects."
"What respects?" Francis asked. "We know your deal, Kazma. You're always challenging pro gamers. Not for friendly matches, but to prove you're better than them. And you're always making bad posts to criticize them."
"Fine, maybe I do. But how're they any different? Popular gamers always put other ones down. They get a million subscribers and brainwash them all with popular opinions, but they don't care about-"
"Yeah yeah, we heard the spiel before." Arnold said.
"Well, I'm right, aren't I? What about you guys? You look down on everybody because you're friends with The Guy. You're as disrespectful as I am, and just as ordinary."
"Maybe we are, in the real world." Rez replied. "I'm not cool, Arnold's not strong, and Francis isn't smart."
"But in the game world, we can be whatever we want." Francis said. "I may not do good in school, but I know my mechanics."
"So, you're just fine with being trapped in this place?"
"Ain't nothing we can do but play." Rez shrugged. "We were already planning to take down the bosses. The Guy would've wanted us to."
"There's still a chance this isn't even real." Francis figured. "This is probably a special event or something. But if you die, you get booted out of the game for a long time."
"And what if it is real?" Kazma asked.
"Then we just won't die. We probably shouldn't kill anyone else either."
"We might look plain, but we're still gamers." Arnold stated. "And I can still crush you!" He grabbed Kazma by the chest of his tank-top and pulled him down, raising another fist. "So, back off. Or I'll make your HP just low enough."
Kazma grit his teeth and kicked Arnold off. The Japanese boy turned and stomped away from them. "Huff…" As he walked, he stared down at his open right hand. "In that case, I'm still King Kazma. And I'm still strong!" He clenched his fist, turned, and faced up at the Elevator Tower. "Maybe a bit of training will help before I tackle these bosses." He charged toward the tower with his eyes still up-
"AAH!" Goombella screamed as the boy tripped on her.
"Whoa!" Kazma stumbled on his feet before facing down at the Goomba. "S-Sorry." He focused on the path and kept running.
"Well, that guy's in a hurry." Morgiana commented. They, along with Nagisa, could only stand and watch curiously. "I guess a lot of people are on edge after that."
"Man, this sucks!" Goombella complained. "I finally got to be large, but now I'm puny again! Everyone'll be jumping on me before you know it."
"Relax, Goombella." Nagisa replied. Unbeknownst to them, someone was rushing for them with silent steps and sharp blue eyes. "At least we still have our artificial elements. If we can meet up with more-"
"ZZZZZZZTTT!" Morgiana found herself electrified by Killua.
"Ha HAAAAAA!" Killua laughed in joy, electricity coursing between his fingers. "Were you surprised?!"
"GHHHH! YOU DICK!" Morgiana swung her leg and kicked Killua in the hip, the latter using Iron Body to endure.
"Killua, my man!" Nagisa raised both hands.
"Nagisa, bro!" Killua clapped them.
"Nagisa!" Morg shouted reprovingly.
"What, you two do this stuff all the time. You wouldn't be mad if I did it!"
"Yeah, but…grrrr!"
"GYAH!" Nagisa was suddenly jumped by another figure, a silver-haired girl with a short top and shorts. Nagisa's neck was pinned between her legs as he lay on the ground.
"Wow, jumping you was easier than I expected." Fie said.
Nagisa gazed directly into her eyes, using a Scare Stare to startle her into jumping off. "A fearbender, eh?" Fie drew some daggers.
"Who are you?!" Morg grit her teeth.
"Gang, this is Fie." Killua placed a hand on her shoulder. "She's my classmate."
"Another Sheikah?" Nagisa wondered. "Her name's the same as the Master Sword's spirit."
"No, she's from Planet Emblem. She's in the Erebonia Kids Next Door."
"And you attend class together?"
"Well, it's a pretty special class." Fie replied.
Goombella gasped. "You're a CP0 apprentice!"
"Relax, I'm not a bad guy!" She raised her hands in surrender. "It's a long story that I'd rather not get into. Anyway, your names are Nagisa, Morgiana, and Goombella, right?"
"Yep!" Goombella beamed. "We all end with 'a', so we're fun to say!"
"Where's Index?" Killua asked.
"She's watching our bodies in the real world. Hopefully, they've figured out what's going on."
"I can see why Maki was worried now." Fie implied, her tone and eyes still lazy. "So, what's the plan for getting out of this mess?"
"I wish we knew." Nagisa shrugged. "I'm sure there are some operatives awake outside. That Infinite guy works for Dr. Eggman, so if they could figure that out, they could investigate him."
"Until then, we're pretty much trapped here until this 'Treasure' thingy is found." Goombella bowed her head in hopelessness. "I guess that's about all we can do since it's too risky to fight him."
"But will he really let us go free if we could?" Morg asked.
"Defeating 100 bosses is a tall order either way." Nagisa said. "Let's try to look for other operatives before we attempt to."
"Speaking of which, one of my sectormates had this game." Fie mentioned. "Last I heard, she was checking out an area called 'Gun Gale.' Is it alright if we go look for her?"
"The more, the merrier! Maybe we could find some of our friends, too."
"Would Gun Gale even still be active?" Morg asked. "The whole point of that level is to shoot and kill people, but because of this situation, I can't imagine who would…"
"All kinds of people play games." Killua inferred. "All kinds of unsavory types. There could be serial killers who're getting hyped over this situation."
"Or assassins."
"You're too late to guess that."
"But if you think your friend's there, we could go check it out." Goombella complied. "Let's head to the elevator!"
…
Sectors Q and Hinobi had gone to sit at an outdoor café, filling each other in on their ordeals. They also ordered some food to replenish their health. "I guess it's a good thing you logged in last." Five said to Miko. "Our gloves don't work at all now."
"Yeah, so hurry up and repair them!" Mitch demanded.
"Gee, pushy?" Bergy remarked.
Miko shone her glove's light on Mitch's glove, but it only fizzled for a few moments. "Error. I do not have the data required to repair glitch-correcting functions. You will only have access to your pre-chosen weapons."
"Ugh! So, we have no choice but to rely on Miko?"
"Didn't you say the MCP told you to find something?" Zahra asked.
"It said to find 'Pure Hearts' and Pixls. We used a few Pixls on the way over here, they're basically power-ups. I don't know about the hearts."
"The Pure Hearts are the cores of my programming, and therefore the cores of this very game. When the evil hacker took over Aincrad and destroyed my code, the Pure Hearts and Pixls that formed my being were scattered. This part of me is all that remains."
The operatives watched agape as a light-green body of digital mist rose from Miko's glove. It was somewhat shaped like a diamond with no solid sides, and a pair of blue eyes inside. "President Kayaba has codenamed me Boly. It was the president's dream that Aincrad could come to life and bring joy to the cosmos. My role was to oversee the users and protect them from error. I have failed in my programming." It formed sad eyes. "My Miracle Matter was supposed to be the purest digital chi in the universe. I have failed in upholding that vow and allowed Infinite to corrupt my system with glitches."
"It's kind of hard to tell, but it sounds sad." Carmine noticed. "I bet this really meant a lot to you, didn't it?"
"That is an accurate assessment. My faulty programming has allowed Infinite to endanger the lives of countless people. Only User Me_K.O. can reunite the Pure Hearts and restore the system. However, it would be beneficial for other users to provide necessary aid."
"I guess that's the less corny way of asking, 'But would you guys please help?'" Five remarked with a smile.
"Hey, we already signed up for this." Jenny smiled. "No way we're backing out now! We'll get these hearts and sock it to Infinite!"
"After all, every game needs an epic quest with a small number of MacGuffins!" Miko cheered. "Am I right, gang?"
"Looking for hearts to fix a Master Control is ridiculous." Mitch complained. "Why did Kayaba design it like that?"
"Hey, every great game has heart, Mitch~" Bergy joked.
"Well, where are these hearts, anyway? There's 100 floors on Aincrad."
"Although I am unable to provide clear visual on the current states of the floors, I can discern which floors the Pure Hearts are located on. Shall we determine a floor now?"
"Actually, I think it's better if we get some sleep first." Quill answered.
"This meal has already served to replenish your HP. Sleep is otherwise not necessary, as your digital bodies do not require-"
"Well, somebody's does. I'm holding out that Eddy will somehow join us eventually. We can't get too far in this quest without waiting for him to catch up, so let's give him some time."
"Awww, you do have faith in him!" Carmine cooed.
"Well, I'm not sleepy." Mitch stated. "We can't afford to waste too much time."
"Then maybe you can help with something else." Miko stated. "My sister was logged in the game, too. Lexi."
"Lexi's in here?!" Five gasped.
"Yeah. If you guys aren't tired, you think you could look for her?"
"Sure, we'd be happy to." Zahra said. "Although… do you know what her avatar looks like?"
"Uh…not really. But I think she uses 'Samurai Lex' as a screenname. Oh, and she loves to practice karate!"
"That's right!" Five remembered. "I bet she'll be at the Dragon Towers! Let's take a look there!"
"Coincidentally, I am detecting the presence of a Pure Heart on Floor 13: Dragon Towers."
"Perfect place to start our search then. Who knows, we might find both before Miko wakes up!"
"All right." Mitch huffed impatiently, pushing himself up from the table. "But I'll be searching for the heart first. If we fix the game, we'll be saving her sister, anyway."
"Aww, love you, too, Mitch!" Miko beamed, waving the group good-bye as they walked toward the Elevator Tower. "Sigh…I guess it's time for some shuteye."
"I can't wait to see what a nice, warm bed feels like again!" Carmine cheered, skipping ahead of the group.
"Error. The inn is in this direction." Boly said as Miko and Jenny walked the opposite way.
"Haha, oopsie!" Carmine cheerfully hurried after.
Quill stayed behind at the table, lost in thought for a moment. He could almost predict what was coming, but a couple questions were left unanswered. Regardless, he followed his friends.
Code Room
Infinite was floating in a space surrounded by thousands of screens and miniature models of Aincrad. A screen of Eggman displayed. "So, Infinite, how goes the takeover so far?"
"It's only the beginning, Doctor. Destroying that Master Program was highly exhausting, but I've managed to secure good control of the world. I'm still unable to dismantle the bosses or find the supposed Lost World."
"I didn't expect it to be easy. It seems my predictions were correct in terms of what this Program really is. I'm uploading the Admins into the game now, so use them to your advantage."
Eggman's turned off as three other screens formed around Infinite: a light-blue face with darker-blue eyes and mouth, a screen with a green-skinned, long-chinned, and black-haired robot in a purple cape, and one depicting a grinning, crowned, and naked muscular figure.
"Ah, it feels nice to be on the big screen again!" sneered the blue face, XANA (from Code Lyoko). "Have you crushed any Kids Next Door, yet?"
"I haven't searched for any KND. However, I've dispelled all the avatar disguises on Level 1, so if there are any KND from strong sectors, we may be able to recognize them. I'll need to regain some strength before I can do the same to other floors. For now, perhaps you three can look into something. I'm detecting traces of this game's MCP, so I fear it may try to put itself back together. I want you to investigate these traces and destroy them."
"Why destroy them when we can harness their power?" asked the green one (from Cyberchase). "I, the marvelous HACKER, am a technical wizard! I'm sure I could tap into their code!"
"Don't take any chances. Not yet, anyway. We believe the 'Treasure' of Aincrad may hold the secret to this game's purpose."
The crowned Program cocked its head and made a sneer. "You seem excited to have some action, Love Machine. Search for operatives if you wish, but don't kill too many players. We may still have need of them."
Love Machine (from Summer Wars) narrowed its eyes and disconnected.
Another screen appeared, this one very glitchy and distorted. "What's this one?"
"Eggman calls it Subject: M." XANA answered. "He's hoping to implant its code into the game, too, and possibly repair it."
"Then I'll see what I can do. Now, let's begin! Aincrad will become the grand website of the Eggman Empire!"