There was no mistaking her. Those eyes that looked like soft, sweet peaches, and a pink cat backpack to go with her dark-green hoodie. "Chiaki?" Jenny repeated. "Didn't Eddy say that she…"
"Yeah. I'm Chiaki." The girl in question confirmed. "Are you one of my viewers?"
Kazma didn't know how to answer. Of course, he was technically a viewer, but… why was she just acting like nothing was wrong? He had to lift the bang covering his right eye, making sure he wasn't fooling himself. "But… how? Everyone said you died."
"Hmmm…" She put a finger to her chin in thought. "My memory's a little fuzzy… how did I die again?"
"A giant hand came from the sky and ripped your hometown out of the Earth. Somebody commented that a piece of rubble hit your head and… we never saw a new video again."
"A giant hand?" Carmine asked. "That's pretty weird."
"That does seem kind of unusual." Chiaki agreed. "But I guess the universe is full of strange things. Sort of like a game. If I hit my head, maybe I just have amnesia or something."
"What do you mean 'or something'?!" Kazma yelled, letting his bang drop. "If you were still alive, at least one of your friends would've posted about it! But everyone said you were dead!"
"Oh…well, I'm here now. Sorry if you're disappointed."
"B-b-but…"
"Wait, what if she's in the hospital?" Carmine suggested. "What if her head was in critical condition and they're struggling to keep her alive? I wonder if… she was given a NerveGear setup the same as the other comatose people? Maybe they're hoping Aincrad can revive her conscience?"
"I see… that would make sense." Chiaki glanced up thoughtfully. "Snoooore…" She hung her head in slumber, a little snot bubble growing from her nose.
"Hey, you can't get tired in this game!" Kazma popped her bubble and woke her. "Let's assume that is true… do you remember me? I'm King Kazma."
"King… Kazma? Hmm…there is a gamer with that screen-name. I think he's popular…"
"W-Well… more like infamous." He blushed. "But we know each other… kinda! I left a comment on your video, and then you started to watch my videos."
"I don't remember that… What kind of comment was it?"
"Uh…it doesn't actually matter, anymore." He turned around sheepishly, brushing his foot on the—"Yee!" he nearly slipped off the step and grabbed the rail. "I mean… I sort of advised you on something, and then you accepted the advice, then… you became better, so yippee."
"You 'advised' her on something?" Jenny cocked a brow. "Given what we know about you, you sure it wasn't-"
"Shut up! It doesn't matter, anyway." He turned back around. "We only talked a few times, so… it's not like we were really friends."
"I kind of thought you would say, 'It's not like I like you, baka.'" Chiaki said.
"Ghhh!" He grit his teeth. "That joke is overused!"
The operatives shared a laugh. "But even so…" Chiaki stepped down. She was several inches taller than Kazma and looked taller on the step, like a senior student standing over a junior. "It seems like you really care about me." She gently lifted the bang back up to view into his small, dark eyes. "Are you sure we weren't really friends?"
"Well… not close friends."
"So, we've never met in real life? Though, if I'm in a hospital, I guess we couldn't exactly hang out."
"No… I guess not. …So, are you here to eat?"
"Not really. I'm sort of just wandering around."
"I don't suppose you've seen a heart anywhere?"
Chiaki looked around at all the many heart designs that filled the park. "Yeah, I see plenty of hearts."
Kazma slapped his forehead. "Have you seen any particularly special hearts? Like a really shiny one that rotates?"
"Uhh…I'm not sure. I've sort of been playing my game."
"What kind of game you playing in a game world?" Kazma stepped up and looked over her shoulder. It was a 2D platform game with a big-mouthed cat chomping food.
"Hey, Chomp Kitty!" Miko beamed. "Way to go, Chiaki!"
"They only have Hinobi titles in this world." she said. "They're good, but I'd like some variety."
"They sell their own games in their own game." Kazma rolled his eyes. "Man…"
"So, what is this heart you're looking for?"
"Well, if we find it, we'll be able to log out of the game. We can stop Infinite!"
"Really? That's pretty cool. I guess I could help you look for it."
"Ya…you will?"
"Although, I don't think I can leave myself. It'll just be you."
"Oh…" Kazma only then figured it didn't make a difference to her.
"Yeah, we should really start looking." Quill decided. "Since we're already 'paired' with each other, why don't we split up into our pairs and search the park? Jenny, you can go with Kazma and-"
"No, it's okay!" Kazma said. "I'll just stick with Chiaki. Jenny's fast, so she can cover more ground on her own."
"Yeah, he's not wrong." Jenny figured. …She couldn't help but look suspiciously at the girl.
Kazma stepped down the stairs and looked up at Chiaki with a smile. "So… you coming?"
"Yeah." She smiled and stepped down to join him. "Where are your shoes?"
"Ah…I'm a homey boy." He blushed and flexed his right leg. "Besides, you'll find that I can be very fast on my feet!" With that, he transformed into his taller white rabbit form, dwarfing Chiaki at six feet.
"Ooo!" Her eyes lit up as she reached to ruffle his face fur. "Big bunny."
"Haha, I knew you would like it! You had that magical girl bunny as your avatar, so… I decided to make my own cool bunny."
"Aww, how sweet!" Miko cooed.
Kazma shot her a glare. However, Chiaki was already climbing onto his shoulders. "Carry me." She stated simply.
"Huh? Uh, okay!" The rabbit dashed across the park with Chiaki's hair and hood flailing behind her.
"He sure is happy now!" Carmine smiled. "I'm glad!"
"I just hope he stays focused." Quill said. "Okay, let's start looking."
"Hey, Carmine, you wanna carry Pocket Eddy some more?" Miko asked.
"Uh, okay. How come?"
"I just don't have any comfy pockets on me. Besides… I'd like to be alone with Boly for a bit."
Sometime later
Quill and Carmine were steering RC cars around a small racetrack. Their cars were tethered, requiring them to stay together as they raced enemy cars. "I'm pretty bad at this, aren't I?" Carmine chuckled. "I can tell you're holding yourself back."
"No, it's fine." Quill smiled. "I'm not getting 'Pure Heart' vibes from this game, anyway. …But since we're alone, I sort of wanted to talk to you."
"About what?"
"I…I've kinda been thinking… I've been thinking of leaving the KND."
"Oh…"
…
"Mmmmm!" In the real world, Eddy was blissfully shuffling cozily under his blanket. He had taken a nice bath and had locked himself in a fantasy while trying to get to sleep. "Miko, stop poking me…"
"And, you know… we keep telling ourselves that Drake would've wanted us to stay, and he's proud of us… but is that really true? How do we know that he wouldn't want us to leave? If he wouldn't want us to live normal, happy lives?"
Eddy heard Quill's voice from his computer. He turned over and opened his eyes.
"Um…I guess that's a good question." Carmine replied. "But we're one of the best sectors. We're great at our job. That's why Drake didn't want me to leave. Even after my accident, he believed in me."
"But what if the job belonged to someone else? Like… responsible grown-ups?"
"Why are you asking that?"
Eddy narrowed his eyes in suspicion. His avatar was tucked in Carmine's pocket, so his camera couldn't get a good image, but it seemed they assumed he was asleep.
"I'm just saying that… it feels like kids like us shouldn't be tasked with this. Even if we wanted to fight for the world, it's better to wait until we're grown up and well-trained."
"I see your point. And… I guess I have been there a few times myself… after what happened to Drake."
"Drake… Sally… Darcy… Danny… Leanne… even our parents were targeted just because we were operatives. All these horrible things happen to us…"
"But it's not like… it's all in vain, right? We've done great things. We've saved whole worlds, defeated evil gods and demons, and made people happy… well, I guess we haven't done some of those things, but the saving people part is true."
"But we're not happy." Quill sighed. "We shouldn't have to suffer like this. Just look at Chris. He couldn't take it, anymore…"
Carmine bent down and softly embraced him in a hug. "I'm sorry, Quill. I still feel terrible about Drake… and I don't think I deserve to be here. But when I imagine myself giving up… I start to feel the same as when… my skin was ruined. I start to feel useless…"
"It isn't about being useful or useless… it's about living. And living happy."
"But I am happy." Carmine released him and stood. She raised her hands toward the orange sky, which helped to highlight their own beauty. "I'm happy to be on missions with you guys. I feel strong when I'm fighting villains… and proud. I hate having to wear that suit, and I feel ugly… but I have to remember that I'm beautiful on the inside. I have a cute smile! I can make other people smile!" She twirled around and hop-skipped in place. "I might not get to feel the warm earth beneath my feet, but I love to live on it! I love to protect it!"
Quill sported a chuckle. Her enthusiasm was so… pure. So heartwarming. "Then maybe I'm the one who's wrong…" He looked away.
"No, you're not." She put a hand to his shoulder. "That's just how I feel. If you really wanna quit, then you can."
"I don't really know what I want, anymore. I guess just… being trapped in this game is really getting to me. I feel completely powerless. And it doesn't help that Eddy isn't taking this seriously."
Eddy felt his brain throb. "What do you mean by that?" Carmine asked.
"I just feel like he's making one too many quips. I get that he's watching over our bodies, but he doesn't understand what kind of stress we're feeling." An angry Eddy crawled out of his bed, vision blurry from lack of glasses. He scrambled to grab his controller. "He gets to work from the safety of his room while we-"
"I'll have you know I AM taking this seriously!"
"YAH!" Carmine fell on her butt when Eddy suddenly sprung out of her pouch. He dropped on the ground and stomped past her feet on his way to Quill. Quill thought he would enjoy seeing a tiny Eddy, but found himself shirking backward at his friend's anger.
"I was planning to stay awake all night and help you guys, but you said I should go to goddamn sleep! You actually have the nerve to put me down after all I've been doing?! Well, I HOPE you quit! Goddamn ungrateful!" The real Eddy pushed himself up and plopped back onto his bed in the opposite position.
"W-Wait! I didn't mean it like that, Eddy!" Quill told the avatar. "Er…Eddy?"
"I guess he left." Carmine gently picked him back up. "Quill, that wasn't nice…"
Quill sighed. "Let's just keep looking for the heart." He proceeded to the next park attraction somberly.
Carmine followed, staring down at Eddy with sympathy. "…Hehe. I have such big hands." She chuckled, in need of some levity. "…Big… hands…" She thought back to what Kazma said, about a giant hand in the sky. A giant hand… that ripped Chiaki's town out of the earth… "…Hey, Quill? What was the name of Chiaki's hometown?"
"I dunno. Why?"
"Uh…no reason."
Eddy hugged his bed and shut his eyes tight. He couldn't get back to his fantasy and was too frustrated to sleep. His phone buzzed, so he lazily pulled it up. A text from Index seemed to read, Where is your group? Sector SA wants to meet up.
He hastily texted back, Floor 62, Cutie Park.
Elsewhere in the park
Jenny grinded along a roller coaster and kicked down an array of targets with varying point values. "YEAH! Hittin' the jackpot, baby!" She skid to a halt at the ending platform and let her inventory fill with Cor. "As soon as we fix this game, I'm gonna live it up, baby! …" She looked down at the ground and could see Kazma and Chiaki about to enter a Tunnel of Love. "Ugh…are you kidding me? Pfft, no way am I missing this."
Jenny zoomed down the coaster's platform and rolled straight for the tunnel. Kazma changed back into a human as they settled on a boat, slowly carried inside. Jenny zoomed up the stairs as the next boat flowed by and stylishly flipped in. "I liked her 'no spoiler' policy," Kazma continued the conversation, "but my god, her lewd sense of humor completely ruined a great game. Not to mention she's a total Goomba racist! I mean, I'm not too big on Goomba culture, but calling them 'No Arms' all the time in that smug fashion has to be offensive."
"That's the problem when Let's Players try to be funny. They end up putting more attention on their selves than the game."
"Exactly! Commentators need to have organic humor. They need to be engaged to the game and let jokes flow out naturally."
"Yeah. I'm not exactly good at jokes myself."
"Well, the important part is the engagement. Although… you probably don't remember, but you kind of had trouble showing enthusiasm in your videos. That's the advice I was talking about earlier! And… afterward, you started to talk about the games more, showed a bit of emotion… and you watched my videos, too!"
"Did I like your videos?"
"Er, yeah! Generally. …Heh." Kazma turned away with a blush. "Though, when I first left that comment… I thought you would be mad at me. Most other gamers I give 'advice' to don't appreciate it. They're fine with how they do things and don't care about my input."
Jenny rolled her eyes at his ego. The river was taking the form of a watery rainbow. The borders were a misty pink as an illusion of space surrounded them, magical with shooting stars and auroras. "Well, different people do different things." Chiaki replied. "There are no straight roads."
"I know, but—hah, I love that game! But the problem is their 'fans' revere them as the greatest people ever. These wannabe celebrities are no different from any other gamer, or even any other LPer. They think they're on top of the world because a million people love them, but they could care less for any individual fan. The only people they consider friends are the ones who are up with them. They're a fucking high class society among gamers, and no one likes those kinds of pricks."
"Don't say that to Sector $, dude." Jenny smirked.
"Hmm…I guess I'm the same." Chiaki frowned, shyly pulling her hoodie up. "I remember having a ton of fans… but there's only so many usernames I recall. I don't remember any individual people, or even any friends. I… must have hit my head pretty hard."
Kazma put a hand to her leg. "No… you were different from those other gamers. You were nice. You didn't just want mindless commenters, you wanted to have a real conversation. I…" As he glanced away sheepishly, Chiaki put one of her hands down over his. "When I left that comment… all your fans got mad at me and threatened me… but you deleted their comments and took my side. That was… the nicest thing anyone's done for me."
Jenny smiled at the sentiment. In the short time she's known him, she never expected Kazma to be so open. "…snooooore…" Chiaki fell asleep.
"Hey!" He popped her bubble.
"Huh? Sorry. It's pretty warm in here. And the mist is in my eyes."
"Oh, yeah. Heh, these are nice graphics."
"They are. Also… I was happy to hear that." She smiled. "I'm glad that I made you happy."
Kazma blushed. He leaned against the older girl's arm, enjoying the ride in peace and quiet. The rainbow river would make a few snaky turns, go down a swirly part, and then up a loop-di-loop. "Uh…Chiaki?" he began sheepishly. "I…I like you…"
"Really?"
"Yeah. You just… I feel like you get me. You get me more than any of my fans or friends. Eddy gets me, but…but this is different. I feel so… warm around you."
"You're a sweet boy. I feel… pretty warm myself. I'm happier… than I've ever felt. It's like a dream… and I never want to wake up…"
Jenny frowned in concern. For being a girl with amnesia, she was warming up to him fairly well. Even so… she could tell that Kazma's feelings were genuine. This was the most special girl in the world to his eyes. His love was strong. Even his very heart-shaped boat began to shine with that love.
"By the way… my real name is Kazuma."
"Kazuma? That's not much different from Kazma."
"It's different enough."
"Ka-zu-ma… in English, that becomes 'good, main, horse.'"
"Ha ha ha. Yep."
Chiaki giggled. "You must be… a very noble steed."
"I sure am…" He grinned with a mix of embarrassment and flattery.
Jenny cringed once more. "…?" Her eyes fell to the back of their boat. The pink heart shape was flashing a dark-blue and wavy texture. "?!" The shape shrank slightly and began to rotate. "…KAZMA!"
"AAAH!" He jumped out of his seat and nearly fell off the boat. He turned in panic. "J-J-JENNY?! WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?!"
"Never mind that! Look!"
Kazma climbed on the seat and looked over. "Th…The Pure Heart?"
"Haha! I don't know how, but I guess we found it! C'mon, grab it!"
Kazma reached down and picked the heart up. As he felt its beat and gazed into its hypnotic beauty… he could feel a tickle in his own heart. "Now we're even closer… to finding them all."
"Once you have them… you'll be able to go home." Chiaki said.
"Yeah…"
"But… I won't be able to come with you."
"You…you won't… because in the real world, you're…"
Jenny grew concerned again. There was an air of dread… becoming mixed with the warm love… (Play "Vector to the Heavens" from Kingdom Hearts.)
"I can't live… in the real world."
"Yeah… but you're alive in this world. If I stay here… I can be with you…"
"You can stay here… if you want…"
"Kazma!" Jenny opened her hands. "Give me the heart!"
"I…" Kazma sat back down and leaned on Chiaki. "I feel… so warm around you. No one in the real world gets me. My parents don't get me… my friends don't get me… All those other gamers frustrate me. But you don't. I thought I would never get to meet you… but here you are."
"Kazma!"
Chiaki softly put her arms around him. The Pure Heart was pressed between them, a symbol of their union. "As long as you stay here… I'll never disappear. Let's be together… forever…"
Jenny growled and brought up her inventory screen. She changed her roller-blades out for a pair of water ski shoes with turbo heels, kicking out of her boat and surfing up to theirs.
A giant heart staff with angel wings splashed in the river and blocked her. An enormous, pudgy, white, winged rabbit with a pink frilly skirt loomed above them. As Chiaki warmly held Kazma in her arms, they were safely tucked into the rabbit's chest. They flew far over the Rainbow River as Jenny gave chase.
Boss fight: Usami
As Jenny surfed the snaky Rainbow River, Usami cast Cupid Missiles from her wand. The missiles stayed along the river's path, but she jumped them while making the tight turns. Usami cast a column of missiles as Jenny slid down a sloped segment, then to angle up as Jenny launched herself high, flying over the missiles. She landed on another slope and performed a second momentum jump, evading the missiles. She was sliding to another ramp, but the missiles were thrown above this time, so she avoided jumping and zipped back down the next slope. Missiles rained from directly above, but Jenny kept her speed, flew up the next ramp, and straight to Usami's belly. She spun and slammed her foot into the rabbit, knocking her back, then used a turbo boost to shoot over for a kick to the chest, directly striking Chiaki's head. "Hey! Let Kazma go!" she yelled as she tried to tear him away.
Chiaki's sleepy-eyed body seemed to glitch for a second. "I…I don't want to disappear…"
Usami slapped Jenny away and flew further across the river. The river drastically widened as Usami splashed it, sending a great wave that Jenny would jump. She gasped, realizing the other side of the wave was void, except for a strip of river that she landed on. Usami cast shockwaves, which Jenny jumped, but each wave would shift the river's position and direction, prompting her to readjust herself. She made a good left landing, but then the river turned right diagonal, in which only her right foot secured a landing. She stayed balanced until the next jump, in which the river curved directly left and horizontal. Only the heels of her shoes landed on the edge, flailing backwards to readjust herself. She twisted and boosted toward Usami, who splashed the river directly upward, but Jenny jumped and boosted through the water to kick Chiaki.
Half of her head seemed to snap off, exposing code underneath. "Are you even the real Chiaki?! Or just a Program that Hinobi wrote in?"
"I…I can be real… if you want me to be…"
Usami retreated through the center of a vortex, composed of multiple loops in the river. The sky around Jenny spun as she pursued, but Usami stayed lined up with her. She readied a bow and launched three giant arrows, their tips connected by strings. Jenny had to skate along the twister in evasion. Usami then tried to shoot ahead of Jenny, prompting her to slow down and wait for them to pass. She then resumed skating as Usami lined up with her again, shooting another three. Jenny thought keeping her speed would dodge them, but these arrows were actually slower, so she nearly crashed into them on the next loop. She slowed herself in time and kept going as the swirl then reached its end.
But the end of the river would follow as Usami flew off into the vastness of space. She decided to loose one last arrow as Jenny leapt off the end of the river. She landed along the arrow's body and could make another jump. Usami launched two arrows, Jenny jumped the first, followed by the second. Usami launched another: Jenny was tempted to jump, but realized this arrow was longer. Usami shot an arrow above it, having intended to trick Jenny into jumping against it, but she didn't fall for the ruse, only making the jump once she reached the end. This was followed by a rapid sequence of arrows that Jenny jumped like stairs. Usami could only ready the last arrow on her bow by the time Jenny landed on it, creating a perfect path into her chest.
Jenny kicked on a boost and pierced straight through the chest. She shoved Chiaki and Kazma straight out the back as they all began to plummet toward the planet. Jenny gave her boosts some more juice to catch up. "But I… Is that what I would really say?" Giant hearts spawned to block Jenny, who maneuvered around them. "They just told me to 'be Chiaki.'" Strips of rainbow water crossed her path, requiring Jenny to either dodge or boost through. "Am I really Chiaki… or just a copy?" She could feel pure sadness in her voice as Jenny dodged an array of arrows. "Is this love real… or just a program?" Arrows fell from above next, and Jenny could latch on them to help her catch up. "If Chiaki is as nice as you say… then maybe it's wrong to keep you here."
Jenny could cling onto one arrow long enough to reach the couple. Kazma gracefully slipped out of Chiaki's arms, the Pure Heart in his own. His eyes teared as he reached out to her, but Chiaki was fading into the stars. "Kazuma… I'm sure Chiaki wishes… she could have met you, too."
In a moment, Chiaki disappeared. A large golden key replaced her. Jenny seized Kazma and guided him to splash into a normal river. (End song.)
They gasped for breath upon resurfacing. Jenny hauled the boy up onto land as the key dinged and bounced nearby. The heart also flashed and flew away. "Huff…huff…" Jenny stood to collect the key. "Sigh…so, she was just a boss. She wasn't… the real…"
Kazma sat and dipped his feet in the river. He stared over his own damp, glum reflection. He saw Jenny step over him. "I'm so pathetic. Can't believe I fell for it. Can't believe I thought she would actually like me. Weird enough she was nice to me at all."
Jenny didn't know how to fix heartbreak, let alone one like this. He was really opened up to her. Probably ranted about all kinds of gamers before Jenny came along. And Chiaki listened, like the kind girl she was. Jenny sat beside him. "…I had a crush on Drake."
He glanced at her. "The… old leader?"
"Yeah. Like, I don't get lovesick, and I never said it out loud… but I liked him. He was kind and handsome and… a great leader. But after he died, I…I started to wonder if my feelings meant anything. If I told him how I felt, and he liked me back, would I have just been more heartbroken? Maybe it's good that I never told him. We were never meant to be, anyway. Now I can just… store these feelings away and pretend they never existed."
"…" Kazma sniffled. In just an instant, his eyes and nose began pouring, dripping into the river. "Aaaaaahhhhh!" His feelings burst out in the form of a bellow. Jenny leaned over and hugged him. He tried to store those feelings away, too… but then he wondered if Chiaki would've actually liked him. If he just admitted the truth before and faced rejection, at the very least, he could've safely thrown those feelings away. She was only an online person, anyway… so his feelings couldn't have been that strong. It was only… because of Hinobi that…
"Why…why did Hinobi write her into this game? Why did they… make her say those things?"
"I'd like to know myself."
Kazma sniffled and helped himself onto his feet. Balling his fist tight, he faced the tunnel's exit. "Just what were they thinking… with this game?!"
Several minutes earlier…
After exploring a few attractions in the park, Miko turned a corner in search of another good—"AH!" she yelped at the statue of a familiar character: a large, brown bear in Western clothes, standing before a "Ralphie's Fun House" attraction. "Oh, you have gotta be kidding me." Miko whimpered. Ralphie Bear was an animatronic at Joystick Junior Arcades, which was under Hinobi's ownership. Miko wasn't a fan of the bear, quite scared of him in fact, especially after Five last invited her to the restaurant. "Five's Night at Ralphie's" was one she wouldn't be forgetting. "You just know they're gonna make Cakey von Smasher the boss."
"Data unavailable." Boly replied. "But if you believe the boss is in there, perhaps the heart will be, too."
"Maybe I should call the others first…"
"I am certain that no foes within could be a match for you, Miko. There is no reason to fear."
"…" Miko turned away from the building and asked, "Boly, I need to know… why was Flynn so fixated on me?"
"You are a highly developed human gamer, a dedicated member of Hinobi, and are about to be the savior of Aincrad."
"I just feel like there's something you're not telling me."
"All information will become available, once we have retrieved the last four hearts."
"But I wanna know now! I… hang on…" Miko counted her fingers, "Dragon Tower, race karts, Sayu… that's only three hearts. There are eight hearts, right?"
"A-Affirmative."
"…" Miko glared at her. "Boly, what are you hiding from me?"
"That information is not vital at this point."
"The heck it isn't! Either you tell me or I-"
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
"AAAAH!" Miko scrambled back in panic when Ralphie Bear flew out of the tent, a sword lodged in his back and parts of him torn and sparking.
A tall, muscular man leapt out, retrieved the sword, and sliced his head off. He had light-brown hair, a beard, and gray armor. "Keep trying, Ralphie, you'll never…?" He looked up slightly. "Miko?"
"Uh…hey!" She grinned panickingly. "Big muscle swordsman! Long time, no see! Because I don't think we ever… met!"
"Miko, it's me!" He stepped over Ralphie and approached her. "Phil."
"Ph…Phil? Whoa, when did you beef up?"
"It's an avatar, genius. Well, not exactly… I didn't wanna enter the game directly, but I got help from a little friend of yours and hacked this character in."
"Ohhh…" Miko nodded, mentally figuring out who this 'friend' was. "I getcha."
"Surprised I actually found you on this floor. Only reason I'm here is…eh, forget that. I needed to talk to you about something else."
"Is something happening?"
"Not exactly, but… Way back, I looked at one of Hinobi's top secret files. This is what was written inside it." He brought up a digital screen.
The Bio Program Project. By implanting Programs into mortal bodies, it will enable them to adapt to the real world without need of a computer source. With this means, perhaps we will be able to help the Core enter reality. However, implanting the Core in its entirety will destroy the host with its overwhelming chi. For that reason, only a small fraction of the Core's chi was taken.
We've selected a candidate for the study, a married woman, but to avoid questions or interference, she will remain unaware of the truth. When she comes for a medical exam, we will implant the codes inside her in secret. She will undergo pregnancy and simply believe it to be hers and her husband's doing. The "code" will be born as a human, but because their chi comes from the Core, there will likely be a surplus in Hinobi Glitches. In time, however, the Core may be able to enter reality, so long as the subject adapts. Until then, we will study them from afar.
Miko was dumbfounded by the article. Phil's arrival was sudden enough… but what did this even mean? "Ooooo…kay?"
"I've had this file for at least a decade, but Corporate wiped my memory and made me forget I even had it. I don't remember why I had it or why I stole it… but ever since I read it last year, I couldn't stop thinking. And I…I'm starting to wonder if Aincrad has something to do with this."
"The theft of classified articles is punishable by termination and total mind-wiping!" Boly shouted.
"What the heck is that?"
"Th-This is Boly. The MCP."
"M…MCP?!" Phil stepped back in worry.
"Yeah, she…she…" Miko looked again at the article. The content was somewhat confusing, so she skimmed it over again. "Programs… in mortal bodies… the Core… What's the Core?"
"I guess it means the Hinobi Core. The machine that… helps develop their software…" Phil stared suspiciously at the misty, holographic diamond over Miko's glove. "Boly… why are you with Miko?"
"Miko is… helping me restore Aincrad… by collecting the Pure Hearts which form my code."
Miko looked between Boly… and the article… and herself… She read the content once more. "Code born as a human… surplus of Hinobi Glitches… w-what does that mean? What does any of that mean?!"
"It is of no concern." Boly answered. "We must find the Pure Hearts and defeat-"
"Boly." Miko grasped her glove in the other hand, glaring the A.I. dead in the eye. "WHAT… AM I?"
"Y-Y-You're…" She couldn't help but shirk in shame. "You're… my… heart…"
She was confused at first, wondering if this was some attempt at flattery. "…!" But just now, Boly mistakenly claimed there were four hearts left. There were eight Pure Hearts, but they only found three. Miko touched her chest. She closed her eyes and listened for her heartbeat.
Thump…thump…thump…
She could see the three hearts circling within her. The red one… orange one… yellow one…
…Thump.
And a purple one. No, that was… her own heart. The three hearts were orbiting hers… but her heart possessed a mystical violet glow. Violet like her own hair… Hair that no one else in her family had. Their hair was common and normal. But Miko's was…
"WAAAAAAAAHHHH!" She clung her hair and cried to the heavens.
"M-Miko?" Phil gulped.
"No way… NO… WAY. So, the reason I absorb the hearts… and why you're on me… it's because…"
"You are a part of me."
Miko dropped to her knees, almost thinking her heart would stop. Or, her hearts would—wait, no! "Th-This can't be true! Are you saying I'm some… glitch hybrid?!"
"Hold on… the memory-wipe function never worked on you." Phil remembered. "Was that because… Is it true?!"
"You are more than a glitch, Miko." Boly answered spritely. "Together, we can become a perfect being."
"W-W-W-WAIT! What the fuck is this about?! Why the hell did Hinobi do this?!"
"President Kayaba simply desired to grant my wish. My wish to become a 'real' being. Just as Aincrad is designed to turn people into what they wish to be, I wish to become a real, flesh-and-blood mortal. As we grow stronger together, Miko, I can feel us becoming one. I can feel your emotions… your experiences… your pain… Your prowess in physical activity is a sign of our connection. Our desire for perfection. But because you only received a small fraction of myself, your mental capabilities are undeveloped. This has resulted in less-than-sufficient physical results."
"Wai-wai-wai-wai-wai-wai, slow the fuck down! Why didn't you tell me any of this?!"
"It was Kayaba's request. Because you would develop as a separate entity, he feared you may have reservations. If not you, then your friends would likely object."
"Yeah, and why is that? What's gonna happen if we 'become one' or whatever?!"
"It is as previously stated: we will become a perfect being. For our sake, and for Aincrad, it is of great benefit. Unfortunately, for illogical reasons, some mortals fear such a development."
"Darn right I fear it! Get the fuck off my arm!" She desperately tried to shove the glove off.
"You needn't fear, Miko." As Boly spoke, the eyes of the severed Ralphie head sparked an eye symbol within the pupils. "Once we are complete, we can undo Infinite's faults and restore our players back to reality."
"Miko, don't tear your arm off!" Phil grabbed her shoulder. "Look, I'm pretty pissed off, too. And you can bet I'll have a few words for Kayaba once we find him! But we gotta stop Infinite somehow."
"J-Just, find Infinite in the real world! My friends say he works for Dr. Eggman?"
"Eggman, huh? In that case, I—HYAH!" A blue sword was thrown and cut his hip.
"That was some pretty delicious lore you've told me!" A skinny robot with a computer head, blue screen, and darker-blue cape with code marched up to them. His right dual sword respawned in hand. "This girl is the MCP's vessel, huh? No wonder she's so special. Once we dissect her, perhaps then we can unlock the ultimate power of this world!"
Phil charged and chopped his blade down at XANA, who raised both swords in defense. He glitched above Phil to slash his head, but he dodged and batted him away with his blade. "Two Pure Hearts detected!" Boly exclaimed.
"Oh, PERFECT time to change the subject, Boly! Yeah, TWO Pure Hearts, very funny!"
"There is no humor in my alert. A secondary heart is arriving on this floor as we speak."
Elevator Tower
Sector SA had been given the same greeting by Giffany. "So, if we wanna get in free, we just have to play match-up." Nagisa said. "I can hook with Morgie, Killua can hook with Fie, then… I guess you girls can be lesbians! Index with Goombella and Sinon with Millium!"
"Look, I don't mind being gay, but she looks too young for me." Sinon said.
"Love does not have an age limit!" Giffany cheered.
"Oh ho hokay, I think I should sit this one…?" The sniper felt her green heart beginning to vibrate. "AAH!" It flashed and soared across the park, the environment turning dark.
Around the same time, the indigo heart flew out of the Rainbow River. Miko saw their lights as the blue and purple rhythm platforms formed near her. "Aha!" XANA sneered. "Give them to m-" Phil jumped and pinned the robot down.
"Miko, we must seize the hearts before the rogue glitch can take them!" Boly ushered.
"N-No! I don't want the hearts, anymore!"
"I strongly advise retrieving the hearts!"
"Miko!" Phil was shoved off, but he clashed his blade against XANA's. "It'll be fine! I'm sure of it! I'd rather you have control of this game than these creeps!"
Her anxiety grew as she looked between Phil and the hearts. With a heavy gulp, she ran up the platforms. (Play "Golden Ridge Cassette" from Celeste!)
She jumped on a blue gun, followed by a pink heart. That gun shot a blue bullet when it reactivated, and the heart disabled as the bullet flew through it. Miko could ride said bullet to parallel columns of pink hearts, which Miko quickly Wall Jumped. When they dispelled, another bullet flew to catch her. A pink bullet was incoming, growing tangible to carry Miko the opposite direction. She landed on a platform at the base of a "hill" of floating skulls. Naturally, the skulls had the same colors, but were swapping on-and-off at a more rapid pace. Miko determined a good starting point and jumped her way up the skulls. Afterwards, she had to swing some floating ceiling fans, which changed under a slower rhythm.
Once past the fans, Miko landed on a skateboard that rode her across a rainbow road. Columns of blue and purple arrows were flung, in which Miko had to go through the inactive gaps. She ducked through a purple arrow beneath blue ones and jumped through some blue ones between purple. She then had to jump some arrows that changed at a faster pace, which was already in tune with her momentum. She landed on a blue slope traveling downward, increasing her speed. She jumped before the slope could deactivate and landed on a purple segment, repeated and landed on blue, then back to purple. The slope would dramatically curve upward, and her built momentum allowed her to cross the segments with the rhythm, without needing to jump. It wasn't until she reached the end of the ramp did she perform a heroic leap and slap hands against both Pure Hearts.
A terrific surge of power erupted across the park, causing XANA and Phil to short circuit. The hearts were absorbed into Miko's chest, the odd sensation making her feel like a balloon. Although the victory jingle played, Miko felt less than satisfied. (End song.)
"Uuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhh…!"
"Huh? Phil?!" Miko saw her former boss being electrocuted the same as XANA and rushed over.
"M-My computer's freezing up! That was my… frustration cry!"
"Boly, I thought that would only harm the evil glitches!"
"Phil has illegally procured top secret files."
"The hell with that!" Miko flashed her glove, but Phil's digital body already began to derez.
"Agh…Miko… I'll try to get back to you soon! I won't… let Hinobi…"
The data scattered. In the real world, Phil saw the NerveGear light up, and ran before it could explode, along with his computer. "Huff…huff…"
There was a knock at the door, followed by Barbara's voice. "Oh, Phil? I heard an explosion. What are you doing in there?"
"Wellp, this is comin' outta my paycheck."
…
"Hahahahaha!" XANA cackled, his form derezzing. "Well, what's one little backup lost? We'll have those hearts before long. Especially now that The Hacker has worked his magic on one! They will be OUUUURS!"
Just as XANA disappeared, Miko's teammates finally regrouped. "Hey, Miko." Jenny said. "We… found the hea-"
"Guuuuuuys!" They looked over to a strange group of eight racing over.
"HEY, strangers!" Millium jumped in her squiddy form. "Are you Sector Q?"
"Yeah, that's them!" Index pointed. "We may not look it, but we're Sector SA!"
"You'll never guess what we've been up to!" Goombella called.
The Q's were less than excited to return the greeting, having barely wrapped their heads around their individual events. "Uhhhh, why do we look so down?" Millium asked. "Did someone die? …Guys?"