Both teams returned to the Elevator Tower, with Miko bravely leading the charge. "So, what was your name again?" Goombella asked Kazma.
"Kazma."
"I sort of feel like I've seen you before."
"Really? I don't remember you."
"Hmm…"
"If the eighth Pure Heart is up there, Infinite's bound to be after it, too." Carmine said worriedly. "What if we'll have to face him?"
"Miko is capable of confronting Infinite with her current power." Boly explained.
"But that doesn't make sense." Quill argued. "Infinite dismantled you while you had seven hearts. Even with Miko back with you, you're still only six! And what if Infinite gets your second heart?!"
"Miko's experience with combat, gaming, and friendship has made her stronger, in ways that cannot simply be programmed. This is what President Kayaba decreed."
Miko stopped and glared down at her glove. "You know, if you're a Firstborn, then you couldn't have just been created by Hinobi. They had to have found you somewhere. Where did you come from?"
"I have no memory of my origins. However, my hardware was unearthed by Kayaba 23 years prior. Hinobi was a small company at the time, but by harnessing my data, the quality of their games were able to greatly enhance."
"Where were you 'unearthed'?"
"A planet called Mira. Kayaba supposedly learned of me through ancient documents."
"Mira? That CLU guy mentioned that name." Jenny remembered. "So, you don't remember anything before being discovered?"
"Negative. I mean, positive. Double negatives confuse me."
"We sure have that in common." Miko figured. She sighed as she faced the ceiling. "Alright then…"
"I'm sure we can take him!" Killua beamed confidently. "We already beat Infinite once, and now we got more of us."
"Honestly, I don't think it's our place to interfere this time." Index said. "This is Miko's destiny…"
"Besides, doesn't she have another team?" Goombella asked.
"That's a good point." Miko turned to them. "Could you go up to Floor 70 and tell Sector Hinobi about this?"
"Wouldn't you rather tell them yourself?" Carmine asked.
"I don't really wanna explain or hear it all again. Plus, it'll just waste time. I want to go up and get this over with. And when you tell them, make sure to mention Phil."
"What should we do afterward?" asked Nagisa.
"Actually, there's one more thing we never got to check up on." Quill said. "Boly, weren't the NerveGear supposed to help revive the comatose people? Would those people appear on Level 1, too?"
"If the NerveGear was placed over people with inactive brains, the game is designed to reform their consciousnesses in the Restoration Center of Level 91."
"Sector SA, after you finish with Sector Hinobi, maybe you could head to that floor. Let us know if you find any operatives recovering. Plus, I'm worried Infinite will try to do something to them, too."
"Sure." Nagisa nodded. "Let's get to it, gang. Good luck with your mission."
"You, too, Miko." Index said to the gamer. "I understand why you're worried, but you'll be fine as long as your friends are with you."
"Thanks for the encouragement, strange genie lady."
"Haha! Ten thousand years can really fill you with wisdom~" Index patted her belly in humor before joining her sector.
Jenny put a hand to Miko's shoulder. "She's right though. We'll stay with you no matter what happens!"
"Yeah!" Carmine cheered and raised Eddy to her other shoulder. "Me and little Eddy, too! If he's… still here. Are you there, Eddy?"
"He was awake for one outburst." Jenny shrugged. "I guess he's… asleep again?"
"He was awake a while ago, too. He and Quill sort of had a fight." The girls looked to the boy in question.
Quill sighed. "I've been… having some problems. And I might have insulted him without really thinking. Everything's just been so stressful after Drake died… and, honestly, learning all this about Miko just makes it worse!"
Miko bit her lip and shirked in shame. "And I feel like…" Quill turned away, "I don't wanna be an operative after this."
The three didn't know how to respond at first. That was until Carmine approached him. "Before you make that decision, Quill… you shouldn't just think about the bad parts of this job. You should try to find the positive parts."
"Carmine, bad feelings always outweigh good feelings. And staying for the sake of friendship just isn't good enough."
"Then think about other things. What about the satisfaction we feel from busting villains? Remember how happy you were after you beat Gaz? Think about all the people that will be happy when we beat Infinite. You may be right to say that kids shouldn't handle this, that we should wait until we're adults… but imagine all the people we've saved now, as kids, instead of waiting. It doesn't always end well, but it could've definitely ended a lot worse, countless times. And what about how much fun you had in those racing levels? You're not only a great driver, but you love driving. And it helps you save people. Just like I like making bombs, and my bombs help us defeat the villains. Even when I make a mistake, I…" Carmine began trembling at the awful memory.
"You're right." Quill turned and put an arm around her back in comfort. "I…I shouldn't back out of this."
"I don't feel so confident, anymore." Miko sighed. "I'm getting those 'I should leave the sector' vibes aga-"
"We'll worry about that later." Quill said. "Let's just kick Infinite's ass and get it over with! I just wasted our time!"
Miko took a swallow at the sudden resolve. "Then… to the elevator! Let's go!"
The group bravely marched to an elevator. But it was then Jenny remembered something else: "Kazma!" The boy was slouched against a wall. "Aren't you coming?"
"Huh?" As he looked over, he sported an awkward smile and chuckle. "I mean… I'm just some loser boy tagging along. This is starting to get a little more personal for you guys, so I don't think I should get involved."
"Isn't it personal for you, too?" Jenny rolled up to him. "After seeing that Chiaki copy, I think you have a few questions for Hinobi."
"…" He narrowed his eye at the ground.
"We're gonna have a beef with Kayaba after Infinite's dealt with. You sure you don't wanna come?"
"…Yeah." With resolution, Kazma joined them in the elevator.
Ant Hill
Kalluto dealt a flurry of jabs to Samurai Skeeter and knocked him on the electric pad. Lexi used her bending to switch on the generator. An electric current traveled between all the bug zappers before ending on the pad. …But the game glitched and placed Skeeter a few feet away from the pad. The mosquito sat up, looking confused. "…" He decided to reach over and touch the pad. "BYAAAAAAHHHH!" He flipped off the pad on his back, covered in soot. "Made just to die, here! A bug's life is just too short! I will suck no more." He burst into fireworks and became the Boss Key.
"Well, that won't make any sense out of context." Lexi said as she took the key. "But yay! We got another key! Good work, partner!" She invited him to a handshake.
Kalluto slapped it in a low-five. "…You need to study your hand gestures."
"Noted." Kalluto nodded. "Regardless, this was a very satisfying mission."
"It sure was! You ready to stretch back to full size?"
"Absolutely."
The kids made their way to the Elevator Tower and would grow back to normal after entering one of the tunnels. Once inside the tower, they saw other players viewing a TV of the Toymaker, the Sylvester Stallone-looking man in a dark robe. "As midnight casts its shade over Aincrad, we say good-bye to another fine day of gaming. And what a fruitful day it was. Players were on fire today as many bosses have met their end. If you see any of these scrappy young gamers out on the streets, in the fields, or even breaking into your house to steal your goods, please make sure to give them a round of applause."
"Ooo, maybe we'll be on there!" Lexi bounced eagerly.
The screen displayed the profiles of several players, listing the keys they collected on which floors. It mentioned Kazma's victory on 13, Quill's victory on 51, Sinon's on 23, Tila's on 38, and Gaz's victories on 70, 72, and 75. "Ah, I see Maki's made progress." Kalluto noticed Maki's image, having beaten 49 and 40.
"Look, there we are!" Lexi pointed at hers and Kalluto's images. "Heh, three bosses in one day! That should make us famous!"
"My image only appears once. It seems it only records people who claim the keys."
"Aw, that's a shame. You deserve credit, too! I mean, it's not every day I partner up with a trainee assa-"
Kalluto clamped her mouth shut. "It's not something to casually discuss in public. Especially in this type of environment. Someone like me could be considered a great threat."
"Ar…urkay." Lexi mumbled. Kal released her. "So, which floor should we hit next? I can go all night!"
"Hah, me too." He smiled.
"HEY, you smiled!"
"Huh? Hey, don't lose focus!" He frowned. "Let me look…" he turned to the board that listed all the floors, with the complete ones marked. He withdrew his fan and threw it into a random, unmarked floor. "Floor 74 it is."
"I'll race ya!" Lexi raced to an elevator.
"It's not a race if we can't control our speed." Kalluto joined her onboard.
The duo relaxedly enjoyed the ride up, watching the floors bypass their vision. "Buuuut since we're alone now… what's it like being an assassin?"
"It's a dark, merciless road too grave for your innocent heart to understand."
"How many jobs have you taken?"
"Only a few. I was hired to kill some mafia agents on Earth once."
"Do you have standards or something? Like, you'll only kill certain people?"
"I kill anyone of reasonable regard for a reasonable price. Though my teachers, on the other hand, only accept jobs for the strongest targets."
"I see…" Lexi turned away. "So, do you really like that kind of job?"
"You seem to harbor resentment."
"N-No, no, I'm… just trying to understand. I've never met an assassin before, especially someone who was my age. It feels… sort of weird, to be honest."
"Truthfully, I do find pleasure in the profession. Not a sick pleasure so much as a neutral pleasure. Putting skills that I've learned, albeit through force, to use in a professional manner. The few targets I've killed were no one I harbored feelings for, so I felt no guilt in ending them."
"Mmm…" There were a few arguments Lexi could make about that… but this conversation felt awkward enough already. "If someone paid you to kill me, would you?"
"…Well, it wouldn't be wise to answer that question."
"Oh, what does THAT mean?"
"Why are we talking about this when you clearly feel uncomfortable?"
"I just…" Lexi sighed. "I can't even tell if you're joking."
"It's not even a likely outcome, anyway. Who would hate you enough to want to pay an assassin to kill you?"
"…" Lexi formed a light blush at that question. "…Well, what if someone did? Would you do it?"
"…" Kalluto bit his lip and looked away. Lexi could interpret that silence as either answer. Perhaps he cared about his new friend just as much as his profession, and thus couldn't decide an answer. "…Perhaps I should just leave."
"N-No, forget I even asked that." Lexi said. "Heh…it's a dumb question, anyway, 'would you kill me'? How often does THAT come up?"
Kalluto glanced to her. Knowing she was feeling nervous, he felt the need to veer the conversation away a tad. "It's unwise to think about your own death, anyway. I expect you to stay with me for this game's duration, so don't start showing such weakness."
"Heh heh…okay." She cracked a smile. Awkward moment aside, she could tell that he was steadily opening up.
Level 100
Sector Q were quiet and patient as the lift carried them. They didn't even feel like watching the scenery, wanting to keep their minds as less overwhelmed as possible. They could only wonder what environment composed the 100th floor, what dangers await at the highest point in Aincrad.
There was nobody else in the highest point of the Elevator Tower. It was only the five of them. However, as they walked to the exit, Carmine noticed a picture on the wall. It depicted some kind of floating fortress situated above the clouds, with vast valleys and mountains on the planet below. The fortress was very tall as its top segments shrank into a tip, and there were several points jutting out of the bottom layer, with pillars on them. "Hey, guys… is this what Aincrad looks like on the outside?"
The friends viewed the portrait. "That thing? Aincrad?" Jenny asked. "Doesn't it look too small to have 100 landscapes?"
"No, that is Aincrad." Kazma replied.
"But then what about that whole world below it?" Carmine indicated the great valley that composed the bottom half of the portrait.
"Pretty sure it's just for aesthetic. I mean, this game is big enough without an additional planet, right?"
"But look at the top floor." Quill pointed. "Is that red structure where we're at now?"
"Let's find out."
As they exited the tower, they had to stop to absorb the scenery… and the tranquil sight of this level made it rather easing on their minds.
A vast courtyard of flower gardens, rivers, and paved paths lay before a ruby palace. Under the night sky, beacons lined the gardens and along the palace's walkways. The palace itself was like an upside-down twister, spiraling into a thin point. Surrounding the palace appeared to be a rock formation, resembling huge, slanted stone rings. A bright, white star seemed to hang dozens of meters above the top of the palace. "No need to point out where the Pure Heart is." Quill said.
Sensing no immediate danger, the kids bravely stepped forward. Just before crossing an arched bridge over the river, another person stepped across it. It was a white-haired boy in a yellow polo shirt and blue shorts, wearing glasses. "Salutations, visitors. Welcome to the Ruby Palace, the highest level in all of Aincrad. My name is Chadley, the groundskeeper of this structure."
"A little young to be a groundskeeper, aren't ya?" Jenny asked. "And not even the right attire. Then again, what does it matter with Programs?"
"Salutations, 'Groundskeeper Chadley.'" Boly greeted.
"Ah, and I see Boly is accompanying you. It is great that you could make it this far, User Me_K.O.."
"So, you know me, too, huh?" Miko glared.
"I know many things. The Pure Heart you seek is just up there, as you see. I have stood guard here to keep this palace safe from the likes of Infinite. But be forewarned: Level 100 is designed to be the most difficult level in the game. It contains extremely strong enemies and perilous platforming trials… under normal circumstances."
"What do you mean?"
"By carrying the MCP in your possession, the foes on this floor can be debuffed. You and your comrades shall have a more pleasant experience. Regardless, I would advise you lot to go in prepared. I'm sure Boly will allow you to equip yourself with more diverse customizations now."
"Affirmative." Boly said. "Shall we, Miko?"
Miko nodded and shone a light on her team. Quill equipped his guns with the same elements as his Elementors, Jenny gave her skates a rocket boost and spike options, and Carmine kept herself packed with bombs. Kazma changed into his rabbit form, pumped for action. "I guess Eddy is still asleep." Kazma figured. "'Shame he has to miss this. …Hey, Chadley, I got a question for you: why did Hinobi program that Chiaki copy in the game?"
"Forgive me, but I cannot provide an answer to your query."
"Don't screw with me!" The rabbit grabbed the scrawny boy by the collar and raised him threateningly. "Does Hinobi think they can go putting dead people in their game?!"
"Perhaps Hinobi simply desires to keep their memory alive. I do not know your connection to this 'Chiaki,' but I hope you will forgive the unintended deception."
Kazma rashly dropped him on the ground. "Hmph…you're not even worth it. Infinite comes first… then Kayaba."
Carmine kindly decided to help Chadley up. "By the way, you know that Lost World place? Why is Infinite looking for it?"
"No one knows what mysteries wait in the Lost World. Even from here, it cannot be seen."
"Why not?"
"Well, because no one can climb or fly over the walls of course."
They noticed the great stone walls that made the perimeter of the floor. "Wait… that valley!" Kazma lit up. "That valley that's on the picture of Aincrad. Are you telling me that's the Lost World?! And if we were on that wall, we could see it?"
"Correct. All of Aincrad is one humongous fortress, while down below is a whole new world waiting to be explored."
"That's insane. This game can't be that enormous."
"Don't underestimate Hinobi's brilliance, my good chum. Though, curiously enough, I believe some players have been able to glitch the game on certain floors where they could clip through the very walls of the fortress. They've tried dropping to the world below to see if they could land there… but as one could expect, they didn't survive the fall. Though I would imagine the sight was too grand for them to remember, anyway."
"Well, that makes a lot of sense." Quill remarked. "How would we get down to this Lost World, anyway?"
"The 100 Boss Keys must be brought to a certain place. But that's up to you to discover."
"Yeah, if we feel like it. Let's just go."
The group began to cross the paved road to the palace. "Miko, with the amount of hearts I possess, you have also unlocked another function." Boly said. "You may store teammates inside your inventory. I recommend doing this while crossing obstacles they are not suited for."
"Oh, like an Infi-Cube. I guess that'll help."
They bypassed the six beacon pillars and arrived at the towering palace gates. "Was Chadley really able to hold off Infinite?" Jenny remembered his words. "Just how strong is the guy?"
"I don't know if he can take Infinite with a Pure Heart." Miko said. "He'll probably be right behind us."
"Maybe we should get inside Miko's inventory now." Carmine suggested. "Just in case the level throws us into something dangerous."
"Hey, I'm a rabbit! I'm not afraid of a few scary jumps!" Kazma argued.
"I dunno about you, but Miko has good reaction time with platforms and junk." Jenny mentioned. "But when you play games, how many attempts does it take before you pass a Super Expert level?"
"Er…quite a while. …Okay, fine. But you better not screw us up!"
"I'll get you guys out when I really need you. I can't pass this level without you, so… just put your trust in me!"
"Okay." Quill nodded. "Then let's get stored!" Miko stored them in the inventory on that command.
"Okay." Quill nodded. "Then let's get stored!" Miko stored them in the inventory on that command. (Play "Jafar's Palace" from Aladdin SNES!)
Stage 100: Ruby Palace
Mission: Reach the top of the palace!
As soon as Miko entered the palace, she seemed to have to walk up a steep slope—it was actually a giant seesaw, where a Thwomp dropped down and sprung her to the air! She quickly had to Wall Jump some panels, then cling to a Thwomp that flew sideways. She quickly dropped from the Thwomp before it hit a wall and landed at the base of some stairs. King Cobras, literally wearing royal attire and wielding staffs, awaited them. Miko withdrew her teammates before leaping to punch the first cobra with her gauntlet. It bashed its staff against her, but she grabbed and swiped the weapon before jumping to shove it down its throat. Jenny switched to spike wheels and planted them against the back of another cobra, and as the beast hurled out in pain, Carmine threw bombs into its throat. The cobras released a Cudge that Miko absorbed.
They continued up the stairs and reached an open area with three White Muths, a type of mammoth. Miko used the Cudge to conjure a violet hammer and slam it into the first charging Muth. She then slammed the hammer to the ground to propel herself up, then haul it back around to bash another Muth's back. Quill drew his Elementors and shot ice over the third Muth to freeze it, allowing Carmine to blow it up. Jenny and Kazma dealt beatings to the previous two Muths. Once the enemies fell, a series of chains on platforms lowered from above, hanging at different heights. Flames would travel along those chains from the top. Miko returned her team to inventory and climbed the chains, jumping each one quickly before the flames could burn her.
Near the top of the chains, a line of cannonballs were being fired in a straight line. Miko jumped to a platform with a Pause Switch and was able to jump the ammo. She had to hit other switches that she passed by to reset the Pause timer, as well as jump over floating fires, before reaching the cannon's safe platform. There was no way to ascend the tall room, but Miko realized she could face the cannon upward. She had to climb up and bounce the cannonballs, which fired at a fast enough pace to carry her upward. "Gamer logic!" Miko could land on another safe platform at the start of a floorless corridor where she had to swing chains. The chains would threaten to detach from the unstable ceiling, but some of them had brambles.
Miko got Quill out and placed him on her shoulder. He would use his guns' flames to burn the brambles as Miko swung the chains, the boy having to hold tightly to her due to the fast swinging. Unfortunately, one of the bramble bunches were connected to a large Bob-omb on a separate platform, causing its fuse to ignite. The duo panicked and had to swing the chains even faster, seeing the chain of Bob-ombs that trailed along them. The chains carried them up one side of the palace's vast central chamber, giving them view of the initial obstacles they had crossed. The palace rumbled as the Bob-omb chain reaction went off, but they swung over a wall onto a safe floor before the explosions could reach.
They entered a wide room where a flying blue skull spawned in the air, leaving a dark purple streak as it swooped around. After about four seconds, it swooped down, after which Miko dealt a punch. The process repeated three more times until she was able to defeat the creature, opening the door. Miko and Quill entered a corridor with platforms and chains, the latter returning to inventory. "I recommend utilizing the Megabite in this room." Boly cautioned as another skull creature spawned in the room. Miko jumped some platforms that threatened to fall, but when she reached a gap too large, the Megabite flew down and allowed her to bounce on it. Miko landed in a Barrel Cannon that would auto-fire her a short distance upward. She had to maneuver across a series of cannons, but be careful not to fall on the Megabite. It wasn't until the last cannon did she have to bounce the skull and grab a hanging chain.
Fireballs traveled down the chain, with gaps in-between, so Miko had to Wall Jump vertical platforms to grab those gaps. She had to drop slightly to dodge Megabite. She then seized a Carrie and quickly activated it before landing on a spike platform, jumping a series of spikes before having to bounce Megabite. She was propelled to a vertical spike platform and realized she could "Wall Jump" the spikes by planting the Carrie against them. Carrie wore off as Miko landed on a thin path under some spikes. She ran under a gap in the spikes and jumped to dodge Megabite. She ran and would have to slide under some lower spikes, falling off the end, but bouncing on Megabite just in time to reach a safe ledge.
Miko was in a room with three breakable walls. She got Carmine out, and the bomber could sense enemies behind the left and right walls, so she blasted the middle one. They climbed a ladder behind it, entering another room with 10 breakable walls. Carmine sensed enemies behind all of them, but Miko then noticed part of the ceiling was cracked. Carmine threw a bomb up to blow a hole open, but the ceiling was still too high to jump. Carmine sensed several of the same enemies behind each wall: Topmen. But one of them was different: she blew that wall open, and amongst those Topmen was a Spring Top. Miko knocked away the red tops and lured the green one over under the hole, the two using it to spring up and grab a chain in the hole. They climbed up to a misty room with a very foggy floor, so foggy they couldn't see it.
Carmine led the way and warned her of Floormasters lurking in the fog, hands waiting in dark holes. When they bypassed each one, those Floormasters would rise out and throw skulls. Carmine simply threw bombs that would explode against them, and they couldn't catch the bombs while already holding the skulls. It was then one of the Floormasters chose to slide up and seize Carmine, the girl struggling as the hand moved away. Miko chased and tackled the arm, twisting the wrist and freeing Carmine. She beat the hand to a pulp until it derezzed. A Laddie was freed, and they used it to climb another hole in the ceiling. The passage led back out to the central chamber, where they had to cross a grated path with bullets firing from below, above, and from the right wall.
Carmine's Haki could sense the safe points at which to step over or crawl. Miko made sure to follow her path, though one of the bullets grazed her shoulder. They eventually reached the end of the section and up some stairs that led outside. They stood before a pasture of Muths. Miko called her teammates out to help fight the mammoths; however, Quill got an idea and had his RC car modified into a mouse form. The mammoths were terrified of the mouse as Quill drove it around. Some Muths were scared into lining up between a pillar and ledge. They could climb the pillar and jump across the Muths. From this ledge, Miko would have to pick out a giant dandelion and be carried in a gust of wind, returning her teammates to her inventory.
Miko rode the flower skyward, but as the gust was curving around, she would have to avoid some spike plants. She spun to give her flower height, and tugged to weigh it down (though not too much to avoid leaving the draft). The dandelion's spores were running out, so she jumped to another that flew by. She leaned left and right to avoid cannonballs en route to the palace, the gust carrying her into an opening. It would continue back into the palace's vast, main interior. Ghost Cannons would spawn within the gust, so Miko maneuvered around them, lest they shoot her into the abyss. Miko had to twirl to make the flower ascend, carefully staying between two rows of Ghost Cannons before setting foot on a platform.
Miko withdrew Jenny to show her a section that seemed like a skate track. Jenny nodded at her friend and allowed Miko onto her shoulders. Jenny zoomed down the track and up the ramp, flying over a gap to the start of the track. Rolling through a corridor, Jenny curved along the left wall to cross a chasm, then kicked to the right side before hitting flames. The corridor led outside as Jenny rolled up a slope, jumping over flaming tires that were rolling down. She landed on a rail that returned them inside, zooming them around a forest of columns. Royal Ninjas in ruby-colored clothes would jump them from around the turns, but Miko reacted in time to punch them off.
Once out of the columns, they gasped as another Megabite was tailing them. Actually, this one was white, a stronger variant called Gigabite. Jenny landed on and rolled down a ramp, then up the opposite side as she flung straight up toward a rail. She wouldn't have made it, had the Gigabite not swooped down at that time, allowing her to bounce and spring up to the rail. Jenny grinded along and jumped spinning spikes, followed by jumping Gigabite. They then leaned right to avoid a long line of spikes, followed by a quick jump left, and as the rail swerved that direction, Jenny had to leap over a gap—Gigabite swooped under and helped them bounce to a Wall Jump segment. Miko swapped positions with Jenny and kicked them up the twin walls. She snagged a Barry before the two landed in a corridor.
Jenny took the lead and sped up the hall, using the Barry to defend from bullet fire. The Gigabite was still tailing them, and it would swoop in once they reached the end of the hall, bouncing them up to a spring that shot them backwards. They rolled up a higher path that was lit on fire, but the Barry helped them bypass the flames. The Barry ran out just as they leapt into a Barrel Cannon, which blasted them far out of a palace window. Luckily, the Gigabite swooped at them in time for them to bounce into another cannon. This would begin a Barrel Cannon segment, each one either spinning in place or in a set, shaped path at a rapid pace. To make it trickier, they would have to fire soon before the Gigabite bit them. Miko got Carmine to decide the best times to shoot. The last cannon would blast them to a palace balcony, but as expected, they had to time it to land on the Gigabite in order to make it.
A duo of King Cobras, four Egg Mages, and a golden robot called E-2000R ambushed them. Miko called out all her friends to attack: Kazma grabbed a mage and threw it into another, Quill shot flames at the other two, and Jenny and Carmine baited the two cobras and tricked them into biting each other. The E-2000R fired a powerful beam, but Kazma dodged behind it and dealt a flurry of punches to the robot. "Miko, the Pure Heart's right up there, right?!" Quill pointed to the top of the tower. "We'll catch up in a bit! Go and get it!"
Miko faced up at the white light above the top. Still fearful over what may happen, Miko rushed up the stairs. The Gigabite flew to get its last hit in, but Miko dealt the final blow and destroyed the skull. (End song.)
Restoration Center (Play "Battle of Birds Time Rift" from Hat in Time.)
Sector SA's group traveled up to Level 91. They treated their eyes to a seemingly vast space where the sky was composed of cyan, static TV screens, some of which were flickering images. Unlike the vastness of the preceding floors, the elevator let off on a single bridge leading to a gloomy hospital complex. "Wow… they went the extra mile to make this place warm and welcoming." Goombella said sarcastically.
"Yeah, a freakin' nightmare hospital will sure wake you up from a nightmare." Nagisa said, leading the way to the uneasing hospital.
The eight friends entered the building, finding a lobby where some players were resting. "Since that whole Dream World crisis was universe-wide, I feel like this place should be jampacked."
"I guess it depends on how many victims were put in the game." Morg figured.
"It seemed like this hospital continues down the pillar." Sinon said. "But yeah… I feel like the relative smallness of this place only adds to the creepiness."
The receptionist appeared to be a cyborg woman with a head that looked like GLaDOS, and her voice matched it. "Hello, visitors, and welcome to the Restoration Center. Do you have a reservation?"
"Reservation?" Nagisa asked. "This is a hospital, not a restaurant. Don't you mean appointment?"
"I know. I was testing the acuity of your common sense to make sure you were not an escaped patient. You have passed. Please identify the patients you would like to visit and confirm your relationship with said patients."
"Hey! Sector SA, is that you?"
The group turned to face a gray-skinned boy with large, round headwear. "Uh…do we know you?"
"It's me, Raleigh! I almost didn't recognize you, but I saw Morg's legs and Nagisa's Sheikah suit, and I guess I was right."
"I don't think your disguise works, Morg." Killua remarked.
"Been working in our favor so far. But hey, Raleigh. Are you here to check up on the victims, too?"
"Yeah, I just got back from that. I actually met other operatives here, too. Wanna come see?"
The eight nodded and followed Raleigh into a hallway, leaving GLaDOS to watch them. "I used to think my dialogue was too good to skip, but now I am a sad potato."
In one of the rooms, Bon Clay Jr. and Gary-Lou Jones were situated inside capsules, their bodies in the process of forming as there were gaps of data in their being. Hibiki Lates of Sector KB was looking over them alongside a Floro Sapien girl with a flower crown. She was Uiharu, Sector AC's computer expert. The two were studying laptops that recorded the patients' memories.
Hibiki recognized several of his leader's memories, such as defeating Team CRDL, attacking the NFL Stadium, or joining the battle on Planet Emera. These were exciting missions that Hibiki shared with his team, memories that his leader held fondly. Of course, there were quite a few clips of Cheren, highlighting Clay's feelings for the boy. But Hibiki frowned when a more unpleasant memory played on the laptop: when Libby Belle was killed by one of the Red Leaf Samurai, during the final attack on the Free Kingdom.
"It's happening on this screen, too."
"Hmm?" Hibiki looked over at Uiharu's statement.
"That Disney logo…"
"Ahh." Hibiki had almost forgotten to check for that. In-between the memory transitions, there were very brief flashes of a mouse-shaped logo. They had noticed these while checking the other victims.
"Ah, you guys are still here!" Raleigh said as he entered the room with Nagisa, Morgiana, and Index. The other teammates went to check other rooms. "Sector SA just arrived. The others are outside, hehe."
"Good, more operatives." Uiharu smiled. "Is there anyone in here you're looking for?"
"Not exactly." Nagisa answered. "Are these people doing okay?"
"Well, it would seem their memories are being restored… but…"
"There's something strange going on." Hibiki said. "We keep seeing these images of the Disney logo. It's making me think Disney is trying to brainwash these people."
"Wait…" Morg approached Gary's laptop. Listening closely, she could make out some music. "Do you guys hear that music? It sounds like…" As she proceeded to hum it, the others were able to recognize it.
"That's the Mickey Mouse March!" Index exclaimed. "Those jerks! They really were plotting something with this game!"
"Did you know that Disney's using an avatar to fight the bosses and trying to 'save' everyone?" Nagisa asked. "Yeah, it sounds good, but they're probably just trying to make their selves look better. They're just taking full advantage of this situation."
"That's horrible…" Uiharu spoke grimly. She wasn't a fan of brainwashing, especially after a personal experience with the art. "Is there any way we can fix this?"
"This game isn't exactly easy to hack." Hibiki said. "If we found the Code Room or something, we could probably do something to change that program. But even then, we would probably have to do it from Hinobi directly. Let's report this to Global Command, Uiharu."
"Right."
"U-I-HA-RU!" Another girl dramatically burst into the room, a Zora with black hair. "Guess who just took down the boss of this floor?!"
"That's great, Saten, but please don't scare us like that!"
"No, no, it wasn't me! Tell them, Megumi!"
The blue-haired Nimbi chef walked in with a blushed expression. "It weren't all that impressive, really."
"But you took him down all by yourself! You should've seen her, she was killer with that Ping-Pong!"
"Dr. Grim was terrifyin', but he was an amateur, so Ah feel kinda bad."
"Dr. Grim?" Nagisa repeated. "Sounds like the kind of scary boss that would be on this floor."
"Well, congratulations, Megumi!" Raleigh praised. "Your future sector will be excited to hear that!"
"Thanks! Oh, excuse me." She shirked at the new visitors. "Are y'all operatives, too?"
"Yeah." Nagisa smiled. "Haha, sounds like you and Sinon will be training together."
"Oh, I forgot to ask." Raleigh said. "Do you know what Sector Q is doing?"
"Yes, we were sent here on their behalf." Index answered. "In fact… I should make you guys aware of something."
She explained the basics in what they had learned about Miko. Needless to say, the operatives were both stunned and confused by the news. "So, Miko… is both the Guardian and a part of the Firstborn herself?" Hibiki asked.
"She was only the closest match I could think of to be the Guardian. Otherwise, I'm not sure how this is gonna work out. But…" The Majin frowned as she looked to the ceiling, beyond which Sector Q were probably in the midst of battle. "We can't forget what past Newborn have done. They've all had darkness in them. So, I get the feeling that something else bad is going to happen."
"But weren't Gourmerry one of them Newborns?" Megumi smiled. "She didn't seem so evil."
"True… I guess she was a rare exception. We'll just have to wait and see."
"Let's just hope her other friends make it up in time." Nagisa agreed.
The Sector Hinobi operatives had been blown away by the news. Dipper and Tronta shared their shock, only made worse on top of the recent ordeal. "Let's go to Floor 100." Five was quick to decide. "We…we have to be there for Miko."
"You're right." Zahra said. "I can't imagine what she must be going through."
"I always knew something was off about her." Mitch said. "She…she really was a glitch!"
"Hey, Miko's not a glitch!" Bergy argued. "I…I think."
"Miko is still our friend!" Five stated. "And Hinobi was using her… just like they used us."
"Yeah… but just what's their endgame in all this?" wondered the gold-skinned leader. "Probably something to do with this game's endgame…heh. Let's move!"
As the four raced for the elevator, Tron and Dipper decided to follow. Gaz merely remained behind, still trying to process the revelation. (End song.)
Ruby Palace
Sector Hinobi raced toward the palace as soon as the elevator let them off. Chadley turned to find them approaching. "Oi, kid! You see a purple-haired girl come by here?" Mitch asked.
"Miss Miko and her comrades have already climbed the palace. And our other guest of honor should be up there soon."
"What guest of honor?"
The answer to Five's question came in the form of a glitching atmosphere, spawning a squad of Egg Hammers and XANA Krabs. "Wait! Is Infinite already here?!" Five yelled as they began to fight the robots.
"There was no need to detain him at this stage. Once Miko defeats him, everything can proceed as planned."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Zahra questioned.
"It means we better get the hell up there!" Mitch stated.
…
Miko slowed to a halt once at the top of the tower. For a moment, she gazed at the unmistakable shape of the Pure Heart. The only issue was how to actually get up…?!
The space around the heart glitched. A red eye spawned above it, and with it the body of, "INFINITE!"
"Hahahahaha! You're too late!" The jackal grasped the white heart. "This heart is all m-…WHAT?!" And the glass shattered in his hand. Inside was a green "?". "This is one of Riddler's stupid trophies! Did that idiot-"
"HEY! Get your tail down here, you jerk!"
Infinite shot a glare down at the gamer. "So, you're the one. The human that was born from the MCP."
"You know about me?"
"XANA reported you. Miko, the MCP's vessel to reality. But I know what you're really doing. Tell me… why did Hinobi desire my Matter Chi?"
"I have no information on this. Please clarify." Boly said.
"Yeah, what do you mean by that?"
"So, you don't know, eh? I don't have time to waste, so I'll keep my story nice and short."
Miko backed away as holograms were conjured on the tower. They were a band of jackals, dashing across a desert and cutting down soldiers. "I was captain of the Jackal Squad. We were a band of mercenaries native to Mirage Desert. While we tried to remain secretive, we were quite famous in underworld circles. Both criminals and even army officials hired us for special jobs. That was, in part, thanks to me."
Infinite displayed a hologram of himself, going up against a trio of rhino soldiers. He bent the matter up from the ground to shield himself from their guns, afterwards focusing on those guns to scatter their matter. He then formed a red sword in his hand to slash those rhinos. "I was a matterbender. We're quite rare, with only one born on every few planets. Matterbending is difficult to properly utilize, but my skill earned me the title of the Ultimate Mercenary."
Infinite changed it to a hologram of his infant self, discarded on the ground. Miko was mildly horrified as one of his hands and feet were disassembling into particles. "I was only one year old, but my parents already discarded me. It's common for benders to have problems with their chi at a young age, but I had problems keeping my particles together. There were probably other mistakes that I wouldn't remember, but they decided they didn't want to deal with me. I was found by a desert clan made of my own brethren. Raised and trained to fight like them, and in the process, control my own matter." The infant aged a few years as a taller jackal charged at him with a bo staff. Infinite swung his hand and scattered the stick into particles.
"Aww, you're kinda cute~" Miko cooed.
"As I paved the way to infamy, I wanted little more than to support my clan." It changed to a hologram of adult Infinite clacking rum bottles with two other jackals, sharing a drink. Two children seemed to run by, shooting "toy" guns at each other.
"But one day, a strange man arrived at our camp." Infinite made a hologram of the Toymaker. "Requesting the aid of the Ultimate Mercenary, he explained that he wanted to steal classified documents from a military base. He would give me the details alongside a 'special team' as he invited me into his truck… but before I knew it, I was slapped with chi-blocking cuffs, shot with stun darts, and imprisoned! I would wake up strapped to a machine that began sapping me of my chi!"
Miko looked with sympathy at the jackal, screaming from electrocution. A man in a labcoat appeared before him. "President Kayaba simply told me that he needed to harness my Matter Chi for his ultimate project. Two other matterbenders had already perished before me; a Superbian named Ava, known as the villain 'Ghost,' and some other in the Nintendia Galaxy. I was trapped in there for two months until an agent of Dr. Eggman had come to rescue me."
The hologram displayed Infinite on a table, his particles coming apart. "Because of the chi stolen from me, my own matter threatened to fall to pieces. But Eggman provided me with a gem to stabilize myself." The chubby doctor attached a red gem to his chest. "A Phantom Ruby. He had been harvesting these rare gems from Mechanos, but individually, they only lasted for short periods. Later, the doctor brought me back to Mirage Desert… but none of the jackals recognized me! Even my cabin had been wiped of any trace of me!"
"Don't tell me!" Miko gasped. "Did Hinobi wipe their memories of you?!"
"Perhaps they did, Miko. It would've been awfully inconvenient to have them try to rescue me. Eventually, the memories were able to click with them. Strong memories can't be lost forever. The jackals were grateful to Eggman for bringing me back… and so, we pledged loyalty to him." The jackals bowed their heads to the grinning doctor.
"I…I'm sorry that they did that to you. I can't believe they would be so cruel. Boly… why was Hinobi trying to harness his chi?"
"They did so in order to help stabilize Aincrad. This world uses an incredible amount of data and Miracle Matter to the point it is difficult to control. Harnessing the chi of matterbenders was intended to mitigate that problem."
"That's it?! That's… How… I can't believe this! I almost think you deserved to have this happen!"
"Oh…?" Infinite cocked his brow. "You…you're angry with them?"
"Of course I'm angry! I just learned that I'm… one of THIS thing's HEARTS or something! I don't even know if I'm really ME! Was I just born and raised to help Boly enter reality or whatever?! Am I still going to be the same after we 'join' together?!"
"Miko, as I already explained-"
"Shut up! I don't care what your reasons are anymore, Hinobi SUCKS!"
"…" Infinite was silent for a moment. "Then you were an unwilling experiment just as I was. Perhaps… I looked at this from the wrong angle. Miko… perhaps we should just destroy this game together."
Miko stared at her gloved palm in shame for a moment. "…No." She cast her glare back at him. "I feel bad for you, but… because of you, so many people are dead. You took your revenge out on innocent people."
"Is it really my fault? I only took advantage of Hinobi's program. That command that tells the NerveGear to self-destruct was already in the game!"
"B-But… that's impossible… why would they do that?"
"Because this game is its own world… its own reality with its own rules! Hinobi wishes to trap people in this reality, both in 'life' and 'death'! Eventually, they would have activated this command, perhaps when most of the universe was under their spell. And you, Miko, are no doubt the final key in this plan. If you plan to 'save' these people, you will have to destroy yourself."
"No! I won't let Hinobi get away with this… and I won't let you either! You'll pay for what you did to Vanellope and everyone else!"
"I guess you're just another Program after all. Then I'll end this game myself! For the glory of the Eggman Empire!"