Play "vs. Tatiana" from No Straight Roads!
Boss fight: Infinite
Infinite flew off the edge of the tower and fired a red beam that swept the surface, but Miko dropped flat and ducked it. His body glitched around the tower before attempting to strangle Miko from behind, but she jumped and kicked backward, landing a hit! Infinite warped above and materialized a group of rockets, dropping them and piercing the tower. Miko panicked at their beeping, sensing they would explode. Boly sensed a Pixl inside one, so Miko pulled open its hatch and retrieved a Barry. With the barrier activated, she was able to survive the explosions. Infinite recollected their scattered data and cast the rockets at Miko individually, but by spinning, her spiked shield could deflect them back at Infinite. "GRAH!" he grunted from three blasts before ceasing the attack.
Needing to repair his data, Infinite withdrew the sky-blue heart from his gem and harnessed its power, but the presence of the Pure Heart caused blue and purple rhythm platforms to appear, moving to-and-fro quickly. Miko jumped on the blue one, jumped to the purple once it flew over, jumped to cling to a vertical blue platform, Wall Jumped to a purple, then kicked off onto a blue rail that grinded around to Infinite's front. Miko PUNCHED the Pure Heart, resulting in a powerful surge. Miko was blown back to the tower, but Infinite's HP bar had reduced again. "Let's see if you're any good at bullet hell!" Infinite began to unleash a storm of bullets from directly ahead of Miko, the gamer swiftly jumping between the safe gaps, but a few of the heads managed to graze her arms and legs.
Infinite recollected their matter and began to fly circles around and up-and-down. Miko evaded as necessary, having to both jump and run in circles near the center. Infinite flew above the tower for closer range, but also willed bullets to spawn partway away from him, giving Miko two sources to dodge. However, one of the rounds caused a Crosser to emerge from the ground. Miko seized the crosshair Pixl and conjured a digital gun. Infinite immediately warped, and Boly sensed his presence behind one of the stone rings that surrounded the palace. Using Crosser, Miko could focus in on his position, seeing Infinite with his own rifle. Aiming at the glow of his eye, Miko pulled the trigger and sniped him, chopping another chunk of HP.
Infinite retreated behind the Elevator Tower in order to heal himself. The rhythm platforms were now in the shapes of targets, and she would have to snipe them when the centers blinked on. She destroyed three targets as other platforms were revealed, changing at a rapid rate. Miko would have to shoot the first blue one, allowing the bullet to ricochet to the others as they alternated, eventually going around the tower and piercing Infinite! The enraged jackal returned to the palace and conjured Glitch Balls. They pursued Miko, but as soon as one touched her, the others disappeared. "AAAAHH!" Her head began twisting in circles. "What the hell?! Are you unscrewing my head?!"
"Glitch Balls interfere with your 'controls'! It seems your 'camera' is continuously rotating. Good luck dodging these!" Infinite enlarged his fist and began thrusting punches at the tower. They were hard to dodge as Miko's direction kept shifting, one of the shockwaves knocking her off her feet. Even standing up was dizzying, but it became worse as Infinite began throwing rounds of three buzzsaws. She could almost feel the tip of her right shoe being sawed, but fortunately, her twisting head returned to normal. Infinite flew to one side and conjured a whole line of buzzsaws, bound to shred Miko to strips. However, it seemed one of the earlier saws released a Slim from a crack in the ground: it was an upside-down triangular Pixl that thinned in and out.
Miko grabbed the Slim and thinned her body like a paper, easily slipping between the saws. Furthermore, by standing completely still, Miko grew one-dimensional and invisible. Infinite glared and mustered a saw over his hand, thoroughly skimming the area for the gamer. He rotated and turned, studying all corners of the tower, but once his back was facing Miko, she puffed back to normal, jumped, grabbed, and pulled him to the ground to deal a pummeling. Infinite pushed her off and cast another Glitch Ball: this triggered a glitch where Miko would be pushed southward as if wind were blowing, making it hard to run in the opposite direction. Infinite began to erect spikes from the ground, starting from the south. Miko struggled to run north, having to shift northeast when spikes appeared to the left.
Spikes pursued from the north, but the south was now open, so Miko ran—the wind greatly increased her speed, so Infinite surprised her with spikes to puncture Miko's foot. He confined Miko to a small space of land on that side, beginning to shoot lasers she would have to jump, but the wind would threaten to blow her off the edge of the tower. She kept leaning north with each jump, until one of the lasers seemed to release a Carrie. With this, Miko could easily ride around on the spikes, though the wind glitch was still active. Infinite decided to spare some time to heal his HP, so he flew high above the center. The presence of the heart allowed rhythm blocks to spawn.
They started on the east side and were covered in spikes. The wind glitch was still active, so Miko had to steady herself while crossing the narrow path. She rode Carrie across the spikes, jumping gaps and sticking with the rhythm. She had to Wall Jump off vertical spikes and reach the second layer, traveling the opposite way as wind blew from her right this time. Miko would have to duck under spikes while jumping others, plus lean her body right to fight the wind. At the end of this layer, Miko would have to follow a Wall Jump trail, leaping through and back to inactive and active platforms. The walls led her to Infinite, allowing her to throw a strong punch to the heart and deplete his restored HP.
Miko landed back on the spikeless tower, feeling the wind dissipate. She watched in terror as Infinite summoned some of the matter of the palace and grew to a giant size. He slapped his big hand against the tower, but Miko dodged between the fingers. He tried to pound her with his other fist, but Miko ducked, causing him to pound his own fingers. Infinite pulled his fist up and shook off the pain. The jackal threw another punch, but Miko met it with her own gauntlet as Boly's chi possessed enough strength to thwart the massive fist. Infinite threw a flurry of punches as Miko engaged all the giant fists, even managing to break one of the knuckles. A Dottie was freed from the knuckle: Miko channeled the Pixl over Infinite to shrink him back to normal size.
The matter returned to the palace as he decided to "submerge" under the tower like a liquid. Miko saw a lump pursuing her along the floor, dodging when it got under her. Infinite would try to slap the ground up and crush her. As he repeated the maneuver, Miko saw a glowing spot. She lured Infinite to that spot, so when he bent up the ground, a Thudley was released. The Pixl increased Miko's weight, so she dealt a Ground Pound to the traveling lump and SQUASHED Infinite underneath. The aggro jackal flew to one of the distant stone rings to restore his health. A rather straightforward rhythm block road appeared, the small segments in tune with Miko's running. She had to make some quick jumps up stairs, but it was then she seized a Dashell.
Her speed increased to Sonic speed as she raced across the track, going fast enough to cross the gaps in the switching platforms. Infinite saw her approaching and decided to halt his restoration, flying along the stone ring. Miko leapt onto that ring and chased up the curving mountain, sidestepping to avoid his Glitch Balls. He zipped to a ring on the right, but Miko hit a spring to bounce her on and keep chasing. Infinite formed some Egg Pawns that she forced her way through, followed by Bladed Spinner stairs that she jumped up. Infinite flew down under the previous stone ring. A spring shot Miko onto the side of it, and as she built up speed, she ran under it, dodging the spikes that Infinite conjured. She finally caught up with the jackal and tackled him, dropping to a lower ring and smashing him. She punched him in the gem, cracking the egg.
As Infinite returned to the tower, a series of Barrel Cannons served to shoot Miko back up. "Miko!" She was joyous to see Sector Q run up onto the tower.
"Haha! Geez, did it take you THAT long to finish off some robots?"
"There were too many damn waves!" Kazma grinned, fist-palming. "But we have enough strength to finish him off."
"GRAH!" Having lost his patience, Infinite rose to the sky. Mustering the full force of his DNEgg and Pure Heart, the entire sky glitched. And before their eyes, the sun itself covered the heavens. "I'm through playing games! I'll use everything I have to burn you into oblivion!"
"That's a Desperation Move if I ever saw one!" Kazma exclaimed.
"Boly, are there any Pixls nearby?!"
"All Pixls appear to be 60 meters above our location."
"USELESS JERKS!"
"We can try to make it up if we work together!" Carmine yelled. "Guys, stack up like this!"
Miko got on top of Quill, who sat on Jenny, who sat on Kazma. The rabbit squatted down, built chi in his legs, and sprung high. Carmine tossed a Spring Bomb under the rabbit's paws, the force of the safe explosion blasting him higher. Kazma tossed the group up, flipped upside-down, and kicked them higher. The stack fell back as Jenny used her rockets to briefly boost them higher, then kick the other two higher. Quill faced his Elementors down and fired a constant stream of fire, flying himself and Miko ever higher until they ran out of fuel. It was at this height Miko was able to jump and grab a Laddie. The Pixl formed a ladder in midair, allowing her to climb up to a Carrie. The Carrie helped her bounce up some spiked rhythm platforms, at the top of which she grabbed a Piccolo. The musical Pixl formed a swirling Song Road to whisk her upward.
As she dodged the bad notes, Miko seized a Cudge, followed by another Cudge, and ending with a third. The Song Road would end several meters before Infinite, but the three Cudges allowed Miko to muster a giant violet hammer! "AAAAAAHH!" Bellowing a victory cry, Miko swung the hammer downward and BASHED the villain! The sun immediately dissipated as Infinite plummeted directly to the palace, his silver mask shattered by the impact. As Miko fell, she seized one more Thudley: she flipped into a "sit" position as she fell rump-first like a meteor. "Dropping a sun, huh?! Well, I'm about to DROP A MOON!!"
By the time Infinite recovered from the crash, he was too late to dodge what came next: "AAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH…!"
"That was a real Discount Majora move there~" Quill joked. Carmine sported a giggle. (End song.)
As Infinite lay groaning with only a fragment of HP, the Pure Heart rose from his body. Miko sighed and allowed it into her chest. "And that… makes seven."
"Ugh…if you truly detest what Hinobi has done to you, why even bother collecting them?" Infinite asked, his mismatched blue and yellow eyes exposed. "Once you are complete… their plans will succeed. Their plan which costed the lives of two matterbenders, and almost mine to perfect, while harming others in the process! It was all for you… If you feel as much regret as you should, you should take your own life!"
"No way!" Miko yelled. "I…I feel awful for what Hinobi did, to you and everyone else. I don't want to change. But even if I do…" she stared at her glove, "I need to stop Hinobi and make them pay for their crimes. But you'll have to pay, too, Infinite." She cast a glare and a finger at the villain. "If you don't fix this game and allow everyone to log out, I'll have no choice."
"You may not have a choice already. Do you really believe that thing will allow you to defy it?"
"Even if that happens… I know my friends will help me."
"We sure will!" Carmine jumped.
"Yeah…" Quill nodded.
"Miko!" Hearing the familiar chorus of four, she saw Five, Mitch, Zahra, and Bergy race up the tower stairs.
"Hey, it's Infinite!" Mitch exclaimed. "You… Did you beat him?"
"I did. I took his Pure Heart, too. There's supposed to be one more on this floor, but we haven't found…"
"My apologies. I had to keep it hidden until Infinite was dealt with." Approaching up the stairs behind them was Chadley, the geeky groundskeeper.
"Huh?" Jenny cocked a brow. "You mean you had the heart all along?!"
"But of course. That's no reason not to play a nice, challenging level. But now that I'm here…" Chadley tapped into his U.I. and disabled his avatar: growing into a tall, middle-aged adult, he was none other than Akihiko Kayaba. "It's time to put an end to this threat."
The operatives fell back in shock. "K…KAYABA?!" Five exclaimed.
"It…It was you all along?" Miko gasped.
"Decided to show yourself, you BASTARD?!" Infinite shouted.
"I must say, Infinite, your nefarious plan certainly made things complicated. I wanted to wait for more players to enter the game before initiating that code. At least you provided incentive for Miss Kubota to enter the game. If only you hadn't shattered Boly, Miko could have bonded with her right then and there. At least it gave her some time to warm up to her."
"Hey!" Quill trained a gun on him. "What kind of sick game are you planning?!"
"President Kayaba, do you believe I am ready to be complete?" Boly asked.
"W-Wait a sec!" Miko yelled. "I don't want to be-"
"Of course, Boly." He reached under his coat and withdrew a white Pure Heart. "For you!" (Play "Counterattack" from Xenoblade 2!)
"NOOO-!" In spite of her protest, the heart flew into her chest. "AAAAAHH!"
"You bastard!" Kazma threw a punch at Kayaba, but the president's body glitched in evasion before slashing the rabbit with his lightsaber.
"AAAH!" Miko's body began vibrating beyond control, flashing into various pixelated colors. "What's happening to me?! I don't…I don't want to be…aaaaaahhhh!"
An 8-bit "Power Up" sound effect played as her body sparked in a like fashion. Miko had changed into a neon dress that was divided into segments, 2D and resembling the Pixls. She levitated in the air with pixelly butterfly wings. "YAAAAHOOOOOOO!" In great contrast to her earlier despair, Miko was beaming, her grin bright and eyes fiery. "MAN, do I feel complete! This body feels GREAT! Hype HYYYYYPE!"
"M…M…Miko?" Five stuttered, their pupils creasing at their friend's transformation.
"Behold!" Kayaba exclaimed. "The awakening of the Goddess of Aincrad! BOLYPIUS!"
"Bolypius?!" Quill tensed up in anger. "What've you done to Miko?!"
"Ah, CHILL, Quill!" Bolypius landed, lifted the short boy, and twisted her fist in his forehead like a big sister. "I'm still Miko! Heck, I'm better than Miko!" She set him down. "I'm MIRACLE MIKO!" She thrusted rock-and-roll signs into the air as pixelly fire ignited around the palace. "Come on, Five!" She slid up to the taller boy's chest. "Ain't I the most awesome gal around?!"
"Uhh…" He was astounded by how convincing she sounded. She certainly felt like Miko, but her dark eyes had swollen blue like Boly's eyes. "Are you sure you're really-"
"You're not Miko!" Mitch yelled, charging a gold laser. "You're a glitch!"
"Yeah! Give us back our friend!" Zahra demanded, casting pink flames over the 'god,' but Miko easily dissolved the data.
"MAN, you guys are lame." She threw her arms up in exasperation and slumped over. "I mean, this is what I always wanted my whole existence, ya know? A real, flesh-blood body! Well, I will be once I upload myself into reality, but I can already taste it! And it's all thanks to you, Kayaba!" She slid up and gave the man a tight hug, like a daughter hugging a father. "It's all because you put that piece of me in Miko's mom!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Bergy cringed.
Kayaba chuckled. "I won't bore you with the science, but let's just say… I had to get a bit 'personal' with the subject in order to give Boly a mortal vessel. So, in a way, she's almost my own daughter."
". . . . . . . ." Everyone just about felt the same thoughts: f*** this guy.
"Regardless, the experiment was a true success." He proudly patted Miko's hair. "Now, then… I believe it's time to give the audience our special news."
"Heck yeah! Get up here, you little jackal!" She trapped Infinite in a ring of databending and raised him in the air.
"ATTENTION ALL PLAYERS!" They all faced up at the sky, now a giant TV screen, as a man's voice echoed across the world. However, the one onscreen was a familiar, brown-haired girl in a purple racer uniform.
"Hey! It's that Demetra girl!" Jenny exclaimed. "But why did she sound like a guy?"
"We interrupt this peaceful night with BIG NEWS!" And with that, Demetra flickered and changed into the Toymaker. "The MCP has been restored!" The screen displayed the very scene on the tower, in which the operatives could see cameras surrounding them. "And Infinite is DEAD!"
Without mercy, Bolypius shattered Infinite's data and derezzed him. "YEEEEAAAAAHHHH!" Aincrad was roaring with the praise of the players.
"Hey!" Lexi exclaimed. "Th-That's Miko! My sister!"
"That's your sister?" Kalluto asked.
"Hey, it's Miko!" Nagisa gasped. "What… happened to her?"
"I have a bad feeling about this…" Index said.
"That's right!" Miko declared. "This game is under MY control again, baby!"
"Well, don't just stand there!" Kaito shouted. "Let us log out already, my body's getting stiff!"
"You know she can't hear you from here, right?" Maki replied.
"Look, we can work this out later." Jenny said. "As long as we can log everybody out of this game, that'll be okay."
"Come on, gang!" Miko fist-pumped. "We can't quit while the game is gettin' good!"
"Don't mess with us!" Quill yelled. "You're going to let us out of here now!"
"But if we let everyone leave," Kayaba replied, "no one's going to want to play Aincrad after this. No one will want to enjoy my world again. But they must understand! Aincrad is a world of dreams! They need not fear death ever again!"
"Exactly!" Miko followed. "All the players in this game have their data recorded in the mainframe! Even the ones who died can be resurrected from the data. And not just the players in this world, but we can revive just about anyone based on memory."
"I've asked a certain someone to meet us here right around now." Kayaba mentioned. "In fact, there he is."
"YO, GUYS! What's up?"
The operatives turned, dumbfounded to find another familiar face: a chubby dark-skinned boy in Hinobi armor. "HANEESH?!" Bergy screamed.
"Hey, Berg! Hi, Five! Whoa, Mitch, what up with the yellow?"
"WHAT UP WITH YOU?!" Mitch yelled. "They…they saw you die, and your body was…"
"I was eaten by a dragon, right? That's written in my memory, but I wouldn't know for sure." He shrugged. "But who cares! I'm back! We can all be a team again! I hope you didn't kill too many bosses without me."
"And now that I'm in charge again," Miko began, "I can remake Drake, too! I still have all my memories about him, so just say the word and I'll bring him right back."
"Who the FUCK do you think you are?!" King Kazma grabbed her neck and brought her to his face. "You think people can just… come back with an Extra Life?!"
"Whoa, that's Kazma!" Francis pointed, his group watching from a lower floor.
"YEAH, kill that bitch!" Rez cheered. "I don't wanna be stuck in here!"
"LET US LOG OUT ALREADY!" a Goron yelled. "To hell with this dumb game!"
"RAAAAAAAHHHH!"
Lexi bit her lip anxiously at the nearby raving players. They were growing uncomfortably angry at her sister. But… was that even her sister? Why was she…
"What, are you still mad about that Chiaki thing?" Miko asked. "You didn't even know she was a fake. I can make you a new one that's less… boss-like."
Kazma socked her in the head and smashed her to the ground. "Hey, get your paws off my friend!" Haneesh tackled Kazma and punched his nose, but Five slapped him off.
"That's enough from all of you!" Kayaba declared as Miko levitated behind him. A digital ring encased the president, turning him into a more handsome, built, and strong figure with steel-gray hair and a red knight's uniform. "From this day forward, I am no longer Kayaba. I am Heathcliff of the Knights of Aincrad! I am sworn to defend our goddess from all harm!"
"Hey, don't go babying me, Pres! You can tag along with me if you want, but don't you get in the way of me or my buds. So, gang, ready to go take on the last of those bosses?"
"No no no NO!" Jenny shouted, growing extremely impatient. "You need to end this game NOW, Miko!"
"But we have a whole Lost World to find. There's a ton of levels you haven't even seen, yet! We're gonna keep this game going until we see it all!"
"That's right, players!" Toymaker announced. "Until the Treasure of the Lost World is found, you get to stay… here. Welcome to the game…" And the news broadcast ended.
"HEY! THAT'S BULLCRAP!" Dodo yelled. Sofa cringed at his friend's outburst. "We wanna go home!"
"W-W-W-Why is she doing this?" Tila stuttered. "Miko… was the MCP? Was she just… using us?!"
"Lexi, was that really your sister?" Kalluto asked. "Is she intending to keep us trapped here?"
"I… No, that can't be! Miko wouldn't do this! It has to be a glitch! It…"
"That's definitely the Firstborn!" Index yelled. "But I don't know if it's controlling Miko or…"
"We have to report this immediately!" Uihara panicked.
"This isn't good." Killua said. "She basically just painted a target on herself. I'll bet almost every player is gonna be out to get her."
"B-But…" Sinon was appalled by the very notion. "Why? Will killing her… allow us to escape?"
"…" Morgiana looked to her. "What do you think, Sinon?"
"Huh?" Sinon turned to her. "Mmmm…" She narrowed her eyes in shame. "I…I don't know. I want to escape this game with everyone else, but…"
"But we can't just sacrifice an innocent life!" Nagisa decided. "We have to go see what's wrong with her. See if she's in her right mind."
"And if she isn't," Goombella said, "we'll just have to knock some sense into her!"
Sinon donned a more serious expression. "You're right. And until then… we can't let her die!"
…
"Why the heck are you making us fight the bosses?" Five demanded. "If you're the MCP, you can already go to the 'Lost World,' couldn't you?"
"Au contraire." Kayaba replied. "The Lost World was programmed so that it cannot be easily accessed by Her Grace. Only by collecting all the Boss Keys can she do so. Furthermore, the Lost World itself is such a mystery that even I do not know what lies within its boundaries!"
"Get real!" Jenny retorted. "How does the game developer not know his own game?"
"I bet I know why." Miko smirked. "It's because you used that, didn't you?"
"That's right, Lady Bolypius. The Lost World was born from your Ninth Heart."
"WHAT?!" Zahra exclaimed. "There's a NINTH Pure Heart?!"
"Oh ho no, don't get the wrong idea." Miko shook her head. "It's not exactly a 'Pure' Heart so to speak. It's more like…"
"A Chaos Heart." Kayaba confirmed. "When I first implanted Boly into Hinobi's system, she was extremely unstable. Millions upon millions of codes were being inputted against my control. I hacked into her and discovered a highly corrupt portion of her data, a portion which she couldn't control. So, I separated that data from her until we found a way for her to adapt to it."
"But now I'm ready to be back with it again!" Miko declared, thrusting her arms up once more as a pixelly storm struck over a rising volcano. "I've got way better control of myself now! After I'm back with my Chaos Heart, I'll log myself out and return to my real body! And once I'm in reality, Aincrad will be COMIN' WITH ME!"
"You want to bring Aincrad into reality?!" Mitch exclaimed.
"Yes!" Kayaba declared. "And it will be no hologram: Aincrad will be a world under Boly's control! A world where we can resurrect souls from 'data' with no limits! No one need fear death ever again! We can become any race, master any element, any skill, and live endless adventures without fear of the worst! All those years of being ridiculed by my superiors, ashamed for my lack of skill, are all in the past!"
"Saddest fucking backstory ever!" Quill shouted.
"Geez, lighten up, you guys!" Miko argued. "I thought you'd be proud of me! The whole point of the KND is getting stronger and better, boosting our Power Levels so we can take on those Yonko!"
"The point of the KND," Carmine yelled, "is figuring out what we do best and mastering that skill to help people and fight evil!"
"Yah, and we also got Firstborn and the occasional crazy power-up. Didn't you say Cheren did something like this? Now I can fight all the evil I want, and you can, too!"
"But you said you wanted to learn friendship! To know how it felt to be mortal!"
"Well, shyah! I really love you guys, and I loved all the adventures we went on together." Miko smiled with compassion and put a hand over her heart. "Even with eight Pure Hearts inside me, I've only felt like an emotionless robot all my existence. Now I feel whole, and it's all thanks to these feelings inside me." The eight hearts orbited around her. "These emotions can go beyond data. With them, I can definitely control my Chaos Heart! So, let's get down and CRUSH those bosses!"
"No! This…this doesn't feel right!"
"Pfft, come on, Carmine. You've been jumping around in your cute little body all this time, don't you think I deserve to have some fingers to wiggle?"
Carmine shirked back and stared at her own flesh fingers. The air on her skin and ground beneath her soles were only thanks to the new world Boly had created.
"You don't wanna go back to that smelly old suit any more than I wanna go back to a computer. If you guys ain't gonna come, then I'm getting a headstart! I'll smash all the bosses and get us out of this game! 'Cause this game is about to be a reality!" And so, the goddess took off for the Elevator Tower.
"Our fair lady enjoys a bit of challenge." Kayaba chuckled. "While crossing the lands of Aincrad poses no challenge, the bosses are designed to be fought manually. Either way, this will be quite a spectacle." The Knight of Aincrad leapt off the tower and slid down the palace. "Wait for me, My Lady!"
"Come on, guys!" Haneesh ushered. "Let's go help her out! A game's only fun with multiple players, right?"
"…" The two sectors were unsure how to process everything they had just learned. But they feared they were about to face a great many toxic gamers. (End song.)
Hinobi H.Q.
"What the heck IS this crud?!" Phil exclaimed, having logged back into the game using another laptop. "No no no, that ain't Miko. No way Miko would do this!"
"Miko wouldn't do what?" a nasally voice echoed from the vent. "What's happening, Phil?"
"Nothing good! I gotta let everyone know about-" He got out of the bathroom stall and pushed open the door.
"Hello, Phil."
"YAH!" He jumped back as a portly woman enveloped the exit. "Barbara! Uh, hey, I think there's something wrong with Aincrad. I mean, not like before, but something else is happening!"
"Oh, relax, Philip. This is all part of the plan."
"P-Plan? What plan?"
"Won't you come and have a look?"
"…" Phil nervously followed her to one of the cubicle rooms. To his horror, all the employees were wearing NerveGear, passed out at their desks. "Hey, what're they doing?! These guys weren't in charge of Aincrad!"
"No, they are not. But it doesn't matter since we're all about to be a part of Aincrad!" She whipped out a remote and pressed it, sealing the exit to the room with a shutter.
"Uh…Barbara?" He backed away from the inspector in fear.
"Now, don't be nervous, Phil." Barbara's eyes were narrow and her smile wry. "A moment ago, I received a report saying you've come across some classified documents. I don't know what you hoped to achieve by telling Miko that, but it matters not." She placed a Hinobi Glove on. "Now, why don't we fix you in a nice NerveGear and-"
"REOOOOW!" A giant, blue, big-mouthed cat dropped out of a vent, Barbara jumping around with a start. The cat gnashed at her, but Barb fought it back with her glove. Phil slipped on his own glove and BASHED Barb in the head, the woman collapsing on the floor.
A young girl dropped from the vent, wearing a red sweater, yellow vest, goggles over her sandy-blonde hair, wide glasses, and buckteeth. "Phil, the entire building just entered lockdown! I think all the employees are being forced into NerveGear!"
"Ridley, try to contact the KND! I have to try to get to Miko!" He took Barb's remote and reopened the door, but as he rushed through the hallway, Hinobi Bots tried to shoot him with stun guns. Phil dodged their shots and fired lasers from his glove. Ridley rode the back of her Chomp Kitty and ordered it to chomp the mechs in half. "I think Miko's been possessed by the MCP. It wants to enter reality!"
"What's gonna happen if it does?"
"I'm not about to find out." Phil returned to the bathroom and grabbed his laptop. "But we need to fix this game for real. Or else everyone is gonna be gunning that kid!"
Disney Castle
"Hinobi Headquarters! Come in, Hinobi!" Alas, Mickey's screen only displayed static. "I demand an explanation for this! Oooohh…"
The mouse king returned attention to Aincrad, casting a glare at the violet-haired girl displayed on the in-game screens. "You've played me for a fool, Kayaba. Just what do you have to gain by trapping all these people? You won't get away with this!"
"Your Majesty, what should we do?" Data Sora asked the camera at his back. "It looks like a bunch of people wanna kill that girl."
"Then perhaps we ought to join them, Sora. If we can overpower the MCP, perhaps we can force her into freeing everyone."
"But she looks kinda powerful. And she's got Kayaba and others protecting her."
"You won't be alone, Sora. I'll send some friends to help ya-hoho!"
Eggman's Base
"Nnnngh…ugh…" Vision slowly returned to Infinite's eyes. He was lain on a table as a machine was channeling energy into his cracked DNEgg.
"It seems our fair 'goddess' didn't realize that the self-destruction function was implanted into your capsule." He looked to the doctor's back, studying the computer screens. "But the damage done to your egg was real. We'll have to repair it carefully."
"Doctor… that girl… Miko… is not of her own will. The Firstborn… is controlling her!"
"Miko was merely an extension of the Firstborn. Even if she developed an independent personality, it has all but merged with her other self. If she uploads herself into her physical body, she may become unstoppable. And so will Aincrad."
"Urrrh…" Infinite moaned in exhaust.
"Unfortunately, that copy of Hacker and his bots were destroyed." He indicated the remains of an exploded computer. "So now only XANA and Love Machine can hope to destroy her." He directed to two other computers. "Without you in command, their powers will be more limited. However, it seems other Aincradians share the same consent: Miko must be destroyed. But if Omelette can succeed, she can foil their plan before it begins!"
Sector Q Treehouse
"Eddy! Hey, Eddy!" Carmine's voice could be heard from the laptop. "Are you awake? Please, we need you to contact Moonbase!"
"He wouldn't just ignore all that." Quill said. "He's either asleep or already calling them. Besides, other operatives can contact them. We've gotta save Miko somehow!"
In actuality, Eddy was at the top of the treehouse. His tired eyes were darker than the night as he glared up at the young, round girl in the mechanical pod. Behind her was a fleet of robots. "HAH! Are you the only one not in the game?!" Omelette sneered like an annoying brat. "Hman, this'll be a synch! Why don't you just move aside and let me blow this playpen to smithereens?!"
"I cannot fucking get to sleep tonight." Eddy rasped. "My friends are struggling to save the universe… Quill is an ungrateful dick… and now a little egg-shaped bitch is trying to tear down my treehouse."
"Hey, you watch your mouth, nerd! I'm the one and only princess of the Eggman Empire! And don't think I'm gonna sit and wait until your backup arrives."
"Go ahead and try!" Eddy pressed a remote and extracted a swarm of laser cannons and remote planes. "But you're crazy if you think we haven't learned to fortify our own homes! Do your worst, you little brat!"