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“Ehhh?! You got my son to agree to help you rebuild CR?!” The Director shouts dropping his papers in surprise as he watches you set up one of the computers. You look up from the tangled cables and give him a grin. He scurries up to you and whispers conspiratorially, “Oi Reiko. How much cake did you promise him again?” You just laugh.

“I didn’t promise him anything. I just asked him.” You reply. “I did say ‘please’.” You add as you struggle with the cables. Who the hell zip ties their cables like this?! Grunting, you go to grab some scissors. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Hiiro rummaging through some boxes.

“We discovered that Genm Corp is planning on using regular civilians to use the Gamer Drivers. Whatever their end goal is, we have to stop them and regain control of the other Gashats and Drivers.” Hiiro explains. “Reiko.” He says tossing you one of the odd stethoscopes.

You catch it and put it around your neck. Pushing the button, the holographic projection appears with a logo displaying the words GAME SCOPE. “So am I a doctor now? Do I get a lab coat too?” You joke.

Hiiro gives you his patented “serious” look at you. “We won’t be together at all times. If you find someone with Game Syndrome the Game Scope will tell you what strain it is. It can also track a bugster for short distances, as well having a direct line to CR’s phones.” He explains. “More importantly if you start to feel like your Game Syndrome is acting up, contact me. We’re not in a position where we can lose our only fighting member.”

You nod and go back to plugging in the computer. It whirrs to life and displays the desktop with a CR logo as a background. It wasn’t the most powerful computer in the world. A testament to the lack of funding CR had in its final days but it would work as a constant twitter feed and discord connection with your new network. You pull Florida Man to a private group and hit him up with quick message.

You
Hey, what’s up?

Honorary Florida Man
Holy shit! Reiko? You’re alive!

You
Yeah sorry about that. Had a ton of things come up the last few days. Listen, I need a favor...

You quickly explain the situation to him and ask if he was willing to throw his lot in with the new CR or Neo Cyber Rescue as you were going to call it.

You
So, you in? It’s cool if you don’t wanna. I understand.

Honorary Florida Man
Jesus Reiko. This sounds like some heavy shit.
Fuck it. I’m in.
They were my friends too.

You
THANKS! You already know the plan. Keep me posted if you need anything. I’m gonna get another guy in this group. His name’s Akihiko. Talks a lot but he seemed interested in helping. And seemed to know his way around the net. I’ll talk to you later. I still gotta organize the “Office”.

You grin and look at Hiiro and his father. “He’s in guys! We got someone to keep an eye out on the internet.” You say with a thumbs up. A similar ,but lengthier, conversation goes by with Akihiko. “So that’s the story. You in? We need a guy who can stay at NCR and keep an eye on the net while I’m out doing field work.”

“Of course! As your senior, I have a duty to keep an eye out for the youth of today. These kids are playing a dangerous game and it’s up to us to show them the error of their ways.” He says staunchly.

“Thanks! Meet me at the hospital tomorrow and I’ll show you to HQ.” You say and hang up before Akihiko extends conversation. You sit down and look around the room. There was still a lot to do to get NCR ready.

>What does Reiko do?
>Hiiro seems to still be looking for something. Offer to help him.
>Hiiro’s comments last night were still bugging you. He said your Driver was the only on he saw with a computer port. Check that out.
>Go for lunch. You’ve been working all morning moving tables and chairs, looking through boxes for computer parts, ect.
>Write in.

>>3906221
>Hiiro’s comments last night were still bugging you. He said your Driver was the only on he saw with a computer port. Check that out

>>3906221
>Hiiro seems to still be looking for something. Offer to help him.

>>3906221
>Hiiro’s comments last night were still bugging you. He said your Driver was the only on he saw with a computer port. Check that out.

>>3906261
>>3906244
We gonna check out our weird driver. Writing.

You pull out your driver from your bag and flip it over. You look at the weird port in the back. Maybe you can unlock some kind of hidden feature if you plug it into the computer? You turn to the boxes and rummage around to try and find a matching cable. After some time you find what you think it is the right one and turn to find that the computer doesn’t have a matching port. “Huh?” You say out loud looking around the computer. “Hey guys...Do you know what port this is?” You call out to the others.

Hiiro walks over to you. “I don’t think I’ve seen that kind of port on any of our computers before.” He says. “But if it’s on a Gamer Driver, there has to be somewhere we can plug it into.” You nod and begins to look around the place. It was still a mess so you had to sort through tons of boxes and various other objects before finally…

“Hey I think I found it!” You shout as you struggle to move the large arcade cabinet. “There’s a port right here!” You say pointing behind the cabinet. Hiiro makes his way over and helps you turn it to one side. “Why is there an arcade here anyways?” You ask confused. “You don’t seem the gaming type.”

“Poppy Pipopapo.” Hiiro says. You give him an odd look. “She was a bugster who worked with CR. Before she also vanished when Chronicle was launched.”

“Whoa whoa whoa. Back up. You had a bugster working for CR?” You ask dumbfounded. “That’s like...I dunno. Asking a bank robber to guard a vault?” You look at the back of the arcade cabinet. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” You say.

Hiiro shrugs. “I know just about the same as you do.” He says. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. That Driver is the only one we have. Should something happen to it. We’ll be finished. For good this time.”

You give the port on last look. Is it really a good idea to do this?

>Well guys? Do you do it? Plug the Driver into the Arcade Machine?
>Yes
>No

>>3906345
>>Yes

>>3906345
>Yes

>>3906345
>Yes
Could use another girl before the sausagefest.

>>3906395
>>3906377
>>3906353
We're doing the thing!

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>>3906345
You recognize the title of the rhythm game. You used to play it all the time when you were younger. But what confused you the most was the fact that there was credit in the game. “Did anyone play this before CR disbanded?” You ask.

Hiiro shakes his head. “DoReMiFa Beat isn’t a game here. It was just where Poppy Pipopapo resided.”

You scratch your head. Well maybe you should play a game. You look around the arcade and notice that there’s nowhere to put any money in. “There’s nowhere to add more credit.” You say frustrated. You begin to mash buttons on the arcade and try out every code you know for games in the hope that it would unlock something. When that doesn’t work you spin in place on the stool thinking.

Well, can’t add money. We can’t access the debug menu. What is different now than it was back then… You think as you gaze across the room, resting on Hiiro for a moment, then going to your bag. “Hold on a second…” You say. You dash to your bag and pull out your 「Mighty Action X 」 Gashat. Grinning you wiggle it. “I found our extra credit.” You say.

Hiiro raises an eyebrow but takes a step back. You push the button on your device and slot it into your driver before pulling the lever.

MIGHTY ACTION X!

GASHATTO!

The arcade lets out an ominous hum and the speakers begin to give out loud feedback. “Ohh...shit…” You say as you slowly back up. “I...think we may have fucked up.” The arcade’s screen flickers and erupts into static, then to an empty room, then to a small dance studio before looping. Just when you think things can’t get any worse the speakers begin to emit a loud scream!

You can’t tell what is really going on but you don’t have much time to dwell on it before the screen starts to project what looks like people out of it. “I think we just unleashed some bugsters out.” You say as you cling to Hiiro tightly. Hiiro takes a small step forward holding his arm in front of you as he pulls out and mounts the device the bugster had the day before on his arm.

The figures solidify, revealing a woman with bright pink hair and a tall man in a business suit.

“HIIIIII!” The woman shouts holding up two peace signs. “Poppy Pipopapo at your service!” She says out loud. The man however looks as stunned as you are as he looks at his surroundings and then slowly to himself before quietly laughing. You’re tempted to make a run for your gear but you’re simply too stunned to know what to do.

“I did it...I really did it...I REALLY AM A GOD!” The man shouts as he laughs maniacally.

“Hiiro...what the hell is going on…” You ask. Hiiro looks at you before answering.

“A migraine. That’s what I think.” He mutters. “Poppy Pipopapo.” He says. “The bugster I was telling you about.” He turns and shoots a glare at the laughing man. “And that. Is the man responsible for everything so far.”

“Dan Kuroto.”

And with that. I need to stop for the night. Thanks for the votes. I'll see you guys in the morning. Around 9am PST

You stare at the laughing man then to Hiiro. You’re not sure if you should be mad or afraid. That man is the reason your friends died. He’s the reason you're risking your life to save everyone. But...he’s supposed to be dead. “He’s not supposed to be alive.” You say. “You said he died!”

Dan Kuroto runs up to you laughs. “I did! But thanks to my godly talents. I live again!” He grins maniacally at you and Hiiro. “Now I can get back at those bugsters who though they could usurp the Gamemaster.” He snarls.

Poppy hops around and runs up to Hiiro. “Hiiiiiiro! It’s nice to see you again! Why is everything all over the place? Did Emu skip his shift to clean everything again? Or did he fall over again?” She asks confused. “Oh! We have a patient! Hiiro! You’re supposed to notify us of these things!” She scolds him. “How are you doing today?” She asks you with a smile.

At the moment, you’re too stunned to reply. The dead have risen, a video game character who was lost is back again and all on the start of you rebuilding CR. You’re not sure what to do at the moment but out of the corner of your eye you can see the dead man making his way towards your Driver and Gashat.
>What does Reiko do?
>Stay in stunned silence and let Hiiro sort all this out.
>Ask Poppy what is going on. Maybe she knows any about this.
>Go get your gear. You’re not sure you want Dan touching your things. He seems...unstable.
>Write in

Nevermind daylight savings thing is fucking with my clocks. I got a bit longer I can squeeze out.

>>3906503
>Go get your gear. You’re not sure you want Dan touching your things. He seems...unstable
>Ask Him what he intends to do with it

>>3906536
Alright. Telling dan not to touch our things.Writing

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“Hey!” You shout and leave Hiiro’s side. You dash towards the arcade and snatch up your Driver and Gashat. “What do you think your doing?” You ask with a glare.

Dan frowns. “I’m getting my things. I have some bugs to delete.” He says. “Now hand over my driver.”

You back up a bit. “No. These are mine.” You say with a bit of defiance. Why does everyone want to take your things?

“An unauthorized user? IN MY GAME?!” Dan roars. He turns to Hiiro and points at him angrily. “Yoouu! You must have done this!” He shouts walking up to him. “You dare defy the Gamemaster?!” Dan hisses. Hiiro doesn’t flinch and looks at Dan with a stoic expression.

“I did not do anything. It was The Intern who gave her the Driver and Gashat. As for why, we don’t know.” He says coolly. “The bigger question is what are you doing here? You’re dead.”

Dan smirks. “Heh. When you have god like talents such as mine. Death is a mere inconvenience.” He says then scowls. “But more importantly. What are you doing with my BugVisor!” He shouts. “You think you can use my tools without my permission?”

“Stop it both of you! You’re going to stress out the patient!” Poppy pleads as she steps in front of you and holds you protectively. “Hiiro…” She asks sadly. “What’s going on? Where’s Emu? Why is Dan here? Why do you keep saying he’s dead?”

Hiiro sighs and removes the BugVisor from his wrist. He pushes past Dan and scans you with the Game Scope. “Still no symptoms. She’s fine Poppy.” He says. “This might take a while sorting out Reiko. I think you should go and get some fresh air.” Hiiro suggests quietly.

You hadn’t noticed that you were trembling a bit and your breath was a bit short. Maybe you do need to go out for a bit.

>What does Reiko do?
>Stay here. You should be the one to explain everything. After all, you raised a man from the grave apparently.
>Go out. This is all a bit much. Maybe you do need a bit to clear your head.
>Go out but take Poppy with you. She seems a bit out of it. Maybe she can help explain a few things Hiiro doesn’t want to speak about.
>Write in.

>>3906663
>Go out. This is all a bit much. Maybe you do need a bit to clear your head.

>>3906663
>Go out but take Poppy with you. She seems a bit out of it. Maybe she can help explain a few things Hiiro doesn’t want to speak about.

Oh my god he's here, the man, the meme, the goddamn menace. We might as well take Poppy and leave poor Hiiro with the unenviable task of dealing with Kuroto, rather than having him deal with both at the same time.

>>3906663
>Go out but take Poppy with you. She seems a bit out of it. Maybe she can help explain a few things Hiiro doesn’t want to speak about

>>3906697
>>3906704
Looks like we're gonna take Poppy with us. Poor Hiiro. Writing.

You gather your things and begin to head out. “Umm...do you want me to do with you?” Poppy asks gently. You look at Hiiro. He shoots a glare at Dan before turning to you and nodding.

“It’ll be alright. Poppy is a registered nurse.” He says before turning back to Dan. You nod at Poppy and make your way to the elevator. During the elevator ride Poppy changes costume by spinning in place a glowing. By the end of it, she looks like an ordinary woman wearing a nurse’s uniform. Walking by various other nurses smile and nod at Poppy.

“Miss Karino, welcome back!”

“Oh Asuna! When’d you get back from vacation?”

“Miss Karino, so good to see you again!”

Poppy smiles politely and waves if a bit nervously. You slowly make your way to the small open garden area in the center of the building. You sit on a bench for a few moments before you let out a large breath of air and flop on your back along the bench. So much had just gone down. Poppy gently sits down next to your head and looks at you.

“Erm...what’s your name?” She asks nervously fidgeting with her uniform. You look up and shrug a bit.

“Reiko. Reiko Yukihara.” You say. “So are you really a…” You look around to see if anyone was nearby. “You know…” You mouth the word “Bugster”. She nods quickly. “Oh…” You feel a bit conflicted. The only other bugsters you knew about always tried to kill you. “You know...erm...all the other bugsters tried to kill me.” You say unsure how to word it. “What makes you different?” You ask curious.

Poppy thinks about it for a bit. “Well...I don’t really know.” She answers. “I just want to help people.” She admits. “I guess that was how I was programmed.”

You frown. Did that mean Bugsters didn’t have free will? They kinda acted like they did. “You ok?” You finally ask. You weren’t really sure how to treat her but she hadn’t tried to eat your face so and Hiiro seemed to trust her so you might as well be nice.

Poppy shakes her head. “Not really...I feel like I’m forgetting something. Everything seems different but the same.” She says looking around. “People seem to think that I’ve been gone for a while…” Her voice trails off. “Have I been?” She asks.

You shrug. “I don’t really know who you are to tell you that. But what’s the last thing you remember doing?” Poppy thinks long and hard after that. “I...I remember we were busy. We were going all over town because of multiple bugster sightings. It was an important day…” She says slowly. “I think...we were finally going to tell everyone about the bugster virus. I can’t really remember beyond that.”

You nod and sit up. “Ah...geez.” You say rubbing the back of your head. “I didn’t think I’d be the one telling you this but...you failed. That was a while ago according to Hiiro. If it helps, Kamen Rider Chronicle has been out for at least a month or so.”

“What?!” Poppy shouts making you jump. “You have to tell me everything!” She says grabbing you by the shoulders. You quickly go over what you know. About how the bugsters seemed to have control of the Department of Health, how Chronicle seems to be heavily stacked against the players, how you became a Rider and how you had decided to rebuild CR. Poppy pouts teary eyed. “So everyone is gone…” She says quietly.

“Not yet!” You say. “We’re gonna rebuild! We’ll get everyone back and we’ll end this once and for all!” You say confidently. Poppy nods but stays quiet probably thinking about what you’ve told her.

Figuring that you should probably help her focus her thoughts a bit, you decide to ask her something.

>What do you want to ask Poppy?
>Ask her about what CR was like before it was shut down. Hiiro never seems to talk about this. Maybe you can get info on some of the old members.
>Ask her what she knows about Game Syndrome. All you know is what Hiiro told you which was just the basics of how it works and the symptoms are. Mostly for your health.
>Ask her if she knows anything about the name “Parado”. It keeps popping up in your dreams and they’re not the nice kind.

>>3906768
>Ask her about what CR was like before it was shut down. Hiiro never seems to talk about this. Maybe you can get info on some of the old members.
>Ask her if she knows anything about the name “Parado”. It keeps popping up in your dreams and they’re not the nice kind.

We can get what game syndrome is out of Hiiro later, but he's already given us the main gist of it.

>>3906768
All three
>Ask her about what CR was like before it was shut down. Hiiro never seems to talk about this. Maybe you can get info on some of the old members.
>Ask her what she knows about Game Syndrome. All you know is what Hiiro told you which was just the basics of how it works and the symptoms are. Mostly for your health.
>Ask her if she knows anything about the name “Parado”. It keeps popping up in your dreams and they’re not the nice kind.

>>3906803
>>3906819
Asking Poppy about stuff. Writing

“So...what was CR like before everything went down?” You ask Poppy. Poppy sighs and looks at the sky wistfully.

“It was...lively.” She says. “Not everyone got along. Emu always wanted to make sure that he returned a patient’s smile before he cured them. Even if it meant meddling in their personal affairs. He would always say it’s a doctor’s duty to return their smile otherwise they weren’t truly cured.” She smiles at that. “Hiiro was always a serious man. He didn’t agree with Hiiro at all, thinking that he shouldn’t get involved personally with a patient so they were always at odds with each other. Eventually they sort of started working together. I guess they finally started accepting one another.” She says grinning. “Did...something happen to Hiiro when I was umm… away? He seems a bit more...I don’t know the word. I think relaxed? Or maybe at ease.”

You shake your head in confusion. “Not really? I don’t think so.” You admit. Poppy nods not really expecting a real answer.

“Well then there was Taiga-”

“Who’s Taiga?” You ask. “Never heard of him. Unless he’s the coroner or the unlicensed doctor? At least that’s how Hiiro names the missing members.” Poppy nods quietly.

“Taiga was a doctor before but he lost his license after...Well I don’t think I’m supposed to say. That’s Hiiro’s past. And the coroner was a man named Kiriya. We don’t really know much about him. He would always try to hide behind some kind of lie. Emu trusted him. I think he saw something none of us did.” Poppy tucks some hair behind her ear nervously. “He was killed. Got a Game Over when he was looking for the mystery behind all the bugsters. Dan killed him.” She says quietly.

You shudder, “We should find a way to put him away again.” You say nervously. “I don’t think I like him wandering around.” Poppy shakes her head.

“I don’t think we even can. This whole system was his creation. He’d probably have a way out and we might need him. He’s the only one who knows how the game works and how to make new Gashats.” You scratch your arm. You really didn’t like the sound of that.

“Well then what about the bugster virus? Do you know anything about that? Hiiro only told me the basics because I supposedly have it.” You admit. “Although I never seem to feel any of the symptoms.” You say. “I’m not even sure when I got it.” You admit.

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Poppy thinks really hard when asked this. “Well...if you’re just like Emu...that must mean...I’m not really sure to be honest. Emu and you shouldn’t really be in that state. You should be having symptoms and we need to be careful in case they do start acting up. Often times the virus is dormant but if you had used the Gamer Driver then that means it should have awoken by now.” She looks at you and smiles. “But don’t worry, Hiiro and I will take care of you if anything happens~” She assures you with a wink. “We should probably head back down to CR. I don’t know if Hiiro would be too happy being alone with Dan for too long.” She says standing up.

You’re about to stand when something comes to your mind. “Hey Poppy...does the name Parado mean anything to you?” You ask as you explain the dreams you’ve been having.

Poppy looks at you quietly. You think you see something register in her eyes. “No.” She says. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before.” She says after a while. She holds out her hand for you to take and you both head back down to CR.

As you exit the elevator your ears are assaulted by a loud screech. You quickly make your way to the lounge to find Hiiro sitting in a chair drumming his fingers on the table in annoyance as Dan appears to be smashing his head against a wall.

“UNAUTHORIZED USERS OF MY GAAAAAAMEEEER DRRRRRRIIIIIIVVVEEEEEER?! Amagasaki REEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNNN!!!” He screeches as Hiiro rolls his eyes and tries to enjoy his cake in peace. Director Kagami is hiding in a small box fort before he quickly makes his way to you.

“Hiiro told Dan Kuroto about what had gone on recently. He’s been yelling ever since.” He whispers.

“YOU! GAMER GIRL!” Dan growls stumbling towards you, drunk on rage. “If you do not give me my Proto Gashat back then go out there and retrieve my property! Your Gamemaster commands you!” He growls before exploding into particles and floating into the arcade machine.

“Hey! That’s my house!” Poppy shouts and begins to mash the buttons on the arcade. Hiiro finally turns to face the group.

“Poppy. Leave him be.” He says. “It’s better that he stays there and doesn’t cause trouble for the rest of us.” Poppy slumps onto a chair and pouts. “Reiko, it looks like we managed to get a new member for NCR.” He continues looking at Poppy. “Or would you like to stay out of this?” Poppy smiles broadly and nods hopping to her feet.

“Poppy Pipopapo at your service!” She announces changing back to her pink haired form.

You grin, “Well I can’t say no to more help. But what do we do now?” You ask thinking.

“I can keep an eye on NCR.” Hiiro says crossing his arms. “Someone needs to keep an eye on Dan. Your friend online says there’s been rumors of a Bugster wandering around a construction site. You should probably check that out.”

“I can go with you to help!” Poppy says.

>Will Reiko take Poppy with her?
>Yes
>No

Also roll me 1d20 please. Let’s see exactly what we encounter.

Rolled 1 (1d20)

>>3907086
>Yes
God teamup when

>>3907099
Every time...first roll is always a nat 1! God team up? Probably when we try to recover dangerous zombie or maybe save Emu? It'll happen anon. By then maybe I'll have enough reaction pics for it.

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>3907085
>Yes

Also kudos on the Kuroto voice, I can literally hear his screeches from here. The Hiiro POV segments were pretty well done too. Also actively praying for Akihito being in such close quarters with Kuroto like that,

>>3907099
>Meeting Parado right off the bat
Reiko just can't catch a fucking break can she

>>3907106
Thanks. Kuroto is actually kind of hard write for because majority of his charm comes from his facial and body expressions but I'll do my best! Akihito is gonna have so much fun.

Rolled 13 (1d20)

>>3907099
Oh god, why.

>>3907086

>>3907126
>>3907106
>>3907099
Taking Poppy with us and a 13 on encounter. Not too bad. You avoided dying!

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The sounds of fighting greet you as you and Poppy rush to the construction site. It seemed abandoned but that was no surprise as you find several Ride Players attempting to fight a robotic monster. “That’s the Gekitotsu Robots bugster!” Poppy shouts. The robot, based on the robotic boxing fighting game, was tossing the players about with its large claw. One of the players lands in front of you and is forced out of his transformation. He groans as you drag him away to safety and you examine him using your Game Scope.

“He’s infected.” You confirm. “By the same strain as that monster. But how?” You ask looking at Poppy. “I’ve never seen a monster infect anyone before. Usually the person turns into the monster.”

Poppy looks worried. “We can figure this out later right? We need to help the other players.” You nod and run out into the battlefield before being forced to duck behind a forklift. The boss monster had begun tearing chunks out of a crane with its claw and had started throwing them at everyone!

One of the players scrambles for cover next to you. “Damn this boss is fucking hard. You heard about it too, huh?” She asks.

“Something like that.” You say peeking over to look at the monster. “Listen you and the others need to get out of here. It’s too dangerous. If you get a Game Over you’ll die. Like for reals.” You says looking back at the other player.

She laughs, “Yeah sure. Pretty shitty excuse to try and steal the kill.” She says. “You better git gud then if you want to win scrub.” She taunts before running back out firing her tiny handgun.

You grit your teeth, fuming. Did she really just tell you of all people to get good? “I’m trying to save your life, asshole!” You shout and stand up.

”Game on then.”

Mighty Action X!

”Heshin!”

Gashatto!

You dash out form cover, a blur to everyone who wasn’t playing the game or a bugster, and ram you elbow into the boss. ”Sorry guys, but I’m gonna be the one to ruin his K/D.” You say as you duck under the claw.

“NeW tArGEt ACQuiRed. CAlCUlatIng Risk.” The robot announces. Much to your surprise, the other players have something to add as well.

“Holy Shit! It’s a Kamen Rider. We can get more loot!”

Well shit.

>>3907246
>Kamen Rider Ex-Aid vs Gekitotsu Robots vs Ride Players(?)
>How do we handle the first three way fight?
>Try and knock the other players out of their transformation like you saw from the first guy. You’re not exactly sure how it happened but if you pull your punches it should work.
>Focus on the boss. The faster you end this, less you need to fight civilians, and the sooner you cure the man of his infection.
>4v1 them? You vs the boss and 4 players. You have absolutely no idea how it will go but hopefully their inexperience can be used to your advantage.
>Risky Strat: Attempt a stage select. You’ve never tried this before, so you’re completely unsure if changing area will drag the others with you and the boss. Still it’s a chance to try and pull the boss from it’s natural element. (Name a type of environment you want to fight in. Urban, forest, plains that sort of thing.)

Also, Do you want to summon your weapon?
>Yes
>No
Rolls required as always. Please be nice dice.

I mean 3 other players! Was typing too fast.

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>3907250
>>Try and knock the other players out of their transformation like you saw from the first guy. You’re not exactly sure how it happened but if you pull your punches it should work.
>>Yes

If this guy is actively infecting the people he attacks then we need to remove the ride players before the rest of them get infected. Draw their attention to us and lead them away from the boss - shouldn't be too hard since they already kinda know that they can't take the boss as their are and so probably want our gear.

Rolled 6 (1d20)

>>3907250
>Try and knock the other players out of their transformation like you saw from the first guy. You’re not exactly sure how it happened but if you pull your punches it should work
>Yes
Can Poppy draw the bugster away from the players until Reiko deals with them?

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>3907250
>Try and knock the other players out of their transformation like you saw from the first guy. You're not exactly sure how it happened but if you pull your punches it should work.
>Yes

>>3907259
>>3907273
>>3907286
On phone. Beating up newbies and asking poppy to run interference is the plan?

>>3907298
Yeah

>>3907298
Pretty much. We also really need to bully Kuroto into making Tokimeki Crisis for Poppy if we going to be taking her out bugster busting with us.

>>3907314
>make female riders competent
I like your style anon

Alright writing. Sorry about that. Had to help a friend out with car troubles.

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You’re surrounded. 3 players, one boss. But now you were fighting somewhere you never had before, a fully open space. You grin as you can now fully use what Mighty Action X was known for. Platforming! ”Sorry guys but I’m not ready to be a loot box just yet.” You say jumping as high as you can. You soar about 20 feet into the air before landing onto a floating powerup box then to another, and another before landing right in front of Poppy. “Poppy. I need your help. Can you go distract the bugster for me? I’m gonna try and lead the players deeper into the site and disarm them. If I do it in front of the boss, they'll be vulnerable and they don’t need a bigger beating than the one I'm about to give them.”

Poppy looks at you confused. “But...I’ve never done something like that before.” She stammers.

You give her a thumbs up. “I believe in you. You’re a bugster right? I’m sure you have something up your sleeve you can use.” Poppy looks at you for a moment before giving you a worried but determined nod.

You see her run out into the open and change into her pink haired from. “Hello, Mr. Robots~ Dance with me!~” She shouts with a wink and begins to play music. From where you don’t know but it seemed to be working as the boss shuffles around to the beat in confusion.

You jump high again and swing on the crane’s rope to drive a kick into one of the players. ”Alright! You guys wanna throw down? Let’s dance.” You say as you draw you weapon.

Gashacon Breaker!

—————————-
Meanwhile...

You shuffle through Reiko’s medical files. From what you can see, she’s a perfectly normal young adult. Nothing in her medical history indicates when or how she could have contracted Game Syndrome. You lean back in your chair. How could you have gotten infected… You think to yourself. She hadn’t been in the city long. A few months maybe but you don’t remember fighting bugsters near her home. You had double checked when she gave you her address. You’re so deep in thought that you barely register movement behind you.

Kuroto was leaning against a wall smirking. “Dr. Kagami, how could you let the gamer go and fight bugsters? Aren’t you worried about her health?” He asks with a smile.

“Reiko is fully capable of handling a bugster on her own. She’s taken care of two by herself. In the same day no less.” You reply not looking at Kuroto. The man didn’t deserve anymore than the minimum amount of your attention.

Kuroto slinks his way towards you, grinning madly. “Oh? You mean you don’t know?” He asks with a soft arrogance. “Did the girl ever let you read the manual? Did you even know there was one?” He asks slowly leaning over the table towards you suppressing a laugh, his grin wider than ever.

“What are you talking about?” You ask cautiously narrowing your eyes at the madman. Kuroto’s grin presses into a smirk.

“Well as your Gamemaster, I suppose it’s only fair my players know. With my god like talents, I can bestow such knowledge on you.” Kuroto says haughtily as he quickly types something out on a nearby computer. “Here...why don’t you have a read yourself?” He asks slowly turning the monitor. On it was an open pdf with the title page reading,

Level-0 Manual
—————————

Hit! Hit!

Your blade connects with two players as you swing it in an X shape. Ducking under another’s blade, you sweep your leg knocking them on their back before jumping high onto another block.

“Get back down here! You’re being fucking cheap!” You hear a player shout. You wave your finger at them.

”Now now. Who’s the one who told me to get good? You taunt as you jump back down, stomp on one of the other players, and axe kick another. They have to be close to getting knocked out. I hope Poppy is alright. You think to yourself as you throw yourself behind another machine to avoid incoming fire. Man if only you had a gun.

>What’s the next action?
>Continue your jumping assault. You can chip away at them like this in relative safety, though they might be adapting to it.
>Try to disarm one of the players. You always wanted to try out dual wielding.
>Look for power ups. You might want to hoard a few for the boss.
>Write in
Fuck what's going on with my formatting?

Also need rolls. Thanks.

Rolled 10 (1d20)

>>3907440
>Try to disarm one of the players. You always wanted to try out dual wielding.

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>3907440
>Try to disarm one of the players. You always wanted to try out dual wielding.
Even better if we manage to get little miss git gud's weapon.

>Hiiro learning about level 0
Oh boy I forsee some drama when we get back to CR

Rolled 4 (1d20)

>>3907440
>Try to disarm one of the players. You always wanted to try out dual wielding.

>>3907491
>>3907465
>>3907458
We're gonna try to dual weild. Think Hiiro will be impressed? Writing.

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You jump and kick one of the players away. “Hey can I borrow this?” You ask one of the players as you grab their weapon and slam your shoulder into them to push them away. The other player loses their grip on their weapon and tumbles away. “Neat. I wonder if I can get a bonus from dual wielding.” You say not noticing one of the players sneaking up on you.

The player’s smaller blade hits you from behind causing you to stagger forward into another player’s weapon. Despite their size, the weapons really sting!

/////IIIII|||||

/////IIIII||

You roll out of the way. ”Geez. Talk about not being able to handle trash talk. You mutter as you flourish your weapons ready for another assault.
——————
At NCR…

Your brow furrows as you continue to read through the manual. Unlike most people, you completely understood the more complex explanations that came with the book.

...extreme instability thus causing the user to draw in more of the bugster virus than safely intended and increasing the risk of damaging the user’s body…

You feel your hands slowly close into fists as you read further and further on.

...prototype must only be used sparingly and only under extreme circumstances…

“Imagine it. Everytime she transforms, every second she spends in that form, her body deteriorates further and further. How much longer before it becomes permanent? How much longer before she becomes...like Saki?” Kuroto says smiling malevolently.

“YOU-!” You start as you stand up knocking away the chair. Kuroto holds up his hands in defense with a smug smile on his face.

“Oh no. Don’t blame me. I didn’t give her my Gashat and Driver.” He replies smugly. You scowl at him and reach for you phone.

“I need to call this off.” You mutter as you begin to dial Reiko’s number. Did she already? Had she read the manual? Did she even really understand what she was doing to herself? You think to yourself. Kuroto places his hand on your phone wagging his finger.

“Now now Doctor. Let’s think about this.” He says coolly. “Let’s assume for a second Reiko doesn’t know about the Proto Gashat’s side effects. How do you think she’ll react to knowing she’s slowly killing herself? How do you think her Game Syndrome will react? Didn’t you say she needed to avoid stress?” Kuroto says slyly. “Even we at Genm Corp don’t know the full side effects of the device. But…” He turns to face you with a polite business smile. “I would be willing to take them off her hands. After all, I’m already gone so I shouldn’t be affected by the Proto Gashat’s side effect. Such is the mercy of the GameMaster!” He laughs.

You grit your teeth and glare at Kuroto before looking at your phone, unsure of how to proceed…
——————-

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“Auuughhggh!”

One of the players falls to the ground and is booted from his transformation. You deflect two blasts from one of the player’s gun as you slide up to them and hit them with a rising slash! The player is flung back and also forced into their civilian form. Only one was left, you slowly turn to them.

”Untransform, you’re done.” You say pointing your weapon at them. The player nods furiously and clicks their Gashat.

“T-there! We’re cool right?” She says. You nod and begin to gather their games. “Hey! What the hell!” She shouts.

”I told you.” You say. ”This game is dangerous. If you keep playing you’ll die.” You explain just in time to see the girl collapsed in agony! You rush over to scan her. The Game Scope registers them all infected with the virus. You move the players to a safer spot and dash towards the boss.

Poppy is running towards you. “Reiiikoooo! I’m sorry! He doesn’t like to dance!” She cries out as she runs past you with the boss chasing after her.

>How do you handle the boss?
>Dual Weilding! You still have the extra weapon. Might as well keep at it Maybe you’ll impress Hiiro-senpai~
>Stick with your basic load out. You’re more used to your default gear. Better safe than sorry.
>Use the gun mode on the Ride Player weapon. It doesn’t do much damage but you’ll be able to keep your distance.
>Write in

Rolled 20 (1d20)

>>3907583
>Dual Weilding! You still have the extra weapon. Might as well keep at it Maybe you’ll impress Hiiro-senpai~
There's no other way.

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>>3907594
Hiiro definitely noticed!

Rolled 17 (1d20)

>>3907583
>Dual Weilding! You still have the extra weapon. Might as well keep at it Maybe you’ll impress Hiiro-senpai~
It can't be helped.

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>>3907599
>>3907594
Guess who we impressed? :3 Writing

>>3907612
Has the quest has become a husband collector now?

>>3907635
lol nope. Not that kind of impressed anon. The bad kind of impressed.

Besides. Hiiro is the only one for us.

”Get to safety Poppy! There’s a few more infected players that way! You shout. The Robot grabs some rubble and tosses at your direction. You take your next step and pivot on it, dodging the large boulder and allowing you to continue your rush. You raise your left hand to deflect the claw and slash with your right.

Hit!

You remember how Hiiro fought and spin trying to get out of the boss’s range of vision. With each step you swing your arms and slash at your foe as you keep him off guard.

Hit! Hit! Hit! Hit!

The monster flails in confusion as you continue your assault. In defense it dashes away and rushes towards a forklift. With its claw hand it snips off the forks and tosses them at you! You deflect them with both blades but the robot does not stop. He continues to tear chunks off the poor machine and tosses them at you. You run at him and slice through each object he tosses at you!

In desperation the monster lifts what’s left of the machine and tries to smash you with it but you unleash a flurry of slices and reduce it to scrap.
You slot your Gashat in to your main sword and begin to charge it with energy.

Mighty Critical Finish!

“Haaaaaaa!” You roar as you bring down both blades on the monster. The blades cut cleanly through and the energy flares through the boss and slices deep into the earth leaving large gouges out of the ground. The monster flails for a bit before it explodes and you hear the customary announcement.

Game Clear!

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You’re about to untransform when you hear a slow clap. “Not bad. Not bad at all.” You hear a voice behind you. Walking towards you was another Rider! He was clad in blue with a medieval helmet and knight motif. “So you’re that cheater huh?” He says.

”Who are you?” You ask quizzically. ”Careful who you call cheater. You might not like the results.” You add ominously. The other rider laughs.

“Oh where are my manners?” He says with a polite titter. You weren’t going to like this guy were you? “I am Masked Rider King.” He says.

”Dude...that’s not even how you say it.” You reply exasperated. King simply raises his hand and interrupts you.

“Silence! I am King and my word is law!” He shouts.

”Alright geez. Chill...” You say. ”What do you want?”

King coughs and regains his composure. “I am here to challenge you. You are a villian who is using illegal gear and therefore must be punished.” He says. “All other riders work for me and I do not remember knighting you.”

You groan. You’re getting real tired of this guy’s LARP. Besides you have patients you need to check on.

>How does Reiko respond.
>Accept this challenge. You’re still close to max HP. You can take this guy right now!
>Accept but for a later date. You’re getting real tired of this guy’s schitck right now. Save it for another day. You can use the time in between to research this loser.
>Try and convince him he’s playing a dangerous game. Maybe you can get him to hand his stuff over peacefully? You really doubt it though.

>>3907726
>Try and convince him he’s playing a dangerous game. Maybe you can get him to hand his stuff over peacefully? You really doubt it though
It can't hurt to try.

>>3907726
>Try and convince him he’s playing a dangerous game. Maybe you can get him to hand his stuff over peacefully? You really doubt it though.

>>3907778
>>3907769
Alrighty. Gonna try and convince the LARPer to come back to irl. Reiko is gonna have fun!

Give me some rolls guys. Let's see how well this goes.

Rolled 15 (1d20)

>>3907795

>>3907817
15 is pretty good. I'll take that. With Reiko being honest about the situation. That's a 17. I need to make some kind of character sheet actually. What do people tend to use for that here?

>>3907852
Pastebin
https://pastebin.com

>>3907921
Oh and also google sheets

>>3907929
Thanks. I'll give it a look and write up Hiiro and Reiko's traits as well as the weapons after this write up.

You sigh and untransform. “Listen-”

“Oho! I see you’re willing to give up in the face of your betters.” King says gloating.
You growl and you grab King’s armor. “I said listen!” You shout. “This isn’t a game. We’re being used! You haven’t noticed that all the players are severely underpowered? That everything is stacked against us?”

King slaps your hands away. “That’s because they’re simply not rich enough to afford good gear.” He says haughtily. “That’s why we Kamen Riders need to keep an eye out and set the rules.”

You glare at King. “That’s it! You’re coming with me!” You say. Why didn’t anyone ever listen?! You grab King by the wrist and drag him over. You think the surprise was what gave you leverage otherwise he’d probably just toss you aside. You lead the other Rider to where Poppy was with the Ride Players.

The players are huddled around Poppy now as her nurse form. A few of them were groaning and holding their sides. Another was rubbing their temples. “How are they doing?” You ask gently. Poppy nods with a small smile.

“They’re doing fine now. You did it!” She notices the look you give her. “Oh! No that’s not from the virus!...Umm...You did that.” She says awkwardly motioning to the aching players. You cough in embarrassment.

“Anyways...You see that? Those guys nearly died from the game.” You say. “They were infected by that monsters with a disease called Game Syndrome. It’s fatal.”

“Impossible.” King replies. “Genm Corp wouldn’t do that.”

“Bullshit.” One of the players says. “That shit felt horrible.” They say. “Even with the ass kicking. Felt like my insides were being turned inside out.” The girl moans. “You said that was a virus?”

You nod. “Yeah, I don’t know how you guys got infected while playing but if the boss hadn’t been beat...you’d be dead. Not to mention if I hadn’t held back you’d also be dead.”

“You called that holding back?” One of them chuckles.

King shakes his head. “No. No way. You can’t kill players in this game. I didn’t- I mean I wouldn’t have if I…” He looks away. “No. I can’t just give you my things.”

“What?! Did you just hear what we said?” You say angrily.

“No. I don’t really know if you’re telling the truth or not. But if you are then I need to redeem myself. I need you to defeat me in an honorable duel.” He says. “I...I need to think. When you’re ready to challenge me meet my in my castle.” He says giving you the address to a church before jumping away.

You sigh. You were close. “Reiko…” Poppy says. You turn to face her. “Are ok? You’re all sweaty.”

You look down at yourself. “Oh crap. I guess I pushed myself more than I thought. Did you see me dual wielding out there? I was in the zone!” You grin. “I guess I’m still not used to fighting is all. Up until a week ago the most exercise I got was jogging to the store on the corner of my block.”

Poppy nods. “We should get back to the hospital and let everyone know what’s going on.” You grab your things and follow her back to the hospital.

“Hey, you think Hiiro will be impressed when I tell him about the two swords thing?...”
————

You are Hiiro Kagami

And you’ve been pacing for the better part of an hour. You thought your daily rounds would have kept your mind busy but they were all routine. A basic review of post surgery habits for one patient, a possible surgery checklist for suggested procedures for another, simple things you did as an intern in America. Eventually your attention is called back to NCR headquarters, Reiko was back.

You excuse yourself from the nurses who constantly followed you. Normally you’d have considered them an annoyance but right now you were too preoccupied to care. Pushing the secret combination on the elevator, you go down. As you emerge, you can hear the sound of chatter.

“And then I just did this flurry of swipes and annihilated the rest of the machine! After that it was super easy to- O-oh h-hey Hiiro!” You hear Reiko say as you walk up the stairs. Do I tell her? You find yourself thinking as you look at her. You find yourself debating this and are relieved to hear Reiko speak up. “Hey Hiiro! Guess what, we found one of the Riders!”

You snap back to reality. “Who? What happened?” You ask. Reiko summarizes the events for and you nod. “Then we need to think of a plan. If he’s a Rider then he’ll be more powerful than a regular player. Those devices were made specifically for fighting powerful monsters.”

Reiko gives you a grin. “It’ll be no problem! I can take him. I’m already getting used to fighting as Ex-Aid. You should have seen me! I was using two swords and…” Her voice seems to fade away as you find yourself thinking about what Kuroto had told you.

...every second she spends in that form, her body deteriorates further and further. How much longer before it becomes permanent? How much longer before she becomes...like Saki?”

Once again you find yourself almost telling her the truth. To tell her to stop using the Proto Gashat. I’m her doctor. I’m supposed to keep her alive! You think to yourself. But if I tell her, it could make it worse. Besides how else are we going to get the other Drivers? What if I wait too long?

“Yo! Hey! Hiiro, don’t be a jerk! I’m telling you my plan!” You hear Reiko shout at you and throw a pencil at you. You shake your head.

“I was considering some options actually.” You lie.

“Oh...sorry.” She replies embarrassed. “So what was your plan?”

You clear your throat.
>What does Hiiro do?
>Tell Reiko she should take some time to rest before taking on the new Rider.
>Tell Reiko that she won’t be fighting the new rider. You will. She needs to stop using the Gashat. You’re used to mass amounts of the virus from your use of Taddle Fantasy and the sooner you get a standard Gashat the sooner you can get her off the Proto one.
>Tell her you learned a thing about the Proto Gashat. something that you could use to save another member of the old CR crew.
>Write in

If hiiro will volunteer himself. I'll need a roll to convince Reiko

>>3908040
This is tough.

>Tell Reiko she should take some time to rest before taking on the new Rider.

>>3908040
>Tell Reiko she should take some time to rest before taking on the new Rider
He probably wouldn't like Reiko bailing on him.

>>3908140
>>3908113
You sure you guys aren't just picking this so Reiko has time to hang out with Hiiro so they can hold hands. Telling Reiko to cool down and take a breather. Writing.

“You should rest.” You say. “You’ve already taken down a bugster.”

“But I feel fine! I can go another round!” Reiko counters. You shake your head.

“And you're covered in sweat.” You point out. Reiko’s face reddens intensely and she tries to coverself with her hoodie. “I’m guessing you overexerted yourself while fighting.” You say quietly hoping that was the case. “As your doctor, I’m telling you to take a few days break. Recoup your strength then go back to work.” You say sternly.

Reiko pouts and gives you a look. Poppy nods. “Hiiro is right! If you push yourself too hard you’ll get sick and you won’t be able to do cool things in fights anymore.” She insists.

Reiko lets out a small huff. “Fiiiine.” She says with fake exasperation. “But you can’t keep me away from kicking ass forever you know!” She says with a grin. “Hey Poppy! I’m gonna go get lunch us. What do bugsters eat?” She asks as she makes her way to the elevator.

As Poppy and Reiko leave you sit down and run your fingers through your hair. Sooner or later you’d have to tell her. Sooner or later she’d figure out something was wrong.

“You really should have just taken away her things like a good doctor.” Kuroto says smiling.

You glare at him. “You’re not her doctor. And I know if I took her things away, she’d only end up stressing even more if not just using them outright. Doing this we can control when and how often she uses it. It was a calculated decision.” You say hoping to convince the two of you.

Kuroto shrugs. “Whatever you say, you’re the doctor.” He smirks and vanishes.

>Reiko has some time off now! What should she do?
>Hang out with Poppy! If she’s a bugster she must know how to play games right?
>Hang out with Hiiro. You know why~
>Hang out with...Kuroto? Maybe you can get some insight in Genm Corp and the other bugsters
>Write in.

>>3908230
>Hang out with Hiiro. You know why~
Gaming with Poppy sounds fun but I need this

>>3908230
>Hang out with Poppy! If she’s a bugster she must know how to play games right?
VIDEO GAMES

>>3908245
>>3908244
Well I'm gonna need a tie breaker. But votes are open until tomorrow. I gotta head off for the night! The suspence~

>>3908230
>Hang out with Hiiro. You know why~

>Parado senpai has noticed us
Oh shit oh fuck-
>Hiiro still can't spit it out about bugsters
On the one hand A+ characterisation, on the other hand oh my god hasn't he learned anything from the Emu debacle?

>>3908230
>Hang out with Hiiro. You know why~
But hanging out with God looks appealing too...

>>3908244
>>3908326
>>3908439
Guess we're gonna go on a daaate~ Got some errands to run but I'll write up when I get back.

In the mean time, hypothetically speaking, if Reiko got a power up. What would her level catchphrase be? HiirI has "Skill Level", Taiga has "Tactics", ect.

More importantly what do you wanna do while hanging out with hiiro? I doubt you just wanna follow him around the hospital. Although that'd be more interaction than Nicco bumming around Taiga''s office.

>>3908604
Eh some ideas

>Update him on the new method of bugsters infecting people
This is the main one, he's gotta know that the bugsters are changing their MO

>Get some first aid tips
If we gonna be beating on noobs might as well know how to patch them up after.

>Ask him to give you the lowdown on what Kuroto got up to before being trapped in the game driver
Because all we really know about Kuroto is that he's insane and also should be dead? Dunno how much Hiiro will tell us but it's worth a shot.

>Spend enough time around him to realise something's seriously bugging him and ask him about it

I feel like we're focusing a bit too much on Hiiro.

>>3908668
That's a legit concern. I've been meaning to start kicking things up a notch so I don't think hang out times are gonna be happening as often and not all characters will be available if they do happen. Gonna try to mix things up.

A few days later

“Come on Hiiro! Don’t be a jerk!” You say annoyed as you spin around on a stool. “Let’s go do something!” Hiiro looks up from his papers and give you “the look”.

“I’m busy. Go ask Poppy.” He says indifferently and goes back to shuffling through what you think is his notes. He’d been going through a lot of papers recently. You’re not sure why, probably tons of people need surgeries?

“Poppy is umm...busy.” You say glancing at the arcade machine that was flashing very angrily.

“Kuroto! You’re not supposed to move my things without my permission!” Poppy shouts through the speakers as she is slapping Kuroto’s shoulders. Kuroto was busy editing the studio Poppy used to dance and turning parts of it into some kind of office.

“Silence! I need to focus on making the perfect environment for my divine talents! As your creator, you should understand how amazing my talents are!” Kuroto replies cackling as he turns a fluffy pillow into a large office chair. You think you see a cup holder on it.

“Then ask your friend, Akihito.” Hiiro continues.

You frown and look towards Akihito. He was watching the arcade warily and slowly adjusts a tin foil hat on his head. His initial meeting with Kuroto didn’t go well and it didn’t help when a certain pro gamer make an off hand joke of him possibly being able to jump into people’s minds.

“Hey Akihito you wanna go do something?” You ask halfheartedly. Akihito’s attention snaps back to you. He shakes his head.

“N-no thank you. I need to stay vigilant! Who knows when a new foe will come and challenge us! It is my duty as-”

“Nevermind.” You mutter. You hop to your feet and sit down next to Hiiro. You rest your arms on the table and your head on your arms as you look at him. Ever since your fight with the robot bugster, CR hadn’t caught wind of any other boss sightings. You were beginning to think they were up to something or at least decided to lay low after losing 4 members. “So...do you have any idea as to what the bugsters are up to?” You ask him. Hiiro seemed very interested when you had told him about their new method of infection but now you were having trouble even talking to him. Like he had clammed up.

“I have no idea. But I don’t like that they’re now infecting players somehow.” He says. “It can only mean that they’re moving some kind of plan forward. It’s possible that they’re trying to amass a bugster army or simply be trying to wipe out humanity.” You blow your bangs out of your face.

“Yeah we know that but come on, there has to be more we haven’t thought of.” You insist. “What do you think come on.”

Hiiro doesn’t say anything and you hear the elevator come down. You see the director make his way up and look at Hiiro in surprise. “Hiiro? What are you doing here? I gave you the day off.” He says.

“You lied!” You shout pointing at Hiiro. “ He said he had work to do!” You continue exasperated as you throw a crumpled piece of paper at Hiiro.

“Hiiro. You’ve been spending a lot of nights down here even when everyone has gone home. Go outside and get some fresh air.” Director Kagami says sternly.

“Damn Hiiro. You just got parented.” You snicker as Hiiro glares at you.

“Fine.” Hiiro sighs setting his things down. “Where did you want to go Reiko?” He asks sullenly.

You grin having just the place in mind.

>Where do you take Hiiro? You’ve been nagging him all day so you must have somewhere in mind.
>Go get something to eat. You’ve done it before so you have a basic idea what he likes to eat.
>Go somewhere fun. Hiiro seems extra moody lately. There’s an amusement park in the city. Who knows. Maybe he’s not allergic to fun?
>Go to his office. What you really wanted to do was be alone with him to ask him some serious questions.
>Write in

>>3908758
>>Go to his office. What you really wanted to do was be alone with him to ask him some serious questions.
Like what the hell has gotten you so moody.

Also is it me or is Reiko acting much more childish recently? Possible bugster immergence incoming? It's been a while since I watched Ex-Aid but I remember Emu's personality going screwy for a while thanks to Parado. If I'm off the mark, then she's acting waaay too much like Nico now with the throwing things - honestly one thing that seperated the two was that Reiko was more mature while still being playful

>>3908789
Yeah Emu had that weird personality shift because of his Game Syndrome and yeah she's acting more childish. That proto gashat man. Does funny things to ya. But it is the only one you have... As for Hiiro? He's got his own things going on. Mostly due to him bascially in the same Emu situation and now having even less power to do anything about it.

>>3908758
>Go somewhere fun. Hiiro seems extra moody lately. There’s an amusement park in the city. Who knows. Maybe he’s not allergic to fun?

>>3908758
>Go somewhere fun. Hiiro seems extra moody lately. There’s an amusement park in the city. Who knows. Maybe he’s not allergic to fun?

>>3908803
>>3908801
Looks like we'll be seeing if Hiiro is the no fun police. Writing.

The amusement park was packed today as you and Hiiro attempt to push your way through the crowd of people. “Alright, so what do you want to play? We have all day.” You say grinning and flashing the all day wristband. Hiiro puts his hands in his pockets and looks around. “I don’t know.” He says a bit distracted. You frown. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. Or maybe Hiiro was being a jerk.

“Fine.” You say. “How about...that one.” You say pointing to the ball toss game. “Betcha can’t win a prize.” You say smiling and pulling him across the sea of people. As you approach, the man running the game starts up his speech.

“Step right up! Come see if you can win the grand prize! All you gotta do is knock down the stack of bottles. Easy as pie.” He says with a grin. “You sir! You look like an athletic young man. Give it a try!” He says pushing a stack of baseballs. You pay the entry fee and step aside. Hiiro gives you a look but doesn’t argue.

He picks up a ball and examines it a bit before taking a pitcher’s stance. You almost don’t see the ball as it streaks across the gap and smashes into the bottles knocking them down.

“W-well...You win!” The man says. “But if you want you can do double or nothing!” He says pulling another set of balls out and restacking the bottles.

“No. The first set of balls were weighted. It’s obvious the next are even more so. Just give us the prize.” Hiiro says coldly and looking away. You glare at him as the embarrassed man hands you a large stuffed animal. As you both leave you smack Hiiro in the arm.

“Dude what the hell?!” You hiss at him. “What was that about?”

“He was cheating.” Hiiro tells you coolly. “I was not going to fall for it.”

You stop in front of him. “The hell is your problem?! Ever since I told you about the new way people are getting infected, you’ve been acting weird. You can probably fool the others but I can tell.” You say glaring at him. “So what’s going on?” You say easing up, your face softening. “You can tell me...I trust you.” You say holding his hand.

———————


“The hell is your problem?!...” Reiko shouts at you, her eyes furious. She saw right through you. You tried to keep yourself composed. Tried not to let your doubts show but you couldn’t fool her.

“You can tell me...I trust you.” You hear her say gently as she holds your hand. You try to hide your conflicted look. You can’t. Her Game Syndrome could act up. But you couldn’t just keep your mouth shut. She’d only transformed three times and already you started seeing it affect her. First was the extreme exertion it seemed to cause her. Second you could see her personality shifting...almost like Kuroto.

Saki kept her sickness to herself and look what happened. You kept your mouth shut about Emu’s sickness and look what happened. You think bitterly. How long were you going to keep letting this happen?

“Reiko I…” You start wondering how to word this.

>Does Hiiro tell Reiko about what’s going on?
>Tell her everything. She deserves to know after being so open about everything herself. She should be strong enough to handle this.
>Tell her about the possible side effects but keep the fact you have started seeing the changes to herself. She can be aware of them but if you give her too much info she could get too stressed. Although, she’s been through enough that her sickness should have triggered multiple times by now.
>Don’t tell her anything. Not yet. You can find a way to help her before your forced to reveal anything.
>Write in

Ok this was kind of hard to write out, I'll admit. Think I started backing myself into a corner but you guys let me know.

>>3908868
>Tell her about the possible side effects but keep the fact you have started seeing the changes to herself. She can be aware of them but if you give her too much info she could get too stressed. Although, she’s been through enough that her sickness should have triggered multiple times by now.

>>3908868
>>3908868
>Tell her everything. She deserves to know after being so open about everything herself. She should be strong enough to handle this.
With how much Reiko values the truth we can't lie about this now.

>Backing into a corner
Honestly I don't see it, unless you mean forcing the tell vs don't tell decision to come up. I was half expecting Reiko to have to roll for a perception check re Hiiro being bothered by something if the office choice wasn't taken (since the office choice implies that she's noticed and wants to get to the bottom of it), but then again I'm glad you didn't because I'd rather this get out in the open now rather than be kept an unecessary secret because we rolled low.

>>3908868
>Tell her everything. She deserves to know after being so open about everything herself. She should be strong enough to handle this.
*Muffled Excite in the background*

>>3908882
I was tempted to have you roll to see if Reiko belived you but with a bonus because she trusts Hiiro but ultimately decided against it because she doesn't have a real reason to not belive him. Backing into a corner I meant mostly by the game going into an endless loop of getting close to tell her and not doing it when I kind of want to set the Hiiro and Reiko stuff to the side for right now. As much as it's fun writing for both of them. I do want to focus on interacting with the other character. Granted, I think i could have handled this a bit better.
>>3908885
Ex Aid had a great sound track or at least music design. It's a fucking crime that it's not on fucking youtube so I can link the music. Unless you don't mind shitty fan fic art in the video as you listen.

>>3908885
>>3908882
Hiiro may not be as honest as Reiko but he is when it counts it seems. Writting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTeMdRIXQpY

“Reiko I…” You start wondering how to word this. You look at her seriously and nod slowly. “Alright.” You say. “You’re getting worse.” You say bluntly.
Reiko flinches, “W-what do you mean?” She asks. “I feel fine! None of the symptoms you described have appeared.”

You shake your head. “It’s not that. I read the manual of your Gashat. Why didn’t you tell me about it?” You ask then wave your hands dismissively. No, now was not the time to point fingers. She needed to know. “The Proto-Gashat has the ability to suppress bugsters and has the potential of having a higher power output than a regular Gashat. But it comes at the cost of slowly destroying your body. You’re forcing too much of the virus into your body at one time.” You explain.

Reiko gives smile. “Yeah I kind of read that but I’m fine! I can still fight. I don’t feel bad or anything!” She says.

You grab Reiko by the shoulders and give her a small shake. “Reiko! Think about it! You collapsing in the middle of your second fight. How drenched in sweat you were a few days ago. That’s not normal Gashat behavior. It’s not just your body either! Think. Think hard. A few days ago you were thinking about how to avoid using your Driver. How you went out of your way to ask me to keep your parents safe! Now you’re just looking for the...next fight…” You say slowly coming to a realization.

Reiko looks conflicted. “N-no. I’m still the same, right? I mean..yeah I was kinda excited to transform again but that’s only because...I wanted to help…” She says holding herself and slumping to the ground.

You kneel next to her quickly. “Reiko.” You say calmly. She looks at you with glassy worried eyes. “You’re going to be alright. I swear that we’ll get to the bottom of this. We’ll cure your illness. I’m your doctor and you’ve trusted me with your life.”

Reiko nods and is about to say something when your attention is drawn away by screams!

The crowds part in terror as a blue figure approaches you. It was one that as fully familiar to you because that was once you. Taddle Quest.

“You!” The Rider points at Reiko. “You lied to me Ex-Aid! I’ve come to enact justice!” He shouts.

You look at Reiko and can see her, almost habitually, draw her driver and gashat as if she wasn’t aware she was doing so. There was a longing and excitement in her eyes you didn’t like.

“Hurry and transform Ex-Aid! I’ll wipe you criminal scum from my kingdom!”

You grab Reiko’s wrist. “Don’t! Remember what I told you! Give me the driver. I’ll handle this.” You say calmly.

>What does Reiko do?
>Give Hiiro the Driver. He’s your doctor and you’ve always trusted him before. You’re not sure if transforming right now is a good idea.
>Ignore Hiiro. A fight sounds kind of fun right now. It kind of makes your heart burn with happiness.
>Try and talk it out. You feel confused. Conflicted but you can give convincing King another shot.
Trying to talk this out is gonna require a roll.

>>3908929
>Give Hiiro the Driver. He’s your doctor and you’ve always trusted him before. You’re not sure if transforming right now is a good idea.

It's not like we haven't set a precedence for Hiiro using our driver. Also I've been highkey wanting Hiiro vs bad fantasy larper ever since he was introduced.

>>3908929
>Give Hiiro the Driver. He’s your doctor and you’ve always trusted him before. You’re not sure if transforming right now is a good idea.
Time to school this poser.

>>3908929
>Give Hiiro the Driver. He’s your doctor and you’ve always trusted him before. You’re not sure if transforming right now is a good idea.

>>3908974
>>3908954
>>3908936
Gonna show him who's the real Taddle Quest user. Writing.

Reiko nods and hands you her things. “Take him down. Get your stuff back.” She says quietly. You nod and stand up.

“Who are you?! I challenged the girl!” King screams at you. You don’t answer. Protecting Reiko and getting your equipment back takes precedent. “You will listen to me! I am Masked Rider King!” He continues to shout.

”Skill Leve-...That’s...that’s not how you say it.” You say confused.

“SILENCE!” King shouts and swipes at a nearby rail fence, cutting it to pieces.

”Henshin.”

Mighty Action X!

”Commencing Gashat Retrieval Procedure.”

https://youtu.be/hD9e8LYDr-E

You run at King blade drawn. What ever happened between Reiko and him seems to have made him senseless with rage. You duck under another wild swing and sweep at his legs tripping him. He rolls out of the way of your next swing and charges at you. “You and that girl are liars!” He screeches. “Trying to ruin the perfect game!”

>Kamen Rider Brave vs Masked Rider King!
>How do we handle the angry Rider?
>Keep this duel a contest of pure swordsmanship! Show him that being a Kamen Rider isn’t about fulfilling your idle fantasies.
>Go for power ups. Having options always helps.
>Try to move him away from the park. There’s a lot of people who can get hurt if King’s swings miss.

I’ll need 1d20+2 if you’re gonna go 1v1 with him. Otherwise, it’s flat 1d20.

Rolled 17 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3909040
>Try to move him away from the park. There’s a lot of people who can get hurt if King’s swings miss

>>3909040
>Try to move him away from the park. There’s a lot of people who can get hurt if King’s swings miss.
Would a Stage Select work?

>>3909058
Yes. As Brave is currently playing the game he is susceptable to a stage select.

>>3909067
Fuck, I mean King.

>>3909058
>>3909048
We're gonna move this guy out of the way. He's too much of a liability.

You push King away as you dodge another swipe of his sword. This time it slices through a light post! The post crashes into one of the carnival games, crushing the roof. The owner runs out screaming for her life. ”You’re out of control King.” You say. ”It’s time we change venue.” You push the button on the side of your Driver and choose a forest area from the ring of locations that appear around you.

Stage Select!

Your surroundings are digitally replaced with a dense forest as you and your opponent are teleported away. King looks around confused. “What did you do?! You really are cheaters!” He shouts and swings his sword at the trees cutting them down in your direction. “Fine! I’ll just use your hacks to my advantage! For the realm!”

You roll out of the way of one tree and slice another down the middle. “King. You’re being used. This isn’t the game you think it is.” You say. “Let us help you.”

“Your lies won’t work on me! I had father personally speak with the CEO of Genm Corp.” King says arrogantly. “And we were told people didn’t just vanish! It’s all part of the game! The winner will be able to bring them all back!”

What?! You think to yourself. You swing your blade into King’s causing sparks to spray everywhere.

>What do you do?
>Start actively attacking. Now that you don’t have to worry about civilians, you can fight freely.
>Try to disarm him. He’s using your sword and you’re rather fond of it.
>Gather some Power ups. King doesn’t seem to be too aware of the Gashat’s full potential so you can use that to your advantage.
>Write in.

>>3909140
>Try to disarm him. He’s using your sword and you’re rather fond of it.

>>3909140
>Try to disarm him. He’s using your sword and you’re rather fond of it.

>>3909396
>>3909179
Alright, looks like we want to take back what's rightfully ours. Mind giving me some rolls? 1d20+2

Rolled 8 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3909404

>>3909404

Rolled 2 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3909469
fug

>>3909492
For fuck's sake.

>>3909463
>>3909492
Oof. Not the best rolls. I gotta call it a night here so, there's one last roll to be had. Best we got so far is a 10.

Rolled 6 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3909404

>>3909510
>>3909492
>>3909463
Not the best rolls. Writing.

King presses forward, swinging wildly in an attempt to get past your defenses and strike a decisive blow. You do your best to ward off the attack but it’s like fighting a cornered animal. He has no form, no stance. Just maddened flailing. You roll under one of his swings and attempt to disarm him. If you could remove his weapon then you might be able to gain the advantage.

You swing your sword at this wrist hoping that he’d move out of the way enough that your strike will hit the guard of his sword and knock it out of his hands but he manages to raise his shield and deflect your attempts leaving you wide open.

“I’ve got you now! You miscreant!” King shouts as he lunges forward with a thrust. Did he just read a thesaurus on medieval sayings? You attempt to pivot away but he manages to slice into you as you turn! You stagger back as pain sears through your stomach but King swings his arm back and clips your again with his blade. Your HUD blares angrily as you see your HP dwindle.

/////IIIII|||||

/////IIIII

Grunting you backflip a create some distance between the two of you, planning your next move.

>What’s the next move?
>Continue trying to disarm him. He’s too unpredictable while swinging his blade madly.
>Go on the offensive. He might be too busy focusing on attacking to worry about his defenses.
>Search for a power up. You can use those to compensate for his wild attacks.
>Write in.

Rolled 18 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3909958
>Go on the offensive. He might be too busy focusing on attacking to worry about his defenses

Rolled 14 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3909958
>Go on the offensive. He might be too busy focusing on attacking to worry about his defenses
Genius surgeon precision goooooooo

>>3910019
>>3909998
Man Hiiro doesn't even get mad. He just gets shit done. Writing

File: KREA-Bravel3.png (190 KB, 264x558)

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“Your bladework is good. Masterful even.” King says haughtily as you cross blades once again. “If you weren’t a game ruining cheater, I might have knighted you. Allowed you to enter my round table.”

You can feel the strain in your eye muscles as you try not to roll them. ”I can’t say the same for you. You wield that sword like a club.” You say punching King in the face and kicking him into a tree. The tree splinters and groans, threatening to fall over. You grip your sword with both hands. ”I’ll show you how to properly use a scalpel.”

“No one is better than me at combat! I’m champion at all my roleplaying camps!” King shouts as he swings at you once more. You forgo attempting to block it and dive over the swing! As you land, you spin around and slash at King’s back. King screams in pain and reaches for his back as you circle him slashing at his legs.

The pattern continues as King flinches and writhes in pain, leaving him open for you to strike. Your cuts are precise as you aim for the important tendons and muscles. His armor would prevent you from doing any actual damage to them but the pain you sent would be more than enough to throw him off.

You grab King by the neck and slam him into a tree. ”Untransform right now. While you still have some semblance of you dignity.” You command him. King struggles against your grip.

“No! Never! I will not yield! I am your King!” He shouts striking you with his blade. You let go and managed to reduce the attack to a few glancing blows. “I’d never thought a commoner like you would force me into my final form!” He screeches and draws out another Gashat!

DoReMiFa Beat!

“Change! Stage 3!” He screams thrusting the Gashat into the second slot of the Gamer Driver.

Level Up!

King’s form is surrounded by musical notes that engulf him!

>Round 2: Kamen Rider Brave (Ex-Aid Level 0) vs Masked Rider King Level 3
>King has leveled up! How do we handle this new form?!
>Back up immediately! Level 3 is no joke and you’re unsure how King will fight in this form.
>Continue your Assault. King is only forcing more of the virus into his body and while it’s not a ProtoGashat you’re not sure how his unstable mind can handle it.
>Search for a Power up. You’re going to need every advantage you can get to make up for the power difference.
>Write in.

Rolled 11 (1d20)

>>3910078
>Search for a Power up. You’re going to need every advantage you can get to make up for the power difference.

Rolled 9 (1d20)

>>3910078
>Search for a Power up. You’re going to need every advantage you can get to make up for the power difference.

>>3910085
>>3910081
Looking for power ups! Writing.

Rolled 8 (1d20)

>>3910078
>Search for a Power up. You’re going to need every advantage you can get to make up for the power difference.

King emerges from the light wearing speakers on his armor and a turntable on his wrist. You hear him scratch the record and feel your body begin the thrum as the air reverberates with loud music. You can barely hear King laugh over the speakers. “Not so brave now! I’ll have you know that I was in band as well!”

You dash between trees trying to clear some space and smash power up boxes. As you’re about to reach a box, the nearest tree explodes into splinters as a blast of pure sound hits it! King laughs again as you see him pull back his sound enhanced fists ready for another attack. He swings and your ears ring as you hear sound explode from every punch. “Just surrender your things and I’ll be merciful!” He shouts as his next strike hits you square in the chest!

You feel yourself tumble through the air before falling to a heap a few feet away. You can barely read your HUD as your vision blurs from the concussive attack.

”Muscle Up!”

Item Get: Muscle Up!
Your next attack roll or roll involving brute strength receives a +2 bonus! Use it on your next roll or save it for later! You can only hold up to 3 different Energy Items.

/////IIIII

/////II

King makes his way forward as he scratches the turntable once more. You struggle to your feet and get ready for another assault.

>What’s the next plan?
>Go in for the Attack! With your swordsmanship and your power up you might be able to turn the tide of the fight!
>Stick to the defensive. Use the forest to your advantage and use the trees to make difficult terrain for King.
>Continue searching for Power ups. Maybe you can find a health item.
>Write in.

Forgot to add. The power up stacks with your +2 when wielding swords.

Rolled 2 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>3910116
>Go in for the Attack! With your swordsmanship and your power up you might be able to turn the tide of the fight!

Rolled 16 + 4 (1d20 + 4)

>>3910116
>>Go in for the Attack! With your swordsmanship and your power up you might be able to turn the tide of the fight!

>>3910127
Oh jeez. Looks like some interesting things might occur with my next write up of these rolls continue

>>3910137
Oh well never mind then lol

>>3910137
>>3910127
Looks like we're going on the offensive! Hope you don't mind a small detour first. Writing!

File: ezgif-2-20d098a8f7fc.gif (2.24 MB, 500x250)

2.24 MB GIF

A few moments ago…

Stage Select!

You watch as Hiiro and King vanish after a brief skirmish that resulted in a broken lamp post and crushed game hut. You hug your messenger bag to your chest, your breath shallow. Hiiro’s words echo through your mind.

Reiko! Think about it!
Was he right? Was your personality changing? Were you going...insane? You immediately think about Kuroto. Didn’t he say that your Driver and Gashat were originally his? You hiccup at the thought of becoming like him. Lost in thought you barely notice the figure approaching you.

“Looks like you were left alone. It’s no fun if you can’t join in on the fight.” A cheerful voice says. You turn around slowly, your breathing uneven. You recognized this voice!

“Hurry up and transform! My heart is burning for another fight.”

You choke down a sob and try to crawl away backwards dropping your bag in the process. “Y-you…” You manage to whisper. The young man gives you a joyful grin and slowly makes his way towards you. He wore a black jacket over his blue shirt. Cables seemed to dangle on his pants and they clinked with every step as they swung into one another.

“Hey. You remembered me…” He says gently almost trying to soothe you. The very notion revolted you considering what he did. “I guess you figured out that the ProtoGashat was damaging you.” He guesses. “Don’t worry though. I have a way you can still play with us.” He says smiling. He pulls something from his pocket and reaches towards you.

You flinch and try to say, “No.” but the words catch in your throat. The boy presses something into your numb, clumsy fingers and you drop it. He frowns for a bit but picks up the white object.

“I’ll just put this in your bag then.” He says putting it away there. “Oh and you’ll want one of these too though I heard you already got one.” He holds up a BugVisor and stows it into your bag with a wink. “Just remember, it’s our secret. If the doctor finds out he’ll probably take it away from you.”

“It’s gonna be so much fun when we play together.” He grins patting your head and walking away.

As he fades away the last thing you can hear is, “We’re gonna have a blast…Sis.”

You stare at the spot he was last, finding it very hard to breathe…

In the forest…

You duck under another punch as a tree behind you is obliterated. ”King! Enough! These aren’t toys for you to play with!” You shout. You swing your blade and activate the power up you received.

Muscle Up!

Your sword slices deep into one of the speakers on King’s shoulder, rendering it useless. King flies back and crashes into a tree knocking it down. “Cheater! There’s no such things as power ups in this game!” He screams. “Everyone always cheats!”

You ignore him and dash to close the distance. King swings his fists downward forcing you to sidestep out of the way. His fists crash into the ground and leave a small crater but he’s wide open. You slice downward cutting into his side and kick him away. King rolls and draws his sword again. “Fine. We’ll settle this like we started. With a sword fight!” He roars and you two initiate another blade clash!

Your enhanced strength begins to push King down. You give a shove and force him to his knees as you raise your blade and bring it down on his shoulder before raking it across his chest. King screams and tries to roll away. You let him get some distance as you slot in your Gashat into your sword for a finisher.

Mighty Critical Finish!

”King. I don’t know what lies they told you at Genm Corp. But what is dead, stays dead. There is no bringing back the past. People are not objects you can manipulate through games. To your twisted reality I say, ‘No thank you’.” You say as you charge your attack.

“I...am King! I will not be denied! You’ll all bow before me!” King screams as he runs towards you but he was wide open. You dash past him and cut right through! King screams as the surge of energy explodes through him and forces him out of his transformation.

King falls to the ground dropping his Driver and Gashat. He was an overweight man, probably in his late twenties. Your battle with him had left him full of cuts and bruises but he had gotten off lightly considering what a bugster would do. You gather the Driver and Gashats that had fallen to the side. It felt...right to have your things back.

As you untransform the forest fades away and you find yourself back at the amusement park. There seemed to be a crowd huddled around someone. “Somebody help! This girl is having trouble breathing! Someone call 119!” Someone shouts. You rush over and push your way through

“I’m a doctor. Stand aside.” You order. The crowd clears a bit and you find Reiko hugging her bag tightly, hyperventilating!

“Reiko!” You shout dropping to your knees. “Reiko. It’s me Hiiro.” You say quietly. Her wide eyes flick towards your direction barely registering your presence.

>Panic Attacks! I’ll need a 1d20 guys! Because of how much Reiko trusts you, you get a nice +5 to this roll to try and calm her down.

Rolled 5 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>3910274
>Sis
Nani the fuck

File: 1503130779_20840210_11586(...).gif (1.3 MB, 515x286)

1.3 MB GIF

>>3910276
These. Fucking. Rolls! I swear if this game gets a season two I'm running a Kamen Rider Ghost quest.

Rolled 1 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>3910274

File: 1554176312576.jpg (17 KB, 192x279)

17 KB JPG

>>3910282
SOMEBODY ELSE PLEASE ROLL

Rolled 8 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>3910274
Second Nat 1 coming through

File: 543.png (533 KB, 850x479)

533 KB PNG

>>3910293
A 13 is good enough at least. Great Onari. Please banisht he curse away.

“Reiko. Listen to my voice.” You say slowly. “Breath slowly. In. Then out.” You say evenly. “Through your diaphragm.” Reiko gives you a tiny nod and tries to even out her voice. “Someone call an ambulance.” You say to a nearby person. “You’re doing fine. Keep it up.” You continue speaking to Reiko. You take gently take her wrist and check her pulse. Her heartbeat was racing but at least it was even.

“Ok good. Now hold your breath between each one. Count to 10 then breathe out. We need to slow it down.” You say and chanting directions for her to follow. Reiko’s draws in her breath shakily and holds it before letting it go. She holds on tightly to your hand and looks you dead in the eye.

“I...s-saw him…” She struggles to say. You shake your head. “We’ll talk later. Right now we need to get you well.” Reiko nods and continues to try and steady her breathing. Paramedics arrive and help her onto a stretcher before you two get into the ambulance and head to the hospital.

A few hours later...

You remember Hiiro talking to you during the ambulance ride. You don’t remember when but you must’ve passed out because you find yourself screaming awake. The nurse rushes into your room, “What’s wrong? Are you ok?” She asks looking at a machine near you. You look at your surroundings and it slowly sinks in that your in a patient room. You don’t really feel like talking so you simply shake your head trying to convey that nothing is wrong. “Justabaddream.” you mumble.

The nurse nods and adjusts your pillow. “Alright dear. But if you need anything just push the button.” She says. You sink back into your bed, you feel woozy and drained but the worst part was that you didn’t feel safe. You look at your bag in the corner of your room. You look away. It felt tainted, sullied. He had put something in it and you didn’t want to know what it was. At the same time however, you felt like you had to know. The nurse had left, leaving you to your thoughts.

>What does Reiko do?
>Sleep. You might have more nightmares but you weren’t ready for reality just yet.
>Call a nurse. Ask them to get your bag for you.
>Go get the back yourself. You only want yourself to know what’s in it right now.

>>3910348
>>Sleep. You might have more nightmares but you weren’t ready for reality just yet.

>>3910348
>Sleep. You might have more nightmares but you weren’t ready for reality just yet.

>>3910384
>>3910352
Sleep. Sleep makes all the bad things go away...you hope. Writing

You close your eyes. You weren’t ready for this. Maybe in the morning, but not right now. You toss and turn for a bit before you feel fitful sleep overcome you.

You back up. No! You didn’t mean to push the button! You didn’t want to fight. The red and blue Rider turns to look behind him at the newcomer.

”You came!” He says with joy in his voice. The lab coat wearing man draws out his Driver and some weird device.

“It ends now Parado- Hnng!” The man gasps and struggles to move.

”Oh? Did you mean you want to take a turn?” Parado says shrugging. ”Be my guest.”

The other man struggles as he puts on his driver. His face contorted in confusion and strain. “What...are you...doing?” He demands.

”I think the real question is. What are you doing? I know you like to go all out when you play games but I don’t think this is very fair. She’s still new to this game.” Parado replies as he sits on a nearby ledge. “But I guess I can’t stop you.” He laughs as if he knew something the other man had missed.

The man raises his device to the air, his face in pure horror, and presses the button on it.

“M-max...Dai...Henshin!”

MAXIMUM MIGHTY X!

You wake with a start and look around, body drenched in sweat. Akihito looks up from his small laptop and adjusts his glasses. “Reiko! You’re awake.” He says. “You must’ve had a hell of a dream. You were tossing and turning all over the place.”

You wipe the sweat from your brow and try to hide your shame. As you look away to formulate your thoughts, you notice a small dessert box on your bedside table.

>What does Reiko say?
>Ask Akihito what he’s doing here and how long have you been out.
>Ask why you weren’t just taken to NCR’s patient room.
>Ask if anyone else had come to visit.

Gonna go grab some lunch. Vote's open til then!

>>3910469
>Ask Akihito what he’s doing here and how long have you been out

>>3910626
Asking Akihito why he's there.

“Then why didn’t you wake me up?” You ask grumpily as you rub your eyes. Akihito wipes his glasses nervously.

“I-I’m your senior. Seeing you sleep was already inappropriate as it is.” He stammers. “B-besides. Dr. Kagami says you were because you had a breakdown of sorts. I wasn’t sure if I woke you up from a nightmare would make it worse.” He says. “If only I could transform! Then the youth wouldn’t have to fend for themselves!” He says honorably.

You shake your head. It was too early to explain that being a Rider wasn’t all chivalry and honor. More like body horror. “So what are you doing here actually?” You asks reaching for the small box. Inside it was a small strawberry cake. You smile happily and take the plastic fork and knife that was next to it.

“Oh, Dr. Kagami asked me to keep an eye on you. He had to go to work and couldn’t do it himself.” He explains proudly. “I’m also looking through some streams for other Riders but I can’t seem to find anything.” He admits. “Miss Karino said she’d be here soon.” He adds looking at his watch. “I’ll have to head off to class soon myself.”

You nod as you eat your cake slowly. “How long have I been out?” You ask as you notice it’s almost noon.

“Not too long. You were brought here yesterday. I’m not sure when you’re set to be released though.” He says closing his laptop. “I need to head out now though. I’ll see you back at NCR.” He says giving you a polite nod as he heads out.

You give him a wave goodbye and lay back in bed now that your dessert was gone. The nurses came and went, once to check your blood pressure, another to scold you for eating cake and not hospital food. Overall they gave you enough to do to keep your mind away from your bag.

In the afternoon, Poppy politely knocks on your door as she walks in. “Hey Popp- I mean Asuna.” You say waving her in. She gives you a smile and sits next to you. “How are you feeling?” She asks gently.

“Well you’re the first person to actually ask.” You reply with a small smirk and fall serious again.”I feel...ok.” You admit with a bit of uncertainty. “I’ve never actually had an attack like that though…” You say. “I’ve been stressed in my life before but I’ve never actually had an attack.”

Poppy nods and places her hand on your shoulder. “It’s ok. Not many people are ever put in your situation. You have a lot of weight on your shoulders trying to rebuild CR and fight bugsters.”

You nod but you’re unsure if you should tell Poppy that’s not really the reason why you started hyperventilating.

.

>What does Reiko say?
>Tell Poppy what really happened. She’s a nurse. She’d understand and know not to tell anyone unless you were ok with it. Plus she should know about what the ProtoGashat does.
>Try and change the conversation. Ask when you’ll be let out and if anyone else came to see you. You don’t want to think about yesterday yet. Maybe you’ll bring it up to Hiiro. Right now you just want to keep your mind on other things.
>Ask Poppy if she’s doing ok. You know she felt out of place since she was brought out of the Driver and it’d be nice if you weren’t the one everyone was worrying about for a bit

>>3910824
>Try and change the conversation. Ask when you’ll be let out and if anyone else came to see you. You don’t want to think about yesterday yet. Maybe you’ll bring it up to Hiiro. Right now you just want to keep your mind on other things.

>>3910963
Not in the mood for talking about yourself. Writing.

“So, do you know when I’m gonna be let out?” You ask as you tug at your hair trying not to make eye contact with Poppy. Poppy thinks for a bit.

“Well...I don’t know to be honest but they’ll probably want to do a psychiatric evaluation before they let you go.” She explains.

“I’m not crazy.” You say quietly. Poppy waves her hands in front of her.

“No no! Not for that.” She insists. “They’ll be doing it to make sure you’re ok. They won’t want to release you if your at risk of having another panic attack or at least not being capable of knowing when you’re going to have one or how to manage one.”

“Oh…” You reply. “So has anyone else come to visit?” Poppy nods.

“Hiiro was here all night last night.” She says causing you to blush a bit. “But he had to go do some surgeries and didn’t want to leave you alone so he sent me and Akihito. He said if you had company it would help you relax more.”

“How come I’m not at CR?” you ask remembering your unfamiliar surroundings. “I don’t think this is the university hospital.”

“It’s not.” Poppy says. “We couldn’t take you over there because technically you’re not our patient. Since CR no longer exists and we’re not backed up by the Ministry of Health we can’t just take other hospitals’ patients as we wish. If we could it’d still raise tons of questions. Hiiro was allowed to come with you because he was the only one who knew who you were and you wouldn’t let anyone near you unless he was there.”

You feel your face redden even more and you pretend to adjust your blankets in an attempt to look away. “S-so did we win at least?” You ask. “You know...we were attacked.”

Poppy smiles and nods. “Yup! We got Hiiro’s Driver and Gashat back!” She says with a thumbs up. “No you two can go and defeat bugsters and other Riders!” She says happily. You smile but deep down you were unsure if you’d be allowed to transform again. At least until you found another Gashat you would use.

You hear a knock on your door and find a nurse walking in. “Miss Yukihara, the doctors would like to speak with you.” Poppy nods and hugs you tightly. “I’ll be outside. If they let you out today, let’s go get something to eat.” She says smiling. You grin and nod. “Sure, you ever have burgers?”

At CR…

Kuroto leans back on his seat with a smug smile on his face. “So you finally got your things back…” He says eyeing the Driver and ProtoGashat on the table. “I guess you won’t be needing these anymore.” He continues reaching for the two items. Hiiro grabs them off the table. “Come now, you don’t have to use them anymore. And besides, I know how the bugsters work too. I can fight too you know.”

Kuroto stands and walks around the table arms wide. “Imagine having the Gamemaster fight alongside you! My divine talents used to their fullest potential!” He says before his smile turns into a scowl. “Then I can crush a certain BUGSTER for trying to usurp my game.” He slams his hands on the table. “PARADO!” Kuroto roars at the mere thought.

Hiiro stays quiet and paces some more. “Are you sure the effects on her will wear off?” He asks. Kuroto smiles gleefully.

“Ah worried about her are you?” He smirks. “If I was some other man I’d have told you I didn’t know. But with my genius I’m certain the effects will wear off. She hasn’t used it extensively so she should recover from any damage but…” He trails off eyeing the devices in Hiiro’s hands. “I can’t guarantee it if those are still within her grasp!” He hisses. “So give me my Driver back! There’s more we can hunt for from those unauthorized users!”

Hiiro weighs the objects in his hands. Would she understand if I did hand them over? He thinks.

“So what will it be? Are you going to give me my things back so we can get to work or are you going to hold on to them and just hamper your own progress?” Kuroto asks.

>Will Hiiro give Kuroto back his Driver and Gashat?
>Yes. Reiko's health is more important. There will be other drivers and gashats you can get for her to use.
>No. She it's her decision to make. Not yours. Even if you are her doctor.

>>3911185
>Yes. Reiko's health is more important. There will be other drivers and gashats you can get for her to use.

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>>3911185
>No. It's her decision to make, even if you are her doctor.

No giving plot tech to megalomaniacs.

Also, you guys got me to start watching Kamen Rider: Ex Aid, so, congratulations on that.

>>3911231
>>3911185
In the cold light of mid-afternoon changing to
>No. She it's her decision to make. Not yours. Even if you are her doctor.
Patient's should have the final say in their care, and we can't seem like we're giving in to Kuroto's demands. We're supposed to bully him, not the other way round.

>>3911565
>Anon watching Ex-Aid
Nice, it's in my top three. Just be sure to recieve the blessings of God greatfully.

>>3911185
>Yes. Reiko's health is more important. There will be other drivers and gashats you can get for her to use.

>>3911185
>No. She it's her decision to make. Not yours. Even if you are her doctor.

>>3911565
Ex Aid is one of my favorite seasons. started running this quest right after finishing it. Blessings of Dan Kuroto Shin upon ye.
>>3911565
>>3911635
>>3911688
Not returning Kuroto's things back wins. It's almost like [spolier]You don't want to use Parado Niisan's gifts...[/spoiler]

I'm up waay to early but I'll get to writing.

Fucked up those tags. Eh. How's everyone's day been?

>>3911718
Alright, you?

>>3911718
Pretty okay, been catching up on Zero-one. Should have known it was by the Ex-Aid writer ever since I saw Parado 2.0 though, caught on way too late.

>>3911738
I'm doing fine. Woke up way too early. Gonna post this write up, and take a small walk.
>>3911740
Oh shit, Zero One is written by the same guy as Ex Aid? I saw the first episode but I went back to finish up Heisei Phase 2 with Build. But yeah, smiling gun dude gave off extreme Parado vibes. Main Character seemed ok. Was hoping they would have held off on intrducing hints for the secondary rider.

“No.” Hiiro says stowing away the items in his coat. Kuroto slams his hands on the table.

“What?!” He shouts. “Didn’t you hear me? If the girl keeps using those, she’ll never recover!” Hiiro gives Kuroto a flat look.

“It’s up to her to decide if what wants to use them or not. You’re a genius. You can probably figure out a way to program a patch for the side effects without destroying its inherent effects.” He says coolly as he walks out to the elevator.

Kuroto lets out a scream of unbridled rage. “HHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRROOOOOOO!” He screeches before exploding into particles and flowing into the arcade machine.

On the streets…

You’re beginning to regret getting the milk shake. You shiver as you walk along with Poppy holding two bags of take out from the clown sponsored burger joint. Poppy had insisted on getting a bit of everything and a day’s worth of hospital food didn’t make it any easier to resist the lure of unhealthy fried food.

“Fries are so good!” She says with a big grin on her face as she takes another bite. “All I ever had was hospital meals. I don’t know how you don’t like it.”

You give her a smile as you suppress a giggle. “Well when you’ve had better food, hospital meals task kind of...sterile.” You say shrugging as you sip at your milkshake. “You should try out some homemade stuff. My mom makes some amazing curry.” Poppy’s eyes widen.

“You have to make me some! I want to try homemade curry.” She says excitedly. You shake your head furiously.

“Oh no! Not me. I can’t cook to save my life. Unless you count boiling cup noodles. Last time I tried to make a meal I somehow ended up burning the water. Just plain water. Into black sludge.” You says ashamed.

“That’s impossible.” Poppy says dumbfounded. “There’s nothing to burn.”

“I know!” You agree in just amount of shock as her. “It just...happened.” You insist. “I think I’ll stick to relying on my GODLY TALENTS and make a living on playing video games.” You says mimicking Kuroto making Poppy giggles.

“Speaking of games, how come you don’t fight? Bugsters are pretty strong.” You ask looking at Poppy as you two wait for the bus to arrive.

“I wasn’t really programmed to be able to fight.” She says glumly. “I was made to help hospital staff and to play games.”

You tilt your head. “Well that doesn’t seem like a good reason.”

>How does Reiko respond?
>You have two drivers and 3 gashats. Ask if she wants to take one for a spin.
>Let her know that fighting isn’t everything even if you had asked. Everyone needs support, you being a prime example.
>Ask her if she ever had time to try out something other than being a nurse. Maybe you can hangout with her a bit longer. You think there’s a small arcade nearby. Hopefully this time, it won’t be interrupted.
>Write in

>>3911743
>You have two drivers and 3 gashats. Ask if she wants to take one for a spin.
Kamen rider Poppy goooooo~ Think she can use one of the proto-gashats since she's already a bugster?

Also please can we let the rest of CR know about Parado's gifts, please let us not pull a Kiriya and just use a random gashat given to us by the bad guys.

>>3911742
Yeah it's the Ex-Aid main writer. Honestly it's turning out like the actual ex-aid for me where MC is pretty bland but the side cast are great (Parado 2.0 and secondary rider are standouts so far).

>>3911743
>You have two drivers and 3 gashats. Ask if she wants to take one for a spin.
Make female riders great again

>>3911758
>>3911761
Making female riders great again it seems. Though Poppy can't use drivers in canon because it requires human dna or something. Kuroto was rezzed with that in mind and parado had maximum mighty x recode him which was weird. But we can certainly bully a god to make tokemi crisis.

“You wanna try out a driver?” You ask looking at her.

“Eh?!” Poppy gasps surprised. “Me? I don’t think I can be a Kamen Rider.”

“Why the hell not?” You reply. “I did it. All you need is for your body to have the virus in you right? And you are the virus! So it should work. Come on...It’ll be cool. You said you wanted to be able to help.” Poppy looks conflicted but nods.

“Ok. We can try it.” She says. “What could go wrong?”

“I wouldn’t ask that.” You says shrugging.
——-

As you arrive at NCR, you sit at a table and begin to pull out your fast food goodies. “So I don’t know where my things are. Hiiro had them last.” You say looking around. “Doesn’t seem to be here though.”

“Well we can wait.” Poppy says. “Do you really think this is a good idea?” She asks.

“I mean, Hiiro can’t be around all the time. He’s got a job so if we find another Rider or Bugster then it’d be a good idea to have people on hand. I might need back up.” You say. “Sound like a good idea to me.”
“More unauthorized users?!” You hear a raspy whisper causing you to jump in your seat. “Reiiko...you just want to break all my rules don’t you?” Kuroto says making his way to the table.

“It’s not unauthorized!” You shoot back. “It’s Poppy. She’s been a member of CR since the beginning and I think that entitles her to being able to use the Driver.”

Kuroto leans back and lets out a haughty laugh. “Bugsters can’t use the Gamer Driver. It’s meant to protect the human body from the virus. Making a bugster use it is like trying to inoculate a disease against itself.”

You frown. “Well...then can’t you like reprogram it?” You ask. Kuroto glares at you. “I mean we can use all the Riders we can use! Why can’t you?”

Kuroto snatches up a burger. “Because that’s not how the Gashats work.” He says munching down as you return the glare. “Once a Gashat is programmed, the data is set. It can’t be changed.”

“That’s dumb.” You respond.

“Don’t question my godly talents!” Kuroto shouts. “A mere mortal like you could never comprehend the beauty behind my creations.”

“You’re right. I don’t understand you.” You admit. “So...then can you make a new Gashat and Driver that works for Poppy?” You ask. “I mean...if you have god tier talents, it shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

Kuroto gives you a look as if mulling it over.

>Roll me 1d20+2 to convince meme god to join the Female Rider bandwagon. Bonus points if you can make a good argument in your post.

Rolled 18 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3911804
>More riders = more people to take down those filthy unauthorized users
>Making Poppy a rider means she'll be AUTHORISED BY GOD
>Level 0 gashat is making Reiko sick, so she won't be able to transform until they get a new one, so CR is down one rider, which again means less opposition to this inferior, godless genmcorp.

File: b405c1c0da3c38c5da0dba167(...).gif (1.75 MB, 450x253)

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>>3911824
You are blessed by the man himself.

Rolled 12 + 2 (1d20 + 2)

>>3911804
So...you saying it's beyond God's talents to turn a bugster into a rider? Good to know.

Piss him off enough and he's like putty in your hands. Very angry, memey putty.

>>3911830
>>3911824
Looks like Kamen Rider Poppy is gonna come to fruition. How would he react if he knew you had something dangerous in your bag I wonder

>>3911834
>Dangerous
DON'T PUT THAT EVIL ON US. PARADOOOOOOOO

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>>3911844
What? You saying Reiko can't handle it? It was a gift you know.

“Think of it this way.” You say. “The more riders here means the faster we can shut down the unauthorized users.” You give him a smile. “You made Poppy right? And if you make her a Rider, that’s basically being authorized by God himself. Why should you have to deliver your divine retribution when you can have us do it?” You stand and shrug going to get a drink from the fridge.

“But I mean if you’re saying not even God can make a bugster Rider then I understand. Even you must have your limits.” You sigh as you shoot Poppy a sly wink.

“Oi! Gamer...are you doubting the Gamemaster?! Nothing is out of my reach!” He grabs Poppy by the wrist. “Come! We have work to do if you’ll be come my divine hand! My Valkyrie against those who want to usurp my game!” He rants as he laughs maniacally before the two vanish into the arcade machine. You snort feeling water come out of your nose and you sit down to enjoy your food.

CR was pretty quiet today, with Ahikito in class and Hiiro out working. You sigh and stretch wondering what to do. You wonder if you want to continue using the ProtoGashat, you promised you’d find a way to end this but now it’s literally costing you your life. Maybe you should go and find something else to do and keep your mind busy.

>What does Reiko do now?
>Go search the net for another Rider to fight...though you don’t have any real means to take them on.
>Take a look at what’s inside your bag. Then again maybe not. You don’t feel comfortable facing that right now.
>Go find a tournament to join. You haven’t actually made any money since this whole debacle started and you don’t know how long it will be before you can actually go back to work properly.

>>3911861
>Go find a tournament to join. You haven’t actually made any money since this whole debacle started and you don’t know how long it will be before you can actually go back to work properly.
Time for some VIDEOGAMES (non-lethal) (please)

>>3911861
>Go find a tournament to join. You haven’t actually made any money since this whole debacle started and you don’t know how long it will be before you can actually go back to work properly.

>>3911861
>Go find a tournament to join. You haven’t actually made any money since this whole debacle started and you don’t know how long it will be before you can actually go back to work properly

>>3911866
>>3911865
>>3911864
We gotta play video games. Something something know your enemy. Writing.
>>3911864
Don't worry. You won't die. Probably will be annoyed but no dying. At least not irl.

You stretch and grab your things. If anyone needed you, they had your number. Right now, you needed some real R&R and the only way you knew how to do that was to go play video games. Might as well make some money too incase Poppy decided that she always wanted to try out everything on the menu.

You hop on a computer and make a quick search to see if there was any tourneys in your area, as your luck would have it there was a few that were accepting late entries. You grab the last of the chicken nuggets, at least your share of them, and leave a note letting everyone know that you’d be out for the day. And probably the night too if you could manage it. You make your way to public transit and go to your old stomping grounds.

The Arcade was packed by the time you got there but it seemed unusually so. People were huddled around the games making it hard to see what was going on. You push your way in a bit and managed to go to the clerk who recharged game passes. As you hand, your premium pass to make sure it was accepted here you ask. “Hey, what’s going on? I thought there was a tournament here. Seems a bit more packed than usual.”

The man behind the counter nods excitedly. “Yeah! This one chick came in and started challenging everyone. No one’s been able to beat her. She’s offering big bucks if anyone can beat her in a match, challenger’s choice of game. Tourney is still gonna go on but everyone kind of got swept up in the hype. She’s on like a 30 win streak right now.”

You tilt your head. Challenges like this weren’t uncommon in here but it was generally considered to be pretty damn rude to do it during a tournament. It threw players off their game if they lost and took away attention from the actual tournament. That wasn’t to say there wasn’t the occasional warm up matches but when money comes in, it starts to fuck with the players.

“You gonna challenge her too?” The clerk asks. You think about it for a moment.

>Well what does Reiko want to do.
>Sure! You’ve always liked competing against the best players you could find. Helped you keep your edge. Plus they were offering a cash prize.
>Nah, you were here for the tournament. Not some kid who thought they were hot shit.
>Neither, go find another tournament. This one seems to packed and someone hogging the spotlight means that everyone else would be off their game. It’s no fun taking money from people who weren’t going all out.

Guess who we just bumped in to!

>>3911892
>>Nah, you were here for the tournament. Not some kid who thought they were hot shit.

>>3911892
>Nah, you were here for the tournament. Not some kid who thought they were hot shit.

>>3911892
>Nah, you were here for the tournament. Not some kid who thought they were hot shit.
How old is Nico supposed to be? My google fu can't turn up a character age for her

>>3911897
>>3911907
Joining the tournament. The challenge was probably rigged or something. 30 winstreak? Pfft. Only you could get that kind of a run. Writing.

>>3911923
Wiki says she went pro at 12. Considering she was in her last year of highscool I think at the end of Ex-Aid I'm guessing 17-18? So about a year or two younger than Reiko.

You shake your head. “Nah, I’ll pass. I just want to join the tournament. I’m not about all that gamer glory stuff.” You say waving your hand. “We doing double elimination bracket?” You ask as you sign in.

The clerk nods and takes your entry fee before his face blanching. “Y-you, you’re her!” He whispers excitedly. “You’re Pro Gamer R! In my store…” He squeals in glee.

You wave your hands hurriedly. “Hey! Keep it down!” You say. “I don’t really want anymore attention than I’m gonna get.” You say grumpily. “I think we got enough of that already.” You say jabbing your thumb at the crowd.

The man nods. “Right! Right! But can I have your autograph?” He whispers. You nod and quickly scribble out your name on a blank pass and hand it to him. “Thanks!” He says, his eyes practically popping out with glee. “Here let me show you to the tournament area. We even set up a small stage for the final round.” He explains pointing to a raised area in the center of the arcade.

You nod politely and follow him. It was all standard stuff, save for the stage but you didn’t want to seem rude. The man leads you to a small back room lined with monitors and set ups. You take a seat and wait for other players to come in.

After a while players start to trickle in, some looking defeated, some looking excited but all of them talking about the event going out in the main hall. One of them takes a seat next to you, a tall lanky man with short hair. “Hey.” He says as he pulls out his fight stick.

You nod politely at him and continued to survey the area. It was an odd sensation being here. Did any of these people know the danger they were in as long as they lived in the city? You wonder if this was what it felt to be one of those conspiracy nuts. Knowing secrets hidden to the public. Only in your case, they were real.

“Hey did you take on Nicco?” He asks eagerly. You look at him in surprise.

“Nicco? Pro Gamer N is here?” You ask shocked. He nods giddily.

“Yeah, dude she’s great! She’s kicking everyone’s ass.” He says.

“No, I didn’t know. I just wanted to play in the tournament. That whole thing seemed to...I dunno egoistic?” You say.

The man shrugs. “I mean if I was that good, I’d totally show off. Do you think you can beat her?” He asks curious.

>Well anons? Does Reiko think she can beat Nicco?
>Yeah, you’re Pro Gamer R. If you wanted to, you could.
>Probably? You’re not cocky enough to assume anything. That’s how you won your tournaments. You never underestimated anyone. Least of all now that you’re a Kamen Rider.
>Shrug. You don’t really care either way but you weren’t going to make a show about it.
>No. You don't really feel confident right now. Technically it's an option but we all know Reiko is the true Gamer Girl.

1d20 to see how well you do! You got a nice +5 because you're a genius gamer. Who does Reiko main in Tekken? Personally I like Geese.

Rolled 1 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>3911993
>Probably? You’re not cocky enough to assume anything. That’s how you won your tournaments. You never underestimated anyone. Least of all now that you’re a Kamen Rider.
Our Reiko is a level headed girl when she's not being corrupted by the photogashats of doom.

>>3911997
The blessings of God don't extend to videogames, apparently.

Rolled 1 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>3911993
>Shrug. You don’t really care either way but you weren’t going to make a show about it.

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>>3912026
>>3911997

>>3911997
>>3912026
We goaded the God! We shouldn't have done that! I regret everything!

I'll give it a roll in about 10 mintues. 2 nat 1s...

Rolled 16 + 5 (1d20 + 5)

>>3911993
>Probably? You’re not cocky enough to assume anything. That’s how you won your tournaments. You never underestimated anyone. Least of all now that you’re a Kamen Rider.

>>3912054
Fuck, still overridden. That encounter with Parado screwed us.

>>3912054
Behold this absolute hero of justice.

>>3912059
>Overidden
iirc crit overides aren't a thing anymore? But then again it's two nat 1s...

>>3912059
>>3912062
Nat 1s don't override. If you somehow manage to roll three nat 1s then yeah we're having problems. Double nat 1s is crazy but I'm not gonna screw you over for it. Will definitely go back to thinking about trying d100 or something though.

>>3912065
>Double nat1s + good roll
>Reiko kicks ass at the gaming tournament
>Bugster busts through arcade wall straight after

>d100
Honestly I think we're doing pretty okay with the no crit overide on the d20s? Having otherwise good rolls get overidden because of a sole nat 1s is annoying, but if we legit roll 3 times in a row then we just gotta accept it.

>>3912075
*Legit roll LOW 3 times in a row, rather

>>3912075
>Parado busts through arcade wall straight after
There fixed it for ya.

>>3912084
I'll be down for it. Might prompt Snipe to finally make an apperance in this quest (assuming Nico has him on speedial)

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You shrug. “Probably? I’ve never gone up against her. Only heard stories.” You say. “She’s one of the best so I guess anything can happen.”

The man seems disappointed in your answer probably expecting some kind of debate. “Oh...well I guess that’s true. But that must mean you think you’re pretty good if you think you have a chance of winning, huh?”

“I think I’m pretty good. I just don’t go playing thinking I can beat everyone. Helps so I don’t get taken by surprise.” You admit as you pull out your own fight stick. “Anyways. Good luck.” You say as you see the organizer walk in with the brackets.

“Alright, listen up guys! We got first round between...uhh...Reiko Yukihara and DanHibikiMain…” The organizer says. The room goes quiet and you feel yourself facepalm. You had gotten so used signing your name on hospital documents that you had simply just signed in as your name.

“Yo...did he say Reiko?”

“Nah can’t be.”

“They’re both here?”

The myriad of whispers rise around the room as everyone angles their head and try to find you. You get up and go meet your opponent. He sits next you and measures you up. “So...you really Pro Gamer R?” He asks. You nod glumly, here you were hoping to keep a low profile. “Weird, I thought you’d be..I dunno...bigger?” He says making motions over his chest. You blush red and glare at him.

“Just fucking play…” You grumble as you plug your fight stick in. The match was a breeze. The guy didn’t really have a concept of guarding or teching out of throws. You almost felt bad about it...almost. You had to hold back a bit just to give the guy a chance to play but ultimately it was off to the loser’s bracket.

“Fucking flat chested bitch…” He mumbles as he walks away. You glare daggers at his back before moving to your next opponent. As the tournament progresses your opponents started to slowly match up to your skills and you had to put some effort into the fights.

A small crowd starts to gather around you as you continue through the brackets. The tournament was pretty easy but more importantly you were enjoying yourself a bit. Much like when your family came to visit, you forgot about your problems as the sound of buttons clicking and fists flying filled the air.

“Dude she’s wrecking everyone.”

“Did she make deal with Nicco?”

“Naw, Nicco fucking hates everyone.”

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The finals arrived with you on the top. The crowd follows you as the organizer leads you and your last opponent to the stage chanting your name. “Reiko! Reiko! Reiko!” You wave politely at everyone and they cheer. You never did get used to being put on a pedestal like this. You just wanted to have fun and while winning was the best experience, you were just there to hang out with people who enjoyed games like you. Shame some people didn’t see it that way.

You final fight was intense, you had stuck with Geese Howard and your opponent had decided to stick with Akuma meaning that the match was going to full of projectiles. Granted your character also had projectiles by they were slower and took you longer to launch them

The match was slow, as you two poked at each other’s defenses, kicking here and there or launching a fireball to test reflexes. You two had managed to time out the round but once the second round rolled in you both ran at one another and began pushing for launchers and combos. It was a back and forth with each mistake costing one of you a 4th or 3rd of your health.

Walls were particularly deadly. Getting caught against one meant your opponent could slam you into it and increasing your stunlock. The best of players could abuse this to fully drain their opponent's health. You had gotten caught once or twice there but managed to tech out of it and roll away.

As you chipped away at each other’s health, you go for a hail mary and throw out a counter just in time for your opponent to be in the middle of a jumping kick. You catch him and slam him into the ground! The crowd roars as the round ends with your victory. They chant your name, clap and wave their hands. Anything to catch your attention.

You were in the zone however, and their voices were faint as you settle in for the final round. It was an absolute slugfest as you both trade blows and try to trip each other up with odd combos. You had one advantage over your opponent and that was versatility. Throughout the match you had noticed that while your opponent was good, he was mostly relying on guides and premade combos. All his moves were standard and well known meaning you could anticipate and react to what he could do. He was so used to the routine that he couldn’t go outside the box when he really needed too.

Finally you land the telling blow and knock his Akuma out. The game announces it’s usual “Geese Howard, Wins!” and the crowd explodes in excitement. You wave politely again and you’re about to leave when you heard someone shout over the crowd, “Hey! I challenge you! You can’t just come here and not fight me!”

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A young girl marches her way through the crowd, dragging an older man with white highlights in his hair. Or rather he was trying to drag her away and failing. “Taiga let go! I’m gonna challenge her.” She says slapping him away. You feel a twinge in your gut as that behavior seems too familiar.

The girl huffs and stomps up to the stage. “You think you’re so good just because you won? I challenge you!” She says pointing dramatically at you. “Right here right now!”

The crowd “oooohh”s and excitement fills the air once more. You sigh a bit and face Nicco. “Yeah that’s right! I heard what everyone was saying. That the new Pro Gamer was here. Well I’m here to show them that only me and M are the best.”

You think you can feel a headache coming on. You take a cleansing breath before answering.

>Fuck, we too good. What does Reiko say?
>Take her challenge. It’s more money you can win and besides. You’d get to choose the game.
>Tell her that if she wanted to challenge you, then she should have just joined the tournament like everyone else instead of trying to make a show of it.
>Simply say no. You actually want to talk to Taiga. If you remember right, he was once part of CR.

>>3912149
>Simply say no. You actually want to talk to Taiga. If you remember right, he was once part of CR.
THERE HE BE

>Nico is showing the same quirks protogashat possessed Reiko is
Huh, is this due to her trying and failing to use bang bang shooting + developing game syndrome? Or a side effect of her being a ride player? Or is it just her being naturally annoying? The chronicle gashats fucking with their users might be part of the reason why tons of people are still playing the game even though the death rumors must be building...

>>3912184
This is where I'm a bad QM because I love explaining lore lol. But she's just naturally childish. Was in the show, before and after using bang bang shooting and getting cured. I thought I'd keep her the same to be a foil for reiko but that implies I'm competent enough to pull it off. I'd love to say more but it's a fault as a QM I have even in my irl groups. I just like to explain everything so I'm bad a mystery. Also my phone seems to be banned for posting in another board?

>>3912204
>You feel a twinge in your gut as that behavior seems too familiar.

Honestly this was the line that made me ????, because it implied that you were trying to draw a link between what happened with Reiko and how Nico was acting now?

Without that line yeah i'd just write it off as Nico being Nico. She's pretty childish in the show.

>>3912149
>Simply say no. You actually want to talk to Taiga. If you remember right, he was once part of CR.

>>3912210
Oh yeah. Nicco is reminding Reiko of her personality when it shifted from using the protogashat in the fact Reiko was being bratty and annoying. It's a "oh shit. I was like that." Kind of deal.

Basically being reminded that she was being a brat to hiiro and as a reminder of the effect being a rider had on her.

Reiko doesn't know that nicco plays chronicle so she can't make the assumption that nicco is acting like that due to a gashat. Thought should she find out she can certainly make that connection even if it is wrong

The foil is that nicco is naturally bratty and annoying and Reiko is not unless something is wrong which I think they tried to do in the show with emu.

>>3912216
>>3912184
We're talking to taiga! Writing.

>>3912149
>Simply say no. You actually want to talk to Taiga. If you remember right, he was once part of CR.

“No thanks.” You say shaking your head politely. The crowd gasps as they begin to talk amongst themselves. You ignore the chatter as you make your way through the crowd to Taiga. He was leaning against a pillar eyeing you intently. His steely eyes measure you up as you approach.

“I don’t play video games. That’s her job.” He says nodding towards a screaming Nicco. You shake your head.

“Not here to ask you to fight. That’s what the tournament was for.” You reply simply. “I’m here to talk to you about CR.”

Taiga slowly straightens up and puts his hands on his pocket. “What do you know about Cyber Rescue?” He asks cautiously. You hold up your hands in a sign of peace.

“We’re rebuilding. I wanted to know if you’d like to join us again.” You explain. “We’re trying to stop Chronicle. Hiiro says you used to work together.”

Taiga snorts and looks away. “The doctor said that did he? You can tell him I said ‘No thank you’ to his invitation. I’ll do things my own way.” You frown. Hiiro nor Poppy really did talk about Taiga’s personality so you weren’t sure what to expect. Loner wasn’t what you expected.

“But we could use your help. We can’t succeed unless we band together. Especially since there’s only Two...well maybe three Riders right now.” You explain. Taiga gives you a confused look.

“Three? None of us have out weapons anymore. So I wouldn’t count any of your group as Riders. Besides, unless you somehow found Emu, only Hiiro and I are qualified to be Riders.” He says. “This is the time to pretend to be some kind of hero to save the city.”

“Well...about that…” You say rubbing the back of your head.

>What does Reiko say?
>Tell Taiga that Hiiro has his stuff back, and that Poppy is also going to be a Rider thanks to Kuroto’s help.
>Tell Taiga that you’re a Rider and you’re trying to get everyone’s stuff back...even if you’re currently not able to change.
>Ask him if he’s not gonna join CR then what he plans to do. The way he talks implies he has a plan of his own.

>>3912327
>“This is the time to pretend to be some kind of hero to save the city.”
Isn't is what I meant to write.

>>3912327
>Tell Taiga that Hiiro has his stuff back, and that Poppy is also going to be a Rider thanks to Kuroto’s help.

>>3912327
>Tell Taiga that Hiiro has his stuff back, and that Poppy is also going to be a Rider thanks to Kuroto’s help

>>3912327
>Provoke the Loner

Well, if he's not interested in getting involved with Cyber Rescue, I suppose he has time to stumble about in the dark and guess. If he was really all that, he'd already know, right?

Maybe pass along that there's some player out there with his old equipment, but that we wouldn't recommend trying to reclaim it with a Ride Player.

We don't really need his acknowledgement, but with a little directing he can still be useful on his own initiative. If our guys can't find the Kamen Rider with Bang Bang Shooting, maybe Nico will (and be useful for a change).

>>3912354
Actually, I guess that fits within the purview of
>Ask him if he's not gonna join CR then what he plans to do. The way he talks implies he has a plan of his own.

>>3912348
>>3912346
Alright tell him Poppy is gonna be a Rider and Hiiro has his stuff.
>>3912354
We can throw a bit of this in there too actually. Writing.

“Hiiro have his Driver and Gashat back...and Poppy is going to be a rider too?” You say sheepishly. Tiaga looks at you like you’ve gone mad.

“Poppy? The bugster? With what Driver?” He asks. You chew your lip and fidget. “Well...I kind of goaded Kuroto into doing it.” Taiga’s eyes practically pop out of his skull. “Dan...Kuroto?! Explain.” He says in a strangled voice. You gulp.

“Uhh...well, he kind of isn’t? Like he and Poppy appeared when we plugged a Driver into the arcade machine at CR.” You explain. “He’s kinda...crazy but he seems like he can still do stuff.” You say.

Taiga crosses his arms. “It sounds like you’ve been busy.” He admits. You give him a small grin.

“So you’ll join?” You ask.

“No. Like I said, I have my own plans. If Hiiro asks, Tell him I’m the only Kamen Rider this city needs.” He says turning to leave. “Nicco!” He calls out and begins to leave.

“Hey wait!” You say catching up to him. “Listen, someone in the city must have your stuff. Genm Corp is using your stuff for Chronicle. Give us some time. We can get your stuff back.” You plead.

Taiga doesn’t face you. “I know. And I’m ready.” He replies holding up a familiar Gashat.

「Kamen Rider Chronicle 」

You gasp and attempt to stop him. To tell him that it’s too dangerous to even attempt but Nicco shoves you aside. “We’re not gonna lose to the likes of you!” The taunts and sticks her tongue out before running after Taiga.

You sigh, and get up. This was insane. Taiga of all people should know that fighting with Chronicle Ride armor would be a bad idea. You think it’s best you head back to CR and let everyone know what happened. You collect your winnings and spend a few minutes signing autographs for a few of the tourney goers so you don’t look like some kind of pub stomper before excusing yourself and making your way back to the hospital.

At NCR...

“Hen-shin~!” Poppy announces as she slots in her Gashat into a BugVisor.

Buggle Up!

Poppy emerges fully armored as Kuroto emerges from a pile of papers, wires, and keyboards. “Reiiikoo! It’s complete!” he rasps as you make your way upstairs. “Are you not convinced of my divinity!?”

Kuroto cackles and throws everything on the floor to stand on the table. “I am a God! Behold Kamen Rider Poppy! Bearer of the Toki Meki Crisis Gashat! She’ll rain ruination upon my foes! Go and DESTROY THEM!”

You give Kuroto an exasperated look and give Poppy a hug. “You did it! See I told you we could make you a Rider!” You says smiling. “And we’re gonna need all the help we can get.”

“Heathen! I was my hands that created the BugVisor Mk. II!” Kuroto shouts jumping down from the table. You roll your eyes.

“Yeah, yeah.” You say. “Thanks Kuroto. I mean it.” You say clapping him on the shoulder.

Kuroto smirks. “Yes, it’s only natural you’d see the error of your ways.”

You shrug realizing there really wasn’t any way around it. “Where’s Hiiro? I got some news and I think we all need to hear it.”

“I’m here.” Hiiro says walking up the stairs wearing hospital scrubs, drenched in sweat. “You left.” He says looking at you. You think you can hear some worry in his voice.

“I left a note.” You reply nervously.

“You should have messaged my phone. I couldn’t come down here until now so I couldn’t read it.” He replies. You’re about argue when he just waves it away. “Next time just text me. So I know where you are in case you need help. I’m sure you just wanted to stretch your legs after being cooped up for a few days.” He adds quietly. You nod quietly. “Did you discover anything while you were out?”

“I found Taiga. He was with some other girl.” You say Poppy and Hiiro perk up at the news. “I tried to invite him to join us but he declined.” You continue. “He said he had his own plans. He knows about Genm Corp giving players the Drivers.” Kuroto unleashes a screech at being reminded about the Driver situation.

“I think he’s planning on trying to get his Gashat back by using Chronicle. He has a copy.” You finish worried.

Poppy fidgets and hops nervously. “But, but Rider Players aren’t equipped to take on Kamen Riders. What do we do?”

You think about it for a bit, wondering what to do.