Re;birth Hacker

Restart: Lost In Ultradimension

Gamindustri...A land over which CPUs rule and Game Mascots rally under them, away from the realm of humans. Gamindustri is made up of four nations, each ruled over by one of the CPUs. CPU White Heart rules Lowee. CPU Black Heart rules Lastation. Green Heart rules Leanbox. And, CPU Purple Heart rules Planeptune. Each nation battles over dominion of the land, with the CPUs keeping one another in top form, creating a balance. Memories of the battle against the Deity of Sin and her schemes remain fresh in Gamindustri's mind... The four nations banded together and managed to thwart her ambitions. But...you already know this. Welcome everyone, to Re;birth Hacker Part 3. What? No one used to fourth wall breaks, yet? I'm only doing this because the Author couldn't afford a proper narrator. Anyways...Some time had passed, and Gamindustri had once again returned to a peaceful way of life. That peace did not last long. The curtains rise on the four CPUs, who are about to trigger a new war...

The CPUs stood in a dark room, lit by the cybernetic markings etched into the walls. The three CPUs surrounded Purple Heart, White Heart summoning her axe. "We won't let you have your frickin' way!" Black Heart summons her rapier. "I hope you can entertain me a little bit." Green Heart summons her spear. "You should feel honoured...to be able to face me!" Purple Heart sighs. "Alright, I'll play with you for a minute. Come get it!" White Heart charges at Purple Heart, swinging her axe in a Tanzerin Trombe. Purple Heart leaps over the axe, summoning her sword and slashing at White Heart, who blocks with her axe as Black Heart comes in from behind them. Black Heart slashes at Purple Heart, who had her sword locked with White Heart's axe. Purple Heart lets go of her sword as it disappears, and ducks back as Black Heart's blade passes by her head. Green Heart comes in with her spear and starts jabbing at Purple Heart, who jumps back into the air, so Green Heart hits Black Heart instead. Purple Heart smirks down to the two, as White Heart comes up from behind and slams Purple Heart to the ground with the blunt side of her axe. Black Heart was waiting for Purple Heart, and jabbed her with the blunt edge of her blade as she fell, sending her flying into the wall. Green Heart approaches Purple Heart as she attempts to stand. "It is high time you receive your comeuppance, Purple Heart--No... Neptune!" ~ "How careless of me... to think the three of you would join forces..." Black Heart shrugs. "Oh, come on. It only makes sense at this point to lower the head count one at a time like this." White Heart nods. "It'd be a pain if you end up being the last one standing, so we're gonna beat you down first!" Purple Heart grits her teeth, trying to stand. "Tch, if only Nepgear were here... I shouldn't have abandoned her!" White Heart raises her axe. "A bit late for regrets now. Get ready to die!" Green Heart walks up to Purple Heart. "Please rest assured, Neptune. We won't torture you. Expect a swift and clean death." Black Heart points her rapier at Purple Heart. "Leave the finishing blow for me!" Purple Heart finally manages to stand, using her sword to keep her balance. "I'll never lose. Even against the three of you, I will be victorious!" She activates her wings and rises into the air, raising her sword high. "32-bit Mega Blade!" The three CPUs dive out of the way as the megablade drives itself into the ground where they stood. White Heart leaps into the air, slamming Purple Heart back down onto the ground, as Green Heart runs up, jabbing her multiple times with Rainy Ratnapura. Purple Heart is launched back, just as Black Heart activates a Lace Ribbon Dance, tearing into Purple Heart from behind, sending the purple goddess crashing to the ground. Purple Heart tries to reach for her sword, which was lying on the ground just a few feet away. She manages to grab the handle just as the sword bursts into pixels. Purple Heart pounds the ground with her fist. "N-No.. This cannot be... Is this...where I finally die...? It...can't be..."

Neptune throws her controller on the ground. "Nooo! I lost, you guys!" Vert smirks. "Hmhmhmm. One down, two to go. Victory is all but mine." Noire shakes her head. "Get real. With Neptune out of the game, none of you stand a chance against me." Neptune sits back on the couch. "C'mon, it sucks when you all gang up on me just 'cuz I'm awesome! You're all cheater belly-eaters!" Blanc sighs. "What a rude accusation to make. We all inadvertently had the same goal in mind." Vert looks to Neptune. "Times like this should give you a glimpse into who you are as a person and how you act in your daily life." Nepgear, who was at the back of the room with a plate of sweets and tea, sighs. "Aww... I really wanted to play, too..." Neptune turns to Nepgear. "I'm as sorry as a cat, Nep Jr. It's a four-player game, so..." Noire smirks. "You received your comeuppance for barging in when it was your sister's turn." I look over from the table I was sitting at, enjoying a nice cup of coffee. "You literally kicked open the door and pushed Nepgear out of her seat. It was quite entertaining." Neptune pouts. "I didn't do it like that..." Blanc nods. "You might as well had. Just a second. I'll win this round real quick." Neptune picks up her controller again. "Okay, one more game! If I let you all win every time, it'll make Planeptune's CPU look like a loser!" I take a sip of my coffee. "I'm gonna tell her." Nepgear lightly slaps my shoulder, trying to contain her laughter. Neptune points at the screen. "Round two, fight!" The screen stays still on the player select screen. Neptune tilts her head. "Huh...?" Vert looks at the screen. "The battle is not initiating. What is this buggy screen?" Blanc looks to Neptune. "Only Purple Heart is showing up. None of ours are even loading... Neptune, did you break the game?" ~ "I did nothing of the sort! I selected my titular character and pushed the START button like always." Noire looks to the others. "Then it's a freeze bug, no? I have this game myself, but I've never had this happen to me. And the place it loaded your character into... It looks like a dungeon, doesn't it?" Blanc inspects it and nods. "Now that you mention it, it does. Why would there be data for a dungeon in a fighting game?" Vert looks to Noire. "Perhaps the developers reused an old engine and the assets were left in, or an update file was installed? Neptune, can you control your character at all?" ~ "I've been mashing all the buttons the whole time you've been talking, but, uh, she's stuck." ~ "I see. As a gamer, I would love to explore this restricted area, but at this rate..." Nepgear walks up to them. "Oh, if that's all it is, then I have the perfect gizmo to help! Ta-da! My special head-mounted super full-dive immersive controller! I call it the Nepulus Grift (temp)!" Noire looks at the headset in Nepgear's hands. "A controller you wear on your head? It looks like any other VR headset. What's different about this one?" Vert gasps. "C-Could this be the device that we have all dreamed of? Does it allow you to dive into a game by wearing it?!" Nepgear nods. "Yes! A certain Gamindustri journalist recommended a young-adult novel about online game worlds to me. I had to try! And since the controller doesn't have its own software, I made a universal dongle to let it work with any device! Um, long story short, we can use it to intervene in a game whether it's bugged or frozen or anything, really." Noire leans over to Neptune. "Neptune. Since when has your sister been this much of a machine-loving and tinkering character?" ~ "Nep Jr.'s machine fetish was innocent enough that it didn't get in the way of her cuteness! How'd it end up this way?! Wait! Is it because of the new route they added into Re;birth2 where she and Uni worked on a machine together?! Is this entire sub-plot based on that one route where her tinkering really took off?!" Noire snaps. "Don't ask me! And leave my sister out of this!" Vert looks to Nepgear. "Nepgear, may I please use that device to dive into this game?" ~ "Um, well, I just finished development on it this morning. It's untested, so I don't think anyone can use it..." ~ "I see. In that case... Hrmph!" Vert takes the headset out of Nepgear's hands and places it on Neptune's head. "Whoa! Lights out! What's happening?!" Nepgear looks to Vert. "What the goodness, Vert! I just said it hadn't been tested yet! What are you doing?!" ~ "As Purple Heart is shown on-screen, I believe Neptune's standing as the protagonist will keep her safe." Blanc sighs. "The logic of a gamer." Noire shakes her head. "Don't blame me if something happens." Vert looks around the headset. "Let me see... Is this the headset's start button? Aaaaand...push!" On the screen, Purple Heart starts moving. "Hey, hey, hey! What sort of situational comedy situation have you situated me in, Vert?! But, uh, this could be a cool thing to experience. So this is what it's like to be inside a game, huh...?" Vert cheers. "Dive success!" Nepgear sighs in relief. "Oh, thank goodness." Noire looks to the screen. "Still, what a ridiculous scenario. She looks like her HDD form, but her personality and voice is Neptune's." Purple Heart looks at herself. "Oh, you're right. Wow, is this my body after transforming?! I never noticed! Yippee-skippee! This is totally a new experience for me! Wheeeee!" Blanc turns away from the screen. "This is too weird. Neptune, can you just...act like your HDD self for me?" ~ "I dunno if I can or not, but I'll give it a try, try, passersby!" Purple Heart clears her throat. "How does this sound?" She actually succeeds in sounding like her HDD persona. Blanc shrugs. "I figured there was nothing to lose by asking, but I never thought you'd manage to pull it off." Noire sighs. "Okay, this feels more natural. Neptune, can you move around?" Purple Heart moves her arms and walks a few feet, then proceeds to jump up and down. "As you can see, my movement is not restricted in the slightest. Nep Jr., I am impressed. This feels real." Nepgear giggles to herself. "Oh golly! My big sister praised me! Ehehe, yay...!" Purple Heart sighs. "However, remaining in this form and using this personality is quite tiresome." Somehow, Purple Heart drops out of HDD. Neptune stretches her arms. "Ohhhh snappy snap! Its way more comfy to laze about in this bod." Surprised Nepgear is surprised. "What?! You changed back somehow!" Vert nods. "Of course she did. This fighting game has an HDD transformation system as one of its mechanics." Blanc looks to the screen. "Anything is possible in games." Neptune exhales. "Welp, now that I'm back to my usual carefree self, let's start this investigation, free of cares!" Neptune starts exploring the dungeon, cutting down any enemies she comes across, all while the group watches from the safety of the couch. Neptune looks around. "Seriously, you guys, what's up with this place?" Noire shrugs. "It's a bugged area, isn't it? Either that, or it's a different game's dungeon assets mixed in." ~ "Do you think? Something's buggering me, though." Nepgear looks to the screen. "Be careful, Neptune! Something's coming your way!" ~ "My way? But there can't be anything here other than my fine self." Immediately after that, a loud roar shakes the dungeon. "It's a succulent beast!!!! Wh-What is this thing?! Was this ever in one of our games?!" Vert shakes her head. "No. No such monster exists in the Neptunia franchise." Blanc looks to the screen. "An irregular existence... Either it's a bug, or some kind of virus in the game's code..." Nepgear nods. "A virus? I suppose it's possible. Maybe the area Neptune's exploring was made by that same virus, then." Vert looks to the screen. "It is a tad hasty to jump to that conclusion, but... If the enemy is intent on fighting, so shall it be." Neptune sweatdrops. "H-Hang on! We don't even know what this thing is! Can I even beat it?!" Noire looks to the screen. "You're in a game. It'll be fine." ~ "Why are you acting so casual and vague now, of all times?! If I lose, I might seriously die! Die in the game, die in real life! That kind of horror premise exists!" Nepgear wasn't listening. "Oh, oh! Maybe if you fight it, I can extract some really neato combat data from the game's code!" Blanc nods. "Perfect." Neptune snaps. "Are you gabbing gals even listening?! Are you lippy ladies ignoring me?! Can't you flippant females hear me?!" Nepgear nods. "Okey-dokey, I've connected my N-Gear to the headset. I should be able to extract the enemy's data now." Vert looks to the screen. "You heard the plan, Neptune. Get fighting!" ~ "Gaaaah! Fine, I'm gonna use my attack-spamming suicide strategy!" I flip through the pages of a book I'm reading. "...Don't hurt yourself..." Neptune summons her katana and runs forwards, striking the first enemy and defeating it. The second enemy tries to get an attack out, but is immediately silenced by Neptune's drop kick. "Oh. That was easier than eating. It's worth it to try stuff out! Did you get your data, Nep Jr.?" ~ "Yes! It went perfect, thanks to you. Hmm... So, this is the data structure they used... What the goodness?!" Vert looks to Nepgear. "What is the matter, Nepgear? Is the data corrupt?" ~ "No, no. The data is perfectly fine, and I've analyzed it without issue. But...um... Well, this is..." Noire snaps a look at Nepgear. "Gah! Annoying. Just spit it out already!" ~ "Your opponent is a sentient virus..." Vert looks to Nepgear. "When you say virus, you speak of the computer kind, and not an illness, yes?" ~ "Right. I don't know why it exists, but I'm positive it's behind the reason why our game got messed up. The virus seems to have built this dungeon area via a network connection." Blanc looks to the others. "I read something similar to this in a book years ago." Shocked Neptune is shocked. "Crazycakes! You're telling me that it's the virus' fault that my sweet battling CPUs game got all buggy?! Expect. No. Forgiveness." Noire sweatdrops. "N-Neptune seems legitimately angry, for once." ~ "Well, duh! I scrimped and saved my measly allowance for many moons to buy the game and console, so this sucks!" Blanc looks at the screen. "Your...allowance...?" Nepgear looks to Blanc. "If Neptune has uncontrolled access to money, she buys every game she sees... So Histy put her on an allowance..." Noire sighs. "Planeptune's CPUs are so weird." ~ "Sounds familiar" I retort, flicking a red brick open like a key and hitting the button. "Wing!" Noire deanpans. "Scratch that...You're all weird..." Neptune fistpumps. "Okay, it's settled! I'm gonna do the quarantine thing and delete them all! Any more baddies around, Nep Jr.?" ~ "I'm scanning the data, and I'm seeing a lot in the vicinity. But...um, I mean a LOT. This might be tough, even for you." ~ "Numbers aren't important to me! A CPU won't bend or break against some dinky dingus of a virus!" Noire sighs. "If she had this drive all the time, Histoire probably wouldn't get so many stomach ulcers from the stress." I give Neptune a thumbs up, imitating a certain talking belt. "Nice Drive!" Nepgear looks back to her N-Gear. "Wait, my N-Gear is reacting..." Noire looks to Nepgear. "What is it this time?" ~ "One super strong reaction came through the far end of the dungeon area. Maybe it's the root of the virus!" Neptune pounds her fists together. "Nicely analyzed, my tech-savvy tinkerer of a sister! I'm gonna vent all my rage onto them for breaking my game!!!"