Saving the Human Order with Chat(FGO/Pokémon)

"Oh right… I forgot we were being watched by thousands of people from another world," Romani said with a nervous chuckle.

The sudden ping noise had become a common occurrence ever since Ritsuka revealed the existence of his powers to Chaldea, but unlike hearing it come from a screen like they had in Fuyuki, this was the first time many staff members had heard it while they were actually in the vicinity. Many of them were looking around nervously for a hidden camera, but it was hard to pinpoint due to the sound coming from everywhere at once.

A certain glasses-wearing girl with black hair tied into twin-tails in particular looked a bit more fidgety than the rest of the group. 

While everyone else was more focused on the sudden noise coming out of nowhere and the prickling feeling of being watched, Da Vinci herself was more in awe of the voice's message. She, alongside many in Chaldea, believed the last master of humanity's "Twitch" powers were just a unique brand of illusion magecraft that had been triggered by the stress of being kidnapped from his home.

That was until she read the reports on his physicals that were monitored during the singularity. The only instances of him using any form of magical energy were whenever he used his Command Seals or summoned his Servants to form a contract with them.

But whenever his Twitch power was active, which was all the time, the devices in Chaldea didn't pick anything up. The only thing that was picked up was an unknown foreign energy source that resembled Od, but wasn't. It never fluctuated, and it was rather miniscule, but it was there.

This Twitch power… it was something completely different.

And now that things had calmed down and Ritsuka, or Gudao as his "chat" and now she lovingly referred to him as, was safe within the walls of Chaldea, she would be able to study him and his powers to her heart's content. And maybe tease him a bit during the process, but she was getting off-topic.

Her eyes went to Mash and saw the young girl looking at, in her point of view, empty space with surprise. But she knew better, everyone with a working set of ears and eyes knew better.

Da Vinci might not know how exactly his power worked the way it did, but it was based on a human made invention, so she knew what rules it followed. Even so, she still had to ask.

"Mash, what do you see?"

Mash was taken by surprise and she flinched at the call of her name, likely because she wasn't used to being addressed by Da Vinci herself, but she quickly composed herself and turned to answer the woman. "It would seem like Senpai's Twitch powers have assigned a username to me, then added me as a member of chat."

Da Vinci's eyes and smile widened with glee at the new development."Fascinating!! So what username did it give you?"

The young Kirielight furrowed her brows as she read the contents of the box aloud. "MashuMellows."

"Huh. Oddly enough, it fits. You are fluffy and sweet, after all," Da Vinci teased, and it proved effective as the girl blushed and denied her claims with a frantic but adorable voice.

However, that interaction was cut-short when Mash's expression changed once more, this time into a more pensive one, as she looked back to the box that Da Vinci, or the rest of the normal humans, couldn't see.

[Do you wish to disable your "Servant Dreams" to chat? (If you choose this option, Chat will be unable to see the contents of Ritsuka's dream sequence when you are involved.) (YES) (NO)]

Without hesitation, Mash clicked on the "Yes" button.

"Did something else happen?" Da Vinci asked with a bit more restrained excitement due to how serious Mash had turned when she read the message.

"It asked me if I wanted to disable chat from seeing Senpai's Servant Dreams about me. I chose yes."

[Can't blame her for her choice, I wouldn't want people looking into my dreams either. ]

"Ah, I see." Da Vinci nodded in understanding, "While we Heroic Spirits are used to the spotlight on our personal lives by our legends, it's a different story having thousands of people react to them at once,especially since it's a sacred connection meant only for a Master and Servant." 

[Spectator Mode: OFF. TTS and all other features have been enabled.]

[GudakoBot: In the safety of Chaldea, TTS messages and other future features that cost bits will be half off. Even so, be responsible, and don't spam the airspace with nonsense, or else you will be timed out and your money will not be refunded.]

["MalasadaMayhem donated 50 bits"]

["Give us a break. It wasn't our fault that Gudao's stream decided to show us intimate moments of someone's lives. We literally got dragged along for the ride when Gudao was kidnapped and have no say in what happens,except stop watching. Something which a lot of us were planning to do when more Servant Dreams occurred."]

A dark-skinned woman with a hair bun perked up at the mention of Malasada, though she still seemed a bit wary of the robotic voice talking to Da Vinci.

The woman who modeled her body after the Mona Lisa hummed, "then I apologize for assuming the worst of you and the chatters, Mr. Malasada."

Ritsuka furrowed his brows in confusion when he heard Da Vinci's response to the TTS message, "that reminds me, Da Vinci, why do you use honorifics when you refer to me?"

"Oh, it's just my way of being polite to you, Gudao-kun." The woman then decided to push her two index fingers together like a timid schoolgirl, "If it makes you uncomfortable, I can always call you Mr. Gudao if you wish."

Ritsuka's cheeks reddened, and he looked away from her out of embarrassment, "A-Ah, n-no, I'm fine with the honorifics. I was only curious." he looked back at the woman and smiled, "You can keep calling me using honorifics like you always have."

Da Vinci perked up at his answer, "Very well, if that is what you wish for, Gudao-kun~," she said, shooting him a playful wink. An action which only caused his warm sensation on his cheeks to spread to the rest of his face.

[Oh wow, get a room you two. Not this one, I don't think the others will appreciate seeing you two make babies with each other. ]

[Gotta love Da Vinci's boldness at flirting with Gudao while Mash and the entire staff of Chaldea in the same room. She just barely joined the harem and already is ahead of the rest of the competition. ]

"Ah. The text is going too fast… it's hard to read." Ritsuka's embarrassment drastically cooled down when he heard Mash's words. He focused his attention back on Mash, who looked a bit overwhelmed by the scrolling messages in front of her. Seeing her struggle with reading chat reminded him of the times when he first had to learn to read a chat screen with thousands of comments coming in all at once.

It took him years to get good enough to read chat as fast as he could, even with slow mode on.

Mash had barely joined and thus lacked the necessary skill to keep up with the text.

"Well, I don't know how it happened, but it did. Welcome to my stream, MashuMellows." He gave her a smile, and Mash's face now looked exactly as red as his was when Da Vinci had flirted with him.

"Thank you Senpai, I'll be in your care… but instead of calling me by my full username, just call me Mashu."

"Very well. I'll call you Mashu from now on." His eyes then drifted down to her screen. "Why don't you try typing a message?"

"Can I?"

"Yes… Huh. Now that I think about it, I haven't typed my comment out normally since I left home. I was using discrete chat all this time. Lemme see." Ritsuka went to his own chat screen and pressed on the text box on the bottom. The screen reacted and as soon as he withdrew his finger, a holographic keyboard popped out. "Right, so it still works normally. Try doing what I did and send your first message."

Mash nodded and stared at the floating box with curiosity. She lifted her finger to touch the screen like her Senpai instructed, hesitating for a moment before she clicked on the text box.

A small keyboard, exactly like the one on Senpai's screen, came up. She took a deep breath and began to type out a message.

[MashuMellows: Hello?]

[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): Hihihi!! Welcome to the stream, MashuMellows!! Or should I just start calling you Mashu from now on too?]

[Welcome!!] x1837

[Mashu we love you!!]

[You're so cool!!]

[I love your username!! It's so cute!! And it fits you really well.]

[Well of course it fits,she has a nice pair of marshmallows on her chest.]

[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): Calm down, pervs!! This might be a rogue channel, but I'M STILL A MOD and I WILL ban/time you out if you sexually harass anyone here, especially Gudao's Servants. THIS IS YOUR ONLY WARNING.]

"As I thought. It's still too fast." Mash ended up saying, still barely able to keep up.

"You get used to it," Ritsuka told her with the patience and wisdom of a knight teaching his squire the ways of the sword.

Suddenly, a loud clap brought everyone's attention back to Romani.

"Well, as much as I would love to hear more about Ritsuka's online influencer power, we still have a bit of work we need to do to fix a lot of our systems before we can start summoning again."

Ritsuka and Mash both turned hopeful at the news that they would be able to bring back Chiyome and Gareth, but their excitement was still restrained, since the systems needed to be fixed.

Da Vinci nodded. "True, but do not feel disheartened. Since I am the genius that I am, it shouldn't take me longer than a few hours to get the summoning systems back in shape." She grinned and pulled out a yellow crystal, "especially with this baby helping us out."

The crystal shined and morphed into the shape of a grail.

A Holy Grail.

Ritsuka stared at the holy cup with his mouth agape.

"How did you get that?" Ritsuka asked Da Vinci.

Da Vinci gave them a smile. "That's my question to you, Gudao-kun. Because as soon as you rayshifted out of Fuyuki with Mash, much like Fou, this little trinket was found hitching a ride with you, specifically in one of your pockets."

Ritsuka was taken aback by this news, and no matter how hard he tried to recall the memory, nothing came up. He never bothered to grab the Grail, so how did it get in his pocket when it had been so far away after Lev took it?

Then, his mind wandered back to the sticky note on his smuggled PC that was now installed in his room.

"It was probably the same guy who moved my computer to Chaldea," Ritsuka concluded.

Da Vinci's smug look turned into concern, but she agreed with his answer.

Romani, Mash, and everyone around them just looked confused at their conversation. Da Vinci turned to Romani before he could say anything and said, "I'll provide a report for that at a later time."

Romani knew that something was wrong when he saw Da Vinci being serious.

"Very well. I'll look forward to it." Romani turned back towards Ritsuka and Mash, ready to give them their new orders, but he was interrupted by the sound of chat giving another message, except this time, the content of the message startled not just him, but everyone in earshot.

[Gible_Archeologist donated 3,000 USD to the care package.]

[StevenLikeStones donated 5,000 USD to the Care Package.]

Dozens of messages rang out as tons of people started to chip into the crate for food and medicine that had become an option to donate to. The messages flooded in and after a few seconds of constant donations, GudakoBot declared the results.

[GudakoBot: "Chat has donated $17,112 USD for the Chaldea Food and Medicine Relief Crate. Please claim it during your next summoning."]

"Huh… 17 grand raised in less than a minute, you sure have a lot of generous donors Ritsuka. But I am already spend emotionally, so I will save my freak out at the absurdity of that fact at a later time, but for now, I'll say this," Romani looked around for the camera, but as always, he couldn't see it. So instead, he just said, "Thank you everyone. As the Emergency Director of the Chaldea Security Organization, I would like to offer our sincere thanks and appreciate your support. Once this is over, I will ensure to find a way to repay your kindness."

[Gible_Archeologist: donated 100 bits]

 ["No problem, Romani. A lot of us were desperate to help Gudao. This is just making up for the years we couldn't do so."]

Romani smiled. "Even so, thank you, whoever you are." He then looked at Ritsuka and Mash. "As for you two, just relax. You earned it. Let the rest of us background characters do the cleanup. And no buts, doctor's orders."

Ritsuka and Mash agreed with a "Yes."

✦✧✦

A few hours later

[PerfectlySaneHex: Crap, I missed Gudao's stream! What happened? ]

[WB Hex, here's a summary of what happened when you were passed out on your keyboard. 1. Gudao has his old PC back by the grace of some mysterious benefactor. 

2. We met the heroic spirit of Leonardo Da Vinci, who turned himself into a woman when he was summoned to Chaldea.

3. Gudao then proceeded to rizz her up, which made the waifu counter go up back to 4, and they were on the verge of sex, but Gudao chickened out. ]

[PerfectlySaneHex: Huh?!! (O_O)]

[Oh yeah, and Mash joined the stream. Say hello @MashuMellows!!]

[MashuMellows: Hello! I'm still new to Twitch, but I'll be in your care.]

[PerfectlySaneHex: Oh. Great...]

[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD): Hex, be nice. Mashu has been trying really hard to get used to Twitch the past few hours, she's already getting used to the speed of chat, and she will be able to notice what you say. I've already timed out a few idiots for trying to harass her. Don't think I won't do the same to you just because you've been here for a while. Am I clear? ]

[PerfectlySaneHex: Crystal. But I just want to say, @ MashuMellows, I am the first wife, and I am not backing down just because you live in the same dimension as Gudao's.]

[MashuMellows: First wife???]

[Krystal: Don't pay her any mind, Mashu. She's just jealous of you and Gudao's chemistry. I'm rooting for you, by the way!]

[PerfectlySaneHex: ( ⇀ ‸ ↼ ) ]

[MashuMellows: no matter how many times I read it, I don't think I will get used to hearing Senpai's username.]

[Krystal: Then you don't have to call him Gudao if you don't want to. ]

[MashuMellows: Thank you Krystal, and by the way, what do you mean by me and Senpai's chemistry? ]

[Krystal: Don't worry your pretty little head about it, Mashu. It's nothing important.]

[OMA she is so innocent!!]

[All the more reason to shield her from the corrupting influences of Hex.]

"Mashu?" Ritsuka called her name, who was currently reading chat while walking alongside her senpai and Da Vinci as they were headed to the summoning room.

Mash looked away from her holographic screen to give her attention to Ritsuka, "yes, Senpai?" 

"We're here." Ritsuka said while pointing at the automatic sliding door in front of them. The door leading to the summoning room. 

"Sorry for spacing out Senpai, I was just testing the discrete chat feature. I didn't mean to." She said with an apologetic tone, but her Senpai didn't seem to mind.

"It's ok Mash, interacting with chat can be fun, so no need to worry about it. Just make sure you do me a favor and don't bump into a wall when I'm not around to look out for you."

Mash shyly nodded.

Once the group got close to the door, it slid open, revealing a spacious room with a high ceiling. Much like the rest of Chaldea, the reinforced concrete walls were simple and lacked any decor.

Ritsuka could only stare at the room in awe, as it was large enough that it could easily fit an entire two story house inside with a decent sized backyard, and then some.

"All right, Mash, just place your shield in the center of the room so Gudao-kun can start." da Vinci's voice brought him out of his gawking and bring his attention back towards the reason they were here. 

Mash gave an affirmite "understood" to Da Vinci and immediately her body began to glow. When it died down, her casual clothes disappeared and she was now wearing her usual demi-servant outfit. Then, she calmly walked to the center of the room and did as Da Vinci instructed, her high heels clack's echoing in the empty room.

[I just remembered. Kudos to Mash for going through the ordeal that is Fuyuki with high heels on. ]

[Oh yeah, she did didn't she? I would say that it must have sucked, but she didn't really show any discomfort involving her choice in footwear. ]

[My feet hurt just watching her move at the speeds she was moving and fighting at, and they will continue to do so as it seems she can't remove them due to being part of her powers. ]

[The heroic spirit who decided it was a good idea to give her heels clearly had no idea what it's like to wear high heels. ]

"Gudao-kun, we are ready when you are," Da Vinci informed him after Mash had carefully placed down her shield on the ground.

Da Vinci didn't need to tell him twice. He calmly walked into position in front of the shield, his back facing the two ladies accompanying him. He took a moment to appreciate Mash's shield. It was truly a beautiful piece of living history. If SoniaYampers and Gible_Archeologist's reactions were anything to go by, then his world's historians would be giddy at the mere idea of studying this artifact.

But he was not here to simply admire. He was here on a mission: to resummon his downed allies and to recruit new ones to help them fight to undo the incineration of humanity.

He knew who he was going to pick first.

Ritsuka closed his eyes and thought back to the first time he summoned Chiyome. He had done random hand signs back then, but he still vaguely remembered what they were.

He repeated the process as best as he remembered it by weaving hand signs like the Naruto fanboy he was, and unlike last time, the shield began to glow immediately after he slammed his hands on the ground.

The light exploded in intensity, then died like a whimpering star.

A familiar petite figure had arrived, completely intact and without any missing body parts.

Except this time, she was wearing a whole new set of clothes.

Unlike when he first summoned her, Chiyome's new outfit was a modest one that hid her body more. White cloth covered her upper body, but black straps and fishnets were still visible in exposed areas her new outfit didn't cover.

Her slender legs were now covered by a baggy pair of black pants, which, like the white top of her clothes, had slits woven into them that left her legs slightly exposed in places, allowing the viewer to see the straps and fishnets underneath.

Her outfit was held together by a weird-looking belt Ritsuka didn't remember the name of, with dangling fringes on her waist. To top it all off was an obi rope tied around the belt.

Had she not been wearing her signature eyepatch, then Ritsuka would have believed he was meeting a completely different person.

[NinJanine: Can't believe it. It's really her. Mochizuki-sama has been revived. I am glad… but conflicted that we are doing this to her. ]

[Kohga: It can't be helped. Chaldea needs soldiers to help Gudao fight. It's cruel that they treat servants this way, but remember that Chaldea is all that remains of humanity in that world. They are on their last legs and following their society's stuffy rules means nothing if everyone dies. ]

[Wow. I have to say, I love the new outfit. She looks like a proper, decent person now.]

[IliekQTthings: That outfit… it's… so… CUTE. It's 100x better than what she wore last time!! My only question is, WHY DID SHE NOT WEAR THIS THE FIRST TIME?!]

[Kohga: Because white is too flashy a color for a ninja in the post-apocalyptic urban environment they were in. Now that they are inside a facility with lighter-colored hallways and surrounded by a snowy environment, white is the more acceptable clothing option.]

Ritsuka took a moment to truly look at the petite woman in front of him; part of his brain didn't believe that what he was seeing was real. With a bit of hesitation, he asked a question that was burning in his heart.

"Chiyome… do you remember me?"

The petite woman stared into Ritsuka's eyes for a moment. Then, to his relief, she gave him a reassuring smile. "Do not worry, my lord. I remember you, and I also have the memories of my previous self implanted into me, so I am aware of what we went through."

Ritsuka allowed himself to feel relieved, just for a bit, but his anxiety was not abated as he processed the disturbing thing she had just confessed to. "And you're okay with that? Dying and coming back to life with a set of memories that technically aren't yours?"

Without hesitation, Chiyome responded, "Yes, I am. I gave my word to you that I would gladly die for you if it means I can keep you safe." Suddenly, her gaze dropped to the ground below them. "The one downside is that I will be forced to live with the mistakes that led to my death. And for that, I apologize… I was not able to kill Saber."

"Don't worry about it, Chiyome. You did your best," Ritsuka tried to comfort her, but Chiyome shook her head in defiance.

"And my best was not good enough. Which is why I will strive to improve and keep you safe in the future," the young woman said with finality. While Ritsuka had many disagreements he wanted to bring up, he felt it would be inappropriate to create a scene now. So he would talk to her in the future.

"Speaking of which, you look fantastic in that new outfit of yours." Ritsuka informed her without a sense of shame, which caused Chiyome to blush at the compliment. Meanwhile, Mash just looked at the two with a flat expression.

[Gudao is blatantly flirting with his servants again. Man, he really wastes no time.]

[SerWikstrom: Courting language aside, I can't say I agree with how little she cares for her own life and well-being. That unwavering loyalty is admirable, but it's also quite terrifying. ]

[That poor woman needs help. That is no way to live. ]

[Kohga: Or perhaps you all need to understand that you cannot properly fathom the duty of a ninja and should keep your opinions to yourselves. ]

"Thank you, Milord… While I can't say it's one of my favorites, if it means you will be more comfortable around me, then so be it."

[Ow. My heart… my stomach… It hurts. The guilt hurts.]

[She looks really nice though!! Why would it not be one of her favorites?!]

Ritsuka pursed his lips and pushed his feeling of guilt away. "I'm sorry if I made you feel bad, Chiyome. You look great no matter what clothes you wear."

"T-thank you, Milord. It means the world to me."

Suddenly, a transparent holographic box appeared near Chiyome, drawing her attention. Before she could say anything, something occurred.

Much like how the grail would provide information about the modern day, her brain was flooded with a rush of information. A compressed tutorial on the basics of how to use Twitch.

She looked at Ritsuka, who just smiled at her. "Welcome to the stream, Chiyome… or wait…" He leaned over to get a better look at the message on her screen.

[Welcome to the stream, {OrochiMochiHime}]

Ritsuka paused when he read the rather adorable username Chiyome received. "OrochiMochiHime."

Chiyome let out a surprised squeak when she realized what her assigned username was. She read the box and slumped when she realized it was true.

Ritsuka grew concerned at the flustered expression on her face, "Do you not like it? We can always try to find a way to change it-" 

"It is fine. I do not hate this… username. It fits me quite well."

[GudakoBot: {OrochiMochiHime} chose not to show servant dreams. ]

[Dawww. Now her username is cute too.]

[Orochi for Yamata no Orochi, Mochi for being Mochizuki and because she's sweet like a dessert mochi, but Hime?]

[Gudao: Hime in Japanese refers to a princess or a lady of high birth. Considering she is from a long lineage of ninja and married into a noble house—or just a beautiful female person. It's also a name for girls.]

[Thank you, Gudao!!]

"Sorry if I sound rude, Chiyome, but I need to summon Gareth, so if you wouldn't mind?"

Chiyome understood her master's orders. She stepped off Mash's shield and walked over to stand next to the demi-servant.

"Welcome back… Chiyome-san," Mash greeted, and Chiyome offered her a warm, motherly smile.

"I'm glad to be back, Kirielight-san."

The girls then turned to Ritsuka, signaling to him to start the ritual again, a request he happily followed.

The shield lit up and exploded in a flash of light once more, and when it died down, another familliar figure stood before them.

"Seventh seat of the Round Table. Gareth has returned to continue the fight," the dog knight declared as she arrived in her usual knightly armor and shield.

[DragoonRuleZ: Gareth is back!! <3<3<3 ]

"Glad to have you back, Gare-" Ritsuka's voice trailed off when he saw Gareth's near-perfect toothy smile.

Gareth noticed his abrupt pause and asked, "What? Is there something on my face?"

Ritsuka was going to be forced to say it, wasn't he? 

"Gareth. Your tooth is missing."

"What?" Gareth asked in a disbelieving tone.

Ritsuka, seeing the confused servant, merely flashed his teeth and did his best to point at the place where her tooth was missing.

Gareth, seeing her master's actions, licked the back of her teeth and froze when a light breeze caressed the tip of her tongue.

Her hand instinctively reached out to touch the gap in her tooth.

"Eh!? My tooth is still gone!! But how?! I just barely got resummoned!!"

Da Vinci, seeing a question she had the answer to, offered her opinion.

"It looks like Saber's punch hit you hard enough that it affected your spirit origin. That missing tooth is now a part of you."

[DragoonRuleZ: I want to badmouth Saber, but Gareth highly respects her. Even after all the evil she had done, she was on our side all along and had held back to give us a chance. So I'll stay quiet. ]

[It's ok Gareth, it's not too bad. You actually look really cute!! ]

[Honestly, it's an improvement, and the innocent stonks are through the roof.]

Gareth slumped with a sigh. "Well, I guess I can accept that. This missing tooth is most definitely a lesson my king wanted to ensure I didn't forget. So I will live with it."

Ritsuka chuckled. "In any case, welcome back, Gareth."

"Yeah, I'm glad to be at your side once more, Master."

And just like that, the same thing that happened to Chiyome happened to Gareth.

[Welcome to the stream, {Beaumains}]

[GudakoBot: {Beaumains} chose not to show servant dreams.]

[Huh?]

[I don't get it.]

[I'm confused. Is that some Earth language from a place we don't have a parallel to?]

[PerfectlySaneHex: *Rolls eyes* It's Kalosian, you nincompoops. Gareth's username can be translated as either 'Beautiful' or 'Fair Hands' in the common language. ]

[I mean, her hands do look fair, but why is that her username? ]

[DragoonRuleZ: Hi Gareth!! Wait, do you want us to call you by your username or your real name?]

[Beaumains: @ DragoonRuleZ Whatever you want. I have no preference. And to answer the previous person's question, Beaumains was the name Sir Kay gave me back when I was a kitchen boy. He meant it as an insult at the time, but I actually loved it, so I kept it. It's now a part of my legend.]

[An insult? Sounds more like a flirt to me. ]

[Beaumains: Not really, he didn't know I was a girl at the time nor that I was one of the Orkney brothers, so in his mind, calling me beautiful hands was a jab at me not being worthy to hold a sword due to not having callouses. ]

[Ah, I see. ]

[DragoonRuleZ: I'm just glad you never let the mean name get to you… though I should probably keep tabs on that Sir Kay you mentioned… ]

[Beaumains: Please go easy on him, he's one of my fellow knights and I deeply respect him.]

[DragoonRuleZ: … if that is what you wish… ]

[Nice, nice. Btw, how are you chatting while not typing like Mashu is?]

[Beaumains: Master's Twitch powers gave me the basic information I need to use Twitch. I suspect it's the same for Chiyome.]

[OrochiMochiHime: It is.]

"It's good to see you again, Gareth," Chiyome said, deciding to greet Gareth outside of chat.

"I feel the same way… although…" She turned back to Ritsuka, her hairy, dog-like ears drooping as she spoke her next words. "I apologize for not being able to save the Director."

And just like that, the happy mood soured with a single sentence.

Chiyome noted the pained and somber expressions on everyone's faces and closed her eye. "I see… so the young Olga Marie did not make it."

"No… no, she did not," Ritsuka said, a tired tone in his voice.

Silence fell for a moment, in respect to the former Director.

Mash and Ritsuka had already paid their respects to the late Director and the fallen members of Chaldea, and Ritsuka was planning to immortalize them by making a shrine in Minecraft.

But that was for later.

"It's not your fault, Gareth. Romani already told us Lev, no, Flauros, was not an enemy we could face. At least not now. But that doesn't mean he's going to be out of our reach forever." He hardened his features.

"Flauros won't escape justice. We'll make him pay for his crimes."

Gareth returned the same look of resolution.

With that speech out of the way, she joined the queue.

Now that the old team was back, it was finally time to strengthen their numbers. And to start things off, Ritsuka had decided to keep his promise and summon Cu Chulainn as a Lancer. However, when Ritsuka tried to think of Cu and his antics, his brain always steered him away from the image of the Hound and kept replaying what happened immediately after he left.

Lev's betrayal.

Olga's brutal death.

The feelings of disgust for not being more active in preventing her death.

And the vow he swore that he would make Lev pay for what he did.

Despite his inner turmoil, he still recited his aria. It was the same one he had used for Gareth. However, his negative thoughts of Lev had inadvertently tainted his tone of voice to be harsher than he intended—a tone which his Servants had picked up on, but he didn't notice since his mind was still swimming in another place.

The three rings of light shone with an increased intensity that outshone previous summonings.

It exploded with even more intensity than anyone had anticipated.

The lightshow quickly dimmed, and before long, it had disappeared completely.

The summoning was a success. However, all the remaining positivity that had lingered in the room was snuffed out.

A beautiful woman stood before them, dressed in a black funeral dress with intricate designs embroidered on it. The death-colored Servant had long greenish-silvery hair that reached her waist and curled slightly at the tips. Her bangs drooped below her shoulders but never exceeded her rather impressive-looking bust.

Her intense gaze and aura were only amplified by the suffocatingly evil, jagged blade she wielded with one of her dainty arms, which was taller than she was. The jewel in the center of its hilt looked like the eye of a demon who was seeing through its victim's souls.

"Servant Berserker, Kriemhild. This madwoman has heard your mournful plea for vengeance and answered your call. Just know that my aid brings nothing but ruin to friend and foe alike. If you want to die miserably, be my guest."

[LemmeSeeUrManager: Wow… that is A LOT of dark energy emanating from her.]

[Corrupted servant?]

[No, I think it's because she's a Berserker, like the Heracles guy Cu warned us about.]

[Whatever she is doesn't matter. All that I know is Gudao summoned a bombshell.]

[Heart0f6old: Kriemhild… I think I am in love.]

[BattleMANIAC: That blade of hers is HUGE!! How is she going to even be able to wield it?!]

[Dunno, but it's so FUCKING COOL.]

[What an interesting name this woman has. I don't believe I recognize what language it originates from.]

"It's nice to meet you, Kriemhild. Thank you for answering my call. Before we continue, I have to inform you that I have a special power that involves being recorded and broadcast to an audience of thousands of people from another world. Are you okay with that?"

The intense-looking woman scrutinized him for a moment—not immediately speaking but instead taking a moment to form her words.

"Yes, I was informed of the conditions of our contract. And quite frankly, while having so many witnesses observe us is troublesome, it is not always a bad thing. Every just execution needs an audience."

[Witnesses? Execution?!!]

[JennyPD-16528: *Narrows eyes in suspicion* Interesting choice of words you used there, Miss Kriemhild.]

Ritsuka was not blind; he noticed the massive red flag this woman just planted in front of him, but he chose to ignore it. He didn't have room to judge until he got to know her better.

"Well, I look forward to working with you Kriemhild." He gave her a polite bow, like his parents taught him when he was trying to find a job.

Kriemhild nodded. "Then our contract is sealed. And do not worry, Master. We can both still achieve our vengeance. Because the so-called chatters are just witnesses after all, and witnesses can be silenced."

[Did she just threaten to kill us? (•᷄- •᷅ ; ) ]

[Nah, she said, "witnesses can be silenced.' Just don't be a witness. ]

[JennyPD-16528: I KNEW there was something suspicious about her!! She's a villain!! Send her away, Gudao!! Try summoning someone else!! Preferably a fellow Law Enforcement officer or dashing knight if you can. You shouldn't work with criminals!!]

[But Magi are people whose practices would fall under your definition of criminals. Gudao has to associate with them because these are desperate times.]

[JennyPD-16528: Gudao has no choice but to work with Chaldea, but he can choose which servant he can work with. ]

[That is true… ]

The group behind Ritsuka grew a bit nervous at her declaration, but they trusted Ritsuka's judgement.

Kriemhild's eyes suddenly shifted to the side, to her own personal chat screen.

[Welcome to the chat {Kream}]

[GudakoBot: {Kream} chose not to show servant dreams.]

The Burgundian lady raised a brow. "Just because I am a Berserker does not mean I'm unable to pick up on the play on words that make up my alias. That being said, while I do not hate it, I find it could have been better."

[Heart0f6old donated 50 bits]

 ["Welcome to the stream, Lady Kriemhild. Quick question: you won't really try to silence us, will ya?" ]

Kriemhild stared at the floating camera orb. "Will you be an obstacle in my way?"

A tense moment passed, and another TTS message sounded out.

["Not at all."]

She gave a low hum as a response, "In that case, then no, I will not go out of my way to behead you... so long as you stay quiet should you see something you weren't… privy to. Unfortunately, experience has taught me that men struggle to keep such promises in the heat of the moment."

Her eyes bore holes into the camera.

"If you are lying to me, decapitation will be the least of your worries. For it shall be the mercy you will beg for as you grovel beneath my feet."

["Noted. But on different matters, milady, if you'll allow me, may I ask another question?"]

After pausing for a moment, she closed her eyes in contemplation, but she responded with: "I'll allow it."

[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD) : Pick your words carefully 6old, or else you are gonna deal with me. ]

[Frisky1ntheFlowers: Don't time him out after he speaks his peace Iono-chan. We are about to see quite the show. I promise it will be worth it. ]

[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD) : …just this once, I'll humor you Frisk. I know what 6old is gonna say, but I am curious to see how it's going to play out. ]

["Lady Kriemhild, are you single?"]

An awkward silence fell in the summoning room.

Mash was staring at the orb of chat with a flabbergasted expression, clearly not expecting the question.

Chiyome gave the Berserker a look of empathy.

Da Vinci was trying really hard not to burst out in laughter due to the volatile nature of a Berserker in front of them.

But Gareth? Gareth had no filter.

"That guy is either really brave or really stupid to be hitting on a Berserker Class servant of all things." 

Gudao meanwhile, was rubbing the bridge of his nose. 

[Dude… are you seriously trying to steal Gudao's future harem member before he has a chance to rizz her?]

[OrochiMochiHime: Unforgivable.]

[Beaumains: You guys all speak funny.]

Finally, the target of the question herself, looked completely calm and unbothered by the question. But she wasn't, as it was clearly obvious how she felt when she opened her mouth and responded with "No. I am not," with an edge to her voice.

[Oh. Nvm, she's taken.]

["Shame."]

[Gudao: 6old, for the love of god, stop. ]

[Electrical★Streamer_Iono(MOD) : I'm on it. ]

However, before Iono could time Gold out, Kriemhilm continued speaking and what she said was so unhinged that she forgot to time out Gold.

"Indeed, it is a shame that I married that boorish, idiotic, self-sacrificing hero." She ground out in a vengeful tone, one which oozed malignant power.

"And when I get my hands on him… I'm going to murder him with his own blade."

The servants behind Ritsuka suddenly got into defensive positions, but Ritsuka waved them off. 

He could handle this.

[Yikes. That is a whole lot of drama that I am definitely not touching with a ten-foot pole.]

[Bro. That lady ain't right.]

[JennyPD-16528: I'll say, that woman is a psycho who needs to be put in prison. ]

[I guess that is why she is a "Berserker." ]

[Heart0f6old: Speak for yourselves! Not all hope is lost!]

[Dude!! Chill your hormones!! You're putting Gudao in danger!! ]

[Krystal: Ok. I think that's enough. I'm telling your mom you're trying to become a homewrecker.]

[Heart0f6old: No WAIT!! I WAS KIDDING! I'm not! Honest!!]

Kriemhild then cut off her aura of evil, and delicately cleared her throat. 

"But don't get the wrong idea. Just because I hate that idiot for betraying me doesn't mean I am going to accept the advances of some faceless voice who is not man enough to at least give me his real name before they start courting me. So no, for someone like you, I am not single."

She huffed and then looked away from the camera, refusing to meet its gaze.

Ritsuka, despite being in the epicenter of danger, cringed at the cold rejection Kriemhild handed Gold.

Everyone around him, aside from Chiyome, seemed to share his sentiments.

[People be like: go up to her and confess, the worst she can say is no. 

Kriemhild: I am single for everyone, but you. ]

[Heart0f6old: :Vegeta Crying in the rain emote:]

Ritsuka sighed, then looked at the camera. "I was going to ask the mods to time you out, but I think getting rejected that harshly in public is punishment enough."

[Krystal: I'm still telling his mom.]

He turned to Kriemhild and bowed. "Sorry my chat asked you that question. They are numerous, but they also share the same brain cell."

"It is alright. My beauty was well known across the realm when I was alive, so I am used to men coming to my home to ask for my hand in marriage." She waved away the concern with her delicate hand, like one would a fly getting too close to their food.

"You need not apologize for the witness, Master. Like I said, witnesses can be silenced."

The woman said nothing more as she stepped off the shield and demurely walked towards the rest of the group, albeit keeping her distance when she chose to stand at the edge of the others.

Ok, so his emotions can affect his summoning as well. That good to know.

To be honest, he was glad Gold had done something stupid and asked the most common question a chatter can ask a streamer. The incident allowed him to veer away from his negative thoughts.

After taking a moment to collect himself, he readied himself again.

Ritsuka needed to think positively to hopefully get a chance at getting Cu Chulainn. 

Now that he thought about it, Cu was constantly flirting with Olga all singularity wasn't he? And she kept rejecting him.

It was awkward in the moment, but now with everything resolved, he will admit it was funny to see him get shot down.

He also remembered how Cu laughed about chat's nickname for the Red Archer. Even when they fought and later confronted him, he never let up the joke.

Man, what a pain in the ass that fight was, but ultimately they prevailed thanks to Chiyome's efforts.

The light shone again and died down like prior, and when Ritsuka saw who he summoned, he couldn't avoid hiding the smirk on his face.

Oh, Cu is definitely close. There's no way he would allow Red Archer to be summoned first. And now that he was, it was guaranteed.

"Servant Archer, I have been summoned and come at your request."

[Oh shit, it's Red Boner Guy!]

[No need to call him that anymore, Cu ruined the joke. Just Red Archer should be fine.]

Ritsuka noticed the nervous shuffling behind him. He couldn't blame them. Red Archer was one of their more tedious fights while in Fuyuki.

"Good to have you on our team this time, Red Archer."

Red Archer hummed, "just Archer would be fine, Master. Since it would seem I am your first, it would be easier for me if you did so." He inclined his head, "that being said. You sound like you know of me, yet I haven't met you before."

[Wait really?! This guy isn't our GAR? ]

[Ah, so it's just like Chiyome and the others said. This is a different copy of Red Archer from the throne.]

[Well I'm not complaining, the other guy was a loon. This one is much more chill and dare I say, handsome. ]

Ritsuka explained the events that led up to where they were now. Archer took the information in stride, but he closed his eyes and sighed, "I see… so you took part in another world line's Fuyuki Grail war… then in that case, I apologize for what my other self did to your group. "

"It's no issue Archer. I won't hold you accountable for what a different you did."

The others behind him, minus Kriemhild who wasn't a part of the Fuyuki gang, agreed with Ritsuka.

"Very well, if that is your will then I accept it, Master."

Ritsuka gave an appreciative hum but stopped when he remembered the new word Archer had revealed to him.

"World line? Do you mean an alternate timeline?" He asked.

Archer nodded and like how Ritsuka explained his set of events in the Fuyuki Grail war. That in his world, the Grail was destroyed before it could drown the world in its mud, that Chaldea was never founded like in this world line, and that the world wasn't incinerated.

 [Must be nice. Shame Gudao wasn't born in that world.]

 [There probably is another Gudao on that side.]

 [Time travel just got messier if we are drawing heroes from alternate timelines.]

"Oh and I am aware of your powers master. I do not care if people watch our battles. Though I would hope to keep my servant dreams between the two of us."

"It's ok. I get it. You'll receive the option soon." Ritsuka offered the man a handshake, which the other reciprocated.

"The same goes for myself."

And the contract was sealed.

[{Welcome to chat GARcher}]

[GudakoBot: GARcher chose not to show his servant dreams.]

[GARcher: GAR?]

[Gay for Archer.]

[GARcher: …I shouldn't have asked.]

[Hey, at least it's better than Red Boner Guy.]

[That's what we called you when we heard you talk about "the bone of your sword."]

[GARcher: *Sigh* And now I remember why I never bothered with the internet. It's a cesspool of degeneracy and idiots.]

[We love you too, buddy.]

Archer stepped off from the shield and joined the group. On the opposite side of Kriemhild's vicinity.

Man, it was not his day today, was it? Cu told him he would answer his call, so why isn't he picking up?!

Ritsuka shook his head. He can't be negative now, he has to stay positive. He'll summon Cu, as a lancer, just like he promised. He took a deep breath then exhaled, his muscles relaxed, and his eyes were dead set on his mission. 

Just remember him.

How he was.

His perverted remarks to Olga.

The massive hate boner he has for Archer.

His weird one-eye thing he did when he was being cryptic and how he enjoyed omitting things for his amusement, like how he hid Saber's gender, leading everyone to think he was a man when she was actually a woman.

Once again, the lightshow came and hit Ritsuka right in the face. After going through it four times, he was going to have to go see Romani for an eye check up. Maybe magecraft would be able to undo the damage to his retinas.

The light died down, Ritsuka blinked a few times to clear the spots from his eyes and when they finally abated, he nearly hroaned when he saw that Cu didn't answer his call… again. 

His frustration at not getting Cu to show up evaporated when he saw the new servant before him. He couldn't stop his face muscles from showing the utter shock of what he saw.

And it wasn't just him, every single pair of eyes that landed on the new summon had nearly popped out of their heads in astonishment.

Ritsuka felt his cheeks flush with blood as he saw a young, cute, pink-haired girl. The girl was showing off a lot of skin; her stomach was completely exposed, showing off her bellybutton to the world.

 She wore thigh-highs that left a bit of thigh skin exposed near the hip. She also wore white sleeves on her arms. One of those arms wielded a beautiful white sword which had a barb that served as the tip of its blade.

Aside from the skin being shown off, the false ears perched on her head drew just as much attention.

She crossed her arms and gave an exaggerated Wario-like laugh.

"Wahaha! Waah hahaha! I'm here! The most valuable and sexy Saber, Astolfo, has arrived!! For you, I'll go anywhere! Ahem. Anyway, take good care of me, my loving Master!"

He met the Servant's eyes and blushed when she gave him a wink. She totally noticed he was staring at her.

[Gudao summoned another cute girl!!]

[IlikeQThings: YEAH!!!]

[PerfectlySaneHex: *rolls eyes* Why am I not surprised.]

[OrochiMochiHime: Does this happen often?]

[Too often, Mochi. Too often.]

"Astolfo? One of the twelve paladins of Charlemagne? A woman?" Mash asked the same question that had been repeated ad nauseam since they met Gareth.

 [Bro. Seriously. This is like the fourth Servant we've met that was misgendered by historians in Gudao's world. Their stubborn denial of women as leaders in power is getting ridiculous at this point!! ]

"Come now, Mash, there's nothing wrong with finding out male Servants are actually female. It's not something that really matters in our world anyway. Why, the most powerful Mages and Magicians in the modern day are women, after all."

[Well, despite the many, MANY downsides that I've observed from magi culture, I will admit their progressiveness with the opposite gender is commendable.]

[Frisky1ntheFlowers: Oh, you poor sweet summer child. Just because there are more women in positions of power doesn't mean magi treat women with kindness. Quite the opposite in some magi families, unfortunately.]

[…I spoke too soon… Magi are the worst.]

"But I'm not a woman, though?" Astolfo admitted with a cute tilt of the head.

 Mash and the others looked at Astolfo like she had grown a second head.

[Oh boy. We've heard this story before.]

[Another man turned woman like Da Vinci? Neat.]

[GARcher: You guys are surprisingly more calm about this revelation than I expected.]

[*shrugs* Flipping gender treatments have been available in our world for years now.]

[Yeah, it's honestly not that incredible. It's a rather simple, if time-consuming, procedure, but it works and it's painless. Heck, unlike the primitive tech in your world, men who undergo transformation can actually have children.]

[GARcher: …Were there any clones involved in the process?]

[Mew_theSecond: If by cloning you mean the multicellular kind, then no. Cloning Pokémon and/or humans is highly illegal in our world. Anyone caught doing it faces life in prison at minimum. Though if you ask me, it's still too light a punishment.]

[If you were curious, gender-flipping treatments use modified Ditto cells to stimulate the human body to slowly transform to the opposite gender with little to no physical side effects.]

[GARcher: …Huh. The more you know. Just a heads-up, magi have no such reservations on cloning.]

[Of course they don't ( -_-) ]

"Are you sure?" Mash asked Astolfo, which just caused everyone to look at her funny.

 Astolfo, meanwhile, did not look offended in the slightest. "Sure am! I just like wearing frilly, cute clothes… But it looks like you don't believe me. In that case, wanna see?"

He caught Mash and everyone else off guard as he grinned and reached for his lower body.

"Ah, we believe you, Mr. Astolfo. No need to show off your genitalia to thousands of people," Da Vinci said, just as Astolfo had already dug his fingers under his bikini.

"Ah!! You're right!! As a knight of Charlemagne, I should not be doing such unchivalrous acts!!"

 He pulled his hands out of his bikini, which made a loud snap sound.

Ritsuka looked conflicted, while he was glad that Astolfo hadn't exposed himself to his chat. Man or woman, it was something he wanted to avoid having chat sit through if he could help it.

Another part of him was disappointed that Astolfo didn't do it.

He decided that he needed to move on and not let Astolfo see his emotions. He didn't know if his heart could take any teasing from him.

"Thank you for answering my call, Astolfo. I look forward to working with you."

"Me too, Master!"

They sealed their contract with a handshake.

[Welcome to the stream {Bunny_Aa-chan}]

[GudakoBot: {Bunny_Aa-chan} chose to allow chat to see his servant dreams.]

[Bunny_Aa-chan: Oooh, an audience of thousands of followers? Don't mind if I do~ Hello everyone!!]

[IlikeQThings: Hi!! I love your outfit!! It's so Cute!! ]

[Bunny_Aa-chan: Thank you!! I like your username!! It's cute too!! ]

[Oh great, there's two of them now. ]

[IlikeQThings: Got a problem? ]

[Yeah I do. I've been on Gudao's channel for over a year now. And so far, all you've said is cute this and cute that. Can't you say something else besides calling things cute or not cute?]

[IlikeQThings: You're right. I do say cute quite a lot. But I can't help it. I love all things cute!! Everyone focuses too much on the battling and not enough on the cuteness in things and pokemon. I am here to remind everyone that cuteness is not to be ignored!! ]

[Cringe. ]

[IlikeQThings: You know what? FUCK YOU COCKSUCKER. I HOPE YOU DIE GETTING SHAFTED BY A FUCKING HORDE OF HYPNOS. 凸ಠ益ಠ)凸 ]

[Bunny_Aa-chan: Geez, talk about gap moe.]

Astolfo became distracted by chat, but he was courteous enough to walk off the shield.

"Alright, Gudao-kun. We can make room for one more Servant before we start running into issues. Make it count!" Da Vinci said from the sidelines.

Ritsuka, hearing her words, took a moment to observe the Servants lined up before him.

 One Assassin, a Lancer, a Berserker, a Saber, and an Archer.

Maybe the reason he couldn't summon Lancer Cu was because he was limited to summoning classes he doesn't have yet?

Only one way to find out.

He mentally apologized to Cu, but he was running out of options.

He thought back to a previous Halloween. 

A halloween where his Aunty and Gudako visited America.

And more importantly, the costume Chi-chan wore that day.

A tiny, wizard hat and a false beard.

He recited the aria, one last time, while he did his best to keep the image of Chi-chan in his head.

He had closed his eyes to focus, so he was able to avoid getting blinded again. However, he could tell when it started and when it ended.

When he opened his eyes once more, he let out a sigh of relief. After three failed attempts, 

The nostalgic, blue-hooded pervert had FINALLY showed up.

"Oh, it's you guys! We met before, right?" Cu paused, looked down at his Caster clothes, then lifted his head and gave him a look, one which he responded to with a "what can you do?" shrug.

Cu took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. "Well, I warned you. And you didn't listen. I am a man of my word! And don't say I didn't warn you."

And Ritsuka's eyes widened in horror as Cu Chullain unashamedly dismissed his clothes.

Now he stood proudly in front of the world. Naked as the day he was born.

[Welcome to the stream, {CasCu}]