A/N: Hey there, Monkeycyborgninja here bringing you another crazy crossover. I don't know how I came up with this idea, I've just been really into Sword Art Online lately, and I just rediscovered my love of Ed, Edd, N Eddy, and thus this fic was born. I hope I've done the Eds justice, that's gotta be really hard to do. Well anyway, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Ed, Edd, N Eddy or Sword Art Online

Launch Day

"Come on Double D, is it ready yet?" Eddy yelled impatiently at his intellectual companion as he was fiddling around with some wires.

"Patients Eddy, this is a very complicated and delicate procedure, and unless you want the modules to lose power half way through a session, I suggest you calm down and let me work." The sock headed Ed boy replied, calmly and politely at that. He was trying to rewire an old outlet they salvaged from the junkyard to work properly with an Internet cable, or something like it. This outlet was also connected to a series of extension cords that led all the way back to Eddy's house; there were three of these rigs set up, each connected to one of the boys' house, and Double D was just finishing on the last outlet. "And, done, that should do it… hopefully."

"Finally, now plug them in. ED, is the sign up yet?" Eddy said as he walked over to his tall, dimwitted friend, who seemed to be fumbling on the ladder he was on as he was carefully placing the sign in its proper place.

"Up and Adam, Eddy." Ed said with delight as he looked down at Eddy and put his hand on his head in a salute motion, but this caused the lad to lose balance and fall head first on the ground. "Gravy." He randomly uttered, which Eddy just ignored.

"Perfect, just perfect." Eddy said as he gazed upon the sign. It was made out of cardboard and written on it, with messy handwriting, were the bright words "Ed's Cyber Café, Featuring: Sword Art Online". "This scam is pure gold, no more rusted metal or broken handlebars; we've hit the big time with this one."

"I must admit, now that we have a legitimate gimmick, we might actually succeed in bringing a little joy into the Cul-Du-Sac." Double D Stated as he carried over a box to the rigs he just built.

"Not to mention a ton of mullah in my pocket." Eddy added as he tapped his fingers together sinisterly.

"Moos are for Cows Eddy, but we shall be swashbuckling heroes, journeying to distant lands and bringing truth and justice as we unsheathe our blades." Ed said in an excited voice as he took a stick and began swinging it around as if he were fighting off some rouge.

"Hm Hm, and a fine hero you will be Ed." Double D played along as he opened one of the boxes. He reached in and pulled out a futuristic looking bluish grey helmet; on the forehead were the letters NVE, and below that in smaller print were the words "NerveGear". "The NerveGear, probably the most advanced piece of technology every developed by human hands, and to think they would waste it on something as trivial as a video game." Double D said with a bit of distaste.

"Oh cry me a river Sockhead, just plug it in already." Eddy ordered, which Double D complied with a sigh. It was true though; the NerveGear was the latest innovation in Japanese gaming technology, and while there were a couple of games already out for it in Japan, none were as advanced as the long awaited Sword Art Online, the worlds very first Virtual Reality MMORPG. And how did these middle class American teenage boys get their hands on these amazing Japanese devices, well, the credit goes to their "otaku" friend Ed. He entered a contest he found at the back of a Manga he read about a month ago and by some miracle he won; the prize: a set of NerveGear and a copy of Sword Art Online for each member of his family. However, he entered the contest so he could play with his dear friends, and so he only ordered three, but that was more than enough to get the gears in Eddy's head turning full speed.

"At a quarter a head, we'll be eating jawbreakers by lunchtime, and if this game really is as great they say it is, then those saps will be coming back for more all day and night, and then we'll be set for life!" Eddy reveled in his own genius, he was going to charge each one of his peers a one hour session with the NerveGear, and while the others are waiting for their turn, they'll serve them drinks and snacks for extra profits. "I tell you I'm so good I even scare myself."

"Yes, well, the NerveGears are all set Eddy, and it still should be the launch date in Japan."

"Alright boys, let's make some money." Eddy said as he grabbed a traffic cone and began screaming into it like a bullhorn. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Cul-Du-Sac; come experience the greatest gaming experience of the millennia!" Eddy's shouting caused all of their adolescent neighbors to emerge from their houses and enter the street, where the Eds had their crewed shack of cardboard walls set up.

"ED, what's with all the racket!?" Ed's little sister Sarah exclaimed to the tall Ed boy.

"It's so early; I haven't even had breakfast yet." Nazz said with a yawn.

"Alright Dorks, what's going on?" Kevin inquired in a threatening tone that the Eds knew all too well.

"I'm glad you asked, Kevin old pal." Eddy replied in that salesmen like tone of his. "Haven't you ever wanted to escape all of the hassle of everyday life, wouldn't like to throw yourself into a distant land and become the hero of legend you've always wanted to be?" He paused for a moment to see their reactions, and to his satisfaction, they seemed interested. "Well now you can, here at Ed's Cyber Café you will be given exclusive access to a new, state of the art piece of equipment strait out of Tokyo, Japan: The NerveGear." He stepped aside to reveal the three helmets that were currently placed on pedestals in order to show them off. The group "Oohed" and "Ahhed" at the sight of the three devices, especially since unlike all of the other things the Eds tried to pawn off on them, they actually looked professionally made, like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. "This highly advanced head gear will transport you to the fantastic and wondrous world of Sword Art Online, the worlds very first VRMMORPG, don't believe me, then step up and try it for yourself. For the low, low price of one quarter you can have one hour of play time with this revolutionary device, and those waiting for their turn are more than welcome to relax in the café area, where you will be served drinks and snacks until a helmet clears up. So what do you say, who wants to be the first outside of Japan to experience the wonder that is Sword Art Online?" All of the kids were raising their hands; like children in a classroom that knew the answer to a question that was just asked. They all seemed ecstatic at the thought of being the first to play a virtual reality video game; this was a kid's dream come true. However, not all of them were as enthusiastic.

"Whoa, whoa, hang on a second here." Kevin spoke up, calming the assembly and stepping forward. "Do you really expect us to believe that you dorks were able to get your grubby hands on virtual reality helmets when you can't even afford a 25 cent jawbreaker?" He said, more to convince his comrades than anything else, and it seemed to work.

"Hey yeah, for all we know those could be painted bicycle helmets or something." Johnny added.

"Gentlemen, I assure you all that these NerveGears are perfectly legitimate." Double D said, trying to win back their potential customers, as well as defend the honor of these technological marvels. "We procured these devices through a contest the Argus Corporation was holding, Ed entered it last month and he was fortunate enough to win, here's the shipping information and notification if you don't believe me." He handed Kevin the documents which he then began to examine, and despite the jock's minimal knowledge on the matter, they looked real enough to convince him.

"Hmm, alright, fine, so they're real, but that doesn't mean we should go sticking our heads into those things." Kevin said, still highly skeptical.

"Like, are they even safe?" Nazz inquired with a bit of nervousness.

"Yeah, are they, I don't want to go in there and come out as stupid as my brother." Sarah added.

"Love you too, baby sister!" Ed said with glee, totally unaware of the insult.

"Look, there's nothing to worry about, if it was really dangerous they wouldn't be selling these things to kids now would they." Eddy insisted in a bit of an exasperated tone. "Remember, this is a once in a life time opportunity, who knows when these things are going to come out in America, and they're going to cost a fortune when they do, but if you really want to pass up a practically free trial run of this INCREDIBLE gaming experience, then that's fine with me." Eddy said with fake indifference, hoping to get the kids back on board.

"Well then dorky, if it's so great, why don't you take it for a spin?" Kevin challenged.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you, what's wrong, scared?" The kids "Oohed" at the accusation, further pressuring Eddy to respond.

"I'm not scared; I'm just, you know, I…" He struggled to come up with an excuse, but none came to mind.

"Come on, show us that there's nothing to worry about."

"You know Eddy; a demonstration seems to be a small price to pay to assure the safety and well being of our peers." Double D said, trying to convince him to go through with it. Eddy pulled Double D to the side in order to speak in private.

"You sure these things are safe?" He whispered.

"Perfectly Eddy, they've gone through beta testing and everything." Double D assured. Eddy pondered for a moment longer and finally decided that if this scam was to work, he had no choice but to do it.

"Alright fine, but you two are coming with me." Eddy said as he dragged Double D over to the nearest NerveGear.

"Uh, pardon…" Double D began before Eddy shoved one of the helmets onto his head.

"My turn, Eddy." Ed said as he kneeled down his head a helmet.

"Here you go lumpy." Eddy then forcefully placed the second NerveGear onto his head, encasing Ed's head and neck for a second before it sprung back up in a spring like manner.

"Um, Eddy, I-I not certain if I have the appropriate motor skills to properly navigate myself through…" Double D rambled as Eddy put on the last NerveGear.

"Pipe down Sock Head and tell me how to work this thing." Eddy ordered before he plopped down on a recliner chair they salvaged from the junk yard. Double D sighed and complied.

"Yes well, the on switch should be on the right side of the helmet." Double D instructed as he himself flicked the switch on his own helmet. The two Eds felt around for the switch for a second before they found it and switched it on. They both heard a power up sound and a grey transparent visor fell over their eyes.

"Whoa." Eddy said, a bit surprised by the sudden action. The words "Welcome to NerveGear" appeared on the inside of the visor along with the message "To optimize your gaming experience, we must first calibrate this unit to your unique specifications, please follow the following instructions".

"Ed will obey!" Ed shouted, much to Eddy's annoyance. The NerveGear then instructed them to stand up and touch various parts of their bodies, such as their shoulders, knees, head, even their toes, and they often have to touch them more than once. It must have looked ridiculous, considering the laughter coming from the kids. Eventually, the calibration was complete and another message appeared saying "Thank you for your cooperation, now sit back, relax, and enjoy: Sword Art Online".

"It's about time." Eddy said as he sat back down on his chair and reclined it for extra comfort. Another power up sound emanated from the NerveGear, this one getting increasingly louder with each passing second. Double D was shaking in nervousness while Ed was wiggling in excitement, saying "oh boy, oh boy…" over and over again. Just as Eddy was about to lose his patience, two more words appeared on the visor. "Say what… Link, Start." Eddy said, unsure of what they were meant to do with the fraise, but the second he said them the visor went white followed by a few brief seconds of seeing tunnel vision colors. After that, five blue circles began flying at Eddy, stopping right before his face, each one having one of the five senses written in their center. As the Touch circle flew by, and the word changed to "OK", he could no longer feel the chair he was supposed to be sitting in, he now felt as if he was floating in mid air. Sight and Hearing then passed, and thus Eddy could no longer hear the chattering of his peers, and finally Smell and Taste flew by, and he felt the strangest sensation of being completely cut off from the world; it was unpleasant to say the least. Just then, a language selection came up and he saw that it was currently set to Japanese. Without really thinking about it, he reached out and touched the Language Icon and brought up the selection of languages, which there were only two, Japanese and English. Eddy hit the English icon and the screen then faded away to what seemed to be a log in screen. Eddy obviously didn't have an account, and so he pushed "New User" and the screen cleared away to a now gray screen with black letters that read "Welcome to Sword Art Online". He was then flung into a bright blue vortex and suddenly appeared in a black room that had blue outlines so one could tell where the walls were.

"Welcome to Sword Art Online's Character Creation Station." A voice said that seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, which startled Eddy a bit. "Here you will decide what you want your avatar to look like, but first things first, please enter the name of your character." As the voice said this, a holographic keyboard appeared before Eddy. He was a little hesitant but reached out to it and began typing, E-D-D-Y. He was about to press enter when he just thought of something, this was a video game, an MMO in fact, no one uses their real name in an MMO, and so he backspaced and tried to think of a name for himself.

"Ah, I got it." He said with satisfaction as he typed in his character name, "Richmond". "As in, 'rich man', ha ha." He then hit the enter key and the keyboard disappeared.

"Good, now please select the appearance of your character, remember, your character's appearance cannot be changed latter on." Just then, a large full body mirror appeared before him and his eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw the image staring back at him. He looked like… a typical teenage boy, and a Japanese one at that, pale skin, black hair, and most importantly, normal height. He moved around to make sure it was indeed him, and it was.

"Wow, unreal." He said in disbelief. He then snapped out of it and began looking through the options placed on the mirror until he found the one he was looking for: Height. He clicked the icon and saw a sliding meter that was about half way up. "Hmm, I wonder…" He said as he put his finger to the slider and slid it all the way to the right. He then felt a rising sensation and realized he was indeed getting taller. He put a large grin on his face and started laughing with glee. "Ha ha, wow, look at me, I'm a regular giant, if only the guys at the Cul-Du-Sac could see me now." He said as he admired himself in the mirror. He then began making some more changes to his look. He chose a handsome looking face, slicked back hair, gave himself an average muscle build, and chose a yellow version of the basic clothing. "Looking good." He said as he took one last look at the mirror and hit the "Done" icon.

"Thank you; you shall now be transported to the Town of Beginnings for the gameplay tutorial, good luck." Once the voice had finished speaking, Eddy, or rather Richmond, was engulfed in a bright blue light for a few seconds, and when it cleared up, he found himself in an entirely new area. He was in some sort of circular structure with no roof over head and thus he could see the sky. He looked around and was just completely awestruck at it all, the architecture, the small shrubs around the edges of the structure; it all looked so real, he would've never guessed that he was in a video game.

"Wow." Was all Richmond could say. He took a few steps forward and surveyed the area to find any other players. He could hear some voices in the distance, but nothing really nearby.

"Hey there." A voice said from behind him. He turned around to see two strange looking people smiling at him. One looked exactly like the default male avatar, except he had a black cap on and a red orange version of the basic clothing. The other was a large, muscular man with a long, orange beard and a green version of the basic clothing; he was also wearing a goofy grin on his face and was waving innocently at him. At first, Richmond didn't know what to make of these people, but then, it came to him.

"Ed, Double D, is that you?" Richmond said in disbelief.

"In the flesh Eddy, or rather polygons I suppose." Double D replied.

"Who is this Ed you speak of, for I am Lothar, slayer of demons and defender of bacon, yum."

"Yep, that's Ed alright." Richmond said in a dead pan tone.

"You know Eddy, it goes against gamer's etiquette to refer to someone by their real name, so I suggest we begin calling each other by our screen names." Double D said politely. Richmond rolled his eyes a bit, but he did have a point, after all why have cool screen names if they were not going to use them.

"Alright then, my screen name is Richmond, what's yours?"

"Lothar, Richmond!" Lothar replied with glee, taking to the new name right away.

"Well, in the spirit of this glorious scientific and technological achievement, I have chosen the moniker: Einstein." Double D, now called Einstein, said.

"Einstein, seriously?" Richmond said with a bit of a snicker.

"Oh and yours is so clever." Einstein retorted.

"Whatever Sock Head, come on, let's start actually playing this game, remember we only have an hour, then we can start raking in the dough." Richmond stated as he began walking towards the exit of the area, with Lothar mindlessly following him, followed begrudgingly by Einstein. As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, a text box appeared before each of them, titled Objective and written in it was "Locate an Items Shop". "What the… what is this?"

"It seems to be the tutorial the voice mentioned earlier." Einstein clarified.

"It is a mission from the GREAT DIVINE! On ward my brothers, we shall fulfill this request and gain the favor of the heavens!" Lothar exclaimed as he charged forward as if he were running into battle. Both Eds sighed and followed their friend into what seemed to be the shopping district of the town. There they found hundreds of other players browsing the various stalls set up, shopping for helpful items and weapons no doubt. The two eventually caught up with they're friend at a quaint little items shop, and upon entering they immediately found themselves talking to the shop owner, who was a male NPC. It was there they learned about buying and selling items, the touch interface, and were each given a Guide Book and a Beginner's Sword free of charge.

"Man, this sword bites." Richmond complained as he examined the short, insignificant looking blade. "Couldn't he have given us something better, he had like three other swords hanging on his wall that looked ten times stronger than this piece of crud."

"Remember Richmond, we're just starting out, if we put in the appropriate time and effort, we can certainly upgrade our arsenal, not that it would be an appropriate use of our time in the first place." Einstein replied, still a bit critical of the game.

"A true warrior can fight with even the puniest of swords Richmond. And I, Lothar, am the greatest of all warriors!" Lothar said as he unsheathed his sword and swung it around, nearly chopping his friends' heads clean off.

"Alright then, lunk head, then why don't you put your money where your mouth is?" Richmond said in a challenging tone.

"In my potato salad?" Lothar replied dimwittedly, which Richmond just ignored.

"To the Hunting Grounds!" He said as he dashed towards to edge of the town.

"To battle Einstein!" Lothar called to his friend, who seemed a bit nervous.

"Couldn't we just linger in the town a little bit longer… gentlemen…" he called out to them, but when he received no answer, he followed as well.

"GAH!" Lothar let out a grunt as he was knocked back by the enemy's attack. The group was in the area known as the West Field, and they were currently fighting an enemy that took the appearance of a blue boar, known as the Frenzy Boar according to the name that was floating above it. Its HP was represented by a yellow bar floating above it as well, that was currently half way down, but then again, so was Lothar's. The group was having trouble grasping the concept of the Sword Skill system and thus they were just swinging their swords wildly at it, and obviously that wasn't working out to well.

"P-perhaps we should consider a strategic retreat." Einstein said shakily as he awkwardly held up his sword in defense.

"Heck no, there's no way we're running away from a pig… not again." Richmond replied as he charged towards the boar and locked its tusks with his blade, which was a bit awkward considering his height. "ED, get ready to attack again!" He ordered, his frustration making him forget to use Ed's screen name.

"Got it Eddy!" Lothar complied with glee.

"Wait Lothar, maybe you should try using one of those Sword Skills the tutorial mentioned." Einstein suggested, which Lothar just replied with a blank stare. "Remember, this box." He then pulled up the main menu and went to Help then Tutorials to show him the instruction on how to use the first basic Sword Skill Slant. "Now remember, just succeed in doing to correct Initial Motion Input and once you feel the Skill has activated, execute it." He explained, but Lothar still just stared at him. "Copy this motion and you will gain power Ed." He said much more simply, and that seemed to work for him.

"Oh, right-o." Lothar said. He then got into position and copied the pose done by the person in the picture Einstein showed him. As he settled into the pose, his blade began to glow a bluish color, much to his comrades surprise.

"Oh my." Einstein said. A moment later, Lothar unleashed the skill, dashing forward and landing a diagonal slash on the boar just as Richmond moved out of the way. The hit left an orange gash on the boar and the last of its HP ran out, causing it to explode in countless polygon shards. A screen titled Results then appeared, showing the EXP, Money, called Col, and items he earned for his victory.

"Lothar triumphs again!" He exclaimed as he pointed his sword to the sky in a heroic fashion.

"Good going lumpy." Richmond said as he held up his hand for a high five, which Lothar happily complied with.

"Yes, well, as impressive as that was, the Frenzy Boar is the weakest monster in the game." Einstein said, reading from the Guide Book.

"Wait, seriously, but that thing could take us all on at once!" Richmond said in disbelief.

"I suppose that's because we neglected to use our Sword Skills from the very start, allowing the monster somewhat of an advantage, I'm sure if from now one we remember to use them they will no longer be such a hassle for us." Einstein replied in that know it all tone of his, though he wasn't trying to sound like that, it's just how he was.

"Well let's test that out, look, there's a couple more." Richmond said as he pointed to two more Frenzy Boars spawning at the top of a hill. "These two are mine." He took out his sword and was about to charge when Einstein put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Just hold on a minute Richmond, perhaps you should heal before you blindly rush into combat again." He suggested. Richmond was a bit annoyed, but when he looked at his HP bar, which was almost half way down, he realized he was right. "Luckily I have taken the liberty of purchasing these health potions before we left the items shop." Einstein pulled out two clear bottles with red liquid inside out of his right Item Pouch and handed them to his comrades.

"Oh, uh, thanks." Richmond said.

"Ten thousand Gazuntites." Lothar said as he gulped down the drink in a second and watched as his HP increased back to full.

"Hmm, cherry." Richmond commented on the surprisingly tasteful potion.

"And now that we are all fit as fiddles, what do you say we continue onward with our quest." Einstein said with a chuckle, finally getting into the spirit of the game.

"You said it, Sock Head, charge!" Richmond yelled as he and his comrades readied their swords and charged up the hill, gaining the attention of one of the Frenzy Boars.

The group spent the remainder of the hour farming monsters in the grassy fields. The sun was now setting in the computer generated sky which made for a beautiful sight against the exotic scenery, so much so that the Eds took a moment to relax and just enjoy the marvelous world around them.

"Wow, what in incredible sunset." Richmond said as he stared at the horizon.

"The gods smile upon us this day." Lothar said as he plopped down on the ground next to Einstein.

"I must admit gentlemen, I was quite critical of this game at first, but I have indeed enjoyed my time here, however short it may have been." Einstein stated with a smile as he gazed at the scenery around him.

"You can say that again… almost makes me not want to give it up." Richmond replied, gaining the attention of his comrades. "I feel like I can actually be somebody here, you know. Free from the hassles of everyday life, the cliques, the peer-pressure, the hatred of our classmates, I have a blank slate, Eddy doesn't exist here, only Richmond, I feel… reborn." Lothar and Einstein were surprised by what he was saying, that certainly didn't sound like the Eddy they knew, but despite this, they understood what he was saying, they both felt the same way to a certain degree, and smiled at their friend for putting it into words for them. Richmond then cleared his throat in embarrassment. "Well, tough luck for me a guess, we still promised the saps at home a turn with these things after all. So come on, let's get out of here, besides, the sooner we get their turns over and done with the sooner we can come back, am I right?" Lothar and Einstein smiled and nodded at the prospect and stood up ready to go.

"Indeed, our hour is just about up, so we should really get going." Einstein agreed.

"Farewell my brothers, shall we meet again on the field of battle some day." Lothar said dramatically.

"Well, see you guys on the other side." Richmond said. And with that, the three friends turned away from each other as if they were really about to go somewhere and opened the main menu to log out. Richmond hesitated at bit, taking one finally look at the sunset to commit it to memory.

"Uh, Einstein, where's the log out button?" Lothar asked innocently, regaining the attention of his friends.

"It's probably right in front of your face lumpy." Richmond said, thinking it was just another one of his friend's idiotic moments.

"Actually Richmond, I can't seem to locate it either." Einstein stated, gaining a more serious response from Richmond.

"Wait, seriously, but it should be right… here?" Richmond opened the menu only to find that there indeed was no logout button, there was only Options and Help.

"See, it's not there." Lothar said.

"But how can that be, according to the Guide Book the Logout option should be under the Main Menu, if it's not there… oh dear…" Einstein began freaking out, frantically flipping through the Guide Book for a solution.

"May the gods have mercy on our toenails." Lothar said in a bit of a grave voice.

"Pipe down you two, it's probably just a bug or something, these large scale games always have something wrong with them at first." Richmond assured.

"I suppose so, but just to be safe we better call the Game Master, perhaps he can tell us what's going on." Einstein suggested. He was about to do just that when the three heard what sounded like an ominous church bell ringing in the distance, the sound of which was so unnerving that the three could not speak as the sound pounded against their eardrums. After a while, the three were engulfed by a bright blue light and disappeared from the empty field.

The three players reappeared in the same courtyard in which they started the game, along with what seemed like every other player currently logged on, and even more were teleporting in.

"What the… what just happened?" Richmond inquired; feeling his body to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be.

"It seems we were teleported back to the starting area, but why?" Einstein said just as confused. Eventually, the bell stopped it's ringing, but that didn't seem to quell anyone's worries.

"Up there." They heard someone say, and they all lifted their faces up to find a flashing red hexagon with the word "Warning" in all caps at the center of the sky. Moments later, thousands of identical icons covered the sky, bathing everything in a brilliant blood red color, and just when they thought things couldn't get any stranger, dark red ooze then began to seep between the icons and came together in the sky to for the shape of a faceless humanoid in what seemed to be red ceremonial robes.

"A Game Master?"

"Why doesn't he have a face?"

"Is this and event?"

"It is the evil wizard Baron Obifdif, come back from the third layer of hell to wreak his unholy vengeance!" Lothar exclaimed, hiding behind his two companions. As ridiculous as it sounded, the two Eds didn't dismiss that possibility.

"Attention players." The cloaked figure announced as he raised his hands to gain everyone's attention. "Welcome to my world. My name is Kayaba Akihiko, as of this moment, I am the sole person who can control this world." The entire assembly was astonished by this, especially a certain big brained Ed boy.

"Astonishing, the real live Kayaba Akihiko, the genius who created the NerveGear and this entire world, I cannot believe I am meeting him face to… uh… lack thereof, I suppose." Einstein gushed out, it was obvious that he greatly admired the genius inventor, which sort of made Richmond role his eyes in annoyance.

"I'm sure you've already noticed that the logout button is missing from the Main Menu." Kayaba continued, opening the Main Menu and pointing to where the Logout button was meant to be. "But, this is not a defect of the game. I repeat; this is not a defect in the game. It is a feature of Sword Art Online."
"A feature, what do you mean a feature?" Richmond shouted at the floating Game Master, but was just ignored.

"You cannot log of SAO yourselves, and no one on the outside can shut down or remove the NerveGear. Should this be attempted, the transmitter inside the NerveGear will emit a powerful microwave, destroying your brain and thus ending your life." At this claim, the entire assembly went into an uproar, some in shock and some in annoyance and disbelief.

"Fry our brains, pfft, yeah right, he's got to be messing with us, right Sock Head." Richmond insisted, but when he turned to his friend, he looked genuinely distraught.

"No Eddy, the transmitter in the NerveGear does operate on microwaves, so it is indeed possible to destroy the brain if the intensity was increased." He explained, shocking both Lothar and Richmond.

"Unfortunately, several players' friends and families have ignored this warning, and have attempted to remove the NerveGear. As a result, two hundred and thirteen players are gone forever, from both Aincrad and the real world."

"T-two hundred and thirteen!?" Richmond said in total shock.

"Is that more than three?" Lothar asked but was ignored.

"As you can see; news organizations across the world are reporting all of this, including the deaths. Thus, you can assume that the danger of a NerveGear being removed is now minimal. I hope you will relax and attempt to clear the game." As he said this, Kayaba pulled up multiple news feeds on floating screens, most of them were from some part of Japan, but there was one news feed that caught the Ed's attention. It was of Fox News, and it showed they're very neighborhood filled with police cars and paramedics, checking the vital signs of the three Ed's motionless bodies. Around the scene were the kids and their families, they all seemed very distraught, especially their own parents, they're mothers crying hysterically and their father's trying their best to comfort them, even Sarah was sobbing in her mother's arms for the unfortunate fate of her older brother. The Eds were so shocked that they almost stopped listening to Kayaba as he continued.

"But I want you to remember this clearly. There is no longer any method to revive someone within the game. If your HP reaches zero, your avatar will be lost forever, and simultaneously… the NerveGear will destroy your brain." Everyone was utterly horrified at this prospect, many of them had nearly been defeated by a simple Frenzy Boar, to think that they could have met their demise at the hands of a computer generated pig, it was just completely unsettling. "There is only one means of escape; to complete the game." He then brought up a 3D map of the entire structure of Aincrad for all to see. "You are presently on the lowest floor of Aincrad, Floor 1. If you make your way through the dungeon and defeat the Floor Boss, you may advance to the next level. Defeat the final boss on Floor 100, and you will clear the game."

"Clear all hundred floors? That's impossible, the beta testers never made it anywhere near that high!" They heard someone say, which just made the situation look that much bleaker.

"Finally, I've added a present from me to your item storage. Please see for yourselves." Kayaba requested, and everyone seemed to comply. There was indeed a new item in everyone's storage, labeled simply as Mirror. Richmond selected the item and it appeared in his hand, it just looked like a regular mirror to him, but just as he was about to disregard it, Lothar and Einstein were engulfed by a blue light, followed by dozens of players next to him, and himself as well.

"Are you alright, Richmond?" He heard Einstein say.

"Uh, yeah, I think so." He replied, turning around just to be met with Einstein's chest. He looked up to see the all too familiar face of Double D, his real world face in fact, almost perfectly recreated. He saw the shocked look on Double D's face when their eyes met, and just then he realized he was once again his original height. He glanced back at the mirror and saw that his avatar had also reverted to his real world appearance, except for his hair, that was the same style he chose, except it now had three long hairs sticking up from the center of his forehead and slicked back like the rest of his hair.

"E-Eddy?" Double D said in disbelief.

"D-Double D?" Eddy replied.

"Don't forget Ed." They heard from their right, and turn to see Ed, who was in the same state that they were in, and not just them, everyone seemed to be in the same boat, once handsome and heroic looking people were now average and mundane nobodies, and the most disturbing would probably be the fact that some of the female avatars turned out to be male players.

"What the… what the heck's going on here?" Eddy demanded. "Alright you faceless freak, TALK!"

"Right now, you're probably wondering, why, why would Kayaba Akihiko, developer of Sword Art Online and the NerveGear, do all this? My goal has already been achieved. I created Sword Art Online for one reason… to create this world and intervene in it. And now, it is complete. This ends the tutorial for the official Sword Art Online launch. Good luck, players." And with that ominous note, Kayaba faded away into data and pixels, the icons in the sky clearing up as he left as well. Everyone was in dead silence, trying to process all that they were just told. The seconds felt like hours until finally the frightened scream of a young girl snapped everyone out of their daze. Before you knew it, the courtyard was in total chaos, players screaming and panicking, demanding that Kayaba set them free, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. The Eds were completely petrified, Ed and Eddy just stood in place staring at where Kayaba once was, while Double D had fell to his knees in complete and utter despair. Not too long ago they had desired to not have to leave this incredible world of swords, and now, they didn't even have a choice.

A/N: And that's it for now, basically an adaption of the first episode of the anime. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next, which will depict the Eds' reaction to this death game and how they decide to deal with it. Well, see you guys later, and don't forget to R&R please.