A/N: What's up people? Long time no see ^_^ Lately college stuff has been flooding my schedule like Hell, which explains why I haven't updated my stories in a while. I'm deeply sorry for keeping all of you waiting and to make up for it, here's a short story for all of you to welcome the festive season!
Chapter 6 of Kamen Rider War Side Stories Arc 1: The Chaos Insurgency will be touched again in the works as I enter a two-week winter break from all college activities, but I would like to upload this first. It is essentially a Kamen Rider War Christmas Special and as usual it revolves around my OCs in NecroGodYami's ongoing epic. I got this idea after playing a round of Ganbarizing where I'm lucky enough to get Ghost Santa Claus Damashii and I thought, hey, why don't I put this in here as well? Plus Christmas is coming and four days afterwards, someone who is very special to me is having her birthday. So I'm considering this special as a tribute to both. And this will take place sometime after Kamen Riders Baron and Duke receive their Lemon Energy Arms and Dragon Energy Arms upgrade respectively, so it's probably further down the road in NecroGodYami's main story.
P.S. I strongly recommend you to read NecroGod's Kamen Rider War before you read this. Otherwise you wouldn't get the story :p
Alright, without further ado, here we go!
Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider or any other series that I crossover.
xxx
To Le Thao Minh. Thank you for being such an inspiration for our lives. May that smile of yours shine even brighter in your 19th year. Happy birthday!
xxx
"You want me to do what?!"
"Go Christmas shopping with us."
"No way in Hell."
Minh rolled her eyes in exasperation upon hearing that. It's December 24th and like elsewhere in the universe, Tokusat City is slowly entering the festive spirit with Christmas coming in two more days. The Chaos Insurgency's hideout in the outskirts of town is no exception – for the past few days the girls has been busy decorating the place with Christmas-themed decorations – streamers, bells, lights, you name it. Wind even bought a large Christmas tree that is now standing proudly in the hideout's briefing room, half decorated but already showing its unique Christmas charm.
Unfortunately there's one person in the Chaos Insurgency that has not gotten into the holiday spirit yet and that person is the group's leader, Krishna Sadhana. The young man has spent the last few days locked in his quarters, wearing nothing but a black tank top and white shorts, emerging only for bathroom breaks and to grab some snacks much to the concern of Minh and the others.
Which is exactly why the Vietnamese has asked Krishna to come with her and Wind for a trip to Tokusat City to do some Christmas shopping at the Central Shopping Complex. 'He's already spending too much time in his room, he needs to get some fresh air and hopefully some eagerness for the upcoming festive season,' Minh thought.
"Let me restate this to you girls," Krishna said, leaning against his quarters' door frame, "I will not go Christmas shopping with you two. Never am and never will."
"Seriously, Krishna?" Minh glared at the young man in front of her, "You've been always like this since the start of the month. You just don't give a damn about Christmas, do you?"
"So? It's just a time where people exchange random gifts to each other, enjoy some food, enjoy some snow, and get wasted," Krishna replied sternly, "And I don't believe in this Santa Claus mumbo-jumbo bullcrap. It's just a myth told by parents for their children to sort their shit out. Now if you excuse me, I have some shit to do."
"Why you…" Minh was about to slap some sense into Krishna, but Wind grabbed her by the shoulders, preventing the young woman from doing anything brash.
"Minh, it's no use talking to him," Wind said as Krishna slammed his quarter's door on the two, "We're wasting our time if we kept on doing this. He already told us that he's not going and we can't force him to come with us. Besides, Chan and Meika are away at the countryside to get us some wine and turkey for our Christmas feast. Someone needs to hold down the fort here."
Minh sighed, realizing that what her best friend has told her is true, "Fine. We'll go without him."
As both Minh and Wind left the hideout on their Lock Vehicles, Krishna headed back towards his desk in his quarters, which is now littered with several circuit boards, cables, batteries, and metallic plates. Grabbing a set of safety goggles from a nearby drawer, Krishna wore them around his head before picking up a soldering iron, his eyes set on a printed circuit board resting within a cyan-colored metallic bowl.
"Let's do this," Krishna told himself, before he proceeds to solder a cable into the PCB in front of him.
xxx
Like the shopping malls back home at this time of year, Tokusat City's CSC has transformed itself into a Christmas wonderland. Streamers are hung on the shopping complex's lights, the employees are wearing Santa and elf-themed shirts, Christmas lights adorn the buildings of the CSC like sprinkles on donuts, and most importantly, a huge Christmas tree made out of neon lights is standing proudly in the heart of the CSC.
After around three hours of going from shop to shop, both Minh and Wind are resting on a bench located near the CSC's neon tree, enjoying the light snowfall around them. As with other shopping malls around the world, the CSC has its own festive season discount, something that allows the two girls to buy a huge amount of Christmas-themed items, ranging from clothes, mugs, food and beverage, you name it, they've bought it.
"Man, some shopping that we did, ne?" Minh smiled sheepishly, her eyes gazing on the bags around her and Wind, "Good thing they have them holiday discounts, eh?"
"But how are we supposed to bring all of these back home?" Wind asked, noticing the huge amount of bags around them, "There's no way we could carry all of them with our Lock Vehicles! Gosh, I sure wish Krishna's here…a man's strength could easily help us in carrying all of these…"
"Krishna?" Minh scoffed, "Meh, he'll just slow us down. He's not that kind of guy who's too keen with shopping, right? All he'll do if he come with us is complain every time we look for clothes, sleep his ass off in those shoe store benches, or distract himself in that brand new hobby store that just opened…Iori Hobby Shop, if I can recall? Anyway, he would be utterly useless for this trip!"
"Men," Wind sighed, "Such intriguing creatures, don't you think?"
Minh was about to comment even further when she noticed something behind the giant neon tree. It was a small soup kitchen stand, being set up to give away free soup to the CSC visitors seeking some warmth in the cold winter weather. Several children are seen lining up in front of the stand, all of them eager for their soup. As Minh's eyes inspected the stand and the small crowd surrounding it even further, she caught two familiar people serving up soup to the children. A certain young woman and a bald man in a monk's attire that she had known all too well.
Picking up her shopping bags, Minh immediately went over towards the stand, much to Wind's surprise.
"Minh? Where are you going?" Wind asked, only to receive no answer from her best friend, prompting Wind to pick up her own bags and went after Minh, "Ah mou!"
As she went closer and closer to the stand, Minh immediately knew that two of her friends are running the soup stand. Letting out her usual smile, Minh immediately greeted the stand owners.
"Steffi! Onari!"
Both Steffi and Onari are caught by surprise by Minh's sudden greeting, leading to the latter almost spilling his soup on his juvenile customer, but the two soon regained their composures as both Minh and Wind approached their stand.
"Hi Minh-chan, Wind-chan," Steffi greeted, smiling rather awkwardly as she poured a serving of soup to her customer, "Fancy running into you two here. Want some soup?"
"Nah, we're good," Wind shook her head, "What are you two doing here? Relishing in the spirit of giving?"
"This is exactly what it looks like, Wind-dono," replied Onari as he handed a bowl of soup to a customer, "We at the Daitenkuji believes that we're doing God's work with services for the community, and this is no exception. In welcoming the festive season, we're doing some charity work for the children and the people by giving away free soup to warm up the winter. True happiness isn't achieved by fulfilling one's own happiness, but by spreading that happiness to others."
Minh smiled after hearing that, "What a noble act to do. Where are the shrine maidens?"
"They're opening the same stand as ours all across Tokusat City," Steffi answered, "But we're in charge for this stand. By the way…I'm sorry for your loss. Two's a great girl; she doesn't deserve to go out that way."
"I know," Minh nodded sadly, "We're still trying to move on from her passing, but it seems like Krishna's the one who take this the hardest. I mean, Two's his first friend here…Krishna's never been the same since her death…"
"I hope he could move on soon," Steffi said solemnly, with Minh and Wind giving out solemn nods in reply.
Suddenly a loud shriek broke through the air, startling everyone at the stand. Immediately Minh, Wind, and Steffi knew that there was trouble nearby.
"Onari, keep the soup warm for me, will you?" Steffi said, before she quickly runs off.
"Keep an eye on our bags as well!" Minh added as she and Wind went after Steffi.
Onari nodded, quickly placing Minh and Wind's shopping bags behind the stand, before he notices that a long line has formed in front of the soup kitchen stand much to his dismay.
"Oh crap!"
xxx
Minh, Wind, and Steffi had tracked down the source of the shriek, a small alleyway located just outside the CSC. There, the three girls saw three burgundy red and black humanoid beings ganging up on someone. The humanoids had a large, X-shaped shuriken planted on their backs, which was a dead giveaway to their identities.
"Gelnewts," Steffi said, materializing the Ghost Driver around her waist as she takes out a chocolate brown Ghost Eyecon, "You ready, girls?"
"Just like the old times," Minh replied, strapping on her Genesis Driver as Wind does the same, before the two girls took out their respective Energy Lockseeds.
Steffi clicked on her Eyecon's button, causing the code 05 written in white to appear on it, before she quickly inserts the Eyecon into her Driver, while at the same time Minh and Wind unlocked their respective Lockseeds, causing their Cracks and Armor Parts to appear above them.
EYE? BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!
LEMON ENERGY!
PEACH ENERGY!
Steffi's Ghost Driver materializes a cowboy-themed Parka Ghost, colored mostly chocolate brown with white adorned with black spots on the shoulders, with a brown Stetson resting on the Parka Ghost's head completing its Wild West look. As the Parka Ghost dances around Steffi to the tune of her Driver's standby noise, Minh and Wind secured their Lockseeds on their respective Drivers.
LOCK ON!
LOCK ON!
"Henshin!" the three girls yelled in unison, pushing their Drivers' respective levers to initiate their transformations.
KAIGAN! BILLY THE KID! HYAKUPATSU! HYAKUCHU! ZUKYUN! BAKYUN!
SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FI-FI-FI-FI-FIGHT!
SODA! PEACH ENERGY ARMS!
The cowboy themed Parka Ghost wrapped itself around Steffi's newly materialized bodysuit, as Minh and Wind's respective Armor Parts fell onto their shoulders. As Kamen Riders Duke and Marika completed their transformations in splashes of yellow and pink energies, a chocolate brown and mask that depicts a firing revolver slides onto the faceplate on Steffi's bodysuit, completing her own transformation into Kamen Rider Ghost, Billy the Kid Damashii.
"Let's go!" Ghost exclaimed, taking out her Gan Gun Saber in its Gun Mode on her right hand, while her left hand is holding a bat-themed alarm clock-revolver hybrid, the Bat Clock.
Grasping their respective Sonic Arrows tightly, both Duke and Marika followed Ghost into battle, an air of slight nostalgia floating into the battlefield as the three Riders went up against the three Gelnewts, who were immediately attracted to them by the noises of their respective transformations, leaving behind the person that they had attacked.
Ghost wasted no time in firing her weapons at her Gelnewt opposition, blasting the Mirror Monster several times on the chest before a bullet fired from the Bat Clock hits the Gelnewt right through its forehead, sealing its demise.
The Gelnewt facing Duke put up a slightly better fight, using its back shuriken to parry an incoming slash from the lemon Rider's Sonic Arrow, before a punch to the chest sends it off balance. Ditching her Sonic Arrow, Duke quickly rushes towards her Gelnewt, putting it into a rear naked choke before with a simple twist; the Mirror Monster's neck was snapped, ending its life.
Marika immediately took aim at her incoming Gelnewt, who was flailing its shuriken in an attempt to intimidate her. But like its two brethren, its life was cut short quickly after Marika fired a pink energy arrow straight through its heart, destroying the Gelnewt instantly.
"That was easy," Duke commented once Marika had finished off her Gelnewt, before she glances at the corpse of the Gelnewt that she had killed, "Too easy…"
Ghost immediately rushed towards the person that the Gelnewts had attacked, checking to see if the person is alright, "Hey, are you oka…what the fu..heck?!"
"What's wrong?" Duke asked, before her visor made contact with the person that they had saved, "Holy mother of God…"
"Minh? Steffi? Is there any problem?" Marika asked, catching up with her fellow Riders before she notices the person in front of them, "You've gotta be kidding me…."
The person that Ghost, Duke, and Marika had saved is an old Caucasian man, with a rather short and fat build, white skin, blue eyes, and a long white beard, a white mustache, and long, shoulder-length white hair. He is wearing a red and white wool jacket, a red and white pointed hat made out of wool, red wool trousers, and a pair of black boots. It was a figure that all three Riders are all too familiar with.
"SANTA CLAUS?!" the three Riders gasped in unison.
xxx
5 minutes and a series of shocked-filled gasps later, Steffi, Minh, and Wind had brought Santa Claus a blanket for him to warm himself up, the item in question being bought by Wind during her Christmas shopping. Steffi has also presented Santa with her soup, which the man enjoyed immediately upon receiving. The three girls are now sitting around Father Christmas himself, each of them still curious on what is he doing in Tokusat City as well as why did those Gelnewts attacked him.
"I still can't believe my eyes," Minh said, "We're actually face to face with Santa Claus himself! To thought that we'd be sitting here with him…it's all too surreal!"
"True that," Wind said in agreement, "All of my life I've considered Santa as a figure of legends…a man who is revered as a myth amongst young and old. And now here he is, enjoying a bowl of soup with us. Guess this comes with the perks that Tokusat City gives to us, eh Minh?"
"Girls, stay focused!" Steffi said sternly, before she turned her attention towards Santa, "What brings you to Tokusat City, Santa?"
Santa gulped down the last of his soup, cleared his throat, before proceeding to answer Steffi's question, "Well, I was flying over your city on me way to start me present run, when something…or someone, shot down me sleigh. I was lucky to survive that – me sleigh fell down from the sky like a pinecone falling out from its tree. As I was struggling to comprehend what had just happened, those creatures that you three just defeated back then suddenly appeared out of nowhere, being led by this…crocodile man. They raided me sleigh, causing me reindeers to split up out of fright. I was then captured with me sleigh to this abandoned factory, where this crocodile man told me that he's going to keep all the presents for the children of the world to himself, saying that it has been his lifelong wish. Of course I couldn't accept that, so I decided to try and sneak me way out of that place with me sleigh; might as well find me reindeers as well. But I got caught by those creatures, and the crocodile man told them to dispose me in this very alleyway. They were about to finish me off when you three came."
Minh, Wind, and Steffi were left speechless by what Santa had told them.
"I can't believe it…" Wind gasped, "Someone in this city's plotting to ruin Christmas!"
"We must not let that happen," Minh said, "Think about everyone who has prepared themselves for this very occasion! How would the world react if one day they woke up to find out that there's no presents underneath their trees? No presents, no Christmas. The whole world will go into despair!"
Steffi immediately patted Santa on his shoulder, a reassuring smile on her face, "Don't worry, Father Christmas. We will do our best to help you. This year's Christmas won't be ruined; you can count on us for that."
"And since those creatures might be still out there to get you, we know exactly the safest place for you to stay while we deal with this," Minh added.
Steffi blinked, "Wait, you do?!"
xxx
Back in the Chaos Insurgency hideout, Krishna is busy cutting a sheet of cyan-colored metal with his power saw when he hears the sound of motorcycles revving outside. Immediately the young man turned off his saw, took off his safety goggles and took a peek outside his quarters' window. There, he saw the brief familiar glimpses of Minh's Rose Attacker and Wind's Sakura Hurricane.
'Ah, they're back already?' Krishna thought, 'So early.'
Krishna was about to continue his cutting when suddenly a knock was heard from his quarters' door. Letting out a slightly annoyed sigh, Krishna immediately went towards the door to answer it.
"Coming," Krishna said as he opened the door, to see Minh standing in front of him, causing him to let out a slight sigh, "What is it this time?"
"Can I ask for your help, Krish?" Minh asked, "I promise it won't bother too much of your time."
"As long as it's not that difficult, sure thing," Krishna replied, "What is it?"
"Wind and I have gotten ourselves a job to do and for the client's safety I'm dropping him off here until we've finished our mission. I want you to look after him," Minh said.
"Well, if he could stand the noise of my power saw, I don't see any harm in this," Krishna said, "What's the client's name? I'm going to write it on our client board at the briefing room."
"Santa Claus," Minh replied.
"Alright. Santa Claus…" Krishna grabbed a black marker from his desk and made his way towards the briefing room, before he paused suddenly mid-way through, "Wait a minute. Did you say…Santa Claus?"
"That's right," Minh nodded.
Krishna nodded as well, before a slightly sarcastic smile appeared on his face, "Minh-chan…are you high?"
"High?" a startled Minh gasped, "Krishna, you know I don't do marijuana, right?"
"But Santa Claus doesn't exist," Krishna replied, "Haven't I told you? It's a myth that adults make so their children would behave. Santa Claus is not real."
"Krishna, you do realize that we're in a world where things that are fictional in our world are real in this world?" Minh reminded Krishna.
Krishna rolled his eyes, "True, true. But Santa Claus is a myth. A story told from mouth to mouth from generation to generation. If he's real, I would have met Hercules strolling around Tokusat City."
Minh sighed, "Krishna, I would like to debate about Santa Claus' existence to you, but if Wind and I don't act fast enough, we might as well forget about celebrating Christmas. Just look after the old man, okay?"
Krishna went silent, his mind thinking for a few seconds, before he lets out a sigh of resignation.
"Fine, just tell him to go to my quarters, okay? And don't forget to give me his payment when you return."
Minh facepalmed after hearing that, "Krishna, seriously? It's Father Christmas we're talking here. We're taking about the man who is all about giving. You can't expect us to ask him for pay for our services, right? That would be against the Christmas spirit! Just for once, we're not charging him anything, it's on the house. Okay, Krish?"
Krishna leaned himself against his quarters' door, a slight pout showing up on his face while his eyes bursts out irritation.
"Krish?" Minh asked again.
Krishna lets out another resigned sigh, throwing his arms up in defeat, "Fine, just for once. Tell him to stay put in my room, okay?"
Minh's faced beamed, just like a little girl who had received her Christmas present from her dad, "Thanks Krish! I knew that I could count on you!"
"Yada-yada," Krishna muttered as he entered his quarters, while an ecstatic Minh ran outside towards the hideout's waiting room.
xxx
In the waiting room, Wind, Steffi, and Santa waited anxiously for Minh, and they immediately knew something good has happened when they saw Minh running towards them with a face beaming with happiness.
"My friend says yes!" Minh exclaimed in delight, "Mr. Claus, you're allowed to stay here for a while until we've recovered your sleigh."
"Hohoho, many thanks!" Santa lets out a pleased, hearty laugh.
"I'll show you to his room," Minh said, "But one word of warning. My friend kinda doesn't believe in Christmas or your existence as a whole, so please bear with him if he decides to …well you got my point."
"Don't worry," Santa said, "I have my fair share of non-believers. Let's see how bad your friend is."
xxx
Inside his quarters, Krishna has resumed his cutting work for the past few minutes, cutting up his metal sheet into a circular shape with his power saw. After he had finished, Krishna turns off his power saw and took off his safety goggles, slowly lifting up the newly cut circle of metal and gazing it in awe, for he had created a masterpiece.
Another knock was heard on the door, prompting Krishna to quickly place his newly cut piece of metal on his desk before he quickly hobbled towards the door to answer it.
"Who is it?" Krishna asked as he opened the door, and much to his surprise, he saw Santa standing in front of his quarters, "Who are you supposed to be? Our newest client?"
Santa nodded, "Yes, I am. Your friend has told me to come to your room for the time being. May I come in?"
"Sure," Krishna replied, "Just don't bother me and my work, okay?"
Krishna lets Santa into his quarters, before he closes the door shut. As Father Christmas navigated his way through Krishna's cluttered room, the room's owner has taken his seat back in front of his desk, taking out a piece of cloth and a bottle of cleaning fluid from a drawer, before he proceeds to clean his newly cut piece of metal.
"So you're what my friends call as Santa Claus, huh?" Krishna said, his eyes still fixed at his metal piece as Santa sat behind him on his bed, "You look like a run-off-the-mill old man to me."
"Yes, I am," Santa replied, his tone still retaining its friendliness even though he can feel that Krishna's being cold and hostile towards him, "They call me by many names. Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle…but one thing's for sure, they believe that I deliver presents each Christmas to all the children and the people of the Earth, with the aid of me sleigh and me reindeers, as well as me elves back in the North Pole building me presents for everyone. I give presents to the ones who are nice, and coal to the ones who are naughty."
"And you did that delivery all in one night?" Krishna asked again as he sprayed more of the cleaning liquid on his metal piece.
"That's true," Santa answered.
"You know that is scientifically impossible, right?" Krishna said, turning his recliner so that he is now face to face with Santa, "I mean, to travel to every household in this planet, dropping off presents in each one of them, only in one night? It is completely inhuman."
xxx
"Santa said that the crocodile man that shot down his sleigh has held it captive here in Side 6," Minh said once she, Wind, and Steffi had arrived at the city's industrial complex on their respective Rider Machines.
"Side 6?" Wind asked, apparently the location's name is all too familiar for her, "Isn't that where our old hideout was, Minh?"
"True," Minh nodded, "But we're not going there. This place is teaming with abandoned factories and warehouses. God knows where that crocodile man is hiding Santa's sleigh…"
"Well Santa did told us that from his memory, he saw the factory's chimney being rusty green and red in color," Steffi chipped in, glancing at Side 6's skyline before she notices something in a distance, "Could that be it?"
Minh slowly took off her helmet and puts her glasses on, trying to squint towards the direction that Steffi is pointing. There she saw a faint image of a chimney, colored green with a few rusty patches here and there, with a shade of rusted red on its tip.
"My God, I think that's it!" Minh exclaimed.
xxx
"Your name is Krishna Sadhana, right?" Santa asked, startling Krishna as he hasn't told the man about his name yet.
"How do you know my name?" Krishna asked back.
Santa chuckled, "Hohoho, of course I know your name. I know the names of everyone in this planet. Helps me with me present run."
"Either that or you're a major stalker," Krishna rolled his eyes as he sighed.
"Tell me, Krishna," Santa said, a warm smile appearing on his face, "What is the meaning of Christmas to you?"
"Why the fuck would you ask that?" asked Krishna in an irritated tone, "What does it mean to you?"
Instead of being offended, Santa laughed even harder.
"What's so funny?" Krishna asked again.
"Hohoho, you don't believe in Christmas or in me, do you?" Santa chuckled.
"How do you know that?" Krishna asked, but he doesn't need an answer from Santa to figure it out, "Minh must have told you, haven't she?"
"That girl's really nice," Santa commented, "She's definitely getting a present from me. You should learn a thing or two from her."
"Whatever," Krishna scoffed.
"Hmm, let me tell you this. I'll tell you the meaning of Christmas in my opinion, but after you've heard that, you must tell me what Christmas really means to you," Santa offered Krishna a proposition, "How about that?"
A cynical smile appeared on Krishna's face, "Fine, give me your best shot."
xxx
Inside an abandoned factory somewhere in Side 6, several Gelnewts are seen patrolling around a slightly damaged red and white sleigh that has been placed in the heart of the factory. Several boxes of presents, all of them nicely wrapped, have been stacked onto the sleigh's real compartment, and covered in black tarpaulin. Sitting on the sleigh's driver seat is a green crocodile-themed humanoid, with a pair of curled spikes themed after crocodile tails on its shoulders. Patches of red armoring are seen on the humanoid's abdomen, grieves, gauntlets, and shoulders, while a pair of piercing yellow eyes are seen on the humanoid's face. On the humanoid's clawed hands is a small brown harmonica, having being ripped out of its box a few seconds before with the remains of the box and its wrapping scattered underneath the sleigh.
The humanoid was about to play the harmonica when a loud explosion rocked the outside of the factory, startling it and the Gelnewts around the sleigh.
"What in the actual fuck?!" cursed the crocodile humanoid.
KAIGAN! ORE! LET'S GO! KAKUGO! GHO-GHO-GHO-GHOST! GO! GO! GO! GO!
SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FI-FI-FI-FI-FIGHT!
SODA! PEACH ENERGY ARMS!
Stepping out from the dust resulted from the explosion are Kamen Riders Ghost, Duke, and Marika, their respective weapons already in hand. Seeing the incoming Riders, the humanoid threw away its harmonica and jumped off the sleigh, facing the three Riders with the Gelnewts flanking its side.
"The Alligator Imagin," Duke said as she and the other Riders went face-to-face with the humanoid and its Gelnewt army, "So you're the one behind this, aren't you?"
"Why do you want to ruin Christmas?!" Ghost asked angrily, "Tell us!"
The Alligator Imagin chuckled, "Heheheh, I'm just fulfilling the wish of my masters, after all. We Imagin live to grant wishes, didn't you three already know that?"
"Masters?! What are you talking about?!" Duke asked.
Suddenly several blasts of green energy showered the area, knocking the three Riders to the ground in a large explosion. As Ghost, Duke, and Marika struggled to stand up, a grey humanoid being suddenly appeared from the factory's ceiling, four bird-like wings sprouting out of its back. The humanoid resembled a Nordic knight, with grey armor, black skin with red accents on it and the armor, several green highlights on the chest armor as well as the helmet, a yellow crest on the helmet, and a pair of pale grey eyes. The humanoid lets out an evil laugh as it landed next to the Alligator Imagin, the latter kneeling in respect to it.
"Thank you for your timely entrance, Master," the Alligator Imagin said in a respectful tone.
"It's alright, you may stand up," replied the humanoid, before it turned its attention towards Ghost, Duke, and Marika, who had managed to regain their footing, "So these are the people who are trying to meddle with our affairs, eh?"
"A Phantom!" Duke gasped, apparently recognizing the golden eye-like symbol embedded on the humanoid's chest.
"Valkyrie, at your service," the humanoid bowed politely in front of the Riders, "I can promise you that your demise will be swift and graceful."
"Don't you forget about me as well!"
A green energy wave suddenly appeared out of nowhere, striking the three Riders and knocking them down on the ground once again. Evil laughter echoed throughout the factory as both Duke and Marika struggled to find out who had attacked them, but Ghost knew all too well about the creature that had just attacked them.
"Show yourself!" Ghost yelled as she stood up, "Ganma!"
The disembodied voice laughed again, "Ah, is that you, Ghost? Interfering in our plans as usual, I see?"
Ghost immediately took out a spider-themed lantern, aiming it at the sleigh in front of her before turning it on. A burst of white light was released from the lantern, which reveals another humanoid being, this time it was sitting on top of the pile of presents on the sleigh.
The new humanoid is predominantly black in color, with a gray ribcage-like design on its chest as well as two neon blue eyes. It wore a red and white Santa Claus-themed jacket, complete with a white beard and the red and white pointed hat, while a green streamer was seen wrapped around its neck like a scarf. A mistletoe leaf is seen on the humanoid's left chest, while a set of bells crafted together into a bracelet is seen on the humanoid's right wrist. And finally, around its waist was a brown belt, with a sinister-looking eye-shaped buckle.
The Christmas Ganma lets out another laugh as it jumped down from the sleigh, joining both the Alligator Imagin and Valkyrie on the ground. The kaijin then let loose with another wave of green energy from its palms, sending Ghost, Duke, and Marika flying into the pillars behind them.
Groaning in pain, Duke struggled to stood up, her glaring eyes fixed at the kaijins in front of her, "Why…why did you do this?!"
"The answer is quite simple, my lady," Valkyrie replied politely, unfazed by the venom contained within Duke's question, "You see, Christmas is the most joyous time on this planet. Countless children and adults, all of them gathering to celebrate the festive season either in their homes, with their extended families, or out in the public. And with celebrations, come happiness."
Valkyrie then approached Duke, stroking the Rider by the chin as it gave her a sinister stare, "And imagine what would happen if Christmas is being robbed from them. Boom! Despair. And when there's despair…a huge amount of Phantoms like myself will be born into this world!"
"And with Santa's sleigh in our possession, I have access to Santa's personal artifacts," the Christmas Ganma added, "I will summon the Parka Ghost of Santa Claus, and absorb it so that I can become stronger!"
"A joint plan between the Phantoms and a Ganma, interesting," Ghost commented as she stood up, "But we will put an end to this!"
"Try as you can," Valkyrie snickered, before turning its attention towards the Alligator Imagin, "Eliminate them."
"As you wish, Master," the Alligator Imagin cracked its neck, motioning for the Gelnewts around them to gather around him.
Ghost, Duke, and Marika immediately assumed their fighting stances, ready to stop the kaijins' plan to ruin Christmas once and for all.
xxx
Back in the Chaos Insurgency hideout, Santa took a sip of water and cleared his throat, before proceeding to tell Krishna about the meaning of Christmas.
"For me, Christmas is a time of giving," Santa began his explanation, "People thought Christmas is all about receiving presents from their loved ones. How wrong they were. The true essence of Christmas is to spread happiness, to give charity to the ones who need them. It's all about the generosity that we have to the ones that is less fortunate. Giving, not receiving. Sharing with others, not taking one's possession for yourself. That is the meaning of Christmas according to me self. How about you, Krishna?"
Krishna went silent after listening to Santa's words. Something about what Santa had said to him has caused a reaction within him. A reaction…that ends with a feeling of emptiness, a breeze of sadness that swept through his entire body.
Without realizing it, a tear has escaped from Krishna's left eye.
xxx
Back at the factory, Ghost, Duke, and Marika had made short work of the Gelnewt army guarding Santa's sleigh, they were so weak, and it took only a few punches, kicks, slashes, and shots to defeat the Mirror Monsters in no time. Now the three Riders are taking on the main kaijins and with three of them, it was easy for them to divide their opponents.
Duke went towards Valkyrie, swiping her Sonic Arrow at the Phantom only for it to easily avoid the incoming attack by jumping into the air, sprouting its wings on its back in the process. Seeing that her opponent has gone airborne, Duke aimed her Sonic Arrow and fired several arrow shots, but Valkyrie easily and nimbly dodges them all, before letting loose with its energy blasts from the green accents on its helmet. The blasts showered Duke, covering her in a series of explosions that knocked her to the ground.
Marika fired several arrows at the Alligator Imagin, all of them landing direct hits on the kaijin's chest as it was covered in a large explosion. But just as Marika breathed out a sigh of relief, the Alligator Imagin ran out of the explosion's smoke, an alligator-themed broadsword on its right hand.
"Holy fuck!" Marika cursed.
"Your arrows have nothing against my armor!" the Alligator Imagin exclaimed, swinging its broadsword and hitting Marika right on the chest, "Let's see how yours fare up against my sword!"
The Alligator Imagin slashed Marika several times on the torso, sparks flying out with each slash, before a final stab to the abdomen knocks Marika to the ground.
Naturally both Ghost and the Christmas Ganma went up against each other, with the former hovering away from the latter's energy attacks. The Christmas Ganma lets out a maniacal laugh every time it fires its energy wave, keeping Ghost off the ground as explosions surrounded her. Deciding that playing cat and mouse has no benefits at all for her, Ghost took out her Gan Gun Saber in its default Sword Mode, dodging two more energy blasts from the Christmas Ganma, before charging towards the kaijin and giving it a good slash.
"Gotcha!" Ghost exclaimed.
The Christmas Ganma slowly stood up, letting out yet another maniacal laugh that startled Ghost as it dusts itself off.
"Do you think that's enough to hurt me?" the Christmas Ganma taunted, before flicking its right wrist repeatedly.
The bells on the Christmas Ganma's right wrist began to chime with each flick and included with that chime is a special sound frequency that causes great pain to Ghost, freezing her entire body solid as she struggled to bear with the Christmas Ganma's bell chimes, much to the kaijin's amusement.
xxx
Back at the Chaos Insurgency's hideout, Krishna had broken down into tears in front of Santa, the old man trying to comfort the CI's leader as best as he can.
"I lost the girl that I love during Christmas, around two years ago," Krishna said, struggling to speak between his tears, "We were so happy back then…we always do things together, we even promised to stick with each other forever. But then that fateful Christmas happened…"
"What happened?" Santa asked; his tone warm and fatherly as he continues to comfort Krishna.
"Car accident," Krishna replied sadly, "Some guy who got drunk after a Christmas party ran over my girlfriend. She was killed on the spot."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Santa said solemnly.
Krishna nodded slowly, "Thank you. Ever since that day…I despised Christmas. I see it as a holiday where people get drunk, party their money away, waste their lives like it was nothing."
"And in the process you also despised me," Santa said, having put two and two together.
Krishna gave out another sad nod, "I mean…before that incident, I always believe Santa is a person who gives everyone happiness during Christmas. But after my girlfriend had died…I felt that he had taken away something that is very valuable to me." Krishna then proceeds to bury his still teary-eyed face within his hands, "It's just not fair! How come people get to be happy during Christmas and I have to suffer during that day?! Why?!"
Now knowing why Krishna was so adamant in denying both Christmas and himself, Santa decided to embrace Krishna in a warm, comforting hug, much to the young man's surprise.
"Santa…you're not mad at me for all the hate that I've been giving out to you since two years ago?" a still sobbing Krishna asked.
"No my boy," Santa shook his head, "You've gotta stop living in the past, Krishna. Like I told you, Christmas nowadays has slowly lost its meaning among the people of Earth, but you need to believe in its spirit in order for that meaning to stay alive."
xxx
Valkyrie took out a spear, before the Phantom swiftly disarms Duke of her Sonic Arrow. Now weaponless, Duke was at the mercy of Valkyrie's continuous spear slashes, pain raging throughout the lemon Rider's body with each slash. A kick to the head then brought Duke down for the count.
xxx
"It is true that people now associate Christmas with all night partying, going out until you're drunk, or spending your money on riches beyond your own belief. But that's not the true meaning of Christmas. You need to spread your happiness to others that need them, not adding more to your already overwhelming one. It's a time where you should be considerate for the others and not being selfish to others."
xxx
The Alligator Imagin forces Marika up to her feet, before it slashes the peach Rider several times on the torso with its broadsword. Still not pleased with its brutal beat-down, the Alligator Imagin ditches its broadsword and grabbed Marika by the neck, slamming her onto the ground before pummeling her helmet senseless with its fists.
xxx
"Don't let the action of a few cloud your judgment on the bigger picture, Krishna. Whenever people start to shake your faith, you need to grab onto it as firmly as possible. Let people do whatever they want! All you need to do is to keep onto the things that you believe in, and you will survive the test of time."
xxx
Ghost leaped into the air, performing a jumping slash on the Christmas Ganma, only for the kaijin to easily shift away from the attack's path. As Ghost sliced the air much to her shock, the Christmas Ganma had moved to her back, green energy already enveloping its fists. Ghost turned around to realize that the Christmas Ganma is standing behind her a second too late, and she receives a face full of energy blasts that knocked her onto a nearby wall.
xxx
"It's time to leave the past and live the present. Your girlfriend would be sad if she hears that you're still unable to move on from her," Santa finishes his talk, "Now Krishna, do you want to believe once again? Do you want to break free from those shackles of sadness and become a happy man who's ready for the future?"
Krishna thought for a few seconds, before giving Santa a resolved nod. What the old man had said to him is true and after hearing Santa's soothing words, a new spirit and resolve has ignited within Krishna's heart. It's high time for him to move on and the timing couldn't be better than this.
"Good," Santa smiled, "Now go, Krishna. I think your friends need your help."
Without any hesitation, Krishna quickly nodded, standing up from his seat before he ran out of his quarters, with a visually pleased Santa watching him on.
"Glad to have you back on board, Krishna," Santa spoke to no one in particular as he slowly relaxes himself on Krishna's bed, before he notices the scattered metal pieces as well as the electronics-filled cyan-colored metallic bowl on Krishna's desk. Santa also notices a blueprint of something lying near the bowl, a smirk appearing on his face.
xxx
Duke, Marika, and Ghost regrouped themselves, clearly weary from the battle that they've been through. The three kaijins that they're facing are more powerful than they've expected and for the past half an hour they've been on the losing side of the fight. Valkyrie, the Alligator Imagin, and the Christmas Ganma had also regrouped, the three of them smirking evilly at their weakened opponents. With the Phantom and Imagin wielding their respective weapons, the three kaijin slowly walked towards the Riders, ready to finish them off once and for all.
'Is this the end for us?' Duke's thoughts went wild as the kaijins slowly approaches her and her fellow Riders, 'Is this our last fight? Are we going to be killed here and now?'
Suddenly a loud roar of a motorcycle's engine echoed throughout the area and seconds later a Rose Attacker crashed itself through the factory's roof, the Lock Vehicle crashing itself against Valkyrie, the Alligator Imagin, and the Christmas Ganma much to Duke, Marika, and Ghost's shock.
As the kaijins are forced to stumble back from that sudden collision, the Rose Attacker screeched into a halt in front of Duke, Marika, and Ghost, before its rider took off his helmet, revealing Krishna's serious face underneath it.
"Krishna!" Duke exclaimed as she went towards him, "What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to keep an eye on Santa?"
"Santa's safe, don't worry," Krishna said, taking out a Genesis Driver from the Rose Attacker's seat compartment and placing it against his waist, "In fact, he himself told me to come here for you guys. And man, you three really do need my help!"
Krishna then took out a Lemon Energy Lockseed, but unlike Duke's, this one has the code E.L.S-Krishna written in black on it. With a quick press of a button, Krishna unlocks the Lockseed.
LEMON ENERGY!
A Crack opened above Krishna, with the familiar Lemon Energy Armor Part hovering out of it.
"Minh, transform into your strongest Arms," Krishna told Duke, "Let's save Christmas together."
Duke smiled underneath her helmet, realizing that Krishna has now truly embraced Christmas and is no longer cynical about it, "Let's do this, Krishna."
Duke takes out a crystal red Energy Lockseed, themed after a dragonfruit with the code E.L.S-Minh written in black on it, before unlocking it with a push of a button.
DRAGONFRUIT ENERGY!
A Crack opens itself up above Duke, who had taken out her Lemon Energy Lockseed from her Genesis Driver, reducing her into her Ride Wear in motes of yellow light. Coming out from the Crack was a mechanical dragonfruit, fiery red in color.
"Henshin!" Krishna exclaimed, twirling his Lemon Energy Lockseed on his index finger before placing it on his Genesis Driver, with Duke securing her Dragonfruit Energy Lockseed on her own Genesis Driver.
LOCK ON!
LOCK ON!
In unison, both Krishna and Duke pressed onto their Seaboll Compressors, causing yellow energy to pour out from Krishna's Genesis Driver while red energy surges from Duke's as the Armor Parts above them fell onto their respective shoulders.
SODA! LEMON ENERGY ARMS! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FI-FI-FI-FI-FIGHT!
SODA! DRAGON ENERGY ARMS!
The Lemon Energy Armor Part unfolds itself as it landed onto Krishna's shoulders, the familiar Baron Ride Wear materializing over Krishna's body as the Armor Part assembles itself, before snapping onto place with a combination of a splash of yellow energy and several bolts of yellow electricity coming out from the gaps on the Armor Part, the Baron symbol emblazoned proudly in black on the left chest region.
Kamen Rider Baron Lemon Energy Arms cracked his fists, electricity running between his fingers, before he allows the Sonic Arrow to materialize in his right hand.
Meanwhile, the Dragonfruit Energy Armor Part has unfolded itself onto Duke's body, with the Rider receiving a new, fearsome-looking visor on her Ride Wear, colored in the same fiery red coloration as the rest of her new armor. Gone was the regal-looking cape in Lemon Energy Arms, it is now replaced with a fearsome-looking fiery red tattered cape that stuck out from her back. A combination of a splash of red energy and a burst of flames was released from the newly assembled Armor Part as the transformation completes.
Kamen Rider Duke Dragon Energy Arms stood proudly next to Baron, the Sonic Arrow materializing on her right hand.
"Amazing!" Marika gasped in awe as she went towards both Duke and Baron, her eyes gazing at their new armor, "I wish I could have one of those!"
"Just ask Meika," Baron laughed, "She'll make one for you if she has the time."
"Emphasis on the if she had the time part," Duke added, giggling underneath her helmet.
As Marika playfully bickered with both Duke and Baron, Ghost smiled underneath her helmet at their antics, before noticing something glowing on Santa's sleigh. Quickly heading over towards the sleigh, the orange and black Rider immediately rummaged through the black tarpaulin that kept the present boxes together, before pulling out a glowing sheet of paper from the presents.
"Santa's Naughty and Nice List…" Ghost gasped as she held the document on her hands.
"Quick!" suddenly Yurusen appeared out of nowhere on Ghost's right shoulder, startling the Rider momentarily, "Draw an eye symbol over it to unleash its Parka Ghost!"
Ghost nodded, quickly placing the document onto the ground before drawing an eye symbol with her hands. A yellow eye symbol glowed on the document, before a red and white smoke bursts out of it, materializing itself into a floating Santa Claus jacket with green eyes and bells hanging out from its shoulders, the Santa Claus Parka Ghost.
"The Parka Ghost!" the Christmas Ganma exclaimed as it saw the floating Santa jacket, "You're mine now!"
Ghost quickly configures her Gan Gun Saber into its Gun Mode and opened fire at the incoming Christmas Ganma, knocking the kaijin onto its back. She then turned her attention towards the Santa Parka Ghost, "Let's fight together to save Christmas!"
The Parka Ghost nodded, before it quickly dove into Ghost's Ghost Driver, absorbing itself into the device. Seconds later, a red and white Ghost Eyecon was materialized from the Driver, which Ghost quickly picks up.
"Hohoho!" Santa Claus' jovial laugh suddenly echoed inside Ghost's mind, "Do you like me present? I've managed to make your friend believe in Christmas again and it has activated my Parka Ghost. I want you to use this present of mine well to save the festive season!"
"Sure thing, Mr. Claus!" Ghost exclaimed, clicking on the newly acquired Santa Claus Ghost Eyecon's button to activate it, causing a white X to replace the Eyecon's iris and pupil, "Let's see how this new power works!"
Taking out the Ore Ghost Eyecon from the Ghost Driver, Ghost quickly inserts the new Santa Claus Ghost Eyecon into the Driver, before she pushes down her Driver's lever.
KAIGAN! SANTA CLAUS! JINGLE BELL! HOSHI FURU! SEINARU YORU!
The Santa Claus Parka Ghost bursts out of the Ghost Driver before it wraps itself around Ghost's bodysuit, a black mask with a green Christmas tree engraved on it sliding itself into place on Ghost's faceplate, completing the transformation of Kamen Rider Ghost, Santa Claus Damashii!
"Merry Christmas!" Ghost exclaimed, the bells hanging from her shoulders ringing as she points at the now regrouped kaijins, "Let me give to you the ultimate present!"
"Shut up!" Valkyrie growled, grabbing onto its spear tightly, "You Riders will pay for foiling our plan!"
Quickly both the Riders and the kaijins ran into battle, with the Riders quickly splitting up to take on their respective opponents. Marika takes on the Alligator Imagin once again, while Baron aids Duke against Valkyrie, leaving Ghost to take on her familiar foe once again.
(Cue BGM: Fubuki – Shiena Nishizawa)
Learning from her previous battle, Marika no longer relies on her long-ranged tactics against the Alligator Imagin, as she immediately uses her Sonic Arrow to parry each slash from the kaijin's broadsword, before letting loose with her arrows once she found an opening, this time aiming for the red patches on the Imagin's body. And just as she thought, the Alligator Imagin howled in pain once Marika's pink energy arrows had struck the kaijin's red patches, indicating them as its weak points.
"Bastard!" the Alligator Imagin cursed, plucking out several pink energy arrows from its abdomen, before it went for the offensive once again with its broadsword.
Seeing the incoming Alligator Imagin, Marika quickly presses her Driver's Seaboll Compressor once.
SODA! PEACH ENERGY SQUASH!
With pink energy surging throughout her body from her Driver and towards the blades of her Sonic Arrow, Marika lets out a battle cry as she ran towards the incoming Alligator Imagin, the two slashing each other with their respective weapons once they passed each other, before running into a halt a few meters apart from each other.
(BGM ends)
A tense moment of silence ensues, with neither Marika nor the Alligator Imagin showing any signs of injury from their simultaneous attacks with each other. Suddenly Marika winced in pain, clutching her stomach as she went down to one knee. Seeing that its opponent has been injured, the Alligator Imagin turned around, letting out an evil chuckle as it slowly went towards Marika to finish the job.
Luckily for the peach Rider, the Alligator Imagin only took two steps towards her before the kaijin suddenly exploded into a pile of gray sand; Marika's attack had fatally injured it with a delayed effect. Still clutching her injured stomach, Marika slowly stood up, letting out a relieved but pained smile upon seeing the Alligator Imagin's remains.
"One down…" Marika muttered as she limped away to recover.
(Cue BGM: THE HERO! ~Set Fire to the Furious Fist~ - JAM Project)
Meanwhile, Valkyrie held on to its own against two Riders in their strongest Arms, relying on a combination of its spear, flying ability, and energy blasts to keep himself up with both Baron and Duke. After avoiding a volley of arrows from Duke by flying up into the air, before making a dive towards Baron with its spear ready to stab the red Rider. Unfortunately for the Phantom, Baron saw the incoming attack and quickly uses his Sonic Arrow as protection, parrying the attack. With a simple flick, Valkyire was swiftly disarmed and left open for Duke to fire another shot, this time hitting the Phantom right on its chest, knocking it to the ground and allowing Baron to execute an electric-charged uppercut on the kaijin's chin, breaking its lower jaw.
"Shall we finish this?" Duke asked.
"We shall," Baron replied.
The two Riders pressed their Drivers' Seaboll Compressors twice at the same time as Valkyrie groggily stood up, ready to accept its impending doom.
SODA! LEMON ENERGY SPARKING!
SODA! DRAGONFRUIT ENERGY SPARKING!
Both Baron and Duke leapt into the air, the former assuming a flying side kick pose with electricity cackling on his right boot; while the latter assuming a drop kick pose, her boots bursting into flames. A row of yellow energy lemon slices appeared on Baron's kick path, while a row of fiery dragonfruit slices appears on Duke's. Letting out loud yells, both Baron and Duke kicked through their respective fruit slices, before their boots made impact with Valkyrie's chest, sending the Phantom flying into a nearby pillar.
"My plans…to plunge the world into despair…shouldn't…fail…like this!" Valkyrie grunted in pain as it slowly stood up, before letting out a yell of agony as the Phantom exploded, both Baron and Duke posing victoriously in front of the kaijin's burning remains.
(BGM ends)
(Cue BGM: Warera Omou, Yue Ni Warera Ari – Kishidan)
Seeing that its cohorts has fallen, the Christmas Ganma could only let out a maniacal laugh as Ghost delivered a brutal beat-down to the psychotic kaijin, grabbing its shoulder as she pummeled the Ganma repeatedly on its face, before a judo throw finishes off the combo. Still cackling like a madman, the Christmas Ganma fired its signature energy wave, only for Ghost to easily jump away from the incoming attack, utilizing her hovering ability to come closer towards the Ganma and deliver a series of kicks onto the kaijin's chin.
"Your plot to ruin Christmas ends here!" Ghost yelled as she landed, kicking the Christmas Ganma on its chest before pulling and pushing her Driver's lever once.
DAI KAIGAN! SANTA CLAUS OMEGA DRIVE!
A green, Christmas-themed eye insignia appeared on Ghost's back as she took a deep breath, green energy surging into her right boot. Ghost then jumped into the air, assuming a flying side kick pose as she descended rapidly upon the Christmas Ganma, striking the kaijin right on its chest. The Christmas Ganma was sent flying by Ghost's Rider Kick, its body crashing against a pillar as its Christmas-themed attire was ejected from its body, the attire exploding into a harmless Christmas hat as the Ganma body exploded as well, leaving behind a black Ganma Eyecon that exploded into nothingness as well.
(BGM ends)
"Alright!" Ghost exclaimed once she had landed, pumping her fists up and down in joy, "We did it! We saved Christmas!"
"Not exactly," Yurusen suddenly said, hovering near Ghost as the spirit pointed towards Santa's sleigh, "With Santa and his reindeers gone, who are going to deliver the presents to the children of the world?"
"Shit! Forgot about that," Ghost slapped her forehead in realization, before suddenly her Damashii's Parka Ghost began to glow, "Eh? What's going on?"
"Hohoho! Thank you for saving Christmas," Santa's jovial voice once again echoed inside Ghost's head, with Father Christmas himself speaking to Ghost through her Parka Ghost, "But now, can you do me one last favor? With my reindeers nowhere to be found, can I ask for your help in delivering the presents to the children of the Earth?"
"But how?" Ghost asked.
"You have a giant iguana, right? Just link up that iguana into me sleigh and me sleigh will do all the travelling work for you," Santa replied.
"Iguana?" Ghost thought for a moment, before suddenly it hits her, "The Iguana Ghostriker!"
"Way ahead of you, kiddo," Yurusen said, having summoned the Iguana Ghostriker into the premises a few seconds ago.
The Iguana Ghostriker immediately made its way towards Santa's sleigh, the sleigh's reins connecting automatically into the Iguana Ghostriker's back once it has positioned itself in front of the sleigh.
"Incredible…" Duke gasped as she, Baron, and Marika regrouped with Ghost, "Are you sure that you're going to take over Santa Claus' duty this year?"
Ghost chuckled, "Don't worry. I have some people to assist me in doing this, you know."
Ghost clapped her hands three times, prompting several Christmas hats to appear on Duke, Baron, and Marika's helmet, much to the CI Riders' surprise.
"You three are going to help me as my elves this year," Ghost smiled underneath her helmet.
Upon hearing that, both Duke and Marika jumped up and down excitedly, high-fiving each other in delight as they squealed in excitement. Baron, on the other hand, took off his hat and gave it a good look, a soft chuckle escaping his mouth.
"From a non-believer to elf for the night," Baron said to no one in particular as he wore his hat back on, "What a day indeed."
xxx
With the Iguana Ghostriker leading the way, Santa's sleigh flew through the night sky over Tokusat City, with the city below them still celebrating the last few minutes of Christmas Eve. As the sleigh approaches a housing complex, Duke, Baron and Marika quickly grabbed several presents from the present stack on the sleigh, before jumping down the chimneys of several houses. The Riders placed their presents underneath the houses' Christmas trees, before grabbing whatever the home owners had left for Santa Claus. Since Ghost holds control of the sleigh, she rarely joins them in the fun, but traveling the world in such short time is not easy task, so sometimes she handed the reins to either Duke, Baron, or Marika in turns as she also joined the three Riders in dropping the presents in each house that they met.
"HO HO HO!" Ghost exclaimed as Santa's sleigh flew up into the sky onto its next destination, leaving behind a trail of sparkles as it does so, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"
xxx
It was the early hours of the 25th of December when Santa's sleigh pulled itself to a stop in front of the Chaos Insurgency hideout. Santa was already waiting for his sleigh in front of the hideout as the carriage stopped in front of him, a huge smile on his face.
"Thank you, thank you so much for helping me in me Christmas duties this year," Santa said in gratitude as Baron, Marika, and Duke hopped off from the sleigh, closing up their respective Lockseeds as they reverted back into their civilian forms.
"No Santa," Krishsna said; a warm smile on his face as he embraces Santa, "Thank you, for making me believe in the Christmas spirit once again."
Both Minh and Wind smiled at this heartwarming moment, the two Vietnamese girls looked at each other happily before they joined Krishna in embracing Santa.
"Yo, Mr. Claus!" Ghost called out, "I'm going to help you find your reindeers. You wanna come?"
"Sure thing," Santa grinned as he releases his embrace on the CI members, before he joyfully hopped onto the sleigh. As Ghost prepares to take the sleigh off, Santa took one last opportunity to say goodbye to the Chaos Insurgency members.
"I'll see each and every one of you next year!" Santa waved goodbye as Ghost lifts the sleigh off the ground, "Goodbye!"
"Bye!" Krishna, Minh, and Wind said in unison as they waved back at Santa, as his sleigh slowly became smaller and smaller before vanishing completely from their sights in the skies.
xxx
Things have gone back to festive normalcy in the Chaos Insurgency hideout. With Chan and Meika still not returning yet, Minh and Wind decided to continue decorating the hideout's Christmas tree, as Krishna returned to his quarters to continue with his secret project.
But as Krishna stepped into his quarters, he was shocked upon seeing the contents of his desk. The sphere-shaped cyan robot that he has been working on for the past month has been completed, with a small piece of paper lying next to it. The words "FROM SANTA, WITH LOVE" can be seen on the paper.
A smile appeared on Krishna's face as he read the note, before giving the newly completed robot a pat, "Thank you, Santa Claus."
xxx
Later in the evening, Chan and Meika came back from their trip to the countryside, bringing with them a large turkey and a large bottle of Bordeaux wine. Immediately Minh hits the kitchen, preparing the turkey with Chan aiding her, while Meika and Wind played darts on the hideout's rec room, sharing with each other their experiences of late. Krishna also joined in the fun in the rec room, listening to Meika and Wind as he plays NFS: Most Wanted on his Xbox.
A few hours later the turkey has finished roasting in the oven, prompting Minh to call everyone to gather at the hideout's dining room. With Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas Is You playing over the stereo, the Chaos Insurgency members enjoyed their Christmas feast, the feast itself lasting until the early hours of the next day. Despite being their first Christmas away from home and the fact that they had lost one of their own just a while ago, the Chaos Insurgency members enjoyed their Christmas feast happily, with bouts of chatter and laughter coming out from the hideout during the feast hours. The five had considered each other as family during their stay at Tokusat City and their togetherness during the feast really shows that.
The feast ends at around 2.30 in the morning of December 26th. Chan has drunk herself to sleep; the Vietnamese is now lying inebriated on the hideout's couch. Both Meika and Wind are also asleep but in a much more sober state, the two girls sleeping in front of the fireplace on the hideout's living room, just near the couch where Chan is sleeping.
Minh and Krishna are the only ones still up, the former tidying up the dining room before she cleans the dishes and eating utensils later in the afternoon, while the latter is helping her in washing the wine glasses.
For five full minutes the two did their respective activities in silence, not wanting to bother their drunken and sleeping friends, until Krishna decided to subtly break the silence.
"Hey Minh," Krishna called after he had finished cleaning the wine glasses, "Can you come to my quarters for a sec?"
"Sure thing," Minh nodded, a slight blush forming on her face as she said that.
"But before you go in, can you close your eyes for me?"
xxx
Krishna led Minh into his quarters, the latter using her hands to cover up her eyes. He then guided Minh to his bed, the Vietnamese sitting on it before Krishna took a seat next to her.
"You may now open your eyes," Krishna said.
Minh opened up her eyes and immediately she lets out a gasp upon seeing the cyan, sphere-shaped object on Krishna's desk.
"Meet Haro," Krishna said, picking up the robot from his desk and handing it over to Minh, flipping it's ON switch in the process, "I've been building it since the start of this month and Santa Claus helped me finish it just in time for Christmas. It's not a decent robot, since I'm not that good in robot making, but I believe it'll be a good companion for you."
"Haro! Haro!" the newly activated Haro chirped in Minh's hands, flapping up its "ears" as its red eyes flashed at its new owner.
"That's so thoughtful of you," Minh blushed as she caressed Haro with her hands, "So that's what you've been doing for a while in your room…you're making this cute surprise for me."
Krishna nodded, "Merry Christmas, Minh-chan…and happy birthday."
Minh was clearly surprised by this, "But my birthday's not until the 29th."
"Think of it as an early present," Krishna winked, "Because we don't know whether we have missions or not during the 29th, so I would like to give Haro to you as an early present."
Suddenly a small kiss landed on Krishna's right cheek, surprising the young man. Minh giggled upon seeing her friend's reaction to her kiss, with Haro still wrapped around her hands.
"That's my thanks for your present," Minh said as she slowly left Krishna to himself, "Good night, Krish. You definitely need some rest."
A clearly speechless Krishna nodded as Minh left his quarters, a mixture of joy and surprise wreaking havoc inside the man. But in the end, as Krishna sat on his bed alone, a smile broke out on his face.
"Thank you very much, Santa Claus. Thank you very much, Christmas."
xxx
A/N: And that's it folks! That's the end of the Kamen Rider War Christmas Special! I apologized if the story seems to be rushed, because I'm doing it on a deadline since Dec. 22nd lol xD but I hope you'll enjoy this Christmas present from both me and NecroGodYami as both the main story and the side story are being done under the works! Feel free to leave your reviews at the review section as usual!
This is maxpower02, signing off!