Hi everyone!

(beat)

Crap, do I still have to do the ordinary disclaimer? Even after being polite and exuberant? …Guess so.

In this fic, I made it so that during battle the Riders are referred to by their Rider identities. Don't ask me why, it seemed like a good idea at the time. I ended up enjoying it, and hope you do too.

I don't own Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight. If I did, why would it ever be over? This would be its third season, if I'm counting correctly, and there'd be plenty of moments with Kit and Len and even Chris and Kase and Drew and yaaaay. But moving on.

Pep Talk

"Hey, Kit!"

The young man in question swiveled; Chris Ramirez was hailing him from across the street. Hearing no signs of danger, he let himself grin and wait for the would-be Marine to catch up.

"Hey, what's up?"

Chris looked less cheerful and more troubled the closer he got. If not his asthma or the alarming increase in Xaviax's enemy ranks lately, something else was giving him pause.

"I need to talk to you about… something. Can we talk somewhere?"

"Yeah, sure," Kit replied, looking at him oddly. If it wasn't about being a Kamen Rider, then what…?

The ringing screech started in their ears then, as if on cue.

That noise again… But now? Why is it always right when someone wants to tell me something?

Chris and Kit gave each other long-suffering looks—and then smiled.

"Never a dull moment," Dragon Knight quipped.

"Not a one."

They simultaneously brought out their Advent Decks, turned to the glass building behind them, and got ready for work.

"Kamen Rider!"

I guess Xaviax is really pissed about something today.

It had been ten minutes, and the flow of monsters hadn't let up for an instant. Sure, they were mostly weak and easy to take down, but even an army of weaklings could take its toll on the best.

And (though he hardly wanted to pour salt in an old wound) Kit knew that Chris was not currently in that category, if ever he had been.

Time dragged like an ailing old man, and eventually saw Dragon Knight and Sting standing back to back. The latter had gone from breathing heavily to something actually bordering on dangerous wheezing.

"Chris, step out of the line of fire." The red Kamen Rider slashed away at the nearest monsters with his sword—being mutant zebras, they merely snorted and charged right back in. "You're getting too tired. I'll handle the rest—"

"No," Sting said vehemently, though he paid for his passionate outburst with a pained gasp straight after. "I'm fine. I've got this. If we retreat now the enemy will overrun us! We can't let that happen."

"Chris—"

"No, Kit! I won't stand down—we have to hold them until Wing Knight gets here!"

Len… Kit thought, starting inwardly when he could find no sign of the man who'd trained him. Before now he hadn't even noticed the man's prolonged absence, so focused was he on surviving Xaviax's onslaught. Now, though, he felt it keenly. Where are you? We're tired and outnumbered, and Chris is in jeopardy. What's taking you so long?

Several more groups of monsters fell to their combined assault, but even more appeared to take their places. Perhaps backing into that Ventaran alleyway full of broken glass hadn't been their best idea after all…

Oh, man. If we get out of this alive and Xaviax is anywhere around, I'm going straight for him. He's been sending these drones out like they're going out of style…

Sting cracked his whip fiercely toward the monsters at Dragon Knight's back. As a whole line of mutant piranhas (or whatever those were) were vaporized, the latter heard him say, "I can't… I won't be a burden… not today… not anymore…"

What? Distracted for a moment, Dragon Knight whirled to face his comrade. "Whoa, Chris—you're not a burden—"

The distraction was enough. An indistinct shape came charging out of a mirror and with its momentum slammed straight into the red Kamen Rider, who went flying into a pack of hyenas (or at least, that was what they looked like). The shape, a pretty messed up-looking giraffe, stomped the pavement in celebration of its success.

"Kit!" Sting cried, but was taken by a fit of coughing. He tried to ignore it, to help his friend, but his path was now blocked by a formidable-looking animal of the savannah, and he had to fight it or risk his own life.

In the meantime, Dragon Knight was exhausted—and in danger that was for once not caused by another Rider. The leader of the hyena pack that had swarmed him watched as he was smacked around, cackling gleefully. As Kit was thrown at the leader's feet, the monster raised one oversized claw for the killing blow.

"Kit!"

But he couldn't move; the others had him pinned down, butterfly to wall.

The claw seemed to come down in slow motion, giving Kit enough time to register the sound of something else entering the fray via mirror, and another sound that made him wonder who had just successfully inserted a card.

"Final Vent."

Time returned to normal, and a battle cry rent the air. The familiarity of it made Dragon Knight start inwardly.

That's not Chris! That's—

Everything around him erupted in white as the dark shouting shape collided with Kit's would-be venter. The explosion made his ears ring painfully and his eyes go into a squint; but when he did open them fully again the head hyena was gone, the others were thrown a ways back, while up in the sky a bat vanished into the sun.

Len!

Sure enough, the man he knew in battle as Kamen Rider Wing Knight was striding purposefully toward him, but in a way that suggested he'd run some ways to get there in time. Still, Kit couldn't muster up the energy to greet him; he laid somewhat dazedly on the ground instead, shaking. That had almost been the end of him. He had almost been Vented…

"Kit! Come on, get up!"

He let Wing Knight pull him up, but it was as though he was on autopilot. The shock hadn't quite worn off—the fact that Xaviax had nearly managed to do with monsters what he hadn't managed with Incisor, Torque, Camo and Thrust—defeat him—was rattling.

"Are you all right?" Len was shaking him gently. He was sure that, behind the armor, the older man's face was concerned.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm—" He remembered, like being splashed with cold water very suddenly. "Wait—wait, I've got to help Chris!"

"Chris is with you too?"

"Yeah, we were back to back before they separated us! We have to find him, get through all those monsters—"

The words sent Len right back into Wing Knight mode—just like that he was singularly focused again. He pushed Dragon Knight back, away from the swarm surrounding Sting. "No, I have to. Stay back."

The red Kamen Rider blanched under his armor. Now he knew how Chris had felt earlier. "What? No! Chris needs both of us—two people will just be overwhelmed by the monsters again!"

"You're in no condition to charge back into the fight right now," Wing Knight said. "And Chris probably isn't faring any better. Stay here and rest. If we need you, I'll signal. Otherwise—I'll handle this."

With that said, the black Kamen Rider charged into the fray, using Sword Vent as he went. Dragon Knight was forced to stumble back and watch.

As always, Len put up a good fight. Instinctively Kit knew that the older man wasn't just doing well because he'd come into the fight later, nor were the monsters actually that weak. Wing Knight just breathed battle instincts and fighting experience, in a way that even a Marine like Chris never had.

Jeez, what do they eat on Ventara?

Pretty soon Kamen Rider Sting was visible again, his fuchsia armor gleaming as he twirled his whip—still wheezing, too. Wing Knight had pulled him up at some point, and now together they were beating back the mirror monsters, not just holding their ground anymore. Dragon Knight really wanted to help them, but the deep ache in his abdomen kept him grounded still.

Eventually Len saw an opening and took it. He cracked the mirrors nearest himself and Chris until they were beyond repair—and definitely beyond the ability to be traveled through by packs of monsters.

Why didn't I think of that? –Oh, right, because I'm not Len.

Still, he could do something. Ignoring his pain, he picked up where his friend had left off, using his own Sword Vent to close mirror after mirror, until there were no more left for reinforcements to come through. He thought he saw an odd stirring beyond the last one he destroyed, but it went away as soon as he really took notice of it. Disregarding it for the moment, he ran to help Wing Knight and Sting, drawing the same card they did. It was time to finish the ones left.

"Final Vent."

The last of Xaviax's monsters went quickly with their combined force; once they were, it was Sting who de-transformed first and slumped to the ground. The others slowly followed suit.

"That… was terrible," Chris said in between coughs.

"Yeah." Kit went to him, managed to pull him to his feet. They could talk later; for now, there didn't seem to be anything else to say. "Yeah, it was."

Len was with them in an instant, placing one arm around Chris's shoulder and waiting until Kit did the same on Chris's other side. He gave them both a determined look. "Come on. The sooner we get out of here the better."

As he took the lead Chris lifted his head, gasped out, "Thanks Len."

Len only inclined his head and kept going.

Part One complete! Part Two will be up later today, with any luck.

The reason I wrote this comes later. But as for battle scenes, how'd I do?