First Wave

Maizuru Naval Base, April 3rd, 2051, 1200 Hour

'I really wish I would get a break.' A disgruntled Michal Minato looked again at the notice on his personal electronic device. (Think the iDroid from MGSV)

NOTICE TO MINATO MICHAL: AS OF 1030 HOURS TODAY, YOU ARE HEREBY ORDERED TO REPORT TO YOUR NEW POST AT THE MAIZARU NAVAL BASE WHERE YOU WILL SERVE AS AN ASSISTANT TO VICE ADMIRAL AOSAKI AS WELL AS CARRY OUT OPERATIONS WITH THE 7TH FLEET.

The bottom of the notice even had an extra note from the President of the Kougami Foundation along with the verification that he had authorized the transfer of Michal to this new post.

I have the utmost confidence that you will perform splendidly in your new role!

'Perform splendidly my butt…' He took a moment to set down his luggage while looking around and switching his device to GPS mode to verify that he was in the right location while people walked around him. 'It's no good. I can't tell where to go with all these warehouses and I'm running late as is! Just where is this naval base located? Where's the harbour around here? Those navy officers are probably going to hate me from day one for being late and wasting time.'

"Um… excuse me, sir?" He turned around to see a pretty girl with long dark hair that reached to her waist. Her eyes were blue and her attire consisted of a simple school uniform. "Might you be Minato Michal-san?"

"Yes, that's me. And you are?"

"Thank goodness! Forgive me for the late introduction…" She immediately saluted. "My name is Asashio and I belong to the Seventh Fleet of the Maizuru Naval Base. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

'… Wait, what? This girl is a member of the fleet?!' He really couldn't believe what he was seeing. She looked no older than a first year high school student.

"Minato-san?" Asashio looked concerned, snapping him back to reality and giving a hasty salute of his own.

"R-right! I'm pleased to meet you as well!"

She smiled before relaxing her stance. "The Vice Admiral had thought that you might be lost so she sent me to escort you back to base. I was glad to find you quickly! Do you need any help carrying your luggage?"

"No, I'm fine!" Michal reached for his suitcase again before following the girl. "How were you able to pick me out from the crowd?"

"It was because of your cool blue outfit and that hairstyle you have that made you stand out!" answered the young lady with a smile. A few moments later, they arrived in front of a building tucked away from a normal pedestrian's point of view.

"This is…" He paused for a moment and moved closer to some of the signage around the area just to verify that he was really in the right place.

"Yes, this is Maizuru Naval Base! The red bricks give this building a charm, right? Let's get you in-"

"Outta the way, Honour Student!"

"Uwaa?!" Asashio was cut off as someone bounced off her shoulder.

"Asashio-san?!" Michal looked up and his cheeks immediately turned red upon seeing a young girl in the air. She had long blonde hair with a hair ribbon tied like rabbit ears. Her attire was skimpy with a sleeveless sailor top that left room for her midriff to be exposed, elbow gloves, a very small denim skirt and a very visible thong. Her legs were covered by red and white stockings that reached up to her thighs. Accompanying her in the air were cartoonish gun turrets. 'What the…?'

"Shimakaze!"

The other girl simply landed on her feet before continuing on her way at her speedy pace. "It's your fault for being so slow!"

Michal returned back to Asashio. "Is she also a part of the seventh Fleet? How could she be allowed to wear that as her uniform?"

"That's…"

"You know what, hold that thought for now. I gotta get going to see the Vice Admiral." Now that he had a better handle on his surroundings, he could make his way to her office from here. "Thanks for everything!"

"You're welcome!"


"You have a lot of nerve, strolling in late to your new post."

Michal had expected this the moment he stepped into her office and immediately bowed in apology. "I'm terribly sorry for my tardiness!"

The woman behind the desk didn't change her expression. She had short dark hair, glasses and a standard white navy uniform on her. "I'm Vice Admiral Aosaki Sumire and the commanding officer of the Maizuru Naval Base. As far as your duties are concerned, punctuality is a vital factor. If a soldier is out of line, the entire platoon could be affected. Remember that."

"Yes, ma'am! I will be careful in the future!"

After seeing how sincerely he responded, her demeanour changed a bit. "Good. Take a seat. I presume you haven't been fully briefed on your new mission?"

"Negative." Michal answered. To be fair, he was just drafted into the fleet, and he was running late.

It was going to be a lengthy talk on her part so she poured herself a glass of water to keep her throat moist. "Here's a brief history lesson. Over the years, modern warfare has moved away from naval combat. For the most part, there wasn't a pressing need to modernize naval ships and to come up with innovative ship designs compared to the start of the 20th century. The main reason why navies are still around today is to project a nation's power. That and to protect any commercial transport sea vessels, fishing boats, travel vessels and tourist boats travelling in their sovereign waters. Still with me so far?"

"Yes," replied the young man.

"Good. About one year ago, a strange army appeared in Japanese waters. Nobody could tell what they are. In addition, we have no information on their chain of command, their society, how they live and where they may have come from. All we know is that they intend to take over the seas around the world as they've been spotted in other continents as well. This army… we call them the Abyssal fleet."

"Did the news ever cover this? I would have thought…"

"It was probably buried in some other section while the headlines covered other things. Who knew what those news editors were thinking?" Aosaki took a sip of her water. "At first, we tried fighting that army off with our destroyers and submarines but those… things were nimble and mobile. They were able to evade gunfire and packed enough punch of their own to sink our ships. While they can be affected by kinetic weapons, we aren't sure about the precise amount that they can take before they go down."

A thought came to Michal. "Would an energy weapon have worked?"

"Like there's any budget for those types of upgrades on our vessels!" came the sarcastic reply. "And if we tried a large scale air strike on those things, we'd probably end up damaging the ocean's ecosystem and get the Diet on our case."

"Wow, you really have your hands tied."

Aosaki continued on. "The upper brass wanted a way to allow soldiers to fight evenly with the Abyssals which led to the development of the Aqua Driver and the Aqua Miraider. The purpose of the Driver would be to collect combat data which would then be used to refine how the mass production version would be built."

"If that's the case, why was I chosen to be the wielder of the original Aqua Driver?" asked Michal in a confused tone. "I mean… I really wasn't comfortable around water back then."

She did recall reading about that in the earlier part of his personnel file. "If I recall correctly, Kougami had been in charge of choosing an appropriate candidate for the Aqua Driver and he chose you despite initial objections from other parties. His reason was that he felt that you would give birth to something beautiful by the time you matured. After reviewing your more recent combat performances and seeing how you've been handling yourself on the Miraider, I'm inclined to agree."

An irritated thought flew in Michal's head as he heard that name again. 'Figures he would have been involved. Wait a sec though…'

Did the younger Kougami see him during those battles back in 2011? If so, then that would have explained how the Kougami of 2051 had the Super Core Medals on hand and ready to go during that chain of events.

"So I guess I'm here to help with more testing? Is there a test-type production Driver ready? Who's going to be using it? Will it be one of those girls I ran into earlier? Asashio looks like she has a good head on her shoulders."

"Ah, I see you met her. She's a good ship," said Aosaki with a small smile.

"Wait… ship?" Did he hear right?

"Those girls… how should I put it?" She paused for a moment before finding where she wanted to go with this. "During the first meetings on how to handle the Abyssal army, there were some House members who opted to use supernatural means to combat the enemy like magic. They ended up funding a ritual which summoned the spirits of ancient Japanese naval vessels and reincarnated them as young girls known as Fleet Girls."

"Fleet Girls?" Michal blinked a few times. "For real?"

"That's the story that I know."

"But… when I looked at Asashio…" He could clearly still see her greeting smile in his mind.

"She's not truly human and that's the truth." With that, Aosaki reached into her desk and pulled out a small drive before sliding it over to Michal. "This contains some material that you will need to go through. Be sure to review it."

"Y-yes, ma'am!"

"Your main job will be to conduct the movements of the Seventh Fleet. Once you got some command training, you will then lead the Fleet into battle against the Abyssals. In regards to your training, you will be mentored by me and another special comrade."

"Another comrade?" Who could she mean?


Medical Wing, 1245 Hours

"Alright... we are finished here."

Within the medical ward, one of the fleet members had done a medical check-up by the resident doctor. The thirty-five year old man took of his coat and put it on a hanger. He turned to his patient, "So, Nagato-kun. Remember to control your strength; you may be the admiral's secretary but that doesn't mean you must do everything by yourself. Your sister, Mutsu, is getting worried for you."

Nagato was a young woman with long, flowing black hair. She wore a white crop top and skirt, a metallic belt surrounding her waist. It has the Imperial Seal adorned as its buckle. The woman looked at the bandages wrapping her right hand.

"Don't think about it, young lady." the doctor scolded, "I've seen that look before."

"... Understood." She was well aware of the doctor's rank. As Chief Medical Officer, he had the final word on all health related matters in the base. "How long will I have to wear this for?"

"Fortunately, it will get better in a day. But don't do anything rash, or you'll be wearing it for a few more days." He warned the secretary. "Now go on, I have a report to write."

As Nagato was about to excuse herself, someone came into the door. Or rather, bumped her head into it and fell. All the doctor could do was sigh, "You did it again, didn't you?"

"Owie…" Nagato could see someone sprawled out on the ground after colliding into the door. She had on a white sailor style uniform, long black knee socks and lengthy blue hair that seemed to get lighter in colour when getting to the tips. Upon rubbing her forehead, she spotted who she was looking for. "There you are, Nagato-san! I've been looking for you!"

"Samidare, what do you need me for?"

"It's almost 1300 Hours! Everyone's gotta be there for the new guy's Welcome Party!" The Destroyer got up and brushed the dust off her dress before addressing the other occupant in the room. "Will you be coming too, Jin-hakase?"

Hearing what the younger girl call him, the doctor let out a small laugh, "Please, I may have a doctorate, but I'm not a professor. My father has that title; you can call me Keisuke."

Then, the trio went on to meet the new recruit. Out of everyone within the Seventh Fleet, Keisuke was the only one who knew who the new recruit was, for he has met the young man years ago.

Specifically, in the year 2011. Almost 40 years ago.

In fact, Jin Keisuke may look like a man in his thirties, he was far older than anybody could have thought. However, that is a story for another time; let's just say time travel was involved and he has waited for decades.

Right now, Keisuke is curious of how Michal Minato came to join the fleet, so he asked the secretary, "Nagato-kun, do you know how and why we recruited this young man...Minato Michal, was it?"

Due to the nature of time traveling, Keisuke wasn't sure if this Michal will be the same one he'd met decades ago. He was hoping that he's the same person as Hino Eiji described years ago.

"My understanding is that the upper brass felt that Minato's experiences in aquatic combat would be beneficial to pass on to the Destroyers," answered Nagato curtly just as they entered the boardroom which had been converted into a large buffet, filled with lots of different foods.

It was also around the same time when Aosaki brought the guest of honour in through another entrance. The moment he stepped through that door, all eyes from the Fleet Girls present turned to him causing his face to take on a nervous look. "Uh… hello?"

"Welcome to Maizuru Naval Base!" came the chorus of Fleet Girls.


It had been a rather exhausting hour for Minato being introduced to all the Fleet Girls who attended the party. There were a wide range of personalities too. There were super energetic girls who peppered their speech with other languages…

"It's the British-born returnee, Kongou! Nice to meet you!"

… some who acted seriously tough…

"My name is Tenryuu. Fufufu, ya scared?"

… and some who were seriously shy.

"I'm called Natori... I'll do my best not to trouble you!"

It wasn't until mid afternoon that he had a chance to get some fresh air outside and by himself when the party ended with the Fleet Girls dispersing to resume their duties, whatever that may be. The whole concept still boggled him. Even though he had seen his share of fantastic creatures and monsters, he couldn't wrap his head around what he had just learned this morning about ships being reincarnated as young girls and women.

'Fleet Girls, huh?' Michal's eyes looked out towards the ocean as his ears picked up on a pair of footsteps approaching him from behind.

Keisuke approached the young man, and he was exactly how Eiji described him. Or more specifically, how the photo Eiji gave to him described the young man. Blue themed ensemble and medium-length brown hair with a blue streak.

"Minato Michal-kun... Once again, welcome to Maizuru." He extended his hand, which the younger man shook, "My name is Jin Keisuke, I'm the Chief Medical Officer here. Although, I'm more of a civilian member. Never really see myself as a military type."

"So you're the other mentor mentioned by Aosaki-san." Michal paused while an odd feeling of deja vu washed over him. "I hope I'm not sounding too strange but have we crossed paths before?"

Letting go of his hand, Keisuke replied, "Yes, I am. I was told that my medical expertise has greatly improved the health of the ship girls. And I can heal them much faster-of course, I had help-so you will be learning medicine and first-aid technique."

"Also, if you want some hand-to-hand combat practice, I could be your sparring partner." Keisuke added. Seeing the young man's surprised look made him smile, "Oh, don't worry. You won't get hurt. Much." the doctor finished with a laugh. "And to answer your question... no. Why do you ask?"

Keisuke already knew the answer, but decades of hiding his true identity has made him more cautious. 'I know you are trustworthy, but I cannot reveal myself to you.' he thought to himself, 'Not yet, at least. I may have known your fighting prowess, but what kind of man are you?'

"Sorry for asking that. I just had the feeling that we met once before but maybe it's just me." Michal did take some time to digest what Keisuke told him. Having some basic first-aid knowledge would be handy when doing field work.

'What type of martial arts does he practice? He must be pretty good at it if he's confident that he wouldn't hurt me much.'

"Enemy ship detected. Prepare to fire cannons! Pew pew pew! Sinking of enemy ship confirmed!"

"...?" Michal's attention was turned towards the dock where a girl sat alone with her legs swinging over the ledge. It was the same girl he spotted earlier in the day who hopped over Asashio, playing around with her toy gun turret. He was certain that she didn't go to the party earlier. "That girl... what was her name again?"

"Ah, that would be Shimakaze." Keisuke answered, "She's always like that."

He looked at the blond girl in amusement as she played with her miniature turret. Then, he turned to Michal, "Let me be the first to tell you that these ship girls can be quite handful if you don't know what you're doing. But fret not, I have a feeling that you will be fine They're all good girls; you just need to get use to their quirks." Said Keisuke, tapping Michal's shoulder. Then he asked, "So I hear you will be teaching the girls about aquatic combat? Any plans for that?"

"Well, I would have to see how they move around on the water first. I mean, they aren't swimming, are they?" A thought came to Minato before he took out the small drive given to him by Sumire and plugged it into his phone which gave him records and information on various Fleet Girls. "Let's see here... ah, Shimakaze. Standard armament is three type-D 12.7 cm 50 Caliber Model 3 Twin Guns and fifteen Model 3 Torpedoes. Initial maximum speed is 40.7 knots but factoring in integration of modern technology into the frame, this is raised to-"

"WAH!"

"Whoa!" The young man found himself narrowly avoiding Shimakaze's attempt to get his device. "What gives?!"

"I can't believe you would read a girl's secrets out loud like that! Have you no delicacy?!" screeched the small girl with her cheeks flushed red.

Keisuke merely smiled at the young ship girl's antics. But he should do something before they do something foolish.

"Alright, Shimakaze-chan, take it easy." Said the doctor, fingers gripping the collar of her dress. Michal was surprised that he lifted the girl easily with one hand, as if he was picking up a cat by its neck-or more accurately a rabbit due to her long ribbons. Keisuke calmly told the blond girl, "He's going to stay here as a new teacher, so of course he should know this kind of thing. And he's new here, so do forgive him, alright?

Seeing that her struggling was futile, Shimakaze crossed her arms, pouting in frustration. "I hate it when you do this, Oji-chan."

The older man laughed, then turned his gaze to Michal, "Still, she does have a point. Michal, do you know why doctor-patient confidentiality exist? They trust us to take care of them without letting them worry that others would find out. They have their reasons to keep whatever ailments they have a secret, and our only job is to heal them. I'm sure you've gone through school before, so let me ask you this; would you like it if a teacher just blab out your personal information?"

Michal was about to say something, but stopped. "I think you understand what I'm saying, right?" Keisuke added.

"... Yes, I do." He turned to the girl still held by the doctor. "I'm sorry for earlier."

"Hmph!" She opted to ignore Michal for now and glanced back at the man behind her. "You can let me down now, Oji-chan." And he did just that. The girl was still pouting, but at least she wasn't trying to attack the younger man.

"How about this?" Michal reached into his pocket for the stack of vouchers he received from the Vice Admiral during his meeting. The vouchers acted as currency on the base, able to purchase some luxuries like getting days off or special treats from the cafeteria. "As an apology, I'll give you a voucher so you can grab a dessert of your choice."

"... Make it two! Rensouhou-chan's hungry for some ice cream!"

This only caused the young man to chuckle once. "My, my... such an aggressive negotiator."

And thus, the trio walked into the cafeteria. Michal was unsure of how his life will go on after this day, but he had a feeling that everything will be fine. He will not let his newfound courage be wasted.

Jin Keisuke has been alive for more than a century, and has decades of fighting experience. He had live a long life due to his condition. He has gained and lost friends over the years, but even though he may outlive them, Keisuke shall always cherish the memories he had with them. Today was no different.

Alas, despite the peaceful moment of the day, tomorrow may not be as generous; dark shadows of the abyss lingers beyond the ocean, and old ghosts could have been hiding all this time... waiting for the right moment.


Hey guys, Stranger here. Sorry for being away, but as you know, life happens. And life just happens to give me a chance to do something cool, like this: my first ever collaboration fanfic! Say hello to Epsilon Zeta, everybody!

EZ: Hidey ho! I know my own fans are going to complain about me taking on another writing project but what can I do when the muse nudges me into another direction? I envy you youngsters who actually have time to write.

Stranger: Where the muse calls, the artist follows. And our respective muses lead us here. Anyway, a Kamen Rider x Kantai Collection fanfic! He wanted to do one with Aqua, and I've always wanted to write one starring Kamen Rider X... these two are the most fitting Kamen Riders to have in Kancolle, considering their marine theme, but so far nobody has ever thought of it. Until now. So we helped each other by doing a collab, and thus a fanfic was born!

EZ: We're going to do our best to be accurate to Kancolle source material but it's a real big open world out there in that franchise, plot wise.

Stranger: And as a certain song goes, Anything Goes, so prepare yourselves.

Ooh, one last thing; as my usual M.O. the Kamen Riders will be based on their Super Imaginative Chogokin figures. Yes, even Aqua-even though it's only a figurine for Wizard's Hero Saga-because... well, y'all know how much I love SIC.

Of course, you can view them in their original designs if you want. X-Rider however, will look like his SIC figure. I mean, Kancolle is set in 2051; a century since the birth of his actor, Hayami Ryo. Not to mention it's 40 years after the events of Movie Wars Megamax, which is the year Michal lives in. Since Jin Keisuke has no confirmed birthdate, I'm using the actor's. Surely Keisuke would be upgraded by this time, lest he gets rusty. Literally.

Also, SIC!X-Rider has a gun.

Anyway; Read, Review, and Rejoice! The Stranger returns, and he has brought a friend.