Ok, I knows I should be working on my Kamen Rider Shinryu fanfic but..let's just say that a lot of things I had planned got derailed..for various reasons. So, for the time being, I'm putting it on hiatus, and starting this new story I had planned for a while. Hopefully, I won't have to put this one on hiatus as well...
Oh yeah, I don't own Kamen Rider OR Pretty Cure. I do own my OC but that's about it. Also, this story was inspired by Ten-Faced Paladin's Forgotten Rider and Familiar Of ZerOOO. Both excellent stories, I highly suggest checking them out.
Kamen Rider Chalice: The Pretty Cure Chronicles
Episode 1: A New Legend! Chalice, The Warrior Of Hearts, Is Born!
Today was a good day, infact you can say it was a very good day. After spending more almost half the year working and saving up money from my job at the local grocery store, I finally had enough saved up to do something I've always wanted to do. And what was that thing one might ask? Well, it's nothing too special,except...
Take a trip to Japan! Otherwise known as the birth place of Anime and anything Tokusatsu.
..Ok,ok, laugh at me for being an otaku, get it out of your systems. I'll wait...
….You done? Good, and yes I'm an otaku, proud of it by the way, but don't think for a second that I'm a hard person to get along with, or that I have no social life whatsoever..which I do by the way! It's just..a number of my interactions with people..haven't been very good ones...
But forget about that. Like previously stated, I enjoy Anime and the works of Tokusatsu. I think the fact that I was exposed to Dragon Ball Z and Sailor Moon from a young age probaubly influenced my tastes though I've kinda grown out of those two, not that I hate them, quite the opposite really but..well,things change.
These days, I'm more into animes like Pretty Cure. Infact, that was another of my reasons for coming, besides the obvious one of wanting to explore Japanese culture. For they were showing a new Precure All Stars DX movie! That alone would've made this trip worth it.
Yes, I knew there had already been three movies, and as for my opinion on them? Well..First was really good, Second had some good points but was a bit of a letdown, and Three was Mind-Blowing Epic. I just hoped this new one would Wow me just as much as Number 3 had..plus being able to watch it on a big screen instead of a tiny monitor would just make things even more awesome.
That wasn't my only reason for coming to Japan though. I was hear to check out the new Kamen Rider convention. Right, I forgot to mention that Kamen Rider might be my favorite of all of Tokusatsu's work, with Ultraman and Casshern being close seconds.
..Dang, I haven't even bothered to introduce myself. Name's James Maxwell, I'm about 5 foot,11 inches and in my mid-to-late teens in terms of age. My hair is short and colored brown-black with brown eyes. I don't tend to wear the same outfits for more than one day.
For today though, I wore a grey shirt with black pants and shoes with a black hooded jacket. Much of my first day in Japan was spent exploring and getting to see the sights. I had spent much of the flight over studying up on the language and had a decent understanding.
That was my first day, my second was spent at the Kamen Rider Convention which,for some strange reason, was located right across from where they were showing the new Precure movie. Oh well.
My time at the convention was well-spent and I came away with some sweet merchandise. Namely, the four Rider Belts from Kamen Rider Blade AND A boxed set of every single Rouze Card! Even the limited edition Joker was included along with Kerberos..again, for some reason.
..Crap, I just went and spoiled a part of the plot for people who haven't watched, didn't I?
Ah well, what's done is done. Now that I had finished with the convention for the day it was time to head for the movies..or that's what I was intending to do when things took a turn for the bizarre,mixed with the weird.
A weird ringing sound went off in my head,almost like the kind a Rider from Ryuki would hear when there was a Mirror Monster nearby, but how could this be happening? I looked all around, hoping to see someone having problems with their Ipods or electronic devices. A malfunction in one would likely explain what I was hearing.
Nothing. There was nothing. The ringing slowly faded and I shook my head."Must've been my imagination playing tricks on me." I was about to walk off to the movies,when I felt a voice speak in my head. It was a quiet voice, and I couldn't tell if it was male or female. To say it creeped me out would be an understatement.
The wheels of fate have begun to turn, it said.
I spun around, searching desperately for the source."Who's there? Where are you?"
A new Battle Royale is about to begin, the voice announced.
That made my eyes widen in shock. The Battle Royale was that thing where all the Undead fought each other to have their wish granted!
"T-The Battle Royale?" I muttered."N-No! This can't be happening!"
But the voice went on, Gather your courage,young one, for you too must stand and fight.
I protested."No! I...I won't! You can't! People will die! How can you be ok with that?" By now, the few people around were starting to stare, as it appeared I was yelling at thin air.
Survival Of The Fittest, the voice calmly replied. No being can fight against the natural order.
That was enough to get my blood boiling. Whoever this voice was it didn't seem to be the slightest bit concerned with the fact that innocent lives were gonna be destroyed just to satisfy the terms of some twisted game...That is, if the voice was actually real and I wasn't just in crazy town.
Disembodied voice seemed to read my mind, A shift in reality will soon occur, prepare yourself.
Oh yeah, I was definitely not imagining things."P-Prepare myself? With what?"
Instead of answering, the voice spoke once more,Choose your power and your alliances wisely, for they may place a crucial role in your fate.
With that, the voice faded, leaving me with a deep sinking feeling in my gut.
Plus, it had said that a "shift in reality" would occur.
The only question was...When?
In an entirely different universe, floating through the empty void of space, was a monstrous cloud of dark power. The cloud drifted through the stars with what seemed to be no purpose, but within that evil energy, memories played out like a movie.
Humans, Girls, one clad in black, the other in white,one with short hair, the other with long hair. With them, a third being, one radiant with HER light. Beautiful yet blinding, guiding yet destructive, and so overwhelming in its magnitude as the cloud remembered the agony of defeat..again and again.
Anger,rage,sorrow, and a whole swarm of other negative emotions swelled up in it. This would not do. It would find a way to make them pay, they would suffer for their insolence and transgressions. Once the interlopers were out of the way there would be nothing that could stop the Darkness from reigning supreme over all worlds!
First though, it needed power. What the cloud had now was great, but trivial compared to what it once wielded. Luckily, the mass of energy saw something in the distance. More clouds, remnants of negative energy, each with massive power on their own.
The cloud called out to them and they understood. They each shared a common goal: The complete and total annihilation of those who had reduced them to this state, the Pretty Cure.
Separate, they wouldn't stand a chance..but together..together they could crush them like the tiny ants they truly clouds began to swirl together as one, their energies combining to form something unstoppable,all-powerful, a God of Darkness.
From the fusion of clouds came a monstrous vortex, embodying the will of the dark itself.
A titanic roar echoed across the cosmos, the power behind it enough to briefly send a ripple through reality. A pulse of energy breached the ripple before it vanished.
The vortex floated there, relishing its new power..and yet knew that it wasn't enough..
It needed to plan,wait..wait for a time when the enemy would drop its guard and be vulnerable.
For now, it would wait...and indulge in its power...
Ok, on a scale of one to ten on the weirdness scale, I'd have to give what just happened a frekkin 1000. Seriously, how often do you hear voices without a body telling you you're gonna take part in some big huge tournament where the loss of innocent lives was acceptable?
Yeah, you don't. I had spent the last five minutes pacing back and forth, ignoring weird looks from people and trying to rationalize what just happened."Maybe I hit my head..or I'm still in bed and got one of those lucid dreams..can't be drugs or alcohol since I don't take either.
With a deep sigh, I took a seat on a bench and watched the sky, it was getting dark and the movie was gonna be starting soon. Maybe I should just ignore what happened and-Was that a crack in the sky?
I rubbed my eyes and studied it closer. Yep, definitely a crack, one made up of black jagged lines..and it was growing!
My jaw dropped at the sight. "W-What is that?" Was this the distortion that voice had mentioned?
If so, I wasn't sticking around. I turned to go..but my legs were stiff."Huh?" I struggled against the stiffness but it felt like my legs were slabs of concrete. "I...can't...move.."
The crack grew and grew until it covered the better part of the sky, then it shattered with the sound of broken glass, revealing a giant dark tunnel. Gusts of wind picked up, really strong too, and I felt myself
being pulled off the ground.
"WHOA!"I screamed but I couldn't fight. My bag went flying into the vortex first."NO!" I couldn't believe that after all my hard work, I was gonna lose the mementos of my trip! Or that's what I thought until I too was sucked up through the air and into the vortex.
The black tunnel stretched on for what seemed like forever. In the distance though, I saw the Belts just floating there and the Rouze Cards were out of their packaging, shooting off into darkness one by one. I knew I had to act fast, there'd be time to get logical later.
I closed in on the belts yet they seemed to be pulling away from me. I don't know how, but I knew I may only be able to grab one, so I had to choose wisely. But which do I save? Blade? Garren's? Leangle's? Or Chalice's?
Blade was cool with his sword and stuff but he lacked long-range capabilities. Garren was an expert at fighting from a distance and his melee attacks were decent but he lacked defense. Leangle had good reach with his weapon and could hit hard,plus he could get the Undead to fight for him..but that Ace..it sent shivers up my spine.
That left only one option: Chalice. Badass design, versatile in that he can fight close up or far away, the ability to regenerate from wounds and an overall formidable Rider. Deciding he was my man, I grabbed hold of the buckle..and a searing heat shot through me.
To say it was painful would be an understatement. Granted, what I was feeling wasn't unbearable and wasn't the worst pain I ever felt, but it still hurt. As if an invisible signal went off, one of the glowing cards shot straight into my body while my hand moved to grab hold of two others.
Despite the heat, I was still holding the belt, and watched as the other three disappeared into the void, along with all the other Rouze Cards. I didn't have time to think of much else cause at that moment my head started to feel faint and my vision blurred.
..Everything..was getting so...dizzy...
Walking down the street in a town similar to Tokyo were a pair of girls. One had short tomboyish brown hair with slightly tanned skin and brown eyes, walking by her was a girl with white skin and long navy blue,almost jet black hair with dark blue eyes. Both were dressed in what appeared to be school uniforms and chatting. These were Nagisa and Honoka, otherwise known as Cure Black and Cure White, warriors of Pretty Cure.
Nagisa groaned while stretching her arms."Oh man! That test was so long and boring!"
Honoka giggled."I guess it's a good thing I helped you study the night before."
The tomboy groaned again."Yeah, but you didn't have to be so pushy about it."
Her friend smiled and took hold of her hand."You knows I only does it cause I care about you."
Nagisa sighed."I know, I know." She pouted."Doesn't change the fact the test was so boring."
A little phone poked its head out of her pocket and opened to reveal a smirking yellow bear."You really should be more like Honoka-mepo. She doesn't waste all her time staring at boys and playing sports. She gets things done-mepo."
She flared up at this,gnarling teeth."What was that?" The phone gulped and vanished back into her pocket as she reached in a hand and pulled out the yellow bear before yanking on his cheeks."I'll teach you to make fun of me,Mepple!"
The dark-haired girl smiled at the scene and shook her head."Those two never change."
A pink rabbit head poked out of her pocket,beaming."And I don't think we'd want them any other way, would you-mipo?"
Honoka gently rubbed her fairy's head."No, I wouldn't."
Nagisa finished messing with Mepple and stuffed him back into her pocket before turning to her best friend."So, feel like getting some Takoyaki from Hikari and Akane-san's wagon?" She had that look that bordered on pleading.
Honoka always found it cute,she laughed."When you're asking me with a face like that, how can I say no?"
A cheer came up from the girl as she grabbed her friend's hand,"Honoka, you're the best! Come on! Let's-" But before they could go anywhere, a weird rumble came from above them, making both stop and look up.
"Was that..thunder?",asked Nagisa.
Honoka frowned,"The weather report never said anything about a storm.." The sky was cloudy but not the grey kind that was associated with rain.
Mepple popped out again,worried."Nagisa! I sense something coming this way!"
"Eh?" gaped the tomboy. "You mean..from the sky?" He nodded.
"Could it be another remnant of the Dark Zone..?" wondered aloud Honoka,trying to remain calm.
"No..this doesn't feel like them.." muttered Mipple."It feels...similar though-mipo."
"Similar?" The white Cure glanced down at her fairy, who nodded.
More rumbles started up as flashes of light could be seen in the clouds, from high up a massive ripple appeared in the sky, from it shot out what appeared to be dozens of glowing meteors that seemed to hold a humanoid figure within each one..though the meteors were too far out of distance to accurately make out any details.
Most of the meteors scattered far into the distance..but a couple landed not too far out of town. The ripple too soon vanished after depositing its package.
Both girls only stood there, staring in awe of what they just witnessed. Nagisa was first to speak."Ok...anybody else here got a serious case of deja-vu?"
Her partner nodded,still in shock of this event."Yeah, a meteor shower happened the night we became Pretty Cure.." She put a finger to her chin."But..what could this mean?"
"Maybe some new Pretty Cure will be born?" offered the brunette in a hopeful tone.
"It's possible-mepo.." acknowledged Mepple, though from the way he said it, one could tell he wasn't too sure.
That's when Honoka realized something."Oh! Didn't a couple of them fall not too far from us?"
Nagisa's eyes shot open."Right! We should check it out," She added with a grin."But let's make it quick, I don't wanna miss Akane-san's takoyaki."
The brainy girl rolled her eyes but smiled."Ok," The two held hands and pulled out their HeartFul Communes.
They shouted together."Dual Aurora Wave!" Both were engulfed by a rainbow-colored beam of energy and emerged as their Cure selves.
"Emissary Of Light, Cure Black!"
"Emissary Of Light, Cure White!"
"We Are Pretty Cure!" The duo made their way to the rooftops and took off, heading for where they'd seen the light fall, hoping that what they'd find would be something wonderful.
Nagisa had been right..something HAD been born..but it definitely wasn't a new Pretty Cure...
I don't know how long I had lost consciousness. Could've been a few minutes, a couple of hours, maybe even a day or two. Regardless of the time I'd been out, I eventually came to though it took a few seconds for my sight to adjust and the feeling in my body to return.
The first thing I felt was the bed of soft grass I had been lying on...that couldn't be right. I was just in the middle of town, going to see that new Precure movie..wait, why was the sun so bright?
I shut my eyes from the light and shielded myself by using an arm. Glancing side to side, I noticed the field of grass also included wild flowers and stretched on over a big hill. Should mention that the flowers seemed to have..an almost animated quality, like someone had drawn on them. You had to study it closely, but it was there.
With my sight having adjusted fully, it came back to me. Scowling, I growled."Darn,blasted disembodied voice..if I ever find out who that belongs to, I'm kicking their ass."
Deciding that sitting around, moping and complaining wouldn't solve anything, I slowly got to my feet..only to feel an odd weight around my waist."Huh?" Glancing down, I saw something that nearly made me faint...again.
A silver belt with a rectangular gold buckle that had a silver rim. Four green dots, one in each corner along with a red heart-shaped emblem on the front that had a slit running down the middle for something to be slashed through.
"C-Chalice's Belt?" I pinched myself but I didn't wake up from this lucid dream. Trying to control my excitement, I decided to test the belt. First, I tugged and pulled on the thing but it wouldn't come off. Ok, either somebody had used super-glue to keep it stuck..or this was genuine.
Second test, I focused my will and the belt shimmered before vanishing."Whoa." With but a thought, it returned to my waist. Oh yeah, I was getting more and more certain that this was happening.
Of course, that brought up another fact..one that unnerved me a little. This belt..Hajime wore this belt..but only the Joker Undead had this belt..which meant..if this was real..then I was a Joker too!
"So that's the card that went into my body.." I lowered my head. Oh sure, being immortal was great and all but only if you had something worth spending eternity on..that and you couldn't have a lasting relationship cause everyone you know will one day turn to dust.
You are not an Undead, at least not completely. That made me look up and search around. That voice..it wasn't the same one as before, but all of a sudden, I didn't feel so bad about my situation.
Instictively, I reached into my pocket and felt something. Pulling it out, I noticed it was cards, two of them. One depicted a preying mantis inside a jeweled heart with the words Category Ace written on the side. The other depicted a human figure with a red heart in their chest, the words Category Two Of Hearts was engraved on the edge.
"Category Ace Of Hearts, Mantis Undead..Category Two, Human Undead." I muttered to myself. These were Chalice's transformation cards. That's when a wicked idea struck me. I glanced down at my belt and then at the Ace.
"Chalice..will you..lend me your power?" For a moment, the card became warm in my fingers, as if it was acknowledging me.
I smiled confidently."Ok, Let's go," I brought the card to the slit in my buckle and said the one word I've always wanted to say since I first started watching Kamen Rider."Henshin!" I slashed.
The belt announced in a robotic voice."Change."
Starting from the buckle, that familiar black static energy spread out across my form and covered every square inch, from my fingertips to my head and face. The energy distorted before dispelling,revealing my Rider self and damn, did I look and feel cool.
My new form was composed of a full-form black bodysuit with silver gauntlets and grey boots with gold lines running along the legs and arms. A reinforced silver chestplate covered my torso area, the armor had red markings along the edge. Black shoulderpads with gold lining covered my shoulders, a holster was attached to my belt which held Chalice's cards. My head and face were concealed by a black helmet with a red heart-shaped visor and a silver mouthpiece with two long grey metallic horns sticking up out of it.
Like I said before, damn cool. This was Kamen Rider Chalice. I flexed my hand and took a few steps just to test the armor out. Sure enough, this was the real deal. The power surged through me, no wonder my new self was named "Chalice The Legendary". I felt like I could take on the world, though whether that was the Mantis Undead's fighting instincts kicking in or my own fanboyism talking was anyone's guess.
Reaching a hand behind me, I pulled out the Chalice Arrow. It had the form of a bow that could fire powerful energy bolts but had blades attached that were excellent for close-range combat or for dealing with an enemy that had a melee weapon. A fearsome weapon for an already deadly Rider.
I opened my holster only to be dismayed that, aside from my Spirit card, all the others were Blanks. Which brought me to another realization. "If the belt works..but I have only two of the cards..that means.." I clenched my hand."...All the other Undead are free."
If it weren't for the fact I had my own Rider Belt, I'd probaubly be pissing myself in fear right now. Having Chalice with me was good, but even he wasn't invincible, and with no sealed Undead to draw power from I was in for one hell of a time sealing them all.
Still, that was the Rider's code, to seal the Undead and protect the innocent. If I didn't do it, who would? I'd always wanted to be a Kamen Rider, and here was my chance..but I knew I needed to prove I deserved it.
For now, it was best to be on my way. I slid the Human Spirit card through and my armour reverted back to my human form. I then set off at a leisurely pace toward what looked like a town.
It was time to find out where exactly I was.
The two landed on the field of grass and looked around. Black scratched her head."That's weird..there's nothing here."
White glanced down at her cellphone bag."Are you sure you guys sensed something?"
"Positive," chimed Mipple from within."We saw the meteor land somewhere around here..but I don't feel its aura anymore."
"I see," said the black-haired girl with a wishful look on her face."Still, I was really looking forward to meeting the new Precure..."
"Me too," agreed Black before clapping her hands together."Ok! Since that's done, let's go get some Takoyaki!"
"Do you ever think of anything else besides your stomach-mepo?" quizzed Mepple.
His partner gnarled her teeth and yanked him out of his bag before shaking him vigorously."Do YOU ever think of anything else besides the next best way to annoy me?"
White sweatdropped while watching the scene."You guys.."
After several minutes of pulling and screaming, Black let the fairy go and took her friend's hand."Come on, let's get to Akane's before it's too late!"
Deciding that the mystery of the weird lightshow could wait, White and her partner took off back to town.
I walked through the town I had found, looking around at all the sights. It was a very modern town with a lot of the conveniences I remembered from back home..though there seemed to be an air of familiarity to this place. As if I had seen it all somewhere before.
But there wasn't much time for sightseeing, the Undead were free and they weren't gonna wait around for strong fighters to appear, they were gonna root them out from the crowd..even if that meant slaughtering a few hundred citizens that got in their way.
That was the law of their existance, to seek each other out and fight until one remains standing. In my eyes, that was a cruel fate, everyone deserved the chance to choose their own destiny, never minding what species they belonged to.
However, that didn't change the fact they were killers and needed to be stopped,quickly.
The growling in my stomach though told me that could wait. I sighed."Of all the times you picked to start up, why now?" In response, my stomach growled once more. "Fine,fine, I'll get you some food but then after that we gotta start hunting Undead." No growling, so I took that as a yes.
At that moment, a delicous smell greeted my nose."Mmm.." Deciding to find what that aroma was, I followed my nostrils down the street..and right to the proof of what world I was in.
A large station wagon stood before me, window open with a banner overhead. Spread out around were a number of white circular tables with chairs and umbrellas. The figure passing out food was a young woman with brown hair in a braid dressed in a shirt and purple worker overalls with a red bandanna tied around her head and the words "Takoyaki" tattooed on her outfit.
"A-Akane.." I murmured. This was getting more and more insane with each passing moment. If that woman was here, that meant...I was in the Pretty Cure dimension! Insane much?
Now things just got even more complex and wacked out. The Precures were very powerful warriors in their own right, and they probaubly could take down a couple of Undead by themselves, heck, maybe Cure Moonlight had a chance at bringing down a Royal Class.
But none of the girls could seal them, and no matter how powerful the Cures were, the Undead had true immortality and were incapable of dying, heck they couldn't even commit suicide! That's how bad it is. One thing was for sure, a battle between the Cures and the Undead could only lead to disaster.
To say I was overwhelmed would be oversimplifying things, I collapsed into a chair and held my head."..We're on a one way ticket to complete destruction if I don't do something."
That's when a soft,sweet voice spoke up next to me."Excuse me,sir? Are you alright?" Glancing up, I saw this radiant girl staring at me,worried. She had gold hair tied back in a braid with gold eyes and clear milky skin, wearing a top with an apron over it, making her look totally cute..gah, damn it!
I blinked at her."Um..yeah, thanks," I tried to smile, to show her nothing was wrong."Don't worry, I've just got a lot on my mind," Yeah, way to put it mildly."That, and I haven't eaten anything in a while."
This made the girl gasp in shock and cover her mouth."Oh dear! You must be starving! No wonder you feel faint."
I waved it off."It's nothing,I-" "No, it's not nothing!" exclaimed the girl, her tone rising slightly, catching me off guard. "You need to eat, everyone has to," She glanced back at the wagon for a second."Wait right here." With a sprint in her step she was off.
Several minutes later, she returned and placed a tray of octopus dumplings before me."Here ya go,Akane-san's Takoyaki. Dig in while it's hot."
I stared down at the plate,wondering if this was some sort of joke."Uh...don't I have to pay you for this?"
The golden girl shook her head."No, don't worry about money this time, just enjoy it." Still as sweet and gentle as ever.
I nodded and picked one up."Thanks," And chowed down..the flavor was amazing."Mmm, these are really good!"
My host seemed to blush,ah crud."Oh...thank you."
At that moment, another familiar voice cut in."Yeah! Akane and Hikari's Takoyaki is the best in the world!" That made my food go down the wrong way and I started coughing.
Yet another familiar voice admonished the previous."Nagisa! You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, especially when they're eating!"
I knew them from anywhere, but I didn't wanna believe it, after the day I'd been having however I was finding my perception of reality crumbling with each new event. Still, no use trying to deny the voices,I turned and glanced up into the faces of Nagisa and Honoka aka Pretty Cure.
The former was rubbing the back of her head,embarassed."S-Sorry about that, I just get really excited when someone starts talking about Takoyaki."
I nodded."Understandable," In my mouth went another one."Your friend did an excellent job on these."
That made Honoka tilt her head."Friend? How do you know she's our friend?" It was then I realized my slip of the tongue and knew I had to come up with something.
Gulping, I gestured with my finger to Nagisa."Well, you said "Akane and Hikari's Takoyaki," so it had to be owned by two people. Since this girl here has gold hair," Gesture to Hikari."I figured she must be Hikari since it's japanese for Light, and you must be friends with her cause you referred to her by name."
The dark-haired girl's eyes widened in surprise."That's pretty impressive to get all that from just what Nagisa-san said." Her friends nodded in agreement.
I shrugged."I'm a good judge of character, always have been."
Honoka nodded,smiling."That's nice," That's when it hit her."Oh! We never introduced ourselves!" She gestured to the tomboy."This is Nagisa," The girl waved,"And I'm Honoka," While the other bowed."It's nice to meet you,Mister.."
I bowed my head."Name's James Maxwell, a pleasure to meet you," Yeah, the biggest flipping pleasure of my entire life!
Hikari raised an eyebrow,"Are you..foreign by any chance?"
I turned to her with a nod."Yeah, guess you can say I am. I'm kinda here on a vacation, always wanted to come to Japan." Most of what I said was true, I just left out the part where I came from an entirely different universe where these guys existed as a TV show.
"Well, you picked a great place to come!" said Nagisa with a cheeky grin."The Garden Of Rainbows is an awesome place to live!" She slapped a hand over her mouth while Honoka glared at her.
I frowned but knew I had to play dumb."The...what?"
"Ignore her," cut in Honoka,nervously laughing."She tends not to think before she speaks."
"Y-Yeah," chimed in Hikari,sweatdropping. She then changed the subject."So James, what part of the world you from?"
Glad for the shift, I replied."I come from North America but I think one of my ancestors came from England."
"So, you have connections to both sides of the world," figured Hikari.
I nodded."I do, and I figured if I find things I like here, I might consider staying longer," I ate another dumpling."And this is one of them."
We sat around and chatted for a while, I let Nagisa snag a few of my Takoyaki since she had that hungry look on her face and Hikari had to go back at one point to get more, she didn't mind. Gotta say, it was really cool just sitting here talking to people I'd only see on the computer screen..ok, there was that one season that got dubbed into English but that's not the point.
Despite all their powers, in the end, these were just girls who had gotten caught up in something a million times bigger than them. Granted, the events of the show had brought them together and formed an unbreakable bond..but I was now feeling a little guilty that they would soon be caught up in the Battle Royale and be fighting for their lives once again.
"So, anybody else here see that weird meteor shower an hour ago?" asked Hikari at one point,causing me to look up.
"Yeah, it was really weird," confirmed Nagisa."They just came spewing out of some ripple in the sky and jetted off in every direction!"
I leaned in, my interested piqued."A ripple in the sky?" All three girls turned to nod at me."Tell me about it,please."
Honoka looked down."Not much to say about it, this weird thing appeared in the sky, fired off all these glowing meteors..and then just vanished..not much else besides that." I knew there was more to it than that but I didn't wanna give up my facade yet.
But this did confirm my theory that all the Undead were released, and were no longer just merchandise. They were living,breathing creatures with an appetite for fighting, an insatiable one too. This just made me want to get to sealing them even faster.
At that moment a jerking noise came from a pouch attached to the girls' schoolbags, both making them gasp in shock."E-Excuse us, we got a call to take!" Nagisa and her partner snatched up their bags and ran into a nearby batch of trees, Hikari following behind them.
I watched them go,curious, but knew I needed to lay low. Instead, I went back to eating..until a small voice near me asked.
"...Who are you?"
I stopped and turned to see, standing only a few feet from me, a small boy with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes, giving me a quizzical look. He was dressed in clothes that suited a small boy..yet just seeing him I knew, this was an ancient being, and being near him made my Undead instincts flare up.
Oh sure, he was called Hikaru NOW..but not too long ago he went by another name, a name any avid fan of Pretty Cure would recognize.
With a grunt, I lied back in my chair."That depends..who do you THINK I am?"
He tilted his head."..Someone who does not belong in this world." Geez, way to unsettle people,kid.
"You are...not completely human, are you?"
I turned my head to him."I could say the same about you..Dark King."
For a moment, a flash of red appeared in his eyes."Do not call me that. I no longer wish to be called by that..I am just Hikaru now." The calm blue returned."..You were not brought here of your own choice?"
I scoffed."No! Some weird voice started talking to me, saying I had to take part in some "tournament" or something, then this giant vortex appeared in the sky and sucked me in, when I woke up, I had this." I motioned to the Chalice Rouzer.
Hikaru blinked."And what are the terms of this tournament?"
Sighing, I replied."52 monsters have been released into this world, and they will fight until only one remains. The last one standing will get a wish granted, and their species will dominate the planet. It's my job to hunt them down and seal them before it's too late."
That made his eyes widen a little, guess I'd just hit him with a doozy."I see..so how does my sister fit into this?"
I massaged my forehead,"Hopefully, she won't have to get involved at all..but I won't make a promise I can't keep. These creatures are dangerous, and they'll attack anyone they consider capable of fighting. If the time comes she does get involved..I'll do what I can to protect her and her friends."
He let out a sigh of relief,"Good..cause if you allowed any harm to come to her..I could make your life very difficult.." The boy turned to go."I'll let you eat in peace now, but remember what I said." He walked off back to the wagon.
I shuddered and pushed away my tray, for some reason, I'd just lost my appetite.
The girls ran into the shade of trees and whipped out their cellphones."You guys need to be more careful!" scolded Nagisa."You could've blown your cover!"
"Says you-mepo!" shot back Mepple."Why did you have to go and open your big mouth to that boy,anyway? He's dangerous!"
The duo stopped at his words."What do you mean, he's dangerous?" asked Honoka.
Mipple was the one to explain."While you were sitting with that boy, I felt a really strong dark aura coming off him-mipo."
"A strong dark aura?" wondered Nagisa. Both fairies nodded.
"There's something inside him something dark and powerful-mepo. He had to have come from that meteor shower!"
Hikari gasped in surprise."No..that can't be true..he seems so nice.."
"But..he knew that we were friends.." interjected Honoka."Though he could've just been lucky enough to guess." She didn't know whether to trust the boy, or cut him down. Like Hikari said,he seemed nice, but than again..
"Maybe he's just trying to fool you with kindness-mipo." insisted Mipple.
"What about Kiriya?" snapped Honoka,startling everyone."He was born from darkness..but he fought against his fate and changed..he was good, we can't be so quick to judge this boy, we need to give him a chance!"
The group was silent for a moment, until Hikari spoke up."Honoka-chan might be right, we need to at least give him a chance."
Mepple frowned."You're asking for trouble if you get close to him-mepo."
"We're not gonna get close to him, but we can't antagonize him." argued Honoka."For all we know,this could just be a misunderstanding."
Relunctantly, the fairies agreed and the group headed back.
"That was an awfully long phone call," I quipped as they returned.
Nagisa scratched her head."Yeah, sorry about that, some of our friends just don't know when to stop talking."
Honoka giggled."Reminds me of another girl I know," The tomboy rolled her eyes. Oh yeah, these two were the real deal. I had to protect them no matter what.
"So James, where you plan to go now?" asked Hikari.
I pondered that question, where could I go? I couldn't ask the girls if I could stay with them, we'd just met after all. "Well.." However, that's when the images flashed through my head. Images of water, a wharf, people screaming and running, a shark creature with sharp teeth. There was a brief flash of pain shooting through my system that came with the images.
After a few moments, the pain and images vanished yet I knew what it was."Undead.." I glanced up to see the girls, distressed looks on their faces. "James, are you alright?" asked the golden girl.
I shook my head and got up."I need to go, I just remembered I had an errand to run," I bowed to them."Thank you for the food." In a flash, I took off down the street, leaving the three to gape in shock. Whether it was my Phys Ed Classes from high school paying off, or the adreanaline of Undeads kicking in didn't matter.
What mattered is that I was moving much faster than normal, I was no Sonic the Hedgehog but I could probaubly give one of those Olympic track guys a real run for their money. Nevertheless, I soon arrived at the wharf where people ran past me,screaming their heads off.
And there I saw it, the beast was humanoid in shape but had the theme of a hammerhead shark running all through out its design. Its head was like the fish but a mask covered its face and it had webbed hands and feet along with wearing a leather vest with belts around the lower parts of its body. This was the Category 3 Of Hearts, Chop Head.
I watched as the creature made its way toward a woman cowering on the ground while holding a little girl. Both looked scared out of their minds. I grunted, even if this world only existed in a tv show, it was real right now. I couldn't stand by when someone was suffering in front of me!
I willed the belt to appear around my waist and pulled out the Category Ace of Hearts."Henshin!" And slashed."Change." The black static energy covered me and from it I emerged as Chalice.
(Play Kamen Rider Blade: Take it a Try)
Pulling out the Chalice Arrow, I took careful aim at its back and fired several bolts, they crashed into the creature's back with great force, showering sparks and drops of green blood every which way. Chop Head growled in pain before turning to face me.
"Hey," I commented."If you want a fight, fight someone who's actually worth your time."
"C..h..a..l..i..c..e.." snarled the beast before charging me. I grasped my weapon tightly and rushed in return. The battle had begun. As we closed in on each other, I pulled back and let fly more shots from my weapon. Chop Head crossed his arms over his face, enduring the brunt of the attack, before pulling back and thrusting out a punch. I ducked underneath the fist and jabbed my own fist into his gut, forcing him back. I swung my weapon in an arc, slashing its chest before bringing my boot up and kicking him in the upper torso.
The Undead stumbled back so I pressed my advantage and swung in a overhead arc, but my enemy was tougher than I thought and used its elbow fin to block my attack before slashing me with its other fin and giving me a strong kick, causing me to tumble backward onto the ground.
I looked up to see Chop Head rushing me so I pulled back on the arrow and fired at its legs, causing the shark to trip up and fall on its side, giving me the time I needed to stand up. The thing was back on two feet a few moments later and resumed its attack on me.
My instincts kicked in and I swerved to avoid its first slash, then again for the second before going for an overhead swing of its own. I raised my weapon and blocked before ramming my elbow into its body, causing the menance to take a step back. Lashing out, I dealt several more punches to the Undead before it caught me by the wrist.
I stabbed my blade into its arm, causing the shark to recoil in pain. Grabbing it by the vest, I yanked its form toward me and rammed my noggin into its head, making it stumble back, groaning. I pulled back the bow and fired more shots into its body, several cuts were starting to open up but the Undead still wasn't going down.
The beast roared before jumping off the wharf and into the water. I stared into the murky depths, ready to blast it at the first opportunity. That's when the crying reached my ears, I turned to see the woman trying to comfort her child, as I approached the two huddled together,frightened. Than again, I couldn't blame them.
Once at a close distance, I asked."Why are you still here? Why didn't you run with the rest of the humans?"
The woman moaned."My daughter..she twisted her ankle when she fell.." I cursed to myself. I needed to focus on the Undead, but I couldn't let innocent bystanders be caught in the crossfire. What should I do?
A splash from the water caught me off-guard and the shark jumped out and tackled me so I ended up on the ground with the beast on top, biting down on my arm."Gaaahhh!" I roared as the hurt came, and my anger started to boil. I pulled an arm free and punched it several times in the face before giving a kick to its midsection, knocking him off.
I glanced at my wound to see it slowly closing. Standing up, I fired repeatedly at the monster, dealing more and more damage. Off to the side, I spotted Cure Black, Cure White and Shiny Luminous watching with expressions of shock and awe. Perfect.
"Hey!" I shouted, getting their attention. I fired at the beast."Get this woman and her child out of here! I'll take care of this!" That seemed to snap them into action for they ran over and gathered up the two before turning and leaving the scene.
With that problem out of the way, I spun around and slashed the shark beast just as it rose its fins to block, but my blade split right through them. The monster was stumbling about from the weight of my blows so it turned to escape but I grabbed its arm. "Where ya think you're going?" I spun it around and did an upward slash, launching the beast onto its back.
Finally, I reared back and jumped into the air, the Undead getting to its feet but not fast enough to block me, and I did a straight downward slash on it, making my opponent scream in pain before falling back and exploding in a ball of fire. The buckle on its belt snapped open, signaling defeat.
I pulled out a Proper Blank and gave a flick of my wrist, making the card land on the fallen Undead's chest. It glowed before spinning and the shark was converted into green energy before being sucked inside and flying back to my hand. On it was a hammerhead shark and a heart with the number 3.
"One down, only 50 more to go."
(End Song)
I'd done it. I had taken down and sealed my first Undead. Granted, it was only a Category 3 but still, a victory is a victory. The guy had put up a decent fight however, and I knew the higher ranks would only be stronger, so I would definitely need the power the Rouze Cards provided. "Looks like my work here is done." I went to leave only to hear a voice."Wait."
Turning, I was surprised to see Luminous coming close to me, hand on her brooch."That woman and her child wanted me to pass along a message..they say Thank you for protecting them."
I smiled but my mask hid the expression,so I just nodded."Think nothing of it, I'm simply doing my job."
She tilted her head."Your job?" Black stepped in."Oy, who are you? What was that monster? Where did you come from? Answer!" I could tell she was just bursting with questions.
White though patted her on the shoulder to calm her down."Easy there,Black," She turned to me."Excuse me,but..what are you? You don't look the first thing like a Pretty Cure."
I placed my weapon back where I hid it."Perhaps that's because I am not what you call a "Pretty Cure", I am something similar..yet completely different."
That just seemed to agitate Black."Hey! Don't give us a cryptic answer! What do you mean "similar but different"? Tell us everything,Now!"
I scoffed."If you're trying to make a good first impression on me, you have already failed,Cure Black." Ok, I know I was being a little rude, but come on, the girl wasn't being very formal right now.
Black took a step back,shocked."How..do you know me?"
I shrugged."Word gets around, let's put it that way. As for who and what I truly am..that will have to wait, I only recently awoke and I need to rest." I went to leave, the battle and the stress of the day was starting to take its toll on me.
"At least tell us your name!" begged Luminous. I turned my head back to her."..Please."
I thought over that and figured it couldn't hurt."Very Well, if it'll quench your curiosity," I took a deep breath before proclaiming,"My name is Chalice, Kamen Rider Chalice."
"Kamen Rider..Chalice?" murmured aloud the golden girl.
I nodded and walked off."We shall meet again soon, Pretty Cure." With that, I was off. I knew I might regret spilling the little bit I had but there was no point taking it back now, the damage was done.
What to do now was to find a place to rest up..and I think I knew just where to go.
The Garden of Light was peaceful, citizens were content and the land filled with joy. However, within the Queen's palace things were not so peaceful. A meeting was being held between the ruler, the Queen of Light, her advisor Elder, and the guardian of the Prism Stones,Wisdom.
"I see," began the Queen."Yes, I have recently felt a strange surge of energy in the Garden Of Rainbows. I do not know if it is truly the Dark Power ..but it does feel similar to it.."
"If it truly is the Dark Zone, then should we not inform the Legendary Warriors?" asked Wisdom, he didn't like the idea that they may soon be at war with the Dark again.
"I believe they may have already come in contact with this power.." replied the Queen,startling all those present."..At least..part of it."
"A part of it? Pardon me,my Queen, but what do you mean?" inquired the Elder.
The ruler of the land explained."It seems that when this power entered our dimension, it split up into multiple pieces and scattered itself to other parts of the Earth, each fragment gaining sentience in the process and still retaining a chunk of their combined power."
Wisdom gasped."No..this power is alive?"
"In a way,yes," confirmed the Queen. "However, it appears that one of these pieces has set out to gather the others, taking their power for its own."
The Elder couldn't believe this."If this one fragment gathers enough of those pieces.."
"The power it could wield may endanger even my existance." said the woman with a sigh."Still, we do not know what this being's motives for obtaining power are."
"Probaubly to try and overthrow you." offered Wisdom. "That would be the worst-case scenario."
"I highly doubt any dark power can overcome the Queen's light," objected the Elder."We've seen for ourselves how powerful it truly is."
"While my power is great, it is not infinite," said the Queen."There have been times when I have come close to vanishing as well."
The two looked down, remembering the incident with the Heartiels. Wisdom asked."So, what do you suggest we do,my Queen?"
"Hmm.." the woman pondered this for a few moments."We will wait a while and observe this power, if it starts to get stronger, we will send word to the warriors of the Garden Of Rainbows and warn them of the possible danger."
Wisdom and the Elder bowed."As you wish."
They both knew in their hearts though, that while this force was small right now, if left alone for too long and given time to grow...the consequences were too horrible to think of.
I stood before the mansion back in my human form, hands in my pockets. "This is it." If my knowledge of the show was correct, this was the place that the 3 Seeds of Darkness used in the first season as their base of operations. Then, in Max Heart, it was used to house The Boy...just thinking of the chat with the latter was enough to send shivers up my spine.
Shaking my head, I went up to the door and knocked."Coming-zakenna!" called a voice. I waited a few moments and a tall Zakenna dressed as a butler opened the door."Yes? Can we help you?"
I nodded,smiling."Yes, I know it's a bit late and this is rather sudden but..do you think you can loan me a room for a few nights? I promise I won't try to be trouble."
The butler scratched the side of his head,probaubly wondering what to do."Um..well, while we do have rooms available..they aren't for just anyone.."
Still smiling, I replied."Oh, I get what you're saying," I pulled out my Chalice card,"Perhaps this will convince you." I slashed it through and in a flash was donned in my armor, the butler screamed and fell backwards, crawling back on his hands, scared out of his mind.
I took a step inside."Now..do you still think I'm just anybody?"
"W-What dark power.." murmured the butler as he slowly got to his feet."Y-Yes sir..I'll have a room prepared for you right away." In a flash, he took off. I chuckled and spotted a mirror on the wall and decided to inspect myself.
"No wonder so many Undead wanted to fight you..Chalice..I think we're gonna make good partners." A small nod came from the mirror image, I blinked and it was gone..did..did I just imagine that? I sighed."I really need to lie down and rest." I slid the Spirit card and the short Zakenna butler appeared next to me.
"This way-zakenna." He led me up the stairs and to a room at the end of the hall. He opened the door with a gentle push and beckoned for me to step inside. The room was spacious and had a giant bed though I could've done with a little less of the gothic design. Still, I wasn't in the mood to complain.
"You may stay and use this room for as long as you like-zakenna," squeaked the short butler.
I bowed to him."Thank you, I'll try not to be too much trouble."
The zakenna was a little surprised at my politeness but quickly waved it off."Yes,well, what should we call you,master?"
I shook my head."Not master,sir, or anything of that, just call me James,ok?"
The butler bowed."Yes..James..if you require anything else, don't hesitate to call. Sleep well-zakenna." He turned and shut the door behind him.
I collapsed onto the bed with a loud sigh. Let me tell you, I've never been more grateful than right now to have a soft cushion to lie on. "What a day."
One moment, I'm in Japan, going to the new Precure movie with my Kamen Rider merchandise, next moment weird voices are talking to me and giant rips in reality are appearing that suck me in, do something to my gear and my body to give them super powers and deposit me in the Precure's world where I found out I can become Kamen Rider Chalice and all the Undead are free.
Sighing, I hauled out the three cards and inspected them, putting emphasis on my new prize. There were still at least 50 Undead out there, and they would all be gunning for me at some point. Plus, I knew the higher their number, the more powerful they were.
Also, the Royal Class were a whole other problem, they had intelligence on their side, along with massive power and the ability to use human disquises. Oh, and there was the fact I didn't have the first clue where the other three belts were..though even if I found them, they'd be useless without the Category Aces...and add that to the growing list of problems.
Plus, there was that whole deal of getting the Precure to trust me, I was off to an decent start, saving that woman and child, but I knew there was work to do before we could cement a bond of some sort. I also needed to know where I was in the plot of the series. This was after Max Heart..but White had mentioned meeting other Precure..hmmm..
My head was starting to hurt."Eh, I'll figure things out in the morning..still.." I glanced at Mantis Undead."..Am I in over my head?" For a moment, I swore the Mantis shrugged.
With one final sigh, I placed the cards on the bedside table and closed my eyes."Yep, definitely in over my head."
Phew, and with that, the first chapter is done! I apologize if it seems like the Cures didn't get much chance to kick some Undead butt..but rest assured, they'll get their chance soon enough. I just wanted to set up the story.
Chalice has appeared and one Undead has been sealed. But with 50 more out there, you can rest assured that things are gonna get crazy...
Ok, if you guys got any good ideas for candidates who should be Blade,Garren or Leangle, say it in your reviews.
Also, if you got any good ideas for Rouze Card Combos PM them to me, and if I use them you'll get an honorable mention.
Alright, that's it for now. See ya next time!
