OathToOblivion: You know, Joker, if we keep making more stories, people are going to wonder just what is going on in our heads.

Symbolic Joker: I'll tell ya what's going on in our heads people! Too many f*cking ideas running around, inspired by too many things we like! Agh! We seriously need to find a way to limit our brains… On second thought never mind, apparently the Human brain isn't even using 100% capacity, just 10% I think. No need to limit our brains even further…

OathToOblivion: I'm pretty sure that's wrong... Now, if you guys have guessed where we're going, then you know that we're going to be going somewhere unrelated to the SOTRC Universe. So, let's get started! We don't own Fire Emblem Awakening or Kamen Rider Double. They belong to Nintendo and Toei respectively.


Let's Ride! Count Up Your Crimes!


Fire Emblem: Xtreme Awakening
Episode 01 - Dammit, We don't want to be in a Self-Insert!

(OathToOblivion's POV)

"Cyclone! Cy-Cy-Cyclone! Cyclo-Cyclone!"

"You know, I really don't understand what the big deal is about these things." Sure, the Complete Selection Modification Drivers look nice, and it's nice that they fit people like me, who aren't exactly in shape, but all this fuss over the belt being different? Well, this is what I got: the Complete Selection Modification Double Driver, featuring all 6 of Double's Standard Memories: Cyclone, Joker, Heat, Metal, Luna, and Trigger. Suppose all I need now is Fang and Xtreme, although where I'm going to get those is a mystery to me.

I'm saying as much to Joker right now on our forum actually.

OTO: Hey, Joker. So I just splurged a lot of money on the Complete Selection Double Driver. What's the big deal with these things anyway? Yeah, I like that they reissued the Driver, but all this over the belt strap?

It was a minute or two later that Joker replied.

SJ: Huh, what a coincidence! Just got me a Complete Selection Lost Driver! With a Complete Selection T2 Joker Memory! (Actually it's just a glorified DX T2 Joker Memory but I find the box better than the original DX T2 Joker Memory box). As for the belt strap thing: Think of as you not having to waste time trying to remodel the strap whenever you plan on cosplaying. Or you don't have to go out of your way to play the damn thing as how it was supposed to be played: Strapped to your waist.

Huh? He got a Lost Driver the same time I got a Double Driver. Weird.

OTO: Lost Driver huh? Doesn't that thing also come with the T2 Eternal and Skull Memories?

A minute later, he replied. And I couldn't help but stare at the screen for a minute or two because of Joker being, well, Joker.

SJ: Yes. And you remember W's Hyper Battle Video? Philip was right, these things are fun to repeatedly press! (Except for T2 Joker Memory. For obvious reasons)

I facepalmed at that. Honestly, Joker? Such a kid. Although… I stared guiltily at my Cyclone Memory. I DID mess around with them a bit. But only a bit! I don't want to drain the battery!

OTO: Honestly...So, about Episode 9 of JLM?

I patiently stared at the screen for a while, thinking that he was going to reply back within a minute or two. Then it became three. Five. Over 10 minutes later, he finally replied. Ugh, why does he always do this?!

SJ: Oh, sorry. Got distracted by Youtube. Mostly KR W stuff. Since I can actually cosplay now. Granted, just as Sokichi Narumi. But hey, at least my first cosplay will be a badass father. So anyway, Episode 9? What was the plan again? Oh wait, right. I just need to help you out with my/Sora's/Baron's portion of the fight scene. Let's see, Baron goes through a few Arms Changes. Unleashes a barrage of finishers against Gridon Suika Arms… .

OTO: Right. Then you use Suika Arms because I/Tsukasa tossed you my Suika. Sigh. Why is this being so aggravating? We're almost finished with Episode 10 for crying out loud!

I just can't explain it, but something about Episode 9 is aggravating me. Suddenly, while I was incessantly refreshing the forum page, another post appeared.

CRP: Hey guys!

It was Cure Rider Phoenix, another of our Internet friends.

I blinked. Well, that was out of the blue. Still, no need to be rude.

OTO: Hey, Ross. What's up?

As soon as I sent that though, Joker turned up.

SJ: Eh… . Relax a bit, Oath. It's not like this pays us or anything. I mean, we're already pass 5 000 words! Well… more you than me… . Curse you real life! Anyway, my parents decided to be generous (that's the wonders of not asking your parents to buy you anything most of the time, because when you do want something for once and ask; they feel compelled to buy it since you finally asked for once) and buy me not one game, but two!

Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z and Fire Emblem: Awakening! Super Saiyan Bardock FTW!

CRP: I am so jealous you guys...how do you get your hands on Kamen Rider stuff...well anyway I know a thing or two about Fire Emblem: Awakening! Infact I managed to get the special Beach and Hot Spring downloadable levels...heheh!

Awakening, huh? I've only played a bit of it when I borrowed John's copy, but I'm pretty interested in it. Wonder where he is in the plot? Of course, I didn't notice Ross's post until after I posted.

OTO: Awakening, huh? How far did you get?

5 minutes. Then he replied. I bet he didn't even touch it considering how much of a fanboy he was being for Battle of Z a few months ago.

SJ: … . I may have been distracted by the awesomeness that is Super Saiyan Bardock and may not even booted up the game yet.

Called it!

SJ: But, I did some research on the characters! Who's your favorite female character? (If you think I'm going to have three dudes talk about dudes then something is seriously wrong with you guys)

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes, Joker can be grating. Still, I responded.

OTO: Well, I only borrowed the game from a friend of mine for a few minutes when he came over to my place. I played up to Regna Ferox, although I did read up on the plot. Honestly? I like Lissa. She's awesome. Plus, she's the only person who can heal without items in the early game, so she's an invaluable tactical asset.

SJ: Did you play on classic mode (as in, your units die for real and never come back) or the easy mode (if they die, they come back after the battle)?

OTO: Classic. That's why I got stuck at Regna Ferox, because people kept dying.

SJ: Personally, I would play on easy mode. Just in case really. Doesn't matter what game mode I'm playing. I'll still act like my teammates dying would put me in a very horrible position and would constantly heal them when I can. Just ask the Party Members of the Kingdom Hearts series. Granted I was a kid back then, but I still took the time to heal Donald and Goofy whenever their HP was too low for my liking.

SJ: Always hated the Ansem/Possessed!Riku in Hollow Bastion boss fight from the original Kingdom Hearts. I feel like if I had Donald and Goofy to help out, I would've been able to defeat him easier.

SJ: Hey Ross, what can you tell me about the Beach and Hot Springs DLC levels?

Oh yeah, there was Fanservice DLC. Forgot about that. Yeesh, with all this talk about Awakening, maybe we should make a story with it. I idly picked up the Cyclone Memory and hit the button on it again. Sure, listening to the repeated "Cyclone!"s could be irritating, but not when I just got it!

CYCLONE!

Huh? That sounded way louder than normal. I grabbed the rest of the Memories and hit them in sequence.

JOKER!

HEAT!

METAL!

LUNA!

TRIGGER!

Huh. They sound like they do on the show. … Wait a second. I scrambled back to the keyboard.

OTO: Guys...my Memories sound a lot louder than they're supposed to. They sound like they leaped out of the show. Joker, is it just my imagination? Check yours real quick.

A minute later he replied, and I was quite concerned with his answer.

SJ: … . I was going to say something like "… ? Oath, you're being paranoid or something. Or your ears just suddenly magically cleared themselves." But then I did what you asked and you were right… . They are louder. You wanna know scariest part… ? My Joker Memory stopped chanting the other Memory Names. … And my Gashapon Trial Memory stopped playing the transformation noises. It just keep chanting "TRIAL" over and over!

SJ: Oath… . We're not going through some crappy self-insert fic are we… ?

Oh no. No no no. I do NOT want to be in a self-insert fic for real!

OTO: We better not be, or I'm going to find the me and you responsible for this and punch them in the face.

As soon as I typed that, the screen started glowing. Because that clearly doesn't mean anything. An almost vacuum-like force pulled me closer. Crap crap crap crap. I don't want to be in a self-insert! The vacuum then started sucking in… oh hell no! I paid money for that Driver and those Memories; no self-insert fic is taking them from me! I reached out to grab my stuff… only to let go of my chair! And I found myself getting sucked in, only barely able to grab my phone and earbuds from where they were sitting. Now, as I've said before, I'm not usually one for swearing, but… .

"FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-!"


(Symbolic Joker's POV)

I stared at the screen, waiting for Oath's reply. My four Gaia Memories were sitting next to my laptop, with the Lost Driver standing comfortably on the other side of my laptop. Good thing I got a long table. Refreshing the forum page, I saw Oath had replied.

We better not be, or I'm going to find the me and you responsible for this and punch them in the face.

I chuckled a bit at that response. Doesn't he know that the alternate versions of ourselves writing their little stories were just having fun and letting their imaginations flow freely? I bet he does, he's probably just venting due to his worry.

However, just as soon as I finished that train of thought, I heard something cracking through the fabric of space and time (or at least that's how it sounded like to me). Turning my chair around, I saw that a large portal was being created by my 3DS, which was sitting comfortably on my bed. The portal was starting to suck things through. Oh look, there goes my Gaia Memories and my Lost Driver. If that doesn't scream, "You're going to be a character of a Kamen Rider self-insert crossover fanfiction!" I don't know what does.

I quickly grabbed my charging PS Vita and unplugged my headphones from my laptop. Many self-insert characters eat your hearts out! 'Cause I'm so Genre Savvy to the point I'm intentionally taking things with me!

"Well, God, if this is your test… ," I muttered to myself, and God of course. "… I'm not going to complain!" I'm pretty sure my cousin (who shared a similar mindset to mine) wouldn't complain either if she was in my position. "GERONIMO!" I quoted the 11th Doctor as I jumped through the portal.


(3rd Person PoV)

As the both of them were pulled in, the only acknowledgement of their passing was a horribly confused Cure Rider Phoenix.

CRP: Hey guys? Hello? You guys still on? What the heck was that?


"… Gh… Wha… ?" A certain somebody lay on the ground, almost as though he was asleep.

"Chrom, we have to do something." A female voice pointed out.

'Chrom? Oh, don't tell me-?' The figure thought to himself.

"What do you propose we do?" A male, likely Chrom said. It was then that the figure awoke. He was about 5' 9", and had black hair and brown eyes. A pair of glasses sat in front of his face and he was about 19 years old. He wore a blue and white plaid button-down shirt and beige pants, with white sneakers. As he opened his eyes, he noticed the two who were standing in front of him.

'Chrom, and Lissa. I'm in the middle of Fire Emblem Awakening. Damn it. This is my fault I'm in a self-insert situation. If only I hadn't asked Joker about it… .' He thought viciously to himself.

"I see you're awake now." Chrom said.

"Hey there!" Lissa greeted.

Chrom held out his hand. "There're better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know. Give me your hand." he said.

The figure held out his hand and grasped Chrom's, using it as a lever to get himself off the ground. As he did, he quickly looked at the back of his hands. 'No Mark of Grima. I'm not taking Robin's place then.' He thought.

"Thanks, Your Highness." He said aloud.

"Ah, then you know who I am?" Chrom asked, but with a funny look on his face. Almost as if he had done it before. 'Which he probably has if Robin is around.'

"It's a bit hard to not recognize you, Prince Chrom, especially with all those posters around." The figure said drily.

At that, Chrom got a sour look on his face, and shot a look over his shoulder. "I thought I told you to take those down, Frederick?" he asked. The figure then noticed that standing behind Chrom was his trusty Great Knight, Frederick the Wary. 'AKA, the person the Weapon Triangle bows down to.' the figure thought bemusedly. But also-!

'Robin! That settles it then; I'm not taking his place. Good thing I haven't done anything to stand out other than look funny by Ylissan standards.' he thought in relief.

"I did. He must have seen them in the interim between them going up and being taken down." Frederick said stoically. At this point, Lissa decided to interject.

"Hey, what's that thing on your belt?" She asked in interest. The figure paused before actually looking at the belt area.

"Huh? How'd that get there?" He wondered. It was the Double Driver, the Cyclone Memory inserted into it. With a shrug, he removed the Memory, and the Driver suddenly disappeared in a flash of light!

"What was that?!" Lissa asked in shock.

"Some kind of sorcery?" Chrom wondered. Frederick simply narrowed his eyes at this while Robin looked confused. Can't blame him, because the figure… screw it, it's pretty obvious who it is by now. OathToOblivion, Oath for short at this point, was confused as well.

"The hell?" he wondered, looking at his waist, and holding the Cyclone Memory in his hand. He then became aware that his thighs were being pushed by something in his pockets. 'Must be the other Memories.' he guess, feeling in his pockets to confirm it. He also felt his phone, but that was neither here nor there.

"And that was?" Frederick asked, his eyes laced with suspicion directed at Oath.

Oath shrugged. "Search me. I don't remember it doing that when I bought it." He said. He then looked around. "I also don't remember going to sleep in the middle of a field and-" He stopped as he noticed somebody else lying in the field. He had with him a Lost Driver, another Double Driver, as well as a few Gaia Memories scattered around him. Oath's voice caught in his throat. '… Joker?'

Chrom regained his composure. "Ah yes, we were going to wake him up as well. Do you know him?" He asked.

Oath slowly nodded. "Yeah, I think I do." He said as he walked over to the sleeping Symbolic Joker. "Joker… Joker! Wake up!" Oath shook the asleep Joker, who was stirred awake.

"Ugh… . What… ?" Joker groaned as he sat up, holding a hand to his head as if it was to calm a raging headache. With his eyes opened, you could see that when it came to hair and eye color he was an almost perfect match for Oath. Heck, he even had glasses to boot! Except unlike Oath, Joker had grown his hair out to match the hair length of Kamen Riders when they debuted in their respective series while his brown eyes were a slightly darker shade. "Where… ?" Joker asked, looking towards Oath. Surprisingly, he didn't look surprised at seeing someone who could pass off as his older brother. Of course, he doesn't have one, so…

"Joker, is that you?" Oath asked for confirmation. Joker looked confused, than saw the Cyclone Memory in Oath's hands. That caused realization to creep up into his eyes.

"Oath?" Joker asked for confirmation, getting a firm nod in response. This caused Joker to quickly get out of Oath's arms and stand up firmly. With both look-a-likes standing up, you could see that Joker was a bit taller than Oath, standing about 5' 11"; though when you compared the faces of both males, you could see that Joker looked a bit younger. 2-to-3 years was the age difference if one had to guess.

Joker was wearing a black turtle neck that was tucked into a black baggy pants whose sleeves were tucked into black boots. Over his black turtleneck was a dark purple (borderline black) sleeveless hoodie which had a zipper that wasn't zipped fully, giving Joker a V-neck hoodie. "Holy shit; you've gotten a serious makeover!" Joker said in awe, having seen a picture of Oath before and needless to say; Oath looked like a slimmed, fit version of himself.

"I'm guessing the same could be said of you?" Oath asked, noting that Joker's clothes seemed a little bit baggy for him. Joker searched himself, and quickly noted that he too seemed a bit slimmer than he should be.

"Excuse me, Oath? Joker?" Chrom asked, reminding the duo that they weren't exactly alone.

"What kind of names are those?" Lissa wondered to herself, though she wasn't quiet enough as everyone heard it.

"Nicknames." Joker answered bluntly, causing Lissa to blush in embarrassment. "You can call me Vincent." Joker, now known as Vincent, stated as he made way to pick up his Gaia Memories and Drivers.

"Wait, we're not-? … Um, in that case, you can call me… Luke," Oath, now known as Luke, introduced himself. But then he felt someone poking his shoulder.

"This yours?" Vincent asked he held up the Double Driver.

"Uh… Yeah, about that, Joker… ." Luke tried to explain what happened, but then Frederick pointed it out.

"That device, it resembles the odd buckle of that belt that vanished!"

Vincent's eyes widened in realization at what Frederick just said, before turning to Luke. "… What?" Vincent asked with a tone and a look on his face that said that someone had some explaining to do, with the poor unlucky sap being Luke.

"Uh… , yeah… ." His words said it all, causing Vincent to pinch the bridge of his noise as he fought off a headache.

"This is going to be all kinds of awkward." Vincent muttered.

"Excuse me, but do you know what that device does and its connection to the missing belt?" Robin spoke up for the first time, truly curious at the connection.

"This device…" Vincent gestured to the Double Driver, shaking it a bit to pull all attention to the Driver. "… allows whoever uses it to become a host for his…" This time Vincent gestured to Luke. "… consciousness. Allowing them to become a warrior with two minds. A two-in-one soldier, so to speak." Vincent explained casually, much to Luke's horror.

The group consisting of Chrom, Lissa, Frederick, and Robin were simply just shocked and intrigued by the ability of the Double Driver.

"What are you doing?!" Luke hissed at Vincent. Luckily for both of them he kept it low so that Chrom's Group, the Shepherds, didn't hear it.

"Explaining. Duh," Vincent said, knowing full well that he didn't truly answer Luke question.

"That wasn't explaining; that was trying to blow their minds!" Luke said dryly. Then he whacked Vincent's head.

"OW! What was that for?!" Vincent asked angrily.

"Have you forgotten, Joker? Double is not a soldier!" Luke retorted.

"Idiot." Was Vincent's response. Luke was confused by the sudden insult, but Vincent's jerk of a thumb caused him to look at the Shepherds, which caused Luke to realize his mistake.

"Double?" The Shepherds repeated the term in confusion, with Luke's mind going over 100 miles per hour as he frantically tried to think up an excuse.

He sighed as he gave up though. There really wasn't anything he could do to stop it. "Double is the name of the being we were talking about. Kamen Rider Double, the two-in-one detective and Kamen Rider."

"What good is a detective in this World?" Vincent muttered to himself. As Luke was right next to him, he heard it and appropriately glared at Vincent in response.

"Kamen Rider?" The Shepherds echoed the term that stood out to them most.

"All yours." Vincent quickly said, turning around and walking into a random direction.

"Hey, where are you going?!" Luke called out.

"Anywhere but here." Vincent answered back. "And before you ask why: It's because I just plain suck at explaining. So have fun explaining what a Kamen Rider is, Oath!" Vincent explained his reason, giving Oath a back wave.

Luke facepalmed. "That moron." He lamented.

"So, what exactly is a Kamen Rider?" Lissa wondered. Luke wondered about how to put it, before deciding to just plagiarize Fourze.

"Kamen Riders are warriors who fight humanity's enemies in the shadows. At least, that's how it's put on paper. In practice, people tend to notice them," He explained. He then looked at his waist area, where the Double Driver had been. "Still, how did I obtain the other Double Driver? The only reason I should have this would be if I was… !"


Vincent noted that he was wandering quite far off, but he didn't really care. He still held the Double Driver after all. If worst came to worst, he could use it to communicate with Luke. As he walked, he couldn't help but notice the hulking figure of Frederick following him. He supposed it wasn't that much of an achievement though, considering that the two were in the middle of the plains.

As he was lost in his thoughts, Vincent couldn't help but notice something further in the plains. Whatever threw him into Ylisse had also enhanced his vision somewhat (he noted he still needed his glasses for some reason). Plus, the purple blob made it hard to miss the new group. But then Vincent took in its appearance; mostly its shape.

Teeth. Razor sharp teeth. Dinosaur teeth. Dinosaur (specifically a Tyrannosaurus-Rex) head on a mutated Human body leading a group of bandits.

"Dopant… ." Vincent muttered the name of the creature's species, not entirely surprised to see one running around in Ylisse.

"You recognize that creature?" Frederick approached Vincent, he too being able to see the T-Rex Dopant.

"That creature is a Dopant; a Human who has undergone a certain transformation," Vincent explained, wishing to make the explanation as brief as possible. For good reason.

"That's a Human?" It was easy to tell Frederick's disbelief at the notion.

"The transformation can only occur when a Human gets their hands on an unrefined version of these." Vincent explained, pulling out his T2 Joker Memory. "Gaia Memories: special devices containing the memories of the planet itself."

"The planet?"

"Yes. I don't know much about Gaia Memories, I just know enough to stop those who would abuse their power." Vincent explained. "For example, my Joker Memory is also known as the Trump Card Memory. It transforms the user into a Skilled Warrior, where one's fighting potential increases along with their reflexes." Vincent quickly turned around. "Come on, we have to warn the others! Gaia Memories used by scum like bandits isn't exactly the prettiest of pictures."

With that, the two made haste back towards the Shepherds who were in a conversation with Luke. Along the way, Frederick decided to get specifics on Gaia Memories. "You said something about unrefined Gaia Memories. What did you mean by that?"

"Refined Gaia Memories resemble the shape of my Joker Memory. It's impossible to use them directly unlike unrefined Gaia Memories. To use their power, one needs a Driver."

"Like that red device you were holding?"

"Yes. Unrefined Gaia Memories are similar to pure raw power with almost little to no control. Using them through skin-contact will only end up with the user falling into insanity. Drivers help filter that power to safer levels. Though, I doubt that Dopant was using a Driver."

"What do you mean?"

At that question, Vincent merely pressed the Double Driver to his waist, which caused a silver belt strap to extend from one side to the other. On the right side of the strap, a mysterious black holder assembled itself seemingly from the Driver as well. "Drivers take the form of belts with overly large buckles. So it's easy to tell if one has a Driver or not."

"Hmph. I see." With the knowledge now in his mind, Frederick went silent as his mind wrapped around the concept of Gaia Memories, Drivers and Dopants. Vincent stayed silent as well, only focusing on getting to Luke so that the T-Rex Dopant would be stopped.


Speaking of Luke, the Double Driver flashed into existence again on his waist just as he had finished explaining some of the particulars of Gaia Memories. Robin reacted at this. "It came back!" He exclaimed, even pointing as he did so.

Luke looked down. "That must mean that Joker's put the other one on. Suppose I better ask him why." He commented.

Chrom blinked. "How are you going to ask him? He and Frederick left a while ago." He pointed out.

"When the Double Driver isn't being used for the transformation into Double, it can be used by its users to communicate with each other." Luke revealed. He closed his eyes to initiate contact. "Joker, what's up? I doubt you put the Driver on for shits and giggles."

"Holy-!" Vincent sounded quite shocked, most likely because he didn't expect a voice suddenly appearing in his head. But Luke could feel Vincent calming himself down. "I knew this was going to be awkward!"

Luke couldn't help himself and shrugged at that. "Well, I'm sure it'll be awkward the first few times, but I'm sure it'll become second nature soon enough." Luke telepathically said.

"… You know something's wrong with yourself if hearing voices in your head is second nature to you."

"Not the point. What's going on that you put the Driver on?" Luke asked irritably.

"Oh you know; Dopants running loose in Ylisse." Vincent answered in a casual tone. Despite hearing a countdown, it didn't stop Luke from loudly shouting a "What?!" in response. Both boys unaware that Luke's shout had surprised the Shepherds. "Be louder why don't ya? I can still hear things."

"Joker, be serious!" Luke said, out loud to boot. But he was unaware of that. "What do you mean, Dopants are running loose in Ylisse?!"

"It's exactly as I said, Oath. There's a T-Rex Dopant leading a group of bandits towards the nearest town."

"What the hell?!" Luke said in shock.

"Did you just say that those Dopant things you told us about are running loose in our country?" Chrom asked sternly.

Luke turned to him. He had forgotten that they were there. "It looks that way, yeah. Joker just told me that he and Frederick noticed a group of bandits being led by a Dopant towards Southtown." He explained grimly.

"You know I can still hear you, right?" Vincent's voice pierced through Luke mind. "I'm guessing you want me and Frederick to head to Southtown first?" Vincent's question caused Luke to pause, and then yell at Vincent.

"WHAT THE HELL, JOKER?! WHY COME BACK HERE THEN?! YOU COULD'VE JUST FOLLOWED THOSE BANDITS WITH FREDERICK!" Luke roared at the yet to arrive Vincent, scaring the Shepherds a bit in the process.

"What? I figured that Chrom and the others would be more inclined to believe Frederick's words than yours." Vincent gave a very good point, which Luke had to grudgingly admit. "On that note:" Vincent went quiet for a few seconds. The silence was then broken up by his actual voice reaching everyone's ears. "Hey! Follow us, quick!" Vincent called out.

The Shepherds and Luke stared at the duo consisting of Vincent and Frederick. Luke could only say one thing. "Dammit, Joker." An exasperated Luke muttered out.


A short while later, the group had reached Southtown. The whole place was on fire. Chrom was incensed at the site. "Damn it! The town is ablaze! Those blasted brigands, no doubt. Frederick, Lissa! Quickly!" he urged.

Frederick was a bit more wary, staring at the three stragglers they had picked up. "What about them?" he gestured.

"Unless they're on fire too, it can wait!" Chrom pointed out. Luke fought down laughter at that. That had always been one of the funnier lines (in his opinion) of Chrom's.

Frederick shook his head at that. "Aptly put, milord." He said.

"Let's go already!" Lissa exclaimed. The three headed off, leaving the other three behind.

Robin was taken aback at being left behind just like that. "But what about… Hm… ." After a brief moment of indecision, he followed after them. This left Luke and Vincent to themselves.

"Well, shall we go, partner?" Luke asked, pulling out his Cyclone Memory.

CYCLONE!

Vincent, however, raised an eyebrow. "If you think I'm going to leave your body for any bandit to loot or kidnap, than you are sorely mistaken, my friend." Vincent dryly stated, which caused Luke to sweat drop in response. Guess even he was entitled to stupid decisions once in a while. "Come on, before we lose them." Vincent nodded his head as a gesture to the direction where the Shepherds took off, and with that the two quickly dashed through the burning streets of Southtown in an effort to catch up with the Shepherds.


Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick ran into the town from the south-west entrance, where they could see all of the pillaging the bandits were doing. Strangely, there was no sign of the Dopant. But to them, it did not matter in the slightest. First thing they had to take care of was the pillaging bandits.

"Chrom, we have to stop them!" Lissa yelled out the obvious.

"Don't worry. After today, these bandits won't be bothering anyone ever again." Chrom declared grimly.

"Wait!" A voice surprised them. They turned only to find Robin running up to them.

"Robin! You followed us! Why?!" Chrom asked.

"It's not just him." Another voice interjected. They looked behind Robin only to find that it was Luke and Vincent who ran up this time.

"You guys too?!" Lissa asked in shock.

"I… I'm not certain myself why I followed. But I'm armed, and I know my way around a fight, if you'll have me." A humble Robin explained.

Chrom nodded. "Of course; strength in numbers. What about you two?" He asked, turning to the newly formed Double Duo.

"Well, not like you guys have the power to destroy the Gaia Memory that Dopant is using." Vincent noted with a shrug. "Otherwise, the other bandits will just swipe up the Memory and use it themselves, starting another battle."

"Yeah." Luke nodded in agreement. "I don't know how or why Gaia Memories got here, but it's our duty as Double to stop anyone who misuses them."

"Then let me remind you three, that we face practiced murderers and thieves. They will grant us no quarter; it's kill or be killed." Frederick said.

"No." Luke said stoically.

[Insert Song: Kamen Rider Double OST - Track 2]

"What?" Frederick was taken back by the answer, as well as how it was said.

"Heh. So you share my sentiments, eh, Oath?" Vincent noted with an almost smug-like grin at Luke's answer.

"Heh. Of course, Joker." Luke said, holding his head in such a way that he would be tilting a hat if he was wearing one. "Riders don't kill indiscriminately after all." He pointed out. He then turned to look at the burning town. "This town's flames are its tears." He said. "Double's powers were meant to punish those that would cause said tears, but we don't kill. We'll beat the Dopant, and then you can decide what to do with him." He said. He tossed the gold-tipped T1 Memories at Vincent. "Saa… ikuze, aibou (Now… let's go, partner)." He said, holding the Cyclone Memory in his left hand. He hit the button on it.

CYCLONE!

Vincent let out a snort of amusement in response. "Did you have to give a cheesy speech about how we don't kill? Then again, my speech would've probably just as cheesy. Guess I can't complain." Vincent noted, pocketing the gold tipped Gaia Memories with the sole exception of one. Frederick noted that it was an exact copy of Vincent's Joker Memory, except it was gold-tipped as opposed to blue-tipped. He held it with his right hand, hitting the button on it.

JOKER!

"Henshin!" With an unfamiliar word (to the Shepherds) cried out, Luke and Vincent positioned their bodies so that they would be parallel to each other, crossing their arm with the Memory over themselves. Though the poses did not last as Luke inserted his Cyclone Memory into the right slot of his Double Driver. To the Shepherds' surprise, the Cyclone Memory broke itself into streams of green data. The data than invisibly flew into Vincent's Double Driver, reassembling into the Cyclone Memory.

Vincent pushed the Cyclone Memory into the right Memory Slot, causing a standby sound to play while Luke suddenly fell unconscious!

"What-?!" Chrom didn't have the chance to finish as Vincent quickly inserted the Joker Memory into the left Memory Slot, causing the same standby sound to play. The sounds played with the other in perfect unison. Vincent quickly pushed the Memory Slots apart, causing the Double Driver to resemble a red mechanical 'W'.

CYCLONE-JOKER!

A catchy techno tune played from the Driver as pieces of green and metal armor were released from the Double Driver. It continued playing as the metal assembled itself over Vincent. Eventually, the techno tune subsided for a more triumphant tune as the metal assembling into armor.

The being in front of them was strange; being split down the middle with a silver line. Its left half was black, with purple accents on its shoulder, chest, wrist, and ankle. The other half was green, with yellow accents in the same places. It had an antenna shaped like the letter 'W' in the center of its head, with a red gem under it. It had red, bug-like eyes and a scarf flowing from its right side.

This was Kamen Rider Double!

Suddenly, Double's right eye piece started flashing. "Would you guys mind taking care of my body while we're out there?" Luke's voice asked from within Double's body, startling the Shepherds.

"Oi! Don't use my mouth out of the blue like that!" Vincent's voice came out this time, though unlike when Luke's voice spoke; Double's left eye did not flash. "But, he's right though. His body is vulnerable like this. Hey, Lissa." The girl quickly stood straight at her name being mentioned. "Any damage Double takes, it goes to my own body and Luke's. Can I trust you to heal it if I get too reckless?"

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean?!" Luke called out, not liking the idea of Joker purposefully getting themselves hurt.

"It means I'm being realistic. First time we're using Double, after all," Vincent noted, not caring in the least at the surprise the Shepherds had in that revelation. They had assumed by how knowledgeable they were about Gaia Memories, that it wasn't the first time they became Double. "Now if you'll excuse us, we'll be hunting down that Dopant." Double started making his way into the burning city, but Chrom stopped him (them?).

"Wait! You said you would help out!"

"Chrom? I am a man wearing a suit of armor which is green on the right and black on the left side. If that doesn't catch the attention of any bandit I come across, then they must be color-blind."

"Don't you mean 'We'? After all, we're the 2-in-1 Kamen Rider," Luke interjected, causing Vincent to smirk in response.


"Careful! The wind… it's telling me danger is coming!" Luke suddenly warned Vincent, after Double had been running around the burning village for a few minutes.

"Finally!" Vincent, whose patience had been wearing thin, cried out. "Maybe if we're lucky it's the Dopant!"

"Dopant? Don't call the great… uh… what's our boss's name again?" Three bandits appeared out of a corner, with the apparent leader asking one of his allies the name of his boss.

"You idiot. You've been with us over two weeks now! How can you not memorize the great Garrick's name yet?!" The second bandit reprimanded the leading bandit.

Vincent snorted at the display. "Great chain of command." He sarcastically commented, pissing off all the bandits.

"Fool! You're just a jester playing warrior! Like you could defeat us!"

"Says the housewife who can't keep his greed in check." Vincent commented again, this time not even bothering to face the bandits and instead checking out his gloves.

"Housewife?!" The bandits screeched at the insult, which caused Double to wince.

"Geez, did you have to insult them?" Luke asked, causing Vincent to shrug.

"I don't think so. But they are entitled to some insults since they walked down this road," Vincent commented as the bandits charged with weapons drawn. One of them wielded a sword and the other two an axe. However, Vincent wasn't as worried as Luke was. Although even then, Luke wasn't too nervous. Can't blame him though.

The first bandit swung his sword, though Double grabbed the blade and pulled the bandit. He then elbowed the bandit's outstretched arm, breaking it in the process. "AGH!" As the bandit screamed in pain, Double dislocated his arm by holding onto it firmly while he pushed the bandit's back. He then threw the bandit to one of the other bandits. While that bandit was distracted, the other bandit charged and swung his axe.

Double blocked it by raising both of his arms. And then he decided to kick the bandit right in the shins just because there was a clear opening. As the bandit held his precious jewels and shed a tear, Double showed no mercy as he threw a hard punch right in the bandits face.

The remaining bandit, having set aside the first bandit, saw what happened to his friend and was fearful for his well being. "S-Stay back!" The bandit called out, now afraid of Double.

"Go. Take your allies back to your pathetic camp. But know this, if I see you again, if I see you doing shit like this; stealing, killing, raping… I will come for you. And I won't be as merciful as I am today." Vincent threatened for Double, as Luke was merely content with letting the bandit go.

"M-M-Merciful?" The bandit repeated in fear.

"Oh you know: taking you to an isolated forest somewhere; breaking your fingers and toes one by one; then cutting them off so I can force them down your throat and make you eat them. That kind of thing." Vincent explained like he was just listing off a shopping list!

"Y-Yes sir! Of course sir! I won't ever do it again sir!" The bandit said, before high tailing out of there without his fallen comrades.

"Tch." Vincent grunted. "Crooks like him are nothing more than punks that need to learn their place." Vincent noted.

"Didn't need to be that harsh though. We're Double, not Eternal." Luke pointed out.

"Tch. What, you think just because I don't have the appropriate alter-ego that means I shouldn't act like this?" Vincent scoffed. "I fight my own way. This is it. So you either deal, or I fight on my own."

"Joker… ." Luke sadly said.

This caused Vincent to sigh. "Look, Oath, you said you don't want to kill. I totally agree with that. But if these punks don't learn their lesson, they'll just go on with their life like nothing happened until they meet us again. Who knows what horrors they would commit if we follow that scenario? Face it, to make the World a better place we either kill… or we go Batman on these punks."

Luke considered it for a bit, before sighing. "This is why I've never really wanted to be in a self-insert for real. Going on an adventure can bring out the best in someone, but it can also bring out some of the worst parts that our thin veneer of civilization protects against. That said, I get what you mean. Although I don't think even Batman would be that harsh. Well, maybe if he was written by Miller." Luke pointed out.

Luke's words caused Vincent to roll his eyes. "You have to realize something Oath," Vincent stated as he began walking in a random direction. "I am not Batman. Unlike the Bat, I am willing to cross that line if it helps the greater good."

"Can you really quantify something as abstract as that? Smarter people than the two of us have tried. Besides, the whole notion of "greater good" sounds more like "necessary evil", and I'm not a fan of that." Luke said defiantly.

"Remember the Dark Knight? And how Bats could only choose between Harvey and Rachel? It'll be something like that." Vincent stated with a roll of his eyes.

"I wouldn't know. Never watched it. Is that the whole 'I won't kill you but I don't have to save you' thing?" Luke asked as they neared the sounds of more fighting; likely the Shepherds.

"Guess I'll have to talk to you about the many meanings between the famous scenes of the Dark Knight." Vincent noted as he made Double run towards the heart of the fight. While Luke nominally had control over Double's right half, he was able to let Vincent control the right half as well so Double could fight effectively without two different people with different mindsets getting in the way of each other, and thus Double.


Earlier... .

The Shepherds and Robin charged into the fray. While some of the bandits were accosting Double, the rest were pillaging as they ran in. As it was, the Shepherds had already cleared out most of them, including all their Mages. Frederick led the charge on his trusty steed, while Robin and Chrom followed after him. Lissa trailed behind, carrying Luke's body with her. As she was a Cleric, she didn't have any offense to speak of, so she had to stay out of the range of attacks.

A group of bandits were attacking the general store when Frederick charged in. "Pick a god and pray!" he declared, swooping through the crowd with his Silver Lance. He managed to injure most of them as well as behead the final one. Chrom then leaped in, skewering the next one with Falchion. One of the bandits tried to attack him from behind, but Robin slashed his back with his Bronze Sword. Then, he revealed his Thunder Tome, casting the electric-based magic and felling the rest of them.

"Well, looks like the end of this particular bunch. They weren't particularly skilled." Robin noted.

"Be that as it may, it was your tactics that allowed us to get through it without injury." Chrom said, holding Falchion loosely for the moment.

"Yeah, Robin, that was pretty good! Swords, sorcery, and tactics! Is there anything you can't do?!" Lissa asked excitedly.

Frederick rode back up at that point, with a bit of wince. He clutched his side faintly. Chrom was concerned. "Are you alright, Frederick?" he asked.

"'Tis only a flesh wound, milord. I can bear it." Frederick said, stoic as ever.

Lissa frowned. "That's no excuse! Here!" she yelled, casting her Heal magic with her Staff. A green cloud enveloped him as she healed him.

Frederick nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, milady."

"Don't mention it." Lissa said with a smirk. Meanwhile, Robin was staring off into nothing. Chrom noticed him doing so.

"Still with us, Robin?" he asked. Robin shook himself out of his trance, turning to the Prince (not that he knew that, having not exactly paid attention when Luke mentioned it).

"Oh! Of course! It's just that… it's strange. Here on the battlefield, I can, well, I can "see" things." he said.

"See things?" Chrom parroted in confusion. "Like what?"

"The enemy's strength, their weaponry, the flow of battle; I must have studied this somewhere." Robin said in a puzzled tone.

"So, you're saying you can size up the enemy at a glance?" Chrom asked for clarification.

Robin nodded. "Yes, it would seem so. And perhaps more, if I apply myself." He trailed off, before shaking his head. "It doesn't matter right now. We need to find the leader of these bandits. He's likely the 'Dopant', as those two call him." He pointed out.

"Hmph. When we find him, he's going to pay for what he's done." Chrom said grimly.

"But, didn't those two say that they didn't particularly want to kill?" Lissa asked hesitantly.

"It matters not what they think." Frederick said stoically. "These brigands are a plague upon our halidom, and as such we must rout them." He pointed out.

"Still, they said that only Double could break the Memory used to create the Dopant." Robin argued. "If that's the case, then we have to let them fight it." he pointed out.

"All of you have good points." Chrom interrupted, before continuing, "But this isn't the time for arguments. We have to save the town. Let's get moving!" he said. The other three agreed, and the Shepherds moved forwards.


Now... .

The Shepherds had come across the bandit leader. He was a Barbarian, and was a craggy sort.

"Heheheh. Here, sheepy sheepy. Come to the slaughter!" he declared as the Shepherds came in front of him. Chrom raised Falchion at him.

"You're the leader of these bandits? If so, then I order you to cease in the name of the Exalt!" he commanded.

The Barbarian merely let out a laugh, as if he was amused by the mere concept that the Exalt had my power over him. "The Exalt?! Like that means anything!" The Barbarian boasted.

"What?!" Chrom couldn't help but snarl at how the Barbarian just brushed off the Exalt just like that.

"With this power… !" The Barbarian said, as he took out a familiarly shaped device. The Shepherds instantly recognized it as a Gaia Memory, although its appearance was quite different to Double's refined Gaia Memories. This Memory (and probably all unrefined Gaia Memories in general) had a ribcage-like appearance around itself. It specifically was a blue/purple colored Memory."… I don't have to bow to anyone ever again!" The Barbarian declared as he pushed the button of the Gaia Memory before inserting it into a specific part of his body which had an oddly styled tattoo.

T-REX!

The Memory entered his body, transforming him into the T-Rex Dopant! While his body remained Human in shape, its skin (and probably its internals as well) had mutated into something resembling a black bodysuit. His head, however, showed the most change. It had mutated into something akin to a T-Rex's actual head. A spine extended from the head, giving the Dopant something akin to a tail.

"This is… a Dopant?!" Chrom asked in shock.

"Yeesh! He's ugly!" Lissa noted in disgust.

"It's definitely the same one that Vincent and I noticed earlier." Frederick confirmed.

"So, just how powerful is this Dopant?" Robin couldn't help but wonder.

"Let me show you!" The T-Rex Dopant roared in a distorted version of the Barbarian's voice before he charged at the Shepherds.

His target was Lissa, who was still holding Luke's unconscious body! She shrieked as he came towards her, but Chrom leaped in the way, swinging Falchion rapidly. The T-Rex Dopant then let out a roar, causing a shockwave to propagate through the air, knocking Chrom back. As he scrambled back to his feet, the Dopant chuckled. "Give up, Your Highness." He mocked. "There's no way you can beat me!"

Chrom gritted his teeth. "I will not fail!" he declared, holding Falchion at the ready. "There's no way I'll lose to someone like you!"

The Dopant was about to move forward, when Robin's Thunder spell lanced in from the side and impacted his head. "Ugh!" The T-Rex Dopant grunted in surprise and in pain, mostly in surprise though as he easily shrugged off the pain. "I'll admit: That hurt a bit. Which is why I'll go after you first!" The T-Rex Dopant roared as he charged at Robin.

Robin quickly dodged to the side, flinging another Thunder spell as he went. As the Dopant recoiled in pain, Frederick charged in on his horse and stabbed at the Dopant with his Silver Lance, while Chrom zoomed in with Falchion, having been healed by Lissa. Once, twice, three times he slashed at the Dopant, knocking him back from the force of the blows. But he had barely been injured; what little damage had been inflicted had come mainly from Robin's magic.

However, the T-Rex Dopant merely let out a cruel evil laugh as he lay on the ground, before effortlessly getting back up. "I see that your strength is the real deal! Had I not been given this Gaia Memory, I would've definitely fallen by now!" He let out another sonic roar, sending the Shepherds tumbling. Frederick was forced to keep his horse in check, lest he would have to fight without one. "Give it up! No one can defeat me now!"

"We'll see about that!" Two voices that echoed in unison declared. A green and black blur appeared from out of nowhere and drop kicked the Dopant at the side of his face! Bouncing off the Dopant, the green and black blur landed right in front of the Shepherds; his form revealing that he was Double!

""So… looks like it is the T-Rex Dopant. Honestly, I expected Magma."" Luke commented.

"… Oath, Frederick and I had already established it was a T-Rex Dopant. Why on Earth did you think we misinterpreted a lava monster for a T-Rex one?" Vincent was genuinely worried since Luke had brought up the Magma Dopant out of the blue just like that.

"Um… that's not what I-!"

"Well, somebody needs their head checked after this." Vincent noted with a roll of his eyes, talking over Luke in the process.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me! Who the hell are you?!" The T-Rex Dopant yelled.

"That's almost begging for an invitation." Luke said, subconsciously using his powers to move Double's right half to make Vincent smirk. Not that he had to try to hard, Vincent smirked as well.

"Who are we? We'll tell you." Vincent said as Double raised his right hand.

"We are Double, the Two-in-One Kamen Rider!"
"Saa… , Omae no Tsumi o Kazoero! (Now… , Count Up Your Crimes!)

"What did you say?" The T-Rex Dopant asked, as he didn't understand the last bit. "Bah! Like I would lose against a jester who spouts nonsense!"

"Is that so? Well, guess what, punk." Vincent declared as Double began manipulating the wind around him. The winds were harsh, with everyone in the area being forced to stand their ground lest they wanted to be blown away. "The winds are under our command. With it, we'll cut you into tiny little pieces and have the wind sweep your remains away!"

"Oi oi… mellow a bit. That's a bit too morbid." Luke pointed out. "Also, who's in charge of this wind again?"

"Must you ruin such a good boast?!" Vincent hissed.

"Yes, because your jokes are morbid, and not everyone can tell that you are joking." Luke said bluntly.

But what Vincent said next scared Luke a bit. "Who said I was joking?" Vincent said with a roll of his eyes.

"Enough with this!" The T-Rex Dopant had gotten impatient and charged at Double. Luke was forced to give Vincent full control of Double, lest they would get in the way of each other. Double blocked the swipes of the T-Rex, kicking the Dopant right in the stomach. Double continued his assaults with kicks, his right leg imbued with wind that cut through the dense skin of the T-Rex Dopant.

"See? Punks like him, who can't even use the power to it's fullest potential, are nothing against guys like us." Vincent noted to Luke.

"Careful. You might make him angry enough to make us use a Half-Change." Luke advised. "The original needed Heat-Metal to be defeated after all."

"The original needed Heat-Metal because that T-Rex Dopant went Godzilla on everyone. Doubt this one could do the same."

"Suppose you have a point." Luke admitted. With his will to fight burning hot, he flicked Double's right fist. "Let's go!" He declared, moving Double forward. However, this had the awkward effect of Double's green right half trying to drag its black left half. Luke could feel Vincent's mind glaring at him for his goof.

"How about you just let me do all the fighting?" Vincent's tone of voice said that there would be no arguments about this.

"R-Right. Sorry." Luke apologized sheepishly.

"Bastard!" The T-Rex Dopant roared, which became a sonic roar. However, unlike the Shepherds, Double was able to stand his ground against the roar, barely being affected by it to boot. "W-What?!" The T-Rex Dopant said in shock, as no one had been able to stand up to his sonic roar before.

"Not going to be enough to defeat us!" Double declared, jumping over the T-Rex Dopant before grabbing the tail-like spine sprouting from the back of its head. "Wonder what happens if I do this?!" Vincent asked before Double pulled on the spine. The force of the pull was enough to send the T-Rex Dopant onto its back.

"Ow! Let go!" The T-Rex Dopant roared as he struggled.

"Fine! But I'll be taking a constellation prize!" Vincent declared as he kneed and elbowed the spine, breaking it from the T-Rex Dopant. "This will do." Vincent maliciously noted as he held up the spine like it was a trophy.

"What the heck is a constellation prize? I'm pretty sure that isn't a Zodiarts Switch." Luke said dryly at yet another flub of the English language by Joker. Vincent ignored him though, focusing on the Dopant.

"Y-You… You bitch!"

"… ? You're a bitch?" Vincent asked, pretending to misinterpret the question. He then looked at the spine and then back to the T-Rex Dopant. "Come on, girl! Come on!" He said, shaking the spine like it was some sort of treat for a pet.

This caused silence to fall between everyone in the area, as their brains tried to comprehend what Double was doing. The only sound was that of the burning village.

"I-Is… Is he?"

"I…think he is."

Luke could only sigh at Vincent's antics. "Why are you treating him like a dog?" he couldn't help but ask, despite knowing full well why Vincent was doing this.

"Because 'bitch' is another word for 'female dog'?" Vincent explained, pretending to not see the reason why Luke was so exasperated.

Luke sighed again. "Joker, don't taunt the Dinosaur."

"Dopant. It's a Dopant, which is a mutated Human." Vincent purposefully corrected Luke.

"Bastard… !" The T-Rex Dopant said with a clenched fist. "I'll eat you alive!" he roared, charging at Double with his mouth open wide.

"Dumb move." Vincent commented, just as Double threw a kick with his right leg into the T-Rex Dopant's mouth. His right leg was imbued with wind, which sliced the insides of the Dopant's mouth.

"Agh!" the Dopant roared, his mouth bleeding from the damage it had taken. He coughed up blood, which had been mutated into a purple color due to the Gaia Memory. "Bastard!" the T-Rex Dopant managed to say, despite the pain in his mouth.

"Well, supposed we shouldn't let you suffer anymore." Vincent noted, as he placed a hand over the Memory Slot containing the Joker Memory.

"Oh! Are we doing that?" An excited Luke asked for confirmation.

"Yes, we are." Vincent nodded as Double forcefully pulled out the Joker Memory from the Memory Slot. "Just in case you don't survive this; rest in peace." Vincent told the T-Rex Dopant, who felt fear for what would happen next. Vincent, however, did not care what the Dopant thought and merely inserted the Joker Memory into the black slot on the right side of the belt strap; otherwise known as the Maximum Slot.

JOKER!
MAXIMUM DRIVE!

"Haa…!" Double let out as he began to charge up power. The wind picked up its pace and surrounded Double in a tornado that lifted the Kamen Rider into the air. A charge up sound was heard from the Maximum Slot, as the Joker Memory was unleashing its full power due to being used in a Maximum. The Joker Memory's full power was also being combined with the Cyclone Memory's power, hence the tornado surrounding Double.

"JOKER EXTREME!"

With the shout of an attack name, Double pressed the button on the Maximum Slot, which stopped the charge up sound as he positioned himself for a drop kick. Double flew towards the stunned T-Rex Dopant, his feet glowing green and purple and wind surrounding him. However, as he fell towards the Dopant, Double suddenly split in half, much to the Shepherds' horror. The only things connecting the two halves of Double were golden streams of energy produced inside both Doubles.

Both halves drop kicked the T-Rex Dopant, the combined powers of the unrestrained Joker Memory and refined Cyclone Memory being enough to cause an explosion! The Shepherds braced themselves, and when the explosion subsided, saw that Double was whole once again. The Kamen Rider stared at the fallen form of Garrick the Barbarian, who looked like he was near death's doorstep.

His T-Rex Gaia Memory fell onto the ground, shattering on impact.

"I-Impossible!" Garrick muttered out, his voice no longer distorted. "I-I lost to you?!"

"Yes." Vincent answered. "Because our power far surpassed yours… punk."

"Damn you… !" Garrick said, before he passed out. Or maybe he died. The two minds of Double couldn't tell.

"He's not dead, right?" Luke asked hesitantly.

"How should I know? Do I look like the kind of guy who can tell when a person is dead or not from a few feet away?" Vincent couldn't help but say. "If he dies, then he dies. If he lives, then he lives. Simple as that."

"It should never be that simple." Luke sternly said.

"I know. Believe me; I know." With that, Vincent reset the Double Driver to its standby position, removing the Joker Memory after he did so. In a gust of wind, Double's armor fell apart, revealing his body. The Cyclone Memory flew back to Luke along with his mind, causing him to wake up. Lissa helped him get up, and he stretched a bit.

"Yeesh, my back feels stiff. Guess I'm going to have to get used to it." He noted. He then turned to Lissa. "Thanks, Princess." He said in gratitude.

"No need to be formal; just call me Lissa!" She said with a smile.

Robin wiped his brow. "Well, I suppose that's the end of that." He said.

"Lucky for the town, we were close by." Lissa chuckled. "But holy wow, you guys were awesome! Robin's got swords, sorcery, and tactics, and you two have got Double!" She exclaimed.

"That reminds me, I have something I'd better say now while I still remember." Luke suddenly said. He turned to Vincent. "Joker." Vincent turned to him. "…You're one creepy kid."

This had the effect of making Vincent facefault. "What is that supposed to mean?!"

"I meant what I said; you are incredibly creepy sometimes for a 16-year-old." Luke said with a raised eyebrow.

"Tch. I just see the world and Human Nature as it is." Vincent grumbled.

Luke shook his head. "What does it say when the older one out of the two of us is more of an idealist?" he lamented. Vincent rolled his eyes in response. Before the argument could continue however, he was cut off by-

"Ahem." It was Chrom, who was standing there waiting for them to stop. Lissa and Robin were trying to hide smiles while Frederick was as stoic as ever.

Luke rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry, Your Highness; got a bit carried away. You were saying?" He prodded.

Chrom got a bemused look on his face at that. "I was asking if you two wanted to join the Shepherds. If Dopants really are loose in our halidom, then we need your help in order to combat them." He said.

Luke was taken aback. "Us? Um, well, I don't have a problem with it, but Double's a two-for-one deal. What do you think, Joker?" he cast his gaze at his partner.

"Two-for-one? Make that three-for-one," Vincent quipped as he took out the Lost Driver and tossed it to Luke. "Just in case you get caught off guard." He explained.

"Good call. I can't transform into Double myself after all." Luke nodded, tucking the Lost Driver away… somewhere. Left unsaid between the two was the existence of the Fang Memory, whose power was so different that it would make Luke's body the host for Double while Vincent became the second mind. Plus, they had no clue where Fang was, let alone if it was even in Ylisse in the first place.

"What's that?" Robin asked in curiosity at seeing the similar looking Driver.

"It's the Lost Driver; you could say that it's a prototype of the Double Driver. Whoever uses it will be able to transform on their own with only one Gaia Memory. Since his body can't turn into Double on its own, the Lost Driver will help him if he gets into trouble." Vincent explained.

With his curiosity satisfied, Robin went silent. As Chrom and Frederick got into a conversation about the bandits speaking with Plegian accents, Luke and Vincent looked at each other. They still didn't have a clue as to how they got there, or why Dopants were there. But that didn't matter. They had the power to stop them, so that's what they would do. What else can Kamen Riders do?

Episode 01 - Fin


OathToOblivion: Well, that was a chapter. Did it in about 3 days too! That basically knocked out the Prologue Chapter of Awakening: The Verge of History. Next Episode, we'll dive directly into Chapter 1! Also, in case it wasn't obvious, we don't actually have Complete Modification Drivers or any of the things we mentioned buying. Well, except for...

Symbolic Joker: I actually do have a Trial Memory. Cousins gave it to me. Like, seriously. For real here: I do own a Gashapon Trial Memory. It's sitting in my closet as we speak.

OathToOblivion:Which makes me incredibly jealous, by the way. At any rate:

Next time on Fire Emblem: Xtreme Awakening - Unwelcome Change! Masquerade Risen?!

See you guys then!