Kamen Rider NG

Episode 2: Birds and the Bugs

Energy, Shotarou, Phillip, Eiji, Terui, Akiko and Gotou are in the back of a windowless white van that's driving through the streets of Fuuto. It is heading towards a Japanese military base, which is where Energy is planning on hiding the Kamen Riders until he can find a way to peel the attention of the Dopants off W and OOO, and instead onto him. It is quiet in the van, short of the rumble of the engine and the mumbling of the drivers in the front seat. No one is talking or even looking at each other, merely staring at the metal floor beneath them. Eiji is running the Hawk Core Medal between his fingers and Phillip, Shotarou, and Terui playing with their Gaia Memories (being sure not to accidentally press the button, for it'd make everyone else jump).

"Ahh…man…," Akiko says barely above a whisper. "Why did this all have to happen? I thought everything would be great after we stopped the Museum from creating more Gaia Memories."

"Don't worry, Akiko," Energy reassures while looking up at her, "I won't let them lay a finger on you. Or W. Or OOO. As Fuuto's next hero, I will be sure to stop them."

"Oy, oy," Shotarou stops him as he looks at Energy, "Quit talking like we're no use anymore. I'm sure that we can take care of some of the weak Dopants."

"Yeah, I suppose so," Energy replies. "However, they aren't going to stay weak forever. Once Foundation X realizes I'm trying to clean things up, they're going to start selling combos with higher compatibility rates."

"And if they do, then I doubt your Thermal form will be able to defeat them," Terui says.

"Yeah. It's imperative that I find different and stronger forms," Energy states. "But as I defeat the grubs, I'll be sure to collect more combos."

"Well, that's good," Eiji states, still looking at his Core Medal.

"Uh, Eiji?" Energy asks. "Where did you get that Core Medal? I thought they were all destroyed in your final battle."

"How did you know about that?" Eiji looks up at Energy, surprised.

"Foundation X can learn anything they want," Energy replies. "Unfortunately."

"Well, I still had Ankh's broken Medal when I was traveling. Then, one day, a man came up to me and asked if I still had desire. When I told him that I did and that it was to restore Ankh's Core Medal, he gave me a Hawk, Tiger, Grasshopper, Lion and Cheetah Medal. I don't know where he got them but it worked."

"No doubt that they're new Medals manufactured by Foundation X," Energy informs Eiji. "Although the Medals look like Ankh's, they are not the same as the ones you used 2 years ago. Ankh cannot be restored with those Medals."

"Isn't it possible that Ankh could be restored using the power of the combined Memories and Medals?" Gotou asks.

"That's a bit over my head," Energy replies to Gotou. "I'm merely a warrior that's fighting to create and conserve peace. I'm not a scientist or anything."

"We're almost there," the driver in the front of the van states. "By the way, why did you need a windowless van?"

"Keep driving and shut your mouth," Energy replies to him angrily.

The white van pulls up in front of the military base and stops. The back of the van opens up to reveal the mayor and his son standing outside the door. The son with a sarcastic smirk on his face.

"Hello…Kamen Riders…," the mayor states. Energy gets out of the van first and looks around. They weren't actually at the military base, but an abandoned building with no-one around besides them. "I trust that your ride was…pleasant?"

"That's…the mayor and his son!" Akiko states.

"If you all could get out of the van," the mayor summons. Akiko, Terui, Phillip, Shotarou, Eiji, and Gotou get out of the van and the two goons driving the van close the doors behind them.

"Kamen Rider W…Phillip and Shotarou Hidari. You two have been the shining symbol of hope for Fuuto and I would like to thank you for the efforts that you have put in," the mayor speaks. "However, I brought you out here to say that your services are no longer needed. If you'd please, give me the Double Driver and your Gaia Memories."

Phillip looks to Shotarou, "Shotarou…"

Shotarou looks back to Phillip, "It's okay, Phillip. We don't have much of a choice. We can't defeat the new Dopants so our power is not needed."

Shotarou takes his Joker, Metal, and Trigger Memories out of his shirt pocket as Phillip takes Cyclone and Luna out of his pocket. Shotarou takes the Double Driver out and starts walking towards the mayor.

"Stop," Energy states. Shotarou stops and looks at Energy in surprise.

"Don't interfere!" the mayor yells. "Gaia Memories are illegal weapons and anyone caught with them shall be punished!"

"Ooooh? What about the Bird Gaia Memory and Hawk Core Medal that your son had?" Energy asks. "And…what about the combo that you have?"

"That's preposterous!" the mayor chuckles, the two goons laughing along with him. "Why would I have a Gaia Memory?"

"Well, two reasons," Energy starts. "First, we interrogated your son after defeating him."

"You…WHAT-?" the mayor rages.

"He informed us that you carry the Hawk Core Medal and the Heat Gaia Memory. A Thermal Energy level 1 Combo. Very dangerous, Mr. Mayor. Very dangerous," Energy says while walking around the mayor.

The mayor looks to his son, his face now red with anger, "You little-"

"And reason number two!" Energy points at the mayor. "You failed to notice that I was wearing my Driver with the Thermal Energy Level 1 Drive inside," he points down at his belt, which indeed has the Drive inside the Driver. "The interesting thing about Thermal Level 1 is that it utilizes the special ability of the Hawk Core Medal: being able to see deeper into people. Even when I'm not transformed I can utilize this ability. That's why I can see the Hawk Medal and Heat Memory inside your right pocket."

"Why you-" the mayor starts to turn purple.

"Not to mention," Energy continues. "The goons you hired to bring us here are also criminals who use Gaia Memories. However, you cheap bureaucrats don't like spending too much on your henchmen," Energy looks over at the two goons, "No Core Medals for them, I see."

"That means-" Phillip starts.

"Yeah. We can defeat them," Shotarou replies while tossing Phillip his Cyclone and Luna Memories back to Phillip.

"NO! EVERYONE STOP!" the mayor screams but Energy chuckles.

"That's as far as you go. You are abusing a power that should be used for peace, not for political gain, Mr. Mayor," Energy recites, "And for this, you will pay."

The mayor angrily takes the Medal and Memory he had in his pocket and clicks the button on the Memory.

"HEAT!"

"That's-…the Heat Memory!" Phillip shouts.

The mayor presses the Gaia Memory to his skin and the Memory goes inside him. While he's changing, he flips the Hawk Core Medal into the air and it lands on him, going inside his body. The mayor shifts into a knight-like creature that's entirely red and wielding a large, heavy sword.

"Everyone!" Energy calls.

"CYCLONE!"

"JOKER!"

"ACCEL!"

Eiji places his 3 Medals into his Driver and Gotou flips a Cell Medal into the air. Energy presses the henshin button on his Driver.

"HENSHIN!" they all call out.

"CYCLONE! JOKER!"

"ACCEL!"

"Taka! Tora! Batta! TaToBa, TaToBa TaToBa!"

Phillip and Shotarou turn into Kamen Rider W, Terui turns into Kamen Rider Accel, Eiji turns into Kamen Rider OOO, and Gotou turns into Kamen Rider Birth.

"Power of Fire! Kamen Rider…THERMAL NG!" Energy's Driver rings out as he turns into Kamen Rider NG.

"Boss!" the goons cry out as they expose the underside of their arms and pull out their Gaia Memories.

"CANINE!"

"NINJA!"

"New Memories?" W asks.

The goons slam their Gaia Memories into their skins and transform into Dopants. The first goon (Canine Gaia Memory) has the appearance of a blend of a humanoid wolf, dog, and coyote. The second goon (Ninja Gaia Memory) has black cloth all over his body, a metal piece over his mouth, a black hood, and a black cloth covering his face.

"Son?" the mayor asks his son. "Where are your Memories and Medals?"

"He has my Medal," the son points to Eiji. "And he," he points to NG, "destroyed my Memory."

"I'll get you a new Memory. But, I'll need to get your Medal back."

"Go ahead and try!" OOO yells angrily as he charges at the mayor.

"OOO, no!" NG yells. He takes the Thermal Level 1 Drive from his Driver and presses the sword button. The sword appears in his right hand and he places the Drive in the sword's slot.

"Thermal NG…ASSAULT MODE…," his Driver rings out.

NG swings his sword between OOO and the mayor, creating a wave of fire that stops OOO in his tracks.

"Everyone, focus on the goons," NG says. "I'll focus on the mayor."

"Got it," OOO replies as he, W, Accel, and Birth charge at the goon Dopants.

"Very brave of you, yet very foolish," the mayor tells NG. "We both are using the exact same power. Your Driver limits, yet boosts, the effectiveness of your Medals and Memories. And I'm directly using mine. We're at the same power. All that remains is technique."

"Well, let's go then," NG states. Both of them ready their swords and charge at each other.

OOO has his Tiger Claws out and slashing up the Canine Dopant with Birth giving supportive fire. OOO performs a side kick, but is blocked and he's flipped over on his back.

"Eiji!" Birth cries out. He places a Cell Medal into his Driver and spins the wheel.

"Caterpiller Leg!" the Birth Driver calls. Two large mechanical casings appear on Birth's legs. Birth places another Cell Medal into his Driver.

"Drill Arm!" the Driver calls again. A giant drill appears on Birth's right arm. The wheels on the Caterpillar Legs bring Birth closer to the Canine Dopant and Birth slams the Drill right into the center of the Dopant's chest, which causes the Dopant to fly back.

"Eiji, are you okay?" Birth asks.

"Yeah," OOO replies as he gets up. OOO takes his Scanner off his belt and runs it over his Driver.

"SCANNING CHARGE!"

Birth places 3 Cell Medals into his Driver, one after the other.

"Breast Cannon!"

"Cell Burst!"

"Cell Burst!"

OOO leaps into the air as a giant cannon appears on Birth's chest. A large purple beam appears in the center of the cannon. Three rings appear between OOO and the Dopant. The ring's colors from OOO to the Dopant are red, then yellow, then green. OOO gives a battle cry as he performs a Rider Kick and Birth fires his cannon. Both hit the Dopant at the same time, resulting in an explosion. The goon is revealed with a destroyed Canine Gaia Memory.

W and Accel punch the Ninja Dopant at the same time, causing it to fly back. W rushes the Ninja, however, it disappears with an afterimage-like ability.

"Where did it go?" Accel yells.

"I dunno," W replies. Out of nowhere, the Ninja appears, strikes Accel and W in the back, and vanishes again.

"Damn it!" Accel shrieks.

"We need to find out the weaknesses of this Memory…," Sho's side of W states.

"Yeah. CycloneJokerXtreme, then," Phillip's side of W replies.

The Xtreme Memory cries out as it transports Phillip's unconscious body inside of it and flies over to W. W places the Memory on his Driver and opens it, causing his Driver to cry out: "Xtreme!" W transforms into CycloneJokerXtreme.

"Let's see…Ninja Memory…," Phillip's side of W says. "It uses a sub-dimension to disappear and quickly travel in our dimension."

"So, we just have to match his speed then!" Accel says and replaces the Accel Memory in his Driver with the Trial Memory. He revs the handle on his Driver and he transforms into Kamen Rider Accel Trial. The Ninja reappears but Trial uses his speed to get behind the Ninja and grab it in a full-nelson.

"W, hurry!" Accel shrieks. "I can't hold him for much longer!"

"Okay," W replies as the Prism Bicker appears in his left hand. He places the Prism Memory in the Bicker's sword handle and draws the sword. He takes a stance then presses the button on the sword.

"PRISM! MAXIMUM DRIVE!" W's Driver rings out. W rushes close to the Dopant and shouts, "PRISM BREAK!"

W slashes the Dopant across the chest, causing white light to start flying out of the Dopant. Accel lets go of his target and walks over to W as the Dopant explodes.

"I get the next one," Accel states.

"You got it, Terui," W agrees as he places his hand on Accel's shoulder. The goon is revealed on the pavement with a shattered Ninja Memory.

NG and the mayor clash blades while the son is waiting near the white van. NG performs a roundhouse kick that's blocked with the mayor's right arm, which then thrusts his sword into NG's chest. NG flies back from the strike. He then gives a battle cry and swings his sword, causing a blast of fire to fly out and hit the mayor square in the chest.

"Not bad, not bad," the mayor replies. "I told you before, didn't I? We're at the same level, NG. Let's stop the fighting and work together to clean up Fuuto!"

"I don't ally myself with assholes," NG replies. "And I'm perfectly capable of cleaning it up myself."

The mayor sighs, "Then, let this be the finisher then. I guess you could consider this…my Energy Rush."

"How do you know about Energy Rushes?" NG yells.

"Foundation X can learn anything they want," the mayor taunts. "Luckily."

NG starts shaking in anger, then presses the button on his blade.

"Thermal NG…ENERGY RUSH…," his Driver rings. A wing of fire extends from NG's right shoulder as his blade is encased in flames.

"Ah! What a coincidence!" the mayor announces as he, too, grows a wing of fire and his blade is encased in fire. "This will truly be a battle of the souls then, Kamen Rider NG!"

The mayor and NG rush at each other and each makes a single swing. The next thing they know, they are on opposite sides of each other facing opposite directions. They are still in the post-swing stance. Time stands still, waiting to see who will drop first.

"Dad?" the son asks.

The mayor drops to the ground as his Gaia Memory and Core Medal eject from his body and he turns back to human. NG takes the Drive out of his sword and removes his belt, returning him to human form.

"S-Son…a-avenge…m-me!" the mayor gasps at his son as his consciousness slips away.

"YOU!" his son bellows as he takes his father's Memory and Medal and injects both of them inside him.

"NO!" Energy yells. The son transforms into the same form as his father, however glowing with power.

"DIE, NG!" the son cries out as he hurls a fireball at Energy, but Energy rolls out of the way at the last minute. The other 4 Riders come over to join him.

"Man, he's more powerful than his father was," W states.

"It's only because his emotions are fused with the Medals," Energy replies. "The Thermal Combo responds to anger and hatred. It means that he's stronger, however, his consciousness can slip at any moment."

"Let's defeat him quickly then," OOO adds.

"Henshin," Energy states as he transforms back into Kamen Rider NG.

W closes his Xtreme Memory, and then opens it back up.

"XTREME! MAXIMUM DRIVE!"

Accel removes the Trial Memory from his Driver and presses the button on it.

"TRIAL! MAXIMUM DRIVE!"

OOO runs his Scanner over his Driver.

"SCANNING CHARGE!"

Birth places 4 Cell Medals, one at a time, into his Driver.

"BREAST CANNON! CELL BURST! CELL BURST! CELL BURST!"

NG places the Drive into his blade and presses the button.

"Thermal NG…ENERGY RUSH!"

Accel runs up to the son, performing kick after kick on him. Ten seconds goes by and he rushes past the son, to get out of the way. OOO and W appear in the air, each preparing for a Rider kick.

"DOUBLE XTREME!" W cries out.

"TATOBA KICK!" OOO yells.

Both of them kick through the son, who is now on his knees. NG and Birth stand side-by-side.

"FIRE!" Birth cries out and NG swings his sword. A blast of fire comes from NG and an energy wave fires from Birth's cannon. Both attacks smash into the son, who drops to the ground.

"9.4 seconds, that is the time until your despair!" Accel threatens.

"Now, count up your sins!" W shouts.

"Ehhh…," OOO starts, "…TAKE THAT!"

The son explodes and the Hawk Core Medal and Heat Gaia Memory fly out of his body. NG catches the Heat Memory but the Core Medal lands on the ground and shatters.

"These new Medals are very touchy," OOO says.

"No, I believe it's from the 5 different finishers it just took," NG replies.

"Then why didn't the Gaia Memory break?" Accel asks.

"Because," NG replies, placing the newly acquired Heat Memory into the W Cyclone side's hand, "it knew that I owed Phillip a Gaia Memory. So, it had to withstand the attack."

"Energy…," Phillip's side of W starts, "…thank you."

"What a bullshit answer," Birth mutters to himself and walks off.

"Gotou, where are you going?" OOO asks.

"Kougami will take care of hiding us," Birth replies as he places two Cell Medals into two nearby vending machines. The vending machines turn into bikes and Birth gets on one.

"Umm…," OOO turns to NG, "What about my Core Medals? Do you need any of them?"

"No," NG replies. "You need them. Be safe."

"Thank you," OOO bows to NG and then gets on his bike. Both he and Birth ride off into the distance.

"Well, with the mayor defeated, I guess you're going to be pretty well known, huh?" W asks. "Do you think we're safe?"

"'Safe' is pushing it," NG turns to W, "I'd say that you aren't going to be the primary targets but there's always the possibility."

"You okay with that, Terui?" W asks Accel.

"Don't-"

"'Question me', yeah, I get it," W finishes for him, Accel stuttering to get his anger expressed. NG watches them take the truck and drive off into the distance.

"Well, I guess I have a reputation to uphold," NG mutters to himself, "It's a shame, though. I really need more combos. I've just about reached the peak of Thermal Lv 1's power. Not to mention if they have a Level 2 Thermal Combo, my attacks will be useless."

NG starts to walk off when the Cockroach Dopant from the previous episode descends in front of him.

"Kamen Rider…NG…," the Dopant growls.

"Man, I just can't get a break," NG complains while he readies his sword. There is a moment of silence and tension between the two when the Cockroach Dopant rushes towards him with open arms.

"Energy! I haven't seen you in forever!" the Dopant rejoices happily as he gives NG a hug.

"W-Who are you?" NG demands.

"What? You don't recognize me? Well… I guess you wouldn't since I look like a giant bug," the Dopant points out, "Here, hang on."

The Dopant ejects its Gaia Memory and Core Medal to reveal a rather small young man with light brown hair in a business suit.

"Kogata? What are you doing here?" NG asks while returning to his human form.

"I heard that Foundation X is selling Gaia Memories and Core Medals. I remembered working on the ENERGY project all those years ago and I thought I'd go about looking for it."

"But-…all the Drivers were secretly destroyed," Energy says, "How'd you know there'd be one left?"

"Because I knew how your father was," Kogata replies. "He wouldn't let something like this die."

"Yeah, I suppose so. Anyway, why the HELL DO YOU HAVE A GAIA MEMORY?" Energy rages at Kogata, who then cowers in fear.

"B-B-B-Because…uh…it'd be a lot harder looking for you," Kogata replies. "I thought I'd get one to defend myself anyway…"

"You didn't need a Core Medal to find me," Energy takes the Stag Beetle Medal out of Kogata's hand. "Why do you have one?"

"Well….the salesman…you see…he made it sound like a bargain to get both at the same time! Not to mention you get a discount…"

"IT'S NOT A DISCOUNT IF YOU END UP SPENDING MORE MONEY!" Energy bellows, with Kogata shortly cowering on the ground.

"I-I'm sorry…"

Energy gives a frustrated sigh and runs his fingers through his hair.

"At least with the Stag Beetle Medal, I'm halfway to a new form," Energy says with a "look-on-the-bright-side" voice.

"Ah! The Wind NG form! However, for that one you need a…Cyclone Memory, right?" Kogata ponders.

"Yeah, it's fine. I'll just get Phill-" Energy stops. "DAMN IT! I have to get to the detective agency!"

Energy runs off into the distance with Kogata running after him. Energy bursts in through the front door of the detective agency to see it completely empty. He walks over to Shotarou's desk to see a note on the table saying: "Off vacationing. Be back in three months. Love, -Shotarou Hidari".

"THREE MONTHS?" Energy bellows and slams his hand on the desk. "I can't wait that long until I find a Cyclone Memory…"

"Umm…Energy?" Kogata beckons.

"Not now, Kogata, I'm trying to think," Energy replies as he sits down in Shotarou's chair, "Think…think…think…"

"Energy?" Kogata beckons again.

"What?" Energy asks, and then looks over on the small table near the door. On the table is a note with the Cyclone Memory resting on top of it. "That's…the Cyclone Memory!"

"There's a note on it," Kogata says as he picks it up. Energy bops Kogata on the head and grabs the paper out of his hands. The paper reads: "May the winds of Fuuto support you. –Phillip".

"Thank you…Phillip," Energy smiles and takes a black casing out of his pocket. He puts the Cyclone Memory in one end and the Stag Beetle Core Medal in the other. He flips over the protective latch on the Core Medal end and secures the latch. A marking on the case appears, saying "NG DRIVE WIND ENERGY LV.1".

"The Wind NG Drive Level 1. How cool…," Energy marvels at the NG Drive.

"Thanks to your good pal, Kogata the Grea-" Kogata is interrupted by a punch to the face from Energy.

"Two down, who knows how many to go," Energy smiles as he places the NG Drive into his pocket. "Speaking of which," Energy turns to Kogata and grips him by the throat. "Why were you attacking civilians? And why did you attack me?"

"I…did?" Kogata asks. "But…I just got these…Perhaps another person had them?"

"Wait," Energy stops himself, thinking back to the incident. "That Dopant had the Grasshopper Core Medal. Sorry."

"It's okay~!" Kogata says in a sing-song voice. "So, what're you going to do next?"

Energy sits down in Shotarou's chair and reclines back. "I'm going to relax for now. I've had 3 consecutive fights without one wink of rest. So, I'm just going to catch some Z's and then start on stopping Foundation X with a fresh mind."

Energy closes his eyes and slowly drifts off when a loud BANG opens the front door and a pretty, young girl busts in.

"Excuse me," she pants, obviously out of breath, "can you-….help me-…find my kitten?"

"Me? Find your kitten? You got the wrong place, lady," Energy dismisses her and spins the chair to the side, away from the girl.

"But…this is a detective agency, isn't it? You're not Shotarou Hidari?"

"Of course n-," Energy starts but Kogata interrupts him.

"Of course he is!" Kogata screams happily. "And I," he takes the girl's right hand, "am Phillip."

"Wow! You guys are famous in Fuuto for solving mysteries! How cool!" the girl squeals.

"Koga-…I mean, Phillip? Do you mind if I talk to you in the corner for a second?" Energy growls. The girl looks over at the window and Energy smacks Kogata in the head. "What are you an idiot?" he whisper-screams at Kogata. "We can't run their detective agency for them!"

"Yeah, I know but…," Kogata looks over at the girl, "…she's so beautiful. I can't turn her down, Energy, I can't."

Energy rolls his eyes, "Okay, but just this one time. And you owe me."

"I owe you? You stole a Core Medal from me! That cost me ¥45,000!" "Fine, fine, let's just get on with it," Energy turns to the woman. "Don't worry, princess," the girl turns toward him, "Shotarou Hidari is on the case."