OOO: The Medals of Ikki Tousen
By Tailsmo4ever, Ten-Faced Paladin, and Kamen Rider Chrome
Chapter 12: Of Self Doubt, Reasons for Fighting, and the Silver Magatama
Aside from the high school housed within the Kyosho Territory, there was also Kyosho Junior High. Much like Kyosho Academy, the junior high school was home to several young Fighters who took part in the gang wars. However, due to the age and inexperience of the Fighters there, they were often used for espionage, infiltration, and assassination, like Ten'i. It was only after they had lived long enough to graduate to Kyosho Academy that it would be decided that they were ready to join the frontlines. An interesting bit about Kyosho Junior High was that it also housed a cathedral. It wasn't used very often, but the more religious members of Kyosho would often go there for prayer. It was large and mostly empty and there was only a single stainglass window, which was as tall as the cathedral itself.
It was this very place that Sousou's strategist was often found.
Shibai Chuutatsu was a young woman that was confined to a wheelchair due to having lost the mobility of her legs years ago when she tried to stop a bloody fight. She was very attractive with a beautiful face, very soft skin, and a slim figure. She had golden blond hair with spikes around the edges which flowed down the back of her shoulders. Her eyes, oddly enough, were grey and showed calculating intelligence. She wore a black button-up blouse with a ribbon tied around the collar. Her skirt was also dark and she was wearing grey colored socks with brown shoes. The sleeves of her blouse were turned upward, revealing black dragon tattoos on both her arms. Standing before her was Kaku, delivering a report to her.
"These Yummies certainly are causing a mess of things, aren't they?" Shibai mused, folding her hands and resting her chin on them. "It seemed like just yesterday when Totaku fell. Things were strangely simple those days as we only had the other schools to contend with. And now we have new variables added within the equation, causing the factions to be united against a common threat."
"It was still pretty startling to find that one of them was able to subdue Sousou even when he had his dragon awake. He has been training relentlessly ever since to ensure that it wouldn't happen again," Kaku told her. "There's more though. Our spy also said that while OOO and the Seito Fighters were fighting the Yummy, the Greeed Gameru appeared. For some reason, he was fighting with boxing skills."
"Boxing?" Shibai asked curiously.
Kaku nodded. "Yes ma'am. Originally, Gameru only had his brute strength to work with and was an awful fighter. All power but with no style."
"Then this Gameru might've picked up the art when he was watching one of the fights between rivals," Shibai guessed. "How very troublesome. If he managed to learn how to fight more effectively, then what of the other three Greeed? Could they have been studying us as well?"
Kaku didn't respond, but thought about Shibai had said. It would have to be the truth. In warfare, the best way to defeat an enemy was to learn their ways. As Sousou had learned, the Greeed would burn Cell Metals any time they used their powers. So, they figured that learning different styles of fighting would be beneficial as they could use their abilities more sparingly. That didn't bode well for any of them as they still knew next to nothing about the Greeed themselves.
Though Shibai didn't show it, she too was concerned about the Greeed. Originally, she was trying to find some sort of way to awaken Sousou's dragon in order to further her own goals. Indeed, she only wanted to destroy all the opposing schools so that only Kyosho would reign supreme, and she would be able to change her own fate. But now, it was proving to be near impossible thanks to the interference of the Greeed. Nanyo, Seito, and Kyosho had all agreed to a ceasefire in order to focus on the Greeed. Sousou's dragon managed to awaken, which was highly convenient, but now Kyosho's leader was doing whatever it took to hold the influences of his ancestor back. Then there was the fact that Hakufu Sonsaku was using the powers of the Greeed herself. With the power she possessed, she could easily change her own destiny. The sooner the Greeed were dealt with, the sooner Shibai could focus on her own desires...and possibly harness the power of OOO for herself.
"Keep all the Fighters on standby. Have them look out for anything strange or out of place," Shibai finally ordered Kaku, "If the Greeed are willing to pass through Seito Territory to find more targets, they will likely try to pass through Kyosho as well. They have already used three of our strongest Fighters to create their Yummies. We cannot allow them to use our members again."
"Yes ma'am," the raven haired girl nodded before leaving the cathedral.
Shibai watched Kaku leave before sighing and closing her eyes. "Ten'i."
The young middle school assassin stepped out from the shadows behind Shibai, having hid her presence from Kaku. "Yes, Maria-sama?"
"From my understanding, there is a corporation that creates the machines that each of the schools are using against the Greeed," Shibai said, opening her eyes. "Find this organization, learn anything you can about them and then report back. I'd like to find out more about our new 'friends'."
"Your will be done," Ten'i bowed before backing into the shadows, vanishing completely.
Shibai smiled as she leaned over her hand, "Maybe some good could come out of this. Who knows?"
Goto was in the Kougami Foundation's gymnasium and working out. Right now, he was pounding away at a punching bag, but he wasn't all that into it. His mind wandered towards the meeting he had with Kougami earlier.
"So, Goto-kun. How was your day?" Kougami asked curiously while he added icing to his cake.
"There was a Yummy attack in the Seito Territory, sir. I went to confront it," Goto reported.
"I see. And I can only assume you had a run in with OOO-kun and her band of brave Fighters," smiled Kougami.
Goto didn't answer verbally, but his expression was all the confirmation Kougami needed.
"Sir, why do you have so much interest in these Fighters?" Goto inquired. "I know they're strong, but when it comes down to it they're just kids concerned with their own little fights,"
"Well, for one, I am a fan of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Have you read the epic tale?" Kougami replied.
"I...can't say I have."
"Truly an epic story! A historical epic! Warlords and noble warriors fighting over the land, spreading their influence and territory! Their ambition, their ideals, their desire! It's all quite FANTASTIC!" Kougami finished putting on the icing.
"But sir...is it a good idea to let them deal with all this?"
"You mean the Greeed? If they desire to confront the Greeed, then who are we to stop them? Is it because we are adults and we should know better?"
"Yes-"
"WRONG! Just because we are adults, it doesn't mean we know any better and should hold the children back! Desires may give birth to conflict but conflict allows humanity to grow and thrive! All great nations rose and fell because of desire, and once more rise because of strong desire! But, as adults, we can simply guide them."
"Oh... that does make sense," Goto nodded.
"Is there anything else?" Kougami asked.
"No, sir."
"Anyway, would you like some tea and cake? I have plenty," Kougami offered.
Goto looked at the chilled display cases which showed off the cakes Kougami had baked. They were good, but Goto didn't indulge so much in sweets.
"I'm fine, sir. Maybe some other time."
Goto mulled over his boss' words. Was he insane? No, Kougami was eccentric. Was he stupid? No, Kougami was a very smart man.
So smart that sometimes Goto could not understand what he was thinking.
Still, Goto took this job because he wanted to save the world. Instead, he became an errand boy. He didn't quit his original job just so he could deliver cakes and equipment to OOO.
According to Kougami, the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the battle the teens saw fit to reenact, was a story of pride and glory. The people who fought in the war were trying create their kingdoms and expand their territories. All of that was related to desire, which the Greeed could manipulate. An endless war where all those from 1,800 years ago continued to exist today in the form of high school students to seek out their dreams.
So, what exactly did they fight for?
The sounds of action was alive within the Kyosho warehouse district as Sousou and his two best friends were hard at work training just as Kaku said, along with Kakoen and Chukou. Sousou engaged both Kakuka and Kakoton in a Mêlée à Trois sparring match, matching each other blow for blow. Nearby, Kakoen and Chukou were sparing with one another, the assassin flinging her signature weapon, a jade shot attached to a very long iron string, in the battle. She knew how to use the weapon well, using the weapon with grace and agility. Chukou herself was very familiar with the way Kakoen used it, nimbly evading the strikes in spite of her size.
Kakoton managed to make a full recovery after his accident that damaged his left eye, though he now sported an eyepatch with a skull marking on it in order to prevent further damage. It didn't seem to put him down too much as he did like how the eyepatch made him look. The eyepatch actually made Kakoton feel all the more badass.
"Alright, that should just about do it," Sousou said, relaxing his shoulders. "Let's take a breather." The group took note and all relaxed. Kakuka went over to a familiar vending machine to purchase some drinks, being careful not to insert any of his spare of the Cell Medals instead. He selected the drinks and then pressed the black button, allowing five drinks to pour out, three of of them red, one yellow, and the last one blue.
"Man, things we're a hell lot easier a couple months back. We didn't have to worry about monsters back then," Kakoton sighed, popping open a blue can. "Kinda makes you think how things would've turned out if all this Greeed business wasn't happening."
"Likely, we would've still been at a full fledged war with the rest of the Fighters," Kakuka shrugged, gulping down his drink. "We would've still been at each other's throats without a common enemy to fight against."
"Monsters rampaging through the city," Sousou chuckled, drinking his can, "Man, back in the day I was really into that stuff. Super Sentai, Ultraman, they were the shit. Feels like I'm living out my childhood dream."
"Hm. Truth is stranger than fiction indeed," Kakoen nodded, gazing at her can blankly.
"Hm? What's up, Kakoen?" Sousou asked.
"Actually," Kakoen frowned, "Lord Sousou... I heard about the last Yummy host. She was Shokyo, wasn't she?"
Sousou hesitated slightly, but nodded. "Yeah, what of it?"
"Do... you find her attractive?" Kakoken asked shyly.
Sousou could understand where she was going. In the past, one of the main reasons the Battle of Red Cliffs started was because Cao Cao attempted to marry both Da Qiao and Xiao Qiao, both of whom were already betrothed to Sun Ce and Zhou Yu. Clearly, he didn't take no for an answer. "Well, she is pretty cute, I'll say that much. But she isn't really what I'm looking for in a woman. At any rate, I don't plan on courting her anytime soon. Especially not with what's going on right now."
Kakoen wasn't sure why, but somehow she felt relieved with Sousou declaration, as did Chukou when she overheard. Being the leader of Kyosho, Sousou had many admirers. Most of said admirers were girls who were rather easy on the eyes. Kakoen herself felt that she couldn't show such emotion as the school's strongest assassin. She was seen as cold, lethal and intimidating, and felt that she that she had to portray herself as such for the sake of her duties. Oh sure, there were some boys and even a few girls who were interested in her but she almost always turned them down as she didn't feel the same attraction to them. That and she didn't really know how to act in relationships. She never did have much of a social life.
"And what exactly did you feel the need to ask, Kakoen?" Kakoton asked, grinning cheekily.
"N-no reason," Kakoen denied, blushing. "I simply wanted to make sure that our alliances with Nanyo and Saito weren't being threatened. It would be a death sentence for all of us if we ended up with infighting."
"Sure, I get that. I'm pretty sure you're interested in his 'sword' too," Kakoton laughed.
WHAP!
"Hurk!" the one-eyed teen coughed, doubling over from a jade shot impacting his stomach.
"You should learn to keep you're mouth shut, MILF-lover," Kakoen scolded with a blush on her face, retracting her weapon back into her hand.
"Seriously?! You too?!" Kakoton groaned.
"Have to agree with her on that one," Kakuka said, scratching his head, "You kinda had that coming."
"Bite me..."
"Even so, the fact still remains that I am Sousou Motoku," he sighed. "I'm burdened with the fate to take control of everything. But... if that's the fate I have, it should be mine to control." He opened his palm, allowing wisps of flames to swarm around it before forming into a fireball. With a yell, he shot the fireball to his right. It struck a random warehouse, blowing it up and causing flames and burning metal to fly in all directions.
"I won't let the old man control me," Sousou swore, his eyes flashing gold.
Slowly walking through a bridge tunnel that led to Seito Private School, the team of young Fighters supported each other as they walked down the road. Hakufu's arm was being held over Chuubou's shoulders while Kanu and Chouhi were holding each other as they walked together. Shoichi managed to recover enough to walk on his own but Ryuubi was walking close to him in case he stumbled again, much to his embarrassment and Kanu's displeasure. Ankh and Koumei where each walking on both sides, both of them silent as they each thought back to Goto's words just moments before.
"It's amazing that you managed to fight that heavy Greeed before he got to us, Sonsaku-san," Ryuubi told Hakufu. "You must've gotten really strong." It was another convenient lie to keep Ryuubi in the dark about the Nanyo leader's double identity for the moment. What Ryuubi didn't mention was that while Kanu and Chouhi's uniforms were both almost torn to shreds, Hakufu's uniform remained completely intact. It did seem rather scruffled from the last time she saw it, and there was some noticeable bruises around Hakufu's face.
"Yeah, I managed to get in some good hits before he threw me around," Hakufu fibbed. "His body was really tough though."
"Still, there's the matter that Gameru was using boxing and wrestling techniques when we fought him. Hakufu, when you fought Gameru previously, he wasn't as skilled, was he?" Kanu asked.
Hakufu shook her head, "No. His fighting skills were really bad and sloppy when I fought him for the first time. Not even the Fighters at Youshu fought that badly. All he did was try and grab me and swing his arms around. It was really easy to bounce around him."
"And now he has some concept of boxing and wrestling. He was only a savage brute before but now he truly knows how to throw a punch," Koumei said. "And its possible that the other Greeed might have picked up on it as well."
"So along with their powers they're also learning how to fight," Chouhi frowned, "I couldn't even touch Uva before. If he learns any styles, beating him is gonna be next to impossible."
"We'll have to figure out how to get around their newly acquired skills then," Kanu sighed. She then turned to Ankh with a frown. "As for you, you seem to be withholding more information than you're giving us."
"It really isn't any of your concern," Ankh glared at her.
"Bullshit! We have all the right to know!" Chouhi shouted at him. "We're all deep in this anyway, so there's no reason we shouldn't know anything less!"
"And you've already learnt plenty about our ancestors," Shoichi added, turning his gaze at Ankh. "I'd say it would be even if we knew more about the Greeed and OOO."
"Sun Tzu said this: 'If instructions are not clear and information not explicit, then the commander is at fault,'" Chuubou quoted. In Chuubou-speak, that meant spill everything.
"Now see here," Ankh frowned, "There are things that are simply best left unsaid. If I keep telling you brats everything then-"
"If you tell us, I'll give you 50% of the Cell Medals we have in Seito Academy!" Ryuubi said quickly.
"Gentoku/Ryuubi?!" Kanu, Chouhi and Koumei exclaimed, looking at their leader in shock.
"If he's so resistant in telling us, it should only be fair that he would get something out of it," the glasses girl reasoned.
Ankh considered Ryuubi's offer. He'd normally refuse telling them anything else and would rather put those he calls his allies at the moment on a need to know basis. Still, he hadn't gotten much Cell Medals lately. 50% of whatever Cell Medals Seito had didn't seem too bad.
"Fine," Ankh considered. "What do you want to know?"
"Start from the beginning," Koumei said. "How were you created?"
"Hmph. Persistent bunch, ain't ya?" Ankh sighed, beginning to tell his tale. "800 years ago there was a kingdom in Europe ruled by a certain king. You could say that his ambitions could've easily made him a worthy contender for the battle of the Three Kingdoms had he existed then. However, while Sun Ce, Liu Bei, and Cao Cao were only content in taking over China, this king wanted more than that. He wanted to take over the entire world."
"WWHHHHAAT?! He tried to take over the whole world?!" Hakufu exclaimed in shock, her comrades not far behind in their own shocked reactions.
"That's right," Ankh nodded. "The man was desire incarnate. In fact, as ruthless as he was I would say that even Cao Cao himself would hate his guts. Of course, even he knew that it was impossible to take over the world with only the soldiers he had. What he needed was a weapon, a weapon that no one on Earth at the time could defeat. To that end, he had all of his royal alchemists work night and day on any kind of weapon that they could use to achieve his goal."
"Alchemy. So that explains how the OOO Driver works," Kanu nodded, understanding. Most modern-day people would consider alchemy to be fantasy, or the precursor of modern science at best. Still, the Fighters knew better than to treat myth and legend as just that.
"They reached the first step by creating the Cell Medals," Ankh continued, flicking one from his hand. "With those, they were able to create Yummies. Because they were fueled by desire, destroying them only allowed more Yummies to be created. Villages were quickly destroyed by the army of Yummies in spite of the townspeople's best efforts. Eventually the king took control of a large portion of Europe. However, the making of each Yummy was difficult and not very cost effective, so the alchemists continued working. And that's where the Core Medals come in."
The Cell Medal vanished into his fist was was replaced with the Cheetah Core Medal. "To make the Medals more powerful the alchemists imbued several of them with the essence of animal characteristics, such as enhanced senses from a hawk or super speed from a cheetah. Each alchemist chose specific animal types to work on, which is why there are different sets of each. Then, the alchemists went even further. They created homunculi."
"Homunculi?" Hakufu asked.
"Homunculi are artificial beings from mythology made to mimic human life. Usually, they appear to be smaller than humans but there are some that can appear to be the size of a human adult. It's often seen as a taboo to create homunculi," Koumei explained. She blinked as she snapped her head at Ankh, "Hold on a moment... are you saying-"
"That's right," Ankh confirmed. "The alchemists created five homunculi, and I'm one of them."
"So that's what you and the other Greeed really are," Chuubou said to him, "You're all homunculi."
"And then as soon as all of you were created, you all went beserk," Shoichi added.
"Something like that," Ankh shrugged. "We went rampant all over his kingdom. Swords, magic, nothing was able to stop us. We all simply did whatever we wanted, trying to fulfill our desires. That was how the people of that kingdom gave us the name 'Greeed'."
"And then what?" Chouhi asked.
"The king was impressed with how much destruction we caused and had his alchemists created another device: the OOO Driver," he said. "After that, he managed to take several of our Core Medals and used them to renew his campaign to rule the world." Noting the stunned look on their faces, he gave a gruff nod, "Yeah, that's right. You heard me. The king was the original OOO of that generation."
Hakufu blinked, not really sure how to feel about that. She had honestly thought that some group had created the OOO armor in some kind of desperate bid to defeat the Greeed. Sort of like how movies and comics made some superheroes out to be. But...the way to beat the Greeed was actually just a weapon the one who created them had made to try and harness their power to conquer everything? Her armor was made as a weapon to conquer, not protect people.
"Oh…" Hakufu blinked, looking at the ground. Hakufu was taken aback by this. In her mind, she thought the OOO Driver was created to bring peace. It was supposed to be used by someone to become a hero. After all, isn't that what a Kamen Rider was, a hero? Now, to think that the OOO Driver and Core Medals were originally used by a megalomaniac to take over the world. She didn't know how to react. It just seemed so odd that something she had been using to fight the Greeed was originally used for world domination. Then again, she shouldn't be surprised. The Driver and the armor were weapons and weapons were used for conquest more often than not.
"The king became insanely strong and used the Combos with terrifying efficiency," Ankh continued. "With Uva's Medals, he cloned himself and summoned lightning storms to destroy neighboring countries and their armies. He used my Medals for flight and firepower to burn down villages that tried to oppose him. With Kazali's Medals that gave him speed, he infiltrated enemy camps and swiftly struck them down before they knew he was there. He used Gameru and Mezul's Medals to cause earthquakes and tsunamis to take down the Spanish Armada. Even armies of supernatural beings fell before him. Just about every mythical beast you could think of tried to stop him but failed. There were nothing more but ants beneath his boot. This single king had become a one man army overnight, an unstoppable force that wouldn't bow to anyone. We eventually managed to get our Cores back, but even when we were completed we stood no chance against him. He stole our Cores from us again. And it was at that moment that he got really greedy."
"What did he do?" Ryuubi asked with a squeak.
"By scanning all the Core Medals at once, the king believed that he could ascend to godhood. He tried, but for his foolishness he instead was turned into stone. All of us Greeed, as well as our Core Medals, were sealed inside of him as a stone coffin that would later find its way here in Japan. After the king fell, his kingdom mysteriously vanished from history, as if he never existed to begin with." Ankh gave a bitter laugh, "A fitting end for a fool who wanted to become a god."
The Fighters were speechless after Ankh finished his story. They didn't know how to comment to such a tale. They could tell that Ankh was being sincere. He was honest about everything. Though he would omit details, the facts were clear that the present OOO's predecessor had been an evil tyrant, a mad king seeking conquest of the world, and a madman who lost it all because of his desire to ascent to godhood as he fell victim to his own uncontrolled desire.
Hakufu didn't let everyone see it, but she began to worry. What if she fell under the same influence as the first OOO? What if using the armor slowly drove her mad and tempted her into using the Core Medals to selfishly fulfil her own desires?
"There's one other thing I wanna know," Chouhi said. "If all of you were sealed inside this king, how come you're just an arm?"
Ankh thought of an answer, but his mind drew a blank, "Actually... that's a good question. I don't really know. How DID I end up as only an arm?"
While the Greeed did need their Core Medals in order to fully complete their bodies, they only needed one to have a humanoid form at all. One which would look like the mummified bodies that they revealed with only a few Medals and their heads. Still, Ankh had two of his own Medals, more than enough to make his body, but all he could manifest was his arm. Even with the Cell Medals he absorbed from that deal with Dr. Maki he should have at least gotten his shoulder back. But he still remained an arm. What was wrong? Did he need more of his own Cores?
"So there are things that even you don't understand it seems," Kanu noted.
"I guess there's only so much I could remember thanks to my current state," Ankh sighed, pocketing his hands. "So, I've given you my bit of origins and backstories. Let's hurry back so I can collect my payment."
"Oh sure, of course," Ryuubi nodded.
Later that night, Gameru returned back to his human form and managed to find his way back to the Nameless Bar. Uva, Kazali, and Mezul where all there, each in their human forms. The heavy Greeed sat on a stool on front of the water Greeed as she cleaned out his eyes.
"And then...and then...one of them threw a toy at me...then the toy blew up and hurt my face!" Gama wailed as Mezu slowly poured water around his eyes to clean out the soot and shrapnel.
"There, there, Gameru-chan. The bad Fighters can't hurt you now," Mizu gently patted his head.
"What a crybaby," scoffed Uma in disgust. "And even after all that work training, you couldn't even beat OOO and a bunch of humans."
"The Fighters aren't just any humans, Uva. The high-ranking ones possess the ability to harness chi. That makes them a potential threat once they grow stronger," Kaz advised.
"None of them will be able to beat us," Uma boasted.
"Not yet, but let's say one if one of them can get strong enough to penetrate our hides with their chi, they can take out Core Medals," Kaz warned.
"Then I'll kill them before they do."
"Hm, you say that all the time," Kaz sighed, "Still the fact that Gameru here managed to learn a fighting style is still something to behold. If he could do it, I don't see why the rest of us can't."
"That's something I can agree on," Uma said, his face softening, "Seems like the big lug actually managed to learn something useful."
"Mm hm," Mizu smiled, nodding, "You still did a good job, Gameru-chan. I'll take you out for candy later as a treat."
"O... Okay," Gama nodded, cheering up slightly.
Standing near the staircase silently, the Rhino Yummy watched solemnly as his master was being cleaned up. While it didn't have the ability to show facial expressions, it felt very guilty about what happened to Gameru. It felt very helpless, not knowing what to do. It did overhear them talking and about OOO and the others. It quickly knew what it needed to do.
"Yes... it's OOO's fault... it's OOO's fault..." the Rhino Yummy growled. It stood up and stomped out of the bar. It did not go unnoticed by the Greeed.
"Hm? Where is your Yummy going?" Mizu asked Gama.
"Uh? Maybe... to go play."
Next day...
Goto held an even expression as he stood at the gates of Nanyo Academy, one of the sites of the gang related fights that have been going on in the region. The school didn't look all that different from any other that one would find, but the former cop knew differently. He knew that the school housed very strong martial artists like the ones he had seen yesterday, and he had to admit to himself that it was unnerving that they were at most a decade younger than him despite being so strong. He would have to tread carefully if he wanted to go through untouched.
His arrival did not go unnoticed as some of them eyed him as he walked through the school yard. No one gave much of a reaction though, since they could tell he wasn't a Fighter. It didn't stop them from watching him with curiosity or caution. In his hand was a list of names of the top Fighters of this school and where their classes were. The names were Gakushu, Saji Genpou, Ryomou Shinmei, and Kokin Shuyu. They were known as the Big Four, the Fighters who worked directly under Hakufu. Kokin, he knew, was incapacitated, and currently being possessed by the bird Greeed and thus the remaining three would likely be the ones to keep a close eye on him. There was another Fighter named Kouha Kannei who was another member of the Big Four, but suffered a mental breakdown for some reason and was later beaten near death, thus being declared unfit for duty.
Entering the school, he saw some of the students milling about or simply acting like normal kids did, which surprised Goto somewhat. He was almost expecting the students to be aggressive and always in a state of combat. Peering into the classrooms, he could see that only one or two of the classes had actual teachers giving lessons. The lack of adults did make sense somewhat. There wasn't any need for an education when there was always a chance that a battle could break out. Looking out in some of the other corners, he also saw some Fighters being... intimate. There was one tall male student with sandy blond hair in particular (Saji) feeling around a female student's body. Judging from how the girl was holding on to him as if not to let go, he could tell that the meeting was consensual.
Ignoring that escapade, Goto continued through the school as he went up the stairs. He wasn't here for some inspection. He just needed to learn what drove the Fighters, and by extension Hakufu, into fighting. So far, there didn't seem to be much that stood out.
"May I help you?"
Look forward as he nearly reached the top of the stairs, Goto almost tumbled in shock at the sight of a muscle mass of a teenage boy before him. If the notes were correct, this was Gakushu. Now, he was expecting to see some strong looking students, but nowhere to a ridiculous extent as this! This kid looked like he could bench press a truck! And then pull an eighteen-wheeler afterwards!
"Huh... wha..." Goto struggled to speak, unable to find his words.
"We don't usually have non-Fighters coming here," a female voice spoke behind him. Goto glanced behind him, watching a girl with short blue hair and and an eyepatch over her left eye walking up to him. "It's especially rare for adults to be willing to come here without any obligations. So, who are you?"
Remembering himself, Goto calmed down and introduced himself, "My name is Shintaro Goto. I'm the captain of the RideVendor squad from the Kougami Foundation."
The eyepatch girl blinked, as if to remember that name, "Ah, so the leader of those guys? You know, I have to say that I was rather unimpressed with how your men were presenting themselves back when we were dealing with Mezul's Yummies. One of them even shot at me with a freaking bazooka."
"That squadron belongs to another colleague of mine. I'll have to inform him of that latter," Goto defended, "My own squadron... was slaughtered by the Greeed."
"Oh..." the girl blinked, frowning in guilt, "I'm sorry to hear that. My condolences. Let's just start over. I'm Ryomou Shinmei and the big guy is Gakushu."
"Pleasure to meet you," Gakushu nodded at Goto.
"Likewise," Goto bowed back. At least they knew how to be polite.
"So, can I ask why one of our sponsors has come to see us?" Ryomou asked.
"Actually, I was hoping that you could answer some questions for me," Goto said. "I simply would like to know what drives Hakufu Sonsaku."
Ryomou nodded, understanding, "Ga-chan, you continue with the patrols. I'll accompany Goto-san."
"Duly noted," Gakushu answered.
Shoichi sat silently as he ate his legendary lunch, still thinking back yesterday about what he, Hakufu, Chuubou, and the Seito girls had learned about the original OOO. It was still pretty shocking to find out something they all thought was a last ditch effort to fight the Greeed was really just a means for a mad king to take over the world. Though, no one seemed to be as shocked as Hakufu. She was uncomfortably silent on the way back. Chuubou asked if she was feeling alright, but Hakufu would just put on a smile and say that there was nothing to worry about.
She wasn't seen much in school today.
"How depressing," Shoichi muttered, chewing on his food.
"What's depressing?" Shuutai asked, taking a seat in front of him.
Shoichi blinked as he noticed Shuutai sitting next in front of him. "Um, Shu-chan," he greeted.
"Word on the grapevine is that you, OOO, and a few of Seito's top Fighters got into a scuffle with one of the Greeed," Shuutai said. "You didn't get hurt too badly, did you?"
"It... wasn't too bad," Shoichi said shyly. "I don't mean to be rude, but how come you're so... interested in me?"
Shuutai cocked her head, "I just happen to like cute boys. And I think you're cute. Why? Is that wrong?"
"N-no," Shoichi stuttered, shaking his head.
"Actually, I've been wondering. Have you seen Sonsaku-sama?" Shuutai asked. "She hasn't been seen much today and the other officers were wondering what was up."
"Actually," Shoichi frowned, "We learned about the first guy who was OOO before her. She... took it pretty hard."
"What happened? What about the first OOO?"
Shoichi went into detail about Hakufu's predecessor, remembering what Ankh had told them. He told her about how the first OOO was a greedy king who wanted world domination and then eventually godhood, only to have his ambitions backfire on him spectacularly. Shuutai didn't show any actual expression as she listened, but deep down she was most definitely concerned.
"I get it," Shuutai nodded, "So this king got caught up in his greed and ended up biting the big one because of it. Hakufu-sama is afraid that she could end up going down the same road."
"That's the gist of it," Shoichi said.
Shuutai sighed, standing up, "Well, come on then. We're gonna find her."
"Hm? But we don't even know where to look," Shoichi said.
"We won't know till we try, won't we?" Shuutai smiled.
Ryomou brought Goto to the music room which was empty at the time. Grabbing a seat, she sat down as he did the same.
"So, you wish to find out more about Hakufu."
"I know she's a Fighter, but what is she fighting for? Because, if it's just to continue the same story of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, then she only exists to follow a script, isn't it?"
"Not exactly," Ryomou told him, "Truth be told, not everyone is willing to follow the same fate as their ancestors did. Hakufu is the same. Even though she can be stupid at times, she willing to do what it takes to make things right."
"Sounds like you know her very well," Goto said, noting the tone in Ryomo's voice. "How did you two first meet?"
"I tried to kill her," Ryomou admitted.
Goto's eyes widened, "What?!"
"It was an Imperial Order from our previous leader, or rather someone I thought was our leader at the time," Ryomou answered. "When the leader hands out an Imperial Order, it cannot be ignored."
"So then you actually went through with it."
Ryomou sighed, "I'll admit that I did want to fight her. I had her in a chokehold and I thought that was it. But as soon as I had my back turned, she was up and started beating the crap out of me."
Goto winced in sympathy, "Sound painful."
"Trust me, I had several broken bones in my body after she was done with me. The only reason she didn't kill me was because Saji knocked her out before she had the chance," Ryomou said, the day still engraved in her mind.
Goto frowned, "That... doesn't sound like something she would do."
"Because it wasn't really her in control at the time. It was her Haouryuu that I wound up fighting."
"Haouryuu?" Goto blinked, "You mean a dragon spirit?"
"All those who are descendants of powerful warriors and leaders have one. The leader of Seito has one, as does the leader of Kyosho. And..." she reached her hand over her eyepatch and slowly lifted it open. To Goto's astonishment, Ryomo's left eye was completely golden, in contrast to her right blue eye, "So do I."
"I'm guessing your Haouryuu is unnatural compared to Sonsaku's," Goto said.
"You're guess is correct," Ryomou confirmed, covering her eye again. "According to legend, after the Lu Meng killed Guan Yu, Guan Yu placed a hateful curse on his rival in his dying breaths. Lu Meng died violently shortly after. My Haouryuu is just continuing the cycle of that curse." Ryomou narrowed her eye, "I don't plan on dying anytime soon though. I'm trying to find a way to end the curse that plagued my ancestors for generations."
Goto grimaced as he asked another question. "I see. And is... Sonsaku also cursed to die?"
Ryomou nodded. "Her fated killer is a girl named Ukitsu, who is a leader of a smaller school. She's also one of the strongest Fighters out there. They did actually fight, some time before the Greeed broke out of the museum. Hakufu won though, and now she and her school have allied with Nanyo."
"So why did she go to face Ukitsu knowing she would likely die?" asked Goto.
Ryomou shrugged, "She just faced it. Hakufu's pretty simple. If she's got a problem with something then she just goes and deals with it. No subterfuge, no planning, no tricks. She just goes and deals with it. She just treated the fight with Ukitsu the same way. She knew she had to fight her and Ukitsu made it clear they were going to fight. She just didn't want to die and so she went there to fight and make sure she didn't lose."
"Just like she just went to fight the Greeed when she saw what they were doing," Goto nodded, remembering how surprised he felt seeing Hakufu accept the reality of OOO and the Greeed so easily.
"Yes," Ryomou nodded. "If I had to put it into words, Hakufu is fighting against fate itself. A fight she's managing to score a few wins against." Ryomou sighed as she leaned on her chair, "A lot of people think we're a bunch of punks who cause random mischief. That's not that case. Some of us go out of our way to make our destinies reality, but it's only if said destiny is favorable to us. Others are fighting to keep our fates from coming true. Hakufu defeating Ukitsu on that day was a sign to all Fighters that fate didn't have to be reality."
Goto remained quiet as he listened to Ryomou. It seemed impossible to be true, but apparently the so-called endless war was more than it appeared to be. Not only did everyone who was involved was based on their ancestors, but really did carry the fates of those ancestors as well. She couldn't have been lying either. His time in the police force gave him an eye for liars and people can't just make up stories like that.
"But you still pledge your allegiance to her even after she nearly killed you?" Goto asked in disbelief. What made Ryomou change her mind? "How did Hakufu earn your loyalty?"
"Hakufu is stupid, but her simple mindedness, I think, is what makes her so endearing," Ryomou said. "She can be childish and a bit lazy, but when it comes to it she's someone that you can rely on. She enjoys seeing people smile. And that's all there is to it."
Goto considered Ryomo's words. Hakufu was an idiot who loved to fight, but people did not flock to her because of her strength or intelligence. It was her charisma and her willingness to accept others.
In a way, he was reminded of Kougami. The man was eccentric, no doubt, but Goto knew the man to be intelligent. His actions weren't impulsive. There was a goal, a method to his madness.
Was there a method in Hakufu's own madness? Was there some kind of hidden logic?
Meanwhile, Shoichi and Shuutai left the school to look for where their leader ran off to. They knew that she couldn't have possibly gone far so they went looking through places in Nanyo's territory. Though neither of them knew her too well so had to look rather thoroughly. The good news was that the search didn't take very long. As they crossed through a local playground, they found the girl in question sitting on one of the swings.
"Look, there she is!" Shuutai pointed. She took Shoichi's hand and began pulling him towards their leader, "Sonsaku-sama!"
"Hm?" Hakufu looked up. "Oh, Shoichi! Shu-chin!"
"What are you doing out here alone Sonsaku-sama?" asked Shuutai, exasperated. "Even if we are in a ceasefire due to the Greeed, there are still other Fighters out there who would still want to try and attack you!"
"Sorry for worrying you," Hakufu smiled slightly, looking down. "I just needed some air."
"You were out for most of the day," Shoichi told her, "Don't you think you have enough air as it is?"
"I was?" Hakufu blinked, but then she winced as she bopped herself on the head. "Oh man, Mom's going to spank me again if she hears I skipped. Man…"
"Well, if you squeeze in the afternoon hours then I think you'll be okay," Shuutai offered. "Now come on!"
"Um, sure," Hakufu sighed, getting up from the swing.
Shuutai frowned, folding her arms, "You... don't seem yourself. I heard from Sho-kun about what happened to the last guy that wore the armor. Have you... been worrying about that?"
"Kinda...a little," Hakufu shrugged. "I mean...that guy was a king and he was all greedy and stuff. He let his desire control him and it turned him into a psycho. Then I'm a king too and I do stuff all the time just because I want to. What if the Medals get to me too? What if I go psycho?"
"You won't Sonsaku-sama!" Shuutai insisted. "You're a much better king than he was. I can tell just by hearing a little bit about him."
"I don't feel like it," Hakufu huffed, looking quite down. "I mean...I let Kokin…"
"Well, from what I heard, Kokin chose to fight that Yummy by himself, so..." Shoichi began.
"You mean that it was Kokin's fault that he's in a coma?!" Hakufu snapped.
"I didn't mean it like that! I swear!" Shoichi flinched, cowering.
Stunned at her outburst, Hakufu covered her mouth as her pupils dilated in embarrassment, "...I'm sorry," she apologized softly. "I'm just... not feeling too good."
"Uh... so anyway," Shoichi continued, feeling his heart restarting, "It was Kokin's choice, but he did it because he thought that Yummy was after you, I think. I mean, it's because he chose to follow you and his fate had nothing to do with it. And you're afraid of what could happen to him. But the king was greedy to begin with. I don't think he even cared about anyone."
Hakufu looked to him as he continued, "The king fought for the sake of conquest. But you fight for a different reason. You fight for the sake of everyone else so the Greeed don't take advantage of them, so that the Yummy don't hurt people because of their uncontrollable instincts. You're not the mad king. You're not your ancestor. You're you."
"Hmm... I'm me..." Hakufu repeated, looking down at her fist.
"We aren't our ancestors and we choose to do what we want, not what they did," Shuutai continued. "We have control over our lives, and they don't. The same goes for that king. He isn't going to control you because he's long gone. And you won't end up like him because you choose to fight the Greeed to protect people, not because you want to oppress them."
Hakufu smiled slightly, "Yeah, I'm not interested in that stuff anyway. I just like fighting. And there's nothing wrong with that."
Shuutai smiled back, "Exactly. Fighters like fighting every day and we aren't any different from any other martial artist."
Hakufu nodded, "Alright. I think I'm ready to go back now."
Immediately after that, Shuutai's phone rang. Reaching into her breast pocket, she flipped it open and answered, "Yes?"
"Shuutai! Are you there!?" a voice asked franticly over the sounds of a rampage. "Where are you?!"
"I just found Sonsaku-sama," Shuutai said, her face frowning at the sounds of carnage. "What's going on, Renshi?"
"A Yummy is here! It's calling OOO out!"
Everyone ran in panic as trash and rubble flew around and smashed into the Nanyo building. Already, several Fighters had been hurt when they were lifted off the ground and dropped hard. The Rhino Yummy stomped in front of the doors and rammed his fist into it, busting them off the hinges.
"OOO!" the Rhino Yummy roared. "Come out, you bitch!"
Roaring loudly, the Rhino Yummy stomped its foot, causing the lockers to get uprooted from the floor and go flying off to smash into the walls. Metal and various items went flying around the room. Coming from the other entryway, three of Nanyo's Big Four with Goto appeared.
"A Yummy came all the way here?!" Gakushu exclaimed.
"Alright, that can't be just a coincidence," Saji frowned. "I'm gonna bet that it's looking for something... or someone."
"OOO!" the Rhino Yummy bellowed once more as it continued its rampage.
Goto frowned and got ready his pistol, "There's our answer." The three members of Nanyo's Big Four got ready to fight.
"Gakushu, go get Ankh," Ryomou told her comrade.
"Wait, why?" the Hispanic boy questioned.
"You know why. Hakufu can't use the belt without the Core Medals he has," Ryomou answered, "We're all going to need his help."
Goto fired and the bullet bounced off the Yummy's head. It did not do any harm but it did manage to get its attention. Gakushu hesitated but nodded before going on to get Ankh.
"Alright, what's the plan?" Saji asked.
"Try not to die," Ryomou replied, tightening her gloves.
"...Not the best pep talk I've gotten," Saji sweatdropped.
"It's just a fact," Ryomou said bluntly.
The Rhino Yummy snarled as it dropped to all fours. With a bellow, it charged directly at the group. As Goto rushed to get out of the way, both Saji and Ryomou leapt after it. The two members of the Big Four lashed out with flying kicks, striking it hard on the head. It was just enough to stop the Yummy in its place, bringing it to a halt. Ryomou leapt away just before she could get grabbed and rebounded from wall to wall to increase her momentum and get ready for another strike. Flipping about, she covered her leg in Chi before lashing out with another kick, slamming her leg at the Rhino's face. The Rhino stumbled backward from the blow.
Saji ran from the side with his hands glowing in yellow Chi as he struck in percing strikes. Sparks flew from each hit. Frowning, the Rhino Yummy bore through each of the hits before ramming into the playboy and blasting him into a wall. Bullets bounced off the Rhino Yummy's back, causing it to turn around. Goto quickly put away his gun and grabbed two grenades from his belt before pulling out the pins and throwing them at the Yummy. The Yummy wasn't going to have any of that, so it stomped on the ground to create another gravity surge. The shockwave erupted all over, catching the grenades in midair. They exploded harmlessly, or as harmlessly as possible anyway. It stomped once more, causing another shockwave to throw everyone into the air. Ryomou was about jump away when she got caught and ended up being smashed around both Saji and Goto before flying into the lockers.
"Guys! I'm here! I'm here!" the voice of Nanyo's leader shouted as she came through the large hole in the wall, followed by Shoichi and Shuutai. Their eyes scanned at all the destruction the Yummy had caused. Hakufu also saw her friends trying to get back on their feet from the short duel against the Yummy. The Rhino Yummy turned around slowly and glared at her with a sharp glare.
"Damn, that thing's like a tank," Shuutai frowned.
"Gameru's Yummies are all like that." Hakufu turned up and saw Ankh walking from the entryway with Gakushu next to him. Within his monstrous hand, he fiddled with the Core Medals. "It looks you're gonna have to work hard if you want to waste that thing, girl." He tossed them at Hakufu, and she quickly grabbed them. Looking back at the Rhino Yummy, she stared intensely as she placed her OOO Driver over her waist.
Her predecessor, the king of an unknown kingdom, was consumed completely by his desire to rule. No, he didn't just want to rule, he wanted to become a god. That desire ended up costing his life in the worst way possible. Her ancestor, Sun Ce, could also be considered to have suffered through the same consequence. With his desire to rule and conquer everything, he gained enemies that wanted to kill him. And through his recklessness he paid the ultimate price. And now with her, the lives of both rulers have come full circle.
But she didn't care about any of that. She didn't give a damn about consequence or ruling. Fighting was the only thing she liked to do. But it didn't matter now with all the monsters doing whatever they wanted and hurting people. She wasn't able to save Kokin. She wasn't able to stop that Rakuyo girl from killing herself. She wasn't able to stop Taishiji from being attacked. And she couldn't save... come to think of it, she didn't have the best track record when it came to saving people before she put on the armor, did she? All the more reason why she couldn't let what happened to them happen to anyone else.
If she didn't understand what it meant to be a Fighter before, she did now. Fighters fought for the beliefs and convictions. And Hakufu has found hers.
"I am not my ancestor."
The Taka Medal went in.
"I am not the greedy king from 800 years ago."
The Tora Medal went in next.
"My name is Hakufu Sonsaku."
The Batta Medal went in last before she tilted her buckle and took the O-Scanner.
"And I am a Kamen Rider! KAMEN RIDER OOO!"
And then something miraculous happened. The magatama on her ear began to flash and change color, going from green jade to bright silver. Ryomou blinked in surprise from where she stood. "Did she just...?"
The Rhino roared before stomping again, sending the lockers flying upwards and towards Hakufu. Shoichi and Shuutai were quick to react. Shuutai lept up and slashed her nails at the lockers, reducing them to shrapnel. Shoichi launched blasts of his chi from his hands, blasting the remainder of the lockers out of the way harmlessly.
"Henshin!" Hakufu called out, swiping her O-Scanner over the Medals.
"TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TA-TO-BA TATOBA TA-TO-BA!"
Now donned in armor, OOO was ready for battle. With the Tora section of her O-Lung emblem shining, a roar was heard as the Tora Claws unfolded. Crouching down, the Batta Legs glowed and she lunged at the Rhino Yummy. She leapt and dodged the debris coming at her before she landed a slash across the Yummy chest.
"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA!" OOO roared as she landed slash after slash upon the Yummy's sturdy body. She thrust her claws forward and gave a sharp stab, shoving the Rhino backwards. She didn't slow down and she continued to fight on, leaping all around the Yummy while slashing her claws around its form. Growling, the Rhino quickly grabbed OOO from the air and threw her outside. OOO rolled to her feet and moved to another stance. The Yummy came charging at her again, but OOO quickly flipped over it, causing the Rhino to crash into a tree. The tree instantly came tumbling down and smashed into the ground.
"Hakufu!" Ankh shouted, coming out of the hole, "Switch Medals!" He held out blue and yellow Medals in his hand threw them at her.
OOO caught them and nodded at Ankh, "Thank you!" She pulled out the Taka and Tora Medals and quickly replaced them with the new ones. She tilted her belt buckle and swung the O-Scanner over the new set.
"RAION! UNAGI! BATTA!"
The new set of Medals formed the Raion Head and Unagi Arms for use. The light from Liodas began to shine from her helmet as soon as the armor reformed, causing golden light to flash from OOO. The Rhino Yummy turned around and was instantly caught be the blinding light, reacting by covering his eyes. The Rhino Yummy roared in pain as it rubbed its eyes, trying to get its vision back to normal.
As the Liodas light dimmed, OOO tilted her head in curiosity, "I guess Gameru-chan's Yummies don't like bright lights very much. In that case..." she pulled out the Unagi Whips from her shoulder and lashed them at the Rhino Yummy. With each flick of the whips, lightning shocked the Rhino Yummy and pulled in more damage. Then she lashed the right whip around the Yummy's neck and started to spin it around her. For some reason, she started singing an old nursery rhyme as she continued spinning.
"Kagome, Kagome, the bird in the basket cage, when oh when will it come out, in the night of dawn, the crane and turtle slipped, who is behind you now~?"
"And now she's singing," Goto blinked quizly, "Is there any point to that?"
"That's just what makes Hakufu special," Saji shrugged with an easy smile, "Whatever she feels as natural seems unnatural to everyone else."
"Seems rather random though," Gakushu stated.
"Now comes the end of the song!" OOO unraveled the whip from the Rhino Yummy's neck, causing it to spin out of control and stumble out into the street. She took the O-Scanner from her hip and swiped it across the Medals.
"SCANNING CHARGE!"
The emblem on the O-Lung glowed before energy channeled through the head, arms, and legs. OOO jumped high into the air and lashed the Unagi Whips at the Rhino Yummy, wrapping them around its arms and stunning it with electricity. She pulled herself down as the Raion Head glowed once more, blinding the Rhino Yummy and making it defenceless. Her legs stuck out in a flying kick as they glowed green.
The impact was instant as OOO shouted "SEE-YAH!" before striking the Rhino Yummy down in an explosion. Undoing her transformation, Hakufu stood up as the explosion faded, looking around as she expected a shower of Cell Medals to rain down. Looking down, she instead found five Cell Medals at her feet instead.
"Hey, what's this?" Hakufu frowned, picking up the Cell Medals in her hand. "Only five Medals? Man, that Yummy was such a cheapskate."
"Gameru's Yummies burn up Medals pretty quickly in order to use their powers," Ankh said, walking over to Hakufu. "The Bear Yummy you fought last time was likely not using any powers at all, which was why it had so many Medals to spare."
"Doesn't seem like a good way to gather Cell Medals for Gameru-chan," Hakufu said.
"He's the type who would rather do whatever he wants. Cell Medals are more secondary to him," Ankh answered.
"Eh... sure. You want these?" Hakufu asked, offering the Medals.
"Keep em. I have no use for such a small amount," Ankh refused. He blinked as he noticed her now silver magatama, "Hm? Wasn't you're bead in a jade color before?"
"Huh?" Hakufu removed her magatama from her ear to get a personal inspection. Indeed, her magatama was no longer jade green but rather a shining silver. "How did this happen?"
"My guess is that your bead responded to your resolve," Saji said as he and the rest walked into the street. "Whatever the case is, that means you've officially jumped from E Rank to B Rank. Not too shabby, Hakufu."
"I've heard that there were Fighters who jumped between ranks before, but I haven't seen it for myself till now," Ryomou said.
"So, does this make me stronger?" Hakufu asked hopefully, putting her magatama back on her ear. The hope for more power wasn't due to her love for combat. It was different. There was a need for power, a need to use that power to do good. Perhaps being a Rider helped her to take her duties more seriously.
"Not exactly. Magatama don't always match in strength, but it does have some influence in your abilities," Shuutai told her. "At least that's what I was told."
"Oh, well I guess that's pretty cool. Whatever helps I guess," Hakufu shrugged.
"Excuse me, Sonsaku?" Goto spoke politely as he approached Hakufu.
"Hey, you're the motorcycle guy," Hakufu recognized.
"Ah, right. I never told you my name. It's Shintaro Goto," he officially introduced himself to the Little Conquerer.
"Shintaro? Then can I call you Shin-chan?" Hakufu asked, smiling.
"Uh... yeah. I admit, I had my doubts that you could be OOO. Though now that I see it, I can see that you take your duty seriously. I now understand why Kougami-san has faith in you. You can always count on my support when you need to fight the Greeed and Yummy," Goto said, offering his hand.
Beaming, Hakufu took his hand and both of hers and shook it with great gusto, "Yeah, you can count on me too!" she smiled.
After Hakufu let go, Goto rubbed his hand, smiling wryly as he still felt the feeling of Hakufu's fingers digging through his skin, "Quite a grip you got there."
"Hehe. I know," Hakufu grinned.
Some days passed since the Rhino Yummy's attack. Nanyo was temporarily closed down due to the damage and needed about a week or so for repairs. It gave time for Hakufu to relax for a little while. Chuubou was really happy to see her big sister back to her energetic self again. She really didn't want to see her sad all of sudden. Kokin's life being on the line was already hard enough on both of them as it was. Meanwhile, Shuutai took the opportunity hang around Shoichi. It wasn't anything official, at least... not yet. Shoichi did seem to enjoy her company. He couldn't help but feel comforted around her.
As for Goto, he gained a newfound respect for the Fighter from the West. She was stupid, yes, but also straightforward and to the point. Goto was so focused on protecting the world, he forgot to realize that he had to turn his attention on the here and now. That was what Hakufu was doing right now. Eventually, the fate of the planet would fall onto a single high school girl and she was handling that fact a lot better than he expected of her. Perhaps it was dumb luck that the OOO Driver ended up with a strong teenager. Fighting, destiny, all of that went over Goto's head. But one thing was for certain. Hakufu Sonsaku was a wild card.
Kougami Foundation HQ
It was past midnight within the Kougami Foundation HQ, with the only ones present being the night shift workers and the night guards. One of the guards walked along the darkened labs with a flashlight in hand. As he was focused on what was ahead of him, he didn't notice a small figure creeping up on him from behind. The guard stiffened and bulged his eyes as he felt two fingers press deeply against the small of his back. All feeling from his body suddenly gave way as he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
Ten'i picked up the flashlight and turned it off. Then she dragged the guard's body into a nearby supply closet and shut the door.
"I wasn't expecting it to be this difficult," she whispered to herself. "But still, Maria-sama's will is absolute. I need to find clues to this organization."
It had taken Ten'i days just to get as deep as she did into the building. None of the other schools had such complex security traps to deal with, with such technology she had never seen or thought was possible. And since none of the people in the buildings were Fighters and simply workers doing their jobs she had to resort to using pressure point techniques to use for knockouts rather than killing. Hiding the bodies was also very troublesome. She had to use whatever space was large enough to hide an adult. Regardless, she was one of Kyosho's most skilled infiltrators. If she was unable to pass through a foundation complex, she didn't deserve to be called as such.
Creeping along the hall, she reached a door that read "Dr. Kiyoto Maki, PhD". Knowing full well that the office of a certified doctor could likely hold important documents, she tried shaking the doorknob to get it opened. Locked. Looking upwards to her left, she saw a keypad which was blinking red. So it needed an access code. She sighed. Seems like she have to use the vents again.
Moving through the ventilation system was a quick task for Ten'i. It was especially helpful since she was small. Inside the lab, she dropped down from the vent with a light tap and looked around. The lab seemed to have everything that was expected for a scientist to have, though she did notice a macabre portrait of a man being tormented by verous animals.
She wasn't sure why, but the picture seemed to speak to her.
Disregarding the interesting portrait, she moved to the desk and flipped through the files. Looking through a folder, she found a blueprint to a belt that was similar to the one Hakufu used.
"Birth Driver?"
KRC: Now Hakufu has truly accepted her title as Kamen Rider, gaining newly strengthened resolve to beat the Greeed.
TFP: So Hakufu learns the origins of OOO and the Greeed. It dealt a blow to her confidence, but she's come back better than ever. In the meantime, others are finding their conviction while even more seem to be playing their own game behind the scenes.
Tailsmo4ever: Another chapter down. Motivations are brought into the limelight and revelations are exposed. We're will this take us?
At any rate, as sure as you all know, we have started on a Movie War Core adaptation that will officially crossover Love Hina and Ikki Tousen. Here is a small preview...
Coming Soon...
"Have you heard of the Great Hinamizawa Disaster?"
"It all started with a poison gas eruption that came from the swamp."
"A lot people died that day."
"Some think the disaster was the will of an angry god."
"But there is something that doesn't add up."
"One of the people there, the local miko...
"...was gutted."
One of Japan's darkest murder mysteries... resurfaces...
Phillip: "Did you know that a yakuza family called Sonozaki ran the village?"
Keitaro: "'Sonozaki'? As in that Sonozaki?"
Phillip: "The same."
Hidden in the dark for thirty years...
Keitaro: "How about we solve one of Japan's darkest mysteries?"
Phillip: "Are you saying...?"
Keitaro: "We're going to solve the Hinamizawa Murders."
A creature long forgotten...
Hakufu: "Is that... a Kamen Rider?"
Ankh: "This sensation... that thing is a Greeed!"
Whose desire threatens to destroy all of reality...
?: "You... will not stand in our way..."
Ryuji: "You're a... monster..."
Wakana: "Otouto! Run!"
(Insert Song: HEART∞BREAKER)
Prepare for an epic tale...
Keitaro: "Around 30 years ago, swamp gas entered the village and killed everyone in their sleep. But we have reason to believe that there was something else going on in that place."
Hakufu: "I'm going to Hinamizawa."
Gakushu: "Are you serious?!"
Hakufu: "It might give us answers on that strange fire Kamen Rider."
Ryo: "This place really hasn't aged well, as it?"
?: "Have a nice trip!"
Kanako: "KEITARO-NIICHAN!"
Ankh: "HAKUFU!"
30 years in the making...
Hakufu: "Where the heck are we?"
Keitaro: "Huh? You're...!"
?: "Are you okey? You aren't hurt anywhere, are you? Are you?"
30 years in the making...
Keitaro: "If it's done it could change the Sonozaki family for the better. But..."
Chouhi: "Let's kick their asses!"
Naru: "Hey! There are children here, you know!"
Chouhi: "Well, you're not in family friendly territory anymore now, are you?"
Will salvation win?
Hakufu: "Even if things look hopeless, if a fighting chance is even less than 1%, it's still better than nothing!"
Or will despair run its course?
?: "She will not be forgiven! She will never be forgiven! As long as we still hold the power, she will be erased from all existence!"
Gekijoban: Love Hina X Ikki Tousen: Kamen Rider Core
The world will be watching.