Chapter 52: The Problem with Girls
Mako was placed into a holding cell after her fight with Mega and Kiko. Considering that she was a member of ANTI-THESIS, the PSC could have grilled her for answers about what ANTI-THESIS was planning on doing. However, the moment Leon arrested her, she used an electrical device connected to the back of her neck to erase all her memories of ANTI-THESIS. Everything she knew about the organisation, gone just like that.
Mako sat on a chair with her hands folded on the table, the fingers flinching out from time to time. Her eyes darted left and right uncomfortably, apparently not understanding why she was in a cell. Leon was watching her from behind a door with a slide in peep-hole. Hearing footsteps, he looked to his left and saw Hime approach him. "So, I heard that ANTI-THESIS assassin erased her own memories?" she asked him.
"She has some guts, I'll give her that," Leon answered, not taking his eyes off the woman. "She really didn't want us to know what ANTI-THESIS was planing if she was willing to take a risk like that. She probably even knew that there would be side effects on her brain. Now she's reduced to a young frightened woman who wouldn't want to be bothered by Purebloods."
"So what will become of her then?"
"ANTI-THESIS might still want her eliminated, so it would be best for her to remain here in the cell until after they are dealt with," Leon answered, "After that, well, she might be able to live her life normally."
"From what Netto said, her disdain for Purebloods seemed to have coaxed her into joining ANTI-THESIS," Hime said. "She could still have that same hatred."
"Then maybe she could find someone to help let go of that hatred," Leon replied. "Ruby once hated Humans before, and now look at the way she turned out to be."
"True. You're right about that," Hime nodded.
Leon closed the hole shut and turned to Hime, "I'm going to check if the students are back in their dorms. It's almost curfew."
"Alright," Hime nodded. "I'll be leaving in a bit."
Leon nodded and and went on his way.
The campus was silent as almost everyone had turned in for the night. As Leon was walking around the pathway that led to the shoe lockers, he nearly bumped into someone as she was coming out.
"Ah! I'm sorry!" the girl apologized. She looked up and her eyes widened as she blushed considerable. "Oh, Leon!"
"Karin. Long time no see," Leon greated back, "It's nearly curfew you know. You should be at your dorm by now."
"Yeah, I know. Late-night work," Karin nodded. Her eyes darted back and forth. "Um... Could you walk me back to my dorm?"
Leon shrugged, "I don't see the problem."
The pair walked through the forest to reach the dorm housing. Karin decided to break the silence. "I never did get the chance to thank you for helping me when that robot lizard attacked."
"It's no problem," Leon replied. "I was just doing my job. And I was pretty busy, what with being the Chief of the Safety Committee."
"Yeah, it's been really crazy over the past few days," Karin nodded, "I wanted try and find you, but you weren't around. And then the Sports Fest came and I had duties of my own to perform. By the way, it was pretty cool how you managed to handle that strange woman."
"Just doing my job," Leon replied. "I'm just glad no one was seriously hurt from the whole ordeal."
"You really are much more different than Kuyou," Karin smiled. "Even though fights still go on here, everyone feels more at ease with you in charge."
"The power of authority went to Kuyou's head," Leon shrugged. "He believed that everything he did was just, despite others telling him otherwise. Few tired to stand up against him, but were met with failure." He gave a small smile, "Heh. Maybe Shinichi arriving here to this school was a blessing."
"Yeah, it's thanks to him that you're in power now," Karin answered. "It's kinda weird though, it's like he came out of nowhere all of a sudden. He's your friend right? Do you know anything about him?"
"Just that he's an amnesic," Leon said cryptically. "That's all I really know about him." That was in fact a lie. It'd be wrong to instantly reveal his friend's bloody past to a random girl. She really didn't need those terrible mental images anyway.
"Oh, that's too bad," Karin said sympathetically, "I hope he can get his memories back."
'Some of those memories he could do without,' Leon spoke mentally.
As they were nearing the dorm houses, Karin unknowingly reached out her hand to his. And the moment their hands touched...
THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP! THUMP-THUMP!
"Ah-!" Karin gasped suddenly. She hunched down as she was clutching her chest. Her face also turned bright red.
"What is it?" Leon asked trying to see what was wrong.
"Don't come any closer!" Karin shouted, taking Leon aback. "It's nothing serious, honest! I just... have to go!" She quickly picked herself up and ran into the dorm house, leaving Leon dumbstruck.
"What... was that about...?" Leon muttered to himself.
Karin fumbled with her keys before finally getting her door opened and slamming it shut behind her. She leaned against her door as she hyperventilated, holding her chest as she slid down on the ground. Slowly, the beats of her heart slowed down to their normal rate.
"That... was to close for comfort..." she panted, rubbing her forehead. "It would've been really embarrassing if I..."
It was the weekend and Shinichi was adjusting his clothes for the outing he was going on with the girls. He checked his hair, flicking his twin ahoge, and sighed. "Let's just get this over with," he sighed. It was obvious that he was still upset over the Lina/Phantom issue and his girlfriends just wanted to help cheer him up. He insisted that he was fine, but they still wanted to do this, and he didn't want to reject such an offer to get out of the campus for a few hours. Just because he was feeling bad didn't it mean he should upset the girls. It just wasn't fair to them.
For this outing, Shinichi had put on a good pair of jeans, a black t-shirt and a red jacket which was zipped halfway up. He also wore his signature scarf. He grabbed a pair of leather shoes with buckles and straps and put them on before exiting his dorm room to meet up with the girls at the bus stop.
Mononoke Arcade, their destination, was a place that they had access to via the tunnel/portal which brought students here. By taking the school bus, they could go to Mononoke Arcade without any problem.
"So Shinichi's going out with his girls, huh?" Daichi asked. He and Netto were hanging outside of the school, watching several of the other students mill about. Netto had actually been on his own for awhile before Daichi joined him, looking for a quiet place to play his guitar.
"Yeah, he told me yesterday," Netto nodded. "I guess they figured it would be a good chance for him to chill out and stuff. He's obviously still bugged about that whole Lina thing."
"Still can't believe that girl managed to get so close to BLACK 13," Daichi said, folding his arms. "It's sorta messed up."
"Considering how his head got messed with several times over, I'm not all that surprised," Netto sighed. "I guess we can just hope for the best and pray it doesn't blow up on us. From here on, it's a waiting game."
Daichi sighed. "Speaking of girls... what was with that Kiko girl before?"
Kiko had been seen with Netto early, giggling girlishly as she had her arms wrapped around his arm. It was a sight to see and it caused a bit of a commotion, but not one that could get out of hand. It was just most of the boys staring at Netto with a mix of envy and resentment.
"Well, Kiko and I... uh..." Netto began, his eyes darting left and right as he blushed. "I... popped her cherry."
"You did?" Daichi cocked an eyebrow, "Good grief, you're beginning to get as bad as those three!"
"I can't say no to a girl! It's not in my nature!" Netto exclaimed.
"Glad I don't have deal with crap like that," Daichi scoffed.
"Dai-chan!"
"You were saying?" Netto commented.
"Crap, I need to hide!" Daiichi cursed as his eyes darted about but there was nowhere to run or hide in time as Haruhi tackled into him from behind, knocking them both to the ground with him doing a faceplant.
He'd been trying to avoid this crazy girl since the tournament and had so far been successful. Not today, however. Not today...
"I've finally found you! Come on, let's go get to know each other better!"
Meanwhile, Yokoshima was with the members of the Cosplay Club trying out some new costumes. "I have this strangest feeling that Daichi's cursing to the heavens right now."
"FFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!-!-!"
At the same time, Chiaki was painting when he thought he heard someone scream a violent oath.
The girls played "Rock, Paper, Scissors" again to decide who got to sit next to Shinichi and this time Yukari was the one who won. The girls, like Shinichi, had decided to put on their best casual wear for their outing to Mononoke Arcade. He wasn't sure what to expect, really. He knew what a shopping district was after their trip to the human world, but a Youkai-exclusive shopping district completely blew his mind.
The bus entered the tunnel which was an interdimensional gateway, linking Youkai Academy up with different dimensions. According to Kurumu, Mononoke Arcade was one such dimension. It made sense to Shinichi, in a way.
The bus exited and, after several blocks, stopped at a bus stop where the group departed from the bus.
"Be careful, kid. Mononoke Arcade can be a scary place," advised the Bus Driver.
"That's what you say about every place we go, Bus Driver-san," said Shinichi.
"It's always true, isn't it?" the man said as he tapped the ash off the tip of his cigar. "Don't say I never warned you." The Bus Driver drove off, leaving the students.
"You know, as creepy a guy he was, he's not such a bad guy," said Shinichi. "Unlike Gebok, of course."
Hearing that name made the girls stiffen. They hadn't told Shinichi they had met Dr. Gebok before but he noted their expressions and sighed.
"I know you all met him. I remember that part now," he told them. "I also remember him trying to use an EMP on me. Lousy, sadistic prick." He'd mumbled the last part.
Moka took Shinichi's hand and beamed at him. "Come on, let's go to Mononoke Arcade."
"You're going to love it, Shinichi," said Kurumu as she took his other hand.
Mizore frowned, wishing she could hold Shinichi's hand and Yukari felt the same way. If Shinichi had two extra hands to hold, then it wouldn't be such a problem.
"Wow," said Shinichi as he admired Mononoke Arcade. It wasn't the amount of shops he could see that surprised him. Shopping districts often had a lot of places for people to go to buy things or pay for services. It was the monsters who could walk around in their true forms without problem, unlike the rule in Youkai Academy which strictly forbade students and staff from assuming their true forms, granted that rule gets disobeyed quite often.
The shopping district also had a wide range of restaurants, clothing stores, a movie theatre, and even a video game arcade.
"So, this is Mononoke Arcade," said Shinichi.
"Do you like it?" Moka asked hopefully.
"Reminds me a lot of the shopping trips Kaa-chan used to take me on as a kid," said Shinichi. "Sometimes she'd buy me a toy, but only when I really behaved."
"That's nice," Moka smiled. Shinichi was recalling good memories too.
"Hey, I'm not going to be stuck holding the bags, right? Since I'm the guy and usually the guy gets stuck holding the bags and stuff," Shinichi said.
"This is all about you, Darling," said Kurumu. "But...there are some things I want to buy." She had been hoping to find a new set of lingerie to model for Shinichi, then seduce him to the point he could not contain himself and ravage her on the spot.
"Damn it," Daichi growled as he leaned on a wall. "Why won't she get a clue and leave me alone?"
Daichi had finally managed to lose the girl on the roof of the school. She was a tenacious one, that was for sure. She really made it clear that she wanted him as her mate. She was just over fixated with him, not to mention that crazy strength she had. Alright, well generally most Youkai were stronger than the average human being, but the girl was just nuts!
"Jeez, is this what Shinichi had to deal with back on his first days here?" Daichi lamented, sitting in an upright position.
An amused chuckle was suddenly echoing from the doorway that lead to the exit. "Wow, you really don't know a thing about women, do you?"
"What?" Daichi frowned, turning to the speaker. It was a boy, somewhat younger than him, with white and silver hair that split in the middle of his head and grew past his eyes. He had an orange and green pupil eye that clashed with each other. He also wore a sort of long formal jacket with a tie. He didn't seem to pay mind to Daichi as he read his book uncaringly.
"I'm just saying," the boy shrugged. "Any guy in his right mind would let a girl like her mate with him. Even us Monstrels would court a cute girl like that."
"Monstrel?-!" Daichi frowned, getting on his feet and bringing out his Cricket Fork. Leon had previously warned all of them about ANTI-THESIS and the fact that all of their members were Hybrid Youkai. They had tried to "persuade" Shinichi into joining their cause after noticing that he wasn't really a Youkai. And with what Shinichi did after that, it was safe to say that none of them were very happy with him.
"To your mind, are you gay?" the boy continued.
Without a single warning, Daichi slammed his fork against the wall before swinging it out, sending a vibrating sonic blade at the boy. The blade seemed to hit and a sudden explosion erupted, sending rubble and dust flying out.
"Who the hell are you!-?" Daichi demanded from him. "And I'm not gay, I just don't look at a woman's boobs! Other guys these days think with their dicks!" He was in a bad mood right now and needed a proper outlet.
"Hey, that was dangerous you know," Daichi's eyes widened as he whirled around. The boy was now sitting on the handrail and still reading his book. He was acting like nothing ever happened. "Do you normally attack people whenever they start conversing?"
"Only when they piss me off to no end, which is all the time," Daichi answered, scowling.
"In that case, why don't we start all over?" the boy closed his book and faced Daichi with a grin. "I'm Kiria Yoshi, second-in-command of ANTI-THESIS. A pleasure to meet you, Daichi Takashima-kun."
Before Daichi could send a retort, Kiria suddenly vanished from his line of sight. "What the fuck?-!" he demanded looking around of the Outcast Ayashi.
"And you curse too," Kiria sighed disapprovingly, leaning against Daichi's back. Daichi flinched at the sound of his voice. "You're a lot more uncouth than I thought."
"What's it to you?" Daichi scowled.
"Not much," Kiria admitted. "Just this. It's about you, and several of your friends that showed up here. You're pretty interesting. And also, very strange."
"What makes you think that about us?" Daichi asked. Kiria suddenly blurred in front of him, although Daichi didn't seem to flinch at all.
"Well, from what we already know, not all of you are Youkai," Kiria said. "But from what we've seen so far, you have abilities that can rival other monsters. And you aren't an outcast like myself either, since outcasts can still have access to Youki like Purebloods do."
"Get to the point, snake-eyes. You're not making sense," Daichi retorted.
"Alright then. Since you asked, I'll lay it straight... entertain me, Takashima-kun," Kiria said finally. "Show me just how strong you are. If I'm impressed with what I see, I might get the others to back off. I can tell them to leave you and your friends alone."
"So in other words, you're looking for a fight," Daichi concluded.
"You got it," Kiria smiled. "Meet me in the old graveyard at 3. Don't keep me waiting." Kiria vanished before him without a trace.
Daichi considered Kiria's words. Should he go alone or tell the others about this?
"So, how do I look?" asked Shinichi as he tried on a pair of sunglasses.
"You look cool," Kurumu admired.
"Yeah, if I put on a tux I'm a regular James Bond," he grinned. He got blank looks from the girls. "James Bond? 007? International Man of Mystery?" Still no recognition. "I should introduce you to the spy genre."
"You watch that kind of thing?" Mizore asked.
"Well, Kuro did. I think it was when we had some free time back in GIN-SHOCKER and found some kind of entertainment for some R&R. Yokoshima always found the time to get us together to watch some kind of movie," Shinichi said.
"My mother loves spy movies," said Mizore.
"Really?" asked Shinichi. He didn't know that.
"She even wanted to be a spy when she was a little girl, which is why she has a collection of guns," she added. For some reason, the idea of Mizore's mother owning a gun collection piqued his interest.
"I'd love to see it someday," he said.
"Marry me and you will be able to see it anytime you want," she said bluntly, ignoring the glares of the other girls.
"With a proposal like that, how can I refuse?" Shinichi grinned. It seemed that he was starting to act like his normal self.
"Hey, speaking of movie, how about we go see one?" Moka suggested.
"I'm up for anything with hot babes and explosions," said Shinichi.
In the graveyard nearby the school, the skies were dark and gloomy, appearing like streams of sand instead of a blue ocean. The land was dry and barren with not a sign of a living tree. There was actually only one tree in the center of the land, and it was as dead as a rotting rat.
Daichi walked through the graveyard with his hands in his pockets, looking around the area with a critical eye. There weren't that many tombstones around, surprisingly enough, and the area itself was very spacious. Good enough for a fight.
"Looks like that Kiria kid chose his pickings well," Daichi said as he looked around. He patted the holster on his belt. He was carrying a standard issue energy pistol loaded with stun rounds. But, if things went bad, he would use live rounds. However, he had doubts that he would need to use his gun for this.
"You showed up, and on time too," said Kiria who sat on a nearby tombstone. Daichi blinked. Why hadn't he noticed him before? Kiria was reading a book and when he saw Daichi looking at him, he closed the book and slipped it into his jacket.
"So, how are we going to do this?" Daichi asked as he cracked his knuckles. "Hand-to-hand or with weapons?"
"First, tell me if you came alone," said Kiria.
"What does it look like to you?" scoffed Daichi. "Of course I came alone. It's just me, myself and I."
Kiria slid off his perch and stretched. "Well then. I guess I have no choice now."
"Yeah, I've been itching for one for awhile," grinned Daichi, looking forward to beat the smug look of this guy's face. Something about him just rubbed the cyborg the wrong way.
But then, something else just had to happen.
"Oh, Dai-chan!"
"Crap!" Daichi cursed, looking behind him. It was that annoying girl again, the one who'd embarrassed him at the tournament. She was running towards him, looking very happy.
"I finally found you!" she squealed, lunging forward and capturing him on a tight hug. She smothered her face against his check, sighing contentedly.
"Damn it, you shouldn't be here!" Daichi hissed. "How did you even find me?"
"Oh, just call it a girls intuition," Haruhi sighed. "It's just the way we're connected, ya know."
"Connected?-!" Daichi sputtered. "What the hell?-!"
"Oh, what do we have here?" Kiria blinked. "So that's the girl who's attached to you?"
"Unfortunately," Daichi grimaced.
"That's too bad. Looks like I'll have to make both of you disappear," Kiria shrugged. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The ground suddenly rumbled with sudden vibrations. Both Daichi and Haruhi looked behind them and gasped. Before them stood two giant, grotesque beasts. One was skinny, wore a long vest and a top hat. The other was large, wore a short vest and had a mohawk. The three things they had in common was that they had green skin, had horse-like legs, and a single eye. They looked at both Daichi and Haruhi with sharp teeth.
"Cyclopes!" Haruhi shouted.
"Cyclopes?" Daichi repeated. He turned back at Kiria with a heated glare. "What the hell?-!"
"Did you really think I'd come here alone?" Kiria smiled. "These friends of my aren't Outcast Ayashi, but I brought them here to see how tough you are. You know what they say about knowing your enemy and all."
Daichi scowled as he took out the energy pistol from the holster. "Well, then I'll just have to defeat your goons before I get to you!" In an instant, he fired the energy pistol at the two Cyclopses but instead of the one-eyed monsters falling, they just scratched the spots the shots had hit. "What?"
"Cyclopses are considered to be demigods in myths, and guns don't really work on them," said Kiria.
Daichi put his gun away. "OK, then we'll have to do this my usual way!" His Spark Core was summoned right around his waist, and he took a stance. "Henshin!" A guitar riff echoed from his belt as a sound wave ripple surrounded him. Once the ripple dispersed, Sonix stood in Daichi's place.
"W-wow!" Haruhi gasped.
"Would you look at that?" Kiria smirked. "Looks like I won't be disappointed after all."
He summoned his Cricket Fork and twirled it around before gripping it tight in both hands. "Come on, you one-eyed freaks!"
Meanwhile, Leon was stuck in his office at the PSC headquarters going over paperwork. The ANTI-THESIS they had in custody were low level numbers and, unlike Midou, were still alive. Mako was still in holding as well, her memories wiped clean so she would not betray the organization.
"Now I know why Dad tries to avoid this stuff," said Leon as he put his pen down. He should be out and carrying on his own investigation. Because of his carelessness, two important sources of information had been lost. He did know they were high-ranked in the organization since Midou could command a gang of the Outcast Ayashi and Mako could control people like puppets. But they had to be getting their orders from somewhere.
What was ANTI-THESIS planning? Also, Leon had to go and meet with the Chairman soon. He peered over to Tamao who was napping in a futon. Maybe he could take Tamao someplace fun tomorrow. Just being in the academy was giving him cabin fever.
Pieces of tombstone went flying as one of the two Cyclopses struck only to miss as Sonix rolled away. Tapping his Cricket Fork on the ground, he aimed the pronged end at the two single-eyed monsters and shot pulses of sound at them to disorient the duo. He then dashed forward and jumped, kicking one Cyclops in the nose while he smacked the other across the face with his Cricket Fork. Both monsters howled as they were sent staggering with Sonix landing on his feet.
"Shockwave," Sonix called as he stabbed his Cricket Fork into the ground. The sonic waves spread violently into the ground, tearing it apart as they traveled towards the two stunned monsters, sending them flying.
Kiria watched with interest with Haruhi watching, impressed. Sonix twirled his Cricket Fork and then pointed it at Kiria, "You're next!"
Kiria smirked and looked to the two Cyclopses. "Is it?" Sonix followed his gaze and saw the Cyclopses rising back to their feet. "It's not very easy to kill Cyclopses."
"That's because I wasn't aiming to," said Sonix. "But I guess you left me with no choice." He stabbed his Cricket Fork into the ground, driving the pointed end deep. Kiria wondered what he was up to when Sonix's chestplate split open to reveal the hidden speakers.
"Have a taste of THIS!" roared Sonix as sound exploded from his chest. The air rippled, vibrating as the powerful sonic wave travelled towards its target. The Cyclopses both howled in agony as they covered their ears to block out the loud sound. Haruhi fell to her knees, in pain, as she was being affected as well. Even Kiria was having trouble staying on his feet.
"Rrrraaaaa!" the skinny Cyclops roared, covering his ears. "Sound! Annoying sound!"
"Shut that damn thing off!" the fat Cyclops shouted, pulling out a large hammer from behind its back. It reared its arm back before it threw it towards Sonix, the force of the throw allowing it to bypass the soundwaves. The hammer hit hard, disrupting Sonix's soundwave cannon, and sending him flying onto his back.
Sonix's grunted as he fell, coughing up slightly as he pushed himself up onto his feet. "Guess you guys will make a decent challenge after all," he admitted.
Shinichi left the store with the girls wearing the biggest grin on his face. He didn't even mind holding the shopping bags for the girls. What happened for the past half hour was worth it. They had just exited a lingerie store and the girls had modeled for him. It was every man's dream to see a beautiful woman in sexy lingerie and despite being emotionally suppressed for a decade, Shinichi was like any other man.
Kurumu, Mizore and Yukari were not shy about showing off their bodies. However, there just wasn't lingerie for a girl Yukari's age. Moka, however, was reluctant but she knew it would make Shinichi happy.
There was also a more devious reason they were modelling lingerie for him. They wanted to get his mind off Lina. After learning about his past, they wanted to make him happy after all he'd done for them. He was just so sweet, kind, and gentle.
The girls made Shinichi happy and they wanted to replace the ten years of horrible memories with better, happier ones, making him forget about the pain and torment he'd suffered because of GIN-SHOCKER and Dr. Gebok. They wanted him to let go of his past, and it seemed to be succeeding after they entered their second term. However, Lina's appearance had just messed things up for them.
Their group stopped for some lunch in a restaurant and Shinichi massaged his shoulder as he muttered, "Mental note: no more group shopping trips."
"Oh, come on," Kurumu nudged his arm. "Like it was that bad. You enjoyed the whole thing."
"I'd have to be gay not to," he said honestly.
"Gin would probably be kicking himself for not getting the chance like you did," said Mizore.
Gin sneezed as he was developing photos.
"You know, I kinda had an idea for what our class could do for the school festival, actually," said Shinichi, blushing.
"Well, go on, tell us," Moka encouraged.
"A cafe in honor of Kamen Riders of the past," said Shinichi. "A Kamen Rider Cafe." He was met with silence and he looked down in embarrassment. "I knew it. Forget I said anything."
"That sounds like a great idea!" chirped Yukari.
"You know, if you think about it, we could do something like that. Put up some posters, some decorations, and Rider-themed food," said Kurumu.
"Like an Amazon Salad, or X-Sandwiches," Yukari put in.
"We would also need to wear costumes too," said Mizore.
"Girls, are you just humoring me?" he asked suspiciously. Moka put her hand on his.
"No, we're not," she told him. "We do think this'll be a good idea."
"I mean, sure they wanted to do a sort of maid cafe, and you have to admit I'd look great in a maid outfit," boasted Kurumu as her breasts jiggled.
"I think I can design the outfits," said Shinichi. He grabbed a napkin and took out a pen. He drew a rough sketch for the girls. What he designed was a black top with matching shorts, with boots, gloves and a scarf. "I don't suppose you girls mind wearing eye masks or something?"
"It is a Kamen Rider Cafe, isn't it?" Mizore responded.
Sonix stomped the Cyclops' face into the dirt and pointed at Kiria. "Now, it's your turn." He gaped as he noticed that Kiria was reading a book. Had he been reading it this whole time? Slowly, Sonix shook with annoyance. "Hey, listen to me when I'm talking to you!" He snapped as he swung his Cricket Fork, sending a blast of sound that knocked the book out of his hand. Kiria looked up at Sonix, looking mildly annoyed.
"I was nearly at the end of that book," said Kiria as he picked up and brushed the dust off the cover.
"I don't give a shit about that, douchebag," Sonix scoffed. "Now that your goons have been beaten, it's time for you to step in and fight."
Haruhi, meanwhile, was watching the confrontation in interest. She never knew that Daichi was some kind of insect monster who could manipulate sound. The only known Youkai with similar abilities were Werewolves, Banshees, Inugamis, Mermaids, and Sirens. But he was none of those. So what was he?
Kiria flicked his right hand and Daichi watched as his arm changed into something horrific. By the end of the transformation, Kiria's right arm had changed into a large scythe that looked capable of cutting anything. "As you wish," said Kiria and he suddenly blurred out of sight. Sonix suddenly screamed as sparks exploded from his chest as a long, diagonal cut was left on the armor. He staggered backwards in pain as Kiria stood before him.
"TEME!" Sonix roared as he swung his Cricket Fork, only for Kiria to counter with his scythe. Kiria knocked Sonix back and started to slash at him repeatedly. Sonix was forced on the defensive, blocking Kiria's strikes but a few managed to get past his defences, leaving cuts on his armor. He scowled as he was reminded of Shinichi's power, how the cyborg was able to hold his own against three cyborgs without transforming. Ducking under another strike, he slammed the long shaft of his weapon into Kiria's stomach, knocking him backwards but Kiria managed to hook his scythe on Sonix's shoulder, pulling him along as they went tumbling and crashing into another tombstone.
"Daichi!" Haruhi cried as she chased after them.
Kiria recovered and stood before Sonix who glared at him in anger. "What exactly are you, Takashima-kun?"
"I'm your worst fucking nightmare, prettyboy!" Sonix roared as he swung, unleashing a blast of sound that would've sent Kiria flying if he hadn't anchored himself with his scythe.
"So much anger," Kiria studied.
Meanwhile, the Cyclopses Sonix had beaten earlier were starting to recover. They reached inside their pockets and pulled out a handful of blue pills.
The group stopped at a videogame arcade. Shinichi joined Kurumu at DDRX, played Air Hockey with Mizore, and played Whack-A-Mole with Yukari. He and Moka ended up playing a Fighting Game together with Shinichi showing his impressive skills on the controls with Moka barely able to keep up with him. Of course, her inner self would've considered games a waste of time.
By winning so much, the group received a sizable amount of tokens from the machines to exchange for gifts that the arcade had.
Shinichi checked his watch. "I think it's time we head back. It's already getting late."
"Aw, do we have to?" whined Kurumu.
"I think you already have enough shoes, Kurumu-chan," he chuckled.
"You didn't buy much either, Shinichi-kun," said Moka.
"A few new shirts, jackets and pants, but that's about it," he said.
"Hey, how about that coat?" Mizore pointed to a shop window and Shinichi saw the duster which was hanging on a mannequin. He walked closer for a better look, studying it.
"It does look nice," he admitted. But then he noticed something. It was quiet, too quiet in fact. The shopping district was suddenly empty, with only him and the girls present. "Girls, where are the other people. This place was crowded earlier, wasn't it?"
The girls finally realized it. Mononoke Arcade was always a centre of activity but now it seemed almost deserted. Shinichi's eyes narrowed in suspicion. This was not a normal occurrence. Besides them, there was no other living creature.
Suddenly, Shinichi screamed as he was hit by a spray of laser bullets. The girls cried out in shock as he was sent falling to the ground, injured.
"Kuso..." Shinichi growled as he felt the lasers penetrate his skin, damaging his body. Fortunately, he hadn't been hit in any vital parts. His clothes were soaked in blood, though. He then looked up and spotted something in the air. His eyes narrowed as he focused, his pupils dilating as he activated his telescopic vision.
The being resembled a humanoid moth covered in red and green armor. The multicolored wings were spread out wide and proud and he also sported a pair of Gatling guns mounted on his shoulders, which released smoke as they had just been used recently. He also had nozzles on his forearms connected to a pack on his back by rubber tubes. His helmet had a pair of large, green compound eyes and a pair of feathery antennae on his brow. Across his chest, large and bold, was XVIII (18).
"Shinichi-kun!" Moka went to help Shinichi up to his feet and he supported himself against the wall. "You're hurt!" she said as she saw his injuries.
"It's...just a flesh wound," he told her. He closed his eyes and concentrated. A glowing clock face appeared under his feet and the hands moved in reverse. His body was being repaired by his temporal power as the blood vanished and his body mended itself. Once he was recovered, he shouted, "Get down here!"
The being lowered himself to the ground, standing several feet from the group. They stared at the moth-like cyborg who stood in front of them.
"You're a new NUMBER," Shinichi identified. "One of the Jagers."
"#18: Atlas," the cyborg identified himself. "So, you're BLACK 13." He scoffed. "I'm not impressed. I don't get why GIN-SHOCKER and Gebok makes such a deal out of you. Doesn't matter. I'm here to take you down for #14!"
"You mean Lina?" questioned Shinichi.
"That's right, but first I need to make sure there's no interference," said Atlas as his wings began to glow, the colors shifting rapidly and randomly before Shinichi's eyes. It didn't seem to work on him but the girls suddenly went unconscious.
"Kurumu-chan! Moka-chan! Yukari-chan! Mizore-chan!" shouted Shinichi.
"Don't worry, they're only asleep," said Atlas.
"Is this what you did to everyone else?" accused Shinichi.
"Bingo, 13!" Atlas confirmed. "All I did was hypnotise them and tell them to leave Mononoke Arcade, which they did!"
"How did you find this place? It's exclusive only to Youkai," demanded Shinichi.
"Isn't that ironic, considering you're not a Youkai either," Atlas argued. Shinichi gritted his teeth. "Defeat me, and you'll know. Lose, and you're coming with me to GS like 14 wants!"
"Over my dead body! Let's Ride: Showa!"
"That's exactly what I wanted to hear!" shouted Atlas as he fired the nozzles on his gauntlets, spraying powder towards Showa. He dodged the attack but some of the powder landed on his body. Suddenly, the powder exploded, causing sparks to erupt all over as he cried out in pain. Activating his wings, Atlas shot towards Showa and hit him across the face with a punch, sending him staggering. He followed up with a continuous assault of punches and kicked him hard in the chest. Another spray of powder exploded as he was covered and he collapsed to his knees.
"I can't see what 14 sees in you," Atlas snorted.
"Her name...is Lina..." Showa growled as he forced himself back to his feet.
"I was told you were difficult to kill," said Atlas. "Stubborn, I think it was. But then again there's one cure for stubbornness." He aimed his Gatling guns. "Eat this." He fired, aiming to riddle Showa with lasers like before only for Showa to leap before the first shot was fired. He drove his foot into Atlas' face, knocking him backwards. He drove him back further with an open palm strike and followed it up with an elbow strike into his jaw. Atlas aimed his sprayers at Showa only for him to knock his arms up. Atlas panicked as the powder landed on him. Showa was not concerned.
"Let's Ride: Roborider!" As he changed, the powder landed on him and Atlas before exploding. While Atlas jerked as his body was assaulted by multiple explosions, Showa-Roborider was not affected at all. He gripped the Gatling guns and bent then upwards, rendering them useless before aiming his gun at Atlas' chest. "Voltech Shooter!" Laser fire assaulted the Moth Cyborg as sparks flew and he was sent staggering.
Atlas staggered backwards and panted as smoke seeped from his armor. "Alright, now I see why 14 likes you so much. You're good."
"It's time to finish this," said Showa as he activated his Legacy Driver.
"ULTIMATE RIDE: LEGACY MODE!"
In a flash of gold he was transformed to Legacy Mode. Atlas drew his weapon, a butterfly axe with glowing red edges. He struck as Showa countered with the Legacy Saber. Sparks flew as their weapons connected but Atlas was pushed back. He swung forward and fired red lightning from the axe which flew towards Showa but he called, "Let's Ride: V3!" Using one of V3's 26 secrets, Red Lamp Power, he absorbed the attack and sent it back at Atlas at double the intensity.
Atlas was sent flying as his own lightning attack hit. Showa strode towards him and stated, "Game Over for you." He reached for his Legacy Driver but as as he was about to twist it, the device began to spark. Suddenly, Showa screamed as the Rider symbols on his chest flashed rapidly and randomly as he spasmed as if he was being electrocuted himself. There was a violent explosion of energy as the Legacy Driver forcefully removed itself from Showa and his armor vanished in an instant.
Shinichi fell to his hands and knees, groaning in pain. He picked up the Legacy Driver and wondered what was happening. Atlas was confused too but he didn't stick around to find out what was going on. He flew off to report what had happened.
"This is stupid! I mean, what the hell!" Sonix shouted as he moved left and right, trying to avoid everything that came at him.
As he was going on with his fight against Kiria, the two Cyclopses had suddenly got back to their feet, and once again went into the offensive. But something was very, very different from the previous round. They could move faster, almost as fast as Kiria, and they could also hit much harder, making shockwaves with every blow they sent. There was also one other thing different about them; their veins and single eyes were glowing bright blue.
Once again, more Youkai had somehow gotten their hands on G-Shock.
Kiria stood back once he saw the Cyclopses up for round two. His eyes, however, were trained less on Sonix, and more on his lackeys. It wasn't just the obvious glow in their veins and eyes, but also how they fought with sudden speed and strength that they had never shown before.
"Fascinating..." he mused to himself.
"You son of a bitch!" Sonix yelled at Kiria, just after jumping away from a swing made by one of the giants, "You gave them something, didn't you?"
"I'm as much as in the dark as you are," Kiria shrugged. Of course, Sonix wasn't likely to believe a word he said. Suddenly, he was backhanded and sent crashing into several tombstones. The Cricket Cyborg groaned and realized he was disarmed. He reached for his Cricket Fork but was hauled up by the skinny Cyclops before being repeatedly bashed against the ground. The Cyclops was enjoying this before a huge tombstone was hurled at his face, hitting his eye. He roared as he released Sonix and looked to see Haruhi with a tombstone in each hand.
"Let him go," she demanded.
"Or you'll what?" the skinny Cyclops scoffed, "Keep throwing tombstones at us?"
Haruhi continued to frown. At that moment, the fat Cyclops suddenly blurred at her right and reared back its fist, which slightly glowed in ominous blue. Her eyes widening, Haruhi dropped the tombstones and brought up her hands. She caught the huge fist in her grip, the feedback causing a loud rumble, followed by some dirt and rocks to jump into the air. Her skirt and hair were not immune to this either, as they too flowed upwards as if gravity stopped for short moment.
"What are you doing!" Daichi yelled. "She's got no part in this!"
"Sorry to say, but the moment she stepped in here, she does," Kiria remarked, causing Sonix's focus to be turned to him. "Besides, I wasn't really going to let her leave her anyway. I can't have anymore Purebloods knowing about us."
"You motherfucker! What do you have against Purebloods anyway?" Sonix shouted. "What did they ever do to you?"
Kiria suddenly frowned. "Everything."
"Nani?"
The fat Cyclops continued to grind its fist into the girl as she continued to resist. Haruhi growled as she pushed, the ground breaking under her shoes as she struggled to get a foothold. It looked like she wasn't strong enough to match up with this suddenly superpowered Cyclops... then she'll have to make herself stronger!
Roaring out like a savage beast, Haruhi exploded with a blast of Youki, forcing both Sonix and Kiria to shield their eyes. Once the Youki subsided, they could both see that Haruhi had changed form. Her skin was now green and scaly, and her hair went from straight and tamed to wild and all over her head. The sclera of her eyes turned yellow, her ears were long and pointed, and short fangs could be see out of her bottom lip.
"HUUUUUUURAAAAGH!" Haruhi bellowed, picking the Cyclops from the ground by its fist. Everyone present watched in amazement as the girl picked up the much larger, much heavier, Cyclops with almost little effort, and then drop it down with in a huge, ground-crushing, suplex.
"...Damn," Sonix muttered.
"An Ogre," Kiria frowned, "Those kind of monsters can ignore the weight of anything they touch. They're said to be nearly as dangerous as Vampires."
"You don't say." While Sonix felt that Haruhi was annoying for following him around, it was at this moment he was glad to have her watching his back.
"Well, it seems that we're out of time," said Kiria as he turned his arm back to normal. "I would love to continue but I have more important matters to deal with than to play with you." He gave a polite bow. "Goodbye. I hope we meet again." He vanished in a blur before Sonix could strike him.
"Kuso!" the Cricket Cyborg cursed. He then turned his attention to Haruhi and the two Cyclopses. "Well, at least there's still them."
Haruhi was fighting off both the Cyclopses when Sonix flew in and kicked the fat one to the ground. "I'll leave the skinny one to you," he told her as he watched the fat one pick himself up. "OK, big, fat and ugly. This is how it's going to end!" He jumped up and performed a flip through the air before executing his own signature Rider Kick. The Spark Core shone brightly and soundwaves appeared around his foot as he shouted out, "Sonix Overdrive!"
WHAM!
The Cyclops was sent flying from the force of his kick, spinning about before landing with a huge crash, crushing the tombstones with his large body mass. As he slowed down, his body shrunk up into human form, leaving him shriveled up and dry.
Haruhi slapped away an incoming fist of the Cyclopes with her own arm, causing it to recall with some force. It roared as it charge forward with another fist armed. Haruhi stood her ground and waited before the Cyclopes' fist came at her with full force. Haruhi quickly jumped on the fist just as it hit the ground with a loud shake. With one more powerful leap, she went over the Cyclops' head and grabbed both of its ears. She used her ability to ignore its weight and swung it over, sending it crashing onto the ground, hard. Haruhi landed down with the dust picking up around her. Looking at the giant, she watched as it shrunk back into human form, but was surprised to see the man shriveled up like a dry husk.
"Wow," Haruhi uttered.
"Those two Cyclopses took super-steroids that allowed them to move faster and hit harder than any other monster of their kind," Sonix explained as he walked up to her. "The problem is that once the steroids run out, they're drained and feel fatigue."
"Just like the others from the Tournament," Haurhi realized.
"Yeah, just like them," Daichi said, his armor disappearing. "Anyway... thanks for helping me out of there. Come on, I'll get you something to eat." It was the least he could do.
Haruhi beamed, "Okay!" She went and took hold of his arm. "Lead the way."
In the base that Lina had set up somewhere nearby Youkai Academy, the White Cicada Cyborg was staring at an old picture of herself and Kuro. In that photo, she was smiling cheerfully, whereas Kuro looked somewhat confused at best. Considering that she had to make sure that no one else suspected anything, she was dressed in the Youkai Academy uniform. As she was staring at the picture longingly, Atlas suddenly barged into the room. "14! 14!" he shouted before he was slammed forcefully against the wall by a telekinetic force.
"What is it?" she asked. "Did you find him?"
"Yeah, he was in Mononoke Arcade," he said, groaning slightly as he picked himself from the wall. "I was almost beaten too but I escaped!"
"Almost?" she questioned.
"He used that upgrade but it malfunctioned," he clarified.
"Really?" Lina said, cocking an eyebrow. In a flash of red lightning Atlas changed into an average looking young man. He had spiked up green hair and vibrant blue eyes. He too wore the academy's uniform.
"So, you know what could've happened?" #18 asked, "I mean, you know 13 better than the rest of us."
Lina was thinking of Atlas' words. They had been told that BLACK 13 had access to a more powerful form, capable of being a threat to them. But to see it malfunction... "I'm not sure actually. Maybe this could use a bit of, uh... investigation."
The girls had woken up, the effects of Atlas' hypnosis having worn off after his departure. After what happened, they decided to call it a day and were now riding the bus back to Youkai Academy.
Shinichi sat near the window, looking out at the scenery which passed him by. Clutched in his hand was the Legacy Driver. What had happened? He had attempted to execute a finisher but suddenly the Legacy Driver had malfunctioned, causing him pain as it cancelled out his transformation.
What was the reason for it?
Leon finally had a lead. The reason that ANTI-THESIS could move so easily in the school without interference, how they had gained so much power and influence without notice.
A member of ANTI-THESIS was in the student government.
KAMEN RIDER DATABASE
"I just can't catch a break, can I?" Shinichi complained. He realized he was on camera. "Oh, hi! Sorry! Anyway, welcome to another entry of the Kamen Rider Database! I'll be your host for this entry!"
He continued, "Well, my day out with the girls was rudely interrupted when one of GIN-SHOCKER's newest cyborg super-soldiers suddenly showed up. Who am I talking about?" The screen behind him showed Atlas. "#18: Kamen Rider Atlas."
A full body picture of Atlas was displayed next, "As his name suggests, he is modeled after the Atlas Moth. He's armed with a pair of shoulder-mounted Gatling guns and a pair of sprayers on his arms connected to a tank on his back which spray explosive powder. Believe me, it's painful since I ended up being the target of that powder. Now, as you can see here, you might be wondering what the deal with his wings is? I'll tell you. He can use his wings to generate a hypnotic wave. That was how he emptied the street so quickly and knocked out the girls. For some reason, his hypnotic wave had no effect on me."
Shinichi concluded, "Well, that's all I can about Atlas. What he does in the future, you'll just have to read on, won't you? See you all next time! Bye!"
KAMEN RIDER CHROME: It looks like ANTI-THESIS is targeting the former NUMBERS, acknowledging them as threats. They even got their hands in G-Shock? Oh, and what's this? Looks like Daichi is opening up. And not forgetting, #18: Atlas has been introduced as well. Boy, things are heating up, aren't they? Well, hopefully you guys can keep reading and reviewing. Oh, and we got Mononoke Arcade introduced here as well.
