Happy new year!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.
…
Meanwhile, in 2068…
[01] "PROGRISE! GIANT WAKING! BREAKING MAMMOTH! LARGER THAN LIFE TO CRUSH LIKE A MACHINE." [01]
Momotaros scowled as Aruto Hiden jumped into a giant robot vaguely resembling a mammoth and started laying waste to over a dozen Time Mazines. "How come the new guy gets a robot and we don't?"
"We have a tricked-out flying train that can travel through time," Urataros pointed out, knocking away a Kasshine that had been charging towards Momotaros from behind with his rod.
"Yeah, but it's not a robot!" Momotaros whined.
"Didn't you get to combine the DenLiner with the ToQger mecha once?" Ryotaro recalled, cutting down an adversary with the DenKamen Sword.
"He did, I remember that," Hikari, ToQ #4, replied.
"Yeah, but then I got shoved all the way down to the feet when a certain Red Ranger popped up, claimed I was doing it wrong, and knocked me out of my spot as the head!" Momotaros snarled angrily, thrusting his sword into a charging robot without even looking. "I mean, seriously, Kiryu, it's bad enough you were constantly stealing the spotlight during your own series, did you have to force your way into a crossover when it wasn't even your year anymore?!"
Daigo Kiryu, Kyoryu Red, punched a robot's head off before glancing at Momotaros in confusion. "What? What are you talking about? I never stole anyone's spotlight."
"Oh, give me a break!" Momotaros snapped. "You're a Red Ranger! You can't help it! You guys ALWAYS get the most focus and power ups! But even for Reds, you were ridiculous!"
"That's not true!" Daigo protested. "It was always a team effort! Right guys?" There was a silence. "Guys?"
He glanced his friends, who were looking away awkwardly. "Well… He… Sort of has a point…" Nobuharu, Kyoryu Blue, admitted uncomfortably.
"You did have a bit of a tendency to hog the spotlight," Souji, Kyoryu Green, confessed. "Like… All the time. Honestly, I'm a little surprised I was the one who got Torin's sword, I was half-expecting you to wind up with it instead even though you don't even USE swords."
"I mean, really, Daigo, the final battle basically consisted of us literally serving as your backup singers while you took on Deboss all by yourself," Ian, Kyoryu Black said with a hint of bitterness.
Daigo was shocked. "Really? You guys all felt like this?" The other Kyoryugers muttered in agreement, unable to meet his eyes. "… Why didn't you TELL me you felt like this?"
"Well, at the time, we just sort of, you know, figured this was how things always went," Amy, Kyoryu Pink, informed him uncomfortably. "You ARE the Red, you know, meaning you usually get the lion's share of everything. Then we started talking with some of the other teams, and learned that even for Reds you got an inordinate amount of focus, and… Well…"
"By that point, it was kind of too late, since our adventure was basically over and it was too late to change anything," Utsusemimaru, Kyoryu Gold continued.
Daigo was crestfallen. "Guys, I honestly had no idea you felt like this," he told his friends. "You should've said something sooner. We could've worked something out."
"It's kind of a bit late for that now, isn't it?" Ian said resignedly. "Our adventures are over. Now we're only getting involved in crossovers and team ups. We aren't going to be really relevant ever again."
"And it's probably going to be just the same with our grandkids," Souji grumbled.
"You see? Even your own team is fed up with your scene-stealing!" Momotaros jeered as Daigo sagged, clearly upset.
"But Momotaros, didn't YOU more or less become the face of Den-O, to the point where Ryotaro was more or less forgotten and the rest of us were lucky to even get cameos in future team ups?" Ryutaros pointed out.
Momotaros froze. "That's… That's completely different!"
"How so?" Ryotaro asked. There was no judgment in his question, merely idle curiosity. He hadn't begrudged Momotaros for becoming the face of their team, the red Imagin had always enjoyed fighting more than he had.
"Well, uh… Hey, how come you Sentai aren't in your mecha?" Momotaros asked, quickly changing the subject. "I mean, there's still a bunch of giant robots causing trouble. Shouldn't you be helping with that?"
"Your train crashed into ours and now they're both frantically trying to make repairs in the middle of the battle," Right, ToQ #1, reminded him.
Some distance away, Akira, ToQ #6, was alternating between making repairs to the Ressha and flailing his light guide-based weapon at wave after wave of enemy combatants. "This will NOT be the place where I die!"
"And we figured that our Zyudenchi could cover more ground if they were allowed to run wild on their own," Utsusemimaru added.
Not too far away, Gabutyra roared into the sky as he stood atop a heap of burning Time Mazines, the other biomechanical dinosaurs rampaging around him.
"That's certainly a convenient explanation-" Takeru Tenkuji began before a Dai Mazine abruptly stepped on and killed him.
Everyone gasped. "They killed Takeru! Those bastards!" Momotaros cried.
"Relax, he'll be fine in no time," Sieg said dismissively. "This happens constantly, remember?"
"Will the new guy?" Futaros asked as the Dai Mazine lashed out with one of its massive limbs, knocking the Breaking Mammoth mecha away. Before the much smaller robot could get up, the Dai Mazine was on it, pinning it to the ground with one of its legs and opening its metal jaws, powering up a lethal energy beam…
[01!] HYPER JUMP! OVER RISE! PROGRISE! [01!]
"WARNING, WARNING: THIS IS NOT A TEST."
[01!] HYBRID RISE! SHINING ASSAULT HOPPER! [01!]
"NO CHANCE OF SURVIVING THIS SHOT."
The cockpit of the mammoth robot exploded as Aruto, clad in his incredible Shining Assault Hopper armor, blasted out, rising towards the Dai Mazine's head. The giant robot shrieked and swung a claw at him…
Only for the Rider to vanish, and suddenly several dozen holographic projections appeared around the Dai Mazine, Aruto flickering between each one several times a second. The robot's head rolled around frantically, trying to target the Rider…
When suddenly half a dozen blue crystalline attack drones formed right in front of his face and fired laser beams into its optics, ripping its face apart in a tremendous explosion. As the gargantuan machine reared back, howling in metallic agony, Aruto suddenly re-materialized behind the robot and shot towards it in a brilliant Rider Kick, lines of lights trailing from his form.
[01!] ASSAULT CHARGE! SHINING STORM IMPACT! [01!]
[01!] SHINING STORM IMPACT! [01!]
With a blinding flash, Aruto smashed into the Dai Mazine's back and blasted out through its chest, shattering the robot's torso and leaving a gaping hole in his wake as he continued rising through the air. Behind him, the Dai Mazine uttered a final wail of anguish before collapsing to the ground, exploding spectacularly.
As Aruto landed, a bunch of other Time Mazines and Kasshine closed in on him. His attack drones regrouped around him and flared, spinning around him and firing laser beams that sliced through the army of robots, obliterating them in a series of explosions. As the flames burned around him, he dramatically proclaimed, "You can't win. There's only one person who can surpass me… And that's me!"
The other heroes nearby stared in awe. "… Okay, the new guy's got some skills," the impressed Yuto conceded.
"Show-off," Momotaros grumbled.
Elsewhere, Daiki Kaito wailed as he was flung backwards, an explosion consuming his form and causing his armor to vanish, striking the ground and rolling some distance across it, twisting his limbs at extremely unpleasant angles. Coughing up blood, he tried to push himself up on his elbows, reaching a hand out for his Neo Diendriver, which had landed nearby…
Only for an armored heel to slam down on it, smashing it to pieces. "No. No more. This ends now, Daiki," Natsumi told the thief Rider coldly. "Your days of stealing, deceiving, and manipulating are no more. You are barely even fit to be my court jester. You are now exactly where you belong… On the ground, kissing the feet of one who is superior to you in every way."
"This… This shouldn't be possible," Daiki stammered, coughing up more blood. "You shouldn't… Be this strong… My new power over time… Had no effect?!"
"Even time bows before the will of the True Queen," Natsumi said haughtily.
"The true-" Daiki started laughing, only to start coughing and spat up more blood. "Are you still on that?! Don't you get it?! Your reputation, your legend, it's all based on a lie! You're nothing more than a fake hero I created as a prank who let her fame go to her head!"
"And yet I am the one still standing tall, while you are at my feet," Natsumi pointed out coldly. "I shall deal with the ramifications of your deceit in my own time. It does not change the fact that, even if I was a false Savior before, my power now is the real deal. I strongly urge you to submit now lest I mete out more punishment upon your wretched body. I am sure I could find a place for you in my court. It's about time I got a new jester."
Daiki snarled. "Submit? To you? Never! A good thief always has a trick up his sleeve… And this one's a doozy!"
He flicked his wrist, producing an Anotherwatch.
"DIEND!"
He slammed the watch into his chest, crying out in agony as bands of darkness wrapped around his body. Natsumi took a step back in surprise as Daiki rose to his feet, the darkness parting to reveal that he had transformed into a monstrous Another Rider. Most of his body resembled Susan's Another Rider form, but blue, with massive curved horns jutting from his barcoded shoulder and others growing from the sides of his head, which was a mass of protrusions also resembling a barcode growing over a grotesque grimace.
"I am Another Diend, the Thief of Time!" Daiki roared. "I will steal everything… Everywhere…everyWHEN! Every treasure in existence… Will be MINE!"
"So at last your outward appearance resembles your twisted heart," Natsumi said in disgust. "It would appear I must get serious as well, then. Come, Tatsu-la!"
A tiny silvery Dragon shot down from the skies and flew across her chest, striking her wing-like shoulder armor and causing great silvery wings to open up, silvery energy bats flying out from them as the Dragon landed on her left forearm, transforming into a large, ornate bracelet. "HENSHIN!"
The bats swarmed her, clustering around her leg, arm, and chest armor, transforming them into ornate silver pieces resembling that of Kiva's Emperor form. Kiva-la's eyes flashed, and more bats flew into her head, giving her mask a more ornate appearance. She thrust her left arm to his side, and in a flash of silver fire a blue cape flowed down her back. "You should consider yourself honored, Daiki. Few have lasted long enough against me to witness my Empress form!"
"Should I be impressed? It's basically a recolor of Kiva!" Daiki scoffed.
"You mean like you're basically a recolor of me?" Tsukasa asked as he marched over in his Strongest Complete Form.
"Kadoya! I thought you were fighting Susan!" Daiki cried, startled.
"I was," the Destroyer of Worlds said casually. "He's not going to be a problem anymore."
Nearby, Susan grit his teeth in rage as the TimeRangers slapped time cuffs on him. "Curse you, Decade!"
"That's my line," complained a man in a coat and floppy hat.
Natsumi hesitated, then "Tsukasa. I… Don't believe I have taken the opportunity to apologize."
Tsukasa tilted his head in puzzlement. "Hmm?"
"For years, you've been trying to tell me that our battle did not go the way I thought it did. I thought you simply jealous of my strength, and allowed your name to be discredited as I continued to win more and more accolades based on a lie," Natsumi told him regretfully. "I should have trusted you more. Because of my hubris, our friendship was destroyed. I… Am sorry, Tsukasa."
"… It's not totally your fault," Tsukasa admitted finally. "I could've tried harder to not sound like some jealous guy in denial. And to be honest, maybe a part of me IS envious. You've grown so much, Natsumi. Become far more than I ever imagined. If we fought for real now, I'm honestly not sure which of us would win. Even if it all started because of a lie… I think I'm genuinely proud of who you've become. You've done well for yourself, Natsumi. More than a Destroyer like myself ever could."
"All that I've become, I owe to you," Natsumi insisted. "Not simply because my defeat of you, real or imagined, launched my career as a Rider. If you'd never walked into my life, my eyes would never have been opened to the greater wonders of the other worlds, to the infinite splendors of the multiverse. If I have truly become great, it's only because you gave me a path to follow."
Under his mask, Tsukasa smiled. "Funny. I'm not sure I remember the last time someone actually THANKED me for something instead of blaming me."
"To be fair, it usually IS your fault," Natsumi half-joked.
"It is not," Tsukasa replied with a good-natured laugh.
"Tsukasa… After we are done here, I shall make sure everyone knows the truth about what really happened all those years ago," Natsumi promised, serious again. "If that means I must give up my throne, step down, resigned from being a Rider… So be it. I will not allow myself to keep what is not earned."
"You've more than earned your title and reputation," Tsukasa said seriously. "But if you really want to make it up to me… How about we have a rematch? A REAL battle this time. Both of us going all out against the other, no holding back. So we can see once and for all which of us is stronger."
Natsumi smiled under her mask. "I would like that."
"And I would like for the two of you to stop talking and fight me already!" Daiki yelled in frustration.
"Guy's got a point," Tsukasa admitted reluctantly.
"Shall we vanquish him, then? To make him pay for his deceit?" Natsumi asked Tsukasa.
The Destroyer of Worlds nodded. "I'd like nothing more."
"Mind if I cut in?" Asked what appeared to be Kuuga in his Rising Ultimate form.
"Onodera!" Natsumi cried in delight. "You finally found your Arcle!"
"Actually, I'm Yusuke Godai," Kuuga informed her. "The one who started out in 2015, not the original."
"I'm right here," said Yusuke Onodera, standing nearby, completely defenseless.
"Oh… Well… That's nice," Tsukasa said awkwardly.
Daiki laughed. "Got your hopes up for a minute there, didn't you? Too bad he's never going to be Kuuga again… Especially not since I'M the one who stole his belt in the first place!"
Onodera gasped. "That was YOU?! I thought I lost it! For YEARS!"
"In retrospect, we probably should've suspected Daiki sooner," Natsumi admitted.
"This is the end for you, Daiki," Tsukasa growled. "We're going to make you pay for everything… All the times you've stolen from us, tricked us, deceived us, betrayed us… And we're totally not going to forgive you for it like we have every other time!"
"We aren't?" Onodera asked in surprise.
"No, Onodera, we aren't," Natsumi said in exasperation.
Daiki laughed as dark energy crackled around his hands. "I think it's high time I stole your greatest treasures… Your LIVES! Come and get me, Kadoya! Hikari!"
"I'm here too," Godai reminded him.
"WHATEVER!" Daigo snapped. "Let's do this!"
As the dimension-travelers began their final showdown, Geiz was sent flying with a cry of agony, his armor vanishing just before he hit the ground. He struggled to get back to his feet, only for Geiz Immortal to drive a foot into his chest, pinning him down and causing him to gasp and spit out blood. "It's over," his older self said sternly. "You've lost. I don't particularly enjoy hurting myself, so I suggest you just give it up already before you take any further unnecessary damage."
"Can't… Can't give up," Geiz whispered, grabbing his older self's leg. "Not… Not until I save… Tsukuyomi…"
"For the last time, it's ALPINA!" Alpina snapped. She shook her head in exasperation. "You STILL don't understand that she was never real?"
"I don't… Believe that…" Geiz said through gritted teeth. "I CAN'T… Believe that…"
Alpina sighed, rolling her eyes beneath her mask. "Ugh, whatever. This is getting old. Geiz, just knock him out, inject him with nanomachines, and get it over with already. I want him to become my fiancé already."
"As you wish, my princess," Geiz Immortal replied, pointing a Zikan Jaclaw into his younger self's face. "Don't worry. This won't hurt much."
Geiz squeezed his eyes shut, bracing himself for the end…
"TIME ERUPTION!"
Without warning, a green energy cube formed next to the startled Geiz Immortal. Woz, in his base form, green energy swirling around him, slammed into Geiz Immortal with a corkscrew kick, launching him into the cube, which transformed into a timer, counted down to zero, and exploded.
"Geiz?!" Alpina cried in horror as her fiancé was engulfed in flames, screaming in agony.
"My Savior, are you all right?" Woz asked in concern, extending a hand to Geiz.
"I've… Been better…" Geiz said weakly as he took the proffered hand, grunting as he was pulled to his feet. "What are you doing here? I thought you were staying out of the fight."
"I am!"
Startled, Geiz looked over his shoulder to see that Woz and his future self were still sitting some distance away, idly watching the continuing battle between Sougo and Oma Zi-O. "What? But then… I don't understand…"
"Do you not remember me, my Savior?" Asked the new Woz, sounding disappointed. "It is I, White Woz!"
Geiz did a double-take. "White Woz? But I thought you were erased from existence!"
"I was re-created thanks to Susan abusing the power of Another Decade," White Woz informed him. "Giving me a second chance to help you achieve your full potential. Here, take this, the watch that will grant you your ultimate power!"
He handed Geiz a massive, bulky, and incredibly ungainly Ridewatch with a transformed version of Geiz's face on it surrounded by numerous rings of red disks with the faces of secondary Riders on them. "What… What is this?" Geiz wondered, astonished.
"The instrument that will allow you to become the Savior this world needs!" White Woz proclaimed. "Use it, and fulfill your destiny!"
"… This thing isn't going to kill me, is it?" Geiz asked warily, remembering how the last watch White Woz had given him was intended to give him the power to defeat Sougo at the cost of his life.
"No," White Woz promised.
"Will it give me the power to save Tsukuyomi?" Geiz asked hopefully.
"Still don't need saving!" Alpina yelled.
White Woz shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe?"
"Then that's good enough for me!" Geiz decided, activating the new watch as well as his usual one.
(V) GEIZ! GEIZ MAJESTY! (V)
He plugged both watches into his belt. Numerous Ridewatches flew towards him as a huge red and gold clock rose behind him, along with statues of numerous secondary Riders.
(V) ADVENT! COMPLETE! TURN UP! CHANGE STAG BEETLE! ALTAIR FORM! FIST ON! KAMENRIDE! ACCEL! METEOR, READY? SET, OPEN! L – I – O – N, LION! EYES OPEN! LEVEL UP! CROSS-Z DRAGON! (V)
"HENSHIN!"
The statues flew into the air and converged on his body, turning into Ridewatches as they slammed on, one after another, a new suit materializing on him resembling Sougo's GrandZi-O form but in red with a golden cape and Ridewatches instead of little Rider statuettes.
(V) "MAJESTY TIME! G3! KNIGHT! KAIXA! GARREN! IBUKI! GATTACK! ZERONOS! IXA! DIEND! ACCEL! BIRTH! METEOR! BEAST! BARON! MACH! SPECTER! BRAVE! CROSS-Z! KAMEN RIDER! GEIZ MAJESTY!" (V)
"Oh... take my pride. REJOICE! The one to save those suffering from the darkness. He is the savior who brings light back to the future! His name is Kamen Rider GeizMajesty! Truly a moment of nativity!" White Woz proclaimed enthusiastically as an astonished Geiz examined his new form. "My Savior, you have inherited the power of all secondary Heisei Riders! Power second only to that of the demon king!"
"Wait, only second?" Geiz asked, disappointed.
White Woz shrugged. "Well, to be fair, it's the power of the secondary Riders, so…"
"Well, at least it's not the tertiary ones," Geiz conceded. "But with this new strength, I'm sure I'll be powerful enough to save… Tsukuyomi…"
He trailed off, staring in disbelief at Geiz Immortal, who had emerged from the flames… Wearing an outfit almost exactly the same as his, only black was the predominant color scheme. "… Woz, why does he look like me?"
"Because he IS you, you idiot!" Alpina shouted. "In the future! Which means that whenever you get a power up, he benefits from it as well! DUH!"
Geiz shot White Woz a furious look. The Time traveler laughed in embarrassment. "Perhaps I did not think this through properly…"
"You think?!"
Alpina snorted. "Geez, you guys are such idiots! The only reason your resistance lasted as long as it did was because we allowed it to!" She shook her head and draped herself over Geiz Immortal. "It's a good thing you're so good-looking, otherwise I would never have given you the time of day."
"Should I be flattered or insulted?" Geiz Immortal asked in amusement.
Alpina kissed him on the cheek. "Whichever you prefer."
"Woz, what do we do now?" Geiz hissed.
"It seems we shall have to fight them," White Woz said apologetically. "Do not worry, my Savior. With the two of us working together, we surely stand a chance of winning!"
"No you don't!" Alpina shouted.
"Ignore the harlot!" White Woz hissed.
"Excuse me?!" Alpina demanded the same time as both Geizes snapped, "She's not a harlot!"
"No, she isn't… She is a QUEEN!"
Everyone turned their heads to see that ANOTHER Woz was walking towards them. "Oh for fuck's sake, another one?" Geiz groaned.
"This is starting to get out of hand," Black Woz complained.
"Should we do something about it?" Woz Beyond wondered.
They glanced at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Nah."
Alpina sighed in exasperation. "And which Woz are you supposed to be?"
"I am Red Woz!" The new Woz proclaimed.
"But you have white armor," the confused Geiz Immortal pointed out.
"That's just what my Rider outfit looks like, I'm wearing red underneath," Red Woz explained. "I come from another future, where Alpina is the benevolent ruler of all of time and space!"
"Really? Awesome!" Alpina squealed.
"I said benevolent ruler," Red Woz repeated.
"I can be benevolent!" Alpina insisted. "Right, honey?"
Geiz Immortal shifted awkwardly. "Well…"
She glared at him angrily. "This is the part where you back me up if you want to get married."
"Yes, of course you can be benevolent," Geiz Immortal said quickly.
"He's right, you can be… AFTER the evil programming inside your nanomachines has been deactivated, allowing you to utilize your full powers for good instead of evil!" Red Woz agreed.
Alpina snorted. "Oh yeah? And how do you expect to do that?"
"Like so." Red Woz thrust his hand out, and an energy wave rippled out and washed over Alpina. She gasped and fell to her knees.
"TSUKUYOMI/ALPINA!" Both Geizes shouted, rushing to her side.
"What have you done?!" Geiz demanded, livid.
"Nothing harmful," Red Woz insisted. "Now she can awaken to her true destiny as Queen of time!"
"The hell are you talking about?!" Geiz demanded, only for Tsukuyomi to groan. "Tsukuyomi!"
"Her name is Alpina!" Geiz Immortal insisted.
"You could ask me what name I prefer to be called by, if you like," Alpina grunted.
"TSUKUYOMI/ALPINA!" Both Geizes shouted in relief.
"Gah! Not so loud!" She snapped. "My head is killing me… Geez. Red Woz, did you have to hit me that hard?"
Red Woz bowed at the waist. "A thousand apologies, my Queen, but it was the only way to disable the evil programming while allowing your powers to remain intact."
"Wait, so you aren't evil anymore?" Geiz asked hopefully.
"No… No, I don't think I am," Alpina said slowly. She winced. "Oh geez…Geiz, I'm so sorry for all the things I said before. And all the pain I inflicted on you…"
"It's okay. It wasn't you," Geiz instantly forgave her.
"Yes it was," Geiz Immortal insisted.
"He's right, it was," Alpina agreed, much to Geiz's dismay. "Geiz… I'm sorry you had to find out this way, but that girl… Alpina… She IS me. The cruel, spoiled, bratty granddaughter of the demon king and heir to his throne."
"Tsukuyomi…" Geiz whispered, dismayed.
Alpina turned to Geiz Immortal. "But… So was Tsukuyomi. She may have been a false personality, but for a significant period of my life, I WAS her, and she is me. She's what I would've been, I think, if I'd never had that evil programming in my nanomachines. And it is who I am now."
"Then… Then what does that mean for us?" Geiz Immortal asked, looking lost.
Alpina gently touched his cheek. "Nothing. And everything. I love you, Geiz. I always have." She turned to the younger Geiz and touched his cheek with her other hand. "Both of you. That hasn't changed. But…"
"But?" Both of them asked anxiously.
"I can't go back to the way I was before. Either before," she told them softly. "I am Alpina, heir to the throne of the demon king and future Queen of time. But…I am also Tsukuyomi, the rebel who gambled everything on a chance to change the future for the better."
She rose to her feet, both Geizes staring up at her longingly. "It is my destiny to rule. This world is my birthright. That has not changed. But…the sort of person I am has. I shall not follow in my grandfather's footsteps and become a demon Queen. I shall become queen, but one who will create a new future for all of mankind."
She glanced down at the two men. "And there will be a place for you in it by my side. BOTH of you."
"Tsukuyomi…" Geiz whispered, voice choked with tears.
"Alpina, I…" Geiz Immortal hesitated, then looked away. "I… I assume you will go help Sougo fight his future self."
"That is my intention, yes," Alpina agreed.
Geiz Immortal shook his head slowly. "I cannot join you. I am sworn to serve my overlord, my… Brother. But… I will not stand in your way, either." He glanced up at her. "Go help him, your younger grandfather. Change the future. Create a new world for all of us."
Alpina crouched down to hug him. "I will. I promise."
"Tsukuyomi… Alpina… I mean… What should I call you now?" Geiz asked her, struggling to process all of this.
She hugged him. "Whatever you like, my love."
"Tsukuyomi…" Trembling, he hugged her back, shaking as he sobbed in joy and relief.
"Just as it should be," Red Woz said proudly.
White Woz looked at the two lovers, then glanced at his alternate self in confusion. "So… Does this mean that the rest of us Wozes are going to fade away, or…?"
Red Woz shrugged. "Honestly, I have no idea. The timeline is so screwed up at this point who can say?"
"KING TIME BREAK!"
"OMA ZI-O FINISHING STRIKE!"
Sougo and Oma Zi-O launched at each other in Rider Kicks, Sougo accompanied by all 19 primary Heisei Riders with the symbol of the 20th Rider behind them while a series of gold characters for "Kick" circled the demon king's foot, his clock hands streaking behind him like wings. The two Riders collided, the clash of energy so intense that, for a moment, it seemed as if all of reality shattered…
And then, an instant later, was re-created exactly the same, except that Sougo was flung away, slamming into the ground hard enough to form a crater shaped like Oma Zi-O's face, the other Riders vanishing back to their own times. Oma Zi-O landed gracefully at the rim of the crater, looking down into it and shaking his head in disappointment as the younger Sougo staggered to his feet, gasping for breath as his armor dissipated, revealing his beaten and bloodied form, his clothes in tatters. "I am disappointed in you, my younger self. Is that really the best you can do?"
"I don't… I don't understand…" Sougo wheezed, falling to his knees. He dug his fingers into the ground, trembling with fatigue and frustration. "Why… I'm giving it… Everything I have. Why isn't it… Why isn't it enough?"
Oma Zi-O casually strolled into the crater, looming over Sougo. "That's because you AREN'T giving it everything you have, my younger self."
Sougo looked up in confusion, finding himself dwarfed by his future self's shadow. "I don't… What? I don't understand…"
Oma Zi-O sighed and crouched down to look the younger man in the eye. "You are still holding back. You have grown strong, yes. Immensely so. But… There is a small piece of you that fears just how strong you REALLY are, how strong you can become. And so long as you fear yourself, fear your true potential, you will never be able to defeat me."
Sougo started trembling. "I'm afraid because… Because if I use that power… I'll become you."
Oma Zi-O sighed and shook his head in disappointment. "Which is why you continue to fail. Because if you are unable to accept yourself, ALL parts of you, how can you ever surpass your limits?" He slowly reached out a hand, glowing with power. "Allow me to elucidate you… And remove the last of the bonds holding you back."
Terrified, Sougo fell over backwards, scrabbling frantically against the ground to get away. Oma Zi-O, unhurried, came forward, his hand growing closer and closer…
"SOUGO TOKIWA!"
Oma Zi-O hesitated, glancing up. "Eh?"
Sougo blinked, his relief at this surprising reprieve tempered by his recognition of that voice. "That voice… Is that…"
Outside the crater, a time portal appeared, disgorging two figures. One looked like yet ANOTHER Woz, but his form was… Monstrous. His silvery suit looked like bones, his mask twisted to resemble a grinning skull with big glowing LED eyes and his watch antennas turned into horns, his shoulder armor spiked and displaying screaming faces, a large clock with hands made of twisted ligaments embedded in his chest, monstrous clawed gauntlets and grieves covering his hands and legs, and the words ANOTHER WOZ written on his left hip while 2068 was printed on his right. "Rejoice!" He wheezed in a tortured, guttural voice. "For the coming of my master… The one to inherit all Another Rider power, the king of time who will DESTROY the past and the future! His name… Is Another Oma Zi-O!"
"Sougo… Tokiwa!" Roared the figure standing next to Another Woz. He resembled Oma Zi-O, but his suit was white and gray in coloration, with fur coming out of his shoulder armor and ringing his neck, his face resembling a more ornate, black and gold Another Zi-O's. "I have come… Once more… To take from you everything you cherish!"
Sougo gawked in disbelief. "No, it can't be! Is that…"
"Hiryu Kakogawa?!" Oma Zi-O finished, astounded.
"But that cannot be! I thought the time police reclaimed all the Anotherwatches!" Black Woz protested.
"Well, they missed the one for Another Decade, who knows what else they might have missed?" Alpina pointed out, horrified.
"I am the one who brought it to him," Another Woz explained proudly. "I come from a timeline where my master has destroyed all of time and space and eradicated every last trace of Sougo Tokiwa, his friends, and his family from existence. At the behest of my master, I traveled back in time to give his younger self the power to become the ultimate demon king and bring his vision to fruition!"
"Wait, if he destroyed all of time and space, how can there even be a timeline for you to travel back from-" started the confused Geiz.
"It's time travel, my Savior, don't think too much about it," White Woz advised.
Geiz Immortal nodded in agreement. "I've been doing it for decades, and I still don't understand a thing about it."
"Sougo Tokiwa! You took EVERYTHING from me!" Hiryu snarled.
"But that was Schwartz! I mean, Susan! Not me!" Sougo protested.
"Technically, he never would've done it in the first place if it weren't part of the complicated time loop I set into motion to cause my own ascension," Oma Zi-O pointed out.
"Not helping!" Sougo hissed. "… Wait, does that mean you killed mom and dad?!"
"No, of course not!" Oma Zi-O cried, shocked. "I pulled them from the bus the instant before they could die and deposited them in a safe place elsewhere in the timeline. I'll tell you when they are later."
Sougo suddenly. "Oh, thank goodness. Wait, does that mean everyone else on the bus-"
"No, they're all dead," Oma Zi-O informed him, dashing his hopes.
Sougo gave him an exasperated look. "And it never occurred to you that saving them might have prevented THIS from happening?" He asked, gesturing at Hiryu and his horrifying ultimate form.
"Come on, we both know it's not REALLY about his parents," Oma Zi-O argued. "Even if I were to bring them back right now – – which, to be fair, is well within my power – – he'd still try to do whatever he's planning to do because he just hates us that much." Sougo reluctantly had to admit he had a point.
"And so, just like you took everything from me on that day…" Hiryu continued, turning his gaze upon all four Wozes, both Geizes, and Alpina. "So to shall I kill everyone you care about in one fell swoop!"
"Everyone he cares about? You forgot about his wife, his uncle, his son, and his grandson!" Geiz Immortal pointed out.
Another Woz gestured and suddenly a beautiful woman in a royal gown vaguely resembling a sailor outfit, a well-dressed Junichiro Tokiwa, Barlcxks, and Susan appeared. "You were saying?"
Everyone glared hatefully at Geiz Immortal. "… Right. Should've kept my mouth shut."
"Wait, you're still alive?" A surprised Geiz asked Junichiro.
"Well, of course! You don't think I'd let my uncle die, do you?" Oma Zi-O replied, offended.
"I'm the royal clocksmith. I no longer have to fix ANYTHING that isn't a clock! It's wonderful!" Junichiro gushed happily.
"And who are you?" Geiz, still confused, asked the woman dressed sort of like a sailor.
"I'm his wife," the woman explained, nodding at Oma Zi-O. "Hi honey!"
Sougo gasped happily. "You're the sailor girl!"
"Told you I married her," Oma Zi-O reminded him.
"Yes! I escaped the time police yet again!" Susan laughed… Until he realized what was going on. "… Crap. I probably would've been better off staying with them, wouldn't I?"
"That may very well be the case, son," said the worried Barlcxks.
"And so, just like you took everything from me on that day…" Hiryu began again. "So to shall I kill everyone you care about in one fell swoop!" He paused, then glanced at Another Woz. "I'm not missing anyone, am I?"
"No, this is everyone," Another Woz told him.
"Yeah, everyone except-" Geiz Immortal began, only for everyone to dog pile him.
"Then perish, so that Sougo Tokiwa may experience the same pain I have lived with all these years!" Hiryu bellowed, pointing his hand at everyone, gathering power.
"NO!" Sougo and Oma Zi-O shouted at the same time, extending their hands.
There was the sound of a clock ticking, and suddenly everything froze in place…
With an absolutely tremendous energy beam stopped inches away from both of their loved ones.
Sougo gasped, his legs buckling underneath him, sweat rolling down his face. "Oh Gaim… He's so STRONG…"
"Yes," Oma Zi-O grunted, his body actually trembling slightly. "It's taking everything I have… Just to hold everything in place…"
"What… What do we do?" Sougo hissed through clenched teeth, head pounding.
"We have to… Turn back time…" Oma Zi-O replied. "To before he fired that blast…"
"I'm… I'm TRYING!" Sougo cried, seeing stars. "But he's actively resisting… So much anger… He really hates us… That much?!"
"Sougo…" Oma Zi-O began. "I can't do this. Not alone. I need your help."
"What do you think I'm doing?!" Sougo snapped, starting to tear up. "I'm doing everything I can… But it's not enough. It's NEVER enough. No matter how hard I train, no matter what I do, it's not good enough! I can't stop you, I can't stop him I can't… I can't save them…"
"There is one way to win," Oma Zi-O said softly.
Sougo glanced at him, startled. "What?"
"I told you before. Stop holding back," Oma Zi-O reminded him.
Sougo blinked a few times… And then his eyes widened, and he shook his head in denial. "No. I can't… I can't do that."
"You must."
"I CAN'T!"
"Then everyone we care about will die," Oma Zi-O said plainly.
Sougo froze, this simple statement cutting him to the core. "… I…"
"Sougo. I admire your principles. But…" Oma Zi-O glanced at his younger self. "Will they be any comfort to you… When they are gone, and you are all that remains?"
Sougo stared at his future self, shocked… And then he began trembling in rage. "You… You set this up, didn't you?"
Oma Zi-O tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
"You're an older me. You remember everything that went down. Meaning… Meaning you MUST have lived through this before," Sougo began to rant. "Which means you knew this was coming… And you ALLOWED it to happen, all to force me into a position where I'd have to either become you, or let them all die!"
Oma Zi-O sighed. "Do you truly think so little of me, my younger self?"
"Considering everything you've done, how you've twisted time into a pretzel and used your own family members as pawns, it's hard for me not to!" Sougo snapped.
"Think what you will about me, my younger self… But I truly love them. ALL of them," Oma Zi-O said firmly. "And maybe you're right. Maybe I did allow all this to happen to force you into a sadistic choice. But, even if that's the case… Does that really change anything? Because, in the end, a choice must still be made. A choice… As to whether they live, or they die." He shrugged. "And sure, you could choose to stick to your principles. Let them all perish just to spite me. But we both know that's not what you are going to do, is it, Sougo?"
Sougo shook, teeth clenched, glaring at his future self with absolute hatred…
And then he collapsed on himself, bowing his head in submission. "All right," he said quietly. "I'll do it. You win."
Oma Zi-O nodded. "I know," he replied. He did not sound particularly happy about it.
Sougo Tokiwa closed his eyes.
The demon king Oma Zi-O opened them.
Sougo slowly stood up, electricity crackling over his Driver as it transformed into the sinisterly ornate golden Oma Zi-O Driver. He crossed his arms and slowly brought them to his side, screaming as the ground behind him split open to form a massive molten clock with the katakana for Rider emblazoned on it, that same symbol appearing on every nanomachine in his body as they came online, horrendous power flooding every cell of his being. The hands on the clock ticked down, splitting the earth and sending cracks throughout the landscape with every motion, spurts and rivers of lava erupting all over the place.
"HENSHIN!"
(V) "THE BLESSING TIME! THE GREATEST, THE KINDEST, THE HIGHEST, THE STRONGEST KING! OMA ZI-O!" (V)
Metal rings like watch bands revolved around his body, unimaginable energy pouring into them as the magma shrank and condensed into the two halves of the Rider katakana which flew into the air as the bands burst, revealing that Sougo was now wearing armor identical to that of his future self. The flaming symbols placed themselves over his eyes, and everything around him darkened before his body flashed as a tremendous blast of energy burst off of him, shattering the land around him.
His future self, completely unaffected, nodded in approval. "Finally."
The younger Oma Zi-O screamed…
...kcab denrut emit dnA
Hiryu stumbled backwards, startled. "Eh?"
"That power…" Another Woz whispered, alarmed. "What… What was that?"
Junichiro blinked in confusion. "Did… Did something just happen?"
"I… I think we almost died," whispered the horrified Alpina.
"Then… Why aren't we dead?" Red Woz wondered.
"Because of me."
They turned their heads to see Oma Zi-O emerge from the crater… Or rather, BOTH of them.
Alpina gasped. "No… Sougo!"
"Zi-O… What have you done?!" Geiz demanded, horrified.
Sougo glanced away, unable to look his friends in the eyes. "What I had to. To ensure you survived."
"Oh, nephew…" Junichiro whispered sadly, shaking his head in solemn understanding.
"My overlord..." Black Woz whispered, stunned.
Sougo clenched his fists. "Woz, rejoice."
Black Woz blinked. "Huh?"
"I order you to rejoice!" Sougo snapped, voice thick with emotion.
Under his mask, Black Woz's eyes widened in surprise… And then narrowed in understanding. Clearing his throat, he declared, "Rejoice! The Ultimate Time King who reaches over space and time, and reigns over the past and future. His name is Oma Zi-O! We are now reaching the last page of history itself!"
"TWO of them?!" Hiryu shouted, outraged. He whirled on Another Woz. "You never told me there would be two of them!"
"Is this truly a bad thing, my master?" Another Woz pointed out. "Now you get to kill him twice."
Hiryu considered this, then burst into laughter. "Ha! A good point! And after that, I will travel back in time a day and kill you again… Then the day before, and kill you again… And again, and again, and again, until the day you were born! I will not stop until you have been erased from the face of time itself!"
"The only thing that should be erased here is your hatred," Oma Zi-O informed Hiryu. He looked at the others. "Come! Everyone! It will take all of us, past and future, to win this battle! Everyone except for my uncle and my beloved wife, that is. Junichiro, please get her to safety."
"Of course! Right this way, dear," Junichiro said, gently leading the sailor girl away.
"Give them hell, sweetie!" The demon king's bride yelled cheerfully to her husband as she left the scene.
"Sure thing, darling!" Oma Zi-O called back.
"Looks like the two of us will be working together," Geiz Immortal told his younger self. "Try not to make me look bad."
"I… Tsukuyomi? Sougo? What… What am I supposed to do?" Geiz asked hesitantly, head spinning.
"Whatever you want," Sougo said quietly, still unwilling to look him in the eye. "I have no right to call you my friend or my subject. Not after… Not after turning my back on everything I stood for everything and becoming I promised I wouldn't."
Geiz looked at Alpina, who gave him a pleading look."… Well, I guess I'll fight then," he said finally, much to her relief. "And… And we'll settle all of this later, okay?"
Sougo nodded quietly. "Okay."
"My, what a disgusting creature," White Woz sneered, turning up his nose at the appearance of Another Woz.
"You're one to talk, you look like a teenage girl from a Disney Channel original movie," Black Woz jeered.
"YOU SHUT YOUR FACE!"
"Enough, both of you!" Woz Beyond snapped. "Let us be civil and work together to defeat this dreadfully-dressed imposter! After that, we can figure out, once and for all, which of us will be the one and only Woz."
"Spoiler alert: it will be me," Red Woz said confidently.
"So… We're going to be fighting with the good guys now?" Wondered a confused Susan as his father broke his time cuffs.
"I like to think of it as more of a big, complicated, extended family outing," Barlkcxs suggested. "That work for you?"
Susan shrugged and produced another Another Decade Anotherwatch. "I suppose so."
"DECADE!"
"So, this is how it is to be? The entire Tokiwa clan, arrayed against me? Past and future, good and evil, allied together?" Hiryu mused. He laughed. "So be it! Let the end of your dynasty, and the rise of mine, BEGIN!"
And so, as the other Riders and Sentai continued fighting the mechanical hordes, unaware of what was truly transpiring, the ultimate battle for time began, one which would not be resolved in 2068…
But rather, several decades earlier, where another battle for the fate of the world was being decided…
…
SEE YOU NEXT TIME!