Welcome to Part II of the My Gift To You Birthday Special. Last time, an injured Kamen Rider Gaim turned up in Twilight Forest. After explaining his story, he, Spyro, and Cynder ventured into Helheim, looking to figure out what's going on. So, what is going on exactly? Read on to discover...
(Our tale resumes with a zipper in reality opening into a familiar yet still strange forest environment with lock-like fruits growing over everything, and from it emerge Gaim, Spyro, and Cynder, the latter two marveling at the forest itself)
Gaim: Welcome to Helheim.
Cynder: Whoa. This place is...
Gaim: Strange, I know. You get used to it after a while.
Cynder: I was going to say beautiful.
Spyro: I have to agree with Cynder on that one. This place truly is beautiful.
Gaim: Beautiful yes, but also deadly. Especially in the control of someone who would use it for ill. Trust me, I've been on the receiving end of it.
Cynder: I'll take you word for that.
Spyro: So, what's the plan?
Gaim: We split up, go in, rescue my comrades, kick the tail of whomever's doing this. That's the plan.
Cynder: You do realize neither of us have ever seen this forest before, right?
Gaim: Don't worry, I've got a solution. (Pulls the gun sword from his belt) You guys just leave a cut in one of the trees, adding one each time you pass a new one. I'll fire a shot into the air if I run into trouble. You guys do the same with your elements.
Spyro: What about you?
Gaim: I partially control this place, the layout is literally seared into my brain.
Cynder: Not much of a plan, but we've worked with less.
Spyro: No need for a warning shot though. Don't want to let whoever's got your friends knowing we're here.
Gaim: If they've got the Kureshima brothers, my companions, they probably already know I'm back. That and the Crack we used to get in here is always pretty loud.
Cynder: Fair enough. Keep the shots limited though.
Gaim: Will do. Let's get moving!
(With that the trio splits up and heads into the depths of Helheim. Within a few minutes, we focus in on Cynder specifically, leaving four shallow slashes in a tree. As she leaves the mark, a strange rustling noise can be heard from within the flora, sending Cynder into battle mode.)
Cynder: Whoever you are, show yourself!
(Within seconds of that, strange grey creatures with either green, red, or blue accents resembling some kind of insect emerge from deeper in the forest, surrounding Cynder. While she is able to fight them off for quite a while, they get scared off by some sort of arrow construct, and then standing where the arrow was fired from is a familiar blue clad figure with yellow armor holding a red bow like construct and wearing a red belt around his waist containing a light blue lock-looking device, with a front panel resembling a slice of a lemon.)
Duke: Well, well, well. It's you again. Haven't seen you since beating you to death.
Cynder: In case you didn't notice, it didn't take.
Duke: I can tell. (Drawing back on the bow in his hand) Except this time, it will.
(With that, Duke begins shooting at Cynder, who manages to dodge the shots more than a few times before getting hit in the shoulder. As Cynder falls over fom the limb taken out from under her, as Duke walks up to her and draws back the bow again after placing a boot on her injured shoulder)
Duke: Looks like third time's my charm.
?: I wouldn't say that!
(As soon as that mysterious voice emerges, a man in black and grey comes charging out of the forest and tackles Duke to the ground)
Duke: (Getting back up and seeing who tackled him) Well, well, well. Mitsuzane Kureshima. Been a while hasn't it?
Ryugen: How the hell are you alive?
Duke: (As the Mark of Malefor glows upon his back) Let's just say I have a friend who appreciates my genius.
Cynder: More like knows someone easy to manipulate. You and your fellows all sing from the same hymn sheet.
Duke: If you're comparing me to Isaka, there's one thing you need to know. Unlike him, my genius was realized. Your friend Kouta can speak to that much.
Ryugen: Enough of this madness! (Pulling out a Sengoku Driver with a sideplate resembling the helmet of a Chinese Warrior with a face guard and a Lockseed resembling an inverted pyramid of six grapes labelled "LS-09") Now to send you back to hell.
Duke: (Seeing the Sengoku Driver) You really think you can use a Sengoku Driver against me? The Genesis System outranks that in every way!
Ryugen: That's the thing. A system is useless without experience. Henshin!
(With that, Ryugen pushes a button on the side of the Lockseed, unlocking it)
Budou Lockseed: Budou!
(Upon activation of the Lockseed, Ryugen places it into the slot on the Sengoku Driver and relocks it, causing a strange grape bunch like construct to materialize above his head)
Sengoku Driver: Lock on!
(With the Lockseed secured, Ryugen pushes forces the knife section of the Sengoku Driver down, flipping the front panel of the Budou Lockseed down, revealing what looks like a cross section of grapes on one side and a grape gun on the now inverted panel
Sengoku Driver: Hai! Budou Arms! Ryu! Hou! Ha, Ha, Ha!
(At this seeming battle cry, the grape bunch descends onto Ryugen, generating a green undersuit with gold accents before the grape bunch unfolds much like Gaim's orange did, revealing a Chinese warrior styled armor with helmet with a grape styled back and straight violet visor, a gun similar to the one on the Lockseed's flipped down panel materializes in his hand)
Ryugen: Now then. Have at you.
(With this, Ryugen and Duke begin their battle, energy shots flying everywhere interspersed by punches and kicks. Ultimately seeing Ryugen is overwhelmed, Cynder attempts to step in, but due to her injured shoulder, she can't fight physically, rather she enters the fray by slinging Poison at Duke, hitting his arm, causing him to drop his bow, allowing Ryugen to get the upper hand.)
Ryugen: Give up! You are beaten!
Duke: Not on your life.
(And just like that, Duke, somehow, dissolves into the flora of Helheim)
Ryugen: How the...? You know what? I don't even want to know. (Turning back to Cynder) Let's get you somewhere safe, and bandage up that shoulder.
(As Ryugen straight up picks up Cynder and carries her to safety, we transition over to Spyro, who is currently trying to figure out where he is, observing a tree he marked with three slashes)
Spyro: Great. Just great, I somehow knew I'd get turned around.
(Just as Spyro figures out he's lost, a new voice rings out across the forest, again sending Spyro into attack mode.)
?: You're not the only one.
(As Spyro starts to barely settle out of attack mode, a man in a suit emerges from the forest, the attire catching Spyro off guard)
Spyro: (Picking up this must be one of Gaim's comrades) Not exactly what I'd have picked for a walk in the forest, much less a fight for survival.
?: This wasn't supposed to be anything serious. But now that maniac's taken over.
(And just as the mystery figure says "that maniac", Duke appears, somehow unharmed from Cynder's Poison shot.)
Duke: Flattery will get you nowhere, Takatora Kureshima.
Zangetsu: (Pulling out a device similar to the one around Duke's waist, as well as a clear blue Lockseed with a melon on the front of it labelled "ELS-04") I don't know how you came back, but I will put you down again.
Duke: Really, Takatora? Did you forget about the security mechanism I put in the Genesis Drivers? Try to betray me and your plan goes up in smoke.
Zangetsu: Newsflash, you didn't make this one.
Duke: (In disbelief) Impossible, only I have the genius to create Genesis Drivers!
Zangetsu: Your mechanical doppelganger said the same thing. (Placing the Genesis Driver on his waist) Henshin.
(With his battle cry known, Zangetsu opens the Lockseed he has with him)
Melon Energy Lockseed: Melon Energy!
(At this pronouncement, a strange techno-melon materializes above Zangetsu as he places the Melon Energy Lockseed into the Genesis Driver and locking it in place)
Genesis Driver: Lock on!
(After locking in the Lockseed, Zangetsu forces a silver panel on the Genesis Driver across a track to hit the Melon Energy Lockseed, splitting the front panel into three pieces revealing the melon cross section beneath it, all the while funneling a strange orange liquid into a reservoir at the bottom of the Genesis Driver)
Genesis Driver: Soda! Melon Energy Arms!
(With that, the techno-melon descends onto Zangetsu, generating a white and black battle suit with gold accents as the melon splits open, the left side armor folding to the right to create more armor on the right shoulder, before revealing a helmet reminiscent of a samurai helmet mixed with a melon rind, and a straight orange visor, with a bow similar to Duke's in his hand)
Duke: You know as well as I do you can't beat me.
Spyro: (Stepping to Zangetsu's aid) Perhaps I can even things out a bit.
Duke: (As the Mark of Malefor glows upon his back) Very well then, it's your funeral.
(Now the second battle begins. And despite having the numbers advantage, Spyro and Zangetsu are barely holding their own against Duke. But just as they appear beaten, Zangetsu fires an energy arrow from his bow, which is intercepted accidentally by Spyro's fire, hitting Duke square in the shoulder, setting his armor on fire. In his panic, he dissolves into Helheim's flora and vanishes)
Zangetsu: (Confused) Wait, since when could he do that?!
Spyro: It's a long story. I'll get you caught up.
(As Spyro starts explaining everything that has happened so far to Zangetsu, we transition over to Gaim, who is already battling Duke, showing no signs of damage from either of the previous battles.)
Duke: I'll admit, you've gotten better. (As the Mark of Malefor glows upon his back) But you're no match for me.
Gaim: You and I both know that's not true. I'm the god of this place. Not you.
Duke: Not anymore you're not.
(Just as Duke makes his threat, we transition to something's point of view as it attacks Gaim, dragging him back into the forest, just as he's able to get a few shots off into the sky with his gun-sword, dropping his orange-slice sword in the process. And on this image, the tale ends for today)
And that wraps up Part II. For the finale, head on over to The Will of Sin. So, it looks like Duke is somehow connected to Helheim after his last defeat. And now he's captured Gaim, not good. Now a small clarification on Zangetsu. Yes, I know the Genesis Driver version is called "Zangetsu Shin" in the show, but I really dislike that, since it's the same guy. So I'll just call Takatora Kureshima by the name Zangetsu, not Zangetsu Shin. Now I do know there is one of the major Riders of the series that everyone is likely asking about, well, there's probably a few of them. Only one will be showing up, and if you saw the Gaim and Drive team-up movie, you know which one it is. I want to let Gridon, Bravo, and Knuckle to rest after the madness in Zawame City. Anyways, how is this saga of Helheim going to end? Tune in next time to find out! Same time... same channel!
