To all those reading the reviews, let me clear the air to avoid confusion. Prior to posting this chapter, I accidentally posted a chapter for Jojo New Universe: Battle Tendency on this story. That issue had since been resolved, but as far as I know there is no way for either me or the reviewer to remove the review. So please keep this in mind. Disclaimer: I don't Kamen Rider or The Rising of the Shield Hero.
*Kamen Rider is seen driving along a reservoir walkway with another figure in a grasshopper-themed outfit on an identical motorcycle. We now introduce Kamen Rider 1 and Kamen Rider 2. The music begins with a close up on Kamen Rider 1's face as the title appears.*
Rising of the Kamen Riders
Here they come! Shocker! The evil army of Hell!
*The two Riders race along a large field.*
Targeted by its dark and scary shadow
*They lap around each other.*
Protecting the peace and justice of the world
*A close up of 2 is seen, highlighting the differences in his outfit and helmet, including a white strip along the middle of the helmet, and a black undersuit not seen with 1.*
Go! (Go!) Go! (Go!) Let's Go! The spectacular machine!
*The two Riders drive up a nearby hill, making a spectacular leap.*
Rider Jump! Rider Kick!
*They continue to race across the hill, and a grassy field.*
Kamen Rider! Kamen Rider!
*They drive down a dirt road, 1 in front.*
Rider! Rider!
*They leap past each other in a daring stunt.*
Rider Jump! Rider Kick!
*They start driving down an empty highway.*
Kamen Rider! Kamen Rider!
*They start swerving through a construction sight.*
Rider! Rider!
*They somehow drive up a skyscraper before making a leap across the rooftops.*
Naofumi has now been joined by fellow cyborg Ren Amaki.
*A scene of Ren's forced remodeling by Shocker is shown, before cutting to the twin Riders.*
Remolded by Shocker and saved by his girlfriend from the FBI, Ren becomes Kamen Rider 2.
*Shots of Spider Man, Gebacondor, Geckgeras, Cactogron, and Lizardlon are featured.*
Together with Naofumi, re-titled as Kamen Rider 1, they fight for humanity's freedom!
*The two Riders pose, ready to do battle.*
Chapter 33: The Steel Monster
A group of villagers were having some tea when a sudden explosion from nearby rocked their campsite. "What was that!?," one of them asked. "A plane crash!?," another asked. They checked the place the explosion came from. It certainly looked like something had impacted into the ground, and deep too. At the very bottom of the hole was something steel-like and curled into a ball. "Looks like some kind of meteorite," the first villager suggested. This was quickly proven false when the object uncurled and revealed itself to be alive. This was Armadillong, and he soon displayed his strength by crushing a nearby rock, scaring the villagers off.
"Bullet Screwball!" He rolled after the villagers as they took shelter in a nearby house. "Useless!," he called out as he rolled toward the house. The villagers quickly vacated as he completely demolished the house. "Next I'll flatten you! Bullet Screwball!" He smashed through house after house, completely devastating the village. He then returned to his Shocker hideout. "Truly amazing Armadillong," a lead Combatman said. "Isn't it though?," Armadillong agreed, "My steel body and explosive power can annihilate almost anything I strike. Only the hardest of materials can resist it."
Colonel Zol nodded. "It's because of this incredible strength that Armadillong was brought in from Brazil." "Colonel," another Combatman asked, "Now Armadillong's strength has been demonstrated, what do we target next?" "We're going to blow up gas tanks," Zol replied, "Armadillong will be targeting gas tanks located all over Tokyo and Osaka. The resulting flames will burn these two regions to the ground!"
'One moment,' Great Leader chimed in, 'Such a plan would be all too easy for Armadillong's power. Emphasis on 'too easy'. If we simply target the gas tanks, Murphy's Law will see the Kamen Riders on our backs and ending our plans before they even get off the ground. Our only chance to avoid that is to pre-empt them. Target the Riders first, then we proceed with the plan!' Zol nodded. "Of course, Great Leader." "Colonel!," the lead Combatman said, "It seems there was a survivor from Armadillong's assault!" Zol looked at the monitor. "If he makes it to the city, we throw away the element of surprise. Armadillong, get rid of him at once!"
Later, Naofumi and Ren were racing off to Mount Wakakoma, where mysterious explosions were reported. Tobei read the papers regarding, then noticed Eclair training Rishia. "What's all this about?" "My superiors are noting reduced activity in Shocker elsewhere in the world," Eclair explained, "They're considering asking the Kamen Riders to check out Shocker activity outside Japan, and of course I'll be going with them. In the meantime, Motoyasu's made his decision. He's already training himself to handle the cyborg remodeling. Raphtalia's father is taking care of that part."
"Professor Midorikawa?," Tobei asked, "It's been a long time since we've seen him. So why is Rishia training with you then?" "So I can become an FBI agent," Rishia explained, "And operate here in her place. Someone needs to provide backup for the new Kamen Rider, and Malty lost the Janken game we used to decided." She stuck out her tongue in a playful manner while making a scissors sign with her fingers. Tobei nodded. "So we're already planning for the future, eh? Yes, it does seem like Shocker won't be going away anytime soon."
The twin Riders reached the mountains, only to find a man in a black coat stabbing the survivor in the back. The figure was actually Armadillong, but he didn't reveal that just yet. Instead, he made it look like the man was simply keeling over. "Hey, call an ambulance!" Naofumi quickly noticed the dagger and raced after him, only to have an arrow hit near his foot. He turned to see a Japanese-Brazilian woman on a motorcycle. "That man is mine to chase," she said, "This has nothing to do with you."
"You don't know that!," Naofumi pointed out as she raced off. Meanwhile, Malty was watching as Eclair trained Rishia. At one point Malty, wandered off, only to get nabbed by a couple Combatmen, though she did a decent job fighting them off at first. Eclair and Rishia were able to spot this and carefully followed them, using the series of dropped medals the racing club was recently using to promote good deeds done by children. The medals were all decorated with the Kamen Riders.
Meanwhile, Armadillong spotted the woman racing to follow him. "You're such a dutiful daughter, Connie. But no mere human could ever be a match for Shocker!" He dropped down to confront Connie, who got out one of her arrows to fight him. She tried to stick him through the scales on his body, but he reflexes and strength were too much for her. Armadillong threw her into the air, where she was caught by Naofumi. "So here you are, Shocker cyborg!"
He put Connie down as Ren came up. "You can leave this to us," Ren said, "I'm Ren Amaki." "And I'm Naofumi Iwatani," Naofumi said, "We're not your enemies, and his strength is too much for you. Ren, you ready?" Ren nodded as they leapt down to confront Armadillong. Unfortunately, his steel body left even them reeling a little. "Impressive, yes?," Armadillong said, "My power is on a completely different level from anything either of you have fought before. Now allow me to show you my full strength! Bullet Screwball!"
His attack clipped the two Riders and caused a landslide, burying them. Connie hurried after Armadillong as he escaped. "Sorry about that, Ren, Naofumi. Adios." But as she drove off, she didn't notice the rock pile start to rumble. Eclair and Rishia wound up near the scene as several Combatmen appeared. "Shocker!," Rishia called out. "Time for some field training," Eclair said. Connie noticed the fight. "So Shocker is here. Armadillong can't be too far away." She quickly joined in the fight, surprising the two girls. "Who are you?," Eclair asked.
"We'll talk later," Connie said, "Let's deal with these guys first." As they continued to fight, Armadillong appeared. "Just our luck," Rishia said, "Another Shocker cyborg." She tried to strike Armadillong, only to get hurt due to his steel body. Connie fired a few arrows, but they just bounced off. Before long, Armadillong was standing over her. "Damn you, monster!," she called out, "I will avenge my father, mother, and little sister!" Just then, a pair of familiar voices called out, "Henshin!"
Naofumi and Ren leapt in, transforming into Kamen Riders 1 and 2. "What!?," Armadillong said in shock, "You both live!?" "You could say we're as tough to kill as you are," 1 quipped. The increase in strength from the transformation was enough for the Riders to make Armadillong flinch, but he still seemed to durable to truly damage. Still, it was clear that Armadillong couldn't play around in this fight. "Fine then! Take my full power head-on! Bullet Screwball!"
He impacted against the Riders, sending them flying off the hill, they recovered quickly. 2 leapt in with with a flying kick. "Rider Kick!" The shot just bounced off, sending 2 back down the hill and into the water. Armadillong then knocked 1 down as well. Meanwhile, Connie was still chasing Armadillong, despite Eclair and Rishia's attempts to stop her. "Jeez woman!," Eclair said, "You saw how tough that monster was! Even the Kamen Riders were struggling, so there's no way you can damage him!"
"Who even are you anyway?," Rishia asked, "Why is it so important that you try to kill this cyborg?" Connie sighed. "My name is Connie Yamada. I'm a Japanese-Brazilian. Half a year ago in Brazil, Armadillong killed my entire family. We were just living our lives, when that monster came out of nowhere, causing wanton destruction without remorse. He didn't even have a real reason to target them. He was just conducting a test on behalf of Shocker. I was able to escape, and have been pursuing Armadillong ever since."
'Outstanding work, Armadillong,' Great Leader said, 'Your glorious name will be forever engraved in the annals of Shocker history.' "And with no Kamen Riders to oppose us in Japan," Zol said, "This area will naturally be under the control of Shocker. We will begin our offensive at once." "What of the girl we captured?," Armadillong asked. "Naturally, her execution will be carried out in a most magnificent manner," Zol replied, "Let us invite her friends over to see it. As a way to show them what is means to oppose Shocker!"
Eclair, Rishia, and Connie reached where the Shocker base was. Outside were five Combatmen keeping watch. Connie readied her bow, but was stopped by Rishia. "They have a hostage inside. Make too make noise and they'll kill her immediately. I have a better idea." She soaked a cloth on a stick in gasoline. "I'll light this one fire. Then you shoot in that nearby tree." Connie nodded. The distraction worked, Connie providing long-range support while Eclair and Rishia knocked out the Combatmen from up close.
One Combatman almost got a message out, but Rishia intercepted it and faked an all clear, displaying a new skill she learned in voice mimicry. The hideout itself seemed empty. "This is never a good sign," Eclair noted, "If they're not here, that could mean any number of things." They checked the cells, only to find dolls. Zol's laugh could be heard as he entered. "A good infiltration. Had we not already expected you to arrive, it would have completely caught us off-guard. And that voice mimicry. Even our highly advanced computer couldn't tell the difference."
The trio was surrounded and captured by Combatmen as Malty was dragged out. "Tomorrow you'll having your death parade," Zol said, "Don't that feel exciting? And the rest of your club will be invited to join as well at the foot of Mount Kitamine!" Eclair gave a subtle smirk. "So you'll be sending them written invites. How polite of you. And naturally you intend to have them captured when they try to rescue us."
The reason Eclair was so calm was because she knew that Naofumi and Ren were still alive. They had returned to the racing club after Tobei left. Motoyasu hadn't shown up, since he wanted to have the remodeling done in the event things went south. Tobei, however, did make an attempt at rescue, only to be captured by Armadillong. They were walked to a large bridge high over the river. "Here is where you will thrown off! The site of your execution!" "Wrong Armadillong!," 1 and 2 called out as one.
They leapt onto the bridge. "The only ones dying here today are you and your Shocker grunts!," 1 declared. "Know that we never lose to an opponent twice!," 2 declared. "For we are the Kamen Riders!," they both declared. "Can't they ever stay dead!?," Armadillong cried in rage, "Make this the last time!" The two Riders went on the offensive. Meanwhile, Eclair took the chance to use her file to get everyone free. 2 started striking against Armadillong, finally scoring a meaningful hit when he punched the monster's stomach. "Looks like I finally found a weak point in that metal armor."
He and 1 took the fight down to the river below. 1 continued to dispatch the Combatmen as 2 continued to nail Armadillong over and over in his belly. "You don't seem so invincible anymore!" Armadillong knocked 2 back a bit. "I still have my ultimate attack! Bullet Screwball!" 2 readied himself, then managed to grab the curled up cyborg. "Ever play soccer!? Just call me the goalie! 1! Go for the set up!" He tossed Armadillong into the air. As he uncurled he saw 1 leaping in, aiming his strike at the vulnerable belly. "Rider Kick!"
Armadillong was sent hurtling into the river, where he soon exploded. Seeing this, Connie collapsed in relief. "It's done Papa. Armadillong is defeated at long last. And in the country of your birth too. Truly Japan is a wonderful nation to have produced such mighty heroes." "He almost seemed unstoppable," Eclair noted, "Too bad Shocker had to adhere to natural armadillo biology." "They won't give up after this, though," Tobei noted, "It's Shocker, after all. And until the days comes when the Kamen Riders can confront the man known as Great Leader, he and his minions will continue their insane quest for world domination."
To be continued…
Every monster has a weak point somewhere. Especially in stories where the monster is supposed to lose. Next time Shocker comes up with their most ambitious plan to date. Read and review.