Ch 2: A hypothesis for my potential

Recap!

Last time on To Build a New World…

Evan: "Stuff happened. I woke up in some random alleyway, dropped into Earth Bet. Not my first idea of how to spend the morning to be honest. Add rider powers into the mix and you have one confused 16-year-old. I mean, why me? Sento would be more fitting, he has experience."

Tsukasa: "You do realise that he's still trying to sort his life out in the New World, right? Besides, Isekai's are always fun!"

Evan: "Well not when I'm in one! Wait, HOW THE HELL DID YOU GET IN HERE DECADE and he's already gone. He could've at least given me some pointers…"

So admittedly, the plan I had developed was solid in concept. 1: Stop Taylor from being forced in the locker. If it has already happened, be there as a positive presence in her life and help her be better. 2: Help Amy get over her destructive crush on her own sister and try and get Director Piggot to stop being an even more morally ambiguous version of Amanda Waller. 3: Punch Coil in the face and expose him to the world (okay, that part was hyperbole, but he has it coming).

That was all I had, but it was a solid foundation to start. Too bad it would just fall apart before I even begun. I didn't know what timeframe I was in for Worm, so automatically, my plan just lost 89% of the foundation and was, in a word, basically screwed. So, in order for the plan to work or at least to develop, I needed to figure out when events have happened or were going to happen.

Also, I never actually read Worm, so the only knowledge I had was a crap-ton research I've done about the universe and how canon and fanon intersect like a Kabuto and Kuwagata in Japanese media.

"This is just great…", I muttered under my breath. After some investigating, I had come to the conclusion I was screwed. I didn't even have any of the upgrade forms for Build, which was a pretty big goddamn problem. Worm and escalation basically go hand in hand, so sooner or later, I needed to get the upgrade forms. If only it were that easy…

So far, I only had 9 fullbottles, 6 of them being best matches. The jack of all stats RabbitTank, the aerial gunslinger HawkGattling, HedgehogEngine as a good combat fire extinguisher, and the Diamond, Wolf and Ninja fullbottles. So far, a good start, but they would only last so long in terms of utility. The threats for combat are only going to get bigger and bigger, so my chances of even surviving are going to plummet. That's not even mentioning monsters like the Slaughterhouse 9 and the Endbringers.

Right now, I was currently holed up in the Boat Graveyard. It was the best place I could find without drawing attention to myself thanks to the baggage I had. I could find a place to crash for the night, but that would only last for so long. I found a few hundred dollars in my bag, most likely from Decade giving me some sort of foundation to establish myself in this new world. Wish he could set an address for me somewhere, that way I could at least have a bed to sleep on!

Well, considering Tsukasa could be an absolute troll when he feels like it, I really should be grateful. At least I had enough to get food for a while as long as I'm careful.

If someone could see me now, they would probably be wondering what hell I was doing sitting cross-legged, with the standard Macca's meal layed out in front of me, whilst inside of a shipwreck. I know it's called Fugly Bob's here, but right now, the gremlin that is my stomach requires sustenance. NOW! Least it wasn't midnight with the sun still out.

Starting off any further planning could not be done without the proper intake of nutrients to maintain the body, minerals, glucose to provide energy, iron for the bloodstream, water for hydration, fats to hold warmth, protein to build up the muscles, and that's not even beginning to mention the fact that needed to find a source of proper income so I could survive on something that wasn't just a useless pile of fat, salt and sugar…

"Gu…GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Then I got hit in the face with a pole piercing right through my brain. Not physically, at least. More someone accumulated all the scientific knowledge in the world, put it into a needle, and shoved it right into my head.

My mind felt it was cracking apart at the seams, forcefully opening up gaps to fill in with new ideas or creations. Knowledge of things that I could barely understand before was pouring into my mind, almost like fresh concrete repairing the broken cracks on a well-worn road.

I was squirming around of the cold hard metal, but I didn't care. I was more focused on trying to stop the pain in my head in some way! "Damn it, when the hell did my life get so complicated? Why am I here, why does it matter? I'm not ready, I'm not ready, I'm not ready!"

And then, the pain stopped. I wasn't sure if it had eased away or if I fell unconscious from the shock. Either would have been probable, but it was then that I saw something that distracted me from my thoughts.

A lab where I was just a few seconds ago. (Song: Amami Airport, Reality.)

It was probably the strangest thing I had seen in my life. It was the ship I was holed up in, but lived in. Scientific equations were scattered all across the room, ones so complex that history's greatest scientists combined would have trouble with, yet I knew them all by heart somehow. Experimental equipment was organised for different purposes, yet when I tried to touch it, it fizzled out, like a hologram.

"I must have undergone some sort of pseudo trigger event," I thought. "Not enough to ruin my mental state to a point of therapists just giving up, but still giving me parahuman powers. Maybe the lack of Corona Pollentia also means that I don't need to worry about being a walking radio broadcaster to a bunch of energy absorbing space whales." Stopping my thoughts there, I knew that I had some sort of thinker/tinker ability, most likely to visualise blueprints and schematics in my head, almost akin to seeing Lego instructions using nearby objects as the building blocks for what to create.

Something told me, no, felt natural about how to construct all this without any tools on my person. Guess it was time for some experimentation.

Popping outside for a bit wouldn't hurt, and besides, nobody was using the Graveyard for anything, so as far as I cared, free pickings for materials.

As soon as went outside, the fresh sea air brushed across my face, giving conformation that the earlier mind alteration didn't knock me out. With that confirmation out of the way, I decided to go for a walk. An enthusiastic walk.

Doesn't really work in broad daylight when you say it like that, huh.

Right next to me was a discarded sailboat, something that if I had expertise with, I could manage by myself out at sea. It was still of use though, but in a different way. All I needed to do was reach out and touch it.

If I were to describe the sensation, it felt like I could see every single molecule that made up the metal chassis. Almost as if I could modify it into a new form, by simple reorganisation of the composition. That was my power. To build and rebuild with the fundamentals of life itself.

Already I had a few ideas. Fullbottles were more based on the concepts of what they represent, so already I could start making expanding my arsenal. Any spare materials could be used to contribute to other projects. If someone had dumped a bike and phone around here (which would be one hell of a coincidence), the build cycle would be all mine. The only setback there is that I would need to receive a motorcycle license, and considering the lack of identification I have, that would be an issue…

*BOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!*

"Well, that was a conveniently timed shockwave." I said to no-one in particular. "Should I… Ah, screw it." If it was a villain attack, I could at least get a bearing on the situation. 'sides, heroes were often plunged into situations without any idea of what to do, so might as well get started.

Great power does come with responsibility, after all. Sitting around and doing nothing wasn't going to get me anywhere. "Time for a test drive."

After fetching the driver and five fullbottles, I had some doubts about this. Namely that I was rushing into things and might be in over my head. Then again, Taylor ended her first night as a cape fighting Lung, who could basically turn into an ENORMOUS F**K YOU DRAGON, so I didn't have room to talk.

It was time for Brockton Bay to witness my transformation.

Slapping the driver on my waist, a yellow belt ejected itself, wrapping around my body as if it were designed for me. Three slots appeared on my left side, a perfect fit for some fullbottles. I would have to modify it in the future for an expanded skillset with me at all times. Two of the five I got, I kept in my hands. They were for the debut.

In my left hand, bright red, with the face of a rabbit. Right hand, a tank with the barrel pointed forwards. Holding them in front of me and giving them a shake, the same equations I saw from my vision started moving through the air. Eventually, I twisted the caps and placed them in the driver.

Rabbit! Tank! Best Match!

My hand reached down to the lever, cranking it to generate two sets of pipes with red and blue energy flowing through them around me. The one in front begun to coalesce into half a set of diagonal red armour running down my left leg, right arm and covering half of my head, a sharp point like a rabbit's ear sticking out. My back also had the same thing happening, just blue and on the other sides of my body. Once they finished forming, I placed myself into a standard fighting stance, ready to usher the phrase that would bring a new hero to Earth-Bet!

"HENSHIN!"

The Furious Moonsault! RabbitTank! Yeah!

Both sides slammed into my body, steam bursting from where contact was made. Underneath the armour, a lighter armoured black under-suit materialised, hidden by the steam as it formed. The helm bore a mismatched visor, a softer shade from the rest of the ensemble blue and red, a tank barrel and rabbit ear creating the appearance antennas.

From within the armour, numerous data interfaces showed up in front, showing how much damage I could take before being forced out. That was definitely going to be helpful in the future.

My legs bend backwards, the pose giving many the impression of a running start. With the energy that the rabbit halfbody gave me, a burst of bright red energy appeared where I once stood. That same energy trailed behind me all across the street, leaving only afterimages thanks to the speed I was going. Brockton Bay was in for a surprise today. Cause now, they had a Kamen Rider. Do your worst I say, I will be there!