Book 3: XDR Rising

by Fir100

With their missions completed, the two teams will meet up in the world of the Symphogears to reunite with Kanade and Serena's allies and to investigate the original source of the Dimension Fragments, Gjallarhorn. And from there, a new multiversal team will be born.

5. Meetings

Book 3: XDR Rising

Chapter 5: Meetings

---

The Sands of Time

Zi-O Liner, Dining Area

"We are now arriving at our destination in two minutes." Naomi's voice rang through the speakers. "If there's anything you need to bring before disembarking the Zi-O Liner, please do so immediately. Have a nice day!"

"Okay everyone, this is it." Akira informed the rest of her team (except Einstein and Tesla who are busy at the R&D Lab examining the Distortion Ridewatch, while Woz is at the Medical Area to check up on that comatose man) after hearing the announcement.

"So all of us are going out to explore, or it's only going to be a few members?" Kiana asked.

"Just a few members for now." Akira replied. "When we arrive, I'll briefly exit this train and see my surroundings to find out where we are. Hopefully we'll arrive in Tokyo, Japan."

"Why that place?" Mei asked.

"Because that's where S.O.N.G is located. They're a secret organization that are tasked to resolve disasters all over the world." Akira answered.

"I see. So what does S.O.N.G mean?" Himeko asked.

"S.O.N.G stands for Squad Of Nexus Guardians."

"Ah, so that's what it means." Kallen noted.

"Yup." Akira nodded.

"So we can't send everyone out on a mission at once which is why some of us will have to stay here and take care of the Zi-O Liner." Theresa stated.

"Not to mention that some of the inventions in the Symphogear world doesn't exist from the other worlds." Sakura added before turning to Lumine, Noelle and Sucrose. "That is why myself, Lumine, Noelle and Sucrose will stay here for the time being."

"It's better to be safe than sorry." Lumine agreed with Noelle and Sucrose nodding.

"The Bronya and Seele will also stay behind unless otherwise." Bronya added with Seele nodding.

"I will also stay in this train. I don't know how other people will react when they see my body with crystals shards on it." Miriam added.

"Got it." Akira nodded.

"I'm gonna go with you, if you don't mind." Regina told Akira.

"Sure, no problem." Akira nodded with a smile.

"Everyone, we're about to go through a portal to the Symphogear world. Brace yourselves, it's about to get bumpy!" Einstein informed the group via the train speakers.

"Well, you heard the genius scientist!" Akira ordered her team. "Everyone take your seats and hold on to something! Be prepared for a rough dimensional warp!"

Everyone nodded before they and Akira took their seats, grabbed onto the tables, and braced for turbulence as a portal appeared at a distance in the Sands of Time, allowing the Zi-O Liner to rush inside before the portal closed behind it once the train passed through.

---

Symphogear World

Nighttime

In an unknown abandoned train station, a portal appeared and out came the Zi-O Liner as it began to brake until it came to a full stop into the station, while the portal behind it disappeared.

Everyone inside the train's Dining Area took a few deep breaths after that short turbulence from the warp until they calmed down, though some of them are feeling a bit dizzy from the rough landing.

"Is everyone okay?" Himeko asked.

"Yeah, we're fine… mostly." Kiana responded, while feeling a bit dizzy.

"W-We really need to get used to this dimensional warp thing." Sucrose remarked while adjusting her glasses.

"I feel just fine since I've travelled through other worlds before. Just, not inside a train." Lumine commented.

"Okay, I think we can rest easy now." Akira declared before standing up. "I'm gonna go check outside for a bit. Let's go, Regina."

"Yeah, right behind you." Regina responded as she stood up and followed Akira as they disembark the train to see their surroundings.

Once they got out, the two looked around the area while taking a few steps forward to see where they ended up.

"Are you really sure we're in the right world?" Regina asked with her arms crossed while they're walking. "Because if not, I'm gonna start lodging complaints."

"Hold on a sec, Regina. I'm checking my Zikan Phone right now." Akira replied as she took out her Zikan Phone and pushed a few buttons until she found what she's looking for. "Yep, this is definitely the Symphogear world. January 2045."

"Wait, 2045?! We're in the future now?!" Regina gasped.

"Yep, that's where the story of the Symphogears takes place in this Earth." Akira confirmed. "My journey with Gaius and my brother started in August 2019."

"Ah I see." Regina understood before she glanced at the scenery. "I think we've landed at an abandoned train station. I can even see some old and rusted trains along with some tracks."

"Must've been popular in the past. But as time goes by, people will begin to forget places like this and focus onto newer things." Akira remarked.

"True. Would be nice if this station is still functional."

"Agreed, but some things can't last forever. But that doesn't mean that I'll forget the good memories shared when visiting places like that."

"So true." Regina smiled. "We may be moving forward towards the future, but we can't forget about the past and remember how far we've come."

"Well said, Regina." Akira smiled back before noticing a few lights at a distance. "Ah, we're about to exit the station."

"Time to see what this world looks like!" Regina declared as she ran ahead.

"Hey, wait up!" Akira yelled as she put away her phone and ran after her.

Once the two got out of the station, they were met with awe when they saw what's ahead. City lights, a large bridge, a few flags hanging on said bridge, a large ferris wheel, and some buildings, and a big clock tower that looked like the Big Ben from London, England.

…Wait a minute…

"Uhh… Akira?"

"Yes, Regina?"

"This isn't Tokyo, Japan."

"…I can see that. This is London, England."

"…We landed in the wrong country."

"…Yep." Akira nodded with both of them having neutral expressions upon realizing where they ended up. It's definitely the correct world… but they landed in London, England instead of Tokyo, Japan.

"So… uh… what now?" Regina asked with uncertainty.

"We head back to the Zi-O Liner to inform the group about where we are now." Akira answered. "But before we do that, I need to yell out one phrase when I saw something really unexpected. ...You might wanna cover your ears."

Regina's eyes widen before she began to cover her ears and briefly looked away from Akira who is taking one very deep breath before yelling out one word.

"MECHOKKU!"

Akira's yell echoed throughout the abandoned train station, but not the city, which is good because she doesn't want to attract too much attention. After taking a few deeps breaths from the screaming, she gently tapped Regina's shoulder, earning her attention as she lowered her hands. "I'm done yelling now." She informed.

"Oh good." Regina sighed with relief. "But I can still hear a bit of your scream even with my ears shut."

"Sorry, just wanted to let it out of my system." Akira apologized, until she heard her Zikan Phone ringing. "My phone's ringing?" She took out her phone again, till her eyes widen in shock when she saw who the sender is. "Zeo?!"

"Wait, isn't that your brother?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, and it looks like he sent me a text message." Akira replied. "Let's see what he has to say." She pushed the button to open the text message and read what's inside.

Dear Akira, Kallen and Sakura,

It's me, Zeo. If you were able to receive this message, me, Gaius, Kanade and Serena have already arrived in the Symphogear world ever since we've received your message. We're taking residence in Tokyo, Japan at S.O.N.G HQ while we wait for your arrival. We've already stopped the Distortion in Gunvolt's world and obtained a Dimensional Fragment stored safely inside the Distortion Ridewatch, thus saving that world. Not only that, we've also gained plenty of new allies just like you did. But more importantly, we've learned quite a lot of info during our expedition in that world. It's better to relay this info in person rather than a text message for safety reasons. Either way, I'm really looking forward to see you girls again, even though we've split up for quite some time. And we're looking forward to meeting some of your new allies too. See you in Tokyo.

From Zeo Naotora, Kamen Rider Zi-O

Akira began to smile after reading her brother's message, but then started to chuckle sheepishly considering where she and her team are currently at. "Oh brother, if only you knew where we really are right now." She thought.

"It's good to know that your brother and his team are already in this world. Though I wonder if you're gonna tell them that you're in England instead of Japan?" Regina questioned.

"Hmm... should I keep that tiny screw-up as a secret?" Akira pondered for a bit. "Y'know what, screw it. I'll just tell him where we are anyway."

"Figures as much. But can you tell him to meet up tomorrow? It's getting late here." Regina advised.

"That's the plan." Akira replied. "You can head back to the Zi-O Liner to rest till morning, and inform the others where we're currently at. I'm gonna stay here for a while to look at the scenery before heading back."

"Sure thing, Akira." Regina replied back before yawning. "Try not to stay here for too long. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Regina." Akira smiled back as she watched Regina head back to the Zi-O Liner. After that, Akira turned back to the sights of the city and used her phone to voice call her brother.

---

Tokyo, Japan

S.O.N.G HQ, Guest Room

Nighttime

"...zzzzz..."

Meanwhile in one of the guest rooms, Zeo and Gaius are busy sleeping after the events that happened today. Genjuro and Prairie were kind enough to provide a place to sleep ever since they formed this alliance. Though Prairie advised the Riders to sleep at S.O.N.G HQ's guest room instead of using the one from the Guardian Base. Gunvolt, Copen, Joule and Lola also chose to sleep at S.O.N.G HQ; while Kohaku, Reiko, and the three orphaned kids chose to sleep at Guardian Base. Also, Kanade went to sleep in her new room prepared by Sakuya and Aoi, while Serena slept in Kirika and Shirabe's Room. They have a lot of work to do tomorrow hence why they needed a lot of sleep.

*Ring! Ring! Ring!*

Unfortunately, Zeo's Zikan Phone on a desk began to ring loudly, immediately interrupting his beauty sleep.

"...zzzzz... Zeo... answer that damn phone so we can go back to sleep..." Gaius said while trying to cover his ears with his pillow.

"Fine..." Zeo reluctantly responded as he slowly got out of bed, walked towards the desk, picked up the phone and answered the voice call without noticing the caller's name. "...What is it you want? I'm trying to sleep here..."

"Really? Is that your way of saying hello to your dear sister?"

"Gah!" Zeo exclaimed in shock upon hearing a familiar voice as he nearly dropped his phone before catching it. "Akira? Is that really you?" He asked.

"Were you expecting Kanade or Serena?" Akira questioned.

"Ah, no. They're already asleep by now. Ahem." Zeo cleared his throat. "Anyway, it's good to hear your voice again, sis."

"Same to you too, brother."

"So I take it that you're in the Symphogear world now?"

"Yup, me and my team arrived safely. I decided to try my luck and do a voice call instead of a text message to find out if you'll respond."

"Ah, I see. Are you in Tokyo, Japan right now?"

"Yeah... about that..."

"Sis? What's wrong?"

"Well... We didn't land in Tokyo, Japan... We landed in London, England instead."

"IN LONDON?!" Zeo exclaimed in shock, making Gaius throw a pillow at his head in annoyance. "Ow!"

"Will you keep it down?! I'm trying to sleep here!" Gaius scolded.

"Well excuse me! I never expected my sister to suddenly call me out of nowhere!" Zeo retorted.

"Well I...! Wait, what?" Gaius blinked a few times after hearing what Zeo said. "Akira's calling you now?!"

Zeo nodded in response, making Gaius get out of bed for a moment and went beside him. "Turn on the loudspeaker, but lower down the volume." Gaius told his friend.

"Got it." Zeo responded as he did just that, with the phone in a low volume. "Hey sis, Gaius is with me now. I think my shouting made him wake up for a bit."

"I kinda figured you'd screw up in some way or the other." Akira sighed. "Hey Gaius, what's up?"

"Heh, not much. Good to hear from you again, Akira." Gaius replied. "Sorry, it's getting kinda late here so we needed to sleep."

"Yeah, it's also nighttime here in London. But the view of the city is amazing in this time of night."

"Good to kn- Wait. London? Why are you in London?" Gaius questioned.

"I have absolutely no idea. And I thought the Zi-O Liner landed in Tokyo instead. Guess dimensional travel can be quite unpredictable."

"You're telling us. When me and my team arrived in Gunvolt's world, we ended up in a frozen city." Zeo remarked.

"A frozen city? Wait, did you guys ended up in Gunvolt 2 timeline?"

"Yup. And let me tell you, Zonda is one hell of a pain in the ass due to her song and her Septima."

"I see. But at least you defeated her with Gunvolt or Copen's assistance."

"Actually, it was both of them that helped us." Gaius corrected with a smirk.

"BOTH of them?! You guys actually managed to get them to work together?"

"Yep. It's a long story." Gaius confirmed.

"So which timeline did you and your team arrived at in Shantae's world?" Zeo asked.

"It was the beginning of Pirate's Curse, Shantae's third adventure."

"Ah, that. Meaning you've been working alongside Shantae and Risky Boots to stop the Pirate Master." Gaius noted.

"Mhm. And man the Pirate Master is really scary up close. Doesn't stop me and my team from kicking his ass though."

"Hehe, nice." Zeo praised his sister.

"Anyway, I just saw your message before I decided to try and call you. Well you're not the only ones who has learned some info. I did too during my expedition in Sequin Land."

"Really? What kind of info?" Gaius asked.

"You know what, let's just save that till we meet up in London tomorrow. You did say that you'll meet up with me in person due to safety reasons."

"Fair enough. I'm gonna have to tell Genjuro about it tomorrow morning so that he'll allow us to travel to London to meet you. And I'll bring along Kanade and Serena for the ride." Zeo said.

"You do that. Though speaking of Kanade and Serena, did they meet up with Tsubasa and Maria already?"

"Not yet, apparently. They met up with Hibiki, Miku, Chris, Kirika and Shirabe instead, along with Genjuro and the others." Zeo answered.

"And uh... speaking of the Queens of Music... they're having a concert tour in London, hence why they aren't in Tokyo right now." Gaius added.

"...Say what?! Are you freaking kidding me?!" Akira exclaimed.

"Nope." Zeo and Gaius answered.

"Okay... did not expect that. It's just one surprise after another, huh?"

"Yeah, you're telling us." Zeo chuckled. "Another reason why we're bringing along Kanade and Serena for the trip. Maybe also bring along some of the other Gear Users too, especially Hibiki."

"Please do. I really wanted to meet Hibiki in person, considering that she punched a mountain before."

"You will, sis. You will." Zeo assured before yawning. "Okay, we really need to go back to sleep. We don't want to get too exhausted for tomorrow."

"I understand. And again, sorry for waking you guys up in this time of night."

"It's no problem. We're just glad that you're doing alright ever since we took the route split." Gaius replied. "Get a goodnight's sleep too, okay?"

"I will. Goodnight Zeo, Gaius. See you guys tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Akira. Goodnight." Zeo and Gaius replied before ending the call. Zeo then put down the phone afterwards.

"Of all the places the Zi-O Liner chose to land, it had to be gacking London, the same place that concert tour is taking place." Zeo commented.

"Yeah. And for some strange reason, I get the feeling that something bad is going to happen in that concert." Gaius pondered.

"Well there have been concert tragedies that happened in this world before. Yeah, I don't like this feeling either." Zeo replied.

"Looks like we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow, so we'd better get a good rest." Gaius stated as he went back to bed, earning a nod from Zeo as he also went back to his bed. "Well, goodnight Zeo."

"Sleep well, Gaius." Zeo replied as the Riders closed their eyes and went back to sleep.

---

S.O.N.G HQ, Command Center

The Next Morning...

"Akira-kun and her team has already arrived in our world last night, Zeo-kun?" Genjuro asked, earning a confirmed nod from Zeo. "I see. Though I never expected them to land at London of all places."

"Well dimensional travel can be quite unpredictable. You'll never know where you'll end up when visiting a new world for the first time." Gaius stated.

"Not to mention the correct timeline." Zeo added. "I'm just glad that my sister and her team arrived in the correct world and timeline."

"I assume that your sister has the Gjallarhorn Fragment with her?" Prairie guessed.

"Should be, since she finished her mission in that world." Zeo answered. "Speaking of which, is my Gjallarhorn Fragment kept safely?"

"Don't worry, Elfnein-kun is taking care of it." Genjuro assured. "So which world did they go to? I forgot to ask about that part."

"That would be Sequin Land, the world of Shantae the Half Genie Hero." Gaius answered.

"Half Genie?"

"You see, this girl named Shantae is part human and part genie, hence her title name." Zeo explained. "Sequin Land is full of mythical creatures such as zombies, mermaids, genies and golems for example."

"Wait, shouldn't that world be from the Arabian Nights since genies were involved?" Aoi questioned.

"Well... part of it anyway." Gaius answered. "Most of the Guardian Genies are now living in the Genie Realm, leaving behind the Half Genies to take their place to protect Sequin Land."

"Wow, sounds like your sister and her team had quite the adventure." Sakuya remarked, earning a nod from Zeo.

"Our world never had genies before, or even mythical creatures." Prairie said.

"Heh, guess it's time for you to start studying about the Earth's past, Prairie-kun, along with the fiction and non-fiction stories." Genjuro advised.

"I believe so. Even a commander like myself have a lot to learn." Prairie replied.

"Best of luck on that." Zeo gave her a thumbs up for encouragement.

"Thanks, Zeo." Prairie smiled back.

"Now then, how are we supposed to go to London? We can't just take the airship or this submarine to travel there." Gaius questioned the commanders.

"Sorry. I'm afraid we're not allowed to do that unless a disaster occurs." Genjuro replied, with Prairie also shaking her head.

"I see. Well, fair enough." Zeo noted.

"But, we'll rent a private jet for you guys instead."

"A private jet?! Hold on, aren't those types of air travel kind of expensive?" Gaius questioned.

"Don't worry, we'll pay for the expenses." Genjuro assured. "You're free to bring along some of your teammates for the trip, but not all of them. We need some of them to stay in Japan, just in case the chimera or the Alca-Noise appears."

"Unfortunately, you're not allowed to bring Vent, Aile, Grey and Ashe along with you either." Prairie added. "They plan to set up a Giro Express Transporters branch here in this world to earn some money."

"Ah, that. Well, fair enough. Gotta start earning income in some way." Gaius noted.

"Anything else you would like to report?" Prairie asked the Riders, who both shook their heads in response.

"Very well." Genjuro nodded. "I'll contact you when the private jet is ready."

"Got it." The Riders nodded.

"Oh, one more thing, Gaius." Prairie spoke up. "Dr. Fleuve just finished examining the blueprints for the X-Baton and Legatus. Drop by the Guardian Base R&D Lab to retrieve them."

"Gotcha." Gaius nodded.

"Alright, you're dismissed." Genjuro ordered, earning a bow from the Riders before leaving the area.

---

S.O.N.G HQ, Training Room

While Gaius went to Guardian Base R&D Lab to retrieve his X-Baton and Legatus, Zeo went to S.O.N.G's Training Room, where he met up with Gunvolt, Joule, Miku, Serena and Shirabe, watching a sparring match between Hibiki and Kanade inside the Training Chamber with their Symphogears active. "Hey GV, ladies. What's up?" Zeo greeted them.

"Morning, Zeo." Gunvolt greeted back before turning to the sparring match. "Just watching Hibiki and Kanade spar for a bit."

"Hibiki really wanted to spar with Kanade-san, which is why she chose to wake up early and had plenty of breakfast." Miku added.

"From the looks of the battle, those two are evenly matched, even though they fight with different styles." Joule commented.

"I see." Zeo noted. "By the way, where's everyone else?"

"Copen and Lola are busy helping out Elfnein for a moment. But they'll join us when they're done." Serena replied.

"As for Kiri-chan, well she's busy being tutored by Chris-sempai after she noticed that Kiri-chan is falling behind on her school work." Shirabe added with a sigh.

"Oof." Zeo responded.

"Mhm." Shirabe nodded. "I was exempted from the tutoring session since I've already finished my school work."

"Ah, I forgot to ask which school did you and the others go to." Serena asked Shirabe.

"That would be Lydian Academy." Shirabe answered. "You want to enroll there too, Serena?"

"Eh? Well... I..." Serena struggled to answer.

"What's wrong with that? This is your chance to finally get proper education instead of just fighting most of the time." Gunvolt said to the young Gear User.

"Not only that, it's also a chance for you to make new friends in school." Joule added.

"Plus, you get to hang out with me, Kirika, Shirabe, Chris and Hibiki. Tsubasa-san already graduated last year." Miku added. "So Serena-chan, wanna give Lydian Academy a try?"

"Hmm..." Serena pondered with her hand on her chin.

"Tell you what, let's ask your sister first before making your decision. Sounds good?" Shirabe advised.

"...Alright, I'll tell Maria-neesan about it when she returns to Japan." Serena nodded.

"Actually, I have a better option." Zeo smirked.

"Huh?" Everyone tilted their heads in confusion, until they noticed Hibiki and Kanade arriving in their casual attire after leaving the Training Chamber, with towels hanging on their shoulders.

"We're back!" Hibiki greeted them. "The match went so well and Kanade-san still got it. I nearly had her for a few moments."

"Really, Hibiki-chan? I thought we're evenly matched." Kanade questioned while wiping away the sweat with her towel.

"I'll have to agree with Kanade there. You both were definitely evenly matched, but I'm impressed with your fighting styles considering you both were Attuned for quite a long time." Gunvolt commented to the Gungnir Users.

"Heh, don't sweat it, GV. You'll catch up to us soon." Kanade replied with a small grin. "Plus, you're also an adept, which makes you pretty special."

"Sort of." Gunvolt replied back while scratching his chin.

"Ah good, since everyone is here, I'm here to make an announcement." Zeo spoke up, earning everyone's attention.

"Did something happen lately?" Serena asked.

"Yep." Zeo nodded with a smile. "My sister Akira and her team, they've just arrived in this world last night."

"What?!" Everyone responded in shock.

"I recently had a phone call with her last night after she received my message." Zeo continued.

"Really? Does that mean your sister and her team are in Tokyo now?" Hibiki asked with a bit of excitement.

"Yeah... well... about that..." Zeo rubbed the back of his head. "They actually arrived in London instead."

"...IN LONDON?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock, earning a confirmed nod from Zeo.

"Hey, dimensional travel can be quite unpredictable. So don't blame the Zi-O Liner for landing in another country by mistake." Zeo defended.

"I... guess you have a good point there." Shirabe noted.

"Wait, London? Isn't that the country where Tsubasa and Maria are having a concert tour?" Kanade asked.

"The very same one, Kanade." Zeo confirmed with a nod.

"Makes me wonder if Akira-san and her team will meet them since they're in London?" Miku pondered.

"Maybe, maybe not." Zeo shrugged.

"Wait... does this mean that you're going to London to meet-up with your sister?!" Hibiki gasped in realization.

"Yup!" Zeo confirmed with a nod. "But it's not just me and Gaius, the rest of you are coming along with us! Genjuro's preparing a private jet at the moment, and when it's ready, we're flying to London ASAP!"

"EEHH?!" Everyone exclaimed in shock once more.

"So, if anyone wants to come with me and Gaius, please speak up." Zeo offered. "But I can't bring the Mega Men, Kohaku and Reiko along for the trip. They need to stay here to help set up the Guardian Base right next to S.O.N.G HQ."

"I see. In that case, I'm coming along with you." Gunvolt accepted.

"Same for me too." Joule also accepted. "Let me find Copen and Lola real quick and tell them about it."

"Go for it." Zeo approved before Joule left the room to look for Copen and Lola. "Okay, anyone else?" He asked the others.

"Oh, you know I'm definitely going with you and Gaius!" Kanade accepted with a small grin. "It's been so long since I last saw Akira, Kallen and Sakura."

"Count me in too. I really wanna see her again, along with meeting her new friends." Serena also accepted with a smile.

"You're coming too, right Hibiki-chan?" Kanade asked.

"Mhm! I'm definitely coming along!" Hibiki accepted with an excited nod before turning to her friend. "Wanna come too, Miku?"

"Yeah... about that, Hibiki." Miku replied.

"What's wrong?" Zeo asked.

"...I sadly can't come with all of you. I need to stay here and help Chris tutor Kirika on her studies." Miku answered.

"Eh?!" Hibiki exclaimed. "Do you really have to stay?"

"I'm afraid so." Miku nodded. "Kirika is falling really behind on her studies and I need to keep an eye on her. Chris and I need to take turns tutoring her, after all."

"I understand." Shirabe noted. "I'll leave Kiri-chan in your care, because I'm coming along with Zeo and Gaius."

"You're not staying here, Shirabe?" Gunvolt questioned.

"I'm more curious about the Zi-O Liner. I wonder what kind of facilities does that train have? I really wanted to have a look inside to find out!" Shirabe replied with starry eyes, making everyone sweatdrop at her reasoning.

"O-kay, you do that. Just don't break anything unless you wanted to get scolded by the owner of the train." Zeo replied back.

"But I though you're the owner of that train." Shirabe questioned.

"Yeah, but I didn't build that train from the beginning, remember?"

"Oh."

"Don't worry, Shirabe. Just follow the rules and you'll do just fine." Zeo assured with a smile.

"I will, Zeo. I promise." Shirabe smiled back.

"I guess it can't be helped if you're staying here to help Chris-chan and Kirika-chan." Hibiki understood Miku's reasoning. "Kirika-chan really is falling behind, huh?"

"Well at least you're doing a bit better than her since you're able to do well with your studies and finished your work." Miku commented. "...Even though you did cause a bit of trouble at times."

"Ehehe... At least I'm improving, right?" Hibiki sheepishly chuckled while rubbing the back of her head.

"...Mostly."

"Miku! At least trust me a little!" Hibiki pouted, making everyone else laugh in amusement.

"Don't worry, Miku-chan. I'll take care of your 'sunshine' for you." Kanade assured with a playful wink.

"K-Kanade-san!" Hibiki and Miku retorted with their faces feeling very red.

"You are never letting go of that joke, huh?" Gunvolt deadpanned at the redhead.

"Nope." Kanade replied, making the adept sigh.

"Hey guys!" Gaius greeted the group as he arrived with Joule, Copen and Lola right behind him. "Genjuro just told me that the private jet is ready and waiting at the airport. Aoi's driving us there in an SUV, so if anyone wants to get your things for the trip, please do so immediately."

"Joule told us about Akira's arrival earlier, so me and Boss are definitely going with you guys!" Lola cheerfully informed.

"Well I do want to see what the Zi-O Liner looks like, both inside and out. Plus I wanted to meet the scientist who built that special train." Copen added before turning to the Riders. "Speaking of which, did you two meet the scientist who built said train?"

"Actually, no. And it's not the scientist we met from the beginning either." Zeo answered.

"Huh, a shame." Copen replied.

"So Gaius, got your Legatus and X-Baton back?" Zeo asked.

"Yup, stored safely inside the Zikan Phone. But that's not all Dr. Fleuve gave me." Gaius replied as he briefly took out said phone and used it to materialize a case onto his hand before putting away the phone. "Hibiki, Miku, Shirabe, come here for a sec."

The three girls in question immediately went in front of Gaius as he begun to show them the case before opening it. And what they saw inside made them gasp in shock at what it was. Six very familiar phones in different colors. Yellow and orange, purple and white, red and white, pink and dark pink, and lastly green and dark green. "Gaius-san... are those...?!" Shirabe asked in shock.

"Yup, Dr. Fleuve, Jin, and even Elfnein worked together to build these Zikan Phones for you girls." Gaius confirmed. "Plus, these phones are colored differently to know which one of these belong to who."

"I'll thank them later when we return to Japan!" Hibiki smiled before taking the yellow and orange phone. "I'll take this one since it's my color!"

"I'll be taking this one then." Shirabe declared as she took the pink and dark pink phone.

"Then this one is mine then." Miku declared as she took the purple and white phone. "Gaius-san, is it okay if I also take the other two phones? I'll give them to Chris and Kirika since I'm staying here to help with the tutoring."

"Tutoring Kirika, right?" Gaius guessed, earning a nod from Miku. "Ah, I see. Too bad, but it can't be helped, I guess. Education is important, after all." He closed the case and gave it to Miku.

"Kanade, Serena." Copen spoke up, earning their attention. "I've finished with the slight modifications on your Zikan Phones last night. Here you go." He tossed the phones to them as they caught it.

"Modifications?" Zeo questioned.

"Well it's not much. Just a quick examination." Copen answered. "But I did give those phones some color to represent who they are."

"Thanks for that, Copen!" Kanade smiled as she looked at her phone, now in orange and red color.

"It looks a lot better than last time." Serena also smiled as she looked at her phone, now in silver and white color.

"The instructions are located inside the phone menu just in case you don't know how to use it." Gaius pointed out to the new phone owners. "Once you're done packing up some things for the trip, everyone will meet up outside HQ where Aoi and her SUV are waiting."

"Try not to take too long or we'll leave you all behind. Understood?" Zeo added.

"Okay!" Everyone else nodded except Miku.

"Right then, I'll be going now. Have a safe trip, everyone! And give Tsubasa-san, Maria-san and Akira-san my best regards!" Miku smiled to them with a nod and a bow before leaving the room.

"Bye, Miku! I'll bring you back a souvenir!" Hibiki smiled back while waving goodbye.

"I'm gonna have a talk with Zeo for a moment." Gaius told the others. "We'll meet you all outside HQ later."

"No problem." Gunvolt nodded. "See you later, you two." After that, everyone left the Training Room, leaving behind the two Riders alone.

"So Gaius, what's this about a talk?" Zeo asked.

"It took a lot of trial and error to make this, but it's finally successful." Gaius replied as he took out his Zikan Phone. "Take out your Zikan Phone for a moment."

"O-kay?" Zeo replied as he did just that. Gaius then pushed a few buttons on his phone to transfer something onto Zeo's phone. The phone began to ring, earning Zeo's attention as he looked into what was transferred, before his eyes widen in shock at what it is. "No gacking way...!"

"See it for yourself." Gaius smirked, prompting Zeo to materialize what was transferred into his phone and onto his hands. Two very familiar devices Gaius currently has.

"The Legatus and the X-Baton?!" Zeo exclaimed at what he has obtained.

"It took a combined effort from myself, Copen, Dr. Fleuve and Elfnein to build these." Gaius stated. "We were planning to make more, but I chose to just build one for you first to test it out. Building the X-Baton should be no problem, but the Legatus is a bit difficult since we need a Legion to make it work."

"I see. Well, can't argue with the results, though." Zeo replied as he examined the devices.

"Anyway, you better start registering your ID on the Legatus like how I did with mine." Gaius advised, earning a nod from Zeo as he attached said device on his wrist, activating it.

=Please insert new ID=

"Zeo Naotora. Age 20. Blood type: B." Zeo told the AI.

=Analysing...=

=New ID Registered=

=Legatus Access Granted=

=Welcome, Zeo Naotora=

"Well, there you go. It's officially yours, now. And nobody else can use it except you since I modified the security feature." Gaius declared. "Oh and by the way, the Sword Legion is stored inside the Legatus. I'll just keep the Axe and Arrow Legion."

"You're fine with parting with the Sword Legion?" Zeo questioned.

"It's fine, you can have it." Gaius assured. "Besides, there could be a chance that I might encounter another Sword Nemesis in the future."

"If you say so." Zeo replied as he detached the Legatus and storing it and the X-Baton back into his Zikan Phone.

"Right then, time to head back to our room and start packing up for the trip. Let's not keep our friends waiting, yeah?" Gaius declared as he patted Zeo's shoulder before leaving the room.

"Heh, right behind you." Zeo smirked back as he put away his phone before going after Gaius.

---

Several hours later...

London, England

After a long flight via private jet, they arrived at the London airport where they encountered another SUV prepared by a S.O.N.G agent. Everyone (except the agent) board the SUV while Aoi (who briefly came along to escort the group) took the driver's seat before driving off and leaving the airport. Zeo instructed Aoi to drive them to the location of the Zi-O Liner using his Zikan Phone's tracking function, but not without doing a bit of sight-seeing first during the trip. Along the way, everyone was in awe at the London landmarks and even took a few pictures. The Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, The London Eye, St. Paul's Cathedral, The Tower of London and the most iconic one of all, the large clocktower known as Big Ben.

One hour later, the SUV stopped at the entrance of the abandoned train station, prompting everyone to disembark the vehicle except for Aoi who chose to stay inside. "Are you sure you're not coming with us for a short while? I wanna introduce you to my sister and her new friends." Zeo asked.

"As much as I wanted to, I have to return to Japan immediately to do a few important errands. Sorry, Zeo." Aoi replied.

"Y'know Aoi, one of these days, you really need to take an annual leave and relax instead of working so much." Kanade said with her hands on the back of her head.

"I'll think about it when the time comes, Kanade." Aoi replied.

"Still, thanks for letting us see the sights of London." Serena bowed.

"It's no problem." Aoi smiled back. "Well I better get going. Give Tsubasa, Maria and Akira my best regards, okay?"

"We'll do that. Have a safe trip back!" Gunvolt nodded.

"See you back in Japan!" Hibiki smiled as she and the others waved goodbye to Aoi as she drove off, heading back to the airport. Afterwards, they turned to entrance of the abandoned train station.

"So this is where the Zi-O Liner landed?" Shirabe asked.

"Seems like it." Gaius replied as he looked at Zeo holding his Zikan Phone in front, with the tracking system rapidly ringing. "And we're getting pretty close to where that train is."

"Then we'd better stay close." Copen advised the group. "Okay, Zeo. We'll follow your lead."

"Gotcha." Zeo nodded back as they began to enter the abandoned station.

As they walked across the station, they saw plenty of old trains that are either broken or rusted, including some of the train tracks. A few moments later, they arrived at the worn-down station where they saw a very familiar working train parked inside. "And there she is..." Zeo smiled at the sight of the train while putting away the phone.

"Is that... the Zi-O Liner?" Lola asked.

"Yup, the one and only." Zeo confirmed with a nod. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

The group was in awe at the sight of the train, even Kanade and Serena.

"Wait, why are you both surprised? You girls were in this train before." Gaius questioned Kanade and Serena.

"Well we never did get a chance to see what the outside of the train looks like. We were in a hurry to go to GV's world." Kanade answered.

"And we only got to see the Dining Area, not everything else." Serena added.

"Ah... right. That's true." Gaius noted.

"I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to explore the Zi-O Liner since we're still waiting for Elfnein to decipher that data." Joule stated.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go inside already!" Lola cheerfully declared as she, Hibiki and Shirabe are about to run towards the train.

"Whoa whoa, hold it right there!" Zeo immediately stopped them with his hand raised. "I know you're excited to explore the train, but we must never forget our manners."

"He's right, you know." Serena agreed with a nod. "We don't want to give Akira-san and her friends the wrong first impression."

"Lola, Hibiki, Shirabe, please control yourself." Copen warned them.

"Hai..." They responded as everyone walked towards the train and stopped at the door entrance. Zeo began to knock on the door a few times before stepping back to wait for a response.

"Hello! Akira? Kallen? Sakura? Naomi? Woz?" Zeo called for his sister and the others.

"Is anybody in there? It's us, Gaius, Zeo, Kanade and Serena!" Gaius added.

"Are you guys busy at the moment? If you are, could you stop what you're doing for a bit and open the door first?" Kanade also added.

"We've even brought some of our friends along! They wanted to meet you!" Serena also added.

"Ah! Please hold on for just one moment! I'll go get the door!"

Everyone heard the voice from inside the train, but Gaius was quick to realize that said voice is someone different. "Wait a minute. That's not Naomi's voice." He said.

"Hey, you're right!" Kanade also realized. "I don't remember Naomi, Akira, Kallen or Sakura's voice sounding like that."

"Hmm... I think it might be one of Akira's new allies." Serena pondered.

"Maybe so." Zeo replied. "Guess we'll find out once that person opens the door."

A few seconds of waiting later, the train door opened, revealing the person to be a female wearing a combination of a maid and a knight's outfit. "Sorry for the slight delay, everyone. I was busy cleaning up the inside of the train." She spoke to the group.

"That's fine." Gunvolt waved off politely. "So what's your name?"

"My name is Noelle, I'm one of the new employees of the Zi-O Liner." She greeted with a bow.

"Noelle?" Zeo and Gaius repeated.

"(Hey Zeo, do you know someone named Noelle before who looks like this in any other games or anime? 'Cause I sure as heck don't.)" Gaius whispered.

"(Nope, not in the slightest. Must be from another world we've never heard of before.) Zeo whispered back.

"Is there something the matter?" Noelle asked with her head tilted, making the Riders snap out of their private talk.

"Ah, sorry. It's nothing, really." Zeo quickly responded while waving off. "Anyway, I'm Zeo Naotora; Akira's brother. And the one next to me is my best friend, Gaius Cornell."

"Hello there, Noelle." Gaius greeted with a wave.

"Zeo and Gaius..." Noelle pondered at the names with her hand on her chin, until her eyes widen in realization. "Wait, you must be the ones Akira mentioned before!"

"Yep, that's us." Zeo confirmed. "I'm guessing you're one of my sister's new allies?"

"Ah, yes. She found me and a few others in the Sands of Time during their travel to the Symphogear world." Noelle answered.

"I see." Kanade noted. "Anyway, I'm Kanade Amou. And these are my friends; Serena Cadenzavna Eve, Hibiki Tachibana, Shirabe Tsukuyomi, Gunvolt, Joule, Copen Kamizono and Lola."

"Nice to meet you." They greeted with a bow, making Noelle bow back.

"Now then, would you all like to come inside?" Noelle gestured to the opened door. "You must be tired from travelling to London in such a short notice."

"Sure thing, Noelle-san! But we did have fun doing a bit of sight-seeing while we're in London!" Hibiki cheerfully replied.

"Hehe! I'm glad to hear it." Noelle giggled. "Now then, I'll go and prepare some tea and snacks in the meantime." She went inside the train, with everyone else following behind afterwards.

---

Zi-O Liner, Dining Area

"Whoa..." The newcomers were in awe at the Dining Area. It looked very comfy and relaxing.

"Ah~ It feels good to see this place again after so long." Kanade smiled as she sat down on the chair.

"Indeed." Serena agreed with a nod as she sat next to Kanade. "It almost felt like a second home to us."

"Yeah, I agree." Gaius nodded before he turned to the newcomers. "So, you guys like the inside of the train?"

"Keep in mind that this is only the Dining Area." Zeo pointed out.

"It's amazing...! I know it's only the Dining Area but, wow..." Shirabe remarked with her eyes sparkling with awe.

"Wait till we see the rest of this train. It gets better from here." Gaius smirked before turning to Zeo. "Speaking of which, where is your sister anyway? Shouldn't she be waiting here right now?"

"...Crap, I forgot to ask Noelle where my sister's at right now." Zeo muttered before shrugging off and sat down. "Oh well, guess we'll wait for Noelle or anyone else to come by here."

"We're just gonna wait here?" Lola questioned. "I was kinda hoping to explore the train for a bit."

"I know you want to, as do all of us. But it's better to wait for now until further notice." Gaius advised.

"Fine, if you say so." Lola reluctantly complied as she and everyone else sat down. "Hope it's not too long."

"So this is the place where you two first woke up and met Zeo and the others, right?" Hibiki asked Kanade and Serena.

"That's right." Kanade confirmed with Serena also nodding. "And it's also the time where they first explain to us about what happened to us earlier and about their mission."

"I see." Gunvolt noted.

"Hey, who's that guy right over there?" Joule asked when she pointed at a man on the far end of the dining area, reading a book and sipping some tea. The others also noticed the man before Zeo, Gaius, Kanade and Serena's eyes widen in surprise at a familiar face.

"Hey, is that...?" Serena began.

"Yep. It's Woz, alright." Zeo confirmed. "He didn't notice our arrival?"

"Must be busy reading a very interesting book." Shirabe commented. "So this is one of the people you first met on this train?"

"Mhm." Gaius nodded. "He's not only a chronicler, he also fought alongside the previous Zi-O and Geiz in the past."

"Do you know their identities?" Hibiki asked.

"Oh yeah, I was wondering who were the previous owners. You never did tell us about them yet." Copen remarked.

"Well for the previous Zi-O, it was Sougo Tokiwa." Zeo revealed.

"And as for the previous Geiz, it was Geiz Myokoin." Gaius also revealed.

"Really? That was the identity of the previous Geiz?" Lola questioned. "I was expecting another name instead."

"Yeah, I don't get it either." Gaius admitted.

"Could you call Woz over here? Me and the others wanted to meet him." Gunvolt requested.

"I'll do it." Kanade complied before she began to shout at the busy bookworm. "Hey Woz! It's me, Kanade! Come over here!" ...Unfortunately he didn't hear a thing as he was too focused on his book. "Great... he can't hear me." She sighed.

"Let me handle this." Zeo declared as he stood up and walked over to Woz until he stopped in front of him. "Hello there, Woz. What-cha doooin'?"

"Busy reading an interesting novel at the Library Area." Woz answered while still reading his book.

"The Zi-O Liner has a Library?" Zeo raised an eyebrow.

"Of course. I thought you knew about it already."

"No I don't. Do you even know who you're talking to right now?"

"Of course!" Woz smiled as he lowered the book to see who's talking. "I'm talking to you, Zeo Naotora."

"Good to know. Also, what's up?" Zeo cheerfully greeted with a wave when he saw Woz's face. Woz took another sip of his tea...

"PFFFTTT!"

...And then did a spit-take onto Zeo's face filled with tea once he realized who's right in front of him in surprise.

"...Oi." Zeo muttered to Woz with a twitched eyebrow while lowering his hand.

Kanade, Hibiki and Lola laughed, Joule, Serena and Shirabe giggled, and Gaius, Gunvolt and Copen simply sighed and facepalmed after they all saw what happened to Zeo.

"Gh?! Z-Zeo Naotora! I-I didn't know you were here!" Woz stuttered in shock before he gasped, realizing what he just did. "A-Ah! S-Sorry! I-I didn't mean to do that!" He frantically grabbed a few tissues nearby and quickly wiped the stain off Zeo's face.

"You didn't hear Kanade calling for you earlier?" Zeo questioned.

"Wait, Kanade Amou's here?!" Woz exclaimed, making Zeo point to where the others are, who simply waved back.

"Come on, you." Zeo dragged Woz out of his seat and went in front of the others.

"Gaius Cornell, Kanade Amou and Serena Cadenzavna Eve! It's been a while!" Woz greeted the familiar faces.

"Indeed it has." Serena greeted back.

"What were you reading anyway? You didn't hear me call you?" Kanade questioned.

"Ah sorry, that book I borrowed from this library was so interesting that I ignored everything else." Woz apologized.

"This train has a library?" Kanade raised an eyebrow, earning a nod from Woz.

"Zeo, you okay over there?" Gaius asked.

"Fine. But it smells like green tea." Zeo replied after he finished cleaning up his face and then throwing the tissues away to a nearby dustbin.

"Again, sorry about that." Woz apologized.

"It's okay, dude. Water under the bridge." Zeo waved off before gesturing to the newcomers. "Anyway, these are our new friends; Hibiki Tachibana, Shirabe Tsukuyomi, Gunvolt, Joule, Copen Kamizono and Lola."

"Nice to meet you, Woz." They greeted with a bow.

"A pleasure to meet you all." Woz greeted back with a nod, before blinking a few times upon hearing a familiar name and glanced at Shirabe. "Wait, did you say that your last name is Tsukuyomi?"

"Um... yes? Is there something wrong?" Shirabe asked.

"Ah, no. It's nothing. It's just that your last name reminded me of one of my old allies besides Sougo and Geiz." Woz replied.

"Ah right, I forgot to mention another one of Woz's allies in the past. Her name is Tsukuyomi." Gaius pointed out.

"I see." Shirabe noted. "I wouldn't mind if I get to meet her someday."

"Only time will tell, Shirabe." Woz replied.

"Hey Woz, if you fought alongside the previous Zi-O and Geiz, does that mean you're also a Kamen Rider?" Hibiki asked.

"That is correct, Hibiki. As Kamen Rider Woz." Woz answered as he materialized the BeyonDriver onto his hand via Zikan Phone, surprising the group.

"The BeyonDriver!" Zeo and Gaius gasped at the familiar device.

"The repairs for your driver is finally complete?" Serena asked.

"That's correct, Serena." Woz confirmed.

"Whoa...! So this is how you transform into a Kamen Rider?!" Hibiki asked with awe, earning a nod from Woz.

"Huh, looks a lot different than the Ziku Driver Zeo and Gaius used." Kanade commented.

"Do you also need the use of a Ridewatch in order to equip your armour?" Copen asked.

"Actually I require a different item in order to do that." Woz answered as he briefly took out a white Miridewatch with Kamen Rider Woz's face on it from his pocket. "This here is a Miridewatch, containing a power of a Kamen Rider from the future that's past the year 2019."

"A Rider from the future?" Gunvolt repeated.

"I can only use the Woz Miridewatch for now since the other four watches are still being repaired at the moment." Woz stated. "But the Shinobi Miridewatch is close to completion."

"I see." Zeo noted. "Well so much for using the Ginga Miridewatch right from the start."

"Shinobi? There's a Kamen Rider Shinobi in the future?" Shirabe asked.

"Correct. Shinobi comes from the year 2022, which is past the Heisei Era." Woz answered.

"Heisei Era?" Joule responded.

"Wait, I think I remember that era before during history class when I studied with Miku!" Hibiki recalled. "It's the time where Emperor Akihito reigned Japan until his abdication in April 30th 2019."

"That's correct, Hibiki." Woz confirmed. "And do you know when the Heisei Era began?"

"Umm... hold on, give me a minute to remember which date..." Hibiki began to ponder which date, until she found the answer. "Ah, it was January 8th 1989!"

"Correct again. Well done, Hibiki." Woz confirmed.

"Ehehe!" Hibiki smiled back with a sheepish chuckle while rubbing the back of her head.

"So what comes after the Heisei Era?" Lola asked.

"Wait, let me answer this one. I remember this during history class." Shirabe spoke up with her hand raised. "I think it was the Reiwa Era. It began on May 1st 2019 when Emperor Naruhito ascended the throne."

"That's correct, Shirabe." Woz confirmed.

"Are there any Kamen Riders in the Reiwa Era?" Kanade asked.

"Well, me and Gaius knew about one so far. Kamen Rider Zero-One, the first Rider of the Reiwa Era." Zeo revealed.

"Kamen Rider... Zero-One..." Hibiki repeated.

"So it's just Zero-One for now, huh?" Copen mused.

"Well there is another Reiwa Rider that I've heard about, but I'll save that for next time." Woz said.

"You know who it is, don't you?" Gaius raised an eyebrow.

"Ah, ah, ah, spoilers." Woz waved his finger, making Zeo and Gaius sigh in annoyance.

"I was wondering where you four would show up again."

Everyone turned to the opened door on one end of the Dining Area where they saw a figure resting at the side of the door with arms crossed before walking towards them while the door closed behind. As the figure came closer to the group, Zeo, Gaius, Kanade and Serena's eyes widen as they saw a very familiar face. "Yae Sakura!" They gasped in surprise, before blinking a few times when they saw her attire. "...Eh?"

It was not the miko outfit from before. Sakura is now wearing a white shirt with a short black and blue open-jacket on top along with headphones hanging around her neck, black and blue shorts, and a pair of blue and black boots with one white thigh-high sock on her right leg. Also there's three sheathed katanas holstered on her left hip.

"...Is there something wrong? I though you four would be happy to see me again." Sakura questioned.

"Well... it's good to see you again, Sakura. But... uh..." Zeo struggled to answer after looking at her new outfit.

"What kind of outfit are you wearing? What happened to the miko outfit?" Gaius asked Sakura.

"Oh, this?" Sakura responded before showing off her outfit. "It's actually a new battlesuit the scientists wanted me to test out. It's called the Unforgotten Apostle. My usual outfit is stored in my Zikan Phone."

"This thing? A battlesuit?" Kanade questioned while pointing at said battlesuit. "You look like you're trying to blend in to the modern world."

"Y-Yeah... Bronya gave the same comment to me when she saw my battlesuit." Sakura admitted while slightly looking away in embarrassment.

Zeo and Gaius however, had their eyes widen in shock when Sakura mentioned a familiar name. "Bronya? As in Bronya Zaychik?! How did my sister find her?!" Zeo thought in exclamation.

"Bronya? Who's that?" Serena asked.

"Ah right, a lot has happened during our mission in Sequin Land. We've discovered more people that came from our world. Bronya Zaychik was one of them." Sakura answered.

"Who are the other people that you, Kallen, and my sister picked up?" Zeo asked.

"Besides Bronya, there's Theresa Apocalypse, Kiana Kaslana, Mei Raiden, Fu Hua, Himeko Murata, Seele Vollerei, and lastly Nikola Tesla. Then there's also Miriam and Regina Madoka, both of them are from different worlds. Also during our trip to the Symphogear world, we've also discovered Noelle, Sucrose, Lumine, and an unknown injured man in the Sands of Time." Sakura revealed, making the Riders feel completely shocked and speechless upon hearing the familiar names, especially Regina who's from the Pretty Cure world, and Miriam who's from the Bloodstained world. The last four people Sakura mentioned were quite new to them since they've never heard of those names before.

"Wait, an injured man? Is he okay?" Serena asked.

"He'll live. He's in the Medical Area where he's being recovered. But he's in a deep coma, so he won't wake up for a while. We didn't even know his name either." Sakura replied.

"I see. I hope he'll wake up from his coma soon." Serena noted.

"Wait... Nikola Tesla?!" Shirabe gasped upon hearing a familiar name. "He was one of the famous engineers in the past for designing the modern AC electrical supply system in the 1870s!"

"AC?" Hibiki responded.

"Alternating Current, that's what AC stands for." Copen described.

"Oh... that! ...I still don't get it though." Hibiki remarked, making the others sweatdrop.

"Actually... the Nikola Tesla from my world... it's actually a girl, not a guy." Sakura nervously revealed.

"...What?" Gunvolt, Copen, the Gear Users, and the idol adepts responded in confusion.

"She's... not kidding considering Tesla is from the Honkai Impact world, just like Sakura and Kallen." Gaius stated in confirmation. "Remember the female Albert Einstein we met before?"

"Oh...!" Kanade and Serena quickly understood, recalling their first meeting with the famous scientist.

"Albert Einstein?!" Shirabe exclaimed again upon hearing another familiar name, before blinking in confusion when Gaius mentioned the 'female' part. "Wait, female?"

"Trust us, the multiverse can be weird and/or unpredictable. So get used to it." Zeo reminded.

"Did someone mentioned my name?"

And just like that, the mentioned scientist herself arrived at the Dining Area with her Zikan Phone in hand upon hearing her name being called. "Well look who it is. It's been a while." She greeted the familiar faces, while the newcomers had their eyes widen in surprise.

"Yo, Einstein! Yep, it really has." Kanade greeted back with a smile.

"It's good to see you again, professor." Serena also smiled.

"Same to you too Kanade, Serena." Einstein nodded back before he turned to the Riders. "Akira told me that you're coming, but if you're looking for her right now, she's not here at the moment. She and a few of her new friends are out shopping for clothes and supplies in London."

"So that's why my sister isn't here at the moment. Okay, fair enough." Zeo understood. "Wait, what about the money issues since she's out buying stuff?"

"Oh, that? We've collected a boatload of gems in Sequin Land that's more than enough to cover our income." Einstein replied. "Go and check the Storage Area if you have the time, you'll see what I mean. Just don't touch the scavenged parts I've picked up or I'll send my drones after you."

"...Noted." The Riders gulped.

"I know you told us before that this Einstein is a female instead of a male..." Gunvolt said to Kanade, Serena, and the Riders with disbelief. "...But I still can't believe it."

"Wow... the multiverse IS weird..." Joule added.

"You have no idea how right you are." Woz replied with a chuckle.

"Now then, are you going to introduce us to your new friends?" Einstein asked.

"Allow me, doc." Kanade complied before gesturing to the newcomers. "This is Gunvolt, Copen Kamizono, Joule, Lola, Shirabe Tsukuyomi, and lastly my successor for Gungnir, Hibiki Tachibana."

"Nice to meet you!" The newcomers greeted with a bow.

"Good to meet you too." Einstein greeted back. "I see that you're already acquainted with Yae Sakura and Woz earlier. Allow me to properly introduce myself, my name is Professor Albert Einstein, one of the greatest scientists in the history of mankind."

"It's nice to meet a very famous scientist in person, considering that I'm also a scientist. Pleasure to be working with you." Copen stood up from his seat and offered a handshake.

"Same to you too, Copen." Einstein replied as she shook Copen's hand before he sat back down. "I'm sure we'll be making plenty of useful inventions together, along with my assistant Tesla."

"Now that's something I'm really looking forward to." Copen smirked back.

"We'll also introduce you to our scientists Elfnein and Dr. Fleuve when we head back to Japan." Shirabe offered.

"Really?" Einstein raised her eyebrow. "How interesting. I'll look forward to meeting them."

"So, about Noelle, Sucrose and Lumine, which world are they from?" Gaius asked.

"For Noelle and Sucrose, they come from the world called Teyvat." Woz answered. "Perhaps you and Gaius have heard of it?"

"Nope, that world is completely new to us." Zeo answered as he and Gaius shook their head. "We may have knowledge of other worlds due to video games and anime, but not all of it."

"Hmm, I see. Even dear Akira didn't know about Teyvat either." Woz noted.

"What about Lumine? Is she also from Teyvat?" Serena asked.

"Actually, no. She's a dimensional traveler." Woz answered.

"A dimensional traveler?!" The group exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, that's what she told us." Sakura confirmed with a nod. "Unfortunately she's lost her powers after a run-in with an unknown god during her travels alongside her brother Aether."

"An unknown god?" Copen responded.

"Mm." Sakura nodded. "That god is also responsible for separating the siblings, and now Lumine is joining us so that we could help find her brother and figure out how to get her powers back."

"Damn... if that unknown god is that strong, then we'd have to be careful." Kanade said with caution, earning an approved nod from the group.

"Everyone, sorry for taking so long." Noelle informed the group as she arrived with a tray full of tea and snacks, and placed them onto the table in front of the group. "Your tea and snacks are ready, plus I took a bit of extra time to notify the others about your arrival. They should be here soon."

"Thanks, Noelle." Gunvolt nodded. "But are you sure it's okay for you to tell them to come and meet us? I don't want their daily activities to be interrupted."

"Oh, that's no problem." Noelle assured. "They don't mind meeting you all for the first time since it'll take a moment. Though it's a shame that Akira and the others couldn't meet you since they're still outside doing their shopping spree."

"Nah, it's fine." Zeo waved off. "I'm sure they're not gonna take too long. That, and I wanna explore London a bit more now that we have a place to stay for the time being, so there's no need to book a hotel."

"Ah, it looks like they've arrived." Noelle said after hearing the door at one end of the Dining Area opening up, and then comes the arriving Tesla, Bronya, Seele, Theresa, Miriam, Lumine and Sucrose. Noelle cleared her throat a bit before beginning the introductions. "Everyone, this is Nikola Tesla, Bronya Zaychik, Seele Vollerei, Theresa Apocalypse, Miriam, Lumine and Sucrose." She then gestured to Zeo's group. "This is Akira's brother, Zeo Naotora; and his friends Gaius Cornell, Gunvolt, Copen Kamizono, Joule, Lola, Kanade Amou, Serena Cadenzavna Eve, Hibiki Tachibana and Shirabe Tsukuyomi."

"Wow, Akira sure picked up quite a lot of allies on her end." Kanade remarked, with Zeo agreeing with a nod.

"So you must be Zeo Naotora and your team. Nice to finally meet you." Theresa greeted with her arms crossed.

"Likewise, Theresa." Zeo greeted back.

("Wow, she looks almost the same age as Serena.") Shirabe whispered to Zeo's group, earning a nod from them in response.

"So these are your new allies you've added to the team?" Theresa asked.

"Well do have more allies than this, but they're staying in Japan because they need to perform a few important errands, so we can't bring them along with us." Gaius answered.

"That, and they need to keep the city safe, just in case the Alca-Noise or any other threat attacked." Zeo added.

"I see." Theresa replied. "Akira already told us earlier about those horrifying creatures that turned humans into carbon with a single touch."

"Though I've never expected these Alca-Noise to be created using alchemy." Surcrose said. "Why would they do this to innocent human beings?"

"You can blame the Bavarian Illuminati alchemists for that, just to seek divine power." Shirabe answered.

"But myself, Shirabe-chan, and the rest of S.O.N.G have already defeated their leader Adam Weishaput, so only small remnants of the alchemists remain." Hibiki added.

"That's good to know." Sucrose nodded. "I just can't stand alchemists doing terrible things such as this. I'm an alchemist myself, but I would rather use alchemy to help people instead."

"You're an alchemist too, Sucrose-san?!" Hibiki gasped.

"I specialize in bio-alchemy. If you ever need my assistance, please let me know." Sucrose replied.

"That's good to know." Shirabe replied back. "Actually, S.O.N.G also has an alchemist ally named Elfnein. Maybe you could meet her, if possible."

"Really? Then I'll look forward to meeting her." Sucrose smiled.

"One thing to know about Elfnein, she looks like the same age as Theresa and myself." Serena pointed out, surprising Sucrose.

"A young alchemist?!" Miriam responded. "I never expected that."

"Well it's true. Elfnein-chan told me and Serena-chan about it. She's young, but knows how to get the job done." Kanade confirmed.

"Hold on..." Gunvolt interrupted with his hand raised as he narrowed his eyes to take a closer look at Miriam's body. "What happened to your body? It looks so... crystalized."

"Oh... that. It was because of an experiment by the Alchemist Guild back in my world." Miriam answered. "I'm actually called a Shardbinder."

"A Shardbinder?" Gunvolt responded.

"It allows me to absorb the powers of demons using crystal shards, allowing me to use their abilities." Miriam explained. "However, if I absorb far too much shards, I'll be permanently turned into crystal, with no hope of reversing its effects, hence why this power is a curse."

"My god..." Copen muttered in shock, while everyone in Zeo's group gasped. "Is there a way to stop the crystalization process before its too late?"

"Sucrose is trying her best to find a way to stop the curse." Einstein answered. "The only thing we could do now is to extract some of the shards out of Miriam. It'll only slow down the crystalization process, but not to permanently stop it."

"I see. We'll it's better than nothing, at least." Joule noted.

"I suggested Akira and the others to go to a bookstore and see if there's any info about curses." Tesla said. "Though honestly, we might have better luck finding the info we're looking for if we could travel to Miriam's world, maybe in some books or such."

"Oh. Might as well work with what we got and hope for the best until we find a permanent solution." Lola remarked.

"Ah, maybe we could ask Elfnein-chan's help!" Hibiki suggested. "She might know what to do!"

"You might be onto something, Hibiki." Shirabe agreed. "Once we head back to Japan, let's ask her."

"I appreciate your assistance, everyone." Miriam smiled. "But even so, that curse won't stop me from using these powers to protect people. It's what my friend Gebel told me, and he's also a Shardbinder."

"What did he say?" Hibiki asked.

"Our power doesn't make us good or bad, our choices do. That freedom of choice is proof that we're human." Miriam answered.

"Well said, Miriam." Zeo smiled, with everyone else also smiling.

"Now then Zeo, Gaius, Kanade, Serena." Einstein clasped her hands. "With that out of the way, it's time for you four to tell us what happened to you and your team during your mission in Gunvolt's world, and your arrival in the Symphogear world."

"Not only that, we'll also share Akira's report during the mission in Sequin Land." Sakura added.

"Alright, take a seat, everyone. This is going to be a very long report." Zeo declared as everyone took a seat.

"Wait, shouldn't we wait for Akira and the others to come back first so that you could tell her your report?" Seele questioned.

"Not to worry, Seele. Me and Zeo will tell them ourselves later." Gaius assured.

"Very well."

"Okay, where to start?" Zeo began his report. "It all started when we arrived in Gunvolt's world where we first met Gunvolt, Copen, Joule and Lola..."

---

30 minutes later...

As time flew by, the two teams shared information about their missions. For the important info during the mission in Sequin Land, one was from a creature that was corrupted into a Jikochu, until it was purified and revealed information that a Dark Pretty Cure was involved; and the other info was the appearance of another Pretty Cure named Cure Darkmoon who helped Akira's group with their victory, and also hinted about Gjallarhorn while also giving Akira a USB Memory Drive which contained the location of the Symphogear world.

As for the important info during the mission in Gunvolt's world, one was the encounter of one of the Neo Time Jacker generals named Eins; then the sudden appearance of the Legatus and the chimeras; then later on, Eins stealing a Septima pendant containing the power of 'The Muse'; and most important info of all, Gunvolt and Copen's meeting with Finé who revealed the identity of the Dimensional Fragments confirming to be from complete relic called Gjallarhorn which was planned to be stolen by the Neo Time Jackers from the beginning, until an unknown third party interfered, broke apart the relic, and scattered the fragments across the multiverse which also unintentionally caused the Dimensional Quakes and the Distortions.

"Gjallarhorn... so that's the cause of all of those Dimensional Quakes and the Distortions." Einstein mused with her hand on her chin. "And it originated from the Symphogear world of all places."

"So that was their plan from the beginning. No wonder the Neo Time Jackers are aiming for worlds beyond the Rider Worlds, and Gjallarhorn is the key to doing so." Woz frowned.

"And not only that..." Theresa glanced at Kanade. "...you and your commander were involved with that project in the past after Finé discovered it."

"Yes, but it was only used when an abnormality occurred in another world." Kanade confirmed. "I still can't believe a powerful and dangerous relic like that could cause all of this to happen. No wonder this project is kept highly confidential."

"Don't worry, girls." Tesla said to the Gear Users. "We're not blaming your world for this multiversal incident, the real culprit is still the Neo Time Jackers."

"Still, breaking apart the relic and scattering them or leave it whole? I don't know which choice to make if I had to deal with a scenario like that." Lumine remarked.

"The Bronya thinks that the first option is the correct one since it will greatly delay the Neo Time Jackers' plans." Bronya stated.

"I think I'll have to agree with Bronya." Seele agreed. "It's better than letting them steal the whole relic."

"Right now, Elfnein is trying her best to decipher the data Finé gave me which contained the last known location of Gjallarhorn before it was broken apart." Gunvolt informed.

"I see." Einstein noted. "If that's the case, then allow me and Tesla to lend a helping hand on deciphering that code." She then turned to Copen. "Copen, can you help me establish a comms line with the Guardian Base and S.O.N.G HQ?"

"Consider it done. I'll notify Genjuro and Prairie about it first." Copen accepted.

"I'll help too!" Lola also accepted.

"I'll go with you guys so that I can greet the commanders personally." Theresa added.

"Go right ahead." Zeo approved as Einstein, Tesla, Copen, Lola and Theresa stood up from their seats.

"Alright, follow me. I'll lead you guys to the R&D Lab." Einstein began to head for the door on the north side of the Dining Area, with the others following behind.

"We'll be busy for quite a while, but let us know if anything new happens, okay?" Copen told the ones staying behind.

"You got it, Copen." Gunvolt nodded. "See you in a bit." Afterwards, Copen and the others left the area and head for the R&D Lab.

"So, what now, Zeo-san?" Hibiki asked.

"Not much at the moment, but I'm going to explore London a bit more." Zeo replied as he stood up. "If anyone wants to come with me, please respond."

"I'll go with you, not much for me to do here for now." Gaius accepted and stood up.

"Oh! Let me go with you too!" Hibiki cheerfully accepted with her hand raised.

"Don't forget about me!" Kanade accepted with a grin.

"I'll come along too." Serena accepted with a smile.

"Guess I'm coming with you guys." Gunvolt accepted.

"Wherever GV goes, I'll go with him." Joule added.

"Shirabe-chan, wanna come along with us?" Hibiki offered.

"Sorry but, I think I'll stay here." Shirabe politely declined. "Besides, I still wanted to explore this train and see what kind of facilities it has."

"Ah, right. Forgot that you wanted to explore the Zi-O Liner so much." Zeo remembered. "Alright, Shirabe. Suit yourself."

"Take care of Shirabe while we're gone, okay?" Serena said to the ones staying behind.

"Not to worry, we'll keep an eye on her." Noelle assured.

Zeo, Gaius and the ones coming with them stood up from their seats and began to exit the train, but then Kanade stopped for a moment and glanced at Miriam. "Wait." Kanade spoke up. "Why don't you come with us too, Miriam?"

"Me?" Miriam pointed to herself in surprise. "I-I'm not sure that's such a good idea considering the crystals on my body."

"Do you know something about tattoos? It's like having decorations on your body such as flowers and roses using ink. Here's mine." Kanade said before she briefly showed her own tattoo on her back by pulling up the back of her sweater and singlet, revealing it to be a red wing before pulling down her sweater and singlet.

"Oh, so that's what a tattoo is." Miriam noted. "Yours looks nice, by the way."

"Thanks, Miriam!" Kanade smiled back.

"Wow, I didn't know Kanade-san had a tattoo like that before." Hibiki remarked.

"Hold on, what about those horns on her head?" Serena pointed at said horns on Miriam.

"Oh... forgot about that part." Kanade realized before asking the others. "Anyone has a spare hood I can use for Miriam?"

"You can have mine." Noelle complied as she materialized a blue hood onto her hand using her Zikan Phone.

"What the, where did you get that phone?" Gunvolt asked after noticing her phone.

"Einstein made this for me and the others. She came prepared." Noelle answered as she gave the hood to Miriam who began to wear it.

"Well she did gave me, Gaius, Akira, Kanade, Serena, Kallen and Sakura those phones from the beginning since she built those." Zeo pointed out.

"Oh, okay that explains it." Gunvolt noted.

"Have a good time exploring London with the others, Miriam." Sucrose said.

"I will, thank you." Miriam smiled and nodded back.

"Remember not to stay outside for too long and return to the Zi-O Liner when you're done. I'll prepare a delicious meal for everyone, including my special dish." Noelle said to the ones leaving the train.

"Oooh! That's something I wanna look forward to, Noelle-san!" Hibiki replied with a bit of excitement.

"See you later and stay safe, everyone!" Shirabe waved.

"See ya, Shirabe! We'll be back soon!" Serena waved back as she and the others disembarked the train, leaving behind Shirabe, Noelle, Sucrose, Lumine, Woz, Sakura, Shirabe.

"I'm gonna go back to the lab and continue my research." Sucrose said. "Let me know if you need anything, okay?"

"Sure thing, Sucrose-san." Shirabe nodded as the alchemist left the area and returned to the lab.

"Now then, Shirabe. Allow me to provide you the tour of the Zi-O Liner." Noelle said. "Afterwards, you're free to do however you please. Just try not to break anything."

"I understand, Noelle-san." Shirabe replied. "I wonder if this place has a Lounge Area for me to relax?"

"It does. It even have some game consoles with a library of games stored inside." Bronya confirmed. "Speaking of which, after the tour, the Bronya would like to request playing a game with you from one of the consoles."

"Sounds like fun since I'm also a gamer. I'm in." Shirabe accepted.

"I should warn you though, Bronya is quite a gamer pro and has bested most of her opponents." Seele informed.

"I welcome a challenge, then." Shirabe smirked.

"You're welcome to try." Bronya smirked back. "The Bronya will not go easy on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I'll just read some books in the Library Area." Lumine declared before turning to Seele. "Would you like to join me?"

"Oh, sure! I need to take a break from gaming for a while." Seele accepted.

"I'll also be heading for the library to read a few books since I've finished testing my new battlesuit." Sakura added.

"I'll be joining you two at the library, as well." Woz added before turning to Shirabe. "Hope you enjoy the tour, Shirabe Tsukuyomi."

"I will!" Shirabe nodded back as Seele,, Sakura, Lumine and Woz left the area and head for the library. "Okay, Noelle-san. Please lead the way."

"Follow me, please." Noelle bowed as she escorted Shirabe to begin the tour of the Zi-O Liner, with Bronya tagging along.

---

Meanwhile in the city of London, Zeo, Gaius, Miriam, Kanade, Serena, Hibiki, Gunvolt and Joule are taking in the sights around the beautiful city while also taking a few photos using their Zikan Phones, and even did a few group photos and selfies. Right now they're on their way towards the London Eye to have a better look of the city. When they arrived at their destination, everyone is in awe at the sight of the large ferris wheel.

"Wow... I've never seen such an amazing landmark before." Miriam said with awe. "My world never had something like that before."

"Your world is based on the 1880s, correct?" Zeo guessed, earning a confirmed nod from Miriam. "I see. Well, science and technology has progressed quite a lot as years go by."

"Does your world also has firearms?" Gunvolt asked.

"They do; including trains, ships and even some other machinery." Miriam confirmed.

"Huh, interesting."

"So the London Eye, what kind of building is it?" Miriam asked.

"It's basically one big observation wheel, or ferris wheel in another term." Gaius explained. "The capsules carried multiple passengers as the wheel slowly elevates the capsules upwards and downwards in a counter-clockwise movement. Once the capsule reaches the highest peak, that's where the passengers get to see the amazing view of the city."

"Wow..." Miriam commented in amazement.

"Amazing, isn't it, Miriam-san?" Hibiki smiled. "Me and Miku rode in a ferris wheel back in Tokyo last time and it was a lot of fun!"

"Hmm... now that I think about it, I never did get a chance to take Tsubasa on a ferris wheel ride during our free time." Kanade remarked.

"I'm sure you'll get that chance eventually, Kanade-san!" Hibiki assured.

"Yeah, maybe you're right, little kouhai." Kanade smiled back.

"It's also my first time riding a ferris wheel, but I'm a little nervous about how high it is." Serena commented.

"Heiki, hecchara! Everything will be fine, Serena-chan!" Hibiki assured. "It's okay to feel a bit nervous, but try to have a bit of courage and you can overcome anything!"

"Courage, huh?" Serena repeated before nodding with a determined smile. "...Alright, Hibiki-san! I'll give it a try!"

"That's the spirit!" Hibiki smiled back.

"GV, have you ever been on a ferris wheel ride before?" Joule asked.

"Not really, too busy doing missions when I was still working in QUILL." Gunvolt replied. "I do know that the London Eye still exists in my world."

"I see. Then this might be a perfect chance for us to ride this landmark together." Joule stated.

"Well, there's a first time for everything. I'll give it a shot." Gunvolt replied.

"Right then, we'd better get going before the place gets too overcrowded." Zeo declared before everyone entered the London Eye as they eventually encountered the attendant at the counter.

---

Luckily the place is not too crowded, so there's no trouble waiting. Eventually, the group got onto one of the capsules that included air-conditioning and several seats. "Let's take a seat while we wait for the capsule to go up." Gaius said as the group did just that.

But then suddenly, another group arrived to ride the same capsule, and it was something no one would ever expect. "Phew... Finally made it in time before the next cycle. Hope you guys don't mind if we share... this... spot...?"

"..."

"..."

"No gacking way... Sis?!"

"Akira?!"

"Brother?! Gaius?!"

"Kallen?!"

"Kanade?! Serena?!"

"Wait, why are you here, Miriam?!"

"Um... I can explain..."

Yup, that other group turned out to be Akira, Kallen, Kiana, Mei, Fu Hua, Himeko and Regina in their casual outfits as both groups are in deep shock at their sudden appearances.

"Well... this is unexpected..." Himeko commented. She's wearing a red singlet with a white open jacket on top, a pair of black short gloves, black jeans and black shoes.

"So that's Zeo Naotora and his friends..." Fu Hua remarked. She's wearing her Valkyria Accipiter battlesuit, which is the same one she wore during her adventures in Shantae's world.

"I've never expected to see them here. I know Akira told us earlier that they're coming, but not like this." Mei commented. She's wearing a light blue and white outfit called the Aqua Chime.

"Yeah, I agree." Kiana noted before glancing at Miriam. "But why is Miriam out here? Shouldn't she be staying at the Zi-O Liner because of her crystalized body?" Kiana is wearing her White Comet battlesuit, but she's also wearing a white open jacket on top that has orange sleeves and black highlights on the shoulders.

"I'm pretty sure they have an idea why they allowed her to come along, plus they gave her a hood to hide those horns." Regina pointed out.

For a few seconds, the two groups stared at each other in silence while the doors closed and the capsule began to slowly ascend. "Umm... hello." Hibiki broke the silence and greeted the other group with her raised hand.

"Oh... uh... hi." Kiana greeted back with her hand raised before rubbing the back of her head. "Geez... this is getting awkward." She then turned to Akira. "Well don't just stand there! Say something!"

"Huh? O-Oh! Right... Ahem." Akira broke out of her state of shock, cleared her throat and began to talk to the other group. "Well... I know you guys are coming over since that phone call last night. Just... not expecting to meet in a place like this."

"We've already been to the Zi-O Liner earlier, though it's kind of fitting that it landed in an abandoned train station." Gaius replied. "And since you're gonna take a while to return to the train, we decided to kill some time by exploring London for a bit."

"Oh, right. Sorry about that." Akira apologized. "Had to go and buy some new clothes and supplies for the train since we've gotten a lot of gems in Sequin Land. Also had to exchange those gems to a pawn shop first."

"Heh, you and your team have been quite busy monster and treasure hunting in Sequin Land." Gaius chuckled.

"Hehe, yeah." Akira chuckled back. "Now I know how an RPG hero feels like."

Gaius then noticed Zeo is still shocked and speechless while staring at Akira. "Hey, Zeo. Aren't you gonna say something to your sister?" Gaius asked, until he saw Zeo slowly walking up to Akira. "Zeo? You okay, dude?"

Once Zeo stopped in front of her sister, he immediately began to hug her slowly, surprising her. "Akira..." He spoke. "It's good to see you again."

"Brother... Though you already said that to me last night in a voice call." Akira replied.

"I know. Maybe I should've used the video call function instead."

"Yep, you should. But still..." Akira hugged back while shedding a tear. "...it's good to see you again, Zeo."

"Yeah... you too, Akira."

Everyone smiled at their reunion, with some of them shedding a few tears, mostly the girls. As for Gaius, he simply smiled with his arms crossed, feeling happy that the Naotora siblings were reunited even though they were separated for a few days.

"Aren't you going to join the group hug, Gaius?" Kanade asked.

"Nah, I'll give them a few moments to themselves since they've been separated for a few days." Gaius replied. "Still, it felt like a long time considering what we've been through."

"Yeah, I guess you're right, Gaius-san." Serena agreed with a smile as the Naotoras broke off their embrace.

"Kanade! Serena!" Akira ran up to the two Attuned and hugged them. "It's good to see you two again!"

"Hehe, it's good to see you too, Akira." Kanade smiled as she and Serena hugged back.

"I'm glad you're doing well, Akira-san." Serena also smiled.

"Yep! Doing just fine!" Akira assured with a smile as they broke off their hug before she went to greet the remainder of Zeo's group.

"Nice to meet you, Akira-san!" Hibiki bowed. "I'm Hibiki Tachibana, and these two are our friends, Gunvolt and Joule!"

"So we finally meet Zeo's sister." Gunvolt said. "What's up?"

"Nice to meet you, Akira." Joule bowed.

"Nice to meet you three." Akira bowed back with a smile.

"Good to see some familiar faces again." Kallen greeted as she stepped forward.

"Likewise, Kallen. It's good to see you too." Zeo greeted back as he, Gaius, Kanade and Serena nodded.

"Hibiki, Gunvolt and Joule, correct? My name is Kallen Kaslana." She began her introduction before gesturing to the others. "And this is my successor Kiana Kaslana, and her friends Mei Raiden, Fu Hua, Himeko Murata, and Regina Madoka."

"So you two are the ones that helped Akira save my ancestor, right?" Kiana asked the Riders, earning a confirmed nod. "Thanks for that, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, Kiana." Gaius replied.

"So you two must be the newest chosen Kamen Riders." Regina spoke to the Riders.

"And you must be one of the allies of Doki Doki Pretty Cure after you defected from the Selfish Kingdom to save your real father, correct?" Zeo spoke back.

"Yup." Regina confirmed with a nod. "Guess Akira was right when she told us that the Pretty Cure stories are like an anime."

"Something like that."

"Guess that also means you knew about the dark future of our world due to your video game knowledge, right?" Himeko asked.

"Yeah, we do. Looks like Akira told you girls about it already. And for the record Himeko and Fu Hua, you didn't deserve to die like that." Gaius replied while feeling a bit sorry. "All of those problems stem from Otto and Schicksal."

"All because of him trying to revive me using the power of a Herrscher." Kallen added, frowning at the memory when Akira revealed the truth. "He WILL be punished someday."

"We'll get that chance eventually, Kallen. That I can assure you." Zeo replied.

"Not only that, the real Kiana is still under his clutches. I'll have to become stronger so that I can save her." Kiana said while looking at her clenched fists. "Akira already told me that I'm a clone, and the others already knew about it too. But even so, that won't stop me from remembering the great memories I cherish with my friends, because I'm still me, because I still have a heart and the freedom to make my own choices."

"Kiana-san..." Hibiki whispered before smiling. "I'll be rooting for you then."

"Thanks, Hibiki-chan." Kiana smiled back.

"By the way, why are you with them, Miriam?" Fu Hua asked. "I thought you were going to stay at the Zi-O Liner because of your crystalized body."

"I actually wanted to bring Miriam along to see the sights after a bit of convincing." Kanade raised her hand. "I told her to pretend that those things on her body are just decorations or tattoos from another country."

"Huh, smart idea." Fu Hua nodded before pointing at the hood. "And the hood is to hide those horns, right?"

"Yeah, I'm sure the British used to wear hoods like that in medieval times, right?" Kanade stated.

"I thought it was used as cover from the rain and the harsh sunlight." Mei said.

"That too."

"Sorry about that, everyone." Miriam apologized with a bow.

"It's okay!" Kiana assured with a smile. "We're just happy that you're with us to have some fun."

"Glad to hear it, Kiana." Miriam smiled back.

"Before we get back to having fun..." Akira took a seat and turned to the Riders. "...time for you two to tell us your report during your mission in Gunvolt's world."

"Gotcha, sis." Zeo replied as everyone took a seat. "We've already told the others back at the Zi-O Liner about my report while we also learned about your report during your mission in Sequin Land."

"And after hearing from them earlier, this information is far more important." Miriam added.

"Alright, I'm listening." Akira nodded.

"Right, it all started when we first encountered Gunvolt, Copen, Joule and Lola in a frozen city..." Zeo began his report.

---

Abandoned Train Station

Meanwhile, Copen, Lola, Bronya and Shirabe had left the Zi-O Liner earlier to fulfill a request from Einstein by scavenging some train parts in order to make some materials. Now they're looking around for a perfect spot to find the materials, until eventually finding what they're looking for after a few minutes of searching. "Alright, this should be a good spot since there's so many old train parts here." Copen declared while looking around at the large piles of old and rusted trains and its parts. "Now all we have to do is to break them apart, store them inside the Zikan Phones and then transfer those parts back to Einstein."

"Not only that, you're authorized to use your Symphogear and Project Bunny to tear out those old and rusted trains." Lola told Shirabe and Bronya, earning a nod from them.

"Shirabe, let's have a bit of competition while we perform our task." Bronya offered. "Let's see who can obtain the most parts first. Winner gets to try out Noelle's special dish."

"Alright, challenge accepted." Shirabe accepted with a confident smirk.

"Just try not to take all of the parts, we only need a handful." Copen warned. "If we do take everything, the abandoned train station will look empty, leaving the Zi-O Liner exposed to the public eye. And we don't want some of the corrupted government to go after us."

"Got it./Understood." Shirabe and Bronya nodded.

"Mind if I keep score for them if they're going to compete like this?" Lola offered with a raised hand.

"Fine. But better set a time limit first, just in case." Copen approved.

"Hmm... how does five minutes sound?"

"That'll do. Should be enough time to get enough parts."

"Alright girls, get your weapons ready!" Lola ordered before Bronya summoned Project Bunny beside her, while Shirabe pulled out her relic pendant and began to sing her relic chant.

"Various Shul Shagana tron..."

After a quick flash of pink light, Shirabe is now wearing her Symphogear with her razor yo-yos ready, and revealing the large saw-blades on her metallic twin-tails.

"The Bronya is surprised that you have saw-blades hiding on your metallic twin-tails." Bronya remarked with surprise after looking at Shirabe's battlesuit and weapons.

"And I'm surprised that you have your own personal mecha. It looks amazing!" Shirabe remarked back with sparkled eyes after seeing Bronya's floating mech with large hands.

"The Bronya appreciates your compliment." Bronya smiled before they turned to Lola with a stopwatch in hand. "We're ready for your signal, Lola."

"One more thing Shirabe, no singing. Don't want to attract too much public attention with your voice." Copen cautioned.

"Got it." Shirabe nodded.

"Okay girls, on your marks..." Lola began as the girls aimed their sights at the piles of rusted old trains and parts. "Get set... GO!"

Once Lola started the timer, Shirabe skated towards one area while Bunny carried Bronya and dashed towards another area. Shirabe used her razor yo-yos and saw-blades to effortlessly cut apart the trains and its parts into stacks of metal with the elegance of a figure skater, and used her Zikan Phone to store the stacks inside. As for Bronya, she ordered her mecha to tear out the trains and its parts with its arms, turning them into large pieces of metal, and then she used her silver and grey Zikan Phone to store the pieces inside.

Copen and Lola were impressed with awe at how the girls performed their tasks. One performed with elegance and grace, while the other performed with efficiency and a bit of brute force. "Huh, not bad." Copen remarked. "Both of them have their own way of accomplishing their tasks, especially when they worked together to take down their enemies."

"Too true." Lola agreed. "It's no wonder Shirabe told me why she's always paired up with Kirika. Anyway Boss, who do you think is gonna win this contest?"

"Hard to say, really. I'll just wait for the end result."

"Fair enough." Lola replied as she glanced at Project Bunny. "But I never expected Bronya to summon a cool looking mech like that. Who built that thing anyway?"

"According to Einstein and Tesla, an organization called Anti-Entropy built Project Bunny as Bronya's robotic guardian companion. It can protect its user from harm with its barriers and shield arms, and can change weapons from a rocket launcher to a beam cannon."

"Wow, that's cool. Not to mention it can also cloak itself for surprise attacks after seeing it appear next to Bronya earlier. How come you never built a cloaking system for my battle pod?"

"That uh... never crossed my mind." Copen admitted while scratching his chin, until he and Lola heard a bit of metal falling at a distance, prompting them to turn around. "Lola, did you hear that?"

"Loud and clear, Boss." Lola nodded. "It can't be Zeo and the others since they'll be back before sundown. And it's not Seele and the others since they're still inside the Zi-O Liner doing their own things. Then that could only mean one thing..."

"We've got an intruder." Copen deduced with a frown. "Can you call off the competition for a moment?"

"I would, but..." Lola pointed at Shirabe and Bronya still performing their tasks with determined competitive expressions. "...I think they're way too focused right now."

"Never mind, I'll go find out who it is." Copen sighed. "Keep an eye on them for a moment, I'll be back in a bit."

"You got it, Boss!" Lola saluted. "It's only three minutes left on the clock, so try not to come back too late."

"No promises." Copen replied before he quickly head for the source of the noise without interrupting Bronya and Shirabe, while Lola stayed behind and looked at her stopwatch ticking away.

---

While Copen is running towards the source, he quickly donned his battlesuit via Zikan Phone with his Divider handgun ready, along with several support bits floating around him. Once he arrived at the source, he and his bits quickly hid behind some metal debris while looking around to find the intruder without being seen. Eventually, she saw a woman who's also hiding behind some metal debris while looking around for a safe place to hide. Copen activated his left eye visor on his headgear and zoomed in on the woman to have a better look. She's a 19 year old woman with dark blue eyes, wearing blue rimmed sunglasses and a grey newsboy cap, and has long blue hair with a side ponytail on her left side that's longer than the rest of her hair. She's wearing a dark blue long-sleeved sweater, a blue long skirt with a black sash wrapped around her waist, and lastly a pair of knee-high boots.

"A woman in a place like this?" Copen thought. "Not only that, why is she hiding? Is someone chasing her or something? ...Wait a minute... she looks familiar..." He pondered for a moment, until his eyes widen in realization after remembering the Queens of Music videos Kirika and Shirabe showed last night. "No gacking way... that's Tsubasa Kazanari! Kanade's former idol partner for Zwei Wing and Maria's current partner for the Queens of Music! But why is she-" His thoughts were halted when he saw the woman named Tsubasa quickly running away to find another hiding spot before he then saw a group of males with cameras on hand looking around.

"Anyone see Tsubasa-sama anywhere?" One male asked.

"Not yet, but keep looking. She's gotta be around here somewhere." Another male replied.

"Hope she doesn't mind if we take some photos of her."

"Good thing that manager of hers isn't here to protect her."

"Better split up for now, we'll have a better chance to find her that way. Just remember to sound off if anyone does find her." The lead male ordered, prompting everyone to split up and look for the idol hiding somewhere in the abandoned station.

"Crazy fanboys and photographers... that makes a lot of sense now." Copen thought with a frown. "Wait... what if those guys find the Zi-O Liner by accident? Or even find Lola, Shirabe and Bronya? Tch... that's a disaster waiting to happen!" He then looked at his bits before pondering, until he had an idea. "Time to turn this place into private property and chase out those intruders. They must never find anyone!" After finishing his thoughts, he holstered his gun and quickly returned to Lola, Shirabe and Bronya's location to inform them.

---

"Alright, time's up!" Lola declared as she stopped the timer on her watch. "Come over here so I can declare the winner!"

Shirabe transformed back into her normal attire while Project Bunny disappeared before Bronya and Shirabe went to Lola to hear the results.

"Wait, where's Copen?" Shirabe asked as she noticed someone missing.

"Oh, he's checking out something real quick. He'll be back soon." Lola replied. "Now then, show me your Zikan Phones please."

The girls took out the phones and showed Lola how many materials they've collected. Lola was surprised at how many they've collected during those 5 minutes, but felt even more surprised at the results. "Wow, a tie? I did not expect that." She commented.

"A tie?!" Shirabe and Bronya gasped at the result.

"Yep, the results and percentages don't lie." Lola confirmed. "But at least we got enough materials to give to the scientists. I'm sure these will be useful for them to make some new inventions and gadgets for us to use."

"I'm really looking forward to what kind of inventions and gadgets they'll show us." Shirabe smiled.

"Ja. The Bronya feels the same way." Bronya nodded.

Suddenly, the girls noticed Copen arriving while still wearing his battlesuit. "We've got a huge problem." He informed them.

"Did you find the intruder, Boss?" Lola asked.

"Actually that person is being chased by a bunch of fanboys with cameras in hand." Copen answered.

"Fanboys? Were they chasing an idol?" Shirabe guessed.

"Yeah... and that idol turned out to be Tsubasa herself."

"Tsubasa-san is here?!" Shirabe gasped, earning a confirmed nod from Copen. "But why would she hide here of all places?"

"Guess I'll have to ask her myself after I save her from those fanboys." Copen replied. "But you need to return to the Zi-O Liner immediately. I don't want Tsubasa to question you about why you're in London."

"I understand." Shirabe nodded.

"Wait a minute." Bronya interjected with a raised hand. "What if those fanboys discover the Zi-O Liner instead?"

"Yeah, that's the part I'm afraid about." Copen replied. "They must never find out about it, so I'll have to chase them out with my support bits. Speaking of which Bronya, can I borrow Project Bunny for a moment? I want to treat it as a security bot guarding the abandoned train station like it's private property."

"Understood. The Bronya will allow you to borrow Project Bunny for now." Bronya approved with a nod as her mecha appeared right beside her before floating next to Copen.

"You'd better return to the Zi-O Liner with Shirabe, Bronya. I'll only take Lola with me. Now get going, you two." Copen ordered, earning a nod from the two girls before returning to the Zi-O Liner.

"Alright Boss, so how are we gonna do this?" Lola asked.

"You're gonna pretend to be a security drone to chase them out." Copen replied as he took out his Zikan Phone and materialize a very familiar white and red drone which surprised Lola. "And this is how you'll do it."

"Wait a sec... is that...?!"

"I had some spare time to build another battle pod last night for you to use. Can you try to go inside it?"

"Okay, gimme a sec." Lola complied as she turned to a ball of light and went inside the battle pod. The battle pod's yellow optics began to light up before looking around for a bit. "Hey, it worked! Haha! It feels good to be a battle pod again!" She cheered while flying around Copen and Project Bunny.

"I thought you liked being a human." Copen smirked.

"Well yeah, but sometimes I want to become a battle pod again, for old times sake."

"Only when I ask you to. Anyway, you take command of Project Bunny and my support bits to chase those intruders out of the abandoned station, while I go and look for Tsubasa before they do. You're free to fire lasers, but don't injure them."

"Roger that, Boss!" Lola complied before she, the bits, and Bunny floated off in different directions to chase down the intruders without harming them.

"Alright, now to find that idol. Hope I can make a good first impression without exposing too much." Copen said as he dispersed his headgear and began to look for Tsubasa.

---

Meanwhile, Tsubasa hid inside one of the rusted trains while peeking though the window in case the fanboys show up. "Damn it, why are they still chasing me, even all the way out here? I would call for Maria to find me, but I'll risk exposing myself to them, and I can't hide forever." Tsubasa muttered mentally before sighing. "Maybe I should've gone with her and Ogawa-san for lunch instead of looking for some clothes."

A few moments later, Copen was able to locate the idol hiding inside the rusted train, but chose to hide in some metal debris for a bit to ponder his next course of action. "There's Tsubasa. Huh, Kanade was right. She does look beautiful in person." He thought before taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Alright, here goes..." He walked towards the train Tsubasa was hiding and gently knocked on the train, surprising Tsubasa. "Hello? Is anybody in there? I'm just a passing though scientist exploring the abandoned train station to do my research."

"A scientist doing research in a place like this?" Tsubasa thought when she heard a man's voice before answering. "What do you want from me?"

"Just wondering why you're hiding in this abandoned station. Is someone chasing you? If so, maybe I can help you out."

"He wants to help me? How can I be sure that he's not someone suspicious?" Tsubasa thought cautiously. "...Guess I have no other options left." She began to speak to him. "As long as my fans doesn't spot me, I'll allow you to help me escape from them. I may be a famous idol, but I also needed some privacy."

"Fair enough, I'll respect your privacy. I'm Copen Kamizono. What's your name?"

"Tsubasa Kazanari."

"Tsubasa Kazanari? Aren't you that famous idol from Japan?"

"...Yes."

"I see. I've heard your songs before, and they're pretty amazing. I've even heard songs from the Queens of Music and even the late Zwei Wing."

"O-Oh... Thank you." Tsubasa blushed after hearing Copen's compliment.

"Anyway, I've already sent a security robot and some drones to seek out those fanboys and to chase them out of the abandoned station. I don't want them to interrupt my research either."

"You built those machines?"

"Yep. I'm a scientist, remember?"

"Oh... right. They won't harm them?"

"They may be armed with some weapons, but I promise that they won't hurt them. I only issued the command to chase them out, unless those idiots try something stupid like attacking my machines."

"I see."

"You don't mind if I sit with you to act as your bodyguard just in case some fanboy finds us?" Copen asked.

"You can act as my bodyguard, but please keep watch outside for the time being." Tsubasa replied.

"Alright, suit yourself." Copen replied back with a shrug before sitting atop the rusted train Tsubasa is hiding. Afterwards, he took out his Zikan Phone to track the signals of Lola, his support bits, and Project Bunny. "I think that conversation went pretty okay in my book. Now to play the waiting game." He thought while hiding a smirk. "You can run, you can hide, but you'll never outsmart my inventions, you gacking stalkers. It's only a matter of time..."

---

Meanwhile, one of the fanboys searched one area of the abandoned station with his camera ready. He began to stutter with fear after hearing some metal debris falling off. "H-Hello...? W-Who's there...?!" He spoke.

Unknown to him however, one of Copen's support bits already set its sight onto the scared fanboy while hiding before it began to float in another direction to spook him. The fanboy is looking around while still feeling scared before he quickly put away his camera and picked up a nearby metal stick to defend himself. When he turned around, he saw a support bit hovering in front of him.

"S-So you're the one who did this?" He spoke to the bit. "G-Get away from me!" He then tried to attack the bit, but it quickly dodged his attacks until he's tired, before it countered by firing a laser onto the metal stick, making the fanboy drop the stick as it was instantly melted. After he saw what the bit did, he ran away screaming while the bit continued to chase after him.

---

Moments later, the fanboys regrouped at another location to catch their breath for a brief moment. "No sign of Tsubasa-sama on my side." Fanboy 1 reported.

"I don't see her on my side either." Fanboy 2 reported.

"Ugh... she picked a really good but annoying place to hide from us." Fanboy 3 groaned.

"Should we keep on looking or wait for her to come out of hiding?"

"I dunno. This place can get pretty creepy if it gets too dark."

"You're joking, right? There's no way this place is haunted."

"Sorry dude, but I'm not taking any chances staying here. Count me out."

Their argument was suddenly halted by sounds of metal debris falling somewhere at a distance, making the fanboys stutter.

"...D-Did you guys hear that?" Fanboy 1 asked.

"Don't be a pussy, it's just falling metal." Fanboy 2 assured. "Or it could be Tsubasa-sama coming out of her hiding spot."

"How can you be so sure that's her?"

"I don't know! It's just a hunch!"

"RUN! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" One fanboy screamed with fear while running away from something and leaving the abandoned station.

"Hey, where are you going?! Get back here!" Fanboy 2 yelled to the one leaving the station, but he's too far gone.

"W-What did he saw?" Fanboy 1 asked.

"Wait, what is that?" Fanboy 4 pointed at the one approaching the group, which turned out to be a support bit.

"Really? This is what that guy's afraid of?" Fanboy 2 questioned before turning to the group. "It's just one drone! How can he be scared of one little drone?"

However, the group suddenly stutter in fear after they saw what was behind Fanboy 2... And it's not just one support bit.

"Hey? What's the matter with you people?" Fanboy 2 asked them. "Why are you scared of one little drone? Let's just beat that thing down and move on."

"D-Dude...? L-Look behind you...!"

Fanboy 2 sighed in annoyance. "Oh for the love of-" He turned around to see what got them scared, until his face became pale instead as several more support bits and a battle pod appeared in front of him, with their lasers armed and ready to fire.

"...Oh crap."

"Well... at least things won't get any worse."

"Dude! Never, EVER, say that line!" Fanboy 3 shouted.

"Why?" Fanboy 2 questioned, until he felt something large appearing. "...It's right behind me, isn't it?" He turned around an saw a large floating robot named Project Bunny with an arm cannon and its holding small pieces of metal on its other hand. And then the robot showed its dominance by crushing the held pieces into dust, making the group of fanboys scared out of their minds.

"EVERYBODY RUN!" They yelled as they ran for their lives, leaving the abandoned station before the robot could chase after them.

Once the fanboys are long gone, Lola the battle pod began to chuckle till it turned into laughter. "Hahahahaha! Man, that was awesome! Boss should've seen the look on those faces!"

Bunny simply agreed with a nod.

"Anyway, I'd better tell Boss the good news." Lola said as she began to contact Copen. "This is Lola, the fanboys have left the station. Every single one of them."

"Good work. After that stunt we've pulled, they'll think twice about trespassing into private locations." Copen praised.

"Yep! You should've seen the looks on their faces!" Lola chuckled. "So, did you find Tsubasa?"

"Yeah, I'm with her right now. But I'm giving her some private space to catch her breath from running and hiding."

"Fair enough. Geez... how long they've been chasing her? Talk about determined..."

"Beats me. Anyway, I want you to command Bunny and my bits to patrol the entire station, just in case they try to sneak in again. I'll contact you again when it's time to call off the patrol."

"Loud and clear, Boss! Lola out." Lola ended the contact before turning to Bunny and the bits. "Alright boys, let's continue our patrol until Boss contacts me. Time to split up again." She ordered before they all floated off to different directions, resuming patrol off the abandoned station.

---

"Alright Tsubasa, my drones have successfully chased away your pursuers. You're safe now." Copen informed after hearing Lola's report.

"Oh, thank goodness..." Tsubasa sighed with relief. "I was getting tired of running and hiding. Also, Maria just called me about where I'm currently at."

"I see. Is she worried?"

"Actually, she's worried AND angry at me about my sudden disappearance. She and Ogawa-san are still waiting for me at the restaurant."

"How long did you made them wait?"

"...You don't want to know."

"Oh." Copen sweatdropped.

"Anyway, I've already told them to come to the abandoned station to pick me up." Tsubasa sighed. "Maybe I should've gone with them and eat first before searching for new clothes."

"Yeah... better focus on your needs instead of your wants. So, you want me to get you some food?"

"N-No thanks... I'm fine. I can manage." Tsubasa assured... until she heard her stomach growling loudly. "...O-On second thought, maybe I do need some food to eat."

"I figured as much." Copen sweatdropped as he stood up and jumped a few feet away from the rusted train. "Wait right there, I'll go to my campsite for a bit to make some food, after finishing my research report first."

"I understand. Thank you, Kamizono. And I'm sorry for causing all of this." Tsubasa replied.

"It's okay. Also, just call me Copen instead." Copen smiled back before walking back to the Zi-O Liner to make some food.

Tsubasa took a moment to peek through the window to see Copen walking away. She can't help but feel grateful for his assistance. "Copen Kamizono... just who are you? Either way... thank you for helping me. I'll repay your kindness someday." She thought with a smile.

---

Several minutes later...

"Okay Tsubasa, I'm back!" Copen called as he arrived and brought along his lunchbox that contained food that's made from the Zi-O Liner's kitchen area. "Hope I didn't take too long."

"It's okay, Copen. I don't mind the wait." Tsubasa replied. "It gave me plenty of time to meditate."

"Meditation, huh? Is that for your idol training?" Copen raised an eyebrow.

"Something like that."

"Okay then." Copen shrugged as he approached the rusted train's open window where Tsubasa is hiding inside and offered his lunchbox. "Here's your food, hope you enjoy it. And don't worry about me, I've already ate enough."

"Oh, thank you." Tsubasa replied as she took the lunchbox and sat down to her seat inside the train. "You know, you're quite young for a scientist."

"Yes, yes I am. I got that from my father."

"I see." Tsubasa began to look what's inside the lunchbox, which contained a bottle of water, and plenty of onigiri with several flavours such as tuna and chicken. "You made these?"

"Yeah, I used to cook these for my younger sister Mytyl." Copen replied as he sat atop the train.

"You have a sister?"

"Yup. She's planning to start her first day of school soon. My maid Nori, and my partner's friends Quinn and Xiao are taking care of her at the moment while I'm out here working."

"Ah I see. You have a partner?"

"Well, he preferred to be called GV. Anyway, you'd better eat first before the food starts to get cold."

"O-Oh! Right, sorry." Tsubasa quickly apologized. "Itadakimasu." She began to eat the tuna onigiri first. "This... this is really good! It might taste better with some curry or soy sauce."

"Maybe. Still, glad you liked the food." Copen smiled. "You keep eating your meal while I continue to keep watch for any intruders."

"Thank you, Copen." Tsubasa replied. "While I wait for Maria and Ogawa-san to arrive, is it okay if I could learn more about yourself?"

"I don't see why not. In return, I wanna know more about you, Tsubasa."

"Oh, sure thing. But not all of them, there's some things in my life that I want to keep it as a secret."

"Fair enough. Funny thing is, I was just about to ask the same thing when it comes to my life." Copen chuckled, making Tsubasa chuckle back. Unknown to Tsubasa however, Copen already knew about her and Maria's life as Attuned thanks to Kanade, Genjuro and a few others, but he decided to keep it a secret until the time is right to reveal everything.

---

An hour later...

As time goes by while awaiting Maria and Ogawa's arrival, Tsubasa shared stories of her life, including how she started her idol career and how she first met Kanade before forming Zwei Wing. As for Copen, he shared stories of how he started to become a scientist because of his late father, and also talk about her sister, Mytyl Kamizono.

Eventually, Tsubasa heard her phone ringing, prompting her to see that Maria is calling her again. "Copen, it's Maria. I need to answer this call." Tsubasa informed.

"Alright, I'll pretend that I didn't hear a thing." Copen replied before Tsubasa answered the call.

"Hello, Maria? Where are you at the moment?" Tsubasa contacted.

"I'm with Ogawa-san near the entrance of the abandoned train station." Maria contacted back. "But there's one small problem..."

"What's wrong?"

"Why are there several drones and a floating robot with an arm cannon patrolling the area? Are you sure you're inside the station?"

"Oh... uhh..." Tsubasa sweatdropped as she forgot about Copen's machines still doing their patrols in case unwanted intruders showed up. "Well... I did meet a young scientist named Copen Kamizono who's doing some research inside the abandoned station. He ordered his machines to patrol the area after helping me hide from the fans and photographers."

"I see, so that's how you're able to escape from them, you asked for his help. How come you forgot to tell me that earlier?"

"Sorry, I was really tired from running and hiding."

"Honestly, Tsubasa..." Maria sighed. "In that case, could you tell him to call off the machines so that me and Ogawa-san can safely go inside to pick you up?"

"I'll do just that."

"Good. See you in a few moments." Maria ended her call, prompting Tsubasa to put away her phone.

"Copen! Maria and Ogawa-san are nearby the abandoned station's entrance, but your machines are making them a bit cautious." Tsubasa informed. "Could you call off the machines for a while?"

"You got it, Tsubasa." Copen complied as he brought out his Zikan Phone and contacted Lola. "Lola, you, Bunny, and the bits can stop patrolling and return to the Zi-O Liner. Maria and Ogawa-san are nearby the abandoned station entrance right now. I'll escort Tsubasa back to her partner and manager personally."

"Loud and clear, Boss!" Lola replied. "Phew... finally I can rest! Now I can go back and try out Noelle's special pancake!"

"Pancakes? Really? At a time like this?" Copen deadpanned considering that its almost evening at the moment.

"Hey, don't judge me! I was curious to see what her dish looks and how it tastes like!"

Copen shrugged in response. "Alright, I'll see you later." He ended the call, put away his phone and informed the idol. "It's done, my machines have stopped patrolling now, so it's safe for Maria and Ogawa-san to pick you up. Mind if I escort you to them?"

"Yes please, and here's your lunchbox back." Tsubasa replied as she returned the lunchbox back to Copen.

"Thank you." Copen put away his lunchbox, grabbed Tsubasa's hand and pulled her out of the rusted train from the window. "Now then, shall we go?"

"Of course." Tsubasa nodded as Copen escorted her to the abandoned station's entrance.

---

A few moments later, they saw Maria and Ogawa going inside the abandoned station. "It's them... one of the S.O.N.G agents, Mr. Shinji Ogawa, and Serena's older sister, Maria Cadenzavna Eve." Copen thought when he glanced at the idol and her manager. Shinji has short brown hair and eyes while wearing a pair of glasses, and wearing a black business suit with a black tie and white collared shirt, and a pair of black shoes.

As for Maria, she has cyan eyes along with long pink hair that reached her hips, with the top of her hair styled up in two horn-like curls, with a blue flower accessory centered into each curl. She's wearing a white long sleeved blouse with a light purple and cyan ribbon on the right side of her blouse, a black long leather skirt with the insides being purple, a yellow butterfly accessory holding the skirt together, and black pantyhose with a pair of black heel boots.

"There you are, Tsubasa!" Maria spoke with her arms crossed, and she's not looking too happy at the moment. "Do you know how worried me and Ogawa-san are?! I thought something bad happened to you!"

"Sorry." Tsubasa apologized with a bow. "I guess I was too focused on what new clothes I should by that I let my guard down, allowing some of my fans to spot me."

"I think it's better if you stick together with your friends and partners to prevent something like this from happening again." Copen advised Tsubasa.

"Yeah, I think so too." Shinji agreed. "And you are?"

"Copen. Copen Kamizono. And I'm a scientist doing some research at this abandoned station." Copen introduced while pointing his thumb at said station.

"I see. I'm surprised that you're able to build those machines we saw earlier despite your age."

"Heh, never underestimate this scientist." Copen smirked with his arms crossed. "So you're Shinji Ogawa, the manager for the Queens of Music?"

"That's correct. Thank you for taking care of Tsubasa-san earlier." Shinji bowed.

"It's my pleasure, sir. Just trying to help someone in need of assistance." Copen replied before glancing at Maria. "And you're Maria Cadenzavna Eve, the other member of the Queens of Music. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The same goes to you too, Copen." Maria nodded as she walked towards Tsubasa. "Sorry about Tsubasa, she tends to get into trouble sometimes." She then finger flicked onto Tsubasa's forehead.

"Itai!(Ow!) That hurts...!" Tsubasa winced in pain.

"Was the finger flick necessary?" Copen questioned.

"Well I did that to her several times due to her questionable decisions." Maria replied. "But despite that, she's a kind and reliable partner that I can depend on."

"I see. It's no wonder you and Tsubasa became amazing idols together since you watch each other's back." Copen noted.

"Hehe, I appreciate the compliment, Copen." Maria smiled.

"And again, thank you for helping me today, Copen." Tsubasa also smiled while rubbing away the small bruise Maria caused, making Copen smile back to the idols with a nod.

"Anyway, as much as we like to continue this conversation, we really need to return to the hotel immediately so they could rest." Shinji said.

"I understand." Copen replied. "Being an idol can be quite hectic at times, especially if you wanted a vacation."

"You know Copen, I was wondering if you could spare some free time to come to our concert." Maria offered.

"A chance to hear the Queens of Music live, huh? ...I'll give it some thought." Copen answered.

"I understand. No need to rush on your decision if you want to come or not." Tsubasa replied. "Until next time, Copen Kamizono."

"See you again someday, Copen." Maria smiled.

"Farewell for now, Copen." Shinji nodded.

"Take care of yourselves, you three!" Copen replied and waved goodbye as he watched the idols and their manager turn around to leave... until he stopped waving with his face going pale when he saw who's right behind them. "Oh crap... They came back now of all times?!"

"?!" The idols and manager's eyes widen in deep shock at what they saw behind them... which turned out to be Kanade, Serena, Zeo, Gaius, Akira, and the rest of their friends returning from their London exploration, who then also shared the same shocked expression as the three who are about to leave.

"Tsubasa?!/ Maria-neesan?!" Kanade and Serena mentally exclaimed at Tsubasa and Maria's sudden appearance.

"What the gacking heck are they doing here?!" Gunvolt also mentally exclaimed before glancing at Copen, who simply responded with a nervous shrug, not expecting something like this.

"D-Did something happen while we're gone?" Joule pondered.

"(Uhh... Sis? Gaius?)" Zeo whispered.

"(Yes?)"

"(I think we came back at the worse possible time.)"

"(...Yup.)"

"(Oh...)"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"(Curse you, Murphy's Law...)"

---

Chapter 5: Meetings

END