Book 3: XDR Rising
Chapter 6: The Next Step
London, England
Abandoned Train Station
Evening
Everyone stood still in silence and in shock at what is happening at the moment. Zeo, Gaius, Akira, and the rest of their group never expected their meeting with Tsubasa and Maria to arrive so soon and without proper planning. Tsubasa and Maria are in complete shock that Kanade and Serena are standing right in front of them alive and well, along with some people they've never met before.
"Okay, this is not the reunion we were expecting..." Kallen thought.
"K-Kanade...?!/Serena...?!" Tsubasa and Maria whispered in shock upon seeing their loved ones out of nowhere. Shinji blinked in disbelief before taking off his glasses and wiping the lens properly with a napkin before putting the glasses back on, making sure that he's not seeing any tricks or illusions. But it turned out to be the real deal. But then Tsubasa noticed a certain someone with said group beside Kanade.
"Tachibana?!" Tsubasa gasped. "Why are you here?! And what's the meaning of all of this?!"
"Eep!" Hibiki squeaked when Tsubasa noticed her. "Umm... Tsubasa-san... I can explain..."
"It's okay, Hibiki-chan. I'll handle this." Kanade spoke up with a raised hand as she took two steps forward before lowering her hand and turning to her former partner. "Tsubasa, before you say anything, I'm definitely the real Kanade Amou and not a clone or whatever. First off, did you still remember the time you last saw me?"
"That... that was during the time myself, Maria, Tachibana, Kohinata, Yukine, Akatsuki and Tsukuyomi working together to stop Yggdrasil." Tsubasa recalled. "You and the other deceased ones were also there in spirit to give us enough Phonic Gain to save the world."
"Yep, that's the one." Kanade confirmed before pointing her thumb towards Serena. "And Serena Cadenzavna Eve is also one of those spirits who helped you."
"Wait... what...?" Tsubasa gasped in shock upon hearing a familiar last name before turning to Maria. "Maria! You never told me that you have a younger sister!"
"I... well..." Maria stuttered.
"Wow, I can't believe you never told Tsubasa, Hibiki-chan, and everyone else in S.O.N.G about her yet." Kanade spoke to Maria with her hands on her hips. "Not even Kirika-chan and Shirabe-chan revealed about her either."
"Well... you see..." Maria struggled to answer.
"Umm... Kanade-san?" Serena raised her hand, gaining her attention. "I'm sure Maria-neesan has a reason not to reveal my existence since I've already died."
"Yeah, but still... I was a bit curious why she kept that as a secret." Kanade replied.
"Wait a minute... Kanade-san, how did you know about Kirika and Shirabe?" Shinji asked.
"Oh that, me and Serena-chan arrived at S.O.N.G HQ yesterday. Even got in touch with Old Man Genjuro again." Kanade answered.
"You met up with my uncle yesterday?!" Tsubasa exclaimed. "How come he never told me, Maria and Ogawa-san about it?!"
"Wait... I think I'm starting to figure out why they never called us." Shinji interjected in realization. "If I remember correctly, Kanade-san and Serena had passed on to the afterlife after the recent final battle. How would Genjuro explain that they've been revived out of nowhere?"
"I... guess you have a good point there, Ogawa-san." Maria noted before asking Kanade a question. "Wait. Kanade, are you and Serena still spirits right now?"
"Nope, not spirits or ghosts anymore. We're completely revived and even got our own relics back in the process." Kanade answered as she and Serena briefly showed off their relic pendants, surprising Tsubasa and Maria.
"And as for how we're revived... well... it's a really long story." Serena added before turning to Gaius and the Naotoras. "Zeo-san, Gaius-san, Akira-san, care to explain?"
"Uhh... the long version or the short version?" Zeo asked.
"Just the short version for now. We'll tell them the long version later." Kanade suggested.
Zeo nodded before he, Gaius and Akira stepped forward. "My name is Zeo Naotora, and this is my sister Akira Naotora, and my best friend Gaius Cornell."
"Are you three the ones responsible for Kanade-san and Serena's revival?" Shinji asked.
"Well... not quite. It was because of an incident involving a relic from this world that caused Kanade and Serena to be revived." Gaius answered.
"Wait, 'this world'? You three are not from here?" Maria asked.
"No." Akira shook her head. "We're from a world called Prime Earth." She then gestured to the rest of the group. "And some of our friends are also from other worlds."
"Tsubasa-san, Maria-san, Ogawa-san, the multiverse exists, and their new friends have been separated from their own worlds because of that relic." Hibiki said.
"What was the name of the relic?" Tsubasa asked.
"Gjallarhorn."
"Gjallarhorn?" Tsubasa, Maria and Shinji repeated the name of the relic.
Several minutes of introductions and explanations later...
"Whoa... the Dimensional Quakes and Distortions, the Neo Time Jackers, and even Gjallarhorn broken into fragments and scattered all across the multiverse." Shinji remarked with disbelief after he, Tsubasa and Maria heard their explanations. "I'm at a loss for words, honestly."
"And because of those Dimensional Quakes, it also somehow revived Kanade and Serena." Maria added.
"Not only that, Finé and my uncle are part of Project Gjallarhorn? How come he never told any of us about this relic before?" Tsubasa questioned.
"Well it's only used when another world is in crisis, which is why the relic would sound the alarm if something like that happened." Kanade answered, while keeping secret of herself being part of the project hidden. "According to Old Man Genjuro, there hasn't been any another world problems lately, which is why the relic lies dormant and left within a secret location that only Finé knows."
"But still, that relic is very powerful and dangerous, which is why it was kept a secret." Serena added.
"I see." Tsubasa noted. "But how dare those Neo Time Jackers turned Kanade and Serena into Another Riders. They will pay for this."
"You'll get that chance eventually since we've already formed an alliance with S.O.N.G. yesterday." Zeo replied. "But we'll need to wait for Elfnein and the other scientists to finish deciphering that Memory Drive Finé gave us. After we deal with that, we can plan our next move."
"And what would that be?" Shinji asked.
"What else? We're gonna travel across the multiverse to search for the Gjallarhorn Fragments before our enemies do." Akira replied.
"And we're gonna be with them every step of the way!" Kiana added, with her fist on her palm.
"I see." Maria noted before turning to the three chosen heroes. "Zeo, Akira, Gaius, thank you so much for saving Kanade and Serena's lives. I'm grateful for your help." She smiled and bowed.
"Hehe, no problem, Maria. We're just passing through heroes, after all." Zeo smiled back, rubbing the tip of his nose with his finger.
"Oh, and one more thing, Tsubasa." Kanade went in front of her former partner, and squeezed her cheeks. "This is for trying to kill my little kouhai with your giant sword. What were you thinking?!"
"Ow ow ow! Kanade, that hurts!" Tsubasa winced in pain.
"At least give Hibiki-chan a chance to fight alongside you considering she's my successor! I'm just glad Old Man Genjuro stopped you in time before you cross the line." Kanade sighed before letting go of Tsubasa's cheeks.
"Ugh..." Tsubasa rubbed her bruised cheeks before blinking a few times. "Wait... how did you know about that incident?"
"Last night, Old Man Genjuro filled me and Serena-chan in about all of the incidents that've happened so far." Kanade replied. "The Kadingir Incident, The Frontier Incident, The Magical Girl Incident, The Bavarian Illuminati, and most recently, Shem-Ha and Yggdrasil."
"The Frontier Incident..." Maria whispered as she glanced at her younger sister before looking down with guilt of the horrible things she, Kirika, Shirabe and even Nastassja had done during that incident.
"Maria-neesan..." Serena whispered as she noticed the look of guilt on her older sister's face.
"Anyway, I'm really glad that you've improved a lot since my death, Tsubasa." Kanade smiled, placing her hand onto Tsubasa's shoulder. "And thank gacking god you finally stood up to your bastard excuse of a grandfather, Fudou Kazanari, and promptly kicked his ass."
"Fudou Kazanari?" Gunvolt spoke up.
"He brainwashed Tsubasa into fighting Maria and the others, and he murdered Yatsuhiro Kazanari." Kanade stated.
"He did WHAT?!" Gunvolt exclaimed in shock, with Copen and the rest of their group sharing the same shocked expression.
"That son of a bitch...!" Copen scowled with gritted teeth, before calming down and turned to Tsubasa. "Well, if you were able to defeat him, did you kill your grandfather?"
"I was planning to, but Uncle Genjuro stopped me, because if I do that, I might end up like him." Tsubasa answered. "So I chose not to kill him and allowed the authorities to apprehend him instead."
"Good." Gunvolt nodded. "So I take it that Fudou is in prison now?"
"Yes, but he's also being incarcerated by order of the United Nations." Maria answered.
"Incarcerated, huh? A fate worse than death." Copen mused. "A fitting punishment for someone like him."
"Well now that you're free from his clutches, you're free to do whatever you want since he can't control your life anymore." Miriam stated to Tsubasa.
"Don't forget that your friends will always be by your side." Himeko added.
"Everyone... thank you..." Tsubasa smiled upon hearing their words of support.
"Maria-neesan... do you still remember the time that I gave you my relic during the Frontier incident?" Serena asked.
"Yes, I do." Maria nodded. "And we sang the song together, giving Mom enough energy to stop the moon from falling, sending it back into orbit, just in time before she succumbed to her wounds."
"I see. Well I'm glad Nastassja managed to do one more good deed before passing away." Copen said. "I'll be sure to pay a visit to her grave during my free time to pay her respects."
"Thank you for that, Copen." Maria smiled. "You were taking care of my little sister from the start, didn't you?" She smirked with her arms crossed.
"Heh, guilty as charged." Copen smirked back. "Sorry about keeping my identity a secret, I have my reasons."
"That's fine."
"Not only that, I'm here to fulfill my promise to Serena to reunite with you again." Copen added. "Do you still think about your sister?"
"Yes..." Maria sadly admitted with her head down. "I still remember the time she sacrificed her life to safe me and the others a long time ago. The last time I saw her was her standing in the flames of that burning facility... that memory haunted me ever still..." She then suddenly felt someone hugging her, and when she looked who it was, it turned out to be her younger sister, who began to shed tears. "S-Serena...?"
"Maria-neesan... I miss you so much... I'm just glad that you, Kirika and Shirabe are alright...!" Serena told her older sister while crying.
"Serena..." Maria whispered before she also began to cry as she hugged her younger sister with love. "I miss you too..."
Copen can't help but smile at their reunion as he also shed a small tear before wiping it away with his finger. "And just like that, my promise to you has been fulfilled. Thank you for showing me the true light and for helping me save my sister Mytyl, Serena Cadenzavna Eve." He thought with a smile as he also saw the rest of his group smiling, with some of them shedding a few tears.
"Damn it..." Kanade smiled while wiping away her tears. "I promised myself that I wouldn't cry like Tsubasa during this tearful reunion."
"K-Kanade!" Tsubasa blushed, while failing to hide her own tears. "I'm not a crybaby anymore! I-I'm a sentinel!"
"Hehe, sure you are." Kanade chuckled. "But even a sentinel like you can have feelings too, and that's what makes us human. So Tsubasa, do you still miss me?"
"I-I still do, even though I promised myself and my friends to move on past that tragedy..." Tsubasa admitted. "But... seeing you again, alive and well, it almost feels like a dream."
"Do you want me to pinch your cheeks again?"
"A-Ah! No! Once was enough, thank you!" Tsubasa quickly waved her hand in defence, making Kanade chuckle.
"Relax, it's just a joke. But I will admit about one thing..." Kanade smiled and suddenly hugged Tsubasa, surprising her. "I missed seeing your face too. I was hoping have a peaceful living with my family in the afterlife, but I guess fate has other plans. And I'm taking this chance to keep on living and to learn from my mistakes so that me and the people I want to protect, won't have to live through that horrible tragedy again." Kanade began to look at her partner's face. "So let me ask you this: Will you allow me to be by your side once more?"
"Kanade..." Tsubasa whispered, before she began to cry again and hugged her partner. "Of course I do... And welcome back..."
"Thank you, Tsubasa... so much... It's good to be back..." Kanade smiled back with tears in her eyes again as Zwei Wing continued their embrace.
("At long last... Zwei Wing is finally reunited...!") Hibiki whispered with a tearful smile before turning to the Naotoras and Gaius. "(Zeo-san, Akira-san, Gaius-san... thank you so much for looking after Kanade-san...!")
("Heh, it's our pleasure, Hibiki.") Zeo whispered back as he, Akira and Gaius also smiled and nodded.
"Well, as much as I hate to interrupt this tearful reunion, the Queens of Music really must return to their hotel." Shinji spoke up.
"Eh?! Do they really have to go? Can't they stay at the Zi-O Liner instead?" Hibiki protested.
"Sorry, but Shinji has a point there. The hotel manager will become suspicious about their sudden disappearance, not to mention the hotel bill." Fu Hua stated.
"Oh..." Hibiki slumped before turning to Maria. "But you'll be back here tomorrow, right?"
"Of course." Maria nodded as the Cadenzavnas and Zwei Wing broke off their embrace. "I wanted to spend more time with my younger sister while also preparing for rehearsals and photoshoots."
"That's good. Because I wanna spend so time with Tsubasa too, while helping out Ogawa-san with his manager duties." Kanade agreed.
"But Kanade, you don't know how what a manager does." Tsubasa said.
"True, but I can always ask Ogawa-san how he does his job, right?"
"Don't worry, Kanade-san. I've got you covered." Shinji assured with a smile.
"Thanks for that!" Kanade grinned back.
"So when's the main concert?" Mei asked.
"Two days from now at nighttime." Maria answered.
"I see. Well I wish you and Tsubasa-san the best of luck at the concert." Mei smiled.
"Huh, and I was hoping we'd get VIP access to the concert for free." Regina commented with her arms on her hips.
"Don't push it, Regina." Akira deadpanned, making everyone laugh at the comment.
"Tsubasa, Maria, there's one more thing I need to give you before you go." Copen spoke up as he took out two familiar devices from his pocket tossed the devices to them. "Catch!"
Once Tsubasa and Maria caught the devices and took a quick look, Tsubasa began to ask, "Are these... phones?"
"Those are your new Zikan Phones. Genjuro requested me to make those for you in case we get to meet up." Copen explained. "Though I was hoping to give these to you two at a later time, but oh well."
"I see." Tsubasa noted as she looked at her blue and sky blue Zikan Phone.
"Thank you, Copen. We'll be sure to take care of them properly." Maria assured as she looked at her silver and pink Zikan Phone.
"You're quite the young scientist, aren't you, Copen?" Shinji asked.
"I had a little help when making these phones." Copen admitted as he glanced at Gaius, who gave a nod and a thumbs up. "Sorry I wasn't able to make one for you, Ogawa-san."
"No problem, I can wait till I get my own." Shinji nodded.
"The instructions on how to use those Zikan Phone are located inside the phone menu. It shouldn't be too hard to memorize." Copen told Tsubasa and Maria, earning a nod from them.
"Well, you three better head back to the hotel. I'll see ya tomorrow, okay?" Kanade told the two idols and manager.
"Of course, Kanade." Tsubasa nodded and smiled back, and hugged her former partner once more before letting go.
"I'll be sure to spend some time with you during the rehearsal and photoshoot tomorrow, okay Serena?" Maria said.
"Okay, onee-san." Serena smiled and nodded back before the two sisters hugged each other once more before letting go.
"See ya tomorrow, Tsubasa! Maria! Shinji!/Have a safe trip back to the hotel!" Zeo and Akira said as they and the rest of the group waved goodbye to the two idols and manager as they watched them leave the abandoned station.
Once they're gone, the Naotoras, Gaius, Gunvolt, Joule and Copen took a deep sigh of relief. "Well... this is not how I wanted my day to end. But I'll take it regardless." Zeo commented before turning to Copen. "And as for you, when the heck did those three get here?"
"Well... Tsubasa was being chased by those stalking fanboys and photographers, so I had to do something to protect her while avoiding contact until those fanboys are gone." Copen explained while rubbing the back of his head. "I thought it was an intruder at first who might accidently discover the Zi-O Liner."
"Ah, so that's how." Kanade noted. "I take it that you use those support bits of yours to chase those fanboys out?"
"That, and I borrowed Bronya's guardian robot for extra security." Copen replied.
"Bronya allowed you to borrow Project Bunny?" Kiana questioned.
"She, Shirabe and I are busy doing an errand for Einstein, at first." Copen replied.
"Ah, I see."
"And once the fanboys are gone, Tsubasa was able to safely call Maria-neesan and Ogawa-san to pick her up, right?" Serena guessed, earning a nod from Copen. "Thanks for helping out while we're away, Copen."
"I just feel like doing what's right, after all." Copen smiled back.
"Kanade-san, Serena-chan, how was the reunion?" Hibiki asked.
"It felt great to see them again, even though the meeting was unexpected." Kanade replied, with Serena nodding. "But we're satisfied nonetheless."
"Still, I was not expecting to encounter them so soon without proper planning." Gaius remarked. "But now that the hard part is out of the way, we can finally move on to the next step."
"And that is?" Regina asked.
"Waiting." Gaius answered, making everyone (except the Naotoras and Copen) facefault. "What? We can't do anything until our scientists finished deciphering Gjallarhorn's last known location in this world."
"Yeah... I should've expected that..." Regina groaned as the facefaulted ones got up.
"Well... he does have a point there." Kallen agreed with Gaius' reasoning.
"So Zeo, when did you meet Akira and the rest of her team?" Copen asked.
"The London Eye, of all places." Zeo answered. "We were starting our exploration from there, and once we're inside the London Eye, my sister and her team ran into us in the same capsule."
"Wow, is that lucky or unexpected?"
"Unexpected." The Naotoras responded, making Copen chuckle.
"Well, I guess that's enough surprises for today." Himeko clasped her hands. "Let's have dinner back at the Zi-O Liner before calling it a day."
"Sounds good to me, Himeko." Kiana agreed.
"I do want to try out some of the dishes ever since I bought that cookbook at the bookstore." Miriam said.
"Good thing we've bought plenty of ingredients before coming back here." Mei added, with Fu Hua also nodding.
"Wanna join us for dinner, Copen?" Gunvolt offered.
"Well, I guess I could go for something to eat before going back to working on another project." Copen accepted.
"Oh! What project would that be?" Hibiki asked.
"Sorry, Hibiki. It's a secret." Copen smirked with his finger over his lips. "Einstein's orders."
"Aww..." Hibiki pouted.
"But it should be ready by tomorrow, and that's when we'll reveal that project."
"Oh, okay! I can't wait, Copen-san!" Hibiki smiled.
"Just try not to overwork too much during the night, okay?" Serena reminded.
"You have my word, Serena. I won't make that same mistake twice." Copen nodded.
"Alright, time to head back. Dinner awaits." Zeo declared as everyone head back to the Zi-O Liner to have dinner.
Unknown Location
London, England
Meanwhile inside an abandoned ruin, a group of Bavarian alchemists are having a secret meeting about their next plot. But without their leader, their arguments became a bit frequent with alchemists disagreeing with one another on where to strike first. Right now however, they're waiting for that one alchemist stationed in Japan to return.
"What's taking him so long? He should be back here by now to report." Alchemist 1 asked impatiently.
"Perhaps he's been captured by those meddling UN agents already." Alchemist 2 guessed.
"But how can that be? The alchemist we sent to Japan is a cunning one, able to evade capture from those agents and those Symphogears." Alchemist 3 questioned.
"Hm, I guess you're right. If that's the case, then something must've happened to him."
"Then one of us will have to go to Japan and find him. But still, without our leader Adam, it's only a matter of time before we're faded from history."
"Don't you dare say that! We will not stop until we fulfill our goal of obtaining divine power!" Alchemist 1 argued.
"But what can we do? Without a proper leader, we're going nowhere to achieve our goal..."
"Perhaps I can help you with that, gentlemen."
The alchemists tensed up upon hearing an unfamiliar voice as they looked around to find the source. "Who goes there?! Show yourself!" Alchemist 1 demanded to the voice as he's about to bring out the Alca-Noise crystals to summon them.
"Don't worry, I'm not with the United Nations. But like I said before..." The voice spoke again as footsteps were heard until the alchemists suddenly saw the mysterious person wearing a dark blue cloak with a hood covering his face arriving at their hideout. "...I can help you with what you seek."
"Who are you?" Alchemist 2 asked.
"...Just a passing through Time Jacker, remember that, Bavarian alchemists." The hooded man replied before he pulled up his hood and revealed his face. "But you can call me, Zwei." The man named Zwei revealed to have a blue right eye and a yellow left eye while wearing blue rimmed glasses, and short black hair parted from the right along with a blue streak on the front.
"Zwei? Time Jacker? I've never heard of that name and organization before." Alchemist 1 commented.
"It's fine, the less people knew about us, the better." Zwei calmly replied while adjusting his glasses. "So you alchemists seek divine power, correct? What will you use said power for, I wonder?"
"Isn't it obvious? To control the world to our will!" Alchemist 3 proclaimed.
"Ah, that. Should've expected an answer like that." Zwei responded. "But what if I say that there's powers even greater than divine power?"
"Powers greater than divine power? That's impossible! There's no such thing!" Alchemist 2 retorted.
"Ah, but there is such a thing." Zwei replied. "Unfortunately, some meddling troublemakers had to interfere with our plans and made us waste valuable time. So we'll need to use Plan B. Recruiting allies in order to achieve a world of paradise."
"A world... of paradise?"
"That is correct. But, there's a catch. I need to test your resolve if you're worthy to join the Neo Time Jackers."
"A test? Does that mean we have to fight you?" Alchemist 5 asked.
"If I did fight all of you, you'd be nothing but broken popsicles by now. And trust me..." Zwei raised his right hand forward and fired an ice beam from the floor to the end of the area before dispersing the beam as it left an icy trail, surprising the alchemists in the room. "...looks can be very deceiving, so don't underestimate my power." He smirked.
"Whoa..." The alchemists were in awe at Zwei power.
"All you have to do is to defeat as many ice monsters as you could under a time limit." Zwei stated. "My monsters will attack you, but I'll be sure that they won't kill you accidently. I'll pass my judgement and reveal your scores after all of you had your turn. So, do you accept my test?"
The alchemists looked at each other for their opinion on what to do, though again, without Adam Weishaput or any other proper leadership, they can't accomplish their goal. They gave each other a nod of approval before turning to Zwei. "Just one more question before we participate with your test; are you the leader of these Time Jackers?" Alchemist 1 asked.
"Ah, no. I'm just one of their generals." Zwei replied. "Also, we're called the Neo Time Jackers, ever since the original Time Jackers were defeated in the past. Though I'm pretty sure my master will approve of your talents, but again, you'll need to prove your resolve before I can accept you all into our ranks."
Alchemist 1 gave one final look to the other alchemists, who then gave him a nod of approval. He nodded back to them before turning to Zwei once more. "Alright, we'll take that test of yours."
"Thank you for your cooperation." Zwei nodded and smiled. "But if any of the other alchemists wished not to take my test, I'll respect their choice and let them leave in peace."
"Don't worry, Zwei. All of the remaining Bavarian alchemists will accept your test since we needed a new leader to achieve our goals." Alchemist 2 assured.
"I'll let the other alchemists know about this to come here and partake on your test." Alchemist 4 said.
"Good to know." Zwei replied as he clasped his hands. "Now then, is there an open space we can use to conduct my test? I don't want to leave a nasty mess in this hideout."
"There is." Alchemist 3 nodded before looking at an open cave. "It's located deep within our hideout. Please follow us, Zwei."
"Thank you." Zwei nodded back as he was escorted by the Bavarian alchemists into the deeper area of the hideout to conduct the test.
The Next Morning...
London, England
Zi-O Liner, Dining Area
The next day, everyone was busy doing their daily routine while awaiting news about Gjallarhorn's last known location in the Symphogear world. Woz is doing his usual reading and tea sipping on his seat, until he noticed Zeo, Gaius and Akira arriving in the room. "Ah, good morning, chosen heroes." Woz greeted them. "Did you have a good rest?"
"Yep, sure did." Zeo nodded as he, Gaius and Akira took a seat with Woz. "Just had our breakfast after taking a nice warm bath. The Zi-O Liner really has it all, huh?"
"Indeed. The Owner did a good job with this dimension travelling train, and it might even rival the Den Liner and the Zero Liner." Woz replied.
"Is that so?" Gaius replied back. "I wouldn't be surprised if this train can transform into a giant robot. If it can, that is."
"Who knows?" Woz shrugged. "Even the Owner kept secret about this train other than telling me that it's merely a prototype for the Den Liner."
"The Zi-O Liner used to be a Den Liner prototype? Then how did this train became that more advanced than before?" Gaius questioned, until he began to realize how the train improved after thinking about a certain scientist. "Wait, never mind. I just found out why. Einstein gave it a lot of modifications."
"Oh. Well that makes a lot of sense considering she's a genius." Zeo agreed.
"And now with Tesla on board, the Zi-O Liner will keep on improving to become a more versatile dimensional mobile base." Akira added.
"Don't forget about Elfnein, Copen and Dr. Fleuve, along with S.O.N.G HQ and the Guardian Base. So that makes three mobile bases we have at our disposal, and there's no doubt that airship and submarine are gonna get a lot of improvements with those scientists working together." Gaius also added.
"You three have improved quite a lot since the beginning of your journey." Woz commented. "You have amassed plenty of trustworthy allies and even obtained two more mobile bases in the process."
"We did, didn't we?" Zeo replied as he turned to Akira and Gaius, who smiled back before he turned to Woz. "We honestly thought it was one heck of a long dream, but turns out that this is completely real."
"Well me and Zeo slept at Gunvolt's world for a day, and then recently slept in the Symphogear world the day before yesterday." Gaius added.
"I see. But remember, this is journey is far from over, and the path will become more difficult as time goes by." Woz cautioned.
"Don't worry, we know the risks." Akira assured. "But with everyone of us working together with hope and courage in our hearts, we'll overcome any obstacle the Neo Time Jackers or any other new enemies they'll throw at us."
"Heh, well said, chosen heroes." Woz smiled at their resolve. "Now I wonder if you could set up a central hub, a main gateway to other worlds without relying on the mobile bases too much."
"Actually, we've already made our decision onto where our central hub is." Zeo smirked.
"Oh? And where will that be?" Woz asked.
"The source world for the Gjallarhorn relic's existence, the Symphogear world." Zeo answered. "All we need is the Gjallarhorn Ridewatches and some kind of gateway machine in other to travel to the worlds we've already visited without the need to travel through the Sands of Time most of the time."
"That, and we'll need to implement the machine with a Gjallarhorn Fragment detector so that we'll know which is the quickest route to travel to the next world we've yet to explore." Akira added.
"Interesting." Woz commented. "You three have thought ahead, didn't you?"
"We've seen plenty of TV, anime, movies, books and fanfics to know where this is going." Gaius smirked with a wink.
"Heh, I should've expected that." Woz chuckled, until they noticed the entrance door opening up and saw who's entering. "Ah, Hibiki and the others! Finished your daily exercise routine?"
"Yup! We sure did, Woz-san!" Hibiki cheerfully replied as she, Kanade, Fu Hua, Kiana, Gunvolt, and even Noelle entered the Dining Area while wearing their normal sports attire. Joule was also with them, but in her casual attire.
"Ah, good morning, you three!" Kiana greeted the chosen heroes. "Did you sleep well?"
"Yep, fine and dandy over here." Zeo replied with a nod before glancing at Noelle. "Though I never expected Noelle of all people to join your exercise routine."
"Well, I was undergoing the Knights of Favonius Chivalric Training, so I had to be in tip-top shape." Noelle answered. "100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 2-4km run."
"...Is this girl training to become Saitama or something?!" Gaius mentally gawked upon hearing Noelle's training routine.
"Funny thing is, that's almost the same training regimen Master taught for me and the others." Hibiki remarked while rubbing the back of her head. "But with the addition of close combat training."
"Huh, fancy that. Good thing you had your shower and breakfast before training." Akira replied.
"By the way, we've picked up a few guests on the way back." Kanade said.
"Guests?" The three chosen heroes and Woz responded.
Kanade simply winked as she and the others stepped away from the door, allowing the guests to enter the train, and they were surprised at who the guests were.
"Tsubasa, Maria and Shinji?!" Zeo exclaimed.
"Good morning, you three." Tsubasa greeted with a bow.
"Hehe. Never expected us to come so soon?" Maria giggled.
"Yeah, we were expecting you to come at noon or something." Gaius replied.
"So this is the Zi-O Liner, huh? It's a lot bigger on the inside." Shinji remarked as he and the two idols looked around the inside of the train.
"Wait till you see the other rooms, you'd be surprised at what this train has." Akira replied.
"By the way, they've checked out of their hotel to come and stay here instead." Gunvolt informed.
"Is that so?" Zeo raised an eyebrow. "Is it because that Maria wanted to spend more time with her little sister?"
"S-Sort of..." Maria admitted while looking away blushing.
"You wanted to spend more time with me too, Tsubasa?" Kanade grinned with her hand onto her partner's shoulder.
"M-Maybe..." Tsubasa admitted while looking down blushing.
"Though it did took quite a while to arrive here after we had to clean up the hotel room." Shinji said.
"Let me guess, Tsubasa's the reason why the room's a mess?" Akira teased.
"I can't believe you told them about my habit, Kanade..." Tsubasa muttered.
"Ah, come on! What's wrong with that?" Kanade replied with a grin. "Though I'm surprised you still have that habit for so long."
"For a famous idol like yourself, you can be quite... irresponsible." Fu Hua sighed.
"Sorry..." Tsubasa apologized.
"My goodness. You should've ask me first so I can help you properly clean your things." Noelle said.
"Oh yeah, forgot that you also did maid duties besides trying to become a knight." Joule realized.
"So you're both a maid and a knight?" Maria asked Noelle.
"Well, mostly a maid, but I've yet to officially join the knights." Noelle replied.
"Are you capable of using a sword?" Tsubasa asked.
"Actually..." Noelle summoned a dark blue and light blue claymore on her hands without the use of her Zikan Phone, surprising the group. "...I excel at using a claymore."
"What a beautiful blade..." Tsubasa remarked with awe when she took a closer look at the claymore.
"Thank you, Tsubasa." Noelle smiled. "This weapon is called Whiteblind. A Mondstadt blacksmith was able to forge this weapon after I gave him enough ores and crystals. Though according to the blacksmith, this weapon originated from Liyue, hence why the ascension materials needed are located at Guyun within the Liyue region."
"She's from a world called Teyvat, by the way." Akira told Tsubasa.
"Ah, I see." Tsubasa noted as Noelle dispersed her claymore.
"Anyway last night, we called Genjuro and informed us about the adventures you three had undergo before, and even about the new friends you've made." Maria informed. "You three have been through quite a lot during your journey while starting out as heroes."
"Not to mention hearing the state of Gunvolt's world." Tsubasa added. "I never thought that racism could lead into a tragic war such as that. Even Copen began his crusade as a lone wolf just like myself in the past."
"Yeah, it was that bad." Gunvolt admitted. "But with the help of Zeo, Gaius, Kanade and Serena, we're staring to improve our bonds a lot better than before, and my world is en route to a slow recovery after Eden's downfall. If we continue to work together hand-in-hand, then that dream of a peaceful world between humans and adepts will become a reality."
"Then I'm sure that dream will happen someday, Gunvolt." Maria smiled.
"It will. And Maria, just call me GV if you want." Gunvolt smiled back.
"Hehe, very well then GV."
"And how did you manage to open up to others, Tsubasa?" Fu Hua asked.
"It was a long time ago when I fought alongside Tachibana, though I was still bitter about her being Kanade's replacement since she's using Gungnir." Tsubasa explained. "I was in a hospital at the time after feeling the side-effects of singing a Superb Song."
"And that's when I appeared in her dream as a spirit to encourage her to open up to others and to spread her wings." Kanade added.
"So it was because of you that Tsubasa-san finally started caring about others..." Hibiki said to Kanade.
"Well, someone has to break down that shell of loneliness." Kanade smiled.
"Yes, and I appreciate your encouragement, Kanade." Tsubasa smiled back before turning to the three chosen heroes. "Still, I can't believe the info about your world that the stories of the Symphogears are like an anime."
"Yeah, kinda weird when we had to explain something like that. It literally defies logic." Zeo admitted while rubbing the back of his head.
"I wonder how many people supported us by reading or watching our stories?" Maria asked.
"My guess, a whole lot." Gaius replied. "That, and uh... we were quite the fans when we listened to every single song of the Symphogears."
"All of those songs were amazing, it was hard to pick the most favourite." Akira added.
"Hehe, well thanks for the support regardless." Maria smiled.
"And Hibiki, you were quite the badass from beginning to end." Zeo commented. "You may have your ups and downs, but you eventually overcame those difficult odds and scored plenty of victories with your fists and your courage."
"Hehe! Thanks for the compliment, Zeo-san!" Hibiki smiled.
"Heh, it looks like you chosen heroes have a lot of work to do before you can reach their level of strength and resolve." Woz commented.
"We'll reach that goal eventually, Woz. One step at a time, without taking any short-cuts." Akira proclaimed.
"Good to know."
Suddenly, the train door on one side of the Dining Area opened up, and out came Serena, Shirabe and Regina. "Oh, hey guys! What's up?" Regina greeted with a wave, until she noticed Tsubasa, Maria and Shinji. "Oh Serena, look who's here!"
"Ah, Maria-neesan!" Serena smiled upon seeing her older sister as she ran up to her and hugged her. "I didn't know you came that early! I thought it was going to be in the afternoon!"
"Hehe, it's good to see you too, Serena." Maria smiled back as they broke off their hug. "I wanted to keep my arrival a secret just to surprise you. Did you have a good rest?"
"Yup, sure did!" Serena nodded.
"Glad to hear it." Maria smiled before turning to Shirabe. "So Hibiki's not the only one who followed Zeo and the others to London."
"Yeah... I really wanted to see the Zi-O Liner up close. It's so amazing..." Shirabe admitted. "Oh, and if you're wondering why Kiri-chan's not with me this time, she had to stay with Miku and Chris-sempai to catch up on her studies."
"I should've expected something like that to happen." Maria sighed. "She'd better focus on her studies a bit more seriously if she wants to graduate from Lydian Academy."
"Maybe try another teaching method to help her study better?" Joule suggested.
"Ah, maybe Auntie Theresa could help!" Kiana gently slammed her palm with her fist. "She's the principal of St. Freya Academy, after all."
"Don't forget about me, Kiana. I'm also the Class President of said academy, remember?" Fu Hua added.
"Oh yeah, that works too!"
"St. Freya Academy is another learning institute?" Shinji asked.
"It's more than that, Shinji. St. Freya Academy is one of the higher learning institutes in our world that also trains other Valkyries to fight against the Honkai threat." Kiana explained.
"Honkai?"
"The invading creatures of our world."
"Ah, that." Shinji noted.
"Hmm... if we ever get a chance to come to my world, I can ask some of my Pretty Cure friends to help out with Kirika's studies." Regina said. "And some of them are really smart."
Before the conversation could continue, everyone heard humming around the room. "What is that sound?" Maria asked as she looked around.
"Ah, it seems we have an incoming message." Woz replied as he stood up from his seat and activated a hidden control panel behind the train wall. "Well now, it seems like a transmission from both the Guardians and S.O.N.G."
"Master and Prairie-san are calling us right now?' Hibiki asked.
"Zeo, you'd better inform the others to come here immediately. They need to hear this." Woz advised. "There's a button on the control panel to activate the train speakers to call them easier."
"Got it." Zeo nodded as he stood up, went to the control panel and activated the train speakers. "Everyone, this is Zeo Naotora speaking. With the exception of Naomi, will everyone please meet up at the Dining Area immediately? The Guardians and S.O.N.G have an important incoming transmission for us. Thank you." He turned off the speakers after delivering his message. "Let's wait for the others to arrive first before we answer their transmission." He told the others, who then nodded back as they waiting for the rest of the team to arrive.
"Could you give us a moment to wash up first? We still have some leftover sweat from training earlier." Kanade requested with a raised hand.
"Sure thing, but don't take too long." Zeo approved with a nod, allowing Kanade, Hibiki, Fu Hua, Kiana, Gunvolt and Noelle to immediately head for the Bathing Area to clean themselves up.
"By the way, what happened to your luggage since you two checked out of the hotel?" Akira asked the two idols.
"Oh that, we stored them inside our Zikan Phones." Maria answered as she and Tsubasa briefly showed off said phone before putting them away. "It really saves time when it comes to packing our belongings, especially Tsubasa's."
"M-Maria! You don't have to tell them that about my belongings!" Tsubasa retorted, making everyone in the room laugh in amusement.
Several minutes later...
"Good, looks like everyone is here and accounted for." Zeo said as he noticed all of their teammates in their normal attire gathered in the room.
"So, I guess this means Gjallarhorn's secret location has been found?" Himeko guessed.
"Only one way to find out." Zeo replied. "Alright, establishing video uplink now." He pushed the button on the control panel, materializing two large holo-screens in front of the group, with one screen showing Genjuro calling from S.O.N.G HQ, and the other screen showing Prairie calling from the Guardian Base.
"Good morning, everyone." Prairie greeted.
"Good morning to you too, Commander Prairie and Genjuro." Zeo greeted back with a salute, with everyone else also saluting before letting their hand down.
"And I see that Tsubasa-kun, Maria-kun and Ogawa are here too." Genjuro said after noticing them.
"We've just arrived here after checking out of the hotel, uncle." Tsubasa informed.
"Good to know." Genjuro noted before turning to Akira. "And you must be Zeo-kun's sister, Akira Naotora, correct?"
"Yup, that's me." Akira winked. "Nice to meet you, sir. And you too, Prairie."
"Good to meet you too, Akira." Prairie replied. "We've already been informed about your mission and your new allies thanks to Einstein, so it'll save us some time with the introductions."
"Good to know." Akira replied back. "And I'm surprised that you, the Guardians, and your airship showed up in Gunvolt's world due to the Dimensional Quakes."
"Alright, what's the sitch?" Gaius asked the commanders with his arms crossed. "I assume that Gjallarhorn's secret location has been found?"
"That's correct, Gaius." Prairie confirmed with a nod. "We've recently discovered its location thanks to Elfnein, Sakuya, Aoi, Copen, Einstein, Tesla, Kohaku and Dr. Fleuve's assistance."
"And you'll never guess where that location is." Genjuro added.
"What do you mean, Master?" Hibiki questioned.
"Sakuya-kun, show them Gjallarhorn's secret location." Genjuro ordered his operative.
"Right away, sir!" Sakuya complied as he pushed a few buttons on the console, changing Genjuro's screen into a map that revealed the country of Japan before zooming in until the group saw a blinking red dot revealing the relic's secret location. And it greatly surprised Hibiki, Kanade and Tsubasa as to where that location is.
"No gacking way... is that where I think it is?!" Kanade exclaimed.
"That place... it's...!" Tsubasa added.
"The Second Division's old underground base hidden within the old Lydian Academy?!" Hibiki gasped.
"...Okay, I did not see that one coming." Zeo remarked.
"So that's where your old base used to be, Genjuro." Theresa said with her arms crossed.
"Correct, Theresa-kun." Genjuro nodded. "But it was destroyed by the Noise a few years ago. Good thing everyone evacuated in time to prevent casualties."
"Right now, some of our Guardian troops and S.O.N.G agents have surrounded the area to prevent any intruders from trespassing." Prairie informed as her screen briefly showed said troops and agents guarding said location.
"Good thinking, Prairie. Can't let the public be involved with our investigations." Gaius complimented.
"This is where you guys come in." Genjuro continued. "You'll need to send a small investigation team to enter deep inside the old Second Division Base and locate the secret room that used to house Gjallarhorn before it was broken and scattered. Maybe you might be able to find some clues, as well."
"Oh, and one other thing..." Elfnein arrived next to Genjuro. "When you return back to S.O.N.G HQ, I'm giving back Fine's USB Drive back to you. You'll probably need it to access Gjallarhorn's secret room."
"Loud and clear." Zeo complied with a nod. "Myself, my sister, and Gaius will be part of the investigation team."
"You're free to bring in a few members to add to your team, but not too much since it's only a small investigation mission." Prairie instructed. "Either way, please be careful in there."
"Got it, we'll be careful." Akira complied with a nod. "So I guess we'll be taking your helicopter or private plane to fly back to Japan? Or we use the Zi-O Liner to travel back there instead?"
"Actually, you'll be using a different method of travel instead." Genjuro answered with a smirk. "Einstein-kun will fill in on the details."
"Wait, what details?" Zeo blinked his eyes in confusion.
"You'll find out soon enough." Prairie winked. "Okay, that's all from us!"
"See you back in Japan!" Genjuro added as both video transmissions ended with the holo-screens disappearing.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" Einstein clasped her hands twice, gaining everyone's attention. "If you'll all follow me please, there's something I wanted you to see."
"Is it another new invention of yours?" Shirabe guessed.
"Your answers will be revealed once we arrive at our destination." Einstein replied as she head for the back door of the Dining Area.
Everyone in the room looked at each other with confused looks before deciding to go after the genius scientist.
"Alright, we're here." Einstein stopped in front of a closed train door and turned around to see everyone who followed her.
"Wait a minute, this is the train cart that none of us we're allowed to enter until further notice." Himeko recalled.
"That's correct, Major Himeko." Einstein confirmed with a nod while adjusting her glasses. "Now that it's finished, it's time for me to authorize access to this room. I was able to get a lot of useful materials from Sequin Land, along with the materials obtained within this abandoned train station which was gathered by Copen, Bronya and Shirabe. After my first conversation with Genjuro, Prairie, Elfnein and Dr. Flueve yesterday, it gave me an idea that could make teleporting from one place to another a bit easier without using too much of my Chronosphere technology."
"Are you talking about a Waystone?" Miriam asked.
"A what?"
"A Waystone. A magical stone from my world that allows a person to be teleported to another location just by picturing it in your thoughts. However, the stone breaks after one usage." Miriam described.
"Hmm... back in Teyvat, there's special devices scattered around that world called Teleport Waypoints which allow a person to fast-travel to said placed waypoints via teleportation." Sucrose said. "However, only Vision bearers such as myself and Noelle can use those waypoints. Not only that, you need to activate them manually in order to use them. You'll know that it's active when the waypoints are blue instead of red. The Statues of the Seven also acts as Teleport Waypoints, but it can also heal wounds and revive fallen allies."
"Interesting..." Lumine responded.
"Hibiki, do you remember the time we were teleported from the city to the inside of the Guardian Base airship using a Trans Server?" Shirabe asked.
"Oh yeah! I remember that, Shirabe-chan!" Hibiki recalled. "It really saved time instead of waiting for the airship to land so we could board it." She blinked a few times before her eyes widen in realization. "Wait... Einstein-san, is that room what I think it is?!"
"Figured it out, haven't you?" Einstein smirked before she pushed a button on the right side of the door to open it and then stepped aside. "After you." She gestured to the opened door, to which Hibiki and Shirabe responded by entering first, before everyone else going in after them, with Einstein entering last.
Inside is a very large room with a large machine, a blue platform on the center of the room and a computer with a few monitors on the right side of the room along with a few devices. "Ladies and gentlemen..." Einstein announced. "May I present to you, the Trans Server Room."
"Whoa..." Everyone responded with awe at the Zi-O Liner's new facility.
"Huh, I was wondering if we'll be getting another Trans Server just like the one in the Guardian Base." Zeo commented.
"Yeah, I thought the same way." Copen agreed. "And this is the secret project I was talking about yesterday."
"So that's what you been up to recently. Nicely done, Copen." Sakura complimented.
"It was Prairie that approved the construction of another Trans Server. Though this is not the first one that's been built." Tesla explained.
"What do you mean?" Kanade asked.
"S.O.N.G HQ had already built their own Trans Server Room yesterday, so the one we are in right now is the 3rd one."
"What?!" The Symphogears exclaimed upon hearing about S.O.N.G HQ having their own Trans Server.
"And the best part, it actually worked after a few test runs." Einstein added with a smirk.
"Wow!" Hibiki responded with excitement. "I can't wait to try it out!"
"Me too!" Shirabe added with the same expression.
"Whoa there, hold on for just one minute." Einstein interjected with a raised hand. "You're only allowed to use the Trans Server during missions or by asking permission from the commanders, which is Genjuro, Prairie, and Theresa. So no fooling around with it, you two!"
"Gh?! H-Hai..." Hibiki and Shirabe gulped.
"Now then, is there any other questions you would like to ask?" Einstein asked the group while adjusting her glasses, and then noticed a raised hand. "Yes, Shinji?"
"So this Trans Server will only allow us to teleport to another Trans Server, correct?" Shinji asked, and earned a nod from the scientist. "Then what about using it to teleport to other locations that's not our mobile bases?"
"Ah, I was just about to get to that part." Einstein replied as she materialized a small device to her hand via Zikan Phone. The device had its sides colored white, the center being black, the top part colored orange, and the bottom part colored yellow. "We use this little device to deploy a teleport waypoint, allowing us to teleport to said location at very long distances. So consider this little device as a teleport beacon or a portable waypoint."
"Why not call it a Trans Beacon? That sounds a bit cooler." Lola suggested.
"Trans Beacon, huh? Hmm... not a bad name." Einstein responded. "Alright, we're calling this device the Trans Beacon!"
"Funny thing actually, Teyvat also invented a portable waypoint for easier travel for the Vision bearers, but the device will only last for a limited time before it breaks." Sucrose said.
"Wow... the people of Teyvat really have a lot of interesting devices." Seele commented.
"Mhm." Sucrose agreed with a nod. "They also invented a device called a Kamera."
"...A camera?!" Everyone gawked upon hearing about what the people of Teyvat invented.
"A camera? In your world of fantasy that has monsters, golems and dragons?! H-How...?" Serena gawked in disbelief.
"From what I read in the Mondstadt Library, the Kamera was invented by the people of Fontaine." Noelle pointed out. "Though I still wonder why in Teyvat, Kamera starts with a 'K', while on Earth after I read something from the Zi-O Liner's Library, Camera starts with a 'C'."
"Wow... just... wow..." Akira commented, before blinking a few times at an unfamiliar name. "Wait, Fontaine? What place is that?"
"Ah, apologies. I forgot to mention that nation as well." Noelle replied. "The nation of Fontaine is governed by the Hydro Archon. Unfortunately, I can't find the name of that Archon."
"Ah, fair enough."
"Ahem, can I continue?" Einstein interjected by clearing her throat, and earned everyone's attention once more. "Good, now where was I? Ah right, the features of the Trans Beacon. Any more questions?" She then noticed another raised hand. "Yes, Tsubasa?"
"What about our enemies discovering the Trans Beacon? They might try to destroy it to prevent our reinforcements to arrive." Tsubasa asked.
"Ah, good question. I was thinking of adding a password system to fix that issue. Unfortunately, the device doesn't have any defence mechanisms, so my advice is to deploy the beacon where the enemy won't notice." Einstein answered.
"Very well." Tsubasa nodded.
"As for how to return the beacons back to us safely, you'll have to manually activate the recall feature on the device so that it'll teleport you and the beacon back to any of the Trans Server Rooms of your choosing. Group teleportation can also be used, but you'll need to stay close to each other, otherwise you'll be left behind." Einstein continued.
"Understood." Maria nodded. "That way, the enemy won't notice the unused beacon lying around for them to steal."
"That's correct, Maria." Einstein nodded back. "Okay, any more questions?"
Zeo glanced at the group to see if there's any more questions to be asked, but there's no response from them. "Nope, I guess that's it for now." Zeo answered to the scientist. "But I do have a question of my own."
"Go ahead, Zeo."
"How many Trans Beacons are you planning on making?"
"Hmm..." Einstein pondered for a moment before answering. "I think we'll just make a few of them for the time being. Just try not to lose or break them, got it?"
"Got it." Zeo nodded. "Okay, we're officially done with the questions."
Before another conversation is being brought up, the Trans Server suddenly glowed in activation, gaining everyone's attention. "What's going on?" Bronya asked.
"Hmm... it seems someone from S.O.N.G or the Guardians are testing out the Trans Server by sending in a volunteer." Einstein replied. "I'd stand back if I were you."
Everyone heeded Einstein's advice and took a few steps back from the machine as it glowed. A few moments later, a figure appeared on the platform in a flash of green light before the machine powered down. The Symphogears gasped in shock when they saw who that figure really is that appeared in the room.
"Dess..." The figure sighed before looking around the room before looking at herself. "Did it work? Am I still in one piece?"
"Yep, it was a complete success, Kirika." Copen replied to the figure with a smile and his arms crossed.
"Dess?" Kirika blinked a few times till she noticed Copen who simply nodded. "Copen!" He then gestured his thumb to the rest of Team F.I.S who were surprised to see her. "Maria! Serena! Shirabe!"
"Welcome to the Zi-O Liner, Kiri-chan!" Shirabe greeted before running to her partner and hugged her.
"Shirabe! It's good to see you too!" Kirika hugged back, before comically crying for some reason. "It was torture...! So much tutoring from Chris-sempai and Miku...!"
"See? This is what happens when you neglect your studies too much, Kirika. So I hope you learn your lesson." Copen told the blonde scythe user.
"Dess..." Kirika sighed and nodded.
"...I'll take that as a 'Yes'."
"Seriously, Kirika. You really like to cause trouble for us, huh?" Maria sighed, with Serena nodding.
"So this is S.O.N.G's very own scythe user, Shirabe?" Seele asked.
"Mhm." Shirabe nodded as she broke off her hug. "Seele Vollerei, this is my best friend Kirika Akatsuki."
"Shirabe told you about me?" Kirika asked Seele, who confirmed with a nod. "Oh, then it's nice to meet you, Seele!" She greeted with a bow before turning to the rest of the group. "So, what are you guys up to?"
"We're about to use the Trans Server to teleport back to Japan for a mission." Gunvolt answered. "However, only a few of us will be needed for this mission."
"But don't worry, I'm not letting you join this mission since you just got here." Gaius added. "Just have fun with your friends here in London."
"Great! I always wanted to visit London!" Kirika cheered.
"Hmm..." Zeo pondered with his hand on his chin before answering. "Okay, I think I know who to bring for this mission. Hibiki, Kiana, Gunvolt, Joule, Copen, Lola, step forward."
The six people that Zeo picked nodded and stepped forward. Tsubasa was about to step forward, only to be stopped by Kanade and Maria grabbing her shoulders. "Don't even think about it, Tsubasa." Maria told her. "We still have rehearsals and photoshoots to do today."
"That, and I still wanna spend some time together while helping out Shinji. So no missions for the time being." Kanade added.
"But-" Tsubasa began to protest.
"Sorry, Tsubasa-san. But I'll have to agree with Maria-san and Kanade-san." Hibiki said. "Don't worry though, me and my new friends will handle this mission."
"And besides, we're a lot tougher than we look." Kiana added with confidence.
"Don't worry about them, Tsubasa-san. They'll be just fine." Serena assured.
Tsubasa took a moment to glance at people chosen for the mission, brimming with determined confidence. "...Alright then, I'll leave the rest to you." She nodded.
"Thanks, Tsubasa-san. We won't let you down." Hibiki smiled back before turning to Zeo. "I wonder if I can ask Miku or Chris-chan to join us for the mission."
"Won't know till you ask them first." Zeo replied.
"Mei, wanna come along?" Kiana offered.
"Sure. I don't have any plans yet, so I'm free to help." Mei accepted as she went next to Kiana.
"I'll come along too as your field commander." Himeko also accepted. "And you'd better bring Fu Hua too since her detective skills would be useful for this type of mission."
"That, and I'm pretty good with martial arts." Fu Hua added before glancing at Hibiki. "And I'm also interested on seeing your martial art skills in action, Hibiki."
"You won't be disappointed, Fu Hua-san!" Hibiki assured with a martial artist bow, making Fu Hua bow back with the same gesture before she and Himeko went next to Kiana and Mei.
"Bronya and I will stay here and go with Serena and the others. We never got a chance to explore London yet." Seele declared with Bronya nodding.
"I'll stay here and keep an eye on the Zi-O Liner." Theresa declared. "And I need to help Lumine with her training. Kallen and Sakura will also assist me with her training process."
"Fair enough." Akira approved before turning to Regina. "Regina, you coming?"
"Nah, I'll pass." Regina declined. "I think I'll go and train with Lumine too. Need to work on my skills more."
"Got it."
"U-Um, pardon me, Zeo." Sucrose raised her hand, gaining everyone's attention. "Is it alright if I could go with you? N-Not for the mission of course, I just wanted to meet Elfnein in person and share my bio-alchemy notes with her."
"Hmm... I don't see why not. Sure thing, Sucrose. You can come with us." Zeo approved, before turning to Miriam. "Though now that you mention it, maybe you should meet up with Elfnein too, Miriam. Hopefully she'll find a way to stop your curse."
"Well... after what Hibiki told me about her yesterday, perhaps I should meet her. Alright, I'll go to S.O.N.G HQ then." Miriam accepted as she and Sucrose went next to Akira.
"Woz, wanna come with us?" Zeo offered.
"No thanks. I think I'll go read another book at the library." Woz declined. "But, there's something I need to ask first."
"Sure, what's up?"
"You and Gaius have been using the Faiz and Kaixa Ridewatches for quite some time now. Maybe it's time to try out another Ridewatch?"
"Ah, I was wondering about that." Gaius realized as he and Zeo took out the Faiz and Kaixa Ridewatches. "Okay, time to switch it up."
"With pleasure." Woz smiled as he materialized the Ridewatch Carrier with a red pillow on top via Zikan Phone.
Everyone was in awe at how many Ridewatches Zeo has in his collection. "Wow, that's a lot of Ridewatches." Kanade remarked.
"Yep." Gaius nodded as he attached the Faiz Ridewatch onto the carrier, while Zeo gave the Kaixa Ridewatch to Woz.
"You wouldn't happen to have a spare Ridewatch Carrier for the Secondary Riders, right?" Zeo asked.
"Not to worry, I've got that problem covered." Woz replied as he put away the Ridewatch. "It's also where I stored Gaius' Cross-Z Ridewatch."
"Oh good, I was wondering where that went." Gaius responded.
"Hmm... how many Ridewatches do you have at the moment?" Bronya asked Zeo and Gaius.
"Uh... I think we lost count at how many of them we have right now." Zeo admitted before glancing at the carrier. "But I will tell you how many of them are on this Ridewatch Carrier. A total of 18 of them." He then slightly glared at Einstein for a moment. "Though one of them is missing because of a certain someone..."
"If you're thinking about that missing Ridewatch, get over it already." Einstein deadpanned. "It was a slight miscalculation on my part. I'm sure you'll find it eventually in one of the other worlds."
"Wow, how did you screw that up?" Tesla teased.
"Again, a slight miscalculation. Got it?" Einstein emphasized with narrowed eyes.
"Okay, fine..." Tesla pouted.
"I know it's a little late but, could you tell us about the Ridewatches you have on this carrier?" Kallen asked while glancing at said carrier.
"This carrier contains the Ridewatches of the Heisei Riders." Zeo explained. "You already know what happens when me and Gaius use them, right?"
"It gives you armour attachments containing the power of said rider, correct?" Copen guessed, earning a confirmed nod from Zeo.
"There's a total of 20 Heisei Riders." Zeo continued. "Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Blade, Hibiki, Kabuto, Den-O, Kiva, Decade, which is the one Ridewatch I don't have at the moment, W, OOO, Fourze, Wizard, Gaim, Drive, Ghost, Ex-Aid, Build, and last but not least..." He briefly pulled out the Zi-O Ridewatch and showed it to the group. "Zi-O."
"20 Ridewatches equals 20 armours... wow, that's a lot of variety of arsenals." Lola commented while Zeo put away the Zi-O Ridewatch.
"Wait, there's a Kamen Rider Hibiki?!" Hibiki questioned.
"Yup." Zeo nodded as he pointed at the red and black Ridewatch with Kamen Rider Hibiki's face on it. "Right over here."
"...Why does he look like a demon?" Hibiki asked after taking a closer look at said Ridewatch.
"Actually he's an oni." Gaius clarified.
"An oni and a Kamen Rider? Interesting..." Sakura remarked.
"Now that you mention it, Hibiki does means 'sound' or 'echo' in Japanese." Tsubasa said.
"Yup, hence why that Rider fights with the power of sound." Akira replied.
"Does it include singing?" Maria asked.
"Nope, just instruments." Zeo answered.
"If you want to know more about this Rider or any of the other Riders, there's a video catalog containing their entire stories at the Library Area." Woz stated.
"Oh! That's sounds perfect for TV marathons!" Kirika said.
"But only if you finish your work and studies, Kiri-chan." Shirabe reminded.
"Gh?! ...Dess." Kirika sighed and nodded.
"Principal Theresa, during study time, I'll leave Kiri-chan in your hands." Shirabe said.
"Leave it to me." Theresa replied with her arms crossed.
"...Why do I feel terrified, dess?" Kirika shuddered upon looking at Theresa's unnerving smile, while also making everyone else sweatdrop.
"Good luck, Kirika. You're gonna need it, because you do not want to act like my past lazy self in front of Auntie Theresa." Kiana mentally prayed, considering that it happened to her in the past.
"Why do I get the feeling that Kirika's gonna screw up during Theresa's tutoring sessions?" Regina thought.
"Right then, have you made your decision on which Ridewatch you'll bring for the mission?" Woz asked the Riders who were pondering for a moment.
Soon after, Zeo picked up the Build and W Ridewatch, while Gaius picked the OOO and Drive Ridewatch. "We'll go with these Ridewatches." Zeo declared as he and Gaius placed the chosen Ridewatches into their pockets.
"W, OOO, Drive and Build. Excellent choices." Woz replied as he stored the Ridewatch Carrier back into the Zikan Phone.
"Build, huh? That's the power you used to save me when I was an Another Rider." Kanade recalled, earning a nod from Zeo. "I know you'll make good use of it."
"Turst me, Kanade. I most definitely will." Zeo smiled, making Kanade smile back.
"Got everything you need?" Einstein asked the chosen group.
"Yep, we're Ret-2-Go, doc!" Akira confirmed with a thumbs up, with Zeo and Gaius nodding.
"Okay. Everyone else, step away from the Trans Server. I'm gonna start up the machine." Einstein ordered as she head for the controls, while the others step away from the machine.
"Good luck out there, everyone!" Lumine said to the chosen group.
"Best of luck, little kouhai!" Kanade said to her successor.
"Heiki, hecchara! We'll be alright, Lumine-chan! Kanade-san!" Hibiki smiled back.
"See you guys later after the mission!" Kiana waved at the group staying behind.
"Try to be careful, okay?" Theresa replied.
"Right then, time to start it up. Destination: S.O.N.G HQ in Tokyo, Japan." Einstein declared as she pushed a few buttons to set the target destination while activating the Trans Server. The machine sprang to life once more with the platform below the chosen group glowing. "Transfer will commence in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Transferring now!" With a push of a button from Einstein, the chosen group disappeared in a flash of green light before the Trans Server powered down.
"Best of luck, dear heroes." Woz spoke as everyone silently prayed for the investigation team's success.
Elsewhere...
Meanwhile back with Zwei inside the Bavarian remnants' hideout, he's looking at the training progress of the 50 Bavarian alchemists via a tablet at a safe distance. So far, at least 20 of them had their turn, so only 30 of them are next in line. He looked at the scores so far on his tablet, and saw some of them showing impressive results. But he'll have to wait for all of them to complete his test before he could make the final call.
Before Zwei could continue his examination, a Time Veil appeared a few metres behind him, gaining his attention. A person wearing a dark yellow cloak with his hood pulled up, came out of the portal before it disappeared behind him. He has slightly dark skin with an orange right eye and a yellow left eye, he looked slightly buffed and has long white hair that reached the back of his neck along with a dark yellow streak on the front left side of his hair. "Yo, Zwei! I got what you need right here." The man spoke showing a grey case on his hand as he walked towards Zwei.
"Ah, Drei. I was hoping you'd show up." Zwei greeted back. "I was planning to call in Eins, but the master has another job for him."
"Hm, I wonder what's that all about?" Drei pondered before shrugging. "Anyway, here ya go." He then gave the case to Zwei after he put down the tablet for a moment.
Zwei opened the case and saw the contents inside, containing a dark purple Another Ridewatch, a syringe with a red glowing liquid inside, and a small dark grey device. Zwei smirked at the contents inside before closing the case. "Good, I'll be needing these real soon." He spoke to his partner.
"And what would that be?" Drei asked.
"Sorry, trade secret." Zwei replied.
"Fine, you do you, I guess." Drei shrugged before looking at the alchemists fighting Zwei's ice monsters. "So I'm guessing these will be our new recruits?"
"Correct." Zwei nodded. "I'll be evaluating their results after everyone has finished their test. And the top three will be promoted to leading officers for the Neo Time Jackers. Not only that, I get to examine those Alca-Noise crystals they have at their disposal."
"You're gonna make them stronger, aren't you?"
"Something like that, but I'll need to experiment those creatures properly before we can deploy them. I don't want any of my experiments to backfire on us, so I'll need to be cautious."
"Hmm... good point." Drei agreed with a nod. "And what about those alchemists? Are you gonna train them to learn more magic or something?"
"Yes, but not just my ice magic, of course." Zwei answered. "There's Eins with his fire magic, and then there's you with your earth magic. Too bad we don't have a member with wind magic, that'd be useful."
"True. Wait, what about Dark Cure Chaos? Is she willing to teach them some of her magic?"
"That would be tricky. Her Dark Cure powers can be a bit unpredictable if not kept in check, so it's best not to teach them that just yet."
"I see." Drei replied, until he heard his phone ringing on his pocket. "Ah, one sec." He took out his phone and answered it. "Yo, Drei here. What's up? ...Oh, hey Eins! How's the mission? ...Oh? The master asked you to bring me along for the mission? ...Okay, which world? ...Hmm, never heard of that one before. ...Alright, I'm in. I'll see you in a bit." He finished his call and put away his phone.
"Oh? Eins wants you to accompany him to another world?" Zwei remarked after overhearing Drei's phone call.
"Yep. He wants me to go with him for a bit of reconnaissance. I think that world is called Teyvat." Drei replied.
"Teyvat, huh?" Zwei raised an eyebrow. "Never heard of a world like that before, but it does peak my interest."
"Tell you what, I'll see if I can ask the master to allow you to visit that world once you're done with whatever you're doing in this world." Drei offered.
"Oh, how nice of you." Zwei smiled.
"Hey, me and Eins aren't gonna leave you out on the fun." Drei smirked back with his arms crossed.
"Hehe, of course." Zwei chuckled. "Alright, I'll leave it to you. And tell me what you and Eins have discovered there later on."
"No problem, comrade." Drei replied with a thumbs up before creating a Time Veil behind him. "Okay, I gotta get going. Catch ya later!" He gave a two-finger salute to Zwei before entering the Time Veil.
Zwei nodded back as he watched the Time Veil disappear before turning back to watching the alchemists with his tablet in hand while briefly adjusting his glasses and looking at his case once more. Once all of the alchemists complete his test, then he can proceed to the next step of his plan.
Chapter 6: The Next Step
END
Author's Note: And now I get to introduce two more enemy OCs for the Neo Time Jackers, Zwei and Drei. And it's also been revealed that they have elemental powers; Eins for Fire, Zwei for Ice, and Drei for Earth. Their character traits have also been revealed, such as Zwei being the smart scientific type, and Drei being the brute force type, but still having a brain to think properly instead of going in recklessly. And as for Eins, I like to think of him as the easy-going type, with a little bit of cunning. The heroes will have their hands full once they cross paths with the enemy generals, whether its one of them or more. And the Riders have already had their first run-in with Eins back in Book 1.
Speaking of the heroes, Tsubasa and Maria has officially joined Zeo, Gaius and Akira's team after having their reunion with Kanade and Serena, but they won't be participating for the Gjallarhorn investigation mission in the next chapter since they have rehearsals and photoshoots planned out in London. But don't worry, they'll be in action in this Book very soon. In addition, now the Zi-O Liner and S.O.N.G HQ have their very own Trans Server for easy travel and deployment, so they'll be using this new addition during some of the important missions.
Still, I'm looking forward to finishing this Book so that the heroes can finally travel to other new worlds they've yet to explore. But until then... Only time will tell. See ya next time!