Book 3: XDR Rising
Chapter 7: Investigation
Tokyo, Japan
S.O.N.G HQ, Trans Server Room
Daytime
"I just got word from Einstein, Kirika is now inside the Zi-O Liner's Trans Server Room. The transfer was a success." Aoi reported to Genjuro after getting a call with the scientist earlier.
"That's good. Now we don't have to rely on the helicopter or the jet too much to travel overseas. But we'll still use them if necessary." Genjuro replied while talking to Aoi using his Zikan Phone. "Anything happening at the mission site?"
"No, nothing at the moment. But me and Sakuya will keep watch in case something happens while our diggers resume their digging until they found the entrance to our old base. Also, Kohaku and Reiko just arrived at the site with the Trans Beacon in hand."
"Good. I'll give Kohaku-kun the signal on when to deploy the beacon so that Zeo-kun and his team will teleport to the beacon's location."
"Got it. I'll keep you posted." Aoi ended her call, making Genjuro put away his phone.
As of now, Genjuro, Prairie, Miku, Chris, Vent, Aile, Grey and Ashe (with the Mega Men wearing their work attire) are waiting inside the newly built Trans Server Room for Zeo and his team's arrival, with Elfnein operating the Trans Server controls. "So after all this time, we finally have our own teleporter." Chris commented with her arms crossed. "What the heck took them so long to make one?"
"Probably because S.O.N.G didn't have any blueprints of it." Miku replied.
"Either way, thank you for granting us permission to build the Trans Server, Prairie-kun." Genjuro said.
"It's my pleasure, Genjuro." Prairie smiled and nodded. "We are an alliance after all, so it's important that we support each other."
"You know, the Hunter's Guild Camp back in our world does have a Trans Server and a few Trans Beacons." Ashe mentioned.
"As for how they were able to build them, it was thanks to a coalition government called Legion that provided them the tools and blueprints." Grey added.
"Ah, so that's how." Genjuro noted.
"Everyone, I'm picking up a transfer reading! Zeo and his team should be arriving here in a few moments!" Elfnein informed after what she saw on her monitor.
"Alright, everyone step back!" Prairie ordered, prompting everyone to take a few steps away from the platform as it began to glow green. And soon after, Zeo, Gaius, Akira, Hibiki, Gunvolt, Joule, Copen, Lola, Kiana, Mei, Fu Hua, Himeko, Miriam and Sucrose appeared in a flash of green light before the Trans Server powered down.
"Whoa... this feels different compared to using the waypoints to teleport back in Teyvat." Sucrose remarked after feeling a bit of a side effect from the Trans Server.
"Same for me when I use a Waystone for my world." Miriam added.
"Welcome to S.O.N.G's very own Trans Server Room, Zeo-kun and friends." Prairie greeted.
"What's up, chief?" Zeo greeted back with a smile and a two-finger salute.
"Been a while, huh?" Gaius added with a nod.
"Hey, Master! Good to see you! Hi, Miku! Chris-chan!" Hibiki greeted with a wave.
"Hi, Hibiki! Welcome back!" Miku waved back.
"Zeo had to bring the idiot along for the mission." Chris thought with a sigh when she glanced at Hibiki. "But... considering she was with Tsubasa and the old man in the old Second Division Base, I guess that's reasonable... provided that she doesn't make us walk in circles."
"Heh, good to see you too, Hibiki-kun. Welcome back to Japan." Genjuro greeted back with a nod before turning to Akira. "And you must be Zeo-kun's sister, correct?"
"Mhm." Akira confirmed with a nod before greeting with a bow. "Akira Naotora, also known as Cure Starlight. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise." Genjuro nodded back before glancing at the team Zeo brought along. "Good to see a few familiar faces again, and even some new members."
"Yup." Himeko nodded. "I'm Major Himeko Murata. And these are Kiana Kaslana, Mei Raiden, Fu Hua, Miriam and Sucrose. I'll be their field commander for this mission."
"I see. A pleasure to meet you." Genjuro greeted back as he and Himeko shook hands together.
"You know, Genjuro, you look kind of handsome in person, in a manly way." Himeko remarked.
"Is that so?" Genjuro chuckled with his arms crossed. "Thanks for the compliment though, Himeko-kun."
"Just call me Himeko, without any attachments."
"Major Himeko, are you trying to flirt with him?" Fu Hua questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"...Maybe just a little bit." Himeko admitted.
"GV, Joule, Copen, Lola, good to see you four again." Vent greeted.
"How was London? Did you have fun sight-seeing?" Aile added.
"Sure did. We got to ride on a large ferris wheel called the London Eye." Gunvolt replied.
"That place is also great for honeymoons." Joule added before teasing at the twins. "Maybe it's perfect for the both of you, even though you're both siblings."
"Hey Joule, come on..." Vent retorted while looking away blushing and scratching his chin with his finger.
"But... it does sound tempting." Aile smiled while wrapping her arms around Vent's arm, causing him to blush even further.
"H-Hey, Aile! Cut it out!"
"Get a room, you two." Chris sighed in annoyance. "You two are just as bad as Hibiki and Miku."
"O-Oi, Chris-chan!" Hibiki retorted and blushed, while Miku simply giggled.
"Don't deny it, baka, cause you know it's true."
"Hehe, reminds me of the times you were always head over heels for me, Kiana." Mei giggled.
"Yeah, I guess that's true." Kiana admitted with a chuckle while rubbing the back of her head. "But at least I'm starting to learn how to control myself this time. Even though I still love you."
"Hehe, love you too, Kiana."
"Oh geez, not another love struck pair..." Chris groaned in annoyance with a facepalm.
"You know Chris, I could set you up on a date with a certain someone." Himeko teased, before glancing at Copen.
"...Don't even think about it, Major." Copen deadpanned.
"Not in a million years." Chris also deadpanned.
"Really? Cause I think the both of you work so well together during that fight with the Arrow Nemesis." Lola mentioned.
"That's because it's during a mission and not a date." Copen pointed out.
"Bummer. And I was hoping you both were a thing." Ashe teased with her hands on the back of her neck.
"Not helping, Ashe!" Chris retorted, making everyone laugh in amusement.
"Hm?" Grey then noticed the horns on Miriam's head. "Miriam, right? Are those horns real?"
"Yes, they are." Miriam answered before she and Sucrose went to Elfnein. "It's due to the result of an experiment by the Alchemist Guild back in my world, which is how I became a Shardbinder."
"Ah, I remember Genjuro-san telling me about you during the talk with Einstein and Theresa, Miriam-san." Elfnein recalled. "As for searching for a way to stop your crystalization curse, I'll see what I can do."
"Best of luck then, Elfnein, since me and Sucrose will be staying here instead of participating on the mission. And it's nice to meet a kind alchemist like you ever since Hibiki told me about you." Miriam smiled.
"O-Oh! Thank you, Miriam-san." Elfnein smiled while blushing before turning to Sucrose. "And you specialize in bio-alchemy, correct?"
"A-Ah, yes. I was willing to share you some of my notes if you'd like." Sucrose replied.
"Of course, Sucrose-san. You must be pretty skilled on the subject."
"Well... I was still learning." Sucrose admitted. "It was Master Albedo that taught me alchemy, and he's the Chief Alchemist for the Knights of Favonius."
"Albedo, a Chief Alchemist? And he's your teacher? Wow..." Elfnein responded with awe. "I wonder if I get to meet him someday?"
"If we can find a way to travel to the world of Teyvat, I'd gladly introduce you to him." Sucrose smiled.
"Yes, please! I'll look forward to meeting him!" Elfnein smiled back.
"Heh, good to see Elfnein-kun making new friends." Genjuro remarked with a smirk, with Prairie agreeing with a nod.
"Anyway, Miku, Chris-chan, I was hoping if you two could come with us for the investigation mission." Hibiki requested.
"Of course I'll go with you, Hibiki." Miku accepted. "But I never expected Gjallarhorn's secret location to be inside the old Second Division Base under the old Lydian Academy."
"Yeah, that threw me into a loop when I heard the discovery from the old man, even though I've never been to the Second Division Base yet." Chris remarked. "Fine... guess I'll go with you since I've been feeling bored lately. And I needed to take a break from tutoring Kirika."
"Thanks so much! You two are the best!" Hibiki cheered as she ran up to her two friends and hugged them.
"B-B-Baka! You don't have to hug me like that!" Chris retorted while blushing.
"Hehe, I thought you got used to it, Chris-chan." Miku giggled, while Chris groaned in annoyance.
"Good to see you having very good friends, Hibiki." Fu Hua smiled.
"...You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Chris glared at Ashe, who simply turned away smiling in amusement. "Don't turn away and ignore me, baka!"
"Ashe, you're clearly enjoying this..." Grey deadpanned.
"Maaaybe." Ashe answered.
"Ugh, good grief..." Vent sighed with Aile also sighing, while Hibiki pulled Miku and Chris' hand, moving them right next to Zeo, Gaius and Akira.
"Ahem! May I have everyone's attention for a moment?" Genjuro cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Zeo-kun. Kohaku-kun and Reiko-kun are at the the ruins of the old Lydian Academy with the Trans Beacon in hand and are ready to deploy the device for you and your team to teleport to."
"Ah, good to know, chief." Zeo noted. "Miriam and Sucrose will be staying here while the rest of us will go and find Gjallarhorn's secret room hidden within the Second Division Base."
"Understood." Genjuro nodded.
"Hmm... I wonder if there's still any useful stuff hidden in that old base?" Ashe pondered. "Broken or not, maybe Einstein and the other scientists can use it for materials. What do you think, Genjuro?"
"Hmm... not sure what's still available in there since the Noise destroyed much of the base." Genjuro replied. "But if you're able to find a few things that could be useful, you're free to take them."
"Great! Then I'm going with the investigation team." Ashe declared as she went next to Gunvolt and Copen. "Grey, I'll be borrowing Model A this time."
"Go ahead." Grey accepted, taking out the Biometal out of his pocket, allowing it to float away from his hand and onto Ashe's hand.
"Vent, I'd suggest you go with Ashe and see if she doesn't cause too much trouble." Prairie suggested.
"Got it." Vent nodded before turning to Aile. "I'll be needing Model X and Z for this mission."
"You sure? It's only just an investigation mission." Aile questioned. "But, I guess anything can happen during the investigation, so okay Vent. You can have them." She then took out the two Biometals from her pockets, allowing them to float away from her hands and onto Vent's hands. "Be careful in there, okay?"
"I promise." Vent nodded back before he went next to Ashe while they put away the Biometals.
"Okay. Is your investigation team ready?" Prairie asked the chosen heroes.
Zeo, Gaius and Akira took one last look at their current team, consisting of Hibiki, Chris, Miku, Gunvolt, Joule, Copen, Lola, Vent, Ashe, Kiana, Mei, Himeko and Fu Hua. Afterwards, they turned back to Genjuro and give him a nod of finality. "Yep, we're ready." Zeo confirmed.
"Take care of Miriam and Sucrose while we're gone, okay?" Gaius said to the young scientist.
"You have my word, Gaius-san." Elfnein replied with a nod.
"Prairie-kun, give them the signal." Genjuro ordered.
"Yes, sir." Prairie complied as she took out her Zikan Phone and began contacting Kohaku. "This is Prairie, deploy the Trans Beacon. We're sending over the investigation team to your location."
"Roger that, ma'am." Kohaku complied. And after a short while, she contacted back. "Alright, the beacon is deployed and active. The investigation team should be able to teleport to that location now."
"Understood." Prairie replied before ending the call and putting away the phone.
"Oh, one more thing before you go." Elfnein said as she walked towards Zeo and gave him a USB Drive. "You'll be needing Finé's USB Drive in order to access the secret room that contains Gjallarhorn."
"Ah, almost forgot about that. Thanks, Elfnein." Zeo replied as he put the USB Drive into his pocket while Elfnein walked back to the Trans Server controls.
"Alright Elfnein, we're Ret-2-Go!" Akira gave a thumbs-up to the young scientist before Genjuro, Prairie, Aile and Grey took a few steps away from the Trans Server.
"Watch yourselves and remember to stick together, everyone!" Aile told the investigation team with caution.
"And please be careful out there!" Grey added.
"Best of luck, out there!" Miriam also added.
"We will, it's a promise!" Gunvolt replied with a nod.
"Starting up the Trans Server now." Elfnein replied as she pushed a few buttons on the controls, setting the transfer location to the deployed beacon. Next, the Trans Server began to start up with the platform glowing once more. "Beginning transfer in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Transfer!" With a push of a button, the investigation team were immediately teleported away in a flash of green light before the machine powered down.
"Hopefully everything goes well with their investigation." Genjuro said.
"Mm. I hope so, too." Prairie agreed with a nod.
Old Lydian Academy Ruins
Meanwhile outside the Old Lydian Academy Ruins, Kohaku is waiting for the investigation team's arrival at the site while observing the digging process from some of the Guardian diggers with Reiko leading, hoping to locate an entrance to the old Second Division Base. She suddenly heard the sounds of the Trans Beacon she deployed earlier, prompting her to turn around, and saw Zeo, Gaius, Akira and their team arriving in a flash of green light.
"Ah, good. You're all here." Kohaku said to the arrivals.
"Kohaku, it's been a while." Copen greeted.
"Yes, it really has." Kohaku smiled back.
"So how are the kids doing?" Lola asked.
"Oh, they're being tutored by some of the Guardian specialists to improve on their skills." Kohaku replied, before noticing the newcomers. "Are those some of your new allies?"
"Yeah, some of them are with me." Akira replied back with a raised hand. "I'm Akira Naotora, Zeo's sister. And these are Kiana, Mei, Fu Hua and Himeko."
"Good to meet you, Kohaku." Himeko greeted before noticing the diggers at a distance. "So, how's the digging process so far?"
"My sister Reiko is leading a group of Guardian diggers to locate the entrance to the Second Division Base. It won't be long till they find it." Kohaku reported.
"Oh, good. And I thought some of us had to do some digging to look for the damn entrance ourselves." Chris sighed with relief.
"Not to worry, we're just giving you a head start on the investigation." Kohaku assured. "As for locating Gjallarhorn's secret room, that will be up to you."
"Ma'am!" A Guardian soldier ran up to the group to report, gaining their attention. "We've finished locating the entrance to the Second Division Base."
"Good work. Notify my sister that the investigation team is on their way." Kohaku replied.
"Yes, ma'am!" The soldier saluted before heading back to Reiko's location to report.
"Alright guys, that's your cue to enter the base. Be careful in there." Kohaku said to the group. "I'll wait over here to keep watch with the others."
"Understood." Himeko nodded before turning to the group. "Okay ladies and gents, let's move out!"
"We'll be back soon, Kohaku-san!" Hibiki waved as she and the rest of the investigation team head towards Reiko's location.
A few moments later, they met up with Reiko, who's with a group of diggers as they finished their work. "Ah, there you are. One of the troops told me about your arrival." Reiko greeted the arrivals.
"Yep. Thanks for keeping an eye with the place till we arrive, Reiko." Vent replied.
"You're welcome." Reiko replied back before everyone turned to the entrance, which turned out to be an elevator with large handrails, with a Guardian troop trying to repair it. "Though I never expected the entrance to be an elevator of all things."
"Oh I remember this secret elevator!" Miku recalled. "This secret elevator used to be located past the central wing of the academy where the teachers stayed at. That elevator led us to the Second Division Base, hidden deep underground."
"I see." Reiko noted. "Well, just give us a moment. A Guardian troop is repairing the elevator. Once it's ready, you're free to use it."
"Thanks, Rei-san." Hibiki replied before turning to the group. "Ah, there's one other thing I need to mention about the Second Division's secret elevator."
"And that is?" Kiana asked.
"The elevator moves at a very high speed, so... please hang on for dear life once your inside."
"...You didn't vomit during your first ride on that elevator, did you?"
"Ah, no! Not really!" Hibiki waved her hands in defence. "...But I felt my body shaking so much from the force of the elevator."
"It felt like one of those rides from a theme park, right?" Ashe asked.
"Yeah... but I'd rather have seat belts strapped in instead of holding onto the handrails." Hibiki admitted.
"Even so, Hibiki and I got used to it eventually." Miku said.
"Well... thank gacking god that I didn't get to ride on that elevator of death since I live in an apartment and not the Second Division Base." Chris remarked.
"Ah crap, I knew I shouldn't have drank too much before going on a really fast elevator." Himeko sighed.
"Didn't Auntie Theresa told to stop drinking alcohol already?" Kiana reminded with a deadpanned stare.
"Sorry, gonna take a while to get rid of that habit."
"And you're supposed to be a Major, Himeko. At least act like one." Fu Hua sighed with her two fingers and thumb on her forehead, while Mei chuckled nervously with a sweatdrop.
"Alright, elevator's working again!" The Guardian Troop reported as he put away his tools. "I'll handle the controls from here, so if you're all set, let me know."
"Good going, soldier." Gaius gave him a thumbs up. "What's your name?"
"It's Dorado, sir." The troop named Dorado introduced, before turning to a familiar face. "Oh hey, Vent. How's it going? Your twin not coming with this time?"
"I'm doing fine, thanks. Good to see you too." Vent replied. "And yeah, Aile's a bit busy with more delivery work for the Giro Express, hence why she's not coming. But at least Grey is with her to assist."
"You know that person?" Mei asked.
"Yup." Vent nodded. "When Aile and I were starting out as Mega Men back in our world, we first met Dorado at the city where he's in charge of a test to join the Guardians."
"The twins were tasked to find a few Guardian members in a game of hide-and-seek where they must use both their normal selves and their Mega Man powers to find them." Dorado explained.
"Huh, kind of an odd way to recruit new members for the Guardians." Himeko remarked with her hand on her hips.
"Well, the tests may vary depending on the person and their commitment to the cause." Dorado stated. "Anyway, you fellas ready to go?"
"Yep, we're all set." Zeo gave a thumbs up in confirmation before he and the rest of the investigation team entered the elevator, while Joule and Lola disappeared into their respective relic pendants worn by their partners.
"Good luck in there, everyone." Reiko said to the group.
"We will, Reiko. See you when we get back." Gunvolt nodded before the elevator doors closed.
"Okay, starting up the descent in 3... 2... 1..." After the count of one, Dorado pushed the button, activating the elevator as it descended at high speeds, which surprised him and Reiko.
"Huh, Hibiki wasn't kidding about the high speed elevator." Reiko blinked a few times.
"Yeah..." Dorado agreed. "Hope they brought along some barf bags."
"I KNEW I SHOULD'VE BROUGHT ALONG SOME BARF BAGS FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS!" Zeo screamed, with everyone else also screamed at how fast the elevator is descending. Though Ashe is somehow enjoying it since she can be a bit of a thrill-seeker.
As the elevator goes down a few levels, the group saw a few ancient tapestry on the outside of the elevator. And once the elevator stopped and reached its destination, the doors opened which revealed the main room of the old Second Division Base, but looking completely worn down with a few debris scattered around, and even the hallway is dark.
"So this is the old Second Division Base." Gunvolt said as he looked at his surroundings. "Man... the Noise did quite a number on this place."
"Yeah." Copen nodded before turning to rest of the group... who were still a bit shaken from the speed of the elevator (except Ashe and Vent who were still okay), making him and Gunvolt sweatdrop. "...Let's give them a few minutes for them to recover."
"Yeah... Don't worry about me and Ashe, though. We can handle it." Vent assured.
"I'm okay though. Good thing we chose to go back into the relics before we entered the elevator." Joule said.
"Yeah... I don't think I can handle a ride like that in my Idol Form." Lola agreed.
"Uh... you guys okay?" Ashe asked the stuttering ones consisting of Hibiki, Miku, Chris, Kiana, Zeo, Gaius and Akira.
"We're fine... mostly..." Akira replied as she, Zeo and Gaius were shaking a bit.
"Ehehe... I completely forgot... how fast... that elevator was..." Hibiki chuckled nervously while still feeling the aftereffects of the elevator.
"Y-Yeah... same here..." Miku agreed with a nod, while also feeling the same aftereffects.
"J-Just... gimme a minute..." Kiana said while shaking, with Mei supporting her.
"I'm fine on my end." Fu Hua assured while adjusting her glasses before glancing at Chris and Himeko. "Unfortunately for these two, however..."
"Oh crap... I think I'm gonna..." Chris said with her mouth covered, and feeling very close to vomiting, with Himeko feeling the same way.
"If you're gonna puke, don't do it in the elevator." Zeo advised as he pointed at a nearby corner of the main room. "Go do your business over there."
"Excuse me...!/Coming through...!" Himeko and Chris quickly ran towards the corner and let it all out, with everyone else looking away in disgust.
"Eeww... Yeah, I don't think they're gonna ride the roller coaster for a few weeks from now." Akira remarked before turning to her brother. "So Zeo, what next?"
"That secret room has got to be here somewhere." Zeo replied. "We'll have to search the base one room at a time."
"I believe so." Fu Hua agreed. "But may I suggest looking for the command center first? It might have some clues to where the secret room is located."
"Hmm... might be worth a shot." Zeo replied before turning to Chris and Himeko. "...You ladies done over there?"
"Yeah... we're okay. I'm definitely not drinking alcohol for a long while." Himeko replied back as she and Chris went back to the group.
"Good, because Auntie Theresa would throw a fit if she found out." Kiana said with her arms crossed.
"When I get back to S.O.N.G HQ, I'm gonna lodge a shitload of complaints to the old man at how insane that elevator is..." Chris muttered, making Hibiki and Miku sweatdrop.
"O-kay then." Gaius replied before turning to Zeo. "Lead the way, buddy."
"Got it. Though the base is kinda dark at the moment." Zeo replied back before turning to Gunvolt. "Care to turn on the lights, GV?"
"No problem." Gunvolt complied as he shot a small bolt of lighting onto the lights with his hand, lighting up the entire hallway. "Better?"
"Much better." Zeo smiled before he moved forward with the rest of the group right behind him.
As they kept walking, everyone glanced at the state of the old base which was scattered in debris. "Hey Hibiki, how did you know about this base? Did Genjuro told you about it?" Kiana asked.
"Well, it was during the time I first awakened my Symphogear. After the battle against the Noise with Tsubasa-san's help, she and Ogawa-san escorted me to Lydian Academy where I found out about the Second Division Base after taking the secret elevator." Hibiki explained.
"I didn't know about Hibiki's secret until much later when I saw her fight against Chris when she was an enemy." Miku added.
"Ah, I see." Kiana noted. "I guess keeping secret identities must be rough, huh?"
"Yeah, I really didn't like lying to my best friend to keep my life as an Attuned a secret, even though it's the only way to protect Miku from danger." Hibiki admitted.
"Ah, I get it. I can understand the pressure of keeping very important secrets to your close ones." Mei noted.
"Speaking of which Chris, the time Miku found out about Hibiki's secret, is it also the first time you fought Hibiki?" Copen asked.
"Actually, it's my third time fighting Hibiki." Chris replied. "During my first and second bout with her and Tsubasa, I used the Nehushtan Armour instead of Ichaival. It was during my third bout with Hibiki that I had to use Ichaival after she broke the Nehushtan Armour with her fist."
"Wow, you must've been pretty strong if you're able to beat Chris." Gunvolt commented to Hibiki.
"You can thank Master's training for that." Hibiki smiled.
"T-The baka just got lucky, that's all!" Chris huffed with her arms crossed.
"Heh, Genjuro must've been quite the sensei." Himeko chuckled.
"He still is! So strong that he moped the floor with me, Chris-chan, Tsubasa-san, Maria-san, Kirika-chan and Shirabe-chan during a sparring match while we're using our Symphogears. And he wasn't even using a Symphogear!" Hibiki proclaimed, surprising the group at how strong S.O.N.G's commander is.
"Trust us, you do not wanna piss him off." Chris confirmed, while cringing at the memory. "And he caught all of my friggin' missiles and threw them back at me!"
"Well... holy shit." Ashe remarked with disbelief.
"Huh, and I thought the training sessions at St. Freya Academy was intense." Fu Hua commented. "I know that Principal Theresa can fight with her weapon, but not on Commander Genjuro's level."
"And don't forget about Ogawa-san. He's also a ninja and can perform summoning jutsus." Miku said, surprising the group again.
"Tsubasa-san's manager is a ninja?!" Mei exclaimed.
"Mhm." Miku confirmed with a nod. "I also heard from Tsubasa-san that Ogawa-san taught her the Shadow Weaving technique, preventing an enemy from moving by striking its shadow with a bullet or a sharp object."
"Shadow Weaving, huh? Maybe I can ask him to teach me that technique if possible. It might be useful when I'm deployed for missions." Mei pondered.
"I don't see why not, Mei-san. So, go for it." Miku smiled.
"Hey, me and Grey wanna learn that technique too. We have an A-Trans form that allows us to become ninjas." Ashe said with a hand raised.
"There's still ninjas in the future?" Gunvolt questioned with a raised eyebrow, earning a confirmed nod from Ashe and Vent. "Huh, fancy that."
"Aile and I can do it too if we still have Biometal Model P, but it was stolen unfortunately." Vent said.
"Model P?" Hibiki asked.
"It contains the power of the Shadow Mega Man, using the skills of a ninja." Vent explained.
"Wow, that would've been useful in a long run." Kiana commented. "Tell you what, Vent. If we ever get a chance to go back to your world, we'll get that Biometal back for you and Aile."
"Thanks, Kiana." Vent smiled. "Though it's not just Model P that's been stolen. There's also Model F, that has the power of the Flame Mega Man; Model H, the power of the Wind Mega Man; and Model L, the power of the Ice Mega Man."
"Wow, that's quite the arsenal." Chris commented. "Do you know who stole them?"
"I do, and me and Grey fought them before." Ashe answered with a raised hand. "Their names are Aeolus, Atlas, Thetis and Siarnaq. They can use those stolen Biometals, so be careful when fighting them, especially if they team up against you or when you fight them in an environment that they can take advantage of. One example is when me and Grey fought Thetis using Model L in an underwater area, which gave Thetis a huge advantage."
"Noted." Copen responded. "But that didn't stop you and Grey from beating them, right?"
"Yep." Ashe grinned. "They didn't take into account of their elemental weaknesses, except for Siarnaq using Model P. That guy was very tricky to beat considering that me and Grey fought him in a dark room. Ugh... dealing with ninjas is never fun. No offence to Ogawa-san and Mei."
"None taken." Mei responded.
"Ah, I see the command center right at the door to the left!" Hibiki noticed the closed door leading to said room as they then stood right in front of it. "So anyone wanna try and open the door?"
"I'll do it." Zeo stepped forward and pressed the button to open the door, but it didn't open, even after pushing the button a few more times. "Figures... this base must've been abandoned for a long time that the electricity died."
"Should we go look for a generator room to turn on the power?" Miku suggested.
"That won't be necessary, Miku. GV, if you would?" Joule requested.
"One open door coming right up." Gunvolt complied as he placed his finger onto the button and surged it with a bit of electricity, forcing the door to open. "That'll do it."
"Good going, GV." Himeko praised. "Let's go inside." Soon after, everyone entered the command center, but what they saw inside was a bunch of broken monitors and computers with lots of debris.
"Oh... the command center..." Hibiki muttered sadly upon seeing the state of the room.
"Tch... so much for looking for clues." Chris frowned.
"Let's not judge too quickly. Maybe we might find something that can still be used under the debris. Let's split up and thoroughly search the room." Fu Hua advised the group, who then agreed with a nod as everyone split up and searched the command center for anything useful. After a few minutes of searching however, there's not a single useful clue or working computer to be found.
"Sorry, Fu Hua. Nothing on our end." Akira informed after everyone regrouped back at the entrance of the room.
"Nothing on our end either. Most of the computers and monitors are destroyed from the Noise attack." Miku added.
"So what now? We can't find any clues on the command center. Which room should we search for next?" Gunvolt asked.
Copen began to ponder with his hand on his chin, until he thought of a suggestion. "Maybe we should try searching the R&D Lab of this base. If I recall, Finé when she was Ryoko Sakurai, was also a scientist. Maybe she might have a hidden door somewhere in the lab where no one could notice."
"Hey, you're right!" Hibiki replied in realization. "Let's give that place a try!"
Everyone else nodded in agreement before they left the command center and continued to walk across the hallway. "You know Copen, there's something bugging me for a while." Chris said.
"And that is?" Copen asked.
"Why are you called the Luminous Avenger?"
"Oh, that. Well Gaius was the one who came up with the name. It meant an avenger who fights for humanity's hope and a guiding light towards a better future. Is that right, Gaius?"
"Yeah... though I have a confession to make." Gaius said.
"What confession?" Copen asked.
"The title 'Luminous Avenger', it came from a video game of all places. And you happen to be the main character of that game." Gaius revealed.
"Seriously?" Copen questioned.
"Yep." Gaius nodded. "But I'm not going to reveal the story of that game since its spoiler territory."
"I see. And don't worry, I understand what you're getting at about our world being a video game world... Sort of."
"Can you give us at least a little hint?" Lola persuaded.
"Nope, not a hint. But I'll reveal the story once I played that game when I get back to playing my Nintendo Switch." Gaius replied.
"Oh, I've heard of that video game console!" Kiana spoke up. "There's plenty of those back at the Zi-O Liner. It's both a home console and a portable console. Technology really has gone far, huh?"
"Yep, sure is." Zeo smiled.
"I've also played a bit of that console too, and it had a lot of great games!" Hibiki said. "But... Bronya-chan told me to never to try a game called Super Mario Party unless necessary. I wonder why though?"
"Because that game is basically a friendship killer, especially the Random Number Generator, or RNG for short." Akira replied and deadpanned. "You will rage-quit... a lot... with even more yelling."
"Gh?! N-Noted..." Hibiki's face went pale upon hearing about the causes of playing that game.
"Huh, no wonder I kept seeing a lot of spare controllers." Mei recalled.
"Wow, talk about prepared." Ashe commented and sweatdropped.
"Hey, is that the R&D Lab?" Himeko noticed the door to said room straight ahead.
"Looks like this is the place." Vent said as everyone stood in front of the door. "GV, the door please?"
"Got it." Gunvolt complied as he placed his finger on the button next to the door and surged it with some electricity, forcing the door to open up. "All done, let's go in."
Once everyone entered the R&D Lab, they saw a few machines and a closet inside the room. "Huh, pretty standard stuff for an R&D Lab." Kiana commented.
"Guess I'm not gonna find any useful loot after all." Ashe sighed in disappointment.
"The base was destroyed by the Noise, what do you expect?" Vent pointed out. "And besides, we're only here to find Gjallarhorn's secret location."
"I'm gonna go search the closet. Everyone else can search the room." Akira declared before everyone nodded in agreement and began their search around the room.
When Akira looked inside the closet, she saw a few scientist robes hanging. Next, she searched the closet drawers, until she found several panties in one of them. "Okay... did not expect Finé to have this much panties stored there." Akira thought, until she began to ponder about something. "Wait a sec... if I know my anime tropes, there's usually something hiding under that pile of panties..." She dug her hand inside the drawer full of panties, until she felt something unusual at the bottom of the drawer in a shape of a small hidden button, making her smirk. "Bingo." She pushed said button, closed the drawers and closet, and took a few steps back. The closet and the wall behind it moved to the right and revealed a secret passage, with the sounds of movement gaining attention of the others as they were surprised at what they saw. "Anyone ordered a secret passage?" Akira quipped as she gestured to said passage.
"Nice going, sis!" Zeo praised. "Was there some kind of secret button in that closet?"
"Mhm." Akira confirmed with a nod. "It was hidden in a drawer full of panties."
"...Oh. Glad you were the one that searched the closet. If I ever see a drawer full of panties, I'm staying the hell away from them."
"Good call. Gotta respect woman's privacy, after all." Himeko approved.
"Glad to know that you're not a pervert." Chris smirked.
"Oi." Zeo retorted, making most of the girls chuckle.
"Anyway, let's see what's beyond that secret passage." Mei said.
"I'll lead the way with the flashlight on." Gaius complied as he took out his Zikan Phone, turned on the Flashlight feature, and entered the passage with the others following right behind him.
"I never knew Finé had this secret passage before." Hibiki commented as they traversed through the passage. "I wonder how long was she using this passage?"
"Who knows?" Gunvolt replied.
"I guess Finé never mentioned having something like this hidden." Lola said.
A few moments later, they reached the end of the passage and saw a secret teleporter room which surprised the group.
"A teleporter? How did Finé get something like this hidden in this base?" Miku questioned.
"No idea." Zeo replied. "But if I were to guess, this teleporter will lead us to Gjallarhorn's secret location. Copen, can you get the teleporter working?"
Copen nodded before he went to the controls and was able to activate the teleporter, but there's a small problem. "Well I got the teleporter working, but I can't access the coordinates for Gjallarhorn's location without some kind of authorization." He informed.
"Authorization, huh?" Zeo repeated, until he remembered something important and pulled out Finé's USB Drive from his pocket. "Use this." He threw the USB Drive to Copen, who then caught it. "See if you can find a USB slot somewhere."
"Hmm..." Copen pondered as he glanced at the USB Drive before looking at the controls, until he found the USB slot. "Ah, there it is." He inserted the USB into the slot before typing at the controls again, until the teleport platform lit up in activation. "Alright, that did the trick. Teleportation to Gjallarhorn's secret location will commence in ten seconds."
"Remember to bring along the USB Drive, Boss! We might still need it for later!" Lola reminded.
"Noted." Copen complied before he took out the USB Drive, kept it in his pocket, and joined regrouped with the others standing on the teleport platform. "Teleportation will begin in 3... 2... 1..." And after the count of one, the group were teleported away from the room in a flash of light.
Gjallarhorn's Secret Location
Teleporter Room
In a flash of light, the group appeared in another teleporter room as they briefly looked at their surroundings. "Is this the place?" Hibiki asked.
Fu Hua went to the controls to see where they've been teleported. "This is it. Gjallarhorn's secret location." She confirmed.
"Oh good. I thought it will lead us to the wrong location." Zeo sighed with relief before looking at an open passage. "Anyway, let's get out of this room and find that secret room."
The others nodded in agreement before they went inside the passage with Zeo leading the group. And once they got out, they gasped in awe at what they saw at a distance, a large building with a pair of large metal doors with Gjallarhorn's symbol, hidden in a cavern. "That's a pretty big building to hide a dangerous relic." Gaius whistled.
"Makes me wonder how the Neo Time Jackers were able to find this building." Akira pondered.
"In any case, let's enter that building and search for any useful clues." Himeko stated.
"Wait." Fu Hua spoke to the group, earning their attention before they could take a step forward.
"Something up, Fu Hua?" Kiana asked.
In response, Fu Hua pointed to what's at the entrance, where the group saw that it's being guarded by unusual looking canines with white and red highlighted bodies. "Everyone hide." She instructed, prompting everyone to hide behind some large rocks to avoid being detected.
"Are those... guard dogs?" Miku questioned. "Since when did Finé hired some guard dogs to protect the building?"
"I don't think those dogs are supposed to belong there in the first place. That, and those are the strangest looking dogs I've ever seen." Gaius stated as he watched the dogs from a safe distance, until he saw something odd guarding the center area of the door, which made his eyes widen in shock. "Oh you've got to be gacking kidding me..."
"What's wrong?" Vent asked.
"Does that armour look familiar to you guys?" Gaius pointed at the odd one, prompting the group look at said odd one before their eyes widen in shock (except Kiana, Mei, Himeko and Fu Hua who were a bit confused) at what it is.
Said odd one is also a strange canine but with sharper claws, black skin, and black, grey and red accented lined armour, along with glowing red eyes and a red triangular shaped core on its chest. The armour is branded "POLICE" on the tail and lower front legs, "NEURON" on the back thighs and upper front legs, and "SV-03" on the lower back legs.
"What in the world is that?!" Kiana exclaimed quietly.
"That my friend, is a Nemesis. A Beast Nemesis." Gaius answered. "And it's leading these pack of canine chimeras."
"There's canine versions of those chimeras?!" Chris questioned.
"Well I did say that chimeras come in all shapes and sizes. Animals included." Gaius mentioned.
"So these must be the chimeras Zeo and Gaius mentioned." Himeko mused, recalling the Riders' explanations of the chimeras yesterday. "They look a lot different than the Honkai."
"Yeah, but the chimeras are more dangerous and are capable of infecting you with Red Matter, turning you into a chimera overtime." Zeo stated. "So be careful when facing them."
"I'm surprised that you, Gaius, Hibiki, Chris and Miku fought those chimeras before and defeated them." Akira said to Zeo, who answered with a nod.
"You know about those chimeras too, Akira?" Fu Hua asked.
"Yup." Akira nodded. "I'm from the same world as Zeo and Gaius, remember? And these things are from a video game world."
"Makes me wonder how tough they are?" Mei pondered.
"The grunts are not much trouble, but it's the elites that you need to watch out for." Chris stated. "Especially the Nemesis."
"Speaking of which, are you gonna capture that Beast Nemesis with the Legatus, just like how you captured the Arrow Nemesis?" Hibiki asked Gaius.
"Yep, we're planning to capture that Nemesis. But it won't be me this time." Gaius answered, which surprised the group.
"What? But you're the only one with the Legatus, remember?" Vent recalled.
"Zeo, show them." Gaius said with a smirk, prompting Zeo to materialize his own Legatus and X-Baton via Zikan Phone, attached the Legatus onto his wrist and holstered the X-Baton on the right side of his hip.
"You have a Legatus now?! When the heck did you get that?" Ashe asked in shock.
"You can thank me for that." Copen answered with a raised hand, which surprised the group. "I had some help with Dr. Fleuve, Elfnein, Lola, and even Jin to make that device thanks to the blueprints stored inside. We've even made the X-Baton as a bonus."
"And I really appreciate that, Copen. Thanks a lot." Zeo smiled. "This will help us greatly against those chimeras, Nemesis, and the Red Gates."
"No problem, Zeo." Copen smiled back. "We should be able to make more of the Legatus and the X-Batons if you'd like."
"Not just yet. We'll settle with two Legatus for now. As for more X-Batons, I'd say go for it." Gaius answered.
"Heh, now you're making me feel jealous at how many cool gear you guys are getting." Akira commented to the Riders.
"I can make one X-Baton for you if you'd like." Copen offered.
"Nah, I'll pass." Akira declined. "My Pretty Cure powers are enough."
"Hey, guys! More of those chimeras are appearing!" Kiana spoke up, earning everyone's attention before they glanced at the door where they saw more canine chimeras appearing for the left and right.
"Where are those mutts coming from?!" Chris muttered.
"Wait, if I remember during the chimera attack in Japan, there's usually a Red Gate or two that's spawning those chimeras." Vent recalled.
"I see. So you're saying that if we destroy those gates, it'll cut off their reinforcements, correct?" Himeko guessed, earning a nod from Vent, Zeo and Gaius.
"If that's the case, then where are those gates?" Ashe asked.
"Hmm..." Fu Hua pondered with her hand on her chin as she watched some more canine chimeras appearing from the left and right of the main door. "I think there might be two gates hidden somewhere, one on the right and one on the left." She stated.
"In other words, me and Zeo will have to split up and destroy those gates before going after the Beast Nemesis to capture it." Gaius deduced, earning a nod from Fu Hua.
"Though we're gonna need to distract those chimeras before me and Gaius go after the gates." Zeo added. "And we need to bring a few members along to cover us too."
"Well boys, who's going with who?" Himeko asked.
After a bit of pondering from the Riders, they've made their decision. "Chris, Copen, Ashe, Kiana, you're with me to deal with the Red Gate on the right." Gaius declared, earning a nod from the four.
"Miku, GV, Vent, Mei, you're gonna cover me while I close the gate on the left." Zeo declared, earning a nod from the four.
"Then that leaves me, Hibiki, Fu Hua and Himeko to be the distractions for the chimeras." Akira deduced. "Alright, we can work with this. And Hibiki, you're gonna be singing this time to get their attention."
"Leave it to me, Akira-san!" Hibiki nodded with determination.
"Ah, one more thing. Since we're in a cavern, no missiles or powerful quake attacks. We don't wanna risk a cave-in and none of us want to be buried alive." Gaius cautioned.
"And remember not to destroy the Beast Nemesis by accident. I'm planning to capture this one." Zeo added.
"We'll be sure to keep it alive." Fu Hua nodded. "But try not to take too long with the gates."
"Noted.
"Right then, everyone take your positions." Himeko ordered as she, Kiana, Mei, Gunvolt and Copen changed into their battlesuits via their Zikan Phones. Afterwards, the group split up into three teams and took their positions. "Akira, Hibiki, Fu Hua, let's begin the distraction."
"You got it." Akira complied as she took out her PreChange Mirror and PreCards while Hibiki took out her Relic Pendant. "Let's make some noise, Hibiki!" She declared as she ran towards the chimeras and inserted her cards into the PreChange Mirror to begin her transformation sequence.
"Right behind you, Akira-san!" Hibiki complied before she begins to sing her Relic Chant while going after Akira, with Fu Hua and Himeko following right behind with their weapons ready.
"Precure Kururin Mirror Change!"
"Balwisyall nescell Gungnir tron..."
(Play BGM: Genkai Toppa G-beat by Hibiki Tachibana)
In a few quick flashes of light, Hibiki donned her Symphogear while Akira became Cure Starlight. Once Hibiki began singing her song, it attracted the Beast Nemesis and its canine chimera pack. The chimeras lunged towards the two from the air and the ground, but they were destroyed by Hibiki's single-strike punches and kicks, and Starlight's energy sword slashes in a counterattack.
The Beast Nemesis growled at the two before performing an aerial spin attack with its tail that quickly transformed into a blade. It was about to collide onto Hibiki who's ready to block it with her gauntlets, only for the attack to be blocked by Himeko instead with her claymore. Himeko pushed the Nemesis back, sending it flying before landing safely with several steps away. "You okay, Hibiki?" Himeko asked.
"Thanks for the save, Himeko-san!" Hibiki replied before they saw more chimeras performing an aerial lunge towards them, only to be destroyed by several ki-blasts from Fu Hua. "Fu Hua-san... did you just launch ki-blasts from your hands?!" She exclaimed upon seeing Fu Hua performing such a feat.
"Let's just say that I'm pretty skilled at mastering my ki techniques." Fu Hua replied. "Tell you what, if we have some free time, I'll train you to weaponize your ki properly."
"I'd really like that!" Hibiki smiled. "Though I already did learn how to shoot projectiles with my fists and my legs, but only when I'm wearing my Symphogear."
"Is that so?" Fu Hua raised an eyebrow.
"Hey girls? Focus on the mission at hand?!" Himeko reminded them, while taking out a group of chimeras with a single horizontal claymore swing.
"Ah, sorry, Himeko-san! Force of habit!" Hibiki apologized, before evading a lunge from a chimera and smashed it with a strong right hook counter.
"Heads up! More of them are coming!" Starlight shouted to them before they saw more chimeras showing up and surrounded them, all growling and ready to strike. "That's... a lot of chimeras."
"I think this might be the perfect time for Zeo and Gaius' teams to go after the Red Gates." Himeko stated.
"But what about the Beast Nemesis?" Hibiki asked.
"...I'll deal with it personally. Everyone else can go after the chimeras." Starlight declared as she summoned another energy sword and fused them into a double blade. "And I'll make sure it stays alive until my brother can capture it."
"Alright, Starlight. And remember to watch your back." Fu Hua nodded as she, Himeko and Hibiki began their combat stances and focused at the surrounding chimeras.
"Consider it done." Starlight nodded back before turning to the Nemesis, extended her wings and flew towards it as it began to perform another aerial spin dash, only for Starlight to dodge the attack and countered with a double slash, pushing the Nemesis back.
Himeko took out a group of chimeras with several swings of her claymore, following up with an overhead strike which crushed one chimera. Fu Hua and Hibiki were standing back to back, waiting for the chimeras to lunge towards them. And once they do, Fu Hua and Hibiki immediately countered with multiple punches and kicks onto their weak points, which is enough to destroy them. And then they followed up by destroying another group of chimeras with Fu Hua's multiple ki-blasts and Hibiki unleashing several flying shockwaves with a few spin-kicks in the air.
Meanwhile at the west Red Gate, Zeo (already transformed into Kamen Rider Zi-O), Miku (already changed into her Symphogear), Vent (who's already transformed into Mega Man ZX), Mei and Gunvolt are watching the canine chimeras spawn out of the gate to go after Starlight's team, with only a few of the chimera staying behind to guard the gate. Eventually, they saw the gate stopped spawning the chimeras for a short while.
"Okay, time to get to work. GV, bind and shock them." Zi-O ordered.
"They won't see us coming." Gunvolt smirked as he energized his hand. "Voltaic Chains!" With a single swipe of his energized hand, several chains bound the unsuspecting chimeras from below, unable to break free as they were then electrocuted by said chains.
"Mei, Vent, let's end it in one shot!" Zi-O shouted as he slotted the W Ridewatch onto the Zikan Gilade Ken Mode and leaped into the air.
"Okay!" Vent and Mei complied as they jumped after Zi-O.
=FINISH TIME! W!=
=GIRI GIRI SLASH!=
In one fell swoop, the bound chimeras were immediately destroyed by Zi-O, Mei and Vent's combination slash-waves as they land a few steps away from the Red Gate. Two extra chimeras were about to lunge towards the three sword-users from behind, only for them to be obliterated by a laser beam from Miku and her Armed Gear, and a lightning blast from Gunvolt.
"Thanks for the save, you guys." Mei complimented.
"You're welcome, Mei-san." Miku smiled back with Gunvolt nodding as everyone regrouped and stared at the gate.
"Okay Zi-O, now would be the time to destroy that gate." Gunvolt said.
"Way ahead of you!" Zi-O complied as he summoned the Sword Legion with the Legatus and ordered it to chain bind the gate. And with a single pull of the astral chain from Zi-O and the Legion, the gate is destroyed. "That takes care of the reinforcements. Now let's give my sister and her team a hand!" He declared as he dispersed his Legion back into the Legatus before running towards Starlight's team, with the rest of his team following behind.
Meanwhile at the east Red Gate, Gaius (already transformed into Kamen Rider Geiz), Chris (already changed into her Symphogear), Ashe (already transformed into Mega Man Model A), Copen and Kiana saw at a distance a few chimeras guarding the gate while some more chimeras spawned out of the gate and ran towards Starlight and her team's location. Soon after, the gate stopped spawning the chimeras, signalling Geiz and his team to strike.
"Hope they're ready for a bulletstorm." Geiz smirked as he slotted the Drive Ridewatch onto the Zikan Zax Yumi Mode.
=FINISH TIME! DRIVE!=
"But you're using a bow and arrow, not a gun." Chris deadpanned.
"Yeah? So?"
"...Never mind." Chris sighed as she summoned her double tri-barreled gattling guns.
"Boy are they in for a rude awakening." Ashe grinned.
"Remember not to let a single guarding chimera live." Copen reminded.
"Got it, Copen!" Kiana complied.
With everyone's weapons ready, they jumped into the air and aimed at the unsuspecting chimeras.
=GIWA GIWA SHOOT!=
Soon after, the chimeras were completely obliterated by a storm of bullets, lasers and energy arrows from Geiz and his team as they landed a few steps away from the Red Gate while Geiz quickly equipped his Legatus onto his wrist. In one quick move, Geiz summoned the Axe Legion and ordered a chain bind onto the gate. And with one final pull of the astral chain from Geiz and the Legion, the gate was destroyed.
"Alright, that takes care of the reinforcements. Zi-O's team should be done with their task right about now." Geiz stated while dispersing his Legion back into the Legatus.
"Now let's go help Starlight and the others!" Kiana declared as they quickly head for Starlight and her team's location.
Back to Starlight and her group, they're still busy distracting the chimeras and the Beast Nemesis, until Himeko noticed that less chimeras are appearing. "Looks like the other teams have done their job. The chimeras are starting to decrease in number." She informed, before taking out one group of chimeras with a double swing of her claymore.
"Good to know, Major!" Fu Hua replied as she took out several chimeras with multiple palm strikes followed by an axe kick on the last one. "Guess it won't be long till the other teams arrive to surround the remaining ones we're facing right now."
"In other words... a pincer attack... of course!" Hibiki realized, before barely dodging a lunge from a chimera, and destroyed it with a whip from her scarf as it briefly glowed yellow.
"Looks like it'll be over soon, so we need to hold out for just a bit longer before they arrive!" Starlight stated while blocking a bite from the Beast Nemesis before pushing it back a few metres. The Nemesis then jumped into the air and fired multiple red projectiles towards Starlight from its mouth. She quickly blocked and deflected the projectiles with her double blade, vertically slashing the last one in half. The Nemesis then followed up with another aerial spin attack, only for Starlight to block the attack and pushed it into the air, leaving it vulnerable. She quickly turned her double blade into a bow and fired several energy arrows onto the Nemesis, following up with a charged arrow shot that sent it smashing into the entrance door before falling to the ground.
Starlight was about to pursue the recovering Nemesis, only for her to be surrounded by more chimeras. "Tch! You guys are really not making this easy for me, huh?" Starlight muttered as she changed her bow into a double blade again and was prepared to fend off the chimeras. But before any moves were made, the surrounding chimeras were immediately destroyed by Geiz's energy arrows from the right and Zi-O's gun blasts from the left.
"Phew, glad we made it in time." Geiz sighed with relief as he and Zi-O regrouped with Starlight.
"Thanks for keeping the Nemesis alive, sis." Zi-O added.
"And thanks for dealing with the Red Gates, you guys." Starlight replied back. "Wait, where are the others?"
"Give them a few seconds to arrive and save your team." Zi-O replied, with Geiz nodding.
In response, the chimeras that are attacking Hibiki, Fu Hua and Himeko were immediately eliminated by the rest of Zi-O and Geiz's teams; with Chris, Miku, Gunvolt and Copen saving Hibiki; and Kiana, Mei, Vent and Ashe saving Fu Hua and Himeko.
"Sorry we kept you waiting, Hibiki!" Miku said as everyone regrouped. "Are you okay?"
"Miku! Chris-chan! GV! Copen!" Hibiki smiled at her saviours. "It's alright though, we're still standing!"
"Of course you're alright, baka. There's no way those chimeras will stop you and the others." Chris stated.
"You're not actually worried for her safety, are you Chris?" Gunvolt smirked with his arms crossed.
"G-Gh?! O-Of course I'm worried for her!" Chris stuttered with a small blush. "B-But only for a little bit considering how strong she is!"
"A little bit, huh?" Joule teased.
"N-Nobody asked you, Joule!"
"Oh Chris~ Your tsundere side is showing~" Lola also teased.
"S-Shut up, Lola!"
"Oh boy..." Copen facepalmed and shook his head. "If we're done talking, then it's time to end this battle. Come on!" He declared as he rushed towards the Nemesis' location, with the others quickly following behind.
"Himeko, Fu Hua, are you alright?" Kiana asked as they regrouped.
"We're fine, thanks." Himeko replied. "So I take it that the Red Gates have been destroyed?"
"Yes, the gate has been taken care of on my side." Mei confirmed.
"The gate on my side has been destroyed too." Kiana added.
"Good." Fu Hua nodded. "All that's left now is the capture of the Beast Nemesis."
"Won't be long till we have a Beast Legion on our side." Vent said.
"Beast Legion?" Ashe raised an eyebrow.
"Well that's what happens when a Nemesis is captured, turning it back into a Legion. Like when Geiz captured the Arrow Nemesis, turning it back into the Arrow Legion." Vent explained.
"Oh yeah, now I remember." Ashe realized. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's wrap this up!" She declared as she rushed towards the Nemesis' location.
"A-At least wait for us, Ashe!" Kiana shouted as she and the others ran after Ashe.
(BGM End)
"See?" Zi-O smirked as they saw the rest of their teams heading towards him, Geiz and Starlight.
"Alright, Zi-O. He's all yours." Geiz said, earning a nod from Zi-O before walking towards the Beast Nemesis.
"Now then, be a good boy and get captured by the Legatus. I promise that I'll treat you well." Zi-O told the Nemesis with the Legatus ready.
The Nemesis growled once more as it stood up, until it chose to jump over everyone and ran towards... the passage to the teleporter?!
"Wait a sec, its heading for the passage where we first came in! That's also where the teleporter is!" Starlight gasped, with everyone else's eyes widening in realization.
"If that chimera reaches the teleporter, it might destroy it, leaving us trapped here with no hope of escape!" Gunvolt stated.
"I'll go cut off its route!" Copen said as he prepared his boosters on his back and legs.
"Don't worry, Copen! I've got this!" Geiz responded as he quickly ran after the Nemesis. He took out the Drive Ridewatch once more, turned the dial and pushed the button.
=DRIVE!=
He quickly inserted the Ridewatch onto the belt, slammed the tilt button and gave it a 360 turn.
=ARMOR TIME!=
A large tyre appeared behind Geiz as it poured out red and white-striped armor car parts with a pair of large wheels and fused onto Geiz with the katakana for Drive slamming onto his visor. He also has a car on his wrist (with the other wrist being his Legatus that's still equipped), a pair of large tyres as his shoulder pads that has the words 'TYPE SPEED' in white text, and a small spoiler on his helmet along with a silver 'R' logo on the front.
=DRIVE! DRIVE!=
With the DriveArmor equipped, Geiz quickly rushed past the Nemesis with incredible speed, turned around while summoning the Arrow Legion and ordered it to fire an explosive arrow rain from above onto the Nemesis. The Nemesis tried to dodge the explosive arrows, until it was hit by Geiz with several charged shots of his X-Baton Blaster Mode, along with being hit by the rest of the Legion's arrows, sending it flying before crashing several metres away from Geiz and the Legion as they guard the passage to the teleporter.
"Phew, nice save, Geiz!" Zi-O sighed with relief at his friend's quick thinking, with everyone else in awe at Geiz's new armor.
"So this must be Kamen Rider Drive's power?" Vent guessed, earning a confirmed nod from Zi-O and Starlight. "I see. Well that's a pretty sleek looking armor if I ever saw one."
"But... why does he have car parts attached to his armor?" Chris questioned.
"That's because Kamen Rider Drive uses special Shift Cars as his power, including his signature mode of transportation, Tridoron, which is one pretty sweet looking car." Zi-O answered, before walking forward. "Speaking of which..." He took out his W Ridewatch once more, turned the dial and pushed the button.
=W!=
"I might as well join in on the beatdown before I capture that Nemesis." He declared as he inserted the Ridewatch onto the belt, slammed the tilt button, and gave it a 360 turn while beginning to run towards the Nemesis.
=ARMOR TIME!=
A pair of humanoid machines appeared beside Zi-O (one that's green colored and the other one being black colored) and fused onto Zi-O with the katakana for Double slamming onto his visor. His shoulder pads are the shape of USB Drives, with one side of his armor being green with yellow highlights with the letter C on the shoulder pad, and the other being black with purple highlights with the letter J on the shoulder pad.
=CYCLONE! JOKER! W!=
With the Double Armor equipped, he prepared his X-Baton in Baton Mode on his right hand as it generated a gust of green wind around it, and unleashed a green cyclone towards the recovering Nemesis with a swing of the baton, suspending the Nemesis into the air and leaving it vulnerable. Zi-O then moved the baton to his left hand as it generated a purple glow around it, and delivered a triple strike onto the vulnerable Nemesis when he got close, following up with one more hard swing that sent it flying before falling to the ground. The others were in awe at Zi-O's new armor and its powers.
"So I'm guessing that's Kamen Rider W's power?" Himeko guessed.
"Yup." Starlight nodded. "The power of a two-in-one Kamen Rider."
"A two-in-one... Kamen Rider?" Mei repeated.
"Basically a Rider with two abilities equipped simultaneously, using the power of Gaia Memories." Starlight explained. "The green part of his armor uses the power of the wind element, hence the name Cyclone Memory. And the black and purple part of the armor increases a human's physical ability, hence the name Joker Memory."
"I see. That explains why the Ziku Driver said Cyclone Joker." Gunvolt noted.
"And that also explains the USB Drives on his shoulder pads. Those are actually Gaia Memories, correct?" Fu Hua added, earning a confirmed nod from Starlight.
"Once again, the powers these Kamen Riders possess are quite interesting." Copen mused.
"Not to mention awesome as heck if you can get past the weird motifs!" Lola added.
"I know! They look so cool!" Hibiki cheerfully agreed.
Everyone then noticed that the Beast Nemesis is still standing despite the attacks from the Riders. However, its starting to feel exhausted and running out of stamina. "Wow, that is one tough chimera. It's still not giving up." Kiana remarked, while Chris began to feel sorry for it, remembering her fight with the Arrow Nemesis when it was nearly defeated. That chimera also never gave up and wanted to keep on fighting till it dies, considering that the chimeras used to be human.
"Zi-O, I'm gonna perform a Finish Time on the Nemesis! Once I'm done, launch the capture ring to catch that Nemesis!" Geiz shouted while he dispersed his Legion back into the Legatus.
"Got it!" Zi-O nodded before he set the Legatus to MODE-C. "Ready when you are!"
Geiz nodded back as he pushed the Ridewatches on the belt, slammed the tilt button and gave the belt a 360 spin.
=FINISH TIME! DRIVE!=
Afterwards, he began to circle around Zi-O and the Nemesis in high speeds, making it difficult for the chimera to react. In response, the Nemesis began to lunge towards Zi-O, only for it to be intercepted by Geiz as he quickly punched the chimera several times at multiple angles.
=HISSATSU TIME BURST!=
Geiz then delivered one final uppercut that sent the Nemesis flying into the air, while Zi-O immediately used the Legatus to launch the capture ring onto the Nemesis, latching it onto its neck before it fell into the ground. The Nemesis struggled to break off the capture ring, until the ring latched fully onto its neck, changing the chimera back into its normal colors being blue skin, eyes and core, and grey, and white armor.
"Phew... chimera capture complete." Zi-O sighed with relief as he pulled the newly captured chimera to his side. "The Beast Legion has been obtained."
Geiz gave a nod to Zi-O as they changed back into their Base Forms and regrouped with the others, with the Beast Legion following right next to Zi-O. "Thank goodness you captured it. I don't want to see it suffer just like the Arrow Nemesis." Chris said as everyone holstered their weapons.
"Don't worry, Chris. We know how you feel considering these chimeras used to be human." Zi-O replied.
"It's no wonder you and Geiz chose to capture the Nemesis chimeras. They still have a bit of humanity inside them." Fu Hua mused. "I wonder what makes them go berserk?"
"Probably too much exposure to Red Matter." Geiz answered.
"Hey, you don't mind if I pet the Beast Legion?" Hibiki asked. "I mean, it does look like a dog."
"Sure, I don't see why not." Zi-O approved with a shrug, allowing Hibiki to went close with the Legion.
"Hi there, Beast Legion. I'm Hibiki Tachibana, nice to meet you!" She greeted, offering a handshake. The Legion stared at Hibiki's hand, before lifting its paw and shook her hand, making her smile as she begins to headpat the Legion. "Hehe! That's a good boy! Hey Miku, try to shake the Legion's hand too!"
"Umm... it's not going to bite me, right?" Miku questioned.
"Relax, it's perfectly harmless unless you made it angry. Go on." Zi-O assured, earning a nod from Miku before she slowly got close to the Legion.
"Um... hi there. I'm Miku Kohinata, let's be friends, okay?" She greeted, offering a handshake to the Legion. In response, it chose to lick Miku's face, surprising her and laughing a bit. "Hey! Hahaha! That tickles!" She giggled as she headpats the Legion.
"You wanna pet the Legion too, Kiana?" Mei asked.
"Uh... I think I'll pass. Not planning on getting dog drool on my face." Kiana declined. The Legion however, heard what Kiana said and immediately lunged her to the ground and licked her face. "Okay, okay, cut it out! Hahaha, that tickles!"
"You told the the Legion to do that on purpose, didn't you?" Starlight asked Zi-O with a smirk and crossed arms.
"Nah, must've been his dog instincts kicking in." Zi-O replied. "Okay Legion, that's enough." He gently pulled the astral chain, making the Legion stop licking Kiana and walked back to his side while Kiana stood up with Mei's help and wiped the Legion's drool off her face.
"Now, if you're done playing around, can we please get inside the building so we can find clues of what happened to Gjallarhorn before it was shattered and scattered?" Chris reminded in annoyance.
"Chris is right. We've got an investigation to finish." Himeko agreed before turning to Zi-O. "You'd better return the Legion back into the Legatus for now."
"Actually..." Fu Hua interjected. "I think you should keep the Beast Legion active for a while longer. He might be useful when it comes to investigations."
"Why is that?" Mei asked.
"Ah, I think I know what Fu Hua meant." Geiz realized. "The Beast Legion is based on the K-9 dogs used by the police. They're pretty good at searching for missing persons and items, even going so far as to dig for certain items hidden on the ground."
"Exactly." Fu Hua confirmed with a nod.
"Good thinking there, Fu Hua. Alright, I'll keep the Beast Legion active until we found something in that building." Zi-O replied.
"Speaking of the police..." Mei spoke up as she glanced at the 'POLICE' and 'NEURON' markings on the Legion's armor. "Why does the armor have the words 'POLICE' and 'NEURON' on it? And what's NEURON?"
"Hey, now that you mention it, those same words are also branded on the Sword, Arrow and Axe Legions." Ashe recalled.
"Ah right, forgot to mention that little info." Geiz realized. "First off, you guys already know that the Legion are from another world, correct?"
"Obviously. No way in hell the police in our world could make these Legions." Chris replied.
"Same goes for our world too." Mei added.
"And the same goes for our world." Vent added.
"Good to know." Geiz nodded. "However, not all police officers get to use the Legatus and the Legions. A special police task force called Neuron can use those. Only those that have the right aptitude and a strong willpower can join Neuron."
"Ah, I see." Vent noted.
"Alright, enough history lessons. Time to get moving." Zi-O declared as they head for the building entrance where they found a small console used to open the door, and noticed a small USB Port. "Hm, time to use that USB Drive again. Copen?"
"Way ahead of you." Copen complied as he pulled out Finé's USB Drive again and slot it into the port. Afterwards, he typed a few buttons onto the console until...
=Access Granted=
Copen pulled the USB Drive out and placed it back into his pocket before he and the others took a few steps back as they watched the doors slowly opening.
"Why do I feel nervous all of a sudden?" Joule commented.
"Probably because of what we're gonna find inside this building. Though I kinda feel the same way as you do, Joule." Lola replied.
"You girls are not the only ones feeling nervous." Starlight added as she glanced at the others feeling the same way.
"Either way, we're finally going to find out what happened to Gjallarhorn before it's broken apart and scattered. And there's only one way forward." Kiana began.
"Yeah, straight ahead." Hibiki finished with a nod as everyone began to enter the building before the doors closed behind them.
Chapter 7: Investigation
END
New members joining the team:
Astral Chain series
Beast Legion
Author's Note: As much as I want to continue writing about the part where they investigate what's inside Gjallarhorn's secret building, I'll save that for the next chapter. Oh, and to answer a review from KittyKat5090 about Lola gaining her LaiX's Idol Form at the end of Book 1, I decided to make it as what happens when a fully restored Joule gave some of her Septima powers to Lola, which gave her the LaiX's Idol Form. Also, Zeo and Gaius never knew about Gunvolt's alternate timeline yet until they played the Luminous Avenger game since it was released on September 2019, and they've started their journey on August 2019. Hopefully that'll clear things up, at least. Well that's it for me, so stay safe and see you next chapter!