Hey, everyone!
Welcome to chapter 2 of My Hero Academia Illegals: Vigilante Dark Drive.
Hope you guys enjoy it!
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
*Sounds*
[Belt-san/Kamen Rider System]
"Super Moves!"
Sometime later after the fight against the Roidmudes…
Yuuki could be seen waiting at one lone spot of the park as he watched some officers and forensic team members checking the area he fought, as Kamen Rider Dark Drive agaisnt the Roidmudes, for clues of what exactly happened there.
Word of it got out once the ambulance arrived on the local.
He was leaning against the side of his car, which was now disguised back into its red color, as the detective next observed the injured Pro Heroes Vlad King, Air Jet, Mr. Brave and Fourth Kind being carried into an ambulance before they were sent to the nearest hospital specialized in treating wounded Heroes.
*Beep!* *Beep!*
The silver-eyed ravenette turned to the side to see a Shift Car stealthily approaching him while nobody else was looking.
Said minicar looks like a black garbage truck with additional green linings and wheels. It also had light blue/cyan tech detail across its frame.
"Good job, Builder." The Rider compliments the green and black minicar as he held Builder in the palm of his hand. "I take it that you managed to delete all footage from the park's cameras containing my fight against the Roimudes?"
As if to confirm the man's question, the futuristic-looking Shift Car merely honks in confirmation as Yuuki looks pleased upon hearing that.
Based on a garbage truck, Shift Next Builder has the ability to analyze and manipulate technology of any kind, making it easy for Kamen Rider Dark Drive to hack into any sort of electronic device and machinery.
That is when the police detective hears a set of footsteps approaching him.
"Tomari-san..."
Right, there was another matter he still needed to address with a certain rookie detective.
The ravenette looks up to now see Yuriko before him, as if ready to confront him with several questions hanging on her mind.
Letting go of Next Builder, the older cop faces his partner with a neutral look before crossing his arms.
"How much of the fight you witnessed?" Yuuki asks her first.
"From the moment you transformed into Dark Drive until the very end." She calmly answers in return.
The silver-eyed man adopts a grim look upon hearing that.
Yeah, there was no mistake about it. After all, he did hear Yuriko call him earlier by his surname.
"And what do you plan to do now? Why haven't you tried telling the others yet about me?" Yuuki question Yuriko.
Next Builder erased all physical evidence of his fight that the cameras across the park caught.
But if somebody took Yuriko's words into consideration…
Now what? What he should tell her? Convince her to stay silent?
She just met him earlier today. It's not like they were already friends or anything of the sort.
There was a small sort of kinship between them now, because of their shared status as Quirkless, but that's it.
She might not understand yet about the bigger picture and the threat the Roidmudes pose to humanity as a whole.
Yuuki also wondered why she semmed to be so calm about this whole ordeal now. Normal people would be still freaking out about this sort of stuff, right?
"I… I actually learned about the Roidmudes, Tomari-san." Yuriko confesses to her senpai, causing him to look back at her with wide eyes.
Wait, what?
"How? Who told you?" The man demands, frowning at the female detective.
In response, Yuriko pulls out something from her skirt's pocket and shows it to him.
*Beep!* *Beep!*
It was another Shift Car, one themed after a futuristic police car. It was similar to Next Builder in a way, being mainly black with light blue/cyan tech details across it. But instead of the green color, the police minicar has extra red color and wheels.
This is the Shift Next Hunter.
"Next Hunter?" Yuuki recognizes the minicar, wondering how it ended in Yuriko's possession in the first place.
"He is the one that guided me to the fight. It's thanks to him that I got here before the Pro Heroes." The female detective explains.
'Ah, wait. So that's how she was also able to move during the Slowdown back then. Hunter helped her.' The veteran cop deduces as the police-themed Shift Car makes a happy beep, earning a smile from Yuriko as she seemed to be gently 'patting' the minicar with her hand.
"..." Yuuki almost finds this sight cute before his mind focuses back on the more pressing matters.
'But why Next Hunter aided her in the first place?' He wonders, adopting a thoughtful stance.
As she focuses her attention back on her senpai, Yuriko answers the question plaguing his mind with a determined expression:
"Krim approached me." She explains. "He told me about everything."
What? Belt-san did what!?
[Indeed, that is the case.]
A familiar voice calls from inside the red Mercedes car.
Its driver's window lowers as Yuuki and Yuriko peer inside of the vehicle to look at the Drive Driver resting inside of it.
"Belt-san… Krim… What's the meaning of this?" Yuuki demands from the sentient belt with a look of disbelief on his face.
[You know how I've told you recently about recruiting more companions for our cause? Yuriko is one of them.] Belt-san calmly reveals as he now sports a happy emoji on the Driver's black display.
Yuriko nods in agreement with him.
But Yuuki didn't seem happy to go along with it.
"Why haven't you told me about this? About her?" The veteran detective demands from his mentor, now sporting a look of hurt. Another question then comes up. "Wait… Did you also had something to do with her being assigned as my new partner?"
The Drive Driver releases a sigh at this.
[Yuuki, we already talked about this. It is something that you really need. You have to consider widening your circle of trust, my boy. Nobody wins all by themselves. Not even the Pro Heroes like All Might and Endeavor. And especially not even just the two of us. Not even you. There is so much one can do alone. Learning to trust and rely on others is not a bad thing.]
A stupid, childish instinct to snap at Belt-san crossed Yuuki's mind for a minute with equally stupid questions about what Yuriko knew already and for how long. And the older ravenette ignored it almost as quickly as it came.
He was an adult now. A mature person. And ranting would take him nowhere.
He quickly understands that now...
At this, the veteran police officer suddenly remembers what Tsukauchi and Tanuma told him earlier as he turned to face Yuriko with a contemplative face.
'Perhaps they are right in the end… I guess I really should learn how to become an actual team player.' He reflects, briefly closing his eyes.
But Yuuki knew it wouldn't be that easy.
Being born Quirkless was something he would (almost) not wish to anybody else in this superpower saturated society. He hated when people looked down on him or pitied him because of his special 'condition'. Almost everybody was thinking about how inferior he is comparison to the rest of them.
And part of the male cop always felt jealous towards everybody else for having their Quirks, making him feel the odd one out was horrible.
This would lead Yuuki to sometimes become mostly distrustful, cynical, and spiteful towards the entire world. He could not trust anyone as easily as he did with Krim.
Being reminded by the rest of society of his Quirkless status has left the Kamen Rider in an almost permanent state of anger and hostility, although he masks them behind a calm and level-headed personality.
This mentality bites him back as Belt-san notices how Yuuki unknowingly pushes away genuine people with goodwill that only wanted to help him sometimes.
Aside from Krim, he could not find anyone else that could relate to his situation.
That is until he finally got to meet Yuriko…
"Alright, fine." Yuuki finally concedes. "Now what?"
[We can talk more about this later.] Belt-san suggests. [For now, I want you two to head to the Drive Pit.]
"Very well." The older detective complies while his kouhai nods in understanding.
The pair gets inside of the disguised NEXTridoron and prepares to leave the park once the investigation on the perimeter there is concluded.
On the way towards their destination, Yuriko decides to try breaking the ice between them.
"I understand you might be still doubtful about me, Tomari-san. But I promise you, I will show you how reliable I can be if you give me a chance." She tells Yuuki firmly, but it didn't seem to be enough to appease him.
"Save it, Shijima. I trust Belt-san's judgment. If he believes in you then I will try to at least do the very same." He replies neutrally. "But let's make some things clear: I didn't ask for this and I honestly don't want you into this mess either. The Roidmudes can be way worse than some of the Villains the police and Pro Heroes have to deal with."
While most people would be offended, upset or angry with Yuuki's sharp words, Yuriko could understand the real meaning behind his message: He didn't want her to recklessly lose her life in this battle. At least not against the Roidmudes.
[...] Krim silently observes the duo's interaction with a neutral emoji, deciding to stay quiet during most of the trip.
He knows Yuuki also makes it clear that he doesn't simply accept anyone's friendship because the ravenette doesn't want anyone to look after him and get involved in his missions. The veteran detective doesn't want anyone's life in harm's way because of his actions.
This proves he is still heroic and selfless to some extent, being one of the other reasons he joined the police force.
The male detective also has a strong sense of justice, helping those hurt by the Villains and refusing to harm or sacrifice others to achieve his goals.
Krim noted this to be a strength, but also one of his biggest weaknesses. The Kamen Rider doesn't allow others to get close to him and join his fight against the Mechanical Life Forms out of concern for their safety...
But Yuriko had an answer ready for her senpai's words:
"And remember that I'm also like you, Tomari-san. We're both cops. And as such, we have the same duty: [Police officers have the heaviest burden of all: protecting and serving the people]."
She tells again firmly to him, looking directly into his silver-gray eyes with her sky blue ones.
"..." This actually makes Yuuki speechless as he is taken aback by the woman's words.
Yeah, she really was different from everyone else he met in his life.
Yuriko doesn't seem to let the reminder of her condition as Quirkless let her down either.
Just like him…
'Perhaps there really is more to her than meets the eyes...'
Elsewhere - Nighttime...
"Damn… Argh! That damn Kamen Rider...!"
The numbered Core of Roidmude 034 said as he struggled to move his disembodied form. He fell on a stairway, too weak to move.
The cybernetic being soon heard footsteps walking down over to him from behind.
This new person, another Roidmude in human disguise, looks like a man in his early to mid-twenties. He has tanned skin, black hair that is quite short and parted on his right side. His red eyes are slightly squinted. The man is tall and muscular, his wear consists of a red jacket with yellow patches that somewhat conceals a white T-Shirt, blue jeans, white socks, and grey and blue shoes.
"Do you want a new body, Number 034?" Asked the man with a smirk, holding up a Cobra Viral Core.
My Hero Academia Illegals: Vigilante Dark Drive
Drive 02: What is a Kamen Rider?
"Well then. Here we are."
Yuuki says as he parks the disguised NEXTridoron once they reach their destination.
It was a large manor located on the outskirts of Musufatu city.
Stepping out of the car, Yuuki and Yuriko head towards the estate's main building as the former carries the Drive Driver with him.
"Steinbelt Manor. So this is the place you used to live with Krim ever since he adopted you?" Yuriko asks her partner as they open the place's entrance gates and head inside.
"Yeah. I was Belt-san's ward and lived with him here for a while until I finally graduated from the Police Academy. After that, I wanted my own independence and found a nice new lively place of my own to live at." The older detective explains.
Steinbelt Manor is the stately residence of billionaire Krim Steinbelt and the place Tomari Yuuki used to live with him. Under all the expensive china and bookcases, it also serves to hide the massive underground installation used as their base of operations, the Drive Pit.
The Manor is a veritable fortress, a pastiche of Gothic architecture combined with features of the castellated architecture. Solar panels are installed in the Manor, providing environmentally-friendly electricity generation for the complex. It also includes a heliport for commercial helicopters.
The manor was built on a cliff overlooking the ocean.
The grounds also include a large hill that was partially hollowed out for Kamen Rider Dark Drive's aerial vehicles, and there is also an underground river system that is large enough to accommodate docking space for boats, having a large opening for them, and has a waterfall.
The woman semmed to be humming in understanding as she decides to ask something else once they reached the main building's front door.
"I still have a hard time accepting this, but… Is it true that Krim and the Roidmudes all came from another world?"
"Yeah, it's true." Yuuki tells her with a straight face. "And the multiverse theory is as much as real as well."
For both Quirkless humans, it was initially unbelievable to hear about such a notion despite living in a world where a lot of superpowers that defied the concepts of basic logic and physics existed.
But Krim/Belt-san provided them with proof with his technology, data and recordings.
The sentient belt also told them about his fight against the original 108 Roidmudes alongside the previous Kamen Rider Drive and the rest of their team. Following that, Steinbelt would next tell them about the numerous special occasions when he and the previous Drive had to team up with other Kamen Riders to face nefarious evil organizations such as Shocker.
Krim Steinbelt was a scientist who invented and installed his consciousness within the Drive Driver after his "death" by three of the first original Roidmudes in his previous world. He is affectionately nicknamed Belt-san by his user, Tomari Yuuki.
Krim serves as the support unit for the ravenette when the latter becomes Kamen Rider Dark Drive and can assist him with the use of the NEXTridoron and the Shift Cars' powers and abilities.
Shocker is the original evil organization that was formed by the mysterious being known as the Great Leader. In an attempt to create the ultimate warriors, they were responsible for the rise of the very first Kamen Riders 1 and 2, who defected and became the heroes who would ultimately lead to the fall of Shocker.
[But something unexpected happened with me once I arrived in this 'new' world(for me, at least).]
Belt-san spoke as Yuuki releases him and the Drive Driver now floats before the pair of detectives.
*Flash!*
A bright blue light engulfs the sentient belt as he takes the shape of a person, now looking like a bespectacled middle-aged gentleman wearing a business suit.
While Yuuki was unfazed by this transformation, Yuriko gasps and places a hand over her mouth as her eyes widened in surprise.
"So this is how Krim can change between the Drive Driver and his human form?" She asks her partner.
"That's right." Yuuki confirms.
Several years ago…
Krim Steinbelt had no idea of what or how exactly it happened…
But he suddenly found himself transported to the world of Quirks with equipment, Shift Cars, weapons and the Riders Machines related to the Kamen Rider Drive System alongside him.
Not only that, but he also gained an 'extra' ability in which he could change between his real 100% organic human body and his Drive Driver 'vessel'.
By normal standards, such things defied all common sense, reason and logic normal people would have.
But then again, Steinbelt himself is not really a normal person…
Yes, this case didn't apply to him since he was indeed not a regular human being. After all, he had already met unique beings that could mess with space and time, such as certain Kamen Riders like Decade, Den-O and Zi-O.
So yeah, the first conclusion the scientist had was that his current predicament was something probably related to beings that can change or travel between different dimensions and that can mess with space and time.
Did they had something to do with this? Who would make him travel to another reality?
What if it was the work of a cosmic being of a higher scale? Then what would be his purpose here?
That question would actually make Krim reflect as well about the possibility of him being given the chance of a new life by being transported to a new universe while also allowing the man to possess a human body.
Sometimes he actually thought so...
This was one of the reasons he decided to follow his dear friends and partners Shinnosuke and Kiriko's example and try forming a family of his own with this new second chance, again as an opportunity to live as a true human, given to him.
But in order to do so, the scientist would need to make a place and name for himself in this new world...
And so, for the past few years, Krim Steinbelt had been rebuilding his life as an unknown member of society.
He then learned about the Quirk world in-depth: Committed crimes were handled by the Pro Heroes, Villains were in no short supply and this world is a bit more advanced than his old one.
But with him being an unknown addition to this world, he had plenty of time.
Using his intellect in the stock market with just a couple hundred dollars and yen, with Steinbelt also doing some side jobs here and there, the bespectacled scientist had quickly, but carefully, amassed a sizeable fortune, and, leaving no paper trail, bought a mansion a good distance away from the city of Musutafu, small enough not to be noticed, but big enough for his other 'projects'.
There, at the now built Steinbelt Manor, he established a base of operations called: The Drive Pit. It would be wise to be prepared in case this new world also needed Kamen Riders to protect the people.
And there, Krim would hack systems, creating a copy of his life with some changes to fit this new world filled with superpowers.
It was specific enough that those looking for whatever personal information would be satisfied and vague enough that anyone looking for something "more" would be caught in an endless loop.
After that, the creator of the Kamen Rider Drive System would later found Steinbelt Corporation, which would turn to be one of the most successful IT companies in the world, also making Krim a very successful businessman and one of the richest people on the planet.
He made himself even more famous given his status as a 'Quirkless' person. But he did not mind that at all.
With his source of income secured, the scientist would adopt someone and try to create a family of his own.
And who would be the child that he adopted?
Well, it was none other than…
"And this is how I adopted Yuuki after I met him years ago back at the orphanage." Krim Steinbelt finished explaining what he did with his life over the last years to Yuriko.
He then looks at said Kamen Rider with a found expression.
"They actually called me insane back then for choosing a Quirkless child over their 'better' choices. But I could care less about that." The bespectacled man snorts at the reminder of the arrogant and naughty brats that tried to get his attention with their 'flashy' Quirks.
He won't deny that he also took some sort of satisfaction by seeing their looks of frustration and jealousy when he picked Yuuki over them.
"Krim… Belt-san..." Yuuki looked at the man who helped him back then with an expression of genuine respect and gratitude.
"I don't know how exactly... Maybe it was my instinct… But I could somehow tell back then that there was more to this seemingly Quirkless boy than meets the eyes. Something very special." The scientist resumes speaking, nodding in deep thought.
"The others sometimes think I choose Yuuki out of pity or because he's a fellow Quirkless. But that's not the case. And if anything, I have now come to see this young man before me as my own son in all but blood." Krim places a hand on Yuuki's shoulder, smiling in approval at him.
Even Yuriko becomes touched upon hearing this story, viewing the older man and her partner in a new light.
But now she couldn't help but ask this:
"So you're telling me that you adopted Tomari-san because he had the potential to become a Kamen Rider?"
However, much to her surprise, both Yuuki and Steinbelt shook their heads upon hearing the question.
"Not really." Yuuki clarifies. "We only learned about the existence of the Roidmudes a few years after I got adopted."
"I didn't choose Yuuki just to make him become the next Drive, Yuriko. He actually offered himself to become a Kamen Rider since I am too old and not really much of a fighter to take them down myself." The gentleman explains.
"I also took the mantle of the Kamen Riders after hearing the many stories about them from Krim. Especially the adventures he had with the previous Drive's team agaisnt the original 108 Roidmudes. I became inspired from their exploits and what most of them managed to achieve despite being Quirkless people like us." Yuuki follows up with his own answer.
"So that means you wanted to become a Hero like them?" Yuriko asks with a look of interest.
"Not exactly. I'm not really fighting the Roidmudes just because I wanted to be a Pro Hero. At least that was not the case initially."
"What?" The rookie detective looks puzzled upon hearing her senpai's answer.
"You see, Shijima… At first, I only wanted to become a Kamen Rider in order to repay Krim/Belt-san's kindness and for everything he has done for me. That's it, really. I wasn't much into heroic stuff. I wasn't interested in fighting Villains or saving people's lives." The older detective reveals with a serious expression.
"Which it's not something I would ever want from you, my boy." Krim replies. "As your guardian and the one to raise you, the only thing I ask from you in return is to have a happy life and enjoy all of its moments to the fullest. I would never force such burden on you, Yuuki."
Yuriko still looks in shock at what she heard from them. She didn't know what else to say as Yuuki continues:
"But after seeing how really dangerous the Roidmudes are, I decided to become a Kamen Rider to not only face them, but to protect everyone else from their threat as well. Being born Quirkless made me understand and relate to what it's like to be weak and defenseless while those with ill intentions try to exploit that. You could say that I learned how to feel empathy and compassion because of this.
It's also one of the reasons I became a cop and not tried to be a Pro Hero with the Drive System equipment. It's just like how you said earlier:
[Police officers have the heaviest burden of all: protecting and serving the people.]
This new problem now applies to everyone else since no matter how powerful, useful or flashy their Quirks are, they are all powerless once they get caught in the Slowdown's distortion of time. And this reason would become the main source of a promise between me and Belt-san: To eradicate the Roidmude threat from this planet and change the world into a better place. I want to show everyone, along the way, how strong Quikrless people truly are in my own way. And that you also don't need to be a Pro Hero to save lives and be considered a true savior."
"I see… Yeah, I guess you have a point then." Yuriko concedes to her partner's point of view.
After all, she did witness how the Roidmudes easily took down four Pro Heroes without any problem. And only a 'vigilante' is capable of stopping them.
Not the Pro Heroes with their amazing Quirks...
"Alright. Then how about we head inside, you two?" Krim offers to the pair of detectives, opening the front door with a key he carries around.
"To the Drive Pit?" Yuuki asks his guardian and father figure.
"To the Drive Pit." The scientist confirms.
As they walked through the manor's halls, Yuuki and Yuriko briefly pondered about what it would be like for them to live in the world Krim came from...
Unlike here in this Quirk society, would the two of them be treated with respect and dignity as expected for normal people?
But the bespectacled gentleman quickly reminds them that his original world is not exactly 100% better than theirs.
Krim's original reality still had to deal with some serious issues that also exist in this saturated universe with 'super heroes'.
There were still tons of problems with the world...
Fraud. Tax Evasion. Domestic Abuse. Corruption. Bullying. Racism. Pollution of nature. Global Warming.
And ignorants who refuse to prioritize this...
There was still war. There was still disease. Famine. Terrorism. Hatred. Poverty. There were horrible people killing, and horrible people in power. There were times when it seemed like it would get better, only for reality to come crashing down hard as things became even worse...
The trio eventually reaches the manor's study.
Krim approaches the non-functioning grandfather clock and turns the hands of the said clock to midnight/12 a.m.
*Click!*
A hidden door appears as the grandfather clock slides to the right, which opens to reveal a descending staircase.
As the scientist is the first to enter, Yuuki gestures for his partner to follow after him.
"Come on."
"Right." Yuriko follows her senpai.
They then reach inside of a garage/auto-shop-like room, where the NEXTridon was already waiting at.
The room was a fair size, with boxes for storage on one side and a desk on the other with a computer on it with what looked like models of Kamen Rider Drive on the screen. In the middle and on a rotating platform was the NEXTridoron, stopping once the front of the vehicle pointed towards a large door.
Krim remotely controlled the black Rider Machine to reach this secret room through another hidden passage made to be used by cars.
"What the…?" Yuriko questioned before looking around, fascinated.
"Welcome… to the Drive Pit." Krim smiled at her. "This will be our base of operations."
The Drive Pit is a secret garage for NEXTridoron, located under the Steinbelt Manor, as well as serving as Kamen Rider Dark Drive's base of operations.
Its existence is a top-secret kept from the rest of society.
It is typically accessible from a hidden door in Steinbelt Manor's study, behind a non-functioning grandfather clock, which opens to a descending staircase when the hands of the said clock are turned to midnight/12 a.m.
"So let's recap… You really didn't want to be a Pro Hero, Tomari-san? You could have enrolled in U.A. High's Hero Course while using the Drive System's equipment. They accept Quirkless people on it." Yuriko says again, still not believing that her senpai did not choose to do that.
It semmed to be like a wasted opportunity...
According to U.A. High School's Principal Nezu, even Quirkless people can become Pro Heroes.
When facing a villain or trying to save someone from an accident, the Quirkless people would be at a disadvantage.
However, Quirks aren't everything...
They don't define someone as a Hero or a Villain, their actions and capabilities do so.
So the principal believes that even Quirkless people could be Heroes through excessive training in martial arts and reliance on gadgets and weapons.
With these, it would be quite possible for them to be on equal par with other heroes and villains.
"Here at U.A., we believe that anyone can become a Hero, even someone Quirkless. It's why we allow them to apply," Nezu said to the press. "Although I must admit we've never actually had a Quirkless student before, in any department." He finishes, slightly disappointed at that last statement.
But no matter what anyone said, Quirkless people were and would be still mostly looked down on by those with Quirks(even those with weak or useless ones). Someone who saw them as equals and disregarded society's view of them didn't exist.
Not as far as Yuuki knew…
He imagines this would still happen even if he did as Yuriko suggested, which is quite unfortunate.
"Well, it's not like you really need to have a 'license' to be a true hero. That's bullshit. Especially after I heard about what the Kamen Riders did in Krim's old world." Yuuki replies to Yuriko with a scowl, disappointed with the way this Quirk society sometimes worked.
"And back when I was at high school, it's not like I was interested in hero stuff like everyone else was. But I eventually decided to become a police officer so I could help those that the Pro Heroes would 'ignore' in favor of more 'important' crimes and Villains." He points out as they remember about the heavy issues Krim pointed out earlier that nobody did anything about.
"Plus, having a job as a police detective is a bonus for my duty as a Kamen Rider. A perfect cover. I have a 'reason' to interact with both Pro Heroes and Villains alike without arousing much suspicion, also having an easier time knowing whenever I need to fight as a vigilante in the form of Kamen Rider Dark Drive."
"All while basically hiding in plain sight..." Krim adds with a look of understanding.
"But still… Wouldn't it have been easier for you two to operate legally with Tomari-san still being a Kamen Rider? Neither of you would need to be troubled with the authorities going after him due to his acts of vigilantism." Yuriko presses.
Yeah, really. Why they didn't do that? Why hide the existence of the Drive System? Why not tell the Police? The Hero Public Safety Commission? Or the rest of the government?
The Hero Public Safety Commission (HPSC) is a law enforcement agency responsible for managing the interactions between heroes and society as a whole and for investigating the most dangerous cases of criminality.
The HPSC was headed by a committee of non-heroes, to improve the balance of influence between heroes and regular members of society.
The Commission was amongst other things a criminal investigative organization and responsible for many hero-related matters, including the Provisional Hero License Exam, which is administered on a biannual basis in June and September.
Hero Licenses are awarded by the Commission to those who pass the licensing exam.
The Commission works closely with the Police Force to coordinate hero teams. They are also known for handling heroes individually to investigate and solve dangerous cases.
Although the Safety Commission has been trusted by society to keep the peace; in all actuality, the organization is extremely corrupt and commits very immoral acts to protect society's image of heroes, sometimes at the expense of innocent people as means to maintain the status quo.
They forced their hitwoman Lady Nagant to murder anyone who threatened to disrupt the peace, it's even implied that they ordered the deaths of measly protesters and it's suggested that anyone who threatens to expose them must be eliminated as the previous chairman of the corporation seemed to have been planning to kill Lady Nagant if she resigned.
Krim shooks his head at the female detective's suggestion.
"I understand where you're trying to get with this, Yuriko… But it's too risky. We're not sure who else we can fully trust here. In my original world, we also had the same issue. And for a very good reason. Not only a Roidmude infiltrated the Japanese government and manipulated things from the shadows, but there were also humans that were conspiring and working together with them as well." Krim tells her as he next reveals his past with the original Roidmude 001.
Following that, Steinbelt next tells Yuriko about how he learned from the previous Drive that true evil sometimes lies within the heart of humans, especially upon witnessing the Fusion Evolved Roidmudes and how the mechanical monsters used people's negative emotions and criminals with dark twisted hearts in order to evolve and get more powerful.
And his former acquaintance Banno, the evil creator of the original 108 Roidmudes, was definitely a true monster in regards to that...
The Freeze Roidmude, known simply as Freeze, originally Roidmude 001, and still referred to as 001 by the others, was one of the original trio of Roidmudes, along with 002 and 003.
Shortly after his creation, he assumed the form of Makage Soichi, a corrupt secretary of the National Bureau of Defense, proceeding to establish a strong position in the political world.
This alias allowed him to keep an eye on the police forces, as well as the original Kamen Rider Drive when the Roidmude's case had been brought up.
It was only after Tomari Shinnosuke, the first Kamen Rider Drive, discovers the truth and confronts "Makage" that 001 reveals himself and finally accesses his evolved form.
Later on, Roidmude 001/Freeze Roidmude creates new, red-colored Neo Viral Cores, which allow humans with darker hearts to synchronize with a Roidmude and combine with them into a single Fusion Evolution State, in which the human host gains the power of the Roidmude, while the original Roidmude speaks through their chest where his/her number plate emerges.
The Fusion Evolution State is determined by the human host, meaning that if the Roidmude synchronize is killed, the host can partner with another Roidmude to re-assume it.
"The Core Driviar technology is very powerful and dangerous, Yuriko." Krim resumes. "There are people in the Hero and Law Enforcement sectors that would use it for selfish and greedy reasons, which is bad enough. Unfortunately, it's not only the Roidmudes and the Villains that can turn to be our enemies." The scientist finishes with a grim expression.
Core Driviars were devices developed by Krim Steinbelt, converted to act as the source of power for the Shift Cars, Tridoron, and later the Roidmudes.
These allowed them to create or counter the Heavy Acceleration.
In the past, Steinbelt allowed his colleague Dr. Banno to use them in the creation of the Roidmudes, which in the end participated in their revolution. Apparently, after Krim heard a ruckus on Banno's lab, and finds out his colleague's project is much more lethal on using a human sacrifice for his experiment, this causes their partnership to broke apart, with Banno stole one of Krim's equipment to finish the Roidmudes.
"So this is it? Is that why you two decided to resort to vigilantism?" Yuriko concludes, now looking at the other two with a look of understanding.
It is pretty disappointing to learn that you can't rely always rely on law and the Pro Heroes to solve certain crises.
And that means, sometimes, certain matters must be taken into their own hands…
"Yeah, of course. We still want to protect the rest of the world from the Roidmudes and whatever Villain or corrupt person that proves to be a serious threat. But the path of 'Pro Heroes' is not for us. There are things that even they cannot handle at all. And that is when we come into play." Yuuki declares firmly, fully believing in his convictions. "Interestingly enough, most of the past Kamen Riders were basically Vigilantes as well. Just like me now."
'Vigilantes...' Yuriko repeats the word in her mind.
Vigilantes are people who voluntarily carry out duties usually done by Pro Heroes without paying attention to the law.
Due to the hero regulations and Quirk restriction laws, people are not allowed to perform heroic duties out on their own and vigilantism is therefore illegal.
The origins of heroes can be traced back to the vigilantes. When Quirks started to manifest, there was no organization that controlled the Pro Heroes and they were therefore vigilantes.
The Pro Hero System was first put into place in Rhode Island, U.S.A. under the "Rhode Island New State Statute"; one hundred and eighty-nine vigilantes were affected by this statute, with only seven being accepted as official Pro Heroes.
Nowadays most of the vigilantes have vanished.
However, there are those such as Knuckleduster, Pop Step, and The Crawler, that had been regularly active in their activities to help people and dispense justice as Vigilantes.
Some Pro Heroes had never taken action against them and left those three be so long they do not abuse their Quirks and go on a rampage.
"Shijima… No, Yuriko… Being a hero is more than some job where you wear a costume and needs to have some sort of flashy, useful or powerful Quirk alongside a 'license' to be allowed to 'work'." Yuuki resumes talking.
"A true hero is someone that fights for the right thing, and just for the sake of it. It's someone that doesn't need an 'excuse' or a reason, such as the 'license', to help those in need. And they know that they are not always expected to be rewarded or recognized for their acts.
But even so, they keep fighting to make the world a better place. Even if everyone sees me as a Quirkless loser or a criminal that practices vigilantism, I will keep on fighting for what I believe to be the right thing. Until the very end."
Once again, Yuriko feels touched upon hearing her senpai's words and reasoning.
"Which now brings us to the current predicament: What will be your role in this?" The veteran detective brings up, looking at Yuriko with a look of expectation. "Why you have agreed to work with us? Sure, you now understand the danger the Roidmudes and the Core Driviar technology poses to the world. But there's more to it than that, isn't it? What do you want to do, Shijima Yuriko? Why Krim- Belt-san decided to recruit you?"
"I sought Yuriko in order for you to have a reliable partner, Yuuki." Krim explains. "In case your cover is blown, you'll need someone shadowing you. Yuriko can provide this support and watch your back. She can even help you create alibis in case people begin suspecting that you're Dark Drive."
Okay, Yuuki had to concede that the scientist had a point.
But looking at his new partner, he still suspected that Yuriko has another reason to join their secret group.
As for Krim, he could also feel that there was something in Yuriko that reminded him of Kiriko, just like how Yuuki had something in him that made the bespectacled gentleman remember about his dear friend and partner Shinnosuke. The two ravenettes being police detectives and sharing the same surname as his old friends were definitely more than a mere coincidence.
He really wonders if he was destined to meet the pair and fight the Roidmudes alongside them in this new world...
"Yes. You're right, Tomari-san. I have another reason why I decided to join this team." Yuriko reveals, now looking partly insecure about what she was about to say.
Yuuki raises an eyebrow at her, wondering what's bothering her this time.
"The truth is that I always wanted to be a heroine ever since I was a kid..." She begins. "But when I was diagnosed as Quirkless, it semmed as if everything around me began to fall apart. Everybody said I couldn't be a Pro Hero without a Quirk."
"Pro Heroes put their lives on the line each day. So I can't honestly say that being a hero without a Quirk is possible."
"If you care about saving people then become a cop. Sure, it's a job that's ridiculed for being on the receiving end for captured Villains, but no less admirable."
"It's not wrong to dream. Just make sure it's achievable."
Like Yuuki, Yuriko also had it rough sometimes while growing up.
Thankfully, just like how Yuuki had Krim, she had a loving family and actual friends who liked and cared for her regardless of her condition. But in this case, she always received a lot of pitying looks and everybody branded her as an 'unfortunate case'.
But she wanted to prove to the world that she is not a helpless person.
'Yuriko...' Yuuki's expression softened at this, only finding sincerity in her words.
He and Krim looked at the woman as she took a breath:
"I think… I think what I wanted most of all was the choice. The choice to be a Pro Hero. But my whole life… I never had that. Everyone told me that it was impossible, that I couldn't… But I didn't care. Maybe it was my stubborn nature, maybe I just wanted to prove them wrong… Maybe I wanted to fail so that I could move on. I don't know. But at the end of the day, what's done is done."
"I see… So that's why you also joined us… You wanted to prove yourself for this Quirk-centered society. You want to be a Heroine by becoming a Kamen Rider. It's a new chance appearing before you. Regardless if you might end being labeled as a 'Vigilante' like me eventually. You still have this intense fire - this passion burning inside of you that wishes to become someone that can help others, regardless of your origin and condition."
Yuriko simply smiled in approval at her senpai's deduction.
Like him, she really believes that there is more to being a true hero than mainly having a special Quirk. That what truly matters the most is a person's heart and their desire to do the right thing. Yuuki's earlier words were deeply engraved by now into her soul.
And Yuuki surprisingly smiles back at her. His first genuine smile towards someone else other than Krim/Belt-san.
"I now think you really could have made a fine heroine, Yuriko. Oh well, it's their loss."
The earlier talks the detectives had up until now with each other slowly came back into their minds. They now share a look of mutual respect and understanding, no more words need to be exchanged in regards to their partnership.
'She really is different from the others I had to work with before. And it's because she is also like me, and not only just because of our Quirkless status. She can understand me. Perhaps she is the best match I have been looking for.' Yuuki reflects.
But then, the pair of black-haired police detectives turn to their older ally.
As if expecting what he would say, Krim speaks:
"With great power, comes great responsibility." The scientist starts. "I also think the same about you, Yuriko. But I have to be honest about this: It's not everyone that can become a Kamen Rider. It takes more than having great physical capacity and intelligence."
He then adds, gesturing to his heart:
"This is the most important part, do you understand?"
'The heart...' Yuriko ponders before nodding to the bespectacled man. "I understand, Krim. But even if it's hard, I still want to give this a try." She replies firmly, her resolve looking strong.
"I can train and prepare you to try handling the Rider System. But that's it. I'm not promising or guaranteeing anything else, Yuriko." Krim continues. "The rest will be up to you."
Telling the rookie detective about this makes the scientist remember about the past, when Kiriko also tried to become Kamen Rider Drive before Shinnosuke, but failed to do so.
Krim feels that while his old friend is satisfied with the others becoming the Kamen Riders to face the Roidmudes, a part of her must've always been disappointed about being able to only to offer support from the sidelines or also of having the unfortunate role of being the damsel in distress when certain Roidmudes attacked and kidnapped her(Roidmude 084, 010/Paint, Kamen Rider Lupin and 008/Tornado).
Kiriko certianly approved the performance that her partner(and later husband) Shinnosuke, her little brother Go and Chase had in their duties as Kamen Riders Drive, Mach and Chaser.
But Krim couldn't help but sometimes notice back then the small amount of frustration and jealousy coming from the woman. She probably wished to have been able to do more to help the trio of Riders, actually being able to fight by their side as one of them.
The gentleman knew about the existence of female Kamen Riders, of course, but never brought up this subject in worry about how Kiriko would react to that.
The scientist now wonders what it will be like this time with Yuriko.
Will she succeed or not? It will be all up to her.
'But Yuuki also went through intense training to get used to the Drive System before he actually transformed into Kamen Rider Dark Drive. Unlike Shinnosuke, he has started to fight the Roidmudes with more experience under his belt. Maybe he can help her and inspire Yuriko to achieve the same results. And both are Quirkless as well. They can perfectly support each other.' Krim thinks, hoping that to be the case.
And while his ward did that, the scientist also made some major upgrades in the Drive System before facing the Mechanical Life Forms in this new world.
He had already gathered important combat data from his adventures with Shinnosuke and the others from the Special Crimes Unit, and also with battles that did not mainly involve the Roidmudes as well. This allowed Krim to build new Shift Cars such as Shift Next, Next Builder and Next Hunter while also allowing the scientist to build and complete the NEXTridoron's project that he designed after the events involving Shinnosuke's future son Tomari Eiji and the future Roidmude 108 - The Paradox Roidmude.
Krim also tweaked with other Rider vehicles, such as the Ride Boosters, and weapons like the Handle-Ken, the Door-Ju and the Trailer-Hou by updating their software to increase the overall performance of his Kamen Rider System.
The Trailer-Hou is Kamen Rider Dark Drive's rifle-like Shift Car weapon.
Like the Handle-Ken and Door-Ju, Tomari Shinnosuke names this weapon based on what it resembles: a blue semi-truck, with the trailer section consisting a lot of its bulk.
Similar to the Shift Cars, the Trailer-Hou is also sentient, where it is powered by a specialized Core Driviar called the Core Driviar-TH.
The Ride Booster Set is a pair of go-kart Rider Machines, with the red one called Ride Booster Red and the blue one called Ride Booster Blue.
They can also be combined, either when manned or unmanned, with either NEXTridoron to form the Booster NEXTridoron.
The Ride Boosters are armed with laser cannons built-in on the front of the cars.
The bespectacled man had a feeling that all these steps would be necessary in order to deal with whatever problem that gets in their way….
In the meanwhile, while Yuriko now begins her training to become a Kamen Rider, there are other things Krim can probably provide her as well to help the woman support Yuuki against their future adversaries.
The next day…
Nighttime
Yuuki and Yuriko were on the top of a building as another one before them was on fire. The duo could hear many screams and cries for help coming off from the building in flames.
"Tomari-san, I know this probably doesn't involve the Roidmudes, but we should do something about this," Yuriko tells her partner. "There are still people trapped on that building and the firefighters are struggling to reach them."
"Yeah, you're right." Yuuki replies as he looks down to see the firefighters having problems putting out the building's fires and rescue the people still trapped inside of the place. "I have heard that they already called for some Pro Heroes specialized in rescue and dealing with fires, but it will, unfortunately, take some more time before they reach here."
[Then we must hurry if we wish to rescue those people!] Belt-san declares as he appears and wraps himself around Yuuki's waist.
The Shift Brace and Shift Next are now also in the detective's possession.
"Henshin!" Not wasting time, Yuuki chants as he transforms into Kamen Rider Dark Drive, the black armor covering his body.
[Drive: Type Next!] (Orchestral rock music~)
"Come, Winter! Braver!" Dark Drive calls as two new Shift Cars come to his aid.
The first one was based on a white ice resurfacer vehicle with six black wheels.
The second one was based on a fire engine.
These were Shift Road Winter and Shift Fire Braver.
Based on an ice resurfacer, Shift Road Winter is a sentient Type Technic Shift Car which allows Dark Drive to gain the Road Winter Shift Tire, equipping him with the Frostreamer to emit a freezing wind. By itself, it can generate snow and ice to put out small fires.
The Frostreamer is a Tire Specific Item modeled after a disk with a snowflake emblem on it that is wielded by Kamen Rider Dark Drive when he uses the Shift Road Winter Car to activate the Road Winter Tire.
The Frostreamer can be used to freeze things if Dark Drive lifts the Shift Road Winter Car placed within the Shift Brace three times. This causes the Frostreamer to emit super cold particles and wind out of the snowflake emblem that can make ice form around the intended target, depriving them of the ability to move unless it is of outside help.
Based on a fire engine, Shift Fire Braver is a sentient Type Technic Shift Car which allows Drive to gain the Fire Braver Shift Tire, equipping him with the Ladder Expander to use as a third arm. By itself, it sprays fire-dousing foam that can be used to extinguish all flames.
[Tire Koukan!]
A sky blue Shift Tire replaces Dark Drive's Type Next's tire. The words Road Winter are engraved on it in white color as the symbol of a snowflake appears on the Drive Driver's display.
[Road Winter!]
Unlike Shinnosuke, Yuuki didn't need to transform into Kamen Rider Drive Type Technique to access the ability of Road Winter since Shift Next is a more advanced Shift Car that can work well with the other ones, unlike the other Shift Type Shift Cars that the previous Drive needed to use.
(A/N: It's for plot convenience. My Kamen Rider Dark Drive is kind of like Kamen Rider Mach, who can also use the power of all Shift Cars without needing to change into different and specific Types like how the normal Kamen Rider Drive usually needs to.)
Dark Drive is now also equipped with the Frostreamer, but the Specific Tire Item was remodeled to serve as a circular sky blue shield with the emblem of a snowflake on it.
The black Kamen Rider exchange nods with his female partner before rushing towards the burning building, jumping from the roof of the place he previously stood.
*Crash!*
Some people below managed to catch the sight of a black blur jumping towards the building on fire, entering inside of it by breaking one of its windows.
Yuriko watched as Fire Braver soon followed after Dark Drive before doing what it could on its own to help extinguish the fire.
As for her, she would go downstairs and wait for her senpai with the others nearby at the flaming building's entrance, also being on stand-by and ready and ready to help with whatever else she could.
Inside of the building on flames…
[WI-WI-Winter!]
Pulling down the Road Winter's lever three times, Dark Drive rises the Frostreamer as the item releases cold particles to put down the flames that stand in his way.
The Kamen Rider activates the scanner inside his helmet and quickly manages to locate the group of people still trapped here.
When he meets them, the civilians are briefly taken aback by the dark appearance that their masked savior sports.
"Help has arrived." He reassures them in a firm tone. "Is there anybody here that cannot walk?"
One of the people there points to a sick child in a wheelchair.
Nobody else could lift and carry the little boy since they were either sporting injuries themselves from the fire, already inhaled a lot of smoke or had their own problems walking and couldn't afford to support the child.
Nodding in understanding, Dark Drive picks up the little boy in a bridal style as he gestures for the other civilians to follow after him.
On the way to the exit, the Kamen Rider uses Road Winter's abilities to take care of whatever obstacle that gets in the group's way.
This prompts some of the people to now look at him in wonder and theorize if the masked man had an ice-based Quirk.
If only they knew…
In front of the flaming building's entrance…
Yuriko waited with several people from emergency services for what would happen next.
Some of the nearby onlookers that gathered around the place noticed her senpai jumping earlier into the building and were wondering who this supposed mysterious hero is.
If only they knew the truth…
"Is that a fire engine minicar?" One of the present firefighters asked the others as several of them witnessed Fire Braver helping them extinguish the intense flames.
Their jaws even dropped sometimes as they saw how said Shift Car was also doing a better job than them in putting out some of the fires.
*Blam!*
Everyone turns to the building's entrance as several people come out.
"These are the people that were still trapped inside of the building?" One of the paramedics asks aloud in realization as he and several others come to the aid of the rescued people, tending to their wounds and checking their vitals while doing first aid procedures.
Yuriko observers that the last one to come out from the building was Kamen Rider Dark Drive, who carried a sick child in his arms, bridal-style.
The little kid that the vigilante rescued looks at the black-masked man in awe as the mother of the said child appears from the crows gathered in front of the flaming building. She rushes to meet the two of them.
"Takeshi!"
"Mommy!"
The woman and her son cry upon seeing each other, sharing a warm hug.
Underneath his helmet, the Kamen Rider couldn't help but smile at the touching scene.
[Good job, Yuuki.] Belt-san compliments, producing a happy emoji on the Drive Driver's display.
From her spot, Yuriko also smiled at the scene.
"You're safe now." Dark Drive tells the boy he saved, gently ruffling the kid's chair and earning a playful chuckle from the boy.
"Thank you. Thank you so much, sir." The woman, her eyes still filled with tears, sent the Kamen Rider an eternally grateful look.
"I was just doing my job, ma'am." The vigilante replies humbly.
The other people that Dark Drive also rescued began to thank the masked man next.
Some of the onlookers began to take pictures of the Kamen Rider with their phones while talking amongst themselves.
"..." The masked vigilante knew this will probably put him into the spotlight much sooner than he originally wanted, but it can't be helped.
The Kamen Rider acknowledges that he shouldn't turn a blind eye to those in need, even if it's something that doesn't necessarily involve Roidmude activity.
Plus, knocking out Vlad King probably put him already on the Villains' wanted list, even if what he did was technically self-defense.
It sucks, but it can't be helped with sometimes.
"Can somebody tell me how the fire started?" Dark Drive asks the people he rescued.
"It was a Villain!" A man wearing a business suit shrieked.
"A Villain?"
"Yes, it was just a calm, normal night when this blonde man walked in. And without any warning, he suddenly burst into flames and started torching everything in sight!"
"Was he a resident or a former employee?" The Rider asked.
"No! Never seen him before today. I was able to make it outside and call 911, but that didn't stop him from setting every floor on fire! Some residents were able to avoid him and make it outside, but many were badly burned."
A news team arrived on the scene and began filming the black vigilante.
"I have been watching this entire scene play out. The fire is apparently the work of a villain, it trapped many people on the upper levels of the building but this black flash of a hero has safely brought everyone out of the inferno with ease." A reporter speaks while the cameraman is following her, they now try to reach the Kamen Rider.
But suddenly…
*Boom!*
Hearing the blast and looking up, Dark Drive could see a being on flames coming out of the top of the building and landing before all of them.
He sees that it is a slim, muscular man of above-average height with long spiky blonde hair that defied gravity.
"Where. The hell. Is everybody!?" The arsonist roared.
"While you were busy setting their home ablaze I was busy getting every single person out of here." The black vigilante states sternly.
The fire villain looked at the Kamen Rider and gave him a death glare.
"Why the hell did you do that!? I went through all the trouble of trapping them in this wonderful blaze so I could watch them all burn in it!" He said without the slightest shred of guilt.
"I'll give you something to fear." The Kamen Rider tells the criminal in response. "You're about to feel pain worse than what you inflict on the others."
He ended this sentence before getting into his fighting stance.
The arson villain merely chuckled.
"Typical hero, you're never any fun!" He yelled as he fired a wave of flames at Dark Drive so strong they cover the Kamen Rider and blast a hole in the building from behind.
While people cried in horror at this, the vigilante merely blocks the attack and he doesn't even feel it. And there isn't a single mark on his suit when the fire dissipates, much to the villain's surprise.
It's all thanks to Dark Drive still being equipped with the Road Winter Shift Tire across his torso.
The arsonist puts his hands together and prepares to fire another attack but it's not going to happen.
The Rider rushes him, forcing his hands apart and leaving him open before hitting the criminal with a palm strike to the chin, then an elbow strike to the gut, followed by a flurry of punches to the chest.
The villain tries to throw another flame attack but the vigilante locks his hand between his own before grabbing his arm at the tricep, pulling him over his shoulder and throwing him down the street.
The villain rushes to his feet but he doesn't see the Dark Drive anywhere, turning around he sees the Kamen Rider landing a side flip, landing on his right foot in the same motion the vigilante brings up his left foot for a strong kick to the villain's chest, sending him flying and making an impact crater in the wall at another nearby building.
*Smash!*
The villain fell out of the wall and landed on his face.
"What the hell?" He said in a weak voice as he struggled to pick himself off the floor.
The black Kamen Rider looked around and saw that everyone was watching the fight from a safe distance, which made him relieved.
But as he approached the villain, Dark Drive saw him pulling what looked like a syringe from his pocket.
"I don't know who the hell you are, hero, but I'm about to turn you to ash!" He roared as he shoved to syringe into his neck.
His body violently convulsed for a few seconds before it stopped, the vigilante could only wonder what that drug was as the arsonist slowly began to get up off the floor.
"Oh yeah, that's the stuff!" He yelled before cocking his arms back and launched a column of flames stronger than anything before.
[Use the Blade Gunner!] Belt-san instructs his user as a new weapon comes into the Kamen Rider's possession, materializing in his hand.
The Blade Gunner is a sword utilized by Kamen Rider Dark Drive. It resembles Mashin Chaser's Break Gunner, but with the blade of Kamen Rider Drive's Handle-Ken.
This weapon is exclusive to Type Next, in a similar vein to Drive's Tire Specific Items. Dark Drive can use this weapon as either a sword, a gun, or a brass knuckle-like weapon
[WI-WI-Winter!]
With one vertical chop from the Blade Gunner and channeling the power of Road Winter, the incoming flames are parted and don't end touching Dark Drive, but still end flying through the whole area behind him with a loud blast.
*Boom!*
"What!?" Was the vigilante's first thought as he looked back at the arson villain. "That drug, it must have been some kind of Quirk enhancer, he's more dangerous than ever! I have to end this now!"
The villain in his doped-up state was clearly shocked at how easily the Kamen Rider shrugged of his attack.
"How the hell are you not ash?"
His stance was flawless and through the visor in his mask, the arsonist could feel the other man's gaze piercing his soul as he spoke:
"You can torch a building to the ground, but you can never burn what I am." He replies, tossing the Blade Gunner aside.
The villain visibly shook at his words.
"You wanna bet!?" The arsonist roared as he lunged at Dark Drive.
He came at him with a left hook that the Rider easily deflects with his right hand and, in that same motion, he hits him with a left punch that makes the villain slam against and bounce off the wall beside him.
Before the villain could react, he received a high side kick to the face that sent him back, almost knocking him out of trough the street.
"Fuuuck Yoou!" He roared in pain on the floor as he spat out blood and what Dark Drive could just make out was a tooth.
The villain raised his arms and brought them together cupping his hands, when he did, all the flames that covered the surroundings he attacked earlier came together, trapping the vigilante in a compressed ball of fire.
The Rider crossed his arms and quickly expanded them, dispersing the fire prison and revealing a dimly lit, black, scorched floor.
But the villain was nowhere to be seen.
The black vigilante could still hear the crackling of the still-burning building when suddenly, he could not anymore.
Dark Drive rushed to where the villain could be and was in shock.
He was producing flames from his feet that he was using to fly, but what worried the Rider was the fireball the arsonist was holding above his head, which was getting bigger.
The fire from the building was being transferred into the ball and was making it grow bigger, brighter and hotter. All the fire from the building had turned the fireball into a miniature sun that could be seen from blocks away, and then it began to shrink until it was the size of a softball.
[Oh, no.] Belt-san said in a low voice.
Looking to the side, the Kamen Rider could see the fire department and several EMS still helping people. He had to make sure that compressed inferno was aimed solely at him.
"I'm gonna torch every last one of you bitches!" The Villain declares, catching the attention of the onlookers.
"What do you mean? Didn't you say something about turning me to ash? I'm still here, and there's still not a scratch on me!" Dark Drive said, making the villain look at him.
Seeing that the 'hero' was indeed unscathed by his fire trap, the villain had had more than enough of this Kamen Rider.
"I'm really sick of looking at you, you know! It's about time I REALLY roast you for ruining my fun!"
"If you think you can do it then be my guest."
They struck at the same time.
The villain cocked his arm back and threw the ball with all his strength, and the small ball expanded and flew at high speeds upon leaving his hand.
At that same moment, Dark Drive jumped in the air directly in the path of the burning ball of death, rising higher and higher, the vigilante raised his leg to execute a Rider Kick to nullify the attack.
[Hissatsu! Full Throttle: Winter!]
That made the ball explode in a burst of flames and ice particles when his foot made contact.
The villain in his arrogant and high state had no time to register what just happened as the Rider was still coming.
Dark Drive soared through the energy explosion like a missile, his foot connecting and sinking into the villain's gut. The hero spins, bringing a kick to the villain's shoulder and sending him flying to the ground at high speeds.
*Crash!*
The Kamen Rider kicks off the air, propelling him to the ground first. He raises a hand and catches the unconscious villain with his hand pressed into his stomach.
Lowering the unconscious villain and looking and seeing that the fire was completely gone, leaving only a burnt building, that would be easily repaired in a week or so, Dark Drive could finally take a breath.
"Everything turned out alright."
He carried the unconscious villain and immediately heard the cheers of approval when the people saw him.
He handed the villain to EMS who began working on him.
The criminal was unconscious, at first inspection. They saw that the worst of his injuries was a broken jaw and that he was covered in ice particles, his body cold but not frozen to death.
The black Kamen Rider was immediately thanked by all of the tenants that he saved, many of them were going to be taken to a shelter until their home was fixed, but many of them HAD to see their 'hero' and thank him.
Everyone was so overjoyed and thankful just to be alive that it made Dark Drive feel so warm, and it reminded him that THIS, is why he put on the suit, that THIS, is what his training and power were for.
After making sure that all those present were ok, he was about to take his leave but the news crew had other plans.
"Wait! You saved all those people and defeated the Villain in no time flat! The only ones who can even compare to that would be someone like All Might or Endeavor! Before you go, can you please tell us who you are?!" Said the male reporter shoving a mic and camera in his face.
The vigilante looked at the camera and mic and simply walked past the news team before stopping with his back to them and turning his head to the right to look at them.
"I'm just a passing-through Kamen Rider. Remember that!" He said with pride and confidence before preparing to leave as the NEXTridoron suddenly appears and parks before the masked fighter.
And, of course, that is the exact moment when the Pro Heroes finally arrived on the scene.
There were two of them: Snatch and Backdraft.
Pro Hero
Sand Hero: Snatch
Real name: Higawara Sajin
Snatch was a rather muscular man with a long mustache. He wore a mask that left some of his hair hanging out, with the addition of a long ponytail. He appeared to wear a combat vest of sorts with tubes connected to his back. His upper body was always shown to be formed in sand, mainly his arms.
Quirk: [Sandstorm]
Snatch's Quirk allowed him to transform the upper half of his body into sand. He was able to control this sand with his mind, and increase the amount of it. He could even manipulate the sand into constructs, such as a lion. His sand is resistant to fire.
Pro Hero
Backdraft
This person works at the Musutafu Fire Department.
Backdraft is dressed like a firefighter, sporting a long yellow jacket with high-visibility lines running down the center, along with his sleeve cuffs, hem, and high collar, as well as a red fireman hat.
A thin cannon is strapped to his left shoulder which is attached to the red water tank he wears on his back.
He wears a white mask with a single orange bead embedded into the center, which could possibly be his eye. Backdraft also has taps for hands, with circular wristguards just behind their openings, red valves over the top, a pair of similar knee pads on his legs, and yellow sneakers on his feet.
Quirk: [Water Pump]
Backdraft's Quirk allows him to create water from the hose spigots that he has in place of his hands. He has a great level of control over the water, shown when he was able to shape the water into a barricade rail with 'X' shaped warning symbols.
"Were you the one to put out the fire?" Backdraft asks the Kamen Rider first.
But the vigilante doesn't say anything, now looking on guard before them.
Feeling a sudden sense of unease, the firefighter hero presses:
"Can you please show us your license?"
He then notices Fire Braver passing through him before landing on Dark Drive's shoulder, releasing a happy honk at its master.
'Is that the powerful fire engine minicar that the other firefighters have been talking about?' The firefighter hero wonders, now briefly intrigued.
Meanwhile, Snatch narrows his eyes in suspicion as the realization hits him.
The man before them is a vigilante.
But not just any vigilante...
"Wait a second… A black bodysuit… And a tire stuck across his chest… That must be him! The one that knocked out Vlad King!" He cries, now looking angry.
"Wait, is that him!?" Backdraft asks his fellow hero.
"Yes, there's no mistake! The other three also said the same, that this is how he looks like. This man is not a hero, but a vigilante!" Snatch affirms, still looking fiercely at Dark Drive.
Meanwhile, Yuriko watched from her spot, amidst the onlookers, as she thought about what she could do to help her senpai leave this area.
She is aware of the possibility of him having to face the Pro Heroes if the situation calls for it.
"We are grateful for you helping with putting out the fire and for taking down the villain behind it," Backdraft tells the Kamen Rider.
"But you will be coming with us to the station for a long talk," Snatch adds sternly, ready to apprehend the vigilante.
[Roll out, NEXTridoron!]
*Vroom!*
But that wouldn't end happening as the NEXTridoron suddenly begins to move on its own, forcing the two Pro Heroes to fall back as it drives on its own across the area…
"Catch me if you can." Dark Drive challenges them.
"Ah!" Backdraft yelps in surprise.
'There's nobody driving the car!?' Snatch notices in astonishment, looking inside of the NEXTridoron and finding no one driving the car.
The black Kamen Rider changes back into his default Next Shift Tire as the Road Winter Tire leaves his torso before it forcefully slammed into the Sand Hero's face.
"Argh!" Snatch grunts in pain, stumbling back as ice particles cover his face.
[Shift Cars, assemble!]
Belt-san commands as Max Flare, Funky Spike, Midnight Shadow, Next Builder, Next Hunter, Fire Braver and Road Winter start to attack the Pro Heroes, while also distracting them from Dark Drive.
[NEXTridoron, shoot!]
The black Mercedes-like car briefly begins to fire its blue lasers at the pair of Pro Heroes, purposely firing near their feet to make them retreat.
"Laser!? That car can also fire lasers!?" Backdraft comments in disbelief.
Nevertheless, Snatch and Backdraft are still semmed determined to capture Dark Drive.
But the vigilante wouldn't let them have things their way so easily...
He is proven to be faster and stronger than the two of them, immediately outpacing the two Pro Heroes with acrobatic moves that make them hardly able to keep up with him.
'What sort of Quirk this guy has!?' Backdraft thinks, trying to hit the Rider with his water with no success.
'Damn it! Hold still!' Snatch thinks, attempting to capture the black vigilante with his sand.
Dark Drive continuously kicks multiple times at a quick rate as he slides towards the Pro Heroes. The slide kicks them from the target, sending them flying before they fall on the floor with a loud thud.
"That's enough! Stay down!" The Rider warns them, now walking towards NEXTridoron.
If only things were that simple...
"Lion Head!" Snatch cries as he stands up, his arms transform with Quirk's activation as he launches a giant lion-shaped sand construct at the vigilante.
But by spinning his body rapidly, Kamen Rider Dark Drive manages to deflect the projectile attack the Sand Hero tries to use against him.
Next, Backdraft fires a large amount of water again at the vigilante, but the masked warrior can use super speed to float in the air and starts spinning to negate and disperse the water aimed at him.
The Pro Heroes look at the Kamen Rider with wide eyes. No matter what they tried, the vigilante was quickly nullifying all of their tricks!
But how!?
"This has gone long enough." Dark Drive speaks as he summons the Door-Ju.
He then loads Road Winter into the red gun's Shift Landing Panel as the other Shift Cars disperse and drive away.
[Hissatsu: Winter - Full Throttle!]
"Ha!" Dark Drive aims the Door-Ju at the pair of Pro Heroes, firing a powerful blast of cold energy at them.
Snatch and Backdraft had no time to react as the freeze shot hits them at point-blank, covering their bodies, with the exception of their heads, into large chunks of ice.
"Argh! What's this!?" Snatch grunts, trying to break free.
But to no avail...
"Wait!" Backdraft tries to call Dark Drive, only to be ignored by the vigilante.
With the ice completly trapping their bodies and freezing them, none of the Pro Heroes could activate their Quirks and go after the vigilante.
"Now cool your heads a little." Is the only thing the Kamen Rider tells them in a dry tone.
Now Dark Drive calmly gets into the NEXTridoron as the black Rider Machine stops before him. Without anybody else trying to stop him, the black-masked fighter calmly drives away from the place.
Once she sees that her senpai safely got away without gravely injuring the Pro Heroes and only incapacitating them, Yuriko calls the Musutafu precint. She requests them to bring someone with a fire Quirk to free Snatch and Backdraft as she also walks away from the area to later regroup with Yuuki and Krim.
The Closing Screen of this chapter shows Next Builder, Next Hunter, Road Winter and Fire Braver side by side with the logo of Kamen Rider Dark Drive behind them.
My Hero Academia Illegals: Vigilante Dark Drive
Drive 02: What is a Kamen Rider?
- End -
Author Notes:
Thank you for reading!
I forgot that Shift Next can't be used as a lever when inserted into the Shift Brace, much like Shift Deadheat's case. Sorry, I really forgot that. But I already fixed this mistake in the previous chapter.
So yeah, I decided to make Krim/Belt-san and the new Roidmudes get isekai'ed into the My Hero Academia universe. And I would like to give Krim the chance to interact with some of the My Hero Academia's characters without being in his Drive Driver form by granting him the opportunity to have a human body again.
This chapter is mainly focused on character development for Yuuki and Yuriko as they learn to work together, also learning about each other's reason to fight as they start to bond and get closer. And so, I think I will make Yuriko a Kamen Rider later eventually.
The Steinbelt Manor is based on Batman's Wayne Manor. I wonder if it was too obvious?
Not only Yuuki has basically access to all equipment to the Drive System, but he also had time to train before he became Kamen Rider Dark Drive. I hope this explains why he was able to easily fight the villain and the Pro Heroes despite their Quirks. It's unlike Tomari Shinnosuke's case, who had no prior training with the Rider System before transforming into Kamen Rider Drive for the first time.
If you guys have any suggestions that I could use for this new potential story idea, you're free/welcome to share!
Question(Please answer this in the Reviews if possible):
[What do you guys think about the Meta Liberation Army's goal? Should everybody be allowed to freely use their Quirks or no? Why?]
[What do you think about the Hero Public Safety Commission? Should they be somehow punished for their corrupt methods in maintaining the hero status quo?]
[Do you think creating a Shift Car with the power of [Magnestim] is a good or a bad idea? If yes, what would you call it? And in what type of car would you base it? How would it look to you in regards to its appearance?]
Review Time!
Dr. KRC PhD: Thanks! I will probably use the name you suggested.
Mufalan: I wanted an English name, just like how it works with the rest of the Shift Cars. But thanks for sharing your suggestion nonetheless.
Guest DCDGojira: Thanks!
#2nd review: Yeah, I know. I've been fine so far.
LegionnaireBlaze: Ok! I will probably do that.
TheOkWriter: Yeah, sure.
But since the protagonist will adopt a vigilante role with a dark motif, he will prefer to have his Kamen Rider name as 'Dark Drive' nonetheless since he thinks just 'Drive' is only suited for a more 'heroic' person.
And, of course, Yuuki will also learn about Tomari Eiji and Paradox Roidmude from Krim/Belt-san.
yogaratw607: Thanks!
Nice suggestion, I honestly didn't think about Hot Wheels! Maybe I can get something useful from it.
If someone ends becoming Kamen Rider Mach in my story, I probably won't take a student from U.A. High.
For'Sleepy: Thanks!
Guest: Thanks!
Don't worry, Izuku/Deku will not become a Kamen Rider. He will stay the same as in canon anime/manga, being a Hero Course student at U.A. with One For All as his Quirk.
I will try my best to make this story a Vigilant one where the Quirkless MC will be at odds with both Heroes and Villains alike.
SynchroRegis: Thanks!
LimX23: Thanks!
Austin: Thanks!
Alright, let's see...
1- Yeah, I feel the same about Izuku/Deku. I think it's enough with him just having One For All and being on the Hero Course.
2- There will be major changes in canon, such as certain characters obviously not dying due to Kamen Rider Dark Drive conveniently being present in specific events to avoid such tragedies from ever happening.
3- No, the speed-based Quirks would not make its users unaffected by the effects of Heavy Acceleration. So people like Iida Tenya, his brother Ingenium and even All Might would not be immune to it. Even Eri's [Rewind] Quirk would be useless because the Slowdown is a distortion that affects an entire area, living beings and objects, whereas her Quirk only affects one specific living target. And Eri can not use her Quirk on 'time' itself as it is not a living thing.
Unless you possess a Shift Car or it's a Roidmude, nobody else in the MY Hero Academia universe can freely move during the effects of Heavy Acceleration.
4- I honestly have not thought about the idea of making Yuuki and Yuriko meet and possibly rescue Eri before Izuku and the others did during the events of the Shie Hassaikai Arc. Maybe I could do that. But I would have to think about a proper plot first. Do you have any ideas?
5- You brought another important point in regards to the matters of this story by bringing up the issue of corruption involving the police and Pro Heroes.
In regards to that, Yuuki will try to deal with those corrupt people in the 'right way', by trying to expose them with evidence and beating the shit out of them if necessary.
Unlike with the Roidmudes, our protagonist WILL NOT resort to killing these people or the Villains he will end having to fight. Taking human lives is a line he will NOT cross. I want him to have a Batman-like mentality on such occasions where he deals with Quirks rather than mechanical monsters.
But on the other hand, someone else will kill them or try to do so. I have plans for the character that will become Mashin Chaser to fill this role. In contrast to the MC, this individual will have a Jason Todd/Red Hood mindset, believing his actions to be justified as he kills certain dangerous Villains(Muscular definitely being one of them) and corrupt people.
6- No, there will be no harems in this story. Only single pairings.
7- I will probably use Volt Wagon as the name for the Electric Shift Car.
8- Okay, thanks for the warning. I fixed that grammar mistake you mentioned.
D3lph0xL0v3r: Thanks! I will try to always update the next chapter as soon as I can.
Toa Solaric: Thanks! Yeah, I think it is for the best that Izuku only has his Quirk in my story.
Obsidian Nova Arc: Thanks! I also think the same about Izuku and how he doesn't try to do anything to solve the issue about prejudice against Quirkless people really upset me.
The MC will become a headache for the Quirk Society as well, teaching some humility to both Heroes and Villains alike that having superpowers isn't everything.
Ghostrapper1: Thanks! I will always try to update the story as soon as I can.
Dragon-XZero: Thanks! Ok, duly noted. I will take your advice into consideration.
Farhan Nugraha: Oh yeah, you're right! Thanks for the warning, I fixed that.
So, what do you guys think? Please give me some reviews if possible.
If you are interested, please go check my other stories.
Also, thanks to everybody that followed, favorited the story and gave reviews.
See You Next Time