Chapter 1 - New World, New Rider!
10 years old, Pandora's Box was brought back from Mars. It was activated, causing the Sky Wall Disaster, splitting Japan into three sections. From there, monsters known as Smash appeared from experiments involving Nebula Gas coming from the wall. However, heroes known as Kamen Rider revealed themselves to fight the smash. They stood against a lifeline known as Evolt, the catalyst for the disaster. After a battle that cost them the lives of many, they used the White Panel of Pandora's Box to create a new world, one without Pandora's Box, where the events of the Sky Wall never happened.
These riders remain in this new world, although on their own with no one remembering the events of the old world, save for the unfortunate few that were victims of the experiments of nebula gas. The main two riders of the team, Sento Kiryu and Ryuga Banjo live inside a small warehouse where they keep the white panel. Sento sits at his workbench using tools to pull wires out of scrapped mechanics. Banjo lays on an old sofa in the corner of the wall with a pillow on his face. The warehouse is relatively quiet with the exception of a small radio playing music quietly in the background, and the light sounds of small bits of metal hitting Sento's desk.
Outside the warehouse are some buildings. The neighbourhood is small, in disrepair and has barely anyone living there because of the low conditions. The rent is cheap to reflect it. On one of these buildings overlooking the warehouse stands a lone figure holding a transteam gun in one hand, and a small bottle in the other. They give the bottle a shake. There is a rattling sound from inside. When shaking the bottle, they twist the top with their thumb. Like a magazine, they attach the bottle to the gun.
"Creation!" A voice from the gun calls out.
The figure aims the gun at the floor. With narrow eyes and a deep voice, they call out a single word.
"Vaporize."
They pull the trigger on the gun. It creates a large black mist that engulfs the figure in the darkness.
The warehouse falls quieter as the radio starts to stutter. The music becomes wrapped and twisted, barely sounding like actual lyrics before the music just cuts out on its own. Banjo is the only one to notice as he pulls the pillow off his face to see the radio's light is out. Sento is too focused on his work to care.
"I thought you said you fixed that radio?" Banjo asks, moving on the sofa to sit upon the cushion. Sento doesn't reply to this, instead continues to tinker with the mechanics in front of him to the point that a turf of hair sticks up like a horn.
"Hey! Genius!" Banjo tosses the pillow he is clutching at Sento, hitting him in the back of the head to grab his attention.
"What?" He asks, not taking his eyes off the table.
"The radio is dead again. I thought you said you fixed it."
"It is fixed. Maybe you should try getting up to change the station. I'm very busy right now."
Banjo stretches, cracking his neck before standing up. "What are you working on now? Another 'miracle of science'?" Banjo asks, his tone coming across as sarcastic.
"I have the urge to create another robot like your dragon," Sento replies.
Banjo stops as he reaches out to the radio. His eyes widen as if he is in deep thought about something. "Are you crazy? Last time you made a new one I was almost killed by a flamboyant spider!"
Sento handwaves this concern away. "This won't be like last time. We dealt with Evolt, and I doubt he has any more family to deal with."
The door suddenly explodes. Pieces of debris and wood are flown across the makeshift lab. As the light from outside enters the warehouse, a figure in armour walks in. They look like a Kamen Rider in gold armour with a black finish design underneath the gold. On their chest is a symbol closely resembling a hand.
The two riders look at each other, then back to the black and gold rider.
"Who the hell are you?" Banjo shouts. He reaches into his jacket pocket, grabbing a purple bottle.
The black and gold rider does not answer him. Instead, they just look around the room, searching for something.
"What do you want?" Sento asks as he moves his hand under the table grabbing the handle of the Drill Crusher, already in the gun form.
Again, the rider is silent. Finally, they find what they are looking for. At the other end of the room was the White Panel of Pandora's Box, hanging on the wall. "The panel." The rider lets out as they begin walking towards the two.
"Oh no, you don't!" Banjo pulls out his Dragon Full Bottle and starts to shake it.
He charges for the rider. He punches the rider in the chest, there is a visible sign of impact from the attack, but the rider doesn't move. The rider hits Banjo with the palm of his hand. The attack was strong enough to lift Banjo into the air as he soars across the lab onto the sofa.
"Banjo!" Sento watches this unfold. "At least I don't need to feel guilty for this now."
Sento pulls the drill crusher from under the table and fires at the rider. The bullets connect with the rider but they continue to walk through them. Seeing no effect, Sento changes the crusher into its sword formation. Before he can swing at the rider, Sento is hit by the back of the rider's hand, smashing him over the table. He slides over the surface and lands on the floor.
As Sento picks himself back off the ground, he notices the rider walking towards the white panel.
"He's after the panel!" Sento calls out to alert Banjo.
Sento stands up. Out of nowhere, he pulls out a Build Driver and slaps it on his waist. A belt appears around him once attached. He pulls out two bottles of different colours, red and blue. He shakes them a little before twisting the tops. He smacks them into the build driver.
"Rabbit! Tank! BEST MATCH!"
The Build Driver calls out the bottles as they recognise them. Grabbing the handle, Sento starts to turn it, creating a build both in front and behind him.
"Are you ready?"
"Henshin!" He calls out as the builds collide together, becoming armour around Sento, turning him into Kamen Rider Build.
"Steel Moonsault! Rabbit Tank!"
Brandishing his sword again, Sento charges for the rider. He slashes them in the back, causing some sparks to fly before getting in front of them. He keeps swinging at the rider, but they avoid his attacks, stepping back after each swing. Banjo rolls himself off the sofa and onto the floor. Getting up, he puts his fingers in his mouth and whistles. Sitting in a makeshift nest of magazines, a small purple dragon leaps down and soars towards Banjo. He pulls out a build driver of his arm and slaps it on. Banjo catches the dragon out of the air and collapses it into a more compact shape. Banjo shakes the bottle before pushing it into the dragon's back.
"Wake Up!"
Banjo attaches the compact dragon into the build driver in place of bottles.
"Cross-Z Dragon!"
Like with Sento, Banjo turns the handle to create a build around him.
"Are you ready?"
"Henshin!" Banjo calls out as the build collides with his body.
"Wake Up Burning! Get Cross-Z Dragon! Yeah!"
Now transformed, Banjo as Kamen Rider Cross-Z joins the fight, taking out his Beat Closer. Both Riders use their blades to attack the previously dominant foe. While before they were able to dodge attacks when they avoid one of the swords, they are immediately hit by the others. The attacks that connect do not show any sign of hurting them, despite the sparks that come off their body. Banjo strikes the rider in the chest. In response, the rider kicks Banjo's chest, pushing him back as the rider stammers back.
Sento uses this window to try and attack, swinging their sword. The rider is quick enough to catch the drill bit of the blade and push back, keeping a tight grip. The rider opens their free hand and a thick mist emits from their palm. The mist takes form into a near-perfect replica of the drill crusher.
"What?" Sento is shocked at the sight of the rider's cloning ability.
The rider attacks Sento with their weapon. Unable to defend themself, he takes the full hit of the attack. Their version of the weapon seems to be stronger as the attacks do more damage to Sento. The rider is able to move around them. After another hit from the sword, Sento is sent back, switching places with the rider. Turning their back to them, the hostile rider continues to walk towards the panel.
"Like hell, you're getting that." Banjo steps in the way.
"Your bravery is admirable. But they're not the ones to write history." The rider speaks to Banjo directly.
With their beat closer in hand, Banjo swings for the rider. The rider uses their crusher to block the attack. However, on impact with the sword, it begins to crack. The rider is forced to take a step back to avoid getting hit by Banjo.
"Gorilla! Diamond! BEST MATCH!"
From behind the rider, Sento attacks them, striking them in the back with a large first. Banjo quickly steps out of the way as the rider is sent flying into a rack of tools and scraps from Sento's attack. Sento walks closer, standing right beside Banjo.
"Nice hook" Banjo comments, using their sword to tap on Sento's large gorilla arm. "It's been a while since I've seen that Match."
"I was feeling nostalgic. I doubt he'd be able to copy a punch." Sento remarks.
The hostile rider slowly starts to get back on their feet. Despite the attacks, they do not look too badly beaten. As they stand up, the sword in their hand finally dissolves onto the floor, Sento notices.
"It's not very durable for a sword." He thinks to himself, "But it packed some power to it."
The hostile rider clenches their fist as dust falls from the gapes in their fingers. They open their palm, letting out more mist. Banjo and Sento ready themselves when they see him call more mist. The rider stops when they notice the panel in the corner of their eye. Changing plans, they throw their hand in the panel's direction. A ball of mist is thrown towards the panel before hitting the white panel.
"No!" Sento starts running towards the rider.
The white panel absorbs the mist like a sponge. Nothing else seems to happen. With the rider's attention on the panel, Sento attacks the rider with their fist. He hits them in the face, throwing them back into the rack. The rack falls apart as the rider is slammed into the wall. The rider tries to get back onto their feet but Sento grabs him by the back of the neck and tosses them across the lab.
Banjo runs passed Sento to the panel. Grabbing it, he takes it down from the wall and examines it.
"What did he do?" He asks, turning the panel around to check the back.
As Banjo turns the panel to face him again it starts to glow purple.
"What's happening…" Banjo's words are cut off as a large arm comes out of the panel hitting him in the face.
Banjo drops the panel on the floor as a Smash sprout out of the panel. The smash approaches Banjo, its foot kicks the panel towards the rider. The large smash spreads their arms as they start swinging at the two riders. The rider seeing their opportunity grabs the white panel off the floor and starts to run, with a limp towards another door. Pulling out the gun they used to transform, they shoot at the handle. With their strength they kick down the door and flee.
The two good riders grapple with the smash.
"Banjo, you deal with the smash. I gotta get that panel back. "
"On three, push, then you run!"
"One…two…three!" On-time, the pair push back against the smash, Sento uses the fist of his form to add more power to the push.
Sento pulls the bottles out of his driver and pulls out two more. He shakes them before attaching them to the driver.
"Hawk! Gatling! BEST MATCH!"
"Build Up!" Sento turns the gear, changing into an orange and grey suit.
From his back, he sprouts out a large pair of bird-like wings. Using them, Sento leaps over the smash and out the open door to give chase to the rider.
"Okay. Now it's just you and me." Banjo grabs a gold bottle and shakes it before attaching it to his sword.
"Special tune!"
Banjo pumps the sword and starts to swing it around in the air. The blade turns gold before he thrusts it towards the smash, wrapping it in a gold chain. The chain keeps the smash's arms to their sides, the body of the smash starts to crack.
"Now for the good part." Banjo tosses his sword away before grabbing the handle of the driver.
He turns its gear hard as a dragon made of blue flames appears behind him. The more he turns, the brighter his right leg starts to glow, almost like it is on fire.
"Ready go!"
Sento leaps towards the chained up Smash. The dragon behind him shoots its fire, pushing him towards the smash.
"Dragonic Finish!"
With a burning kick, and slash from the attack, Banjo slices through the smash. He lands behind the smash, landing on his right leg. The smash explodes in a blue flame.
"I missed doing that." Banjo remarks before falling back. He lands on his back flat, still in his suit.
The rider continues to make a hasty retreat. They stumble with every other step. They drag their legs as he tries to keep a tight grip on the panel. The rider is hit by a sudden barrage of bullets in the back from the sky. They fall onto the floor, pulling the panel underneath them. The rider looks up to see Sento in his hawk Gatling suit. Sento lands in front of him, clutching his Hawk Gatlinger. He keeps it aimed at the rider.
"So, for a first meeting…you've made a terrible first impression." Sento quips, keeping his distance from the rider.
"If you let me go, I promise to make your fate more merciful." The rider declares, their voice sounding tired.
"Hmm, tempting. But I can't allow you to run away with that."
The rider keeps a tighter grip on the panel, covering the mist that is seeping into the panel. They reach behind him to grab his transteam gun.
"You're not using it. I need it." The rider slowly starts to pick themself off the ground.
"For what?" Sento asks, following the rider with their gatlinger.
"Soon." The rider shield's themself with the panel, forcing out another smash.
The new smash looks to be designed after a jet. The jet smash shoots at the ground in front of Sento to push him back. Sento fires back at the smash. The smash is fast enough to dodge the bullets in the air. The rider uses the transtream to create a cloud of black mist to cover themselves before disappearing with the evaporating mist.
"Damn it! He got away." Sento exclaims.
Unable to focus on the loose, Sento grows out his wings again and takes to the sky to meet the smash head-on. The jet smash opens its shoulders. The smash starts to unload a barrage of small missiles towards Sento. Sento is fast enough to dodge one or two of them. The missiles that miss-hit the neighbouring buildings.
Missiles start to fly closer to Sento. Using his gatlinger, he shoots down the missiles that come closer. After destroying a few of them, two missiles push through the smoke cloud and hit Sento. They explode on impact. Sento falls out of the sky, hitting the ground hard. After landing, he is forced to revert out of his suit.
"Okay…so definitely stronger than a normal smash." Sento grunts before getting back on his feet. "I still have another trick up my sleeve though."
From out of his pocket, Sento pulls out another, larger full bottle, and shakes it. Turning it to the side, Sento cracks open the top like a can of pop. He slams it into the build driver and starts to turn.
"RabbitTank Sparkling!"
The jet smash tries to fire missiles at Sento as he transforms. The build grid around him protects him from the attacks, and even bounces a few stray missiles around the road.
"Are you ready?"
"Henshin!" The build grid closes around Sento, turning him into RabbitTank Sparkling.
"The effervescent burst! RabbitTank Sparkling! Yeah yeah!"
Sento throws his hands in the air, spawning the drill crusher and hawk gatlinger in both hands. He uses both guns to fire at the smash. They try to defend themself, but the bullets tear through the smashes body. Bits of dust break off the smashes body. Sento toss the guns and grabs the handle of the driver. He turns it fast before leaping into the air, reaching higher than the jet smash.
"Vortex finish!"
The jet smash tries to fire more missiles at Sento as he hovers in the air. The missiles get halfway before getting sucked into the vortex that appeared between Sento and the smash. With his right foot extended, Sento fires his whole body like a large bullet into the vortex, destroying the missiles as he passes through. With a single strike, Sento tears through the smash, destroying its legs on impact.
Sento lands on the ground hard as what's left of the smash falls into a small apartment, and then explodes. Sento looks around his surroundings, lamenting what has happened.
"Good thing no one else really lives in the neighbourhood." Sento looks at the damage on the road, "I don't know what that rider wants with the panel, but it can't be for something just."
Some footsteps are heard down the street. They sound loud as if someone was in a hurry.
"They can create clones of weapons and smash, and make them stronger than the original. But their copies seem weaker as if their bodies can't handle the power. Strange." Sento rubs his face through the armour, "That rider also seemed to have a transtream system, but I don't recognise the bottle he was using."
The footsteps finally stop as a finger emerges from around the corner. They look up at the remains of the destroyed apartment.
"What the hell happened to my apartment?!" The voice shouts, catching Sento's attention.
Sento turns around and locks eyes with the stranger. "Uh….uhm."
To be continued.