Senki Zessho Symphogear: A Cybernetic Touch
~A tale of the valkyries and the beasts that follow them…~
Chapter 15: Shocking Turn! -Revival of The Wolf-
WARNING: I own none of these characters sides from my OC(s). All rights go to their respective owners and properties.
This is nothing more than, well a fanfic, a story made up by a fan for entertainment and knowledge.
Everything in this fic is not canon and is only meant to give the audience a new idea of the works of each of the franchises in this story.
So please support me, my work and have some fun. Now enjoy the story. ^w^
"Gah! Just what have those terrorists been doing to Balto?" a Section 2 member noted as they brought in an extremely restrained Balto into base.
"Well at least he's still asleep." Another member worried, "I do not want to be on the receiving end of his rampages."
As the two wheeled the boy into the base, the rest of Team Zero were staving off the injuries they had sustained during their battle with both the Nephilim and Metsubojinrai.
But that wasn't all as Hibiki was swiftly rushed into the medical room, with Cody and a recently arrived Miku were over her bedside with worry and fear. However they were soon forced to leave her side for the doctors to work on whatever happened as the two siblings were hugging each other over their anxiety.
'Just how did this all go wrong?' Tsubasa thought as while she got her beloved back, he wasn't in the same state of mind he used to be.
Of course they at least had one thing taken, and that was the fact that they contained Nefertiti as well, so whatever info she had, they'll learn too.
"Oh, crap! He's awake!" one of the Section 2 members panicked as several more quickly rushed in to try and keep the now flailing and wild Balto restrained.
"Let! Me! Go!" he roared as he tried to break free of his restraints.
"Easy, we're not going to hurt you!" another Section 2 member tried to reassure him.
"Lies! You with enemy! You make us all either be host for old lady or weapons!" He roared in rage, not understanding that FIS and Section 2 were two different things.
Tsubasa sighed as she shook her head before noticing Chris place a hand on her shoulder.
"Trus me, we'll get him back to normal." she reassured the swordswoman.
"I know…" The bluenette nodded, as it truly would only be time before he would come back to normal, or hopefully less violent.
(SONG: DOWN BY LAW - THE RAMPAGE from EXILE TRIBE)
/Prelude/
We see various objects ranging from the Relic pendants to Progrise Keys fall from the sky before we see the different light grasshoppers appear and form the current logo.
/ME & YOU
kakenuketa BAD TIMES/
It soon transitions into one of the Relic pendants as we see reflections of moments of Cody, Hibiki, Tsubasa, Balto, and Chris from the prior arc.
/CHANGE THE GAME
hitorikiri ja koe rarenai/
Dr. Ver then stands up with his hands raised into the air, transitioning the scene to show the Noise flying overhead before jumping to show Section 2 with Tsubasa and Balto standing there all.
/tōmawari no hibi o wakachi
au imi oshiete kureta/
The background quickly darkens to show the gunner falling to his knees and howling to the sky, afterwards it then transitions to show Cody hanging out with Hibiki and Miku before he turns to see Ark-One glaring at him in the reflection of the mirror.
/Kimi to mita ano mirai-zu o shinji teru
sure ENOUGH (UH, UH HUH)/
It finally shows Chris standing in the remnants of Fine's mansion as she recollects the memories of her parents.
/imasara iranai REASON kienai ganbō
yowakina kanjō matomete LET IT GO/
Afterwards a swing of the black Gungnir transitions the scene to show Maria standing alongside Shirabe and Kirika, who had also transformed into their Gear forms.
/nani ga okite mo KEEP YA HEAD UP/
Afterwards, another swing of the Attache Arrow shows the remaining three members of Metsubojinrai before showing Naki alone as she reached out for Balto. However Gai then grabs her by the head as he transforms into the Thousandriver for him to use against Cody.
/Akogareta mirai made sā, ikō WE CAN MAKE IT (UH HUH)
toman'naide (UH HUH)/
It then transitions into a fight between Thouser and Zero-One Shining Hopper as they clashed, Thousand Jacker to Authorise Buster. Meanwhile in the sky, Shirabe and Hibiki were battling as the former sent out several saws at her. Luckily, Hibiki is able to block before landing a stronger punch on the girl.
/mata kyō mo sekai wa kawaru keredo/
It then transitions into Vulcan Assault Wolf fighting against Neferiti only for him to tag in with Tsubasa who had her hands full with Maria as they clashed. Afterwards, the Fighting Jackal Raider and Kirika double-teamed Chris who was more than ready to face off with them.
/YOU'RE MY FAMILY (UH HUH)
bure nai negai to DREAM/
It then shows Zero-One standing alone in the Lunar Ruins as he sees all four members of Metsubojinrai alongside the feral Vulcan and Neferiti.
/WE ARE DOWN BY LAW don'na toki mo tatakau koto kara nige tari wa shinai/
With a heavy heart, Zero-One begins to fight the six dark Riders down as the camera spins around while he fights each one individually.
/WE ARE DOWN BY LAW don'na kabe mo koete iku kara
WOO WE DO IT FOR REAL/
Just when he thinks he's alone, Hibiki, Tsubasa, and Chris arrive, Team Zero back as one as they stood at the ready.
/Interlude/
The four then hold hands before charging into battle against their enemies, the camera panning to showcase them all beforehand.
/WE DO IT FOR REAL/
The opening then ends with them posing in the city lights with the broken moon behind them.
"Grah! Let me go!" Balto roared as Genjuro arrived to see the feral gunner.
"Any progress on reverting what they did?" He asked the nearby guards.
"Sadly, none." he sighed, "We've made slight progress. He's not in his berzerker state anymore, but his memories are still locked away."
"Dammit… I rather not try to probe into his head. Tsubasa would kill me if I even tried." Genjuro chuckled before sighing, "Just keep doing your best. Maybe having him listen to her songs will help out?"
"We could, but we've been more occupied with trying to avoid him breaking out than playing Tsubasa's songs." the guard said as he turned towards several injured guards.
"We still have to try something, otherwise we'll lose our advantage." Genjuro noted, as he placed down his RisePhone and let it start playing some of Tsubasa's songs alongside the Zwei Wing album he also had installed in.
As the feral gunner snarled at the two newest guards, his ears perked up at the song as he turned towards Genjuro. Balto seemed confused as he looked at the former Kamen Rider, the song playing in the background.
"Do you remember me, Balto?" he asked the gunner. "These songs… of Tsubasa and Kanade."
"Tsu… Kana…" the boy muttered, trying to figure out why those two names sounded familiar.
"Yes. Remember them, Balto. Remember your love for them." Genjuro said, as it seemed to be working.
However, when the boy tried to remember, he felt a twitch in his brain which quickly reverted back to him snarling at the guards.
"Balto! Remember, dammit! Tsubasa is worried sick over you! She's crying out of fear of losing you! Do you want that!?" Genjuro shouted out to the boy.
"Grah! Brain… hurt! What's… going… on?!" he snarled as the pain continued. Yet when Genjuro was ready to do something, the gunner cried out in agony before dropping onto the ground unconscious.
Genjuro rushed over to check his vitals as he groaned in frustration, "It seems whatever those bastards did to him, they planted a shut down shock into him…. See if there's a chip or device in his skull! Maybe removing that will finally change things around?" He ordered out.
"Yes sir." the guard nodded as they began to call in another set of medics for assistance as the ex-rider walked out with a heavy sigh.
"Damn you, Ver… Damn you, Gai. These kids should not be treated like weapons or tools!" Genjuro said in disgust, slamming his fist through one of the metal walls nearby to vent his frustration before walking back to the bridge.
XXX
Meanwhile, back with Cody and Miku, they were awaiting the results of whatever the doctors were doing to their best friend. Cody soon gripped his arm, the one that had been replaced by synthetic metal after Fine ripped his old one off.
"Still having phantom pains?" Miku asked as the boy nodded.
"Yeah… But also because now Hibiki had the same problem…. I hope she doesn't lose her smile…" Cody said with worry, "I mean, it took a lot of therapy to even be able to use this arm again."
"True… but if there was one thing I know about Hibiki? It's that even when she tries to force herself to smile and not worry others, she truly does her best and prevails. I mean, she never gave up on you." Miku reminded him with a smile.
He couldn't help but chuckle before the image of Hibiki smiling made him lightly blush a bit. Before his sister could catch the blush, the doctors walked out of the doors to address the siblings.
"How is she?" Cody asked.
"We will have to inform everyone about what we discovered…. It's… honestly shocking…" The doctor said with the most grimace, shocking look they have seen before. This only made the two's anxiety worsened as they looked at one another and hugged before following the doctor to the bridge, as everyone else was there as well, now patched up from the fight.
"What's the status on Tachibana?" Genjuro asked.
"Well… we found something that would literally explain everything… Including how she regenerated her arm with the nanomachines, without even a trace of said repairing on it." The doctor said as he took the center stage.
"As you all know, Aldrich-san also had his arm regenerated by the nanomachines from Ark." the doctor said, pulling up the x-rays as even though to the regular eye, it looked normal. But to everyone else, they could literally see the small bits of metal, plastic and more that reformed his arm. This was one of the methods that nanomachines would do, leaving behind a small blueprint of their work.
"But for Tachibana? It's… more than that." He said, showing her x-rays.
But the moment he did made everyone's jaw drop in shock. While her arm was there, there was not only no blueprint of the repairing done by the nanomachines, but more as in the center of her body showed a black center that was now almost spreading out of her entire body.
"For some strange reason, the new arm was created to be completely identical to her original arm, but we also found that the shard of Gungnir has been spreading throughout her body." the doctor explained.
"W-What… is all this? What does that mean?" Miku asked, as she looked mortified.
"Basically… The reason for not only her explosive power, but also her shocking energy output, and literally everything about her? Is because she's practically fusing with the Gungnir shard…. We…. We also believe that if she continues to fight and use it? She…. could die from the fusion." The doctor regretfully informed them as he lowered his head in shame.
Cody turned, utterly shocked as his face showed too many emotions to count and express. All he could hear repeating in his head that made his heart sink and even crack, was that Hibiki could die. The boy… honestly couldn't fathom that. Not again, not after the lie he was told long ago. He quickly turned and raced out the door in a state of panic and sadness.
"Cody!" Miku gasped, rushing after her brother while everyone looked at them.
"Let them be… they both need to grieve and work through this…" Genjuro said, as he knew the two others would try to chase after them. "For now… do not tell Tachibana about this whenever she wakes up. Those two are the only ones who'll help her through this and keep her alive." He ordered the two other relic users.
"Damn this whole thing…" Chris spat out, as even she tried to hold back her tears at the thought of the girl, her technical first friend and one who believed in her would die if she continued onward.
Tsubasa remained silent, but nodded as she looked at the x-rays once more, "I will do what I must to keep her alive and happy…. You have my word." she responded to the commander with a nod.
XXX
Meanwhile, Miku had finally caught up with Cody as the two were now outside headquarters. She soon saw her brother was looking at the stars.
"I can't, Miku…. I already know how I was when I thought you two died before… I can't go through it again…." He said, rubbing his eyes to try to stop him from crying but unable to hold back the tears.
As Miku tried to find a way to reassure her brother, he was right. She saw how distraught she and Hibiki were when they thought Cody had died, but she couldn't help but imagine the pain that Cody went through, having to fight for two years with the thought that he caused their deaths.
"All… all we can do is be there for her… If we can make sure she doesn't fight, she'll be fine." Miku said, hugging her brother as she felt him shiver and whimper out. "I'm scared too…. Hibiki and you are the best things in my life…. I too don't want her to die either…. But we can be there for her, just like how I am with you right now."
Feeling scared for Hibiki, the pair finally recomposed themselves as they returned to the group, eyes puffy but they're okay. Tsubasa and Chris notice as they walk over to hug the two, offering their own sympathy and support as that helped make the two siblings feel better.
"Glad to have you two back. Seems we also found some info about Tachibana's condition." Genjuro said, holding up a USB stick, "It seems even Ryoko knew about it as well, but only as a theory. Perhaps even she couldn't figure out a way to stop it since she used the Nehushtan relic to do the same… and we all know what happened in the end too…"
They all nodded as they returned their gaze towards Hibiki's x-rays, unsure of what to do…
XXX
At FIS, they too were recovering from the previous battle, however they got off much worse than Team Zero. After all, they lost two Operators in the scuffle and Metsubojinrai nearly destroyed their base.
"DAMN IT ALL!" Gai howled out in anger, tossing and breaking some of the devices or cases they had in a fit of rage, "This is your fault, you know?" He hissed, turning to the three girls. "If you all weren't so weak, everything would be set in place!"
"What?! Hey, we were trying our best to keep them away-desu!" Kirika snapped.
"Yet we now lost not only that lousy dog, but the bird too! So tell me, if this is your best? Then maybe we should just be rid of you three and find someone more worthwhile?" Gai glared, as if he was ready to actually attack the trio.
"Gai, enough!" 'Mother' snapped at the CEO. "As bad as it is, our goal still remains. We still have what we need for it."
"But Professor Natasajja!" Gai tried to argue, but the professor had a point after some quick reflection and the CEO soon backed off.
"Speaking of, where's the doctor?" Maria questioned.
"Hehehe…. Right here!" Ver said, climbing back in with a devious grin on his face as it seemed he was covered in dirt, "As troublesome as it was… it's not lost." He said before holding up the beating heart of the Nephilim.
"What's the point of having it's heart?" Shirabe pondered.
"Hehe, everything little bunny." Ver chuckled out, "If the heart still beats? It means it can still be of use when we find our prize." he stated with a smile.
"And of our loss of our tools?" Gai questioned.
"A necessary loss. As long as we get Frontier, we'll have no need for them." Ver said, waving off, "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to test another theory I had cooking." The crazed doctor said before entering his lab.
Despite that, Gai still felt the sting of losing Balto and Nefertiti, especially since now, he had just lost one of his best trump cards…
XXX
Back within Section 2, Hibiki began to stir as she groaned and found herself laying in the medic bay. The weakened girl regained herself as she stood up, but as she did she felt something prick her as she looked down at her scar to find what looked to be a scab. But it was orange with metal and yellow gem-like spots on it as it fell off of her, making her confused as to what that even was?
"Tachibana-san, are you alright?" one of the doctors asked the Gungnir user.
"Hm? Yeah, just a bit tired." Hibiki nodded, "What… happened? Did we win?" She asked, as it seemed she didn't even recall how the fight went.
"I'm not sure." he lied, "But regardless, it seems that you were just too exhausted from the battle."
"Guess so… Hehe, I could go for a few bowls of ramen right about now." Hibiki chuckled, as her stomach growled out, showing she was getting back on her feet already.
Once she walked out, the Gungnir user was greeted by Cody and Miku, who rushed to her side and hugged her tight.
"You're awake!" Miku sighed in relief.
"You had us scared for a moment after the fight…." Cody added on as he was shivering slightly knowing that she was now awake.
"Umm, yeah…" she noted before recalling something, "What about you? Are you alright Cody?" she asked the boy.
"Yeah, just had the wind knocked out of me from the hit was all." Cody nodded in response.
"I heard your stomach. How about we head out for some food? My treat." Miku offered as she smiled at her friend.
Hibiki soom smiled as the trio went to grab some food. Despite this, her mind still drifted back to the strange scab she found on her body.
XXX
Meanwhile, Kirka and Shirabe were on a snack run, as the scythe girl was already chewing down some chips, humming in delight of the flavor as she walked alongside her best friend. Though, Shirabe was silent, pondering in her thoughts over this whole ordeal.
"Shirabe, is everything alright?" Kirika asked, looking a bit concerned about her best friend.
"Just… thinking about everything…" Shirabe said, "Are… we really doing what's right for the world?"
"Well, I guess we do-dess." Kirika said with a shrug.
"But… are we really? Ver and Gai both think this is going to be the best… But is it for everyone or just themselves?" Shirabe pointed out, "I just don't know anymore…" she sighed, as the young girl leaned against a slight slab of metal.
But as she does, she slipped as the metal fell back and knocked against several pipes and metal spires, only for them to begin to fall down towards the girls. Kirika quickly rushed to her side and protect her friend.
The pipes and spires soon crashed, landing on the ground hard and covering the two girls. Within it, Kirika closed her eyes, waiting for it to hurt or worse…. But it didn't. She opened her eyes to find Shirabe already passed out, but around them both was a sphere of energy, one similarly used by someone that was defeated a while ago.
'T-This…. This was one of Fine's powers….' Kirika gasped in thoughts. Soon she realized what this meant…. She was going to become the next Fine.
"I see… so you are actually the one…" Gai noted from afar, "Looks like we might not have to worry about losing those two after all. Yes…"
XXX
A few weeks later, Hibiki and their friends from school were heading out, going to one of the malls for a little shopping trip to deal with one of the upcoming festivals their town had and needed some dresses and more.
"Do we have to go? Can't I just wear my usual outfit?" Hibiki asked, complaining about being 'too girly' for the festival.
"Now now, you asked me to help choose an outfit. You can't exactly blame me for picking something that matches you." Miku said.
"But some of the stuff is just… too girly for me… they fit you better than I." Hibiki pouted out.
"I don't know, why don't you ask Cody over there?" Yumi giggled out.
The fighter blushed as she turned to see him looking over certain things with Izu as she turned back.
"I-I don't know what you mean by that!" Hibiki huffed out with a blush on her face.
"So… does that mean Cody's free?" Yumi asked, as the otaku smirked softly.
"NO! You won't dare date him!" Hibiki cried out comically and with jealousy.
"Told you she's possessive." Yumi chuckled to the others, "And here I thought the childhood friend deal was just a manga cliche."
"You really should get out more, Yumi." Kuriyo sighed, "Lay off them."
"But everyone likes them!" Yumi pouted out as the others laughed together from this moment.
'I really am cursed…' the Gungnir user thought to herself.
"Seems like you're having fun…. Daughter of Odin…"
Hibiki soon felt a chill down her spine as she looked towards where the voice came from.
Soon walking out in front of them was Dr Ver, with a devious grin on his face, "I'd like to both thank you and curse you. Thank you for making me realize that my precious Nephilim can be used as more than just a beast… But also…" He hissed out before using Solomon's Cane to spawn several Noise around them.
"CURSE YOU FOR CONSTANTLY RUINING EVERYTHING!" Ver howled out in rage.
SHINING HOPPER!
[When I shine, darkness fades!]
Before the doctor could skewer the Gungnir user with the Cane's ThousandJacker mode, Zero-One blocked it with the Authorize Buster, cutting down a couple of the Noise that he had summoned.
"Can you ever just shut up?" The grasshopper Rider groaned out in annoyance.
"Oh, but I will, when she dies! Besides…forget that I'm never alone?" Ver grinned out to the Rider.
Zero-One looked prepared himself for any surprise backup the doctor had, only for a slash to occur as Thouser came out with a chuckle.
"Must admit, doing this to be rid of these two is quite the move, Doctor." Thouser chuckled out, "I'll keep the boy busy as you turn them into ash."
"Good." Ver noted before readying his weapon, "Now where were we?"
Hibiki glared, as she looked ready to sing, only for Miku to stop her. "Hibiki, no! W-We should flee instead! Let Cody handle this!" Miku said to her friend.
"I can't let him fight alone! I made a promise to myself that I'll always be there for him!" Hibiki said, soon getting out of Miku's grasp as she rushed ahead and sang. But right when a Noise got close, she slammed her fist into the Noise…. Without her armor on!?
"What in the world?!" he gasped.
Soon her body began to glow like an iron hot piece of metal as her armor formed and she pushed through the Noise as it was instead burned into nothing. Something about this changed as Hibiki grunted out from whatever this change was as the literal ground looked to be melting from her own body.
"Tsk, so it seems that brat's power is evolving much faster than we expected." the crowned Operator observed.
"Hibiki!" Zero-One cried out with fear from this, only to get a knee in the stomach from Thouser for his troubles.
"You still have to worry about me, boy! Don't worry, they all will join you soon." the crowned Operator said coldly.
Even though Hibiki had swiftly beaten the Noise, her body began to grow hotter and hotter as she kneeled onto the ground in agony.
'W-What… is this pain? Why… can't I fight? Why is… everything so hot?' Hibiki groaned out, as she couldn't even move after the change.
"Heh, seems like all I need to do is let you burn yourself out! Simple as that!" Ver grinned, lowering his weapon to watch the girl destroy herself.
Soon, Tsubasa and Chris arrived, having gotten the call from Zero-One. The Noise that was there soon turned their attention from Miku and her friends to them instead, the creatures snarling.
"We have to hurry and help Tachibana!" Tsubasa said, drawing out her sword.
"Got it, I'll keep the Noise busy while you try and cool off Hibiki!" the archer noted before unloading a barrage of arrow blasts on the Noise.
Tsubasa attempted to, but was swiftly stopped by some Magia that Thouser brought with him as she started to deal with them. Seems this was a dangerous plan for them all.
XXX
Meanwhile, Balto opened his eyes to find himself in what looked to be a dark room, unable to see anything at all beyond the slight light above him.
"Where… where am I?" the gunner called out.
"Your head, obviously." a voice spoke.
Balto looked around before coming face to face with a man wearing a blue camo suit and black padded gear standing before him.
"The heck? Who are you?" Balto asked.
"I'm you… Well, kind of" He responded.
"I don't get it." he noted before realizing, "Wait, the concert! Tsu's in trouble!"
"It's been too long since then. Right now, you, or I should say, all of us are in trouble and on the verge of dying." The man said.
"Excuse me, what? How are we dying?" the gunner asked.
"You can thank Gai and Ver for planting a failsafe, that should you return to Section 2? The virus chip will activate and kill us. But we all can make it out of here together." the man said, before soon walking into view was none other than Naki.
"The heck?! Naki, you're here too!? I thought you're scrap!" the gunner snapped.
"I am. I was part of the chip, implanted within you when they took my core." She noted with a nod.
Balto felt his head as he could feel a slight buzz in his head, "Would explain the headache, but… if that's the case, what can we do?"
"Simple… who should die here? The you now? Or the you from before?" The man said, as it showed a caged, feral Balto, howling and lashing out as if wanting to kill the others.
"Basically, you have a choice to make. Kill off what you once were? Or kill off what you're trying to become now?" Naki added.
Balto, fearful, soon made his way towards the cage where his feral self was, the boy snarling at him as he approached.
"What… What you want… from me…?" he asked.
Balto soon gave his answer, "To reconcile. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I tried my best to lock you away. I wanted to leave you behind, I tried to. But, I guess looking at that now, I should have realized something. That while I could run from who I used to be, that doesn't change who I am now."
He soon reached out his hand, "I, no… we are Balto Asimov, Kamen Rider Vulcan!"
The cage around his past self faded as his feral side walked over, sniffing his hand for a moment. But soon Naki came over to help the past self on his feet and placed his hand ontop of Balto's.
As the two shook hands, the two fused into one as Balto turned towards them.
"I think… even I'll stick around with you kid. At least for now." Naki said, "From seeing your memories and from the eyes of your feral self? I think it'd be better to become your partner."
"Are you ready?" the man asked.
Balto soon opened his eyes, with his right eye having returned to normal, while the left now sported his more wolf-like qualities.
"I am." he said, "But I do have something to ask. What exactly is your name?"
The man soon chuckled as the room became brighter and brighter…
"Isamu Fuwa, Kamen Rider Vulcan. Let's just say I heard a horn and followed it through to connect with ya. Good luck out there, kid."
XXX
Balto soon opened his eyes, seeing himself in the medical bay as he got up. The guards turned to see him awake as they looked ready to detain should he attack them.
"Ugh, can you two get me, my ShotRiser? I have something I need to take care of…" Balto asked the guards in a full sentence, who were shocked on his request.
"Y-Yes sir!" he shouted, tossing the boy his Riser as the boy rushed towards the Elasmotank.
"Hey, we should get to the Progrise Printer." Naki's voice rang in his head.
"Why's that?" Balto asked.
"Before my defeat, Metsubojinrai was planning on using a unique trigger key to add onto our Progrise Keys, to give them some power. I think it'll be useful to you and your new key." Naki responded, "After all, we're partners now and I think I wanna give something back from well… our incidents."
"Huh, well lead the way!" the gunner noted as the two rushed to the room.
As he did, the wolf Humagear couldn't help but feel nostalgic as she contemplated on who the man they saw was.
XXX
"GAAAH!" Zero-One cried out from another attack, as he was injured and on the ground as he couldn't face Thouser right now, while Chris and Tsubasa were out of breath from the onslaught of enemies.
"C-Cody…. Everyone…" Hibiki grunted out, on her knees from the pain and heat as the ground was just a puddle of melted concrete and asphalt as she was truly unable to help anymore.
"Hibiki!" Miku got out with worry as the girls couldn't do much but watch helplessly from the sidelines.
"Hmph. Seems our trouble truly was for naught." Thouser said with a huff. "So, Doctor? Who should fall first?"
"Hmm… how about the girl on the right?" Dr. Ver noted with a smirk, "She seems to be important to her."
"M-Miku…!" Zero-One and Hibiki gritted out as they were soon scared for the girl as Thouser grabbed her by the collar, ready to execute her.
"Hey, jackass!" a familiar voice shouted.
"Henshin!"
SHOTRISE!
SHOO~TIN~G~ WOL~F~!
Soon a burst of wind rushed by as Vulcan struck Thouser before catching Miku in arms.
'You know, I guess I'm new to the whole past life business, but I guess seeing Gai like this is kind of nostalgic…' he noted as he took in what the man in his mind had said.
"B-Balto-san?" Miku got out as everyone else was shocked.
"Sorry to keep you guys waiting." he chuckled in a confident tone that the grasshopper Rider and the Symphogear trio quickly recalled. Afterwards, he put Miku down before turning his attention towards the doctor and the crowned Operator.
"Talbot… How dare you strike me!?" Thouser hissed, as he raised one of the trigger and pressed it, yet nothing came from it this time.
Balto quickly fired his shot at the trigger, shooting it and letting it land in his hand.
"Sorry, I did the whole 'brain chip deal' before. Not a fan." the wolf Rider spoke.
"Impossible! There should be no way to remove it or stop it!" Ver shouted in disbelief.
"Technically you're right. So I worked on it within my own mind. You can't control me anymore." Vulcan glared.
"Hmph, even if you did. I can beat Zero-One at his peak power! What can you even do, you feral dog?" Thouser scolded.
"I don't know. How about go beyond?" Vulcan chuckled as he held a copy of the same trigger Thouser used to torture the wolf Rider and Valkyrie.
After tossing it to Zero-One, the trigger bouncing off his head, Vulcan took out the incomplete Wolf key and combined both objects, creating one complete Progrise Key that he promptly activated with the push of the trigger.
ASSAULT BULLET!
"No! What is this!? There should be no way for that to combine!" Ver shouted in disbelief.
"There used to be, but now?" Vulcan noted before he shouted, "I'll gladly lay down my life and break my limit!"
He then removed the Shooting Wolf key and replaced it with the new Assault Wolf Progrise Key into the ShotRiser, making sure to flip open the cover.
OVERRISE!
WARNING!
KAMEN RIDER… KAMEN RIDER…
WARNING!
As that began to repeat, Vulcan raised the weapon above his head as somehow an afterimage of Naki stood next to him, also in the same pose before the two combined into one.
"Dai-Henshin!" Vulcan shouted out, pulling the trigger.
SHOTRISE!
Once fired, from the depths of the ruined satellite of Ark, a blue glow emerged from it before shooting out a light as it raced through the air and struck Vulcan's bullet and created a robotic wolf that quickly went towards it's master. Soon after punching the wolf mini-satellites appeared around the Rider firing off pieces of armor and more before they collapsed and formed into a new form.
READY? GO!
ASSAULT WOLF!
[No chance of surviving]
This looked more like a militarized suit of his feral form, but deep blue with some tints of navy and red on it, as he gained two arm cannons, a more techish helmet and even a chest core that radiated power. This was the new Vulcan, Assault Wolf Vulcan.
"Vulcan Assault Wolf, kenzan!" the upgraded wolf Rider declared with a grin.
"Che. lousy dog…" Thouser scoffed as he sent an energy slash at the wolf rider, but it did little to deter him.
Vulcan soon barreled through the crowned Operator's attacks before dealing several punches to the Rider's stomach as he coughed in pain until the wolf Rider delivered an uppercut that made the rider fall on his back.
"This is a tough one…" Vulcan chuckled.
"Seems even I must be ready to put a dog down." Ver said, firing several Noise beams as they formed around him.
"Vulcan, use this!" Zero-One called out as he tossed him the Authorise Buster.
After switching the weapon from it's axe mode to a more appropriate gun configuration, Vulcan quickly put the boots to Thouser and the Noise and Magia that came in his way. When he dodged the crowned Rider's attack, he fired a powerful shot at his head, damaging his helmet.
"So, this is how strong your new toy is, eh Zero-One?" Vulcan asked.
"Just wait till you use a Progrise Key." He chuckled out.
"Sure thing! Always wanted to try this." the wolf Rider said as he activated his Charging Elasmoth key.
CHARGE!
PROGRISE KEY CONFIRMED. READY FOR BUSTER.
Thouser, knowing this would be bad, he turned towards Dr. Ver.
"Doctor, the Cane!" he called out before he let out a shield to cover himself.
バ
ス
タ
ーダスト
After firing it, an energy construct of the Charging Elasmoth mecha's head appeared before crashing through the shield and right through the crowned Operator.
B
U
S
T
E
R DUST!
"GAAAAAHHHH!" Gai cried out in agony, out of his armor, injured and either lost parts of the robotic limbs or they were heavily damaged from the attack.
"That felt a lot better than I thought it would." Vulcan noted.
"W-We'll remember this!" Ver shouted, striking the ground to make a smokescreen before it faded as he and Gai fled.
Balto soon sighed as he dis-engaged his transformation, 'Naki… so what did that Fuwa guy mean by a horn connecting him to me?' he asked the Humagear mentally.
"Hard to say. Still processing over the fact we saw a ghost."
'I guess so. I mean, I'm still wrestling with the fact that I fought Tsu and the others…' the gunner noted, 'What does that exactly mean for everyone else though?'
"We can think about that later. For now, enjoy this moment, partner."
Balto soon smirked, 'It's honestly good to be back.'
His thoughts were unfortunately interrupted when an angry Tsubasa stamped on his foot, causing him to drop the Authorize Buster right on his other foot and send him tumbling to the ground.
"OW! WHAT DID I DO?!" he shouted.
"Y-You idiot! You should be resting!" Tsubasa scolded him, as while she was trying to be tough, tears were building up in her eyes before she hugged him, having him pressed up against her chest, "You idiot… You had me so scared! I thought… I was going to lose you…"
"I… I'm sorry for worrying about you." he apologized as well, "I guess I was a bit too reckless than I thought."
"Maybe get a room for you two before doing something in front of some kids?" Chris snickered, teasing the two from their hug.
"W-Wait… Tsubasa's got a boyfriend?!" Yumi gasped, snapping the two out of their thoughts.
"Hehe, you owe me ¥500, Yumi." Kuriyo smirked.
"Well at least we know who the mystery suitor was." Shiori noted before the pair just chuckled.
"Hibiki!" Miku cried out, as that caught the others attention as she was literally on fire a bit as she groaned loudly in pain from the heat.
Tsubasa, quickly remembering what she was about to do, quickly leaped into the air and cut a part of a nearby water tank and allowed it's contents to rain down and cool down the Gungnir user. It luckily worked as now Hibiki was just in a puddle of water, out of her armor and panting heavily from the strain.
"Thanks Tsubasa." Cody bowed before rushing to her aid alongside Miku.
"What… is happening to me…?" Hibiki groaned out as she was helped up. The others turned to one another as they knew they couldn't hide her condition much longer.
'Naki, what just happened to Hibiki?' he thought.
"It seems she was literally overheating. Looking at records now…"
'Geez, what did I miss while I was out?' the gunner thought as they returned to base.
XXX
Hibiki and Balto were now in the medical bay, as they were looked over the new changes as the two were given the rough details on everything. From FIS, to Nerfertiti, to Balto being a feral wolf, and finally about Hibiki's condition and how she could die from using her gear too much now.
"Holy shit, you guys went through a lot." Balto said.
"Says the guy just shrugging off acting feral for two months." Chris noted out.
"I mean, I just woke up and I'm still processing those memories." the gunner shrugged off.
"Even more with the fact that Naki, our old enemy is now living rent free in your head." Genjuro noted as this was a surprise.
'Should I tell them about who we met in my head?' he asked his new partner.
"Maybe for later."
"Still, it's great to have you back, Balto." Genjuro smiled, patting him roughly on the back.
"Yeah, and now that I'm back, I think I can still recall what I saw back at FIS." he noted as he tried to piece together what he could remember from his feral state.
"Any idea what they're even planning on? That's still be one issue we're in trouble with." Genjuro noted.
"They mentioned something about finding Frontier." he noted.
"Frontier?" Tsubasa questioned.
"Yeah, maybe mini-Kana can tell you something that I don't recall. My mind's still fried from going wild." the gunner noted, "Speaking of, you said that she went with you, but I didn't see her at all when I went through the place."
"We have her in a special cell, keeping an eye on her just in case she tries anything." Genjuro informed, "Even if she changed sides, we cannot take any risks."
"Am I allowed to see her?" the gunner asked.
"You sure? She could pull out that weird code again…" Chris mentioned as she reminded him of how he was lost to begin with.
"Nah, I think Naki's got that covered." Balto reassured her, "I just… I feel like I need to have some closure with her."
"Very well. But I suggest that you do not visit her today. You did just return to your old self after all." Genjuro noted.
"It's fine, I gotta go apologize to Tsu anyway." the gunner said, scratching his head and looking away in shame.
"Hehe, just make sure nobody hears you two." Chris teased with a snicker.
"Oh, be quiet shortstack!" he shouted as he walked away, "I still remember seeing that look on your face when mini-Kana groped you. So stay out of my love life and I'll stay out of yours. Got it?"
"S-Shut it!" Chris blushed from that.
XXX
Meanwhile, Cody and Miki were with Hibiki. The young girl was silent as she still processed what they told her, that she was practically fusing with her gear and if it continued she could die from it.
"Heh… well, guess I know now as to why I have so much energy and a huge appetite!" Hibiki said, chuckling out to try and change the tension of the air.
"Yeah, and I heard that with you new arm, no one would know the difference, right?" Cody said with a smirk.
"This isn't a joke, you two!" Miku snapped, earning their attention, "This is serious…. We… We can't let you continue to fight Hibiki… Neither him… or I… could bare with the idea of you just dying in front of us…."
"Miku…" Hibiki muttered from it before she nodded, "I know… but… I can't sit through this either. I still want to help. But… I'll try my best to not use my gear since we have Balto-san back now. I promise, I won't fight."
"Thank you." she said before pulling both Cody and Hibiki in for one big hug, "I can't bare to think of losing either of you again."
Cody and Hibiki nodded in agreement, sharing a hug happily as they stayed like that for awhile. Izu smiling softly from afar as she made a "mental picture" of it, and saved it to her personal memory.
XXX
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*
"Uhh, Tsu? Are you in there?" Balto asked as he knocked on the door to Tsubasa's dorm room.
"Balto? Yes, I'm here, please come in." Tsubasa called out in response.
After taking in a deep breath, the boy walked into the room and saw Tsubasa there, wearing her casual clothes.
"I guess everything is in order and normal?" Tsubasa asked.
"Pretty much." he noted, "Well, apart from my headspace being occupied at the moment." he joked, "No offense, Naki."
"None taken."
"Hehe, well… at least I can rest easily now." Tsubasa chuckled softly.
"Yeah…" he agreed before the two sat awkwardly next to each other. 'Hey, Naki? Mind giving Tsu and I some privacy?'
"Was already on it. Go get her, tiger. Hehehe."
Balto rolled his eyes, "So, maybe… we could… uh…" he tried to find the words of what he wanted to say next.
Tsubasa though, responded in kind as she hug tackled him, making the two fall back together as she nuzzled her head against him, "I… I was so scared and lonely without you…." She said with a slightly cracked tone to her voice.
"I can imagine." he agreed, "I didn't even know you were in pain until today. I… I'm sorry that I broke my promise."
"Then make it up to me… right now…" Tsubasa said as she looked at him, her soft eyes glancing at him. "And I mean…. More than what you promised…"
"Uh, you sure? I mean, people are gonna be pissed if I-"
"Yes. I don't care anymore…" Tsubasa cut him off, before kissing him, as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him in closer.
Soon, the swordswoman and gunner would soon end up together in this night, as one would be when with someone that special to them as it would be something that changed them forever.
XXX
SONG: Kaibutsu - Masayuki Suzuki
/PRELUDE/
As the ending started, we see the words Zero-One appear in katakana as a yellow silhouette of Cody passes the words by.
/Ah, subarashiki sekai ni kyou mo kanpai
Machi ni tobikau waraigoe mo
Mite minu furi shiteru dake no tsukuri mon sa
Ki ga furesou da/
It then focuses on him without the silhouette as he walks through the town, passing by Hibiki and Miku as they were talking. When he turns towards them, Cody briefly freezes as a projection of Ark-One appears around him.
/Kurakura suru hodo no ii nioi ga
Tsun to sashita hana no oku
Me wo samasu honnou no mama
Kyou wa dare no ban da?/
It then jumps to Cody walking by Tsubasa, Balto, and Chris as they train before Tsubasa notices Balto shake his head as a brief headache befell upon him
/Kono sekai de nani ga dekiru no ka
Boku ni wa nani ga dekiru no ka/
Meanwhile, Maria is holding the broken relic tightly while Kirika and Shirabe are embracing each other.
/Tada sono makkuro na me kara
Namida koboreochinai you ni/
It then transitions to Gai and Dr. Ver looking at the locations for Metsubojinrai, all before showing the three remaining members in their base as the camera zooms into Ark's core.
/Ah, Negau mirai ni nando demo zutto/
Kuraitsuku
Kono machigai darake no sekai no naka/
Kimi ni wa waratte hoshii kara/
It soon jumps to a scene of Cody running through a black void, various colored hexegons forming under his feet as he runs towards the light.
/Mou daremo kizutsukenai/
Tsuyoku tsuyoku naritain da yo/
As he turns back, he spots the flood of Ark's malice coming for him lead by Ark-One. This terrifies Cody as he picked up the pace.
/Boku ga boku de irareru you ni/
Before Ark-One could reach him, Cody spots the light and sprints towards it. The music continues as Cody covers his eyes to protect from the glare.
/Tada kimi wo mamoru sono tame ni
Hashiru hashiru hashirun da yo/
He then turns to see Hibiki, Miku, Tsubasa, Chris, and Izu appear by his side, ready to stand by him.
/Boku no naka no boku wo koeru/
Cody smiled before as he felt someone grab him as Balto pulled the boy in for a noogie. The grasshopper Rider quickly tried to break free from the gunner's grasp as the camera started to pan to the sky, the ending finishing with a shot of the sun.
A/N:
HackerEX: Are you sure this is safe? I'm pretty sure sharks are man-eaters, not stuff for stunts
Striberx: Actually, not many sharks do eat people. They sort of nibble around and don't really focus much other than eating and surviving.
HackerEX: So it's safe to jump then?
Striberx: Well, real sharks yes. But reviewer sharks are different. :P
HackerEX: …joy… Anyway, yeah, Balto is back and boy… boy do we have some explaining to do.
Striberx: First off is with the real Isamu Fuwa. Now, this doesn't mean Balto is him. Remember, in the Symphogear XDU game, there's a literal horn that can connect to many multiverses and such. It's now hinted at and will be used sometime WAY LATER on. For now we just had Fuwa's spirit connect to Balto to help him out is all.
HackerEX: Yep, and also Balto well… he staked his claim on his idol, if you know what I mean.
Striberx: Mhm, though with all this done, we are closing in on Season 2/G to be finished. :3 Which also means other certain things to be cleaned up, added in and such. Hope though you all enjoyed this chap, so until next time, later minna!
