Kamen Rider Smash
Episode 9 – A Sorrowful Reunion
Data File #12: The Wario Bros.
"The Wario Bros ended up causing a heavy disturbance, and now that we know their allegiance is really with the Subspace Army we were able to figure out why. It seemed to be a plot to distract and possibly get rid of Kenshin. While he did have some trouble, his new weapon the Smash Knuckle was enough to give him the edge in battle."
Palutena's Log #03: Laboratory Raid
"Junmei and Dark Pit both arrived at the secret lab and managed to deal heavy damage to the facility and its members. Not to mention Junmei has also obtained two more Smash Tokens, alongside the extra ones she has, she's now at equal strength with Smash. What worries me though is Dark Pit's mention of Junmei acting in a trance before she obtained her new form."
"What a mess," Samus called out as she gazed forward.
She alongside Snake, Zero and Fox were currently surveying the wreckage of the secret Subspace Laboratory. Junmei and Dark Pit had managed to deal enough damage and reveal enough of its location anonymously to where CORE was able to get involved. Equipment was destroyed, computers were wiped clean of data, and signs of an intense battle were apparent everywhere.
"Whoever was here definitely wanted to do a number to this place," Zero said as he looked around, picking up a damaged motherboard that was lying on the floor.
"They didn't do enough of a good job though; I doubt they were the ones who wiped the computers," Snake said as he looked through the last of the active computers. "Even surveillance footage is gone."
"The surveillance footage I understand, keep them anonymous, the computers being wiped though…" Samus trailed, figuring it was likely whoever owned the lab that got rid of the data. "Needless to say we've got a lot of work on our hands."
"Something doesn't add up though," Fox mentioned as he looked around. "This is pretty fresh for a lab being destroyed. So that would mean it was likely yesterday."
"What are you getting at?" Zero asked.
"I mean remember what happened yesterday? Wario and Waluigi causing trouble and drawing out Kenshin as a result," Fox mentioned. "Why would they want to distract us from a lab being raided? Why would they want to distract us at all due to us having no clue this existed."
"You're saying that Wario's distraction was meant for someone else, right?" Samus concluded.
"That's exactly what I'm saying," Fox confirmed as he paced around. "Something tells me that whoever did this was getting close to finding this lab, and someone from a higher tier of the Subspace Army wanted them distracted."
"But who did they want to distract?" Snake asked.
"Actually… from Kenshin's report, Wario and Waluigi were excited to be fighting a Kamen Rider." Samus mentioned as she put a hand to her chin in thought. "I think that Kamen Rider from Altea is here. It would explain the other incident too."
"You mean the one where it was clear a fight broke out in the Museum, but everyone there was missing by the time authorities came around?" Snake asked.
"Exactly, whoever this Kamen Rider is, they're trying to keep themselves anonymous, the only question is why?" Samus pondered.
"You think there's a chance of them targeting Kenshin?" Zero asked.
"There's a definite chance… we'll just have to see," Samus said as she looked over the damage some more before several suited Mii's ran over to her. "What did you find?"
"You're going to want to see it for yourself," One of the Mii's responded before gesturing to follow them. Samus gave a nod towards the others before following after the Mii's. They soon arrived at Dark Samus' recovery room which was in complete disrepair. Though there was no sign of any bodies in regards to Dark Samus or the Mii's caught in the explosion. Samus looked around, having her power suit scan the area.
"Phazon…" She trailed as the bounty hunter figured that this was where they were hiding Dark Samus after her defeat against Kenshin.
Junmei was currently in her hotel room, having been given enough money from Palutena to pay in advance for a several weeks stay. She was lying on her stomach, staring at the Smash Tokens she had collected as they were spread across her bed. As a result her thoughts had begun to drift back towards her brother.
"Just wait for me Kenshin," She said softly as she stared at her Tokens. When she heard a knock she quickly sat up, grabbing her Tokens and pocketing them. "Be right there!" She called before making sure she at least looked presentable before rushing over to the door and opening it. To her surprise it was Palutena herself who was the door. "Oh Lady Palutena, I wasn't expecting such a direct visit like this."
"Sorry, I just deemed it important enough to tell you in person," Palutena apologized. "May I?"
"Of course," Junmei stepped out of the way, letting Palutena in before closing the door and going to take a seat on her bed.
"So Dark Pit has told me you've gained another form, correct?" Palutena asked.
"I have, Samus and Dark Samus' Tokens allow me to use a long range form so now I've got a close range, weapon and long range form," Junmei said before taking out Terry and Lucario's Tokens. "And then I have these as extras just in case."
"You've gained quiet the collection," Palutena remarked as she thought about their possible next moves. "What if I told you that you're going to need to make use of all of those for your next fight?"
"What do you mean?" Junmei asked.
"I want you to go out with Dark Pit, he'll cause a disturbance and draw Kamen Rider Smash to you," Palutena replied. "I want you to defeat him."
"But wait, isn't he a hero too?" Junmei asked. "Do we really need to fight?"
"He doesn't realize it yet but his powers are getting out of his control," Palutena lied; she needed to get Junmei to fight Kenshin with all her might. She didn't need Kenshin killed she just needed his access to Smash Tokens restricted. "I've been observing him for some time, and the group he's with doesn't want to scare him with the fact. Before he gets too out of control his equipment needs to be placed on hold until he's properly checked. I just want you to take his Smash Tokens from him. That's all."
"That's not good… I want to help him but, I suppose taking away his Tokens until he can get a better handle on things is the best step," Junmei said, thinking over the situation for a bit. If she was getting out of control she'd want the same thing to be done to her. "Very well, I'll do it. If the situation was reversed I'm sure that he'd do the same."
"He's not going to go down without a fight though," Palutena warned. "So be prepared to use everything in your arsenal."
"I should get ready then to meet up with Dark Pit," Junmei suggested.
"I'll leave you to get ready," Palutena gave a nod, but instead of taking the door she simply warped away.
"Alright Smash… Let's see if you can give me some answers on my brother." Junmei trailed as she stood up and took a deep breath. The only reason she was remotely fine with this confrontation as well was because she needed answers, and he was her only lead.
At a Subspace Army apartment outpost all was quiet until a distinct crashing sound was heard. Most were a bit confused but went about their day despite the strange noise. Inside Hajime yelled out as he was suddenly thrown against the floor, giving a gasp before yelling out. He had been tossed by Meijin before getting his gut smashed into by his partner's foot.
"Hey! Hey! What is this for?!" Hajime called out as he grabbed Meijin's shin to keep him from pressing further.
"You idiot I told you to distract Kamen Rider Echo! Not Smash!" Meijin called out, showing an anger he hadn't before. "We lost one of our labs alongside two Smash Tokens as a result."
"Meijin calm down, it's not the end of the world, even if it was too much trouble trusting Hajime with the job," Sayomi said as she put a hand on her partners shoulder. "We still have a good amount of Smash Tokens in our possession. We'll let Echo have her fun for now."
"Fine… but we need a plan," Meijin said as he removed his foot from Hajime. "Smash already has enough Tokens for us to take."
"Then allow me to take them…" Hajime coughed out as he began to stand, holding his stomach. "Allow me to rectify my mistakes. I should have been more hands on with that girl."
"You have one shot then, use your last Smash Token to create a Malice that'll weaken Smash before directly going in for the kill," Sayomi explained as she walked over to Hajime. "We expect all the Tokens he has up to that point."
"Give me some time to prepare, I'll deal with him two days from now at the earliest," Hajime said as he put his hands together before giving a bow. He then opened up a Subspace Portal before entering it, the portal closing as he left.
"You're not really considering giving him a chance are you?" Meijin asked.
"Hajime never was the brightest or strongest of us, he was a good field man but it's time he retired," Sayomi explained as she turned to Meijin before holding out Ganondorf's Token. "We can take out dozens of birds with one stone."
"What are you suggesting?" Meijin asked as he took Ganondorf's Token before suddenly realizing that Kenshin had claimed Link's Token from the other day. "Sayomi my dear you're a genius. But first we need the Demon King's help if this is to succeed."
"Well what are we waiting for, let's get going," Sayomi said as she held out a hand, opening up a Subspace Portal before heading through. Meijin gripped the Ganondorf Token and gave a laugh, heading through.
"Hey you guys are finally back," Captain Falcon said as he saw Samus enter the computer room. Noting how she was still in her power suit he figured she had just gotten back. "How was the raid?"
"We know it was a Subspace Facility, but other than that nothing worth talking about," Samus admitted. "How are things on your side, anything regarding the patrols?"
"Nope nothing yet," Captain Falcon sighed. "Kid's been at it since the morning. Had a break for breakfast and just finished a lunch break. There's honestly nothing odd to report."
"If we don't get a hit by the time evening starts to hit send him back here," Samus replied. "Plus the weather isn't exactly looking too good either."
"Roger that," Captain Falcon said with a salute before going back to the controls. Several minutes had passed before suddenly there was activity.
"Just heard some explosions ahead, I'm going to check it out," Kenshin called over as the Captain Falcon and Samus kept an eye on the feed. To their surprise they saw Dark pit causing a disturbance by firing at anything he could, having hit a few cars in the progress. "Is that Dark Pit?" He asked as the feed showed Dark Pit spotting Kenshin before taking off into the air.
"Has he gone rogue?" Captain Falcon asked.
"Head after him immediately," Samus called out.
"On it," Kenshin continued to ride before suddenly stopping once Dark Pit had stopped flying and dropped into a network of alleyways. "Those alleyways are too tight; I'm switching to my more mobile form." He said as he a flash of light was seen on his display before he could be seen pursuing after Dark Pit with Thunder Shinobi's quick mobility through the helmet camera.
Following Dark Pit through the alleyways he was eventually followed the angel into an abandoned parking lot. Kenshin was forced to land due to not having anymore high structures to bounce off of in pursuit. Dark Pit flew off into the distance though that wasn't what Kenshin was focused on. When he had entered the lot, much to everyone's shock, Junmei stood before him already transformed into Lodestar Princess.
"What the hell?" Captain Falcon asked.
"Uh everyone… why is there another Kamen Rider?" Kenshin asked.
"The Altea…" Samus trailed before grabbing the microphone, ready to speak before suddenly the power went off in the computer room. Suddenly the lights turned on but were now a dim red.
"Wait what? Power outage?" Captain Falcon asked. "Reserve power is on but we can't access communications during reserve power."
"Damn it," Samus slammed her fist onto the keyboard. "Palutena's making her move; I should have figured something was off."
"Wait what?" Captain Falcon questioned. "Are you saying that this is all a plot by her to take out Kenshin?"
"She's always been wary of Kenshin, especially when he joined CORE. I wouldn't put it past her that she's the one who orchestrated this. Especially since Dark Pit was the one to lead him there." Samus replied as she quickly moved for the door. "I'm getting Cloud; we're pulling a rescue mission on Kenshin. Stay here for now." As she exited the room she was suddenly surrounded on all sides by suited Mii Swordfighters that worked for CORE and King Dedede.
"I'm sorry Ma'am but we need you to step back in the room," The first Swordfighter spoke up.
"What is the meaning of this?" Samus asked.
"We've been ordered to keep you from interfering," The second Swordfighter called out.
"I suppose an extensive background check really is needed, I was hoping you all wouldn't be stupid but I should have figured," Samus sighed before turning into her morph ball state, rolling past the Mii's as she left a few bombs and continued rolling till she was clear. She reformed back into her human form before heading off.
The Mii's were ready to follow when they were suddenly caught in Samus' bombs explosion. They all gave a yell as they were soon sent sprawling across the floor.
"Samus wait!" Captain Falcon called out as he rushed out of the room.
"Don't trust any Mii and get that power back on!" Samus called out. "I'm bringing Kenshin back!"
"Captain Falcon, hey are you there? Can you read me?" Kenshin asked as he tried to access the radio feed to CORE's base but it was completely cut for him. "Seriously you guys hang up at the most important time?" He then looked over towards Junmei who was simply staring at him. "Um, you're a Kamen Rider too?"
Junmei had to pause for a second, which was why she was all stares at the moment. She just barely recognized Kenshin's voice but she couldn't jump to conclusions. The female rider figured that Palutena would have told her something important like if her brother was a Kamen Rider. She shook her head quickly before looking up. "I'm Kamen Rider Echo; it's a pleasure to meet you Smash."
Kenshin gave a wince as he put a hand near his head; something about Junmei's voice was triggering something. It sounded similar to the girl in his dream but he wasn't sure if it was just a similar voice triggering it or if it was actually her. "Um, yeah I suppose word has been getting around. So it's clear you wanted my attention, why?"
"I'll ask nicely," Junmei cleared her throat before holding her hand out. "Give me all your Smash Tokens; it's dangerous for you to keep them any further."
"Excuse me?" Kenshin asked, trying to hold back a laugh. "Listen I've been managing just fine with all of them. If you're worried that I'll lose, I won't."
"I'm not talking about in that sense; I can't allow your power to grow out of control. This is for your sake, as well as everyone else's." Junmei said as she gripped her sword before aiming it forward. "Hand them over or I will take them from you."
"My power is just fine!" Kenshin snapped, causing Junmei to take a step back in surprise. He gripped his fists before drawing out his sword. "I'm not sure who you are, but you're definitely an enemy if you want these."
"Of course you won't listen to reason…" Junmei sighed, figuring that this wasn't going to be as easy as she hoped. "Very well then I'll defeat you here and now."
"I'd like to see you try, I'll blow you away!" Kenshin called out as he rushed forward before disappearing in sparks.
"What?" Junmei was confused before turning around on instinct. Kenshin had appeared behind her from above, slashing down. Junmei raised her sword, blocking against the strike as Kenshin landed, the two becoming locked in a clash. Despite being pushed against Junmei kept her sword up and braced with both hands, giving a shove to force Kenshin backwards.
"Okay, ninja, should have guessed from your entrance." She remarked.
"You can't outpace me in this form even with a weapon," Kenshin gathered electricity in his sword before launching it out at Junmei.
Junmei dodged out of the way, gathering energy in her swords blade before sending an arc of energy out towards Kenshin. Kenshin jumped up to avoid it, holding his hands together and forming a sign as he suddenly split into two. The two flipped and rolled forward, slashing at Junmei to keep her dodging. It wasn't long before the two formed another hand sign, this time creating two more clones. The clones continued to assault Junmei before getting on all four sides, slamming their swords into the ground.
"What the-!" Junmei cut herself off as electrical bursts shot out and struck against her. She cried out as a heavy amount of sparks flew from her armor. Digging her sword into the ground, she put both hands on the end of the hilt to keep standing.
"You can't beat us all," Kenshin said as he activated his finisher.
[FOR GLORY! THUNDER SHINOBI K.O.!]
"Not going down that easily…" Junmei muttered as she took out Terry's Token and placed it into her sword's token slot.
[TERRY BOGARD! RIDER SLASH STRIKE!]
Junmei yelled out as she dug her sword in deeper right as Kenshin and his clones covered themselves in electricity. The four launched towards Junmei but explosive blasts all around her suddenly occurred, engulfing the four.
Kenshin yelled out as he tumbled backwards, surprised that his finisher had managed to get interrupted. "Damn she's good. Alright then, Fox! Wolf!" He called out as he took out the two's Tokens to swap them in.
"Not good," Junmei said as she managed to stand, leaving her sword in the ground as she took out Samus and Dark Samus' Tokens. "If it's those two then it has to be a gun form." She quickly replaced her current two before initiating the form change, Kenshin doing the same.
[FOX! WOLF! KAMEN RIDER SMASH: LYLAT OUTLAW!]
[SAMUS! DARK SAMUS! KAMEN RIDER ECHO: PHAZON HUNTRESS!]
Both gun based forms were accessed as the two got in a ready stance once they saw each other complete the transformation. Kenshin was a bit worried due to the fact that Junmei had no visible weapons on her despite Samus being known for her shooting. Junmei meanwhile was trying to figure out if her cannons forming would take too long against an easy to draw gun like Kenshin's.
Sayomi and Meijin had arrived at The Ruins, an unclaimed area of land in the World of Smash. Deeper inside held the path that lead towards the world core, Master Core. However one would have trouble reaching it due to the protectors of the Core. This didn't stop the Subspace Army though from making their main gathering spot the edges of the land.
"To think he actually lives out in these ruins, you'd think he'd want a base closer to Hyrule," Sayomi remarked as they passed through various old architecture, coming to a half sunken temple in the sand.
"You know Ganondorf, if he isn't ruling in Hyrule Castle there's no reason for him to be in that land at all," Meijin said as they walked through the temple, ducking whenever necessary before reaching a great hall.
"I see you two have come back for something else," A voice spoke, at the end of the hall was Ganondorf sitting on a throne that had seen better days. "If it's not a way to help me take control of Hyrule then I have no need to hear you out."
"Ah my Prince of Darkness, I simply beseech thee for a blessing," Meijin spoke as he walked forward before giving a bow and holding out Ganondorf's Token towards him. "I wish for you to bless this Token with your aura."
"Why should I when it belongs to me?" Ganondorf asked, an amused look crossing his face.
"Simple… we no longer have use for Hajime and this Token is instrumental in his undoing," Meijin explained. "But in order for it to be our instrument it needs more of your power."
Ganondorf chuckled before laughing out, standing up as he began to walk towards Meijin. "So that fool is finally getting what he deserves, and I can help in this?" He questioned before holding out his hand towards the Token, sending his dark energy into it. While it didn't corrupt the Token it gave it a dark aura around it. "Very well, I always respected you Meijin. To see you getting rid of the incompetent one is music to my ears."
"He was only useful for setting up the second act," Meijin explained as he gripped the token before standing. "I appreciate your cooperation."
"Just see to it that you two don't become as insufferable as he has, just because he was blessed by Tabuu does not mean he can act the way he does," Ganondorf explained as he turned and walked back to his throne.
"We'll see to it," Sayomi mentioned before turning to leave, Meijin walking alongside her.
The two Riders stood where they were for what seemed like minutes on end before finally making a move. Kenshin drew out Volpe and Lupo, shooting at Junmei who used her boosters to launch into the air. Junmei formed her missile arm cannon and began falling while launching missiles at Kenshin. Kenshin yelped as he was forced to dodge backwards against the missiles before throwing himself to the side.
Junmei landed, firing more missiles towards Kenshin while strafing towards her side. Kenshin gave a few grunts as he was unable to dodge and had to brace against the missiles via his reflector shields. Despite their defense, Junmei's missiles were volatile enough to explode on impact and shake him slightly. Using the smoke from the impact he then jumped up and out of it, shooting at Junmei from above and landing a few hits against her.
Kenshin then landed before jumping back and firing further, realizing he caught Junmei off guard. He wanted to try and hit Junmei with as much energy blasts as he could.
"This open area is terrible for a gun fight," Junmei realized before activating Dark Samus' Token, the phazon pumping through her armor as she entered Phazon Burst. She then formed her beam cannon and shot towards Kenshin by using her boosters to launch her forward. She raised both cannons as she blocked against Kenshin's shots, the phazon from the indentions forming around her body like a shield.
"Wait no wait!" Kenshin called out, not expecting Junmei to get this confrontational when it came to their long range forms. He coughed out as he was slammed into losing grip of both his guns as he tumbled against the ground. The male rider rolled further as he looked to where both his weapons were; ready to run for one when missiles suddenly were shot at it, sending it flying far away. He turned for his other gun only for a beam to shoot it send it flying as well. "Crap."
"Sorry kid, but playtime is over," Junmei remarked as she released her Phazon Burst state, her arm cannons forming back to their normal armor states. Pressing down on both Tokens she dug her feet into the ground as her boosters began to start up.
[FOR GLORY!]
The female Rider's cannons both formed again before she moved them both together, creating the double cannon buster for her finisher. She then took aim as energy began to charge.
"Yeah, well looks like it's time to get reckless," Kenshin said as he pressed down on both of his Driver's buttons to activate his finisher.
[FOR GLORY!]
Kenshin gave a yell as he jumped into the air before kicking out with both feet at Junmei, spinning his body around as an Energy Arwing formed around him, performing a consistent barrel roll as it descended.
Junmei saw Kenshin jump and aimed, her eyes widened as the finisher but she wasn't deterred. She too gave a yell as she aimed up and launched her twin beams towards the Arwing.
[PHAZON HUNTRESS!]
[LYLAT OUTLAW!]
The energy Arwing began cracking as it clashed against the beam but it continued to clash against the beam and push downwards at an angle. Despite the strength of Junmei's beam, Kenshin's Arwing was just as strong as it continued to get closer and closer.
[K.O.!]
The energy Arwing soon made contact with Junmei's cannons resulting in a large explosion that disrupted the duel. The explosion enveloped both Riders and created a thick cloud of smoke.
Junmei coughed out as she rolled out, her forearm armor sparking as she rolled on her stomach. She cried out a bit as her armor sparked heavily from the feedback of both finishers. She expected her beam to completely decimate Kenshin, but was caught off guard by Lylat Outlaws own strength.
Kenshin meanwhile rolled out from the opposite side, coughing out as his armor sparked heavily. He was barely able to push his finisher to the limits in order to run through the laser finisher. "Okay, just barely but that's definitely a win for me and a win for you." He groaned out as he began to get up.
Thunder Shinobi was completely caught off guard by Junmei using Smash Tokens in Lodestar Princess. Despite Phazon Huntresses insane firepower and super mode, Lylat Outlaw was still able to overpower its finisher. And even then, both forms that lost had put up significant resistance as well.
The clouds around them began to gather further while the sun was slowly covered as a result. The area began to grow more muted, grey and darker as the finale approached.
"I can't… I can't lie down… not now, not until I save him," Junmei managed to get out as she thought hard about her brother. She couldn't just give up now, not when she was so close to beating Smash and finding the answers she needed. She then managed to push herself up into a standing position before taking out Ryu and Ken's Tokens. "It's time for Round 3 then."
"I won't lose to you, I'm going to be the hero this world needs," Kenshin called out as he fully stood, taking out Mario and Luigi's Tokens. The two then slotted both their Tokens in before initiating their form changes.
[MARIO! LUIGI! KAMEN RIDER SMASH: PLATFORM BLAZER!]
[RYU! KEN! KAMEN RIDER ECHO: FOCUS BURNER!]
"Hey you're not authorized to be-!"
A Mii was trying to stop Samus from progressing further only to get blasted back by a semi-charged energy shot.
"Out of my way," Samus said as she went over to the door to the hanger, using her suit to activate the manual controls for the door before opening it up. She quickly took aim, a sword being pointed towards her right as she opened the door. She gave a sigh of relief though when she saw it was Cloud. "Good, you were here."
"What's going on?" Cloud asked as he holstered his sword. He turned back towards the Hanger and looked at several Mii's that had been knocked out. "They kept saying I wasn't allowed to leave and kept getting really pushy."
"Palutena's making her move," Samus said as she went over to the control panel and activated her suits override again, forcing manual control. "Kenshin I can only assume is currently fighting a Kamen Rider she produced. We need to go."
It wasn't long before one of the hanger doors began to open up. It took a while due to the automated system not being used, but it eventually fully opened.
"Good thing I just finished tuning up Fenrir," Cloud said as he went to store his sword in the motorcycle before looking at Samus. "Let's get going. It'll take too long if we use your Gunship."
"Just don't pull any crazy stunts," Samus warned as she headed over, once Cloud mounted the motorcycle first she mounted from behind. "I've got a general idea of where he is but no coordinates so bare with me."
"Hey you two get back here!" A Gunner Mii called out as he ran into the hanger with a few others, aiming their weapons at the duo.
"Let's mosey," Cloud said the engine roared to life, Fenrir skidding slightly before taking off. Despite being fired at the two managed to avoid being hit as they made their way out of the hanger.
"Dang it, they got away," Another Gunner called out. "We need to go after them!"
"No you all need to stay here," A voice called out as bolts of energy suddenly rained down on them, the Gunners all yelling out as Shadow the Hedgehog soon dropped down. "Pathetic, to betray this organization means treason against Smash City. You should have pulled out because this plan was doomed from the start."
Despite shifting into their final available forms, the two just stood where they were. They likely did this due to the damage from the previous finisher. The two wanted to gather as much energy as they could for this final clash since they knew that whoever came out on top would be the winner.
Rain drops began to fall slowly but surely, the drops hitting the two Riders as their bodies began to produce heat, causing the rain drops to sizzle instantly against their armor. The two Riders both gave their loudest yells before launching forward, slamming their fists into each other. A burst of heat was generated that formed a small hot air bubble, stopping the rain temporarily in their clash before it started again.
Junmei backed away with Kenshin following after her; Kenshin went for a gut punch only to get his hand caught. He then had his head slammed into by Junmei's fist. Despite this he retaliated with his own fist soon after, punching Junmei straight in the face and sending her back.
"Take this!" Kenshin gathered fire around his arms before throwing his hands forward, launching fireball after fireball at Junmei. To his surprise Junmei only braced against the fireballs instead of dodging, creating a cloud of smoke as a result of the hits against her armor. "Alright..." He said, figuring that Junmei was out of power. He gathered fire in his arms, gathering for a charged attack to finish her off.
Suddenly a blue fireball shot out of the smoke, slamming into Kenshin before he could react. Junmei suddenly jumped forward in a spin, performing a roundhouse kick against Kenshin and forcing him backwards even further.
"Just because I didn't dodge didn't mean you could lower your guard like that." She scolded.
"Shut it," Kenshin called out as he took out the Smash Knuckle, loading Greninja's Token in it.
[GRENINJA! RIDER SMASH!]
Kenshin gave a yell as he began gathering all the water in the area thanks to the rain, forming a spinning vortex of water around his arm. He gave a yell as he launched towards Junmei.
Junmei saw this and quickly accessed Ryu's power, an ink like aura surrounding her body as she was struck in the chest. Junmei coughed out, sparks flying though her use of the ability managed to allow her to soak up some of the damage. She then sent a punch towards Kenshin's face, surprised when he managed to catch it despite his hand sparking from the hit.
"Take this!" Kenshin called out as he sent the Smash Knuckle forward again, Junmei catching it with her hand and grabbing onto it despite the damage. Kenshin however moved in close before head butting Junmei, soon sending a kick to force her back further. He then accessed Luigi's power, launching forward at great speed while coating the knuckle in flames.
Despite being staggered Junmei managed to step to the side, grabbing the male Rider's wrist. She used one leg to kick his leg out from under while throwing his arm, flipping Kenshin. She then kicked at his face which was now towards the ground, though he raised his arms to block against it, being sent backwards. He just barely managed to right himself, planting his feet and staggering before managing to not topple over as he regained his footing.
"Not bad," Junmei said before rushing forward to strike at the male rider as he recovered, swinging her arm out to chop at him.
"Not so fast!" Kenshin jumped back to avoid the chop before releasing a burst of fire from behind him to force him to go forward. With his new momentum he sent the Smash Knuckle downwards towards the female rider. Junmei though stepped back in time to avoid it, spinning and kicking out at Kenshin. Kenshin raised his knuckle to block but was forced backwards despite this.
The two stayed where they were for a bit, likely trying to use whatever chance they could to recover. They then took a few steps back before jumping and kicking out towards each other, their legs clashing against each other. The two held out their hands, releasing a quick blast of fire from their palms. The collision forced the two away with a small heat shockwave as a result. Regardless of the force the two managed to land on their feet, and despite being tired it seemed as though their fighting spirit was high.
Junmei accessed Ken's power before raising her fist high in the air. Blue flames began wrapping around her arm before it was suddenly blazing, covered in flames. The flames reached high into the air despite the constant rain though she quickly brought her arm to the side. Sliding her foot slightly she crouched slightly as she slammed her fist into the pavement. The flames were sent from her arm and fist into the pavement as a result.
A stream of blue fire tore through the ground, shooting straight at Kenshin before enveloping him in no time at all.
"Did I get him?" Junmei asked before the flames were suddenly dispersed.
[FOX! RIDER SMASH!]
Kenshin held the Smash Knuckle forward with both hands, a reflector shield being formed in front of it as it accessed the power of Fox's Token. His posture had shown he had just barely slotted the Token in time since his other hand was still on top of the knuckle. The reflector shield however cracked before shattering. Kenshin breathed heavily as he let his arms drop, the Smash Knuckle falling after he lost his grip on it.
"To think you managed to stop that, I'm impressed!" Junmei called out with a light grin, despite how tired she was she had to admit that this was exciting.
"I'm not a Kamen Rider for nothing!" Kenshin called out proudly as he managed to raise his arms. "I'll show you I'm not dangerous and that I'm worthy of this power!" He slammed down on both buttons as his arms burst into bright red and green flames.
[FOR GLORY!]
The male Rider held his hands forward in a claw like motion as the flames began spiraling between the hands forming a sphere of fire that grew larger and larger the more he charged it.
"The finale…" Junmei pressed down on both buttons as blue fire began spiraling towards the palms of her hands.
[FOR GLORY!]
She then cupped her hands together, forming her own sphere as she reeled her arms behind her. She began moving her hands farther apart as her blue fireball began growing larger.
[PLATFORM BLAZER!]
[FOCUS BURNER!]
Both Riders yelled out as they launched their respective fireballs out towards each other. Kenshin thrust his forward with his palms while Junmei threw hers forward while pushing. The two fireballs clashed heavily against each other, trying to inch their way forward only for both to give and explode as a result.
The two Riders however launched forward into the light of the explosion, gathering the remaining energy from their respective finishers around their right fists. The two landed and slid against the ground while moving towards each other.
"You're finished now!" Junmei yelled out.
"I won't lose!" Kenshin yelled out.
The two fists collided as sparks flew, the two Riders trying to overpower each other in one last struggle. The energy began to destabilize and build up; sparking more before another explosion occurred.
[K.O.!]
The two yelled out as they were thrown out of the explosion, both rolling across the ground before losing their transformations. Despite the pain she was feeling, Junmei continued to push herself, slowly but surely standing as the rain began to let up and slow down.
Kenshin gave a loud groan as he slammed his hands against the concrete, yelling out as he pushed himself up. This was surprising for him; he had yet to really get an opponent to push him in all three forms like Junmei had.
The two began to step forward when the smoke began to clear. Believing that their opponent still had the armor on they got in defensive stances just in case. To their surprise however they realized they both had lost their transformations as a result of the final clash.
Junmei squinted as the smoke cleared further, finally giving her a clear view. Her squinted eyes soon widening as she saw Kenshin before her. She let out a silent gasp as she stepped back, despite him looking younger she recognized him almost instantly. "You're joking right…"
"Huh? Why do you look like you've-?" Kenshin gave a wince once he fully made out Junmei, his vision blurring as he briefly saw the same girl from his dream in front of him. "You're…"
"Kenshin!" Cloud called out as he skidded to a stop near the battle. Samus quickly got off and ran over, not paying attention to Junmei for the moment.
"Hey kid we're here, you alright?" Samus asked as she hurried over, bracing Kenshin who leaned on the bounty hunters armored body. "Yeah, no doesn't look like it."
Cloud got off but looked over at Junmei who was still staring straight at Kenshin, "Samus, we've got an issue."
"Huh?" Samus turned towards Junmei. "You… you're the other Kamen Rider. Wait…" It was then that the bounty hunter noted the shocked expression on the females face. "What's wrong?"
"I'm not dreaming am I?" Junmei asked as she began to walk forward. "This isn't an illusion or anything?"
"What are you talking about?" Kenshin asked, trying to figure out who exactly Junmei was.
Junmei stopped when she saw that Kenshin didn't seem to recognize her. "Kenshin?" She asked, trying to hold back her current feelings. "Kenshin, don't you know who I am?"
"Huh?" Kenshin was still confused and a bit disoriented from the clash of finishers.
"It's me, Junmei!" Junmei called out. "Junmei Yukimura, I'm your younger sister!"
"I have a younger sister?" Kenshin muttered before holding his head and crying out slightly. Hearing the name Yukimura alongside Junmei's name brought a sudden stinging sensation to his head.
"Wait, what do you mean younger sister?" Cloud asked as he walked over. "From my point of view you're the older one."
"I know it sounds weird," Junmei admitted as she looked down and gripped her fists. "I don't know why he looks younger than me now… but he's my older brother! I've been looking for him this whole time!"
"That doesn't make sense though, if he's your older brother then why were you fighting him?" Samus questioned as she kept Kenshin steady.
"I wasn't aware that Smash and my brother was the same person, they never told me he was the Rider," Junmei called out in an offended tone. "If I had known he was I would have tried to meet him normally!"
"I hate to say it, but I think this young lady was tricked," Cloud mentioned as he began to walk over to Junmei only to step back at several arrows hitting the ground.
Dark Pit landed, getting between Junmei and Cloud, drawing an energy bow and aiming it at him. "Echo, we need to retreat now."
"Why?" Junmei asked, stiffening up as she looked over to Kenshin. She then gave a glare towards Dark Pit. "Why would I when Palutena has been lying to me?"
"Listen we don't have time to discuss this," Dark Pit said keeping his aim on Cloud. "We need to get back to Palutena, now!"
Junmei however glanced and noticed that she was near where the Smash Knuckle was. Noticing that Dark Pit wasn't paying attention to her she grabbed it, gripping it tightly before slamming it into the back of his head.
Dark Pit's eyes widened as he was struck and sent tumbling onto the ground by the Smash Knuckle.
"Tell her I'm no longer serving her until she explains to me what the hell is going on," Junmei hissed out as she tossed the Smash Knuckle over to Cloud to catch. She then looked over at Samus and Kenshin, relief but worry filling her face. "Make sure he gets some rest… I'll be around town if you need me." She said, her voice growing less audible the further she spoke.
"No wait-!" Kenshin reached forward only to yell out again, slumping forward as the strain on his mind caused him to pass out for the moment. Cloud walked over, taking Kenshin in his arms before lifting him up.
"Thanks," Samus said as she looked towards Junmei who had gone from walking to running off. "Today was a terrible day…"
"Let's just get Kenshin back to his room, everyone else is probably done cleaning up," Cloud suggested. "We can figure out the situation with Junmei once he's feeling better."
"Sounds good to me, I'll deal with the Machine Islander," Samus said before heading off to retrieve the motorcycle.
As everyone cleared away from the area, Hajime watched from a nearby building. He gave a chuckle as he saw what happened. "Well now… I'm not sure about the specifics… but I think I can work this to my favor." He said, figuring that even if Kenshin recovered this had to be a mental blow to his system. He just needed to figure out the details between the now revealed brother and sister. "I suppose I should visit Lord Tabuu to find out…"
To Be Continued…
Samus: Prey, when cornered, will bare its fangs. A hunter pushed to the edge will learn despair. Sometimes you're just not ready for what might happen next.
[Next Time – Alpha and Omega]
Smash Token Ownership:
Kenshin – Mario/Luigi/Yoshi/Fox/Wolf/Pikachu/Greninja/Link
Junmei – Marth/Lucina/Ryu/Ken/Terry/Lucario/Samus/Dark Samus
CORE – Incineroar
Meijin –Donkey Kong/Bowser/Ganondorf
Sayomi – Meta Knight
Hajime – Piranha Plant
