Kamen Rider Smash
Episode 15 – An Unlikely Assist
Data File #18: Silence
"Despite Wily's attempted attack there had been no further movements by major members of the Subspace Army. The most we've gotten have been random Subspace Army attacks. It seems as though they've gone silent and are preparing something. I'm not sure what it could be but we'll need to be prepared for it."
Palutena's Log #04: Candidate
"After regrettably losing favor with Junmei I've chosen to figure out a new method of creating a hero. While I realize it's foolish to oppose CORE, I need a guardian that I can trust fully. With the new Rider System finished alongside Rosalina finding a candidate, it's time to meet with them and put my plan into action."
Earth
It was a fairly standard evening on Earth of all places, especially one that had been plagued by various threats regarding monsters and secret organizations. Even with the peace there seemed to be some kind of trouble if you looked hard enough.
"What a pain in the ass," A voice called as several thuds were suddenly heard from an alleyway. Several thugs were thrown onto the ground, having bruises and holding onto their faces or groins. The culprit was a man in his early twenties. He wore a white long sleeved button up with a black vest, leather gloves, trousers and dress shoes. He had short messy blond hair with dull emerald eyes and was wearing a pair of square framed glasses. "I swear to everything that thugs like you need to clean up your act already."
"S-Says the guy who assaulted us to hell and back," A thug managed to stammer out as he got to his knees, pointing at the young man. "We just wanted to have a conversation with you about acquiring some funds!"
"Listen I get it, you all think your tough, act like you own the place, nothing can stop you," The young man declared as he narrowed his eyes. The story the thug said was true though their conversational method wasn't with words but with fists. "But you picked the wrong person this time. Kicking all of your asses was because you thought it would be fun to jump me."
"Well with t-that fancy getup how could we not resist?" Another thug admitted with a nervous chuckle, at least he was being honest.
"Huh?" The young man looked himself over. "Oh, right I'm still in my work uniform. Listen I'm just a bartender alright? The most I really make aside from my average wage are tips when people feel generous enough. How about you all get some jobs yourselves? It'll be a lot more productive than jumping people for their money."
"Jeez, try to get some dough and then you get lectured," The lead thug groaned as he managed to get up before limping away. "Let's get going boys." There were a few groans causing him to clear his throat. "Do you all want to get your teeth kicked out? Learn when to run is what I always say!"
Once all the thugs had cleared out the young man gave a sigh, "Good riddance." He then picked up a white bag he had set to the side before heading off. It wasn't long before he reached an apartment complex, getting his keys out as he climbed to the second floor. He didn't enjoy lying about his wages and how much he got paid, especially his living style. But he knew that thugs like those would be persistent if he didn't deter them enough. In actuality he managed to have enough for a moderate lifestyle.
There was a different feeling in the air tonight, like something was about to happen. The young man looked around before shrugging, opening his door and entering his apartment. To his surprise though the lights were already on and it seemed as though the stove was running. "Owner…?" He trailed as he was trying to figure out why his apartment wasn't dark and quiet. The young man soon entered the main living area where his table was set up when he dropped his bag.
Sitting in front of him was a strange armored woman who wore a black coat over her shoulders, her hair being a blue almost dull green coloration. She was currently in a calm state sipping some tea, though she clearly noticed the young man's presence. Despite this she didn't seem to have much of a reaction to him. "I was wondering when you'd show up, tea?"
"Um, who the hell are you and why are you in my apartment?" The young man immediately asked.
"Are you going to attack me when I answer your question?" The woman asked, her expression not changing.
"Depends on your answer…" The young man trailed.
The woman put the tea down before looking up at the young man. "My name is Byleth, I've been sent by Palutena to assist in your journey."
"Excuse me?" The young man questioned as carefully sat down at the table. He wasn't sure what to think but if this was too much of an elaborate setup to either steal his money or kidnap him. Byleth did seem otherworldly though so he chose to play along. "Let me guess, the tea is drugged so that I pass out, then when I wake up again you'll welcome me to Wonderland."
"An astute observation though we want to build a trustworthy bond with you," Byleth replied as she took the cup of tea for the young man and took a sip. She raised an eyebrow at the wonderland term but didn't say anything regarding it. After a few minutes with no reaction she put the cup down. "Sorry for drinking your tea but I'd rather you not be too suspicious."
"Says the person in armor in my room," The young man looked off to the side.
"So what's your name?" Byleth asked. "I feel it's only fair to give yours since I did give you mine."
"Well… if you really want to know," The young man trailed before looking her straight in the face. "The names Eiji Kawaguchi, but considering you're looking for me you should know that already."
"Correct, but I wanted to make sure I had the right person," Byleth admitted. "From everything I've observed it seems like Palutena was correct."
"There's that name again, who is Palutena?" Eiji asked as he leaned forward. "And what kind of name is Byleth?"
"Yes, it does seem like this world lacks the media involving us mostly," Byleth mused as she set her tea down before turning her blank expression into a more serious one. "What I'm about to ask you is of grave importance."
"What, is it some kind of mission to save everyone as we know it?" Eiji asked almost immediately, having played enough games and seen enough movies to see where this was going. Granted he gave a light wince and stared up as he remembered his attempts at being a hero. "I hate to break it to you but that's kind of happened already with the Chronicle Incident."
"You wouldn't be saving this world, you'd be saving another world connected to yours," Byleth explained as this made Eiji immediately lock eyes with her again. "Come now, with my appearance did you really believe I was from this realm?"
"So what is it like a game world or something?" Eiji asked, now things were starting to align more to his interests.
"In a sense," Byleth said as she stood up while continuing. "We picked you specifically due to your history and mindset. We figure you'd be the best candidate for this." She then held out her hand. "So what's your answer?"
"I…" Eiji trailed before looking at his hand and gripping it tightly. "I…"
World of Smash
"Sorry about springing this on you suddenly," Kenshin said as he and his sister walked towards the hangar bay in CORE Headquarters. "I just feel like checking up on them given everything that's happened. Are you sure you don't want to go? You and Peach would probably hit it off well."
"I feel like I'd be intruding, to be honest," Junmei admitted. "Maybe next time, besides I'd rather have at least one Rider in the city. We don't know what the Subspace Army could pull."
"True," Kenshin admitted. "Most of the attacks have been concentrated here. You sure you're going to be fine?"
"Finally being the protective big brother now aren't we?" Junmei teased with a light smile.
"Well it's only natural to worry right?" Kenshin asked with a chuckle.
"I'll be fine; besides it sounds like this'll be good for you. Relax a bit; I can do the heavy lifting here for a while." Junmei replied as she went to open up the door to the hangar. "I've got the others here to help back me up just like you did."
"True enough, if there's one capable team of people here it's them," Kenshin agreed before heading through."Try not to cause too much trouble with them though."
"W-What's that supposed to mean?!" Junmei managed to sputter out, caught off guard by what her brother had just mentioned. She gave a light glare when all her brother did was chuckle and walk to his bike. "Come on, seriously!"
"Just saying I vaguely recall you being a bit of a handful when we started living on our own," Kenshin remarked.
"Well maybe I was only a handful because you couldn't handle it!" Junmei called out before sticking her tongue out. She then gave a smile. "Don't worry about me though. Like you said, I've got a capable team behind my back."
"Right, I know I told Samus but if anyone asks just tell them what's going on, I don't need everyone worrying about me… again." Kenshin said as he reached Machine Islander, making sure nothing was out of place before starting it up.
"You really need to stop doing that," Junmei scolded as she crossed her arms. "There's a lot more people who care about you and I now. We should try and keep their worrying to a minimum."
"Of course, of course," Kenshin gave a small wave with his fingers as he adjusted himself up. "I'll see you later."
"Right, have a safe trip," Junmei said as she went over to the control console and opening up the doors for him.
Kenshin gave a nod as he put his helmet on before revving his engine, the rider machine roaring as he soon sped off.
"Looks like I was too late," Samus mentioned as she walked in just as Kenshin exited the hangar.
"Yeah, but at least he told us," Junmei replied. "It's better than leaving without a word and us worrying about him."
"You're right about that," Samus admitted. "I'm just glad you two are finally past the awkward phase."
"Well life risking situations manage to get people to cut the crap and start talking," Junmei gave a sheepish chuckle at her words. "That attack was just weird though…"
"Wily's a smart guy, he had to have some sort of ulterior motive beyond just provoking you two," Samus replied before turning to exit the hangar. "There has to be something more to it. Even data gathering seems too small for it to be that."
"Well isn't that the million dollar question," Junmei sighed as she followed after Samus, she had to admit though the bounty hunter was right to be curious.
In Smash City there was a quaint bar that rarely anyone frequented due to the rumored usual customer there, the Umbra Witch. Not many liked to mess around with Bayonetta of all people, her reputation having made her a dangerous individual to hang around for more than a few moments. Those that had seen her in her tournament fights knew that she was no pushover when it came to fighting. Thus most people made sure they wouldn't get on her bad side, what also helped was locating the bar that she frequented.
The bars name was The Gates of Hell, a fitting name for those who wanted to go there to throw their lives away. Given that the owner Rodin had his own set of rumors circulating around him. Of course inside the bar there were plenty of other rumors that were circulating at the moment.
"Those two kids definitely have made this city a lot more eventful…" Bayonetta remarked. "I just wish they would save some of the fun for me."
"Well they're effective which is likely what King Dedede and Samus were going for," Rodin mentioned.
"I suppose… all of this is getting me a bit stir crazy though," Bayonetta admitted as she leaned her back against the bar.
"Well this should kick your shit into high gear, I've got a good rumor for you," Rodin mentioned as he started to wipe down the glasses. "So you know the second one right, Echo?"
"Oh the interesting one," Bayonetta said, remembering specifically how she was picking up something odd from Junmei herself. "Did you find out what makes her tick?"
"Sort of, but you'll need to figure it out yourself," Rodin mentioned. "From my sources in CORE, despite seemingly being a normal human she apparently has both light and darkness filling her in perfect harmony."
Bayonetta immediately turned with a surprised expression, "Shut up!" She called out before noticing that Rodin was now staring at her. "But… how is that even possible?"
"Like I said, it's a rumor you'll need to figure out yourself," Rodin answered. "I'm curious myself though."
"So why don't you do it?" Bayonetta asked as she leaned her arms on the bar while moving in closer.
"Is that particular question really one that needs answering?" Rodin scoffed as he turned towards the side. "Point is, this is an exciting ass lead that will definitely get us in on the bigger picture."
"I suppose so…" Bayonetta trailed before standing up and making her way to the exit. "Suppose I should figure out my game plan too…"
"I can't believe we actually did it!"
"Oh hell yeah, we did it on our own!"
"Yeah, screw CORE we did it!"
The various scientists and lab assistants at the laboratory in Palutena's Temple were currently jumping with joy. It appeared as though their long hard work had paid off as they had finished the Rider System alongside a successful test.
Inside the training room where the test was taking place was a relieved Palutena and Byleth. The two watched as the transformation for their new warrior ended. The light fading as in the warrior's place was Eiji who looked over himself with a bit of excitement, flexing his fingers as he stared at his hands.
"I actually did it… I transformed…" Eiji managed to get out with a grin.
"To think you doubted yourself earlier, Lady Palutena made sure to be very particular about the choice," Byleth commented with crossed arms. "We've been working long and hard at this."
"Indeed we have," Palutena nodded. "I know it wasn't a full test run but I do hope that some field work will help you out in that regard. I would have liked to give you more but this is the best I can do on my own."
"I mean given the system I'm working with, even if I'm not too familiar with everything… I think I can handle it for now," Eiji admitted.
"Good, because we don't have much time," Byleth replied.
"Right, I want to try and nip this in the bud as fast as possible," Palutena explained. "Byleth will be accompanying you to Hyrule, the two of you are to meet with Princess Zelda and earn her trust."
"So basically, go to this Hyrule, show off a bit and get her sold on me being a Rider," Eiji echoed in his own words. "That right?"
"Something like that," Palutena admitted with a small chuckle as she scratched her cheek. "While we Leaders are indeed on relatively good terms, I want to show her that I'm serious about protecting this world. That is where you come into play as my new Rider."
"Sounds good to me, even if this is all still pretty new to me," Eiji admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I'll be sure to keep pushing lessons on you as we make our way there," Byleth replied. "After all it is my duty as a teacher to help my students learn."
"Huh, well then teach, I hope you'll help me figure this whole hero business out then," Eiji said as he gave a bow.
Kenshin was currently riding alongside the pathways that lead out of Smash City towards the Mushroom Kingdom. He had to admit the drive was nice and peaceful, just what he needed to help clear his head. He passed a few vehicles along the way though he was glad that travel between each location was fairly scarce aside from any supplies that needed to be moved around.
He also had to admit that getting the Machine Islander proved to be fairly useful. Without the need for any fuel, he was able to ride around until he felt like taking a break. And while he had made a few stops to take in the view along the way it didn't take him long to get closer and closer to the Mushroom Kingdom.
Well that was until several tree's trunks were tossed in his path. Kenshin's eyes widened as he quickly skidded to a stop, turning his bike sideways. He gave a sigh of relief before hearing something, looking behind he noticed more trunks coming his way. He yelped before taking off and dodging the trunks, skidding to another stop.
"Okay who is the wise guy who thinks they can block the damn road?" Kenshin questioned, a bit fed up with the debris being flung in his path. He gave a squint with his eyes as he saw a large figure in the distance, it wasn't long before the figure jumped up and towards him. He quickly began to reverse on his motorcycle as the figure smashed into the trunks, sending broken pieces of wood flying everywhere.
Due to the beings body structure one could mention its shape was similar to a gorilla. It was fairly large but its legs were shorter compared to its bulky chest and arms, which had piston's built into them, not to mention the hands were seemingly curled into fists permanently. The armor had a metallic brown shine to it, the fists, chest, feet, and front of the face having a tan coloration. Lastly it had a red belt with the initials DK emblazoned on in yellow. Its head was like a helmet, shaped similar to a gorilla's. There was a visor for the eyes which were a bright red coloration, steam being let out from underneath the helmet as it breathed.
"And suddenly I am being attacked by a gigantic Donkey Kong knock-off," Kenshin said before shaking his head and immediately dismounting. "Wait, knock-off? Yeah that's definitely DK-like… is it a Malice?!"
"I am the King," The mechanized primate spoke out in a deep synthesized voice.
"Whoa, this one speaks. That's rare," Kenshin admitted as he drew out his Token Driver before attaching it to his waist. "What are you the king of?"
"I am the King of this land, Amber Primate," The Malice answered. "I am here to subjugate all in my reach, and that my boy includes you."
"Hey I'm actually older than I look, but I'd rather not get into that," Kenshin remarked as he took out Mario and Luigi's Token's, slotting them in before activating his transformation. "Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDER SMASH: PLATFORM BLAZER!]
In a flurry of flames Kenshin was transformed into his base form, shifting his shoulders around as he got into a fighting stance.
"I will subjugate you!" Amber Primate declared jumping up and aiming his left fist downwards, punching at the Rider.
Kenshin jumped up and away from the fist, holding his hands out and releasing a burst of fire from each of them. He used the force behind it to spin into a kick, managing to slam his foot into the primate's head. Due to the force behind the kick and density of the creature itself, the attack resulted in Kenshin flying back towards the ground. The Rider landed in a crouching position before suddenly kicking and running forward with both his legs, trying to keep the momentum going as he closed in on Amber Primate.
As Kenshin ran forward he began to charge up his hands with fire and heat energy, he needed to make this attack count. Amber Primate easily noticed Kenshin rushing in and moved his left arm inwards before lashing out, trying to smack the boy away and into a building. However Kenshin had anticipated the attack and ducked underneath it, getting near the chest and releasing a blast of heat and fire at the same time.
Despite this attack Amber Primate still retaliated, slamming his right arm downwards right behind Kenshin, the piston on its arm shooting inwards and creating a shockwave that launched the young Rider upwards. Amber Primate did not stop after that however, uncurling his left fist and grabbing Kenshin by the leg. With one swift swing the creature had slammed Kenshin into the ground so hard that there was now an imprint.
"Amber Primate is not so easily defeated," The creature boasted as he patted his stomach, despite not feeling the damage there were still scorch marks from the attack. "Now to finish you off," He called out as he raised both fists back; the pistons retracting outwards as it got ready to punch.
[GRENINJA: RIDER SMASH!]
In the time that Amber Primate had been gloating Kenshin had summoned his Smash Knuckle before loading in a Token. He then unleashed a blast of pressurized water against Amber Primate's stomach. The force impacted against his wounds hard enough to force the beast to stagger.
"Okay… my fists aren't going to be enough for this, Smash Knuckle time," Kenshin groaned out as he took out Greninja's Token before going to draw out another.
"You'll pay for that inferior being," Amber Primate called out as he pounded a fist against the ground.
Kenshin gave a light scoff, "You got me good with that power of yours, but I need to wrap this up quickly. Someone's waiting for me and I'd rather not be late."
[SMASH TOKEN CONFIRMED]
[STRIKING FORMATION]
[SLASHING FORMATION]
In a dark room pillars of flames illuminated the edges of the area as bright purple slashes cut through the darkness briefly. At the center of the room illuminated by a spotlight were Meijin and Sayomi. The two were standing back to back with satisfied expressions.
Suddenly around the two, Primid's began falling into the spotlight, dispersing into shadow bugs as they all tumbled forward in a messy fashion.
"Test complete," Meijin said as he adjusted the gauntlets on his wrist.
"The Doctor does do good work sometimes," Sayomi mused as she ran her hand gently across her katana.
"More than good, this is phenomenal," Meijin chuckled slightly as he looked over his gauntlets, going over to a slot where Bowser's Smash Token was in place. He then popped it out with ease as he looked it over. "To think this is the power we can wield without Drivers."
"Even acting support to weapons these Tokens are impressive," Sayomi admitted as her hand finally reached the guard where a token slot was, popping Meta Knight's Token out. "It makes sense now as to why the Rider's have their versions. It just helps increase the potency."
"We also don't dilute the power with Tabuu's like we do when we create Malice's," Meijin added as he walked over towards the darker part of the room, activating the rest of the lights. "We'll need more data however."
"It just means we have to keep those Riders fighting while getting involved ourselves," Sayomi said as she hung her katana on a loop at her belt.
"Well it's a good thing that our plans can now progress, everything is in place." Meijin explained as he walked towards the door. "Despite their growth, it's doubtful that our two Riders will be able to keep up with this, especially given they've made one fatal mistake… they stuck themselves to one spot."
"The idiots," Sayomi remarked. "They still probably think that Smash City is our main target when it really isn't."
"And thus we will use that to our advantage," Meijin gave a nod.
"By the way… you handed out your second to last Token," Sayomi mentioned as she strolled forward. "I take it you've made up your mind on Bowser."
"Of course, this is the power I desire," Meijin began fidgeting the Bowser Token between his fingers. "Besides I wouldn't trust that fool even with his own power… that being said that other Token we obtained should be enough to help them."
"Good thing we decided to create a surplus of Tokens for Malice creation," Sayomi admitted.
Kenshin gave a hiss as he skidded backwards, even with the Smash Knuckle; Platform Blazer wasn't cutting it when it came to his opponent. "Fine then, I'll go all out!" He threw away the Smash Knuckle before drawing out Link and Ganondorf's Token's, slotting them both in. He then slammed down on the buttons to initiate his transformation.
[LINK! GANONDORF! KAMEN RIDER SMASH: CALAMITY HERO!]
Kenshin stood straight as his transformation completed itself, staring forward at the empty field in front of him. Amber Primate had used Kenshin's transformation as a distraction, jumping over him and landing behind.
The Malice gave a chuckle as he slammed his left arm inwards to try and strike the Rider. Kenshin however raised his left arm, blocking against Amber Primate's strike. Kenshin then pushed Amber Primate's arm away before spinning towards his right and delivering a punch against the Malice's gut with his left fist.
Amber Primate gasped out as the Rider's punch was strong enough to cause sparks to fly on his already damaged stomach. He rushed in with a fist, surprised when Kenshin raised an arm to block it with an open palm.
"Yeah sorry, but I'm done playing around," Kenshin said as he got a good grip before pulling Amber Primate forward, slamming his head into the mechanized gorilla for a headbutt. Amber Primate gave a yell as he staggered back from that. Kenshin then drew out both his blades, coating them in light and dark energy each as he walked forward.
"You will not defeat me!" Amber Primate called out as he raised his fists, slamming them down at Kenshin once he was close enough.
Kenshin however raised his left arm that held the blade covered in light, a shield resembling the Triforce appearing and blocking against Amber Primate's attack. Kenshin then took one step forward as he lunged towards Amber Primate's stomach, releasing a stream of dark energy that collided against the Malice's abdominal area.
Amber Primate gasped out as he tumbled backwards; he slowed to a stop before pounding the ground. "Not done yet!"
"It's over," Kenshin called out as he slammed down on both buttons before combining his swords together. He then held the tip of the sword toward his opponent as light energy gathered around the blade. He then slammed his palm into the grip of the blade, releasing a burst of light towards the Malice.
[FOR GLORY]
Amber Primate growled out as he punched at the light only for it to wrap around his fist. Suddenly the light grew and wrapped all around him, suddenly forming into a triforce symbol that bound him in place. "What… is… this?!"
"This is the end," Kenshin declared as he raised his sword up, dark energy gathering before he gripped his weapon with both hands. He then slashed downwards, releasing an arcing wave of dark energy towards the Malice. Soon enough the darkness hit and cut through the Malice, causing a massive explosion.
[CALAMITY HERO K.O.!]
Kenshin sighed as he held out his hand, catching the now purified Donkey Kong Token before walking over and seeing the unconscious Mii sprawled out along the ground. "Hmm…" Kenshin cancelled his transformation before sending an alert to CORE HQ, mentioning he ran into a Malice and sending the coordinates.
He then took off for his motorcycle, mounting it before revving it up and taking off, "That set me back by several minutes… here's hoping I can still make a decent time."
Upon Palutena's request, both Eiji and Byleth were sent down to Hyrule in order to meet with Princess Zelda. The two had arrived at the castle town's square as Eiji was currently taking in the sights before they kept going further towards the castle. Unlike Junmei, Eiji had chosen to stay in the clothes he had been wearing when he had chosen to start his journey. It was mostly because he didn't feel the need to change his attire.
"It's a far cry from home, right?" Byleth asked, a bit amused by Eiji's sightseeing.
"It's incredible… it's like I'm on a fantasy adventure or something," Eiji admitted as he spun around to take in the sights more quickly. His eyes wide as he could barely believe places like this and Sky World existed. "I've never seen anything like this except for in games and movies."
"Well remember that we've got somewhere to be," Byleth said as she began taking the lead.
"Right, right, meet with Zelda and show her my stuff," Eiji recounted as he quickly followed after Byleth. He put his hands behind his head. "So what do I do, we see her and then I transform and say… "Yo I'm a Kamen Rider"… or something like that?"
"I wouldn't put it as crudely… but yes. Give her a demonstration really," Byleth mentioned. "Though that's also why I'm here, so I can do most of the explaining."
"So really, all I've got to do is show off," Eiji said, figuring it would be easy enough.
The two were making their way deeper into the town and towards the castle at the center before suddenly hearing screams from behind. Suddenly several explosions echoed behind them as the source was at the town's square towards the entrance.
Eiji narrowed his eyes as he quickly ran back towards the square, realizing that it was likely trouble brewing. Byleth had seen this and didn't have much of a response, just giving a blank stare as she followed after Eiji. There was no need to lecture him about waiting or not staying out of trouble. If anything she knew she had to be tough with him given his attitude from what she had glimpsed.
It wasn't long before Eiji ended up back at the town square, squinting as he noticed the various Primid's attacking. Leading the army were surprisingly a pair of Malice, both fairly lanky as their bodies were covered by long parka coats one having pink while the other had blue, both being lined with white puffy fur. They had a black armored bodysuit underneath with brown boots and gloves. The parka hoods themselves were up and tightened around their heads, the only thing peaking out being a grey gas mask with large circular yellow eyes. They both held long handled wooden mallets with metal rimming along them.
"That's right you cowards, run! Run from us, the Parka Dyad!" The blue one announced.
"That's right Blu, together we can take anyone down!" The pink one declared.
"You've got that right Phi," Blue gave a chuckle as he rested his mallet on his shoulders.
Watching the chaos from afar were both Ghirahim and Skull Kid, the two asked to start making their move against Hyrule to discover its weaknesses.
Ghirahim gave a chuckle at how all the citizens were simply running away while Skull Kid was clapping like a mad man, the two easily amused by the situation. That was until Ghirahim noticed something…
"Just who is that man?" Ghirahim questioned as he saw Eiji. He soon held up a hand causing the Primid's to pause, Blu and Phi both staring in surprise as they looked around before noticing Ghirahim had stopped their army. Instead of saying anything, Ganondorf's servant merely pointed towards Eiji.
"Huh? Who is this guy?" Blu asked.
"No clue, does he have a death wish?" Phi asked.
Ghirahim said nothing as he strolled forward, Skull Kid staying behind. The servant of Ganondorf walked past both Blu and Phi, still curious at Eiji's sudden appearance.
Eiji noticed the attack had stopped before seeing Ghirahim coming forward, "So you must be the big leader then? I was expecting the two behind you to be the leaders but I guess they're just the special general's."
"Oh we're special alright!" Blu called out.
"Yeah!" Phi agreed.
"Silence the both of you," Ghirahim hissed out towards the two monsters before looking at Eiji. "Hmm, so you don't know of me. I am the loyal servant of Ganondorf, Ghirahim."
"Can't say I've heard of any of them," Eiji admitted as he rubbed his neck.
Ghirahim narrowed his eyes at this, wondering just who Eiji was now since he seemed to have no knowledge of the two. Ganondorf and his followers were fairly well known by Hyrule, even in Smash City since he noticed his more urban attire.
Ghirahim was about to say something when he noticed Byleth slow to a stop at a distance, narrowing his eyes further. With her here he wondered just what exactly was going on, especially since she seemed to be waiting for something.
"Just who are you?" was his question.
"Glad you asked," Eiji grinned as he soon pointed towards himself, his voice dripping with pride. "My name's Eiji Kawaguchi, but there's another name you'd know me by." He then drew out a thick oval buckle that was colored black. It held various indentions but at the center and leading into it from above was a Token Slot. On the left side was a large red button that could be pushed in. He then placed it at his waist as a bronze belt strap wrapped around before locking it to his waist.
[ASSIST BUCKLE]
"And that's a Kamen Rider!"
"There's another one?" Phi asked as Blu shrugged.
"Impossible…" Ghirahim's eyes widened as he saw this. "That is impossible!" He called out in a rage as his eyes widened further in anger. Both Malice's ended up taking a step back at their leaders outburst. "The only Kamen Rider's that exist are Smash and Echo!"
Eiji was a bit caught off guard by Ghirahim's change in demeanor but was glad that his declaration had caused panic and anger. Eiji then drew out a Smash Token with his left hand, it having multi-colored crystal lining with the image of a silhouette inside a glowing trophy case.
"I guess you could call me a newcomer," Eiji flicked his Token upwards before catching it with his other hand before swiftly slotting it in.
[TOKEN INSERT]
"Henshin!" Eiji declared before hitting the side button.
[READY FOR ASSIST]
Suddenly the Smash Symbol formed beneath Eiji's feat before materializing and rising slightly to form a trophy base. It wasn't long before a tube with a domed top formed above him. His body became a black silhouette as the inside became filled with a multitude of colors. Suddenly cracks began to form on the dome before both it and the base shattered the multicolored energy being released as Eiji's Rider Form was revealed.
[KAMEN RIDER ASSISTER!]
Eiji was currently wearing a black bodysuit. On top was sharp white armor on the body, shoulders, forearms, and shins, his hands being armored with white plating alongside his boots. The white armor also held thin bronze detailing alongside the edges. Running along his biceps, sides of his stomach and thighs were various multi-colored tubes that also ran underneath the white armor.
On his left forearm armor was a flat diamond shaped white paneled device sticking out with various indentions, the indentions being a dull grey. The shape was wide enough for a glowing blue screen to be seen.
Ingrained on his chest was the Smash Symbol though it was currently a dull grey. His helmet was also sharp, on the sides having two rounded pieces with points sticking back and upwards. The rounded pieces holding grayed out Smash Symbol's. The suit had a layered bronze crusher-jaw like mouth with two bright crystal-like bug eyes nearly blending in with the helmet, it also having a round rainbow colored gem on the forehead.
"Of course, every Rider needs to have a name… and you just heard it. The name's Kamen Rider Assister!" Eiji declared as he pointed forward though he nearly fell over when he saw Ghirahim staring at the ground.
"Attack…" Ghirahim muttered as he stared down at the ground. "Attack…" He said in a bit of a louder tone but still could not be heard. He soon brought his face forward, it full of rage. "I said attack you mindless worms! Attack! Attack! Attack! Kill him and end his life right now!"
"Y-You heard him boys!" Phi managed to stammer out, Blu almost clutching onto him due to the sheer anger they could feel radiating from Ghirahim.
Eiji perked up in surprise at that as all the attention was on him now. The Primids began running forward with the intent of defeating him. The new Rider gave a chuckle as a few weaponless Primid's flung their bodies towards him. He moved and batted his way past most of them before immediately punching the last one in the face to send it to the ground.
Eiji turned before rushing in, performing a few punches and kicks against the Primid's, easily destroying them once enough damage was built up. He yelped as one tried to grab onto his back before he grabbed onto it, tossing it away.
"How's that-!" Eiji yelped as a few energy bullets nearly grazed him before dodging out of the way of a few Sword and Boom Primids. "Uh oh."
"Eiji, remember you aren't weaponless, the Assister System has what you need." Byleth reminded as she began to look at what the situation called for. "Search for Saki Amamiya on the Assist Gauntlet, his Dolphin Gun will provide you the necessary short and long range support."
"Huh? Right," Eiji dodged out of the way of a few more attacks before tapping the screen on his device. He began to swipe through the various names and images that popped up before noticing a blond haired character with a bang that covered his right eye and a ponytail. The name read out as 'Saki Amamiya' and Eiji assumed this was who he needed to select. Pressing down on the image for a few seconds released a new sound.
[ASSIST TIME: SAKI AMAMIYA]
Suddenly in Eiji's hand formed a pistol that held a long attachment on the bottom going backwards alongside a smaller attachment on the top. Eiji could only assume this was the Dolphin Gun. The greyed out Smash Symbol's alongside his eyes suddenly changed colors to yellow as a result of the weapon summoning.
Eiji barely had time to think as the Primid's continued to assault him. Deciding make it easier on himself he began shooting at the Scope Primids.
The Scope Primids were struck and stunned as a result, Eiji rushing forward and initiating the Dolphin Gun's beam saber mode. With one swift stroke he spun and slashed through the Scope Primids. Turning he began firing at the Boom and Sword Primid's while closing in. Once he was close he activated his beam saber mode and began making quick work of the weapon wielding enemies.
While some blocked he easily dodged around before striking at their blind spots, though because he bum rushed into a small hoard he ended up taking a few unnecessary hits. As the Primid's begun to surround him he quickly spun around, slashing through and destroying the remaining Primid's in a single spin.
"Well now…" Blu whistled as he saw this, soon taking his mallet and twirling it in his hands, getting in a fighting stance.
"I suppose it's our turn!" Phi called out as he drew his mallet out and charged forward, holding it as if he was going to use it as a spear.
Eiji turned and began shooting at the Parka Dyad, Blu simply twirling his weapon in front of him to block the shots while Phi held his mallet forward and used that to block the shots. Eiji yelped as he began to just barely dodge swings from both Blu and Phi, switching his weapon to its sword mode to block certain attacks before backing away.
"I need something tough," Eiji quickly began swiping through characters before stopping at one. "You look tough!"
[ASSIST TIME: MAGNUS]
Suddenly Eiji gained a thick but sharp sword that seemed fairly bulky. To his and the Malice's surprise he was able to lift it with ease. His eyes became a light grey alongside the symbols on him. He then gave a yell as he swung horizontally, slashing towards Blu who gave a gasp.
Blu raised his mallet and held it with both hand to brace, giving a yell as he tried to hold the sword back. He was caught off guard however by the sudden snapping of his weapon, getting sliced into after the sword broke through his guard. Blu yelled out as he exploded, Eiji taking a few steps back.
"Not bad," Eiji chuckled as he rested his sword on his shoulder, soon turning towards Phi who backed up in fear. "You're next." He said before rushing towards the Malice.
Byleth was watching the fight, satisfied by Eiji's usage of his powers though there was a lot left to be desired. Of course that was until she suddenly realized something, the parkas… the mallets…
"Wait," Byleth turned towards the dwindling smoke that remained from the explosion only to see no remains. "…" She stayed silent, slowly putting together what this Malice was. It was based on the Ice Climbers, but they were always treated as a single unit. So there should only be an Ice Climber Smash Token, and not Nana and Popo Smash Token's. "Eiji, be careful!"
Eiji however didn't notice Byleth's warning and raised his sword, raising it before slamming it downwards.
A mallet suddenly got in the way, the tip of it blocking against the attack as the weapon was revealed to be held by Blu.
"Wait, how?" Eiji asked before coughing out, Phi having slammed his hammer into the Riders gut. Eiji coughed out as he staggered back, wincing as Blu struck his hand and forced him to let go of his weapon. "What's going on?"
"We're invincible that's what's going on!" Phi laughed out.
"Well crap," Eiji backed up and raised his arms.
"Eiji, you need to separate and destroy the pink one." Byleth called out, seeing the strategy here. "That's the true body, the blue one is nothing but a dummy."
"Got anything in mind to hold one in place then?" Eiji asked, realizing that dealing with two of them at once would be too disastrous.
"Krystal, her staff emits a freezing wave," Byleth answered.
"Right, Krystal." Eiji said as he scrolled through his Assist Brace's screen before landing on the fighter he needed.
[ASSIST TIME: KRYSTAL]
Eiji soon gained a golden staff with a blue jewel that was lined with various blue markings. This time the symbols and his eyes turned to a bright blue. Blu and Phi charged in as he twirled his staff around, the rider easily blocking and countering against their mallets. Eiji then jabbed his staff into Blu and released a freezing wave, sealing the Malice in a crystalline ice prison.
"Hey no fair, you can't do that!" Phi called out as he charged forward.
Eiji however turned and swung his staff, easily disarming Phi before slamming his staff into the Malice's chest. "Say goodbye!" He called out as he released bursts of ice into the monster to freeze him over. The Malice turned into a frozen statue which soon shattered as Eiji swung and tore his staff out of the frozen body.
Byleth however noticed that there was no host body and no Smash Token, "Eiji stay on guard."
"Wait, what?" Eiji turned when he heard cracking, Phi had reformed and slammed the mallet into Blu's ice prison, breaking and freeing him. "No way, are they really invincible…?"
"No, they aren't," Byleth corrected from where she was, getting the gist of the Malice's abilities. "There's a host body, but it keeps swapping between them to keep from being fully destroyed and purified. Strike them both at once!"
"It would help if you got in here, I can only deal with these two by myself for so long," Eiji suggested as he got in a defensive stance.
"As much as I'd love to…" Byleth's eyes quickly shot to the side, dodging out of the way as several knives whizzed past her. She quickly drew her Sword of the Creator, whipping it out to block against several more knives. "I've got someone who has lost their patience."
Byleth was right as Ghirahim began to approach her. "More than that… I plan on squeezing every last drop of information out of you regarding that young man."
Eiji clicked his tongue when he saw that, "Fine, guess I'm on my own." He blocked against a few more strikes from his opponents before twirling away and tossing the staff at them to distract them. "I need something light and fast…" He trailed as he searched through characters. He then noticed one who might do the job. "Hope this works!"
[ASSIST TIME: LYN]
Soon enough he gained a katana inside a sheath, his eyes and symbols turning green this time. Underneath his helmet he gave a grin as he realized what he was capable of with this. He flicked his fingers towards him, gesturing for the two Malice's to approach him.
"Oh so he thinks a puny Katana can kill us fast, looks like he doesn't know better," Blu laughed out.
"We'll finish it in one smash!" Phi declared as the Parka Dyad readied their mallets, gathering energy at their tips as they charged forward. Phi was going for a thrust motion while Blu held his over his head to go for a slam, the two planning on getting Eiji with a multi directional assault.
Eiji though simply stood where he was casually, allowing the overconfidence to sink in before pressing his fingers against the trigger button on his buckle.
[READY FOR FINISH]
Eiji gripped his sheath with one hand for holding the grip of the katana in a more loose tone, crouching down as the Parka Dyad approached. The Malice duo launched forward as they thrust and slammed at the Rider. In a flash Eiji suddenly slashed forward just as the mallets approached him, the only thing being able to be seen was a white flash that blinded anyone nearby temporarily.
When the flash ended the Parka Dyad were on the other side of Eiji, the duo posed as if just finishing their attacks. Eiji had his back turned to the two as he was in a pose as if he had slashed. He shifted his weapon between his fingers before sheathing it slowly and without hesitation.
*CLICK*
[LYN: ASSIST K.O.!]
Eiji rested the sheathed sword near his waist as both Blu and Phi suddenly had bright green slashes across them horizontally. The two glanced towards each other before gasping and yelling, simultaneous explosions occurring. Out of the explosion a Smash Token formed and shot over to Eiji, the new hero catching it and seeing that it was the Ice Climber's Token.
From the explosion it was revealed that there was an average Mii that had been Parka Dyad's host. From his appearance he didn't seem to be local either. Eiji was ready to head over to him when the Mii suddenly turned invisible. Eiji stepped back in surprise when he saw Skull Kid suddenly in front of him. He aimed a quick kick forward but by the time his kick went out Skull Kid had already fled.
"What the heck?" Eiji asked before turning back towards where Byleth was.
Ghirahim gave a glare as he launched more and more knives towards Byleth who was easily deflecting them with her sword. She then spun and swapped weapons, drawing out a bow forged of bone, Failnaught. She aimed and began launching arrows towards Ghirahim.
The servant of Ganondorf simply drew his sword and began deflecting the arrows, giving a smirk as he summoned more knives, ready to throw them when they were all suddenly shot and forced away. He turned only to raise his sword and brace as a fireball suddenly hit. Ghirahim gave a glare as the flames faded, seeing that before him were two nuisances.
Or rather he considered them nuisances when they were quite a quite capable ruler and warrior respectively. The first was Princess Zelda who kept a stance as she readied another fire spell while the second was the famed hero of Hyrule, Link.
"I would suggest not trying anything stupid," Zelda suggested. "Your army is gone and your ally has fled."
Ghirahim soon realized what Zelda meant, as he could not sense Skull Kid's presence anymore. He glanced back to notice that Eiji was ready to fight him and he couldn't see the host Mii for Parka Dyad anymore.
"It appears we underestimated the situation…" Ghirahim stated before warping away, leaving nothing in his place.
Eiji gave a sigh of relief, either forgetting about Link and Zelda's presence, or just not noticing them as he hurried over to Byleth. "Hey, are you alright?"
"I'll be fine, it was nothing I couldn't handle," Byleth brushed the concern off. She gave a light smirk. "You handled that fight fairly well. It looks like we were right to pick you out of all the candidates."
"What, thought I couldn't handle it despite transforming?" Eiji crossed his arms.
"A bit, but you proved in that fight that you are worthy of that title, Kamen Rider," Byleth mentioned before looking off to the side. "But we weren't here for that, right?"
"Oh right, meeting with Zelda, I totally forgot!" Eiji suddenly realized.
"You won't need to worry about that," Byleth said as she kept her gaze.
Eiji stared at Byleth for a while, not noticing she was looking at something. "Huh?"
"You always bring the strangest folk around you know that Byleth?" A voice asked as Zelda began to approach with Link. "And of all things… this time it's a Kamen Rider. One I'm not too familiar with either."
"That would be because he's new," Byleth said gesturing towards Eiji who had turned and given a wave. "We were actually on our way to seek an audience with you."
"I suppose we had good timing then," Link mentioned.
"I see… though from what I can guess, he's not affiliated with CORE is he?" Zelda asked.
"You'd be right in assuming, given I'm here," Byleth answered. "Lady Palutena decided to take matters into her own hands in order to help against the Subspace Army."
"And I take it she also wants to build up some level of trust with this new face," Zelda guessed before looking over towards Eiji. "What's your name?"
"Eiji Kawaguchi, Kamen Rider Assister," Eiji introduced as he dismissed his transformation, removing his buckle before rubbing his wrists gently.
"Well then Eiji, how about we continue this in my castle, I figure you might be tired after your journey here alongside that fight," Zelda offered.
"That would be greatly appreciated," Eiji admitted with a light tired smiled, the adrenaline finally running dry as he tiredness began to set in ever so slightly.
"Guess I was right to stay behind," Junmei said as she ran through the streets of Smash City. Samus had gotten word of a disturbance and sent her to check it out. Of course Cloud was currently out and trying to take one of the vehicles out when it wasn't a major event was out of the question. Junmei did hope that she'd get her own motorcycle some day.
It wasn't long before she finally made it to a bar of all places where the patrons were currently getting too rowdy. As Junmei arrived two Mii's were thrown through the front windows, shattering them as they landed on the ground.
"That has to be enough…" A voice spoke as the door was suddenly slammed off its hinges, tumbling forward before just slamming into the ground inches away from Junmei.
Junmei stared down at the door before suddenly lifting her head up to see what had done it. Her eyes widened when she saw that Bayonetta was currently holding a Mii by their collar.
"Ah good, I was hoping I'd get you and not the other one," Bayonetta gave a smirk as she dropped the Mii.
"Wait, what?" Junmei asked as she got in a defensive stance.
"I'll only say this once, but I want you to transform," Bayonetta said as she drew out her two blue handguns, aiming them straight at Junmei.
"I'm not sure what you're talking about…" Junmei trailed as she took a step back only for Bayonetta to immediately shoot behind her.
"Darling you can cut the act," Bayonetta said as she adopted a more relaxed posture. "My associate and I saw you at the stadium when Smash went out of control. I know you're a Kamen Rider."
"And cat's out of the bag…" Junmei clicked her tongue as she glanced to the side before looking forward again. She drew out her Token Driver before placing it on her waist, drawing out Marth and Lucina's Tokens before initiating her transformation with them.
"…Henshin!"
To Be Continued…
Palutena: Preparing to press onward, you study the path you will take. The hard part is determining the paths that others take, and whether or not they'll end up as problems in the future.
[Next Time – The Athenaeum Diversion]
Kenshin – Mario/Luigi/Yoshi/Fox/Wolf/Pikachu/Greninja/Link/Ganondorf/Chrom/Donkey Kong
Junmei – Marth/Lucina/Ryu/Ken/Samus/Dark Samus/Simon/Richter/Dr. Mario
CORE – Incineroar/Terry/Lucario/Piranha Plant/King Dedede/Peach
Palutena – Pit/Dark Pit
Eiji – Assist Trophy/Ice Climber's
Meijin – Bowser
Sayomi – Meta Knight
Subspace Army – Mr. Game & Watch
Author Notes: So a few fun facts, when first writing this chapter I had actually rewritten a fair portion of the story drafts to include Byleth as Eiji's mentor of sorts. I figured their dynamic would be interesting to work through. Given Kenshin has Samus and to a lesser but still important extent, Junmei has Terry.
Assister as a Rider concept was also a hard one to decide at the very start since I wanted a Tertiary but I already did standard franchise combinations and Echo Fighters via Smash and Echo. I didn't want a hyper specific rider and still wanted one in the broad strokes. Thus making one on Assist Fighters ended up coming eventually. Needless to say this limits his forms but his powers give him a diverse array of tools and abilities to make up for it. But that's all for me, I'll see you guys next week for Episode 16.
