Kamen Rider Smash
Episode 16 – The Athenaeum Diversion
Data File #19: Slow Days
"Kenshin has gone to the Mushroom Kingdom as a sort of soul search or something along those lines. Needless to say this seems like a good idea given how stagnant missions have been. I'm sure Peach will love to see him again, even if it's worrying that he reported running into a Malice. But we still have Junmei here who is currently taking care of a dispute in progress."
Palutena's Log #05: Assister
"Thanks to Byleth we have acquired a new warrior to help us fight, Eiji Kawaguchi, his Rider alias being Assister. By studying Junmei's world and their data on our world we were able to create a Rider System based on Assist Trophies. He and Byleth are currently down at Hyrule to help with strengthening relations between myself and the other Leaders."
[KAMEN RIDER ECHO: LODESTAR PRINCESS!]
Bullets rang out as Junmei held up her blade and began using it to brace against Bayonetta's attacks while charging forward. Junmei winced slightly as a few stray shots managed to scratch her armor. Once close enough she began swinging and swiping at Bayonetta who easily began dancing around the attacks with ease.
"Come on, show me a bit more flare darling," Bayonetta smiled before performing a combination of three different kicks, managing to break Junmei's guard with the first two before launching her backwards with the last one.
Junmei growled out as she managed to flip and land in a kneeling stance, she quickly gathered energy in her sword before swiping forward twice, sending two crescent shaped slashes forward.
Suddenly Bayonetta dodged with ease, the area warping into a strange purple coloration as she easily dodged both slashes. "So close." She taunted, having used Witch Time to slow down the attacks for her to dodge.
Suddenly however the ground cracked beneath her, an explosive burst of energy being released as she was forced to jump and land backwards, staggering ever so slightly. She was so busy timing the dodging against the slashes that she had failed to notice Junmei had stuck her sword into the ground.
"What was that?" Junmei cracked a smile beneath her helmet as she stood up, figuring that Bayonetta would dodge her first attack.
"Don't get too cocky, I've yet to see what I came here for," Bayonetta answered as she began to pose, dark energy gathering causing Junmei to perk up. Bayonetta's outfit then began to shift and morph into a more scantily clad version as strands of it began branching out into a summoning portal.
Junmei yelped as if reacting to something that wasn't there before running towards her opponent. She suddenly entered a slide as the strands pulled through a giant demonic fist that launched itself out towards her. Junmei slid forward while charging up her sword again with energy, managing to slide and slash past Bayonetta who was too in shock to properly counter.
Bayonetta yelled out as she staggered back, her outfit returning to normal as the arm was pulled back through the portal. "How did you know I was going to do that?"
"Huh?" Junmei suddenly just registered what she had done as she picked herself up. She rubbed the back of her head with a light chuckle. "Uh… call it instinct?"
"It takes more than mere instinct to immediately dodge against my wicked weaves despite not knowing what they are," Bayonetta gave a blank stare.
"Um… I'm a fan of your matches?" Junmei asked, though admittedly she was entirely unsure as to why she suddenly had the instinct to do what she did.
"Sure you are honey," Bayonetta remarked before aiming her guns, charging up energy in them before unleashing her charged blasts forward.
Junmei quickly drew out Richter's Token and raised her blade ready to counter against the attack when suddenly the blasts were deflected away by a barrier. To both Junmei and Bayonetta's surprise, it was Falco who had stopped the attacks.
"Didn't take you for the type to start causing havoc," Falco remarked as he had both of his guns drawn, aiming at Bayonettta. "So mind telling me what's going on?"
"Oh great, a party pooper," Bayonetta sighed before aiming one of her guns towards Falco. "Buzz off birdbrain, I have important matters here."
"Attacking a Kamen Rider is treason against Smash City, you should know this," Shadow suddenly appeared in front of Junmei as he had his arms out and ready.
"Um… did Samus have you two tailing me?" Junmei asked.
"Not important," Shadow answered.
"As if I'd want to babysit you, your fight happened to ruin my stroll around the city," Falco remarked.
Bayonetta sighed as she let her arms drop, "And I was so close too…"
"What exactly are you after?" Junmei asked as she kept her guard up just in case there was a sneak attack.
"Finding out more about you after all, out of you and Smash you're the one that interests me the most," Bayonetta admitted.
"More about me…?" Junmei muttered.
"If the no-fun police are going to be persistent I suppose I'll leave," Bayonetta said before waltzing off.
"Hey what about all this property damage, you can't just walk away!" Falco shouted.
"Leave it alone, she's leaving, that's all that's important," Shadow called out.
"If you really want to be pushy about damages then send the bill over to The Gates of Hell." Bayonetta answered before turning the corner and disappearing.
Junmei raised an eyebrow at her apparently wanting to be charged for damages but also wondered if her words were a subtle hint. She had to admit that her own powers were shrouded in mystery, even if she was easily accepting of them. The power over light and darkness…
"Darkness…" She muttered, wondering if her sensing the Wicked Weave had to do with it being a dark based attack, recalling how she had went into a trance near the Dark Samus Token, alongside her sensing something off about Ganondorf's Token when it was first unveiled. "Just maybe…"
"So you alright kid?" Falco asked.
"Huh?" Junmei shook her head of her thoughts before realizing the question. "Oh yeah, just caught off guard, wasn't expecting to meet Bayonetta of all people,"
"So what were you doing here anyway?" Shadow asked.
"I was asked to check out a disturbance, so you guys really were just in the area?" Junmei questioned as she dismissed her transformation.
"We don't have time to accompany you on every mission," Shadow answered with his usual rough demeanor. "Still… the fact that she created a disturbance to draw you out…"
"I wouldn't think too much of it," Junmei immediately spoke up before taking her leave of the area. "I'll put in a report about the incident."
Shadow and Falco stared at Junmei as she left before looking back towards the damaged bar, wondering just what was going on.
"That went better than I expected," Eiji mentioned as he was currently flicking a Smash Token up before catching it and doing it again. "And I got one of these things too."
"The princess is very resourceful," Byleth admitted as she glanced at Eiji.
The two were making their way out of Hyrule Castle and back through the town itself as they had just finished their meeting with Zelda. Due to her having watched most of the fight, there was no need for any major demonstrations. While she wasn't without worry due to Palutena's secretiveness, she did appreciate that a new Rider was available to call on. And just like that, Eiji was easily recognized by Hyrule as a Kamen Rider they could trust. As a token of good will, literally, Eiji was given a Smash Token as a reward for protecting Hyrule.
However Byleth's mind was back on the battle once their mission was over, more specifically Eiji as a fighter. Kamen Rider Assister had a wide degree of versatility at his disposal, though despite Eiji's ease of use of it, he still wasn't pushing the system to its full potential. Granted that was likely why Palutena had brought her into the picture.
"So what exactly are we going to do now?" Eiji asked, breaking the teacher out of her thoughts. "Our only mission was to go to Hyrule, do we wait here, go to another kingdom?"
"Well…" Byleth trailed as she tried to figure out the next best course of action. She was ready to speak until a glint in the sky caught her eye.
"Incoming!" A voice called as Pit suddenly landed right in front of them, the two having to back up as a result of the angel's close landing.
Eiji blinked a few times, "You definitely stuck the landing. A bit too close for comfort though."
Pit gave a nervous chuckle as he used one arm to rub the back of his head, "Sorry, but I did warn you two."
"What's that under your arm?" Byleth asked, immediately cutting to the chase when she noticed Pit was carrying something.
"Oh this," Pit said as he drew it out and revealed a flat but bulky rifle cannon-like weapon, the back being more thinned out than the front. It held a single gold gun barrel and was predominantly white with gold accents, several sharp lines running along both sides that were grayed out just like Assister's Smash Symbols. Near the base of the gun where the handle was, was a Token Slot that could be used in conjunction with any available Smash Tokens. "No one was sure what to call it so Palutena settled on the name Assist Buster."
"Huh a gun…" Eiji said taking the weapon out of Pit's hands and getting a feel for it. It was pretty hefty so he'd likely have to hold it with both hands when shooting, though the bulk and the front of the weapon made him curious. "Um… does this change into an axe by any chance?"
"Huh?" Byleth tilted her head.
"An axe…?" Pit asked before shaking his head. "Sorry but it's just a gun, it'll take Smash Tokens though so you'll have a versatile weapon, and it has a scanner in the center to sync up with your Assist Brace if you hold them near each other."
"A bit basic… but I think I can use this," Eiji gave a nod before going to look at the Token he received, it was Isabelle's. He wondered how such a harmless looking character like her could even help him but shrugged it off, figuring he'd have a chance to test it later.
"Good because I also needed to deliver this," Pit said as he suddenly handed Eiji a pamphlet.
"Huh?" Eiji lowered the weapon and held it with one hand before taking the pamphlet, soon reading it. "…Assister Field Guide…?"
"Yep, since you aren't really well aware of everyone here Palutena figured she'd give you a pamphlet regarding everyone whose data is in the Assist Brace." Pit explained.
"This… will definitely be useful," Eiji admitted as he looked at the Field Guide pamphlet before pocketing it.
"Did Palutena have any other orders for us?" Byleth asked.
"So far no, she said if you wanted you could spend your time relaxing in Hyrule until something came up," Pit answered. "Nothing too specific though."
"Then I know our next 'mission' of sorts," Byleth gave a nod before looking at Eiji. "You're coming to a trip to Altea with me."
"Whoa Byleth wait a minute… going to Altea already?" Pit asked in surprise.
"What's so important about Altea that we have to leave?" Eiji asked.
"Well we can meet with Marth and get that affair out of the way," Byleth held up one finger before changing it to two and looking directly at Eiji. "We also need to work on your fighting skills. You were fairly alright but you'll need a lot of improvement."
"Can't really argue on that," Eiji admitted as he shrugged, while his first real fight went well he was still unfamiliar with the vast majority of his powers. "If it means getting stronger then I'm all for it."
"That's the spirit, we'll take off immediately then," Byleth declared.
Unbeknownst to the trio however, there was a small spy in the form of an Auroros that was perched on a nearby roof.
Meijin was currently not a happy man as he currently sat in the meeting room inside the ruins they had used to set up a base in. He was surprised to see both Ghirahim and Skull Kid back so soon, though Ganondorf was seething when he figured they had failed. Silence had overtaken the room as Ganondorf was glaring daggers at his subordinates, Meijin sitting where he was with a scowl.
"Now, now you two, getting angry at them won't help," Sayomi said having stepped between Ganondorf and his minions while also sparing a glance at Meijin. Skull Kid was currently shaking and hiding behind Ghirahim as he did all the talking.
"You say that but I'm starting to wonder if these guys are any good," Meijin growled out.
"If you think I am happy about my failure then you are mistaken," Ghirahim hissed out, having no issue taking a more confrontational tone with Meijin. "But running was the only option due to the current situation. Otherwise you'd be down two powerful allies."
"And just what was that current situation?" Ganondorf all but yelled out, his glare intensifying. "You were to give us a good foothold and determine their defenses. Yet you ran at the slightest inconvenience?"
"Normally no, but this is not just a slight inconvenience." Ghirahim answered as he gave a bow towards Ganondorf. "The arrival of a Brand New Kamen Rider should not be taken lightly."
And once again there was silence, though now all eyes were on him as it was Sayomi's turn to stare.
"Please…" Meijin said calmly. "Continue."
"It appears you are unaware as well," Ghirahim soon raised his head as he looked at the audience before him. "You informed us of Smash and Echo, but this man was an entirely new Rider known as Assister."
"Assister…?" Sayomi gave a curious look.
"A new Kamen Rider…" Meijin trailed, trying to figure out how creating one would even be possible. Junmei not having Tabuu's power in her but being able to utilize Echo Fighters was still puzzling to them. "Well this is a bit troubling… we'll have to switch targets and push up our timetable then."
"So Hyrule is going to wait…?" Ganondorf glared as he turned, gripping his fists to contain his anger.
"I want to know everything about this Kamen Rider… any little thing you can tell me will help me figure out where we strike next," Meijin ignored Ganondorf, instead choosing to speak directly to Ghirahim. He gave a smirk when he saw an Auroros perch nearby. "…alongside other factors."
"Whew… easy drive but jeez are they good at warm welcomes," Kenshin chuckled as he began rolling his bike along the path to Princess Peach's castle. After arriving in town he was suddenly surrounded by the locals all welcoming him back. Needless to say a lot of time was spent making sure he wasn't trampled over. "Now then…" He said as he parked his Rider Machine outside the castle bridge. Taking a deep breath as he stared up at the castle he calmly began to walk forward.
Walking along the bridge and over to the doors he was suddenly surprised when they opened up wide, two familiar faces stepping out. It was none other than the famous Mario Bros, Mario and Luigi.
"Kenshin, it's good to see you again." Mario greeted.
"It's been a while," Luigi added.
"It definitely has been." Kenshin admitted with a smile as he walked over to the two. "So how's the local hero business been? I've heard Bowser's kind of kept on the quiet side but I'm sure there are still plenty of disturbances."
"More than you can count," Mario admitted. "Nabbit really enjoys his stealing sprees now that Bowser isn't wrecking the place to the ground."
"And that's not counting any other small trouble that occurs, stray chain chomps, etc." Luigi explained.
"Nothing we can't handle, plus you know the others are nearby too," Mario added.
"True, so how have the Kong's and Banjo been anyway? See them recently?" Kenshin asked.
"They've been around and doing well," Luigi replied. "We were recently at Banjo's place for a Poker Night the other day too."
"Kazooie is a lousy cheater!" Mario called out suddenly, crossing his arms and looking to the side with a huff.
"So not well I assume," Kenshin chuckled a bit at Mario's reaction.
"Don't worry bro, next time for sure," Luigi patted his brothers back.
"Here's hoping…" Mario groaned out before looking up towards his friend. "We should probably head inside, the Princess is waiting."
"Sounds like a lovely idea," Kenshin nodded as he was soon escorted in by the Mario Brothers, the two closing the doors behind them before they walked through the short hallway and entered the main hall.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my main man Kenshin!" A voice called over, directing the young Riders gaze towards the side of where they were. It was a Piranha Plant that was giving a wide grin at the moment. "How's it hanging man?"
"Izzy!" Kenshin grinned as he immediately rushed over he held out his hand, to which the Piranha Plant held out a leaf, Kenshin slapping the leaf before backhanding it, soon holding out his fist, the plants leaf curling and the duo performing a pseudo-fist bump. "It's been too long."
"It definitely has, I was totally excited when I heard you were showing up," Izzy gave a toothy grin. "So how's the hero business been treating you?"
"Huh, sounds like I'm popular," Kenshin remarked, though he figured that Peach would probably let some people know about his Rider identity. "It goes well though, but I just had to take a break to visit the old stomping grounds."
"Well it's been pretty boring, but with all the crazy stuff going on I'm sure you could use the break," Izzy remarked. "But I've been holding you up long enough, there's someone else here who's dying to see you again."
Kenshin turned when he saw Izzy gesturing to the side with his head; he stood up straight and gave a soft smile when he saw Peach standing in front of him. Even if it was only for a little bit he was glad to have someone helping him out. And despite knowing he did have a family of sorts, he had to admit that Peach helped fill a motherly role for him after he woke up without his memories. Walking over he gave a more visible smile. "It's been a while…"
"You've grown so much," Peach smiled.
"It hasn't been too long, but I guess I have…" Kenshin admitted as he rubbed the back of his head, wondering if being a few months away was enough to change his demeanor that much. Granted so much had happened since leaving for Smash City. "Well, I'm back."
"Welcome back," Peach answered with a light giggle. "I figured your trip would leave you a bit weary so I prepared some food for us. Maybe you could even share some stories about Smash City while we're here too."
"That sounds like a lovely idea," Kenshin agreed, though mostly figured now was a good time to let out some steam with some good old fashioned story telling.
In Altea, both Eiji and Byleth had already arrived near the main castle thanks to contacting Rosalina in order to get Launch Stars to take them to and from quickly. Eiji however was less than pleased to be using them.
"Can I just say that Rosalina possibly has the best and worst travel imaginable," Eiji declared as he shakily followed after his mentor. "I appreciate the speed but slow and steady isn't that bad either."
"You get used to it," Byleth answered, she had just hoped that Palutena had sent her message in the short time it took them to travel land.
To her relief however it appeared as though Marth had received the message as he was currently waiting outside the castle gates with his aide Tiki.
"I must admit Mar-Mar, first that Junmei girl and now this boy, to think we're getting these strange visitors all of a sudden," Tiki remarked as she leaned on Marth's shoulder.
"Please do not call me that in front of guests," Marth sighed as he put a hand to his face, taking a deep breath. He then looked over towards his guests. "I must say you do know how to travel quickly over here."
"Too quickly I might add," Eiji gave a light groan, still reeling from what he personally declared as Launch Star Sickness.
"Don't mind him," Byleth added. "He's still getting used to this world, much like Junmei once did."
"It looks to me like you found a new pupil to take under your wing," Tiki mentioned with a smile.
"It's only for a while," Byleth admitted. "He's not as quick to adapt to fighting as the other two. Palutena just wants to make sure he's prepared for the Subspace Army."
"I'm sure you'll do fine with him," Marth said before he held out a hand and looked over to Eiji. "I'm Marth, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Eiji walked over and gave Marth a firm handshake, "Eiji Kawaguchi, Kamen Rider Assister."
"Assister… I see," Marth mentioned before closing his eyes and giving a smile. "I suppose that name fits you well. I'm just glad that Palutena figured we could use more help. I feel as though something bad is soon to occur."
"Well don't worry," Eiji gave a confident smile. "I'll protect this world however I can."
"Those are very bold words for someone who isn't very impressive."
"Huh?" Eiji turned alongside Byleth, the two alongside Marth and Tiki soon seeing the Black Knight and Corrin several feet away from them.
"You've got that right," Corrin added to her partner's statement. "All I see here is some guy who thinks he can play in the big leagues."
"So you're underestimating me?" Eiji gave a light glare when he heard this.
"On the contrary, we aren't underestimating you." The Black Knight answered as he stayed where he was. "In fact we are simply here to stop you from growing any further."
"You made a mistake to come here, there are four of us, and even if he is new you still don't have the advantage." Marth called out as he readied his sword.
"Even so, I'm going to prove to you that you should have waited before coming to confront me," Eiji called out as he took out his Token Buckle before placing it on his waist. He then drew out his Assist Trophy Token before slotting it.
[TOKEN INSERT]
"Henshin!"
[READY FOR ASSIST: KAMEN RIDER ASSISTER!]
Eiji stood tall as the trophy case enveloped him before shattering to reveal his Kamen Rider form. He then got in a fighting stance alongside the others.
"And so we begin," The Black Knight declared before suddenly giving a laugh.
"What's so funny?" Tiki questioned.
"You're up, Tome Schemer!" Corrin snapped her fingers.
Suddenly from behind the two a figure jumped out, it had a white thinly armored body covered by a black cloak that was open towards the bottom. Over the robe on the shoulders, chest, and forearms were gold colored tome shaped armor plates. His head what was white and armored with very little facial features aside from shapes that made a faint mouth alongside glowing purple eyes. On his head rested a black tome that was open facing towards the back.
"This is a poor situation; let us change the playing field!" Tome Schemer declared as pages began flying out of the various tomes that were situated on him. The pages began flying about and forming a small tornado that began to spread out before suddenly engulfing everyone within in it.
Eiji barely had a chance to react as he and Byleth both felt their vision blur and blacken, that was until they opened their eyes.
"What the…" Eiji trailed.
"This isn't good," Byleth said as she looked around, drawing out her sword in defense.
The two suddenly found themselves in a hexagonal platform that had walkways leading across in all of its directions. Of course the walkways alongside the hexagon were surrounded by tall shelves of books and beyond that from the open hallways and above they could see they were trapped in an arena of bookshelves.
"What the hell is this? Did he really send us to the library dimension?" Eiji questioned as he looked around.
Suddenly the Tome Schemer appeared before the two, his image flickering and being a solid blue. "Welcome to my Compendium Arena."
"Just what's your game?" Eiji questioned.
"Eiji, we need to be smart, he's separated us from Marth and Tiki," Byleth said as she looked around, figuring the two were in another part of the arena that was devised.
"Wait, really?" Eiji turned and soon realized that Byleth was right. "Damn it…" He gritted his teeth as he soon saw something in the path he was looking down.
"The rules of this confrontation are simple, defeat the Black Knight and Corrin, and I will allow you to leave," The Tome Schemer declared. "Of course there is a time limit so don't take too long… I'd wager about… 30 minutes or so before this dimension destroys itself and you inside of it. If you're wondering about myself and my partners well… let's just say we have our escape route planned." With that the hologram soon flickered before disappearing.
"A clever strategy," Byleth said, narrowing her eyes as she saw Corrin down one hall before turning and noticing that Eiji was staring at the Black Knight who was down another hall. "Eiji, we need to play this smart."
"Yeah… yeah I know," Eiji said, while he wanted to rush in first he was going in completely blind when it came to all these opponents. "But I doubt they're going to let us fight together."
"That I figured, but we don't need to fight together to fight smart," Byleth answered. "Here's what we will do…"
Inside the dining hall of Peach's Castle, after they had finished eating Kenshin had decided to start showcasing all of his Smash Tokens to Mario, Luigi and Peach.
"I pretty much earned most of these one at a time, each has a different story to them too," Kenshin admitted as he had laid them out according to their matches.
"So what's with those three?" Luigi asked as he pointed towards Yoshi, Chrom and Donkey Kong's Tokens.
"Well Yoshi's pretty obvious, I managed to catch a glimpse of it when we greeted you," Mario answered, remembering seeing a peak of the Machine Islander. "It's the motorcycle right?"
"Yeah," Kenshin gave a nod. "Donkey Kong I just got recently but haven't turned in. But Chrom… well Chrom's a bit special."
"Oh?" Peach wondered what he meant by this.
"…Like how special?" Luigi asked.
"Well the Token needed to create the form I use it for belongs to my sister," Kenshin explained. "We had to deal with this crazy up and coming mob a bit back. We ended up swapping our base Tokens. For me my base is always you two." He said as he pointed towards the Mario Bros. "For my sister her base form is Marth and Lucina. She used Mario with Dr. Mario while I used Lucina with Chrom."
"That sounds pretty special to me," Peach admitted. "The fact that you two have forms closely entwined with each other; it shows you two hold a powerful bond."
"It must be weird though," Luigi admitted. "Having a sister you only now just know about."
"Honestly I'm glad to have her back in my life, even if I can't remember everything," Kenshin admitted as he took Chrom's Token and stared at it for a bit before holding it in his fist before closing his eyes, a small smile escaping his lips. "But it's fine if I don't remember… it doesn't change the fact that we're siblings."
"That's always important to remember, your sibling will always have your back," Mario added with a nod. "I mean Luigi's saved me how many times already?"
"Oh it's nothing bro…" Luigi chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"It's fine if I don't have my memories and if they only come back slowly," Kenshin added. "I've got enough already."
"So what are you doing now?" Peach asked.
"Huh?" Kenshin tilted his head, a bit confused by the question. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you decided to leave to Smash City to recover your memories," Peach reminded. "You hoped CORE would give you the answers you needed."
"But it looks like now you don't really seem concerned with seeking them out," Mario pointed out.
"Hmm… well…" Kenshin trailed before recalling a certain conversation, cupping his hands together and drawing all the Tokens closer to him. "I suppose well… given my supposed origin from what Junmei told me… I want to stay to make things right. Everything that's happened is a result of my choices even if I didn't have a choice at first. So I figure the way to make things right is to fight and stop the Subspace Army before they grow out of control."
As he spoke the Mario, Pikachu and Link Tokens began to shimmer slightly as if reacting to his words. Though Kenshin did not notice, nor did anyone at the table for that matter.
"Don't feel like you have to blame yourself or carry the entire burden though," Peach replied. "You still have all of us to help you."
"That's right, if there's ever anything you need help with, don't be afraid to call us," Mario answered before looking over at Luigi. "Isn't that right Luigi?"
Luigi gave a light yelp, "Uh, yeah totally bro!" Luigi called out, admittedly from what he had heard of the Malice attacks he was a bit scared of running into one of them while fighting the Subspace Army. "We'll definitely help out if Kenshin needs us!"
"Glad to see I have plenty of people willing to watch my back," Kenshin smiled, definitely not regretting planning this sudden trip. "Still, makes me glad that Bowser hasn't tried anything. Means I can just relax…"
"Speaking of relaxing," Mario said before looking at Peach.
"Oh right of course," Peach gave a nod. "I suppose we've waited long enough, it's time for cake."
20:23
"So you foolishly come to face me by yourself," The Black Knight declared as he saw Eiji approaching at a steady pace. "You should have faced Corrin, you wouldn't have been slaughtered as fast."
"We'll see that, Assist Buster!" Eiji called out he summoned his cannon weapon and began firing at the Black Knight. The towering armored soldier held up his sword to block against the shots as Eiji continued his assault.
"Such insolence," The Black Knight declared as he continued to brace against the blasts.
It wasn't long before books suddenly began flying out of the shelves in the hallway they were in, Eiji having to dodge against them as they flew out relatively fast. Eiji looked around trying to see what was causing the books to fly before having to dodge out of the way of more books alongside a sword swing from his opponent.
"Keep your eyes on me boy," The Black Knight hissed out as he continued his assault, Eiji just barely managing to dodge against his swings.
"I've got you!" Eiji managed to get behind the Black Knight and fired a blast at his back. A few books suddenly flew out and got in the way, blocking the attack and destroying them instead. The Black Knight turned and swung his sword downwards, Eiji blocking with his Assist Buster, just barely holding the sword back before moving several steps backwards to avoid the rest of the slash.
"I'm afraid you aren't going to win this fight," The Black Knight remarked.
"We'll see about that," Eiji answered as he took out Isabelle's Token before slotting it in.
[SMASH TOKEN CONFIRMED: READY FOR BUSTER]
Eiji braced as he planted his feet firmly, managing to get a good aim before pulling the trigger once the energy fully built up.
[ISABELLE: BUSTER BLAST!]
Eiji yelled out as he released a blast of yellow energy, the energy soon transfiguring itself into a Lloid Rocket that flew out towards the Black Knight.
The warrior merely scoffed as he slammed his sword down against the Lloid, sending it to the ground and causing an explosion in front of him. The Black Knight soon walked through the flames causing Eiji to let his arms drop in surprise.
"Seriously…?" Eiji trailed but noticed something out of the corner of his eye towards the center, near the top there seemed to be a light shining ever so brightly.
"At this rate you may survive my assault but you will not survive the dimensional collapse," The Black Knight called out as a timer appeared high at the center of the maze-like arena. "And would you look at that… we're just above halfway done."
"Damn it…" Eiji hissed out as he readied himself.
14:45
"Just about less than 15 minutes left…" Byleth remarked from where she was, currently clashing blades against Corrin.
"Honestly to think you'd be fighting against me," Corrin smirked as she managed to break the clash before swiping at Byleth to force her to move back. "Sending the new guy against the Black Knight is an insane tactic."
"If that's what you believe," Byleth said as she transformed her sword into its whip formation, managing to lash and force Corrin to block, sending her staggering back. She then spun around, sending her the whip spiraling around as she blocked book after book that tried to assault her. "Perhaps I've already figured out your tricks."
"I honestly doubt it," Corrin answered as she morphed her arm into its more draconic form, releasing a blast of water towards Byleth. She then rushed forward, figuring that her opponent would brace against it.
Byleth quickly switched weapons, drawing out her bow and pulling back an arrow before releasing it. The arrow pieced through the blast but didn't stop it, Byleth rolling out of the way as the blast hurtled past her.
Corrin quickly raised her blade when she saw the arrow coming, wincing as she was forced to stagger from the force of blocking the attack.
"I think you forget that I have a fair amount of surprises," Byleth declared as she drew out a spear with similar detailing to her bow, the Areadbhar. She then rushed forward and began swiping and jabbing at Corrin to keep her on the defensive. "Despite saying you would not underestimate my pupil; you honestly have with this little trap."
Corrin managed to block against a jab, managing to hold the spear back but just barely, "What?"
"Why would I send him of all people after the Black Knight?" Byleth questioned as she gave a few glances every which way while she did this. "It's because of his potential."
"Just because he has the weapon's of others doesn't mean he can win," Corrin boasted.
"Who said it was just weapons?" Byleth asked causing her opponents eyes to widen, she then gave a yell as she managed to thrust forward and force Corrin back.
08:30
"Keep blasting all you want boy!" The Black Knight laughed as he batted away another blast that was fired at him. Any he couldn't block were deflected by the various books and tomes flying out to protect him.
Eiji at this pointed had removed the Token from his weapon and was just shooting like normally. Though he paused and lowered his weapon, dismissing it for the time being.
'You can't beat the Black Knight as you currently are'
'Then why send me after him?'
'Despite saying they won't underestimate you, I know that man well, and he will definitely not take you seriously. Use that to your advantage and look at your surroundings.'
Eiji said nothing as he swiped through the characters on his Assist Gauntlet. Soon finding the one he was looking for, glad to have gotten a few skim sessions through on the pamphlet.
"Select any weapon you wish, but know that you will not win," The Black Knight declared as he began to move forward.
[ASSIST TIME: PHOSPHORA!]
Eiji's symbols turned a bright blue as electricity began to crackle around his body, he then charged straight for the Black Knight at great speeds.
"He can use their abilities?!" The Black Knight questioned as he raised his sword, books launching out like missiles towards Eiji.
Eiji began to dodge and slap his way past the books before sliding and slipping past the Black Knight's downwards swing. He then stopped behind his opponent, jumping up and spinning before performing an arcing spin kick, electricity lashing out towards the Black Knight. During his spin he saw another bright flash near where the timer was.
In an instant the remaining books in the shelves around the Black Night formed a small barrier, getting scorched and thrown apart as they shielded him from the electrical strike.
"Hold still!" The Black Knight declared as he lunged forward, striking at Eiji who easily dodged out of the way, managing to move past him with ease once more.
"Let's try this!" Eiji called out as slammed the button on his Driver.
[PHOSPHORA: ASSIST K.O.!]
Eiji gathered blue electrical energy into a ball shape before dropping and kicking it like a soccer ball towards the Black Knight. Another flash occurred that he could see as several book shelves from above landed between Eiji and the Black Knight, the electrical ball exploding against them and protecting the Black Knight from the blast.
"I must admit your skills are not to be trifled with… however you are nearly out of time…" The Black Knight taunted.
"You say that. But we've got this in the bag," Eiji called out with a confident tone. "I can see it…"
04:49
"You two spent too much time dawdling when it came to the start of this fight," Corrin called out as she went on the offensive, surprised by how Byleth had resigned herself to using her sword. "Defeating us should be your priority yet you can't even best me."
"I wonder why that is," Byleth mused as she blocked against a slash while moving back. She had made sure she was facing towards the center of the arena while Corrin was focused on attacking her.
"Don't try and play coy, you're not winning this battle," Corrin called out as she lunged forward, Byleth bracing with both hands and blocking the jab. "So why keep the calm façade?"
"To be honest this is how I normally am," Byleth admitted as she kept her defense. She had seen Eiji's spree of electrical based attacks from just barely over the walls. But she had also seen the flashes of light more clearly. "That being said I won't be the one who brings victory."
"Just what do you mean by that?" Corrin asked. "There's no way that brat can do anything."
"He's a young man sure, and he's a bit childish in certain aspects… but he's not brat," Byleth answered calmly. "Here's a pop quiz though, what is a Kamen Rider's adversary?"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Corrin questioned as she backed up, wondering if Byleth was trying to strike while she was confused. "The Subspace Army, they stand in our way."
"You aren't paying attention I see…" Byleth trailed. "A Kamen Rider's adversaries in this world… are The Malice."
Corrin's eyes widened before suddenly looking back towards the center, realizing what Byleth had planned. She was ready to turn and run when she was forced to raise her blade, Byleth's whip blade lashing out before hooking onto her weapon. "What?"
"You won't be going anywhere." Byleth added. "Just watch until the end."
1:30
"I'm ending this now," Eiji declared as he swiped his way through his available roster before selecting the one he was looking for.
[ASSIST TIME: ANDROSS]
Eiji's symbols and eyes gained a silver coloration as he crossed his arms, soon running forward before spreading them forward. Suddenly polygon panels began to form while launching forward.
"What manner of assault is this?" The Black Knight questioned as he began slashing against the panels, surprised by how sturdy they were. His attacks only ended up knocking them upwards as any attempts to destroy them with the books send them in other directions.
"Not an assault on you!" Eiji called out as he began to jump from panel to panel, and thanks to the interference from the Black Knight and the books, he was able to jump higher and farther with them as a result. He then drew out the Assist Buster again before loading Isabelle's Token in.
[SMASH TOKEN CONFIRMED: READY FOR BUSTER]
Eiji aimed at an angle upwards before firing the blast, however he suddenly ran after the blast as soon as he pressed the trigger.
[ISABELLE: BUSTER BLAST!]
The blast formed another Lloid Rocket which Eiji grabbed onto via the arm. Eiji gave a light laugh as his plan had worked and he had managed to angle the Lloid Rocket to where it was carrying him towards the very top.
"What is he doing?!" The Black Knight questioned.
"No way, did he really figure it out?!" Corrin questioned.
"Checkmate," Byleth gave a smirk.
'It's likely Tome Schemer is here somewhere, we need to find him and destroy him. That will allow us to escape without issue.'
'Are you sure we should risk destroying him though? What if that makes it worse?'
'Doubtful, if we try and play to their rules we'll only end up losing. Which is why we need to be observant and then strike when they least expect it.'
As Eiji began to close in via his makeshift transport, the very top of the arena began to shift and distort as it was revealed to be camouflage. Hiding behind it was the Tome Schemer who was in a control box above the arena, having been accessing various panels in it to initiate the various offensive and defensive measures the books had been used for.
"Full speed ahead buddy!" Eiji called out as he managed swing his cannon over to his Assist Gauntlet, the weapon synchronizing with the data currently available. He then managed to hold the cannon out with all his might as yelled and pulled the trigger.
[ASSIST SYNC BLAST]
The weapon had begun creating an overlapping almost hexagonal shape of energy made out of various polygon shapes. When the trigger was pulled the blast was launched out just as Eiji released his grip on the Lloid, both attacks going full speed ahead and completely obliterating the control box. A massive explosion occurred as Eiji fell and summoned a polygon platform to him to land on.
00:15
Eiji noticed the timer was still going and saw the Tome Schemer yelling out as he fell towards the center of the arena.
"We still won?" Corrin asked, noticing that the Tome Schemer was still intact.
"You cannot best us!" The Black Knight declared at the same time.
Eiji soon jumped forward and dropped down, clearing the Assist Time for Andross as he allowed gravity to let him descend.
00:10
Eiji pressed down on the side button on his driver, his symbols and eyes becoming multi-colored as he began to drop down even faster.
[RIDER]
"Take this!" Eiji yelled out.
00:06
"We're so close, I will not die!" The Tome Schemer braced by crossing his arms over his chest though his body was heavily sparking from the previous attacks.
Eiji yelled out as he dropped further and further, kicking out as he slammed his foot into the Malice's stomach, the two dropping even faster.
[ASSIST K.O.!]
Eiji suddenly slammed Tome Schemer into the ground, the malice yelling out as a bright massive explosion occurred engulfing the two as the entire realm around them shattered.
00:03
Byleth, Corrin and The Black Knight shield themselves from the arena shattering as well as the bright explosion, the three suddenly stumbling forward as they found themselves back at Altea's Castle Gates. Between them all was Eiji who was slumped over with one hand clenched, his foot on top of a blackened Tome Schemer who soon dissolved away revealing a Mii.
Eiji removed his foot as he looked at his clenched fist, opening it to reveal Robin's Smash Token. "How's that for a debut?" He smirked behind his helmet.
"No way…" Corrin trailed in surprise.
"I was sure we had victory in our hands…" The Black Knight managed to get out.
"Now then…" Byleth narrowed her eyes at the Black Knight and Corrin before noticing something was off. "Wait…" She suddenly began to look around, to her surprise there were signs of a large battle, and more to her shock fighters like Chrom, Ike and Roy alongside various guards were around but on the ground unconscious. "What?"
The Black Knight held his head before giving out a laugh his shock fading as he realized what had occurred, "I must admit, that was good. However, killing the new Rider was only going to be a bonus."
"Hold up what's going on?" Eiji questioned as he began to look around, noticing the fallen fighters before hearing yelling past the open gates.
Robin and Lucina suddenly came staggering into view, the two clashing their blades against a purple slash of energy before the two were sent tumbling against the ground.
Walking past the gates was Sayomi who was brandishing her brand new weapon with a smirk, "I must admit this was too easy." She then noticed Eiji and Byleth. "Oh…" She looked over to the Black Knight and Corrin. "So you two failed to eliminate them with Tome Schemer."
"The man is very resourceful," The Black Knight answered. "Did you complete the mission?"
"Yes, Meijin's taken them back to Subspace while I decided to clean up," Sayomi mentioned.
"Give them back!" Lucina declared as she shakily managed to get on one knee.
"Sorry to say but your King has an appointment with Lord Tabuu. We'll see about sending a replacement in the future however," Sayomi gave a wicked smile as she began to walk over to her two remaining allies; she looked over towards Eiji however. "I must admit though… for not seeming like much you've definitely changed the game."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eiji asked as he got on guard.
"Just a compliment," Sayomi replied before holding out her hand, forming a Subspace Portal and entering it, the Black Knight and Corrin following after her before it vanished.
"So this entire time we were being played…" Byleth realized. "They didn't take Marth and Tiki into the dimension with us because they wanted us out of the picture to take them."
"To think the enemies devised such a cunning plan…" Robin managed to get out as he slowly stood, helping Lucina up as well. "We've been dealt a heavy blow."
Eiji gave a yell as he knelt down before slamming his fist into the ground, "Damn it! So we ended up fighting for nothing?!"
"I wouldn't say for nothing," Byleth admitted as she walked over to Eiji. "That timer and their reactions definitely added up to them wanting us out of the picture. You allowed us to survive so we could fight another day." She held out her hand. "We may have lost one battle but the war isn't over yet."
Eiji sighed before grabbing Byleth's hand; he did have to admit she was right. And he was getting more of a handle on his powers. So at the very least he was grateful for that.
Suddenly everyone could hear yelling as a bright white speck began to descend at rapid speeds, it wasn't long before Pit came into view as he flew straight down towards them. He barely managed to lift and slow himself to where he came in at a run. "Byleth we've got big trouble brewing!" He called out before noticing all the damage. "Wait, what happened here?!"
"Marth and Tiki are gone, the Subspace Army took them," Byleth answered.
"Oh no that isn't good, this situation is way worse than I expected!" Pit hollered out as he gripped his face with both hands.
"Pit, please calm down," Robin managed to get out. "What's going on, if you aren't here to warn Byleth about an attack relating to this region, what are you here for?"
"O-oh right, my message," Pit said as he began to calm down before his face turned grim. "Altea isn't the only region that's under attack…"
"What do you mean not the only region?" Byleth asked.
"A simultaneous attack… can't a guy get a break?" Eiji groaned out, realizing that he had his work cut out for him today.
"Which region is it?" Robin asked.
Pit gave a sigh, "It's…"
"Man that was some delicious cake," Kenshin admitted as he walked through the castle halls in order to walk off all the food and sweets. Of course he also wanted to make his way towards the balcony in order to get a good view of the Mushroom Kingdom. It didn't take him long to recall from memory and find the balcony, before stepping outside to take in the fresh air.
Kenshin took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, sighing out as he could feel the wind hitting his face, "There we go… this truly is…" He trailed as he heard something loud, stopping as he blinked while opening his eyes. His face paled when he saw the sight before him. "…The best…"
Just over the horizon on a straight path for the Mushroom Kingdom were an army of Goomba's small and large, Koopa Troopa's and Paratroopa's, Lakitu's and Spinies, Hammer Bros, Shy Guy's alongside there being Kritter and Klaptrap's among the vast army. From above was one of Bowser's signature airships, though alongside Bowser at the helm was King K. Rool, the two giants laughing as their army began making their way towards the village of the Mushroom Kingdom.
Kenshin took a step back before clenching his fists, giving a glare towards the approaching army. "Of all days, of all times, of all places…" He closed his eyes before shaking his head, deciding to head back inside, he had to warn Peach. "You aren't taking her or this kingdom… I won't let you."
To Be Continued…
Samus: You have declared who you are, in your heart you've chosen to walk the path of battle. Now strengthen your resolve once more!
[Next Time – A Unified Counterattack]
Kenshin – Mario/Luigi/Yoshi/Fox/Wolf/Pikachu/Greninja/Link/Ganondorf/Chrom/DK
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/Isabelle/Ice Climber's/Robin
Meijin – Bowser
Sayomi – Meta Knight
Subspace Army – Mr. Game & Watch
Author Notes: So I've decided to update the schedule a bit, the last three chapters I have written are coming out daily starting with this one. And for those who follow, Roze from Remnant is shifting its next chapters to the last two Saturday's of January.
Time for the fun facts, Eiji asking if the Assist Buster turns into an axe is a nod to the Authorize Buster from Zero-One, since I based it off of that in regards to functionality and shape. Just like how the Smash Knuckle is based off the Magma Knuckle from Build. Speaking of fun facts, naming the Piranha Plant in this story Izzy was also another reference to Nintendo's 'Ask Izzy' videos.
