Alright! Finally, we've hit the beginning of the middle point for my story! I can finally do some of the things I've wanted to write ever since I started! I'm super-duper excited, so I won't even waste time! Most importantly of them, the long anticipated fight between Gentaro and Uzu!
Me and the Swordslinger would kill to own Kill La Kill and Kamen Rider, because then we could retire together early and spend our days having fun in some sunny beach side paradise while we eat fine cheese burgers together and watch bad movies.
The two of us proudly present Kill La Kill Chapter 14! A Declaration of Battle!? The Kanto Monkey vs the Oni of Friendship!
Italic for thoughts, flashbacks, and belt voices.
Bold for the speech of Zodiarts.
Bold and Italic for Limit breaks.
Original soundtrack for this chapter.
Kill La Kill OST: Harime Nui's Leitmotif.
Yakuza 4 OST: Smile Venomously.
Yakuza Zero OST: Bubble.
Kamen Rider Fourze OST: Bounce Back.
Half Life OST: Military Precision.
Killa La Kill OST: Uzu's Leitmotif.
Kill La Kill OST: Blumenkranz.
Kamen Rider Fourze OST: JK.
Yakuza 6 OST: Bloodstained Philosophy.
Dark Souls 2 OST: Sir Alonne's theme.
And now a word from my big bro.
Swordslinger here: I hate beaches, so I'd stick on a mountain resort with a forest nearby, clean air, and at least a decent joint with real Mexican food.
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The next day after Gentaro's birthday.
"What this place always so boring?" JK asked, strumming his guitar disinterestedly.
An irritated Kengo spoke up, "What do you have to do here, then?"
JK shrugged, "No info from my sources means I got no goods. It isn't my fault that the Zodiarts are doing as much as us without Gentaro."
"Perhaps it's time we see if that has something to do with Gentaro's new location." Miu said firmly.
Kengo nodded, "And who better to find out info than our information broker?"
"Wait, you can't be serious!" JK exclaimed in horror, "You can't just throw the life of the party into that kind of place! No amount of charisma from yours truly would prevent the big guys from eating me!"
"But your skills are still useful, and we could use a network." Kengo said, "And you're pretty good at making connections, so-"
"Hey man, I would take one for the team, but I got this gig and-" he was interrupted by Ama's queen.
"You're going whether you want to or not, Shun!" Miu's words made the football star lift the info dealer effortlessly over his shoulder and drag him out.
"Wait, what're you even doing, guys!?" JK asked while uselessly struggling.
Shun sighed, "I may not be one to say this, but you're not doing much here. So go and help while we try and hold the forte. The only one who can fight Zodiarts here is me with Power-"
"Wait, I'll give you pics of Miu-san in her newest bikini if you let me go!" JK exclaimed desperately.
Shun stopped, "Wait, for real!?"
"You two have two seconds to leave with your lives."
Miu's words made the two run off.
"Idiots." She huffed out to Kengo who was preoccupied with looking over some of the readings he had taken at Gentaro's birthday party.
"These are…" He said, making Yuuki pop up behind him, the space fanatic looking at his readings curiously.
"Kengo-kun, what you looking at?"
"His friends are displaying shocking levels of Cosmic Energy, almost as if they are naturally radiating it themselves. That Ryūko Matoi especially, she's extremely powerful in that regard… even with her Kamui, she displays levels equal to Gentaro's passive state." He explained, showing Yuuki Gentaro's normal level of Cosmic Energy, easily more than twice the amount of a normal person outside of Kamen Rider Fourze. Ryūko was matching him point for point even though she was perfectly human.
"It just doesn't make sense. Gentaro is like that because he loves Space and Space loves him in turn. How then can Ryūko Matoi, someone who by all impressions isn't at all like him, have the same amount of power? Not even Ryusei is like Gentaro."
Yuuki tilted her head quizzically as Kengo rubbed his chin in thought, "What about the others?"
"All his other friends are developing lesser amounts of energy, but still far more than the usual amount a human can make use of. Some, like that Omiko Hakodate, have even displayed amazingly high abilities to channel and manipulate Cosmic Energy."
And suddenly, Tomoko popped from behind them, making the three remaining club members yelp at her sudden appearance, "I got it!" she exclaimed, scaring the color off their faces.
"Got what!?" Kengo asked, patting his chest as his madly beating heart threatened to pop out of his torso.
"That Satsuki girl has a keen eye indeed." The goth said slowly, "Just now, my investigation shows that those she has been choosing over the years are like Gentaro's friends. It is due to their close friendship to him that they can get more in touch with Space than others. All due to Satsuki's insane skill to smell talent, or rather Cosmic Energy."
"So she's like you, Tomoko-chan?" Yuuki asked, gasping, "Wait, does that mean she could have an affinity for Space like Gen-chan!?"
"I fear so." Tomoko said, "But it's a theory. Testing it out will require time and proper ingredients. Yuuki, I'll need you to go to my favorite store and get me three jars of eel saliva, four pounds of duck feet, and a weasel's liver. Bring them fresh."
"Eh…?" the girl froze in horror, "C-Can't Kengo-kun or Miu-san go?"
"I'm feeling sick." The first lied.
"Oh my, my favorite mall's about to close!" the latter lied too as she hurriedly escaped in the middle of the morning when all malls were opening.
"Hehehe…" Tomoko creepily laughed behind Yuuki, who shivered as she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Time to go Yuuki-chan~. Ryusei is busy training with Gentaro back at Honnōji, and I'll need to go back soon myself… so I need your help here~."
She sang out, making the space loving girl cry.
"So, why did you need to come back here for?" Kengo finally asked.
"Any information on Satsuki you have, her mother, and the fact this school seems to fuel my third eye's power." She giggled, "Truth be told, it's another mystery I'm studying on my spare time. It is a safe bet to say it'll help me look deeper into what that girl's bonds with space are like, though."
"And your thoughts on the Neo Kamen Rider Club?" Kengo had to ask, as up to now their interactions with Gentaro's other friends were civil but hardly enough to learn more about them. Both Tomoko and Ryusei openly seemed to like them, but he hated to admit it he was just still suspicious of other people.
Gentaro was too trusting, and he feared that unguarded trust would one day bite him in the buttocks with a ferocity unimaginable. That's why he wanted JK to go more than anyone else, the shrewd, sly, and overall shifty teen always kept his cards close to chest. If anyone would be able to see through Gentaro's new friends and see if they were sincere with their friendship to the Kamen Rider, it'd be their resident information broker.
His thoughts were clearly being broadcast to Tomoko who gained a creepy smile. "Don't worry Kengo-san. I trust them all. And I can assure you, they're very close to our Gentaro~! Yuuki-chan~! Time to go!"
She whirled around, smiling at Yuuki who as crying adorably as she got dragged off.
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"Satsuki-sama, I-"
"No."
To see and hear Satsuki deny what he hadn't yet asked in a fraction of a second didn't sink well for Uzu. She knew what he had in mind from a mile away, and didn't want to mince words. The pride in her prized swordsman was unmeasurable and understandable, but also a hindrance. Truth be told, he was reliable, though she saw a lot of room for improvement that needed to be addressed quickly.
Frowning from him told her he was going to be harder to deal with, "Don't give me that, Satsuki-sama. I know for a fact you want to fight him for yourself… After all, weren't you the one eager to test him and Matoi?"
"SANAGEYAMA!" that booming voice that could shake continents was the very angry Ira, "YOU, AN ELITE MEMBER ALLOWED THIS LIFE THANKS TO SATSUKI-SAMA, DARES TO-"
"He does have a point."
The monkey boy arched a brow at the one who dared interrupt the shield of the school, "Inumuta, you giving me the reason?"
The blue haired dog grinned under his collar, "Truth be told, I'd like to see how far you can go with that attitude before it blows in your face. But I have made an interesting discovery you all may find as a good enough excuse to forgive his lack of manners."
Uzu grinned, "I'll let that attitude of yours slide if what you're saying is what I think you mean."
"Explain, Inumuta." Satsuki said, and he shuddered when she narrowed her eyes, "While I still have the patience."
"Yes." He quickly showed her his hand device, "As you and I are aware, Kisaragi's naturally drawn to space and in turn cosmic energy is attracted to him. This – as I've now named it – Cosmic Bond is a unique ability beyond description. The gist is that due to his closeness to space and those around him, this fool of unmeasurable proportions of stupidity can subconsciously share it with them. Now, it's all a theory, but I'd bet dollars to donuts that the guy whose tacky computer analyzes him must have the same idea in mind… Food for thought, at least."
"And what would make me reconsider Sanageyama's words?" was her calmer question.
"He survived one of those Switches' negative effects thanks to Kisaragi… What better way to see if my theory is right than…"
"BEING FRIENDS!?"
Mako's voice was almost as loud as the giant she hung around with too much and who liked to be with the chipmunk girl more than he'd dare admit. Sanageyama was there, right in front of them, a large smile on his face. And he didn't even have his uniform, just some worn out black jacket, a lime green tee, and black slacks. He also wore wooden sandals and had his shinai on him, but other than that he looked almost like a normal delinquent.
"I just wanna see what's so good of being friends with you." He said casually with a shrug. 'Being his friend should be easy. This guy's so hyped on getting new buds it's laughable.'
Ryusei grinned as he and Gentaro stopped throwing punches and kicks, 'Naïve… You really are naïve if you think that'll work.'
Gentaro walked to Uzu, who extended a hand to him, "So, what say y-"
"I refuse." The Rider told him with a large grin.
"What!?" was Uzu's understandably shocked response.
Ryusei stood up, "He knows too well when someone means to be his friend or not… So drop the-"
"Unless you prove you mean it." Gentaro finished.
Ryusei's mouth hung open for a good five seconds until the equally shocked Mako passed by him and closed it for him to yell at the pompadour wearing teen, "Gen-chan, are you mad!?"
Gentaro grinned, "I can't tell what is it that Uzu wants, but… there's something I need to look into before we can be buds." He turned to the swordsman, "Hope you don't mind, but I won't make it easy for you, Uzu." Chummily he held out his hand. "But I was about to go to lunch! So! Want to go out and get something to eat?" Gentaro asked, grinning at Uzu who opened his mouth to say no… until his stomach growled.
"Yeah, sure I guess. Let's get something to eat. I want udon." He stated, making Gentaro pump his fist.
"Udon it is!"
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The place Sanageyama took them was a small, two-wheeled cart pulled by a short old man with a white apron, a matching cook hat, and a string mustache. Despite the cart being capable of holding up to eight people, he carried it without a problem. He even put on a cloth-ceiling to keep customers dry during the rain. And the stuff he made smelled amazing. Ranging from typical pork stews and cold noodles to many types of soups with anything on them to keep people happy and full.
"I've had chocolates for a million yen each, had the best of meals every hour I wanted, and yet udon from this tiny, run down stand beats that stuff. Makes you wonder what money's for, huh?" Uzu said as he waited for his meal patiently.
"Mako learned that the hard way." The chipmunk girl said as she sighed at the bad memory. Truth be told, she felt more comfortable eating in the random, small street they were at than at that very luxurious mansion.
"Well, it doesn't matter, eating with your friends is what makes food taste the best!" Gentaro said with a huge grin.
"Heh, yeah, simple or expensive doesn't matter if it's fun." Uzu agreed.
"Mako thinks so too!" Mako said with a nod of her head and a genuinely happy smile, her chipmunk like cheeks stuffed through with noodles made her words sound more like, "Mmhanko mhnsks mhts mitsh mhst."
And from there it was impossible to make out the rest. Gentaro smiled widely as she swallowed her noodles down, coughed a little, then gave him another thumb up.
"What'd she say?" Omiko asked.
Her former subordinate swallowed her mouthful in a split second to answer, "Mako thinks that eating with Gen-chan and Uzu-san is super fun too!" Uzu did a double take, where did she get the noodles from? It seemed that while they had been talking, the food had come.
Gentaro smiled, "It's best that we enjoy every moment, even the little ones like this, to their fullest." He gained a slightly sad look in his eyes, "Youth's like a shooting star. Gramps always said: if you're going to live your life, glitter can only get you so far. It's when you let yourself burn jet black like a piece of tripe that you can get your true flavors. Burn all the grease to be yourself."
"Heh, sounds like an old school yakuza's ways." Uzu said with a slight nod of respect.
A more subdued than normal grin appeared on the Rider's face, "It's why I want to burn all I have to make friends. The smiles I get from making new ones are worth it. And since youth can pass and leave any time it wants… Why not make every memory count?"
"Gen-chan…" Mako started to cry, tears welling in her eyes as she sniffled cutely, "Don't say it like you're ever going to leave us! Mako… Mako'd be mad! She'd be upset and sad! So don't-"
"Ah, sorry, sorry!" the pompadour wearing teen blurted out, waving a hand frantically, "I didn't… Sorry again, Mako. I was just thinking out loud!"
"It's true, though." Takaharu commented as he blew on his noodles to cool them down, "Truth be told, it's not much different than a boxer's career. You can only keep the belt for so many years. It is when you retire that you have to leave it all behind, and for some that time comes too soon. And yet…" he grinned, "Making the most with the title is what people will remember you for… I can get behind that burning until I'm black tripe thing."
Senketsu hummed, "To live every moment as if it were the last and make the most of it… I envy that, and yet it feels like I'm living that at the same time with you all."
Ryūko snickered even as she begun to chow down on her own meal, "Come on, guys. You're making Senketsu get all sappy."
"Not at all!"
She continued, "But if time's limited, then that gives us the more reason to go all out. So sign me up for that kind of stuff."
Maiko adjusted her glasses, "Fools, the lot of you. Admirable and kind of adorable, but still fools."
Omiko just shot her hand out and whopped or tried to whop Maiko's head, the cowardly trap mistress ducking quickly, "Oi! Shut it. You know you're happy with us and agree."
Her words made Maiko neurotically mutter aloud, "Unfortunately I can't argue with you. Even as much as I'd like to say you're just my stepping stones and pawns, you're my friends too."
Giving Maiko a smug nod before her eyes glared over her glasses, Omiko rudely asked her a question, "And when will you finish up my Death Racket Mk. II? It's been at least a day or two."
Glowering at her while pushing up her glasses, Maiko grumbled, "After tomorrow, I had to call in a favor my friend owes me, but you'll have your new and improved Anti-Life Fiber Weapon soon enough. This stuff takes time you know, not that I'd expect you or the bare-knuckled punch-monkey to understand I have to put in a lot of work for your weapons. Think I made them fast? I had the blue prints already written down and knew what I was building then."
Rolling her eyes, the shark toothed tennis queen just pushed her own glasses up, "…Thanks." She mumbled her gratitude.
Maiko paused for a second as she was eating her own udon noodles, her red eyes widening before she gained a rare and sincere smile, "You're welcome." And the tender moment was sadly ruined when Ryūko let loose an unladylike belch.
"Man that stuff hit the spot! Been a while since I had a decent bowl of noodles." She said, picking her teeth for good measure.
"Ryūko, you know you shouldn't eat such greasy food. It makes your blood particularly unpleasant when it has so many calories running through it." Senketsu chose now of all time to pipe up, making her odd spoked eye to twitch rapidly before she let loose a groan.
"Oh for the love of Tom Savini and George Romero! Would you only be happy with what I ate if it was just grilled chicken and salad every day all day!?"
Uzu rose an eyebrow at the antics of Gentaro's friends, wondering aloud, "You're never bored with company like them, are you Kisaragi?" Gentaro just gave the green haired teen a thumb up.
"Of course not! Why would I ever be bored when I'm forging memories with my best friends?" he turned a warm smile to his buddies, Ryūko arguing with Senketsu, Mako devouring noodles, Maiko and Omiko talking, Takaharu eating his own noodles quietly. "One day we'll all have our own dreams to follow. One day we'll die. One day we'll be apart. But until that day, I will never stop loving my friends. Every memory I share with them is another thing to cherish. That's just… the kind of guy I am!" Gentaro said with a huge grin, making Uzu's eyes widen.
"Is that why you want friends so bad?" he swallowed his spit, feeling a weird rush of emotions at Gentaro's words, why was he hanging onto every word of this fool? By all accounts, this naivety was the kind of thing the world would crush in an instant. That's why Satsuki wanted him under her wing, to educate him about the truth of the world's cruelty.
"Did you expect me to have some complex reason or some huge speech to give about friendship and why it's the best thing ever? Haha! Really, there's nothing more to it." Gentaro said as he ate his noodles between bites.
"It's really that simple, huh? Maybe you really are an idiot, but if you are Gentaro Kisaragi, I think the world should have more guys like you in it. I bet then we wouldn't have so much hatred in it." He mused aloud, rubbing the back of his head with a wry grin while eating his own bowl of noodles.
The Neo Kamen Rider Club ate their meal together in silence with the Elite Four Member. Very soon he would get his fight with Gentaro, all of them knew it, but for the time being they took their peace. Unaware of what was yet to come in the following days. Or that a new member of the Neo Kamen Rider Club, or really an old one would be reuniting with them soon enough.
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Dawn of the second Day after Gentaro's birthday.
Taking roll call with his usual level of bland and boring monotone dryness, Aikuro placidly addressed the class, "Greetings everyone. We have today with us a new transfer student. He's come from Amanogawa High, please give a warm welcome to Jingū Kaizō."
Giving the entire class a smarmy little grin, JK waved at them cheerfully, "Hey teach, just call me JK. Everyone does anyway, and it's how I like to be addressed, ya know?"
Staring at him with a bland open mouthed expression, Aikuro said, "You'll be sitting next to… oh, Maiko Ōgure then, JK-san."
Humming to himself cheekily, JK took his seat next to Maiko who just gave him a smug grin of her own, "Pleasure to have the Informant of the Stars in our school. We'll welcome you to the Neo Kamen Rider club, oh honored founding member." Her sarcasm was so thick you could cut it with a cheese knife.
JK merely gave her a little two fingered salute, shamelessly stolen from Shun like nothing else ever was, "I'll be sure to give you kids a few pointers, like for one, keeping track of all the things you might miss with your noses to the grindstones."
Maiko stared at him then his smug grin, before she pushed her glasses up, her own smug grin growing in response, "You're going to get along just grand with our cast of imbeciles. Word of advice, don't piss off either of the two fatheaded bitches who we're unfortunate enough to share valuable breathing space with."
Making a mock surprise face, JK placed his hand on his palm while paying rapt attention to her words, his other hand drumming against the table to a beat he heard a few days ago, "You don't say? And how dangerous are we talking? Because I've seen scary women on a daily basis back in Amanogawa High. I doubt after what I've dealt with they're all that bad."
Giving him a dark chuckle, the trap mistress muttered to him, "What scale do you want to count? Small, large, or city level? Because our resident power house is the red-locked one currently looking like the world shat in her breakfast cereal this morning. She's on par with Gentaro and I'd even go so far as saying she's his equal in everything he does."
JK took a quick peek behind him, seeing the red-locked girl with her hand on her chin, her glare pretty much blazing hot. He took a quick moment to calculate the concept of someone who was Gentaro's equal in destructive power, how much effort it'd take for that someone to hit him like a runaway ice cream truck, and how little he wished to upset someone without the restraint or patience Gentaro had.
"Point taken." He gave her a conceding hand motion. "And what of the other?" he asked curiously.
Maiko pushed up her glasses in agitation, "She might not be the red-locked sociopath's equal, but the blonde twin-tailed one is about as nasty. Just be warned, you'll meet the two of them at lunch."
"Ah. Now let me ask you one more question… What do you think of Ryu-chan and Tomo-chan?" he asked then, using mocking pet names that made Maiko blink for a second or two.
"Ryusei and Tomoko you mean? They're… well, they fit in weirdly enough. Honnōji Academy has a particularly high tolerance for crazy people. That's why I'm not locked in a padded cell mumbling about my global domination plans." The way she freely admitted her neurosis and blatant insane megalomania made JK whistle lowly.
"Yeah, I can see where he might be a bit worried 'bout your influence on Gen-chan." JK said with his hand on his cheek, looking amused to himself as he talked about Kengo. Maiko just rolled her eyes at that admission that he was just there to spy on them.
"I stand by what I said, you'll fit in like a glove filled with super glue here." JK gave her a catty little grin, he liked this one.
"Lookin' forward to it." He hummed back, rubbing his hands together in glee.
Sure enough, when lunch began, JK made his way to where Gentaro was usually spotted. Already he was moving his tendrils and information network subtly through the school. Gossip was gossip no matter where you went, and even Satsuki's Kiryūin's ironclad grip on the school couldn't prevent every little juicy tidbit from finding its way to him. He just had to be careful, not everything that found his ears would be free. He bet dollars to donuts that she'd find him out quickly and start filtering false information and rumors to him. Price you had to pay being an information broker, he supposed.
And then he saw Gentaro with his new and old friends. The eighteen-year-old Rider gestured eagerly at his friends, looking excited as he no doubt talked about something that had gained his attention.
"Hey Gen-chan~!" he sang out, making Gentaro look up then gain a huge grin.
"JK! It's wonderful to see you join us here! Sit down, we're having croquettes!"
Looking interested as he sauntered over, JK flipped acrobatically up, then landed next to Maiko who gave him a raised eyebrow in response. One hand shot out and caught a croquette thrown to him by Gentaro. JK didn't think twice before he bit into it mindlessly. His eye widened when he chewed it, something about the taste brought a tear to his eye.
"Whoa. This is good stuff. Where'd ya get something this good Gentaro?" despite being shamelessly twisted up inside, he was beyond amazed by the genuine taste exploding in his mouth. It felt like whoever had made it had put their soul, heart, and love into making it taste as good as possible.
"So, JK-chan, what're you here for?" Mako asked the boy with dyed hair.
JK shrugged, "Expand my network as much as I need to and practice a few moves. Perhaps see if the dance club or something similar. Check if one has good moves to test my own against."
"So you're a dancer?" Takaharu asked confused.
"I'm also a DJ, can play guitar and rock out better than others, and know how to make a party." The flashy teen boasted with a cocky smile.
"And contacts." Maiko said as she eyed the equally sneaky and cunning side under the mask of the fool, which meant she was pretty much observing an equal.
"I know how to make friends for a quick party." JK shrugged casually.
"But after he joined the club, he's made some real best buds." Gentaro said, "At least we're all trying to teach him what that means, right?"
JK sighed, "I know, I know. Friends are just there for parties, besties are there to watch crappy toons with you to cheer you up… Or something like that." He looked at a nearby flock of trendy students with their One-Star uniforms following Ira's rules but with some flashy accessories for their bags, "I spy myself some new friends. See ya guys in a bit."
Seeing him go, one of the more hotheaded members of the Neo Rider Club had to ask something, "Really, how is that guy useful?" Omiko asked.
Just then, the sound of angry bullies alerted the group to watch over the broker, "What do you think you're doing, you flashy punk? You don't even have a uniform." One of them, a stereotypical thug from nearly every high school anime ever, complete with hunched pose, asked the boy with dyed hair.
JK raised a finger, "I wouldn't talk if I were you, I get around." He put his hands in his pockets and kept a smarmy grin, "You may know what getting around is like. I've heard the price for what you look for is getting higher, though. I wonder if that Satsuki lady would be happy hearing where some funds go when not financing the club you're part of…"
As one, all bullies – a good dozen of them – backed down and bowed to the boy, "Sorry, sir! It won't happen again, sir!"
"Fun talking to ya, guys!" JK said as he waved while leaving, approaching the impressed and interested trendy youths. "Yo, name's JK!" he made a pose with his hands, a J and a K, and gave a practiced coy smile to earn their full attention, "Heard you guys know the best karaoke bars around, care to show a newcomer a thing or two?"
"I… am both amazed and terrified at something." Senketsu whispered.
"He's like the chipper version of our evil genius, ain't he?" his user said.
"HEY! I… can't argue that, actually. Dammit, he is too much like me." Maiko said with a snappish tone, then her finger lowered, her glasses hid her eyes, and she looked down. She couldn't argue that JK was her male counterpart.
Mako gained a half-broken lightbulb that popped over her head as she hit her fist against her palm, "AH! So is he your long lost brother Maiko-chan!? Mako thinks if he is, you two should reconnect! Your parents probably separated you at birth, for fear of your combined super-duper evil powers of manipulation controlling all of Japan!" she excitedly told that to Maiko, who merely zoned her out.
"Right, moving on," the neurotic super genius said with a grimace as she pulled out her notepad and begun scribbling on it while muttering to herself, "A reinforced net with a titanium laced alloy is a must… need to enhance the crystals for higher grade laser manipulation… a Cosmic Energy enhancer is…"
Gentaro's grin only grew widely when he saw someone approaching him resolutely. Uzu's back was straight and his eyes were determined. Across his shoulders he had his shinai. But most importantly, over said back he had a gigantic samurai banner, the Kanji for Kanto and Monkey displayed proudly.
"So he means to go to war at last!" Gentaro said as he hopped to his feet, his expression just as determined as he walked forward, his friends watching this proceeding with interest in their eyes.
JK himself gave a long whistle at this, "Seems like things are going to be very interesting around here Gen-chan~."
"My war isn't with you yet, Kisaragi Gentaro." The monkey boy grinned, "This is my way to greet all little shits who come thinking they can muscle in on our turf."
"That being?" Ryūko asked, slightly annoyed.
"You!" Uzu aimed a finger at the red-locked girl, "Satsuki-sama said to befriend him, but then I spent all night thinking who I could declare my anger to! And you, Matoi Ryūko are the perfect candidate!"
"The Hell did you smoke last night!?" she barked.
"I'm more surprised it took him an entire night to figure out that we all weren't as off-limits as Gentaro." Her partner chimed in.
The Kanto boy grinned wickedly, "You've been kicking around new clubs and making a name for yourself. According to the rules that I actually had to read, it means I get to beat you down until I get tired of it. After that, well, if some Rider wants to step in, then even better…"
Gentaro chuckled, hands on his hips, "Uzu, I know you're a man who can't let a good fight go."
"Gen-chan?" Mako asked, surprised at his change in attitude.
"Hey, Gentaro-bro, what's with this odd battle lust surrounding you!?" Takaharu took a step back, "I can feel it, you really want to fight now! Answer me, dammit! Why change so suddenly when you wanted to befriend him!?"
Gentaro smirked, a first for him, "Easy, because if he's really from Kanto, then he'll settle things like a true Kanto boy! Heard me loud and clear, Uzu!?"
Uzu returned the smirk, a hand reaching into his pocket, "Loud and clear, Kisaragi! Draw!"
Both boys pulled their hands fast out of their pockets in a flash, revealing… that Gentaro was holding on to a rhinoceros beetle while Uzu carried a stag beetle.
"What the…?" Omiko mouthed.
"Here's Kengo-kun! I caught it on a trip where Kengo-kun was doing research, that's where his name comes from!" Gentaro boasted with a large grin.
Uzu nodded in approval, "Fine specimen, Kisaragi. Here's my Sendo-kun. He's old, but I've kept the little bugger healthy ever since my uncle helped me catch it after one of his boxing bouts. He's as strong and stubborn as the man, too."
"Wait, wait, wait! Time out!" the drifter girl crossed her arms in an X fashion, "Beetle battles!? Are you kidding me!? Aren't you two a little old for that!?"
"No man is old enough to overlook the battle of true beasts, no matter how small they are!" the two's resounding reply made her step back.
Gentaro stepped forward, "Let's go, Ryūko! You can't fight him without a proper bug! We need true powerhouses like Kengo-kun here!" he sighed, "I'd love to let you borrow it, but when you put your own beetle to battle another, it has to be one you caught or traded."
"Yours is a good one, I'll admit, Kisaragi." Uzu commented with a cocky expression on his face, "May try to keep it after I win."
Gentaro smirked back, "Try as much as you want. This Kengo and his godfather wouldn't give up no matter what!"
Back in the moon, the sickly boy sneezed, "Huh, is someone talking about you?" Miu asked over her magazine.
Kengo took a sniff, "This scent… Kisaragi's showing off that damn bug again."
"Amazing, he can tell what Gentaro's doing to annoy him by sniffing…" Shun said, unsure whether to feel awe or fear.
"Shows how good friends they are." Miu commented as she flipped another page, "Which reminds me, JK has started his own new network. We should get good gossip tonight. I'll see what circles to get myself in contact with. Oh, and Shun, Yuuki still hasn't reported back. If anything happens, I'll come with you to get her corp- I mean, her back."
"You were going to say corpse!" both boys shouted, but Miu just ignored them as if nothing had been said.
Back to the group, Sanageyama smirked at Ryūko, "What's the matter, Matoi? Can't handle the pressure, or do you think your skills to find a good beetle are subpar at best?"
A vein bulged on the girl's forehead, "Fine, asshole, it's your bug's funeral." She looked around slowly, grimacing, "Wait… I don't even have one of the damn critters." She growled the last part.
Uzu cockily smirked, irking the girl, "Tell you what, Matoi. I'll let you go and get yourself a decent one for my little champ to demolish it. You got until sunset."
"Heh, I could do that with my eyes closed." The drifter smirked with a glare.
Omiko simply stared dully, "You know, Fukuroda, I think this is our new normal."
The short boxer grinned, "Would you change it, though?"
She crossed her arms, smirking, "Nah, it's less boring than a luxurious life."
"Heh, what happened to us to make us enjoy this so much?" the pugilist then turned to Maiko.
Said bulbous haired girl snorted, "You know my thoughts, don't rope me in on this. Now, let's help our third biggest idiot get herself a new pet."
It was silently agreed that when it came to hotheadedness, Mako, Gentaro and Ryūko were the ones with the most of it, Omiko counted when her temper got set off and she wasn't thinking straight. However, all three former captains agreed that those oddballs had less tightened screws in the head.
"Let's go watch them catch themselves a beetle, should be fun, right?" Omiko said as she followed Gentaro, Takaharu swiping his thumb underneath his nose with a chuckle while Maiko pushed her glasses up.
"Yeah! Gentaro-bro's gonna catch a good one with Ryūko, I know it!" The boxer punched the air in excitement, making Maiko roll her eyes even as she noted JK, Ryusei, and Tomoko following them.
"It should prove to be amusing at the very least." She stated flatly. She none the less followed along.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Ryūko-chan! Over here! I think we have one for you!" Gentaro called out to her as the group had been searching in a nearby park for well over an hour, everyone had pitched in.
Maiko was busy writing up a storm of measurements, various beetle related data, and had six different boxes in front of her, each containing a single rhinoceros beetle which she examined, muttered something about then waved on angrily. Chewing on her pencil, she continued muttering and mumbling as she examined the various s insects.
"Mako thinks she found one too! Thank you Gamagōri-senpai for being this Mako Mankanshoku's helpful Titan to ride on!" Mako was wearing a full-on explorer outfit, pith helmet and bug net complementary of the bug catching and cataloguing club, and she was unsurprisingly riding upon the shoulder of Ira Gamagōri who took this request with utmost seriousness.
Even if he didn't quite understand why Mako needed him to help her find beetles, it was his duty to help the students with their problems as the disciplinary committee head.
"It was no problem Mankanshoku. You made the problem seem quite serious, so it was my pleasure to help out." He noticed that laying on her back, Tomoko was silently raising her limbs to the sky every few seconds, Ryusei walking around her and following her directions when her limbs pointed to a direction.
"Ancient absorption of the land's Leylines, even if this is an artificial island, it still possesses a connection to the earth. This is a technique my great uncle in New York taught me, ehehe. It should help us find the ideal beetle for Ryūko-chan. Ryusei-kun, there!" She giggled creepily even as she directed the Rider to a different direction, her disturbingly cheerful giggle made Omiko's skin crawl when she heard it. The glasses clad tennis player rubbed the back of her head with a toothy frown.
"Something's wrong with that girl, know what I mean Takaharu?" she asked the boxer who was busy dashing from spot to spot, taking this assignment with utmost seriousness and dedication, which made her facepalm quietly.
"Hey Gentaro-bro! I think we found the ideal beetle too!" he cheered out as she threw her hands up with a grimace.
"Right, okay, never mind me. I'm just whistling a tune out of my ass, let's go along with this idiocy."
The hot-tempered blonde muttered to herself but followed along, JK whistling to himself merrily as he followed along, one hand on his cheek as he laughed to himself, "This is really gettin' good, eh Gen-chan?"
To their mutual surprise and shock, they all had centered on one spot, and all on specific beetle. Dusting leaves and some dirt from her hands as she had been searching elsewhere for her beetle, Ryūko walked forward and rudely asked, "Okay so where's the stupid bug that I… I… I…" she stopped talking, her train of thought derailed so completely not even a deal with the devil could bring it back.
Blinking slowly, then rubbing her eyes as she looked at what everyone else had found. A brilliant red Rhinoceros beetle stood proud, silently grooming itself as it trundled along a log. Which noticeably had many fallen beetles desperately clinging to it. The beetle itself having the sun shine brilliantly upon it, glimmering off its dew-covered horn.
"…Damn… That's my beetle?" she asked, reverently walking towards the log, the beetle looking briefly at her, then flying up and landing on her hand.
Maiko walked past her, then begun taking measurements of the beetle, muttering in growing excitement, "Male, perfect specimen, young age, horn strength maximum, hard shell, strong grip, as intelligent as beetles go…" she said as she examined it, even noticing how it had unique looking blue compound eyes. "This… this is a beetle that is perfect on every conceivable level. A super beetle if you want! With something like this… You might be able to win you hot-blooded bitch, read just might, you're a rank amateur and you've just met him today, but you could stand a chance." Maiko said as she adjusted her glasses, Ryūko ignoring her as a name came unbidden to her new pet.
"Tendou." She spoke, making Gentaro's eyes light up.
"Tendou?" he echoed.
"Yeah, the sun that conquers all, he's Tendou." She said as she raised her new comrade to the sky with one hand, the beetles horn shining as the sun hit it.
Miles away, a single man was walking with a pot of some kind of food in one hand.
"Grandmother once said, when those who look upon you with admiration say your name, you can feel your ears tingle." The handsome, even bishonen man said aloud, turning around to stare at the sun with a chuckle. "It seems that things will get interesting again, hm?" He asked as a red beetle flew past his head, his eye catching how it was mechanical in form and shape.
It was with a beautifully setting sun that Ryūko arrived at a park where Uzu stood on the other side, the place empty with nothing but a small table between them. Uzu's stag beetle rested on it, the monkey boy carrying a massive Japanese flag on his back with his bug's name on it. Ryūko merely walked forward, eyes hardened as her friends backed her up with their own banners supporting her tiny new friend.
"Win this, and I'll respect you as a proper resident of my pockets, little bug." Senketsu told the small critter with a firm nod, and as if it heard him the beetle seemed to tilt its head in a nod once he was put on the table.
"Let's go, no limits!" Uzu shouted, aiming a finger forward, "Crush him, Sendo!"
Ryūko yelped when her bug was caught in its opponent's pincers, "Dammit! Oi Tendou, find your footing and don't let it take you down!"
Her little pet definitely nodded its head as it latched some of its legs on the other beetle, pulling it to the side like a sumo wrestler. And even more amazing was seeing the stag beetle reply to that by finding its footing and putting some distance between both bugs.
Uzu grit his teeth as Tendou started to yank Sendo off of the log, "Don't give Sendo! You can win! You're second to no one!" he cheered when Sendo fought back and begun to shove Tendou off the log.
"We may not have known each other long, but you chose me for a reason, right Tendou!? So! Don't give up! Never give in! Keep fighting 'cos you want to win! That's how we do it!" Ryūko yelled, her expression taut with emotion as Tendou started to struggle again, his horn pushing against Sendo roughly.
Gentaro and Mako were sitting at another log, Gentaro holding a make shift microphone while Ira sat in between them, his arms folded as the trio seemed to be panel judges.
"It's a tough match Mako-chan, it seems like Tendou's got the upper hand but for long? Sendo's giving all he can give and their coaches are desperate for the big win!" Gentaro announced.
Mako commented, "Whoever wins the bug brawl gets the crown of the best beetle brawler in Honnōji Academy! And furthermore, gets the right to challenge Gen-chan in battle! Gamagōri-senpai, as a fellow judge and comrade of Uzu Sanageyama-san, how do you think he is going to fare against Ryūko-chan? Herself a newcomer to Beetle Brawls?"
Gentaro held the microphone in front of Ira's mouth as the man rubbed his chin with utmost seriousness, "It's hard even for this Ira to say Mankanshoku. Uzu has long experience in the beetle brawling circuit, he and Sendo have never been beaten by any of their fellow competitors, but for a newcomer Matoi has a lot of promise, and seems to be holding her own just fine. I would defer on the side of caution and say that this match could go either way."
In front of them, and watching the fight, Maiko facepalmed with a loud groan, "If they wanted us to suffer, why didn't they dip our genitals in honey and stake us to an ant farm? Guys you have to agre- oh for the love of…"
She noticed Omiko and Takaharu were both waving huge banners with Tendou's beetle mug on them, Omiko cheering him on, "GET SENDO GOOD! BEAT HIM UP! Show that smug Kanto monkey what for!"
Maiko let loose a loud moan of frustration, "Just kill me. Kill me please…"
Ryusei and Tomoko were both eating popcorn, JK whistling to himself as he had a plugless popcorn cooker, a pair of batteries inside of it as he cheerfully fixed more popcorn for the group.
Tendou started to slam its tiny head on Sendo's, as if continuously head-butting it. But the other beetle was quick to react and held its opponent in its pincers as it tried to lift it. Before it could do so, the drifter's new pet held on to its adversary just as it threw it off, pulling Sendo and sending both beetles crashing on their backs. They tiny legs clawed at the air, but they managed to wave their bodies around and roll back on their stomachs, seemingly glaring at each other.
"So many counters and comebacks, these two really want to take the other down! It's as if these two have a passion beyond even us mortals! Truly, someone's spirit can talk to you whether you're man or beetle!" Gentaro's cheesy commentary just added to the insanity as the two bugs clashed.
"C'mon Tendou! You can't lose! Not until we beat this green haired punkass!" Ryūko cheered on as Tendou charged forward, ramming his horn against Sendo's head and pushing in hard.
"Sendo! Don't lose! You've got the eye of a tiger and the spirit of a raging bull!" Uzu bit his lip furiously as he watched Sendo slowly get shoved back, he tried to dig in his little beetle heels but was unable to stop Tendou from throwing his horn up! Launching Sendo skyward, the light shone down on the tiny red beetle's horn before he shot forward like a rocket! Lowering it and slamming it directly against Sendo's stomach!
Rolling off the log with a soft noise, Sendo flew up and landed on Uzu's hand.
The green haired samurai begun crying manly tears, wiping them with one hand as his burning spirit got ignited and how, "You lost!? SENDOOOOOOO!"
"HELL YEAH! We did it, Tendou! We won first time too!" Ryūko leaped skyward, laughing as her beetle landed on her outstretched hand.
"Amazing…! I too was excited for this victory Ryūko! It was an amazing match!" Senketsu spoke, even as Uzu stood up, his hair shadowing his face and hiding his expression.
As the other cheered, Gentaro approached Uzu with a beaming smile, "Uzu, that was a great match. I know defeat's not fun, trust me. However, I think I saw you smile there."
"How can you do that?" Uzu asked, eyeing him with narrowed eyes.
"What do you mean?" the genuinely confused Rider asked.
"It's as if you have no reason to be mad, whether you win or lose. Even when I threaten to fight your friends seriously, you just seem to find a way to make everything friendly." The monkey boy stared at the pompadour-wearing teen, trying to decipher him.
Gentaro just grinned wider, "I've told you, didn't I? There's nothing I value more than a friend's smile. Seeing you enjoy yourself like this without having to be Satsuki's subordinate but yourself was great."
Seeing that, Uzu started to connect the dots, "I see, so you're the kind of guy who can't hold even a single grudge… Good grief, you're a real pain when it comes to fighting, Kisaragi. I still want to go all out, but it feels like even if I got to fight you, you'd try to find a way to hold back."
"Uzu…" Gentaro started, feeling like something was off.
"Guess I have to fix that." Uzu said as he turned around and left.
Gentaro looked confused, as Uzu left, unable to shake off a bad feeling. He wanted to reach out and talk, but his friends grabbed him to join in on their little celebration.
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Nighttime was JK's thing. The party expert and information broker couldn't help but love Satsuki's little artificial island. Glittering and shining where what everyone saw was what they would get. It made a gossip network fun, and tracking any small tidbit could be used to his advantage. He was a fish in a pond, and he felt right at home.
"Ah, isn't that JK?" some flashy One-Star students walked to him, waving, "Yo man, what took you? We can't let you all alone, even for a No-Star."
The boy rubbed the back of his dyed head, "What can I say? This city's got so much shine it's hard not to take it in. Besides, should you worry? I told you I got a contact, we can get in without a single bother."
The One-Stars grinned, "Even Gamagōri-senpai can't say a thing if we got tickets. How'd you even get them in the first place?" a girl with tanned skin, hair dyed a platinum blond, and flashy clothes asked.
Shrugging with a devil may care smile, JK answered, "Isn't not knowing part of the fun? I can't give you all my secrets. Where would the fun be in that?"
"Aw, don't be like that, man. But you're right, it's time to party!" another One-Star cheered.
The information broker was happy to enter at a large karaoke bar, which only accepted Two-Stars or people with VIP cards, which JK had gotten. His methods were as underhanded as when he met Gentaro, but he had improved. The person he got them from had secrets they didn't want divulged, mostly concerning a coconut head. It was a fair deal, JK handed the mysterious figure information of the squirrely girl's likes and dislikes, and he got free tickets. Also, he put in a good word for the unnamed figure to impress the petite but endowed ball of fun.
"Alright, what song to pick up first…?" JK asked as he grabbed a mic, grinning as he saw the others ready to party, 'Ama High's got nothing on these guys, but they're still the kind of pigeon with lots of cash and too much free space in their heads. With their help, my network here will be secured at a good thirty percent. Expanding it from there should be easy.'
"Come on, man, how long are you gonna keep us waiting?" a voice asked behind JK, to which he let out a chuckle without noting how quiet things got.
"Here's my favorite. An oldie but a goodie, 24-Hour Cinderella." He grabbed the microphone and turned to his companions.
Who he saw before him made him nearly drop the mic in shock, "Heh, I've a soft spot for that song too." Uzu said, shinai hefted on a shoulder.
JK tried to remain calm, "Sanageyama-san, what are you doing here?"
"I've heard how you're using gossip to get what you want, and here we only recognize strength." Uzu said as he walked to the boy, "Besides, I really need Gentaro to go all out. Apologies in advance, but you got no idea how much I want this fight."
"Does the head honcho know about this?" JK asked, backing away slowly as he tried to find anyway to buy himself time, before a flash of light startled him.
Satsuki silently walked down a ramp overlooking the club, as the girl threw off her wig and clothes, revealing herself as Nonon. The other One-Star students shimmered then blinked out one by one, Inumuta shutting his laptop with a click as JK looked around.
"Did you honestly think I wasn't immediately aware of the Broker King's tentacles infiltrating my school? Jingū Kaizō, alias Jake or JK. You were a fool to not think I wouldn't crush your attempts at manipulating Honnōji Academy to your will. But I digress, you are just the bait to entice Gentaro Kisaragi to fight. Uzu made his case to me, and it has been a long time in coming. It was only recently that Shirō has finished the next generation of the Three Star Uniforms, so I deemed it the acceptable time for Uzu to challenge Gentaro Kisaragi." Satsuki told him coldly.
JK, knowing when the gig was up, sighed softly as he rubbed the back of his head, "Man…"
"It'll be over before you know it…" the swordsman said, reaching for his shinai.
"Not the face please." he had to make a request there.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Discipline was highly valued at Honnōji Academy, anyone who said otherwise was a moron. It got to a point where none should be surprised when people were made examples of. When Gentaro first met and helped that kid, he had seen what they were capable of to what they considered a minor aggression. Due to their security and manpower, they had all the right reasons to be cocky. They let the thief get the uniform as a mockery.
But when someone really, really pissed off the Elite Four or Satsuki herself, they were examples to make everyone fear them. Ira's subordinates were good at that, and the man himself was terrifying when it came to how long he could keep the punishment going. They made sure to make the poor bastard observe every little detail and remain conscious. Until they broke. But for that release, for the part where they lost all humanity to happen, they'd have to go through a lot for a long, oh so very long time.
All things considered, JK had it easy, "GENTARO! MOM! ANYONE! SAVE ME!"
The boy was hanging upside down a Maiko special, ordered by Ira himself. His dyed hair was inches from a pool of hungry and highly vicious prehistoric piranhas which the Animal Caring Club trained to nibble someone and devour their fingernails. They had been shown as deadly as a pork leg was held by one of the club members, only to be turned into bone in a split second, before the bone was let go to be devoured by the feral fishes.
JK's shriek was overshadowed by Satsuki's yell, "Be quiet!" she said, freezing him in terror, "A man like you who cowardly uses information but expects others to solve his problems should've seen a punishment as this as a fitting one! It baffles the mind how Kisaragi considers you a friend!"
That hit a nerve, "Oi lady, seems to me you're not looking at it the other way…" he said, still shaking at the hungry fish staring at him, "I know your type. Easy to dispose of anything you don't like. Heh, it's amazing how many people are like that. But guys like Gentaro, they stick with trash. At first, I'd have laughed at him, and I did… And then, I realize, he's the kind of guy who'd try to make something out of trash."
"Regardless of what he can make, trash will remain trash." Satsuki said coldly, "Accepting Ōgure was one thing, but accepting someone as spineless as you whose only talent is being a circus performer makes me further question his judgment."
"Don't pat your back yet, lady." JK said, and then yelped when one of the piranhas jumped, "Ack! I mean, yeah, I'd like you to pull me up, like, right now! But mark my words! Throwing everything you don't like aside will make you realize how much you need idiots around!"
"Tilt your head to a ninety degree angle." She said, and the boy did as told to avoid getting his nose chomped of by a particularly energetic fish.
"Keep talking… that's it…" he muttered to himself, a sweat bead rolling down his head as he gulped, "Hey, seriously, Gen-chan's not just going to fight at your request… He'll fight because he wants to. 'Cos when the chips are down, when everything's gone to hell in a hand basket, there's no one trash like me will treasure more. Then a hero who fights to protect those he cherishes. Sappy right? But I did my job… Gen-chan, it's up to you, okay?!"
"OKAY! Just rest easy JK!" All parties were started when the party was literally crashed, Gentaro kicking both doors of the club in and walking in with Kamen Rider Meteor, Ryūko, Takaharu and Maiko following him. Omiko was seen at the door, grumbling as she held an ordinary tennis racket and her ball in one hand.
"You wanted a fight, right Uzu?" he said with a huge smile on his face, his belt already fastened around his waist.
"You know it." Uzu slammed his shinai on the ground, getting up from his seated position with a grin.
"Sat-chan, then it's okay?" he asked her, as she merely tightened her grip on Bakuzan, giving him a slight and silent incline of her head. "Heh! Awesome! Then let's do it!"
Each of their groups silently backed away in the empty club. Ryūko swiped her thumb under her nose at Nonon, making the pinkette stick her tongue right back. Inumuta gave Maiko a scolding gaze even as her eyes were shadowed by her glasses, a psychopathic smirk coming to her face as she pushed them up using her middle finger. Kamen Rider Meteor and Gamagōri stood facing each other, their arms crossing before they turned their heads to watch Uzu and Gentaro stand against each other.
The Kanto monkey grinned, "Ever since I first saw you beat Takaharu, I've wanted to fight you Gentaro Kisaragi. Wanted to bring you to heel, wanted to test my strength against yours, you got it, right?" Uzu asked as his hands went to his white uniform.
Gentaro's hands moved towards his switches, flipping each of them one by one as the belt begun the count down.
"THREE!"
"Yeah. I knew from the moment we first met Uzu! We'd fight one day! As men!" He moved his hand in front of his body, clenching his fist tightly as a powerful grey aura flowed over his body, and lightning sparked from his shoulders.
"TWO!"
Uzu cracked his neck from side to side as his uniform glowed, a green aura suffusing his entire body while he held out both hands from side to side, three stars shooting in front of him as his uniform scattered into light, grinning to him wildly.
"Yeah. I know. I lost myself as a Zodiarts and fought you in a way I never wanted to. That experience really humbled me you know. I got too cocky, and didn't give it my all. So, I promised myself I'd never hold back or let myself underestimate anyone ever again."
"ONE!"
Gentaro grabbed the handle and pulled it, throwing his hand into the air as Uzu's body shot through each of the three stars, his own body glowing!
"HENSHIN!" a cloud of smoke and cosmic energy shot into the air, forming an X like shape as Kamen Rider Fourze arrived.
To everyone's shock, he didn't do his normal jump. Instead, he pulled out a large orange rocket shaped switch, and replaced Rader with it. Satsuki's eyes shrunk, as did Inumuta's.
"Uchu…!" he slammed it down, just as his entire body glowed a brilliant orange.
"ROCKET ON~!" the belt sang followed by bombastic brass music!
"KITAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" A cry shot out all the way past the school, outside the earth, and through the Milky Way galaxy.
Everyone observed as Fourze's armor had turned into a singular orange with black highlights, blue lenses, and two large rockets for arms. Without a second's hesitation, the Rider flew at the young swordsman, using both rocket arms to get right on his face. Suddenly, he twirled his body in the air akin to a spinning top, stopping two feet from Uzu with a fist reeled back.
As rocket punch clashed against a Life-Fiber empowered bamboo sword, the fight began!
ELITE FOUR MEMBER
CAPTAIN OF THE SPORTS DIVISION
SANAGEYAMA UZU
VS
NEO KAMEN RIDER CLUB FOUNDER
KAMEN RIDER FOURZE
KISARAGI GENTARO
FIGHT IT OUT WITH YOUR TRUE DESIRES!
The next generation of the Three-Star Goku Uniforms covered Uzu's face. Resembling the ornate armor of a kendo practitioner save for their colored white shade, with a few new improvements. Each of the normal face slits were replaced by glaring eye holes, Uzu's own eyes whirling around rapidly and appearing every which way inside of his suits eye slits. A long and magnificent green bandana flowed wildly behind him from the back of his helmet.
Gigantic barrel chested white samurai armor covered his upper body with war banners fastened to the back of his body, each war banner attached to a single gigantic Shinai blade like the parts of a mech. Upon each banner were the Kanji for Monkey, Kanto, Three, and then Star. His arms had rotating machine gun like barrels, which spun rapidly upon his entrance, a single Shinai blade being wielded in his hands.
Finally the legs were composed of heavily armored yet light looking knee guards worn over white armored trousers, letting him have freedom of movement and at the same time lightness of foot, ending at a pair of white boots.
Whirling like a top, his entire body flowing into an impressive and dare say acrobatic series of attacks! Axe kicks that the kendo master blocked with his blade held at an angle, spin kicks that Uzu side stepped or backed away from, twin punches that he blocked yet skid back from.
In response to these strikes, Uzu swung his sword at Fourze, waves of air shooting past the Rider and making him fly out of the way, cuts that split the air like crescent waves that Fourze shot up and away from, and stabs that sent spears of air that he strafed away from.
Suddenly both backed off! The Kamen Rider and the Goku Uniform User both stared at each other, having gained the measure of their opponents before they blasted away from each other!
Fourze hit the wall opposite to Uzu, then raced towards him again, launching a rocket punch that smashed against the Samurai's blade, both skidding off each other as the two went to the opposite wall now!
They repeated this process, each movement making the air rumble more and more, waves of force clashing and forming an ever growing wave of fire, force, and air pressure that made the entire room quake like an Earthquake was hitting them.
Staying on each wall of their own now, the two begun to race down the club's length, forming two lines that kept expanding, one orange, and the other green!
Fourze flew around the club, rocket engines blasting fire and air pressure as he jetted across the walls of the club. His afterburners leaving burning trails of flame that stretched across the surface of the concrete even as he was followed by his opponent.
Uzu dashed on the opposite side of the wall, his boots slamming against its surface before he pointed one hand at Kamen Rider Fourze. The machine gun like barrels spun rapidly, before a hail of miniature Shinai shot out at him!
Swerving forward and back, Fourze dodged every last shot fired at him, even as he slammed both feet against the wall to kick off of it again! Uzu pointing both hands behind him as multiple shinai blades pounded into the wall, leaving perfectly symmetrical circles in place as he shot right back at the Kamen Rider!
"You're making this fun, Kisaragi!" Uzu shouted as he tried to keep the Rider back, but the equally hot-blooded Rider wasn't stopping.
"It's because I now know I must help you more than ever!" the Rider said as he pointed his arms up, flying into the clouds before diving at Uzu with a crazy spin, turning his body into an orange tornado, "If you're going to go this far to get my attention, harming one of my friends, then it's obvious that I have to step up!"
Uzu ground his teeth as he dodged the strike by jumping to the side, but watched as the gales of wind that followed Gentaro buffeted the space around him. His large and heavy armor was pulled in closer due to the wind pressure. Not to mention, he felt his shinai rattle, as if trying to escape his hands due to the vacuum's power.
"And saving me, please!" JK shouted moments before yelping when avoiding the jumpy piranha.
The Rider stayed afloat high in the air, observing his opponent who smirked behind his helmet, "Not bad, but don't expect to take me down easy. I can see your every move clear as day!"
Maiko bit her thumb, "That damn ability of his to move his eyes all over the place and process the images faster than normal humans is a pain… How can Gentaro deal with that?"
"If you can do that… then I guess I just need to take it further!" said Rider flipped both rockets so they were pointing skywards, kicking against the air rapidly as the afterburners could be heard charging up.
Gouts of flame kept shooting up and up, turning from an explosive red to a burning white. Uzu put the sword in front of him, holding in a diagonal guard as his eyes pinballed all over his eye slits, trying to see what Fourze's next move will be. Suddenly he was hit, a blow so hard erupted with the force of a missile, sending him skidding back.
"What…!? Where?! He didn't mo-" he shouted until he saw Fourze's still moving image flicker away. "No!" He whirled around, a faint orange blur being seen briefly in the corner of his vision, moments before he was rocked back and forth by blows that hit like lightning striking.
Satsuki's eyes shot from corner to corner, as did Ryūko's, the two trying their hardest to keep up with this orange blur.
"Super…sonic!" spitting that out in shock, Uzu whirled around once more, just he saw a flicker again! His jaw dropped, as did the jaws of everyone else, as there now seemed to be ten different Fourze's each in a separate place. White flames shooting around the entire arena and forming a cage!
An encompassing web, made out of splendid white fire, the only sign where Fourze had been and not where he was moving. Trapped in one place, Uzu strained his vision to keep try and track that orange blur, as did the two Kamui wielders. Everyone was thus surprised when Uzu was jackhammered after two rockets spiraled into his chest, Fourze corkscrewing him up with both rockets pinning him against the air, then kicking him aside and into a wall!
Stopping in place, a huge cloud of steam emitted from Rocket States, the flames turning back to their previous orange color. The Rider hovering in place calmly while he waited for his opponent to recover. Pushing rubble aside, Uzu groaned loudly as he got up, his eyes locking back in place as he grabbed his shinai slowly. He started walking forward slowly, before he broke right into a run, his shinai shooting to the ground and grinding against the concrete floor, forming a long trail of broken stone!
"Smart for a monkey like him." Nonon snidely pointed out, "If he can't see him, he'll force him to take only one path."
Rivets were torn into the ground, Uzu pounding his feet even harder against the concrete floor as his sword flung up, creating twin x shaped waves that created a gigantic wall on either side of his body, with his back to another, he had changed the playing field entirely!
Now there was only one way to go for the Kamen Rider: forward.
"In this space, I can see everything Gentaro… No! KAMEN RIDER FOURZE! So fight me like a man! And come right on!" he held both arms out on either side of him, stepping forward slowly with his blade held in one hand.
His arrogant demeanor was punished harshly, when the Rider rocketed at the wall! Bouncing off like a pinball, both rockets being slammed down in a double elbow blow! Blocking it with all his strength using his blade, Uzu's feet dug into the ground, craters forming as he gritted his teeth.
"Right in front of me, I can see everything you can do Fourze!" He challenged the Rider, who in response whirled like a top, his leg slamming into Uzu's stomach in a classic tornado kick, and sending him flying up!
As the two elevated, Uzu pointed both hands at the flying Rider then slammed them together, the barrels whirling as he unloaded a storm of shots at the vertical Rider! Shocking Uzu even further, Fourze slammed both rockets together, forming a perfect shield that deflected every shot!
Inumuta was blatantly chugging his sweet sake with spiral eyes and his body spasming in a throe of anxiety and growing madness.
Narrowing her eyes a slight bit, Satsuki gave Nonon all the incentive to snatch the flask away from the hacker and smacked some sense into him with the back of her hand, "Puppy c'mon! Tell us what the hell is going on! This form doesn't seem any more impressive than any of the idiots previous States, so what the hell is going on!? How is he so damn strong now!?"
"Sanageyama told me about it before…" Inumuta growled, angry at what he was seeing, "Which is just impossible! It makes me so mad I'm sober now! How can he defy things as simple as basic-"
"Cut to the chase!" the pinkette snapped, hands on her hips like an uppity girl wanting candies. Which she kind of was.
"Kisaragi can't get mad." Was Inumuta's reply, "I've tried to investigate him, but his neural activity, the way Cosmic Energy is drawn to him, and the way he can so easily control his suit like this proves it. Due to holding no ill intent towards anyone, having no negative emotions inside him, and carrying zero regrets, that guy can use Cosmic Energy and make it evolve. In other words, the fact that he is capable of keeping his head in the game as usual instead of losing his faith makes him formidable."
Satsuki observed and summarized his words, "Like a samurai, he doesn't let anger dull his sword. But it is his passion to befriend people that gives him that push… What a terrifying man."
"That won't slow me down, Uzu!" the Rider cheered, flying at his opponent even as he tried to keep him back with lightning fast swings, "Not now or ever will I stop! You hear me!? In this short life, all I want is to see a friend's smile! Selfish as it may be, it's the reason I will keep going! It's why I can't let go of people like Satsuki, JK or you! Because all of you deserve to smile without regrets!"
Feeling his feet sink into the ground as he parried a punch from the Rider, the swordsman ground his teeth as he shouted his name, "K-KISARAGI! This fight… THIS FIGHT IS ALL I COULD EVER ASK FOR! DON'T YOU DARE HOLD BACK ANY LONGER!" he grinned under his helmet, as did Gentaro.
"SAME GOES FOR YOU, UZU!" Whirling his sword in a flurry of blows, Gentaro attacked.
Waves of air shot towards the rider as sharp as sickle blades while he merely punched even harder, explosive blasts of fire lending his rockets piston punch level blows!
Unconsciously, the two shouted out their battle lust, for a brief second, all parties saw two figures standing behind the two men! Behind Fourze, a massive oni with a war-banner, samurai helmet and a belt worn over its chest! Behind Uzu a furious ape clad in samurai armor, with its own war banner, and wielding a bamboo sword!
Both beings fought just as hard as their owners, massive stone like fists bashed against a blade, the two roaring at each other as did their owners, the ground shaking and cracking due to the overwhelming force of their attacks!
"Spiritual illusions again. Hm." Satsuki mused to herself, her harsh gaze turned a bit thoughtful, "So my theory on Gentaro Kisaragi's ability to tap into the souls of those around is true. He really can resonate with those he clashes with, bringing their souls and thoughts in tune with his own… Is he merely a naïve fool who does not know his true potential? Or is he truly a warrior at his core who others proudly walk alongside? Who are you truly, Gentaro? Fool, hero, warrior, Rider, or…"
Nonon bit her lip, hating to hear her best friend and idol muse about that pompadour clad idiot, her gaze narrowed sharply as she steamed furiously, 'Stupid! Stupid! STUPID! I won't let you befriend me you pompadour clad jerk! I won't ever acknowledge you! Because if I do. If I do! It'll mean Satsuki has to acknowledge you too!'
Leaping back, the Rider's belt emitted a klaxon scream even as Uzu pulled out each banner from his back, the flags shooting off as he combined both blades together, forming one gigantic blade!
"LIMIT BREAK!" The belt roared furiously as the ride lifted into the air, spinning around rapidly like a cork screw!
Uzu silently took a iaido stance, the great sword he wielded held perfectly behind his body.
"RIDER TAILSPIN CRUSHER!"
Shooting forward in a rocket powered corkscrew kick, Kamen Rider Fourze furiously shouted, even as Uzu swung his gigantic blade forward!
"Hissatsu: Isshin Zenzanken!" With both swords combined into one gigantic blade, the two men collided in an explosive climax!
They struck at the exact same but just as their blows landed on each other, a gigantic blow from Uzu's sword hit Fourze's mask, while an equally powerful blow from Fourze's suit hammered Uzu's chest armor, a loud cracking noise startled everyone.
Inch by inch, their suits were cracking up!
Splitting in two, Gentaro's helmet exposed his face while his suit dissolved into Cosmic Energy. Uzu's suit exploded into Life-Fibers that briefly swirled around Gentaro's body, before they flew into Senketsu. Ryūko gained a huge grin now as did the members of the Neo Kamen Rider Club.
"Oh hell yes, time for the real fight to begin! Hey Sasquatch, watch what's really about to go down, alright!?" the drifter flipped Satsuki off as she said that, pointing with her thumb at the two men.
Uzu was reduced to a tank top and boxers, while Gentaro still wore his underclothes. Slowly the two men put their fists up. A green aura covering Uzu's body, while darker green lightning crackled over his body.
But they didn't attack, not outright. Inching closer, Uzu kept his left fist up at his face level, arm stretched while the right was at his hip in a traditional karate stance. Gentaro approached him with both fists up, the right one under his chin and the left one also stretched forward, his wrist beside Uzu's. Both clenched their fists before throwing a punch at the same time!
Loud cracking from knuckles echoed as their right fists clashed. Uzu was quick to knee Gentaro on the side to push him away, but the Rider lifted his leg to parry the strike with his own knee. Grinding their teeth, the two moved forward, Gentaro with a left upper-cut that Uzu barely avoided as he threw a right hook at the pompadour teen's side, hitting him directly. However, the space loving boy sucked up the pain and delivered a swift, heavy punch to Uzu's jaw.
Both stepped back, staggering for a bit before returning to their stances.
Circling around each other, the two men only saw the other opponent. All things faded into the distance as the two swung their fists at each other, cross-countering each other at the exact same time. And then, Uzu swung his opposite hand about in a ferocious karate chop!
Only to be blocked by Gentaro raising one arm, blocking the chop with his forearm, and countering back with a brutal kick to the chest that had the green haired teen stumbling back. Gentaro rose his fists up again, one leg raising as well as he took up a kick boxing stance, seems that he had been learning some martial arts on the sly.
"Muay Thai, right?" Uzu asked.
Gentaro grinned, "Kickboxing is done in honor of a sensei of mine, who I was happy to befriend! I don't get the chance to use it much, since I like brawling more!"
Throwing out several more punches and the occasional chop, Uzu was impressed by Gentaro's leg swinging out like a whip and making him jump back. The pompadour clad teen stepped forth even as he retreated, his leg shooting several times like the tip of a spear, making his opponent duck and sidestep several times.
Both men dodged to the side, their fists and legs clashing several times, even as two auras spiked over their bodies. Uzu's green aura turning a brilliant emerald color, while Gentaro's gray turned into a blinding ash like shade, dark green and purple lightning crackling over their bodies!
Stomping forward, Uzu delivered a solid punch that Gentaro tanked with his forehead, slamming his face forward!
Of course, it was a painful crash, "Guck!" for Uzu, who stepped back while holding his pained fist.
To maintain his consciousness, Gentaro slapped himself once and then twice to focus on his enemy. Upon seeing Uzu still nursing his fist, he jumped to him and delivered a solid drop-kick with both feet to the solar plexus. Both crashed down, Uzu rolling back to an unceremonious stop.
However, the Rider was still dizzy, and groggily got up, while the pain reawakened Uzu. Wasting no time at all, the green monkey ran forward and kicked Gentaro in the face with his shin, forcing him to stand up rather brutally. The Rider staggered back, but was too stunned to act.
Grinning Uzu grabbed him by the lapels, ready to slam his knee on Gentaro's face, but the sudden movement and shift on weight alerted Gentaro, who quickly grabbed Uzu's leg. The result was that the two fighters went down, rolling on the ground from the reckless fighting. It wasn't even a stylish or a disciplined fight, the two were just trying to beat each other up without a care!
"This is insane, they're forgetting the basic rules…" Maiko whispered.
"That's not it!" Takaharu shouted, clenching his fists and jaw, "Those two are so determined to win that they're fighting with their spirits alone! It's a mixture of whatever discipline they got with the very will to win! Like when two boxers are exhausted and beyond their limits, they just keep going until one drops!"
Mako was shocked, "Takaharu-senpai, are they going to keep on going until a bell rings, then!?"
"No, even if it was a ring match, they'd ignore any referee and bell…" the small boxer said.
Omiko noted something, "Why're you grinning, then?"
"Because!" the short pugilist exclaimed, "The fact they can think and react like that even after such devastating blows shows how skilled they are! Countering each other like that despite those brutal strikes is a sign of true fighters who go beyond discipline and passion! This is truly a fight of men!"
"More like a battle between beasts…" Satsuki whispered to herself after her keen ears picked the boxer's words. She held in high regards whatever Takaharu could say regarding a fight, almost as much as Uzu's point of view. To hear him say such words made her ball her hands into fists.
And the two felt the heat of battle rise, calling them.
"That's it Gentaro, that's it! I can feel your soul now! I can feel it resonate with mine, I can feel your heart beating with my own! Don't stop impressing me until we finish this!" Uzu yelled as he slammed both hands into Gentaro's chest, a double push that knocked the friendship seeking Oni back, before Uzu grabbed him over one shoulder and threw him!
Spinning in the air, Gentaro landed on his hands, his body falling back onto the ground before he shoved with his limbs, headbutting Uzu in the stomach and making the teen stumble back! Gentaro got up slowly, his aura flashing more and more, even as Uzu got up himself, wiping blood from a cut on his lip.
"Yeah, you can't give up. If the way isn't clear, you make a new path. If you can't win at first, you keep trying till you do! No matter what or who fights you, you don't give up! That's the man I respect, that's… WHO YOU ARE! GENTARO!" He ran forward, drawing his fist back as one could see the image of a howling and raging ape flash behind him.
"THAT'S RIGHT! AND I WON'T STOP UNTIL WE'RE FRIENDS UZU!" Gentaro ran forward, slamming one leg forward in an arc as an image of an Oni snarling furiously flashed behind him.
Uzu jumped and both strikes collided, Gentaro's jaw taking Uzu's knuckles directly and the Rider's foot sinking into the swordsman's gut. The two fell flat on their backs, panting tiredly. And yet, the two still got up.
"Oi, this is insane!" Nonon exclaimed, "Satsuki-chan, if they keep going, you're gonna need a new elite!"
Then all was quiet as they watched Uzu stumble, his body dropping to all fours, panting weakly as Gentaro dropped to one knee, panting himself.
A smile appeared on Uzu's face, "You! You really did it Gentaro! Not since Satsuki-sama have I lost so completely… you win…" he dropped to the floor, a happy if tired smile spreading as he looked at the sky, "I admit it, you're worthy of being my friend. And I'm… happy to become yours!" Uzu held a hand up with a chuckle, "Satsuki-sama, I know what the stakes were… I'm no longer an Elite Four member, right?" he asked, making the woman narrow her eyes tightly, before she gave a cold nod.
"Correct. Henceforth, you are stripped of your position in the Student Council, your duties are to be given over to the Sports Captains who you once reigned over, and you are now demoted to No-Star rank." She said coldly, Uzu rubbing the back of his head some more.
"Well, at least I've made a new friend." He said as Gentaro grabbed his hand with a huge grin to pull him up, both standing as they did the Rider's trademark handshake.
In Uzu's head, he heard feudal drums bang, even as Gentaro shook his hand, letting go and forming a fist as Uzu did as well. The two banging fists together as weirdly enough, the green haired kendo master felt a tear come to his eye.
"Now, we're best buds!" The pompadour clad teen said with a huge grin.
Uzu's face matched his own, "Yeah! I guess we are!"
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As that happened…
Yuuki of course had to go to an extremely creepy store run by a purple haired and very morose looking goth girl who was preoccupied with a 3DS and the latest JRPG. The place was a horror show and then some, filled with such pleasant things as grim-faced dolls with tortured expressions, a screaming book kept in a sound proof reinforced glass case, large and ominous carvings of a triangle man scattered around the shop, a tittering rat like thing with the face of a human locked in a cage, and a floating black cube of darkness kept inside a larger case.
The girl opened one orange colored eye when she anxiously put down her purchases, then gestured towards the till so she could pay and get out of the extremely eerie place.
"You a friend of Tomoko's?" The disturbingly calm girl asked Yuuki, who by this point was one cheap and lazy jump scare away from wetting herself and fainting.
"Y-ye-yes!" She was not ashamed for shivering, whimpering, and stuttering in the same breath.
The girl merely gestured for her money, making Yuuki anxiously pay seconds before she darted out of the shop. She was not running away with her purchases in hand full pelt as if the hounds of hell were on her heels, she was tactically retreating from the shop. Not at all shameful.
As she finally stopped to catch her breath under a tree's shade in the middle of a park, she noted a figure behind her, eyeing her, "You've taken it…" she – definitely a female – hissed lowly through a set of shark teeth, looking at Yuuki with her only visible red eye, the other hidden under a curtain of pale pink hair. Her pale body, slouched posture, and purple cloak made the admittedly cute face set in a lifeless frown add to the dark aura of oppression and danger she possessed.
"Eh, sorry…" Yuuki breathed out, bowing with her mind going blank from fear, "Please, do not eat me."
"That mushroom is one of a kind, and I need it…" the girl hissed, "Unless…" then she grinned in a way to put Tomoko to shame, "You become my newest guinea pig. Kukuku… I've not had some fun after my latest experiment turned my entire dormitory into a mushroom paradise. I've been banned from experimenting ever again, but you wouldn't mind helping me for the great future of mushroom and poison development, right?"
Yuuki stared at her, and then was replaced by a dust of cloud, "No thanks!" she breathed out from a distance, looking back… seeing the pink haired girl flying after her on a broom, "I said no, please!"
However, the girl seemed to like the refusal, "Kukuku, this'll be fun. The more you fight it, the more fun I can get with you, my new guinea pig."
"No way, no way, no way!" Yuuki cried with comical anime tears.
She cried all the way back home, even as her new friend chased after her.
All in all, it was quite a day for the Neo Kamen Rider Club…
As they celebrated Uzu's official befriending, they were to a man and woman unaware of what was coming to Honnōji Academy.
Death wore Pink. And it had a name. A blonde-haired girl clad in a blindingly pink dress, pink bowtie, parasol, and purple eyepatch whistled merrily as she walked towards the school, humming a little tune to herself.
"Do doo do do dooo doo do do doo doo~!" she stopped at the city's entrance, "Nui-chan's been away for far too long, Gen-chan~. Time for us to properly meet, don't you think~!? I hope you loved the Life-Fiber scarf maman and I sent you~." she giggled as she held a small copy of the Fourze Doll she sent Gentaro, placing it within some hidden storage place on her body.
"Who goes there?"
She tilted her head even as one blue eye closed into a happy little U, a crowd of One-Star students in her path, "Oh~. Seems that Satsuki-chan broke out the welcoming committee! Sorry you guys, but Nui-chan has places to be and a Gen-chan to see~!"
Sounds of screaming, fearful shouts, and bodies dropping could be heard, before she left a pile of bodies behind her, her expression unchanging even as she smiled brightly. She had arranged them in the shape of Fourze's helmet, their blood forming the lenses of the mask.
Soon enough, she disappeared into the school proper.
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And with that, I think we've done quite a lot! This chapter is finally moving the story along, and we've finally done a fight I've wanted to do forever! The Uzu vs Gentaro fight was a great trip, and I hope you all enjoyed reading it! Anyways, I'll let my big bro give you all his thoughts on it.
Swordslinger here: I'm beyond exhausted after writing this. I hope everyone enjoyed it and had a blast, because I know for sure the lazy guy who forced me to write most of this chapter liked it.
And since we're both tired and a little exhausted, no omake this time. Next chapter for sure. Anyways, we hope you all enjoyed this chapter!
This is the Master of Pages, off to record another chapter.
