Chapter 3
Dragon Knight
Meanwhile, in the city, a lavender-hair girl sat inside a Mcdonalds, glancing out the window from her seat. She was wearing a red dress along with a pendant around her neck connected by a choker.
"Yo, Chrissy. You'll never believe this." A teenage boy walked over carrying a tray with nuggets and fries."Turns out someone forgot to take their sundae and instead of throwing it away, they gave it to me. That's some lucky shit if I say so myself."
"Oh, yeah?" Chris replied, particularly interested in the matter, tapping her fingers on the table."About time you got here. I was about to go to the counter myself and tell them to hurry the hell up. And stop calling me that."
"Yeah, which is why I told you to let me handle this."
The youth in front of her was a young man around her age with a lean build and bright, spiky orange hair that is styled in an undercut with auburn eyes. He was dressed in a long bomber green jacket over a close-fitting black shirt and cargo camouflage pants and brown boots. To compliment his appearance, he had a lock wrapped around his neck by a chain.
"You're the one who followed me here when I never asked you to." Chris accused him, glaring at him."Mind your own damn business next time and don't tag along. What, are you keeping watch over me?"
"Kind of hypocritical of me to do that when I'm in the same situation as you." He calmly replied, giving her her mocha frappuccino."I chose to hang around with my friend and that's what I'm doing."
"I'm not your friend, Takeru." She said, taking the beverage nonetheless.
"Ok, my acquaintance then. My fellow slave of fate that has no path to walk on. Or whatever poetic shit you can think of." Takeru said, pouring ketchup packets next to his fries."Still, though. It's not like you had enough money to eat like this."
"I wasn't planning to eat this much, smartass. You're the one who ordered all these nuggets and fries." Chris said, taking a sip of her drink."I was just going to buy a cheeseburger."
"Right, but you can't live off a cheeseburger. You're a growing girl, you gotta eat up. If you're worried about getting fat, don't. I would guess all that fat goes straight into your ti-"
"If you finish that sentence I will rip your spine out." Chris threatened, prompting Takeru to shut his mouth immediately.
The duo remained silent, choosing to focus on their meal for the time being. After a while, Takeru absentmindedly pulled out a green box with the symbol of a bull on it.
"What are you doing?" Chris asked, curiosity getting the better of her."You said you had money. You're not going to transform here, are you?"
"I'm not a savage to dine and dash. Takeru deadpanned at her words."Just thinking, that's all. It's been well over a year since I got this thing without any explanation. And that dream that I so vividly remember...to fight other Kamen Riders and get my wish. That's pretty much why Fine even keeps me around. She thinks I'm going to give her my wish."
"And you're not?" Chris narrowed her eyes."You lied when you said you'd bring about peace to the world back then?"
"No, I didn't." Takeru said without missing a beat."It's just...well, I'm in a big compromise right now. First I have to fight whatever other people have the same power as me. And then I have to fight the one who gave me my power. I don't know about you, but fighting someone who can give power like this to other people doesn't sound like a good time to me. I'd rather just chill and do my thing. I'm the brawn of the operation, after all."
"You're not getting cold feet, are you?"
"What? Hell nah. Regardless of everything, I am still a soldier and have a sense of duty." Takeru denied the idea."I was just thinking aloud, that's all. Besides, why would I be afraid if I have you as a partner? I'd say my enemies will fear you the moment they see you."
"You're out of your mind if you think I'm going to fight YOUR battles." Chris finished her meal, cleaning her mouth with a napkin."Don't expect thanks out of me for this. You're the one who-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'm the one who butted in and followed you." Takeru recited, already accustomed to her personality."Where are you going now?"
"Didn't you hear a word I said?" Chris got up to his face, slamming her hand on the table and startling a few customers."Mind your own business!"
"Okay..." Takeru rose his hands slowly, offering a smile."Okay. I'll listen to you. This once."
"'This once', he says." Chris huffed, walking towards the exit."Watch your back, Takeru Sakamoto."
"Awwww, you're worried about me, Chris Yukine?" Takeru gave her a goofy grin as she exited the establishment."Still, though...there goes half my allowance...Oh, well! Imma get some apple pie too."
"What do you mean you detected Gugnir and the Ryuki deck?" Yosuke repeated over his communicator, running along with Tsubasa to the location of the signal."You...you're kidding, right?"
"I assure you we're not kidding, Yosuke." Ryoko spoke, her tone serious."Along with the Noise, two more powerful signals just appeared out of thin air. And these waveforms are all too familiar to us."
Tsubasa remained quiet."Are our bikes ready yet?"
"They are. Continue running in that direction and you'll find them. I've already sent Goro out there so he'll rendezvous with you when you get there."
"Roger that, ma'am." Yosuke cut off the signal, his gaze falling on Tsubasa's back."Why now?"
"We'll figure it out when we get there. But...It's not them. I want to believe so badly that it's them again but that's impossible. It has to be different people. And we'll find out who."
"All right! Leave it to me!" Hajime, now clad in the Ryuki armor, proclaimed."Let's see how you do against someone who can fight back!"
The Noise were alerted and rushed after Ryuki at once.
Feeling newfound power swelling within him, Ryuki jumped above one Noise, using it as footing to kick another one away. He saw a bigger one raising its claw, leaping on top of its arm before he could get crushed. Running up its arm, the dragon Rider kicked it in the eyes, knocking it back.
"Woah...how am I doing all this?" Ryuki pondered, yelping as he lost his balance and fell to the ground."It feels like this suit is giving me powers. That fall would have normally killed me but...I survived. In fact, I feel fine."
The Noise he had punched were recovering, seemingly not affected much by his attacks.
"I can punch them without dying now, but it looks like my attacks aren't doing much." Ryuki glanced down at his belt, grabbing one of the cards within it."Maybe that dragon can help me again."
The card he drew read Sword Vent, with the picture of a sword.
"Cool! Maybe I can cut them up!" He cheerfully said to himself, posing with his card."Okay, sword, come to me!"
Nothing happened.
Ryuki tried twisting his arm around, thinking it had to do with his pose to no avail. A Noise tackled him while he was distracted, making him crash against a metal pole and bend it.
"Ow...Why didn't it work?" Ryuki tried rubbing his head but realized his helmet made it impossible."Oh, right. What now then?"
It was then that he noticed the weird gauntly in his left hand with the shape of a dragon's head. He touched it and accidentally moved the head forward, revealing a compartment within. With nothing to lose, he inserted his card there and to his surprise, it fit. Pulling the head back, the dragon's eyes shined.
Sword Vent: Dragsaber
ATK: 2000
A sword projected in his hands, startling him at how sudden it was.
A Noise ran up to him, and with his sword, he instantly cut it in half by remembering moves he saw in video games. This time, the Noise evaporated, leaving ashes behind."Oh, right. I forgot about Hibiki. I should probably go find her. But won't she freak out for seeing me like this?"
As if life itself answered his questions, the same girl he had saved landed a few meters away from him from a considerable height. Though this time, she was wearing a skintight battlesuit with armored parts.
"What the..." Baffled, Ryuki focused his attention on Hibiki, who was still holding onto the little girl from earlier."How? I mean, what-"
"It's you!" Hibiki beamed when her gaze fell on him."You saved me!"
"Uh, I guess?" Ryuki rubbed his nape awkwardly."Not really "saved" if you're not out of danger. What are you wearing and when did you even put it on? You didn't have a bag to hide those clothes when we were running."
"Huh?" Hibiki blinked, the voice of the masked person resonating in her head."Hajime-kun?"
"Oh, right." Ryuki chuckled."I don't know what's going on either but I can do this."
"So wait, that time..." Hibiki reminisced when she was being protected by Akira and Kanade."It was you?"
"What are you blabbering about?" Ryuki shook his head."Why are you here? And why do you still have that kid with you? You should have escaped by now. And seriously, literally jumping into this mess...how irresponsible are you?"
Hibiki lunged over in his direction, surprising him. She winded her fist back and threw a punch beside his head, smashing a Noise that was about to attack him into pieces. Ryuki used his right arm to stop her in place, looking behind him."You...killed it?"
"I did?" Hibiki took a step back, checking her armored gauntlet out."Incredible..."
"Cool! Man, you're amazing, Hibiki-san!" Ryuki laughed childishly."Can you fight alongside me against the Noise?"
"I could, but Yui-chan..." Hibiki said, concerned about the well-being of the girl in her arms.
"I see. Right, if you leave her be, she'd be easy prey but if you fight with her in your arms you'll be open for attacks. Not to mention she could be hurt as well. Guess I'll handle this."
"Are you sure? By yourself?"
"Are you kidding? This is so much fun." Ryuki said, feeling adrenaline pumping through his veins. Without a care in the world, Ryuki rushed towards the Noise. He kicked one away, stabbing the other one with his sword before punching one to the ground. He swiftly removed his sword from the dying Noise before stabbing the one under his boot with it. The big green Noise approached him slowly while others began their attacks. The small Noise shot themselves at him. He tried deflecting their attacks with his sword, but was unable to stop all of them and received damage and his sword was thrown out of his hands.
Stumbling back, Ryuki saw the shadow being cast from above, noticing Noise jumping down towards him. His hand struggled to draw a card, still not used to wearing gloves.
A crab-like monster jumped in action, taking the attack instead.
"What is that?" Hibiki pondered, jumping back to a safe distance."Wait, I recognize that thing..."
"Are you okay?" Kamen Rider Scissors landed next to Ryuki, offering a hand."I'm sure you must be confused right now, Ryuki,but-"
"Hey, you also have cool armor like mine? That's dope." Ryuki ignored his hand, swiftly getting back on his own feet."And you called me Ryuki? Why?"
"That's your Kamen Rider name. Mine is Kamen Rider Scissors. For you know, my pincers."
"So you're a crab?" Ryuki stifled a laugh."That's lame. And even lamer is the name Ryuki. I was going with...Dragon Knight. But it's whatever, I guess."
'He's so different from Akira-senpai.' Scissors, shifting his gaze to Hibiki."And that's...Wait, you're the girl from back then!"
"And you're one of the heroes who protected me!" Hibiki beamed back."Thank you so much for that!"
"No problem." Scissors began approaching her."But why do you have Gungnir? The others aren't going to be happy-"
Before he could finish his sentence, the big Noise swatted him away like a fly, sending him crashing against a water tank.
Ryuki looked up, not knowing how he had forgotten such a big fella. This time, he made sure to draw his card and activated it.
Strike Vent: Dragclaw
ATK: 2000
Ryuki punched the air, aiming at the creature, firing a sphere of fire that morphed into his contact monster. Dragreder wrapped itself around the Noise before unleashing its fire breath on it and disintegrating it.
Ryuki aimed his gauntlet at a group of Noise, firing a few fireballs that exploded upon impact.
"He's amazing." Hibiki marbled."I wonder if I can do that too."
Before he could fire another attack, a new Kamen Rider arrived at the scene with his Symphohear companion.
"Tsubasa-senpai and Yosuke-senpai..." Scissors picked himself up from the ground.
"Oh, look. Another one of us." Ryuki mused, grinning."This keeps getting more fun."
"Stop playing around or you'll get killed." Knight didn't bother looking behind him.
"We'll take care of this." Tsubasa stated, leaving no room for argument."You lot just protect that girl."
"What? No!" Ryuki refused, eager to continue fighting."This just got fun! You can't keep me out of it."
"This isn't a game." Knight sternly chided him, focusing his attention on the Noise."Let's go."
Tsubasa wasted no time in running toward the enemies, unsheathing her katana before it increased in size as she sang.
Blue Flash
Swinging her sword, she was able to create a slash of blue lightning that easily destroyed a group of Noise.
"My turn." Knight declared, drawing his card.
Sword Vent: Winglancer
ATK: 2000
Knight dashed his way around the Noise, skewering them with his lance.
"Hey, no fair! Let me in on the action too!" Ryuki aimed his Dragclaw at the Noise, firing rapid shots without aiming properly. One of them nearly hit Tsubasa, merely gracing her arm which prompted her to stop her song.
"Hey! Watch where you're aiming!" Tsubasa sneered."What part of don't get involved did you not understand?"
"You're not my mom!" He snapped, grinding his teeth.
"Just stay out of this. You have no idea what you're doing!" Knight commanded, nearly getting attacked by a Noise.
"And you're not my dad!" Ryuki ignored their orders, rushing head-first toward danger.
"This guy..." Tsubasa huffed, already annoyed at the new Ryuki.
"Tch." Knight clicked his tongue, drawing a card.
Tricky Vent
ATK: 1000
Clones of Knight joined the fray, pushing the Noise back from all sides.
A Thousand Falling Tears
Unleashing a thousand blades with her armed gear, Tsubasa rained hell down on the Noise that were bundled together after Knight's distraction, thus, ending the fight.
After a while, several cars showed up with the people inside prepared to clean up the dust left behind by the Noise. Fortunately, Yui managed to be reunited with her mother and were asked for their silence.
Hibiki and Hajime, who had reverted back to normal, sat around enjoying a nice cup of hot chocolate.
"Like I said, I don't know what you're talking about." Hajime groaned, repeating this over the tenth time."I wasn't there at that concert. I didn't even know of Zwei Wing's existence or Tsubasa's until today."
"But I'm sure I saw you." Hibiki insisted."You were there that day. And that crab knight too. Tsubasa too! This is the second time you've all saved me."
"I don't know. I literally just learned I can transform. It couldn't have been me. Maybe there are others who look like me? I don't know, maybe I have an evil twin or something like that."
"Is that really possible?!"
"Of course not, you dummy!"
"Ahem."
In front of them were Yosuke, Goro, Tsubasa, and men dressed in black.
"You'll have to come with us to the second branch of the Disaster Relief Squad," Tsubasa informed them, refusing to meet gaze with them.
"Huh? Why?" Hibiki asked the question they were wondering. A man with brown hair approached them, holding two pairs of cuffs. Hibiki couldn't register what was happening when she felt the cold cuffs around her wrists.
"Uh, no." Hajime quickly stood up, backing away from the man."What are you doing?"
"Shouldn't we give them an explanation for their arrest, Ogawa-san?" Goro asked, scratching his cheek.
"We're taking them into custody." Ogawa said as if it was the simplest matter in the world."Is that good enough?"
"No. It's not! I don't have to go anywhere with you people! Neither does she! We literally just saved a kid's life!"
"And we appreciate that, but-"
"Goro, enough." Yosuke silenced him, hands in his pockets as he approached Hajime."You are a Kamen Rider. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that. That girl is one thing, but we can't have rogue Riders running around because they can cause chaos and a lot of casualties. I'm not making the same mistake as with Gai."
"Who the hell is Gai? And I'm not going to hurt anyone. I'm going to kill some Noise, though." Hajime grinned from ear to ear."These powers are so cool! Finally, something interesting happens to me! I'm like a hero or something, right? I can hardly wait for the fun!"
"Fun?" Yosuke narrowed his eyes, grabbing Hajime by his collar."This is fun for you? You have no idea what you're saying, you brat!"
"Yosuke-senpai, ple-"
"Why you?" Yosuke seethed, looking at Hajime with disdain."Why does someone like you have Akira's deck?!"
"Shit...you recognized me?" Hajime chuckled nervously, trying to break free."I was hoping you wouldn't."
"You...know each other?" Tsubasa rose a brow, confused.
"He's a delinquent in my school." Yosuke answered sharply."He gets into fights every day, has horrible grades, and even started a gambling ring. Why does someone like you have that deck?! Answer me!"
"I don't have to answer anything." Hajime swatted his arm out of the way."I don't know what you're talking about! I found this deck two years ago when I went out to take out the trash. I heard a voice in my dreams that said to fight the other Riders to get any wish I want."
"It adds up." Tsubasa bit her thumb."Given what we know about the Advent Decks..."
"But why him? Is this Odin's doing?" Yosuke grabbed his head as it started to hurt."Did he do it just to spite me? No, it doesn't matter." Reaching for his pocket, he took out his deck."I'll retrieve the Ryuki Deck now. If we leave him unattended, he'll become a problem. Don't try to run away either. I know your name and face. You'll become targeted by the government. You have two options: Hand me that deck or come with us. Either that or you'll be persecuted. All Kamen Riders who aren't with us are considered threats to humanity."
"For what?! This is stupid!"
"But he can't give you his Deck, Yosuke-senpai. He's in a contract with his monster!"
"What? Contract" Hibiki parroted, completely lost.
"He doesn't need to know that, Goro." Yosuke sighed."Look, how about this? We can fight and if you win, you can go and we won't ever chase you. But if I win, you're coming with us."
"I did nothing wrong and I'm not doing what you demand!" Hajime declared, taking his deck out."But if it's a fight you one, you'll get it!"
"Henshin!"
(Play Hatenaki Inochi)
Both Riders swiped their Decks into their V Buckles, transforming into their forms respectively.
"I thought maybe you could help us fight against Odin." Knight began approaching Ryuki, waving his Darkvisor around."But you would never fight for something that's not for you."
"Stop talking all high and mighty and fight me then!" Ryuki rushed towards Knight, throwing a punch which he easily evaded by moving his head to the side. He went for a roundhouse kick, but Knight grabbed his leg, using it as leverage. Doing a kick of his own, Knight connected against Ryuki's chest, sending him rolling on the ground. Knight leaped into the air, ready to stab Ryuki with his visor.
Ryuki rolled out of the way, getting back on his feet. He attempted to draw a card from his deck, but Knight backhanded him, preventing him from doing so.
"Now you'll see!" Ryuki went for an attempt again, but Knight was on top of him in a second, kicking him and punching him away.
"He's not even letting him draw a card." Goro felt bad for the boy."He's going too far."
"He's hurting him!" Hibiki cried out, watching as her supposed savior kept getting beat around.
"That boy is foolish for challenging a more experienced fighter than him." Tsubasa crossed her arms under her chest."He stands no chance against Yosuke, an expert in using his powers while he just got them today."
Ryuki panted, looking behind him to see Knight still chasing him, his rapier grazing the ground and creating sparks."Where are you going? Weren't you going to fight me and teach me a lesson?"
"Give me a break!" Ryuki jumped back, doing a backflip in the air to land behind Knight. Knight merely turned on his heels, striking him across the chest. The young man didn't fall, however, finding his balance.
'I can't even draw a card!' Ryuki was panicking inside his suit.'How am I supposed to fight back when he gets that rapier by default and I have to activate a card? Talk about unfair!'
"Done running?" Knight asked rhetorically."Good. Then this is it!"
At the last second, Ryuki evaded the attack, bending his knees before using them to jump as high as he could against Knight. The bat-themed Rider moved his head back, avoiding being headbutted by Ryuki, but this left him open for attacks, which he immediately did, double kicking him against his torso, and sending him skidding on the ground.
"He hit him!" Hibiki cheered.
"It must have been a fluke." Tsubasa lowered her hands, taken back.
Knight was surprised, not having expected Ryuki to retaliate. Deciding to try him out as he did during school, he ran at him again. Knight went for a thrust, which Ryuki countered by blocking the rapier with his arms, holding it in place. He kicked Knight in the stomach, causing him to release his visor. Knight clicked his tongue, deciding to go with his fists. He threw the first punch, only for it to be blocked by Ryuki with his forearm. He immediately went for the second one, hitting him across the head. He used this opportunity to try his luck and give a back kick.
Knight used his leg to avoid the impact and quickly went for a jab, causing Ryuki to stagger back. Knight wasn't going to allow him a second to breathe and was hot on his trail with a horizontal kick. To his dismay, Ryuki predicted the attack and jumped above the kick, giving him a kick of his own against his chin.
Taking advantage of Knight's disorientated state, he finally drew his card and activated it.
Sword Vent: Dragsaber
ATK: 2000
"Want to keep going?" Ryuki swung his sword down, feeling his confidence raise.
"How? How is he now able to keep up with Yosuke?" Tsubasa asked, mortified at how the situation had turned.
"He's not exactly keeping up with him." Ogawa said, his eyes set on the fight."It's mimicry. Some fighters are capable of learning fighting styles and different moves with a single glance. They are also capable of adapting to their opponents as the fight progresses."
"So you're saying that he's keeping up with Yosuke-senpai because he's copying him?"
"If he was only copying him, Yosuke wouldn't have an issue. He trains with his copies regularly, so if anyone knows his moves, it's him. No, what that boy is doing is learning how Yosuke fights on the go and coming up with strategies to counter him and attack. That's why he's landed a few blows. He's certainly a born fighter."
"Which makes it more important for Yosuke to defeat him." Tsubasa narrowed her eyes."I should go and finish this up."
"Wait a second." Ogawa rose his hand."Yosuke is not going all out. In fact, he's just testing him."
"Testing Hajime?" Hibiki looked unsure."But he's hurting him..."
"Why would he test him anyway?" Goro asked the ninja."I mean, he said he was going to...you know, take the deck by force."
"It's hard to say, but it looks as though Yosuke is trying to prove something to himself. Only time will tell."
"How about it, you cocky jerk." Ryuki chuckled, brandishing his sword."I managed to get my blade ready to start taking me seriously yet?"
"You're...good." Knight materialized his visor again, drawing a card of his own.'He fights similarly to Akira. Head on and without giving much thought to their moves. But the way he's figuring me out is way different than what Akira did. It took us plenty of spars to grow comfortable with each other, but this boy already has me figured out. Well, without using my abilities, that is. I know his, however.'
Strike Vent: Winglancer
ATK: 2000
'Right, he's using that lance of his.' Ryuki swallowed the lump in his throat.'I wonder how different he fights with a weapon.'
"Let's see how well you do with this."
Tricky Vent
ATK: 1000
A total of 8 Knights surrounded Ryuki, each wielding a Winglancer.
"What?! That's not fair! Fight me fair and square, you jerk!" Ryuki growled, slightly intimidated by how many opponents he had to face.
"There is no such thing as fairness in a real fight. You're not fighting for fun and games, you're fighting to live!"
The first two Knights marched toward Ryuki, prompting the fighter to clench his sword with both hands. He blocked the first strike and used his knee to block the second. He knew he had to move quickly and pushed them both away. A third Knight elbowed him from behind, causing him to stumble into another one who struck with the hilt of his lance.
Wheezing for breath after the attack, Ryuki was left vulnerable to the Knights to circle him and began pushing him around them.
Having enough, Ryuki leaped in the air, drawing a card and inserting it into his visor.
Strike Vent: Dragclaw
ATK: 2000
Ryuki aimed at the ground, firing fireballs at the clones as they scattered around. Landing on the ground, he rose both his arms. On one, he had his sword, and on the other one, he had his Dragclaw.
"Come at me!"
"With pleasure," Knight ordered his copies to rush at their enemy, starting a new volley of fireballs to come their way. The clones tried to block them with their lances, but were found unable to and were quickly destroyed. Winding his fist back, Ryuki unleashed a stream of fire that took the shape of Dragreder, consuming the clones and creating a cloud of dust.
"Just as I expected, if we leave you to your own devices, you'll become dangerous." He heard Knight's voice but couldn't pinpoint where he was due to the smoke."You'll most likely die on your own if you decide to fight Odin and selfishly get your wish."
"I still don't know who this Odin is." Ryuki grimaced, scanning his surroundings as best as he could."And so what if I want to get my wish? You want yours too, right? How does that make you different than me?!"
Advent: Dragreder
ATK: 5000
Dragreder appeared once more, waving its tail to clear out the smoke. Much to his shock, Knight was nowhere to be seen.
"Looking for me?"
Ryuki immediately turned around, aiming his Dragclaw at Knight but as he fired, Knight kicked his arm, changing the trajectory. He then began outpacing Ryuki, striking him with his lance before he even had a chance to counter or adapt.
'He's even faster than before!' Ryuki thought, trying his best to block but the attacks were relentless. He was sent crashing against the ground, leaving a small crater.
"Time to finish this farce." Knight threw his lance away, materializing his visor.
Final Vent: Flyinglancer
ATK: 5000
"Don't do it, Yosuke-senpai!" Goro cried out in horror."You'll kill him!"
"K-kill him?!" Hibiki froze."What is he gonna do?!"
"A Final Vent is a Rider's strongest move, meant to finish up their opponent with a powerful strike with their Advent Monster," Tsuba explained, closing her eyes.
"But you said he was just testing him, Ogawa-san!" Goro grabbed the older man's arm."He'll kill him!"
Ogawa said nothing, only observing.
Ryuki tried standing up, but he was exhausted and wounded. He could only look as a black tornado-like object came descending toward him. He closed his eyes, prepared for the worse. The attack collided, creating a giant explosion that threatened everyone watching to fall due to the shockwave.
Opening his eyes, Ryuki noticed that he was okay, but the lance had missed his head by a few inches."You..." With that, his transformation became undone, leaving him in his human form.
"It's over." Knight declared."You lost, so now you'll listen to what we have to say. You're coming with us, like it or not. Got it?"
Hajime was stunned and was not answering, provoking Knight to grab him by the collar of his shirt."I said got it?!"
"Y-yes!" Hajime stammered, nodding frantically.
"Good." Yosuke canceled his transformation, releasing him."We're done here."
The purple-haired boy, pulled a hair tie from his pocket, tying his head into a small ponytail, and walked back to where the others were."Ogawa-san, please put cuffs on him too."
"Why...why did you have to hurt him like that?!" Hibiki demanded."He's a person just like you! And younger at that!"
"The moment we become Kamen Riders we stop being people." Yosuke glared at her."He got lucky that I was the one to fight him and teach him this lesson. Had it been another Rider entirely, he would have died for sure."
Speechless, Hibiki could only that whatever was going to happen to them won't be so bad.
"You didn't kill him," Tsubasa noted, eyeing him closely.
"We still don't know how the decks work and how people are chosen other than having a strong desire." Yosuke told her, walking past her."If I were to kill him now, Odin would just give the deck to another person, presumably worse. And if it falls in the wrong hands, that's another enemy to worry about."
"But were you about to kill him?" Tsubasa turned around, causing him to come to a halt."To take his life?"
"No." Yosuke responded, glancing over his shoulder."I'm not about to play Odin's game."
Hajime stared at the moon, attempting to reach it."Here I thought my luck was finally returning by making me part of something awesome...but now I don't think so. I'm so unlucky."
Somewhere far from there, a group of employees worked overtime tirelessly to go home, only to sleep a few hours and wake up for the next day.
"Come, come on! It's up to you whether we go home before midnight or not!" A pompous man barked at the rest of the workers."Ever since the chief's disappearance along with Amamiya-chan, we've had double our workload."
"Vice Chief Moshida, I'm done with this week's finances. I'll send them to the boss's email right away." A man with glasses said.
"Don't bother, Hoshino. Send them to me." Moshida waved his hand, sitting down on a female worker's desk."So, about that extra help that you needed with your sales, Morgan-chan?"
"A-ah, right..." The young foreign woman stuttered. She had pale skin, cascading blonde hair, a pair of green eyes, and a figure to match her looks. She noticed the man staring at her chest and grew nervous.
Before the man could make any moves, he saw his next victim. A young man in his early twenties was talking on the phone while jotting down on a notepad and typing on his keyboard with one hand. He had short, unkempt black hair with grey eyes. Like everyone else, he was wearing a white long-sleeved shirt but his tie was blue.
"Kuwana, what are you doing?!" Moshida yelled, startling the young man.
"Uh...just ordering dinner, sir." The young man, now named Kuwana, responded."Figured I won't make it home to make dinner in time, so I'm ordering a little something. Do you want something too, Morgan-san?"
"Ah, much appreciated, Kuwana-kun." She nodded, thanking her junior.
Moshida narrowed his eyes at their interaction and walked over to Kuwana, grabbing a nearby cup of water. The man whistled a tune before splashing Kuwana in the face, wetting his shirt.
"Oops, I must have tripped. So sorry, Kuwana." Moshida apologized, his insincere smile on his face."But hey, that must have woken you up. How about finishing Morgana-chan's paperwork as well? Surely a young, healthy boy right out of college has the energy to help a nice woman like her."
Kuwana bit his lower lip, feeling the stares of mockery from his co-workers."I would love to, sir..."
"Good." The obese man rubbed his chin, heading for the door."I'll be in my car checking over some files the boss sent me. Morgana-chan, I'd be more than happy to take you home. You never know how dangerous the streets are..." He licked his lips."Especially at night and how the chief disappeared a few weeks ago. Lock the office behind you, Kuwana, and make sure you're early tomorrow. The janitor isn't coming this week and those bathrooms reek!"
Closing the door behind him, the man grinned maliciously, happy at what he did. He whistled while walking down the stairs of their small office building, heading for the parking lot. He proceeded to head for his car, taking his keys out. A loud, thunderous noise alerted him, and the last thing he saw was a rhino-like monster rushing at him, crushing his body against his car.
"Four years of college and for what? To end up in this dump?" Kuwana muttered to himself, typing away at his keyboard."All I did growing up was study and study until I nearly went insane. I was supposed to be the best. The elite. And yet here I am, in a mediocre company working with people who don't even have a degree like me. And they're earning more than me. But..."
Sliding his chair back, he opened his drawer, revealing a metal box with the symbol of a rhinoceros on it."Maybe I was blessed for my efforts after all." His expression turned sardonic in glee."And I will finally get what's mine."