Chapter 7: The Future Rider and a Friend's Return! Act II
Disclaimer: The Kamen Rider Franchise and Symphogear belong to their respective owners. OCs belong to their creators.
At a field of grass, the wind blew before something crashed on the field of green.
"Again!" shouted Tendou as he stood in front of Akakishi who was lying on the ground with a white karate gi on.
"Yes… Master!" Akakishi lifted himself up and with his teeth in a grit. His clothes were scuffed with dirt from being thrown on the ground multiple times. Then he bent his knees into a sprinting position before charging at the man. He swung his fist forward but Tendou quickly intercepted it and held the redhead's arm. Then Akakishi quickly pulled the arm forward and raised his knee to hit his master's abdomen, but Tendou quickly blocked it before throwing Akakishi off. The redhead quickly rebalancing himself to land on his feet before skidding back at a distance.
"Again. You must strike me successfully so we can begin the next exercise!"
"Understood, Master!" shouted Akakishi as he rushed the man.
From the lab, Haru was watching the spar on a feed with Ran. "Man, Akakishi-kun sure is taking this training thing seriously…"
"Well, he does have a good reason to. He was badly beaten when he fought that woman, Kageyama… Though this is pretty intense."
"Yeah, but I wonder how Gentarou-sempai's training is going."
"He's probably going through the wringer by Utsugi-sensei. She's pretty intense when it comes to her lessons." Ran said with a shrug. "Besides that, we still need to help Ryoko-san and Miu-sempai set up this stuff."
In a boxing ring, the pompadour teen crashed on the hard mat with a painful grunt and his butt sticking in the air.
"Is that all, Gentarou-kun? I had expected you to have polished your skills since the fight with the past principal!"
"Ugh… But sensei… I'm strong enough already. Can't we take a break?" asked Gentarou as he sat up. Though he was wearing a safety helmet meant for boxing, he still had some bruises on his face.
"Yes, but I thought so too when I was your age… But what if you lose a friend because of you being weak? You and I know that has happened before…"
"Yeah…"
"So be a man and get on your feet! This training session isn't over until you managed to make a successful hit against me!"
"Hai! Sensei!" shouted Gentarou as he got onto his feet with renewed vigor. Then he charged forward to continue the spar.
"Utsugi-sensei sure is taking this training thing pretty seriously…" Yuki said from a bench with a camera drone shaped like a hamburger also watching.
"It's necessary, these new opponents are seasoned veterans and older Generation Kamen Riders. We need to be prepared for their next strike." Kengo said as he typed on his console.
"Speaking of veterans, I wonder how Ryu-kun's training with Oki-san is going."
In another dojo, Ryusei was trading blows with the Oki who was surprisingly muscular despite his advanced age. The two wore white karate gis as they sparred with each other in an attempt to understand that other's skill. The two broke off and quickly entered readying stances.
"Huff… Huff…" Ryusei was catching his breath as it somewhat took his all to fight the veteran Rider. "You are worthy of being a Master of the Sekishin Shōrin Ken School, Oki-san."
"Yes, but don't sell yourself of your practice of the Seishin Darinken, Ryusei-kun. It's been a while since I met a disciple whose skill may soon reach that of a veteran's. But enough talk, once more!" shouted the older man who did not seem tired despite the intense round of trading blows.
"Understood!" Then the brown-haired teen charged forward and performed a series of quick jabs at Kazuya who quickly dodged them with a bit of ease.
Tomoko watched from the background with a wish to cheer for Ryusei but decided to just watch intensely.
"Hey. You watching Ryusei-kun, Tomoko-san?" asked Kanade as she approached the girl who was on the sidelines.
"Yes. He's fighting as splendidly as usual." Tomoko responded with a mesmerized tone.
"Well, you got to respect martial artists. I never actually had the patience when I learned under the Commander. But I was competitive with Fen to improve my skills whether in singing or fighting."
"I didn't ask for your life story." Tomoko said with a deadpan tone.
"Well, what I'm saying is that I know when a girl wants to do more than cheer on the sidelines." Kanade said with a shrug.
"…Yes, I do wish to do more to help Ryu. If I had a Relic of my own, then I could help him."
"Same here." Kanade said as she watched the two martial artists fight it out. "Though speaking of the Boss, I wonder what sort of training is he doing with Hibiki. I hope he isn't teaching my successor anything too odd."
The sounds of karate and kung fu shouts were heard. Hibiki was standing in a stance with Genjuro while wearing a white Karate gi and white bandages wrapped on her hands. Genjuro was wearing a black Karate gi which the sleeves were torn off and a large wooden bead necklace was on his neck. Then the two entered another stance while a kung fu action movie played on a big screen in front of them.
"Eh. Maybe I'm just worrying too much." Kanade shrugged. Then she pondered onto how Tsubasa and Eiji were doing on their mission.
(Synchrogazer – Nana mizuki)
Instrumental
At the start of the techno music, each beat creates music bars revealing the face of Tsubasa and Eiji who look up. Then the bars went down as another beat creates a second set of bars revealing the faces of Kanade and Fen. Next another beat creates a third set of bars revealing the faces of Yoku and Shinnosuke. Two more beats create a succession of bars that reveal the faces of Ryoko and Chris. The final beat reveals several bars revealing the faces Hibiki who had her eyes closed, Miku who looks up, and Akakishi who is upside down as if he is sleeping.
The scene transitions to a hand manipulating a console control panel in succession to a techno wave sound. Then the scene changes to a rocky tower with Hibiki standing on top of it. She stares towards the starry sky before singing:
Listen to my song…
Falling from the sky, Akakishi opens his eyes as Hibiki jumps off the rocky towers with wings extending from her back. Then she extends her hands to the falling redhead as a light consumes them. Then the silhouette of Hibiki with wings and the silhouette of Kamen Rider Ixa R forms the title card:
Kamen Rider Ixa R: Symphony of Hearts
Like a meteoroid… Falling, burning, and disappearing…
Hibiki appears on the left side of the screen and opens her left eyes which the screen zooms in on as energy flows and sparks through her eye.
Boku no koe wa kikoeteimasuka? please tell me...
Alone in a middle of a field of grass, Miku stood watching the starry sky with her hand reaching out. The camera changes to her troubled face before she gives a smile and her expression changes to a serene one.
Kotae no nai kyokou no sora mezashi fly far away
Then Tsubasa is seen preparing for a concert and she looks at the photo of her and Kanade before she turns around heads off.
Kotoba ja tarinai kara boku no subete uketomete
In the Second Division Headquarters, Aoi and Sakuya report the situation while Genjuro, Tendou, Ryoko, Shinji, Kanade, Fen, and Eiji observe the main screen. Then the scene changes to Chris who is falling in a void with a ring of piano keys in the background. She reaches out desperately for someone to save her.
Seigyo dekinai...shitakunai yo
The scene changes to Hibiki and Akakishi running forward as Miku walks in the middle of them in the opposite direction. The scene during all this is a gray background with a red soundwave line. Miku turns around with a worried expression as the background turned into a pinkish hue with black streams stretching out.
Hajimete shiru kankaku
Suddenly the scene changes to Akakishi, Miku, and Hibiki in a restaurant eating. The redhead and the greenish-black haired girl turned to their friend who made a goofy smile in response to the delicious food. Then the two laughed a bit at their friend's reaction.
Then the scene transitions to Hibiki in her armored form showing off her outfit.
Then there are glimpses of a golden sword, a young Chris with a stunned expression after witnessing an explosion, a woman with blond hair in armor who smiled sinisterly, a jewel staff, the Space Kamen Rider Club, Hibiki and Miku's friends, Yoku in her armored form, the forms of Kamen Riders Drive, Eternal, Kabuto, and Fourze, and finally a smiling mouth of the lower half of a person's face and a small stream of red falls from the corner of his mouth.
Kimi ni utau yo eien no hajimari wo
Then Tsubasa is seen in her armor cleaving through several Noise using the blades on her greaves. The scene transitions to her singing on stage before reaching out to someone. In response, Eiji is seen reaching out to her hand with a smile on his face. Then the scene returns to the sight of Kamen Rider OOO falling through the air before stabbing a Noise with his sword.
"Dakara waratte..."
Ixa R and Hibiki enter the scene as Tsubasa and OOO leapt off a nearby building. Following the group is Drive along with Yoku who wields her hammer.
Dare yori mo atsuku dare yori mo tsuyoku dakishimeru yo
Noise charge forward and the amber-haired girl confronts the charge by attacking several Noise with concentrated and practiced attacks. Then Ixa R follows her by kicking a Noise before elbowing another in quick movements. Hibiki pulls out the weight of her gauntlet's piledriver while Ixa R inserts the Knuckle Fuestle into his belt's buckle. The armored girl punches forward, firing an energy blast the smashed through several Noise which were pink or orange in color. Meanwhile, the Kamen Rider smashes his knuckle into the ground and blasts apart the enemy in front of him with a flaming wave.
Furueru kokoro yusabureba ii nanika ga ugokidasu
OOO and Tsubasa slash through several Noise before the armored idol jumps into the air to slash several spear-like noise. Then the Kamen Rider scans his medals and leaps through the air as rings formed in front of him. He goes through the rings and crushes an entire group of Noise into dust.
In another section, Drive rushes through Noise at an incredible speed and Yoku follows him by swinging her hammer in precise, strong swings. They manage to defeat the Noise in their area before a very large Noise with horns destroys a nearby building. Hibiki and Tsubasa arrive along with their Rider partners and sing to prepare a powerful attack.
Bokura kitto umareta hi kara deaeru hi wo zutto sagashitetanda
The group hears other voices and turn to the sight of Kamen Rider Eternal and Fourze who stood alongside their partners who also sang a hymn. Tsubasa, Hibiki, and Yoku visibly smile and turn forward to attack alongside their partners.
Kaze no naku yoru wa omoidashite
Tsubasa transforms her sword into a heavy form and jumps forward along with OOO who scan-charged his sword. Hibiki follows her lead with a kick ready with Ixa R as an energy forms on his left leg. Eternal and his partner swung their weapons forward with Fourze drill kicking.
Tomo ni kanadeta kiseki ten ni mau yo
The group attacks the large Noise simultaneously and land behind it as it exploded into a ball of fire and ash.
Then three hands are seen stacked on top of each other. The camera retracts back to reveal Akakishi, Hibiki, and Miku with smiles on their faces as they turn to the starry sky.
Meanwhile back in Yumemi Town
"I'm very sorry!" shouted the male with a brown hair and a blue highlight on his bang as he bowed in apology for attacking Eiji and Tsubasa.
The group quickly found shelter in a motorcycle repair shop and garage that the Kougami Corporation owned. Eiji sat on a motorcycle while he was being treated earlier by Tsubasa, though she was a bit clumsy and rough with the bandaging. When Hina found them, she quickly took over and applied first aid to the male. Ankh stood semi-interestingly on a bench from a short distance of the group.
"Don't worry about it." Eiji said with a smile for the eleventh time to the teen who apologized repeatedly.
"Yosh." Hina said with a small pat that caused Eiji to wince a bit from the pain.
"But… I attacked you all…" muttered the teen with a worried tone.
"It's fine, it's actually quite normal for me to get hurt while trying to help people."
"That's not exactly a good thing, baka!" Ankh snarked from his seat with a snort.
"So who are you?" asked Tsubasa with crossed arms with a serious expression.
"Oh… My name is Minato Miharu… I'm a Kamen Rider from the future. Though… I don't think I am worthy of that title anymore." Miharu said with a doubtful tone.
"Why is that?" asked Eiji with a curious tone.
"In the future, kaijin also attacked people… And I was given a Rider belt to fight them… I was capable of transforming by drawing the power of water." Miharu recounted.
"Really? That sounds pretty powerful…" Eiji praised,
"Yeah, so you should be a Rider from the future." Hina said though Miharu winced and looked away nervously.
Eiji recognized that look and turned to Tsubasa who looked a bit displeased by the younger Rider's attitude.
"I couldn't do it…" Miharu said with a shake of his head and his tone still doubtful.
"Why though?" Hina asked with a worried tone.
"It's obvious, he's afraid of transforming." Tsubasa said.
"Tsubasa!" Eiji said.
Miharu frowned and looked down in gloom. "It's true. I… I'm scared of water…"
Tsubasa's expression softened a bit when she understood that the teen's fear was conflicting with his true power.
"I see… it must be tough being hydrophobic." said Eiji with a sympathetic tone.
Meanwhile, Ankh widened his eyes in surprise before crouching on the bench and laughing loudly. "He's… *Snicker* scared of… water… His *Laughs* own power! Man… what irony!"
Eiji and Hina gave disapproving glares and the black haired young man picked up a can and threw it at the Greed's head. The can struck true, interrupting the blond haired male's laugh. Ankh gave the male a glare before turning away in a huff.
"But then… Someone came to help me…" said Miharu as he remembered sitting by his lonesome before looking up to the face of an older man with a white beard as he showed of a belt with a large disk buckle that had a trio of future Core medals embedded.
"You can still be a Kamen Rider with the Medal System that my Kougami Foundation developed…" The elderly man said with a serious tone. "You will become a true Kamen Rider with these…"
"Really? I can still become a Kamen Rider just like tou-san?" asked Miharu at the offer,
"Yes! Now… HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
"Kougami-san is still at it in the future?" said Eiji with a surprised tone since he never imagined that the young man came from a future that close to theirs.
"Then again… isn't it his project that got us into this mess, Eiji-kun?" Hina pointed out.
"Either way, we're cleaning up the aftermath of his agendas as usual. Though I do find it interesting how he would hand off three Core Medals to some kid." Ankh stated with a rude tone.
"It's not like that! I thought… with that power given to me by Kougami-san, I could become a Rider, no, a Hero that my parents could be proud of!" Miharu claimed with a sudden rise in his volume that surprised everyone. Though he went back to his timid tone. "But… the kaijin I fought were too strong…"
Then he remembered how he was so easily beaten down despite the new power he obtained. He had de-transformed and fell to the ground in pain.
"I kept getting beaten… and just when I was about to give up…" Then Miharu remembered the only time in his life that he felt so much pain. "A vortex opened and thousands of Medals flew out and entered my body."
"Let us fight!" shouted the distorted voice of the three future Medals. Then the belt attached to Miharu's waist as his eyes flashed purple. "More… More! Let us continue to fight!"
"Then that side of me awoke…" Miharu said with a disgusted tone.
"Medals fueled by desire… I see now!" Eiji said with wide eyes. "Your desire was lacking, so the Future Medals sought out another source! That pulled in the original Core Medals that disappeared from our time, which each still possessing the ability to produce desires!"
"Hmph, and then those so-called future Medals gained sentience and took over the brat with the Desire to fight the strongest opponents? Tch, that old man really does enjoy pushing off cleanup onto us." Ankh said with an annoyed tone.
"It's because I'm weak… that I ended up troubling you two!" said Miharu as he bowed once more. Then he stood up straight and said, "I should have never become a Rider…"
"Hmph. Sounds about right." Ankh said with agreement. Though he received another share of angry glares and looks of disapproval.
Eiji sighed and stood up before tossing his shirt over Ankh's eyes, much to his annoyance and confusion. Meanwhile, Hina tried lifting up a barrel to hit the offending Greed.
"Hina-chan! Dame(No)! Dame(No)!" shouted Eiji as he rushed to stop the girl.
"Minato, correct?" asked Tsubasa who still had her eyes give off a serious stare at the young man.
The teen with the blue highlight flinched at her stare but responded. "H-Hai."
"Minato … your doubts are understandable," nodded Tsubasa before she approached the young man. "But that is no excuse to leave your calling as a Rider!"
"But… I'm not worthy… I caused so much trouble to you two…"
"Then atone for those mistakes by embracing the power you are originally blessed with! Minato, being worthy and being a Kamen Rider may seem relatable, but it all goes down to whether you have the resolve and courage to do one thing."
"Resolve to do one thing? What's that?"
"You have to find the answer yourself, Minato-san. But you must ask yourself: what is your belief on what a Kamen Rider must do? Remember that the power you are given is unique to yourself and no one else. You must decide how you must use it." Tsubasa said with a reassuring tone while placing her hand on her chest.
"Unique to myself…" Miharu repeated as he placed his hand on his chest.
Then a phone call could be heard and the group turned to Eiji who quickly answered it.
"Hello? Kougami-san? Got it, I'll put you on speaker phone!" Eiji said before he pressed a command on his smart phone.
"Congratulations! Your desire to help another has once more overcome that desire of battle! But due to the damage at Shiraishi's restaurant, the police are now involved, we won't be able to send aid to you all yet, so lay low there for the night!"
"W-Wait, Kougami-san!" Then the call disconnected.
"Hmph, not surprising." Ankh said as he took off the shirt and rested his face on the palm of his claw hand.
The group decided to rest for the night at the warehouse since it was unlikely that they can just show up to the wrecked restaurant. As they slept, there was one person who walked towards Ankh, and it was Miharu whose eyes flashed purple, evidence that he was possessed again.
"I'm afraid you won't be taking any of my Medals…" Ankh said with his eyes closed.
Miharu looked surprised that the man knew what he planned to do. Then Eiji came from behind and restrained the possessed Miharu by his arms.
"We waited for you to come out. To be honest, I didn't think you'd stay quiet for so long!" said Eiji as he held the teen tight while fending the struggles he made.
"If you are wondering why we waited. It's because it'd be much harder to rip the Medals out when they were dormant, see." Ankh said as he stood up and readied his claw arm.
"Ankh!" shouted Eiji as he had his OOO Driver on his waist.
"Hmph!" Ankh said before he transformed into a floating gauntlet and flew to place three Core Medals into the belt buckle which two were silver and one black.
"Hina!"
"Hai!" Then the girl tilted the belt and moved the scanner over the medals.
"Henshin!" announced Eiji as the medals formed behind him. A silver rhinoceros, a dark gray gorilla, and a black elephant.
=SCANNING SYNC: AME NO HABAKIRI!=
=SAI!=
=GORILLA!=
=ZOU!=
=SAGOHZO... SA-GOH-ZO!=
The armor of OOO formed thought this time, OOO had a white helmet with a horn and red lenses. The torso armor was silver with a pair of massive knuckle gauntlets. The lower armor was black armor that was bulky as the shin guards, shaped like elephant feet.
"You bastards tricked me again! Luckily… I made preparations!" shouted the possessed Miharu as hundreds of Yummies appeared and started shuffling towards that group.
"I'll handle them!" shouted Tsubasa as she stood in front of the group of expendable monsters.
Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron~
Tsubasa sung the hymn as her armor formed over her. Then a silver light ring, a gray ring, and a black ring appeared, spinning around her form.
~Sai~
~Gorilla~
~Zou~
~Sagohzo~
~Sun Goes Up~
Then hexagons formed over her armor, increasing the armor on her gauntlets, greaves, and her headset. The headset became a white tiara shaped similar like a horn at her forehead. Tsubasa gain new additional armor plating which was a set of silver bulky gauntlets and a set of heel greaves shaped like boots with a large blade attached to each heel.
"Tsubasa! Use that technique Ogawa-san taught you on us!" shouted OOO as he continued to hold the possessed teen.
"Hai!" Tsubasa tossed a dagger and it stabbed into the shadow of OOO and the Teen.
SHADOW WEAVING
The two suddenly felt their bodies stiffen in place, putting the possessed Miharu in the iron-clad grip of Sagohzo OOO.
"Ugh?! My… body!" said Miharu through grit teeth.
"Interesting, a shinobi technique." Ankh said with a somewhat impressed tone.
"I'll handle the kaijin!" Tsubasa said before she stepped forward, causing a small crater to form from where she stepped. Then she drew her sword which transformed into a very long katana with a thick blade and blue energy weave. Then she ran forward and smashed the heavy blade through several of the Yummies, sending most of them flying back into their compatriots. "Incredible… This form feels different from the other two." Tsubasa looked at her modified sword before reacting quickly and blocking a swing from a Yummy. Then she went back to the fight and smashed the sword down into the cement, causing several waves of blue energy to travel through the ground and smash into the Yummies.
Azure Crash
As the fighting took place, the human-formed Greed approached the possessed teen. "Now be a good boy and stay still." Ankh said before he stabbed his red claw into Miharu's stomach to pull out three medals of red, and two blues. "Heh, a good bounty."
"Not bad! You all are proving to be the challenge I was hoping for!" shouted the possessed Miharu.
"Hmph, I doubt you'll get your chance." Ankh prepared to pull a couple more medals out, but behind the group Tsubasa managed to defeat the remains of the Yummies then suddenly her armor started to spark with blue and white electricity. At the same time, OOO's armor sparked a bit in the same way.
As the girl walked to keep a lookout on the scene, she suddenly felt pain. "Ugh!" Tsubasa felt her body surged in pain from a sudden shock in her nerves that made her feel like she was burning. Suddenly, a large amount of white and blue energy sprouted and crackled over her armor. "Aaaaaaaaghhhhhh!" screamed Tsubasa before she fell to her knees as the electricity sparked from her body, immobilizing her.
"Tsubasa!" shouted OOO as he saw his friend suffer from a sudden energy overload.
"Huh? Nani?!" Ankh said in surprise at the display of conflicting energy.
"Guh!?" OOO also felt a surge and he also started sparking and screaming from the energy overload. "AAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!"
This reaction was also happening to the dagger stabbed into the ground, causing it to explode into fragments.
Seeing his chance, the possessed Miharu summoned a burst of blue energy from his body, causing OOO to take its full force and letting go. He fell on his back, skidding at a medium distance as the energy from the possessed teen seemed to cancel out the energy overload.
"RAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!" screamed Miharu as the medals flew out of the teen to form a body. Then the voice was also moving towards to the constructing form, transforming into the enemy Kamen Rider.
"Hmph!" Then the Rider grabbed the teen and held the bladed end of the spear at his neck.
"Eiji-kun! Are you all right?"
"Ugh, I'm fine… Miharu-kun!" OOO said with worried tone.
"I should congratulate you all for helping me gain this form. Now I can finally exist on my own… Time to take out the trash." The Rider said as he readied his weapon to kill the teen.
"NO!" shouted OOO as he ran forward despite his heavy armor form.
Then a metallic clink was heard before a shot blasted the Kamen Rider in the side, sending him back while also letting go of the teen.
OOO caught the teen in his arms. "Miharu-kun! Are you all right?"
"Un…" The teen wearing blue nodded in affirmation with squinted eyes.
"Who dares…?" asked the enemy Kamen Rider as he stood up from the hit.
"I dare!" Then Date appeared with a new gun that was bulkier with gold, silver, and red metal plates and had a blue gatchapon capsule on the center. He hefted the gun on his shoulder which felt a bit sore. "Phew! This Rebirth Buster packs a bigger kick than my original Buster! But it's worth the price if it can make you wince!"
"So Birth has gotten his upgrade… But the stage isn't right!" Then Poseiden then swung his spear and an aqua razor disc flew at the group, but Ankh and Tsubasa quickly intercepted the shot with their respective range attacks.
An explosion took place and the group winced as the armored members shielded the less armored as a smoke veil took place. Then group turned around and saw that the Kamen Rider was not there, but his voice was still heard.
"We will fight again, Kamen Rider OOO and Tsubasa Kazanari! For I am Kamen Rider Poseidon!"
"Hah~ That guy ran away again…" Date said with a disappointed tone.
"Ugh… But he's smart enough to…" Tsubasa said with a serious tone.
"Sheesh, stop being so uptight, Tsubaki-chan. You'll grow old quickly if you continue to do so." Date advised with a joking tone.
"Hmph. Your thoughts are not- Ugh!" Then Tsubasa felt her body was in pain as another arc of energy shocked her. The girl fell to her knees while she used her sword to support herself.
"Tsubasa!" OOO shouted as he went to her side before the energy stopped him in his tracks and he also fell to his knees from the shocks.
"W-What's wrong with them?"
"The combo!" shouted Ankh before he crouched to OOO's side and tilted his buckle straight, deactivating the transformation.
Then Tsubasa's own transformation deactivated, returning to her casual outfit.
"*Huff* What… *Huff* was that?" asked Tsubasa who felt spent from achieving that form, much to her confusion. She was already used to Eiji's other combinations, but the complete combination was something else.
"Yeah… *Huff* I never felt…*Huff* that before with my combos." Eiji confessed as he sat on his rear.
"It seems she hasn't been exposed to the true abilities of OOO… and vice versa for you and her powers, Eiji. You two weren't kidding when both of you said that your Bond Score power is still green." Ankh said with a disappointed tone.
"She'll be fine, right, Ankh-san?" asked Eiji.
"Probably, if she can still move after using a Complete Combo's power. Then she is a good match with you, Eiji." Ankh said dismissively. "Either way, we need to track down those renegade Future Medals."
"Ankh, correct? What is the Complete Combo?" asked Tsubasa as she sat on her feet in a seiza.
"Hmph, the idiot must be idiotically careless if he did not explain it to you, kid." Ankh stated rudely.
"Hey!" shouted Eiji with an indignant face.
But the other male ignored him. "To put it in simple term, it is the complete combination of three of the same colored Core Medal which grants the idiot here some intense power. But the strain would normally kill a normal human. Luckily the idiot here is so selfless that he can handle the strain of using those combos constantly."
"Yeah, but that didn't stop me from collapsing in the past." Eiji said with a modest tone.
"…" Tsubasa gripped her fist in anger and regret at her sudden moment of inability to contain the power they tried to use. "That incredible strain was just a small time of experiencing that power… Yet Hino withstood it with ease in the past… But our Bond Score made me a liability in battle and to Hino…. Is the Bond between us now strong enough? I…"
"Tsubasa, are you all right?" asked Eiji with a concerned tone as he checked on the blue-haired girl. "I hope you didn't suffer any ill effects from my transformation…"
"Hino… No, I'm fine. I am just processing how you managed to overcome that strain… And if it is possible for us..." muttered Tsubasa.
"Well, I was a bit reckless when I transformed into the combos. But despite the pain, I could protect the people at risk."
"Hmph, or it could be your skin is as thick your moronic head! Besides that, remember we got a Kamen Rider to hunt down?" stated Ankh with crossed arms.
"Anko's got a point." Date said though his tone was carefree. "That guy must be looking for the right place to fight you two."
"Even so! We need to get some rest, Tsubasa-san and Eiji-kun are obviously exhausted!" Hina insisted.
"Tch, it's inconvenient but you're right, Hina. Yo old man, do we have a place to stay?"
"Yep! Kougami actually sent me to get you guys after we made the preparations and I managed to pry this out of his hands." Date said while gesturing to the gun in his hands.
"Hmph, at least the manipulative man is useful." Ankh said as he walked forward.
Eiji went to Tsubasa's side and placed her arm over his shoulder. "Here, I'll carry you."
"Sorry for being a bother, Hino." Tsubasa apologized.
"It's fine. Even my first time with the Complete Combo wasn't a cakewalk. Wait. How long was I out again, Ankh?" asked the young man to his friend.
"About a week with a fever." Ankh stated from afar. "Hina over there had to nurse you back to health."
"*Chuckle* I remember how much you mumbled in your sleep, Eiji-kun."
"Seriously? I hope I didn't say anything embarrassing."
"Such as your fear of snakes?" Date pointed out.
"Snakes are dangerous! Because they can kill through poison or strangulation!" Eiji insisted while flushing a bit.
"...Huh, I guess even you have your own embarrassing secrets, Eiji…" Tsubasa muttered.
"Hm? Did you say something, Tsubasa?" asked Eiji as he helped the blunette walk to their temporary place of residence.
"Nothing… I was just mumbling." Tsubasa said with a tired tone.
"Let's get a good rest, everyone. Then we can search for this Kamen Rider Posai." Date said with his misnaming habit kicking in. Then he noticed that Miharu hadn't moved from his spot. "You too, kid."
"Huh? But, I'll only slow you all down-"
"Look, I get you must be reeling from the fact that Posai must have does a lot of crap while he possessed you. But you can't beat yourself over his actions. Instead, you move forward and get a good night's sleep!" Date insisted.
"But-"
"Now come on! I don't know how you future people do things, but it's rude to decline an offer to a free hotel room and bed!" laughed Date as he grabbed the teen and pulled him along to the group.
Meanwhile at the Second Division base on the next day.
Akakishi, Gentarou, and Ryusei split off from the groups to handle some business that Tendou would reveal to them at a certain room.
"So what is it that you needed to bring us away from training, sempai? Not that I'm complaining." Gentarou said with a laidback attitude and a few bandages on his face from training a bit recklessly with his sensei. Luckily she stopped the training session to get his bloody nose treated.
"It is something we haven't gotten to since the previous incidents involving the Sympho-Riders and your recruitment, Kisaragi. That is why this is a must on the agenda for today."
"And what is the new activity, Vice Commander?" asked Ryusei as they were still in the dark about the plans for today.
"Akakishi will need to create new Rider Scores representing Fourze and Meteor. And later Drive and Mach." Tendou stated as he led the group of three young Kamen Riders into a room where there appeared to be a turntable used by DJs along with several wires and a panel. There was a noticeable large space that appeared to be similar to a dance floor.
"The AW synthesizer? I thought it got destroyed!" shouted Akakishi as he ran up to the machine to inspect it. Then he picked up a set of headphones and placed them over his ears before pressing a lever and hearing the electronic tune produced by it. "*Laughs* I missed that sound!"
"Fortunately the Second Division managed to salvage and repair it, Akakishi. Sakurai also made some improvements to the equipment for your convenience."
"Thank you for the compliments~!" announced Ryoko from another room that observed the group of four from above. "And the Space Kamen Rider Club were a big help turning that room in a dance floor!"
"Well it seemed fitting. That synthesizer looks like disc Jockey equipment, so why not have some people dance to the songs you play and record?" Miu said as she, shun, JK, and Tomoko entered the room.
"Well, I had to do the heavy lifting with JK here. But he really knew his stuff with this kind of equipment!"
"Of course, my skills as a music producer are top notch after all! But man, the Second Division guys made one heck of a synthesizer. I haven't heard beats that smooth and precise since I got my disc jockey board!"
"Well I'm glad to hear my synthesizer is in working condition, JK-sempai! We could make some beats together to pass the time!" said Akakishi with an eager smile.
"Vice Commander, what did you mean by new Rider Scores?" asked Ryusei while the redhead continued to mess around with the synthesizer.
"Rider Scores are the songs that represent the very being of Kamen Rider they are recorded from. Only Akakishi and the AW Synthesizer are capable of that particular ability." Tendou gestured to the redhead.
"Really? That's kind of incredible, but what purpose does a Score that is the song of a Kamen Rider serve?" asked Ryusei.
"The purpose of the Rider Scores it to create the Bond Scores, Ryusei-sempai. As you already heard from Miss Ryoko, certain Kamen Riders are capable of fighting Noise but still at a diminished effect. My purpose is to record the songs of Symphogears and create a Bond Score that combines the utility of a Kamen Rider with the Raw power of a Symphogear." Akakishi said as he placed the headphone around his neck. "That, and well… I can synchronize with Symphogears to give a good power boost, but it's impractical since there is only one of me, Ixa R, and at least six Symphogears."
"I see…" Ryusei muttered while remembering the strength he saw firsthand with Yoku who may be a newcomer but had incredible power at her disposal.
"Besides that, I sort of want to hear your songs, Sempais."
"Really? Before you do that, can you demo a song from one of these Rider Scores for us, Aka?" asked Gentarou with a curious expression.
"Sure. Master, is it all right if I use your Score to demonstrate?" asked the redhead as he placed his headphones on and took out the case where he stored the Scores.
"Go ahead, I already gave you free rein with my Score Plate." Tendou stated politely but it was his way giving permission to the redhead.
"Thank you." Then the redhead took out the red metal Score Plate with the ZECT beetle symbol. He stood at the Synthesizer and placed the Score into a slot. "All right, here it goes!" Akakish pressed a button and then the speaker began playing a song.
(Next Level- YUKI)
(Instrumental)
(Himi Ga Negua Koto Nara) – (If you wish for it,)
(Subete Ga Genjitsu Ni Naru Darou) – (then all of it will probably come true…)
(Erabanishi Mono Naraba) – (as long as you are the chosen one.)
(Bousou Wo Hajimeteru) – (Things are starting to go out of control,)
(Sekai Wo Moto Ni Modosu Ni Wa Mahou) – (But to return the world to normal…)
(Jikan Ga Nai) – (There's no time!)
(Moving Fast Kokoro No Tokei Hashirase) – (Moving fast, make the clock of the heart speed up!)
(Ashita No Sono Saki E) – (Go Past Tomorrow!)
(Himi No Tonari Tatakau Tabi) – (Every time I am next to you,)
(Umarekawaru) – (I am reborn!)
(Me Ni Mieru Speed Koeteku Motion) – (The motion is faster than the speed of the eyes!)
(Itai Jibun Igai Dare No Tsuyosa Shinjirareru) – (Whose strength beyond my own can I trust?)
(Housoku No Vision Minogasu-na) – (Don't miss the light speed vision)
(Tsuite-koreru Nara) – (…if you can't keep up!)
When the song shortly ended, Akakishi took off his headphones and looked to his seniors with expecting eyes. "Well? What did you guys think?" asked the redhead.
"Wh-Whoa… Kabuto-sempai's song is quite powerful and… elegant!"
"Now that's a word I didn't expect to come out of your mouth, Gentarou." Shun pointed out.
"Hey, even I know when something looks elegant!" responded the delinquent.
"That's because I had to drill the meaning of the word into your head." Miu said.
The redhead smiled at the pompadour teen's description. "I thought the same thing about it, Gentarou-sempai. Master's song fits him perfectly." Then he took the Kabuto Score out of the slot then placing a blank metal Score plate into the slot.
"Yes, now let us begin the recording. Kisaragi, you go first. Transform and place your hands on that panel."
"All right!" said Gentarou as he quickly transformed with his usual ritual. "UCHUU KIITAAA! Kamen Rider Fourze, let's get this beat out!" Then Fourze placed his hand on the panel and then it lit up along with Akakishi's left eye as a beat sounded from the speakers.
(Switch On- Anna Tsuchiya)
Akakishi felt his hands moved along with the rhythm that formed within his mind as the speakers began singing out the first lyrics. He quickly moved the levers in order to emulate the music and instruments being played.
/Wow wow wow (Fourze!) Wow wow wow (Ikou ze!)/ - /Wow wow wow (Fourze!)Wow wow wow (Let's go!)
/Wow wow wow (Fourze!) Wow wow wow (OH YEAH!)/ - /Wow wow wow (Fourze!) Wow wow wow (OH YEAH!)/
/High! School kara housouchuu/ - /High! Broadcasting from school,/
/burger katate hungry na everyday/ - /burger in one hand, feeling hungry everyday/
/Madamada tarinai Yume wa large-size/ - /It's not yet enough, my dreams are large-sized/
/Come on Switch On/
"You know… doesn't this song define how our adventures back in school were like?" asked Shun.
/Retro-future Sonna no wa fusaiyou!/ - /Retro-future—those are rejected!/
/Omoitsuki image mirai he Blast Off/ - /An image I just thought of, blast off to the future/
/Koushiki nanka imi ga nai/ - /There is no meaning to formulas/
"I was wondering that as well! But the space theme seems does fit Fourze and our club!" said JK with an approving nod of his head. "I mean look, even Gentarou wants to dance a bit!"
/Hito no hanashi dake de shitta ki ni naranai de/ - /Don't think you know just by listening to people/
/Kakan ni tough ni CHALLENGE/ - /Challenge boldly, toughly/
"Even though he's a-?" asked Shun though he was cut off by Miu elbowing him in the ribs.
/Genkai nante bukkowashiteyare jibun no te de/ - /Destroy the confines with your own hands/
(Wow wow wow Switch ON)
Kinou yori STEP UP-/Step up higher than yesterday/
/Go-Win! Go-Win! My friends/
/Taikiken datte toppashite/- /Break through even the atmosphere/
(Wow wow wow Switch ON)
/Tabidachi no COUNTDOWN/- /Countdown to the start of the journey/
/Tomaranai Growing Choushigekiteki SCHOOLDAYS!/- /Unstopping, growing, thrilling schooldays!/
"Kisaragi! Keep your hand on the Reverse Recording panel! If the process is suddenly interrupted, it could result in the Score that Akakishi is trying to make to inexplicitly combust!"
/Wow wow wow (Fourze!)/
/Wow wow wow (OH YEAH!)/
"Wait, those things can explode?!" shouted JK is a surprised tone.
/Yes! Aoi haru I-N-G Kowai mono nashi/ - /Yes! I'm Spring-ING; fearing nothing,/
/Sore ga My engine/ - /that is my engine/
/No one tomerarenai kuuki wa yomanai/ - /No one can stop me, not reading the atmosphere/
/Come on Switch On/
"If they are made incorrectly, then yes. Rider Scores are more delicate to make compared to Symphogear Scores, a single mistake can be costly. Though Sakurai should have informed you all of this." Tendou pointed out.
/Michi tte So Good Kimochi takaburu/ - /The unknown is so good, it fires up the mood/
/APOLLO SPACE SHUTTLE Hayabusa HUBBLE/
/Kyoukasho rakugaki no Rocket/ - /Rockets of textbook doodles/
"Well…" Miu said nervously as she and the other Kamen Rider Club members looked away.
/Miteru dake ja nakute sankakei ATTRACTION/ - /Not just seeing, but an interactive attraction/
/Tsuitekina Boys & Girls/ - /Follow me boys and girls/
"She didn't bother to. Somehow I am not surprised." Tendou deadpanned.
/Joushiki nante dare ka ga katte ni kimeta koto/ - /Common sense is determined by someone on their own/
(Wow wow wow Switch ON)
/Hamidashite RANK UP/ - /Stick out and rank up/
/Go-Win! Go-Win! My friends/
Kimi to iu only one to tsunagatte-Linking with the only one called you
(Wow wow wow Switch ON)
/Jiyuu he no COUNTDOWN/ - /Countdown to freedom/
/Hibi nayami Growing Choushibireru SCHOOLDAYS!/ - /Daily worries, growing, super electrifying schooldays!/
"You know… I realized that Aka hasn't lost track of his rhythm even when we were talking."
"It's to be expected, I taught Akakishi to be ironclad in focus when making a Rider Score plate. Back then, the risks were quite high with using this equipment. Though Sakurai made some safety modifications for ours and his well-being, I do expect him to make that music without minding interruptions."
/Hajimatta mono itsuka owari ga kuru kara/ - /Because an end will come one day to things started/
/Kagirareta "ima" to iu tsukihi zenryouku de… Run Up/ - /With your all in the time limited to "now"…Run up/
"Huh, you really do care about him as your student."
/Genkai nante bukkowashiteyare jibun no te de/ - /Destroy the confines with your own hands/
(Wow wow wow Switch ON)
/Kinou yori STEP UP/ - /Step up higher than yesterday/
/Go-Win! Go-Win! My friends/
/Taikiken datte toppashite/ - /Break through even the atmosphere/
(Wow wow wow Switch ON)
/Tabidachi no COUNTDOWN/ - /Countdown to the start of the journey/
/Tomaranai Growing Choushigekiteki/ - /Unstopping, growing, thrilling,/
/Hibi nayami Growing Chousubarashii SCHOOLDAYS!/ - /Daily worries, growing, super wonderful schooldays!/
/Wow wow wow (Fourze!) Wow wow wow (Ikou ze!)/
/Wow wow wow (Fourze!) Wow wow wow (FOURZE YEAH!)/
As the song came to an end, Akakishi pressed the board slowly to a stop. Then a shine could be seen before a panel in the back of the board opened up to reveal a white-metal Score Plater with Fourze's symbol.
"Whoo! Now that's some exciting rhythm!" said the redhead with a smile. Then he took the plate and presented it to Fourze. "And your Score is now complete, sempai!"
"Awesome! Now I just need a partner and it's bond kiitaa!"
"The problem is finding one Gentarou." Miu pointed out to the delinquent.
"Heh, don't worry, I'll befriend everyone single Attuned if I have to!" Gentarou stated with a promise.
"That seems like a promise worth saying, sempai." Akakishi said with a smile. Then the redhead turned to Ryusei. "Now then, Ryusei-sempai it's your turn."
"Sure. But before we start Akakishi-kun, I want to ask that's been bothering me. Is that all right?"
"Go ahead, sempai. I'm all ears."
"Thank you. Is the Bond Score really that powerful?"
Akakishi did not give an answer immediately and scratched his head. "Hm… Well, I'm not really an expert, sempai. I think this is a question Miss Ryoko to fully answer. All I can tell is from the first Bond Score between OOO and Tsubasa and their first fight together, they managed to overpower a girl using a complete Relic. So to answer your question, yes, they are powerful. But there is room for improvement."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"A Bond Score doesn't instantly mean a full power boost from what I can tell. And Tsubasa and Eiji-sempai might need to understand each other further since their Bond Score's compatibility score is in the eighties. Not only that, but there could be detrimental effects… Aw damn it, I really can't do this! Miss Ryoko, can you explain it further to at a later time?" shouted Akakishi before he grabbed his head in frustration and walked back to the Synthesizer.
"Ah wait, Akakishi-kun!"
"Yeesh, what caused him to drop the ball?" Miu wondered.
"Sorry about him~!" Ryoko apologized in her usual cheery tone. "When it comes to long, complex concept stuff about Symphogears and Rider powers, Akakishi does have problems trying to give a proper explanation."
"I see… Sorry for the inconvenience, Akakishi-kun."
"It's fine, Ryusei-sempai. I'm know you want answers, but I don't exactly have all of them. And it just gets confusing with the what-ifs and the concept complexities. Miss Ryoko does a better job at explaining them compared to anyone else in base." Akakishi said while putting on his headphones. "Though did my explanation help?"
"Yes, you did answer my question, but delving into the problems is sometimes necessary, Akakishi-kun. Sometimes the right worries can save lives." Ryusei pointed out.
"…Yeah, you're right, sempai! Now let's get to making your Rider Score Plate!" announced Akakishi as he raised his fist high with reignited vigor.
Back at Yumemi Town
The group had rest up at a hotel room that the corporation provided. At the next morning, Eiji, Ankh, Tsubasa, Hina, and Date were treated to a loud wakeup call from the president himself.
"GOOD MORNING!" announced Kougami, causing the group to wake up suddenly. Eiji yelped and fell out of the couch he was sleeping in, Date stood up shaken from his chair before realizing it was just a wakeup call and sat back in the chair to sleep, Miharu also woke up with a surprised expression and looked around in confusion, Hina sat up with a shriek, Ankh opened his eyes a bit before going back to sleep, and Tsubasa just slept through it surprisingly. The group then woke up properly with the arrival of Satonaka who placed a laptop on a stand to reveal the president's face on a live feed so he can deliver the information he obtained "personally".
"*Yawn* What sort of news do you got to wake us up early, boss?"
"It must be important for you to personally wake us up, Kougami-san."
"Hino, it appears that the Rider from the future has gone back towards the time gate. He most likely intends to continue his battles in another era… Possibly the Showa Era… His desire for combat is truly fearsome!" shouted the man in admiration despite the danger of the situation.
"That isn't good… Our sempais will probably be in danger since their last encounter with a Medal Kaijin was catastrophic…" Eiji mused due to a previous incident that allowed him to meet New Den-O and fix the timeline he and Ankh accidentally caused.
"Hmph, as I said before, not my fault." Ankh scoffed though he did have some responsibility for what happened.
"It's obvious that this might be the stage he is challenging you two to." Hina said with worry about her friends.
"But it's also necessary that we have to stop him there. No matter what." Tsubasa said with resolve. Eiji nodded with a serious expression as the two stood up.
"Even if your Bond Score's power isn't ready?" asked Kougami with a concerned tone since his many surveillance systems witnessed what happened when the pair used a Complete Combo together. "I've seen what happened when you two attempted a Complete Combo of OOO. Not only that, but Date hasn't tested the ReBirth Driver. The chances of defeating him are…"
"We'll still go. Things will only get worse if we don't stop him now." Eiji stated with a confident smile.
"I was hoping you would say that! GOOD LUCK!" shouted Kougami then the feed cut off.
"Eiji-kun…"
"I'll be fine. There's only one thing I'm worried about…" Eiji said while facing the female. Then he made a distressed face. "I still don't have my tomorrow underwear for today!"
"I'm sure you can just purchase another set of underwear after all of this, Hino." Tsubasa said with a sigh and a sweatdrop formed on her head.
Meanwhile, Hina smiled and chuckled a bit at the young man's reaction to his situation and reveal a bag with her recent purchases. "Actually, I bought this… As a sort of gift of when you return… And in case you lost your tomorrow." Then she handed the bag to Eiji who opened it to reveal several pairs of underwear.
"Wow!" Eiji pulled out a fresh pair with a smile on his face. "Thank you so much, Hina-chan! Now I know I can win!"
"Heh heh, as usual the only thing that can make you confident is underwear, Eiji." Date pointed out jokingly.
"Either way, let's go minna (everyone)!" Eiji said with a confident smile as he walked past Ankh.
"Heh! Seems like you'll be leading the way as usual, Eiji." Ankh said before the group got ready to leave.
"How? How can all of you be so brave?" asked Miharu who stood at the back of the room with confusion in his tone. "He's so powerful and the Bond Score you two have isn't at full synchronization! You both could lose your lives today! And I… I can never be able to…"
Eiji and Tsubasa gave a glance to each other before they both nodded. Eiji approached the teen with his underwear in hand. He handed the underwear to Miharu who hesitantly accepted. "My ojii-chan's last words were, 'A man never knows when he might die, so he should always make sure he's got a clean pair of underwear.'"
"So… he can have a change after soiling himself from a near death experience?" Tsubasa concluded with a confused tone.
"Well… that's one way to put it Tsubasa." Eiji chuckled a bit. "But that's not it… The most important this is that tomorrow is still going to come. Do everything you can to live for today, and survive to see tomorrow."
"Even so… I wish I could be so willing to fight…"
"Minato, what is it you are afraid of the most?" asked Tsubasa as she also approached the teen.
"What I am afraid of?"
"My uncle once told me that… when one fights, it should not be the enemy they should be afraid of, nor it is the failure of losing. It is the fear of the lives that will be lost. I too have my doubts about the success my Bond Score with Eiji… But… I fear more about the lives that will be lost if we do not fight. Not just innocents, but those who I consider family and friends. I… I nearly lost a dear friend of mines because of my fear and subsequent powerlessness." Tsubasa state truthfully with a restrained but pained tone.
"Tsubasa-san…" muttered Eiji with a surprised tone that the girl was willing to bring up that traumatic event.
"Water may be something you are afraid of, and the disappointment you may be face with your own family may also be a fearful result. But forget about those and focus on the bigger picture at hand! If that Rider succeeds… you will lose your family and your home!"
"Tsubasa has a point, Miharu-kun. You're the Kamen Rider who protects the future, right? That means you are also protecting your home."
"…" Miharu looked conflicted at their words but understood them.
"It'll be okay! If you still have doubts about the present, we can protect it for you." Then the group left the room, leaving the teen to mull over their words.
"My family… will be lost? Tou-san… Kaa-san…" Miharu muttered before he remember what Tsubasa asked him earlier. "What does a Kamen Rider mean to you?" The teen opened his eyes in realization. "My belief of what a Kamen Rider should be…"
"Hino-no, Eiji... Do you think we will have a chance?"
"I don't really know, Tsubasa. But we don't know until we try..."
"And what if we fail?"
"You're asking a lot of questions... Don't you already have the conviction to fight?"
"Yes... But even I can't help but worry."
"Then... We have to fight and place our faith in our friends..."
"With that thing, I can fight anyone, in any time…" said Kamen Rider Poseidon as he stared at the purple wormwhole in the sky. "Hm?" Then he turned around to face Eiji, Tsubasa, Date, and Ankh who all approached him after they got off some motorcycles. "Ah. So you all finally came! I was starting to get impatient if you people didn't show up. Now… Are you all ready to throw your lives away?" Then he threw out some broken Cell Medals onto the ground which all transform into broken Yummies that stumbled and groaned.
"Looks like he's ready to go. Stay on your toes, Eiji. You too, Tsubasa." Ankh advised as they approached. Tsubasa readied herself with the Medajalibur that Eiji lent her to defend herself.
"What about me?"
"You got a gun, Date. Use your imagination. Hasn't stopped you in our earlier hunts." Ankh answered dismissively without breaking eye contact on the enemies.
"*Laughs* Point taken, Anko-chan!" Date replied as he readied his gun.
"Right. You know guys, this kind of takes me back!" Then the group charged in with Eiji landing a kick on a Yummy into a drum barrel before fending off another. "That's right! I never got to ask-" Then he ducked under one and punched it in the face. "how you came back!"
Meanwhile, Ankh grappled a Yummy and threw it into another before punching one that lunged at him. "Pretty sure I told you not to worry about it!"
"You know guys, if Goto-chan were here, then the gang would be back together!" Date said with a smile before shooting a couple of Yummies though he crashed into a Yummy behind him. "Oof! Damn, this recoil does pack a punch." Then he heard a groan and looked at the Yummy under him. "Oh! Sorry about that! Still getting used to the recoil, see?" Then he shot it a couple of times before going back to shooting more of the Yummies in his vicinity.
"Hah!" shouted Tsubasa as she sliced and chopped through multiple Noise before leaving some space to sing her hymn.
"Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron~" Tsubasa sung the hymn as light flashed from her body and she was now armored. But in her hands was still the Medajabilur. Then she quickly closed the distance between herself and Poseidon.
"So the Sword has decided to be my first opponent? Very well!" announced Poseidon as he intercepted the sword swing of Tusbasa. Then he pushed her off and swung his weapon at her, but Tsubasa quickly dodged and swung her sword at him which he blocked with his gauntlet.
Tsubasa widened her eyes and quickly broke away while holding her stance. "Solid… Too solid for me to cut…."
"Heh, kind of obviously when I am not limited to the body of such a weak human."
"Tch. Even so, my sword's edge will cut through you!"
"Go ahead and try!"
"Ha!" Eiji shouted as he punched and Yummy then held the outstretched arm of another. "Given how willing you are to help me fight…" Then young man said before he threw a Yummy over his should and sent it crashing into its compatriot. "Is this going to be the last time, again?" asked Eiji as Ankh was fighting in front of him.
"If you don't want it to be, then you'd better survive!" Ankh said as he took out the three default Core Medals of OOO and threw them with ease at Eiji. The black haired man quickly grabbed them in midair while three Yummies approached him from behind. Then a few well-placed shots from Date's Rebirth Buster easily took them down.
"Get to transforming already, Eiji! It's rude to keep a lady waiting!" Date shouted before he held off more Yummies with his gun, albeit with a bit of wildfiring.
"You got it! Ankh! You better survive too!" Eiji said with his fist pointed to his friend before he equipped his OOO driver onto his waist. Then he slotted in the Core Medals and quickly approached the fight between Poseidon and Tsubasa.
Tilting the belt and taking out the O Scanner, Eiji shouted, "Henshin!"
=SCANNING SYNC! HABAKIRI!=
=TAKA!=
=TORA!=
=BATTA!=
=TATOBA! TATO-BATTA-TOBA!=
While the transformation into OOO happened, Tsubasa also felt the transformation and quickly broke contact to sing once more.
Taka~
Tora~
Batta~
TaToBa~
Her additional armor reformed and she charged in to clash blades with the enemy Rider as their strengths were somewhat equal. Then they broke contact as Tsubasa threw the sword into the air and OOO caught the blade to attack Poseidon, but he quickly anticipated the maneuver and jumped to intercept the Rider as at the climax of his jump arc. OOO and Poseidon clashed blades and then the traffic-colored Rider shoved the blade off but created a distance that his next sword swing failed to reach. Poseidon took advantage of the opening and struck OOO with his spear. OOO crashed onto the ground but quickly regained his foot after rolling a bit.
"Is this the extent of your power, OOO? Even with the songstress's power, you failed to please me with that little clash. You better be able to put up a better fight before I'm bored with you."
"Hah!" shouted Tsubasa as she jumped in and swung her sword at Poseidon who quickly blocked her blow before she landed near OOO. "Hino, are you all right?"
"I'm fine!" OOO reassured as he stood up. "I guess my swordsmanship isn't that on par with yours."
"True, but you always managed to keep up with me." Tsubasa said before she quickly intercept a swing from Poseidon.
"Well if you two had time to chat, then you both better back up that arrogance!" Poseidon said as he channeled energy into his spear blade and blasted energy that knocked Tusbasa off balance.
"Tsubasa!" shouted OOO as he jumped to catch her.
"Arigatou, Hino." Tsubasa said as she got on her feet and readied her stance along with OOO.
"Yeah, no more distractions, we can't allow him to escape and wreak havoc in another era! Ikuze Tsubasa!"
"Hai!" Tsubasa agreed and the two charged at Poseidon.
OOO swung his sword at the marine Rider who quickly blocked it, but the Medal Rider suddenly ducked and allowed Tsubasa to kick with her heel blade out, hitting the Rider's helmet successfully.
"Ugh!" grunted Poseidon as he placed his hand on his helmet.
"Ha!" shouted OOO as he swung his sword and struck the enemy Rider's chest.
But Poseidon withstood the hit and pushed his hand out to grab OOO by his neck. But Tsubasa intercepted the attempt with her and tried to hold the marine Rider in place. "Hmph, let's change the field shall we?" Then he jumped a great height, dragging Tsubasa to the water near the docks.
"Tsubasa!" shouted OOO as he ran to help the girl.
Ankh quickly punched another Yummy before noticing that OOO's predicament. "Eiji!" Then he took out three blue medals and threw them to OOO who quickly caught them and exchanged his current set with the new ones. "You better make sure this is worth it!"
"I know!" OOO said as he scanned the Medals while jumping into the water.
=SCANNING SYNC! HABAKIRI!=
=SHACHI!=
=UNAGI!=
=TAKO!=
=SHA-SHA-SHAUTA=
=SHA-SHA-SHAUTA=
As the three entered the water, OOO transformed into a blue armored form which consisted of a blue helmet with yellow lenses modeled after an Orca Whale, gauntlets with a pair of blue tubes modeled after eels, and light blue flexible armored greaves modeled after an octopus. OOO turned into a liquid form and swam at an incredible speed before turning solid and crashing into Poseidon, allowing Tsubasa to free herself from the enemy Rider's grasp. Then he became physical and summoned eight octopus tentacles attached to his waist and used them to attack the enemy Rider, but his barrage of attacks were failing against the future Rider's durable armor.
Poseidon swung his spear and knocked OOO away, "Die OOO!" and he readied to strike the Rider again when suddenly a wave of blue light struck him in the back. "Ugh! Who dares?"
Shachi~
Unagi~
Tako~
Sha-Sha-Shauta~
Shout out~
Behind him, Tsubasa was wielding her sword with her new armor consisting of her headset now sporting a set of goggles with a breathing mask, tubing attached to her gauntlets that were also attached to the end of her sword which a harpoon shape, and her greaves had an armor skirt with eight plates attached to her waist.
"That was a close call… Hino! Follow my lead!" shouted Tsubasa as she readied her sword and swam at Poseidon who prepared to meet the charge head-on.
"You got it, Tsubasa!" shouted OOO as he swam in conjunction with the armored girl to attack Poseidon.
Tsubasa made the first strike and charged at Poseidon who tried to intercept the Symphogear user, but the bluenette dove under the swing and twirled her body to hit Poseidon's chest. Then OOO attacked from behind with a swipe of his own sword. The two kept striking Poseidon at incredible speeds, causing him to be trapped in a whirlpool. Then OOO and Tsubasa readied their swords with Tsubasa's Symphogear lending energy to both blade that had a blue edge.
"Haaaa…" the two grunted as they readied the blades.
"Seiya!" shouted OOO.
"Hah!" shouted Tsubasa.
Then the two swung their blades, firing an x-shaped slash that struck the underwater tornado and caused it to light up with a blue light. Inside, Poseidon felt the energy rip into him, and he couldn't get out.
TORRENTIAL FLASH
Then the underwater tornado exploded from the energy build up, leaving a large cloud of bubbles. "Ha… Ha… Did we get him?" asked OOO as they tried to see through the bubble cloud of where Poseidon disappeared into.
"Seems like it…" muttered Tsubasa until the two heard sudden laughter.
"Ha ha ha! Now we're talking! Let me show you two my own move!" When the bubbles dispersed, the unharmed Poseidon spun his spear blade, creating a torrent of water that snaked into a mouth. Then the head of a large dragon formed and Poseidon pointed it at the pair who tried to swim away. The mouth of the dragon opened and roared loudly, creating a force of blue water that slammed into the Rider and Symphogear user pair.
LEVIATHAN ROAR
"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!" scream Tsubasa and OOO as they were thrown out of the ocean by the attack sent by Poseidon. The two crashed on the pier with a splash of water.
"Ugh… Strong…" said Tsubasa as she placed her elbows underneath herself.
"Tsubasa, are you all right?" asked OOO
"Yes… I can still continue. Ugh!" Tsubasa felt the shock as energy surged through her body again.
"Tsubasa! Ugh!" shouted OOO as energy also overtook him.
"Eiji! Tsubasa!" shouted Date as he quickly covered the two with his gun.
"Tch! Even now, their combined power is still conflicting?" wondered Ankh as he helped fend off the mook monster from getting near the two.
Poseidon stood on the water's surface, holding his spear and observing the two's predicament. "Hmph, is this the extent of your Bond Score's power? How disappointing…"
"Matte!" shouted a familiar voice.
"Huh?" wondered the marine Rider and he saw there was a familiar set of blue clothes and a helmet on an individual riding on a yellow jet ski.
"Miharu-kun?" asked OOO as he managed to look up with the group and saw that the teen was indeed riding through the waves.
"How is he here?" wondered Tsubasa.
"And where did he get that Jet Ski?" asked Date randomly while shooting at a Yummie behind him.
"He asked us." Then another motorcycle parked near him and showed Satonaka who had driven up to the fight with a case on the back of her motorcycle.
"Satonaka-san! Did you come to help out?" asked Date before he ducked and kneed a Yummy in the chest.
"Yes, and I came to deliver a package to you." Satonaka said as she took out a briefcase from the back of the motorcycle and smashed it through some Yummies. Then she opened it to reveal a belt with a gold casing and a blue gatchapon capsule.
"Nice!" praised Date with a smile as he shot through several Yummies in his way to Satonaka. "Your timing is so perfect that I could kiss you!"
"Don't," Satonaka suddenly pulled out her custom Birth Buster with her eyes in a deadpan stare. "you dare. And no hugs."
Date just smiled and held his hands up. "Got it! Yeesh it was just a joke, you don't have to be so pushy!" Then he grabbed the belt and wrapped it around his waist.
"I don't joke when work needs to be done." Satonaka said as she readied herself and started firing on the Yummies closing in on them.
"Fine… Fine… This is going to be a good payday!" announced Date as he held a Cell Medal on his right hand and flicked it into the air before catching it with his left. "Henshin!" Then the fighting doctor slotted the coin in and spun the dial to the sound of a pop and the gatchpon capsule opening to allow several silver-blue gatchpons surround his body before transforming into armor plating. A red armor suit formed over his body while gold armor plates attached to his arms and legs. A bulky chestplate along with a gatchapon in the center formed at his chest. On his back, there was a pair of large guns with gatchpons on the back ends. "Whoa! The Kougami R&D guys sure pulled all the stops!" Then Kamen Rider Rebirth readied his new backpack cannon in one hand while holding the Rebirth buster in the other. He fired dual handed at the army of Yummies that seemed to increase.
Back at Miharu, he drove the jet ski through the water with incredible skill. "Sorry I took so long! But now I understand, OOO, Tsubasa-san! I know what a Kamen Rider means to myself! If we fight for today then tomorrow will be waiting for us! I can't be crippled by my phobia anymore!" shouted the teen as he equipped a belt buckle with a blue water turbine in the center. "The source of fighting that fear and to be a Kamen Rider… It's not the just courage of a hero, but also that of a Protector! Henshin!"
The turbine in the buckle spun as the water splashing around Miharu's jetski slowed into the belt. Then a blue watery veil formed over Miharu, transforming him into a new Rider form. The helmet was a silver metal with yellow lenses and a blue mouth plate. The armor on his body was a blue with white energy weave and black armor plates on his chest and shoulders.
"So that's… the Kamen Rider from the future…" OOO said in awe despite his immobilized state.
"I am Kamen Rider Aqua! And I am the protector of the future!" announced Kamen Rider Aqua as he gained control of his jet ski and drove it at Poseidon.
"Tch." Then Poseidon swung his spear to fire off a water razor disc at Aqua who quickly used his vehicle to dodge the attack by performing a flip stunt.
Aqua reached to the water near him and summoned a wave that accumulated in size. "Take this!" Then he swerved his jet ski to gain momentum and swung his arm around, causing a large wave to slam into Poseidon.
"TIDAL CRASH!"
Poseidon was thrown from his position and collided onto the pier. Aqua sprang off the jet ski and he landed onto the pier in front of Poseidon who got up. Aqua quickly entered the offensive and attacked Poseidon who blocked his strike. Then the enemy Rider's guard was broken when Aqua swung his other hand upwards, knocking the weapon and Poseidon's arms upwards. Then he used a dual palm strike at Poseidon's chest, knocking the marine Rider off his feet and into a nearby drum barrel.
"Gah!" shouted Poseidon as he got up with a bit of difficulty. "Ugh… I won't… allow my fight to end like this!" shouted the Rider as he spun his spear and fired off a massive water disc at Aqua.
Aqua readied himself and allowed his right hand to glow with blue energy. Then he swung it down and smashed the disc attack in half.
"Poseidon… you are the form of my misplaced desire to fight… But this time, I decide why I fight!" proclaimed Aqua as he charged at Poseidon.
"Interesting… You hold such power… I will relish and win this fight!" shouted Poseidon as he also charged at Aqua. The two clashed once more, this time causing a series of water attacks to hit and splash about.
"Incredible…" muttered OOO as he got up though it was still difficult to move properly.
"Seems like the brat managed to get some backbone. Now you two need to get your acts together, he won't be able to hold this moment for long." Ankh stated as he sat.
"Ankh… What do you-"
"Gah!" shouted Aqua as he received a hit from Poseidon but quickly got back up to attack.
"Miharu-kun!" OOO shouted as he tried to get up but the energy shocked him, forcing him down.
"Eiji… how can we help him in the state that we were in? Is this the extent of our power... our bond?" asked Tsubasa as she felt useless with the immobilizing effect they were under.
"No… it isn't. If Miharu can get strong from gaining his courage then we need to change as well!" shouted the Medal Rider as he put his foot down on the ground despite the strain. "What allowed me to withstand the Complete Combo strain in the past was my resolve!" OOO said as he slowly stood up despite the shocks over his body. "What we both need is to be strong in our resolves…"
"...! You're right…" Tsubasa said as she also struggled to stand up but still could push herself to move. "Ugh… We need to understand each other's resolves… I want to be a sword that will cut down all who dare hurt my friends…" Then she remembered Kanade and Fen who supported her. "But..." Then there was the image of her actions that injured Akakishi and traumatized Hibiki. "I want to be a guardian so my mistakes in the past won't be repeated!"
"Yeah… I want to be a protector… and reach out to the many in danger no matter the cost!" Eiji remembered the faces of the people who were killed by the Noise and an injured Hibiki and Kanade from the disastrous concert. Then there was the little African girl who died because of him. "So my sins in the past… won't happen again!" OOO stood up with the energy surge growing greater.
Tsubasa and OOO stood up tall as the energy built up.
"So this pain…" The both of them said as the energy slowly started to merge and transformed into an energy bubble. "IS NOTHING TO WHAT WE FELT BACK THEN!" Then the bubble burst and the two were no longer suffering from the drawback of the Complete Combo Bond.
"Whoa! That was flashy." Rebirth commented before he shot off a few more shots that wiped out the remaining Yummies.
"Hmph, seems like they managed to get their act together. Eiji! It's time to get serious!" shouted Ankh as he took out three red Core Medals.
"Yeah! Ankh!" OOO shouted back.
Then the male with the claw arm threw the Medals to OOO who quickly caught them.
"Ikuze, Tsubasa!" shouted OOO as he slotted in the new medals.
"Hai!" Tsubasa responded back.
OOO took out the O Scanner and scanned over the three red Medals.
=SCANNING SYNC: AME NO HABAKIRI!=
=TAKA!=
=KUJAKU!=
=CONDOR!=
=(Eagle screech) TA~JA~DOL!=
Then a set of three red plate formed over OOO. The Head plate was a red hawk, the Body plate was a red phoenix, and the Lower Body plate was a red condor. The plates merged to form a single bird, transforming OOO into red bird-based armor with the blue light weave forming on his undersuit. His helmet formed a red visor mask while the lenses turned into a white along with his mouth mask. A burst of flames from his body caused an aftereffect of red transparent wings to form at his back.
Taka~
Kujaku~
Condor~
Ta~Ja~Dol~
Time Judged All~
Fire engulfed Tsubasa's body, and they dispersed to reveal her back in her default armor set.
"Huh? She didn't change?" wondered Ankh. Then suddenly, the pair of Kamen Rider and Symphogear dashed forward to help Kamen Rider Aqua, leaving trails of flaming feathers in their wake.
At Aqua's side, he exchanged strikes with Poseidon sending the two of careening to their respectives sides. Aqua quickly got up and charged at Poseidon who swung his spear. The water Kamen Rider ducked under the swing and used the downward momentum to hit Poseidon's helmet with the back of his right heel. Poseidon felt dazed a bit from the hit before receiving another blow from Aqua's knee, sending him sprawling onto the ground.
"Ugh…"
Aqua landed a distance and readied himself for the next attack to end the fight. "It's over, Poseidon!"
"Not yet, Aqua!" shouted Poseidon as he placed his hand on the belt buckle and suddenly spun it creating the familiar clinking sound of-
=SCANNING CHARGE!=
"What?!"
"You never knew about this power, so witness it firsthand!" shouted Poseidon as blue energy transfer into the spear as he held it in a throwing grip. Then the enemy Rider threw the spear at supersonic speed.
OCEAN JAVELIN
"Yabai!" shouted Aqua as he braced for impact from the attack.
(Insert Ost: FLIGHT FEATHERS)
Instrumental
As the attack closed in on him, Tsubasa and OOO appeared and deflected the thrown spear attack with their blades.
"WHAT?! Impossible!" shouted Poseidon as he watched his spear get deflected so easily.
A trail of ember feathers followed the pair as they turned to the future Rider.
"Are you all right, Aqua?" asked OOO.
"OOO! Tsubasa-san!" exclaimed Aqua as he let his arms down and saw that the two protected him.
"Sorry we were late, Minato. We had to sort things out." Tsubasa turned to OOO with a smile.
"It's fine. Let's stop him now, together!" said Aqua with an eager tone.
"Un!" responded the two with nods.
/Deja-vu mitai na kankaku seisai mitai na puratonikku/ - /A sensation like déjà vu, a platonic love like a restraint./
/Kasaneau memorī todoite Wishing/ - /I'm wishing that our overlapping memories are reaching you./
The three readied themselves to finish the fight with Poseidon. Tsubasa made the first move by jumping into the air and using her sword to fire off a wave of energy at Poseidon.
AZURE FLASH
Poseidon blocked the attacks with his arms before OOO and Aqua double-teamed him by striking him in the sides with two simultaneous kicks. Poseidon regained his ground and tried to strike back by summoning his spear into his hands and attack Aqua. Aqua ducked under the swing while OOO jumped over it. OOO used the height to perform a somersault kick, forcing Poseidon to block it. Meanwhile, Aqua performed another double palm strike into the enemy Rider's abdomen.
/Jūryoku mitai ni hikarete ichi miri no zure mo naku/ - /It's like we were drawn to each other by gravity without a single millimeter of distance./
/Hāto no doman naka wo inuita Song/ - /This song shot in the very center of my heart./
Sending Poseidon down once more, Tsubasa sang as she summoned a wave of blue swords to hit Poseidon. OOO joined her and allowed several peacock feather to form from his back before allowing several of them to attach to the floating swords.
Poseidon got up and saw the large amount of feather swords aimed at him.
The blades flew down and collided into the enemy Rider, creating a large amount of explosions.
ONE THOUSAND CRIES
The explosion created a cloud of dust, hiding the current state of Poseidon. Then the cloud dissipated to reveal the Marine with his armor now sporting damage along with cracks in the plating.
"I… won't back down… This fight isn't over!" shouted Poseidon as he charged at the group.
/Dakishimete...kono tsumi wo.../ - /Embrace me... With this sin.../
/Ryōte surinukete yuku puromisu/ - /We shall make a promise as our hands entwine./
/Onegai My star...dōka ima.../ - /Please, my star... Somehow, now...
/Tabidatsu tsubasa no kaze wo Ah kanadete/ - /Ah, play the wind of traveling wings./
"This is it! The last stretch!" shouted Aqua as he and the Rider-Symphogear user pair charged forward.
As they fought, Ankh now understood why Tsubasa still looked the same despite being under the effects of the Tajador Combo.
"So my combo is compatible with hers… No wonder Eiji chose her." The blond male smiled before he ducked under a Yummy and kicked it into a group that Rebirth and Satonaka managed to force together.
"Since they're going all out, I might as well do so too!" Rebirth said as he loaded two Cell Medals into the buckle before turning the dial.
=CELL BURST!=
Then Rebirth aimed his back cannons and fired on the group of Yummies with several laser shots. Then monster mooks exploded into broken cell medals which scattered about.
Meanwhile, Aqua, Tsubasa, and OOO clashed with Poseidon and they managed to deal staggering blows to him.
/Sā Starting! Hajimaru shinfonī densetsu wa koko kara to/Now, it's starting! This starting symphony will become a legend from here on out.
/Kono hikari no Live wa shinkuronishiti/ - /This live concert of light is our synchronicity
"I'll create an opening! You two finish him!" shouted Aqua as he charged forward.
"Got it!" then OOO used his Scanner and scanned over the three Medals in his belt.
=SCANNING CHARGE!=
OOO and Tsubasa flew into the air with the Rider using his razor wings and the Symphogear user using long-swords to project a vast stream of flames from both blades as well as her heels to fly. Then they dove headfirst at Poseidon.
"OCEANIC BREAK!"
Aqua made a sliding kick that formed a wave behind him, hitting the dazed Poseidon who took the full brunt of the attack.
/Sā Amazing kiseki okosou furueru kurai de ī/ - /Now, let's make an amazing miracle happen. We just have to at least touch it/
/Tabun soredake no monogatari nanda shinjite My road/ - /I'm sure it's a story as simple as that. Believe in my road./
"HAAAAH!/SEIYAA!" shouted OOO and Tsubasa as their flames engulfed them into the image of a phoenix, ramming through Poseidon and leaving two massive, flaming gashes in his armor.
SOARING PHOENIX
The two landed, leaving a trail of flames on the ground as the energy overtook Poseidon. "Gah… So today I fall... Heh, I'm satisfied with this... AAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!" screamed the enemy Kamen Rider as he exploded from the energy overload. OOO, Tsubasa, and Aqua stood tall as the explosion took place with Medals flying into the air including the Future ones.
"Yeah! They did it!" shouted Rebirth with his fist raised in the victory.
"It seems so." Satonaka said with a smile.
"Hmph, it's to be expected." Ankh said with a smirk.
After the fight, everyone was gathered together after collecting all of the medals that were dropped from the defeated enemy Rider. Then they were discussing on how to destroy the wormhole.
"If I jump through it, it should bring me back home."
"But we don't know that you will be able to safely travel through it, Miharu-kun."
"Yeah... but it's a risk I'm willing to take, Eiji-san."
"Seems like you grew some backbone. But no need to take risks when you have a ride, Miharu!" shouted a voice.
"Huh? Kotaro-san! It's been a while! Have your injuries healed?" shouted Eiji as he went to meet with the young man.
"After a short rest and the excellent service at the hospital, I'm fit as a fiddle!" Kotarou said with crossed arms. He and his Imajin, Teddy approached the group as the Denliner arrived on the scene. "Besides that, I'll be taking this troublemaker off your hands."
"Gomennasai, sempai." Miharu apologized to the older male.
"Hmph. Don't worry, if there weren't any time anomaly threats at least once a week, then I'd be out of a job!" stated Kotarou with a joking tone. "But let Owner sort out the consequences of your actions."
"Un! Everyone, I thank you all from the bottom of my heart! This trip has taught me that I can become a Kamen Rider with my own courage and power!" stated Miharu with a big smile on his face.
"Heh, seems like my hunch was right with Eiji meeting you." Kotarou said with a smile. "But let's get going, that wormhole won't stay stable for long."
"Yeah. Oh right! Eiji-san, here." Miharu said as he offered the pair of underwear he was given by Eiji.
The older male held his hand up and shook his head. "No, you keep it. Think of it as a reminder of this adventure and our words to you." Eiji said with a smile.
"Oh... Um, thank you!"
"Hey, Ankh! You say your goodbyes too!" shouted Kotarou from the train.
"Huh? What does he mean?" wondered Hina as she looked to Ankh before looking back at the time traveler.
"Eiji, seems like you found a good partner after my departure." Ankh said as he stood behind the young man.
"Yeah, she's a bit stubborn like you." Eiji said without looking back.
"Hmph, but she seems like a good match to your charitable idiocy." Ankh responded with a whimsical smile.
"Heh, Ankh… You're… going again, aren't you?" asked Eiji who gave a whimsical smile.
"I have to, my time is almost up."
"I see…"
"Here." Ankh said as he handed the binder containing the Core Medals that he and Eiji fought so hard to collect in their time together. "You'll get more use out of them now than I will. But promise me you won't go losing them."
"I won't Ankh." Eiji assured as he accepted the Medal binder.
"But! I'll be keeping my eyes on these. They already caused enough trouble for us." Ankh said as he held the three Future Core Medals that were responsible for the incident. Then he walked up to Tsubasa and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, take care of this idiot. He's a handful." Ankh said with a serious look.
"I will, even if he's a handful, Eiji is still my friend and comrade." Tsubasa said with a determined smile.
Ankh smirked as he walked forward to the Denliner. "Good. With wings like yours, I'm sure you will guide him further than I can from now on."
"Ankh! Wait! Why are you leaving?" asked Hina with a confused tone.
"He has to, Hina. Look." Eiji said as he took out the broken Core Medal.
"What?! Did it break again? But Ankh's right here…" Hina pointed to the man as he got onto the train.
"Uh-uh." Eiji said with a shake of his head. "It was still broken when we first met him at the train station. I thought it was strange…"
"But how…?"
"He came from Minato's time, specifically the future, right?" Tsubasa concluded while cupping her chin.
"Well I'll be. It's nice to know that Eiji succeeded in bringing back Anko." Date said with a smile.
Then the Denliner departed on its self-constructing railway with the wormhole as its entrance to the future.
"OOO! Tsubasa-san! Everyone! Arigatou! I promise to protect the future!" shouted Miharu as he rode the Denliner into the wormhole.
"Goodbye!" shouted everyone as they waved to the future Riders leaving.
"Goodbye Ankh." Eiji said with a smile as he watched the time anomaly close after the time-traveling train disappeared into it.
"Eiji-san..." Hina said with a worried tone.
"Don't worry. If his appearance means anything, then all I have to do is keep at it, and in the future... Someday in the future, I will be able to fix his Medal and we can see Ankh again!" Eiji said with a big smile as he turned to his female friend.
"In the future... Yeah! All we can do is move forward and hope!" Hina said with an agreeing smile.
"Eiji, it appears we still have a long way to go with our bond Score." Tsubasa said with a serious tone.
"Yeah, but we should tell the Second Division of our findings of the Bond Score. If we have problems because of our compatibility score... Then there could be similar instances with the others."
"Indeed, let's make contact with them soon. But... Do you think we understand each other a bit more?"
"...Yes, I think we do, Tsubasa." Eiji said while turning to her with a genuine smile. "And we'll continue to learn more about each other as time goes on."
"...Even if it is for better and for worse?" asked the bluenette.
"Even if it is for better and for worse."
"Well, with that all said and done. Let's get to celebrating!" Date proclaimed.
"Yeah… After all that fighting, I could go for a meal." Eiji confessed.
"Me too..." Tsubasa said as she and Eiji follow Date.
"Seems like you missed your chance, Hina." Satonaka said while observing the exchange between Eiji and Tsubasa.
"No, I think they fit well together, Satonaka-san." Hina confessed. "Besides, Eiji is quite frustrating at times. So he needs someone like Tsubasa-san to look out for him."
"True, he does seem to act differently when Kazanari-san's around. So let's join them, my shift just ended." Satonaka said as a ding sound was heard.
"Un!" Hina agreed before the two joined the group to celebrate their victory.
Inside the Denliner
"Hey kid." Ankh said as he sat at a table with the teen.
"Yes, Ankh-san?" responded Miharu as he sat waiting in the train.
"How did you feel after meeting them again in that time?" asked the man.
The young Rider did not answer but smiled as he covered his eyes and let a couple of tears fall. "It was nice… *Sniff* seeing them again after so long."
"Hmph. Good. Those two are quite the worrywarts over you. When we get back, I expect you to apologize."
"I know… After all of this, I just want to go home for a bit." Miharu said as the train reached a light at the end of the dark tunnel.
Back at the Second Division base
"Seems like that's the last of the Scores." said Akakishi as he breathed from an exhausting exercise after Shinnosuke and Go managed to arrive later that day.
"Indeed. We will pick training up first thing tomorrow afternoon."
"Understood, Master! I mean, I feel like I could improve even further." Then the redhead stood up and walked out of the room with his mentor. The Kamen Rider Club members had already left for home, so the two of them along with the staff in the Second Division base were left.
"…" Tendou gave a nod before widening his eyes when he saw the circuits on Akakishi's arm flicker a bit.
"Master? What's wrong-?" Then the redhead felt his legs give out and the older man quickly grabbed him.
"Akakishi!"
"Ugh... Did my sleep spell kick in again?" Akakishi asked as he held his head.
"I'm afraid it's much worse. It appears your condition is deteriorating faster than we anticipated…" Tendou said with his eyes narrowed in concern.
Then he supported the redhead as they walked towards his room. "I guess that explains why I felt so sluggish in since early this week. But…" Then the sweating redhead placed his foot down and soon forced himself to move at his Master's pace. The circuits in his body reigniting its lights. "I can't give out now… Not until Miku, Hibiki, and I meet together once more!"
One verse ends and the Chained Symphony sings to the next:
An understanding of weakness
"Damn… can I continue to fight like this?" wondered Akakishi as he felt his own body struggle with the lights in his circuits flickering.
"Aka, I will become your strength!" proclaimed Hibiki as she held his hand.
"Hibiki…"
Reforges a bond anew
"The Gungnir Score is shining!"
And New Allies Join the Fight
"Nice to meet you all, the name's Carter Graves. And this is Amelia." A tanned young man introduced himself and the blond haired girl to the group.
"N-Nice to meet you all!"
"I'm Liam Cryo, this is my twin brother Lian and our little sis Leah."
An important assignment
"You will all be responsible for transporting the Durandal to a secure location."
Leads to a reencounter
"Kenzaki."
"Tendou!" shouted the armored woman as they clashed and blew up the area they were in.
"All right Rookies, get ready for your first fight!" shouted a brunette man as he keyed in a code into his cell phone before inserting it into the belt on his waist.
Next time on Kamen Rider Ixa R: Combined Resolution!
"From here on out, let's show them the power of our bonds!" shouted Akakishi as he stood ready to fight with Hibiki.
Author's Note:
Another chapter done! And I had to watch the last fight between OOO and Poseidon a bunch of times before changing up things in this story.
And I've decided not to accept any more submissions because going big on the first season team may have been a bit much for me so I decided to cut my workload to the pairs I have accepted.
Kamen Rider Kuuga II – Amelia (Gae Bolg)
Kamen Rider Crisis and Kamen Rider Cryo
Kamen Rider Faiz – Leah Cryo
Kemen Rider W- Natsuko Shizukana and Fuyuko Shizukana
PM me if there are any questions related to these pairs.
And I am going to be a bit busy trying to come up with the next few chapters of my Kamen Rider Record fanfic!
PS: I will be updating this chapter a couple of times.
Personal Update 9/5/17: Man, this thing is driving me crazy! How can I make this lesson of bonding work?! It feels so shallow! Ugh... This is going to grate me...
Update: 9/15/2017: After talking to ShadowBladeKnight, I decided to change Enrique to Fenrir in of the chapters mentioning him due to the wishes of the creator and my own negligence of asking permission. Yeesh, I really am horrible at communication...