Interlude 2: Padoru Panic

The elevator continued to ascend, cutting through the blue sea, leaving bubbles in its wake.

Inside, the view was a bit less mysterious. Takeru was again training with a stick, swishing it down on an imaginary enemy like he was doing on the roof of the place they were staying on the first stratum.

Emu meanwhile was playing on a video console he found in the cupboard and hooked up to the TV. Oddly enough, it was a Genm Corp console, with Mighty Action X installed. How one would be in this mysterious game Emu didn't know.

I guess it could be considered product placement? Emu had thought.

Takeru put down his stick, panting, and turned to Emu sitting on the floor.

"Really? You're playing video games?"

Emu paused the game and turned around.

"My powers come from video games. This counts as my training, doesn't it?"

Takeru sighed and laid back on the couch too tired to argue.

As Emu turned back to his video game, he noticed an electronic calendar on the wall. It was rather simple for the technologically advanced nature of the world, showing month and date. Right now, it said that the date was the 23rd of December.

"Takeru-san, did you know that it's nearly Christmas?"

Takeru got up excitedly.

"Really?"

Emu pointed at the electronic calendar. Takeru smiled.

"Finally, a rest from all this fighting."

Then he had a thought.

"Emu-sensei, what should we do this Christmas?"

Emu didn't know. Did they even still celebrate Christmas in this futuristic world?

"I don't know. A Christmas Tree or something?"

"But where would we get one?"

And at that moment, Saber's voice rang out from further inside the elevator:

"Praetor, come and look at this!"

Both Emu and Takeru got up and went to where she was.

Saber was looking through a doorway at a pitch-black room which none of them could see the other side of.

"Praetor, this room is very intriguing! I want you to come with me inside!"

Emu and Takeru looked at each other.

"Umm… Saber? Are you sure this is a good idea?" Takeru asked.

"Umu! How can one call oneself a hero if one is afraid to enter a simple dark room!" Saber responded smugly, striding into the room with confidence. Emu and Takeru had no choice but to follow her.

As they stepped into the room and walked towards the centre, the door behind them slammed shut rapidy, plunging the three into total darkness. The three turned around rapidly at where the door had been. Emu facepalmed.

"…Saber, you got us in a trap."

Emu couldn't see Saber's face, but he could still feel her smug aura. Was she really fine with this?

"Umu. It seems we have. But no matter. Let us sharpen our blades on the enemies we face!"

And as soon as she finished her sentence, the room suddenly blazed to life, blinding the three momentarily. Suddenly, Emu felt the room getting colder and his feet touching something soft. He opened his eyes.

They were now in a field with trees all around them, snow pouring down from a dark twilight sky, blanketing the entire area. Some of the trees had Christmas decorations on them as well. All in all, the scene looked like something out of a Christmas card.

So, this is how we're going to celebrate Christmas, huh?

Reindeer men and snow golems began to materialise out of the snowstorm, walking towards the trio. The reindeer men were holding Candy Canes, and as silly as they looked, their eyes burned with a hunger for blood. The snow golems looked so depressed, but they walked forwards at the same pace as the Reindeer Men.

Saber materialised her sword. "And there are the enemies I expect! Come on, Maestro! Let's take these foes down!"

Emu took out his driver, and Takeru materialised his. They respectively took out their transformation devices and activated them.

Emu pressed the button on his Mighty Action X gashat.

MIGHTY ACTION X!

The game screen materialised, and the same brown blocks as before flew out of it.

Takeru inserted his Eyecon into his driver and closed it.

EYE!

BATCHIRIMINA! BATCHIRIMINA!

Both of them posed, but their poses were a little stiff due to the cold.

"Henshin!" They shouted.

Emu slammed his Gashat into the Gamer Driver and opened it, while Takeru slammed the side lever of the Ghost Driver in. Their armours materialised, and Takeru's Parka Ghost equipped itself to him like a coat once again.

Kamen Rider Ex-Aid and Kamen Rider Ghost have entered the fray.

Emu materialised his Gashacon Breaker and looked at the different brown blocks in the area. Suddenly, he saw the one he needed. With a run and a jump, he smashed that brown block, and out of it flew out an Energy Item showing a figure with a Santa Claus hat. It flew into Ex-Aid's chest, making him glow.

CHRISTMAS!

Ex-Aid turned into a Chibi version of himself with a Santa hat and a beard holding a sack. He looked down at himself and remembered the one time that he used this form back in the real world. It was also Christmas. However, that day was also the day when Kiriya died…

Nope, not now. I need some rest from all that heavy emotional stuff. Let's enjoy this for now.

He rushed back to Saber and Ghost, who were dealing with the wave of Reindeers and Golems quite well, slashing through them like they were made of butter.

"Hey, Saber! Takeru!"

The two turned to Emu. He opened his sack and took out more Christmas Energy Items.

"I think we need to get into the Christmas mood! Catch!"

He threw them at Saber and Ghost, and they also flew into their chests, changing their appearances.

Saber also gained a Santa Claus hat, and her dress became felt with a white fur trim, like a Santa Claus outfit, and she was also carrying a sack.

Takeru's coat, meanwhile, had turned into something similar to a Santa Claus outfit as well, red with a white fur trim, and his hoodie had gained a white bobble as well. The mask now has a Christmas tree on it as well.

It looks like it really was Christmas for the three.

Saber looked down at her outfit and smiled broadly. "Umu! Truly this outfit suits me greatly! I shall wear it with pride! Indeed, although Christmas is a Christian celebration, it used to be Saturnalia, a decisively Roman one!"

She turned to Emu and Takeru. "You two, let us go forth and defeat our foes!"

The two nodded their heads and charged into the fray.

Ex-Aid, although his legs were stubbier in this form than in his normal form, was no less agile, jumping around the enemy Reindeer men and Snow Golem like an excited child on Christmas Day. Indeed, he definitely was in a festive mood, smacking them with his sack and occasionally tossing debuff Energy Items into their ranks, slowing them down and generally causing mayhem. Ghost, meanwhile, was using Santa Damashii's bells to smack down the Reindeer and Golems, all the while summoning hail to rain down on them. Finally, Saber was also using her sack to smack the enemy, all the while humming to herself.

In no time flat they dealt with the first wave of enemies, but already a second wave was generating off in the distance and rushing toward. Emu and Takeru readied themselves, but Saber stepped forwards.

"Fear not, Maestro, for I have a new ability thanks to this special Mystic Code you gave me! Let me demonstrate it to you!"

She turned to the incoming enemies.

"One-Use Noble Phantasm activate!"

The snowfall began to intensify and swirl around Saber, blinding everyone in the vicinity, including the incoming monsters.

"See the glory of the great festival of Saturnalia! Hear the singing of the pure white rose of Christmas! In the name of the snow and the rose, arise! Aestus Domus Niveus!"

The snowstorm cleared, and what appeared in its place was a great outdoor amphitheatre made completely out of snow and ice. The amphitheatre was so large it enclosed all of the enemies that had been summoned inside it. The Reindeer men stopped and looked around, confused as to what was going on. The Snow golems still looked miserably ahead.

Saber dropped her sack and inhaled. Emu and Takeru quickly took cover, anticipating what was coming. Then, Saber sang at the top of her lungs.

HASHIRE SORI YO!

KAZE NO YOUNI!

TSUKIMIHARA WO!

PADORU PADORUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!

And with the last Padoru, the enemies flew backwards, as if blown back by some immense force, hitting the walls of the amphitheatre and dissolving into dust.

Saber finished her singing and turned to Ex-Aid and Ghost, an eager smile on her face. "Well, Maestro. How did I do! As you can see, my singing was so good it blew them away!"

Emu and Takeru got up from the ground and uncovered their ears.

"Well, it did bring the house down…" Takeru said. "But I don't think we'll be wanting any encores."

Emu agreed.

With that, the amphitheatre collapsed, leaving a cloud of snow.

"So is that it?" Emu asked.

Then a voice from within the cloud of snow rung out.

"You are not finished. Not until you get past me first."

The cloud cleared, and a figure stood in the centre of what used to be the ampitheatre.

The figure was also wearing a Santa outfit and holding a sack, except the Santa outfit was black with a white trim. Her face was very similar to Saber's, but her skin was a pale white, and her expression was as cold as the ice around her.

"Good evening. I am Santa Alter, a Rider Servant. The final challenge for your little Christmas Quest. I am the true Santa, the one who brings happiness to children around the world! All you three are Fakes, therefore I must destroy you! Only I can be the true Santa and the one who bring joy to everyone! So this is a cease and desist from Santa himself"

Emu stepped forwards.

"Is the Christmas Spirit not everyone's to share? We may be imitating you in appearance, but the spirit we have this Christmas is real! We will not allow you to monopolise Christmas."

Takeru also stepped forwards.

"Yes! It is everyone's job to enjoy Christmas! We are not fakes at all! We are as real as you are when it comes to this season!"

Finally, Saber stepped forward.

"Umu! This Christmas, we shall celebrate together by destroying this Scrooge of a Santa, this Ebenezer of a geezer, this killjoy who wishes to stop us celebrating this season! You're not even real! You're not a fat man with a beard and a large belly like Santa should be!"

Emu and Takeru stopped and looked at Saber weirdly. She realised the hypocrisy of what she was saying and blushed.

"…anyways, we will defeat you! No questions! Let us go, Maestro!"

The three rushed forwards at Santa Alter.

Santa Alter sighed. "Well, this is the role I have this year." She muttered.

"Well, I've got to make the most of it."

Out of her sack she pulled out a black sword with red markings and with a single swipe cut the three's assault short. The trio were thrown backwards by a black aura emitted by the sword.

"You three are weak." Santa Alter said, pointing her sword out at the three. "You do not deserve to live through this Holy Grail War, or this Christmas either. Goodbye."

She then swing it back and began charging for an attack, black aura amassing around her sword and expanding outwards.

Emu and Takeru got up.

"Well, I guess the best defense is a good offense, right?" Emu asked Takeru.

Takeru nodded. So did Saber.

"Let's go, then. I'm getting tired of this lazy writing."

He pulled out his Gashat and slammed it into his Gashacon Breaker.

GASHATTO! KIMEWAZA!

Takeru pulled out his Gan Gan Saber and brought the eye symbol on it close to the Ghost Driver.

DAI KAIGAN!

Saber held up her sword, imbuing it with fire.

Santa Alter had finished charging her sword up. By now, the aura was almost 7 foot long and ready to mow down anyone in its path.

"Here's a present from Santa! Drown in Christmas Darkness! Excalibur…. Morgan!"

She swung her sword forward, and a torrent of the dark aura barrelled towards the trio. All the while, Santa Alter was humming Jingle Bells, oddly enough.

"Then, we will retaliate with the same!"

MIGHTY CRITICAL FINISH!

OMEGA BREAK!

"Triple Christmas Gamer Ghost Buster!" Emu shouted.

The three slashed the air in front of them, leaving three red slashes in the air. They moved forwards while spinning, combining into a giant spiral of red and green that momentarily took the shape of a Christmas Tree. It hit the dark aura and held it in place momentarily, then it pierced through the aura, drilling until it reached Santa Alter, where it hit her square in the chest and smashed through her, a PERFECT popping up at the place where it entered.

Saber fell to her knees, electricity sparking around her.

"No… I can't die… For the sake of the Children… I can't fall…"

She fell forwards and exploded, raining down candy canes and confetti from the sky as the GAME CLEAR sound played. The room then faded into black, and the door that they came through opened in front of them.

Takeru and Nero turned to Emu.

"Triple Christmas Gamer Ghost Buster? That's a terrible name for an attack!" Takeru said.

Saber agreed. "Indeed, it is hastily put together."

"Well then you should have thought of something better!" Emu retorted.

"Anyways, why did you call out the name of that attack. We don't normally do that, don't we?" Takeru asked.

Emu scratched his head. "Well…"

"If all else fails, we can blame the writer." Saber affirmed.

The two nodded in agreement.

Walking out of the door, the trio reverted back to their normal outfits. The Riders de-henshined and flung themselves onto the sofa.

"Man… that was a weird adventure." Takeru sighed.

"Agreed. Rather badly written, too. Generic villain, terrible motivation, weak mooks…" Emu trailed off, too tired to think.

"But at least we enjoyed ourselves, right?"

"Umu. Beating down those enemies was a welcome rest from dealing with all that stuff about death and morals. Especially with me being able to release that once in a lifetime Noble Phantasm! Maestro, would you like me to replicate that here-"

"No!" Emu and Takeru responded in unison. They didn't want to suffer the same fate as the enemies in the simulation as well.

Hi, everyone. It's the writer here.

To celebrate Christmas, I decided to quickly cobble together this Chapter for Christmas Eve. It's not up to the usual standard, so I do apologise.

This is the last of the funny interlude stuff I will be making for now. The normal story progression will return in the next Chapter.