Kamen Rider Chaldea
Chapter 03 : Their Resolve
Author's Note : I'll be taking the pace for this story easy for now. Don't wanna rush it after all.
Disclaimer : I (obviously) don't own the Kamen Rider series, the Fate series, and My Hero Academia. They belong to their respective owners.
Ritsuko Marufuji, also known with her nickname Gudako, sat on the bed of her apartment contemplating the sudden decision that she had made for the past few weeks.
Ever since meeting that... weird masked Hero, she had made several changes to her life. Changes that even she is not sure she would appreciate.
She started working out daily, with one simple goal in her mind : to enter UA High. Whether she would graduate or become a Hero is a separate matter. She was never one to think about the prospect of becoming a Hero, being Quirkless would do that to you. So this was a major decision for her.
She was just an aimless girl before. Someone that just went with the flow. She had no goals for herself, no desire to do anything, and no passion to work with. She was fine with whatever school that her parents would choose for her back then, thinking that if she does not want anything, might as well just make them happy by letting them choose it for her. She's just going to do what they wanted like usual.
But the meeting on that fateful night changed her. She remembers clearly the words from the mysterious Hero. She remembers it as if it was yesterday.
"Kamen... Rider? What's that? Your Hero name?"
"Eh? you never heard about a Kamen Rider before?" He asked with... a surprised tone? His face was fully covered by the mask, but it's clear that he wasn't expecting my ignorance.
I simply shook my head. "No, not really."
"Ah, is that so... I guess this is why Tsukasa-san wanted my help on this..." He muttered the last part quietly but I could vaguely hear him mention the name 'Tsukasa' or something, whoever that was it seems he was the one working behind the scene.
This is my first time meeting these so called 'Heroes' face to face. I was never a big fan of them, I always thought that real Heroes doesn't exist. The one I see on the media and news were fakers, real Heroes wouldn't want to get paid for their services. People who worked for money and fame in their mind doesn't deserve that title. "Why..?" I asked him. "Why did you help me? I don't need your help. As you can see with that unconscious baldy over there, I could take care of myself."
"I don't doubt that you can, but I just so happen to be nearby, and couldn't resist helping."
"...Helping? Yeah right. So you could report this little incident for more fame? Or did you expect to gain another fans for your 'good deeds'. Which is it?"
"Neither. I don't need a reason to help people, I don't expect to be thanked, I don't need the gratitude, and I don't need the recognition. I helped because I want to. And if you don't need it, I'm willing to apologize to you in return." His answer were firm and with no hesitation at all. It doesn't sound like something he rehearsed in front of the mirror everyday. It felt... genuine.
"Besides..." He continued. "I'm no hero, far from it. I never went into any Hero school, I never passed any exams, and I've never done anything to deserve being called that."
That one was... surprising. "So you're a Vigilante then? People who are not recognized by the government as a 'Hero' yet still try to fight crimes?" Essentially, what he is doing right now is illegal. In the eyes of the government and the brainwashed masses, he is no different than a Villain.
"Is that what they're calling it? Well I guess I am one then." He accepted the title without any fuss. What's with this guy? He doesn't know about something so basic? "I'd still prefers my Kamen Rider title though." He admitted.
"Like I said before, what exactly is a Kamen Rider?"
"Well from where I came from, Kamen Riders are armored Heroes who use their power for the sake of others. Whether they have a Quirk or not doesn't matter, as long as people needed help, then they'll be there to bring back their smiles... Yeah I guess that about sums it up. We often wear Masks, hence the name 'Kamen', meaning 'Masked'. And most of us have our own personal motorcycle, this is where the 'Rider' part comes from." He explained.
He kept referring to this 'Rider' as if there are more than one of them out there. Which is strange because I've never heard about any of them before. "Pretty idealistic, but I've never heard about you and your friends before."
He sheepishly put his hand on the back of his head, scratching it. "Like I said, we're not from around here. And based on what you said, it seems I'm the first one stationed here..."
"The first one...?"
"Ah, looks like I've spent enough time here, I better get going. Perhaps someone else needed my help right now." He turned his back away from me.
"Wait!" I stopped him, I still wanted to ask more questions for him. "What will you do now?"
Still facing his back towards me, his head turned to face me. The purple visor still glows menacingly. "Me? I guess I'll be going on patrol now. It may seems like an illegal and thankless job to you, but I don't mind it. That would be a better use of the time of a no good guy like me."
I shook my head. "I don't mean that, I mean like in long term."
"Oh That... Well, I guess I want to try to earn my license soon. I've never finished high school before you see, due to... special circumstances. So I wanted to experience it purely for the sake of living my youth and the convenience of it. Having a license means that I don't need to face the authorities after all."
"I see, so I assume you'll be attending UA?"
"Probably." He answered. "Strange, I wanted the cool and mysterious image for my debut. But for some reason I find it easy to talk to you. I wonder why..." He admitted.
"...One more thing, what is your Quirk?"
"Would you believe me if I said that I didn't have any?"
"You're Quirkless? But that's..."
"Impossible? Not really. Quirkless Heroes have always existed since ancient times. They've done feats thought to be impossible purely through sheer will and perseverance."
"And you're saying that you want to be a modern version of those Heroes?"
He chuckled bitterly at my question. "Hah! Me? A Hero? No way! A nobody like me can't be compared with the great Heroes of the past. Besides, I'm a cheater who needed this suit of armor to be able to do anything. This armor is the actual Hero, not me."
"..." I stayed silent, not knowing what to say. This guy kept downplaying himself for some reason.
"Ah, just ignore that. I'll be going now, stay safe, okay?" He told me as he launched himself towards the top of a building some distance away.
"...A Quirkless Hero, huh?" I muttered. That night, Something inside me changed.
Over the last few weeks since that meeting, there have been several reports of a 'masked Vigilante' saving people from thugs or solving small time crimes. Most of the witnesses said that the Vigilante didn't say anything, only giving a thumbs up at them and disappearing into the night. As with any Vigilante, the government has decided to apprehend him, notifying any nearby Heroes to capture and detain said Vigilante if sighted.
"How ironic, a Vigilante more heroic than most Heroes, yet he got the same treatment as any Villain..." Gudako said as she browsed an article on her phone titled MYSTERIOUS MASKED VIGILANTE SIGHTED! WHAT EXACTLY IS HIS GOAL?
She scoffed at the dramatic title. "His goal? Probably nothing grandiose, just a dude who wanted to lend a helping hand." She put her arms across her forehead, tired with all these dumb news.
To her, that guy is someone close to a true Hero. He didn't fight crime for the rewards or anything like that. He didn't get any satisfaction or even thrill from the battles. He does it simply because he thinks it's the right thing to do. A simple answer, but sometimes simple answer like that is all you need.
Just like her, he is someone born without a Quirk. But unlike her, he wanted to make a difference. Sure, that armor might be the one providing him with the power to match people with Quirk. But Gudako didn't care about details like that. She could feel it, that armor is powerful, with that kind of power most Heroes wouldn't be able to stop him, yet he decided to use that kind of power for the sake of others.
Even with all he had done, that guy never claimed to be a Hero. He mainly deals with stuff most Pro Heroes wouldn't give a damn about. Like muggers or purse snatchers, nothing fancy or showy at all.
All of this... intrigued her. She wanted to see what else that guy would've done. For some reason, she felt drawn to him. She never felt like this with anyone before.
If she needed to enter UA to meet the guy behind the mask, then so be it. She'll pass that dumb entrance exam and unravel the mystery of that masked Hero. She won't let being Quirkless stop her.
Her decision to try to enter a Hero school understandably surprised her parent, they were hesitant at first, knowing how dangerous it would be. But after seeing the resolve and shine on her eyes, they finally relented.
Was it irresponsible of them to do so? Perhaps. But their only daughter never showed any desire and interest towards anything before, so even if it's a little unusual for them, they were happy to see that their beloved daughter wanting to carve her own path in life by her own hand.
Gudako were always unmotivated. But her athletic abilities and reflexes are top notch. Now with the fire of motivation burning on her eyes. Who knows what kind of heights that she could reach?
Humans... I've never understood them completely. As a supposedly superior and perfect being, a mere human shouldn't be able to stop me.
Yet, I've lost to one back then. I could attribute that loss because of my misguided love towards them. But for my second and third loss... I don't even know anymore...
The current 'me' is different from the 'me' from back then, literally and metaphorically. Yet, in the end we both almost sacrificed everything for the sake of one person. Different circumstances, different person, yet the same conclusion.
"Sooner or later, I'm sure you'll end up just like me. So go ahead, struggle and worry all you want. When you find your own love. That is what will happen."
The words of the 'me' from back then resonated within me. I ignored her back then, thinking that as a copy, I can't develop my own feelings separate from the original. But now those words came back to haunt me.
Can you even blame me? I'm not supposed to fall in love. That's just not possible. My primary objective is to take care of humans. Not a single individual, but humanity as a whole.
But for some reason, just saving that one person is more important than the rest of humanity for me. As long as he is alive, as long as he is happy, and as long as he is with me... I'm willing to abandon everything else just for him. As far as I'm concerned, he is a part of humanity, and as long as he exists, humanity is not lost. And that's a-okay with me.
I've seen it... The future that awaits him... It's filled with nothing but despair. The destruction of his... our home, The death of even more people dear to him, and suffering betrayal after betrayals.
In this scenario, even 'winning' will not bring him any joy. Because to get the victory he so desired, requires the sacrifice of an entire civilization and the death of millions. It's either them or us, as the saying goes.
Knowing him, he'll put up an act in front of the others. Acting as if everything is fine and dandy. But on the inside... that pure soul of his will slowly crack under the pressure. He will never be the same after that.
"Humanity's future sucks anyway! So why shouldn't you just keep reliving this summer forever, so everyone can be happy?"
That was what I asked him back then, I genuinely wanted him to agree with me. Because if he agreed, I won't have to resort to forceful methods. He and I could live happily ever after on the moon. What happened to Earth afterwards would be none of our business.
But it was all for naught. He didn't directly answer my question, but I knew exactly what kind of answer that he would give. He didn't know the real reason, the reason why I kept looping time back. But even if he knew, I knew his answer wouldn't change. He's not the kind of person who would abandon others after all.
Seeing the light of innocence leaving his eyes... Seeing that smile disappearing from his lips... It felt as if I've failed my primary objective of guiding humanity. No... Even more than that, it would feel as if I've lost something irreplaceable.
That's why... With the limited knowledge of the future that I've gained, I'll guide him to the best ending possible. An ending where he can truly be happy.
Hah, what a troublesome Senpai you are. You're lucky that you have a capable Kouhai like me to take care of you. I mean, you're my precious little toy, you know? I can't have you breaking on me.
So keep on moving forward, save as many people as you can, and destroy as many worlds as you needed. This devilish Kouhai will stand beside you all the same.
Dagobah beach, it fell into a sorry state after being neglected over the past few years. The locals have turned the once beautiful beach into a dumpster... for some reason.
Slowly but surely, thanks to the effort of a certain green-haired boy, the beach has started to slowly regain its former glory.
Izuku Midoriya have been working diligently and tirelessly the past few weeks ever since he met his new friend, Ritsuka Fujimaru.
A simple word of encouragement from the other boy motivated Izuku to do even better on his training. Gaining remarkable progress in the cleaning process of the beach.
"Midoriya my boy, you've gotten really fired up recently." His trainer, All Might stated as he observed Izuku's progress.
"A-Ah! D-Did I do something wrong?" The boy stuttered.
"Perish the thought! It's actually a good thing. At this rate, you could be done with this beach earlier than we expected. And then we can move to the next phase where I train you on your new Quirk's usage."
"R-Really?" Izuku asked with a glint of hope on his eyes.
"Indeed, just as long you're not overworking yourself. You didn't do any extra training again did you? Your body needed rest after all."
"N-No, I didn't. I've learned my lesson, All Might."
The older man nodded and put his hand under his chin, examining his protege. "Hmm, hmm. Did anything good happened recently my boy?" The Pro Hero asked, wanting to know what lit the fire in the boy's eyes.
"W-Well, I've met a new friend recently, and he's been really supportive in regards to my training."
"I see! The support from others!" He snapped his fingers in realization. "Training can get real tedious sometimes, but an encouragement from others would really help staves off the creeping slothfulness. Reigniting the flames of fervor in our heart!" All Might passionately explained.
Izuku didn't give any audible response. Only smiling at the memories of the dark-haired boy who have unknowingly influenced him so much in the short times they've spent together.
Speaking of Ritsuka, Izuku never met him again ever since that night. This worried Izuku a bit. He just hopes that the other boy didn't get into any troubles.
"Haaah... haah..." Ritsuka panted heavily in front of his new apartment. Those Heroes were relentless, chasing him like some kind of prize money, especially that Woodman and that Giant Woman.
Luckily, all he had to do was hide in some random alley and cancel his transformation. A foolproof plan, some random Quirkless boy can't possibly be that heavily armored Vigilante after all.
He slid in his keys and opened the door. Having had enough 'fun' for today. This apartment may not be big, but for the past few weeks it had been the place putting the roof under his head. He found this place for cheap after a few days of searching. The only downside is that it's located on the outskirt of the city, where crimes are more commonplace.
He checked his phone for any news of any ongoing crimes. By the way, the phone is a custom made Chaldea phone made by the resident genius Da-Vinci. Lightweight yet durable, and easy to charge too. As long as it gets sunlight, it'll never run out of battery. Very convenient.
Not finding anything worth checking out, he decided to let his tired body lay on the bed, getting a well deserved rest after another night of patrolling the street. He closed his eyes, slowly lulling himself to sleep. Before a familiar voice interrupted it.
"BB Channel!"
Ritsuka jolted himself awake from the bed. 'T-This voice...! It can't be! I didn't bring anyone else here. So how did...'
"Mou, I've already said the magic word there, Senpai. So it'll be your responsibility to tune in!" That familiar voice came from the phone! Ritsuka quickly grabbed and examined it.
And sure enough, on the screen is a face that he had gotten used to. Still wearing her trademark long black coat with a red bowtie. It's his other purple haired Kouhai (or so she claims). "BB?! I-Is that you?"
"That's right~ Who else could have a face as adorable as this? It's the ultimate AI and your greatest Kouhai, BB-chan~" She gave a peace sign combined with a wink from her purple eyes.
"B-But how did...?"
"It doesn't matter how, wherever you go, I will follow. Whether to the end of the universe or even another dimension entirely. Those distances means nothing for this faithful Kouhai!" She boasted with a puff of her... rather sizeable chest. "Jokes aside, it's simple, Senpai. I'm not the real BB. Just a fragment of herself that she sent to your phone discreetly in case you went missing again. Looks like she made a good call. Way to go, me!"
Now that he has managed to calm himself down, Ritsuka decided to inquire her about something. "So you've been there the entire time?"
"Yup~ But I went dormant for a while to learn about this world and its history. So while you've been busy playing Hero, I've been brushing up my knowledge."
"Oh, that's very helpful. You're just as capable as the real BB!"
"That's right! I can do most of the things that she could do, except for materializing outside this phone and fight. Too bad for you huh, Senpai?"
He shook his head. "That's all right. At least on this world, let me do the fighting. You guys have worked hard enough for our world already. I can't directly involve you guys with this one too..."
"...Aww, when did you become so dashing, Senpai? I left you alone for a few weeks and you've developed into such a noble young man." She asked in her usual teasing tone. "Gasp! don't tell me! You've already conquered the heart of another young maiden and now you're trying to act cool for her sake?"
"N-No! Of course not. I kept my identity secret from everyone this whole time after all." Ritsuka stammered, trying to reassure her.
"Hehe, same old Senpai." She remarked while shaking her head. "By the way, you transform with those SG Cards thingies right?"
"That's right. It allows me to borrow the power of the Heroic Spirits from Chaldea."
"I see, I see. Then what about my card? What kind of power did it gave you?"
"Uhh... I haven't used any other card beside the one from Mash." He sheepishly admitted.
"Oh, woe is me. I guess I'm not important enough for you to notice, huh?" BB put her hand on her forehead in a fake-hurt tone.
"W-Wait! It's not that I didn't want to. I just haven't found myself in a situation where I needed it. Besides, I haven't unlocked the Cards of any other Servants."
"Really now? Check again, Senpai."
Deciding to just comply with her request. Ritsuka opened his Card Holster. The Shielder card is there like always, but the blank card behind it looks different somehow... "Wait, this isn't a blank card!" He quickly picked it up.
The card currently on his hand is indeed not blank. It showed an image of the purple-haired girl currently on the screen in front of him. The one on the card smiled smugly with her hands on her hips. Just like the Shielder card, there is a symbol on the lower side of the card, this one is the symbol of a cube, with the word 'Moon Cancer' inscripted on it. The name 'BB' is displayed right below it.
"Now then, feel free to use 'me' as you see fit Se•n•pa•i~"
A little interim before we reach the entrance exam of UA.
That's right, Gudako is also here. I changed up her name a bit to differentiate her from her male counterpart. Ritsuko sounds good enough as her name.
BB, quite the complex character. I've always enjoyed her antics, so I wanted to include her on this story. Now I don't claim to understand how her mind works, but what she did to Guda on Summer 3 left a huge impression on me. Before, I made peace with the fact that Guda will always be second fiddle compared to Hakuno, but now I don't even know anymore. So this is how I chose to interpret her. Of course, this is just my headcanon.
I'll see you next time.
