Episode 4: Up from the Abyss

Shinji couldn't help but smile as he entered Atori Café. It was only yesterday that his new friend Miyuki Tezuka had revealed himself as Kamen Rider Raia and announced that he shared the same goal as Shinji: Stopping the Rider War and changing the fates of the Kamen Riders. Currently Tezuka was sitting at a table, waiting for Shinji to arrive with Ren hanging back near the café's windows.

"About time you showed up Kido." Ren greeted.

Tezuka let out a brief chuckle. "Come on Ren. You know that dragons are heavy sleepers."

"I don't think Dragreder's habits will carry over to me." Shinji smiled. "And I'm only late because I had to fill up my bike on the way here. Besides, I'm here now, so let's go over what we know about Scissors."

Ren nodded. "For starters, there's been a string of mysterious disappearances at the antique shop owned by Tomoyuki Kaga. Disappearances that are all too like how the Mirror Monsters operate."

"Then there's the fact that Kaga hasn't been seen outside his shop for a while." Shinji continued as he flipped through the notes Reiko had left in his care. "I would've said there's no way he could get out, but the advent decks let us pass through any reflective surface. Meaning he's got an easy way out wherever there's a reflection. Coupled with encountering Scissors the other day, I'd say we've got a pretty solid confirmation."

"And it looks like he doesn't have any issue with his monster feeding on people either" Tezuka noted with a frown. "The longer he's out there, the more likely his victim count is to increase. We need to put a stop to him."

Ren shrugged. "That shouldn't be too hard. The next time Scissors shows his face, I'll destroy him, taking out some of the competition."

Tezuka raised an eyebrow as he looked towards Ren with a inquisitive look on his face. "Are you certain you can do that?"

"What do you mean?" Ren asked as he narrowed his eyes.

"You're speaking as if it would be easy for you to take another life." Tezuka answered flatly. "I have no doubt that you're an experienced fighter. But let me ask you this: Have you ever had to kill another person before? Destroying Mirror Monsters is one thing, but if you really have no qualms about slaying the other Kamen Riders then why did you spare Shinji when you could have easily killed him while he was surprised and exhausted from destroying the Dispider?"

Ren stiffened at hearing this and frowned as he stared down Tezuka. "Kido didn't know what he'd gotten himself into when I first met him. Now he knows, so I won't have killing someone who's clueless on my conscience." Unconsciously, Ren placed his hand against the necklace that held his reason to fight. "And whether I can or can't kill is irrelevant. I have to if I want to claim the wish."

"Don't be so quick to assume your fate is set in stone." Tezuka replied calmly. "You never know. Someone, or something, just might lead you towards a better path." Silently, Tezuka spared a glance at Shinji.

"It's easy to see why you and Kido get along so well." Ren sighed as he shook his head. "If either of you need me, I'll see if I can dig up anything else on Kaga."

Ren grabbed his coat and left Atori Café. Shinji would've followed him, but Tezuka held him back, a shake from the fortune teller's head signaling that it would be best if Ren was left to his own devices. Shinji couldn't help but sigh as he heard the engine of Ren's bike roar to life. "I'm sorry that Ren acts so… prickly. He can be a bit cold, but deep down he's a good person." A small smile spread on Shinji's face. "At least, he's a better man than he thinks he is."

"I can tell." Tezuka smiled. "Still, he was right about one thing Shinji. You and I are alike."

Yui couldn't help but beam with happiness at the pair. "I didn't think we'd ever meet a Kamen Rider who also wanted to stop the Rider War."

"Yeah," Shinji chuckled. "I joined this whole thing by complete accident. The deck I found was meant for someone else."

Tezuka smiled sadly. "How about that? Another thing we have in common as Riders."

"Your deck was meant for someone else too?" Shinji asked.

"Yes." Tezuka nodded before snapping his mind back to the present. "But that's a story for another time. If I recall, I said that I'd be training you."

Shinji nodded enthusiastically, shaking his head up and down feverishly. "Yeah, that's right!" Both Yui and Tezuka couldn't help but smile at Shinji's enthusiasm. "Are we starting out today?"

"I can't think of a better time." Tezuka chuckled as he pulled out his advent deck. "All we need is the nearest mirror."

Shinji nodded as he took his own advent deck out of his pocket and followed Tezuka to the nearest mirror. Both of them held their decks up to the mirror, and summoned the V-buckles onto their waists, Shinji crossing his right arm over his chest while Tezuka extended his right arm forward with his index and middle fingers pointing up.

"HENSHIN!" The two declared! Phantom greyscale images of the Ryuki and Raia armors spun around Shinji and Tezuka before colliding into them, transforming them into Kamen Riders Ryuki and Raia respectively.

"Yosha!" Ryuki pumped his fist! "See you on the other side of the mirror, Tezuka!"

Raia couldn't help but chuckle at Ryuki's enthusiasm as he watched the dragon rider leap into the mirror. The stingray rider followed suit mere seconds later, mounting the Rideshooter that was waiting for in the corridor between the real world and the Mirror World. An instant later, Raia's Rideshooter exited the corridor and emerged in the Mirror World. Upon dismounting, Raia saw Ryuki waiting for him.

Ryuki clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly. "So what're we starting out with?"

"You seem fairly aware of the basics but let me give you a quick refresher." Raia began. "You're familiar with your Advent Cards."

"Yep." Ryuki nodded. "Contract/Advent, Sword Vent, Guard Vent, Strike Vent, and Final Vent. Basic cards that every Rider has."

Raia chuckled. "Well, you're right about two of those cards." Raia then pushed back a segment of his arm-mounted shield, the Evilvisor, to reveal the card slot before drawing a card from his deck. Placing the card in the visor, Raia then closed the visor.

"SWING VENT!" The Evilvisor announced as a whip that resembled Evildiver's tail dropped into Raia's waiting hand. This was the Evilwhip Beneath his helmet, Ryuki's eyes blinked in astonishment at witnessing this new advent card.

"The two cards every Rider has in common are their Advent and Final Vent." Raia stated as he brandished his whip. "However, all other cards are unique to each Rider, giving them different strengths and weaknesses. As you've just seen, one card that's unique for me is Swing Vent."

Ryuki nodded as he opened the Dragvisor and drew a card of his own. "Guess I'll have to earn you showing me all the cards in you hold." Slotting the card in, Ryuki shut the visor!

"SWORD VENT!" The Dragvisor announced as the Dragsaber descended into Ryuki's raised hand, the dragon rider charging at Raia with his sword poised to strike! Raia remained calm, and sidestepped Ryuki's swing before swinging the Evilwhip and ensnaring Ryuki's Dragsaber. With a hard yank, Raia sent Ryuki tumbling to the ground! An amused chuckle escaping the stingray rider's throat.

"It would seem your skills aren't as sharp as your sword." Raia commented as he watched Ryuki recover.

"Yeah." Ryuki groaned as he got back on his feet and dusted himself off. "But then again, that's the point of training me, right?"

Raia nodded. "Indeed. You had the right idea in making the first move but charging leaves you too open and is far too telegraphed. Should your opponent avoid the charge, you are left vulnerable to attacks or being disoriented."

"Anything else I should know?" Ryuki asked.

"Your swordsmanship could use some work." Raia stated. "You have the stance right, but you tend to swing with too much weight. And while that can put more force into your hits, it also makes them slow, something that could be the difference between life and death in a fight. I'd advise you to put less weight into your strikes, alongside keeping your movements more fluid. Rigid movement leaves no room to correct and defend yourself if you should miss your mark."

Ryuki nodded in understanding. "I get it. That way I don't get stuck tanking unnecessary hits and I get to keep up a combo if I land one."

"Exactly." Raia confirmed. "Perhaps you'd like to see what I mean with a hands-on example? Come at me again Shinji. This time, I won't side-step."

Once again, Ryuki mounted a charge at Raia. However, instead of side-stepping, Raia lashed out with his whip to interrupt Ryuki's charge and force him to stop! With a flick of his wrist, Raia's whip lashed against Ryuki's side, the dragon rider staggering long enough for Raia to get in more lashings! Ryuki noting that each swing of Raia's was fluid and smooth, with just the right amount of weight behind them. An instant later, Ryuki found himself on the ground, looking up at Raia's outstretched hand. Smiling beneath his helmet, Ryuki accepted Raia's help in getting to his feet.

"That's some pretty solid advice Tezuka. I really appreciate it."

"I'm glad you found it helpful." Raia said. "However, this won't be the only sort of lesson you'll learn from me."

Ryuki tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Not every Rider wants to be saved, Shinji." Raia answered. "Some are so committed to getting the wish they'll refuse to listen to reason. And then there's ones even worse sorts than that."

Ryuki gulped at hearing this. "What kind of Rider could be worse than that?"

"I pray you never have to encounter anyone that bad." Raia sighed. "But honestly, chances are you'll run into one of those types sooner or later. I haven't encountered any other Kamen Riders save for you, Ren, and Scissors."

"So, any other combat tips you've got for me?" Ryuki asked.

Raia shook his head. "No, I'd say you've gotten enough tips for the day. But I'd be happy to answer any questions you have regarding Mirror Monsters or the Mirror World."

"Yui already answered most of my questions, but there's one thing that's been on my mind." Ryuki scratched his chin. "I've noticed orbs of energy that appear whenever a Mirror Monster is killed, and our monster partners seem to gobble them up."

"Ah, those orbs would be the life energy of the destroyed Mirror Monsters." Raia answered. "Alongside the life energy of the victims they devoured, if any."

"You mean I've been feeding Dragreder-?!" Ryuki asked in shock.

Raia raised his hand for Ryuki to calm himself. "I understand that fact is upsetting, but it's better than just letting the energy go free. If you do, that energy will just reform into a Mirror Monster. But more importantly, the energy is used to feed your Contract Monster. That way you don't run the risk of your partner devouring people. Furthermore, you should keep your monster well-fed. Because if you don't feed it enough, your Contract Monster will eat you."

"I see." Ryuki said as he took out Dragreder's card from his deck. "So, our Contract Monsters are more like attack dogs than real partners. That's kind of sad."

"Don't be so certain about that." Raia countered. "Contract Monsters are different from regular Mirror Monsters. I assume that's because contracting with a Rider grants them greater intelligence, but I can't say for certain. And with this greater awareness, they can develop bonds with their contractor. Due to how long we've been fighting together and how well-fed I've kept him, Evildiver and I have a rather good relationship. Sometimes he'll even come to my side without me slotting his card in."

Ryuki stared down at Dragreder's card briefly before returning his attention to Rai. "So how'd you contract with Evildiver? Did Kanzaki present him to you alongside the advent deck?"

"No." Raia shook his head. "Evildiver wasn't the monster that was supposed to be contracted to my deck. Rather, I found him while searching for a monster to contract with."

"Huh. That's similar to how I contracted with Dragreder." Ryuki said. "In my case, Dragreder was following me. I thought for sure he'd attack me when I first saw him, but he didn't. It was like he was studying me, trying to see if I was worthy. Probably because the person my deck was intended for never contracted with him."

"Well, I think Dragreder is pleased since he has a knight with the courage to ride with him." Raia chuckled. "Any knight can slay a dragon, but it takes a special kind of one to tame it."

Ryuki couldn't help but chuckle sheepishly. "Not bad for a guy who stumbled onto this by accident, huh? So what's next for us?"

"I'd say we've spent enough time in the Mirror World for now." Raia replied. "Besides, we still need to figure out how to get Scissors to face us."

Ryuki nodded. "Yeah. I don't want his Contract Monster running around freely either."

The two heroic Riders made their way towards the same mirror they'd entered the Mirror World from, leaped into it, and returned to the real world in a flash, removing the advent decks to dismiss their armor and revert to their civilian forms.

"I think we should wait for Ren to come back from his info gathering." Shinji suggested. "He might have dug up some extra information that could really help us in drawing out Scissors."

Tezuka nodded. "I agree."

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise." Yui said with a smile. "I didn't think I'd ever see Kamen Riders working together."

Shinji couldn't help but grin. "With Tezuka training me, I'll stand a better chance of the other Kamen Riders hearing me out! There's no way they'd listen to me if they could just toss me around like a ragdoll."

"So did you forsee Shinji becoming your student, Tezuka?" Yui asked. "You did say you were a fortuneteller by trade."

Tezuka smiled warmly. "I only met Shinji because he stayed on his current path. My predictions are rarely wrong, but that doesn't mean they're set-in stone. So long as people take it upon themselves to change their path, their fate can be changed. And I aim to change the fate of the Kamen Riders."

"I'd truly love to see that happen." Yui sighed as she shook herself out of her gloom. "Care to give me a demonstration of your talents?"

"It'd be my pleasure." Tezuka answered as he took out the coins he used for fortune telling and tossed them into the air. An instant later, they landed on the bar counter. But upon seeing their arrangement, Tezuka was surprised. "Hm. Strange."

Yui looked at the coins' arrangement and then back to Tezuka with a puzzled look on her face. "Tezuka? Is there something wrong?"

"I've never seen an outcome like this." Tezuka furrowed his brow in concentration. "For the first time, I'm seeing a complete blank. I can't tell what lies ahead for you, Yui." A small smile crept onto Tezuka's face as he met Yui's gaze. "But I suppose you could say the future's undecided for you. Meaning you take any direction you'd like."

Yui beamed at hearing this, and returned to her tasks. However, Tezuka's expression turned serious as he paid another glance to the coins.

'Or it could mean you don't have a future… 'Tezuka thought grimly as he gathered up the coins and returned them to his pocket. 'There's something odd about you, Yui. But what is it?'

Meanwhile, Ren had just finished up his hunt for information on Kaga and was on his way back to Atori Café. As he rode on his bike, Ren reflected on what he'd been able to gather.

'No one's seen or heard from Kaga in a while.' Ren thought. 'And the disappearances happened shortly after Kaga went off the map. Kaga was also suspected of illegal activities from what Kido shared with me. Hmm. Maybe Kido's day job can help us draw Scissors out. Still, there's something that bothers me about all this. The detective that Kido met at the hospital said Kaga was holed up in his antique shop, but I couldn't find any signs of the place being lived in. Not a blanket or discarded food containers from ordering take-out.' Beneath his helmet, Ren's eyes narrowed.

'Maybe I should take a closer look around that shop…"

Ren soon arrived back at the café and took a seat near Shinji and Tezuka.

"How'd you hunt for information go, Ren?" Yui asked.

"I didn't turn up anything that different than what we already know." Ren shrugged. "But I did get an idea how we might draw out Kaga. And your job just might be the ticket Kido."

Shinji tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"You mentioned that Kaga was suspected of illegal activities." Ren began. "That was reinforced by the detective that paid your senior a visit at the hospital. According to the detective, Kaga's holed up inside his shop for fear of being arrested in public. So, maybe he wants a chance to tell his side of the story."

"And ORE Journal can help him with that." Shinji nodded slowly. "And when he's at a location we agree upon, we confront him about his identity as Scissors. I'll drop by Kaga's shop and leave a card after I pitch him the offer."

Ren furrowed his brow in confusion. "Aren't you going to preach about how you're going to try and change his mind and get him to join with you and Tezuka to defend humanity? Especially after he's content to let his Contract Monster feed on people?"

"Ren…"Shinji said with a serious look that Ren had never seen before. "I know full well what his monster's done. But I'm still going to try and convince him to band with us to defend humanity from the Mirror Monsters. You can call me a fool for that, but I like to believe in the good of people."

"And how good has that worked out for you?" Ren snorted.

Shinji smiled in respond. "I believed in the good you have in you, and you haven't let me down yet."

"…You just wait until it's time for me to defeat you." Ren replied coldly. "Why you're wasting time trying to befriend me is something I'll never understand."

"I wouldn't say it's a waste." Tezuka said calmly. "A friendship with Shinji could lead to a better future for you, Ren."

'I never really wanted friends.' Ren thought with a sigh. 'Still, if I ever did, I guess someone like Kido might be good. Probably because he's too stupid to get scared off by my cold attitude.'

"Just help with the plan." Ren grumbled.

Shinji nodded, and immediately headed out on his bike to Kaga's antique shop. When he entered, the shop was completely silent and there was no sign of the owner having holed up there. Filing that detail away for later, Shinji called out to Kaga.

"Mr. Kaga. My name is Shinji Kido. I work for ORE Journal, a news site." Shinji called out, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of Kaga lurking in the shop. "I know that you've been suspected for the disappearances that've been going on in this area, and that the police are pointing their fingers at you. If you'd like to clear the air, here's my card. Contact me when you're ready to talk." Shinji dug the card for ORE Journal out of his pocket and placed it on the purchase counter.

"But that's not all I'd like to talk about. I also know that you're a Kamen Rider." Shinji declared. "I know that the Mirror Monsters eat people and are more than likely responsible for the disappearances in your area, but that doesn't mean you have to let your Contract Monster feed on people too! You can do good with the power you've been given! We should be using the advent decks to save humanity, not fight each other. If you'd be willing to hear me out, well, you have my card." With that, Shinji left the antique shop and stopped by Atori Café to inform Ren, Tezuka and Yui of the plan's progress before heading home for the day.

The next day came soon and Shinji found himself going into ORE Journal just like any other workday. However, his routine day was interrupted by the phone at his desk ringing.

"Hello?" Shinji asked as he picked up the phone.

"I gave some thought to what you said the other day." A disguised voice said over the line. Shinji's eyes widened as he quickly pieced together that Kaga was the one calling him, but he made sure to keep calm since it wouldn't be wise to make a commotion in the office. "You're right. I assumed that since Mirror Monsters fed on people that Volcancer should do the same. You said you were willing to hear my story? Meet me at the following address. We'll talk in the Mirror World. With the police hounding me, I'd like the extra privacy."

"Uh-huh." Shinji nodded as he scribbled down the address Kaga gave him. "Anything else?"

"I'd prefer it if I knew my potential allies' names." Kaga said from his end of the call. "We'll be working together to protect humanity after all. Also, could you give me the address of Yui Kanzaki?"

Shinji was hesitant to answer after hearing Kaga's request. While he did want to unite the Kamen Riders, Tezuka's words from their training session went off in his head. If Shinji carelessly gave out Ren and Tezuka's identities, he could be placing them in danger. And just how did Kaga know about Yui?

"You'll find that out after Knight and Raia meet you at the location we've agreed upon." Shinji stated quietly. "But how do you know about Yui?"

"Shirou Kanzaki said that whoever got close to Yui would have an advantage in the Rider War." Kaga answered. "I just wanted to know if she had any idea what that advantage might be."

"I'll save you the trouble, not even she knows." Shinji responded. "But I hope this doesn't deter our meeting."

"Not at all." Kaga replied.

"Thank you." Shinji said with a nod as he hung up and whipped out his personal phone. Using his break to contact Ren and Tezuka about Kaga's call. "He gave me an address, and he also wanted your identities. But by far the biggest red flag was that he wanted Yui's address. Kaga said that whoever got close to her would get some sort of advantage, but I doubt even Yui knows that that would be."

"Maybe you're not a total fool after all, Kido." Ren said from the other end of the line.

"Don't give me too much credit. I said he'd be meeting us all, but it could very well be a trap." Shinji sighed. "And I haven't thought of any way to work around that yet."

"Leave that to me." Ren answered. "I've got just the trick for this situation. And springing the trap will actually work in our favor."

Mirror World, Warehouse

Kamen Rider Scissors waited in the warehouse he'd agreed to meet Ryuki, Knight, and Raia at. He'd been waiting for a decent while, but his patience was soon rewarded as a nearby mirror began to ripple. Kamen Rider Knight stepped out of the mirror and was promptly crushed by falling debris that was dropped from the ceiling! Scissors nodded in satisfaction and went over to finish off Knight but was shocked to see Knight flicker before fading away. The sound of footsteps alerted Scissors to the appearance of another Rider, Scissors slowly turning to face the new arrival. Ryuki had arrived in the Mirror World.

"Don't worry. Knight and Raia will be joining us soon." Ryuki stated as he stared down Scissors. "I thought it was weird you'd want to know their civilian identities so quickly, but what really tipped me off is that you mentioned Yui without ever meeting her."

Scissors' eyes narrowed beneath his helmet as he drew a card and slotted it into the Scissorsvisor, summoning the Scissors Pincer onto his right arm. Giving the claw a few snaps, Scissors charged at Ryuki, but the dragon rider sidestepping Scissors charge and landing a fierce kick to Scissors' side! While Scissors was staggered, Ryuki drew a card from his deck and slotted it in.

"GUARD VENT!" The Dragvisor announced as a shield stylized after Dragreder's stomach materialized in Ryuki's hands. This was the Dragshield, and it came in handy for blocking Scissors' vicious claw swings.

Ryuki grunted as Scissors kept trying to hammer away at his shield, but the shield's defense proved greater than the Scissors Pincer's offense. Using this to his advantage, Ryuki charged right into Scissors with his shield at the front, ramming into the crab rider and knocking him back a fair bit! While Scissors was down, Ryuki drew his Sword Vent card from his deck and slotted it in. The Dragsaber descending into Ryuki's free hand before the dragon rider shifted into a combative position. Scissors had just gotten to his feet, but his hopes for victory were squashed when Knight and Raia stepped out from the mirror Ryuki had used to enter the Mirror World. All three heroic Riders were ready to close in on him. Or at least, they would have if a sudden blast of water didn't hit them from the side. Ryuki, Knight and Raia were sent sprawling from the high-pressure blast of water, and soon discovered the source of the attack.

Standing in the doorway of the warehouse was a new Kamen Rider. The new Rider's undersuit was black with the sides being blue, and he was more armored than any other Rider to date with ocean-blue armor covering his chest, legs, and arms. But what distinguished the new Rider the most was the shark-shaped gauntlet that covered his left hand, and his helmet, which had a mouthpiece that resembled a shark's shut jaws. Further cementing the shark-motif was the small fin atop the new Rider's helmet, the fin-like protrusions on the helmet's sides, and the aqua-colored advent deck nestled in the Rider's V-buckle. This was Kamen Rider Abyss.

Abyss lowered his right arm, armed with a gauntlet shaped like a shark's head, the source of the blast of water earlier. The shark rider spared a brief glance at Ryuki and his comrades before turning his attention to Scissors. Scissors panicked as Abyss advanced towards him and was about to draw a card when Abyss spoke.

"Easy with the draw there, Scissors." Abyss said casually as he dismissed his weapon and put his hands up to show he meant no harm. "I'm on your side. My boss has been following your activity for a while now, and he'd like to have a word with you. Considering I just saved your hide from those three, I'd say you owe my employer the courtesy of listening."

Ryuki groaned as he and his comrades recovered from the Abyss's ambush. "Who… are you?"

"Ah. How rude of me." Abyss chuckled. "Name's Kamen Rider Abyss. And you might be seeing me and Scissors working together when we next cross paths."

"Why would you stick your neck out for another Kamen Rider?" Knight demanded as he pointed the Darkvisor at Abyss. "The rules of the Rider War state that only one Rider can be left standing to claim the wish."

Abyss folded his arms and chuckled. "I've already got my wish granted, batty-boy."

"What do you mean by that?" Raia questioned.

Abyss uncrossed his arms and pointed at himself. "I'm what you'd call a mercenary Rider. I offer my skills to whoever can pay me the most, and my employer was more than happy to oblige. And so, I'll do as he asks. That includes saving crabby here."

"And is your employer a Rider too?" Ryuki asked as he tightened his grip on the Dragsaber and Dragshield. "How do you know he won't turn on you? You know you can't drop out of the fighting once you're contracted to a monster!"

"Sorry, can't tell you! Confidentiality and all that." Abyss shrugged. "As for concerns about being turned on, I could handle my boss no problem. There's a reason why my boss was so quick to hire me. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got to get Scissors to an important meeting."

"I'm not gonna let that happen!" Ryuki declared! "Scissors let his monster feed on innocent people! I won't kill him for that, but I am going to make him answer for it!"

Abyss sighed. "Then we're gonna have a problem, aren't we?"

"You assume correctly." Raia confirmed as he slotted his Swing Vent card into the Evilvisor, the Evil Whip descending into Raia's hands.

Knight followed suit and slotted his Sword Vent card into the Darkvisor, summoning the Winglancer to his hands. All three heroic Riders brandished their weapons, waiting for Abyss and Scissors to make a move. Scissors stood completely still as he looked back and forth between Abyss and the three Riders who'd previously cornered him.

"Nothing personal, guys." Abyss said as he opened the jaws of his visor and drew a card from his advent deck. "Just doing my job." Abyss placed the card in the visor and closed the jaw, like the shark gauntlet was eating the card.

"SWORD VENT!"

After the visor's announcement, Abyss's gauntlet dematerialized, and a pair of swords appeared in his hands. The swords resembled a bunch of shark teeth strung together and looked like they could easily tear into Mirror Monsters or Kamen Riders. Abyss stormed forward and brought one his blades down hard on Ryuki, the dragon rider barely raising his shield to block the vicious swing! However, Ryuki didn't have the chance to breathe easy as Abyss brought down his other sword! Ryuki barely managed to parry the strike, but fortunately help came in the form of Raia and Knight mounting their own charge against Abyss. Unfortunately, Scissors decided to step back into the brawl and grappled against Knight, the crab rider's Scissors Pinch locked against Knight's Winglancer. Raia made it to Ryuki's aid, and lashed out with his whip, forcing Abyss to put some distance between himself and Ryuki. The two heroic riders staring down the mercenary.

Abyss spared a brief glance to Scissors and saw that the crab rider was getting utterly beaten by Knight. For every brutal swing of Scissors' claw, Knight perfectly parried with the Winglancer and retaliated with a swift thrust! Sparks showering forth from where he'd struck Scissors' armor. Seeing how things weren't going well, Abyss dismissed his Abyss Sabers and resummoned his visor.

"If this carries on, my boss'll be cross." Abyss grumbled as he aimed the Abyssvisor at the heroic riders and fired blades of highly pressurized water at the pair! Ryuki blocked the blasts with his shield while Raia used his whip to dispatch the blades before they could reach him. However, this was a distraction so that Abyss could aid Scissors, firing high pressure water blades at the bat rider! With Knight staggered, Abyss grabbed Scissors by the arm and fled through the nearest reflective surface!

"Ren!" Ryuki cried out as he rushed over to Knight's side. "You alright?"

Knight gestured for Ryuki to keep his distance as he got to his feet, propping himself up with the Winglancer. "I'm fine. Visors that double as weapons have a decent hit, but Riders' signature weapons deal more damage."

"In any case, we'd best take our leave." Raia suggested. "And we still have no clue as to whether Kaga is truly Scissors."

"Actually, we do." Knight stated. "There's something at Kaga's shop I found, and I think you two might want to see it."

The trio of Kamen Riders headed back to the real world and traveled to Kaga's antique shop. Once they arrived, Ren led the group over to a wall that had been busted open. A corpse's hand in plain sight for the trio.

"Ren…"Shinji gasped. "Who's in the-?"

"The show owner, Tomoyuki Kaga." Ren answered. "And he's been in there for a good while. About as long as the frequent disappearances."

"Then… who's using the Scissors deck?" Shinji thought out loud.

Meanwhile, Scissors and Abyss had re-entered the Mirror World, Abyss leading Scissors to a building. Once inside, Abyss guided Scissors to what looked like a meeting room.

"My boss is waiting for you back in the real world." Abyss informed Scissors. "After you."

Scissors cautiously stepped through the mirror and emerged into the real world. Waiting for him was a man in a grey business suit. Beneath his helmet, Scissors' eyes widened, he recognized this man.

"Ah, so good of you to come." The man said as Abyss emerged from the mirror next. "Good work Abyss your services are worth every yen."

Abyss nodded. "You get what you pay for."

"Indeed." The man chuckled. "Now then, would you be so kind as to unmask yourself detective?"

Scissors narrowed his eyes as he removed his Advent Deck, his armor vanishing in shards and revealing his identity. The bearer of the Scissors deck was not Tomoyuki Kaga, but Masashi Sudo, the police detective who'd delivered Reiko to the hospital the night she was attacked. However, the truth of the matter was that Sudo had been Reiko's attacker.

"How did you find out who I was?" Sudo demanded.

The man smiled. "When you have ears in the underground, you tend to pick up a few things. For example, you've been involved in some rather dirty dealings. Things an upstanding member of the police force would never be caught dead doing. Something Tomoyuki Kaga helped keep under wraps until he decided that his work was worth more than the cut you gave him. But shortly after that, Mr. Kaga disappeared. Then a new string of disappearances started occurring in the area around his shop. I believe that was when you met an associate we have in common: Shirou Kanzaki."

"What do you want?" Sudo demanded. "Did you ask me here just to blackmail me?"

"Blackmail? Oh no, Detective Sudo, you're mistaken." The man clarified. "This is a job offer."

"And if I refuse?" Sudo asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I assure you there are very few reasons why you should." The man chuckled. "Not only are all your dirty little secrets kept under lock and key, but you would also get a more substantial paycheck while under my employ. Not to mention two allies in the Rider War."

"You have another Kamen Rider on your payroll?" Sudo snorted.

"Once again, you are mistaken." The man chuckled as he pulled out an Advent Deck from his pocket that was lime-green in color "So what do you say, Detective Sudo? Do we have a deal?"Sudo was silent for a moment before extending his hand forward.

"Excellent!" The man grinned. "Welcome to the team."

AN: This chapter took longer than expected, but it's finally here! Hope it was worth the wait! As always, reand and review!