Episode 13: A New Player

Shinji couldn't help but feel down as he walked into ORE Journal's office. It was only yesterday that he and Kitaoka had rushed to fight a Mirror Monster, only for Kamen Rider Abyss to swoop in and unveil the very advantage that made him valuable as a mercenary Rider: A second blank Contract Card. An advantage that Abyss promptly put to use as he contracted with the Mirror Monster, Abysshammer, and gained a new weapon in the process.

'I can't help but shudder at the possibility of him gaining a new Final Vent in the process too.' Shinji thought as he sat down at his desk and got to work, scanning through his photos for which to use in related articles for the next post. 'It's odd. Doing my dayjob helps me forget my worries. Usually it's the opposite for most people. Then again, most people don't need to fight in a battle royale that's a cross between Highlander and Yu-Gi-Oh!."

Only a couple of hours had ticked by as Shinji performed his duties for the day when Reiko stopped by his desk. A pleasant smile on her face as she addressed her junior.

"Hey, Shinji." Reiko greeted. To her astonishment, Shinji didn't respond at all. "Shinji?"

Again, no response. Reiko frowned as she leaned forward and knocked on the top of Shinji's computer, snapping the intern out of his trance.

"Ah!" Shinji squeaked out in surprise as his awareness of the outside world returned. "Oh, Reiko. Sorry about that."

"Something on your mind, Shinji?"

"Yeah… you could say that." Shinji chuckled weakly. "Just some personal matters I'm dealing with. No need to worry about it though, I'll work it out soon enough."

"Ah." Reiko nodded before a smirk crept across her face. "Girl troubles already? You're growing up so fast."

"It's not a girl!" Shinji snapped! His cheeks flushing bright red. "I don't even have a girlfriend!"

"Nanako might change that." Reiko giggled. "She was quite taken by your little rescue mission."

Shinji spared a glance toward ORE Journal's best and only programmer who was staring dreamily at him. Key word being "was" as she immediately ducked her head down upon Shinji's attention. Shinji couldn't help but sigh at the display.

"Nanako's nice and all, but she's not really my type." Shinji stated firmly. "I see her as a friend and co-worker. That's all. Now are we done snooping into my love life, or do I have to probe about how Kitaoka's got you in his sights?"

"Just having some fun with you, Shinji." Reiko smiled. "Besides, you're not feeling so down anymore, right?"

"… Yeah." Shinji nodded.

"Well, you're moods about to skyrocket." Reiko beamed. "Chief Okubo's given us an assignment."

"Really?" Shinji perked up at hearing the news.

"Yep." Reiko nodded. "He's been pretty impressed by all the work you've been putting in. Plus, your heroics during Nanako's kidnapping earned you some major points in his book, too."

"Glad to know I'm a credit to the team." Shinji smiled. "So what's the case?"

"Lately there's been reports of masked figures showing up at locations and fighting each other." Reiko began. "Reports state the people are clad in black cloaks and attack each other with weapons, and fight until one's left standing. This next part is… disturbing. The police reported that the individuals who were defeated were dead."

'A group of people fighting to the death?' Shinji's frown spoke volumes about how troubling he found this news. It was all too similar to the Rider War. "What in the world could possess people to fight and kill each other like this?"

"We might just find out soon enough." Reiko answered. "One of the deceased had a card on him that should point us in the right direction."

"Great. So where are we off to?"

"Matrix Netgame Club." Reiko stated with a determined look on her face. "Hopefully we can uncover something there."

"I hope Chief Okubo doesn't try to spin this as a 'videogames cause violence' sort of story." Shinji sighed. "God knows the West does that so many times."

"I HEARD THAT." Daisuke called out from his office. "And for the record, that argument's made by close-minded and fun-hating puritans!"

"Good to know we've got a forward-thinking boss." Reiko giggled. "You all set to go, Shinji?"

"Yep." Shinji replied as he grabbed his notepad and followed Reiko to her car.

The drive to the net gaming club went smoothly, but parking was another story due to the packed streets forcing the pair toward a parking garage. With the parking settled, Shinji and Reiko headed over to the gaming club's building. Funnily enough, the sign for the building was styled after the font used for the American movie of the same title.

"So how do we do this?" Shinji asked. "Chances are they've got headphones on so that they can shut out any outside noise. Either that, or they're blasting the audio through their computers' speakers."

"Simple." Reiko smirked. "Turn off their screens. That's sure to get their attention."

Reiko opened up the gaming club building's door and stepped inside with Shinji following close behind her. To the surprise of both, Matrix Netgame Club was surprisingly small. Only a few people were in the building, but all were playing games at the moment. Thankfully, nobody was blasting their game's audio through the speakers so loud that Shinji and Reiko would have to shout over the noise to ask questions.

"Excuse me?" Reiko called out. "Which one of you is in charge here?"

"That'd be Jun." One of the game club members replied as he rapidly clicked his mouse with his right hand and mashed keys on his keyboard with his left, his glasses catching the reflection of the game he was playing. All while answering in a calm, disinterested tone. His eyes glued to the screen all the while. "But he's not here right now. He's busy preparing the next round of a tournament we've got going on."

"Do you know when he might be back?" Reiko asked.

"Don't know." Another club member answered. "Besides, what're you doing bothering us here?"

"We work for ORE Journal, a news site." Shinji answered, stepping forward with a frown. As he approached the rude club member, he paused to take a look at the man's computer monitor. What looked to be a fighting game was displayed on it, but what caught Shinji's attention were the characters on the screen. They bore a striking resemblance to the mysterious figures that were reported fighting to the death.

"My junior and I are here because there's been reports of masked individuals fighting each other to the death." Reiko continued. "One of them happened to have the business card of this place. We were hoping that you could tell us more about them."

"No can do." Glasses replied. "Besides, he's not worth talking about now that he's bit it."

"Not worth talking about?" Shinji's face had a look of complete disbelief as he took in the man's words. "A friend of yours just died! How is that not worth talking about?! Don't you want to stop any future incidents from happening?!"

"Hey. He lost the game he was playing." Glasses responded with a shrug. "He knew what he was getting involved with and the stakes that came with it. And ultimately, he lost."

"Fighting with your life on the line isn't a game." Shinji said with a slight icy tone, his mind flashing back to the Rider War. "Unlike your games, you don't have infinite continues in the real world. All you have is one shot!"

"Isn't that what makes it all the more thrilling?" The man asked, excitement creeping in his voice as he smirked. "A game where you only get one chance?"

"Shinji…" Reiko said with worry in her voice as she put a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "I think it's time we go."

Shinji blinked for a moment, but sighed as he realized Reiko had a point. It was best that they leave now before one of the club members really got a rise out of him. As the two headed back to Reiko's car, the senior reporter decided to speak her mind about Shinji's actions.

"You know that wasn't professional behavior, right?" Reiko asked calmly.

"… I know." Shinji said with a dejected look on his face. "Guess I'm farther off from being team-member material, huh?"

"Not exactly." Reiko shook her head. "While I didn't care for the tone you had, I can certainly appreciate your intentions. Far too many reporters out there are just scrounging for stories to land them their next big paycheck. But you? You actually care about the topics you're assigned. You have a genuine passion to seek out the truth and spread it to inform people. You want to use your work to do good, Shinji. That's something truly admirable."

"Well, I could probably do it in a more professional matter." Shinji chuckled. "But what that guy said? People fighting to the death being a game? It's just so wrong. Some people I knew back in high school and college were pretty into games, but they were fully aware that there's no extra lives in reality."

"That's because they were ordinary people." Reiko stated with a frown. "The members of this club? They're not."

"Obviously." Shinji snorted. "So what's the next move? Head back to the office?"

"Not just yet." Reiko shook her head as a smile crept across her lips. "There's still some gamers we haven't thought to ask yet. Clubs like these tend to be filled with the hardcore or elitist sort. I think it's time we hit up a more casual audience."

"Well then," Shinji smirked as his eyes brightened. "Let's hit the arcade."

Shinji and Reiko's search for information took them to two arcades, but unfortunately no one had heard anything about masked figures fighting to the death. Feeling defeated, they left the card for ORE Journal behind in case anyone decided to contact them. Needless to say, Daisuke was a bit disappointed at the lack of results.

"Let's hope this doesn't turn into an ongoing case like the disappearances." Daisuke sighed. "Lord knows the police already have their hands full looking into that. The last thing the city needs is trouble like this."

'Trust me, chief. I know how you feel.' Shinji thought glumly. "Well, we left our cards behind with the people we talked to. Maybe one of them might know something?"

"I appreciate your optimism, Shinji." Daisuke smiled weakly. "But the odds of someone calling us with a tip are-"

The minute those words left Daisuke's mouth, Shinji's phone started to ring. Startled from the sudden call, Shinji fumbled with the phone for a second before managing to answer it.

"ORE Journal." Shinji greeted promptly.

"Hi, I'm calling about those masked figures you were talking about." A young man's voice replied from the other end of the line. "Well, I wanted to let you know that I saw them one night."

"Really?" Shinji whipped out his notepad, pen already in hand. "Where and when?"

"I was playing late at an arcade and stayed out past my curfew." The young man continued. "I was on my way to capsule hotel to stay the night when I caught sight of a garbage drum being used as a fire. At first I thought it was just some homeless people. But then I heard what sounded like two things hitting against each other. Getting a closer look, I saw that it was two masked people fighting each other. I don't know how long it was going on for, but it ended not long after I witnessed it. One guy fell and didn't get back up, and the other guy snatched something away from him, proclaiming that he was advancing to the next round. I was so frightened that I immediately hid out of sight!"

"I can't blame you." Shinji nodded. "If it's not too much to ask, could you tell me when this happened?"

"About six days ago." The young man replied. "And he even said where the 'next round' would happen."

"When and where?" Shinji asked, his eyes narrowing as he scribbled down the location. "Got it. Thank you for your cooperation. You've given us some invaluable information."

"A promising lead?" Daisuke asked.

"Incredibly so." Shinji nodded. "I know where the next round's going to be. It's tonight at the docks."

With his destination set, Shinji set to work packing some of his equipment. Namely a camera and a recorder, the latter being for obtaining audio evidence should he need any.

"Looks like I'll be eating an early dinner today." Shinji muttered to himself.

"Shinji." Daisuke said firmly as he approached Shinji's desk. "It should go without saying, but, be careful out there. Once you have pictures, get out of there as soon as possible."

"Chief, this isn't the first time I've been in a dangerous situation." Shinji said with a reassuring smile.

"I know, I know." Daisuke nodded. "But like I said when you volunteered to deliver the ransom money for Nanako, a good boss is always concerned for his employees."

"I understand." Shinji nodded in return. "Don't worry. Once I have the pictures we need, I'll peel out of there. With media attention on them, they're bound to decrease their activity."

"That's good to hear." Daisuke nodded. "Good luck, Shinji."

The hours ticked by in their quiet way, Shinji eating a quick instant meal so that he could spare more time readying himself for the night. Before long, the sun began to set, Shinji's eyes steeling with determination as he mounted his bike and took off toward the docks.

'This whole case is too much like the Rider War for comfort.' Shinji thought to himself as he sped towards the docks. 'Odds are low that these people are fighting for a wish, but what could possess them to do this?'

Night fell within moments of Shinji's arrival at the docks, the young journalist intern treading cautiously as he began investigating. The docks were abandoned for the night, so it was fairly quiet save for ambient sounds from gulls, the ocean, and the occasional boat horn. However, upon listening closer, Shinji picked up on a sound unfamiliar to the setting. The sounds of weapons clashing and cries of pain and fury. These were sounds that Shinji was quite familiar with, though he wished he wasn't.

'If nothing else, the Rider War taught me what a fight sounds like.' Shinji thought to himself as he raced towards the noise source. It didn't take him long to locate it.

True to the reports, masked figures were fighting it out, armed with simple blunt weapons. Shinji couldn't help but feel his heart sink at the sight. Tezuka had told him that the Rider War would have some dogged and desperate combatants, but that made sense given the prize for the last man standing. But what he was seeing right now? None of it made any sense to Shinji. Why would people who probably had perfectly fine lives throw it all away for such a pointless fight?

'The Rider War is somewhat understandable, but this?' Shinji thought. 'This is just wrong on so many levels.'

"Focus, Shinji." Shinji muttered quietly as he readied his camera, the flash turned off to conceal his presence better. "Get the pictures, then get out of here."

Within a few seconds, Shinji was snapping pictures left and right, catching the combatants striking and dodging each other. By now, Shinji probably had more than enough pictures needed for ORE Journal. However, he found that he couldn't bring himself to leave. Seeing these people fighting so pointlessly just turned his stomach inside-out. No matter how he looked at it, in good conscience, he couldn't let this carry on! Unfortunately, the moment he decided to act, it was all over. Both combatants had landed a final blow against one another, but neither one would be getting up again. Rushing out to the scene, Shinji knelt down and tried to get a response out of one of the combatants. Sadly, his efforts were in vain.

"Ha ha ha! Well, that was surprise to be sure!" A voice called out from the shadows.

At hearing this, Shinji bolted to his feet, glaring at the figure who was stepping into view. It was a young man roughly his age, but shorter than him. He was covered with a black robe and had an amused grin on his face as he noted the two recently deceased combatants on the ground.

"I hadn't anticipated a double-knockout in my tournament." The man grinned. "But I guess that just goes to show you how exciting my game really is!"

"'Your tournament'?" Shinji asked as his eyes narrowed. "Do you mean to tell me you're the one behind these fights to the death?!"

"Hm?" The young man turned to face Shinji, pulling down his hood and revealing his brown hair. A smile of sick amusement still plastered across his face. "Indeed I am."

"Then let me ask you this." Shinji growled. "Why the hell are you doing all this?!"

"Simple." The man shrugged. "I wanted to give them all something to do. You play the same games so many times in a row, it all gets so monotonous. They lose their thrill."

"You're telling me you orchestrated all this… because you were bored?!" Shinji snapped in disbelief and anger. "People are dead because of you! Fighting for your life isn't some kind of thrill you can drop at a moment's notice! You only have one life in this world! Once you're gone, there's no continues!"

"Ah, but that's precisely the thrill of my game." The man said, his smile of amusement never once ebbing. "To only have one chance, and to press forward knowing you might not make it out. What could possibly be more thrilling that walking on the razor's edge?"

"Are you serious?" Shinji asked, utterly dumbstruck at the sheer madness the mastermind was spewing from his mouth. He would've said more, but a familiar ringing soon captured his attention as well as the mastermind's.

"Oh, looks like it's time to play the other game I've entered." The mastermind smirked as he cast aside his cloak and ran to the nearest car with Shinji right on his tail. Once he reached the nearest car, he pulled out an Advent Deck from his pocket, it was black in color with a golden rhino emblem on it. Upon holding the deck up to the car's window, the V-Buckle materialized around the young man's waist.

"Henshin!" The man called out as curled his right arm, flexing it as hard as he could before slotting in the Advent Deck.

In an instant, greyscale images of armor collided with the man, transforming him! The new rider's armor was silver in color, but its large and bulky appearance betrayed the short stature of its wearer. It was also quite clear that this was one of the more fortified armors given how sturdy the chest plate and shoulders appeared. The most notable features being the visor mounted on the Rider's left shoulder and the red horn jutting out from the left shoulder pauldron. Combined with the horn above the helmet's grill, it was clear that this armor's motif was that of a rhino. This was Kamen Rider Gai, and he was eager to charge into battle.

"Time to gain some XP!" Gai gleefully cheered as he leaped into the car window and entered the Mirror World.

"Better get after him." Shinji muttered as he whipped out his Advent Deck. "Henshin!"

Once he was transformed, Ryuki immediately dove into the car window, arriving in the Mirror World just seconds later. As he scanned for any signs of Gai, Ryuki was soon assaulted by the Mirror Monster that had been lurking in the area. The Mirror Monster was humanoid in form and had armor around its hands that was similar in appearance to a squid's tentacles. Furthering the squid motif was the beak-like mouth and the short tentacles that served as the monster's "hair". This was the Bakraken, and it was eager to drag its prey to the depths of the Mirror World's waters. Unfortunately for the Bakraken, Ryuki refused to go down easy!

With a swift elbow to its gut, Ryuki winded the Bakraken long enough to free himself from its grasp. Before the Mirror Monster could assault him again, Ryuki opened up the Dragvisor and drew a card from his Advent Deck, slotting it in quickly.

"SWORD VENT!"

At the Dragvisor's announcement, the Dragsaber materialized in Ryuki's hands, the Rider gripping it tightly as he charged at the Bakraken. Now it was Ryuki who held the advantage as his sword swings kept the Bakraken from grappling him, as well as letting him get some good hits in. However, Ryuki wouldn't have the chance to establish a combo.

"So you've equipped an item too, huh?" Gai chuckled. "Well then, time to break out my own gear!"

Gai drew an Advent Card from his deck, and tossed it into the Metalvisor mounted on his shoulder.

"STRIKE VENT!"

A gauntlet shaped like a rhino's head materialized on Gai's right arm, its sharp golden horn ready to ram anyone or anything in its path. This was the Metalhorn, and Gai was eager to put it to use. Wasting no time, Gai charged the Bakraken and thrust the Metalhorn at it, the monster screeching in pain as it was sent flying from the blow! Ryuki couldn't help but look on in shock.

'How does a scrawny guy like him get a suit that's and contract monster more fit for a football player?!' Ryuki mentally shouted.

Stowing his disbelief at the mismatch between armor and bearer, Ryuki leaped back into the fight. Literally. While the Bakraken was getting to its feet, Ryuki leaped into the air and brought his sword down hard on the monster's head. However, the Bakraken was waiting for this! With a flick of its wrists, the Bakraken turned the armor-like sections on its forearms into full-blown tentacles, wrapping them around Ryuki's neck and waist before slamming the Kamen Rider into the ground! Ryuki was slightly dazed as the Bakraken yanked him to his feet.

"Hmm. That squid sure is putting up a fight." Gai mused to himself as he watched Ryuki struggle. "Guess I can play co-op for a bit."

With that said, Gai charged at the Bakraken and hit it right in the stomach with the Metalhorn, The force of the hit forced the Bakraken to the ground and Ryuki with it. Fortuantely, the dragon Rider was able to get free of the Bakraken's tentacles.

'Mirror Monsters with built-in weapons are always the most annoying.' Ryuki mentally grumbled as he got to his feet. 'Better play my trump card to finish this.'

"Hey. Butt out of this." Gai commanded as he stepped forward. "No way I'm letting you steal my kill."

Immediately, Gai drew a card from his Advent Deck and tossed it into the Metalvisor.

"FINAL VENT!"

At the visor's announcement, a roar was heard as a humanoid rhino covered with a metallic hide charged onto the scene, stopping right behind Gai. This was Metalgelas, and he was Gai's Contract Monster. While the Bakraken was staggering to its feet, Gai leaped atop Metalgelas's head right as the rhino began to charge, the Metalhorn aimed right at the Bakraken. Metalgelas then charged forth with all the speed and force it could muster, going so fast that a sonic cone formed around both Rider and Contract Monster. The resulting final blow hit with the force of a missile, destroying the Bakraken on impact. However, unbeknownst to either Rider, another member of the kraken Mirror Monster family was watching the destruction of its brethren unfold. Shadows kept its full appearance obscured from view, but let out a low growl before slinking away.

With the Bakraken's defeat, an energy core appeared in its place, Metalgelas happily scooping up the core and devouring it as he charged away. Once the rhino was gone, Ryuki confronted Gai.

"You have my thanks for getting rid of the Mirror Monster." Ryuki began. "But I can't forgive what you've been doing. Also, if you're smart, you'll drop out of the Rider War."

Gai tilted his head in confusion. "Why would I quit when I'm having so much fun?"

"… Fun?" Ryuki spoke with frustration. "Fun?! You think this is all a game?! Do you even know what you've signed yourself up for?! This isn't like some online match that you can respawn in! The Rider War's grand prize is a wish without any restrictions! It's something people are willing to fight, kill, and die for! Do you really want to bloody your hands for something like that?!"

"I don't care about the wish." Gai shrugged. "I just want to win. And now… I'm one step closer to doing that!"

Gai immediately charged at Ryuki, only for the dragon Rider to roll out of the way!

"Stop!" Ryuki protested as he sprung back to his feet. "The Kamen Riders shouldn't be fighting each other! We should be using the Advent Decks to protect people! I'm not here to fight!"

"Really?" Gai then flashed the thumbs-down sign. "Well then… die."

Quick as a flash, Gai charged at Ryuki, the Metalhorn poised to strike the dragon Rider directly in the chest.

'This guy is nuts!' Ryuki thought as he opened up the Dragvisor before side-stepping Gai's charge! 'He's willing to kill twelve other people just to be crowned "winner"?'

Putting his thoughts aside for after the battle's end, Ryuki slotted in his Advent Card to summon the Dragshield to him. When Gai swung at him again, the Metalhorn's impact was dampened thanks to Ryuki's Guard Vent, jolting Gai long enough to Ryuki to shove him away!

"Oh? Didn't you say you weren't here to fight?" Gai mocked as he regained his footing.

"That doesn't mean I'm just going to stand still and let you beat on me." Ryuki snapped. "If you keep viewing this thing as a game, then you're going to lose."

"Oh, I doubt that." Gai smirked beneath his helmet. "I take games very seriously. Speaking of which,"

Gai opened up the Metalvisor and drew a card from his deck.

"I think it's time I stopped playing around with you" Gai sneered as he tossed the card into his visor and closed the chamber.

"ADVENT!"

Not long after the Metalvisor's announcement, Metalgelas came charging onto the scene. Ryuki raised his Dragshield to block, but the Contract Monster was coming at him far faster than Gai had, meaning that the charge had more momentum behind it. The resulting collision sent Ryuki flying back, forcing him to let go of the Dragshield in the process. Gai let out an amused chuckle as he saw Ryuki fall to a heap on the ground.

"Gotta keep that Contract Monster at a distance." Ryuki muttered to himself as he staggered to his feet, opening up the Dragvisor after he managed to get on one knee and drawing a card once he was on his feet again. Beneath his helmet, Ryuki smiled. "Talk about luck of the draw."

Ryuki kept his back turned to Gai while discreetly slotting in the Advent Card he'd drawn, and made it look like he was trying to limp away. Gai grinned beneath his helmet as he gestured for Metalgelas to ram Ryuki once again. The humanoid Rhino let out a snort as it wound itself up before making a mad dash at the "crippled" dragon Rider. However, Metalgelas was in for a nasty surprise as Ryuki closed up the Dragvisor and spun around to face him, the Dragclaw materializing in an instant on Ryuki's left arm! Not wasting a second, Ryuki fired a stream of flames from the gauntlet, the flames striking Metalgelas dead-on! Metalgelas howled in pain as the flames licked him, the sensation was made worse since his metallic hide made it feel like his own skin was cooking him.

Gai blinked in shock as he saw his Contract Monster rolling on the ground, desperately trying to put the flames out. This left him wide open to attack, and Ryuki refused to let this window pass him by.

"You brought out your beast." Ryuki cried out as he opened up the Dragvisor once more and drew another card. "How about I show you mine!"

Ryuki slotted the card into his visor, and slammed the visor shut!

"ADVENT!"

A familiar mighty roar erupted all throughout the air as Dragreder announced his arrival. The red dragon circling around his master protectively before flying towards Gai and shooting a fireball at the rhino Rider! Gai was sent flying back by the attack, his fall poorly broken by a few barrel drums. Ryuki was glad to see that he'd landed quite the hit, but was taken aback when he noticed barely a dent was made in Gai's armor as the rhino Rider struggled to his feet.

"And I thought Zolda had one of the toughest armors." Ryuki quietly mused as he approached Gai and aimed the Dragclaw right in his face. "Up for round 2?"

"DAMMIT!" Gai screamed as he clenched his fist in frustration. "No fair! You suckerpunched me!"

"Says the one who blindsided me with his Contract Monster." Ryuki shot back. "I don't want to hurt you anymore, but let's get one thing clear. If you keep up your sick game, I'm going to give you another thrashing like I did tonight. And I'll keep doing it, as many times as it takes, until you're stopped."

"Bastard!" Gai screamed. "Just who do you think you are?!"

"Someone trying to live up to the legends of the Kamen Riders." Ryuki replied. "Kamen Rider Ryuki. And you?"

"Gai." Gai growled. "And mark my words, our game isn't over yet!"

With that, Gai stormed off, his Contract Monster fleeing from the fight too after Dragreder gave it a glare and a growl. Satisfied that things were resolved, Ryuki made to leave. Only for a familiar voice to stop him.

"You've gotten pretty good, Kido."

Ryuki immediately turned around to see Kamen Rider Knight approaching him. Much to Ryuki's shock, it sounded like Knight was… proud of him.

"Ren?" Ryuki asked in surprise. "What're you doing here?"

"Tezuka foresaw you being in a tough fight." Knight replied. "He even said that he saw you losing your Contract card. I guess this is a prediction he'll be happy to have gotten wrong."

"Me and him both." Ryuki chuckled. "Guess the only thing left to do is head home. Well, see you around, Ren."

"Night, Kido."

Both Riders went their separate ways, Shinji returning to the real world and hopping on his bike. A quick drive later, Shinji was back at his apartment. He would have showered, but tonight's fight took a lot out of him. So, he settled for brushing his teeth and changing into his sleeping clothes. But before he could hit the sack, he noticed Dragreder's head poking out one of his apartment's windows.

"Thanks for your help today, Dragreder." Shinji smiled at his dragon. "Too bad there wasn't an energy core for you to munch on. Hope I didn't interrupt your bedtime when I summoned you."

Dragreder shook his head in response. Shinji was pleased to know that he hadn't upset his Contract Monster, but felt a bit guilty that Dragreder hadn't gotten anything in return. However, an idea quickly came to mind.

"Wait right there." Shinji requested as he made his way to the kitchen. He returned a moment later with a handful of cookies, offering them up to Dragreder with a smile. "Here. For all your help tonight."

Dragreder let out a pleased rumble as he gobbled up the cookies Shinji offered him, his tail swishing happily from the Mirror World.

"You're welcome." Shinji chuckled. "Goodnight."

And with that, Shinji drifted off to sleep, eagerly awaiting what the morning would bring. The next day soon arrived, and it began like any other at first with Shinji's morning routine. Getting dressed, eating breakfast, and hopping on his bike to go to work. However, once he arrived at ORE Journal's office, he was greeted with an unfamiliar sight. To his complete shock, Daisuke was leaving his office, a box of belongings in his arms.

"Chief Okubo, what happened?!" Shinji exclaimed as he walked up to his editor-in-chief. "Are we going under?"

"No, Shinji." Daisuke sighed. "As of now, I am no longer the head of ORE Journal. Make no mistake, I'm not quitting, but there's going to be new leadership now. No matter how much I don't like it."

"Who's taking over?" Shinji's face scrunched in confusion. "And how in the world did they wrest control from you?"

Whipping his head around, Daisuke leaned into Shinji's ear and began whispering to him.

"Listen. I can't tell you here. It's not a safe place to discuss the matter. We'll talk at lunch today. Nanako, too."

"Why include her?" Shinji whispered back.

"Because the circumstances of the takeover are related to her expertise." Daisuke replied hurriedly. "That's all I can say now. Our new owner just showed up."

"I hope I'm not interrupting something important, Ex-chief Okubo." A familiar voice called out. Upon hearing it, Shinji stiffened.

"No, just informing Shinji of the new leadership, sir." Daisuke said with a forced smile. "Shinji, meet our new owner."

Shinji turned to face the voice, and his pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. Standing before him in a grey suit was the same man he'd fought last night. The one known as Kamen Rider Gai, and the mastermind behind the death games with the Matrix Gaming Club.

"Jun Shibaura." Jun greeted with a smug smile. "So pleased to meet the famous Shinji Kido. I've heard so much about you from your co-workers. Also, it's nice to put a name to the man who beat me."

"You… know each other?" Daisuke asked cautiously.

"We played a little card game." Jun said with a dismissive smile. "He was the only one to beat me."

"I didn't know you played cards, Shinji."

"Trust me, the game was far from fun." Shinji frowned.

"Daisuke, do you mind giving me and Shinji some space?" Jun asked as he headed towards Daisuke's, now his, office.

Wordlessly, Daisuke nodded as he gestured for Shinji to follow Jun. Once the two were alone in the office, Shinji shut the door behind him.

"How did you manage to con your way into becoming ORE Journal's owner?" Shinji asked with a fierce glare in his eyes.

"Oooh, scary~!" Jun chuckled. "I guess the dragon Rider's got a temper on him. Not surprising. As for how, let's just say I'm very handy with computers. It's my major, after all. A little bit of hacking here and there, and I was able to trace your name to this news site. From there it was only a matter of digging for dirt, and boom. Here I am."

"You little-!"

"Ah, ah." Jun wagged his finger in a scolding manner at Shinji. "You wouldn't want to start a boss battle here, would you?"

"… Dammit." Shinji clenched his fist in frustration. "So you're doing all this just to get back at me for last night?"

"Hm? Oh, no." Jun shook his head. "I'm doing this because I plan on taking my game to the next level. You're welcome to try and stop me, but keep one thing in mind."

The smug grin on Jun's face grew even wider.

"If you beat me, I'll make certain you lose." Jun then pulled out his Advent Deck. "Both in this world, and the one behind the mirrors."

AN: *Ahem* Kept you waiting, huh? Sorry I got this out so late. I've been pretty busy busy spending hours in Dragon Quest XI. I'd meant to dish out the chapter before the holidays as a sort of early Christmas present to my readers, but it just didn't feel right trying to rush it out. I was really trying to get Gai's personality right, and I hope I nailed him. Also, Shinji doesn't get his card stolen! Point for Ryuki! However, a literal boss battle's looming in the future. Will Shinji find a way to win, or will it be game over? Find out next time! If you don't fight, you don't survive!