AN: The following chapter has been edited to portray legal system workings.

Episode 16: Boss Battle

Jun Shibaura felt like he was on top of the world. His "live matches" for his game were progressing without issue, and he'd gotten back at the man who'd beaten him in a fight in the Mirror World. All it took was a little bit of digging at his gaming club, and he was able to trace his enemy, Shinji Kido, back to ORE Journal. From there, it was a simple matter of holding the site ransom and getting the owner to turn over the company to him. But the icing on the cake was that Jun was able to keep Shinji from fighting.

"I don't know what's sweeter." Jun thought out loud with a smirk as he leaned back in his office chair at ORE Journal. "The fact that I'm slowly weakening his Contract Monster, or that he gets burnt up inside knowing I can prevent him from rescuing any nobodies who get taken by the Mirror Monsters."

Jun's expression hardened as he thought about Shinji. "Damn him for beating me! ME! A genius who's orchestrated a game the likes of him could never appreciate! And then he has the gall to say I'm not a Kamen Rider?! I have the deck. I have the Contract. I have the power. That MAKES me a Rider."

For a moment, Jun gripped the arms of his chair so hard it looked like he was going to rip them off. However, he took note of his actions and let out a breath to center himself.

"But I guess there's no point getting angry." Jun shrugged. "Especially since my game is about to be taken to the next level."

Jun pulled up a video feed on his computer and smiled with savage glee. The video showed two members of his gaming club fighting each other. One member had managed to knock the other down, and was about to go for a killing blow when a nearby mirror suddenly rippled. Jun's sadistic grin widened.

"I knew that staging these fights near reflective surfaces would add a bit of spice to my game." Jun chuckled as he switched off the video. However, unbeknownst to him, the downed game club member stirred.

"Ah~! What fun this is." Jun sighed as he slouched in his chair. "It's just so entertaining to see these casuals struggle in both games. Whether it's for the title of champion in my game, or the wish that waits for the winner in the Rider War. In either game, I'll be the only winner. The only shame is that there's no fools trying to challenge me that I can crush."

However, Jun's moment of lounging over his presumed victory would soon be interrupted. Loudly.
"SKREEEEEE!"

Jun's eyes snapped open as he covered his ears from the horrible screeching that had suddenly erupted! The usurper of ORE writhing on the ground as the shriek pierced his ears, desperately trying to pinpoint the source of the noise that was eviscerating his ears. And the moment he looked into the nearest window, he found it. Hovering in the air of the Mirror World was the giant bat, Darkwing. And beside him was his master, Kamen Rider Knight. The bat themed rider was glaring at Jun, his left hand gripping the sheathed Darkvisor while making a "come at me" gesture with his right before running off further into the Mirror World.

"Looks like I just might have some fun today after all." Jun chuckled darkly as he made his outside of the ORE Journal building. Since he knew that all the staff despised him, he was quite certain that nobody would miss him if he stepped out for a while.

Locating an out of the way window, Jun held up his Advent Deck to the reflective surface. The V-Buckle materializing around his waist in an instant.

"HENSHIN!"

Once he was transformed, Kamen Rider Gai leaped into the Mirror and sped off towards the Mirror World in a Rideshooter. Upon arrival, Gai whipped his head about as he searched for Knight. He didn't have to look far.

"So you're the rhino that Ryuki told me about." Knight called out from across the street. "I've got to say, I didn't expect a large armor to be worn by such a shrimp."

Gai smirked beneath his helmet. "You're probably just salty that I've got the better gear. So who're you? A member of Ryuki's party?"

"Kamen Rider Knight." Knight answered. "And let me tell you, you got lucky facing Ryuki instead of me."

"And why's that?" Gai snorted.

"Simple." Knight drew the Darkvisor. "I'm playing by the Rider War's rules."

Gai chuckled at Knight's answer as he drew a card. "You think you can make a dent in me with that toothpick? Here! Let me show you a real weapon!"

Gai slotted open the Metalvisor before lazily tossing his card into the shoulder-mounted visor and snapping it shut.

"STRIKE VENT!"

At the Metalvisor's announcement, the Metalhorn was summoned into Gai's hand. The rhino rider brandishing it in the hopes of intimidating Knight. However, Gai's efforts were for naught as Knight remained rooted in place, unflinching.

"Not scared by seeing it from where you're standing, huh? THEN HAVE A CLOSER LOOK!"

Mustering as much speed as possible, Gai charged at Knight with the Metalhorn, intent on impaling the bat rider. However, in the face of his charging foe, Knight maintained his calm and bided his time before side-stepping Gai's reckless charge. The rhino rider had built too much momentum and couldn't stop himself, leaving him vulnerable to two quick slashes from Knight's Darkvisor, sparks erupting from where he'd been hit! While the blows delivered might not have been as powerful as the Winglancer's strikes, Gai had built up too much momentum and the slashes form Knight pushed him even farther forward, forcing him into a tumble.

"You might be a genius at gaming, but the Rider War's a different beast altogether." Knight said as he opened up the Darkvisor and slotted in a card. "One I've been fighting longer than you have."

"SWORD VENT!"

The Winglancer was then dropped into Knight's hands via Darkwing, Knight getting into a fighting stance as he prepared to clash with Gai once more.

"SHUT UP!" Gai screamed as he slammed his fist against the concrete. "There's no way casuals like you and Ryuki could ever hope to match me! I refuse to be beaten! I never lose at games!"

Knight frowned. "That kind of thinking is going to get you killed."

Brandishing the Winglancer, Knight used his lance to parry an enraged strike from Gai before shoving the rhino rider back and striking him in the chest. Gai staggered back, but he had no room to recover as Knight unsheathed the Darkvisor and got in a few quick slashes before leaping back a safe distance.

"You know, maybe I whipped out my signature weapon for nothing." Knight smirked. "With skill like yours, all I need to handle you is my Darkvisor."

"Cheater!" Gai fumed as he got to his feet. "Riders who have weapons for visors have an edge over the others!"

'Says the creep who's holding an entire news site hostage.' Knight thought as he let out a sigh. "No wonder Ryuki found you so frustrating to deal with. After all that's happened to you and around you, you still believe this is all just some game."

The mere mention of the dragon rider was enough to send Gai into a rage. Something that Knight had been expecting as he leaped into the air to avoid Gai's swing and kick the rhino rider in the head. Gai tumbled around for a second or two after Knight landed, dazed from the blow to the head.

'Playing on his temper's only going to get me so far.' Knight thought as he adopted a defensive stance. 'Gai talks a big game, but he's got next to zero experience fighting other Riders. It also looks like the training sessions have been paying off.'

Gai pounded the ground with his fist in rage! He had one of the stronger armors in the Rider War, and yet his enemy was making an utter fool of him despite using weaker equipment. Of course, Gai was operating off of game logic so his reasoning was flawed. Blinded by his fury, Gai charged at Knight with the Metalhorn raised. If Gai thought that Knight remaining still made the bat Rider vulnerable, he was sorely mistaken as Knight parried the Metalhorn by raising his lance horizontally and pushing the Gai's weapon up! While the rhino rider was vulnerable, Knight thrust the Winglancer forward with great speed, catching Gai in the arm. Gai clutched his arm in pain, but Knight refused to let up in his assault. Before he could even face his enemy, Gai was pelted with a series of quick jabs and thrusts from the Winglancer. Though his armor was resilient, Gai still felt the force of the Winglancer impacting against his armor. With one last push, Knight sent Gai falling onto his back, the rhino rider groaning from the vicious assault.

Knight stared at his downed opponent, and strode over to him. Once he was within striking distance, Knight raised the Winglancer and aimed it right for Gai's throat. Fear began to well within the rhino rider as he witnessed Knight looming over him.

"W-Wait! Don't!" Gai pleaded.

'All that bluster earlier and now he begs for his life? Pathetic.' Knight thought with disdain as he also took note of the opportunity in front of him. 'As he is now, I can finish him. Then I'll be one step closer to reviving Eri.'

Knight thrust the Winglancer forward! But when he was mere inches away from piercing Gai's neck, he stopped. Memories from his battle with Kamen Rider Scissors began to play in Knight's mind. That had been the first true battle against another Kamen Rider that Knight had taken part in. And it was also the first time he'd witnessed a Rider's death. While he had accidentally destroyed Scissors' advent deck, Knight could never escape the fact that he held some responsibility for the crab Rider's death. The memory of Scissors being devoured by his own Contract Monster still haunted Knight to this day. It was this memory that made Knight hesitate. Scissors' death had been accident. But now? Now here he was deliberately aiming to kill another person. Could he do it?

Gai was scared out of his mind at the sight of Knight's weapon inches away from running him through, but he took note of Knight's trembling hands. Spotting a way out, Gai kicked Knight in the leg, making the bat Rider stumble back.

"Idiot!" Gai sniped. "Never hesitate when the boss is vulnerable!" And he ran away to a more closed-off area. Retrieving his weapon along the way

'Dammit!' Knight mentally cursed as he recovered and set to pursuing Gai!

The new battleground was much more cramped, meaning Knight wouldn't have the room needed to cut loose with his Winglancer. After dismissing his weapon, Knight drew the Darkvisor and proceeded cautiously. Such caution paid off when he caught sight of something coming at him fast in his peripheral vision, and rolled forward to avoid getting hit!

"And here I thought I was supposed to be the sneaky type since I'm contracted to a bat." Knight muttered as he got to his feet.

Gai growled as he stomped his foot! "No fair! Why won't you just stay still and lose?!"

"So you want me to stay still?" Knight tilted his head as he sheathed the Darkvisor and drew a card from his deck. "Fine. Just don't expect me to go down."

"GUARD VENT!" The Darkvisor announced as Darkwing attached to Knight's back, forming a cape that served as a powerful defense.

However, Gai only smirked beneath his helmet as he opened up his Metalvisor and drew a card from his Advent Deck, revealing it to Knight as if to boast. Depicted on the card was an image of glass shattering. A low chuckle escaped the rhino Rider's throat as he tossed his card into the Metalvisor on his shoulder before closing up the card reader.

"CONFINE VENT!"

At the Metalvisor's announcement, Knight Guard Vent shattered! Though Knight had been informed of what this card could do thanks to Ryuki, seeing it in action was another thing entirely. And this moment of shock was just the window Gai needed to land a solid hit on Knight. Charging full tilt, Gai thrust the Metalhorn and struck Knight square in the chest! The bat Rider was sent flying back into the open and landed hard on the ground. A pained groan escaped from Knight as Gai stomped forward, seemingly sure of his triumph.

"This is why I'm going to win." Gai sneered down at Knight. "Because I've got one of the most broken cards out there! It doesn't matter how much you arm yourselves, or what defenses you've got! If I can shatter them all, then you're all vulnerable! Only a genius like me could put such a card to good use! THAT'S why you'll lose!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Gai." A new voice said.

"ADVENT!"

The instant Gai snapped his attention to the source of the new voice, he was met with the sight of Evildiver ramming into him! Following in the stingray's wake was none other than Kamen Rider Raia with Ryuki by his side. The pair of heroic Riders immediately moving to Knight's side.

"Took you two long enough." Knight scoffed as he accepted Ryuki's hand and got to his feet.

"Just had to get thing rolling on the other side of the mirror" Ryuki smiled. "Now then, let's bring down the raging rhino!"

"YOU!" Gai roared in fury as he glared at Ryuki! "Why do you always have to ruin my fun?!"

Ryuki frowned. "Because I refuse to let someone like you desecrate the name of Kamen Rider."

"Well said, Ryuki." Raia nodded. "Your game ends now, Gai!"

"NEVER!"

"Why are the bad guys always too stupid to call it quits?" Ryuki groaned as he opened up the Dragvisor and drew a card form his deck.

"Because this guy's skull is as thick as his armor." Knight quipped, causing both Ryuki and Raia to do a doubletake. Knight making a joke? That was definitely something neither of them ever expected.

"Today's just full of firsts." Raia murmured as he drew his Swing Vent card and slotted it into his visor. Knight and Ryuki following suit by slotting in their Sword Vent cards.

In an instant, all three heroic Riders were wielding their signature weapons, ready to put them to use in taking down Gai! However, Gai had other plans as he drew a card from his deck. One that was identical to the one he'd shown Knight earlier.

"IDIOTS!" Gai cackled madly as he tossed the Confine Vent card into the Metalvisor. Ryuki, Knight, and Raia's weapons immediately shattered, leaving the Riders defenseless. Gai savored the bewildered looks the heroic Riders had, but his joy was short-lived as he noticed Ryuki opening up the Dragvisor and slotting in another card.

"STRIKE VENT!"

"Don't you get it?!" Gai snapped as he drew another card form his deck. "I can get rid of whatever you call ou-!"

Gai looked at his hand in horror. In it was not another Confine Vent card, but his Advent card.

'No… NO! I used them all up!' Gai realized right as Ryuki was within striking distance. The dragon Rider putting all his power into striking Gai with the Dragclaw! Gai was sent tumbling to the ground as Raia approached Ryuki.

"Double Dragon?" Raia asked as he showed Ryuki his Copy Vent.

Ryuki grinned. "Oh yeah!"

"COPY VENT!"

A few second slater, Raia now sported a copy of Ryuki's Dragclaw. The pair of heroic Riders watched as Gai staggered to his feet. Gai was trembling with rage as he faced off against Ryuki and Raia.

"Not fair." Gai growled quietly. Before immediately bursting into a temper tantrum. "Not fair! NOT FAIR! NOT FAIR NOT FAIR NOT FAIR!"

Ryuki, Raia, and even Knight were utterly dumbfounded as they watched Gai act like a spoiled child. After witnessing such a display, all three couldn't help but wonder how this man… no, this child had ever seemed like a legitimate threat.

"CHEATERS! CHEATERS! CHEATERS!" Gai roared as he charged at Ryuki and Raia! "NONE OF YOU DESERVE TO WIN THIS FIGHT! I'M A GENIUS! I'M THE MAIN CHARACTER! YOU'RE ALL JUST EXTRAS AND NPC'S WHO ARE STEPPING STONES FOR MY VICTORY!"

"Gai…" Ryuki muttered. "YOU NEED A REALITY CHECK!"

Ryuki and Raia thrust their Dragclaws forward and unleashed streams of flames right at Gai! The rhino Rider had built up too much momentum, and howled in pain as the flames struck him. It didn't help since his heavy metal armor retained most of the heat even after the stream of flames had died out. He was almost cooked alive by his own armor! When the heat finally dissipated, Gai was met with the trio of heroic Riders looming over him.

"You might have won on this side of the mirrors." Gai snarled. "But I've still got plans back in the real world! Plans that none of you could ever hope to stop!"

"Try us." Ryuki challenged with a confident smirk in his voice.

Hearing such confidence and certainty from Ryuki only pissed Gai off further. With one final scream, Gai bolted away towards the closest mirror to ORE Journal. The three heroic Riders were satisfied with their victory, and went their separate ways. However, they were unaware of another observer in the area. Kamen Rider Abyss had been watching from a distance inside one of the buildings in the area. After watching the whole battle unfold, he let out a sigh.

"I can't believe I ever considered recruiting that little punk." Abyss muttered as he began to leave. "Ah well. No major loss if that fight was anything to go buy. I think the boss would get annoyed with his attitude and off him."

Back in the real world, Gai had just returned to his office via the nearest window. Removing his Advent Deck and reverting to his civilian form of Jun Shibaura, he stomped over to his computer with a crazed smile on his face.

"They might've beaten me in the Mirror World, but I'll get the last laugh here!" Jun cackled as he pulled up the file that held his death game within the latest edition of ORE Journal. "All that I need to do is a few keystrokes and-…WHAT?!"

The instant Jun opened up the death game file, all that showed up was an image of Nanako sticking her tongue out at him. An image that soon flooded the screen. It was at this point that Jun could no longer contain himself. He pounded his fists against the desk, and flung a good number of items that were atop it around his office space. Panting hard, he gave one last glare at his computer before slamming it shut and storming out of his office.

"Having a bad day, sir?" Daisuke asked.

"Shut up." Jun tersely replied as he left the building and headed to his car parked just outside of ORE Journal's building. He'd barely left when he heard sirens. In less than a minute, Jun found himself surrounded by police cars.

Out from one of the less uniform cars stepped out a young man roughly Jun's age with short, neatly combed dark brown hair. A serious look on his face as he approached Jun's car. Clad in a dark grey suit as opposed to the standard police uniform, it was clear to see this young man was a detective.

"Jun Shibaura?" The young man asked with a firm look on his face.

"Yes officer?" Jun asked with a disinterested expression.

"You're under arrest for the conduction of an illegal fight ring." The young detective stated. "A member of yours called after he survived a round of your little 'game'. He was more than happy to tell us everything pertaining to your club. We also received a tip that you've been holding this news site hostage. And given the evidence that the source provided us, you won't be getting off easy for this."

Jun was seething, but he didn't have the energy to make a scene given the beat down he'd been dealt earlier. Couple that with his virus being sabotaged, he didn't have it in him to scream anymore. All he could do was quietly let his anger stew as he exited his car.

"Hey boss!"

Jun whipped his head to the source of the new voice, and his jaw clenched as he saw Shinji Kido snapping a picture of him.

"Say cheese!" Shinji smirked. But just as soon as he'd snapped the photo, the detective who'd arrested Jun walked up to him. "Uh… did I do something wrong, officer?"

"You're Shinji Kido, right?" The detective asked before bowing. "My name is Kani Zakuno. It's a pleasure to meet you. And… I'd like to apologize for what my predecessor put you through."

"N-Nice to meet you too, Detective Zakuno." Shinji nodded. "But… who was your predecessor?"

Kani frowned. "Musashi Sudo. After he disappeared, I was put on the missing persons case. It still burns me up to know he was crooked and put your friend in the hospital. We're fortunate that's all he did."

'If only you knew what I did.' Shinji thought before shaking his head. "That's in the past now. All we can do is learn from it and move on."

"I'm glad you're so understanding." Kani smiled as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "But don't think of this as the end of our relationship."

Shinji blinked in surprise. "You're giving me your contact info?"

"Yes." Kani nodded. "I overheard some senior detectives grumbling about a 'nosy journalism intern' who had disrupted a crime scene from one of the disappearances. I figure that keeping a correspondence and sharing information will make up for their treatment of you. If that's what you'd like, of course."

"Sure." Shinji beamed. "Take care, Detective Zakuno. And make sure Jun gets put away proper!"

Kani chuckled. "Trust me, we've got that part covered."

As he watched the police drive away, Shinji couldn't help but feel immensely satisfied. His workplace liberated, an evil Rider being detained, and gaining a new connection? Today was definitely a win. With that, Shinji returned to his desk and continued his work with renewed vigor.

A few days later, Reiko told everyone to tune into the TV. After ORE's reporter switched on the television, she was flipping channels until she arrived to one with Kitaoka on screen.

"Tell us, Mr. Kitaoka." A reporter began. "It was widely thought you only accepted the richest of clients. But here you are, defending a small news site. Could you give us a clue as to what brought this sudden change in client type?"

"It's quite simple, really." Kitaoka began. But instead of his signature charming smile, he had a serious look on his face. "Money is irrelevant in this case. Mr. Shibaura was toying with the lives of the ORE Journal staff. While I will make no excuses for the actions of my past clients, I can safely say that all of them did what they did for the sake of business. In sharp contrast, Mr. Shibaura tormented and hijacked ORE Journal's site for the sake of a petty grudge against a staff member who beat him at a game. Furthermore, the deathgame he is also guilty of just cements my reasons to take action against him. Contrary to what most would say of me, I DO have morals. You could never pay me enough to defend the likes of Jun Shibaura. And I only hope the one they get to take up the prosecution in that case puts him away for a long time."

"And is this case similar to the other case in which you turned down a client?"

For a moment, Kitaoka stiffened. "You could say that, yes. If you'd excuse me, I've a pressing engagement with a courthouse."

With Kitaoka departing, Reiko turned off the TV. A smile present on her face as she returned to her desk. Something that Shinji noted.

'Kitaoka. I think you're starting to break down her walls.' Shinji thought with a smile.

AN: Hi everyone. Kept you waiting, huh? Well, a lot of stuff came up. I've been done with college for a little while now, and I went to Phoenix Fan Fusion to kick off my summer. I got sick for a few days after attending. Then I applied to some PharmD programs later in the summer because practically all the medical schools rejected me, followed by a trip to Disneyland to celebrate my college graduation. I got COVID shortly after said Disney trip so that was "fun". Yeah, it's been a bit of a rollercoaster. But ultimately, I hope you all enjoyed the recent beatdown of Gai. And we get a new character to boot. Kani is going to be a bit of a regular who I have plans for when I get to writing Ryuki's movie. I'd give you a preview of coming attractions, but I'm a bit busy lately since I'm taking a community college course and I'm booked with interviews from programs I applied to. Thanks for hearing me out, and please read and review. Your feedback keeps things going!