(Author's Note)
Before I start ANYTHING, I want to quickly give a massively huge apology.
As of writing, which is the day I finally finished this chapter, it's May 3rd, 2019. The last update was Nov 2nd if I remember correctly. I have a million and a half excuses as to why this was so late, but I'll narrow them down and get them out of the way real quick.
1. I'm currently going through both grade 13/Victory Lap of high school, as well as the piles of work I'm getting dropped into at my job.
2. I wanted to take a bit to let the show expand out a bit, flesh out some of the things I'd like to know about the story, and figure out how to fix a few things. Just being able to skim info off the wiki about some of the events of the movie was enough for questions I had about Singularity Points.
3. I had been putting a lot of work into finishing another story I was working on. It's done, aside from a possible OVA chapter I might do, but I wanted to finish that story up before picking this one back up.
With that said, let's move on.
There are a few things that people might raise an eyebrow or two at, but I ask that you work with me on these. I do realize that the thing that happens later isn't really how it works, but it is my story and I can muddle up a few things on how mechanics work, especially since Zi-O already has a decent amount of cluster to wade through in regards to it's mechanics.
With that out of the way, onto Reviews!
To Guest: While the idea of crossing over with other authors for this story has crossed my mind briefly... I already have plans that I feel would not mesh well with a straight crossover dropping into the story.
To Hakuryukou79: For the matter of Another Riders and memory remembering, it'll be as temporary as the show has it.
To Taiman215: Oh don't worry, I have big plans for Decade, trust me. With the time that had passed, newer ideas for said rider have... changed let's say.
And with all of that, ONTO THE STORY!
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All I own are the words being furiously typed on this keyboard in hopes of finally finishing this chapter after 4-5 months.
"So this is Signal?" I asked, whistling as I walked onto the campus of the huntsmen academy. I normally would stay back at the house at patch, but Yang had brought up actual hand to hand training in the arena they had at Signal, so I decided I might make a day of it. "Not half bad."
"Yeah, it's pretty cool." Said Yang with a nod. "Though I hear Beacon is much bigger."
"This is essentially comparing a high school to a college or university so I'm not surprised by that," I responded, rolling my shoulders as I yawned. "Also, why is there almost no one here right now?"
"Technically it's a day off, but Dad still has to come in for work reasons. He gave us permission to use the arena when he was finished up with his work so he could supervise." Said Yang, as I gave a nod of understanding.
Ruby was off somewhere in town with her friends from Signal right now, never got their names now that I think of it, so it was just Yang and I for the day. I took in a breath of air. It was weird, really. It's been seven days since I arrived on Remnant and by now I had gotten used to the Xiao Long/Rose family.
And the very… uh, earth, I was standing on was starting to become normal to me. On the third day, I had started to have an early midlife crisis, but Ruby put a stop to that rather quickly, thank god for that.
"So what do we do until then?" I asked as Yang looked at me with a smirk.
"Well, you need to at least know proper form before we even think about sparing." Said Yang as I let out an embarrassed chuckle. "There's a training room we can use to get you up to stuff."
"Lead the way," I said, gesturing with my right hand. I watched Yang open the front doors of Signal as I walked in behind her. I gave little attention to the school hallway we walked down, only getting glimpses of the layout and look of the school. Soon, we reached a room that fit the definition of 'training' rather well. Treadmills in one corner, weights and weight lifting machines lined one of the walls, and a padded mat set down right in the center of the room.
Yang walked over to the mat before she dropped her gauntlets, which were currently collapsed into their bracelet form, off to the side. She nodded to herself before she looked over at me. "Alright, let's get started!"
I gave a nod, walking onto the mat as I stood opposite of Yang. Yang gave a nod, before getting into a stance. I got into one that was loosely familiar to me. I had taken about 3 months of Taekwondo training before I had to quit because of personal reasons, so I had fallen into what I barely remembered to be the basic 'kicking' stance. It felt almost foreign, positioning my body in such a way, but that was probably due to it having been at least 7 or 8 years since I had used said stance.
I narrowed my eyes, following Yang's movements as I let out a breath. This wasn't the spare yet, I told myself in a vague attempt to calm down and not rush this. Yang made the first move, swinging her fist to my left, as I made a step to the right, raising my left arm to block the blow as I swung my right leg up while twisting my body to the left.
My foot closed in, meeting air as Yang quickly disengaged. I quickly brought my leg back up to my chest as I lowered my foot to the ground. I grunted, rolling my left shoulder. I never had good pain tolerance, so tanking an attack for one of my own was a concept I wasn't normally welcome to. I needed to change that considering what was out there in this world.
I darted forwards, my stance shifting into something I considered akin to a boxing stance, my forearms raised to either side of my head as I leaned to the right and threw a punch. Yang smirked, leaning to her right to avoid my punch before she grabbed my extended limb and pulled towards her. I was dragged forwards, my stance utterly forgotten as Yang spun around, sending a kick into the back of my head as I slammed onto the mat floor in defeat.
"Okay, so you have… a small idea on what to do." Said Yang as I decided the mat floor was surprisingly comfortable in this instance. "Now that I know your base, I can start helping you improve."
"Those are words that I wasn't expecting to come out of your mouth," I muttered, rolling over as Yang extended her hand to pull me up. I gripped the hand as I was quickly dragged to my feet.
"You have no idea how to fight hand to hand do you?" Asked Yang, a smirk on her face.
"Not a clue," I said, dusting myself off. "I had a bit of training… but that was YEARS ago."
"I guess we keep going at it then." Said Yang, getting back into a stance. "This time I'll actually teach you how to actually fight, instead of… whatever it is you've been trying to do."
"I can only see this go poorly." I said, taking in a breath as I raised my arms up to either side of my face, mirroring an 'I can do this all day' expression. "What the hell. Shall we?"
The next few hours were spent with Yang teaching me the basics, going over how I should hold myself stance wise in a fist fight, how to properly throw a punch, how to actually aim said punch, and she even got me started on noticing subtle movements that would give away where an opponent would be.
"I have never seen anyone pick up on this so quickly. You're not half bad!" Said Yang, as I sidestepped one of her punches, before throwing another punch that grazed her ear. "Still need to work on your aim though!" Yang laughed, bouncing back on the balls of her feet.
I rolled my shoulders, as I let out a breath. "So I've been meaning to ask, why the sudden interest in training me? Aside from me asking you that is." I had approached Yang with the idea when she was training Ruby in hand to hand so that her sister could defend herself when she was without her weapon. I was rather surprised when Yang almost immediately agreed.
"Well, I'll be gone in less than a month for beacon, right?" Said Yang, dashing forwards, as she threw a punch with her left arm at my chest, as I dodged to the right. A bad decision as I was quickly punished for dodging into the line of fire with a punch that I barely blocked with my arm, hissing at the stinging pain the punch left me. "I want… to make sure you can defend yourself!"
"That's… A given!" I exclaimed, throwing my right fist forwards, slamming square into Yang's nose as she stumbled back, a yellow glow around her face flickered to life before fading, her Aura if I remembered.
"Ooh, nice punch!" Said Yang, nodding at me. "And, it's also because I'll be gone in a few weeks and I won't really be able to be there for Dad and Ruby, with you they'll have another pair of hands that can help in case things get messy."
"You seem to forget that I'll be gone in the next few weeks as well, then I'll need to find further residence." I said, flicking my left hand with a flourish.
"Well, you're warming up to dad, so maybe he'll extend that window." Said Yang. I blinked, as she got out of her combat stance. "You've been well behaved, and you've helped out around the house enough, and don't get me started on those shortbreads you make."
"Family recipe." I said, thankful for having taken a photo of said recipe.
"But it's more than you've helped Ruby break out of her shell a bit more, though I do think dad is a bit worried of the idea of you to getting too close." Said Yang. "Though I highly doubt you two are getting anywhere near there."
"And I don't see that really happening either," I said, to which Yang raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, I see her more like a Sister than anything else. She… reminds me a bit of how my brother might act, only a lot more composed and a lot less grading on my mind. It's a loose connection, but it's there."
"Huh, so does that make me your older sister?" Asked Yang.
"I'm older than you!" I said, giving her a pointed glare, as Yang laughed.
"Physically, maybe. Mentally tough?" Asked Yang as I stuck my tongue out at her before the two of us broke down in laughter.
"Well, I think my dad should be done with whatever it is he was doing, wanna head to the arena?" Asked Yang, walking over to me.
"Might as well. A bigger arena that I could probably run circles around you in? I'm game." I said as Yang put her collapsed gauntlets back on. "...Where's the arena, exactly?"
"Follow me." Said Yang as she walked out of the room. I quickly followed after, the walls of the school blurring around me as I paid them no mind. It didn't take us long to find the Arena, though the fact it wasn't in the direct vicinity of the training room was curious to me.
"Here we are!" Said Yang, opening the doors as we walked in. The area was what one would probably imagine an arena floor to look like, an elevated 'stage' for the fighters, and a few rows of chairs for spectators. In front of said chairs was a screen of glass, or something similar, to protect the students from any stray bullets that could fly out from the arena.
Luckily for me, Yang said she wouldn't be using her gauntlets, which is probably for the best considering I don't think I'd survive ANY of her attacks if she used them.
"I see you guys got here early." Said the voice of Taiyang, as the tall blonde walked into the room behind us. "Just give me a second to set things up, then you two can start."
"...Well then, you ready?" Asked Yang, as she walked onto the arena floor.
"As I'll ever be." I said, getting into a stance that I had been going over and over the whole day.
"Alright, I'm all set up over here." Said Taiyang, as he looked up. "And begin!"
I narrowed my eyes as I braced for impact, as Yang launched forwards, throwing a right hook at me which I took on my right arm as I held my arms up to cover my head. I threw my left fist forwards in hopes of forcing the brawler to back off, but she just leaned to the side, grabbed my extended limb, and pulled me past her before punching the back of my head as I passed.
I hit the ground hard as I bounced and rolled across the arena. I let out a grunt of pain as I stood up, rolling my neck as I watched Yang bounce around on her feet as she waited for me to come closer.
I let out a breath as I took a different approach, charging head forwards. Yang brought her left arm back, before throwing it forwards towards me. I planted my left foot down as I slid into Yang's range. I leaned back as Yang's punch flew at my face, watching as it moved past my eyes by a few inches before I grabbed Yang's wrist.
"I saw this in a game once!" I said, pulling my right arm back and swinging it at her elbow. At the last moment, the yellow bracelet on Yang's arm expanded, transforming into her gauntlets as my forearm slammed into cold metal. "Gah! Sonnuva-!"
I didn't have time to finish the sentence as Yang ripped free from my grip and punched me in the stomach with her right hand, her gauntlet folding up on her left.
"So… what game was that?" Asked Yang, smirking at me.
"It's called DOOM… and it normally continues with your elbow snapped and your head torn clean off…" I said, to which Yang looked at me in what looked to be a mix of confusion and shock. "It's a game about killing demons if you're curious."
"Sounds like my kind of game." Said Yang, as she charged forwards.
"If you're a fan of shooters, it would be!" I said, ducking to the left from the attack from Yang. The blonde kept up the pressure, punch after punch flying towards me as I either braced for impact or dodged by a hair. "Would you give me a second!?"
"Nope!" Yang smirked, as I backhanded one of her punches and threw one of my own, my fist slamming right into her forehead.
"Ooh… That looked like it hurt." I said as I pulled my left hand back. I took a look down at it, finding a strand or two of blonde hair stuck to my knuckle. I brushed the strands off as I looked back up to see the furious face of Yang. "...Were… your eyes always that shade of red?"
"You bastard!" She exclaimed as I felt the air leave my lungs as Yang's fist embedded itself into my stomach, launching me backward.
"Oww…" I muttered, standing up as Yang stalked forwards. "Okay, I think this was an informative day, but for now-"
I didn't get a chance to finish as Yang grabbed my arm and threw me backward. I hit the ground and rolled, before looking up to see Yang unfurl her Gauntlets before she threw a punch in my direction.
"Yang, stop!" Taiyang shouted, but at that point, it was a bit too late.
The blast flew towards me, as I was stuck like a deer in headlights, before something inside me pulled and I threw myself to the right. The shot slammed into the ground next to me as it kicked up some dust and threw me into the glass protectors before I fell back onto the arena floor.
"Bryce!" I heard Yang shout as I was rolled over to see the practically mortified look on Yang's face.
"So is that red eye thing normal for everyone or just you?" I asked, letting out a laugh before grunting. "Oh, hurts to laugh. Also, was everything normally this blurry?"
"Dad... Dad, he's bleeding." Said Yang. "Why didn't you have your aura activated?"
"...Yeah so… uh, dumb question… but what the hell is Aura?" I asked as Taiyang came to a stop next to me.
"Oh." Said Yang, as Taiyang crouched down next to me.
"Hey, I need you to stay with me, alright?" Said Taiyang as I let out a nod. "Shit, I'm just glad you dodged it. This looks bad enough as is."
"Yeah, I'm calling that point blank for the time being," I said, gritting my teeth. "What's the damage?"
"You're bleeding, a lot. Yang, I need to call emergency services" Said Taiyang, as he pulled his scroll out. "As for you… Yang, I need you to try to unlock his aura."
"Oh, that'll be helpful." I muttered as Yang nodded, placing her left hand on my chest.
"This'll be a first." Said Yang, as I raised an eyebrow. "Okay… For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee."
It wasn't anything at first, but as Yang continued I felt something from outside try to pull at something from within, but as Yang finished, that presence faded, seemingly as if it hadn't found anything.
"I… It didn't work?" Yang asked in confusion.
"Yang, the paramedics are here." Said Taiyang, as I felt my eyes start to grow tired. "Hey, don't pass out on me yet, okay? You're going to be okay."
My vision slowly faded to black, as I felt my body get picked up to be hauled to the hospital.
There was a rhythmic beating that seemed to echo around me, almost like a ticking clock. I opened my eyes, a marble white staring back at me as my vision slowly cleared up. I blinked, looking to my right to left to see a box indented in the wall, a desk fitted inside with a computer running sitting atop.
I sighed, looking back up as I let out a breath. "What… happened?" I asked aloud. My arms felt heavy, my whole body did as a matter of fact. I looked down, moving the cover off of my body to see I had been changed into a hospital gown. I let out a sigh as I looked up to my left, finding a single window to another room. I squinted, trying to focus in on a figure looking through it. They quickly moved to the side, leaving my view.
I didn't have a lot of time to dwell on it, as the door to the room opened up a few seconds afterward. I looked back to see a familiar face walk into the room, followed by a girl in a doctor's coat.
"How are you feeling Mr. Bridged?" Asked Emu, as I blinked.
"Heavy… and not much else really…" I said, looking back at the Gamer Doctor. "Where am I right now?"
"You're in CR." Said the girl, as I looked over to her. I caught a glimpse of the nameplate she wore, 'Asuna Karino'. "You were transferred from Beacon Academy's Medical Center."
"Why is that?" I asked, sitting up with a grunt.
"You've been infected with a strain of the Bugster Virus we've never seen before." Said Asuna, as I let out a sigh of annoyance. "We decided it best to take you here so we could analyze it properly."
"I was hired at Beacon Academy to help if the Bugster Virus was to ever infect any of their students." Said Emu. "Unfortunately, we were ill prepared for this new strain of the virus."
"How bad could this strain be exactly?" I asked. "It should be pretty easy to deal with, right? Transform, extract it if it's below lv 3, and then hyper invincibility it to death."
"The virus doesn't seem to be coming out." Said Emu, as I blinked. "We've been trying to get a reading on what the exact type may be, but for now we can only monitor you until it does something."
"Great…" I muttered.
"That said, I think there are a few people waiting to see you." Said Asuna, as she turned to the door and walked over. The door slid over, as she was quickly bumped to the side by a mass of rose petals as Ruby sped over to my side.
"Bryce! Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"
"Ruby… Stop… Shaking me… Please…" I muttered, suddenly dizzy from all the shaking.
"Oh, sorry!" Ruby said, letting go of me as I massaged my temples.
"You gave us quite the scare there." Said Sento, walking over with Banjou. "How do you feel?"
"Dizzy," I said as Ruby pouted. "And a bit heavy."
"Oh, Emu! Hiiro just arrived!" Said Asuna as Emu looked up and nodded, the two of them walking out of the room.
"So… the others know I'm here?" I asked Ruby.
Ruby shook her head. "We didn't want them worrying, so we didn't bring it up."
I gave a short nod as I turned to Sento. "You guys sure you should be here?"
"If it's monster attacks you're worried about, don't." Said Sento. "Shinnosuke is standing on guard at Beacon for the time being, and even if I did want to help, there isn't much I can really do…"
"Ah." I nodded, looking back at the door as a man in a white doctor's coat with a blue shirt and tie walked into the room, followed closely by Emu and Asuna. Enter, Hiiro Kagami.
"No changes yet?" Asked Hiiro, as Emu shook his head, walking over to the touchpad next to me. "If the three of you could wait outside for a few seconds."
"Alright." Said Sento, motioning Ruby and Banjou out.
I watched the door close behind them before I looked over at Hiiro, his Gamer Driver already attached to his waist. Our eyes met as the doctor's sight lingered on me. "You…?" I raised an eyebrow, but Emu interrupted a moment later.
"Alright… I think I was able to distinguish the strain." Said Emu, nodding as he looked over at Hiiro. "The game is 'Climax Scramble'."
I felt my eye twitch at that, as Hiiro looked to Emu in confusion. "Climax Scramble?" He asked as Emu nodded.
"It's a new fighting game, where you can use the powers of different characters as your own." Said Emu, as he looked at me. "I don't know why the virus isn't emerging though."
Hiiro raised a white gashat up, before pressing down on the lever.
[TADDLE LEGACY!]
A pulse of white pixels spread out from under him, rolling over me as I felt something inside me violently pulsate. I let out a cry of pain as I fell back onto the hospital bed as my head started to ache once more.
"It's not emerging…" Muttered Hiiro as he put the gashat away, the pain slowly subsiding. "It's like a strange defensive system for the virus…"
"Hiiro, Emu, there are reports of Bugsters popping up!" Said Asuna as the two looked at her before Emu turned to me.
"We'll be right back." He said as the three of them ran out of the room. I watched as the doors started to close before they stopped in place. I widened my eyes as the familiar feeling of time freezing surrounded me. I, however, felt unaffected.
"My my isn't this a predicament." Said a voice, as I turned to the left, as a boy in a blue coat sat on the edge of my bed, kicking his legs back and forth. "The great Oma ZI-O reduced to a hospital patient."
"You…" I said, grunting. "Time Jacker!"
"Mhm. I am Uhr." He said, smiling as he nodded to me. "How the great ZI-O has fallen… Victim to the Bugster Virus, almost funny, all things considered…"
"You did pretty well against Ora." Said Uhr, jumping off as he tossed a Blank Another Ride Watch up and down. "But I also saw how much you worried about these things being used… so I wonder what kind of stress you'd be put under if I were to use it? Probably enough to make you disappear, no?"
"You…" I growled out, grunting as the buster virus infecting me started to act up.
"It seems I have my answer." He smirked, catching the Ride Watch. "I look forward to seeing what future our new king will bring us."
And like he was never there, time returned to normal as he disappeared in an instant. I let out a yell of anger, as I rolled myself off of the hospital bed, slamming hard onto the cold floor.
"Bryce!?" Ruby asked, running over to me as I struggled to stand up.
"WOZ!" I shouted as the man himself walked into the room.
"Yes, my Liege?" Asked the man, pushing past a worried Sento and Banjou.
"My driver and Ride Watch, please," I said, holding my hands out as I was quickly passed the items in question. I placed the Driver against my waist, gripping the Ride Watch as the belt shot out and wrapped around me.
[ZIKU DRIVER!]
"What the hell are you doing!?" Asked Banjou walking up to me, gripping my shoulders tight. "You're in no shape to even think about going out right now."
"You don't understand… Another… Another Rider is about to appear." I said as Sento looked at me with hardened eyes. "I don't know what kind of stress it'll put me under, but just with the knowledge that time Jacker would do it is enough to make the virus act up."
I let out a breath. "Oh… oh god…" I muttered as a bolt of pain ran through me, as I collapsed back to the floor.
"Bryce!" Ruby shouted, holding my side.
"I just realized… If it's Another Ex-aid… well, there goes my treatment." I said as the room grew quiet. "I need to… do something."
"...My lord." Said Woz, as I looked up at him. "I'm afraid it's too late."
There was a sudden shift, as everything seemed to distort around me before I passed out.
[7 years ago: Zero Day]
"You have to become the best doctor in the world…"
Time seemed to freeze at the end of that statement, as Hiiro Kagami stared at the fading body of his girlfriend.
"Well, isn't this a predicament?" Asked a voice, as Hiiro turned around to see Uhr walk up behind him. "It must be terrible, being unable to do anything to help her right now. But… what if I told you that I could help you?"
"...Dammit…" I muttered, looking up the ceiling of what looked like Beacons medical facility.
"Oh good, you're up." Said a voice, as I turned to see Emu sitting in a chair at a desk nearby. "You suddenly collapsed earlier, so your friends brought you over. How do you feel?"
"...Better than I did earlier." I answered, sitting up.
"Well, you're free to go for now. If anything happens, let me know." Said Emu, as I nodded, standing up. I paused, before discretely placing a blank ride watch on Emu's desk.
I closed the door to Emu's office as I let out a breath. "Not like I have a choice at this point…" I muttered.
"I see you've awakened, my lord." Said Woz, as I turned to him. "And it appears your stress level has fallen."
"...I was so worried about… having the people I once cheered for lose the power that made them whole, that I did everything I could to keep it from happening…" I said. "It's probably why I was so stressed out all the time…"
"And that has changed now, has it?" Woz said.
"Yeah," I said."In hindsight… it's kinda like a weight was just lifted off of my chest. And I think I needed a wakeup call anyways. Even if I don't like it, trying to stop riders from losing their powers is ultimately futile in the end…"
"Now… a question. Why did everything change around me so drastically?" I asked as Woz nodded to himself.
"It appears that the absence of CR led to the world's timeline changing drastically. While memories are the same, as you've found out yourself, the world had to relocate a few things to fit the new timeline." Said Woz.
"There was that much of a change?" I asked aloud. "Whoever became Another Ex-Aid must have had a lot to do with how time went along…"
"Bryce!" I heard a female voice shout behind Woz. He gave a slight tilt of his head, before walking past me, as Yang ran down the hall towards. "You okay?"
"Uh… yes?" I said in confusion.
"Sorry, I was a little worried, you passed out while we were sparring earlier." Said Yang. "I panicked and called down that guy to get you over here…"
"Oh… thanks." I said.
"Eh, don't mention it. I mean, it's not the first time, right?" Said Yang, as I looked off to the side.
"The first time I almost exploded. Passing out was the afterthought…"
"I'd assume passing out wouldn't have any thought put into it." Said Yang.
"Touche." I sighed. "Right, well nothing appears to be wrong with me-"
"Aside from the obvious?"Asked Yang.
"So I'm free to go for now," I said, before the wall to the doctor's office broke open as Emu flew out into the hallway. "And just like that, they bring me back in."
"You alright sir?" Asked Yang, as Emu struggled up.
"Yang, get him out of here." I said, placing the Ziku Driver on my waist.
[ZIKU DRIVER!]
"Got it! Come on, let's get moving!" Said Yang, as she helped Emu up.
"Right! Be careful!" Said Emu as he ran off with Yang.
I twisted the Zi-o Ride Watch off of the holder, before turning the dial and activating the watch.
{ZI-O!}
I slid the ride watch into the right slot as the holographic clock formed behind me. I pushed my right hand down onto the release button and raised my left over to my right side.
"Henshin!"
I swung down spinning the driver, completing the rotation as the Zi-o armor formed around me.
[RIDER TIME!]
{KAMEN RIDER! ZI-O!}
"Let's get this over with." I said as I turned into the doctor's office to find… wait that's not right.
"The hell!?" I asked, looking around. "The place is empty!"
"I wouldn't be sure about that~."
"Huh-Gah!"
I felt a sudden impact against my chest, as I flew out of the opposite wall, crashing down next to Yang and Emu. "Oh hey guys… you catch the number of that bus or…?"
"Get up already." Said Yang, helping me to my feet as she pointed forwards. "We have bigger problems."
{EX-AID!}
"Oh, that's not good," I said, as I looked up to see a monstrous being walk down the hall towards us, his hands lifted to either side of his head in a familiar motion. I grit my teeth as I stood up and watched as Another Ex-Aid entered the light. "Another Ex-aid…"
"Bugster… Will now proceed with the extraction." Said Another Ex-Aid, its teethed mouth opening with each word. It lowered it's arms, as pink pixelated energy ran past us, a game field activating around us as brown blocks formed around us.
I let out a gasp as I fell to my knees, a wave of pixelated energy flowing over me. "Oh, Joy… He can generate a game field… and the virus is reacting poorly to it…" I growled out in annoyance, standing up as I turned to Yang.
"Yang, get Emu out of here!" I shouted, looking back just in time to see the attack coming at me as I raised my arm to block Another Ex-Aid's strike. "Get going already!"
"Got it! Come on, let's go!" Said Yang, lifting Emu up as they ran down the hallway.
"Guh… EDGE OF TIME!" I shouted, holding my right hand out as the sword materialized in a flash of pink light.
[ZIKAN GIRADE!]
[KEN!]
I swung forwards, slashing Another Ex-Aid back a few feet. I slammed my palm on the button on the ride watch slot of the sword, as I tightened my grip on the weapon.
[TIME CHARGE! 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… ZERO TIME!]
"Ora!" I roared, swinging the sword forwards with a pull of the trigger.
[GIRI! GIRI! GIRI!]
A wave of energy rippled off of the sword, flying back towards the Another Rider. The rider lifted its arms to block the attack, the energy wave crashing against, but not slicing through.
"Damn!" I muttered, gritting my teeth.
"Can I join in on the fun yet?" Said another voice as I turned around to watch as another form walked out of the hole in the wall I was sent crashing into. "This will be a fun game."
"Who the hel-Ack!?"
A red fist slammed into my stomach, as I flew back and crashed into the nearby wall. "Ow… I feel bad for the janitor… wait, isn't that Banjou?"
I blinked my eyes clear, looking through the helmet over my head at the blue and red form in front of me. "Oh come on."
If there was one rider I was never expecting to get an another rider version of itself… it would've been this guy.
Another Para-DX looked like his level 99 gamer form, but if you had given him the same treatment Another Ex-aid had gotten. Its right arm was morphed into a monstrous boxing glove looking fist, while it's right hand would be better described as claws.
"Okay, not liking my odds now." I said, grabbing the Cross-Z Ride Watch off the right shoulder and twisted the dial before activating it.
{CROSS-Z!}
I slid the Ride Watch into the left slot before slamming my fist onto the release button and spun the driver around.
[ARMOUR TIME!]
{WAKE UP BURNING! CROSS-Z!}
I charged back into the fray as the Cross-Z armor formed around me. I threw my punch forwards, slamming into Another Para-DX's shoulder, before swinging my sword at Another Ex-Aid, knocking him back a bit as I stepped back to get some breathing room.
"Why the hell is there Another Para-DX?" I asked myself in confusion, pulling the Cross-Z Ride Watch off the belt before placing it in the Zikan Girade.
[FINISH TIME!]
"I would worry less about that later." Said Another Para-DX, placing one of his hands on a nearby block, breaking it open and grabbing the energy item inside.
{MUSCLE UP!}
The Rider charged me, as I ducked to the side, it's fist flying over me harmlessly. I pulled the trigger, swinging forwards at Another Para-DX as a wave of blue fire was sent flying at the Another Rider.
{Cross-Z}
[Giri Giri Slash!]
Another Para-DX waived his right hand, as one of the nearby blocks burst open and an energy item flew into him.
{REFLECT UP!}
"Oh shi-!" I exclaimed, as my attack suddenly bounced back, slamming into my chest as I was sent flying back. I slammed into the floor, rolling to a stop as my transformation canceled. "That… That's not good…"
I looked up, as Another Ex-Aid walked towards me, Another Para-DX in tow. "Proceeding with Bugster extraction." The voice sounded out, as it extended one of its hands towards me.
"Gah!" I let out a gasp as I felt something inside me grip tight as something began to rip free from inside me. Orange static sparked over me as a familiar headache started to form in my mind.
Before anything else could occur, two metal tracks formed in the air, quickly closing in on the two Another Riders. "Hmm?" Another Para-DX tilted it's head, before a toy car looking thing flew off the track towards Another Ex-aid, it's body lighting ablaze as it slammed into the monster's side, knocking the Another Rider into its brethren as they were pushed back.
I let out a gasp as the pain subsided, whatever Another Ex-Aid had been doing was suddenly disrupted as the sound of running caught my attention. I looked up, seeing Shinnosuke lending a hand towards me. "Sorry if I'm late, I was on the other side of the academy." He said. I took his hand, pulling myself up as we turned to the two Another Riders. "These those Another Riders Ozpin told me about?"
"Yeah, Another Ex-Aid, and Another Para-DX." I said, pointing at the respective riders. "I just don't understand why Another Para-DX is here."
"Do not interfere with the operation!" Said Another Ex-Aid, charging at us only for what I assumed to be the Max Flare Shift Car slammed into the monster once more, knocking it back.
"We'll worry about it later. Belt-san!" Shinnosuke said, twisting the key-shaped object on his driver.
"Okay, Start Your Engine!" Belt-san said, as Shinnosuke pulled out a long red shift car, as he pressed a button on the side of the Car, the view screen lighting up to show multiple shift cars displayed through the screen.
{FIRE! ALL ENGINES!}
I smiled, pulled the Cross-Z Ride Watch off the driver before taking out the Build Ride Watch, quickly twisting the dial and pressing the activation button.
{BUILD!}
I slotted the Ride Watch in the driver, as Shinnosuke inserted the Tridoron Shift Car into the Shift Brace. I pushed the release button on my driver, before getting into position.
"HENSHIN!" The two of us shouted, as I swung my arm down, spinning the Ziku Driver around for a full rotation, while Shinnosuke ratcheted the shift car.
[DRIVE! TYPE: TRIDORON!]
[RIDER TIME!]
{KAMEN RIDER! ZI-O!}
[ARMOUR TIME!]
{BEST MATCH! BUILD!}
"At this moment in time… We're skipping this catchphrase!" I shouted, charging forward with my arm-mounted drill crusher at the ready. "Shinnosuke, hold off Another Para-DX! I'll take Ex-aid over here!"
"Got it!" Shouted Drive, as he pushed back Another Para-DX. I returned my attention towards Another Ex-Aid, as I narrowed my eyes. I charged forward, swinging my Drill Crusher forwards at Another Ex-Aid as it batted the weapon to the side before it backpedaled a few steps, standing next to a power-up block. It smashed it's hand against the block, breaking it open as the Energy Item inside flew into the Another Rider.
{MUSCLE UP!}
I brought my arm up for another strike, only for the Rider to slam it's fist into my stomach, before following up with another punch, disarming my weapon, before finishing with a kick that sent me flying back a few feet.
I grunted, standing up as I held out of my right hand. "EDGE OF TIME!"
[ZIKAN GIRADE!]
[KEN!]
I spun the sword around in my hand, charging forwards once more, swinging upwards. Sparks flew as the tip of the sword scrapped against the chest of Another Ex-Aid, before it fell back onto its hands and pushed up, performing a handspring to recover.
I swung again, only to miss as Another Ex-Aid sidestepped and grabbed onto my wrist, disarming me. "Gah-!"
"Continuing Bugster extraction." Said Another Ex-Aid, as its hand pushed against my chest as I felt the same pressure rip through my chest as my body sparked and convulsed, my transformation deactivating as the bugster was pulled.
"Bridged!" Shouted Shinnosuke, moving to intercept only to be blocked off by Another Para-DX.
"Now now… Two on one isn't fair." Said the Another Rider, as he pushed back Shinnosuke.
I fought to keep my eyes open, as pain racked my body. I fell to my knees as I looked up at the face of the Another Rider. I tilted my eyes to the left to see an orange glow behind the rider.
"ORA!"
[VOLCANIC KNUCKLE!]
[ACHA!]
I watched in what felt like slow motion as the Another Rider was knocked to the side, as Banjou stood in front of me, his Great Cross-Z Dragon strapped to the build driver.
"Bryce! You alright!?" Asked Banjou, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"My Banjou, I don't feel so good…" I said, grunting as I shakily stood up, orange sparks flowing over my body. "Ugh, this is bad…"
Another Ex-Aid stood up, walking over to the two of us. "Do not interfere with the operation." It said as I looked up in confusion.
"Is that a threat?" Asked Banjou, before he smirked, placing a hand on his driver's lever as he cranked it around, the snap ride builder forming around him.
[ARE YOU READY!?]
"Henshin!"
[WAKE UP CROSS-Z! GET GREAT DRAGON! YEAH!]
"I get the feeling I can't lose!" Exclaimed Banjou, slamming the magma bottle into the knuckle.
[BOTTLE BURN!]
Another Ex-Aid gave another look around. "We're leaving."
"Now? And it was just getting good…" Said Another Para-DX, as he walked over to Another Ex-Aid. "For now, good game, give us a better one next time."
"Get back here!" Shouted Banjou, charging forwards only for the two of them to disappear in a burst of pixels. I gave a passing look around, the nearby game field dissipating as the energy blocks disappeared. "Damn…"
"Bridged! Are you alright?" Asked Shinnosuke, as he ran over to the two of us. He pulled the tridoron shift car out of the brace, as his transformation ended.
"Nice Drive." Belt-San said as Banjou pulled his Great Cross-Z Dragon out of the build driver, canceling his transformation himself.
"I've had better…" I said, grunting as the bugster virus sparked up again. "...what do we do?"
"Isn't that… that virus thingy one of the other Another Riders had?" Asked Banjou, as I nodded. "You were brought down to that hospital in Vale about that right? Let's head there."
"Time was altered remember? I doubt CR will still be there." I said, grunting as another wave of pain washed through me. "The hell did it do to me!?"
"It doesn't matter right now. Shinnosuke, we need to get him to the Tridoron, now!" Said Belt-San, his digital face serious. "My scans aren't getting a great reading of him, but what I can see isn't good."
"Got it. Banjou, help me get him up." Said Shinnosuke, grabbing my arm.
"Got it!" Said Banjou.
"Wait… get… Emu… get him… he has… what we need to beat…" I felt my vision grow dark once more as I passed out.
"What's the patient's status?" Asked a voice as he walked down the hallway of the hospital.
"His vitals are fading. His chances aren't good…" Said a nurse as she walked down the hallway.
"We attempted to unlock his Aura, but for some reason, we're not getting a response." Said the nurse.
"What happened to him?" Asked the man.
"Training accident. A stray blast caused some damage to his midsection."
As the rounded the corner, two blonde figures say in the waiting room, one male, one female, a father, and his daughter. The Male had a hand on the girl's shoulder, in an almost comforting manner, while the girl's golden locks hung over her face.
As the Man walked into the room, the two looked up. "Yang Xiao Long, I presume?"
"...Yeah…" the girl responded, looking to the side. "...how is he?"
"Not well. Vitals are fading, and there's not much we can do but go into emergency surgery." Said the man, no sugarcoating of the situation in sight. "It's not looking good."
"...It's all my fault…" Muttered the girl. "...How am I ever going to face… anyone after this?"
"Doctor, we're about to start the surgery." Said the nurse, as the man turned around to walk away.
"Wait!" The man paused and turned his head around to look at the girl over his shoulder. "Can you save him…?"
"Yang…" Her father said as Yang looked down.
"I will." Said the man, as Yang snapped her head back up in rapt attention. The man looked ahead, eyes narrowed. "There is nothing I cannot cut."
"Are you sure you should be walking around right now?" Asked Ruby, as I walked down the hallway. "What if the virus acts up again!"
"I'll be fine. More importantly, how did you know I was here?" I asked.
"Yang sent me a text. Said she'd be here soon with the rest of the team." Said Ruby. "...So… I take it that the monster of the week happened?"
"If it ends up becoming a monster of the week deal, I think I'll snap," I said, my eye twitching as we rounded the corner. "Anyways I need to think. Something was off about Another Ex-Aid… and I wasn't talking about the inclusion of Another Para-DX… it was… like he was familiar somehow…"
I sighed, looking back on the fight. There was something off. The rider was… more serious compared to the two other Another Riders I had dealt with earlier. The last guy was borderline consumed by the monstrous tendencies, but this guy… it was like he had, at the very least, a flight or fight system. He chose to leave when things weren't going his way.
That doesn't make things easier for us either. It just means that whoever Another Ex-Aid happens to be… well, they probably have full understanding of their actions as the Another Rider.
I let out a sigh, looking up at the ceiling, as I replayed the fight once more for what felt like the fifth time today. Before I could stop to remember the words that had been thrown about, a jolt of pain ran through me as the virus sparked up for but a moment. I let out a gasp as I collapsed to the ground in pain, holding my head as I felt a pair of hand grab my shoulders in worry.
"Bryce!?" Ruby asked as I let out a breath, the pain subsiding.
"It's nothing… just a sudden jolt." I muttered as Ruby helped me back up to my feet. I thought once more when a detail from the fight stuck out to me.
"Bugster… Will now proceed with the Extraction."
I clicked my tongue as I replayed the line. Extraction? What was this, a procedure or something?
I paused as the thought circled in my head. In terms of Ex-Aid, the job that would instantly jump out at me with Procedures would be doctors, which would make sense… Which actually makes a lot more sense now that I think about it.
"Bryce? You with me right now?" Asked Ruby, as I snapped out of my inner thoughts, almost running into the corner in front of me.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, spaced out." I said, chuckling as I rubbed the back of my neck. I looked to the right, only to pause as I watched as a man in a doctor's coat stand opposite of a woman holding out a white box, the kind you'd find a cake placed in. "Is that?"
"Huh? Who's that?" Asked Ruby, looking down the hallway. I took another step forward as the features of the two focused.
"...That's… Hiiro Kagami… Kamen Rider Brave… or, former… Kamen Rider Brave." I said as I looked at the woman opposite of him. "...that can't be…"
"Bryce?"
"...She… she died… she should be dead but…" I said. "How the hell is… what was her name, Saki? How is she alive? There's… a few explanations but… wait… If there was one person who would change time for… oh, oh… that explains a lot."
As if my words were a catalyst, time suddenly paused around Ruby and me, as Uhr walked past us with a smile on his face. "It seems you've pieced things together, Zi-o."
"Time Jacker." I said. "While painful and annoying, your bugster plan hasn't done me in yet."
"It's a work in progress." Said Uhr. "Unfortunately, it appears that I've made a bit of a mistake with my choice of Another Ex-Aid."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Ruby raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"It means the current Another Rider isn't really interested in becoming king, because he's a doctor first and foremost," I said. "I'm honestly surprised… I didn't expect you to make Hiiro Kagami Another Ex-Aid."
"He wanted to save the life of the one person who mattered most, and we wanted a new king, it was win-win it seems." Said Uhr.
"Then mind explaining Another Para-DX? Because I can't understand for a second what's going on with THAT." I said as Uhr shrugged, leaning against the nearby wall.
"Who knows, Swartz said it was an unexpected occurrence, but he didn't seem too mad about it. He actually seemed rather pleased." Said Uhr, as I looked to Ruby in confusion, who just shrugged, equally confused. "Wait? You don't know who Swartz is? I guess this really IS where your knowledge of the future ends, at least for our plans."
"Doesn't matter. What's really important is stopping this mess." I said, reaching for my driver, only to remember that I was in a hospital gown. "...Well, this is an interesting predicament."
"Then shall we continue?" Asked Uhr, skipping over to Hiiro as he reached into the rider's back, pulling out a purple looking Ride Watch before pushing down on the top button.
{EX-AID!}
Uhr smirked at me, before placing the another Ride Watch back inside and turned Hiiro to look at us. He gave a quick wave before quickly retreating as time resumed.
Hiiro let out a gasp as he fell to his knees, his girlfriend crouching over next to him. He looked up at Ruby and me, as a look of recognition passed over his eyes before his body burst open and he transformed in a flash of light into Another Ex-Aid. He looked up, the monster's eyes flashing red momentarily as a burst of pixels landed next to him, quickly taking shape of Another Para-DX.
"...Now proceeding with Bugster excision." Said Another Ex-Aid, as I gave a brief look over at Ruby, before the game field quickly spread, as I fell to my knees in unbridled pain.
"...RUN!" I shouted, looking over at Ruby before I stood back up and dodged to the left, narrowly missing Another Para-DX's punch. "Damn it…!"
"Sit still would you?" Asked Another Para-DX, as I rolled to the right, hopping up onto my feet quickly as the Another Rider chased after me. "Then again, the chase is half the fun!"
"Oh for the love of-!" I exclaimed, quickly sidestepping as Another Ex-Aid ran past Another Ex-Aid with its fist raised. I had a second to suck in a breath of air before it was all let out as its fist slammed into my stomach, launching me towards one of the windows in the hallway. I smashed through, rolling onto the gravel road as I grunted from the force of the impact. "Ow…"
"It appears you are having trouble, my lord." Said Woz, as he walked in front of me. "Please allow me to buy you a bit of time."
"Yes, please…" I said as the Another Riders walked out onto the road. "Oh come on…"
"Don't worry, my lord. I do believe your help has arrived." Said Woz, as Banjou and Shinnosuke ran up next to me.
"Hey, guys…" I said, standing up.
"Bryce, I figured you'd want these back." Said Shinnosuke, handing me a duffle bag. I opened the bag up to see my driver and ride watches secured inside. "We'll handle this. You head to Emu, you said he was the key to victory, correct?"
"Yeah, good luck guys," I said, as Banjou and Shinnosuke pulled out their respective henshin devices. "Woz!"
"Gentlemen, it's been a pleasure, but we have matters to attend to." Said Woz, before he swung his scarf forwards, the fabric extending as it smashed into the two riders, knocking them onto their backs as the scarf suddenly wrapped around us, obscuring the light for a moment only to lift away to find us in the Beacon infirmary.
"Uh… the hell?" I asked as Ruby ran into the room a few seconds later, clearly out of breath.
"Guys! Bryce needs he-Bryce!" I had only a second to react before I was slammed into by the speedster. "How'd you get here so quick?"
"A wizard did it… or Woz at the very least. What the hell was that by the way?" I asked Woz, standing up.
"A wizard never reveals his secrets." Said Woz, clearly enjoying his newfound pass time of messing with me.
"Bryce?" Asked Yang, as she walked towards us with Emu in tow. "You're here. I thought you were at the hospital."
"I was… and then things happened… and I'm here." I said, looking over at Emu. "I see you're okay."
"I'm fine. I'm more surprised they didn't try attacking me again." Said Emu. He paused for a moment, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a green and pink Ride Watch. "I think this is yours… right? It wasn't always this color though."
"Yes! This is perfect!" I said, taking the Ride Watch out of Emu's hand as I smirked. "Now the game field has been matched... heh."
Ruby suppressed a groan as Yang snickered to herself. I looked back up and nodded. "Right. I'm off!" I said, grabbing the duffle bag as I ran out of the room.
"Wait, Bryce! Where are you going!?" Asked Yang.
"To help Banjou and Shinnosuke, I figured I've left them hanging long enough!" I said, pulling the Ride Striker Ride Watch out of the bag.
"Just sit still already!" Shouted Cross-Z, swinging his Magma Knuckle at Another Para-DX.
"Maybe try actually hitting me already." Said Another Para-DX, sidestepping another punch before responding in kind, slamming its fist into Cross-Z's chest, knocking him onto his back as he rolled to a stop a few meters away, his transformation deactivating.
Shinnosuke was having just as much trouble against Another Ex-Aid, the rider having already regenerated from another of Drive's finishers.
"What the hell gives!" Shouted Banjou, standing up as Shinnosuke backed up as the Another Para-DX rolled its neck. "Nothing we're doing is hurting it!"
"Shinnosuke, I'm detecting incoming reinforcements!" Said Belt-San, as I pulled up to a stop next to them.
"You guys need some help?" I asked, the driver already against my waist.
"Where the hell were you, man?" Asked Banjou a smirk on his face.
"Around," I said, walking past the two of them. "Don't worry, I'll end this quick."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that." Said Another Para-DX, as another game field opened. I let out a sharp gasp as a wave of pain, unlike the earlier ones, erupted inside of me. I looked at my hands, finding they were fading in and out of existence. "Ooh… that looks serious."
I let out a shaky laugh, as I forced my body to a stand. "You know what? I could care less about that… it's not like it'll do anything to me in the long run anyways."
I reached into my coat pocket with my left hand, pulling out a green and pink ride watch with a shaky hand. I raised it into the air, Another Ex-Aid taking a step back as if in recognition.
I twisted the dial of the ride watch to the side, the face of Kamen Rider Ex-Aid visible to the world. I raised my index finger to activate the watch before my hand faded from existence for a moment allowing the Ride Watch to fall through my hand.
Before it hit the ground, I caught the ride watch with my right hand, looking back up at the Another Riders as I faded in and out of existence. "Hiiro… I'll change your fate with my own hands." I said, before slamming my thumb over the activation button.
It happened almost immediately. White particles flew up around me as I felt the familiar pain of the bugster virus inside me burst open, only to fade after a few seconds as the virus swarmed like a tornado around me.
"Huh, that's new…" Said Another Para-DX, before he looked down at his hands. "Wait, what's going on!?"
I watched as the another rider began to fade out of existence, his body slowly turning into a mass of red and blue pixels. A moment later, the pixels seemed to fly towards the bugster storm around me, the white turning red and blue before it quickly condensed around me, the virus absorbed into my body as my eyes lit up red for a moment, and the wind seemed to pass through my hair as it lifted for a moment.
The Ride Watch in my hand finally activated, the holographic face of Ex-Aid forming in front of the Watch.
{EX-AID!}
I looked back up at Another Ex-Aid, who had taken a step back in what looked like some form of shock.
I smiled, pulling out my phone before scrolling to the sound of choice… and pressing the play button, flipping the phone in the air as a static melody suddenly began to ring through the air.
[Play EXCITE - Daichi Miura]
(I gotta believe...)
I placed my phone back into my pocket before tossing the Ex-Aid Ride Watch over to my left hand. I quickly twisted and pulled the Zi-O Ride Watch off of the holder in a fluid motion.
I twisted the dial and quickly pushed down on the activation button, the holographic face appearing over the Watch.
{ZI-O!}
I don't wanna know heta na shinjitsu nara I don't wanna know shiranai kurai ga ii noni
I quickly slotted the Zi-O Ride Watch into the right-hand slot of the driver on my waist, the holographic clock forming behind me.
I gave a look behind at Banjou and Shinnosuke, before giving a brief thumbs up, as I looked back to Another Ex-Aid.
Why? Why? Why? Why? Kizukeba I came too far
I tossed the Ex-Aid Ride Watch into the air, before catching it with my right hand. I thrust it forward to my left, before swinging both my arms to my right.
Tomaranai kanjiru kono yokan wa
The new beginning
I gave a quick pass of the watch to my left hand, before slotting it into the left-hand slot of the driver. I raised my right hand into the air, before quickly bringing it down on the release button on the driver.
michi no ryouiki ima wo kirihirakun da
I gotta believe!
I gripped the left slot of the driver before throwing my arm to the right, the driver quickly spinning around as it gained a full rotation. The clock behind me spinning around as the pink characters for 'Rider' formed and shot forwards.
(Turn it on!)
[RIDER TIME!]
Soutou
EXCITE! EXCITE! takanaru
I held my position as the watch bands spun around me, forming my armor before the Ex-Aid armor appeared in front of me.
EXCITE! EXCITE! kokoro ga
{KAMEN RIDER! ZI-O!}
michibiku ano basho e kakenukete ikudake
I thrust my hand forwards, sending the armor flying ahead of me as I brought my arms in an x position before bringing them down, the Ex-aid armor slowly sliding back towards me like the holographic screens from Ex-Aid.
{ARMOR TIME!}
{LEVEL UP! EX-AID!}
(Hey!) I'm on a mission right now, (Hey!) I'm on a mission right now
The armor quickly snapped into place, from the health bar inspired chest piece to the pink anime hair styled helmet, and the two gashat shaped shoulder guards.
EXCITE! EXCITE! kotae wa
I. kono te no naka II. susumu beki life III. ikite iku dake
I raised my left hand up with my index finger raised, before moving it to the right. "I'll clear this game…" I began, before swinging my right arm to the left in a flourish. "With no continues!" I exclaimed, as the pink Japanese characters for 'Ex-Aid' flew towards my helmet and collided, forming the word over my visor.
(Play Kamen Rider Zi-O Battle Theme [REJOICE!])
"REJOICE!" Woz proclaimed, stepping behind me from out of nowhere with his right arm raised. "The one to inherit all Rider Powers… The king of time who will rule over the past and the future. And his name is Kamen Rider Zi-O Ex-Aid Armour. This is the moment that he inherits yet another Rider's power."
"Ah… I missed this." I said, nodding to myself.
"My lord… I do believe you have a challenger to your throne to take care of." Said Woz, stepping back from the fray.
"Hm!" I nodded, as I raised my arms into the air. Almost immediately, two arm gauntlets of some kind flew down and snapped into place over my forearms. The design seemed to be a reimagined version of Ex-Aid's Gashacon Breaker, only as fists than a hammer. The Gashacon Breaker Breakers!
I rolled my shoulders as I raised the hammer fists in a challenging kind of way, Another Ex-Aid charging at me moments later. I ducked to the side, before bringing my left fist forwards and slamming the weapon into Another Ex-Aid's stomach. The Another Rider held still for a split second before he was sent flying backward.
I sighed. "Hiiro… I thought you were going to be the world's greatest doctor? I doubt you can do such a thing like this. Your job is to help people… but choosing to become Another Ex-Aid isn't doing anything but the opposite of what you want. So let me help you make things right." I said, pushing down on the activation buttons on both Ride Watches as Another Ex-Aid stumbled to a stand.
{FINISH TIME!}
{EX-AID!}
I pushed down on the release button, before placing my arm below the left slot of the driver, before swinging my hand upwards, the driver spinning around in a full rotation.
{CRITICAL!}
{TIME BREAK!}
I watched as a familiar looking finisher announcement screen spawned next to me and smirked as energy formed around my fist wildly. I threw my fist into the air, knocking the sign into a bunch of pieces before jumping after, slamming blow for blow at the pieces of the announcement before charging after them, watching as each piece slammed into Another Ex-Aid.
I reared both fists back, before throwing them forwards, the attack smashing into Another Ex-Aid's chest before an explosion of energy kicked up around us as I flew past the Another Rider and came to a slow stop.
I stood up, sliding the Ex-Aid Ride Watch off of the driver as the Ex-Aid armor dissipated around my Zi-O armor. I turned back to see the conscious form of Hiiro Kagami slowly getting off his back, the Another Ex-Aid Ride Watch lying next to him.
"Well, I don't know what I should've expected." Said a voice as Uhr walked over to the downed Hiiro. "But I won't just let things end here Zi-O."
He reached down and grabbed the discarded Another Ride Watch, before moving to place it back into Hiiro, only for a hand from the downed Doctor to stop him in his tracks.
"What?" Uhr asked as Hiiro looked up with a face set in stone.
"To you I say… no thank you." Said Hiiro, as he struggled to hold back the watch. "I'm… Going to become the greatest doctor in the world… And your continued interference is only an impedance!"
[ZIKAN GIRADE!]
[ZYU!]
[FINISH TIME!]
I gripped the gun in my hand, the Ex-Aid Ride Watch equipped to the slot as energy charged at the end. I pulled the trigger as a burst of energy fired from the barrel.
{EX-AID!}
[ZURE ZURE SHOOTING!]
The blast slammed into the Another Ride Watch in Uhr's hand, the Another Watch shattering in a matter of seconds.
Uhr looked down at his now empty hand before turning to glare at me. "So be it then, Overlord." He said, standing up as he dusted his coat off. "But don't think this is going to help you much."
Time froze around us suddenly, as Uhr walked off, leaving the four of us in varying states of array. I passed the Zikan Girade to my left hand before pulling the Zi-O Ride Watch off of my driver, canceling the transformation.
"How is he?" I asked, standing in the waiting room with Shinnosuke and Banjou.
"He's stabilized. There doesn't appear to be any major issues as of right now." Said a familiar looking Doctor. "Hiiro will be just fine. Thank you for bringing him here when you did."
"It's no problem." I said, smiling.
"Still, you do have my thanks. As his father, I can't help but worry sometimes…" Said Dr. Kagami. "He's been distracted as of late, so hopefully this will be a bit of a change for the better."
"We can hope." I said.
"Bryce!" The four of us turned to see Yang, Ruby, and Emu walking down the hallway towards us. "Oh, you're not dead. That's a relief." Said Yang.
"Oh, you're…!" Said Dr. Kagami, as Yang turned to face him. "I see. I thought our newest patient looked familiar."
"Hold on, I'm lost." I said.
"Hiiro doesn't like to interact with his patients, he says it interferes with working." Said Dr. Kagami. "Probably why he didn't tell you the news himself when you were in a month ago."
"...Wait… I know I had surgery but… Oh wow, okay, that's something…" I said, blinking.
"Ah, Emu Hojo! It's good to see you again!" Said Dr. Kagami, as Emu gave a polite nod. "I heard you were hired by Ozpin, congratulations! Oh, can you… come with me for a moment? We need to talk about something important."
"Okay. I guess I'll see you guys around. Hopefully outside of the infirmary." Said Emu, as he walked off with Dr. Kagami.
"...Speaking of Ozpin, I'm gonna need to have a chat with him." I said, tossing the Ex-Aid Ride Watch up into the air before catching it as it landed in my palm.
"I take it no luck, my lord?" Asked Woz, as I face planted onto my dorm room bed.
"Ozpin's out doing god knows what right now. So I'll have to bring it up with him at a later date…" I said, rolling over.
"If your plan involves the revival of Kamen Rider Brave, I have some bad news for you, my lord." Said Woz, as I looked up. "When a Ride Watch is created and steals a rider's power, all aspects related to the rider in question also cease to exist. Meaning any enemies said rider might have had no longer exists and any rider that was closely tied to the stolen power also fades to nothing."
"But there's like… multiple inconsistencies with that. Hiiro became a rider BEFORE Ex-Aid did in the mainline continuity. And if the bugsters disappeared, then why was I still infected by one?"
Woz smiled, opening his book as he read through the pages. "You are a singularity point, which means changes in time do not affect you as they might for Build or Great Cross-Z. The bugster virus itself was attached to you, which means that it shared similar properties. All other traces vanished, along with the original proto gashats which you might have tried to use as a means of recreating Brave."
"...Wait, what was that about Banjou?" I asked.
"Kamen Rider Great Cross-Z? He's just as susceptible to changes in time. If he were a singularity point himself, there would be no issue with his driver at all. However, he is unable to transform into his final form at the moment, which means while his memories are exempt, his powers are not." Said Woz. "The same goes to his Great Cross-Z Dragon, since it too has both his and the extraterrestrial life from Evolto's DNA inside of its circuits."
"Great…" I said, sighing. "So it's useless to try to recreate Brave because the bugster threat doesn't exist, and even if it didn't, the proto gashats don't exist anymore so there's no possible way to even try a workaround..."
I leaned forwards, sitting up as I hopped off the bed. "Well, at the very least I don't have to worry about being infected by the virus anymore."
"..." Woz continued to read his book after I said this, suddenly quiet. I slowly turned to look at him as he kept his eyes glued to the pages.
"Woz… I'm no longer infected, right?" I asked. Woz sighed, snapping his book shut as he looked up.
"My lord… It appears I've left something important out of my explanation. With that said, allow me to introduce to you your third team member." Said Woz.
"My third team member?" I asked before I felt something inside me kick, as my eyes suddenly burned and a rush of red and blue color envelop my vision as I was knocked me to the floor.
I looked up, as a mass of red and blue pixels merged together and began to take shape in front of me. It was a remarkably quick process, and by the end of it a man looking about my age, if not a tad bit older formed out of the mass. The most noticeable detail was his rather colorful pants, mainly purple in color but with blocks of red, blue and yellow running up the leggings much like how he himself had formed. As for the rest of his outfit, a black short-sleeved coat hung around his shoulders, the cuff of the coat snapped together around his neck. Yellow, red and blue laces of string hung around his waist, as a blue shirt lay underneath the black coat. His arms were mostly covered by pink sleeves that seemed to have been taken from a sweater, and it looked unclear if it was a part of the coat or the shirt underneath it.
Parado stopped and turned around to look at me in confusion, as I blinked once before looking at Woz. "This is your fault somehow, I know it."