Chapter 13 - Idol jumps to the sky part 2
The painting on the hanging in the corridor starts to sink into the wall as gears turn and twist behind the brick and paint. The painting lifts up, revealing Jiro standing on the other side of the wall on the top step of the stairwell leading to the garage. He steps into the corridor, stretching his arms out, letting out an audible yawn. He walks away from the entrance as the wall is sealed up by the painting once again. As Jiro turns the corner to walk towards the kitchen, he is stopped in his tracks by Akemi. She stands there holding a tray. On the tray is a cup of coffee, and something hiding under a napkin.
Akemi grabs the cup by the ring and hands it over to him, "Here. You're going to need the caffeine." Jiro takes the cup from her hand and sips on it. "It's a little lukewarm," he says. "Would it please your highness if I warm it in the oven?" Akemi blankly stares at Jiro, her tone being deadpan and unemotional. Jiro feels a breeze of fear down his spine from her tone, "No, it's good." He puts the cup to his lips and pours it into his mouth, downing the contents. "Good boy," Akemi takes the empty cup and places it on her tray, "Now you can see this," she pulls the napkin off to reveal a green idol. Jiro's eyes light up like a child on Christmas, "No way!" He reaches out for it. He grabs it, but lefts go immediately, "Ah, it's hot!" Akemi picks up the idol off the tray, "It just got done recalibrating."
Jiro reaches out to it again and takes it. He can feel the warmth on his fingertips, but the sudden shock is not a factor this time. He pulls it into his eye level to examine it. "So, what do you think it is?" He asks, trying to decipher the bug-like design around the idol. "From my best guess, I'd say it is a grasshopper," Akemi puts the tray down on a small table beside her. She watches as the excitement fills in Jiro's eyes as he caresses the bug pattern on the idol, "I know what you are thinking. And yes, you can use this idol to transform, just like with the lion." Jiro turns to his aunt, "Seriously? That's awesome. But wait, if I switch idols, won't I disengage my transformation?" Akemi shakes her head, "No. As long as you don't twist the lion idol out, and then replace it with the grasshopper, you should still remain suited, much like when you use your sword." Jiro returns to fawning over the idol.
Akemi shakes her head, "That said, I would advise you not use it to transform just yet," she waits for him to look at her, "Use it as an attachment to your sword or cannon, but not in the driver. We don't yet know the effects this idol could have on you." While Jiro's excitement over the new idol quick fades, he remains chipper, trying to keep up a happy appearance, "Alright. That said, when I use a lion, just how much more powerful could a grasshopper be?" Akemi breaks her expressionless persona to let out a small, subtle smile, "Might I remind you that a certain someone put you out of commission for 2 weeks, using only a wolf." The cocky attitude in Jiro's voice was immediately put down by her words, "Besides, it doesn't matter what the power is, but how it is used. Even something silly like a grasshopper could be impactful," she looks at the shiny idol, "Maybe it would be wise to do some more tests on it, just to see how much it has..."
As Akemi reaches out for the idol, her pocket starts to vibrate as music starts to plays. She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. The name displayed on the screen was Genkei. Realizing that it is important, she grabs Jiro by the shoulder and starts to mush him towards the garage. She answers the phone by the time they reach the painting. "Genkei!" she answers. "Akemi! We've just received a tip that a black Kamen Rider was spotted at a warehouse near the docks," Akemi can hear people calling out in the background, it sounds like people are rushing about, "There's also confirmation that at least 100 hundred Fallen are hiding within one of the warehouses. We're sending any able bodies, but we'll need Idol's help."
Akemi places her phone on speaker as the pair are rushing down the stairs. As Jiro passes the console, he grabs the Shinaito driver off the side and straps it to their waist. Akemi puts her phone down in the side, still with the loudspeaker on full volume as she types into the computer, "Are you sure the warehouse is at the docks?" she asks, feeding the location of the potential spot into the Sunray Striker. After putting on their helmet, Jiro latches onto the bike, and starts to ride off out of the false wall, and onto the main road. "Akemi, I don't know how to say this, because I want to believe in him, but do you believe that the kid will make a difference in fighting these freaks?" Genkei's tone is cold, almost faithless, "I've already lost a lot of friends to the Fallen. I just..I want to believe." Akemi stops typing, her body feels cold. "If you want to believe in something...," she reaches out to her phone, "then believe in Ichiro's son." Akemi hangs up the son before looking back at the monitor. Her other hand rests in her pocket, the thumb pressed against a pager.
[Unknown location]
Jack sits in a comfy, leather chair in his study. With a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, he relaxes to the sound of white noise from the radio beside him. He has three low-level Fallen for company, each of them doing something. One lays on their stomach with a crayon and a colouring book. Another is beside the bookshelf, staring at pages in a book they picked up. The third one is crouched by the radio, their hand on the dial, twisting it to change the station, only to receive more static. There is a sudden knock at the door, without looking, Jack calls out, "Come in, Aaron."
The door slowly opens, Aaron walks into the room, "How did you know it was me?" he asks. "Kane wouldn't have knocked," Jack responded, keeping their eyes on the book. "Where is Kane?" Aaron asks, making a show of him looking around the room. "He purposely let slip one of our Fallen holds to the police station in an attempt to kill Kamen Rider Idol. Should he fail, he'll be back late," Jack sips their tea, showing no care in his own words. Aaron sees the Fallen in the study, and asks, "What are they doing?" Jack smiles as he closes his book, "I'm in the middle of an experiment." He stands up from his chair, "I want to see if making the Fallen smarter, would affect their growth when they evolve with the idols." Aaron looks at the Fallen more carefully, he notices how the one on the floor carefully colours the pictures within the lines. "Do you think it would help us against Idol?" Aaron asks. Before Jack could answer, the Fallen beside the radio changes the station again, this time on an actual station, music starts to play, "Olé! Te wo tsunagou! Kono sekai ooki na family." Jack turns to see the Fallen and smiles. He looks back at his brother, "He'll be the first."
To be continued!
