Disclaimer: I still don't own anything.

Journey Through Remnant

Chapter 23: The Calm Before The Storm

World of Remnant, Beacon Academy...

Jin didn't know how it happened, but he had somehow picked up a follower. After his short-lived battle with OOO, he had wandered around the campus in search of a place where he can be alone with his thoughts. Penny Polendina, some girl that had been at that tower he was circling (He didn't really notice her), erased that thought from his mind.

"What do you think of Beacon?" Penny asked him as the two made their way across the school grounds. Exactly where was the destination? Jin didn't know. He was just wandering aimlessly.

"It's...not bad," There wasn't much Jin could say. He's only been there for about half an hour, "Is there anywhere here that nobody goes to?"

"Hmm... There's the cliff overlooking the Emerald Forest," Penny said after a moment of pondering, "Not many students go there."

"Can you show me the way?"

"Of course! Follow me." She took off running towards the direction of the Forest.

"Finally..." Qrow Branwen grumbled as he walked into the Ozpin's tower. With how much trouble he had with trying to actually get to the Huntsman Academy, the Huntsman would have no trouble that the universe was conspiring against him. Which it totally is.

Taking a swig from his flask, Qrow entered the elevator and pressed the button to the top floor. But before the doors could close, the entrance to the tower flew open, and a man came walking in.

"Ah! Wait for me!" He shouted as he spotted Qrow in the elevator, launching into a sprint. The Huntsman sighed as the man rushed into the lift, the latter trying to catch his breath.

As the elevator began its ascent, the man tried to talk to Qrow in an attempt to ease the slight tension, "So... Are you new around here?"

"Hmm?" Qrow simply raised an eyebrow at the man.

"I haven't seen you around here before. Well, the Headmaster only hired me two months ago, so I can't really speak." He said.

"..."

"Okay, then..." Realizing that Qrow doesn't really want to talk, the man fell silent.

The rest of the ascent was tense as the two passengers stayed quiet. After what felt like a long time, the elevator stopped and the doors opened with a ding. And as if Qrow's day couldn't get any worse, he heard a voice that he wasn't in the mood to hear.

"-ing to tell me that he came back?!" A certain general shouted at a lax Headmaster of Beacon, his back to the elevator

"I was about to, James. He returned not even 2 hours ago," Ozpin told Ironwood, before noticing the two men walking in, "Qrow, it's good to see you again."

"Qrow!" Ironwood turned to see the up till then missing Huntsman, "Where the hell have you been?! And you-" He glared at Eiji, "-where is Tsukasa Kadoya?"

"That's...uh..." Eiji stumbled over his words, trying to figure out how to explain his friend's (hopefully) temporary departure.

"There's no need to interrogate the poor man, James," Luckily for Eiji, Ozpin came to his rescue, "He's still tired from his tired from return. Right now, I assume that Qrow has news for us."

Said Huntsman, who had been off to the side watching the minor squabble between the three, nearly choked on his drink at the sudden mention of his name.

"So then, Qrow, what have you found out for us?" Ozpin asked.

Clearing his throat, Qrow revealed why he came to Ozpin. "Urgh... Some weird guy bumped into me when I got to Vale. He said he was looking for Beacon."

"Hmm... If I say that would be our new guest, would I be correct, Professor Hino?" Ozpin turned to the vagabond Rider.

"Probably. Did he turn into a giant phoenix?" Eiji asked the Huntsman, to be sure they were talking of the same person.

"If by 'phoenix,' you mean 'giant burning Nevermore,' then yes."

"Nevermore?" Eiji muttered under his breath.

"So it is our new friend. Professor Hino, may I ask where did he go? I don't see him with you."

"Jin? He sort of...wandered off."

"Can't any of you stand still for more than 10 minutes?" No guesses as to who said that.

"Here we are!" Penny announced as they reached their destination, "That is the Emerald Forest."

"This place looks quiet enough," Jin observed. Looking around, only the two of them were there.

"So, Jin," The girl said, "Can I ask why you're here? You told Professor Hino that something called the Ark was coming, right?"

"...What's the purpose of this school?" Instead of answering Penny, Jin decided to ask his own question.

"Huh?"

"Back at that tower, someone called this place a 'Huntsman Academy,'" Jin recalled, "What does that mean?"

"Huntsmen and Huntresses are warriors that surpass most others in terms of strength and skill," Penny explained to Jin, "Their purpose is to protect humanity from the Creatures of Grimm. Beacon Academy is one of the four Huntsman Academy on Remnant that trains those who seek to become one."

"...Can I ask something...strange?"

"Of course!"

"Is humanity something that's worth protecting?" Penny wasn't sure what she expected, but it certainly not that.

"Um... Can you say that again?"

"Is humanity something that should be saved?" Jin asked.

"What makes you think otherwise? Woz told us that Kamen Riders are heroes." Thinking back, Woz did say that most were.

"...Humanity is capable of great evil; Hatred, destruction, ruin. Knowing that, how can anyone see it as something that needs to be saved?"

"I...think I see what you mean." Penny knew how many humans tend to treat the Faunus and what the White Fang does in response.

"I understand that humans would want to stop themselves from extinction, but most of them don't seem to realize the problems that result from their continued survival," Jin frowned, having seen the consequences of humanity's mistakes. Penny, while trying to follow what Jin was saying, noticed something odd about his words.

"Jin, you keep saying 'humans' like you are not one." She said, looking at him. Jin looked human enough and didn't seem to be a Faunus (assuming that there were Faunus in other Worlds), Penny observed.

"No, I'm not human," Jin spoke as if that fact was normal, "I'm a Humagear. A synthetic android with an A.I."

"An...android?!" Penny couldn't believe what she just heard. The thought of Jin being someone like her never crossed her mind, "Who made you? What's your purpose?! What are you made of?! How are you powered?!" She asked in rapid succession, not giving her new friend the chance to answer.

"I was recreated to destroy the Ark-" Jin revealed, emphasizing on the 'was,' "-but that doesn't matter anymore. All I want to do now is save the one it is controlling."

"Can you slow down a bit? I'm trying to process what you just said."

"What about you? You're a student here, right? As a human, why do you want to protect humanity?" Jin (somewhat) innocently asked, not realizing Penny's true nature.

"As a human?" Penny, unlike Jin, wasn't sure if she should reveal what she really is. Combined with her surprise, she couldn't quite give a confident answer, "Uh...It's...important?"

"So you don't know either..."

"I got it!" Penny announced, "We can try looking for my friend, Ruby. She definitely can answer your question."

"Where is she then?"

"She should be in the dormitories. It's over that way," Penny couldn't wait to introduce the two to each other, "Come on!"

"Now then, we have other matters that we should address," Ozpin said, "Our new guest came with a warning, correct?"

"Warning?" Qrow, who wasn't around when Jin came to Beacon, raised an eyebrow. Eiji was more than kind enough to fill the Huntsman in.

"Jin warned me that something called 'the Ark' is coming soon."

"Do you have any more information on this Ark?" Ironwood question, "Anything useful; When will it arrive, if it has allies, how strong it is."

"Uh... Jin didn't exactly give me anything to go on." Although there was one thing that he got from Jin, he needed to confirm it first.

If the General was frustrated with Eiji's lack of answers, he didn't show it. Instead, Ironwood asked something else, "Where is Tsukasa Kadoya? Does he know anything about the Ark?"

Eiji shared a glance with Ozpin, who somehow had a look of both amusement and exasperation, before answering Ironwood, "Tsukasa...also wandered off. I'm not sure if he knows anything either. He might, but I can't be 100 percent."

"...And the other one? Woz?"

"He went with Tsukasa..."

"..." Now Ironwood looked frustrated.

2020: World of Double, Narumi Detective Agency...

"Did you manage to get some new information?" Philip asked over the phone. While Shotaro and their new friends were out on the case, he had stayed back at the agency as he usually did.

"I did," His partner answered, "Watcherman told me about some reports of suspicious activities near the industrial district. He even gave me some photos. I'm on my way to the district now."

"And our guests?"

"Two of them are with me. I sent the green one back with the photos. I'm sure the two of you can figure out something from them."

"You told a boy from another World to find his way back by himself?" Philip did not expect Shotaro to do that.

"Hey, he volunteered to do it himself. Said that he remembered the way to the agency." The half-boiled detective was quick to defend himself.

"Alright, call me if you found anything out." Philip reminded him before hanging up and returning to the task he was doing before Shotaro called.

Putting the Stag Phone into his pocket, he opened his book and started writing on the whiteboards. There wasn't much he knew yet, so all he could jot down were things he and Shotaro already knew from before, such as Charming Raven and the various projects they sponsored. After some time, he heard the door opening and the clanging of the metal stairs. Turning around, Philip saw Ren coming up the second set of stairs carrying a white envelope.

"Did you find the way back okay? You didn't get lost, did you?" Philip asked as he put the marker down and walked up to the teen.

"I was fine," Ren tried to ease Philip's concern as he handed over the envelope, "I wandered the city with Sougo and Blake yesterday. I knew the way back here." It was just he had to take some detours just to get his bearings.

"I see... Now let's see what we got here." Opening the letter, Philip took the photos out while Ren decided to peek at Philip's notes.

"...So this is everything we know about Foundation X?" Ren asked as he read something about Museum.

"Hmm? Oh, yes," Philip confirmed as he studied the photos. Most of them were odd, as many of them were about a strange purple light coming from presumably a factory at night-time. The last few were of a group of people in white, moving somewhere.

"You mentioned something about 'Cosmic Energy.' What exactly is that?" Ren noticed that there was a point about it.

"Cosmic Energy is exactly what it sounds like; It is the power of the universe," Philip explained, "Some Kamen Riders use them as an energy source."

"And Foundation X tried to weaponize it?"

"Yes, Shotaro and I, along with some other Riders, had to deal with them a while back. Although it was mostly OOO and Fourze who did most of the work."

"OOO?" Ren repeated before realizing that it shouldn't really be a surprise as most Riders are familiar with each other. Philip, however, managed to overhear Ren.

"Kamen Rider OOO, Hino Eiji. He was the Rider after Shotaro and me. Last I heard, he was investigating something in his World. Although I don't know what."

"Could he have been looking into Foundation X?" Seeing as both the Foundation and the Rider were on Remnant, that was a logical conclusion.

"Most likely yes. Ever since an incident with Foundation X a few years ago, he's been investigating anything that they might be involved in," Philip, not knowing that Ren was already acquainted with the wandering Rider, explained further.

"And what about Fourze? What is he like?" He was rather curious and wanted to know more,

"Fourze's real name is Kisaragi Gentaro. Personality-wise, he's a lot like Shotaro. When we first met him, he was still a high-school student. Now, he's a teacher at his old school," After saying that, Philip noticed something in one of the photographs, "This is..."

Meanwhile, with the others...

"That's the place," Shotaro muttered as he spotted the factory he was informed about. Along with Sougo and Blake, he kept their distance and positioned themselves in a narrow alleyway that had a clear view of the place. The factory wasn't as big as, say...the Charming Raven facilities from years back, but it certainly looked big enough to suit whatever Foundation X might need.

"So are we going to break in?" Sougo didn't know the protocol for dealing with evil organizations, but he assumed that sneaking in would be the next step.

"Not yet. First, we have to confirm that they're in there." The oldest in the group said as he took out a blue GaiaMemory with a silhouette of a bat along with a large blue and black digital camera.

"What's that?" Blake asked, looking at the gadget with curiosity.

BAT

"This? This is the Bat Shot." Shotaro named the camera as he plugged the GaiaMemory into a slot in its side. Instantly, the camera transformed, wings folding out as a small head flipped up. The Bat Shot gave a squeaking noise as it flew up and turning to the two teens.

"Wow!" Sougo stared at the mechanical bat with stars in his eyes while Blake silently watched it with muted interest. The Bat Shot made one last noise before flying off towards the factory, "All we gotta do is wait, right?"

"What do we do until then?" While she was (regrettably) used to waiting around for the right moment, as the train carrying Schnee Dust could attest to, Blake was getting tired of sitting around waiting for something to happen.

"Be patient. We won't have to wait long." Shotaro said as he took out his own Stag Phone, a black and silver flip phone. Opening it and pressing a few keys, the screen changed as a live feed from the Bat Shot played, "The second it finds something to do with Foundation X, we go in."

"Oh... So it's just a drone." Sougo, however, was no longer as impressed with the Bat Shot as he was 10 seconds ago.

"It's not just a drone!" Shotaro defended his gadgets, "It's much more useful than a drone!"

"How?"

"Uh... It can distract enemies with flashes!"

"...Is that really useful?" Sougo whispered to Blake, who only had an unimpressed expression.

"It is!"

Unknown World...

"Is the machine ready?"

"Almost. Opening a portal to send everything we gathered takes some time."

Destroy Everything!

Connect Everything!

A/N: A short chapter and abrupt end, but I ran out of ideas on what to do next. Foundation X's attack will definitely be the next chapter. You can be angry at me if it doesn't.

It's old news by now, but the finale of ZVD and DVZ was...something. Decade's was just weird, and Zi-O's was a bit underwhelming. For Decade, there were too many twists to make sense (Sougo being a robot came from absolutely nowhere!), but at least Narutaki's appearance was good. On a side note, now I can say that alternate versions of the same character can exist now and be alright. For Zi-O, Decade Complete 21 had a cool transformation but still got completely annihilated by Oma Zi-O. I'm somewhat okay with it, but I hope that form would last a bit longer. Also, Oma Zi-O basically simped to death. There's no other reason why he lost to the Saber RideWatch.

On to more recent news, Zenkaiger's first episode aired today, and it looks good. I've only seen the RAW at the moment, but the fight choreography is cool, and the opening is catchy (Fun fact, the OP is sung by Takeshi Tsuruno, who played Shin Asuka/Ultraman Dyna). As far as I can understand anyway, the plot is interesting, but now it's as confusing as Kamen Rider. Literally, last season, a character from Gekiranger appeared, but now they're in their own separate universe?! I'll stop thinking about it for now but still...

As a final note, I'm gonna do something that I've been putting off for a long time. I'll edit the past chapters to be like the newer ones and fix typos and such. You guys won't need to reread it, so you don't need to bother.

As always, please leave a review of what you think. If characters are OOC, please let me know.