Left idle, the Time Mazine automatically switched back to vehicle mode and left – opening a portal then disappearing.

Huh.

"Guess that piece of junk wasn't so broken after all…" I say, watching my vehicle vanish into nothing.

"That's a sexy piece of junk." Ruby said, staring at the direction where the Time Mazine was.

"Thanks…?" I looked oddly at her. "That was a compliment, right?"

She laughed it off, turning her head away. "Nice view, don't you think?"

"I mean, yeah." The view certainly is nice, except for one fact— "If not for all these feathers and that very real, giant, decapitated bird head just a few feet away from us."

"What are you talking about? Those things enhance the experience!" Ruby grabbed me by the shoulders, and took out a small, rectangular device not unlike a smartphone. "Times like this call for a selfie!"

"Wait, you can do that?!"

"Yep!"

The audience laughed as Pyrrha shoulder bumped her newly-appointed team leader Jaune Arc to the ground.

Team JNPR walked off stage, with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang taking their place on stage.

"Blake Belladonna. Ruby Rose. Weiss Schnee. Yang Xiao Long… The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY – Led by Ruby Rose."

Leading a team named after her?

Lucky.

I clapped at my friend's newly-formed team, as Yang crushed Ruby in yet another bear hug.

The four left the stage, and Ozpin continued speaking.

Well, I guess I'm not getting a team—

"And finally, would Geiz come on stage?"

Spoke too soon.

…

I awkwardly stand on stage, no one by my side but Ozpin.

"Due to the… odd number of students this year, you couldn't find a partner. That is why you had to undergo the observation test, which you passed with flying colors by jumping into rescue for the sake of your friends—"

"Wait, wait, wait, hold it right there." I interrupted Ozpin, which in hindsight I shouldn't have done, but screw it I'm too deep into the rabbit hole. "To pass the observation test, you to have to… not observe and jump straight into the action?"

"Why, yes." Ozpin answered as-a-matter-of-factly. "The test was designed to hone your situational awareness skills – knowing when to fight, and when to not."

You came up with that on the spot, didn't you?!

Ozpin clears his throat. "Back to the point. Where was I? Ah, right. Due to such… circumstances, for passing the test and bringing an artifact back even if you were not asked to, you will be given a privilege to join a team of your choosing as a fifth member."

A fifth member?

Ah, I suppose that makes sense—

"Now then, which team will you join?"

Right, I still have to do that.

Let's see…

I look at the audience, seeing Ruby jumping up and down while waving her arms in an attempt to get my attention.

…Yeah, I get the gist of what she's trying to say.

"Alright, Team RWBY it is then."

I could hear some of the male students murmuring to themselves – something about how I chose a team full of cute girls on purpose.

But that's not it, I swear.

I just don't have any other friends here.

I mean, Jaune's nice and all, but I barely know the three other members of his team.

It's definitely not to get closer to Blake or anything—

"Would Ruby Rose please come on stage?"

Hearing my answer and Ozpin's request, Ruby rushed to the stage with a wide grin on her face.

"Ruby Rose, will you accept Geiz here to your team?"

"Of course!" Ruby answered almost instantly.

"Well then, welcome to your new team, Geiz." Ozpin said. "It looks like things are shaping up to be an… interesting year."

"Score! One giant robot for Team RWBY!"

Oh, so that's why she wanted me to join her.

I walk down the hallway behind my new teammates, carrying a rather large box that Glynda gave to me.

Looking through the different room numbers, I spot the one that I was assigned to, so I stopped walking.

"Ah, found mine." I said, setting down the cardboard box on the floor to grab the key in my pocket.

"What a coincidence, we found ours as well." Blake said, stopping with the rest of the girls in front of the room directly next to mine.

"Our rooms are right next to each other, how convenient!" Ruby stated as she unlocked the door.

I push the door open, seeing the interior of my dorm that is the very definition of "plain". There are four beds, which is pretty odd I'm the only one who will be staying here. I guess it's just the norm for dorms to have enough beds for an entire team.

"Alright, have fun you guys." I say to the girls. "I'm gonna drop my stuff off and spend the night in my lonely dorm of solitude."

"Want me to accompany you?" Yang smirked.

"Very much appreciated, but no thank you."

And with that, I close the door behind me.

I set down the box on one of the beds, and start to unpack it.

…

A bunch of school uniforms, and a device like Ruby's "smartphone" complete with instruction manuals.

Apparently, it's called a "Scroll", just like the tablet device that Ozpin lent me.

Makes sense.

Great, more department-issued equipment I have to take care of.

I plop myself down on the left-most bed, the fatigue from today's activities taking a toll on me.

…Damn it, I still need to change out of my combat uniform.

"Rise and shine, my old friend."

A familiar voice calls out from across the room as I get out of bed, my eyes still trying to adjust themselves.

"…You again?" I turn to the source of the voice, the mysterious man from two nights ago sitting on the right-most bed. "Actually, no, how did you even get in here—"

"Your meeting with my king is at hand." The man stands up, placing a pair of black, brace-like things on the opposite bed. "Please, take this. You will need it."

"And those are…?"

"A pair of Ridewatch Holders."

"…So to hold Ridewatches—"

"Precisely." The man starts walking to the door, book in hand. "I'm afraid that is all the time we have for this morning."

"Hey, wait!"

I get up to chase after him, but the alarm I set on my Scroll suddenly rang out again, catching my attention.

When I turned back to look at the door, the man had already disappeared.

Poof.

Just what's up with that guy, anyway…? What's his deal?

Who's this king he always speaks of?

I wish he would stop being so vague and cryptic every time.

But more importantly…

Yeah, I wish he would stop breaking into my room.

It's currently 6 AM, and classes start at 9.

I figured I should head to the library or something, to obtain information about what this world is like.

And hopefully, I'll find something that can jog my memories back while I'm at it.

…

The library is goddamn massive.

Waaay bigger than I expected.

Tall, towering bookshelves are lined up on each side of the room like dominos.

In the center of the room, between the bookcases, are two rows of tables and chairs for students to sit on.

Still, this place makes me feel like I'm tiny.

It took me a while to find the book I needed – a simple history book. I guess there's no harm in starting with the basics if you don't know where to start in the first place.

I start walking to the lounge, where the tables and chairs are located. It's really quiet here, which I find calming.

It's so early in the morning, so I guess it's no surprise that there's no one here but—

Oh wait, is that…?

"Blake?"

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's Blake, sitting by the corner with a book in her hands.

"Oh." Blake shifted her attention to me, then back to the book again, "Hey."

"Oof. Up so early?" I sat on the seat across hers, flipping open the pages of my own book.

"I could say the same to you." Blake retorted, not averting her gaze.

"Ehh, I'm just used to waking up early."

An awkward silence hangs in the air, as we both invest ourselves in our books.

Eventually, I can't bear with it anymore, and I decide to start up a conversation—

"So what are you reading?"

"The same book that you three interrupted me from reading just before the initiation."

"Yeah, I still feel kinda bad about that. Sorry."

"Don't be. At least I made some friends out of it." She smiled, looking at the book I'm trying to read. "…You like history?"

"…Not particularly. I find the possibilities of the future much more exciting. I guess learning from history is important too, though." I lean back against the chair, my head looking up at the roof. "So we don't repeat past mistakes, and improve upon our previous accomplishments."

She smirked. "Heh. Sounds like you do like history."

"Okay, you got me there."

We laughed, then promptly went back to our books.

A few paragraphs later, I stumbled upon an unfamiliar word—

"…The hell's an aura?" I whispered under my breath, questioning no one in particular—

Blake instantly perks up, somehow hearing me. "You don't know what aura is?"

"…No?"

"How did you even get accepted into Beacon?"

"Er… Do you want the long version or the short version?" Blake glared at me, suspicion in her eyes. "…Okay, short version it is then. I stopped a bank robbery with Ruby and Ozpin and Glynda heard about it."

She seemed to believe that, and I exhale a breath of relief.

"Unbelievable. That man really does whatever he wants."

"I know, right?! I'm convinced he even came up with that "observation test" I had to go through on the spot!"

She chuckles. "Alright, back to the topic of aura…"

…

So, the gist of it…

Aura is the manifestation of the soul, and can be used for a wide variety of purposes – from something as simple to powering a weapon, to physical protection and even healing.

There's a lot of philosophical babble behind it too, and apparently one's use of aura differs wildly from another. This is called a "Semblance", and I can only describe it as "a personal superpower unique to each person".

How cool.

Well, I guess that explains how almost everyone here can fight giant monsters without thick, protective armor, or how Ruby can turn to rose petals and come out of an explosion completely unscathed.

…A manifestation of one's "soul", huh.

I wonder if I have that sort of thing too. I'm not of this world, so maybe the law or whatever doesn't apply to me.

I guess there's only one way to find out.

Blake said other people can awaken your aura if you haven't awakened yours yet, in which case—

"Okay… This is probably a really weird favor, but can you awaken mine?"

…Ah shit, now that I think about it, I shouldn't have said that.

What if the awakening of auras are something sacred, only done by two people who—

Blake looked at me weirdly, but then nodded. "…Sure."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I've never done it before, though. I might as well give it a shot." She gets out of her seat, then beckons me to stand in front of her, to which I comply.

"R-Right. It's my first time too. Be gentle."

"Stop that, what if people get the wrong idea?!"

She sighs, and holds my face in her hand.

The sudden movement caught me offguard…

We're going straight to first base already?! At least take me to dinner first—

"Close your eyes and concentrate."

O-Okay…

That's kinda vague, what am I supposed to concentrate on?

I do what she says anyway.

"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."

A sudden flood of power jolted my eyes open.

"Whoah, this… energy… I feel power surging through my body."

My body is… I dunno, I feel some sort of outer layer around it, and glowing too, with maroon-colored energy…

Blake stumbles back a bit, regaining her balance before taking a good look at me. "Wow, that was more… tiring than I expected. I think I'm going to go sleep for another hour. I'll see you in class, Geiz."

"R-Right. Sorry to be a bother."

She starts to walk away, but stops after a few steps.

"That's quite an impressive amount, by the way." Blake turns to me, smiling. "The amount of aura that you have, I mean."

And with that, she leaves.

I arrived to class too early, it seems…

Bored out of my mind, I decide to start fiddling with my watch, turning the dial back and forth.

Well, I guess it's called a Ridewatch, huh.

I have no idea how this thing works.

…I guess, like most devices that the Kamen Riders use, the reasoning that "IT JUST WORKS" is applicable here as well.

It's true for the Driver, too…

What's up with the watch or clock theme, anyway?

…

A lot more students have arrived by now, filling up the classroom.

It's nearly 9:55…

My team – and Jaune's team, as well – is nowhere in sight. What the hell are they doing?

Did they oversleep?

Did Blake get too tired after awakening my aura?

Dammit, now I feel bad. I shouldn't have asked her so early in the morning—

The door suddenly bursts open, even though it was already half-open in the first place anyway.

"Sorry, we're late!"

Ruby dashes into the room, the rest of her team and JNPR in tow.

"Calm down, the teacher is not even here yet." I tell them.

"Oh thank goodness," Weiss breathes a sigh of relief. "I can't even imagine being late on the first day."

But that's what you almost did.

Grimm Studies is our first class, taught by someone named Professor Port. He's a bit on the old side, slightly overweight, with gray hair and also a gray mustache that looks kinda massive. I mean, like, I think it's as big as his forehead, or even bigger.

But honestly though, this guy—

"But first, a story. A tale of a young, handsome man." The professor said. "ME!"

—is so full of himself!

Come on, we're supposed to learn about Grimm here, not what you did when you were five!

I was looking forward to this, dammit!

…

Most of the students aren't even listening to him. Some are sleeping, some are just staring blankly at his direction… Ruby is busy drawing funny pictures that resemble the professor, and she keeps excitedly showing each new one to me and Yang.

Ah, right, I'm sitting in the same row as them, on the right-most side—

Professor Port bows, finally ending his story.

Oh thank god.

"The moral of the story? A true huntsman must be honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise!"

You know, his voice must be blessed by a siren or a mermaid or something.

Why?

Because it's really good at putting people to sleep.

"So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these—"

I yawn and raise my arm up, stretching in an attempt to get rid of the tiredness—

"Ah, the eager young man over there who raised his arm before I could even finish speaking!" The professor pointed at me, causing everyone to turn to my direction, much to my confusion. "Very well then, let us see your might."

Ah…

It took me a few seconds to realize what I just did.

"Step forward and face your opponent."

The professor gestures to a cage beside him… Whatever is inside, it's growling and presumably angry.

"Good grief…" I sigh, putting on the Driver. I was about to stand up, but Ruby grabbed me by the sleeve and leaned to my ear—

"That thing's a Boarbatusk, I saw its head peeking out from the cage earlier!" She whispered. "Go for its belly!"

She gave me a thumbs up, then pushed me to the front.

"T-thanks, I guess."

I stand in front of the class, facing the cage.

Taking a deep breathe, I start to concentrate—

I feel the protective layer of energy form around me, and I'm all set.

I wonder if I need to transform…?

It doesn't seem that big, so maybe I wouldn't need to do that…

I guess I'll summon my weapon, just in case.

[ZIKAN Z-AX]

The red weapon materialized itself in the air, which I catch in my hand.

[OH NO, AN AX!]

The weapon's announcement got me a few weird looks and chatter from the other students.

Shut up, it's not my fault that it's like this.

"Go Geiz!" Yang cheers.

Blake waved around a small flag, with our colors on it. "Fight well!"

"Yeah, represent teeeam RWBY!" Ruby added, then turned to the others. "Wait, should our team still be called RWBY since Geiz is—"

Hey, we can think about that later!

"Alright, let's get this over with already."

The professor nods, lifting up his weird, blunderbass/axe combo of a weapon. "Very well. Let the match… begin!"

And with that, he brings down his weapon, cutting the lock open.

Immediately, a black creature rushes out and charges at me. I barely manage to dodge, by jumping over it and using it as a jumping point to go its opposite direction even further.

"Haha!" Professor Port laughs, witnessing the spectacle. "Wasn't expecting that, were you?"

This guy…!

Ah, whatever.

I turn my attention at the opponent before me—

True to its name, it's basically… a big boar with tusks. It stands on four legs, with black hair covering its body. Various parts of its body are covered in white, bone-like armor, the most prominent being the "mask" on its face that reveals its glowing orange eyes. It has two sets of tusks, one small, and the other one being a pair of large curved ones with red lines on it.

The belly, huh…

It's going to be hard to hit that spot since it's underneath.

But then again, it doesn't seem very bright…

The creature strikes a stance, preparing another charge.

…which I can use to my advantage!

The Grimm breaks off into a sprint, its tusks reared at me.

Just exactly what I wanted.

Right before the Grimm can hit me, I roll to the left and swing the blunt side of my ax at its legs, tripping it.

The Boarbatusk loses its balance and falls forward on its back, exposing the belly area.

Alright, now to take it down before it gets back up—

I flip down the blade of the ax, turning my weapon to its ranged mode.

[YOU BOW TO ME!]

Just like before, the weird announcement got me weird looks from my fellow students.

Again, it's not my fault that this weapon says weird stuff!

I quickly aim my weapon and fire an energy bolt at the boar's belly, causing it to cease its struggling and fall limp.

Phew, that was actually scarier than I thought it would be.

"Bravo!" Professor Port exclaims as he starts clapping. "You took it down faster than I expected. Ladies and gentlemen, it appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntsman in training. But I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed."

…

Oh crap, there were assigned readings?!

…It's now lunch break, which means it's time to get food.

The dining hall is massive, with furniture lined up along a cloister-like hall. There are four long tables, running the length of the hall with equally long benches on each side, and some empty space located in-between for walking.

The food is pretty simple, honestly, and like most free lunches – bland.

I place down my tray – containing a single sandwich, some fruits, some chicken, and a box of juice – and sit across Ruby.

"So," Yang said, breaking the silence. "How's first day of school so far?"

"Could be better." Weiss snidely remarked, idly playing with her food.

"I hope the next class isn't as bad as Professor Port." Blake chimed in, before starting to dig in.

I chuckled. "I don't think you can get any worse than him at teaching, honestly."

"Oh, right!" Ruby slammed down her boxed juice on the table, catching our attention. "Before I forget, I'd like to bring up the subject of our team's name. With Geiz here, we can't just be Team RWBY—"

A sudden scream is heard, interrupting Ruby.

Immediately, most of the students have started running, rushing for the exit—

"What's going on?!"

"It's like everyone's running from… something," Blake stood up, surveying the area.

I equip my Driver, and quickly get out of my seat.

Behind the group of students, I see it – A humanoid monster, sporting white armor with orange lines running across its torso. It has a devilish face, two large, red eyes with something like bat wings sprouting from the side of its head. On the center of its forehead is a green gem, and three white spikes adorning the top of its head.

On its waist is… something resembling a Driver, colored blue with four, black "buttons" on it.

"What the hell is that monster? A Grimm?!" Said Yang.

"I don't know, but we can't let it harm anymore people!" Ruby reaches to her back, grabbing Crescent Rose.

"This is bad…" I said. "Do you guys have your weapons with you?"

Ruby nodded, unfolding her large scythe. The other three shook their heads.

"We had to put them in the lockers!" Weiss said. "Except Ruby and you here, it seems!"

"Ehehe…" Ruby laughed nervously. "You guys go get yours ASAP, we'll occupy it in the meantime!"

They nodded, and ran for the exit.

I pull out my Ridewatch and quickly activate it—

[GATES]

I insert it to the right side of the Driver, causing the non-existent clock to start ticking around me.

A big, energy structure like a digital clock formed behind my body, spinning in tune to the clock.

I slam the button on top of the Driver, dislodging it and causing it to turn counterclockwise a few degrees—

"Henshin!"

I push the Driver down with my right hand, causing it to spin even further, eventually stopping as it reaches its original position—

The sound of a bell rung out, immediately followed by a short electronic jingle—

[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ GATES!]

Bands that looked like watchstraps formed around me, circling around as the base of my armor materialized. As they disappear, three big, yellow hiragana characters flew into my helmet, forming the word "Rider".

"Whoaaaaaaa~!" Ruby yelled in excitement after witnessing my transformation. "That was so cool! That short auto-tuned song was really catchy! How does it work?! What are those yellow things—"

"I'll explain later, we have something gravely important to take care of!" I pointed at the monster, before charging at its direction.

"Ah, you're right, I forgot about that for a second."

Ruby fires her sniper rifle, using the recoil of the shot to launch herself forward ahead of me. She swings her scythe, but the monster propels itself back somehow, narrowly avoiding the attack. It raises its left arm, and in that moment—

[ShiELD oN]

A shield materialized on its left arm, which it subsequently used to parry more of Ruby's incoming attacks. With some distance between them, it then raises its left arm again—

[GyRO oN]

…Something resembling a helicopter blade appeared, replacing the shield and covering its left hand. The monster then flew up, and extended its right leg—

[LaUnChER oN]

Another armament appeared, this time covering its leg from the knee down with a blue, box-y thing that seems to contain projectiles on the side…

Wait, isn't that a bad thing?!

"Geez, how many weapons does that guy have?" Frustrated, Ruby changed her weapon to its sniper mode. "Forty?"

"Beats me! But get ready!"

[YOU BOW TO ME!]

As soon as I finish, the monster began to fire white, missile-like objects from its leg-mounted launcher at us.

"Shoot 'em down!" I shout, firing my weapon at a missile just before it could land near an unconscious student.

"Right!" Ruby shoots down a few more with her gun, before changing to a swirling mass of rose petals – her Semblance – to grab another knocked out student out of harm's way from a projectile that we missed.

She lands behind me, dropping the girl she just saved gently on the ground. "We can't risk hurting the others even further… We need to take this outside, Geiz!"

"You're right…" I take a look around, noticing the large windows that lead outside. "Get it near the windows, I have a plan!"

Ruby nods, firing a few shots at the monster to get its attention before launching herself at it.

I press the small grey button on my weapon, just above the crossbow trigger—

[TIME CHARGE]

[FIVE… FOUR…]

I ready my weapon, my eyes locked on the target who's busy with Ruby's endless flurry of attacks. Her scythe swings wildly, overwhelming the monster and forcing it back near the glass.

[THREE… TWO... ONE…]

[ZERO TIME!]

As the cluster of energy forming at the barrel of my weapon reaches its maximum point, I press on the trigger, shooting forth a big energy bolt straight at the humanoid monster.

Ruby steps back just in time, as the impact of the shot sends the monster flying through the window.

Ruby and I follow the monster outside, finding it sprawled on the ground with its left arm raised—

"Ah, not again!" Ruby yelled in frustration.

[MeDicAl oN]

A yellow-ish compartment appears on its arm, opening to reveal a set of… syringes? One of them falls off of the box, stabbing itself into the monster's body.

The monster glowed with bright energy, and immediately jumped back on its feet, its eyes staring at us.

Just as it prepared to run straight at us, three beams of ice shot out from the sky, causing the monster to cease its movements.

"Kept ya waiting, huh?" Yang jumped down – from god knows where – striking a superhero landing with a super satisfied smirk on her face. "Nailed it."

"Sorry, that took longer than expected!" Weiss ran in, stopping besides Ruby. "…What the heck is that?"

"That's not a Grimm… Is it?" Blake asked, eyeing the monster.

"It's not, but it's strong." Ruby said. "Listen, that thing's got like, forty weapons at least and we need to stop it from using any more if we want to win. Weiss, can you maybe trap it with your glyphs? You know, freeze it and stuff?"

Weiss hesitated for a moment, but then reluctantly nodded. "…I can try, but I'll need time—"

Ruby smiled. "Good! Yang, Geiz, you help me distract it while Weiss prepares! Blake, you cover her!"

We all nod at Ruby's orders, and move to take our positions. Weiss strikes a stance, charging her glyphs, while Yang rushes in at the enemy, followed by Ruby.

[TIME CHARGE]

I move slightly closer to the two, finding a safe spot where I can wait for the chance to fire a shot.

[RoCkET oN]

An orange rocket replaced the monster's right arm, launching it high into the sky and barely avoiding a punch from Yang. It makes a loop in the sky, before changing its direction downwards in an attempt to ram Yang with the rocket—

Now's the time…!

[ZERO TIME!]

I fire another charged shot, hitting the monster point blank as it soars through the sky. The rocket on its arm disappears as it crashes into the ground, rolling to an eventual halt.

Unrelenting, it recovers so soon after the fall, getting back up slowly—

"Now, Weiss!" Ruby commands.

A big, blue magic circle – Weiss's Glyph – appeared on the ground beneath the monster. Shards of ice started to form, spreading from the circle to the monster's body, eventually covering enough to prevent it from moving.

With the monster trapped, Ruby promptly fires a shot and lunges forward, firing some shots mid-air before stabbing her scythe into the ground, using it as a leverage point to deliver a wide, arcing slash.

Yang doesn't waste this opportunity either, dashing towards the monster and unleashing a rush of shotgun-powered punches, strong enough to form cracks in the ice. With a cry, she ends it with a final uppercut, sending the monster flying into the sky.

Taking that as my cue, I aim my weapon upwards, but not before inserting the Ridewatch into it—

[FINISH TIME!]

[GATES! BRINK SHOOTING!]

The energy arrow strikes the monster right in the chest, causing it to explode into flames mid-air like fireworks.

"We did it!" Ruby cheered, right before collapsing on the ground due to exhaustion.

"You know," Weiss approached Ruby, extending her hand out to the team leader. "I guess you aren't such a bad leader after all."

"Heehee," Ruby laughed, sheepishly scratching the side of her cheek. She took Weiss's hand, getting back on her feet.

"So…" Yang said, looking into the sky. "Where the hell did that thing go?

…Yang's right.

The fire and smoke have cleared by now, but there are no traces of the monster left anywhere.

It's as if the monster simply just… vanished?

Something's not right—

"Yang, above you!" Blake shouted, a panicked look on her face.

Above Yang, the monster we just defeated seemed to just phase into existence, the image of its body distorting until it eventually becomes clear—

[METEOR! LIMIT BREAK!]

A giant, blue orb of light shot through the air, colliding with the monster and causing it to explode into flames once again.

The orb landed, its energy disappearing and revealing an armored warrior underneath it. His suit was black, adorned with white dots causing it to resemble stars against the night sky. On his right side is a blue shoulderguard, extending to his torso just above his odd-looking belt. His helmet was colored blue, shaped vaguely like a falling star with a pair of glowing, purple eyes.

"Kamen Rider Meteor. Your fate…" He turned to face us, running his thumb across his helmet. "…has been decided by me."

"Whoaaaaaah! That's so cool!" Ruby exclaimed, admiring the newcomer. "A friend of yours, Geiz?!"

I shake my head.

Kamen Rider… Meteor…?

That's… definitely a name I've heard a bunch of times, but I can't seem to recall where or why.

"Get ready. It'll revive anytime soon." Meteor said. "We just need to buy time until the real deal arrives—"

[TIME MAZINE]

What?!

But I don't recall summoning mine—

A portal opened in the sky, and a vehicle not unlike mine came flying out.

But instead of red, it was black and silver, with some purple accents.

The vehicle stopped, hovering not far from us. The hatch opened, and yet another person in armor is seen—

His armor was… largely similar to mine. Instead of mostly red, his is mostly black, with some silver and purple, just like his vehicle. Running along his chest is something that resembled a watch strap, and on his face there are two clock hands resembling antennae. His visor was colored purple, also spelling out the word "Rider". On his waist is a Driver, exactly the same as mine, but with a different Ridewatch.

He dropped to the ground, sword in hand.

"Another Fourze and the real Kamen Rider Meteor?" He said, slowly walking towards us. "What perfect coincidence!"

"Zi-O…" Meteor said, stepping forward to face the mysterious new challenger. "So you're the demon king they talk about."

"Oh! It seems you already know who I am." This "Zi-O" stopped, sounding a bit surprised. "Well, no matter. First things first, I'll deal with you."

That last part wasn't directed at Meteor…

It was directed at me.

He untwisted a black and gold Ridewatch from his Ridewatch Holder, pulling it out to activate it.

[KIVA]

He inserted the Ridewatch into the second slot of his Driver, and without wasting anytime, he quickly spun the Driver—

[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ ZI-O! ARMOR TIME!『Gabu!』KIVA!]

Chains came jutting out of the ground, wrapping around him as the appearance of his body changed to resemble stained glass. In just a few seconds, the glass shatters, undoing the chains and revealing a new form—

"Kamen Rider Zi-O… Kiva Armor."

…

The ensuing battle can only be described as "one-sided".

Reeling from the previous attack, I could only watch as Zi-O pressed the buttons on his Ridewatches.

[FINISH TIME! KIVA!]

"Well, you couldn't break the chains of defeat after all… I think."

Blood-red mist appears around Zi-O, followed by a sound similar to a whistle being blown.

As the mist spreads, the sky turns pitch black, a crescent moon rising high in the air to replace the sun.

Reaching for his belt once again, he then presses the button on the top of his Driver, and pushes the Driver downwards, causing it to spin.

[WAKE UP! TIME BREAK!]

The familiar bell noise that played afterwards sounded dreadful this time around.

Zi-O lifts up his right leg – the protective armor on it suddenly breaks off and changes in appearance, now colored red and resembling demonic bat wings with three glowing green gems along it.

"Darkness Moon Break."

He soars up high into the sky, looking as if he was floating right in front of the moon. Mid-air, he changes direction, launching himself towards me with his right foot pointed at me.

Shit, this is bad—

With no energy left to dodge, I stand still, unable to do anything but receive the attack—

"G-Gah!"

The impact of the kick blows me off my feet, but he doesn't stop there – Using the remaining force, he keeps pushing on, causing me to skid along on the ground until we both hit the wall.

At that point, he jumps off, using my body as leverage before landing in front of me.

I could feel the cracks form on the wall behind me as my transformation disengages, unable to take further damage, before I fall to my knees—

"How very disappointing." I look up, only to be greeted with Zi-O staring down at me. "I suppose I should get rid of people like you as fast as possible, but I am in a particularly good mood today, so I'll let you live another day."

With that said, the soon-to-be demon king walks away. I try to get up, but no matter how much I try, my body just refuses to move.

"As expected of my overlord!" Woz's voice rings out, seemingly from nowhere. He then continues his preaching to the people around us, "Rejoice, everyone! For you've personally born witness to Kamen Rider Zi-O's unrivaled power!"

"Kamen… Rider?"

I could make out whispers, people murmuring about themselves. Afterwards, the sound of a thick book slamming to a close, probably signaling Woz's leave.

"Excuse me, move it!"

I hear rapid footsteps approaching, like someone running, immediately followed by the feeling of my shoulders being grabbed.

"Hey, you alright? Hang in there!"

I open my eyes slowly.

Holding me is a man who seems to have a panicked look on his face, but what strikes me the most about him is—

His pompadour…

—My vision then fades into black.

[3 2 1]

"Henshin!"

"I can't believe this!" Zi-O exclaimed excitedly. "Kamen Rider Fourze, Kamen Rider Meteor, and even Another Fourze all in one place? I must be dreaming!"

The man in white armor didn't seem to mind the praises though.

He bumped his fist against his chest twice, before extending it to the opponent standing before him.

"Kamen Rider Fourze! Let's settle this mano-a-mano!" He challenged. "You'll pay for hurting one of my beloved students!"

A/N: Whew, this took longer than I expected lol.

Review reply!

Rider-04: I probably should've made it clearer but the Geiz in this fic is an OC who just happens to use the same alias. I have "OC" tagged in the fic, so I thought it was obvious enough lol. Anyway I don't see how he's a tsundere at all?

And to the others, thank you so much for your support! What exactly does Kiva Armor do, and how can Gentaro still transform? Please look forward to the next chapter!

With that said, I hope you enjoyed reading this, and thank you for making it to the end.

Reviews of all kinds are appreciated, so please leave one and have a nice day!

Next up:

[ARMOR TIME!『Meteor, Ready?』METEOR~!]

[ARMOR TIME!『3 2 1』 FO~URZE!]

"My fate... is mine to decide!"