My eyes open, and I jolt right up.

A painful shock runs through my body as I do so, immobilizing me for a moment.

I look down, seeing white bedsheets—

…Yeah, I'm sitting on a bed.

There are multiple beds around me, the color of the bedsheets matching that of the walls.

It's just a hunch, but I think I'm in the nurse office of Beacon.

Nah, just kidding. I know I'm in the nurse office.

But what the hell happened to me…?

Chains came jutting out of the ground, wrapping around Zi-O's body as the appearance of his body changed to resemble stained glass. Besides him, a set of energy rings appeared, and several pieces of armor materialized inside.

The pieces of armor strike a battle stance, as if someone was wearing them. They then float and position themselves around Zi-O.

As the armors place themselves on various parts of his body, the glass outer layer shattered, undoing the chains and revealing a new form—

Zi-O's chest armor were now dominantly red, with black lines running across it. His shoulderpads were now larger, shaped like each half of a bat, colored gold and black. Chains bind the armor, running through what seems to be the bat's "eye". His helmet now had some red along the top, and the visor says "KIVA" in katakana.

"Kamen Rider Zi-O… Kiva Armor."

Yang stomped her foot, fed up with everything that's happening. "Okay, what the hell is going on—"

But before she could finish, the white monster from earlier materialized in front of her.

She held up her hands in reflex, blocking its attack just in time.

"Yang!" Ruby gripped her weapon and charged forward, intending to help her sister. Weiss and Yang soon follow.

I took a step in their direction, but stopped once I felt my shoulder being grabbed by someone.

"Whoa there," Zi-O said, somehow now behind me. "Your enemy is right here."

He pushed me forward and brandishes his sword, swinging it upwards. I manage to react in time by blocking the attack with my own weapon, redirecting it.

ZI-O…

The name sounds familiar, but I just can't put my finger on it.

"Who are you?!" I say, aiming my weapon at him. "Actually, no, why are you even attacking me in the first place?"

"Well, I suppose I haven't introduced myself to you yet." Zi-O shrugged, lowering his weapon. "I, Kamen Rider Zi-O, have a dream – to become the greatest, most beloved demon king of all time. And you are a nuisance who stands in my way."

He picked up his sword, pointing it to the sky. "Garulu Saber."

A wolf's howl echoed around us, as the sword changed in appearance, now having a crooked blade almost like a scimitar. Blue-colored energy surrounded the blade, leaving a trail as he swings it in the air.

"Well, guess we can't talk this out then." I raised my weapon and fire an energy bolt, dashing backwards as I do so. Zi-O swings his weapon, intercepting the shot.

For a second there, I swear his arm moved at some sort of superhuman speed—

He lowered his stance and then leaps, soaring high in the air and landing behind me. Again, he slashed upwards, and I can do nothing but receive the hit.

I stumbled backwards, changing my weapon's mode to melee as I do so. He leaps back, landing in some sort of feral stance as his sword returned to normal. He took the blade in his hand and flipped it down, causing it to look like a gun—

[JUU!]

"Bassha Magnum!"

His weapon changed once again, now augmented with green-colored energy. He held it in both hands and aims, before firing several green projectiles at my direction.

Tch, how many more tricks does this guy have up his sleeve?!

Fortunately to me though, these projectiles don't move very fast – With a swing of my weapon, I slice them in half before they could reach me, causing them to explode prematurely in the air.

With nothing standing in my way, I charged straight ahead at Zi-O, inserting the Ridewatch into my weapon while I'm at it.

[FINISH TIME!]

Seeing my actions, Zi-O's head perked up.

"Oh? Well then, let's go with this." He said, taking out a red and purple Ridewatch that he then inserts into his own weapon. "Dogga Hammer."

Again, the appearance of his weapon changed – the basic shape still seems to be a sword, but there's an outer layer energy covering it that makes it look like a hammer.

[HIBIKI! FINISH TIME!]

With that announcement, purple flames burst forth from various parts of his weapon.

…I have a bad feeling about this…

…

Our attacks collided with one another, but…

The next thing I knew, I was sent flying, landing into a roll on the ground.

Not a graceful one, though.

…

I felt an intense pain all through my body, as if multiple giant hammers hit me rhythmically multiple times.

And due to this, even standing up was a struggle.

Barely able to balance myself, 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 appeared around Zi-O, followed by a sound similar to a whistle being blown.

As the mist spread, the sky turned 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 lifted 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 soared 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 forward.

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—

…Right, that's what happened.

I… lost to that Zi-O guy.

…He was ridiculously strong.

And those Ridewatches he used…

I don't know why, but something in my head tells me those powers don't belong to him.

"The greatest and most beloved demon king", huh.

What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Not to mention how contradictory his actions were. He said he wanted to get rid of me, but then let me go instead of finishing me off.

A fact I should be grateful of, but still.

I just can't comprehend his actions at all-

As I continue to try to grasp my ahead around the inner workings of this "demon king", the door suddenly opened, and a man with a very striking pompadour walked in. He's wearing a grey blazer, with a white shirt underneath topped with a simple black and white tie—

"Oh, you're awake!" His eyes lit up, a smile forming on his lips as he sees me. He turns his head to the door, cupping his hands near his mouth and shouting, "Oi, Ryusei! He's up!"

This man…

Right, I saw a glimpse of him, I think.

"Ah… You must be the one who saved me, right?" I asked. "Thank you—"

"Hey, don't sweat it, man!" He pats me on the back – rather strongly, I must say, especially since I'm injured – then sits down on the chair placed next to my bed. "Name's Gentaro Kisaragi. I'm a teacher here at Beacon... and also Kamen Rider Fourze. Well, I was, at least, but you might be more familiar with that name."

Kamen Rider Fourze…

Yes, it is a familiar name, but I don't know why.

Curse my ever-present amnesia.

I raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what do you mean "was"?"

And to that question, he nervously laughed. "Well, you see…"

Fourze rolled along on the ground, his gold-yellow form disengaging due to the hit he received. He punched the ground in frustration before getting up, pulling out yet another Switch and replacing the one he just used.

"Alright, what about this guy then!" He flicked forward the knob on the red Switch, but nothing happens. Instead of his armor changing shape, it flickers and disappears, as if fading out of existence—

"Kisaragi!" Meteor threw his fist at the face of the monster who resembled his friend, disorienting it. "I told you not to fight!"

"This is…" Gentaro stared at himself, the white armor of Fourze appearing then vanishing repeatedly. It stopped after a few seconds, the armor staying on, but he still felt that there was something… wrong.

Something off.

But before he could figure out what was wrong, he was struck by an unseen attack. The next thing he saw was his opponent – Zi-O – holding out a black, round thing at him.

His transformation, the Fourze system, disengaged as it turned into particles, all sucked into the thing in Zi-O's hand.

Immediately, as soon as everything was absorbed, it changed colors to white and orange.

"Theeere we go!" Zi-O cheered, pumping his fist. "Wow, it was actually pretty easy this time around. Thanks!"

…

[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ ZI-O! ARMOR TIME! 『3 2 1』FO~URZE!]

[LIMIT TIME BREAK!]

The spinning kick sent Another Fourze flying, exploding into flames.

Zi-O landed, dusting off his hands and admiring his work.

However—

Out of the flames, another humanoid stepped out.

It was Another Fourze, looking battered and broken.

His body shatters and cracks, falling to the ground in shards, revealing something else underneath.

It was like an insect molting out of its body.

The newly formed monster fires a blue energy blast at the ground, using that distraction to flee.

"Aaand that's what happened!"

Gentaro finishes telling his story, clapping his hands with a smile on his face.

No guilt, no regrets in his voice—

What a carefree man.

His friend lightly hits him across the head. "You just lost your powers—No, you let someone take the power of Fourze, just like that! Take this a bit more seriously, can't you?!"

"Ahahaha… Well, you know what they say, no use crying over spilled milk! Don't worry, Ryusei, we'll get 'em next time."

"I can't believe you can still say that in situations like these…" Ryusei sighs, shaking his head. He then turns to me—"By the way, you. Do you know anything about that Rider who calls himself Zi-O? You seem to use the same system as him."

"Sorry… No idea." I answer. "I'm just as confused as you are – maybe more, even."

"How did you obtain that belt, then?"

…

How the hell am I supposed to answer that…?

Do I just tell him the truth?

I could say I have amnesia, but having that and getting accepted into Beacon…?

That's way suspicious…!

"…If I said I found it randomly in a briefcase, would you believe me?"

Ryusei pauses for a bit, but nods. "Yeah, I guess I've heard of weirder stories from the other Riders. Come on, Gentaro. Let's give him a moment to rest. We'll tell you the full details tomorrow, once you feel better…"

"Right. And as much as Ryusei hates to say it…" Gentaro gets up from his seat, smirking at his friend. "We're going to need all the help we can get, especially from a fellow Rider like you."

I'm a bit overwhelmed, but…

I manage to nod slowly. Ryusei leaves first, followed by Gentaro.

I sink into my bedsheets.

Man, being a Rider is tough…

I wish my memories would come back already. It will surely make things easier…

…A knock on the door—

"Geiz?" Ruby's voice echoed from outside. "Can I come in?"

"Y-Yeah, go ahead!"

…

"So, uh…" Ruby fidgets with her fingers, looking around awkwardly. "They cancelled classes right after the attack—"

I chuckle softly. "Really? That's the first thing you say to me?"

She opens her mouth, but I interrupt her again. "That's good to hear, though. Homework is the last thing I want to worry about after all this."

"Well, you're just in luck, classes are cancelled tomorrow too!" She stops, and pulls herself back. "Ah, but I guess you wouldn't be able to enjoy a day off in that condition…"

"It's fiiine. I should be fine by morning, I think." I try to stretch my arm, but the pain causes me to winch. "…Hopefully."

"Sorry… I'm supposed to be the team leader, but I let you get hurt just like that—"

"Okay, no, stop. What happened wasn't your fault, so don't beat yourself up over it."

"…If you say so, Geiz. What are you gonna do now, though?"

"Rest and sleep my worries away, hoping I will never get attacked again for the rest of my life?"

"N-No, I meant in case that guy appears again…?"

That's a good question.

…I hate to say this, but the way I am now, I don't think I can beat him in a fight.

Maybe if I catch him off-guard, I might be able to beat him, even if barely.

He doesn't seem like a very experienced fighter – even if he's still more experienced than me – but the Ridewatches he uses gives him incredible power.

"…Don't worry. I won't lose next time."

…is what I just said, bravely, but I'm scared inside, dammit!

Ruby smiles, hearing my answer. It seems like she didn't notice that I was faking.

"Oh, right," Ruby reaches into her pocket, then places whatever was inside it on my hand. "Picked this up for you."

It's…

The Gates Ridewatch.

"Why—"

"Well, the guy who attacked you was about to pick it up from the ground, but I snatched it before he could do that!"

Ruby boasts, a prideful tone in her voice.

"Thanks, Ruby. I owe you one."

"Right! Now, as a reward, can I take it apart? I need to know how it works—"

"No!"

It really is a day off, just like what Ruby said.

…But instead of being all snug in my bed, I'm stuck in this empty classroom with Gentaro and Ryusei.

They're…

I don't know how else to explain this, but it's like a lecture.

Gentaro finishes his crude drawing of the white monster from yesterday, smiling proudly at his creation.

"…Right." Ryusei remarks, witnessing his friend's antics. "Where was I…? Ah, right. These beings—We call them Another Riders, courtesy of Kiryu Sento."

"Kiryu Sento…?"

I pondered out loud.

That's…

I don't know why, but I get the feeling that it's an important name.

"Yes, you heard that right. Kiryu Sento, Kamen Rider Build."

…Kamen Rider Build, huh.

I'll have to keep that in mind.

"Moving on," Ryusei continues, tapping the whiteboard with a really long ruler. "We don't know exactly how they are created, but one thing we know for sure – When one is born, the Kamen Rider they're copying will weaken in power. Worst case scenario, they'll disappear from history entirely – as if they've never existed."

"Stopping them isn't as simple as just kicking them, too," Gentaro interrupts. "An Another Rider can only be defeated by that Rider's power. Which is really hard to do since their powers are weakened—"

Ryusei nods. "Yes, which is why I told you not to fight. I was planning on just letting you deal the finishing blow to it…"

I raise my hand instinctively, like a student asking the teacher.

"Go ahead, Geiz!" Gentaro smiles, playing along.

"So, I'm guessing they just keep reviving if they are "defeated" by something else that isn't the original Rider?"

"Precisely. You've seen it happen with your own two eyes, right?"

"…Yeah. So, what's the plan?" I cross my arms. "We have to take care of that thing one way or another, right?"

"Of course. We have no intention of just letting it do as it pleases." Ryusei answers, no hesitation in his voice. "After Another Fourze was defeated by Zi-O, it… turned, transformed instead of disappearing for good. It's just a hunch, but from the brief glance I took, it looks like…"

"Another Meteor, right?" Gentaro says, a serious look on his face. That's rare—"I couldn't get a clear view of it, but I think you're right."

Ryusei nods. "Just to make sure, Another Fourze appeared inside Beacon, right?"

"Yeah. During yesterday's lunch break, in the cafeteria…"

"Then it's safe to assume that it will reveal itself again in this school. As such, for the foreseeable future, at least until we know for sure that Another Fourze, er Another Meteor has been truly defeated…"

"Ryusei will be staying here!" Gentaro interrupts, once again. "Besides, I can continue to teach here, too. It's Gentaro-sensei's long-awaited return from his leave!"

Ah, right.

I forgot Gentaro was a teacher…

A few days have passed since the incident. And so far, no further appearances of Another Fourze—Er, Another Meteor have been reported.

That said, classes have resumed normally, as if nothing happened at all. Well, security has been tightened though, and students are instructed to be on-guard at all times.

Luckily, the victims only suffered from light injuries…

Except me, of course. I got hit the most, apparently.

Honestly? It still hurts a little to move my arm.

Ah, speaking of…

Gentaro was a huge hit with the students. He's so friendly and easy to get along with, he feels more like a close friend rather than a teacher to me.

Ryusei, too. He's not a teacher, but he helps out with the combat class sometimes to teach hand-to-hand.

His martial arts skills are truly something else.

You can't go anywhere without hearing about the two of them. And the fact that they're Kamen Riders don't help, either—

"Something on your mind, Geiz?" Blake speaks up, breaking my line of thought. "It's not like you to play with your food like that. Eat up, before it gets cold."

"Ah, sorry. I was thinking about something…" Hearing her words, I stop fiddling with whatever is in my bowl. "Honestly, though, this thing tastes the same whether hot or cold – really freaking bland."

"Yeah, and it's not gonna change no matter how much you play with it." Jaune commented from across the table, setting his plate down. "Alright, which one of you want to help me start a petition for better tasting food—"

"Man, I know, right?!" Gentaro's voice interrupted Jaune, catching the entire table – us – by surprise. "Ah, want me to relay the message over to Ozpin? I'm sure he'll listen to one of his teachers."

"Whoah, Mr. Gentaro!" Jaune exclaimed, surprised. "Didn't know you were listening…"

"Hey, it's fine! I've been thinking the same thing, anyway—"

Gentaro's brilliant suggestion was interrupted by a shriek.

I immediately turned to the source of the voice—

And lo and behold, déjà vu.

What played out in front of me was something I… no, we've already witnessed beforehand.

Students panicking, desperately running for the exit.

Behind the crowd of people, in the other corner of the room, was a monster.

No mistaking it… That must be Another Meteor. Unlike its previous form, Another Fourze, its body is now mostly black, adorned with white dots resembling stars. An organic-looking shoulderguard, colored blue, stands on his right side extending all the way to his torso. His head was covered in a clear, almost gelatinous blue substance – and behind it, a pair of purple, demonic eyes on a face that looks a mass of molten flesh can be seen.

It bends down and grabs a fallen boy by the neck, strangling and lifting him up—

Wait, isn't that Cardin?!

"Finally here, huh…" Gentaro says, fists clenched. "Geiz, I'll leave him to you! I'll go get Ryusei!"

I nod, taking my Driver out.

Ruby unsheathes and deploys her scythe as well, taking a battle stance. "You guys go get your weapons as well! …Or run, I won't blame you! That thing looks horrifying!"

The others nod, running to grab their gear.

"How do you keep getting away with not putting your weapon away, Ruby?!" Weiss yells, before following the others.

"The cape hides it~!" Ruby yells back, but I don't think Weiss heard her.

"You think the same plan from before will work?" I ask, inserting my Ridewatch into the Driver.

"I dunno, but it's worth a try. First things first, we have to get it to release Cardin."

I nod. Ruby launches herself to the air, using her weapon's recoil.

As for me…

"Henshin!"

[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ GATES!]

Well, that proved easy enough.

Ruby was able to distract it easily, and with a well-placed shot from my weapon, Another Meteor was sent flying outside.

Naturally, Ruby and I follow as well.

It seems Another Meteor doesn't have access to all the different weapons that Another Fourze had…

Meaning it should be easier to handle, hopefully.

Outside, we find Another Meteor crouching down.

It then raises its right arm, and punches the ground below him—

Clouds of cosmic energy formed around it, spawning a bunch of humanoids dressed in black robes, wielding swords—

Ruby stopped in her tracks, surprised. "What the heck?! Ninjas?!"

Dustards…

I don't know why I know that name, but it just came to me.

"Do you think we can handle this many by ourselves…?" Ruby asked, hesitating.

"Won't know until we try…"

The sound of a shotgun blast rings through the air, as Yang jumps into the scene.

"Forgot about us, did you?" She smirks.

"Yang…!" Ruby smiled, seeing the arrival of her sister and her other friends. "Everyone too...! Let's work together!"

"Sorry, we're late!" Gentaro also comes running, with Ryusei behind him.

"Geiz, you come with me." Ryusei says, putting on his own Driver. "I'll leave the rest to you kids."

"Make your teacher proud!" Gentaro cheered, a wide smile on his face.

They nod, jumping into battle.

"M-Bus… Requesting transformation." He says, pushing the silver lever on the top of his belt all the way to the right.

[Meteor, Ready?]

He spins his arms, forming a full circle before stopping, his right arm resting near his face and his left just above the belt.

"Henshin."

He swings his arms to the side, his right one hitting the blue, ball-shaped lever along the way—

Sparks of various colors came out from his belt, as blue-colored light beamed down from the skies above, covering his entire body with it.

The blue orb of energy disappears within a few seconds, revealing Ryusei, fully transformed.

"Kamen Rider Meteor. Your fate…" He runs a hand along his helmet—"…is mine to decide."

With the Hunters and Huntresses handling the Dustards, Ryusei and I move to take care of Another Meteor.

That said, I take actions first, swinging my ax at it. It easily parries my attack, though, and throws a few jabs at my chest, knocking me back.

With some range between us, the real Meteor steps in, throwing unrelenting punches at the monster, accompanied with a battle cry.

"WaaaaCHA!"

Throwing his fist back, Meteor throws a final punch to end his combo, sending Another Meteor flying.

"Heh. You might have the same power, but you don't have the experience!"

Wow, is he enjoying this…?

Ah, whatever—

[YOU BOW TO ME!]

Another Meteor quickly gets back up on its feet, leaping high into the air at our direction.

"I won't let you…!"

I aim my weapon and fire several burst shots, causing it to land and fall to the ground prematurely.

"Nice one, Geiz!"

Meteor thanks me, as my attacks seemed to have bought some time for him to finish fiddling with the device on his arm—

[OK, Saturn!]

Whatever it is, it causes a projection resembling the planet Saturn to appear on his right arm. He swings it upwards, firing several energy rings at the fallen enemy.

Alright, at the rate we're going, we're bound to win this fight…!

However—

Another Meteor counters, by firing his own set of Saturn rings. They collide mid-air, creating a small explosion.

I spoke too soon.

Meteor isn't fazed, and assumes his usual stance. But—

For some reason, his armor faded out, disappearing entirely.

"Huh…?"

It only lasts for a few seconds though, and after that it was back to normal.

"What's wrong?" I ask, rushing to his side.

"We don't have much time left… We have to finish this quickly."

This must be what he meant by powers weakening…

I nod, firing more shots at Another Meteor, managing to disorient it a bit.

"I'll provide covering fire, you go ahead and do your thing!"

"Hah, took the words right out of my mouth."

Meteor runs ahead, launching his right fist at his doppelganger. It reacts quickly, catching his fist with its own. The real one doesn't seem to care, as he throws his left fist fast enough at the monster's abdomen, delivering a flurry of jabs at the same spot—

"Atatatatatatatata!"

Eventually, the pain causes Another Meteor to let go of his fist, stumbling backwards due to the relentless attacks—

[OK, Mars!]

Alright, in that case…!

[TIME CHARGE]

[ZERO TIME!]

Meteor sneaks behind the distracted enemy, as a projection resembling a fiery Mars appeared to cover his right fist. Wasting no time, he rears back his fist only to immediately slam it against the monster's body—

The impact causes a small explosion, and sends Another Meteor flying in my direction.

At this point, I let go of the trigger and fire a charged shot—

The energy arrow hits its target, creating an explosion that causes it to drop to the ground.

"Now!" Ryusei commands, flicking forward the button on his Switch—

[Meteor On, Ready?]

—and hitting the round, black part of his belt, causing it to spin.

[Meteor, Limit Break!]

"Let's finish it off!"

"Right!"

I press the button on my Ridewatch and dislodge it, before spinning it downwards.

It stops after a full 360 degrees, and causes the sound of a bell to ring out.

[FINISH TIME: TIME BURST!]

I could feel energy forming around my right foot, and I made a break for it.

Seeing me run, Ryusei did the same and jumped into the air.

Instead of jumping, I throw my body to the ground and slide towards a disoriented Another Meteor. As soon as I'm under him, I jerk my right foot upwards. The kick causes a small shockwave to occur, launching it into the air, straight into Meteor's path.

Meteor's Rider Kick hits it dead-on, causing an explosion of blue energy in the air. Meteor skids past, landing in a crouching position behind me.

Out of the explosion, a Faunus boy fell out. I manage to catch him, and set him down on the ground safely.

Judging from his uniform…

Yeah, he's definitely a student.

But why…?

No, how…?

A black Ridewatch fell to the ground, not far from the boy.

Unlike mine, it seems to be a blank one, as it doesn't even have an icon—

[TIME MAZINE]

Shit, that sound…!

A Time Mazine sped overhead, bringing with it no one else but the black and purple Rider.

"Aww, I was too late for the party, huh?" He says nonchalantly, looking at the battlefield. "Oh well, no matter. My main target is still present here, after all."

He turns to look at Meteor, summoning his weapon.

"…Like hell I'll let you."

Hearing me, Zi-O stops in his tracks.

"Oh…?" He turns his gaze at me. "Did you not learn your lesson?"

"…Honestly, I don't know what your deal is." I stand up, gripping my weapon and the blank Ridewatch tight.

Somewhere in my heart, there's a little bit of fear.

No, not a little…

This man could easily kill me if he wanted to.

But even stronger than this fear…

I know I can't just let him do whatever he wants.

"…Becoming the greatest, most beloved demon king of all time? That sounds like bullshit to me." I take a step forward, mustering up all the courage in me to face him. "But what I do know… is that the power of Riders shouldn't be used for something like that. They don't exist for your personal gain!"

Hearing that, he only laughed.

Not a maniacal one, but a fully wholehearted laugh, as if he just heard an amusing joke.

"Interesting! And what can you do to convince me, mongrel?"

…He's right.

I'm powerless compared to him – that much is true.

But even so, I…!

"Don't let him get to you, Geiz!"

Ryusei's words snapped me out of my thoughts.

The blank Ridewatch on my left hand began to glow, catching both our attentions.

"Huh…?"

What's going on…?

I look up, and the residual blue energy from Meteor's Rider Kick that remained began to glow as well. It condenses and shoots forward, entering the Ridewatch in my hand.

At the same time, Meteor's transformation disengages, his armor turning into blue particles that merge with the blue energy in my Ridewatch.

It emits a bright flash of light, causing me to cover my eyes.

When I open them, the blank Ridewatch in my hand has… changed.

The base is now colored a deep shade of blue, complimented with gray-colored dial. On the top of the watch's screen is a blue logo, a circle with several streaks behind it, like a shooting star, and on the bottom are numbers that spell out "2011".

Ah, so that's how it is…

I slide the dial down, making the arrow face left.

The screen now forms a face—

That's right, the face of Kamen Rider Meteor.

I hold the Ridewatch forward, pressing the button on the top.

[Fighting for the sake of friendship, the kenpo-using Rider is…]

[METEOR]

"I see, you've managed a Rider Inheritance…" Zi-O scoffs, pulling out a white and orange Ridewatch from his own holder. "And what can a mere secondary do against a main Rider like me?"

[FOURZE]

"You'll see."

We slide our Ridewatches into their respective slots, triggering the confirmation sound. Once that's done…

"Lend me your power, Ryusei-san. Henshin!"

I hit the edge of my Driver with the back of my fist, causing it to spin. Zi-O does the same as well.

[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ ZI-O! ARMOR TIME! 『3 2 1』FO~URZE!]

[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~ GATES! ARMOR TIME! 『Meteor, Ready?』METEOR~!]

A set of armor resembling Meteor appeared in front of me. I place my hand against it, and it breaks apart, the smaller pieces flying upwards and hovering above me. They then descend, placing themselves upon me one by one, causing a faint blue light to cover my body.

The Japanese letters for Meteor flew into my visor, completing the transformation.

My new form, of course, resembled Meteor's. The added armor pieces are colored black, with white lines and dots adorning the surface. But unlike the real one, I sport the blue shoulderguard on both of my shoulders. My helmet has received an extension, as well, everything above the visor now resembling a blue, falling meteor like Meteor's. On my forearm, right before my palm is a device like Meteor's arm-mounted weapon – The Meteor Galaxy.

Zi-O's armor was… odd, to say the least. His shoulderpads resembled the head of a rocket, split in half, while his arms are covered up with giant rockets. His leg armor also looked like the bottom of a rocketship, thrusters and all.

The demon king takes flight and charges at me, the thrusters on his rocket arms igniting. He launches himself at me at high speeds, but I manage to roll out of the way.

I turn around, seeing him in the middle of an overhead turn. I quickly turn up the third lever on my Meteor Galaxy, and press my finger against the touch panel.

[OK, Saturn!]

"Take this!"

I swing my arm upwards, shooting several, purple-colored energy rings. Zi-O manages to dodge them the first time, swerving to the side, but they home in and strike him from behind.

The attack causes Zi-O to lose his balance and fall, making an emergency landing on the ground.

Zi-O skids along on the ground, pointing his left arm at me. The rocket on it detaches and fires, flying towards me like a missile.

This time, the second lever—

[OK, Jupiter!]

I swing my arm upwards just in time, the Jupiter projection strengthening me and allowing me to punch the rocket away.

However—

It seems he has fired off his other one, while I wasn't looking…

Crap, I won't be able to block this one!

I brace myself for impact, but to my surprise, the rocket suddenly swerves and flies to the left, as if something had just knocked it over. I turn to the right, seeing Ruby aiming her sniper rifle, giving me a thumbs up.

I nod, a smile forming on my face – not like she can see it, anyway.

I turn my attention back to Zi-O, his free hands on his belt.

Ah, going for the finisher already, huh.

Alright, two can play that game!

I press the buttons on my Ridewatches, before dislodging the belt.

[FINISH TIME! FOURZE!] / [FINISH TIME! METEOR!]

And at the same time, our belts spin.

[LIMIT TIME BREAK!] / [LIMIT TIME BURST!]

"My fate… is mine to decide!"

My right fist glows a bright blue, as I feel the energy collecting on it.

Zi-O flies high into the sky, his body now looking like a rocket.

We charge at each other—

"Haaaaaah!"

"Hoooooh—WACCHA!"

Our finishers collided.

My punch collided with his kick.

And in the end, it was a tie – we were both blown back by the explosion it created.

"Ahahahahaha! That was more fun than I expected… Truly, you are almost worthy of my time, mongrel!"

…Zi-O said something along those lines, before leaving.

I remove both Ridewatches, disengaging my transformation.

My legs feel like they're about to give in any moment – I can barely walk.

Ruby rushes over to me, followed by Ryusei and Gentaro.

"You okay, Geiz?" She asks, worried.

"Yeah, I am." I try walk forward, but immediately lose my balance—

Luckily, Ruby catches me before I could fall over.

"…Thanks. I'm just a bit tired."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I think." She releases her grip on me, and I rebalance myself. "Oh, right, here."

I hand the Meteor Ridewatch to Ryusei, but he slowly pushes my hand back, a small smile on his face.

"You can keep it for the time being." He tells me. "It seems like you need it more than I do now."

"Really? …Thanks, Ryusei-san. And sorry, Gen- Uh, Mr. Gentaro. I couldn't get the Fourze watch back—"

"Hey, it's fine! Don't worry about it!" He swings his around me, as we start to walk back. "What matters is you're safe. It's not like I currently need Fourze's power, anyway… There's always a next time!"

"Hey, you think they'll cancel classes again for the rest of the day?" Ruby spoke up from behind. "That was one heck of an exercise and I'd do anything for a nap right now. I'm sure the others would agree with me..."

I laugh. "Yeah, hopefully."

"I can try talk Ozpin into it, if it doesn't end up happening."

"Thank you, Mr. Gentaro!"

A/N: A bit late, but happy new year to everyone! Be sure to read until the end for this fic's equivalent of 0.5 episodes – aka where I explain how things work in this fic.

Zi-O is getting better IMO, and Oma Zi-O using the Kiva watch was a surprise, haha. Darn Toei, ripping me off like that! I think a lot of things still need explaining, and sometimes the show doesn't even follow its own rules. Really sad that the 0.5 episodes have ended, though, I enjoy those a lot more than the regular episodes. Okay, ramble over. Replies incoming!

Rider-04: There you go, I wrote out the full fight. Quick henshin was intended, I kinda wanted to get the chapter out as quick as possible and I'm sure we can all imagine how Fourze transforms, haha.

To the others, thanks! And of course, those with questions, please read all the way until the end!

Thank you for making it to the end, and I hope you enjoyed it!

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

Next time, we're going ghost.

Next up:

"Hey, come on, wake up! Don't you dare die on me!"

"I'm… dead?"

[Kaigan: Specter!]

"Wait, wait, wait, I think you're mistaking me for someone else!"

[Kaigan: Geiz!]

"Now, you might be wondering," Woz wandered into view, looking at you. "What just happened? Why did things end up like this? Before we start, we must take two things into consideration."

"The Another Riders are beings created to reroute history. Think of it like this: A straight line, from Point A to Point B. Just a single line… but then another one emerges from Point A, obscuring the previous line that leads to Point B. That is the Another Rider. As this alternate route contradicts the pre-established path of history, the real Kamen Rider will start to weaken, and if left for too long, will eventually be erased from existence. As for how they created, or who creates them... That'll have to wait for another day."

Hey, aren't we getting into spoiler territory here—

"What's that? Did you hear something? Anyway, that brings us to the next topic: Ridewatches. There are two ways to create a Ridewatch, first, through forced means like the one employed by Zi-O, where he has to defeat the Rider in battle and absorb their power to a blank Ridewatch. The second, is through the use of a Rider Inheritance."

"When the Fourze Ridewatch was created by Zi-O, Gentaro Kisaragi lost his powers as Kamen Rider Fourze. If the same had happened to Meteor, then the events of the series, the struggles that Gentaro Kisaragi and Ryusei Sakuta endured through, would be erased completely from history."

"But that didn't happen."

"Why?"

"Because Kamen Rider Gates inherited Meteor's power."

"To completely erase history and the memories associated with it, the power of every Rider related to that period of time must be absorbed. However, Meteor's power was passed on to Gates through a Rider Inheritance, saving the story of Kamen Rider Fourze from imminent deletion."

"Basically, Zi-O seeks to erase the Kamen Riders, while Gates preserves them."

"But then, what exactly is the Rider Inheritance?"

"It is a phenomenon that occurs when these following conditions are fulfilled:

The existence of a Rider whose wheel of destiny has stopped is in danger.

A newer Rider whose wheel of destiny is still turning is present.

Fourze's and Meteor's wheels of destiny have stopped – they have done their part, you could say, while Gates and Zi-O have only just started their journey. In this case, as the timeline scrambles and struggles, desperately trying to preserve the Kamen Rider in existential danger – the Rider Inheritance happens."

"However, that's not all there is to it. The endangered, progenitor Rider also needs to acknowledge the Rider that will become the inheritor of their powers. Sakuta Ryusei, Kamen Rider Meteor has acknowledged Kamen Rider Gates as someone worthy in his mind, which is why his power was inherited to Geiz and not Zi-O. Had Fourze not lose his power through forced means, the same would probably happen."

Woz slams his book to a shut.

"I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. We shall meet again next time."

"Oh, by the way, Meteor Armor was able to win against Fourze Armor because Meteor once killed Fourze... at least that's what the writer wanted to do, but ultimately the scene didn't make it to the chapter. What a shame. Below, after the cut, is a dumbed down version of it."

W-well, I guess you can say that this scene takes place after the chapter too, though, so it's fine.

"Say, Gentaro-san. Have you ever lost a fight against Ryusei before?"
"Well, there was that one time where he killed me."
"What?!"
"It's fine, we made up afterwards, and now we're best buds!"
"No, no, wait, something is definitely wrong there!"