Some time ago
"Hi, Mei-san. You said you wanted to meet us?" Ikki Igarashi said, walking into Bookstore Kamiyama.
"Indeed!" Mei Sudo responded, clapping her hands together.
"What is it? Some new crossover trouble?"
"Oh! Maybe she decided to ditch that creepy lion boy! Ikki, you hit the jackpot!" Vice, in his incorporeal form, spouted.
"Shut up, Vice!" Ikki snapped.
"..." Mei tilted her head.
"Vice is being…Vice." Ikki explained, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh, your little demon guy!" Mei remembered.
"LITTLE!?" Vice shouted incredulously.
"Anyways," Ikki began, ignoring his demon.
"Nope! No crossover trouble." Mei told him. "But, we do wanna offer you a special service, just in case."
"...just in case what?"
"Well, you know Xross Saber? Touma's final form?"
"The recolor?"
Mei nodded. "That was a…letdown of a form design, and while the weapon and powers were cool, almost everyone agrees it could've been designed better, so as the newbie rider, we're offering you a discount in case you ever need our services when you get to your own final form!"
"Oh, uh…thanks." Ikki said, scratching the back of his head.
"Ha! We'd probably need it with George's design skills! Remember Jackal Genome, Ikki?" Vice laughed.
"That was one form, Vice! One!" Ikki told him.
"Soooo," Mei said, a hopeful look on her face.
"...Sure, why not?" Ikki relented.
"Great!" Mei shook his hand. "See you whenever you get it!"
Present day
"So, would a slight tweak cost less than a full redesign, or the same?" Hana Natsuki asked, sitting in a chair at Kamiyama Bookstore.
"Hmm, that is a good question." Mei asked, rubbing her chin. "Would make sense, and how much less I think would depend on how big the tweak and how many tweaks."
"Ah, makes sense." Hana said before getting out a sketchpad. "I was thinking that-"
The two heard a loud boom outside.
Heading out the door, the two saw a giant cloud of smoke.
When it cleared, they saw a barely standing Wasp themed demon, the female monster swaying from side to side as she tried to get her bearings.
That wasn't the only thing they saw, though.
Just a little away from her, were Kamen Riders Revi and Vice, the one-in-two rider, Revice.
Only…now they were in some kind of new form…
And judging by the dates, Mei knew exactly what this was.
"Let's finish this, Vice!" Ikki told his partner, the two in navy blue bodysuits with hot pink highlights, light blue sections with patterns like a t-rex's teeth, their chest plates see through and displaying their base form's chests, their helmets having see through visors that showed their previous forms' faceplates.
"Yosh!" Vice responded, the two tilting the Vistamps in their Revice Drivers simultaneously twice, said Vistamps looking like one half each of a t-rex's head.
[REVI/VICE GIFFARD FINISH!]
Revi glowed red while Vice glowed blue, the two jumping before being connected by an energy projection resembling a magnetic pull, the two spinning around in the air, lifting the Wasp Deadman up into the air, the two getting closer and closer, yelling out as they unleashed a rider kick at her.
The two landed on the ground.
"Alright, boys and girls!" Vice exclaimed, holding up three fingers. "3!"
He appeared behind Mei. "2!"
"Eek!" Mei yelped, falling to the floor.
"1!" Vice continued, suddenly behind Hana, who, in response, threw a roundhouse kick at him, the demon screaming and running back next to Revi. "Big BANG!"
The Wasp Deadman exploded in the air.
"Heheh!" Vice grinned.
"Why did you scream like a little girl? Hana wasn't even transformed." Revi asked.
"You dunno how scary women can be, Ikki!" Vice moaned.
"...Vice, do you forget who my family is?" Revi deadpanned.
"...Touche."
"I'M HERE!" Touma yelled, running out the door, red Haoken and Xross Almighty book in hand. The novelist looked around. "...did I come here too late?"
"Yes you did." Mei told him. Touma pouted before looking over at Revi and Vice.
"...is that your final form?" Touma asked.
"Heh, indeed it is!" Vice grinned.
"...how come I didn't get such a cool form from the start!?" Touma moaned, falling to his knees.
"There there!" Mei patted his head, Hana rolling her eyes.
"HAHA! Suck it, novelist!" Vice boasted, laughing.
"Be nice, Vice!" Revi chided, smacking his partner upside the head.
"I'll start when his series…of adventures starts making sense!" Vice responded, crossing his arms.
"Vice….!" Revi growled.
"Wh-whoa, come on, calm down, Ikki-chan, surely we can talk this out?" Vice asked, sweat dropping.
As Vice continued begging for his well being, Hana walked over to Mei. "So…I'm guessing it's gonna be a bit before I can get my redesign in?"
"Yeah. Shouldn't take more than a day, though." Mei told her.
"...this guy needs a full day from that?"
"Have you seen what people have been saying about the old Xross Saber?" Mei deadpanned.
"...what have they been saying?" Hana asked, concerned.
Mei brought out her phone, showing it to the bee rider, whose eyes widened.
"...Uh….w-wow…" Hana blinked.
"Yeah."
"I'll uh…be back tomorrow, then." Hana said, walking off.
"Don't worry, Touma!" Mei told the novelist encouragingly, hugging him. "We'll get through this! Why don't you take a break, and go hang out with…uh….wait, do you have a girlfriend?"
"No."
"Boyfriend?"
"I'm straight, Mei."
"Oh, right. Seriously, no one? Sabela?"
"She has Magine…I think. They said it's 'complicated' right now."
"Sophia?"
"I don't think she's my type."
"Luna?"
"We're both still uncomfortable after she spent so long as a child."
"...I know what my next project's gonna be!" Mei grinned, picking him up.
"Wh-what?" Touma asked, now suddenly scared for his life with the look in Mei's eyes.
"We are gonna get you a date!"
"...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH!?"
END
Note: It has come to my attention that more people are coming out of the woodwork to try to defend Saber's flaws across certain things criticizing it, particularly Xross Saber, because of a certain global pandemic. Unfortunately, a most recent example on this very story itself is a guest review, so I cannot reply to it directly, so I will be putting a response here, since apparently I haven't made myself clear on some things. Plus perhaps this will help future readers understand my points and stance.
I never said the abilities were sucky, just that the design is. The powers are up to par with the other finals, but it is the worst because the design is the worst.
Imagine this: You have a group of 22 things, each being ranked in 5 categories. 21 of those things get a 5/5 in all categories while the other gets a 0/5 in one of those categories. Everything else is up to par with the other 21, but it is the worst because it is overall lower than the rest. That is what I am saying. I love the powers and weapon of Xross Saber, it's the design that makes it the worst, in my opinion. Everything else is up to par with the other primary rider final forms, but the design is not, hence it is worse. Does that make sense? (No seriously, did it? I just wanna be clear here.)
Also the pandemic excuse needs to die, they've been able to do a bunch of other crazier stuff in spite of the pandemic while wasting money on things that did not matter, not to mention that if the pandemic were as bad as you claim, they wouldn't even be filming.
Also, "what matters is that people enjoy it, even in spite of or also acknowledging the flaws."
People are free to enjoy it, yes, but that doesn't excuse it from criticism, and that doesn't excuse the laziness in the designers. Not to mention that, just as you are free to enjoy it in spite of/also acknowledging its flaws, I am free to criticize it for those flaws. (And also I am not the only one who's been criticizing it, if that's the point you are making with this.)
If what you are saying instead is that it doesn't matter how creative or lazy they are with the design as long as the other things (like the powers and whatnot) are enjoyable, then...well no, as you said, design is half of what makes forms, especially final forms. It is a TV show, a tele*vision* show. It is a *visual* medium. We mainly focus on it with our eyes, so yes, design is important.
(Again, people are free to enjoy it if they wish, I'm not saying my opinion is law, I'm just responding to your points. If you and others can look past the design and enjoy it for its other qualities, great, more power to you. This story was simply a way for me to vent out my disappointment and criticize the flaws with it. I personally (along with others, as I've said) cannot look past the lazy design, but if you and others can, good for you. I'm glad. Like, genuinely.)
I hope that clears up everything, no animosity intended.
