Disclaimer: I own nothing about Sailor Moon or Kamen Rider. I only own my original character.
Third Step – Proof of Metallia
It didn't take long for Katsuo to settle down into a daily routine.
First, he planned to keep in physical shape so he would work out in the morning and continue his training. Because of that, Queen Serenity assigned Sailor Jupiter as his workout and sparring partner. Just as expected of the source material, she was a really nice girl when she wasn't handing him his ass on a silver platter during their practice matches. His pride as a black belt took a hit but he had to remind himself that this was Sailor Jupiter here who pretty much had far more combat experience and ability. At least she took the time to give him some tips to better handle himself in a fight and even treated him to her specialty workout recovery lunches which were seriously tasty.
To his surprise, Jupiter told him that the Moon's gravity had purposely been modified by the Queen to match Earth's gravity. Considering that the mission of the Moon Kingdom was to help guide the evolution of humanity on Earth, it made sense. After all, there would be an occasional need for some Moon Kingdom scientists to visit the planet and make observations on how humans were living and innovating. It also explained how Princess Serenity had no issues moving around when she snuck off to Earth to see Prince Endymion.
Afternoons were spent studying the operating manual for the Diendriver which Sailor Mercury had printed off for him shortly before her project team went to work on constructing the device. Princess Serenity often stopped by to see how he was doing during this time. Even though she could only stay for a few minutes before heading off to her next activity, it was still nice of her to check in on him.
While going over the manual, Katsuo could start seeing the safety precautions listed in there and connected them to the Decade show. For example, three Rider cards were the recommended limit when summoning multiple Riders at once and it was recommended to cock back the Driver after each Rider card was loaded. Those recommendations would reduce wear and tear on the device. Considering that Kaito was always on his own and had nobody to perform any sort of maintenance on his Driver, it made sense that he would take the time to cock back the Driver when summoning Riders. There were exception to that rule though but that was probably because he was pressed for time.
He could also see the reason for how both Decade and Diend always seemed to pick the card they needed for the job. Based on the helmet specs, there was a component built in that could sense the user's emotional state and read their thinking processes before converting the information into usable data. The data is then processed by the suit and passed on to the card storage area so that the next card that was drawn there would be the card that the user feels they need for the situation.
During the evenings after supper, he would take one lesson in manners and etiquette with Luna. Since he was going to be mingling with the upper classes, he needed to learn how to behave appropriately. The cat advisor also made it her personal mission to break Katsuo out of his habit of swearing in front of others, especially royalty. To his defense though, it only happened twice when his mouth was racing faster than his mind and to be absolutely fair, he never expected that he would suddenly be dropped in a fictional universe. Luna didn't care though and she promised that if he kept up this cursing habit, she would scrub his mouth with a bar of soap.
That was how his day typically went for the past three days until one afternoon; Sailor Mars entered the study room he was using looking around for something. Katsuo poked his head up from the manual to address the visitor. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"Have you seen the Princess around?" asked the raven haired girl.
"No, I haven't actually." This was certainly strange as it was at this time that she would show up to visit him.
"Venus to Mars, come in."
She took out a small pink device which Katsuo recalled as the communicators used by the Senshi in the first season of the anime. "Mars here."
"It's as we expected. The Princess has gone to Earth."
There was a twitch in the Fire Senshi's eye. "Again?!"
"She caused all this commotion just to see that guy of hers? That's nutty," muttered the boy in the background while a tired sigh came from the other side of the communications channel.
"Just meet us at the usual location so we can prepare to teleport." Venus then paused for a moment. "Wait, is Togashi with you? I think I heard him back there."
"Yes, he is. Why do you ask?"
"Bring him with you. We can make use of him for this mission. Venus out." And with that, the conversation ended before Mars turned sharply to Katsuo.
"You heard her, Togashi. Let's go."
"W-wait! What can I do to help you?" Despite his protests, he still got up and left his manual behind to accompany Mars so they could head to the location.
"I'm sure Venus has her reasons, even if I don't understand them." She kept her answers short as she would rather conserve energy for the upcoming task. "It's just retrieval, nothing we hadn't done before."
"I find it the fact that your Princess sneaks off to Earth on a regular occurrence a bit disturbing to be honest."
Mars shot a fierce glare at Katsuo. "I'll have you know that our security protocols are top notch! It's just that when the Princess truly sets her mind on something, there's virtually no stopping her."
He held up his hands to defuse the situation. "Sorry! So I guess that means she pretty much uses her high access security codes to open every palace door along the way before going down to Earth to see her One True Love?"
"She never actually had any codes in the first place," admitted the Fire Senshi while taking a left turn at a corner. "From what we can tell, she actually studied the security system, took advantage of any blind spots in the surveillance patterns and took off before we were able to patch it up! I honestly wish Princess Serenity would put that effort towards more serious responsibilities like her studies."
'High observational skills and the ability to detect and take advantage of openings? She's already Sailor Moon material. Now the question is how to steer her into that direction.' He filed that thought away for later as he and Mars finally met up with the other Inners just by the fountain located near the palace's front gateway.
"Glad you two could make it," greeted Sailor Venus.
"So how am I involved in this?" asked Katsuo while Mars had her own look of curiosity.
"Let me put this into context first. In the past, we teleported straight to Earth, retrieved the Princess and got back as soon as possible. A quick in and out operation. Unfortunately, this has contributed to strained relations between the people of Earth and the Moon Kingdom and the officials in Endymion's court demanded that the Moon Kingdom respect Earth's sovereignty."
"I guess they would also be annoyed at Princess Serenity's unannounced visits just so she could go date their Prince," stated the boy after hearing the blonde's explanation.
"You hit the nail on the toe!"
Katsuo raised an eyebrow. 'Huh… so even Silver Millennium Venus messed up idioms?'
"It's hit the nail on the head," corrected Jupiter.
Venus flushed briefly in embarrassment before continuing. "As part of a deal negotiated to help maintain diplomatic relations, we are only allowed to teleport to predetermined locations isolated from settlements to avoid spooking the local population. We also have to submit trip plans and get clearance from the Earth Kingdom as well. Obviously, these rules would not apply in the event of extreme emergencies like when the Princess is in genuine danger."
'How would they be able to tell if… oh, right.' He recalled that when Chibiusa first showed up being chased by the Black Moon clan, any time she got in serious danger, her crescent moon mark on her forehead would show up and fire a pillar of light into the air as a distress beacon.
Mercury brought up a holographic map. "For today's mission, we will be teleporting here to this forest which is the closest location to Princess Serenity's date. She and Prince Endymion will be approximately 5 kilometres away at the east end of the lake. You just need to get to her and hand her the Disguise Pen so she can travel back with you discreetly and not be recognized as a Moon Kingdom native by the locals. We'll provide you with a set of clothes so that you won't stick out too much. We'll also provide you with a communicator so you can contact us in case of an emergency. The communicator also has a function to send a distress signal back to the palace as well."
'So around a thirty minute jog and around a 45 minute walk back since Serenity will likely want to enjoy a leisurely stroll on the Earth.' Still, something bugged Katsuo and he needed to get this cleared up. "I presume there's only one Disguise Pen? Why can't you just toss on some Earth clothes and be able to blend in with the people below?
"Yes, there is only one Disguise Pen right now. And using a simple wardrobe change to disguise ourselves won't work," explained the Ice Senshi. "All the inhabitants of Earth seem to have some degree of psychic ability based on our observations. In all scenarios where a native from the Moon Kingdom tried to blend in with the crowd, they are identified fairly quickly and chased away. Only a disguise generated by the Disguise Pen will elude their senses. That's essentially the reason why any observers sent by the Queen to Earth gather data from a distance."
"But won't they detect me? I mean, I now technically live here."
"Even though you come from an alternate timeline, you are still technically born from Earth. Hypothetically, you should be able to walk among them freely."
After hearing Mercury's answer, Mars sighed to herself. "So that's how it is. Maintaining cordial relations is really troublesome."
"I can agree with you on that but the Queen has requested that we make every reasonable attempt not to further strain relations between the Earth and the Moon," piped up Jupiter. "We already have a lot of people on Earth who aren't too fond of us so I thank the stars every day that the ones in power on Earth are moderates and somewhat open minded."
The Fire Senshi couldn't argue that point. "Agreed."
Katsuo gave a small sigh of his own. "Let's just get this done quickly."
On Earth, it was a very sunny afternoon with warm temperatures making it for a pleasant day. All sorts of people from normal peasants to court officials themselves were enjoying the weather. All except one woman.
The woman was working diligently in her private workshop. She had long, wavy fire-red hair that reached her waist. Her outfit consisted of a white top that allowed her shoulders and lower arms to be exposed, a purple skirt and sandals. A chain of turquoise stones were wrapped around her waist and she even wore a stone around her neck and on her forehead. Finally, her earrings were made out of the same stones.
The stones weren't merely accessories. They were essential for the Sorceress Beryl to enhance her own natural psychic abilities and bring out her magic. She had used them ever since she began her studies in the mystic arts, learning to harness what natural abilities lay dormant in her. Her hard work ethic and dedication had caught the attention of the court where she was able to become an entry level Sorceress to further refine her talents.
It was there that she met him.
How much time had she spent just watching Prince Endymion go about his day? She can't remember. Just the sight of his handsome face took her breath away and caused her heart to beat harder. Her dreams and goals began to revolve around him with her deepest desire to become his wife and life partner. At the end of each working day, consisting of either doing magic research or navigating court politics to get much needed resources for that research, she would simply gaze at the Prince and remind herself that she needed to try harder tomorrow so that one day, she could take her rightful place at his side.
That was the life of the Sorceress Beryl until that accursed creature from the Moon came to Earth. Within a short time frame, she had stolen Endymion away from Beryl. Her hatred for that blonde girl knew no bounds. She wished she knew of a way to get rid of that Moon Princess but her power was nowhere near strong enough to overcome those who protected her.
Then one evening while working outside under the stars with her cauldron, she had an unusual encounter with an alien being made out of dark energy named Metallia. It then proceeded to tell her…
"You will gain enormous strength by invading the Moon. If you take the infinite power of the Ginzuishou, then you will be able to take control of this planet and the universe! All you have to do is reach out for it. Swear allegiance to me and I shall grant you power beyond imagination!"
Compared to the Beryl who accepted Metallia's proposal in a heartbeat, this Beryl was a bit more cautious thanks to her experiences in the Court where some deals went wrong for her which ended up costing her a chance to raise her status. Was this Metallia telling the truth or was she merely a parasite, a weakling looking to leech strength off someone strong? No, she needed proof of this creature's power and that it could actually help her achieve her dream. That is the only way she would kneel.
Upon hearing that, the creature simply responded…
"Very well. I shall send you your proof when the sun next reaches its zenith."
That was fine with Beryl. If this proof showed up at the right time, she could test it to her heart's content. If not, at least she got some work done. So she continued her usual routine until she saw reality begin to ripple in front of her. One second later, a humanoid figure appeared right in front of her table.
"You're… the proof of Metallia?" Beryl studied the figure closely which was clad in a predominantly blue and white body suit. Grey armour covered the shins, the forearms, the shoulders and the chest area. Around the waist was a golden buckle of strange design kept in place by the black strap. Covering the head was a strange looking blue and white helmet that contained a golden spiked frame at the front. The facial plate appeared to be made out of transparent crystal which covered a pair of green 'eyes' against a blue and white surface designed to look like a face. Upon closer look at the green eyes, they seemed to display symbols that she couldn't recognize that kept moving in a continuous direction. Like some sort of continuous magic spell. On the left side of his waist was what appeared to be a small case.
"That's right," responded the figure in a warped masculine tone. "But for simplicity, you can call me Acuto."
"Then, how do you intend to prove yourself?"
"Right now, the Moon Princess has snuck to Earth by herself without her Sailor Senshi. This is a chance to get rid of her."
Beryl's red eyes narrowed. "How? If you know anything about them, they will know that she is missing and rush to her side as soon as they arrive on Earth!"
"The attack will have to come from two directions," explained Acuto. "One shall focus on keeping the Senshi occupied and the other shall focus directly on the Princess. And it will be accomplished like so…"
He drew a card from the left case and gripped it carefully in his right hand before slashing it through a thin opening that was located at the top of his golden buckle.
RIDE LEARNING! DIENDRIVER!
The central portion of the buckle released a data stream which surrounded the card before it changed into an advanced looking gun.
Two more cards were then picked up from the case. "And now, to make good use of those cards that we borrowed from that kid."
Five seconds later, two sparks of light left the private workshop and split into two directions. Beryl stared at them for a while before looking back at the figure who dismissed his weapon. "What are those specks of light?"
"They are the ones who will fight for the sake of Earth…" There was a pause before Acuto's optics changed colour to red. "… and eliminate those invasive aliens once and for all."
TO BE CONTINUED…
Honestly, I did say this was going to be low priority but the muse hit some ideas and gold so I'll go with the flow for now and work on this a bit longer.
So yeah, Ganbarider Acuto's in the game and he'll have his own set of unique cards to summon any Rider weapon or enemy weapon along with a few stolen cards from Katsuo. What other tricks does he have up his sleeve?
Laid down some groundwork to show that there are badass credentials lying dormant in Princess Serenity. She's gotta wake them up though. Also, tried taking a stab at showing the political situation between Earth and the Moon. Hoping that it at least made some sense. If not, chalk it up to being an AU.
As for Katsuo possibly getting a Decadriver later to be able to switch forms, that's a tossup right now.