Folder 3: Bust Out the B / Endless Battle to Nothing
Thirst
Shindou's tall form began to hunch as porcelain skin fragmented into tan granules. Soon ribbons of ancient cloth emerged from within the sands that scattered in the air to wrap around his form and give him a solid shape. Dust caked into a chest plate and horrendous shoulder pads that depicted screaming victims begging to be sated. Trails of sand followed the Thirst Dopant as it charged Teo in a speedy glide.
The injured youth was in no condition to move out of the way and took the hit instead driving them both through the concrete wall Teo was seeking support on. It's easy enough to imagine what would happen to a regular human if they were hit with enough force to ram a hole into 12 inches of pure concrete, they'd die. Thankfully enough, despite his injuries Teo is not a normal human. He survived, albeit losing a lot of blood and his consciousness in the process.
Shindou stood over the motionless body of the boy for a moment, still sensing the life that flowed within the teen. "Forgive me.", he raised his hand to strike the final blow.
"That should be my line.", a gentlemanly shout called Shindou's attention.
The Thirst Dopant turned its attention from Teo to the new comer. "You…", he pointed one arm threateningly at the man before him. "Who are you?".
A tip of the hat and a bow to go along was his reply. "I am your enemy.", the man introduced himself. He replaced his black bowler hat on his thinly veiled scalp. His face was youthful for a man in his thirties. His crisp pitch suit and pleasant countenance however could not offset the madness that dwelled deep within those eyes of his. "Now that you have asked your question, I will ask mine.", he continued. "Would you kindly step away from the boy?".
Shindou looked between the man in front and the boy behind. "The boy dies here.", the teen Dopant pointed another arm over at the unconscious youth.
The man in the suit just tipped his hat down to cover his eyes as he asked with a voice akin to glee, "Shall I take that as a no?".
"Take it however you please.", Shindou said plainly before his arm shot forward to break the man's neck in half.
Weather
Thirst's arm of sand shattered before it could reach its victim. Winds of unspeakable strength ripped away at whatever force holding it together. Shindou recoiled, jumping away as he retrieved his arm from the scattered mess it had become. He panted in the pain of the unexpected attack that hurt even though normally dispersing would do little more than tickle him. "What are you?", he questioned the figure that calmly stepped closer to him.
"Me?", another dopant clad in black, white and highlighted with gold spoke modestly. "I am but a man.", he began humbly. "However", his voice continued with a sudden edge. "I will correct that and become a god.", he finished wickedly as he fired another squall from his palms.
Shindou braced himself, protecting his left arm which was still regenerating after being broken. The blast hit him head on, crashing into the house of a very frightened family that quickly scrambled away from the wreckage in fright.
The plaster walls were in shambles, the odd piece of hanging concrete crumbling here and there. The Weather Dopant strutted into the mess he created with confidence bordering arrogant. He made sure his feet crunched against the debris on the floor. It was to plant the fear within his victims, to let them know that he was approaching and that there was nothing they could do to stop him. Screams of terror made the kill all the more amusing in Weather's demented mind. When he reached the spot however, there was nothing but light dustings of sand all over the place. "He ran away I suppose.", he voiced his disappointment. "He wasn't much of a challenge anyway.", he pulled out his memory to revert to his mild-mannered self.
Once outside, the man picked up Teo's unconscious form with ease of one hand. "What an odd choice you've made Ryuubei-dono.", the man commented to himself as he inspected the boy. Sighing as he hung the boy over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, the gentleman went on with his vocal thoughts, "You've done well for someone inexperienced, but instincts and God-given talent can only take you so far.". The man licked his lips at the next thought, "I'll show you how to unlock your true potential.".
Isaka clinic—time unknown
Silvery eyes shot wide open as if gasping for air. "Shindou-sempai!", he screamed in remembrance. His breaths were short but coming in rapid pants. Teo's mind was barely registering his current surroundings, still stuck on the moment of being crushed in between flat gray rock and a body of brown.
"You are awake.", a voice startled Teo into reality. The effect of which was more prominent with it being a commanding declaration than any form of realization.
It was only now that the youth could take in where he was. Right now, he was lying down on a flat metal examination table with only a small unsupportive pillow resting his head. Around him was all dark but still identifiable as a clinic. The only thing that allowed him to see was the dim illumination of the fluorescent panel that doctors used to look at X-rays. Outlined against the light was the figure of what he supposed was the owner of this establishment and the speaker who snapped him out of his earlier panic, a man a few inches short of bald wearing a doctor's coat.
The man stood up and approached Teo, prompting the boy's survival instincts to push the boy in an upright position in case of the need for self-defense. Before Teo could even ask, the man preemptively introduced himself, "I am Isaka Shinkuro, the owner of the fine establishment you see before you.". He gestured around the room in a grand manner.
Cautious as he was of the man, speaking as still a requirement so that Teo did. "Then I assume you're a doctor?", he asked.
"Yes, yes.", the man walked away without so much as showing any form of paying actual attention. He walked up to his charts and x-rays, examining everything as he spoke, "How do you suppose your wounds have healed at such an alarming rate?".
Teo's brows were raised in confusion, what did he mean? He got off the table with a hop without any problems whatsoever. That was the moment truth struck. He was completely free of injury. He began to stumble on his feet till he was flat on his butt. "H-how?", he stuttered.
"Nothing to be surprised about.", the good doctor turned to the boy. "After all, with a Gaia Memory, anything is possible.".
Fear was now spreading through Teo's system faster than his blood. His body could not stop shaking. "Why do you know about Gaia Memories!".
Satisfaction showed on Isaka's face as he looked down on the boy. "My, my, aren't we full of questions?", he asked as he relished the feeling of being feared. He pulled out his own Gaia Memory, a white one with a tornado, lightning, rain and sleet forming a W. "Forgive me, I must have neglected to mention but I am not an ordinary doctor."
Weather
"I am a doctor as well as a researcher that specializes in Dopants and you child are a fine specimen.", he licked his lips before plugging the memory into his neck. His form shifted quickly from his gentlemanly shape into one of a barbaric warrior of white furs, black leathers and gold metals.
Teo's senses heightened by adrenaline let him see clearly for the first time. The x-rays on the fluorescent panel weren't human, they were Dopants!
He watched the Weather Dopant approach him casually. The nefarious being offered a hand, inside lay a Gaia Memory. "This is…", Teo did not bother finishing before swiping it away.
"Your memory.", Isaka said before reverting back to his human shape. "The Diamond Memory.", the mad doctor confirmed. He took a few steps towards his charts once more before he began spouting off words and phrases, each one seemingly more mad than the last, unbefitting of his regal stance. "Truly your memory is of an odd kind.", he had said, "It had called to me by its mere presence of strength and it was already in my hands but for some reason it seemed to reject being with me. Mere contact with it sent dreadful chills down my spine.", he turned back to leer at Teo. "And let me assure you very few things can fill me with even the faintest unease.". He continued once more with a regular pace, explaining how he'd chanced upon the memory dropped on the grounds of a high school yard. "Now it is a great question to me.", Isaka stated, "How one such as yourself is in possession of such a memory this unique and what sort of fool you are to carelessly misplace such a powerful product.".
Teo slowly regained his vertical base before beginning a rather forced account of his gift. "It was around two months ago. I was attacked by someone I knew, he had a Gaia Memory, made an easy job of me too. To him I was a piece of trash so he left me for dead. That was when he came. I don't know who he is, I've never seen his face but I'd know him when I meet him from the presence he gave off.". The teen sucked in a fresh breath of air before pouring out all the built up fear in his body. Completely tense he continued, "It didn't even take a moment till fresh screams reached my ears and even less time for the noise to be silenced. He found his way to me. Here the memories go blurry, I remember dying and then an electrifying surge of power, after that everything around me was either bathed in blood or flames. In my hand...", the teen looked down at the blue Gaia Memory that shone somewhat cheekily at him, "was the Diamond Memory.". "As for how I lost it", he sighed, "I was attacked earlier by a Dopant. I must have dropped it during the scuffle.". His mood went somber ruining what came next.
Quick as his wit, Isaka had the young man in an iron grip. "Tell me.", he spoke incredibly intrigued. "What presence did this man give off?", he asked without losing an ounce of force. "Overwhelming? Regal? Suffocating? Terrifying perhaps?", the doctor suggested.
"Y-Yes", Teo barely voiced out in panic. This man was off his rocker and he needed a way out as soon as possible.
"He's truly made his move. That great man has decided to personally bestow a gift upon this boy.", the mad scientist turned away from his subject again. He had assumed that most likely one of the terror king's salesmen had gotten to the boy, but to think that the memory was handed to him in person. Isaka began to mumble to himself, deciding what to do with the boy, where to prod for answers he wanted, to see what made him so special.
The subject of his thoughts had other ideas. Teo did not want to stick around any longer. He wasn't about to become anyone's lab rat anytime soon and he still had things to settle. Carefully, he tried to sneak out unnoticed.
"Where are you going?"
Teo stopped mid-step at the question. He had been noticed, he cursed. The teen decided then that maybe the best approach was the normal one. He gathered his courage and spoke, "Truth is Isaka-sensei I thank you very much for taking care of my wounds. I'll be sure to pay you back so just put it on my tab or something.". With that out of the way, Teo made a dash for the door.
"So you are going to challenge the Thirst Dopant again.", the Dopant specialist watched the x-rays in fascination.
The teen's hand gripped tightly against the door knob. This man, how did he know? Teo was just going to voice this question before he was cut-off.
"Forget it, you'll just die.", Isaka said in plain disinterest. Pulling up an x-ray he had taken of the Diamond Dopant while Teo was still unconscious he continued, "I've fought that Dopant before and I could beat him easily enough. But you...", he turned to the young man at the door. "You aren't his match. I'm sure you have some sort of power hidden deep within you but that is little more than wild instinct, the memory's influence so to speak. Once you fall prey to it then you gain great power however that power comes with more than just the price of humanity, it also stunts the growth of the user.".
"Even if that's so.", Teo opened the door. "There's something I have to do.".
Isaka shook his head, "You are a stubborn youth, perhaps last even a full five minutes against an opponent of his caliber.". He placed the piece of film like paper on the table before turning to Teo, "However.", he pulled out his memory again. "To last five minutes against me is another story altogether.".
Weather
Teo gulped down fear as he watched the doctor take his monstrous form again. His fear of this man grew to astronomical levels. He was not well versed in combat nor was he gifted in instinct but he was sure, this man was dangerous.
"Now.", the Weather Dopant raised a gloved hand. "Show me what it was that attracted the king of terror to you.".
Despite the confusion that brewed along with horror within Teo's mind, he knew there was no time for doubt. Shindou-sempai was the culprit and now that his secret was found out the senior might do something drastic and dangerous, only one way out of this now.
Diamond
Crystal of both solid and liquid encased the youth in shimmering armor. The diamond face of the head seemingly much sharper from the determination that radiated off the youth. "I don't have time for you.", Teo growled as he took a fighting stance.
"Oh!", Isaka noted, "bereft of fear now are we? Is it the memory's influence? Or something else that drives you? Either way, if I'm to figure out the secret I'd rther it not be in my workplace.". So with a twitch of his finger, Weather turned into a great tornado that carried the Diamond Dopant away without so much as messing up the papers on the table.
Narumi Detective Agency—9:35 AM
The office was quiet. It usually was at this time of day. Akiko was out gathering information on the local rumors with Watcherman and Santa-chan. Shotaro would have gone himself but he had other matters to attend to. He was sitting at the desk looking through a few interesting photos Batshot had taken while it was on a maintenance run.
"What is this?", he wondered to himself as he squinted at the blurred picture. "Bird?", he wondered. It was mechanical and very fast, Batshot couldn't even keep up with its speed. He shook his head as he scanned through the photos for a clearer one, "Wonder what it could be.".
Not a moment later and the door to W's version of the bat cave opened up. In came Phillip in swift calculated strides. "Shotaro.", he called his partner's attention.
Expecting this already, Shotaro dropped the stack of photos in his hands to turn to his younger colleague. "What've you got for me Phillip?".
"I've confirmed our suspect as Kokoryu Shindou.", the femininely dressed boy opened his habitually blank book.
"I knew it.", Shotaro cursed under his breath.
Phillip continued on, unresponsive to his partner's small outburst. "Beyond what you've told me it seems that there is good reason for Shindou's scholarship.".
This took the half-boiled detective's attention. "Really?", he leaned on his desk, resting his chin on threaded fingers.
A nod and the smarter of the two continued, "It seems Kokoryu was formerly a rich landlord. Their land expanse was great and second to none within Japan. However plague struck their crops one year and they've been forced to sell it out to a company who wanted to develop the land for a long time now.".
"So he's not naturally gifted. He's determinedly gifted.", Shotaro scratched his head. "Can't say I saw that coming.".
Phillip shook his head. "If that was enough to surprise you then this should throw you for a loop. The company that bought the land was Sakazuki zaibatsu.".
The name sparked a thought in Shotaro. "Sakazuki? As in Sakazuki Yamamori?", he requested confirmation.
"Exactly.", Phillip flipped his blank book a few pages before pointing a finger at an invisible passage which he read. "It seems both Sakazuki and Digal were competing for purchase of the land even before the plague on the crops. Kokoryu Shinzo, Shindou's father as well as the original owner was not willing to sell. There was some speculated foul play regarding the sudden deaths of crops and livestock but there was no confirmed poison or unnatural environmental hazard. The only thing noted was the sudden drought within the underground water reservoirs of the land.", with a snap the living search engine closed the book. Phillip's eyes held a pensive gaze.
The look did not escape Shotaro's notice even though he was distracted by Sakazuki's involvement. "What's the matter? Got something else on your mind?", he asked his partner.
Hesitation rolled off Phillip in waves which was never a good sign. "Probably…", Phillip began with doubt in his voice, "the question in my mind is why are Sakazuki and Kokoryu friends? If the file rings true then it would be that Sakazuki had forced the Kokoryus out of their birthright. Doesn't it seem strange?".
"You're right.", realization dawned on Shotaro's face. "Hold the fort down for me Phillip, I'm paying Shindou another visit.", the left half of double collected his jacket for the day.
"But didn't you say you'd visited him yesterday?", Phillip inquired.
Shotaro waved it off as he turned to the fedora collection, he didn't feel like wearing his velveteen hat today. "He wasn't in then, don't know why. I stuck around for a couple minutes, asked the neighbors about him. They all gave similar statements of him being a good kid. It was a fruitless visitation.". Shotaro finally picked out a gray one with white tiger stripe band around the base. "However today will be different, even if he isn't there I'll take care to break in any way I can.".
Phillip raised an eyebrow at Shotaro's confidence. "Do you have a plan?".
"None.", was the dismissive reply.
A shake of the head was all the smarter of halves could do. "Typical. Half-boiled.".
Before Shotaro could even touch the door, it clicked open to reveal Ryuu who had a few files he believed to be relevant in hand.
"Ah Terui, exactly the person I need.", Shotaro grabbed Ryuu by the arm. Before the policeman could figure out what was going on he began to drag the stunned man.
"Oi, Hidari what are you doing?", Ryuu held his ground against the private eye's oddly strong grip.
Shotaro snorted mockingly, "You don't need to worry about that. I'll fill you in on the details while we're en route.". With that over, Double's physical half pulled along a confused police superintendent who could not resist in fear of ripping his racer jacket.
The door closed behind the amusing twosome leaving Phillip alone to his thoughts. Or not quite as Phillip walked over to the wooden barrier. In the scuffle it seemed Ryuu had dropped pieces of his file. A few stray pages informed Phillip that this was a person's complete bio-data and history. He quickly arranged the errant pages and read the name of the subject.
"Sakazuki Yamamori".
Morino Apartments–-9:53 AM
Morino Apartment building was pretty big considering it had up until the fifth floor. Not quite the luxurious mansion like others claim to be but it did its job of keeping its occupants warm and sheltered. Despite the cold façade of weather worn concrete that composed most of the structure, it was still home to many at a reasonable price, especially financially limited students.
"So you've confirmed with the Gaia library that Shindou is our perp?", Ryuu asked as he stalked after Shotaro up the stairs.
The half-boiled detective nodded. "Yeah we checked it with the Gaia Library. His personal history suggests a long time infatuation with Fuyumi. We think he got the memory in order to protect her.", he explained as he climbed the flight of stairs.
"That would make sense, but would a simple crush drive a man to those limits?", Ryuu questioned.
Shotaro turned his eyes to the man in red. "That's what we're here to confirm Terui.".
Quickly the both of them found their way to Shindou's door.
"309", muttered Shotaro. "This is the place.", he signaled Ryuu.
The policeman gave a small nod of agreement. The two of them stepped back and gave the wooden barrier a good swift kick. The piece of lumber flew open as both went rushing in to apprehend their suspect.
Eyes darted left and right. "He's not here.", Ryuu breathed out in irritation.
"But we've got our proof right here.", the private detective of the two stood before a wall in a mixture of mild shock and calm.
Terui furrowed his brow as he took his place beside the man, "What are you on abou…". The words died on his when both of his brown eyes saw what Shotaro did.
On the biggest expanse of wall within the room was a timeline collage. It had a long line with various marks labeled in years. In between the marks were areas that had photos on them. Innumerable photos that reached all the way till they lined the borders from side to side, to just below the roof and reaching the floor, all of them focused on one person and one person only.
"My God.", Ryuu looked everything over. "Asakawa Fuyumi.", he scanned the pictures. Everything starting from junior high school, family dinners, birthdays, photo prints with friends, going on to high school and newspaper clippings of various victories in archery contests. More pictures with friends and more personal photos.
Shotaro's gaze however had already shifted from the collection of photos to the littered work desk of the room's tenant. He rummaged through them. There were notes, books, various odds and ends for school. There were even doodles, poetry and love letters that he made sure to neglect reading. There was finally a small note, one that caught his eye that it was different from everything else in handwriting. While all the others seemed like rough hurriedly scrolled kana, this one was English in textbook cursive handwriting with a personal loopy touch.
"Ryuu.", the private eye called the policeman's attention.
Tearing his eyes away from the disturbing sight before him and onto his companion, "What do you need Hidari?".
"What does it say?", Shotaro asked seriously. An ominous feeling molded itself into a heavy weight that seemed to plummet to the bottom of the detective's stomach.
"The girl is in Narumi Detective Agency."
Ryuu looked up with a glare on his face. "We have to get back there.", he told Shotaro.
The two of them nodded to each other in silent understanding as they made haste to their machines. Shotaro had pulled out his Stag phone to call Philip, but it was already too late. The double driver was already wrapped around his waist waiting for him.
Narumi Detective Agency—9:52 AM
Foot steps echoed within the garage that lay beneath Narumi Agency. The steady sound was followed by the occasional flipping of pages. Philip was still at it, reading over the file that Ryuu had brought over.
He was so engrossed in his readings that he didn't hear the slither of sand. The next thing the living search engine knew, he was on the ground nursing an aching chest. A torrent of sand had come out of nowhere to strike him down. At the same time the noise had awoken Fuyumi who had been sleeping on the couch. This fact was proven true enough by the scream that still rung in Phillip's ears.
"At last.", the scratchy voice of the Thirst Dopant echoed in the room. "Fuyumi, we'll be together forever.".
The teenage girl cocooned herself underneath the blankets, her eyes not able to look away from the source of her terrors. "No.", she shook out. "Someone please save me.", she closed her eyes as the dopant reached for her.
"Don't touch her.", Phillip voiced out his own thoughts.
Fang! Joker!
The sandy dopant turned its head to see just who had activated the memory only to get a face full of fist courtesy of the white sided Fang. "Are you alright Fuyumi-san?", Phillip asked the frightened girl on the couch.
Fuyumi opened her eyes to see the city's hero, kamen rider standing protectively in front of her. "Y-yes.", her voice worked oddly.
"That's good.", Shotaro's voice spoke out from the black Joker side. W double turned to Thirst just as it was regaining its bearings after landing hard on RevolGarry.
"Now.", the two in one rider's chorused. "It's time to count up your sins.". The half and half rider charged forward with feral speed. The jumping punch connected right on mark, stunning the Dopant once again. The hangar doors opened up while the support grills cleared from the runway.
RevolGarry shot off into the tunnels whilst rider and dopant were still trading blows atop of the speeding vehicle.
"Why are you so fixated on Asakawa Fuyumi?", Phillip questioned as he struck the Thirst Dopant in the face.
"None of your business!", the dopant spat back as it shot its arms forward to pin the rider down. The act ended in success and Double found himself with his back against the revolving chambers that housed the other attachments of his machine.
A plan formed quickly in Shotaro's mind, the mental link sending the message to Phillip before proper words needed to be said. The darker sided Joker snapped up its hand and knocked away the support of the sand arms holding him down. Phillip followed up faster then the dopant could and pressed down on the Tactical Horn of the Fang Memory.
Arm Fang!
The Arm Fang sprouted from the rider's right forearm just in time to block the next torrent of sand fired their way.
Cutting a blinding path through the sand, Double managed to land direct blows against Thirst's chest. Now it was the rider's turn to pin his foe down.
"It's over Shindou, just give up the memory. We can still sort this out.", Shotaro promised.
"No!", Shindou roared with his morphed voice. "I've come too far, given up too much. I shall not be denied!". The Thirst Dopant ripped open its sewn mouth and let loose a large torrent of water that caught Double off guard.
The pressurized blast nailed Double right in the face and his body snapped back down hard against RevolGarry's reinforced armor. Completely helpless after the concussing impact, Double could do nothing as Shindou got to his feet once again.
"You've forced me to use too much water. I guess I'll last long enough with what you have.". The sandy dopant began to dissolve into loose particles to form its sand storm form. The ominous sight was accented by the exit from the tunnel, flooding their sight with bright light.
"You want water?", a familiarly intense voice spoke. "I'll give you water.".
Accel!
Terui was in Accel Bike Form on what was clearly a head-on collision course with RevolGarry. The red rider quickly remedied this as he jumped a few seconds to spare before he slammed into the black machine and reverted back to normal Rider Form. While still in mid-air he activated his EngineBlade.
Engine! Steam!
The scalding vapor sprayed into the brewing dust storm, pushing them away from Double as well as the speeding mammoth vehicle and finally dropping to the ground. Now it was just Shindou and Ryuu left to settle the score.
Just as Accel had rolled through his descent into a graceful knee, the dopant was not as fortunate as it reformed into solidity writhing in pain from the last attack.
"You bastard.", the Thirst Dopant cursed as it continued to spasm in pain. "I'll get you for this!", he roared out his threat.
"Then just try it.", Accel rose in challenge. The rider charged forward with the his heavy sword above his head.
Shindou saw the attack coming. Blasting the ground, the force propelled him off the ground. He broke once again to his sand storm form to engulf Accel. He proceeded to attack the trapped rider, rough dust particles accelerating at burn inducing speeds.
Jet!
For a moment, the spinning barrier of sand had a hole blasted out of it. That moment was all it took for a heavily damaged Accel to stumble out to safety. The rider lost his footing and fell in an unsightly heap. Shindou laughed thinking that his victory was at hand. He'd moved to smother the fallen warrior and finish the job. Ryuu was made of sterner stuff however, proving this by launching a surprising counter attack of streaming steam.
Even as mere particles that floated in mid-air, the dopant screamed profanities at the burning pain it had sustained. Losing concentration, it was forced back to a tangible shape. Terui did not let this chance pass as he rained blows upon the recovering dopant.
Strike after strike, merciless was the only word to describe Accel's assault. Finally the last hit was struck, sending the Thirst Dopant flying. Said dopant was already trying hard to focus and escape with his other form. Ryuu never gave him the chance as he charged up his Maximum Drive.
Accel! Maximum Drive!
He struck three slashes that left energy trails that formed the letter "A" in front of him. He struck it again and sent the collective power of three simultaneous strikes to smash into the dopant.
The attack was destined to end in disappointment however when a haze of sand fell over the fallen dopant. The A Slasher, one of Accel's most powerful attacks was absorbed harmlessly into the haze. It lifted to expose an empty spot of land where Shindou should have been laying unconscious with a broken Memory.
"He got away.", Ryuu cursed as he pulled out the Accel Memory from the AccelDriver. He could not give chase however, there were more important things at this time. They had to make sure Fuyumi was safe.
Narumi Detective Agency—10:12 AM
Ryuu burst through the doors of the office. His eyes darted left and right for signs of the girl. "Fuyumi-san!", he shouted to the empty room. The policeman ducked into the garage and still, no one.
The opening of the reinforced steel gates admitted a parking RevolGarry. It docked into its place and opened up to an exhausted Phillip and tense Shotaro. "How's Fuyumi?", Shotaro had asked at the first opportunity.
A grim shake of the head was all the answer Ryuu could give.
"Dammit!", Shotaro cursed. His boss would've never forgiven him for something like this if he were still alive. As a detective, the client's safety always came first, that lesson had been hammered into him for the longest time. It was careless to think that the office would be safe enough a spot. Frustration was showing on his face. All he could do to let it out was pace about while trying to grasp at some sort of sensible course of action.
"I'll go look for her.", Ryuu declared as he made his way for the door.
"That may not be necessary.", Phillip's voice halted the policeman's tracks. The young detective bent down to pick something up off the ground. A small note not unlike the one Shotaro had found in Shindou's apartment. In similar scrawl to the last one it said.
"2:00 PM at Mt. Takaki"
"We've been issued a challenge.", Phillip explained as he handed the paper over to the other two men in the room.
Shotaro glared at the piece of paper like it was the villainous sender himself. "If he wants a challenge", he started, "Then he should be prepared to bite off more than he can chew.".
Undisclosed Location—1:35 PM
The landscape was rocky and weather worn, unsuccessfully hiding the scars mining had wrought upon it. Blast scars were present from the time when explosives were still in use to clear out mine shafts, such was the history of this place before Fuuto came to be. It was perfect for the destructive event that was taking place.
Another explosion rocked a gravelly hill. Clumps of rock and soil send into the air by static lightning from unnatural clouds that plagued the sky.
"What? Is that all you can offer?", the familiar white and black Weather Dopant asked in a rather disappointed tone of voice. "For someone chosen by the emperor of terror himself, I would have expected more. But I suppose even such greatness is still prone to errors.".
"Shut up!", Teo's distorted voice barked out in the obscure dust that had yet to subside from the lightning blast.
The two of them were facing off, Isaka comfortably resting on his laurels atop the smoking gravel hill while Teo was unwillingly on his knees at the foot of the natural slope, in his Diamond Dopant form. They had been at it for almost 8 hours now with neither side giving an inch.
The battle had long devolved from an attempt at escape into an all out brawl. With the Weather Memory's ability to turn into wind, Isaka had blocked each and every attempt at eluding him. So Teo was forced into this situation where victory would be the only way for him to leave.
Despite pained movements, Teo still moved to stand on his feet, adapting a clumsy fighting stance born of little more than being on the painful end of an alleyway brawl. "I'll beat you and then I'll protect nee-san. I'll beat up anyone who wants to hurt her again!", the teen roared as he charged forward.
Isaka sighed as he swerved around the telegraphed punch. He delivered a jab to the ribs of his own which translates into a full power straight to most other low level beings, dopant or rider. He followed it up with a chop to the back of the neck, causing the Diamond Dopant's knees to buckle again. Before the crystalline being could however, the Weather Dopant had grabbed his by the scruff of his neck to deliver a crippling blow to the base of the spine, the sheer power of which send Teo over the other side of the hill.
Weather shook his head. He would have to give the stubborn youth another ten minutes to recover. It had been like this the whole time. The boy did not learn at all, in this case he was liable to get himself killed especially at the rate the Gaia Memory was consuming him. It was already eating away at his personality, from genuinely determined it was turning into something akin to savage desperation.
Honestly Isaka found the boy's compatibility to the memory puzzling. Clearly from his studies, the Diamond Memory was completely rejecting Teo's physical make up. In that case then Teo should be dead from the rebound in one or two uses of the illegal technology and those times would be limited to five minutes at best. It was amazing that he was using the memory for so long and from the tricks being thrown the doctor's way, the teen had used it quite a number of times.
"Is that the reason why you chose him Sonozaki Ryubei?", Isaka questioned to the dark sky.
A blast of rock reported to him that the boy was back on his feet. When Weather leveled its gaze with the clear face of Diamond's an odd recognition formed. There was no time to think this over as Teo's dopant form dashed in at frighteningly impossible speeds. A split second was the difference between Isaka keeping his head and losing it. Fortunately for him he had been able to duck underneath the blade arm that Teo conjured, but the thought in his mind had been confirmed.
"The memory has taken over.", the Dopant Doctor voiced his thoughts. Oh well, instead of seeing this youth progress perhaps it would be better to salvage the memory. With that thought in mind, Isaka anticipated the crystalline dopant's next move.
Another shockwave inducing lunge from Teo began the next exchange. Weather had been caught off guard by the speed the first time but not when such a simple move had an equally simple weakness, at that uncontrolled speed Teo could not maneuver any other way than straight. The Weather Dopant merely stuck its hand out and as predicted Diamond had slammed its throat against the slowly tightening glove of white.
Isaka shook his head as he watched the struggling child before him. "I'm sure you would have given rise to a perfect memory.", he raised his other hand as it heated up, burning much like the sun in the sky, "However it is only a waste in your hands.". He closed the heated hand into a fist before he spoke with an audible grin, "That is why I will make it my own!". Weather threw his red hot punch aiming right for Teo's gut.
"I will not lose!", roared in a manner much unlike his normal demeanor. An odd sense of madness tinged it. He followed these words up by slamming a diamond lance right through the oncoming arm of Isaka. To his credit, Weather merely grunted before throwing Teo reflexively.
The gravelly ground scraped harshly against the young man, but his diamond hide prevented any serious scrapes. He rolled through and clawed his way to a stop just like a feral beast would. He charged again into a jump over the more experienced dopant and fired a hail of diamond shards down. Teo shifted his center of gravity to shorten his time in the air, quickly he stuck his hands on the ground to create a deadly clear pillar to skewer his enemy from beneath.
Isaka saw the oncoming rain of blades as well as felt the rumble of ground underneath him the signal upcoming strike from below. "A two pronged attack.", the elder man gave an impressed curse. If he blocked the air strike he would be run through by the underground spike. If he blocked the spike from beneath then he would be facing at least compounded light damage. Not that blocking was an option with his arm as it was. So he opted for his last choice. Weather turned to mist and let both attacks clash with each other while he sidled away and reformed his body, completely free of wounds.
Weather was still flexing his newly healed arm, which had a hole in it just seconds before, when Diamond noticed his miss. It was something that the crystalline dopant was swearing itself to rectify.
Teo lashed at Isaka with fists hard enough to make real diamonds look like soft talc. These same fists were being blocked with deft skill by the mild-mannered doctor. Their movements were so fast that they almost blurred in motion to the naked eye. The one sided exchange lasted for a few seconds before Isaka decided to counter. He parried an oncoming straight and hit Teo with a stunning palm heel to the face, another swing at the young man's head before ending it with a body blow.
The teen fell to his knees, Diamond Memory popping out of his wrist bio-connector. His body fell limp against Weather's obstructive legs as he felt his mind beginning to shut down from the pain as well as overuse of his Gaia Memory. It had been the first time he'd used it for a lengthy period.
Isaka looked down at the teen before deciding to swiftly kick him away. "I suppose destroying you as you are right now would be the best course of action.", he raised up his arm to call upon the lightning. "That way there won't be anymore nasty surprises.", Isaka spat out the last word, still remembering the momentary pain inflicted on his arm. "Die.", he commanded the aerial electricity to strike.
Again, I have to venture outside.
The wail of a bird screamed through the air. A mechanical bird creature that looked a bit flimsy in make took the lightning strike head on with nary a scratch on it. It wailed again in seeming anger before it charged the Weather Dopant and proceeded into an assault of pecks and bladed wing slashes.
As Isaka took a beating, Teo's limp body began to move gingerly. Slowly the young man stood up and then took hold of his head. There was a dull ache but no more than a minor inconvenience. The youth scanned the area and picked up his dropped memory. He would need to leave for a safe place fast, the mechanical bird could not keep the Weather Dopant at bay forever.
At that time however his phone rang. The teen looked confused as he rummaged through the many pockets of Teo's uniform. He fiddled with it a bit before asking. "Hello who is this?".
"Your sister is in my hands. Should you want her to live, go to Mt. Takaki as soon as you can. Time limit lasts as long as the riders can."
The sound of the beeps signaling the end of the call resounded in the young man's ears. He pulled away from small object, staring at the number on his screen. "It's untraceable.", he spoke after a moment's thought. "He said that the time limit to meet him lasts as long as the riders do so that means the two Kamen Riders of Fuuto are with him.", he thought. Either way it couldn't be helped. He sighed in frustration. He would need to play this game or else something bad would befall Fuyumi. Mt. Takaki was only minutes away if he ran at full sprint so there should've been no problem.
"The games end now!", snarled Weather's familiar voice. He slapped away the bird-like machine that had been tormenting him for some time. His complete visage exuded anger. To be made a fool of by a small gadget was grave insult to his pride which could not be allowed, especially since he was planning to become a god. "I'll destroy that pest.", Isaka pointed a white gloved hand at the gadget. He then turned his sights onto Teo's form, "And then I'll turn you into an experiment.".
"I'm afraid I'll have to decline.", the young man smiled. He held out his hand for the bird to land on. With dexterity Isaka was sure Teo did not have, the young man folded in the outer wings of the bird and flipped back the pointed head of the mechanical bird to expose two USB plugs, the folded head and wings joining up with an embossed section of the main body to form a silvery 'W'.
"Gaia Memory?", the scientist stared in surprise.
A smile graced Teo's face. "That's right, I also have a driver.", he said. A belt materialized around the young man's waist. The belt was actually a Gaia Driver, a highly advanced one from the looks of it. The motif was still rough over-tech much like the DoubleDriver but with the difference of the driver itself being an upper case 'B' on its side colored in a shade of darker red. At the right side of the waist was a black maximum slot shaped into a lower case 'b'.
Weather stepped back. "How? This should be impossible. You should be a normal human being, how is there a driver in your body?", Isaka tried to grasp at the reality. Had his check-up been wrong? Was there more to this boy than what he had gathered in the time the teen had been under his care.
"Wouldn't you like to know.", the teen merely said before his next word. "Henshin!", he declared before stuffing the twin ported Gaia Memory into the corresponding slots on the driver.
Wing!
The young man stood relaxed as white armor encased his whole body. When it finished he snapped his fingers sharply. "Let's end things quickly.", he said in a bored tone. "Teo will be angry if anything would happen to Fuyumi.".
Mt. Takaki—2:00PM
"Fuyumi!", Shotaro's voice echoed at the expansive foot of the mountain. Mt. Takaki was one of the highest mountains near Fuuto, not far from the old mines that predated the city.
The great natural giant also fell victim to the mining effort and was mostly barren of plant life. Only sparse shrubs and dry weeds that refused to die could survive on it. The land could not be used for development either due to its unstable nature and more frequent tremors. It stood as a reminder to Fuuto of what excessive mindless development did to the land.
Shotaro, along with Ryuu, wandered around the parched plant life. The two had just arrived a few minutes ago and there was no sign of Fuyumi or Shindou anywhere. But that may have just been them looking in all the wrong places.
From a higher vantage point on the mountain face, Shindou looked down upon the riders, watching them fruitlessly searching. He decided it was time to make his move.
Thirst
He stabbed the activated memory into his bio-connecter, located on his throat. Once his dopant form had taken shape, he bore down upon the two unsuspecting riders.
For the most part, the initial strike had been successful. Shindou knocked both riders down and kept them from actually transforming into their respective rider forms. That only lasted so long however when Both Shotaro and Ryuu made a silent agreement after a split second eye contact. The two had bolted in opposite directions, leaving the Thirst Dopant confused for the better part of two seconds before finally deciding that Accel was the bigger threat.
"Phillip!", Shotaro shouted as he donned the DoubleDriver.
"Right.", Phillip replied in Shotaro's mind.
"Henshin!", voices of both halves of W echoed the other as they inserted their respective memories.
Cyclone! Joker!
In a moment, fragmented energy and debris formed over Shotaro to become Kamen Rider W. Shotaro flicked his wrist before charging at the dopant toi get him off a still human Ryuu. W had tossed the kaijin away before he pointed and quipped, "Time to count up your sins!".
Shindou snarled back, "The only thing I'll be counting is your corpses!". He charged again with one hand half-way dissipated in order to capture the rider.
Phillip saw the incoming attack and got Shotaro to follow his lead. W leapt up in a cyclone kick with the Soul Side leading. The resulting squall from the kick blew away Shindou's sand arm that tried to grab at them. Once on the ground, Joker side fired a counter spin kick which didn't do much to the dopant. From there, it quickly became an exchange of kicks and punches between the rider and dopant, respectively.
Ryuu regained his bearings quickly and pulled out his own memory.
Accel!
"Hen…shin!", he announced as he stabbed the memory in.
Accel!
Red energy gathered and pulsed around him before enveloping him in his crimson armor. "Let's shake things up!", he charged into the fray.
Shindou had just repelled another of W's attacks. They may have been fast and sharp blows but none were heavy enough to deal any lasting damage. That all changed when Accel came into the equation. The crimson warrior just cut in the middle of the Thirst Dopant's counter attack and delivered a series of punches and kicks which were way more powerful than what W had offered. Finally a kick jolted Shindou's dopant self into action, jumping back half-way into sand storm mode.
"Give up Shindou!", Shotaro shouted at the transformed teen. "You can still make things right. Give up and we'll make sure you won't get pressed for serious charges, I'm sure Fuyumi would understand if it's you.", he tried. Despite all the bad things that Shindou may have done, he was still a kid. Most likely the boy had grown up in an unfortunate environment with his family's property being taken and all. This obsession of his may have just been something he used to cope. If possible, Shotaro wanted to settle this without a fight. "Come on!", the half-boiled detective tried again, "We don't have to fight!".
"You…", Shindou panted, trying to regain his breath. "You don't understand anything!", he howled before turning completely into a sandstorm. He swallowed up both riders, who tried in vain to counter the attack, and proceeded to toss them around rather violently, not ceasing in his assault until he felt both beginning to lose their strength to struggle. One last time, he smashed the two riders against each other, scraped them across the rocky ground before finally flinging them away.
Caught by surprise, Shotaro and Ryuu could do nothing but remain still from all the damage they had incurred. All they could do now was try to put up a defense as they felt Shindou's ethereal grip on them once again.
"Die!", the dopant snarled from everywhere in the dust cloud as he launched them into the air.
A second later, a sudden gust of wind blasted the whole field. It blew the Thirst dopant back to its solid state while the wind picked up the falling riders to slow their descent from fatal to bruising.
"You again?", Shindou automatically thought of the Weather Dopant he had faced yesterday. Very few could create winds strong enough to force his most powerful state to cancel out. What met Shindou's gaze however was not the fur-lined form of Isaka's dopant form but that of something else.
Instead a form hauntingly similar to W appeared. His armor was glaring white against the sun. He rubbed his wrists as if they'd been injured despite the silver bands that protected them. Odd little wings protruded from those bands, looking freshly ruffled and used. His feet which carried the same ornaments did not carry footsteps as light as their appearance showed. His helm intimidated the dopant, with sapphire eyepieces lined with similar silver, extending upward into horn like antennae and downward like a trail of tears. The blue gem was between the eyes being the only spot of elegance on the otherwise demonic face.
The newcomer spoke as if he was bored, "Let's get this over with. Where is Fuyumi being kept?".
Shindou felt something was familiar about the voice but he couldn't place his finger on it. "What do you care?", he spat back.
"I'd be in very big trouble if anything bad happened to her. So care to share her location?", the white warrior riled up the dopant.
"Fuyumi is mine!", Shindou roared with a charge.
The warrior in white ducked under the attack and parried the follow up strikes with relative ease. A rather strong straight took him by surprise, forcing him to block it. In a second, the fist that impacted spread out into sand to wrap about the warrior.
"I'll crush you!", the dopant continued his mad rave.
The warrior merely shook his head. "I'm afraid I'll pass.", calmly replying despite the powerful pressure squeezing his body into pulp. Calming his mind, the white warrior concentrated as he felt the Gaia Memory that powered him send strength flowing through his limbs. "Fly.", he commanded as sand was blasted everywhere.
Thirst Dopant was blown back a fair margin as wind whipped about his white foe. The white warrior stood amidst the chaotic sand. The tiny wings on his wrist had grown to about a hundred times their size while glowing with energy that flapped the winds in its frenzy.
Despite the intimidating scene, Shindou took up the offensive and attacked before his white opponent could so much as blink.
While those two were fighting, the other two on the scene were finally recovering enough to at least sit up.
"Who is that guy?", Shotaro asked with surprise at the one doing what was supposed to be their job.
Terui shook his head, "I don't know but I don't like it.". The rider stood up to his full height, testing if he was in any condition to fight and found himself able enough.
Shotaro got to his feet as well saying, "Let's go help him shall we?".
"Better not.", Phillip suggested from his side.
"Why not?", Shotaro questioned his partner's motives.
"Because this fight's already over.", Terui voiced his observation of the battle.
Shindou had somehow put some distance between them again and assumed his sand storm shape. The white warrior moved quickly, slamming his fists together to gather energy into the wings once more and blow the dopant away.
"That trick is getting old.", the white warrior deadpanned. He ran into the reforming dopant's guard and rained down punches. Seeing they were dealing little damage, he stopped mid-way into an attack and came at Shindou from below with an uppercut. This finally got the Thirst Dopant's head up, perfectly open to a right hook that sent the kaijin spinning.
The warrior in white pressed down on the buckle like face of his Gaia Memory. The embossed design of an elegant 'W' popped up. He flipped it upwards into an 'M' and squeezed them close. Two memories then popped up slightly from their place on the driver. One hand pulled out a memory and plugged it into the Maximum Slot. The warrior slapped the activation button on the slot before whipping his hands out on either side.
Wing! Maximum Drive!
The white warrior jumped high into the air.
Shindou was recovering on the ground and saw the oncoming assault. Deciding that this was going to be a physical attack, the teen activated his sand storm shape again in hopes that this time it would protect him.
Accel and Shotaro saw what would happen and moved quickly.
Engine! Steam!
Cyclone! Trigger!
Ryuu let loose his super heated attack of water vapor while Shotaro and Phillip ripped into Shindou's loose form with wind bullets. The attacks groomed expected results and again foiled Shindou's most powerful form.
"Hehe", taunted Shotaro. "We've learned the weakness to your trick.", the half-boiled detective boasted.
"But only after that new comer showed us.", Phillip pointed out, instantly ruining Shotaro's mood.
Now stunned, in pain and unable to muster up the strength to move, Shindou watched as the one in white descended upon him.
"Let's go.", the white warrior howled. The wings on his wrists and ankles grew in size similar to before but this time they grew on his back as well. At the apex of his jump he bent his legs as the wings' glow intensified before propelling him forward while they broke apart. "Wing Talon!", the white warrior announced as both soles of his feet planted themselves against the dopant's chest. All the power in his legs blasted down into the writhing kaijin as the warrior stretched his legs into a stomp.
The warrior in white flipped back gracefully and watched Shindou's dopant form explode to reveal his human shape.
Bluish lips and dark circled eyes ruined the pale porcelain skin of the teen. Shindou reached out for his shattered memory that was smoking in a small pile of ruin before him, trying desperately to piece it back together. "No! No! No!", he screamed, "I'm strong! I'm strong! Just give me one more chance!". He recoiled as the broken technology crackled in his hands. "I'll defeat them! I'll prove I'm strong enough to have Fuyumi!", he cried out to a person only he could see in his hysteria.
Ryuu appeared behind the teen, now with transformation undone. "The only thing you've proven is your guilt to harassing that girl. Now tell me where she is.", the policeman snarled at the younger man.
"He doesn't know anything.", the white warrior spoke to ease Ryuu out of his tough cop routine.
W was about to undo his henshin as well when that statement caught his attention. "What?", Shotaro cut in the conversation.
The white warrior repeated his earlier statement. "This guy doesn't know a thing. He was a pawn in all this. The case isn't over yet.".