Arc 2: Ladies and Gentlemen, Let's get Ready to Henshiiiiiiiin!
Part 2: Behind the Scenes
Disclaimen Rider is owned be Toei and Shotaro Ishinomori, I own nothing but this Fanfic.
Kintaros was dragged through the tight, dirty corridors of the backstage corridor by the assistant. "We need to put you in straight away, so..." he began as they stopped in front two black double doors. "Good luck." He pushed the two doors open and shoved Kintaros through it. Kintaros looked down the narrow corridor he just entered to see a large, open area with mirrors surrounding the walls. As he approached it, he could hear the faint murmur of a crowd. He entered the area fully to hear a crowd erupted in cheers. Kintaros followed his ears and looked up. He found himself in a boxed out section of the ground, with a large crowd standing on the top, looking down on him.
"Such a large crowd..." Kintaros pondered.
'Don't get stage fright.' Ryoutaro supported.
After a moment, Kintaros finally noticed another man standing in the ring with him. He was a man with bleached blonde hair, several piercings on his face, a hoodie and jeans. "Wha? You're my opponent? Don't make me laugh!" he mocked at Kintaros.
"I'm not here to make you laugh. I'm here to make you cry!" Kintaros retorted.
A man wearing a black and white referee's shirt entered the ring from an entrance on the other side. Standing in the middle of the ring, he looked up and shouted "Hello everyone!" The crowd cheered back. "Tonight, these two Rookies shall duke it out for a chance to face our champion!" he announced, motioning his hands to Kintaros and the other man. He clicked his fingers and a female assistant entered from the same entrance, holding up a tray with, what Kintaros could see as, several small, multicoloured rectangular decks placed evenly on it. The referee motioned for the two contestants to come closer, which they did. He pulled out a small, silver coin from his pocket. "Alright kids, heads or tails?" he asked.
"Tails, obviously!" Kintaros' opponent snarked.
"Looks like I'm stuck with heads." Kintaros concluded.
The referee flipped the coin, caught and placed it on the back of his hand. "It's heads!" he declared, causing the crowd to murmur in anticipation. "That means that this young man has the first pick!" He pointed to Kintaros.
His assistant walked over to Kintaros and held out the tray for him. Gazing upon it, Kintaros counted eight different decks, all with a different golden symbol on the front of them. 'Hey! These are just like the thingy on Ryuki's belt!' Momotaros pointed out.
'So... these help us transform?' Urataros deduced.
'Right! So, Ryuki's should be...' Kintaros inspected each deck on to the tray, but to his disappointment... "Huh? Ryuki's deck isn't here!"
'Huh? Are you sure? It's the black one with the dragon head.' Momotaros explained.
"I know which one it is..." Kintaros sighed.
'For now, we need to fight. So just pick a deck and let's go!' Ryoutaro said.
"Hmm." Kintaros picked up a green deck with a symbol of a bull's head on it. "A bull means strength. I shall pick this one!"
"Zolda, huh?" Kin's opponent snickered. "Nevermind. I already decided on Scissor." He picked up a black deck with the symbol of a golden crab on the front.
"Alright! Riders, Henshin!" The referee ordered. Kintaros's opponent turned and walked to the far end of the arena, Kintaros following his example. He managed to see him hold out his deck out to the mirror on the wall, and Kin did so himself on the opposing wall's mirror. Through the mirror, Kintaros could see a flash of light emerge from it, and a second later, a chrome silver belt was latched around his waist.
"I see..." he mumbled. "This helps me transform."
'Well? What are you waiting for? Let's go!'
"Henshin!" Kintaros cried out as he slid the deck into the front of the belt. A high pitched screech and flash of light later, Ryoutaro's body was covered in a green body suit with silver, mechanical armor covering his chest, shoulders and helmet. He also had a green, mechanical gun fastened to the right of his belt.
He turned around and saw his opponent, also transformed. His black suit was covered with a claw-like, brownish gold armor on his upper torso and a gauntlet fastened to his left hand with two scissor blades coming out of the front.
The two riders walked to the center, meeting the referee. "Alright! You both know the rules: The rider forced to exit their transformation loses." The referee explained.
"Alright!"
"Mmm!"
"Begin!"
A bell rang, which caught Kintaros off guard. Scissor took advantage and jabbed him in the chest with his gauntlet. Kinatros stepped back, slightly flinching, but punched his opponent square in the face in retort. As the other rider fell down to the ground, he steadied himself. He reached down to his belt and retrieve a card from the deck. "Have a load of this!" he yelled as he opened a small compartment in his gauntlet and placed the card in it. He closed the compartment shut.
Strike Vent
A flash of light came from the mirrors and flew towards Scissor's right hand. The light died down and a large claw with scissor-like blades was attached to his arm.
'What the heck? What's up with that claw?' Momotaros asked.
'He's using the same type of cards as Ryuki...' Urataros commented.
"Whatever it is, I'll stop it." Kintaros walked towards Scissor but was met with a strike from the claw, causing sparks to fly. The audience 'ooh'ed at the hit. Kintaros backed up a few steps but ran at Scissor again, this time earning him a strike with the claw and a kick.
Kintaros fell down and rolled back to the wall. 'Hey, Bear!' Momotaros called out. 'Use your cards already!'
"I can't! I don't have some gauntlet! All I have is a-" Kintaros began to feel around his arsenal until he retrieved the green gun from his side.
'Ooo! A gun! I wanna go!'
"Hey!" Scissor called out. "Quit having a conversation with yourself and fight!" He ran towards Kintaros, ready to strike. Just then, Ryoutaro's body flashed purple. He pointed the gun at Scissor and shot multiple times at him, causing him to back away from the attack.
"Is it okay if I beat you? I can't hear you!" Ryutaros taunted as he rose back to his feet.
'You little brat! I called gettin' the next fight!'Momotaros yelled in frustration.
"You little brat! Get over here!" Scissor growled as he rushed towards Ryutaros. Ryutaros spun around, getting past his opponent and kicking him in the back, making the crowd cheer.
Ryutaros inspected his gun further. "How does this thing work?" he pondered. He poked and prodded until he pulled a slot out of the bottom of the barrel. He then retrieved the first card in his deck and placed it in the slot. He closed the slot.
Shoot Vent
A light emerged from the mirror on the wall and flew into Ryutaros' hands, leaving a large bazooka. "Ooo~!" Ryutaros squealed in glee. He carefully aimed at the gobsmacked opposing Rider. He pulled the trigger, sending a rocket at his opponent, which impacted and sent him flying until he smacked into the wall. "Time to finish this." Ryutaros retrieved another card from his deck and was about to use it until he heard a bell ringing and the audience roar with cheers.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, in a surprising comeback, our Zolda rookie has took the victory!"
"Aww.." Ryutaros sighed. "Ryoutaro, I'll leave the rest to you." Ryutaros dropped the bazooka on the ground with a loud 'thud', pulled the deck out of the belt, removing the armor, and left Ryoutaro's body. The referee walked over to Ryoutaro and raised his hand in the air.
"Oof!" Ryutaros landed back in the Den-Liner cart. "Man... That fight was kind of disappointing. I hope my next fight isn't as boring..."
"Don't act like you did nothing!" Momotaros yelled as he smacked the younger Imagin on the head. "It was my turn to get a fight!"
"Yeah! And you forced me out! You must never interrupt a man during a battle!" Kintaros added.
"You three, honestly... we have more important things to be worrying about." Urataros interrupted.
"Right! If we know where those decks are, we should go ahead and take them off him!"
"Honestly Sempai." Urataros sighed.
Momo looked around and saw the other Taros shaking their head, disappointed. "W-what?"
"*sigh* Look, if Shocker has had knowledge of future and they said they have gained all the Kamen Rider's Rider Systems, then..."
"Then..." Momotaros scratched his chin, deep in thought.
"Momo really is hopeless." Ryutaros sighed.
"What did you say, brat?!"
"Sempai! Then why does this Asakura guy have those decks?" Urataros explained.
"Oh..."
"Well, why does he have them?" Naomi added to the conversation.
"Perhaps this is just a trap set up by Shocker?"
"But, there is one other thing to worry about..." The Owner began. "In Ryuki's Rider War there were 13 Riders. Kintaros, how many decks did you see?"
"Umm, 8?" Kintaros remembered.
"Ohh, so even if you take into account that Ryuki's deck should not exist in this world, we have four missing decks..." Urataros pondered.
"Hey! How come you know so much about Ryuki?" Momo asked.
The owner shrugged. "Who knows?"
"Wait a minute." Urataros stopped. "If the Ryuki deck doesn't exist in this world, but came into it from ours, maybe someone picked it up."
"Oh, yeah, like Ryoutaro did." Kintaros pondered. "But, who?"
"Maybe it's Shinji." Momotaros suggested.
"What?"
"Well, he was Ryuki back in our world. Maybe it was fate that he found it."
"Honestly, Sempai. Those coincidences never happen."
Ryoutaro was waiting outside an old, rusty door, passing the time until the conversation inside had ended. After the match, the same assistant dragged him off again, saying 'The Boss wants to see you'. As he sat on the chairs outside, the conversations that the Imagins were having were both getting annoying, and raised some new questions. Is Shinji this 'Ryuki'? Did the 'Boss' work for Shocker too? And was he calling him to try and get the pass?
"Yo!" A voice brought him to his senses. He noticed that another young man had took the seat next to him. "Oh, sorry for interrupting you."
"O-oh, no. It's okay."
"Don't mind me, I'm just Ren's assistant. He's in with the boss right now. I'm just waiting on him to finish up."
"Right... so, tell me. How long has, um, 'Boss' been doing the competitions?"
"Hmm... Well he's been doing this for a few weeks now. Don't tell him I said this, but..." The man leaned in closer to Ryoutaro. "I heard he got into business when he stole those decks from some big names. That's why he's keeping this all hush-hush."
'He stole them? Did he take them off of Shocker?'
"Which is kind of ironic, considering our little thief."
"Thief?"
The man raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You don't know? Well, ya see, there's been a thief sneaking in every night, transformed as a red Rider. He doesn't steal anything, but he keeps getting away."
"He doesn't steal anything? That's kind of odd..."
'Hey kid, he said a red Rider, right?' Momotaros bugged.
'Yeah... So, does that mean that Ryuki is still running around?'
"Excuse me, mister Nogami?" Ryoutaro's attention was caught by the assistant who had dragged him to the stage, now peeking out from behind the Boss's door. "Mister Asakura will see you know."
"Right. See ya." Ryoutaro farewelled his friend as he entered.
Asakura was sitting behind a musky, old desk that was scattered with papers. Another spiky haired man dressed in a leather jacket was standing attentively in front of him. "Ah, good. Mister Nogami, this is Ren Akiyama, Ren, this is Ryoutaro Nogami." he introduced them to each other.
"Hello." Ryoutaro greeted, but Ren merely gave him a quick glance and returned his attention to Asakura.
"Sir, I don't see how this is gonna be productive..." he complained.
"Now now, don't be like that!" Ryoutaro walked forward until he was at the same distance from Asakura as Ren. "Now see here Nogami, since you won today's match, you have to fight our champ here, Ren."
Ren grunted in response. "And I'm telling you, it's no use. He'll just end up being as weak as the others." He turned to walk to the exit.
"Hey, are you saying I'm not good enough?" Ryoutaro retorted.
Ren turned and glared at him. "That's exactly what I'm saying." Ryoutaro gulped, unable to say anything back.
"Ren! Don't argue! You have to fight him!" Asakura ordered. Ren simply grunted and left the room. "Sorry about him."
"No, no. It's okay." Ryoutaro reassured.
"Look, your fight's coming up tonight at 9. Can you make it?"
"Yeah! I'll show that jerk who isn't strong enough!" Ryoutaro answered, smacking his fist into the palm of his hand.
'Y'know Ryoutaro, we're the ones who actually fight. Not you.' Momotaros explained.
"Right, see you then." Asakura returned to his papers and Ryoutaro left through the door.
He got out and saw Shinji sitting on the chair. "Hey man, you were awesome out there!" He praised as he approached his friend. "Oh! Is that the boss's room? I really need an interview!" he snickered as sneaked towards the office.
"No! We're gonna find that Ren guy!" He declared as he grabbed Shinji by the collar and marched down the hall.
"W-wait, you mean the champion?!"
"I'll show him who's as weak as the others..."
Ren was walking away from the abandoned parking lot. After planning for tonight's arrangements with his assistant, he knew where he needed to go. He must report-
"Hey! Ren!" Ren turned to see the Nogami kid from Asakura's office running towards him from the building, dragging someone behind. He eventually caught up to him, panted for a second, and finally spoke. "Listen you, I-"
"Oh my God! You're Ren Akiyama! The reigning champion!" The man behind him interrupted, whipping out a notebook and pencil.
"Hey, don't just interrupt me!" Ryoutaro groaned.
"How long have you been attending the games? What's your preferred deck? What's your-" Shinji's inquiries were cut short by Ren's fist connecting with his face, knocking him down. "Ow!"
"Shinji!" Ryoutaro gasped.
Ren grabbed Shinji by the collar and lifted him up. "You... You're some stupid reporter, aren't you?"
Shinji's face frowned in defense. "So what if I am?"
"Leave me alone... I have no time to mess with the likes of you."
"'The likes of you'? Please, do explain..." Shinji sarcastically retorted.
"Uhhh, guys?" Ryoutaro attempted to separate the two, but to no avail.
"I mean you filthy paparazzi! All you do is invade others privacy, without any concern for the harm you cause to people! And look at you now, trying to dig out Asakura's competitions, trying to be some hero!"
"Well, that's..." Shinji tried to think of a response, but was at a loss for words.
"Do not get me involved, you stupid paparazzi kid." Ren threatened as he held Shinji by the collar. "You know nothing!" He threw Shinij, letting him fall on his back.
"Shinji!" Ryoutaro ran over to help Shinji back up, reaching out his hand, but it was smacked away by Shinji.
"Yeah... you're right." Shinji slowly got to his knees, surprising the other two. "I don't really understand you or this big boss of yours. But... that's exactly why I want to know! Heck, that's the reason why I became a journalist in the first place, so as I can learn about people and understand them!" Ren's eyes widened. "So, I may not understand you now, but... I will find the truth. No matter what!" he declared.
"...hmph, do as you like." Ren turned and walked away. "Oh, and Ryoutaro Nogami."
"Y-yeah?" Ryoutaro responded, still slightly taken aback by Shinji's speech.
"I'll see you tonight in the ring."
Ryoutaro nodded, determined. Ren then walked away. "Wow Shinji, that was kind of cool."
"Really?"
"Yeah! And here I thought that you were just some snobby journalist!" Ryoutaro laughed.
" Was that all you thought of me?"
"Well, nonetheless, I now have more trust in you as my friend and as Ryuki!" Ryoutaro offered his hand to shake.
"Wait, as who?" Shinji asked, a look of confusion spread across his face.
"As Ryuki. Y'know, the red Dragon Rider? Sneaking into that place as him." A long silence fell. "You are Ryuki, aren't you?"
"Uhhh, no..." Shinji replied, utterly confused.
"Then... WHO THE HECK IS?!"
Next time on Kamen Riders New Genesis:
"Ladies and Gentlemen, the fight you've all been waiting for has come: Ren vs. Ryoutaro!"
"I'll be honest, the business man thing never suited me." Aasakura chuckled as he pointed the face of his deck towards the mirror."
Survive
"HENSHIN!" Shinji declared, sliding the deck into his belt.
"Let's go, let's go, let's go!"
AN: Sorry for the delay, I was also working on another Fanfic. Ryuki was also one of the Kamen Rider shows I haven't watched, so I wasn't entirely sure how to write the characters. And heck, I still think I wrote them bad.
I also apologize if there wasn't enough action in this chapter, but rest assured, the next chapter will be an all-out brawl...