The Club, the Foundation, the Portal, and the Deal - part 3
The Kamen Rider Club assembled outside the Kougami Foundation's main office building all cleaned, dressed, and ready to meet with the Founder and CEO of a multibillion-dollar company.
"Is everyone ready?" The club president asked, gaze sweeping to each of the club members with a fashionista's eye. It was strange to see the club members dressed in formal attire, but she was glad that they were treating this meeting seriously.
Shun, she expected, would have a number of expensive and likely imported suits in his wardrobe with his background. She wasn't disappointed. Amanogawa High's former King sported an onyx ('not black, there's a difference!') suit jacket and pants with a white dress shirt underneath, all tailored closely to his impressive form and made of fine silk.
Ryuusei shifted awkwardly in his own deep blue suit (which he borrowed from Shun as he didn't have time to go buy one on such short notice and he didn't own one prior). It was apparent to all of them that he wasn't used to dressing up, but he cleaned up really nice. Miu noticed a slight, unnatural bulge on his jacket. The Meteor Driver, she thought. Had she not been examining his clothes she would have missed it. How he kept that bulky thing hidden in his clothes was a mystery even to her.
JK opted for a business casual look consisting of a blue dress shirt and black pants. In her honest opinion though, it suited him more than if he wore a full suit. The image of JK in a suit like Shun's caused the Fourze Belt's 'ERROR' message to come up every time she thought about it. He at least could have styled his hair normally though.
Tomoko, unsurprisingly, dressed in classic gothic lolita. The dress was pure black save for the white frills that ran down the front and around the skirt. Black and red ribbons adorned various spots on the dress, primarily on the skirt. A mantle wrapped around her shoulders, held together by another ribbon. The dark colors of the dress contrasted heavily with her porcelain skin, making her look like a life sized doll. Her expressionless look only added to that effect.
Yuki had been a shock. She didn't expect that she had such a nice dress in her wardrobe ("My parents and I dress like this for English Brunch Sundays!"). The Fourze-white, button-up dress was sleeveless and cut just above her knees. It matched nicely with her white high-heels.
Miu herself had worn an all beige women's suit consisting of an opened, long sleeved jacket, form fitting pants, a long, black neckerchief, white silk undershirt, black high-heels, and a brown purse, all of which were bought from a world class fashion company.
They looked good, and she and the people who stared at them with appreciative to idolizing looks knew it.
The club president cleared her throat daintily. "All right, everyone. Are we ready?" She received a round of "Yes's" from the others. "Okay, we have to be on our best behavior; we're about to meet one of the most powerful men in the world!" Her eyes narrowed. "And remember, at the first sign of trouble, we run, alright?" This time she received no words, only hard nods. Satisfied, the former-Queen turned to the tall office building and approached the rather conspicuous sign planted next to a flight of stairs.
"Kougami Bakery, floor one. Kougami Main Offices Entrance, floor two to fifty," she recited.
JK raised an eyebrow. "He built his main offices on top of a bakery?"
"I guess he really likes his cakes," Shun replied, peering into the currently closed bakery. A number of cakes varying from birthday cakes to wedding cakes were displayed proudly behind the open window.
"JK, Shun, c'mon," Miu called out from the top of the steps, prompting the two men to follow.
At the top of the stairs were large double doors. A video intercom was attached on the wall next to the doors. Miu wasted no time pushing the button.
"Hello," she began, "this is Kazashiro Miu, the president of the Kamen Rider Club. We're here for the meeting with Mr. Kougami Kousei." When she finished, the camera on the intercom came to life, extending out of its socket and rotating to face each of the members in turn, examining them. A few long seconds later, the camera withdrew into its socket as the intercom beeped.
It was all the warning they had to brace themselves.
"WONDERFUL!"
The Club winced/jumped backward almost in unison, some of them almost falling down the stairs. Their hearts practically leapt up to their throats in shock, and some of them even let out high pitched shrieks.
Unknowing of their surprise or perhaps relishing in it, the voice continued, "Satonaka-kun will be there to escort you to my office momentarily!" There was another beep and the intercom went silent.
Miu was the first one to shake herself out of her shock. "... My ears..." she groaned but unable to hear her own voice over the ringing.
"What a way to greet us, huh?" JK chuckled as he rubbed his throbbing eardrums. Everyone gave him flat looks, or at least the ones that could still hear did.
"So that was Kougami..." Shun began. "He's a..." His mouth worked a bit to find a proper word, "... an interesting man."
"Certainly didn't strike me as... CEO material. Too loud." Tomoko muttered with a grimace.
"But he sounded friendly though." Yuki said.
The club president frowned."If rupturing your eardrums is considered 'friendly'..."
Shun shrugged. "At least we know he isn't one of those rich guys with sticks up their asses."
"Don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
"Nevertheless, we can't let our guards down," Ryuusei warned. Just as he said that, the wooden doors opened to reveal a tight faced Erika.
"Are you still on about that, kid?" she said in her usual bored fashion. She didn't wait for his answer as she turned around and gestured them to come inside. The club members followed after her with some hesitation.
It was only a hallway leading to a currently open elevator, but it showed Kougami's affluence; polished wooden floor, paintings of various animals in golden frames (actual gold, Miu observed) hanging on walls covered with intricate wallpaper. An orchestral version of the song 'Happy Birthday to You' resounded softly through unseen speakers. The elevator was given the same treatment; silver metal walls polished to a mirror sheen and the same wood floor as the hallway.
It didn't take long for the club members to arrive at what they assumed to be the top floor of the building. The group came to a halt in front of a large wooden double door with the Kougami symbol etched into the wood.
"Wait here. I'll tell him you've arrived." Erika stated, leaving the group and slipping through the doors.
"Okay guys," Miu announced, "I'll say it again; be on your best behavior and be prepared to run or defend yourself if this takes a turn for the worse." No responses, just nods.
The wooden doors opened wide, as if welcoming them. Erika stood before them and bowed.
"Mr. Kougami will see you now," she said. She then stood off to the side and gestured for them to come in.
With trepidation the Kamen Rider club stepped into the office. The first thing they noted was that it was large, larger than any office should have a right to be. However, the Club observed with a feeling of dread, there were signs of a struggle, no, a battle that took place and it seemed to have been recent as well. While the door and the windows were repaired somewhat, the walls showed various signs of immense damage; scorch marks, bullet holes, shattered vases and glass, gouged stone, and bent or snapped metal. The carpet was ripped and burnt, showing portions of the cracked floor and a few small craters. A smashed piano lay in a splintered heap on the right side of the room.
Strangely enough, despite the damage, the office felt comfortable and welcoming, not unlike a small home, though that feeling most likely had to do with the people in the room.
A group of people sat on brand new chairs and sofas to the club's left, two men and two women, surround plates and bowls of various foods. Each of them welcomed them with smiles and waves. One of the men was large with very obvious muscles bulging through his white shirt. The rest of his attire consisted of a pair of jeans and a flight jacket tied around his waist (it irked Miu that he would wear something so casual in a meeting with Kougami Kousei). What was curious about him was that he had bandages wrapped around his head and some bruises on his face. He had a bit of stubble growing around his chin and above his lip and his short hair was done up in unkempt spikes. He looked older than the others in the room, but the goofy smile he directed at the club and the stick of half eaten oden he held made him seem much younger.
The other man was more properly dressed; a black suit with a white undershirt and red tie. A detective's badge hung on his coat pocket, making his profession clear to all. Straight, black hair framed a young face. He had his own smile, not as happy-go-lucky as the older man, but still kind.
A pretty young woman sat next to the young man. Demure and delicate would be the words to describe her, the two qualities further enhanced by the white dress and soft pink coat she wore as well as the long, flowing hair draping over her shoulders. The close proximity she had with the man next to her suggested that they were either lovers or related. She too wore a smile, but it held a trace of sadness at the corners.
The last of the seated was an older looking woman. She seemed... to be a bit, er, very odd from what can be garnered from her odd choice of fashion; a blue and red pirate costume, complete with a feathered hat, fake moustache, and paper-mache parrot. Miu had to suppress a cringe whereas Yuki had stars in her eyes. The woman waved at the club, the motion small, but enthusiastic. She was like an older Yuki.
At the right of the room was a man with messy black hair who looked a bit older than Shun, standing at ease next to the broken piano, facing the club. He wore no smile, his face a relaxed, but serious expression. The way he held himself suggested combat training (Ryuusei saw a seasoned warrior in his eyes) and his clothes reflected that; a large tan vest with many pockets with a black sweater underneath, black fingerless gloves, and camouflage brown cargo pants. He too had bandages like the goofy older man, but wrapped around his arms and noticeable dressings on his cheek and forehead. Peeking out from behind his back was a holstered gun and it instantly put the club on edge. Suffice to say, he was the most intimidating of the bunch and one that needed to be watched.
And finally, there were the last two occupants. Satonaka, they've already met. The man next to her, though, was a man they've only seen on TV.
The man, wearing a bright red suit with a beige tie, was the oldest of all of them people in the room, evidenced by his mild graying hair and the wrinkles on his face. His body, though, was large, with broad, set shoulders and tall height, taller than Gentarou, even. He had been staring at the Club with eyes that danced with excitement as well as critical, as if estimating their value. His stare and body language exuded both intimidation and charisma, so much that the Kamen Rider Club could feel it even though they were the farthest from the man.
He was Kougami Kousei, in all his glory.
He was also delicately applying the finishing touches of frosting onto a freshly-baked cake with a pastry bag.
The business leader suddenly grinned, placing the bag in an empty bowl. "Well, come closer, Kamen Rider Club!" he commanded with a deep, somewhat raspy baritone. "No need to be shy! Be mindful where you step though, haven't had the office fully repaired yet."
It wasn't shyness that held them back, it was their tensed muscles and distrust that did, but the Club obeyed, hesitantly stepping forward as the others watched them. They stopped before Kougami's desk, the man's grin widening as he looked at each of the members.
"WONDERFUL!" he yelled suddenly, forcing the Club to flinch back for the second time that day, "It's so good to finally meet the Kamen Rider Club face to face!" He stepped around his desk and shook each member's hands vigorously. However, he stopped for a moment before Ryuusei. "Especially you, Ryuusei-kun, or should I say, Kamen Rider Meteor?"
The Kamen Rider Club tensed and swallowed as a whole save for Ryuusei who only narrowed his eyes, free hand clenching into a fist.
Appearing to not notice their discomfort, Kougami continued. "If you don't mind, would you all please introduce yourselves, not for me, I know all of your names, but for them." He gestured to the others in the room as he backed away.
The others stared at them expectantly anmd the Club turned to their president. Miu coughed to ease her nerves. "Right, um, I'll start..." she began, berating herself for being so nervous, "I am Kazashiro Miu, president of the Kamen Rider Club." She nodded behind her and the others took that as their cue.
"Daimonji Shun, Powerdizer Pilot and football player."
"Kaizo Jingu, I'm the informant. Call me JK."
"... Nozoma Tomoko... mystic of the dark arts..."
"Jouji Yuki. I'm one of the Founders of the Club."
"... Sakuta Ryuusei."
To finish up, Miu stepped forward and bowed. "And we are the Kamen Rider Club. Thank you, Mr. Kougami, for inviting us and a pleasure to meet everyone else."
"It's a pleasure for us too!" yelled the man with the flight jacket, his voice reflecting his enthusiasm. He gave them a salute as he stood up. "I'm Date Akira, combat medic under the Kougami Foundation."
The pirate woman stood up next. "Ahoy there! I'm Shiraishi Chiyoko, owner of the International Cuisine Restaurant Cous Coussier! I hope you all come sometime! This week's Caribbean Cuisine!"
The younger woman and the man next to her stood up next and bowed. "I'm Izumi Hina. I'm a fashion student."
"I'm her brother Shingo. I'm a police detective," said the man.
Finally, it was the man on the other end of the room's turn. Suprisingly, he smiled lightly. "Gotou Shintarou." He walked to the Club, in front of Ryuusei, and held out his hand. "It's good to meet another Kamen Rider."
Ryuusei's as well as the other club member's eyes widened. "You're a Rider?"
Before Gotou could respond, Date suddenly popped up next to him and propped his elbow on the shorter man. "The both of us are!" He announced with a proud grin. "You're looking at Kamen Rider Birth One and Two!"
An annoyed Gotou shoved his mentor off his shoulder as Ryuusei asked, "Kamen Rider Birth?"
Date shrugged. "Not the name I woulda chose, but Kougami made the suit, so he got to name it."
"I see... by Kougami..." the martial artist's face became thoughtful, "So I'm assuming that you two fought alongside OOO seeing as he was affiliated with this company?"
Date flipped him a thumbs up and a smile whereas Gotou simply nodded.
"So where were you two during the Zodiarts incident? You two are Riders, right? Why didn't you help us?" Ryuusei criticized with a glare.
Miu frowned, fixing her own glare at the two. "I'd hate to say this to two people we've just met, especially Kamen Riders, but Ryuusei is right. Kamen Riders are supposed to be heroes, aren't they? Where were you when the Zodiarts were putting innocent people in danger?" The club members nodded at the point Miu and Ryuusei presented, awaiting the Riders' answer.
The two Birth Riders met their eyes with raised eyebrows before glancing at each other and sighing amusedly, Date even chuckling a bit, to the Club's irritation.
Date scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Yeah... of course you'd wonder about that. It's true that we didn't show up a lot, but there's an important reason for that!"
Gotou nodded in agreement. "That's actually going to be brought up in the meeting."
The older man grinned. "We did help out though, just not here."
"What do you mean?" Ryuusei asked, the same question on the minds of the other members.
"I mean it wasn't just your high school that had trouble with the Zodiarts."
The wide eyes of the club members were almost comical. "T-there were Zodiarts in other places!?"
"Well of course!" Date exclaimed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Amanogawa High was the perfect place for making them, but it wasn't only there that Gamou made them."
"EXACTLY!"
Everyone, save for Erika who had long since gotten used to it, jumped. They all turned to Kougami who had his arms outstretched triumphantly. "I assure you that my Foundation has not been idle during these incidents. Our involvement, our keeping a watch on you, everything, all of it will be explained." He then ran behind his desk, pulled out a candle lighter from one of the many drawers, and lit the single candle on the large, rectangular cake on the desk with the words 'Happy Birthday To Our First Meeting' written on top. "But first, why don't you all enjoy some cake to commemorate our first meeting, hm?"
The two Birth Riders sighed resignedly at their boss' actions whereas everyone else just stared at the man with odd looks. Satonaka, however, was already helping herself to a slice.
"No offense, Mr. Kougami," Miu began, speaking for the Club, "but we think that we should skip the cake and just get on with the meeting."
The candle flame fizzled out of existence as if responding to the CEO's frown.
"Not that we don't enjoy cake or anything!" she added quickly, absolutely not wanting to make a man as powerful as Kougami angry, "It's just, we haven't gotten any rest since yesterday, and we're a bit... tired. Yes."
Kougami's unmoving, blank stare made her uncomfortable. It took all of Miu's self control to not fidget in place.
For what seemed like a full minute, Kougami sighed. "Well, I guess I understand," he began with noticeable reluctance, "You do deserve this information, after all. So... let's begin the meeting."
Miu sighed with relief as her friends let out the breaths they didn't know they were holding. The aspiring model thought with some amusement that she managed to make a multibillionaire concede on a point, even if that something was about cake.
"Right then," Kougami muttered before clapping his hands twice, causing a panel on the ceiling above his desk to slide open. A long, thin object lowered from the gap, revealing itself to be the largest flat screen TV that the Club has ever seen, the Kougami symbol displayed on the screen.
Kougami clapped his hands again and the Club gasped. Playing on the screen was yesterday's fight in the auditorium between Gentarou and Gamou, except the view point was from outside looking in, specifically through one of the windows that lined the highest part of the wall.
"So that's how they knew about Gentarou being taken away," Miu whispered.
"How did they record the fight though?" Shun wondered. "Does the Kougami Foundation have guys keeping track of us?"
"Pause." The video stopped as everyone turned to Gotou. The Rider shook his head. "People, no; they're too noticeable and sometimes too inefficient. But we do have these." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a... red can of soda?
"Hey, it's one of those drinks from those Canimal Pop vending machines." JK observed. "That's Taka Strawberry, right? I like Batta Lime, myself."
"What's a soft drink got to do with anything?" Ryuusei questioned, analyzing the can.
Instead of responding, Gotou silently pulled the tab on the top of the red can. The sound of a hawk's cry came from the can as it transformed into a mechanical bird, to the surprise of the Kamen Rider Club. The bird flew over to the students, doing a few laps around them as they stared at the tiny robot with wonder.
"They're like the Foodroids!" JK exclaimed with surprise, eyes tracking the red bird.
"It's so cute!" Yuki cooed.
Observing the Taka Can for a moment, Ryuusei looked at Gotou. "I see. I'm assuming this thing has a built in camera?"
"Like the Burgermeal?" Yuki added.
Despite not knowing what the girl was talking about, Gotou nodded. "The Taka Candroid is a mass produced robot used for gathering intelligence secretly. And as you saw, when they are not activated, they look like ordinary soda cans."
"In other words, the perfect spies," Miu said, an unimpressed frown on her face.
"People don't expect a vending machine and a soda can to spy on them," Satonaka quipped, wiping her lips with a napkin.
"Wait, wait. You put them in the vending machines?" the aspiring model asked incredulously. Receiving nods from Gotou and Satonaka, she continued, "What if someone accidentally gets one of them when they order from the machine?"
"That won't happen," Gotou replied, "The vending machines have a separate compartment that store all the Candroids and you need a special coin to access them. For normal people, it's a vending machine for soda, but for us, it's a valuable tool."
"All the Candroids?" Ryuusei mumbled, catching on to Gotou's wording. "All of the flavors are different kinds of robots, aren't they?"
"That's right." Gotou acknowledged. He pulled out another two cans and placed them on the floor, the high school students recognizing them as Tako Blueberry and Batta Lime, and pulled the tabs. They transformed into a floating octopus and a grasshopper respectively and flew/hopped over to the club members to join the Taka Candroid. "The Tako Candroid by itself is not very useful, but with hundreds, they are flexible enough to form roads, ropes, trampolines, and other things. As for the Batta Candroid, it's a two way transmitter and recorder that can move around like a, well, a grasshopper, to put itself in key locations." Finishing his explanation, he snapped his fingers and the Candroids returned to him, changing into their can forms as the Rider deftly slipped them back into his jacket. "I'd explain the others, but we've got more important things to discuss and explaining each one would take too much time."
The Club agreed, but Miu had to ask, "So since the Canimal Pop vending machines are everywhere, does that mean that each and every one is actually a monitoring device?"
It was Kougami himself who answered with a deep laugh, "I have placed my vending machines in key places worldwide to watch over all of my interests."
"Interests like the Zodiarts?"
Kougami smiled. "All kinds of threats. And of course, everyone here, Kamen Rider Fourze's and OOO's friends. If something happens in the world, I'm among the first to know."
A bit of disbelief formed on the model's face. "Wouldn't an operation like that cost... millions?" From the creation of the vending machines, to the thousands of Candroids and millions of Canimal Pop drinks, and then shipping them across the world, doing all of that would cost at least several millions of dollars!
"Hundreds of millions of American dollars, actually," the CEO shrugged, "Fairly cheap."
Only Kougami could say that millions of American money was 'cheap'. Miu would be happy to make one million in her lifetime, and Kougami makes several times more than that in a single day.
Miu (and perhaps everyone else in the room) was more than just a little jealous.
Kougami smiled. "If that's all, let's continue with the video. Resume."
Everyone's attention went back to the video as it continued to play. The club members saw themselves giving their final words to the Chairman as Gentarou fought. Those words... they meant them. They truly were grateful to the Chairman for creating Amanogawa High. Because of him, they changed into better people, they found strength to overcome their own weaknesses, and most of all, they created bonds that would last a lifetime. But those feelings could never excuse the sins their Chairman had committed.
And then they came to the part where Gentarou and the Chairman were sucked into the portal. Seeing it again did not do well for the Kamen Rider Club's spirits, but it was here that the video paused.
"And there's the portal..." Kougami muttered. He then brandished a remote from his suit jacket and pressed a button. The paused video shrunk down and moved over to the lower right corner, leaving the rest of the screen black. Another button was pressed, and black was replaced with a video of a river within a lush forest with a man in nothing but colorful underwear drying himself with a towel. Most of the women (save Satonaka) developed blushes, some of them even covering their eyes. Hina, however, was the only one who stared at the image intently.
"Eiji-kun?" Hina asked softly. He was the only one who would wear that kind of crazy underwear.
Kougami nodded. "This recording captures the moment when Eiji was pulled through the portal." Just as he finished the sentence, the said portal appeared beneath Eiji's feet and he fell through, gasps escaping the room's occupants, at least from the ones who hadn't known yet. The video paused there as the CEO used the remote again, but this time enlarging the image of Gentarou's portal and moving next to Eiji's. "As you can see, the portals are similar; from their length and width, the color, and the energy they radiated." A number of smaller screens appeared next to the two images filled with various kinds of data, converging in the middle of the screen with the words '100% MATCH' flashing in green.
"Energy...?" Tomoko asked curiously, as she was searching for that energy herself. "What kind?"
The CEO snorted amusedly, "The same energy you've all been around since you've met Gentarou; COSMIC ENERGY!"
The Club jumped at the sudden bellow, but recovered quickly. "Cosmic Energy!?" they yelled, suddenly inches in front of the amused CEO. Realizing who they were talking to, though, they quickly backed off with profuse apologies which Kougami waved off with a laugh.
"It's alright, I understand," he said, "If I were in your shoes, I would have reacted the same way, but with more feeling!"
"Um, excuse me," multiple pairs of eyes went to Shingo, who had been silent since his introduction. "This is all going over mine, Hina's, and Chiyoko-san's heads, so, if you don't mind, could you clarify what Cosmic Energy is?" The two ladies mentioned nodded their heads.
"Of course, Shingo-kun," Kougami said with a nod. "Kamen Rider Club, if you would please enlighten him, since you have had the most exposure to Cosmic Energy?"
Ryuusei frowned a little at the change in subject, but complied. "Cosmic Energy is basically the power of the universe. It's a versatile kind of energy, able to power or create a number of things, like giving me the ability to change into Meteor, or other things."
"Other things like?" Hina asked.
"Like make your hand into a rocket!" Yuki inputted, "or put a pogo stick on your feet!"
"Put a kickin' speaker on your leg," JK said.
"A... flamethrower," Tomoko added.
"Helicopter blades!"
"A snowboard!"
"A giant foot!"
"A flail..."
"Water faucet!"
"Wheels!"
"Stun baton..."
"A-"
"BASICALLY!" Miu interrupted loudly, giving the three annoyed looks, "Cosmic Energy can make almost anything."
"This Cosmic Energy is really interesting!" Shingo replied with a smile. "Thank you, we've got a decent grasp on it, for now."
Ryuusei nodded. "Even now we still don't know how much it can do, seeing as it's a recent discovery. Keep an eye out in the science community; it'll be big one day." With the brief explanation done, he turned back to Kougami, "But are you sure it was Cosmic Energy that you picked up from the portal, Mr. Kougami?"
The CEO nodded, tapping on the remote again to bring up an image of several people with various kinds of hi-tech equipment at the site of Eiji's portal. "My best scientists have been busy scanning and analyzing the portal since a few hours after Eiji-kun was taken, and comparing them with what we know of Cosmic Energy from Utahoshi's, Gamou's, and Emoto's research."
"Utahoshi...?" Yuki asked. "You mean Utahoshi Rokuro? Kengo's..."
"Utahoshi Rokuro... Kengo-kun's his father, yes," he clarified, tone dropping at the mention of Kengo. Being him, he knew what happened to the late son of one of the lead researchers of Cosmic Energy. While he didn't know him on a personal level, to him, a life that could have celebrated so many beginnings, to be ended at such a young age was an affront to him. "I am... sorry for your loss," he said, bowing respectfully to the Club, much to their surprise.
"N-no... you don't have to apologize, Mr. Kougami," Yuki replied, smiling sadly, "It wasn't your fault."
The CEO straightened and morosely shook his head. "The attack on the Rabbit Hatch and Kengo-kun's death could have been prevented if I had been more attentive; added security to Amanogawa, sending Gotou-kun or Date-kun to you a tthe time, even warning you all of the approaching danger would have helped. So in a way, Joujima-kun, it was my fault."
"Hey, Boss! Don't beat yourself up over it!" Date said with a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Zodiarts got us good. Should've made sure to screen everyone more thoroughly before they came in here..."
"Zodiarts?" said Shun. "Is that why the office is like... this?" He gestured to the surrounding damage.
Date sighed heavily. "It was easier with Yummies, ya know." The Club didn't know what 'Yummies' were, but let Date continue. "We could tell if a Yummy was coming a mile away, but for Zodiarts? Any guy could be one. Didn't expect it to be one of Boss' business associates and his lackeys."
"The Cosmic Energy in Zodiarts Switches are dormant when not activated," Ryuusei frowned in understanding. "You couldn't detect them even if you tried."
Gotou nodded. "That's why Date-san and I couldn't come to you; we had to be here to defend Mr. Kougami as well as evacuate the building."
"And by the time we finished up," Date continued, "You guys were already off puttin' the final blow on Gamou and that Leo guy."
"The two of them did an excellent job," Kougami praised. "There were no casualties and they managed to keep the fight above ground, mainly on this floor. But as Date-kun has said, we were far too late to aid you. Again, I am sorry."
Miu bowed. "There is nothing to apologize for, Mr. Kougami, not after hearing that your life was in danger... But, if I may ask, why did the Zodiarts target you? Date-san and Gotou-san mentioned that they were 'helping out'. Could this incident have anything to do with that?"
Kougami smiled wryly. "Indeed. The Kamen Rider Births have been fighting the Zodiarts as well." The highschoolers felt a wave of shock rush through them for the umpteenth time.
"Fighting the Zodiarts!?" JK blurted out. "But we haven't seen them at all!"
"Who says the Zodiarts only appeared around here?" Gotou said flatly. At the Club's look of confusion, he elaborated, "I mean, you've all heard of the Gaia Memory outbreak a few years back right?" He received unanimous nods. Gaia Memory incidents were top stories a while back; little USBs that turned people into monster-like Dopants and caused havoc in various places, Futo City being the epicenter of these incidents. "It's practically the same with the Zodiarts Switches. As a famous astronaut, Gamou already had tremendous clout with various space agencies, but more importantly, developed connections with Foundation X. Prior to joining up with Foundation X, he had already developed the beginning stages of the Zodiarts Switches, but using the Foundation's power, Gamou was able to perfect it. How do you think he did this?"
Ryuusei, having already connected the dots, answered grimly, "Like the Gaia Memories... he sold them."
"W-what?" Shun whispered, hands clenching until his knuckles went white. "Sold them... like what, drugs!?"
Gotou frowned distastefully. "People would pay top dollar for power, even if that power eventually destroyed their mind. Through this method, Gamou was able to gain valuable research and Foundation X was able to make a profit."
"No way..." JK whispered in horrified disbelief.
"T-that's horrible!" Yuki exclaimed.
"Chairman... Gamou...!" Tomoko muttered, a dark aura surrounding her.
Miu swallowed apprehensively. "So... Gamou and Foundation X have been selling Zodiarts Switches all over Japan?"
"Japan," Date snorted, "Try the entire world!"
"WHAT!?" Miu yelled, the rest of the Club snapping their heads to the man in shock.
The combat medic flashed them a tired grin. "Foundation X has connections to other underworld organizations all over the world. Terrorists, private armies, drug cartels, you name it. People like them have all sorts of uses for Zodiarts."
"As such, Date-kun and Gotou-kun, along with my private squadron, have been travelling the world to shut these organizations down and destroy the Zodiarts Switches they come across," Kougami added, holding up his remote and playing several videos of various battles between two silver armored men and different Zodiarts. The environment in each video was different every time, ranging from cities, open deserts, dense jungles, and mountainsides.
"Wow! You got see some wonderful places!" Chiyoko said, "I would be jealous, but..."
"Yeah, the good side was that we got to travel the world," Date said with a reminiscing smile, "beautiful scenery, great food, and sexy foreign women." He winced when he saw himself take a rocket to the face, thankful once again for the Birth armor's protection. "We just got beat up a lot."
"So that's Kamen Rider Birth, huh?" Shun observed. It was certainly different from the Fourze and Meteor suits. The most glaring difference was that it didn't have the characteristic large 'eyes' that most Kamen Riders had, a black curving sheet in place of where they should be. It was much less colorful than many of them too, its primary color scheme silver and black with bits of green and yellow. It had more armor on that Fourze or Meteor as well. It somehow reminded him of that superhero comic about a playboy billionaire and his red and yellow power armor.
"Guys, guys, look!" Yuki suddenly exclaimed, pointing to one of the screens. "There's another Kamen Rider in that one!" The others quickly turned to the screen she was pointing to.
"Eh!?" JK gasped, watching just in time to see the Rider do a Rider Kick, "Hey, there is! Green and black... ain't that...?"
"Kamen Rider... Double." Tomoko said, her voice amazed.
Date laughed. "Yeah, those two guys and their friend were kind enough to lend us a hand from time to time. Those half-boiled guys were a riot, though their friend could learn to relax a little."
"Friend?" Shun asked. Just as he said that, a Red Kamen Rider ran into the screen, a large sword held in a two-handed grip, cutting away at two unfortunate Zodiarts.
"Kamen Rider Accel," Gotou said plainly, "He and Double were great allies."
Ryuusei was amazed, but he didn't show it. To think that that all of this had been going on while he and the Club were fighting. Hell, they thought they were the only ones fighting the Zodiarts, but seeing this, how big Gamou's operation was... he felt a bit of thanks and uneasy trust rise toward them and Kougami. "So all of this is why you haven't been able to help us?" he asked, observing the Riders take down a Zodiarts one after the other.
Kougami nodded. "We believed that your Club could handle the Zodiarts situation in your school while my company dealt with them everywhere else, especially since your school is, or was, the breeding ground for the Horoscopes. But the Sagittarius and Leo Zodiarts were in a league of their own, and since you all were nearing the final battle, as it were, I recalled Date-kun and Gotou-kun so that they may aid you. But then... this all happened." He finished by lazily gesturing to his surroundings.
"You could have told us all of this earlier, you know," Miu said, "Maybe we could have helped you?"
Kougami snorted. "I sincerely doubt that, Kazashiro-kun." He raised his hands placatingly when the girl tried to reply. "You and your Club are only students. You had tests, homework, class, families, and on top of all that, the Zodiarts and Horoscopoes in Amanogawa High. Presenting you all with the knowledge that the Zodiart threat was on a worldwide scale would only add to your burden. You had your duties and we had ours." Here, the CEO smirked. "So instead of unnecessarily placing a larger burden on you, I eased it from behind the scenes."
Miu raised her eyebrows. What in the world was Kougami talking about? "How do you mean?" she asked.
Kougami smiled. "You know... for a Club that operates in secret, you all are not very good at keeping yourselves a secret." He chuckled when the Club stared at him with furrowed eyebrows. "Going out and fighting Zodiarts in broad daylight where random people could take pictures of you and put them on the Internet? You were all practically asking your enemies to find you and your loved ones!" The Kamen Rider Club's heads dropped in shame almost all at once causing Kougami to laugh. "Websites dedicated to you popped up almost daily and news stations tried to catch you all on film. Imagine what that would do to your lives as well as your families and friends if your faces were known?"
"To be honest, I think I'd enjoy the attention," Miu replied, "I am trying to be a model, after all."
"Even when it's a Zodiarts breaking into your home?" Kougami said."That's already happened to some of you once before, if I'm not mistaken. You were lucky that it was Emoto and not someone like the Leo Zodiarts."
Some of the students grimaced, remembering how Virgo 'threatened' to kill them if they stuck by Gentarou. They hated remembering that they gave in and dissolved the Club for a time. But that was just Emoto trying to protect them. If it was Leo... they probably wouldn't even be here.
"But the Kougami Foundation prevented such things from happening," Kougami continued. "Any website bearing a mention of Kamen Riders was quickly destroyed the moment they popped up. Any footage or images of you was deleted or blurred. Cameras and phones 'mysteriously' stop working around you when you're out fighting. We've even hid the existence of the Rabbit Hatch and the M-BUS from every surveillance system on the planet, military or otherwise. The space station that the Rabbit Hatch was attached to and the M-BUS were also made using funding from my company."
Ryuusei's eyes widened, his usual demeanor forgotten. "Y-you helped make the M-BUS?" At the question, the Club imitated fish faces.
Kougami smirked. "200.3 billion yen for the building of the M-BUS and about 45 billion yen to launch it, all out of my own pocket. A negligible price."
"So if it weren't for you..." Tomoko began, "Ryuusei-kun wouldn't have been able to become Meteor?"
The CEO shrugged. "I'm sure Emoto-kun would have found another way to create the M-BUS; I was just the quickest means to do so."
Ryuusei stared wide-eyed at the man who made it possible for him to become a Kamen Rider. He knew that the M-BUS was not a cheap thing to build and sometimes questioned where the Anti Zodiarts Union (or rather Emoto, as he was the only member of the 'union' aside from himself) got the funds to build such a thing. But he did not expect Kougami of all people to be the financier of the project. Then again, the Kougami Foundation was a multi-purpose company connected to OSTO. "Uh... thank you..." he said meaningfully, albeit awkwardly.
Kougami waved it off. "No need. I did it merely to protect this world. How am I supposed to bake cakes for everyone if this world was ruined?" That got a chuckle from everyone.
"But really, Mr. Kougami," Miu said, "thank you for all you've done for us. And you too, Gotou-san, Date-san, for fighting the Zodiarts. We also apologize for being so... suspicious of you at the start." A round of apologies came from the rest of the club members.
Gotou smiled and shook his head. "We're the ones who chose not to tell you anything until now. You had every right to be suspicious of us."
"Besides, being a Kamen Rider is a thankless job," Date added, "It's all about helping people. And getting paid."
"You get paid for being a Rider?" JK asked.
The combat medic put on a goofy smirk. "Oh yeah. With the danger this job offers, I get an eight digit salary!"
JK whistled, clearly impressed. He glanced over to their own Kamen Rider and said, "Hey Ryuusei, maybe you should get yourself employed here. You've already got a good resume!"
The transfer student closed his eyes and smirked. "I'll think about it."
"Hey, Hina," Shingo smiled, facing his sister, "maybe I should quit my job and sign up to be a Kamen Rider."
"Oh, please, big brother," Hina replied jokingly, "You already put yourself in enough danger with your detective work. If you did that, I'd have to knock some sense into you. You know I'm stronger than you."
Shingo chuckled. "Okay, okay. Sorry."
Kougami laughed as he listened to their exchanges. "Kamen Rider Club," he began, turning to the students, "when you first came into this room, you were guarded and suspicious. But now, with all the information we've revealed to you, you all seem to be much more relaxed and thankful, which makes me quite happy." Here, he smiled. "So I must ask before we continue; are you now willing to trust me and my company?"
The Kamen Rider Club blinked and then exchanged glances with each other, sharing a silent conversation only possible with a group as tight-knit as theirs. Kougami was right, they were much calmer and open since the meeting went on; in part due to the information that the Kougami Foundation was actually helping them behind the scenes, another in that Kougami was more open than they expected, and yet another in that the two Riders fought Zodiarts on a worldwide scale, and with a Rider as well known as Double no less! And they fought alongside OOO too, the Rider who teamed up with Gentarou loads of times.
As one the Kamen Rider Club nodded and turned back to Kougami. Their president stepped forward and smiled. "You've been nothing but honest with us since this whole meeting started. With all the info you showed us and the really surprising reveals... it would not be in the spirit of our Club to not find you trustworthy after all of this." The others nodded, grinning at the now ecstatic CEO.
"WONDERFUL!" he yelled at the top of his lungs with a large grin, the Club wincing just a little. With a satisfied huff, he continued, "Now we can finally discuss the reason why we are meeting today." A button was pressed on the remote he held and the images on the screen returned to the two portals that took their friends. "To retrieve our missing Kamen Riders!"
Everyone stood a little straighter; this is what they were here for.
"What we do know is that the both of them were taken by a Cosmic Energy based portal of unknown origin," Kougami continued, cupping his chin. "And that the portal specifically targeted Kamen Riders."
"What about Gamou?" Ryuusei asked.
"We're assuming that he was pulled in on accident since he was in close proximity to it," Gotou answered. "But who knows, the portal may have targeted him as well. What we can assume from that, though, was that the portals were targeting specifically powerful people."
Kougami frowned. "Which does not make sense in the case of Hino Eiji..." At the Kamen Rider Club's confused looks, he elaborated, "Hino Eiji lost his ability to become OOO."The club members had wide eyes and questioning looks.
"He can't become OOO anymore? How come?" Yuki asked.
"The Core Medals were destroyed after the final battle with Maki about a year ago," the CEO responded morosely, "he is still the only one capable of becoming OOO; he has just lost the means to do so."
"But he fought with Gentarou a few months ago against Lem Kannagi, and he transformed then," she said, her face thoughtful, her friends nodding in agreement.
"At that time, he was using Core Medals from the future," Kougami replied. He chuckled at the Club's incredulous looks. "It's a long story. But since those Medals did not belong here in this time, Eiji returned them to the future." He breathed deeply and smirked. "However, I believe that he will become OOO again someday in this time so long as there are people to protect. The fact that the Medals exist in the future only prove that he somehow found a way to become OOO again." He chuckled. "Yes, the boy has a legacy to uphold, after all..." Before anyone could question him on what he meant, he continued. "Moving on, the disconcerting part about this whole mess is that wherever the portals took them, they have completely disappeared off the planet."
"WHAT!?" everyone except Satonaka and the two Birth Riders yelled in unison, the volume almost rivaling Kougami's.
"Like, seriously not on this planet!?" JK asked frantically.
The CEO sighed. "I am afraid so." He pointed the remote at the TV and pressed another button, bringing up a flattened image of the entire planet. "Knowing that the Fourze armor and Belt contains a unique form of Cosmic Energy, our first action was to use our satellites to search for any traces of that Cosmic Energy. I'm sure you all thought of that as well, Kamen Rider Club?" He continued at their nods. "But there was nothing. Absolutely no trace on the planet, and we swept the planet several times and were still doing it."
"What if Gentarou is in a place that blacks out Cosmic Energy, to keep him hidden?" Ryuusei questioned logically.
Kougami shook his head. "We accounted for that as well, but since Cosmic Energy is a relatively recent discovery, it would have been impossible to hide it with what little we know about it. Only Gamou was the one capable of doing so, but that was with his Zodiart Switches and only he knew how to create them." He paused here, sighing tiredly. "So we figured that since we could not find Kisaragi-kun, we would find Hino-kun. He has a number of items that originate from my Foundation, all of which have highly advanced trackers that give out a signal that most of the world's current technology cannot detect. But the signal ceased after Hino-kun was taken."
Ryuusei's eyebrows furrowed. "Wouldn't that be normal if a tracking device was blocked?"
"Normally, yes," it was Gotou who answered. "But these are Kougami Foundation made tracking devices detectable even through several hundreds of meters underground. The signal would be faint, but still there."
"Indeed," Kougami said, nodding to the Birth Rider, "We assumed that a different faction was researching Cosmic Energy and tested it by taking two Kamen Riders. This was disregarded because if there was such an organization, my company would have known about it and that Cosmic Energy, as I've said, is a new study. We suspected Foundation X, but they only funded Gamou; the former chairman is not one to share his research with the ambitions he had in mind. Also, if such an organization existed, it would have made much more sense to take Meteor rather than OOO."
"Because I use Cosmic Energy as well..." Ryuusei muttered, nodding.
Kougami continued. "If this mystery organization was using Cosmic Energy, naturally it would make sense that they have devices to target people that use the same energy. But they managed to track Hino-kun who has never even touched Cosmic Energy in the middle of nowhere and accurately target him." Here, he paused to let the information sink in. After a moment he sighed. "This brought my company to a loss of what to do... searching for Hino-kun and Kisaragi-kun has been increasingly fruitless. But then, I started to think about Cosmic Energy's capabilities, more specifically, its capability to transfer people instantaneously from one point to another."
"Like how we would get to the Rabbit Hatch on the Moon!" Yuki exclaimed.
Kougami flipped her a thumbs up. "Yes! So, instead of searching for them... why not just follow them? It might be dangerous, wherever they are, but it's much better than waiting. I, as much as everyone here, want our Riders back. For this to happen, however," he gave the Club a grim look, "we need your cooperation."
"Why?" Miu answered after a long silence.
Kougami's eyes lightened. "Funnily enough, you highschoolers are the most experienced when it comes to dealing with Cosmic Energy. Also, you've received combat and astronaut training, have been to space multiple times, and have much knowledge of the Switches, or at least, Sakuta-kun does."
The martial artist nodded. Part of his training to become Meteor dealt with understanding and creating Astro Switches.
"And that is why I want to cooperate with you," Kougami continued. "I believe an alliance between us is the quickest way to bring them back. With your knowledge on Cosmic Energy and my resources, bringing Hino-kun and Kisaragi-kun back on Earth would become much easier. What do you say?"
It took all of one half second for the Kamen Rider Club to answer.
"Gentarou is our friend, and by extension, so is Hino-san," Miu said simply.
Shun gave his trademark salute. "Wherever they are, they needs us."
"It might be dangerous, but it's not like that's a new thing," JK commented, stretching his arms behind his back.
Yuki smiled. "We never abandon our friends."
"They helped us when we needed them." Tomoko quietly added.
"We'll follow them to Hell and back, if we have to," Ryuusei smirked.
Smiling proudly, Miu finished. "So yes, Mr. Kougami. I think an alliance between us would be most beneficial."
Gotou smiled and Date grinned as he laughed. Hina, Shingo, and Chiyoko were smiling widely. Satonaka had a ghost of a smile on her face.
Kougami looked like a child during his birthday. He went over to the club members and enveloped all of them into a hug.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KOUGAMI AND KAMEN RIDER CLUB ALLIANCE!"
He then released the dazed group of kids and bounded over to his desk. "I must bake a new cake for this momentous occasion! But first! There is someone I would like you all to meet!" At that, he pressed a button on the intercom on his desk and spoke into it, "They have agreed! You can come up now." He then looked at the Club. "The man I have just called will be working closely with you all in developing a method to recreate the portal."
Smoothing out a few wrinkles on her suit, Miu said, "Actually, about working closely with you, won't our schools be suspicious of us if we started skipping class? None of us want to get expelled."
"And our parents too," Shun added. "I had a hard enough time convincing my parents to let me out for a few weeks for our training with OSTO."
Kougami smiled in response. "I've already thought of that. I'll personally speak to your school heads and tell them that you are all part of a special learning program that I'm hosting. Being me has its perks."
Satisfied, the Club fell into quiet conversation and waited for the man they'll be working with. About half a minute later, the double doors opened.
"Bon, bon, bonjour!"
All eyes turned to a brown haired man who confidently strode into the office. He wore a lab coat that covered most of his body, but was a metallic grey instead of the usual white. An equally gray laptop was gripped in his left hand, his other hand adjusting the white goggles strapped around his head. His steel gray eyes scanned the faces in the office, a playful smile on his lips. He moved toward Kougami, glancing at the two Riders, "Gotou-san, Date-san, your armors are repaired and waiting for you in the lab." The two men responded with thankful nods.
The scientist stopped in front of the students who stared at him with raised brows. "So you must be the Kamen Rider Club," he said
With a flourish like that of nobility, he bowed. "My name is Syo Donnyes-Noel," he said proudly, "the chief engineer and scientist for the Kougami Foundation. But please, call me Enter."
"Enter?" Miu asked.
Enter chuckled. "A nickname that stuck."
"Enter-kun is a genius," Kougami said, patting the man's shoulder. "Hired him only a year ago and he's made a number of improvements to much of my technology. It is my hope that with his genius and your knowledge, we can get this portal up and running as soon as possible."
Miu nodded and smiled lightly at the scientist, extending her hand out. "Well, um, we hope that you'll take care of us."
He smiled back and took her hand, giving it a light shake. "Likewise."
So that finishes this arc. As always, point out any mistakes and such. I'm interested to know your thoughts too! Motivation is nice.
Any instance of Kougami yelling must be bolded, italicized, and all-capped. No exceptions.
Enter is a character from Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters. He's the main villain (one I believe to be among the best) as well as a troll. Worry not though, he's merely an important expy here. Kougami needed to replace Maki after... you know.