Chapter 10: Double-Action: Sword and Rod
Hana and the Eds decided to simplify their search for the Crab Imagin by first learning the last soccer player's home residence. According to Double D, this plan would prove to be much more efficient than searching up and down town, as the Crab Imagin's goal was to incapacitate the last player. Since they knew the Crab Imagin's goal, they simply needed to reach its destination before it did.
Once they did this, all they would be required to do was wait and prepare for the upcoming fight.
The group headed back to the cul-de-sac, guessing that their own neighborhood would be the best place to learn about a fellow student at Peach Creek Jr. High.
Moreover, there was a good possibility that Jimmy would know the address of one of his own teammates. They ran into a snag right away.
It seemed Jimmy was still out cold and the cul-de-sac was in an uproar from the previous attack. It didn't help matters when the injured soccer player that the Crab Imagin had dragged into the neighborhood was discovered. The ambulance was still on the scene and the police were questioning everyone.
This left the group with only one other option. Much to Eddy's chagrin, they would need to seek help from the school's star athlete.
The group stepped over the police tape blocking off the center of the cul-de-sac and snuck around the officers going door to door in order to make their way to Kevin's house. No one gave them any mind.
"I can't believe this," Eddy grumbled. "Stupid imagin makin' us have to ask stupid shovel-chin for help."
"Kevin's celebrity-like status and position as an aide to a number of the school's coaches has granted him an exceptional rapport with all the athletes," Double D reasoned. "If anyone were to be knowledgeable about information pertaining to this last soccer player, it would most certainly be Kevin."
"But the guy's a jerk! The moment he sees us he'll slam the door in our faces."
"Come now, everyone should be granted the benefit of the doubt," Double D stepped onto the front porch and smartly rapped his fist against the door three times. "Watch Eddy, once Kevin sees that we are in need of his assistance, I'm sure he will be more than happy to help us in our plight."
It took but a moment for the door to be answered, and as expected, Kevin was the one to answer it. Upon sight of the three Eds, he abruptly slammed the door in their faces.
"Told ya," Eddy said.
Double D wasn't about to give up yet. He knocked once again, but this time a red-haired woman of about latter middle age answered the door. She greeted him with a warm smile.
"Oh, you're the son of the Petersons from across the street. Eddward, correct?
"Yes ma'am," Double D said in a courteous tone. "I and my compatriots have a rather important matter to discuss with your son, so if I may be so bold as to request his presence…"
"Of course, I'll bring him down right away. Such a polite young man you are." The woman gently closed the door.
"A stranger's broken into Kevin's house guys!" Ed exclaimed. "We have to call the police, or at least the Texas Rangers!"
"That's Kevin's mom, you idiot," Eddy said. "We went back in time stopped her from biting the dust, remember?"
"Cool! Can we bring my gerbil back next?"
"No, that thing kept giving me the stink-eye."
The door swung open with a perturbed looking Kevin standing behind it. "My mom's making me talk to you dorks, so this better be good."
"This may very well be a matter of life or death, Kevin," Double D said. "We desperately seek any knowledge you hold concerning the home addresses of the players on the school's soccer team. As you might be aware of, there's been a string of attacks carried out upon the team's members and we fear that the next incident may very well take place very shortly."
"Oh yeah? And how are you guys supposed to stop it?"
"We, uh, merely wish to give the next potential victim fair warning. Just doing our duty as upstanding citizens."
"Masked man Eddy must vanquish the menace from the fifth moon of Jupiter!" Ed declared at the top of his lungs. Eddy quickly pulled Ed's jacket over his head to stop any more outbursts.
Kevin only gave Ed a momentary glance before turning his attention back to Double D. "Whatever, I'll pass the message on myself." He started to close the door when Hana pushed past Double D and stuck her foot in the way.
"How? You won't even give us a chance to tell you who it is!"
"You," Kevin said, pointing a finger. "You're that one weird girl from before."
Hana pushed her way through the door with a look of urgency etched on her face. "We know for a fact that the crab-thing from earlier is responsible for the attacks, and we know it's going to attack again very soon. The only players left are Jimmy and one other person, who we're guessing you know already. We need to know where he lives, there's not a moment to lose!"
Kevin stepped back in surprise. "Whoa, chill out. If you really know all this, just give the cops outside a heads up. "
"The police can't handle that thing. The only one who stands a chance against that monster is the armored masked boy from before."
Kevin's expression changed from weirded out to inquisitive interest in an instant. "Wait, you know the dude in the weird getup?"
Hana nodded.
"And you know how to contact him?"
"Yes, me and Eds both."
Ed waved at them enthusiastically, Double D cleared his throat soberly, and Eddy popped his collar with a smug look.
Kevin shifted his gaze between her and the Eds in contemplation. Kevin would have normally been against anything involving the Eds, and the memories of the monster's attack were still fresh, but the familiar urge to remember something missing had welled back up in his mind. He had to follow it.
"I'll do you one better. I'll personally take you guys over to the house, but only if I get to see the masked dude."
Hana would have hotly denied an outsider's involvement in matters concerning imagins, but she was forced to act against her better judgment in favor of time. With a discontented look, she reluctantly agreed.
Kevin and Hana went outside, but not before Kevin yelled back into his house. "I'm going to go hang out with friends for awhile, mom!"
"Okay, have fun. Be home by dark," his mother's voice called back.
Kevin closed the door behind him and ran to the side of his house. He hopped over the fence and threw it open from the other side, coming out on his trademark bike. "So what're we waiting for? Let's get going."
"Hold on a sec, will ya?" Eddy said curtly. He hurriedly ran to his house across the street, went through the front door, and came out on his own bike from the garage a moment later. He pedaled back across the street to join the others. "Now we can go."
Hana jumped onto the back of Kevin's bike, Double D hopped onto Eddy's handlebars, and Ed carelessly grabbed onto the back of Eddy's seat.
The five kids circled the scene once before leaving the cul-de-sac behind.
--..--
"Ha! Now we're rolling!" Momotaros shouted excitedly. Naomi and Urataros jumped at the random outburst and stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.
"What is it, Momotaros? What's 'rolling'?" Naomi asked.
Momotaros jumped up from his seat and pumped his fist. "I can finally sense the imagin the perverted turtle let get away, which means Eddy and the gang are on the right track!" He turned away and wrung his hands anxiously. "I've been itchin' for a good fight for a long time! I'm gonna totally go on a rampage!"
Urataros huffed and returned his attention back to his seat window. As he looked out over the endless sea of white sand and majestic red cliffs, he found himself once again recollecting what Double D has spoken;
You're in self-denial. That's why you choose not to join the other imagin, because deep down, you know what they're doing is wrong. You, as a liar, just can't bring yourself to admit it.
Urataros couldn't help but grit his teeth at the boy's words. For someone to so simply state that they knew his motives better than he himself was nothing short of… annoying. Infuriating even. Lying and sowing falsehood is an art that Urataros considered himself quite adept at. Weaving a web of deception is an intricate process that involved painstaking detail. Such careful planning required a craftsman's eye and a practiced touch; two traits that were very difficult to obtain. To say that Urataros prided himself upon these traits would be an understatement. Who was this gap-toothed human to write off such precious talent?! How dare he label his most treasured ability as a flaw!
"Self-denial my foot," Urataros muttered. His fist clenched tightly in suppressed anger. "Fool, concluding my own thoughts so smugly. No one defines me but me."
One thing was for sure; that boy, Double D, would not be pardoned for such an offense. Oh no, he would learn what Urataros stands for. He would learn well.
--..--
Everything said by Momotaros was telepathically heard by Eddy, but the news did little to alleviate the ache that burned through his legs.
Eddy wiped the sweat from his brow as he tried to keep up with Kevin's pace. The bikes were a good two to three yards apart, and having to cart around Ed and Double D as extra weight wasn't exactly helping close the distance.
"Hey box-head, how much further to the house?" Eddy called ahead. He didn't bother trying to keep the aggravation he was feeling from seeping into his voice. "We've been riding for blocks and my legs are killin' me!"
"It's up further ahead; quit your belly-aching," Kevin called back. There wasn't a single bead of sweat on his forehead. Riding everywhere on his bike and being an active athlete were clearly working in his favor. Hana wasn't much of a burden either.
"So here's the plan," Hana began. "Four of us will keep a look out for the monster while one of us," Hana sent a sideways glance in Eddy's direction, "stays as close to him as possible."
Kevin shrugged. "Sounds okay to me."
"Well this is a nice change of pace," Double D said. "Due to careful planning, we have avoided a potentially unpleasant outcome; a rare occurrence indeed."
Eddy was able to smile through his fatigue. "Got that right, Double D. Things normally go south at this point, but it looks like we're comin' out on top for once."
"Smooth sailing in a little toy boat," Ed said cheerily.
At that moment, an array of police sirens came into earshot. The sound started out faint and far away, but began to grow louder and closer. It was coming from behind.
The kids brought their bikes to a stop and looked back to see three squad cars quickly coming up upon them. The first two sped right by, but the last car came to a stop a foot across from them. Its window rolled down to reveal a rather distressed looking officer.
"Get back home, kids. As of now, this area is off limits until further notice." The officer's attention was pulled away by a short burst of static from his radio as it came to life. The transmission was inaudible to the group, but the officer must have had no problems hearing it. His face sprung into shock at whatever was said.
The group watched as the officer quickly rolled up his window and drove off after the other cars. He zoomed off faster than when he came.
Double D hopped off of the handlebars and stared off in the direction the squad cars went. "That was certainly peculiar. I do hope nothing more serious than the current predicament has developed."
"Whatever's going on now can't be too far from where we're headed," Kevin said. "If this entire area's cut off, then the cops are probably still around."
Eddy leaned forward and rested his elbow on the handlebars with a frown. "I'm gettin' a real bad feeling about this."
Suddenly gunshots rang out through the neighborhood, making all five of the kids jump.
"What the heck?!"
Ed panicked and started running in circles. "The martians are attacking! Our shoelaces are doomed!"
"Sounds like the cops found what they wanted," Kevin said.
"Let's hurry to the soccer player's house before things get harder for us," Hana said.
The group got back on their bikes and began riding faster than they had before. Eddy and Kevin pushed themselves until they made it to the end of the street, and then took a turn to the right. They kept going until Kevin stopped unexpectedly.
Eddy brought his bike to a screeching halt. "What's the hold up now?"
With a stunned expression, Kevin pointed at a house surrounded by the three squad cars. "That's the house."
Six officers had their guns out and aimed on the house while they took cover behind their cars. The house's front door was splintered into pieces, and the windows were shattered on the first and second floors.
One of the officers moved closer to the gaping doorframe that was the front entrance and called to his companions. "I think I saw something moving."
"Whoever's in there, come out right now!" Another officer yelled. "Put your hands behind your head!"
No answer came back. No movement took place. The officers waited in tense silence, and the group watched anxiously from afar.
"What kind of burglar would rob a house in broad daylight and decimate it needlessly?" Double D pondered aloud.
"Don't tell me, I heard this one before Double D," Ed said. He poked at his lower lip as he tried to come up with an answer. "A hamburglar?"
"You're an idiot, Ed," Eddy said.
Out of the darkness of the house, a stomping noise could be heard. It was slow, but it became louder with each new stomp, and the ground shook a bit more each time.
Kevin cupped his hands above his eyes and squinted. "The house is too dark, I can't see anything."
*Eddy, it's the imagin,* Momotaros said in Eddy's mind. *Get ready.*
Eddy gulped and placed a reassuring hand on his Rider Pass in his right jean pocket.
The being in the house slowly emerged from the doorframe's shadow. The first thing that was visible was its jagged-toothed smile on its green, grotesque face. Its mouth was smeared in blood and flakes of flesh hung from its teeth.
"Oh dear Lord!" Double D cried out. "What has that monstrosity done?!"
The rest of the Crab Imagin's shelled and bulky body came into the sunlight, along with its catch dangling limply in its claws. Whoever was in the crab's grasp was obviously not alive. Though the body was covered in blood, its size denoted it to be a child.
Hana covered her mouth and gawked wide-eyed. "We're too late," she said in barely above a whisper.
Ed pointed, traumatized. "Mr. Krabs has rabies."
The Crab Imagin spotted the kids and smiled cruelly, its bloodstained features adding to the effect. With one hefty toss, it sent the body of the child flying at the group.
"Shoot that thing!" One of the officers yelled. All six of them opened fire.
The Crab Imagin just stood there, chuckling as each bullet bounced off its hard shell and fell to the ground as a small disk. Finally, the crab charged the police.
The officers to the left jumped out of the way as the crab smashed into their squad car, knocking it on its side. It ripped one of the wheels off and chucked at the other officers with great force.
Two of the officers went down from the wheel and the remaining four fell back to the two other cars. One of the officers threw open the doors to one of the squad cars and pulled out a shotgun. Another officer followed suit.
The Crab Imagin jumped onto the hood of the nearest car and ripped its hood off. The officers with the shotguns let loose with their devastating buckshots, but the guns were still ineffective.
Armed with the car hood, the Crab Imagin swung away, sending all four of the officers flying into the street. With no further use for its impromptu weapon, the crab hurled the hood straight through the window of the only squad car that hadn't been damaged. It turned towards the group and charged wildly.
"Bail!" Kevin shouted.
Everyone leapt from the bikes a few seconds before the Crab Imagin went crashing into them. It trampled the bikes into twisted structures of metal and rubber before stomping down the street at full speed, roaring with its disgusting, gurgling laughter.
The rest of the group pushed themselves from off the ground, but Eddy remained unmoving. He had landed right next to the corpse of the soccer player. The body's lifeless eyes stared at him.
The soccer player's mouth was agape in a silent scream, and its features were covered in cold, sticky blood. The boy's body was covered in serrated cuts big and small, shallow and deep. The wound that Eddy couldn't tear his eyes away from was the one located on the boy's neck, or what was left of it. The Crab Imagin had taken a huge bite out of the throat, exposing the trachea. The stench of death was unbearable.
Eddy finally got up, but only so he could run onto the nearest lawn and vomit. He doubled over and heaved long and hard, feeling as if he would spew his own guts out onto the grass. The exertion of the act brought him to his hands and knees.
Eddy's reaction had reawakened everyone back to the reality of the death they were unable to prevent, proof of their failure lying in the street in its own blood.
Double D had turned away from the corpse and pulled his hat over his eyes. His knees knocked together violently as he fought the urge to faint. Ed was no better off than his two friends. His hands were placed over his eyes as he muttered 'happy place' over and over again to himself.
Kevin watched on as the three Eds dealt with the presence of death in their own way. He guessed he should be feeling something too, but the whole situation left him numb. Nothing like this had ever happened in their otherwise peaceful neighborhood, it was just too unreal. He couldn't accept it.
Eddy had stopped vomiting and was now trying to catch his breath. He spat the sour taste of bile from his mouth and coughed up the remnants of his stomach contents that had been caught in his throat. A hand gently placed itself on his shoulder, calling for his attention.
Eddy looked up into Hana's somber but firm expression. All she did was nod, but that was all that was really needed; her face and stance filled the blanks. Things looked bad, but they still had a job to do.
They needed to stop the Crab Imagin from taking anymore life. They had to undo what had been done.
Eddy wiped his mouth off and got to his feet. With balled fist, he turned to his friends. "Come on guys, we gotta catch up to that crab. We're not done yet."
Ed and Double D were surprised by the seriousness in their friend's voice. Eddy had always been the unofficial, self-appointed leader, but he had never been the first to take responsibility. The two Eds exchanged glances before agreeing silently by nodding, the infectious determination in their friend now on their faces.
Kevin was surprised most of all. He would never in a thousand years count the weasley little dork to be the first to act, especially in a situation like this. "We don't even know where that crab-thing's headed too."
"Jimmy," Double D said. "He's the last soccer player, and we know that it holds a special bond with him."
Kevin didn't know what Double D meant by 'special bond', but the part about Jimmy being the last soccer player made sense. "Okay, but how're we going to get there? Our bikes are trashed, and even if they weren't, there's no way we could catch up to that thing now."
"We have a way," Eddy said with a confident grin. He pulled out the Rider Pass and clicked the white button. The Terminal Belt materialized around his waist in an instant.
Kevin stepped back in surprise." What the…"
"Let's go, boys. Henshin!" Eddy swiped his pass across the scanner.
"Sword Form."
Right before Kevin's eyes, a red ball of light shot out of the belt's scanner and circled around Eddy rapidly. It broke apart into pieces of armor that automatically attached themselves to the shortest of the Eds until it disappeared.
Soon, only Eddy's face was recognizable, as the rest of his body had been clad in a futuristic looking suit of armor similar to that of the masked boy's from before. The only difference was that Eddy's armor was red, and his pauldrons looked like they came straight out of a samurai flick.
Finally, a full-faced helmet with a track running down the center of its black, glob-like visor covered Eddy's head. It was soon followed by a red peach-like object that slid down the helmet's track and covered its front. The object unfolded over the helmet into a pair of oval, red eye covers with metallic antennae. It resembled a grasshopper's face.
Now in control, Momotaros examined the black gloves that covered the body's hands. A smooth, white metal was placed over the knuckles. He was back.
Ed, Double D, and Hana took their places next to the armored figure as it struck a pose and shouted in a voice that took only Kevin by surprise.
"I appear!"
A swirling vortex of light appeared in the sky, and out came a train that rode on a set of tracks that defied gravity. The train swept by the group, hiding them from Kevin's sight. When it flew back into the sky, the Eds and Hana were gone. The train rode off in the direction of the crab.
Kevin just stood there in shock, staring after the flying train that just whisked away the four kids. He never saw it coming, no one in their right mind could have. Yet somehow, it was familiar, as if Kevin had seen it all before. It was all so… nostalgic.
Kevin took his baseball cap off and scratched his head. He finally found his voice.
"That was totally righteous, man."
--..--
The Crab Imagin had made it to Peach Creek in record time. The police who had still been investigating the area were easily dispatched, and everyone in the cul-de-sac had locked themselves in their homes. Everyone was too scared to lift a finger as the crab smashed its way into a particular house.
Jimmy hid under his bed the moment the cracking of the front door echoed throughout the empty house. With his parents at work and Sarah nowhere around, he felt completely helpless. As he struggled to withdraw deeper into the darkness of the small space, he couldn't help but think of the crab monster from before. Somehow he just knew that it was the one that broke into the house. He felt its presence, almost as if it were a part of him.
The door to Jimmy's room went flying off its hinges and into the hallway. The Crab Imagin stomped inside and swiveled its eyes around, looking for its host. Its connection to the boy told it that he was here, but not specifically where he was. He concentrated a bit more and listened for any sounds.
The chattering of teeth was faint, but it was more than enough for the crab. He deduced its source to be under the bed.
The Crab Imagin tossed the bed aside with one hand and picked Jimmy up by his foot, holding him upside down. As it spoke, flecks of foam flew from its mouth and onto Jimmy's face.
"It's a done deal, kid. I pulled out all the stops on the last player, and now you'll get all the chances you want to play soccer. Contract complete."
It dropped Jimmy onto the floor and backed away as a green, swirling vortex expanded from the boy's chest.
The window near the bed suddenly shattered into pieces as Momotaros bursted through it. He landed a few feet away from the Crab Imagin, but even further away from Jimmy.
"Alright you sick bastard, come get some!" Momotaros said, still in a dramatic, crouched pose from landing. "That pervy turtle might've let you get away, but I won't. From start to finish, I fight at a climax!"
The Crab Imagin chuckled, amused by what he saw. "I didn't know there were two Masked Riders in this world. I guess since there both kids, it had to make up somewhere."
"What'd you say to me?"
The Crab Imagin shrugged. "Sorry, I don't have time to play with a shrimp like you. I've got business to take care of." With that, it jumped into the swirling vortex, its laughter become fainter as it disappeared. Jimmy fell unconscious.
"Shrimp?! Get back here and fight me like a man, you wuss!" Momotaros said as he danced in a tantrum. "You'll be a dinner special at Red Lobster by the time I'm through with you!"
The DenLiner flew up to the window with Hana hanging out one of the car doors. "Momotaros, hurry up and use the Time Card!"
"Oh, right." He pulled the Time Card from a pouch on his belt and held it next to Jimmy's head. A few seconds later, a date and a picture of the Crab Imagin appeared on the card's surface.
Momotaros ran back to the window and leapt from the sill. He landed through the DenLiner's open door and in the midst of the Eds, Naomi, and Hana.
Double D took the card from Momotaros and looked the date over. "If I recall correctly, this is the day that soccer tryouts were held at Peach Creek Middle School."
Momotaros took the Time Card back and inserted it into the Rider Pass. "Let's get going people."
As he walked away to the locomotive, Hana spoke up. "You didn't have to break through the kid's window, you know. You could've used the front door."
"Yeah, but it wouldn't have been as fun."
--..--
(In the past)
"Jimmy, you're up!" The coach barked.
This was it. Jimmy was the only one who hadn't run the drill yet. All he had to do was run through a few cones and he'd be able to show off his speed. He knew he could do this; he had been practicing for months with his dad.
Jimmy pushed himself up from his seat and made his way to the field. His cleats dug into the grass and his uniform shifted in the wind, the size being a tad too big for his small frame.
A crowd had even come to watch the tryouts. Fans from the student body were interested to see who they would be rooting for this season, and parents of the soccer hopefuls cheered their children on. Jimmy's own parents were among them. His dad beamed with particular pride as he watched his son preparing to wow the crowd with the results of his training.
Jimmy picked up his pace and fixed his eyes on the goal. He reached the first cone and…
He was brought to a stop by a sharp twinge of immense pain in his chest. He fell to the ground gasping.
A worried din arose from the crowed as they watched the coach run out to the middle of the field. The sight was made even more disturbing as the coach couldn't calm the boy down. Jimmy kept squirming and flailing like a mad man. Tears fell freely from his eyes as his entire body was racked with pain. He screamed as if he were being ripped in half.
With a final, blood-chilling shriek, Jimmy went still. A moment later, a fountain of sand spewed forth from his clothes. The coach was knocked on his feet and forced to get away.
The crowd had long since freaked out at the bizarre occurrence, and Jimmy's mother had gone almost hysterical as her husband held her back from running onto the field. Still, the spectators remained in the bleachers. Even when the sand stopped flowing and started gathering itself into a pile, no one moved.
When the sand turned into the Crab Imagin, everyone screamed, and then they began to run.
The Crab Imagin smiled wickedly as foamed excessively gurgled from its gaping jaws. It slowly walked towards the crowd and extended its right hand. The remaining sand on the ground rose into its hand and turned into a pair of oversized green and red shears. The crab threw them like a boomerang at the crowd.
The DenLiner flew in and deflected the shears in the nick of time. As the DenLiner left, Momotaros leapt off board and quickly assembled the DenGashers into his sword.
"Go go go!" He rushed the Crab Imagin with total abandon.
"I told you! I don't have time to fight you!" The Crab Imagin hissed.
"Well I have plenty of time to fight you!"
Momotaros swung away wildly, striking the Crab Imagin a number of times. Sparks filled the air as the sword's blade slashed across the crab's shell-like armor.
After taking an uppercut to the jaw, The Crab Imagin effortlessly picked up Momotaros and tossed him away. It took the opportunity to stomp away at surprising speeds.
Momotaros pushed himself back up and stomped his foot angrily. "Stop running away!"
The DenLiner swooped back in, but only to drop off the motorcycle onboard. Momotaros immediately ran to it and hopped on. He shoved his sword into the sheath attached to the back and gave the bike a few test revs.
"You can't get away from my DenBird, you crab bastard!" Momotaros kicked the stand up and shot off after the Crab Imagin.
As Momotaros left, the field was left almost completely empty. The crowd had long since left, and the students trying out for the soccer team were gone as well. The coach had been brave enough to grab up Jimmy while the Crab Imagin was distracted, so he was gone as well.
The only remaining soul was a man in a brown trench coat and large, floppy hat. He had been in the crowd all along, but he alone remained seated while everyone else ran for their lives. He pulled out a golden pocket watch and checked the time. Content, he closed it back up and proceeded to leave.
--..--
Following a path littered with destroyed infrastructure, broken cars, and ruined buildings, Momotaros hunted the Crab Imagin across town and all the way to the nearby bay. He spotted the Crab Imagin on the end of one of the docks.
Momotaros unsheathe his sword and swung it around wildly in the air. "Here I come, you failed excuse for a TV dinner!" Momotaros threw the aptly named DenBird into full throttle and raced towards the crab.
The Crab Imagin took one look back before jumping into the bay.
Momotaros brought the bike to a stop before it too went in. He got off his bike and looked down into the water, searching for some sign of the crab. Finding none, he kicked the dock angrily and turned back to his bike
Suddenly, a pair of bandage-like tentacles flew out of the water and wrapped themselves around him. Before Momotaros could even shout, he was pulled into the water and out far into the bay.
Fortunately the Den-O unit was equipped with a built-in rebreather far more advanced than anything modern technology could create. Unfortunately…
"Oh crap! I can't swim!"
Momotaros flailed wildly about as he struggled to get to the surface. His inexperience in the water combined with the suit's weight made his attempt wasted.
It was at this time that the Crab Imagin decided to go on the offensive. It shot through the water like a torpedo and slammed into Momotaros with resounding force. The masked rider was not only flipped upside down, but he was knocked deeper underwater by the attack.
The Crab Imagin continued its assault by swiftly propelling itself back and forth as it slashed away at Momotaros with its pinchers. Finally, the crab decided to finish things. It shot towards the surface before coming back down with incredible force, delivering a devastating blow with its shears. Momotaros was knocked senseless, literally.
*Momotaros! Hey, Momotaros! Eddy yelled telepathically. Crud, he's out cold!*
--..--
The rest of the gang aboard the DenLiner watched the fight from a screen connected to a camera mounted on the Den-O unit's helmet. They saw everything, especially the lack of Momotaros's movement.
Double D turned to Hana in alarm. "What happened, why isn't Momotaros moving?"
"I don't know. Maybe he's stuck on something."
Double D turned back to the screen with a pensive expression. "He took quite the beating just now. I do hope he isn't badly injured."
The screen suddenly lit up with an HUD that showed the occupant of the suit's vital signs and condition. Everything was red and beeping, and the words 'K.O.' blinked ominously in large, block letters.
"Ah! Eddy's dead!" Ed cried out.
'No, but he will be unless we get him out of there," Hana said in distress. "Double D, you have a Rider Pass, you're the only one that can help him."
"You gotta do it, Double D!" Ed pleaded. "Before Mr. Krabs eats Eddy's soul!"
"R-right Ed, I'll do what I can." Double D was more than a bit frightened. The thought of fighting was already unsavory, but to willingly face an opponent capable of subduing a creature as ferocious as Momotaros seemed both insane and futile.
Striving desperately against logic and his own fears, Double D pulled out his Rider Pass and clicked the white button.
Nothing happened.
"I-I don't understand." Double D pressed the white button over and over again franticly. "I can't summon my Terminal Belt!"
Hana stared at the screen with increasing urgency. "Why? It worked before. Why would it stop now?" Then a terrible realization hit her. She snapped around to Double D with a horrified look. "You can't call the Terminal Belt because Eddy's wearing it! There's only one Terminal Belt's shared between you two!"
The Rider Pass slipped from Double D's grip and onto the floor. "That means…"
"Eddy's alone," Naomi said forlornly. She covered her mouth and fretted. "With Momotaros unconscious, he can't move his own body. That poor boy…"
"Eddy's a sitting duck!" Ed cried out. "I'm coming, Eddy!"
Ed ran to the door and threw it open as the DenLiner passed over the water. Naomi, Hana, and Double D grabbed him in time to stop him from jumping.
"No Ed, you don't stand a chance against that thing!" Hana said. "Plus there's no way to know where exactly Eddy is! He could be anywhere in the bay!"
Ed struggled against them, gripping onto the entranceway. No one in the group could pull him back. "But Eddy can't fight! We need the power of Lothar!"
"Your friend can still hear you with the DenLiner's radio, I believe."
The group looked in the far corner. Urataros's presence had all but been forgotten until now.
The Turtle Imagin calmly got up from his seat and crossed one arm across his body while carelessly examining the nails on his other hand. "Eddy, if you can hear me, pressed the button on your belt."
--..--
Eddy did indeed hear everything, and he was willing to try anything to get out of this mess. With great difficulty, he inched a hand near the belt and pushed down on the button, just scarcely enough to make it click.
The scanner on the Terminal Belt began blinking red.
--..--
Hana stomped towards Urataros threateningly. "This is a serious matter. If you do anything to put Eddy in even more danger than he's in already, I swear I'll…"
Urataros threw his hands up in defense. "Just hear me out. I have other motives in mind besides the harm of your friend. Besides, if I truly wished you harm, I would have made my move long ago.
"I say we give him a chance," Double D said. "I do not believe Urataros would do anything to risk his freedom."
Urataros glared at Double D coldly. "And I believe we have business to finish, you and I." Urataros pushed passed Hana and pushed Double D roughly. "I won't stand to have anyone trivialize my lies, especially a human."
Hana moved to stand between the two, but was stopped when Double D raised a hand, signaling her to wait.
Double D turned back to Urataros with a glare of his own. "I could truly care less about your grudge against my words. My friend is in danger and I most certainly don't have time to argue about your wounded pride."
Urataros stood to his full height, equaling Double D in stature down to an inch. "I lie so I can lie. In every fiber of my being I am a liar; it is a simple as that. No one will tell me otherwise."
Double D attempted to turn on his heel, but Urataros grabbed his shoulder firmly and turned him back around. Now Ed was prepared to step in.
Double D halted Ed and brushed off his shoulders. He puffed out his chest to make himself look more imposing and then returned to glaring.
For a brief moment of silence, that was all Double D and Urataros did; glare at each other. The silence was finally broken by Urataros.
"My ability to swim, however, isn't a lie."
Double cocked an eyebrow.
Urataros pointed to the discarded Rider Pass on the ground. "Shouldn't you press that button?"
Double D walked over and picked up the Rider Pass. The clear geometric 'D' in the center was blinking blue.
"I've never seen a Rider Pass do that before," Hana said. "What does it mean?"
"It means you can save your friend," Urataros said. "Or maybe I'm lying. It's your freedom to believe me or not."
The hope those words offered was more than enough for Double D. Without any hesitation, he clicked the white button on the pass one more time.
--..--
For the past few minutes, The Crab Imagin had been kicking the unconscious body of the boy around just for the fun of it. Soon, it became bored and stared heading back up to the surface to continue its mission of destroying the past. It left the masked rider's body to sink to the bottom of the bay.
It had left at the wrong time.
The scanner on the Terminal Belt began blinking blue as the red armor of the Sword Form started to glow.
"Switch Out."
In a red flash of light, Eddy's body was replaced by Double D's.
Double D was disoriented and surprised, but that only lasted for a second. The light on the scanner stopped blinking red and instead shined a continuous blue.
"Rod Form."
A blue ball of light shot out of the scanner.
--..--
Breaking the surface of the water, the Crab Imagin jumped up and landed on a long outcropping of rocks. It looked around the bay to see where it had to swim to in order to get back to land. Finding the correct direction, it prepared to swim back.
It was halted from jumping back into the bay when Den-O jumped out of the water and kicked it in the head.
The Crab Imagin staggered back before tripping on some uneven rocks. It furiously got back up. "I thought I left you to drown." The crab looked up expecting to see the red Den-O, but was taken aback by the appearance of the blue Den-O.
Urataros quickly assembled the DenGashers and tossed them into the air. The connected parts extended into a black, metal staff with a blue harpoon blade at the top.
Catching his weapon, Urataros twirled around on one foot before stopping and flicking his hand under his chin at the crab. "Hey you, won't you let me string you along?"
"You bastard!" The Crab Imagin hissed before turning to run away.
In almost the blink of an eye, Urataros closed the distance between him and the crab and roughly grabbed it by the shoulder.
"Don't run!" He pulled the crab back and kicked it hard in the chest.
Before it could recover, Urataros swung the staff across the crab's body, slashing it with the harpoon blade.
The crab tumbled to the edge of the cropping. It took its chances and leapt into the water, away from its attacker.
Urataros shook his head. "Sorry, but you can't get away from me."
From out of the water emerged a new DenLiner locomotive. Instead of having front windows shaped like red grasshopper eyes, this one was blue, white, and turtle-like. Its windows were orange and slanted. The bulk of the locomotive broke off and turned into a large hoverboard shaped like a turtle.
Urataros jumped on and pointed his rod out towards sea. "Let's go, my Radome."
The hoverboard shot out over the water at high speeds, kicking up a white spray as it went.
With careful eyes and the help of the sunlight, it did not take long for Urataros to locate a shadow underneath the bay's surface shaped like the Crab Imagin. It gave him an idea.
"I wonder what that crab is doing," he said loud enough for the Crab Imagin to hear. "Does it not know there's a whirlpool up ahead?"
The Crab Imagin stopped and looked up above in shock. "Where's the whirlpool?!"
It fell right into Urataros's trap.
"Got you!" With the smooth movements of a master fisherman, Urataros casted off the harpoon blade like a hook on a fishing rod, a thick cord keeping the staff and the blade connected.
It wrapped itself around the Crab Imagin tightly. The Crab Imagin pulled against its constraints, but the rod held stubbornly, refusing to release its catch.
Urataros pulled hard and yanked the Crab Imagin out of the water. It went sailing over his head and onto a nearby shore. Urataros was close behind.
The Crab got up and glared at the armored youth. "You brat, that was cowardly!"
"Well said, thank you." Urataros slashed out with his rod.
Before the Crab could stagger back, he caught it around the side and pulled it back towards him. He moved in and butted the crab in the face with the bottom of the rod, and then slashed it one more time.
The crab couldn't gain the right footing to defend itself. It took blow after blow, sparks flying from its body from each strike. It attempted to run again, but was tripped by Urataros's rod.
With the crab on the ground, Urataros attempted to impale it. The sight was rather ridiculous; a menacing crab-like monster rolling frantically out of the way of a weapon being wielded by a child . It was like a fisherman's game of whack-a-mole. The game ended when Urataros decided to slam the staff against the crab's head.
Still in pain, the crab lurched back up, only to meet a vicious flurry of slashes. Momotaros would've been jealous. With one mighty blow upwards, the crab was tossed several feet away. It rose to its knees, confounded.
"About time to bring the fishing pike down," Urataros said. He unclipped the Rider Pass from the belt and swiped it across the scanner.
"Full Charge."
Blue lines of energy flew from the scanner and around the staff, coursing like static electricity. Urataros hefted his rod back and tossed it forward like a javelin. It whizzed through the air and straight into Crab Imagin.
Yet the crab was not impaled. The rod itself turned into a blue hexagon of light, shocking the crab and effectively keeping it shackled in place. Urataros took a running start and then leapt into a flying side kick.
"Shellshock Kick!" Urataros's foot impacted the hexagon and shattered it into pieces, releasing a burst of energy.
The crab went flying into the water, and then exploded into sand.
Urataros turned to leave, but was stopped when the sound of shifting sand reached his ears. He turned back around to see the spot where the crab had sunk bubbling like a cauldron. All the sand in the area was somehow attracted to that one bubbling spot, and kept gathering until the water's surface was clouded.
The water exploded as a large eel-like head with horns broke through it. The rest of its serpentine body came sliding out onto land, harder shelled than even the Crab Imagin. The creatures tail ended in the fin of a shark, and its body was lined with the pointed feet of a crustacean. Its size was equal to a house with three times the length.
Urataros clicked his tongue. "Little fish always look bigger… guess that's not just a saying. The crab has turned into a Gigandeth."
The Gigandeth spat out a barrage of searing fireballs around the Masked Rider, trapping him in a burning inferno. Urataros batted the flames away from his body and attempted to find some spot where the blaze was not as high.
It was no use. The ring of fire burned at an equal height all around.
Luckily the DenLiner Gouka came charging in to put out the fire. Trailing behind it was a blue version with orange tinted windows.
*It can't be,* Double D mentally said.
"Only one way to find out." When the blue locomotive swept by, Urataros leapt aboard it and sat in its cockpit. He couldn't tell if he was in a train or a tank by the looks of the equipment. "I shall call it... the DenLiner Isurugi."
The radio crackled to life as a familiar and slightly rasped voice was transmitted.
{You really kicked butt out there, Sockhead.}
"I'll leave you two to your reunion." Urataros said. He disengaged the Rod Form, leaving behind Double D to wear the Plat Form.
"Eddy! You're alright!"
{Course I am. It's gonna take a lot more than some reject from South Park to do me in!}
"Well I'm relieved to hear you're well. Now, how does one operate such advanced machinery? You seemed to be rather skilled at it."
{It's easy; just pretend it's a video game,} Eddy said.
Double D fidgeted in his seat. "Uh…"
{Oh yeah, I forgot it's you. Told ya video games were useful, you owe me five bucks!}
"Yes that's very good for you, but can we please focus on the matter at hand?"
{Fine, just follow my lead.}
The two locomotives flew through the air, avoiding the strikes of the Gigandeth and ramming it as they passed by. The weaponry in the cars behind the Gouka sprung forth, raining bullets upon the overgrown imagin. When it tried to duck underwater, Eddy let loose with the Gouka's bombs, blasting it back into the air to meet further bombardment by missiles.
Double D searched carefully and found a way to do the same. The cars behind his locomotive opened up to reveal only chain guns and flares. Nevertheless, they worked in subduing the monster.
{'Bout time we finish this thing,} Eddy said. {Hey Double D, why not use your DenLiner to do it? I wanna see what kinda heat your packin'.}
"I prefer if you called it the Isurugi, and I'd be more than glad to. I believe I have located the main gun."
{Let 'er rip!}
The Isurugi brought itself to a stop in front of the Gigandeth. The bulk of the locomotive once again shifted into the Radome, but this time it didn't break away. The front panels on each side of the Radome opened up and fired a flat, orange beam. Each beam went on either side of the Gigandeth's neck before crossing together like a pair of hi-tech scissors.
"And that, I wish to call, the Isurugi Slicer!"
The Gigandeth's head went falling off, but exploded into flames and ash before it could hit the water. The rest of its body followed suit.
The Gouka and the Isurugi did a barrel roll in victory before soaring away into the sky.
"Let's go home and make sure things are back to normal in the future," Double D suggested. "Besides, I really should find out why Urataros suddenly had a change of heart."
{Don't worry too much about,} Eddy said. {The guy saved my skin; that's good enough for me. I just wanna rub my newfound coolness in Kevin's face. I can't wait to see him freak out when we have to tell him I'm the defender of time!}
"That's not going to happen, Eddy."
{What? Why not?! He saw me transform! Now we gotta explain stuff! Once we're heroes, everyone's gonna want to kiss our butts!}
"The events in the future were undone, remember?" Double D reasoned. "Kevin most likely forgot everything that took place. I doubt anyone will even remember the imagin attack."
{Of all the rotten,} Eddy grumbled. {Fine, let's just go.}
A vortex of light opened up in the sky, and the two locomotives disappeared into it without a trace.
A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy trying to research a novel I'm writing (when I should be focusing on school work). Plus I had to figure out a way to keep the Den-Os from fighting together as a team. Thank you for reading, and please review.