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Chapter 22: Cyber Vilgax Rising
Diagon's world...
Cyber Vilgax wasted no time in getting the first strike against our heroes, as his body split apart to attack the two boy, his upper half firing off a rocket punch at Fourarms and the lower half kicking Fourze in the chest, knocking the two down. "Why do you persist on this meaningless battle? You know that I shall be victorious and you will be nothing but dust, your ideals ultimately having no effect on the stage of history" His words were insulting, his tone even more , Fourarms and Fourze were not people to give up that easily.
"Go jump in a lake, Vilgy! I wasn't scared of you when I was 10 and I'm still not afraid of you now! Because I have a Hell of a lot more to fight for than you'll ever know!" Fourarms remarked, his voice bold and proud, like the heroes of the comics he used to love. Jumping up, he then punched C. Vilgax in the face then when he landed grabbed him by the waist and threw him up into the air, leaping up to follow him there. When they met in midair Fourarms grabbed Cyber Vilgax, but he was blasted away by a shot from CV's Ruby Ray, sending him crashing into a building (It was the Hall of Justice to the Flame Keepers, but it's doubtful Diagon even cared about justice, let alone fair trail)
Fourze stepped up to give Ben time to recover, blasting Cyber Vilgax with missies from the Launcher Module, enhanced with the powers of the Freeze Switch, deep freezing the cyborg. "Friendship is the most important thing in the universe to me. I hope to better the lives of everyone I meet to make them smile and bring joy to the lives of others. But how can ensure that my friends will be safe when there's people like you, who enjoy harming the innocent as if it's a game?" His temper got the better of him as he crouched down and with his voice at full volume he yelled out "I'm really mad this time!" and sprinted over to Cyber Vilgax, striking him with the Hammer Module three times in the face before his buzzsaw leg clipped his thigh, making him recoil in pain.
Placing his hand over Fourze's head Cyber Vilgax lifted him up and punched him in the stomach for a good minute before Ben entered the scene as UpChuck, barfing up a few pieces of the building he crashed into earlier as explosive slime balls at the cyborg, startling him enough to drop Fourze down as he used his tongues to get him away from the dark ruler before he could kill him.
"Man, it's like even when he's dead Vilgax is a royal pain. He was being a buzz kill no matter where he was, and that was when he didn't know better to parade himself around in a woman's leotard" UpChuck joked, trying to lighten the mood, but Fourze wasn't getting the joke. Shrugging he suggested that they go back to fighting C. Vilgax, but getting closer to him was harder than they first thought, as Cyber Vilgax summoned a legion of Flamer Keepers to his side, stunning them both.
Fourze was furious! "You're willing to let these people die for you? What kind of a monster are you?!" as he swung his arm back to show he was not pleased with this at all.
"A evil monster, DUH!" UpChuck snarked, although he was wondering why these Flame Keepers still had their powers and awful costumes. Flame printed masks and half skirts were NOT a good look on anyone and as fashion challenged as Ben was at times, he knew that the FKC looked stupid and acted stupider that the Veedle Bros at times.
"Though you cured those that Diagon claimed by force, they are those that willingly joined his side and kept their powers, despite your best efforts, Ben Tennyson. But there's something more to my body that you realize, boy. Witness the birth of the NEW Dark Horoscopes!" With his venomous speech out in the air the fully repaired Dark Horoscope Switched bled from his body and forced their way into a Flame Keeper's body, mutating them into new versions of Dark Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. UpChuck gulped loudly in fear, as having to deal with Cyber Vilgax, the 12 Dark Horoscope Zodiarts and a thousand Flame Keepers was a tad too much for him!
"Awwww! C'mon, Vilgax! Play fair or I'm telling you mother on you!" the froglike alien scolded the cyborg, but Cyber Vilgax just snorted at his half hearted threat. "Ok then, if you won't listen to reason then have a earful of the sounds of Echo Echo" twisting the dial as he tried to find the alien that single handily damaged his relationship with Julie, but he overturned it and got something else instead. Ben tried to protest but Wildmutt could not speak English or any other human language, leaving Fourze in the dark about what he wanted.
Frustrated, but not out Wildmutt grunted as he pointed at the Flame Keepers, and Fourze knew that he wanted them out of the way so the others will be easier to deal with in the long run. It wasn't going to be easy, but Gentaro always loved a challenge. After all, no one that gave up that easily wouldn't have been friends with Kengo and Miu, two people that worked hard at what they do and expected others to do their best as well, though sometimes they could be a tad forceful with wanting their way.
Howling, Wildmutt attacked the Flame Keepers head on, biting and punching them with all his might, but since this form is without eyes, he had to use his radar sense, though it lacked the use of eyes at times, as he found out the hard way during his first battle with Vilgax's drones. Without visual aid he could not tell when they would teleport in and out of the arena, as they dogpiled onto the orange dog alien, beating him to within a inch of his life. Ben tried to get them off, but they were persistent buggers, a few taking the time to blast him with energy balls. It soon got to be too much for Wildmutt to handle, Ben attempted to switch to Heatblast, but a Flamer Keeper's hand brushed against the Omnitrix dial, as he turned it without knowing what happened. When he clicked it he was something new: a giant of a alien, made of stone and metal, with black and green shorts and the Omnitrix in his head.
"WHOA! Didn't know about this one! Let's see what this baby can do" as Ben span around, spending the Flame Keepers away as they regrouped and fired off energy attacks at him, though they did little harm to this new form. Seeing some debris the idea stuck him as he activated his gravity powers, a glow appearing on his hand as he lifted the arm that had said glow, making some stones float in midair. Before the FKC could figure out what it was Ben is doing he brought his arm down, sending the stones down on their fool heads, burying them deep. Smirking at a job well done he dubbed this form Gravattack, and he knew he wanted to learn more about what he could do. But Fourze was having problems of his own.
The Flame Keepers' teleporting power was getting to be too much for Gentaro to handle. The Fourze system was never meant for heavy combat and there were times Gen wished for more powerful Switches he could use. Water was one that annoyed even him, and he was a pretty lenient guy. Why Kengo made the faucet point downwards he may never know. Perhaps it was payback for making the Rabbit Hatch his homebase back home, but still, there was a limit as to how odd a Switch could be! Plus add in the fact that they were firing energy balls at him and fighting with the intent to kill him was making him homesick. The Shield Module was doing the best job it can do, given its small size, but with the new Dark Horoscopes closing in he NEEDED a edge against them or he was going home dead...again.
Ben changed from Gravattack to Brainstorm and shocked as many Flame Keepers as he was able to, but they were overwhelming in their number and ruthlessness. "Uncurtious brutes, please reframe from your mindless roughhousing and reiterate what you wish to say in a more courteous manner. It would be splendid if you took the time to think about how your actions are defiling the experience our kind guest has of our home" Brainstorm's wishes were met with dumbfounded stares from all present, including Fourze himself. Giving it sometime to think over the Flame Keeper decided to attack Brainstrom with newfound fury, whacking at his shell as he attempted to calm them down. Key word being "attempted"
Rushing to Brainstrom's defense with the Wheel Module Fourze fought back with both Pen and Chain array, smacking them away from the crab alien and giving him some breathing room. "Good show, Gentaro, my kind sir. However, if we do not have a better plan to deal with the Flame Keepers, then I fear we shall be overcome with their sheer brute force before we could deal with Cyber Vilgax's brutish tidings for our universes. I may have a idea, but if this is to work I must ask of you this question. Can you use your Magnet Modules in this form? he enquired. What he said largely went well over what Gentaro could understand, but he nodded to let Brainstorm know he was able to do what he asked of him.
Using NRG Ben began to heat his armor up as Fourze selected the N Magnet and S Magnet Modules with the Switching Lung, attracting the oven like alien towards him. When NRG was close to touching Fourze pressed the buttons for Fire and Gryo then propelled NRG forward in a fiery tornado, incinerating all the Flame Keepers to their deaths. Ben and Gen wished there was another way than this, but Cyber Vilgax is too powerful to deal with any other way. Crashing down with a metallic thud, NRG rolled to show Gen his faceplate as he shouted "Nice job! You really have a knack with your system there, Gentaro! But I doubt we have the power to stop Cyber Vilgax", breathing in a sad breath as he was worried that he would have to die to keep this cyber beast from killing everyone near and dear to them both.
"I think I know what you're thinking and I don't like the idea any more than you do, Ben-san. But before we die I want to say it's been a honor to fight and live along side you" the Kamen Rider complemented Ben on his hard work over the last month or so. If this be their curtain call, then the two will give it their all for both Earths and beyond! But Gentaro was wondering something important regarding the Dark Horoscopes. "If these Dark Horoscopes are the embodiment of darkness, shouldn't a light based counter work on destroying the Switches for good?" he wondered outloud.
Ben wasn't totally sure that Gen's theory will work, but he needed to keep his spirits up, as his friends the Kamen Rider Club weren't here to help out. "Newton has a law of motion that states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. If you were able to use Switches that can embody the opposite tracts of the Black Zodiac then we could destroy them for good!" NRG informed Gen of his idea. Now that they had a plan of attack all they needed were Switches to use. Diagon was not going to have anything that the two can use, so they were out of luck on that idea.
"If you are done with your childish wishing then lay down and die" Cyber Vilgax ordered, ready to burn the flesh out their bones with the Ruby Ray, the 12 Dark Zodiarts flanking his sides at every angle. As the Omnitrix timed out Ben wished for something to help them out of this jam.
As if by some magical force 12 new Astro Switches fell from a portal that opened over Ben's head, all of them crashing down on his noggin. As he rubbed his sore temples he found out something ODD about these Switches: All of them had a face on them. Each had the eyes of the Kamen Riders and Ben knew that Gentaro could use these to turn the tide of battle, but he had something to ask Gen.
"First off, who are these guys? Second, and this is a valid point, who sent these to us and why?" Gentaro was all to happy to fill Ben on what these represent to him.
"These Switches are proof of the legacy of the Kamen Riders. All 12 have come before me and I had made the Kamen Rider Club to honor those before me and protect my school." Furrowing his brow under the Cosmic States helmet he had to wonder "When did these come from, anyway?"
Gen's universe...
A girl adored with Goth makeup and a black to go with her school uniform was standing outside with a young man wearing the male version of the uniform. Ever since their friends disappeared Tomoko was worried sick about them. It didn't take her long to figure out that since the Horoscopes active and defeated had vanished those captured were forced to fill in the blanks in their membership. It horrified her club members as much as it did her, but they quickly realized that they were still good people despite becoming Switchers, a slang term for those who can use Zodiart Switches to mutate to Zodiarts, creatures that draw their power from constellations, the most powerful being the Horoscopes who draw their abilities from the Zodiac constellations.
Still the news was painful for Tomoko, almost to her breaking point. Yuki, who she correctly guessed had been forced to become Gemini, was like a older sister to her, as both are intelligent, creative and fun loving, though their passions made them outcasts before Gentaro transferred to their school. The fact that somewhere Yuki was doing things she would never wish to do was heartbreaking, and she wished that everyone could go home and be safe again.
Granted, as thanks to Vilgax and his endless lust for power, only Yuki, Tojiro, Erin, Ran and Emoto were the only survivors of the Horoscopes, but the Kamen Rider Club would not find that out until later today.
Tomoko has a power that lets her guess what the future may hold and although the Fourze Driver and Astro Switches were in another dimension she could still feel that they were being used to combat the Black Zodiac. When she found that out she begged Kengo, who was with her now, to make new Switches that used copies of previous Riders's powers. There was only time to make 12 when she felt the birth of Cyber Vilgax from a dream she had. Luckily there was enough energy of the Shin-Chin Switch to send them to Fourze, no matter where he was now.
Kengo was never too thrilled about trusting her powers, but since she right most of the time he learned to place his faith in her, as the others did. He would have words with Gentaro when he got back, but now was not the time to do so.
As the gifts were sent on their way, Tomoko has something she wanted to say. So she threw a note in with the Rider Switches in paper airplane form as the portal closed. It was all up to Fourze now...
Diagon's home...
Seeing the note on the ground Ben picked it and read it aloud to Gen. This is what was written:
Gentaro-san,
We were able to find out about what fate befell the others. Though their bodies had changed, we know that they are still the same good friends we know and care about. Please, if you find this letter, tell them that we miss them and will always care about their well being, no matter what the Horoscopes do to their bodies. Tell Yuki-chan that I miss her dearly and that her position as chairwoman is still hers.
Ryusei was able to stop any Zodiart attacks while you were gone, but he admits that without the Horoscopes there was little action to have. (He should be thankful that we only had three attacks overall, but I worry about his bloodlust at times. I love him with all my heart, but he needs to be reminded on what truly matters in this life.) We all want to thank you for making everyone's lives better and that you will all come back to us in due time.
Your friend, Nozoma Tomoko.
Gen was moved to tears by the letter. Now he had proof that their friends still thought kindly of them, which they desperately needed. He was quite pleased that their friendship had survived both this tragedy and his absence. He would thank them all with a BIG party when they got home.
But now wasn't the time to plan out party activities. Powering down he handed all 40 default Switches to Ben. Ben had his mouth open in shock, but Gen was ready for that reaction. "My friends believe in both me and our bonds of friendship. I must honor their wishes and use the powers they gave me to combat this evil and end it once and for all!"
Placing the Stronger, Kuuga, Kiva and OOO Switches, and setting the Amazon, Den-O,#2, Kabuto,#1, Double, Riderman and Agito Switches with Ben, (who wasn't too pleased to be holding onto so many Switches, but understood his wishes) Gen transformed back to Fourze and charged to battle against the Dark Horoscopes for the last time.
Thankfully Cyber Vilgax made a fatal error and only allowed one Dark Horoscope to attack at a time, which was good for Gentaro. Dark Aries was up first as he powered on his new OOO Switch.
"OOO ON!"
On his left arm was now the OOO Module, a giant robotic glove with the Taka Head on it. Dark Aries tried to stab Fourze with his Jason Sword, but Fourze was able to catch it in his OOO Module, breaking it with no problem at all. D. Aries wanted to heatbutt the Rider, but he slapped him silly with the red glove on his person, embarrassing the ram Zodiart to no end. Running out of patience with this he punched Fourze in the gut, then went for his Supernova ability, as his horns grew to fire off multiple energy blasts at the hero. To his shock the OOO Module changed the balls of light to Cell Medals and sucked them up into itself, then they were fired back at their original sender, damaging him quite badly. While he was on unsteady footing he set up a new Limit Break, just for the Selfish King.
"OOO ON!"
"Limit Break!"
"Rider Giga Spinner!"
With that cry Cell Medals pooled into the Taka Head on the OOO Module and soon it was ablaze with fire, as a large fireball came out and utterly destroyed the Zodiart and his Dark Aries Switch.
Taking out the OOO Switch he plugged in the Amazon Switch as Dark Taurus came up to bat. Summoning a few dead Flame Keepers with his Supernova he was sure that Fourze was going to die. But Fourze was quite ready for this as he brought the Amazon Switch to life.
"Amazon ON!"
A FK zombie tried to jump onto Fourze, but he was caught in the maw of the Amazon Module, as he was then crushed and throw at the rest of the zombies, crumbling them all to dust. Dark Taurus ran into Fourze, knocking the wind out of his lungs, as D. Taurus went for a chokehold. Fourze, in a panic, used the Amazon Modula to blind the Zodiart, sending him into a fit of pain and rage as he recovered enough to start a Limit Break.
"Amazon ON!
"Limit Break!"
"Rider Jaw Crush!"
With the maw of the Amazon Module glowing he picked up Dark Taurus and with a thought two LARGE jaws came out of the device and crushed both Zodiart and Switch into nothing but dust.
Dark Gemini was the thrid to try as Fourze turned off the Amazon Switch and set up Kuuga's for battle.
"Kuuga ON!"
On his right leg was now the Kuuga Module, a black boot with Kuuga's face on the shin. With a sharp movement Fourze used it to kick the Zodiart in the face, the pinchers on his foot causing much damage to the monster. With his leg still up he did a spinkick that would make Meteor proud onto Dark Gemini's chest, knocking him down. He wanted the Dark Gemini Switch gone as soon as possible, as he wanted Yuki to be happy as she was before all of this happened, as he started his Limit Break with the Kuuga Module.
"Kuuga ON!"
"Limit Break!"
"Rider Mighty Kick!"
With a flipping jump Fourze forced energy into the Kuuga Module and stuck Dark Gemini with its full power, sending him far, far away as he blew up with much force, ending the terror of the Dark Gemini Switch and its new Switcher once and for all.
Turning off the Kuuga Switch as Dark Cancer stomped into the fight he brought the Stronger Switch to life.
"Stronger ON!"
Now with the Stronger Module, Fourze punched Dark Cancer down hard, as its body was shocked by its power. Turning to Supernova mode to try and escape, it slithered all over the place, then when Fourze wasn't looking he lunged at him. Fourze wasn't sure this would work, but he powered the Stronger Switch for its Limit Break.
"Stronger ON!"
"Limit Break!"
"Rider Lightning Punch!" With one thunderous blow both Dark Cancer and its Switch were reduced to dust.
Ben was amazed by how rich the history of the Kamen Riders was! "Dude, these guys rock! However, I'm kinda wondering why you don't make jokes during your battles" the Omnitrix wielder inquired.
"Kamen Riders don't joke around when there's battles to be won. When my friends are safe, that's when I joke around" Fourze declared as he switched Stronger with Den-O, as Dark Leo was next.
"Den-O ON!"
Armed with the Den-O Module, which was equipped with the face of Den-O's Sword Form, Fourze stuck Dark Leo with two punches, not letting him even get the chance to even think about using Supernova. Dark Leo got a hit in, but Fourze took the opportunity to strike him in his head with the Module, then while he was reeling set up a Limit Break.
"Den-O ON!"
"Limit Break!"
"Rider Denlinner Puch!"
Summoning the power of the Denlinner, Fourze punched Dark Leo with all his might, reducing both him and his Switch to dust.
Unplugging Amazon he then replaced it with #2, since Dark Virgo wanted to fight him now.
"#2 ON!"
Now with the red glove and #2 helmeted #2 Module Fourze charged right into the thick of it, its power cutting through D. Virgo's Supernova winds and drawing even more power from them, to its shock. Taking a small leap Fourze prepped a Limit Break to use its full power.
"#2 ON!"
"LIMIT BREAK!"
"Rider Punch V2!"
With a punch enhanced by the power of #2, Dark Virgo was brought down once again, this time the Switch that gave it form falling apart into dust.
Dark Libra was the seventh to take on the Rider. Clicking the Kiva Switch to life Fourze was ready to take on the mad dog of this team.
"Kiva ON!"
On his left leg was the Kiva Module, a boot with red bat wings and the face of Kiva's default form on its shin. Lifting his leg up he kicked Dark Libra in his face, the power stunning him as Fourze followed up with a step up using his chest and starting the Limit Break with Kiva's power.
"Kiva ON!"
"Limit break!"
"Rider Wake Up Fever!"
Divekicking D. Libra in his face, he was rendered nothing but dust with his Switch, a crater shaped like bat wings all that was left of his existence.
Dark Scorpio ran up to Fourze, as the Rider placed the Kabuto Switch into the Triangle slot, setting the Kiva Switch with Ben (why does he need all these, the green shirted boy wondered) and turned it on.
"Kabuto ON!"
On his left leg was the Kabuto Module, a boot with Kabuto's face on the shin. Doing a spinning roundhouse he caught Dark Scorpio's jaw with it, and then started a Limit Break.
"Kabuto ON!"
"Limit Break!"
"Rider Clock Up Kick!"
At first Dark Scorpio was stunned by the fact that it was moving slower than it was before, but just as it realized that Fourze dive kicked it and the Dark Scorpio Switch to dust with Kabuto's power.
Dodging Dark Sagittarius and its arrow attacks Fourze took out Kuuga and replaced it with the #1 Switch, fliping it down to bring it to life.
"#1 ON!"
The #1 Module was powerful indeed, as it had both designs that looked like the face and belt of the first Rider to stand up to evil in the Showa era, as Fourze leapt high into the skies as he set up a Limit Break
"#1 ON!"
"Limit Break!"
"Rider KICK!"
Screaming downwards at D. Sagittarius at high speeds Fourze brought both it and the switch that made it up to a end, as the power of #1 made them both dust.
Dark Capricorn stepped up, as Fourze removed the #2 Switch and put in the Double Switch, clicking it on.
"Double ON!"
On his arm was a glove with the face of CycloneJoker, Double's default form. With one simple move the Rider blasted D. Capricorn down with a gust of wind from it, then as it tried to get up Fourze had already finished setting up its Limit Break.
"Double ON!"
"Limit Break!"
"Rider Maximum Drive!"
A solid hologram of Double's Joker Extreme fired out of the Double Module and stuck the goatman down and out, as both its Switch and itself were rendered nothing but dust.
Dark Aquarius was next to last, as Fourze placed the Den-O Switch to the side and put in the Riderman Switch. Soon it was brought to life as well.
"Riderman ON!"
Its Module was blue with a cable and the face of Riderman himself on it, as the cable coiled around the Zodiart's leg and slammed it down with a good amount of force to it. Since it was tied up at the moment Fourze set up its Limit Break as well.
"Riderman ON!"
"Limit Break!"
"Rider Swing!"
Spinning the monster at break neck speeds he then threw it at a wall, the impact destroying both it and the Dark Aquarius Switch.
Finally was the Dark Pisces Zodiarts, as Fourze removed the Kabuto Switch and placed in the Agito Switch, and brought it to life as well.
"Agito On!"
The Agito Module was a boot with Agito's face on it as Fourze jump kicked Dark Pisces in its face. Then wanting to finish this battle set up its Limit Break.
"Agito On!"
"Limit Break!"
"Rider Shining Kick!"
With the Module glowing with Shining Form's power Fourze did a Rider Kick at Dark Pisces' chest, crumbing it and the last Switch of the Dark Horoscopes to dust. But that power he had to call up was taking its toll on Fourze, as he was forced to power down, leaving him at Cyber Vilgax's mercy.
Of which he had none.
"Such a waste that all that power goes to you, boy" C. Vilgax rumbled, each syllable dripping with venom. "You truly do not care for your friends, as you destroyed aspects of themselves along with Tennyson. To think that you force others to become what YOU wish of them to be. You even destroyed a part of your dear girlfriend without so much as a doubt. You are the greater monster, not me"
Fourze was profoundly stunned by Cyber Vilgax's words! He did destroy one part of Yuki without even stopping to think about that, as well as the fact he was hurting the others as well during their stay as Zodiarts. Falling to his knees, he was too ashamed to even fight back, as Cyber Vilgax shot his Ruby Ray at the fallen Rider, a cruel smirk forming on his lips.
Ben got in the laser's way and something happened that was unexpected to say the least. His Omnitrix glowed with power, as the omnidirectinal forcefield fired up and reflected his attack back at him, vaporizing most of his left arm, but Cyber Vilgax felt no pain from that. The nerve endings that read pain were removed as unnecessary a long time ago.
Ben was badly hurt but he will recover with time, though he paid a price for his heroic deed. The Omnitrix read out a grim prognostic and it was quite bad indeed.
Conductoid DNA locked
Citrakayah DNA locked
Aerophibian DNA locked.
Ben moaned in frustration, as his stunt cost him Fasttrack, Jetray and Feedback. Those were three of his best guys! Still, other than the energy locking away those three, it was undamaged. "Azmuth really outdid himself! I'm never going back to the Ultimatrix!" He was happy about his Omnitrix being made of sterner stuff, but he had to get Gen's will to fight back, before they both died. "Hey, doofus! Get moving here! This is Vilgax we're fighting here, not a fluffy bunny!" He kept shouting at Fourze, but he was too disappointed in himself to even get up, as tears welled in his eyes. Ben groaned in anger as Cyber Vilgax laughed at they both, Gentaro too upset to fight and Ben too injured to defend himself.
Just then a light shined down from the skies as the voice of Paradox gently called out to the two boys.
"Hello down there, Ben and Gen! I see you're in a bit of a pickle here. Forgive my lateness, as I was busy fixing the damage Diagon did to the dimensional walls, though I have quite a bit of work left to do. If you're wondering where I am, I'm in Gen's universe, on my way to explain what's been happening over the past month of so. Though I should insist that Shun go to the bathroom first, as the parts with Cyber Vilgax may be too upsetting for the I go I must speak with Gentaro"
Fourze lifted his head up to hear what Paradox had to say to him.
"The glow of the constellations in your friends, they're not completely bad things to have. With some time they'll learn to utilize them for the greater good. Also about that thing with Dark Yuki, don't worry about that. There are rare occasions when a person with the potential to use Gemini's power has a evil, weaker soul that tries to take control, given the chance. You did the right thing freeing her from that dreadful fate. I believe in the both of you. Well then I shall see you later or earlier. Time is tricky to keep track of, even for one who walks in eternity such as myself. But before I go I must sugest that sometimes it's good to truly mix things up"
With that, the portal closed and Ben got a idea. He was too injured to fight now, but Gentaro was back to fighting prime, Paradox's words soothing his soul and letting him know he helped Yuki and the others with their problems. Looking at Ben with a heroic fire in his eyes he waited for Ben to give his idea.
"You know how your Cosmic Switch fuses your powers together and Fusion both fuses and enhances them by four times. I wonder what would happen if you used both at the same time?"
Ben's question was making Gen go bugged eyed. "I never really thought about what could happen should I try that. If this doesn't work then we're out of luck, Ben-kun", sighing tiredly. "But it's worth a shot!" as he placed Cosmic and Fusion into the Driver and powered them both on, causing a bright purple light to shine from the Fourze Driver, as the rest of the 40 main Switches and the Super-1 Rocket Switch fused into his body, giving him even greater power than before. Ben shielded his eyes from the light during his transformation sequence. When it died down Fourze was now in a new form. It was like Cosmic States, but the cyan blue was now metallic lavender, the yellow lines on the mask were now tangerine color and on the Switching Lung were new buttons for Super-1 and Fusion.
Now he was Super Cosmic States, a being of ultimate power and the greatest embodiment of friendship this world has even seen. "Ben went wide eyed at how cool this looked, Fourze flexing a arm to test his new power. Cyber Vilgax was not impressed with this as he charged headon into Fourze.
With a swing of the Hammer Module, enhanced with Shield's power Fourze slammed C. Vilgax to a wall and fired at him with Drill-enhanced bullets with Gattling. Cyber Vilgax howled in total rage as he shot back with his lasers, causing Fourze pain as he fell down. Using Rocket to escape he latched onto Cyber Vilgax with Winch, as he dragged the beast though all manner of debris, causing Ben to laugh at his misfortune.
Cyber Vilgax grunted and used his sawblade foot to ground himself, knocking Fourze down as he punched the Rider and began to crush his windpipe. "You fool! All who serve the Flame Keeper willingly are forever Diagon's! Why do you still think I'll be your freind, cur?"
"Be..cause I was told...that my friends will save me...when the time comes" Fourze gasped out as his answer. Cyber Vilgax took that as a insult and squeezed harder, hoping to silence the Rider.
'I hope someone in our group has a plan to stop this!' Ben panicked, his thoughts all falling to what he wished for right now.
Ben's house...
Julie and Emily were scolding Cash and JT for breaking the Shin-Chan Switch and standing the Kamen Rider Club in this dimension, when Julie felt a burning sensation in her eyes. Without so much as a word she teleported away, leaving the three alone, as they looked on in horror.
Diagon's home...
Even with Super Cosmic, Fourze was not doing so well right now. Cyber Vilgax was almost ready to land his killing blow and there was NOTHING the two heroes could do to stop that!
Soon a purple beam sliced off Cyber Vilgax's arm, freeing the Kamen Rider as he jumped up and kicked the beast in the chest. But he didn't know if he had a weakpoint to hit as he looked at his foe with worry.
"Dude! I think that red bulb on his chest may be his weak spot! Try hitting it with a attack that hits both inside and out!" Ben's idea gave Fourze inspiration for a Limit Break like no other! Setting the Stamper Switch in he activated Super-1 and infused it with Cosmic's energies and Stamper with Hopping's ability to, well, hop.
"Rocket, SUPER ON!"
"Stamper ON!"
"Limit Break!"
"RIDER COSMIC ROCKET HOPPING STAMPER KICK!"
With all his might and a extra press of the lever that connected to the Fourze Driver, Gen did a extraordinary Rider Kick with Stamper right into the glowing orb on Cyber Vilgax's person, placing a blue stamp on there, ready to finish him off.
"Consider that the Kamen Rider Club stamp of DISAPPROVAL!" Ben shouted as both he and Gen hotfooted it to a opening that was thankfully still there the last time Ben was in this hellish place. When they were on the other side Ben turned into Clockwork and blasted the rocks there with a deaging ray, sealing the outside world from Diagon's dark realm.
"I didn't think this would work!" Clockwork admitted as Fourze powered down and fainted, the strain of battle finally catching up to him. So far he'd only use Clockwork to age things and use his time powers to use as a one alien CSI unit, but rewinding time works wonders too. Turning his to Fourze he snipped at the Rider "You were a big help, but you cost me three of my best guys. You owe me big for this" as he went back to his work. Cyber Vilgax was fuming as he tried to break on though to the other side, but Clockwork was doing a fine job at keeping him there...forever hopefully.
But it would take just a few more minutes to fully seal Diagon's world away and C. Vilgax was not going out with a whimper, but with a bang. "If I die, then you all will die will me!" he grimaced, his tone no longer robotic anymore as he slashed away at the door, threading to undo Ben's hard work. A bright purple beam stuck him down for good as Clockwork saw with horror that its wielder was someone near and dear to him: Julie Yamamoto.
"I'm sorry Ben" Clockwork watched on in terror as the door sealed shunt and Cyber Vilgax succumbed to the Limit Break, blowing up with a good amount of force.
Falling to his knees Clockwork was devastated by this news. The words he heard about those joining Diagon by will being his forever was true after all.
'I saved the Earth and the universe, but lost my world' he mourned inwardly.
Picking up Fourze and all his Switches Clcokwork walked outside to share the news.
Both Cyber Vilgax and Julie were dead. A price was paid this day and he doubt it could get any worst for him.
Later...
The Kamen Rider Club was waiting for the two to come back, as the old quarry that once held a mob of Forever Knights and Flame Keepers was rather drafty, but surely enough Clockwork made his way to them.
Yuki ran up to the golden alien and quite worried about the duo. "Are you OK? Is it over?" she pleaded with a concerned look on her face.
"We FINALLY got rid of that blasted Diagon, but Julie was corrupted by his dark magic. We were forced to leave her behind"Clockwork quietly told her. Yuki and the others looked down in mourning. "But at least Vilgax is gone for good, thanks to Gentaro. He'll never hurt anyone ever again"
"That's all well and good, but Cash and JT broke the Shin-Chin Switch! We're stuck here!" Tojiro panicked as Erin went over to calm him down.
Putting her hands on his shoulders she calmly told him that "We may be struck here for a while, but at least we're with friends" The Kamen Rider Club smiled at the two, as did Ben. Gen,(who just woken up and feeling rightfully sore) and Ben's friends.
"I think Ben can keep you guys safe. I have to go back to Helen and make things right by her. I lost one good friend to Diagon. I can't lose her too" With that Manny Armstrong was on his way back to the woman he knew.
Ran was able to catch up to the Tetramand and give him a goodbye hug. "Friendship is a two way street. You have to both protect and understand the feelings of others so it can grow to be strong. We all wish you the best of luck, Manny-san" she wished, as the giant warrior hugged her back and was on his way to fix what he had broken.
"I think that though we lost a few things today we should have a party to celebrate our victory over the Horoscopes!" JK cheered. No one wanted to party right now,and he respected their wishes.
Clockwork turned back into Ben and stated what needed to be done. "First we have to have a service for Julie, and then figure out how you're all are going to stay. The Guiding Stars business is our best opinion, but do you all think that's the best idea?"
"You just answered your own question, Ben!" Erin interjected for the Club. Ben was pleased to hear that.
Lighting a candle and with Reiny's help, teleported it out to sea Yuki watched as the Club and Ben gain a stronger bond as Gentaro went over to her side. "Gentaro-chan, are you happy about staying with Ben just a little bit longer?"
His bright smile gave her the answer she admittedly wanted to hear. "Ben's world needs some cheering up and the Kamen Rider Club are the people to do that!" Yuki was so happy about that! Not only did she get to go on a space station, she was happy that she was closer with her friends and was closer than ever before with Gentaro. The two did their special handshake to commemorate this day, the day Vilgax was brought down...for GOOD.
"I guess life is like a good song. You know what you're getting, but there's always something new to learn about it and makes it better than it was before" Tojiro added as he wrapped a arm around Gen and Yuki, a smile on his face. "Things are going to rock so hard from now on!"
Ran polity giggled at the scene, but she and Erin were feeling the same way as those three. "So, what should we do for starters? I know there's a lot of cleanup to do and there's always the matter of those little odd jobs that pop up every now and then"
Erin was always one to take on a challenge. "We're doing everything that comes our way. It would do wonders for the reputation of both the Kamen Riders and our Club" she proudly told Ran, hands on her hips as she was ready to face the future that held such exciting promises for them all.
JK could not wait any more, as he fidgeted about. "You may speak freely, as you are among friends here"Sugilite kindly allowed the younger boy to say what was on his mind.
He did not wait any longer. "Can we go now? I'm freezing in here" he admitted, as he wrapped his arms around himself for warmth. Reiny was getting cold as well, so with that Ben's friends went home and the KRC and Ben headed home.
"So, Ben-san, about your alien heroes that you lost today. I'm sorry about their passing" Gentaro was feeling quite guilty about what happened, but Ben wasn't mad at him.
"Don't stress over that. They have just been relocked. Nothing new about that for me. Plus I have new guys to field test: Shocksqauash, Blox and Gravattack. Plus I like having you guys to help on. Wait, scratch that. I love having you arond as you've become like family to me" hearing that made the KRC very happy! "So, who's up for pizza? I'm buying!" As the teens walked to the nearly pizza shop Ben had to wonder something important:
"Julie, if you're out there, please be safe"
Also what happened to Rex? Hopefully that matter with his grandma will settle out nicely. Besides, how much harm can happen to Rex? He's more than capable of handling himself in a fight, right?
Rex's universe... or what was left of it...
Verdona was in utter shock by what she saw: There was no life left in this world even before she got there! 'Who could have done this?' she thought. As if the heavens themselves wanted her to know a small figure walked up to her.
"OH! It's just you dear" she breathed out as it was only Julie. Wait a darn minute...JULIE?
Before the thought could come up she was hit with a freezing spell, as the Diagon Empowered Julie walked off in search of a way back to her world. This world died all too easily and the Diagon that controlled her wanted more of a challenge.
Perhaps this world she just found out about will give her the fight she craves: the world of the Venture Bros...
Next time: The thrilling conclusion to Part 1 of the Diagon Trilogy! Find out how the KRC handles being stranded in Ben's world! Plus Rook comes to Earth, as Manny tried to rebuild his life with Helen! See you all there!