Can't believe I forgot to do this earlier. I've been getting some ideas for actors of my originals, and I wanted to say who I intended.

Before I go on though, these are just who I picture them as. If you wish to view my OCs as anyone else from a show or movie that you like, by all means, don't let me stop you. That's the great thing about fiction. It can look like anything you want.

Karone is the actress of Natsumi from Kamen Rider Decade, while Alice is the actress of Amy from Kyoryuuger. You'll see why I made this point a little later.

Shoutout to Keller96, Keli0596, Maleun Kangaji and TokuJust123, thanks so much for the support! Lett's get back to action, baby!

Once the team returned to CR, with the two Kyuurangers checking into their base and promising to stay in touch, they noticed that the Chou Taisen starting screen was now on the console of Poppy's dugout, decorated in bright colors and posters to match her game.

"You don't know who connected the game and real worlds either, Poppy?" Emu asked, contemplating what the next move should be.

And when Poppy came up with a negative, Hammy tried using Kingston's Toku know how. "Kingston, what about you? Any idea who could be behind this?"

"*Sigh* Well, I have a general idea. But my knowledge only extends to what should happen next, and I don't know if anything has changed thanks to what's happening with the girls."

"Then we can't worry about that right now," Poppy figured. "For now, we need to focus on the impending danger."

"If the games are attacking," Taiga voiced, leaning on a chair nearby, "then we just have to kick their ass."

And with that, he stalked off. But not before getting dragged back slightly by the collar, Kingston exhibiting some of Champ's strength.

"Slow your roll there, sniper boy. You may think that the edgy loner act gets you by just fine, but this is no time to be playing one man army. We've got a fucking fortress on our asses and that giant robot you saw earlier? It didn't even dent it, let alone damage it. So, I'm pretty sure this isn't something you can kick the crap out of all by your lonesome. Anything changes, you contact one of us. Am I clear?"

Taiga was about to snap back at the girl, coming up with a whole slew of comebacks, but before he could deploy any of them, the outsider pulled him back even further, now low enough that she could look him in the eye.

"Am I clear?"

"Alright, alright, fine! Just let go you psycho!"

"Thank you~."

And finally letting go, Taiga was flung back by the momentum, barely catching himself from stumbling altogether and rubbing the rough spot on the collar. "Jesus, like I needed another Nico in my life."

"Oh please, Nico's good for you and you damn well know it," Kingston called as Snipe scurried down the stairway, relieved to go looking for some peace.

"How exactly is this 'Nico' good for him?" Hammy asked, tilting her head in almost the same way Karone did with her ears.

Feeling a slight pang of longing and guilt, Kingston shrugged it off and smirked. "She keeps his ego in check most of the time. And hey, no one can stay a loner forever. At least, not for long anyway."

"Ahh! That's it!" Emu shouted, giving everyone sans Hiiro a heart attack. "The heroes of the game world, they want to protect Earth too, right?"

"So we should ask them to help us!" Poppy finished, catching on with a grin.

"And they might even know where Karone and Alice ended up!" Hammy added, lighting up with the possibility.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa, slow down everybody," Kingston eased, catching the group's attention. "I won't deny that they would be good allies, but the game has Taisen in the name for a reason. There's no telling what they could make us do for their help, or even what they might be keeping about what's going on. I'm not saying it's a bad idea; I'm just saying that maybe we should think with a little more caution."

"That's a fair point, Kingston," Emu agreed, "but it's not like we have many other options. There's also no telling when Xevious will return, and as you said, we need to find your friends. Accessing Chou Taisen is killing two birds with one stone.

'Hiiro-san," the intern called, coming up behind him. "What do you think?"

However, the surgeon had said nothing, turned away from the rest of them with his stubborn look of boredom firmly in place. "I have nothing to do with this game. Don't try to drag me in."

"Huh, says the one with the game clone," Kingston huffed, looking a little irritated towards Hiiro's refusal of participation. "Hate to break it to you, big shot, but avoiding your problem isn't going to make it go away. Now are you going to put on your big boy pants and help us, or are you going to sit there and pout all day?"

"Chotto, Kingston, take it easy," Hammy soothed, helping her into a chair as her mini-tirade had left her out of breath, while also trying to calm her down from her anger.

"*Sigh* Sorry. Guess I'm taking this a little harder than I thought. I shouldn't have let it out on you like that, Hiiro, I'm sorry."

"All the more reason that we should get started," Poppy suggested. "I'll go into the world of Chou Taisen."

"Not alone you're not," Hammy voiced, standing with determination. "I'm coming along."

"Are you sure?"

"If this leads to finding my friends, I'm all in. Besides, you never know when you'll need a bodyguard." the ninja finished with a smile.

"In that case, let me go with you," Emu suggested.

"Dame dame! I'm only going to negotiate. If you came, it would become a battle."

"Poppy, they might make you fight regardless," Kingston argued.

"That may be true, but its better than going with malicious intentions and instigating a fight. The less trouble we cause, the better," the Bugster reasoned.

"And don't even think about coming along this time, young lady," Hammy scolded as Kingston was about to no doubt voice the suggestion. "You still need to rest, and we might need your know-how for later. Besides, the others would never forgive me if I let you fight in your condition."

"But-"

"Look at it this way. Would you want any of us to do the same?"

And as the argument died down in the girl's throat, she sighed and shook her head, accepting her fate and sitting back down. However, Emu, also resigning to staying behind, placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile. "Hammy-san, I'm one of her current physicians. If I clear her when she's fully healed, would you allow her to join you?"

The outsider grinned, catching the intern's loophole, and stared at the ninja with pleading puppy dog eyes. Hammy tried not to give in, but that only instigated the begging voice. "Ple~ase, Hammy? There could be other game heroes in their civilian form in there; I don't want to miss out on that! Besides, if Karone and Alice hadn't split from me, maybe they wouldn't be missing right now. At the very least, I want to make up for that. Please?"

The ninja once again tried to resist, but with the sincerity in the younger girl's voice mixed with the puppy dog eyes turned up to an 11, Hammy finally conceded, but only on the condition that she was indeed healthy enough for battle, no half-assing the report or anything.

And with a quick hug goodbye and reassurance to stay in contact, the ninja and the Bugster joined hands, and with a triumphant "We're off!" the two teleported into the screen, vanishing in the pixels and visuals of the game. As Emu called out a warning, two chibi avatars ran on screen, dancing a little as if to say they agreed.

"They'll be ok, right?" the intern asked, turning back over to Kingston fiddling with her kyuutama.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure they can handle it in there. And Poppy can contact us if they need us. We'll figure this out," she assured, flashing a kind smile.

But as Emu turned back to watch the progress of the away team and Hiiro ignoring her altogether, Kingston turned on her communicator back to Orion-Gou.

"Naaga, Balance, it's me. Hehe, good to hear you guys too. Listen, either of you working right now? I have a little favor to ask..."

Movie 1: Chou Taisen Part 2-Into the Fray

It wasn't long before they reached the game world, with Hammy's expectations tossed out the window.

The scene that greeted the pair was a barren plaza, with barely any greenery if at all, an ominous fog rolling in, and utterly devoid of human life. But the strangest thing was that everywhere they looked, there seemed to be sculptures of all sizes, white and looking somewhat like a digital eight.

Poppy began searching the area with her bubbly walk while Hammy pulled her Rebellion jacket tighter around her as she shivered. "And I thought it was creepy when Jack Matter was in charge. I don't even want to think about what Karone and Alice could be going through" she shuddered. "So, Poppy, who were you planning on talking to anyway?"

"Hmm. Well, it seems like that other Hiiro managed this game," Poppy mused, pacing as she thought.

"Oh, right, he did seem like he was in charge of those heroes. And Kingston thought he might have a role in all this."

"So, he could be our best bet at reasoning with the heroes of this world."

"Sounds like solid logic, but just one question. Where is this other Hiiro?"

Indeed, there was no sign of any heroes in the area, despite the two's efforts to search. But what Poppy did catch nearby, hiding behind one of the figure eight statues was not a hero, but a young boy, who ran off at first sight before either had a chance to call him out.

"That's weird," Hammy mused. "I thought there were only heroes in this game."

"So did I," Poppy agreed, trying to figure out a reasonable explanation. "Maybe he's a hero too?"

"A kid as a hero? Doesn't that seem a bit farfetched?"

Both tried coming up with different explanations before the ninja had the idea to pull out Poppy's spare console she had brought along to contact the outside world. Emu immediately fizzled onto the screen, Kingston peeking over his shoulder in anticipation.

"Hey, Kingston. Quick question, were there any child heroes in the past?" Hammy inquired, looking around in the hopes of finding the boy again.

"Kid heroes? Hmm, well yes, but there are only a bare few that technically fit the quota. Why? Did you see one of them?"

"I don't know..." the ninja answered distantly, once again keeping her eyes peeled.

"Well, maybe he came in from the real world," Poppy suggested, though the option didn't lift her confusion. "But if that's the case, then there must be something about that boy too."

Emu seemed to ponder the option as well, but Kingston shot up, eyes widening in realization. But before she could speak up, music began blaring through the air, catching all of them off guard. A blue pixel aura rolled through the ground, before coming up to form a wall of sorts and pushing Poppy back, almost as if it was clearing the way for Hammy.

"Hero Battle Stage On!" the announcer rang in the air. "Ninja White! Tsuruhime!"

Turning around, Hammy found herself face to face with, to her shock, another Sentai warrior, white like Kingston with black and gold accents, with a golden band above the visor depicting an arrow like shuriken of some sorts, which glinted in the gray light as she posed.

"VS: The Shinobi Star! Chamaeleon Green!"

Ninja White took a ready stance as Hammy sighed, pulling out her kyuutama. "Mou! Fine then!"

Chamaeleon Kyuutama! SAY! THE CHANGE! "Star Change!"

And with both ninjas prepped to fight, a sort of Street Fighter esque health bar appearing for a second, the announcer's voice came back. "Battle Ready? GO!"

Instantly, the two female Senshi became blurs on the battlefield, each utilizing their ninjitsu, with Ninja White showing just a tad more skill due to her experience. But where the white ninja excelled in technique, Hammy was able to counter with variety, having a much different fighting style with her added invisibility mixed with her chamaeleon style, which Ninja White didn't have much experience countering. However, neither used their weapons or outside capabilities beyond their techniques, staying strictly in hand to hand combat.

When it seemed like the two were in a standstill, Hammy managed to land one final strike, lowering Ninja White's health bar down enough for defeat, the older ninja vanishing and transforming into a card that flew away. "Winner: Chamaeleon Green!"

But before either girl had the chance to celebrate, the announcer once again called out for the next battle. "What? Already?" Hammy gasped, looking around for her next opponent.

A move that let her jump out of the way as another Sentai warrior leaped into the stage. This one was black with gold accents, two stripes lining diagonally across his chest, along with a golden dagger in his hilt. The suit also had a bull motif, almost like Champ except not quite as buff, with a charging bull picture on his chest and his helmet showing two horns protruding from the side.

"Chamaeleon Green VS The Iron Bison! Gao Black!" AV called as the newcomer struck his pose by flexing his arms.

And with the two health bars popping up, Hammy's being slightly less due to fatigue, AV signaled the green light and the Iron Bison charged horns first, managing to knick the ninja as she narrowly dodged, and the fight was on.

"Ohh, it'll never end like this!" Poppy moaned as the console in her hands beeped, Emu and Kingston popping up on the screen again as she held it up. "Emu, what's the matter?"

"Have you guys seen the hospital where you are yet?" Kingston called over the intern's shoulder. "Game Hiiro might be there!"

"I see!" Poppy grinned, looking around for the familiar building before catching it on top of a nearby hill. But even from far away, the Seito Univerity looked drastically changed, worn down and rusted, and even with a midnight aura of sorts hanging above it like an inky splotch in the sky.

"Umm, I found it, but it looks off," the Bugster relayed, scratching her head. "Maybe that's because this is the game world?"

Meanwhile, Hammy's fight with Gao Black was reaching a breaking point, the ninja's fatigue starting to catch up mixed with her bison opponent acting like a tank with his attacks. Gao Black was also similar in his fighting style to Champ, minus the wrestling background, but Hammy didn't have much time to counter his relentless onslaught. And with her back against the wall, the Gaoranger pulled out his dagger and unleashed an energy slash up close, the female green demorphing and collapsing in exhaustion.

But before her opponent could land another crit, two new figures protected her, one in what looked like a modern twist on samurai gear colored navy and gold and holding a long sword, and the other wearing a red leather jacket and a Hawaiian tee, holding the Gashacon Sparrow in both hands.

And with Poppy showing the ones outside the battle unfolding, Kingston started having a mini fangasm on sight.

"Mind if we cut in?" Kiriya quipped as the two shoved back the bison ranger, readying their stance as he charged. Though the two had different weapons and fighting styles, the newcomers were a deadly duo, able to counter mercilessly against Gao Black. Whenever one found themselves cornered, the other stepped in to assist, the girls watching in awe at the tandem attack.

Eventually, the two shared a look as they landed their weapons but didn't finish the strike, before the samurai fired a strange device strapped to his wrist, calling out "Thunder Cannon!" while Kiriya shot the sparrow in bow mode, blasting back and finishing off the battle for good.

Poppy kneeled down to check on her ninja friend as the two approached, Kiriya wearing his Cheshire smirk as he walked behind the strange samurai. "Yo, Poppy. Good to see you again."

"Are you unhurt?" the samurai interjected, Hammy smiling and shaking her head. "I am called Utsusemimaru, and it seems you both know my comrade Kiriya-dono," he began, bowing as he explained the situation. "The inhabitants of this world are in eternal conflict. But we cannot turn a blind eye to those in distress. That is true Brave."

As he finished, the two held up a peace sign, the symbol for the Kyoryuugers as both a sign of Brave and of being a Sentai, though Kiriya's was a bit more laid back. However, Poppy took this as a cue to refocus on their mission.

"Umm, we came here to ask Kamen Rider Brave something. Its vital that we find him."

"Ahh, also, we lost two of our friends, and we were hoping he would know where they ended up. Have either of you seen two girls that have something like this?" Hammy asked, holding up her blaster. Both seemed to throw each other a glance, Kiriya gaining his look of sincerity while Utsusemimaru turned grave in his eyes.

"I think you two oughta come with us. You're gonna want to see this."

With the group reaching the game version of the hospital, Poppy still keeping in contact with the real world, the building was even worse looking in person, with rusted walls and messed up rooms, hanging wires, crumbling walls and scattered furniture everywhere. And strangely enough, a small blue beam of light was shining straight into the midnight sky from the roof, but the girls' attention was quickly pulled back towards the inside.

Finding the CR wing, Utsusemimaru went off to find Game Hiiro while Kiriya pulled the two aside towards the rec room, teasing that 'the boss man likes to know what he's facing before jumping in.'

But when the trio ascended the spiral staircase, they were met by two pairs of forest green and amethyst eyes. "Ladies, I assume you all know each other," Kiriya joked, pulling Poppy aside for a moment.

Both Hammy and Kingston were thrilled to see the two, the ninja throwing herself in a group hug while Kingston had taken over the monitor, apologizing all over herself. However, neither of them blamed her for one second and were just glad to see them again, though Kiriya seemed to chuckle under his breath towards this, Poppy catching him mumbling something about an incident involving Utsusemimaru and Alice for some reason.

Said samurai came in at this time, informing them that Game Hiiro would speak with them about their dilemma. The CR room was just as worn down as the rest of the place, though it seemed to function as Game Hiiro's office of sorts as well, the dark-suited man sitting in his swivel chair as the Bugster explained the situation.

"I see. Well, we found these two girls after they landed near here, so we took them in for the time being. And I suppose we would be able to defeat Xevious if we combined our forces. Who knows, we might even be able to send your friends back with you as well," Game Hiiro resolved, Ucchi and Kiriya acting as his guard.

"A wise decision, Hiiro-dono," Ucchi praised, "that is the true spirit of our game, after all!"

"Looks like this Hiiro understands!" Poppy grinned, once again holding the console up for Kingston and Emu.

"However," Game Hiiro interrupted, standing as he sauntered towards the two. "We can't just throw our powers into the ring willingly. As you've shown, there is a lot at stake in this fight, and we mustn't risk them without knowing we can handle it. Thus, we use our game's rules. If you seek our help, then you must abide by our rules."

And while Kingston sighed and rubbed her temples, remembering what was coming, Karone stepped forward. "Hiiro-san, you never talked about these rules with us. What are we dealing with here?"

"Oh don't you worry. You'll see if you come," Game Hiiro smiled, his gaze landing on the console. "Emu, you will be the player."

"Shit," Kingston muttered as Emu stared in shock, finding himself pulled in by the blue light, vanishing into a white room all by his lonesome.

"OK!" AV called from above as the blue pixels formed the room around the intern. "This is the select stage of Chou Super Hero Taisen. You must participate in a team battle where the strongest are chosen to become the GoRiders."

"The GoRiders? What are those?"

"The so-called elite of the game, comprised of the tournament winners."

Jerking towards the new voice, Emu could've sworn it sounded like it was-

"Kingston?! Where the heck-?!"

"Still watching in reality over here. Hiiro's working on something, and Hammy is on her way back. The monitor's like a tinted window right now, so I can see what's going on. I'll help you as best I can on this end."

And as she spoke, five large cards appeared behind Emu, the middle one flipping to his Ex-Aid form while the other four besides it were all spinning different pictures like slot machines.

"Red is Ex-Aid. Please select four from the remaining blue, green, yellow and pink heroes!"

"Ok, let's get started. Emu this is the base of your team. You're going to want to pick ones with balanced abilities. I'm sure that's common game knowledge for you, though."

"That's true, but I don't know much about any of these choices," Emu pondered before a lightbulb went off. "Kingston, mind lending me a hand with this?"

"Thought you'd never ask. Ok, let's see, where should we start? Uhh, oh! Ok, so this seems to be following the Sentai format of team choice with the different colors, with the one in the red slot acting as the leader. Blue is usually the second in command, but pink can act in that role as well, even the leader themselves in some cases. Whichever color you pick will probably be a choice that counters your fighting style."

"Ok, let's start with pink then. I'll probably be using hand to hand with Gekitoutsu Robots, so do you know any long-range pink heroes?"

"Long-range, huh? Uhmm, let's see here, umm-OH! I got it! Call out 'Gokaiger' for pink."

Taking her advice, Emu stepped toward the pink card and placed his hand, stating, "Gokaiger please."

In an instant, the slot stopped on a pink Sentai warrior, regal in her stance and her suit resembling a pirate of sorts.

"Gokai Pink is a master with the double pistols, and she has a cutlass for close range as well. Emu, meet Princess Ahim de Famille of the Gokaigers."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance," Gokai Pink curtseyed. "Am I to be on your team?"

"I guess so. Nice to meet you, Ahim-sama."

And with the Senshi leaping out, what stood before the intern was a curly black haired woman a little shorter than him, wearing a white frilly dress with a pink coat and matching boots, a kind smile gracing her features.

"So, who will we be deciding to join us next?"

"Umm, blue I suppose. Any advice?"

"Let's see here, we've got hand to hand and long range covered, but its good to have two shooters just in case. Swords and short-range weapons are a good choice as well, but for blue, I'd say we want a jack of all trades, someone who can handle multiple fighting types. Try Specter."

Repeating the process on the blue card, a Kamen Rider landed on the slot, looking a bit demonic in form with two horns coming from the helmet and donning, of all things, a hooded jacket under the base suit.

"Whoa, cool. You look kinda like Takeru-kun does."

"You know Takeru?" Spector spoke up, dropping his fighting stance inside his card. "He and I fought together."

"Perfect! And you're just the kind of fighter we need. I'll pick you then."

The Kamen Rider jumped to the ground, showing a taller man with short black hair wearing black and blue biker gear, nodding in acknowledgment. "I'm Fukami Makoto."

"Sweet, halfway there. Now let's cover the short range. For yellow, we'll want someone who's good with swords."

"If I may make a suggestion," Ahim spoke up, "my comrade Luka-san is excellent with wielding swords. I also know of a Sentai known as the Shinkengers, and from what I've seen of their prowess, having one of them on our side could be most beneficial."

"She's not wrong on either side. And both would work well with the dynamic. Emu, it's your team, which do you want?"

"How about this; I'll stop the slot, and whoever it lands on, we'll pick."

Once again, Emu touched the yellow card, and the slot stopped on not another Gokaiger, but of a Sentai warrior dressed in yellow, the suit looking like a gi with her visor shaped like the kanji for the earth.

"Ahh, Shinken Yellow. Good with swords and wields the earth elemental with Mojikara."

"I'm Hanaori Kotoha. Pleased to meet you."

"Houjou Emu. Welcome to the team, Kotoha-san."

What stepped out of the yellow card and towards Gokai Pink was another young woman about Ahim's height, with medium black hair and wearing brightly colored clothes and a smile just as bright to match.

"Yosh, that leaves one to go. Kingston, any recommendations for green?"

"Read my mind, Emu. We'll want one more long range to work with Ahim, and I think I know just the Rider. Kamen Rider Ryugen. Think a Chinese samurai with a grape motif."

Rinse and repeat, and a young man stepped out of the green card, wearing bright white and blue dancing clothes, but with a look that was years beyond his age. "I am Kureshime Mitsuzane, but please, call me Micchi. Good to be fighting alongside all of you."

And with the team of five selected, the stage for the tournament could finally begin, Kingston watching from reality in anticipation. "And now, the preliminary round of the tournament to decide the strongest GoRiders! First up is Team Ex-Aid!"

The preliminary stage looked to be an ancient temple, red and green with intricate designs lining the pagoda structures as the torches burned brightly in the night sky. And once again, the white digital eight statues littered the area.

"VS: Team Detective!"

The opponents that stood against them were mismatched as they were, but with a common threadline of being investigators of different kinds. Kamen Rider Accel, Kamen Rider G3-X, DenziGreen, Deka Yellow and Heart Queen.

"Minna, let's go!" Emu signaled, clamping on his Gamer Driver and activating his two Gashats.

Mighty Action X! Gekitotsu Robots! "Dai Dai Dai Henshin!"

GASHATTO! Gacchan! Level UP! Mighty Action X! I gotcha! Gekitotsu Robots!

Makoto summoned his Ghost Driver around his waist, the belt appearing out of nowhere, and clicked his Specter Eyecon, locking it in.

EYE~! Bacchiri Mirou! Bacchiri Mirou! "Henshin."

KAIGAN! Specter! Ready go! Kaku go! Doki Doki Ghost!

Kotoha pulled out her Shodophone, flipping it into Mojikara mode and stroking the symbol for the earth into the air, swiping it and sending it forward.

"Ippitsu Soujou!"

"Shinken Yellow! Hanaori Kotoha!"

Micchi slammed on his Sengoku Driver, pulling out and unlocking his grape Lockseed, swinging his arms as he locked it in and sliced it with the cutting knife on the belt.

"Henshin." Budou!

Lock on! Hai~! Budou Arms! Ryuhou Ha ha ha!

Ahim opened her Mobirats and her pink Ranger figure, flipping it into its closed form as she started the Gokaiger sequence and clicked it into the phone. "Gokai Change!"

GOOOKAIGER!

"Gokai Pink!"

"Battle...Ready?"

All sides prepped their weapons of choice, some swords, some guns, some just using their fists.

"GO!"

Ten heroes of all types and colors charged, all manner of mayhem unleashed. And the whole time this went on, Poppy, Alice and Karone watched from behind the pillars nearby and Kingston from the monitor.

At times, it was hard to see who was winning on either side with the different matchups, seeing one side of Team Ex-Aid gain the high ground only to see another member struggle.

Emu, in particular, was having time all his own, with Accel's aggressive swordplay nearly hacking off a limb more times than he could count. At one point, Ex-Aid had just barely ducked in time to dodge a swing that sliced a pillar behind him in half, before the red Rider continued hacking away.

The other four of Team Ex-Aid were also trying to find winning strategies, a mismatch between the different heroes before managing to find weak points to exploit. Ahim and Micchi were able to double team G3-X and Deka Yellow, outgunning one and outnumbering the other. Kotoha and Makoto, on the other hand, were also swapping back and forth between Heart Queen and DenziGreen, confusing them enough that they couldn't anticipate their moves.

It took a bit of doing, but Team Ex-Aid finally managed to defeat Team Detective, all of them turning into cards, the members cheering and celebrating being entered into the tournament. But Emu noticed that someone other than the girls were watching their match.

The very same boy that Poppy and Hammy had seen earlier.

And just as before, the child ran off at being spotted, Emu giving chase along with calling the girls to follow, Alice taking to the sky to corner him.

But as he left, his teammates happened to notice this as well, casting each other a glance as they moved to follow. Micchi seemed to ponder something as they went. "Do you think that this has anything to do with him?"

"No," Makoto interrupted. "No, he couldn't have done this. You all heard him; he only wished to help us."

"Still, Xevious and Galaxian were two of his favorite games," Kotoha added. "It's not entirely impossible."

"Maybe so, but Hiiro-san is his guardian, and he only does what's in his best interests. I'm certain this aligns along that same path. We'll have to continue to find out for ourselves," Ahim resolved.

And with that, the four heroes went off to find their red and prepare for the tournament to come.

Back in reality, with Hammy ported back from the game world, the two girls were checking over Kingston's conditions while keeping an eye on Emu's side. But the outsider, having received a relay from her ship, caught Hiiro looking over some med records out of the corner of her eye, finding a picture of a young boy.

The same boy Emu and Poppy had seen in Chou Taisen.

"The genius programmer Eito," she read, catching Hiiro's attention as he looked in surprise at her knowledge. "And your first patient after coming back from America."

The surgeon's surprise only grew at the sight of two new figures coming up the stairs, a golden mechanoid and a man with silver hair. And while the two Kyuurangers were happy to see them, coming over to give a hug, Hiiro was questioning how the hell they came in.

"Easy, Hiiro," Kingston soothed, side hugging Naaga. "These are some of our teammates."

"Correctamundo!" the ML thief cheered. "I'm Balance. Top notch hacker and resident golden Kyuuranger. Chikuyoro!"

"I am called Naaga," the silver ranger introduced. "Hammy and Kingston contacted us to assist the situation."

"Which seems to include our young Eito there," Kingston interjected, pointing at Hiiro's laptop. "He was commissioned into the hospital after being diagnosed with a mystery illness that computerized his body. And seeing as you were the best surgeon available and one of the doctors assigned to the medical branch specializing in cases with similar symptoms, you became his attending physician after returning from America."

"And how would you know about that?" Hiiro scowled.

"Kingston's just got a knack for knowing what she shouldn't," Balance teased, "but she asked us to search up your little mystery patient. A piece of cake for the best stars of the galaxy!"

"Did you hack the network?" the surgeon realized, looking back over his research.

"Hang on a second, since when is it ok to invade the privacy of our allies like this?" Hammy scolded hands on her hips.

"Hammy, we need all the info we can find to fix this whole mess. And need I remind you that by those standards, this makes us even on our actions. At least all we did was try to understand the situation. With that in mind, may I try to paint the picture of what happened to him?" the outsider asked. Though Hiiro made no gesture of acknowledgment, her teammates let her continue the explanation.

"You introduced yourself to Eito as his doctor, but he barely paid you any form of mind. He was consistently focused on his work, switching from three different laptops at all times. He never spoke of what he was working on individually, and never looked you in the eye when he spoke. But whenever you saw him on his computer, his body seemed to fizz and digitize for a second.

'He told you that all of his previous doctors had suspected heart problems, but you had insisted that his condition could be cured with an operation, regardless of the source of the issue. But Eito didn't care whether or not he could become cured. In turn, he refused to have you operate.

'At first, you thought nothing of it. After all, it's in your policy to only treat patients that want a cure. But right after Eito finished Chou Taisen and spread the game on the internet, you went to visit him and found his digitizing problem reach its peak. You were there to witness Eito be sucked into his own game, never to surface until now. For someone who wants to be a perfect surgeon, he's a past you want to forget."

"If you count him in, you won't be perfect anymore," Balance added, strolling to the table while Naaga commented on his partner's perfect assumption.

"Not quite," Hiiro corrected. "Far from perfect."

"Exactly," Balance agreed. "Y'see, Eito-kun had another symptom, right?"

"Eito couldn't exhibit emotions very well," Kingston finished. "For some reason, he had very few emotions at all."

"So he's like me," Naaga realized, staring at the screen as Emu and the girls finally cornered Eito.

"But something like that isn't treatable," Kingston added.

"I only treat patients with operations," the cold surgeon argued. "You claim to know all about us, so are you keeping secrets from us, or is that something you just happened to miss?"

"Oi, I'm trying to defend you here, you do not get to talk about her that way, and especially not to her face," Hammy scolded him, coming just a touch too close for comfort.

"Hammy, relax, its okay. He does bring up a fair point. And I did already know about your operation only policy as well; it just didn't seem relevant to bring up. I am not questioning your credibility or your methodology, Hiiro. I'm just saying that this isn't something for you to turn a blind eye to in this case. Look at how much this whole game world mess is fucking with us.

'I'm not trying to force you to help us. But I want you to know that I've lived through the consequences of standing by and doing nothing, far more than I'd like to admit. Please. Don't make the same mistake I did."

Though all of them heard Kingston's words, all but Naaga looked at the young girl in surprise, her eyes showing wisdom beyond her years.

Said Hebitsukian was watching the monitor in interest, the conversation between their team and Eito unfolding before him.

"So after you refused Hiiro-san's operation, you wound up in this world. And you've been here ever since?" Emu asked, but the boy remained unresponsive.

"Eito-kun, I'm so sorry," Karone apologized, her ears drooping into her locks as she knelt down beside him. "There must be something we can do to bring you back with us."

"The question is, how?" Emu pondered.

All of them seemed to try to come up with a solution until Alice turned wide-eyed to Poppy with a determined smile. "Of course! Poppy-san, you said that we're able to go back out into the real world with you. Perhaps you could bring Eito-kun along as well!"

"I can't," Poppy sighed, "not if he's already become a game character. Only Bugsters can travel back and forth, and only those in the real world can come alongside them. If he's integrated into an NPC, then its impossible for me to pull him out of the code."

"I'm not going back," Eito finally spoke bluntly, shocking all of them with his words. "I'll stay here forever."

"Wha-Why?" Emu stuttered incredulously, gesturing around the barren plaza. "Eito-kun, there's constant warfare in this place, you'll always be put in danger if you stay. Plus, there's nothing here for you."

"There's nothing in the real world either."

Karone and Alice, specifically, reacted the most towards Eito's cold response, their thoughts shifting to Kingston and their friends aboard the Orion-Gou.

The two of them wished more than anything to return to them, to the universe outside this wartorn game, so similar to that of those under Jack Matter's rule, when they had seen that there was so much more beyond that.

So how could someone who had seen so much less, experience constant pain and fear throughout his time in this restricted metropolis of code and data, want to remain in a place like this? When there were others that cared about him in the real world, no matter how long they had known him?

Not soon after the group had begun to ponder the boy's words had Makoto climbed the stairway nearby, calling Emu to return with them as the starting rounds of the tournament were about to begin.

"Oh, before we go, I'd like to give you something, Eito-kun," Alice suggested, kneeling down beside him. "Hold out your hand."

Doing as asked, the amethyst Kyuuranger placed her hands in his, closing her eyes as her horn began to glow. A purple light started to shine in her palms before the glow seemed to shape into a bright ball, and when Eito looked inside, there was what looked like little lightning bolts crackling in the center.

"Now you'll have something to keep with you in either world," Alice smiled, Emu appearing over her shoulder and facing the boy eye to eye.

"Let's talk again later," he smiled.

"About what?"

"Anything. I'd like to get to know you better. I promise you," the intern finished, holding up his pinky and closing it around the boys' with a grin. And as the four ran off for the matchups, Eito quietly stood where he was, staring at his hand with the ball, thinking about his promise.

But what he wasn't aware of was Naaga watching from the outside world, holding his hand up in awe as he remembered what Kingston had taught him previously.

"A promise..."

All the while, Kingston watched her silver-haired friend with her trademark grin clear as day.

As the fights dragged on, more and more teams of heroes began to duke out for the title of the GoRiders. Some had matchups based on gender, some on the weapon and fighting styles, and some were just as randomized as Emu's team. Said contenders had dealt with surprisingly few matches, even though at least twelve different teams were competing for the winner.

The starting round had begun with Team Ex-Aid fighting off against a team of Riders with blue shades, meaning that most of them had water and aquatic based abilities, save for Kamen Rider Gatack and Diend. But what they lacked in color variety was more than made up for in fighting variety, ranging from pistols to swords and rods, even electrified whips.

But their downfall came in communication, as Diend was continually jumping back and forth between aiding his allies, never deciding on one specific fight and taking far too many chances.

Micchi was the saving grace, able to barely manage outgunning the Treasure Sniper while the others used their opponents' versatility against them, leading to making every swing of the sword or bullet from the gun hit each other and to finish off, Team Ex-Aid made it to the semi-finals.

Their third round was against Team Flyers, a group that heavily based on flight tactics, though those that remained on the ground utilized extended range techniques and weapons save for Kamen Rider Knight's swordsmanship.

Surprisingly, however, the ladies of the team shined through, with Ahim using her double pistols and excellent marksmanship to win out in ranged fights, while Kotoha managed to use her Earth Elemental abilities to keep any flyers grounded. From there, it was only a matter of Makoto and Emu double teaming Knight and OOO's in Tajador form, winning their bout and moving into the final match.

But throughout the tournament matchups, there was one team, in particular, that was rising through the ranks that had caught the pink Rider's attention. Or more specifically, it's leader.

The now deceased Dan Kuroto. Kamen Rider Genm.

And it was Genm that faced the level three-game Rider and his team in the final battle, matched into his level X form of the game Dangerous Zombie. Alongside him was his mismatched posse. Yellow Owl, TimePink, Kamen Rider Birth, and Deka Blue.

It was akin to a Western showdown, both teams staring the other dead in the visor as AV rang through the air like a siren. "First we have Team Ex-Aid! Versus, Team Genmu!"

"Shall we, Ex-Aid?" Genm mocked, his Gashacon Sparrow cocked and ready.

"Battle Ready?"

"LET'S DO THIS!"

"GO!"

It was a straightforward match, pink on pink, red on red. Ex-Aid and Genm duked out as if they had never stopped, both trying to exploit old weak spots and kinks in the armor. Genm still fought half as a savage and half as a saint, swinging the Sparrow madly while still keeping a method to his madness. Emu held to the high ground, sticking to any elevation he could find while using the Gekitotsu glove as a bruiser type defense. Neither Rider let up for a second, their animosity showing no bounds despite death splitting them apart.

Ahim and TimePink were by no means enemies, but both had an absolute finality to their strategies in battle. While TimePink had a much more professional style as an officer of the law, straightforward and nonlethal, her pirate counterpart had a sort of regal rogue hybrid to her methods, finding different weak spots and exploiting them whenever possible while still portraying elegance and thought process. Eventually, the brashness that came with piracy began to shine through in Ahim's technique, allowing the pink Timeranger to win an opening and disarm Gokai Pink, claiming the first win.

Micchi and Birth (not Proto), while both were seeming a bit young regarding combat, they shared a depth of awareness and understanding that should've been beyond their years of experience, though with Ryugen a bit more so. While the choice of weapons seemed a bit one-sided, Micchi using his Budou Ryuhou and Birth firing his two-handed medal shotgun, neither side seemed uneven, as when one opponent gained the upper hand, the other would pull the rug out from under and the fight would even out again.

But unfortunately, the dance of gaining ground and falling behind between the two greens could only last so long, as Micchi was jumping from point to point to obtain different vantage points and confuse Birth. But the Cell Medal Rider was a strategist above most other qualities and used an opening in between Micchi's firing rates to land the finishing shot, knocking the grape samurai flat and gaining another Genm win.

Meanwhile, Kotoha and Yellow Owl had been clashing steel between one another, though the Shinkenger was gaining an advantage due to her samurai training. The yellow Jetman was whacked back and forth by the smaller girl, often landing headfirst into debris or obstacles littering the warehouse arena. What Kotoha hadn't expected to happen was Yellow Owl taking flight, using swooping maneuvers to attempt dominance. The yellow samurai, however, knew how to deal with flying opponents, and utilizing her rock-based Mojikara, managed to ground the Owl ranger and land a finishing strike, claiming the first win for Team Ex-Aid as she cheered.

Likewise to TimePink, DekaBlue had the professionalism to his methods, though he seemed to add a touch of hotheadedness or even a bit of bravado. A perfect match for Makoto, using his Gan Gun Hand as his weapon of choice. Being well trained in combat as he was, DekaBlue was still a worthy challenge, showing excellent versatility in his methods and keeping the double horned Rider on his toes as they went. But much as Birth did Micchi, Makoto took openings where he found them. In this case, when DekaBlue managed to wall-jump off a pillar and aim the killing shot, Specter flipped his weapon into Gun Mode, and with a pull of the trigger, the win was his.

"The score is 2-2!" AV shouted from above. "Victory or defeat depends on the duel between Ex-Aid and Genm!"

Said game Riders were reaching their climax, as Genm was growing more and more impatient, and cocky, with every blow. But just as that same bravado brought him to his death, it brought Emu his final victory needed, as he super jumped to dodge an incoming energy swing, and with a thrust of his fist, the Gekitotsu glove rocketed straight into the Zombie Gamer, doing him in and leaving the score 3-2.

As Team Ex-Aid came together to celebrate in their ways, AV came online once more. "The winner is Team Ex-Aid! Now the strongest GoRiders have been decided. The GoRiders have access to every Kamen Rider and Super Sentai power. Now off to the real world! Go!"

"Alright! Minna, ready to help fight for the real world?"

"I must say, it will be a lovely experience viewing the world outside of our own," Ahim cooed, "and of course, we're happy to assist in any way we can."

"Besides, any chance away from that creep is all the reason I need," Micchi shivered.

"Wait, creep? Oh, you mean Hiiro-san? I'm not sure how different he is here than in my world, but I'm sure he can't be-"

"No, not Hiiro," Makoto interjected, his tone severe. "The one he's working with."

"A little while back, someone new entered the game," Kotoha explained. "This newcomer claims that he wants to assist Hiiro-san in taking care of Eito-kun. But he's the one thing we've all been able to agree about regarding our well-being. There's something not right about him. And I don't even want to think about what he's planning for Eito-kun."

Ex-Aid seemed to consider the possibilities before refocusing on the task at hand. "I'll let my friends on the outside know about this. For now, let's head out. I hope we're not jumping into anything world shattering while we're at it."

"Now that is how you do a climactic final battle right there," Kingston sighed happily, having watched from the game monitor.

"EHH?! Emu, what do you mean?!" Poppy screamed into the portable console, catching the heroes' attention in a hurry.

"Poppy, what happened?" Hammy asked as Kingston held up the console for the others, the ninja hovering over her shoulder as they stared at the three still on the inside.

"Emu says that someone else is working with Game Hiiro! The heroes in here think that he might have something to do with everything that's been going on!"

"Ms. Meteor, this ringing any bells?" Balance pressured, hoping their resident clairvoyant could come up with some answers.

"An outside helper? No, there was never anyone helping Game Hiiro and Eito, it was just them in the movie," Kingston stumbled, brows furrowed as she tried racking her brain to find a solution to the new equation given.

But he thoughts were interrupted by hearing an alarm coming from Hiiro's CR-issued stethoscope that doubled as a communicator, the surgeon wrapping it around him and turning on the speaker. "Hai. CR division."

"Tell the psycho I held up my end of the deal," came Taiga's voice. "Xevious is back, and they are pissed."

"Mou, now of all times?!" Kingston moaned. "Ok, Hiiro, yell at me for giving orders later, for now, take Hammy and Balance with you into town and see what you can do. And Hammy, before you say anything about me jumping in, Naaga and I will stay here and keep tabs on Chou Taisen. If this has anything to do with them, we need eyes on both fronts. But contact the others on your way out. We'll see what we can do on our end."

"Be careful, both of you," Hammy warned, hugging the younger girl while Balance and Naaga did their special handshake before the three ran off, much to Hiiro's irritation with the added company while the silver and white rangers booked it for the roof to see the damage for themselves.

Just as Hiiro and the two Kyuurangers left the hospital, Emu and his team materialized back into the real world on the clifftops nearby. A view that also granted them a front row seat of the carnage below.

The Xevius forces had returned with a vengeance, the smaller drones tripled in number and causing all forms of chaos and destruction. Civilians caught in the crossfire, buildings, and industries crumbling under fire, fires, and carnage scattered everywhere in sight. Put just, something no hero could bear to watch without fighting back.

"Emu, options, anytime now," Micchi pressured, a little agitated and anxious just towards the sight.

"Ok ok, uh, well, the GoRiders have access to every power the Superheroes possess. Maybe we can summon their heavy artillery or something? Maybe a giant mecha or two?"

"That's a start, but one problem. How?" Specter asked irritatedly.

As if an answer, two cards digitized into the intern's palm, both having pictures of giant mechanisms of all shapes and sizes. Labeled on the top of each card was Rider Machines and Sentai Machines respectively.

"Well, I guess this is how," Emu figured, shrugging before throwing the cards in the air to activate them.

In a wave of blue pixels, giant ships and mechanisms from past Toku shows roared through the air, be it the DenLiner charging alongside the Gokai Galleon, Magi Dragon flying next to the Doran Castle, or even the very first Sentai Machine of the Gorengers, Variblune, hovering through the air. The cavalry had arrived, and the heroes were ready to get this shindig started.

"Oh. Hell. Yes." Emu grinned.

Instantly, the five members moon jumped through the sky, each landing on their giant fighter. The machines wasted no time, raining down counterfire and obliterating any Xevious drones that caught the pilots eye.

The Galleon, piloted by Ahim, was taking down the swarms with little effort, aided by Kotoha and the DenLiner's defenses. Micchi and MagiDragon were perfect deflectors against the fortress defenses, while Makoto and Castle Doran were handling the offense.

Emu had taken control of the Variblune, bobbing and weaving through the air as Emu locked onto his target, circling the bottom of the fortress and the exposed core, indicating the other mechs to launch the heavy artillery towards it. And fire them they did, releasing a barrage of flames and counter fire right for the center, cracking and shattering the exposed core, finally destroying the fortress and clearing Xevious once and for all, AV announcing it in pure glee.

After landing near a crowd of onlookers, the group once again celebrated their victory, before all of them suddenly demorphed unwillingly. At first, the game heroes checked their forms, expecting to vanish into card format any second, until AV spoke up again, though this time with much less good news.

"Now, the bonus stage starts!"

"Bonus stage?!" Emu panicked, frantically looking for indicators of the next battle. "Did you guys know about this?"

"No, we had no idea," Kotoha answered.

Catching a projection of the Chou Taisen screen on a building nearby, the group watched as the animation began to change, the image of the Earth in the background turning purple, while a black symbol rose above it.

To some, a very familiar symbol.

"Emu-san, that is the symbol the newcomer was wearing!" Ahim cried.

The animation began to change once again, creating images of heroes fighting against monsters and hundreds of alien soldiers, before the blue pixels washed down onto the debris-filled concrete below. Dozens upon dozens of monsters crowded the streets, the soldiers swinging their weapons tauntingly as the generals waited patiently behind and the crowds began to panic.

Another blue light zoomed into reality, landing on a building rooftop and taking humanoid form. The being looked humanoid, a male with wavy red hair, dressed in purple and blood red, royal garb, a silk cape fluttering in the wind. What was supposed to be an eye was scarred and the pupil was white, but the way he held himself was in a cocky, almost proud air.

But it wasn't the new appearance that introduced himself, but the game heroes.

"Emu that's him! He's the one who's working with Hiiro!" Micchi pointed.

"Ahh, so you recognize my greatness," Evil Dude grinned, his teeth looking as sharp as fangs.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Pyxlanis, Karo to the Pyxis system and now, destroyer of your precious Earth in the name of Jack Matter!"

The crowd gasped, having heard about the Jack Matter invasion previously but never witnessing them until now. "You see, under the glorious Shogun Don Armage, he has ordered that your little backwater rock is to become obliterated. Now normally for an empire so grand, this should prove to be of little effort. But time and time again, we would run into one complication after another. The reason? You so-called 'heroes.' But when I first came here I thought, why bother wasting my time with brute force, as those before me have tried and failed? No, I decided to take a different approach and see what allies I could find to aid in our cause. And look what I just happened to stumble upon."

As he spoke, the various footsoldiers growled and cried, eager to begin their rampage.

"With none of the nuisances of Rebellion interfering with my plans, gathering an army in the game world to conquer Earth was child's play. Best of all, that idiot of a Rider and his emotionless blank slate of a child ward played right into my hands! Now I can avenge my previous comrades and claim the destruction of your world in one fell swoop!"

And unsheathing his double katanas, Pyxlanis aimed a beam straight for a rubble-collapsed skyscraper, and with one swing, managed to make it disintegrate into nothing.

Ex-Aid's team watched in shock, quickly turning their anger and disgust in the Jack Matter lackey. "Do you realize what you're doing?!" Emu screamed.

"Oh, indeed I do. And I'm enjoying every second of it!" Pyxlanis cheered, his fangs glinting in the sun. "But I'm afraid I no longer need any of you. And I do believe my former partner would make much better use of you naive heroes. But know this before I banish you miserable lot. The time of heroes on this planet is over. Now, this is our stage!"

"Thank you, Chou Super Hero!" AV rang, and much to the horror of all who witnessed, Team Ex-Aid pixelized and vanished into thin air. Leaving them entirely vulnerable to the onslaught of revived Toku villains.

"Saa, IKE!"

All the while, two Kyuurangers watched everything unfold from what felt like a world away. Naaga had immediately tried contacting the others, but whatever was happening with Pyxlanis was also cutting them off from communications off-world, leaving them stranded and data blind.

Chaos, mass hysteria, and destruction rained through the air, and with everything crumbling down around them, the outsider could only think of one appropriate response.

"Well shit."