Ryuji grumbled as he waited at the train station with Kotonoha so they could head to school. He immensely disliked public transportation, especially at times like this when the trains would be cramped with people. He had a sharp nose so the odor of several humans irritated him. Kotonoha didn't mind it as this was how she usually traveled. It was starting to get cold too so Kotonoha had a jacket on over her school clothes with a pink scarf while Ryuji was wearing a blue scarf. While he did not need it, he really couldn't refuse Kotonoha.
Just like now.
The other reason he did not like public trains was that they had perverts groping young girls. The last time someone groped his Kotonoha, they ended up with several bones in their hand broken.
"Why do we have to take the train again?" Ryuji complained. He much preferred his bike and the open road than the miles and miles of train tracks while riding a cramped train car.
"Because I wanted to, and I'd like to ride in the train with you," she told him.
"Yeah…but…" He looked about. There were a lot of people waiting for the train. There were too many of them. "It'll stink in there."
"Stink?"
"Too much human BO," he clarified.
"You…don't like how we smell?" Kotonoha questioned.
"I like how you and Kokoro-chan smell," he answered. "You smell delicious." He gave her a grin.
Actually, Kotonoha knew the train would be cramped and it gave her an excuse to press herself up against Ryuji while riding the train. If they found a seat, so much the better.
"The train's pulling in," Kotonoha said.
Ryuji rolled his eyes but then he felt someone push him hard in the back, straight off the platform and towards the tracks just as the train was pulling in. His eyes widened as he saw it was none other than Taisuke Sawanaga who'd pushed him, but his eyes were red.
'Imagin!' Ryuji realized.
BASH!
He got hit by the train. Kotonoha's eyes went wide with shock and then she let loose a shriek, "RYUJI-KUN!" All the other people on the platform were startled.
Taisuke grinned before his eyes closed and he fell over. Sand burst from his body, reforming into an Imagin with features of a Pangolin. "Now, the contract is complete," the Imagin said. Upon its appearance, everyone scrambled away in terror at the sight of the monster. As the Imagin turned and opened Taisuke up as its portal into the past, a kick threw the monster through the air and it went tumbling. "What…?"
Standing right beside Kotonoha was none other than Kamen Rider Ifrit and while his expression was not visible, he was not happy. "Imagin-teme, let me tell you this from the start; I am VERY pissed off."
"Ryuji-kun," a surprised and relieved Kotonoha gasped.
Ifrit looked to her and smiled, boasting, "It'll take more than a train to take this Rider out." The Imagin roared and charged at Ifrit. The Rider dodged a swipe from of its claws before elbowing it in the face. "Loki, come here," Ryuji commanded. The Imagin tried again, only for Loki to materialize and blast it backwards with a fireball.
"Ryuji, are you alright?" Loki asked.
"A little sore, actually," Ifrit confessed. "I was hit by a train."
"Ryuji-kun, how did you survive?" Kotonoha asked.
"Orphenoch," he answered simply. "Plus, when the train was just about to hit me…"
FLAHSBACK
"Henshin!"
"IFRIT FORM!"
END FLASHBACK
"It just took a second for me to transform and when the train hit I bounced off the front and did a flip to land on the engine car," he explained. He conjured his twin Ifrit Dao, "Now, time to ice this pest!"
"Kuso!" the Imagin cursed and in its desperation dove into Taisuke's body, flying into the past through the portal.
"Hey!" Ifrit shouted. He then saw Yuji walking over. "Huh, Yuji?"
"I saw the whole thing," Yuji said with a serious face that changing to a smirk. "Nice theatrics by the way, with the rebound flip off the train. I can say that you're probably the sturdiest Orphenoch I know."
"Yuji-san, how long were you there?" Kotonoha inquired.
"I spotted Sawanaga sneaking around with a sand trail behind him, so I tailed him. In short; the whole time."
Ifrit pointed a finger to Taisuke, "Oh, could you take care of this for me? I mean since your sister did so well with those bitches, maybe she'd like a new pet."
"Ryuji-kun!" Kotonoha scolded.
Yuji shook his head, "Yuki doesn't play with trash. She stomps on its neck and kills it. Besides, something tells me he won't be dying today."
Ifrit shrugged, "Well, I'm headed to the past. Oh, and Koto-chan, you're free to kick or stomp his crotch."
"She doesn't need to dirty her feet," Yuji retorted.
"Oh, I'll do it when I get back then."
"I'll be sure to have him ready for ya."
Ifrit held a ticket over Taisuke's head and a date appeared along with a picture of the Pangolin Imagin. Kotonoha recognized the date and gasped.
"What is it?" the Rider asked his girlfriend.
"October 4th 2007," she read the date. "That was when we went to the water park."
Ifrit scowled. Of course Taisuke would remember that day. He'd seen Kotonoha in a bikini. The pervert deserved a kick in the balls for that. Ifrit slipped the ticket into his past and summoned the ChronoLiner before he boarded and shot towards the past.
OCTOBER 4TH 2007
Taisuke loved to watch the women in swimsuits run about, their assets bouncing. The water caused their skimpy suits to cling to their bodies, making the day all that sweeter. However, his eyes were on Kotonoha Katsura, who just happened to be his best friend's girlfriend. It was so unfair! He wanted her, he really wanted her!
All of a sudden, his body stiffened and sand spilled out before it reformed into the Pangolin Imagin. People witnessing this screamed and the annoyed Imagin let loose its plate-like scales, firing them in all directions. They missed the people, but the attack was enough to send them running in a panic.
All of a sudden, the ChronoLiner sped into the scene and Ifrit leapt out of it. Spotting the Imagin, he conjured a slide made of ice and slid down along its surface, twin Ifrit Dao at the ready. The Pangolin Imagin spotted Ifrit and let loose its scales again, shattering the ice slide. Bounding off, Ifrit flipped through the air and landed on the floor.
"Alright, teme, time to pay you back for pushing me off the platform," growled Ifrit.
"That was you?" the Imagin gaped.
"Yep, so you didn't really complete your contract, did you? You just thought you did." Ifrit chuckled. Enraged, the Pangolin Imagin attacked and started swinging its claws around but Ifrit fluidly dodged them with ease before he countered with his own slashes with struck the Imagin's scaly body but did little damage as the scales were like armor. Only sparks flew when his blades met the Imagin's hide.
Ifrit was suddenly distracted by a familiar shout. Against his better judgment, he looked to see Kotonoha in the deep end of the pool, struggling to stay afloat. During the panic, she must've been pushed into the water. 'She can't swim!' Ifrit realized. The Imagin capitalized on this and slashed Ifrit across the chest. Ifrit ignored the pain. He just couldn't let Kotonoha die here.
He turned and ran for the pool, dematerializing his swords as he dove into the water. He then swam towards the girl who was starting to sink into the water. "No!" He went under and swam towards her. He grabbed her waist and started to pull her up to the surface with him. Once they broke the surface of the water, he swam them over to the edge of the pool and pulled themselves up. The Imagin had fled. Ifrit cursed himself for getting distracted but at lease Kotonoha was safe.
The girl coughed and looked up. She gasped at the appearance of her savior. He was clad in black and blue armor, and he looked like a knight which she read about in fairytales. She blushed as she saw him looking back at her. "Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded. "Good." He then dashed off in search of the Imagin.
From a distance, someone watched him with deep interest.
Once Ifrit left the water park, he undid his transformation. If he walked around in full armor in search of his Imagin target, he'd draw unnecessary attention. Looking around, he saw a lot of people out and about. If the Pangolin Imagin had run past here, he would know. He sniffed the air, hoping to catch the Imagin's scent and gritted his teeth in frustration. "Where is that thing?" he wondered aloud. "Loki, can you sense him?"
"No, Ryuji. I'm sorry," Loki apologized.
Ryuji turned on his watch's radar function. "He's not turning up on my watch either." He shut off the radar and scratched his head in frustration. "Kuso…"
He was still in the past, dated October 4th 2007. He knew what this day meant. It was the day Makoto and Sekai would have sex for the first time. He also knew what happened after that but he couldn't think about it. He had an Imagin to hunt.
Suddenly, the sky turned blood red and bathed the entire area in the same color while all the people froze like statues. Something was up. This was not normal. "What…?"
He heard footsteps approaching and was on his guard. His blue eyes glowed gold as he scanned the crowd then he spotted someone approaching him. It was female, dressed in blue jeans, black combat boots and a black tank top. She had bone white skin and long black hair that reached down to the small of her back. What really got Ryuji's attention was the steel hockey mask that she wore on her face.
"Fancy meeting you here," she said.
"Sauron…" Ryuji growled.
"Oh, you remember me! I'm touched!"
"It's hard to forget someone who tried to kill me."
Sauron was a demon and not just any demon. She was a being known as the Living Gate that had the ability to connect the human world with the world of Horror. Horrors were demonic beings that fed on human flesh. Sauron was a Horror herself but she was at the top of the hierarchy, maintaining a near human form without the need of a host like all other Horrors.
"What are you doing here in the past?" he growled.
"Vacation," she answered. He snorted in response. "Don't believe me?"
"I don't believe anything that comes out of that mouth of yours."
"Of course you don't but do you really want to fight me with all these people around?" Sauron said, addressing the frozen people all around them.
"What did you do to them?" Ryuji demanded.
"Oh, it's something I developed called a Stasis Field," she explained. "Only creatures like us with special abilities can move about in them. Normal humans like these people are frozen solid instead. No time passes either."
Ryuji had a sinking feeling he knew why she would make a Stasis Field. Made feeding easier for her if her victims didn't squirm about.
"So, hunting an Imagin, right?" she asked.
"It's none of your business."
"Oh yeah, I know. I'm not into saving lives," she responded with a shrug. "I would rather watch as that thing starts to wreck stuff. Now that's entertainment!" She then looked at him dead in the eyes, "Of course, why do you care if it does wreck stuff?"
"It's my job."
"Even money won't convince you to protect humans. You don't even like them, unlike me."
"You only like them as food."
"I still like humans, doesn't that count?"
"No."
"So, you don't like humans, but you're still going to protect them and this world from Imagin," she stated. "Hm…how ironic. A human hater who protects humans." She gasped in fake-realization, "Oh, you don't hate all humans, do you? Just the normal ones who would call you a freak once they know what you are. And then there's this little family here that you've come to love, the Katsuras. You don't hate them, do you?"
"Don't you dare lay a finger on them!" he threatened.
"Oh, no, I wouldn't do that…at least not yet," she responded with an almost innocent tone in her voice. "I still like to see your girl go crazy and slash people around with a dozuki."
"That won't happen here."
"Oh? Are you sure? You know she still keeps it, right? It's only a matter of time before she uses it again, right?" She recited the date, "October 4th 2007…wasn't that when Makoto Itou and Sekai Saionji started fucking? Kotonoha Katsura-chan must've been devastated after she found out what they were doing behind her back, right? Her boyfriend and best friend were just doing it like rabbits and she didn't know until it was too late!" Sauron laughed and Ryuji snarled. "Hey, don't get angry at me, OK? I didn't write this stuff for the anime. It just happened."
"Stop wasting my time," he told her.
"No, just hear me out. Think about this; you could make Kotonoha-chan fall for you right now. She doesn't have to know Makoto and Sekai lied to her. You can find them, kill them, and while she's heartbroken you can swoop in and claim her heart like you did before," Sauron told him. "I mean, you're a time traveler, right? It'd be easy."
Ryuji knew the rules of time and doing what Sauron suggested would cause a paradox. "No, I won't do it."
"Ah, so you really are that cruel. You prefer she found out and got her heartbroken first, is that it? Nice, very nice. I guess you still get her heart in the end, right? That is all that really matters, isn't it? As long as you get the girl, there's no problem!"
Ryuji's fists were clenched.
The Stasis Field vanished and everything turned to normal. Sauron was gone as well. He sniffed the air. Horrors smelled like rotting meat and Sauron was no different. However, he didn't catch her scent at all.
He had to focus here. He had an Imagin to hunt. It had to be in the city, somewhere. Just where could it be?
Meanwhile, back in the present...
"He never takes this long," Kotonoha frowned as she looked at the clock. She was at the Fudos' until Ryuji returned. She'd been waiting for him for a while now. "He should be back by now."
Yuji frowned, "Something's up."
"I hope he doesn't do something he will regret." Traveling to the past had risks, like temptation.
Yuki shook her head, "He may be reckless, but Ryuji isn't stupid."
"I know, but still... Why is it taking him so long?"
Yuji got up from the chair, "I'll go find him. You two stay here." He then grabbed his coat and made his way out the door.
Kotonoha frowned, "Why did he have to go to that date...?"
"Blame the fool for being a pervert," Yuki replied. "Don't worry, Brother will bring him back." Kotonoha nodded, but was still worried. Yuki then placed a hand on Kotonoha's drawing her attention, "If he's taking this long, then the Imagin must be stronger than he anticipated. Brother will be there to help him. He's had plenty of experience fighting Kaijin back home."
Back in the past...
Ryuji was still looking for his prey. The Imagin seemed to be lying low and it was about to get dark pretty soon. It usually never took him this long for him to track an Imagin down. He wanted to kill it, get his pay, and then go home to Kotonoha's side.
Meeting Sauron had not been the highlight of his day.
"Hasuma!"
Ryuji turned to see, "Yuji? What are you doing here?"
"Kotonoha was getting worried," he replied. "Any luck with the Imagin?"
He shook his head, "I lost him. Can't find his scent or any tracks."
Yuji looked thoughtful, "That would explain you taking so long."
Ryuji didn't want to tell Yuji about Sauron or what she said. Instead, he wanted to focus on the Imagin hunt. He didn't want Yuji's help on this. It was his job. Still, a little conversation couldn't hurt, could it? He then spoke up, "Hey, have you ever been tempted to use your time train to change things?"
Yuji took a minute to observe Ryuji. Something was wrong, and he could see it all over his face. This date was the day that Makoto and Sekai's betrayal had begun. He saw that Ryuji was tempted to somehow change the events of what happened.
Yuji shrugged, "Not really."
Ryuji blinked, "Why not?"
"Look, if I wanted to change the events that happened in my past, then I wouldn't be who I am right now. I wouldn't have met Asura and I would still be Faiz back in my world. What happened in the past should not be changed just to satisfy your own needs."
Ryuji frowned and looked down. He figured Yuji would give an answer like. He then saw the floor cracking beneath his feet and his eyes were wide. "Look out!"
He and Yuji jumped away and the Pangolin Imagin burst from the ground. "Now you die, Rider!"
Yuji glared at the Imagin, "So, he was using the sewers to cover his scent. Clever."
Ryuji growled, "Clever or not, this guy's dead! Henshin!"
"Henshin!"
"IFRIT FORM!"
"BUSHIDO FORM!"
Both boys activated their armors and drew their weapons as they were ready to take on the Imagin when it was suddenly pelted by a swarm of kunai. Sparks erupted from the Imagin as it rolled across the street, leaving Bushido and Ifrit confused.
Bushido glared, "Those were kunai."
"But where did they come from?" Ifrit demanded.
They looked around for a bit when Bushido spotted something off the corner of his eye. "Up there!"
The two Riders looked to a lamp post that had an armored figure perched on top. The figure was dressed in armor and bodysuit that was completely black with blue plating on his gauntlets and boots. His torso armor resembled a ninja's uniform, black with blue trim. On his back was a large, four-pointed, shuriken. His helmet was black and sported yellow eyes and a four-pointed shuriken mounted in the forehead of his helmet. Around his waist was a black belt with a silver, rectangular buckle with a gold "G" on the right half of the buckle and a gold "X" on the left.
"To be born in darkness, to live in darkness, and to return to the darkness…that is the path of the Shinobi," the armored warrior stated in a mixture of two voices. "I am...Kamen Rider GX Kage!"
"Kamen Rider..." Bushido identified.
"But who is he?" Ifrit questioned. "And what's he doing here?"
The Pangolin Imagin fumed, "Another one...? I'll kill you!" It lunged for the Shinobi-themed Rider, but he vanished from sight and the Imagin tumbled onto the ground. "What?"
GX Kage then reappeared behind the Imagin and delivered a knee to the Imagin's back, sending it staggering. He turned to swipe at GX Kage but hit a log instead. "What the hell?"
"Kawarimi," GX Kage answered as he reappeared a good distance away.
He reached to his back and held the giant shuriken in his right hand. He flicked his wrist and the shuriken began to spin rapidly. He then got low and reared his arm back...and swung forward hard, launching the spinning shuriken at the Pangolin Imagin. The Imagin saw the weapon coming and jumped to avoid his legs being chopped off.
"HA!" he laughed. "You missed!"
GX Kage smirked underneath his helmet, "Think so?"
The Imagin didn't notice the shuriken making a U-turn and coming back, chopping off his legs from behind and making him shout in pain. He crashed to the floor and struggled to push himself up with his arms.
"You won't be going anywhere," GX Kage chided as he flashed several kunai between all of his fingers. He flicked his wrists and launched the kunai, effectively pinning the Imagin down to the ground. "Now to finish this." He then pressed a button located at the top of the buckle.
"FULL CHARGE!"
GX Kage cupped his hands together as they crackled with dark energy, forming into a ball of energy between his hands that began to grow and expand to the size of a small soccer ball. His yellow eyes flashed as he rushed towards the Imagin and jumped up several feet into the air.
He then reared his arm, and the ball, back and called, "Shadow Ball!" He then thrust his arms forward and launched the ball down at the Imagin, hearing it scream before the energy ball made contact and exploding as a result. GX Kage landed with a soft thud and said, "Disappear into the darkness."
Ifrit gritted his teeth and grumbled, "Damn, I don't get my pay."
"I think it's more important we find out who this Rider is," Bushido retorted. He blinked, "Who is gone now."
Ifrit looked and saw that Bushido was right. He clenched his fists in anger and annoyance. Bushido put his hand on his shoulder.
"Come on, Kotonoha is waiting for you," said Bushido. Ifrit rudely shrugged him off and summoned the ChronoLiner. Bushido sighed, "That guy seriously needs an attitude adjustment."
Back in the Present...
"Ryuji-kun!" When Ryuji opened the door, he was tackle-glomped by an ecstatic Kotonoha. "I was so worried! I missed you!"
Yes, Kotonoha Katsura was clingy and needy, but that was what he loved about her. He loved feeling needed.
When Yuji came in after, his sister asked, "So, did you get that thing?"
Yuji shook his head, "No, another Rider took care of it for us."
Yuki blinked, somewhat surprised, "Another Rider?"
Yuji nodded as he explained, "His armor was similar to a ninja, but I suspect that was one of his alternate forms. He said his name was GX Kage, so his default form must be GX. I can only assume he lives somewhere in Sakakino. Anyway, we should get going to school. Because of that Imagin, trains are backed up, so we have an excuse for missing the first couple of periods." He looks to Kotonoha, "Oh, and Kotonoha."
She perked up, "Yes?"
"No more trains for you and Ryuji. Some Imagin are stupid enough to try the same trick twice. And if it turns out to be Sawanaga again, I'm putting a bullet in his head, no matter what you say."
Kotonoha turned chibi and sighed in defeat, "Hai..."
The next day, it was now P.E. and classes 1-1, 1-3, and 1-4 were together. On the side lines, Sekai and Kotonoha were together, with Yuki glaring daggers at the brunette. She knew what Sekai had done to her new best friend and she wanted to fill Sekai's head with bullet holes, but she restrained herself and merely observed.
"Katsura-san..." Sekai hesitated, "I wanna apologize...for what I did to you..." She started tearing up, "It was wrong...and...and..." She blinked in shock when Kotonoha embraced her in a tight hug.
"You've loved Makoto-kun from the very beginning, haven't you?" Kotonoha whispered.
Sekai didn't know what to say, so she could only nod.
Kotonoha let her go and smiled, "I'm sure you can make him happy. Just promise to keep him in line, OK?"
Sekai was still crying, but nodded with a smile. She was then approached by Yuki, "Yes?"
Yuki glared at the girl, "Just because Kotonoha forgives you doesn't mean that I forgive you. You betrayed her, and you deserve to die for that. However, since she's forgiven you, I won't do anything. But... I will say this: if you do anything, absolutely anything to hurt MY best friend, I WILL put a bullet in your head. Am I understood?" Sekai cringed as she felt the temperature drop and nodded fearfully. Yuki nodded and sat down on the grass, "Now then, the show's about to start."
Kotonoha and Sekai blinked. What show?
"All right!" Mion Sonozaki called out to the students who were out on the field. "As the leader of the Gaming Club, I shall decide today's game." She held a large red ball, "The game is 'dodgeball', and the regular rules apply! Also, there will be two captains for each team instead of one. I shall be Captain #1 for my side while..." She looked through the crowd and grinned as she pointed, "Shin-chan shall be Captain #2!"
"Shin-chan" was a fairly average young man with indigo hair and matching eyes. His hair was cut short and parted in the middle. Two strands of it stuck out at the top of his head like insect antennae. His full name was Shinichi Banabara
The girl next to him had brown chin-length hair and big, bright, blue eyes. Her name was Rena Ryuugu.
Shinichi saluted, "You got it, Mion!" (Shinichi is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal) He ran over to her side
"Do your best, Shin-kun!" Rena cheered.
Ryuji shrugged, "Then I'll be captain for my team and Yuji will be the second captain."
Sekai sweat-dropped, "I have a bad feeling about this..."
The game had begun and people were falling left and right. Ryuji was in the front of his group, engaging in close-quarters-combat while Yuji took a sniping position in the back. He saw his target and held his ball up then spun the ball, making it spin rapidly. He then dropped and kicked it hard, sending it rocketing through the air and straight toward Ryuji's back.
Ryuji was eyeing Taisuke in front of him and scowled. The asshole was going to pay for yesterday. He heard the ball coming and grinned, "Hey, Sawanaga, the first victim of the robot apocalypse says what!"
Taisuke blinked, "What?"
Ryuji smirked as he ducked, the ball passing over his head and right into Taisuke's balls. He couldn't even scream as he was sent into the wall, out like a light, making many of the other players wince.
Yuji smirked, "Like my dad always said; "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball"!" He saw Ryuji giving him the thumbs up and he returned the gesture.
Ryuji grabbed a ball next to his foot and had Makoto in his sights. He reared his throwing arm back and roared, "EAT MY BALLS, HEART BREAKER!" He then tossed the ball with impressive strength.
Makoto yiped, "Oh crap!" and ducked the ball. He grinned as he pointed "HA! YOU MISSED ME!" He didn't see the ball hitting the wall, ricocheting back, and smacking him in the back of the head and making him crash to the ground.
Sekai gasped, "Makoto!"
Kotonoha sweat-dropped. She should have known the boys would target Makoto so viciously.
"Save a shot for me!" Yuji called as he jumped up as high as he could restrain himself and kicked the ball with incredible power, turning the ball into a blazing ball of fire (for comedic effect only) "DRAGON METEOR FTW, TRAITOR!"
Makoto groaned as he got up, clutching the back of his head. He saw the fireball coming and muttered "Oh, you got to be kidding me..." before getting a face full of ball, making him skid/crash to the wall.
Shion and Shinichi sweat-dropped, 'Are those two for real...?'
"You know, I wanted to knock him out," said Ryuji.
"You can get him next time," said Yuji.
The PE teacher blew the whistle and called, "OK, haul Sawanaga and Itou to the infirmary!"
Several minutes later, only Yuji, Ryuji, Shinichi, and Rena were left on their respective sides of the field.
Ryuji grinned as he lobbed the ball in his hand, "You're mine, Captain!
Yuji knew better, however, "Ryuji, wait!"
Ryuji didn't hear him and launched the ball straight at Shinichi. Shinichi grinned as he readied himself to catch the ball and get Ryuji out, leaving Yuji at his and Rena's mercy. However, he was shocked when Rena had jumped in front of him and took the hit to her stomach. She skidded across the floor.
Shinichi gasped, "Rena-chan!" He ran to her side, cradling the girl in his arms. "Rena-chan, speak to me!"
She slowly opened her eyes and smiled, "Shin-kun...is safe...*cough*" She then comically fainted, her hand atop her head.
He shook his head and picked her up, bridal style, "Silly girl, I had it under control." He walked over to the side lines and handed her over to Mion. He stroked her hair, "You're sacrifice won't be in vain, Rena-chan. He returned to the field and glared at Ryuji, "You'll pay for hurting my Rena-chan..." His eyes then flashed red and his twin ahoge became blood red in color.
Yuji and Ryuji gasped in realization, 'Imagin!'
'Shinichi' took advantage of their shock and launched the ball. Ryuji went out of his shock when he took the hit to his stomach. He grunted as he was sent all the way to the wall. He grunted, 'Such power...!'
Kotonoha gasped, "Ryuji-kun!"
Yuki narrowed her eyes, 'So that's him... The other Rider...'
Yuji eyed Shinichi, who returned to normal, and whispers, "So, you share a contract with an Imagin. Or should I say multiple Imagin?"
Shinichi frowned, "So, you figured it out."
He shrugged, "The smell of sand is all over you. What I wish to know is how your body can house more than one Imagin."
Shinichi smirked, 'He's good. Guess you slipped a bit, Zennin.'
"Maybe, but it was Gokuaku that gave us away just now," Zennin retorted. (Zennin is voiced by Dave Wittenberg)
"Hey, don't go blaming me," Gokuaku replied gruffly. (Gokuaku is voiced by Kirk Thornton)
Shinichi looked to Yuji, "So, are we gonna finish our game or what?"
"We will," Yuji nodded, "but I'd like to make this more interesting. We'll disregard the catch rule and first one to get hit in the chest or knocked out loses."
Shinichi grinned, "In the Gaming Club, we have the loser play a penalty game. That sounds good to you?"
"Sounds reasonable. Now then... (kicks the ball up into his hand) let's go!" He tossed the ball straight at Shinichi.
Shinichi's eyes flashed purple and his ahoge turned purple as he caught the ball, did a 180, and launched the ball back at Yuji. Yuji saw the ball coming and kneed the ball just before it his chest, propelling it in the air. He then jumped and did a back flip before kicking it hard at Zen-Shinichi.
Zen-Shinichi grinned, "Your turn!"
Go-Shinichi took over and roared as he punched the ball, popping it as a result.
"Come on, dude," Go-Shinichi grinned as his red ahoge bounced, "surely that's not the best you can do!"
Yuji looked to his left and saw a basket of dodgeballs and ran to it. He then started launching the balls at Go-Shinichi one after the other. Go-Shinichi huffed as he swatted the balls away with ease and caught another. He then dropped it and kicked it as hard as he could, the ball spinning like a bullet as it flew at Yuji. Yuji reared his body back as the ball flew past him and he regained his footing. He grabbed a ball in each hand and ran at Go-Shinichi as he tossed one ball and followed its path a few feet behind it. Go-Shinichi grinned like a maniac as he charged forward and punched the ball, popping it, but frowned as Yuji jumped up and vaulted himself off Go-Shinichi's shoulder, making the students gawk at the display of speed and power both students were displaying. Yuji spun in the air and launched the ball at the back of Go-Shinichi's head. However, Go-Shinichi did a sharp turn and chopped the ball, making it explode. However, Shinichi's eyes were now green, as was his ahoge. It was a third Imagin.
"I am Yabuki," Ya-Shinichi introduced, "the Samurai Imagin. That was a good tactic to use against Gokuaku. Too bad I stepped in at the right time."(Yabuki is voiced by Sean Schemmel)
Yuji nodded, "Thanks. My intention was to draw you out."
"Then allow me to honor your challenge."
From out of nowhere, Ya-Shinichi fired a ball at Yuji and Yuji side-stepped the attack and followed up with his own. Ya-Shinichi responded with another ball that ricocheted against Yuji's. The two combatants then charged at each other and danced around one another as they tried to hit each other with their respective ball. Ya-Shinichi jumped and did a black flip as he launched another ball, out of mid-air, at Yuji.
Mion bugged, "Seriously, where the hell do they keep hiding that many balls for them to throw? !"
Yuji blocked the attack with his own ball and launched both at Ya-Shinichi. Ya-Shinichi grinned as he pulled another ball from behind his back. He dodged the first ball and launched his ball. Neither player had time to dodge and they each took a hit to the chest from a ball, Yuji skidding back and Ya-Shinichi landing and crouching on one knee.
"Seems that it's a draw," Ya-Shinichi observed.
Yuji nodded, "Looks that way."
All the students were gawking at what they just witnessed; the most epic game of dodgeball in history.
It was after PE class and the boys were in the showers. Ryuji was changing back into his uniform with Yuji. "So, if we're lucky, those two will be sore for a least a week," the ChronoLiner Rider remarked.
"A week? Really? I was going to make it a month," Yuji replied.
Ryuji shrugged, "Hey, I bet Itou might have brain damage and Sawanaga will feel pain each time he gets an erection."
"Hey, dudes!" Shinichi called, "Great game out there! You two were brutal!"
"Thanks," Yuji grinned.
"Say, my friends and I have this afterschool Gaming Club. Why don't you join? We always need new players," Shinichi invited.
Yuji gave a thoughtful look, "I suppose a few hours every now and then can't hurt."
"You sure you got time to waste," remarked Ryuji.
"You're really a grouchy guy, huh, Hasuma-san?" asked Shinichi. Ryuji huffed. "So, how do you guys know about my friends?"
Yuji put a hand on his shoulder, "Unfortunately, we're gonna have to talk in private, Kamen Rider GX." Shinichi gulped.
It was an hour later and Shinichi was with the Fudo twins, Ryuji, and Kotonoha on the roof.
"So, Imagin are from the future and their goal is to cause damage in the past?" Shinichi surmised
Yuji nodded, "The general populous, at least. Ryuji has an Imagin working with him to fight enemy Imagin, like the one you killed last October."
"By the way, thanks for losing me my paycheck," Ryuji growled.
Shinichi blinked, "Wait, you guys get paid to kill Imagin?"
"Just him," Yuji corrected as he jabbed his thumb in Ryuji's direction.
He eyed Yuji and Yuki, "I doubt you two are from around here either."
"Good guess. We're from another timeline of Earth."
"Cool!"
"Banabara-san," Kotonoha spoke up, "how do you have three Imagin in the first place?"
"Please, Katsura-san, call me Shinichi," he smiled, "As for the answer to your question, I think my boys can give it to you better than me." Sand started to pour out of Shinichi's body and form into three Imagin.
The first was dressed in green samurai armor and sported dark, indigo, eyes and black hair. He wore a katana at his waist.
The second was dressed in black ninja gear and his head, save for his left, purple, eye, was wrapped in bandages. He wore a large shuriken and a katana strapped o his back.
The third was seven feet tall, had red hair in a bowl cut, two pointed horns on his head, green skin, and he wore a tiger skin tunic with matching wrist bands and boots. He had a large kanabo in his hand.
"Meet my boys: Yabuki, Zennin and Gokuaku!" Shinichi introduced. "Also known as the GX Team!"
"So, why are you guys here?" Ryuji inquired.
"We're from a ruined future," Yabuki answered, "and we came back to this time to help the young Master."
"And kill some weak Imagin," Gokuaku added gruffly.
"OK, I understand the samurai and the oni, but why do you look like a ninja-mummy?" Yuji asked, pointing to Zennin.
"You know, I don't understand that myself," Shinichi said, shrugging his shoulders.
"It's because Shinichi has a really fucked up mind," Zennin casually answered. "You can't begin to imagine what's swimming in there."
Shinichi sighed, "Thank you, Zennin. So, why don't I officially introduce you to the rest of the Gaming Club?"
Yuji shrugged, "Lead the way."
Shinichi had lead Ryuji and the others to the Gaming Club's room. There, they saw some of the students that participated in the dodgeball game earlier. Mion Sonozaki, Shion Sonozaki, Keiichi Maebara, Satoshi Houjou, and Rena Ryuugu.
"Good work, Shin-chan," Mion smiled. "You brought them after all!"
Shinichi saluted, "Told ya I'd get them here!"
Ryuji growled, "So, you set us up, Banabara?"
"Ryuji-kun, there's no need to be grouchy," Kotonoha scolded.
"I told Mion that you and Yuji would make good members," Shinichi defended.
Mion nodded, "That's exactly right. And I authorized Shin-chan to recruit the both of you." She pointed at Yuji, "Especially you, Fudo-san! The way you and Shin-chan went at it in the final round was definitely a fight for the record books."
Yuji nodded, "Thank you, Sonozaki-san, but you can call me Yuji."
"And you have the honor of calling me 'President'."
"Ego much?" Ryuji muttered.
Keiichi leaned over and replied, "You have no idea, man."
"So, what game shall we play today, I wonder?" Rena asked cutely. Shinichi chuckled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"I think a game of Duel Monsters is in order!" Mion suggested. Keiichi and Satoshi paled.
"Are you sure about that, Mion?" Satoshi asked carefully.
Yuji perked up, "So, you guys duel as well?"
Mion stuck out her chest, her breasts bouncing slightly, "I happen to be the best duelist in town!"
Shion nodded, "Onee is pretty strong. She beats Keiichi and Satoshi-kun every time!"
Yuji grinned, "Then how about a challenge?"
Mion smirked, "A straight-forward attitude. I like that!" She walked to a desk and picked up a first generation Duel Disk, "You got yourself a game. And the winner decides the loser's penalty!"
Yuji nodded, "Let's take this outside then, on the roof."
The Gaming Club and the Riders met up on the roof and Yuji and Mion were facing each other. Yuji had his Duel Disk on and he slotted his deck into the compartment.
"You ready, Prez?" Yuji called out.
"I was born ready," Mion grinned.
"This should be interesting," said Ryuji. "Koto-chan, are you familiar with the game?"
"Actually, Kokoro-chan has been trying to teach me. She collects the cards and has a deck of her own. Otousan and Okaasan also got her a Duel Disk for her tenth birthday," Kotonoha answered. "I can't duel at all. I'm bad at the game."
"Keep on practicing," he encouraged, his voice kind and gentle. "Nobody starts out perfect. Everyone has to start at zero when it comes to their skills."
"Do you play?" Kotonoha asked. Ryuji fished out a dueling deck from his jacket.
"I know, it doesn't seem like my style, but let me tell you that those Duel Disks can make a geeky card game into something hardcore." He should tell her about the time Ryuki and his friends ended up in a virtual world populated by Duel Monsters.
"Duel!" the two duelists called out.
Yuji: 4000
Mion: 4000
"Ladies first," Mion called as she drew her card. "I'll summon Amazoness Swords Woman in Attack Mode (1500/1600)!" When she slapped her card onto the Duel Disk, a dark-skinned woman in blue garments appeared out of a shining portal as she brandished her sword, glaring at Yuji. "I'll set two cards and end my turn!"
"Now I'll draw!" Yuji drew his card and eyed the Amazon. 'So, she wants to bait me huh?' "I Summon my Metallic Dragon - Brass (1500/1800) in Attack Mode!" A large dragon with brass-colored scales and frills appeared and roared.
Mion bugged, "What the hell is that thing? I've never seen a monster like that before!"
Rena cringed, "It's not cute...!"
Ryuji blinked, "I saw that thing before...When I saw Yuji fighting that Imagin. So, that was a Duel Monster I saw..."
Yuki nodded, "Back home, Brother and I, as well as a select few, have the power to bring our monsters to life when we duel. When we duel, the damage is also real, due to our psychic powers."
Kotonoha looked to her, "You and your brother are psychics?"
She nodded, "We're called Psychic Duelists."
The couple blinked, "Psychic Duelists?"
"OK, Brass," Yuji called, "Take out Mion's Amazon!" The brass dragon roared and charged at the Swords Woman.
Mion smirked, "I gotcha! I activate the trap, Amazoness Archers!" The trap lifted itself to reveal several Amazons armed with bows, aiming forward. "Now your dragon loses 500 Attack points! Which means my swords woman can take him down!"
Metallic Dragon - Brass: 1000/1800
The dragon was covered in a red aura as its power decreased and the Amazoness ran through the dragon with her blade.
Yuji: 3500
Mion: 4000
"Next, I'll activate my Queen's Pawn Trap card! When an Amazoness destroys an opposing monster in battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Amazoness from my deck, and I choose a second Swords Woman!" She summoned a second Swords Woman to join her twin. She smirked, "Whaddya say to that, Yu-chan?"
Yuji chuckled, 'Now I understand the familiarity. She reminds me of Rachel.' "Brass' Monster Effect activates! Whenever he falls in battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Dragon-Type monster from my deck. So say hello to another Metallic Dragon - Brass!" Another brass dragon appeared on the field and growled. "Now, let me pick up from where I left off. Brass will take out the first Swords Woman!"
Mion paled, "Oh crap!"
The dragon charged and bit the Amazoness on the arm, while she stabbed its head with her sword, resulting in a double explosion of light shards.
Kotonoha blinked, "I don't understand. Why would Yuji-san give up his own monster since Sonozaki-san has another Amazon on the field?"
Yuki answered, "When Amazoness Swords Woman battles an opposing monster, the opposing duelist takes all damage that would be inflicted on her duelist. If Brother had summoned a stronger monster and attacked, he would only hurt himself, but if a monster with equal strength attacks the Swords Woman, no Battle Damage is calculated."
"So he fell for those Traps on purpose," Ryuji realized.
Yuki nodded, "Also, those old bait tricks just don't work on us."
"Wow," Shinichi breathed.
Kotonoha looked to Yuji, who had a serious look on his face, "Amazing..."
Yuji smirked, "Now Brass' effect activates and I can summon another Brass Dragon!" True to his word, another Metallic Dragon - Brass appeared on the field next to its master. "OK boy, take out that Amazon!" The process is repeated and both monsters were destroyed. Now both sides were empty, for now. "Once more, Brass's effect activates. But I think I'll summon something a little different! I Special Summon Metallic Dragon - Gold (2100/1800)!" A gold-scaled dragon appeared, growling and snarling at Mion.
Keiichi bugged, "Another dragon?"
Satoshi gawked, "I've never seen any of these cards before!"
"Gold gains 300 ATK and DEF for every dragon monster that's in my Graveyard." Yuji grinned, "And guess how many I have?"
Kotonoha gasped, "Yuji-san sent three dragons to the graveyard, didn't he?"
"That means..." Shinichi realized.
Metallic Dragon - Gold: 3000/2700
Mion paled, "3000...!"
"OK, Gold, take a bite out of her life points!" The gold dragon stomped over to Mion and opened its mouth to reveal its menacing, yet clean, fangs.
"I don't think so!" Mion showed a card in her hand, "I discard Kuriboh and reduce all Battle Damage to 0 this turn!" She dropped the card into the Graveyard slot and a big ball of fur with short green limbs appeared in the dragon's path. The dragon died not falter and devoured the ball of living fluff. Mion sighed, "Thank you, Kuriboh."
"It was so cute!" Rena squealed. "I wanna take it home!"
Yuji chuckled, "Nice surprise, Prez. I didn't expect a Kuriboh to be hiding in an Amazoness deck."
Mion smirked, "I'm just full of surprises!"
"Well, it's still my turn. And I'll continue by activating the Field Spell, The Seven Mounting Heavens of Celestia!" He inserted the spell into the Field Spell slot and the surrounding area undertook a change. The floor became like a grassy plain and a very large mountain began to rise behind Yuji. It had seven layers, one of different properties; silver, gold, pearl, crystal, platinum, glitter, and illumination, from bottom to top respectively.
"So pretty," Rena marveled.
Kotonoha sighed as her eyes were closed, "It feels really peaceful, all of a sudden."
Ryuji didn't say anything, but he did feel an air of peace around him when Yuji played the Field Spell.
"With Celestia on the field, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Dragon from my hand, once a turn, so I'll bring out Metallic Dragon - Copper (1000/2500)!" A blue portal opened up and a large, copper-scaled, dragon appeared and took a defensive stance next to Yuji. "He switches to Defense Mode whenever he's summoned and when I summon a dragon through Celestia, my Field Spell gains a Metallic Counter." The silver layer of the mountain began to glow. "I'll end my turn by setting two cards and playing the Continuous Spell, Glittering Heaven Jovar!" The card depicted a glittering mountain. "As long as this card is on the field, my dragons can't be touched by your Spell cards, Prez. Now, let's see whatcha got!"
"Looks like that Sonozaki chick doesn't stand a chance," Ryuji muttered.
Kotonoha blinked, "What do you mean?"
"She has no idea what Yuji's deck is capable off and she's unfamiliar with the cards he uses. Guess they only exist where he comes from. It's always that small unknown factor that can put someone at a disadvantage. Amazoness cards are nothing to scoff at when you know how to play them. However, Sonozaki has a zero chance at winning."
"Nothing is absolute," Shinichi remarked. "Even if her chances are 1%, she can still turn this around."
Ryuji looked to Shinichi, "You seem to have a lot of faith in her."
He smiled, "She is Club President for a reason."
"I got plenty!" Mion drew her card. I'll play the Spell Card, Monster Reborn and revive one of my Amazons!" The Swords Woman returned from the Graveyard and glared at the dragons. But the fun doesn't stop there, cuz I'm gonna play my own Continuous Spell!" She slotted another card and it depicted five creatures holding hands. "It's called Solidarity, and if I have one type of monster in my Graveyard, a monster of the same type gains 800 ATK. Namely, my Amazoness Swords Woman!"
Amazoness Swords Woman: 2300/1600
Mion grinned, "I'm not done, cuz I play the Continuous Spell, Amazoness Fighting Spirit!" Another card was revealed, and this one depicted an Amazon with energy surging through her body. "Now, when an Amazoness monster battle one of your monsters, Yu-chan, they gain 1000 ATK during Damage Calculation! So now, time to battle! And I'm gonna start with you gold dragon!"
The Swords Woman charged at the gold dragon and it roared as they came close. Mion's Spell activated and gave the Swords Woman extra power.
Amazoness Swords Woman: 3300/1600
The Swords Woman ducked a swipe from the dragon's claws and delivered an uppercut slash, taking the dragon's head before it exploded in shards of light.
"Alright, Mion!" Keiichi cheered. The other members of the Gaming Club shared similar cheers. With her monster all powered up like that, there was no way she could lose.
Kotonoha frowned, "Poor Yuji-san. He's lost his best monster."
"Don't worry," Yuki consoled. "Brother's fine."
"What do you mean?"
"Take a look," Ryuji urged. Kotonoha looked at Yuji's face and saw that he was completely calm. "Something tells me he saw that coming."
Mion cocked an eyebrow, "Hey, how come your Life Points didn't change?"
Yuji grinned, "That's because Celestia has the power to reduce all Battle Damage, incurred with a Dragon-type monster, to 0." Mion gritted her teeth. "And now, I'll activate the Trap, Bahamut's Blessing!" The Trap card depicted a giant, blue, dragon shining light down on a traveler. "This card lets me return three cards from my graveyard to the deck. And if any happen to be dragons, I get a card for each! And I choose my three Brass Dragons." The three dragon cards popped out of the graveyard pile and Yuji caught them in his hand. He then inserted the cards into his deck and the deck shuffled automatically. Yuji then drew his three cards and glanced at them. 'Good, it's about time to end this...'
"You're not going to Synchro Summon, are you?" Asura asked in Yuji's mind.
"Don't have to," Yuji answered. "Besides, I don't wanna give everyone a heart attack if they see Bahamut's true form. No offense, Bahamut."
"None taken," Bahamut replied.
Yuji smirked, "So, Prez, any more surprises you got for me?"
Mion growled, "I end my turn..."
Ryuji smirked, "It's over." He could feel it. The duel was done.
Shinichi blinked, "Whaddya mean?"
"Brother is going to end this," Yuki clarified. She could literally sense it coming.
"I draw!' Yuji called. "Now, I'll use the Quick-Play Spell, Platinum Heaven - Mertion! This baby lets me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Dragon-Type monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard. But if it remains on the field until my End Phase, I take damage equal to its ATK." He grinned, "But you won't be around long enough for there to BE an End Phase."
Mion blinked, "Wait, what?"
"I call out another Metallic Dragon - Copper!" Another copper dragon appeared next to its brethren and shifted to defense.
Shion blinked, "But how is Fudo-san going to win if both of his monsters are in Defense Mode?"
"I have a feeling we're about to find out," Ryuji muttered.
Yuji continued his turn, "I activate the Spell, Crystal Heaven - Solania! Now I get to choose up to three "Metallic Dragon" monsters on my field and release them. Once I do that, you take damage equal to the total DEF of all those monsters, Mion!"
Mion paled as she realized what this meant, "But...you have those two copper dragons...! And their DEF is..."
"2500 a piece," Yuji finished with a grin. He gave her a thumb's down motion.
The two dragons roared and turned into orbs of reddish energy. They then flew directly at Mion, striking her as she grunted from the contact.
Yuji: 3500
Mion: 0
"Game over," Yuji sighed.
Everyone, except Yuki, was silent for a minute. Yuji's sister said, "Told you so."
Kotonoha was almost speechless, "He won...wow…" She walked up to Yuji, "Yuji-san, can teach me to play?"
He smiled, "Of course I can!" She smiled.
Ryuji walked up to Yuji, "Yuji, you had that all planned out, didn't you?"
Yuji shrugged, "Not really. A duel's a duel until either the last card is played or your life hits zero."
Shinichi then spoke up, "By accordance to the Gaming Club rules, the winner will declare the Penalty Game upon the loser."
Yuji scratched the back of his head, "To be honest...I don't really know what I should have you do, Pres." He grinned, "Maybe...a game of Strip Poker?"
Mion gasped, "What! No way!"
"Mion, you remember the rules. You made them up. You gotta do it," Shinichi reminded. "Like the time you made Keiichi dress as a bunny girl!"
Keiichi fumed, "I thought we weren't going to ever mention that again!"
Mion groaned to herself and muttered, "This can't get any worse..."
Yuji held up a camera, "You were saying?"
To Be Continued...
Bushido: The cards used in Yuji's deck are based off the Metallic Dragons of Dungeons & Dragons. If you want more info on them and the Heaven cards, simply go here: .org/wiki/Bahamut_(Dungeons_%26_Dragons) Hope you guys enjoy this chap!
Next Mission: The Princess, the Cat, and the Guyver!