Chapter Six: Let's Go Rider Kick
In every dimension, there are Grids.
In the majority of dimensions, these grids are never found or accessed at all by the inhabitants. Some times, they are only accessed during times of great need or in those moments where an once-in-a-lifetime burst of strength is needed. In other times, these Grids are accessed by a chosen few who use its powers as they see fit; either ruling over the populace with an iron fist or fighting for universal peace. Finally, there are the Grid Worlds – worlds where the power of the Grids are amplified and rather readily accessible for all to use via special devices such as crystals or cards. Power can be added to these Grids and can be spread out to those who draw from certain sides to empower them. Such a charging event is called a Supercharge and has only been seen a handful of times in all the infinite number of dimensions. This event can only happen if there is a person from another dimension that uses their Grid on the same wavelength as the native dimension. The two Grids will, for the briefest of moments, touch and exchange unimaginable power. The effects can last weeks or mere minutes but the effects will ensure that whatever obstacle is in the way will be eventually defeated. Of course, none of this mattered to the nine Riders in front of Grand Bloody, the Awakened Spider Wraith and its brethren of mutants and Chaps.
Slamming the Activation Gem into the Turbine, Weihan's eyes narrowed as gouts of flame erupted from the System. The fire ran up his sides and covered his body in the magical spandex-like armour he had worn only a few hours ago in the other world. In a flash that forced the assembled forces of evil to avert their eyes, the RAPTOR Body Vest materialised on his chest, along with his black boots and white gloves that were flecked with red; something that would always remind him of the tragedy he had faced in the Bad Future. Behind him, Nozomi watched in fascination as the fire covered his head and instinctively stepped back as it erupted in a could of orange and red. However, to her amazement, the flames that did reach her skin didn't feel as though they were burning to cause damage and destruction. No, if it made any sort of sense at all, it felt as though those flames were there to embrace her and shield her from the horrors of the Wraiths. The ghost of a smile played on her lips as she saw his frighteningly detailed helmet snap into place and the Rider fell into a pose that looked natural for the wild power at his disposal.
"Kamen Rider RAPTOR, ready."
Takatora Kureshima stepped up next, giving the Orange Rider a nod of approval. His Melon Lock Seed was in his hand and the prototype Watermelon Lock Seed he had received all those years ago was clipped to his belt. If need be, he could also use the Melon Energy Lock Seed with the Genesis Driver but he doubted such a thing would be needed. In any case, the red headed girl behind him was counting on him to protect her – just like Micchi had counted on his protection. Well, he was developing into a fine young man, even after the Helheim Event had put him through all manners of wringers. Feeling for the opening switch with his right thumb, he pressed it to begin his transformation.
"MELON"
Placing the Sengoku Driver on his waist, he grimaced in discomfort as the belt aggravated some of his older injuries. Placing the Lock Seed into the Drive Bay, he pressed down on the open lock and activated the Driver. Although he would never admit it to his face, he was eternally grateful to Oren for showing him how to mute most of the unnecessary transformation announcements, besides the opening and main ones. However, this would be the last time he would transform into an Armoured Rider as he would need to lead the newly restructured Yggdrasil Company into a new wave of rebuilding efforts. Well, that and the new Rider he had heard about was doing a good job at protecting the world. Pressing down on the Cutting Blade, he allowed the Ride Wear to materialise on his body before the Melon themed Armour Part dropped on his head. Maki was treated to the rather amusing sight of a slightly oversized melon replacing his head – before the transformation began.
"Melon Arms; Tenka Gomen!"
Hefting the Melon Defender up with his right hand, he looked back to see the girl looking at him with wonder and amazement in her eyes and smiled. For the briefest of moments, he wondered if he should strike an intimidating pose but, with an internal shake of his head, decided it wasn't really his thing.
"Armoured Rider Zangetsu, ready."
Eiji Hino stepped up next, still slightly dazed by seeing a melon literally drop from nowhere. Although it didn't really compare with seeing an actual Rider from the future, a Rider from another dimension was pretty cool to see. Flashing Rin a quick grin, he thanked whatever Gods were looking over him that he actually had managed to charge up the emergency cell phone Hina had given him before his journey. The call had come from literally out of the blue from a Rider he hadn't met during the Rider Battle but he had accepted the instructions and directions as best as he could. Placing the OOO Driver to his waist, he fumbled around in his pockets for the Core Medals he had received from the future Ankh and mentally prepared himself for the battle ahead. While the Kougami Foundation had made some degree of process in restoring the broken Core Medal, fully repairing the damage that had been done to it would take a long time. Placing the Core Medals for his main Combo in the slots, he activated his transformation.
"TAKA! TORA! BATTA! TATOBA, TATOBA, TATOBA!"
Though, there were some times where he really wished he'd asked Ankh how to turn off that transformation jingle. Dropping into his 'default' pose with his arms up and ready for attack, he eschewed a call of his name for his battle cry and waited for the attack to begin.
Daisuke stepped up and held the Drake Grip up to the sky. As always, the Drake Zecter appeared a few metres above his head and obediently flew towards it. Although the threat of the Worms had ended, the remaining ZECT members had graciously allowed the former Riders to keep their Rider Systems in case of a stronger threat. What that threat would be, they didn't say at the time; though he had a strange feeling they knew about the threats that had continually plagued the world since. Not that anyone else cared about the looming danger though. Threats would always be a part of life and the only thing that really mattered was expressing one's feelings before it was too late. Looking at the blonde girl behind him, he hoped she would talk to her friend soon. As the final connector slotted into place, he felt a brief electric charge run through his body as the Masked Form armour materialised on him. Although it was good in some situations, he wouldn't need the added weight slowing his attacks down.
"Cast Off."
Pulling the trigger on the end of the Drake Zecter, he heard the mechanical hums and clicks as the armour separated from the inner suit. A heartbeat later, his vision was filled with a wave of blue and white armour plates as they forcibly ejected from his body. Several of them struck a few Chaps – the shards ripping into their bodies and destroying them instantly. Looking at the assembled creatures, he wondered what Tendou would do or say in such a situation before allowing his mind to relax.
"Change – Dragonfly!"
Kenzaki watched the transformations with mild interest as he waged an internal battle within his mind. A part of him wanted to transform into the Navy Joker and decimate the beings in front of him. No matter what the Rider from the other dimension had said, nothing could stand up to his attacks in his Joker form for long. Of course, this would have the unwanted effect of alerting BOARD and Hajime to the fact that he had transformed into the Navy Joker again. Seeing as though he didn't want to spend another three hours on the phone apologizing to Tachibana and Hajime, he, almost reluctantly, brought out his Blay Rouser. Sliding in the Ace Beetle Undead card into the card slot, he snorted with amusement as he realised he could have just used his Chalice Rouser and skipped the flashy sequence. He supposed old habits died hard. Suppressing his reaction to yell out in fury, he raised his right arm across his chest and, with a slight narrowing of his eyes, flipped his hand to face palm-out.
"Turn Up!"
A blue and silver card projected out of the Rouser and materialised in front of him for a few seconds before sliding over him with a soft sigh. His Rider Suit and armour didn't materialise on him as they had in the past, instead growing out of his body in a literal split-second. With a slight smile, he recalled the first time that had happened and the way Hajime had almost knocked himself out laughing. Thanks to the Undead and Joker DNA inside his body, his armour would always have a slightly organic look but would protect him much better than the BOARD System. The downside would be that he would need to consume a lot more calories if he was damaged but he didn't mind eating extra. Exhaling sharply as his helmet formed around his head, he looked over at the form of the RAPTOR Rider. No matter how low his voice had been, he had heard the words that he had given to Hongo and Kotaro. As powerful as the Joker inside of him was and no matter how much his instincts wanted him to destroy in with his bare hands, he would leave the Awakened Wraith to the Rider. The amount of raw power it was leeching into the atmosphere was enough to set his teeth on edge but he would do his duty. The girl behind him, Umi Sonada, would be safe. And if she wanted to train in archery, he knew a few people that could help further her ambitions.
Shoichi Tsugami glanced down at the glowing Alter Ring on his waist and willed up the fighting instincts inside his body. Never again had he imagined he would need to transform and protect people he didn't know but he had been asked by one of the great Riders personally. Of course, he had already been in the area as Mana was interested in seeing the Love Live concert and the final performance of her favourite group of school idols. To find out that one of the members of said idol group was the cousin of Kotaro was a shock but it was nothing compared to the thrill of actually being in a battle once more. The Overlord of Darkness had mentally informed him that a greater threat would appear in his future, though he had thought that had been the Rider Battle. Evidently, it wasn't and, surprisingly enough, he was glad for that. He just had to remember to get their autographs before he left or Mana would chew him out for the next few months. He was also sure that Ryo would help her.
Bringing down both hands to the side of the Alter Ring, he pushed his palms inward – causing his armour to materialise on his body in a flash of light. Power flooded his body but it felt different from the first time. This energy felt more…raw and primal, if such a feeling existed. It was both energising and terrifying and made him think of the feeling he had gotten when facing down the El of Water the first time. Fighting at night would mean his Shining Form wouldn't be at peak efficiency but he was sure he could use the Burning Form to light the way for the others. Closing his eyes in preparation, he allowed a calm to settle over his mind as he waited for the other Riders to transform.
Kotori watched as Kotaro transformed wordlessly in front of her, a wide smile on her face despite the danger. Steam leaked out of the joints of his armoured form as she saw the eyes on his helmet light up in readiness. For his part, Kotaro looked at Grand Bloody with a mixture of determination and tranquil fury on his face. He was the final leader of the Crisis Empire and he would not allow him to sully the earth for a second longer. Reaching him would be another story altogether but the other Riders would provide the impetus he needed to find a gap. Once Grand Bloody, the Spider Mutants and the Wraith were destroyed, he would spend a lot of time finally relaxing…until the next threat reared its head. Turning his head, he looked at Kotori and felt a pulse of love spread through his body. In many ways, his cousin had been the best thing to happen to him for as long as he could recall. He had also seen her growing confidence in Akiba as Minalinsky and had been present at almost all of her concerts. Resisting the urge to call upon the Revolcane, he prepared his body for the battle ahead.
"Kamen Rider Black RX!"
Honoka and Nico's jaws dropped in unison as Hongo and Ichimonji transformed in front of them wordlessly. Their armour complimented the others beautifully and their scarves flew in an unfelt wind. The way the armour melted onto their bodies was like nothing they had ever seen before but they were smart enough not to touch the rippling energy of their forming suits. Sharing a look, both girls stepped back and rejoined the other seven girls as they marvelled at their protectors. Eight were Riders from armour them whose legacy spanned from the first Riders on the planet to one that had recently retired from the fight. The other figure was a Rider from another dimension who had arrived here by accident or design and whose actions had saved Nozomi from a grisly fate. On the other hand, it could have been said that her grisly fate to explain her actions to Eli was looking in front of her…but they chose to pay it no mind. Whether she explained during or after the battle was on her and her alone. No matter what, the Riders would protect them from harm and each of their 'assigned' Riders would do their utmost to protect them.
Seeing as everyone had completed their transformations, Hongo smiled to himself as the mechanisms inside his armour deployed needles of oil and lubricants to his mechanical parts. This would be the battle that would end the Crisis Empire for good – he could feel it in his bones. However, there was one more thing to do. Lifting his right fist into the air, he shouted out words that were echoed by all of the Riders, whether in Japanese or English, the rallying cry of their power.
"We are Kamen Riders!"
TBC…
AN: Yup, I pretty much copied my spiel on Grids from Rangers of Equestria Chapter 121. Changed it a bit though. And italics are English words/phrases.
