Horseshoes and Hand-grenades

VIII: 13-1-9-4-5-14/14-1-13-5

"Every name is real. That's the nature of names."

-Jerry Spinelli, Stargirl

Being used to fight with a bear-like Imagin named Kintaros was easy. Fighting alongside said Imagin and explaining it to your gang was the hard part.

This is what Ban Chosuke had to deal with the next day. His gang was a bit freaked out when Kintaros arrived what with the axe blade going down his forehead, the scowl on his face, and his arms folded around his chest. The most notable thing they were worried was the fact that Kintaros had a narcolepsy problem. Kintaros would be speaking one minute, and then snoring the next. Chosuke had to explain that you 'get used to it'.

"This is ridiculous, boss!" said one member. "Are you sure this isn't a joke?"

"If it was a joke, then I wouldn't have brought him here, would I?" said Chosuke, pointing to Kintaros. "However, I have learned there's a way to wake him up."

"And what's that?"

"Just say a specific word or something that sounds similar and he'll wake up. He told me that last night."

"So...what's the word?"

"Like I'm gonna tell you that!" Chosuke snapped, slamming his hands on the plastic crate in front of them. "Because once he wakes up from that word, he won't stop fighting. He's serious when it comes to that word." He narrowed his eyes as he added, "And so am I. I learned that I can do something and fight. There are people who can stand up for what they believe in, no matter who they are or what they do. Gentaro did that and now he's gone. He's been taken away by some evil monster that wants to destroy the world. Well, I'm sure as hell am not letting that happen!"

"What do we do?" asked another member of the gang.

"We fight and train!" Chosuke answered, a foot on the crate. "We're going to ensure the safety of Amanogawa High, Japan, and the World, with our bond and strength. Our strength will be enough to rip the heavens apart! We can do this!"

The delinquents cheered in triumph as Chosuke looked proud. Some of them had tears in their eyes.

"That is so beautiful," One delinquent said to another. "I'm crying with joy."

"Cry?" said a voice. Everyone turned to see Kintaros awake from his nap. "CRY!"

"No, Kintaros!" said Chosuke. "Don't do what you're—AGH!"

Kintaros jumped into Chosuke's body, giving Chosuke his long ponytail and golden eyes. He cracked his neck via pushing his chin with a fist and smiled.

"Yes!" He cried. "Let's make our enemies cry with our magnanimous strength!"

And just like before, he raised his foot and slammed it on the plastic crate. Just like before, Kintaros broke it into pieces.

"...Oops." He noted, seeing the remains.

0-0-0-0-0-

Motoyama had similar problems explaining to his friend about the whole 'I had glowing red eyes and then went on a time-travelling train and am going to be fighting a giant serpent possessing Gentaro Kisaragi' story he just learned yesterday. Abe could only nod his head, sometimes munching on some seaweed wrapped rice crackers while Momotaros looked on. Motoyama was continuing to paint his picture of Gentaro, trying to make up for all the time he lost the day before.

"Why are you into such a girly hobby?" asked Momotaros, seeing Motoyama lightly mix two shades of red together. "A real warrior wouldn't need to deal with such things."

"I use it because it helps me concentrate," Motoyama answered, applying swift strokes of paint onto the canvas. "I assure you that if we had to fight like samurai, I'd beat you."

"Tch. Is that so? Well then-" Momotaros grinned as he pulled Motoyama away from his painting. He pulled the palette and paintbrush from Motoyama's hands and then handed the painter a bamboo sword. "Take your best shot! Give me everything you've got!"

Motoyama nodded his head and ran toward his Imagin Partner. Abe continued to eat his meal his silence even as Momotaros and Motoyama began their practice fighting.

0-0-0-0-0-

At the university Shun and Miu attended, Shun was using a make-shift fishing pole to attack a football dummy. This was a direct opposite of his own fighting style—rushing toward the enemy and acting like a human spear—but he managed to make some progress. While he continued to attack the dummy with the hook, Miu looked on. Urataros, on the other hand, was up to his old tricks.

"Forgive me, my Queen," He began. "I did not notice you were one of such...nobility."

"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Miu noted, seeing Shun practicing with his weapon. "I don't need your praise. All I need is to work hard for my own benefit. I don't need people to shower me with praise—it makes them superficial."

"So bold and so well-spoken. I love that in a woman." Urataros took Miu's hand into his. "Won't you be the goddess of Otohime and spend 300 years with-"

He was interrupted when Shun hurled the fishing rod at him. Urataros was wrapped up in the rope and was pulled away before he could finish his question.

"What do you know?" Shun smirked. "I hope you didn't mind that I reeled you in."

"Ha ha. Very funny," Urataros muttered.

0-0-0-0-0-

Tomoko was currently typing away at the "Haikyo Forums" on her Ipad. She couldn't believe it—she saw real life Kamen Riders! She had an amazing sleep the night before, seeing Kamen Rider Amazon and Riderman fighting monsters just like she saw in the videos. She even imagined doing Kamen Rider Amazon's signature sign of friendship! It was too good to be true!

"Seems our goth gal is excited today," said Erin, noticing the grin on Tomoko's face. "How we managed to bring you back to your mother was nothing short of a miracle."

"It's so amazing!" Tomoko exclaimed. "I was so excited when Gentaro went off to fight evil bad guys with other Kamen Riders. The way he told the story wasn't ten times as exciting as to what he accomplished!"

"Still, seeing real-life superheroes like the Kamen Riders would make one faint with excitement," Erin noted. "Before coming here, I attended a High School in a city known as Reefside. I remembered hearing that the Biology teacher used to be one of those Power Rangers."

"Really?"

"Well I don't have proof about it, but wouldn't it have been amazing to see that sort of action?"

"I'll be uncovering some action of my own once we head to Kyoto. Which reminds me, how are we going to get everyone into Kyoto without raising suspicion? The field trip is only for 3rd year students."

"I'm sure Ohsugi-sensei can make a good excuse," said Tomoko, finishing her post on the forums. She let out a sigh as she said, "I got to see real Kamen Riders. I was jealous when Gentaro headed off to fight with the Legendary 7, Double and OOO, but this...I could die happy..."

Erin just smiled as Tomoko continued to relive the memory in her mind. Right now, Tomoko Nozama was happy. Right now, everything was right with the world.

0-0-0-0-0-

In a way, Norio Eguchi was thankful for the transformation into Cygnus Zodiarts in the past. He learned that he could be a hero doing small acts of justice and having the determination and will to never back down. When he refused to activate the switch while Cygnus goaded him on, he knew that there was nothing he couldn't do.

He hadn't heard from the other members of the Ugly Ducklings cult, but like their leader the group must've been pretty ostracized once word got out about their misbehavior. There was a difference between idolizing someone and forcing someone to transform into a monster without any consideration for the person, after all. He wished he could go talk to them and forgive them of their actions—it was more Misa's fault than theirs—but they just backed away from him and refused to say anything. Norio sighed; there just some things he wouldn't be able to fix.

He sat himself down and opened his bento box to reveal a multitude of goodies. He let out a quick, "Itadakimasu!" and was just about to eat when he found himself showered with feathers. They weren't just any feathers—these feathers were white as snow.

"Cygnus?" He whispered. "No...no this can't be true! Cygnus is gone..."

"Cygnus?" said a royal voice. "I have no idea who you're talking about."

Norio turned around, seeing the source of the feather shower. It was a white...monster with golden trim and a trail of white feathers following it from behind. From the way it posed and sounded, Norio thought that the white monster belonged to a family of royal blood.

"Advent, from the top." said the monster. "Greetings, young prince. I am the Imagin known as Sieg."

"S-Sieg?" Norio repeated.

"Yes. I have been traveling around Japan for quite some time, trying to find a worthy person to join the fight against injustice. I recently heard of a man who wishes to inflict this type of evil against humankind. It is a tragic tale to behold."

"Really? Who is it? Who's the man that wishes to harm others?"

"His name...is Gentaro Kisaragi."

Norio felt his jaw drop; this couldn't be! Gentaro was the one who helped him overcome the power of Cygnus. Gentaro was the one who he looked up to for heroics and good deeds. Gentaro...was now the enemy?

Sieg noticed the look of shock and betrayal in Norio's eyes and sighed. He then approached the student and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"This is a difficult subject to digest," he noted. "But right now, we must work together in order to stop this madness. You hold a heart of a hero inside of you, and with my power, we have a chance in saving your friend. Will you let me in?"

Norio hesitated—he remembered what happened with Cygnus. What he thought was a being that helped the innocent was just a remnant of his own personality wanting to be set free. Even though the Zodiarts was gone, he sometimes felt that Cygnus would wreak his havoc once more and the real Norio Eguchi would disappear forever. Being a Zodiarts without physically knowing what you have become was a terrifying thought.

Still, if Gentaro was the bad guy, then it was up to the good guys to take him down. Norio was a good guy—he helped people whenever he could, doing whatever it took in order to be recognized by others as someone who did the right thing. That's why he idolized comic book heroes like Captain Marvel—he was one who did good because it was the right thing to do.

Norio stood up and took Sieg's hand into his own. He then showed the Imagin Gentaro's sign of friendship, ending it with curling Sieg's hand into a fist, tapping it from above and below, and then finally with a fist bump. Sieg looked on in confusion.

"What type of answer was that?" He asked.

"That would've been Gentaro's answer if he were here," Norio explained. "But now, it's my answer as well. Let's save Gentaro, Sieg. Let's become heroes."

"Very well. Hold still, Norio Eguchi."

Sieg transformed into a ball of light and entered through Norio's chest. Instead of feeling a cold wave of fear crashing down on him, the former Zodiarts felt a wave of warmth and hope, the type that a true hero would have. He placed a hand on his heart and smiled—he knew that he was doing something good. He knew that he was going to save Gentaro from his fate.

0-0-0-0-0-

Yuki ran down the hall, trying to reach the teachers' office to tell the news. She had a theory as to why Ophiuchus needed Gentaro, one that could possibly be beneficial in their mission. Now, all she had to do was avoid Yukina and her obsession with Gentaro...

As she neared the teacher's office, she saw Kengo approaching a female student. She couldn't tell who she was, but all Yuki knew was that the girl had long black hair similar to hers. She also knew that Kengo was nothing more than a shell of his former self; she had to prevent him from doing whatever he was planning to do.

"Um, excuse me," said Yuki, approaching Kengo. "Kengo-kun, how are you?"

Kengo turned his empty gaze to his former friend. Yuki swallowed a lump in her throat as she stared into those eyes; there was nothing that suggested that the original Kengo Utahoshi existed. Still, she kept her calm as Kengo asked, "What is it?"

"It's just that I haven't seen you since 4th period ended and I wanted to know how you're doing. By the way, who are you talking to?"

"Ah, I'm just talking to Yuri Kuramochi. You remember here, right?"

Yuki took a glance at the girl with the purple streak in her hair. She recalled the incident with the Altar Zodiarts and how Yuri joined it to get revenge on the swim team. Last she heard, Yuri was getting some practice lessons to improve her swimming. Gentaro also talked to the swim team to go easy on her—after all, the team was the one to provoke her by calling her slow—and was able to convince them to give Yuri another chance.

Yuki nodded her head. "Of course I do," She said. "How are you doing Kuramochi-san?"

"..." Yuri didn't say anything to the space otaku. Yuki still kept her ground as she extended her hand out for a friendly handshake. Yuri didn't accept it, deciding to give a glare in return.

"She's still a bit bitter about the whole witch exposure," said Kengo. "I'm just here to check on how she's doing, since Kisaragi isn't here to see."

"A-ah," Yuki slowly nodded her head. "Well, that's good of you. Now-"

"JOJIMA!" cried a voice. Yuki gasped, hearing Yukina's voice echoing across the hall. "WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"I'm heading off!" Yuki said to Kengo. "You didn't see me."

Kengo just nodded his head as he saw his friend go. He smiled as he ran his fingers across his neck. He then turned to Yuri and leaned close to her neck. The former goth girl didn't say anything at all—her eyes showed no expression or sense of warning of what was happening to her.

"Stupid otaku didn't even notice a thing," Kengo chuckled, opening his mouth. "Time to feed..."

He sank his fangs deep into Yuri's neck, feeling the girl collapsing into his arms. Once he had his fill of the girl's blood, he whispered, "Serpens."

A white snake wrapped around Yuri's neck, biting its tail to complete the transformation. It was only a matter of time before the first female member of the group would join.

0-0-0-0-0-

Kouhei Hayami couldn't rid himself of the tick-tock tick-tock that pounded in his head. Everywhere he went, the sound of a pendulum followed. He rather have the sound of a heart underneath the floorboards distract him from whatever he had to go through today.

"Gangway!" cried a voice. The principal didn't have time to react when he bumped into Chuta Ohsugi. The geography teacher knocked the two down onto the floor, panting for breath. "Did you hear the news?"

"Hear what, Ohsugi?" Hayami asked with annoyance.

"G-gentaro's alive!" Ohsugi looked left and right. "I-I heard the news in a dream. He spoke to me...he wants...he wants..."

"He wants what?"

Ohsugi gulped and shivered and shook. He leaned close and whispered, "Friendship."

"Friendship?" Hayami asked mockingly. "Friendship from beyond the grave!" He laughed and pushed the teacher off of him. "Oh, that's so scary! He wants to befriend everyone in the afterlive!" He gave another bitter laugh and snarled. "That's so funny that I could've died laughing."

"It's true!" Chuta Ohsugi stood up and wrapped his arms around the principal's neck. He continued to sob as he added, "You're the only one who can help! Give hope to the students...please..." Tears fell down his eyes. "You're the school's only-"

"GET OFF OF ME, FOOL!" Hayami roared, pushing Ohsugi off of him. "The last thing I need is your blubbering. Leave me now; I have work to accomplish."

Hayami pushed the hugging teacher off of him, seeing Ohsugi's face tear up. He walked off, a cruel smirk on his face. When he saw that look of fear, he could almost taste it. It felt so...so...exhilarating.

He shook his head and continued to walk back to his office. He needed to sit down and figure out what was happening to him before it was too late.

0-0-0-0-0-

"Ah," said Yuki, seeing a message left on the locker door. "Ohsugi-sensei won't be meeting with us. He said that he's off to see Haruka-sensei about some training today."

"It must be something important," said Yayoi. "But for now, let's get everyone acquainted with our base."

Aside from the core members of the Kamen Rider Club, the Imagin, Motoyama and Chosuke were all lead toward the storage room that kept the entrance to the club hidden. The six were all covered in blindfolds, none of them understanding what was going on and why they were going through such a childish thing. Miu and Shun stated that it was, "for the best".

"All right," said JK, opening the door. "Everyone, follow me!"

"This is so exciting!" said Ryutaros. "It's like a big game of surprise!"

"Hmph," Kintaros cracked his neck once more. "It will be such a training ground for me and my comrades!"

"Maybe it's a place where there are beautiful women to find," Urataros suggested. "All for me to lure with a hundred tales..."

"I don't care what it is; get this damn thing off me!" Momotaros snapped.

"Calm down, calm down," said Tomoko, leading the group into the tunnel of Cosmic Energy. "We're almost there. You can take your blindfolds off...now!"

Motoyama and Chosuke removed their blindfolds and looked in awe. They were inside a space station littered with chairs, snacks, toys and all sorts of items found in a club house. They looked at one of the windows to see the Earth looking back at them.

"...It's beautiful," Motoyama gasped. A tear fell down his eye. "What is this place?"

"This is the Rabbit Hatch," said Yuki, helping the Imagin untie their blindfolds. "It used to belong to Kengo's father, but Gentaro used it to create the Kamen Rider Club!"

Yuki pointed to a side of the space station, revealing the flag Gentaro created. It depicted the helmet of Kamen Rider Fourze above the words "Kamen Rider Club" and Japanese characters painted on the sides.

"It's a club where we defend the school from monsters," Tomoko added. "We come here every day to discuss what we found."

The Imagin looked at the site of the Earth in awe. They had never seen anything so beautiful in their entire lives.

"This place is enough to make me..." Kintaros sniffed and pulled out a tissue. "Cry..."

"It's so pretty!" Ryutaros cried, jumping up and down. "I'm gonna draw it next time!"

"To be totally honest, I am in awe," said Urataros. "The Earth is more beautiful than any woman in the world."

"It's...not bad," Momotaros stated.

"You can go walk on the Moon's surface if you want," said Miu. "We have a couple of suits ready for you to use."

"Really?!" asked Chosuke. "You mean it?"

"We do that with all newcomers to the Rabbit Hatch," said Shun. "It's sort of like a welcome ceremony from us to you."

"So get ready!" said JK. "It's party time!"

"I-I get to walk on the Moon?" Erin gasped. Tears began to swell in her eyes. "I don't know what to say. I've always dreamed on becoming an astronaut ever since my dad..." She dropped to her knees in disbelief. "And now I get to go..."

"Come on, Erin-chan!" said Ryutaros, helping the transfer student up. "We're going to meet up with the bunny on the moon who makes mochi! Yay!"

The newcomers to the Kamen Rider Club followed Miu to where the astronaut suits were stored as Yuki went to one of her books. Shun noticed this and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I think I found an important clue," she answered. "Gen-chan's birthday is November 30th, right?"

"Of course it is. Why do you ask?"

"Well, under a few systems of the Zodiac, he'd be considered a Sagittarius, right? If my calculations are correct, that might not be true."

"What do you mean?" asked Tomoko. "If he was born as a Sagittarius, he stays a Sagittarius. You can't change that."

"Look at this," said Yuki, turning around. In front of her was a chart with all the signs of the Zodiac. She pointed to a sign of a 'U' with a wavy line through it, nestled between the signs of Scorpio and Sagittarius. "This is the sign of Ophiuchus, and it starts on Gentaro's birthday, November 30th. That's why Ophiuchus is possessing him: Gen-chan is a child born under Ophiuchus!"

"That makes total sense," said JK. "But the question is why would he go after Gentaro himself? Surely there are there other people born under the sign of Ophiuchus."

"Good point," said Shun. "But at least that's something to go by."

"I also saw Kengo during lunch," Yuki added. "He was with Yuri Kuramochi from the swim team. She looked...quiet."

"It could be because she's still angry for us destroying the Lunar Witch Pendants," Tomoko suggested. "All they wanted was to get revenge on people who hurt them. I just hope that she'll let that go. It's no good to have all of that anger inside you."

"Say that to Gentaro," JK noted sadly, fiddling with a radio in his hands. "Whatever Ophiuchus did to him, it's going to be difficult to undo."

"JK," said Miu, approaching the other members. "What's with the radio?"

"This?" JK smiled and adjusted the knob. "Let's just say we're gonna get a good reception on some information we're in desperate need of."

0-0-0-0-0-

Gentaro was on the rooftop of the school once more, seeing Kengo and Jiro bow toward him. He raised his hand into the air, commanding them to stand up.

"Well done, Apep," he told Kengo. "You found a new member for our little family, correct?"

"Yes, master," Kengo answered, staring at the unconscious Yuri Kuramochi. "When she wakes up, we shall name her. Then, we shall grant what she truly desired: revenge."

"Excellent work, Apep," Gentaro turned to his right. "And good job on finding a sacrificial maiden, my dear cat."

Nonamura, stuck in his form as Lynx Zodiarts, held a shivering and trembling Misa Torizaki in his paws. He let out a purr of satisfaction and content while Misa looked on in horror.

"Who the hell are you?!" She screamed at Gentaro. "What do you want with me?"

"To be silent!" Ophiuchus roared. Misa only whimpered as she saw Gentaro approach her. "You've been very naughty, Torizaki. You claimed to be the priestess of the great Cygnus, but you ran your mouth. You caused nothing but pain and suffering by brainwashing the cult to do your dirty work. You're no swan at all; you're an 'Ugly Duckling' just like the rest of those wannabe cultists."

"N-no! I was just trying to spread goodwill and make everyone do good deeds! I-"

"What goodwill did you create when you let your cult follow your orders? You only followed your goodwill, which was full of stupidity. Did you honestly think that Cygnus was going to save you? Don't make me laugh, little girl."

"I-I'll do anything! Please spare me! I don't want to die!"

"Spare me your sympathy, bitch." Ophiuchus hissed. "I think you'll be better when you sing like a canary. I know just what to do with you. Serpent of the Obsidian Knives, make sure the fat lady sings."

"Yes, master," said Jiro. He smirked as he approached the ballerina. Nonomura dropped Misa onto the ground and stepped back while Jiro pulled out a dagger from thin air. "I'll carve this bird to your liking."

Misa crawled away from her attacker, only to feel a sharp pain in her leg. Turning around, she saw Jiro stabbing her leg with his dagger, then pulling out another one to do the same. She held back a cry as she saw blood trickling down her thigh. This was it—they were giving her a slow and painful death for her actions. She begged and prayed for a hero to save her; anyone to save her from her fate.

Someone save me...Misa thought to herself. Someone...anyone!

Jiro smiled as he raised a third dagger into the air, aimed for the girl's heart.

Wing Form

Jiro turned around and nearly dodged an axe thrown to his face. The axe curved its way back into the hands of a warrior dressed in white and silver armor with a visor of two cyan swan wings as eyes. It caught the axe in one hand, the other hand holding onto a boomerang. Surrounding him was a shower of white feathers.

"Advent, to the top!" said the warrior, bowing to the group.

"C-Cygnus," Misa gasped. "Is that...you?"

"I am Kamen Rider Den-O...or at least, one form of him," The Kamen Rider turned his gaze to Gentaro and nodded his head. "It's nice to see you again...Gentaro."

"I gave up that name a long time ago," Gentaro replied. "What do you want?"

"A battle, of course. I'm here to free you from yourself. You are Gentaro Kisaragi, not some high priest to an ancient evil."

"Gentaro died a long time ago. My name is the Serpent-bearer! Remember that, peasant!" Gentaro pulled out the Fourze Driver and wrapped it around his waist. He pulled the tabs down and waited for its countdown to commence.

3...

2...

1!

"Henshin," he said, pulling the lever. A beam of light covered him as he transformed into Kamen Rider Fourze, his serpent-like appearance shining in the moonlight. Wing Den-O stared at his adversary as everyone else stepped back.

"Shall we aid you in this fight?" asked Kengo.

"No," Fourze glared at Den-O. "I'll fight this alone. Let's do this man-to man, Den-O."

He pulled out the transparent yellow Switch 10-Elec and replaced it for the switch on the far right. He then pressed on its top and was transformed with an aura of electricity.

Electric On

Fourze's armor became gold with black discs on his chest and fierce blue eyes. Draped around the armor was a golden snake, its head hissing and lunging toward Wing Den-O. In his hands was a sword named Billy the Rod that danced with sparks. Wing Den-O just smirked.

"This shall be fun," he said, as the two began to fight. Fourze blocked an attack from the axe with his sword, grabbing onto the other hand before Den-O could fire the boomerang. Fourze then kicked Den-O in the stomach, causing him to stagger back before laying a powerful slash across his chest.

"Very good," said Den-O, panting for breath. "But you are a thousand years too far before you can defeat me."

"It's not about whether or not I defeat you," Fourze snarled. "It's whether or not I'll let you live!"

Den-O threw his boomerang toward Fourze before running toward him once more. Gentaro immediately swapped the switch on the far left of the driver for the marigold colored Switch 22-Hammer. He pressed on its hammer topper.

Hammer On

His left hand was replaced with a small squeaky toy hammer which he slammed against the rooftop. The building began to shake as everyone else fell onto the ground. Wing Den-O fell down as he looked past Fourze's helmet. The boomerang flew through the air and aimed toward Fourze's back. The Serpent-bearer didn't notice until it was too late, where it smacked him across the back of the head and made him fall onto the ground. Wing Den-O quickly kicked Fourze across the face and placed his axe near the adversary's throat.

"Make one move, and I'll slice your head off," Wing Den-O hissed. "Transform back to your original self and let me help you. Gentaro, come back to us."

"Never!" Fourze hissed, raising his hammer-like hand and swung it toward his target's leg. Wing Den-O was unable to counter the attack and fell on his back in pain. Fourze stood up and inserted Switch 10-Elec into one of the sockets surrounding the handguard of his Billy the Rod. Sparks of electricity ran through the blade as he pulled the lever.

Limit Break!

"Rider Ten Billion Volt Break!" he cried as he raised Billy the Rod into the air. When he brough it down, a beam of electricity escaped the sword and struck the fallen Kamen Rider. Wing Den-O let out a cry of pain before he was engulfed in an explosion. When the explosion died down, Den-O was replaced by an exhausted Norio Eguchi and Sieg.

"You?!" said Misa, seeing her savior. "Eguchi?!"

"Misa..." Norio coughed, looking up at the ballerina. "I'm sorry. I couldn't save you."

"Why do I even want to be saved by you?! You're the last person that I want as a hero! You're a nobody, Eguchi! You'll never be a hero!"

"Don't listen to her lies, Eguchi," said Sieg, crawling closer to Norio. "You did the right thing in saving her. Heroes have to go through that type of reaction."

"I know," Norio replied, rising onto his knees. "I only wish I could help Gentaro and make him see his ways."

"I don't need any help," Fourze scoffed. He pulled out a switch and swapped it for the middle-right slot. The switch was a light cyan color with the number eight, twisting its topper. "But I think it's time for you to get ahead in life."

Chainsaw On

A cyan chainsaw was strapped to his boot. It activated with a whir as Gentaro raised his foot in the air, ready to cleave Norio's head off. Sieg wrapped his arms around Norio and raised his hand. A storm of white feathers clouded everyone's vision, causing the Serpent-bearer to wave his hand to brush the feathers away. When the feathers were on the rooftop, Sieg and Norio dsappeared.

"Cowards," Fourze growled, lifting the tabs of the driver up. He reverted back into his original form of the Serpent-Bearer and snarled. "They can't hide from me forever."

"What shall we do now?" asked Jiro. "We still have to deal with this cuckold over here. I can still carve her up and see what she looks on the inside."

"No, I have a better idea," Ophiuchus smirked as he approached Misa. He leaned close and whispered, "And I'm sure she's going to be

Misa whimpered as she saw the eyes of Gentaro, Kengo and Jiro glow in an eerie light.

0-0-0-0-0-

On the moon's surface, the newcomers to the Kamen Rider Club was exploring their new surroundings. Chosuke and Motoyama were bouncing around, adjusting to the moon's lower gravity, and Erin was making sure that the Imagins wouldn't do anything silly to mess with the Moon's history.

"I got a souvenir!" said Ryutaros, bringing a white flag toward the others. "Look at it! It's so cool!"

"Bring it back now!" said Erin, seeing the flag. "Do you know how important this thing is?!"

"Um...no?"

"Idiot!" said Momotaros, whacking Ryutaros on the head. "You have to ask before you take anything of value!"

"I don't see what's so special about it at all," said Kintaros, running his fingers through the fabric. "It looks like a dishrag to me."

"That is the remains of the Apollo 12 flag from 1959!" Erin exclaimed. "Neil Armstrong placed it there as a symbol of America's journey into space!"

"Really?" asked Urataros, taking a closer look. "It doesn't look that special to me."

"Radiation and sunlight caused its stars and stripes to disappear. I'll show you what it looked like when go back to the Rabbit Hatch." Erin snatched the flagpole into her hands. "Where did you get this, Ryutaros?"

"Over there," said the purple Imagin, pointing toward the distance. "I found this next to the strange looking slime."

"Slime? I don't recall the moon having slime on its surface. Let's go have a look. Follow me, everyone."

The Imagin, having no need for astronaut suits, followed Erin as they traversed through the barren landscape that was the moon.

0-0-0-0-0-

Chuta Ohsugi never exerted so much physical effort in his life. He could feel his body screaming to stop working as he continued to strike the punching bag in front of him. He raised a knee to the bag, as if he was driving it toward his opponent's stomach. His gloved fist punched an imaginary cheek. Sweat fell from his brow as he continued to fight against his opponent.

"I've never seen someone so determined," said Haruka, seeing the geography teacher's persistence. "You're serious about helping Gentaro, aren't you?"

"I let him die back at Subarboshi High, Utsugi-sensei," said Ohsugi. "And I promised to protect my students from harm." He landed a sharp jab at the punching bag. "I fell in love with an unforgiving monster, let the principal walk around me like I was an oblivious fool and nearly told the mastermind of the Zodiarts about the Kamen Rider Club. Even though I'm not Gentaro or Ryusei, I have something that they currently don't have."

"And what's that?"

"I have people to protect and people who I care about," he landed an uppercut. "I have the determination to succeed." He performed a switch kick. "And I have the knowledge about who I'm facing. I am facing monsters that no one has ever seen before, and I'll face them with my courage!" The teacher collapsed onto his knees. "That is what I have compared to them."

"You're going to need more than that right now," said Utsugi. "Right now, go and clean off and head home. Tomorrow's your field trip to Kyoto, isn't it?"

"I'll be fine. I just need to catch my breath. Knowing my students, they'll all be doing what they're doing and leave me behind...again." Ohsugi slowly stood up. "But that actually does me good."

"Why's that?"

Ohsugi smiled as he pulled out something from his pocket. "JK gave me this back at the Rabbit Hatch. Let's just say that my acting skills have improved since High School."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Norio Eguchi slowly opened his eyes, seeing a pair of eyes staring at him. He took a deep breath, smelling something cooking. He groaned and slowly sat up, feeling pain in his back.

"Ow..." He muttered under his breath. He looked at his surroundings, noticing that he was inside a train. "Wait, where am I? Where's Sieg?"

"Over here, young prince" said Sieg, sitting across from the boy. "I brought you here to the DenLiner to heal your wounds. The people here are quiet friendly and hospitable, so you're safe."

"Sieg told us what happened," said Hana, wiping Norio's forehead with a wet washcloth. "That was very brave of you to stand up to Gentaro, but he's still too powerful at this moment."

"So it's true...Gentaro's really turned evil," Norio whispered. "This can't be happening."

"I'm afraid so," said Owner, staring at Norio. "You are very lucky that Sieg carried a spare Liner Pass on him—had he not, your head would've been mounted on a wall for all to see. Still, this only shows that Gentaro is too far gone now. His soul has vanished from this world and in his place is a being of malice."

"Why? Why would Gentaro give up so easily? He's not someone who'll turn to the dark side! It's not him!"

"But you saw the proof on the rooftop, didn't you? He brainwashed fellow students and held no empathy in his mind when he was about to chop your head clean off. Ophiuchus warped his perspective of the world, turning a once messanic and optimistc boy into a harbinger of darkness and despair. Our only hope is to kill him, for that shall sever his soul from the satanic serpent once and for all."

"No..." Norio shook his head. "Death shouldn't be the answer. There has to be another way to free his soul! I won't resort to killing people! I'm a hero, not a serial killer."

"Heroes must choose what to do in order to help people," said Sieg. "In the end, you will have to decide where you stand. Your friend has lost his hope, but you must not. Norio, we have become partners in order to save people. Remember that."

Norio nodded his head, but let out a sigh as well. Being a hero meant doing the right thing, but was killing Gentaro the right thing to do? He always wanted to be a hero, to help people and to instill hope in them...but killing was something he could never dream of doing. Most of his heroes would never kill—they beat up the bad guys, but they never intentionally enact murder. Did he have the heart to kill? No, he didn't.

He wouldn't kill Gentaro; he'd find another to fill Gentaro Kisaragi's soul with light.

0-0-0-0-0-0-

"Here are your forms," said Station Master, handing them toward Daisuke and Yuki Joji. "In a few days, you'll be teachers working in Amanogawa High for the duration of the semester."

"Me teach students all about Amazon," said Daisuke, staring at the papers. He let out a grin. "Will tell them stories about home."

"Thank you, Station Master," said Joji, alos looking at the papers. "I had no idea that conductors of time-travelling trains were also adverse in application forms."

"It's the least I can do," Station Master chuckled. "With you two on campus, the enemies will have to be more careful when instigating their plans."

"We'll also have to keep an eye on that Gentaro character." Joji narrowed his eyes. "And we also must keep an eye on that boy."

"What boy?" asked Station Master.

"Joji saw stranger with dark eyes staring at us," Daisuke explained. "Joji sense he evil."

"Stranger..." Station Master rubbed his chin in contemplation. "Whoever he is, he'll be an important part of this whole war. For now, we must rest for tomorrow. We have a big day ahead of us."

"I agree," said Joji, nodding his head. "Tomorrow, we all head out for war."

Translation Notes:

Ban Chosuke's name is a play on bancho a word for "Boss".

Kintaro wakes up from his nap whenever someone says cry or anything remotely to cry (In Japanese that would be either Naku or Nakeru). For clarity, this story will either use the word "cry" or any word synonymous to it.