Horseshoes and Hand-grenades

XII: 19-16-9-17-9-20/15-6/20-8-5/23-5-2

"For a gallant spirit, there can never be defeat."

-Wallis Simpson

The shadow of a serpent slithered and snaked around Gentaro's unmoving body, slowly entering the teen's mouth. When it passed through his lips, Gentaro's eyes opened once more. He placed a hand near his neck, feeling the snake crawling down his throat and esophagus and filling his body with renewed energy. He smiled in content.

"Thank you, master," he whispered. "I knew you would come for me."

"I always will, my Serpent-bearer," Ophiuchus chuckled. Gentaro sighed as he felt the voice of his savior echo in his mind. "I see that your skills are improving; you started to shed your skin faster than I expected. That is good progress."

"But I was unable to eradicate those pesky Kamen Riders; they defeated me before I could kill them. Please forgive me, Master. I am a failure."

"Do not worry, Serpent-bearer. It was your first try in your second skin, but you'll eventually be devouring our enemies whole."

"And what about you? Were you able to create the human form that you wanted?"

"The Cosmic Energy in this city is enough to let me manifeset a temporary form. Although...I won't stay in it too long or else you'll be so lonely without me. I also have a little surprise for you: I have two new toys for you to play with. For the first one, he'll take some time adjusting to what I gave him. The second will need you to say the magic words."

Gentaro grinned broadly as the blades on his wrists faded into Cosmic Energy. He smoothed his hair back and started to trace his lips with a finger. He then whispered the words, "Serpens Cauda."

0-0-0-0-0-

When he opened his eyes, Chuta Ohsugi expected a cold, decayed labyrinth to be the so-called 'Dark Nebula' that he heard so much about. A large glass window to his side showed him the beauty of Earth, while the rest of the satellite was lit by beeping lights and the glow of some computer monitors on the side. Instead, he found himself in space, floating in a satellite. Floating around in zero gravity, Ohsugi moved his arms and legs around, trying to adjust to the weightlessness brought upon him on arriving. He hadn't been involved with floating around in space since the time Shun accidentally tackled him to the gravity control lever of the Rabbit Hatch, but that was when the geography teacher was against the Kamen Rider Club, not with them.

A part of him was slightly annoyed at the revelation—was this supposed to be a joke? Did Virgo deliberately send him here to annoy him?

Ohsugi brushed that theory aside and began to look around. If this was the supposed 'Dark Nebula' where both Sonada and Kijima were imprisoned, then it was up to him to break them out. There was no turning back now. He knew that Virgo Zodiarts was stalking him—what with having the ability of transportation and all of that—so it was only a matter a time before the teacher had to toss the fake Switch that Miu and Shun gave him far enough for Ryusei to chase after it. He didn't know if getting Virgo Zodiarts to know about this charade was part of the plan, but he put his faith into his students. They would not let him down.

Still floating inside the satellite, Ohsugi turned to his side to read the words M-BUS. This was where Ryusei received his powers to become Kamen Rider Meteor, he noted. Making a mental note to tell the Kamen Rider Club about his findings, he decided to 'swim' forward in order to search for the forms of Sonada and Kijima...provided that they were still alive at this point.

"Sonada-sensei!" he cried. "Kijima! Where are you?!"

His head bumped into something hard. After rubbing a hand where he was bumped, he looked to find two capsules staring in front of him. Sleeping inside the capsules were the people he were looking for.

"Something doesn't add up," Ohsugi said to himself, trying to find a button that would open the capsules. "Why is this place the so-called 'Dark Nebula'? In fact, why did Virgo send them here in the first place? What is she hiding?"

There was only one button near the capsules: a bright red one. Ohsugi could've laughed to himself—it looked similar to the giant button on the Cosmic Switch. If only that switch was capable of bringing Gentaro back to life, rather than Ophiuchus, things would've been so different. But there was no time for 'what ifs' and wants of horseshoe nails; it was time to save these people from their fate. He didn't know what to expect when they woke up—particularly with Kijima, he was a very crafty individual—but he was prepared for absolutely anything.

He slammed on the red button and heard an alarm blare inside the satellite. The capsule lids slowly opened, but neither Sonada and Kijima woke up from the noise. Ohsugi scooped both of them into his arms—which was quite simple to do since there was no gravity—and pulled out the pass that Owner handed him days ago. The pass showed the Kamen Rider Club's flag, the eyes of Fourze's helmet flickering brightly. All he needed was a door.

He grabbed onto a handlebar on his right and placed a foot on the wall. He bent his knee and pushed back, finding the door on his right. Careful not to alert Sonada and Kijima of what happened to them, Ohsugi opened the door and held onto the pass in his hand. The pass began to glow, and he was soon face to face with a tunnel of Cosmic Energy—the same tunnel that marked the pathway to the Rabbit Hatch. A part of Ohsugi wanted to ask how that was even physically possible, but he could ask Owner and Station-Master later. He had a mission to complete.

Wasting little time, the geography teacher pulled the former Zodiarts into the light, closing the door behind him as he went.

0-0-0-0-0-0

"Sensei, where are we going?" asked Mari, following Haruka down the hall. "Is it something to do with Gentaro?"

"Ohsugi-sensei told me about a place where Gentaro and his friends would meet up," Haruka answered, opening the door to the storage room. "It should be right about...here!"

Mari looked confused at seeing Haruka approaching the item in question. Gentaro and his friends met up in a locker? That was...incredibly bizarre. Then again, Gentaro Kisaragi was a very eccentric person when he first came to Amanogawa High, dressed up as a delinquent and gelled pompadour, exclaiming he was going to befriend everyone in the school. She even heard about how Kengo tossed a love letter into the water, and how Gentaro berated him about such a thing before jumping off of the bridge to retrieve said letter. The thought of someone like him going to the dark side and going against his promise and philosophy of friendship was just not like Gentaro at all, and that's what frightened her the most.

"What's inside the locker, sensei?" asked Mari, seeing Haruka open the locker doorm ."What's...oh my."

Haruka placed a hand over her mouth as she saw the glowing tunnel of Cosmic Energy shining back at her. Ohsugi told her all about the locker that let him travel into the depths of outer space the day before, but she never believed that she would be a witness to its beauty. A figure began to walk toward them, carrying two people on its back. The person revealed himself to be Chuta Ohsugi, with the unconscious bodies of both Sarina Sonada and Natsuji Kijima on his shoulders.

"Chuta!" said Haruka, using the geography teacher's first name in shock. "W-what's going on? Are those-"

"There's no time to explain," said Ohsugi, closing the locker door with a foot. "Take these two to the school infirmary as soon as you can. I don't care what excuse you make as to what happen, but I promise to explain everything once I get back to Kyoto."

"Sensei!" said Mari. "What's going on?! The locker and those bodies...and Kyoto..."

"I can't explain everything right now, Mari. All I can tell you is that shit is going down fast in Kyoto and I have to get going."

"Does it have anything to do with Miura?" Mari went to Ohsugi and tugged on his sleeve. Tears started to form in her eyes. "Something's wrong with Miura! I saw him in the cabinet to Chairman Gamou's office. He's involved with the Zodiarts again and..."

"Again? Then that means..." Ohsugi gasped as he dropped the unconscious Sonada and Kijima off of him. "I have to get going and fast; my students need me."

"But it'll take too long to get to Kyoto! At the best, you'll make it after dinner time!"

"Not to worry," Ohsugi showed his train pass and looked at his watch; it was close to 4:04 PM. "I have some time. Haruka-sensei," He turned to the female teacher. "I'm going to need your help with this."

"What do you need me to do?" asked Haruka. Ohsugi just beamed and snapped his fingers.

"Don't get too excited and faint on me when I open that door in 3...2...1...NOW!"

With the watch reading 4:04:04 PM, Ohsugi opened the door that separated the hall to the room with the lone locker. Instead of the door opening to let the teachers exit the room, it opened to reveal the DenLiner slowly opening its doors for them. Hana waved a hand at the window, pulling up a sign that read, "Let's go on with the show!"

"Ohsugi..." asked Haruka, her voice filled with awe. "Is this..."

"The DenLiner, the train that travels through time," Ohsugi answered. "It'll get us back to Kyoto in a blink of an eye. Oh, and they serve delicious pudding and fried rice. Now, let's get going."

"I'll take care of Sonada-sensei and Kijima," said Mari, already propping Kijima onto his feet. "Haruka-sensei, find Miura and kick his ass for me!"

"I will!" said Haruka, stepping onto the train. "I promise you that!"

Mari gave a beaming smile and watch as the teachers enter the train, and seeing it speed off toward Kyoto. She then looked toward the former Horoscope Zodiarts and proceeded to carry them toward the school infirmary.

0-0-0-0-0-

Tomoko Nozama wished she was dreaming, but when Ryusei entered the stage as part of Miu's elaborate plan, the first thing she noticed was all of the blood that covered his face. Tomoko didn't want to break character—as she was playing a defenseless maiden who was in fear of what the Aztec God of Death would do should he win the little spat against Quetzalcoatl—but there was something about Ryusei that made her sixth sense send warning signals into her brain.

"Are you alright?" asked Ryusei, tilting his head in curiosity. "Are you troubled, fair maiden?"

Tomoko felt like she was going to vomit out an answer. She wanted to scream and yell many different things to him ("You killed Gentaro! You betrayed the Kamen Rider Club! You're a monster!" etc.), but all that escaped her lips was a small hiccup. A part of her wanted to act out of character and explain what she was doing, but was stopped when Joji pulled Tomoko onto her feet and lightly grasped onto her throat with her right hand.

"She is a sacrifice to me," Joji announced, a cruel smile on his lips. "She is going to be the special sacrifice that will let me walk amongst the mortals and lay waste to my enemy once and for all! That is..." He beckoned Ryusei with a hand. "If you can fight me."

"B-brave warrior," Tomoko sputtered, remembering the lines from Yuki's hasty, made-up script from the night before. "Do not worry for my sake. If I must die, so be it. Save yourself and flee this awful place!"

"Warrior of truth!" said Daisuke, crouching on the ground and a hand on his chest. "You must fight in my steed. Save her! Save her from this monster!"

The audience looked in awe as Ryusei looked back at Daisuke then at Tomoko. At the same time, Erin, Yuki and JK observed from back stage, also waiting for Ryusei's answer. Yuki was clutching onto JK's arm while JK was nervously biting his nails.

"If you wish to save her then fight me!" Joji dropped Tomoko onto the ground and cracked his neck. "Fight me, warrior!"

Daisuke took Tomoko into his arms and brought her backstage to where Yuki quickly handed her some of her homemade space food. Tomoko took a piece into her mouth and swallowed.

"Did you see the blood on his face?" she whispered. "There's something not right with him."

"Ryusei is very angry," said Daisuke, seeing Ryusei striking the first blow in his fight against Joji. "Ryusei holds anger in his heart."

"Gee, like we didn't notice," JK replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Daisuke saw his eyes...Daisuke saw confusion and despair."

"And that's the least of our problems," said a voice. The group turned to see Motoyama approaching them, a charcoal sketch in hand. "When Yuki and I were at the torii gates, the two of us witnessed seeing him strangling Yukina to death."

"That can't be Ryusei!" Tomoko exclaimed. "Or at least...it can't be the Ryusei we knew..."

"Speaking of people that we were acquainted with," said JK. "While Chosuke, Norio and I tailed Kengo, we saw Aries Zodiarts walking around with that scepter of his. However, if my sources are accurate, he was sent to a hospital following Gentaro's attack on him. Therefore, it's not possible for him to be wreaking havoc unless..." JK narrowed his eyes. "There's another Aries Zodiarts running loose."

"But that just gives us more and more questions!" said Erin, throwing her hands up in the air. "Who's the new Aries Zodiarts and who gave him that switch?"

"I don't know. Oh, and I also sketched this." Motoyama flipped the paper around, revealing the charcoal sketch of the symbol back at the bamboo forest. "This was on top of a stone pillar near the torii gates. Most likely, Principal Hayami is looking for the location of similar pillars. Why he's doing this, I have no clue."

"I'm not receiving word from Shun or Miu," said Tomoko, pressing the CALL button on her cellphone. "This isn't looking good."

A sound of a moan alerted everyone's attention. They turned to see Yukina Takamura slowly waking up, inhaling oxygen into her tired lungs. She slowly sat up and placed a hand on her head.

"What happened to me?" she murmured. "My head..."

"What do we do with her?" asked Motoyama. "Do we need to keep her tied up and gagged until we get Ryusei out in the open?"

"That's inhuman," said Erin. "We'd be no worse than those Zodiarts."

"Let's call Hana and see if she can get the DenLiner to pick her up," Tomoko suggested. "They can help tend her wounds and it'll be safer for her to vent out her obsession with Gentaro over there there rather than screaming at us."

"Speaking of that, where is she?" asked JK. "I mean, where was Hana supposed to go once all the Imagins let go of their balloons?"

"She's supposed to go to the DenLiner and give the update to Owner," said Yuki, counting on her fingers. "But other than that, I couldn't tell. Miu-sempai made such a convuluted plan in the span of one night."

"We might as well contact the DenLiner now," said Tomoko, calling a number on her cellphone. "And in the meantime, someone's going to have to entertain Yukina from going nuts about Gentaro."

0-0-0-0-0-

The last time Miu Kazashiro piloted the Power Dizer unit, it was to scare off both Scorpio and Hound Zodiarts from giving Fourze a beating of his lifetime. Unfortunately, she collapsed into unconsciousness due to exerting too much energy and had to miss out on Fourze ending the reign of the Hound Zodiarts. After that, Shun took up the mantle as the Power Dizer user, and she stayed in the sidelines as a commander.

Not this time. With all her willpower and determination to ensure the safety of the world, Miu Kazashiro, the 3-time Queen of Amanogawa High and the Club Chairman of the Kamen Rider Club, let out a powerful roar as she dropped Kengo on top of his partner, the two groaning in pain when they hit each other. She then tossed both Kengo and Jiro halfway across the path before leaning forward, letting the Power Dizer's hand pin Libra down onto the ground, therefore immobilizing him once more.

"Principal Hayami," said Miu. "You have been principal for the school for the last fifteen years, and all this time you have been using your time to create corruption in the school. Why? What were you trying to accomplish in making students, the students that you are supposed to protect and nurture, into Zodiarts? Can you give any explanation for your actions?"

"Yes, Principal Hayami," Jiro sneered, cackling as he stood up. "Why would someone as significant as you go about creating monsters in a laboratory? What would make a man so smart and pretty go and manifest some ugly sins? What makes you tick?"

"I have the right to remain silent," Libra snarled. "I don't have to talk."

"I have the right to crush you like the bug that you are," Miu retorted. "However, I 'm above that. I'm-"

"Above me?" Libra laughed. "You and and your stupid club will never be above me! I am a Horoscope General, the Zodiarts of the Scales! You are nothing to me!"

"I'm the girl who has you pinned to the ground. What do you have to say about that?"

"All you have to do is ask for help," said Kengo, a hand in the air. "I can burn the Power Dizer's arm off and make it useless for it to fight. All you have to do is accept, Hayami. If not..."

"We'll whack your pretty little head off and feed it to master!" Jiro cackled, licking the blade of his knife. "What's it going to be? You have two choices."

"No. You're giving me two choices. I still have this." Libra began to glow in a brilliant blue light, fading away once more. In a blink of an eye, he was gone.

"DAMN IT!" Miu screamed. "Stupid teleportation technique! Come back you coward!"

"He'll come back and accomplish his job in the end, Kazashiro." said Kengo, lowering his hand. "But for now, I believe we can strike a deal."

"What deal?" Miu turned her gaze at her former friend. "Kengo, what can you give me that will actually be a benefit to me and the rest of the Kamen Rider Club? I don't trust you at all."

"Oh don't be like that, My Miu." said Jiro. "We just want to be nice and tell you that you should be going back to your little boyfriend. I mean, how long has it been since you left him to fend for himself?"

"Shun will be fine! He's fought other foes by himself and without fail! He..."

"Usually fought said monsters under the guise of the Power Dizer pilot," Kengo interrupted. "Have you actually ever seen him fight in hand-to-hand combat all by himself? And winning?"

Miu was lost for words. The last time Shun got in a fist fight with Dustards—which was around the time Yamada forced her and the other Kamen Rider Club members present to kill off students for his twisted production of "School Wars"-it ended miserably. Shun had the athleticism of a football quarterback, but that mostly meant him using himself as a projectile to knock the wind out of his opponents. While this was an effective way to fight in a mecha, that type of style would actually harm him if he were to engage in regular fisticuffs.

Kengo saw the hesitation in the Power Dizer's movements and smirked. He shook his head and added, "A knight who cannot stand by his princess's side is unworthy to protect her in the end. Shun is better off being off without you, Kazashiro. You seem to be doing well by yourself."

"I will never abandon my friends!" Miu snapped. "Do you know what you've done? You left us for a cruel, heartless serpent! You-"

"Don't you dare talk to Master Ophiucus in that way!" Kengo screamed, his eyes glowing purple. "If you're going to be that way, why don't you just die!"

Raising his hands into the air, Kengo unleashed a stream of purple fire that wrapped around the joints of the mecha. The fire began to spread until it reached the faceplate where Miu was sitting. Jiro tapped his chin with the tip of his dagger and tilted his head.

"Whatcha doin', Apep?" he asked. "Are you brainwashing the mecha and its user? If you do that, it'll be unfair to have so many maidens in our group."

"Like I want to have Kazashiro bossing us around," Kengo huffed. "Just wait in five...four...three...two..."

There was a powerful scream that shook the foundations of the buildings. Inside the Power Dizer mecha, Miu felt her whole body burning from the strength of the flames wrapping around the powerful robot. She knew that resisting would be like committing suicide, but at the same time that meant she'd be failing her mission to guard the stone pillar. She pressed on a button close to the mecha.

"I'm...sorry," she whispered, letting the Power Dizer fall on its knees. It opened up to reveal the exhausted Club Chairman stumbling out. "I failed..."

Just as she was about to take a deep breath of air, she found a giant bubble of water covering her head. She gasped, holding breath as she tried to figure out where it came from. The water was murky, making it hard for her to see her surroundings, and she felt the water creating a vice-like grip around her neck so she could pass out. Kengo just laughed.

"Oh, Kuramochi-san," he said, looking behind him. "That's where you are."

A figure emerged from the shadows, dressed in a light blue kimono with a matching dark blue obi. Her hair was tied into a bun and held with a pair of chopsticks decorated with snakes. Her eyes were the color of gold as she let out a hiss.

"Don't call me that," Yuri Kuramochi hissed. "My name is Neroda, Serpent of the water."

Miu could hear muffled voices within the water, buit she couldn't focus on that right now. She quickly pulled out her cellphone from her pocket and held it in front of her eyes. Still keeping her mouth shut, she squinted to see her friends list. She felt the urge to exhale, but concentrated on pressing on the buttons in front of her...

Only for the phone to escape her hands from a knife hitting her hands. She was then pinned to the walls by watery chains as she felt her world black out.

I'm sorry...Miu thought. I'm sorry everyone...

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

Ryusei and Joji continued to fight, trading blow after blow to the delight of the audience. Joji kept silent, trying to concentrate only on the fight and not on the source of blood on Ryusei's face. He didn't want to imagine what Ryusei did while everyone else was busy with preparations for the plan, and prayed that there was a chance to save the person whose blood was all over Ryusei Sakuta. For now, the only thing he could do was fight.

Just as he was about to punch Ryusei across the face, Joji heard the sound of multiple thuds. He quickly turned to his right and lifted the blindfold off of his eyes. The audience collapsed onto the ground. Standing amongst them was a teenage boy with short brown hair and holding onto a Horoscope Astroswitch and dressed in the standard Amanogawa High school uniform.

"Who are you?" asked Joji, narrowing his eyes. "What is your reason to interrupt this fine production?"

"..." The teenager stayed silent. Joji curled his right hand and approached the front of the stage.

"Do you work for the Zodiarts, young man?" he asked. "What is your—AGH!"

Joji did not see the claws of the Leo Zodiarts knock him back into a corner. He lifted his head, staring face to face with the savage Zodiarts of the Lion. Joji then heard a sinister female laugh and watched as the Virgo Zodiarts materialized in a pink and black vortex behind the Aries Zodiarts.

"You will discover the truth in dear time, Yuki Joji," Virgo turned to the teenager and nodded her head. "Well done Toshiya Miura. Your first job as the new Aries Zodiarts is a success. I was right in choosing you to complete what Yamada could not."

"Thank you, General Virgo," said Miura, bowing his head. "What is your next command?"

"I have only one task," Virgo pointed her axe toward the right. "Get those meddling kids out here and put them to sleep forever!"

"As you command." Miura pressed the top of his switch and was shrouded by a cloud of Cosmic Energy. A cluster of stars covered his body, revealing the constellation for the Ram before disappearing. Where Toshiya Miura stood, there was now the new vessel for the Aries Zodiarts, its Coppellius scepter ready to induce another group of people into a never-ending sleep.

Leo Zodiarts pushed Joji onto the ground, stomping his foot onto the Kamen Rider's neck. Joji, being human, tried to pull the foot off of his neck before he lost oxygen, but was stopped by Leo's fierce claws trapping his wrists. Leo let a low growl rumble in his throat.

"I wonder what's more powerful, the Zodiarts of the Lion or the Avenging Demon?" he hissed in Joji's ear. "I'm sure this would be a wonderful site to see." The Zodiarts chuckled before roaring. "Come out, Kamen Rider Club and associates!" Leo Zodiarts growled. "If you don't, I won't be held responsible for gutting poor Yuki Joji and tossing his innards to the buzzards!"

"Ryusei...help!" Joji choked out.

"Ryusei cannot help you now," Virgo replied, climbing up the steps to the stage. She stopped near Ryusei's side, a hand stroking the teen's hair. "Isn't that right?"

"That's right," Ryusei answered. He smiled as his nails grew into sharp electric talons. "Tell me, should I do more than just cut his human hand off? How about I permanently blind him by plucking out those eyes of his?"

"You sided with the Zodiarts?!" Joji exclaimed.

"I guess you can say that," Ryusei chuckled, his eyes glowing with that same electrical aura. "Now, how should I kill you, Riderman? That is the question."

0-0-0-0-0-

"Joji in trouble!" Daisuke exclaimed. "We must go help!"

"Are you nuts?!" Yukina exclaimed. After waking up, she found herself given a hasty lecture about the situation at hand. Her reaction to the whole thing was summed up to "You guys are fucking ridiculous!" "This can't be real!"

"It is, and you better get the hell out of here before you're caught in the crossfire," said Erin. "Tomoko, do you still have that bottle of centipede juice on you?"

"It's right here," Tomoko went to her backpack and opened it, revealing the bottle that read "Centipede Juice". "Is it time to-"

JK pulled out his guns and began to reload, placing twelve new rubber bullets into their barrels. He snatched the glass bottle before tossing it into the air. He began to rapidly fire his guns, the rubber bullets penetrating through the glass. The fragments of glass fell onto the ground while droplets of silver slime rained down on everyone.

"Quick, Hayabusa!" Yuki cried lifting her now fixed satellite plushie into the air. Tomoko whipped out her shedded snake skie, the silver slime splashing onto the items before glowing in a bright light. JK and Motoyama nodded their heads and pulled out a pair of Liner passes.

"I go help!" said Daisuke, hand over the Gigi Amulet. He let out a powerful snarl and gnashed his teeth.

A-MA-ZON!

A bright light encased Daisuke, transforming him into his Kamen Rider Persona. He let out a "GI! GI! GI!" before rushing toward his friend's side, swiping the air with his clawed gloves.

"Momotaros! Ryutaros!" said Erin, pulling out her Zodiarts Switch. "Are you ready?"

As if to reply to that question, Motoyama and JK's appearance changed once more. Motoyama's hair was spiked up and his eyes were glowing red, while JK's head was covered by a green cap and a streak of purple fell down his face. The two wrapped belts around their waists.

"Let's dance!" said Ryutaros, pressing the purple button the belt. "Henshin!"

Gun Form

Scanning his Liner Pass through the belt, he soon transformed into Den-O's Gun Form, a revolver in his hands. Momotaros followed suite, pressing the red button on the belt.

"Henshin!" he announced, scanning the Liner Pass.

Sword Form

Transforming into Den-O's Sword Form, Momotaros prepared his sword and began to rush toward the danger. Gun Den-O followed his Imagin friend, rapidly firing his gun.

"We're going too!" said Erin. "Let's go, Kamen Rider Girls!"

A shadow descended from the ceiling. Aside from Yukina screaming at the top of her lungs, Yuki, Tomoko, and Erin just glared at the multitude of Dustards surrounding them, all of them brandishing steel pipes as weapons.

"What's the plan?" asked Tomoko, wielding her snake skin.

"Simple," Erin pressed on her Zodiarts Switch, transforming into the Aquarius Zodiarts. "We fight!"

"Roger!" Yuki drew her arm back and cried, "HAYABUSA PUNCH!"

With her Hayabusa plushie covering her hand, the space otaku nailed a powerful blow against a Dustard, knocking it back. She quickly dodged a swing of a metal pipe before responding with a slap across a second Dustard's face with Hayabusa. She quickly pulled out the Flashake Foodroid tucked away in her blazer and held it in front of her.

"Smile!" she cried, closing her eyes.

The Flashake lowered its head and illuminated the area with a powerful blast of light. The circle of Dustards staggered back as Yuki continued to adminster her Hayabusa Punch and 'Armstrong Kick' (a spinning roundhouse kick of her own invention), that swept across half of the Dustards in front of her.

"Yukina, get behind me!" Aquarius Zodiarts cried, brandishing her blue cat-of-nine tails. With a loud CRACK!, the whip-like weapon smacked the ground as if to frighten the Dustards. One Dustard rushed toward Aquarius with his pipe, but was met with her weapon smacking him across the face. The same Dustard dropped his pipe with a clatter, the pipe rolling near Yukina's feet.

"N-no!" said Yukina, slowly grabbing the pipe. She stood up, her whole body trembling in fear with what she was seeing. "I-I'll fight!"

"You don't have any experience or true understanding of what's going on!" said Yuki, kicking the Flashake Foodroidi nto the air. Another burst of light came forth, knocking the Dustards onto the ground. "You'll be killed! Besides...you pretty much told us that you don't care about the situation. You only care about being Gentaro's imaginary girlfriend!"

Tomoko gripped onto her snake skin as she ducked from a swinging blow. She then followed it up with a kick to the stomach before elbow striking another Dustard on the head. She then pulled her snake skin back and brought it forward, the shed skin stretching and wrapping around at least five more Dustards like a lasso. She then tackled the five onto the ground, watching them disintegrate into Cosmic Energy. Unfortunately, she didn't see the Dustard stalking toward her, raising his pipe into the air.

"Tomoko!" cried Yuki, punching another Dustard. "Watch out!"

Tomoko turned around, seeing the Dustard lower his pipe to her head. Bringing her hands out to shield her just in time, a purple shield of light covered her body, boucning the attack onto the Dustard itself. It staggered around a bit before it fell onto its back in pain. She looked up and saw the shield flicker out before staring at her hands.

"W-was that me?" she asked. "Did I just do that?"

"Tomoko, Dustards at 9 o'clock!" said Erin, kicking a Dustard in the gut. "We've got lots more fighting to do!"

"I just hope the boys are doing alright," said Yuki, grabbing onto the pipe Yukina snatched from the ground. She twirled it into the air and slammed it on top of a Dustard. "If we don't stop these monsters now, then we'll be in a world of trouble when they enact their true plan."

"And what's their true plan?" asked Yukina, staring at the three girls fighting.

"You'll wish you didn't find out," Tomoko replied, kicking a Dustard in the face.

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Kamen Rider Amazon and Den-O Sword Form rushed toward Leo Zodiarts with a powerful yell. Sword Den-O swiped his sword, but was only met with Leo's claws blocking the attack. He kicked Sword Den-O in the stomach, causing him to fall onto his back. Amazon flipped over Leo Zodiarts' head and began to run the sharp fins on his gloves through his back. Leo Zodiarts replied by turning around and swiping Amazon across the face.

"This kitty cat's getting on my nerves!" Momotaros snarled. "Why won't you just die?!"

"You shall be the one to die by my hands!" Leo Zodiarts growled. "My master's plans shall be fulfilled, and all of you will burn!"

"Amazon will not allow that!" Amazon cried, biting deep onto Leo Zodiart's wrist. Leo Zodiarts snarled and brought his leg up to kick Amazon off of him. He saw Sword Den-O bring his sword up through his own peripheral vision and stabbed the red Kamen Rider with his claws. Both of his opponents fell onto the ground in pain.

"Too easy," he scoffed. "Now I'll..."

"MACHINE ARM!" cried a voice. Leo Zodiarts found himself being attacked by a barrage of bullets. He stumbled back as he saw the gunslinger; it was Joji. No, it was Riderman. The Avenging Demon smirked as he quickly swapped the Machine Arm for his trusty Rope Arm as Amazon and Sword Den-O rose to their feet.

"There's an interesting thing about demons," said Riderman. "They don't know when to quit, do they?"

Leo Zodiarts growled as he found himself surrounded by three Kamen Riders. Sword Den-O prepared a Liner Pass in his hand, Amazon brought out the Gaga Armlet and connected it to the Gigi Armlet on his arm, and Riderman lowered his arm to aim his Rope Arm at Leo Zodiart's face.

"You might as well give up, kitty kitty," said Momotaros. "We're going to win."

"You shall not pass," said Amazon, swiping his hands into the air. "We shall not let you."

"It's time for a little revenge for what you did to Daisuke and I," said Riderman. "What do you think?"

Leo Zodiarts stared at his opposition before shaking his head. He let out a booming laugh and lifted his head into the sky before staring at his opponents. He let out a small growl and said, "I think that you three have just sealed your fate."

He pulled out a red Horoscope Switch topped with a mark of two circles with two tails going in the opposite direction. He pressed onto it and became encloaked in a cloud of Cosmic Energy. A cluster of stars shimmered within the dark cloud, soon revealing the image of a large crab.

"Cancer?" asked Riderman. "What does this mean?"

"I don't think we want to find out," Momotaros replied, pulling his sword back.

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"Come back here!" cried Gun Den-O, firing his gun at Virgo Zodiarts. "Stop flying around and let me hurt you!"

Virgo Zodiarts revealed her feathery wings and flew into the sky, flying just out of reach from Gun Den-O's bullets. She waved her axe into the air as blue orbs of energy rained down on the unsuspecting Kamen Rider. The purple Kamen Rider rolled out of the way, still firing his gun at his opponent.

"You are an annoying little pest," Virgo snarled. "Why don't you just go to sleep?"

"No can do, bird-lady!" said Gun Den-O. "I need you to keep still so your plans fail. I 'm gonna be a superhero and get Airi onee-chan to give me a bag full of sweets and goodies!"

"...You are so conceited."

"I HEARD THAT!" Gun Den-O continued to fire another blast of bullets at his opponent who blocked it with her axe. While his focus was on his target, he did not pay heed to the figure stalking him from behind. From within their shared mind, JK knew what exactly was going on.

"Ryutaros!" JK cried. "Turn around! Aries Zodiarts is there! He's-"

Ryutaros turned too late, his face covered by a cloud of golden mist. He saw Aries Zodiarts approaching him, the Zodiarts's staff pointed at his heart. The Kamen Rider found himself letting out a yawn before falling onto his knees.

"So sleepy..." he murmured, his gun dropping out of his hands. "Need to take a nap..."

"No, Ryutaros!" said JK. "Wake up! I'm still here! If you fall asleep, they'll go and kill us both!"

But the Imagin did not hear JK's please. Gun Den-O's armor faded away and separated into the slumbering Imagin and the Gossip Broker. JK quickly pulled out his guns and aimed one at Virgo and one at Aries. He knew it would be useless—seing as Virgo could fly just out of reach and Aries could use his sleeping spell from where he stood—but he had to do something! He couldn't run away when his friends were in danger.

"If you move, I'll shoot!" JK cried. "I'll shoot you to the forehead and let you die! You got that?!"

"You wouldn't do such a thing," Virgo huffed, slowly descending onto the ground. "You're too human to do such a thing. However, if you're willing to keep us at gunpoint, I highly doubt you will be able to block an attack from my little friend here."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Ryusei, dismember this pathetic child!"

JK turned around, only to be hit with a burst of electric energy to the chest! He dropped to his knees, his guns falling to his sides where they were hit by bolts of lightning. They disintegrated in front of his eyes as JK looked up to see Ryusei sauntering toward him. The knowledge broker could see Ryusei's fingers twitch as electricity danced on his fingertips.

"R-Ryusei," JK stammered, stepping back. "W-what are you...you're working with the Zodiarts?! How could you-"

"Master wants me to eliminate you," Ryusei hissed, his hands wrapped with electricity. "That is what I SHALL DO!"

"But you're not a killer!"

"I killed Gentaro, didn't I?" Ryusei chuckled. "And I also killed that pathetic jock just a while back. Where else did you think I got the blood from?"

"No..." JK whispered. He tried to crawl out of the way, forcing himself to not imagine how Ryusei killed another Kamen Rider Club Member, but he was held back by Virgo grabbing onto the hoodie of his jacket and then slamming him onto the ground. She then stabbed him with the end of her Rhodia halberd, preventing him from standing up.

JK's eyes darted back and forth, seeing Aries preparing the mist that would let him sleep forever, the electricity around Ryusei's fingertips growing into sharp talons, and Virgo pulling him onto his knees by tugging onto his hair. There was no way to contact anyone for help, no way to transform into a Kamen Rider, and no way that he would actually survive this. He was doomed.

"Say goodbye!" Ryusei giggled, wiggling his fingers. He stopped in front of JK and inched his electric nails toward JK's eyes. "Time for you to see the light."

"S-someone!" JK screamed, hands clasped in prayer. "A-anybody! PLEASE! HELP ME!"

"You've done enough begging to last three lifespans," Virgo hissed into his ear. "No one can hear you scream, Kaizou Jingu. You're on your own."

JK only screamed as he saw Ryusei's electric talons spark with electricity. He closed his eyes, praying that the last thing he was going to see didn't involve his killer smiling at him with wicked glee.

"NADESHIKO ROCKET KICK!" cried a voice.

Ryusei turned to see a silver boot slam against his face. He fell back at least twenty feet into a stone statue, falling into unconsciousness. Virgo snarled as she saw the person who delivered the kick.

"You," she said. "What are you doing here?"

JK looked at the figure who descended onto the ground, a large orange rocket attached to their right arm. It looked like a Kamen Rider dressed in a silver suit with blue oval eyes and two small fins on its helmet. The most interesting attribute about the Kamen Rider was the belt around its waist: it was similar to the Fourze Driver in design, except it was dark blue and the slots in the middle were covered. JK couldn't believe his eyes...was it possible?

"N-Nadeshiko?" he whispered. "Is that you?"

This Kamen Rider, or Nadeshiko as JK asked, tilted their head in curiosity before pointing at Virgo Zodiarts with her left hand. Virgo released her grip on JK's hair and unfurled her wings, sending a shower of feathers into the air. Nadeshiko replied by pointing at her opponent with a finger.

"Who are you?" asked the Zodiarts of the Maiden. "And what have you come back here for?"

"Kamen Rider Nadeshiko!" Nadeshiko replied. "Let's do this man-to-man!"

"If you want to die so prematurely, then I shall allow that."

Both combatants stepped back, being propelled by different means of flight. Virgo charged toward the Kamen Rider with her wings flapping and the axe ready to slice the newcomer in half. Kamen Rider Nadeshiko directed the rocket on her arm toward Virgo, her left arm preparing for a switch on the far left of the Fourze Driver.

"NADESHIKO ROCKET PUNCH!" Nadeshiko cried just as both combatants collided with one another.