Episode 9: Bonds

Odawara Hospital, 13:00 PM

"How are they?"

Tachibana Kairi stood outside of private hospital room, within it were two of her students, recently attacked by one of the Unknown Lifeforms. The two were treated by a personal friend of Tachibana, Doctor Midorikawa Tsubaki was her name. She's also the Tachibana family doctor who's well known in many Japanese hospitals.

"Well, I got good news and bad news." Said the equally middle aged doctor, "The boy is merely bruised, and have minor cuts, but he's fine. He seemed to be sleeping like a log ever since he got here. The girl, however, will be staying here for a while. The Unknown Lifeform basically mauled her, but it's a miracle she could still stand and breathe. Still, she'll live, but she's going to stay for a week or two, she lost a lot of blood."

Tachibana wanted to smoke her pipe to calm herself, but Midorikawa confiscated it since it's not allowed to do so. She had to settle with tapping her foot. "Damn it all, this is going to cost quite a lot, will it?" She sighed, leaning on a wall while she's at it, "At least Madoka's alright, just a cut on her leg, paid the bill herself, too."

Doctor Midorikawa peeked through the small window gap from the door. "It seems the girls are restless."

Inside, she saw the young ladies busying themselves; Akira feeding Ryuuko whose arms are all bandaged up, Yumiko watching television, Madoka sitting idly as she text messaged someone, and Asuka sitting next to the Indonesian, Rasyid, who has yet to awaken.

That is, until she saw him mumbling something in his sleep. And seem to be struggling in his sleep.

Everything was dark.

My dreams have always been like this, ever since Daguva entered my mindscape. Riku is always here though, working overtime to shield my mind from him. No more of the usual dreams with me and my dream gals, thanks to Daguva trolling me most of the time in here.

Sometimes, other than that the surrounding area was dark, it's a snowy mountaintop with a full moon shining above. Then an empty beach with a crescent moon, and another time, a field of grass with no moon at all. The only thing they have in common is that they always rain, excepting the snowy mountaintop that actually snows, that is. I know its Daguva's powers to make it rain, but I don't think they ever explain why he makes it rain. Demoralization is what I believed it's used for, since when he does so, it pours on for days or weeks, but maybe there's more. This time it's the beach, and I'm on a ring of some sorts. Hmm, I remember this place; this beach is one of the stages used in those Kamen Rider Climax Heroes fighting game. Hell, I think it's an exact replica!

Anyway, this is getting annoying. All I did was resting after fending off Mebio, what the hell does he want this time?

"Knock, knock~"

Great, there he is now. With his usual all-white attire and shit, "What the fuck do you want this time, jackass?" …what the hell? "And why do you still use my face?"

Of course, bad guys are always the cryptic; never gives a straight answer to many people. "Maybe I'm just using your face in this realm, while I have my own outside. Or maybe this is one of those "things where your mind perceives certain stuffs", as you eloquently put it last time. Who cares?" Arrogant freak, "I care, dammit."

Great, now it's raining. Even though it's a dream world, I could still feel the drops hitting my head. I don't feel wet or cold, but… bah, must one of those weird dream things.

"So, what is it this time? Another evil plot you like to hint, another attempt to troll me into anger, or just visiting? Don't tell me you made contact with the villains of this universe, I highly doubt that…"

Wait, he's smiling, his teeth are shining for crying out loud—"Oh, no." "Oh, yes, Kuuga… I found one of them."

Shit, this is bad. By now, all the Precure villains that are still around are… which ones are they again… the Heartcatch Cure's final boss, Dune… and Black Hole. "Which one did you met?" I took a few step closer, the drizzle turned into a storm, I care not for this, I must know! "Dune of the Desert Apostles or Black Hole, which one?! Tell me, you sunnovabitch!" Bastard kept on giggling, and the rain kept pouring on so much it blurred my vision, but I can still see him, glowing with his white attire of his, and I heard him saying, "Maybe one of them, or even both! Keep on guessing, Kuuga! You know how much fun I'm having by all this chaos I can make, and now that I found some new… playmates, I can have even more fun!" Daguva said so as he waved his arms in a grandiose way. "I have bits of your memories, remember? I dug a bit, and all those villains these Pretty Cures faced seemed interesting enough. Alas, we're in a timeline where they're all gone… and it seems that this timeline we're in is one where all these Cures lived around the same time. And there's a special show going on in a few months, am I right?"

This time, he walked closer, since this damn rain hindered me… Wait, why can't I move my legs? Shit, my feet, they're sunk into the sands!

"Let's see… another thing from your memories I got, is that like these other Heisei era Kamen Riders, they should be living in their own timeline and universes… or worlds, as that Decade fellow introduced." He's right in front of me now, kneeling down as half of my body has sunk into the sand, "I believe that neither of us has found an answer of why we're actually here, but unlike you, I don't care. Anyway, let's just say that the one I've met… produced a delicious amount of darkness."

Hurk! Again with the choking! "H-hands off, creep! You know I'll stop you if you keep going down this path! You're so damn clichéd, doing all this without following any rules or lists…" For a moment, his form shifted like a moving shadow; first into his red imperfect form, then to his white/gold perfect form, but he returned to his human form, borrowing my face for some reason. "Ah, you must be referring to this evil overlord list that you have been reading before you came here, aren't you? If I do all the things written there, I know I will be victorious… but what if I just don't care about all that? I have no need for world conquest, nor do I want to let my people take over the world… Why not another world war, starting in this tiny island of Japan and it will keep going until everybody dies? And I doubt these virgins you allied yourself with can handle all the bloodshed I'll be creating after this—" I grabbed his collar, pulling him down a bit with a violent jerk. My visions blurry, the surrounding area were bloody red, with Daguva being the only clear image I'm seeing. Fuck this, I won't let him!

"Alright, let's say you did all that, then what? You think the Pretty Cures would stand idly when you do as you please? You may underestimate them, but I don't! I have faith that their hearts are powerful enough to overcome the upcoming hardships they will face in the future; either by your hands or somebody else from this universe. One way or another, you will die by my hands!" I pulled him even closer, close enough to see the whites of his eyes, "Do you hear me you fucking piece of shit?! I will not let you do as you please, and I will not let you harm the Cures in any way!"

He just laughed again, this bastard! Even though he has pulled me out of the sand, he still has his hand on my neck. I kicked him off, letting go both of our grips on each other. In an instant, I turned into Kuuga, since my vision was all red for a few seconds. Not sure if I could one day master the way of transforming by will instead of saying the usual magic word and motions, but right now I don't care. I remember him hurting me in my sleep… let's see if this works both ways, huh?

I stride towards him, and swing a right hook. I could see blood spatting out of his mouth. Daguva held his left cheek, and muttered something, "This… this actually hurts. Hahaha…" once again, the maniac laughs. He keeps doing so as he morphs into his imperfect Grongi form. "Hurt me more, Kuuga!" Crazy masochistic fuck, have it your way!

I keep on swinging my punches at him. At times, he countered back and punched my face and gut, but I ignore the pain and keep on hitting him. I don't know how long I have been doing this; in this dream world of mine, an hour could probably be a minute outside…In the real world…

Sweet Merciful Allah. Ryuuko, Yumiko, Akira… Asuka. Madoka, Aunt Tachibana too… Saki, Mai, all the Pretty Cures I've yet to meet… as my visions brightened a bit as their images popped up in my mind, I realized something, "What… what have I been doing?"

Daguva punched me in my moment of distraction; so hard I smashed the rock behind me to pieces with my back… Argh, the pain! "What's wrong, Kuuga? I was having so much fun with you…" Agh, dammit! This rock is too heavy for me to lift! Shit, he's getting closer… Huh?

A streak of red came from above, looks like Riku's here to the rescue. He kicked Daguva quite afar, he turned to me and chopped the rock in half, "Linto, are you alright?" before I answer, he held a hand, "No, it's quite obvious that you are not." Then, I saw Daguva getting up, but Riku stopped me from going to him, "No, Linto! You must not attack him, not at this state you are in!"

"Why, he hurt me in a dream once, if I can do so here, maybe I could slow him down. I break his leg and he'll be going nowhere for at least a month or two!" but when I was to go pass Riku, a giant mirror materialized before me… What the hell?

"This form… why do I look like this? Riku, yours is that of the new SIC Kuuga who looked friendlier… Why am I the fearsome older SIC Kuuga? What the hell is going on?"

Oh, God… even though I still find the older SIC Kuuga figures to look cool, I feel… afraid of it. But why, though?

"This, Linto…" Riku pointed at my image, "Is what Daguva is trying to do. Remember why he wants you to be angry?" for a few seconds, I gathered my thoughts… and remembered. "Oh, shit. He wants me to be a new vessel of some sorts, to bring forth the Ultimate Darkness… W-was I this close to become so, this easily?"

"And I would have gotten what I wanted if this brat didn't got distracted for a moment. And now that you are here… Riku, was it? Guess my playtime is over."

The mirror shatters as Daguva kicks it. The shards thankfully fade away, but he's still coming! Riku pushed me out of the way and blocked Daguva's attacks. "Linto! I saw what stopped you from becoming what this fiend wants you to be! The maidens you have met!"

Pushing him even farther, Riku continued, "These maidens, and any new people you have and will meet, whose bonds you'll cherish… They are your light! There are many sources of light and goodness that you can find on your own, but they are the most prominent! Remember them in your darkest hours, and you will surely survive!"

As Riku fought Daguva off, fading away minute by minute, the rain slowly stopped. The clouds parted away… and I see the sun rising from the seas. It's so bright… and warm. Wait, I see something else. Are those… the girls?

"Dammit, let me see! You know I can't move right now!"

"Shush, he's waking up! Rasyid, are you okay?"

"Nii-chan, please be alright…"

"Shonen, you better be alright."

I could barely hear who said what, but their voices were recognizable enough to discern which one of them stood where. Too bad my eyes are still seeing haze right now.

Using my right elbow to support myself, I felt a pair of hands helping me along, "Come on, I'll help you up." she told me, that's Asuka's voice. Finally upright on this bed I'm on, I scratched my eyes with the back of my hand, a few seconds later… "Umm… hi?"

A slight slap on the back of my head by Asuka wakes me up even more, "Oh come on! You just wake up after dozing off for almost three hours, and all you could say once you wake up is that?" looking to my right, I told to Asuka, "W-what do you want me to do? I mean…"

"He's gonna say, "Being in a room filled with lovely ladies made me thought I was in heaven for a moment," isn't he?"

"Being in a room filled with lovely ladies made me thought I was in heaven for a moment—"

…Holy shit. "Yare yare, daze…To whomever that pulled a Joseph Joestar on me; well done, for that kind of thing is difficult to do in real life, but really, who said that?" I asked in English. Whoever that woman was, she's good.

Noticing a shadow from the curtain behind Asuka, it's owner walks to the edge of it to reveal a woman in a lab coat, must be a doctor here. "Heh, very few reacted like you did, you know. It's good to find a Jojo fan among my many patients, and what a patient you are!"

… Is that Bayonetta? No, maybe Morrigan Aensland from Darkstalkers… or is she a combination of both? Wait, definitely Bayo, those glasses of hers are a giveaway; and with short spiky hair? Wowzers. Shit, she even sounds like Morrigan too, at least her Japanese voice from Tatsunoko vs Capcom. Dammit, is this another bullshit my author-self or R.O.B. to indulge in their fantasies? I do enjoy them in a way, but why base these non-Precure characters on other characters from another media, like how it's basically Izumi Curtis as Tachibana Kairi-san? Wait, I remember something… I'm having trouble describing people not only in fanfics, but in life. Don't tell me this author-self of mine is too unimaginative to find a way to describe people, especially women. Goddam-

"Spacing out a lot could mean a lot of things; maybe your brain is still booting up, so to speak… or you were having naughty thoughts about us in your dreams, weren't you? Still having them, I assume."

Oh, for crying out loud… "Sensei," I called the doctor, according to how people address physicians in Japan, at least from what I remember from watching Doctor Blackjack, "Is that really a legitimate question for any patient?" Calm down, man. Don't mind the blood rushing to your cheeks, just do a face palm and look down… Wait, what's this thing I see protruding from my sheet?

Doctor Bayonetta giggled, "Well, it seems that your equipment is still functional down there."

Oh, hell no! "Hey! That's not cool, doc! I don't care if that's part of your job, but you can't just take off my pants to see that part of my body! As cute as you are, I'll sue you if I have to you—" As I wave my hand around, Asuka grabbed it on the wrist, "Young One, I suggest you take off your sheets." Wait, WHAT?!

"Asuka… as much as I appreciate that you are… very curious to a certain comrade of mine, this is hardly the time and place to do so! God, did I wake up in an alternate world where I'm in a harem anime and all of you are gunning for me?! This is utter bull—" Before I get to finish my sentences, Yumiko pulled my bed sheet off, revealing… Other than my attire being a striped hospital scrubs, it's the belt.

"…Is this the Arcle I'm seeing?" I asked to no one in particular. Asuka answered, "Yes, yes it is. The jewel in the middle was glowing a bit, but nothing else happened."

"How long was it visible?" Akira answered that one, "When you were thrashing about in your sleep, seemed whatever nightmares you had was bad enough to have you subconsciously call it out."

"How long was I out again?" this time, Yumiko answered, "Well, Nii-chan, you were sleeping like a log ever since you got into that ambulance me and Akira was in."

"… Did I do anything else that's stupid while I was out?" and finally, Ryuuko answered, "Other than your mumblings keeping me from a restful sleep, nothing much, really."

...Linto, I've returned. What just happened?

As the Arcle faded away into my body, I woe my existence in this universe, "Even in my sleep, I can't even keep my own secrets."

I pulled the bed sheet towards me, and hid myself in it as my shame is heavy enough to outweigh an elephant. "Come on, Shonen, stop messing around already." "I can't, Tachibana-san, I'm not really in a condition to not mess around anyway, so you might as well let me sleep for an eternity…"

The doctor simply giggled, amused of the current shenanigan that's happening before her, "Come on, Tachibana-chan, give Shonen-kun a break." Well… at least she's a bit friendlier. Which reminds me, "Uh, sensei…? I don't think I know your name," I asked her, still hiding under my sheets, "I'm sorry for threatening to sue you, but today has been a crazy day for us all, so…"

"Say no more, Shonen-kun, it's alright. My name is Hellena Midorikawa, and since you're Tachibana-chan's newest student, and a cute one at that, you can call me Auntie Hellen. Or Hellen nee-san, if you prefer." I get the feeling that she winked when he finished that line, but something else intrigues me.

… So much, that I immediately got up and said, "First off, I'm not cute. Second, did you say Midorikawa? Lastly, did you say, "Auntie Hellen"? You're as old as Tachibana-san or something?"

She smiles, reminds me of Audrey Hepburn's smiles for some reason, but I ain't complaining. Okay, let's hear what she has to say, "I assume my surname reminded you of a certain character from a certain old television show? Yes, just like Tachibana-chan and Asuka-chan here, I share the same family name of Midorikawa Ruriko from the original Kamen Rider show. I do find that fact intriguing, but I stop worrying about something small as that and made friends with Asuka-chan's grandfather during our youth."

Putting her hands on her hips, protruding from her lab coat and looking damn fine—Wait, not now, listen to her. "Well, I do hope you remember that it's not exactly polite to ask ladies as old as I and Tachibana-chan here what our ages are –even though I'm five years younger than her-but since you're cute, I'll humor you."

…Ignoring that part, I listen to the rest, "Long story short, me and Tachibana-chan here were friends since her biking days, as I'm sure she's told you. I drive a car, while she a motorcycle. Together we're Thunder and Lightning. I was the Thunder, making every action I did as loud and grand as possible back then. That is, until Raijin here is taken away by Fuujin."

I understood that reference. I nodded, signing my understanding of what she meant to Doctor Hellena. She continued, "Anyway, once he took her, I found my life calling as a doctor. It made quite bit a stir, a former street racer studying medicine, but here I am now."

… Wow. Just, wow. "I… don't know what to say. I can't believe the two of you look so fantastic for women your age—smooth skins, sparkly and, surely, sweet smelling hairs, lovely eyes that could pierce one's soul, and all that jazz- but… again, other than how damn fine you two looked, today's been a crazy day."

As I scratched my head, I saw Tachibana-san… turning away and blushing? That's weird, "Ooh, it's been a while since anybody complimented our looks to our faces. Usually people say anything they want behind our backs, but you're one of the rare few to tell us how fantastic we look. Even Tachibana-chan here is blushing, who knew that you can make someone her age do so, Shonen-kun?"

…Linto, you do realize that you are—

Digging my own grave, I know. Sweet Merciful Allah, what the hell is going on with me now?

"Uh… don't we have something important to talk about? Like, why the hell Rasyid can transform into Kamen Rider Kuuga?" Oh, bless you, Ryuuko. Tachibana-san coughed, seemed she went back to normal now, "R-right, thanks for the reminder. Shonen, I think you're quite awake by now, so how about telling us what's going on from your own words? Asuka already told us her version, but I want to hear yours." She then held a hand on the doctor's shoulder, "Don't worry, Hellen here can keep a secret."

Taking a deep breath, I gathered my thoughts. "This… is going to take a while." I shift my legs to the right, I dragged myself off the bed, Asuka giving me a helping hand as I sit myself up, "Thanks, nee-san." I said absentmindedly. I'm not too sure if she blushed or not, but I prepped for a long talk, so never mind.

"Alright, this is going to take a while… but I'll do my best to explain." I summoned the Arcle on my waist. Hellen looked somewhat amazed, since she only raised an eyebrow and smirked. But the girls are more varied.

Yumiko's eyes basically sparkled with amazement. Akira leaned a bit closer, ooh-ing as she does so. I saw Ryuuko having trouble seeing, so I walked myself to her side. "Better?" I asked the incapacitated biker, her smile answered me, "Yeah, thanks… Damn, so you're an actual Kamen Rider, huh?" "Yeah, I'm still amazed that I am."

Anyway, I show them how real the Arcle is by tapping it. I told them how the portal transported me from 2013 my world to this world's 2011, how the toy belt burned into my waist, just like how it happened to Godai, and oddly shaped my physique into an athletic body type. Finally, how it became the real deal. Yumiko is most enthusiastic, poking at it constantly. "Yumiko, please don't do that." Great, she's not listening. "I can't help it, Nii-chan. I'm actually seeing a Rider belt this close and it's real!"

Huh, her pokes seem to go lower… And she doesn't realize it. Shit, better grab her hand. "Yumi-chan, keep doing that and you'll eventually poke my penis," Oh yes, using the P-Word this time, "The Grongi, goes by the name of Zu-Mebio-Da, kicked me there during our fight. And I could still feel the stinging pain. I would appreciate it if you stop it, before either of us do something embarrassing, okay?"

With a blush, the vertically challenged mechanic nodded. Once I let her go, I continued… if not for that one comment the doctor said, "My, my. Never thought you'd be able to take charge like that, Shonen-kun." Honestly, this is getting old, "Stick around, I may surprise you. Anyway, moving on…"

Okay, now I'm reaching the part where Saki, Maki, Michiru, and Kaoru found me. Plus Mai's older brother Kazuya helping me out. Asuka helped me retelling the story, too. And then, after reaching the part where we first me, Akira commented, "So your excuse was, "star-gazing", was it? Did you get a nice view?" "Not really, I was still in pain thanks to Gooma clawing my back then…" Ryuuko butted in, "So Asuka, you just hugged him after he transformed? What's up with that?"

… She has a point, "Ryuuko's right, why did you just hugged me out of the blue? I get it that you're grateful that I saved you and all, but I never saw you as the impulsive type, to be honest." I walked closer to the FBI agent. It's not my thing really, asking women something that might embarrass them like this, judging from the redness of Asuka's cheeks… On second thought, maybe I shouldn't.

With a hand on her shoulder, I told Asuka, "However, it doesn't matter now, is it?" "H-huh? What do you mean, Rasyid?" I took a deep breath, and explained, "Whatever your reasons for doing that, if you aren't comfortable telling it, I won't force you. I just want to say… thank you. If I never met you there, none of us would be here right now, and I wouldn't achieve Kamen Rider Kuuga's Mighty Form. I'd be stuck in Growing Form for a while, losing myself looking of a purpose, since I actually need something to drive me to get Mighty Form."

I walked back, and turned around, facing the rest, "As I've said, I was never much of a guy back home. But here, in this world… I don't know; I felt different. Sure, I still like the same things I do there, and I know that my personality hasn't changed. I guess what I'm trying to say is, that ever since I achieved Mighty Form, I gained a confidence boost. Not only in socializing, but combat-wise too. Damn, sorry if it doesn't make sense, explaining things isn't really something I'm good at…"

"Hmm… I think I get it, Shonen-kun." Huh, doc sounded serious now. "You did say that you consider yourself a Modified Human, not unlike the Showa era Kamen Riders, which might explain your changed perception in reality. However, since Kuuga is one of those magic-based Riders, perhaps it affected your psyche as well, considering that entity within the belt you named Riku serving as an advisor of sorts."

She shifted her glasses up a bit, then putting her fingers on her chin, "I do think that whatever side effects the belt gave you, one of them brought out your… inner self. The Other-You that you wanted to be, but can't for whatever reasons. Fortunately, ever since Asuka-chan here charmed you with her everything, it became a trigger for whatever else that helped you gained more power afterwards."

… I do feel that her explanation is mostly accurate, Linto.

Yeah, I agree.

"Also, about this Random Omnipotent Being that you mentioned, Shonen-kun… That is something I do find hard to believe, but how sure are you that this R.O.B. orchestrated all of this?" asked Doctor Hellena. Heh, no way I'm mentioning my author-self, not even sure if that's really the case.

… Well, now or never. "Honestly, sensei, even I'm not sure if that is actually what's happening. But I don't have any other ideas, so this is the best one I can come up with within my personal knowledge. I don't study metaphysics and all those complicated theories, I just thought up things based on shows and games I've seen." I finished with a shrug… No way in hell I am telling them that the Pretty Cure universe I'm in is fictional in mine. The fact that 4 girls around my age physically resemble hentai manga characters from artists whose art styles I liked, and these 2 older women looked like characters from famous fictional works would be… catastrophic for me to explain. Better say something; otherwise they'd accuse me for spacing out again.

"On the bright side, you're living in a harem anime since you got us, right?" "Oh yeah, I do find that to be one of the best things that happened since I got here, unlike many imbecilic protagonists of such genre, I refuse to be ignorantly dense as they are. Still, I either just pick Asuka, or add Akira, Yumiko, and Ryuuko into the mix so I can have the polyamorous man and four wives relationship I dreamed of ever since finding out it's okay to do so in Islam. However, since I'm not wealthy enough to take care of all of them, nor do I think myself as a proper boyfriend and husband material, I'd postpone on such ideas until I become so and if the girls are… are…"

…Linto, why do you do this to yourself? Is this one of those masochistic tendencies you claim your brain conjure up most of the time? I worry for you.

I see the door leading to the bathroom to be wide open. Thanks to being a 170 cm tall man, I use my long legs to stride into it, close the door and lock myself in it.

"NAZE, DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA?!"

So, umm… Leaving our moronic protagonist for now, we move on to the Grongi.

"Gurgh! Damn you all… DAMN YOU ALL!"

Somewhere, within a sewer system, a voice called out in the dark. Her eye was wounded, a bullet lodged in it. Without any medical experiences or help, Zu-Mebio-Da forcefully scratched her eyeball to remove the foreign object.

You can imagine how indescribably painful the experience is. Fortunately, or unfortunately, for her, she's not human. She may live through this, but nothing will ever be the same once she plucked it out.

"I will kill you all… Damn the Game, I will have vengeance!"

"No, you will not."

The familiar clicks of women's heels echoed within the sewers, its owner wore a black dress, and long red wool scarf surrounds her neck. But the most distinguishing feature she has was the white rose tattoo on her forehead. This was Ra-Baruba-De, who not only oversees and judged the Game the Grongi plays, but she is the right hand woman for N-Daguva-Zeba.

"You will follow the rules that has been set, let not your emotion be mixed as you play." She told the lower class Grongi coldly, uncaring for Mebio's current predicament. This only angered the feline Grongi, "Lady Baruba, even if I continue to play, it will not bring back my lost eye!" she pointed at the meaty remains of it on the ground, alongside the bullet. She kneeled at the judge, and said, "My desire to avenge myself is stronger than my desire to continue playing."

Out of the shadows, behing Baruba, a man appeared. He was wearing an all black outfit, plus a black trench coat and fedora. He's holding a black umbrella on his right hand. On his left ear is a gold ring piercing, which he sometimes flicks. This creepy man, however, is more than he looks; this is the human form of Zu-Gooma-Gu, the bat Grongi that escaped our hero's battle. "Did I not suggest that you use his woman? This would not happen if you just do what I have told you—"

Gooma, being an insufferable creature he is, cannot help but aggravate most of his clan, even when he didn't mean to. His comment served to anger Mebio. So much she lunged at him and had her hands on his neck, "You scum! This is all your fault! Why did you not tell me what Kuuga looked like?!" she accused. Gooma struggled, but managed to answer, "You damned mewling! I told everyone that he is recognizable enough for everybody to know what he looked like! It is not my fault that he hid himself from the world with a mask, hiding his face like a coward—"

Before either Grongi of the Zu group did anything else, both of their necks were strangled by vines. Baruba partially transformed her arms into her Grongi form, and extended her fingers and wrapped both of the lower class Grongi, "Enough of this nonsense." She commanded, "Mebio, either you play or forfeit. Gooma, either you silence that tongue of yours or I will do it for you."

As she let both go, Baruba folded her arms, waiting for any action the two would take. She knows Gooma wouldn't dare to attack her outright, but Mebio… She had calmed down, but her situation isn't going well for her. On one hand, if she continues, her performance would suffer due to her permanent injury, and on the other, she will never be permitted to play ever again, and will be left for dead either by exile… or execution.

Clutching her fists, she has little option left… Unless, she plan for something drastic. "What if I give chase to Kuuga, lure him out and slay him?"

'So… she choses death by his hands.' Baruba thought. Daguva has given orders that if any of this Grongi wishes to forfeit, they have two options. One is exile, where they will be left on their own without purpose. The other is to seek glorious death in the hands of the Ancient Warrior Kuuga. Some Grongi knew that there will be no glory by dying in his hands, but they have little options.

"Very well, you may play a new game; lure out Kuuga, do whatever it takes, and win a duel against him. But do not think that you will be able to face him soon after." The rose tattooed woman gave her permission to Mebio. Nodding in acknowledgement, she turned tail and ran. Gooma spat out some saliva, "She will not survive. Not if Kuuga had help from those virgins he has allied himself with. Or that female he fancies."

Baruba remained silent. She had listened to his reports after Gooma told Daguva about it. She never cared about anything unless Daguva told her so. However, she is no fool; she has something only a select few in the Grongi clan knew. She knows what Daguva knows. 'Everything is going exactly as Daguva told me, just like how this original Kuuga show went on, albeit a bit differently. This should be amusing.'

With a smirk, Baruba turned back, beckoning Gooma to follow. Grumbling, he obeyed. 'Tch, why do I have to work under her? It may be Master Daguva's orders, but this cunt is an annoyance! One day, I will get stronger… and when I kill her, Daguva is next. Such is our code… to become the strongest.'

Entering the darkness of the sewers, they disappeared into the unknown.

And now… back to our idiot and his girls.

Odawara Hospital, 14:00 PM

"Shonen, come out already!"

"No, leave me alone!"

"Nii-chan! Some of us need to use it, you know!"

"I don't care!"

Godfuckingdammitmeandmygoddamnbigmouthofallthebullshitisaidijusthavetofuckingsaidthatshishitgoddammshit!

Linto, enough already!

I'm a freak! We both know it and now they know it! I can't show myself to them anymore! "Asuka, stop laughing! Doctor, you too! It's your fault I said that!"

They are mocking me! I know they tease me sometimes, but this is too much!

"R-Rasyid, I'm so sorry," I hear Asuka said, "But come on, it's alright! I'm just laughing at how you reacted, not at you, I promise!" "No, go away! I already have enough shit going on today, and I don't need this right now!" Then, I heard the familiar clicks of women heels, seems it's the doctor's turn. "Look, look, Shonen-kun. I'm so very sorry for making you say that, I know my teasing could go overboard for some people, but I never thought you'd react like this. Please, I'll do anything to cheer you up~" "Dammit, you're doing it again!'

By the Stones, I thought you are in control of yourself.

Me too, but…

No buts, Linto. You have nobody to blame but yourself for being in this position. Surely you know these women mean you no harm.

I know… it's just—

"Rasyid-kun, it's me, Madoka."

"…Yes?" I responded the only woman who did no wrong today, before I realize something, "Oh god, did you limp all the way to talk to me, I'm so sorry!" I unlocked the door as I turn the knob, but immediately stopped before I opened it. I held it for a long while, but Madoka pushed it with ease. "Rasyid, can we talk, please?"

…Fear is understandable, depending on the situation. But have courage, Linto. I know that this is one moment where you need it most. True, you may think that it is foolish, courageous in the field of battle, but, fearful when it comes to showing emotions to others. You and I know that this fear must be conquered.

I… I know Riku. And after all those things I said about having resolve and stuff, backing down because of today… would be stupid for me to do.

"You're talking to Riku, aren't you? It's alright, take your time. We're still here."

What say you, Rasyid Surataruna? Shall you, as your memories taught me, face the music?

… Yeah.

I slowly opened the door, enough for me to see a kneeling Madoka. "… Hi." She smiled, and responded, "Hi."

And thus… we talked. I won't bother you with the details, but here's the lowdown: Madoka asked me about some small stuff, trying to open me up a bit. It worked, since she led me towards a chair next to Ryuuko's bed. The others were there, I instinctively got behind Madoka, but her motherly nature helped me out of that position.

Then, we all have a long talk. Why I was… am so impulsive, the reason I acted the way I did thanks to my low social skills—since I only learnt what I know by watching TV shows and films and playing video games back when I was younger—and how thank to that, I interacted with fewer people other than family than any friends I made during my school days.

After some bonding, I asked them to help me not only in gaining skills I'd need to use Kuuga's other forms, but how to be a better person. People might think that this kind of thing is a father-son bonding type of relationship, but I know women are usually wiser in the matter of the heart. Ryuuko understood me, since her father basically raised her like a son, but fortunately he's the understanding kind of father who lets her be more feminine in certain things.

Feminine… "You know, this masculine and feminine thing works both ways, for either man or woman. For one to embrace one over the other or even both, is neither wrong or a major sin. It's the fault of society that screws up people's perspective over certain ideals or way of thinking." I told them, "I guess, in an attempt to find a balance for both, I put a mental armor to protect myself from the humiliation I may face in the future. Just like what happened an hour ago; that was it kinda shattering to bits," I noted, looking at Doctor Hellena for a moment, acknowledging the fact that she was partially responsible for breaking it with a nod, "But… I think this conversation we had just melded my armor and my resolve into something stronger. Thank you." And this time, I'm more sincere in saying it.

As I sighed to myself on this chair, Yumiko hugged me, "Rasyidnii-chan, it's quite fine to feel that way, alright? You don't need to be scared of what others might think of you. Just believe in yourself, okay? Asuka-nee told you that before, but Yumi want to say that she believes in Nii-chan, okay?" she hugged me even tighter, and with my left arm, I returned the gesture.

Ryuuko held my right hand using her left hand, albeit with some pain thanks to that arm of hers being bandaged, and said, "Yeah. I admit you got a few screw loose, as the Americans say it. But what's a bit of oddity in life, you know? Don't worry, man. You got us. And I'm sure when you get the help from the Pretty Cures, you might have them trust you enough so they want to be friends with you, yeah?"

Akira walked to my left, and had one hand on my left hand, "Well, since it would be my turn a few days after this, I might as well tell you that your legs would be… quite tired after we're done." Oh… dear. "That… could be interpreted in a lot of ways, you know? Besides, with me being a Remodeled Human, it should be you who will get tired legs."

…Raise an eyebrow and smirk, always remember to do that when you joke like that, amigo. And it works! She's smiling, and the others did too, "Now that's the Rasyid I fell for back in the shop." Akira said with a wink.

This time, Asuka walked behind me, and patted my hair. As her warm hand made my head feel comfortable, it seems her turn to say what she has in mind is on. "Well… I think we've said enough to understand each other since we met, haven't we, Young One?" I nodded, and replied, "Yeah, we have. Sorry for being a moron, Asuka." This time, she had both hands shuffling my hair, "Sorry for being an uncontrollable hyena sometimes."

… Huh, this position isn't too bad. Yumiko hugging my front side, Akira and Ryuuko—both roughly the same height—on both of my sides, and Asuka somewhat hugging me from behind… This is how my dream cuddle would be like.

No longer blaming this author-self of yours?

You know what, fuck him. And whatever R.O.B. that's been bugging me since I got here. Self-deprecation is one thing, but I'm no sadist. And… Oh, shit!

I really hate to break this lovely atmosphere, but this is too important, "Asuka, remember that giant bug and the junkyard? That's the horse armor Gouram, from Kuuga. What happened to it?"

A few seconds later, Asuka gasped, realizing that after the fiasco I made in this room, "Oh, my! I had forgotten about it." Then, she snapped her fingers, and searched her pockets. She found what she was looking for, and found… Oh my God.

"This… this is Gouram. The Super Imaginative Chogokin version of Gouram, from the Kiwamii Tamashii line in my world!"

There is no mistaking it; not only it is in the shape of said toy, but the familiar presence I felt in the junkyard has returned. This is definitely Gouram.

I asked the FBI agent, "Asuka, did Gouram actually shrunk or something? Riku said that this thing is the same as the giant Gouram back there."

She told me that after it began to spin, the dusts caused by it distorted the police officers' viewing field. But for unknown reasons, the Gouram dissolved and its part turned back into scrap metals. She was away from the rest, when a miniature version of came flying into her view. All it did was look at her, as if judging whether or not she's trustworthy. "I don't know how to explain it, but I felt something from it too. I beckoned it to enter my pocket inside my coat, and so it did."

"It's a She, actually." I corrected, "I heard the Gouram speak, and it sounded female." Then, I inspected the SIC Gouram I have on my left hand. Yumiko poked it for a bit, before grabbing it to see it for herself as she walked away from me. "Hmm… it does feel like it's made of plastic, but some parts are metallic. Nii-chan, I remember the SIC toylines to have metallic parts in them, but was this ever metallic to begin with in your timeline?" shaking my head, I answered her, "Yeah, still amazed something this small have all these parts. See, the pincer and lower legs are metallic."

Then, something miraculous happened. Its pincer moved by itself, snapping three times as her red eyes shine. A few seconds later, Gouram grew to the size of a human palm, and floated… she floated! "Holy shit." I cursed in English. Yumiko had this childish glee as she witness this phenomenon. "Oh my goodness, this is so cool!"

"Ooh, how fascinating," said the doctor inspecting the miniature horse armor, she placed her hand around its vicinity, "Hmm… I sensed no heat or wind, this Gouram is actually floating!" she sounded pleased. "So is this how witnessing a magical phenomenon feels like?"

Gouram turned its direction, she slowly hovered over all the girls, inspecting them for some reason, and 30 seconds later, it looked at me. Gouram snapped its pincers, and said, "Master, it is good that you have recovered."

"Did… that thing just talked? Because I only heard clicks." Ryuuko claimed. "What do you mean? I can understand her perfectly, in English even!" I mean it, despite the computer-ish voice she has, I can understand her quite clearly.

"Master, may I ask who these people are?" Heh, this is getting interesting. "It seems Gouram wants to know you." I beckoned the Gouram towards me, and—whoa, what the hell? Akira giggled, "It seems your head makes a fine nest for Gouram, don't you think?"

I… don't even. "Bah, as much as I want a cat instead of Gouram, she's… comfy enough." I stood up, and introduced each of the women in this room, starting from Asuka, Akira, Yumiko, and Ryuuko. To the two adult women among us, Doctor Hellena and Tachibana-san.

"Huh, other than looking like an oversized ornament, this thing was used in the show as an armor attachment to that bike of yours, right?" Tachibana-san asked. Hey, that was a good question, "Yes it is, but it never had any function to minimize itself into a more compact size in the show. Perhaps, as I explained, the magic of this universe—since the Pretty Cures lives here—may have affected Kuuga's passive magical properties. Asuka, remember when I punched that spider monster when I faced Gooma the Bat Grongi?"

She nodded, and retold how it went down. Akira giggled, "You shouted "Mighty Rider Punch!" at him? You must be dying to actually cry out those words, weren't you?" she queried, doing a punch motion as well.

"A-Akira, give me a break. Believe it or not, if I shouted a Kiai when I do so, the effect of the damage increases. I read about that, and I'm sure Ryuuko would agree that it works, don't you?" I looked at the incapacitated rider, she gave me a thumbs up in agreement. I did so too. Heh, been a while since I did this.

Wait, Tachibana-san said bike… Oh no! "Asuka! The Trychaser. What happened to it?" Crap, she just drank a bottle of water and I startled her, good job me! Coughing up, she took some time to breath, "Ah, crap. I'm so sorry, Asuka." I approached her, patting her back a bit, holding her hand with another. "I… I'll be fine, Young One, don't worry. Anyway, it's right outside. I rode it here after putting Gouram into my pocket. Don't worry, the officers are fine, and I explained to the department chief about it. He seemed skeptical, but he told the others to not shoot you on sight anymore."

Oh, thank God. "That's good to hear…" still, the fact that today's event somewhat mirrors what happened in the show unnerves me. Bah, not now. The Stranger abides, and he shall do what he can.

"Hey, Shonen. You better take a look at this. Girls, you too."

I turned my head towards Tachibana-san—so fast that Gouram got off of my head—and she's watching a news report. Let's see… Oh, no. "An Unknown Lifeform attacking Police officers, losing one of their eyes as she does so? Damn, it's happening; Zu-Mebio-Da has made her move… Just like how it went in the show. I… could've prevented this, but it happens anyway." Never mind why they even report this, but… fuck, was it all for naught?

Someone tapped my shoulder, I turned left and—is that a karate chop—"OW! Tachibana-san, what gives?!" Whoa, both hands on my shoulders, better listen. "Shonen, I'm going to say this once; as the Americans say, Shit happens. I know that you want to prevent any casualties, and you believed that with the knowledge you gained from watching Kamen Rider Kuuga gives you an advantage over those freaks. But sometimes, no matter how well planned your strategies are… sometimes they go wrong. What you must do is not think, 'Where did it all went wrong?' or, 'How could this happened?' or whatever crap you could be thinking. No, what you must do is to ask, 'How do I resolve this situation?' to yourself. I don't know how many times you may have heard of these words, but focus on the present, not the past, what-ifs or what-could-have-been. Do you understand what I'm saying, Rasyid Surataruna?"

…Damn. "I… I understand, auntie. You're right, I really don't have time for such nonsense, do I?" I asked her… Shit, did I just call her—

The middle aged mechanic slapped my right cheek. It's a light tap, but I can feel its sting. "Stop getting flustered over small things like that, Shonen. Call me whatever you want, but you better not accidentally call me with Obaa-san, alright? I'm not old enough to be a grandmother, and I know you're still learning Japanese. So try not to call granny by accident, understand?" Instinctively, I saluted, "Y-Yes, Ma'am!" Tachibana-san put her palm on her forehad, "Dammit, Shonen. I'm no drill instructor, so don't salute me… Bah, never mind. You have a Grongi to kill, right? Get to it then, Asuka, you too! Help his sorry ass unless you want the cops to accidentally shoot him."

Asuka laughed a bit, but thankfully not the usual Amagi Yukiko Hyena Laugh she does. "Okay, you can count on me. Come on, Rasyid." She beckoned to me, exiting the room, before entering again. "Oh, almost forgot! You're shirt and cargo pants are on that sofa, I suggest you change into that."

… Damn, almost forgot I'm wearing hospital scrubs. "Give me one minute." I told her, and grabbed my clothing. A few seconds in the bathroom, I change into my civilian attire. Before that, I took a deep breath… This is going to be one hell of a fight.

Linto, you will do fine. I am unsure if you noticed, but I can feel your vigor and resolve… strengthening more and more. What these women had said must have affected your inner strength. I am confident that you will be the victor.

Yeah, but it takes more than just those to win; I gotta punch the shit out of her myself, you know. Oh, almost forgot. "Where's Gouram?"

I saw Yumiko holding it, shaking it too for some reason. "Nii-chan, I think she's not moving at all." Well, that's odd. I take the miniaturized armor from her, inspecting Gouram's nook and cranny.

Linto, I believe that she needs time to recharge herself. The spin attack must have tired her out.

"Well, Riku said she's out of energy, so right now she's recharging. Anyway," I said, walking to Asuka, giving Gouram to her, "I think you should hold on to her." She nodded as she put Gouram into her coat's pocket. Standing at the door, I turned to face the ladies. With a smile, I said to them, "Ittekimasu."

"Good luck, Rasyid-kun." replied Madoka, as she gives me a peck on my cheek—wait, what?!

"Well, I do owe you a victory kiss. Ryuuko does too, but she's in no condition to do so, I'm tempted to give another in her stead."

Wha… what the hell? What is this, I don't even—even thought that felt real nice—but still I don't even—Gah! "Asuka! Not my ear!" "Come on, already!"

As the FBI agent dragged me by the ear, I heard Akira saying, "Looks like someone's jealous~" or something, goddammit this is just terrific! Was Madoka even serious—"Ow! Okay, I'm coming, stop pulling!"

Welp, here it is.

I'm back, baby!

Anyway, I originally plan for this chapter to be just like chapter 5, Henshin, with a fight scene going on after the last line, making this another 10K+ chapter… But I felt that it should stop here. See, I'm a firm believer of Bruce Lee's "Don't think, feel." philosophy, and I felt that this chapter should stop here.

Yeah, basically somewhat of a filler, I know some of you will think of this chapter as one as you finish, but this is important for SI-Me's character development. Yes, most of the time, I do feel that way. But since I never have the luxury of knowing more understanding people to socialize with, nor am I a social butterfly to begin with, I gave this SI-Me a break with this shenanigan.

I honestly wish the narration could have gone better. Yeah, it's a first-person narrative, and whatever said even with incorrect grammars and such can be justified as that being how the narrator talks. But ever seen TV Trope's page for Unreliable Narrator? I'm trying to do that by making SI-Me be kinda bad at explaining things, or leaving certain details.

Also, a reminder with new rules: Everybody speak Japanese in this story. For convenience's sake, I write them as if it's in English, since I know that the Japanese language is quite complicated. When people speak English, or any other human languages, it will be Bolded, single words and sentences. For the Grongi tongue, it will be in Italics. SI-Me will say so in his narration, too.

You may have noticed that I have third-person narrations in some chapters. That's because I felt they would be important to the plot. They seldom appear because I want to do the "Outsider's Perspective" narration by focusing on SI-Me's adventures, only switching to others' POV when, as I said, it's important.

Oh, and the third-person narrator is one snarky gal, so be cool with her, yeah?

Whatever you say, I'm still waiting for my paycheck.

All in due time. Anyway, introducing Hellena Midorikawa! Yes, she's basically Bayo as seen in Bayonetta 2, but she won't be doing her kind of magic. She's still quite flirty. So, a small bit of trivia, is that Hellena's first name is based on Bayonetta's voice actress's first name, Hellena Taylor. And yes, it's not Midorikawa Hellena, but the other way around. A reference to not only Midorikawa Ruriko from the original Kamen Rider, and her father, but to Peggy Matsuyama from Himitsu Sentai Gorenger, aka Momoranger. Since Peggy's half-Japanese, according to background materials, I can assure you that Doctor Hellena is too. The other half, is… well, maybe British? Bayonetta is British… her accent, anyway. However, is Hellena's mother Japanese or British? Dunno, maybe some day I'll tell you all the ladies' backstories.

Oh, almost forgot. Gouram here is basically voiced by Fi from Skyward Sword. Except SI-Me didn't remember that fact since he rarely play the Wii Zelda games, forgetting a few things. Same goes for me lol

Right then… Good news, is that not only has The Stranger returns, but he promises awesomeness for the next chapter, for it shall be a Mortal Kombat between the Grongi and the Rider.

Bad news, is that I'm having trouble with my mental storyboard as usual; I know what's going to happen, but to "put it in film" so to speak, is difficult. Also explains my long updates for this and other fanfics.

In the end though, I will finish them all. So, Read, Review, and Rejoice!