Kingdom Hearts: The Rogue's Key

by DCD10unite

After the fateful night, Gentoku Himuro was brought into a world where the struggle between the Light and Darkness went on. Allying with the renowned Keyblade Wielders, Gentoku set his foot into many worlds to prevent the chaos that would be brought upon and find the balance between the light and darkness inside of him and his companions, for he was a man of both.

2. Gate 2: The Guiding Key

Gate 2: The Guiding Key

Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider and Kingdom Hearts as they both belong to their respective owners.

---

Rogue's Journal #1

My name is Gentoku Himuro.

You may also know me as Kamen Rider Rogue, the warrior of the realm known as Riderverse.

For years I have been fighting for a just cause, whereas love and peace is our utmost justice to preserve the world's order. There were monsters of our own making, and a alien that manipulates everything from behind the bars. Then, another adversary has come to invade our world. They are the Unversed, creatures born of and feeding off the negative energy of the living. They came from the realm of Heartverse, where people's hearts have a strong connection between the light and the darkness.

That night, a warrior called No Heart appeared before me. initially, he offered me to join him with the darkness, but I, of course, denied it. at the end of his bargain, he shot me down into a dark portal before I could get more answers from him.

I thought it was the end of me, but it seems that I was told that my journey had yet to be finished. There was this kind of drive that told me about the apocalypse that was bound to happen should I do nothing. I knew that sooner or later, my world will be the next to be purged. I knew I have to save it. And it has been a Kamen Rider's job to do it.

And to quote a movie I had just seen nights ago: "For there is an end, there will always be a beginning."

---

Rogue /roʊɡ/:

a person, organization, or country that does not behave in the usual or acceptable way:

ex. : Kamen Rider Rogue

---

The overwhelming numbers of the Unversed surrounded the two heroes. They consisted of Floods and U-Guardians. The two had their weapons set and they were waiting for the right moment to strike.

"My name's Aqua. You?"

"You can call me Rogue for now. And I've got some unfinished business with these freaks." He introduced.

"So you're not the one calling them." Aqua stated.

Rogue shot a U-Guardian on the head and countless other Floods by spreading his shots. Two more U-Guardians hit him with their bladed arm rifles, but Rogue's armor was sturdy enough to sustain the hits he received. Rogue then grabbed the said arm rifles, bringing in their heads so that he could smash both of them into each other. their heads were shattered as they disappeared into black mist. Rogue then aimed his gun towards the Flood that was about to lunge the wielder from behind, startling her for a bit until she knew why.

"No, I'm not." He answered. "And I mean no harm."

"Not the most subtle way of saying it." she blurted.

Rogue chuckled, "Can you keep up?"

The Keyblade Wielder swung her weapon into the Floods. Her fighting style was the one that the Rider had never seen back in his world. The way she swung her Keyblade and flowing from one enemy to another were all mixed up in both harmony and grace, something that he might had seen in fantasy sci-fi franchises. She even did some acrobatics such as flips, dodges, and mid-air attacks as she navigated through the battlefield. At some point, she shot some ice magic that froze the enemies and even blocked the U-Guardian's rifle blasts. The frozen Unversed were then being shattered after they were hit by her Keyblade. And finally, she froze a U-Guardian that Rogue had just spotted just right on his back.

It was the most sureal view even for the battle-hardened Kamen Rider himself. he couldn't help but to feel amazed by her performance.

"You have no idea." She gloated.

"Well, I'll be damned..." Rogue muttered, smashing the frozen U-Guardian with his fist.

Form that point, the two began to combine their efforts to thwart off the Unversed. Rogue continued firing his Nebulasteam Gun as Aqua closed in to attack more and more Unversed. At another point, Rogue took the turn to strike the enemies close as Aqua shot several magic spells, mostly being ice shots. The two worked in harmony on both close and long range, taking turns of switching their fighting ranges from one another.

For a moment, Rogue wished that he still had his Steam Blade or something blade-ish to tear the monsters apart. Which made him thought; what was the weapon Aqua hold? It was indeed a blade, but it eerily shaped like a... key. Perhaps Keyblade might be the right word to describe it? whatever it is, perhaps it would worth getting his hands on one.

"Say, are you a Keyblade Wielder?" Aqua asked.

"Keyblade? You mean that weapon of yours?"

"Yeah."

"I knew it. it's called a Keyblade." Rogue muttered, having his guess to be right. "No, and I wish I could get one."

"Not now, you won't!"

Another figure stepped in towards the battlefield. It turned out to be Terra, who was wielding a much heavier looking Keyblade. And just like the weapon, Terra swung it much harder than a usual swordsman would do, evidenced by how he tore a U-Guardian in half with one fell swoop.

"Terra!" Aqua called out.

"Only the chosen ones are able to wield the Keyblade properly. Not to be rude, but I don't think you look the part... yet." Terra informed, slashin another Unversed that came to his way.

"Yeah, not that I want to snatch it out from someone's closet or anything. Terra, right?" Rogue chimed as he shot a U-Guardian.

Terra chuckled for a moment. "And you are?"

"Rogue." He introduced as he punch a Flood in its face.

---

Ventus was still on his way to reach his friends, making his way through dozens of the Unversed horde with his Keyblade. He also specialized in wind-based attacks, floating seamlessly from one location to another while swiping the Floods off with his weapon slash. However, the wielder came upon an adversary in form of the black soldier.

"You're the culprit behind all of this, aren't you!?" Ven interrogated.

"And I've been expecting you, Ventus." The soldier welcomed.

"Well, then. Expect this!"

Ven swung his sword towards the soldier, only to be blocked by the latter's bare hand. It was also empowered by dark energy, a force equivalent to that of Ven's disposal. Not willing to give in, Ven continued his assault against him. The two traded hits , with the soldier still not willing to pull out his weapon, assuming that he had one. However, Ven's tactics were hindered by the overwhelming presence of the Floods, which scattered his focus and gave the soldier many opportunities to strike back. The soldier swept the wielder's Keyblade away, sending several punches and a roundhouse kick that knocked Ven out.

The soldier was displeased by Ven's performance. "Weak. You're still much weaker than I expect you'd be."

"Wh-what did you say!?" Ven growled.

"And that's one way to kill my mood for today. Well, I'll get back to you once you piled up more of those guts of yours." The soldier said. "But, since you've managed not to run away from the fight, I might as well give you my name."

"You're not getting away with all of this! I'll make sure of that!" Ven declared.

"Hmph. My name is Vanitas. And you're welcome to try."

And just with that, Vanitas walked through the dark gate and vanished, leaving Ven to deal with the Unversed himself. however, Ven quickly reminded himself that he still had his friends to help out.

"Vanitas... just you wait for me!"

And so, Ven threw his Keyblade to the air, transforming it into flying surfboard. He got on his Keyblade Glider and made a haste towards those in need.

---

The three warriors continued their battle against the Unversed that swarmed their lane. They fought fiercely without any signs of giving in. Aqua mixed both of her physical and magical attacks into one devastating combo, slashing her enemies while freezing them at the same time, giving Terra a chance to finish them. The latter also used some earth magic to raise boulders into the Unversed.

When the two went back-to-back, they also witnessed Rogue's fight that became more and more brutal as the fight went on. With the lack of any bladed weapon, Rogue used his fists instead to tear the Unversed apart. He crushed a Flood's head with only his bare hand. He ripped and tore many of the U-Guardians' limbs one by one, throwing them to the others as he constantly swapped between his fists and his Nebulasteam Gun.

Speakin of his gun, Rogue also used it in the most unfamiliar manner to the two Wielders. He swung it while firing the weapon in full-auto function, giving off an impression that he was using it like a whip. It was rather effective though, with the number of Unversed he shot down. He twirled it a couple of times as he went to use his feet to trip them down and blast their heads off while in the ground. As a U-Guardian was about to hit him from behind, he quickly turned his attention to it and shot its body from its abdomen to its head. He did so slowly in order to accumulate the shots he threw out so that it would be enough to rip its body apart in half.

Wait, rip? Tear? Now, that's an idea Rogue can get on with. Well, except for the others with a bit of a cringe in their faces.

"That's a little bit too harsh, don't you think?" Terra commented.

"I believe that subtlety is never an option in a fight like this." Rogue nonchalantly replied.

"Hmm... good point."

He remembered both joy and remorse of the Pandora war he had been through. he had hurt many people, heck he even killed some. All because of a box and a pesky alien that came along with it. of course, he despised the fact that he was among the questionable ones. Then again, what gave a person rights to determine another's destiny? He had found the light that dimmed beneath the darkness he was in. He had finally became the man that he had always dreamt to be.

He was grateful for becoming a Kamen Rider. And the world needed him for it.

More and more Unversed began to dwindle from the assault. Rogue, Terra, and Aqua worked their way through the horde. Through Rogue's own analysis, Terra's Keyblade helped him devastating the U-Guardians while also blocking their blasts at the same time. He was also capable of raising rocks from the ground and other magics as well, although he didn't use them much frequently. However, it didn't go the same way as Aqua's, who was much more suited for magic-based attacks, though her water and blizzard spells did fit her better in there. And then there was himself, Kamen Rider Rogue. Despite his unfamiliarity with his new power, he was still able to bode well like the rest of them. He could still feel a lesser pain of being hit by an Unversed, but at least his armor wouldn't break off that easy. Finally, the Unversed's numbers had finally decreased to the point that they could use some breather.

"Anyone hurt?"

"We can still fight them off, Rogue. We've already trained ourselves for this moment." Aqua assured.

"So, you're still not willing to give away your real name yet, are you?" He asked with a bit of an interrogative manner.

"Real name?" Aqua wondered. "Now that you said it... I still haven't got to know you more. Care to speak up, later?"

"Wow, you're sharp, I give you that. I'll tell you more about it later. I promise." Rogue said.

"You better be." Terra replied.

"Guys, look!"

Aqua pointed towards a large number of U-Guardians that gathered around and merged themselves into a new form of threat. They formed a giant two-legged walker mech with their arm rifles tucked on its top, forming full-circle cannons. Some of the rifles were also present on both of its upper joints.

"They combined!?" Terra shocked.

"Huh, forgot they could do that. Lousy me." Rogue muttered.

"We can still push them through! let's give it all we've got!" Aqua ordered.

"You got it!" Terra confirmed.

"Roger that." Rogue followed.

Aqua and Terra charged towards the U-nion Guardian and slashed its leg with their Keyblades as Rogue shot its cannons. He could feel that his attacks had gotton stronger since he donned the new armor. his Nebulasteam Gun's blasts wera also affected by it to the point that he could destroy a cannon after a few normal shots. As for the Keyblade Wielders, they continued to damage the U-nion Guardian with both physical and magical attacks, though Terra relied much on the former and Aqua on the latter. Their attacks also showed a sign of affecting the Unversed's body.

Rogue then followed the two Keyblade Wielders to ravage its feet. He tore through its components with his bare hands, despite his inner plea of having a close-range weapon of sorts. He kept on reminding himself that his bare hands are also his weapon. However, it didn't take long for the U-nion Guardian to notice him and kicked him away. It also blasted him with its array of cannons. The Wielders also found themselves a hard time avoiding its blasts, with some of them hitting their bodies. Thankfully, they were as less injured as Rogue himself, thus enabling them for another fight.

"We can't get through its inner platings! They're much thicker than the outer ones!" Aqua said.

"Even if we can do it, it's gonna take us minutes to take it down. Hours, even!" Terra added.

"There is a way!"

"Huh?"

Rogue checked on the bottle slot on his left waist and-

Wait, bottles?

Did he even have one?

So far, his armor had jus been formed during his fall without him entering any bottles to his slot. His Crocodile Crack Full Bottle had also been literally cracked up, for all he care. He shouldn't have any on his own possession.

That's right. he didn't have any, and the fact that he had just realized it at the moment only made it worse.

"Uh, umm..." Rogue began to sweat under his helmet.

"What is it?" Terra asked.

"I... just remembered that I used to have an item that can power up my gun."

"And?" Aqua asked.

"It's... already broken. So, yeah... we're pretty much screwed. Sorry." Rogue sorrowfully informed, lumping his head down with a gloom darker than the darkness itself.

"Wha-how come you just realize that by now!?" Terra deadpanned, shaking Rogue's shoulders in panic.

"Oh, there's this A-hole called No Heart who tried to kill me back home. He shot me off the roof into a portal, and... that's how I got here."

"No Heart?"

"Knew him?"

"No. Unfortunately."

"Can't say we have, though." Aqua added.

"Bummer." Rogue sighed.

The three could only wait for a cannon blast to come at them, only for the Unversed to be knocked away by Ventus, who was riding on top of his Keyblade Glider. He dashed toward the U-nion Guardian and cut off its cannon in one fell swoop. The attack managed to disable two cannons. Not only that, Ven summoned a green tornado that damaged the Unversed's body. he then went inside the tornado and slashed it a couple of times until it broke apart and fell off. Ven landed as the Glider changed back to its original form.

"Ven!" Terra and Aqua called.

"You guys!"

"I thought you're going to find a shelter." Terra said.

"Guys, c'mon. I'm a Keyblade Wielder too! How come I'm not allowed to join the fight?" Ven said.

"Because the master said that you're still not ready?"

"Forget about that! I can't just stand by while watching you guys risking your lives! Besides, why do you think I became a Keyblade Wielder?"

"I know, it's to save people's lives. And we're thankful for that." Aqua replied.

"See? Aqua's got the point!" Ven pointed out.

Terra sighed. "Alright, hot shot. You did great."

The three laughed together as the Unversed threat had already begun to dissipate. Rogue could only smile tenderly as he watched the three talked to each other. it reminded him of his other friends back on his world. He then wondered on how they were doing there without him. But, it had only been a night there. Could it be the time zones from both worlds are different from one another? Who knows.

At least they could have a moment for a break.

"Hi, there. I'm Ventus. Ven, for short. What's yours?" Ven introduced, offering him a handshake.

"The name's Rogue." He replied and accepted the handshake.

"Rogue? That's a strange name." Ven commented. "Or is that just your nickname?"

"More like my codename in this armor, though."

"Ooh, an alter-ego! Cool!"

"Ahem." Terra cleared his throat. "Remember your promise?"

"Well, your buddy here likes it though." Rogue patted Ven's shoulder.

"Your real name. Please." Terra demanded firmly.

"Terra, it's fine." Aqua assured. "Don't worry, we know you're not a bad guy. We don't even get to label you that after all that happened here."

"Alright, then. I'll explain you the further details from now on." Rogue accepted. "Anyway, you guys know somewhere else we can take a breather at?"

---

Master Xehanort was seen watching from the higher lanes far from the Land of Departure. He had been watching the whole chaos with chuckles marked on his face. From behind him, his agents had finally made their presences: Vanitas and No Heart. Both were ready to hand out their reports to their master.

"Vanitas. No Heart." Xehanort welcomed.

"I have accomplished my task, Master Xehanort. But it seems, destiny has other plans for the Rogue." No Heart reported.

"So I've noticed." Xehanort nodded. "And how is Ventus?"

"He bored me so bad. If this keeps up, then we won't be able to proceed with our plan." Vanitas scoffed.

"Maybe you just didn't push him enough." No Heart remarked.

"Heh, like you know what it's like."

"I never needed such knowledge, Vanitas. Our duty is my only concern."

"Aren't you the dense one?"

"And you've laid your own back way farther than you could imagine."

"Enough. Both of you." Xehanort halted. "We have already planted the seed deep enough from here. Thus henceforward, we must make our move in the other lanes. Our destiny awaits us right within our reach."

The three Dark Seekers summoned a dark gate for their exit. Xehanort's servants nodded to each other after witnessing the terror for one last time. it was only a matter of time until Xehanort got what he wanted.

And they must be ready.

"Though that being said... I'm gonna let them have one last fun in the next thirty minutes... ish." No Heart muttered as he snapped his fingers, much to the others' delight.

---

The four heroes went back to the castle, taking a walk through the scenic route. Rogue was still wearing his armor, trying to figure out why he still couldn't get his armor off of him as the others kept their eyes for another threat. He was searching through the diagnostics ranging from specs to combat statistics. Just as he was still searching through, they had finally arrived at the palace. They found Master Eraqus kneeling while holding on his own Keyblade due to the exhaustion he had from fighting the horde of the Unversed.

"Master!" the Wielders called out.

"Are you hurt, Master?" Ven asked.

"I'm alright. I've faced much worse in my younger days. More than a thousand that is, unlike here." He smiled back at his disciples as he got back up.

"Oh, thank goodness." Aqua said.

"I am very grateful that the three of you are okay, as well." Eraqus replied. He then turned his attention towards the man in the black armor. "And you are?"

"Your... disciples also asked me the same thing. Don't worry, I'll answer it." Rogue complied. "But in exchange, I'd like to be informed on where on earth am I and who are you guys really since I was basically got thrown out to this place, recently. I mean, if we're in this situation together, our trust must be in a two-way basis, no?"

"Well, he's not wrong." Terra commented.

"Then we might as well have a seat. Please come inside." Eraqus said.

After Eraqus permitted them to go inside the hall, he summoned four chairs as he sat on one of the two chairs for the Keyblade Masters to be the judge for the Mark of Mastery.

"Your word, please." Eraqus spoke,

"Ahem." He cleared his throat as he commanded his helmet to unfold itself, revealing his backward-combed, tidy, yet scruffy long hair and his facial hair that earned him the moniker of 'beardo'. "My name is Gentoku Himuro. I am a Kamen Rider, and my codename is Rogue. Kamen Rider Rogue."

Unexpectedly, the three Keyblade Wielders were flabbergasted by what they had just saw. Ven was the first to spoke. "I-it can't be..."

"Is there something on my face?"

"There... are... two Master Eraqus'!" he squealed.

"Wait, what?" Terra and Aqua shocked.

"Guys, guys! You're seeing this too, right? that's exactly Master Eraqus' face! He-he must be Master Eraqus' brother!" Ven stated.

"Wow, I am shooketh." Terra commented.

"Now that you say it... his face looks rather younger, though." Aqua commented.

"For the record, I have no brother of my blood, Ventus." Eraqus said.

"How about brother from another mother?" Gentoku asked.

"Please, no."

"Oh well... this is awkward."

"Hmm."

"Now guys, let's not get our hopes up just yet." Aqua said.

"This is like, the biggest discovery in the history of our world! What if there's actually another... I don't know, us?"

"Ven, please. Let him continue." Terra reminded.

"Oh... okay." He sheepishly replied.

"And Gentoku? Sorry, he... he's just full of curiosity." Aqua apologized.

"It's fine, Aqua. I know he meant no harm." Gentoku replied. "But still, this is kinda... awkward. Now that he said it... well, I do accept the fact that my face looks good on him."

"Please don't drag me further into this thing of yours." Eraqus dejected.

"Why? We have awesome facial hairs, though." Gentoku defended.

"I hate you." The master facepalmed.

"One sec, what's a Kamen Rider anyway?" Ven asked.

"Kamen Rider is a moniker of warriors who wear armors like mine, and fought for the sake of peace in our world. We usually use this kind of Rider belt..." he pointed at his new Driver Belt. "To change our forms and weapons in order to adapt in every situation possible."

"That'll be too fancy if we call it as a normal belt, though." Ven commeneted.

"It's much fancier the more you get to know it, Ven. In fact, I wouldn't call it a wonder for nothing."

"Okay." He playfully chuckled.

"As a note, you can take that armor off from you, Gentoku." Eraqus noted.

"My armor? oh, wait." Gentoku put his helmet back on for a few moments to check on his armor's status. He then took it off. "I get it, now. You see, I don't think I'm able to do that at the moment. My body's still adapting to this world's atmosphere. I'll take this off the moment I know that I can."

"Very well. Now, carry on please." Eraqus ordered as he straightened his face when he said the last part.

"Okay." He continued. "I came from a completely different reality than here, when those Unversed came and attacked my world. I was able to stop them, until the perp behind it all appeared. He called himself No Heart, and he was somehow able to obtain some pieces of tech from my world. He also destroyed and stole some from mine. That being said, I'm supposed to be... dead when he shot me off the roof of a more than a 5-feet-tall building, but instead... I got sucked into a black portal, having this new suit of armor just by going through it, and having the most unpleasant free-fall by cratering your frontyard. Sorry, anyway."

"No Heart, you say? Unfortunately, not in my vaguest idea that I am familiar with such name. Now, you said that you were thrown into a dark portal and got yourself a new armor. That is a very unusual phenomenon to happen to anyone, especially you." Eraqus said.

"The Lanes Between." Aqua answered. "But, none of us would survive if we enter it without any means of protection."

"That is what I want to know from our guest, here. And if I may ask, what did you feel when you enter such place?" Eraqus asked.

"Well... I thought that's it. This is the end, I'm done for, my story, my job, and my tale is done. But at the same time, somehow I felt that... there are still many people who need my help, and that I can still be better than the man I had used to become. That's why I decided not to give up on living. I believe that this is my second chance, something that people like me won't get that easy like picking up a cash from a tree."

"I see. Normally, us Keyblade Wielders must use any means of protection when entering the Lane so that we won't succumb to the darkness that lies within it. But in your case... it seems that you are somehow... granted with that armor when you fell through it." Terra explained.

"Granted? What does it mean?"

"I can feel that your armor is, what we call as the by product of the Lane's Darkness itself. Though, I suggest you to get rid of that darkness if you ever want to survive." He continued.

"Uhh, okay?"

"Though not only that, your armor was imbued with a mixture of that energy and the other one that I'm not familiar with. Perhaps, you are?" Eraqus asked.

"Another energy... you must be talking about my Hazard Level."

"Hazard Level? That sounds dangerous." Ven commented again.

"You see, Hazard Energy is a substance that I got myself injected in order for me to use this kind of power. This armor, in particular. It's also capable of evolving through experience and emotional response. And if you're saying that the Lanes Between had such energy... then that means my Hazard Energy somehow reacted to the dark energy itself and created this new armor as means of protection."

"That is... extraordinary." Eraqus said.

"We also have that kind of armor whenever we enter the Realm. The darkness inside it can be very overwhelming. That's why we use Keyblade Armors to shield our hearts from it." Aqua explained.

"So, that means you all have it, too?"

"We do." Ven said. "But, if that's your new armor, then where's the old one?"

"No Heart totalled it. He wrecked it like prying open a raw peanut... with a jackhammer." Gentoku frowned.

"That's... sad." Ven commented.

"And don't you dare play Despacito on it." Gentoku warned.

"Play what now?"

"Oh, sorry. Otherworld lingo stuff. Don't matter." He rejected. "Now jokes aside, I believe it's your turn to explain things here. Shall we?"

"Alright, then." Eraqus began. "We are, as you may have known, are Keyblade Wielders. Keepers of the light, and the protectors of people's hearts. We have trained our bodies, minds, and souls to combat against the darkness that lurks in this world and many others. And our greatest weapon, that only the chosen ones can carry, is this."

The Keyblade Master held his hand high as he summoned his Keyblade. "This is the Keyblade, the very instrument of the light energy that we use against any forms of darkness, be it energy or entity. It is also capable to open many sorts of locks in this world. Some, if not all. Hence the name."

"Nice weapon, I say." Gentoku complimented. "So, from what I heard from Terra, and recently you, only a few people can wield the Keyblade. How exactly am I suppose to have one, then? Because, I'm really short on close-ranged weapons here. Except my own bare hands."

"Normally, you'll need a proper training to become a Keyblade Wielder. But from what I saw back there, I mean.. seeing how you fight, and the situation we're in now, I think you could use one. how about it, Master?" Terra suggested.

"Crafting a Keyblade surely needs both time and your own progress of how you develop yourself. However, one of the most defining factor is that how much your alignment is to the light. And to what I see, you're currently still in a clean slate, with no alignment towards light nor darkness." Eraqus explained.

"Clean slate, huh?" Gentoku muttered.

"Worry not, I am also aware of the fact that you had just arrived here. All will be seen by your actions from now on."

"I understand." He accepted. "And what of the Unversed?"

"They're creatures that feed on negative energy." Aqua explained. "We're still unsure of it's origin, though. We believe that they're hive-minded, simply looking for their prey to feed themselves."

"You know, something keeps telling me on my head that they weren't just a hive. They're actually... organized." Ven theorized.

"Organized? How?" Terra asked.

"I'm not sure. It's like, I know it's true, but I don't know who or why." Ven said.

"Alright, then. The Unversed are also known to have attacked the other worlds, bringing chaos over them. We are tasked to stop it once and for all." Terra explained.

"Then that makes all of us. we're on the same page, here." Gentoku said.

"Not only that, a Keyblade Master by the name Xehanort is also missing. We need to find him if we're gonna need more answers from him." He added.

"Xehanort, huh? I wonder..."

The introduction was cut off by a presence of another threat. The fallen U-nion Guardian arose from the ground. It appeared that it was being swarmed by dozens of Floods, slowly forming a new monster. The walker was given a new limb, composed of a full torso. What appeared before our heroes was an enormous, full body mecha resembling a giant Flood. Its head resembled one, with an Unversed symbol on top of its forehead. The body also composed of a mixture between the U-Guardians and the Flood themselves, being its hand having a distorted claw with cannons embedded on its shoulders, arms, torso, and legs, making it look even more ferocious than its previous walker form.

"What in the actual hell...?"

"It's coming back!" Terra said.

"I don't get it. I destroyed that thing, but... it's not supposed to be able to stand up anymore." Ven pointed out.

"Looks like our perp still doesn't want this place to open for business." Gentoku muttered.

"And this one also has a darkness that feels... otherworldly." Aqua pointed out.

"Otherworldly, you say?" he asked.

"I don't know... it feels like that to me. somehow." She replied.

"Well, I think I do."

"Really?"

"One of its components came from my world. Those robot Unversed we fought back then? They're called as 'Guardians', military sentries that were made as reinforcements for the regular soldiers. I remember No Heart using them to kill me back there. And they have the ability to combine into one gigantic unit, too." Rogue explained.

"And now the other Unversed merged with them, too. Makes sense, though." She commented.

"I'll go-!" Eraqus suddenly fell to his knees. He seemed exhausted.

"Master, you should rest!" Aqua said.

"Leave this to us." Ven assured.

"Ven, you should stay here. It's too dangerous for you to go." Eraqus said.

"But Master, I-!"

"That's an order!" He barked.

All of his students went silent. Their interests rather conflicted against each other. on one hand, they wanted Ven to fight alongside them so that they could all work together in cleaning up this mess, but they knew that their Master was worried about Ven's well-being, seeing that he was the youngest of the bunch. Putting his helmet back on, Rogue gave him a suggestion.

"Sir, as much as I understand your concern towards Ven... please, let him join us. We need all the help we can get now, which is... the four of us are the only ones that available for another fight."

"No... you don't understand..."

"Look, he's young, he needs more care than the others, and he's inexperienced, I get it. I may have no idea of how your relationships worked with your students, but at some point... you need to let them go, and decide the paths for themselves. I think it's a part of being a good mentor, no?"

Eraqus pondered for a moment until he said, "Very well... I permit you to go, Ventus. But no matter what happens, stay close with them."

"Master!" Ven squealed.

"You heard him, Ven." Terra said. "That's green light for you."

"Now we can all work together!" Aqua continued.

"Then what are we waiting for? Unversed first, coffee break later." He remarked, causing Aqua to giggle. "Excuse me?"

"No, it's just... you can be funny sometimes, you know?"

"Really? I am?" she nodded to his query.

"Oy, does that really crack you up?" Terra wondered.

"Well, don't ask me." she dejected, much to Ven's laughter.

"I entrust the safety of this land to you all. Good luck, and may your heart be your guiding key." Eraqus said.

"Thanks, Eraqus. You heard the man, people. Move out." Rogue ordered.

"Right!"

Master Eraqus could only watch as his disciples and the new contender left the vicinity. He had been pondering to Rogue's words, especially. He knew that Rogue was right. Not only Ven, even Aqua and Terra must see the outside world themselves in order to gain more knowledge, the ones that he could never teach in their home. It was already his time to watch the events unfold, as one's destiny is such an unpredictable thing.

"Gentoku Himuro... though there is still much that I want to say... I will entrust my students to you... for now." He muttered.

---

Later, the heroes had finally arrived nearby the vicinity. The saw the monster had steadied itself with loads of cannons and dark energies. It seems that the crevices of the defeated Unversed had somehow gathered without their notice. It was empowered by a dark energy beyond their comprehension.

"We need to finish this fast. Otherwise, this place won't hold long enough to maintain its weight." Ven informed.

"Maintain its weight... wait, that's it!" Rogue pointed out.

"Did you just... make a pun?" Terra asked.

"Well, its between 'weight' and 'wait'. Get it?" Rogue joked, dumbfounding the others due to the current situation. "I mean, no! Look, I just figured out on how to destroy that thing before it causes too much damage. We can destroy the platform that monster is on and bring it down to the ground under this place. well, assuming that this floating palace has a bottom."

"Well, it is, right?" Ven pointed out. "Still, it's gonna end up messy for our home."

"However, I don't think that it'd be a quick one to do. The Land of Departure has a sturdy structure that is strong enough to sustain any damages done by a Keyblade. That, and we need to avoid the Unversed's attacks." Terra informed.

"Then we're doing it together. We still have enough power to do it." Aqua assured.

"Enough? Aqua, we need to stay in the exact same spot if we're ever gonna make it. it'll take us minutes, hours even just to make a hole on the platform!" he objected.

"Oh, it won't work. But how about if we take it to the skies?" Ven suggested.

"What do you mean?" Aqua asked.

"We can use our Gliders to reach high and once we do, we deliver the blow from above, together. If we put our minds to it, I'm sure it'll work!" He explained.

"Now that you say it... you're right. if we free-fall once we're high enough, we can use our Keyblades to create a strong rune to break the platform! The gravity will keep our aim steady!" Terra agreed.

"Cool! Now this is one heck of a plan!" Ven cheered.

"That's great! So, about this Glider thing..." Rogue was about to ask, until...

Terra nodded to both Aqua and Ven. The three punched their respective left pauldrons, resulting in their bodies emitting bright auras with different colors: blue for Aqua, green for Ven, and orange for Terra. They were then surrounded by pieces of armors corresponding to their respective colors. The said parts then assembled themselves to them, completing their transformation with a heart-shaped rune formed behind them.

Rogue was flabbergasted by the scene and the armors they had. They were shaped in a way that Rogue had never seen before. Most notably, their helmets had a pair of horns and a single visor, traits that the armors shared together. Aqua had a heart-shaped visor with her horns facing backwards. Most of her colors were carbonite grey, black and blue-hued carbon. Ven had some golden accents and some red lines that resembled tendrils on his thighs. As for Terra, he had his golden and bronze armor parts mixed up together, and on his rear foot anklets were a pair of spikes.

"These are our Keyblade Armors." Terra explained.

"Nice ones you got there. They're... how do I say it? Oh, rad." Rogue chuckled.

"Thanks. Not only for protection for world travels, we can also use this to increase our powers so that we might be able to break the platform, for your info." Aqua explained.

"You guys can do that world travel thing?" Rogue flattered.

"We'll get to that later. And..."

Next, they threw their Keyblades into the air that became engulfed in a bright light. The Keyblades then assembled into their respective vehicles. Unlike the the others, Aqua's Glider was consisted in two separated floating parts. The said parts shaped like a bow and an arrow, which were somehow interconnacted with some kind of electromagnet, which kept them both from separating too far. One of the world's wonder, Rogue suppose.

"These are our Keyblade Gliders. You know... our vehicles." Ven said.

"That's... good." Rogue frowned, saddened by the fact that he was the only one without a cool ride. "Oh god, I wish I have a ride, now."

"Well, you can ride on my backseat." Terra offered again.

"How about mine? Well, I'll have to fly slowly that is." Ven offered too.

"I don't have any backseat, so... sorry." Aqua said sheepishly.

Rogue sighed, "Okay. You guys wanna see something cool?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ven asked.

Rogue put his weaponed arm to the left while performing a two-fingered ninja seal. Then, he swung his Nebulasteam Gun to the right and sprayed a thick smoke.

"Poof."

As he voiced out the smoke's effect, it slowly dissipated and revealed him to had already disappeared from the place he was in, much to everyones shock.

"Well... that was quick." Ven commented.

---

The Flood Union began its move by marching towards the castle. It shot its cannons to further ravage the floating land. The heroes, of course, would never sit back and let it happen. They rode on their Keyblade Gliders, with Rogue arriving on the scene earlier behind the monster.

"Alright, that worked pretty well. Gotta make this quick." Rogue muttered.

As the wielders did what he instructed, Rogue ran towards the menacing Flood Union and shot his gun to its back. The monster immediately took notice of the assailant and went to eradicate him. It swung is claws towards the Rider, in which he quickly dodged. He kept shooting at the monster despite the fact that it didn't budge it at all. This process kept going on and on as he waited for the three to destroy the platform. Rogue also knew that with his current power, it wouldn't be enough to trip ot to the ground, let alone disabling it. with the lack of any enhancements like Fullbottles, his only available options were to shoot and to dodge its attacks.

Meanwhile, the trio had already reached the altitude they needed to execute their move. They cancelled out their Keyblade Gliders so that they could use their Keyblades. While in mid-air, the Wielders summoned a light on their tips and sticking them together to create a huge rune. They were ready to fire as the gravity started to drag them down.

Noticing this, Rogue began to ran away from the monster and fired his Nebulasteam Gun to further draw it away from the trio. It worked for a period until the rune created a huge ball of light.

"Now!" Aqua ordered.

The three Wielders fired the light magic and pierced through the platform. The monster fell doen to the ground, which was soon to be followed by Rogue when the ground beneath him also crumbled. He then ran towards the broken platforms to maintain his stand so that his allies could see him. Aside from his typhoportation, it still sucks for him not to have any vehicles for his own.

"Guys, anytime now!"

Aqua was the first one to respond his plea, quickly summoning her Keyblade Glider to reach him as she was followed by the others. As she came through, Rogue quickly jumped to her Glider and grabbed its bottom part. as they rode safely, the Flood Union crashed to the ground beneath the land. It was severely damaged from the impact, but it was still active to the point that it rampantly fired its cannons.

"Whew... Looks like someone's got an extreme case of obessity." Rogue mentioned the Flood Union.

"You don't say..." Aqua giggled.

"That's why everyone needs sports, Aqua."

"Oh, and uhh... please don't sue me for this." He said.

"Why would we do that?" Ven said. "Our Master can rebuild this place in a second! He's got like, tons of magic loadouts."

"Uhh, okay."

"Now, all that's left is to take that thing down!" Ven said.

"Guys, look out!" Terra warned.

The Kaijin immediately took notice of the heroes. It began to focus its aim towards them unlike before. Due to the immense blasts, they had a hard time avoiding the blasts, causing them to get hit and forced them to make an abrupt landing to the ground. Thankfully, their armors protected them from the impact, enabling them to resume the fight.

The Wielders kept their armors on and launched a string of attacks alongside the Rider. With the help of Keyblade Armors, their attacks became noticingly powerful to the point that they could damage the the Flood Union's limbs. They also began to use various magic spells ranging from fire to melt its armor and magnetism to pull some of them out. Ven slashed its thighs in high speed, floating from one part to another as he avoided its claws. As he was about to be hit by one, Terra quickly stepped in to defend him, fending off the claws with his devastating attacks. He also reinforced his Keyblade with a mix of flames and rocks for more damage. Despite so, the monster's left arm was still intact along with its cannons. It attempted to blast him, but was blocked by Aqua's rune barrier. Using her magic, Aqua aimed towards the cannons and fired it with an array of bubble blasts. The said cannons were slowly devastated by the attacks to the point that a few of it exploded.

It was about to charge its way to the Keyblade Wielder, only for it to be hit by Rogue who jumped to its chest and rammed it with sheer force. It caused the Unversed to lose its stand and fell off the ground. After he stood up, Rogue continously punched the chest and ripped it open, revealing its core. It looked like a Guardian's head that engulfed in a menacing darkness. The core's energy leaked out before Rogue could break it and blasted him and his allies away from it.

Not only that, the Flood Union's appearance also further twisted due to the leakage. More claws and cannons protruded from its back. It began to wreak havoc, swinging its claws wildly while the leakage blasted the grounds like meteors. The heroes desperately tried to regain their stand. They were all bruised, ignoring their injuries with little-to-no options on how to get closer to the Flood Union. They were all exhausted. They had used their energy to tear up the Flood Union without any luck of destroying it.

"We... we can't get any closer like this!" Terra grunted.

"If this keeps up, sooner or later it's going to further wreck the land!" Aqua informed.

"Shoot! We can't just... stay down! Not like this!" Ven grunted as he struggled to get up.

And suddenly, a ball of dark matter was about to hit them.

"Look out!" Aqua shouted.

Rogue quickly stepped in and protected the others from the blast using his own body. He crossed his arms in defensive position the moment it hit him. An explosion occured after that. The Keyblade Wielders were shocked and went to check on his condition once the dust was settled. Fortunately, he was still in one piece. But the blast had injured him enough to put him down to his knees despite the armor he was wearing. The impact had went through his protection.

"Rogue!" she called out, catching his falling body. "Rogue, are you okay!? Rogue!"

"Yeah... this just isn't my day... ever since my old armor got wrecked up..."

"Can you heal him?" Terra asked as he and Ven got back up.

Aqua tried to use her heal magic using her Keyblade with little success. "I... I can't. Something's blocking my... no, our magic. It must be the darkness from the giant Unversed. It prevents me from using it properly."

"That thing..." Ven growled, gripping his Keyblade tightly.

"Don't worry, I got this-!" He said as he slowly got himself up despite the injuries he sustained.

"What? Rogue, what're you-?"

"Let me take care of... what I brought here, myself."

"But you're hurt!"

"I fell to this world in the first place! the moment that happened, the Unversed raided your home, your world... you think I'm just gonna sit here and watch while you guys are getting hurt because of my own burden?"

"Wh-what're you talking about? No one's blaming you for this!" she dejected.

"That's why I'll admit it. The reason I keep on fighting... is because that I've made the gravest mistake that a man could ever do. For the times that had passed, I've been looking for a penance to atone my sins. And I believe... that this is the only way to achieve it."

"Gentoku..." Aqua muttered.

"Now, remember what I said about the Lanes Between? The moment I fell there... I know that deep within my heart, I still have to fight no matter what the odds are. I know that it's been my duty to prevent the evil from ever flourishing in this very universe. That's why... I'll make it my mission to protect those I hold dear... for I am a Kamen Rider!"

"Kamen... Rider..."

Rogue's body suddenly emitted a shining purple aura. Such energy was completely unfamiliar to Rogue himself, but not to the Keyblade Wielders. They felt something more powerful came from within the otherworldly warrior. The way they saw it, Rogue's willpower had strengthened his heart to the point that he might come out with surprises. However, they were also filled with uncertainty on what the power could be. Meanwhile, Rogue checked on his armor's readings, saying that his Hazard Level increased to the state that maybe Evolto himself had yet to reach. It was immeasurable that even it overwhelmed both his friends and his enemies.

Seeing his determination, Aqua knew that she couldn't give up just yet. The same goes for Terra and Ven, who followed her regaining their stand. After all, it had been the trio's duty to preserve the order of their world, a sense of justice that even Rogue also shared. Which is why, they wouldn't lt him bear the burden alone.

"If that's what you're going to do... then we're doing it together." She said.

"We all share the same problem here, Rogue. You better not start thinking on going gung-ho against that thing." Terra detested.

"And most of all, we can't let you hog all the glory." Ven said.

"You guys..."

As soon as he regained his composure, a realization hit him like a thunder. It was as if he had spontantaneusly become a genius, someone that he thought could rival his old friend. Then again, who is he to judge if he couldn't stand counting basic algorithms? It wasn't like he's gonna be a best strategist in a second. Regardless of it all... it was about time for a counter-attack.

"Light bulb."

---

Master Eraqus was still resting inside the castle. His experience as a Keyblade Master enabled him to feel even the faintest magic flow of the world. His sensitivity was high enough to tell that it came from the new warrior he met. For years, he had aligned himself to the will of light and made him a duty to vanquish the darkness once and for all. He could also tell it easy if a darkness was about to overwhelm his student. However, he had yet to decipher what kind of power Rogue would have.

"Such incredible power... who are you really, Gentoku Himuro?"

"Would you believe me if I tell you that he's just a passing-through Kamen Rider?" a voice called out from behind him, much to his surprise.

"Who are-oh... you must be Master Yen Sid's acquintance."

"Indeed I am." Tsukasa confirmed. "So, what do you think of him?"

"Gentoku, you say? Truth to be told, I am unsure of his own heart. Is it a light, or a darkness? When I look inside him during our last conversation, his heart kept screaming both words. So much that I began to wonder how he was like before all of this."

"Oh that? Let's just say that he's a man seeking for a better world, regardless of how he is or how he was. Like any other man, he had made mistakes, surely. But, he's still willing to fix everything he screwed up. Call it his redemption, or perpetual torment, or... whatever."

"What you're saying is only a piece of puzzle."

"Isn't that what our world is? Pieces of puzzle, laying down there for us to assemble it ourselves. A place where unlikely events are possible. That means you have to seek out the answer yourself."

"And what about you?"

"Gentoku Himuro is one of my kin. I have observed him long enough to see what kind of man he is. And for what he would do in this unfamiliar world to his own... that I cannot say for sure."

"Then there is nothing left for me to ask."

The two then gazed towards the scene. The dark clouds that filled the sky began to shed its light. After a few seconds, Tsukasa gave the Keyblade Master a metallic purple keychain with the shape of Rogue's new heart symbol. "Anyways, I just want to hand this out to you."

"A keychain?"

"Give it to Rogue once he and the others are done. If the worlds of this universe are in danger, then he's gonna need that."

"I thought you're going to the fray alongside them." Eraqus said.

"I've interfered enough. Farewell, Master Eraqus." He said as he went to the dimensional veil he summoned. He then muttered, "Now, what are you going to do after this, Rogue?"

---

"You guys ready?"

"We're all set. Hope our unified magic works." Aqua confirmed.

"You better make it out okay!" Terra said.

"Hit 'em hard, Rogue!" Ven cheered.

After a silent prayer for their success as the three Keyblade Wielders held onto their Wayfinder charms, Rogue commenced the strategy.

"Go!"

Rogue gave a rush through a rain of dark meteors, exploding as they hit the ground. The Rider was fast enough to avoid the majority of them. It seems that his raised Hazard Level improved his senses and reaction time to the point that he jumped towards a couple of meteors as his stepping stones. The big one was about to hit him from above, only to be sliced in half by Terra with his Keyblade's sheer force of one-swing attack. He then proceeded to destroy the rest of the meteors as Rogue went higher to the sky. That way, he could procees without having to worry about the meteors.

Once he had reached enough altitude, he descended towards the Flood Union still using the meteors for a boost. Noticing this, the giant Unversed stretched its claws and fired its cannons to him. As a claw almost reached the Rider, Ven averted its attacks by summoning a heavy gush of wind through his Keyblade Glider. Knowing that the monster's attacks became more and more chaotic, Ven grabbed Rogue's hand to avoid some of its attacks before dropping him to the Unversed's elongated arm, running through it before it could pull its arm back. To prevent this, Ven used his magnetism magic to pull its claw down to the ground as Terra defended him from the meteors.

The cannons on the arm were all that's left standing in the Rider's way. He counter-shot some of its blasts while avoiding those that went through his defense perimeter. Now that Rogue had his purple aura active, he could blast both the cannons and the blasts in quick succession. However, once all of the arm cannons were destroyed, the damaged cannons merged to form a single huge cannon that fired a more powerful energy blast. The Rider had no time to jump out and avoid it. That was when Aqua came in. She defended him with a blue water rune barrier that held the blast long enough to give him a room to move.

"I got this! Go!" she said.

"I won't let you guys down. I promise."

Rogue gathered up his strength to his boots to jump out of Aqua's water barrier through the blast. After he landed on the mega cannon, he made a run along the rest of its upper arm and leapt towards its leaking dark core. The main plan was for Rogue to get to the core so that he could do something about it as his HUD said that there was a material that he needed to craft an item of his interest. That, and he required the light of the Keyblade Wielders to perform the crafting. He landed a few meters below the core, with him hanging on the chest crevices that he pried open before. He then got himself up to it and instructed his allies to do one last trick.

"Now!"

The Keyblade Wielders regrouped as they shoved away the threats that came towards them. They jointed their Keyblades, causing them to shine and iluminate the dark skies above them with a bright golden light. Rogue then punched the core through as his armor gathered the dark leakage and the golden light from above, channeling them to his belt's star-like vortex. He could feel his hand grabbing onto something, and forcefully pulling it out from the broken core.

The Rider then jumped out of the monster, revealing the object that he grabbed to be some sort of new item. The said item was a chakram that took the shape like a Keyblade's grip. It had the same colors and gear motifs as his Nebulasteam Gun. The grip's guard was, in some way, looked like a modified knuckle brass with what seemed to be a button painted with black and yellow warning line. On top of the button was a gear knob that was twistable, and beside it were four taser studs. It also had a bottle slot in the middle of its hilt. However, it lacked the key-like edge. Not only the two energies were channeled from his belt to the item, but Rogue's bottle carriers also began to craft three empty bottles, where the energies also channeled to.

Rogue quickly rolled back to go further away from the monster. The meteor attacks were also ceased, and the Keyblade Wielders' strength were also regained. After seeing his actions, the latters couldn't help but wondering how someone like him could accomplish such feat. Never in the Keyblade bearer's histories had a complete stranger, rougly speaking, or a non-bearer could have the strength and courage to face the darkness so big.

"The magic flow's returning to normal. I can feel it." Aqua said.

"Same here." Terra said.

"Let's go check on our new friend here. I wonder what's he trying to get from that Unversed." Ven said as they regrouped to where Rogue was standing, checking to see if he was still in prime condition.

"Guys." Rogue greeted.

"Your plan's worked. Wait, is that a... Keyblade?" Terra wondered.

"Oh, this?" Rogue presented the grip. "Just a loot for beating the crap out of that thing."

"Rogue, no. That is a Keyblade! A genuine Keyblade you got there!" Terra affirmed. "I mean... It took weeks and months just so a Keyblade Wielder could get it but, this?"

"But... It doesn't have a blade like we do." Ven pointed out.

"You're right. How's this even possible?"

"I don't quite get it. My armor's systems told me that there's something inside that core, and I have to take it." Rogue said. He then pat the bottle holders on his belt, which was holding the three shining bottles. "And Im going to find out more with these."

"Bottles? Are those the things that you wanted to use back then?" Aqua asked.

"Pretty much. They're still fresh, though."

However, the fight wasn't over yet. The Flood Union was still intact despite it kept leaking its powers. It grew weaker and weaker as the powers bleed out from its core. Now that the heroes had the advantage, all they had to do was to take it down once and for all. However, Rogue had another plan in mind.

"You guys take a rest. I'll take it from here." He said.

"You sure?" Terra asked as he held the Rider's shoulder.

"Yeah. You guys already helped me out a lot. And from what I see... all of you possessed great traits of being a true warrior. I admire you all, really. And now, I'll show you guys how I fight."

Rogue took out two of his newly crafted bottles after he unsummoned his Keyblade. Both of them were still filled with the light and dark energies from before. Suddenly, the two bottles took a new shape. Both of them shaped like different halves of a heart. On his left hand was the right half with a purple-colored crocodile image engraved to the bottle's body. The other on his right was the left half with an image of a turquoise-colored remote controller. Their caps also had a symbol of the bottle name's initials in their respective heart halves, colored according to the bottles' match.

"Wait 'til Sento sees this." The Rider muttered. He then shook the bottles once, lifting both of his hands to close the caps and inserted them to his Driver belt's slots.

CROCODILE! REMOTE CONTROLLER!

MIST MATCH!

"Mist Match? Now that really brings me back." Rogue muttered as the belt emitted the same, but modified tone of his previous Transteam Gun. He had been thinking about giving them some names later. As he noted it himself, he said to his friends, "One friendly advice, guys. Whenever you're putting on those armors of yours, try saying this word."

"What is it?" Aqua asked, with both Ven and Terra having the same question in mind.

"Watch."

He grinned as he twisted his Driver's crank as its vortex emitted the light in the colors of his used bottles. As he did so, projections of his bottles' heart halves appeared, with the crocodile in front of him and the remote controller behind him.

ARE YOU READY?

Rogue made a gesture of slowly pointing his right hand to the enemy and pulled his hand back to his shoulder and crunched it in a clawing position. And as every Kamen Rider would do, he chanted the word that would be both of his determination and a prayer for his success.

"Henshin!"

CROCODILE! REMOTE CONTROLLER! HAZEART FUSION: CROCODICON! DANGER!

The halves connected to Rogue, shining brightly until they dispersed into several armor parts and covered Rogue with purple and turquoise mists. The said parts then attached to his armor from bottom to top. The mist slowly revealed him with flashes of light, with then sounds of his armor activating being heard and the final parts attaching to his helmet in the same manner as his previous crocodile armor. The crocodile jaws half crushed his helmet, forming the horns and visors. The transformation was finished with his armor emitting a bright light as the mist dissipated, completely revealing his new form.

The new armor's overall appearance was surprisingly identical to his old, purple armor. His helmet was installed with a pair of crocodile jaw-like horns with its gem eye on his right cheek, though it retained its mouth plate. His sharp-eyed visors were covered in a pair of wide turquois visors. He also retained some other notable features of his old armor, including the torso, gauntlets, and boots albeit the differences.

His torso armor still retained his heart gear symbol with and addition of a huge collar that covered his rear neck, a gear-like skeletal spine armor, and some gear-like straps. His jaw-like shoulder guards had more teeth along with gear teeth on the pads' top. The gauntlets and boots were still having their Build-like vortex armors, though they began to protrude one sharp white fang on each of them, having turquoise shackles, a pair of white clawed gloves and a pair of white clawed shoes. His upper arms and legs were also covered in a pair of turquoise side arm and skirt armors respectively that slightly resembled a TV remote.

And as the Driver implied, Rogue was finally transformed to his newer, yet retro armor in the name of CrocodiCon. He was now ready to manipulate the outcome of the battle.

"I am... Kamen Rider Rogue!" he declared.

"Whoa... he can change his armor's form too." Ven muttered.

"And I can feel him getting stronger. I'm getting some goosebumps just by seeing this." Terra commented.

"Such power... is this what you really are, Gentoku?" Aqua muttered to herself.

The Rider made a charge towards the monster that began to disfigure itself. If one looked closely, more and more Floods that gathered in its form fell one after another. The Unversed was weakening, and Rogue would fasten its process further. He was then welcomed with a swarm of fallen Floods who were ready to skewer him. Rogue swung his first punch to a Flood's head, launching it towards the rest of them meters away and cratering the ground as they exploded. He then delivered numerous hits, making his way through the horde of Unversed. Resorting to his armor's claws was also his best resort at getting on to the enemies.

Some of them attempted to pierce his armor like before, only to find it futile. The armor's new material was impenetrable, for it was forged with the elements unfathomable to the world of Heartverse. The role of predator and prey had been turned around. Using the powers of a fierce crocodile, Rogue summoned a purple energy crocodile jaw on both of his claws, further decreasing the monsters' numbers on him. More and more Unversed came to his way, with the Flood Union's body slowly devolved into the U-nion Guardian's original walker form. Not wanting to waste more time, Rogue inserted his Crocodile bottle to his Nebulasteam Gun to activete his Funky Shot finisher.

CROCODILE!

FUNKY SHOT! CROCODILE!

The Rider shot an energy crocodile that mauled the Unversed horde in a large number. Rogue's HUD then instructed that when the attack was commenced, he could use his remote controller parts to control the energy's movements. Seeing this, Rogue had another idea. He shot numerous energy crocodiles, controlling their movements so that their attacks were more coordinated and effective. While he let the energy crocodiles do the job, the giant Unversed began to spawn several U-Guardians to round him up. This was a perfect opportunity for him to test his new gear. He took out his edgeless Keyblade. Another instruction was added to his system. He was told to take out his third bottle from the holder. Once he did, the bottle immediately formed into a golden left half-heart bottle with a lock that sported a huge keyhole. He inserted it to the slot on his Keyblade, which caused a new command to be performed.

LOCK!

KEYBLADE MODE!

The Keyblade's edge began to form itself into a golden key-like edge. It bore a resemblance to Build's key arm blade, only that it was much more razor sharp with some additional sharp details. This was his very first Keyblade, and a bladed weapon, finally.

"So, this is what a Keyblade is like in my very own fingertips. Interesting." He commented. "Now... let's begin the judgement."

Wow, what a straight-out ripoff of Build's catchphrase, Rogue. He thought.

He gripped his weapon tightly as the U-Guardians swung their bladed rifles above him, in which he quickly shielded himself just by using his new weapon. The blades were easily shoved away effortlessly, continued with a spinning slash that hit all of the U-Guardians on their abdomen and sent off sparks from them. Not only dismembering their body parts one after another, the Rider also threw his razor-sharp Keyblade to a U-Guardian's head, impaling it as he punched and gunned down the others. He quickly went to the impaled U-Guardian to take his weapon back and went to the rest of the Unversed who were still intact despite the damage he gave.

Rogue then tried a new trick of using the Keyblade's hilt as a hitting pole, in which he held onto the edge instead. He swung it hard in a breakneck speed to the point that he sent a U-Guardian flying into a horde of Floods and exploded it in the middle of the latter. Fortunately, his glove protected his hand from bleeding. Another one came, but he was ready to use his Keyblade's knuckle brass feature. He punched the U-Guardian from its chest, abdomen, and to its head. Each hit let out purple electric sparks that subdued the enemy's movements, enabling him to uppercut its face and completly broke it. The last U-Guardian was ready to strike him from behind, but Rogue's keen senses of battle helped him to stab it before finally beheading it.

Seeing such display of strength, the Keyblade Wielders couldn't help but left themselves in both awestruck and wonder. No Wielders in their history lesson had ever fought in such manner. All this time, they had been fighting by the book, following the stances, styles, and tricks that had been archived by their predecessors. Perhaps, his 'Rogue' moniker did befit him in some way. All in all, they were glad that they could have someone like him on their fold.

Continuing his assault to the remaining enemies, Rogue pressed the button as if he was cracking his fist. It caused a new command to activate.

NEBULATIC BREAK! LOCK!

Rogue's Keyblade edge was engulfed with a huge golden projection of the key. He swung it to the approaching Unversed, completely obliterating them with a huge explosion caused by the attack. As a pack of Floods was about to lunge him from his right, he quickly commanded the still active crocodile phantom to maul them before they could ever have the chance. Once the phantoms had mauled the Unversed enough, they exploded and incinerated a large number of Floods nearby the vicinity.

Seeing that the Keyblade's command was still active and the Unversed's numbers began to dwindle, Rogue quickly made his way towards the monster to finish it off. However, his sword was connected to its dark barrier instead of its own body. It was clearly desperate for its protection as it became significantly weaker than before. Of course, Rogue wouldn't let such petty tactic prevent him from finishing his task.

"I'm not done yet!" He pulled off his energized blade first, then he jumped high and held his weapon with both of his hands for a stronger force.

Both forces clashed once again to see who shall dominate who. More sparks flew from the clash, with the giant Unversed began to lose its strength. And so, with his sheer force of will and his unwavering resolve to fight, Rogue managed to break the barrier and damaged the monster, with the latter finally reverted to its original U-nion Guardian form. Seeing this opportunity, Rogue cranked his Driver's lever.

And like all Kamen Riders would, it's time to wrap it up with a kick.

READY, GO!

MISTIC FINISH!

"Your judgement... has been decided!"

The Rider executed his usual crocodile scissor kick, lifting his right leg up as the other went on the bottom. A huge car-sized purple energy crocodile fang also formed on both of his kicking legs. He let out a roar as his attack pierced the Unversed's body. The energy also spreaded throughout its body upon contact. From what appeared to be a single kick,comes a huge explosion that annihilated the enemy as its remnants dissipated into darkness and floated in the sky.

The battle for the Land of Departure was finally over as Rogue rose out from the flames. His visors shone brightly, signifying his glory that shall be remembered in the history of Heartverse. From this day onwards, the name Rogue shall be remembered as a firece warrior who strikes fear to the hearts of his enemies, assuming they ever had one.

Although, that would be another tale to tell.

"You guys hurt or anything?" he asked.

"We're all fine, Rogue." Aqua said.

"Wow... that. Was. Awesome!" Ven squealed. "You're really rocking it out back there! I mean, you were like 'swoosh!' and then you also go wild with that roar of yours like 'raaaargh!'. Wow! Really, Rogue. Wow!"

"Err, thanks?"

"To be honest... I've never seen someone fight like that. It kinda feels... wild. Savage, I'd say." Aqua commented.

"Savage? Well, I'm not surprised."

"You see, us Keyblade Wielders held a high respect towards the art of Keyblade mastery, one that would symbolize our traits and features as the forces of good. But still... I've never imagined that you deviated from that tradition. Especially, since you had just had that Keyblade." She explained.

"And as a side note, Gentoku; Keyblade Bearers don't fight like that. If it were Master Eraqus, he'll say that you lacked any grace to begin with." Terra pointed out.

"But, it's still cool though. I don't think that rough comment is necessary." Ven denied.

"It's called critics, Ven." Rogue corrected.

"I know. I get it that you had a completely different background than ours. Just want you to understand where I came from." Terra said.

"Don't worry. I'm aware that you guys are apperentices of a Keyblade Master, too. I can see your point, here." Rogue modestly said as years of being a good guy once again returned his kindness as a man who he had aspired to become. A notificaion then appeared on his HUD, saying that his body had finally adapted to the new environment. Which means, "Whew, finally. I can take my armor off now."

Taking off both of his bottles, his armor dissolved into a thick mist that soon dissipated, revealing Gentoku in his new outfit. He was seen wearing an unzipped black overcoat that reached down to his knees over a black zippered vest. The coat also had some purple accents that went on the torso and the collar sleeves. On his bottom were black pants and a pair of black collar boots. The outfit slightly reminded him of that of a pirate movie, where most of the pirates wore such elegant coats, one that he remembered on wanting to have one ever since he was 15, though such dream had seemingly become true during his defection to Seito in the Pandora War. The coat was also a few centimeters shorter than the previous one.

"Nice." He muttered as he checked on one last thing on his outfit. "I wonder if there's... ooh..."

---

Later, our heroes gathered back at the land's palace, where Master Eraqus had expected them. The trio straightened their bodies as they faced their master. As for Gentoku, he simply stood on the side as he gazed towards the horizon for a while before checking on the Bearers.

"Aqua. Ven. Terra. The three of you had exceptionally showed your skills and mettles in both the battle and how the three of you handled the light inside your hearts well. However, the real trial shall start from here on. Our universe is at peril as we've known, thus the reason why I tutored the three of you. Terra, Ven, let this be a trial for you to show me that the two of you are also capable of becoming Keyblade Masters."

"Yes, Master!" Terra and Ven said. The former then assured along with Ven's nod, "We won't let you down."

"Ventus, remember what I told you before: stay close to them. Don't be shy to ask for your friends' help should you find any difficulties among your way. After all, you all shared the same dream, no?" Eraqus instructed.

"I understand, Master! I'll get stronger before you know it!" Ven acknowledged.

"Aqua, as a Keyblade Master, not only that I task you to accomplish this mission, but I also request you to watch over your friends in your journey. I have already tasked you with a much heavier one before once you've already become a Master. Now, I believe that I have asked you to do what you must, and shall do in a second."

"Your wish is also mine, Master. I shall protect them as how you cared to us." Aqua agreed.

"That is good to hear, all of you." Eraqus smiled. He then turned his attention to the good stranger they had happened to meet.

"Now then... Gentoku Himuro. Though I haven't got to know you more, you've shown a great quality of how a true warrior fights. I can feel that something good might come up from you should you never stray from the path that you have just taken as of today. Now, I might not be the one who casts a burden to a stranger, but it appears that somehow, our fates has intertwined. Not only that, I also have a feeling that we might require an expertise to solve this overarching problem, such as yourself."

"You want me to join you in your fight against the Unversed?" he asked.

"I believe that by having you in the fold, we might have a greater chance to go up against the darkness that has roamed free. So, what do you say, Kamen Rider?"

He said. "Well..." the Rider surprisingly unzipped his vest to reveal a purple T-shirt with a huge, RPG-ish text saying:

GENTOKU HIMURO HAS JOINED THE PARTY!

There was a silence that filled the air of the floating land. A wind blew a tumbleweed that somehow came out of nowhere, adding the awkwardness of the situation to a whole new level.

"Umm... what are you doing?" Aqua asked.

"My shirt emphasizes my statement; I've decided to join the three of you in this quest, as well. That is all I can say." Gentoku clarified. He then rubbed his favorite T-Shirt in an utmost amazement. "Oh, how I love this."

"O... kay?"

"Look who's awkward, now." Ven playfully jeered.

"Oh please, Ven. This style never dies." He denied.

"Heh, I'm not surprised that you'll do it. well, except for the shirt part." Terra said.

"You want one?"

"Hell no!"

"Now then, It's time for the four of you to begin your quest to save the worlds. I wish for the best luck of you all. And as always... may your heart be your guiding key." Eraqus dismissed.

"Yes, Master." The trio acknowledged.

"So, what're we waiting for?" he said as he covered his shirt with the vest, and revealed yet another shirt with a text:

LET'S GO!

"Just use your word, already." Terra corrected.

"I like my shirts better. You know... cash grab and stuff." He defended.

"Oh, and Gentoku?"

"Sir?"

He then gave Rogue the Keychain Tsukasa entrusted to him.

"An acquintance of my Master gave me this. He said that it is for you to use."

"A Keychain? Well, let's see if-"

Suddenly, the Keychain emitted a purple light. Rogue also felt the need to summon his Keyblade, in which he did much to Eraqus' surprise. The Rider then hung the Keychain to the bottom of the weapon's key. It caused a surge of light energy to flow into an empty bottle that his holder quickly cratfed, filling it with the substance.

"A Keyblade? Why, yet another bizzare turn of events unfolded once again as if they kept overlapping one after another." Eraqus wondered.

"Yeah, bizzare might be the right word for it. I know, it's uhh... very unconventional?"

"Nevermind that. Why it has no edge of its own?" he asked.

"Well, that's because..."

LOCK!

KEYBLADE MODE!

"This." He showed his active Keyblade.

"I see. This one must've taken the characteristics from your origin. No wonder it functioned completely different than ours."

"So... does this make me a Keyblader, now?"

"Keyblader?"

"Uhh, Keyblade Wielder? I don't know, it kinda sound mouthful for me."

"I think it's catchy." Ven commented.

"You do?"

"Well, I've also been thinking about calling it as 'Keyblade Slinger' or 'Keyslinger' but... whatever. I'll go with Keybladers, anyway."

"Hooray for Keybladers."

"Hooray!" Ven cheered.

"Hoo... ray?" Terra and Aqua followed reluctantly.

"I'm sure you guys are gonna get used to it." Gentoku assured, which was welcomed by their sheepish laughter.

"It seems that my students has taken a liking to you." Eraqus then noted, "And as a matter of fact, that would make you a special case of a... Keyblader to acquire it in such manner. I noticed that you had already had an experience leagues ahead that makes you qualified as a warrior. I would normally enlist you to a trial, but seeing our condition as of today, I will let you pass as a Keyblader and for your journey to be your test."

"That, I'm glad know. Now, for the moment of truth..."

He then pulled out the said bottle that began to take a form of a red, left half-heart with an image of a bike. Inserting it to the Keyblade's slot caused another command to activate.

BIKE!

GLIDER MODE!

The Keyblade emitted a red light that soon began to manifest another form. Parts by parts appeared one after another to form what appeared to be... a hover bike. Its colors were carbon grey with red accents, following some of the bottle's elements. The vehicle's body looked a bit similar to that of a racing bike, with Rogue's heart symbol on its cannon-mounted head. Instead of wheels, it was installed with a pair of huge sharp carbon blades with red edges. There were also yellow warning lines on both of the blades.

"Huh, who knows that an oversized key could do so many wonders." He mused. "And my very own ride... finally."

"Such reason is why the Keyblade had a very special role in our world, Gentoku. That is a tool meant to restore and keep the order of the worlds. Remember it, and you'll bring upon the light to the very lands of the universe."

"Yes, sir. I understand."

"Now, make your way to the worlds, all of you. I wish you all the best of luck, and as always: may your heart be your guiding key." Master Eraqus prayed for the heroes' success.

"Yes Master!" They acknowledged.

"Yes sir." Gentoku followed.

The heroes then lined up to prepare their Armors. Knowing that they were about to put them on, Gentoku reminded, "Remember what I said about the magic word."

"Okay." Ven said. He then whispered to his teammates. "Uhh... should we do it?"

"Well, I don't see any harm of doing it." Terra said.

"Still, I wonder how it affects our performances. I believe it's worth a shot." Aqua suggested.

"So, it's a yes then." Ven confirmed.

"Alright. You guys ready?" Gentoku asked. His friends nodded to him in response. A slight smile was formed on his face, knowing that he wouldn't be the only armored hero alone anymore. For a moment his mind went back to the days when he was fighting alongside his fellow Riders. It was glorious, despite the hardships they had to went through. Now that he had gained another new friends, things wouldn't be that much different.

After all, what could go wrong of this?

"Though, let's try this combo." He muttered.

CROCODILE! LOCK!

ARE YOU READY?

The four heroes all chanted in unison, "HENSHIN!"

Their armors began to envelop each of them in their own ways. Rogue's armor became the very first one he wore, a black armor of a mixture between the Build and Transteam system. As for the Keybladers, the word 'Henshin had made them feel somewhat... different. They had been training with their armors for years, but never had they thought that such word alone could give them a moral boost they were going to need for the battle. Master Eraqus could only watch it in wonder, but he quickly shrugged it off nonetheless.

"This armor again? Hmm... it seems that this is my Trial Form, then." Rogue suggested to himself. "Gotta remember to give my gears their names, later."

"Hey, you're right. Somehow, I felt like a cool guy already!" Ven said.

"It's called a badass, Ven." Rogue explained.

"Anyway, isn't that the first one you wear in here?"

"I placed a random bottle match on my Driver. Seems that this is how it works."

"I'm opening the gate to the Lanes Between, now. We're going together. Get ready." Aqua said as she lifted her Keyblade to the front.

Her Keyblade lit up as the spell activated. The light then opened a dark portal gate, the same one where Rogue had fallen into. The moment passed for Rogue as it felt like years he had been in the new world. He wondered if his friends were looking for him, hoping that Tsukasa had already told them beforehand. As much as he wanted to see them again, he knew that he already had a job to do. He must help the apperentices of Master Eraqus in their quest, and he had a feeling that he would have a lot of teachings he needed to do. All of his past experiences might be for this moment to come. Then again, he wondered if he could make a good teacher.

He didn't ponder it for too long as Eraqus called him out.

"Gentoku... as a mentor myself, I'm also aware of the fact that I must one day, let my children go. And truth to be told, I am... scared that the day I release them shall come, to let them pick the paths they desire to go." Eraqus admitted. "But Ventus... he's a very different case... I'm afraid I cannot tell you such matter lightly, but... please understand this if you see the reason for yourself. You'll understand why I am a bit reluctant to let him go."

Rogue sighed. He assured, "He's gonna be fine, Eraqus. We're all gonna be fine. You can trust me to keep an eye on them. Besides, I already have an experience. I'll be a good teacher for them as they grow up into fine warriors. Farewell for now, Master Eraqus."

The Keyblade Master could only nod in acceptance. It was about time he needed to accept the fact that his students must start their own journey, for their lives would be in the battlefield. He had nurtured them, tutored them, and watched them grew up into warriors he had known. Their journey would be perilous for sure. Which is why, all he could do at the moment was to have faith in their lights.

The darkness shall be vanquished by their hands, and they shall restore the order of the Heartverse.

"Please... watch over them... Kamen Rider Rogue."

---

(A/N)

Hello, hello, and welcome to Kingdom Hearts: The Rogue's Key chapter 2!

This is gonna be the last chapter that I post on my holiday period as the new semester will start soon in around September. So, things are gonna get more plenty from here on as I've registered and got accepted for the college majoring's student association. Organizational stuffs sure can be pretty much tiring, eh?

After seeing how Build's latest episode... well, feels train, people. But don't worry, if you're asking how this fic would go in such direction, I already have a contingency plan in the making should one of the Riders don't make it to the end. If you haven't seen it, I suggest you to follow it up, because... spoiler alert. See it for yourself, if you may.

And here we have CrocodiCon as Rogue's first and primary Mist Match. I think it's an ideal choice because of... well, reasons. I also had to come up with some of his old and new Henshin aesthetics, seeing that he had already had a bunch of new gears of his own. His Mist Match armor won't work much like Build does, but kind of mixing up the elements to form a new set of armor like how Mad Rogue goes with. He also have a Keyblade of his own, working much like how the latest Rider gears do. His Keyblade Glider resembled the one from Kingdom Hearts II that Sora and Riku used in the final battle. Also an ideal choice of mine. The names for his new gears will be revealed later. I already have them in mind.

The heroes had finally begun their journey towards the worlds of Heartverse to protect them from the dangers that shall come henceforth. What kind of worlds will they go to? What will be their first one?

As always, please leave your comments below and remember, BE CONSTRUCTIVE.

Until next time.