Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 05 – Game Clear 2018
Back in the dark void Woz was currently looking at his book with a frown, the pages still static filled like before.
"As it is written in this book, in September of 2018, average high schooler Tokiwa Sougo embarks on a path which leads him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O. Spurred on by sudden attacks against video game players, he investigates alongside his companions."
Woz stared at the static filled footage once more, Sougo fighting briefly against Another Ex-Aid while also showing how Ruby and Geiz's fought against Another Ex-Aid. It ended with Ruby taking Another Ex-Aid's attack to protect Geiz at the cost of her own health.
"However Ruby Rose had other plans and chose to lead Geiz towards Ex-Aid's power herself… yet they instead received the blessing of a self proclaimed God. Alongside having come across a snag via that blessing which has cost Ruby as a result. Thus Tokiwa Sougo must come into play to obtain Ex-Aid's power to set things back on course..." Woz soon looked up as he finished with a grin before taking off.
Earth – Mid September 2018
[PERFECT KNOCK OUT!]
"The names Parad, Kamen Rider Para-DX…" Parad introduced as he took a single step forward. "Level 99…"
"Level 99?" Geiz questioned.
"T-That's like usually the strongest level you can even get!" Ruby managed to call out in shock before wincing as whatever was wrong with her body slightly worsened.
Another Ex-Aid hissed out as he took a visible step back, "Oh hell…" He shook his head before giving a yell running at Parad and throwing a punch.
The red and blue Rider simply caught the punch before slamming his palm into the Another Rider's stomach, stunning the monster. Parad gripped the fist he caught tightly before tossing it to the side, throwing a right hook that caught on fire and slamming it into Another Ex-Aid's face.
Another Ex-Aid gasped out as he staggered back, yelling out as he summoned dozens of brown blocks all around. He then began bouncing between all of them before jumping and kicking at Parad. He grinned as he managed to catch the high level Rider off guard and get a few hits in.
Parad gasped as he was surprised by his opponent's current speed… until he noticed the pattern. He quickly brought out a hand towards his side, forming a wall of blue puzzle pieces that blocked a punch from the Another Rider. He then pushed the wall back and slammed Another Ex-Aid into one of the blocks.
"Not bad but your patterns are predictable, are you sure you're a Genius Gamer?" Parad questioned.
"Don't mock me!" Another Ex-Aid yelled out as he rushed forward.
Parad scoffed as he turned the dial on his Gashat while opening and closing his Driver, "What an eyesore…"
[GACHON! URAWAZA!]
Parad's fist gathered a large amount of energy before he tilted his head to avoid a punch from the Another Rider, slamming his fist into the monsters head. "Get lost!"
[KNOCK OUT CRITICAL SMASH!]
Another Ex-Aid yelled out as he exploded from the sudden surge of power released by Parad's finisher. He soon returned to his form of Another Emu as he fell onto the ground.
"You may be based on him but you're nothing like him," Parad said coldly as he walked over to Geiz and Ruby, before noticing Geiz's defensive posture. "I'm on your side."
"Yeah right," Geiz growled out as he put himself between Parad and Ruby. "I'm not just about to trust everyone I meet."
"Geiz please…" Ruby whined. "He's clearly on our side."
"We need to treat her immediately," Parad insisted. "I can already tell she has Game Disease, we need to get going."
[EX-AID]
Parad turned as he saw Another Emu suddenly contort as his body unnaturally got up, wisps of energy forming around as he returned to his Another Rider form.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Another Ex-Aid yelled out. "I won't allow someone, even you of all people, to look down on me!"
"Look down on?" Ruby muttered, remembering Another Ex-Aid's words from earlier. She started to wonder if this Another Emu was just a simple copycat or if there was a deeper layer to this all.
"Yeah, there's no time for discussion," Parad immediately shoved Geiz out of the way before grabbing Ruby who gave a surprised yelp. He then slung her underneath his arm and grabbed Geiz by the collar to keep him close. "We're leaving."
Another Ex-Aid began to run forward when a bright flash occurred, the trio of Riders shattering into blue pixels as they suddenly vanished. The Another Rider slowed to a stop before dismissing his transformation, giving a glare as his eyes shined a bright purple.
Uhr and Ora were currently sitting across each other at empty fighting game arcade cabinets. The two leaned on them in a bored fashion as they waited.
"Kind of weird without people here…" Uhr remarked.
"It just means he's doing his job," Ora answered.
The entirety of the arcade they were at was mostly empty. There were a few players but most of them were frozen mid match due to the Time Jacker's stopping time. Despite normally being loud and action packed the arcade was quiet due to Another Ex-Aid's rampage against various game players. Because people were in fear of being targeted they had begun to frequent stores and arcades a lot less.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," Swartz said as he began to walk down the stairs, coming from the second floor.
"Mind explaining to us what's going on?" Uhr asked as he stood.
"Yeah, you mention help and then force us to meet here," Ora replied. "And make us wait quite a while."
"It's not like much time has passed," Swartz gave a chuckle as he looked around the green tinted and static filled arcade. He then turned more serious. "If we're to gain a leg up on Zi-O and this mysterious Roze we need to change tactics."
"And I did, I chose from history like you told me to," Ora replied. "And from what I checked up on, he's doing a very good job."
"That you did, and that he is." Swartz said as he finally stepped off the stairs, he then began to pace around with his hands behind his back. "However…" He turned towards the two. "That wasn't the only change I was talking about. The three of us aren't going to cut it anymore."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Uhr asked as he took a step forward before suddenly feeling two more presences within the stopped time. "Don't tell me…"
"That's where we come in," A male's voice spoke as a man in black walked out from behind one of the machines. His top jacket was similar in design to the current trio's with a popped collar and red inside. He held fairly messy hair and had a strange circular tattoo on the back of his left palm.
"I suppose we'll all be working together from here on out," A feminine voice spoke out as a slender figure with brown hair in a bun and one single bang covering their left eye came out from behind a machine. Having similar styling as the others in their jacket but in silver and white, their most noticeable trait was their long cape that dragged along the ground.
"Swartz… you didn't…" Ora trailed as she glanced at both newcomers.
"Meet our new Time Jacker's," Swartz smiled and held up a hand towards the one in black, "Tid…" he then raised a hand towards the one in white. "…And Finis, I do hope you all get along quite well." His smile turned into a bigger grin, if his plans were going to be messed up then he'd have to do the same and bring in the unpredictable.
"Hey, what happened out there?"
"She's been infected by that copy Ex-Aid."
"These symptoms are different than the other gamers…"
"Not even they could stop that guy?! It's a Pipupepopanic!"
"Tsukuyomi are you there? We have a situation; get to Seito University Hospital this instant… what? You're already on your way?"
Ruby gave a light moan as she squinted her eyes open, noticing she was moving pretty fast while staring up at a white ceiling. She had passed out from the virus in her system and was currently just shifting between being awake and being unconscious. It wasn't long before things began to slow down and she felt whatever she was laying on shake before going still. Her eyes finally began to fully focus, noticing Emu, Parad, and Geiz who was currently looking in surprise towards… a pink haired yellow dressed woman?
"Oh thank goodness you conscious!" The woman smiled.
"What… happened?" Ruby asked, trying to get up only to wince.
"Try not to strain yourself, you currently have a heavy amount of the Bugster Virus in you," Emu said as he stopped Ruby from fully sitting. "You're in CR's quarantine room right now."
"Okay that explains why I feel terrible…" Ruby groaned out, she then glanced over towards the woman. "Um…"
"Oh sorry if I startled you, I'm Poppy Pipopapo!" Poppy smiled as she gave a salute. "I'm here to help!"
"That sounds like the name to a Game Mascot," Geiz remarked.
"Because I am," Poppy answered. "I'm the Bugster for DoReMiFa Beat!"
"Ah, the game cabinet from the office…" Ruby realized. "Wait… if you're a Bugster… but here to help… you're a good Bugster?"
"That's correct," Parad spoke up. "We're in the minority but both Poppy and I, we help Emu out."
"Even if they're a virus, each Bugster has its own personality and will," Emu explained. "Despite being data, they have hearts too."
"They have hearts too…" Ruby trailed as she remembered how Another Ex-Aid acted, she could only assume due to his nature that Another Emu was possibly a Bugster.
Hiiro soon walked in through the front door, giving a bored look towards Ruby, "So she got herself infected…" He glanced towards Emu. "You know this is why we should have handled it personally."
Ruby merely crossed her arms and gave a pout as she looked off to the side.
"Regardless, we now know that not just anything can beat the Another Rider," Emu answered. "We need more information, and there's only one man who can give us that."
"Then it's a good thing that the others have arrived, alongside two guests who I can only assume are related to the two here," Hiiro mentioned.
"Sougo's here…?" Ruby muttered, wondering if Sougo and Tsukuyomi had finally managed to catch up to her and Geiz.
Due to her condition Ruby was not allowed to leave the quarantine room, regardless her presence would have only added to the large amount of people gathered in the main office of CR. Taiga and Nico were currently sitting in one corner, Kiriya and Hiiro were sitting together, Poppy and Parad standing around while Geiz, Sougo, and Tsukuyomi were huddled together. Emu himself was currently next to the DoReMiFa Beat game cabinet with Kuroto who was currently attempting to tear his hair out.
Emu had explained the situation to everyone, Geiz and Parad filling in what had happened during the fight. Needless to say this didn't please Kuroto for two reasons, firstly his genius plan had failed and now his godly talents were being used frivolously by someone other than him. Secondly because of this failure he was currently on thin ice with everyone in the room.
"I can't believe this!" Kuroto yelled out.
"We can," Kiriya groaned out.
"Does he normally cause trouble for you all?" Geiz questioned.
"He's the reason this entire mess with the Bugsters is a thing," Taiga said coldly.
"That explains the jail cell inside of that machine…" Tsukuyomi trailed.
"I didn't think you could do that with a Game Cabinet," Sougo admitted.
"Well it wasn't technically an actual game cabinet." Poppy noted. "In fact it used to be my home away from home but well, we needed somewhere to put Kuroto since we've been given custody over him,"
"Dan Kuroto Shin!"
"Shut it," Geiz growled out with a glare. "You're going to explain how you got that Genm Watch this instant."
"Need I remind our Mr. God he's on his final life and if he doesn't say anything that life will likely be in jeopardy," Kiriya added as he pushed his glasses down and glanced at the arcade cabinet.
"It's… it's not my fault I swear, I thought I was done with that Another Emu when I discarded him," Kuroto called out. "I wanted nothing to do with him!"
"Kuroto Shin, please explain what you mean," Emu said as he stared at the imprisoned man.
"Fine then… it started in December of 2016…" Kuroto trailed. "Right before I revealed my true self to you Doctors."
Earth – Genm Corp December 2016:
Kuroto Dan was in his office as he stared at the small open case before him, it was nearly time to unveil his true nature to the Doctor's he considered mere lab rats. He closed the case and began to walk away before stopping, he figured that he needed to say good bye to his office one last time. He turned only to suddenly narrow his eyes at the sight of Ora sitting at his desk.
"And just who might you be?" Kuroto asked calmly though he was secretly worried that something was about to go wrong.
"I'm Ora, a Time Jacker," Ora introduced. "And I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. But there's good news, too." She soon pulled out a blank ridewatch.
Kuroto continued to keep his stare as he took a step forward, "I would suggest making haste. I do not have the time for petty games."
"A bit ironic coming from someone like you," Ora giggled when she heard Kuroto's response. "I'll get to the point then… your plans don't end up working out, even with all the contingencies. However, contract with me and I can give you the power to change your fate." She then stood up and walked over, ready to hand him a watch when she felt a sudden surge of power coming from the watch. "What?"
Suddenly before their eyes it flashed, transforming into a Genm Ridewatch.
"Magnificent!" Kuroto grinned suddenly as he snatched the Ridewatch from her. "To think it recognized my godly talents and took this form to honor me."
"That's not what I meant to do…" Ora's eyes widened as she saw what had occurred. She knew that Kuroto was a rider himself, but she wasn't expecting the watch to have such a strong reaction to where it'd fully form a normal Ridewatch. She then narrowed her eyes and held up a new blank one. "We're trying this again; you're contracting with me and becoming Another Ex-Aid." She sneered as the watch this time transformed into the Another Ex-Aid Watch.
Kuroto gave a chuckle as he turned around, suddenly dropping his case before drawing out his handheld game styled weapon known as the Bugvisor, "I could care less about becoming your puppet." He glared as he pointed its gun barrels forward and spewed out an orange stream of digital energy that was the Bugster Virus.
Ora was so close she barely had the chance to even consider a time stop, merely holding up the Ridewatch to protect herself.
[EX-AID]
The virus itself was suddenly drawn into the watch, the action causing Kuroto to quickly stop when he saw he wasn't infecting Ora. Ora stared in surprise before the Ridewatch forced itself out of her hands, an orange body of data starting to form. Before the two an exact copy of Emu Hojo materialized in black clothing.
"Incredible…" Kuroto trailed as he couldn't believe the sight before him.
Another Emu soon gave a yell as he fully transformed into Another Ex-Aid, giving a growl as he lurched forward. He took a step, ready to strike at Kuroto.
"I think not!" Kuroto sneered as he held out his Ridewatch, a purple glow coming from it as it released a wave of energy. "Do not think you can win against the Game Master." He kept a more serious glare as the energy forced Another Ex-Aid to the ground.
"D-Damn…" Another Ex-Aid growled out as he tried to stand only for his transformation to break, reverting to Another Emu before he soon shrunk back into the Anotherwatch. Kuroto chuckled and picked it up before waving it towards Ora. "I'll be keeping this. This could definitely be of use later down the line…"
Ora however huffed and crossed her arms, "Fine, see if I care. It's all on you if you mess this up." She then walked past him and turned the corner, vanishing out of sight.
"Now then…" Kuroto pocketed both items before straightening his outfit, turning and heading towards the door of his office.
Earth – Mid September 2018
"After I started my plan to create Rider Chronicle I had no use for this Another Ex-Aid, and any attempt to study the watch was a failure so I just threw it into a storage location you all could never find." Kuroto explained. "I was expecting it to gather dust, maybe rust… but…"
"After those couple of years it became Another Ex-Aid again and fully reformed," Tsukuyomi finished.
"And he decided to bypass the Genm Watch by absorbing it into himself," Geiz replied. "What I don't get is why he talked about combining the powers of a Genius Gamer and Genius Game Creator…"
"He said what?" Kuroto asked with a slight tremble in his words as his eyes widened.
"You heard what I said," Geiz answered as he began to move closer to the arcade cabinet. "What do those two things have to do with anything?"
"Well Emu is a Genius Gamer, and thanks to his DNA he was able to create a variety of new forms out of nearly nothing," Kiriya explained.
"And Kuroto's a Game Creator, he made most of the equipment everyone uses," Poppy explained. "Some of our strongest forms are thanks to him."
"Are you saying we're looking at something on a Hyper Muteki scale?" Taiga asked when he realized why Kuroto was suddenly getting nervous.
"But isn't Hyper Muteki invincible?!" Nico asked.
"Eh? An Invincible Another Rider?" Sougo asked.
"I'm not sure what a Hyper Muteki is, but if it's invincible…" Tsukuyomi started. "Then we can't win."
"It won't come to that… it doesn't matter what he says he's not a Genius Gamer," Parad finally spoke up. "Fighting him was nothing like fighting Emu. He may have Genm's power, but he doesn't have the power of Genius Gamer M."
"Ironic considering he's a copy," Hiiro mentioned.
"Wait… that's it," Emu suddenly realized as he snapped his fingers. "That's why he's been targeting Gamers specifically, and why he wanted to target Nico and I next."
"Wait, what?" Taiga asked.
"The Bugster Virus on everyone other than Ruby has been different, it's faint but still effective enough to knock them out," Emu explained as he quickly went over to a whiteboard as everyone looked towards where he went. He stopped before drawing a blank person on it, labeling it victim before drawing a crude Another Ex-Aid, putting arrows connecting both. "It's to create a link between him and the Gamer; he's using the Virus to siphon their gaming abilities from them to him."
"It's not enough though, that must be why he's targeting the two of you," Parad replied as he walked over. "Meaning we can't let him get to either of you."
"We'll finish him before he gets the chance," Taiga called out.
"Yeah, we can just beat him up good!" Nico cheered.
"The issue is we need Ex-Aid's power for that," Geiz pointed out as Emu took the watch which was still blank at this point. "And the Watch has yet to react."
"Then what do we do?" Poppy asked.
"Go about your business, he's a Bugster, if he tries anything we'll get an alert." Emu replied. "Poppy, Hiiro, try and stay here to keep us readily fortified. Taiga, Nico, Kiriya, if a Bugster alert shows up and it's not around here I need you three to take care of it."
The five gave nods before turning and heading off, Parad looked around a bit confused though. "What about me Emu?"
"I think I've got a special mission for you," Emu gave a smile. "Let's talk it over real quick."
"And that's the situation," Sougo finished, having decided to meet with Ruby alongside Geiz and Tsukuyomi since they were given permission to. Sougo had decided to relay what the meeting was about.
"This isn't good… that Another Emu is going to do something rash," Ruby realized, the circumstances behind his conception and his attitude were starting to line up. "He's not taking kindly to being thrown away like that…" She began to sit up only to wince again.
"You're not fit to go fight," Tsukuyomi insisted as she went to keep Ruby from getting out of bed. "There's plenty of Riders to help. You can leave this to us."
"I… fine," Ruby said before giving another wince, she hated to say it but just sitting around was making her stressed since her first response was usually to go out and help.
"Don't worry Ruby, we'll deal with this," Sougo reassured.
"What's with this "we"? You mean me," Geiz said as he grabbed Sougo's shoulder and turned him before pushing him back slightly. "Let me reiterate my point from earlier. I'm not letting you use Zi-O's power constantly like this. You may not be him yet but you're still Oma Zi-O and I won't let you rise to power. So stay out of this."
"I can't do that!" Sougo argued, giving a glance at Ruby before looking over at Geiz. He was a bit annoyed that Geiz wasn't going to let him help his friend. "I can't just watch someone suffer like that! Do you have any idea of what that's like, Geiz?"
Geiz's hand curled up tightly, giving a glare as he suddenly grabbed Sougo and forced him against the wall.
"Guys, wait!" Ruby called out, she was inwardly sighing because she realized that Sougo stepped out of line with that comment. But she also didn't like that this was about to turn into a fight.
Geiz briefly flashed back to when Oma Zi-O had just recently defeated them, he had tried to search for any survivors and managed to find one of his closer friends. But to his dismay they were already dead, which only left him with grief. He knew what he and the others were walking into when fighting a losing war against Oma Zi-O. That didn't make the heartbreak of losing friends or loved ones any less painful.
"Of course I do." Geiz finally spoke up. "More than you could possibly imagine!"
"Guys…" Both of their attention's turned towards Ruby who was speaking a bit more softly now that the shouting was done. She was pale, a few orange glitch marks appeared over her, parts of her briefly became transparent, and some sweat was dripping down her forehead from exerting herself like this while the Virus was inside her. "Just stop…"
Geiz realized his outburst was likely making Ruby more stressed and simply turned away, "I'll be scouting around if you need me." He told Tsukuyomi before heading off.
"S-Sorry…" Sougo said as he realized that he had stepped out of line. Deciding not to make things anymore awkward he quickly took off, wanting somewhere to think.
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Tsukuyomi asked the other worldly Rider, noticing that the viral percentage on one of the screens was at 42% and likely only going to rise the further this was delayed.
"I'll be fine… you just need to defeat Another Ex-Aid for good," Ruby answered before laying back down.
Tsukuyomi gave a nod before heading out, while she was worried about Geiz she did want to talk to Sougo personally.
Ruby sighed, she hated to be out of the fight like this but what else was she supposed to do? The sound of doors opening caused Ruby to shift slightly, to her surprise however Parad had walked in. "Oh, Parad?"
"Yo, Ruby!" Parad gave a wave and a smile as he walked over. "Now I'm not a Doctor but I did hear from a certain genius gamer about something you liked to do." He then held out the handheld system that the sick huntress would play. "Want to play a game?"
Geiz was currently walking through the halls of Seito University when something caught his eye as he passed a break room. He had to backtrack as he stared at the sight before him. Hiiro Kagami, the genius surgeon and Kamen Rider, was eating what looked like an expensive cake in the break room.
"Why are you eating cake?" Geiz asked as he turned to enter.
"A surgeon's days are fairly long so I must replenish my energy and sugar levels," Hiiro explained as he masterfully cut into his slice before picking up the piece he had cut off with a fork, eating it in one swift stroke. The reasoning was a lot deeper… but well, he didn't need others getting involved with his personal drama. "Especially when dealing with the Bugster Virus… would you like some? As a Rider I'm sure you expend energy quite often."
"Sorry to say but sweet's aren't really my thing," Geiz mentioned as he deciding to sit down at the table to rest a bit. He was a bit surprised at the offer given Hiiro was nearly refusing his and Ruby's help. "I'm surprised you're being so hospitable given earlier."
"I'm trying to work past that admittedly," Hiiro answered. "I'd like to think I'm doing better but old habits are hard to break."
"Right…" Geiz trailed, unsure of what to really do in regards to making conversation.
"You sort of remind me of my previous self, stern, all about the business in front of you, a bit rowdier but similar enough," Hiiro replied. "If I may give some advice… try to loosen up."
Geiz nearly fell from his seat, "That's rich, coming from you."
"It is, isn't it?" Hiiro asked, seemingly agreeing with Geiz. "But from the sounds of things you're still new at your job. You've got a lot more left before you reach a stopping point like I have. So there's plenty of room to grow."
"Is this going somewhere?" Geiz asked.
"Like I said, try to loosen up," Hiiro repeated, his tone becoming more personal as his gaze softened. "If you focus so much on the task before you… you lose sight of what's important, and in the worst case scenario you may lose something dear."
"My mission is of the upmost importance, I can't just relax on the job," Geiz replied, but decided to keep the details vague.
"And if focusing solely on it costs you your friend's life?" Hiiro asked in a more serious tone, not specifying the friend just to see Geiz's reaction. It was an appropriate one as the time traveler was caught off guard. Hiiro softened up his posture, "I'm not telling you to ignore your mission, but you need to learn to widen your focus. Otherwise you could make a mistake and not realize it till it's too late…"
"Doctor Kagami…" Geiz trailed, realizing that the doctor was trying to give him a new perspective by opening up about something that happened in the past. His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly felt a faint power; he quickly reached in his pocket and found a blank Ridewatch of his transform into a blue base grey dialed and buttoned watch with a knight's face on it. "This is…"
"We've got big trouble Hiiro!" A nurse with brown hair suddenly ran into the break room. She gave a sigh of relief. "Good, Geiz is here too."
"Huh, who are you? How do you know my name?" Geiz asked as he tensed up.
"What is it, Poppy?" Hiiro asked, realizing it was likely important if he was being summoned.
"That's Poppy?" Geiz asked as he stared in surprise, the facial features were similar but everything else was completely different. "…How?"
"I'm a Bugster remember? I can't be walking around as Poppy Pipopapo in a medical facility," 'Poppy' answered as she gave a smile. "I'm Asuna Karino while working here."
"The semantics can be put on hold for now, what's wrong?" Hiiro asked, wanting to get to the point.
"Big trouble, Kiriya and Taiga are dealing with a Bugster outbreak further into the city!" Asuna exclaimed. "There's no word on Bugsters making their way towards here but…"
"It's likely that they'll arrive soon now that our attention is being spread," Geiz noted.
"Then we need to get going, we'll provide the first line of defense," Hiiro said as he fully stood, Geiz standing as well.
Another Emu was currently in an arcade, having sent the Bugster Virus out to draw people away from the area and using his Another Rider form to take care of any stray gamers. Right now he was venting his frustrations at constantly losing by fighting against the hardest level of AI he could. He suddenly slammed his hands in frustration when he lost.
His mind drifted back to when he had first awoken, being forced back into a dormant state by Kuroto before being tested on while he couldn't fight back. Years had passed and it was the middle of 2018 when he had suddenly awoken. He remembered his confusion, and his anger as he was forgotten while also feeling anger at being a mere copy of the famed Genius Gamer M/Kamen Rider Ex-Aid. That was until he met her again…
"If you really want to prove your existence, then become the only Genius Gamer."
"It's not that simple, if they use that Genm Watch again…"
"It won't fully kill you; only weaken you if used against you. That's why you need to make its power your own so that no one can hold you down."
"I'm surprised to see that you're sulking…" A voice suddenly broke Another Emu out of his reminiscent state. He turned to see Ora standing there casually.
"You don't look so hot either," Another Emu snidely remarked, noticing Ora seemed a bit upset about something despite her casual demeanor.
"Shut it," Ora narrowed her eyes before changing the subject. "What's the matter? Things not go as planned?"
"I thought I could gather up the power of all gamers and then take Genm's Power to become the strongest, to become my own person," Another Emu replied. "But it's not enough. I have the power of a Genius Game Creator but I'm still not a Genius Gamer."
"Then you need to just shoot straight for your counterpart then," Ora answered, glad to see this kind of reaction. "No more of the small targets or second best, aim for the top. Eliminate Ex-Aid."
Sougo himself was currently on the helipad of Seito University, having figured he needed some fresh air to think on the current situation. But he also didn't want to be around a lot of people out front either so this was the best place. He wanted to help but it felt like he was being pushed away from doing so, especially now that Ruby's life was in danger. It was true he wanted to be King, but his full reasoning for taking the power up in the first place was to help people. So being pushed and barred from trying to help was a bit discouraging.
"So you did end up coming up here," Tsukuyomi's voice broke his concentration as he turned to see her approach. "Sorry about earlier," she apologized.
"Eh? What do you mean?" Sougo asked.
"About Geiz, he doesn't hate you, not as you are now, anyway." Tsukuyomi explained. "It's just, what you told him earlier…"
"I can't just watch someone suffer like that! Do you have any idea of what that's like, Geiz?"
"I figured…" Sougo muttered, having realized it himself.
"He and I both lost friends, people that we wish we could have saved… But… we couldn't." Tsukuyomi said as she went to join Sougo at staring out into the city. "They all tried to change the future by defeating Oma Zi-O… But none of them lived to see that happen."
"And I caused all that…?" Sougo asked.
"Correct," Tsukuyomi answered. "Considering the fate of our friends and allies, can't you see why Geiz thinks you're a villain who must be defeated, even at this stage in time?"
"I do…" Sougo trailed as he looked back towards the city. "Then… Do you also think I'm a villain who must be defeated, Tsukuyomi?"
"I don't know," Tsukuyomi admitted. "But I think I can at least try to guide you, so you don't turn into that evil overlord. Seeing you and Ruby, I feel like she's helped set you on a good start. So maybe helping her will ensure your fate will turn out differently. At least I hope it can…"
"Okay," Sougo gave a nod.
"Huh, guess this place is popular." Emu walked out from the entrance to the helipad and towards the two who turned towards him. "Well, not that I blame you two, it's a good place to think and let your feelings out."
"How's Ruby?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"I've got Parad taking care of her, I figured she could use something to help relieve the stress since that's what causes the Bugster Virus to spread faster," Emu explained.
"That's good," Sougo admitted with a sigh of relief before turning a bit more serious. "But we still need to defeat Another Ex-Aid, otherwise…"
"Otherwise her condition will worsen, and there's no guarantee we can save her if the virus fully overtakes her," Emu answered. "This isn't just a normal fight like with some other Riders, for us Game Riders lives are always on the line if we lose."
"Right," Sougo gave a nod.
"So, why did you become a Rider?" Emu asked.
"I want to become a King," Sougo gave his trademark smile; needless to say Emu was caught off guard by the declaration. "So helping people and making sure they're safe is part of the job. But…"
"But…?" Emu asked, noticing the younger rider's tone changing.
"Ruby's… not from around here, so she's just living with my uncle and I for a while," Sougo explained. "The idea that she might not make it, it scares me. She has friends, family, and plenty of others who would miss her dearly… so in a way this is more personal. I don't want her to lose her life, not like this. So I'll do whatever I can to save it."
Emu gave a smile, while the dream was definitely a bit far out, he could sense Sougo's resolve when it came to Ruby. Suddenly a surge was felt as he quickly drew out the blank watch, the base turning a lime green while the dial and button turned pink.
"The Ridewatch," Tsukuyomi's eyes widened.
"It looks like your resolve to save your friend is what activated it," Emu noted, realizing that the conversation specifically was the trigger. He then walked over and handed off the Ridewatch to Sougo.
"It appears as though connecting to the Rider themselves is how you will earn their power this time," Woz suddenly appeared near them all with little to no warning. Emu and Sougo both jumped back in surprise, Sougo holding his chest as he felt like he was about to hyperventilate. Tsukuyomi was surprised but it soon turned into annoyance when she saw who it was.
"Woz…" Tsukuyomi groaned out.
"Is he a friend of yours?" Emu asked.
"Um, yeah, let's go with that," Sougo said, admittedly a bit confused by Woz's very presence. Though given Woz served him that meant they were technically friends, right?
Tsukuyomi's attention though was drawn towards a beeping that belonged towards Emu's strange stethoscope. "What's that?"
"It's one of my tools for helping others, The Game Scope." Emu checked it as his eyes widened. "It's a Bugster report; Another Ex-Aid is making his move towards here again."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Sougo asked as he held up the Ex-Aid Ridewatch. "I think we can do this."
"Yes, go forth into battle my Overlord," Woz smiled as he gestured towards the exit of the helipad. "And claim a new Rider's power once more!"
"Is he always like this?" Emu asked.
"Kind of, but I think it's a bit cool," Sougo admitted as he and his senior Rider took off, Tsukuyomi rushing off after them.
"Wow, you're really good at this!" Parad smiled as he was currently watching Ruby play through a level of Mighty Action X.
"I may not be from around here but I can game," Ruby gave a confident grin as she was playing so well that she was nearing the high score that Parad had set up for her when he played during the last round. "And…" She trailed as she managed to press the right combo of button inputs, clearing the stage and getting the new high score in the process. "It's cleared!"
"Ah! You beat my high score!" Parad called out in defeat before slumping slightly. He then gave a grin. "That was exciting, I haven't had this much fun since playing with Emu."
Ruby smiled and gave a nod, "I have to agree on the fun part, it's been so long since I've just relaxed like this."
"Do you not relax often?" Parad asked.
"Not really…" Ruby admitted. "I was kind of dropped here in Tokyo about a year ago because of some mission. So I've kind of just been thinking of surviving and figuring out what my mission is. It didn't really click until last week on what I think I'm supposed to do. I bought the handheld to relax a bit but I haven't really played it as much since I first got it."
"Ah… I'm not sure I understand," Parad admitted on Ruby's mention of a mission. "But what I do know is that you can't let yourself get all pent up. Building up stress and anxiety and bottling it all up isn't healthy. You can still worry about stuff, but you should have something fun to decompress with so you don't mull on it for too long."
Ruby stared at the handheld in front of her, realizing that Parad was right. She had been so concerned with researching Riders, and worrying about the others back home, that she had forgotten to take care of herself. She had nearly been to that point after running herself ragged right before Sougo and Junichiro intervened and gave her a place to stay.
"Huh, I guess you're right…" Ruby realized that even as a Huntress and dealing with her team's mission to Mistral and Haven Academy, that there was still plenty of time to relax. "Maybe I should just relax, play some more games."
"That's the spirit," Parad smiled, he was completely winging this pep talk but was glad to see it had worked out.
"Alright, now let's see if you can beat my high score," Ruby gave a teasing smile as she shook her handheld in front of Parad.
"Now I'm excited," Parad grinned as he took the handheld and booted up the level, determined to get the high score this time.
Asuna, Hiiro and Geiz had managed to make it outside of the hospital, the trio staring in surprise at the massive amount of Bugster Virus grunts before them.
"I don't see Another Ex-Aid," Geiz noted.
"We can't just leave them be," Asuna added.
"Let us commence the Bugster Removal operation," Hiiro held up his hands like any surgeon would.
Hiiro took out a Gamer Driver and attached it to his waist, Asuna bringing out a grey and green accented Bugvisor that she put on her waist. The two then brought out their Gashat's, a blue one for Hiiro and pink for Asuna. Geiz meanwhile got his Ziku Driver and Ridewatch ready.
"Proceeding with Level 2," Hiiro declared.
[TADDLE QUEST!]
[TOKI MEKI CRISIS!]
[GEIZ!]
"Henshin!"
The nurse and surgeon both slotted their Gashats into their drivers, Asuna pressing a button on the side while Hiiro opened up the lever on his Driver.
[LEVEL UP!]
[BUGGLE UP!]
[RIDER TIME!]
Two digital screens shot out from Hiiro and Asuna's driver's while the clock behind Geiz spun around like usual, the digital rings overlapping around him. Geiz found himself in his base form as Hiiro gained a black a blue accented knight form just like the watch Geiz had acquired. Asuna's meanwhile was a black bodysuit with pink and yellow armoring that resembled her Bugster Form as Poppy.
[TADDLE MEGURU! TADDLE MEGEURU! TADDLE QUEST!]
[OTEME WA ITSUMO TOKI MEKI CRISIS!]
[KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
The trio of Riders took their stances, Poppy and Geiz simply holding up their arms while Hiiro brought out an orange fire rimmed sword that held two controller buttons on the guard.
"Let's go!" Geiz called out as he rushed in, punching at one Bugster before kicking another away.
"Don't get carried away newcomer!" Hiiro warned as he tapped the secondary button on his sword, enveloping it in flames as he began to slice through the Bugsters once he neared them.
Poppy meanwhile leaped over one, Bugster, spreading her legs out and kicking two near it as she did so. She grabbed one of the tridents they wielded before yanking it away, slapping the Bugster and then kicking it away. She quickly ducked under a few more that tried to swipe at her, soon detaching her Driver and revealing it was also a weapon. She aimed and began using her Bugvisor's shooting function to force the Bugsters backwards.
Hiiro meanwhile tapped the primary button on his sword, the blade flipping as it was now rimmed with an icy blue almost ice chunk-like blade. He tapped the second button a few more times before slamming his sword into the ground. Webs of ice began to spread across the battlefield as Bugsters all around him began to freeze over.
"We need to be faster about this," Geiz said as he realized their numbers weren't letting up. So he drew out the other Ridewatch he had on him and activated it.
[DRIVE!]
He then slotted it in before spinning his Driver to activate the armor time. Geiz's armor formed before latching onto him, the thighs having white with red stripes while the shoulders held large tires with a red chest that held white stripes down the center. Instead of his usual holders on his forearms he now had two red sports cars with the backs flipped around as makeshift levers. His helmet had a car spoiler on the back with a silver mouthpiece, red and white striped forehead and Hiragana labeling the armor as Drive.
[ARMOR TIME! DRIVE! DRIVE!]
Despite being bulky and looking heavy around the shoulders, the armor allowed Geiz to move with great speed. He began sliding across the Bugster filled arena and was consistently ramming into a few at a time, it wasn't long before he began to spin, taking out more in the process.
"It's over," Geiz held out his arms, launching out the cars on his wrists as projectiles that snaked through the crowd of Bugsters and began to thin them out. Using this chance he initiated his finisher.
[FINISH TIME! DRIVE!]
"Poppy, let's finish this." Hiiro said as he switched his weapon back to its fire form before slotting his Gashat in.
"Right!" Poppy agreed as she put her weapon back on her buckle as her Driver, initiating her finisher.
[TADDLE CRITICAL FINISH!]
[CRITICAL CREWS-AID!]
Geiz gave a yell as his tire shoulders began to spin rapidly, suddenly multiple themed tires shot out, flame, spikes, shuriken, casino, concrete, and more. The tires began bouncing and flying around to take out the wide group of Bugsters that were formed.
[HISSATSU TIME BURST!]
Poppy began swinging her arms around, forming various strings of musical notes as she began tapping each one individual, "Pi-Pu-Pe-Po-Power!" Suddenly the music notes began shooting out, striking and instantly killing any Bugster that they hit.
Hiiro watched as the remaining Bugsters began to huddle up due to the loss of most of their bulk. Once the remaining ones were close enough he gave a yell, swinging his sword out and sending a wide long swing of fire against them.
[PERFECT!]
The Bugsters were caught in the torrent of flames and yelled out before exploding.
Geiz however wasn't pleased, he began to look around, "Where's Another Ex-Aid?"
"You mean me?"
Suddenly barrels dropped all around Geiz, combusting as they suddenly exploded. The future rider yelled out as he was thrown backwards. He gasped out as he was forced back into his base form from the hefty damage.
"Ah, Geiz!" Poppy called out before yelping, an open treasure chest had spawned behind and bumped into her, she fell into it and it closed. "Let me out!" She called out as she banged against the closed chest to no avail.
"Poppy!" Hiiro called out before blocks began falling down around him. He slashed against them to bat them away but to his shock the blocks were meant to confine him in a makeshift prison.
Another Ex-Aid soon formed into existence, giving a chuckle. "I may not have the power of a Genius Gamer yet, but being able to control Item Containers and their properties is quite fun."
"You…" Geiz growled out as he began to get up.
"Just sit there, I need to deal with these two first," Another Ex-Aid held up his arms, pink robotic fists of energy forming over his arms. He then launched them out like rockets towards the two makeshift prisons, creating explosions around the two Game Riders.
Hiiro and Poppy yelled out, the two being blasted back but managing to just barely hold their transformation.
"Not even you Doctors can stand up against me, and once I get Genius Gamer M's power… then no one will stand up to me. I'll finally be able to prove to everyone that I am worth something!" Another Ex-Aid called out. He then summoned a few Bugster Virus grunts, planning on finishing things off. The grunts charged forward with their tridents, aiming to pick off the three weakened riders.
[BURST MODE!]
Red lasers were suddenly shot in rapid succession against the Bugster Virus', striking them and forcing the back, causing them to explode. The culprit was Tsukuyomi who had her Faizphone X out and ran over to Geiz. Of course she wasn't alone as Emu and Sougo were with her.
"What are you doing here?!" Geiz questioned as soon as he saw the future king. "I told you to quit! If you have the watch just leave it to me! Are you trying to become Oma Zi-O?!"
"No, I won't let that happen," Sougo answered.
"Are you saying you don't believe me?" Geiz hissed out, ready to move when Tsukuyomi pushed against him to keep him from making any sudden movements.
"I do believe, Geiz. In you, Ruby, and Tsukuyomi," Sougo answered as he began to move towards the Another Rider. "Which is why… I'm going to fight!"
"A pathetic kid like you, beat me?" Another Ex-Aid questioned before laughing. "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard!"
"It's sad…" Emu called out as he walked with Sougo. "You were brought into this world in my form, and then discarded. When you finally woke up you felt that destruction and hurting others was what was needed to help you."
"Shut up," Another Ex-Aid growled out as he reverted into his Another Emu state. "I can't be my own being with you still around. So I'll take the power I deserve and become my own being with both it and Genm's power. The world doesn't need two Ex-Aid's, hell it doesn't need other Gamers… just me!"
"To think you're this far gone…" Emu sighed; he hated seeing someone modeled in his image act like this. Though he realized his doppelganger was sourced from a corrupted version of his powers, meaning there was no reasoning with him, no matter how much he pitied him. "We'll make this quick… Sougo."
"I'm with you all the way," Sougo gave a nod as the two readied their Drivers.
[MIGHTY ACTION X!]
[ZI-O!]
Emu started as he readied his Gashat. "Dai…"
"Henshin!" Sougo and Emu both called in unison.
[LEVEL UP!]
[RIDER TIME!]
A screen shot out from Emu's driver, sliding backwards as he soon became the true Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, the pink game themed warrior who fought against the Bugsters. Sougo meanwhile completed his transformation into Zi-O.
[MIGHTY JUMP! MIGHTY KICK! MIGHTY MIGHTY ACTION X!]
[KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
"We'll clear this with no Continues!" Emu declared.
Sougo couldn't help but be in awe at the catchphrase, "I really need my own."
"Like hell you will!" Another Emu sneered as energy wrapped around him once more, transforming him into Another Ex-Aid.
[EX-AID!]
[StAgE sElEcT!]
Suddenly the arena was shifted all around the group, but instead of a normal stage this stage was a lot different. Emu and Sougo were with Another Ex-Aid on a hexagonal arena made of brick, as if it was ripped straight out of a plaza. Geiz and Tsukuyomi were currently on a floating platform, Hiiro and Poppy being on one too. All around the main arena were various chunks of game areas all broken up, building walls, tree's, debris, and even objects such as cars all floating around in a spiral, the sky having turned a bright orange-like sunset coloration.
"Behold the world I've begun to create! You two are finished!" Another Ex-Aid yelled out.
"He's getting unstable…" Emu realized that his counterpart's mental state was deteriorating rapidly due to his anger. "We need to finish this now."
"Right, let's go!" Sougo called as he ran forward, he brought out his gun and shooting at the Another Rider.
Another Ex-Aid scoffed as he began batting away the shots. He then ran forward and jumped over Sougo, turning and performing a roundhouse kick. Sougo grunted as he was kicked away, landing on his stomach.
Emu used his counterparts focus on Sougo against him, bringing out his weapon which was a handheld hammer. Moving in he reeled his arm back and slammed it against Another Ex-Aid's back. He ducked against a counter swing before initiating its form change, the pink flare on top unfolding into a sword that he stabbed against his counterparts gut.
"Gah!" Another Ex-Aid reeled back as he was struck.
Emu gave a yell as he rushed in, slashing and dodging his way against Another Ex-Aid. His tactic was working and he had managed to land quite a few hits on him.
"Stop squirming around!" Another Ex-Aid soon formed two trophy podiums behind Emu as the Rider backed up.
Emu yelled as he ended up tripping into them, stumbling over as he tried to regain his balance. He was suddenly however struck by two pink energy fists that were launched out at him. The doctor gamer gasping as he was thrown backwards near Sougo.
"Even without your power he's still strong…" Sougo said as he began to get up.
"Then we use my power, normally I'd bring out the big guns… but since this is a game world he created I've got another idea." Emu admitted as he suddenly took out a white and blue backed Gashat, pressing down on the button to activate it.
[MIGHTY CREATOR VRX!]
"Dai Henshin!" Emu called out, swapping out his Mighty Action X Gashat for this new one, opening and closing the Driver.
[LEVEL UP!]
[TENCHI SOZO NO CHIKARA! (GET MAKE!) MIRAI NO GAMER! MIGHTY CREATOR, VRX!]
A multitude of colors surrounded him, forming a black circuit lined two tailed coat-tail that formed from his Driver's belt. He gained white and black accented armor on his forearms, white, shoulder and chest armor that replaced his existing armor, the chest having a rainbow of colors. Over the front of his helmet he gained black white VR Goggles with a black screen, two blue eyes reminiscent to Ex-Aid's lighting up and filling the space.
"Whoa, that's so cool!" Sougo called out.
"What…" Another Ex-Aid gasped as he saw this transformation. "Mighty… Creator…?"
"I'll make a game using no Continues!" Emu declared.
"Why… why you…" Another Ex-Aid hissed out as a purple aura began to grow around him.
"Now it's your turn Sougo," Emu said as he gestured towards his wrist.
"Right," Sougo said as he took the Ex-Aid Watch off his holster before turning and activating it.
[EX-AID!]
Sougo's armor formed, it being similar to Geiz's Genm Armor though the difference between the Ex-Aid parts compared to the Genm parts were that they were bright pink alongside the chest piece being a bright blue with a health bar and buttons. Of course the other additions were two gauntlets shaped like Ex-Aid's hammer weapon.
[ARMOR TIME!]
Sougo kicked the armor and jumped up, the armor latching onto him as he managed to jump so high he landed on a wall that was currently floating horizontally. The katakana latched on last, forming 'Ex-Aid' as the transformation was completed.
[LEVEL UP! EX-AID!]
"REJOICE!" Woz declared as he was suddenly standing perfectly on a fire hydrant that was floating around. "He is heir to the power of all Riders. The ruler of time, traveling beyond time and space to reign over past and future… His name is Kamen Rider Zi-O: Ex-Aid Armor! And in this moment, he has once again received the power of another Rider!"
Hiiro and Poppy just tilted their heads in confusion at Woz's speech, Tsukuyomi giving a groan while Geiz was silently seething at what had happened. He claimed Brave's power but failed to do the same for Ex-Aid.
(Insert Start: EXCITE by Daichi Miura)
Sougo kicked off the wall he was on, jumping down and standing beside Emu, "With no continues… I know we can clear this!"
Another Ex-Aid jumped forward, not wanting to give the two any room to breathe. Emu however withdrew his Gashat, suddenly drawing in the air with it. A barrier suddenly formed that the Another Rider slammed into.
"Gah!" Another Ex-Aid suddenly fell to the ground and landed. "What?"
Sougo used this chance to rush in, slamming his hammer gauntlet against the corrupt Ex-Aid's chest. When he struck the katakana for 'Hit' appeared suddenly instead of the word itself.
Emu blinked a bit at this but assumed it had to do with Zi-O's katakana theme.
Sougo kept pushing his advantage, his large hammer gauntlets being enough to easily break through Another Ex-Aid's defenses.
Another Ex-Aid tried to roll away only to hit a barrier before getting smacked away. Emu himself was setting up various multicolored barriers to keep Another Ex-Aid from trying to jump or move anywhere in a hurry.
It was working as now Sougo was using the barriers to bounce off of them, continually slamming his gauntlets into the Another Rider.
"Impossible…" Another Ex-Aid gasped out.
"Take this!" Sougo managed to perform an uppercut to launch Another Ex-Aid into the air. He then summoned his own item blocks and bounced between them, juggling the monster with the same tactic it used prior. Sougo jumped once more to get above him, a hammer fist slamming down and sending Another Ex-Aid into the arena floor.
"I won't lose!" Another Ex-Aid yelled out as he rushed forward.
Emu however began drawing more constructs. This time he created sword-shaped brushstrokes that blocked against the Another Rider before slamming and digging into him. Drawing once more he drew a gun that took shape and formed the gun Taiga would use. He gripped it before immediately firing at Another Ex-Aid. Despite not taking aim the shots held homing properties that locked on and followed after Another Ex-Aid.
Another Ex-Aid gasped out as he was struck by the blasts, trying to rush forward and grab only for Sougo to block the grab with the hammer gauntlet. He tried to strike at Sougo only to receive a punch to the face by the Rider.
Emu then drew another sword-shaped brushstroke, this one having more of a shape as it took the form of Hiiro's sword. Emu charged the sword with fire before swinging it and sending a flurry of flames towards his opponent.
Sougo quickly ducked away as Another Ex-Aid was struck by the flames, howling out as the flames remained present even after hitting. The monster rider snapped his fingers, a barrel forming above him that he tore into and ripped apart, water pouring out and dousing the flames. "Gah… ha…" He gasped as he hunched over.
"Let's finish this," Emu called out as he drew a rocket out of brush strokes before slotting the Gashat into his finisher slot. This resulted in the rocket multiplying greatly.
[KAMIWAZA!]
[MIGHTY CRITICAL STRIKE!]
The rockets were suddenly powered up before launching towards the Another Rider. The explosions and angles from the rockets slowly but surely managed to juggle Ex-Aid's counterpart further and further into the air.
[FINISH TIME! EX-AID!]
Sougo initiated his finisher, energy gathering at the tip of his gauntlets as the words 'Critical Time Break' in Katakana formed nearby him. Sougo glanced at the words nearby before realizing what needed to be done; with one uppercut he broke apart the words into their individual kanji. The kanji flew straight into the air, higher than Another Ex-Aid even.
[CRITICAL TIME BREAK!]
"Now, let's finish with this!" Sougo jumped high into the air, soon getting a good angle downwards towards Another Ex-Aid. The Katakana all lined up in a row that pointed down diagonally. Sougo then boosted himself diagonally downwards, his weapons filling with more power as he constantly slammed his weapons into Another Ex-Aid rapidly while sending him towards the ground. Once the two hit the ground a large explosion occurred, Sougo jumping out and landing in a kneeling position.
(Insert End)
Another Emu staggered out, the Another Ex-Aid Watch falling from him and shattering while the Genm Watch also clattered to the ground. "Why…?" Another Emu gasped out as his body soon broke apart into orange data, destabilizing before shattering.
In an instant the arena began breaking apart before sending everyone back to the parking lot of Seito University Hospital. Well, everyone except for Woz who had mysteriously vanished yet again. Of course now that there was no danger everyone dismissed their transformation.
Thanks to defeating Another Ex-Aid completely, Hiiro and Asuna went to confirm the status of everyone admitted to the hospital alongside those admitted to others. Emu had brought the others back to the medical room of CR to check up on Ruby who was thankfully all better now that the Bugster infecting her and everyone else was gone.
With Ruby's condition confirmed as all clear, it was looking more and more likely that everyone else was fine as well. It didn't take long for Emu to write up a discharge form for Ruby so she and the others could be on their way.
"To think I missed a super cool form debut though," Ruby huffed as she crossed her arms, at the door to the exit of CR with Sougo, Geiz and Tsukuyomi. Her expression softened though, "But playing games with Parad was a blast! Next time I won't lose!"
"You're more than welcome to try," Parad gave a smirk.
"I'm glad to see someone's making new friends," Emu admitted before looking over at Ruby. "You're free to come back anytime to play with Parad."
"Thanks Doctor Hojo!" Ruby cheered, she had a game buddy now and a new friend.
"Still, don't do anything too strenuous, it's been a long day," Emu reminded.
It was then that the realization hit Ruby as she began to pace around sporadically. "Ah that's right I should have been home hours ago! I need to go!" She quickly hurried off.
Sougo checked the time before gasping out "Wait, you?! What about us?" He rushed off after Ruby in order to keep up with her.
"Seriously…" Geiz groaned out, wondering where the two had all that leftover energy given what they had been through.
Thankfully it wasn't too late and the group had managed to make it back to 9-5-DO without much fuss. Luckily Junichiro bought their excuse that things were hectic due to hearing about the pandemic briefly on the news. He was just glad that the four teen's were alright and weren't harmed, unaware of Ruby's condition earlier in the day.
Sougo however was currently staring at the various dishes that his uncle had brought out for dinner. "You're going overboard again." Though that wasn't to say he wasn't excited, he always did love it when his uncle went all out for dinner.
"Come on, we've got more mouths to feed now! This is just enough." Junichiro answered. "Oh, we need another plate. Just a sec, gonna get a plate, okay?" He quickly took off to the kitchen as Sougo gave a nod.
Geiz noticed Sougo was alone and called over from the front of the shop/house. "Zi-O."
Sougo turned and walked to the front of the store, closing the door to the dining room as he noticed Tsukuyomi and Ruby were also present.
"Tell me something…" Geiz trailed. "What did you mean back there?" He still questioned what Sougo meant by believing in him, Tsukuyomi and Ruby.
Sougo thought on it a bit, "I have this dream of becoming a king…" He reiterated as he walked past Tsukuyomi and Geiz, standing near Ruby. "I'm sorry, you two, but I'm going to do what I think is right. I can't just give up now."
Ruby gave a nod and a smile, glad that to see that Sougo wasn't deterred.
"But…" Sougo spoke up. "If I choose the wrong path, and it seems like I'm turning into Oma Zi-O…" He turned towards Geiz and Tsukuyomi. "I want you to take me down."
"Huh?" Ruby was a bit surprised by this declaration. "Sougo…"
"I trust their judgment, both of them." Sougo answered. "I won't give up on my dream; I'll keep racing towards it. But I don't want to be responsible for what happens in their time. If they have to, then I'll allow them to take me down."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you don't become that Overlord, but you will be King," Ruby reassured as she put a hand on Sougo's shoulder, the two sharing a nod.
Geiz and Tsukuyomi were surprised by Sougo's decision as both the future king and Huntress turned Rider walked into the dining room to hopefully get a start on dinner. On a side table near a computer monitor was a three tiered silver tower, Drive, Ghost, and Build's watches attached to the bottom. The watches for Cross-Z, Brave, and Genm were off to the side nearby. Sougo took out the Ex-Aid Watch and placed it on a free spot next to Build.
"And thus, our overlord obtained the power of Ex-Aid despite the rocky circumstances," Woz narrated as he walked through an alleyway, soon stopping at the end of it and staring straight ahead. "And thanks to Ms. Rose, his encounter with yet another legend is very close around the corner…"
He stared at a small unassuming building that seemed more like a house than anything, but also had the label of a business above the door, the label reading…
'Kikuchi Dry Cleaners'
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"He was to simply fade into obscurity and never be heard from again..."
"But the flow of time still steadily moves towards Oma Zi-O's awakening."
"I took it to the dry cleaners yesterday."
"You aren't laying a finger on her!"
"I know you rarely fight unless it's important. But something's wrong..."
Chapter 06: Dead or Alive 2003
Author's Note: Man this was a packed two chapters, if only because I wanted to do quite a few things. Focusing on a large cast like Ex-Aid, and making sure everyone got at least something, was a bit challenging. I also wanted to do something different than just having Emu go with his standard forms. I figured since the VR World in True Ending was treated as a Game World, and Emu used Mighty Creator VRX there via a proxy that let him transform. That he'd be able to use it in any Game World really.
But yeah speaking of movies, don't' count the Ex-Aid cast out yet, alongside Build's and a few others, I've still got a few post series materials to work with on them to help add a bit of meat to later arc's. I will be fudging and messing around with the time frames in order to work with those V-Cinema's though, but that's about it.
Before we go, one thing to mention that I didn't last time was about a special quirk with Ruby's Weapon Time ability. Basically it gives her the necessary tools to make usage of the finisher functions of the weapons. Whether that be pulling out a Gashat, FullBottle, or even a Mission Memory, from seemingly nowhere. Basically if she has the weapon, she gets the stuff to make it use its full range of options.
Currently the only plan is for the Primary and Secondary Rider Watches, with a few exceptions, for a few reasons. But that's only really if I can work in a way to bring in the Ride Watches aside from the Primary Riders. All the Secondary Rider Watches will be collected, whether they'll all be collected via each tribute or later on past it is up in the air.
Going back to Mission Memory's and Faiz though, Faiz is going to be next, and I'm going to shock all of you now, it won't be sharing its spot with Fourze. Each Rider is getting a full two chapter arc. As a result our final two chapters of the year will be focusing on Faiz. I've got some fun things planned with Faiz so I can't wait to get both chapters out.