Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chpater 37.5 – Detour in Zawame
Woz stood in his dark void once more as he had his book open.
"Once written in this book was the journey of average Highschooler Tokiwa Sougo and his quest to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O. Now with his dreams to be king diminished I simply watch and support silently as I did when facing Another Gaim. But with the Another Rider dealt with and the day still somewhat young, that allows a small break before a return to home."
He closed his book before walking off.
Earth – Zawame City, Early January 2019
Kouta and Mai were rather quick to leave after the incident with Kugai was dealt with. Despite their quick leave they managed to linger around quite a bit. This was mostly to give a proper goodbye to their friends and allies. Of course once they had left, everyone had started to part their own ways. Oren disappeared until he was once again needed for his skills, Takatora and Mitsuzane meanwhile went to survey the damage and make sure the stolen Yggdrasil Technology was disposed of.
With not much left to do and everyone mostly exhausted from having to deal with a cult and a doomsday machine, Teams RWBY and Zi-O had chosen to take the chance to relax in their own ways.
Jonouchi had the pressing matter of returning to Charmant, though not without extending an invitation to both teams. Near immediately taking him up on his offer was Weiss with Sougo and Tsukuyomi tagging along. As such the trio were currently sitting inside and enjoying a sampler cake and tea set that Jonouchi had just recently put on the menu.
"Oh this is delicious," Sougo spoke, mouth half full after he bit into a small cake slice.
"Sougo…" Tsukuyomi sighed when she saw him acting like this. "Please have some manners."
"Mmm~!" Weiss gave a hum of delight after trying a macaroon. After finishing it up she gave a sigh of satisfaction, "There's one thing to read about it, but trying it is a whole other sensation."
"It's really good, thanks for bringing us here," Sougo smiled.
"I'm just glad you all decided to join me," Weiss admitted, taking a sip of her tea before continuing. "Blake and Yang wanted to do their own thing and Ruby just wanted to explore. It's nice to enjoy these kinds of things in others company, you know?"
"Honestly it's a good learning experience," Tsukuyomi admitted, giving a hum after trying a Mont Blanc. "So delicious~"
"I still can't believe it's fairly inexpensive," Sougo replied.
"While my sweets are rather high quality, it would be a shame if not everyone could try them," Jonouchi smiled as he walked over and poured the group some more tea. "So I started this new tasting set to help with that."
"It's really good," Tsukuyomi said.
"That's a master pattisier for you," Weiss praised before giving a nod of thanks to Jonouchi for the refill.
"I'll leave you to enjoy the rest of it," Jonouchi grinned before sliding back off towards the back of the bakery.
"Hey, we should like take some of this home I think," Sougo suggested.
"I was thinking of ordering something to go," Weiss admitted.
Tsukuyomi put a hand to her chin, "But what about Mr. Junichiro?"
"Oh I can just tell uncle that it was a little gift from Weiss," Sougo smiled.
Weiss had to keep from choking on her tea after the idea that Sougo had mentioned, just barely managing to compose herself and looking to the side.
"You really think that idea will work?" She finally asked.
"Well I mean he doesn't know much about the rest of Team RWBY despite you all staying a couple of days," Sougo admitted. "So I think he'd believe it."
"That is true," Tsukuyomi nodded. "While Ruby has a sweet tooth she isn't one for getting such high quality pastries like this."
"So I was thinking…" Weiss wanted quickly veer off the discussion with another topic.
"Thinking about what?" Sougo asked.
"Have I told you all specifically about my Semblance?" Weiss asked back.
Sougo thought about it for a bit before snapping his fingers, "Uh… it's the circle things you bring out."
"Glyphs," Tsukuyomi corrected. "The way Weiss uses them it's like the closest thing we've seen to magic on Remnant."
"Oh right," Sougo gave a nod before repeating the term, "Glyphs."
"Yes, well do you remember what else I can use them for aside from enhancing attacks?" Weiss asked.
Sougo remembered this time and raised his hand, "Oh you could bring out your own versions of Grimm."
"In a sense," Weiss replied. "My Semblance is actually a hereditary one, which is from my knowledge, the only Semblance like it. But yes, that aspect is one that the Schnee Family is able to do, Summoning."
"That's interesting," Tsukuyomi admitted.
"Because the enemies I've defeated are the ones I can summon," Weiss explained. "Each summon you've seen me perform is a Grimm I've managed to deal with."
"So why bring it up?" Sougo asked.
"Because I'm admittedly mulling it over," Weiss replied. "One of the ones my arsenal, the Arma Gigas, was a bit special despite it not immediately looking like a Grimm. I didn't think much of it when I teamed up with ZO given that our opponents had some degree of sentience. But the Evolved Shika Inves that Takatora and I fought was more like a wild animal, similar to the Grimm."
"Are you thinking that maybe you might be able to summon it?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"A bit yeah," Weiss replied as she took another sip of tea. "It will take some practicing though, and that's only if my Semblance allows me to bring out something other than Grimm."
"Well if you work hard I'm sure you can do it!" Sougo smiled, wanting to give some encouragement.
"T-Thank you," Weiss couldn't help but look down a bit, blushing slightly at the compliment. She wasn't sure why she was acting like this though and quickly grabbed another pastry to distract her.
Tsukuyomi seemed to notice something off about Weiss but decided to shrug it off.
"Honestly Zack, this is a pretty sweet spot," Yang admitted before sipping from an orange juice she had ordered.
"I can see why this is a famous locale," Blake admitted, having a banana and strawberry parfait.
Zack had decided to offer his own alternative to going with Jonouchi to Charmant, and that was taking anyone interested over to Drupers. It was a fruit parlor that had some of the freshest menu items in all of Zawame. Zack and the two Huntresses were currently in one of the booths of the parlor.
"I figured some of you all might not be too big into fancy desserts," Zack mentioned, simply having a glass of water and a plate of sliced fruit in the meantime.
"Kind of ironic though," Yang replied. "You guys have fruit as a theme, this is a fruit parlor… isn't that weird?"
"Huh… you know when you mention that," Zack realized as he leaned back.
"It's probably just a big coincidence," Blake waved it off. "Still, it's rather nice to see despite all the modernization and development that the fruit is so fresh. It's like it was grown behind the parlor itself."
"That's Bando for you," Zack smiled. "He's really passionate about that kind of stuff."
"You're darn right I am," The owner, Kiyojiro Bando, walked over with a smile. "I only outsource the finest ingredients for my menu."
"You definitely know how to make some good juice," Yang admitted. "I can't really stand the stuff in the carton."
"Which is why you're also a coffee person," Blake added.
"Guilty as charged," Yang gave a chuckle.
"Well I do hope you enjoy your stay," Bando smiled before heading off to go greet another customer.
"I've got to say though I was a bit surprised," Zack admitted. "When Mitchy told me his brother had gotten a team, I didn't expect a team of mostly Kamen Riders."
"Yeah that was a more recent addition," Yang admitted. "My little sister was actually the first to become a Rider. We didn't become ones till way later."
"And even then it was kind of rather sudden for us," Blake added. "But I think I'm getting the hang of it now."
"I'd hope so given what we have to be dealing with on a constant basis," Yang replied. "My armor's pretty simple and straightforward so it's easy to get used to."
"You guys will get used to it in no time," Zack reassured. "There's a bit of a learning curve but after the first few fights you manage to figure things out."
"Speaking of learning you're not half bad for a fighter," Yang complimented. "What's your secret?"
"Would you believe me when I said it was basically just dancing?" Zack remarked as he slapped his leg. "That's the most I've got in terms of actual moves, I'm still just a brawler over everything else."
"Hey, nothing wrong with some good old fashioned punching," Yang patted her prosthetic.
"From what I recall reading of what Ruby had I know earlier Kamen Riders relied on their fists a lot over fancy forms and tricks," Blake noted.
"Still good to see that the good old brawler isn't lost and forgotten though," Yang admitted, remembering how Cross-Z's main method of attacking was through punches and kicks.
"Yeah," Zack said before hearing his phone ring, "Excuse me."
Zack excused himself before heading over to a corner to talk. Yang meanwhile gave a sigh as she blew into her straw, her drink bubbling a bit.
"You probably shouldn't do that," Blake mentioned.
"Sorry," Yang leaned back, "Just thinking…"
"You mean what we heard Tsukuyomi and Weiss briefly mention?" Blake asked.
"Kind of," Yang replied.
"I know it must be a bit worrisome, the fact that Gaim is pretty powerful and now Sougo earned his Ridewatch," Blake said. "Especially given what we saw."
"Yeah there is that but…" Yang trailed as she looked down, "There's also Ruby."
"O-Oh," Blake soon realized what she was referring to, "It's odd to think that she wouldn't pass the trial. She's pretty strong so I wonder what went wrong."
"Not sure," Yang replied. "Still though, I wonder if it has anything to do with her just wanting to take a walk."
"I'm sure she'll bounce back in no time," Blake reassured. "We are talking about Ruby after all."
"Yeah, you're right," Yang gave a nod, deciding to push her worry down for now.
Ruby was currently leaning on a railing that overlooked the river that flowed within the city. While she had said she wanted to explore she mostly just wanted some time to herself. She gave a sigh, really wondering what exactly she was lacking. When he meant her other half did he mean she was ignoring her Remnant side?
"That can't be the reason," She muttered and drew out the Silver Roze Ridewatch, staring at it. "If I didn't embrace it then I wouldn't have made this."
The question plaguing her mind was now what Kaito meant then, since she was sure she wasn't ignoring anything regarding Remnant. At least, she thought she was sure, with Kaito calling her strength into question she couldn't help but doubt herself a bit. She squatted down before grabbing a pebble, looking at a reflection of herself in the water before tossing the pebble.
The pebble hit and caused enough rippling to make her reflection vanish while it skipped along the water a bit before sinking.
"You know, that used to be a good view of Yggdrasil Tower, or at least that's what one would say five years ago."
Ruby turned when she heard the voice, surprised to see Takatora approaching in a casual manner, "Mr. Kureshima, I thought you and your brother were doing cleanup?"
"Please, call me Takatora," Takatora insisted. "And you'd be correct, well… if Mitsuzane wasn't so insistent. He told me he'd take care of it so I could take a break. I was on my way to get some coffee."
"Coffee sounds good," Ruby mused.
"You can join me if you'd like," Takatora offered before turning to leave. "I know a place I used to hit up when I was a part of the Restoration Bureau."
Ruby jogged over before walking at the melon Riders pace, "Restoration Bureau? You mean after the whole incident?"
"Yes," Takatora gave a nod. "Part of it was getting rid of Yggdrasil Tower which you could see anywhere in the city. Like where we just were."
"I was wondering why you mentioned that," Ruby realized. "But when you say restoration bureau you don't mean what you're doing now right?"
"Perceptive," Takatora chuckled. "The company was shifted to other focuses once all the Yggdrasil influence was gone and I stepped down as the head of it. With Zawame cleaned up I needed to turn my attention to other matters."
"And one of those matters was what you asked for our help with," Ruby added.
"Yes," Takatora gave a nod before stopping at the coffee shop. "Here we are."
The two had put their conversation on hold and had gone in to order. Once they received their orders they added their personal finishing touches before heading out and finding a bench to lounge on.
"Thank you for trusting us with the job," Ruby admitted with a bit of a chuckle. "This is our first time doing this sort of thing, so you know."
"Well given you've helped how many Riders prior to fully setting it up?" Takatora asked before taking a sip of his coffee. "I felt like I could trust you. Plus it worked out in the end for your group right?"
"Yeah," Ruby gave a nod. "Sougo was able to get Gaim's Ridewatch which we needed to beat Another Gaim."
"It was a pleasant surprise that he showed up," Takatora admitted.
"Yeah, being a space god and all," Ruby gave a nod before laughing a bit. "It's weird how he's so casual about it too."
"That's just who he is," Takatora chuckled. "Very optimistic but not in a naïve way, honestly it was thanks to him that I'm still here today."
"Sounds like you owe him a lot," Ruby mentioned.
"I do," Takatora agreed. "It's why I'm trying to make sure no one else abuses the power that Yggdrasil created."
"Well if you ever need any more help you know who to call," Ruby offered before finally taking a sip of her coffee.
"I'll be sure to consider it," Takatora replied. "After all you all did put up an impressive display."
"We try our best," Ruby gave a bit of a self satisfied chuckle as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Of course I do want to try and do things on my own whenever I can," Takatora added as he stood up. "After all you do have your own battles to still fight."
"Yeah, we aren't out of the woods yet," Ruby realized before taking another swig of her coffee. "There are still plenty of Riders left to help."
"And I'm sure you all will be able to help them like you did with us," Takatora encouraged. "Just know that you have an ally in me as thanks for your help."
"Thank you," Ruby gave a smile.
"I'll make sure that you all are paid the proper amount from Kougami," Takatora said as he looked at his watch. "Hmm, has it been that long already?"
"Sounds like you've had quite the break," Ruby noted.
"I have," Takatora turned and tossed his empty coffee cup into the trash, he then gave a wave before taking off, "I might as well check up, I'm sure he'll be glad I've taken at least this long."
"See you around," Ruby waved before giving a bit of a hum, now in a better mood. While Kaito's words still ate at her she was just glad to see that despite not claiming Baron's Ridewatch she was able to help protect Zawame and the rest of the world against Kugai.
"There you are," Geiz's voice called as he soon made his way over. "I was wondering where you-coffee, this late?"
"I just felt like it," Ruby huffed. "Mr. Kureshi-I mean Takatora offered and we had some coffee together."
"How nice of him," Geiz replied.
"He also mentioned how good of a job we did," Ruby added as she held up a finger, "I'd say Team RWBY and Zi-O's first mission as a Rider Help Group was a success."
"Still calling us Team Zi-O huh?" Geiz crossed his arms.
"It's easy to shorthand," Ruby replied. "Plus it's not like Woz is a part of your group and even if he was I couldn't figure out a good Team name."
"It can't be that hard," Geiz sighed.
"Sometimes I wonder how Ozpin managed to do it," Ruby admitted before looking up. "We'd sort of all just be jumbled together during initiation and he'd somehow manage to get names to fit us."
"Speaking of Ozpin, still no sign of Diend huh?" Geiz asked.
"Sadly no," Ruby shook her head. "I was secretly hoping he might be in a neighboring city like Futo or Zawame, but Shotaro and Philip have had no luck, and there were no signs of him here while we were going about our business."
"We'll find them, and the Relic," Geiz reassured. "We just need to hope that this Another Gaim isn't the start of an Another Rider resurgence."
"I sure hope not," Ruby stood up before tossing her cup towards the trashcan only to nearly fall over when it rebounded off the edge of the trashcan and bounced back, "Dang it!"
"Just be glad your aim with a rifle is better than your throwing arm," Geiz said with a chuckle, walking over to the dropped cup before tossing it in the trash.
"So what have you been doing Geiz?" Ruby asked.
"I've just been wandering around," Geiz admitted as he gave a quick stretch, "Wasn't a fan of the idea of fancy pastries or a fruit parlor to be honest."
"Knowing Weiss she'll probably take some Charmant home," Ruby replied before laughing a bit, "I am so glad that I have a lot of money now, otherwise I'd be worried she'd be spending too much."
"Speaking of, do you have any idea who even gave you all that?" Geiz asked.
"No idea," Ruby shrugged. "Everyone thinks it might be a secret admirer, either that or a Rider we haven't met yet."
"Given they approached you recently with a letter that might happen soon," Geiz mentioned before realizing something. "Wait had you just been taking in the sights? I'm surprised you didn't want to go anywhere with the others."
"Oh," Ruby realized what Geiz was getting at and she shook her head. "I just felt like exploring, it's not every day you get to go to a new city, right?"
"True," Geiz replied. "I'm impressed you can say that though given we're able to hop between worlds."
"What can I say, I like things a bit simple sometimes," Ruby shrugged before feeling her pocket vibrate. She took out her phone and saw a few texts, "Ah looks like everyone's wrapping up."
"We should probably meet with them then," Geiz suggested.
"I'm thinking we skip the train and use the Time Mazine's though, don't want to get back too late," Ruby suggested before taking off.
"Sounds good to me," Geiz agreed before following.
To Be Continued…
Next Time: Chapter 38 – Shinobi Festival 2019
Author's Note: And we're back to semi-regular Interlude's, and these in particular are the reason I made the first two to begin with. These are little breaks where I get to explore different things that are still important enough to put in the main story, but would either clutter chapters or wouldn't fit anywhere in particular. Of course we get some fun little things hinted at here, mostly with Weiss in particular given her brief conversation.
As for other questions involving Sougo and his motivation and such alongside my plans for the Mirai Riders, I can't really say other than just keep on reading. Can't really give away everything, now can I?