Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 40 – The Shocking Truth 2019
"As it is written in this book, average high schooler Tokiwa Sougo embarks on a path which leads him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O."
The setting was a white void this time, but not the one that Jinn used as her blank canvas. It was a brighter white alongside various grey digital numbers floating around, all arranged in various hours and times of the day. Sitting casually on a stool was Shiro-Woz who was watching the various events that had unfolded during the Another Shinobi incident.
"However, with the sudden appearance of an alternate Woz-" Shiro-Woz soon smiled, "That's me, by the way… the power that Blake Belladonna once wielded as Kamen Rider Shinobi, was stolen. With said powers in hand I easily dealt with the situation to show Zi-O and his allies their current standing."
The images on his tablet soon shifted to Shiro-Woz taking Blake's Rider Powers before switching to Woz in Futerering Shinobi finishing off Another Shinobi.
"And soon enough I will guide Geiz to become the savior of all by defeating Zi-O on the Day of Oma, undoing the history of Oma Zi-O," Shiro-Woz called out with high confidence. He gave a more inquisitive look as he closed his book, "But for now, a question… do you believe that a person when confronted with a lie, will tell the truth, or continue the lie and let it blow up in their face?"
Earth – Late January 2019
Ruby gave a hum as she sat down on the couch to watch some television, eating a chocolate chip cookie as she had a glass of milk in hand. Things had been going well with her managing to work out a small schedule with Takeru. Ever since the Another Shinobi incident she had wanted to train herself to utilize Silver Roze in a better fashion.
Surprisingly not only were her training sessions a way to get her into a more steady mindset to power up the form, but also in the form of weapon combat. Takeru had noted that he was able to bring the heroic spirits out into physical forms to help her when it came to her weapons. While she figured she was a master of rifles she had managed to gain some new tips alongside several for her spear usage.
"I see you are in high spirits Miss Rose," Woz's voice spoke as he was suddenly sitting on one of the chairs near the couch.
Roze gave a light gulp of surprise when she heard Woz's voice before turning and giving a smile, "Kuro-Woz, I'm honestly surprised you're visiting me of all people."
"While I do wish to assist my Overlord in these new Another Rider manners, my best chance is through you," Woz admitted.
"Through me…?" Ruby tilted her head as she set her milk down on the coffee table before popping the remainder of the cookie in her mouth.
"Indeed," Woz smiled as he stood up and walked over. "I was curious if you could show me the Silver Roze Ridewatch."
Ruby stared at Woz before muffling something out and nodding, rummaging in her pockets and holding out the Silver Roze Ridewatch.
Woz cringed a bit when he saw cookie crumbs littering the Ridewatch. He shook it slightly to get them off before inspecting it. He had to keep from celebrating on the spot in a loud manner as he noticed the part of it was similar to a design he had seen. He gave a nod as he controlled himself and handed it back, "Yes I think this will work."
Ruby finally swallowed before wiping her hands and taking her Ridewatch back, "What will work?"
"What if I told you that you have the power to defeat any Another Rider regardless of origin?" Woz asked with a smirk.
"Is that really a thing?" Ruby asked with wide eyes, standing up and staring intently at Woz.
"Of course," Woz turned away with a smile, "I have seen this power before… power beyond this world… I was admittedly still sulking at the time so I paid it no mind."
"Then… I'd be able to stop Weiss and Yang from losing their powers, right?" Ruby asked in an excited manner, "Because if I could beat Another Quiz and Another Kikai, then all that's left…"
"Is to disable my other self, yes," Woz finished for her. "Even so I would suggest trying to battle and intercept him whenever possible. The sooner he and the other two Another Riders are taken out, the faster we can get things back on track."
"Right, I'll try my best," Ruby pumped her fists with a grin.
"That's the spirit," Woz said in delight as he went towards the entrance, "Remember Miss Rose, you are the one who must defeat the remaining two Another Riders."
Ruby gave a nod as she turned towards where Woz was leaving only to not see him as he had vanished, "I can't let everyone down…" She muttered.
"Huh," A muffled voice came from the room that Blake and Yang were sharing, Yang soon poking her head out, "Ruby, you say something?"
"Oh it was just Kuro-Woz," Ruby explained as she grabbed her glass of milk and walked over. "He said if I used Silver Roze I could beat any Another Rider that pops up. We won't have to worry about Another Quiz or Another Kikai as long as I can beat them."
Yang had a skeptical look as she walked out, "Really?"
"Wait really?" Blake asked as she hurried out from inside and exited the room as well, "So that means Weiss and Yang can keep their powers, right?"
"All I have to do is beat Another Quiz and Kikai before stopping Shiro-Woz from taking their powers," Ruby explained. "Silver Roze should be able to do it."
"Ruby… you sure you can trust him?" Yang asked.
Ruby raised an eyebrow, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"It's just well, he's the retainer to Oma Zi-O, trying to guide Sougo into being an Overlord," Yang pointed out. "Are you sure this won't just work to his benefit?"
"Listen, I know he seems sketchy but he does have everyone's best interests in mind," Ruby argued, "Not to mention Sougo just wants to be a Kamen Rider now."
Yang raised an eyebrow this time, "You sure about that?"
"Just because Sougo wants Woz to call him 'my overlord' again doesn't mean anything," Ruby brushed it off. "It's just to make Woz comfortable since he's finally coming back to help us."
"Shiro-Woz isn't exactly the most trust-worthy either," Blake noted, remembering her previous run in with the silver clad Woz, "I think we should at least see if Kuro-Woz's theory works."
"I'm still not sure about this," Yang admitted.
"Don't worry so much," Ruby waved off her sisters concern, "Geiz and I sort of brainstormed back in Argus that my Silver Eyes might work on Another Riders. By extension, so does Silver Roze."
"What made you come to that conclusion?" Blake asked.
"I ended up using my eyes against Another Ryuki, they barely damaged him since he was only lightly burned," Ruby said before drinking the rest of her milk, "But that was before I unlocked a similar more concentrated power in Silver Roze. When I used Silver Roze against Another Ultimate Kuuga and Another Gaim, I was able to damage them more than usual even though I wasn't using the corresponding Ridewatch."
"That's a solid theory," Blake admitted.
"But, we can't exactly bank on that," Yang said.
"If it means you and Weiss will be safe then I'm ready to risk it," Ruby answered as she went to rinse out the glass she was using. She began to slow her movements as she stared at the water pouring out of the faucet, "I won't fail again…"
Blake and Yang stared at Ruby while her back was turned before glancing at each other, the two slightly concerned over Ruby's last words.
Yang however decided to switch subjects, "Hey… where's Weiss?"
"Where do you think?" Ruby asked with a bit of a chuckle.
"Out shopping…?" Blake asked.
"She's still helping Sougo with some studying related things," Ruby finished rinsing the glass out before turning, "Apparently Exam's are soon and he needs to ace them."
"Huh, Ice Queen sure has been eager to help him," Yang remarked.
"Yep, it's honestly rather nice at how well they're getting along," Ruby admitted.
Sougo meanwhile was currently of all places, at the closest library to 9-5-DO which happened to be a located in a public university. The entire reason he was all the way here to study instead of at his home was simple, Weiss had suggested it. She had suggested it as a way to sort of get away from the noisy antics of 9-5-DO when it came to Geiz, Tsukuyomi and any potential customers in the front.
The two had currently set themselves in a study room to keep to themselves and to make sure that Sougo could focus without being distracted. It had been working for the most part, and they were able to get some work done. Though the initial concern had quickly made itself apparent the moment the young Rider had paused and stared off into the distance.
"Hey, is something the matter?" Weiss asked.
"Oh," Sougo shook his head, "Sorry… just thinking a bit… I might have had another weird dream I haven't said anything about."
"Another weird dream…" Weiss gave a sigh, "I'd berate you but these do seem to be important."
"So you're not mad?" Sougo asked.
"Not really," Weiss shook her head. "Considering your Shinobi dream preceded Another Shinobi, it's only logical that your next dream does the same."
"Okay well this time it was 2040," Sougo explained as he spread his hands out, "So way far into the future!"
"Was there any theme like with Shinobi?" Weiss asked.
"Surprisingly no," Sougo shook his head. "But there were these weird silver headed one eyed robots with weird black shoulder armor and purple bodies. They were causing all kinds of trouble until this dude in a suit and a hat came up."
"Let me guess," Weiss already knew where this was going, "He was Kamen Rider Quiz?"
"Yeah," Sougo gave a nod, "He said his name was Mondo Douan and he had this cool catchphrase too, something about saving the world and obtaining the right answer."
"Of course he went full in on the theme," Weiss sighed.
"Well he was fighting the grunts when this black armored, bronze masked guy with a rapier showed up," Sougo explained. "But he was really weird… I think he was speaking in French?"
Weiss had to do a double take, "Sougo… do you even know what French sounds like?"
"No," Sougo said despite speaking as confidently as possible, "But it sounded totally like French!"
"Of course it did…" Weiss had to pinch the bridge of her nose before taking a deep breath, "So he asked a bunch of questions and beat them all quickly right?"
"Uh… kind of…" Sougo trailed a bit as he scratched his head a bit, "He did the whole question thing, but right as he went for the kick the dream ended."
"That's anticlimactic," Weiss said.
"Yeah, but anyway I think Another Quiz is next," Sougo explained, "And I'm kind of worried…"
Weiss noticed the young Rider's expression changing, "Oh right… since we know that only a Quiz Ridewatch will beat Another Quiz, you're worried about Shiro-Woz targeting me next."
"Yeah," Sougo gave a nod. "I remember Ruby was pretty broken up about not being able to help Blake, so I want to try harder this time. I want to find a way to beat Another Quiz without having to sacrifice your powers."
Weiss couldn't help but smile a bit, "I appreciate that."
"Anyway," Sougo was ready to start up with studying again before smacking his lips a bit, "Actually could I get a drink? I think there's a vending machine somewhere here."
"I could use something as well, so let's take a break," Weiss suggested as she stood up.
The two soon exited the study room, leaving their books inside and the light on before beginning their trek to the nearest vending machine. On their way they heard a few yells which caused them to glance at each other. The two wondered if someone was being rowdy until the sudden sounds of shelves falling echoed.
Racing to where they heard the shelves fall they saw people panicking and running away with a security guard and a professor sprawled against the fallen shelves. The culprit was currently exiting the through the front door.
It had gold and silver forearm and shin plating over a black body, various wire-like blood vessels visible on his thighs, running up its body and along it chest and biceps. Its sides were colored differently as well, its right being red while the left was blue. On its shoulders were red and blue brain-like pads with silver bolts sticking out, it also having a brain styled buckle as well. The chest held two white breast plates, the right having a red O while the left had a black X.
Its face was almost brain-like in terms of texture, spikes jutting out from behind alongside an exposed gritted mouth. Small orange question marks littered the head with two larger question marks over the front of the face, it having beady black eyes. A white twisted question mark was front and center on its forehead as a crest, the year labeled as 2040 on its left lobe while the name was labeled as Quiz on the right lobe.
"Another Quiz…" Weiss narrowed her eyes.
"We should let the others know," Sougo quickly drew out the Taka Watchroid before tossing it into the air, the Rider Gadget flying off to find the nearest Rider.
Another Quiz growled out as it exited the building, watching all of the chaos unfold as it approached two men in suits. "First I want your knowledge…" It grabbed the older of the men by the head as a glow occurred on around the forehead. The glow was soon sucked into Another Quiz's hand before it traveled all the way to the monster Riders head, the question mark crest flashing.
"W-What did you do?!" The younger man stammered.
"I wanted that hacks knowledge, because I can use it more constructively than he ever can," Another Quiz said before tossing the older man away. It looked at the younger man, "But you… you're just a brat who needs a lesson, so let's have a quiz."
"What do you mean a quiz?" The younger man asked.
"True or False, the small intestine is about three-and-a-half times the length of your body," Another Quiz pointed forward.
The younger man stammered out a bit as he was given the question unprompted, "I uh… False, it has to be False!"
"The answer is… True," Another Quiz turned its pointing hand into a fist.
The young man yelled out as red electricity coursed through his body as he was shocked lightly, "What was that?!"
"Next question," Another Quiz grabbed the young man's head before tossing him back, "You ate your co-workers leftovers despite there being a note, True or False."
"W-Wait… no… that's not true, that's False… it has to be…" The young man managed to get out. He soon gave a yell as he was shocked several more times, giving a groan before falling forward and unconscious.
"The answer is… True," Another Quiz chuckled.
Sougo and Weiss quickly rushed into view, the two readying their respective Drivers before charging forward.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
[FASHION! PASSION! QUESTION! QUIZ!]
Sougo and Weiss ran forward, the two sending a right and left hook respectively against Another Quiz.
The Another Rider turned at the loud noises and raised its arms, taking a step back from the force of the punches. It was ready to close in when it was suddenly stabbed in the stomach by Weiss' Myrtenaster before being blasted back by shots from the Zikan Girade's gun mode courtesy of Sougo.
"So how do we handle this?" Weiss asked.
"Well we need to try a new combination, we weaken him before going for a finish at the same time," Sougo suggested, "Maybe a Ridewatch powered kick alongside yours can act as enough of a proxy."
Weiss simply stared at him, "There's no way you figured that out on your own."
"Geiz was the one who mentioned the idea…" Sougo sheepishly chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.
"Figures," Weiss then stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground. Using earth Dust she formed a Glyph to bring up a stone wall of defense against a sudden burst of electricity that was shot against them.
Another Quiz had unleashed several electric strikes from it palms, growling when it saw the strikes easily countered against, "Fine then, I'll just play your game…" It trailed before seeing both Weiss and Sougo rush out from behind the stone wall, "Time to quiz you!"
Sougo stammered a bit as he skidded to a stop, "E-Eh?"
Weiss however continued to keep pace, running forward with her weapon pointing towards her Another Rider counterpart.
"True or False, there are over 2,300 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!" Another Quiz called out.
"Uh… uh…" Sougo tapped his head trying to think.
When Weiss had heard the question, her Quiz suit's abilities kicked in and fed the information needed to her instinctively, "True!"
Another Quiz hissed as the O on its right breast lit up, red sparks running over its body and stunning it. It then gasped out as it was struck by Weiss, being sent rolling backwards.
"True or False, the capital of Libya is Benghazi!" Weiss called out.
Just as Weiss' Quiz suit fed her the information near instantaneously, Another Quiz's monstrous transformation came with that benefit. The Another Rider gasped out its answer as it recovered, "False, it's Tripoli!"
Weiss gasped out as the X on her left breast plate flashed. Blue electric sparks ran over her body and kept her in a stunned state as a result. She had hoped that the Another Rider wouldn't be quick to answer or have the answer at all but that ended up being a mistake.
Sougo's eyes widened, "Weiss!"
Another Quiz gave a laugh as it managed to recover, holding its hands out and shooting a stream of electricity at Weiss. The electrical shocks hit their mark and sent Weiss backwards with a scream.
Sougo gave a growl as he as he drew out the Decade Ridewatch and slotted the Build Watch into it, initiating a form change.
[ARMOR TIME! KAMEN RIDE! WOW DE~CADE!]
[FINAL FORM TIME! B-B-B-BUILD!]
Sougo assumed Decade Armor taking the Build Form which allowed him access to RabbitTank Sparkling. Sliding his left foot back he allowed the spring of the rabbit leg armor to coil up before releasing. He leapt towards Another Quiz in an instant and kicked out with his tank leg's boot, the treads at the bottom spinning rapidly.
Another Quiz had attempted to block but had blocked too high, getting struck in the stomach by Sougo's tank half's boot. The treads spun rapidly, grinding against its stomach, sparks flying and forcing it backwards.
Sougo held out his left hand, bringing out the handheld drill from the normal Build Armor and rushing forward. The drill spun rapidly as he lunged forward, blocking against any electrical strikes that were sent his way. He managed to break through and ram his weapon into Another Quiz's chest.
The Another Rider yelled out as he was thrown backwards, rolling along the ground.
Sougo then turned and used this chance and hurried over to his friend, "Weiss!"
"So I can damage him badly…" Weiss winced as she managed to recover, holding her chest as she stood up, "But he can do the same to me."
"Are you alright?" Sougo asked as he arrived at her side.
"As good as I can be," Weiss admitted. "We can't let him get away."
[THE KODAMACHINE GUN!]
[BLIZZARD HAWK! KOOT-TAKA, TAKA!]
Another Quiz had begun to crawl away, getting on its knees and finding its footing before it was assaulted by constant bullet storms of seeds alongside bursts of ice. The Another Rider was forced to back up and waves its arms around before unleashing electricity all over the area. Its attacks had managed to strike, forcing the Taka Watchroid and Kodama Suika Arms to back off from their attacks.
Geiz and Tsukuyomi quickly ran into view, the Rider prepping his transformation while his partner aimed to attack with her Faizphone X.
"Henshi-"
Time was suddenly paused for everyone in the area, the green tint of the Time Jackers time stop washing over everything.
Another Quiz looked around before seeing Ora arrive from behind a pillar, "You…"
"Even though they can't shatter the Ridewatch I can't just let you get knocked around so easily," Ora commented as she walked over, "Let's retreat for now."
Another Quiz put a finger to its head and gave a nod, "A tactical retreat will do me some good. I can't risk this chance for anything."
"Good," Ora smiled as she was glad to see that this Another Rider had some self preservation to its mindset.
Both Another Rider and Time Jacker walked around the corner of a building before vanishing from sight, the time stop releasing as everyone staggered forward.
"Okay… that was my first time caught in one of those…" Weiss groaned out as she found her bearings, "That was annoying."
"Yeah, it takes some getting used to," Sougo admitted.
Geiz walked over, "What even happened?"
"We were surprised to see the Taka Watchroid so we hurried over," Tsukuyomi explained as she walked over as well.
"We were taking a break during our study session when we heard a bunch of crashes," Sougo explained. "There was this guy and a security guard knocked out cold and everyone was running away from Another Quiz."
"Then those two are some of the other victims?" Tsukuyomi asked as she turned to the older man who was unconscious and the young man sprawled and jittering while unconscious.
"Yeah he got to them right before we caught up," Weiss gave a nod. "I'm not sure what he did to them though."
"This isn't good…" Geiz sighed. "We didn't have a warning this time."
"Actually," Sougo raised his hand, "I did dream about it, but that was last night and I didn't want to get everyone into high alert cause I wanted to study and stuff."
"While I appreciate you're trying to take your studies more seriously this is something we need to know," Tsukuyomi crossed her arms.
"Sorry," Sougo apologized.
"So they're making their next move," Woz called out as he was out of view, leaning on one of the nearby pillars.
"Kuro-Woz?" Sougo turned and managed to see the sleeve of Woz's jacket, but suddenly he grew more serious, "Or Shiro-Woz? Which are you?"
Woz turned from the pillar with a sigh, fully revealing himself as the original, "Are you trying to cause me distress, my Overlord?"
"Yeah, was it that obvious?" Sougo asked with a bit of a laugh, putting his hands behind his back innocently.
Weiss could only roll her eyes, "Please tell me you have some answer as to how we can beat those Another Riders without Yang and I losing our powers."
"I have," Woz gave a nod before holding up a finger, "There is one current solution, Silver Roze."
"What does Ruby's new form have to do with this?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"No wait, Kuro-Woz has a point," Geiz's eyes widened as he realized what Woz was getting at, "Given the origin of her Silver Eyes and how they function, Another Riders are just as much a target as Grimm are. And since Silver Roze hones that into a more useable form, it's more potent. So of course it would be able to defeat any Another Rider."
"So we have a way to keep our powers intact now," Weiss said, "Then all we need to do is figure out how to track the Another Rider."
"Let's call up Ruby and the others then," Sougo suggested, "We'll split up too and see what we can find."
"We should probably call an ambulance too," Weiss added as she looked at the victims, "And try and keep in touch with the victims, maybe they have an idea of what's going on."
Geiz and Tsukuyomi had chosen to stick together in their efforts to find information, the duo running across a series of bridges above a busy intersection. Of course Geiz had also wanted to be alone with Tsukuyomi to try and catch the attention of a certain individual.
"Ah hello and good day to you," Shiro-Woz was said individual, giving a smile as he walked over, "My Savior!"
"Shiro-Woz…" Tsukuyomi trailed.
"Good timing," Geiz remarked as he turned and walked over, "Who even is Another Quiz? What's his motive?"
"Such unneeded questions," Shiro-Woz scoffed as he turned away.
"Can't exactly beat this guy without finding his location," Geiz pointed out.
"And that is something you need not concern yourself with," Shiro-Woz added. "The only thing you need to concern yourself with is defeating Miss Schnee so that you can steal her rider powers."
Geiz gave a glare, "Like hell I'm doing that."
"Time is flowing in a new direction my Savior," Shiro-Woz explained as he went to sit down on a bench, throwing one leg over the other. "One where you become Geiz Revive and change the future. So it is the only course of action."
"How about you answer my questions?" Geiz asked, he knew there was another way but he didn't know if Shiro-Woz knew, so he kept his mouth shut in that regard, "I'll do things my own way."
"And your own way is so naïve," Shiro-Woz clicked his tongue as he stood up and walked over to the railing of the bridge, he then drew out a Blank Miridewatch and went over, forcing it into Geiz's hand, "If you really don't want to hurt her then simply take her powers when she has exhausted herself."
Geiz could only glare before glancing at the Watch in his hand.
"So how about at least pushing us in the right direction?" Tsukuyomi asked as she walked over. "You are able to do that at least, right?"
Shiro-Woz could only give an annoyed look as he smiled, "And why would I take suggestions from you?"
"Regardless of method you want to get Kamen Rider Quiz's watch for Geiz," Tsukuyomi pointed out, trying to appeal to the secondary Woz's tendencies, "So pushing us in the right direction works in your favor, doesn't it?"
Shiro-Woz could merely only turn away before opening his Future Note and writing a few sentences in it, the last of which was…
~Sougo and his accompanying allies return to 9-5-DO while searching for the Another Rider~
He then looked over towards Geiz, "You will soon be forced to make some rather merciless decisions. Consider obtaining Quiz's powers as practice."
Geiz turned to look at Shiro-Woz only to get distracted by a nearby lamp post flickering on and off. By the time he had gone back to look, Shiro-Woz had completely vanished.
Tsukuyomi looked over at the Miridewatch in her friend's hand, "Geiz…"
"I'm not taking her power," Geiz reassured before pocketing the Miridewatch. "I'll do things my own way."
"So what do we do now?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"If Shiro-Woz won't give us any information we'll just have to use the next best thing," Geiz replied.
"And what would that be?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Simple, Zi-O told us about his dream," Geiz put his hands in his pockets, "Let's run over it and see if we can find anything."
After retrieving their books, Sougo and Weiss went to follow Woz. The trio walked along the streets to try and find any hint at the Another Rider but to little success.
"Are you sure you don't know where the Another Rider is?" Sougo asked.
"My lord, please do not treat me as if I am an Another Rider tracker," Woz sighed as he held up his book. "There are no records regarding this current set of Another Riders, thus I cannot trace any motives."
"So why are you helping out anyway?" Weiss finally asked.
Sougo gave a nod, "You've been a lot more active with us ever since Another Shinobi happened."
"You two don't realize the gravity of the situation," Woz answered. "The longer Another Quiz stays out, the more chances my alternate self has to claim Miss Schnee's power. Thus in turn it leads to the future of Geiz Revive and not Oma Zi-O."
"Except Sougo doesn't want to be Oma Zi-O," Weiss pointed out.
"And yet that will not stop my alternate self from still wanting him out of the way," Woz pointed out. "Another solution entirely would be to simply destroy Quiz and Kikai's Rider powers completely, preventing them from becoming Ridewatches entirely."
"I'm not going to fight Weiss or Yang," Sougo spoke up immediately, "Besides I don't want to destroy, I want to protect."
"Which is why I've gone through the trouble of making sure that Miss Rose's new power can guarantee our victory," Woz answered, "To be honest, while Quiz and Kikai's powers are concerning, they are great assets against the Time Jackers."
"Switching subjects really quickly," Weiss wanted to ask something that was gnawing at her. "Why did we specifically have the victims taken to that one hospital?"
"Oh you mean Seito University Hospital?" Sougo asked and received a nod so he continued. "I guess Ruby hasn't introduced you to all the Heisei Riders we met then. Because that's where Ex-Aid and a bunch of his allies are."
"I see," Weiss gave a nod, "That makes sense. Having easier access to question the victims will help out a lot."
"We can only hope they'll have any information," Woz remarked as he walked forward before stopping, his look growing into one of confusion as he stared at what was in front of him.
"Hey Woz, is everything okay?" Sougo asked before looking over.
"This can't be right," Weiss scratched her head as she had noticed as well.
The three of them were back at 9-5-DO despite having not intended in going in that direction as they walked.
"Huh? We ended up back here, somehow…" Sougo trailed before shrugging and heading towards the shop.
Woz could only look at Weiss, the Remnant Rider doing the same as they both had an idea of how this could have even happened. They walked after Sougo, both readying themselves just in case this was some sort of trap.
Inside the shop, Junichiro was currently appreciating the finer details of a watch that he had been given via a loupe, "Jeeeez, this is really a fine watch!" He then pulled it away, "So what exactly did you want done to it? Nothing seemed to be too wrong."
"Just some maintenance," The man who had brought the watch replied. He wore glasses and had a thin mustache with bushy messy hair that formed a bang that nearly covered his left eye. He seemed like he was a researcher or scientist of sorts, as while he had an odd brown plaid coat on him, he had a white lab coat in his arms.
"Ah I see, you want to just make sure it's in good condition for a long while," Junichiro smiled.
"Yes," The man gave a nod, "I'm hoping to maybe leave it as a gift to my son so he could have it in the future."
"Ah a keepsake, how lovely," Junichiro answered with a smile. "I'll do my best to make sure it'll last for a long while. I'll have it ready for you tomorrow."
"That's fine," The man answered.
"I'm back…" Sougo entered and trailed before giving a smile when he saw his uncle holding the watch, "Hey, a customer with an actual timepiece!"
The man glanced at Sougo before seeing Weiss and Woz enter, he then gave a silent bow before hurrying off.
"A-Ah could you wait a moment I need your contact info-" Junichiro cut himself off when the man fully left, he then looked over the watch with a smile, "Oh well, I'll enjoy working on this baby."
"Do you all not get clocks that much?" Weiss asked.
"Not really," Sougo admitted as he went to sit down at the front table. "So it's a pleasant surprise whenever we do."
"So how has studying been going?" Junichiro asked.
"As well as it can," Weiss answered. "Sougo should be fine so long as he retains what he's been studying."
"Don't worry," Sougo replied. "I think I can do this."
"Well since you're here Weiss, want to join us for lunch?" Junichiro asked, placing the watch at his work station before heading for the kitchen, "You guys have to be hungry too, right? It'll just be a sec!"
"This is odd," Woz admitted.
"What is?" Sougo asked.
"Don't you find it weird we ended up back here?" Weiss questioned. "It feels awfully convenient doesn't it?"
"Huh… you think it was Shiro-Woz?" Sougo asked.
"Perhaps," Woz said as he went to sit at the chair nearby the entrance. "However I am at a loss for words… I assumed there was some malicious intent and yet…"
"Nothing was really here," Weiss answered, "Just the usual people."
"Weird," Sougo admitted before hearing his Faizphone X ring, he soon answered it, "Hello? Oh Ruby, what's up?"
"So we were nearby Seito University and decided to go check up on those patients you mentioned."
"Was there any updates?" Sougo asked.
"I just talked with Emu and apparently one of them is starting to wake up. I'll see what I can find out."
"Alright then, just call us if you do," Sougo replied before hanging up. "Hopefully Ruby can find something out."
"We can only hope," Weiss gave a nod.
The doctor that had left his watch at 9-5-DO began to pant as he had managed to run far enough away from the area, "I'm not sure why but that kid just felt like bad news…"
"That's because he is bad news," Ora's voice called as she came from around the corner. "But that's where the good news comes in."
"You mean he was one of the two?" The man asked before suddenly realizing that the girl with him was likely Quiz, "Then that girl… just who is she?"
"Oh I see you took notice," Ora smiled as she began to pace around. "If you're talking about the white haired girl, she's Kamen Rider Quiz."
"But I thought my son Mondo was Quiz in the future?" The man questioned. "That's what you told me when you told me about these powers."
"Not exactly," Ora admitted. "I said that one of your son's potential futures was to become Kamen Rider Quiz. Regardless that doesn't change your situation in the present, a burned out researcher whose research will never go anywhere with your son potentially gaining the legacy of a hero."
"Don't worry I'm already working on that," The man explained. "I've already stolen the knowledge of two geniuses. I'll keep on doing that and taking care of those who mocked me."
"There are plenty of geniuses all around so just keep on doing what you're doing," Ora answered.
"But what about the Riders… won't they try and stop me?" The man asked.
"They absolutely need a Quiz Ridewatch to beat your new form," Ora explained before crossing her arms, "But that's your good news, they'll try their hardest to make sure a Ridewatch isn't made, because that just means that Quiz girl will lose her powers. And they really don't want that."
"So then… I'm invincible?" The man asked.
"For the most part," Ora gave a nod before starting to walk away, "I'm serious about making you the strongest there is."
The man looked back only to see that Ora had vanished. Scratching his head at her actions he was ready to head off when he heard a voice calling for him.
"Dr. Douan, is that you?" A researcher called out as he hurried over, "It is, and it's good to see you getting some fresh air too."
The doctor had grimaced before gaining a more neutral expression and turning towards the researcher, "What about fresh air?"
"Oh, well it's just everyone talked about how you were holed up in your lab the whole time," The researcher explained. "We're worried you've been wasting away in there Tamotsu."
"Wasting away?" The doctor, Tamotsu, asked as his eyes narrowed slightly. He looked back and forth, noticing there was no one in the immediate area.
"Well it's just that your dissertation didn't come out as expected, and well you haven't made much progress," The researcher replied in a matter of fact tone. "Perhaps you should switch gears, maybe join my team in their research. Who knows, you might actually make progress."
"You know, you may have some knowledge but you have no tact at all," Tamotsu had enough however, quickly grabbing the researcher's neck and gripping with great strength, "So I'd appreciate it if you just suffered."
[QUIZ!]
The researcher could only gasp as he saw Tamotsu transform into Another Quiz, question mark projections bursting away from the transformation. The researcher tried to struggle only for his head to be grabbed.
"Now let's see how that pride interferes with your answers," Tamotsu said, "Especially when confronted with your deepest darkest secrets…"
Sougo admittedly was confused at the moment, walking with Team RWBY through a storage district. Woz had chosen to take his leave for the moment while Geiz and Tsukuyomi had mentioned a lead they had. Both made sense in staying split and he didn't mind being grouped up with the Huntresses, but he was still puzzled.
"So um," Sougo spoke up. "Why are we here again?"
"Sougo don't you remember where we are?" Ruby asked.
"Uh…" Sougo trailed as they stopped at a storage warehouse, "No."
"I'll be honest I've got no clue either," Yang shrugged.
"Is this another Kamen Rider thing you've failed to inform us about?" Weiss asked.
"Hey there were a lot of friends made over the course of four months," Ruby sighed as she made her way forward. "I haven't had time to show you where everyone is. But in this case we do know the people inside."
Entering inside the storage space, Ruby and Sougo would be in familiar territory as this was the spot that was currently Sento and Ryuga's living arrangements. It seemed that Sento was the only one there at the moment, busy at his desk working on some more random gadgets for Ryuga to sell.
"Sento, it's me!" Ruby called.
Sento perked up before turning, removing his goggles and giving a grin, "Well if it isn't you all, what brings you here?"
"Nothing fun I'm afraid," Blake admitted.
"Yeah, we're kind of having issues with an Another Rider," Yang explained. "To the point where Ruby said this was a good place to go."
"And why is that?" Weiss asked.
"Because Sento here is a Genius Physicist," Ruby smiled before gesturing to her inventor friend, "Or rather really we just need to cut it down to Genius."
"Ah I see, you need my intellect in order to stop this Another Rider, correct?" Sento stood up as he strolled forward, he then paused, "But I thought Another Build was finished?"
"It's an entirely different Another Rider," Ruby replied, "It's one of Weiss' Quiz form, and well I wanted your help because I think we've got a pattern."
"We do?" Sougo asked.
"Shoot," Sento pointed.
"A scan on two of the victims showed decreased brainwave patterns and mental regression," Blake took over for the explanation, "In simpler terms, it's like their brain was drained of its knowledge."
"But two of the victims weren't the same," Ruby added. "When I asked one what happened he had mentioned that Another Quiz wanted one of the brain drained guys' knowledge."
Sento slightly paled as he held the back his head, "A knowledge stealing monster? That sounds terrible."
"We were wondering since you were a genius, that you might know about the most prominent high level scientists and other geniuses," Ruby added, "So that we could maybe figure out a pattern."
"I do know a family admittedly," Sento had thought on it and he recalled at least two names that came to mind, "They could likely be targeted."
"But we only know that he targets geniuses," Weiss pointed out. "We don't have any sort of pattern."
"All I know is that the Another Rider seemed to have a grudge against the assaulted victim and the brain drained one he was with," Ruby explained before putting a hand to her chin. "But that still doesn't narrow anyone down since he had no idea who could hold a grudge like that."
Sougo thought a bit before snapping his fingers, "Actually… I think I've got a plan! It'll be risky but I think we'll be good."
Tamotsu gave a light growl as he shoved the researcher he was talking with into a set of bushes, the researcher now having a glazed over look as his body was charred. The doctor dismissed his Another Rider transformation as he took off. It didn't seem like he had anywhere to go however, wandering aimlessly for quite a while.
Instinctively Tamotsu looked at his wrist only to realize his watch wasn't there and being tuned up. Giving a sigh he looked over towards a building that would display the time. To his surprise the time got immediately cut off by an advertisement.
'Incredible New Genius Emerges'
'A Once in a Lifetime Event'
'Has revolutionary ideas that will change the world and put others to shame'
Tamotsu narrowed his eyes as he saw a date and location, to his surprise it was actually happening rather shortly from now. He mentally noted where it was being held and quickly made his way as fast as he could to the auditorium it was located at.
Arriving just a few minutes late he managed to find the entrance and grinned when he saw a sleeping police officer who was currently sitting on a chair next to the entrance. The officer seemed to be completely out of it as they had their cap in front of their face.
Tamotsu entered into the darkened room slowly and carefully, the only place lit up was currently the stage where the speaker was. The doctor couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the attire, loose brown coat, incredibly bushy hair, and an oddly styled shirt to boot. Despite the style Tamotsu had to admit the speaker's current rambling seemed to have some merit to it.
The doctor looked around and scoffed when he noticed it was pretty empty aside from one or two in the audience. So he made his move, making no effort to hide himself as he walked forward and eventually got to the stage.
"Excuse me, sir?" The speaker asked as he had stopped once he saw Tamotsu out of the corner of his eye. "Is there a reason you're up here?"
"Yeah, seems you don't have too big a crowd," Tamotsu remarked as he walked over. "Don't worry about that though…" He trailed as he saw the banner nearby the podium, "…Sento Kiryu was it? Your knowledge is really going to be helpful. Well to me anyway."
[QUIZ!]
Tamotsu growled out as question mark projections burst off of him, transforming into Another Quiz as he gave a chuckle. He reached forward with his hand when a sudden Glyph stopped his movement, soon giving a groan when he felt gravity pulling him to the ground, falling onto his knees and arms and seeing a black Glyph underneath him. He growled as he managed to shift his head only to see Weiss coming in from the back of the stage with Myrtenaster pointed right at him.
"Guess you couldn't resist the free advertisement," Weiss narrowed her eyes, before he had transformed she had recognized Tamotsu from earlier.
"I was honestly getting worried you wouldn't be coming for a while," Sento admitted as he walked over to Weiss. "I didn't want to bore everyone with my rambles for too long."
Tamotsu gasped out as he was released from the gravity Glyph, stumbling forward before pushing himself back up. He gave a growl, "You'd risk all the innocent people here for a trap?"
"Actually everyone here wants to kick your butt," Yang's voice called out as the lights turned on revealing her and Sougo as the only two occupants.
"Looks like the plan worked," Sougo grinned as he stood up before looking back at the entrance where the light switches were, "Thanks Broto!"
"No problem," The supposed sleeping officer was right at the entrance, arms crossed as it was none other than Goto.
"What?" Tamotsu stared in confusion, "But… how did you even… the announcement, the venue…"
"When you have Kougami Foundation funding, you find a way," Yang gave a grin.
"It was so last minute that no one had bothered showing up, it was a risk but it was one worth taking," Goto called out.
"Now then, let's start the experiment," Sento called out as he placed his Build Driver on, readying his Rabbit and Tank Bottles.
"Time to see if our hypothesis works," Weiss readied her Quizdriver and Quiz Topper.
[ARE YOU READY?]
"Henshin!"
[HAGANE NO MOOONSAULT! RABBITTANK! YEAHHH!]
[FASHION! PASSION! QUESTION! QUIZ!]
Both Kamen Rider Build and Quiz stood next to each other before readying their weapons, the Drill Crusher and Myrtenaster respectively. The two then rushed towards Another Quiz, their plan being to force him out of the building into a more open area.
"Let's get ready for phase two," Sougo said as he looked at Yang and Goto both of whom nodded back.
Ruby was currently perched on a rooftop, Crescent Rose in its rifle mode as she was currently viewing the area in front of the auditorium the Another Rider was lured into. Thanks to Kougami they were able to work with Goto's unit and clear the area for their trap. With her was Blake who was crouching near her.
"So do you think he'll actually spring the trap?" Blake asked.
"We can only hope," Ruby admitted.
The sound of glass shattering could be heard from the auditorium, Ruby and Blake looking to see the front windows shatter as Build and Quiz leapt away. On their tail was Another Quiz who had continued unleashing electrical blasts against them.
"Things are moving smoothly," Blake said.
"Now we just need to wait a little longer to enter Phase 3," Ruby answered.
"I'm afraid that will not be happening."
Ruby and Blake turned, both of them having their weapons drawn and aimed at the voice who turned out to be Shiro-Woz.
"Would you look at who showed up," Ruby spoke up as she kept her rifle trained on Shiro-Woz.
"I already know what my alternate counterpart is planning," Shiro-Woz explained as he readied his Beyondriver and Woz Miridewatch. "Your Silver Roze form will simply make a mess of things, thus I need to put you out of commission for this battle."
"Funny," Ruby chuckled as she readied her Ziku Driver and set down Crescent Rose. She brought out her Silver Roze Ridewatch and split it, "Because that's exactly what I want to do."
Shiro-Woz was taken aback by this, "Excuse me?"
"Phase 3 isn't me getting involved in that battle at all, it's dealing with you," Ruby called out as she readied her transformation. "We all agreed that even if I could beat Another Quiz then you'd swoop in to try and take Weiss' powers. So the plan was to also lure you out so I could finish you off here and now."
"Such bold words," Shiro-Woz gave an annoyed expression, "Prepare yourself…"
"Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) SILVER! (SILVER!) SILVER~! ROZE!]
[SUGOI! JIDAI! MIRAI! KAMEN RIDER WOZ! WOZ!]
Ruby immediately drew out Silver Crescent and shot at Shiro-Woz who brought out the Zikan Despear, spinning it to block against the attacks as he charged forward. Once Shiro-Woz was close enough he lunged out with his spear only to be surprised when Blake got in the way.
"What are yo-" He paused when she suddenly leapt away and left an ice clone where she was stabbed. Shiro-Woz grunted as he tried to remove the spear from the ice statue.
Ruby quickly used Petal Burst, a flurry of silver petals dashing to Shiro-Woz's exposed side and aiming with her rifle, "Heh!"
"You-"
Sparks flew as Shiro-Woz gasped out, staggering back from Ruby as he had lost grip of his weapon. He held his side and gave a low growl, "You really believe you'll defeat me?"
"That's the plan," Ruby answered.
Sento and Weiss both gave a yelp as they leapt away from a burst of electricity, the two rolling before stopping in crouched states.
"Shouldn't you, I don't know, quiz him?" Sento asked.
"We're perfect counters towards each other," Weiss explained before quickly swiping forward, bringing out a hardlight Glyph and sending out beams of light towards Tamotsu.
Tamotsu growled out as he braced with both arms, skidding backwards from the assault.
"Oh don't tell me…" Sento sighed as he realized what Weiss was getting at.
"That's right, he'll know the answer to every question I put out," Weiss said as she aimed her weapon forward, "And this suit only directly feeds me Earth questions, Remnant I have to think on it and it's hard to think on random trivia when I also have to concentrate on my abilities."
"Fair point," Sento gave a nod before switching his Drill Crusher to its gun mode and firing it to keep Tamotsu busy. "So what's the next part?"
"Keep distracting him," Weiss called out as she sent several fireballs towards Tamotsu.
Tamotsu growled out as he threw his arms out, unleashing electricity all around him and forming a semi-barrier that protected him against the fireballs.
"I'll take you two out," Tamotsu gritted as he readied his next attack, "True or-"
"Henshin!"
*POP*
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
[DEKAI! HAKAI! GOKAI! KAMEN RIDER KIKAI!]
Kamen Rider's Birth, Zi-O and Kikai were now behind Tamotsu now, the trio rushing forward and kicking out at the Another Rider. The Another Rider had been interrupted by the loud noises and turned only to yell out as he was thrown backwards by the kicks.
Tamotsu growled and held his hands forward, unleashing streams of electricity towards the newcomers. He gave a gasp when he saw Yang get in the way, coating her arms in ice and electricity and bracing against his attack.
"Nice try!" Yang called out as she spread her arms out and dismissed the electrical attack, her ice coating breaking off.
Weiss pointed her weapon forward, bringing out another gravity Glyph underneath Tamotsu to force him to the ground.
[CRANE ARM!]
Goto brought out the Birth systems Crane Arm attachment, readying it before launching the crane forward. Weiss had released her Glyph allowing Tamotsu to stand only to get entangled by the rope of the Crane Arm, Goto tugging and tying the Another Rider up.
"Sento, Weiss!" Sougo called out as he ran for the side.
Weiss ran for the side while Sougo made sure he was on the opposite end of where Goto was, turning the crank of his Build Driver.
[READY? GO! VORTEX FINISH]
[FINISH TIME!]
Sento jumped upwards, a white energy chart forming with dotted lines, it securing the Another Rider and keeping him further in place. Sento then landed on the chart with both feet, slowly but steadily sliding down as he used his tank foot to keep him from going forward as much as possible. His finisher was merely to further trap the Another Rider for Weiss and Sougo.
[FINAL QUIZ FLASH!]
[TIME BREAK!]
Weiss had leapt into the air, kicking out right her right leg while Sougo did the same. The two came from opposite sides barreling towards the Another Rider.
That was until everything had come to a sudden pause, everything except for Tamotsu. He gave a sudden gasp as he looked around, realizing what had happened.
"Honestly…" Ora called out in a bored tone as she walked over, "I've got a lot riding on making sure Another Quiz gets proper attention. I can't have you all messing things up."
The Time Jacker then used two invisible pushes to put things into a more favorable outcome. Weiss' direction was changed, instead of kicking towards Another Quiz she was now kicking towards Sento. The same was done for Sougo who was now pointed in the direction of Goto with his kick.
"T-Thank you," Tamotsu managed to gasp out.
"Just try to be a bit more ruthless, this is a good chance to cause more chaos," Ora said before walking off, "Bye bye."
Time resumed as Ora vanished, and the resulting chaos ensued. Weiss had slammed into Sento as he was down the chart halfway with his slide, both yelling out as the kick connected and sent both flying back. Sougo had tried to veer away only to slam into Goto regardless, the kick hitting and sending both tumbling away.
Both Sento and Goto gasped out as they had lost their transformations, Sento giving a wince as he was face first on the ground. Weiss meanwhile gave a groan as she barely managed to get in a sitting position.
Yang's eyes widened when she saw all the chaos, "You're kidding me…"
Tamotsu gave a chuckle before running towards Weiss, he needed to end this now that she was thrown off.
Yang's attention immediately snapped towards the Another Rider, bringing out Ember Celica she used it to launch herself to the side before launching herself again with a shot from her gauntlets. Soon enough she slid in between Weiss and Tamotsu, giving a yell as she began launching out blasts while punching forward.
Tamotsu gave a yell as he was struck by the blasts, spinning backwards as he tried to make more room between him and Yang.
Ruby had switched Silver Crescent's forms, going from her rifle to her spear to keep Shiro-Woz at close quarters in order to keep him from trying anything hasty.
"I must admit despite your preference for a scythe, you handle a spear quite well," Shiro-Woz called through gritted teeth, ducking underneath a swing and moving in to block the pole of the weapon with his arm. He kicked out only for Ruby to back away and stab at him.
Ruby clicked her tongue when she saw that Shiro-Woz had jumped back from her stab. She took a deep breath before spinning and lunging forward, releasing a burst of light from the tip of her weapon.
Shiro-Woz's eyes widened as he just barely threw himself out of the way, the light scraping past his chest as it shot off into the distance. "I suppose you do have me at a disadvantage, however…" He drew out his Future Note.
"Ruby, we've got trouble!"
Before Shiro-Woz could even attempt to write something he saw Blake call out, soon noticing Ruby turning her attention to her friend. Curious he chose to remain docile, wondering if things had gone wrong without him so he didn't have to lift a finger.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked as she backed up, glancing back but keeping her eyes on Shiro-Woz.
"I think a Time Jacker showed up, Weiss and Sougo both attacked Sento and Goto instead of Another Quiz," Blake called out, having felt something wrong when she had heard the sounds of fighting stop briefly. Then once she inspected further she had witnessed the aftermath of the time stop.
"Wait what?!" Ruby called out as she fully turned before catching what she did.
"Now's my chance," Shiro-Woz chuckled.
[TOUEI! FUTURE TIME!]
[DARE JA? ORE JA? NINJA! FUTURERING SHINOBI! SHINOBI!]
Ruby quickly turned and moved to stab at Shiro-Woz only to strike at a puff of smoke that occurred. She winced as she was suddenly kicked in the side, Shiro-Woz having appeared to her left. She quickly found her footing before stabbing only to stab at a straw doll that had Futurering Shinobi's chest, shoulders and a paper with a face drawn on it.
"No matter how fast you are, you can't outpace me," Shiro-Woz called out as he was next to his Despear, gripping it before activating its sickle mode. Shifting his weapon had then allowed him to easily pull and break it out of the ice clone it was trapped in. "Now then I can't be kept any longer…" He held up his Future Note and began to narrate.
~Despite their investigations, Geiz and Tsukuyomi soon find their way towards the hectic battle~
Ruby's eyes widened when she saw Shiro-Woz vanish in a puff of smoke despite not being in any danger. There was only one answer after she hastily looked around the rooftop, "Blake we need to go!" She called out before using Petal Burst to launch herself towards the battle nearby.
Blake gave a nod and quickly ran forward, leaping off the building and using Shadow to launch forward by leaping away from the temporary afterimages she'd leave behind.
"Are you okay?" Weiss asked as she went to check on Sento.
"Y-Yeah… just wasn't expecting that," Sento winced as he sat up, "How about you?"
"Could be better," Weiss admitted before looking over to see Yang fighting against Another Quiz, Sougo recovering and jumping in as well. "I need to get back in there…"
"Weiss, are you okay?!" Tsukuyomi's voice called as she hurried over.
"The hell even happened?!" Geiz called as he ran over.
"Oh thank goodness, we've got some trouble…" Weiss said as she stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, getting into a kneeling position. "That Time Jacker stopped us from executing our plan to take out Another Quiz."
"Of course she did," Geiz gave a groan.
"I can still fight though," Weiss said as she managed to shakily stand.
"Ah but there is no need to fight," Shiro-Woz's voice called as he appeared several feet from them in a puff of smoke. "Forgive me, but I must ask that you cooperate with me."
"I'm not giving you my powers," Weiss narrowed her eyes.
"Oh I was not talking to you," Shiro-Woz answered and looked over towards Geiz, "You have the Blank Watch correct? She is weakened enough, take her powers my Savior."
Weiss' eyes widened underneath her visor and she shakily turned towards her friend, stepping back slightly, "Geiz?"
Geiz drew out the blank Miridewatch, glancing at it before tossing it over to Shiro-Woz, the blank device smacking him directly in the forehead.
"I told you before but let me repeat it," Geiz gave a glare, "Like hell I'm doing that."
"Then consider this something we need to work on," Shiro-Woz said, his voice laced with disappointment, "As I told you, my Savior, you will be forced to make merciless decisions. And yet, here you are, engaged in frivolity. You've yet to obtain the power of Kamen Rider Quiz!"
"You really think I'm going to take orders from you?" Geiz asked as he readied his Driver and Geiz Ridewatch, stepping in front of Weiss.
"I'm afraid you're going to need to," Shiro-Woz pointed forward. "Because right now, you cannot defeat Zi-O. Let alone me. You must realize that you will never become our Savior as you are now."
"Just keep yapping," Geiz answered.
"Oh I've said all the words I've need to," Shiro-Woz was ready to move forward when a sudden yell was heard.
In a burst of silver petals Ruby suddenly reformed mid-air next to Shiro-Woz, stabbing her spear downwards as she unleashed a burst of light from the weapon. Sparks flew as she caught the future Rider off guard, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Shiro-Woz tumbled before managing to find his footing, forcefully hopping off and spinning in mid-air, landing in a crouched state. "Oh dear… I underestimated your speed."
"I'm not letting you take Weiss' powers!" Ruby called out as she pointed her weapon forward.
"Weiss!" Blake called out as she landed behind Ruby, hurrying over to help her friend stand.
"I'm fine, but things are growing too out of control," Weiss said before glancing at the fight happening.
Sougo gave a yelp as he was smacked away by Tamotsu, staggering back.
Yang managed to grab onto Tamotsu's left arm as he punched, trying to push him down. The two had entered a struggle and began to spin around. Yang however got distracted when she saw Ruby, Blake and Shiro-Woz, "Ruby?"
"You're the most annoying…" Tamotsu growled out as he used his right hand to grab Yang's forehead. "Let's knock you down a peg!"
Yang gritted her teeth as she grabbed Tamotsu's arm before gasping out, feeling a strange almost violating feeling as she felt something worming around in her head. She gave a light shriek as she kicked Tamtosu away before staggering back.
Blake's eyes widened when she heard the shriek, "Yang!"
"Huh?" Ruby had turned in surprise when she heard the shriek before giving a glare at Tamotsu, "What did you do to her?!"
"I thought he only targeted geniuses…" Goto winced.
Tamotsu was a bit surprised, not at the kick but what he had managed to get out of his little attack. He then gave a bit of a chuckle, "Please, if my powers were limited to simply draining knowledge that would be rather dull. Especially with the revenge I wish to dish out to all those fools."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Geiz asked.
Yang meanwhile held her head, "Just… what were you doing in there?"
"I'm the one running the show," Tamotsu said as he wagged his finger, "I don't quite understand it… but I do know dark hidden secrets when I see them. So here it is, and I'll give you plenty of time to answer. True or False, your mother Raven Branwen is the Spring Maiden!"
Yang's eyes widened behind her helmet as she suddenly realized what had happened, taking a step back when she heard this. "I…"
Ruby was surprised at the question, and was curious how he even came up with the current statement. A pit in her stomach began to form when she realized that her sister was taking her time with the answer, "Yang?"
"I would suggest getting it over with as soon as possible," Tamotsu chuckled.
Yang gripped her fists before putting a foot forward to try and push Tamotsu's game as a bluff, "The answer's False!"
"Hmm," Tamotsu crossed his arms before raising his left hand to tap his forehead, energy gathering in his finger tips. "The answer is…"
Yang gasped out as red electricity coursed through her body, her armor sparking as she was left in a stunned state.
"…True!" Tamotsu pointed his finger forward and unleashed a fast traveling electrical burst.
Yang could only yell out as she was struck in the chest, sparks flying further as she fell on her back and lost her transformation. Any attempt at struggling to get up had ceased as she simply allowed herself to lie on the ground. Yang could only cough out as she started to fear the reactions from everyone due to this revelation coming out.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"I need some time to myself."
"You're naiveté could cause much pain in the future."
"I'm not after your knowledge kid, just your secrets."
"I won't let you get in Geiz and Weiss' way."
"Sometimes we have to lie to ourselves…"
Chapter 41: The Final Answer 2040
Author's Note: What a way to end a chapter, am I right? I always felt as though Another Quiz was the most pathetic of the Another Riders. Literally the only ability we see him use is the brain drain and that's it. Most other time's he just ended flailing around. I figured I'd change that up a bit just to make Another Quiz something resembling a threat. So aside from electricity powers I also included him just having Quiz's standard abilities and the mind reading ability.
This was also an interesting chapter to write, because not only did I have to buff up Another Quiz, I also had to figure out something to replace the big gaping hole I'm sure you've noticed. Because of Weiss already being here, I didn't need Mondo who couldn't exactly work like Rentaro's present day cameo did, which meant I had to cut his subplot entirely. I figured I'd utilize some familiar characters in Sento and Goto since they've been established already via their Tribute Chapters as well as just sprinkling in some references to the other Riders.
As for the question of how things are going to go for the Mirai Riders. Well, the Miridewatches have their own sets of rules and such that can't be easily overridden like usual due to being fundamentally different. That being said, given how Blake's Chapters went, it's kind of predictable in how things will go so I can at least say this. When giving them the Mirai Rider powers and working on these chapters I knew I didn't want it to be a complete loss in terms of firepower/abilities. I may have something in store for them at a later date, but for now you'll just have to keep reading along and see what that something may eventually be.