Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 44 – Hijacking Rider 2019
In the dark void, from behind the still clock that blended in, Woz came forward as he read his book, "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."
Images of Oma Zi-O could be briefly seen, Woz smiling fondly at the sight as images of Sougo showcasing the Zi-O II Ridewatch could be seen.
"Reacquainting himself with Kido Shinji, he defeats Another Ryuga, the darker half of Kamen Rider Ryuki. And to do so, he has evolved to become Kamen Rider Zi-O II, seer of the future." Woz explained as images of Zi-O II in all its glory were now shown on his book.
Of course in the void soon appeared Zi-O II, the suits presence being lit up from underneath despite there being no physical presence of lights. Behind him was Silver Roze, with Woz beginning to walk around both.
"While my Overlord finds the balance between Kamen Rider and King, Miss Rose has yet to find hers. Not only that but my alter self, Shiro-Woz, is not too keen on the development of Zi-O II. He seeks another future where Geiz goes on to become Geiz Revive."
Earth – Mid February 2019
Blake gave a soft groan as she managed to wake up, hopping down from the bunk in the room she shared with Yang, "You up?" She asked only to receive no answer. She then noticed a note on the bed to which she rubbed her eyes before going over to read it.
'Hey, I need to be somewhere real early in the morning. Text me after you wake up though, it shouldn't take long. -Yang'
"Odd," Blake admitted before stretching, making herself presentable before entering the main area of the apartment. "Ruby, Weiss, you guys up yet?" She called when she noticed no one was around. To her slight surprise but also expectation there were two notes on the door.
'Hey, Takeru said he only had time for an early session today, so I needed to hurry and leave, sorry about that. -Ruby'
'I was just informed of some urgent news that needs my attention. Sorry about not being around this morning. -Weiss'
"Guess I'm the only one," Blake said before deciding to start her morning with some tea instead of coffee. While she mostly agreed to coffee due to her teammates, any chance she could she'd go for a morning cup of tea instead.
RING RING RING
Blake's cat ears perked up in surprise as she turned from her prep work on the tea. She was surprised to see that the Team RWBY Rider Hotline was active.
"It's been a while hasn't it?" Blake asked herself as she went over, picking up the phone.
"Hello, Ruby? I was told to call here, it's Mayu from Section Zero," Mayu's voice spoke from the phone.
"Sorry, Ruby's a bit busy, this is her teammate Blake though," Blake answered. "Did you have a job for Team RWBY?"
"Oh, erm, yes actually," Mayu answered, the surprise evident in her voice, "I was wondering if you could come by Section Zero, we've got a strange case transferred to us that may be related to Ruby's enemies."
"A possible Another Rider sighting…" Blake trailed. "Just give me the address and I'll be there soon."
"Alright thank you," Mayu then gave Blake the address before hanging up.
Blake soon hung the hotline up as she put a hand to her chin, "Could it be Another Kikai?" She asked before hearing the whistle of the kettle. "I suppose if everyone else is busy I should at least help by taking the lead in their stead."
Geiz meanwhile was a bit surprised when he had a note by Tsukuyomi saying she was leaving to the Daitenku Temple for a bit. Noticing the lack of noise from Sougo's room and all the noise downstairs he got dressed before heading downstairs. To his surprise he saw Weiss sitting at the front with a cup of coffee in her hands while Junichiro had a box of old knick knacks and mementos he was digging through. He was ready to greet Weiss when the uncle's yelling cut through his thoughts.
"That's where it was!" Junichiro smiled as he pulled out an old fashioned toy robot.
"What's that?" Geiz asked.
"I've been thinking about fixing this little guy for some time now," Junichiro admitted as he was so giddy he ignored the question. He showed it off to Geiz who walked over while Weiss turned to look at it. Junichiro meanwhile gave a chuckle as he spotted the back of the robot, it having the words 'Will be the King' in English.
Weiss raised an eyebrow, "A toy robot?"
"Where is everybody, anyway?" Geiz asked, deciding to see if the uncle knew where Sougo was.
"Oh, I haven't seen Tsukuyomi but Sougo has make-up exams," Junichiro explained.
A small pound could be heard as the two glanced towards Weiss who was stress-drinking her coffee while holding her fist against the table.
Geiz nervously glanced over at the uncle, "Exams?"
"Make-up exams," Weiss corrected in a tense voice.
"Yeah, he's at risk of not being able to graduate," Junichiro explained, "But y'know, he seemed pretty confident. He said that he saw the future of his exam."
Geiz was in shock, "The future of his exam?!"
"I swear if he's using Zi-O II to cheat…" Weiss muttered before taking a deep breath and calming herself. Despite this there was a twitch to her eye as she spoke clearly and calmly, "No, there's no need to worry. I helped him the best I could, he has to do well even if these are… make-up exams…"
"He should be getting back soon too, the start of the exams was about a couple of hours ago," Junichiro admitted.
A pair of hands soon gripped the frame of the entrance as Sougo dragged himself into view, "Bad news Uncle… I got a…" He trailed before pausing as he felt an intense presence nearby. He slowly but surely turned out of his stupor to see a seething Weiss Schnee all but glaring at him. "O-Oh… hey Weiss, what are you doing here?"
"You got a what?" Weiss questioned.
"Erm… uh… Geiz?" Sougo warily looked towards his friend.
"I think I'm going to go take a walk," Geiz spoke up before rushing out the door, already knowing where this was going. That didn't stop him from hearing a very enraged Weiss just as he closed the door.
"SOUGO TOKIWA YOU ABSOLUTE DOLT!"
"Sorry again about this, it's just I have plans later," Takeru apologized.
"Not at all," Ruby replied as she gave a stretch, "The early morning meditation really helped honestly…"
The two were currently walking through the halls of the Daitenku Temple as they spoke, Takeru having hosted a quick meditation session to help Ruby find the focus she needed.
"How's Sougo been?" Takeru asked.
"He's been pretty good… at least in everything that isn't school," Ruby gave a bit of a chuckle at her words. "He's grown a lot honestly… I'm kind of jealous."
Takeru raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"
"I just…" Ruby trailed as she looked at her hand, "He somehow managed to find a balance inside of him. He wants to be not only a King but a Kamen Rider too. And yet I still feel incomplete, it feels like something's not right. That I don't have a balance."
"Hmm, I know that our meditation sessions are to help get a clear memory into your head for your Silver Roze form," Takeru noted as he cupped his chin with his hand. "Perhaps you should try to self meditate about that then? Try to see what you lack?"
"I'm not sure what I'm lacking…" Ruby sighed despite knowing absolutely what was the issue, she just wasn't sure how to tackle it. Deciding to risk it she decided to be vague, "Hey Takeru, is it wrong to want to be a Kamen Rider?"
"I wouldn't say it's wrong," Takeru admitted. "We all have our own reasons, but it all leads to helping others. I'd say think of that as the base of it all."
"Base of it all huh…" Ruby muttered as she really wondered if her focusing more towards being a Rider really was affecting her balance since she did still sort of want to be a Huntress. She just wondered how she'd find that balance.
"If you're having trouble maybe you should try talking to your team," Takeru suggested. "I mean the way you talk they're basically family, I'm sure they'd help."
Ruby gave a nervous chuckle, "I'm sort of bad at that, given this issue involves me personally… I'd rather figure it out on my own."
"That's understandable," Takeru admitted. "But sometimes it's best to let those pent up feelings out, it'll help ease your burden a lot more if you share it between everyone."
"It's just that everyone sees me as the leader," Ruby admitted. "So I've got to be there, I've got to have the answers, I need bounce back after a setback to be dependable for them."
"Sounds like you've got a lot on your plate," Takeru noted before giving a hum as he put both hands behind his back, "But even so, I think opening up to others and having them help share your burden is an option. If you all are so close then it won't make a difference in the end."
"Hmm, I'll think on it," Ruby replied, deciding to file that way for later.
"That's fine by me," Takeru said before the two entered the dining room.
Tsukuyomi was sitting down at the table as she was being served by Onari, "Thank you."
"Tsuki," Ruby greeted as she walked over. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh er… you didn't know?" Takeru asked.
Tsukuyomi gave a sigh, "I've been keeping low profile about it, but the truth is that Geiz and I are likely going to move out of 9-5-DO."
Ruby's eyes widened as she went to sit, "Wait why? Is this about Zi-O II? Listen I know he wants to be a k-"
"We're both not bothered by it," Tsukuyomi reassured. "It's a bit surprising to say the least but we've both decided to keep judging him as a person. No, rather it's Shiro-Woz' persistent presence alongside other pressuring factors… I figured it would be best to lay low for a while when it came to outside our battles. We had asked around and the Daitenku Temple was willing to accommodate us for a short while."
Takeru decided to quietly take his leave, managing to shove Onari back into the kitchen to keep out of the two girls' conversation.
"Other pressuring factors," Ruby repeated. "Like what?"
Tsukuyomi gave a sigh before shaking her head, "Its Blake and Yang, both seem to be even more distrustful at Sougo after everything."
"Of course…" Ruby could only give a groan as she rested her arms before burying her head in them, "They were the two most outspoken…"
"I know you want them to give Sougo a chance, but it's looking less and less likely," Tsukuyomi admitted. "Especially since they're questioning why we're still alright with Sougo. We're hoping that by leaving for a bit then they'll calm down on that front so that Geiz isn't suffocated by their questions."
"So it's only for a bit then?" Ruby asked.
"At least until this whole Geiz Revive situation is dealt with," Tsukuyomi reassured.
It had taken a bit, finishing the tea and getting dressed, but Blake had eventually made it to Section Zero. There she had met with both Mayu and Rinko alongside their superior, Masanori Kitazaki. She was currently meeting with them inside of Masanori's office, a white board being flipped over near the desk.
"Sorry about the lack of a full team, but I figured since the others are busy I could get a head start before they're done," Blake apologized as she gave a bow.
"It's honestly fine, I wasn't expecting the girl to have another team after what I was told of the Another Wizard incident," Rinko insisted, "It was also very short notice."
"But given the fact that these Another Rider's only like to suddenly show their faces, it can't be helped," Masanori added.
"So what exactly did you all find?" Blake asked.
"Various members of the various police branches in the city, such as Officer's Hikawa and Tomari were called to investigate a strange set of cases," Masanori explained.
"Put simply, someone was apparently uprooting various trees and then leaving piles of branches and logs nearby." Mayu explained. "But the further they looked in it wasn't the case."
Rinko soon went over and spun the whiteboard revealing various photos from afar of a strange wooden humanoid creature near where the trees were supposed to be.
Blake raised an eyebrow, "A tree monster?"
"We assumed it was a phantom at first," Mayu explained. "Due to Phantom's being based on mythical creatures, we assumed this was the case."
"However, there's this to also consider," Masanori added as he drew out a tablet and tapped on it, soon showcasing it to Blake.
On the screen was the tree just barely out of view when suddenly dark wisps wrapped around it, transforming it into the tree-like monster. Surprisingly it had only gone a few steps before the transformation n broke, its body falling apart. Something seemed to scurry out of view but it was so dark it couldn't be seen. Several more pieces of video footage followed the same pattern, but each time the transformation lasted longer.
"That's odd…" Blake admitted. "But the way the tree's transform do seem like the typical Another Rider transformation I've seen."
"Not only that but from what we were able to enhance and view of the photos, we managed to get this," Rinko said as she placed two new pictures on the whiteboard.
It was one of what was visible of the chest, the creature having the word Kikai engraved faintly on it. While on its left shoulder it had the date 2121 engraved faintly as well.
"Kikai… 2121…" Blake crossed her arms and closed her eyes in thought. "It does seem like it's the last Another Rider of a set we're expecting. But this one is completely the opposite of what I imagined. Not to mention the date seems odd compared to prior ones…"
"But this is something that we can hand off to your team, correct?" Masanori asked.
"Yes, you can count on Team RWBY to deal with this Another Rider," Blake confirmed.
Yang gave an unimpressed stare as she was currently at a riverbank underneath a bridge. Approaching her was none other than Shiro-Woz who held the same grin he usually had.
"Now then…" Shiro-Woz trailed.
"Let's get this over with," Yang said as she crossed her Screwder and Spannder together before attaching them to her Kikaidriver, "Henshin!"
[DEKAI! HAKAI! GOKAI! KAMEN RIDER KIKAI!]
The usual transformation took hold as Yang was transformed into Kamen Rider Kikai. Instead of summoning her weapons however she simply spread her arms out.
"Such a wise choice," Shiro-Woz said as he walked over and drew out a Blank Miridewatch, setting it on Yang's chest plate.
In a surprising turn of events however, yellow electricity crackled as the Miridewatch was forced away. A blue projection of a keyboard and screen hovered in front of Yang now.
"What?" Yang asked.
Shiro-Woz clicked his tongue as he put the Miridewatch away, "It seems as though your powers have extra security. Even using my prior methods that security lock would keep me from claiming your powers."
"That's weird," Yang said as she held her chest, the keyboard and screen disappearing, "So what now?"
"We'll need to find the password," Shiro-Woz admitted.
"Just great," Yang gave a groan as she dismissed her transformation, "And here I thought it was going to be easy."
"I do appreciate your straightforwardness," Shiro-Woz replied.
"Yeah well… I just want to make sure my sister's safe," Yang admitted. "She's letting her friendship get in the way of seeing how dangerous Sougo really is. So getting Geiz Revive out sooner than later would be a big help."
"Yes, yes it will be," Shiro-Woz agreed.
Yang was ready to take off when she pulled her phone out, her eyes widening when she saw a text from Geiz along with a picture. "Crap…" She said before running off.
Sougo could only groan out as he leaned back in his chair, currently wearing a headband that read 'On the brink!' while attempting to study.
"I couldn't see, after all… I couldn't see the answers!" Sougo called out only to quickly sit up straight at the sound of a hand smacking the table.
Weiss gave a sigh, "Please take this seriously."
On the table was an exam sheet with a lot of red markings, and of course most shocking of all was the current score which was 41. Needless to say it was better than getting a 19 or lower, but it still wasn't good by even a small amount.
"Well, he's lucky they're letting him take a make-up exam for the make-up exam," Junichiro remarked to Weiss as he brought over a drink. He set it down before addressing his nephew, "You better study since you're on the brink of failing." He reminded before heading for the front.
"On it," Sougo immediately grabbed a book to start studying only for a sudden wave of tiredness to kick in, likely because of him having to get up early. It wasn't long before he suddenly passed out from attempting to study despite being diligent a few seconds ago.
Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, ready to shake him when she stopped, "Wait…" She muttered when she remembered that Sougo had yet to talk about Kikai appearing in a dream. "Maybe I shouldn't…"
Sougo was once more in his dreams and he could tell this might be about Kikai because of how vivid it felt. It felt just like his dreams of Shinobi and Quiz, so he decided now was the perfect chance to investigate.
"Eh, wait…" Sougo stopped when he saw himself, noticing that he was wearing a blue basketball uniform. "What?" He scratched his head, noting he still had his headband on. "This is weird."
As he searched around he found that he was in an older more rural town. Something stood out immediately however as he noticed an old fashioned candy and gift stand.
"Ooh, this is just like when I was a kid." He hurried over as he noticed that it was run by an older woman. He then found a folding fan and held it up, "Excuse me but I'd like to buy this."
"Sure thing," The woman smiled before gaining a more curious look, "Sonny, are you a machine?" She gained a slightly more intense stare, "Or a human?"
"Uh, a human, I think," Sougo smiled nervously.
"Destroy all humans!" The woman called out with a sneer as her eyes glowed red before her entire body ripped itself apart revealing a tall machine underneath the flesh disguise. It had predominantly black joints with white armoring alongside blue accents, its visor being a black horizontal line with a glowing blue center.
Sougo yelped out as he backed away in shock, just barely avoiding the fast attacks from the strange machine. He quickly scrambled to his feet and ran, needing to hide somewhere. That was until he found an old man wandering around.
"Sir, it's dangerous here, you gotta run!" Sougo called out.
"My boy, are you a machine?" The old man asked.
"Oh, I don't like this…" Sougo trailed as he backed up.
The man's eyes shined a bright red as he continued the question, "Or a human?"
Sougo yelped as he ducked underneath the man who swung at him immediately, soon backing up in horror as he saw another machine like the one from earlier burst out from the human disguise. He barely had a chance to run only for the machine from earlier to jump into view.
Both machines began leaping and punching or kicking, the two managing to back Sougo into a corner.
"That's enough," A voice called out as a young man in a yellow shirt, denim jacket and pants with black gloves walked over.
The two machines turned, "Human?"
"Nope… Machine," The man readied his transformation, and much to Sougo's surprise it was just like Yang's own transformation. "Henshin!"
[DEKAI! HAKAI! GOKAI! KAMEN RIDER KIKAI!]
"A body of steel, and fire in my heart…" Kikai declared as he held his right hand to his chest while spreading his left arm out. He pumped both fists in before raising them up, "Kamen Rider Kikai!"
"Ooh," Sougo couldn't help but clap at the theatrics.
Despite the speed exhibited by both enemy machines, they were no match for Kikai who was quick to the draw. The mechanical Rider was easily blocking and stepping away from their attacks, striking back with his own heavy counters.
Kikai soon went for a left and right hook combo, striking both machines in their heads and stunning them. Using this chance he initiated his finisher by pressing both hands against his Kikaidriver.
[KIKAI DE HAKAI DA!]
Gathering both electrical and ice energy within his right leg, he spun for a roundhouse kick, striking both machines in the chest and forcing them to the ground. Both machines jittered before going limp from the attack as they fully shut down.
"Okay… this is uh…" Sougo wasn't quite sure he had this in mind for his final Future Rider dream.
BZZ
"Sougo…"
BZZ
"Sougo its Geiz…"
BZZ
BZZ
"Fine, I'll answer it but don't expect me to not wake you up."
Sougo could feel the dreamscape shaking around as he heard what seemed like buzzing and Weiss calling him?
Sougo slowly but surely woke up, groggily looking over to see Weiss using his phone.
"What the hell is Sougo doing?" Geiz asked. "I think we've got Another Kikai!"
Weiss winced from how loud Geiz was despite not having the phone on speaker, "Listen he just woke up, I'll send him there right away."
"I've already put in a call for Ruby too, we're ending this thing today," Geiz called out before hanging up.
Weiss gave a sigh before looking over at Sougo, "I think we've got an Another Rider, which is odd because you haven't had a dream yet."
"Just a bit odd…" Sougo admitted, because while he did just now have the dream he was barely given any answers before he was woken up. He then got up and stretched, "Better get going."
"Right, good luck," Weiss gave a nod.
Geiz and Yang both gave a yell as they rushed forward and punched, Geiz in his base form while Yang was transformed into Kikai. The duo were currently fighting against what they assumed was Another Kikai, assumed being a strong word.
It was the same creature that Blake had managed to catch glimpses of, its name and date matching what she had seen. But because she had yet to contact anyone, the Another Rider was still unconfirmed to them. Close up it looked like a humanoid made out of various trunks and branches of trees, all tied together by red rope. The most distinct part was the X shaped face that was an almost bone white coloration.
It didn't seem to have any special gimmicks or abilities, only utilizing its own version of Kikai De Hakai Da, gathering electrical and ice energy in its right leg before kicking out. Geiz had ended up being sent stumbling back while Yang braced.
Yang backed up from the special attack before bringing out Ember Celica, launching out explosive bursts to try and pelt the Another Rider from afar.
It wasn't long before both Sougo and Ruby ran up nearly at the same time. The two could only look at each other in surprise.
"Uh, is that stack of twigs supposed to be Another Kikai?" Ruby asked.
"I think so, I just barely caught it do one of Yang's finishers," Sougo gave a nod. "You ready?"
"Oh yeah," Ruby gave a nod.
[SILVER ROZE! ROZE!]
[ZI-O II! ZI-O!]
The two ran forward as they readied their transformations, "Henshin!"
[SILVER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) SILVER! (SILVER!) SILVER~! ROZE!]
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
Another Kikai had meanwhile entered a grappling match with Yang, trying to overpower her as it tried to force her to the ground. It ended up being grabbed from behind by Sougo, it being tossed back, causing it to run into Ruby who punched forward.
Ruby taken a deep breath, gathering her thoughts as light energy had gathered in her right fist. She unleashed it just as she punched, a burst of light slamming into Another Kikai causing a multitude of sparks to fly from it.
Another Kikai backed up, charging for another attack as it readied its own variant on Fullmetal the End. Ice and electrical energy gathered in its right foot as it leapt upwards, kicking out towards Ruby.
[RIDER SASU!]
Ruby drew out Silver Crescent and took aim, sending a powered up blast against the Another Rider's chest.
The attack had blown the Rider out of its finisher and backwards, directly towards Sougo.
[RIDER GIRI!]
Sougo slashed through Another Kikai as it hurtled past him, "How about that!"
The combination of powered up attacks ended up being too much for the Another Rider. It slammed and rolled against the ground before a massive explosion occurred from it. As the smoke and fire died down, all that was left were branches and twigs. With the battle over, the four dismissed their transformations.
"Jeez you two are really strong," Yang groaned out as she dusted herself off.
"What's going on though?" Geiz asked. "We beat the Another Rider but no one's there… Where's the host?"
"Odd," Ruby admitted as she scratched her head.
"Well, we beat him right?" Sougo said as he looked around. "And he's not immediately reforming so… mission done right?"
"Huh… I guess so," Ruby trailed.
"Alright well, I gotta study, so I'm out of here," Sougo clasped his hands together.
"Yeah, I guess you do…" Geiz trailed.
Ruby's face dropped slightly, "Sougo… you didn't…"
"Weiss already scolded me!" Sougo put his hands up as he backed away before running off, "And I better get back before she thinks I'm slacking off!"
"Weird that he hasn't had any dreams yet," Yang admitted. "Don't get what a bunch of wood had to do with computers."
"Whatever the case I feel like we're not done yet," Ruby admitted before seeing a text on her phone, "Huh, looks like Blake has a case for us."
"She uh… does?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, she asked us to meet up with her as soon as possible," Ruby replied.
"Oh uh… tell her I can't make it, I actually have something I need to do," Yang said as she hurried off, while a lead on the Another Rider was good, she wondered if Shiro-Woz had any clues.
"I swear… first she's avoiding me, now Blake?" Ruby asked with a sigh before looking over at the time traveler, "Want to come with Geiz?"
"Sounds good to me," Geiz agreed. "I'm not doing anything important anyway."
"Then let's go," Ruby said before taking off.
With everyone in the immediate area gone, the wood began to shift to reveal the face piece for Another Kikai was still intact. It grew six legs before scurrying off towards a nearby tree, finding a fairly healthy but old tree it attached itself. Soon enough the tree itself transformed into Another Kikai, the Another Rider lumbering off as it was watched by both Uhr and Ora.
"That thing gives me the creeps…" Ora admitted. "Just what the heck happened?"
"I have no idea," Uhr admitted. "Unlike Shinobi and Quiz, this one didn't start with a human host."
"How fitting that this Another Rider is the polar opposite of Kikai," Finis remarked with glee as they walked into view. "Not only is it nature as opposed to technology, but whereas Kikai is a neutral force worn by the user, this is a parasite which uses other living beings as its means."
"You mentioned these three were part of your plan," Ora turned to see their leader walking towards them. "What happened with this one?"
"That I'm not certain of," Swartz admitted. "Though glancing at the year does give a theory…"
"Yeah that's the weird part," Uhr admitted. "2121, that's way past 2068… how is that possible?"
"Now that is the curious part," Finis remarked with a smirk, "Regardless if it's that far into the future then there is no proper ancestor yet. Meaning that it's parasitic nature is made to compensate for that."
"The issue is that even if it makes a new body that body doesn't last long," Ora pointed out.
Swartz looked out towards the city in thought, "There has to be a way to stabilize it."
Dream World
Sougo had gotten ready to study again, with Weiss keeping watch he kept all his focus, at least until he found himself suddenly drifting off before falling asleep again. As a result he was whisked back to his dream world. The scene he found himself in was walking towards a set of fields with the young man that had saved him.
Needless to say he was really confused when it came to how this dream worked. The young man introduced himself as Rento Makina, and he seemed to be somewhat aware that this was a dream as well. There was no time to question though as a small set of children emerged from a corner, having followed him. After insisting that Rento charge up after the strenuous battle he had, Sougo was given a display of Rento's mechanical nature.
The mechanical Kamen Rider had gone to a more open area before remotely activating a satellite that sent down a blue beam of energy to recharge him.
"There's a satellite that sends me solar power via laser transfer," Rento explained once the process was finished.
"Wow, you really are a machine!" Sougo called out.
"This is the year 2121," Rento introduced. "You're dreaming of the future, Sougo."
Despite his words, no one seemed to react at this being a dream world in the slightest.
"So this is a hundred years in the future?!" Sougo questioned as he looked around in awe before stopping, noticing that there wasn't much in the way of advancements. "If that's the case, kinda feels a little old school… And what were those things that attacked us?"
"Humanoise," Rento explained as he led both Sougo and the group of kids to an area with more cover, the kids playing as radio chatter was heard from an old beaten up stereo. The two Riders sat down as they watched the kids play, Rento continuing his explanation. "They are Mechanical lifeforms that can take the form of humans, in this time the world is ruled over by machines. This is a human preserve, a place created for human preservation to save them from extinction. But the humanoise won't even allow that…"
"So you're watching out for these kids while you're here?" Sougo asked.
"The humans are gathering, planning a counter attack," Rento explained. "I'm going to take them there…" He then lifted up the radio when he heard the message coming through, it giving the rendezvous point and goal to where they were headed. "If we stay on this road, it shouldn't be too much farther."
"That's impressive," Sougo admitted. "I mean, you're a machine too…"
"Well…" Rento trailed.
The kids began to yell as three Humanoise began to approach, the three asking the usual questions the other Humanoise would ask before shedding their disguises and revealing their fully robotic forms.
Rento moved forward while the kids all ran past him. He got between the kids and machines he managed to keep the Humanoise back before initiating his transformation, "Henshin!"
[DEKAI! HAKAI! GOKAI! KAMEN RIDER KIKAI!]
Despite being three on one, Rento was still able to counter the Humanoise with ease. While they managed to grab onto him at times, he used his enhanced strength to throw them. He blocked, countered, and tossed the Humanoise around as he forced them back. But he was also unaware of Sougo moving in close by to watch the fight.
[ULTIMETAL FINISH!]
Rento quickly initiated his finisher, electrical ice energy forming on his right arm as he used it to punch straight through one Humanoise. As the Humanoise exploded he held his Kikaidriver, he wasn't done as he went for another finisher right away.
[FULLMETAL THE END!]
Gathering electrical ice energy in his right foot he jumped up and kicked out, the energy forming an ice spike which he rammed into the second Humanoise. An explosion occurred as he kicked past, landing on one knee. He then raised himself up as he saw a Humanoise leap past him.
"Don't just stand there!" Rento warned after seeing Sougo staring in awe.
Sougo soon realized the warning was for him, giving a yelp as the Humaniose clocked him directly in the face.
Earth – Mid February 2019
Sougo gave a yell as he fell out of his chair, slamming against the floor on his shoulder, "Ow…"
Weiss quickly hurried over, "Sougo what happened? I saw your face you looked confused and then you were making faces like you were fighting?"
"I think I'm dreaming about Kikai…" Sougo admitted as he was helped up. He then perked up when he heard his phone buzz. "No way…"
"Sounds like you have somewhere you need to be," Weiss pointed out.
"Sorry," Sougo apologized, "I'm not doing this on purpose…"
"Just go," Weiss gave a reassuring smile, "Make sure this case is done before you start studying again."
Sougo could only smile and give a nod before quickly rushing out the door.
Blake had met up with Geiz and Ruby, explaining to the two about her meeting at Section Zero and the likely Another Rider. Once they confirmed their information they began to hunt for Another Kikai, Ruby and Geiz confronting it while Blake texted the others.
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER ROZE! GENM! WEAPON TIME! GASHACON BUGVISOR!]
[KAMEN RIDER GEIZ! ARMOR TIME! COMPLETE! FAIZ!]
"Okay seriously what is this thing?!" Ruby called out as she aimed the Bugvisor and fired, she was currently utilizing the Bugvisor to aim rapid fire shots at the Another Rider. She closed in before switching to its chainsaw mode, slashing and cutting against the tree-like monster.
Geiz meanwhile was using the Faiz Shot to smash into Another Kikai, stepping back and allowing Ruby to get a few potshots at it. He then moved in to force the Another Rider back further.
"You two need to be careful!" Blake called out. "This isn't like any Another Rider we've faced yet!"
"We'll end this quickly then!" Geiz called out as he initiated his finisher.
[EXCEED TIME BURST!]
Geiz formed the signature red drill near Another Kikai, punching forward and into the drill before it slammed into the Another Rider. Forming on the other side of the tree monster the Faiz symbol appeared before the Another Rider exploded into chunks.
"Okay… what's going on?" Ruby questioned.
Blake however was focusing on the explosion, soon seeing the strange wood-like bug creature emerge and skitter off, "Ruby, Geiz, we need to go now!" She quickly ran off after it.
"Huh, wait… Blake, hold on!" Ruby called out as she dismissed her transformation, rushing off after her friend.
"So the host was a tree again?" Geiz questioned as he straightened up before dismissing his transformation. "What's going on here?" He then realized that both Blake and Ruby had bailed immediately, "What the hell? Did they just ditch me?!"
Sougo quickly ran over, "Geiz! Sorry I'm late!"
"That Another Rider came back," Geiz explained. "It has to be Another Kikai… I mean what else would it be? The attacks it used seemed just like Yang's."
"You're right," Sougo agreed. "It's definitely Another Kikai… its date should be 2121."
"How do you know that?" Geiz asked before smacking himself in the face, "Wait…"
"Yep, it was a dream again!" Sougo smiled. "I figured I'd help confirm that we are dealing with the last of three here."
"That's all well and good but seriously?" Geiz asked. "Was this dream just today?"
"Um… yes," Sougo said slowly, not liking Geiz' tone of voice.
"Listen, you need to focus on studying!" Geiz began pushing Sougo back as he was annoyed now, "You know how serious it is to repeat a year?! Not to mention if Weiss ends up doing all that hard work only for you to fail!"
"Y'know you're right," Sougo realized before heading off. "Well I had the dream so you guys can handle it, I gotta make sure I pass! See ya!"
"Another dream huh…" Yang asked as she walked over.
Shiro-Woz was also with her, giving a small wave, "Greetings my Savior."
Geiz' eyes widened, "Yang? What are you doing with Shiro-Woz?"
"I could ask the same thing," Yang shot back, "Why are you still with Sougo?"
"Because we believe in him," Tsukuyomi called out as she walked into view, "Is there a problem with that?"
"Regardless, a Rider from the year 2121…" Shiro-Woz trailed. "Even I have no knowledge that far ahead. From what Ms. Xiao Long told me about the prior incidents… I believe that the overlord's dreams are premonitions."
"This is getting insane," Yang pointed out. "Everything's pointing towards his powers growing stronger than any of us can handle, you need to beat Oma Zi-O as Geiz Revive and that's final."
"Not happening," Geiz gave a glare. "I'm surprised you haven't given him your powers yet."
"Yeah I would if these weren't locked so damn tight," Yang huffed as she crossed her arms.
Geiz could only stare a bit, wondering what Yang even meant in that regard.
Tsukuyomi could only ponder Yang's words before shaking her head, "Regardless, our stances will remain the same. Unless Sougo begins to head down the dark path of Oma Zi-O, we won't interfere."
"Whatever," Yang gave a sigh before walking off.
Shiro-Woz could only give an amused look before following after Yang.
"Tsukuyomi…" Geiz trailed as he stared off to the side, "Was I really that bad?"
"Absolutely," Tsukuyomi answered, not even choosing to make her answer easy to swallow. But she gave a soft smile, "It just shows how much you've grown."
"I suppose so…" Geiz trailed though his thoughts were now on Sougo's dreams. "I think I know what to do."
Weiss was currently sitting at the front of 9-5-DO, deciding to give Sougo some room since he had decided to take some energy drinks. While normally she would have just given up by now and gone back to the apartment, she at least felt like supporting Sougo in what felt like his most desperate of hours. Not to mention she was still getting updates from Ruby, having been given the information Blake had earlier.
At the very least she was at least relieved to hear that apparently everyone was going to handle the Another Kikai case. Well that was until she saw Geiz enter with a brown bag.
"Geiz… what are you doing?" Weiss asked.
Geiz froze and slowly turned towards Weiss, "I'm not going to make Sougo fall asleep if that's what you're thinking…"
Weiss gave a sigh and walked over, "It's about his dreams isn't it?"
"I think we might need them a lot more now than the other times," Geiz admitted.
"So what's in the bag?" Weiss asked before sniffing a bit, "Is that…?"
"Yep," Geiz gave a smirk.
"Let's get this over with then," Weiss replied before heading for the kitchen, she was surprised to see Sougo was studying diligently at least. Well until she and Geiz would implement the time traveler's plan.
Geiz had soon set up a wide assortment of scented incense and began fanning them to get the smell over to Sougo.
"Something smells nice…" Sougo admitted as he sniffed the air a bit. He turned over only to see Geiz fanning them with Weiss directly behind the time traveler.
"Lavender, it's supposed to relax you so you can sleep," Geiz explained.
"Uh Geiz… behind you…" Sougo pointed.
"I'm allowing this," Weiss answered simply.
Sougo was even more confused, "Wait what?"
"Listen, you need to focus on sleeping!" Geiz declared, slamming the fan onto the table before walking over to Sougo. "Now sleep!" He then began to try and force Sougo's head down so he could get in a resting position.
"Hey, stop that!" Sougo gritted out.
"Another Kikai is different from all the other Another Riders!" Geiz pointed out as he tried to force Sougo to rest his head. "We need to know what he is and how to beat him and our only lead is your dream!"
Weiss gave a sigh and brought out a glyph to force Geiz back, giving a chuckle as she watched the time traveler barely find his footing.
"Look, just sleep, alright?" Geiz requested a bit more calmly this time. He glanced at Weiss, the ex-heiress giving an approving nod. He turned his attention back to Sougo, "You need to have that dream."
"Yeah, okay, I get it," Sougo rubbed his neck as he realized that a lot was likely riding on this, "But it's not that easy to fall asleep."
"Your dreams are more than just that…" Geiz mentioned. "You know how we theorized how you might be seeing into the future?" He asked only to get snoring in response, when he turned he saw that Sougo was completely knocked out.
Dream Earth – 2121
"Sougo? Sougo. Sougo!"
Picking up right where he left off Sougo was being patted awake by Rento, slowly but surely waking up within the dream.
Rento didn't seem to notice Sougo's slow speed when it came to waking up. So he continued to pat him on the shoulder to wake him up, "Sougo? Sougo! Sougo! Sougo? Sou-whoa!"
Sougo had immediately shot up and startled his mechanical friend, "Whoa…" He then remembered what had hit him before noticing that the Humanoise was off to the side and in pieces.
"What a relief, you're okay." Rento sighed in relief as he stood up before suddenly faltering and falling to onto the ground, just barely catching himself in a sitting position.
"Rento!" The children were nearby when the saw this happen, voicing their concern.
"Hey, are you alright?" Sougo's eyes widened as he put a hand on Rento.
"My energy levels are just low…" Rento said as he managed to lift himself up. He then walked over to a more open spot, crossing his arms before raising them up. He sent a wireless signal to the satellite that would recharge him.
However something was wrong on the satellites end, a warning flashing as a red beam of energy was sent down instead.
Rento gave a groan as he was caught in the red beam, red electricity crackling all over as he soon gave a yell. Instead of just recharging him, this beam was also implanting a program to make him go berserk.
"Rento?" Sougo saw the kids showing concern before turning towards his friend. "Rento!"
The beam finished though Rento still yelled out as his transformation was forced without his permission, transforming into Kamen Rider Kikai as he gave a yell.
"Rento!" Sougo yelled out.
Rento tilted his head in a disturbing manner as his visor flashed, "Are you… a machine?" He asked as his body jittered around, "Or… a human?!" He yelled as he swiped at Sougo.
Sougo gave a yelp as he dodged out of the way. He tried to find his Ziku Driver he realized he didn't have it on him. Giving a groan he ran into an empty warehouse, hoping to lose Rento.
The mechanical rider wasn't far behind however, easily catching up to Sougo and pinning him against the wall. Rento then gave a yell as he went for a gut punch before smacking Sougo straight in the face twice. The second punch had forced Sougo to slam face first into a wall, forcing him out of the dream world.
Earth – Mid February 2019
Sougo shot up with a gasp, "Rento?!"
"Sougo, are you okay?" Weiss asked, she was sitting nearby as Geiz was nowhere to be seen. She gave a grimace, "This time it seemed worse, what happened?"
"I well…" Sento began to take deep breaths to calm his breathing.
"Take your time," Weiss added. "But it almost looked like you had a nightmare."
"W-Well Kamen Rider Kikai is named Rento who's a robot," Sougo managed to get out as he went for the abridged version. "He's fighting against these machines called Humanoise. When I went back in he had just finished a tiring battle and needed to charge up… but…"
Weiss raised an eyebrow, "But what?"
"The charge up was… wrong I think? Usually a blue beam gets sent down from a satellite to charge him up, this time it was red and caused him tons of pain," Sougo explained. "Then he got forced into his transformation and attacked me, but then I woke up…"
"Hmm," Weiss trailed a bit as she recalled a shocking moment near the climax of the Battle of Beacon, the Atlesian Knights' visors turning red as they started attacking anyone on sight. "He might have gotten hacked… taken over by the enemy."
Sougo gave a grimace, "That's not good."
"Especially on our side," Weiss replied as she recounted the information of the tree's transforming into Another Kikai before falling. "Blake thinks that Another Kikai might be a smaller Another Rider that needs to manifest a body by taking something over."
"Wait…" Sougo started to put the clues together before giving a grimace. "Weiss we need to find the others and Another Kikai now."
"I don't like that look," Weiss replied. "You figured something out didn't you?"
"Honestly I'm hoping I'm wrong…" Sougo admitted as he stood up, getting ready to head out.
Ruby wasn't having the best of times as she barely dodged out of the way of a series of almost wooden-like tendrils. Blake had seen the likely source of Another Kikai and wanted to chase after it. But by the time they corned it, Another Kikai was back. The issue was that Another Kikai had managed to separate the two and force Ruby away. By the time she got back, Blake was absent and now Another Kikai seemed to be even more hostile than before.
In a hurry Ruby summoned Crescent Rose without transforming, swinging it around as she jumped and used the recoil to launch her farther away.
Another Kikai gave a growl as its tendrils were batted back, retracting them before marching towards Ruby.
"Just what did you do to Blake?" Ruby questioned as she readied Silver Roze, "Henshin!"
[SILVER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) SILVER! (SILVER!) SILVER~! ROZE!]
Taking her strongest form she concentrated as she gathered light energy along the palm of her right hand. Gripping her hand into a fist she quickly punched forward once Another Kikai was close, unleashing a burst of light. To her shock she had blown away a large chunk of logs and branches instead.
"What?" Ruby asked.
Another Kikai was several feet away from where Ruby had punched, it giving a growl as it crossed its arms and spread them out. Several wooden missiles launched out from its back, the missiles suddenly doubling as they rained downwards.
Ruby could only give a yell as she was bombarded by a series of explosions from all around. The ensuing explosive force had sent rolling backwards, but she eventually slowed before lying on her back. She gave a cough as she rolled on her side, her transformation holding but the attack had still hit hard.
Another Kikai was ready to move in when it suddenly heard the sound of a digital clock ticking.
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
Geiz gave a yell as he slammed his foot into Another Kikai's head, managing to force it to stagger back. To his surprise it recovered quickly, the Rider getting slammed back by its arms.
Tsukuyomi quickly ran over and knelt near Ruby, "Ruby are you alright?"
"It keeps evolving," Ruby winced. "Have you seen Blake?"
"She wasn't anywhere near here," Tsukuyomi shook her head.
Geiz meanwhile was attempting to slug it out with Another Kikai but wasn't fairing to well. As soon as he landed a good clean hit against Another Kikai's face, he suddenly found himself breaking through a log as a pile of wood had taken the Another Riders place.
"What?" Geiz asked before Another Kikai came in from the side, slamming him away with a backhanded swing.
"Wow you guys are getting your butts handed to you," Yang remarked as she quickly ran into view, of course with her was Shiro-Woz.
Ruby, while focused on the situation at hand, couldn't help but stare in near shock at what she was seeing, "Yang, what are you doing with him?"
"Sorry it has to be like this Sis," Yang admitted as she readied her transformation. "But Geiz needs his help via Geiz Revive. Henshin!"
"I am honestly glad one of you have wised up," Shiro-Woz gave a near mocking smile as he readied his transformation into Futurering Shinobi, "Henshin!"
Geiz meanwhile gave a scoff as he readied his Ghost Ridewatch, "Don't assume you know what's good for me."
[DEKAI! HAKAI! GOKAI! KAMEN RIDER KIKAI!]
[TOUEI! FUTURE TIME! DARE JA? ORE JA? NINJA! FUTURERING SHINOBI! SHINOBI!]
[ARMOR TIME! KAIGAN! GHOST!]
Ruby tried to pick herself up only to wince as she fell again, "Damn it…"
"Don't push yourself," Tsukuyomi suggested.
Shiro-Woz readied his Zikan Despear in its sickle mode while Yang readied her Ember Celica, the two charging immediately. Geiz meanwhile floated forward, kicking out and managing to strike Another Kikai in the side.
Yang reeled her arms back before punching forward, unleashing two explosive shots against Another Kikai. It seemed to have the same effect as a few other attacks, the blasts tearing through random logs and branches as Another Kikai appeared off to the side.
Shiro-Woz however was quick on the uptake, vanishing in a puff of smoke and performing an upward swing, striking the Another Rider in the back and into a stagger.
Another Kikai gave another growl as it unleashed more tendrils from its arms, spinning around and lashing out at the trio of Riders. Its attacks were mostly successful, in the fact that it had managed to gain some breathing room.
"How annoying," Shiro-Woz hissed out.
"Let's see how you like this," Geiz clasped his hands together before performing a hand sign and pushing outwards. He summoned several Parka Ghosts that lunged forward and began batting away the tendrils before all of them rammed into the Another Rider.
"Now," Yang pressed down against her Kikaidriver before charging up electrical ice energy in her right leg.
"As you wish," Shiro-Woz initiated his finisher.
[BEYOND THE TIME! NINPO! JIKAN SHIBARI NO JUTSU!]
[FULLMETAL THE END!]
Shiro-Woz brandished his sickle before spinning and slicing, a crescent wave of energy splitting into several more as they slammed into the Another Rider.
Yang meanwhile took a few steps forward before spinning and kicking out, unleashing an electrified spike of ice from right boot. The electrified ice exploded against the Another Rider and sent it flying backwards.
Surprisingly despite the finishers the Another Rider still stayed intact, it lying on the ground as it tried to get up.
Just arriving onto the scene and approaching the Another Rider were both Sougo and Weiss.
"Whoa, basically everyone's here," Sougo realized.
"Just what is going on?" Weiss questioned, her eyes narrowing when she saw Yang and Shiro-Woz close to each other, yet the two weren't fighting. She was also concerned when she saw that Ruby was seemingly down for the count.
"Zi-O, did you find out anything about it?" Geiz asked.
"Sorry, not yet," Sougo apologized before readying his transformation, "For now, let me help… Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
"I'll leave it to you," Weiss readied Myrtenaster but began stepping away to give Sougo the space he needed.
"Right," Sougo gave a nod.
Another Kikai wasted no time in charging in once Sougo entered the battle, trying to swing at him only to get punched in the chest. It staggered before trying again only to get its arm batted away before being punched again. It lunged this time, hoping that Sougo wouldn't counter, only he did, pushing past it before kicking it away.
Sougo kept his stride as he moved in towards the staggered Another Rider, going for two powered up punches, ending with a kick. To his surprise however the Another Rider had turned into a pile of branches and logs, those being kicked instead as it appeared a few feet away from him.
Weiss narrowed her eyes, "What was that?"
Another Kikai brought out its tendrils quickly unleashing them and managing to ensnare Sougo's arms with them. What it wasn't expecting was Sougo to summon his weapons, the Zikan and Saikyo Girades, both weapons cutting through the tendrils easily.
Sougo caught both weapons once his arms were free. He then glanced at Weiss as he readied his weapons. "I need Glyphs all around Another Kikai when I start slashing."
"On it," Weiss aimed and pointed Myrtenaster in the direction of Another Kikai, slowly shifting as she saw it moving forward.
Sougo closed in, parrying the swipes from Another Kikai with his dual wielding stance before performing a cross slash against the Another Rider. Once again he was simply slicing through wood based debris as Another Kikai moved to the side.
However a sudden set of glyphs appeared around Another Kikai as it left its debris based copy. This resulted in it bumping into the glyph and being forced away from it and back into Sougo's path. It was soon sliced through further, and any attempts to try and fool Sougo with copies simply didn't work as the Glyphs around it had boxed it in and forced it back into Sougo's attack path.
"Dismiss them now!" Sougo let out a yell as he slashed with both swords. With the glyphs gone the attack had sent the Another Rider rolling away.
[ZI-O SAIKYOU!]
Sougo had switched to the Best Face before attaching it to his Zikan Girade, combining both weapons together to create the Saikyo Zikan Girade.
[SAIKYO FINISH TIME!]
[KING GIRI GIRI SLASH!]
Sougo raised his blade high, energy erupting and extending from it before he slammed it down against Another Kikai. The attack was enough to overload the Another Rider, causing a massive explosion that sent chunks of wood flying.
Out of the explosion however there came a groan as Blake soon staggered out, her Aura breaking as she fell onto her stomach.
Weiss' eyes widened, "Blake?!"
Yang quickly dismissed her transformation jogging over, "Blake!"
"No…" Sougo muttered as he saw this, the worst case scenario that he thought of being an actual thing that could happen. When he heard that trees could be possessed and that it was likely the work of a smaller force, he wondered if humanoid beings could be taken over. "This is what I absolutely did not want to happen…"
"But… how?" Ruby winced as she was helped up by Tsukuyomi, limping towards where the others were, "Another Kikai attacked us… unless…" She then remembered that Blake was alone with the Another Rider while they were separated. "Oh no…"
"Just what's going on?" Geiz asked as he walked over alongside Shiro-Woz.
Sougo decided to use this time to look into the future as Zi-O II, the clock hands on his face turning as he was given a premonition of the future.
He was seeing from first person view, Swartz was holding the face of Another Kikai before placing it against the persons face.
The vision immediately got Sougo on guard, "Everyone, stay on guard!"
"What? Why?" Yang asked as she went to go check on Blake.
"It's not over yet," Sougo answered as he moved closer and kept his combined blade at the ready.
Only smoke was left from the explosion by this point and it could be seen that Another Kikai's face was on the ground still. It soon grew six legs as it entered its bug-like form, scurrying off as it was in full view of everyone.
Before it could get any further it was suddenly grabbed by Swartz who had just arrived with Uhr.
"I must say you all have given me quite the show with this Another Rider," Swartz admitted with a sly grin as he looked at the face of Another Kikai, "I had sent three watches out into the city to become new Another Riders, but it seems as though due to its far off year, Another Kikai's Watch simply merged with nature and became something much more different. I must admit that this is a rather unique situation we're all in."
"Just what are you babbling about?" Yang gave a glare.
"Woz, you're still aiming to collect Kikai's Watch, correct?" Swartz asked as he addressed Shiro-Woz.
"That would be correct," Shiro-Woz answered.
"Well I'm looking to collect my own Watch as well," Swartz gave a grin before turning. "That being the case…"
Sougo soon realized whose eyes he was looking out of in his vision when he saw Swartz turn, "Uhr, look out!"
Uhr raised an eyebrow before he noticed Swartz walking over to him, he gave a gasp as the Another Kikai face was pressed against his own. "Swartz, what are you-?!"
"I won't take no for an answer," Swartz declared as he let go of the face.
The face of the Another Rider began letting loose tendrils from it as it forced itself to attach to Uhr's face, more tendrils shooting out as the typical Another Rider transformation occurred.
[KIKAI!]
Another Kikai yelled out as it raised its arms, it seemed as though Uhr was resisting but the parasitic Another Rider was mostly in control. It then slammed its hands onto the ground before rocketing off into the sky and away from the area.
Geiz could only stare in shock, "You sacrificed your own ally?! What are you trying to do?!"
"Seeing as that girl made a suitable host for a short while, using a Time Jacker like Uhr as a host should stabilize the power of the Another Rider," Swartz explained his logic before turning and walking off. "Thus a Watch will be created. As for who obtains Kikai's power first… why don't we have a little race?"
Watching from a distance was Ora who gave a glare as she watched Swartz take off. She then quickly rushed off in a hurry. Finis was also in the area and could only give a light smirk at Swartz' plan and Ora's reaction, all too curious at how Ora herself would proceed.
Shiro-Woz meanwhile could only give one of his signature laughs, "Very well, but that power will be ours."
"You don't speak for me," Geiz crossed his arms.
"Ah but my Savior I do speak for a few others," Shiro-Woz pointed out before taking his leave.
Yang went to pick Blake up, carrying her bridal style before following after Shiro-Woz. She stopped though when she crossed paths with Ruby.
"Yang… I need you to think about what you're doing," Ruby said she dismissed her transformation. "You can't seriously trust him, can you?"
"I could say the same to both you and Geiz about Sougo," Yang remarked before taking off after Shiro-Woz.
Weiss could only narrow her eyes slightly at her teammate, "Seriously…"
Ruby could only give a sigh as she looked down, staring at the ground in front of her.
"Ruby…" Sougo trailed before glancing to the side, feeling a bit hurt that Yang seemed to not trust him even after all this time.
Geiz simply gave a sigh as he went to help Ruby, "Let's get you back to the apartment and patch you up."
"And so, my Overlord starts to slowly but surely lose allies, walking a lonely road in the process…" Woz narrated with a smile as he had yet to leave his black void yet, content with watching things play out for now. "But there is no need to worry, my Overlord… That loneliness will be what spurs you on to greater heights, and even greater power."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"…you need to use that power!"
"We're not giving this thing's intelligence enough credit."
"Weiss!"
"You all have the wrong password!"
"I told you that you'd regret your words…"
Chapter 44: Best Friend Forever 2121
Author's Note: So remember how I said I had to buff Another Quiz? I also felt the need to buff Another Kikai as well… or rather, make it a hell of a lot more dangerous after seeing its potential. I figured I'd use its parasitic and virus-like nature alongside it being based off of a mechanical Rider to have it pull some underhanded stuff. Like snatch Blake's body for a bit to boost its power up significantly.
But I suppose it's time to talk about minor details for this chapter. And that's also not counting a few Legend Rider references I also chose to sneak in. We've got the first of Decade vs. Zi-O references I plan on putting in this story. While I literally have no way to utilize both ideas as stories for Roze, I did want to poke and reference them. That being Sougo's attire in Dream 2121 being the same basketball getup that the one in Decade vs. Zi-O had for obvious reasons given the twist with him in that special. I also altered the Humanoise in function because I felt like putting in a fun reference to Memory of Heroez. The robotic forms they have being the Speed Type enemies introduced late game in MoH. Also let's be real, if someone was to cause a robot apocalypse, Foundation X would be the ones to inadvertently do so.
With that said thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time for the conclusion of Kikai's story.