Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 51 – Riders United 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." Woz narrated as usual in his narrative void, though in his left hand he held an icepack up to his forehead while keeping his book open with the other. "As the climactic battle soon approaches, many revelations are discovered by Tsukuyomi and Oscar. While Miss Rose has reconciled with her friends, all parties are heading to one area and one area alone, Saturn Parking."
He began to pace around, wincing and limping a bit as getting beat by Geiz twice in a short span of time had done a number on him. "The most I can do now is to recuperate as I allow the others to reach towards a brand new future as a result of this current clash."
Earth – Late February 2019
Geiz walked slowly and surely up the ramp to the empty parking garage that was Saturn Parking. It was an old parking garage that no one ever used and had mostly just shut down. While people could still use it due to it not being blocked off, there wasn't much need to. It was really the perfect place to have a fight, enough open space, a possible lower area to think tactically in… and no one to really bother them by watching.
After managing to make it to the top, Geiz went to sit down. He honestly hated that Sougo seemed to be taking his sweet time, because that left him alone with his thoughts. It allowed him to slow down and think about why he was doing this at all. Of course it also gave him a chance to relax as he could feel his body getting better, even if it was just a bit via his newly unlocked Aura.
"I figured as much…" Geiz admitted as the wait seemed to take forever. That was until he heard a distinct cawing sound, looking up he saw an icy-blue Nevermore pass overhead before it went to land at the entrance. He began to pick himself up once he heard steps and talking.
"I swear… you really took a beating."
"Well I knew you'd come and get me out of said beating."
Weiss was currently helping Sougo up the ramp after they had landed. The two were slowly but surely making their way up to where Geiz was.
Geiz quickly hurried over, staggering as he grabbed onto the metal fence that was near the edge of where he was.
"Geiz," Sougo gave a bit of a smile, "Guess I'm late, huh?"
"You're beat to hell, Zi-O…" Geiz admitted as he followed the two as they walked, though even he had to hold onto the fence since he was still trying to recover.
"And you aren't?" Weiss remarked.
"Why did you even bother showing, in that shape?" Geiz asked Sougo before looking at Weiss, "Why are you even helping him?"
"He insisted, heavily," Weiss said as she continued to help Sougo move forward. "There was no point in arguing with him."
It wasn't long before the three of them were next to each other, face to face, no longer separated by the fence that kept them apart.
"I had to," Sougo finally answered. "A promise is a promise. Besides, with how things are… This was the only way I could see you."
"What?"
That was what both Geiz and Weiss had asked, both had assumed that they were gearing up for a final confrontation. But both were surprised when Sougo had basically admitted to also using the confrontation as an excuse to see Geiz.
"Y'know… Before I met Ruby, and then you and Tsukuyomi, I never really had any friends," Sougo admitted, hands behind his back as he kicked at the ground. "And then after I went to Remnant I made a lot of friends too. Weiss, Blake, Yang… I was kind of hoping they were following you around so they could be here too."
Geiz's eye twitched as he hurried over and grabbed Sougo by the collar, "Don't be stupid, we're not friends! We're about to have our final battle!"
"Will you stop with the act," Weiss crossed her arms.
"Its fine Weiss," Sougo shook his head, "You weren't here, but I told Geiz and Tsukuyomi something when this whole Zi-O business started."
"But… if I choose the wrong path, and it seems like I'm turning into Oma Zi-O… I want you to take me down."
"I trust their judgment, both of them."
"If they have to, then I'll allow them to take me down."
"Even after all of it, if becoming a Rider still ends up turning into you becoming an Evil Overlord. I'll take you out, I promise."
"I trusted Geiz and Tsukuyomi with this back then," Sougo explained before looking over to the other Rider. "If you were ever convinced I'd become Oma Zi-O… you could take me down. You're convinced now, right? That I'm going to become Oma Zi-O."
Geiz took a few deep breaths, "I…"
"There you are!"
[ZI-O!]
Sougo, Geiz and Weiss were suddenly caught off guard by Hiryu dropping down from above between them all. He had just transformed into Another Zi-O and swung his arms, forcing Weiss to stumble back while sending Sougo rolling across the floor.
Weiss gave a wince before realizing what had happened, "Sougo!"
"Just sit there and wait, I will kill Sougo Tokiwa now!" Hiryu called out, his voice revealing he was at his breaking point when it came to his patience. He rushed forward and lifted Sougo up before reeling his arm back, ready to punch.
Weiss was ready to bring out some kind of Glyph to distract Hiryu when her eyes widened at what she was seeing. Geiz had run over with almost no hesitation, grabbing Hiryu by the arm with both of his.
Hiryu could only stare in shock, "What?!"
"Don't touch him!" Geiz gave a glare as he managed to keep Hiryu's arm held down.
"Weiss!"
Weiss soon turned, quickly getting up as Ruby skidded to a stop nearby via the Rose Attacker, Yang passing by the two before slowing to a stop on a Ride Vendor, Blake sitting as her passenger.
"Thank goodness you all are here," Weiss sighed in relief.
"Looks like we won't have to do much convincing," Yang admitted as she looked over towards where Hiryu was.
"Let's get in there," Ruby suggested as she readied Crescent Rose alongside her teammates readying their own weapons.
"He's your enemy too isn't he?" Hiryu asked, still confused as he shifted his arm to try and shake the Geiz off, "He's going to become an overlord!"
"Zi-O, become the overlord?" Geiz asked as he gave a glare, "There's no way that'll happen! He's one of the kindest, most trustworthy persons I've ever known! He'll become a King and a Kamen Rider! And… he's my friend!"
Hiryu gave a growl before managing to shove Geiz away, forcing the time traveler to tumble into Sougo before the two were sent tumbling back. He was ready to move forward when sparks flew from his back as explosive rounds and bullets hit. He turned only to get hit by a fireball in the gut and an energy blast in the face.
Team RWBY were quick to rush in and slip past Hiryu, the four hurrying over and standing beside their fallen friends.
"All of you damn nuisances…" Hiryu hissed out as he grabbed his face, sliding his hand down in frustration as the Another Rider Army he had slowly but surely began to form behind him. Either by teleporting in, hopping the fences, or dropping down from the sky like Another Kuuga.
"I'm honestly surprised…" Kagami appeared near Hiryu in a burst of black petals, holding her Anotherwatch as she had yet to transform. "Team RWBY back together… given how some of you feel about Zi-O too…"
"Yeah well honestly, I'm still scared," Yang admitted. "I'm scared about the future and what that means for the people I love. But I'm willing to put my trust in Ruby and Sougo."
"We're done being ruled by our fear," Blake replied. "So after this is said and done we're starting over."
"Blake… Yang…" Sougo muttered in surprise.
"To think that half of you just went nuts," Hiryu scoffed before shaking his head, "Fine then, that just means you'll all die here and now."
"I do hope you've come to realize everything Ruby," Kagami said as she activated her transformation, "…"
[ROZE!]
Soon enough Kagami took her form of Another Roze, bringing out her bident as she waited alongside the Another Rider Army.
"Get on your feet already!" Geiz called out to Sougo, "If anyone's ever going to take you out it'll be me and me alone. But right now…"
"We fight together," Ruby finished as she readied her Ziku Driver and Roze Ridewatch.
"Right," Sougo gave a nod as he brought out his Ziku Driver and Zi-O Ridewatch.
Geiz brought out his Ziku Driver and Geiz Ridewatch as he stepped forward, standing alongside both Ruby and Sougo. Weiss, Blake and Yang had all backed up in order to allow the Riders room to transform together.
The trio of Riders looked at each other before giving a nod.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
[KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
[KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
Kamen Rider's Zi-O, Geiz and Roze stood together, the remaining members of Team RWBY stepping up between the three to form the team of six that would face the Another Rider Army.
"Attack and leave no one standing," Hiryu held his arms out as all of the Another Riders gave yells and charged forward towards their opponents.
"This will be fun," Kagami chuckled as she stayed where she was as she wanted to see how this would play out.
"Let's get going!" Geiz yelled as he rushed forward.
It was a mess of fighting at first, Another Riders trying to attack one opponent but bumping into each other. Weiss, Blake and Yang barely navigated through and countered with their weapons when necessary. Ruby batted away any attempts at an attack while shooting with Crescent Rose to counter. Geiz and Sougo meanwhile rushed in fist first while working on spreading the Another Riders away from each other.
Geiz grabbed Another Gaim's blade to keep it in place as he kicked Another Faiz away. He then threw his arms to the side to force Another Gaim to stagger before moving to kick at Another Ghost. As he fought he noticed something odd, Another Faiz had strange blue glitch marks on it from time to time.
"Could it…" Geiz quickly loaded in the Faiz Ridewatch and summoned the Faiz Armor before launching up into the air.
[ARMOR TIME! COMPLETE! FAIZ!]
[FINISH TIME! FAIZ! EXCEED TIME BURST!]
Not wasting any time Geiz immediately activated his finisher, using the Faiz Pointer on his armor to bring out the signature red drill of Faiz's Crimson Smash. He fell into the drill that soon slammed into Another Faiz.
An explosion occurred from where Another Faiz stood, the Another Rider getting kicked out of that explosion by Geiz before it exploded and dissolved into blue data while the Anotherwatch shattered. Taking into account that some of the others didn't have this strange glitch to their body, Geiz realized what was going on.
"Most of these Another Riders don't seem to have hosts!" Geiz called out, "They're using some kind of data body!"
"Then that makes things easier!" Sougo called out as he initiated his own armor time.
[ARMOR TIME! SOIYA! GAIM!]
"Secret technique…" Sougo gained the flashy Gaim Armor before raising the Daidaimaru's he wielded up into the air, "Orange parade!"
Suddenly dozens of crudely drawn orange projections were summoned in the sky, all of them raining down like meteors. Hiryu and Kagami were both forced to pull backwards as a good chunk of the Another Rider forces began to rush for the lower levels. Geiz saw this and decided to rush after the Another Riders.
Another Gaim was one of the ones trying to get away only to get slammed in the gut by Sougo's dual Daidamaru's.
[FINISH TIME! GAIM! SQUASH TIME BREAK!]
Sougo wasted no time, slicing past Another Gaim before spinning. He slashed against the Another Rider several more times before an orange juice filled explosion occurred.
Another Gaim fell to the floor, its transformation dismissing as it was revealed to be one of the few Another Riders with a host. It wasn't anyone notable however as it was just a factory worker.
Another Cross-Z and Another W had chosen to stay on the upper level alongside Another Kuuga, the grouping moving towards Sougo only for a set of ice spikes to form in a line nearby and forcing them all to scatter.
"You're welcome," Weiss remarked as she readied Myrtenaster while Blake and Yang opened fire with their guns, the two working on keeping the Another Rider's separated.
"Sougo," Ruby hurried over to Sougo however, "Help Geiz with the ones down below, my team and I will handle these three."
"You'll need these then," Sougo held out the W and Kuuga Ridewatches.
"Thanks," Ruby gave a nod as she took them, "Now get going!"
"I'll leave it to you," Sougo gave a nod as he hurried for the lower level.
While Hiryu went to follow after Sougo, Kagami had stayed as she wondered if Team RWBY would be able to handle the Another Riders they were left with.
Weiss worked on sending out ice chunks to try and trip up Another Kuuga and keep it from advancing. Blake meanwhile was peppering Another W with gun fire before using her Shadow Semblance to avoid it whenever it closed in. Yang meanwhile gave a grunt, blocking a punch from Another Cross-Z with her right arm before batting down the next punch. She ducked and punched at the Another Rider's gut before jumping back. Another Cross-Z had attempted to follow only to get shot in the face by Ruby who hurried over.
"What's the plan sis?" Yang asked.
"Pair up with me, pick them off one at a time, the others will run interference," Ruby called out as she readied her Cross-Z Ridewatch, "You're up first sis, Weapon Time!"
[CROSS-Z! WEAPON TIME! BEAT CLOSER!]
Ruby took the weapon before handing it to Yang, "This should help."
"Alright," Yang gave a grin as she grabbed it and got in a slightly awkward but decent sword stance, "Not much of a sword girl but this'll do!"
"Then let's go," Ruby took aim and began firing at Another Cross-Z.
Another Cross-Z yelled out, gathering fire in its hands and launching them out to cancel out the energy blasts from Ruby. It also attempted to hit Yang with a few of them though the blonde Huntress was able to duck and weave between fireballs.
Yang gave a few yells as she swung wildly, while only managing glancing blows at first she managed to close in enough for two quick slashes. She then held the Beat Closer with both hands before slashing past Another Cross-Z's gut.
"Pump the handle!" Ruby called out.
[HIPPARE! SMASH HIT!]
Yang gave a nod as she pumped the handle to the Beat Closer once, blue flames as she turned before slashing forward, releasing a burst of blue flames against the Another Rider.
Another Cross-Z gasped out as it stumbled backwards from the attack, sparks flying as the attack had been very effective.
[HIPPARE! HIPPARE! MILLION HIT!]
"Let's see if you can beat the heat!" Yang called out.
Red, yellow, and green energy began to gather in a music bar-like fashion before she charged forward, bringing her sword down against Another Cross-Z's chest. The blond Huntress grinned before slashing further, unleashing the energy and forcing Another Cross-Z back further.
"I get the feeling… we can't lose!" Ruby called out as she initiated her finisher, "Yang!"
[FINISH TIME! CROSS-Z!]
"On it," Yang suddenly found her hand filled with the Lock Fullbottle, loading it into the slot she pumped the lever twice out of instinct.
[SPECIAL TUNE! HIPPARE! HIPPARE! MILLION SLASH!]
Yang swung her sword forward, blue chains snaking out and latching onto Another Cross-Z as she quickly threw her arms up, managing to lift the Another Rider into the air.
[DRAGONIC TIME BLAST!]
Ruby spread out her arms, a blue eastern dragon projection snaking behind her as she did so. She kicked to jump high into the air, utilizing Petal Burst to launch herself higher. Breaking out of Petal Burst she launched towards Another Cross-Z with the eastern dragon following behind her. It spit out fire, coating Ruby in a series of blue flames as she performed a roundhouse kick against Another Cross-Z.
Yang pumped her fist, "Alright!"
Another Cross-Z could only yell out as it exploded, dissolving into blue specks of data as the explosion died down. Ruby landed before removing the Cross-Z Watch to dismiss the weapon time, "Yang, you're on Another Kuuga duty."
"Got it," Yang gave a thumbs-up before rushing over to fire off some rounds against the giant Another Rider.
Ruby meanwhile used Petal Burst to slide near Weiss, "Okay, one down…"
"I take it I'm up next?" Weiss asked as she had been glancing every now and again while distracting Another Kuuga.
"We'll save Another Kuuga for last," Ruby replied before looking over, "Blake, swap!"
"Got it," Blake quickly flipped away from another W to land near the two before going to join Yang in dealing with Another Kuuga.
"So how do you suppose we do this?" Weiss asked.
"Like this," Ruby said as she loaded in the W Ridewatch.
[DOUBLE! WEAPON TIME! METAL SHAFT!]
Ruby drew out the signature weapon of W's Metal half which was the Metal Shaft, handing it over to Weiss.
Weiss glanced at the compact weapon before it suddenly extended on both sides to reveal its full length.
"This will do," She said as she twirled the staff around before readying herself.
[LUNA!]
Another W shifted its Joker half to its Luna half, extending its arm outwards to strike at the two. Its hand was struck by the Metal Shaft, Weiss thrusting it forward.
Weiss began to twirl and spin the staff weapon she wielded, using its range to safely block against the Another Rider's extending arm. She kept closing in with each block and counter she performed, eventually getting close enough to stab the end of the staff into the Another Rider.
Sparks flew as Another W staggered backwards, shifting back to its Joker half as it resumed its standard Cyclone Joker abilities. It gave a chuckle however as Weiss stabbed forward, splitting in half as both halves spun around, the halves moving past Weiss and behind her. They soon reformed into Another W who went to strike at her only to get shot in the back by Ruby. It gasped as it paused and held its back.
Weiss quickly turned and slammed the Metal Shaft into its gut to force it to step back, "Let's finish this before it splits further."
"Sounds good to me," Ruby gave a nod as she loaded the W Ridewatch onto Crescent Rose.
[FINISH TIME!]
[STAG!]
Weiss was surprised when a stag beetle rider gadget materialized on the Metal Shaft but she didn't question it as she held up the Metal Memory which appeared in her free hand. She slotted into the Maximum Slot before thrusting forward. The Metal Shaft unleashed a green energy, forming a claw that clamped down on both sides of Another W.
"Try escaping now," Weiss taunted.
[DOUBLE SASU SASU SHOOT!]
"Crescent Aerobuster…!" Ruby pulled down on the trigger of Crescent Rose, unleashing multiple shots of green tinted pressurized air against Another W.
Another W yelled out as it was struck by the blasts of air, sparks flying as the eneegy claw clamped down on it fully. It soon exploded before falling out of the explosion as it dissipated into digital particles.
"That's two," Weiss called out as she tossed her weapon, it disappearing due to Ruby dismissing the weapon time.
Blake gave a yell as she spun and threw her arms forward, having a firm grip of her weapons ribbon as she flung the other end along with Yang towards the side of Another Kuuga.
"Take this ugly!" Yang called out as she slammed her feet into Another Kuuga's face, kicking off of it to make it take a few steps back. Yang gave a yelp as she landed on the ground, tossing Gambol Shroud back to Blake, "Jeez, they really leave us with the big one huh?"
Another Kuuga yelled out as it slammed its foot against the concrete before roaring towards the two.
"So what's the plan now?" Weiss asked as she hurried over to the rest of her team with Ruby.
"Blake and I will take the lead," Ruby said as she hurried over before loading the Kuuga Ridewatch in.
[KUUGA! WEAPON TIME!]
"Uh sis, is it supposed to do that?" Yang asked.
"Yeah I figured given what Sougo said," Ruby admitted as she noticed she didn't summon anything, she held out her hand, "Blake, mind if I borrow Gambol Shroud?"
"Sure," Blake handed it over to Ruby, "What for?"
"While Kuuga himself doesn't come with weapons, he can still make them," Ruby said as she took Gambol Shroud and shifted it to its gun mode. "It's only a temporary change but…"
[PEGASUS BOWGUN!]
In an instant Gambol Shroud's shape and form shifted into that of Kuuga's Pegasus Bowgun. Ruby soon gave it back to Blake whose eyes were wide in surprise.
"Whoa," Blake said as she looked it over.
"Don't pull all the way back unless you want to use the finisher," Ruby said as she readied Crescent Rose.
"Sounds good to me," Blake said as she readied her new weapon.
"You shoot first, I'll follow up," Ruby said as she held out her arm, giving a chuckle when Blake tapped her own forearm against hers. "Let's get shooting!"
Another Kuuga gave a growl as it jumped back, launching fireball after fireball at the group. Weiss went for protection, bringing out Glyphs while moving back with Yang. Both Ruby and Blake used their Semblances to dodge. Both Petal Burst and Shadow allowed for them to easily move around and avoid the attacks.
Blake slid to the side, pulling back on her weapon's hammer, releasing it and unleashing an arrow from it. When the arrow hit, it created a small Kuuga marking on the Another Rider. That marking was soon hit by a precise shot from Ruby's own rifle. Sparks flew as a result of the combination attack. Both Rider and Huntress would soon continue this tag team, dodging with Blake firing first and Ruby following up. They're hit and run tactics had managed to cause significant damage to the Another Rider.
Another Kuuga yelled out as it hunched over, slamming its hands into the ground as it crouched. It began launching fire balls at a faster rate, but this time only focused on both Ruby and Blake. Ruby and Blake both gave light gasps as they were forced on the defensive, barely having time to stop and attack.
"Okay that's annoying," Yang growled out.
"How about we help them then," Weiss suggested as she formed an Ice Glyph in front of Yang.
"Sounds good to me," Yang called out as she began launching out explosive rounds, sending them through the Ice Glyph.
Another Kuuga yelled out as it began to slowly inch its way forward only for it to see the explosive rounds heading towards it. It lifted its wings to fly only for both wings to get shot by Ruby and Blake respectively. The Another Rider stumbled as it was bombarded by explosive ice rounds, various chunks of ice covering and freezing its arms and legs and even its face.
"We've got a clear shot," Ruby said as she initiated her finisher.
[FINISH TIME! KUUGA!]
"On it," Blake quickly crouched and took aim, pulling the hammer of the Pegasus Bowgun back in full before unleashing an arrow from it. The arrow flew before hitting its mark on Another Kuuga's chest.
[MIGHTY TIME BLAST!]
The spot where the arrow had hit began to glow as a large Kuuga symbol appeared on the Another Riders body. Ruby clicked her right heel before running forward and jumping up. She curled up and spun in the air before kicking out, the sole of her boot gaining the symbol of Kuuga. She slammed her boot into the chest of the Another Rider, giving a yell as she kicked through it.
Another Kuuga could only give a muffled yell as its face was still covered in ice, the energy from the arrow and kick combining together before causing a massive explosion that eradicated it. Ruby panted a bit as she had skidded against the ground in a kneeling position. While those three were taken care of, the battle wasn't over yet.
Ruby dismissed her weapon time, this resulting in the Pegasus Bowgun to return to its original state of Gambol Shroud.
"Not bad you all," Kagami called out as she began to walk towards Ruby, "But I'm not like those Another Riders."
Ruby raised her arms as she got ready to fight when suddenly she found herself side by side by her teammates. She blinked in surprise behind her mask, "Guys?"
"Go help Sougo and Geiz," Weiss replied and pointed Myrtenaster forward.
"We'll stall your dark half," Blake added as dual wielded her blade and cleaver sheathe.
"Trust us alright?" Yang said as she cracked her knuckles.
Ruby paused before giving a nod, "Sounds good, I'll leave it to you!"
The three members of Team RWBY all got in defensive stances as Ruby herself used Petal Burst to launch towards the fight occurring in the lower levels of Saturn Parking.
At the same time that Team RWBY was dealing with their set of Another Riders, Geiz was fighting off the remaining Another Riders that had followed him down to the lower interior of the parking garage. In addition to Hiryu lurking among them, only Another Ryuki, Wizard, Ghost and OOO were left. Despite Sougo rushing in, the fact that the two were still utilizing their Faiz and Gaim armor's meant they were at a disadvantage.
Another Ryuki launched a fireball at Geiz to force him to block, Another Ghost floating towards and spinning into him to force him back.
Another OOO meanwhile blocked Sougo's swords with its claws, Another Wizard slipping in and sending a high pressure burst of water out of its hands to force Sougo back.
Geiz gave a light gasp as he ended up hitting Sougo's back, he glanced back, "Bad matchups."
"Wanna trade?" Sougo asked as he held up Ryuki's Ridewatch.
"Might as well," Geiz agreed as he quickly split up from his partner, moving in to kick and force both Another Ghost and Another Ryuki back before activating his Wizard Ridewatch.
Sougo meanwhile threw his Daidamaru's at both Another Wizard and Gaim to force them to back up, activating his Ryuki Ridewatch.
[WIZARD!]
[RYUKI!]
As if reacting to the Armor Time's activating, the convex mirror in the parking garage began ringing before warping. Suddenly Dragreder launched out, snaking around and beating back the remaining four Another Riders as the Armor Times formed onto Geiz and Sougo.
[ARMOR TIME! PLEASE! WIZARD!]
[ARMOR TIME! ADVENT! RYUKI!]
"Good job buddy!" Sougo pumped his fist up in the air, bringing out two Dragclaw gauntlets before he turned and ran for both Another Ryuki and Another Ghost. He held his arms forward as he spewed out fire against the two, forcing both of them back. Dragreder gave a growl as it began attacking Another Ghost to keep it away from Sougo.
Another Ryuki yelled out as it used its sword to brace against the flames before charging for Sougo. It slashed only for Sougo to block with one of his Dragclaw's, punching it in the gut with the other. The future king of time then began unleashing bursts of flames as he performed a combo of punches against the Another Rider.
Geiz meanwhile closed in on Another Wizard, spinning and performing a wind filled roundhouse kick to force the magical Another Rider back. Another OOO tried to close in only for Geiz to hold his hand down before raising it. A slab of earth shot from underneath the Another Rider, slamming into it and sending sparks flying as it was flung back. Geiz then held out a hand, forming a blue magic circle that shot out an icy blue wind, ice suddenly coating and covering Another Wizard as it staggered back.
[FINISH TIME! RYUKI! WIZARD!]
[FINAL TIME BREAK!]
Sougo gave a yell as he ran forward, Dragreder spiraling around him faster and faster before it lit up in flames. Soon enough Sougo become a ball of fire that launched towards Another Ryuki. The fire ball slammed into the Another Rider, engulfing and destroying it with an ensuing explosion. Sougo launched out of the flames as Dragreder shot back into a nearby reflective surface.
[STRIKE TIME BURST!]
Geiz spread his arms out as he brought out red, blue, yellow and green magic circles behind him. He flung his arms forward as the circles began to rise up. Each unleashed a dragon made of the elements, fire, water, earth and wind. The dragons all curved and slammed into Another Wizard, the Another Rider yelling out as it exploded.
Once those two were defeated, Geiz and Sougo wasted no time in initiating the last Armor Time's that were needed.
[ARMOR TIME! TAKA! TORA! BATTA! OOO!]
[ARMOR TIME! KAIGAN! GHOST!]
Sougo donned the OOO Armor, jumping towards Another OOO and clawing at it to send it backwards. He used his enhanced jumping to keep closing in, punching and clawing it to force it back.
Geiz meanwhile pressed his hands together, the Musashi, Edison and Robin Parka's all launching out and slamming into Another Ghost to force it near Another OOO.
[FINISH TIME! GHOST! OOO!]
Sougo jumped up, summoning rings of red, yellow and green energy between him and Another OOO. Geiz meanwhile gathered the Luminary Parka's around him, the three encircling him as he gained a ghostly orange aura.
[SCANNING TIME BREAK!]
[OMEGA TIME BURST!]
Sougo jumped up into the air, red wings forming at his back before diving head first, holding his claw arm out as he began to spin rapidly. He began rushing through the rings as he aimed for Another OOO. Geiz meanwhile vanished in a puff of orange smoke.
Another Ghost had mistakenly thought Geiz had fled, jumping up to attempt to interfere with Sougo's attack. However it suddenly gasped out as Geiz appeared right behind it in mid-air, kicking forward with a heavy amount of orange energy flowing from his boot.
Another OOO had leapt forward to try and deal with Sougo only for the future king to drill straight into its chest.
"SEIYA!" Sougo yelled out as he pierced through Another OOO just as Geiz kicked through Another Ghost.
Both remaining Another Riders could only yell out as they exploded. and dropped to the ground. Another OOO released the student Hiryu captured while Another Ghost was just a random bystander caught up in it all.
Sougo and Geiz let themselves relax for a moment before they heard Hiryu give a yell. Hiryu came in from behind, combining both his swords into their naginata form before slashing. Geiz turned and got hit first, Sougo rushing to catch the weapon before it hit. Hiryu forced it out of Sougo's grip before charging forward while holding his weapon horizontally, using its length to catch both Riders before dragging them into a more open but lower area.
Both Geiz and Sougo yelled out as they grabbed the weapon before pushing it up and kicking, forcing Hiryu back.
"I'll kill you!" Hiryu yelled out as he rushed forward, using his weapons range to easily slash and jab to force the two Riders back. He was ready to move forward when he gave a yell, sparks flying as he staggered to the side.
"Not on my watch!" Ruby called out, having used Petal Burst to launch towards the fight as she landed with a roll, quickly getting near Sougo and Geiz, "Sorry I'm late."
"You're just on time," Sougo chuckled.
"What about Kagami?" Geiz asked.
"My team's buying us time," Ruby replied. "We take them out one at a time."
"Then we'll need to go all out," Sougo pointed out.
Ruby quickly took aim and began firing at Hiryu to keep him back as Sougo and Geiz readied their upgraded forms. She quickly rolled when Hiryu rushed in and slashed at her, using this chance to drop her weapon and activate her upgraded form.
[RIDER TIME!]
[SILVER TIME!]
Both Sougo and Geiz moved in before spinning past Hiryu, the two kicking out and forcing him back as they joined Ruby, their form changes kicking in.
[KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
[RE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
[KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) SILVER! (SILVER!) SILVER~! ROZE!]
Zi-O II, Geiz Revive and Silver Roze all stood together, drawing out the Saikyo Girade, Zikan Jaclaw, and Silver Crescent respectively.
Sougo went to block Hiryu's incoming slashes, countering them with ease as he forced the last block to end in a clash. He quickly backed away as Ruby took aim, firing several blasts that struck Hiryu in the chest. Geiz swiped forward, his saw blade forcing the Another Rider to stagger back.
Geiz gave a light gasp as he hunched over, "Damn."
"Geiz," Ruby rushed over to help him, "Are you alright?"
Sougo slashed at Hiryu before the two kicked at each other, their kicks managing to force each other to backpedal or risk falling. Sougo looked back, "Geiz!"
"Don't worry about me," Geiz gave a light gasp as he straightened up, "It's not as bad as it could have been."
"We need to end this quickly," Ruby suggested.
"Then I'll just see the future!" Sougo called out.
Hiryu had gotten tired of playing fair, suddenly jumping to higher ground before unleashing a wave of energy against them from above.
"Geiz, Ruby, up high!" Sougo called out.
"Got it," Geiz called out as he went to switch formations for Geiz Revive.
Ruby meanwhile gave a nod as she switched her weapon to its Silver Face.
[SPEED TIME! REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-I-VE SHI-PPU! SHIPPU!]
[RYOSHI SASU!]
Hiryu quickly leapt onto higher ground, gathering energy in his weapon before gasping as he was forced to block and brace against blasts of light from Ruby. The Huntress Rider had chosen to not give him any opening, shooting at him as soon as he had the high ground.
"Behind you…"
Hiryu felt a shiver as he quickly turned and slashed, suddenly slashing through a blur of Geiz in his Revive Shippu form. "What?"
"You're too slow," Geiz grabbed onto Hiryu's weapon as his claw charged with energy.
[TSUME RENZAN!]
Geiz gave a yell as he punched forward while letting go of his opponent's weapon. His claw dug into Hiryu and despite being speed based, still had enough power to fling the Another Rider downwards and back onto the lower ground where Sougo and Ruby were.
Sougo gave a nod, drawing out his Zikan Girade, ready to combine his weapons, "Now, for the fini-"
BOOM
"INCOMING!"
Weiss, Blake and Yang all gave yells as an explosion had occurred on the upper levels of where they were, the trio jumping down as Weiss brought out an Ice Glyph, forming a large sword based off of her Arma Gigas' for the trio to slide down.
Geiz quickly sped down as he saw the three join them, "The hell happened?"
"Are you guys alright?" Ruby asked.
"Sorry Sis," Yang apologized as she landed, "But your mirror self is too good."
"We were lucky to survive that," Weiss pointed out as she dismissed the ice construct.
"And unfortunately we're not out of the woods just yet," Blake pointed out.
"I'm not done with you all yet!" Kagami called out as she jumped down to join them all, landing on one side of the group while Hiryu was on the other. She split her bident back into her twin blades, already having an idea. "Hiryu, we're ending this now!"
"Fine then," Hiryu gave a nod as he gave a yell, stabbing his naginata into the ground before using it to lift himself up.
"Sougo… what's the plan?" Ruby asked.
Sougo gave a nod, his belt flashing as the clock hands of his helmet turned. He concentrated as he worked to view the more immediate future as he received various flashes of what would occur.
Dozens of enlarged vines erupted from the ground as Another Zi-O was fighting Team RWBY while Another Roze fighting Geiz and himself.
"They're going to switch up on us," Sougo said in a low voice.
Ruby let out a light gasp when she realized that this could absolutely work to their advantage, "Then we let them start that tactic."
"We do?" Weiss asked.
"It's clever, let them think they have us," Geiz admitted. "But we'll be prepared."
"But we also do the unpredictable," Ruby said. "Sougo, Geiz, go for stuff they'd never think you'd do. Don't do the obvious with your forms. I'll do the same."
"Plan all you want, it won't help you!" Kagami called out as she switched her blades to a reverse grip, stabbing them into the ground. Soon enough the ground all around them turned a black coloration. "Hiryu, switch up for now, we'll weaken and then slaughter them all!"
"Do it!" Hiryu called out as he readied himself.
"Brace yourselves!" Sougo called out.
Both Hiryu and Kagami nodded before the two leapt forward from their spots. Suddenly the black ground underneath everyone began to bulge and shift before suddenly dozens of enlarged black vines erupted from the ground. All of them began to spread upwards and outwards, twisting around each other. This created a light jungle of vines at various angles that could be stood on or used for cover. As the vines finished growing they turned grey and became stone-like in appearance. However this wasn't a random battlefield that Kagami had created. She had deliberately used the vines to separate Sougo and Geiz from Team RWBY.
Sougo and Geiz looked around as they were on a vine, the two couldn't find anyone else in sight. Sougo realized this was what the vines were meant to do.
Kagami gave a laugh as she appeared between the two in a burst of black petals, slashing at Geiz. She chuckled when she saw Geiz speed away from her before she quickly turned, slashing and clashing blades with Sougo to keep him from combining them.
"I know your strongest attack is utilizing your combined blade," Kagmai remarked. "I won't let you use it!"
"Is that so?" Sougo gritted his teeth as he was forced back, being forced to go on the defensive as Kagami put the pressure with several more slashes against him. "Geiz… get going!"
"Are you stupid?" Geiz asked as he took a step forward.
"No, I can handle her!" Sougo called out as he tried to force a win in their clash.
"Sorry but I'll be playing with both of you," Kagami called out as she forced Sougo to take a few steps back. She turned to face Geiz only to have to quickly dodge Sougo switching to his Zikan Girade's gun form to shoot at her. "Why you…!" She jumped away and turned only to see Geiz had sped off.
[KEN!]
Sougo gave a yell as he rushed forward with his two blades, already getting an idea to put Ruby's plan into action. He gave a grin behind his mask as he forced Kagami on the defensive. He kept slashing and slashing, activating his future sight constantly as he worked on shutting down all of Kagami's moves, he'd make his move when he got a clear signal.
Hiryu meanwhile gave a laugh as he was on a middle vine, the members of Team RWBY all on various areas either level to or above him. "You girls can't win against me!" He called out as he activated Another Zi-O's future sight. "I'll simply defeat you all in an instant!"
"We'll see about that!" Ruby called out as she glanced around and addressing one member at a time, "Blake… Yang… and Weiss… let's do this!"
Hiryu wasn't sure what she was trying to pull but he decided he'd go up against Ruby first. He took a step as he activated his future sight to see how he could best overwhelm her. He gave a gasp as he turned, quickly jumping upwards to avoid bullet fire from Blake who had leapt forward. Hiryu gave a yell as he slashed at Blake only to reveal a clone, the cat Faunus having backed farther away via Shadow. She then threw Gambol Shroud towards him to hook his arm. Hiryu however gave a yell as he allowed it to hook his weapon but instead swung his weapon with all of his might, slamming Blake into a nearby vine.
Ruby kept Hiryu in her sights, giving a sign to Weiss when she saw that he had landed, especially when she saw what was going on next.
[POWERED TIME! RE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
"…Yang, catch!"
Hiryu quickly turned to see Geiz in his Revive Goretsu form on a higher vine but was confused when he saw Yang nowhere near him. Something else was off… he wasn't holding his weapon…
[POWERED NOKO! NOKO SETSUZAN!]
Yang let out a yell as she punched downwards with the Zikan Jaclaw's saw, striking Hiryu who had crossed his arms in defense. She yelled out as the attack caused sparks to fly, damaging him by grazing him as she slammed directly into the vine that Hiryu had landed on. It broke on the spot and sent debris and smoke flying, both Hiryu and Yang being forced away from each other as a result.
"It's useless!" Hiryu yelled out as he spun and swung forward, sending a wave of energy against Yang who had ducked to avoid it but was forced to back away as a result.
"You've left yourself open!" Weiss called out as she used a Hard Light Glyph, sending out multiple beams of arcing light towards Hiryu.
"You're stupid if you think I can't easily beat this," Hiryu used Another Zi-O's Future Sight as he backed away, finding just the right ways to dodge and block. He leapt backwards, spinning his blade around in front of him before slashing forward to easily avoid and block the attacks.
"Block this!"
Hiryu was still in mid-air when he heard Ruby, turning and gasping before he raised his weapon to brace. He had just barely managed to keep Crescent Rose's blade from digging into his chest as he was forced to fall with Ruby.
"It's over," Ruby called out as she held her scythe with one hand.
Hiryu gave a snarl, "If you think you can dig your blade into-"
[SILVER FINISH TIME!]
Instead of initiated her belts finisher however, Ruby had done the unthinkable, she had attached the Silver Face of Silver Crescent onto her Crescent Rose's Ridewatch slot but chose not to combine her weapons. Silver energy began to form and grow wild as this was a more unstable finisher since it was not the proper way to utilize the Silver Face with Crescent Rose.
"You…" Hiryu trailed in near shock.
"Rider Cutting…" Ruby called in a low voice as she gripped her weapon with both hands before pulling the trigger and forcing it further near Hiryu as they continued to fall.
[RYOSHI KAMA KAMA CUTTING!]
As soon as Sougo heard the start up announcement he quickly flicked the Best Face onto his Saikyo Girade before tossing it into the air.
[ZI-O SAIKYOU!]
Kagami however clashed blades with Sougo to keep him from combining his Zikan Girade with it. "I told you I won't-"
[FINISH TIME!]
Sougo had loaded in his normal Zi-O Ridewatch into the Zikan Girade before backing up and catching the Saikyo Girade, he then kicked off and leapt forward as he raised both swords.
[ZI-O GIRI GIRI SLASH!]
[HAOU GIRI!]
Sougo slashed forward, both of his weapons filled with energy and before Kagami knew it, all she could see was white.
In an instant, as soon as both attacks went off, a blinding white explosive light of energy erupted from the center of the maze of newly grown vines. The blast and explosive force had unleashed a massive explosion that kicked up tons of smoke that covered the entire lot and sent invisible waves of energy flying in the surrounding areas.
Anyone who was somehow nearby could only stare in surprise at the sudden appearance of a tall maze of vines erupting from the ground only for an explosive white light to tear it all away minutes later. Though if anyone could still watch was the question, the invisible waves created such great gusts of wind people had to ground themselves to keep from flying away.
At Saturn Parking itself it seemed as though there was only minor damage to the surroundings. There were cracks and chips, and some chunks missing from the areas but nothing too major. The tall maze of vines had ended up taken the brunt of the explosive force. And as the smoke began to clear it could be seen that everyone had managed to make it out fairly alright. One side effect of the explosive attack had meant that everyone had been blown back to the top of parking space of the lot.
Geiz had been smart enough to use Revive Shippu to grab Blake and Yang before rushing over to Weiss. He utilized Revive Goretsu alongside Weiss' barriers to protect them all, the most being done was them being flung back onto the upper level of the parking lot. Geiz however had taken the near full force of the attacks, falling to his knees as he realized that he was out of this fight.
Sougo and Ruby were both nearby, with the two letting out their finishers at full force they were able to keep from getting damaged and were simply blown back. Of course on opposite ends of them were their Another Rider counterparts. Both Hiryu's and Kagami's forms of Another Zi-O and Another Roze respectively were beat to hell and back thanks to the unorthodox nature of the finishers.
Kagami gave a light gasp as she readied her blades, only to shudder when she heard cracking. She saw that the blade in her left hand was starting to grow in cracks before it shattered. She shook her head before holding her remaining blade with both hands, "You can't beat me alone."
"I know I can't," Ruby answered as she walked forward as she took out Silver Crescent before tossing it towards her team, she then shifted Crescent Rose back to its rifle form, "Which is why I won't."
"Then let's put those words to the test," Kagami said as she readied herself.
While Kagami seemed to be completely ready to continue this, preparing her mind and body, the same couldn't be said for her partner.
Hiryu gave a gasp as he stood where he was, smoke exiting his monstrous form as there were various cracks and chips in his armor alongside it being charred, as even his glass helmet was cracked.
Sougo took a deep breath, "Hiryu Kakogawa…"
"…Why?" Hiryu's quickly lowered his head to stare directly at Sougo. "Why can't I defeat you?" He began to step towards Sougo, he dragged his still intact weapon after him. "How do you keep resisting and fighting when you should be completely exhausted?"
"I fight to protect, that's what makes a Kamen Rider strong," Sougo relaxed as he took another deep breath. "I won't let your ambitions against me eventually spiral out to hurt everyone else. I'll protect everyone, strangers, fellow riders, friends, family…"
Hiryu could only stare in heartbroken realization as a gust of wind blew through the area, clearing the remainder of the smoke as everyone else who was fighting was in clear view. It wasn't fair… none of this was fair to him… why did he have to work hard and lose while the teen in front of him, who he assumed took everything from him had everything he ever wanted.
"Damn it… it isn't… it isn't fair!" Hiryu gave a yell as he began to twirl his blade, slashing against Sougo, "Why is it that you have everything, friends, family, this future planned out for you?! Why is it that someone who's had everything handed to them is beating me, while someone like me who had everything taken from them keeps on losing?!"
Sougo gritted his teeth as he blocked against Hiryu's relentless and rash attacks. He didn't need future sight to see any of these attacks because he could tell how frustrated Hiryu was. The strikes were getting sloppier and more predictable, slower as well. Sougo could just block and slash to counter these attacks before finding an opening, managing to strike with both of his swords and force Hiryu's weapon into the air.
"Why…" Hiryu managed to reach and grab his weapon, twirling it as he reeled back and crouched, planning to slash upwards to slice Sougo from the bottom up. "How are you so strong?!"
[SAIKYO FINISH TIME!]
Sougo had used this chance to combine both of his weapons together, bringing the Saikyo Zikan Girade downwards against Hiryu's swing, completely shattering Hiryu's weapon into multiple pieces.
Hiryu wasn't done yet however, managing to grab a piece of his shattered blade as he charged forward despite the attack, "How?!"
[KING GIRI GIRI SLASH!]
Sougo gave a yell as he stabbed forward, a golden energy erupting from his blade as it stabbed and poured straight into and against Hiryu's Another Rider chest.
Hiryu could only gasp out as a gold crack appeared in the center of his body, it growing in size and spreading as sparks flew from the cracks. He gave a scream as he suddenly exploded, the Zi-O Anotherwatch flying off as it shattered while Hiryu hit the ground on his back with a thud.
However this battle was far from over as now Ruby had to face her own personal demon. Ruby gave a yell as she began firing at Kagami with Crescent Rose. When she saw Kagami easily blocking the blasts she launched herself to the side with Petal Burst.
[RYOSHI SASU!]
Kagami's eyes widened as several blasts of light were sent towards her, hissing out as she was struck by a few before coating her blade in black energy, canceling out the rest with a corruption wave.
"Forget about us?" Weiss asked as she held up Silver Crescent, Blake and Yang beside her.
"You…" Kagami soon heard a peculiar sound and turned to the side.
[ROZE SASU SASU SHOOT!]
Ruby had loaded her Roze Ridewatch into her weapon, sending out a red blast of energy that had petals trailing behind it. Though she expected what came next, Kagami gathering energy and slashing through it with ease. Ruby kept hold of her weapon as she initiated her Driver's finisher as she jumped upwards with a flip, kicking out.
[SHINING TIME BLAST!]
Kagami gathered black energy in her blade as she braced, blocking against Ruby's light filled kick as both corruption and purification canceled each other out.
"I told you…" Kagami hissed out, "You can't beat me alone!"
"Who said this was to beat you," Ruby called out as she kept the clash of kick and blade going, "This is to open you up!"
[ROZE SASU SASU SHOOT!]
Ruby had yet to let go of Crescent Rose despite doing a Rider Kick, taking aim with her Ridewatch still in as she send a finisher filled blast of red energy directly at Kagami's face.
Kagami could only yell out as she was thrown backwards, sparks flying as she tumbled against the ground.
"Now for the finale," Ruby quickly hurried over to her friends, "I'm going to need your help for this next part."
"What do you need?" Blake asked.
"Well…" Ruby trailed as she held her current weapon close to Silver Crescent.
Kagami gave a gasp as she managed to stand, her blade was cracked but she was still ready to go despite the finisher hitting directly against her. "I won't… go down…"
"You told me I couldn't beat you alone," Ruby's voice managed to grab her attention. "You were right."
[SILVER FINISH TIME!]
"Huh?" Kagami turned to focus only to back up in surprise.
Ruby had attached Silver Crescent onto the front end of Crescent Rose, creating a long barreled rifle in the process. The Silver Crescent Rose as she dubbed it was something she rarely used because the recoil was too hard to handle. But that was before she had realized she was isolating herself further from her friends with the solo mentality of being a Rider.
To counteract the recoil issue was a simple matter she was surprised she didn't think of earlier. Yang was kneeling down in front of her, keeping the main barrel of the rifle steady. Blake and Weiss were behind Ruby on both sides, the two having their arms against her shoulders to help her brace. Weiss however was holding out Mrytenaster, using a Glyph to keep them held in place.
"You…" Kagami trailed in shock before giving a chuckle.
[RYOSHI SASU SASU SHOOT!]
In an instant a giant beam of silver energy launched outwards and towards Kagami herself. The idea to brace via Team RWBY themselves firing it together alongside the Glyph was enough to keep the beam steady as a result.
[ANOTHER BLAST!]
Kagami gave a yell as she initiated her finisher, coating her blade in black energy before swinging it down as she attempted to clash against the massive beam. But she was entirely unable to as in a near instant her swords corruptive energy had been extinguished before her blade shattered. Kagami could only spread her arms out as she felt her Another Rider form start to destabilize, giving a final chuckle.
"You figured it out…"
An explosion occurred where Kagami once stood as the beam died out, Team RWBY all slumping over as Ruby dismissed her transformation. Sougo and Geiz could only watch as their transformations disengaged as well.
The Roze Anotherwatch was thrown away as it shattered in mid-air as well, Kagami coughing as she exited the smoke of the explosion. Kagami could only fall to her knees as she stared up in a dazed fashion.
Ruby gave a light gasp as she staggered forward, slowly but surely walking over to Kagami as she stared her down, "It's not over yet."
"By all accounts it is," Kagami remarked as she kept staring upwards before suddenly feeling sudden warmth around her, she looked down in shock to see Ruby hugging her. "You…"
"You were right, about everything…" Ruby admitted as she held her mirrored half close, "I was stupid for not realizing it sooner and letting this drag out. I may have not figured out everything yet, but I'll try my hardest to acknowledge these faults and work to improve on them."
"Idiot…" Kagami said softly as she hugged Ruby back, "So long as you do that then we're good."
"I suppose so, but it's still only right that I say one thing," Ruby could only pull away and put her hands on her mirrored self's shoulders, giving a smile, "I am you, and you are me."
Kagami could only smile back as her yellow eyes faded to silver, her clothing and appearance now reflecting Ruby's current clothes and physical state. She was no longer Kagami, she was once again her real self's reflection, "And with you accepting me, your trial is over."
Ruby could only smile as she helped her mirror self up, closing her eyes as Mirror Ruby turned silver before sliding into her. She could feel the strange emptiness in her be filled up as her reflection fully rejoined and accepted her.
"So it was all just a trial huh?" Geiz remarked as he sat down. "What a damn tough one…"
"I'll say," Weiss gave a sigh before smiling, "But it's glad to see she worked those issues out."
"She's grown stronger because of it," Blake gave a nod.
"Still wish her Mirrored Self went easy on us though," Yang admitted as she gingerly touched her side before giving a wince.
Sougo could only give a smile before looking back at the person who had caused him grief all this time.
"If it…" Hiryu managed to get out as he rolled on his side, despite his complete defeat he was still hanging onto his hate, "If it weren't for you…!"
"If it wasn't for me…" Sougo said as he walked over, "The accident wouldn't have happened, and your family would be alive, right?" He squatted down near Hiryu before bowing his head. "That may or may not be the case. My memories are still fuzzy about that day. But for what it's worth I'm sorry."
Hiryu looked up at Sougo who went to help him up.
"But trying to kill me and trying to hurt my friends... that won't help you at all. You won't be satisfied," Sougo continued, "You can't let yourself get consumed by the past or the future, you need to start living for the present. I'm sure we can move past that day and face whatever future awaits us so long as we try our hardest here and now."
Hiryu could only pull away as he staggered to the side, his breath shuddering as his eyes watered. He began to cry as he turned to walk away from everyone. And while it took a while, he had eventually left as everyone began to relax and unwind as they all sat on the damaged parking garage.
"Hey…" Yang finally spoke up after a while, "Sougo."
"Huh?" Sougo looked over.
"I owe you an apology, I'm sorry about everything," Yang said, "I was just… afraid and I let that fear overtake me. I'm sorry for acting so mean around you."
"I'd like to apologize as well," Blake gave a nod, "We were being unreasonable with our fear."
"That's the lightest way of putting it if I'm being honest," Weiss sighed, "But at least you admitted it."
"It honestly hurt to see you all couldn't trust me more," Sougo admitted, figuring he'd let his feelings on the matter out, "I do get it though, I'm scared of what the future holds. But I'd like to trust in everyone here that everything will turn out alright."
"We'll support you as best we can," Blake said as Yang nodded.
"Honestly," Geiz gave a light groan as he looked over at Blake and Yang, "I'd say I'm glad to see you two finally admitted it but it's not like I was much better…"
Ruby looked over to Geiz from where she was sitting, "You okay, Geiz?"
"I may have overdone it when using my power before we got here…" Geiz admitted as he got on his knees, "But thanks to Yang it was less severe."
"I unlocked his Aura," Yang explained.
"Huh," Sougo gave a nod. "But…"
"We still have to settle things," Geiz mentioned in a serious tone though cracked a small smile as he shakily went to stand.
Weiss buried her face in her hands, "Oh my goodness… I thought this was over!"
"Geiz, come on!" Blake called out in an annoyed tone, "Do you want to kill yourself?!"
"I mean… a promise is a promise…" Sougo gave a light laugh, "Don't you want to see who'd win?"
"You mean who'd win in a fight between two people beaten to hell and back already?" Yang asked.
"Sougo I swear," Ruby shook her head with a light laugh.
"So let's get this over with," Geiz said with a chuckle as he managed to stand up.
"Wait a sec!" Sougo called out as he stood up quickly, growing more serious, "Geiz… I have a favor to ask."
"Is this really the time?" Geiz asked.
"Could you… come back to 9-5-DO?" Sougo asked, giving a smile when he saw his friend's confused expression, "That place is your home now. Without you and Tsukuyomi, it's just not the same! So, I want you to move back in."
"Sounds good," Geiz admitted after thinking about it for a bit, "I would like that. But Tsukuyomi… she's…"
In a sudden manner, no one was expecting the familiar sight of an Aurora Curtain to pop up between them all. It slid over to a more spacious part of the parking lot before revealing Tsukuyomi and Oscar and then vanishing.
Tsukuyomi turned, "Sougo! Geiz!"
"Tsukuyomi…" Ruby could only stare in shock, "…AND OSCAR?!"
"Wait she found Oscar?!" Yang called out as she stood up immediately.
"Both of you stop!" Tsukuyomi quickly rushed between both Geiz and Sougo, completely reading the situation in the wrong manner. "There's no need for you two to fight! It's a lot to take in, but a lot of things have changed…"
"She's right," Oscar hurried over. "The future we've seen of Oma Zi-O… well that future might not be as set in stone as we think it is."
Tsukuyomi could only look pleadingly as she watched the two approach them. "So..!"
Her pleas were interrupted… by laughter?
Both Sougo and Geiz couldn't help but laugh a bit at the whole sudden nature of Tsukuyomi appearing. The two were admittedly mostly just jesting in their idea of facing off anyway, especially given their casual attitude before their friends sudden appearance.
"What?" Tsukyuomi asked as she wasn't expecting this, "What happened!?"
"It's nothing," Geiz shook his head as all his worries and anxiety just melted away when his friend suddenly returned. With the way she was talking it was clear what he had seen was a misunderstanding, not to mention she was clearly alive and well in front of him. "Really, it's nothing."
"You did miss a lot though," Sougo admitted before punching and doing finger guns, "We were like bang, bam, pow!"
"I'm confused…" Oscar admitted.
"OSCAR!"
Oscar winced as he heard all the members of Team RWBY shout his name. He was expecting a sudden tackle hug like what happened in Argus. What actually happened were Ruby and the others simply staggering over to him before pulling him into a group hug.
Ruby gave her friend a tight hug, "Why'd you have to go and worry us?"
"We had no idea where you were, or how to find you," Yang admitted.
"Do you have any idea how hard it was to even look for you?" Weiss pointed out.
"Just where were you?" Blake asked.
"It's a long story," Oscar admitted as he gave a soft chuckle, "Where should I even start?"
The sudden sound of everyone's stomachs grumbling for food had stopped him in his tracks however. Ruby and her friends backed away before everyone just started laughing again. They had been fighting and going on with this Another Rider plot for so long that they hadn't really eaten aside from breakfast. Everyone also noticed that it was getting pretty late as well.
"I think we can save that for another day," Blake admitted.
"We should probably get something to eat," Tsukuyomi suggested.
"I think I know just the place," Sougo gave a grin.
With everyone gone from Saturn Parking, everything was still and quiet. That was except for the sound of two things. The sound of cracking and crackling reversing itself occurred as a burst of energy could be heard.
Swartz walked over as he reached down and grabbed the Zi-O Anotherwatch, it having fully reformed despite Sougo defeating Hiryu.
The sound of reflective surfaces shimmering was heard nearby, glass cracking being heard in reverse as the Roze Anotherwatch formed back together as if it were a mirror being put back together. Finis walked over to grab it, lifting it up so that they could view it.
"I suppose we both had our contingencies," Swartz noted.
"Indeed, perhaps finding a way to grow their power would be good," Finis remarked as they held up the Anotherwatch to inspect it. "The power of a doppelganger that proved to be stronger than Another Ryuga, I must thank you Kagami…"
"Perhaps finding a temporary king for this to grow in power might work better," Swartz admitted as he stared at the Zi-O Anotherwatch.
Shiro-Woz gave a sneer as he watched Regulus shine brighter from the rooftop he was watching from. His entire plan had fallen apart entirely and spectacularly. Whatever had caused Geiz to change his mind was temporary. Another Zi-O was defeated, and while Another Roze was also defeated, that meant Roze herself had recovered mentally and come out stronger.
"What a shame," Jogen remarked as he stood at a distance.
"You…" Shiro-Woz turned with a sneer. "Why are you here?"
"To let you know that we no longer need you," Jogen replied. "You've done well in pushing the future forward, but we'll just have to find a new plan."
"I can still make the timeline of Geiz Revive happen," Shiro-Woz insisted as he walked forward before his body began to shimmer and become static filled. He looked his hand over as minor glitches occurred on it."This is…"
"Your timeline is becoming nothing more than a footnote," Jogen answered. "I suggest you savor your final moments."
"I can still do this!" Shiro-Woz shouted as he walked forward.
"No, you can't," Jogen turned and began to walk away. "Geiz will no longer listen to you now that he has his new power, you've lost your power as Woz, so you are essentially obsolete. Just accept your non-existence with some grace."
"I will not…" Shiro-Woz hissed out with a glare.
"Then I do hope you don't suffer too much," Jogen said before vanishing.
Shiro-Woz turned and marched towards the railing of the building he was one, leaning on it as he stared at Regulus once more. "If I am to vanish… I will make this worthless world vanish with me…" He gave a grunt as his body became static filled once more. "But I need time to make this happen… and help…"
At 9-5-DO Junichiro was a bit worried that Sougo had yet to come home, especially since he was planning something big for him given recent events. So he just took his mind off of it by working on the washing machine that had been left for him.
"We're back! I hope you don't mind but I might have brought a few dinner guests."
"Oh, welcome back!" Junichiro called out before smiling. "I don't mind, I was about to get cracking on something big for tonight regardless."
Sougo had entered alongside Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang and Oscar, all of them having cleaned up a bit before heading to the clock shop.
"Oh and you brought your friends too," Junichiro smiled before noticing Oscar. "Um…"
"Oscar Pine," Oscar gave a bow. "I'm a friend of Ruby and Sougo."
"Ah well a friend of theirs is welcome," Junichiro smiled as he gestured for them all to come in. "Please make yourselves at home! You all look tired, long day huh?"
"Uh… kind of," Sougo said before giving a smile. "Also I found someone for the rooms upstairs, two in fact."
On cue Tsukuyomi and Geiz slowly entered much to Junichiro's surprise.
"Is it alright if we stay here again?" Tsukuyomi asked as she looked over to her friend before whispering. "Come on, Geiz."
"Right," Geiz was a bit embarrassed but gave a bow. "We'd like to stay again."
"What do you think?" Sougo asked as he and everyone awaited the uncle's answer.
Junichiro couldn't help but smile and laugh a bit, "I mean… I can't think of anything better! Things are gonna be just as lively as when Ruby was here now!"
Sougo, Geiz and Ruby all had the same question, "Just as lively?"
"Yeah, somebody else wanted to rent one of the room's," Junichiro explained before pointing upstairs.
To the shock of everyone in the front of the store, Woz walked down in an almost casual fashion. He gave a knowing smirk as he saw everyone's reactions, "It's a pleasure."
"What the hell?" Geiz asked.
"The guys don't mind sharing a room, right?" Junichiro asked as he pulled Geiz over and closer to Woz who walked down the steps. "I mean, you two will get along just fine, right?"
At this Woz could only stare in displeasure while Geiz did the same, the two not enjoying the sentiment of sharing a room with each other.
"Good! So, today, we're celebrating the two of you coming back!" Junichiro called out before making his way for the kitchen. "And since there's a lot of you, that means sukiyaki!"
Sougo couldn't help but hop for joy as he stepped forward. "Sukiyaki?!" He asked as he bounced excitedly. "Hey, he said sukiyaki! Yes!"
"And so things go back to normal," Weiss sighed as she watched Sougo follow after Junichiro.
"Normal for us anyway," Yang remarked with a light chuckle.
"Yang," Geiz walked over. "You asked me something… back with Another Ryuga."
"Do you two think that Sougo still has the potential to become Oma Zi-O?"
"He won't become Oma Zi-O," Geiz declared as he looked to all his allies, his friends. "We won't let it happen."
"We'll trust in you and Ruby," Yang gave a nod. "And we'll help however we can."
"We're done letting our fear rule our actions," Blake agreed.
"That's all I ask," Ruby smiled.
"Kuro-Woz," Geiz walked over to the chronicler. "You seem to be set on turning Zi-O into an overlord, but we're going to put a stop to that."
"So argumentative," Woz threw his arms up only for them to fall limply. "Regardless of the specifics, with Oscar back in our ranks and me now living here, it seems we will be operating as a team for now." He walked over to Geiz and Tsukuyomi and put his hands on their shoulders.
"You're not on anyone's team," Geiz turned and batted away the chronicler's hand. He then began poking Woz in the chest. "Like I'm going to ignore all the shady crap you've been doing so far."
Sougo walked back over in high spirits, holding a large plate of meat and vegitables in his hands as he caught the conversation. "Kuro-Woz, apologize!" He called out with a knowing smile. "He might actually listen now."
Woz rolled his eyes a bit, "I'm sorry?"
Geiz immediately jumped onto Woz, "You call that an apology?!"
Oscar could only give a nervous chuckle, "So…"
"If the Time Jackers don't defeat us it will be because we self destructed," Weiss smacked her forehead with her hand.
Ruby though gave a soft chuckle as she watched Sougo attempt to break up the fight by running between the two, the tactic managing to work. Things were definitely looking up for them and their goals.
As the night went on a late dinner occurred as everyone was so tired after talking that mostly everyone had ended up crashing and falling asleep all around the store. Junichiro figured that it'd be rude to wake everyone up and tell them to go home. So he gathered Oscar, Tsukuyomi and Woz, who were the only three still awake, to help him set up some sleeping mats upstairs so they could all spend the night. Of course everyone was so knocked out and sleeping peacefully that they were able to be carried without the fear of being woken up.
Admittedly Tsukuyomi couldn't help but give a small smile, noticing that the last two that they had yet to move were Sougo and Weiss. The two had moved to the futon in the dining room to move out of the way of everyone else only to end up falling asleep next to each other, the two sleeping soundly as their heads leaned against each other.
Junichiro was wondering what Tsukuyomi was staring at and walked over before giving a smile as well. He couldn't help but think the two looked cute together sleeping like that. Slowly but surely Weiss and Sougo were carried upstairs before those who remained went to settle down and go to bed as well. It had been a long day, but a bright future was ahead, that was for certain.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Brother…"
"I think we're all working towards the same goal here."
"It's been a while."
"You must be the ones Takeru talked about."
"There's a female Specter?!"
Chapter 52: A Specter's Plight 2019
Author's Note: Well that was an explosive finale for sure as we officially exit the Another Zi-O section of the Arc! Ruby reconciled with Kagami, Hiryu's been defeated for now, and Tsukuyomi is back with Oscar and a wealth of information. Plus we finally got what I've been waiting to do with Silver Roze for a while, a classic Sentai staple in the Team Cannon!
Now normally we'd move onto Blade but as you saw in our next chapter Preview, we won't be doing that yet. We're taking a detour with the next nine chapters with a slight but necessary break from Zi-O's standard schedule. There won't be any new Primary Riders to meet, but we will be meeting other new Riders while revisiting older ones via V-Cinema's, Specials, and even Stage Plays. The first of which is going to be my own adaptation of the Ghost x Saber TTFC.
Onto a few questions popping up, there likely won't be any point where Ruby's included in Zi-O Trinity. At most I might reference the Novel that had a Zi-O, Geiz and Tsukuyomi Trinity but even that's a bit farfetched. And I think I answered this before but I will reiterate, once the Relic of Knowledge is back in the groups hands, that's when they'll start planning to head back to Remnant. Given certain characters appearing in certain tribute chapters I've already confirmed, I think you can guess around where that will be.
With all that said I will say that we will have another interlude before the next chapter, so look forward to that on Monday. I feel like everyone could use a good breather after everything that happened. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.