"Welcome back to the Roze Gaiden Collection," Woz smiled though he wasn't in his narrative void like he usually was. He was instead inside the observation deck that overlooked the training room in Atlas Academy.
Atlas Academy's training room was actually one of many training rooms contained within a singular larger room. This allowed Academy students or Huntsmen/Huntresses to easily train without interrupting each other. Of course the main operating systems of the rooms were all shared, as one would be able to bring up any of the files from any of the rooms in the observation deck if they so chose.
The room was fairly basic in aesthetic, being a flat room at first glance with the walls and ceiling keeping the Academy's aesthetic in design. The floor of the room was a grid-like pattern with Hard-Light Dust emanating between the tiles. This usage of Hard-Light Dust would allow the users to modify the room to their liking by creating Hard-Light blocks for walls, platforms, or cover.
There was no one in the room but Woz, and no one was training either. He went to open up his book before looking through the pages, "The story of Ruby Rose from Remnant who became Kamen Rider Roze has grown exponentially. So much that there are some stories worth telling beyond the usual chapters and interludes of the main story."
He then closed his book as he walked towards the main observation console, sitting in the chair and accessing the information with ease.
"While adventures in Atlas were fairly standard apart from what have been shown… there are the few routine moments all of us took part in at one point or another that were entertaining," Woz said as various video files of the fights inside the training room began to be listed, "While not the most necessary of tales, there are still some interesting moments within them."
Rider Time: Roze Gaiden Collection
Atlas Training Files
(Placement: Various points of time between "Meeting Mantle's Best" and "Desires and Destiny")
File #027B: Start
The training room was empty, well… that was until Clover walked in with Team Zi-O, having asked them to accompany him after they had gotten all dressed up alongside having breakfast.
"So, why exactly are we here again?" Geiz asked with a slight yawn, still waiting for the coffee to kick in.
"I assume it's to give us an introduction to this particular facility," Woz noted as he looked around, rather lively despite the early morning wakeup. Of course it wasn't questioned as most people who knew Woz already went with the 'it's Woz' explanation.
"Correct," Clover nodded, "You all have been busy with Pietro and being grabbed for missions that I imagine you haven't had a chance to enter one of our state of the art training rooms."
"Huh, that is true," Tsukuyomi realized, "I'd imagine the others have already though."
"Yep," Clover confirmed, "Teams RWBY and JNPR take whatever chance they get to hone their skills for future missions."
"Oh yeah I think I remember hearing Ruby brag about her Semblance getting better after some training with Harriet and Weiss," Sougo noted, "I'm surprised we haven't gotten in on this yet actually."
"Well better late than never," Clover replied, "I figured since you seem to have some better gaps in your scheduling with Pietro now that you can free up some time to come here whenever you need to."
"Okay, sorry to be blunt," Geiz said as before gesturing in front of him, "But what exactly do we do here?"
"Well that depends on the type of training you want to do," Clover replied, "Though this room is more suited towards fighting, movement, and ability training. The more basic stuff is where you'd hit the gym."
"I get that, but…" Geiz said before spreading out his arms to gesture further, "This is a very plain room."
"Feels like a pretty good spot for some nice sparring though," Sougo noted, noticing that despite the glowing lines, they weren't indented and that meant the room was completely flat.
"I'd imagine there's some sort of trick to it," Tsukuyomi said, "Otherwise we wouldn't have the glowing tiled floor."
"You're quick on the uptake Tsukuyomi," Clover replied before looking around and heading for the exit, "Can you head to the center, I'll be right back."
"Sure," Sougo said as he and his team walked towards the center of the room.
After a bit of waiting, the group noticed the observation deck that was on a higher level of the room, the lights turning on as Clover could be seen heading to the main console. He took out an earpiece and connected it to the room's speakers.
"Hey, is this thing on?" Clover asked through the main speakers.
"Yeah, we can hear you loud and clear!" Sougo called out.
"Good," Clover said as he began to press a few buttons, "Now, let me show you the main feature of the room you'll want to take advantage of."
It wasn't long before several squares began to flash, forming various Hard-Light blocks of varying sizes. Some ended up being so large that they were pillar sized. The team of Riders also noticed that even the height of a singular block could be modified with one barely being 1/4th out of the ground while a few were halfway formed, and some being fully formed.
"Whoa this is cool," Sougo said as he looked around.
"Indeed," Woz noted, "You could make many different training simulations this way."
"Okay, I'll retract my comment," Geiz replied.
"They aren't insanely sturdy of course," Clover said, "A good hit against the blocks and they'll tumble apart. So keep that in mind."
"This will definitely be interesting," Tsukuyomi noted.
"Yeah," Sougo nodded, "I think this'll be fun."
File #027B: End
File #140D: Start
Sougo was currently standing in front of Ruby, Blake and Yang who all had their weapons ready. The four were at the very front of the training room, close to the entrance.
"Don't expect me to hold back," Sougo spoke up after he had stared the group down for a while.
"We'd be disappointed if you did," Yang replied with a smirk.
"We're well aware of what you can do," Blake pointed out.
"Yeah," Ruby said before grinning, "Bring it."
Sougo nodded as he prepared his Ziku Driver and Zi-O II Ridewatch. While Zi-O II was known by the Atlas Military, he didn't mind as it was the only one of Team Zi-O's upgrades they knew about. Plus Zi-O II was a fairly standard stat boosting armor with extra abilities he could easily hide or pass off as something else.
Ruby, Blake and Yang all entered more crouched stances, ready to charge forward as they watched Sougo initiate his transformation.
Sougo went to unlock the Ziku Driver before rotating it, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
Zi-O stood before the three Huntresses and raised a hand to point at them, "Let's do this."
The three Huntresses all kept in their crouched states while keeping their focus up, none of them batting an eye when Zi-O let out a chuckle and turned before running in an almost zigzag-like manner.
It wasn't long before Penny's voice could be heard.
"One…"
"Two…"
"Three…"
"Four…"
The training room began to shift now, various pillars and walls rising out of the ground as well as a few single blocks. Zi-O meanwhile had to snicker as he continued to run away at a steady pace, the training room wasn't too large for this kind of exercise, but he thought it would be fun.
"Five…"
"Six…"
"Seven…"
"Eight…"
"Nine…"
Ruby, Blake and Yang all crouched forward further as they eyed where Zi-O was despite all the obstacles now in front of them.
"Ten!"
Ruby immediately used Petal Burst to launch onto one of the high walls, planning on surveying the situation. Blake immediately dashed for the side while Yang managed to catch sight of Zi-O, launching herself forward and into a slide before she turned and kicked off the ground.
"Alright," Ruby said as she went to take aim and support her sister only to hear shimmering from nearby. She turned and yelped as she saw a human sized Arma Gigas suddenly form on the wall she was on. Barely missing a beat she shifted Crescent Rose into its scythe form as she went to bat away the Arma Gigas' sword before firing at it only for it to fade away before the bullet hit, "Huh?"
The Arma Gigas soon appeared behind the wall, stuck to a vertical glyph. It launched forward and shattered the wall causing Ruby to yelp as she fell, using Petal Burst to manage to land on a medium height pillar.
"Not good," Ruby said as she quickly switched her weapon back to its rifle mode, shooting at the Arma Gigas which began to close in on the pillar she was on.
"You can't run forever!" Yang shouted as she managed to catch up to Zi-O who yelped at her arrival. She then leapt up into the air, planning on stomping on Zi-O, "Now!"
Blake was currently crouched behind a two stack set of blocks, soon leaping from behind and swinging out Gambol Shroud with its rope, planning on wrapping Zi-O's leg to trip him up.
Zi-O however stomped on Gambol Shroud just as it got close, before shifting his body while keeping pressure on the weapon, Yang slamming down with both her legs in front of him.
"Still mine," Yang smirked as she punched at Zi-O with both of her fists only to get them caught.
"You were saying?" Zi-O chuckled before his visor flashed, "Ah I see…"
"Crap," Yang realized what Zi-O had done, "Blake, hold up!"
Blake was already mid launch as she heard this, having just used Shadow to launch at Zi-O and strike him in the back with Gambol Shroud's cleaver sheath. The result was Zi-O letting go of Yang while ducking and crouching.
Yang quickly brought up her arms as Blake crashed into her, the two sliding into a few blocks and having them topple over them.
"Perfect," Zi-O chuckled as he began to run away in a goofy fashion.
"Sorry," Blake groaned out as she managed to get up.
"Its fine," Yang groaned as she also managed to stand, she grinned a bit, "Let's get going!"
"Right," Blake nodded as the two began to chase after Zi-O only for the Arma Gigas to suddenly get in their way, "Uh oh…"
"Should've seen this coming…" Yang said before noticing the Arma Gigas began to grow in size, "Really should've seen this coming."
"Nice Weiss," Zi-O snickered as he heard yelling, glancing back to see that the Arma Gigas was currently using its size and massive sword to force Blake and Yang away from each other. He then turned before lightly gasping as he nearly ran into a wall before stopping. He placed a hand on his chest as he went to control his breathing, "Okay jeez, I should watch where I'm going."
"Yeah you should," Ruby's voice was heard from behind.
"Huh?" Zi-O turned to see that Ruby was a fair distance behind him, already taking aim, "Oh, hey Ruby."
"Hey Sougo," Ruby smiled before firing at Zi-O.
Zi-O yelped as he dodged the first shot by sliding to the side. He then grunted as his visor flashed again, soon dodging another bullet by spinning and striking a pose. It wasn't long before he began to almost dance as Ruby fired, striking poses and easily dodging out of the way of the bullets.
"Pfft, come on Sougo," Ruby had to keep herself from laughing, "Dance moves?"
"Do you want me to try The Worm next?" Zi-O asked.
Ruby shuddered at the thought of Zi-O II doing The Worm, "I'm good, no thanks!"
"Well if you don't like worms then how about watermelons and birds?" Zi-O asked as he shifted his hands to where they were behind his back.
"What?" Ruby asked.
"Surprise," Zi-O quickly threw his hands out from behind him, releasing the Kodama Suika Arms and Taka Watchroid.
Ruby yelped as she held up her rifle to brace against the relentless barrage of rapid fired seeds from the Kodama Suika Arms. That was until the Taka Watchroid began swooping in and trying to peck at her.
"Birdie no!"
Watching the chaos from the observation deck was Penny alongside Tsukuyomi and Geiz. Woz was currently manning the controls to change the structure of the room while Weiss was nearby, concentrating on her Arma Gigas.
"This is rather fun to watch!" Penny admitted as she clasped her hands together.
"Sometimes I feel like he gets too carried away," Geiz pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well, I'm sure they'll learn something from this…" Tsukuyomi trailed before she thought on what she said, "I hope."
"Glorious work Miss Schnee," Woz complimented as he went to shift the layout of the room a bit more now that a fair amount of the walls and pillars had been destroyed, "Let us continue!"
"Of course," Weiss smirked as she continued to command her Arma Gigas.
"Thank you for inviting me to watch by the way," Penny said as she looked over at Tsukuyomi and Geiz.
"It's no issue, you had a free spot in your schedule," Geiz replied, "Figured we could use the time to hang out."
"Yeah," Tsukuyomi nodded, "You are our friend after all."
"Friends…" Penny said thoughtfully about their words. While Sougo had confirmed their friendship, hearing it from the others made her feelings of joy grow even more. So she began to smile even more, "Thank you again!"
File #140D: End
File #578G: Start
Woz entered the training room, having had to go through a few since multiple of them were being used, "Ah…" He spoke up before trailing off, suddenly realizing that the room was very quiet and the sight before him was why.
Ruby was currently sitting on a slightly raised Hard-Light block, cross-legged with arms relaxed and at her sides as she had her eyes closed. She appeared to be in a meditative stance, likely an attempt to help her better utilize her Silver Eyes. Surprisingly however, Maria was currently sitting on Ruby's back, her cane off to the side near Crescent Rose.
Admittedly, it seemed as though Maria was asleep. Or so Woz thought, as right before he cleared his throat he paused as Maria suddenly turned towards him and put a finger towards her lips.
"Ruby," Maria said gently as she patted the younger Huntress on the shoulder, "I think we're good for now."
"H-Huh…?" Ruby's eyes fluttered open as she began to move her arms inward, "How was I?"
"Pretty good," Maria said, "Whatever training you've been doing… you've been able to reach a serene state and keep it for a while."
"Ah thanks, that might've been the training I got yeah," Ruby sheepishly chuckled as she felt Maria slide off her back, she then looked over when she saw someone approaching, "Woz?"
"Miss Rose," Woz gave a bow, "My Overlord wishes to see if you aren't busy."
"Aside from training today, not really," Ruby admitted.
"Wow, pulling a lazy day today, huh?" Maria remarked as she hopped off the block that Ruby was sitting on and retrieving her cane.
"Just figured a bit of a slower day would be good," Ruby said, "Last mission was a bit killer."
"Fair," Maria replied, "While I am aware that you all need to keep working hard given the current idea the General has… I'd rather not see you kids burn out."
"Thanks Miss Calavera," Ruby smiled, glad that there was someone who realized the importance in a break, even if what they were undertaking was important in the grand scheme of things.
"I must admit though, it's rather surprising," Woz noted in an offhanded way, "To think one of your age would be able to help with training."
"Uh…" Ruby muttered before speaking up, "I mean, she's been rather good with helping-"
"I'm sorry you pompous retainer," Maria spoke up as her prosthetics narrowed, walking over towards Woz, "What did you say?"
"I do not believe I need to repeat myself," Woz stated, clearly not threatened by Maria, "Is it not natural to assume what I have? I would have assumed you would be living a more luxurious life of retirement, especially with your dear friend."
"Ruby," Maria gave a smile, "Could you give us some space?"
"Sure thing," Ruby gave a thumbs-up before jogging over to where Crescent Rose was, scooping it up and hurrying out, "I'll find Sougo on my own Woz!"
"Huh?" Woz stared at Ruby's rushed entrance in surprise, "What is she-ah!" he wasn't able to finish his sentence as Maria's cane slammed directly into his shin. He winced as he hopped back, "What is the meaning of this?"
"Payback sonny boy," Maria frowned as she raised her cane upwards before holding out her free hand and gesturing for Woz to approach her, "So come here and take your lumps."
"Well now… I did not think someone of your age would be so foolish…" Woz stated as he brought out his Despear in its cane mode, wanting to go easy on her, "But very well…"
Maria smirked as she watched Woz approach, quickly backing away while batting away a swipe of his. She watched as Woz continued to jab and swipe, using her cane to bat away the attempts to hit her while keeping away from Woz.
Woz could only grunt as he rushed in, trying to go for heavier and stronger hits, even doing a spin only to receive laughter as Maria blocked each of his hits. He decided to for a trickier tactic, using the hook on his cane to hook Maria's weapon. He then used all his strength to swing her away.
Maria however shifted her cane into its kama state, easily hooking her blade on the hook of Woz's Despear before pulling herself inwards and slamming her feet directly into his stomach for a dropkick.
Woz coughed out as he was bounced off of, being completely winded as he fell to his knee and held his stomach. He let out a low growl and held a determined stare as he was not about to let Maria one-up him. He quickly rushed towards Maria, the older Huntress ready to combat him all day despite her age.
And it went about the same as before as-
File #578G Deleted
File #319K: Start
[FUTURE/RIDER TIME!]
[SUGOI! JIDAI! MIRAI! KAMEN RIDER WOZ! WOZ!]
[KAMEN~ RI~DER~ TSUKU~YOMI! TSU-KU-YO-MI!]
Kamen Riders Woz and Tsukuyomi were staring each other down, the two bringing out their weapons though Tsukuyomi kept her Zikan Girade Tsu in its sword mode.
Of course, they weren't alone as Oscar was currently standing beside Tsukuyomi with Long Memory out.
"Now to go about the rules once more," Woz stated as he held up a finger, "For this practice match, you two are to strike at me with only your melee weapons. A simple task for young Oscar, though you'll need to show some restraint Tsukuyomi."
"I'm aware," Tsukuyomi replied, "I can't switch my weapon to its gun mode nor use my other abilities and forms."
"Correct," Woz said as he held his Despear at the ready, "Any questions?"
"It's pretty straightforward," Oscar admitted as he got in a fighting stance, "This will be good training for the two of us."
"True," Tsukuyomi nodded as she readied herself, "I'm ready whenever you are."
"I'm ready too," Oscar nodded.
"Then come," Woz said as he kept his stance.
Tsukuyomi and Oscar yelled out as they ran forward, Tsukuyomi rushing in first for a few slashes only to get them batted away. Oscar used this chance, slipping in and jabbing at Woz only for the Rider to easily twirl the Despear and block his jabs.
Woz soon shifted his Despear, jabbing it forward now to put Oscar on the defensive before quickly stepping back and dodging a slash that Tsukuyomi attempted to perform from his side. He then raised his weapon with both hands to block a follow-up slash.
"While you are a Rider now, your sword strikes are sloppy Tsukuyomi," Woz remarked as he pushed back before slashing forward, forcing Tsukuyomi to block, "Even your blocks are rather sloppy, we'll need to work on that."
"Well I am out of my element," Tsukuyomi admitted as she kept their clash going, "I'm someone who primarily uses firearms, remember?"
"Yes, but if you don't learn to use melee weapons then you'll be limiting yourself too much," Woz argued, "Especially since the power of Agito does not give you a projectile weapon."
"True, but there is something useful I learned," Tsukuyomi noted.
"What would that be?" Woz asked.
"You get really distracted while teaching," Tsukuyomi let out a short giggle.
"Huh?" Woz asked before gasping out as he was suddenly struck in the back by a hard object, quickly lowering his weapon and spinning to slip away. He saw that it was Oscar who had attacked from behind with a swing instead of a jab, "I see your swinging strength is fairly adequate, though compared to your jabs it lacks a precise hard strike."
"You're taking that surprise attack fairly well," Oscar mused as he went to stand alongside Tsukuyomi.
"Oh don't mistake my commentary for thinking that I enjoyed that little stunt you pulled," Woz said as he brought out the Shinobi Miridewatch and swapped his base Miridewatch out for it, "I suppose I just need to be sterner in my lessons."
[TOUEI! FUTURE TIME!]
It wasn't long before Woz entered his Futurering Shinobi form, though he suddenly tossed his weapon up into the air. He performed several hand signs before catching his Despear, switching it into its sickle mode as multiple copies of Woz Futurering Shinobi began to appear all around.
[DARE JA? ORE JA? NINJA! FUTURERING SHINOBI! SHINOBI!]
"Uh…" Oscar looked around nervously, "Woz…?"
"Woz, don't you think this is going too far?" Tsukuyomi asked as she looked around the room.
"Come now, you two need more intense training to better yourselves," Woz remarked as he and his clones began to close in, "This will be the perfect training to mix offensive and defensive capabilities as well as your teamwork…"
"Oscar… if we make it out of this…" Tsukuyomi started as she got back to back with her friend, "We're never training with Woz ever again."
"Agreed," Oscar said as he watched the Futurering Shinobi clones close in further and further.
File#319K: End
File#079C: Start
Geiz was patiently tapping his foot as he waited in the training room Winter had assigned him to. He was surprised just by how often Winter would want him for training sessions, though he guessed it was because he was the 'competent fighter' of the group. Despite going for brute force, he could already tell what specific tactic Winter, or rather Ironwood was trying to do.
He knew the training rooms were monitored to an extent, which meant that there would be easy ways to gain data analysis of combatants who participated in fights. And he figured the constant training sessions that he and the others would partake in were meant to gather data on their Rider forms.
Despite this he figured it wouldn't hurt to comply with them. After all, if Atlas was attempting to make their own Rider to try and match them, it would take a lot of trial and error.
Admittedly though, he wasn't expecting what happened next.
Winter entered the training room, but with her was Weiss.
Geiz raised an eyebrow, "Weiss?"
"Geiz," Weiss nodded, "I was told that I was to be practicing my summoning today, so I guess you're the one I'm practicing with."
"Correct," Winter replied, "While you have a vast arsenal of summons, there is one you can call your signature. I'd like for you to keep it compact and work on its movement against a human."
"Are there any limitations for me?" Geiz asked.
"If you could keep it to your basic form alongside just using your axe, it would be appreciated," Winter said, "This training session is less about me wanting to see what you can do and more what my sister can do alongside gauging her endurance."
"Fine by me," Geiz said as he prepared his transformation, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
Geiz said nothing as he brought out his Zikan Zax, keeping it in its axe formation as he raised it up.
Weiss slid her hand across Myrtenaster's blade before crouching and stabbing it into the ground. A Summoning Glyph appeared in front of them as a human sized Arma Gigas soon rose out of it while in a kneeling stance.
The Arma Gigas soon stood up while brandishing its sword with both hands, staring at Geiz
"Your speed is getting better," Winter noted.
"I have been practicing for a while," Weiss pointed out as she went to keep focus, figuring that she'd need precise control on her Summon's movements to give Geiz a decent fight.
Geiz kept his stance as he held his axe out, realizing he was somewhat at a disadvantage due to the Arma Gigas' range.
Winter backed up and made sure she was a fair distance away while staying silent for what seemed like minutes before finally speaking up, "Begin."
The Arma Gigas raised its sword and charged forward alongside Geiz who kept his axe close to him. It didn't take long for the Arma Gigas to stab forward, Geiz spinning while batting the sword away. The Arma Gigas soon spun while switching to a one handed stance, slashing at Geiz who was forced to block the attack.
Geiz grunted, skidding backwards as a result, "Not bad."
"Come on Geiz, don't go easy on me," Weiss smirked.
The Arma Gigas began to charge forward while keeping its one handed stance, the Summon not even bothered by the weight of its massive sword.
Geiz began dodging back, avoiding constant jabs and slashes by the Arma Gigas before mixing in some blocks into it before noticing a downwards swing. He yelled out, going for his own swing and batting the Arma Gigas' arm up.
"Now," Geiz muttered as he rushed in, slashing only for something surprising to occur.
The Arma Gigas' sword vanished as it quickly regained its footing, holding its arms up and crossing them to block against the axe.
"What?" Geiz asked.
"The sword isn't attached to it," Weiss said, "So I can mix things up a bit."
The Arma Gigas shoved its crossed arms forward, sending Geiz staggering back and forcing the Zikan Zax out of his grip. It then rushed forward, going for a few punches to keep the Rider on his toes.
Geiz gave a few grunts as he was forced to back away while pushing and blocking any punches his opponent sent out. He then yelled out and grabbed one of the Arma Gigas' fists with his hand, doing the same once the other came his way.
"Didn't think the knight could get full hands on," Geiz admitted, "Consider me impressed."
"Considering this is to help me work on its movement I figured I might as well," Weiss replied, "After all, it can move a lot more freely when it doesn't need to conform to swordplay."
Winter kept her arms crossed, glad to see that Geiz was pushing Weiss into new avenues when it came to her summons. She watched as both the Rider and Summon leapt away from each other, Geiz retrieving his axe while the Arma Gigas summoned its sword.
The practice match went on for quite a while, with Weiss and Geiz going as far as they could with how limited they were in their combat approaches. Both the Arma Gigas and Geiz were clashing with each other, both hands on their weapons as they tried to overtake each other before forcing each other to leap away.
"That's enough," Winter spoke up.
Weiss let loose a light sigh of relief as she hunched over, breathing a bit more heavily as the Arma Gigas dismissed itself. Her sister's mention of the practice also acting as an endurance run was right on the money, as she was already starting to strain herself the further it went on. At the very least this helped Weiss confirm that her Aura had grown since she was sure prior to becoming a Rider that her reserves would've been spent by this point.
Geiz meanwhile let out a light chuckle as he dismissed his Rider form, a bit glad for having some endurance training in his own way. Given the training was mostly for Weiss, it meant he had to hold back when it came to special attacks/finishers. Since he was only allowed to use his base form and a melee weapon, it meant he'd have to work harder on his offense and defense.
"You both performed well," Winter said as she walked over, "No doubt this training was useful for both parties involved."
"I'll agree with that," Geiz replied, "Limiting my options meant I had to work harder and get more creative than usual."
"And yet you had me on the ropes a few times," Weiss pointed out, "Though I suppose this definitely helped figure out how exactly I can move my Arma-Gigas."
"Given its humanoid nature, it's a Summon that can have a lot of uses in general combat," Winter replied, "You're lucky to have had it as an opponent given the chance to gain another humanoid Summon is slim to none."
"Right," Weiss said, though she was internally thinking back to the Evolved Shika Inves and Bossroach, both being humanoid, though the latter more so than the former. While she couldn't exactly train with them directly, she figured this would help her with both of them in the end if she relied on her muscle memory.
Geiz stayed silent and crossed his arms, already guessing what Weiss was thinking about, "So are we done for today?"
"We are," Winter replied as she began to walk off, "Should I need to, I'll call upon you again for any Rider related assistance."
"Understood," Geiz replied.
"Huh," Weiss said as she looked over, "Again?"
"She's been asking me to do various practice/training sessions with her," Geiz admitted, "I guess she assumes I'm the most disciplined of Team Zi-O since I can only guess the purpose of the sessions is likely to gather data."
"I feel like it's more than that," Weiss admitted.
"What?" Geiz asked.
"I mean, if she wanted comprehensive data then she would have called in everyone," Weiss mentioned, "As odd as it is to say, I think she's taken a liking to you over the others."
"Seriously…?" Geiz asked, "I'm not that special."
"I suppose it's because you are the most rigid of Team Zi-O," Weiss remarked bluntly with a smirk as she began to head off.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Geiz growled out as he began to follow after, "Weren't you just as bad starting out with Team RWBY?"
"Yes, but I've grown," Weiss answered in a smug manner as her walk turned into a waltz, which further annoyed Geiz.
File#079C: End
File #225A: Start
Tsukuyomi yelped as she quickly leapt behind a two block high wall, sitting down as various bullets were fired above her location. She was already in her Rider Form and deep in training, and also wondering how she got into this situation in the first place.
"There are a lot of older model Atlesian Knight's that need to be scrapped, so I figured you all could make use of them for training."
"Are you sure these are suited for training, General?"
"Given your armor, I think you'll make due just fine. Their programming has been dulled as well but if things get too intense, I'll call them off."
Right now the training room was configured to have various low to the ground barricades that one could crouch behind as well as various tall pillars and even a large wall at the back. There had been at least a dozen or so Atlesian Knight-130's in the area, with a few already shot through the head and lying on the ground inoperable.
The AK-130's were metallic dark-gray in color, being fairly robotic and mechanical in nature with more exaggerated humanoid proportions compared to their successors.
"Alright…" Tsukuyomi took a deep breath as she had one way out of this. She thankfully had pulled out her time stop before but knew she couldn't exactly be reckless with it. Thankfully this kind of low profile work allowed her to focus on honing how long she could make it last. Figuring short bursts would work well and not make anyone too suspicious about its origins.
The AK-130's continued to close in while they had halted in shooting at Tsukuyomi once they determined she was behind cover. Two of them began to dash to the sides before getting on both sides of Tsukuyomi behind the barrier.
"Now," Tsukuyomi quickly leapt up while throwing her arm forward, unleashing her time stop on the AK-130's. Bringing out her Zikan Girade Tsu she took aim and began shooting the machines in the heads, going for the ones at her sides first before focusing on the ones further from her.
The time stop soon ended, with the AK-130's that had been shot in the heads falling to the ground. The remaining ones quickly retracted their machine-gun appendages and switched to dual blades in order to close in and attack Tsukuyomi.
Tsukuyomi began dodging out of the way of the slashes, shooting quick bursts against their chests to force them back. Eventually three had surrounded her and went to strike at her from different angles only for her to flick her wrist. Time stopped for the Ak-130's surrounding her as she easily slipped out from them while pushing their arms when necessary.
When the time stop was recalled the three Ak-130's had struck themselves, sparks flying as they all fell to the ground due to slicing too deep into their bodies.
She watched as the remaining Ak-130's began to take cover behind the various pillars before switching back to their machine-gun weaponry. It wasn't long before they began firing in short bursts while taking cover again.
Tsukuyomi went to dodge a few, tapping into her abilities further as she used invisible pulses to keep some bullets from hitting her by redirecting them. Figuring she needed a way to clear them all out at once she used her Rider form's agility to leap high into the air and land on onto the back wall for a better vantage point.
"Time to finish this," Tsukuyomi said as she brought out and loaded the W Ridewatch into her weapon before aiming down at the training area below, bright yellow energy gathering in the barrel of her weapon.
[FINISH TIME! W JINSOKU SHOOTING!]
Tsukuyomi said nothing as she pulled the trigger, releasing multiple yellow bursts of energy that snaked and spiraled around while spreading out. The result was the powered up blasts managing to strike all the AK-130's, sparks flying as the sound of metal hitting the floor rang out multiple times.
"Looks like you cleared them all out," Ironwood's voice could be heard as the blocks in the room began to retract, "For a second I was worried given how they had pinned you down, but you handled it expertly."
Tsukuyomi leapt off of the wall that was retracting, dismissing her transformation before she turned to face the observation room. Ironwood was inside and had been observing the fight after he had suggested it. She then began to glance around and saw the destroyed AK-130's all around her.
"Thank you sir," Tsukuyomi gave a bow, "Was that all you needed?"
"Of course, you're dismissed," Ironwood said.
Tsukuyomi nodded before making her way to the exit. While it was fairly obvious to her that Ironwood wanted data from fights, she was a bit appreciative of the isolated training sessions. She had only just recently become a Rider and she knew that put her behind the others by a fair bit. So any chance to hone her skills as a Rider alongside her Time Jacker powers was greatly appreciated.
File #225A: End
File #267F: Start
Team RWBY alongside Oscar, Tsukuyomi and Woz were currently in the observation deck of the training room. The seven were all waiting with baited breath as the unthinkable yet inevitable ended up happening.
Sougo was about to fight Geiz… but not in the way one would think.
The two had egged each other on enough over the course of several days, resulting in the two facing each other in a duel at the moment. It didn't help that Yang had ended up bringing up to the two of them that the two had yet to even start their original duel back on Earth.
Of course given how much Team Zi-O was holding back, both Sougo and Geiz realized that they'd have to stick to normal Armor Times for this fight. Granted that seemed fine by both of them, figuring it would keep the playing field fairly even as a result. Of course when it came to the Armor Times that they usually interchanged and borrowed, those were split up accordingly.
"May the best Rider win," Geiz said as he prepared his transformation into his base form.
"Of course," Sougo smiled as he prepared his Zi-O and Kuuga Ridewatches, planning on going full force from the start, "Let's go, Geiz!"
"Right," Geiz kept a steady stare as he initiated his transformation, "Henshin!"
Sougo nodded as he did the same, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZI-O! ARMOR TIME! KUUGA!]
Geiz wasted no time in rushing forward as his transformation occurred, it completing itself as he reached the center of the room.
Sougo mimicked Geiz's movements, rushing forward as his transformation occurred before the Armor Time latched onto him.
Once both reached the center they stopped before punching forward, both managing to strike each other in an immediate cross-counter. The two then grabbed onto each other, grappling and trying to force each other away before moving into kicks and then punches.
Team RWBY alongside Oscar, Tsukuyomi, and Woz all watched intently as they saw the fight continue on with its first phase. They knew it was far from over but that didn't stop them from paying attention.
"So…" Ruby said, "I'm definitely thinking Sougo."
"Sougo's good, but Geiz is the more adept at actual physical combat," Yang remarked, "I think Geiz has the edge, especially if we're not counting Decade and Zi-O II into this."
"Fair point," Weiss said, "Counter point, this is Sougo… his unorthodox methods will easily give him the advantage."
"Of course you'd say that," Blake snickered.
"What?" Weiss asked, "What's so funny?!"
"Nothing," Blake smirked before giving a hum as she watched the fight continue, "I think I'll go with Sougo on this one too admittedly. Even with limiting his options, I don't think it's wise to underestimate him."
"I'll probably go with Geiz on this one," Oscar admitted, recalling his past training sessions with Geiz back on Earth.
"I will of course always back my Overlord," Woz remarked.
"I honestly think it'll be close so I'm unsure," Tsukuyomi admitted, "But my gut is saying Geiz."
"Well at least he didn't lose in predictions that badly," Yang shrugged, glad that they didn't have any of the speakers on in the observation deck, meaning Geiz and Sougo couldn't hear them.
"Come on!" Geiz called out as he managed to grab Zi-O's arm before elbowing the Rider in the gut. He then pulled back before spinning and kicking out.
Zi-O gasped as he was forced to raise his arms to defend, stepping back before he brought out Ex-Aid's Ridewatch, "You got lucky Geiz but that's because Kuuga's pretty simple."
"Like I'll let you do that," Geiz called out as he rushed forward only to slam straight into the Ex-Aid Armor that was forming, scattering it as Zi-O leapt up, "Crap."
[ARMOR TIME! LEVEL UP! EX-AID!]
"It's time to get your game on!" Zi-O shouted as he spun before dropping down, punching down with his hammer gauntlets, the Gashacon Breaker Breakers.
Geiz gasped out as he quickly began backing up, a powerful shockwave occurring once Zi-O landed. He could only gasp as he was tripped up, being sent tumbling as he finally pulled out his first Ridewatch and initiated his Armor Time, "Fine then…"
"Oh, no you don't!" Zi-O leapt forward using Ex-Aid Armor's enhanced agility.
[ARMOR TIME! LEVEL UP! GENM!]
A purple pipe slid up from underneath Geiz just as the Genm Armor formed and latched onto him. He soon crossed his arms and entered the pipe, resulting in Zi-O flying past.
"Huh?" Zi-O quickly spun and planted his feet on the wall before hopping off, "Where is he?"
Everyone was currently looking around for Geiz as well, wondering where exactly the Rider had gone. That was until Oscar gave a gasp and pointed at the ceiling.
"There!" He shouted as the Huntresses and Riders looked up in surprise.
On the ceiling the purple warp pipe of Genm had formed with Geiz halfway out of it, hanging upside down as a result. He gathered energy in his hands before launching out energy wheels towards Zi-O.
Zi-O heard the energy and quickly looked up, giving a gasp as he quickly began hopping away while batting the attacks back with his hammer gauntlets only for a few of the wheels to circle around and hit him in his blind spots.
"Need something a bit more defensive…" Zi-O realized as he quickly swapped Ridewatches.
Geiz meanwhile allowed himself to fully fall out of the pipe, shifting his body and landing on a knee before gathering more energy in his hands, launching out more energy wheels.
[ARMOR TIME! SOIYA! GAIM~!]
Zi-O swapped out Ex-Aid Armor for Gaim Armor, the bulkier upper armored form giving him better coverage on his chest and shoulders. He shouted out as he brought out the Daidaimaru Z, using his dual swords to bat away the energy wheels before he reeled his arms inwards, "Secret Technique…" he trailed before swinging outwards, unleashing wide energy swings that took the shape of an orange slice, "Orange Slice!"
Geiz gasped out as he was forced to brace against the energy swings, sparks flying as he skidded back.
"Oh, this is where you guys are," Nora said as she, Ren and Jaune entered the observation deck of the training room, "What are you guys…?"
"Are Sougo and Geiz having a spar?" Jaune asked as he moved forward upon seeing what was going on.
"No, it looks more intense," Ren said, "Did something happen?"
"They just finally got fed up with egging each other on," Yang replied, "And decided to finally have a duel."
"You forgot to mention the part where you insisted they go for it since they never got to do so originally," Ruby reminded.
"Not like I'm lying," Yang shrugged.
"And this is how we're here," Blake sighed before looking over, "So who do you all think will win?"
"Sougo is the strongest in regards to his arsenal, right?" Ren asked, "I think it's obvious."
"I don't know, Geiz isn't a slouch," Jaune replied, "He can be pretty dependable when the situation arises."
"Also they're only using normal Armor Times for this," Tsukuyomi said, "So no Decade or Zi-O II for Sougo."
"Then Geiz clearly has this in the bag," Nora said.
"Huh," Oscar said as he realized something, "If we're taking your votes into account then we've got an even split."
"Looks like Geiz has fans out there after all," Yang chuckled.
[ARMOR TIME! BEST MATCH! BUILD!]
Geiz yelled out as he swapped out into Build Armor, the Drill Breaker Breaker spinning rapidly as he swung it forward, slowly but surely breaking past Zi-O's swords and defenses.
"Jeez, you're really good with that drill," Zi-O chuckled before giving a wince, soon swapping out Ridewatches, "But let's see how you like it when I do this!"
Geiz yelled out and punched at Zi-O with his drill only for Zi-O to bow forward, the Gaim Armor folding up and launching out at Geiz to force him back.
[ARMOR TIME! TURN UP! BLADE!]
Zi-O rolled his shoulders as he gained the less top heavy Blade Armor, bringing out his Blay Rouzer before the Rouse Cards on his shoulders shining multiple times.
[GEMINI! MACH! SLASH!]
Zi-O soon split into two, the two Zi-O's soon picking up speed as their Blay Rouzers gained a bright blue energy blade that extended and sharpened them. The two soon rushed in, striking against Geiz multiple times and forcing Geiz on the defensive.
"Damn it," Geiz hissed out as he quickly swung his drill out while backing away, managing to force the two Zi-O's backwards. He then drew out the Wizard Ridewatch, "If you're going to play like that…"
"Oh wow, he's pulling Wizard out right now?" Ruby asked in surprise.
"Why exactly is that concerning?" Jaune asked.
"Wizard is probably Geiz's most versatile form," Blake admitted, "So you'd think he'd choose it as his closer…"
"He must be extremely confident in Ghost and Faiz then," Weiss said.
[ARMOR TIME! PLEASE! WIZARD!]
[THUNDER!]
Zi-O shouted as he gathered electricity in his Blay Rouzer before stabbing forward, sending a stream of electricity out towards Geiz.
Geiz scoffed as the Wizard Armor formed over him, forming a barrier to block the attack before thrusting his hand forward, unleashing a fireball outwards.
Zi-O yelped as he ducked and rolled out of the way of the fireball. He then yelped further as he had to keep running and rolling, Geiz simply going for a spam of fireballs.
"Not good, very not good!" Zi-O called out as he continued to duck, roll, run, and even backpedal once Geiz got smart enough. So he had to think of some way to even the playing field quickly, bringing out a new Ridewatch, "Fight fire with fire, fight fire with fire!"
[ARMOR TIME! ADVENT! RYUKI!]
[GUARD VENT!]
Zi-O quickly braced as the Ryuki Armor formed, immediately summoning the Dragshields. He kept holding them up as he ran towards Geiz who kept pelting him with fireballs. Soon enough he yelled out, pushing forward and outwards to dismiss the fireball once he was close enough.
[STRIKE VENT!]
Zi-O formed the Dragclaws over each of his hands, punching forward and unleashing a burst of flames.
Geiz gave a gasp as he quickly spun, unleashing a gust of wind as Zi-O unleashed the burst in order to dodge and divert the flames. He quickly began batting away Zi-O's attempts at trying to land a direct hit on him with the Dragclaws.
Zi-O meanwhile kept dodging out of the way of Geiz trying to blast close ranged fireballs at him. He used his gauntlets to try and force Geiz on the defensive only to slip past him. He quickly turned while unleashing another stream of fire from his Dragclaws.
Geiz however had immediately turned while also holding a full formed fireball in both hands, launching it outwards.
The result was an explosion occurred as both Riders were sent rolling away from each other.
"Not done… yet," Geiz groaned out as he brought out Ghost's Ridewatch.
"Same," Zi-O nodded as he brought out W's, "I can keep this up!"
"So uh…" Jaune chuckled a bit nervously, "They're not going to go too far… right?"
"Nah, this seems pretty normal," Ruby admitted, her eyes completely focused on the fight before them. She recalled the previous fight the two had when Geiz first gained Revive. While that felt like a fight to kill, this felt like the fight of two rivals trying to one-up each other and prove who was better. She couldn't help but smile, "They're just trying to make sure they give it their all."
[ARMOR TIME! KAIGAN! GHOST!]
[ARMOR TIME! CYCLONE! JOKER! W!]
The two Riders completed their Armor Times, Zi-O immediately rushing forward only for Geiz to perform a hand sign. The result was the Edison, Musashi, and Newton Parka Ghosts all flying outwards and striking at Zi-O several times.
Newton's punches managed to pull Zi-O in while Musashi slashed forward, Edison unleashing electric shocks. Newton then used its punches to force Zi-O backwards. The three Parka Ghosts rushed in only for Zi-O to spin while kicking out, unleashing a tornado of purple flames.
The Parka Ghosts were all forced back and dismissed only for Geiz to leap forward, floating at high speeds and slamming his foot into Zi-O's chest and pushing further to pin the future King of Time on the ground.
"Not bad Geiz," Zi-O chuckled but managed to swap out Ridewatches, going for his last one, "But…"
[ARMOR TIME! TAKA! TORA! BATTA! OOO!]
The W Armor vanished before the OOO Armor appeared in its separate animal components, all of them moving forward and swarming Geiz to force him off of Zi-O. It wasn't long before Zi-O hopped back onto his feet as the armor latched onto him.
He wasted no time in brandishing the Toraclaw Z, using his Batta Armor to launch forward at high speeds and claw past Geiz.
Geiz gasped and turned to brace only to cough out as Zi-O had leapt forward using the Batta Armor again, but this time went for a shoulder tackle with his Tora Armor. The result broke through Geiz's defense and sent the Rider tumbling backwards.
"Not bad, but we're ending this!" Geiz shouted as he swapped out Ghost's Ridewatch for Faiz's and initiating his form change.
[ARMOR TIME! COMPLETE! FAIZ!]
Upon being clad in the Faiz Armor, Geiz immediately went to end the battle. He summoned the Faiz Pointer on his right leg before initiating his finisher.
[FINISH TIME! FAIZ!]
"It'll be a lot harder than you think," Zi-O said as he initiated his finisher.
[FINISH TIME! OOO!]
The two crouched before running forward and leaping as high as they could in the training room. Geiz kicked out with his right leg, a red drill forming and spinning rapidly as he shot towards Zi-O.
Zi-O meanwhile formed three medal projections, each having the katakana of taka, tora, and batta as he kicked against them. The medals all slammed together once he kicked against them, merging into the same insignia he had on his Armor Time's chest.
[EXCEED TIME BURST!]
[SCANNING TIME BREAK!]
The medal and drill clashed, both combatants yelling out further and further before an explosive burst occurred, engulfing the two and forming a small smoke cloud. It wasn't long before both Zi-O and Geiz fell from the cloud, flopping onto the ground as the reverted to their base forms.
The two began to chuckle and laugh a bit as they picked themselves up in a tired fashion, bringing out their Zikan Girade and Zikan Zax respectively. The two rushed towards each other, swiping forward and scraping their blades against each other multiple times. The two danced around each other and continued their brief clashes before finally getting their bladed weapons against each other's chest.
The two yelled out as they sliced downwards, sparks flying.
The Huntsmen, Huntresses and Riders watching could only gasp out as everything went silent.
Zi-O and Geiz both stood up straight before suddenly falling towards each other, the two ended up leaning on each other's shoulder which managed to barely keep them standing.
"I don't think I can move anymore…" Zi-O admitted with a tired gasp.
"Good," Geiz admitted with a tired gasp as well, "Because I can't either…"
The two Riders fell onto their sides as their transformations shattered, the two having ended the battle in a draw.
"…did we really just see a draw?" Blake asked.
"Impossible," Woz gasped, "My Overlord… he should've…"
"Huh… you know without Zi-O II or even Decade Armor I had a feeling…" Weiss admitted which surprised a few people given her confidence in Sougo, "But even ending up in a tie is still pretty good overall."
"Yeah," Yang agreed, "It was a pretty equal playing field."
"So did our even split just end up predicting the result?" Oscar asked with a light laugh.
"I'm pretty sure it did," Ruby giggled.
"Well hopefully this was an enlightening experience for them," Ren replied as he crossed his arms, "It would be a waste if they didn't learn anything new or useful from this.
"At the very least it looks like they had fun," Jaune pointed out, noticing how Sougo and Geiz could be heard laughing, everyone watching as the two Riders flopped onto their backs.
"Well it definitely seemed like a good way to let off some steam," Nora admitted.
"Admittedly it's a bit inspiring for me," Tsukuyomi spoke up, "Seeing them go this far with just their limited arsenal… I want to keep trying my best as well."
"That's the spirit Tsuki!" Ruby smiled as she held up a fist, "Don't worry, you'll go far, I know it!"
"Well with those words of encouragement I suppose I can't just slack off," Tsukuyomi chuckled, "Especially if they're from the same one who gave me this chance to be a Rider."
"So, think we should head down and pester them about the draw?" Yang asked.
"Totally," Nora grinned.
"Let's not be too rude about it," Blake snickered, "Especially since I'm sure they're completely fine with it."
"If anything Woz is probably the one steaming at the moment," Yang said with a smirk as she looked back only to see that Woz had completely vanished, "Wow, I was right."
"Just how does he do that?" Oscar asked.
"Woz is Woz," Ruby shrugged, giving her usual answer as she stood up, "Let's get down there."
"Sounds good," Weiss nodded.
File #267F: End
"And thus our small compilation of stories come to a close with a rather fun, if infuriating for me personally, match," Woz said as he pulled away from the observation console, "While Team Zi-O's training in Atlas wasn't done with the best of intentions in mind, I'm certain that in the future these video logs alongside many others not shown could form the foundation for something useful."
He then began to walk for the exit as he opened up his book, holding his finger up to it and sliding it across as if scanning his blank pages for something. He then pulled his finger back before shutting his book closed.
"Once again, I do hope you'll keep an eye on this story in order to see other events that take place over the course of Roze from Remnant…"
Author's Note: So let's talk about the Goliath in the room, with that being the chapter(s) this replaced. Arrowfell was originally going to be the second Gaiden since I wanted to have a sort of fun to write story involving something in Atlas. It seemed obvious, and while I did have like one big worthwhile idea, it didn't end up working out well as nothing was hitting or feeling enjoyable to write while trying to get through the first of three chapters I wanted to put out. Realizing I couldn't exactly push myself to do something I didn't like I settled for Atlas Training Files instead.
As for the one worthwhile idea… it was basically having the Final Boss of the game transform into the Utopia Dopant with the fight taking a turn into a more isolated area alongside Zi-O Trinity's first appearance in Atlas and it being off record. As of now though Arrowfell basically went about how it did in canon with nothing too majorly divergent occurring like the idea just mentioned.
Let's talk about the second Goliath in the room too since I have you all here now, Justice League x RWBY Part 1. If you've watched the movie or looked into it you'll have found out that it occurs during the undetermined amount of time that passes in the montage time skip in V7. I feel like we've reached past the point for me to consider that as an idea for a Gaiden, especially since Part 2 isn't out yet.
And also I feel like the Zi-O Riders taking part in Part 1 even would kind of break things somewhat. That being said depending on what Part 2 gives us, especially at the theories people are throwing around… and the general idea of how the setting was handled in Part 1… well, ideas unrelated to DC are being had. I have nothing completely solid in terms of ideas yet though.
Also one final note, yes I did release this chapter on Roze's three year anniversary. It's incredible to think I've been at this for three years at this point. I'd like to thank everyone for their support, it really means a lot to me. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all for the next Gaiden which will hopefully not take too long given how I'm timing these releases with the main story.