KS: Thought I was gone forever, huh? Well, I'm still here. Though I got a new job now, so I'll probably be posting less often.
At the farmer's market, two police officers were doing the rounds while greeting the townsfolk.
"It sure is peaceful around here," one said.
"Damn right," the other agreed. "It's a pleasant place to hang out in, and the people are always so courteous to one another."
The first officer sighed. "Yeah... remember when we were in high school and the there was as the lady who made that awesome speciality of hers?"
"You mean that chicken croquette omelette?" the second officer replied in excited glee. "Oh man, I remember those like it was yesterday. Until that point, I never imagined how good a chicken croquette wrapped in an omelette would be. My taste buds went to heaven when I took that first bite."
The two reminisced on the old times as they walked through the market. This would have continued, had it not been for a random person yelling out:
"Someone stop them! They're stealing the eggs!"
Both officers turned around and saw a bizarre sight. A trio of strange creatures that resembled a hybrid of a reptile and bird were seen running off with cartons of eggs in their hands while the shopkeeper was knocked down. Wasting no time, one of the officers gave chase while blowing his whistle.
"You there! Stop!"
As he ran after the monsters, the other officer helped the shopkeeper to his feet.
"Are you alright, sir?" he asked him.
The shopkeeper nodded. "Nothing too major. Still, it's weird how there are monsters stealing eggs. And this isn't the first time they've done it."
The officer looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean, sir?"
"Well, from what I heard, there were similar incidents the night before," the shopkeeper said. "Several convenience store employees said that bird-like monsters rushed into the stores they were working in, stole the eggs and ran off. The police thought they were joking about it, though."
The officer took off his hat and scratched his head. "Bird monsters stealing eggs... what is going on in this town?"
(Theme: "All My Life" by Daiki Kasho)
(Opening vocals) The sun rises and shines upon Hunter's armor, which glows in the light as he watches a swarm of dragons fly over him.
(Walk for a thousand miles down this road) Cuts to Hachiman walking past the school gate with Sona and Tsubaki rapidly lecturing him, which he pays no mind to.
(I don't know where its taking me) Pans to Rias and the ORC, who are standing a few feet away, watching him with interest.
(I feel I must carry on) Cuts to Hachiman again, being harrassed by Issei, only to knock him into the jaws of the irate kendo club, ready to beat the stuffing out of him.
(So that I can justify my everything) Hachiman walks off while taking out the Monster Amulet of Rathalos out of his pocket, the object glowing bright red.
(Past is what, past is what will be cast) Cuts to a silohette of Hachiman walking forward as Komachi and Nezumi are shown in the background, the former grinning and the latter with a neutral expression.
(You will be alright, be alright, 'cause I'll be me) The background changes to the ORC in their club room.
('Cause I know, 'cause I know that I'll prove myself) The background changes to a group of shadowed people with a logo reading "Elysium Corporation."
(In the end, I will be standing here) Shifts to Hachiman holding Rathalos' amulet and inserting it into the Hunter Driver, causing him to transform into Hunter.
(All my life, I've lived alone) Shifts to Hunter fighting in his Rathalos form.
(This is a path I have to take) Shifts to Hunter in his Tobi-Kadachi form, attacking with his long sword.
(Shan't go back to who I was) Cuts to Hunter gathering flames around him with Rathalos behind him before jumping into the air.
(This is my time to break away) Hunter performs a diving kick as he decends with flames following him.
(Just break away) Cuts to Hunter using a multitude of weapons, along with performing melee attacks.
(From who I was) The screen glitches to reveal a girl concealed by shadows, with only her frown visible.
(Just break away) Cuts to Hunter driving down the road on his Dragon Shifter.
(From who I was) Hunter brakes and performs a skid before stopping and looking at the camera.
Chapter 8: Fowl Play
Hachiman and Komachi sat in the ORC's clubroom with Rias and Akeno sitting across from them. They were called to the room to discuss an issue that has been plaguing the town recently.
"What the problem?" Hachiman asked.
Akeno placed a newspaper on the table, showing an image of a monster running out of a convenience store with a carton of eggs under its arm as an employee chases after it.
"Eggs are being stolen from every store in town," she said.
The siblings widened their eyes, then turned towards each other.
"Well, this is bizarre, even by our standards," Komachi commented.
"Yeah," Hachiman agreed. "That run in with a Pukei-Pukei a year ago barely comes close to this."
"What happened with the Pukei-Pukei?" Rias asked.
"We'll talk about that another time," Hachiman said. "Has there been any injuries so far?"
"From what we gathered, the only ones who were injured was anyone trying to stop the monsters," Rias explained. "A lot of them were police officers who just happened to be in the area when the thefts occured. In fact, the most recent attack was at the farmer's market."
The pupils in Hachiman's eyes shrunk slightly. He unconsciously clenched his fist and shook in anger.
"They targeted... the farmer's market," he said in a low tone.
Komachi was worried in her brother's sudden change in attitude, and Rias and Akeno were surprised at this.
"Alright, it's personal. Those bastards are going to get what's theirs. Nobody is going to rob the farmer's market and get away with it."
Hachiman took out his phone and dialed a number. The tone went on for a seconds until he heard a voice from the other side.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Rat," Hachiman said. "Have you heard about the Bird Wyverns attacking places that sell eggs?"
"Really doubt anyone hasn't already heard the news," Nezumi replied. "Why do you ask?"
"The bastards hit the farmer's market," Hachiman seethed.
There was silence for a while, then Nezumi spoke in a low tone.
"They have chosen death, then. Have everyone meet at your house. We'll set up a plan of attack."
"Will do," Hachiman said. "On another note, how goes the investigation?"
"Not good," Nezumi replied. "I've got no leads so far, and everyone's alibis are airtight. It might take a while before I find anything concrete."
"Keep at it," Hachiman advised. "We'll find something eventually."
"Will do," Nezumi said. "See you later."
"Ditto." Hachiman ended the call and put his phone down.
"What is Nezumi investigating?" Akeno asked.
"He searching for clues as to who the poacher could be," Hachiman explained. "Aside from the monsters roaming about, he's the biggest threat we could be facing."
"That is true," Rias agreed. "He's an unplanned veriable, and could prove to be a major obstacle if left alone."
Nezumi walked around the hallway, passing by students while looking through a small notebook.
"At this rate, we'll never find the poacher," he muttered. "If only there was a way he could predict when he'll pop up."
He looked from his notebook and saw Kiba and Koneko approaching him.
"Any luck on your end?" he asked the pair.
"Regrettably, we have not come across any leads either," Kiba replied. "Nobody in the school has noticed any sign of the mystery rider."
"Kinda hard to believe, in my opinion," Koneko sighed. "How can anyone not notice a random guy in black armor in the middle of the day? It's nuts."
"He obviously doesn't want people to know his identity," Nezumi said. "I think he goes to a secluded spot in town, wait for any news about a monster in the area, then transforms out of the public eye."
"A good line of thinking," Kiba complimented. "But we have no idea where to go from that point forward. A lot of the students like to be alone after school. It would be hard to narrow it down from that point forward."
"True enough," Nezumi conceded. "We'll need to think of an idea of how to catch them."
"Excuse me," a voice said.
The trio turned towards a young man with brown hair and matching eyes was standing before them with a neutral expression.
"Oh, I recognize you," Nezumi said. "You're from 2-D. What was your name again, uh..."
"Kiyotaka," the boy introduced himself. "Kiyotaka Ayanokoji."
"Right, Kiyotaka," Nezumi replied. "Well, since we're introducing ourselves, I'm Tsugoyoshi Sumino, although I'm better known as Nezumi."
"My name is Kiba Yuto," Kibo greeted. "A pleasure to meet you, Kiyotaka."
"'Sup, I'm Koneko Tojo," the short girl said casually.
"Nice meeting you all," Kiyotaka said casually. "Anyway, do you know if the computer lab is open? I need to some research for a project I'm doing."
"It's currently open," Kiba answered. "If you want, I can escort you there."
"Thanks for the offer, but I'll be fine on my own," Kiyotaka declined as he walked past them. They watch as he left.
"Jeez, that guy makes wood look exciting," Koneko deadpanned. "He could give you and Hachiman a run for your money, Nezumi."
"Hey now," Nezumi replied in a mock hurt tone. "We emote plenty."
Kiba chuckled. "Somewhat."
Later in the day, everyone was at Hachiman's house, sitting outside on the deck as Komachi stood in front of a blackboard.
"Now, these are Bird Wyverns," she said, pointing to a picture of a monster resembling a bird-reptile hybrid. "As the name implies, they are wyvern that bear slight resemblences or act like birds. Many of them make nests and dig around for eggs for them to eat."
Akeno raised her hand.
"Yes, Akeno?" Komachi said.
"Seeing how Bird Wyverns partake in eggs, would we be right to say that the monsters responsible for all the egg thefts are Bird Wyverns?"
"Yes," Komachi answered. "And thanks to Nezumi's recon work, we know what breed are reponsible." She placed a photo of a monster on the blackboard. "This is the Kulu-Ya-Ku, a notorious egg thief. About eight of them were sighted from yesterday alone. In fact, there was a news report on how all eight of them rushed into a supermarket and stole all the eggs there.
"Every last egg?" Kiba said in shock. "They certainly are brazen."
Nezumi stood up and walked over to the blackboard. "Which is why we need to stop them here and now. And Hachiman and myself have come up with a plan to stop them in their tracks."
"What is the plan?" Rias asked.
Hachiman stood up and walked towards the blackboard, putting up a map of the town on it, marked with several Xs that start from the lower left corner and slowly going upward, with a large X seen in the center.
"The Kulu-Ya-Ku have attacked convenience stores for their eggs, and made their move on the market," Hachiman said. "The next store is a block away from there, and the have reason to belief that they will be hitting it this evening."
"Rather bold of them, considering they robbed the farmer's market this morning," Kiba mused. "What are the police going to do about it?"
"Considering the recent thefts, they're closely patrolling the areas where the store that haven't been hit are," Nezumi said. "I'll give them credit for finally taking the matter seriously, but I doubt bullets are going to do a thing to a bunch of scaled birds."
"And what is our task?" Akeno asked.
"We're going to intercept them," Hachiman said. "One group watches from the skies and informs the group on the ground on the wyverns' movement. They'll send a signal informing them of the monsters approaching, and that's when the second group strikes."
The ORC members thought about it for a few seconds, then came to an agreement.
"This plan sounds solid," Rias complimented. "I approve."
"Perfect," Hachiman replied. "Everyone get prepared. We move out when the sun begins to set."
Everyone dispersed, intending to prepare themselves for the task ahead.
Hachiman sat in the kitchen, drinking a cup of coffee. He enjoyed partaking in the hot beverage before a hunt, as it calmed his nerves.
"Got any left for one more?"
He looked behind him and saw Rias walk in the kitchen.
"There's plenty in the pot," he said, pointing to the pot on the counter. "Help yourself."
Rias walked over to the cupboard and took out a cup, then she poured herself a mug. She walked over to where Hachiman was and sat next to him.
"It's almost time," she said.
"Yep," Hachiman replied, taking a sip from his mug. "We're going to deal with the Bird Wyverns and prevent them from stealing more eggs."
Silence filled the room before Rias spoke once more.
"Hachiman... if you don't mind me asking, do you like the farmer's market?" she asked.
Hachiman placed his mug down and sighed.
"I adore it," he said honestly. "Komachi and I went there all the time ever since we were young. We know everyone there by name, and always get great deals on all kind of products. Also, they have the best thing to have ever been created."
"What's that?" Rias asked.
"The chicken croquette omelette," Hachiman said. "As the name implies, a large chicken croquette is wrapped into an omelette, cooked with various herbs and spices. The taste is unlike any other, and the recipe has been a secret for years to come. It is, without a doubt, the star of the farmer's market."
Rias chuckled in response. "That would explain why you and Komachi looked so upset about hearing the Kula-Ya-Ku attacking the market and stealing the eggs."
"Yeah, we took it more personally than planned," Hachiman admitted. "Then again, anyone else who either worked or visited the farmer's market would feel the same way, honestly."
They were silent once more for a few seconds until Hachiman broke it.
"Have you thought about the other issue?" he asked.
Rias knew what- or rather, who- he was referring to. She has put some thought into it, but is unsure if she should go through with it.
"I'm still debating on letting Issei in on our... endeavors," she admitted.
Hachiman drank from his mug before speaking. "Well, I advise you to make a decision before the worst case scenario occurs."
"True enough," Rias said.
No more words were exchanged between them. For now, they needed to focus on the task at hand: dealing with the egg thieves once and for all.
Evening had finally come on the town. The sun was almost completely out of sight, leaving a faint glow.
Nezumi stood outside of the convenience store at a good distance, seeing two police officers standing outside. From the look of their expressions, they were prepared to take action at the sign of any trouble.
"Good on them for being proactive," he muttered. "Not that it will help them."
He looked up and saw Kiba and Koneko flying around the area of the cops' line of sight. They were doing a good job keeping a bird's eye view on things.
"Good thing they have us to help out. Not that they'll ever know."
Minutes have passed and there was no word on any movement. Nezumi decided to pass time by looking through his notebook, which contained notes on people he spoke with earlier in the day.
"Who in the world is the poacher?" he wondered. "As much as I want to think he's an adult, he sounded like he was around my age. What kind of skills did he gain to be able to mop the floor with him? And that Driver of his... where did he get it from?"
The beeping from his headset got his attention.
"Yeah?"
"Nezumi, we see movement below us," Kiba said on the other side. "The Kula Ya-Ku are moving towards the store."
"How far are they?" Nezumi asked.
"About 15 minutes away," Koneko answered. "Should we send the signal?"
"Go ahead," Nezumi said. "Time to put this theft to rest."
The Kula Ya-Ku were running at breakneck speed towards the convenience store, wanting more of the eggs. They let out all kinds of happy and excited squawking sounds as they ran.
Little did they know that Akeno was quickly following them out of their line of sight on the rooftops, dressed in all black clothing and a face mask.
"Time to trip you all up," she whispered in a sweet tone.
She gathered lightning in her hand, then shot three individual bolts at their hindlegs, causing them to stagger and fall down. The squawks were now of fear and confusion, wondering who shot them.
"Hate to rain on your parade, but your five-feather discount spree ends here."
The monsters immediately looked up to see Hachiman walk up to them, placing the Hunter Driver on his belt.
"Those eggs are not yours to take," he said, holding Tobi-Kadachi's amulet in his hand. "Now... the hunt is on."
He placed the amulet in the Driver.
"Spirit Locked!"
He performed the poses as the blue marks appeared on his body and his eyes glowed red.
"Henshin!"
He pressed the buttons on the Driver, and the energy enveloped him until it turned into his armor.
"Spirit Form: Tobi-Kadachi!"
Hunter got in a fighting stance. "Bring it on."
The Kula-Ya-Ku charge at Hunter and swipe at him with their claws. But he dodged them all with very little effort. He delivered numerous strikes to the three monsters, via punches and kicks, knocking them back. They were no match for him.
"This is getting too easy," Hunter remarked. "I want a challenge."
The moment he said that, dark shadows suddenly rush in from nowhere, utterly evicerating the Kula-Ya-Ku in exaggerated fashion. They struck the trio, leaving numerous lacerations on their bodies until they finally collapsed from the pain.
"Oh no…" Hunter groaned, knowing who was responsible.
The shadows converged on one another, until they finally gave the form of the mystery Rider, who struck a dramatic pose.
"I'm back, bitch," he said in a flamboyant tone. "Did you miss me?"
"Like a rash," Hunter snarked. "Here to steal my kill again?"
"That, and to beat you once again," the Rider replied coyly. "How about it?"
Hunter sighed. "Guess I've got no other options."
He slowly made his way towards the Rider, much to the latter's amusement.
"What's this? You're approaching me instead of retreating?"
"Can't beat the daylights out of you without getting closer," Hunter replied.
The Rider chuckled dryly. "True enough. A shame I won't give you the chance."
He pulled the lever on his driver, and a droning sound came from it.
"Nargacuga."
Shadows emerged from beneath the ground and lunged towards Hunter.
"He won't make it simple for me," he mused. "Fine, I can play ball."
He pressed the buttons on his own Driver and a cheerful sound emerged, followed by electricity gathering on his body.
"Tobi-Kadachi!"
Powered by the electricity, he proceeded to dodge the shadows effortlessly, reaching the Rider and hitting him square in the face.
"Ugh!" he grunted, stumbling back. "Lucky shot."
"Luck has nothing to do with it," Hunter retorted.
Growling, the rider rushed in to strike Hunter in his face in retaliation, knocking him back slightly. Hunter geared up for another punch, but the rider dodged it, retaliating with a kick. Hunter quickly dodged it and kicked the rider in the chest.
"Oof... you're really putting me through the ringer," he said.
"And you're working my last nerve," Hunter growled. "Who are you working for, anyway?"
"Can't tell you," the rider replied with a shrug. "They'll dock my pay if I let anything slip."
"Then I'll just have to beat it out of you."
The two exchanged fiercely blows with each other, electricity clashing with shadows. Punches, kicks and everything in between was delivered from both sides with no sign of slowing down. One of the Kula-Ya-Ku slowly regained its conciousness and watched the brutal scene. It widened its eyes in shock, then passed out once more.
Eventually, the two ceased their brief brawl.
"Time to end this," the rider said, pulling the lever on his driver.
"Took the words right out of my mouth," Hunter replied, pressing the buttons on his driver."
"Finisher: Tobi-Kadachi!/Nargacuga."
The two rider's boots gathered with electricity and darkness, respectively. They jumped in the air, then performed a diving kick towards each other. Upon contact, there was an explosion of the two elements that quickly vaporized the unconscious monsters.
Both of them landed unscathed, but noticed the monsters were destroyed.
"Damn," the rider muttered. "I didn't expect that to happen." He shrugged. "Oh well, the job's done."
Hunter looked at him. "What?"
"I had to eliminate the Kula-Ya-Ku," the poacher explained. "And if you look at it in a certain way, I kinda did. Welp, better not dally around any longer. See you later, Hunter."
With that, the rider disappeared using the shadows, leaving Hunter alone.
"Damn that guy," he grumbled.
The next day, the ORC gathered in the farmer's market, waiting patiently.
"It seems our mystery rider has appeared once more," Akeno mused.
"And he interfered with our plans," Kiba sighed. "It's truly frustrating, to be blunt."
"What I wouldn't give to rip his mask off and beat him up with it," Koneko grumbled.
"What's done is done," Rias said to her peerage. "No point in mulling over it now. However, I would be lying if I said I wasn't annoyed by this turn of events myself."
All of them let out a huge sigh, feeling somewhat disheartened.
"What's with all the long faces?"
They all look towards Komachi, who had the biggest grin on her face while holding some things wrapped in tin foil.
"What do you have there, Komachi?" Rias asked.
"Just the best thing ever made in the farmer's market," the little girl said, handing each of the club members a foil-wrapped item. "Guaranteed to turn those frowns upside down."
The ORC unwrapped the foil paper and saw an egg wrapped in a torilla. All of them took a bite out of it… and (ironically) experienced heaven.
"This is… this is sublime," Rias said as she chewed.
"The egg, the chicken, even the torilla is wonderful," Akeno sighed.
"I could eat this forever," Kiba swooned.
Koneko just ate hers without saying anything, but the blush on her face told all how she felt.
Hachiman walked up Komachi, holding a wrap in his hand.
"Looks like they enjoy it," he said.
"Yep," Komachi replied. "The egg chicken croquette wrap is a thing of wonder. Good thing we stopped the Bird Wyverns from stealing more.
"Uh… yeah, let's go with that."
Hachiman didn't want the harsh the mellow by bringing up the opposing rider while the ORC enjoyed the snack they were given. He'd let them have their moment of joy.
KS: How do you like that? Another beef with the mystery rider that ended in a draw, but forget that, 'cause we've got the GOAT of COTE himself, Kiyotaka Ayanokoji on here. Trust me when I say you'll be seeing a lot of him. In more ways than one, I might add. (winks) But enough of that. On to the preview!
Next time on Kamen Rider Hunter...
Unveiled Secrets
Rias: Issei, there's something we need to tell you.
Issei: What is it? And why is Hachiman with you?
Turf War
Nezumi: Okay, no cause for alarm, but we got Izuchi and Jaggi beefing with each other.
Hachiman: What? Why?
Nezumi: Hell if I know.
Built for Battle
Hunter: Just try and knock me down!
Chapter 9: A Good Day For a Swell Battle