Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant

Chapter 102.5 – Who was the Man with the Electric Guitar?


"There now remain only four Watches that Tokiwa Sougo must collect," Woz stated as he was currently standing on a hill that was overlooking a river. The sound of an electric guitar being strummed could be heard, it being loud enough to be heard but there was no speaker, nor was it loud enough to be coming from a speaker. He held up his book and flipped through the pages, "Today calls for yet another look into Penny Polendina and her interactions with this world… and her knack for meeting with interesting individuals…"


Earth – Early May 2019

Roze was currently in her base form, standing beside Penny as the two were right outside the warehouse that Sento and Ryuga lived at. Nearby was Sento at a folded out table, a laptop on it alongside various broken Fullbottles with scorch marks underneath them.

"Alright, so it appears I'll have to figure out how to construct stronger Fullbottles before continuing those tests," Sento noted as he glanced at the broken mess near his laptop while typing away, "That's a shame, it'd be nice to get Cross-ZBuild without needing to call over Penny every time."

"I mean if you need me to do it again, I am always willing to help," Penny said.

"Yeah," Roze said, "Having Cross-ZBuild at the ready would be good. Especially because Evolt's out there…"

"Though admittedly I'd rather try and figure out a way to get Cross-ZEvol working," Sento said as he looked at the data on his laptop, "An upgrade for Kazumin is also something I need to consider at some point too… Grease Blizzard is too dangerous for him to use right now."

"So why exactly doesn't Cross-ZEvol work anymore?" Roze asked.

"It requires both Ryuga and Evolt to properly work," Sento reminded, "It wasn't just a onetime activation, but a necessary component."

"Ah, right," Roze put a hand to her chin, recalling the Evol-Enhanced Hound alongside Briar Rose back on Atlas. He was one of two Riders that the group were concerned about, the other being Sylphi. Especially due to how little the two had showed up since their various meetings, "And it's doubtful he'll ever cooperate with us again."

"That scare you and Geiz did was only good once," Sento replied, "Now that he's likely working with a third party, he's going to be emboldened and having us other Riders strengthened will be the best way to counter whatever he has in store."

"True," Roze replied, "So how about we cook up some more bottles so Penny can try again."

"Unfortunately that would take too long," Sento admitted, "Though of course while permanent power-ups are good, I am always a fan of implementing science in utilizing the supernatural like your friend's magic."

"So we're moving onto the next experiment then?" Roze asked before crossing her arms, "I'm still unsure how you're able to mix science and magic so easily."

"It's all thanks to Penny," Sento replied, "Because of how her mind works I'm able to explain to her on how to use her magic to form precisely controlled versions of her elements."

"It is thanks to Sento's explanations that I now believe I have the necessary knowledge to perform this test," Penny nodded.

"Yes," Sento replied, "While pure energy is volatile as we've seen, if molded correctly it should work out nicely for future combat scenarios."

"What was the explanation again?" Roze asked.

"I'd rather not waste time on explaining the science… but essentially Penny will be creating elemental energy constructs," Sento replied, "In theory, and if she creates them in the way I described to her… it should allow her to imbue someone with elemental properties temporarily."

"Correct," Penny nodded before holding out her hands and forming a sphere of fire. The flames flickered as they swirled around while Penny pushed the sphere outwards, it floating in place, "There we go!"

"And we're sure this is alright…?" Roze questioned as she tilted her head and stared at the elemental sphere, "Like, I'm not going to get toasted or fried, right?"

"You should be fine, especially with your armor on," Sento replied before clapping his hands a few times, "Now let's get a move on, you're the one who mentioned we have a tight schedule today after all."

"Right, right," Roze nodded, realizing she didn't want to hold up Penny any longer as she crouched forward before leaping towards the fire sphere.


Later…

Thankfully the tests involving Ruby only got to mild discomfort which allowed them to wrap up fairly quickly while Sento figured out better parameters for Penny's elemental charges. That meant she was able to meet with Naoto for more guitar lessons. The two were currently at Team RWBY's apartment, everyone else being out for the hours he was going to be around in order to give Penny some space.

It was a slow start, but sure enough she was starting to figure out the ins and outs of being a novice guitarist. They were only a few sessions in at this point, and she had been memorizing the sheet music and motions despite not having a guitar of her own to practice on.

"Alright," Naoto said as he tapped the sheet music on the stand, it had the title 'Canon' on it, "We've gone through the basics and I think you can handle this. It's something even a novice can play."

"Very well," Penny nodded, "I will try my best."

"That's the spirit," Naoto said as he watched Penny sit down. He walked over and handed her his acoustic guitar before helping her get her starting stance ready, "Alright, whenever you're ready."

Penny nodded before slowly strumming the guitar, matching the notes with fair accuracy, though at some points with too much accuracy. Despite this Naoto began to nod his head as he crossed his arms, when he heard Penny slow down he softly clapped.

"That was sweet," Naoto said, "Yeah, you definitely have a talent for this."

"You really think so?" Penny asked with a smile.

"Lady, I could call you a natural," Naoto chuckled as he went to help Penny with her posture, "Alright, not too stiff, and finger on the third string now…" he trailed before nodding as Penny shifted her fingers, "There you go, you got it."

"Alright," Penny nodded as she did as she was instructed.

"I've also noticed that you're a bit stiff on certain parts," Naoto said, "Like you're trying to hit the perfect note."

"Is that not what I should be doing?" Penny asked.

"While you do want to hit the notes correctly, you don't want to keep yourself stiff while doing that," Naoto explained, "A firm tight grip is necessary, as is proper positioning, but you need to keep yourself relaxed or you'll overcorrect."

"I see," Penny said as she began to move her arms slightly, "Like this?"

"Let me…" Naoto leaned over and shifted Penny's posture and arms slightly, moving her hands into slightly better positions, "There we go."

"Thank you," Penny said.

"No thank you," Naoto admitted, "I've felt like I've been going through the motions lately… even with my students… so having someone with a genuine passion is refreshing."

"Oh, then you are very welcome," Penny smiled before going back to practicing with the guitar.

The practice continued for a few more hours, Naoto a bit surprised at how little breaks Penny was willing to take. Though he was still unaware of her true mechanical nature, thus he kept insisting that Penny rest her fingers more often despite the reassurances.

After deciding to break for the day, Naoto had packed everything he had brought up before hoisting his guitar case over his shoulder while carrying the rest in a leather briefcase. Once everything was cleaned up, Penny went to see Naoto off, the guitar instructor giving a simple waving salute before taking off.

"Thank you again," Penny waved before pulling out her phone going to text Team RWBY that her lessons were done for the day.


While the tests of Penny's Maiden magic and the guitar lessons did take up some time, it was still early enough into the day. So much so that she decided to take in the sights and explore Tokyo further before dinner later that night at the apartment.

While she wasn't one for gossip, there were some odd key phrases she was hearing. Admittedly at first she thought they were about her until she heard the words 'he' and 'him' being used.

"Hey, so what was with that guy?"

"I don't know, it was weird… he was like just standing in the middle of the street for a while."

"He kind of acted like a robot."

"Also sounded like it too."

"Yeah, whenever he moved there was this strange whirring."

Penny couldn't help but wonder who exactly they were talking about. Thankfully she had a digital database of Ruby's Rider Notes to access and could pick up keywords with ease. Her search though only seemed to lead her to the term Roidmude, which didn't make any sense. That was because publicly, there were only 108, and all of them were said to have been destroyed by a Kamen Rider known as Drive. Not to mention while they were mechanical life forms, their disguises were so well crafted that you wouldn't even be able to tell they were mechanical until they started to fight.

"I must admit this is a rather curious case," Penny mused to herself as she was walking along the path on top of a hill that led down towards a riverbank, "I wonder if I should call-"

Her thoughts were interrupted by… a guitar? It wasn't fairly loud so it seemed to be an electric bass and not acoustic, but despite this it wasn't as low as an electric would normally sound. It also wasn't as loud as it could get with a speaker. But the other question on her mind was who exactly was playing this guitar. She looked around before managing to find someone sitting on the hill nearby.

It was a young man in bright blue pants, a black shirt, and a red leather jacket. He was seemingly lost in his own world as he strummed his red electric guitar.

"Whoa…" Penny said as she stared at the man, slightly enraptured by the song the young male was playing. She slowly but surely began to walk off the path and down the hill before sitting down. She was a fair distance away from where the young male was sitting and figured her being at this distance wouldn't startle him like she had with Naoto.

"Huh?" The young man slowed down before looking over, a low whirring sound being heard as he began staring at Penny intently. Though he was surprised to see the quizzical look she gave him, "Is there something the matter?"

"Oh no, I was just enjoying your song," Penny said before tilting her head, noticing the whirring and recalling the rumors, "Though may I ask what you find so interesting about me?"

"It's nothing," The man said as he turned his head away, "You're interested in my song though?"

"I have recently taken an interest in guitar," Penny admitted, "So it is always nice to hear new songs being played. Though I am curious about one thing…"

"And what would that be?" The man asked.

"How did you do that sound amplification?" Penny asked, "If I recall, those types of guitars do not exactly let out as much sound as you were outputting."

"That… is a secret," The man said.

"Ah I see," Penny said as she was innocently curious at what his secret could be, "I was just curious since I have yet to purchase a guitar of my own. And I was wondering if I would be able to do what you do if I got a guitar like yours."

"Perhaps," The man said as he looked away from Penny before glancing at her, "Jiro."

"Excuse me?" Penny asked.

"My name," Jiro said, "It's Jiro."

"Oh, Jiro," Penny nodded before giving a smile, "It is nice to meet you, my name is Penny Polendina."

"Penny," Jiro nodded, "It is a pleasure to meet you as well."

"Do you play here often?" Penny asked.

"I wander around," Jiro admitted, "I don't plan on staying in the city that long."

"I see," Penny said, "So do you not have a home?"

"A home…" Jiro muttered as he stared at the river.

"Oh, I am sorry if I said something bad," Penny gave a light gasp, realizing she might have overstepped her boundaries.

"Its fine," Jiro said, "I don't have a home per say… but I suppose I do have somewhere to return to."

"I believe that's the most important thing you could have," Penny admitted, recalling her life on Earth compared to her life in Atlas.

While her Father's Lab and Pharmacy were technically her homes, it still felt off to her. Even though it hadn't been long since she had moved in with Ruby and her friends, she felt more at home than she ever had. She'd watch television with them, play games, help out with chores, or just simply be around to watch everything while everyone was out.

"I suppose I should visit her again…" Jiro admitted, "I owe it to her after all."

"Huh?" Penny tilted her head, "Who do you owe it to?"

Jiro looked over, "My-"

CRASH!

The two were startled by a brown and blue blur suddenly smashing into the base of the hill they were on, the two standing up. While Penny had adopted a defensive stance, Jiro had quickly but carefully set his guitar down. The result of the crash had caused a ton of smoke to build up, though Penny spotted a figure roll away from the smoke before turning to face the crash site.

She recognized the organic blue humanoid warrior near instantly, the black accents, yellow electrical lines and red antenna on the forehead…

Penny's eyes widened, "Inazuman?!"

"Eh?" Jiro looked over at Penny, "You know-"

"Huh?" Inazuman turned to look back, "Ah, Penny!"

"What is going on?" Penny asked as she began to hurry over.

"Hold it," Inazuman held out a hand before wincing as a gust of wind occurred, forcing both him and Penny to raise their arms in defense.

The smoke cleared to reveal an avian monster, it having a bronze body with blue tips, various constellation markings all over its body.

"Is that… a Zodiarts?" Penny asked.

"The Aquilla Zodiarts," Inazuman explained, "Someone from my class somehow got a hold of a Switch and tried to mess with the school. I was fighting him when he grabbed onto me and flew off."

"You aren't getting in the way of me showing how strong I am!" Aquila called out as he went to step forward only to grunt, suddenly feeling a chill. He looked down and gave a gasp, his talons having been frozen to the ground, "What?!"

"Got you," Penny had her hands out as her magic was now active, "Saburo!"

"Thanks Penny," Inazuman nodded as he charged his hands with psychic energy before leaping forward and performing a cross chop, "Psycho Chop!"

Sparks flew as the Aquila Zodiarts yelled out, the ice shattering as he was thrown backwards and slammed against the ground on his back. The Aquila Zodiarts saw Inazuman approaching and yelled out, throwing his arms forward and unleashing bursts of electric feathers from its wings to strike at Inazuman.

Inazuman gasped out as he was caught off guard, sparks flying as he was sent staggering back into a roll.

"Ah Saburo, are you okay?!" Penny gasped out before quickly reacting and slamming her hands into the ground, forming a slab of earth that blocked electrified feathers launching towards her.

"You're getting annoying," Aquila called out as he fully stood up before launching up into the air and kicking downwards to strike at Penny. To his surprise she had summoned a shield of ice above her, his talons digging into it as she then unleashed whirlwind against it to break it apart, the wind and chunks of ice launching him backwards.

"Do not underestimate me," Penny called out as she held a defensive stance, "I am combat ready!"

"Penny…" Jiro muttered as he saw this, a bit confused at what he was seeing. He had already figured Penny's true nature the moment he saw her, but he wasn't expecting this added layer of magic.

"Don't make me laugh!" Aquila shouted before noticing Jiro just standing and staring, "I'll deal with you next!"

Penny's eyes widened as she saw Aquila dive down towards Jiro, "Jiro!"

"Look out!" Inazuman called out.

The Aquila Zodiarts yelled out as he dived downwards head first, planning on slamming Jiro into the ground to use as a hostage. He wasn't expecting Jiro to simply hold a hand out at the last second, catching his head and completely halting his momentum as a shockwave was unleashed from the grab.

"What?" Aquila asked.

"Huh?" Inazuman looked at the scene in surprise, "How?"

"Incredible," Penny gave a gasp, impressed by Jiro's strength.

"Do not expect me to be a pushover," Jiro said as he shoved his hand forward, launching the Zodiarts backwards.

Aquila gave a gasp, using his wings to stop him mid-air as he landed, "Who are you?!"

"I was hoping to not fight, but I suppose I'll help end things quickly," Jiro said as he stood tall while keeping his hands relaxed, "Switch On."

A bright light formed at his forehead as his entire began to shift and change from his feet upwards, revealing a half red and half blue combat form with yellow detailing. A red and blue digital pulse was released, everyone taking a step back as they stared in surprise.

"He's not a Rider," Inazuman said, instantly picking up that there was no Driver of any sort and he was aware of most Riders thanks to Gentaro. That was when he recalled something from his meeting with Penny and her friends, "Wait a minute…"

"No way," Penny gasped, suddenly recalling some particular words by Woz, it matching up with the visuals he had shown her and the others.

"such as Kikaider who fought alongside Gaim briefly."

"You're Kikaider," Penny said in near awe.

"Correct," Kikaider nodded as he glanced back towards Penny before looking back at the Zodiarts, "Let's go."

"I don't care who you are!" Aquila called out as he unleashed multiple bursts of electrical feathers towards Kikaider, "You're going down!"

Kikaider simply walked towards Aquila, his metal body and higher defenses allowing him to walk through the projectiles with ease. He then picked up his pace, running forward and performing a leaping punch with his right fist, electricity gathering and bursting out when the hit landed.

The Zodiarts cried out as sparks flew, staggering back and gasping as smoke began to exit from his body. He managed to pick himself up, rushing towards Kikaider who began walking calmly towards him. Aquila then swung his wings, the feathers sharpening to try and cut through Kikaider.

Kikaider however easily braced against the sharpened wings, easily pushing back and forcing the Zodiarts back further with a combination of punches and a few kicks.

"It's over, just give up," Inazuman called out.

"Like hell I will," Aquila hissed out before launching up into the air, "So long as I'm airborne you won't catch me! I'll prove to you my strength when we meet again!"

"No you will not," Penny said as she crouched down before launching upwards with her leg boosters while drawing out Floating Array. She then increased her thrusters output with her magic before launching straight after the Zodiarts.

Both Inazuman and Kikaider could only stare up into the sky as a streak of blue began zigzagging across the sky while green bursts of energy could be seen. It didn't take long for a yell to be heard as a big explosive green burst could be seen, the Aquila Zodiarts slamming straight into the ground.

"N-No way…" Aquila gasped out as he shakily stood up.

"Yes way," Penny said as she landed, "I will not allow you to escape and cause problems for others."

"She's right," Inazuman said before looking over at their new ally, "Kikaider!"

"Let's do this," Kikaider nodded before running forward alongside Inazuman.

Aquila turned, only to be on the receiving end of two punches. Sparks flew as he staggered back, he tried to punch and counter only for his attempts to be batted away, Kikaider and Inazuman unleashing a quick rapid series of punches that forced the Zodiarts backwards.

"It's time to finish this," Penny said as she used her boosters to leap near the two heroes before holding out Floating Array into its main cannon formation, energy charging into a sphere.

"Let's help with that then," Inazuman held up his right hand as psychic energy began to charge.

"Right," Kikaider nodded as he moved more forward towards the two, getting in position as energy gathered in his right leg.

Inazuman shouted as lightning struck the energy sphere, "Great Power Thunder Takedown!"

Penny watched as the energy Inazuman struck the energy with turned it from its usual green into a mixture of green, yellow, and blue before she gave a yell and launched it forward, "Floating Array Buster!"

Kikaider shouted as he watched the energy pass him, quickly performing a spin and striking the enhanced energy sphere with an energized kick, "Ultra Kick!"

The tri-powered burst of energy launched forward at high speeds, striking the Aquila Zodiarts who tried to use his feathers as a shield. Despite holding it back briefly, he could only yell out as his feathers were burned away, the blast soon striking him dead center and causing a massive explosion.

"Whoa…" Penny said, in awe at their improvised combination. She then jumped up while raising her arms high, "We did it!"

An AGHS Student yelled out as he was sprawled against the ground, a Zodiarts switch clattering across the ground and landing near Kikaider who picked it up and held it out towards Inazuman.

"You can crush it," Inazuman said as he walked over.

"Very well," Kikaider said as he crushed the Zodiarts Switch, it breaking into smaller pieces as he let it drop to the ground. He then noticed Inazuman was fairly close to him, "Huh?"

"Thanks for the help," Inazuman held his hand out.

"It's no issue, I was simply doing what I felt was right," Kikaider said as he took Inazuman's hand firmly before the two shook.

"Jiro, that was really cool," Penny said as she hurried over, "I can't believe I got to see a rare team-up like that."

"More than that, you were a part of it after all," Inazuman reminded, "Thanks for your help too, Penny."

"Of course," Penny saluted, "If I can help out, I always will."

"Anyway, I should get going," Inazuman said as he went to pick up the broken Switch pieces in one hand before grabbing and slinging the AGHS Student over his shoulder, "Can't exactly stay and chat."

"Right, plus you need to make sure you are covered up," Penny reminded.

"What?" Kikaider stared at Penny for a bit.

"O-Oh right, right," Inazuman realized with a stammer, realizing just how far he was out from the school before running off. Butterfly wings made of energy erupted from his back as he launched up into the air, "I'll see you around!"

"Goodbye!" Penny waved.

Kikaider meanwhile dismissed his transformation, his body shifting back to normal as Jiro once again stood with Penny.

"Well that was exciting," Penny admitted.

"Penny, I have a quick question," Jiro spoke up as he turned to head back to the hill where his guitar was, "How exactly did you know my name?"

"Oh, a friend of mine told us about you when we first met Inazuman," Penny explained, "We were told how other heroes would fight alongside Kamen Riders and that you fought with Kamen Rider Gaim once."

"Gaim… I do recall that Rider, yes," Jiro nodded as he picked up the guitar before strumming it and making sure everything was in the right place, "So you are a machine as well?"

"Yes, and I assume you are one as well," Penny replied, "I suppose that is why you were staring at me earlier."

"Yes, I was able to tell from a glance," Jiro nodded.

"How very advanced," Penny noted, "I figured you were likely one as well from the obvious noises I heard… but I did not want to be rude."

"I see," Jiro said as he began to play his guitar again before walking off.

"Jiro…?" Penny asked as she began to follow after him.

"It's been a pleasure talking to you Penny, and I hope we can meet again someday," Jiro said as he began to walk off into the distance while playing his guitar, "But right now, I realize that there is a place I need to be."

"You mean with that person you mentioned?" Penny asked as she stopped following after Jiro.

"Yes," Jiro gave a nod as he continued onwards, "I believe it is time to return home."

Penny let out a soft smile before cupping her hands together, "Good luck and be safe!"

Jiro turned back with a small smile as he watched Penny wave him off. He simply nodded as he continued his song, soon turning his attention back on the path before him.

Far away from the two was Woz who had his book out with a smirk.

"She has a knack for meeting interesting individuals indeed," Woz smiled as he shut his book before walking off, his presence undetected as usual, "And as a result we bore witness to a fun meet-up that might not have happened otherwise."

To Be Continued…

Next Time: Chapter 103 – 2014: Surprise, Drive?!


Author's Note: Not much to say about this Interlude specifically if I'm being honest. The main goal here was for Penny to meet a Kikaider (since there are technically two, og/reboot) and to get a cool team-up between the modernized Inazuman and Kikaider. Aside from a few things I did for setup, this was done purely because I thought it'd be cool and fun.

The only other trivia I can offer is that the Aquila Zodiarts does exist… as concept art. I wanted a unique monster for the confrontation and decided to grab that one. That said, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.