Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 106.5 – Secrets Unveiled
Woz was currently in the cockpit of his Time Mazine though he was simply standing to the side and not in the pilot's seat. A singular spotlight shined down on him as time was still. That was because just barely in the darkness, Penny could be seen sitting and helming the main controls.
"There now remain just two Watches that Tokiwa Sougo must collect," Woz said as he held his book at his side, "However the time for another detour is upon us as Miss Polendina will soon find out a very interesting small truth…." he then looked over at Penny as the area around him began to brighten up again, "First however…"
Earth – Late May 2019
(Insert: Overnight Sensation by TRF)
Sento was used to a lot of things now that he was this deep into the 'New World' that he had managed to merge his old world into. This was especially true once Sougo and Ruby had entered his new life fairly early on. A world that prospered, Legendary Riders besides himself and his group, multiple other worlds connecting to this singular one, time travel, the list could go on.
However, he was still not used to Sougo's strange ideas when it came to serious recommendations. He had visited the group at 9-5-DO to let them know that he'd been monitoring the Time Mazines ever since becoming their main mechanic for world travel. He had noted that the Time Mazines seemed to be collecting dust in a figurative sense. They weren't being used that often compared to before, and were just sitting around for the most part.
He suggested a simple idea, having the Time Mazines move around a bit as a sort of exercise to keep them from getting stiff. This way they wouldn't lock up or malfunction on the field during an important moment in battle.
The sight before him was not what he had in mind as he stood in the middle of a quarry.
Ruby and Yang were both in workout gear that were pretty simple color coordinated to them which consisted of simple shirts and shorts given they were already in the hotter months of the year. Near them was a radio/cassette player that had been donated to Junichiro which the clockmaker had fixed up with little issue, despite being a specialist in clocks. It even had quite a few cassettes available, with the song that was playing currently on blast.
The two were currently doing a workout routine to the beat of the song, with the two sisters surprisingly in sync. In front of them were the Zi-O, Geiz, and Woz Unit Time Mazines, the three machines dancing along and trying to mimic the movements of the Rose/Xiao-Long sisters.
"One, two, three, four," Ruby and Yang counted as they kept to the beat, "…five, six, seven, eight."
"One, two, three, four," Sougo called out from his Time Mazine's speakers as the Zi-O Unit was keeping up rather well.
"Five, six, seven, eight," Penny called out from the Woz Unit, as not only was this a chance to keep the Time Mazines mobile, it was also a chance for Penny to learn how to pilot one.
She was always curious about the mechanics of operating the Time Mazines. Her interest grew especially when Ruby described the experience of piloting one. But she never expected her first time to be so much fun and while the Woz Unit was a bit rougher in its movements than the Zi-O Unit she was still able to keep up just fine.
Unsurprisingly, and even expectedly to most of the group there… the Geiz Unit was the one that was performing the worst out of all three. Not only were its movements not up to par, but it was clear that Geiz wasn't putting his all into it.
"Hey, come on Geiz," Ruby clapped a bit with a shout, "You're letting Penny show you up!"
"Yeah, she's a beginner at this, remember?" Yang teased.
The Geiz Unit paused and held its arms up to its head as if grabbing it, "What the hell are we even doing? When Sento said to keep these things from getting rusty, I thought he meant practical movement tests."
"Come on Geiz, this is so much more fun!" Sougo called out.
"Indeed," Penny agreed, "This is a wonderful experience!"
"You are doing well Miss Polendina, much better than Geiz's paltry attempts," Woz remarked on the speaker system, wanting to get the last word in.
"Come on Geiz, you aren't going to let Woz talk to you like that right?" Ruby called out before giving a giggle.
"Yeah, show us some real good stuff," Yang shouted with a laugh, "Or do you want everyone to find out why you really didn't join me and Blake at the club in Atlas that one time?"
"Fine then…" Geiz growled out as the Geiz Unit began to match its movements a bit better with the other Time Mazine Units.
"I still can't believe we're doing this," Sento sighed as he went to sit down next to his laptop that was monitoring the systems of the Time Mazines, keeping an eye out for any abnormalities. Thankfully everything was fine, and he hated to admit it, but using dancing as the movement tests was a solid idea.
"I don't know," Yang said as she kept the workout routine going, "Getting some good cardio in, having some fun with the Time Mazines after how long? I call this a win/win."
"Oh yeah definitely," Ruby said, "Plus it sounds like Penny's having a lot of fun!"
"I suppose I'll relent," Sento sighed further as he hung his head.
The three Time Mazines continued to dance, eventually getting into a circle and shaking their bodies back and forth before getting back in line as they each got onto one leg and spun by hopping around. While the Zi-O and Woz Units landed their spin without issue, the Geiz Unit wasn't able to handle the short lack of balance and went falling forward.
(Insert End)
"Hey thanks for the help," Blake said as she was carrying a bag of groceries.
"It's my pleasure," Weiss said as she carried more bags of groceries, "I figured I should since Ruby and Yang are exhausted from today."
The two Huntresses were currently walking on a path that had a steep hill leading down towards a riverbank, a bridge in the distance with nice cover.
"I didn't think they'd go along with Sougo's idea so wholeheartedly," Blake admitted before cracking a smirk, "Though from what I heard it was rather amusing on Geiz's side."
"Given Sougo couldn't stop giggling over the phone while telling me how Geiz kept falling over, I'd say so," Weiss smiled before that slowly faded, "It honestly feels weird to me still…"
"What does?" Blake asked.
"This normalcy," Weiss admitted, "The fact that we had just ended up waging a grand battle against Salem, and winning just barely mind you, before going back to our routine here."
"True," Blake replied, "Though I suppose it's just the sudden shift back to what's become our routine, right?"
"Of course," Weiss scoffed slightly, "I'd never even want to imagine losing that battle for Atlas."
"It is hard to imagine how badly it could have gone given all our resources now," Blake agreed.
"Admittedly part of it is also living at 9-5-DO," Weiss added, "It's such a different experience, to the point where I do miss you all even if we still hang out."
"Which is why you decided to be nice and help me with dinner tonight," Blake already guessed why the ex-heiress was helping them out, "Right?"
"Pretty much," Weiss nodded, "I figured it'd be nice, just the five of us even if Penny can't eat."
"Even then she does enjoy the tableside conversations," Blake reminded.
On the subject of Penny however, the strumming of an acoustic guitar caught their attention. It didn't seem to be any song they knew of, and it was rather simple as if a beginner was playing it. They ended up hearing it towards the bottom of the bridge, the two looking over to see who was playing before their eyes widened in slight surprise.
It was Penny who was currently sitting against one of the support pillars of the bridge, playing a green acoustic guitar with orange rimming to it. The group still had access to Ruby's insane amount of money and that was only added onto thanks to the Kougami Foundation's funding. So Ruby had splurged a bit to give Penny a practice guitar after Naoto insisted Penny purchase one.
"She's really good for only just learning recently," Blake admitted.
"I suppose that's just Penny for you," Weiss added, "Her reflexes and learning are higher than ours after all."
"True," Blake replied, "While social stuff is a bit odd for her still, the technical aspects usually end up sticking well enough."
"With that said, considering how late it's getting…" Weiss said as she began to walk down the hill towards the underside of the bridge, "Penny!"
"Huh?" Penny stopped her playing suddenly before looking over, "Oh, Weiss and Blake? I did not know you were coming to get me."
"We weren't," Blake admitted as she walked at a brisker pace to keep up with Weiss, "We just ended up finding you here."
"Why are you playing here to begin with?" Weiss asked.
"There is a nice echo to the underside of this bridge," Penny admitted as she brought out her carrying case for her guitar and began putting it away, "Plus the young man I met a while back liked to play on hills like these, at least I assume since I only met him once."
"I suppose that makes sense…" Weiss admitted with a slight deadpan stare, not surprised by the simplicity of why Penny was practicing guitar where she was, "But no we were just in the area."
"Despite being rather large, this city can be small at times," Penny noted.
"Well there is a reason the phrase 'small world' is used when meeting with someone you know that you're not expecting," Blake pointed out, "Admittedly I'm surprised we haven't run into any Riders today. Given how many we've helped out I feel like we would've run into one of them by now."
"Please do not jinx us," Weiss sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose before hearing sudden yells and a thud behind them, "Oh you jinxed us…"
"Come on, it can't be…" Blake turned as her eyes widened, "That… bad…"
"Huh?" Penny asked as she walked over before giving a gasp.
They all saw as Penny's guitar instructor, Naoto Kamiya had ended up at the bottom of the hill. He was a bit roughed up but he looked up with a glare.
"You damn faker!" he called out as on top of the hill was none other than another Naoto Kamiya.
"Faker…?" the Naoto on top of the hill questioned, "I think you're the fake one around here. You're comparing yourself to me… ha! You're not even good enough to be my fake."
"I'll make you eat those words!" The Naoto at the base of the hill called out before suddenly shifting shape, giving off a weird noise as it turned into a black mosquito-like creature with various red highlights to its body, it being based off of a culex mosquito.
"My Instructor is a Worm?" Penny questioned in shock.
"Sorry punk, but you messed with the wrong guy!" the Naoto at the top of the hill called out as he flashed white suddenly, turning into a monochrome snake themed monster that had a jacket as part of his aesthetic.
The Snake Orphnoch shouted as he charged towards the Culex Worm which gave the usual Worm-like noises before charging for the Orphnoch.
"No your instructor is an Orphnoch that a Worm ended up mimicking!" Weiss called out in shock as she dropped her bag of groceries alongside Blake.
"What a strange turn of events…" Blake trailed in surprise before shaking her head, "This isn't good though… if that thing's a Worm…"
The Culex Worm swung at the Snake Orphnoch who ducked underneath and sent a one-two punch against its gut. The Worm growled out before suddenly speeding up, striking the Snake Orphnoch several times and sending him sprawling against the ground close to the river as he received several cuts.
"What the heck?" the Snake Orphnoch gasped out as he tried to spot the Worm assaulting him, "Too fast… way too fast!"
The Culex Worm chuckled as it stopped, it just as unaware of the trio watching its battle as the Snake Orphnoch was. It then brandished the stinger-like hand it had and approached the fallen Orphnoch.
"Blake, Penny," Weiss said as she glanced at her friends who both gave nods. She then drew out Myrtenaster and the Chalice Arrow, scanning a card before aiming her rapier forward and stacking a few Gravity Glyphs to force the Culex Worm to stop.
The Culex Worm struggled against the heavy pressure, turning its head toward the group in surprise.
[BIO!]
Weiss held her Chalice Arrow forward, imbuing the vine-like constructs with fire and binding the Culex Worm further with fiery vine-like ropes.
"Penny, get Naoto out of there," Blake said as she brought out her Gashacon Sparrow and loaded the Bakusou Bike Gashat into the finisher slot.
"Roger," Penny said before setting her case down and launching forward with her boosters, quickly grabbing onto the Snake Orphnoch and flying away with him.
"Eh?" the Snake Orphnoch yelped when he was suddenly lifted up only to see his savior, "P-P-P-Penny?!"
"Hello Kamiya Sir," Penny gave a smile as she kept an easy hold of him as his weight was not an issue to lift.
"H-How are you even carrying me?" The Snake Orphnoch questioned.
"You are not questioning my ability to fly?" Penny asked as she stopped and began hovering in the air.
"Huh?" The Snake Orphnoch asked before taking in his surroundings, "EH?!"
The Culex Worm growled further as it struggled against the flame imbued bindings and stacked heavy gravity.
[BAKUSOU CRITICAL FINISH!]
Blake shouted as she reeled back before spinning, launching two razor sharp wheel-like projections that struck dead center against the Culex Worm, the tires spinning into it further and further before it screeched out, its body being torn apart before exploding.
"Thank goodness," Weiss slumped forward as she dismissed her weapons, soon going over to grab the groceries, "Honestly, after that nightmarish encounter with the last Worm you had, I was worried about this one still standing."
"Thankfully we got the drop on it," Blake nodded as she dismissed her weapons before going over to the guitar case and grabbing it.
"Wonderful job you two," Penny said as she landed with the Snake Orphnoch while setting him down.
The Snake Orphnoch gave a nervous chuckle as he got his footing before stepping away from Penny, "So…"
"So you're an Orphnoch, huh?" Blake asked.
"To think that my instructor would be one," Penny admitted.
"Y-Yes…" The Snake Orphnoch said as he looked around, "W-What are you going to do now?"
"Well it's not like you're evil, right?" Weiss asked, "From what Ruby told us, Takumi's also an Orphnoch."
"And she said he had mentioned there were at least a few still out there that didn't want to hurt anyone," Blake replied.
"Wait, you all know Takumi?" the Snake Orphnoch asked as he shifted back into his human form, "Like, seriously?"
"Seriously," Weiss said with a bored stare, "What, has he not told you about us?"
"We don't keep in touch that often," Naoto admitted, "Plus I'm out here living my own life, not really thinking about what's going on in this crazy world of Riders."
"Fair," Blake replied.
"Wait a minute," Penny said in realization as she recalled an earlier conversation with Ruby alongside Naoto's words, "Are you the friend that Takumi was going to ask?"
"Oh yeah, he ended up telling me when I visited not too long after we first met," Naoto nodded before rubbing his chin a bit, "Though if you know Takumi… I suppose I can reveal it now."
"Reveal what?" Blake asked in slight confusion, "We kind of already know that you're an Orphnoch."
"My true identity," Naoto explained as he turned around as if pondering something, "You see… Naoto Kamiya isn't my true name… it's actually…" he then turned back towards them in a near dramatic fashion, "Naoya Kaido!"
"Not to be rude…" Blake trailed slightly.
"…are we supposed to know who that is?" Weiss asked bluntly.
"This is my first time hearing your real name," Penny admitted with a smile.
"Eh?" Naoto, now known as Kaido, asked as he slumped forward, "Did he really talk about me as a friend and not actually mention my name? Or was he respecting my wishes to keep my identity more hidden."
"So is Naoto Kamiya a stage name?" Blake asked.
"It's an alias I use for my guitar instructor gig," Kaido admitted, "Figured I'd keep a low profile since Smart Brain was still around and kicking even if barely, up until last year."
"Them dying out would be thanks to Ruby and the others for helping Takumi out," Weiss said.
"To think that my teacher would be an Orphnoch," Penny admitted again, "That is rather unique."
"But not unheard of given we know of other types of monsters living among us," Blake added.
"I suppose we can't catch a break of normalcy even with guitar instructors," Weiss sighed with a shrug, though she cracked a small smile.
"So wait, you know about me," Kaido said pointing at himself before gesturing towards Penny, "But miss… what exactly are you?"
"Well I am not exactly human," Penny admitted as she kicked one of her legs back and forth while having her arms behind her back, "Though I still have a soul."
"Where we come from, we can project Aura which is an extension of our soul," Blake replied, "Penny can as well despite being a machine, and as a result she's a robot with a soul."
"Huh, don't think I've met one of those before," Kaido admitted, "Admittedly I thought you were in some bad accident given uh, the uh…"
"Oh no, these are not prosthetics," Penny replied, "Just a design aesthetic."
"Well I'm glad that Ruby figuring people would see them as prosthetics ended up being true," Blake said, "While Yang's was fairly simple, Penny's legs are a bit more… out there in terms of shape that I was worried."
"A robot that wants to play guitar," Kaido mused, "Now my passion to keep teaching you is just growing higher."
"It is surprisingly not an isolated incident," Penny admitted, recalling Jiro and his guitar playing, "Though I appreciate your help."
"Speaking of guitar," Blake said as she held the case out towards Penny, "I believe this is yours."
"Thank you," Penny said as she took the guitar.
"So you finally got your own guitar," Kaido said as he crossed his arms, "I was wondering when it would happen."
"I really did not wish to impose, but Ruby insisted," Penny admitted.
"That girl," Kaido said before chuckling, "She sounds like a keeper."
"I am not sure she is keeping anything though?" Penny tilted her head.
"Huh…" Kaido said as he looked over towards Blake and Weiss who shook their heads. He then began to walk off, "Anyway, I'll call you sometime soon for the next lesson alright? I've probably derailed you all long enough."
"Stay safe," Penny said with a wave before turning towards the others, "Shall we head home?"
"Yes, while the workout was nice, I would like it if we could get home without any trouble," Weiss said as she began to walk off.
"What I'm wondering is how we ended up missing a Worm…" Blake admitted in a low voice with a hint of worry. Not to mention that there was also the fact that it had targeted Kaido of all people.
Penny began to hum before noticing she had some sand on her, though upon closer inspection she noticed that it wasn't sand, "Ash?" she muttered before dusting herself off and following after the others.
"And I suppose that closes this case…" Woz noted as he was now under the bridge watching the trio head off, "What a fun inconsequential interaction to witness."
Later that Evening…
At the same riverbank where the Culex Worm had been dealt with, it turned out that it wasn't as fully dealt with as Blake and Weiss assumed. While yes, it had been destroyed… at least one piece of its body was still intact. The arm of the Culex Worm was currently floating down the river, it soon being fished up in a long pole net by none other than Neo. She could only raise an eyebrow at the dismembered body part before turning and holding the net out.
"Ah yes, that will do nicely," Narutaki said as he looked over, he was further down the riverbank, near where Kaido and the Culex Worm's fight began. He began gathering up the white ashes and placing them in plastic bags. The white ashes had been dropped by Kaido whenever he was cut into, it being one of the telltale signs that he was an Orphnoch, "Not the sample I wanted… but a good one nonetheless…"
Neo walked over while slinging the net she was carrying over her shoulder as she looked over at Narutaki.
"Rescuing what little Worms that were stranded after the meteor was destroyed ended up working out well," Narutaki admitted, "With this we've grown closer to this little pet project's end."
To Be Continued…
Next Time: Chapter 106 – 2008: Wake Up, Queen's Descent!
Author's Note: And now you see exactly why I didn't have Neo or Narutaki show up in the last set of chapters. It's because they just got a two for one deal here, Worm limb and Orphnoch ash. Aside from them further continuing their mysterious goal, this was mostly placed so that Penny knew Kaido's true identity.
I did have some fun with bits of course, like with the dialogue Kaido and the Worm copy shoot back at each other. Or the opening segment in which I decide to go full on for a particular reference, curious to know if anyone knows what I'm referencing or not. With that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.