Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 18 – Go! Go! Ghost! 2015
A ticking sound could be heard as Woz was once again back in the familiar black void, the clock steadily ticking away behind him as he stared at his book.
"As it is written in this book, average high schooler Tokiwa Sougo embarks on a path which leads him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O."
Images of W and Kuuga, alongside their Another Rider counterparts flashed through the books pages.
"A journey to Futo to deal with Another W turned into a battle for the existence of Heisei Riders as the Time Jacker Tid became Another Kuuga. Despite the perilous journey, my Overlord was successful in defeating both. However as I feared when I first met my Overlord and Miss Rose, the flow of time has been altered too heavily… the record of time itself has been rewritten."
Woz closed his book but kept a calm demeanor as he glanced into the void, two green glowing bug-like eyes staring at him from the shadows.
"While Oma Zi-O remains a constant, I fear that if this continues further his reign is in jeopardy…" Woz admitted. "Thus why I must come into contact with a fickle destroyer…"
Earth – Early December 2018:
It was a rainy night as a car began to ride through the near empty streets at a rather fast pace. It seemed like despite the rain nearly making it impossible to drive, the owner of the car didn't seem to care. As he came up on a corner and turned, the rain slowed down slightly as his headlights picked up the view of something.
"What? AH!" The Driver yelled out as he saw a monstrous figure before him, crashing straight into it.
The monstrous figure however did not falter, standing still as the front of the car ended up smashed in. It held a near black leather armored and silver studded body, it's forearms, hands and feet a pale and sickly orange with various visible veins. Its head was bright and orange like a pumpkin, having sharp Jak-O-Lantern styled eyes and an almost open smirking mouth with its teeth showing, a black horn protruding from its forehead. It held a large orange eye with a black sclera on its chest, a black leather tattered coat that it wore the hood of. On his back was the year, 2015, an eye replacing the 0. Above it was Ghost as the name, jack-o-lantern taking the place of the O.
[GHOST!]
"M-Monster, it's a monster!" The driver yelled out as he got out of the car ready to run when he gasped out. Suddenly an orange glow occurred as his spirit was sucked out and absorbed into Another Ghost's eye on his chest. Without his soul, the man fainted, no longer having a pulse.
Another Ghost turned to leave when suddenly a black parka with orange edges and orange eyes floated around and smacked him back.
[KAIGAN: ORE!]
Orange bone-like lines formed in the distance as a young man with caramel brown hair ran forward, the glowing bones forming a black bodysuit with clear armoring on it, the armoring having the bone patterns alongside a stylized eye on the chest. The parka floated back towards the armored man and latched onto his body, a bright orange face with two black oval eyes forming with a wispy silver horn pointing upwards. On his waist was a Driver, a thick buckle with a singular eyehole that had a sheet ghost-like appearance to it alongside an orange handle on the side.
[LET'S GO! KAKUGO! GO GO GO! GHOST!]
"Ghost…" Another Ghost moaned as he stared at the real deal.
Ghost threw back his hoods jacket before running forward, summoning his weapon. A black and silver based sword with a hefty appearance and light-blue edged blades to it, the Gan Gun Saber. "Give him his soul back!" He called out as he rushed and slashed at Another Ghost.
Another Ghost growled out as he held his arm up, blocking against the real Ghost's attack.
To Ghost's surprise however, the Another Rider didn't even seem to visibly wince at getting hit directly with his weapon. "Who are you?"
"Ghost…" Another Ghost moaned out as he spun out of the way, a shadowy mist forming around him as he formed into a twisted version of the Parka Ghost that had been summoned, soon flying off.
"Hey, wait!" Ghost called as he ran forward only for Tsukasa to jump in his path, once more in the armor of the golden Rider.
"That's enough," Tsukasa remarked.
Ghost took a step back, surprised by Tsukasa's appearance. Though of course, he had never met Tsukasa, or the Rider he was masquerading as. "Who are you?"
"I'm someone who's about to make things real interesting." Tsukasa mentioned, looking to see and confirming that Another Ghost had gotten away. "There we go." He said before turning to walk away. "Word of advice, you can't beat him on your own."
Ghost could only stare as Tsukasa turned the corner, "Just what's going on?" He asked before hurrying over to the fallen man. He'd have to investigate further tomorrow, but first he needed to get the soulless man to a hospital.
The Next Day:
The end of the year had arrived and despite the Time Jackers seemingly taking a break for the rest of November, 9-5-DO was very lively despite the lack of Another Rider news.
Sougo yelped and gave a few shouts as he began tumbling down the stairs in his pajamas, entering the front of the store with a thud.
Geiz wasn't far behind also in his pajamas, running down the steps before grabbing one of the support beams and swinging off of it like a monkey. He then kicked out at Sougo who barely sped out of the way. He winced as he slid across the floor before quickly leaping over the table at the front of the store to attack Sougo. To his surprise Sougo had lifted up one of the chairs neared it and held it in defense. Geiz however was undeterred, gripping the feet of the chair as he tried to rip it out of Sougo's hands.
"What are you-?!" Sougo gritted his teeth as he tried to keep Geiz back.
"I told you! I'm staying here so I can defeat you!" Geiz gritted his teeth. "The fact that the Time Jackers haven't moved at all since Another Kuuga… something's wrong, I can't let me guard down!"
"Okay while I said I'd trust your judgment I don't think I've done anything too bad!" Sougo admitted. "Is it about how I butter the toast?"
The two then yelped as they ended up tossing the chair to the side as Tsukuyomi came down just in time to catch it. Tsukuyomi gave a stare of disappointment towards her friend as she set down the chair, wondering if the lack of Another Rider issues was making him stir crazy.
"Prepare yourself!" Geiz called as he drew out his Ziku Driver.
"ENOUGH!" Tsukuyomi yelled out as she grabbed the Ziku Driver away from him. "You'll break something!"
"I swear…" Ruby was currently in the doorframe that connected the shop to the dining room, a cup of coffee in her hand as she yawned. "Geiz is the lack of Another Riders getting to you because this is like the first time you've done this since getting back."
"You can't prove anything," Geiz crossed his arms and looked to the side.
"Wow, I see everyone else is full of pep today!" Junichiro smiled as he called from the kitchen. "Bet your hungry!"
"First comes breakfast," Geiz relented as he went to sit down with the others.
"Here," Tsukuyomi held out his Driver.
"Nope," Sougo quickly grabbed the Ziku Driver away before sitting down. "By the way, I was meaning to ask before… Geiz, you had the Ghost and Drive watches before we met, right?"
"Oh yeah that's right," Ruby realized as she sat down. "Did you meet Ghost and Drive to get their powers before coming here?"
"Of course not, remember I was just as clueless as you were on how to get Build's power," Geiz reminded as he easily took back his Driver. "Besides that's none of your business."
"He stole them and a few other things from Oma Zi-O," Tsukuyomi explained.
"Eh? Wait," Sougo said before pointing to himself, "So it used to belong to me!"
"Will belong to you," Ruby corrected.
"Fat chance, they're mine now," Geiz said as he went to work on his breakfast.
"Wow, thief…" Sougo stared at his ally in disbelief.
"Hey hey, what's all this about stealing, now?" Junichiro asked as he came over, having heard a brief part of their conversation. "That's dangerous! There's no good reason to be stealing from anyone. Unless you're stealing a girl's heart, then it's kind of romantic."
"No thanks," Ruby gave a slight gag at thinking about love related issues.
"You know that I don't show myself unless it's very important," Woz said as he walked up the stairs of a building.
As he reached the top it was revealed to be overlooking the city, all four sides being windows. It looked as though he was in a watchtower of sorts. He looked towards the single chair and table in the room, the table holding some coffee as in the chair was none other than Tsukasa.
"And you know I could care less about giving my power to your little Overlord," Tsukasa mentioned, he already had some gist of the situation and had seemingly met Woz beforehand. He began looking at a few photos he had taken of Sougo and Ruby, some dating back to as far as the Another Faiz incident. Though the photos themselves were heavily distorted in various ways, none were a perfect shot... well that was except for his most recent shot of the two Riders meeting with Godai in 2018.
"Actually, I wished to ask the opposite," Woz smiled. "I would like your assistance in opposing him."
"Oh, now here is where things turn interesting," Tsukasa admitted as he glanced back. "Why the sudden change? I thought you wanted to help him rule."
"I do, which is why your presence is necessary," Woz answered. "You destroy all in your path, altering history. To alter an altered history, that would hopefully put us back at the right square one."
"Then I suppose… you've got a deal," Tsukasa smirked as he stood up. "Just don't cry to me when I give your little Overlord a booboo."
"Allow me to give you the details," Woz replied, choosing to ignore the last comment.
With breakfast done, Tsukuyomi had chosen to figure out something to do to get Geiz's mind off of Sougo and the fact that no Another Riders had really shown up.
So that left Sougo and Ruby to hang out at an underpass with a playground. Sougo was currently distracted as they sat and relaxed, staring at a gorilla statue that was bending a clock that held the time. He couldn't help but snicker as it reminded him of Geiz this morning.
"What's so funny?" Ruby asked.
"Well," Sougo pointed toward the statue. "Doesn't that look like Geiz looked this morning?"
Ruby couldn't help but snicker once she made the connection before laughing, pushing her friend lightly, "Sougo that's so mean!"
"But it's true!" Sougo called out with a laugh before imitating Geiz, causing Ruby to laugh even more. "See?!"
"Okay, okay," Ruby said as she began to calm down, wiping a tear from her eye as she had laughed too hard. "You nearly had me laugh myself to death."
Ruby's words would suddenly come to bite her as several bikers were going through the area wildly, one not paying attention where he was going until he crashed straight into Another Ghost.
"Won't let anyone get hurt…" Another Ghost grumbled as he performed the same trick as he did last night, separating the bicyclist's soul from his body before absorbing it. The action had caused anyone in the area to run away in fear as the bicyclist fell limp.
Sougo's eyes widened, "Another Rider!"
"It's been how long? Why now," Ruby got up from where she was and ran over, "Stop!"
Another Ghost began to slowly turn and tilt his head towards the two as he saw their transformation.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
[KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
Sougo drew his sword before rushing forward, slashing only to hit thin air as Another Ghost wavered and vanished before the sword could even hit it.
"Huh?" Ruby quickly turned, bringing out Crescent Rose and taking aim. She fired a shot at Another Ghost only for it to vanish just as quickly.
"Seriously," Sougo looked around, only to yelp as he was pushed from behind. He turned, seeing that Another Ghost had pushed him. "What's with this guy? He's like a ghost!"
"Sougo, I think he is Ghost!" Ruby now had a better look at Another Ghosts name and date.
"Well if he's going to vanish into thin air, I'll just become the air!" Sougo called out as he slotted in W's Watch.
"Sougo I'm not sure if that's how it works," Ruby nearly dropped her weapon at Sougo's leap of logic.
[ARMOR TIME! CYCLONE! JOKER! DOUBLE!]
"Now, why don't you confess your sins…?" Sougo asked Another Ghost whose head just tilted in response. "Gotcha," Sougo quickly rushed over, sending a wind filled punch with his right fist.
Another Ghost responded by doing the same thing he had done prior, vanishing into thin air. He then appeared behind Sougo, kicking behind and sending the top-heavy Kamen Rider to the floor face first.
"I was right," Ruby sighed.
[KAIGAN: EDISON!]
Suddenly a stream of electricity shot out, taking Another Ghost by surprise and striking him, the creature yelling out as he staggered back.
[ELEC! HIRAMEKI! HATSUMEI-OH~!]
"Huh?" Ruby turned to see the real Ghost walking towards them, "Ghost?"
Ghost held a similar appearance to before, his base body being the same but he had a silver parka with the hood up, having yellow rimming, two half-light bulb shaped shoulders, and silver electrical rods sticking out of the hood. His visor had also changed shape, being mostly black with a yellow light bulb.
His sword had shifted as well, it being slanted with one of the blade pieces reversed to form a makeshift gun.
Another Ghost growled out, forming into three separate parka states to try and escape like before.
"You aren't escaping now," Ghost said as he took aim and fired an electrical stream outwards. The stream had shocked the twisted parkas and forced them back together into Another Ghost. "There we go!"
Another Ghost gave a yell as he staggered back before jumping high up, his body glowing as he suddenly shot up higher before disappearing into thin air.
"Oh…" Ghost lowered his weapon, he had figured out how to keep Another Ghost still for a bit, but he forgot that the Another Rider could just easily float out of range and vanish.
"He's gone?" Sougo asked as he finally managed to lift himself up off the ground. He then noticed Ghost's presence. "Oh, wait… are you Ghost? Or are you the Ghost of light bulbs?"
Ghost gave a chuckle as he dismissed his transformation, removing an eyeball-like device from his Driver. It revealed a young man wearing a kimono-styled jacket with intricate detailing over a sleeveless parka, alongside a woven belt and glittery denim jeans. "I'm Takeru Tenkuji, Kamen Rider Ghost."
"Oh thank goodness, we're really getting lucky these days," Ruby admitted as she dismissed her transformation alongside Sougo.
"So… you must be Ruby Rose," Takeru pointed at Ruby before pointing at Sougo. "And Sougo Tokiwa right?"
"Eh? You know us?" Sougo asked.
"Let me guess," Ruby crossed her arms. "Someone who we already helped told you right?"
"Yep," Takeru gave a nod. "I talked to Emu after admitting a man to Seito University Hospital last night. He mentioned that you two, Geiz, and Tsukuyomi could help me out with my issue."
"We sure can," Sougo said as he hurried over and held out a Blank Ridewatch. "Here you go."
"Uh Sougo…" Ruby started. "We technically have one already?"
"I mean that's a future one though," Sougo answered. "I want to be extra prepared this time."
"Thanks," Takeru said as he took the watch. "Do you mind heading back with me after I call an ambulance? I'm hoping your expertise can help with the case."
"…Case?" Sougo asked.
"I'm with the Supernatural Phenomenon Lab," Takeru explained before he suddenly took out a hand held rotary phone that had a green bird's head on one end of the phone portion. "But I'll explain when we get there."
Sougo and Ruby could only stare at Takeru as he used the rotary phone like an actual rotary phone, and somehow managed to get through to 911, "EH?!"
Takeru was so caught up with calling an ambulance that he wasn't aware of their freak out. Once the ambulance had picked the biker up he began to take off with the two time based Riders following after him.
"So um…" Ruby trailed.
"What's with all the weird stuff?" Sougo asked bluntly.
Ruby turned towards her friend quickly, "Sougo!"
Sougo held up his hands, "Sorry, it's just, a bird phone? Ghost light bulbs?" He asked before looking at Takeru, "Just what did you get up to back in your day?"
Takeru gave a chuckle before rubbing the back of his head and snapping his fingers, "Well it all started on my 18th birthday when I was attacked and killed by a Ganma…"
Ruby and Sougo were following along right until the last sentence.
"EH?!"
Another Ghost kept his head low as he casually entered the bar that the Time Jacker's had set up shop at. The group had surprisingly kept to one place for a while, and was mostly treated as regulars despite their odd styling. The owner didn't mind much since that helped the draw of the bar itself, figuring having a bunch of colorful characters around would be good for business.
Of course, the customers and workers weren't used to the presence of the Another Rider's, as when Another Ghost opened the door, everyone began screaming only to be stopped via time stop.
"Good work out there." Ora called in a bored tone, but she couldn't help it due to how restrained they had been after Tid's stunt.
Another Ghost could care less for the praise, "Who next?"
"Uhr," Swartz called.
"It's so easy for us to know where accidents will happen, after all." Uhr gave a nod as he took out a tablet, searching through the various articles of 2018 to find the location of the next big accident. His eyes flashed as he gave a smile. "This one looks good!"
'Gas leak at laboratory kills 5, 18 severely injured.'
'A freak accident'
Reading the article with delight, Uhr hopped out of his seat. "Follow me."
Another Ghost said nothing and simply followed after Uhr.
"So we're really doing this boring strategy?" Ora asked.
"Unfortunately we can't get too reckless with our targets at the moment. Tid's actions have likely caused a shift." Finis answered. "It's why we've had him go outside the city until he's gathered up enough souls."
"I mean after all, you'd think Woz would be interested in aligning with us by this point due to how strange the timeline is getting," Swartz smirked before frowning. "The flow of time is drastically different than what was meant to occur, someone as straight laced but twisted like him would make a deal with the devil to keep his Overlord in line. Wouldn't you agree?"
"I suppose…" Ora sighed as she leaned on the counter she was at.
"Then it's likely he hasn't come to us but instead another," Finis mused.
"Huh, you know we've seen USB's, Game Carts, Playing Cards, I don't think I was ready for eyeballs," Ruby admitted as Takeru was explaining his gear a bit better, especially when Ruby and Sougo were both flabbergasted by it.
"Eyecon's, but yeah they are a bit unorthodox huh?" Takeru pondered before stopping at their destination. "We're here!" He said as he began running up the steps to the Daitenku Temple.
"Okay, when you say Phenomenon Lab I thought you meant like an office or even a lab," Ruby admitted as she stared up at the temple, following after Takeru up the steps. "Not a temple."
"Yeah, we get people who are confused about that at first," Takeru admitted as he lead them in. "It was sort of a spur of the moment thing to help me out when I first became Ghost."
"Huh," Sougo followed as he looked around.
"Everyone, I'm back!" Takeru called out as he made it to the main courtyard. He smiled as a brown furred cat raced over to him, the Rider quickly picking him up, "Hey there Yurusen."
Ruby blinked a bit, "Yurusen?"
"That's a pretty unique name," Sougo admitted.
A bald man in budhist monk attire quickly came forth, holding a staff. "Yurusen please get back here at once!" He called before noticing Takeru and the others. "Ah, Master Takeru you have returned!" He then saw Sougo and Ruby before giving a bow. "And I see you have brought guests as well."
"They're here to help us with the case, Emu recommended them," Takeru introduced. "Where are the others?"
"Ah Jabel went out with Shibuya and Narita to restock for the coming month," Onari explained. "They might not be back till later. Sir Edith is in the basement, you know how he is."
"Ah okay then, well if they won't be back till later we should probably get inside and I'll explain the full story," Takeru replied.
"Then I shall prepare the tea," Onari smiled. "It will not be long until Ms. Mika will be arriving."
Sougo tilted his head a bit, "Mika?"
"Is she part of this Another Rider deal?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, she'll explain when she gets here," Takeru said as he let Yurusen go to run off before Onari lead the way inside.
It wasn't long before the group settled in the dining room table, with Onari preparing the tea while Ruby and Sougo introduced themselves. Soon enough a young woman arrived, a bit surprised by the full room.
"Oh," The woman said before giving a bow. "I didn't know you all had more members."
Onari began to set the tea for everyone, giving a kind smile. "Ms. Mika, this is Ms. Rose and Sir Tokiwa. They aren't affiliated with us, but the Young Master assures me they are experts on this case."
"So what exactly is going on?" Ruby asked.
"It's a case that started three years ago, on the same month too." Takeru started. "But only recently about a year ago has the Another Rider as you call it shown up in Tokyo to cause trouble. The reason she's here is because there seems to be some connection between it and her missing brother."
"I've been looking for my brother." Mika explained.
"What happened?" Sougo asked.
"He was a police officer and three years ago I went to bring him lunch…" Mika started before taking a deep breath. "There was a crane accident and several steel beams nearly fell on me until he pushed me out of the way. I was expecting to see him under those steel beams, but he was gone. Instead, that monster was there…"
Sougo looked down a bit, "Sounds like the Time Jackers…"
"This is weird though," Ruby noted before looking at Takeru and Mika. "Do your families by any chance know each other?"
"What kind of question is that?" Mika asked.
"We only know her as a client, she only came to us recently when she figured our group could do something to help," Takeru explained.
"Yeah, this is worrying," Ruby admitted before looking at Sougo. "Aside from Another Build and Ryuki, the rest have been connected in some way to the Rider they're the counterpart of."
"You're right," Sougo realized. "What changed?"
"I'm not sure and I'm also worried," Ruby replied. "We need to find out the Another Rider's identity first. I have a feeling but I'm scared to even think it."
"We were so close to stopping that monster last night," Takeru admitted. "But this gold armored, red eyed Rider got in the way. I haven't really studied Riders so I was wondering if you had run into him."
"Actually yeah," Ruby admitted. "Was he really cryptic?"
"Yeah," Takeru nodded.
"Then it's the same guy… but why is he showing up to interfere?" Ruby muttered before she was snapped out of her thoughts with Sougo's phone ringing.
"Oh, sorry," Sougo apologized before noticing it was Tsukuyomi's number. "Ah, if this Another Rider is out and about then she and Geiz probably know something." He quickly answered. "Hello?"
"There's an Another Rider on the loose," Tsukuyomi called from the other line. "Where are you and Ruby? Geiz is headed after it."
"Got it, we'll be there soon." Sougo said and hung up. He looked over at Takeru, "The Another Rider's back. Geiz is going after it alone."
"It'll be best to regroup," Ruby figured. "Sougo, go with Takeru to help Geiz. I'll go find Tsukuyomi and bring her back here."
"Sounds good," Sougo agreed as he watched his friend sprint out.
"Let's get going," Takeru said as he stood up and took off, Sougo and even Mika following after him.
Geiz was currently grateful for the Taka Watchroid, its searching abilities having been on point with the prior Another Rider cases. Even with a supernatural Another Rider like Ghost, he was still able to find the location that he was targeting next which was the site of an eventual lab explosion.
Another Ghost meanwhile was already in the lab, using his invisibility to prowl as he tried to figure which of the workers was the culprit. Soon enough he saw a clumsy worker and figured it was him. He then dismissed his invisibility, appearing from thin air.
"Anyone who… hurts others… must pay!" Another Ghost moaned as he ignored the screaming of everyone as he grabbed and threw the worker to the ground.
As the workers yelled and tried to escape, Geiz arrived already prepped and ready to transform, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
Geiz jumped down and drew his axe, wasting no time as he jumped in and began slashing against the Another Rider. His attacks were enough to knock Another Ghost to the ground in a stunned state.
"I don't need to hold back this time," Geiz said, glad to see that the opponent was Another Ghost in this case.
"Ah, Geiz!" Sougo called out as he, Takeru and Mika quickly stopped at the entrance.
Another Ghost turned when he heard Sougo yell, pausing as he saw the female with the two. "Mika…" He managed to speak before standing up. He groaned as he tried to move towards the girl only for Geiz to grab and throw him back.
Geiz yelled out, slashing against Another Ghost a few more times before loading in his Ghost Ridewatch.
[GHOST ZAKKURI CUTTING!]
Mika, Takeru and Sougo had to shield their eyes as Geiz gathered bright wisps of orange spiritual energy before sending a spiritual slash at Another Ghost.
The Another Rider yelled out as he exploded, soon falling to the floor and losing his transformation. Oddly enough it revealed a pale Police Officer whose clothes were dirt filled and tattered alongside having several injuries all over him.
Mika though recognized him, "Brother!"
"Oh no…" Sougo trailed, suddenly realizing why Ruby was worried about the identity.
"Are you okay?!" Miko asked as she tried to shake her brother awake, only to reel back when she felt his skin, the cold clammy skin causing her to shake.
Takeru swallowed hard as he dropped to his knees, "He's… he's dead." He could feel no life at all from the brother's body. He looked over at Geiz, "What have you done…?" He asked, managing to stand and walk towards Geiz.
"Takeru wait," Sougo started. "Geiz's attack wouldn't have done this."
And in that instant, the familiar green tint of time stopping occurred as everyone was stuck in place.
"Woops, you're right about that, you can't beat this one." Uhr grinned as he skipped over to the brother's corpse. Soon squatting down and staring face to face with Mika, reaching into the brother and drawing out the Ghost Anotherwatch, it managing to stay intact despite the finisher. "Good thing it didn't break, otherwise he'd be dead!" He laughed. "I stopped time right before those metal bars hit you, offered him this power, but he refused. So I let time flow again, he pushed you out of the way, and then I contracted with his dying body. It was so sweet honestly… I mean he died to protect you!"
Uhr paused to just let it sink in with Mika, enjoying that there was still some awareness by those frozen. He could only grin as he saw her face slowly try to form shock and anger.
"Ever since then, he's been punishing people responsible for accidents! He must have really wanted to protect you!" Uhr explained as he reactivated the Anotherwatch before thrusting it into the brother's body.
[GHOST!]
Another Ghost sat up before groaning and moaning, slowly but surely taking his leave with Uhr following after them. Uhr then released the time stop as he was at the doorway, freeing everyone before heading through.
"You aren't getting away!" Geiz hissed out as he ran forward.
"Geiz, wait didn't you hear?!" Sougo called before he looked at Takeru. "Takeru look after Mika, I'm going to stop Geiz." He said before rushing off.
Takeru could only give a nod, quickly going over to the young woman and trying to comfort her while she tried to process the information that was given.
Geiz was quickly rushing out of the lab only to stop when he a sword blocked himself, barely spinning out of the way when it was swung towards him. Geiz nearly did a double take as he saw Tsukasa in his gold armored form. "You…" He realized, mentally confirming this was the Rider that Ruby had talked about. It was also one of the few Riders he remembered from the Oma Zi-O monument. "…Kamen Rider Agito!"
"True but false," Tsukasa answered. "I'm just a Kamen Rider passing through." He said as he tossed away his weapon before rushing and striking at Geiz.
While Geiz was proficient enough at hand to hand combat, Tsukasa was blocking, weaving, and countering every attack he pulled out.
Sougo quickly entered the area before seeing Tsukasa as Agito, "Whoa, he looks kind of like Kuuga. Don't worry Geiz, I'm coming!" He called out as he took out both his Watch and Kuuga's. "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
[ARMOR TIME! KUUGA!]
Sougo's base form materialized before flashing red as the Kuuga Armor appeared over him.
Geiz continued to try to land a hit only to get punched directly in the chest, gasping out as the strength behind the punch was so strong it made him fly back.
Sougo used this to his advantage, jumping up and punching at Tsukasa. "Let's go!"
Tsukasa barely had a chance to block before chuckling when he felt the power behind the punch, "So you're the big bad Overlord?" He then threw a punch which ended up being caught by Sougo. He gave a whistle. "Let's have some fun."
"Fun…?" Sougo asked before gasping out, light radiating from Tsukasa's gold armor and damaging him. He staggered back before he was currently assaulted by Tsukasa, the Rider performing a side kick, slamming into Sougo's stomach with enough force to knock the wind out of him.
"Looks like that got you," Tsukasa mused as despite Sougo's armor, the force of his attack had penetrated it.
[ARMOR TIME! DRIVE! DRIVE!]
Geiz figured that speed would be the best way to outpace Tsukasa, summoning the Drive Armor and skidding forward. His main plan was simplistic at best however, speeding forward in hopes of ramming the golden Rider.
Tsukasa could only give a scoff as he lazily and easily dodged each of Geiz's ramming attempts. Dodge was a strong word however as he just shifted his body around and repositioned his feet. He barely moved from the same spot, staring down Geiz as the future Rider backed off.
Geiz growled out before rushing straight towards Tsukasa, figuring that he'd be too fast for Tsukasa to even counter.
That was a wrong guess however, Tsukasa easily punching forward and sending Geiz flying back into Sougo. Tsukasa couldn't help but chuckle as he saw both Riders topple each other over and slam down to the ground.
"Not too bad…" Tsukasa admitted as he put his hands on his Driver, grabbing both black ends before pulling them out. The center of the belt shifted from a horizontal to vertical position as he drew out a yellow card that held Agito's symbol on the front. "But compared to me…?"
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: A-A-A-AGITO!]
A glowing Agito symbol appeared beneath him as his head crest opened up to reveal more points to his horns. He then readied himself as the energy spiraled into his right foot.
"Get off of me!" Geiz called out.
"Please don't push," Sougo coughed, holding his stomach as he tried to use Geiz to support himself up.
Tsukasa jumped up, yelling out as the energy on the sole of boot flashed. He kicked against Geiz, unleashing the energy and catching Sougo in it as well.
Both Riders yelled out as they lost their transformations. Though because Geiz was the one hit directly he ended up slamming into the ground harder, the Drive and Ghost Watch's clattering away from him.
"Guess the Overlord was all talk," Tsukasa mused.
"Gah," Geiz gasped as he tried to sit up.
"That hurt…" Sougo whined as he held his stomach while lying on his side.
"Hoh…" Tsukasa immediately noticed the Ridewatch's, and remembered what he was told by Woz. He walked over and snatched both, looking them over. "These seem pretty important."
"Give those back!" Geiz gasped out as he tried to stand, hunching over and starting to stagger to Tsukasa.
"Nope," Tsukasa said as he tossed them past Geiz, a grey aurora-like curtain appearing in the distance beyond where Sougo was laying. The background shimmered, revealing a barren wasteland and a black and gold figure staring up at a stone statue. The Drive and Ghost Watch's flew through the curtain, a shimmering effect occurring before the curtain itself reverted back to its grey shape and vanished.
By the time Geiz had turned his eyes widened, the watch's and curtain were gone. Geiz blinked a few times, not comprehending how Tsukasa was able to just throw them and make them vanish just like that. "What did you do?!" He immediately snapped his gaze back to Tsukasa with a glare.
"Whatever do you mean?" Tsukasa asked before blocking a punch from Geiz and grabbing the time traveler's arm, forcing it underneath his. "But I do suppose its poor taste to leave you empty handed." He then punched Geiz in the gut before tossing him away. He then drew out a white card, tossing it with enough precision to get it to stick out of the ground near Geiz. "Tell Kamen Rider Roze to meet me at this address, and if she impresses me enough I'll give you a consolation prize."
"Hold it…" Geiz gasped out as he tried to move but couldn't due to the gut punch.
Tsukasa could only whistle as he walked away, tossing a Blank Ridewatch up and down in his hand as that was his reason for allowing Geiz to get as close to him as he did.
However the spectacle was not unseen, Uhr had noticed Tsukasa coming to cover them and hid away to view the fight. He was a bit curious about the newcomer given how effortlessly he handled Zi-O and Geiz. Needless to say before he'd send Another Ghost out, he'd definitely want to check out what Tsukasa was all about.
After their ambush by Tsukasa, both Sougo and Geiz were taken back to the Daitenku Temple to rest up. Takeru was currently meditating in front of an altar while off to the side, Ruby and Tsukuyomi were getting up to speed on what happened by the boys while Onari tended to them.
"How's Mika?" Sougo asked.
"She's very shaken by the whole ordeal, I have allowed her to take one of the beds to rest," Onari explained. "Furthermore how are you two? I know being a Rider can be very demanding."
"We'll be fine," Geiz said, leaning on a doorframe while the others were sitting down on mats that were placed out.
"A bit sore from my stomach, but good," Sougo admitted.
"The tea will help your bodies relax," Onari smiled before turning to see Takeru return from his meditation.
"It's understandable that she's shaken up," Takeru admitted. "That Another Rider is her brother… Not only that…"
"They made an Another Rider from someone who died…" Sougo continued.
"Unacceptable!" Onari called out as he slammed the bottom of his staff against the floor.
"And a Kamen Rider helped him out?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"More so, the gold one that Tsuki and I ran into?" Ruby asked.
"How dare he do so," Onari sneered. "He should be fighting alongside you not hindering you, truly unacceptable!"
"Onari please," Takeru said as he held his hands out, trying to calm his mentor down. "What's done is done. All we can do now is move forward."
Tsukuyomi gave a hum, "I still find this hard to believe. The Time Jackers are trying to establish a new king. Why would a Kamen Rider… especially that one-"
"It still happened," Geiz replied. "Kamen Rider Agito, he was the one. And now we're back at square one with Another Ghost because we lost our active Ghost Ridewatch."
Takeru took out the Blank Ridewatch, staring at it a bit before pocketing it again.
"And Drive's too…" Ruby sighed, remembering what Geiz had mentioned. Just how did the Ridewatch's vanish like that? Either way she knew the next option they had, staring at the card Geiz had given her.
"You're not going after him," Geiz replied. "It's too dangerous."
"And what if this consolation prize he mentioned will help us beat Another Ghost?" Ruby asked.
"You don't know that it will," Geiz argued.
"If you're really afraid then you can come with me," Ruby replied. "I'll count on Sougo, Tsuki and Takeru to deal with Another Ghost." She looked between Sougo and Geiz. "Plus if it gets you two away from each other…"
"Wait, are you two having a fight?" Takeru asked, remembering the squabbling the two male Riders were doing when he found them.
Sougo though didn't like the implications of that line and quickly veered away, "Oh, no. It's fine." He said before looking at Tsukuyomi. "Tsukuyomi, can you find any accidents happening soon? Another Ghost will target whoever's responsible."
"Revealing future events is against the rules, but…" Tsukuyomi figured she'd bend the rules a bit given everything they had done up to that point. She pulled out her tablet and began to search up any accidents that were happening in the near future. Everyone began to huddle around her, Takeru and Onari fascinated by the tablets ability to pull up articles that had yet to exist.
"Incredible…" Onari whispered.
"This looks like a match." Tsukuyomi said as she pulled up a newspaper article.
'Mid-day tragedy leaves many injured'
'Gas leak leads to cart explosion'
"It takes place several hours from now," Takeru noticed as the article thankfully had the general timeframe of when it happened. "We should stake the area out."
"In the meantime, Geiz and I will confront this Agito guy," Ruby said. "If he really keeps his word it will keep him from interfering again and we'll get something out of it."
"I shall hold down the fort and make sure Ms. Mika is safe," Onari replied.
"We've got our plans then," Sougo gave a nod. "I think we can do this."
"I should start getting ready then," Ruby said as she figured that she'd need to decide which Watch's she was going to use instead of trying to pull out random ones in the heat of the moment.
"Actually Ruby, I think I've got an idea," Sougo admitted.
Tsukasa was currently lounging about his new temporary place of residence, giving a scoff as he glanced back. "Boy, you can come out."
Uhr warily began to make his way up the steps, "So you knew I was here huh?"
"Do I really interest you that much?" Tsukasa asked.
"A bit, you're the one guy who's been able to thrash Zi-O and Geiz pretty hard," Uhr admitted before deciding to try something. "With that kind of strength, you could become a great King you know…"
"Hoh," Tsukasa mused as he put a few sugar cubes in his coffee, "A king huh?"
"I've got connections you know," Uhr replied. "Just say the word."
"Sorry, but it's not really my style," Tsukasa admitted as he sat up straight, getting up and taking an object off the table near him. He then went to lean over the railing that was nearby. "I'm just a Kamen Rider who passes through…" He trailed as he looked at what was in his hand.
It was a Ridewatch but different from the prior ones, it was bright pink with black rimming and a button. But the dial and mask were fixated and unable to be turned. Instead it had a Ridewatch slot on the side of it. A name in faint lettering could be seen near the mask, 'Decade'.
Tsukasa looked it over a few times as if examining it greatly, "The destroyer of worlds."
Uhr gave a gulp, "Destroyer of worlds?"
"A word of warning, your little group shouldn't get too involved with me," Tsukasa turned towards Uhr. "But if you amuse me enough I may end up humoring you all."
A few hours had passed, Another Ghost overlooking a plaza from the distance that held a Takoyaki popup stand. He gave a low growl before tilting his head, seeing Uhr approach. The young Time Jacker seemed oddly satisfied, whatever the end of the meeting was between him and Tsukasa was, it seemed to have enlightened him slightly.
"You've gathered quite a few souls now." Uhr noted. "Try unleashing them, they'll bring you even more power."
"Release…" Another Ghost trailed before holding his fingers out, the dozens of souls he had taken all floating around him before entering his body once more. He gave a gasp as he the power began to overflow within him, turning into a yell as he shook his head, his hood falling away as he launched towards the plaza from the building he was on.
As soon as he landed he began tossing the chairs and tables that were in the area, grabbing a few people before tossing them back down to the ground. It was chaos as everyone tried to run away.
Sougo, Takeru and Tsukuyomi quickly rushed down the steps leading to the plaza, the trio staring in shock at what they were seeing.
"Tsukuyomi, make sure everyone gets to safety," Sougo ordered.
"Right," Tsukuyomi quickly hurried to the side to help evacuate everyone who was trying to clamber all over each other.
Takeru gave a shiver, "Sougo, something's wrong. Another Ghost feels wrong."
"Then we'll go all out, but not enough to defeat him. We just need to drive him away," Sougo suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Takeru said as he summoned his Ghost Driver, this time taking out a black Eyecon with red transparent framing that held a flame motif. Pressing the button's side it released a burst of fire, he opened his Driver before slotting it in and closing it up. He then pulled the lever on his right out, leaving it out while performing a hand sign to gather his inner essence.
Sougo meanwhile drew out his Zi-O and OOO Watches, slotting both in as he unlocked his Driver.
[IPPATSU TOUCON! AYE!]
[ZI-O! OOO!]
A black parka similar to the Ore Parka Ghost flew out from Takeru's Driver, this one lined with red alongside flame decals. Sougo couldn't help but be a bit impressed as he glanced around as the Ghost Parka passed around them.
"Let's go," Takeru said.
"Right," Sougo gave a nod.
"Henshin!"
[TOUCON KAIGAN! BOOST! ORE-GA BOOST! (GO!) FURUITATSU GHOST! (FIGHT!) GO! (FIGHT!) GO! (FIGHT!) GO! GO! (FIGHT!)]
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZI-O! ARMOR TIME! TAKA! TORA! BATTA! OOO!]
Sougo took his Rider Form with the OOO Armor coming together from its separate parts to form it.
Takeru meanwhile burst into flames, the flames dissipating to reveal a bright red armored bodysuit similar to his base forms, this one having black flame detailing as the parka attached. He threw back his hood revealing a bright red mask, wide black eyes that held flame like edges to them, and a larger more flame-like wisp horn.
"Our lives are burning bright!" Takeru called out.
"What he said!" Sougo took a tiger stance before rushing forward towards Another Ghost who was assaulting a downed woman. He used his claw to block Another Ghost's hand and then used his grasshopper armored legs to bounce the Another Rider backwards.
"Are you okay?" Takeru asked as he helped the woman up, the woman gave a nod before hurrying off.
"Hurry, get out of here!" Tsukuyomi called out, having seen an escape route less people were using and directing more people that way to help even the flow of fleeing civilians.
Sougo meanwhile was trying to use his armor's bulky nature to shoulder tackle Another Ghost away from the civilians, eventually grabbing onto him. "That power is driving you crazy!" He called out. "You need to snap out of it! You're making Mika suffer!"
"Don't listen to him!" Uhr called out, watching from a higher vantage point. "He becomes the most twisted overlord of all time! He causes so many deaths… This makes him a target of yours!"
Another Ghost gave a yell as he gained a second wind, managing to overpower Sougo by grabbing him instead. He then pushed and began forcing Sougo back before shoving the Rider away.
Takeru quickly jumped in, his leg catching fire as he slammed it into his Another Rider counterpart to force him back. He then held his hands out and took a stance, backing up as his corrupted counterpart charged. He began countering and blocking each strike, managing to force Another Ghost's arms away from him before performing a palm strike, a fiery burst exiting it as he forced the Another Rider backwards.
The red suited Rider then summoned another sword from his belt, this one being bright red with sunglasses on the guard alongside a long fire tipped blade. He rushed in, slashing at Another Ghost to keep up the damage and force him back.
"Judge… judgment!" Another Ghost managed to gasp out as his horn shined a bright orange, the eye on his chest lighting up brightly as he began unleashing blasts of energy.
Takeru and Sougo both yelped as they began dodging out of the way, only to get hit by a few lucky shots. They both yelled out as they were thrown backwards.
"Ah, long range?!" Sougo asked.
"I've got just the thing, Robin Hood!" Takeru pulled out an Eyecon with a green casing, clicking the button before swapping out the Eyecon's.
[KAIGAN: ROBIN HOOD! HELLO! ARROW! MORI-DE AOU!]
A green and yellow frilled parka soon launched out of Takeru's Driver, replacing the coat he had on as it latched on, the mask being black with a green bow and arrow pointing downwards. He drew out his first sword, tilting the blade before holding it out. The Condor phone he had earlier shifting shape into an actual condor-like machine. It then shifted again, forming on the end of Takeru's sword and forming a makeshift bow and arrow formation.
"Eh? The Phone is really a bird but the bird turned into a bow?!" Sougo asked.
"Is it really that weird?" Takeru asked.
"Just a tad," Sougo admitted.
"Either way, this form will help us out," Takeru said as he held his free arm towards the weapon, forming a flaming string that he drew back. He then began firing off flaming arrows at Another Ghost.
Another Ghost yelled out as he began sending blasts of energy towards the arrow. To his surprise the arrows pierced through and dispersed them. He then gasped out as the arrows began striking and hitting him, sending him backwards.
"Oh nice, cover me!" Sougo called as he used his grasshopper legs to jump up, using the flaming arrows to cover his approach. He then jumped forward, slashing at Another Ghost and forcing him back further.
"Gah!" Another Ghost gasped out.
"Looks like I'll have to get involved," Uhr noted as he stood up, ready to stop time when he was suddenly forced to form miniature barriers, blocking against energy blasts that were sent at him. "What?"
"You aren't helping anyone!" Tsukuyomi quickly took aim and continued to fire, forcing the Time Jacker to keep his attention on her.
Ruby and Geiz soon arrived at their destination, the two having had to walk quite a ways after driving over. The duo had been lead to a rocky beach, there being dozens of rocks scattered all over, and one wide and flat enough to act as an arena.
Standing there was Tsukasa who had already taken the form of Kamen Rider Agito, staring into the distance as the waves crashed against the rocks.
Ruby took a deep breath, readying her Driver and taking her Ridewatch in her hand. "Okay…"
"I don't get why you're doing this," Geiz remarked.
"Just trust me okay?" Ruby asked.
"Fine," Geiz looked off to the side. "And you're sure you don't want Faiz or Wizard?"
"Positive, as much as I'd love more options, I don't think they'll be the best," Ruby admitted.
"Suit yourself then," Geiz replied.
Ruby gave a nod before beginning to approach the arena. "Okay, I'm here."
Tsukasa turned and noticed Ruby but also Geiz, "I specifically asked just for Roze."
"And I came just like you wanted," Ruby answered. "Geiz isn't getting involved."
"Hold it, what if it's a trap?" Geiz asked, still unsure if he should leave this to Ruby alone.
"He wanted me, he's getting me." Ruby answered as she took a few steps forward. "Just keep watch."
"Ah so you brought him to act as the audience," Tsukasa mused. "Very well, I'll allow it."
"So why exactly call me here?" Ruby asked.
"I've seen the overlord, his rival, but I haven't seen what you can do," Tsukasa replied. "But I know you have your own collection of power like they do. Show it to me."
"That's all?" Ruby asked.
"That's all," Tsukasa confirmed. "Impress me enough and I'll give you the consolation prize I mentioned to your friend."
"That's a good enough reason for me then," Ruby as she locked her Ridewatch into place before rotating her Driver. "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
Ruby stayed still as her transformation completed, waiting to see what Tsukasa's first move would be.
"Be careful, just because Agito looks like Kuuga doesn't mean he's just hand to hand," Geiz warned.
"Don't spoil the fun grumpy," Tsukasa called out as he drew out Agito's sword, the Flame Saber, something that normally could only be accessed in another form.
"Oh I'm sure you've got plenty of tricks up your sleeve," Ruby said as she prepped the Cross-Z Watch. "After all the first time you saved me it was dressed like Ghost."
[CROSS-Z!]
"Very observant, but that will only get you so far," Tsukasa called out as he rushed forward, gripping his weapon with both hands and slashing.
[WEAPON TIME! BEAT CLOSER!]
Ruby brought out Cross-Z's sword and blocked against the slash with it, wincing slightly when she could feel the force behind Tsukasa's attack.
"You don't seem too strong," Tsukasa noted.
"I may not be a heavy hitter," Ruby gritted her teeth before bursting into rose petals that shot upwards. She used Petal Burst to launch herself and jump over Tsukasa before coming from behind. She pumped the Beat Closer once.
[HIPPARE! SMASH HIT!]
Ruby swung, her weapon catching on fire as Tsukasa barely turned in time, blocking against it. "But I can still pack a punch!"
Tsukasa gritted his teeth as he had to hold his weapon by the hilt and blade just to keep it from faltering. He began to step back in a rapid fashion as Ruby completed her swing, slamming her sword against the ground.
"Not bad," Tsukasa admitted before tossing his weapon away. He then drew out a card, this one holding the image of a Rider. "But I've got plenty more up my sleeve."
[KAMEN RIDE: HIBIKI!]
Purple flames engulfed Tsukasa, soon transforming his armor into a vastly different Rider. It was purple suited at first glance, the bodysuit armoring shining different colors at different angles with red forearms and silver detailing. His head was the most peculiar, having two silver horns and various red grooves on a blank face that acted as a visor. He then began to approach her slowly, not drawing out any weapons.
Geiz stared intently, already seeing the drum sticks holstered on the back of Tsukasa's belt.
"Oh boy…" Ruby trailed as she readied herself.
Tsukasa inhaled audibly before blowing out, the mouth of his mask suddenly splitting to reveal a black hole, a sudden stream of fire exiting from it.
"Wait what?!" Ruby yelped as she quickly used Petal Burst to dodge to the side, acting on instinct. "You can breathe fire?!"
"Is it really that weird?" Tsukasa asked.
"Uh… yes," Ruby admitted as she got her bearings and readied her sword. "I mean your mask just opened and you spit fire!"
"Then I have the advantage," Tsukasa said as he drew out the taiko drum sticks from behind, twirling them as he readied himself.
Sougo spun, kicking Another Ghost back who was assaulted by more fiery arrows. The future king gritted his teeth, "Why isn't he retreating?"
"There has to be a breaking point," Takeru said as he drew back an arrow, keeping his aim.
"Help…" Another Ghost gasped out.
"Focus your power, you can call on Ghost's enemies if you do so," Uhr called out as he had finally escaped from Tsukuyomi.
Another Ghost clasped his hands together as he gathered his energy into his Driver, soon releasing a black cloud of smoke. However the smoke began to form into something humanoid shaped. The smoke dispersed revealing a silver and light blue-colored monster that had similar armoring to a Rider.
Takeru gave a light gasp, "A Ganma Superior?!"
Sougo turned over towards his senior. "I'm sorry a Gamma Soup?"
"Sougo, get away from it!" Takeru was ready to rush in when he gasped out, sparks flying as he was struck by an energy attack from Another Ghost.
"Take care… of it," Another Ghost moaned out before jumping and floating forward to distract Takeru.
"Be careful, he isn't like anything you've faced yet!" Takeru warned, while he was sure Sougo was strong, he remembered his first encounter with one of these Superior's.
The Ganma Superior simply stared at Sougo before shifting its neck around, a few cracks and pops being heard as it walked forward.
Sougo glanced at Takeru before looking back at his opponent, rushing in and clawing at it.
The Ganma Superior grabbed the claw with little effort before slamming its fist into Sougo's face.
"Ah!" Sougo yelled as he staggered back. Deciding not to be reactive, Sougo jumped forward, kicking out with his forms enhanced kicking power.
The Ganma Superior countered, gathering a blue energy in its lower left leg before performing a side kick, both kicks colliding but the Superior's winning out, sending Sougo backwards.
"What even is this thing?" Sougo asked, trying to figure out how he was even going to counter it.
The Ganma Superior did not give him that luxury however, gathering blue energy in its hands before slamming them into the concrete. Blue energy began pulsing before a line of explosions occurred running towards Sougo.
Sougo yelped as he tried to scramble to his feet only to yell out as the explosions engulfed him. Sougo winced as he slammed against the floor, losing his transformation.
"Sougo!" Takeru called out before gasping out, Another Ghost released a burst of energy near him to knock him backwards.
"Takeru!" Tsukuyomi quickly ran over to help him up. "Are you okay?"
"I am, but I need to…" Takeru barely managed to get up as he ran forward.
"Now's your chance Another Ghost," Uhr grinned as he saw Sougo was still reeling from the Superior's attack.
Another Ghost soon walked over to Sougo, ripping Sougo's soul from his body. What he wasn't expecting was Takeru's interference.
"You won't do anything!" Takeru quickly put his hands together, creating a sign before thrusting forward. An invisible wave of energy suddenly shot forward, sending Sougo's soul flying away before it could be taken by Another Ghost.
"Sougo!" Tsukuyomi called out only to be stopped when Takeru held out an arm.
"Stay back!" Takeru called out.
"Hey no interference," Uhr called with a pout before crossing his arms, "Another Ghost, Ganma whatever, get him!"
Both Another Ghost and the Ganma Superior quickly formed up, the two
Takeru however drew out a red backed Eyecon, slotting it in. "Musashi!"
[KAIGAN: MUSASHI! KETTOU! ZUBATTO! CHOU KENGOU!]
Soon enough a sleeveless black rimmed and silver armored parka formed before landing on Takeru, having a silver band that secured his wisp horn, two crossed red swords as his visor, and a samurai hilt and grip styled topknot.
Takeru summoned both of his swords this time, the Gan Gun Saber and the Sunglasseslasher. He then pumped the lever of his Driver, an eye shaped symbol appearing behind him as red energy gathered into both blades.
The Ganma Superior yelled out as it charged first, planning on opening up Takeru for Another Ghost.
[DAI KAIGAN: MUSASHI OMEGA DRIVE!]
Takeru gave a yell as he slashed forward, creating a cross slash of energy that slammed into the Ganma Superior, the monster exploding. The explosion managed to reach Another Ghost, sending him backwards as a result.
Uhr clicked his tongue, "Fine then, the Overlord is out of commission anyway, so we can't really lose." He said before heading off, Another Ghost vanishing soon afterwards.
Takeru gave a sigh of relief as he let his transformation fade away.
Tsukuyomi however hurried over to Sougo and shook him, "Sougo! Sougo!" That was when she realized something, soon listening closely and keeping a firm grip of her friends wrist before her eyes widened. "Takeru, Sougo's not breathing!"
"There's a bit of an explanation for that," Takeru admitted. "We'll take him back to the Temple but first I need to check on something." He said before hurrying off to the side where he remembered Sougo's soul had gone.
Sougo was off around the corner, lying down in a transparent state. He winced as he began to get up before realizing he felt off. "Eh?"
"There you are," Takeru hurried over, easily seeing him.
Sougo shakily got up, looking himself over, "What the heck happened to me?!"
"That monster took your soul from your body." Takeru explained. "No one else can see you right now… essentially… you're a ghost."
Sougo gave a chuckle in disbelief before trembling, "No way… I'm a… ghost?"
Geiz stared intently at the battle before him. While Ruby definitely had her speed and various weapons, Tsukasa had enough versatility to counter that alongside the power. But what was giving Tsukasa the advantage was starting off with Rider's that Ruby had yet to encounter.
Tsukasa had lit his taiko drumsticks on fire, he reeled back before swinging forward, launching out dozens of fireballs towards Ruby.
Ruby winced as she barely had any place to dodge to, bracing and swinging her sword while sidestepping to try and keep the damage from piling up. "He's too long range." She said before taking out Birth's Watch.
[BIRTH!]
"Take this!" Tsukasa gathered the fire at the tips of his drumsticks before swinging forward, the fire forming into a large fireball.
[WEAPON TIME! BIRTH BUSTER!]
Ruby quickly loaded her weapon, firing as fast as she could against the incoming fireball. While the attacks slowed it down, they also agitated it. As a result it exploded into a burst of flame, forcing Ruby backwards due to her close proximity.
"Don't think I'll let you lie down forever," Tsukasa said as he drew out a yellow card, just like when he activated Agito's finisher.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: H-H-H-HIBIKI!]
As Ruby began to get up a miniature circular pad containing Hibiki's symbol shot towards her. She quickly braced, shooting at it with the Birth Buster. While it was slowed down it eventually hit its mark, she winced as purple electricity forced her into a stunned state. The pad grew into a large drum that formed an larger projection of itself over it.
"Try this out," Tsukasa brandished his drumsticks before walking over, drumming to an invisible beat as each strike released shockwaves against Ruby's body.
Ruby could only scream as an explosive burst of sound occurred, sending her tumbling backwards from the attack.
Geiz's eyes widened, "Ruby!"
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"You really believe the kid will turn out good huh?"
"I shall assist you in your battle!"
"Wait, Sougo's a ghost?!"
"I'm gonna try letting my life burn!"
"Perhaps a test is in order if you have that much faith."
Chapter 19: Kaigan: Decade! 2018
Author's Note: So all in all, somewhat of the same story beats in regards to how this Ghost Tribute is going to go. Honestly I enjoyed this plot a lot when it first aired so just adding my own little touches via Ghost's history being intact, and Takeru who can still transform was my way of doing that. Not to mention I wanted to make the obtaining of the Decade Ridewatch a bit more special.
Of course that left the obvious, "How does Sougo get smacked around?" if Tsukasa isn't present. Well that was simple in that I modified Another Ghost slightly. It can now utilize a ranged attack but also like in the show it can summon Ganma to fight for it. But it can also bring out the stronger Superior's as well. Given Ghost got slapped around hard by Jabel around the same time during his run I felt it was a fitting reference to do the same with Sougo.