Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 29 – An Unorthodox Solution
"I must say I'm getting used to this," Jinn admitted to herself as she floated around her white space in a bored fashion, giving a huff. "Well at least we've gotten somewhere interesting."
"Once upon a time there was a young man by the name of Sougo Tokiwa, who abandoned his dreams to become an overlord to live as a Kamen Rider. Sougo had chosen to take Oscar to help him through his issues, though no one else knew this. Frantically searching they began to split up into groups, Ruby Rose's main group encountering both Another W and OOO. Despite their disadvantage a surprising miracle occurred. Blake Belladonna and Weiss Schnee have gained the power of two brand new Kamen Riders."
Images of Kamen Rider Shinobi and Quiz appear, with their battles against Another OOO and W being shown.
"Despite growing pains they had managed to defeat the two Another Riders, soon realizing after that whoever is creating them has been following them since they left Mistral. With the day coming to a close and things becoming calmer… just what path shall the heroes take?"
Remnant – Argus Streets
Geiz had gotten somewhat luckier than Team RWBY, Tsukuyomi and Maria. This was mostly in the fact that no one was targeting him, Team JNR or Saphron at all. He couldn't help but be on edge though, especially since Saphron was only paying attention to trying to find Oscar and Sougo. They had chosen to keep the Kamen Rider business to themselves for now, and that meant Another Riders. Geiz figured that if one did show up they'd explain it then, but luckily none had yet.
Needless to say he was anxiously shifting his collar around since they had yet to make any actual headway in trying to find Oscar.
"Oscar!" Jaune called out.
Nora called next, "Sougo?"
"Come on seriously," Geiz muttered, he had attempted to call Sougo on the Faizphone X again only to receive no answer. "Of all the times Zi-O…"
"This city's enormous, they could have gone anywhere," Ren admitted.
"And that's also not counting that Sougo might be looking for Oscar on his own too," Nora realized. "So they could be even farther apart than we think."
"This is all my fault…" Jaune admitted. "I overreacted."
"Keep your chin up, you did but you're at least looking for him now," Geiz said, not needing Jaune to throw a pity party, but of course that didn't stop him from bluntly speaking his mind.
"I still don't really understand what happened," Saphron spoke up, "Was it about the mission?"
"It's… kind of hard to talk about," Nora said, trying to skate around the subject as much as she could.
"I know, I know, 'Top Secret'." Saphron said before giving a sigh, "Did he… do something wrong?"
"He didn't," Geiz said immediately.
"We… we just got some new information and… it's going to be a lot harder than we thought," Jaune admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I mean, if it was easy, then it wouldn't be important." Saphron replied, "Right?"
"I think we're all just a bit unsure of what to do next," Ren explained.
"You all are, not the rest of us." Geiz muttered, realizing that he'd need to try and talk some sense into Jaune and his team. They had calmed down and Oscar now held priority, but they needed a push. Luckily he wasn't foreign to impossible tasks.
Saphron realized the group was hesitating and decided to give her thoughts, "You could… stay in Mistral, get your licenses at Haven, and come back to Argus." She explained in a slow manner, a bit unsure if this advice would work. "There's a lot of good you can do here. I know your mission is important, but it's not like you're the only ones who can do it. It's not the only mission that needs doing."
Geiz had to ponder her words, while the loss of Team JNR would be a heavy hit, Ruby still had backup via Team Zi-O. He wouldn't blame them if they left, but he knew he had to try and get them to see this through.
"It's… not that simple," Jaune finally spoke up, clearly unsure of Saphron's offer.
"Huh," Geiz glanced at the blonde when he heard those words. He had to admit that he was surprised Jaune was unsure of taking the easy way out. Maybe there was hope…
Saphron though began to linger a bit, realizing that her words didn't seem to help the three in regards to anything.
"Well, uh…" She trailed. "I should go pick up Adrian from daycare. I'll let Terra know what's happened, and we'll meet you later. Good luck."
"Well then…" Geiz sighed when he saw how down the three of them looked.
"Hey, there's a café over there," Nora noticed, wanting to bring a bit of energy back into their search party. "Why don't we get something to warm up?"
"I'm okay. You three go ahead," Jaune said as he walked over and sat on a nearby bench.
"You don't want anything?" Nora asked as she walked over, she could only exchange a look with Ren before going to walk off.
"We'll be right back," Ren said as he followed after Nora.
Geiz however walked over, "Jaune… I get it."
"Listen, I know you're going to try and give me a pep talk but…" Jaune sighed. "I just want some alone time right now."
"I'd have hoped that you would have had enough alone time but fine," Geiz said, deciding to not be pushy and started to head off after Nora and Ren.
"Geiz…" Jaune spoke up, "Listen about Oscar, I'm sorry-"
"Don't apologize to me," Geiz replied as he walked off. "Apologize to him for what you said when we find him."
The time traveling rider managed to find his way over to the café he saw Nora and Ren heading to, heading inside and finding them in line.
"Oh there you are," Nora noticed Geiz enter. "We were worried we lost you too."
"Nope, I'm not about to make everything even more complicated," Geiz said simply as he shifted his collar. "Long line huh?"
"Yep," Ren gave a nod, "Seems this place is popular."
"We should probably get him something," Geiz suggested. "I'd rather not stand in line again."
"What are you in the mood for anyway?" Nora asked. "I was thinking Hot Chocolate."
"That actually does sound good," Geiz admitted, the trip up north had definitely gotten a lot chillier, it being a bit colder than Tokyo during the winter. "Let's keep it simple then, four Hot Chocolates. It's probably cheap that way."
"Yeah," Nora gave a nod, moving forward with the two once the line started to pick up in speed.
"I'm surprised you didn't try to go for something warmer," Ren noted, "Especially without Aura."
"I like to keep it on here," Geiz admitted as he crossed his arms. "It's a reminder of my mission."
"Oh that's right, those Time Jackers you're trying to stop right?" Nora asked, her, Jaune and Ren still unaware of the true reason Geiz went back. She sighed before looking down a bit. "Aren't you scared?"
"Scared?" Geiz asked.
"I mean, a year passed for Ruby while she was over there and only a few days for us," Ren reminded. "It's already been a good week or so since then."
"Yeah, aren't you worried things will get bad over there?" Nora asked.
"The thought crossed my mind… especially with how I left it," Geiz admitted as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I can only hope that whenever we find the Time Mazine's or a way back that we can get back to when we left."
"Sounds like a pretty slim chance," Nora admitted.
"It does, but I won't stop believing and moving forward," Geiz answered as he moved forward once the line moved again. "Besides I trust my predecessors to be able to handle things."
"That is true, there are other Riders you mentioned," Ren realized.
"Which is why I need to get this out," Geiz said as he stepped in front of the two before turning to face them. "I get it… you're completely out of your depth. But if you give up hope and lose faith now, then who will carry it on?"
Nora raised an eyebrow, "Ruby and you all?"
"You're right," Geiz admitted. "But I've heard your story, how you three were traveling with Ruby for so long to reach Haven. What would she think if you all just left? What about the others who joined and fought with you?"
"She would be pretty heartbroken, all of them would," Ren realized.
"Exactly, despite learning everything and being in low spirits, we managed to get that swift kick in the ass to make us realize we can't give up," Geiz said, remembering the Apathy and shaking his head. "We're still willing to take the risk and do this, because if we give up, what then?"
"There really is no one else who can do this," Nora realized.
"And we've lost the person in charge of this operation too," Geiz said as he turned and moved up with the others, reaching the counter.
"What can I get you three?" The cashier asked.
"Four hot chocolates please," Ren ordered before paying, moving off to the side to wait with Geiz and Nora. "You are right, without Ozpin… there really was no one else fighting this battle."
"And with the Lamp out in the open if it were to just be left alone, it'd be much easier to find," Geiz reminded before moving his head side to side to stretch it. "I'm not going to force you all to keep moving. After all you three have an out."
"I…" Nora trailed before soon noticing that their order was ready. "Whoa that was fast."
"I'm impressed," Geiz admitted as he went over to grab his, giving a light sigh of relief as he felt the warm cup on his palm, quickly grasping it with both. "That hits the spot."
"You haven't even had any yet," Nora gave a chuckle as she grabbed hers and Jaune's.
"I know," Geiz gave a satisfied smile, "Doesn't mean it's any less relieving."
"Let's get this to Jaune then since he's the one out in the cold," Ren suggested as he grabbed his drink.
"Sounds good to me," Geiz said, taking a quick sip of his before heading back out.
To the three's surprise however, they didn't see Jaune at the bench he was sitting at earlier.
"Oh no…" Geiz sighed as he looked around before hurrying over to the bench. "Where the hell did you go?"
"Is it the Another Rider?" Nora asked as she hurried over.
"No… if it was a monster people would be running right?" Ren asked as he noticed there were still people around and in a calm state.
"You're right, he might've just moved," Geiz realized before heading across the street near the entrance of a park.
Ren looked around, "Jaune?"
"Hey look," Nora soon noticed Jaune at the end of the park. "There he is."
"Perfect," Geiz said as he followed after Nora and Ren who hurried over.
"Jaune, why did you-" Nora stopped mid sentence before giving a gasp, slowing to a stop with Ren, the two staring in shock at the sight before them.
Geiz had slowed down by this point, noticing the two's reactions as at the center of the park was a statue. It was a statue of a young woman in Grecian styled clothing and armor with a ponytail, holding a shield in front of her as her head was looking downwards.
"Hmm," Geiz soon noticed the plaque on the base of the statue.
~In Honor of Pyrrha Nikos~
~One of the many students who fought valiantly at the Fall of Beacon~
Geiz then remembered that one of the other subjects that were quick to skip over was the fact that Team JNR used to be JNPR, the three not really mentioning their fourth member in detail for reasons that were now obvious.
"I'm sorry," Jaune finally spoke up. "I've been a terrible leader, and a terrible friend, and I-"
"Jaune, this has to stop," Ren interrupted.
"Ren and I… heard what you said to Cinder, at Haven." Nora answered. "You're not being fair to yourself. We love you, just like we loved Pyrrha. We're teammates, family."
"We don't want to lose you too," Ren added.
"I think… I think she knew she wasn't going to win," Jaune admitted as he clutched his hands tightly, "That she might not come out alive. But… she also knew she was the only one that could try."
"And really, that's all that matters," Geiz muttered as he looked on.
"So she did," Ren agreed.
"Maybe we should too," Nora suggested.
"Yeah," Jaune agreed as he looked up at the statue with his friends. "We should."
"Pyrrha may not be by our side anymore, but we can fight like she is," Nora replied.
"And in a way… she will be," Jaune agreed before grabbing the hot chocolate that Nora had handed his way. He then gave a bit of a nervous chuckle, looking back at Geiz. "Sorry if this is a bit awkward for you."
"I'm sorry if I'm intruding on such a personal team moment," Geiz admitted before giving a small smile. "I'm just glad you all seem to have found an answer."
"Yeah, we did," Jaune gave a nod. "Also well Geiz, this is…"
"You don't need to introduce me if you aren't comfortable," Geiz held up his hand before looking up at the statue. "She was a great friend, and a great warrior wasn't she?"
"Yeah," Nora gave a nod.
"She was everything to us," Ren admitted.
"She never did get the chance to graduate… but she was a Huntress through and through," Jaune affirmed.
"Then that's all I really need to hear," Geiz admitted as he clasped his hands together around his cup before bowing his head in respect. He then took a sip of his hot chocolate before looking back at the entrance, "We should probably head back."
"Checking in might end up being our best bet at this point," Ren agreed.
Geiz began to head off, Nora and Ren slowly following after him, he looked back to see Jaune staring up at the statue. Geiz decided to glance up though, seeing an airship crossing the sky and still wondering how they were going to even deal with that part of the plan.
"Thank you," Jaune smiled at the statue before turning and joining up with the others.
Remnant Argus, Cotta-Arc Residence
Ruby could only stare at the sight before her with disapproval, clearly fed up as she gave a sigh.
"I've never seen him this bad," Yang admitted. "Even back when you vanished… sure he drank but not to this state."
"I should have let a stray shot from Another W hit near him," Ruby grumbled as she stared down. "Then maybe he would be more aware and not passed out."
The sight before them was a sad one as Qrow was currently sprawled out on the stairs outside that lead up to the residence. Team RWBY, Maria and Tsukuyomi had decided to rendezvous back at the house. What they weren't expecting was Ruby's passed out uncle.
"Come on, let's get him up," Ruby said as she approached Qrow with Yang, the two sisters grabbing one arm each and sitting him up.
Qrow gave a groan, rubbing his eyes as he tried to regain his bearings, "Why am I on the stairs?"
"Probably because no one's home, Uncle Qrow," Ruby replied. "We've been out looking for Oscar and Sougo."
Qrow groaned out again, "Why those two?"
It wasn't long before everyone heard footsteps approaching, Team JNR, Geiz, Saphron and Terra who was holding Adrian all walked up.
"I'm sure this looks great to the neighbors," Terra remarked, sarcasm dripping from her voice only to receive an elbow from her wife.
"No luck?" Ren asked as he and the others walked over.
Blake sighed, "No, you?"
"Sad to say things were pretty calm on our end," Geiz admitted, "How about you?"
"We've got… a lot to talk about," Weiss admitted.
"Don't worry, we aren't going to Atlas without them," Jaune reassured.
Ruby had to keep from giving a smile as she helped her uncle stand, "We?"
There were no words of confirmation, but Jaune and his team's smiles and looks were enough to show they were planning on sticking through to the end.
Jaune looked over at his sister, "Sorry we won't be staying."
"No you're not," Saphron smirked as she rolled her eyes.
"How about we get out of the cold," Terra suggested.
"I'm telling you it sounds like they're back," A muffled voice called from the door.
A second muffled voice could be heard, "Huh, really?"
The door squeaked as it opened to reveal Oscar who stepped out, Sougo peeking out from behind the doorway.
"Oh, we were wondering when you'd get back," Oscar greeted.
Nearly everyone had the same reaction, either various levels of shock or relief. "OSCAR!"
"No Sougo?" Sougo asked as he pointed at himself.
Tsukuyomi gave a glare, "Sougo!"
"Oh no," Sougo quickly hid behind the door.
Before Tsukuyomi could march forward she was stopped by Geiz as Nora screamed out, all the students leaping forward to tackle hug Oscar back into the house. Sougo could only give a nervous wave to the two as he stepped back and behind Oscar.
"Now you can go," Geiz let go of his friend as they entered the house.
Thankfully it didn't take long for everyone to get back up, Ruby helping Oscar up.
"You had us worried sick!" Weiss called out.
"Are you two okay?!" Ruby asked. "There were Another Riders and we were worried the worst had happened!"
"Hold up, what are you two wearing?" Nora asked as she got in front.
"Wait there was Another Riders?" Sougo asked.
"How did we not even know?" Oscar asked.
"Hold up," Terra entered with the rest of the adults, sniffing around. "Is something cooking?"
"Oh, uh, yeah," Oscar admitted nervously. "I thought you guys would appreciate a hot meal after… spending all day looking for us, apparently."
Jaune sighed, "It's my fault we were all out there in the first place. Oscar, I am so sorry for earlier. I was way, way out of line, and what I said-"
"No, it's okay, it was sort of a spur of the moment thing," Oscar interrupted. "These past few days, I've been scared of the same things you were. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be… me. But I did some thinking, and thanks to a bit of help from Sougo I do know that I want to do everything I can to help with whatever time I have left."
"Good," Jaune smiled. "This team isn't the same without you, Oscar."
The tender moment was interrupted however by the smoke alarm going off, Oscar's eyes widened in panic, "The casserole!" He turned towards Sougo. "I thought you were watching it!"
"I didn't want to be rude and not greet everyone who was apparently worrying about us!" Sougo held up his hands in defense.
"We're on it, chefs," Saphron giggled before stepping into the kitchen with Terra who had left Adrian in Maria's care.
"Seems like mostly everyone's getting their act together," Geiz noted as he looked around, sparing one small glance at Qrow.
"Yeah, but I've really got to hand it to Sougo," Oscar admitted. "He really knew how to help me figure things out."
"Okay, what's the big idea," Tsukuyomi crossed her arms. "You two were together?"
"Uh… yeah," Sougo said as if it was obvious. "Did you not read my note?"
"What note?" Ruby asked.
"Wait, did… did you really not read my note?" Sougo asked before scrambling around, soon finding a crushed note underneath one of the couches. "Ah… so that's where it went. I put it on the doorframe right before I left with the others. I thought they'd call Ruby and Geiz and that they'd find out via them since I left the note."
"Oh… we were in such a rush because of Another OOO that we probably knocked it off the door and trampled all over it," Yang realized, rubbing the back of her head.
"It's always the simplest solutions, huh." Maria remarked.
"You know I should have suspected this…" Tsukuyomi sighed as she pinched the bridge of her nose.
"Wait, is that why you didn't answer the phone?" Ruby asked.
"I uh, kind of wanted some alone time with Oscar," Sougo admitted. "Have a bit of a shopping trip to sort of figure stuff out."
"Speaking of shopping," Geiz said, soon realizing that Sougo's outfit had changed.
"The combat gear looks good," Ruby admitted.
"Thanks," Oscar replied.
"I'm surprised Sougo," Tsukuyomi admitted. "I thought you'd be fine with what you had."
"I uh," Sougo looked himself over before spreading his arms out. "I just felt like I needed to really commit to the whole thing."
"It really suits you," Ruby complimented.
"You really think so?" Sougo asked. "It's not my usual style."
"Not really but it looks good on you Zi-O," Geiz agreed, he had to admit he'd take the new style over the strange overly baggy fashion that Sougo would normally wear.
Something was bothering Weiss however, mostly in the design and style of coats they had gotten, "Sougo… where did you all shop?"
"Oh we went to Soup," Sougo explained.
"Okay," Yang started. "I guess you guys got stuff for the casserole there but where did you guys get the clothes?"
"Like I said," Sougo stressed, "Soup."
"They sell clothes at the soup store?" Ruby asked.
"No, it's literally called 'Soup'," Oscar added, trying to back Sougo up.
Geiz scratched his head, "Wait if you got your clothes at Soup then where did you get the stuff for the casserole?"
"The grocery store," Sougo stated as if it were obvious.
"Why is there even a place called Soup that sells clothes?" Blake asked.
"I don't know this is very much a, you guys thing, you tell me," Sougo shrugged.
"I was a bit skeptical at first given the name," Oscar admitted. "But it turned out pretty alright."
"Well of course as despite the name, Soup is one of the highest rated Huntsman gear retailers in Atlas. Likely during the settlement and trading they opened up a spot in Argus," Weiss explained as a matter of fact, now all eyes were on her. "What? You should know I only shop from the best of the best."
"So does that mean we have the Weiss Schnee seal of approval?" Sougo asked with a chuckle.
"Well… I said it was the highest rated," Weiss trailed as she glanced at the two again before thinking. "That's not saying anything about your clothing styles… but they're passable."
"That's good enough for me," Sougo gave an ok gesture.
Qrow could only give an audible groan as he was fed up listening to everyone and began to head for the stairs, planning on making his way up to his room.
Ruby however was not about to deal with this for another second, giving a stern look as she walked forward, "Where are you going now?"
"I don't want to get in the way of your celebration," Qrow answered as he stopped.
"You've been gone all day!" Ruby pointed out. "Just sit with us."
Qrow gave a sigh, "Look, Ruby, I'm glad you kids worked out, uh, whatever all that was. But the fact is we're not a single step closer to Atlas."
"Actually, I think I have an idea," Jaune stepped forward.
Geiz's eyes widened, "Seriously?" He was going to have to reconsider his opinion further on Jaune given the Huntsman in training was now fully willing to keep going and had a plan. "You do?"
"But…" Jaune prefaced. "It's sort of a "no-going-back" kind of idea."
"It can't be that bad," Sougo remarked.
"Yeah, let's hear it," Ruby agreed.
"With Cordo on watch, only Atlas airships have the clearance to leave for Solitas," Jaune explained. "So… we…" and now the nervousness in his tone and speech was present. "We… steal an Atlas airship."
Needless to say most people around Jaune were shocked. Nora seemed fully on board with the idea, Geiz kept his usual stern poker face while Sougo was grinning the whole time. No one was sure where to start, that was until Adrian gave a quick giggle to knock mostly everyone out of their shock.
"You've earned my respect even further," Geiz remarked.
Tsukuyomi looked at her friend in surprise, "Geiz!"
"Come on, this isn't our first time doing something like this," Geiz replied as he looked at his friend. "This shouldn't be a surprise."
"That's not just breaking the law though," Weiss argued. "That's… that's definitely worse."
"How would we even get onto the airfield?" Yang asked.
Geiz just cracked his knuckles, raising them, ready to speak only for Tsukuyomi to grab her friend's hands and push them back down.
"That part I haven't quite figured out yet," Jaune admitted. "But I-"
"Okay, stop." Qrow raised his voice, clearly fed up by Jaune's idea. "Just… stop! Look, if this thing goes south, it's not something we can just fight our way out of. This is the Atlas Military we're talking about." He just sighed as he turned away. "For your sake, just drop this."
"Easy for you to say huh," Geiz muttered.
"I want to hear him out," Ruby spoke up, clearly determined much to most people's surprise.
Qrow realized he'd have to try and talk his niece down, "Ruby…"
"I want to hear him out!" Ruby called out more firmly, at this point given her uncle's state; she knew she'd have to fully take charge, "I know you're trying to protect us, that you're afraid we can't do it, but right now, I don't really care what you think!"
"I was wondering how long this would take," Geiz admitted.
"Wait, really?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"She's been at her tipping point with him ever since the farm," Geiz said. "I was wondering what would finally do it."
Qrow could only stare in shock while everyone looked at Ruby in surprise.
"Just because you don't have an idea, doesn't mean we're out of options!" Ruby pointed out as it was clear her temper was rising but she kept a more calm and composed tone as she restrained herself. "Oz hasn't been here to tell us what to do, but we still managed to get this far anyway. Hell I had no one for an entire year and for four of those months it's just been Sougo, Geiz, and Tsuki, the four of us making decisions on our own."
"Yep," Sougo gave a nod.
"Plus we've all been in bad situations before, and we didn't need an adult to come save us or tell us what to do. We just did it our way!" Ruby continued. "And I say we do it our way." She gave a glance around, seeing everyone's spirits rising. "And if you think you can keep up with us "kids"… we'd be happy to have you."
Maria couldn't help but laugh a bit, "Looks like you didn't give her enough credit either."
Qrow glanced at Maria before looking at his niece, seeing a determined and defiant stare that meant she wasn't going to back down. Despite this declaration however there was still something nagging at Weiss...
"Sougo I have a question," Weiss spoke up.
"Oh sure, shoot," Sougo said.
"What are 'London' and 'Thames'?" Weiss asked.
Sougo stared at her for a while, "Wait… how do you-"
"I'm sorry did I hear that correctly?" Terra interrupted as she poked her head out of the kitchen, staring directly at the group, "You're going to steal a WHAT?!"
"Oh yeah, kitchen's right there…" Jaune trailed with a nervous chuckle.
Tsukuyomi could only drop her head with a groan, "There goes keeping it confidential…"
Later that evening…
Needless to say it took a bit to convince both Saphron and Terra that their plan was really the only way. Of course it was Terra herself that brought up the specifics regarding communications and radar on the trouble they'd face. They would need an entire day to plan and prepare, needing to make sure that they had a foolproof plan that would keep them from getting caught.
Of course that wasn't the only issue, though that was only able to be addressed once Saphron and Terra went to get Adrian ready for bed. The group had decided to use the living room for their meeting after dinner.
Qrow himself had chosen to be absent after he was done eating. That was mostly on Ruby's insistence that he rest after drinking like that. She just wanted to make sure her uncle had some food in his stomach before having him rest.
"Wait, so it was two Another Riders?" Jaune asked.
"How the heck did we not know?!" Sougo called out as he ruffled his hair a bit.
"Don't feel too bad," Geiz replied. "We didn't get any action on our side either."
"So far it seemed to only be two," Ruby confirmed. "The choices were odd and made sense at the same time."
"Why's that?" Nora asked.
"One was a White Fang grunt, no one particularly special," Blake replied. "What's concerning is the fact that one was all the way out here to be used."
"Well given Time Jackers can warp, maybe they grabbed one from Mistral," Geiz suggested. "After all I doubt Another Ghost was following after us all the way from the tracks to where we were."
"Speaking of tracks, the second was that Dudley guy," Yang replied.
"Given he was targeting uncle Qrow at first he seems to be the only one that had any actual motivation," Ruby explained. "It made Another W a bit harder to fight in that regard."
"Luckily we had our secret weapons," Yang gave a grin.
Sougo tilted his head, "Secret weapons?"
"I was about to say I was surprised you beat them," Oscar replied. "Didn't Tsukuyomi mention that you need the corresponding Ridewatch?"
"Yeah, both W and OOO were with me, well Ruby had Tajador but still…" Sougo added.
"Um, sort of…" Tsukuyomi trailed, "The Corresponding Ridewatch or an entirely new Kamen Rider."
"Either that or the transformations for these particular ones aren't stable," Blake added, remembering Yang's theory.
"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Geiz asked.
Blake and Weiss soon held out their new devices that held their respective Drivers, the Shinobi Houtan and Question Pendant. Opening up the Houtan and holding up the Question Pendant caused both of their Driver's to appear.
"Wait… you guys are Riders now?!" Sougo called out in surprise.
"I honestly couldn't believe it," Blake admitted. "But yeah, I'm Kamen Rider Shinobi."
"I'm…" Weiss trailed but decided to get it over with, "Kamen Rider Quiz."
"Wait… is that why you…?" Sougo trailed.
"Hold on, Quiz?" Jaune asked. "I get Blake given well… Ninja's, but Quizzes for Weiss?"
"Thank you!" Weiss called out.
"Well you were one of the more serious students," Ren admitted, nearly parroting Yang from earlier.
Nora though took the simple approach like Ruby earlier, "NERD!"
Weiss' eye twitched, "Will people stop doing that!"
"I think Quiz is pretty cool," Sougo admitted. "I mean defeating your opponent with the knowledge or especially the history of the world. And you've somehow got knowledge of Earth too!"
Weiss blinked in surprise, "R-Really?" She cleared her throat. "Well when you put it like that I guess it is."
"You know, now that we're on topic…" Ruby trailed, "How exactly did you do that?"
"Do what?" Weiss asked back.
"You know," Ruby gestured a bit, "The whole getting Earth knowledge thing? How did you do a quiz on something you've admitted to never having seen or heard before?"
"Oh," Weiss thought a bit, "Well to be honest after asking my own styled question my head just started to get filled with random information whenever I felt the need to ask a question. But even then it's not like I actually knew it. It just came as like text and I chose to recite it… even if I'm sure I mispronounced it…"
"Huh, so it gives you knowledge of Earth?" Geiz asked.
"Well Kamen Rider's are an Earth thing, right?" Jaune reminded.
"Well, there were also a few Remnant related facts in the mix too," Weiss said as she thought back.
"Whoa, knowledge of both Remnant and Earth," Sougo stared in awe.
Nora gave a grin, "So when can we witness these cool new forms?!"
"We can probably do it tomorrow," Ruby suggested. "I'm sure Blake and Weiss are worn out, same with Yang and I."
"You all did do a lot of heavy fighting," Tsukuyomi agreed. "It's also not like we're implementing the plan immediately."
"Then we get some rest and work on our next move tomorrow," Geiz replied.
"A good dream or two might help us a bit," Sougo replied before glancing up the stairs. "And we've got some help with our temporary landlords too. I think we can do this."
Day of the Heist
Remnant – Argus, Atlesian Military Base
It had been a day between them planning and figuring out their next move and enacting it out. Weiss was currently dragging a large luggage case while walking with Cordovin and Saphron who had Adrian with her. The Nubuck Guards also followed behind in their same strange manner, escorting the group. All were heading over to the main airfield filled with various Manta transports for use.
"Ah, I was relieved to hear that you came to your senses, Miss Schnee," Cordovin got out. "Many of us were devastated when we heard you would be attending…" She trailed, her voice becoming bitter, "Beacon Academy." But after that she resumed her normal 'sweet' tone. "Knowing that you'll be returning to Atlas just warms my old heart."
"It was… time to get my act together and go back to my roots," Weiss explained via a lie, hoping that her acting would be enough.
"Oh, I can't wait to see you follow in your sister's footsteps." Cordovin admitted.
"Absolutely…" Weiss smiled though it dropped flat immediately when she saw Cordovin turn.
"I'm sending two of my best guards to personally escort you," Cordovin explained. "Make sure General Ironwood hears that part." She gave a wink before walking off.
Guard-1 began to walk over, "Allow me to assist you with your bag." He walked over with a hup hup to pick up Weiss' luggage, "My, what a heavy bag!"
"That's alright!" Weiss insisted as she kept hold o the luggage.
It soon turned into a near tug of war, both Guards trying to relieve Weiss of having to take care of the luggage while Weiss insisted she was fine. Of course Cordovin began to notice this, stopping and getting a bit suspicious.
"Just like we practiced," Saphron whispered to her son who gave a nod. It wasn't long before Adrian let out a loud wail before pretending to cry, it was time to bring out the old Arc acting chops, "Oh no! Look at that, he's just going to miss you so much! You should hurry on out of here!"
Guard-1 let go and pointed at Saphron and Adrian, "A crying child?"
"We must console it!" Guard-2 declared before both quickly hupped over to distract Adrian by making weird poses to amuse him.
Weiss noticed that Cordovin had continued to walk away and quickly hurried to the designated airship, managing to get on with the luggage. "That was close."
"Is everything okay?" Ruby's voice came from an earpiece.
"Call me heavy… it's all muscle! I'll show them a thing or two about heavy!" The muffled voice of Maria could be heard.
"We're on board," Weiss put a finger to her ear.
Remnant – Argus, Cliffside
Ruby was currently leading the group of Teams JNR, Zi-O, Oscar and Qrow. All of them were waiting at the cliffside between the forest and the ocean. It was a perfect hidden vantage point from the military base.
"Alright, we'll all watch our scrolls." Ruby called as she kept a hand to hear ear. "The second Weiss is out of range of the comm tower, that'll mean she's out of range of the radar too."
"And luckily we'll still have contact if something goes wrong," Tsukuyomi noted as she held up her Faizphone X
"Why did it have to be mine again?" Geiz asked.
"Because you drew the short straw," Ruby reminded.
"Once they're out of range that will be when Blake steps in," Yang called over the radio. "We're almost at the drop off."
Remnant – Argus, Forest
Yang drove through a clear path in the forest via Bumbleby, Blake riding with her as she listened to Terra's instructions.
"Okay, remember: one, the radar box is separate from the rest of the communications equipment. So if you disconnect it properly, it won't take out comms for the rest of the city. Two, this conversation never happened."
"Don't worry," Blake reassured. "This isn't the first time I've disabled Atlas security."
Terra was not amused, "Never. Happened."
Once the call ended they had managed to arrive at the drop off point with little issue, Yang stopping as Blake went to get off and proceed. In the distance was the communications tower that was their target.
"You sure I shouldn't come with?" Yang asked.
"More intruders' means we're more likely to be seen, plus I am technically more stealth based now," Blake reminded as she gestured to the gourd that housed her Driver. "Besides, stealth isn't exactly your, um…" She looked back to see Yang with a bored look and her arms crossed, backpedaling immediately. "I mean, you're great! And I'll hurry back."
Yang's expression softened, "Go."
Blake smiled before taking off, holding up her scroll, "Heading in on foot, won't be long."
Remnant – Argus, Cliffside
"Yes! It's all going to plan!" Jaune called as he pumped his fist excitedly. He then noticed Ren and Nora before clearing his throat, "I mean, uh…" He activated his comm, "Roger."
"This is really exciting," Sougo had to keep from bouncing up and down.
"I'm just a bit annoyed we couldn't just storm the place," Geiz growled out. "It would have been so much easier."
"And risk them shooting us down if we take too long?" Tsukuyomi gave a sigh. "Besides our best bet was Ms. Calavera for this, even if we have piloting experience we've never dealt with Remnant technology."
"I suppose so," Geiz huffed.
Ruby was glad to see that morale was high in regard to their success rate, though she was drawn back to Qrow who seemed uneasy.
"Hey, this is gonna work," Oscar reassured.
"Yeah," Ruby gave a nod.
As the group waited around and chatted, the plan was already commenced on Weiss and Maria's side, the two easily dispatching and sending both Nubuck Guards out of the Manta airship via parachute. Maria was also able to link her prosthetics to the sensor array for ease of piloting.
"Alright guys, this is it," Ruby said as she saw Weiss' signal disappear, Sougo and Tsukuyomi having their Faizphone X's out just in case Weiss called. After waiting a short bit, Ruby put a hand to her ear, "Blake, you're up."
…
"Blake?" Ruby asked again.
"Oh no," Geiz muttered softly.
"Yang, what's going on?" Ruby asked, contacting her sister instead, especially when she saw that Weiss' signal was starting to come back into view.
"I don't know," Yang answered.
Geiz immediately grabbed Tsukuyomi's Faizphone X, dialing the one Weiss had, "Weiss, can you hear me?"
Remnant – Argus Airspace
"Geiz, what's wrong?" Weiss asked, she was currently playing co-pilot to Maria who was piloting rather well for her age. The two were currently making their way towards where the cliffside was.
"You need to pull out now before they spot you, the radar isn't down, repeat the radar isn't down!" Geiz called from the other side.
A soldier manning a terminal was the one to suddenly speak up on the radio, "Manta 5-1, this is Argus Base. We see you circled back. What's your status, over?"
"Somebody dropped the ball," Maria realized. "Don't worry I've worked with Atlas forces before. I know their jargon."
"Weiss do not let her do something stupid!" Geiz yelled.
"Just watch and learn sonny boy," Maria grinned as she grabbed the radio and answered as she gained a more professional expression. "Argus Base, this is Manta 5-1. Feel free to gaff off. Thought we were going to scrub due to F O D, but we're back up and green across the board, over."
After a bit of static the terminal officer spoke up, "Manta 5-1, return to base immediately, or you will be treated as hostile, over."
"I thought you said you knew their jargon!" Weiss called out.
Geiz had to keep from screaming and simply raised his voice, "Weiss, she's an old lady!"
"Jargon was fine," The terminal officer answered. "But like the muffled angry voice said, our pilots aren't elderly women."
"Huh, well they got me there!" Maria admitted. "Ooh, my mind really is going! Why would you kids let me fly this thing?"
"Calavera!" Cordovin suddenly got on the radio. "You and those insolent children are up to something, aren't you?! You thought you could undermine my authority? If you don't return my ship this INSTANT, I will make an example out of you. I will show you the true might of Atlas!"
To Weiss's horror and Geiz's confusion due to only hearing audio, they saw and heard Maria ruffling around for something, Weiss watching as the elderly ex-huntress began loudly chewing on cashews from a bag.
"Are… are those cashews?!" Geiz asked.
"You hear that Cordo?" Maria asked between chews, "That's the sound of me not caring!" And with that Maria broke out into manic laughter.
"Geiz, please tell me Ruby is right next to you because we're in trouble. Cordo's onto us," Weiss held the Faizphone X with both hands, a slight pleading look on her face before giving a glare. "And Maria isn't helping!"
Remnant – Argus, Cliffside
Everyone was huddled around Geiz with the Faizphone X sans Qrow, Tsukuyomi having to rub her friends back as she saw him getting more and more stressed the further the situation escalated.
"Why is the radar still up?!" Weiss called out from the other side.
"We don't know, Blake isn't responding." Ruby called out as she tried to reach Blake on the comm channel.
"What do we do?!" Oscar asked.
"Keep the ship in one piece," Yang called from her end before revving was heard.
"Maybe we should fly over to help Yang and Blake first?" Nora asked.
"Damn it!" Qrow called out. "Cordo's gonna scramble her fighters. We've got maybe ninety seconds before they're in the air, and all over Weiss and Maria. This is my fault…"
"What are you talking about?" Jaune asked, "Your Semblance?"
Geiz closed the Faizphone X and handed it back to Tsukuyomi, figuring to keep the comm channels less confused he'd have Weiss switch back. Especially since his warning had fallen on deaf ears. While everyone stared at Qrow, Geiz began making his way forward.
"Every choice I've ever made has led me here, and I've dragged you along with me," Qrow explained as he continued to beat down on himself. "Oz, myself, the others… we're responsible for the mess the world's in now. I shouldn't have come, shouldn't have let any of you come… What was I thinking?!"
It was fairly easy to get to Qrow while he and everyone else were focused on his self-deprecating speech. Sougo and Tsukuyomi had tried to move forward once they realized what was going on but it was too late.
SMACK
Geiz had reeled back and punched Qrow directly on his left cheek, everyone in shock at what had just occurred.
"Did… did you just punch me?" Qrow asked more in shock than anything else as he held his cheek.
"If I berated myself for every time I wasn't strong enough, every time I couldn't win," Geiz gripped his fists tightly. "Then I wouldn't be here right now, I'd be wallowing in a pile of self-pity. I get the point you're trying to make, your Semblance is Bad Luck. So what if it even is? I've gone through hell, Tsukuyomi has as well, Zi-O and Ruby both have had close calls and you weren't anywhere near us during those four months. Stop thinking every bad thing is your fault, it's not."
"I…" Qrow blinked a few times.
"Don't let your Semblance become an excuse," Geiz grabbed Qrow by both arms and stared directly at him. "We've all had it rough, with or without you being around, but we're still going to fight because who the hell will if we stop?"
"…" Qrow stayed silent as he was let go.
"Exactly, we're all in this together, and we're all going to do the best we can. That's all anyone can do. And I know it's what you've always aimed for." Ruby finally spoke up as she walked over and stood beside Geiz. "We would've come whether or not you'd let us, so stop talking like we're your responsibility! We're not! But we could still use Qrow Branwen on our side."
"Hm…" Qrow gave a small proud but contemplative look. "When did you grow up so fast?"
"I kind of had to after getting dropped off in Tokyo," Ruby admitted with a smile. "That's not to say I didn't have good role models. So you should start acting like one again."
"No need to be such a brat about it," Qrow smiled.
"And now that you're on board," Ruby turned and purposely stomped on Geiz's foot as she walked off. "As much as he needed that, run something like that by me first. Okay, Geiz?"
Geiz gave a light yelp as he hopped one leg, giving a light glare at Ruby before he set his foot down. He crossed his arms and looked off to the side, "Jeez..."
Weiss soon interrupted by calling on the comm's again, "Guys? She's not sending fighters…"
Everyone immediately turned towards the Military Base that could be just seen in the distance.
At the base itself the mountain began to retract as it was revealed to be used as a shell around the base to house something much bigger than a fighter. From the shadows of the mountain container a new shape was revealed, an enormous Atlesian mech.
The Colossus had a stock build, with a rectangular cockpit and long armored legs, its left arm being jointed with a two fingered and one thumbed hand. The right was a fairly large arm cannon, with rotary slots and a blade attached to the back of it.
"Clearly the people have forgotten that they live in peace thanks to the awesome might of Atlas!" Cordovin called out through her machines speakers.
Needless to say her stunt had grabbed the attention of the entirety of Argus, everyone watching on in shock and questioning what exactly was going on.
Watching the scene from afar was the black cloaked figure, giving a grin, "Time to begin…"
"Is Cordovin… piloting that?" Weiss asked.
"What… the… hell…" Geiz managed to just barely speak, not out of fear, but out of shock.
Sougo had to rub his eyes a few times, "They have access to giant robots?!"
"Ruby I get that Grimm can get big but isn't that a bit too big?" Tsukuyomi questioned. "Actually I'm surprised you aren't gushing…"
"Uh… you know if that thing wasn't against us I'd probably be gushing right about now," Ruby admitted as she stared out. It was going to take a lot to disable it, and even she wouldn't exactly place the winning bet on three Riders against a machine that size.
"Is there any way we can beat this?" Jaune asked.
"Well we have three Riders," Nora pointed out.
"Yeah but without the Time Mazine's we're not exactly the best against colossal opponents." Ruby sighed, but getting their Time Mazine's were as slim as trying to get Woz to stay in one place… that was until it hit her. "Sougo, Faizphone X, now."
"What?" Sougo asked. "But what about…"
"I need yours specifically," Ruby held her hand out.
"Uh, sure," Sougo said as he took out his Faizphone X and placed it in Ruby's palm.
"Thanks," Ruby said as she put the phone to her ear after dialing a specific number.
"Consider this a reminder!" Cordovin announced as she aimed the Colossus' arm cannon, the rotating pieces spinning and locking in place as it charged up.
Soon enough a large electric blast was launched towards the Manta that Maria was piloting, just barely grazing it but doing enough damage. The electricity caused the controls to act up heavily alongside Maria's prosthetics. Despite the close call, they managed to resume flying.
"And that was merely a warning shot!" Cordovin called. "All Atlas personnel standby, and watch how your leader maintains order!"
"Okay, as much as our armor is really strong… can we even put a dent in that thing?" Sougo asked.
"We're going to need to, get ready," Geiz said as he drew out his Ziku Driver.
"It is time you asked yourselves, children… Do you truly wish to defy me?"
It wouldn't be long before the Manta that Maria and Weiss were on came into view, the Colossus trudging through the water and not far behind.
"Oh we're going to defy you alright…" Ruby muttered as she began moving away from the group, readying her Driver but keeping the call she had started going.
"My Overlord…?" Woz responded.
"Sorry Woz it's just me," Ruby apologized. "But I knew you wouldn't answer anyone else's phone."
"So I take it that means he is still mad…" Woz sighed.
"I think he's calmed down but… we're in a really tight situation." Ruby explained. "You were able to cross between Remnant and Earth without a Time Mazine, so I need a favor."
Woz stayed silent before hesitantly speaking up, "…Would that make my Overlord happy?"
"Oh absolutely, and it would mean we wouldn't be flattened so you know, but you do you with priorities," Ruby remarked, rolling her eyes at Woz's desire to please Sougo. "Can I count on you to bring both, or even at least one of the Time Mazine's to Remnant?"
"I'll see what I can do, if it is for my Overlord I shall fight my hardest!" Woz said before hanging up.
"Now the waiting game," Ruby sighed before putting a hand to her ear. "Hurry back, Weiss. I need you on the ground if we're gonna take this thing down."
Remnant – Argus, Communications Tower
Blake meanwhile had been caught up in a bad situation, her scroll having been abandoned after an ambush at the communications tower. While the others conversations from earlier could be heard, it was cut off once the Scroll was stepped on by someone.
Blake had run behind cover, already having Gambol Shroud drawn from it's sheathe. She looked around only to reel back after seeing a motionless Atlas Guard. She backed up further, only to quickly jerk and running off when a gunshot ricocheted near her.
She looked down, seeing Adam Taurus, the former high leader of the White Fang now having a black tattered blindfold on as he sheathed his blade.
"It's nice to finally have time to ourselves," Adam admitted. "Don't you think?"
"Leave me alone!" Blake called as she switched her weapon to its gun formation and fired off at Adam.
Adam however blocked with his sword, only unsheathing it partially as the hits were absorbed by his blade, it glowing brightly.
"But I've waited so long, for you to be away from them," Adam explained. "I was hoping my messenger could have split you from them earlier, but this works just as well."
"Another OOO…" Blakes eyes widened as she realized she needed to get away. She ran to the railing of where she was and used her weapon to try and zipwire herself down a cable.
Adam gave a yell, all the red on him and his blade shining a bright red before he unleashed a red slash of energy through the cable. The cable falling had forced Blake to land on the same platform he was on, moving in he slashed at her only for her to dodge.
Blake countered with a slash only for it to get parried, dodging out of the way of another slash before moving in and clashing again, this time kicking Adam away.
Adam was frustrated, "Why did you have to come into my life and ruin everything?!"
"You stalked me across Anima and made a deal with the devil to do so!" Blake reminded. "I don't want anything to do with your life!"
Adam charged in to clash swords with Blake again, the cat faunus however leapt back onto the railing, using her Shadow Semblance to land on the platform above. Adam however saw the tactical retreat and quickly backed away from where he was, climbing up and noticing that Blake was trying to search for him. He launched his sword via his sheathes shotgun function, managing to strike Blake in the side of her face just as she turned.
Blake realized she needed to change up strategy, flinging her weapon to swing around on it to make it look like she was going higher. Instead she circled around the platform and recalled her weapon, swinging down with both arms.
Adam dodged out of the way, getting in a short clash as both he and his opponent grabbed their sword arms to hold each other's weapons at bay. Though Adam won through and threw Blake across and near the railing.
Blake thought quickly, jumping onto the railing before jumping up and barely avoiding another slash from Adam's Moonslice Semblance as she reached the highest level of the tower. She tried to catch her breath but Adam was too fast to arrive on the same level, grabbing her by the throat. She choked out as she was pushed to the edge of the railing, needing an out she kicked his shin from under him, forcing them both to fall off the tower.
Snaps of tree branches were heard as the two constantly began to slam into them as while painful, helped cushion their falls. The two gave gasps and groans as they slowly began to get up.
"Adam…" Blake managed to get out as she drew her gourd. "Did you make a deal with the Time Jackers?"
"And what if I did?" Adam asked. "I will do anything to make sure I get what I want."
"Do you have any idea how dangerous they are?!" Blake shouted. "They're freaks who get off of the suffering of their contract holders!"
"He's a powerful friend who will give me the power that I need," Adam called back. "And now I have that chance."
"Let go of the past, Adam," Blake gave a light glare. "Do it for yourself."
"Just forget it all? Is that what you did to me?!" Adam rebutted in anger. "You just threw our memories away?!"
"Adam!" Blake snapped, hating that her former partner was missing the point. "Do not make me do this!"
"I don't care what you do," Adam remarked. "I let you go once already, Blake. I'm never making that mistake again…"
"Then I'll force you to let go," Blake firmed her stance up as she uncorked the gourd, pouring out the purple liquid that formed her Shinobidriver, the Shuriken Starter appearing in her left hand. Spreading her right arm forward while reeling her left arm back she crossed quickly spun and crossed her arms, soon attaching the Shuriken Starter to her Driver, "Henshin!"
[DARE JA? ORE JA? NINJA! SHINOBI KENZAN!]
Blake spread her arms out as the transformation took hold, once fully formed she spun her shuriken starter once more.
[NINPO KRISUTE!]
"Kamen Rider… Shinobi!" Blake called out as she drew out Gambol Shroud alongside her ninjato.
"Cute," Adam gave a scoff before stabbing his sword into the ground, growling out as he crossed his arms before spreading them.
[RYUKI!]
Dark energy wrapped around Adam as he soon transformed into Another Ryuki, grabbing his sword and removing it from the ground.
"Your little trick doesn't scare me," Adam called out. "As far as I'm concerned, we're even."
"We'll see about that," Blake trailed as she readied her weapons.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"So just what are you supposed to be?"
"I've got a backup plan and we need to stall at least!"
"Something tells me I may need to get involved…"
"I told you we were even."
"I hope we're not too late."
Chapter 30: Of Mecha and Another Riders
Author's Note: Glad to see I caught some people by surprise with the reveal of the Mirai Riders. I love them so much I figured I'd give them more usage. Now I know a lot of people were asking about Weiss' use of non-Remnant questions because I didn't do much to explain last chapter. That was mostly because the semi-explanation was this chapter since I didn't want to bloat last one even further. But to clarify, that's just what Kamen Rider Quiz does, feeds the user a bunch of knowledge for them to use in attacks. But because Weiss is from Remnant, it feeds her both sets of knowledge.
Either way with this chapter we're basically onto Volume 6's final episodes. And this was also another case of an episode being too short due to cutting the villain scenes so I had to combine 'Lost' and 'Stealing from the Elderly' into one singular chapter which I felt managed to work decently. Needless to say, things are about to get intense as we hit this finale. I'll see you guys next time.