Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 61 – A New Joker 2004
"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." Woz narrated as he walked through the city streets at night before reaching the front doors of 9-5-DO, "Combining their strength together, Miss Rose and the others help Kamen Rider Zangetsu defeat a deadly opponent in a foreign country. With that chapter dealt with, a month of helping old Heisei Rider allies comes to an end. Everyone has settled quite well into this new phase of our lives, including I who now live under the same roof as my Overlord."
Woz gave a smile before entering the shop.
Earth – Early April 2019
Regulus shined brightly, it being visible despite the bright lights of the city below. It was a busy night as everyone had somewhere to be. Of course there was one individual prowling the rooftops, walking forward as he gave a smile. It was Daiki Kaito, his smile soon turning into a grimace, "To think he would be in this world…" he muttered as he drew out his NeoDiendriver, he quickly spun his weapon in his hand before resting it against his shoulder, "I suppose it's time to get to work…"
Despite being a thief who normally had his guard up, this was a situation where he was distracted by the chance at hand. So much so that he didn't notice he was being stalked from a different building by both Tsukasa and Summer.
"We seriously need to get that Lamp back from him," Tsukasa said as he crossed his arms, tapping his fingers ever so slightly, "Those kids need to start making their move to return home."
"Well thanks to how traveling works they can take their time, but they have been here for three months," Summer agreed as she sat on the edge of the building, the breeze blowing her white scarf back, "I have an idea but you're going to need to be the one in front of the camera."
"I suppose I have no choice," Tsukasa said before walking to where he was behind Summer, kneeling down and readying his camera. As he began to focus in on her he saw Summer look back and give a smile.
CLICK
Shiro-Woz was currently in an empty field, staring at the Anotherwatches that were presented to him. One was grey, monstrous and had red eyelids with small eyes within them. The other was also grey, having a warped heart shaped visor that was broken, its left eye peaking out.
"And I am free to use these however I wish?" Shiro-Woz asked.
"Of course," Swartz answered as he paced around, "But remember… there are two kinds of people. Ones that make use of other people, and ones that get used. Those who make use dedicate their minds to lofty goals, the likes of which the used could never comprehend. And I wonder… which kind of person are you?"
Shiro-Woz could only give a bored look as he watched Swartz continue on with an amused smile on his face. Clearly Swartz had his own plans, but Shiro-Woz also had his own gambit he needed to run. There was little time to waste, so this would be his final act. He could only watch as Swartz walked off and disappeared.
"Finally…" Shiro-Woz sighed before looking towards the side, a dimensional wall appearing as a figure exited it. It was dark enough in the field to not give away his identity. The man wore a navy military uniform though it looked beaten and battered to hell.
"Will I obtain the power I want?" The man asked.
"You will, you'll surpass your worlds original limits if you play by my plan," Shiro-Woz held out one of the Anotherwatches, "You may have been an ace before, but now you will play the role of a Joker."
"Very well," The man took the Anotherwatch before staring at it, "What do I do first?"
"That is simple… there are too many Jokers in this game," Shiro-Woz gave a smile.
"I see," The man said before clicking the button.
[CHALICE!]
"Still having trouble settling in, Amane?"
"No, everything's fine now."
"Good to hear! Now just forget about that man of yours, alright?"
"Oh, come on… we weren't like that, he was so much older than me…"
"True, you don't really look like you got daddy issues…"
Everything was settling down for the night at the Jacaranda Café as the recently made owner, Amane Kurihara, worked on cleaning the tables. She glanced back at a set of a few pictures after recalling a conversation from earlier in the day. Most of them involved a girl and a young man. She shook her head before going back to cleaning, that was until she heard the front bell ring as someone entered.
"Sorry, we're already closed," She called out.
The one who entered was Shiro-Woz who merely walked over, "I am no mere customer. I've come to grant you power."
"Give me power…?" Amane asked warily as she turned to face Shiro-Woz.
[BLADE!]
Shiro-Woz said nothing as he activated the Anotherwatch before shoving it into Amane and taking a step back, "Let's pull back the curtain on what you really want…"
Amane could only gasp for air as dark wisps surrounded her, yelling out as a blue light was unleashed from her body, it forming a large blue card with Another Blades face on it before sliding back through her and fully transforming her into Another Blade.
[BLADE!]
The monstrous version of blade held a navy layered leather bodysuit. Sharp, layered silver armor adorned the various parts of its body as it was fairly bulky from the top. On its back it held the name Blade alongside the date 2004. The belt buckle held a gold spade with a skull on it and above it on the abdomen was a spade engraving.
Amane's heart began to beat and race as the spade engraving shined a bright red, despite trying to calm down she couldn't resist the Another Rider's influence warping her thoughts and desires.
"HAJIME!"
"Hajime…!"
A sudden gasp occurred as a man with messy brown hair awoke from his sleep, slowly looking around as his heart began to race. He held his chest as his eyes began to race back and forth throughout the small tent he was currently in.
"Just what was that?" He asked as he began to shift forward, crawling out of the tent before looking around at the dense forest he was camping in. The sound of crackling could be heard as a low fire was left to slowly die out. His clothes were oddly more roughed up than usual, his jeans and jacket having holes and tears in them.
"Kazuma Kenzaki…"
The man turned as he was suddenly grabbed and slammed into a nearby tree, the culprit being an Another Rider. This one was rather thinly built compared to Another Blade. It held a black bodysuit with white-silver armor attached closely to it and covering it up for the most part. Various skull and heart decorations adorned its armor as it seemed to be mantis themed. On its right forearm was an almost mantis-like blade coated in red. Its notable features were its chest and head. Its chest had an opening to show a red heart that was beating constantly. It had two mantis legs as antenna, a heart shaped visor broken up over its left eye as it peered directly at the young man.
Kenzaki gave a gasp as he caught sight of the familiar silver buckle with a red heart in the center, soon managing to see the wording on its thigh, 'Chalice'.
"Hajime…?" Kenzaki asked.
"No," The Another Rider stated before giving a gasp as something shot out of the tent and slammed into it. It's held its right shoulder in pain, holding it forward enough to reveal the year as 2004, fully confirming the monstrous Riders identity as Another Chalice.
"Who are you?" Kenzaki questioned with a growl as he a trail of red playing cards began to suddenly spiral around him, at the end of it a silver buckle with a card placed in it. The image was a top view of a rhinoceros beetle with a red spade in the center of it. Its suit was Ace, with the side holding the word Change. The cards cycled around before constricting around Kenzaki's waist, forming a red card themed strap as the buckle was held in place.
"I am, the new Joker," Another Chalice answered.
"New Joker…?" Kenzaki questioned before holding his left arm up before holding it out, soon gripping the side handle of the belt before pulling out, flipping the screen of the buckle, "Henshin!"
[TURN UP!]
A bright blue card shaped screen was released, it holding the rhinoceros beetle symbol as it stayed in place. Kenzaki rushed forward with a glare as the screen wrapped around him. He was clad in navy leather armor, having silver armor for his upper body, arms, knees and shins with gold trimming and red accents. His helmet was navy colored, having a silver mask in the front, the shape a mix of a rhinoceros beetle and a spade, bright red compound eyes shining in the night.
"There you are…" Another Chalice chuckled as it readied its blade, "Kamen Rider Blade."
Blade gave a yell as he rushed forward, drawing out his signature bladed weapon, the Blay Rouzer. He slashed at Another Chalice who had slashed with its arm blade. He managed to beat back the Another Rider's bladed arm before stabbing it in the chest.
Another Chalice gasped out as sparks flew, it staggering back, "Not bad…"
"What's your goal," Blade questioned before charging forward, slashing and forcing Another Chalice to block with its blade, forcing it into a clash.
"My goal…" Another Chalice spoke through its gritted teeth, "It's simple… I will destroy this world in a second Battle Fight. But first I must take the powers of both Jokers."
"You… are you mad?!" Blade asked as he pushed harder to try and force his opponent to lose the clash.
"Come now, don't you want it all to end?" Another Chalice asked as it pushed back, "You're simply a weary traveler now. I take your Joker Factor and you'll be able to truly live in your final days."
"You may be right about some things…" Blade admitted as his grip began to slack slightly, "But!"
Spinning Wave!
Another Chalice's belt shined twice as its body flashed blue. The wind began to suddenly pick up around them as a black tornado formed around Another Chalice. It then chopped forward with its free hand, unleashing the tornado against Blade.
Blade gave a yell as he was forced backwards by the tornado, slamming his back against a tree as he fell to the ground.
"Now then… give me your Joker Factor…" Another Chalice trailed as it began to step forward, giving a chuckle.
Blade meanwhile used his hunched over state to draw out the full card wheel of his Blay Rouzer, drawing one card quickly and sliding it against the scanner of his blade.
[THUNDER!]
Another Chalice gasped out as blue lightning struck its chest, sparks flying as it was sent stumbling back.
Blade gave a few pants as he aimed his weapon, picking himself up fully, drawing out another card and scanning it.
[KICK!]
Raising his Blay Rouzer, steam began to exit from Blade's armor as he pointed the blade downwards. He then stabbed it into the ground before leaping upwards, performing a few spins before kicking out with his right leg. He landed a clean kick with his right foot just as Another Chalice recovered, the Another Rider yelling out and being thrown back.
"So this is the Navy Joker's power…" Another Chalice attempted to get up only to explode.
"Is it over?" Blade asked after he landed.
"No…" The Another Rider began to rise from the flames in its human form before a splash of energy occurred, the form of Another Chalice reappearing over his body and transforming him once more.
[CHALICE!]
"It didn't work?" Blade questioned as he quickly rolled back and grabbed his weapon, raising it forward.
"I suppose you are one of the more active Riders despite your isolation," Another Chalice admitted, "That just means I'll have to go after the one who's barely fought at all…"
Blade glared beneath his helmet, "Don't you dare!"
"If you really want to stop me, then you know where I'll be going," Another Chalice said before his buckle shined once more, its body shining a bright blue.
Float!
Another Chalice placed its feet together before kicking off the ground, floating at high speeds upwards and into the night sky.
Blade could only look up as he fully stood, "This isn't good…"
The Next Day
It was an early morning for Weiss as she had decided to take an early morning walk. Normally she wouldn't but Ruby had hurried off to 9-5-DO after an early text from the others. That left her with Oscar, Blake and Yang which was her problem. Ever since Blake and Yang returned they were very much still in the 'will they, won't they' stage of their relationship with a very slow burn to a conclusion which annoyed her to no end. She normally wouldn't leave Oscar to fend for himself but she did not want to deal with that today.
So she did what she had to, grabbed a coffee and a bento from a corner store to have for breakfast. It was a good choice on her part as she had found a nice pathway filled with trees that provided great shade, a few benches lining the path. She went over to one and sat down, giving thanks before starting her meal.
It was a pretty quiet morning all around, thankfully after Zombie Chronicle had occurred things had finally quieted down in the city. Weiss couldn't help but enjoy the peace despite the consistent cases and attacks reminding her of Remnant in how things worked there.
She wasn't the only one in the area however, a man with neatly kept brown hair walked slowly through the pathway. He had jeans and a white polo shirt alongside a long tan coat. He held a kind expression as he held up a camera as he took a picture of the trees. As he neared where Weiss was he gave a pause as he caught her out of the corner of his eye. He thought that she was someone else and quickly lowered his camera to see only to grimace slightly when he saw Weiss.
"Not him…" The man muttered as he shook his head, "He wouldn't come back here anyway."
Weiss was finishing up her bento and taking a sip of her coffee when she noticed the man. She was curious as to why he was standing and facing her before she noticed the camera in his hands. She quickly finished her drink before standing up.
"I'm sorry," She apologized, "Am I in your way?"
"Huh, oh no," The man held up and shook his hand, "Sorry, it's just I usually come by here to take pictures of the scenery."
"If you want to you can," Weiss said as she began to walk over to a nearby trashcan, "I was just finishing breakfast."
"Oh, okay," The man gave a nod, "Thank you."
"So are you just a scenic photographer?" Weiss asked after she had thrown away her food.
"Sometimes yeah," The man said before giving a hum at a thought he wasn't sure why he was having before clearing his throat, "This might sound a bit odd, but well I don't see many people here early in the morning. Would you mind if I took some photos of you around here? I figure it might give my photos a new angle."
Weiss was a bit surprised by the request but she didn't have any pressing engagements and it was something to keep her busy until Ruby returned to the apartment…
"Hmm…" Weiss trailed in thought before giving a nod, "Sure, I'll help you out."
"Thank you," The man gave a smile, "I'm Hajime, Hajime Aikawa."
"Weiss Schnee," Weiss introduced.
"Mornin…" Sougo greeted as he entered the dining room of 9-5-DO, it had taken just a bit longer but given how late he woke up he figured he'd also get fully dressed.
"Morning Sougo," Ruby greeted as she was sitting at the table in her old spot, sitting next to Geiz and Tsukuyomi, Woz sitting in Junichiro's usual spot.
"You overslept!" Geiz chided.
"Yeah, but now school is over…" Sougo reminded with a yawn, before giving a smug smile as he placed his hand on the wall, nearby was a hung diploma alongside Sougo taking a picture with it in front of his school, "So what's the problem?"
"What are you going to do now that school is finished?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Become a King, duh," Sougo said as if that was the obvious answer, giving a chuckle when he saw Geiz and Tsukuyomi's deadpan expression. He went to sit down at his seat, "Come on, now that I've got time I can help fulltime with trying to find that Diend guy. We need to head back to Remnant sometime, right?"
"Yeah, having everyone's hands on deck would be great," Ruby admitted, "We've sort of been all over the place last month."
"Now if only one of us would actually help out," Geiz muttered while coughing to the side as he gave a mean stare at Woz.
Woz heard this but chose to ignore it, "Well, since we are all finally gathered, let us begin our meal. Eat well, so that we have the strength we need. Our current foes are my alternate self in Shiro-Woz, and Swartz."
As everyone gave thanks they began to grab and serve themselves as there was a great amount of food prepared for them. This giant feast likely being why Junichiro wasn't currently with them and was likely in the kitchen. Ruby and Tsukuyomi though shared a glance, it had been a month since Tsukuyomi and Oscar had let Team RWBY know about the information discovered in 2009 and 2017. Needless to say for now they'd keep quiet, but trying to figure out when to tell Sougo this bombshell of news was hard.
"You two okay?" Geiz asked, being the closest to both Ruby and Tsukuyomi he noticed they seemed out of it.
"Just thinking about things," Ruby admitted.
"We really need to get that Lamp back," Tsukuyomi lied.
"Geiz, would you please pass me the soy sauce?" Woz asked.
Geiz stared at Woz for a bit before silently grabbing the soy sauce and handing it over to Woz who took it.
"I would also like seconds," Woz held his bowl out towards Geiz as well.
Geiz set the bowl he had down with a stare as he grabbed the bowl of rice away from Woz before working on refilling it.
"Natto on the rice, if you would be so kind, and mustard on the natto," Woz instructed, "And today's paper-"
"What the hell!" Geiz stood up in annoyance, "Already with this?! Just because it's been a month you think you can order me around like a servant?"
"I'd be more questioning in his taste," Ruby admitted, "Like seriously, Woz, you can stand natto?"
"It's not that terrible," Woz told Ruby before holding up a hand towards Geiz, "Easy, boy, anger is bad for your blood pressure."
"I'm not a damn horse!" Geiz spoke through gritted teeth before deciding to be nice and fix up Woz's request, especially since he didn't want to look rude in front of Junichiro.
"Hey wait," Sougo realized before looking over, "Uh Ruby, why are you here again? You usually don't show up early enough for breakfast."
"Huh? Don't you remember?" Ruby asked.
"Remember what?" Sougo asked back.
"You texted me pretty late last night, I assumed that's why you weren't up yet," Ruby admitted, "You told me to bring my batch of Ridewatches so we could plan our next move. There's a lot so I hope you don't mind but I put them near the Ridewatch Daizer."
"Oh yeah, sure that's fine," Sougo gave a nod.
"You also mentioned to come early because you said Mr. Junichiro was making a big breakfast that I didn't want to miss," Ruby added.
"Oh, oh…" Sougo said despite not remembering this text, he then looked around, "Oh, so is this why there's an elaborate meal out here?"
"How late did you go to sleep last night?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"I'm more wondering if he even went to sleep and didn't just pass out while on the phone," Geiz remarked.
"Actually now I'm curious," Tsukuyomi realized, since she was sure today wasn't that special of a day, "Junichiro, why such a-"
"I'm glad you appreciate my small gesture."
A familiar voice caused everyone to suddenly pause what they were doing as they stared at who came out from behind the kitchen. It was Daiki who was currently wearing a pink apron.
"Please, enjoy yourselves," Daiki gave a smile, he grabbed a piece of the food that was nearby and took a bite, "Delish," he complimented his own cooking before casually walking out of the dining room, taking off the apron before grabbing his white coat that was in the front, putting it on before immediately bolting out the door.
"Who was that?" Tsukuyomi asked.
Ruby was trying to place where she had heard that voice before, "Why did his voice sound so…?"
"Familiar?" Geiz finished for her, "Yeah, it's very annoying sounding too, I'm sure we've heard him somewhere before."
"Yeah," Ruby gave a nod before taking a sip of her drink.
"Wasn't that…" Woz trailed as he slowly but surely started to recognize Daiki.
Sougo was trying to see what Daiki was doing before noticing something out of the corner of his eye. He suddenly gave a yell that caught everyone's attention.
"They're gone… they're gone!" Sougo rushed over to the Ridewatch Daizer, every single Ridewatch that was placed on and near it was missing, "Our Watches are gone!"
Ruby spit out her drink as she immediately stood up and pushed Geiz to get over to where Sougo was, "They're what?!"
Geiz immediately bolted out of the room while Ruby rushed off after him while texting the group chat as fast as she could. Sougo gave a yelp as he tried to run after his two friends, "Wait up!"
Daiki gave a laugh as he continued to run, and run, making his way around the corner as he had planned out this route during the earliest hours of the day. That was until a flash of red passed him, rose petals scattering as Ruby landed a few feet in front of him.
"Oh dear…" Daiki said as he suddenly stopped.
"End of the line," Ruby said as she took a step forward.
"We've got you surrounded!" Sougo declared as he soon arrived from behind with Geiz, the two stopping a fair distance away.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Geiz questioned, "And why do you sound so familiar?"
Daiki quickly spun, drawing out his NeoDiendriver and firing several bullets off all around him. Sparks kicked up near Sougo, Geiz and Ruby as they were forced to take steps back from where they were.
"Ok, first, calm down," Daiki suggested.
Ruby's eyes widened however when she saw Daiki's hand drop, recognizing his weapon, "You!"
"Hmm…?" Daiki turned his head towards her.
"You're the guy who took the Lamp!" Ruby called out as she pointed.
"Wait, what?!" Sougo called out before pointing at Daiki, "That blue armored barcode dude was him?!"
"So that's why his voice sounded familiar…" Geiz growled out, "What, that hunk of junk wasn't enough for you?"
"You all should really calm down," Daiki suggested.
"Like hell we will," Geiz said as he went to ready his Geiz Ridewatch, Sougo and Ruby going to do the same with their base Ridewatches.
…
…
…
There was no activation sound when they attempted to start their transformation. That was because all three of them were just grasping for air with no Ridewatch actually in hand. Ruby and Geiz began to quickly check all their pockets.
"No Watch, no transformation…!" Sougo called out as he stared in horror.
"Do you mean these?" Daiki asked as he held up the Zi-O, Geiz, and Roze Ridewatches, shaking them in order to show them off. He gave a yelp as he quickly stepped back out of the way, Ruby using Petal Burst to try and rush past him and grab the Ridewatches. She gave a grunt as she tumbled forward and landed on a knee near Sougo and Geiz.
"Dang it," Ruby hissed as she wasn't able to grab any of them.
"So you really did steal them, you bastard!" Geiz called out.
"Oh my, this appears to be quite the dilemma," Woz noted as he walked over.
"Kuro-Woz, why does this guy like messing with us?" Sougo whined.
"I can only imagine it is his nasty habit of trying to steal Treasures from worlds," Woz answered, "He's taken the treasure from Remnant so now he wants to take this worlds current treasure."
"Again I'd rather you not call my career a nasty habit," Daiki gave a frown.
"Whatever," Geiz scoffed before looking over towards the retainer, "Kuro-Woz, go get the Watches back from that punk!"
"Why should I?" Woz asked as he didn't seem to care for Geiz's words.
"Woz please don't be picky…" Ruby groaned, as much as she wanted to try and attempt her own attack on Diend, what Oscar told her of his fight against him made her cautious on fighting him without even her base form.
"Come on, just do it," Sougo said as he got behind Woz before pushing him forward, "You need us to have our Watches, don't you?"
"My word indeed…" Woz remarked as he stumbled forward and caught himself, readying his Beyondriver and Miridewatch, "Such a demanding Overlord."
[WOZ! ACTION!]
"Henshin!"
[TOUEI! FUTURE TIME! SUGOI! JIDAI! MIRAI! KAMEN RIDER WOZ! WOZ!]
Woz quickly brandished his despear before charging forward.
"Well if that's how it is, then I've got no choice," Daiki remarked as he readied his Rider Card and NeoDiendriver, raising his weapon up before pulling the trigger, "Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDE: DIEND!]
Daiki fully completed his transformation into Diend, raising his weapon to block Woz's first attack which was a downwards swing with his spear. The two grabbed onto each other before dragging themselves off to the side, letting go and leaping away from each other as Diend tried to put some distance between himself and Woz.
Woz rushed in with several sweeping swings, hoping to use his weapons mid-sized range to keep Diend on the defensive. It worked, that was until Woz stabbed forward.
Diend went and slipped past Woz's defenses by moving his head to the side and ducking. He aimed and fired bullets against the future riders gut. Sparks flew as Woz was thrown back and turned around, Diend taking aim and firing at his opponents back.
[KIKAI! ACTION!]
[TOUEI! FUTURE TIME! DEKAI! HAKAI! GOKAI! FUTURERING KIKAI! KIKAI!]
Woz thought quickly, bringing out Futurering Kikai's transformation to block the onslaught of bullets. Not only that, but Kikai's high defense allowed him to tank most normal attacks. He raised his arms and crossed them, running forward as he braced against the storm of bullets that Diend shot out.
Diend gave a gasp as his gun was batted downwards before his hand was batted away. He gave a short yell as he received an uppercut against his body, sending him spinning and flying in the air, dislodging a fair amount of Ridewatches from his body. He gave a grunt as he managed to land on one knee.
Woz thought quickly, extending out mechanical arms that worked on grabbing all the Ridewatches in the air as quickly as possible. Retrieving most of them he then held out his arms to catch the remaining ones.
"I must admit for being the other Woz, you're pretty good," Diend remarked before loading in two cards and taking aim, "How about you try these lance users on for size?"
[KAMEN RIDE: KNIGHT!]
[KAMEN RIDE: BARON!]
Woz quickly raised his Despear before rushing forward to strike at Diend again.
Shooting forward, two holograms launched outwards before fully forming into copies of Kamen Rider's Knight and Baron, the two brandishing their lance-like weapons the Winglancer and Banaspear respectively.
Woz was soon locked in combat with both lance wielding Riders, their weapons acting as a decent enough counter against Woz. Of course it was also thanks to the fact that there were two of them, keeping Woz on the defensive despite his high defense.
Geiz, Sougo and Ruby quickly ran over to get a better view of the fight.
"Wait, aren't those Knight and Baron?" Sougo asked.
"Oscar mentioned he could summon other Riders," Ruby explained.
"That's annoying," Geiz crossed his arms.
"You all can have those little nuggets of treasure back," Diend said as he drew out a new card and loaded it in.
[ATTACK RIDE: INVISIBLE!]
Soon enough in a holographic flash, Diend disappeared, both Baron and Knight being dismissed as well in a similar manner. Everyone began to look around for any sign of Diend only for them to slowly but surely realize that Diend had managed to make his escape. Realizing they had no real way to chase after them, they decided to figure out what Woz had managed to get.
It was a decent amount of Ridewatches but it only truly amounted to near half their current collection. The four Riders stared at the ground, Sougo placing out all the Ridewatches available to them.
Build, Ex-Aid, Faiz, Wizard, OOO, Ryuki, W, Kuuga, Ghost, Decade, and Gaim made it clear that they had their Main Ridewatches back. At the very least Ruby's most recent acquisition of the Specter and Zangetsu Ridewatches were also there. What was relieving somewhat at the very least was that the Zi-O and Roze Ridewatches were among them all.
"We're missing a lot of Ruby's Weapon Time Ridewatches," Sougo noted, "Not to mention, Silver Roze, Zi-O II, and Geiz Revive aren't here…"
"The Geiz Watch, either…" Ruby realized as she looked at their current assortment.
"Why does he have all of my primary Ridewatches?" Geiz questioned before glaring at Woz, "I told you to take them back!"
"And why, pray tell, would I ever do what you told me to?" Woz asked with a scoff before glancing at Geiz, "Even then, Miss Roze is a more valuable asset for my Overlord, so there is no need to worry."
"I uh… thank you?" Ruby wasn't sure how to take this kind of compliment.
"Regardless, you were the one accustomed to taking orders," Woz directed his comment at Geiz, "Remember?"
"Don't dredge up ancient history!" Geiz called out.
"You guys keep talking about the old days… but isn't that, like, the future?" Sougo asked, trying to sort things out.
"My Overlord, you're only complicating matters further, so please stop talking," Woz spoke up, while he did serve Sougo, he couldn't help but realize his Overlord in his younger state definitely made things more confusing.
"Okay but do you guys really have to get into an argument right now?" Ruby asked.
"You're really asking me to work with him?" Geiz asked as he pointed at Woz.
"That is one thing we can agree on," Woz remarked, "I cannot work with him if he cannot simply handle me giving out orders."
Ruby and Sougo meanwhile decided to just ignore the arguing for the time being and went to collect their Ridewatches, Ruby being handed the Faiz, Wizard and Ghost Watches to hold onto for the time being.
"There you are!"
Everyone soon turned and looked over, Tsukuyomi running over with Oscar, Blake and Yang. The three had ended up getting Ruby's text and rushing off, meeting with Tsukuyomi on the way.
"Oh hey guys, you kind of missed the party," Ruby gave an embarrassed wave as she finished pocketing her Ridewatches.
"We've got more trouble than just our stolen gear," Oscar spoke up.
"Wait, what?" Ruby asked.
"It's an Another Rider!" Yang called out.
Sougo, Geiz and Ruby's eyes widened before they all looked towards each other, suddenly realizing what that meant.
"Thank you for doing this," Hajime said.
"It's no problem," Weiss shook her head, "It was actually nice just doing this for like… fun."
The two had just gotten done with a few pictures that Hajime had wanted to take, both of them hitting it off rather well despite only just meeting.
"Oh are you a Model?" Hajime asked.
"No, nothing like that," Weiss waved off that notion, "I just had a bit of backing behind my family name so there were always the usual photo shoots and etc. But it was always for business so it became a drag as time went on."
"Ah I see," Hajime replied, "I can understand what you mean. While I'm fine working and capturing photos at the usual studio's I enjoy just traveling around and taking pictures of anything I can capture."
"That sounds nice," Weiss admitted, "What made you decide to pick up photography?"
"Well if you'd believe it I used to be a real stick in the mud, but then-" Hajime started to speak only to hear a giggle, "What?"
"Sorry, it's just you could say the same about me," Weiss admitted, "That changed a while back though, ended up meeting quite a few people who ended up changing me for the better."
"I suppose I should repeat your line and say that you could say the same about me," Hajime replied, "I ended up making quite a few friends back in the day. Especially him… I guess you could say we both helped each other out of some tight spots."
"Him…?" Weiss asked before noticing Hajime was staring out into space, "Hajime?"
"Sorry," Hajime shook his head, "It's just I haven't seen him in a long while, sometimes I feel like he's around but he never really is."
"Well it sounds like you had a good partner," Weiss said as she clasped her hands together and looked up, "I know I have a pretty good partner, she's a dolt, but she cares for me a lot."
"He was the best," Hajime smiled before tensing up, "Huh?" He looked around before suddenly standing and trying to pinpoint what was going on. He could sense something nearby, something familiar, "No…"
"Uh, hey… are you okay?" Weiss asked at the sudden change of demeanor.
Hajime didn't answer and quickly bolted off, not wanting to believe what he was sensing at the moment.
"Uh…" Weiss trailed before suddenly realizing that Hajime had set his camera down and left it behind, "Crap…" She scooped up the camera before hurrying off after the man, "Hajime!" She yelled as she tried to keep pace.
The Another Rider disturbances were at photo studios of all places. This current one that was under attack was Studio Oshieru. Employees began running out while screaming for help while the others inside were tossed around. The culprit was Another Blade.
"Where is he?!" Another Blade questioned as she grabbed the employee she had just tossed.
Sougo and Ruby quickly ran in on the scene, the two readying their Ridewatches before rushing forward.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
[KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
Zi-O quickly ran over while Roze brought out Crescent Rose in its rifle mode, Zi-O grabbing onto Another Blade's arm and spinning her around before kicking her away.
"Got you now," Roze muttered as she took aim with her weapon before firing at the Another Rider, managing to send sparks flying.
Another Blade gasped out as she felt her back sting, turning around and seeing Roze aiming at her.
"No you don't!" Zi-O grabbed onto Another Blade and forced her to turn around, sending several punches her way. He was surprised by how dense her Another Rider form was, and ended up getting pushed back when she raised her arms to counter.
It wasn't long before the other members of the group began to rush into the scene.
"Okay, that's definitely one you all never talked about," Oscar pointed out.
"…Another Blade?" Yang asked as she managed to catch its name.
"Let's get in there," Blake said as she brought out her Gashacon Sparrow, splitting it into its sickle mode.
"On it," Yang said as she just brought out her Blizzard Knuckle.
Both Huntresses in training rushed forward, Blake slashing past Another Blade's back causing her to turn. Yang then gave a yell as she struck Another Blade directly in the gut.
Yang gave a wince however as despite managing to force Another Blade to stagger back, this particular Another Rider was a lot tougher in defense than other monsters.
"Are you okay?" Zi-O asked.
"Fine," Yang shook her arm, "This guy's really tough."
"Girl actually," Blake said as her ears twitch, despite Another Blade just yelling she could tell that even with the filter, the Another Rider they were facing was a woman.
"I don't think we need to worry about semantics," Roze said as she fired at Another Blade, sparks flying from the Another Rider's body, "Okay, I really wish I had Silver Roze!"
"Looks like we'll just have to do this the old fashioned way," Yang said as she loaded in the Diamond Bottle before raising her arms, bobbing and weaving towards the Another Rider.
Another Blade growled out and went for an overhead swing, only to miss as Yang ducked underneath her. She then turned only to gasp out as Yang punched forward.
[DIAMOND! GLACIAL KNUCKLE!]
Yang yelled out as her weapon coated itself in ice as hard as diamonds, striking Another Blade in the gut and sending her flying backwards, "Now!"
"Ladybug time, now!" Roze called out as she shifted Crescent Rose to its Scythe Formation before using Petal Burst in a short burst to speed towards Another Blade.
"On it," Blake jumped up before using Shadow to launch downwards, spinning and swinging with her sickles.
Metal!
The announcement caught both girls off guard, the tips of their curved weapons clanging against the Another Rider whose body had become fully metallic.
Another Blade then gave a growl as she realized she was being forced back, turning towards the nearby cowering camera crew she began charging up energy in her monstrous forms chest. Raising her hand up as she glowed with a dark purple aura she spread both arms out before unleashing a beam of lightning towards the crew.
Thunder!
[ZERO TIME! GIRI GIRI GIRI!]
"Watch out!" Zi-O quickly rolled into the way, initiating his Zikan Girades special attack and charging it with energy. He then braced with both arms as he used his weapon as a shield, managing to block the attack before it suddenly exploded, covering the room with smoke.
Blake and Yang began to cough while Zi-O stumbled to the side, Roze hurrying over to check on him. Of course the attack had enough of a smokescreen to where Another Blade had managed to disappear after the attack.
"Hey," Roze said as she patted her friends back, "You alright?"
"I smell toast…" Zi-O admitted with a few coughs, as he waved the air in front of him. He then looked around, "It's gone?"
"Looks like it," Roze gave a nod, "Jeez… those Time Jackers have the worst timing."
"Yes, unfortunately without Zi-O II and Silver Roze you'll need the power of the original Rider," Woz stated as he walked over with Geiz, Tsukuyomi and Oscar. Woz then opened up his book, showing footage of Kamen Rider Blade, "I believe that is Another Blade, derived from a Kamen Rider that existed in 2004."
"I think I recall researching a bit on Blade," Roze hummed as she dismissed her transformation alongside Zi-O.
"You do?" Sougo asked, "What did you find?"
"The most I remember was there was apparently an organization that ended up getting shut down at the same time he fully appeared on the map," Ruby explained, "Alongside rumors of apocalypse related stuff."
"A-Apocalypse...?" Oscar managed to stammer out.
"She would be correct, had Kamen Rider Blade not done what many thought was unthinkable or doable, then the world would have become a desolate wasteland," Woz confirmed as his pages turned to show dozens of roach-like monsters swarming all over the place.
"Given Another Riders are connected to their main counterparts for the most part…" Sougo trailed as he began to pace around, "Then the key to this is something that happened in 2004?"
"Unfortunately we don't have much to go on aside from Another Blade not liking photo's," Ruby sighed.
"It's a shame really, and here I thought being a photographer was safe in this day and age."
Everyone turned towards the familiar new voice, soon seeing Tsukasa leaning against the entrance to the studio floor they were in.
"Tsukasa, what are you doing here?" Oscar asked.
"Uh… you're not going to beat us up right?" Sougo asked as he raised his hands up.
Geiz gave a glare however, "You… you need to keep your associates in check. That Diend guy has been giving us nothing but trouble."
"Daiki's a pain in the ass yes," Tsukasa said as he kicked off the doorway before walking forward, holding up his camera and taking a picture of the group, "However, you're in luck because now that he's actively messing with you we can strike back."
"Strike back how?" Yang asked.
"I've been attempting to recover that Lamp thing of yours to no avail," Tsukasa explained, "Oscar told me about the situation when we briefly partnered up. So I figured I could try and help you guys out."
"Why help us though?" Blake asked.
"Simple, from the way you talk about that Lamp, I can't let Daiki figure it out," Tsukasa replied before clasping his hands together, "Which is why you're going to help him figure it out."
"Huh?" Yang asked before giving a glare, "You want us to tell him the password?"
"That doesn't sound like a good idea…" Oscar trailed.
"You have Ridewatches you need to get back, right?" Tsukasa asked much to everyone's surprise, "Trade the information for them. When Daiki gets hasty he'll get sloppy, he'll try and hurry back to the Lamp without caring for getting caught. That'll be the chance me and my friend will have to easily track Daiki and ambush him before he gets the chance to use it. After that I promise I'll return it to you."
"What kind of friend?" Geiz asked.
"Not important," Tsukasa waved it off, "The point is I can get that Lamp for you."
"How are we sure you won't steal it?" Yang gave a suspicious look.
"Because I'm not a thief," Tsukasa placed a hand against his chest, "I may be able to kick your asses but I won't resort to stealing to get what I want."
"I…" Blake paused before sighing, "That doesn't really inspire confidence."
"I say we trust him," Tsukuyomi spoke up, "He's our best bet to get back the Lamp."
"You brought Tsuki and Oscar back directly to us," Ruby spoke up, "So I'll put my trust in you Tsukasa, even if you've been a pain..."
"Very well," Tsukasa said before walking off, bringing up a dimensional curtain and walking through, "Good luck."
"Okay guys we've got two plans now, track down Kamen Rider Blade and figure out what his Another Rider wants," Ruby held up a finger before holding up two, "And find Diend to get everything setup for Tsukasa and his friend."
"Okay Ruby," Sougo gave a nod, "The two of us, Tsukuyomi and Oscar can handle finding Blade."
"Wait, what?" Oscar asked.
"Kuro-Woz and Geiz… you'll track down Kamen Rider Diend with Blake and Yang, get the Watches back and help set up Tsukasa's trap!" Sougo said.
Woz could only stare blankly, "With Geiz?"
Geiz stared in disebelief, "With Kuro-Woz?!"
"Alright," Sougo declared loudly as he grabbed both Woz and Geiz by the shoulders and shoved them close together. He then smiled at Blake and Yang, "Make sure they get along alright? It's up to you guys," He said before hurrying over and grabbing Tsukuyomi and Oscar by their wrists, "Let's go guys!"
"Huh? Wait Sougo-" Oscar yelped as he was dragged along.
"Sougo this isn't a-" Tsukuyomi was also cut off as she was also dragged along.
Ruby could only chuckle at seeing this, giving wave towards the other team before following after Sougo.
Yang gave a bored stare, "Did we just get…?"
"…Babysitter duty?" Blake finished, "Yes we did."
The two Huntresses in training could only stare at both Geiz and Woz who were now far apart and staring at each other awkwardly before looking away and trying to mind their own business.
Shiro-Woz was currently waiting at an isolated power plant, he looked back to see Daiki approaching, "There you are."
"I did as you said," Daiki said, walking past Shiro-Woz and handing him both the Zi-O II and Geiz Revive Ridewatches, "You were right about that clock shop being a treasure trove. I got some good souvenirs that weren't a part of the deal."
Shiro-Woz was not amused by the fact that he only held two power-up Ridewatches, "I don't see my Watch… nor the girl from Remnant's."
"I only go after treasures that I want for myself," Daiki answered before looking back towards Shiro-Woz, "Besides, it'd be best if I hold onto that sterling silver piece of treasure. But I relieved them of all the Watches you said would be trouble. So hold up your end of the bargain."
"Oh?" Shiro-Woz asked as he pocketed the Ridewatches.
"Don't play dumb," Daiki gave a glare, "I only agreed to this because you told me you know where he is. I'm tired of getting the runaround ever since December. Take me to him, bring him here, or tell me where he is."
"I've got a better idea since you refuse to fully cooperate," Shiro-Woz smiled as he wrote down something in his Future Note before shutting it loudly.
"Being a pain in the ass, huh?" Daiki aimed his NeoDiendriver with a glare.
"Now, now, save your strength, otherwise you'll lose the coming battle," Shiro-Woz chided before turning to walk off.
Yang was currently walking alongside Blake, having her hands behind her head as she gave a groan. Blake glanced from side to side, noting that Geiz and Woz were on opposite sides of the two them, but also fairly far away from them as well. The four had left the photo studio a bit after Sougo's group did and needless to say they were just wandering around. They really didn't have a lead on where Diend could be and could only hope they'd run into him.
~Kuro-Woz battles Kamen Rider Diend once more~
Woz paused where he was before promptly turning around and walking in the opposite direction.
Geiz turned as he noticed first, "Hey, where are you going?"
"Huh?" Yang turned, "Uh Woz, I know you're not a fan of Geiz but…"
"I am not doing this of my own will," Woz called out as he continued to walk, "Something is compelling me to take this path."
"Compelling…" Blake thought back before realizing, "The Future Note!"
"Shiro-Woz then…" Geiz realized before quickly hurrying off after Woz with both Blake and Yang.
Ruby had to stifle her laughter a bit, for a good while Sougo was just dragging a protesting Tsukuyomi and confused Oscar away. She couldn't help but find it a bit amusing how Sougo decided to just take lead like that to trap Geiz and Woz in a partnership.
"Hang on, Sougo!" Tsukuyomi called out as she managed to pull away from Sougo, "I know you put both Blake and Yang on that team but I can't imagine Geiz and Woz willingly working together!"
"I know," Sougo gave a knowing smile as he let go of Oscar and began to walk forward, "But since he's living together with us now, I figured they needed a little nudge to get along."
"Team synergy is important," Ruby agreed as she finally started to walk beside them.
"I somehow doubt this will work…" Tsukuyomi sighed.
"Why do you think that?" Oscar asked, "I mean I know they can get a bit irritable around each other but…"
"Actually that's something I've been wondering for a while now," Sougo admitted as he slowed down, "What exactly is their deal?"
"Oh yeah," Ruby snapped her fingers, recalling part of the Another Wizard incident, "They looked like they had some kind of mysterious past together back when I saw some of their interactions."
"Woz was part of the same resistance that we belong to," Tsukuyomi explained as she thought back to 2068, "The members were split into a number of tactical teams. The captain of the team that Geiz and I were on… was Woz."
"Whoa, Woz was a leader?" Ruby asked in surprise.
"That's especially weird since he's more the follower type now," Oscar scratched his cheek, "What happened?"
"We received orders to infiltrate Oma Zi-O's ranks, and Woz was the one selected to do so," Tsukuyomi explained, "We were to wait for the information found and then act on it. But what Woz actually gave us… was a setup. There's no telling what happened between him and Oma Zi-O… But the death of all our comrades… it was due to Woz's bad intel."
"I didn't know," Sougo said softly.
"I understand how you feel, Sougo," Tsukuyomi admitted, "But I can't imagine Geiz would ever accept Woz as an ally."
"Hmm, yeah that's tough," Ruby said as she began to pace around.
"Anyway, how do we find Kamen Rider Blade?" Tsukuyomi asked, "You had something in mind, right?"
"Oh, well I was hoping Ruby would have an answer to that," Sougo admitted with a sheepish grin, hands behind his back.
"Okay… we'll probably have to head back to the apartment then," Ruby said as she looked around to get her bearings, "I have all my collected info in mine and Weiss' room."
Ruby began to lead the way, well at least until everyone stopped upon hearing the sounds of screams. Ruby looked back towards the others who nodded, everyone quickly rushing off in the direction of the screaming.
The location was yet another photo studio, this one being labeled as Cololab.
Another Blade had managed to grab the manager and drag him outside as the other employees ran off to safety.
"Where is he?!" Another Blade growled out.
"I really don't know where he is!" The manager exclaimed in fear.
Ruby and Sougo soon managed to come into view of the situation, the two rushing forward and readying their Ridewatches and Drivers.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
[KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
"You two, hold that Another Rider still!" Oscar said getting an idea.
Both Roze and Zi-O gave a nod, the two rushing forward and grabbing Another Blade by her arms, dragging her away from the manager. Tsukuyomi hurried over to help the manager to his feet before rushing him off.
Oscar meanwhile readied Long Memory, extending it out into its cane form before rushing forward and jabbing as fast as he could. While his motions weren't as fast as while Ozpin was in control he was able to strike at Another Blade's stomach enough, "Let go!" He yelled as the two Riders did so, sending a high powered jab against the Another Riders gut.
Another Blade gasped out as she was sent staggering back, holding her stomach before rose petals and pink Katakana surrounded her.
[TIME BREAK/BLAST!]
The roses petals merged with the Katakana to turn them red before the lettering began overlapping, leaving only two set of words left. The katakana for 'kick' entered the soles of Zi-O and Roze's boots before they gave a yell, kicking out with their right legs and striking against Another Blade.
An explosive burst occurred as Another Blade was thrown onto her back, Zi-O and Roze landing. But much to their surprise, their finisher didn't even break the transformation. Instead despite electricity crackling over her body as it sparked, Another Blade managed to stand back up within seconds of getting hit.
"Whoa okay, not even a double kick was able to break her out of the transformation?" Roze asked in surprise.
"This one's a lot sturdier," Zi-O gave a nod.
Another Blade gave a growl as she brought out her own enlarged and twisted version of the Blay Rouzer. She gave a yell before charging at the two.
Daiki had gotten comfortable, having taken a seat once Shiro-Woz had decided to head off. Needless to say he was annoyed right now, but he could always take his frustrations out on whoever came by. He glanced to the side to see Woz arriving with both Blake and Yang. He recognized them from the group that was on Remnant, so he couldn't help but wonder if he could get information out of them.
"I expected you'd show," Daiki admitted.
"For the record, this happened against my will," Woz explained.
"That's the Future Note's power, right?" Daiki asked.
"Against your will or not this is our chance," Yang said before punching her robotic hand, "Hey thief, we're going to give you one chance."
"Indeed, this is one time that I must begrudgingly owe thanks to my alternate self," Woz admitted.
"Give us back the Relic of Knowledge and the remaining Ridewatches," Blake gave a glare, purposely calling it by its full title.
"Relic of Knowledge…?" Daiki asked before giving a chuckle, "Well now… I suppose this changes things since there are a few things I need to know."
Woz and Daiki both readied their transformations while Blake summoned her Gashacon Sparrow, with Yang summoning both Magma and Blizzard Knuckles.
"Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDE: DIEND!]
[TOUEI! FUTURE TIME! SUGOI! JIDAI! MIRAI! KAMEN RIDER WOZ! WOZ!]
Diend took aim with his gun, firing off bullets only for his attacks to suddenly get countered by Blake who shot out energy bolts from her arrow weapon. Yang and Woz both rushed in at the cover fire, Woz stabbing while Yang jumped up and punched down with her Magma Knuckle. Diend had moved back and to the side to avoid the stab before hopping away to avoid the punch.
"You aren't going to be getting away this time," Yang called out.
"Is that so?" Diend asked before giving a chuckle and loading a card in, "This one will be perfect for non-riders."
[KAMEN RIDE: BEAST!]
Shooting forward, holograms began to slide around before converging and fully forming Kamen Rider Beast who drew its Dice Saber. The golden feline Rider crouched before leaping towards Blake, avoiding her arrows as it fell before rolling and slashing at her.
Blake quickly braced, blocking with her weapons arrow mode before moving back and splitting her Gashacon weapon into its sickle mode.
"Blake!" Yang called out.
"Ms. Xiao Long, I can handle Diend, just make sure that Ms. Belladonna is alright," Woz declared as he began to swipe and stab at Diend who kept dodging out of the way. He then stepped back and rolled whenever Diend retaliated with close range fire.
"We'll kick that clones ass and get back to you shortly then!" Yang called out as she quickly hurried over towards her partner.
Watching from a building nearby the power plant was Shiro-Woz. Geiz meanwhile had mostly trailed behind since he couldn't properly fight. But that allowed him to easily spot Shiro-Woz, walking over.
"So you two are working together?" Geiz asked, "Were you also the one who told him about Remnant?"
"I may have considered him a valuable asset to force you all back to Earth," Shiro-Woz admitted, "Of course it also helped that I had the motivation to persuade him before letting his instincts take over after a while."
"So he worked once and you think he'll work again?" Geiz asked.
"I'm afraid things are quite urgent for me now," Shiro-Woz admitted, "The Day of Oma draws near… so I'll ask you again… will you stand with me? As my savior, we will write our revolution in the pages of history!"
"I have no intention of becoming your savior," Geiz answered, repeating his stance once more.
"That is quite the shame. If the future I've intended doesn't come to pass, I suppose I will have to destroy this world," Shiro-Woz gave a glare before turning and walking off.
Roze and Zi-O both gave yelps as they split while rolling to the sides, Another Blade's enlarged blade slamming down where they once were. The two then stood up, drawing Crescent Rose and the Zikan Girade respectively. Roze attempted to use the recoil alongside her swings with Crescent Rose in its scythe mode to open up Another Blade. But she was surprised when Another Blade's swings were stronger than her, causing her to be forced backwards before getting Crescent Rose knocked away.
Zi-O quickly rushed over, slashing and attempting to overpower Another Blade's swings only to get into a clash. Another Blade focused dark energy into her blade, slashing down and sending Zi-O tumbling into Roze with a yell.
"Not good," Oscar said as he began to take a step forward, "Tsukuyomi do you think you can… Tsukuyomi?"
Tsukuyomi was currently just staring at the fight before looking at her hands. She wanted to help but given this was an Another Rider incident she had no idea if the Time Jackers were watching them.
"Hey, you okay?" Oscar asked.
"Sorry," Tsukuyomi shook her head, "I know what I can do to help but I'm just worried they might be here."
"Oh, right," Oscar said before looking around to see if there were any Time Jackers around.
"Ugh," Roze groaned as she pushed Zi-O off, "Even recoil with Crescent Rose isn't enough…"
"We need to combo our attacks then," Zi-O quickly drew out the Gaim Ridewatch, "Ruby, Zangetsu time."
"On it," Roze said as she picked herself up.
[ARMOR TIME! SOIYA! GAIM!]
[ZANGETSU! WEAPON TIME! MELON DEFENDER!]
Roze brought out her shield and braced with both hands before running forward, Zi-O readying himself as the Gaim Armor dropped down on him and landed on his shoulders, unfolding and fully forming the armor for him. Gripping his dual Daidamaru's he ran after Roze.
Another Blade gave a yell and slammed her blade down, surprised when Roze managed to block it with the Melon Defender. She then gave a gasp as her sword was pushed to the side by Roze before Zi-O ran in, slashing past her with both his blades. She turned to follow Zi-O only for Roze to slash her in the back with the sharp edges of her shield.
Zi-O had spun as soon as he slashed past Another Blade, turning and slashing forward with both blades to create a cross-slash. The attack had worked, Another Blade staggering back before she was pushed from behind by Roze with her shield. Zi-O gave a yell as he began slashing in rhythm with his swords, and despite Another Blade raising her own sword to defend he was breaking through her defenses finally. He gave a yell as he managed to break through, slashing and sending Another Blade rolling back.
Roze pumped her fist, "Good, now let's-!"
"Wait!"
Both Roze and Zi-O turned from their assault, soon watching as Hajime stopped nearby. To their surprise, Weiss suddenly rounded the corner with Hajime's camera still in her hands.
"Finally, what was that-" Weiss had started to call out to Hajime before cutting herself off when she saw the scene in front of her, "Ruby? Sougo?"
"Wait, Weiss?" Roze asked.
"Hajime…!" Another Blade called out as she lifted herself up slightly from where she fell.
Hajime turned towards her, despite her form being that of Another Blade he was still able to recognize her.
"Uh, who are you?" Zi-O asked.
"Wait, do you know her?" Roze asked after hearing Another Blade's reaction.
"You aren't laying another finger on that girl," Hajime answered before drawing out a card just like the ones Kenzaki had. Soon enough a silver buckle with a heart-shaped center formed from within his body. He then slid the card downward, scanning it through the slit in the center of the buckle, "Henshin."
[CHANGE!]
Hajime's body began to warp and be shrouded in black before that effect suddenly broke, splashing out like water as he gained his new form. He held a bodysuit with gold detailing, black and silver armor adorning his body as his visor was red and heart shaped. He also held the theme of a mantis. He was the true version of the Another Rider that attacked Kenzaki, Kamen Rider Chalice.
Another Blade picked herself up and got to her knees, "Hajime!"
"Whoa okay, you don't really want to talk do you?" Roze asked as she raised her shield defensively.
Zi-O was surprised, "A new Kamen Rider?!"
"Hajime's a Kamen Rider?" Weiss asked in surprise.
Hajime said nothing before spreading out his arms and rushing towards both Zi-O and Roze. He drew out a dual bladed weapon known as the Chalice Arrow, setting both Riders as his enemies.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"We'd never get in the way of that."
"You two are irreplaceable partners right?"
"You idiots…"
"Perhaps I should get more persuasive."
"…I'll release you from your pain next!"
Chapter 62 – Jokers of Aces 2019
Author's Note: Despite Another Blade and Another Chalice being thrown out, it's time for our heroes to enact their plan to get the Relic of Knowledge back! It's been a while since we've had a non-standard Another Rider but I did say I was going to be using the three concept artist drawn Another Riders since they have actual designs to them and Another Chalice is no different.
So as you can see given how I've chosen to pace this out… and what we ended on I suppose I should come clean. Both this and the next Legend Rider will be three chapters each instead of the usual two. There's a specific reason in these two cases, mostly because given the content I didn't have enough space for it with only two chapters each but I'll explain those reasoning's once I get to them.
I also have been getting some understandable asks about Ice Queendom and what I might do with it. The answer is... not much right now. I do have ideas but those are far off, and while I will likely reference stuff from Ice Queendom, I won't be using anything too substantial. With that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.