Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 84 – Rose of Remnant (I)
"This is the story of how my life diverged," Summer spoke up as she stood in a white void, more particularly the white void of the Gaia Library. She walked forward as book shelves were all around, most of them suddenly shifting as they began to dwindle and dwindle until one was left. She walked over and took a lone book on it. It was white with red thorn-like patterning on the edges alongside a fancy cursive printed 'Rose' on the cover, "It all started with a solo mission in Anima…"
Remnant – Anima, Kobomugi Settlement
Summer wasn't exactly sure on what to expect for this solo mission she was chosen for. Ozpin had asked her to investigate an up and coming settlement on the southern coast of Anima, Kobomugi. The investigation itself was to be a standard one, though under the surface it was to see if there were any connections or leads with Salem in the area.
The settlement itself was a rather bustling settlement given it was close enough to the ocean and meant it could act as a major trading ground. This also meant that protection for it was higher priority than other places in Anima. As a result it was able to build itself into a rather fine locale for people to live and do business in. While it certainly didn't rival a place like Argus, Kobomugi was still pretty up there in regards to non Kingdom locales.
That didn't mean there weren't troubles from time to time. There were rumors that bandits or other unruly groups were utilizing a small singular mountain nearby as a base of operations. Of course no one would be able to get close, and with there being agitated Grimm in the area, that meant no one could truly investigate. There was also the recurring issue of people vanishing near the settlement as well. Huntsmen, Huntresses, Dust Shipments and the people who shipped them, or as of late, a high level scientist known as Maru Asagao, no matter who it was, they were targeted. All of them had gone missing without a single trace of where they might be.
It was thanks to Maru Asagao's disappearance that Ozpin chose to take action and send someone from his own circle to investigate. Of course that fell on Summer by herself, as a result of the remaining members of Team STRQ having their own missions/personal business at the time.
Summer didn't mind, though she knew she'd have to be careful. At the very least she had her Huntress skills, the dual blades that were her weapon, Argent Venator, alongside her Silver Eyes. Of course she'd only pull out that very last skill as a last resort.
It was a rather simple mission all things considered, get into town, start asking questions and then figure out where exactly everyone and everything vanished to. She couldn't get too ahead of herself though and would need to contact Ozpin once she received enough information. So her first stop was the hotel that Ozpin arranged for her to stay at to check in at before finding the local Huntsmen and authorities.
"Alright…" Summer trailed as she made her way out of the hotel lobby and outside, "Now to find the station and maybe a local Huntsman so-"
"KYAAH!"
A sudden shriek had caught Summer's attention, noticing that it was coming from the back of the settlement. Without a second of hesitation she ran in the direction of the scream, soon watching as several villagers ran away from the area. Of course it didn't take long to spot the culprits responsible for scaring the villagers.
There was a small pack of six Beowolves being led by an Alpha Beowolf of all things. Granted, despite their small numbers they didn't seem like they were fresh Beowolves. But given their lack of age and visible wounds, they were likely somewhere in the middle of fresh and experienced. The Alpha roared out as the members of its pack began to get to move through the village.
"Am I really the only Huntress right now?" Summer questioned as she noticed the lack of immediate response from any potential Huntsmen in the area. She quickly drew out Argent Venator, brandishing both blades before leaping up onto a rooftop. She then twirled both of her weapons near each other, the weapons shifting and transforming as she locked both together, forming a rifle. She then reached into her pocket, drawing out bullets individually before loading them into her weapon.
One Beowolf let out a low growl as it approached a nearby house to cause damage. It raised its arm to strike, only for it to suddenly be struck in the back of the neck by a Lightning Dust charged bullet. It jittered in place as it raised its head back while electricity overtook its upper body. This time a non-Dust bullet struck against its skull, piercing the mask it wore and killing it. It could only fall over as its body began to dissolve.
Another Beowolf gave a low growl as it began to approach where the first had fallen. It looked around only to get struck in the mouth by a bright orange bullet, it striking against the Beowolf's mask and suddenly splattering into a hot molten substance, burning and blinding the Beowolf. It howled out in pain before getting shot twice by normal rounds in its chest at vital points, it slumping over and falling to the ground with a thud as it began to dissipate.
A third Beowolf saw this and quickly turned in the direction of the shots, ready to howl out when an Ice Dust infused bullet struck its mouth, instantly forming ice and keeping it shut. It attempted to pry off the ice only for Summer to leap from her vantage point, slicing through the Beowolf's arm and stomach as she slipped past it. The Beowolf fell apart and began to dissolve just as the Alpha Beowolf took notice of the loss of its pack.
"Alright, four on one for direct confrontation seems good," Summer noted to herself as she saw the Alpha Beowolf spot her, it giving a howl as the three remaining Beowolves rushed towards her from all directions. All rushing forward to try and pounce on her at once, Summer simply leaping towards the one in front of her while brandishing her blades.
The Beowolf trying to strike from the front gave a loud growl, quickly dodging when Summer threw one of Argent Venator at it. It then tried to slam its hand into the Huntress only for it to suddenly gasp, Summer was no longer there and the Argent Venator that had been thrown had suddenly pierced its chest. It didn't have a moment to react as Summer was now behind it and landed on its back, easily beheading it with the other half of the blades she still held.
The other two Beowolves had run into each other as a result of Summer suddenly vanishing for some reason. The most they could see was a flurry of white petals when it came to trying to figure out what had even happened.
Summer dislodged her blade that was embedded in the dissolving Beowolf before taking her stance, "Bring it."
The two remaining Beowolves roared before rushing forward to try and strike at Summer. The Huntress responded by quickly shifting Argent Venator back to its rifle form, barely needing to take aim as she fired another Lightning Dust round out, it striking the first Beowolf head on and stunning it. The second attempted to strike at her only for the Huntress to block with her weapon, she separated and transformed them back into their sword states before slicing through the Beowolf's hand, before spinning and slashing through its stomach with both of her blades.
The stunned Beowolf meanwhile could only watch as its brother was cut through before Summer approached at a rapid pace. Soon enough, Summer swung her weapons towards it, it's vision completely fading out as it had been chopped in multiple pieces by Summer.
The Alpha Beowolf could only stare in silence as it let out a low growl. It didn't take long before it roared out, keeping a close eye on Summer's movements as it began to approach at a steady pace.
Summer herself prepped her blades as she began to step carefully towards the Alpha Beowolf, knowing she couldn't take this fight lightly. While the younger members of its pack were weak, she could tell just by its posture that this Alpha was older than it seemed. It had seen enough of her fight that it thought sticking around meant it could win against her.
BOOM!
Both combatants suddenly looked over towards the back of the settlement, beyond it where a thick forest was. Summer quickly looked back at the Beowolf which turned away from her to stare deeper into the forest. And to her surprise it suddenly rushed off on all fours from where it came.
Summer bit her lip as she realized something was severely wrong if an Alpha was abandoning a fight it figured it could win. Keeping a tight grip of her weapons she quickly ran off after the Alpha Beowolf, not wanting to take any chances.
The Alpha Beowolf continued to run and run, the explosion having caught its attention alongside a familiar scent of negativity and destruction just like its brethren. It was very strong but then suddenly got snuffed out for some reason, and it needed to see what the source of it was. What it found was nothing worthwhile at first glance. Before the Alpha was just a seemingly ordinary man slumped against a tree.
The man wore simple clothes, some that didn't even seem to fit the culture of Anima even. A simple set of grey jeans, some shoes, a pink v-neck shirt and a grey suit jacket over that. He had bushy brown hair and seemed to be also wearing a strange white buckle of sorts. It was clear from his appearance that he wasn't from around the area. Of course he also wasn't aware of the Alpha either due to him being unconscious, having blood dripping down his forehead alongside some minor cuts and bleeding visible coming from underneath his sleeves.
As the Alpha got closer it suddenly tensed up as it could almost instantly tell the man's presence was some sort of danger to itself. But given his injured state it knew it could easily snuff him out if it really wanted to. It let out a low growl before baring its fangs, moving slowly but surely towards the man.
Summer wasn't sure how she was gaining on the Alpha given the head start it had but she was able to finally catch up. Granted she had ended up using a short cut when it came to the forest, leaping on and towards sturdy tree branches to try and outpace the Grimm. Eventually she made it to the same area that the Beowolf had stopped at. However she gave a light gasp as she saw the Beowolf approach the downed man.
There was the thought of using her rifle to stun the beast but she knew she didn't want it to have a chance to react and run away. So she quickly leapt from the branch she was standing on, switching Argent Venator into a reverse grip as she landed directly on the Alpha's back. As she landed she stabbed her blades directly into its neck and skull, piercing through both with ease.
The Alpha Beowolf jerked up but suddenly slumped as Summer's weight and her weapons piercing through two vital points had finished the job. It soon fell onto the ground, dissolving away.
"Thank goodness that worked," Summer sighed in relief, glad to have gotten the Alpha Beowolf taken care of instead of it getting away. She then looked over the unconscious man and tapped his cheek, only receiving a light moan in response, "Okay, some sort of sound that's good."
"Damn you, Decade!"
"What?" Summer perked up and instantly stood on guard, her eyes narrowed as she saw a man dressed in a tan coat alongside a tan fisherman's hat. Despite his unassuming look, she couldn't help but be wary at his sudden appearance.
"Your existence has connected a world not meant to be connected to ours, all because you wished to foolishly stop Shocker," The man continued to rant, "Truly you are a danger to all those you touch."
"Hey," Summer spoke up as she narrowed her eyes, "Just who are you? Were you and that man involved in that explosion I heard?"
"You can call me Narutaki," The man gave a smile as he placed a hand on his chest, before frowning, "You should just leave that man alone, otherwise your destiny and your fate will be tied with his."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Summer asked.
"Exactly what I said," Narutaki answered, "Do I need to repeat myself?"
"How about you get lost already," Summer replied with a bored look as she holstered her weapons before going over to the man to help him up.
"I warned you," Narutaki said as he began to step backwards and deeper into the forest.
Summer rolled her eyes and went to pick up the unconscious man, deciding to carry him back to the settlement on her back. That was until she noticed something that glinted in the sunlight off to the side, walking over she was confused at what she was seeing.
The man gave a light grunt, his eyes fluttering open as he was greeted by a white ceiling. Groaning he began to shift his body, it being a bit sore but it not being as bad as he assumed it would be. With a wince he managed to sit up and take in his surroundings. He was in what seemed to be a fairly plain medical room with his jacket off to the side and hanging. This allowed him to take notice of the bandages his arms were wrapped in.
"Where…" The man muttered before he perked up in realization, feeling his pockets before immediately turning towards his left. A feeling of relief filled him as he saw the strange buckle he wore, it being white with the label Decade, 9 symbols lining the center of it in a circle. Next to it was what looked to be like a heavy duty card case of sorts. He gave a frown when he noticed that there was something else missing, something he considered dear to him.
"Oh you're awake."
"Huh?" The man turned to see Summer in the doorway, he went to sit up further with a grunt, "Are you the one who brought me here?"
"Yeah, you were injured in the forest near the settlement and I found you before a Grimm could kill you," Summer explained as she went to take a seat near his bed, "Though what was more worrying was the explosion I heard."
"An explosion…" The man trailed, already knowing what she was talking about.
"Yeah, once we heard it the Alpha rushed immediately to where you were oddly enough," Summer admitted as she thought on it for a bit, "You were lucky I was in town otherwise you wouldn't have been lucky."
"I'm lucky, huh?" The man remarked in an almost sarcastic manner, "I could have handled it myself."
"Says the guy who was unconscious until probably minutes ago," Summer pointed out as she crossed her arms. There was a short pause as she suddenly realized something, "Oh that's right, what's your name?"
"Shouldn't I at least get the name of my savior first?" The man asked as his voice continually dripped with sarcasm.
"Ooh, you better watch that tone of yours…" Summer huffed as she was in disbelief at how much disrespect she was getting. She then took a deep breath before smiling, "I'm Summer Rose, Pro-Huntress."
"Pro-Huntress huh," The man remarked as if he was curious on the term, "Well since you answered I might as well tell you who I am, the name's Tsukasa Kadoya."
"Tsukasa huh…" Summer trailed a bit.
"Is there something wrong with my name?" Tsukasa asked.
"No it's a nice name," Summer defended as she held up her hands, waving them forward a bit, "It's just I've never really heard a name like that before so it caught my interest."
"I suppose I do have a pretty awesome name," Tsukasa gave a smug grin.
"And now you're being annoying about it…" Summer sighed as she let her head drop.
"So why help me out?" Tsukasa asked.
"Why?" Summer looked up before clasping her hands together, "I mean I couldn't just abandon you."
"Yet I'm a total stranger," Tsukasa pointed out, "You have no reason to help me out."
"Well being a Huntress means I should help out whoever I can, wherever they are," Summer explained, "I want to help this world however I can. Whether it's defending this settlement from Grimm, or even helping someone like you for a brief moment."
"I see," Tsukasa said as he went to lay back down, "Well I'm not going to thank you. I was doing fine on my own."
Summer gave a light gasp before turning away and huffing, "Like I'd want to get thanks from you anyway!"
"Oh, is he awake?" A voice asked as a doctor walked into the room.
"Oh yes, he is," Summer spoke up as she gestured towards Tsukasa who waved while lying down.
"How are you feeling?" The doctor asked as he walked over.
"Just fine, thank you for your help doctor," Tsukasa said as he kept lying on his back, "There was nothing too serious, I hope?"
"Aside from the cuts that weren't that deep and some bruises, you're ready to leave whenever you wish," The Doctor said, "Though I must admit you should be more careful."
"What do you mean by that?" Tsukasa asked as he went to sit up again.
"I mean, everyone knows to steer clear of densely packed forests in Anima because of the Grimm that lurk there if you're traveling alone," The Doctor explained, "And given you had no Aura to protect yourself that meant you're a lot more likely to get severely hurt or worse, killed."
"Wait, you were alone wandering the forest without an Aura?!" Summer questioned in surprise.
"So what if I was?" Tsukasa asked.
"You really can't be throwing caution to the wind like that," Summer sighed as she saw his reaction before looking over at the Doctor, "Was there anything else, or…?"
"No that's all," The Doctor said before heading out of the room to give the two some space.
"I must admit I was expecting a fee or a bill or something," Tsukasa said.
"Oh I covered that since it was pretty minor Lien," Summer said before noticing Tsukasa was staring at her, "What?"
"Nothing," Tsukasa shook his head as he went to lower his voice before looking over to the window in his room, "This World is definitely more interesting than I thought…"
"So what exactly do you do?" Summer asked, figuring that this question might better answer her other questions.
"I'm a traveler," Tsukasa said, "I go around and wherever I go I have a specific job tailored to that area."
"So you're a Huntsman?" Summer asked.
"Nope, just a traveler," Tsukasa insisted.
"Are they dangerous jobs?" Summer asked.
"It depends," Tsukasa said as he thought on it, "But usually."
"And you don't have Aura?" Summer questioned as she raised an eyebrow.
"What's so important about Aura anyway?" Tsukasa remarked, "I can take care of myself just fine."
"Listen… and you're going to thank me for this," Summer said before standing and getting close to Tsukasa, "Close your eyes."
"I do not like the sudden forwardness you are showing," Tsukasa leaned back slightly.
"Just close your eyes!" Summer shouted in annoyance as she got closer.
"Y-Yes ma'am," Tsukasa managed to stammer out as he closed his eyes, soon feeling hands touch his head and shoulder. After a while of silence there seemed to be something welling up within his body before it was released, a relieving feeling washing over his body as he could actively feel his minor wounds heal up. He opened his eyes, soon seeing a magenta colored layer of energy over his body, "What… what is…"
"That's Aura," Summer smiled as she stepped away before sitting down again, "I'm pretty sure I don't have to explain what Aura is to you."
"How about you do?" Tsukasa asked with a smirk.
"Seriously…?" Summer nearly gave an exasperated gasp at this before clearing her throat, "Fine wise guy, Aura is an extension of our soul, a life force that runs through every living creature on Remnant, whether they be someone who has a minor role as say a shopkeeper or someone who risks life and limb like me, a Huntress."
"I see…" Tsukasa said as he put a hand to his chin, "So I can go now, right?"
"Yeah, but don't you want to rest a bit?" Summer asked.
"There's something I need to look into," Tsukasa admitted as he went to sit on the edge of the bed, "And something I need to find."
"Would it happen to be this?" Summer asked as she drew out the box-like camera, she then began to look it over, "Pretty old school for a camera, I assume. Is it an antique?"
"Give that to me," Tsukasa quickly leaned over and snatched it away from Summer, "It's an important memento to me."
"Sorry, sorry," Summer held up her hands, "It's really nice though."
"Of course, I try to take good care of it," Tsukasa said as he made sure everything was set up properly, "Pose."
"Huh?" Summer looked up before noticing Tsukasa was aiming his camera at her, she then gave a smile alongside a peace sign.
The shutter clicked as Tsukasa gave a smirk, "Good reflexes."
"My team always did say I was the most photogenic," Summer admitted.
"Now then if you'll excuse me," Tsukasa said as he grabbed the buckle and card book on the desk, he then walked over to where his coat was hanging and began to put it on, "There's still something I need to do."
"Is it related to why you were like that when I found you?" Summer asked as she stood up.
"You shouldn't get involved with me," Tsukasa insisted.
"You should just leave that man alone, otherwise your destiny and your fate will be tied with his."
Narutaki's words came back to Summer before she shook her head, marching over to Tsukasa and grabbing him by the wrist once he finished putting his coat on.
Tsukasa could only stare, "What are you-"
"You're coming with me!" Summer called out as she began to drag Tsukasa off.
"Hey now, I didn't agree to this!" Tsukasa called out as he tried to pull away only for the sudden growl of his stomach to penetrate the empty hall they were in.
"Well, well, well…" Summer turned with a mischievous smile as her grip tightened on Tsukasa's wrist, "Sounds like someone's hungry."
"I can't pay for food," Tsukasa insisted.
"Then I'll pay for you," Summer replied, clearly not willing to give up, "I've got a bunch of Lien saved up anyway."
"You really don't have to do this," Tsukasa insisted further.
"Oh I really have to do this," Summer insisted as she didn't even wait for Tsukasa to try and answer before pulling and dragging him off.
Tsukasa still couldn't believe what was happening. He of all people had somehow managed to get dragged off by Summer and into town. The two were currently sitting on a bench outside a bakery, Summer having purchased some sandwiches and drinks for them to have a lunch with. Admittedly the whole ordeal wasn't as bad as he made it seem to himself. Especially since he was able to snap a few photo's of people in the settlement as well as the buildings and scenery in general.
"This is pretty good," Tsukasa admitted after having taken a few bites, drinking from the milk carton he had received, "Normally bread is just bread, but this is pretty next level."
"Well it probably came fresh from the oven," Summer pointed out before taking a sip of her milk, giving a sigh of satisfaction, "Ah! Nothing like a good lunch after dealing with a bunch of Grimm…"
"Where do the Grimm come from anyway?" Tsukasa questioned.
"Man, if I knew that do you know how rich I'd be?" Summer asked with a hearty laugh, glad that she was decently good at lying given she did know their origins but knew it had to be kept secret, "All we know is that they exist and they're here to cause trouble."
"And that's where the Huntsmen and Huntresses come in," Tsukasa said, though was mostly guessing at this point.
"Correct," Summer said as she pointed upwards, "It's our duty to help out wherever we can while dealing with the Grimm. That way people can live without worry, especially in settlements and villages like these away from the main Kingdom's."
"Still this place is doing pretty good for itself," Tsukasa said.
"Yeah," Summer said before giving a sigh, "Well… until recently."
"What do you mean?" Tsukasa asked.
"That's right… you travel around so you're not actually from around here are you?" Summer asked to which she received a nod, she then took a bite of her sandwich before continuing, "There's been a strange case of disappearances lately, lots of varying ranges but they've all happened around this settlement."
"Wouldn't that just be the Grimm getting the better of them?" Tsukasa asked.
"That's what a lot of people have been guessing," Summer said before frustratingly giving another bite of her sandwich, continuing to talk while chewing, "But I'm here specifically because I don't think it's that simple."
"Uh-huh…" Tsukasa trailed as he could only stare in near exasperation at Summer's current state.
Summer swallowed her food before sighing in frustration, "Sometimes I just wish a clue would just pop up!"
"EEE!"
"EEE!"
"Huh?" Summer turned to the sounds of screeching and screaming as nearby strange men in black spandex walked the streets. They all had skeletal themed patterns to their chests alongside luchador styled masks that hid most of their faces except their eyes and mouth. The other notable feature they held was a large grey buckle that held an eagle over globe on it. Some seemed to be armed with kukri knives while others were armed with pole arms. They seemed to be tossing and kicking over anything and anyone who got in their way.
Leading them however was what most would consider freaks of nature. It almost looked like another man wearing costume, but this one had a big spider-like head and a web-styled black cape that was draped over its green and red striped body. The second was a metal plated gorilla themed monster, similar in style to the spider monster. The third was a humanoid turtle-like monster with a cannon strapped to its back, oddly enough this one seemed to be further modified as multiple colored crystals were stuck to the base of the main cannon.
"What in the brothers name…" Summer stood up, her eyes widening.
"Huh…" Tsukasa fully stood up as he began to scarf down his food, "Man Spider, Kame Bazooka, and they even brought out the Kikaijin Mecha-Gorilla?"
"What are you talking about?" Summer asked, "And do you really have to talk with your mouth full?"
Tsukasa swallowed before giving a scoff, "Says the woman who did it earlier."
"H-Hey just because I did it doesn't excuse you!" Summer called out with a light blush.
"Regardless…" Tsukasa looked over at the approaching monsters, "They're here…"
"Who's here?" Summer asked.
"EEE! EEE!" A Shocker grunt soon pointed towards the two.
"Shocker," Tsukasa said as he crossed his arms.
"Huh?" Kame Bazooka turned before giving a laugh, "There you are, Decade!"
"We knew that even with his enhancements Bat Man couldn't defeat you," Man Spider called out, "So that is why we came to finish the job ourselves!"
"And once we're done here we'll raid this city and finish up collection of our test subjects," Mecha-Gorilla explained.
"Collection…? Test Subjects…?" Summer asked, soon giving a glare before suddenly noticing Tsukasa putting his arm in front of her, "Tsukasa?"
"Leave this to me," Tsukasa said as he drew out his buckle and placed it on his waist, a belt strap forming as his card binder appeared instantly as well.
"Wait, what?" Summer blinked a few times in disbelief.
"I know you're a Huntress and dealing with troublemakers is your job, but consider this my payment for earlier," Tsukasa said as he pulled on his buckle, and opened it up. He then opened his card binder before drawing out a single card and sliding it into the now open slot of the belt.
[KAMEN RIDE]
"Henshin!"
"Henshin…?" Summer asked.
[DECADE!]
Red card projections shot outwards from the belt as grey projections of armor formed around him. They all slid back into him before forming armor, the cards attaching against his head as it completed Tsukasa's transformation into Kamen Rider Decade.
"Decade…?" Summer asked as she stared in shock at what she was seeing as she recalled Narutaki's words. In her shock she managed to speak her thoughts out loud, "Tsukasa… just what are you?"
"I'm just a passing through Kamen Rider," Decade said as he gripped his Ride Booker, unfolding it into his sword mode, "Remember that."
"Get him!" Man Spider called out as he held a hand forward, the Shocker Combatmen charging forward.
Decade yelled as he ran while slashing through the Shocker Grunts as they charged, easily dealing with a few in only two slashes. He blocked several that tried to slash at him before kicking them away. Two pole wielding ones tried to get him in a lock by blocking his slashes, Decade shifting his weapon into its gun form, backing away and shooting them in the chests to send them to the ground.
"H-Hey wait," Summer managed to call out, "You're really using lethal force against them?!"
"They aren't human!" Decade pointed towards the ones he had first dealt with, "These are just grunts they can mass produce at a whim to suit their needs!"
The Shocker Combatmen that had already been downed had fallen limp before exploding into black smoke.
"What?" Summer asked as she stepped back, "What did I get myself into?"
"Oh?" Mecha-Gorilla finally noticed Summer, "She looks like a capable test subject."
"Then let us capture her, zooka!" Kame Bazooka declared before aiming his cannon and launching a cannonball out, it striking near Decade's legs and sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Combatmen, capture the Huntress!" Man Spider called out, "We'll deal with Decade!"
"EEE, EEE!" The Shocker Combatmen called out in grunts as they began to rush past Decade, ignoring him and running straight for Summer.
"Hey, get out of here now!" Decade called out as he went to get up, ready to run forward when his leg was caught by webbing, getting tripped up. He turned to see Man Spider was the culprit.
"We aren't letting you escape," Mecha-Gorilla called out, "We'll kill you here and now, Decade!"
"I may not be a pink armored warrior," Summer called out before she took a deep breath and stepped forward, drawing Argent Venator in their bladed form, "But I'm more than capable on my own."
"Hey now," Decade protested in annoyance, "Its magenta, not pink!"
"Whatever you say," Summer smirked as she heard this before kicking off the ground to leap forward, soon turning and spinning towards the Shocker Combatmen.
To the Combatmen's surprise, she was able to tear through their ranks fairly easily with just one attack. Several of them screeched out as they were thrown back, sliced through before disappearing in puffs of black smoke.
Summer landed in a crouch, rising quickly and blocking two slashes from two Combatmen. She then spun to push them away before slashing at one that tried to strike at her while she was dealing with them. She then dodged out of the way of a few pole jabs before batting away the pole of a Combatmen, rushing in and slashing through them.
The Combatmen continued to rush towards Summer despite the Huntress being more than able to handle them. It was pure swinging and countering for her as she didn't even have to actively use her rifle nor leave a hint of her Semblance like she did with the Beowolves. Eventually a few Combatmen managed to get the jump on her, disarming her by knocking Argent Venator up into the air. Surprisingly however Summer wasn't deterred as she enhanced her body's Aura in an instant, performing powerful punches and strikes, even grabbing a Combatmen by an arm and slamming them into a grouping of a few.
"I really have to thank Tai for those lessons," Summer admitted while dusting off her hands. Once Argent Venator fell back towards her she raised her hands to catch her blades. She then blocked two slashes from two Shocker Grunts, pushing back before swinging her leg and kicking them away.
"Can't have her beating me that easily," Decade quickly shot at Man Spider's hand, managing to cut the web as he quickly rolled away from Mecha-Gorilla attempting to jump on him.
"If we're going for strength first," Decade drew out a card before slotting it in.
[FORM RIDE: OOO SAGOHZO!]
The Medals for Sai, Gorilla, and Zou appeared in front of him before combining into Sagohzo's emblem and launching onto Decade. Soon enough he accessed Kamen Rider OOO's strength based form. He used his giant gauntlets to block Mecha-Gorilla's grabs and punches, easily pushing forward and keeping his ground as he forced the mechanical monster back.
"Impossible… this strength," Mecha-Gorilla called out.
"Gorilla for a Gorilla," (D)OOO stated as he gave a yell and threw his arms forward, the gauntlets on his forearms launched forward and striking Mecha-Gorilla.
The rocket powered fists dragged the monster up into the air before pushing further, Mecha-Gorilla yelling out as he exploded in mid-air.
"You won't be doing anything else!" Man Spider called out as he launched out webbing to bind (D)OOO and keep him from moving.
"Now then, time for you to go, zooka!" Kame Bazooka called out as they went to hunch forward only to yell out as a bullet struck them and exploded in a burst of fire against his face, "My eyes!"
"What?" Man Spider questioned before he was struck by the same fire burst bullet, staggering back.
Summer quickly rushed in with her rifle, separating it into its bladed forms as she cut through the webbing that had bound (D)OOO.
"Okay, seriously… what are you?" Summer questioned as she looked over (D)OOO's armor, "And just how are you able to instantly change armor like that."
"You're asking too many questions," (D)OOO groaned as he shifted back to his standard armor, "When this is done I'll answer all your questions."
"You promise?" Summer asked.
"Yeah, but you may want to stay back and support on this one," Decade suggested, "The monsters are in another league compared to the grunts."
"You just don't want me showing you up, do you?" Summer held a smug expression.
"Shut it!" Decade called out.
"That's it, zooka!" Kame Bazooka yelled out as its eyes were a blood red now, "Now I'm angry! Engage Dust Crystals!"
Summer quickly turned, "What?!"
The Dust Crystals on Kame Bazooka's back began to shine brightly before the Shocker soldier hunched forward, launching a ball of mixed elements outwards, "FIRE!"
"Jump, now!" Summer yelled out as she leaped backwards, Decade doing the same.
As soon as the cannonball struck against the ground where they were, rock and ice suddenly expanded outwards, wisps of fire and electricity being released from it for a few seconds.
"Okay," Summer said as she landed and stood her ground, "Why does that turtle thing have Dust loaded in its cannon?!"
"Seems Shocker is dabbling in your local affairs," Decade mused, "We need some way to outpace him or shut that cannon up."
"I might have an idea," Summer admitted as she gently tapped her ammo pouch, reminded of some of her ammunition, "But I need you to do all the heavy lifting."
"Deal," Decade said as he began to rush forward, "Just don't take too long!"
"Right," Summer said as she quickly leapt onto a rooftop in order to gain a better vantage point. She then went to load her ammo in Argent Venator, going for a set of specialized Ice Dust bullets. She had been told by Qrow that they were more concentrated and would form thicker and sturdier ice than the usual Ice Dust rounds. Combining her two weapons together she crouched and went to take aim.
"Like I'll let you do that!" Man Spider suddenly leapt in front of her.
"Crap!" Summer quickly rolled away as it tried to stomp at her, she quickly disconnected her rifle and readied her swords, "Sorry Tsukasa, just wait a bit longer."
[KAMEN RIDE: WIZARD!]
Decade was quick to work on trying to distract Kame Bazooka, bringing out one of his newly acquired forms, Kamen Rider Wizard. He leapt back to avoid another Dust Cannonball, using it as cover as he slid in another card.
[ATTACK RIDE: COPY!]
Now four copies of (D)Wizard rushed out from behind the pillar, all of them holding their own Ride Bookers as they rushed forward. Two had them in gun mode and fired at Kame Bazooka, while the other two rushed in for slashes. Their attacks managed to work, sparks flying as Kame Bazooka was slowly but surely being pushed back.
"Why you," Kame Bazooka called out as he began to gather energy from the Dust embedded in its cannon, "I'll show you!"
"Summer, now!" (D)Wizard called out only for nothing to happen, "What?"
Turning he was able to see what the problem was, Man Spider was currently attacking Summer and forcing her to dodge and counter.
"Splitter Cannonball," Kame Bazooka announced before unleashing another multi-dust cannonball but launched it upwards. This time however it split into four different elemental cannonballs, all of them arcing downwards and striking against the ground where each (D)Wizard was. Explosions of rock, ice, fire and electricity flung (D)Wizard and his clones back, (D)Wizard rolling along the ground as he was reverted back to his base armor.
"Tsukasa…!" Summer's eyes widened when she saw this before quickly dodging away from a swipe.
"We won't let you get in our way!" Man Spider declared as it was quick to move in, grabbing Summer by the neck to try and choke her.
Summer gritted her teeth with a wince before gasping a bit at Man Spider's strength. Giving a gasping yell she managed to stab into Man Spider with Argent Venator, digging into his stomach and managing to force the Kaijin to let go.
"Why… why you…" Man Spider gasped out as it held its stomach.
"Like I'm letting you all do what you want!" Summer yelled out as she dropped her weapons and rushed forward, gathering her Aura in her right fist and punching against the side of Man Spider's head. The attack had managed to work, sending the Shocker soldier to the ground.
Decade meanwhile was continually trying to avoid Kame Bazooka's enhanced Dust Shots, this time the Shocker soldier showing restraint by only releasing one elemental cannonball at a time. Eventually it had managed to unleash a Rock Dust Cannonball, it tripping Decade up and sending him to the ground.
"It's over, Dust Charge!" Kame Bazooka called out as it began to charge all of its Dust into one singular cannonball for an attack, "Now then! F-"
"FIRE!"
The sudden yell caused Kame Bazooka to pause before it suddenly felt its cannon get hit. An icy blue bullet struck and completely frosted over and covered the inside and front of its cannon.
"What?" Kame Bazooka called out as it tried to stop the cannonball from coming out only for it to be too late. The charge was in place and the cannonball was now stuck in the main tube, "No, no, no! This can't be-!"
BOOM!
An explosion occurred as Kame Bazooka had exploded on the spot, chunks of ice, rock, electricity and fire spewing from where it once was.
"Made it in time," Summer sighed in relief as she landed near Decade and went to check on him, "Are you alright?"
"If you stuck to the plan I'd be better," Decade coughed as he began to get up.
"Well excuse me for having to deal with another one of those monsters," Summer huffed.
"Speaking of," Decade said as he saw Man Spider lumber over to the edge of the building.
"Damn you, Decade! And damn you too, Huntress!" Man Spider called out as it quickly turned away, "You may have gotten lucky this time but next time you won't, glory to Shocker!"
"Like I'm letting you run away," Decade said as he leapt up into the air, taking out another card and sliding it in.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: D-D-D-DECADE!]
Card projections formed between Decade and the fleeing Man Spider, the Rider yelled as he leapt up and kicked out towards the monster. He struck through the cards, the power of his kick growing stronger and stronger until…
SMASH
"I-Impossible!" Man Spider yelled out as the kick connected before he exploded.
Decade soon landed on the rooftop, dusting his hands off. He then walked over to the edge where he saw Summer staring up at him. The situation was definitely more complex than he realized and Summer knew her stuff when it came to this world. He hated to drag someone into this but she had proven she was able to handle herself compared to any other civilian he had seen in the past.
Summer meanwhile could only stare up at Decade, wondering what exactly she had gotten herself into.
Remnant – Shocker Base, Unknown Location
There was a fairly large almost empty room, wide stairs leading up to a fairly long and wide platform that held a large gold throne. Behind it was a strange circular gate that held the same symbol the Shocker Combatmen wore. Sitting on the throne was figure covered in a red velvet cloak, the only feature one could see beyond the black void of the hood he wore was a singular red eye. The sounds of hissing escaped from beneath the hood as he went to stare upwards.
Floating above him was holographic projections of various Kamen Riders fighting, but more particularly the footage honed in on their weapons. Off to the side was nearly destroyed and corrupted footage dating back to the mid 90's, the most that could be salvaged were designs of unique looking weapons that could easily deal with any monster in their way.
"Great Leader," A voice said as an older man in a white suit and an almost Dracula-styled cape walked towards the throne from the side, "As you can see, this footage presents the basis of my next ultimate project for you."
"Good work, Dr. Shinigami," The Great Leader spoke up, "You have done well in assisting our scientists on their work after the failure to create the History Modifying Machine."
"Unfortunately there were some unprecedented setbacks," Dr. Shinigami admitted, "Thus we were unable to truly be able to gain the key components in manipulating history. However altering Dr. Dee's designs into a World Traversing Machine have worked well enough."
"Indeed," The Great Leader said with a nod, "Thanks to this modification we are finally able to look beyond our own worlds for ways to obtain our ideal world."
"Yes," Dr. Shinigami said as he turned towards the footage being displayed, "This world shows ingenuity in its advancement of weapons. Thus it has become the basis for a new system, the Cross System."
"Good," The Great Leader said before looking over at his ally, "How is this new form treating you?"
"There seems to be some issues, though my memories are thankfully intact," Dr. Shinigami admitted with a light grunt, "However this is potentially the best body I've had in a long time."
"Excellent," The Great Leader said before the doors at the front of the throne room opened up, light pouring in as two more of his generals walked in, "Jigoku Taishi, General Black, what is the meaning of this interruption?"
"My apologies, Great Leader," Jigoku Taishi called out as he walked forward before kneeling alongside General Black, "But we have news to report."
"It is about the persistent bug known as Decade," General Black stated.
"So he has followed us here… alone I hope?" The Great Leader responded.
"Yes, it seems he is alone," Jigoku Taishi replied, "However both the Modified Bat Man has been defeated, alongside Man Spider, Dust-Infused Kame Bazooka and Mecha-Gorilla."
"We assume he's had help based on what little footage we were able to recover," General Black continued as the footage above them changed to a few snippets of the fights that involved Tsukasa and Summer, "It appears as though he's befriended one of the local heroes. She seems to be a capable fighter as well, on an entirely different level than the others we've confronted."
"Interesting…" The Great Leader trailed as he looked at the footage carefully, "Do they know where we are?"
"They do not," Dr. Shinigami spoke up, "I've been meticulous in making sure we have not been found by Decade."
"But a local could provide good enough information for him to find us," General Black stated, "Thus we must-"
"Let them come," The Great Leader said, his three higher ups looking towards him in surprise, "That woman… she seems very capable. I believe if we have her we can push the Cross System to its fullest capabilities."
"Very well," Jigoku Taishi relented as he stood, "We will begin making preparations."
"Good, good," The Great Leader said before he began to laugh loudly, "Very soon, not only Earth, but this world, Remnant, will both come under the iron clad grip of Shocker!"
Remnant – Anima, Kobomugi Settlement
"This is… this is a lot," Summer managed to finally speak up.
"I wouldn't blame you if you didn't believe me," Tsukasa said, "But given what you've seen thus far and what you know of your world, can you really say that you can't?"
The two were currently in Summer's hotel room, Tsukasa leaning against the wall while Summer was sitting on her bed. Tsukasa had decided to drop all pretenses and explain to Summer where he was from, even using his Aurora Curtains to show her brief snippets of Earth. After that it was explaining the history of Earth, how evil forces would always threaten it but Kamen Riders would normally stand in their way. But that wouldn't stop older threats from reviving and older Riders from having to stop them.
"I admittedly thought this might be related to something only a few people here know of," Summer said as she stared downwards, "But now I realize that things are much bigger than I realize."
"Chickening out?" Tsukasa asked, though received no response, "I'd understand, after all I am the more capable of us when it comes to fighting them."
"Does Shocker usually have a laboratory?" Summer asked.
"Huh?" Tsukasa was a bit surprise by this question.
"Does Shocker usually have a laboratory, that's my question," Summer repeated and clarified when she realized she wasn't getting an immediate answer, "Well?"
"Normally yes," Tsukasa finally answered, "They usually have their top scientists work on remodeling humans into monsters or their soldiers. It's rare that they do that kind of body modification nowadays but…"
"Then you're damn wrong if you think I'm chickening out," Summer said as she stood up from where she was.
"Do you have a death wish?" Tsukasa asked, "You saw just how dangerous Shocker is, I'm the only one who can handle their advanced soldiers."
"Yes, I saw you doing so well against them before I tagged in," Summer answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm as she walked forward, "You also seemed to be doing well when I found you injured and unconscious. There's no way you would have died if I hadn't found you, right?"
"I… uh…" Tsukasa stammered as he realized Summer had immediately countered his attempts at trying to shove her to the side, "Well… I mean…"
"It's clear you're in over your head," Summer said before sighing and turning away, "Besides, this does involve me…"
"In what way…?" Tsukasa raised an eyebrow, "They're my enemies, not yours. Even if they take an interest in you, I'm the Kamen-"
"It doesn't matter if you're their enemy or vice versa," Summer interrupted as she glanced back, her expression growing more serious, "That turtle monster had dust embedded in its weapon. Meaning they likely targeted the Dust Supplies alongside the people transporting them. Then there's the missing scientist and Huntsmen."
"You think they're all related, huh?" Tsukasa asked.
"I can only assume so," Summer replied before going to her suitcase and opening it up while setting Argent Venator on her bed, starting to work on maintaining her weapons for the coming fight.
"Alright then," Tsukasa went to pace around, "So where do you suppose they could have their base then? Any secluded locations where they could easily build and hide something?"
"If I recall there's a small isolated mountain near the settlement," Summer admitted, "It's not the biggest but given the situation surrounding it and the fact that no one's been able to get close, that's likely our target."
"Knowing Shocker and their resources, I could see it," Tsukasa admitted.
"That would also explain the strange noise complaints," Summer put a hand to her chin, "And given no one's been able to truly figure out what was going on, that's our most likely option."
"Fine then," Tsukasa said as he gave a sigh before recalling one important detail, "Hey… if you're going to get involved there's something you need to know."
"And what's that?" Summer asked.
"They're dealing with more than just taking your people and Dust Supplies," Tsukasa admitted as he rubbed the back of his head, "It's sort of the reason I ended up in bad condition in the first place."
"What do you mean…?" Summer questioned as she didn't like the tone Tsukasa was starting to take, "What exactly put you in that position?"
"They mentioned a Bat Man, it being one of their modified soldiers," Tsukasa replied, "However… it was enhanced…"
"How exactly was it enhanced?" Summer asked carefully.
"Well… how do I put this?" Tsukasa sighed as he tried to figure out how to word this, "That Bat Man was likely enhanced by the Grimm."
Summer paled at this, "…What?"
"From what you describe as Grimm and what you were willing to show and tell me… its likely Shocker is somehow modifying their soldiers with Grimm," Tsukasa answered.
"We need to stop them now," Summer said as she picked up the pace on making sure her weapon and ammo were all ready to go, "We can't let this go any further."
"Fine," Tsukasa replied.
Remnant – Anima, Mountain near Kobomugi
Shocker was fortunate to find a mountain for them to retrofit into a new base. Hollowing it out and creating a base inside was easy, though the noise attracted unwanted attention. They were able to deal with said unwanted attention but knew that they had to push up the timetable to their plot. Currently at the base of the mountain, shrouded by the forest was a large double door embedded into the rock.
Near the door were two Shocker Combatmen, the two standing guard with their hands clasped together in front of them.
The first Combatman looked at the other, "Eee, eee… eee?"
The second Combatman gave a nod before holding his arm forward briefly, "Eee, eee!"
"Eee… eee, eee," The first gave a nod.
The two quickly turned when they heard rustling, both of them looking at each other before spotting a few bushes nearby. The first Combatman walked forward towards the rustling bushes and quickly pushed them aside before tilting his head curiously. He bent down before picking up one of the blades of Argent Venator. The Combatman was unaware of the weapon's relation to Summer and simply thought of it as a strange sword.
"Eee!" The first called out while holding up the weapon.
"Eee, eee?" The second Combatman quickly hurried over to inspect it.
"You know, despite you all being creeps I'm glad you all can appreciate fine art."
Both Combatmen froze before screaming out as their backs were sliced into. Both went limp and fell forward before vanishing in puffs of smoke. The blade of Argent Venator fell to the ground only for a hand to catch it by its grip, that hand being Summer's.
"Not bad," Tsukasa said as he walked over, "You're lucky they don't seem to have cameras."
"Not like there was any other option," Summer said as she holstered her weapons, "Especially given I think this is our only entrance."
"True," Tsukasa said before walking over to the door, "Unfortunately going through the front entrance isn't the best of ideas."
"You got any better ideas?" Summer asked as she grew more serious, "After what you told me, we can't afford to wait any longer."
"Then let's get through," Tsukasa said as he went over to the door and pushed it open. Summer went to join Tsukasa at his side as they stared down the hallway before them. The two readied themselves before entering the base, knowing that this was their best course of action to figure out what was likely going on.
They walked slowly and carefully through a fairly dim hallway, towards the end there being a split pathway leading to the right and the left. At the very end of the hall was a pair of doors, this likely leading to the main throne room of the base. This was evident due to the shouting and cheering coming from the doors. Near the doorway however was a side set of stairs, likely leading upwards into a rafter's area above the base.
"Pretty barebones," Summer said as she looked around.
"Makes sense," Tsukasa said, "They likely only did what they could since I doubt this base is permanent."
"Right," Summer gave a nod, "Where do we head first?"
"Let's gain a better vantage point," Tsukasa pointed towards the stairs before walking forward.
"Right…" Summer gave a slow nod before following.
In the main throne room the Great Leader was currently sitting on his chair with Dr. Shinigami, Jigoku Taishi, and General Black all standing beside him. On the steps leading to the throne were four robed figures, all giving low growls as they stood. Of course they weren't the only ones in the room as cheers erupted in front of them. At the center of the floor before him was the Shocker Symbol, it being illuminated by a single spotlight. Other dim lights were on as they shrouded various Shocker Combatmen and Modified Soldiers in the room.
Up above the throne room where the lights were positioned was a series of walkways with railings that allowed for making sure the roofing and equipment was alright. Tsukasa and Summer meanwhile were carefully tiptoeing their way across, to make sure they didn't make any noise. Once they were at a good vantage point, they crouched down to listen and watch the proceedings.
"There's so many of them…" Summer muttered.
"Yeah, they've been building an army alright," Tsukasa narrowed his eyes.
"Who is the guy addressing them?" Summer asked, keeping her voice low.
"The Great Leader of Shocker," Tsukasa confirmed.
"Members of Shocker," The Great Leader spoke up, his voice echoing throughout the entire room, "Thank you all for joining me on this momentous day. By coming to this world we were able to expand our army heavily."
"Yes," Dr. Shinigami called out as he spread his arm forward, the four robed figures throwing their cloaks off of them, "Behold our Shocker Grimm!"
Before the crowd were four modified soldiers of Shocker's past, Siomaneking, Ganikoumoru, Zanjioh, and Isoguin Jaguar. The four however were heavily modified from previously, having mostly pitch-black skin for the most part, with various bone-like white plating on their bodies, even having white animal-like masks protruding from where their faces normally would be that matched their animal motifs.
Tsukasa had to clamp a hand over Summer's mouth to keep her from shouting as Summer's eyes widened immensely. Tsukasa couldn't help but recall the modified Bat Man, it having the same mostly pitch black skin alongside bone white armoring and a mask where its face would normally be. He knew this was trouble since he was having trouble with just beating one, but now four... that was a potential issue.
"The Shocker Grimm are our latest attempt in utilizing Remnant's resources for our own gain," Dr. Shinigami stated as he then pulled out a remote and clicked a button, "They will be joining our other successful attempts on Earth in a few moments."
Soon enough holographic projections began to form in front of the Great Leader. Four older monsters appeared in these projections, KomaThunder, Tiger-Roid, Sabotegron, Gillzames. All of them seemed to have various dust embedded in them, giving them visible elemental properties.
KomaThunder was embedded with Lightning Dust, having an electricial field around it. Tiger-Roid held multiple dusts embedded in its cannons, all of them crackling with different elemental energies. Sabotegron had Earth Dust embedded in it, various rock-like protrusions acting as armoring. Gillizames, despite being a shark based monster had Fire Dust embedded in it, there being multiple hot patches clearly visible around its body as short wisps of flame exited its mouth as it breathed.
"Now then my Shocker Grimm, join your brethren as we commence our preparations to head to Earth!" The Great Leader called out as he held a hand forward. As if on his command, the gate that was behind him began to whir and buzz. Soon enough the center hissed out as it slid into the gate to reveal an opening as blue energy soon formed and created a portal.
The Shocker Grimm all gave salutes before walking up the steps, passing the Great Leader and heading through the portal. It wasn't long before the portal closed before the gateway fully closed up.
"Of course, they are only part of our new plan," The Great Leader called out as he raised his arms, soon enough more holographic displays began to appear all around the ground level of the throne room. Various videos of Kamen Riders, but specifically, their weapons, were being shown off.
Summer couldn't help but look curiously at the videos that were playing. While Remnant technology and weaponry was unique and flashy, she couldn't help but show an appreciation for the Rider weapons she was seeing.
"Project Cross!" Dr. Shinigami declared as he stepped forward, "Attempting to control the power of Kamen Riders alongside Riders themselves has proven troublesome to us time and time again. Thus we will go after one of their most valuable sources of power, their weapons!"
"It is thanks to Remnant that we came to this conclusion," The Great Leader declared as he stood up and looked around, "Here there are many unique and powerful weapons that no normal human on our world could wield. Thus we must create the ultimate weapon master to lead our army! With them, no Kamen Rider can stand in our way!"
Cheers erupted from the crowd of Combatmen and Modified Soldiers. Tsukasa stood up and tapped Summer on her shoulder, getting her attention.
"What?" Summer whispered as she stood up.
"We should head back for now," Tsukasa suggested, "We know how the sausage is made, so we should focus on coming up with a plan."
"Eh?" Summer tilted her head, "Why that expression…?"
"Because it fits," Tsukasa shrugged.
"Now then, let us welcome our special guest!" The Great Leader called out.
"Special Guest…?" Summer muttered before her ear twitched, she thought she heard faint beeping now that the crowds began to quiet down.
The Great Leader began to laugh, "The one who will wield the Cross System and give us our victory against two worlds!"
"They're here?" Tsukasa muttered as he looked around.
BOOM!
Suddenly explosions rocked and destroyed the walkways that the two were standing on. The soldiers of Shocker all backed away from the center as debris rained down. Summer and Tsukasa yelled out as they were forced to fall to the ground after the walkways were torn from underneath them. The two managed to land with grunts as they ended up hitting the center of the room.
"Welcome Decade," The Great Leader called out, "And Welcome, Huntress, she who will wield the Cross System!"
"Huh?" Summer questioned.
It wasn't long before lights on the sides of the throne room began to light up as the Soldiers of the Shocker Army were unveiled. While there were several modified soldier's among their ranks, quite a few that Tsukasa recognized, the real shocker were the Combatmen themselves. While their legs stayed the same, their upper body was more natural and fur-like, having bone-like protrusions where the rib patterning on their suits would normally be. They even had sharp white claws at the ends of their fingers, their masks covering their faces and looking more like a Grimm mask than a luchador styled mask.
"These may look a bit new to you Decade," Dr. Shinigami chuckled, "However these are one of our greatest works, the CombatGrimm!"
"CombatGrimm…?" Tsukasa gave a wince as he stood up.
"What are you talking about?" Summer asked, still confused, "What's this Cross System have to do with me?"
"Do not think we do not know of your prior fight against our agents," Jigoku Taishi finally spoke up.
"Indeed," General Black gave a nod, "It is via your fighting that we've determined you are the strongest Huntress in the vicinity."
"While I'm flattered…" Summer said as she internally shook off the shock before growing more serious, "Why exactly are you picking me? Because I know for a fact you all are behind the recent disappearances."
"Ah, you mean the Huntsmen and Huntresses that went to investigate this area," Dr. Shinigami smiled before giving a frown, "They were inadequate, so much so they couldn't be modified. That Aura of yours is very annoying to get around."
Summer's eyes began to widen as various holographic screens began to show various Huntsmen and Huntresses being experimented on by Shocker Scientists. She had to clasp her hands over her mouth as she gagged, trying to keep from getting sick as she was clearly disturbed by what was videotaped. Most of the footage cut out after a while before the Scientists began detailing reports on how the subjects had ended up dying in the process. She couldn't help but narrow her eyes after the shock, due to recognizing the Huntsmen and Huntresses as the ones that had gone missing.
"You all…" Tsukasa narrowed his eyes.
"What about the people shipping the Dust you stole?" Summer tried to keep her anger in check, "What about Maru Asagao?!"
"Dr. Asagao has been quite useful," Dr. Shinigami gave a chuckle.
"The simple workers however saw no use in our plans," Jigoku Taishi replied, "So we killed them."
"You monsters…" Summer hissed out.
"Now, now," The Great Leader said as he took a few steps forward, "You should be honored we're choosing you to be the one to take up the Cross System."
"So you knew we were coming?" Tsukasa asked.
"What else were you going to do?" The Great Leader asked, "Sit around as I send out my valuable troops? No… I figured you all would rush in head first. I simply wanted to show you our efforts before killing you Decade."
"Too bad I'm not going down without a fight," Tsukasa said as he prepared his Decadriver before slotting in his card, "Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!]
Tsukasa transformed before drawing his sword and stepping forward, just as Summer reached for her weapons, he held a hand in front of her, "Run…"
"You can't be serious!" Summer called out, "We can handle this together! This is just as much my fight as it is your-"
"You're not sticking around so you can get captured and experimented on!" Decade snapped as he interrupted his temporary partner, "You're running and then I'm bringing this whole place down."
"Such bold words…" The Great Leader chuckled as the CombatGrimm and Modified Soldiers of Shocker began to shift around, soon blocking the exit as well as surrounding them on all sides, "But we're not letting either of you leave."
"You want me to run… fine," Summer gave a nod as she got back to back with Decade.
"I've got some friends that are likely to catch up soon, sort of ditched them on the way to go ahead myself" Decade muttered as he looked back at Summer, "They're weird just like me, so you should be able to figure out who they are."
"Right," Summer gave a nod before turning towards Decade and holding out her hand, "Let's shake for good luck."
"A shake for good luck…?" Decade asked.
"It's a Rose family tradition," Summer smiled.
"Fine," Decade said as she grasped Summer's hand to firmly shake it. He could have sworn that something felt off about this gesture but simply let go. Drawing out a card he looked around, "Now then…"
[ATTACK RIDE: ILLUSION!]
Soon enough Decade split into three copies, one holding his weapon in its sword form, the other holding his weapon in its gun form, while the last had no weapons. All three drew out another card before slotting it in.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: D-D-D-DECADE!]
Soon enough, three sets of holographic card projections were formed in three directions. The copy wielding the gun shot a beam through the cards, the beam getting stronger and stronger as it soon tore through the mass of Shocker soldiers and cleared a path directly for the door. The other two were simply to provide extra cover, copy with no weapons leapt up and kicked downwards, causing a large explosion to occur. The real one with the sword ran forward and slashed as his sword became enhanced with energy.
"Get going!" Decade called out as his copies vanished before he moved in and began slashing through any CombatGrimm that tried to get near Summer.
Summer gave a nod before rushing out, slamming the doors open as she rushed through the hall to exit the Shocker base.
"Good…" Decade chuckled before giving a gasp as sparks flew from his back, rolling forward and away from several CombatGrimm that had snuck up on him, "Now then…"
"You were a fool for trying to face us alone," The Great Leader chuckled before looking into the crowd, "Starfish Hitler, take Bearded Lizard Man, Marshal Machine, and Goaster to capture that Huntress!"
"Yes sir!" Starfish Hitler called out as he rushed through the door that led out of the throne room with the other three identified monsters.
"That's not going to matter in the long run," Decade said as he looked around, noticing the crowd around him seemed to mostly consist of CombatGrimm, a few normal Combatmen, alongside what looked to be a lone gold armored monster, "And now a complaint, of all the monsters to bring back… Starfish H-"
SNAP
The Great Leader could only stare, "What?"
White petals began to rain down around the various Shocker forces that were left in the throne room. In Decade's place was someone that no one was expecting. In Decade's place, was Summer Rose.
"Sorry Tsukasa," Summer said with an apologetic smile before giving a determined look as she glanced around, "But I'm the only one who can deal with most of these guys in one shot."
"How are you back here?" Jigoku Taishi questioned.
"What are you doing…?" Dr. Shinigami asked as he watched Summer close her eyes briefly and concentrate.
"Capture her, capture her now!" General Black ordered.
"You won't be using these Grimm Soldiers to hurt anyone!" Summer yelled as she opened her eyes with a fierce look, her eyes shimmering and shining brighter before a sudden flash of white light occurred.
The Great Leader could only scream while more screams could be heard among the crowd of Shocker soldiers, Dr. Shinigami, Jigoku Taishi and General Black could only gasp out as they went to cover their eyes.
As the light and screams died down, Summer began to breathe heavily as she slumped forward. She shook her head and gripped her weapons, channeling her aura into the material on the grips as she surveyed the situation.
Most of the CombatGrimm had been disintegrated, and those that were strong enough to remain had turned to stone before promptly crumbling into smaller pieces. The only ones left were what Shocker Combatmen didn't undergo the Grimm modifications and the lone gold plated monster that held a glaive.
That was when Summer noticed something odd, the Great Leader had collapsed back onto his throne chair, smoke exiting from his robes. Despite not being able to see anything underneath the cloak, Summer could only narrow her eyes in realization at why he of all people was affected.
"Great Leader of Shocker… I will put an end to you!" Summer called out as she leapt upwards before dropping towards the Great Leader. If it was only one shot she had, it had to be against the Great Leader if her suspicions were correct.
"Not so fast!" Jigoku Taishi quickly stepped in the way, lashing his whip out at Summer who slashed forward. Both whip and swords clashed before Jigoku Taishi gave a yell, his whip managing to break through, sending Summer's swords flying away from her while also striking her in the stomach.
Summer could only cough out as her eyes widened, getting flung backwards and sent tumbling down the steps. She gave a light groan as she pushed herself up, her Aura flickering but still managing to hold. She looked back to see the remaining Shocker soldiers slowly approach her.
"We will not allow you to get anywhere near our Great Leader," Dr. Shinigami said as he began to descend the steps with Jigoku Taishi and General Black. Dr. Shinigami then held out both hands, a splash of water occurring as he turned into a humanoid squid monster, "IkaDevil!"
General Black gave a sneer as his body began to shift and shimmer, soon enough shedding his disguise as his true form of a humanoid leech/chameleon monster was seen, "HilChameleon!"
Jigoku Taishi gave a chuckle as blue flames erupted from his body, transforming him into a blue rattlesnake monster, "Garagaranda!"
Summer could only watch as the three monsters approached her from the front while the remaining Shocker forces approached her from all around. She began to get up only to wince as she realized she had taken a nasty hit to her stomach, and that this would be harder than she expected.
"Crap…"
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"This entire situation should have been beyond me, I shouldn't have gotten involved. But I did anyway, and because of that I gained a new power that likely changed the course of our world forever."
Chapter 85 – Rose of Remnant (II)
Author's Note: And that's Rose of Remnant's first part taken care of. I'll admit, as one of the few times I talk about V9, it's funny how around the time I start implementing 'Summer Lore' into my story, RWBY is hinting at their own Summer related shenanigans too. Now there are already a few discrepancies (more than likely weapons and Semblance), but I can say that I'm not too worried about things being different.
After all I ended up working on Summer's stuff long before V9 started releasing. This chapter in particular was started back in February of last year with planning occurring way before then. Because speaking of planning… I can finally reveal what one community interaction was for. I had asked for people's favorite Showa Monsters and well, I'm pretty sure I ended up including all of the answers during this flashback. Whether they were from comments, reviews, anywhere else I posted, etc.
There are also a few minor details that tie back to certain quirks from prior Roze from Remnant chapters as well. I'm curious to see if anyone caught them or not though I'd be happy to point them out if I have the space in an Author's Note.
With that said, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.