Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 98 – 2005: Echoes of Failed Oni
"As it is written in this book…" Woz said as he was not looking at his book but instead a calendar, alone in a darkened 9-5-DO with a single spotlight shining down on him, "Rejoice! For today is a momentous day for Sougo Tokiwa. He embarks on a path which will lead him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O."
He began to pace around where he was, seemingly anxious about something.
"In order to obtain power befitting of an overlord, he must gather the remaining Watches, of which there are six," he explained as he began to move forward, "And the Rider whose power he now seeks to possess… will come from an interesting situation of a student with no true name…"
Earth – April 28th 2019
It was a rather early start for the residents of 9-5-DO for the first time in several days. Because they were back on Earth, and not needing to go on missions constantly like back in Atlas, everyone was able to sleep in however much they liked.
Tsukuyomi was currently at the front of the store, having some coffee to wake up. With her was Weiss who had her own cup of coffee since she decided to go for an early visit today, while Geiz was doing pushups to wake himself up.
"395… 396… 397…" Geiz continued his routine, unaware of Woz wandering around without looking, "39-OW!"
Woz had ended up tripping over Geiz, but managed to catch himself as he slowed down to a halt near where Tsukuyomi and Weiss were sitting.
"Another Rider…?!" Geiz immediately scrambled to his feet before realizing what had trampled over him, "Watch where you're going, you idiot!"
"Why must you be so loud," Weiss whined as she rubbed her temples.
"It's Geiz, what do you expect?" Tsukuyomi said.
"Just because it's a habit doesn't mean it's not annoying," Weiss replied.
"At long last, the fated day arrives…" Woz trailed as he kept staring at the calendar in his hands, "That day, the one upon which I stake my very being…"
"What do you mean…?" Geiz asked with a hint of concern, "What's about to happen?"
"He's being dramatic," Tsukuyomi said, already realizing why Woz was freaking out.
"Of course he is," Weiss scoffed as she went to drink her coffee to finish it off.
"Today is April 28th, Sougo's birthday," Tsukuyomi continued, "That's all."
Weiss immediately started choking on her coffee before she slammed her hand on the table, Geiz and Tsukuyomi turning in surprise.
Weiss finally swallowed before staring at the two in shock, "I'm sorry, it's what?!"
"Don't tell me you're worked up over some birthday too," Geiz rolled his eyes as he looked at Weiss.
"Did you forget that I am his girlfriend?!" Weiss called out in near anger before burying her head in her hands, "I feel horrible, I forgot because I was so busy trying to get back into routine here on Earth…"
"It is not just a birthday…" Woz said as he was also lost in his own little world, turning to face everyone else and walking towards the stairs, "Nay, it is His Birthday! And befitting of my overlord, this must be a celebration in the grandest fashion!"
Geiz and Tsukuyomi could only look back and forth between Weiss and Woz, the two realizing that today was going to be a long day.
"Right now, I find myself fraught with anxiety," Woz admitted as he let his arms drop before sitting on the base of the staircase.
"Same…" Weiss groaned out.
"Good morning…" Sougo yawned as he made his way downstairs in his pajamas, greeted by a quiet good morning from Woz. He was suspicious about what Woz was holding though, "What's that?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," Woz held the calendar close to him before backing away and trying to keep Sougo from prying.
"I'm doomed… I'm doomed… I'm doomed…" Weiss muttered to herself as her head was still in her hands.
"Good morning, Sougo my boy!" Junichiro greeted as he came from the dining room holding a book under his arm, "Getting a head start for the first time in a while, huh? By the way, Happy B-"
"Hush, hush please," Woz immediately interrupted much to Junichiro's surprise, at least that was until he silently gestured that he wanted to make it a surprise.
Junichiro nodded upon realizing what Woz wanted and winked at the chronicler. Of course he realized the look his nephew was giving them, "Oh, we're just goofing around."
"By the way, what is that?" Woz asked as he pointed at the book in the Uncle's arm, realizing that there was now a perfect distraction to make use of.
"Oh right, everybody come take a look at this!" Junichiro called out as he set down the book on one of the display cases, everyone huddling around, "It's Sougo's elementary school yearbook. Even back then, he wrote that he wanted to be a king when he grows up."
"He stood out the most, even as a kid…" Tsukuyomi noted.
"Well it is a pretty out there dream for everyone that isn't us," Weiss pointed out, glad to have some sort of distraction.
"No way, not true," Sougo argued, "I think I'm remembering right, but I'm pretty sure there was someone with an even crazier dream," he began to scan through the book before find it and pointing, "See? He wanted to be an oni! Tsutomu Tsusumiya."
"…"I'm going to be an oni!"…" Geiz read.
"Yep, we used to encourage each other to make our dreams come true," Sougo admitted.
"That's oddly sweet," Weiss admitted.
"Well isn't that nice to hear," Junichiro admitted, "To think you had such nice classmates. I'll go warm up breakfast."
Woz watched as Junichiro passed by, the two exchanging a look and gestures as they both wanted to make tonight a big night.
"Thanks," Sougo said before reminiscing, "Yeah, we didn't keep in contact much but it was always nice to be around him."
"Hey, wait, look at this!" Tsukuyomi pointed at Tsutomu's writing.
"…"My mentor is an incredible oni named Hibiki"…" Weiss read before her eyes widened, "Wait, hold on… didn't you all run into a Hibiki before?"
"Ruby did with Tsukasa," Geiz recalled, "He had transformed into Kamen Rider Hibiki during their fight back when we were dealing with Another Ghost."
"Then we've got a lead," Tsukuyomi realized.
"We should split up then!" Weiss suddenly declared before grabbing Tsukuyomi by the wrist and raising her arm up, "Tsukuyomi and I will try and search for this Tsutomu Tsusumiya while you and Geiz do the same."
"Huh?" Tsukuyomi was surprised by this sudden course of action. Before she could even argue she was dragged out of 9-5-DO by Weiss, only able to give a confused sound at Weiss' sudden proactive nature.
"Whoa, she's really raring to go today," Sougo chuckled before realizing something, "Hey we should call Ruby to get the rest of the team on this too."
"Sounds like a plan," Geiz said.
At an arcade it seemed like a young man was currently down on his luck, having lost a Tekken 7 match against an AI. He gritted his teeth and slammed his hand against the arcade cabinet, frustrated as this was a loss on top of a dozen other losses. He didn't seem all that well put together either, dressed in a black hoodie and sweatpants with messy hair, his facial expression showed that something else had been eating away at him for a long time.
"You've been doing that a lot, huh?" Uhr asked as he walked over and sat down nearby.
"Who asked you, buzz off…" The young man remarked.
"You're Tsutomu Tsusumiya, Hibiki's apprentice, right?" Uhr asked.
"Not anymore, I'm not," Tsutomu said in a bitter tone as he stood up and turned to leave, clearly not liking the way the conversation went.
"Would you be willing to help me lure Hibiki out?" Uhr asked before taking out an Anotherwatch, "I can make your dream of becoming an Oni a reality."
Tsutomu turned in surprise at that, only for Uhr to shove the Anotherwatch into him.
[HIBIKI!]
Tsutomu yelled out as dark wisps of energy wrapped around him, covering his body before purple flames began breaking through. The dark energy was burned away as his body was covered in purple flames. The fire had caught the attention of several arcade goers who had turned curiously at the screaming only to scream themselves. They all began to scream and run at the sight of Tsutomu's transformation.
Uhr smiled and walked away before noticing Cinder was leaning on one of the arcade machines.
"So this is how you all operate?" Cinder asked, "But why a random Another Rider? I thought Swartz had some plan with Another Zi-O?"
"He does, but he figured we should try and throw our opponents off a bit," Uhr admitted, "Not to mention if we get a strong enough Another Rider then it'll help us out."
"I see," Cinder said, "Though I assumed it was dangerous to lure out the counterpart of an Another Rider."
"Normally yes, but if I can make a Hibiki Ridewatch I can power our new Another Rider further," Uhr explained.
"That's a thing?" Cinder asked.
"It worked with Another Agito, and I managed to convince Swartz to let me have a second go at it," Uhr gave a shrug before skipping off, "So just sit back and watch how we do things on Earth."
"I look forward to seeing if this works out for you," Cinder said as she glanced to the side, wondering if that also applied to her and Ruby in regards to their Anotherwatch/Ridewatch.
"Weiss," Tsukuyomi called out as she was dragged along, "Weiss!"
"This is the perfect chance Tsukuyomi," Weiss called out as she continued to drag her friend towards the shopping district, "While everyone is busy working with finding Hibiki, we can spend all the time we need finding the perfect gift for Sougo's birthday!"
"But what if an Another Rider shows up?!" Tsukuyomi countered.
"They have Trinity and Silver Roze," Weiss reminded, clearly not bothered by the attempted counter.
Tsukuyomi looked around, noticing no one was nearby before flicking her free hand and catching Weiss in time stop. She stare in slight boredom as she removed her wrist from Weiss' grip before walking around and crossing her arms, dismissing the time stop.
Weiss stumbled a bit, "I-wait…" she paused when she saw Tsukuyomi glaring at her, "Oh right, you can do that…"
"Weiss, come on," Tsukuyomi sighed as she looked at her friend, "Is Sougo's birthday worth this much fussing over?"
"Maybe not to you, but to me I feel like it's important," Weiss replied before glancing down, "Especially as someone whose life essentially started to fall apart on one of my birthday's…"
"Weiss…" Tsukuyomi muttered.
"Regardless, as his girlfriend I feel some need to show some kind of appreciation to him," Weiss continued, "I just don't want to show up empty handed."
"Listen, having lived with Sougo I don't think he'd make that much of a fuss about it," Tsukuyomi admitted as she walked over and put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "I think he'd be more than happy at you being there and celebrating it with him."
Weiss sighed at this, "Still…"
"I think you're worrying too much about this," Tsukuyomi said before letting out a smile, "But given we're nearly there we might as well try and find something, right?"
Weiss looked over with a soft smile, "Thank you."
The two continued their walk after their brief stop and had just entered the shopping district when they heard someone screaming in pain. They quickly went to check it out and saw a crowd forming before the crowd itself began to yell and run off. Tsukuyomi and Weiss paused as a monstrous beast lumbered out from around the corner.
It had a bulky build, having thick red muscles with some purple mixed in. Its body was covered in brown fur and silver armor draped over. Its head was bright red, silver rimming forming an Oni-like mask with two giant horns.
"Another Hibiki…?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"That does look similar to what Ruby described that one time…" Weiss admitted as she thought back, "Though she mentioned Hibiki being more purple so why is it red?"
"Well we can't leave it alone," Tsukuyomi said as she brought out her Ziku Driver, loading in her Ridewatch before placing the Driver on her waist, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN~ RI~DER~ TSUKU~YOMI! TSU-KU-YO-MI!]
Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi stood alongside Weiss who had summoned the Chalice Arrow and Myrtenaster, the two charging forward at the supposed Another Rider.
The monstrous Oni charged straight ahead, planning on ramming into them with the Huntress and Rider both letting out a yelp. Weiss stabbed with Myrtenaster while Tsukuyomi went for a palm strike. The monstrous Oni though simply ducked forward, ramming through them and sending both tumbling away.
Sougo and Geiz were currently making their way through the city, Woz having said that he'd catch up later. The two were on their way to meet up with Ruby and the others though Geiz did have something on his mind.
"Why did that kid want to be an Oni, anyway?" Geiz asked.
"Apparently Oni take on the job of protecting people from evil," Sougo explained, recalling what Tsutomu had told him.
"A job…?" Geiz asked.
"From what he said they're like this ancient organization," Sougo continued, "He always said his mentor Hibiki was a great person."
"That sounds a lot like our Kamen Rider," Geiz said, "You think Ruby has some info we can use?"
"Well that's why we're meeting up," Sougo reminded.
Something felt wrong to the two in a sudden instant however, both of them getting chills up their spines as they quickly turned and rolled away from each other. A purple blur had launched out and landed past them. It was a monstrous purple armored being with red forearms and hands, gold decorating it as it had a monstrous red-outlined Oni-like face with two kanabo styled drumsticks attached to its back.
On its lower back was the date, 2005, vertically. When it fully turned and stood up, on its stomach vertically was the name, Hibiki. Standing before them was Another Hibiki.
"Hibiki…!" Geiz called out as he readied his Zikan Zax, "That's Another Hibiki!"
"Oh great," Sougo yelped as he began to dodge around Another Hibiki while bringing out the Zikan Girade.
The two slashed with their melee weapons, Another Hibiki blocking with its arms. It then kicked the two away before raising its arms again, both Geiz and Sougo having switched their weapons to their arrow and gun modes before firing off at Another Hibiki.
The two began to close in while shooting only to quickly duck down once Another Hibiki started spewing purple flames out of its mouth.
"Oh jeez," Sougo called out with as he quickly scrambled away, "Why didn't we transform first thing?"
"I think we're stuck on Remnant mode," Geiz admitted as he quickly got to his feet and backed away, "Let's go all out."
"No wait," Sougo held up his hand as he readied his Ziku Driver, "He attacked us first, something's going on here."
"I get it, you want to get a read on him," Geiz gave a nod, putting on his Driver as well, "But we'd be stupid to just run in with our base forms."
"Then we'll fight ancient with ancient," Sougo said as he loaded in his Zi-O and Kuuga Ridewatches.
"Pretty sure magic is just the thing you need to deal with Oni," Geiz loaded in his Geiz and Wizard Ridewatches.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
[KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
The two took their base forms as their Armor Times began to form in front of them before breaking apart and attaching themselves.
[ARMOR TIME!]
[KUUGA!]
[PLEASE! WIZARD!]
Another Hibiki drew out its kanabo-styled drum sticks, lighting them on fire and launching fireballs out at the two. Geiz immediately brought out a magic circle barrier, blocking the attacks as he closed in. He then spun, dismissing his barrier and unleashing a wind filled kick to force Another Hibiki to stagger back.
Zi-O gave a yell, leaping past Geiz and punching Another Hibiki square in the chest. He dodged and blocked against Another Hibiki's swings before performing a set of punches.
Another Hibiki spun away before lighting its kanabo sticks again and launching out more fireballs. Geiz had brought out another barrier but the fireballs instead impacted against the ground near him in Zi-O, the two yelling out as they were thrown backwards. Another Hibiki yelled as it attempted to close in only for several green lasers to shoot between it and the two Riders, forcing it to step back.
[ARMOR TIME! KAMEN RIDE! YEAH! ROSE! ROSE! RO~SE~!]
The sound of a motorcycle engine could be heard, Another Hibiki turning as it was struck from behind by Roze in Rose Armor riding the Rose Attacker. She then skidded to a stop before dismounting her Lock Vehicle as Penny landed near her.
"Salutations, Sougo, Geiz!" Penny gave a salute.
"Took you long enough," Geiz called out, "Where are the others?"
"Blake and Yang said to go on ahead once we heard fighting," Roze said, "Just what happened?"
"This guy just started attacking randomly and we're not sure why," Zi-O explained.
"Oh," Roze said as she noticed the choices that Zi-O and Geiz made with their arsenal, she then drew out the Beast Ridewatch, "Well guess I'll do the same, time for some ancient magic."
[FINAL WEAPON TIME! B-B-B-BEAST! MIRAGE MAGNUM!]
Roze brought out the blue and gold plated pistol weapon of Beast, twirling it in her hand before firing at Another Hibiki. The Another Rider gave a gasp it was struck by the blasts, being sent rolling against the ground.
Another Hibiki inhaled and rushed forward, ready to exhale when Penny leapt up and dropped in front of Roze. She cupped her hands together before thrusting them out, unleashing a burst of ice outwards. The ice struck Another Hibiki in the face, freezing it over. The Another Rider yelled as it grasped its face before cracking and shattering the ice.
"Sorry but it won't be that easy!" Roze called out as she spun around Penny, firing off several more energy blasts. Another Hibiki gasped out as it was struck, sparks flying as it staggered back.
Watching the fight was Uhr who was hidden behind a corner, "You all aren't the ones I'm after, come on out, Hibiki."
Another Hibiki had slammed its kanabo sticks on the ground, standing up before rushing forward only something to get in the way, that something being… a guitar? With a reverberation the guitar was swung, striking the Another Rider and sending it staggering back.
The culprit was a middle aged man in brown pants and a brown jacket, and upon closer inspection the guitar was modified, it acting as a sword as well.
"Problems with an Oni…" The man said before looking back at the others, "…should be handled by an Oni."
"Eh?" Zi-O tilted his head.
"Um…" Roze tried to speak up, "That's the thing…"
"This isn't your fight, leave it to me," The man insisted as he stabbed his guitar sword into the ground before holding up a wrist band on his left arm that held an Oni's face on it, he lifted up the front portion to reveal three strings before swiping his finger across it and holding his wrist up to his face.
Black reverberations could be seen before he held his arm upwards, lightning striking him as a result.
LIGHTNING!
A green aura surrounded him before he threw his arm back, dispersing it and revealing his transformed state. He had muscle-like dark green armoring with silver forearms and hands alongside various detailing to break up the coloring, a few reddish brown bands lining portions of his body.
TODOROKI!
This was the Oni Todoroki, and he wasted no time getting to work. Grabbing his guitar, the Ongekiken Retsurai, he prepared himself for battle, "Get ready!"
The three Riders and Penny could only watch as Todoroki rushed in, easily tanking through Another Hibiki's fire breath thanks to his Ongekiken. The Oni definitely lived up to his age, easily overwhelming Another Hibiki at close range combat.
"An Oni…?" Zi-O asked, "So is he our Hibiki?"
"No," Roze shook her head, "Hibiki is purple with red indentions forming a mask, but this guy is related given the aesthetics are similar."
Todoroki continued to overwhelm Another Hibiki in regards to close ranged combat, slamming his Ongekiken down against the Another Rider who was kneeling and blocked with its kanabo sticks.
"You're dragging the Oni's name through the mud, and I'm gonna put an end to it!" Todoroki called out as he forced Another Hibiki away before charging in to overwhelm him once more, twirling his weapon and landing several hits. He then had his back facing the Another Rider, stabbing into the monstrous Rider's gut with his Ongekiken, "Sonic Slash! Thunderstorm Tremor!"
The group of four watched as Todoroki removed a string-like buckle from his belt, attaching it to the guitar blade and opening it up to where it now formed the actual base of a guitar. He then began strumming heavily, a rhythmic beat occurring as green reverberations could be seen.
Penny's eyes couldn't help but light up at the finisher Todoroki was performing while everyone waited to see who would be behind the Another Rider.
But that wouldn't come to pass as a fireball struck at Todoroki's and Another Hibiki's feet, blowing them away from each other. Everyone quickly looked around, trying to figure out what had just happened but they couldn't find the culprit.
"What the…?" Todoroki asked before seemingly knowing what had happened, "What do you think you're doing?!"
Another Hibiki rasped out before quickly leaping away, deciding that it wasn't worth trying to fight the grouping against it at the moment. Todoroki could only give a growl as he began to run in place before running off to chase the Another Rider with a shout.
"Aw…" Penny lightly pouted when she realized she couldn't see Todoroki's completed finisher.
"What just happened…?" Geiz asked, "Who interrupted his attack?"
"I'm not sure," Roze said as she looked around before dismissing her transformation alongside the others.
"Hey!" Yang called out as she and Blake ran over, "Are we too late?"
"What happened?" Blake asked.
"Well we ran into an Another Rider, and then this Oni came and helped us out," Sougo said.
"But before he could use a finisher he was interrupted," Ruby added, "Then he ran off to chase after our Another Rider."
"So, that wasn't Hibiki, right?" Sougo asked, getting a nod from Ruby in response.
Uhr was ready to leave from his hiding spot until he watched someone in checkered pants and a brown leather jacket walk over.
"You're right, that wasn't Hibiki," The young man said as he walked over, hands in his pockets, "That was Todoroki."
"Who are you?" Geiz asked as everyone turned to look at the man.
"Me?" The young man asked before giving a unique salute, "I'm Kyosuke Kiriya, aka Hibiki."
"Huh…" Ruby trailed.
"Hibiki…?" Sougo asked as he realized they had hit the jackpot.
"Seems like you guys know what's up with that mockery of an Oni," Kyosuke said as he crossed his arms, "Mind filling me in?"
"Of course," Sougo hurried over before holding out a Blank Ridewatch, "Here you go."
"What's this?" Kyosuke asked as he took the Ridewatch.
"It'll come in handy for later, just hold onto it," Geiz said.
As the group made preparations to head back to 9-5-DO, they were unaware that Uhr was still watching them. The young Time Jacker simply smirked when he realized that all the pieces were in place now.
[ARMOR TIME! AGITO!]
Tsukuyomi yelled out, bringing out the Flame Saber and striking the monster Oni in the head as it charged at her. She had managed to strike it right between the horns, which caused it to pause. It was only a brief reprieve as it yelled out and pushed forward, shoving Tsukuyomi out of the way.
It tried to charge at the downed Tsukuyomi again only for a Glyph to appear in front of it.
[REFLECT!]
The Glyph became metallic in shading as the monster Oni charged, it bouncing off the Glyph and staggering back. It then turned towards Weiss and roared out while charging forward. Weiss had dodged out of the way only for her eyes to widen as the monster Oni immediately pivoted and lunged at her, barely giving her a chance to defend herself.
That was until a pair of red armored hands grabbed Gyuki by the horns. Soon enough coming into full view in front of Weiss was a purple Oni Rider, holding the signature red forearms and gloves alongside the red markings that made up his front mask. This was the Rider that Tsukasa had transformed into prior, Hibiki.
HIBIKI!
Hibiki gave a grunt as he tried to wrestle with the monster Oni before breathing in. A mouth hole opened up on his mask as he breathed out purple flames, engulfing the monster within them and sending it staggering back.
"No way…" Tsukuyomi managed to get up, "Is that…?"
"Hibiki…?" Weiss muttered, eyes wide at her savior.
"Yo!" Hibiki gave a unique salute towards the fallen Weiss before he turned towards the monster. He let out a breath as his body began to release steam and smoke, it starting to sizzle as if getting hotter and hotter until red fire erupted from his body. He spread his arms out, the fire bursting off and revealing crimson armoring instead of purple, his mask now having a silver bottom that acted as a mouth plate.
HIBIKI KURENAI!
"Hibiki Kurenai…" Hibiki spoke slowly before moving towards the monster Oni at a casual pace. The monster Oni rushed towards him only to receive several palm strikes to its gut. Hibiki continued to strike the monster Oni several times before drawing out his Ongekibou Rekka. They were lit on fire as he approached his opponent, "Sonic Stroke: Scorching True Crimson Style!"
He performed several strong strikes with his Ongekibou, drum beats being heard as he pounded into the monster Oni. He then slammed both at the same time, a loud drum beat being heard before an explosion of fire occurred, the monster Oni being sent flying back.
Hibiki let his arms drop before noticing that the monster was still intact, "Huh?"
The monster Oni let out a pained yell as it got up, shaking its head and stampeding off at great speeds.
"Hey, hey wait!" Hibiki called out as he saw what was going on.
"No wait!" Weiss called out, "You're Kamen Rider Hibiki, right?"
"Huh?" Hibiki turned towards Weiss, "How do you know about that title?"
"We were actually looking for you," Tsukuyomi admitted as she walked over, dismissing her transformation, "We think that Another Rider might have something to do with you."
"Another Rider…?" Hibiki asked as flames surrounded his suit, he soon dismissed his armor revealing a man in his mid-40's, wearing a purple accented climbing gear, "I think you're mistaken, that's a Legendary Makamou, Gyuki."
"Gyuki…?" Tsukuyomi and Weiss repeated.
"I was told by an acquaintance that strange happenings were going down here," Hibiki admitted, "And while I was told that there was potential Oni related problems, I wasn't expecting Gyuki. But what's this about an Another Rider?"
"It's… a long story," Weiss admitted.
"But we'd like you to have this," Tsukuyomi held up a Blank Ridewatch.
"I see," Hibiki said as he took the Ridewatch, "I suppose I can make some time if you know more about the situation than I do."
While everything was going on, Woz had currently been attempting to practice congratulating Sougo to little success. Despite his rehearsal he felt as though he was in a slump, unsure of what he could even do as his grandest attempts didn't seem to satisfy him. He had to quickly stop however when Sougo brought Kyosuke to 9-5-DO, the group setting up in the front as he peeked in from the closed door that led to the dining room.
With everyone settled, Kyosuke was given the rundown of what exactly was going on.
"Another Rider…" Kyosuke trailed, "So then he's being manipulated by your enemy?"
"But why…?" Yang asked, "Didn't they already get a Queen with Cinder?"
"Maybe they're trying to strengthen their forces now," Blake said, "Sougo did say that Swartz took the Zi-O Anotherwatch from Ironwood after he was defeated."
"Right," Sougo nodded.
"Given the Rider themselves can't fully defeat an Another Rider, that makes sense," Ruby said as she thought back to previous Another Rider plots before her eyes widened, "I think they're going to try and forcibly form a Hibiki Ridewatch."
"What would that do?" Kyosuke asked.
"If they had that then they could upgrade Another Hibiki into an evil version of Hibiki," Ruby explained, "It happened with the last Legend Rider we did this stuff with, Agito."
"Okay, so now I have to ask," Kyosuke said as he looked around, "What's with all the Watches?"
"You know that blank thing I gave you right?" Sougo asked before holding out the Kuuga Ridewatch, "It usually turns into one of these after we bond enough."
"Bond, huh…" Kyosuke asked with a slight hitched breath as he tapped his finger across the table a few times. This wasn't exactly the kind of situation he liked being in. He quickly stood up and walked to face away from everyone, "Even if it did form, I don't think I could consider you worthy of it."
"Wait, why?" Ruby asked.
"You all look pretty lacking, I doubt you're worthy to be Oni," Kyosuke replied, "You don't look like the type of people to train or work hard."
"Eh?" Sougo asked before looking around, "But we were training super hard like for all those months, right?"
"We were," Geiz gave a nod, "You're saying our training doesn't count?"
"I doubt it's on par with an Oni's," Kyosuke said.
"Listen buddy," Yang rolled her eyes, "They may not be Oni but you and they are definitely still Kamen Riders. You can't expect every Rider to be the same."
"Yeah, we just got done saving a world too!" Sougo said with slight excitement.
"It was definitely incredible to witness," Penny admitted with a nod.
"Saving a world?" Kyosuke asked, "What are you on about?"
"Oh? Did Tsukasa not gloat about it to you?" Sougo asked, "I assumed he would've told everyone who wasn't there by now."
"Tsukasa…?" Kyosuke was visibly confused, "Who's Tsukasa?"
"Wait… you don't know him?" Ruby asked to which Kyosuke shook his head. She narrowed her eyes slightly while Blake and Geiz did the same, "Huh…"
"Humor me okay, I at least want to see what you've got," Kyosuke crossed his arms, "So how about you impress me with some Taiko drum training to get that Watch of yours to form?"
"Taiko…?" Sougo asked.
"Exactly," Kyosuke said before doing a few gestures, "Oni like me use the Taiko. Purify the land, cleanse the evil energy, and celebrate nature."
"This feels like some elaborate joke…" Geiz gave a deadpanned stare, Blake and Yang nodding in agreement.
"Giving up already?" Kyosuke asked.
"I… I don't think that's the problem," Ruby trailed as she tried to figure out how to word her next response, "I think-"
"My overlord, we must! When it comes to celebrations I yield to no other!" Woz busted through the dining room door as he was filled with an unhinged excitement. It didn't take long for him to make his move, grabbing Kyosuke by both arms, "I will master whatever you have to teach!"
"Who are you?!" Kyosuke questioned.
"I am an Oni of Celebrations!" Woz declared while everyone in the room except for Penny had to immediately compose themselves to keep from bursting out with laughter. They knew Woz was strange, but this was the most absurd he had been in a while.
"Huh?" Ruby heard her Faizphone X ring and answered it, "Tsuki?"
"Hey Ruby, is everything alright on your end?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Yeah we ran into Another Hibiki," Ruby explained, "But we met Hibiki after the fight and we're about to try and form the Ridewatch before searching for the Another Rider."
"Wait… how…?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Huh?" Ruby asked, "What do you mean?"
"There's no way you could have been with Hibiki right now since we just saw…" Tsukuyomi muttered before she spoke up again, "Anyway, Weiss and I are looking into something involving the Oni. We're going to meet up with Todoroki."
Ruby narrowed her eyes at this, more suspicions growing before she gave a nod, "I'll send someone over to help with your investigation, alright?"
"Sounds good," Tsukuyomi said before hanging up.
"Hey Penny, think you can do me a favor?" Ruby asked, "Tsuki and Weiss are investigating something and we need someone to meet up with them."
"Of course, but there is something I wish to confirm," Penny said before looking over at Kyosuke, "Mr. Hibiki, sir, I have a question."
"Shoot," Kyosuke said, glad to have his attention off of Woz for a moment.
"Would the training that you happen to have planned out ever involve the guitar?" Penny asked, "Like the one Todoroki uses?"
"Huh?" Ruby tilted her head, a bit confused by her friend's words.
"No, I'm not specialized in that kind of sound style," Kyosuke shook his head.
"Very well then," Penny said before looking at Ruby and saluting, "I will take my leave and meet up with the others."
"Stay safe out there," Ruby said.
"I will, and good luck on your training," Penny nodded before walking out the door.
It had taken a while but Kyosuke had managed to lead everyone to a specialized training area that he'd use frequently. It was all outside, but there was a raised platform with cover over it that held three drums. Nearby were some weights for potential weight lifting. Near the drums was Sougo in the center with Geiz to his left and Woz to his right. The three had decided to go first as Kiriya observed near a doorway while Ruby, Blake and Yang were outside of the drumming area.
"Begin," Kyosuke instructed.
Sougo immediately began banging the drums with his Taiko sticks, and while keeping a steady pace there was no rhythm to it. Geiz and Woz meanwhile attempted Rhythm but were still getting the hang of it.
Ruby couldn't help but put a hand to her chin, deep in thought.
"You okay?" Yang asked.
"Just thinking," Ruby admitted, "While I don't think this'll work, I do think this might be some good practice for my eventual usage of Weapon Time."
"That's right, you said when Tsukasa transformed into Hibiki he used specialized drum sticks," Blake recalled, "So getting a hang of the rhythm might be good."
'This is magnificent…' Woz thought to himself as he got more enraptured in the training, 'I can think of no greater way to celebrate the advent of my overlord!'
In an instant and to everyone's surprise, Woz had quickly shoved Sougo and Geiz aside, taking over the center drum and drumming to his heart's content.
"Woz…?" Sougo asked, "You're freaking me out…"
"Just let him go," Geiz said, stopping Sougo from attempting to stop Woz.
Kyosuke meanwhile used everyone's distraction to walk inside, pulling out a journal and taking out two pictures. One was him with Hibiki who was in his Oni form, while the other was of him and a happier looking Tsutomu, 'Why did you leave… Tsutomu?'
Penny had eventually managed to meet up with Tsukuyomi and Weiss, with Tsukuyomi leading them forward based on Hibiki's report. They had made their way to a more forested area near a bridge that was over a river, the group traversing their way down the rocky path.
"He's supposed to have set up camp around here…" Tsukuyomi trailed as she looked around.
"So why are we trying to find Mr. Todoroki?" Penny asked.
"He might have a lead to help us try and figure out a piece of this big puzzle we walked into," Weiss admitted, she was ready to continue when she paused.
The sound of a guitar echoed through the area they were in, everyone soon seeing Todoroki sitting on a rock and playing his Ongekiken. Nearby was a van that contained all kinds of equipment and even a camping tent already set up.
The three chose to approach though Penny took the lead.
"Mr. Todoroki, greetings!" Penny called out.
"Huh?" Todoroki stopped playing before looking over, "Oh, you're that girl that was with those Riders, right?"
"Sorry to intrude but my group and I are investigating something," Penny explained before looking over at her friends, "I believe it has to do with that Another Rider, correct?"
"Not exactly…" Weiss trailed.
"Another Rider…?" Todoroki asked as he stood up, "That guy wasn't a Makamou then?"
"Wait, Makamou?" Penny asked.
"That thing was someone who was training to become and Oni," Todoroki explained as he walked over to his van to go clean his Ongekiken, "Usually if an Oni makes a mess, it's the mentor's responsibility to clean it up."
"His mentor…?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"A guy named Kyosuke Kiriya," Todoroki answered.
"Oh, you mean Hibiki?" Penny asked much to the confusion of her friends.
"Kyosuke told you that?" Todoroki asked, "Well, don't buy it."
"What?" Penny asked.
"The guy you mentioned isn't Hibiki," Weiss shook her head, "We actually ran into Hibiki and that's why we're here."
"You did?" Penny and Todoroki asked at the same time before looking over at each other.
"He asked us to talk to you," Tsukuyomi explained to the older Oni, "We ended up running into a legendary Makamou named Gyuki and he helped us out."
"I see..." Todoroki muttered before raising his voice, "I had actually thought that Another Rider of yours was Gyuki because of how it's formed."
"How it's formed?" Weiss asked.
"Normally it's only formed when an Oni gets bathed in bloodlust," Todoroki explained, "So I was surprised that this guy who hadn't become an Oni yet became one. Normally I'd be relieved at the Another Rider title… but you mentioning Gyuki showing up means that the situation is worse than I feared…"
A yell was heard, Another Hibiki leapt out of the trees nearby and landed away from the group, roaring out and causing everyone to get on guard.
"Oh no…" Tsukuyomi muttered.
"Good, we can deal with him here and now," Todoroki said.
"We can't actually," Weiss said, "Unless it's a specific kind of Ridewatch, all we'll be doing is stalling it."
"Penny, go back to the others and let them know what's going on," Tsukuyomi said.
"Of course," Penny saluted before running, using her jet boosters to launch into the air and fly off.
"Now then," Tsukuyomi readied her Ridewatch while Todoroki initiated his transformation, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN~ RI~DER~ TSUKU~YOMI! TSU-KU-YO-MI!]
TODOROKI!
Tsukuyomi and Todoroki took their armored forms, Weiss summoning the Chalice Arrow as Another Hibiki ran towards them.
Back at the training ground, Woz continued his descent into trying to perfect celebration as he continued to hog the center drum.
"REJOICE!" He yelled out.
Ruby meanwhile was to his left, practicing on the drum while making sure to keep out of Woz's way. It was difficult but it made for a good challenge. Though what also helped was her thinking back to her fight against Tsukasa when he used Hibiki against her. He recalled the way he timed his hits when he performed his finisher on her. So she worked on trying to emulate that, giving a bit of a smile as she seemed to be getting the hang of it.
Geiz and Sougo meanwhile were lifting weights, Yang spotting Geiz who was barbell training while also making sure Sougo wasn't overexerting himself with his dumbbell training. While the two had Aura to help boost their strength, she still didn't want them to accidentally pull anything while training. Blake meanwhile was sitting nearby, deciding to simply watch for the meantime and wondering what Kyosuke was even up to.
"Jeez…" Sougo groaned out as he set the weights down and went to sit on the grass, "Just what's the point of this anyway?"
Geiz meanwhile began to slow down as Yang helping him put the barbell up before he went to sit up.
"Come on, seriously?" Kyosuke asked as he walked out from around the training area, "If that's too much to handle, you'll never make it as an Oni. And I doubt the Watch will form even If you impress me."
"You know, given past experiences…" Blake spoke up as she thought on the situation, "I'm not sure this idea of yours will work."
"What do you mean by that?" Kyosuke asked.
"Well for one you're too detached from this whole training," Blake pointed out, "The other Riders tried to talk to us, get to know us. You haven't really tried to do any of that."
"Maybe my Watch is different," Kyosuke scoffed, "Why do you all need it that badly? What does it accomplish?"
"They let me become a King," Sougo explained with a smile, "My dream is to become a King and Kamen Rider."
"King and Kamen Rider…?" Kiriya repeated before giving a laugh, "You sure are a weird one. And you seriously believe that?"
"Well Alain's a King and Kamen Rider," Sougo mentioned offhandedly, "So I figure I've got a shot."
Blake could only snicker as she watched Kiriya's face grow from condescending to being confused at Sougo's words.
"He's an ally of ours," Yang spoke up, "King of a whole world and a Kamen Rider, pretty impressive."
"Regardless, I advise against impossible dreams," Kyosuke said with a slight bitter tone before turning and walking away, "You lose all hope when they don't pan out."
"What was that all about?" Blake muttered.
"Everyone," Penny suddenly landed nearby before running over, "The Another Rider showed up when we were talking to Todoroki! I was told to get you all!"
"Oh jeez," Ruby said before looking at Woz, "Woz, we need to leave."
Woz seemed to just ignore her as he continued to drum and drum.
"Okay fine," Ruby sighed before hurrying over to Blake and Yang, "Can you two grab Woz for us?"
"Sure," Blake gave a nod.
"We'll catch up in no time flat," Yang said.
"Alright Penny," Ruby hurried over, "I need you to lead the way."
"Affirmative," Penny said before running off to a more open area so the Riders could bring out their motorcycles. Of course Kyosuke had yet to go inside, having stopped when he heard Penny arrive and explain the situation. Noticing that Blake and Yang were distracted alongside Woz, he used this chance to secretly follow along.
The battle against Another Hibiki had ended up taking the four combatants further downstream. Weiss was launching long range attacks via Fireballs or Hard-Light Dust beams while Todoroki and Tsukuyomi both rushed in with their blades. Any time Tsukuyomi was open, Todoroki was already making up for her lack of defense by getting in the way and countering. He had managed to work around her rather well, and the two ended up beating back Another Hibiki as a result.
"Dang it, no one's here yet," Tsukuyomi hissed out.
"That's fine, I can at least stall his rampage," Todoroki said as he removed his buckle and attached it to his Ongekiken. He began strumming it rapidly, building up a fast paced rhythm that gathered energy in the tip at the bottom of his weapon. He then gave a yell and tossed it towards Another Hibiki.
The Ongekiken shot through the air as Another Hibiki flinched and went to brace, only for a clicking sound to occur. The next thing Another Hibiki knew, the attack had stopped in mid-air. Not to mention, its opponents were all frozen in place and glitch filled.
"Time… Jacker…" Tsukuyomi gritted her teeth as she tried to fight against the time stop.
"Not good…" Weiss muttered.
"If you could just back off," Uhr said as he walked into view, before gathering energy in his hand and spinning the Ongekiken back around. While Todoroki was a tempting target…
As soon as time was resumed the Ongekiken was hurtled back towards the Riders, specifically Tsukuyomi. She screamed out as she was struck by the finisher, it being sent too fast for her to properly stop time.
Todoorki and Weiss turned as Tsukuyomi was slammed against the ground, losing her transformation and being knocked into a daze.
"Good, the annoying one's out of the way," Uhr smirked, "I may not be able to directly fight anymore but I can still make it harder for you to fight."
"Just what was that move?!" Todoroki questioned.
"Cheating is what that was," Weiss sent a glare towards Uhr as she quickly ran in front of Tsukuyomi.
"Tsuki!"
The two turned when they heard revving, watching as Ruby, Sougo, and Geiz dismounted their bikes to run over with Penny.
"What the hell even happened?" Geiz asked as he rushed over to Tsukuyomi.
"Time Jacker," Weiss said.
"Oh, Hibiki didn't come along?" Uhr asked, still assuming that Kyosuke was Hibiki.
"Sorry to say but we're wrapping this up now," Ruby gave a glare as she brought out Silver Roze, "How about we purify this Oni?"
"Sounds good to me," Geiz said as he brought out his Geiz and Revive Ridewatches, "We'll back you up with some heavy hitting forms to make up for any lack in power."
"Good idea," Sougo gave a nod as he brought out Zi-O and Ex-Aid for his Ridewatches.
"Penny, Weiss, keep Tsuki safe alright?" Ruby asked.
"You can count on us," Penny gave a thumbs-up while Weiss gave a nod.
Ruby nodded before stepping forward with Geiz and Sougo, the three readying their transformations.
"Henshin!"
[SILVER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) SILVER! (SILVER!) SILVER~! ROZE!]
[REVE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
[ARMOR TIME! LEVEL UP! EX-AID!]
Roze, Geiz, and Zi-O all rushed forward to close in on Another Hibiki. Zi-O used his hammer gauntlets to go for powerful punches at mid-range, managing to force the Another Rider into a stagger. Geiz closed in and further opened the Another Rider up with a slash via his Jaclaw.
[SILVER HENKEI!]
Roze had brought out Silver Crescent, switching it to its spear mode and leaping over the two Riders, stabbing and striking Another Hibiki in its face. The Another Rider yelled out as it was sent staggering back. Another Hibiki lit its kanabo sticks on fire before unleashing a volley of fireballs, Geiz quickly moving to the front and taking against them while Zi-O and Roze stuck behind him.
With its fireballs defended against, the Another Rider began to move back towards the forested area of the riverside, the three Riders giving chase after him.
"There's no point if Hibiki isn't here!" Uhr whined as he quickly ran off to observe the situation from afar.
"Just why does he want Hibiki?" Todoroki asked.
"Likely to claim the Ridewatch," Penny deduced.
"If he gets the Ridewatch and gives it to Another Hibiki then we'll have a whole other level of trouble to deal with," Weiss said.
"Ugh…" Tsukuyomi shook her head as she began to regain her bearings, "W-What…"
"Just stay still, you got hit hard," Weiss said as she held out her Chalice Arrow and slid a card.
[RECOVERY!]
Green sparks began falling over Tsukuyomi, the recovery card helping Tsukuyomi heal faster.
"Sorry about that," Todoroki said as he picked up his Ongekiken.
"Its fine, but if-" Weiss paused when several loud roars could be heard echoing throughout the area, "W-What was that?"
"Oh no…" Todoroki muttered before standing up and gripping his Ongekiken, "Stay here and keep yourselves safe, I'm going to help your friends."
Before any of them could protest, Todoroki began running off towards the forest the Riders were moving into.
"Woz," Blake said.
Yang cupped her hands together, "Woz!"
The two's words couldn't reach Woz as he still continued to be lost in his drumming. Yang groaned before noticing a decently sized rock near her. She grabbed it before tossing it at Woz, managing to hit him out of his trance.
"Interrupt me not!" Woz shouted towards the two.
"The Another Rider's back," Blake spoke up, "We kind of want to get the whole crew together so we can finish this up."
"Geiz is at my Overlord's side, is he not?" Woz asked, "Not to mention Miss Rose and Young Tsukuyomi. You have all the necessary components for a standard victory. I see no issue."
"I mean… he does have a point," Yang admitted.
"Does he really though?" Blake asked.
"Right now there is something much more important I must attend to," Woz said as he solemnly slammed his stick into one of the side drums. He heard the confused noises from the two Huntresses and realized he needed to explain himself, "Preparing a suitable celebration for my Overlord's birthday!"
"Wait… is that why you've been acting weird today?" Yang asked.
"I know it's a big day because we've been kind of planning the party," Blake said before she slumped forward with a sigh, "But that's so stupid…"
"How is that?" Woz asked.
"You know that none of this would actually make Sougo happy, right?" Blake asked.
"That's preposterous," Woz scoffed.
"I mean… Blake does have a point," Yang admitted, "You really don't have an idea on how to celebrate with someone. To be honest your speeches come out as like, big ego trips."
"Yeah, you're just making yourself happy," Blake agreed.
"Should we just say we couldn't get him?" Yang asked.
"That might be best," Blake agreed before slowly walking off with Yang, the two unaware of Woz dropping his drum sticks.
"I do not know… how to celebrate…" Woz trailed in near shock, as he backed away, soon leaning against a railing and sliding to sit down before leaning over it, "That cannot be… Am I not he whom rejoicing and celebration personify…?"
While Another Hibiki assumed the forested area would give it the advantage, it ended up being wrong in that regard. Zi-O quickly used Ex-Aid's leaping abilities to bounce from tree to tree, striking at the Another Rider to open it up. Geiz and Roze rushed in, the two slashing and stabbing with their weapons as Zi-O managed to knock Another Hibiki around into their attacks.
"Alright, I think we can do this!" Zi-O called out.
"We can finish it," Geiz gave a nod, "Ruby!"
"Already on it," Roze switched her weapon back to its rifle mode before bringing out Crescent Rose, "You guys aren't Team RWBY but Goretsu should take care of the recoil."
"Right," Zi-O gave a nod, "Now to-"
CRASH!
The three Riders suddenly began looking around as trees could be audibly heard falling down at a rapid pace, with a few in the distance visibly being seen crashing down.
"Huh?" Zi-O looked around before activating his Semblance, soon noticing four red blobs rushing towards the area at insanely fast speeds, "Hey guys, we've got trouble!"
Before anyone could even ask what kind of trouble, four of the monstrous Gyuki all came roaring and rushing into view.
"W-What are those?!" Roze questioned.
"What the hell…?" Geiz asked.
"Those are Gyuki!" Todoroki called out as he ran over to the three, Ongekiken in hand, "The Legendary Makamou."
It didn't take long for Another Hibiki to look around in surprise as the four Gyuki began to move towards it and act protectively around it.
"Did they come to protect it?" Uhr muttered, having not noticed the Gyuki showing up due to being so focused on Hibiki.
"I take it we shouldn't be playing around anymore, huh?" Zi-O asked nervously.
"I don't know about Riders that much but you guys have better forms, right?" Todoroki asked to which he received nods, "Then bring them out, no time to be holding back, especially now!"
"Okay then, time for Roze RWBY," Roze said as she brought out her base and upgrade Ridewatches, readying them while Zi-O loaded in Zi-O II and Geiz spun his Revive Ridewatch to switch forms.
[RWBY TIME! DANKETSU YOTTSU NO TAMASHI! KAMEN RIDER ROZE RW~BY~! RWBY!]
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
[SPEED TIME! REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-I-VE SHI-PPU! SHIPPU!]
Zi-O assumed his upgraded form of Zi-O II while Geiz's Goretsu armor opened up to fully form Revive Shippu.
Roze meanwhile readied herself as the transformation kicked in, the four emblems for each member of Team RWBY launching outwards. Ruby's emblem slid up and slid down onto Roze, transforming her into the base of Roze RWBY to prepare for the transformation.
Yang's emblem split into two, Roze spreading her arms to the sides as the emblems slid through them, forming the dragon armoring on the arms. Blake's emblem appeared underneath Roze, sliding up her legs and forming the cat-like ninja armor for her lower body. Weiss' emblem came last and overlaid itself on top of Roze's chest and helmet, forming the Arma Gigas inspired chest and helmet armor. Soon enough Ruby's rose emblem and the energy cape soon formed afterwards as the Katakana flashed into view.
"Alright Team, let's go!" Roze called out ready to step forward when she felt her body moving on its own.
"Hey sis, could you give me some warning next time?!" Yang called out as Roze began to gesture for her.
"You're lucky we were just barely out of the training area before we passed out," Blake said as Roze adopted her mannerisms, "Though I suppose this confirms that our consciousness do go here and it's not a copy."
"Oh so this really is a Philip and Shotaro situation," Roze nodded in realization.
"Alright you three let's get it together!" Weiss called out as Roze moved as she would, before realizing what they were facing, "There's four Gyuki now?!"
"Wait how do you know?" Yang asked, "And what do you mean by now?!"
"You can ask questions later!" Geiz called out as he quickly sped forward, rapidly striking at the Gyuki to keep them distracted, Sougo rushing in with his Saikyo Zikan Girade while Todoroki moved to slash at one of the Gyuki with his Ongekiken.
"Yes sir!" All four members of Team RWBY called out as Roze gave a stiff salute of fear before rushing forward. Roze summoned Ember Celica, using her hands and hopping over a charging Gyuki. She then turned and sent several rapid punches at Gyuki's back, latching sticky grenades onto it before clenching her fists further.
The Gyuki turned to counter only for an explosion to occur on its back, stumbling forward as a result.
"There we go!" Yang called out as Roze punched forward while unleashing a blast, striking the Gyuki in the face and forcing it to step back. She then shook her fist as Yang spoke again, "Jeez, they're a bit hard headed."
"It looks to be based on an ox," Weiss noted.
"Bullheaded, got it," Yang said.
"Yang now is not the time!" Blake called out.
Roze could only give a groan before giving a yelp, blocking another charging Gyuki with Ember Celica before striking out with a hand, unleashing a Glyph to force it backwards. She then brought out a Hard-Light Glyph, bringing out Gambol Shroud and adding its properties to the weapon. She then slashed forward, a purple slash of energy splitting into multiple beams that struck at various points of the Gyuki's body.
The one that Roze had knocked back earlier tried to charge in only for Geiz to speed all around it, striking against it several times to spin it around. While his attacks were quick and powerful, they didn't seem enough to do any heavy damage.
Todoroki meanwhile gave a yell as he slashed against the Gyuki he was fighting. He was forced to dodge every now and again only to get struck in the chest by a spinning head-butt. Todoroki gasped as he was thrown back before striking at Gyuki in the gut with his Ongekiken when it tried to get on top of him. He stabbed the weapon in further and further before quickly pulling it out and rolling away.
Zi-O meanwhile had to contend with Another Hibiki and a Gyuki, using his Saikyo Zikan Girade to try and cleave through both with ease. Thankfully it was giving him the power he needed, and future sight was coming in hand when trying to deal with two opponents at once. He was caught off guard however when Another Hibiki lit its kanabo sticks on fire, enlarging them.
Another Hibiki yelled and lashed out, managing to use his twin extended kanabo and forcing Zi-O on the defensive. The Gyuki then charged in, ramming into Zi-O and forcing him to stagger back while losing his weapon.
"I need to end at least one of them quickly," Zi-O realized before initiating his finisher.
[RIDER FINISH TIME!]
The Gyuki charged forward, attempting to ram into Zi-O who ran at the Gyuki as well. At the last second he slipped past and pushed the Gyuki to the side, forcing it to fall face first onto the ground. He then leapt up into the air, glad that the Katakana for his finishers entrapped Another Hibiki at the same time.
[TWICE TIME BREAK!]
Zi-O yelled out as he kicked against Another Hibiki who defended with its kanabo sticks. Despite the defense, Zi-O was able to slip past and strike it directly in the chest.
But something went wrong.
All the Gyuki suddenly began to yell out as purple flames enveloped their bodies, and soon resonating with them was Another Hibiki, purple flames enveloping its body before an explosion occurred. Zi-O yelled out, losing his transformation alongside Another Hibiki who landed near a tree.
Another Hibiki soon transformed back into Tsutomu, the young man giving a light groan as he tried to get his bearings.
"What just happened?" Roze asked as she noticed the Gyuki she was fighting paused.
"The hell…?" Geiz asked.
"So it really was him, Tsutomu Tsusumiya," Todoroki said as he recognized the young man that was on the ground.
Sougo perked up at these words, quickly rushing over, "Tsutomu?!"
"What?" Geiz asked, "The classmate who wanted to become an Oni…?"
"It's you, Tsutomu, isn't it?" Sougo asked as he kneeled near his old classmate, the shock of meeting again like this completely making him miss the fact that Another Hibiki's Watch wasn't destroyed.
"Sougo…?" Tsutomu asked with a shudder, "Is that you?"
"What happened to you?" Sougo asked, realizing that Tsutomu didn't seem to be aware of his actions as Another Hibiki. He quickly went to help his old classmate up, "Please, tell me everything-"
Sougo was then forced to let go as Uhr initiated another Time Stop around the battlefield. He quickly leapt down towards Tsutomu, "It's not quite over yet."
Tsutomu could only gasp out as the Hibiki Anotherwatch was removed from his body and reactivated before being shoved back in. He could only yell out as flames covered his body.
[HIBIKI!]
Another Hibiki was now in Tsutomu's place, and went to smack Sougo out of the way just as Uhr released the Time Stop. Uhr had a satisfied smirk before leaping back into a tree to observe the fighting some more. At this point the Gyuki began to growl before moving again.
"Zi-O!" Geiz called out before realizing something, "Why didn't the Anotherwatch get destroyed this time?"
Another Hibiki simply yelled out, drawing its Kanabo again and rushing towards Geiz. Geiz quickly used Shippu's speed to slice past Another Hibiki. Another Hibiki turned and swung its Kanabo down at Geiz.
[POWERED TIME! REVE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
Geiz stood and watched as the Kanabo bounced off of him, jabbing with his Jaclaw's saw and forcing Another Hibiki back.
However the fight had been drawn out so long that Kyosuke was able to finally arrive. His eyes widened at what was going on, "Stop!"
Roze and Sougo turned to hear Kyosuke before they watched him take out a tuning fork that held a demons face on it. He tapped it against his fingers causing reverberations to visibly form and held it against his face. Purple flames bathed him as he lowered his arms, soon throwing his arms out before revealing his true form.
The transformed Kyosuke was a plain silver Oni with purple accents and gold armoring in some spots. He released a shout and rushed forward, pulling Geiz away before punching the powered up Rider in the face.
Geiz let out a light gasp at the cheap shot, stepping back, "Who the hell are you?!"
"I was right…" Roze narrowed her eyes as she quickly used a Gravity Glyph to pull a Gyuki away from her, "He really wasn't Hibiki."
"Oh right, Penny didn't have a chance to tell you all," Weiss realized.
"He's not Hibki in the slightest," Todoroki gave a nod, "He's just a nameless Oni, one who never earned the title of Hibiki."
"A nameless Oni…?" Sougo muttered.
"Really…?" Uhr asked in near disappointment, "He's not even Hibiki?"
"Even if you're an Oni, you get in my way and I'll crush you!" Geiz called out as he swung his Jaclaw, the saw spinning and striking both Kyosuke and Gyuki. The two yelled out and were sent rolling back.
Kyosuke however brought out his Ongekibou, lighting them on fire and launching fireballs at Geiz who merely walked through them. Another Hibiki meanwhile let out a yell as it enhanced its kanabo with fire, extending them again and rushing forward. Kyosuke turned at the yell only to get hit by the full force of the attack, yelling out and being slammed backwards into a tree.
Another Hibiki yelled out and charged towards the fallen nameless Oni.
"Tsutomu!" Kyosuke yelled out, his voice surprisingly causing Another Hibiki to pause.
"This is getting out of hand…" Sougo admitted as he went to draw out the Zi-O Ridewatch when he heard a bunch of strange animal noises. The noises caught everyone's attention, but especially Kyosuke's and Todoroki's.
"Hibiki Soko!"
Soon enough it could be seen that Hibiki was at the edge of the forest already in Kurenai Form. Various Disc Animals began flying towards him and latching onto his armor as it vented tons of steam, becoming extra armor for him. Fire began erupting from him before he shouted out, the fire bursting away and revealing his strongest form.
Oddly enough it made him look more like a standard Rider, having a black muscular bodysuit with red armor over it, gold trimming running along the armor as his helmet was an enhanced version of Kurenai forms. His Ongekibou were now stored on his back instead of the back of his waist, and he held a short red blade with silver trimming, the Armed Saber.
ARMED HIBIKI!
"Jackpot…" Uhr grinned.
"Whoa…" Roze muttered in awe, "That's…?"
Weiss hummed in confirmation.
"The real Kamen Rider Hibiki…"
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"I could never live up to my mentor."
"Seems like you all are missing a few things."
"So what's got you so down?"
"This… might feel a bit weird."
"Happy Birthday."
Chapter 99: 2019: Heisei Oni, Reiwa Oni
Author's Note: And we're back folks! We've got something similar here but with a lot of other additions of course. Weiss has been added to the "oh no it's Sougo's Birthday" group that is Woz, but in her own way. Hibiki's around and of all the pulls I could make, Gyuki from Decade is also here! Well there's more than one this time but the point still stands.
So yeah, we've entered the next Saga and that means a lot of things. But for now I'll mention that you can expect this to not run too long, we'll be finishing everything before the end of the year more than likely with Saga #5. Of course I'll mention I do have a twitter (I'm not calling it it's new name) account ZeroEnchiladas and Roze from Remnant does have a TV Tropes page you can take a gander at/edit if you so choose.
With that said, it feels nice to be back and I hope you're ready for this Saga cause I've got a lot of fun stuff planned. Thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time!