Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 103 – 2014: Surprise, Drive?!
Woz was currently lying down in his black void, staring up at the usual clock that shared the space with him. He noticed he was being watched before holding up his book.
"There now remain four Watches that Tokiwa Sougo must collect," Woz said as he lowered his arm, "Despite the hiccups with Fourze… we were able to break through and claim both the Fourze Ridewatch as well as a power-up for me, the Ginga Miridewatch."
He let out a grunt as he sat up before fully standing, opening up his book and flipping through the pages casually.
"We now have another powerful tool added to our arsenal," Woz said as he continued to look through the pages while walking through the endless void, "But despite the detours we must continue onwards as an old enemy will emerge from the space/time distortions that have started to grow. In order to combat them, we must seek the aid of the officer and Kamen Rider, Drive. However that's not the only thing we must contend with… or rather, what my Overlord must contend with…"
Earth – Early May 2019
At an old abandoned building there was a mess of rubble and various electronics scattered all around. The machinery began to spark suddenly before unleashing electricity that began striking at the center of the room as a distortion in space occurred. Out of the distortion a strange number projection appeared before it began to expand, becoming a grey mechanical humanoid monster with spider-like features, a black cloak covering most of its body.
"I… my core… it's been rebuilt…" he said as he looked over his body, "As the only Roidmude to tamper with time and space, it makes sense that I was able to rebuild myself after enough time had passed. All that's left now is to bring forth a new era for the Roidmudes!"
"I have good and bad news then."
The cloaked Roidmude turned to see Ora approaching him with a bored look. He began to move forward only to gasp as he was frozen in place by Ora flicking her feather earring. The Roidmude could only gasp, "W-What?"
"The bad news is you won't be able to regain the power you once had," Ora said in a dull tone before holding out an already formed Anotherwatch, "The good news is that if you contract with me then you may be able to regain that power."
"Do I have a choice…?" The Roidmude questioned before gasping as he was sent stumbling due to Ora dismissing the time stop.
"You don't have to accept my help," Ora said, "That'll get you the bad ending. But if you accept my help then you'll be on your way to becoming King."
"King…" the Roidmude muttered as he thought over his options, realizing he'd likely face opposition in his endeavors. His thoughts went to the one person who would try and stop him and so he grew frustrated, holding out his hand, "Give me it!"
"Here," Ora tossed the Roidmude the Anotherwatch.
"That man… my nemesis…" The Roidmude hissed out in near anger as he caught and gripped the Anotherwatch tightly, "The one who once destroyed my dream… I will put an end to him and become the King of a new era of Roidmudes!"
[DRIVE!]
A Few Days Later
Earth – Mid May 2019
It was a quiet morning at 9-5-DO as Geiz and Tsukuyomi were quietly going about waking up with even Woz doing the same. It was a very low-key day as even Weiss had chosen not to visit yet. Though in truth, that was a good thing as Sougo was currently freaking out.
"This is bad… this is bad… this is bad…" he said as he hurried down the stairs before pacing around the shop, and in a surprising display of skill he was able to avoid everyone and everything despite being engrossed in his worries.
"What's got him like this?" Geiz asked.
"I'm not sure," Tsukuyomi tilted her head slightly.
"What day is it?" Woz asked nonchalantly as he walked over.
"The 13th I think?" Geiz asked, "Why?"
"Oh that would explain it," Woz said as he pulled out the calendar he had used to keep track of Sougo's Birthday, it now turned to May but having a date marked on the 15th, "We're about two days away from Miss Schnee's Birthday."
Geiz and Tsukuyomi could only stare at the calendar before looking at each other and groaning loudly in unison.
"I thought we were done…" Tsukuyomi hung her head as Geiz patted her back.
"We'll get through this again," Geiz reassured with a sigh before pulling away and grabbing his head in frustration, "Seriously though! We're doing this again?!"
"My Overlord, whatever you decide for Miss Schnee I will support in whatever way I can!" Woz called out in attempt to calm Sougo down.
"But I don't know what to do!" Sougo admitted in worry, "Weiss specifically told me a few days ago she doesn't want anything big done for her Birthday so we can't throw a surprise party. Meaning I need to find a good gift to counterbalance the lack of surprise but I don't know what to get her!"
"Can an Another Rider attack already?" Geiz asked as he went to sit down at the front table, "It's been a while since Fourze, right?"
"No!" Sougo rushed over without hesitation and slammed his palms on the table, startling Geiz, "The last thing we need is an Another Rider…"
"You shouldn't worry so much," Tsukuyomi said, "I doubt Weiss is fussing over what she's going to do for her birthday right now."
It turned out that Tsukuyomi was right in that regard as Weiss was currently sitting in the living room of Team RWBY's apartment. She was with Penny, Blake and Yang who were all currently waiting for Ruby after their friend/leader had called a meeting. Though some were puzzled by the extra addition to their living space, which was a rolling floor mirror that was set up near the television. The four had decided to wait for Ruby by having the television on the local news, giving it a glance every now and again but kept the volume low.
"Alright…" Yang finally decided to speak up, "Why exactly are we having this meeting?"
"No clue," Weiss said before staring at the mirror, "I'm curious as to when we got a mirror though, not that I'm complaining."
"Oh I think that came in late yesterday," Yang said, "I ended up signing for the order since Ruby was taking a shower. She told me to just set it up near the television."
"Why did she order a mirror though?" Blake asked.
"Perhaps she wanted a bigger mirror?" Penny asked as everyone stared at her, "I have noticed her staring into the one in her room a bit more deeply than usual."
"Huh?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.
"Sorry about that," Ruby said as she exited her room before entering the living room, "I think we can start this meeting now."
"Good," Weiss sighed in relief, "Because we're very confused as to why you called a meeting."
"Right, well first I need our last guest to come on out," Ruby said as she walked over to the mirror, staring at her reflection, "Alright I know you can still mess around in mirrors so I figured I'd give you something comfortable."
Everyone could only stare in silence while Ruby was talking to herself, though the rest of her team started to realize what exactly Ruby was trying to do. Their suspicions were confirmed when they heard Ruby's voice come out of the mirror.
"You're too kind sometimes you know that?"
"If I didn't know that then you'd point it out just like now," Ruby smiled before going to stand beside the mirror, her reflection still staying despite her moving as it now had closed eyes. It wasn't long before the Ruby in the mirror opened her eyes to reveal they were gold in coloration.
Penny tilted her head, "Wha-"
"KAGAMI?!"
"Kagami…?" Penny repeated before raising her hand, "Who is this Ruby in the mirror with curious gold eyes?"
"Well isn't she cute," Kagami chuckled, "I can see why we like her."
"Shush!" Ruby turned towards her mirror self with a blush of embarrassment. She cleared her throat before looking over at Penny, "Back when we were facing Another Ryuga, my personal demon of sorts manifested as Kagami. I was on a pretty bad path and she was basically around to kick me into growing positively, both figuratively… and literally."
"Good times," Kagami let out a content sigh as she crossed her arms, "Teaming up with Hiryu to kick all of you around, especially while you guys were scattered and bickering…"
"Yeah not our best moments…" Blake admitted while Yang looked away in embarrassment.
"I see," Penny nodded.
"So why are you back anyway?" Yang asked, wanting to get back on the subject at hand.
"I feel the question is more how than why," Blake admitted.
"Yeah," Weiss nodded as she narrowed her eyes, "I assumed you wouldn't be able to return."
"Let's just say I was bonded pretty well to that Anotherwatch," Kagami said, "So when Cinder started to use it again, well… I got woken up from what I assumed was fully co-existing with my other self."
"She's been helping me when I've fought Cinder," Ruby added before looking over at the mirror, "That's why I was able to split into two during the Ginga incident."
"So is she just going to be around from now on?" Weiss asked.
"Probably until that Anotherwatch is fully dealt with, then I'll go quiet again," Kagami said before shrugging, "At least I think that's how it'll work."
"And that's all?" Weiss asked, "Sorry if I'm skeptical, it's just despite your intentions regarding Ruby…"
"She's been doing well, so I don't need to intervene," Kagami answered, "And even then I don't think I'd need to get violent given we've done this song and dance before."
"Glad to see you have faith in me," Ruby chuckled.
"Less that and more that I know what's going on in your head," Kagami replied as she tapped her forehead before looking at the rest of Team RWBY, "Trust me when I say once we deal with Cinder and the Anotherwatch she has, I'll likely disappear into coexistence again."
The three members of the team were indeed partially concerned about Kagami, since while she was part of Ruby, there was no telling if she'd become Another Roze again. But upon looking at Ruby they saw her simply give a reassuring nod. The three decided to relax after that, figuring that their leader knew best.
"So if that is the case," Penny spoke up to break the silence, "Then this meeting was to figure out how to deal with Cinder?"
"Well it was mostly in letting you all know Kagami's going to be around," Ruby admitted before rubbing the back of her neck, "I have no clue on how to deal with Cinder given that they were able to recreate Another Roze."
"The simplest way would be to kill her," Kagami said as she held up a finger, "After all even without the Another Rider powers she's still a Maiden and I don't think you'd want her still running around with her powers."
"That's the only way, huh?" Ruby asked.
"Normally yeah," Kagami said, "But if there's anything I know for sure about us, is that you'll find a different way to beat Cinder entirely. It's just trying to find that way."
"Well we are in a world that's defied Remnant's expectations for a while now," Weiss reminded, "There's probably a good solution with one of our Rider allies."
"For now we should probably just keep an eye on anything strange," Blake suggested, "I doubt Cinder will pull any big moves with the Time Jackers until we're close to getting all the Ridewatches."
"So for now just be on the lookout for any new Legend Rider commotion," Yang gave a thumbs-up, "Got it."
"It has been a bit since Fourze and Ginga…" Weiss trailed as she looked up, "I feel like we'll be getting something soon."
"If the television is to be believed then I think soon is actually now," Penny pointed at the television, everyone turning towards it as a result.
There was an emergency broadcast as video could be seen of several humanoid grey mechanical creatures walking through the streets and attacking. Each one was a specific one of three types, Spider, Bat, and Cobra. The labels on the report also listed them as Roidmudes.
"This just in, the dangerous mechanical life-form known as the Roidmudes have resurfaced," The reporter narrated over the current footage, "While there are no reports of Density Shifts in the areas they are attacking, caution is still advised. The First Division of the TMPD is currently attempting a counterstrike against this resurfacing."
"There is also a chance this is related to the sightings of what appeared to be Kamen Rider Drive in various spots of the city over the past few days. Though the TMPD has denied such rumors, they have said they are looking into it."
"Well… that was quick," Kagami remarked before vanishing as she returned to being Ruby's reflection.
"Alright, Weiss call Sougo," Ruby said as she looked around as everyone began to get up and prepare, "Because we've got our next Legend Rider."
Various officers were currently taking aim behind several squad cars, all of them firing at the approaching hoard of Roidmudes. While sparks flew, their bullets didn't seem to be enough to put a dent in the Roidmudes' armoring. All of them were shouting various questions and responses at each other while they did this. Why the Roidmudes came back, why they aren't using Density Shift, complaining about only having standard ammunition to use, etc.
"Hey so legitimate question," an officer ducked behind a car to reload, "Where's the G3 Unit?"
"Still under repair and trying to deal with a few tech issues that popped up after that incident specifically involving them," another officer said as he fired at the Roidmudes.
"Man we could really use a Kamen Rider," a third officer groaned, "Or at least we should've kept those other mass production units available for emergency use."
It wasn't long before tire screeching could be heard behind the officers, another squad car pulling up as two familiar faces to the officers stepped out.
"Officer Tomari! Captain Otta!"
The two that had just arrived were Shinnosuke Tomari and Captain Genpachiro Otta of the first division.
"This isn't looking good Gen," Shinnosuke said.
"I know, so here are some emergency high caliber bullets I was able to grab," Otta said as he quickly drew out a few ammo packs and tossed them over to the officers, "Courtesy of your Captain!"
"Thank you!"
Various officers caught the packs and instantly began loading up their guns with the new bullets. They took aim and fired, heavier sparks flying and forcing the Roidmudes to take a few steps back as a result.
"They seem sturdier than before," Shinnosuke said as he narrowed his eyes, realizing that this was likely the same sort of incident that both Goto and Hikawa had talked about, "Looks like I'll need to use it."
"I suppose so," Otta gave a nod, "It may not be Drive, but my wife's handiwork will still help you out. She's seemed to have worked out the kinks after all these years."
"Right, thank you," Shinnosuke said as he drew out a Driver he had rarely used except for emergencies, the Mach Driver Honoh. He let it latch onto his waist before he popped open the main slot, drawing out a Key-like device with an R symbol on it, "The Drive System Key… even if I don't have Belt-San…"
He slotted the key into the belt as he quickly rushed past the barricade of cars to face the Roidmudes head on.
[SIGNAL BIKE/SHIFT CAR!]
Shinnosuke held a hand forward before reeling it back and closing the Driver, "Henshin!"
[CHOU DEAD HEAT!]
Shinnosuke's body began to glow orange as red rings began shifting up and down around him, various mechanical armor-plating appearing over his body before latching on. A tire projection formed before slamming into him as his helmet fully formed, completing his transformation.
He had a predominantly black and bulky body that held mechanical pieces ingrained into it, red armoring was placed over though it was somewhat sloppy in terms of how it was place. Even his helmet which was Rider-like was covered by silver mechanical pieces. This was an emergency form and the only form Shinnosuke could access at the moment, Chou Dead Heat Drive.
Drive shouted as he rushed forward, heading straight for the mob of Roidmudes to fight against them. The Roidmudes all yelled out and charged against Drive, all of them trying to gang up on him. The officer was able to deal with them for the most part despite their great numbers. This was because he still had his police training to keep him from getting rusty in a fight, thus allowing him to maneuver the crowd with somewhat ease.
Whenever the crowd would get too overwhelming, Otta had ordered the officers to shoot at the Roidmudes they could. This allowed a few to falter and stagger in their attacks, allowing Drive to easily regain his momentum and keep pace again.
"I knew it," Drive muttered to himself as he grappled with a Roidmude. He noticed that the signature indicator of them, their chest plates, were blank, "These are just copies."
It wasn't long before Team RWBY and Penny arrived from one of the sides of the area, the police barricade having only been set up at a chokepoint to keep the Roidmudes from advancing and to draw attention to the officers instead of civilians.
"Who is that mechanical Rider?" Penny asked as she watched Drive face off against the Roidmudes.
"I feel like I…" Ruby muttered before snapping her fingers when she saw a clearer view of the helmet, "Kamen Rider Drive!"
"That's right," Weiss said, "I seem to recall you mentioning you had the most details on him."
"He was a public Kamen Rider like Ex-Aid was," Ruby gave a nod.
"Something seems off though," Yang held her chin as she watched the fight progress, "That doesn't look like his normal form."
"Well apparently Drive retired after the Roidmudes were taken care of," Ruby said, "And by Drive I'm assuming they meant the armor and equipment."
"Then we should get in there," Blake suggested.
"Sounds good to me," Ruby said as she prepared her Ziku Driver and Roze Ridewatch, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
Roze's transformation completed itself as she brought out Crescent Rose, leaping into the air with Petal Burst and taking aim. She fired several shots against the Roidmudes near Drive to damage them and open them up for the car-based Rider.
Drive looked in surprise before watching as Roze landed nearby, the female Rider opening up her rifle into its scythe formation and cutting against a few Roidmudes while landing. It wasn't long before he noticed the rest of Team RWBY and Penny rushing in with their weapons at the ready.
"Huh? Who are those girls?" an officer asked.
"There's a Rider with them though," another officer spoke up.
"Hmm…" Otta said as he stared intently at the fight, "Could it be…?"
"Could it be what?" the first officer asked.
"A Kamen Rider… and her allies who are not Riders…" Otta said as he recalled a conversation he and Shinosuke had with Goto, though he was trying to remember the right details, "THAT'S TEAM ROSE LED BY KAMEN RIDER RUBY!"
"EH?!"
Otta paused when he saw three of the girls, the new Rider and even Drive exclaim at his statement.
"Gen, that's wrong!" Drive called out as he held a Roidmude off in a grapple, "That's totally wrong!"
"It's Team RWBY and my name is Kamen Rider Roze!" Roze called out as she quickly spun and struck a Roidmude in the chest with her scythe, "Is he usually like this?"
"Sometimes…" Drive admitted as he kicked the Roidmude he was facing away, "So you're Kamen Rider Roze?"
"I take it you've heard of me?" Roze asked.
"Of course and I appreciate the help," Drive said, "So let's kick this into top gear!"
"Yes sir," Roze said before dismissing Crescent Rose and bringing out the Fourze Ridewatch, "These are machines, right?"
"Yes," Drive said, "You have an idea?"
"Just hit hard and strike them with the one thing that'll hurt them!" Roze said as she slotted the Fourze Ridewatch onto her Driver.
[FOURZE! WEAPON TIME! BILLY THE ROD!]
Ruby summoned yellow short rod-weapon, taking the plug that it had and slotting it into the left socket of the weapon, electrifying the pole of the rod. She rushed forward to strike swiftly at the Roidmudes near her, electrifying them and forcing them back.
[BIO!]
Weiss had launched out two vine-like whips from her Chalice Arrow to ensnare a Roidmude before coating Myrtenaster with electricity via Electricity Dust infused Glyph, unleashing electric shocks through the vines to send the Roidmude reeling back before exploding.
Penny meanwhile had thought of a similar idea but retracted Floating Array, she leapt into a grouping of Roidmudes and brought out crystal-like copies of Floating Array, charging them with electricity while slashing out with them like she normally would, the electrified crystal blades embedding themselves into the Roidmudes, the mechanical enemies tumbling back and exploding.
Yang and Blake weren't able to go for the easy method with the Roidmudes so the two had chosen to team up, Yang going for heavy blows with her Knuckles with Blake striking the finishing blow against them thanks to her Gashacon Sparrow slicing through.
[CHOU DEAD HEAT!]
Drive meanwhile went for punches and kicks, tapping the main button of his Mach Driver and boosting his attacks further. The remaining Roidmudes all gathered up after being damaged and beaten back, giving yells as one Bat Roidmude extended its collar to form wings, flying up into the air.
"Roze, let's finish this!" Drive called out.
"Already ahead of you," Roze said as she switched the plug to the right socket and brought out the Elec Switch to charge up the finisher, "I go low, you go high!"
Drive nodded before opening his Driver, initiating his finisher before closing it again.
[HISSATSU! BURST! FULL THROTTLE!]
[LIMIT BREAK!]
Roze switched Billy the Rod to a reverse grip before stabbing the ground, "Rider Ten Billion Bolt Burst!"
"Rider Punch," Drive muttered as he leapt upwards, his right fist glowing with energy as he flew straight towards the Bat Roidmude.
Electricity launched out and struck the grounded Roidmudes, sparks flying as the electricity pierced through and damaged them heavily.
[CHOU DEAD HEAT!]
Drive yelled out as he had let himself fall a bit, allowing himself to duck underneath the Bat Roidmudes grab, punching it directly in the stomach. The Bat Roidmude could only yell out as red energy began entering and overloading its body.
Drive landed as the Bat Roidmude fell back into the electrocuted crowd of Roidmudes, soon exploding and causing a chain of explosions that occurred.
"Nice job sis," Yang called out.
"Thanks for your help," Drive said as he walked over to Roze, "Do you know what-"
A sudden bright wave was shot through the area, everyone suddenly lagging and slowing down in real time, except for Drive.
Otta gave a gasp as his body lagged, "D-Density Shift?!"
"W-What is this?!" Weiss gasped out as she tried to gain control of her movements but they were too heavy and lagged that she was just barely catching up with her mind.
"C-Crap…" Roze said as she realized that they were in no position to be fighting Roidmudes. Except as she barely turned her head she was surprised to see the source of the Density Shift.
Walking onto the scene was what one could only describe as a living car-wreck. The body was predominantly black with red armoring all over, however the armoring was messy with a few silver parts and wires sticking out all over the place. The left arm was interesting as it looked to have a busted car door strapped to it. The face was a dead ringer for Drive's but more humanoid and mashed together out of machinery, even more so than Chou Dead Heat Drive.
The left pectoral of his armor held the word Drive, while the left shoulder had the year, 2014. Everyone could only hope to just barely catch a glimpse of this newcomer, the Huntresses realizing they had just run into Another Drive.
"You…" Drive said as he stared his corrupted counterpart down before immediately rushing for the Another Rider. He knew he was the only one who could do so right now, so regardless of his incomplete state he sent a punch directly at Another Drive.
Another Drive blocked the attack with his arm shield, throwing Drive's punch back. He then took aim, firing lasers from his shield and striking Drive to force the Rider backwards.
Drive gave a gasp as sparks flew, staggering back before bracing against the blasts, "The Door-Ju?"
"N-Not g-good…" Roze said as she tried to push through the Density Shift only to keep moving sluggishly.
"Not Bad," Another Drive finally spoke up, "However you cannot beat me you incomplete Kamen Rider."
Another Drive's wheel hub embedded in his shoulder began glowing bright before unleashing several energy tires out towards his real Rider counterpart, managing to land a few hits on Drive as a result. The Another Rider then yelled out before rushing forward for a punch only to suddenly freeze in place, his body starting to glitch.
The Density Shift was cancelled out because of this, everyone gasping and nearly falling forward before looking around.
"Is everyone alright?" Tsukuyomi asked as she had yet to transform, having her hand out as she was the one who had stopped Another Drive.
"Tsuki," Roze called in relief, "Nice save!"
"So it's Another Drive this time," Geiz said as he hurried over to Tsukuyomi alongside Sougo and Woz, "If only I still had the Drive Ridewatch…"
"Like that matters," Woz said, "We have forms that can beat it now and Drive is right here, my Overlord can claim the Watch easily."
"Yeah, so let's hurry this up," Sougo gave a nod.
Another Drive unleashed a smaller Density Shift, managing to break free from Tsukuyomi's time stop as it stumbled forward.
"Damn it," Another Drive hissed out, "If I was at full power I would have been able to cover a wider radius with that initial burst…"
"Just who are you?" Drive questioned.
"To think you can't remember me, especially after everything I put you through… how insulting…" Another Drive scoffed as he held his left arm close before swinging it out, unleashing blasts of energy out towards everyone, sparks flying and forcing everyone back.
By the time that everyone had a chance to regain their bearings, Another Drive was already gone.
"He got away," Drive sighed before dismissing his transformation alongside Roze before the rest of the Riders and Huntresses began to walk over to the two.
"Alright, looks like we've got our next Rider," Ruby said before looking over at Shinnosuke, "But we're going to have some trouble if that thing can use Density Shift."
"Tsukuyomi seems to be able to get through it with ease," Yang said.
"But we can't really rely on her," Sougo said, "So having something else would be good."
"Yes, going underprepared against the Roidmudes isn't the best idea," Shinnosuke agreed.
"Don't worry about it!" Otta called out as he ran over, "In times like these we need to regroup and plan our next move. So just leave that to Genpachiro Otta, Captain of the First Division!"
"Reliable as ever Gen," Shinnosuke chuckled and put a hand on his friends shoulder, "I suppose it's time to bring the old crew back?"
"Yep," Otta said as he looked over with a smile, "It's time for the Special Investigation Unit to reunite… again!"
There was one question on everyone's mind however at those words.
"…again?"
"Damn it," Another Drive hissed out as he returned to where he received his power, what he considered his secret base, "I can easily crush Shinnosuke Tomari, but I don't have the necessary power to fight all those other interlopers."
"Keep utilizing that form and allow your ambition to overflow," Ora said in a rather dull tone as she appeared back to back with the Another Rider, "That will allow you to grow stronger."
"I feel as though my ambition is at my peak," Another Drive hissed out as he turned around, "So what kind of garbage advice is that?!"
"If your ambition is at its peak then think about your prior defeat, how much it enraged you," Ora said as she turned around with a bored look, "Strong enough emotions will allow you to grow your power."
"Just think of my hatred…" Another Drive said as he gripped his fist tightly, "Shinnosuke Tomari… Kamen Rider Drive… the one who managed to somehow get in my way after I had won…" he turned and yelled out as his body began to shine a bright gold, "I won't forgive him! I'll destroy him and any Kamen Rider that thinks they're grander than the mere pebbles they are!"
It wasn't long before energy erupted from Another Drive, forming into three full bodied Plain Roidmudes before they shifted even further. The numbers 001, 007, and 106 flashed over their bodies as two of them transformed into similarly designed red Roidmudes, the first had blades on its arms while the second had a hood-like head alongside a hook. The third meanwhile radiated a powerful aura as it was snow white in its armored appearance, having an ice motif to it.
"Oho…" Another Drive gave a surprised chuckle as he stared at the Roidmudes, "The Sword and Thief Roidmudes… alongside Freeze. These will do well."
"Not bad," Ora mused with a light smile only for that to fade into a frown. She was realizing that while it was a good next step, this wasn't exactly impressive in the long run since the three Roidmudes before them seemed to be simple copies and not full on revivals, "But…"
"So this is your next plan."
Another Drive, the three Roidmudes and Ora turned all to see Finis walking over.
"Who are you supposed to be?" Another Drive asked.
"Just an accomplice of Ora's," Finis said, "I must admit you make the perfect Another Drive… however you need something more than just these Roidmudes you were able to create if you want to last long enough."
"What did you say?" Another Drive hissed out and stepped forward only to be blocked by Ora's arm.
"What are you suggesting?" Ora asked in a curious but strained voice, clearly at her limit for caring about Finis' suggestions.
"There's a prime Another Rider candidate that you can also use," Finis said as they held out a Blank Watch, "One that will keep them from immediately finishing it off if the correct conditions are met."
"And why exactly are you keen on helping?" Ora asked as she narrowed her eyes as she grew suspicious.
"Come now," Finis scoffed, "Swartz has made it pretty clear who he wants for a King. So why not prove him wrong by making one of our own to compliment our current Queen?"
"You make a fair point," Ora crossed her arms, "So who did you have in mind?"
"Well…" Finis gave a devilish grin before staring at the Blank Ridewatch.
It didn't take long for Shinnosuke to start making arrangements to meet at the First Division Headquarters. Of course Sougo had made sure to give Shinnosuke a Blank Ridewatch to hold onto just in case. While Otta went to gather the rest of their old team, Shinnosuke was leading Teams RWBY and Zi-O alongside Penny through the First Division Headquarters.
"So because you're an officer, you know just about every other Rider who's an officer, huh?" Sougo asked as he had taken the lead with Ruby.
"Just about," Shinnosuke replied, "Though for those who aren't as public as say me and Hikawa, I like to keep it close to my chest."
"Right, right," Ruby nodded, "That explains how you and your friend knew about us… well you anyway."
"Sorry about Gen," Shinnosuke gave a sheepish smile as he rubbed the back of his neck, "He gets things mixed up from time to time."
"So where exactly are we heading?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"We're going to be meeting with my old team, one of which is the Deputy Commissioner," Shinnosuke explained, "Gen called him up first so that we could take the lead of this case and avoid any police casualties."
It wasn't long before Shinnosuke led the group to a door, everyone entering and finding themselves in a fairly spacious office with a few chairs around. At the desk was an older man who was currently wearing a standard suit but had an oddly pink and red striped tie.
"Still going off your fortunes?" Shinnosuke asked as he immediately guessed why the tie was odd.
"Well of course Tomari," The man said with a smile as he held up his phone and looked at it for a few moments, "My lucky colors today are red and pink, and it looks like they came in handy given your guests."
Sougo and Ruby could only glance at each other, realizing that the colors of the tie matched their personal colors.
"Right," Shinnosuke stepped aside and gestured to the large group before him, "These are the Kamen Riders that have been dealing with the monstrous Rider related attacks since September."
"Ah right, I seem to recall reading about those," The older man said before stepping from behind his desk and bowing, "I'm Jun Honganji, Deputy Commissioner of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Thank you for your work all these months."
"It's no problem," Ruby held her hands up with a nervous smile.
"Yeah, it's what we do," Yang gave a thumbs-up.
"It definitely feels longer than several months though," Weiss sighed.
"Time and Dimensional Travel definitely complicate the statement," Blake admitted in a low voice.
"So do you all have any details about the situation aside from what we've seen?" Geiz asked.
"Yes, any and all information would be nice," Woz admitted, "The sooner we can finish this the better."
"Well we've had reports of Kamen Rider Drive appearing for the past few days," Jun admitted as he went over to his desk and pulled out a laptop. He put it on a separate desk and had everyone huddle around before showing blurry images of an armored red monstrous figure.
"That definitely matches up with Another Drive," Shinnosuke said, "But why only just start attacking?"
"And it didn't even attack at first," Weiss reminded, "It was the Roidmudes attacking before he showed up."
"Maybe it was trying to build up an army?" Blake asked.
"That wouldn't explain why it would be out and about," Geiz said, "Wouldn't it want to be relatively unknown until it attacked?"
"Hmm…" Penny was curious about this since from what she recalled the Roidmudes were mechanical life forms. She figured that Another Drive was circumventing the need for parts, but then why would the Another Rider need to move around.
"Alright, we're here! The Special Investigation Unit is back in action!"
Everyone could only jump slightly as they heard Otta's loud voice, turning as they watched him walk in with two individuals.
"Everyone, this is Rinna Sawagami, my lovely wife," Otta gestured towards the woman in a lab coat to his left who gave a flattered smile and a wave.
"Hello there," Rina said with a flattered smile and a wave.
"Wait a minute, the same Rinna Sawagami who just recently opened the Sawagami Research Institute?" Weiss asked.
"That would be me, yes," Rinna smiled further, "Of course before my rise in fame I was a part of the Special Investigation Unit as their tech specialist."
"She's the reason I can still transform if there's an emergency," Shinnosuke explained as he held up the Mach Driver.
"I take it the new Driver is treating you well?" Rinna asked.
"Of course," Shinnosuke nodded.
Otta then gestured to a rather short man who was with him, "And last but not least, this is our Network Specialist…"
"Kyu Saijo?" Blake finished in near surprise, having to keep quiet while Rinna was being introduced but once Kyu's introduction started she couldn't help but interrupt. This resulted in everyone turning towards her in surprise, "Am I correct?"
"T-That's right," Kyu said as he pushed up his glasses, soon realizing how Blake knew his name, "I take it…"
"Yes, I'm a big fan of your books," Blake said before still noticing all the stares she was getting, "Kyu here is a hit author. I actually ended up reading through one of his earlier books, Mechanical Friendship a while back and enjoyed it. I've also been checking out your other works ever since whenever I get the chance."
"I'm glad you like them," Kyu smiled.
"Oh yes those are wonderful books," Penny gave a nod, "I actually borrowed a few from Blake and they are fascinating reads."
"Huh would you look at that," Shinnosuke smirked.
"Also don't worry, I informed them of everything," Otta added before getting a few stares, "A-And I made sure to not get the details confused this time…"
"Good," Shinnosuke sighed in relief.
"We're ready and willing to help however we can," Kyu said.
"Where's Gou?" Shinnosuke asked, noticing that they were short a couple of members.
"I tried calling him up but he just didn't answer," Otta shook his head, "Though it's probably, you know."
"Oh it absolutely is that," Rinna sighed, "I keep telling him to take a break but you know Gou, especially when it comes to him."
"I take it Kiriko couldn't show up either?" Kyu asked as he looked around.
"Yeah," Shinnosuke gave a nod, "I called her and asked her if she'd like to join in but despite really wanting to she said she couldn't since she has to take care of Eiji."
"Understandable," Otta gave a nod before giving a smile, "How is the little tike doing anyway?"
"Very well, even if it is exhausting on some nights," Shinnosuke admitted with a smile.
"Eh?" Sougo tilted his head, "Wait…"
"Oh that's right," Shinosuke said before showing his wedding ring, "I'm a happily married man with a son."
"Huh…" Sougo slowly nodded, now wondering if he could get the advice he needed from Shinnosuke.
"Okay, so happy family stuff aside…" Geiz cleared his throat, "How exactly do we go about this?"
"We need to figure out what Another Drive is up to," Shinnosuke said, "Then we can track him down and surprise him."
"We barely have any clues though," Ruby pointed out, "Plus there's another pressing issue, Density Shift."
"Well we do have Tsukuyomi," Yang reminded, "I know it's not full-proof, but…"
"I can also deal with it if necessary," Woz added in a matter of fact tone.
"And if Tsuki gets caught in it?" Ruby asked, "It's not time stop but that lag's going to have her take a bit."
"That is true," Tsukuyomi realized, "I was lucky we weren't inside that Density Shift field."
"I also don't trust you because you could just be boasting," Geiz looked over at Woz.
"When it comes to my new power, anything is possible," Woz answered with confidence.
"Regardless," Ruby steered the conversation before an argument could break out and looked around at those who made up the Special Investigation Unit, "Do we have any way to combat Density Shift? Like something each of us can wear or…?"
"Well there is the Heavy Accelerating Reducing Machine," Rinna said, "Or Pikopiko for short."
"I don't think any of them want to wear that heavy backpack…" Shinnosuke said with a bored stare, "Given the best we've likely got is the Mark 3 since the 4's were destroyed before they could be used… if we had Belt-San and the Shift Cars though…"
"But he locked those away with himself forever," Rinna reminded, "While respecting his wishes is what we should do, even if we wanted to we can't break through the vault he sealed himself into."
"Um… what exactly happened?" Sougo asked as he raised his hand, "Is it why Shinnosuke isn't really Drive anymore?"
"At the end of our fight, Belt-San or rather Krim Steinbelt, locked himself away alongside all of the Rider Gear created for us," Shinnosuke explained, "He figured the main technology of it all, the Core Driviars, were too dangerous to be kept out in the open."
"And he didn't have any emergency plans in place just in case something related to this happened again?" Ruby asked.
"I don't think he was predicting whatever this Another Rider business counts as," Shinnosuke admitted.
"So all we would need to do is open the vault he locked himself in," Penny spoke up, "Correct?"
"Well, yes…" Shinnosuke gave a nod, "But I don't think it's as simple as trying to pry it open…"
"Oh I was not going to suggest that," Penny shook her head, "I would need some assistance from our Special Investigation friends, but if I can hack into the lock system I might be able to undo the seal so that we can meet with Belt-San."
"You're a master hacker?" Kyu asked.
"No but I am mechanical in nature," Penny admitted as she held up a finger, it opening up to reveal a connector port for her to plug in, "And I believe if given the right tools, I can likely send myself into the lock mechanism's program myself and undo it manually."
"Huh, that's pretty incredible," Rinna admitted.
"Of course she is," Ruby said with a proud smirk.
"But that is only if you wish to do so Shinnosuke," Penny turned over towards the officer, "I do not wish to breach any trust that you and Belt-San had."
Shinnosuke put a hand over his mouth as he thought on what his decision would be. Everyone stared at him intently and the ones who knew him more closely wondered if he was going to answer anytime soon.
The phone suddenly began ringing as Jun rushed over to it before answering in a courteous manner. His face dropped when he heard the news, "What? Yes I'll check it out now."
"What's going on?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"This," Jun said as he drew out a remote and clicked a button, turning on the television in his office and changing it to the news station.
"Breaking News: More Roidmudes are attacking the city. These are to be considered dangerous as they match the profiles of several high ranking criminals that Kamen Rider Drive had once fought in the past."
Everyone could only stare in surprise as the Sword, Thief and Freeze Roidmudes could be seen, all three of them causing various levels of destruction to the surroundings.
Shinnosuke's eyes widened, "Freeze!"
"Hey, hey, that's Thief too!" Kyu called out, "Did he get out of jail?"
"Doubtful, we would've been made aware of a breakout by now," Otta replied, "And since we haven't that means there's only one possible explanation for him and Sword…"
"They're copies," Rinna said.
"Okay, so if they're copies we should be fine right?" Yang asked.
"Maybe, maybe not," Shinnosuke admitted as he put a hand to his chin, "These three are very personal enemies, and very dangerous ones too. Even if they are copies I wouldn't underestimate them."
"They're trying to draw you out," Ruby realized.
"I know," Shinnosuke said before gripping his tie and tightening it up, "That's why I'm in Top Gear now…"
"Whoa," Sougo slightly shivered, feeling a change in Shinnosuke's demeanor.
"There's one thing we need to do in order to stop these guys," Shinnosuke said as he turned towards everyone, but he looked over at Penny in particular.
Panic had overtaken a plaza as the Freeze, Sword, and Thief Roidmudes were continuing to rampage to their hearts content. Freeze was sending freezing blasts outwards, anything they touched being instantly turned to ice and shattering. Thief was currently unleashing energy versions of its hook weapon while also lashing out with a tendril it could form from its chest.
The Sword Roidmude meanwhile was straying farther from the other two since it wanted to deal damage up close and personal. It sliced through anything it could, only just barely missing a few civilians. It turned however when it saw movement in its peripheral vision. It managed to spot what looked like Shinnosuke who was seemingly spying on it. The Roidmude turned with a howl as it ran forward to chase after the one it hated the most, following the officer into an alleyway.
Both Freeze and Thief were unaware of their ally running off on its own, the two continuing their attack. That was until fireballs struck both of them, the two staggering back and turning towards the source only to get struck by several energy arrows.
Weiss could be seen approaching with both Myrtenaster and her Chalice Arrow, Blake being nearby with her Gashacon Sparrow.
It wasn't long before Sougo, Geiz and Woz ran over, the three taking the lead with their Drivers already on before everyone noticed something was off.
"Hold up…" Geiz said as Sougo silently counted the Roidmudes.
"Where's the Sword Roidmude?" Weiss asked with narrowed eyes.
"Nowhere near here," Blake said as she looked around, "That's odd."
"We'll deal with that later," Woz replied, "For now let us deal with these Roidmudes."
"Sounds good to me," Sougo said as he brought out the Zi-O II Ridewatch, "So you said we should go for our strongest ones that don't involve combining, right?"
"Indeed," Woz drew out the Ginga Miridewatch, "I'll be able to neutralize their powers very handily with Ginga."
"Let's hope that isn't just arrogance on your part," Geiz scoffed as he brought out his Base and Revive Ridewatches.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[TOUEI! FINALY TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
[REVE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
[WOZGINGAFINALY! FINALY!]
The three stood together as they all transformed into the strongest forms they could take individually, Zi-O II, Geiz Revive, and WozGingaFinaly. Weiss and Blake stepped up between the three Riders before charging forward with them.
Freeze yelled out and unleashed several freezing blasts as Woz quickly unleashed gravity pulses, creating bursts that deflected the freezing blasts to the side as the Riders and Huntresses kept moving forward.
Penny, Tsukuyomi and Yang were currently riding in a police van alongside Rinna and Kyu, Shinnosuke driving them with Ruby in the passenger's seat. They were currently on route to the location of where Belt-San sealed himself while explaining a brief summary of his tenure as Drive.
"So no one ever used the Drive Pit after that?" Ruby asked.
"Nope, at most we had it fully locked and boarded up to keep anyone from entering," Shinnosuke replied, "Even if they got in they wouldn't be able to do anything though."
"Cause of the lock," Ruby nodded before watching as they began to pull up to a driving school, "Still a weird location for it."
"That's what I thought too," Shinnosuke admitted, "But I guess that was Belt-San's idea after all."
"I noticed you call him by that a lot rather than his actual name," Ruby noticed.
"Well I knew him as Belt-San first, and well… it felt weird calling him Krim even after I learned the truth," Shinnosuke admitted, "Belt-San just feels right."
"Fair," Ruby said as she watched Shinnosuke park the van with ease before getting out.
Shinnosuke had brought them to the Kuruma Driver's License Center, the former base of operations of the Special Investigation Unit.
"This is pretty nostalgic," Rinna admitted as she stepped out with a brown box while the others filed out behind her.
"It's been a while since we've been here," Kyu agreed.
"It definitely brings back memories," Shinnosuke said before gesturing for the others to follow, leading the way inside the driving school. Despite the fact that it had been a few years, the officer and Kamen Rider was able to lead everyone through the facility with ease before coming to a boarded up door.
"Allow me," Penny said as she walked over before gripping the boards and tearing them off with ease. She carefully set them off in a corner before using her strength to force the locked door open, "There we go."
"So this is where your main base was?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Part of it," Shinnosuke replied as he went to enter from the door to lead the way as the door immediately transitioned to a set of stairs that went downwards, "We had an office in here but that was mostly to conduct official business. Anything deeply related to Drive was done down here though."
Everyone followed after with Rinna going last as she carefully made her way down with the box. Eventually they entered a garage that acted as the basement of the driving school, Shinnosuke walking over and turning on the lights. It was fairly simplistic, with most of it being stripped bare aside from a desk that was near the doorway. The main feature was a large circular pad that looked like it could fit a car. It also looked like a sealed vault door which clued in Ruby and her friends that this was the likely vault that Krim had locked himself in. There was a small road that led out from it, it leading over to a wide garage door that likely led to a secret tunnel.
"Huh, pretty cool," Ruby admitted as she looked around.
"It is very fascinating," Penny said as she looked around.
"Alright, let's get started," Rinna grinned as she went to set the box down before pulling out laptops alongside some wiring and small bits of equipment. Kyu went over to help her while Tsukuyomi also walked over, bringing out her tablet to help with the process.
"So, why am I here again?" Yang asked, "Not that I don't mind being split up, I'm just curious."
"Well Tsuki is going to be busy with Penny when they start the procedure," Ruby explained, "That means we'll have four people who can't exactly defend themselves immediately and just Shinnosuke and I on our own isn't enough if something does happen."
"So are we sure this is going to work?" Kyu asked as he continued to work on setting everything up, "Not that I don't want it to but…"
"I was wondering too…" Ruby admitted, "At least until Shinnosuke told us the story on the way."
"Wait, really?" Shinnosuke asked.
"Until the day when humanity can be trusted to use his inventions for good," Ruby said as she held up a finger, "How would he know that unless he had a way to monitor what was going on via some kind of network."
"Given I can communicate wirelessly with electronics as well, it should be easy to link me to whatever network he's using underneath there via the equipment we've brought," Penny explained before gesturing to Tsukuyomi, "Tsuki will also be able to assist in that regard."
"Right, I have detailed schematics on your wireless connectivity that your father gave us for Sento to use," Tsukuyomi nodded, "I'll be able to assist in linking everything up."
"Right, right…" Rinna muttered before realizing something, "But wait, why hasn't he shown up now that Roidmude issues have been popping up?"
"I suppose I will have to ask him myself then," Penny said, figuring that she might run into Krim himself while making her way through the network to undo the locks on the vault.
It didn't take long for Rinna and Kyu to get everything set up with Tsukuyomi once their plan of attack had been figured out/ The trio worked to link up Penny who was now sitting down against a wall, the bow on her hair opened up to reveal a connection point which they used to attach a Bluetooth connector to her in order for her to sync up with the laptops via Tsukuyomi's tablet.
"Alright, we've double checked the process and this should send you into the network," Rinna said as she looked over at Penny, "You'll have manual override in case something goes wrong and you need to pull out yourself."
"Understood," Penny gave a nod.
"Alright… the connections are stable, I think we're ready to go," Tsukuyomi said as she looked around.
"Alright, here we go!" Kyu called out as he pressed the button to start the operation up.
Shinnosuke, Ruby, and Yang could only watch as several beeps occurred while Penny closed her eyes and leaned forward slightly as a result.
"Now let's hope this works," Ruby said as she stared at her now unconscious friend.
The Thief Roidmude yelped as it was chased by Zi-O who was dual wielding both of his main weapons. The Roidmude easily slipped out of the way of various attacks before blocking a few with its hook while dodging back. It then giggled and unleashed a tendril out, Zi-O trying to bat it away only to get caught and tangled up in the tendril.
[NOKO SETSUZAN!]
Two orange saws were launched out, cutting through the tendril binding Zi-O while striking Thief and sending the Roidmude backwards.
"Ah," Zi-O stumbled forward as he broke free of the tendril before looking over to see Geiz approaching, "Thanks Geiz."
"Come on, we need to finish this quickly," Geiz said.
Freeze meanwhile was fighting against Woz, the high class Roidmude attempting to attack Woz at hand to hand.
Woz meanwhile was using Ginga's powers to create energy bubbles to block the strikes before forcing Freeze back. He then backed away as Freeze began to unleash freezing projectiles towards him. Woz created more energy bubbles, deflecting the ice blasts to the side and freezing the ground around him.
"Now," Woz called out as he spun back, Blake and Weiss slipping through as the two had both their Huntress and Rider Weapons out.
Blake took aim with Gambol Shroud in its gun mode alongside the Gashacon Sparrow, launching bullets alongside arrows. Weiss meanwhile slid a card into the Chalice Arrow before pointing forward with Myrtenaster, forming a Hard-Light Glyph.
[TORNADO!]
Bullets, energy arrows, razor sharp bursts of air, and beams of light all struck against Freeze, sparks flying as it was sent staggering back by the attacks. Freeze could only yell out as its eyes shined brightly, hugging itself before spreading its arms out and unleashing a freezing wave of cold air against the two Huntresses.
Weiss quickly stabbed the ground with Myrtenaster while rotating her Dust, using a Glyph and Earth Dust to form an Earth wall that was very quickly being overtaken by ice.
"This is insane," Blake said with wide eyes.
"No need to worry," Woz said as he stepped towards the two and ushered them back while taking out the Ginga Miridewatch and turning the dial and slotting it back onto his Driver, "I can handle the cold."
[TAIYO! ACTION!]
Closing his belt, Woz watched as the stone wall fully turned to ice and shattered before him. But that was no issue as the sun emblem on his armor shined brightly before forming a fiery orb around him that blocked the freezing air entirely. Flame themed Katakana for Sun launched out of his Driver before launching back and attaching to his helmet. The Earth-like planet that was his forehead crest had changed to that of a sun-like symbol.
[FINALY TIME! SHAKUNETSU BURNING! GEKIATSU FIGHTING! HEY-YO! TAIYO! GINGATAIYO!]
The fiery orb began to shrink before fitting in Woz's palm, the Rider pushing his hand forward and unleashing the miniature fireball forward. The fireball cut through the freezing wave and struck Freeze directly, the Roidmude gasping out as it was sent to the ground.
"You have another form with that?" Blake asked.
"Of course," Woz said, "Ginga is not just one power-set."
"Normally I'd complain about you not saying something but anything beats being frozen," Weiss admitted.
"Now let us finish this," Woz said as he gathered heat within his hands before launching two beams towards Freeze. To his surprise they were blocked by energy wheels forming between him and Freeze before more energy wheels were launched towards him. He was forced to dismiss his attack as he dodged back while Weiss used Glyphs to help deflect them away from the three of them.
The energy tires were also launched at Zi-O and Geiz, the former backing up while the latter managed to tank most of the hits well enough while only taking a step back.
"How disappointing," Another Drive had just arrived on the scene and walked forward, "I poured my hatred for Shinnosuke Tomari into these three Roidmudes. And not only has he not shown up, you've already destroyed one of them."
Everyone could only just stare in silence at that, the five combatants wondering what exactly happened to the Sword Roidmude if it slipping away wasn't because of Another Drive.
"No matter," Another Drive said as he held up a hand, "You are still not him! You cannot win against my Density Shift!"
"We'll see about that!" Woz declared as he quickly removed the Ginga Miridewatch from his Driver before turning the dial again, activating it before slotting it back into his Driver.
[WAKUSEI! ACTION!]
[FINALY TIME!]
Another Drive yelled out as his eyes flashed a bright coloration while he threw his arm outwards, unleashing a Density Shift wave.
Solar system themed Katakana for Planet launched out of Woz's Driver's screen as the planets of the solar system began to circle around overhead. The Katakana had launched back to replace his current visor as the sun-like symbol was also changed to that of a planet that held a ring around it. The planets soon launched down and combined with the planets on his armor.
[SUI-KIN-CHI-KA-MOKU-DO-TEN-KAI! UCHUU NYA KONNA NI ARUNKAI! WAKUSEI! WAKUSEI! GINGAWAKUSEI!]
Woz's form change had completed just as the Density Shift wave began to wash over him. He snapped his fingers as a blue wave erupted from his body, the Density Shift suddenly canceling out not even two seconds into its activation.
"What?" Another Drive questioned, "How did you do that?!"
"Density Shift is powerful," Woz admitted, "However when it clashes against powers of galactic proportions like Ginga Finaly… it is but a small pebble in the vast ocean that is space."
"How dare you make a mockery of me," Another Drive hissed out before throwing his hand forward, "Deal with them once and for all!"
Freeze and Thief quickly hurried over to each other before charging towards Woz… at least until they were suddenly forced to the ground as black Glyph's appeared beneath them.
"Now's your chance," Weiss called as she held Myrtenaster out, wincing as she was straining herself trying to keep the Roidmudes fully down.
"We shall utilize your opening Miss Schnee," Woz called out as he initiated his belt's finisher alongside Geiz who hurried over, blue and orange energy gathering respectively in each of their right legs.
[FINALLY BEYOND THE TIME! SUI-KIN-CHI-KA-MOKU-DO-TEN-KAI EXPLOSION!]
[FINISH TIME! REVIVE! ICHIGEKI TIME BURST!]
Weiss immediately released the Glyph's she had, the two Roidmudes stepping forward in surprise.
Geiz and Woz leapt up into the air, the two kicking out with their right legs before Geiz struck against the Thief Roidmude while Woz hit the Freeze Roidmude.
[SAIKYOU FINISH TIME!]
Zi-O already his Saikyo Zikan Girade ready, energy erupting from it as he slashed horizontally, "Heads up!"
[KING GIRI GIRI SLASH!]
Both Geiz and Woz kicked off of the Roidmudes to complete their finishers, flipping backwards right as Zi-O's blade was swung forward. The blade of energy just barely missed the edges of their helmets as they landed on both sides of Zi-O.
The horizontal slash struck through Freeze and Thief, both Roidmudes screaming out before exploding.
Woz grabbed the Saikyo Zikan Girade and lifted it to where it pointed upwards, "Mind the blade if you please."
"Sorry," Zi-O apologized with a nervous chuckle.
"Impossible…" Another Drive gasped out before gripping his fist tightly, "This can't be!"
"Oh but it can," Woz called out as he pointed forward, "Now then, it's time we deal with you once and for all."
Tomarle!
Everyone didn't have a chance to even question the sudden announcement before they were all struck in the back, a Stop Signal projection appearing in front of them as they were stunned and stuck in place.
Kaksarn!
Suddenly a rain of energy bullets struck the Riders, Huntresses and ground around them. All five yelled out as they were thrown across the ground. While Blake and Weiss had their Aura, the sneak attack had taken off a good chunk of it, though despite the damage the Riders were able to keep their current transformations.
"W-What…?" Blake winced as she went to pick herself up.
"What just happened?" Geiz questioned.
"Those announcements…" Woz muttered before he lifted his head up, soon seeing a white blur land near Another Drive.
It wasn't long before everyone was witness to the newcomer that had ambushed them. It was a monstrous white and black motorbike racer. There were various tubes connecting to different parts and it held various monstrous skeletal features, its chest and upper stomach armor acting as a face with teeth and even an eye with a large eye over its right shoulder. The helmet was a motorbike helmet with a blue visor that held blank white eyes with a visible black nose peaking from underneath it, the bottom of the helmet having gritted teeth. It had a long tattered flowing scarf and held a skeletal weapon with an eye and teeth at the front.
Its legs identified what Another Rider it was, the right shin having 2014 while the left shin had the word Mach written on it.
"Another Mach…?" Woz questioned.
"So my partner's arrived, good," Another Drive chuckled as he walked over, "We're to eliminate these Kamen Riders and their allies, got it?"
"Of course," Another Mach spoke in a seemingly robotic tone, "I am the Grim Reaper that will destroy all Kamen Riders."
"Great, another one of these guys," Weiss groaned out.
"Just where did this one come from?" Geiz questioned.
"I'm unsure but it looks like this fight just got tougher," Woz admitted as he fully stood up alongside the others, "That wording is concerning…"
"We'll just have to keep going," Zi-O insisted, "After all the others are likely trying their hardest so we can't give up."
Tsukuyomi was currently staring at her tablet, making sure the connection was stable before noticing something and looking up. She was surprised to see both Ruby and Shinnosuke out and about, the two pacing around.
"Are you two alright?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Huh?" Both Ruby and Shinnosuke paused and looked over.
"They've been like this for a few minutes already," Yang replied.
"Sorry, it's just really boring and I'm not sure what else to do," Ruby admitted as she held the back of her neck, "I'm not worried but I am just really curious as to what's going on in there and how Penny's doing."
"I'm worried this might not work," Shinnosuke admitted, "What if Belt-San locks her out and we can't get the equipment? As much as I hate to admit it, I need him if I'm going to help you all."
"Huh, what makes you say that?" Yang asked.
"Drive isn't just me in the armor," Shinnosuke replied as he tugged at his shirt near where his heart was, "It's both Belt-San's and my hearts connected together. The two of us working in tandem is what made Drive as strong as it could be to win our battles."
"It must've hurt to see him go," Ruby realized.
"It did," Shinnosuke admitted, "I know he has his reasons… but even so, I'd be there to help him make sure no one abused his technology."
"There's a lot of rumblings going around that the Prime Minister and his son are working to make Riders more independent," Kyu admitted, "Maybe they could help?"
"Oh, you mean Gentoku and his dad," Ruby said, "Yeah I think I've heard that as well."
"You know the Prime Minister?" Rinna asked.
"His son," Yang corrected, "He's Kamen Rider Rogue and we've been in touch since March or so."
"He's helped us out a bit and from the way Sento's talking, it seems like he's pushing to help Riders out in the long run," Ruby added.
"That would be nice," Shinnosuke admitted before looking back at Penny, wondering how that situation was going.
Penny meanwhile was admittedly surprised when it came to her part in the idea they had crafted. She assumed she'd be going through a rudimentary series of menus that she'd have to navigate with ease. What she instead was doing was walking through a dark void with blue lines of code floating upwards into a bright white area that shined light down into the void.
She continued to walk forward, trying to find any form of way to access the locking mechanisms of the Drive Pit when she stopped as a cluster of data began to form.
"I must admit while impressive that you've made it in this far, you don't really have an idea of where to go do you?"
"Huh?" Penny tilted her head as the data cluster formed into a blue tinted projection of an man in a suit with a beard and glasses, "Wait…" she muttered before realizing something, "You are Krim Steinbelt, correct?"
"Exactly," Krim remarked with a smile though his face soon returned to a neutral state, "May I ask what it is you're doing here?"
"I am trying to unlock the Drive Pit, sir," Penny said, deciding to be honest.
"And why exactly do you wish to do that?" Krim asked.
"Your friends, Shinnosuke and the others… they need help," Penny explained as she stared at the inventor of Drive's technology, "It is a rather long story… but there is this monstrous version of Drive, Another Drive, that has shown up. He is also bringing back Roidmudes and can use Density Shift. We need the Shift Cars in order to counter that."
Krim gave a few nods before turning away, "I see."
"Please," Penny bowed, "Shinnosuke needs your help."
"I know," Krim answered, "But…"
"But…?" Penny looked up.
"I'm scared," Krim admitted as he turned to look at Penny before holding up his hands. Despite being a hologram, they began to shake heavily. He gripped them tightly, "I'm able to run on a private invisible network. I've seen Kamen Riders twisted into monsters and I knew that one day it might happen to Drive. But even then, my work was twisted and used to create monstrosities that only wanted destruction… there were a few exceptions but…"
"It is alright to be scared," Penny said as she put her hands behind her back.
"What?" Krim asked as he looked over in surprise.
"Someone misusing your technology, causing so much destruction with it, I can understand those fears," Penny said before getting an idea and holding a finger up, "But…"
"Drive isn't just me in the armor. It's both Belt-San's and my hearts connected together. The two of us working in tandem is what made Drive as strong as it could be to win our battles."
"It must've hurt to see him go."
"It did. I know he has his reasons… but even so, I'd be there to help him make sure no one abused his technology."
Penny was still able to hear things while she was in this state, and while she was wandering before finding Krim she had heard this conversation. She figured it would be good for Krim to hear and decided to play it back for him.
"It is definitely a difficult and frightening choice to make," Penny admitted, "Especially with what you have likely experienced. However I do believe you have great friends who can help ease you of those fears."
"I…" Krim muttered before looking over at Penny, "I…"
The Sword Roidmude growled out as it finally caught its prey, staring down Shinnosuke in the alleyway. It however tilted its head and backed up when it saw Shinnosuke smile while closing his eyes, revealing them to be a pink and brown heterochromatic coloration.
Vines suddenly lashed out and wrapped around the Roidmude's arms, legs and neck, pulling back hard and forcing it to its knees. It wasn't long before a foot stepped on the Roidmude's back to force it to bow further.
"Good catch."
The one who had ensnared the Sword Roidmude was none other than Sylphi, her staff at her side as she looked over at the fake Shinnosuke who shimmered and transformed back into Neo. Neo simply gave an exaggerated bow to which Sylphi looked down at the Roidmude.
"Now to deliver you to the boss…"
Thanks to the sudden intervention of Another Mach, a quick and easy victory was no longer attainable. As such, the fights began to stretch on due to everyone having to split up again. Because of this though, everyone had paired off into different groups.
Woz and Zi-O were currently facing down Another Drive. Zi-O swung his Saikyo Zikan Girade to try and break through Another Drive's shield only for the Another Rider to dodge back.
When Another Drive dodged back he began to launch out various tire projections. Some tires had spikes while others were lit on fire, and even some others were shaped like shuriken.
Woz countered, using his planetary powers to summon planet ring projections, launching those out to deal with the wheel projections, "Without your Density Shift you're useless."
"We'll see about that!" Another Drive shouted as he rushed forward, becoming a red blur that launched towards the two Riders. He managed to break past the through in a burst of speed, forcing them to spin while stepping away. He then dropped down, sliding across the ground and tripping Woz up as he struck against Woz's shins. He lifted himself up and aimed his left arm forward, firing beams at Zi-O.
Zi-O quickly brought up sword, defending against the blasts with ease before shouting and charging forward.
"Too slow," Another Drive yelled as he sped forward.
"I could say the same," Zi-O called out as he initiated his form's Future Sight, "I can see it!"
Another Drive sped forward before dashing to the side, punching at Zi-O's left side only for the Rider to block the punch. The Another Rider could only gasp as sparks flew, the Saikyo Zikan Girade being stabbed against him, forcing him to leap back to gain distance, "You!"
Kaksarn!
[REFLECT!]
Another Mach aimed its weapon forward, unleashing numerous projectiles out towards Blake, Geiz and Weiss. Weiss was quick to counter however, sliding a defensive card and bringing out several Glyphs, the Glyphs taking on a metallic sheen as they bounced back whatever shots did strike them.
Another Mach could only yell out as the beams struck near it, sparks kicking up as it was sent staggering back.
[ZU PAN!]
Blake had leapt up while splitting her Gashacon Sparrow, using Shadow to dash downwards while slicing at the staggered Another Mach. She managed to strike past it, piling on more damage.
Another Mach immediately turned with a spin, ready to slam its weapon down at Blake.
[SPEED TIME! REVI-I-VE SHI-PPU! SHIPPU!]
In an instant the weapon was caught by Geiz's Jaclaw, he forced Another Mach's weapon down before punching forward with his right fist, it blurring as he rapidly punched against the Another Rider. He then unhooked his weapon from Another Mach's before spinning and slashing hard, the Another Rider yelling out as it was sent flying backwards from the fast strike.
"We're ending this now!" Geiz called out as he sped forward towards the prone Another Rider. He reeled his arm back only for a white blur to suddenly get in his way.
[ZENRIN!]
Suddenly Geiz was clashing his weapon against a motorcycle themed gun that held a wheel at the front. He could only gasp at the person who was blocking his attack currently. White and black motorcycle racer attire with various red and blue accents all around alongside armoring that was a cleaner and similar fit to their new Another Rider.
"You…" Geiz trailed as he realized who he was staring at, "Kamen Rider Mach?!"
Everyone paused at Geiz's shout and turned to see what was going on, as his exclamations were indeed correct. Kamen Rider Mach was currently blocking Geiz's advances towards Another Mach.
"Don't hurt him!" Mach pleaded near instantly, "He's only doing this because was forced to!"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Geiz questioned as he pulled back, "Out of my way, if you're worried about him then let me restore him to normal."
"Sorry but I can't do that," Mach said as he backed away as well, "I've already lost him once before, I'm not about to risk his life again."
"What?" Geiz questioned as he wondered what Mach was even talking about, "Listen I-"
Triple Tune!
The two Riders barely had a chance to react as spider webbing struck them, binding them and anchoring them to the ground.
"I will destroy you Kamen Riders!" Another Mach shouted as silver bat wings sprouted out from his back, the wings acting similarly to Roidmude wings. It launched up into the air before purple energy began gathering in his weapon, lashing out as a purple snake-like whip formed and struck both Geiz and Mach, the two yelling out as the webbing was snapped, forcing the two to roll backwards.
It didn't take long for the Another Rider to dismiss its wings, landing and staring down at the two fallen Riders.
"Damn it Chase, you've got to fight it!" Mach called out, "I don't want to hurt you!"
"Just let me finish it normally, I can break that Anotherwatch!" Geiz shouted in frustration.
"Just what's going on?" Blake asked.
"I'm not sure but it's got a lot of tricks for an Another Rider," Weiss admitted as she got in a defensive stance.
"I can answer that," A voice spoke up, causing everyone to pause as they turned towards a higher part of the plaza, Finis overlooking the battle with a smile on their face, "The one that became Another Mach is none other than Kamen Rider Mach's friend, Chase who was also known as Mashin Chaser or Kamen Rider Chaser. He faced a tragic end but you should be happy Mach, thanks to the Anotherwatch I was able to bring him back."
"I didn't want it to happen like this!" Mach shouted in near anger as he took aim at Finis before firing at the Time Jacker. Of course he could only gasp as he watched Finis bat away the blast with ease, "What?"
Geiz sighed, "Will you just let me-"
"Another Kikai," Finis interrupted and gave a smile when she saw Blake's and Weiss' eyes widen, "This is the same situation as Another Kikai. And I see your little Roze isn't here to help you. So please do go ahead with what you were about to say."
Geiz could only glare beneath his helmet at Finis who laughed at him in response.
"So it's another one of your dirty tricks," Blake narrowed her eyes.
"Well if you must know the Another Mach side is all I'm involved in," Finis said as they put a hand to their chest, "Another Drive is Ora's project but I figured I'd help her out, can't make things too easy after all."
"So you wanted a piece of the action," Weiss scoffed, "What, was trying to get Ginga not enough for you?"
"So long as the Kamen Riders continue to deny their true purpose," Finis answered before turning away and vanishing.
"Not good," Sougo muttered as he blocked against a few more blasts with his large sword, "We're being backed into a corner here."
"Indeed, as loathe as I am to admit it," Woz said as he rushed in and punched at Another Drive, forcing the Another Rider to block.
"You foolish humans…" Another Drive said he pushed back with his shield. He held his arms close before spreading them out, "Grimm Reaper, now!"
Another Mach gave a yell as he spread his arms out as well, the two unleashing Density Shift at the same time and catching everyone in it.
"Damn it, again…?" Geiz gasped out as he even Shippu was unable to fully get past the Density Shift.
"Not good," Mach said as he managed to shakily stand, thankfully his gear was unaffected by this but he knew that nearly everyone else was.
"Just great," Woz hissed out, still managing to move easily thanks to being in Ginga Wakusei Form. He was ready to unleash a counter wave when he gasped out, raising his arms to block energy blasts before having to dodge against numerous tire projectiles from Another Drive.
"Simply avoid your futile struggle by falling to me now!" Another Drive shouted, "Then I can move onto my true target, that damn Shinnosuke Toma-"
[TRIDORON SHOOT!]
Both Another Riders could only gasp out as they were blasted several times, sparks flying as they were forced to the ground. As a result the Density Shift suddenly faded, but it wasn't long before small colorful streaks began shooting forward, miniature cars launching forward and latching onto everyone's waists, forming a silver tray to hold them.
"Huh?" Weiss looked over to see a slot themed car on her waist.
"Wait…" Blake trailed as she saw a solar themed car on her waist, recalling what Shinnosuke had said earlier when they had first met, "Are these?"
"The Shift Cars," Zi-O realized, putting two and two together when he saw a decorative truck on his holster.
"Sorry we're late everyone!" Ruby called out as she was on her Rose Attacker with Yang riding with her, "But we did it!"
Parked next to her was a sleek red sports car, it having a black hood and white stripes. The back of it had two tires that were attached to the top of the trunk. The doors opened up revealing that Tsukuyomi was in the passenger's seat while Shinnosuke was the one driving. It wasn't long before Penny landed nearby.
"Salutations everyone," Penny began to wave, "I do hope we are not too late!"
"You guys sure took your sweet time," Geiz scoffed.
"We'll take that as a compliment," Ruby remarked, "Want to take the honors Shinnosuke?"
"Might as well go for a test drive and make sure this engine still runs," Shinnosuke said as he shifted his suit's cuffs.
"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm not some old jalopy!"
Everyone perked up at the sudden new voice, Mach recognizing it instantly.
"Krim…?" Mach questioned before catching a glimpse of Shinnosuke's waist and giving a gasp.
Attached to Shinnosuke's waist by a red strap was a dashboard themed Driver that had a circular blank display with an emoji-styled red face on it. Of course it was now noticeable that Shinnosuke's wrist had a wrist strap that brace device on it.
"Of course, Belt-San," Shinnosuke smiled as he turned the dial on the Driver before bringing out a red toy sized sports car and shifting the back of it to where it was upside down, slotting it into the brace on his wrist. The car itself was now ready to act like a lever as Shinnosuke held his left fist forward, pumping the car lever once, "Henshin!"
Red rings began to form around as projections of armor materialized around Shinnosuke before attaching to him. He soon wore a black sleek bodysuit with white lines lining his sides, red sports car themed armoring over his body as the Tridoron behind him began to shift. The front right tire began to glow red before materializing a red sports car tire that launched outwards and latched onto Shinnosuke's chest diagonally, completing the transformation.
[DRIVE TYPE SPEED!]
"That… that…" Another Drive gasped as he gripped his hands tightly, "That form!"
Standing in front of him was his true counterpart, Kamen Rider Drive.
Drive crouched and leaned forward as he got ready to fight, "Hey… Another Rider, let's go for a ride!"
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"My brain is in top gear."
"I have absolutely no idea what to do for her."
"We can match-no, exceed that!"
"I promise you, we'll save Chase."
"You've given me exactly what I wanted!"
Chapter 104: 2019: Unlimited Drive
Author's Note: This was an interesting chapter to work with given Zi-O while having Drive related stuff, did not have a proper Drive Tribute. So this is very much me grabbing things here and there, with the base of it taking inspiration from Drive's Final Stage.
Of course this chapter isn't all Drive as we've introduced a long-term plot in which our heroes need to figure out how to deal with Cinder in a more permanent fashion. Of course in the immediate short-term there's the subplot in which we've reversed who's freaking out on who's birthday as Sougo has taken Weiss' place with the latter's birthday on the horizon. While not taking up a lot of screen time, this is a subplot I wanted to touch on given we're in Mid-May for Roze at the moment.
That said, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.