Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 113 – 2019: Missing World
Aka-Woz was currently sitting on a ledge that was near a ramp that led down to a parking garage. He gave a sly smile as he heard the sounds of fighting occurring.
"As it is written here, Tokiwa Sougo… he no longer has a future where he becomes Oma Zi-O, the overlord of time," Aka-Woz said as he opened his book and looked inside it, images of Hiryu's statue alongside his and Tsukuyomi's allegiance being that of supporting Hiryu being shown, "Rather, this world will soon learn of its new supreme rulers… Kakogawa Hiryu and Tsukuyomi. And as Tokiwa Sougo struggles alongside Miss Rose and Miss Polendina, they are confronted by Kadoya Tsukasa and Summer Rose, Kamen Riders Decade and Rose. They explain that Kakogawa Hiryu must be defeated in order to save the world."
He slammed his book shut before looking over his shoulder, staring at one of the buildings in a distance and spotting a familiar man in a white coat with a blue gun.
"And one more familiar Rider chooses to join the fray… or rather he was asked to," Aka-Woz said before hopping off the ledge and walking away from the parking garage.
Earth – Late June 2019
"…Zi-O."
Zi-O turned to see Geiz walking towards him.
"I'll beat you, and save the world," Geiz said as he prepped both his base and Geiz Revive Ridewatches, stopping several feet from Zi-O before initiating his transformation, "Henshin!"
[REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-REVI-REVI! REVI-I-VE SHI-PPU! SHIPPU!]
Geiz Revive Shippu stood before Grand Zi-O, the golden Rider simply staring at his former ally now misinformed enemy.
Zi-O raised his hand before removing the GrandZi-O Ridewatch, his armor flashing gold before fading and leaving him in base Zi-O.
Ruby's eyes widened at the display, "Sougo?!"
Penny gasped as she held her hands up to her mouth.
"Don't mock me!" Geiz yelled out as he rushed forward before swiping with his Jaclaw, striking against Zi-O who gasped out as it struck. The speedy blue Rider spun before slashing again with the Jacklaw, forcing Zi-O back further.
"Crap, he's going to get himself killed," Ruby realized as she went to hurry over with Penny only for Yang and Blake to suddenly step between them and the fight, "Yang!"
"Please move!" Penny pleaded.
"Not until I get some answers," Yang said as she looked over at Ruby, "Because you need to tell me why you look like my…" her gaze wandered past Ruby when she saw someone familiar, her eyes widening as she began to stammer, "like… like my…" she fully caught sight of Summer who looked down instead of maintaining eye contact, "Mom?"
"Oh jeez," Ruby said as she looked back and forth, "That got reset too, huh?"
"Got reset?" Blake asked.
"Yes dear, it's me," Summer said as she looked up with an apologetic smile, "I can't exactly explain everything and even then I'd be explaining everything twice but… you need to trust your sister and Sougo. They're not your enemies."
"My sister," Yang's eyes widened before she looked over at Ruby, "You're my…"
"Little sister yeah," Ruby nodded, "Now please let me through, Geiz doesn't have the same restraint you all do and if he gets his way with Sougo then-!"
"Get up!" Geiz yelled out as he walked over to a downed Zi-O, lifting the Rider up by the collar, raising his arm up.
"Geiz!" Zi-O shouted as he went to force Geiz's arms down but barely kept any weight on it to show that he just wanted a chance to speak, "There's no reason for us to fight!"
"Reason…?!" Geiz questioned in near anger, "You want a reason? I take you down, and the people that you cut down… will be avenged!"
It wasn't long before Weiss entered the area, gripping Myrtenaster and the Chalice Arrow tightly as she saw everything transpiring before her.
Zi-O relaxed and lowered his arms, deciding to take a gamble as he dismissed his transformation.
Geiz growled out as he saw this, getting further angered, "Why did you dismiss the transformation?!"
"I have no intention of fighting you, Geiz," Sougo answered honestly as he let his arms drop despite him still being held by his shirt's collar.
Geiz gave a confused grunt as he leaned in closer, "What?!"
"Geiz, you swore something to me once…" Sougo replied.
"Even after all of it, if becoming a Rider still ends up turning into you becoming an Evil Overlord. I'll take you out, I promise. Just trust me!"
Geiz removed his hand as he stared down at Zi-O, confused by how familiar the words were to him.
"If you think you should kill me then do it…" Sougo said as he stared up at what could be his executioner, "If that happens, it means I've become an irredeemably evil Overlord."
"Fine then, I'll grant your wish!" Geiz shouted as he kicked Sougo away.
"Geiz, wait!" Ruby called out, "Don't do this!"
[FINISH TIME! REVIVE!]
[BIO!]
Before Geiz could even rotate his Driver to initiate the finisher vines suddenly wrapped around and ensnared him. It didn't take long before Weiss slid past, getting in front of Sougo before aiming Myrtenaster directly towards Geiz.
Sougo's eyes widened, "Weiss…"
"What, Weiss?" Geiz asked as he struggled against the vines, "What are you doing?!"
"Stopping you from doing something you'll regret," Weiss answered as she narrowed her eyes before stabbing Myrtenaster into the ground. It wasn't long before the Arma Gigas was brought out of a summoning Glyph, it getting in a defensive stance as it stood alongside Weiss between Geiz and Sougo, "It would also be nice if my teammates backed me up on this!"
Geiz yelled out as he broke out of his binds before looking to see Blake and Yang standing over with everyone else, "Just what are you all doing?"
"Geiz stand down," Yang said as she walked over, "I think we should hear them out."
"You're really backing down?" Geiz asked.
"We're not backing down!" Blake called out in slight annoyance, not exactly liking that they had to wrangle Geiz in all the time like this, "We're just trying to find the best solution."
Geiz looked around and realized that he was the odd man out in this situation. He figured he'd relent for the time being, lowering his weapon and dismissing his transformation.
Sougo sighed in relief, slumping to the floor on his stomach as he let his body relax, watching as the Arma Gigas vanished.
"Are you alright?" Weiss asked as she turned to help Sougo up.
"Just tired," Sougo admitted as he went to sit up while being braced by Weiss, "I've been kind of running around all day."
"Then I think I have something that will help," Weiss said, still unsure why she was being so trusting. Despite the unknown nature of the situation, she felt like she could drop her guard around Sougo. She dismissed Myrtenaster before holding out the Chalice Arrow and scanning another card.
[RECOVERY!]
Sougo felt his body relax further as green specks of energy washed over him.
"That's better," Tsukasa admitted as he began to walk over.
"It sure is," Summer agreed with a smile as she followed with Yang, Blake, Ruby and Penny following after her.
Cinder gasped out as she began staggering through an alleyway, holding out the Roze Anotherwatch and watching as the cracks were spreading and shining brighter than ever before.
"Damn it," Cinder hissed out as she gripped the Anotherwatch as tightly as she could, not wanting to risk breaking it even further due to her anger, "They're discarding me… just like that. Who do they think they are?"
"I mean Swartz never had faith in you," Narutaki said as he walked into view from outside the alleyway, his arms behind his back as he smiled, "He was always about his own plans, so he never considered how useful you could be because you were always born from one of Finis' plans."
"Who are you?" Cinder narrowed her eyes.
"I can give you the respect you deserve," Narutaki smiled as he began to walk towards Cinder, "But you need to do something for me first."
"And what would that be?" Cinder asked as she stayed where she was.
"Defeat Kamen Rider Roze, that is all," Narutaki said, "Then I will let you join my group at a high ranking position."
"So what I already want to do huh?" Cinder said before turning to lean against the wall, "Problem is I don't think I can."
"Yes, you need more Ridewatches," Narutaki gave a nod before holding out his hand, "How about giving me the one you won't use yet then? I can look into using it to give you a power boost while you collect more Ridewatches to stabilize yourself."
"You can?" Cinder asked as she took out the Roze RWBY Ridewatch, "How can I trust you?"
"You can't, but do you really have a choice given the situation you're in?" Narutaki asked, "It's either take a risk, or be left to rot as you lose the powers of Kamen Rider Roze."
Cinder gritted her teeth, knowing that this was likely a setup or bad idea. But she was desperate and she needed some kind of power boost or edge against Ruby. She had nowhere else to go and nowhere else to turn to due to Uhr and Ora just suddenly vanishing. As sudden as his appearance was, Narutaki was likely her best shot at allowing her to remain on top.
Narutaki could only smile further as he watched Cinder place the Ridewatch in the palm of his hand, "As long as you focus your whole spirit into defeating Roze, you won't lose."
The Resistance members at 9-5-DO were slightly on edge upon seeing Sougo again, though Geiz and Weiss managed to calm everyone down. Penny and Blake decided to remain outside the dining room for the time being while the others went to talk inside, mostly due to the cramped nature of the dining room.
Junichiro wasn't convinced however as he hurried over to Blake, "Blake is it alright to bring them here, the Overlord and his companions? Aren't we at risk? This is supposed to be a safe house, we're housing injured here…"
"There's a lot more going on than we realize," Blake said as she held her hands up to calm everyone down, "I want to believe Weiss is making the right decision here though."
"I am terribly sorry if we are causing discomfort," Penny bowed.
"O-Oh no it's not that it's just…" Junichiro stammered a bit, surprised by how polite Penny was being.
"Again," Blake spoke up, "There's more to this situation than we've seen and I think we might just end up having a way to turn this battle in our favor."
At the dining room, Sougo and Ruby were on one side while Geiz and Weiss sat across from them. While Weiss was curious about both Sougo and Ruby, Geiz was currently staring daggers at Sougo. Summer was currently leaning at the window counter from inside the kitchen while Yang was leaning against the wall near the door that led to the kitchen.
Yang currently was glancing back and forth between Summer and Ruby, scratching her head occasionally though her eyes did wander over to Tsukasa.
Tsukasa was currently taking advantage of the current setup of the altered 9-5-DO. That being that the dining room was lined with boxes and other furniture, some of which included boxes filled with bags of bread loaves. The passing through Kamen Rider was currently helping himself to the bagged loaves.
"When's the staring contest over?" Tsukasa asked as he began carefully picking out loaves of bread.
"Will you take this seriously?" Summer muttered as she watched Tsukasa grab at loaves as if making a careful selection.
"Do you know him?" Weiss asked.
"Do I know…?" Sougo stared in confusion, "That's Tsukasa Kadoya. He's helped us all plenty of times before alongside Summer."
"Never seen him or her," Geiz replied, "Though Yang has mentioned Summer on occasion."
"Well that's not nice," Tsukasa mused as he took off his helmet, starting to stack the bagged bread in it before placing it near Summer, "There."
"I swear to all that is…" Summer hung his head.
"Seems like he's a pain in the ass," Yang noted.
"On that I will agree…" Summer replied.
"Okay so time is really messed up then," Sougo mused as he put a hand to his chin.
"I feel like we've established that by now," Ruby sighed.
"What exactly do you mean by that?" Weiss asked.
"I don't know if you'll believe me…" Sougo said, "But time has been altered here. This isn't how any of this is supposed to be."
"Wait," Yang spoke up, "Really?"
"Yes, really," Ruby said, "Yang, you and I are sisters and we already know what happened to mom. Geiz, you and I fought alongside Sougo with even Woz and Tsukuyomi helping us out."
"Woz… never heard of him," Geiz replied.
"And Tsukuyomi's the Demon Queen," Weiss said, "You're saying we fought alongside her?"
"She's not supposed to be a Demon Queen, whatever Hiryu did turned her against us," Ruby insisted, though she was having doubts that Tsukuyomi truly did turn against them given the intervention against Hi-Roze.
"Who were we fighting?" Geiz asked.
"Time Jackers," Tsukasa said as he had opened up a bread bag, picking apart a loaf he had grabbed in order to eat it. After taking a bite he swallowed before pointing the bread forward, "Swartz is the one behind all of this. He couldn't win in a straightforward way so he's trying to craft a scenario in order to win easily."
"We just need to beat Hiryu Kakogawa so we can fix this world," Ruby said, "He's the Zi-O you're trying to fight, not Sougo."
"How can we be so sure?" Geiz asked.
"Aesthetics," Ruby said as she pointed her finger up, "I mean compare how Sougo and I look transformed compared to the Another Riders. Also I feel I should point out that Cinder is Another Roze and she's the Roze you should be fighting."
"Wait she is?!" Yang and Weiss asked in shock.
"So you all have selective parts of your memories…" Ruby muttered, a bit annoyed by how complicated this haphazardly built timeline was before nodding, "Yeah she is."
"This is… this is a lot," Yang admitted before gesturing at both Summer and Ruby, "I mean… where do I even start?"
"Everything will make sense again once time here has been corrected," Summer answered, "But if there's any little thing you need to know, just ask."
"Alright," Yang nodded.
"This is just a waste of time," Geiz sighed as he stood up as he began to draw out his Ridewatch from its holster, "Our enemies are Zi-O, Roze and Tsukuyomi, whether that's Hiryu, Cinder, or you two… I'll take all of you down. It's as simple as that."
"Sit boy," Weiss said as she held up a finger, summoning a Gravity Glyph underneath Geiz and forcing him down, watching as Geiz was forced to catch himself by sitting down in his chair. The other alternative was him being sent sprawling to the floor if he didn't catch himself.
"Whoa…" Sougo's eyes went wide at that, noting to never get Weiss annoyed enough to do that to him.
"You…" Geiz gave a glare towards Weiss as he struggled to even sit, holding onto the table, "Why?"
"I'm willing to trust them," Weiss answered.
"Same," Yang nodded, "If they're cool with my mom, then they're cool with me."
"Whether or not history has been altered… we still have to beat Hiryu or we don't have a future of our own," Weiss said, trying to apply logic in order to quell Geiz's anger.
Geiz began to relax, "Whatever…"
"Was that so hard?" Weiss asked as she released the Gravity Glyph.
"If something happens because we brought them in and trusted them, it's on you," Geiz said as he stood up and walked out of the dining room.
"Thank you, Weiss," Sougo smiled.
Weiss couldn't help but smile back before giving a blush as she looked away, stammering a bit, "I-It's nothing personal mind you…" she coughed a bit as if clearing her throat, "I just want to beat Hiryu that's all."
"Right," Sougo kept his smile as he noticed the blush, glad to see that despite everything, some things still stayed the same.
"He's a stubborn one," Tsukasa finally spoke up.
"Preach," Yang raised her hands in the air.
"Like you're any better at times," Summer remarked as she glanced at Tsukasa.
"I want to try and get through to Geiz," Sougo spoke up, "We need to be united if we're to beat Hiryu."
"Sounds good to me," Ruby nodded as she stood up, "This'll be interesting to do again."
"Wait, again?" Weiss asked before pinching the bridge of her nose, "Of course he was still stubborn in the actual timeline."
"Hey guys what happened?" Blake asked as she entered with Penny peaking through the door.
"Geiz is being stubborn," Weiss replied.
"What else is new?" Blake asked.
"We're going to need to find him," Yang replied.
"But we don't know where he went," Ruby pointed out.
"Then we'll split up," Yang suggested, "Blake and Penny can come with me, while Weiss takes you and Sougo."
"So I get two newcomers and you get one?" Weiss asked.
"Unless you want to give Sougo to us instead…" Yang said in a slow but teasing manner.
"No thank you," Weiss said as she sent a light glare towards Yang, "I can handle both of them on my own. In fact I bet you we'll find Geiz first."
"Now that's a bet I'm willing to take," Yang smirked.
"Then I guess I'll stay here and make sure he doesn't cause any trouble," Summer said as she pointed towards Tsukasa.
"That would be appreciative," Ruby admitted with a sheepish chuckle as she saw Tsukasa slowly but surely pilfering the Resistance safe house of all their bread.
At the castle that was now within the city, Hiryu and Tsukuyomi entered the main throne room, Another Ex-Aid and Another Drive being situated at the sides of the throne. It was a fairly simple ballroom styled room with a raised platform at the end and red velvet dressed chairs that the two went to sit down on.
On the side was Aka-Woz who was giving a smile as he had his hands behind his back, his book clutched in his hands.
"My Demon King and Queen," Aka-Woz said as he stepped in front of them, dropping to one knee before opening his book and showing it to the both of them, an image of Oma Zi-O appearing within the blank pages, "Behold, this was Sougo Tokiwa's future form, the supreme evil overlord, known as Oma Zi-O."
"Supreme evil, you say…?" Hiryu mused as he thought it over, "In that case, I will take that future away from him."
"The only troublesome thing is that in a fair fight he seems to have you beat," Tsukuyomi noted, "And he's able to tear through Another Riders like paper."
"I'd be disappointed if he died that easily, he needs to suffer more first," Hiryu answered, wanting to show confidence as he brought out the Zi-O II Anotherwatch while staring at it intently, "And I'll make it happen, by further rewriting history."
Aka-Woz and Tsukuyomi exchanged a glance towards each other but didn't say anything more.
SLAM!
The doors were opened in a sudden manner as Daiki Kaito suddenly rushed in, bringing out his Neo Diendriver and shooting all the chandeliers hanging to destroy them. The result darkened the room and sent glass falling everywhere, Hiryu and Tsukuyomi having to cover their heads as they reeled back while Aka-Woz quickly stepped away.
"The power to rewrite history… that certainly is a treasure," Daiki said as he began to prepare his transformation, sliding his Kamen Ride card into the Diendriver before aiming upward, "Don't mind if I help myself… Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDE: DIEND!]
Daiki smirked as his transformation into Diend completed, already preparing his next move.
"Get him!" Hiryu ordered as Another Drive and Another Ex-Aid charged forward.
"If you think that'll work… well, let's make some fun matchups," Diend said as he slotted in two cards before aiming forward and pulling the trigger, "If you don't mind…"
[KAMEN RIDE: MACH!]
[KAMEN RIDE: BRAVE!]
Kamen Rider's Brave and Mach both were summoned and rushed in, fighting the Another Rider counterpart of their respective main Rider.
Mach slammed his Zenrin Shooter into Another Drive before shooting at the Another Rider to force it back.
Brave meanwhile lit his sword on fire, slashing and using his weapon to easily break past any attempt at close quarters combat that Another Ex-Aid tried.
"We're getting in there," Hiryu stood up and held out his Anotherwatch.
"Right," Tsukuyomi said as she went to draw out her Ridewatch.
[ATTACK RIDE: BLAST!]
Two blasts curved past the fights and struck both Hiryu and Tsukuyomi in their hands. The result sent Tsukuyomi's personal Ridewatch to the ground while Hiryu's Anotherwatch was carried away by the blast that hit him, it being tossed over to Diend who caught it.
"I'll be taking that treasure," Diend said before turning and running to the door he had entered from.
Hiryu stood up, "Wait!"
[ZENRIN!]
[KA CHIN!]
Both Another Riders suddenly groaned out as Mach and Brave unleashed powered up slashes with their weapons, cutting through the Another Riders. Both Another Riders fell back and exploded, providing more cover as Mach and Brave vanished.
Diend was running as quickly as he could, pushing open the doors he had entered from and running through the hall only to suddenly be stopped in place.
Swartz had been waiting outside while sitting on the couch, having used his time stop to freeze Diend in place.
"And I'll be taking it back," Swartz said as he waltzed around Diend before grabbing the Zi-O II Anotherwatch.
Hiryu quickly ran over, Tsukuyomi having retrieved her Ridewatch while lagging behind as she stared at the scene before her.
"Swartz, well done," Hiryu breathed a sigh of relief.
"Your desire is to defeat Sougo Tokiwa, that is enough for me to serve you uncondtionally," Swartz said as he walked over and handed Hiryu the Anotherwatch back, "Leave dealing with that new form to me."
"I trust that you will," Hiryu replied before taking the Anotherwatch and walking off to exit the castle.
"I shall accompany him," Tsukuyomi said as she began to walk forward, "To make sure that Sougo doesn't become a problem."
"That won't be necessary your highness," Swartz replied as he turned towards Diend before holding out his hand and forming a purple energy around it. An aura of similarly colored energy formed around the Rider before he threw his hand to the side, slamming Diend against the wall, "I have the perfect backup in mind."
Diend gasped out as he slumped against the couch, his armor sparking as it turned grey before dismissing itself.
"If you're looking to thieve, I believe I have something for you," Swartz admitted as he figured he could make use of the troublesome treasure sniper. He then held out his hand, forming a circle with his thumb and index finger, yellow energy forming as he unleashed a pulse of energy that caused Daiki to write in pain, "However, I'll need you to work for me… and I won't take no for an answer."
Tsukuyomi quickly turned away and went back towards the throne while Aka-Woz had skulked over to the corner of the doorway, observing what was going on.
'Sougo Tokiwa…' Geiz thought as he stared out at the ocean, currently at one of the port areas where a lot of boats were parked. Thankfully this was one of the few parts of the city that was relatively untouched by Hiryu's rampage, 'What is it about him? Why does he make me question myself? Could I really know him…? Then there's that Ruby girl… and I get the same feelings as well.'
As he leaned on a railing that overlooked the port area, he turned to rest his back and arms only to see Sougo, Ruby and Weiss hurrying over. It had taken a while for the three to even figure out where Geiz could even be, but Weiss recalled the area they were at as being one that Geiz would frequent.
"Geiz," Sougo spoke up, "I just wanted to-"
"Watch your tone," Geiz said as he looked away, "I've got nothing to say to you."
"Geiz, if what Sougo and Ruby say is true, then they could help us finally beat Hiryu and Tsukuyomi," Weiss said as she walked over.
"We need your help Geiz," Ruby said as she stepped forward, "We need everyone's help for this to work."
"I don't think so," Hiryu said as he walked over, having been tailing the group for a while.
"Hiryu," Weiss narrowed her eyes as she brought out Myrtenaster and assumed a defensive stance.
"The world doesn't need two kings," Hiryu said as he stared down both Ruby and Sougo as he watched them prepared their transformations, "I will become Oma Zi-O in your place."
"I never had any intention of becoming the man I saw in 2068," Sougo replied firmly as he stared down Hiryu, bringing out his base Ridewatch and slotting it into his Driver before placing it on his waist, "Ever since that first meeting… I knew I should never end up like that. And I'm not about to let you become that… so we'll defeat you and return the world to normal."
"Yeah, you're not going any further," Ruby said as she brought out Silver Roze and prepared it.
Sougo then brought out the GrandZi-O Ridewatch, activating it and preparing to slot it in.
[ATTACK RIDE: BLAST!]
A bright blue ball of energy suddenly flew across the sky, it splitting into numerous energy blasts that rained down on Ruby and Sougo, the two gasping out as they staggered back. The result forced the GrandZi-O Ridewatch out of Sougo's hand, it clattering to the ground as Diend rolled into view, snatching it and holding it close.
"Daiki…?!" Ruby questioned.
"No way," Sougo muttered before closing his eyes and opening them up, activating his Semblance. His eyes widened when he saw the grayscale world before him, Diend was the same coloration of red as Hiryu, indicating the treasure sniper's status as an enemy, "He's against us?"
"What a good treasure," Diend remarked as he shook the Grand Zi-O Ridewatch before loading in another card, "See ya."
[ATTACK RIDE: INVISIBLE!]
Diend chuckled as he vanished from view, Ruby and Sougo stepping forward in surprise while Hiryu laughed.
"And now I can easily beat you!" Hiryu called out as he activated the Zi-O II Anotherwatch.
[ZI-O II!]
Hiryu's transformation completed as he ran towards the surprised Riders, Sougo quickly bringing out the Decade Ridewatch and slotting it in since he didn't have time to prep Zi-O II.
The Huntress and future King Riders began backing up as they initiated their transformations "Henshin!"
[SILVER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) SILVER! (SILVER!) SILVER~! ROZE!]
[ARMOR TIME! KAMENRIDE! WOW! DECADE! DECADE! DECA~DE!]
The two Riders fully transformed just as Another Zi-O II grabbed onto them, both Riders grabbing onto the Another Rider as they began dragging each other towards the edge of the area. Everyone yelled out as they threw themselves off the edge, ending up in a lower area from the ledge that Geiz and Weiss were on.
Roze and Zi-O rolled away from Another Zi-O II, the two getting up as the Another Rider approached at a rapid pace.
Zi-O brought out the Ride Heisaber, slashing at Another Zi-O II who easily blocked it with one arm. The Another Rider pushed Zi-O's attack away before going for a swing, Zi-O ducking while slashing with the Heisaber and striking Another Zi-O II in the gut.
Another Zi-O II gasped as he was hit in the gut, suddenly bracing as powered up blasts of energy struck against him as he staggered back. The shots were courtesy of Roze who had brought out Silver Crescent to support Zi-O.
"Geiz, what are you doing?" Weiss asked as she looked over and saw Geiz simply watching the battle.
"This is good, actually," Geiz crossed his arms, "If they end up killing each other then it'll all work out in the end."
"No it won't! Sougo is going to die if we don't do something!" Weiss shouted in near anger before giving a light gasp and holding a hand up to her mouth, "I…"
"Weiss…" Geiz muttered in surprise as he saw the concern his friend was giving off. He looked back towards the fight, gripping his hands a bit as he wondered if he could truly trust Sougo and Ruby.
Another Zi-O II yelled out, having brought out his clock themed swords, combining them by their ends to make his naginata as he spun it and charged forward. He was able to easily disperse Roze's blasts while moving in, sparks flying as he struck past both Zi-O and Roze who were sent to the ground.
"Okay… this isn't good," Zi-O hissed out as he began to get up, "Zi-O II's the strongest I can go, and I'm not sure that'll be enough."
"Yeah, and even I'm not sure about Rose Armor," Roze admitted as she began to get up, switching her weapon to its Silver mode as she took aim.
[ROZE SILVER!]
"Like I'll let you use that power…" Another Zi-O II held his Driver and slid his hand across it, energy rapidly gathering in his pole weapon as he spun it before swinging forward.
[ANOTHER BREAK!]
[RYOSHI SASU!]
Roze shouted out as she launched out several blasts of energy while Another Zi-O II unleashed a powerful wave of purple energy. The shots managed to hold the wave back for a bit only for them to shatter, the wave striking the ground against Roze and Zi-O, sending the two tumbling backwards.
"Weiss," Geiz said as he looked over, "We need a quick getaway."
"Already on it," Weiss said as she stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, a Summoning Glyph appeared behind her as Nevermore wings sprouted from the Glyph.
Another Zi-O II chuckled as he began to approach the fallen Riders, ready to move in when Weiss' Nevermore Summon suddenly landed between him and them. On top were both Weiss and Geiz as the Nevermore cawed out, flapping its wings and unleashing spectral feathers and a strong gust of wind.
The resulting attack had sent Another Zi-O II back with a yell, the feathers striking him and pushing him back further as he slammed into a nearby boat, falling to the ground as the boat fell on top of him.
Geiz turned towards the fallen Riders, "Get on, now!"
"No need to tell us twice!" Roze shouted as she quickly helped Zi-O up, the two managing to get onto the Nevermore summon while dismissing their transformations. The Nevermore began to flap its wings as Weiss gave the command to fly off, it launching off into the sky at great speeds.
Another Zi-O II yelled out as he unleashed his energy outwards, breaking apart the boat that had fallen on him. He stood up as he began to look around, stomping against the ground as he lost sight of his targets.
"Look at them… running away like cowards," Swartz said as he walked out from behind a boat, "I suppose you could say my help ended up giving you the advantage though."
"Yes, I appreciate that," Another Zi-O II said as he dismissed his transformation, "Now that he no longer has that stronger form, I can easily crush him so long as he doesn't run."
"Yes though he'll keep running away unless we have some form of advantage," Swartz replied before smirking as he knew this was his chance to keep all eyes off of him, "Luckily despite most of his allies forgetting about him, he still cares for them. We'll target them to get to him."
"Sounds good to me," Hiryu smirked, "Tell Tsukuyomi to help us as well, that way we can finally end this."
"Of course, of course," Swartz smiled, though inwardly he knew how he'd twist this to his advantage. While overwhelming Sougo was a priority, if he was to simply tell Tsukuyomi to send out Aka-Woz… it'd set him in the best position for his plans.
Summer gave a light groan, still in 9-5-DO's kitchen as she saw Tsukasa continued to loaf around while inspecting the bread bags.
"Seriously, what are you doing?" Summer asked, "You know we can't exactly take these bags home."
"Just having some fun before things are reset," Tsukasa admitted as he dangled a bag of bread before spinning it, "If all goes well then we should be getting a good gift soon."
"I suppose so," Summer said before hearing ringing, she took out a Faizphone X and answered it, "Hello?" she asked before her face dropped at what she was hearing, "Daiki's what?!"
"Huh?" Tsukasa looked over.
"Alright, thanks, we'll move out soon," Summer said before hanging up and look up, "Daiki's been compromised."
"Well…" Tsukasa crossed his arms with a sigh, "I suppose we'll need to get to work."
The Nevermore Summon continued to soar through the air before flying nearby a rooftop that had a fence all around. The Summon itself was dismissed as Geiz, Weiss, Sougo and Ruby dropped down and landed.
"Thanks, I guess you believe me now?" Sougo asked, a bit hopeful that Geiz had lightened up.
"No," Geiz answered before Weiss could even speak up, going to walk near one of the fences, "I just couldn't ignore how badly he was wiping the floor with both of you."
"Please, tell us how you really feel," Ruby remarked in a sarcastic way, enough to where Weiss gave a small giggle at it.
"Well thanks either way you two," Sougo smiled as he looked between Geiz and Weiss, "This is the second time that Nevermore Summon saved my life against Hiryu."
"Wait, really?" Weiss asked in surprise, "I saved you from him before like that?"
"You did," Sougo said as he looked over at Weiss with a small smile, "In fact rescuing me was the trigger to get you to summon the Nevermore fully."
"What… what exactly was our relationship back in the old world?" Weiss finally asked, holding a hand near her chest and clutching her collar tightly, "I feel strangely safe around you despite you being Zi-O… and I couldn't bring myself to attack you."
"Oh," Sougo's smile dropped as he tried to figure out a way to word it and walked over before placing a hand on Weiss' shoulder, "We were… really close actually."
"It feels like it," Weiss admitted with a smile as she closed her eyes and leaned her head forward, "We were more than friends, weren't we?"
"We were," Sougo nodded gently with a smile.
"I feel so horrible for forgetting," Weiss admitted with a frown.
"It's not your fault, its Hiryu's," Sougo reassured, "I'll make sure everything's right again."
"Oh brother," Geiz rolled his eyes as he looked back at the scene before him.
"Yep, you're still the Geiz we remember after all," Ruby remarked as she walked over, "Just a bit rougher than usual."
"And how exactly do you all remember me?" Geiz asked.
"How exactly…?" Ruby asked before giving a teasing smile before thinking back on how they had all gotten to this point, "Well you were stupidly stubborn, attacking Sougo out of nowhere, antagonizing him constantly while refusing to listen to him. You were fighting all the time and I'd have to step in a few times too. Surprisingly though, you were very nice to me. Guess it helped that I wasn't your 'target' back then."
"…" Geiz stayed silent but looked back at Ruby to show he was listening.
"But you know, each time we all fought, we did get closer," Ruby admitted, "Even when things were rough with Yang and the others. Despite those rough patches, we forged strong bonds as a result."
"Bonds…?" Geiz asked.
"Yeah," Sougo said as he looked over from his talk with Weiss, having been listening in, "We both wanted to save our worlds. That's why we're friends now, and we trust each other."
"So you're saying that I trusted you like that, in the past?" Geiz asked.
"I'd like to think so," Sougo admitted as he and Weiss moved away from each other before he walked over towards Geiz, "But you really hated it when Woz called you one of my retainers."
"Huh?" Geiz questioned as he went to push Sougo back a bit with a few gentle shoves, "Why the hell would I ever serve you?!"
"Yeah, just like that," Sougo smiled.
"Yep, exactly," Ruby chuckled.
"So he's still insanely stubborn in the original timeline, huh?" Weiss asked in a near disappointed tone.
"Huh, what's that supposed to mean?" Geiz asked with a relaxed chuckle.
"Don't worry you get better," Ruby reassured before cracking another smile, "Somehow."
Geiz was ready to speak up in protest before hearing his Faizphone X ringing. He quickly unfolded it to answer, "Hello?"
"Geiz, where are you?!" Blake shouted, "We need help! Another Riders are targeting us!"
"What?" Geiz asked, "We'll be there right away."
"What's going on?" Weiss asked.
"The Another Riders are targeting Blake and the others," Geiz said.
"Crap, Penny's with her alongside Yang," Ruby realized.
"Are they trying to target them to draw us out?" Sougo asked.
"Weiss, head back to the safe house to hold the fort down," Geiz ordered.
"Fine by me," Weiss said, "What about Ruby and Sougo?"
"They're coming with me to help Blake and the others," Geiz replied before hurrying off, Ruby and Sougo following after him.
At a pier, Another W, Another Faiz and Another Build were currently chasing after Penny, Blake and Yang, the trio trying to get some distance as Penny launched multiple fireballs out to force the Another Riders back.
Another W however formed a small cyclone of wind, redirecting the fireballs away only to get shot by several arrows, sparks flying as Blake had brought out the Gashacon Sparrow.
Another Build yelled out as it launched forward, using its rabbit side's agility to close the distance fairly fast.
Yang however had gotten in the way, bringing out the Magma Knuckle while reeling back. She then punched Another Build just as it came hurtling straight for her, striking it in the chest and sending it rolling backwards.
"Looks like we're going to have to hold our ground till the others arrive," Yang said as she brought out the Blizzard Knuckle.
"Right," Blake nodded as she split her weapons up, "Penny?"
"I am combat ready my friends," Penny nodded, as she entered a fighting stance, preparing to bring out Floating Array.
Of course the three weren't expecting a red blur to suddenly speed past them, all of them gasping out as they were sent towards the ground. The red blur soon stopped, revealing itself to be Another Kabuto.
"Oh no…" Penny muttered as she saw this.
The other three Another Riders soon snarled out and began moving in closer to surround the three now that Another Kabuto had caught the Huntresses off guard.
"You're coming with us," Hiryu said as he began to walk over from around a corner.
Blake raised an eyebrow as she began to pick herself up, "Why us?"
"You'll be my bait to lure out Ruby Rose and Sougo Tokiwa," Hiryu answered before looking over at his Another Rider entourage, "Bring them along."
The Another Riders all nodded and went to grab at the three fallen Huntresses only to gasp out as they were shot at. Another Build and Another Kabuto were kicked away by the sudden appearance of Tsukasa, the Rider holding out a pistol he had been holding onto. Another Faiz and W meanwhile were suddenly struck by quick slashes, being sent backwards and towards where the other Another Riders were. The culprit was Summer with her Roseiber as she went to stand next to Tsukasa, the pair standing between the Huntresses and Another Riders.
"Mom…" Yang's eyes widened in surprise, "How did you…?"
"We figured they were going to start playing hardball," Summer said as she brandished her Roseiber, deciding not to explain the full situation due to Hiryu being nearby, "So we needed to act immediately."
"We've been playing nice so far, but playtime is over," Tsukasa said as he kept his gun aimed forward.
"I'm not about to let you lay a hand on my daughter or her friends," Summer narrowed her eyes.
"Who are you two even supposed to be?" Hiryu raised an eyebrow.
"Just some passing through Kamen Riders," Summer said as she drew out her Kamen Ride Card and loading it into her Roseiber.
Tsukasa meanwhile spun his pistol before holstering it, bringing out his Decadriver and readying his Kamen Ride Card before speaking up to finish his partner's line, "Remember that."
"Oh?" Hiryu let out an amused chuckle as he initiated his transformation with the Zi-O II Anotherwatch, "How interesting."
Tsukasa and Summer meanwhile went to initiate their transformations as they stood alongside each other.
"Henshin!"
[ZI-O II!]
[KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!]
[KAMEN RIDE: ROSE!]
Another Zi-O II, Decade and Rose all stared at each other once their transformations completed, the Another Riders slowly but surely getting up from the surprise attacks.
"Beat it," Decade glanced back.
"We can't guarantee we'll hold them all back," Rose admitted, "But we can give you a head start."
"My friends, we should get going," Penny said as she fully picked herself up.
Blake and Yang fully stood up and nodded, the two turning and running off alongside Penny.
Decade rushed forward, sending a few punches Another Zi-O II's way, the Another Rider easily grabbing them and holding Decade back.
"After them before they get away!" Another Zi-O II shouted as he held Decade back.
"Not yet," Rose quickly held the Roseiber up, extending the blade and loading in a card.
[ATTACK RIDE: BURST!]
Rose drew a circle in front of her, forming a white-silver rose projection that broke apart into singular petals. The petals then shot forward like beams, piercing through and striking against the Another Rider horde.
The Another Riders all gasped out as they were struck by the attacks, Another Kabuto hissing further as it suddenly used Clock Up to speed forward. It rammed past Rose, sparks flying as the female Rider cried out, falling to the ground.
Another Kabuto soon slowed down before looking at its fellow monstrous Riders, giving a nod as it began to run. The Another Riders of Faiz, W, and Build all nodded and quickly took off after it.
"Damn Clock Up," Rose winced as she picked herself up. She couldn't be too mad as she did say she wasn't sure how long they'd hold the Another Riders back, "Oh well."
"Hey, are you going to keep lazing around or are you going to help me?!" Decade questioned before gasping out as he was punched back by Another Zi-O II. He held his chest before ducking under another swing, performing a few punches to force the Another Rider to back off.
"You're a big boy, you can handle a couple of seconds of fighting by yourself!" Rose shouted before giving a light grunt, hopping back to her feet and rushing towards the fight. She slashed as Another Zi-O II turned to block her slash, before swinging his arm and forcing her Roseiber away.
While the two weren't doing the most damage to Another Zi-O II, their better odds of 2 versus 1 allowed them to keep Another Zi-O II on the back foot every now and again.
Of course it wasn't long before Geiz, Sougo and Ruby rounded the corner, the three already having their Ziku Drivers on and ready.
"Who's the guy in pink?" Geiz asked, "And who's that other Rider that looks kind of like him?"
"The first one's Tsukasa Kadoya," Sougo explained, "And it's magenta, actually."
"He was very insistent," Ruby sighed, recalling quite a few conversations with Tsukasa on the subject, "The other Rider with him is my mom, Summer."
"That's them?" Geiz asked before taking a step forward and steeling his nerves, "Let's do this, Ruby, Zi-O."
"Eh?" Sougo looked over in surprise.
"We're with you," Ruby nodded with a small smile.
"Look alive," Geiz said, preparing his transformation for Geiz Revive.
"Thanks," Sougo smiled as he brought out the Zi-O II Ridewatch.
"Alright guys, let's do this," Ruby smirked as she prepared for Silver Roze's transformation.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
[REVE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
[SILVER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) SILVER! (SILVER!) SILVER~! ROZE!]
The three stood together as their transformations into their upgraded forms fully completed before rushing forward.
Another Zi-O II had managed to block a punch from Decade and a slash from Rose, giving a yell as he unleashed a burst of energy to force them back. He then turned when he heard loud noises, catching sight of the approaching Riders. There was no chance to react however as Zi-O and Roze leapt up and kicked him in the chest, sending him staggering back. Geiz didn't leave any room to breathe, closing in and striking against him with the spinning saw of the Zikan Jaclaw.
Decade and Rose quickly came from behind, grabbing the Another Rider by the arms.
"Thank goodness you all are here," Rose admitted.
"You need to get moving!" Decade shouted, "Your friends are in trouble!"
"What?" Zi-O asked.
"Where are they?" Roze asked.
"They ran off that way," Rose gestured towards around the corner of a building with her head, "The Another Riders are still after them!"
"Zi-O, Ruby, leave this to us!" Geiz called out as he began charging his Jaclaw with energy, the saw extending outwards.
"Got it," Zi-O said, patting Roze on the shoulder before running off, "Come on!"
"Right," Roze said as she ran off after Zi-O, "Thanks Geiz!"
"Don't mention it," Geiz said as he watched Another Zi-O II force Decade and Rose off of him. He then yelled out and jabbed forward with his Jaclaw.
Another Zi-O II gasped as he crossed his arms, sparks flying as the enhanced energy saw managed to force him to stagger back.
"Hah," Another Zi-O II laughed, while he had his doubts against Grand Zi-O, managing to handle Geiz Revive's attack better compared to last time gave him the confidence needed to keep fighting, "I'm not going to lose anytime soon."
"Finally deciding to play sidekick?" Decade asked as he rushed towards Another Zi-O II.
"Please, you're my sidekick!" Geiz shouted as he ran for the Another Rider as well.
"Boys, we can discuss this later," Rose groaned as she brandished her sword and rushed forward as well.
The three Riders charging in at multiple angles and with multiple methods of attack had managed to work. Despite Another Zi-O II's confidence, while he was strong wasn't the best against overwhelming odds.
[SPEED TIME! REVI-I-VE SHI-PPU! SHIPPU!]
Geiz had backed off alongside Decade and Rose, his armor opening up and shifting into Revive Shippu. He wasted no time in using his high speed to overwhelm Another Zi-O II, becoming a blue blur and striking Another Zi-O II from any possible angle.
This kept Another Zi-O II opened up and staggered constantly, the Another Rider king trying to get his bearings straight when he heard two more announcements.
[ATTACK RIDE: BLAST!]
[ATTACK RIDE: SHINE!]
Decade brought out his Ride Booker in its gun mode, pulling the trigger and unleashing a hailstorm burst of energy bullets. Sparks flew as Another Zi-O II as forced to take several steps back, Rose soon closing in.
Rose shouted as her blade shined a bright white, slashing against Another Zi-O II multiple times and even going for a slash against the Another Rider's helmet. Due to the sounds of battle however, Another Zi-O II was unaware of a distinct cracking sound that occurred above his ears, the strike from the Roseiber managing to crack the clock hand crest on his forehead.
"Enough of these games," Another Zi-O II hissed out as he backed away, bringing out his clock hand themed naginata before gathering purple energy within it. He began swinging it immediately, unleashing purple waves of energy outwards and forcing the three Riders fighting him backwards as a result, "I'm not about to lose to the likes of you three!"
The Another Riders of Faiz, Kabuto, W, and Build all entered an open lot area with various buildings surrounding it. They would have assumed that the three Huntresses they were chasing would be hiding but they weren't. Or rather one of them wasn't as Blake was currently standing her ground, her Gashacon Sparrow out in its sickle mode as she gave a glare.
The Another Riders groaned out in confusion, wondering where the other two went before they began to split up, Another Kabuto and Another Build ready to grab at Blake.
[ROSE! GLACIAL KNUCKLE!]
Yang yelled out as she dropped down from one of the buildings, slamming the Blizzard Knuckle into the ground, ice-like vines exploding out from underneath the Another Riders and ensnaring them.
"Good job Yang!"
The Another Riders all heard Penny's voice, most tilting their heads up while Another Kabuto gave a light gasp as the sun began to be blocked out from its view.
Penny had conjured clouds as she had brought out Floating Array, all of them circling around in a large ring as she began gathering a charge of energy. She began sending out controlled lightning strikes to boost Floating Array's power before giving a yell as she unleashed a massive beam of energy down against Another Kabuto specifically.
The Another Rider could only yell out as the beam hit it, the power behind it being strong enough to where it soon exploded. The resulting explosion shattered the ice vines and sent the other Another Riders rolling away from it.
"Good," Penny landed as she had tried to push Floating Array's systems to the max power they could go without breaking, "That takes care of the most troublesome one."
"Then let's keep it up!" Yang called out as she brought out the Magma Knuckle, leaping up and punching against Another Faiz, the Another Rider raising its arms to block only for Yang to force her way through, sending it against the ground.
Another Build leapt towards Blake and grabbed at her only for its hands to pass through her. Blake had used Shadow to get on the Another Riders side, slashing against the side of its stomach with her sickles. The Another Rider could only cry out in pain as it was sent staggering back.
Another W meanwhile switched its Cyclone Side to Luna, extending it arm out to attack Penny who backed away while spinning Floating Array around, managing to deflect a few swings. The Another Rider was ready to advance when silver-white blasts of energy struck its back, the blasts burning it alongside slamming it against the ground.
"Everyone, we're here!"
Another Build and Another Faiz turned at hearing Zi-O's voice only to get blasted in the face by the same silver-white blasts, screaming out as smoke formed from the burn marks on their faces.
Roze was crouched down, her Silver Crescent smoking as she had been the one firing at the Another Riders.
"Let's wrap this up," Roze said before rushing for Another W while firing her weapon again.
Another W had just gotten up only to yell out as it was bombarded by the blasts of light, smoke exiting its body as Roze closed in and slammed her fist into its face.
"Yang, help Blake!" Zi-O called out as he leapt towards Another Faiz, slashing against it with the Saikyo Girade to knock it back, "I can handle this one!"
"Sure thing," Yang gave a nod, feeling a bit odd working with Zi-O but deciding to do what he asked regardless, "Blake!"
"Let's finish this up!" Blake called out as she blocked Another Build's grab with her sickles, slipping past the grab and striking against the Another Rider, sparks flying.
"No need to tell me twice," Yang said as she brought out her Magma Knuckle, loading in the Ninjya Bottle.
Another Build turned towards Yang and yelled out as it ran for her, spinning before kicking out with its tank foot.
[NINJYA! VOLCANIC KNUCKLE!]
Yang yelled out as she punched forward with the Magma Knuckle, numerous copies close to each other all forming and striking multiple times. The result was the numerous punches forcing Another Build to stagger back from being unable to match the punches force, allowing Yang to close in further and strike its body multiple times, sending it staggering back.
[TADDLE CRITICAL FINISH!]
Blake rushed in from behind, one sickle coated in fire while the other one had a cool icy aura over it. She struck against Another Build's back multiple times before performing a cross-slash of fire and ice.
Another Build hunched and stepped forward as the two Huntresses backed away, the Another Rider yelling out and exploding.
[SILVER FINISH TIME! SILVER TIME BLAST!]
[RIDER FINISH TIME! TWICE TIME BREAK!]
Roze had tossed aside Silver Crescent before punching at Another W who did the same. Roze shifted her head to the side to avoid Another W's punch at the last second while slamming her fist directly into the Another Rider's cheek. She yelled out as she pushed further, forcing Another W to spin away, the monstrous Rider copy sent into a roll before exploding.
Zi-O meanwhile had leapt up, trapping Another Faiz in a circle of pink and yellow katakana labeled 'kick'. The katakana combined before flying past Another Faiz to enter Zi-O's boot's sole. Zi-O shouted as he dropped down and struck Faiz with a well placed kick to the chest, energy being unleashed and the Another Rider exploding as he kicked past.
"Is everyone here alright?" Roze asked as she began to gather in the center with the others.
"Perfectly fine, thank you for the assistance," Penny replied.
"Yeah, you guys definitely helped ease things up for us," Yang agreed.
"Good to hear," Zi-O said.
"Where's Geiz?" Blake asked.
"They're fighting with Another Zi-O II right now," Roze said.
"Our best option is to get back to them and retreat," Zi-O suggested, "While we could end this now, I'd rather we take the initiative or be on equal-"
"Well now, these are a nice amount of hostages lined up."
Everyone turned to see Aka-Woz approaching with his Beyondriver on.
"Woz…" Zi-O trailed as he slowly and carefully raised his arms.
"You aren't getting them," Roze said as she stepped forward and held her right arm in front her friends, "Not without a fight."
"Woz, why are you doing this?" Zi-O questioned.
"As I've stated many times prior, I now serve my new Queen," Aka-Woz said, both Roze and Zi-O raising eyebrows beneath their helmets at the phrasing. The retainer clothed in red soon held up his Ginga Miridewatch, "It would be wise to withdraw now, or else…"
"I don't want to fight you," Zi-O said.
"The same can be said of me," Woz admitted as he lowered his arm before turning and walking away without any issue, "My ordained task remains, as it always has."
The ticking of a clock suddenly caught everyone's attention, the Riders and Huntresses looking around. But once the sound stopped they looked to see that Woz had completely vanished.
"What was that even about?" Blake asked.
"That guy was weird," Yang admitted.
"You don't know the half of it," Roze sighed in slight frustration before realizing something, "We really should be getting back to the other-"
[HI-ROZE!]
A sudden human sized fireball slammed into the center of the group, everyone yelling out as they were scattered from the attack. Both Roze and Zi-O managed to keep their transformations while Penny, Blake and Yang's Auras flickered rapidly, the three having lost a hefty chunk.
The sudden surprise attack had also dislodged the Baron and Genm Ridewatches from Roze's holsters, sending them clattering near the center which was filled with smoke and a few embers.
The smoke and flames from the fireball were soon dispersed by a burst of wind, Hi-Roze being the culprit.
"Oh are those for me?" Hi-Roze asked in a mocking voice as she grabbed the Baron and Genm Ridewatches, "You shouldn't have."
"Cinder…" Roze winced as she looked up at her Another Rider counterpart.
"What a good haul," Hi-Roze chuckled as she held up the Ridewatches she had taken from Roze before pressing their buttons and shoving them into her chest, "This should keep me going long enough to grab the rest!"
[BARON!]
[GENM!]
Red and purple pulsations occurred across the Another Rider's body as she brought out the Gashacon Bugvisor in its chainsaw mode. She then began to walk towards Roze while raising it high up.
"Like I'll let you do that!" Yang called out as she rushed forward.
Zi-O rushed forward as well, the two grabbing onto the Another Rider as a result and holding her back from Roze. The two let out shouts as they shoved Hi-Roze back, the Another Rider taking several steps back to keep from being staggered.
[CHU DON!]
Hi-Roze swapped the Bugvisor from its chainsaw mode to its beam gun mode, firing off blasts of energy at Yang and Zi-O. A sudden shield of ice was formed in front of them, blocking the shots though it shattered after a while. The Another Rider reeled her arm back in surprise before realizing it was Penny who had done it, the Maiden leaping towards her with Blake joining in.
Blake slashed with her Gashacon Sparrow, Penny doing the same with Floating Array, the two forcing Hi-Roze to bat away or dodge against their swings.
The Another Rider soon brought out the Banaspear in her free hand, it shining brightly with energy as she stabbed it into the ground. The result was large energy projections of bananas erupting from the ground, forcing Penny and Blake to back off as well as Yang and Zi-O to as well when they had attempted to join in again.
Roze had been watching while she had been recovering, fully getting up and leaping forward while flipping. She then kicked out, the sole of her boot shining brightly as she slammed her foot into her Another Rider's chest.
Hi-Roze gasped out as she staggered back from the kick only to spread her arms while giving a yell of defiance.
The Riders and Huntresses all kept on guard, the five ready for anything that Hi-Roze was going to throw at them. To their surprise however, Hi-Roze suddenly gasped out in pain, orange specks of energy beginning to leak from it as cracks began to form.
"What…?" Hi-Roze asked as she fell to her knees while dropping her weapons. She planted her hands on the ground to keep from fully falling over as her form destabilized even further, "I barely managed to…!"
"It's destabilizing this soon?" Roze questioned in surprise.
'Yeah, I can feel it,' Kagami spoke up as her voice began fading in and out, 'the powers of Another Roze are breaking down even faster now.'
"Kagami…" Roze muttered.
"It appears that even two Ridewatches were not enough this time as well," Penny added.
"Destabilizing?" Blake asked.
"I'm not… I'm not going to lose this power!" Hi-Roze shouted as she grabbed the Banaspear and managed to stand, channeling her Maiden powers and Semblance within before unleashing a blast of energy against the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust to cover her escape.
Zi-O was ready to try and move after her when an explosion suddenly went off behind them. He turned alongside the others to watch as Decade, Rose and Geiz all rolled into view while dodging various energy slashes that were sent out and exploded near them.
Decade saw something out of the corner of his eye and looked over, "Oh good, you're done."
"Huh?" Geiz turned to see that everyone was alright if a bit roughed up and there were no Another Riders, "Glad to see you're all alright."
"Thank goodness," Rose sighed in relief.
"So you managed to deal with my minions," Another Zi-O II remarked as he walked into view.
"As much as I enjoy strength in numbers," Decade said as he aimed his Ride Booker in its gun mode, firing it at the ground in front of Another Zi-O II to kick up sparks, "We need a hasty retreat now!"
"Right," Rose said as she quickly hurried over to the others alongside Geiz.
"You're not going anywhere!" Another Zi-O II shouted.
"Sorry but that's not up to you," Decade said as he hurried over and held his hand forward before swiping it towards him. A massive Aurora Curtain formed behind before sliding over them, the group of eight being transported elsewhere.
"Sougo Tokiwa," Another Zi-O II hissed out as he stared at the empty space in front of him. He shook his head before walking off, planning on returning to his castle, "The next time we meet will be your last."
Location Unknown:
Narutaki was currently in a laboratory with Neo, the two watching as the Roze RWBY Ridewatch was in an orb-shaped container with a flat bottom and top. Next to it was a pedestal that held a blank Ridewatch with various small laser-like devices surrounding it, the tips of the lasers pointed at it. The miniature lasers all had wires that were connected to the top of the orb-shaped container. The bottom of the orb-shaped container began to glow brightly as red, blue, purple and yellow wisps of energy began floating upwards towards the flat top of the container.
It wasn't long before electricity in the same four colors began coursing through the wires, the lasers soon shooting out a mixture of the colors against the Blank Ridewatch.
"You're actually bothering with messing with the Ridewatches?" Evolt asked as he walked into the laboratory, "I thought no one could understand them?"
Neo looked over at Evolt and gave a bored look before looking back at the process unfolding.
"If you look at it from a mechanical standpoint yes," Narutaki said, "But what I'm doing is taking advantage of the malleable properties the Ridewatches now have, drawing out the power within them through outside means in order to send that energy into a blank."
"Huh… interesting when you put it like that," Evolt replied, "So what's the purpose?"
"To make it that our friend Neo here has the ultimate advantage against Roze," Narutaki replied, "Cinder having taken Roze RWBY is an unexpected boon, one which I will happily take advantage of."
"So this'll form the new Ridewatch?" Evolt asked.
Neo simply shook her head at this.
"No," Narutaki answered, "Neo will still have to activate the Ridewatch with her own willpower, but I'm just giving her the tools make her transformation the strongest it can be. All she'll need is one final component which Roze will happily give to us by the end of this current battle."
Earth – Late June 2019
Swartz entered the throne room of the castle, having to keep from smiling as he saw Tsukuyomi sitting alone on her throne. His suggestion for her to send out Aka-Woz to assist Hiryu had worked, and resulted in him having Tsukuyomi all to himself.
"Swartz…?" Tsukuyomi asked, noticing the elder Time Jacker approaching.
"I'm glad you're here Tsukuyomi," Swartz said as he went to bow, getting on one knee as he lowered his head, soon smirking.
"What is this?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Relax," Swartz kept his head lowered as his smirk transitioned into a giddy smile, despite this he kept his voice controlled, "I plan on answering any questions you might have…"
"And what questions would those be?" Tsukuyomi cut the Time Jacker off with a question of her own, "My dear brother."
Swartz's smile faded as he looked up in surprise, "Excuse me?"
"You heard what I said," Tsukuyomi said as she stood up with a sobering expression towards her surprised sibling, "Brother."
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"We figured you'd plan a trap for us."
"The only ones we can count on to finish this fight are ourselves."
"Good luck handshake."
"Cinder, please die!"
"I'm fighting to forge a bright future!"
Chapter 114: 2019: Tsukuyomi's Counterattack
Author's Note: And I think that's a good end point for this chapter, got a bit of a different vibe going on since Tsukuyomi's the one surprising Swartz this time instead of what happened in the series. Not much to say on this one though, but I did have fun with the interactions and reactions from everyone concerning how much a mess the entire situation was. That being said we're in for a big chapter coming up as we wrap up this Saga and Roze from Remnant's updates for the year, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.