Fictions Mentioned:
Episode 17
OP Song:
Aoi Kaze No HOPE [HISTORY OF TRUNKS ENDING]
Insert Song: Start
Corpse Party: Blood Covered OST - Chapter 5's Main Building Theme 2 (Extended)
It was one afternoon sunset.
Kamen Rider Zi-O vs Joker.
The King of Time vs the Jester of Chaos.
This was one silent standoff that was occurring on the rooftops of the school building. Neither were moving against each other for now nor were they taking their eyes off of each other. The breezes were slow but sure, slowly fluttering Joker's clothing.
All of the Precure and their mascots, along with Kotori Nono, were bearing witness to a confrontation between mortal enemies who have fought each other, relative to this timeline where the memory is projecting for all to see, was approximated to be about three years. Of course, three years were merely approximate as far as the age of George Kurai in this timeline was concerned. In actuality, there was something peculiarly off.
Hana Nono was looking at this confrontation with trepidation. Her heart was palpitating fast. She couldn't help but worry as she sees the smiling glee, familiar and expected accompanied by a tint of excitement, of Joker. Joker recognizes Zi-O. Zi-O recognizes Joker, having said the latter's name before transforming. There was a history behind it all. And it was something that was most apparent to her and to everyone else.
The Smile Precure! were all watching closely at Joker, dreading each moment that seemed to pass. They knew that this was the most dangerous of their enemies and they couldn't underestimate this person, the person that was just inches close to beating them to the point of despair if not for their timely intervention to pull through together as a team. As a matter of fact, they never recalled one instance of actually beating Joker head-on as individuals. Only as a team. To fight Joker on one's lonesome never truly ends well for anyone. Reika Aoki alone can attest to such traumatic experiences.
"Well," Joker smiled gleefully, tilting his head. "Aren't you going to make the first move, moi?"
Zi-O didn't respond. But Joker can tell that his archenemy was simply narrowing his eyes, unimpressed inwardly while remaining stone cold in his expression, determined to take him down with no hesitation.
"Ah, the silent treatment," Joker looked disappointed, his face made a frown before smiling once more. "How rude," he said, snapping his right-handed fingers.
And then suddenly, razor-sharp cards were sent from both sides, teleporting them a few meters near Zi-O's shoulders, using the sharp edges of the cards to slice him to pieces. This surprised all of the audience who were watching. Some of the Precure and the mascots were yelping in shock at the sudden attack from both sides. It was more than relieving enough for everyone, especially for the HUGtto! Precure and the Smile Precure, that the attack had been blocked.
ZIKAN GIRADE! KEN!
To everyone's surprise, the attack was blocked by two materialized Zikan Girade that were floating just between Zi-O's shoulders and the incoming attack, yellow and white sparks flying like little amounts of fireworks. The Zikan Girades slashed the cards, dispersing them. One of the swords on the left side of Zi-O disappeared. The other one was used by Zi-O, calling it telekinetically to his right hand.
Joker obliged to summon his own sword from his right hand. It was a red-tinted saber. glowing from within a silver hilt. He raised his saber, the glowing flash of red shown throughout his excited face. "En garde, mon ami," he said.
And then, Joker dashes towards Zi-O as they both clash swords, sending electrical yellow sparkles. A frontal attack from both swordsmen followed by a back and forth slash from left to right for the both of them. Joker was aggressive and chaotic, trying to move the dangerous blade upwards that would only make Zi-O dodge and turn to another direction, trying to attempt another downward cut, only to be parried by Joker, wielding his blade quicker to the side where the Zikan Girade would strike.
ZYU!
Now was his chance, Zi-O thought as he flips the function of the Zikan Girade into the gun mode as he side steps from the blade, shooting projectiles at Joker who simply flips backward and lands with grace, spinning around and summoning multiple purple cards that were being thoroughly cut down by Zi-O's Zikan Girade. From the multitude of cards thrown right at Zi-O in a straight pattern, multiple energy blasts converged on him, creating a typical mini-explosion that was unnoticeable to those far away, for the smoke vanishes just as quickly as Zi-O uses his Zikan Girade to act as a type of impeller.
From this, Joker uses the opportunity to attack from behind, bringing his red-colored saber near Zi-O's back, only to be parried by the latter, twisting the blade via back hand. Then, he transported himself to Joker's back before disappearing again, dodging another slash from Joker. And from the left, Zi-O strikes back with acrobatic maneuvers, twisting the blade from the left which was parried by Joker.
And then, Joker receives a sucker punch to the face by Zi-O, sending him a few inches to the edge of the buildings, slightly cracking the cement on the edge of the fence, which in turn let him smile, wiping his chin. Then Joker begins to disappear, leaving behind a trail of cards from above that were aimed at Zi-O, only for the latter to summon another Zikan Girade to slice them apart. A purplish beam was fired to Zi-O's back, only for the beam to fail as Zi-O raises his left hand to block and absorb it. Then, Zi-O raises his Zikan Girade to the right, parrying the upward strike that came from Joker.
As the battle drags onwards, sparks fly as both players became quicker in speed. All of the Precure and their mascots, including Kotori, were amazed at this tremendous fighting skill from both players who seemed to be equivalently matched. No matter what the other does, the other counterattacks with one's own attacks. The swift preciseness, the calculative grace from the sword, and the addition of other useful skills which allow one to be discrete on the battlefield.
"Sugoi..." Nao Midorikawa muttered in amazement.
And then, both of them would leap from this timeline to another timeline and place, almost as if they were spirited away, leaving this period of time behind in order to hop into another. It was somewhere in the middle of the night in a certain park. No one was here and the only ones there were the electrical lighting on the posts.
Zi-O and Joker were striking and swiping each other with their blades, crossing them in every direction. Sparks fly continuously as they become a blur for any outside viewer except for the Precure, Kotori, and mascots who could somehow keep up with their battle if only because this was the memory of one of the combatants, experiencing all of this from the point of view of one who is watching late night television.
Joker was twirling his blade like an expert swordsman, using a combination of feints before lunging onwards aggressively before being parried by Zi-O. Zi-O aims at the right upper side, only to be parried by Joker. Another few strikes from left and right, blending agility and skill together while dodging each strike through the use of side-stepping and footwork.
Joker uses the opportunity to dishevel his adversary by producing purple smoke, creating more clones of himself, and carrying the same red-colored blade in order to strike at Zi-O. But Zi-O manages to dodge every attack, side-stepping before cutting every single one of the cloned Jokers down with his sword, with the last one being sliced in half by a reverse grip. All of the cloned Jokers were obliterated into mere nothingness but Zi-O noticed that Joker was nowhere to be found, having made himself scarce.
"W-W-Where did he go?!" Akane Hino exclaims, looking for Joker anywhere but not finding him.
"He disappeared, kuru!" Candy exclaims in shock and dread.
Zi-O narrowed his eyes, simply calm and collected as he waited patiently for the next move.
And then...
He dodges a beam coming for him by side-stepping, aiming his Zikan Girade in gun mode, and shooting multiple projectiles at Joker who was standing on a lamp post, smiling as he disappears once more.
"You know..." Joker's voice was heard throughout the park, echoing in an eerie manner that sends chills running down the spines of everyone who was watching. "Maybe I should try to turn this battle up a notch, don't you think?"
And suddenly, the scene changes once more as Zi-O gets forcibly dragged into another dimension.
The first thing that Zi-O noticed was...
"...!"
Piles of dust on the ground...
But there was something off about the dust as they were covered with the remains of clothing. There were various styles of clothing for men, women, and even...children...
Zi-O was currently standing on the deserted street from a ruined downtown area. Cars littered the streets, burning or damaged beyond. Damaged windows and other appliances. Bullet marks from some parts of the area. Disheveled trash bins from the alleyways.
Something was off...
All of the Precure and the mascots felt something very off in the eerie atmosphere that they were watching with their own eyes. They felt a kind of cold that was very unfamiliar. And yet, it was nothing short of pure evil.
"I...I don't like this, mipo," Mipple stuttered in dread as she sees this cold, dark atmosphere.
"Why are there various clothes lying around the streets?" Honoka Yukishiro asked herself in trepidation, feeling something off from the scene that was right before her.
But there was only an uncomfortable silence based on the question itself.
Zi-O only remained silent in spite of this, much to the constant worry of Hana Nono and the rest of the HUGtto! Precure noticed the rather slow form of walking that Zi-O was currently doing like he was taking every nook and crannies of this place into account.
He knew what this was...
"I knew what this was..."
"Eh?!" many of the Precure and the mascots muttered, surprised as they recognized the echoing voice. But this was more of thoughts being put into words as they are in one of the specific memories of George Kurai.
"George?!" Hana muttered softly, worried.
But the voice continued unabated as Zi-O walks into the deserted downtown area. There were smashed windows and doors. The bricks and cemented materials from the damaged buildings littered the streets.
"Joker transported me into one of his pocket dimensions in order to be reminded of one of the "fun times" that we have had over the years. This was unfortunately one of them."
"Like what I've done with this place, Zi-O?" Joker's voice echoed throughout the area. "What's the harm of going back to a trip down memory lane?"
For some reason, the Precure and the mascots, with Kotori this time being a major exception, were all seeing flashes of certain events that have already happened. And what was...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"...!"
Screams. Screams of dread came from the civilians that were running for their lives to no avail as strange creatures came forth from pink-colored portals. From the skies up to the ground, flashes of people, men, women, and children, became dust and ashes as they scream in pain.
"...!" Yayoi Kise gasped in shock as she sees the horrific tragedy unfolding before them, tears flowing down her cheeks.
"That...Noise!" Homare Kagayaki's expression was shaken as she sees the recognizable creatures that she, Saaya Yakushiji, and Hana Nono had fought not too long ago. Saaya and Hana were just as shaken as Homare, horrified as they see people getting turned to dust and ashes as they tried to escape from the onslaught of the monsters.
It was one sudden blip flowing from the sufferings made apparent by hundreds of screams echoing out in random synchronization, before the Precure and the mascots were drawn back to the present memory, still seeing Zi-O walking amidst the pile of what is now known to the Precure and the mascots, actual corpses of men, women, and children all dust and ashes.
"What...what..." Miyuki Hoshizora's lips trembled as her eyes grew dull in fear. It may have been like a moment, but the sheer weight that it had on her and on everyone else had affected them deeply in a mental way.
What they saw in a mere glimpse of a shadow was horrifying. And for most Precure and their mascots, they were shaken to the core. Even Precure like Yukari Kotozume, rare as they were to lose their cool, were grimacing in dread as they saw the same things as her fellow Precure saw.
There were tears. There was horror. There was anger. There was sadness that runs far too deep, being struck by the sword of time flowing around their own mind as they were allowed to see flashes of things that have already happened in order to provide any background details, as every one of the Precure and the mascots were forced to watch an actual genocide taking place right before their eyes.
But what was the straw that broke the camel's back was that from one glimpse of their memory, they saw Joker smiling gleefully at the massacre, admiring his handiwork with a sense of pride as he absorbs all of the despair that was present throughout the atmosphere, thereby gaining even more power.
"No! Pepo! Why! Popo!" Pollun was crying.
"Hehehehehehehehe. That's right, that's right," Joker said in an echoing voice just as the scenery of the carnage that took place both before and after, a blending of memories during that specific moment in time and what was being projected right now. "Total despair even in the finality of their own demise. Ahhh! Such sweetness must not be wasted. No, of course not, it needs to be nurtured, slowly and painfully," he said with a smile on his face, just as he absorbs everything from pain to ultimate despair at the final moment and hour of death.
"What Joker was referring to was an incident that had happened two years ago from the perspective of others. Except for myself that is despite looking like a thirteen-year-old. When it comes to time travel being involved, one could not tell anymore. What does matter, however, was that on a parallel Earth, Manhattan, New York got invaded by the Noise who massacred more than half of the population. By the time we arrived there, I, Tatsuya, and the rest of the 14th Legion were far too late."
"Unforgivable..." Hibiki Hojo muttered, clenching her fists, righteous anger being present on her delicate face that was already crying in tears.
"This is unforgivable..." Kanade Minamino muttered, clenching her fists, righteous anger being present on her delicate face that was already crying in tears.
"I can still hear it. Even in my dreams, I can still hear it. The screams. The pain. The despair. You feel that sense of helplessness that you didn't want to feel ever again. Despite being given the powers of a Kamen Rider, I couldn't save anyone. That was an inevitable fact that I had to learn the very hard way."
Zi-O was still walking the deserted streets of Manhattan. He knew where he was. He could even tell from the street post, with one of the signs pointing him somewhere nearby Gramercy Park just a few meters away. And he continued his trudge, with everyone else watching.
Everyone in fact was listening to the deeper thoughts and reflections from Zi-O, horrified by the outcome of the massacre, feeling a sense of hopelessness as one sees people dying left and right without any form of compassion or mercy offered for the enemy. The logical outcome of exploiting the nature of despair and the bad ending of multiple futures.
Insert Song: End
Insert Song: Start
Batman Arkham Knight OST Look Who's Laughing Now Instrumental
And then suddenly...
Multiple tendrils suddenly sprout from the ground which was sliced quickly by Zi-O. Joker suddenly turned around and performed a roundhouse kick which was parried by Zi-O who crossed both of his arms, the latter was sent a few meters away dashing across the asphalt floor before stopping dead on his tracks.
"Alrighty then," Joker smiled as he snaps his fingers, summoning multiple numbers of henchmen wearing shirts and shorts in red, blue, and yellow colors the same as Joker's who are all gathered towards Zi-O. The Precure and everyone else that was watching are surprised at the sudden number of henchmen wearing outfits similar to Joker. These henchmen, as much as the infused information would pass on to them, were known as the Rascal Gang. "Let's turn this party up a notch by singing a classical serenade for you and me. Take it away, boys!" he ordered.
"You got it, boss," one of the henchmen with a crowbar said with a nod, putting one hand to the edge of the crowbar repeatably.
"George!" Hana exclaims as she, Saaya, Homare, Ruru, and Emiru were sporting worried expressions.
And then, the scenery changes as they were now in a large room filled with party decorations and balloons on the side. It all spelled "Happy 13th Birthday, George Kurai!" on some of the slogans pasted on some of the walls. There was even a large birthday cake from the center that had thirteen birthday candles.
"Take me on home to the asylum, Never alone in the asylum Anarchy ruled, It was wild! But through it all, You never smiled Joke's on you, I'm in your head Look who's laughing now!"
While Joker was singing, even using a unicycle while holding on to a microphone, enjoying himself tremendously while driving on the hovering rope, Zi-O was busy dealing with the thugs. Zi-O dodges each crowbar strike with his Zikan Girade, punching each of the thugs to the face, solar plexus, and other weak spots where they were the most vulnerable.
Even when the lyrics were in English, everyone who was watching can somehow understand them, much to their surprise. But the surprise was short-lived as the more they listened to the twisted song, the more they slowly became angry and disgusted especially when they see the various scenes that were like a projection conjured through multiple floating screens that showed numerous gruesome deaths all at the hands of Joker, directly and indirectly.
There were scenes that showed multiple people getting killed by the Noise who were using their usual method of transforming into projectiles which disintegrate the victims into mere nothing. And then, there were scenes that showed a very dark city whose littered burning streets had riots made by various gangs, including the Rascal Gang, which were being dealt with difficulty by the GCPD. There were also scenes where some buildings begin to explode randomly, claiming the lives of multiple civilians who were inside those buildings. The rubble would crush some unfortunate souls as they screamed for their last breath. And there were so many scenes that horrified, angered, and disgusted the Precure and everyone else who was forced to watch this sickening scene.
"Remember in Gotham City? I killed children, so…pretty. That was the night when we first met But when you looked me in the eye That's when I knew we'd be together, Look who's laughing now!"
"You..." Nao Midorikawa was clenching her fists in anger. The same can be said for Akane Hino who was also clenching her fists. The rest of the Smile Precure were horrified by the numerous recorded atrocities that they and the rest were all seeing death and destruction unleashed.
"I'm stuck in your head and I'm laughing, I fill you with dread, and I can't stop laughing, Your parents are dead, and I can't stop laughing! What else can I do? Now I'm part of you! I am the new clown prince of crime, And we've had a hell of a time!"
When Joker got to the word "parents are dead" in a gleeful tone, something snapped within Hana Nono, Hagumi Kurai, Hariham Harry, and the rest of the HUGtto! Precure who were angry and disgusted at Joker for trying to insult George by blatantly pointing out the fact that his parents had died and he was actually laughing.
Kotori, shaken as she watches the many deaths and heard the twisted song, could only utter in horror and disgust. "Stop it...Please...Stop it..."
In fact, the "parents are dead" part was where the screen was showing a very young George Kurai crying on his parent's grave as heavy rain sets in on the dark clouds. The only thing that was protecting him from the heavy rain was the beautiful old tree that was sturdy and firm after all these years.
"...!" Yukari Kotozume and Akira Kenjou were sporting narrowed and disgusted expressions as they hear this twisted song and the mocking tone that Joker sharply pointed out in relation to George's parents. The rest of the KiraKira⭐Precure a la Mode could only look on in horror as they saw this twisted individual making fun of all of the gruesome deaths that had benefited him tremendously.
While this was happening, Zi-O never even showed a bit of emotion except for trying to keep a clear head. He dodges each attack from the henchmen either via side stepping casually or just using his Zikan Girade to block and slash the incoming crowbars, baseball bats, and other dangerous melee weapons, taking down each of the henchmen with utter ease.
"you're part of me, I'm part of you Now there's nothing we can't do! I can't wait till I'm in control Who'll be laughing then? I drove you round the bend and I'm laughing, I'm with you till the end, and I can't stop laughing, I could kill all your friends and I can't stop laughing!"
Zi-O managed to land successive punches and kicks that send many of the henchmen flying in multiple directions, many of whom had ended up on the glass windows while some others ended up landing through the tables, with the glassware and tableware all ruined.
"...!" Nagisa Misumi, Honoka Yukishiro, and Hikari Kujou were both horrified and angered, clenching and narrowing their eyes at Joker for this twisted song.
"Oh yes! Think I can taste your fear, Now that my time is near I'm in your blood, I'm so alive, I only wish you'd let me drive It won't be long till I make you kill Who'll be laughing then? Your father's dead, and I'm laughing, your mother's dead, and I can't stop laughing, Even your future wife is dead and I can't stop laughing What else can I do? Now I'm part of you."
Scenes showing both George's parents, once alive and well, now replaced with the tombstone nearby the old beautiful tree that was being showered by the heaviest of rain. And then...
"...!" Hana and Hagumi were in shock when they saw what appeared to be an adult version of Hana Nono wearing a white sundress and hat, smiling brightly.
While Joker stopped singing for a moment, he was enjoying the cake by taking a slice while up in the air, watching Zi-O pummel his henchmen into submission. After finishing his cake, he sings once more.
"I drove you round the bend and I'm laughing I'm with you till the end, and I can't stop laughing I killed all your friends and I can't stop laughing! I'm cock-a-doodle-do! All because of you. I'm stuck in your head and I'm laughing I fill you with dread, and I can't stop laughing Your parents are dead, and I can't stop laughing! I'm stuck in your head and I'm laughing, I fill you with dread, and I can't stop laughing, Your parents are dead, and I can't stop laughing! What else can I do? Now I'm part of you."
Joker emphasizes the last part with a smile, subtle and terrifying with gleeful pleasure which sends shudders running down the spines of many who are forced to watch this. Some of the Precure such as Miyuki Hoshizora and Inori Yamabuki in fact were already crying for George's sake just as the latter could not afford to cry except to remain focused on the battlefield, knocking down every single opponent that was coming near him.
And then, the song ends just as Zi-O punches the last henchmen in the face, sending him crashing on the Happy Birthday Cake, messing the table, with the wood splintered with cake on the floor.
"Happy Birthday, Toki no Ouja, Hehahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!" Joker was laughing as he raises both of his hands downwards, celebrating his adversary's birthday only a few days late if one were to relate to this timeframe and perspective.
Insert Song: End
ED Song:
Kamen Rider 4 [Time - Mitsuru Matsuoka]