Episode 22: Uncontrollable

Most people would be happy for someone when it looked like they were in a good mood. However, when said person who's in a good mood happens to be an escaped maniac by the name of Takeshi Asakura, people are more frightened than happy.

"Ah~. It's so easy to get rid of things that vex me now." Asakura sighed in bliss as he fondly recalled how he brutally ended the life of Jun Shibaura, Kamen Rider Gai, just a few days ago. "Oh, Kitaoka. How I long for the day when I get to truly bring the pain upon you. Getting the jump on you on this side of the mirrors isn't nearly as fun! Picking up that deck was the best choice I ever made! I've never felt so free in my entire life~!"

Unbeknownst to Asakura, his freedom did not mean he was roaming unobserved. Monitoring him from the safety of a car were a pair of police detectives. One half of the pair being Kani Zakuno, an associate of Shinji Kido. And when it came to those who wanted to bring Asakura to justice, Zakuno's desire was on par with Shinji's. His partner, however, was far more apprehensive.

"Kani, can't we just leave him be?" Kani's partner asked. "I mean, he's just strolling about right now. He hasn't hurt anyone yet."

Kani frowned "The key word here is 'yet'. I read Asakura's file, and he's a bomb just waiting to explode. Since it looks like he's in a good mood, whoever is unlucky enough to provoke him will be walking away bruised or bloodied. And that's when he's feeling nice."

"B-But this is the guy who needed a whole squad of guards to reign him in when he was in prison!" Kani's partner panicked. "We'd need a whole SWAT team to subdue him!"

"And by then, he could start a whole brutality spree." Kani snapped. "One that will quickly escalate to having a body count since he's got a lust for fighting and a lack of restraint. Sit tight and call for backup if you'd like. I'm ending this madman's freedom NOW!"

"Kani, wait-!"

The words of Kani's partner fell on deaf ears as the determined detective bolted out of the car and drew his gun! The weapon aimed right where Asakura's excuse for a heart lie.

"Asakura!" Kani cried out, making the madman pause. "I'm bringing you in!"

Asakura sighed and turned to face the detective. A bored look on his face as he glanced over Kani.

"Oh. Another pig come squealing at me." Asakura brushed off Kani's declaration. "You're either brave or stupid saying nonsense like that."

Kani narrowed his eyes at the insult, his grip on his gun tightening. "I'm neither. You've been brought in once and can be brought in again! The only question is whether its in chains or a bodybag."

"Heh. Heh heh! Ah ha ha ha ha!" Asakura nearly doubled over as he laughed. "Oh-! Oh, this is just too good! I finally met a cop with the guts to try bringing me in himself! No backup. No snipers. No SWAT. Just me, and… whatever rank you are."

"It'll be only me soon if you don't stand down." Kani said coldly. "I've got no qualms putting you down, Asakura."

Asakura sighed. "See, THIS is why I hate the pigs… sorry, officers of the law, so much. You keep trying to control how I do things. But the thing is,"

"I hate being controlled." Asakura said a completely even tone with a deadly look in his eyes as he rushed towards Kani!

While Kani did have his police training to rely upon in case of physical altercations, he was woefully unprepared for facing a beast like Asakura. The escaped madman came at him with a swiftness that would rival a trained martial artist and struck with the ferocity of a wild animal. A savage slap to the hand forced Kani to drop his gun and left him open to a gut punch. But before Asakura could land his blow, Kani sidestepped just in time to avoid being hit and landed a lucky strike on Asakura's face! The madman staggered a bit and wiped some blood from his lip. For a moment he seemed shocked he'd been struck, but his shock soon gave way to a twisted grin.

"So the one cop with the stones to bring me in solo also has a decent punch?" Asakura's unsettling smile sent a chill up Kani's spine. "THIS IS THE MOST FUN I'VE HAD ALL DAY!"

Kani recoiled as Asakura renewed his assault. Whatever fury or madness that Asakura had set upon the detective previously had seemingly multiplied twofold! As Kani tried to weather the assault, each blow the madman landed on him made the question he'd asked himself echo in his mind.

'Is this guy even human?!' Kani mentally cried out as he tried to block Asakura's wild swings. Then, just as suddenly as his assault began, Asakura slumped over. Kani blinked in shock, and his reaction was immediately met with a vicious headbutt.

"Bored now." Asakura said casually as he looked down at Kani. "Besides, you ain't the one I want dead."

And with that, the madman left. It was only when Asakura was out of sight that Kani's partner rushed to his side. A panicked look on his face as he'd just witnessed the brutal beatdown.

"Kani, I told you! You can't solo Asakura! I'm all for either locking him up or putting him down, but it can't be a lone officer job!"

Kani groaned as his head stopped spinning. "Yeah… I got it. The lesson literally hit my head."

"You're just like a crab with how you snap into action like that." His partner sighed. "No point in calling for backup since Asakura's split. But we WILL be calling an ambulance."

Kani nodded in agreement. However, what troubled him was the face that Asakura had walked away so casually. Even if the man could take a SWAT team, he should've shown some urgency in escaping. So just what on earth could warrant him treating a getaway like an afternoon stroll? Little did Kani know, the answer would be as easy as looking in a mirror. Asakura had transformed into Kamen Rider Ohja in a nearby alleyway and had escaped in a nearby building's back window.

"Yeah, that's right. Limp away to lick your wounds." Ouja nodded as he watched Kani and his partner depart for the hospital. "Now that the smallfry are bailing out, the big boys can play."

Ouja turned around and saw a furious-looking Metalgelas fuming at him.

"Hmph. Gai's pet." Ouja scoffed. "Did rhino come all this way to avenge his master? I'm surprised. I thought a walking tank like you would be glad to be rid of an annoying shrimp bossing you around."

Metalgelas let out a fearsome bellow as he stomped the ground before charging at Ohja! While it was true that Metalgelas had no love for Gai, his contractor had kept him well fed. That was reason enough for the metallic rhino to pursue Ouja with a vengeance. Unfortunately for the rhino, Ohja was just as fluid and slippery as the cobra he had contracted with.

"What a bore." Ohja sighed as he drew a card form his Advent Deck. "All you do is charge and charge. I think I'll let my own beast have some playtime."

"ADVENT!"

At the Venovisor's announcement, Venosnaker slithered his way onto the battlefield. The snake's tail rattling as he let out an intimidating hiss. Rather than quake or cower, Metalgelas let out a roar of challenge, bashing his claws together as if to beckon the snake to attack him. Venosnaker's response was to rear back as if to strike out at Metalgelas, only to spit a glob of acid at the humanoid rhino. Metalgelas howled in pain as the acid splashed against his hide, the rhino writhing on the ground as the acid ate away at his metallic hide. While Metalgelas was in agony, Ouja wasted no time slotting his Sword Vent card into the Venovisor and taking a literal stab at the downed rhino. However, Ohja would have no such luck as Metalgelas's flailing knocked him back. When the humanoid rhino finally got to his feet, he could do little more than glare hatefully at Ohja. In response, Ohja rolled his head and hefted his sword on his shoulder before making a challenging gesture.

"Well? Care to give it another go?" Ohja said mockingly. "I thought all good pets would fight 'til they died to avenge their masters."

Metalgelas's response was an angry snort and a hasty retreat. Seeing the wounded rhino lumber away, Venosnaker let out a displeased hiss.

"Yeah, yeah. You're hungry. Shut up." Ohja hissed in kind. "That monster fought a lot better than any of the others. Probably because it had a contractor to direct it, or something. Don't really know, don't really care. Better get to feeding you before you bite my head off."

And with that, Ohja walked away to continue his hunt. Unbeknownst to him, his entire fight had an observer. On a nearby rooftop, Kamen Rider Abyss had been watching the events that transpired on both sides of the mirror. With everything he'd seen, Abyss couldn't help but frown as he got up and made his way back to his employer in the real world.

"Ah, Abyss. I was wondering when you would return. How goes the scouting?" Abyss's employer inquired. "Any promising Riders to add to our ranks?"

"You know that escaped killer, Takeshi Asakura?" Abyss began. "He's in the Rider War now, too. I witnessed his fighting ability firsthand. And I've got to say… I think we're better off without him."

Abyss's employer raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh? And why should we do that? I'm fully aware of his fighting capabilities on this side of the mirrors. Imagine what he would be capable of with an Advent Deck boosting his strength."

"That's the problem." Abyss snapped. "If you know what he can do, then you also know he's a total psychopath. Someone like Asakura is a total wild card. We bring him on board, and he could turn on us for the most minor of sleights. What's the point of bringing in a snake that's just itching for the chance to bite at our necks?"

"Calm yourself, Abyss. I've no intention of bringing such an unstable individual into the fold." Abyss's employer stated in a placating tone. "The reason for doing so is the same reason that I never considered him as an enforcer for my organization."

Abyss tilted his head in confusion. "And why's that?"

"Because those like Asakura can't truly be called human, Abyss. More importantly, there is the issue of control."

"I gotcha." Abyss nodded. "You've no means of controlling people like that."

"Worse. They have no desire to control themselves. And that, I would say, is what truly makes the likes of Asakura so terrifying."

AN:*Ahem* I LIIIIVE! Hey everyone. I gave it some thought, and decided, I'm not leaving this site. Sure, I no longer get email alerts, but manually checking my alerts section for story updates is no big deal to me. More importantly, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It's a bit on the shorter side, but I think it gives some important insight into Ohja's character. The test chapter I put out will be deleted soon, and thanks to everyone who left a review saying they could see it. And once again, thank you so much for being patient with me. You're all why I love this site so much, and your reviews are always helpful.