Sento Kiryu: Last time on "Building Up A Hero!", Ryuga and I, the brilliant genius scientist Sento Kiryu, had managed to talk to Takumi Katsuragi's mother to find out more about him and any data he had. She told us that it was in Touto, and that she'll get it herself, and then decide if she trusts us to have it! But on our way, Night Rogue kidnapped her, and turned her into a Smash!
Ryuga Banjo: We saved her of course, and in return she entrusted us with the flash drive!
Izuku Midoriya: And while they were on their mission, I was attacked by Meta Bolt on my way to school! He forced me to fight him, wanting to raise my Hazard Level to 3!
Mina Ashido: He kidnapped Midoriya in front of a bunch of heroes, taking him across Mustafu in a crazy rampage! He even turned another UA applicant into a Smash in order to convince Midoriya to fight him!
Pony Tsunotori: School got cancelled across the city, which would normally be super cool, but considering what happened, it very much wasn't.
Eijiro Kirishima: Not to mention that other Smash you and Banjo fought when you got back from Hokuto! That makes it what, three Smashes? How many Smashes have been fought in a single day?
Itsuka Kendo: Actually I think it's only ever been three from what you've guys told me. I wonder why Faust doesn't just used an army of Smashes yet.
IM: From what Meta Bolt and the other two Faust leaders have told us, the goal aren't Smashes, but people like me, Mr. Kiryu, and Mr. Banjo, who have the potential to transform into Kamen Riders! Which was why he forced me to fight to raise my Hazard Level, which finally happened!
RB: Blood Stalk seems interested in my Hazard Level during our fight. Wonder if I'll get-
All Might: And it was a marvel to behold, watching Young Midoriya become Kamen Rider Battler for the first time and saving his first Smash victim! Our young ward has truly taken the next steps to being a hero!
MA: I wish we could've seen that.
PT: Yea, now that's actually super cool
Setsuna Tokage: I wish I could've seen that, instead of being on the receiving end of it.
SK: Oh right, we also adopted another teen to Team Build, since Tokage regained enough awareness to see All Might talking to a Kamen Rider without apprehending him. Our family's getting bigger.
Souichi Isurugi: You can't keep adopting kids, Sento. I don't have the money to feed them all.
Misora Isurugi: And we're running out of space too.
ST: Aw don't worry, I won't take up too much space. Just put my head in the freezer!
MI: What.
SK: Enough of that! What will we find out in Katsuragi's data? Was it the motive behind his murder? Let's find out in this chapter of "Building Up A Hero!"
"Are you sure you're ready to look into what the data Katsuragi left is, Sento?" Ryuga said, as he and Misora stood behind him at his computer table. Souichi went to bed in his room, while All Might, Sawa, and the teens have left for the night. Izuku in particular especially needed to go, since he's sent messages to his mother and she hasn't replied yet. All Might in particular made sure that Mrs. Katsuragi and Izuku made it safely to their destinations (Mrs. Katsuragi going to a hotel since her car was wrecked and it needed repairs, which All Might decided to help foot the bill).
"Of course. With this, we might find out why Katsurgi was murdered, and what exactly he was planning to do at Faust," Sento answered, as he inserted the flash drive into his computer. As soon as it was inserted in, Sento opened up the first video file he saw.
"Project... Build?" Misora said, as the video started with a title screen.
"I'm home!" Izuku said, announcing his presence to his mother. It was only a few hours he was away, but it felt like it had been forever thanks to his fight with Meta Bolt. He kept sending messages to her about managing to escape and being found by All Might, who was helping search for Meta Bolt and him (which was technically true), and made sure that he was safe. "Mom?"
In a flash, Izuku found himself in a tight embrace by his mother. "Ack! Mom, I-!"
He saw the tears on her face as she only hugged him tighter. Izuku froze for a bit, but smiled and returned the hug. "I'm home, mom."
Night Rogue sat in his armchair, his fingers rapping against the armrests as he glared at Meta Bolt, who leaned against a pillar, as if he were unaware of Night Rogue's silent fury.
"So... do you want to enlighten me on why you decided to rampage across Touto while kidnapping a child?" Night Rogue snarled.
"To raise Midoriya's Hazard Level, of course," Meta Bolt replied, popping his joints. He was going to feel that fight for a while. "I thought you wanted more people capable of becoming Kamen Riders."
"But did you need to cause chaos!?"
"So I made a little show of it. People were gonna find out more about Faust, anyways, so what's the problem?"
Night Rogue leaped out of his chair, flying towards Meta Bolt to grab him by the collar. Meta Bolt grabbed his arm, however, pulled him in, and slugged him across the face. Night Rogue staggered back, before summoning his Steam Blade and Transteam Gun to attack Meta Bolt him. Meta Bolt retaliated by summoning his own weapons and combining them into the Steam Rifle. The two exchanged bullet fire before charging at each other, ready to swing their blades onto each other, when Blood Stalk appeared in between them, stopping them both mid-swing.
"Seems like I missed a lot here!" Blood Stalk said, laughing as he pushed Night Rogue away from Meta Bolt, while Meta Bolt backed off. "I think Meta Bolt had the right idea here. A bit too brazen, sure, but he did get results. Got the attention of our sponsor, though, so we're gonna have to have a meeting about that, Rogue."
Night Rogue grumbled as he went to the pillar with the Pandora Panel and flipped it over, only to find that they were down one more Fullbottle.
"What happened to the Tiger Fullbottle!?"
"Oh, I gave it to Midoriya as a prize for finally raising his Hazard Level to 3," Meta Bolt said casually.
"WHAT!?"
"Eh, don't worry. We'll eventually get it back, so why not take a breather and relax for a while?" Blood Stalk said, shrugging. Night Rogue growled as he stomped off, fuming as he left him and Meta Bolt in their hideout.
"So, how's Banjo's Hazard Level? I take that it's also rising?" Meta Bolt said, as he grabbed a towel near the Nebula Chamber and polished his Steam Rifle.
"Yep! Banjo's at 2.8 as of our latest fight," Blood Stalk said, as he took a seat on Night Rogue's chair. "Pretty soon he'll get his turn."
"Hm, good. Think we'll be able to take the next step, then?"
"Maybe. Depends on what mood Night Rogue and our sponsor are in."
"Tch, what a pain."
"Hey, think of it this way, you'll get to have a break, Bolt! Rogue won't be breathing down on our necks."
"Sure, whatever," Meta Bolt said, popping his joints. Man, he really was gonna feel that fight for a long time.
"Hello, my name is Takumi Katsuragi, head scientist of Faust. And this, is Project Build," the recording of Takumi Katsuragi said, pointing to himself in a concrete room by himself, with only a spiral staircase near him. "Project Build is designed to be the ultimate defense system centered around the revolutionary Rider System."
He picked up the Build Driver from off screen, showing it off in front of the camera. "This is the Build Driver, the prototype and testing bed of the Rider System. And these-" he picked up the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottle from the side, "- are Fullbottles. They contain purified Nebula Gas, which acts as a special liquid medium for information on what they are shaped like. These Fullbottles, in particular, are the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottles. By using the Build Driver and Fullbottles, they create a special protective suit of armor known as Build."
Takumi typed in on a keyboard beneath the camera, creating a hologram of Build. "This is Build. As in "building", "creation", and "making". Build. By inserting two Fullbottles into the Build Driver, it grants the user abilities related to what the Fullbottles are. In this case, RabbitTank grants Build agility and powerful jumping height from the Rabbit Fullbottle, while the Tank Fullbottle provides physical power and the ability for powerful kicks and punches. You can mix and match any two Fullbottles together, known as Trial Matches, which aren't necessarily powerful but are useful in certain situations. But to truly make full use of a Fullbottle's power and potential, you have to use them with their corresponding partner Fullbottle, known as a Best Match. RabbitTank is one such Best Match."
He typed on the keyboard once again, this time creating holograms of Guardians. He pressed the enter button and walked off screen, letting the holograms fight each other. The Build hologram had the edge on the Guardian holograms. "The Build Driver is also capable of using special finishing moves by cranking its handle. For Best Matches, these are Vortex Finishes, which are rather strong and can incapacitate enemies. For Trial Matches, these are Vortex Attacks. Not necessarily as powerful as Vortex Finishes due to Trial Matches being unable to draw out all of the Fullbottles' potential, but useful enough in certain situations. It will announce when you have generated enough power to execute the Vortex Finish."
The Build hologram cranked the Build Driver's handle furiously. "Ready, go! Vortex Finish! Yeah!"
A shorter version of the graph Build creates for the RabbitTank Vortex Finish formed and pinned the Guardian holograms, as the Build hologram leaped onto the graph, sliding down it until it built enough speed to go through the Guardian holograms in a large holographic explosion. When the explosion finished, Build stood straight back up. "And RabbitTank is only one Best Match. Theoretically, there could be dozens of Best Matches we've yet to find. The way Fullbottles are created is... random, and there is no guarantee that the next Fullbottle will form a Best Match with any prior ones immediately. But we have recently found one Best Match, PirateTrain."
Takumi pulled out the familiar Pirate Fullbottle and an unfamiliar lime green Fullbottle with a train's image on it. He typed on the keyboard one last time. The Build hologram's appearance changed. The familiar red was replaced with a metallic azure blue. The right shoulder was shaped like a pirate ship, with gold trim and "cannons", and a white mast, while a black cape with a azure blue inside. Meanwhile, the blue was replaced with a metallic lime green, with a gauntlet shaped like a train car, black lines that gave the impression of windows, a shoulder pad that looked like a railroad crossing light and gate, and a silver rail on the green section of Build's chest. Build's right eye looked like a green railroad, while the left was one half of a blue skull and crossbones. "This Best Match has outstanding agility and speed, though very lacking in the strength department. A weapon will be developed at a later time to offset this particular weakness."
The video changes scene, with Takumi standing next to the Build hologram, back in RabbitTank. "This is but a sampling of what this unique defense system can do. As we have more and more Fullbottles created and purified, the Rider System will only get stronger and stronger, and we can create different versions using the Build Driver as the base. I dare say that with the Build Driver, one could even surpass All Might as the greatest protector. This is Takumi Katsuragi, signing off."
Sento finished playing the video for All Might, Souichi, Sawa, and the teens (school was still canceled since yesterday, and it was a miracle that Izuku convinced his mother to let him go out, as long as he consistently updates her every twenty minutes). Izuku scribbled down as many notes as he could from the video, as he and the teens whispered amongst themselves about what they had just watched. Ryuga and Misora were off at the back, having already seen the video last night.
"So Katsuragi really was a part of Faust..." All Might muttered, his hand on his chin. "It would figure that he would have a hand in the Build Driver's creation, he was awfully smart when I met him the first time I went to the Institute..."
"That's totes bonkers, really off the wall, you dig what I'm saying?" Souichi said. Everyone stared at him and tried to understand the word jumble that came out of his mouth.
"... What," Ryuga finally said.
"Oh, a kid at my other job taught me some hip new slang that the teens these days use. Super rad, right? Totes in with the teen lingo."
"No teen uses those words unironically," Setsuna said, dryly. Souichi's slumped slightly over, depressed that the teens didn't think he was hip.
"So wait, you didn't know that Katsuragi worked in Faust?" Izuku asked.
"Nope. The Faust leaders were pretty strict on who was in the know," Souichi replied, shrugging. "I knew that the Build Driver and Fullbottles existed, but nothing about who made the belt in the first place."
"I still can't believe it..." Sento muttered, as he walked to his work bench. "So Pirate's Best Match is with Train!? I don't have that! Does that mean that Faust still has it!?"
"Probably," Souichi said. "I didn't grab all the Fullbottles I saw, so it's likely they still have it."
"Is that really something we need to think about, Sento?" Misora asked, dryly.
"Of course!"
"What's really bothering me is the way that Katsuragi talked about the Build Driver," All Might said, his hand on his chin. "He kept referring to it as a 'defense system', and used words like 'incapacitate' and 'protector' as well. This seems extraordinarily at odds with Faust's operations."
"Maybe he really was looking out for Touto like the three leaders say!" Pony said, catching everyone's attention. "They've mentioned that they're looking out for Touto, right? And Mr. Kiryu has been using the Build Driver to protect people!"
"Tsunotori that's... actually a really good point," Itsuka said, as she processed her words. "You've guys mentioned that before they've said stuff like that before to you..."
"So do you think that Katsuragi was being manipulated by Faust into making the Build Driver?" Mina whispered. "And that when he found out what they were doing, that they-"
"Killed him to get the data he had!?" Eijiro said, connecting the dots.
"It's... possible," Sento admitted, crossing his arms. "We really don't know yet. Not to mention that we've yet to finish watching all of the video logs and read all of the written logs. It'll take a while, but I should be able to find out some more stuff about it soon. Hopefully before Faust's next move."
"Mr. Namba, you have three heroes that want to talk to you. They said it's an emergency," his secretary paged in, as Mr. Namba as going through some files and reports on his computer. He closed them before replying, "Send them in."
The door opened, and the heroes Death Arms, Mt. Lady, and Kamui Woods came in, all of whom had gravely serious looks in their eyes.
"Ah, welcome. It's not everyday I get to meet with three esteemed heroes at once. I assume that you're here to talk about your malfunctioning Guardian troop, Miss Mt. Lady? I'm sorry, but as you hadn't purchased the warranty for them, you're unable to replace them for free."
"Well I-"
"It's not about her warranty, but it is about your Guardians," Kamui Woods interrupted, as Mt. Lady fumed and fussed. "When Mt. Lady and I had the chance to apprehend Ryuga Banjo, they activated an 'execution mode'. Not only that, but when she attempted to shut them off, they failed to do so and attempted to use lethal force on us as well. Is that really a feature you need to put into your Guardians? I understand that Guardians can hurt and kill people, but for there to be a purposeful function like that-"
"Yea, not only that, but that Meta Bolt bastard managed to hack them as well when we tried to apprehend him! They kept us busy while he went around on a rampage, with a kidnapped student!" Death Arms added, his fists tightening. "It was a lucky thing that the student managed to escape and find someone like All Might, and that the Guardians didn't attack any bystanders!"
"Oh dear, that is quite serious," Mr. Namba said, his elbows on his desk and his hands clasped together in front of his face. "To think, that someone like that could hack into our Guardians so easily... That is simply a testament to how this Meta Bolt fellow is a dangerous criminal, to be able to get past all our firewalls and protective measures. I have no doubt that he must've hacked your Guardian troop, Miss Mt. Lady."
"You're acting as if your Guardians are foolproof," Kamui Woods replied.
"I want my money back..." Mt. Lady muttered, prompting an elbow from Kamui Woods.
"Trust me, here at Namba Industries, we only provide the best of the best for our robots and hero equipment. All of our engineers, roboticists, scientists, and programmers are sent to I-Island and study at the college with paid scholarships and a guaranteed job here, we only work with trusted suppliers for our materials, and all of our experiments and tests are done ethically and efficiently," he answered, as he looked at them with deathly seriousness. "Whoever this Meta Bolt is, must be a genius beyond all comparison."
The three heroes looked at each other with concern. To think that there was someone like this behind the scenes. Though it did make sense, the science behind creating Smashes must've taken a real genius to create. They certainly didn't understand how they work still, and it's not like that vigilante Kamen Rider was going to be telling them any time soon.
"Alright, Mr. Namba. We understand. Thank you for your time," Death Arms said, as he, Kamui Woods, and Mt. Lady gave him a respectful bow before leaving, though Mt. Lady was still mumbling under her breath about how she should be given a free Guardian troop or refund due what happened. Mr. Namba smiled as he watched them leave, and the second the doors were closed, he locked them by pressing a button underneath his desk.
"Wow, nice save on that, Namba."
Mr. Namba sighed as he turned around to his left, and watched the wall panels slide open, revealing two of the heads of his personal "side project".
"Mr. Stalk, Mr. Rogue, I'm glad that you could make it," he said, a smile still on his face, though any friendly grandfatherly aura he had behind it dissipated. "So, how has your progress been on the Rider System?"
"It's going fine, don't worry about it!" Blood Stalk said, taking a chair and sitting on it backwards, propping his arms up on the backrest. "Sure, we've had some hiccups here and there, but it's alright!"
"Really? And what of the little... adventure your fellow leader Meta Bolt went on across Mustafu?"
"Eh, it was only to make sure that the third candidate had his Hazard Level ready to be a Kamen Rider! And what do you know, he is! Our second one isn't too far behind, either! In fact, he's progressing pretty fast so to speak!"
"Alright, but as long as he keeps his future adventures under wraps... and what of you, Mr. Himuro? How is progress on convincing your father, the Prime Minister, to finally fully militarize the country?" Mr. Namba said, turning his attention to Night Rogue.
"I've asked that you call me Night Rogue when I'm wearing this, we cannot risk people knowing who I am," Night Rogue snarled.
"Oh don't worry, the only one who can access any of the cameras in this room is me, after all," the old man laughed. "But enough of that. What is your progress on convincing the Prime Minister?"
"He's... still insistent that we maintain a path of pacifism and only arming the country with enough for self-defense," Night Rogue said, defeatedly.
"I see... The Rider System is the pinnacle of weapon development. It could revolutionize the global landscape of war," he said, chuckling. "And with Hokuto and Seito practically begging for war... maybe I should consider giving them what I have already and get my money's worth from them."
"There's no need!" Night Rogue said, alarmed. "I assure you, I will convince the Prime Minister to arm Touto! Mark my words!"
"Hm. I do not know if I can fully trust those words," Mr. Namba said, sighing into his hands. "Do you think that there will be an opportunity that you can take advantage to convince him soon?"
Night Rogue's teeth could be heard grinding behind his helmet, as he looked at the old man. "... Give me three week's time, and I'll come back with an answer."
Mr. Namba closed his eyes for a second in thought. "Alright, I suppose that is as good of a promise I'll get from you. Three weeks. Make sure you give me a satisfying answer, Night Rogue."
Three Weeks Later, on a Saturday Afternoon...
Ryuga, Misora, and the teens were watching the TV a bit mindlessly. Sento had been at work all day, and school was out for the moment. Once again, Faust has gone silent for weeks, which left the teens plenty of time to train with All Might, though today and tomorrow they were given the day off, as he had meetings to attend to that they couldn't be privy to. Sawa had gotten a call from one of the newspapers she freelanced for about conducting some interviews with some people who worked at Namba Industries. And Sento was busy at work, still testing and observing the Pandora Box and Skywall date the Institute gathered.. So they spent their time in the café almost bored. The most excitement they've had recently was Misora purifying the five Smash Bottles, giving them the Camera, Lock, Rose, Ninja, and Crocodile Fullbottles. Not to mention Izuku transforming into Battler in front of everyone at one of the abandoned warehouses so that they could record and see what Battler is capable of.
"Man, I know I should be thankful that Faust and their leaders haven't done anything recently, but that also means that they're just planning something big, right?" Eijiro said, as he laid on the ground, staring at the Build Shop's ceiling.
"And my super-charged Quirk's a lot of fun, but it's kinda boring that I don't have anything to do with it for now," Setsuna said, as she disassembled her left arm and letting parts of it go to the fridge to get a drink, while other parts went to get a magazine she had left in the lab.
"We should be prepared for anything, still," Izuku said, as he scribbled into his Rider Journal. "I know that Mr. Kiryu and All Might told me that I shouldn't expect to be an 'active' Kamen Rider, but it's not like Faust will care about that, right?"
"I mean, it's not like there's much we can do about that," Misora said, her eyes fixated on the fashion trip show the TV was on. "Most we can hope for is that whatever their next move is, it won't be something insane."
"We should really do something to at least relax," Mina said. "I know! We should all go to the mall, or an arcade and have some fun-"
"Can't, me and Banjo are stuck here," Misora reminded them, though Ryuga crossed his arms in thought. "Faust's looking for me, remember? And Banjo's still wanted by police."
"Well, the Owner gave me a bunch of new disguises, so I don't think there should be an issue. And you've got plenty of different clothes, too, so I'm sure you can scrounge something together."
"I guess that's a solid idea, Banjo," Itsuka said, shrugging.
"Yes, it's perfect!" Mina said, giving him a thumbs up.
"Whoa, hold on, do you really think that's a good idea?" Misora said, apprehensively. "That seems like a risky idea."
"If it makes you feel any better, maybe we can all wear disguises," Setsuna suggested, grinning. "After all, I'm sure that Faust would be keeping an eye on Midoriya, too!"
"That'll be so much fun! We'll be like spies, except our mission is for relaxation!" Pony chimed in.
"I'll bring my Build Driver and the Battler Beetle, if it makes you feel safer," Izuku nodded. "Won't be using it, of course, unless necessary..."
"... Well, I guess it won't hurt to go if we're in disguises," Misora finally said, as the girls did a quick cheer before grabbing her by the arms and dragging her into her room. Izuku and Eijiro looked at each other and then at Ryuga, who tossed them some of his spare disguises.
"Are you guys ready for some much needed fun!?" Mina said, as the hodgepodge group walked out of the café. For her disguise, she went with a wig that was a brighter pink than her real hair, a hat to cover her horns, an opened blue jacket and white top that exposed her midriff, blue jeans, white shoes, and a black choker. She chose to wear contacts in her eyes, though they only successfully turned her yellow irises blue, with her sclera still be black.
Pony had changed the shape of her horns to be ram-shaped while braiding her long blond hair into two big braids, and big shades. She wore a rainbow-colored shirt that cut off just above her navel and overalls which gave her enough room for her tail, and a bunch of thin elastic bracelets. The only thing she was wearing that belonged to her were her shoes, since those were custom-made for her.
Itsuka had let her hair down, opting to put a big bow on top of her head, while wearing a pink dress with a military-styled jacket and combat boots. Setsuna chose to put her bangs over her right eye while the rest of her hair was tied into a ponytail, green shades, a blue halter top with a leather jacket that cut off at the midriff, yoga pants, and black high tops. Misora chose to dress in a old-school sailor fuku with a big red bow, a long blue skirt, a ton of rainbow scrunchies on her wrists, fake glasses, and wore two small pigtails in her hair.
"Are you really sure that this these are the only disguises that the Owner left you?" Izuku asked, as he, Eijiro, and Ryuga joined the others outside of the café. Izuku was dressed in a nerdy outfit with glasses that obscured his eyes, a big tie that he didn't tie properly, oversized khaki shorts, a oversized white button-up shirt, and his favorite red shoes. He wore a big bag on his back, which had his Build Driver in it. The Battler Beetle poked its horn out for a bit, beeping and whirling before retreating back inside.
"Sorry Midoriya, you lost Rock Paper Scissors, so you had to get the nerd outfit," Ryuga said, dressed like a yankee, with a uniform with an opened jacket, red shirt, sunglasses, and wore his hair in a pompadour. Eijiro likewise was dressed similarly, but with a purple shirt instead, and he gelled his hair up into a series of spikes.
"This is a good look on me, I think," Eijiro said, poking at his hair. "Needs more color, though... might dye my hair red later..."
"I think it's a great look!" Mina agreed, giving him a thumbs up. "Now, let's go!"
The group of teens and one young adult (according to Ryuga at least) walked around the mall, while Misora looked around, wary of her surroundings.
"This was a mistake," Misora whispered. "I really shouldn't be out in public."
"Relax, Misora," Ryuga said, his hands behind his head. "No one's gonna recognize you."
"Banjo, I'm a net idol, there's- NO WAY!" Misora said, freaking out and running to a store mannequin. "I've been seeing this outfit online everywhere! I tried buying it, but every website was sold out!"
"Sounds like you should try that on!" Mina said, as she and the other girls followed Misora inside the store. "Ban- Bancho, take a video of us trying on outfits!"
"Oh, alright," Ryuga said, as Mina handed him her's, Misora's, and Pony's phones, giving the latter two to Eijiro and Izuku so they could do it too. For the next hour or so, they spent filming the girls trying on outfit after outfit.
"So why did we go to batting cages?" Itsuka asked, after they got several bags worth of clothes (Misora managed to cover for all of them thanks to her massive amount of idol money).
"I just wanted to swing a bat," Ryuga said, shrugging as he went into one of the batting cages. The ball flew at him, but he missed it. "Dang it! This is hard!"
Misora walked into one of the cages, as she took a wide stance, hands tight around the bat. A fire started burning in her eyes, and the first ball that was pitched to her by the machine. With a yell, she swung the bat as hard as she could. It soared into the air, and broke through the net that was supposed to catch it.
"Well that's one ball this place won't be seeing again," Setsuna said, squinting as she watched the ball disappear.
"Wow, she should teach me to hit hard like that!" Pony said, impressed with Misora's batting skills.
"How are you so good at that!?" Ryuga said, pointing at her with his bat.
"Watched a lot of baseball games," Misora shrugged.
"Oh wow, this is so good!" Misora said, as she ate a parfait. They had stopped by a nearby restaurant that she had heard about online, and it was as good as she heard it. Everyone had a dish or snack in front of them, whilst Ryuga had a full meal in front of him. Pony likewise had a lot of food in front of her, too.
"You eat a lot, huh?" Itsuka said, as she watched Ryuga almost shovel food into his mouth.
"I've been stuck in a café with limited choices in food, I'm gonna enjoy myself as much as I can while we're out," Ryuga justified, taking a big sip of the soda he ordered.
"I agree with him," Pony said, after she finished slurping a spaghetti noodle.
"Tsunotori you're not stuck at the café," Misora chuckled.
"True. I just like to eat," she admitted.
"Man, today has been... awfully dull, huh?" Sento said offhandedly to his coworkers Eita and Shinga.
"Welcome to the world of the Pandora Box Observation and Testing Team," Eita said, shrugging. "We've spent so long on researching the Pandora Box, that it's a miracle whenever we find something new."
"If Katsuragi was still here, we'd probably have gotten even more done," Shinga mumbled, shaking his head. The three kept typing at their computers when Utsumi came to them.
"You three. I want a presentation and all of the notes we have complied into an organized paper that we can show within three weeks," he said, pushing his glasses up.
"What for?" Sento asked, raising an eyebrow.
"The Prime Ministers of Hokuto and Seito are coming to meet with Prime Minister Himuro about the Pandora Box, and we have been asked to do so," he answered matter-of-factly.
"I know that we're getting three weeks for that, but that's still a lot of work on short notice. We've got ten years worth of research to compile, you know," Sento said, shaking his head.
"You can finish it two weeks if you don't take breaks," Utsumi flatly stated, walking off before anyone could voice objections.
"Man, that guy's such a robot," Sento muttered, as he began opening and reading documents in order to prepare the presentation and papers. At least Faust seemed to have gone quiet for now so he could focus on this.
"Oh! Oh! Let's go there next!" Misora said, pointing to a toy store with large plushies at the window. "That patchwork bunny plush is so cute! I need it!"
The girls walked towards the toy store with the boys carrying all the bags of clothes. Unbeknownst to them, they passed by a small group of Miitan fans, who heard Misora's voice. "Miitan!?"
The girls shifted their eyes to the side but kept on walking as they watched the Miitan fans confront all the nearby women, trying to see if they were her. Thankfully Ryuga's death glare was enough to dissuade the fans from approaching them. They sighed a breath of relief when not only did they get to the toy store, but the security guards got a hold of the fans for causing a disturbance.
"This has been so much fun!" Misora said, smiling as she stretched her arms and shoulders. They had taken a break at some nearby stairs next to a river, with the boys setting down the bags, though Eijiro had the large patchwork bunny plush on his lap to keep it from getting dirty. "I hadn't had this much fun before! Not since I was little!"
"Really? That long?" Ryuga said, chuckling as he leaned over the rail between the sidewalk and river. "I mean, surely you've had plenty of funner days than this."
"No, not really," Misora said, as she took a seat on the stairs. "I was comatose for about seven years after all."
"Seven years!?" everyone said, shocked at how casually she just told them.
"Yea, it started around the Skywall Incident," she said, holding her bracelet. "I don't remember why exactly it happened, but when I woke up, I found this bracelet around my wrist. No matter what I did, it just wouldn't come off. It's what let's me purify Fullbottles. Before Sento came along and made the Purification Chamber, I'd end up losing consciousness for a week just making one Fullbottle. Now I can make a bunch at once and just need rest for one day."
"Which is why-" Misora wistfully looked across the river and saw two girls walking and talking, smiling about their day, "- I always wished I could've had a more normal life."
Ryuga and the teens looked at the ground, as they thought about how difficult Misora must've had while under Faust's thumb. She smiled a bit, and turned to look at Ryuga for a bit. "So did you go do stuff like this with Kasumi, Banjo?"
Ryuga froze a bit at the question, before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Dragon Fullbottle, felt its image, and smiling sadly himself. "Yea... she'd always want to go to all sorts of different stores and places, but her favorite one we'd always go to... was a big cherry blossom tree. We'd always go there for a picnic, no matter what day it was, even if it wasn't in bloom. She loved it 'cuz it was the same color as her hair, pinkish white. It's funny, holding this Fullbottle... somehow, it feels like she's still around, right?"
"You... you really loved her, huh?" Mina said. Itsuka and Setsuna bit their lips. The other teens had explained to them about Ryuga's situation and what happened to his girlfriend Kasumi, but this was the first time he really talked about it in front of them. "I bet she really loved you, too, Banjo."
"I know... it's why... it's why I need to beat Faust," Ryuga said, his grip tightening around the small blue bottle. "I can never forgive them for what they've done... not Night Rogue, not Blood Stalk, not Meta Bolt, and not Katsuragi..."
As the group ruminated over Faust, they heard footsteps approaching them. They turned to look, and saw a Guardian troop rushing towards them with guns out and pointed. Their faceplates had been blown off. There was no mistake, these had been hacked by Faust.
"But how-!?" Eijiro said, as everyone got up. Izuku was about to reach into his bag, when Ryuga shouted, "Everyone go! I got this!" He shook and twisted the Dragon Fullbottle's cap opened, and rushed the Guardians, grabbing their attention. "Get out of here now!"
Misora and the others ran off, leaving all of their shopping bags behind so that they wouldn't get caught. They kept on running and running until they got into an alleyway and hid behind a stairway entrance. Misora pulled her smartphone out, and dialed Sento's number. "Sento! Faust's in area G3! Banjo's fighting Guardians right now!"
"What!? How!? Why would they be there!?"
Before she could answer, an armored hand pulled her smartphone out of her hands, and everyone stared as Night Rogue tossed the smartphone away. "Misora? Misora!"
"I've been content on letting you roam around for some time, but I've had enough," Night Rogue said, approaching the girl as she backed away. "It's time you come back home with me."
"N-n-no... I... I don't want to go back!" Misora whimpered, memories flashing of when she was with Faust, tears starting to drip from her eyes. "I-I can't-!"
"Back off!" Eijiro shouted, hardening his fist and punching Night Rogue across the face. He staggered back a bit, rubbing his helmet's chin.
"I'll admit that you have a nice punch, but don't think for a second that a Nebula Gas-boosted Quirk will be enough to beat me," Night Rogue stated, as Izuku pulled out and slapped on his Build Driver and the Battler Beetle landed in his left hand, with the Beetle Fullbottle in the other. "Oh?"
"I won't let you!" he yelled. Before he could even shake the Fullbottle however, Blood Stalk leaped down from the roof of one of the buildings in between the group of teens and Night Rogue. Ryuga came running in with all the bags they left behind, witnessing the arrival of the red Faust executive.
"This just got a whole lot worse..." Setsuna said, as each of them prepared to use their Quirks. To their surprise, however, Blood Stalk turned to face Night Rogue.
"Go," he said, motioning them with his left hand. "I want a private word with my coworker here."
The teens and Ryuga looked at each other, confused, before simply bolting out of there. Night Rogue attempted to follow, only to be blocked and grabbed by Blood Stalk.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Night Rogue growled, as he and Blood Stalk stared off against each other.
"Not letting you cause a ruckus, that's for sure. Practice what you preach, Rogue."
"Come on, we gotta keep moving!" Ryuga said, as they navigated their way out of the alleyway. Before they could make it to the end, however, another Guardian troop appeared, this time with a Smash accompanying them. This one looked like it was made out of metal books, with a flat tablet-like face and pen-like fingers on the left hand and mechanical pencil-like fingers on the right. "Shit!"
Before anyone could make a move however, Build came flying down from the sky in RocketPanda, swinging his claws into the Guardians and making them explode, raining tiny bits of Guardian debris everywhere. As he landed, he swapped to RabbitTank and pulled out the Drill Crusher, and began fighting the new Smash. "Go! I'll handle this! I'll scold you all about this later!"
They all obeyed, though Ryuga gave a slightly annoyed stare at what Build had said, and left him to it. The Smash pointed its fingers and shot out ink at the Kamen Rider, who dodged the stream of ink. When it landed on the wall, the ink burned a hole through it. "Whoa! That's not good!"
Build pulled the Rabbit and Tank Fullbottles out of the Build Driver, and replaced them with the Rhino and Dryer Fullbottles.
"Rhino! Dryer! Best Match! Are you ready?"
"Build Up!"
"The Super Heating Dry Continent! RhiDryer! Yeahhh!"
When the Smash tried to repeat the ink attack, Build pointed the Drhinomic Gun at it, and turned the dial.
"Medium Heat!"
The stream of constant heat vaporized the ink, letting Build tackle the Smash and swung the heavy barrel of the Drhinomic Gun onto its head. It pointed its pencil-like fingers, firing pencil lead-like needles out. RhiDryer's armor ensured that none of them could harm Build, however. Build retaliated by punching the Smash's face, knocking it backwards, though it tried to fire out digital words out of its face.
"I think it's about time I close the book on you! Oh, Book Smash! That's what I'll call you!" Build said, attaching the Drhinomic Gun to the Buildryer and cranking the Build Driver's handle.
"Super Heat!" "Ready, go! Vortex Finish! Yeah!"
"Dynamic Drying!" Build announced, as a giant blast of heated air slammed into the Book Smash, knocking it backwards as it exploded before it came to a rolling stop. Build took out an Empty Bottle, and extracted the Smash's essence, leaving a... guy with a comic speech bubble for a head, how peculiar.
"I guess that's why his Smash form took on a book theme," he muttered, stowing away the Smash Bottle. "Now that that's done-"
"What the hell were you thinking!?" Sento scolded, mainly at Ryuga. The teens and Misora were looking through the bags that Ryuga had carried; luckily he managed to bring everything with him, even the large patchwork rabbit plush. "You know that you're wanted by the police and that Faust wants Misora! You risked her safety, you dumbass!"
"Oh lay off it, Sento!" Ryuga retorted. "We've been stuck here for months on end without anything else to do! So we went on a little day trip! Nothing bad happened!"
"You were literally attacked by Faust!"
"That was just unfortunate timing!"
"Midoriya would've been forced to transform, and you KNOW we don't want him to without permission!"
"Please don't get mad at Banjo!" Mina said, jumping to Ryuga's defense. "It was me who suggested that we'd go out."
"Yea, we just wanted to do something other than wait around for Faust's next move," Eijiro added. "We thought our disguises would be enough to keep them off our tail. Guess it wasn't..."
"... It was a lot of fun," Misora said, giving a small, sad smile. Sento glanced over to the girl. "For once, I felt... normal... I guess it wasn't gonna last, though."
"... I'm not happy that you guys did this in the first place, but I understand why," Sento sighed, crossing his arms. "Maybe we could do something like this again, if I come along to make sure you're all safe."
"Really!?" the teens and Misora said, eyes beaming.
"Not anytime soon, though," Sento said. "They're expecting me to work nearly nonstop on a presentation and organized paper on the Pandora Box in three weeks, so it won't be for a long while."
"Why would that take so long?" Pony asked.
"It's ten years of research that they're asking to be complied into an easy to understand presentation and paper! You know how hard that'll be!?"
"So that was your idea, huh? To get her back and force her to make more Fullbottles to convince Namba that we're making progress?" Blood Stalk said, as he, Meta Bolt, and Night Rogue stood around in their lab.
"Got to say, that's pretty half-baked and desperate," Meta Bolt responded, leaning against the Nebula Chamber. "Not to mention hypocritical, considering you made a big scene with that Guardian troop coming in and attacking them. You're lucky that no one else was around for that... Jackass."
"Shut up," Night Rogue grumbled, as he paced around the lab. "We need to show Namba that what we're doing is worth his support. We can't let Hokuto and Seito-"
Night Rogue stopped in his tracks, as he began to come up with an idea. "That's right... Prime Ministers Tajimi and Mido are going to be coming to the Institute to check on the Pandora Box Testing and Observation team... If we steal the Box in front of them, that will have to force my father's hand to militarize Touto! Not to mention that it'll keep the Box away from Hokuto and Seito..."
He looked at this two fellow Faust leaders, having caught their interest in his plan.
"Stalk, Bolt, send a message to Namba... In three weeks' time, we will be taking the Pandora Box for ourselves."
"Hm..." Namba said, as he thumbed through the pictures in his hands. Each one was of Build in different Best Matches, with the final picture of a second Kamen Rider that he wasn't aware of. "Oh? Who's this?"
"That would be Kamen Rider Battler, sir. He's only recently become one, and has yet to really make an appearance."
"I see... so the Rider System has evolved to include technology that can utilize one Fullbottle instead of two? Interesting..."
"I also have some copies of the logs and entries made on Build and Battler, as well as voice recordings of them all."
"Good, good. I see that your efforts have been fruitful, Sawa," Mr. Namba said, giving a familiar short brown-haired woman a smile. Sawa returned the smile, as Mr. Namba stored the pictures, log copies, and recorded material away into his desk. "Thanks to you, Namba Industries will be one step further into becoming the strongest company in the world."
"Thank you, Mr. Namba," Sawa said, bowing her head to him. Just then, the wall panels slid opened, and Meta Bolt and Blood Stalk walked in.
"Yo, Sawa! I didn't expect to see you here," Blood Stalk said, giving her a wave. "So how goes your infiltration mission?"
"It's going well, Mr. Blood Stalk," she answered, giving him a polite bow.
"You're certainly great at sneaking around," Meta Bolt complimented, as he took a chair and sat down. "Anyways, Night Rogue's found his answer about how to start the war."
"Oh?" Namba said, raising a graying eyebrow.
"Yea, you know how the Prime Ministers are all gonna meet up to check the Pandora Box in three weeks?" Blood Stalk leaned against the wall. "He says that we're gonna be stealing it right in front of them! That way, Prime Minister Himuro's gotta respond with militarization, since Prime Ministers Tajimi and Mido would definitely declare war on him for losing it!"
"I see... And I trust that you'll be taking it directly to me instead?"
"Of course! You're the real boss, after all," Blood Stalk laughed, clapping his hands. "Rogue's just a figurehead, anyways. Only good for barking orders and nothing else. I bet he doesn't even have a single idea how we should use it!"
"Stealing the Pandora Box..." Sawa whispered, her eyes wide. "That's going to be a challenge."
"Hey, a challenge is a challenge, and I for one, am happy to oblige," Meta Bolt said, getting up. "After all, if this doesn't change this stagnant world, I don't know what else well."
"We promise you, Namba, that we'll be delivering the Pandora Box to you on a silver platter," Blood Stalk added, as they went through the secret entrance. "In three weeks' time, we'll be starting a war."
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- So this chapter's a bit more of a breather than the previous ones. Don't worry, we'll be seeing more action soon. And like I said before, the Build side of the crossover will be finishing up soon, but that the first few arcs of the MHA side will be extending it. How exactly? Stay tuned to find out.
- I initially intended to write the whole Katsuragi recording in italics, but then I realized that since it'd be more like people were watching it, that I only wrote the dialogue in italics while describing the scene and actions in normal font.
- Sorry if you all wanted to see some Battler action, that's gonna have to wait for a while, considering how Sento and All Might were both clear about how they didn't want him actually be active yet. We'll be seeing more Battler in the future soon, though, trust me.
- I enjoyed writing the Mr. Namba scene with Death Arms, Mt. Lady, and Kamui Woods. It's been one of the things I've had planned for a while. It's simple, but I liked it. Also enjoyed coming up with the teens' disguises, I always have fun coming up with costumes and whatnot like that.
- The hangout time was also a blast to write. While I enjoy writing action and stuff, it's nice to do some comfy scenes, too.
3/14/2012 NOTES:
- I totally forgot that there was a fifth Fullbottle that Misora should've purified, which was Shiozaki's. Got that fixed now, though.