Izuku Midoriya: Last time on "Building Up A Hero!", Kirishima, Ashido, Tsunotori, Kendo, Tokage, and I had taken the UA Entrance Exams!
Pony Tsunotori: It was going great until that big ol' stage hazard robot came out of nowhere!
Itsuka Kendo: That thing was gigantic, no wonder it didn't cost points to destroy. I don't think any average person would've been able to.
Eijiro Kirishima: Good thing Midoriya's not any average person, then! He took that thing out with one full-powered punch!
PT: But he got all broken!
IM: I had no time to think about holding back, I had to save that girl!
Setsuna Tokage: Speaking of whom, she was also turned into a Smash after the Exam!
Sento Kiryu: And during all of this, Faust planned an attack on the Institute to steal the Pandora Box! They lured me away from the building, and then struck while I was gone! I had to call in Banjo for assistance!
Ryuga Banjo: I fought against Guardians, a Smash, and Blood Stalk! Apparently during our fight, my Hazard Level finally rose to 3, so that means I can be a Rider, right-
SK: And my Fullbottles were stolen! All of them were ones I had Best Matches too, at that! I didn't even get to work on that weapon I had in mind for NinninComic!
IM: Wait, does that mean-
SK: Yea, I'm stuck with Trial Matches now! We're gonna have to find where they took my Fullbottles and the Pandora Box and take them back! I can't be stuck just with Trial Matches!
Misora Isurugi: You should try looking for some Best Matches with the newer Fullbottles, you haven't tried them yet.
SK: I haven't had the time to recently, a lot's been happening! But now that you mentioned it-
All Might: But the biggest discovery we've made was that Prime Minister Himuro's son, his aide, Gentoku, is actually the villainous fiend Night Rogue!
SK: Not that we can prove it, the only credible one is you All Might, but we don't have evidence. Banjo's a wanted criminal, and I'm out of a job now! What will happen next on "Building Up A Hero!" Tune in and find out, while I find a new job!
"I... I guess I understand?" Ochako said, after the teens explained everything to her. They had gone to this café that she's never heard of, and was like, out of the way. There was another girl there, Misora, who was busy cleaning some secret lab downstairs. She grasped at the hem of her skirt, feeling guilty for noticing All Might talking to someone with the same tech as the Kamen Rider. "I'm sorry that I found out about this."
"Don't be!" Izuku, the green-haired boy who saved her, said, raising his hands to stop her from apologizing. "It's my fault for not thinking about taking my belt off in time. I'm still really new to being a Kamen Rider, so I've been making mistakes like that... I gotta ask Mr. Kiryu for pointers about this for the future."
"Well, at least I can thank you for helping me out, that's twice you saved my life," Ochako said, chuckling a bit as a light blush touched her cheeks.
"I-i-it's no problem at all! I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I could," he said, blushing as well. Mina and Setsuna noticed this, and smiled to each other, both of them planning things for the future.
"In any case, I'll join you guys!" Ochako said, puffing her cheeks out in determination. "After all, it's only fair that I help you guys out too, right?"
"Yea, welcome to Team Build!" Eijiro said, grinning as he held his fist out for a fist pump, which Ochako returned.
"This is really turning into a girl's club, huh? Only guys here counting the adults are Midoriya, Kirishima, Mr. Isurugi, All Might, Mr. Kiryu, and-" Itsuka listed off, when the door opened, and everyone saw All Might carrying a worn-out Ryuga inside. "- Mr. Banjo!"
"Ack, it's that criminal!" Ochako said, clutching her heart before she remembered what they had told her. "O-oh, I'm so sorry I said that! I'm still processing that part."
"Make room," All Might said, putting Ryuga onto the couch. "He really gave it his all today to stop Faust from taking the Pandora Box..."
"Oh man, if only Recovery Girl was here," Mina said, looking at how incredibly beat up the man was.
"Yea, she would've fixed him up real good," Pony said, her hand over her mouth.
"All Might..." Ryuga mumbled, as he looked to the herculean man. "What... what did Night Rogue mean that you're getting weaker... and... about your form..."
Izuku's eyes widened, and he turned to face his mentor, who looked away from him. The teens were befuddled at what Ryuga had just said, and equally turned to face the man. All Might, getting weaker?
"I... I..." All Might said, not wanting to say anything. He wished that he hadn't trusted Gentoku with that information. Maybe then he wouldn't have started Faust, if he truly believes what he's doing is for the good of Touto.
"Uncle Toshi?"
He froze, and looked at the minifridge entrance. Misora was standing there, her hand over her mouth.
"What did Banjo mean by that?" she asked, walking towards him. "Uncle Toshi... are you... are you hurt?"
"I... I..." he said, clutching his fists. No. He can't. Not in front of her. She can't see him weak. She can't know how badly he's hurt.
"I think it's time, All Might."
All Might turned to the entrance, and saw Principal Nezu and Recovery Girl walking in. "I got a message from Mr. Midoriya about what happened earlier, and the situation at the Institute, and I came just in time to hear Mr. Banjo ask you about your weakened state. I think it's time that we let them into your secret. After all, you were let in on Mr. Kiryu's, right?"
All Might looked down at the ground. He didn't want to do this. He shouldn't be doing this. But the second he saw the concerned wide eyes of Misora, he relented.
"He's right. It's high time that you all... that you all know the reason why I chose Young Midoriya to be my successor."
A cloud of steam burst from All Might, forcing everyone around to close their eyes. When they opened them again, they were horrified to see a skeleton of a man standing in All Might's place, his now-oversized hero costume hanging loosely. "This... I... got hurt five years ago by a villain like no other. Just as bad as Faust, if not worse. I had to give it my all to take him down, I couldn't let him live because of how dangerous he was. But in the process... he took me down as well."
He touched the left side of his body, feeling the scars left behind by that fight. "The fight took out parts of my digestive and respiratory systems, and all the surgeries I had to take in secret made my body waste away to what you see right now. My muscle form is me putting every inch of power I have left into every fiber of muscle, but even that's running low now, thanks to a... genetic defect that the doctors discovered. That the more time passes now, the weaker my Quirk becomes. There'll be a point where it's like I don't have a Quirk at all. It's to the point where I can only work for a few hours a day."
"I didn't intend on telling anyone else about this, but on the day I chose to make Young Midoriya my successor, he had found out, and he reminded me of what a hero is. And Mr. Kiryu had figured it out on his own when we met him, but promised me that he'd keep it a secret by revealing who he was. Your father even figured out it was me, and I asked him to keep it a secret," All Might explained. Misora's hands had been covering her mouth the entire time, while the teens jaws were threatening to hit the floor. Izuku just stared blank faced, horrified that All Might had to come clean about this. "I... I can't let others know about this. If people knew how weak the Number One Hero is now, I-"
All Might stopped short when Misora embraced him in a hug, tears running down her face. "You were never weak, Uncle Toshi. You're still my super strong uncle. It must've been hard, hiding your injuries from us whenever you were here. But you don't need to anymore. I love you, Uncle Toshi."
"Yea, All Might!" Eijiro said, as they all nodded. "You're not weak at all! You're the manliest man there is!"
"We've been keeping a lot of secrets, so what's one more to the list?" Itsuka said, smiling.
"You can count on us, All Might!" Pony said, giving him a thumbs up.
"Yea, weakening or not, you're still our Number One Hero!" Mina said.
"If anything, the fact that you've managed to keep working in spite of your injuries, is the strongest thing I've heard!" Setsuna said.
"I won't tell anyone! But boy, I am learning a lot of things today," Ochako said, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
All Might looked around the room, and for the first time in a long, long time, tears started to roll down his face. He held Misora close, and returned her warm hug. "Thank you..."
"I swear not to say anything either, All Might," Ryuga said, yawning a bit as he got up. "Right now though, I need to go to my room and sleep this off..."
"Now hold up there, deary," Recovery Girl said, walking up to him. "Let me heal you up."
"No, it's okay," Ryuga said, waving her off. "Besides, it wouldn't work on me."
"Now what do you mean by-"
Everyone's phones rang at once. They all checked the message they got, with a map location.
"Night Rogue took rest of Fullbottles and Pandora Box. I am about to lose consciousness. Someone get me."
"Mr. Kiryu!" Izuku said, his eyes wide. All Might took a deep breath, and resumed his muscle form.
"I'll get him, don't worry! I'll be back in a jiffy, and we'll explain everything we've found out!" he said, getting out.
"Good, meanwhile I'm going to sleep," Ryuga said, going down the minifridge entrance. "I'll be all better when I wake up later."
"Hey, what did I say!?" Recovery Girl said, following him down into the Build Shop.
"Man, what a day... we had Entrance Exams-" Mina said.
"- I got turned into a Smash-" Ochako followed.
"- And Mr. Kiryu lost the Pandora Box and his Fullbottles! How could this get worse!?" Izuku said, grabbing his hair.
"Oh, right. I came upstairs to tell you all about this," Misora said, pulling a small square radio from her pocket. "I found this while I was cleaning the Build Shop. Someone put a bug underneath the Purification Chamber's stairs, and I think I know who it might be..."
Some time later...
"Ugh, thanks for getting me, All Might," Sento said, as he wobbled into the Build Shop with All Might supporting him, Sawa and Souichi following them in, concerned about the injured man. "This has been a terrible day. Real terrible."
"Mr. Kiryu are you alright!?" Izuku said, as the teens got around him. Plus one more that he didn't recognize.
"Um-"
"Yea, she... she saw me with the Build Driver," he explained, embarrassed.
"You know what? That's fine, I've accepted that Team Build was gonna grow," he muttered, as he sat down on the couch. "Ugh, I'm going to be feeling this for a long while..."
"Here, let me help you," Recovery Girl said, giving a big ol' wet smack against his cheek. All of his bruises and scratches started to disappear, though Sento appeared slightly uncomfortable.
"Eugh, I'm not going to get used to that," he said, shaking his head. "You got Banjo, right?"
"That stubborn fool wouldn't let me!" Recovery Girl said. "Locked the door right in my face! Said he just needed to sleep it off! Just how reckless can he be!?"
"Now now, he probably just wants to sleep first!" Principal Nezu said, chuckling. "But I feel like we must be best on our way, Recovery Girl! After all-" he became much grimmer, "- we need to figure out what Faust's game is here... Goodbye everyone!"
"So what happened, Mr. Kiryu?" Pony asked after the two UA faculty members left.
"That's... a long story..." Sento replied. He told them about how Shingo lured him away while Eita got through the security locks to let Blood Stalk in, how Blood Stalk went off script it seemed as the three Faust executives fought each other, how Blood Stalk ran off with the Pandora Box while Night Rogue took his Fullbottles, and when All Might attacked him, his identity was revealed as-
"The Prime Minister's son is Night Rogue!?" Setsuna said, her eyes popping off her head in shock.
"You've been working with Faust members all this time without knowing!?" Misora said, jaw dropping.
"Not like I meant to! But it's just as we thought, they do have members in all sorts of positions," Sento muttered, as Ryuga came back upstairs, surprisingly looking refreshed. Apparently sleeping it off a bit really was what he needed. "The worst part is that we can't exactly prove that he's Night Rogue. He fired me on the spot basically, meaning that I'll just look like a disgruntled employee with a grudge, and Banjo's wanted by the government, and while All Might's the Number One Hero, without any evidence no one would believe him. Not to mention that I need to find a new job..."
"There's another thing," Ryuga said, as he pulled his Dragon Fullbottle out while the Cross-Z Dragon floated behind him. "During our fight before you came, Blood Stalk said I finally reached Hazard Level 3."
"You did!?" Sento said, as most of the room stared at him. Ochako was still struggling to remember what Hazard Levels were, having only digested that information today.
"Yea, does that mean-"
"- That you can become a Kamen Rider? Yes," Sento answered. "But I don't think you're at the right mindset yet. I need to check something on the computer. I also have a Smash Bottle for you to purify for later, Misora."
"What do you mean by that?" Ryuga asked, but Sento ignored him as he just went on into the Build Shop. Ryuga followed him. "Hey! Tell me what that means!"
"Hey All Might, we need to tell you and Mr. Souichi something in the kitchen," Izuku said, as the teens got up behind him and nodded.
"Alright, just let me-"
"No no no, it needs to be now!" Izuku said, the teens shoving the two into the kitchen.
"Whoa whoa whoa, what's the rush?" All Might asked, before Pony shut the door behind them closed. Only Misora and Sawa were left in the café.
"Huh, so what do you think the teens needed to tell All Might and your dad-" Sawa started to say.
"I found this underneath the Purification Chamber while cleaning today, Sawa," Misora interrupted, holding a bug up in her hand.
The bug that Sawa had hidden.
"O-oh! Well, I wanted to make sure that I got any conversations that I wasn't there for-"
"So Sento knows about it?"
"No, well, I didn't want him to know about it yet since I'm working on the article-"
"You're still working on it, even though it's been months now? How is it?"
"W-well, it's-"
"Have you even thought of a newspaper or website to put it on?"
"T-that's a very tough thing to find-"
"Sawa, just what is the truth?"
Sawa's grip tightened around her purse strap. "I-it's just as I said, I put it there to record conversations that I wasn't there for... I think I need to go, I should get back to writing that article. See you later?"
"... See you later," Misora said, as Sawa gave a small, regretful smile to her and walked out of the café. Just what is her game here?
"A bug in the Build Shop!?" All Might said, having released his muscle form just a while ago, which had surprised Souichi, though they explained what had happened earlier.
"Yea, Misora told us about it after you left to get Mr. Kiryu," Setsuna said, looking at the ground. "She thinks that it was Sawa, since she's the only one who'd have a vested interest in recording or transmitting anything."
"I can't believe it! I knew we shouldn't have let her in!" Souichi bemoaned, slumping against the wall.
"M-maybe it's not what it seems!" Pony said, looking at everyone. "Maybe she really wants to make sure she got a story!"
"That's pretty optimistic, don't you think?" Itsuka said, sighing. "But yea, that's why we had to pull you away from her before you released your muscle form, since she might expose it."
"I see... thank you, everyone," All Might said, pinching his forehead.
"But what will we say to Mr. Kiryu about this..." Izuku said, his eyes lowered. "Sawa did so much for us. To think she might betray us-"
"I don't know," All Might admitted. "It just means that for now, we need to be careful again. We should keep quiet about this for a bit longer, as well, since Mr. Kiryu has a lot on his plate."
"I was thinking the same thing," Misora said, sighing as she entered the kitchen. "She insisted it was so that she could hear any of the conversations she wasn't a part of for her article, but I'm having a hard time believing that at face value. She already left, so we don't need to worry about her seeing you right now, Uncle Toshi. Sento lost a lot of his Fullbottles and the Pandora Box, so we need to be careful."
"Let's go check up on him, then. He must be so devastated," Mina said, as they went out of the kitchen to go down to the Build Shop.
"Why won't you explain why I'm not in the right mindset!?" Ryuga said, as everyone else joined them in the Build Shop. Sento was busy going through the Project Build files when he finally found the file he was looking for.
"Pipe down, I need to watch this," he said bluntly, hitting the play button. "I need to figure out something. And it's about time I watched more of Katsuragi's logs."
"This is the Transteam Gun system," the recording of Takumi Katsuragi said, holding up the Transteam Gun in his right hand. "It was designed with several purposes in mind. Firstly, its purpose is to encourage potential candidates for the Rider System to increase their Hazard Level. All four suits have a built-in Hazard Level reader that allows them to measure a person's Hazard Level for this purpose. Secondly, it is to disguise the executive leaders in order to protect their identities from lower Faust members besides those they personally entrust with information, which is why they are all fitted with voice modulators. And thirdly, it is to function as a weapon to protect the user."
"The advantage to the Transteam Gun over the Build Driver is that the users do not need a Hazard Level to use. Therefore anyone can use it. However, it is precisely because it has no Hazard Level requirement that it is weak as well. Over time the Transteam Gun user will start finding themselves overtaken by stronger opponents, which is precisely why it is only meant to encourage candidates for Build Drivers," he explained. "Build Driver users, thanks to their Hazard Level, will only continue to grow stronger and stronger."
He typed on a keyboard, and a hologram of Night Rogue was constructed behind him. "This is TG-Model 1, Night Rogue. Created specifically in mind for my fellow founder and friend, who has assumed the role of Faust's leader 'in the dark'. It is created by using the Bat Fullbottle's essence, granting Night Rogue the ability of flight, night vision, and heightened strength and speed."
He typed again, and a hologram of Blood Stalk appeared behind him. "This is TG-Model 2, Blood Stalk. Designed to be the primary opponent of Build Driver users. It is created by using the Cobra Fullbottle's essence, giving Blood Stalk tendrils that can be used to poison others, which can be lethal to those without a Hazard Level period, heightened senses, and great strength and speed for its base abilities. It is also highly customizable, like-"
Another clacking of keys, and a Meta Bolt hologram appeared next to Night Rogue and Blood Stalk. "- TG-Model 3, Meta Bolt. Built for recording data on Smashes and Build Driver candidates, as well as Nebula Gas effects on Quirks. It is created by using the Spanner Fullbottle's essence, which allows the user great grip and punching strength, a grappling hook system, and a scanner that allows it to determine the strengths and weaknesses of Smashes."
Takumi typed on the keys one last time. This time, an unfamiliar suit appeared in the lineup of Transteam Gun users. It had a ultramarine blue undersuit, with chrome pipe-like armor that wrapped around it that gave it the appearance of a walking tank with two pipes over the shoulders pointing at an angle like cannons. It had bulky square shoulder armor resembling square hammers, hammer-like gauntlets, and handguards that resembled the other clawed side of a hammer. On the chest was a red hammer symbol, and likewise its visor was a red hammer, with its red handle being a faceplate much like Blood Stalk's and Meta Bolt's. "And finally, we have TG-Model 4, Steel Force. This is designed to be a field commander of sorts compared to the 'chair command' to Night Rogue. Is it created by using the Hammer Fullbottle's essence, granting incredible physical power, the ability to double its impact power, and incredible thick armor. Unlike the prior three, however, we have yet to find a user suitable to it, leaving it unclaimed for now."
"The Transteam Gun system is the perfect opponent against Build Driver candidates, but not as the ultimate defense. It is highly imperative that we find more potential Build Driver users soon, as the future will need as many defenders as it possibly can," Takumi Katsuragi finished, giving a polite bow before the recording ended.
"There's a fourth Transteam Gun suit!?" Izuku said. Everyone's jaw had dropped upon seeing that, though Sento's was still closed, his hand on his chin in thought. "Does that mean that there's a fourth Faust executive out there somewhere!?"
"Can't be," Souichi said, shaking his head. "When I was there, I asked to be a Faust executive, but they turned me down! Said there's no need for a fourth one!"
"It sounds pretty strong based on the Fullbottle it uses," Pony said, biting her lip. "I don't think we want to face whoever's using it if we're having trouble with facing one of the first three by themselves..."
"That didn't tell me much other than that..." Sento mumbled. "It is concerning, but I was trying to find something on Blood Stalk himself. And it doesn't look like there are any other files concerning the Transteam Gun system... Though the customizable feature makes a lot of sense..."
"Why Blood Stalk in specific?" Setsuna asked.
"Because he could be Takumi Katsuragi himself," Sento said, to everyone's shock. "One of my Faust agent coworkers was insistent on saying that Blood Stalk was him. And with the voice modulator, that is a possibility..."
"Hold up, Blood Stalk is Katsuragi? That can't be, I know what I saw," Ryuga said, shaking his head. "His body was on the ground, and he had a big knife in his back."
"I wouldn't be so sure... Blood Stalk revealed that he could change people's faces by changing that guy into the Faust agent that lured me away from the Institute," Sento said. "It's entirely possible that it might not have been Katsuragi's dead body you saw..."
"So all this time... Takumi Katsuragi might've been alive!?" Ryuga shouted, punching the wall. "All this time, I've been in jail, and he was out there, alive!? BULLSHIT!"
"See, this is exactly why you're not in the right mindset," Sento said, crossing his arms. "You're just way too angry about Katsuragi and Faust. You won't be able to activate the Build Driver or the Cross-Z Dragon with a revenge-filled emotional state like that. Which is why for now, we'll be figuring out if we can make any Best Matches with these Fullbottles I have now."
Sento picked up Lock and Crocodile, and inserted it into the Pandora Panel. Nothing. "Damn... I feel like Lock's Best Match is reptilian in nature... Wait, Banjo, can you lend me your Dragon Fullbottle for a second?"
"... Fine, go for it," Ryuga said, handing Sento the Dragon Fullbottle. Sento removed Crocodile, and inserted the Dragon Fullbottle. It lit up, revealing the Best Match.
"Nice! We got one!" Sento said. "I bet I can work on a weapon for this one... Maybe a sword... I should get to the NinninComic's weapon and yours soon too, Midoriya. Now, let's try Crocodile and TV..."
"Wait, you're not going to keep my Dragon Fullbottle, are you!?"
"This is an emergency, Banjo. We'll be needing to see how many Best Matches we can use to get the Pandora Box and the stolen Fullbottles back. I'll return it when we're successful."
"But that's the last thing I have of Kasumi-!"
"I'm sorry, Banjo, I really am. Just... consider it on loan for now, alright?"
Ryuga scowled and growled before stomping off, slamming the door to his room behind him. Everyone looked at Sento, some worried, others a bit annoyed.
"Now that was a little unnecessary, wasn't it!?" Setsuna said, as Sento went on to test more Fullbottles. Crocodile and TV didn't work, so he inserted Jet in its place. No good.
"Yea, Mr. Banjo's a little tough, but he's-" Mina started to say.
"I need to make everything up to him," Sento said, plainly. "I... I was the one who killed his girlfriend, and I can't let him get hurt anymore. He's angry and revenge filled right now, him transforming to fight would be a bad idea. And the Cross-Z Dragon is purposefully designed to not work if he's like that."
"It wasn't your fault, though!" Eijiro said. "Faust is-"
"The one who turned her into a Smash, but I was the one who dealt the finishing blow. Maybe... Maybe if I had known more about Hazard Level 1 and Nebula Gas, maybe I could've saved her. But I... I resorted to the only thing I thought I could do at the time..."
Everyone looked at him as he continued testing more and more Fullbottles. "Blood Stalk pointed that out to me. Even if he is a villain, and he is a leader of Faust, he had a point about that it was me who did it."
"That is why-" he inserted the Remote Control Fullbottle into the Pandora Panel. It lit up, making it a Best Match with Crocodile, "- I need to keep him from fighting now."
"Mr. Kiryu..." Izuku said. They hadn't realized how much that incident was still affecting Sento, but now that the original four teens thought about it, they were still affected by her death as well. How she asked them to look out for him, how he held her in his arms for the last time, how... broken he had become when she disappeared. They tightened their fists. He was right. They shouldn't let Ryuga fight again. He suffered too much already.
"And besides," Sento said, inserting the Rose and Helicopter Fullbottles, getting the Pandora Panel to light up. "We might just be able to get the Fullbottles and Pandora Box back."
"Still, it seems a little shortsighted, not letting Mr. Banjo help," All Might said, crossing his arms. Sento looked up, and realized that he wasn't in his muscle form.
"All Might-"
"It's okay, everyone knows now," All Might said, putting his hand up to stop Sento. "Mr. Banjo asked me about what Night Rogue said, and well, Principal Nezu and I decided it was time to come clean about it."
"I see," Sento said, shaking his head. "That guy really shouldn't have said anything at all."
"No, it's a good thing," Misora said, smiling a bit. "Uncle Toshi can rest here now without worrying about us seeing him like this."
"That is true..." Sento said, before shaking his head and grabbing some materials. "I guess I'll work on some new weapons now. You teens should go home and rest. We've had a long, long day, and I think we all need a break."
"There's an issue at the Build Shop and the Kamen Rider's operations," Sawa said over her phone, as she sat in her van. "My bug was found. Misora, the girl who purifies the Fullbottles, came across it while cleaning."
"I see," Namba replied.
"What should I do, Mr. Namba?"
"Come to my office tomorrow. We'll discuss more there."
The Next Day...
"So... what is the situation with Prime Minister Himuro?" Prime Minister Tajimi said in the holographic conference room. She and Prime Minister Mido had returned to their respective countries, deciding that their countries needed them more there than in Touto.
"He's currently in the hospital being treated. We don't know when he'll be out," Gentoku said, having taken a seat in his father's chair. Utsumi was standing off to the side, much like how he would when his father was here. "So I will be acting Prime Minister until he recovers."
"I see... and are you familiar with this organization this cobra man is a part of, since he apparently has an accomplice in this... Meta Bolt fellow I've heard about," Prime Minister Tajimi said. "It seems like they're well funded if they're able to stage something like stealing the Pandora Box, and have ties to something powerful..."
"Hm? Are you suggesting that there might be a connection between these two and Touto's government, in spite of our nation's policy of pacifism?" Gentoku said, stroking his goatee. "Quite frankly, with all those rumors I've heard about Hokuto, I have a stronger reason to believe that this Meta Bolt and that cobra man have ties to there instead."
"How dare you insinuate that our country has anything to do with those- those freaks!" Prime Minister Tajimi shouted. If she were really there, her fingers would have ripped through the armrests of her chair. "What absolute nonsense, I should-"
"It can't be helped," Prime Minister Mido said coolly, though he stared daggers at her and Gentoku. "Some sort of secret group we have zero information on beyond two members, with only one name, being able to steal the Pandora Box? We need to come at this rationally and with care, no need for paranoia or... accusations. Let's let Touto handle this for now, since it happened during their watch... But we won't wait forever, acting Prime Minister."
"It's being thoroughly investigated, do not worry," Gentoku replied, calmly. The holograms of the Prime Ministers disappeared, leaving only him and Utsumi alone to ruminate.
Only for Blood Stalk and Meta Bolt to walk right in.
"You really think you should be making a promise like that?" Blood Stalk asked, walking on over while Meta Bolt took a seat in the Seito Prime Minister's chair.
"Ugh, uncomfortable, no wonder they meet by hologram," he muttered, shifting in the chair every so often.
"What are you two doing here!? How did you even get in-" Utsumi said, though he was casually moved to the side by Blood Stalk.
"What do you both want? Get out," Gentoku said, getting up from his chair.
"Wow, named acting Prime Minister just yesterday and already you're too busy for us," Meta Bolt sneered.
"If you haven't, my identity had been exposed!" he growled. "Thanks to you two messing with the plan, not only does Build and Banjo know who I am, but the Symbol of Touto as well! Do you really think someone like him would approve of our operations!? You're only lucky that I could salvage this by firing Build so that anything he said would sound like a disgruntled employee, that Banjo's a wanted criminal, and that even with All Might's word, that with no evidence they can't prove anything!"
"That's more your fault for naming yourself as the 'leader' of Faust when we're all equally leaders," Meta Bolt grumbled.
"If you don't remember, we've been your allies since the beginning of this four-legged race of ours," Blood Stalk said, shaking his head as he walked over to the Hokuto Prime Minister's chair. "And now you won't even tell us where the Pandora Box is, how shameless is that?"
"If you two actually prove your loyalty to me, maybe I will."
"Oh there we go, Mr. 'I'm the Only Leader'! This is the issue we've both had with you," Meta Bolt stated. "Always acting as if you're the only one that matters, when we all know that without Stalk, me, or Katsuragi, you'd have nothing."
The door opened, and four guards came walking in, and saw the two unfamiliar figures.
"Who are you!?" one of the guards said. They split into duos, both going to apprehend Meta Bolt and Blood Stalk. One grabbed Blood Stalk by the arm, before getting backhanded and disintegrating into purple miasma instantly. The other rushed him, but was stuck by Blood Stalk's tendril, her skin turning black as she screamed in agony before disintegrating like her fellow security guard as well.
Meanwhile, Meta Bolt had grabbed one of the guards coming towards him by the neck, and with zero effort, crushed his windpipe. The other pointed a pistol at him, but spanner-like energy projections clamped down on her wrists, ankles, knees, elbows, waist, and head, and with a snap, they twisted in different directions, snapping every single joint in one swoop quickly enough that she had barely any time to even scream in pain.
"Ugh, that's what I hate about my suit in particular. No poison function, so it's always messy," Meta Bolt muttered, as the security guard fell dead to the ground, a mangled mess. "Hey, Stalk, can you get rid of this evidence?"
"Yea yea," Blood Stalk replied, injecting his tendrils into the dead security guards, who disappeared into purple dust.
"You've could've avoided that if you waited at our lab-"
"Bolt's correct. Faust isn't just yours. So quit acting like it is," Blood Stalk said, barely turning around to face Gentoku. He glared at them coldly, which the two returned, before taking out their Transteam Guns to swipe them, disappearing in a cloud of gas.
"Those two..." Gentoku grumbled. He had to admit to himself that they had a point. Without their intelligence and Katsuragi's, he wouldn't have been able to get this far with Faust. But that didn't mean that it wasn't his idea in the first place, and that he wasn't capable of making sound ideas and strategies himself! Those two really need to understand how important he really is to this war game they're in. Otherwise, they might just find themselves useless without him.
"Done!" Sento said, as he finished up his new weapons. Since he's out of a job, he had plenty of time to work on the weapons nonstop. The only one he hadn't completed was NinninComic's, if only because he was hoping to finish when he got the Ninja and Comic Fullbottles back that he can link them with. Misora came out of her room, while Ryuga came out of his reluctantly. He held the first one, a sword with an audio visualizer bar in the middle, a hole in the center for Fullbottles, and a pull starter on the handle's base.
"This here's the Beat Closer! By pulling on this starter and pulling the trigger on the handle, you can activate Hippare attacks! There're three tiers, each one determined by how many times you pull! Once is Smash Hit, twice is Million Hit, and thrice is Mega Hit! And by inserting a Fullbottle into the slot, you can add their special properties to the Hippare attacks, turning them from Hits to Slashes!" he explained, swinging the Beat Closer around. He set it down, and picked up a gun that looked like a Japanese rhinoceros beetle's horn with a Fullbottle slot at the bottom of the grip.
"And this is the Thrust Horner! It's a multiform weapon, with a gun mode-" Sento pulled the gun's body up, making a blade pop out of the barrel, "- a sword mode, and a combined mode for the beetle drone to create a drill sword! And by inserting Fullbottles into it, it can gain their special properties, and to activate finishing attacks called Beetlelic Thrusts!"
"So these are our weapons, huh?" Ryuga said, reaching for the Beat Closer, though Sento smacked his hand away.
"My and Midoriya's weapons, you mean," Sento said.
"Are you kidding!? You're still not going to let me be a Kamen Rider!? You said it yourself before, we need to get as strong as we can to take down Faust, and I'm stronger now, so why-"
"There it is again, that mindset," Sento sighed. "You're not in the proper mindset for this. Until you are, Midoriya and I will be enough for now."
"Stop turning me down! I can-"
"Banjo, please. We just don't want to see you get hurt anymore," Misora said, grabbing his arm. "You... you got hurt really badly yesterday, and you've been suffering through a lot, so please, let Sento and Midoriya handle this for now."
Ryuga frowned and pulled his arm gently away from Misora. "I can't! I need to make Faust pay for what they've done to Kasumi! To me! To everyone that they've hurt!"
"Kasumi, huh?" Sento whispered, shifting his eyes away. "Hey, Banjo, why don't you take a break for now? Maybe... maybe pass by her family grave, I'm sure they've gotten news about what happened to her by now, and... well..."
Ryuga's face softened at the mentioning of her family, before shaking his head in frustration. "Fine, I guess... I guess I should go check to see if that's right..."
He went to his room, and slammed the door shut.
"So you've managed to take the Pandora Box, and secured your place as acting Prime Minister?" Namba said, looking at Night Rogue, who was sitting across from him at his desk. "Exceptional job, Night Rogue. And how many more Fullbottles do you need for the Pandora Box?"
"We've taken twenty from the Kamen Rider," he stated. "We don't know how many he has, but counting ours, but we're roughly 36 Fullbottles away from completing what's needed."
"Hm, that's quite a number away," Namba said, adjusting his glasses. "I suppose that is the price to pay for trying to rush an ongoing project."
"Do not worry, with Hokuto and Seito thirsty for war, we'll attain the rest in no time," Night Rogue said, when Namba's secretary buzzed in.
"Mr. Namba, Miss Sawa Takigawa is here to see you."
"Send her in," Namba said, as he hung up on her. "Maybe an opportunity is closer than you think..."
"We're here!" Mina said, as the teens walked downstairs, having finished their school day and extracurricular activities. They looked and saw Sento working away on a new weapon, with two finished ones laying near him. Misora was watching TV, but Ryuga wasn't anywhere to be seen.
"Where's Mr. Banjo?" Setsuna asked, as they looked around.
"He went to see his girlfriend's family grave," Sento explained. "I told him that he needed a break and get some fresh air."
"Did they know that she, um..." Pony said, struggling with the last part.
"I... I asked Sawa about the news some time after she died. Her place was ransacked, so the police are ruling her as missing, but I'm sure they're all treating her as if she died," Sento said.
"... Sento, there's something we need to say about Sawa," Misora said, as they all looked at each other. Sento's Build Phone went off, and he looked at it.
"Speaking of her, she's sent something," Sento said, opening the message up. To everyone's shock, it was of Sawa dressed in white in the Nebula Chamber, struggling to get out as she transformed into a green Smash that appeared octopus-like, with yellow eyes and bulbous protrusions on her shoulders. The camera changed to Night Rogue, who approached the Nebula Chamber.
"I'll be setting her free in town soon, Build. If you want to save your friend, you better hurry. See you soon, Build," he said, as the camera cut off. Sento pocketed the Build Phone, and picked up his Build Driver and the Dragon, Lock, Crocodile, Remote Control, Rose, and Helicopter Fullbottles.
"Wait, Sento! About Sawa! We think she might be a traitor!" Misora said, pulling the bug from her pocket. "I found this while cleaning yesterday! This could be a trap-"
"It doesn't matter. Sawa is in trouble, and no one deserves to be stuck as a Smash," Sento said, checking his phone for a Smash Alert. Area B5, that's where she must be. "We'll talk about that later. Right now, Build needs to go save someone."
"I'll come with you!" Izuku said, as he prepared his Build Driver, Beetle Fullbottle, and Battler Beetle.
"No, stay here, all of you," Sento ordered, putting his hand.
"But you're still hurt!" Izuku pointed out.
"Recovery Girl healed me."
"But that isn't enough! You'll need the help of another Kamen Rider! They have all the Fullbottles, and we haven't tested the other Best Matches yet!"
Sento tapped his foot, and sighed. "Fine, you got a point. But don't fight any of the Faust executives if they're there, just focus on extracting the essence from Sawa. I'll handle them, I've got the experience."
"Never thought I'd be here again..." Ryuga muttered, as he walked through the graveyard in a trenchcoat, fedora, shades, and scarf with a small bouquet of flowers in his hands. He remembered the first time he was here. It was on the death day of her twin brother. They had gone here to pay their respects when they ran into her asshole of a father. He managed to keep it civil with him, but they left without even a word to each other. He looked and looked for where her family's grave was, and sighed when he finally recognized the large engraved name, with two smaller stone tablets resting at the base.
Todoroki
Touya
Kasumi
"Didn't even bother engraving her tablet with the last name she wanted, huh? Figures," Ryuga scoffed sadly. He laid some flowers down, and put his hands together as he gave a small prayer, and turned around to see a woman with white hair with red streaks, glasses, a pink sweater and black skirt right behind him, with flowers in her arms and a letter in her hands.
"Fu- Flowers! What beautiful flowers you have!" Ryuga said, coughing a bit so his voice wasn't recognizable to Kasumi's younger sister.
"Do... do I know you?" the woman asked, raising an eyebrow.
"N-no, but I knew your sister, Miss Kasumi," Ryuga said, sighing. "She was a wonderful, smart girl. So when I heard that she went missing and her place was ransacked, I assumed that she might've, well... um... uh..."
"Oh! No worries," she said, giving him a sad smile. "It's alright. Our family is, too... this isn't the first time we've lost someone in our family. Sumi's twin, our brother Touya, died a long time ago, so we're... we're familiar with loss. My little brothers Natsuo and Shoto hadn't been taking it too well, losing another sibling..."
"I... I see."
That's right. Those two must've been devastated to hear about Kasumi's apartment being ransacked and her going missing. They probably also hate him for getting arrested and leaving her alone when he promised them both that he'd be there to protect her after he helped her get her things when she left their home. He couldn't blame them. He failed her after all.
"But the person I feel for right now... is her boyfriend, Ryuga Banjo."
"Hm? You mean that, um, wanted criminal?" he said, feeling pain as the words left his mouth. "She was dating someone like that?"
"Yes, but I think... I think he didn't do it. Sumi kept calling me day and night after he was arrested. She asked me to talk to our dad, who's a pro hero, to help prove his innocence, that she was tricked into telling him about a job offer of that Katsuragi person who died. Even after she left our home on bad terms with him. And from what I remember of Ryuga, was that he was dumb, loud, ready to pick fights, and always made mistakes-"
"Wow, he sounds like a real screw-up."
"- but he was kind, gentle, fought for others, and always worked to fix his mistakes as well," Kasumi's sister said, sighing as she made a small regretful smile. "He really was the best person for her. He was a great friend for Natsuo when Touya died, and I think that Shoto really looked up to him, even when our dad wouldn't let him play with us. And everything I've seen from the news, I think there's more to the story, since none of that sounds like the Ryuga Banjo I know."
Kasumi's sister sighed, as she placed the flowers in a pot near the family grave and gave a little prayer herself. She looked at the letter in her hand, and smiled a bit. "A while ago, when I was going through her things since they might've been thrown out otherwise, I found this letter she wrote for him. None of us have read it yet, and I'm the only one who knew about it. I decided to bring it with me since I was going to leave flowers at the family grave and leave it here, and I didn't know what to do with it. But I think... I think she'd want you to keep it for safekeeping."
"Really? Are you really trusting a stranger like me with it?" Ryuga said, trembling a bit as she handed it to him.
"Of course. You seem like the perfect person to keep a hold of it... Ryuga," she said, smiling as she walked away. He stared at her for a bit, shocked that she saw through his disguise. "Take care of yourself."
"Wait, Fuyumi-!" Ryuga said, but she had already left, leaving him behind in front of the grave. "... Thank you."
He opened the letter gently, and saw the unmistakable handwriting of his dead girlfriend on the paper.
Ryuga, if you're reading this, it means that I've passed on while you were imprisoned. I know you said that it wasn't my fault that you lost your job, but... it still was. You lost your chance at pro boxing and pro hero work, all because they used my Quirk ailments to bribe you to taking the fall. I want you to know that I still love you, Ryuga. You were the best thing in my life to happen to me. After I lost my twin brother, I spent so many years lost until you found me. You gave me and my siblings a light in the tunnel, and even helped me gain the courage to leave my father's home, and even tried to offer them a place with us. And you've spent so much to help me with my medicine and appointments to help suppress my Quirk's flames from hurting me.
But since I'm gone, what I want you to do... is to move on from me. Hold me close to your heart if you need to, but the thing I want the most, the thing I want for you, is to be able to move forward to the future, with that "I can't lose" mindset and that never ending drive to help others. I want you to be a hero to everyone, like how you were for me. That was what made me fall in love with you, Ryuga. I'll always love you.
- Kasumi Ogura
Ryuga's hands shook as he read, wiping any of his tears on his sleeves so they wouldn't fall onto the letter. That's right. How could he forget? This was what Sento must've been talking about. All this time, he's been obsessed with revenge, with taking down Faust because of how personal he took everything. But that... that wasn't what Kasumi would've wanted. No. She wanted him to be a hero who saved everyone, just like how he saved her. He folded the letter up, and placed it in his pocket. A new fire burned in Ryuga's eyes. This time, he was ready.
Sento and Izuku arrived at the Smash location, where it was swinging its stretchy arms around, breaking windows and tossing outdoor furniture. Everyone had ran away, leaving only them there. No heroes in sight.
"Guess we can call her the Stretch Smash. Let's do this, Midoriya!" Sento said, as he inserted the Dragon and Lock Fullbottles into his Build Driver. "Dragon! Lock! Best Match! Are you ready?"
"We'll save you, Miss Sawa!" Izuku said, inserting the Beetle Fullbottle into the Battler Beetle and then into his Build Driver. "Get up! Battler Beetle! Are you ready?"
The two cranked their belt's handles, as a navy blue runner formed in front of Sento and a gold runner formed behind him, while golden orange runners formed around Izuku. "Transform!"
"The Sealed Fantasy Star! KeyDragon! Yeahhh!"
"Get up shocking! Battler Beetle in! Yeah!"
The runners slammed onto them, forming their armor. Build's Dragon Halfbody armor was a navy blue, with three white dragon-like back spines on his right gauntlet, and a white spine on his shoulder. His Lock Halfbody armor was golden, with a large key-like blade on his left gauntlet, a chain that connected it to his padlock-and-key-shaped shoulder armor, and a lock adorned his chest. His left eye was a blue dragon head, and his right eye a golden lock.
"I've found the winning formula!"
"I'm going to save everyone, as a hero, and as a Kamen Rider!"
The two charged at the Stretch Smash, which swung its arms at them. They dodged the attack, and Battler tackled it. His beetle drone flew off his arm, and he pulled out his Thrust Horner in its sword mode, slashing at the Stretch Smash. But before Build could jump in, Night Rogue appeared and fired several shots from his Steam Rifle.
"It's time you hand the rest of your Fullbottles over, Build," he said, as the two started to fight one another. Build struck Night Rogue in the chest with the key blade on his left arm, ramming it several times into him, before creating a blue ball of fire that he threw at him, exploding into a shockwave and sending the Faust executive backwards. He held his right hand out, and summoned his new Beat Closer, and swung it down onto Night Rogue, alternating between slashes and strikes with his arm's key blade and the Beat Closer.
"KeyDragon's exceptionally powerful! With its strong key blade and the ability to generate fire that can create shockwaves, I'll be able to beat you, Night Rogue!" Build cried out, when blue flames started to overcome his Dragon Halfbody's body parts. "AGH! What's going-"
Night Rogue fired several more bullets into Build, before flying towards him and striking him with his Steam Rifle's blade. "Seems like this power is incompatible with you, Build."
"Dammit, why is this acting up like PhoenixRobo!?" he said, struggling against the flames. "Is... is it because the Dragon Fullbottle synced up with Banjo to an absurd degree!?"
"Build!" Battler said. He attempted to run to his senior Kamen Rider, when the Stretch Smash grabbed him and his beetle drone with its stretchy limbs, and swung them into the building, creating a small crater upon impact. "UGH!"
"I- I need to Build Up!" Build said, pulling out the Crocodile and Remote Control Fullbottles when Night Rogue pointed his Steam Rifle at him.
"Your services are no longer required," Night Rogue said, inserting his Bat Fullbottle into his weapon and spun the valve. "Devil Steam!" "Bat! Steam Shot! Bat!" "So I'll be taking that."
He pulled the trigger, and fired a bat-shaped gas bullet that struck Build and carried him several feet before exploding. Sento rolled over and dropped his Fullbottles, heaving in and out air, worn out from the kickback of KeyDragon's power. Night Rogue walked over to him, ready to take whatever he had left. "Now then, I'll be taking-"
"You won't be taking any more Fullbottles!" Battler cried as the beetle drone took on the Stretch Smash on its own while he went after Night Rogue himself. He swung his Thrust Horner at the Faust executive, inserting the Camera Fullbottle into its slot as he swung the blade at the Faust executive. "Ignition Start!"
"How amateurish of you," Night Rogue said, striking Battler with his Steam Rifle's blade and knocking him back. "But I guess it'd be better if I took you out right now, too, since Build's out of commission-"
"Then I'll just have to take his place!"
The three turned their heads, and saw Ryuga walking towards them, having taken his disguise off to reveal his normal clothes and a blue letterman jacket. The Cross-Z Dragon flew nearby, with the Jet Fullbottle in it.
"What!? Banjo, you're not-" Sento cried out.
"No. I am. All this time, I just wanted to take Faust down for revenge... but now... now I need to take Faust down, so that no one else can get hurt! That's the type of hero that I want to be! That's the type of hero Kasumi fell in love with! So I'm taking you down, Night Rogue, to save as many people as I can from you!" Ryuga cried, as the Cross-Z Dragon went and supported Battler fighting Night Rogue by firing several fast-moving jet-shaped fireballs, who struggled to dodge both attacks. Sento stared at Ryuga, before smiling. He pulled off his Build Driver, and grabbed all of his dropped Fullbottles before tossing them all to Ryuga.
Ryuga slapped the Build Driver on. The Cross-Z Dragon flew back to him, ejecting the Jet Fullbottle which he caught while it changed into its adapter mode. He pulled out the Dragon Fullbottle, shaking it and twisting its cap before inserting it into the Cross-Z Dragon. "Wake up!"
"Watch me... as I save everyone, Kasumi!" Ryuga shouted, as he placed the Cross-Z Dragon into the Build Driver.
"Cross-Z Dragon! Are you ready?"
Ryuga grabbed the Build Driver's handle, cranking it hard and fast as navy blue runners formed around him, and a runner at the side formed with additional armor for him. "Transform!"
"Wake up burning! Get Cross-Z Dragon! Yeah!"
The runners slammed onto Ryuga forming his armor. Unlike the asymmetrical KeyDragon, his left side was the same navy blue, and appeared almost identical to the Dragon Halfbody save for the orange flame adornments on his left gauntlet, and orange flames painted on a band on his left arm and his right leg. Dragon wings slammed on to him from his back, forming orange vest-like armor with two white spines on both sides of his shoulders forming "claws" with his shoulder armor's spines, and a white spine ran along his back. His helmet's eyes were two blue dragons, before an orange dragon with a white snout slammed onto it, with the snout forming a faceplate for his helmet.
"That idiot... he really did it!" Sento said, grinning.
"This is the debut of Kamen Rider Build, Ryuga Banjo Edition!" Kamen Rider Build Ryuga Banjo Edition shouted.
"Your name is Kamen Rider Cross-Z, you idiot! It's in the name of your dragon!" Sento yelled.
"This is the debut of Kamen Rider Cross-Z!" Kamen Rider Cross-Z shouted again, as if he said it correctly the first time.
The Stretch Smash knocked Battler's beetle drone away, which joined Battler in fighting Night Rogue, and charged at Cross-Z, stretching its arm out for a punch. Cross-Z blocked the impact with his right arm, before grabbing it and pulling it in to punch it hard himself.
"Hiya!" he cried, punching the Stretch Smash across the face. A blue shockwave of fire radiated from his fist, sending it flying backwards hard enough that it created a second crater next to the one it had made with Battler's body. As it got out of the crater, it staggered around, dazed from the strength of the punch. Cross-Z grabbed the Build Driver's handle, and cranked it hard and fast.
"Oraoraoraoraoraoraoraora!" he shouted with each crank. He let go, and spread his arms and bent his legs as a blue-and-orange energy Chinese dragon appeared, flying behind the draconic Kamen Rider. Blue fire coated his right leg.
"Ready, go! Draconic Finish!"
The energy dragon opened its mouth and pushed Cross-Z forward with a blast of blue fire. With a mighty yell, he kicked the Stretch Smash, the impact of which caused it to explode in a pillar of fiery dust.
"In just one move-!?" Night Rogue said, knocking Battler away. "How... how strong are you!?"
"Strong enough to take you on!" Cross-Z said, as he summoned the Beat Closer. "Because I've got the feeling... that I won't lose!"
Cross-Z charged at Night Rogue, who fired several shots at him that he dodged, forcing him to block with the Steam Rifle's blade. Their weapons and armor sparked with each strike, though only Night Rogue seemed to be feeling the pain, as Cross-Z had shrugged off each attack and was still standing. After slashing Night Rogue, Cross-Z pulled the Beat Closer's starter.
"Hippare! Smash Hit!"
He turned around, and struck Night Rogue with a slash of blue fire that burned Night Rogue who was knocked to the ground
"How could you have this much power!?" he grunted in pain, but before he could retaliate, Cross-Z pulled the Beat Closer's starter twice.
"Hippare! Hippare! Million Hit!"
He swung the blade down, as red, green, and yellow energy coated the Beat Closer. Night Rogue blocked it with his Steam Rifle, but struggled to stay standing. "Hot, isn't it!?" Cross-Z asked. "It's because this isn't just my power! Sento! Kasumi! Misora! Midoriya! Everyone's power is behind me! And it's going to take you and Faust down!"
Cross-Z finished his swing, and a soundwave-like energy slash flew out of the Beat Closer, hitting Night Rogue continuously until it explode. He had no time to rest with Cross-Z's onslaught, as he pulled the Beat Closer's starter three times.
"Hippare! Hippare! HIPPARE! MEGA HIT!"
Cross-Z flipped the Beat Closer, and stabbed it into the ground, as pillars of energy that resembled audio visualizer lights sprouted out of the ground, striking Night Rogue and launching him in the air. Before he had the chance to recover and reorient him in the air, Cross-Z took the Lock Fullbottle, and inserted it into the Beat Closer's slot before pulling the starter three times.
"Special Tune! Hippare! Hippare! HIPPARE! MEGA SLASH!"
"I guess I should give this one a finishing move name since it's using a Fullbottle, right? Um... LOCKDOWN LARIAT!" Cross-Z yelled, pointing the sword at Night Rogue. Blue energy chains with golden light sparking around it came out of the tip of the blade, wrapping themselves around Night Rogue. He tried to break free from the chains as they reeled him in towards Cross-Z. A gold key energy projection covered the Beat Closer, and when the bound Night Rogue was close, Cross-Z slashed him, golden sparks flying from his armor as an explosion knocked him back.
Night Rogue tumbled and rolled before landing on his feet. He breathed heavily, worn out by the string of attacks that Cross-Z had landed on him.
"This... this wasn't supposed to happen!" he growled, pulling his Transteam Gun and swiping it, disappearing and escaping in a cloud of gas. Cross-Z took a deep breath as he pulled the Cross-Z Dragon out of the Build Driver.
"Here, this is yours," Ryuga said, helping Sento up and handing him his Build Driver.
"I don't get it," Sento said, scratching his head. "How did you get the right mindset so soon? I only expected that you'd cool down after seeing her family's grave."
"Yea, Mr. Banjo!" Izuku said after he pulled the Battler Beetle out. "Not only that, you're way stronger than I was when I first turned into a Kamen Rider! How did you do that!?"
"It's all thanks... it's all thanks to Kasumi," Ryuga said, holding the Dragon Fullbottle in his hand. "I met her sister at the family grave, and she recognized me while we were talking. She didn't tell me she knew who I was though until she handed me a letter that Kasumi left... she reminded me what type of hero I was for her, and that she wanted me... to be that hero again."
"Hm, looks like I was right on the money to tell you to go there!" Sento said, growing slightly smug.
"Shut up! I would've checked their family grave out eventually! You just helped me to decide to do it sooner!" Ryuga retorted, when they all heard the Stretch Smash moaning.
"Right! We need to extract her essence!" Sento said, pulling out an Empty Bottle and jogging over to the downed Smash.
"Her? You already know it's a girl?" Ryuga asked, as Sento pointed the Empty Bottle and extracted the essence, revealing Sawa.
"Sawa! Are you alright!?" Sento said, checking the worn out reporter.
"Miss Sawa!" Izuku said, running to her other side.
"Holy crap it was Sawa!?" Ryuga shouted, realizing who he had just beaten up.
She blinked several times as Sento and Izuku helped her up, looking at the three Team Build members.
"... I see," she sighed, giving a small smile. "I guess... I got burned in the end, didn't I?"
"What happened?" Sento asked.
"Miss Sawa... did you really betray us?" Izuku asked sadly.
"... Yes," she admitted, turning her eyes onto the ground. "I'm not just a reporter... I'm also a spy..."
ORIGINAL AO3 NOTES:
- I realized that I never really showed Misora and All Might interacting that much, huh? Gotta keep that in mind for future chapters, and show more of their relationship. Same with Misora and Ryuga. And more Sawa interactions, too... Now that I think about it, I hadn't really used Sawa all that much to establish her relationship with the characters. Dang. Well, there has been multiple week skips, so let's pretend that she's spent a lot of time with them than we saw, alright? Maybe I'll make some sidestories or tidbits involving moments that weren't "on screen", like that scene where she asks Misora about boyfriends or something.
- I really did enjoy writing that scene where All Might reveals his skinny form to everyone, especially Misora's parts.
- That's right, folks! There is a fourth Transteam Gun suit in "Building Up A Hero!", Steel Force! I was going to keep it as a surprise for later, but then I figured that it would've been in the Project Build files with the info about the other Transteam Gun users, so I decided that it'd be fun to give it an appearance now. But trust me when I say that Steel Force won't be making an appearance until much, much later.
- That's right, folks! Kasumi in "Building Up A Hero!" is a Todoroki, and she's Touya's twin! This also means that Rei's maiden name is "Ogura" here rather than "Himura". I hope you all caught all the hints about this connection, 'cuz this was planned from the start, even before we found out Rei's canon maiden name.
- I never liked that it was actually Sento that left the letter. Or at least, that was what it felt like was implied to me whenever I watch the proper Cross-Z debut episode. Maybe it really was her, but I felt like it'd be better if I had Fuyumi be the one that actually gave it to him.
- This was a chapter I was really looking forward to write. Ryuga is one of my favorite characters of all time. In fact, I've got the SHFs of basic Cross-Z, Cross-Z Charge, Cross-Z Magma, and Cross-ZEvol. Only ones I don't have are Cross-ZBuild (wasn't really a fan of that look) and Great Cross-Z (I don't really buy simple repaints). It's also sort of the reason why Ryuga is slightly more heroic in motivation than in Build canon, since I always felt like he did have a lot of good points about his situation, it was just marred by his selfishness. And since in "Building Up A Hero!" he was working as a sidekick in a hero agency, I felt like he'd be somewhat less selfish than in canon.