Disclaimer: As always, I don't own anything.
Previously on Across the Kaleidoscope
"He definitely knew us, or at least Ritsuka."
"Skill Level 2." "Tactics Level 2." "2nd Gear!"
"The Black Ex-Aid?!"
"Why have you intruded on this world?"
"You fought well, but this is a battle between humanity and Bugsters."
"Game Start."
Morning…
Ryoko yawned as she walked out into the hallway, having just woken up. Scratching the back of her head, she went over to the bathroom.
"Ryoko-san?" She heard someone call from behind. Turning back, she saw Emu just reaching the top of the stairs.
"Oh, you're up early," Ryoko remarked. "If you need to use the toilet, you can go first."
"No need, I just wanted to see how Ritsuka-san is doing," he replied. "His room is the one at the end of the hall right?"
"Yup," nodded the girl. "I'll see you later." She bid him farewell before entering the bathroom.
Emu walked down the corridor to the end and stopped in front of the wooden door.
"Ritsuka-san?" He was about to knock on the door but before he could-
"What?" -Ritsuka himself opened the door with a tired look on his face. "I'm busy."
"Bu-what? Busy?" Needless to say, Emu was caught off-guard by Ritsuka. "Wait, before that. Shouldn't you be resting?!"
"Don't need to, I'm fine," he told Emu offhandedly.
"What?"
"Is Snipe cooking again?" Ritsuka asked like there was absolutely nothing wrong. "Call me when it's time for breakfast."
"What?"
"Good day." The door closed in Emu's still shocked face.
"...What?"
Emu stood there for a solid minute, thoroughly confused at what just happened.
"Dairiki." He was snapped out of his daze by Hiiro's voice.
"Hiiro-san?"
"How's the patient?" The slightly older Rider questioned him.
"He's… recovered?"
"...Excuse me?"
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the world…
"That would be 1 gold, good sir."
The coin clinked as Graphite dropped it on the counter. The Bugster in disguise then left the bakery with his snack in hand. Sure, he could have just eaten it then and there but he would rather look for a more comfortable place to sit.
"Good day." A townsfolk greeted him as he walked past.
"..." Graphite did not respond to the simulated man. 'They're not real.'
Of course, they weren't. If they were, then he would not be able to walk into town without everybody panicking, let alone go into a store and buy something. As the final boss of Drago Knight Hunter Z, Graphite was known throughout the world as a battle-hungry monster that would slaughter entire cities to find a worthy opponent.
That was far from the truth. He will not deny he enjoyed the thrill of a battle but to say he will kill innocents in search of someone who can defeat him was stretching it. Still, at the end of the day, everyone should be scared of him if this world and its people were real. But they weren't. That's why that man had spoken to him like he was a normal person.
Eventually, he found a secluded enough spot to eat his sweetcake and looked up at the sky.
That was when he noticed it.
"What?!"
Parts of the sky were shattered, revealing the lines of codes that made up this Game World's existence. It did not take long before Graphite realized what was going on.
"Dan Kuroto, you bastard," he snarled, knowing without a shadow of a doubt that the CEO of Genm Corporations was responsible for the collapse of the world.
Graphite wanted to let the Kamen Riders that were after him recover before he would look for them again. Unfortunately, his creator was forcing his hand…
Chapter 6: Dragon's End
Fujimaru 'residence'...
"How…?" To say that they were thoroughly confused by Ritsuka's condition was a bit of an understatement. They, with the exception of Kiriya and Ryoko, were all currently in the main studio room.
"Temperature normal; no telltale sign of infection." Hiiro listed off as he inspected Ritsuka with the Game Scope.
"But he still has Game Illness though," Emu said looking over Hiiro's shoulder at the projected screen. Just as he said, the icon for Graphite's strain was still bouncing around. "And he was experiencing the symptoms last night, right? We didn't imagine it?"
"That was last night. This is now," said the subject of the conversation.
"This should be impossible," Hiiro said, taking off the stethoscope. "The virus should not be able to go dormant once it's awakened."
"Maybe it's because he's not from around here?" Emu suggested. "What do you think?"
"While that's within the realm of possibility, it's doubtful that it's the case."
"You know, I'm starting to get real sick of being treated like a test subject here," huffed Ritsuka. "Tetsuya, you got anything to say?"
"What exactly could I say? I don't really know anything about this whole Bugster Virus thing." Tetsuya shrugged.
"Taiga-san?" Emu called out to the other Rider that was, once again, behind the backdrop. "You got any ideas of what's going on?"
"No."
"Quite talkative, ain't he?"
"Shut up or you won't be eating."
"Say, where's Kiriya-san?" asked Tetsuya, who only then just realized that he was missing.
Emu answered, "He said he wanted to go out for a walk."
"...Why do I get the feeling something bad's about to happen?" Ritsuka just knew that there will be guards chasing after that man when he gets back.
"Kiriya can be mischievous sometimes… all the time… but he's not dumb enough to get caught doing something unless he wants to." Emu voiced his support for the bike. "Don't worry abou-"
The sound of the front door slamming open and the shouting of said Rider cut Emu off, "Guys, we've got trouble again!"
"..."
"You were saying?"
Kiriya then came barreling into the room completely breathless.
"What is it this time, Kisou? Did you get ambushed again?" sighed Hiiro.
"No, it's-" huffed Kiriya, frantically pointing towards the windows. "Worse, the-"
"What's going on down here?" An annoyed but concerned Ryoko entered the room, unintentionally interrupting Kiriya.
"Hush," Taiga said, coming out from behind the backdrop, "Lazer, what's wrong?"
"Sky's… rip… data…"
"Stop, take a deep breath, explain."
"Right." Kiriya followed Taiga's order to a T and inhaled before he explained fully. "Sky's breaking apart."
"Say what now?"
A single step outside the house was enough for them to understand what Kiriya was talking about.
"The sky…"
"What's going on?"
Each of them had their own responses to the sky slowly dissolving, leaving behind the green lines of coding. The NPCs, however, did not care about the situation and just went on with their day.
"So it's starting to collapse, huh?" Ritsuka muttered from the doorway, catching Emu's attention as he was the closest to him.
"What was that?" Emu turned to him.
"Nothing."
"Um… You're not going to come out?" He asked, noticing that Ritsuka was not exiting the building.
Ritsuka replied, "No need to, I can see it from here. Besides, I'm fine staying indoors."
"Eh?"
"I'd rather not be out and about when that's happening," he clarified.
"I guess you've got a point…" Emu looked back up at the broken sky. "Why's going on?"
"I take it's the first time something like this is happening," Ryoko said.
"Yes," nodded Hiiro.
"Do you think Graphite taking the Proto Gashat has something to do with this?" suggested Kiriya.
"Who knows," Taiga said, "Regardless if he's responsible or not, we need to defeat him as soon as possible. #5."
"Stop calling me that."
"If you truly feel fine, then we'll need your help fighting Graphite."
"Normally, I would say yes."
Taiga raised an eyebrow at him. "But?"
"But as we are now, we won't win even if we find him." Ritsuka was not afraid to speak his mind.
"That's comforting," snarked Kiriya. "Nothing brings hope more than saying we'll lose."
"Then what do you suggest we do?"
"Simple, Hiiro, we train."
"I'd hate to be that guy but…" Tetsuya said as they regrouped back in the main room, "I'm not sure this place is a good spot to train."
"Don't worry about it, Tetsuya-san," Emu told him and also Ryoko to some extent, "All we need to do is transform and use-"
"Less talking, more transforming," Ritsuka cut him off, "We're on a time limit, remember?"
"Right, sorry," Emu apologized before the two of them and the others put on their Drivers.
Mighty Action X!
Taddle Quest!
Bang Bang Shooting!
Bakusou Bike! Giri Giri Chambara!
The waves of energy rippled out from beneath the Gamer Riders.
"Henshin!"
KAMEN RIDE: DECADE
Gashat! Gachan! Level Up!
The four Gamer Riders immediately opened the pink lever on their Drivers before they picked their respective thumbnails. At the same time, the silhouettes of the Decade suit appeared all around the room.
Mighty jump! Mighty kick! Mighty Mighty Action X!
Taddle meguru! Taddle meguru! Taddle Quest~!
Ba-Ba-Bang! Ba-Ba-Bang! Bang Bang Shooting!
Bakusou dokusou gekisou bousou! Bakusou Bike! A Gatcha! Giri-Giri-Giri-Giri Chambara!
In an instant, they were all transformed straight into their Level 2 Form except Lazer, who was in Level 3.
"Alright!" Lazer exclaimed. "Which Stage are we using?"
"Somewhere spacious," said Snipe. "Ex-Aid, you choose."
"Yes!" Following his orders, the pink Kamen Rider pressed the button on the Kimiwaza Slot Holder.
Stage Select!
Various images of locations spun around Ex-Aid before he chose the one depicting a quarry in the mountains. The picture expanded and the room started changing. A second later, the five Riders found themselves in the middle of the same quarry.
Near-impassable mountains surrounded the excavated site. The quarry had multiple levels, of which the five were in the middle. Mounds of dirt and stone were piled all over the area along with the items summoned by the Gashats.
"Of course, we're in a quarry," sighed Ritsuka. "Why wouldn't we be in a quarry?"
"Hey, what's that?" Lazer pointed out the glowing gray orb that was floating high above them.
"That's not usually there…" Ex-Aid remarked, adding the orb t0 the list of oddities that he had encountered in this World.
"Just leave it."
"It's glitching out." The orb began visibly turning to static for brief moments.
"I thought it's an unspoken rule to not stare directly at glitches like that," Decade snarked.
The orb then sent a grey, comic-looking pulse out.
"...Let's just get started."
"Started?"
ATTACK RIDE: BLAST
Before any of them could react, the four Riders were hit by a hail of bullets from the magenta Rider.
"All of you will be fighting me until my transformation disengages," he said full of confidence, turning the RideBooker into its sword mode. "To that end, I won't be holding back. None of you should either."
"..."
"..."
"So… what do we do now?" Both Tetsuya and Ryoko stood by themselves in the main room. For some reason, they were not taken with the others into the Game Area.
"We just wait, I guess?"
Gashacon Breaker/Sword/Magnum/Sparrow!
Decade ducked under a slash from Brave and retaliated with a slash of his own. However, the knight Kamen Rider was quick enough to block the attack, locking blades with him.
Ja Kiin!
Zu Paan!
While he was busy dealing with Brave, Ex-Aid and Lazer came from behind and tried to hit him in the back. Their endeavor proved fruitless though, as Decade simply kicked them away before he overpowered Brave and slashed him across the chest.
He did not get a moment t0 catch his breath as he was shot in the back by Snipe. Decade spun around, the RideBooker in its gun mode, and the two engaged in a gunfight. They ran around each other, bullets flying past their heads or shot out into the air.
"...Gah…" Decade resisted the urge to cough as he ducked behind a pile of dirt. He glanced at the glitching orb and caught his breath.
Meanwhile, behind another excavated mound of dirt, the four Riders regrouped and tried to come up with a battle plan.
"On a scale of 1 to 10, I say we're an 8 on 'getting our ass kicked'," Lazer complained to the others. "How 'bout you guys?"
Zu Kyun!
"Stop grumbling and start thinking, Kisou," Snipe told him, swapping the Gashacon Magnum into its rifle and returning fire at Decade.
"I'm thinking that we're screwed."
"He wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't holding back." Ex-Aid tried to peek over the dirt only to nearly be shot in the eye, forcing him to duck back down.
"First things first, we need to Level Up," said Brave, taking out the DoReMiFa Beat Gashat.
"Right," Ex-Aid nodded. "I did want to try this one."
DoReMiFa Beat!
Shakariki Sports!
Gashon! Gashat! Gachan! Level Up!
Taddle meguru! Taddle meguru! Taddle Quest~! A Gatcha! Do-Do-DoReMiFa-So-La-Ti-Do! Ok! DoReMiFa Bea~t~!
Mighty jump! Mighty kick! Mighty Mighty Action X! A Gatcha! Shakariki! Shakiriki! Bad! Bad! Shaka to riki to Shakariki Sports!
While Brave used his normal Level 3 Form, Ex-Aid used the Gashat he took from the Black Ex-Aid the day before. The colorful Sports Gamer and Beat Gamer appeared and fused with their Riders.
Ex-Aid then shouted to Snipe, "Cover us!"
"I was already doing that."
Snipe's comment went unheard as the other three Riders leaped out of cover and tried to rush their opponent. Their half-baked plan worked somewhat as Decade had a hard time trying to aim for them thanks to Snipe.
In a few moments, the three crossed the distance between them and Decade and forced the latter to swap back to melee.
He tried to block a double slash from Ex-Aid and Brave but due to them leveling up and there being two of them, he was unable to hold on for long before they broke through his defense.
"Don't forget about me!" Lazer exclaimed, cutting him with his twin sickles.
Now put in a minor disadvantage, Decade saw one way to resolve this issue. He took out a new AttackRide Card depicting five Decades. "In this case-!"
ATTACKRIDE: ILLUSION
"What?!"
Upon closing the Decadriver, three more Decades appeared out of him, stunning the other Riders for a few seconds. The Decades tried to capitalize on the situation and attacked them, one Decade making a mad dash towards the camping Snipe.
"Oh come one, this isn't fair!" Lazer shouted, using his sickles to hold off the blade of his Decade.
"You're just facing one each," The Decade fighting Ex-Aid called out. "It could be worse."
Zu Don!
Lazer kicked his Decade away before he put the Gashacon Sparrow together into its bow mode. "Take this!"
Meanwhile, Ex-Aid and Brave fought their copies of Decade together… Well, they tried to. While the two Decades were able to bounce off each other with ease such as switching opponents, tossing the other their RideBookers, and the like, the two other Riders were having a hard time keeping up.
ATTACKRIDE: SLASH
The two Decades scanned their Slash cards simultaneously and made short work of Ex-Aid and Brave. Sent stumbling back by the flurry of sword slash, the pink Rider decided to try and use his finisher to defeat him.
Gashun! Gashat! Kimiwaza!
Ex-Aid removed the pink wheel off of his right shoulder, it beginning to charge with energy before he pressed the button again.
Shakariki Critical Strike!
He threw the wheel at his Decade, but like last time, the magenta Rider managed to redirect the projectile towards another target.
"Not again!" That target was, of course, Lazer who was unprepared to get hit by friendly fire. The finisher was enough to reduce his Rider Gauge to a quarter, which instantly dropped down a couple more bars thanks to Decade attacking him.
"Kiriya! Sor- Ah!" "Stay focused, Emu!" His Decade scolded him as he was slashed in the back.
Ba Kyun!
With Snipe, he was forced to change his weapon back into its handgun mode as wielding it was hard while trying to dodge sword slashes was not easy. Still, compared to the others, he was holding himself just fine and was at full health. The gun-wielding Rider was skilled at dodging blows and using the Gashacon Magnum to block some attacks.
On the other hand, Decade was also easily evading Snipe's shots, sometimes at point-blank range.
The two were currently fighting out of sight of the other Riders.
"You're definitely good," Decade complimented his foe, "Guess that's what experience brings, huh?"
"Is that the same for you?" Snipe tried to shoot at him, only for his bullet to miss.
"Honestly, I've only been a Rider for about five days now."
"Five days?" Snipe could not tell if he was telling the truth or not. "That has to be a lie."
"Nope. That's 100% true."
'Or is it?' The cloaked man's voice spoke in Ritsuka's head again.
'Shut up.' He mentally said back. 'I'm already doing what you want. Stay out of my head.'
"For someone who's only been a Rider for five days, you handled yourself well against both Graphite and the Black Ex-Aid," said Snipe, "Forgive me for thinking that you might not be telling the whole truth."
"I- Ack!" Before he could finish his sentence, Decade flinched in pain and dropped the RideBooker.
Lowering his gun, Snipe shouted, "What's wrong?!"
Back with the other Riders, the Decade illusions disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving them very confused.
"Eh?"
"Can he become invisible too?" Lazer said, looking around.
With Snipe and the real Decade, the latter held his head in pain as his body started to turn to static.
"Knew it wasn't as simple as that," Snipe scoffed, realizing what's going on. "Exerting yourself will just speed up your death."
"I know that…" Decade said wincing before looking at the orb. "But if I don't do this, we all will die." 'According to him anyway.'
Snipe followed his stare and noticed what he was looking at. "...Fine then." The Rider raised his weapon again. "Let's continue."
"Taiga-san!" shouted Ex-Aid as he, Brave, and Lazer arrived on the scene.
"Don't hold back," the veteran Kamen Rider advised them, "Go all in."
"Yes!"
Meanwhile, in the real world…
"How is this possible?" Dan Kuroto growled as he watched the five Riders train on screen. Not only was the teen not concerned over the slow destruction of the Game World, but he was also somehow still able to stand up and fight.
"Pretty impressive, isn't it?" Unlike him, Parado was enjoying the training session. "Even with Game Illness, he's still going strong."
"Don't praise him."
"Why not? Holding off four other Riders is a breeze for him. Something like that deserves recognition." 'Unlike a certain other guy I know,' Parado smirked, enjoying the look on the CEO's face.
"Be quiet, Parado. I did not ask for your opinion." Parado's taunt worked and frustrated Kuroto even more. "Why don't you go play or something? I wish to analyze his abilities in peace."
"Nah, I'd rather watch too. It'll help in our grand plan, wouldn't it?" Parado knew he did not actually need to. If all goes to plan, the level gap would more than suffice when the time came. Besides, he wanted to use his own fighting style.
"Then keep your mouth shut." Kuroto then pulled up another tab on a separate screen to study the magenta Kamen Rider along with some miscellaneous data.
Soon, the slightly crazed CEO started rambling to himself, "His power level is similar to what Level X would be. That said, his current condition is reducing him to about Level 5."
"Level X, huh? And that's just his base form?" Parado, of course, ignored Kuroto's orders and continued speaking. "I wonder if he can go beyond that?"
"..."
"What's wrong, prez? Speechless?" Parado looked at the data screen to see what managed to shut Kuroto out. After a few seconds, he saw it and was just as confused as he was.
On the screen listed what Gashats were currently active in the Game World: Shakariki Sports, DoReMiFa Beat, Giri Giri Chambara, Bakusou Bike, Bang Bang Shooting, Taddle Quest, Mighty Action X, and…
"Mighty Action X?" Parado read out the last name on the list. For some reason, there were two Mighty Action X currently in use. "Why?"
Kuroto opened the drawer containing his Driver and Gashat and, sure enough, the purple Proto Mighty Action X Gashat was still where he left it. He knew what could be generating a second Game Area, especially with how the magenta Rider seemed cured of the Bugster Virus. He also knew that that would be impossible. Only two people knew where that Gashat was and the other person had long since been gone from this world. Unless…
"Parado."
"Yes?"
"Where was Poppy the past few days?" Kuroto questioned him.
"Hmm…" Parado thought about it for a moment before he answered. "I'm pretty sure she's still attending the convention downtown."
So it was not her. That was good.
"Prez, what's there two Mighty Action X in the world?"
"That's none of your concern," Kuroto refused to elaborate on the subject. Instead, he stood up and made his way to the entrance to his office.
"Hey, you left this behind!" Parado shouted at the CEO, picking up the Gamer Driver and Proto Mighty Action X Gashat.
Kuroto ignored him though, and left Parado by himself.
"Hmph!" The young man pouted at being ignored before he sat in the CEO's seat again. "Whatever. Let's see what they're up to."
Mighty/Taddle Critical Finish!
Both Ex-Aid and Brave charged up their finishers and sent energy slashes at Decade. Their attack connected, sending him flying back into a pile of loose gravel.
"You all-"
Bang Bang/Giri Giri Critical Finish!
Whatever he wanted to say when unheard as Snipe and Lazer capitalized on his half-buried state and inserted their own Gashats into their weapons. A storm of yellow arrows and a single, large blast blew him and the gravel sky-high.
'They've started to work in sync,' That voice said in Ritsuka's head again, 'It's time for part 2.'
'Shut up.' He really hated that man with a passion. He also hated himself for agreeing with the somewhat stupid plan. It was stupid in the sense that he was letting himself get hit by a bunch of finishers and risk getting Game Overed until he gets the signal.
"Did that do it?" Lazer sighed in exhausion as the smoke cleared away.
"...Maybe?" Ex-Aid said, unsure of himself. On one hand, Decade's transformation was still on. On the other, he was sprawled out on the ground unmoving.
"He's not dead, right?"
"Dairiki, check on him."
"Me?! You're the doctor here!"
"Just go do it."
"Fine, I'm going…" Ex-Aid carefully went to the seemingly unconsious Rider's side and proded him with his foot. "Ritsuka-san? Are you awake?" He asked in concern, "Ritsuka-san?" He leaned over his body.
That was when he struck.
Within the blink of an eye, the pink Kamen Rider was locked in a chokehold from behind by Decade.
"Sorry 'bout this," the magenta Rider apologized in advance, taking the golden Gashat in Ex-Aid's holder.
Seeing this, the other three Riders tried to intervene. "What are you doing?!"
They weren't fast enough though and due to Emu's positioning, Lazer and Snipe were unable to target Decade.
Drago Knight Hunter! Z!
Gachon! Gashun! Gashat!
Decade somehow replaced the Shakariki Sports Gashat with the dragon-themed one and Leveled Up Ex-Aid against his will.
Gachan! Level Up! Mighty jump! Mighty kick! Mighty Mighty Action X! A Gatcha! Do-Do-Drago! Na-Na-Knight! Dra~! Dra~! Drago Knight Hunter! Z!
The Hunter Gamer appeared and blew everybody, including Decade, away before breaking apart and fusing with Ex-Aid. His armor started sparking as he screamed to the heavens.
"What the hell are you thinking?!" Brave lost his temper for the first time, grabbing Decade by his very small collar.
"Here's the second part of your training: stop Emu together," he calmly answered. "Now that there's nothing else to interfere, it should be easy for the three of you."
"Once we're done with him, we're coming for your ass, you hear me?" Lazer threatened before he and the other two left Decade to deal with the slightly crazed Ex-Aid.
'All according to plan.'
'I said shut up.'
Carefully moving the old panel that hid the entrance, Kuroto entered the hidden room and stared at the small treasure chest that sat on a table in the middle. He noted that it and the manual next to it were untouched and covered in dust.
Slowly walking to it, the CEO of Genm Corporation opened the chest and what he saw inside both calmed and thoroughly confused him.
Inside it was another Gamer Driver and a black-and-white version of the Mighty Action X Gashat.
"Then how…?" He muttered, picking up the Gashat and examining it closely. It was the real one, he could easily tell. But then what was the reason for the second Mighty Action X?
"Quite a mystery, isn't it, Genm?" Quickly turning around, Kuroto saw somebody dressed completely in black standing in the doorframe.
"Who are you?!" he demanded, to which the mystery man laughed.
"Just a nobody," the cloaked man answered before clarifying, "A nobody that's interested with what's going on in this world."
"You know who I am. How?"
"That doesn't matter. What does matter is your plan to create the ultimate game." That surprised Kuroto but he did not show it, hiding his shock with a glare.
"And what do you think about it? Do you plan to stop me?" He observed the man carefully, waiting for his answer.
"Of course not, I pride myself on being a mostly silent observer," the young man in black said, "That's not to say I agree with it, I still have a sliver of humanity, but I want to see where it'll go."
"..."
"I'm just curious what will become of a world where death becomes meaningless." Kuroto could tell he was smirking underneath his hood and scarf.
"I wouldn't say it will be meaningless, just… less final," The CEO debated with him. "And I know that there will be those who'll refuse to play the game."
"And what would you do to them?"
"Their judgment will be passed when the time comes," Kuroto answered with a dismissive tone.
"Is that so? But will it be you passing judgment?"
"Who else would it be?"
"Just asking." Something about the man unnerved Kuroto. Maybe it was his calm demeanor. "Oh, and let me give you some advice: beware the red-and-blue Kamen Rider."
With that, a silver wall that Kuroto recognized appeared between them before it and the young man vanished.
"Hm…" Kuroto thought about the warning for a moment before dismissing it. Seeing as the man knew of his plans, he would also know of Para-DX. While Parado was a pain to deal with, he was loyal. Betrayal was out of the question. Not only that, he had a plan in the case of his premature death.
With the exception of the new Kamen Rider, everything was going according to plan.
"Open your eyes, Emu!" Lazer shouted before he was thrown off the rampaging Kamen Rider.
Brave then tried to bring his sword down on him but it was blocked with the Dragon Blade. For a brief moment, the knight Rider pushed harder against Ex-Aid but he too was thrown away.
It was Snipe's turn now and he did not do much better. The fact that he was still Level 2 might have something to do with it, but his shots simply bounced off Ex-Aid, who then returned fire with blasts of his own from the Dragon Gun. And guess what? They hurt.
Sent rolling away by the attack, he soon got onto his knees as the other two went to his side.
"This really is a problem…" Lazer huffed, pointing out the obvious. "You two got any ideas?"
"Weather him down."
"Oh, really? That's such a great idea, knighty! I wouldn't have thought of that! You know why? 'Cause that's a useless idea!" He sarcastically shouted at Brave.
"At least I'm thinking of something," Brave said back.
"Quiet!" Snipe shouted, already tired of their arguing.
However, while they were busy fighting amongst themselves, Ex-Aid had closed the distance between them and landed several critical blows on them, depleting their Rider Gauges further as he roared again.
"Damn it…" cursed Lazer, holding his chest in pain. "We're on our last legs now."
"Just a single strong hit would be enough for a Game Over," Brave surmised as they all have about two bars left.
"Then we don't let him hit us," Snipe said, keeping an eye on Ex-Aid.
"Wasn't that what we were just doing?"
"We're doing it better this time. We'll be attacking him at the same time and not give him a moment to breathe."
"Sounds terrible but it's not like we have a better plan," Lazer sighed.
Jet Combat!
Gachon! Gashat! Gachan! Level Up! Ba-Ba-Bang! Ba-Ba-Bang! Bang Bang Shooting! A Gatcha! Jet! Jet! In the sky! Jet! Jet! Jet Combat~!
"Let's go!"
With a not-so-thoroughly thought up plan in mind, Brave and Lazer charged at Ex-Aid while Snipe, now in Level 3, took off into the sky.
Seeing the two gunning for him, the rampaging Rider virociously tried to swipe at them but they slid underneath his arms. Recovering quickly, the two Riders turned around and attacked Ex-Aid in the back with their weapons.
The pink Rider was unable to retaliate though as Snipe started spraying bullets at him with his gatling guns. Had he had a clearer mind, he might have been able to shoot the flying Rider out of the sky but the latter was flying way too quickly to be hit. Moreover, because he was now focused on Snipe, he was left vulnerable to another attack from Brave and Lazer.
Meanwhile, on an upper level of the quarry, Decade watched over the battle now that he was done with his part of the plan. In his arms were four of the trophies generated by the Bakusou Bike Gashat. If his intuition was right, then the Energy Items hidden inside them were the ones they will be needing.
For now, he watched the four (well, three) Riders fight in sync.
Down below, Ex-Aid was hit by another barrage of bullets from Snipe. This time, however, he was somewhat jarred from his berserker rage and could now think a bit more clearly.
'Eh? What…?' he thought, freezing for a moment as what happened started to come to him. 'Ritsuka-san, he-' "Gah!"
Not knowing he was now conscious, Brave took the chance to slash him right in the chest.
"That was weird. Well, whatever." Ex-Aid heard Lazer comment before he was shot in the back. From inside his helmet, he saw several screens pop up on his HUD.
'I get it now.' Emu read what the data said and understood what needs to be done to complete the Gashat. 'Well, then. The finisher.'
"Is that all you got?" He taunted the others, who were shocked by his ability to now speak.
"What?"
"Emu?! You can talk?! How long has that been going on?!"
"Come!" The Level 5 Rider spread out his arms. "Hit me with your best shot!"
"Guess you still a bit out of it," Lazer said, pressing the B button on the Gashacon Sparrow twice.
"This will do it." Brave similarly pressed the B button on the Gashacon Sword twice.
"The final shot." Snipe narrated to himself and completed the trifecta, pressing the Gashacon Magnum's B button twice.
Taking aim, they sent their attacks flying at Ex-Aid, who stood still and took it head-on. The blows exploded on impact and covered him in flames.
Once the fire and smoke dissipated though, something amazing happened. The Hunter Gamer levitated off Ex-Aid's body and came back together, roaring high above them.
Gashun!
Gashat! Kimiwaza!
"Now!" Ex-Aid shouted at the other three, inserting his Mighty Action X Gashat into the Gashacon Breaker.
Deciding to just trust Emu and go along with his plan, they followed his example.
Gashun!
Gashat! Kimiwaza!
Mighty/DoReMiFa/Jet/Giri Giri Critical Finish!
As one, they used their finishers on the Hunter Gamer. It exploded and sent a streak of fire towards Ex-Aid's Gamer Driver, or specifically, the Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat.
The golden Gashat absorbed the flame and flew out of its slot. Flying above them, it then split into four identical copies of itself.
"That is-?" Brave voiced out.
"I really should've seen it from the start," Ex-Aid sighed in exhaustion, "Drago Knight Hunter is a 4-player game. Kuroto-san must've programmed a feature to accommodate it."
The four Gashats then descended and floated in front of the four Riders. They plucked them out of the air and examined them before hearing somebody say, "Congrats. I would clap but my hands are a bit full."
The four looked towards the source of the voice and saw Decade standing above them.
"You sly bastard! How did you know that would happen?" Lazer questioned him.
"That's a secret I'm taking to my grave," the magenta Rider answered before saying, "For now, take these as an apology."
He threw the trophies into the air which Snipe expertly shot, breaking them and revealing what was inside. Four large coins with golden rims depicting a figure standing tall and flexing his muscles.
Zenkai!
The Energy Items were absorbed by the Riders and, with green particles around them, their Rider Gauges filled up to the max.
"A full heal, huh?" Ex-Aid sighed in relief before looking back at Decade. "Ritsuka-san, you-"
"I'll leave the rest to you guys." Underneath his mask, Ritsuka smiled. "As much as I would like payback, my current state is only temporary."
He reached his hand out towards the gray orb in the sky. The orb flew straight into his open hand before dissipating, revealing a black-and-white Gashat.
"A Proto Gashat?!" From their angle, they were not able to see which one it was. "How did you get one?!"
"That's a secret I'm taking to my grave," he repeated again. "And if you don't go deal with Graphite soon, that's an inevitability."
He put the Gashat away before addressing them again.
"Dairiki Emu, I want you to remember. No matter what happens, always trust in your friends. Even though your final battle is upon you, believe in them no matter what."
With that last message, Ritsuka detransform and left the Game Area, leaving them to prepare for the fight with Graphite.
"So this is it," said Lazer. "The final battle is upon us."
"Yes. Once we've cleared this game, the Bugsters will be eradicated." It was something Snipe had been dreaming of for the past 5 years. Now that future was nearly here.
"Come on. Ritsuka-san's life is at stake here." Emu hardened his resolve, gripping his Gashat tightly. "Let's go!"
In the actual Game World, the two that were left behind stood from the entrance of their home. Their concern growing more and more as the world's deterioration grows ever so closer to the building.
"This is bad, really bad."
"That's an understatement," Ryoko could not help but say.
"What are you guys doing?" Behind them, they heard Ritsuka's voice. They turned around and saw their friend walking towards them. "Close the door, it's best not to look at it."
"You're back!" exclaimed Tetsuya. "Does that mean?"
"Yes, but also no," Ritsuka replied, closing the front doors. "We can't leave yet."
"I don't want to rush or anything… But are you insane?!"
"Probably." Ritsuka shrugged.
"The world is literally disintegrating outside and you want to stay?!" Ryoko shouted.
"Oh, right. I should've told you earlier."
"Told us what?"
"This place is not part of the world so it's in no danger of being destroyed with the rest of the world," Ritsuka explained, "So long as we don't go outside, we're safe."
"...Yeah, you really should've told us earlier."
Graphite cursed his luck as he found himself cornered on top of the peak of a mountain. Around him was black and green as the world was nearly completely deleted. All this time and he has not found the Kamen Riders.
Maybe they were already deleted and soon, he would be joining them.
Stage Select!
Luckily for him, that turned out to not be the case as he suddenly found himself in another place.
"Huh?" The Bugster around and saw four of the five he was looking for along with the Hunter Gamer. "So you were hiding here then. Where is the outsider? I know he hasn't succumbed to me yet."
"Ritsuka-san sends his regards," Ex-Aid said, "But now it's just the five of us, as it's supposed to be."
"How disappointing." Graphite would have loved to fight him again even though the outsider would be handicapped.
"Everyone, all together now!"
Drago Knight Hunter! Z!
Fang!
Blade!
Gun!
Claws!
Instead of its normal announcement, the Level 5 Gashats made a different one when the four Riders activated them. Graphite's Proto Gashat, meanwhile, remained the same.
"Bio."
Gachon! Gashun! Gashat!
"Dai Dai Dai Dai Dai Henshin!"
"Skill Level 5."
"Tactics Level 5."
"5th Gear!"
They called out simultaneously before opening their Driver/stabbing the Proto Gashat into their body.
Gachan! Level Up!
Mighty jump! Mighty kick! Mighty Mighty Action X!
Taddle meguru! Taddle meguru! Taddle Quest~!
Ba-Ba-Bang! Ba-Ba-Bang! Bang Bang Shooting!
Bakusou dokusou gekisou bousou! Bakusou Bike!
A Gatcha! Do-Do-Drago! Na-Na-Knight! Dra~! Dra~! Drago Knight Hunter! Ex-Aid! Brave! Snipe! Lazer!
The Hunter Gamer fused again with Ex-Aid but this time, the arms and legs flew off again and were duplicated. The right half joined with Brave while the left with Snipe. The second set, meanwhile, replaced the limbs given to Lazer by Giri Giri Chambara.
Now stood the four all in Level 5, ready to end the dragon Bugster once and for all.
"Without a doubt, this will be our final battle," Graphite stated, raising his spear, "Let's make it memorable."
And so, they charged at each other for what they all considered the final showdown.
Meeting Graphite head-on first was Ex-Aid, who tackled him with full force and held him in place. They tried to overpower one another but what Graphite did not know was that it was nothing more than a distraction, as Lazer and Brave went around them and attacked Graphite in his blind spot.
"Gah!" Screamed the Bugster. His pain was taken advantage of as Ex-Aid overpowered him and threw him to the ground where Brave and Lazer once again slashed him as he to get back up.
His torment was far from over though, as Lazer with Snipe this time used their Dragon Guns to blast him with bullets.
'This isn't how it's supposed to go!' Someone screamed in Graphite's head. Was it his inner voice?
He thrust his spear at Brave, who deflected it with the Dragon Blade and stabbed Graphite in the stomach.
'A warrior's duel. That was what I wanted.'
He made a mad slash to try and hit Lazer but the Rider easily ducked below the fangs and slashed him across the waist. That blow staggered him and Brave and Snipe capitalized on it, attacking him too.
'A fight between equals. Was that too much to ask?'
"Watch out!" He heard Lazer shout before the Rider ducked and Graphite saw a stream of fire headed his way. While he resisted the flames, he was forced to take a few steps back. "What's it with you guys trying to kill me?!"
'The fight with the outsider was too one-sided on his side. That's why I infected him.' Why was he trying to justify his actions? 'I thought doing so would even it out.'
Graphite tried to shut the voice out and charged his spear. "Gekidou Ryuga!"
He sent his finisher at the gathered Riders, who were arguing with themselves again. However, they saw the attack coming and sent their own attacks at it. Their attacks collided and exploded.
"Let's finish this!" Graphite heard Ex-Aid shout.
Gachan!
Gashat! Kimiwaza!
'It can't end like this.'
Drago Knight Critical Strike!
As soon as the smoke cleared, the four Riders sent wave after wave of finishers at him. Graphite tried his best to block their finishers but it was to no avail.
One broke through, and then another, and another, and another.
'Of course it ended like this. I'm just a video game character after all.'
KABOOM!
In his room, Ritsuka felt a weight lift off his shoulders. Letting out a sigh of relief, he looked down at the cards in his hand. Sure enough, the colors were restored and the KamenRide: Ex-Aid Card was back to its former glory.
"Well, that settles that," he said to himself as he put away the cards and took out the Proto Mighty Action X Origin Gashat. "Still, I would've loved to play with them…"
Without warning, a flash of pain went through his head. It was not due to the virus but another memory.
"_. Do you want to play with me today?"
"Sure, _. I've got time. What's on the list today?"
"I wanted to try this one."
"Man, I haven't played this in a long time…"
"Oh, you used to play _? What was your main? Mine is the muscular one that throws people around while spinning."
"Didn't really have one. I just played whoever I felt like. Oh, and _?"
"Yes?"
"Do you realize how little your description narrowed down?"
"Urgh…" The pain disappeared and Ritsuka can now think harder about the memory. It did not help though. The person's face was a blur, their voice was somehow unrecognizable, the place they were in was also blurry. The only thing he could say for certain was that it was his voice for sure. "That was… my memory…"
Before he could try to think any further, the Gashat in his hand was swiped by the last person he wanted to see as per usual.
"Thank you very much," The black-cloaked man said, examining the Gashat. "Things all went according to plan."
"Good, now leave," Ritsuka grumbled and, to his surprise, the other young man complied.
"Sure. I have to return this to where it belongs anyway," he hummed, opening his silver wall and was about to step through.
"Wait!"
"What?"
"You…don't have anything else to say?" That was unlike him. Granted, Ritsuka usually did not want him around so guess both of them were out of character.
"I already said what I wanted to last night, so think about that." The hooded young man then left Ritsuka alone to think about his words…
Last night…
"Game Start."
Mighty Action X!
White energy traveled through the floor and walls, going under the sitting-up Ritsuka. Whatever the energy did though was beneficial to him as the pain lessened. The teen looked at his hand, which had stopped glitching.
"What was that?" He asked.
"This is the Proto Mighty Action X Origin Gashat. A bit of a mouthful but very helpful in your current situation," the hooded man explained, "It has the power of Level 0, which can suppress the Bugster Virus. Borrowed it from another world."
"If something like that exists, then why are those guys using it?" Ritsuka pointed out.
"For reasons that don't concern you. Here," The young man said, tossing the Gashat to him. "Hold onto it and remember, it only suppresses the effects, not stop it completely."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning transforming and fighting will slowly kill you. The virus, I mean, not just in general."
"..." Ritsuka stared intensely at him.
"What? Don't trust me?"
"Of course not but no that," Ritsuka huffed, "What was that dream about?"
"It doesn't matter, especially not now. All you should worry about is the present and future." The other person dismissed his concern and said, "To that end, we should strategize."
"Strategize what?"
"On how to defeat Graphite, of course. You can't do it so we have to come up with something else."
"As much as I hate to admit it, you're right," Ritsuka said. "This is supposed to be their final battle. I shouldn't interfere."
"Yup, but you can set things up in their favor, like solving the issue with Drago Knight Hunter."
"Explain."
"Well…"
Present…
Ritsuka entered the main room of the house where he saw Tetsuya and Ryoko playing a card game. Where they got it, he did not know.
"You're back." Ryoko looked up from her cards. "I take it we can leave now?"
"Yes." Ritsuka nodded, going over to the chain behind the pillar.
"Hey, wait!" Tetsuya stopped him from pulling the chain.
"What?"
"Can I do it this time?" he asked. "You've done it both times already and I want to try."
"Hang on, why can't I do it?" Ryoko asked incredulously. "I also want to try!"
"...No." Ritsuka simply mouthed before pulling the chain and letting the new backdrop fall.
The room glowed again and, once it died down, light poured into the room from the windows.
Taking a look at the new tapestry, they saw it depicted the moon in the night sky. However, there was an insignia imprinted on it that looked similar to a bat.
"This world is next, huh?" Ritsuka took a card out of his pocket and stared at it.
Three words were in his head: Kamen Rider Kiva.
Somewhere in the world…
"This way." The teen boy led the slightly younger girl into an alleyway to get out of sight of their pursuers. The two ducked behind the side of a dumpster and the older boy peeked from the corner.
He quietly watched as three figures ran past the entrance of the alley and waited. After a minute or so, he let out a sigh as he believed they lost them.
"We're clear," he told his twin sister.
"You sure?"
"As much as I could."
"Hey, you two." A third voice said before two small bat-like things flew down to them. They looked like they were made out of metal and the one speaking was much bigger than the other one. "They went off in the wrong direction. We should be in the clear for now."
"Thank you, Kivat, Kiva-la."
"No problem."
"Anything for you two!"
"Not too loud, Kiva-la," the sister scolded the smaller bat.
"Eh, we should be safe."
"Should be." A fifth person interrupted them. Snapping their necks to the voice (or just rotating around), they saw a man slightly older than them at the other end of the alley. Flying around his head was a disk-like object. "But not yet."
Next time on Across the Kaleidoscope
"This world belongs to Kiva… and the Fangires."
"Decade, I require your help hunting down a couple of half-breeds."
"Please return that life to god!"
"This is the prince's judgement: death."
"Why are you following us?"
Chapter 7: Notice: Missing Royals
Ex-Aid's world…
"Thank you for your hard work." Dan Kuroto said as Emu placed the Proto Drago Knight Hunter Z Gashat on his desk.
"It was an honor working with you, Kuroto-san." Emu, and the other three Riders present, bowed to him.
"For now, I would like you four to hold onto the Gashats you have," Kuroto told them with a smile. "Once everything is finalized, you can return them to me."
"Eh? Are you sure?"
"I am. You all are free to leave now." He gently asked them to leave him, which they did. As soon as he saw them enter the elevator, he dropped his smile and smirked.
Behind him, Parado materialized and asked, "Time for Phase 2?"
"Yes, it is, Parado," Kuroto smirked darkly as he inserted the Proto Gashat into its case with the others. He then took out three other Gashats from the case; Taddle Quest, Bang Bang Shooting, and Bakusou Bike.
"Prepare the Gamer Drivers, I'll call for the candidates."
A/N: Yeah, I'm going that route. Why? Because it's my story, I say/type what goes. Actually, Kiva is planned to be the fourth world. The world that was supposed to be next was Faiz… but I haven't thought of a storyline for Faiz's world yet and most of the other Phase 1 worlds have plot points that would matter more later in the story. Looking at you, Ryuki.
And with this chapter, I tried to go with a slightly different approach to the final battle. It was mostly the same with Ex-Aid Ep. 3, but with a big twist. What did you guys think about it? The post preview scene, meanwhile, was something I just thought of while writing. I wanted it to be like the end of Kuuga's arc but I'm sure you all will agree that, for the first half of the story, Ex-Aid would not really mesh with anything Nasuverse. Until the prospect of potential eternal life is involved, mages and all those stuff would probably not care to involve themselves with Ex-Aid stuff.
So for now, I settled with a flashback with a certain someone. I also wanted to make a reference to the other group of gamer Servants but did not know how so just she would do. I actually have both of them so that's neat (and flexing).
Side note; what do you think Male![REDACTED]'s name should be? Should I go what's expected or come up with something new? I'm leaning towards the former but I want to know you guys' opinions.
Finally, as always, I asked that you leave a review.