Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 07 – JustiFaiz 2018
Instead of the dark void, the current setting was a park, though it was blurred and grayed out as if time wasn't moving. Woz was currently leaning against a tree, staring at his static filled book.
"As it is usually written in this book, in September of 2018, average high schooler Tokiwa Sougo embarks on a path which leads him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O." Woz narrated yet again, despite the static filled pages, images of Oma Zi-O and the Monument of the Heisei Riders were still as clear as day. "In the middle of investigating a series of disappearances, he and Geiz are attacked by Orphnoch's, the two receiving assistance in the form of Kamen Rider Delta."
He then began to walk away from the tree, soon staring at the scene before him. Frozen in place were Ruby and Tsukuyomi who were on the ground, while Another Faiz was staring at his new opponent, the Wolf Orphnoch.
Woz continued as he looked on at the scene. "However, while that occurred, a routine trip to the dry cleaners for Ms. Rose turned into a deadly fight. Running into Another Faiz, she and young Tsukuyomi tried fighting it off, even with help from Kamen Rider Faiz they're battle was still tough, as Another Faiz is in fact the once forgotten Arch… the situation has grown so desperate that Faiz himself must tap into his once buried nature…"
Earth – Late September 2018
"You aren't laying a finger on her!" Takumi called out sternly.
Ruby stared at her friend in his new state, her eyes widening in surprise. "Takumi…?"
Takumi said nothing and rushed forward before jumping, predicting that Arch would swing horizontally, which it did. Takumi ended up flipping over the swing and performed a dropkick against Arch, the force from his kick managing to stagger the Another Rider.
"Just what is going on?" Tsukuyomi questioned.
Takumi continued to rush against Arch, not letting up in his relentless series of attacks, the two young ladies being surprised by how fast the Rider/Orphnoch was.
Arch however wasn't happy by the attacks against it, it gathered more fire into its sword and launched a string of fireballs right at Takumi.
"Crap," Takumi jumped and flipped backwards to avoid the fireballs, managing to just barely do so as they rained around his location. He suddenly gasped as he quickly ducked, the Another Rider having thrown the sword straight at him. He then gave a yell and ran forward, managing to tackle Arch, wrapping his arms around his corrupted counterparts gut to try and push it away.
"Hmm," Arch simply scoffed, raising both of its arms and slamming them down against the Wolf Orphnoch's back. As Takumi fell Arch then slammed its shin into the traitorous Orphnoch's chest, sending Takumi stumbling back.
"Just as strong as I remember," Takumi gasped out as he managed to keep hold of his monstrous form, he had to get the Orphnoch King/Another Rider to retreat.
Suddenly the revving of a motor was heard as Geiz suddenly came into view, already transformed and on his Ride Striker. He shot past Arch to spin the Another Rider around and get its attention on him. "Eat this."
[FINISH TIME!]
Arch immediately began running towards Geiz who shot past it once more on the Ride Striker. Geiz then performed a front wheelie, spinning around rapidly as a red glow surrounded his Rider Machine. In one swift motion he spun rapidly, becoming a red spinning top of energy that slammed into and sent the Another Rider flying towards a nearby tree.
[TIME BURST!]
Arch gave several grunts from the multiple hits before it slammed against and snapped the tree it was flung towards in half. It didn't take long to explode either due to the damage done to it.
"There," Geiz said before immediately drawing his weapon in its bow mode, aiming it at Takumi as the Wolf Orphnoch began to rise. "You're next Orphnoch."
"Wait a minute, Geiz!" Tsukuyomi yelled out.
Ruby however had recovered during the fighting and immediately used her Petal Burst to get in front of Takumi and held her arms spread out. "Don't shoot!"
"Ruby what are you doing?" Geiz asked as he lowered his weapon slightly.
"He's not going to hurt us, it was the only thing he could do to protect us," Ruby answered firmly, despite the monstrous and wolf exterior she could only see how far Takumi went to protect her. Not to mention being aware of Bugsters like Poppy and Parad helped her come to this hastier but correct conclusion.
Takumi stopped as he stared at Ruby in surprise; he wasn't expecting her to defend him given what he revealed.
"Geiz!" Sougo soon drove up on his own Ride Striker, having not transformed yet alongside Shuji who was surprised that the fight had escalated this far.
"It is no longer safe here, my king," A voice spoke as the Lobster Orphnoch, Saeko, appeared from behind another tree. She then walked over to the pile of smoke that Arch had left.
"…King?" Sougo asked.
"Oh no…" Shuji paled as he saw the smoke disperse.
The Arch Orphnoch began to rise out of the flames, still able to keep going as the Another Rider transformation began reforming around it.
[FAIZ!]
"Know this Faiz, you're time as well as the humans time is at an end," Saeko declared. "Be grateful that I will show you mercy and retreat until tomorrow. But, tomorrow I want you to be prepared for your reckoning." She then gathered energy in her hands before releasing them against the ground, sparks and debris flying and covering their escape.
"Seriously…" Takumi sighed as he reverted to his human form.
Tsukuyomi ran over to check on Geiz while Sougo and Shuji went over to help Takumi out.
"So um, you're a... Orphnoch?" Ruby asked, she wasn't exactly sure if that was the name of the monster species since she only heard it be used to address Arch, but Takumi's wolf form definitely struck a resemblance for her to make a comparison.
"I suppose it's out of the bag now," Takumi admitted as he raised his arms. "I am."
"Huh," Ruby then began to giggle a bit, much to Takumi's surprise. She had to stifle herself as she was trying to keep from laughing too hard.
"What? What's so funny?" Takumi asked.
Ruby couldn't hold it any longer and began to laugh suddenly, "So that's why they kept making those jokes." She managed to get out between laughs. "Gosh, if I really had my cloak then that would be spot on too!"
"Eh?" Takumi was a bit stunned that the first thing that came to Ruby's mind were the big bad wolf jokes that Mari and Keitaro would overuse. "That's all?"
"That's all," Ruby gave a smile.
"You guys alright?" Sougo asked as he approached.
"Yeah, we're good," Ruby answered.
"Good thing his friend told us in time," Shuji pointed towards Sougo. "Otherwise I'm not sure what would have happened."
"Wait, does he mean Woz?" Ruby asked, only for Sougo to give a nod. She then groaned. "Of course he's still cryptically appearing and disappearing…" She had to admit though she was a bit annoyed he seemed to be avoiding her altogether.
"I'm not sure how you even survived against that guy last night," Takumi told his friend as he was helped up. "He's essentially back to full power."
"I managed to do it by catching him off guard, but admittedly I was barely able to do anything," Shuji explained.
It wasn't long before Geiz and Tsukuyomi walked over, the former having dismissed his transformation.
"It's starting to get late," Geiz mentioned. "Before we head in for the day we need to have a meeting right now."
"That Another Rider seems to be on an entirely different league than the previous two," Tsukuyomi added, taking in all the information that she got just from reactions. "We need a plan of attack and the Faiz Watch."
"I suppose we don't have a choice…" Takumi sighed as he stood up. "Let's get going."
Uhr and Finis were currently staring at the city; the two perched on a high rooftop as Finis sported a smug grin, clearly proud of their groups actions.
"Sorry if I didn't beat them," Uhr apologized.
"No need to apologize," Finis answered. "You stalled them enough for me to witness Another Faiz's power enhanced by the Orphnoch King."
"You certainly picked a good one this time, better than Ora's pick that's for sure," Uhr mentioned.
"She had the right idea," Finis explained. "To go after a Leader who holds great power, unfortunately for her she chose someone she couldn't control. But Arch… well his weakened state was so easy to prey on."
"He seems pretty taciturn and docile aside from fighting, barely any sentience, only just enough," Uhr replied. "I suppose you are right, Kuroto Dan was too egotistical for it to work, especially with his Rider Powers intact."
"So I do hope you take this to heart," Finis said as they turned towards Uhr. "If Another Faiz ends up failing I hope that you and Ora don't fall behind Tid and I. While Swartz seems to treat you all as children, I can see your potential."
"You really mean that?" Uhr asked in shock, surprised by how much respect Finis was willing to give him.
"Of course, my plans can only go so far depending on my pieces," Finis replied as they then began to walk towards the stairs of the rooftop. "Which is why I want to make sure both you and Ora can bring your best as well."
"Wow," Uhr said as his eyes were wide in surprise, he wasn't expecting this from the new recruit, especially with how much older they were. He then turned with a grin and began to skip off before disappearing.
Finis soon stopped, having sensed Uhr's presence fade away completely, "Of course, I do hope you end up proving my theory right. Kamen Riders are meant to be weapons of destruction and evil, not heroes of justice."
9-5-DO was currently a bit busier than usual in regards to its occupants, the group had managed make it back while Junichiro was still getting the stereo. The uncle had left a note mentioning that he may be late for dinner, which worked out well for the Riders in regards to meeting up.
Takumi and Shuji had both made calls explaining about the situation and that they'd be back at their respective places fairly late. Of course now that everyone in one place, proper introductions were able to be made.
"I still can't believe Ruby knows a Kamen Rider," Sougo said as he sat down at the table with Geiz, Takumi, Shuji and Ruby. Tsukuyomi was currently in the back kitchen preparing some tea for everyone.
"I can't believe her absolute luck," Geiz stared at Ruby in disbelief. "Of all things, she's friends with a Rider whose day job is Dry Cleaning?"
"To be fair, I didn't know he was Faiz until today," Ruby admitted.
"I could say the same for you," Takumi shot back as he crossed his arms.
"To be fair, she did only become a Rider this month," Tsukuyomi defended as she brought some tea for everyone.
"Still… you do Dry Cleaning?" Geiz asked, a bit hung up on the issue.
"Is there a problem?" Takumi raised an eyebrow, taking his cup and blowing on it constantly.
"It's just, we've met a Genius Physicist, a Genius Gamer & Doctor." Geiz answered bluntly. "Alongside their companion's, it's kind of hard to go from that to you."
"Not all Riders are grandiose in their efforts, especially after they're done with their personal fights," Shuji mentioned. "I run an orphanage."
"That still feels like your contributing more though…" Geiz muttered.
"You shouldn't look down on a dream," Takumi answered before he blew on his tea once more, he took a sip only to wince. "Too hot," He hissed before shaking his head. "My dream is to get the whole world's laundry looking clean and new. No matter how small or insignificant it may seem, it could mean the world to others."
"I know you're definitely my hero," Ruby admitted suddenly causing Takumi to look away with a light blush. Ruby though continued, "I had no idea what I was going to do with the scarf, especially since Dry Cleaners aren't too common. But then I met you on a walk and well, you've taken care of my scarf every since then."
Tsukuyomi could only give a smile as she saw Ruby reminisce; she had to admit that despite being from another world, Ruby was still able to make friends among the locals.
"I feel like we're missing the point though…" Sougo trailed. "What exactly is the deal with that Another Rider?"
Shuji and Takumi looked at each other, the two giving a sigh in tandem before Shuji decided to speak up.
"While it isn't right to involve you in our issues, given this also seems to be your issue it's only right that we tell you," Shuji explained.
"Right, which is a lesson you all need to take to heart," Takumi answered. "Try to communicate with each other as much as possible. Get the necessary information and avoid misunderstandings. Trust in your allies."
"Huh…" Ruby trailed, wondering if they had personal issues with misunderstandings.
"We'll be sure to keep that in mind," Geiz answered, but only to keep the information coming.
"Yeah, of course," Sougo gave a nod, he didn't fully understand, since he assumed a King would need to try their hardest on their own, but Takumi did have a lot of life experience on him. So he was willing to listen to his senior rider.
"So, what can you tell us about the Orphnoch?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"To put it short and simple, Orphnoch's are the next stage in human evolution." Takumi explained.
"A company named Smart Brain was prevalent in regards to Orphnoch's, but that's not the important part," Shuji added.
"They are able to create more of their own by siring other humans. But not all human's are compatible and can die as a result of the siring." Takumi decided to go for the short route and not explain too much, "Of course the Orphnoch evolution isn't perfect, they go through a degradation process which is why the Orphnoch King came into play. It could complete and perfect the evolution at the cost of an Orphnoch's humanity."
"That Lobster Orphnoch you saw, Saeko, she's one of the few that lost her humanity to be completed," Shuji explained. "I can only assume the trio that you ran into was also like that."
"Come to think of it they didn't shift," Geiz said, remembering how Takumi was the only one he had seen that was able to shift.
"They might've been new recruits over the years," Takumi mentioned. "The way humans die when they are sired is that their body disintegrates. It's likely all this time Arch was trying to create more of his kind."
"So what's the deal with Arch?" Sougo then asked.
"It should have been dead; it was a tough, grueling battle." Takumi admitted. "But thanks to a sacrifice from one of our comrades, I was able to deliver a decisive blow."
"At least we assumed," Shuji admitted.
"From what Finis mentioned though it seemed like it wouldn't have been able to resurface without the Time Jacker's help," Ruby noted. "So whatever you did put it in a permanent rest."
"Except now that's been undone," Takumi sighed as he ruffled his hair a bit, standing up to pace around since he wasn't feeling the greatest at the moment. He glanced towards the Ridewatch Tower that was set up, noting Drive through Build's Ridewatch's as his eyes widened.
"How long ago was this?" Geiz asked.
"It was around… early 2004 if I recall, we spent the better part of 2003 dealing with the Orphnoch," Shuji replied.
"How did that Another Rider survive is the question now," Tsukuyomi realized. "Just gaining the power of the Rider didn't just heal and restore it completely. Otherwise it wouldn't have just resurfaced after 15 Years."
"We can't beat him without the Faiz Watch either," Sougo mentioned.
"Even with that our issue is trying to beat him as he is now." Ruby noted, remembering her fight with Another Faiz. "If he was that tough then can we even beat him even with the Faiz Armor?"
"We'll need to figure out soon, we've got a very short deadline," Geiz reminded. "Tsukuyomi and I can try and figure out why exactly he only just now resurfaced."
"Then Sougo and Ruby can come visit me to get my Watch tomorrow," Takumi answered.
"Hold onto this then," Ruby called as Takumi turned, she then tossed a blank watch to him. She noticed a slight surprise in his expression but didn't say anything. "Hopefully a conversation or two will help us get the watch."
"Looks like we've got our game plan then, I'll keep on patrol and let you know if our enemies start to move," Shuji suggested.
"Let's hope this works," Geiz sighed, this Another Rider was definitely going to be tough in more ways than one.
Sougo though kept his optimism up, "Don't worry, I think we can do this."
The Next Day
As the Riders went about their business and decided missions they were worried about when Saeko would strike alongside Arch. All they knew was that today would be when that attack would happen.
Geiz and Tsukuyomi had chosen to stay at 9-5-DO to research while Sougo managed to call in sick for school, he'd make up the work in due time but this was important. Ruby was given the day off by Junichiro since the stereo was his current priority despite not being able to get it yesterday.
It turned out that the stereo owner wasn't able to meet him at the desired time and was pretty far out from the shop, so the clock tinkerer had to leave extremely early to even pick up the product.
Once Junichiro was gone both Sougo and Ruby took a trip on Sougo's Ride Striker to Kikuchi Dry Cleaners.
Takumi had actually asked Keitaro and Mari out on some errands, asking them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious and to call immediately. He wanted to mostly be alone when he talked to Sougo and Ruby, figuring that it would be best to do so. As such he was waiting right outside the door to the Dry Cleaners as they arrived.
"Hope this isn't too troublesome," Takumi mentioned, remembering his request being rather sudden.
"Nah, we need to get used to this anyway," Ruby replied.
"This is to help everyone anyway," Sougo answered. "So it makes perfect sense."
"Right, well, let's head in," Takumi said as he opened the door and lead them into the living area towards the back, a box being set on a couch as he went to sit next to it. "The thing you gave me hasn't reacted yet." He said as he held up the blank watch.
"Yeah I figured," Ruby sighed.
"So I guess we just get to know each other more, huh?" Sougo asked.
"There's something I did want to show you first though," Takumi admitted as he opened up the box before taking out and holding out a black watch with a yellow dial and button, it holding a purple visor rider with a chi themed helmet.
"No way," Sougo said in shock.
"You already have a Ridewatch?" Ruby questioned.
"I had a feeling I'd seen those Watches somewhere before, but I didn't confirm it until I saw the others last night and you gave me the blank one." Takumi explained as he gripped the watch tightly. "At first I thought it was a bad omen…"
"Bad omen?" Sougo asked.
"You see, about 14 or so years ago, Keitaro ended up finding this by the river," Takumi said as he held up the blank Ridewatch. "He gave it to me as a good luck charm so I kept it on me this whole time."
"But wait, it's not blank anymore…" Ruby trailed, wondering what else there was to the story.
"That's right, well, it didn't change until this month, specifically, September 13th," Takumi explained as he gripped the watch with both hands, his hands shaking a bit. "Normally I wouldn't be surprised but well, it's a day where we look back and pay our respects to our fallen comrades. Not to mention this watch was of the armor they used to wear, the Kaixa Gear."
"Why September 13th though?" Ruby asked.
"Because Kaixa requires a transformation code like Faiz does, its numbers are 9-1-3," Woz suddenly appeared at the doorway. Sougo nearly fell onto his back in shock while Takumi immediately stood on guard, Ruby giving an audible huff.
"Why can't you be normal and announce your presence first?!" Ruby questioned with a shout.
"It is good to see you too, Miss Rose," Woz gave a sigh at Ruby's shouting.
"Can um, you please give a warning?" Sougo asked as he put a hand to his chest. "Cause this is getting kind of bad."
"I take it he's the friend?" Takumi asked.
"Yep," Ruby replied before looking at Woz. "Hey do you know why Kaixa's Watch activated?"
"It was likely a domino effect of the Young Overlord's first steps towards his ascension," Woz explained. "I myself am unsure however, since these watches just copy the power now. The strong feelings present towards the Kaixa Users on that day were likely why it formed instead of a Faiz Watch."
"I suppose I shouldn't try and wrap my head around all this time stuff making any real sense," Ruby sighed in defeat.
"I would suggest making haste My Overlord," Woz said as he began to exit. "Another Faiz will not lay silent for much longer."
"Well this isn't good," Ruby grimaced.
Takumi though was trying to figure out how exactly they'd bond to try and create the watch, he figured with his connection to Ruby it would be easy. Though perhaps being the senior rider of the two, he'd have to impart some more wisdom.
At 9-5-DO, Geiz and Tsukuyomi were at the table in the storefront, the two having grabbed as many articles and files they could that dealt with the 'ashen disappearances' as it was being called by the public. The duo felt there were more to the failed siring attempts than was initially assumed, so they were looking over the case throughout the years it developed.
"Okay, so the first sign of these disappearances with ashes that disperse quickly… was in 2005," Geiz said as he was looking through various news articles. "It lines up with the date of early 2004, it might've taken a bit for Arch to start hunting and gain traction."
"That explains why the rumors started up again, it seems it was pretty sporadic, and the rumors would die fairly quickly," Tsukuyomi said as she searched through the online forums. "The further in we get, the more incidents occur and the longer the rumors circulate."
"The question is why did it start up so late and sporadic before going into a full hunting spree?" Geiz asked.
"I'm back!" Junichiro called from the door.
The time traveler duo quickly put any open documents back into the files and stacked them all neatly to hide any evidence that they were researching that kind of topic. Tsukuyomi set her tablet down before standing up to greet Junichiro.
"Welcome back," Tsukuyomi greeted in a rushed manner.
"Oh, Geiz, Tsukuyomi, look here." Junichiro held up the stereo, it looking a bit beaten up. "Is this baby old or what?" He asked, as even by stereo standards, it was a pretty old fashioned one.
"Indeed!" Tsukuyomi answered, a bit nervous from nearly being caught off guard by his arrival. "You're able to repair something so old?"
"Well, I can…" Junichiro started as he raised it up slightly before heading to the countertop. "But it's really just swapping out parts."
"Is there anything wrong with that?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"If I use modern reproduction parts, it might sound a little better, or last a little longer." Junichiro explained as he looked the old stereo over. "But then… Can you even call it the same radio anymore?"
"What do you mean?" Geiz asked, now he was curious.
"Well, on the outside it might look like the same radio," Junichiro started as he began to muse on the work he was going to do. "But what's inside, the sound it makes, it's all different. It's working, but not by natural means. I wouldn't know which era it really belonged to. It makes you think…" He then realized how far his ramble went and gave an apologetic chuckle, "Well, those are just the ramblings of a tinkerer…" He then took off into the back to leave the two alone.
"Working by unnatural means…" Geiz trailed as everything began to add up. "That's it… it's not siring, and the Another Rider transformation can only provide so much. It must have gained a special ability as a result of its weakened condition."
"Are you saying all those attempts weren't just it trying to create more Orphnoch's?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Let's assume it's a normal siring, up until the point they fail. If they fail then their life-force isn't wasted, it's transferred to Arch," Geiz replied. "The Another Rider transformation instead turned the widespread genetic flaw of Orphnoch degradation into regeneration to help Arch recover. The process was slow however and that thing was heavily damaged, so that's why it took so long."
"Speaking of Orphnoch degradation, given Takumi is one… how do you suppose he survived?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Who knows, for all we know the degradation process could possibly have no effect on him." Geiz admitted. "The point is he's alive which means we can get the Watch from him."
"The issue is fighting Arch," Tsukuyomi reminded.
"I've got an idea to get around that," Geiz admitted. "We just need to look into Smart Brain."
"Here's an idea," Takumi suggested. "Let's talk about dreams. Sometimes they're painful and sometimes you get really fired up. They can be big, or small. Weird or normal… they take many shapes."
"You mentioned you protect dreams," Ruby said, recalling the fight from yesterday.
"Because I didn't have a dream for a while," Takumi explained. "So in that stead, I chose to protect them. That's why I fought my hardest yesterday; young people like you all still have so much ahead of them."
"Ah, well my dream is to become a King someday," Sougo explained in an almost blunt fashion. "That's why I'm trying my hardest to protect everyone, since a King should always protect his people without question."
"A King huh," Takumi was a bit surprised by that kind of response from so young, more specifically the king bit given things have changed over the years regarding leadership. "That's pretty big, you sure you can do it?"
"I think it'll work out," Sougo smiled.
Ruby gave a sigh though; she couldn't help but pick up on Sougo's habit of constantly being very blunt about his dream. She did have to wonder if he knew and just wanted to see how people reacted to it.
"What about you Ruby?" Takumi asked, breaking her out of her thoughts. "You never really talk about your dreams that much."
"Oh well… it's mostly been a bit hard to follow up on it given it's more important where I come from," Ruby admitted, she still wasn't sure if she should straight up talk about her otherworldly nature to other Riders. "Where I come from there's an occupation that exists to help people by fighting, I suppose my dream is just to help everyone. It's just been hard to continue on that now that I'm far from home."
"Ruby…" Sougo trailed, realizing that Ruby had to be homesick when it came to her world. It had nearly been a year already and there was no real starting point in her trying to get back.
"I see, an occupation where you help people," Takumi said, understanding despite the vague nature. "Honestly, the fact that you're a Kamen Rider right now is similar to that. A Rider fights for everyone. Rider's more often than not are heroes."
"Heroes…" Ruby repeated as she thought on it, it was true, she thought of Huntsmen and Huntresses as heroes from fairy tales. Kamen Rider's as she was learning were similar in that regard, they fought their own fights but it was to protect everyone around them. Even in her time away from Beacon she had fought to try and protect the world from Salem and her forces by defending Haven. She gave a nod, "Yeah, I think I understand."
"And even then, don't give up on your dream," Takumi said, noticing the doubt in Ruby when she first explained herself. "Whatever happens, you'll be able to get through it. You're a strong young lady, don't forget that."
Ruby couldn't help but give a smile, "Thanks, Takkun."
"T-Takkun?" Takumi managed to sputter out in surprise.
"Well Keitaro calls you that all the time, I thought I might as well," Ruby answered.
"Seriously…" Takumi looked to the side and cracked a small smile, at least before he noticed his hand was suddenly glowing. He turned and in a flash the blank watch had transformed into the Faiz Ridewatch, a light grey base with a dark grey dial and button. "Oh."
"We did it!" Ruby cheered.
"Guess all it really does take is talking with a Rider huh?" Sougo asked.
"I think it's more so coming to an understanding on what they believe in," Takumi mentioned. "That's entirely why I suggested talking about dreams. It's something I have experience in and can hear your honest thoughts on."
"Huh, that is true," Ruby realized, remembering the past examples, especially from what she heard about Ex-Aid and Brave's watches. She then felt something shining in her pocket and took out a blank Ridewatch, suddenly surprised when it turned into a Faizphone X. "Whoa…"
"Oh cool you have your own now," Sougo said.
"Well… let's try it out, I mean we got our edge now," Ruby said as she turned the watch into its active mode before placing a call. It wasn't long before she got an answer, "Hey, guess who got a new phone!"
"Ruby, how did you get this number?" Geiz asked.
"I got a Faizphone X now." Ruby answered.
The sound of Tsukuyomi hurrying over and taking hold of the phone was then heard. "Wait, does that mean you have the Faiz Ridewatch now?"
"That one along with Kaixa's watch, yeah." Ruby gave a nod. "I guess all we can do now is get together and hope we beat Arch."
"I've got an idea on how to circumvent that," Geiz answered. "But we'll still need to meet to discuss the plan in detail."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Ruby asked. "Give me the place and we'll meet up there."
"No need," Geiz's said before the phone cut off.
Suddenly the front door opened, Geiz and Tsukuyomi entering and heading to the back where the others were.
"That was fast," Ruby blinked a few times. "Were you guys on your way already when I called?"
"We finished our end not that long ago, plus a motorcycle cuts down on the time," Geiz answered. "We were coming to meet you when you called."
"So what did you find?" Takumi asked.
"Those sire failures aren't just attempts," Geiz answered. "It's likely Another Faiz inverted Orphnoch degradation into regeneration, and is using the life essence of failures to fuel Arch and repower him."
"So you're saying that he's likely back to full strength," Takumi said before sighing. "Not even my strongest attack could permanently kill him…"
"But there's five of us right?" Ruby asked. "If we all team up we can probably do it."
"Two more than last time, but still…" Takumi muttered, while he was grateful for their help, going up against Arch as he was now was suicidal. The fact that they managed to escape alive was very lucky on their part.
"Which is why we need to do a bit of alteration," Geiz answered. "Our one option is to cut off Arch's power at its source."
"Doing so will possibly destroy him and cause him to vanish in the present, or weaken him considerably to where you can finish him off for good," Tsukuyomi explained.
"I thought you guys didn't like messing with the past?" Ruby gave a teasing remark to Tsukuyomi, remembering their first meeting.
"In this case it's us fixing what the Time Jacker's messed up," Geiz said as he crossed his arms.
"Right, in that case," Sougo said as he took the Kaixa and Faiz watches from Takumi before handing Ruby the Kaixa Watch while he handed Geiz the Faiz Watch. "Geiz, you and Tsukuyomi go back to do that. We'll handle the situation here."
"You're just handing this to me?" Geiz asked.
"Woz isn't going to be happy…" Ruby muttered when she realized that Sougo wasn't going to be the one obtaining a new power this time.
"I want you to stop the Another Rider," Sougo said before glancing back at Takumi and giving a small smile. "I figured I'd try that trust thing Takumi mentioned. This is an important mission, alright?"
"I'm not your errand boy," Geiz said as he took the watch. "I would have argued to go anyway; I can't have you just rummaging around in the past."
"Whatever you say," Ruby waved off, figuring Geiz was just trying to keep the tough guy act up.
"That being said, your fight won't be easy," Geiz then took out Brave's Ridewatch and handed it to Ruby. "You'll need all the help you can get."
"You're just giving it to me?" Ruby asked as she looked it over.
"It will be more useful to you than me at the moment," Geiz said before he turned to leave. "Come on Tsukuyomi."
"Good luck you three," Tsukuyomi said before taking off after her friend.
"Now then…" Takumi trailed before his phone began to ring, quickly answering it. "Hello?"
"Takkun you need to hurry, there's a big parade of Orphnoch running through town!" Keitaro's voice called out from the other end.
"I need you and Mari to hide right now and contact Shuji," Takumi called out. "I'm on my way." He said as he quickly went and grabbed the bag that held his Faiz Gear, quickly rushing out of the building towards his motorcycle the Auto Vajin. Once he got on he immediately took off, while he didn't have a destination, if the Orphnoch were making a public attack then the context clues would be enough.
"Ah, wait for us!" Sougo yelled as he rushed off after Takumi, bringing out the Ridestriker and getting on. "Ruby, come on!"
"Right," Ruby called out as she mounted the back of the motorcycle.
"Let's go!" Sougo called out as he revved the engine a few times before taking off after Takumi.
Just as Keitaro had mentioned there was an entire flock of Orphnoch running about, all of them were lead by Another Faiz and Saeko. Behind them were six Orphnoch in total, Butterfly, Giraffe, Longhorn, Mole, Moose, and Lion. They were currently in a somewhat crowded plaza, anyone nearby running from the sight.
"Do not think you can run humans," Saeko declared. "A new age is upon you all, one that is 15 years in the making!"
"Shall we start?" The Lion Orphnoch asked.
"Yes, I want at least most of this city dealt with by the end of today," Saeko answered.
"You won't be doing anything!" Shuji quickly ran into their path, his Delta Driver already on as he got ready.
"Just one of you showed up?" Saeko asked as the other Orphnoch began to laugh. "How disappointing…"
Suddenly both Takumi and Sougo shot past the monster group from behind on their Motorcycles, managing to force them to stagger slightly from the force of their bikes. The two skidded to a stop past Shuji before dismounting with Ruby. The trio of Riders then made their way forward to join the other Rider.
"Make that four," Takumi said as he grabbed his Faiz Gear and attached it to his waist. He then took the Faiz Phone out and readied it.
"We won't let you get away with this," Ruby said as she and Sougo prepared their Ziku Driver's and watches.
"Right, there's only room for one king, and that's me," Sougo said, deciding to challenge Arch's monarchy with his own.
"How dare you!" Saeko growled out. "I'll teach you a lesson to mind your mouth brat!"
"Let's go," Takumi said as he input the 5-5-5 code, Sougo and Ruby activating their Ridewatches while Shuji held the Delta Phone up to his mouth.
"Henshin," Shuji called out.
[STANDING BY!]
"Henshin!" Sougo, Ruby and Takumi called out before the four initiated their transformation at the same time.
[COMPLETE!]
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ZI-O!]
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
Kamen Rider's Delta, Faiz, Roze and Zi-O stood before their gathered opponents, the four getting in various fighting stances as they readied themselves.
"Destroy them!" Saeko called out.
The six Orphnoch with them charged forward, Lion taking charge and bringing out a double sided spear, ready to strike at the group. Of course that was until there was gunfire, a flurry of bullets hitting and forcing the Orphnoch to stagger back as sparks flew from their bodies.
Ruby and Sougo looked back, the two suddenly realizing the Auto Vajin was missing before looking up at where the attack came from. The attack had come from the Auto Vajin itself, the motorcycle having transformed into a bulky humanoid form, using its front tire as a handgun weapon with a gatling attachment. It then landed behind the two, Sougo and Ruby making way for the machine to walk over and stand beside all of them.
"You're motorcycle turns into a robot?!" Ruby questioned.
"That's so cool!" Sougo admitted.
"Was hoping you'd come out this time," Takumi gave a gentle tap to Auto Vajin's arm before suddenly grabbing it and yanking it to where it's head was closer to him. "No friendly fire, got it?"
The Auto Vajin could not speak but gave a nod, remembering the last time it had ended up accidentally hitting Takumi.
"Uh…" Ruby gave a bit of a chuckle.
"I think we can do this," Sougo declared.
"There's five of us now, let's go," Takumi gave a flick of his wrist before rushing forward, Shuji, Sougo and Ruby followed after while Auto Vajin shot into the air.
"Destroy them!" Lion yelled out as it charged forward with his spear. The other five Orphnoch gave nods before rushing forward as well.
Earth – March 2004
In the secret Smart Brain facility, Arch was currently being lead over to a chair by Saeko. After Finis had transplanted the watch into it, it was able to mostly awaken. Saeko had insisted that it use its abilities to stabilize those few Orphnoch who remained loyal. While they were only a small number, they'd still be able to grow their numbers eventually. Despite this, those who were fully transformed weren't able to handle the full transformation too well and were currently resting.
"Good work today, my King," Saeko said as she helped the Arch Orphnoch sit. "You no longer need to be placed in stasis, but you'll need to rest. When the time comes you can go out and start recovering even further…"
"Pretty clever," A voice called causing the two Orphnoch's to perk up; Geiz was at the other end of the room with Tsukuyomi. "I wondered where you all would be, but continuing to use this one makes perfect sense. In a normal timeline it'd remain here for eternity in stasis without anyone finding it."
"Just who are you?" Saeko asked. "No one's supposed to know about this place."
"Smart Brain records aren't exactly the easiest to get a hold of," Tsukuyomi admitted as she flashed her tablet briefly. "But once we did it was easy to narrow down which facilities remained active."
"We're here to make sure history isn't tampered with too much," Geiz replied.
"Tch," Saeko wasn't amused by this in the slightest. "My King I will-"
[FAIZ!]
Arch gave a growl as it shakily stood up, red lines running across its body before they flashed, transforming it into Another Faiz. Despite its weakened state, the Another Rider transformation managed to boost its stamina.
"Fine, I will support you," Saeko gave a quick bow before suddenly batting away a blast from one of her gauntlets. She turned towards the source and gave a sneer.
"Come on," Tsukuyomi taunted. "I'll take you on."
"How dare you," Saeko hissed out as she rushed forward, drawing a rapier, Tsukuyomi backing away as she fired at the Orphnoch.
"Let's go," Geiz gestured towards the Another Rider as he began to walk forward. Arch rushed in and began swinging its arms at Geiz. Geiz managed to grab one and hold it in place as he drew his personal watch and activated it. He then threw the arm back before dancing around the Another Rider as he loaded his watch into his Driver only to get grabbed from behind.
Geiz unlocked his Driver and managed to force Arch off of him, turning and kicking before performing a spin kick to push the Orphnoch King back further.
"Henshin!" Geiz called out as he ran forward, the Hiragana forming and shooting out alongside him.
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
The future warrior jumped and just as he gained his armor, sent a punch towards Arch. The Orphnoch King dodged out of the way, Geiz shooting past and rolling as the Hiragana fully formed on the visor. Just as Geiz got up he was suddenly grabbed by the neck, Arch giving a scoff as it began to drag Geiz out of the facility.
"Geiz!" Tsukuyomi called out before suddenly ducking underneath a swing from Saeko.
"Pay attention to your own funeral dear," Saeko said, stabbing at Tsukuyomi.
Tsukuyomi spun out of the way before charging her gun.
[BURST MODE!]
Tsukuyomi began firing a flurry of red energy bullets, despite Saeko swinging her weapon to cut through them, the Lobster Orphnoch was forced back by them.
"I need more space," Tsukuyomi quickly rushed for the nearest exit, figuring that was Arch's plan as well.
Earth – Late September 2018
(Insert Start: Justifaiz by ISSA)
Takumi kicked the Giraffe Orphnoch away before dodging from a swipe by the Lion Orphnoch. He managed to get near Auto Vajin and grabbed at the machine's upper body. Gripping one of the motorcycle handles he drew out a sword known as the Faiz Edge.
Takumi then blocked against a swing from the Lion Orphnoch, slipping underneath and slamming his weapon into the monsters gut, managing to stagger it. The Auto Vajin meanwhile went to deal with the Butterfly Orphnoch that Sougo was fighting. The machine supported him by blocking and striking against it whenever Sougo was open.
"Thanks," Sougo said as he removed his Ridewatch and slotted it onto his sword.
[FINISH TIME!]
Sougo gave a yell as he ran forward, slashing through the Butterfly Orphnoch.
[Zi-O! GIRI GIRI SLASH!]
The Butterfly gasped out as it could felt the energy building within it, soon exploding in a burst of blue flames and ash.
"Okay Brave, we're up," Ruby was using her Petal Burst Semblance to zip around the field, leaving nothing but a red holographic trail of petals in her wake. During this she slotted in Brave's watch after activating it.
[BRAVE!]
[WEAPON TIME! GASHACON SWORD!]
Ruby gained the sword in its flame mode, tapping the button to charge up the flames as she began to strike rapidly against the Giraffe and Longhorn Orphnoch's. When she stopped moving however the two Orphnoch's rushed in, sending punches her away as she was forced to block against them. She took several steps back, staggered slightly before switching her weapon to its ice mode.
"Well this is nostalgic," Ruby realized, remembering how Weiss' consistently used Ice Dust. She then flipped the sword into a reverse grip and stabbed it into the ground, a trail of ice spikes shooting out and slamming into the Orphnoch, the ice ensnaring and freezing both of the huddled up Orphnoch. "I wonder…"
Ruby drew out her Faizphone X and entered a code, wondering if it would change since she was a Rider.
[READY! POINTER ON!]
Suddenly Ruby felt her leg get a bit heavier, a red flash occurring as a shin brace similar Faiz's formed around her right shin. The shin brace also formed a copy of the Faiz Pointer. She then pressed Enter again and closed the phone, red energy traveling from it to the pointer as it lit up.
[EXCEED CHARGE!]
Ruby used her Petal Burst to launch into the air, kicking out as the pointer formed a red energy cone, the cone drilling into the ice and breaking through it slowly. Ruby's body glowed as she turned into a spiral of rose petals; the petals entering the drilling cone as it pierced through the ice alongside strike both Orphnoch.
Suddenly in a red flash Ruby reformed on the other side of the Orphnoch's, her back facing them. Both Orphnoch's gained a Faiz Symbol over them before they both disintegrated into ashes. Ruby's pointer and shin brace vanished as she turned back to the fights occurring.
"Fire!"
[BURST MODE!]
Shuji began firing blasts at the Mole and Moose Orphnoch's, managing to hit both as the two had chosen to charge at him straight on.
"Charge." Shuji declared, the weapon charging up due to him wasting all his shots.
[CHARGE]
The Mole and Moose Orphnoch began to rush forward only to get pelted by another series of bullets. The Moose however managed to duck and roll forward, jumping on Shuji and slamming him to the ground.
"Take this!" The Moose called out as it began slamming his fist into Shuji's head. That was until it suddenly gasp, laser fire being heard as Shuji unloaded the weapon's charged shots point blank against it. The Orphnoch suddenly went limp before breaking apart and disintegrating over Shuji who quickly got up and shook off the rest of the ashes.
"I'll deal with them my King, just wait here," Saeko was getting upset that their small number of Orphnoch's were getting slaughtered like this. She drew her rapier and rushed for Shuji, managing to catch him off guard with a strike against the chest.
"Looks like it's my cue," Takumi realized the last one protecting Arch was gone and immediately broke out of his clash with the Lion Orpnoch.
"You won't escape!" The Lion called out raising its spear only to feel it get caught on something; it turned its head and was surprised by Ruby who had switched her weapon to Crescent Rose. She twisted her weapon, forcing the spear down and pointing the gun barrel of her sniper scythe against the monster.
"Bang," Ruby said before pulling the trigger, blasting the Lion Orphnoch to the ground. It was still able to stand, but it was clear it wouldn't be able to protect Arch.
"You, stop him!" The Lion commanded the remaining Mole Orphnoch.
[ARMOR TIME! LEVEL UP! EX-AID!]
Sougo suddenly came in from the side, the Ex-Aid Armor forming around him as he slammed his hammer gauntlet into the Mole's side. The Orphnoch gave a yell as it was thrown backwards by the force of the attack.
"With no continues I think I can clear this!" Sougo raised his fist in the air before rushing for the Mole Orphnoch.
Takumi meanwhile approached Arch, "It's time we end this." He said as he gripped his Faiz Edge with both of his hands, rushing forward and swinging at the Another Rider who did the same. The two clashing blades as they tried to overpower each other.
Arch gave a grunt and managed to win out, pushing forward and forcing Takumi to take a few steps back. It then released fireballs towards the Rider, managing to catch him in them.
Takumi gasped out as he was forced backwards by the attack, "Tch…" He flicked his wrist before rushing forward again.
(Insert End)
Earth – March 2004
Geiz gave a yell as he was thrown onto a hill that was overlooking a riverbank, having to stop himself before he fully ran down. Luckily it was nighttime and there was barely anyone out at the moment.
"Even weakened it still packs a punch," Geiz drew out the Faiz Ridewatch and activated it, slotting it into his belt as the Another Rider approached.
[FAIZ!]
He quickly spun the belt before giving a punch, the Hiragana for Faiz shooting out as both connected against Arch to force it back. With a few punches and kicks as the Faiz Armor formed around him, he managed to force Arch back.
[ARMOR TIME!]
The Faiz Armor, both arm and leg armor wise was the same base Armor Time aside from having red lines on the thighs and a pointer leg brace on his right leg like Ruby did. The chest armor and helmet bore some resemblance to Faiz while the shoulders were large opened Faiz Phone's.
[COMPLETE! FAIZ!]
Due to it being nighttime, the yellow portion of Geiz's visor, alongside any red that was on the Armor Time suddenly lit up brightly.
"Hmm," Arch rushed forward suddenly, the reimagining of Faiz reminding it of its previous defeat. It punched at Geiz who caught the fist before it felt a foot slam into its stomach.
"King, Another Rider, it doesn't matter now," Geiz said as he continued his relentless assault of punches and kicks, despite the bulky armor he was able to easily duck and weave through the Another Riders counters.
Arch growled before jumping and kicking at Geiz. The future warrior spun out of the way while kicking out, striking the Another Rider in mid-air and sending it tumbling to the bottom of the hill near the riverbank.
[SINGLE MODE!]
Geiz drew out his Faizphone X and began firing at Arch, managing to force the Orphnoch King to its knees as a result.
Earth – Late September 2018
Takumi was suddenly thrown onto the ground by Arch, dropping his Faiz Edge in the process. He knew this wasn't going to be easy but he wished there was a clear signal on when Arch would be weakened. He took out his pointer and slotted in the Mission Memory before attaching it to his right leg brace.
[READY!]
Arch growled out before charging forward.
[EXCEED CHARGE!]
Takumi opened up his phone and initiated his finisher, the belt sending energy along his suits lines to the pointer before releasing a cone of energy towards Arch.
Arch crossed its arms and blocked against the attack though it was still trying to get through to stun it.
Takumi used this chance to get up and run forward, kicking out as he entered the cone and tried to overwhelm the Another Rider. Arch however was still resilient and gave a yell managing to force Takumi back before performing an uppercut that sent the Rider flying up.
"Déjà vu," Takumi muttered as he recalled something like this happening before, as he did he switched to the Faiz Shot, taking the Mission Memory and sliding it onto it. He then initiated his finisher again.
[EXCEED CHARGE!]
Takumi allowed gravity to carry him down as he reeled his arm back, energy gathering in the Faiz Shot as he slammed it down. To his surprise Arch crossed its arms, blocking against the finisher again before kicking the Rider backwards.
Ruby dodged against a few spear swings, countering with her scythe before she noticed Takumi falling on his back nearby, "Takumi!" She called out before getting struck in the chest, she gasped out as she staggered back.
"Pay attention," The Lion Orphnoch reminded.
Ruby switched her weapon to its rifle formation and began firing at the Lion Orphnoch, the shots powerful enough to force it backwards. Ruby then got an idea, taking out her Faizphone X again before throwing it towards Takumi, "Takumi use this!"
"Huh?" Takumi turned only for the Gadget Watch to hit him in the face; he winced as he put a hand to his face, the Faizphone X clattering to the ground.
"Oops," Ruby dropped her weapon and had her hands cover her mouth plate.
This also evoked another sense of déjà vu within Takumi but for an entirely different reason. Remembering the phone's gun mode gave him an idea though. A much needed one since Arch was fast approaching.
Scrambling, Takumi removed his Faiz Phone while activating the Faizphone X, inputting both codes for burst mode. He then switched both to their gun formations before taking his pointer off and attaching it to his normal Faiz Phone Blaster, a beeping sound confirming it locked in correctly. He then stood up just as Arch came closer; once Arch punched forward he suddenly dropped with a spin back down to his back.
Arch was ready to move forward when it suddenly paused, noticing both Faiz Phone Blaseters were pointed directly at its abdominal area.
[BURST MODE!]
Takumi gave a yell as he began firing off burst shots at point blank range. Dozens of sparks flew as Arch staggered back from the heavy blows.
"This ends today," Takumi called out.
"My King!" Saeko called out before growling as she tried to keep Shuji in one place. "One of you two help him!"
The Lion and Mole Orphnoch's nodded, though Ruby quickly retrieved her weapon and shot at the Lion to force it to its knees.
[CRITICAL TIME BREAK!]
"Not so fast!"
Sougo suddenly came from above the Mole Orphnoch, slamming down against it multiple times with his hammer gauntlets, slamming the Orphnoch into the ground and causing an explosion.
Earth – March 2004
"That's right, come here," Geiz was walking down the hill in order to coax Arch to rush towards him. It worked and the Another Rider raced forward. Geiz then inputted a code on his Faizphone X before closing it.
[READY! SHOT ON!]
Energy traveled along the lines of Geiz's suit to his hand, forming the Faiz Shot with a black mission memory filling the center. Once the Another Rider came close enough, Geiz countered with a powerful uppercut, the attack hitting straight in the chest and sent Arch flying.
Arch gasped out, its monstrous rider transformation flashing red as it sparked heavily, landing on the ground.
[READY! POINTER ON!]
A Faiz Pointer formed atop the brace on Geiz's right leg, the future warrior wasting no time initiating his finisher.
[FINISH TIME! FAIZ!]
Geiz got into a squatting position, resting his right arm on his right leg as he allowed the energy to travel down to the pointer.
[EXCEED TIME BURST!]
Geiz then took off full speed ahead, running forward before jumping high into the air.
Arch gasped before giving a yell, jumping up and kicking out, the red lines of its suit glowing as it gathered energy in its right foot for its own finisher.
Geiz however flipped and aimed the pointer forward, a red energy cone shooting out and slamming into Arch, holding it in place in mid-air. Geiz kicked out and entered the cone, the energy construct suddenly drilling in alongside Geiz who kicked against Arch, kicking straight through it that resulted in a small explosion.
Geiz landed on one side while Arch tumbled to the ground, Geiz beginning to walk away as the Faiz Symbol appeared on Arch. The Another Faiz transformation shattered and turned to dust, the Anotherwatch being released and shattering.
Arch gasped as it fell to the ground, weakness creeping back in as it was unable to stand thanks to the damage done from the fight and the loss of its additional power.
"Now then, I need to-" Geiz was cut off when a rapier suddenly shot towards him. He raised his arm and winced as it struck against his wrist holster. The strike had managed to loosen one of his blank watches and sent it tumbling away. "No!" He called out before he was struck again, gasping as he was sent staggering back.
"You dare to hurt him you filthy human!" Saeko yelled out.
"You… then…" Geiz suddenly got worried, forgetting about the blank watch that slowly but surely rolled away towards the riverbank. The blank watch hit the water before floating off with the current.
"That brat may have escaped me but still," Saeko hissed out before suddenly realizing what had happened. "…My King?" She asked as she noticed Arch wasn't transforming into Another Faiz. Now it struck her that something was wrong so she quickly rushed over to see what had happened, ignoring Geiz.
"Geiz!" Tsukuyomi called as she had managed to slip away from Saeko and get back to Geiz's Time Mazine. The machine floated down towards him. "Is Another Faiz defeated?"
"Yeah, but I couldn't kill Arch," Geiz called out, he wanted to go back for the blank watch but realized it was likely lost now.
"That's fine, this should be enough to weaken him," Tsukuyomi mentioned before opening up the hatch.
"Then let's head back," Geiz said as he entered his Time Mazine, taking control and taking off into the sky to head back to 2018.
Earth – Late September 2018
(Insert Start: EGO ~ eyes glazing over by ICHIDAI)
"Now," Takumi rolled having separated his pointer from his gun at this point and grabbed his Faiz Edge off the ground. He then slotted the Mission Memory in the bladed weapon, the blade shining a bright red.
Arch was still going strong, bringing out its large sword and sliding its hand across it, a red glow forming around it.
The two Riders charged towards each other, Arch performing lunge with its sword. Takumi however held his sword with both of his hands, ducking and grazing his sword across his opponents. His tactic worked and he managed to slam his sword against Arch's abdomen.
Takumi released one of his hands and quickly hit his phones enter button.
[EXCEED CHARGE!]
Energy began to flow through his belt towards his Faiz Edge, powering it up as he sliced through Arch, running past and turning around.
Arch gasped out as its body was engulfed in blue flames, the flames exploding out and sending it staggering back. The Another Faiz armor and his sword disintegrated, Arch managing to find a footing as it waited for its transformation to come back.
Silence fell as the familiar sound of the Faiz Anotherwatch was no longer present. Suddenly Arch's body paled further as ash began to trickle off of it, falling to its knees as tiredness washed over it.
"What? What's going on?" Saeko questioned.
"Fire," Shuji activated the burst mode of his weapon and began shooting at Saeko to catch her off guard now that she was distracted.
"My King…" The Lion Orphnoch called out before growling out. "What did you all do?"
"Looks like Geiz did it," Sougo realized.
"Then let's finish up here," Ruby said as she activated and slotted in Kaixa's watch. "Sougo, help Shuji. I'm sure Takumi wants Arch to himself."
"Right, I'm on it!" Sougo called out as he ran off, removing his Ex-Aid Armor and going back to his base form.
[KAIXA!]
[WEAPON TIME! KAIXA BLAYGUN!]
In a flash of yellow light, Ruby soon gained a chi themed gun and a Kaixa themed Mission Memory. She slotted the memory in and the bottom of it extended out into a blade. It was a bit odd to be holding it in a reverse grip but she managed.
"Let's do this," Ruby rushed in with her Petal Burst, sliding and slashing against the Lion Orphnoch. Thanks to her reverse grip she managed to catch the Orphnoch off guard and force it back. She then initiated her Driver's finisher.
[FINISH TIME! KAIXA!]
[EXCEED TIME BLAST!]
Energy traveled from her Driver to the weapon, she pulled back the hammer of the gun portion causing it to charge up energy. She shot a yellow bullet that impacted against the Lion Orphnoch, a yellow crossed energy net overlapping and stunning it.
Ruby's weapon's blade shined a bright yellow as a yellow energy X appeared between her and the Lion. She began to slide forward on her own before entering the X, the X becoming a pointed almost drill-like shape as it slammed straight into the Orphnoch.
It entered the Lion Orphhoch who sputtered out, Ruby suddenly appearing behind him in a flash of light. A yellow X appeared behind the Lion who soon disintegrated into nothingness.
"I need to get to him, we need to retreat!" Saeko threw away her weapon, she needed to ensure her King's safety as altered memories of that 2004 began to fill her head, the time changes finally catching up to her.
[FINISH TIME!]
Suddenly the Katakana for Kick surrounded and trapped her in the center; Sougo gave a yell as the kanji overlapped into one before flying over to his boot.
[TIME BREAK!]
He kicked out and clashed against Saeko, the Lobster Orphnoch using her gauntlets to absorb most of the attack as Sougo shot past her.
"Check," Shuji called out.
[EXCEED CHARGE!]
Without wasting anytime, Shuji shot energy against Saeko's back, it forming into a purple cone that kept her from turning. Shuji gave a yell before rushing forward before jumping and kicking, entering the cone and drilling through her from behind. Shuji reappeared on the other side.
Saeko took a step forward, ready to strangle Shuji for his attack when she suddenly noticed her arms begin to dissolve, "No… no… I was supposed to be the perfect Orphnoch, we all were!" She yelled out as she tried to grab at the Rider only for her arms to fully disintegrate. "This is it…" She trailed in shock before her body broke apart and turned to ashes.
It wasn't long before Geiz's Time Mazine came into view, landing as Tsukuyomi and Geiz exited, the Rider having dismissed his transformation while piloting the machine. The two quickly ran over to the others as they saw that Geiz's fight against Arch had the desire results.
Takumi meanwhile was taking a breather as he slowly set up for his next move, setting up his pointer with the mission memory inserted again. He stayed silent as he held up his left arm, a stopwatch styled bracelet being attached to his arm with a red eyed Faiz Mission Memory. Removing it from the brace he slotted into the empty slot on his phone.
[COMPLETE!]
The silver portion of his chest suddenly puffed out before sliding alongside his shoulders to make additional shoulder armor. This exposed his mechanical inner chest with a red glowing center. However suddenly his red lines began to shine and change to silver, his eyes turning red as he entered Axel Form. He then pressed the button on his watch.
[START UP!]
Takumi disappeared suddenly as multiple energy cones began to surround Arch. The Orphnoch King perked up and began to rise despite the tiredness it felt. But it was all too late, one after one in rapid succession they all slammed and drilled into it before Takumi suddenly appeared nearby.
[TIME OUT!]
[DEFORMATION!]
Takumi's armor reverted to normal as he turned towards Arch.
The Orphnoch King gasped out as it suddenly began to burst into blue flames, its body disintegrating soon after.
(Insert End)
"He's so fast!" Sougo called out.
"Way too fast!" Ruby pouted as she could barely keep up with Takumi's movements, a bit miffed that he edged her out when it came to using speed.
"You're really that upset over speed?" Geiz asked, wondering if he should tease her with his Drive Armor.
"Shush," Ruby hissed out as she dismissed her transformation, Shuji and Sougo doing the same.
"It's over…" Takumi sighed in relief as he dismissed his transformation. He looked towards the sky, "It's over now… everyone."
"So Takkun…" Ruby walked over with her hands behind her back. "How do you feel?"
"Relieved," Takumi admitted as he then held out the Faizphone X. "Thanks for letting me borrow it."
"Oh no problem," Ruby smiled as she took it. "So what are you going to do now?"
"Go back to my dream," Takumi said as if it were a fact before stretching and pressing his arms against his back. "Being a Rider takes a lot out of you after being inactive for a bit, as much as I enjoy it, I'm not as spry as I used to be."
"It has been 15 years," Geiz said as he walked over with the others, he did end up receiving an elbow from Tsukuyomi for his blunt comment.
"Besides, I think I'm leaving this world in good hands," Takumi admitted as he looked at the new Riders before him. "So that's why I'll continue to work at Kikuchi Dry Cleaners, to make the whole world's laundry clean and new."
"Well I know for sure I'm grateful for that, my scarf too," Ruby answered.
"There is one issue," Geiz admitted towards his group. "I ended up getting blindsided, one of my blank watches fell off in the past."
"Wait, where did it fall?" Ruby asked.
"It fell into a riverbank, why?" Geiz asked.
"Oh," Ruby realized that the blank watch was likely the same one Keitaro found and Takumi kept, she quickly drew out the Kaixa Watch. "It ended up turning into this. So it all worked out."
"…Seriously?" Geiz asked as he couldn't believe the luck required for that to occur.
Woz could only give a smile as he sat on a rooftop, "And thus the threat of the Orphnoch was finally put to rest, despite my Overlord not fully claiming the power of Faiz it matters not. His arsenal still grows regardless, thus history still steadily marches towards the inevitability of Oma Zi-O." As he sat he stared at another destination. "As for the next legend…"
The spot he stared at was a pink truck by the name of Donut Shop Hungry, various tables being set up nearby as customers were enjoying all kinds of different flavored Donuts.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"And you must be the infamous Roze."
"I have no idea what I'm going to get her!"
"Raise hell, enough to get Zi-O to notice."
"Just who do you think you are?"
"I am, the Final Hope."
Chapter 08: Wizard, Please! 2012
Author's Note: And give it up for the last chapter of the year. I should mention that we won't be starting the Wizard Arc until the first Saturday of February. This is mostly to give me more time to spit out chapters and build an even bigger backlog of stuff. I had already planned this break once I fully set up the chapter schedule for the rest of 2020 a while back. So this isn't something that happened due to recent events.
But it's now also because I don't want to really bloat January with a ton of updates given I'm releasing a chapter of Kamen Rider Smash every single week which will take up most of the month. That is because if you didn't read, Kamen Rider Smash is going on an indefinite hiatus. The long story short is I'm fully committing to Roze instead of trying to force myself to write Kamen Rider Smash and alternating between the two. And I'm just releasing what's left of Smash in January. More details can be found on the Chapters latests story.
But what this also means is I can get to the good news. Roze will be undergoing scheduling changes as a result. When we get to February next year you won't just be getting one chapter a month, but two. So both chapters of the Wizard Arc will release in February with a week break between. The same will be done for the series as it continues, meaning each Rider Tribute will be contained to a single month instead of spread out like before. This also means we'll be getting to the more interesting aspects of Roze faster because of the updated schedule. I'm also only able to do this because I for sure have an insane enough backlog to last us until at least November written up right now. So I do hope you'll enjoy that when it starts up.