Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 45 – Best Friend Forever 2121
Snoring was all that could be heard as Woz was currently asleep on the stool in his black narrative void. He was currently resting his head against his hand, until it finally slipped, slowly but surely waking up as he shook his head. He gave a light grunt as he straightened himself up.
"As it is written in this book, average high schooler Tokiwa Sougo embarks on a path which leads him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O," Woz narrated as usual.
Images of Another Kikai could be seen, how it was easily bested in most of its fights before being defeated more recently by Sougo, only to reveal that Blake was inside it.
Woz continued, as he looked upon images of Swartz transforming Uhr into Another Kikai, "The encounter against Another Kikai is finally upon us, but it is such a unique case that despite being easily bested in battle, it is undefeatable. Thus, my Overlord shall seek a solution from the Kamen Rider Kikai within his dream."
Earth – Mid February 2019
Ruby was currently at her apartment getting bandaged up by Geiz and Weiss, Tsukuyomi using her tablet to heal any cuts that Ruby had. Sougo meanwhile had decided to head home to start winding down and resting up, figuring being asleep would allow him to see the information he needed.
"This explains everything," Ruby admitted. "I was questioning how it was able to easily avoid attacks and appear farther away. It was using Blake's Semblance."
"The fact that it was able to assimilate her and force her to fight without any issues is unnerving," Tsukuyomi gave a light shiver. "Even Uhr's status as a Time Jacker didn't seem to matter."
"And Tid while deranged, was able to control his transformation," Geiz added.
"So after it separated you two it leapt from its current body to Blake?" Weiss asked as she finished setting the bandages.
"The issue is I think we're not giving this thing's intelligence enough credit," Ruby admitted as she moved her arms around a bit, wincing slightly. "Blake noted that it wasn't stable for long when going for random trees. It might have needed healthy long living trees to stay in its humanoid form. It purposely chose a form strong enough to separate us but weak enough to where it would either fall apart or Blake could defeat it. Then it piggybacked onto her as a host."
"That's too scary…" Tsukuyomi shook her head. "Plus the fact that it was able to use Shadow as well."
"It's what caught me off guard, it used the Semblance to duplicate a set of missiles so I ended up getting bombarded before I could try and keep fighting," Ruby admitted before giving an audible sigh, "I hope Blake's okay…"
"You're worried because Yang took her and followed after Shiro-Woz, right?" Geiz asked.
"I doubt we need to be worried," Weiss admitted. "This is Yang we're talking about, even if she lets her emotions get the better of her on occasion, she cares a lot about Blake."
"True…" Ruby agreed before staring up at the ceiling, "It still hurts though… the fact that she'd choose him over us."
"I'll be honest Ruby," Geiz spoke up, "Both her and Blake aren't probably going to see eye to eye with us anytime soon."
"I just don't get why she hasn't given up her powers already though," Weiss pointed out. "If she's working with Shiro-Woz and she knows Another Kikai is here, why not make the Ridewatch?"
"I think something's preventing her from making it," Geiz guessed, remembering Yang's words from earlier. "I doubt she'll be against us for this fight, despite being on opposite sides we're likely to work together. She needs the information we have just as much as we need her help."
"Speaking of information…" Tsukuyomi trailed. "Sougo's been having dreams?"
"They've been odd, usually it's just the one but this one's entirely different," Weiss noted. "He keeps jumping in and out of it."
"Given its getting late we can only hope that when he actually falls asleep and not passes out, he'll have something," Ruby answered. "For now let's try and wind down for the day. I'll look into seeing if we can get one of our allies to help us track down Uhr."
"Right, let's get going Tsukuyomi," Geiz said as he stood up.
"Actually I was wondering if I could stay here," Tsukuyomi admitted. "I want to just make sure everything ends up alright with Ruby's injuries."
"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.
"I'll cover for her," Geiz replied before taking off.
"You know you didn't have to stay," Weiss sighed as she went to go get a glass of water, "I can take care of Ruby."
"I know it's just…" Tsukuyomi trailed before glancing back and seeing that Geiz was gone, "I just wanted to keep you company, given well…"
Ruby's expression softened a bit, "Oh…" She realized what her friend was referring to before giving a smile, "That's sweet of you Tsuki, thanks."
Blake gave a soft moan as her eyes fluttered open. She put a hand on her head as she began to raise herself up. "Where…?" She was sure she wasn't at the apartment, the area being entirely foreign to her. "Am…?" She noticed she was lying on what looked like a couch.
The room around her was a very bare room with no visible windows, there was a dinner table nearby and some bunk beds in another corner. There was also a rectangular screen on the wall that seemed to match Shiro-Woz' aesthetic.
"Blake?" Yang hurried over, "Oh thank goodness you're awake."
"Yang…?" Blake trailed before her eyes widened, she quickly shifted her legs and sat up, "That's right…" She gave a groan and held her head, "That Another Kikai bug… it separated Ruby and I, and then it suddenly broke apart before lunging at me. After it got on my face everything went black."
"Don't worry about it," Yang put a hand on her partners shoulder, "We managed to get you out but now…"
"Uhr has been possessed by the Another Rider," Shiro-Woz explained as he walked over.
Blake tensed slightly, "Yang… what is he…"
"Don't worry," Yang firmed up her grip, "And sorry about not telling you but given all the chaos…"
"You're going to give your powers to him aren't you?" Blake asked.
"You mad?" Yang asked a bit warily.
"Honestly I figure it might be better this way," Blake admitted with a sigh. "Who defeated me?"
"The Overlord did," Shiro-Woz confirmed.
"Zi-O II then," Blake gave a groan, "Aside from that parasite basically siphoning my Aura to use my Semblance it does feel like I got hit with a truck."
"Are you mad?" Yang asked.
"I'm a bit annoyed but I figured you'd do something like this," Blake said before she shook her head, "Besides I think creating a Miridewatch is the only way we can beat Another Kikai. Ruby told me that attacks from Silver Roze and Zi-O II didn't kill it the first time. And if a direct finisher from Zi-O II didn't do it then we need to go with our last available option."
"Oh…" Yang muttered as she glanced away.
"How smart of you," Shiro-Woz complimented, "However, trying to obtain the Ridewatch from Miss Xiao Long results in a password being needed."
"Has Sougo been having dreams again?" Blake asked.
"From what I could tell yeah… but do you really want to use him?" Yang asked back.
"If it means finding out that password then yes," Blake gave a nod.
"I will leave you two to rest," Shiro-Woz said as he began to walk out. "This is merely a safe house and if you wish to leave you can. But I must insist you stay for dinner, it is rather late."
"Think we should stay?" Yang asked.
"At least until Another Kikai is dealt with," Blake said as she gave a groan, "I should be able to recover by then to move easily. But the minute it's over we leave, alright?"
"Alright," Yang gave a nod, "To be honest given Ruby saw me with Shiro-Woz, I was a bit afraid of just heading home with you."
"I see…" Blake muttered before looking over at her partner, "Though I can't imagine taking me here was good for Ruby to see."
"Yeah, yeah I know," Yang sighed.
Later that Evening…
Uhr was currently staggering about, he had managed to force himself to transform back into human form. Despite this the Another Kikai transformation was taking its toll on him as he staggered through a cluttered alleyway. He was attempting to focus his powers to keep the Another Rider transformation at bay, but even he couldn't last forever.
Uhr held his head in pain, "Why… why me?!"
[KIKAI!]
Uhr yelled out as Another Kikai forced its way back into control, Another Kikai could only yell out as it stumbled about.
Shiro-Woz watched from one of the buildings overlooking the alleyway. He was one of the few who would be able to track a Time Jacker easily, so he gave a smile when he saw that his skills were on point. As he walked off to turn in for the night he felt a presence behind him.
"Ora, was it?" He asked before turning, "What can I help you with?"
Time froze around Shiro-Woz though he remained untouched as Ora began to walk over from behind a corner, "Just what's your goal? I find it odd that you show up alongside Swartz making three new Another Riders, alongside those three girls Roze knows having the same sets of powers. Plus this talk about potential futures… just what's going on?"
"Ah that confusion," Shiro-Woz chuckled as he walked past Ora before turning, "Myself alongside Shinobi, Quiz, Kikai, their Another counterparts and the potential futures they hold… we all seem to stem from the overlord's dreams."
"You expect me to believe that?" Ora asked as she glanced back.
"I am afraid it's true, he is just that strong," Shiro-Woz answered, or at least bluffed. The part about himself also stemming from Sougo's dreams was a lie, his origins being something he needed to keep close to his chest. "Though I'm sure that doesn't clear up a lot of confusion…"
"It's enough for me," Ora said as she dismissed the time stop before walking off.
"Is that so?" Shiro-Woz questioned as he turned, "Because while I do find a certain charm to an acrimonious woman, I thought you were forward enough to be honest with me."
Ora paused before turning to glance at Shiro-Woz, "Fine… it's about Uhr…"
"There we go," Shiro-Woz smiled.
The Next Day…
Dream Earth – 2121
Sougo was honestly surprised when falling asleep naturally did not produce a continuation to the dream he had. So deciding to tempt fate he went to study only to eventually fall asleep again. Once more he was sent back into the dream world of Earth in the year of 2121.
"Mister… Mister, are you okay? Wake up, mister!"
Sougo gave a groan, noticing that hovering over his fallen body was one of the kids that Rento took care of, "Who are you…?"
"I'm Maruko," The boy introduced.
Sougo soon remembered how he ended up like this, "That's right, Rento went berserk!" He looked around, "Where is he?"
"He ran away, we have to go find him," Maruko answered before turning to leave with the others.
"You can't!" Sougo called out, "You shouldn't go near him right now. I think the bad guys might have used that satellite to reprogram him, or something. He's just a machine, after all…"
Maruko turned and shook his head, "He's not just a machine."
"Huh?" Sougo was confused, because he was sure that Rento mentioned he was a machine…
"Rento's not just a machine!" Maruko called out more firmly. "He's our friend! He used to be a Humanoise. Us, human, Him, a machine… Hunter and prey, that's how it was, but… we became friends!"
"Friends…" Sougo glanced down, recalling how despite being hostile at first, he came to see both Geiz and Tsukuyomi as friends alongside Ruby and Weiss. Even if Blake and Yang didn't trust him as much, he still considered them friends as well. He then stood up and gave a nod, "Let's look for Rento."
"Zi-O…"
"Zi-O…"
Sougo looked around as he heard Geiz' voice rather clearly before he started to slowly exit the dream world.
Earth – Mid February 2019
Sougo groggily started to wake up before his head was pulled back, "Whoa!"
"Zi-O!" Geiz called out as he was next to him.
"Oh it's you, Geiz…" Sougo trailed as he rubbed his eyes, "Why'd you do that? I was doing something…"
Geiz lightly slapped the back of Sougo's head, "You've got company."
Sougo could only stare in confusion before getting up and following Geiz out of the dining room and to the main shop area. Needless to say, if he wasn't awake before he was wide awake now at what he was seeing.
Ruby gave a wave as she was sitting on the steps that lead upstairs with Weiss, near them was Tsukuyomi. At the entrance were both Yang and Shiro-Woz while Ora was off to the side near the wall of clocks. To say that mostly everyone aside from Shiro-Woz was on edge was an understatement, everyone all staring at Ora warily.
"Ok, it'll be a few minutes for the coffee," Junichiro began to count, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven… or, does anyone want anything else?" He trailed before looking over at Ora, "Miss, would you prefer tea?"
"Either is fine," Ora gave a near bored response as she leaned on a display case.
"And it's never good when someone says that…" Junichiro lightly joked with a nervous chuckle as he quickly hurried into the back dining room, shutting the door behind him.
"Um… this is a lot…" Sougo trailed before noticing someone was absent, "Huh? Where's Blake? Is she okay?"
"Yesterday took a lot out of her," Yang answered. "She's fine but she's resting at the moment."
"Oh that's good to hear," Sougo breathed a sigh of relief.
"So why exactly are we gathered here?" Weiss questioned as she kept her eyes trained on the female Time Jacker.
"Well," Shiro-Woz started, "After Ora came to me in tears begging for help…"
"There weren't any tears," Ora interrupted.
"Enough hijinks, get to the point," Geiz called out, voicing everyone's current mood at the moment.
At that point there was silence from Ora who simply looked down.
Shiro-Woz gave a laugh as he walked over to the Time Jacker, "If you find the words hard to speak, I shall say them for you!" He looked towards everyone else, "She would like help saving Uhr."
"It was Swartz… he won't stop at using Uhr to make a Watch," Ora managed to speak up. "He'll turn Uhr into his puppet… That's why…"
"How about no," Weiss answered coldly.
"Yeah, you want us to help one of our enemies?" Geiz questioned.
"We need to beat Another Kikai regardless," Tsukuyomi noted.
"Time stop would be useful…" Ruby pondered, the fact that this Another Rider was a Time Jacker meant there was a risk if Tsukuyomi used her powers. And she did not want to put a target on her friends back like that.
Sougo gave a nod, "Exactly, I think… this might work out."
"Sougo?" Weiss asked.
"I want to beat that Another Rider," Sougo explained. "And if we all work together…"
"If we need to beat it we'll need a Ridewatch," Yang spoke up as she stepped forward, "But um…"
"There's an issue because of a password, right?" Geiz asked.
Ora raised an eyebrow, "Password?"
"Correct," Shiro-Woz answered. "We can only assume though that the overlord's dreams are the key."
"Unfortunately I keep getting woken up so I don't have anything yet," Sougo admitted as he rubbed the back of his head.
"You need to get to sleep then," Geiz suggested before looking around and seeing the bag of lavender incense was still in the store.
"Actually I have a better idea," Ruby spoke up once she heard what was needed. "Another Kikai and Kikai are parallels, even if its nature vs technology that parasite is still super smart. After all it led both Blake and I into a trap."
"What are you getting at?" Yang asked.
"That Another Kikai has a password system too," Ruby answered. "We convert Another Kikai's power into a Miridewatch for us to fully defeat it."
"Interesting, but do you really think she'll give up an Another Rider?" Geiz questioned as he glanced over at Ora.
"You all can do whatever," Ora answered in her same bored fashion. "I'm sick and tired of Swartz' new Another Riders anyway…"
"Are you sure we shouldn't just use it on me?" Yang asked.
"I think it would just be better if you kept your powers," Ruby answered. "And we have a way to do just that."
"I have no issues with this," Shiro-Woz admitted.
"If that's all there is to it, we should get ready," Geiz suggested.
Ora and Shiro-Woz had decided to let themselves out first, with Geiz, Ruby and Yang following out next. Both Tsukuyomi and Weiss had chosen to stay behind to keep watch on Sougo. The future king had made sure he had the Ziku Driver on his waist before setting up the incense on the front table, putting a sleep mask on he began to nestle himself into a resting position before snoring.
By that point Junichiro had finished up with the coffee and was bringing out the tray, "Huh? They're gone?" He asked as he slowed down.
"Something urgent came up," Weiss answered a bit softly as she was currently sitting across from Sougo.
"Mr. Junichiro…" Tsukuyomi trailed as she walked over.
"Yes?" Junichiro asked.
"Um…" Tsukuyomi wasn't sure how to put this, "Could we… sit down?" She gestured to the raised platform near the steps that lead upstairs.
"Oh sure of course," Junichiro said before holding out the coffee tray, "Did you still want coffee Weiss?"
"I'd love some," Weiss gave a nod before standing up and walking over.
Dream Earth – 2121
Sougo awoke back in his dream, quickly checking to make sure he had his Ziku Driver on him. His plan had worked as he now had access to his Driver and Ridewatches in the dream. After discussing with Maruko and the other children, they all decided that Rento might have gone ahead to find someone to help him. Everyone's guesses were that he followed the rendezvous coordinates that Radio Hope was giving out and was meeting with the human resistance.
Sougo chose to lead the way, looking out for any potential Humanoise as they made their way into a scrap yard. As they walked in deeper they found a set of offices in the back that were converted from trailer homes, various Radio Hope posters plastered on the vehicles.
"Is this the place?" Sougo asked as he walked closer, "Is anyone here?"
It wasn't long before three men in uniforms walked out, "You guys are humans?" The lead asked.
"Yeah," Maruko gave a nod, "Did Rento come by?"
"Or…" The lead man gave a smile before frowning, "…are you machines?"
In an instant their eyes lit up before they revealed their true forms, their human forms breaking off as they made their way forward.
"Humanoise!" Sougo's eyes widened as he realized that Radio Hope was a trap. "Run for it!"
Sougo managed to keep between the kids and the Humanoise. He split apart Zi-O II's Ridewatch and initiated his transformation, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
The katakana that flew outwards managed to strike the incoming Humanoise, sparks flying from them as they staggered backwards. Not wasting any time he rushed in, pushing two back before kicking one in the stomach. The attack was strong enough to slam it into a pile of cars, causing it to explode. Despite their threatening presence, Zi-O II's boost in strength allowed him to easily deal with the remaining two Humanoise via a punch and a kick.
A yell was heard as Kikai suddenly jumped over a set of broken cars. He had managed to land near Maruko who had yet to fall back like the other kids had. Kikai soon grabbed Maruko by the neck before pinning him to a nearby car.
"Rento…" Maruko gasped out.
"Rento!" Sougo yelled as he charged in, grabbing Kikai and pushing him away, pinning the machine rider against the car, "Stop it!"
While Maruko ran for cover and to meet up with the others, both Sougo and Kikai had gotten into a grappling contest. Both had punched as hard as they could though despite Kikai's strength, Sougo's was doing more damage in the end.
Kikai rushed forward, punching with both fists only to get them caught. His fists were then thrown away before he was jabbed several times, getting staggered by a punch to the face.
[RIDER FINISH TIME!]
Kikai yelled out as he gathered electrified ice energy around his arms, planning on going for a super powered attack.
[TWICE TIME BREAK!]
Sougo had already initiated his finisher by this point, energy gathering in his left forearm and hand before he punched forward with it. He struck Kikai directly in the chest, sparks and electricity flying from the attack.
Kikai soon fell limp as he fell to his knees, his body hunching forward as his head hung. The visor that was once red turned black as he shut down completely.
Sougo took a few deep breaths as he stared at his fallen friend, trying to figure out what he'd even do next.
Earth – Mid February 2019
"I'm so happy that you're here, Tsukuyomi!" Junichiro admitted as he sat down to have coffee with both Tsukuyomi and Weiss near the stairs. "I was worried that you weren't coming back!"
"I'm sorry it was so sudden," Tsukuyomi apologized. "But actually, Geiz and I… we're going to be moving out."
"Wait, what?" Weiss was a bit surprised by this sudden turn of events. Especially since Geiz and Tsukuyomi both seemed fine with Sougo to begin with.
"Oh, I see!" Junichiro gave a smile and a nod before realizing what was said. He turned towards her in shock, "Wait, you are…?!"
Tsukuyomi set her coffee down before standing and bowing, "Thank you for everything!"
"Oh, no…" Junichiro was taken completely off guard by this before standing up, "No, its fine. I should be thanking you, even Ruby, and you too Weiss."
"You should?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Huh?" Weiss was further confused now.
"Slowly but surely, Sougo's been having an increasingly good time ever since you all came around," Junichiro admitted, noting the elevation in his nephew's mood over the past year and several months.
Tsukuyomi was in near shock, "Really?"
"See, when he was young, kids always thought he was odd for all that king stuff," Junichiro admitted. "So he didn't have a lot of friends. Or any, really… Ruby was honestly the first real friend he had in a while."
Weiss' expression softened as she looked over at the sleeping rider, "Sougo…"
"Wait, really?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"I mean…" Junichiro said as he walked over to his work table and showed off the robot toy from the day before, "When he was a kid he used to say this toy robot was his friend!"
Tsukuyomi could only gingerly take the robot after Junichiro presented it to her, looking it over carefully.
"But he finally got to find some friends his own age that he could spend time with," Junichiro explained, "Because first it was Ruby, then you two, then Weiss, Blake and Yang. I'm sure he's grateful."
Tsukuyomi said nothing, simply turning the robot over and seeing the writing on the back, 'Will be the King?' she questioned.
"Anyway, I need to figure out what to do with the rest of this coffee," Junichiro said, realizing he probably unintentionally brought the mood down a bit. He grabbed the tray of the cups that remained before heading back for the kitchen.
"Tsukuyomi… are you sure that's a good idea?" Weiss asked.
Tsukuyomi gave a sigh, "It won't be forever, but I'd rather not risk anything by continuing to live with Sougo, for his sake. We don't know what might happen given Shiro-Woz is close to his goals now."
"I suppose…" Weiss trailed but she couldn't help but feel that Tsukuyomi wasn't making a good decision.
Tactically speaking, it made sense, distance themselves so that Shiro-Woz and the others might back off and relax a bit on Geiz Revive. But then she thought to Junichiro's words about Sougo's childhood and she couldn't help but feel that it was the wrong decision.
Dream Earth – 2121
Sougo was currently wandering through the scrap yard, having dismissed his transformation after confirming Rento had shut down. Currently he was trying to find Maruko and the other kids. Eventually getting to the back of the scrap yard he found the kids huddled up.
"Is everyone okay?" Sougo asked as he walked over, he gave a smile when he saw them all nodding.
"I guess Rento was just a machine after all…" Maruko admitted with a sad smile.
Sougo thought on those words before leaning forward, "Y'know, I'm also having a bit of trouble with some of my close friends." He clasped his hands, "But I'm pretty sure we'll still be friends in the end." He then squatted down to talk to everyone, "So Maruko, everyone… Just have faith in Rento."
"Will be the BFF, okay?" Maruko gave a smile.
"BFF…?" Sougo was a bit confused but gave a chuckle, "What's that?"
"Something Rento said once," Maruko explained. "Let's be best friends forever."
It was then that Sougo had an epiphany at those words, "That's it!"
Earth – Mid February 2019
Sougo quickly shot up from his nap, his sleep mask still on, "That's the answer!"
"Sougo…?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Wait, did you find it out?" Weiss questioned.
"Yep, I think I've got the password for both Kikai and Another Kikai!" Sougo grinned as he removed his mask before walking over.
"I still can't believe your dreams are actual help to us," Weiss admitted.
"I know right? I thought it was weird, especially when I thought I saw Shinobi, Quiz and Kikai before you all transformed to them on Remnant," Sougo admitted as he recalled his first dream about the three Riders, "But now I think it's kind of cool."
"Wait, what?" Weiss asked.
"Oh right, well at Brunswick when we were spending the night I had this weird dream," Sougo admitted. "I sort of saw Shinobi, Quiz and Kikai but it was hard trying to make out their features."
"Huh," Tsukuyomi gave a nod, though this also gave her more stuff to stew on.
Sougo then held out a finger, "Anyway, Will be the BFF… I think that's it!" He then rushed out to go meet with the others.
"Will be the…?" Tsukuyomi couldn't help but find that information familiar. She turned it over to stare at the back of the robot 'Will be the King' was written on it. "No way…"
"I suppose we should get going," Weiss suggested, ready to leave before she noticed Tsukuyomi wasn't moving, "Tsukuyomi?"
"I think…" Tsukuyomi stared at the writing on the robot. "There's more to this than we realize."
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.
The five Riders stood in a quarry that had tons of construction equipment all around. Sougo and Ruby were at the front while Geiz, Shiro-Woz, and Yang were behind them.
"So we really didn't want to test it out with me?" Yang asked.
"Honestly, us having five on hand is better odds wise," Ruby admitted.
"You sure we can beat Another Kikai?" Geiz asked.
"Yeah, I think so," Sougo gave a nod.
"You think?" Shiro-Woz questioned with a bit of skepticism. "That's not exactly reassuring. But it seems the die has been cast."
~Having become Another Kikai, Uhr crosses paths with Geiz, Roze and Zi-O~
Uhr soon staggered into view, holding his head before his eyes began to glow. The face of Another Kikai emerged before he was forced to transform into Another Kikai.
[KIKAI!]
Another Kikai let out a few yells as it flailed its arms around, giving a growl as it stared at the five combatants.
"Let's do this," Geiz ordered.
Everyone agreed as they readied their transformations, once their Drivers were set they all took their stances.
"Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
[DEKAI! HAKAI! GOKAI! KAMEN RIDER KIKAI!]
[SUGOI! JIDAI! MIRAI! KAMEN RIDER WOZ! WOZ!]
[KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
[KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) SILVER! (SILVER!) SILVER~! ROZE!]
Geiz drew out the Zikan Zax in its bow mode, Ruby bringing out Silver Crescent as the two began firing at Another Kikai.
The Another Rider braced with its arms, blocking against the shots. It lowered its arms only to see Sougo, Shiro-Woz and Yang all rushing in. It swung its arms out, but its swings were batted away or blocked before it was punched in rapid succession by the trio of Riders. Another Kikai yelled and lashed out with its tendrils, forcing both Shiro-Woz and Sougo back.
Yang rushed forward, bringing out Ember Celica as she braced against the tendrils, the eyes of her visor glowing a bright red as she activated Burn. "Take this!" He armor shined in a bright fashion as she unleashed a super powered punch, managing to strike directly against Another Kikai's chest.
The attack had managed to send the Another Rider staggering back. It gave a yell as it went to rush forward only to get shot in the side by Geiz and Ruby. It turned to towards the two Riders, growling out as it went to move forward despite getting pelted with energy shots.
Sougo quickly leapt over Yang, spinning in the air before landing and drawing his Zikan Girade in its gun mode. Running forward he began firing at Another Kikai. His rapid firing had managed to draw its attention again as he got closer, spinning and kicking it in the stomach. The attack had managed to force the Another Rider to the ground briefly.
"Now Ora, if you would be so kind and stop time…" Woz held up a finger.
Ora simply gave a sigh, having been watching the entire time as she flicked her feather, the familiar effect of Time Stop going through the area, but this time only Another Kikai was frozen. The Another Rider had only just gotten up before it was stuck mid recovery.
Sougo hurried over before taking a deep breath, placing a hand on the front plate of Another Kikai. A similar holographic keyboard and screen was shown as Sougo typed in the password, "All that's left is the password…"
WILL BE THE BFF
Sougo then turned back to Ora, "Okay, release it!"
Ora said nothing as she held up her hand and flicked her wrist, time resuming.
ERROR
The keyboard suddenly shattered as a bright red warning message was shown, Another Kikai giving a yell as it gathered energy in its hands before slamming them into Sougo.
"Crap!" Yang quickly launched herself forward with Ember Celica as she went for a punch.
The Another Rider didn't stop there as it unleashed its full power, releasing a destructive wave of energy that it managed to catch both Sougo and Yang in, the two yelling out as they were thrown backwards.
Both Riders were lucky that they hadn't lost their transformations but both were nearly downed from that attack as their armor smoked heavily.
"Zi-O!" Geiz called out.
Ruby's eyes widened as she quickly took aim and began firing at Another Kikai, "Yang! Sougo!"
"It was the wrong password?" Shiro-Woz questioned.
"Geiz! Ruby!" Tsukuyomi quickly ran over with Weiss. "You all have the wrong password!"
"What?" Ruby asked.
"Try this, Will be the… King," Tsukuyomi called out.
Weiss quickly drew out Myrtenaster and moved forward, aiming a gravity glyph to keep Another Kikai in place.
Geiz gave a nod as he took a few steps forward before pausing. He was in so much of a rush to end Another Kikai it only just now hit him what would happen if he collected the Ridewatch. That would be the final one for Geiz Revive… and did he really want that? Did he really want to be the Savior that took down Zi-O?
Sougo was starting to recover when he saw Geiz freeze like that, "Is he…?" He wondered if Geiz was starting to have doubts about the future despite their need to defeat Another Kikai here and now.
Weiss winced as she put more power into her glyph, moving closer, "Could one of you please hurry!"
"I'll do it then," Shiro-Woz declared as he began to move towards Another Kikai, "This is the power need-"
Suddenly silence entered the entire area as time was suddenly frozen once more. Not only was Another Kikai frozen but so was every other person in the area. Ora could only give a laugh when she saw the surprised faces on Tsukuyomi and Weiss.
"I've been hoping you'd show up," Ora admitted to Weiss in particular as she walked past all the frozen combatants. She then placed her hand on Another Kikai's chest. "I'll be the one to gain this power."
WILL BE THE KING
Authenticate Unlock
The screen and keyboard retracted as Ora held up a blank Ridewatch, "Now it's mine… the power of Kamen Rider Kikai!"
Another Kikai began to glow as its power flowed into the blank watch. Soon enough the Kikai Anotherwatch fully formed. The Another Rider transformation fully dispersed from Uhr who began to breathe heavily while holding his chest.
"Swartz was stupid to make you his puppet," Ora answered and pushed Uhr to the ground. She gave a grin as she walked over to Weiss. "I'm not sure who you friends of Roze are… but I saw what it could do with that black haired girl. So you'll make the perfect puppet to slaughter the Riders with!"
Weiss' eyes widened in fear before she winced, the time stop being undone around her and everyone else as the Anotherwatch was shoved into her.
Sougo's could only watch in horror as he saw this, "Weiss!"
[KIKAI!]
Weiss gave a scream as the Another Rider transformation enveloped her, transforming her into Another Kikai.
"Let's see how you like that, I'll check up on your corpses later," Ora gave a wicked laugh as she walked over to Uhr.
Uhr managed to control his breathing, "Ora…"
"Don't think I did this for you," Ora said as she walked over and lifted him up, "I could care less about making this thing a King. But this should take care of most of our issues."
The two Time Jackers soon vanished after that, Ora likely going to take Uhr somewhere before inevitably returning.
Ruby gave a light shiver, "Weiss…?" She asked before shaking her head, "Weiss, fight it!"
Sougo meanwhile quickly rushed over, trying to grab onto Another Kikai, instead of trying to fight it he was trying to grab the face to rip it off. He was hoping that maybe despite it now being a Ridewatch the face was still a catalyst, "Come on Weiss! Take control and break free!"
Another Kikai simply smacked Sougo in the gut before charging electricity in its left arm, it then punched forward, a glyph forming as stream of electricity was unleashed from its hand.
Sougo could only yell out as he was thrown backwards against a rocky hill, giving a groan as he tried to push himself up. After falling the first time he quickly used Zi-O II's future sight to see what might happen before giving a gasp, "Tsukuyomi! Ruby! Watch out!"
Another Kikai gave a screech as it summoned a glyph above its head, launching out missiles through it. The wooden missiles were soon encased in ice as they all began to rain down towards Tsukuyomi and Ruby.
Ruby's eyes widened as she quickly dropped her weapon and used Petal Burst to get near Tsukuyomi, she held the time traveler close and hopped back before giving a whisper.
Tsukuyomi's eyes widened before giving a nod, whispering back as well.
The first missile impacted in front of them, spikes of ice forming an explosion pattern from where it hit. Oddly enough there seemed to be a delay with the others as for a few seconds any other shots didn't land until they suddenly did as the entire area around the two girls was now covered in ice.
Yang immediately pushed herself up and took a few steps forward, "Ruby!"
"Tsukuyomi!" Geiz yelled out as he took a few steps forward before falling to his knees. He turned towards Sougo, "Please… use that power… please… you need to use that power!"
"I… don't need to, this time," Sougo admitted as he managed to roll onto his stomach, coughing slightly.
"That was a close one!"
Everyone turned in surprise to see Ruby was kneeling on the ground with Tsukuyomi in her arms, silver petals falling all around them.
"Too close," Tsukuyomi gave a groan.
"Sorry, couldn't be sure just in case they were still watching…" Ruby trailed in a lower voice. She gave a wince as she set Tsukuyomi down, still recovering from the prior day.
The first missile impacted right in front of Ruby and Tsukuyomi, spikes of ice forming an explosion pattern from where it hit. The force from the ice formation had blown the two backwards, the rest of the missiles impacting near them and unleashing more spikes of ice that the two were caught in.
That was the future that Sougo had seen, so he knew he had to at least give a verbal warning to keep them at the ready. Thus he was able to change the outcome...
The first missile impacted in front of Ruby and Tsukuyomi, spikes of ice forming an explosion pattern from where it hit. Thanks to Ruby getting a slight distance away with Tsukuyomi via her quick hop, they weren't affected by the force of the ice formation. Tsukuyomi quickly swiped her hand forward, catching the remaining missiles via stopping time. Ruby then lifted up Tsukuyomi before giving a nod, the time traveler dismissing the time stop as Ruby used Petal Burst to rush out of the area.
Thanks to the warning he was able to ensure that the two were able to create that new future.
Sougo was relieved to say the least because he knew the two wouldn't have made it had they not been warned. And if that happened that meant using Zi-O II's time rewind, and that was something he never wanted to ever break out unless absolutely necessary. Call it a sense of failure, but even if he could rewind time, that guilt would still be with him and making a different outcome would only somewhat temper that guilt.
But there was still one issue…
"Geiz," Sougo called out more firmly. "I get it, why you froze like that… but you can't be afraid of what comes next. Believe in your future self!" He quickly drew out his Zikan Girade once more in its gun formation, taking aim and firing at Another Kikai to distract it, "Now go, we still have Yang!"
"He's right!" Yang called out as she held her arms out. "Do it!"
Geiz gave a nod and hurried over to Yang, "Right!"
Shiro-Woz rushed over, getting behind Yang and pressing the blank Ridewatch against her armored back. This action had caused the screen and keyboard to pop up again in front of Yang's chest plate.
"Will be the King…" Geiz trailed as he began typing down the password.
WILL BE THE KING
Authenticate Unlock
Yang gave a light wince as she felt her transformation growing weaker, her armor losing its color as energy poured from it into the Ridewatch that Shiro-Woz held. Soon enough the transformation shattered as Yang hunched over.
"I appreciate your cooperation," Shiro-Woz complemented.
Geiz went to help keep her from falling over, "Easy there."
Shiro-Woz gave a chuckle as he patted Yang on the shoulder, "Utterly magnificent, my savior! This is what we've been seeking!" He walked forward before activating the Kikai Miridewatch, swapping his personal one out with it.
[KIKAI! ACTION!]
Shiro-Woz got a good distance away from the two before initiating the form change.
[TOUEI! FUTURE TIME!]
Green rings surrounded Shiro-Woz as usual, the body enhancements for Kikai forming around him. The rings shifted colors to yellow as the enhancements attached themselves to him.
[DEKAI! HAKAI! GOKAI! FUTURERING KIKAI! KIKAI!]
Primarily mechanical yellow plating with various screws and joints was the theme this time, there being a few patches of gunmetal grey as well. His shoulder pads were more mechanical as well, these having a yellow screen with a wrench and screwdriver crossed together. He held a yellow rimmed faceplate alongside the forehead crest being two separate 'horns' that were small wrenches pointing upwards. Finally in yellow was the katakana for 'Kikai'.
Ruby gripped her fists tightly as she saw this, her head turning in surprise as she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Tsuki?" She asked.
"This was Yang's decision," Tsukuyomi reminded.
"I know but…" Ruby sighed. "I doubt Shiro-Woz is going to be gentle when it comes to helping Weiss."
Tsukuyomi firmed her grip up a bit, "And you'd be stupid to get in his way. Especially since you're still recovering from yesterday's beating."
"Let us begin," Shiro-Woz's visor flashed as he rushed forward.
Another Kikai brought out two glyphs, unleashing a storm of ice rocks through them to try and stop its opponent. To its surprise the Kamen Rider had simply braced, the Kikai Future Time enhancing his durability to the max.
Shiro-Woz gave a chuckle as he got close, dragging Another Kikai away and towards the more populated part of the construction area. That was due to there being several workers on some machinery nearby. The grouping of workers couldn't help but yelp and yell out in concern as they saw this.
Another Kikai could care less for this as it simply tried to brute force its way past Shiro-Woz once it saw its elemental attacks weren't working. Despite this its punches and swings could not even hope to break the Kamen Rider's durability as it was grabbed and then punched away.
"I suppose I should go gentle on you Miss Schnee," Shiro-Woz remarked before seeing the construction workers near him. His visor glowed as projections of various small tools erupted from his head crest, the tools floating towards the construction workers before entering their bodies.
The workers all panicked before they were hit by the projections, their bodies suddenly being enhanced and taken over as their eyes shined a bright blue.
"Let's go for a softer approach, gentlemen," Shiro-Woz chuckled as he swiped his finger.
The construction workers soon began to move around like machines themselves. They all grabbed whatever tools they could as they tried to rush and swarm Another Kikai. Despite their enhancements and their numbers, the grouping couldn't do much to affect Another Kikai.
Despite this Shiro-Woz brought out his Zikan Despear, keeping it in its spear mode as it was the most compatible with this form. He lunged in, striking Another Kikai in the chest and throwing it away.
"Thank you for your service," Shiro-Woz gave a salute as the workers passed out around him. He then rushed to follow the Another Rider, "Now then…"
[BEYOND THE TIME! FULL METAL BREAK!]
Shiro-Woz summoned two orange tipped hooks from his shoulder pads, the hooks launching forward on chains as they grabbed onto Another Kikai to reel it towards him.
[FINISH TIME! BAKURETSU DELANCE!]
Shiro-Woz had charged up his Despears finisher as well, readying it as it pulsed with yellow energy. He then gave a yell and lunged forward, his spear piercing against the approaching Another Kikai.
Another Kikai could only yell out as it was thrown backwards from the lance, it landing against the ground as it exploded. The explosion had burned away the wooden body alongside the parasite, both turning to ashes as they blew away.
The Kikai Anotherwatch dropped out of and rolled away from Weiss before it shattered.
Weiss herself could only fall to her knees, using her hands to keep herself from falling until her Aura broke completely. She gave a light moan as she fell onto her side.
"Weiss!"
Sougo and Ruby were the first to rush over to her, despite the pain they were currently feeling and the fact that they were visibly limping, they managed to fall near Weiss, kneeling next to her.
"Weiss are you alright?" Sougo asked as he shook his friend.
"Hang in there," Ruby called out.
Weiss coughed a bit but lifted herself up and gave a soft smile, "You dolts… you should be worrying about yourselves."
"Guess you're alright if you can call us that," Ruby admitted with a smile as she sat down, dismissing her transformation.
"Okay but seriously though some of that's your fault," Sougo pouted as he dismissed his transformation as he sat down.
"I can imagine," Weiss said before coughing a bit again.
Finis had managed to catch the very end of the fight, just after Tsukuyomi and Ruby had managed to avoid the icy explosions. They had been curious to see what Ora's tactic was and had to admit from what they could tell, it was fairly clever. Utilizing one of Roze's friends who managed to have strange supernatural abilities aside from their former Rider Powers allowed Another Kikai to become formidable. But in the end that didn't matter, because Another Kikai's defeat meant Swartz' new plan had failed.
The Time Jacker began to walk off while giving a smirk, "Now then, I suppose it's time we start moving forward… and I know just the place to start."
Shiro-Woz meanwhile couldn't help but give a smile at his latest acquisition. He had completed his goal as he had collected the Watches of Shinobi, Quiz and Kikai. Even with Zi-O II in play, once he had Geiz Revive on the field it wouldn't matter in the end.
"Shall we, my Savior?" Shiro-Woz asked.
"Do whatever the hell you want," Geiz scoffed before taking off on his own.
Tsukuyomi stared at Geiz before giving a bow in Ruby's direction, quietly taking off after her friend.
"Hmm, cold shoulder still…" Shiro-Woz remarked.
"Doesn't matter too much, you can track him down," Yang remarked as she walked over to Shiro-Woz, "Let's head back."
"Very well," Shiro-Woz said as he took off.
Sougo could only watch forlornly as he watched both parties take off, he couldn't help but feel a bit down since it seemed like everyone was growing further apart.
Ruby meanwhile stared at the dirt she was sitting on. She was starting to wonder if her methods and actions during these Another Rider incidents had done more harm than good. She also wondered if everyone was just destined to split up and eventually fight each other.
"Don't worry you two," Weiss said, seeing how the two looked. She picked herself up further and put her hands on her friend's shoulders, "We'll figure something out."
The two Riders could only look up at their friend and both give a nod at her words.
Dream Earth – 2121
Kikai continued to kneel on the ground, his body stationary as his eyes were still darkened. He had no awareness and wasn't even active. So he could not react to Sougo slowly but surely walking over with Maruko and the other kids.
Sougo remained silent as he placed his hand against the mechanical Riders chest, the keyboard and screen projections being brought out. He then began typing out the password…
WILL BE THE BFF
Authenticate Unlock
Blue circuit lines flashed over Kikai's body before the armor itself turned blue and disappeared, the transformation disengaging. Rento looked up in surprise as he saw Sougo kneeling near him.
Rento could only stare, "Sougo…?" He then fully raised his head and gave a smile, "Maruko, everyone!"
"Rento!"
Maruko and the other kids quickly rushed over as Rento stood up, the group exchanging various hugs with him as they all circled around him.
Sougo couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, glad to see that at least in this dream world, there was a happy ending of sorts.
"Thank you, Sougo," Rento gave a smile before giving a thumbs-up. "You really are my BFF."
"I really am…?" Sougo asked as he instinctively returned the thumbs-up with his own, "What do you mean?"
Sougo wouldn't get an answer as Rento, Maruko, and the others simply waved him goodbye as the world around them began to fade into white. Sougo himself grew drowsier and drowsier as he hung his head and exited the dream world.
Earth – Mid February 2019
One Day after the Another Kikai Incident…
As it turned out, Sougo had somehow managed to fall asleep on his make-up, make-up exam. Slowly coming to the realization of where he was he suddenly jolted awake in shock. He looked around before grasping his pen, "Oh, dang…! I was retaking my makeup exam! I'm outta time…!"
The supervising teacher that was there could only stare in horror as he pushed his head underneath his hands while leaning on his desk.
Sougo however suddenly noticed something odd, "Huh?" He gave a smile as mostly everything on the sheet somehow made sense. So much sense that he knew what answers to put almost instantly. His fear turned to joy as he began racing through the exam and jotting down what he believed were the right answers.
Ruby, Weiss and Woz were currently waiting along one of the paths that Sougo would take home from school. The trio was very curious as to how Sougo had done on the retake of his make-up exam, well, at least for Ruby and Woz. Weiss herself was currently pacing around frantically hoping that Sougo had managed to at least barely pass.
The two could hear a bike being pushed before seeing Sougo happily muttering to himself.
Woz gave a neutral expression, "You seem pleased, my Overlord."
"Please tell me this means what I think it means?" Weiss asked in a hopeful tone.
"Did you do it?" Ruby asked as she had to keep from jumping up and down, "Did you do it?!"
"Check it out, all the questions I dreamed about were on the exam!" Sougo called out in joy as he held out the exam paper. Right on the top was the score he had gotten, 87 points.
"One would hope your visions were more reliable…" Woz remarked.
"Who cares he passed! He passed!" Ruby called out as she jumped in joy.
Weiss could only give an exasperated sigh of relief, "Honestly… I should smack you for mentioning you probably cheated… but I can only imagine what helped was you drilling those equations into your head."
"Hey, but either way now I can graduate!" Sougo called out before pushing his bike forward with Woz following behind him. The future king couldn't help but chuckle a bit, "Uncle's gonna be so happy!"
"Heck yeah, we should celebrate!" Ruby called out as she pumped her fist in the air, following her friend.
"That does sound nice," Weiss admitted as she walked after the others.
Watching them from afar however were both Geiz and Tsukuyomi who had both just finished packing up and taking their stuff to the Daitenku Temple.
"Huh, good for him," Geiz remarked as he crossed his arms, "Tsukuyomi, how did you end up figuring out the real password?"
"It was written on Sougo's childhood toy robot," Tsukuyomi explained. "It didn't hit me until he told me the wrong password."
Geiz raised an eyebrow, realizing that it was the same robot he had seen, "A toy robot?"
"I didn't realize it at first, but then Sougo mentioned a dream he had at Brunswick," Tsukuyomi started as she began to pace around. "He had seen what appeared to be Shinobi, Quiz and Kikai before they all appeared via the remainder of Team RWBY. It was days before they properly appeared, and then Shiro-Woz showed up not long after that."
"You mean…" Geiz trailed as he suddenly started putting the pieces together.
"Sougo's power goes far beyond than just seeing into the future, he might be able to reshape the future as well," Tsukuyomi explained. "Add in the fact that this was right after he was revealed as an Overlord, with the rest of Team RWBY getting notable buffs to their Aura, stamina and strength, and Geiz Revive in general… I think he made a failsafe."
"A failsafe…" Geiz realized. "Are you telling me the entirety of the Geiz Revive timeline is a failsafe in case he becomes Oma Zi-O?"
"It's the only theory that makes sense," Tsukuyomi replied before looking towards her friend, "After all he entrusted you with taking him down if things turned out for the worst."
"There you guys are."
Geiz and Tsukuyomi turned as it was Yang who had called them, walking over with Blake.
"I'm surprised you two are by yourselves," Geiz narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms, "Thought you'd be attached to Shiro-Woz's coattails."
Blake heard this and looked to the side. She knew she couldn't argue since she knew her and Yang had been extra vocal about their stances lately.
Yang narrowed her eyes, "What's that supposed to mean?"
"I mean… you did go with him when it came to taking Blake somewhere safe," Tsukuyomi reminded.
"I was admittedly surprised by it too," Blake said, "But he didn't do anything if that's what you were wondering."
"My point still stands," Geiz replied as he looked over to Yang, "Your apartment was a perfectly safe place to be."
"With what I was attempting to pull, I figured I wouldn't be welcome back anyway," Yang shrugged.
"I swear," Geiz turned away with a groan.
"Ah yes, everyone is gathered."
The four looked over to see Shiro-Woz approaching with a smug grin on his face.
"My savior, the Day of Oma draws closer," Shiro-Woz spoke up as he held out the three Miridewatches in both hands, the three Miridewatches forming a pyramid as they began to glow and resonate with each other.
The Watches then floated upwards, spreading apart from each other and creating connecting lines between each of them, forming a triangle. A ball of light formed between the three Watches before launching out, landing in Geiz' hand.
In his hand was a Blank Ridewatch, but not like anything anyone there had ever seen. It was in the shape of an hourglass, it having a dull metal frame with a glass hourglass shape in the center. Of course on the back was a circular port that would allow it to be used on the Ziku Driver.
Yang could only stare in awe, "Whoa…"
"So this is it?" Blake asked.
"Yes," Shiro-Woz smiled, "Now take up the power of Geiz Revive."
"Geiz Revive…" Geiz trailed as he stared at the Blank Ridewatch.
"With all that in order I believe we should take our leave," Shiro-Woz said as he began to walk off, walking a bit farther before noticing something. He turned to see that no one was following him, Geiz and Tsukuyomi were surprised to see that Blake and Yang were not moving from their spots.
"What?" Yang asked, "I only took Blake with you because you seemed like the safest option at the time."
"Then what were your advances earlier?" Shiro-Woz asked, "I thought we were allied?"
"I wanted you to take my power so you could make Geiz Revive," Yang replied, "As far as I'm concerned you did, and that's all I wanted out of you."
"So you do not wish to stop the tyranny of Oma Zi-O?" Shiro-Woz asked, "Him and his terrifying power?"
"Oh we're absolutely against Oma Zi-O," Blake spoke up, "But we'll worry about him on our own."
"Exactly," Yang said, "As far as we're concerned now that Geiz has Geiz Revive there's no reason for us to be anywhere near you."
"You two…" Geiz muttered as he heard this, it wasn't as bad as he feared but he still didn't like that the two weren't giving Sougo a chance.
"How careless…" Shiro-Woz gritted his teeth as he was clearly displeased by the fact the two had chosen not to truly ally themselves with him. But he could do nothing more but turn and walk off.
Elsewhere Swartz was currently taking in the view of the city, his Another Riders had failed and thus Shiro-Woz was one step closer to his personal Day of Oma.
"I guess it's time to use this…" Swartz said as he stared at the Anotherwatch in his hand.
In his hand was a white helmeted Another Rider with a red face, white eyes devoid of pupils and visible teeth staring back at him. The head crest were a pair of clock hands as underneath the eyes was the date and year of the Another Rider.
The named read Zi-O, while the year was labeled as 2019.
[ZI-O!]
"A good plan, but what's a future king without a queen?" Finis asked as they walked behind Swartz, giving a smile as they held an Anotherwatch in their hand.
The face of this Another Rider held gritted open teeth as well, the front of the helmet bearing a resemblance to a twisted maroon colored rose, two narrow silver eyes peeking out from within the ridges of the rose.
[ROZE!]
Swartz could only turn before giving a chuckle, staring past Finis and looking at the reflection of a glass window that was on the roof they were on. "Is that so?" He asked before walking forward, "Well then I suppose in this case, you won't be taking no for an answer."
The reflection showed a girl covered from head to toe in a red cloak and hood. The girl lifted up her head and flashed a dark smile as piercing yellow iris' could be seen as the color of her eyes.
"I told you that you'd regret your words, Ruby Rose…"
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Welcome, welcome!"
"Intruder, state your business!"
"A Queen needs her subjects."
"Someone's targeting the birthplaces of prior Another Riders."
"It's as you said, I'm not you."
Chapter 46: The Queen's First Move 2019
Author's Note: The Another Kikai set of chapters was an interesting one where I chose to keep the dream plot of Sougo discovering things. I felt like it was too ingrained into the plot to just get rid of it. Plus the idea of Sougo having a robot best buddy is good to have when thinking about eventual future events… hint, hint. So enhancing certain areas, such as the references in the dream sequences was my goal. As was making Another Kikai one of the more dangerous Another Riders out there with its ability to assimilate the host and make use of their abilities, like it did with Blake and Weiss.
A lot of people are asking about RWBY and potential replacement Rider Powers. With Yang having lost Kikai I will say I do for sure have something planned to help them compensate for the loss of their powers. Though that'll come in due time, and thankfully a bit sooner now that Roze has weekly releases compared to if I released this twice a month. But right now, we've got a big business as we start up Another Zi-O's set of episodes. But of course it's not just Another Zi-O if you paid attention to the end of the final scene.
One last thing though, we'll be having an Interlude Chapter this coming Monday, so look forward to it. And just like last times Interlude, this one is going to be different from the usual ones. But of course it'll also be different from the last one. I decided to play around with these two latest Interlude Chapters in terms of like, what to include really. That being said, thanks for reading and I'll see you all next time.