Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 99 – 2019: Heisei Oni, Reiwa Oni
It was empty back at Kyosuke's training area as Woz was nowhere to be seen near the drums. No, due to Blake and Yang's comments he was currently on the ground outside the drumming area. He was lying on his stomach in a depressive state, and yet he had to continue his role. Giving a grunt he brought his book close to him.
"As it is written in this book…" Woz gasped out as he managed to pick himself up, "Rejoice, for the day of birth… Sougo Tokiwa's birthday has arrived. He embarks on a path which will lead him to become the overlord of time, Oma Zi-O."
He paced around the training area though he was slightly distracted.
"In order to obtain the power of an overlord, he has sought to claim the remaining six Ridewatches," Woz explained, "He had met Kyosuke Kiriya who claimed to be Hibiki. And yet, Miss Schnee and Young Tsukuyomi ended up encountering the real Hibiki who has appeared to aid them in their current battle as the strange legendary Makamou Gyuki appear before them all…"
Earth – April 28th 2019
Everyone could only stare in awe at Armed Hibiki, even Uhr was impressed though even that wasn't enough for him to completely forget why he was here. But before he could even think of doing anything he gasped as time was frozen around him, keeping him in place.
"I'm not letting you do anything else," Tsukuyomi glared while she had her hand out. She was helped over to the battle by Penny, helping her brace. Penny had also slung the unconscious Weiss over her shoulder in order to keep the Huntress close by, "Hibiki, do it now!"
Hibiki nodded before taking the front blade of the Armed Saber and shifting it down to reveal a speaker, holding it horizontally. He then shouted into the Armed Saber, unleashing a fiery sound wave that split off into four, each wave capturing the Gyuki and moving them towards Another Hibiki and Uhr. He then held it vertically, "Fierce Spirits' Rousing Howl!"
He started from a low to a high yell before performing a horizontal slash, golden red energy arcing outwards and striking the captured Gyuki. Four explosions occurred, Uhr and Another Hibiki being caught in them and being thrown against the ground.
"Ah!" Uhr yelled out as he was covered in a few scorch marks and scratches, "I'll remember this!"
Tsukuyomi breathed a slight sigh of relief when Uhr had managed to pick himself up and speed away. That at least meant that he wasn't going to go after Hibiki for the moment.
Another Hibiki was on the ground but got on a defensive stance as it realized it was outnumbered. Especially since the Gyuki had been defeated. Though there was definitely something peculiar about the Gyuki themselves.
When the smoke cleared, much to Hibiki and Todoroki's shock, there were four young men there in place of the Gyuki.
"No way…" Todoroki said.
"What?" Roze asked, "What's wrong?"
"It was as I feared, those were all young men who failed to become Oni," Hibiki said as he stared at the fallen men, "But that is strange… it supposedly takes an Oni falling to bloodlust to trigger the transformation… so why?"
Another Hibiki yelled out as a dark fiery aura appeared over its body. Soon enough all the young men opened their eyes wide, their eyes shining purple. They were all engulfed in purple flames as their bodies shifted and began bulking up before they were all transformed into Gyuki once more.
"Failures… stick together…" Another Hibiki spoke up in a strained voice as the Gyuki walked past it. It gathered fire in its kanabo sticks before slamming them into the ground, kicking up a massive smoke cloud that concealed their movements. By the time the smoke cleared, the Another Rider and Gyuki had fully fled the scene.
Everyone could only stare in stunned silence as they watched this occur, well everyone accept for Kyosuke.
"Tsutomu!" Kyosuke yelled out as he stood up, staggering forward and falling only to get caught in time. He looked over to see that Hibiki had caught him. He quickly pulled away and leaned against a tree, "I'm fine."
Hibiki didn't say anything as he and the other Oni dismissed their transformations alongside Geiz and Roze.
"Huh? Penny?" Weiss soon regained consciousness as she realized where she was, "Why are you carrying me?"
"Oh good, you are awake," Penny said as she set Weiss down, "To make sure no one attacked you."
"Oh, thanks," Weiss said.
"Are you alright?" Sougo asked as he hurried over to Kyosuke.
Kyosuke brushed off the concern, "Don't worry about me-"
"Kyosuke!" Todoroki called out, "Did you forget the Oni code? The mentor is responsible for an apprentice's mistakes. That is our code."
Kyosuke gave a frustrated look, "You don't need to remind me about-"
"If it happens again… you know they'll send an Oni Hunter," Todoroki replied, "You're soft. Maybe that's why Hibiki never passed his title onto you."
"Shut up!" Kyosuke called out.
"Now, now," Hibiki raised his hands as he got between the two, "Let's not go that far."
"But isn't it true?" Todoroki asked, "It's to the point where he never received a name to call his own."
"That may be true," Hibiki said before glancing at Kyosuke, "But I think you're discrediting him far too much. Even he realizes the gravity of the situation at hand."
"You and I can easily handle it," Todoroki told the older man.
"Uh… not really," Ruby said as she managed to move over to the group with Geiz. She awkwardly rubbed the back of her neck, "See, an Another Rider can only be defeated by the corresponding Ridewatch or an upgraded one. Even if Hibiki was to defeat Another Hibiki, it wouldn't change a thing."
"Seriously…?" Todoroki questioned before sighing and walking off, "Do what you need to then. If you need any more info you know where to find me."
"But wait I used Zi-O II," Sougo spoke up, "Why didn't it work and free Tsutomu?"
"Yeah, I noticed that too," Geiz said.
"It might have to do with the Gyuki," Hibiki admitted as he put a hand to his chin in thought, "It might relate to how that Another Hibiki was able to bring them back."
"How the heck are we supposed to stop them then?" Ruby asked.
"Well that's hard since it's connected to this Another Rider you mentioned," Hibiki mused a bit, "And that's not counting that this is the first time this World has seen Gyuki…"
"Wait, what do you mean?" Geiz asked.
"You all have met Tsukasa Kadoya right?" Hibiki asked before continuing, "He's a bit unruly but he told me he traveled to a world of Oni Riders once. He mentioned that there was a monstrous beast known as Gyuki there."
"Huh, so Tsukasa might have the answer then…" Ruby muttered, "Looks like we'll have to go and ask him."
"Then I'll leave it to you," Hibiki said before walking over towards where Todoroki had left, "I'll also leave Kyosuke in your hands."
"Whatever," Kyosuke went to dust himself off, taking out the blank Ridewatch and tossing it back to Sougo who caught it, "What now?"
Finis was currently viewing the current situation, watching as Another Hibiki and the Gyuki horde wandered through a warehouse district. At first there didn't seem to be anyone there but in fact there was one man. He groaned out as he stumbled into view before yelling out, his body being bathed in purple flames as he became the fifth Gyuki.
"So do Another Riders usually make their own armies?"
Finis looked back, "Good of you to join me, Cinder."
"I figured I'd see how you all operate," Cinder admitted, deciding to play things out more patiently for the time being, "What happened to Uhr?"
"He got hurt in his attempted ambush so I'm overseeing the rest of it for him," Finis said, "Or at least pretending to."
"You don't really think much of this Another Rider idea either, huh?" Cinder asked.
"While it's an interesting idea, even the first attempt when he tried it with Another Agito failed spectacularly," Finis remarked before looking upwards, "So I'll allow the Riders to claim their victory on this one. I'd like to see more of what Roze and her forms are capable of."
"Right, well if you need me I won't be here," Cinder said as she walked off.
Finis meanwhile let out a small smirk, "We're counting down now Swartz… how I wonder what you'll do as we get closer to the end."
Sougo had decided to take Kyosuke back to 9-5-DO, Geiz, Tsukuyomi and Weiss tagging along as Ruby and Penny rendezvoused with Blake and Yang to go find Tsukasa. Once there, Junichiro had gone to serve Kyosuke some tea though was intimidated by him a bit.
This was because Kyosuke was sitting at the front table with a sour expression, his arms crossed.
"Here you are," Junichiro set the cup of tea down, glancing over and seeing Geiz, Tsukuyomi and Weiss standing on the other side of the table, clearly not amused by Kyosuke. Junichiro backed up before accidentally bumping into his nephew. He quietly apologized before looking over at Kyosuke, "Sougo, that guy's an Oni?"
"Yep, but a nameless one," Sougo explained.
Junichiro gave a nod, "He doesn't look as freaky as I pictured."
"He's not like, an actual Oni," Sougo admitted as he thought about how to describe it, "The Oni themselves are like a class of Rider. They train hard, purify evil, and celebrate nature… or something like that."
"Oh I see," Junichiro said as with an impressed tone before slapping his bicep, "I'll have to go all out with his meal in that case!"
Sougo couldn't help but smile at his Uncle's excitement before turning back to witness the scene in front of him.
"So when do we get answers?" Geiz asked.
"Why did you lie to them?" Weiss asked.
"Exactly," Geiz remarked in an annoyed fashion as he sat down across from the nameless Oni, "You had us go through your training but you're not even Hibiki, so what now?"
"I don't owe any of you an answer," Kyosuke said in an abrasive manner, "And I'd appreciate you staying out of my business."
"So this is just a game to you then?" Weiss asked, noticing she managed to get a glare out of Kyosuke, "Because you sure act like it is. You may not think what we do is important but it actually is, and you wasting their time does more harm than good."
"Like I said…" Kyosuke gave a groan, "Stay out of-"
"Tsutomu Tsuzumiya," Sougo spoke up from where he was, "He was a classmate of mine."
This caught Kyosuke off guard and looked over, "He was?"
"He always talked about his mentor, Hibiki…" Sougo said as he walked over, "That's you, isn't it?"
"No comment," Kyosuke turned away.
"This is getting us nowhere," Geiz called out as he leaned back in his seat.
"I agree," Weiss gave a nod.
"Actually, maybe Todoroki can help," Tsukuyomi suggested, "Plus wasn't Hibiki heading off in the same direction to?"
"We could definitely use that Ridewatch," Weiss agreed.
"Geiz, can we leave him here with you?" Sougo asked.
Geiz thought about it for a bit before nodding, "Sure."
"Let's go," Sougo said, as Weiss and Tsukuyomi nodded.
The three went to exit only for Woz to nearly plow them over as he despondently sat on the bench next to the entrance.
"What's wrong…?" Sougo asked.
"Nothing…" Woz muttered.
"Ignore him. Let's hurry," Tsukuyomi said, figuring that Woz was worrying over Sougo's Birthday still.
"Wanna tag along, Woz?" Sougo asked.
"I fear I have more pressing concerns…" Woz responded.
"Forget all that," Sougo smiled as he forced Woz to stand before pushing his retainer out of the door, "C'mon, let's go!"
"Some fresh air might do him some good," Weiss admitted as she followed with Tsukuyomi. Admittedly she was a bit glad for Another Hibiki showing up given she still wasn't sure what she'd get Sougo for his Birthday. And while the case was definitely helping distract her, this sudden slow down in progress did make her think back to it occasionally.
Ruby meanwhile had led Penny, Blake and Yang over to where Tsukasa was based, the Hikari Studio. Summer had thankfully given them where to find them once they all returned to Earth. So that meant Ruby and Yang could come check up on Summer whenever needed, as well as have an information spot in case they needed something from Tsukasa.
Currently, Tsukasa was not in the studio at the moment. But Natsumi and her grandfather were, Eijiro going to serve the group some tea for them to drink up. The four were currently meeting with Summer as they were lounging in the main studio/living area.
"So Hibiki's the next one," Summer said as she took a sip of her tea.
"Yeah, sorry if it isn't exactly a casual visit," Yang apologized.
"Oh no, please don't worry about that," Summer shook her head, "I'm more than happy to help in whatever you all need… though I'm unsure how much help I can be."
"Anything will help," Ruby said, "Hibiki said that Tsukasa mentioned a World of Oni he visited and that he ran into a Gyuki?"
"The World of Hibiki actually," Natsumi corrected, "And yes, there was a Gyuki."
"So what exactly was Gyuki, and how was it defeated?" Blake asked.
"Well given what you said, I'm not sure how much this will help," Natsumi admitted, "But Gyuki was that world's Hibiki, or the former Hibiki. He had mentioned how he lost his heart to the Oni, likely because he became too vicious. But before his soul could be lost forever, he was struck down."
"Oh dear," Penny gave a light gasp.
"So how was he struck down?" Ruby asked, "What method did Tsukasa use?"
"Tsukasa didn't do it," Natsumi shook her head, "It was actually the former Hibki's student, Asumu. Asumu succeeded Hibiki and put his soul to rest."
"But that doesn't make sense," Yang put a hand to her chin, "Hibiki defeated four Gyuki and they still came back after that."
"Came back?" Summer asked.
"Yeah, Hibiki turned them back to normal only for them to become monsters again," Ruby explained, "Not to mention Another Hibiki's Watch didn't break despite Sougo using Zi-O II."
"Seems like you all are missing a few things," Tsukasa said from the doorway, managing to catch everyone's attention, "Explain to me every detail of what happened and ignore anything about what you just learned. I need to get the gist of it."
Despite Woz's apathy, the group was able to make good time in returning towards the camp site that Todoroki had set up. Weiss was somewhat lost in thought as she still was trying to figure out what to get for Sougo. While she did know him, she didn't really know what he'd consider a nice gift. Tsukuyomi noticed this but was at least glad that Weiss seemed to be the more reasonable of the two in how she went about things.
'I have lost all grasp of the meaning of rejoice…' Woz thought to himself as he stared at the ground.
Sougo admittedly noticed this about the two of his friends but pegged Weiss' deep thinking as her thinking about the current situation. What he knew wasn't normal was Woz.
"What's wrong, Woz?" Sougo asked, "You're acting all weird. I'm here if you need to talk."
"But you can't talk to him about it, can you?" Tsukuyomi asked in a teasing voice.
"What do you mean?" Sougo asked.
"She means nothing at all!" Weiss blurted out before blushing and looking away.
Tsukuyomi couldn't help but snicker at Weiss getting flustered.
"Please leave the matter be, my Overlord," Woz insisted in his dull state before looking off into the distance, "This is a battle within myself, and I must come from it victorious. And then, before days end…!"
"Okay, sure…" Sougo gave a nod, not understanding but realizing that Woz needed some time to think.
The four soon made their way over towards the campsite where Todoroki was fishing, Hibiki nearby as the two were currently catching up. As they approached Weiss couldn't help but take in the atmosphere again, there was something about the area that felt refreshing. It admittedly helped calm her nerves a bit when it came to worrying about Sougo.
The two Oni soon noticed the group coming over.
"Yo," Hibiki gave his trademark salute and a smile.
"What brings you kids here?" Todoroki asked.
"We were hoping to get a bit more information on the situation," Tsukuyomi admitted, "About Kyosuke and why he'd lie about being Hibiki."
"Yeah, especially since you know…" Sougo gestured towards Hibiki himself, "Hibiki is a person who is still around."
"It's actually a title," Hibiki explained, "We all have our own names but once we reach a certain point in our training we receive a code name of sorts that we embrace fully. It symbolizes us abandoning our old lives, essentially."
"Abandoning your old lives?" Weiss asked.
"Being an Oni is a way of life and it's not easy to attain in the slightest," Hibiki explained, "We train hard to overcome our weaknesses and dedicate our lives to protecting the people from the Makamou. Kyosuke was a student of mine who trained under me, he eventually became an Oni back in the day, but he never did earn his name."
"That's why I called him a nameless Oni," Todoroki said as he kept his eye on his line, "He couldn't even succeed Hibiki either…"
"Training huh…" Sougo mused, recalling some of Tsutomu's writings, "So in a sense, him claiming to be Hibiki wasn't completely false to some degree…"
Hibiki couldn't help but give an amused smirk, already figuring what Sougo was picking up on just from a glance.
"I wouldn't go that far," Todoroki remarked in an almost insulted manner, "He claimed to be Hibiki when he never earned the title. And not to mention taking on an apprentice, it's a mockery, especially to Hibiki himself."
"You really need to stop building me up," Hibiki said as he stared up at the sky, "I'm just an ordinary Oni who trains hard is all."
"But Hibiki, it's true!" Todoroki argued.
"I suppose in some sense I am strong enough to warrant that attention," Hibiki admitted, "But sometimes I feel like that causes my image to grow too big. As a result I end up casting a large shadow over those, especially Kyosuke… and something like that can cause more harm than good."
"Huh," Todoroki paused at the explanation, "I never really thought about it like that."
"Do you not have an apprentice, Todoroki?" Tsukuyomi asked, the topic on apprentices and succession peaking her curiosity.
"I don't think I'm ready for one," Todoroki admitted, "Like Hibiki said, we train hard to overcome our weaknesses. Not only do I think I'm not that great of a teacher, the student has to be in the right mindset for it."
"You seriously put yourself down too much," Hibiki said, "I'm sure you'd make a fine master."
"Weaknesses…" Sougo muttered, that word was coming up often enough to where he got an idea, "Hey Woz, why don't you be Todoroki's apprentice, just for today?"
Woz stared in confusion, "My Overlord, whatever-"
"Don't worry!" Sougo said as he hurried over and presented Woz to Todoroki.
"No wait, I'm not prepared to take on an apprentice…" Todoroki insisted.
"Could you please make an exception?" Sougo asked as he gave a bow, "Just for a day?"
Todoroki could only stare in disbelief, "Seriously, I can't…"
"You should go for it," Hibiki said, "Think of it as a test run."
"Eh?" Todoroki turned in shock, "You too?!"
"Please, he'll be a good boy!" Sougo called out as he presented Woz further before forcing him to bow slightly.
"Sougo he isn't a dog…" Weiss muttered as she stared at him.
"I swear…" Tsukuyomi rolled her eyes.
"Fine, fine," Todoroki called out, "I'll do it!"
"Sweet, then we should try and figure out what to do next," Sougo said, "Ruby and the others are gathering the information… meaning we should try and find Tsutomu."
"You two go ahead," Weiss said, she wanted to stay in the area longer to think but didn't really want to say that. Luckily she had the perfect excuse, "I'll stay and keep an eye on everyone here just in case Uhr tries to come back."
"Good idea," Sougo pointed at her before taking out his Faizphone X and tossing it her way, "Here you go."
"Thanks," Weiss caught it, "Call me if anything comes up."
"You too," Sougo said as he began to walk off with Tsukuyomi.
At 9-5-DO, Kyosuke and Geiz were currently having lunch with Junichiro, the clock shop owner having made a big lunch only to find out that most of the residents were out at the moment. It was fairly balanced, grilled fish, vegetables, a hardboiled egg, and some rice on the side.
"And after I worked so hard on this meal…" Junichiro said as he went to sit down next to Geiz who was giving thanks, "Where'd they run off to?"
"Trying to figure out how we can end this Another Hibiki deal today," Geiz said before going to eat from his plate.
"Ah right, those Another Riders sure are bad news," Junichiro said, recalling the mention of them and the Time Jackers from when the whole situation was explained to him, "Still, you kids will figure out something."
"Thanks," Geiz said, glad to have the support.
Kyosuke meanwhile audibly let his utensils drop after taking a few bites, staring at his food.
"Oh, was it not to your liking?" Junichiro asked.
"It could use a bit more salt," Kyosuke said, "Could you bring me some?"
"Actually, I've got some of the fancy stuff! I'll be right back," Junichiro smiled and hurried over to the kitchen, "Where did I put it…?"
"How demanding…" Geiz remarked before taking a bite of his meal.
Kyosuke meanwhile noticed a book off to the side, it being the yearbook that Junichiro had brought out earlier in the day.
"What's this?" Kyosuke asked as he picked it up.
"Your apprentice put his hopes in there," Geiz mentioned between bites, "He's in Class 3."
Kyosuke managed to navigate through the book to the right class, soon finding Tsutomu's writing.
"My dream is to become an Oni. My mentor is an incredible Oni named Hibiki. Hibiki is my hero. One day, I will become a great Oni too…"
Geiz noticed that Kyosuke soon shut the book and stood up, to which he raised an eyebrow, "Where are you going?"
"It's none of your business," Kyosuke said before walking out of the dining room and heading for the door.
Geiz put his utensils down before following after Kyosuke.
"Found it! This here's the good stuff!" Junichiro called out as he hurried out of the kitchen only to see an empty dining room, "Jeez, they really are busy, huh?"
"Hmm, I think I see your problem," Tsukasa said as he paced around the Hikari Studio's main room.
"You do?" Blake asked.
"And what exactly is our problem?" Yang raised an eyebrow.
"First, Another Hibiki could not be destroyed in the surefire way," Tsukasa held up a finger, "And second, despite being transformed into Makamou, Hibiki should have saved those failed Oni. After all, do you remember Another Agito?"
"That's right," Ruby realized, "Whenever an Another Agito was destroyed it freed the host but they didn't revert back to the Another Rider form."
"Bingo," Tsukasa said, "Therefore the answer is simple… you need to defeat all of your opponents at once. If even a single one remains, you'll have to start all over again."
"Ugh… sounds like bad video game logic," Yang slumped forward.
"But how exactly do we defeat all of them at once?" Penny asked.
"Now we head back to our discussion of the World of Hibiki," Tsukasa said, deciding now was the time to backtrack, "While Gyuki was defeated by Hibiki alone, that's not where the journey ended. Before I can explain, I need to impart with you a gift."
"A gift…?" Ruby asked.
"Summer, do you still have the deck of old cards I gave you?" Tsukasa asked.
"Yeah, in my room," Summer gave a nod, "Why?"
"There are some particular cards inside that I need to give Ruby," Tsukasa said.
Another Hibiki had attacked yet again, and while it's horde of Gyuki were not with it, one of the victims in the attack was another failed Oni. The failed Oni could only scream out as he transformed into Gyuki, soon roaring and beginning to rampage. Kyosuke was in the area, transforming into his Oni form to deal with it. Geiz was also nearby, calling Tsukuyomi before rushing in himself.
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER GEIZ!]
Geiz shoved Kyosuke out of the way before going for several punches against Another Hibiki to overwhelm it. He was ready to keep moving in when he was grabbed and shoved away.
"Stop, get off him!" Kyosuke called out only to give a grunt as he was slammed away by Another Hibiki who had swung at him. Despite this he rushed forward and grabbed Another Hibiki, "Snap out of it, Tsutomu! Remember where an Oni's pride comes from!"
Geiz grabbed onto Kyosuke and pulled him away, "Idiot, do you really think that's going to work?"
Another Hibiki could only watch as both Geiz and Kyosuke were tripping over themselves trying to pull the other away from fighting it. Getting fed up it yelled out and enhanced its kanabo sticks with fire, extending them and slashing forward.
Geiz and Kyosuke both yelled out as they were thrown backwards, being sent tumbling away from it. Both Riders were ready to get up and prepared themselves for Another Hibiki when the Gyuki that had formed rammed into both of them, yelling and thrashing about.
Sougo and Tsukuyomi had quickly ran over at this point, the two readying their Ziku Drivers and Ridewatches.
"Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME!]
[KAMEN RIDER~! (RIDER~!) ZI-O! (ZI-O!) ZI-O~! II!]
[KAMEN~ RI~DER~ TSUKU~YOMI! TSU-KU-YO-MI!]
Both Zi-O and Tsukuyomi charged forward, Zi-O brandishing his Saikyo Girade while Tsukuyomi brought out her Zikan Girade Tsu in gun mode. The two rushed for Another Hibiki who was trying to use Gyuki as a distraction to hit both Geiz and Kyosuke.
Tsukuyomi shot first, managing to hit Another Hibiki to force it to stop. Zi-O then rushed in, slashing with the Saikyo Girade to force it to step back and away from the other fight.
Kyosuke saw this and gasped, shoving Gyuki into Geiz and rushing over, "Stop, keep your hands off my apprentice!"
"Tsutomu was my classmate!" Zi-O called out as he slashed against Another Hibiki to force it to its knees, he then turned to address Kyosuke, "I'm gonna save him! That's why I have to fight him!"
Another Hibiki noticed Zi-O's back was turned and rushed forward only to get shot in the eyes by Tsukuyomi, forcing it to kneel and hold its face.
"Sougo!" Tsukuyomi called out.
"Right," Zi-O switched the Saikyo Girade from Rider Face to Best Face mode, gathering a rainbow of colored energy in the blade, "Maybe we can at least slow him down!"
[ZI-O SAIKYO! HAOU GIRI!]
Kyosuke felt his heart skip a beat and without hesitation immediately ran forward, getting between Zi-O's slash and Another Hibiki. He yelled out as he grabbed the blade with his arms, the blade barely digging into his chest.
Zi-O immediately stopped putting force on his swing and began to pull away as Geiz and Tsukuyomi looked over in shock.
Another Hibiki stared at this before running off and giving a yell, the Gyuki responding to it and rushing off as well.
Geiz growled as he watched them run off, too annoyed to give chase at the moment.
Kyosuke meanwhile fell to the ground, losing his Oni transformation and winced as Zi-O dismissed his transformation.
Tsukuyomi hurried over, dismissing her transformation alongside Geiz.
"Are you okay?" She asked.
"Obviously not," Kyosuke remarked.
"Sorry," Sougo said, not liking that he had attacked a fellow Rider like that.
"You don't need to apologize," Geiz said, "It's his fault."
"You want to save Tsutomu, right?" Sougo asked, "We'll help you."
"Leave it be," Kyosuke insisted as he got up and limped off, though he didn't get far and simply sat on some steps overlooking the water.
Weiss was currently watching Woz "train" with Todoroki. And by train, it was essentially Woz doing some meager jobs like laundry as well as setting up a fire so that Todoroki could cook up some fish he caught.
"This is the last thing I should be doing…" Woz groaned as he sat down, his coat wrapped around his waist, wearing a dirtied white shirt with a white cloth around his head to keep his hair and sweat out of his eyes.
"Then what is it you want to do?" Todoroki asked as he went to set some of the firewood in the rocks that Woz had set up.
"I want… to celebrate," Woz said, "But I'm not sure how, anymore…"
"That sounds simple enough," Todoroki admitted.
"Simple…?" Woz repeated, "No celebration suitable for my Overlord's birth could ever be phrased as simple."
"My mentor was always by my side, until the day he died," Todoroki explained, "I often stop and think… what should I say to him if he was still here? What I could do to help him."
"I fail to see the correlation," Woz said, unsure of where this was going.
"Being there for someone… that's a pretty amazing thing, y'know?" Todoroki replied.
"Being there for them…?" Woz muttered.
"You being there is kind of a celebration in itself," Todoroki said as he lit the fire.
"That's it…" Woz said as he stood and picked up his book, "Thank you, my good Oni. A valuable lesson was learned."
Todoroki could only watch, baffled by Woz's sudden desire to leave, "Don't you wanna eat?"
"Miss Schnee," Woz approached, "Do not worry, my heart is at rest now."
"That's good for you Woz," Weiss gave a small smile, "You're going to head back now?"
"Yes, will you do the same?" Woz asked.
"No I'm fine, I want to stay here a bit longer," Weiss admitted.
"Very well," Woz said before walking off.
Weiss watched Woz leave and once she was sure he was gone she gave a sigh. Sitting down on one of the rocks, she watched Todoroki go back to cooking the fish he caught. She was still wondering what she was going to get Sougo for his Birthday. She knew that she shouldn't be worrying about it in a time like this, but she still couldn't help but worry.
"So what's got you so down?" Hibiki asked as he was sitting next to her.
Weiss gave a yelp, "H-Hibiki?"
"Hey there," Hibiki said with a smile, "So?"
"Oh it's about… my boyfriend… Sougo," Weiss explained, "It's kind of silly and sort of similar to Woz's dilemma… I kind of forgot today was his Birthday and I haven't gotten him anything. And I don't really know what to get him."
"I take it Todoroki's little speech didn't spark anything?" Hibiki asked.
"No, I get being there for him," Weiss admitted, "It's just we recently got together and I'm just worried if I show up empty handed then it shows that I don't care. I guess it's just something I can't shake off that well… recalling my own experiences with family and birthdays…"
"Ah I see," Hibiki gave a nod, "Living up to expectations can be tough, but that kid… he doesn't seem like the kind that has any big expectations."
"Well he wants to be King," Weiss said.
"Oh? That sounds ambitious," Hibiki admitted.
"But other than that he's a pretty dull, but fun guy to hang around," Weiss admitted, "There's just something about him… maybe it's how I see a bit of myself in him. Maybe it's just some of my old perfect self wanting to make sure I don't screw up…"
"Making mistakes is a big part of life," Hibiki said, "Though in your case… I'd say your worrying about this is a good thing."
"It is?" Weiss asked, "I don't follow."
"It means you really care about him, and I think that's the thing he'll care the most about instead of some big fancy gift," Hibiki said before patting Weiss on the shoulder, "He seems like an understanding guy."
"Huh…" Weiss trailed in realization before smiling, "You're right."
"Now that's a good thing to see," Hibiki said before standing up before smelling the air, "Now how about we join Todoroki for a bite to eat before we're needed?"
"Sounds good to me," Weiss gave a nod as she followed after Hibiki.
Sougo had stayed at a distance for a while with Geiz and Tsukuyomi, the three watching as Kyosuke seemed to be sulking. Geiz didn't really care how this went while Tsukuyomi brought out her tablet to keep track of the news, figuring they could use a heads up on when Another Hibiki attacked again.
Sougo meanwhile had decided to let Kyosuke stew a bit before walking over and sitting next to him.
"So, why couldn't you become Hibiki?" Sougo asked.
"You sure cut right to the quick, don't you…" Kyosuke remarked.
"Oh, sorry…" Sougo apologized though kept his smile.
"I could never live up to my mentor, Hibiki," Kyosuke admitted, "It's that simple."
"What was he like?" Sougo asked, he had met Hibiki briefly but he wanted to hear Kyosuke's side.
"Hibiki was the kind of person who never gave up, no matter what," Kyosuke said, "He was manly, and strong… he was my hero."
"You know, he did say that you all should stop putting him on a pedestal," Sougo mentioned with a soft chuckle, "Maybe you could never live up to him because he doesn't want you to be him. He wants you to be you, and forge your own path."
"You think so?" Kyosuke asked.
"I think he realizes the pressure that his title puts on you," Sougo admitted, "That's why he's taking a backseat right now."
"Huh…" Kyosuke said, before recalling how despite everything, Hibiki still had his back when it came to Todoroki's hostility towards him.
"That being said I do think you have some of Hibiki in you," Sougo admitted, "Tsutomu would say similar things."
Sougo recalled a time when Tsutomu was getting bullied, and he stood up for him. The two became close after that, because they shared similarly big and out there dreams as kids.
"I'm Sougo Tokiwa, the one who wants to be a king someday."
"I'm Tsutomu Tsuzumiya. One day I wanna be an incredible Oni, like my mentor Hibiki, and protect people."
"You wanna take after your mentor? That's awesome!"
"Yeah, Hibiki's my hero!"
Sougo noticed Kyosuke's mood brighten before he watched the nameless Oni stand up, walking down the steps a bit.
"But I'm nothing like that," Kyosuke said, "I never even claimed the title… I lied to him about being Hibiki."
"None of that matters. For Tsutomu, you are Hibiki," Sougo called out before standing up, "Let's save him, together."
Kyosuke turned as he couldn't help but be impressed by Sougo's outlook on the situation.
"Sougo," Tsukuyomi called out, "Another Hibiki has been spotted again!"
"Then let's go," Sougo said as he looked around, "Let's let everyone know and finish this."
"Right," Kyosuke gave a nod.
Another Hibiki had taken over a small plaza, the six Gyuki with it as another one was able to fully form as well. This ended up bringing the total Gyuki with it to seven. The civilians around could only scream in terror as they fled the scene, not wanting to either turn into or be attacked by the false Oni and horde of Makamou.
Sougo and his group were the first to arrive since they were the closest. Everyone prepared their transformations as Another Hibiki growled out. That was everyone except for Kyosuke, stepping in front of them and in full view.
"Wait a moment," Kyosuke told the others before stepping forward, "Tsutomu, listen to me! When I met you, I had no idea what I was supposed to do. As much as I trained, I could never live up to Hibiki. But then you asked to become my apprentice. As reluctant as I was, I agreed…"
Another Hibiki stomped the ground, "Who cares?!"
"But…" Kyosuke continued, "You were there, you believed in me. You are the one… who made me into a real Oni! That's why we will save you, no matter what!"
"Well spoken!"
Everyone turned at the sound of buzzing, Weiss' Queen Lancer Summon lowering itself as Hibiki and Todoroki dropped down from it. Weiss hopped down as well and dismissed it, the three walking over. Hibiki seemed proud while Todoroki looked slightly ashamed of doubting Kyosuke, Weiss meanwhile had a neutral look as she went to join her friends.
"Hibiki…" Kyosuke muttered as he saw him, he then bowed, "Listen… I… I'm sorry for everything…"
"Training for an Oni is making oneself better," Hibiki said, "And from the way I see it, despite still being rough, you've truly grown. You may have used my name, but you were yourself, and whatever might have happened… there was a reason why he followed you for so long, right?"
"I…" Kyosuke trailed as he thought back to Sougo's words.
"You shouldn't be like me, no one should aspire to be the next Hibiki," Hibiki admitted, "It's a title that's grown too big for my liking and I know the problems it causes. After all, we Oni put in hard work each and every day, I just happened to shine a bit brighter than most. But that doesn't discredit everyone else."
"What are you trying to say?" Kyosuke asked.
"I'm sorry if you felt insurmountable pressure when it came to my title," Hibiki said, "But that is why you need to live as your own Oni, free from my shadow and able to go far on your own."
"Does that mean…?" Kyosuke's eyes lit up at this.
"It's time you earned your name," Hibiki said as he held out his hand, Kyosuke immediately took it and he smiled, "From this day forth, your name will be Kyoki. Let us fight together and save your pupil."
"Of course," Kyosuke, now Kyoki, said with a genuine smile.
The two backed away from each other before bringing out their Tuning Forks, Todoroki meanwhile walked next to them. The trio initiated their transformations, reverberations alongside fire surging and thunder striking occurring as the three transformed into their Oni Rider forms.
KYOKI!
HIBIKI!
TODOROKI!
Hibiki himself was holding the blank Ridewatch, the bond of master and student resonating within the Ridewatch as it shined a bright pink before forming into a Ridewatch with a purple base and a pink-ish red dial and button, the Hibiki Ridewatch. Hibiki stared at the Ridewatch while Kyoki and Todoroki rushed forward to deal with the Gyuki that had begun charging forward.
"Huh," Hibiki said as he looked the Ridewatch over before looking at Sougo, "So this is what you needed?"
"Yep," Sougo gave a nod before giving a yelp as Hibiki had immediately tossed the Ridewatch over, fumbling but managing to catch it, "Uh, thank you…"
"Think nothing of it," Hibiki said before rushing in to fight the Gyuki.
"Rejoice!" Woz was the next to approach as he spread his arms out, "A new Oni has been born, now in the Reiwa Era! And his name is Kamen Rider Kyoki!"
"Woz…" Sougo trailed in surprise.
"Huh, he got here after…?" Weiss questioned, recalling that Woz left before she and the other Oni did.
"My Overlord, I apologize for acting so unbecoming," Woz apologized much to Sougo's confusion.
"Are you done worrying?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Worrying?" Woz asked with a smile, "I've cast aside such things."
"I don't really get it…" Sougo trailed before readying his Ziku Driver, "But we should get in there!"
"Right," The three Riders from 2068 gave nods and readied their respective Drivers.
[ZI-O TRINITY!]
[ZI-O! GEIZ! WOZ!]
"Eh?" Geiz and Woz both assumed they were going to transform on their own, suddenly gasping out as the beams from Regulus came down and locked them in place.
Tsukuyomi had paused, the abrupt use of Trinity causing her to back up in surprise. She was also silently glad she wasn't included on Trinity in some way.
"Henshin!"
[TRINITY TIME! MITTSU NO CHIKARA! KAMEN RIDER ZI-O! GEIZ! WOZ! T-RIN-I-TY~! TRINITY!]
Both Geiz and Woz were transformed into their base forms instantly before they changed shape into their watchstrap forms. The two attached to Zi-O and fully completed the transformation into Zi-O Trinity.
"Alright," Sougo said before tossing the Hibiki Ridewatch towards his Tsukuyomi, "Here!"
"Oh," Tsukuyomi caught it, surprised that Sougo had given it to her, she nodded before readying her personal and Hibiki Watches and initiating the transformation, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN~ RI~DER~ TSUKU~YOMI! TSU-KU-YO-MI!]
Tsukuyomi gained her base form before purple flames began forming around her, taking the shape of her Armor Time.
[ARMOR TIME! HIBIKI!]
The flames latched onto her armor before taking shape as the Armor Time was in a similar style to Agito's. She gained the usual gold armor on her shins, boots, left forearm and hand. Her gold breastplate now emulated Hibiki's chest on the top window. Her shoulder armor was now the belt buckle that Hibiki wore, though fashioned into a standard drum-like shape, the armor pushing her cape back like usual. Her helmets top and bottom halves resembled Hibiki's helmet with Hibiki's horns jutting out of her forehead. 'Hibiki' in Katakana was burned onto her visor, fitting inside the crescent moon shape.
"Yo," Tsukuyomi said as she twirled her hands, summoning her own version of the Ongekibou Rekka.
"REJOICE!" Woz called out as Zi-O gestured towards Tsukuyomi, "The freedom fighter who travels to the past to change the future! Her name is Kamen Rider Tsukuyomi, Hibiki Armor, and we bear witness to the power of yet another Legend Rider via her presence!"
Kyoki struck a Gyuki in the face with his Ongekibou before blocking a strike from Another Hibiki, "Do you really need to do that?"
"It's not so much need to," Zi-O reeled his arm in, "But-"
"I am simply making up for the fact that my role was stolen from me for a second!" Woz declared as Zi-O gestured towards himself with his left arm.
"I swear…" Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose before bringing out her two weapons, "Let's just get going!"
"That's right!" Geiz called out as Zi-O's right arm raised a fist, "We've got Oni to purify!"
"Let's do this!" Zi-O called out as he and Tsukuyomi rushed forward, Weiss keeping their distance as they helped the Oni Riders fight against the Gyuki.
Weiss stabbed Myrtenaster into the ground, concentrating and bringing out the Bossroach Summon. She then holstered her Huntress weapon and went to activate one of her cards, aiming and concentrating as she slid it through the Chalice Arrow's scanner.
[TORNADO!]
The Bossroach Summon's sword and shield began gaining light blue wind around them as it began bashing and striking at any Gyuki it could.
"So does anyone exactly have a plan here?" Todoroki asked as he ducked underneath a Gyuki's swing, slashing past with his Ongekigen.
"I assumed we'd take them out together!" Kyoki called out as he kicked Another Hibiki away, lighting his Ongekibou on fire and launching fireballs at the Another Rider to force it back.
"There's still the issue of trying to keep these guys from reviving," Hibiki spoke up, "Did you all figure out how exactly that works yet?"
[TSUESUGI!]
"Hey that's right," Zi-O said and quickly brought out the Zikan Despear in its cane mode. He hooked a Gyuki by the horn and using his strength to dragging it around, tossing it into another Gyuki, "Where is Ruby? We called her, right?"
"I did," Tsukuyomi gave a nod as she kicked a Gyuki away before lighting her Ongekibou on fire, throwing her arms forward and unleashing fireballs to strike at the Gyuki, "She said they'd be running late but they figured out what to do!"
"I can only question what part of the puzzle we're missing," Weiss admitted as she continued to have the Bossroach Summon help out and attack the Gyuki. But because the Bossroach didn't have any special abilities, it was slowly beaten back due to Gyuki's greater power and durability.
"Don't worry everyone the rest of Team RWBY has arrived!"
Everyone turned as Ruby ran up with Penny, Blake and Yang, the four stopping a fair distance away from the current fighting.
"Took you long enough," Geiz called out.
"Do you have the information?" Woz asked.
"Yep," Ruby said as she had her Ziku Driver on, loading in both her Roze and Rose Ridewatches before initiating her transformation, "Henshin!"
[RIDER TIME! KAMEN RIDER ROZE!]
Roze soon stood in Ruby's place as the Rose Armor formed around her before latching into place.
[ARMOR TIME! KAMEN RIDE! YEAH! ROSE! ROSE! RO~SE~!]
"Wait, no Roze RWBY?" Zi-O asked, a bit surprised by this.
"Nope, not this time," Roze said as she drew out the Roseiber, "Hibiki, I need your assistance for this!"
"Huh? Sure!" Hibiki dodged out of the way of a Gyuki before leaping towards Roze and landing nearby, "What did you need?"
"Well…" Roze said as she moved Hibiki to have his back facing her and brought out two cards, loading one into her Roseiber, "This… might feel a bit weird."
[FINAL FORM RIDE: H-H-H-HIBIKI!]
"Huh?" Hibiki looked back only to give a yelp as the tip of Roze's sword pressed against his back. Roze turned her sword like a key as extra armoring appeared on Hibiki. She had initiated Hibiki's Final Form Ride transformation into the Hibiki Akanetaka. The Hibiki Akanetaka let out several chirps and cheeps as it launched forward, striking at all the Gyuki and Another Hibiki. It lit itself on fire as it damaged them further and further while pushing them all towards the center of each other.
"Whoa, whoa, what's going on?" Zi-O asked as he backed away alongside the others.
"Sougo, Kyosuke, you're on main drums!" Roze called out as she loaded in a new card, "So get ready!"
"It's Kyoki now!" Kyoki called out.
"Wait, main drums, what?" Zi-O asked.
Roze stabbed her weapon into the ground, a red pulsation occurring as everyone was bathed in a red aura before it faded.
[FINAL ATTACK RIDE: H-H-H-HIBIKI!]
The Hibiki Akanetaka soon screeched out before folding up and forming the Hibiki Ongekiko, an enlarged version of the drum that most Taiko wielding Oni, would have on their belt. It landed on top of Another Hibiki, electricity forming from it pulling it and the Gyuki closer together. Not only that but Zi-O ended up getting pink themed Ongekibou.
Zi-O looked over at Kyoki, the two staring at each other before nodding, with Zi-O initiating his finisher.
[FINISH TIME!]
(Insert: Kamen Rider Decade: True Ongeki-Dou)
[ZI-O!]
KYOKI!
Kyoki and Zi-O rushed forward, striking at the Ongekiko in rhythm as Roze gained red Ongekibou in her hands.
"Tsuki, you and I are up next!" Roze called out as she went over to a Gyuki, a projection of an Ongekiko forming as she began to drum. Tsukuyomi gave a nod and used her Ongekibou, a similar projection forming on another Gyuki as she began to drum as well.
ROZE!
TSUKUYOMI!
"Todoroki, Penny, Yang!" Roze called out as she continued to drum to the beat, "Let's get in there!"
"No need to tell me twice!" Todoroki called out as he stabbed his Ongekigen into another Gyuki and began strumming to the beat.
TODOROKI!
Penny gave a gasp as she gained her own Ongekigen alongside Yang who grinned, the two rushed over to another open spot, stabbing their Ongekigen into a Gyuki and strumming to the beat as well. Despite neither knowing how to play a guitar, the two were managing to keep up quite well.
PENNY!
YANG!
"Last but not least, Blake, Weiss!" Roze called out, "Take the stage!"
Both Blake and Weiss had gained trumpet styled Ongeki weapons, the Ongekikan. Weiss could only stare at hers briefly, recalling the choice of weapon Flynt used back on Remnant. Shaking her head she got in position with Blake, the two playing both trumpets with ease. Waves of sound exited them and struck at the remaining two Gyuki.
BLAKE!
WEISS!
Another Hibiki and the Gyuki could only gasp out as the symphony of three Ongeki weapons played at full force and in unison. Despite most combatants never having played an instrument, for this moment they were masters at the craft, all working in unison to rhythmically strike, strum and blow against the Oni.
Even Woz and Geiz had gotten involved to some extent, projections forming above the Another Rider and legendary Makamou, base form Zi-O, Geiz, and Woz playing their own instruments. Zi-O had the Ongekibou, Geiz had the Ongekigen, and Woz had the Ongekikan.
[GEIZ!]
[WOZ!]
…
ONI!
…
TEAM ZI-O!
…
TEAM RWBY!
…
HUNTRESSES!
…
RIDERS!
…
[TIME BREAK BURST EXPLOSION!]
The guitarists and trumpet players continued to play as the drummers all raised their arms before slamming them down.
BOOM!
(Insert End)
In a massive explosion of sound, eight explosions occurred simultaneously as everyone backed away from the attack, Hibiki returning back to his normal form and landing near Zi-O and Kyoki. The Anotherwatch of Hibiki flew into the air before crackling and shattering, its shards raining down and becoming dust as the smoke began to clear.
Soon enough Tsutomu and the other failed Oni could be seen lying on the ground unconscious. Everyone let out breaths of relief as their Ongeki Weapons faded, their tactic having vanquished the Another Rider and Legendary Makamou once and for all.
"Whoa…" Zi-O said as he looked around, "That was freaky but cool."
"It was incredible," Penny admitted.
"Leave it to Tsukasa to give us a trump card like that," Hibiki spoke up.
"He realized we needed to hit them all at once," Roze said, "And he figured that this particular Finisher would allow us to all sync up by getting in rhythm with each other."
"Ah so he's done it before then," Weiss said.
"So we're like… the second group of people to use it, right?" Zi-O asked as he began to muse, "Guess that's one for the history books, right?"
"I suppose so," Blake agreed.
"History… books…" Weiss muttered before realizing something and soon seeing how late it really was starting to get, "I just realized there's something I needed to do! Go on ahead without me!"
Zi-O looked in surprise as he watched Weiss hurry off, "Eh, Weiss?"
"Leave her be," Geiz said, realizing why Weiss was running off, "She'll be fine."
Time had passed as the Riders and Oni dismissed their transformations, helping the failed Oni back up and sending them on their way. Of course despite just being tossed it, Sougo walked over to both Hibiki and Kyosuke, holding up the Hibiki Ridewatch.
"You're sure?" Sougo asked, "We barely even met."
"You helped him find his own path," Hibiki put a hand on Kyosuke's shoulder, "I think that's more than enough for me to know you deserve it."
"I'll keep heading down my own path as well," Kyosuke gave a nod, "So I can be the kind of Oni Hibiki is but with my own name. So you should become that King and Kamen Rider you talked about."
"Of course you can't do it unless you try," Sougo smiled before looking over to the side, "Same for you, Tsutomu."
Tsutomu nodded before walking over towards Kyosuke, "I want to train with you again, sir. Please!"
"You'd be training under Kyoki," Kyosuke said as he watched Tsutomu give a bow, "Not Hibiki."
"The title doesn't matter, so long as it's with you," Tsutomu answered as he kept bowing.
Kyosuke looked away with an indifferent look before giving a soft chuckle, turning to face his apprentice, "This time won't be easy…"
"Yes sir!" Tsutomu called out as he looked up, raring to go.
Sougo couldn't help but give a smile as he watched the master and student laugh together, glad that everything had ended up working out.
The others were watching from afar, everyone else having stuck to the area aside from Weiss.
"Training an apprentice seems nice… maybe I should find one, myself…" Todoroki admitted, "Though I should run it by Hinaka, first."
"I thought you said you didn't want an apprentice?" Tsukuyomi asked in surprise.
"Things change," Todoroki said, "I suppose I've been a bit too stiff lately. I could stand to loosen up."
"Well here's hoping it goes well," Ruby said, "That being said..."
"It's getting pretty late," Blake said, "We should probably get going."
"Oh yeah," Yang agreed, "We've still got that other thing to deal with."
Night had fallen as the day grew later, Sougo heading back to 9-5-DO on his own. He was surprised that his uncle had an errand for him, and said errand was some missing ingredients for dinner. As he made his way to the front door of the shop he heard footsteps.
"Huh?" Sougo turned and saw Weiss, a bit surprised, "Weiss? What are you doing out here so late?"
"Like I said there was something I needed to do," Weiss admitted as she was currently holding a plastic bag, "I'm surprised to see you out though."
"Uncle sent me on an errand," Sougo admitted as he held up his own bag, "I'm surprised he forgot stuff for dinner though… he's usually on top of that."
"We all have our off days I suppose," Weiss said as she walked over.
"So… not that I mind but isn't your apartment in the opposite direction?" Sougo asked.
"Your Uncle invited me over for dinner," Weiss said simply, "Sorry if he didn't mention it."
"Oh it's fine," Sougo shook his head, "Though we probably shouldn't keep him waiting."
"That would be best," Weiss said.
Sougo walked over and led the way inside only to be surprised by the fact it was completely dark, "I'm home, Weiss is here too…" He looked around, "Huh, is nobody here…?"
"That's odd," Weiss said, keeping behind Sougo but giving a small smile.
Sougo moved towards the back where the dining room was, opening the door, "Uncle?"
FLASH
The lights immediately turned on, revealing the dining room was decorated with garland and various pompoms lining the walls. At the center was a three tiered cake that had all of Sougo's Main Ridewatches decorating it. It was placed on an elevated stand, allowing presents to be placed underneath it. Nearby was the usual dining table decorated and filled with food, alongside a few extra tables to help accommodate everyone in the room.
Junichiro was there alongside Geiz, Tsukuyomi, Woz, the rest of Team RWBY and Penny. Everyone was wearing party hats and Woz had even taken the liberty of throwing some garland around him like a scarf.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"
Everyone also had party poppers except for Penny, everyone pulling on them and spewing streamers all over Sougo. Penny meanwhile spread her arms above her head, a holographic 'Congratulations' sign being displayed with digital confetti spraying out. Everyone started clapping as Sougo couldn't help but give a smile.
Weiss had to snicker a bit alongside Ruby, the two taking notice of Geiz. The Rider was in a position as if he was ready to attack still, the party hat over his forehead acting like a horn almost.
"Rejoice!" Woz declared as he held out a hand, Geiz and Tsukuyomi glanced at each other, rolling their eyes as Woz began his big speech, "On this day, nineteen years ago, this world was graced with the birth of my Overlord! Let the flowers bloom! Let the birds sing! Let all forms of life show appreciation this day, with every fiber of their being! The day of my Overlord's birth!"
"I've been meaning to ask," Junichiro admitted, "Why Overlord and not King?"
"It's basically the same thing to Woz," Ruby said.
"It rolls off the tongue and echoes much more nicely," Woz added.
"I agree," Penny gave a nod.
"Oh man, I forgot it was my birthday today!" Sougo admitted as he stared at the cake, a bit surprised they managed to fit all his Ridewatches on there, well with the obvious exceptions of his personal ones.
"That was pretty good, Woz," Tsukuyomi admitted.
"Yeah, good job," Yang gave a nod.
"For someone worrying about how best to celebrate, you really pulled through," Blake said.
"Aw Woz, is that why you were so gloomy all day?" Sougo asked as he elbowed his friend playfully.
"There was no cause for angst, in the end," Woz said, "Being at my overlord's side is the greatest celebration I can imagine."
"You know," Sougo started, "I still don't get it… but thanks, everyone!"
It didn't take long for Junichiro to set up the candles, turning off the lights. Everyone watched as Sougo blew the candles out, clapping as the lights were turned on again.
"Congratulations!" Junichiro clapped, "Come on, everyone, eat up! I really gave it my all today!"
Everyone began to sit down to eat aside from Woz who had chosen to take his exit for the moment. Of course after everyone went to eat, there was only one thing left on the agenda aside from just hanging out and having a good time. And that was the presents.
Weiss took a deep breath and drew out the plastic bag she had before bringing out a gift bag that was in it before she handed it over to Sougo, "Happy Birthday."
"Aw Weiss, you didn't have to," Sougo smiled as he took it, "Given how hectic everything's been I'm surprised you all even had the time to plan this out."
"Come on, what friends would we be if we didn't?" Ruby asked before giving a sheepish chuckle, "Though it was more that Mr. Junichiro wasn't busy so he sort of remembered for us."
"I wanted to make this one extra special," Junichiro admitted as this was the first time Sougo had more than just one friend. He recalled how happy Sougo was in 2018 when Ruby celebrated with them and he figured he'd try and top that given everyone he made friends with since then.
"Well, are you going to open the Ice Queen's gift or not?" Yang asked.
"Hey!" Weiss called out.
Sougo chuckled a bit before taking off the paper covering the items inside before pulling them out. Mostly everyone there couldn't help but stare in surprise, especially the rest of Team RWBY and Penny as Sougo had pulled out two books. One was a history book detailing various events that had occurred on Remnant and the other was a hard cover deluxe edition Fairy Tale book from Remnant as well.
"Whoa," Sougo said as his eyes began to sparkle, "Weiss, how did you even-"
"Well I remembered we know where Tsukasa and the others live," Weiss said, "So I had them take me to Remnant and bring me back just in time for the party. I figured you could use some reading material you might be interested in, especially since you are the history buff."
"Oh," Sougo said before immediately hugging Weiss, "Thanks Weiss, you're the best!"
Weiss could only stammer out as she became a blushing mess at the sudden hug, "O-Of course I-I am!"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh a bit at Weiss' reaction though Ruby soon held a mischievous grin.
"I think I know who needs to go next," Ruby chuckled, "Open Geiz's!"
"What? Why mine?" Geiz questioned.
"I want to see the contrast between what you and Weiss got Sougo," Ruby giggled.
Geiz's eye twitched, "Why you!"
Woz was currently sitting outside of 9-5-DO, having removed his party attire and was now staring up at the night sky.
"And thus another Watch is now in the possession of my Overlord," Woz said, "Now only five remain. And the next Kamen Rider whose power he will inherit…"
As he stared up at the sky, the various stars began to shine brightly for certain constellations as the sky briefly began to warp into different colors, a strange energy occurring in the upper atmosphere that began to grow more agitated as time went on.
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"Kamen Rider Club...?"
"It is my mission to defeat all Kamen Riders!"
"I can't transform anymore."
"The warrior of freedom… Inazuman!"
"It's time for space!"
Chapter 100: 2011: Back to School, Switch On!
Author's Note: So yeah, by actually introducing Hibiki in this arc, things played out a bit differently. What with Hibiki acknowledging Kiriya's growth and naming him Kyoki as the big conclusion for Kiriya's arc. Also by having access to Tsukasa now, the group's able to get some advice and help if they so choose to take it, and I couldn't pass up doing a True Ongekidou Roze Version.
Funnily enough my panic was just as bad as Weiss' because I literally did not know what to have her get Sougo until I finished actually writing the Another Hibiki confrontation. I figured since Sougo's a history buff he'd appreciate the two books Weiss gave him.
Of course, I believe it's finally time to go to space with a Rider I've purposely saved till now but real quick, we've got an Interlude coming up this coming Monday. That's right folks, with our return to Earth, the Interludes are back! Not only that but the next chapter of the Roze Gaiden story will be out soon before we get to the next Legend Rider. So thanks for reading and please look forward to the coming updates.