Before we get to the main chapter, I'd like to take a moment to insert a bit of a note here at the front. Earlier this week, we were told that we lost a groundbreaking, distinct, influential creator that shaped many of our childhoods. I probably wouldn't even be writing this for that matter without his influence in my earlier years.
Akira Toriyama (1955-2024)
Thank you for everything.
Rest in Peace.
Rider Time Zi-O: Roze from Remnant
Chapter 115 – 2019: Call of the Future
"As it is written, Tokiwa Sougo has encountered true legends," Woz said as he was currently in his narrative void, the ticking of the usual clock being the only background noise like always, "As a result he is now on the verge of ultimate power. However with Swartz now dealt with… the gap of power must be filled by another… and while I doubt they will show themselves fully, the next battles will be harrowing to deal with."
He opened his book and began staring at the pages inside.
"Now, the story of Tokiwa Sougo enters its final chapter," Woz said before shutting his book with a slam, "However for what we are about to face there are other important occurrences of a few Heisei Riders that must first be seen…"
Earth – Early July 2019
It was early morning along one of the coasts of Tokyo, the waves crashing against the rocks. Dawn had barely broken as what appeared to be a large grouping of mercenaries began making their way through the rocky shore of this portion of the coastline. All of them were armed and dangerous… though none were expecting what happened next.
As the leader went to peak around a rock he was hiding behind, he suddenly emerged from his cover in shock.
"Down Fall…"
"Y-You…!" the lead masked man gasped as he heard the man's voice.
Standing in the pathway of the mercenaries was a man in a purple striped suit, his hands in his pockets. Oddly enough his facial features resembled that of Kazumi Sawatari's, though his hair was combed more neatly and had a more reddish coloration.
"I can only assume by your position right now, you're Keiji Uraga, right?" the Kazumi look-a-like asked as he held a hand towards the lead mercenary, "Your terrorist organization is fairly impressive for what little resources you have."
"How did one of Build's lackeys know we were here?" the hooded lead soldier, more than likely Keiji Uraga, questioned.
"Oh my mistake for not introducing myself properly," the doppelganger chuckled as he put a hand to his chest, "I am Otoya Kurenai…" he then brought out Kivat-Bat the 2nd had it bite his hand, forming the Dark Kivat Belt around his waist before locking the Kivat in place, "Henshin."
Green waves erupted from his Kivat as his body was covered by a black armor-like shell, the shell shattering to reveal his form as Dark Kiva.
"What?" Keiji questioned as he backed up, quickly raising his hand as the terrorists began firing at Dark Kiva.
Dark Kiva simply held up a hand, a Kiva sigil forming as the bullets were blocked with ease.
"Now then," Dark Kiva said as he stared down the gasping terrorists, "My boss has gone through great lengths of researching you all. You see, Down Fall can help us gain a good foothold on this world. Of course that means new management in both regards…"
"Over my dead body…" Keiji hissed out as he held out his hand, "One of you, Metal Full-gah!"
Dark Kiva had immediately leapt over to Keiji while grabbing his neck, "It would be my pleasure to honor your request…" he chuckled as his grip tightened, the terrorist leader gasping out further, "This'll be my last dance in this suit before I give it to that girl… so let's have some fun."
"Ugh…" Ankh said before yawning, "What's with us having to get up early?"
"It's just for today," Eiji said before also giving a yawn, "Kougami wanted us up bright and early since he wants to test new Medal stuff for Birth."
"Why bother?" Ankh asked.
"Something about wanting to be prepared given Ruby and the others have mentioned a potential third threat aside from the Time Jackers," Eiji noted.
"If it doesn't involve us then he shouldn't bother," Ankh scoffed, "The Greeed all died, even that old fart who transcended time was dealt with."
"It would be best to not speak ill of the dead… Ankh…"
Eiji and Ankh both felt chills run up their spines at the voice, it sounding just like…
The two immediately turned only to gasp out as a wave of energy impacted against them, sending them crashing against the ground. Fire had kicked up from the impact, and as the two began to lift themselves up, they soon saw what looked to be OOO past the flame. The Taka head was discolored and had bright red eyes however, and he also wore a gold cloak with long sleeves. There was no mistaking despite the modifications that OOO TaToBa Combo was standing before them.
The OOO before them was currently gripping a broadsword that had a cross-like hilt, the blade of it growing larger as it went further out with a skull at the best of the blade. He began to drag his sword along the ground, sparks kicking up as he approached the fallen Rider and Greeed who were quickly picking themselves up for a fight.
"Is that…?" Eiji gasped as he prepared his transformation.
Ankh glared, "That damn king!"
World of Decade – Early July 2019
The Kadoya residence was livelier than it usually was as it had been a while since both Summer and Tsukasa had visited. The two had figured they could use a break from the espionage and fighting for a bit, so they decided to head off world. They figured that Daiki would inform them if something was off with whatever occasional short visits he took to the main Rider World.
Summer herself was currently humming as she was cooking up some breakfast for her, Tsukasa and Sayo. The two siblings were currently still waking up, both slowly but surely getting dressed upstairs while she cooked for them.
"Hmm…" Summer had a bit of a thoughtful look, wondering if she should do a last minute change to get experimental, "Well, what's the worst that could happen?"
CRASH!
"EEE!"
Summer yelped as she heard glass shattering, soon turning to see that the windows had been smashed through, as what seemed to be Shocker Combatmen began to flood through any broken window they could.
"I did not mean to jinx this!" Summer called out in surprise as she quickly shut off the stove and began surveying the situation, "Huh?"
To her surprise, the Combatmen before her weren't the standard ones she'd faced in the past. No, they were from a later iteration that had appeared around Ghost's time from what she recalled of Tsukasa's remarks to her. They had padded bodysuits with armoring, the skeletal chest being more silver with the mask being a helmet that nearly fully covered the Combatmens' faces. Their eyes were covered, two red circular lenses allowing them to see with only their mouth being barely visible.
"Nova Shocker…?" Summer questioned only for the Combatmen to rush in and pile on her as she heard more crashes from upstairs.
"Hey…" Summer grunted before giving a yell as she activated her Aura, releasing a burst of it as she spread her arms out, forcing the Combatmen away, "Will you knock it off!"
"EEE!"
The Combatmen continued to rush towards Summer who began dodging and pushing them away. She ducked under a few swipes while slipping past several more. Making her way to the main living area she quickly grabbed her Roseiber which was resting near the couch, drawing out her transformation card and loading it in.
"Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDE: ROSE!]
In a flash of white, Rose stood before the Combatmen before giving a yell and slashing through them. Normally she'd rush upstairs but she figured that Tsukasa was already aware of the current situation.
Sayo shrieked as she was grabbed by several Combatmen only for them to be pulled away and kicked in their stomachs by Tsukasa, the grunts being sent tumbling away from her.
Tsukasa quickly got in front of her while readying his transformation, "Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!]
"Sayo, stay in your room!" Decade called out as he completed his transformation, bringing out his Ride Booker and shooting down several Combatmen.
"Stay safe!" Sayo nodded as she hurried back to her room, any Combatmen attempting to follow being shot down.
"Nova Shocker Combatmen…" Decade muttered with a hum of curiosity despite the situation, "Just what's going on-"
In an instant Decade was leapt onto by an unknown assailant. The sight of a pale khaki colored sleeve as well as an aged hand however gave away to Decade who it was.
Narutaki let out a laugh as he was now hanging off of Decade's back.
"Narutaki…?" Decade asked before gasping out as energy was being siphoned from his suit. The Rider glanced down to see that Narutaki was holding a Blank Ridewatch in one hand, "You…?!"
"The time to reveal my identity will be here soon!" Narutaki exclaimed as the Blank Ridewatch continued to siphon Decade's energy, "But first I must make use of your powers!"
Decade gasped further as his suit's color faded, letting out a frustrated yell, "Narutaki!"
Earth – Tokyo, Early July 2019
"What a boring day…" Woz groaned out.
"Eh, you get used to it," Yang waved off Woz's complaint.
The two were currently sitting at the main couch in Ruby's apartment, Yang mostly channel surfing while Woz sat in a bored state. The day had finally kicked into full gear for mostly everyone as they all had their own plans.
"I do not know Woz," Penny said as she was strumming her guitar as she looked out the window, "Today looks rather nice."
"True," Yang agreed, "We had too many cloudy days lately, especially during these summer months."
"You say that yet the heat can get unbearable," Woz remarked.
"Just got to learn how to beat the heat," Yang argued, "Like how Sougo and Weiss are at the beach today."
Woz let out a loud sigh, recalling how Sougo and Weiss had barred him from coming along on their date. He had attempted to hang out with Geiz and Tsukuyomi, only for the two of them to shut him down as they were going to hang out with Ruby and Blake.
"I am surprised you are not with Blake today, Yang," Penny noted.
"Oh, well she wanted to grab some oden with sis and Geiz for Tsukuyomi," Yang replied, "I tried oden before, but never really got as into it as the others though."
Woz was ready to let out another loud sigh as he sat dejectedly only for ringing to be heard. Everyone perked up and saw the Team RWBY Rider Hotline ringing.
"Huh, been a while," Yang said as she went to get up and walked over to the ringing phone, "Granted, it's a good thing I was here."
"I am curious as to who is calling," Penny said as she stopped her strumming while looking over, "And what they are calling about."
"Well no time like the present," Yang said as picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"
"Ah good, someone answered, it's me, Takatora," Takatora's voice was heard on the other line, though he sounded a bit winded.
"Takatora…?" Yang asked a bit in surprise since the melon Rider was the last person she expected a call from. She was a bit curious as to what had gotten the older Rider tired, "What made you decide to call us? And are you okay?"
"I'll be fine," Takatora insisted, "Do you recall a Sengoku Driver wearing purple armored Kamen Rider?"
"Oh yeah, I think Ruby mentioned something about her being in Torkia," Yang said before recalling Sougo's mentioning of the missions he went on with the Happy Huntresses, "She was also in Atlas for a short while too."
"Good, that makes this easy," Takatora said, "I was made aware by a higher up friend of ours that there's been a mutation in the Helheim fruits alongside constant tampering of Helheim itself."
"And you think it's our mystery Rider?" Yang asked.
"No, I know it is," Takatora answered, "I had a plan to bait her out today and it managed to work out well enough thanks to Oren and Jonouchi's assistance. However…"
"She got away, didn't she?" Yang asked, already guessing why Takatora didn't finish immediately.
"I had her on the ropes but a strange dimensional wall like the ones Kadoya uses took her away," Takatora explained, "I'm unsure of where she ended up vanishing to, but I figured I'd let you all know. She seemed confident that she'd be able to keep up her schemes."
"Thanks for letting us know," Yang said, "We'll keep our eyes out now that the Time Jackers are toast."
"Stay safe," Takatora said before hanging up.
"What did Takatora want?" Penny asked curiously, "Is there an issue at Zawame City?"
"Not so much an issue but a loose end that popped up again," Yang replied.
"Judging by your words I can only guess you mean our purple Armored Rider," Woz remarked, "I take it that Takatora was able to confront her?"
"Yeah but he couldn't defeat her," Yang replied, "Said something about an Aurora Curtain taking her away."
"That is concerning…" Woz muttered, trying to figure out who would be using Aurora Curtains and why they'd be connected to Sylphi of all Riders.
"What should we do?" Penny asked.
"Unless you all want to go on a wild goose chase, I think we should just hang back for now," Yang suggested, "We'll let the others know when they're all done with their stuff."
"Then I suppose it's time to go back to being bored," Woz said with a groan before slumping on the couch, soon taking over the whole couch.
Penny couldn't help but giggle a bit before going to tune her guitar just slightly, going for a few strums before giving a satisfactory nod.
Sougo and Weiss were currently taking a walk along a vacant beach, the two having found a nice spot to just relax and take in the atmosphere.
"Ah it feels great today," Sougo stretched, "The sun is shining but it's not too hot."
"It is a rather nice day," Weiss agreed as she stared out at the ocean before recalling something, "Oh…"
"Huh?" Sougo tilted his head, "What's up?"
"You would not believe what Ruby told me that Penny saw a while ago," Weiss said as she tried to keep herself composed, "Sorry, but the more I recall her description the more ridiculous it seems."
"What?" Sougo asked with a smile, very curious now.
"Well Penny was flying around because of course," Weiss said as Sougo nodded, "But she spotted the weirdest sight near a beach a while back. You know Kazumi, right?"
"Kamen Rider Grease," Sougo confirmed before nodding, "Yep."
"Well she saw him in what looked to be a tuxedo… getting into a raft with all his friends and sailing out into the ocean," Weiss said with a few chuckles before clearing her throat, "I couldn't even begin to question what happened for him to have that reaction."
"Do you think they got any farther than a mile out before they called it quits?" Sougo asked with a light chuckle.
"No clue," Weiss shrugged, "Penny said she didn't stick around to see, but she was very curious as to what they were even doing."
"Admittedly I do feel a bit bad about not including Kazumi in the Rider list for Atlas," Sougo said in a rather sudden manner.
"Oh I'm sure he'll get a cool moment to make up for it," Weiss waved it off, "You and Ruby were very careful about who was picked."
"True," Sougo nodded, "Hey, we should head back to Remnant some time now that things are going to slow down."
"We can only hope they'll slow down," Weiss said, "Just because the Time Jackers are done doesn't mean that other group is as well."
"Right," Sougo said before running forward a bit and stretching, "Well for now let's just have some fun today!"
"Sounds like a plan," Weiss smiled as she began to follow after Sougo, only to pause when a particular whistle was heard, "Sougo…"
"Yeah…" Sougo trailed as he heard the whistle too.
"I think our plans are going to be derailed," Weiss said.
"Yeah… yeah I think so too," Sougo slumped before turning and giving a thumbs-up, "Fitting pun though."
"Thank you," Weiss put a hand to her chest with a proud smile.
The familiar rainbow portal of the Den-Liner opened up, the time train launching out of it. However it wasn't the typcal Den-Liner, as it was primarily blue with a white stripe in the middle running along it. The strange colored Den-Liner curved down before passing rapidly in front of the two.
Both Huntress and Rider shielded themselves against what sand briefly blew their way, lowering their arms once the time train had fully passed. To their surprise however they saw two Kamen Riders in front of them. One of them was fairly familiar in terms of aesthetics while the second was different entirely.
The recognizable one seemed to be a Den-O of some sort. His Den-O belt was gold and he primarily had blue chest and shoulder armor that was pointed towards the back, the chest resembling a circular train junction. The eyes of the helmet were similar to Sword Form's but were thinner and sharper. He had a weapon though that was currently resting on his shoulder, it having an oni-like face near the guard.
The second Rider was one that resembled a Showa Rider in styling, similar to Ichigo in regards to the helmet and buckle. Despite this his suit was clearly made of more recent materials compared to Ichigo's dated but classic style. It was a shiny blue suit, silver and black patches running all along. Due to the way his design was, one wouldn't be wrong for assuming he held a water motif.
"Kamen Riders…?" Sougo asked.
Weiss however kept close to Sougo, a bit wary of the two Riders' sudden appearance.
"You're Kamen Rider Zi-O, correct?" The Showa-like Rider asked.
"Yes…" Sougo nodded slowly, "But uh… who are you all?"
"Ah," The Showa-like Rider let out a light gasp as he dismissed his transformation, revealing him to be a young man in a silver and blue aquatic themed outfit with brown hair that held blue streaks on the left bangs, "I'm Michal Minato, Kamen Rider Aqua. I'm not sure if they mentioned it, but I ended up being helped by and helped out OOO not long after his original journey ended."
"Huh," Weiss said, "I don't think Eiji mentioned you… yet."
"Yeah, we don't really talk too much," Sougo admitted, "But it's nice to meet you."
"What about your friend?" Weiss asked as she looked over at the Den-O.
"You've met my grandfather before," the new Den-O said as he dismissed his transformation, the sword flying out of his grasp and transforming to reveal a blue Oni themed Imagin. The Rider's civilian form was fairly normal, black pants, a white t-shirt and a black leather jacket with reddish-blonde hair that popped against the dark colors he wore, "Kotaro Nogami, Kamen Rider New Den-O for better reference," he then gestured over towards the Imagin, "This is Teddy."
"Hello," Teddy bowed.
"I had a feeling time travel was involved," Weiss hummed though was still wary, "You're from the future then?"
"Correct," Michal answered.
"Oh this is cool, future Riders that aren't Geiz and the others," Sougo smiled before letting that smile drop, "Admittedly… it's kind of worrying you all are here at the moment, especially more than one of you."
"Yeah," Weiss agreed, "Why are you here?"
"Well…" Michal looked away as he put a hand on his neck, trying to figure out how to word this, "How to put this…"
"I think we should make sure we clear up any ill intentions," Kotaro suggested before looking over at Sougo, "You all…"
"If it's about Geiz and the others changing the past," Sougo interrupted with a slight smile, as if warning the two not to bring that particular point up, "Then I feel like you're way too late on that regard."
"No, no it's not that," Michal turned as he looked over and stepped forward while holding up his hands, "While that is a concern, there's a bigger problem at the moment that will endanger the future as we know it."
"What do you mean?" Weiss asked.
"The worlds are in danger of collapse," Teddy answered, "Not only this one, but Alpina's as well as Remnant."
"Huh?" Weiss looked over in surprise.
Sougo raised an eyebrow, "How exactly?"
"Everyone not being in their correct worlds is causing a strange phenomenon that's drawing the once separate worlds closer to each other," Michal explained, "Normally this wouldn't be a problem thanks to the barriers between worlds… but…"
"Ever since Oma Zi-O ripped open holes in them to take Ruby Rose from Remnant to Earth, you all have been able to travel with ease," Kotaro continued, "And your continuous trips back and forth no matter the method has been causing those holes to grow wider, causing tons of time and space anomalies as a side effect."
"The end result means the worlds are pulling themselves closer," Teddy added, "If they get too close they will collide and this will cause a great shock wave throughout the dimensions and worlds nearby that could cause untold destruction."
"While we're unsure of how to fix it," Michal admitted, "There is one way to give us more than enough time to figure out how to."
"And what would that be?" Weiss narrowed her eyes.
"Team RWBY, Penny Polendina, Summer Rose, Alpina and her Imagin partner Futaros must return to their respective worlds," Kotaro answered, "Since Geiz exists on this world despite being from the future, he's allowed to stay."
"What?" Sougo asked before looking down and staying silent.
"Don't worry," Michal spoke up when he saw the stunned reactions, "We'll support Zi-O and Geiz in cleaning up whatever enemies are left."
"There are many future Kamen Riders who can heed the call," Teddy added, "There are the sons of Kiva, Drive, and Ghost after all."
"So you don't need to worry about not having support," Kotaro finished.
"You really expect us to do that?" Weiss asked with a near glare before she looked over at her boyfriend, "Right Sougo?"
Sougo stayed silent, still staring at the ground as his hair had managed to cast shadows over and hide his eyes.
"…Sougo?" Weiss asked with a light tremble, not enjoying the silence.
Sougo simply stepped forward while holding an arm out in front of Weiss, "My answer… no, not just mine because I know what they'd say too…" he shook his head before looking up with a calm but angered expression, "Our answer is going to be the same, no."
Unbeknownst to the four, they were being watched from far away. It was the same entity that had attacked Eiji and Ankh, Ancient OOO. His eyes shined a bright red as he used Taka's enhanced sight to view the conversation. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he began to move in towards their location, gripping his sword and a newly obtained Medajalibur tightly.
Swartz was currently in the alleyway near a café, having had enough money for some coffee thanks to the ties to the new organization he was following. While he hated having to follow another's lead, he'd have to stay patient. He didn't have his powers anymore so that meant he'd have to beat his sister at her own game before taking them back from her.
He was told he wouldn't be meeting anyone and all he had to do was wait in this specific spot. After that he'd meet up with the other members for the next phase of their plan.
And just like he was told, no one met with him. An Aurora Curtain shimmered into view near him before sliding backwards.
"There we go," Swartz glanced at the briefcase that was summoned thanks to the Aurora Curtain before watching said dimensional wall vanish. He finished his coffee before crushing the cup and tossing it to the ground. Without another moment to waste he snatched the briefcase and lifted it up to open it. His eyes widened before he gritted his teeth, "While certainly more than I expected… I can't help but wonder if you all think this is a joke?"
He received no answer of course, but that was fine by the former Time Jacker leader as he closed the briefcase before heading off.
Ruby, Blake, Geiz, and Tsukuyomi were currently sitting at a standard oden cart that was parked under a bridge. The four had decided to get some celebratory oden due to Tsukuyomi's victory against Swartz. They had placed their orders and the two chefs had served them exactly like they had asked. Though of course the chefs were a bit odd in that they didn't talk, and their faces were covered by navy blue veils that simply held the writing for 'oden' in white on them.
The four friends didn't seem to mind however, figuring that this was either the cart's gimmick or the owners were shy.
"So how is it?" Blake asked, "Living with an Imagin I mean?"
"Overbearing," Geiz let out a grunt, "I'm glad we didn't invite him."
"Futaros isn't that bad," Tsukuyomi huffed before sighing, "Okay maybe a little…"
"Jeez, sounds like you guys have it rough," Ruby said, recalling how hectic it was with Den-O's four Imagin only being around them for a short while. So trading all of that for a singular Imagin for what would seem like forever…
"At least with that kind of stuff, things won't get too boring right?" Blake asked.
"True," Geiz agreed on that front as he went to slurp down some noodles, "Speaking of Rider stuff…" he said with a full mouth before swallowing, "Did you hear about that whole UN deal?"
"UN deal?" Ruby asked.
"Oh right," Tsukuyomi nodded, "Apparently the UN is looking into Kamen Riders since Prime Minister Himuro has been backing them. Given our recent activity has been on a rise alongside any international related incidents in the past… I'm not surprised."
"Apparently they're doing a demo of the Build Rider System for the inspectors," Geiz replied, "Hopefully it all goes well."
"That seems a bit dangerous," Blake frowned, "Was that really the right thing to do?"
"If they're getting pressure from overseas it makes sense," Geiz replied.
"Well if it's just a demonstration we should be fine, right?" Ruby asked before grabbing an egg and biting into it, "Mmm..."
"And if something does happen I'm sure Gentoku will contact us," Tsukuyomi said.
"Fair enough," Blake said, though she couldn't help but feel something was off, "I wonder if Sento's going to be there."
"Doubt it," Ruby said, "Apparently he's been getting bugged left and right by one of their old comrades, Utsumi."
"What did he want?" Geiz asked, "And wasn't he a no-show for Killbus?"
"That's because he didn't get his memories back, since he wasn't a Rider in the usual way," Ruby admitted, "But apparently Utsumi really wants to remember and Sento's finally cracked."
"Wow, he must've been bugged for days," Tsukuyomi said.
"Try weeks," Ruby chuckled.
It wasn't long before a man walked over to the oden cart. He had distinct blond hair swept to his right with red highlight extensions dangling from the back left of his hair. While he had tattered black clothing, his most distinct feature was his long black coat with a red interior.
"Huh… another one of these places…" the man said as he went to sit on the side since Ruby and her friends had taken up all the seats on the front.
"What the…?" Geiz muttered as he recognized the man's voice, he looked over and his eyes widened. He recognized the man near immediately, that being the user of Proto-Baron from Torkia, Glasya, "You…"
"Oh, it's you three," Glasya looked over.
"Wait…" Ruby narrowed her eyes before tilting her head, "Who?"
"Wasn't he the leader of Team Red Baroque from Torkia?" Tsukuyomi asked, also recognizing Glasya.
"Ah, the fake Baron, now I remember!" Ruby called out.
"Shut it," Glasya scoffed before seeing that the chefs were staring at him. He realized that he needed to order and looked over the various ingredients, "What's with these weird shapes. Triangles and rectangles…?"
"Hanpen fish cake, and fried fish cake," Geiz answered.
"I'll just go with the egg," Glasya said.
The chefs nodded, picking out an egg and setting it in a bowl before handing it to Glasya who took it.
"Hold it," Blake spoke up, now curious, "Isn't Torkia pretty far off?"
"It's been several months already since we last met," Glasya scoffed, "And I could care less about that hellhole now."
"Fair enough," Geiz replied, "Surprised to see you all the way out here though."
"Let's just say I came all the way over here because of you," Glasya said as he took the egg with his hand before dropping it in his mouth, chewing on it while everyone else began to stare at him due to how he worded his response.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ruby asked as she began to tense slightly.
Glasya held up a finger and continued to chew further before swallowing, "Huh, not bad for amateurs."
"Just get to the point," Geiz stood up and slammed his palms against the cart, glaring at Glasya, "Why are you here?"
"Like I said, I'm here because of you," Glasya said as he stood up, taking out a Sengoku Driver with a blank faceplate and slapping it on his waist. The Driver locked onto place before a chime was heard, a black colored version of Baron's helmet forming on the blank plate. He then held up a Banana Lockseed that didn't have the Lockseed code on it, "Henshin!"
"Nope, we're not doing this here," Tsukuyomi sighed as she stood up and held up her hand to initiate her time stop, "You're not ruining this-"
[COME ON! BANANA ARMS! KNIGHT OF SPE~AR!]
To everyone's shock, Glasya wasn't frozen as his transformation completed. He now wore armor similar to his form as Proto Baron, but the armoring on his bodysuit was now gunmetal grey, the banana armor also being darkened too. He had transformed into the Dark Rider, Kamen Rider Black Baron.
"What?" Ruby asked, "Tsuki didn't you-"
"I know I activated my powers!" Tsukuyomi called out in shock.
"Now let's begin!" Black Baron called out as he initiated his finisher and stabbed directly at the oden cart.
"Get your Aura up now!" Blake shouted as everyone went to pull back, the four bringing up their Auras just as Black Baron's attack hit the cart.
[COME ON! BANANA SQUASH!]
An explosion occurred due to the finisher hitting the cart, the fire and force of it knocking back the Riders and Huntresses, all four rolling away as their Auras shimmered.
Geiz gasped, "What the hell?!"
"Why would you get those owners involved in this?!" Blake questioned as she glared, "You monster!"
"Huh?" Black Baron turned as he could be seen through the flames, "What are you yapping about?"
Emerging from the flames near him were the two chefs/owners of the cart. Their veils had caught on fire however, burning away as the two began to giggle and snicker. It wasn't long before both crossed their arms, revealing themselves as Uhr and Ora.
"Wait, they were Uhr and Ora?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"What's going on?" Ruby asked as she reached for her Ziku Driver alongside Geiz and Tsukuyomi.
"We're getting our revenge on your group," Ora answered.
"Yeah," Uhr nodded, "You all caused our downfall after all."
"I assumed it was because you all wouldn't work together," Blake shot back, "Especially since you were nowhere near Another Zi-O II."
"That damn Swartz," Ora hissed out, "Just up and taking our powers like that…"
"It doesn't matter if we lost our powers over time and space," Uhr replied as he held his hands near his waist, summoning a Ghost Driver while bringing out an Eyecon with a black casing, the label on top having Dark Ghost, "We've got something that can help us keep up finally."
Geiz let out a gasp, "A Ghost Driver?"
"Kivat, let's go," Ora soon held up Kivat-Bat the 2nd, and used it to bite into her left hand. She winced slightly as the stained glass markings formed over her face before quickly working to slot it in on the Dark Kivat Belt that formed on her waist, "Henshin!"
Uhr chuckled as he loaded the Dark Ghost Eyecon, "Henshin!"
[GABURI!]
[KAIGAN! DARK RIDER! YAMI NO CHIKARA! WARUI YATSURA!]
A black Parka Ghost with white accenting it flew out and circled around Uhr who gained an altered variant of Ghost's Transient, the bones being colored white with the center eye being purple. The parka latched on as the visor was fully formed. It was white with narrow jagged eyes that curved upwards, Dark Ghost having the same horn crest as regular Ghost.
Ora meanwhile allowed the armor to form over her before shattering to fully reveal her transformation as Dark Kiva.
"Dark Riders…?" Ruby let out a light gasp as she fully stood up while preparing her transformation for Rose Armor.
"They've got better equipment," Geiz scoffed as he prepared Geiz Goretsu, "But it doesn't matter."
"Right, we'll win this," Tsukuyomi agreed, preparing to bring out Den-O Armor from the start.
"We should still stay sharp," Blake suggested as she brought out her Gashacon Sparrow in its arrow mode while also bringing out Gambol Shroud in its cleaver form, figuring it would be best to dual wield her two weapons, "They're confronting us like this for a reason."
"Right," Ruby said before she glanced at Tsukuyomi and Geiz who nodded, the three soon initiating their transformations while Black Baron, Dark Ghost, and Dark Kiva all waited for them.
"Henshin!"
[ARMOR TIME! KAMEN RIDE! ROSE! ROSE! ROSE~!]
[RE-VI-I-VE GORETSU~! GORETSU!]
[ARMOR TIME! SWORD FORM! DEN-O!]
Just as Tsukuyomi and Geiz had mentioned, Gentoku was currently greeting inspectors from the UN led by Simon Marcus at the Japan Institute of Advanced Matter Physics. They were currently planning on observing the Build Rider System after the UN had sent several requests to the Japanese Government due to the rise in Kamen Rider activity.
The two were currently meeting with Shinobu Katsuragi, father of Takumi Katsuragi who was also Sento Kiryu's original identity from the Old World.
Of course their meeting wouldn't last long, Down Fall soldiers suddenly rushing into the building despite the defenses in place. The defenses were the Guardian attack robots, mechanical humanoid soldiers that could be used to keep human casualties down.
The grouping of soldiers quickly busted into the laboratory where the inspection was being held, all of them raising their guns up while lowering their masks and hoods to reveal the distinct marking of their organization on their necks or faces.
"Down Fall…" Gentoku narrowed his eyes, having quickly put the Build Driver back in the briefcase it had been brought out from and closing said briefcase, "How did you get here?"
"It was all part of a rat's plan to steal the Build Driver from under your nose…"
"Huh?" Gentoku's eyes widened, "That voice…!"
"Impossible," Shinobu let out a gasp, also recognizing it.
"Keep calm you two," Otoya said as he walked through the door while fixing his tie, "The names Otoya Kurenai… not whoever you all are thinking of."
"What?" Simon asked in surprise.
"The original head of this part of the stinger operation, Keiji Uraga is no longer with us," Otoya said before snapping his fingers, "Of course there are still some other people from Down Fall I need to get rid of."
[GACHAN! MAZARU UP!]
A flash of black and orange occurred between everyone as the sound of a saw rung through the room, Simon yelling out as he was slashed in the back as Another Para-DX had formed behind him.
[PERFECT KNOCK OUT!]
Simon could only gasp out as he now had a large deep gash on his back, falling face first as he fell unconscious, twitching slightly before going limp.
"Looks like its game over for you," Another Para-DX remarked as he held the Gashacon Bugvisor Zwei in its chainsaw mode.
"What?" Gentoku gasped out as he quickly pulled away from the dark Rider alongside Shinobu and the other inspectors who had joined Marcus.
"Just what is going on?" Shinobu asked, "You knew Keiji Uraga?"
"Who…?" Gentoku whispered.
"A scientist who researched the White Panel with me under Evolt," Shinobu whispered back.
Gentoku nodded and quickly shifted his hands to where he'd pull out his phone discreetly, speed-dialing a certain number. He kept the incoming voice volume muted while also keeping the call running despite not answering.
"I wouldn't say knew," Otoya answered, "More like my boss and I knew that we needed to take control of Down Fall's operation in order to get our plans underway. And that meant dealing with both Keiji Uraga the brains, and Simon Marcus the leader of Down Fall."
"What?" Gentoku gasped as he looked back at the fallen representative alongside the others who were in the room, "He was…?"
"Yeah, he really wanted that Build Driver you have there so he set this whole thing up," Otoya remarked as he pulled out a phone and pointed at Gentoku, "Of course Keiji also wanted it, and since they're both dead now… that makes it vacant for me to take."
"Why exactly do you want it?" Gentoku asked.
"So that I can evolve to the next level as a Dark Rider, especially once I get the White Panel," Otoya answered as he pressed a few buttons on the phone, the Guardians suddenly rushing in while taking aim, "Then I'll rule over this world since my own world was left in shambles by a destroyer."
"Why are the Guardians…?" Gentoku trailed.
"They were hacked!" Shinobu called out in realization.
"I'm not going down without a fight," Gentoku said as he pocketed his phone but kept it running while readying his transformation, "Henshin!"
[CROCODILE IN ROGUE! ORAA!]
Gentoku watched as the Guardians began shooting at him, the transformation into Rogue protecting him however. Once he had fully transformed he grabbed the case and began beating back the Guardians that tried to attack.
"Everyone," Rogue called out as he punched a Guardian away, "Run!"
"You know what to do," Otoya looked over at Another Para-DX who nodded.
"Good," Another Para-DX chuckled, "I'm hoping to get a fun fight."
Rogue meanwhile had rushed out of the main lab into the walkways that made up the second floor of the building. He smashed the briefcase holding the Build Driver into the Guardians' heads while bringing out his Nebulasteam Gun, going for headshots to disable the machines as fast as possible.
Thankfully the Guardians, while sturdy, were no match for a Rider of Rogue's level. And while some were managing to land potshots, they were easily taken care of and forced back.
"Not bad, not bad," Another Para-DX said as he emerged from the lab and began to walk over to Rogue, "Mind making this worth my while?"
"Is this just a game to you?" Rogue questioned.
"It's kill or be killed in this cruel world!" Another Para-DX called out as he rushed towards Rogue, grabbing onto the Rider and forcing them both to tumble down the stairs constantly, "So why not make it more exciting?!"
Rogue gasped as he managed to pull away from Another Para-DX, aiming and shooting at the dark Rider while keeping a tight grip of the briefcase.
"Not bad, but this is a bit boring since you're handicapped," Another Para-DX got on one knee and braced against the shots before yelling out and shooting at Rogue with his Bugvisor Zwei, forcing the Rider to dodge.
"Then how about we end it?" Otoya asked as he was watching from the floor above them before tilting his head towards one of the Down Fall members, "It's time, go through with the plan your bosses had for the Build Riders."
One Down Fall member gave a nod, bringing out a Metal Full Bottle that was all silver with a black cap. He shook it a few times before jabbing it into his body, a green aura covering him as he was transformed. His form became more armored, having a military styling to it as it resembled a military jet interceptor, the helmet being unique in that it had multiple 'eyes', all of them being styled after a barometer.
"Whew," Otoya whistled as he backed away and went to circle around to where the stairs were to meet with the Riders below, "Not bad."
"What?" Rogue looked up in shock.
The militarized monster leapt downwards, slamming down against Rogue and pinning the Rider down against the ground.
"What's with this power…?" Rogue gasped out as he tried to force the monster's leg off his chest only to howl out as sparks flew, the monstrous soldier pushing its foot down further.
"From what I researched, they're called Phantom Crushers," Otoya said as he walked down the steps, "They're made with Phantom Liquid, which has higher efficiency than Nebula Gas."
The Phantom Crusher said nothing as it held its right hand towards Rogue, a green light shining as a suction effect occurred. Energy particles began being sucked away from Rogue, to the point that the crocodile Rider lost his transformation.
"How did you…" Gentoku gasped out.
"Oh yeah, that's another fun ability they have," Otoya said as he walked over to the briefcase and retrieved the Build Driver. He then pulled out two gunmetal grey Tank Fullbottles that he had taken from Keiji, "That's two of the three pieces…"
Sento and Ryuga were currently bored, the two sitting on the chairs in their warehouse as they stared at the human sized pod in front of them. Normally they would have gone around town by this point, maybe check in on Ruby, but Utsumi's insistence on them getting his memories back today made them stall all plans.
Of course neither of them expected their roof to be blown apart, a Down Fall member sliding down a rope that had been dropped down.
"Who the hell are you?" Ryuga asked as he and Sento got in defensive stances.
The Down Fall member said nothing as he brought out a Metal Fullbottle, activating it and jamming it against his body to transform into a Phantom Crusher.
"What's up with this guy?" Ryuga asked as his eyes widened.
"Let's go Banjo," Sento said, not wanting to waste any time since they were being invaded.
[WAKE UP! CROSS-Z DRAGON!]
[RABBIT! TANK! BEST MATCH!]
The two prepared their transformations while the Phantom Crusher lazily held up a hand.
[ARE YOU READY?]
"Henshin!" The two called out as their transformations began to initiate, however energy particles began flowing out of them and into the Phantom Crusher's open hand.
[GET-]
[RAB-]
The transformations were cut off as the Snap Builders that had formed to latch the armor onto them had also dissolved. Both took notice immediately, staring at each other in shock.
"Why can't we transform?" Ryuga asked.
"Our powers were taken away…" Sento realized.
"Why you…!" Ryuga shouted as he tried to punch at the Phantom Crusher who easily blocked the attack. He gasped out as he was punched by the Phantom Crusher, slamming against the wall back first. He coughed a few times before passing out.
"Banjo!" Sento called out as he was grabbed by his collar before being tossed to the ground, the result dislodging the Hazard Trigger from his coat.
The Phantom Crusher snatched the Hazard Trigger away with a chuckle before walking over to where the White Pandora Panel was hanging. It grabbed the panel before launching upwards and through the hole it had made while entering earlier.
Sento could only wince as he held his chest, managing to sit up and stare up at the hole, "This isn't good…"
The silence and awkwardness surrounding Sougo's answer lasted for several minutes on end. Sougo was waiting for a response while Weiss, Kotaro and Michal were shocked at the future King and Kamen Rider's reaction and response. Though the three were silent and in shock in different ways. Weiss couldn't help but feel warm at the thought that Sougo wouldn't abandon her or the others, while Kotaro and Michal were trying to process why exactly Sougo disagreed.
"Excuse me?" Michal asked as he decided to break the silence.
"You heard me," Sougo answered.
"I understand your feelings," Michal nodded, "But…"
"I understand how damaging the event you described could be," Sougo agreed with what was said prior, "But there's still time to stop that from occurring, you all still being here is proof that the situation can change."
"So why say no to our request?" Teddy asked.
"Because we'll deal with the situation ourselves," Sougo gestured towards himself and Weiss, "I'm not tearing our group apart, especially when all of us work better together."
"Everyone's continued presence here will only speed up the process," Kotaro tried to argue, "I understand your feelings, but are you even sure of how you'll stop this from happening? Especially on a tight time limit? You're not going to have years, or even months for this."
"I'm not sure how we'll stop this," Sougo admitted, "But I think… no… I know we'll find a solution."
"Sougo…" Weiss muttered in surprise.
"Weiss," Sougo turned with a smile and put a hand on her cheek, "I'm not going to abandon you or the others. I promise."
"Thank you," Weiss smiled as she held Sougo's hand.
"Is there any way to change that no to a yes?" Kotaro asked, "I don't exactly like having to come all this way only to get told that we should do nothing while multiple worlds are at stake."
"Kotaro…" Teddy muttered.
"Maybe we shouldn't push it," Michal suggested in a nervous fashion.
"Alright…" Sougo sighed as he pulled away from Weiss, already figuring out a way to make this somewhat fair to the Riders before him, "I'll give you all a deal."
"A deal…?" Michal asked as he tilted his head.
"What kind of deal?" Kotaro asked.
"Beat me in a fight and I'll agree to your instructions," Sougo replied, "But if I win, you'll leave this to me and the others."
"That's it?" Kotaro asked.
"Yep," Sougo nodded, having no real reason to over-complicate the situation.
"I'd rather not fight if we could help it," Michal suggested, "Can't we just talk this out?"
"Unfortunately I'm not willing to budge on my stance," Sougo replied, "Which is why I'll give you all a chance to get your way in a fair match."
"I'll do it," Kotaro said as he stepped up, figuring that Michal would be too hesitant. He prepped his New Den-O Belt, taking out his pass, "I'll take you on with Teddy."
"Kotaro, are you sure?" Michal asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure," Kotaro said, "Teddy, let's get started."
"Of course," Teddy said as he stood at attention.
Kotaro swiped the pass over his belt, "Henshin!"
[STRIKE FORM!]
Everyone watched as Kotaro's transformation into New Den-O occurred, Teddy hopping off the ground and changing into his sword form, the Macheteddy, once more. New Den-O gripped the Macheteddy's handle tightly before he pointed the blade towards Sougo.
"I'm ready whenever you are," New Den-O said.
"Sougo, are you sure about this?" Weiss asked.
"I am," Sougo said as he looked back with a reassuring smile, "I've got Grand remember? And we did all that practicing?"
"Just don't do anything stupid," Weiss said in strict manner but held a smile as she backed up, "We don't need you losing this because of a fumble."
"Don't worry, full serious mode coming up," Sougo said as he prepared his Ziku Driver alongside the Zi-O and GrandZi-O Ridewatches, the gold tower and Heisei Rider statues forming behind and alongside him respectively, "Henshin!"
[GRAND TIME! IWAE! KAMEN RIDER~! GRAND ZI-O~!]
The Riders were contained within the gold gates of Grand, the gates shrinking and latching onto Sougo's body before opening up to reveal the statuettes as a burst of gold occurred to complete the transformation. Standing before New Den-O in all his glory was Grand Zi-O who simply took a step forward and kept his fists clenched.
New Den-O quickly gripped his sword with both hands as he got in a fighting stance, put on guard due to the power he could feel emanating from Zi-O.
"What incredible power," Michal admitted in awe before shaking his head as he noticed something odd, "Wait, that's Zi-O…? Jeez, history really has gone off its tracks…"
Weiss heard this and raised an eyebrow, before realizing what Michal had accidentally admitted. She couldn't help but feel relief at realizing that it was just like Owner had said, history was changing. But that brought her back to him also mentioning Oma Zi-O was a single constant. So what was it that they were missing?
Both Zi-O and New Den-O kept staring each other down, though the two already knew the outcome of this battle. New Den-O was humoring Zi-O at this point because he knew Michal wasn't going to back down but also wasn't going to be extremely assertive. He knew he didn't stand a chance, especially if it was against a form that radiated incredible power like Grand.
His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a glint out of the corner of his eye, quickly raising his blade, "What?!"
"Huh?" Zi-O saw the glint as well and quickly rushed towards Weiss while tapping W's statuette.
Several slashes of energy had been launched out, hurtling towards the group and closing in at a rapid pace.
[W!]
Kamen Rider W Xtreme appeared out of a gateway, Gaia Memories already loaded into the Prism Bicker as they stood in the way of the attacks.
[CYCLONE! HEAT! LUNA! METAL! MAXIMUM DRIVE!]
W held the Prism Bicker forward, the shield forming an energy shield that blocked against the energy slashes, pushing forward and dispersing them and causing explosions to form all around upon impact.
Michal yelped as he fell on his rear, "Eh?!"
"Just what was that?" New Den-O asked as he loosened his stance up slightly.
"Are you alright?" Zi-O looked over at Weiss who had already brought out Myrtenaster and the Chalice Arrow.
"Y-Yeah…" Weiss nodded, "Just who did that?"
"I'm not…" Zi-O scanned the area before his eyes went wide, "Wait, Eiji?"
"What?" Michal asked before squinting his eyes as he stood up, his eyes widening as he saw Ancient OOO now standing a fair distance away, "No… that isn't Hino."
"Correct," Ancient OOO said as he shifted his two blades to where he was holding them in a reverse grip before stabbing them into the ground, "I'm not that spineless successor I so easily dealt with, I am the original one true OOO."
"Excuse me?" Zi-O asked as in surprise, though he gripped his fists at Ancient OOO's implications.
"What did you do to Eiji?!" Michal questioned in slight fear.
"You need not concern yourself," Ancient OOO scoffed at the question, "I am here to deal with you, Kamen Rider Zi-O."
"Who sent you?" Weiss asked.
"That is also not important," Ancient OOO ignored the question, "All that matters is that I teach this wannabe king his place."
"I defeated you once before," Zi-O said as he stepped forward, "I can do it again."
"Unlike the variant you faced, I am at my prime," Ancient OOO scoffed as he held up the Medal Case that Ankh would normally carry and opening it up to reveal that all the Medal Combos that weren't Tajador and Super Tatoba were in place, "With these Medals alongside the others I hold within me… I can reign over this world."
"Maybe you are stronger," Zi-O chose to agree with the boast, "But I've gotten stronger as well, I'm not the same as I was back when I faced Another OOO."
"And you make it seem like I plan on facing you as I am," Ancient OOO chuckled as he brought out what looked to be a Super Variant of the Mukade, Hachi, and Ari Medals, all of them having gold carvings of the animals. He swapped the Taka, Tora, and Batta Medals out with the Super Mukachiri Combo, closing the carrying case before grabbing the OOO Scanner and initiating his new transformation, "Now Behold!"
[MUKADE! HACHI! ARI!]
The three Medals for the Combo formed as they were announced, but instead of the usual medals spinning into place, these began spiraling all around him before overlapping in front of Ancient OOO and slamming backwards
"Behold my-" Ancient OOO suddenly cut himself off as he gave a gasp, his chest become a sudden orange-lined black hole that began sucking in everything around him. The result was the complete shattering the Medal Case and sucking all the O Medals inside within the evil Rider, "W-What… is… even?!"
"Something's wrong…" New Den-O spoke up.
"What's going on?" Michal asked before getting a chill up his spine, "Wait, this feeling… it couldn't be?"
"What?" Zi-O asked as he looked over at Michal, "What's going on?"
"This feels like the time I was possessed by a Greeed," Michal admitted with a gulp.
"Wait," Weiss looked over in surprise, "You were possessed by a-"
"Ah… I was wondering when the idiot would finally use my Medals!" a voice called out from the black hole that had erupted from Ancient OOO. Soon enough darkness began to spew out and surround the evil Rider as the black hole closed up, "They promised me a body and boy did they deliver on it!"
"They…?" Zi-O tilted his head as he heard this.
The darkness suddenly dispersed to reveal a new OOO in place of Ancient OOO. This one had discarded the coat entirely as the very base of the bodysuit was Tatoba, but the center gold ringed plate that would hold the Combo sigils was different. The inside was lined by purple markings, sigil styled faces of the four original Greeed aside from Ankh on the chest in a circular pattern. Going clockwise from the top was Uva, Mezool, Gamel, and finally Kazari.
The Shoulder armor was two black rounded shoulders with large curved spikes jutting out from them. The right shoulder had grey lining decorating it on the bottom with yellow on the top. Likewise the left shoulder had blue lining decorating it on the bottom with green on the top. He had the yellow Tora arm guards and hand plates but with purple lining mixed in, the claws being elongated like Super Tatoba while also being silver in coloration. The legs were silver and centipede styled with multiple layers, purple decorating each layer.
Finally he had a bug-like helmet with small yellow compound eyes, having a mix of a centipede, bee, and ant as the motif for the face with centipede-like tassels dropping down from the bottom sides of the helmet.
[GODA! GODA! GO~DA!]
"A Greeed…" Michal shivered as he could feel the presence of the Rider before them, it feeling similar to another Greeed that wore Rider Armor, Poseidon.
"Kamen Rider… Goda," the new Rider introduced as he let his hands drop while keeping them open.
"Why exactly are you here?" Zi-O asked as he stepped forward.
"I'm here to destroy you of course," Goda answered as he held out a hand before he threw his arm to the side, "I was to be granted the strongest form of OOO imaginable, but in order to truly gain my freedom I need to beat you first."
"Sougo," Weiss said as she kept her weapons up, "I'll…"
"No," Zi-O shook his head, "Let me take him alone."
Weiss stared at her boyfriend for a few seconds before nodding, "Alright."
"You're pretty confident," Goda remarked as he held a hand up, water beginning to spiral around it and form into a sphere, "I was hoping you'd all come at once, but taking down the strongest holds its advantages when it comes to the rest of you."
"Really…?" New Den-O asked with a chuckle of seeming disbelief as he rested his sword on his shoulder, "You really think you can take Zi-O? Are you even aware of the power he has now?"
"That gold form doesn't scare me," Goda remarked as he added electricity to the water sphere that he had formed
"Your funeral," Weiss said, agreeing with New Den-O's confidence in Sougo.
"Zi-O," New Den-O said, causing the future King to look over, "Give him hell."
"Of course," Zi-O nodded as he began to move towards Goda, drawing out the Heiseiber before running straight at the Greeed Rider.
"Take this!" Goda yelled out as he launched the electrified water ball towards Zi-O.
Zi-O slashed against the water ball, dispersing it into smaller chunks and of water and electricity with ease as he ran past it.
"Huh, so you could take that?" Goda asked before folding out his claws, gathering multicolored energy within them before slicing forward, sending numerous energy slashes forward.
[HEY! OOO!]
Zi-O stopped on a dime and slid his hand across the blade of the Heisaber, the pink ridges turning a bright gold as the OOO insignia flashed within the blade itself.
[OOO! DUAL TIME BREAK!]
ZI-O yelled out, unleashing a golden slash that sliced through the energy slashes alongside reality itself. The slashes then exploded once reality slid back to normal.
Goda could only step back with a gasp, "Even that?!"
"You made a big mistake trying to come at me," Zi-O called out as he brandished his Heiseiber.
Black Baron gasped out as sparks flew, staggering back from Geiz's hit. He then flicked his Sengoku Driver's cutting blade twice while running his hand along his Banaspear.
[COME ON! BANANA AU LAIT!]
His weapon shined a bright gold coloration with a purple aura surrounding it as he charged forward, swinging and stabbing at Geiz.
Geiz held his ground with Goretsu but winced slightly, soon bracing and blocking with his Jaclaw as he took a few steps back. He knew that finishers would be able to pierce some of his defenses, but he was surprised by how powered up Black Baron was.
"Surprised?" Black Baron asked, "This is my new strength."
"Just how the hell did you get your hands on another Sengoku Driver?" Geiz asked as he pushed forward, managing to shove the Dark Rider back.
"Come on, you were there in Torkia," Black Baron said with a light scoff, "Who do you think?"
"So she decided to keep you around," Geiz remarked, "Whatever."
[FINAL WEAPON TIME! G-G-G-G3-X! GX-05 KERBEROS!]
Roze quickly brought out G3-X's gatling gun weapon, taking aim and firing at Dark Ghost who held a black and white aura to him. Despite the rapid firing of bullets, the Dark Rider was able to dodge with quick speed, even speeding up enough to where he slipped past Roze, slashing with a Gan Gun Saber and causing sparks to fly.
"Not bad," Dark Ghost chuckled before yelling and turning only for his weapon to clang against the Gashacon Sparrow and Gambol Shroud.
Blake quickly pushed Dark Ghost's weapon down before shooting at him with her arrow weapon, sparks flying from Dark Ghost as he was sent staggering back.
Roze was already prepping thanks to the chance Blake gave her. She loaded the rocket onto the Kerberos before leaping up and launching it at Dark Ghost's feet, managing to blow him back further.
"Thanks for the backup Blake," Roze said as she lowered her weapon.
"Figured you could use it given how slippery this dark version of Ghost is," Blake nodded.
Tsukuyomi meanwhile had been forced into close quarters combat by Dark Kiva, the two grappling against each other before Dark Kiva managed to trip and force her to the ground.
"I'm still pissed about that incident with Kiva," Dark Kiva hissed out as she held up a hand, "So this will be fun!"
"Sorry but I don't think so!" Tsukuyomi quickly brought out her Faizphone X, shooting once and managing to stun Dark Kiva briefly. She managed to get up while slamming her shoulder into the Dark Rider to force her back further before bringing out her Zikan Girade Tsu alongside the DenGasher, both in their sword modes.
Dark Kiva had just barely recovered from being stunned only to cry out further, sparks flying as Tsukuyomi had performed a cross slash against her.
"Why you…" Dark Kiva held up a hand, forming a Kiva sigil over Tsukuyomi before bringing it crashing down.
Tsukuyomi however had managed to look up before ducking and rolling away just barely, being sent rolling further due to the explosive impact of the sigil.
"We already went through the trouble of dealing with your time stop," Dark Kiva growled out, "So be a good little girl and play dead."
"What did you do to stop my powers?" Tsukuyomi asked.
"Like we'd let you all know what we've been planning," Dark Kiva scoffed.
"Come now, surely you didn't need those powers to win every fight?"
Tsukuyomi's head immediately whipped towards the side, soon watching as Swartz came into view, "Brother?"
"Huh?" Roze quickly broke away from her fight with Dark Ghost, Blake sliding back near her as they both looked over.
"What?" Geiz asked as he grabbed Black Baron's Banaspear with his hand to hold it back.
"What are you doing here?" Tsukuyomi asked, "Is this all your doing?"
"If only I could take credit for it," Swartz smirked before frowning, "Sadly, I'm equals with my former subordinates."
"Happy to be working with you too," Dark Ghost remarked dryly.
"Wait, so this isn't a Time Jacker thing?" Roze asked.
"I guess our guest from Torkia should've given that away," Geiz grunted as he threw the Banaspear to the side to force Black Baron to stagger.
"The Time Jackers are no more," Swartz said before taking out a Decadriver that was primarily black in coloration with dark grey edges, the central gem being blue in coloration.
There were no Rider Symbols on it though the back plate of the buckle said Decade. He then placed it on his waist, the strap forming as well as bringing out a Ride Booker attached to his waist. He then drew out a Decade Card that had a black helmet and blue eyes on it. With a swift motion he opened the Driver before slamming the card in, closing the Driver once more.
"Henshin!"
[KAMEN RIDE: DECADE!]
The usual holographic Rider shapes formed before sliding all together over Swartz, the color fading in as he had transformed into a variant of Decade. The armor was a mix of black and dark grey, the white accented portions on his chest, left shoulder, collar, wrists and ankles were now gold. The helmet was primarily black with different shades of grey, a yellow gem on the forehead with two blue-eyes replacing the standard green.
Standing before everyone was a Rider none thought existed, Swartz had transformed into Dark Decade. Despite their shock alongside Geiz however, Ruby and Blake grew immediately concerned given this was an apparent inversion of Decade's powers.
"What?" Tsukuyomi asked as she fully stood up.
"My dear sister," Dark Decade said, his voice shaking as he gripped his fist tightly before he ran towards her, "I will be taking back what is rightfully mine!"
"Hey, what do you think you're doing?!" Dark Kiva asked, ready to charge forward before sparks flew in front of her, causing her to back up, "Huh?"
"You're not going anywhere near her!" Blake shouted as she rushed for Dark Kiva, wanting to keep the fights even in combatants.
Tsukuyomi kept a steady stance, holding both of her blades forward as she watched Dark Decade approach, the Dark Rider bringing out the Ride Booker in its sword mode and slashing downwards. She managed to block the slash before ducking and slipping forward, slashing past Dark Decade with sparks flying.
Dark Decade let out a light gasp before chuckling, turning and slashing at Tsukuyomi who just barely turned with a gasp. The result was Tsukuyomi screaming out as her helmet had been struck by Dark Decade's sword.
"I'm not going to hold back, dear sister," Dark Decade called out as he rushed towards the disoriented Tsukuyomi, "So be a good sibling and make this easy for both of us!"
Goda yelled out as he unleashed bursts of multi-colored electricity all around, explosions kicking up as he punched towards Zi-O who blocked with the Heiseiber. The two were now moving around each other in a tight circle rapidly, explosions going off all around. Zi-O slashed while Goda punched forward, the two even exchanging kicks.
Zi-O gripped his left fist, a gold shine occurring as gold energy gathered at a rapid pace. Goda saw this and brought up his right fist, multicolored energy gathering before he quickly punched. Zi-O struck Goda's fist with his own, the golden energy exploding outwards, overwhelming and forcing the amalgamated OOO Rider backwards.
"Impossible…" Goda hissed out, "I'm supposed to have ultimate power!"
"You may have what is likely the peak of OOO's power," Zi-O agreed before tossing his weapon away, "But I have the full power of OOO plus the Riders before and after him!"
"Like I'll let your simple words get to me!" Goda shouted while stomping his left foot while spreading his arms out. A gravity wave began to pull Zi-O towards him while a bright light formed from Goda's forehead gem to blind Zi-O and everyone else.
Zi-O let out a light grunt as he raised a hand to try and block the light as he went to tap several statuettes.
"It's over!" Goda called out as he gathered his energy in his claws before slashing forward and striking Zi-O once the Rider was close enough.
[KUUGA! KABUTO! KIVA! GAIM! BUILD!]
CLANG!
The light faded as Goda's head shot up in surprise, his claws having bounced before resting on their target. It wasn't long before everyone could see overlapping projections that rapidly changed of Kuuga Titan Form, Kabuto Masked Form, Kiva Dogga Form, Gaim Kachidoki Arms, and Build TankTank Form over Zi-O.
"What were you saying about 'simple words'?" Zi-O asked before immediately kicking Goda in the gut, a golden shockwave occurring that forced the Greeed Rider backwards. He then initiated his finisher, "I'm ending this now."
[FINISH TIME! GRANDZI-O!]
Nine gates formed all around Goda, four were on ground level while four were in the air and aiming downwards. Each gate began to open up at a different time, each of them having a different Main Combo of Kamen Rider OOO. Gatakiriba, Latorartar, Sagohzo, Tajadol, Shauta, Putotyra, Burakawami, and Mukachiri were all present.
[SCANNING CHARGE!]
Each OOO was also in the middle of initiating their finishers as they launched out of the gates. Sagohzo and Putotyra were both first, Sagohzo emitting heavy gravity waves by pounding its chest rapidly, forcing Goda on his knees.
Putotyra soon extended the wings on its helmet, flapping them forward and creating an icy wave that froze over Anceint OOO's arms and legs while coating the rest of his armor in ice.
"Argh… do not think that you've won," Goda called out defiantly as he tried to break out of the ice, "I will not fall so easily!"
Latoratah and Burakawani both rushed in from opposite ends on both sides of Goda. Latoratah slashed past with superheated claws while Burakawani slid at high speeds before striking past as a projection of an orange crocodile head bit down on Goda as it passed.
Zi-O leapt into the air as Gatakiriba, Tajadol, Shauta and Mukachiri all launched downwards with their respective Rider Kick Scanning Charges, the four OOO Combos striking Goda one after another.
Zi-O meanwhile dropped down while kicking out, the Tatoba and Super Tatoba Combos overlapping on top of him as he slammed his foot directly into Goda's chest.
[ALL 20 TIME BREAK!]
"This can't be…!" Goda yelled out as he was slammed against the ground, an explosion engulfing him and Zi-O as both Cell and Core Medals spilled out.
"So… want to keep fighting?" Weiss asked in a confident tone as she looked over at New Den-O who was simply staring at the fight while Michal had a face of pure awe, "I'd like to say this example speaks for itself, but hey, maybe he got a bit tired out."
"I already knew I lost the minute he transformed," New Den-O admitted, "I just wanted to humor him and keep us from arguing further."
"I suppose we'll just have to back off," Michal nodded, "I don't like it but…"
"I don't either," New Den-O admitted, "But I'm not about to pick a serious fight with that guy."
"Oh jeez, I'm going to have to pick all these up now, huh?" Zi-O asked himself as his posture relaxed, standing up. He then realized something and turned towards New Den-O, "Hey uh… did you still want to…?"
"We'll call it as your win," New Den-O said as he dismissed his transformation, Teddy reforming next to him, "Just make sure you're quick about everything."
"Just leave it to me and my friends," Zi-O said as he dismissed his transformation.
"Michal, come on," Kotaro said as he turned to leave with Teddy.
"Right," Michal nodded before bowing quickly, "Sorry about all this."
Weiss bowed out of courtesy before watching the two Future Riders walk off.
"So, cleanup's going to be fun," Sougo said with a grimace.
"Maybe I can call Kougami and he can do something about it," Weiss suggested as she pulled out her phone.
"Speaking of calling, I'm going to call the others," Sougo said as he pulled out his Faizphone X and dialed Ruby, "Something doesn't feel right."
"Sounds good," Weiss said before finding the Kougami Foundations number to call.
Sougo meanwhile was worried that Ruby wasn't picking up, quickly redialing for Woz.
"Ah my Overlord," Woz answered in a pleased tone, "Are you and Miss Schnee done with your date?"
"Something like that," Sougo answered sheepishly, "Woz, something strange is going on."
"Indeed," Woz agreed, "Miss Xiao Long was contacted by Takatora Kureshima not that long ago on the Hotline. Apparently our Helheim Rider friend has reappeared recently, however…"
"However…?" Sougo asked.
"It appears as though Eiji and Ankh were attacked," Woz added, "Date and Goto called that the two, while not in emergency condition thankfully, lost most of their Medals."
"Oh about that… I might have fought what took them," Sougo explained before pausing and realizing he wasn't being factually correct, "Or rather I fought what took over what took them."
"I beg your pardon?" Woz asked, confused by the wording.
"Not important, anyway I'm sitting with a bunch of Medals and Weiss is contacting Kougami now," Sougo said as he looked around, "But if multiple evil Riders are acting up…"
"Shall we contact Miss Rose then and regroup?" Woz asked before ringing was heard, "Another caller?"
"Keep me posted but Ruby won't answer her Faizphone," Sougo explained, "Woz, can you try and find her and the others in case something happened?"
"Of course my Overlord," Woz said before hanging up.
"Hey I called Kougami, apparently Eiji and Ankh got attacked earlier this morning," Weiss said as she walked over, "He said he'd send some collectors to make sure the Medals were transported back safely. How'd getting in contact with everyone else go?"
"Couldn't reach Ruby but I did reach Woz," Sougo replied, "Something tells me we're only just getting started with these weird Rider incidents…"
"Lovely," Weiss groaned out.
Divorced from everything else that was going on, Kazumi and his three friends, Akaba, Aoba, and Kiba, were currently on another beach along Tokyo's coastline. The four were among the wreckage of what looked to be a makeshift raft, all of their clothes tattered and dirtied while they weren't clean shaven in the slightest. Of course all four were also rather exhausted, likely having had a harrowing trip since it had been quite a while since they had last been seen.
"We're finally back!" Kazumi gasped out as he pulled himself onto land.
"I've lost count of how many times I've seen the underworld…" Akaba admitted.
"We shouldn't have followed the boss on the journey to heal his heart!" Aoba complained.
"Boss!" Kiba shouted before he sniffed a few times, "It kinda smells here!"
"Of course we smell, we haven't cleaned ourselves," Kazumi said as if it was obvious while he picked himself up.
"I don't mean that!" Kiba admitted, "The air's filled with a bad scent."
Kazumi could only look on in confusion, "Eh?"
To Be Continued…
Next Time:
"I think we can do this…!"
"I'm here to pick you up."
"Your plan's pretty reckless."
"You still haven't taken all of Swartz's power."
"And its name is… Perfect Kingdom!"
Chapter 116: 2009: Invasion of Negatives
Author's Note: So first off I'd like to address another recent happening before I get anymore comments. Yes I have heard of the Rooster Teeth situation. My feelings on WB as a company continue to be that I actively dislike what they've become (more particularly Zaslav) and that I wish the employees at RT the best. I will be cautiously optimistic in awaiting RWBY news given recent comments made by the crew themselves, as I'm one to believe that there should at least be a little hope to latch onto.
Now then, it's been a while hasn't it? What a way to start as I drop us into an altered variant of the Grease V-Cinema alongside bringing in various other TTFC/V-Cinema elements into play via other cameos/appearances. That's not to mention that I'm also drawing on the final stretch of Zi-O and bringing Aqua in with his own twists and turns alongside an additional guest in the form of New Den-O. This Saga's going to be a wild one in regards to what exactly is going to happen, so buckle up everyone. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time.