Episode 24: Fate Foiled
Shinji couldn't help but sigh as he lay in bed, staring at his ceiling deep in thought. Not too long ago, Kanzaki had tried to tempt Tezuka into playing by the Rider War's rules. Not only by having the same monster that devoured Tezuka's friend for refusing to join the Rider War, but also giving Tezuka a brand-new Advent Card that the mastermind promised would allow him to crush any Rider in his way. Fortunately, Shinji was able to intervene when Tezuka was pushed to his breaking point. But all the same, the unveiling of a new card plagued Shinji's thoughts.
"Kanzaki's not one to act out of the goodness of his heart. At least, not from what I've seen so far." Shinji thought aloud. "On top of that, none of us know what that card can do. The only way to find out would be to use it in battle. And given that it's in Ren's hands now, something tells me we'll be seeing it in action soon."
However, this line of thinking brought up an incredibly concerning question for Shinji.
"What if Kanzaki tries to tempt me next?" Shinji muttered. "After all, I'm the one who opposes the Rider War more openly than anyone else."
A low rumble diverted Shinji from his thoughts. Turning to face his nearest window, Shinji saw Dragreder's head peeking out.
"Guess you've got a view of me at all times, huh?" Shinji mused as he got up and pet the dragon. "Yeah. Guess I'm worrying about too much tonight, huh? Thanks for caring."
Dragreder let out a pleased grunt and nuzzled Shinji in return for the headpat. With that, Shinji's monster partner returned to the Mirror World.
"Well, I guess whatever happens next, that's a problem for tomorrow." Shinji yawned as he soon drifted off to sleep.
However, one of Shinji's comrades was having anything but a peaceful night. Miyuki Tezuka had recently seen a disturbing future in one of his predictions. Soon, another Rider would fall. One would think that after fighting so long such an outcome would not faze the bearer of the Raia deck. But with his goal of changing the fate of the Kamen Riders fighting in the Rider War, knowing one would bear such a harsh fate was a heavy burden.
'And that Rider's end will come very soon.' Tezuka thought grimly as he stared out his window. 'I must tell the others tomorrow. Trying to keep it a secret will only cause more pain. And I owe it to Shinji, Ren, and Yui to be transparent with them. They deserve to know.'
Morning inevitably arrived, and once again the heroic Riders and Yui were meeting at Atori Café. Both as a social visit, and to take stock of the Rider War's progression so that future battle plans could be drawn up.
"So we've got an escaped psycho in the mix, and a completely new Advent Card none of us have ever seen before that Yui's brother whipped up." Shinji recounted. "All this begs the question: Where do we go from here?"
Ren snorted. "You better not suggest trying to get Asakura to join forces with us. That guy seems about as likely to bite your hand the minute you offer it to him."
"Honestly? I'm taking a page from your book on this, Ren." Shinji replied. Which honestly shocked everyone else present. Noting his friends' shock, Shinji immediately balked.
"Hey, hey! I'm not advocating for killing him on site if that's what you're thinking!" Shinji flailed his arms in a placating manner. "I'd rather we find a way to neutralize his powers."
"What did you have in mind, Shinji?" Tezuka asked. 'Perhaps if we have a non-lethal means of eliminating Riders, we can keep the body count of combatants to a minimum.'
Shinji gulped. "Well, the idea's been brewing in my head ever since we dealt with Scissors. In fact, it's been brewing not long after I contracted with Dragreder. All Riders gain their power by forming a contract with a Mirror Monster. And their Advent Deck is what allows them to call upon that power. When Scissors' deck was destroyed, he lost his armor and control of his Mirror Monster."
"And we all know how that turned out." Ren groused as the unpleasant memory of Scissors being devoured by his own monster replayed in his mind.
"Yeah." Shinji nodded glumly. "But that got me to thinking: What if we kill the Contract Monster first? If forming a contract with a monster grants the Rider power, then destroying that same beast should render the Rider powerless and revert them to being a Blank."
Tezuka blinked in surprise before adopting a thoughtful expression. "That… just might work Shinji."
"If you're right, we could fight the rest of the Rider War without anyone else dying!" Yui exclaimed in joy.
Ren, though quiet, felt his heart beat faster at Shinji's proposed loophole. A way to progress towards the wish without the need to kill other people? It was a solution he didn't even know he'd been hoping for.
"Glad to see that you're willing to hear me out." Shinji smiled sheepishly. "But, there's a huge caveat to my proposal. We've got no idea how strong the other Riders' Contract Monsters are. Some might be easier to take out than others. And we don't know what kinds of abilities the other Riders might have."
Ren nodded. "Too true. Though I suppose the recent card we've added to our arsenal just might tip things in our favor. Only problem is, we've no idea what it does yet."
"And there's worse new yet." Tezuka sighed as he addressed his comrades. "I've been doing some predictions lately, and the same one has been showing up consistently. One that I've feared would come far too soon."
"What do you mean Tezuka?" Yui asked with concern.
"That another Rider's story is going to end soon. More specifically, the next Rider to fall… is me."
The whole café was silent at Tezuka's grim declaration. Yui had he hands clasped over her mouth in horror, and Ren frowned as he directed his eyes to the floor, contemplating whether Tezuka might meet the end by his hands. But out of all of them, the one who was most floored by the announcement was Shinji.
"You… you're kidding, right?" Shinji asked nervously. "C'mon Tezuka. You've been Rider way longer than I have! No way you're going down anytime soon."
Tezuka sighed. "While I'm flattered you think so highly of me Shinji, the vision hasn't changed since I first witnessed it. There isn't any way to-"
"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Shinji snapped. "You told me that your predictions come true only if people stay on their current path! That if they acted soon enough, they could change their fate! You can do it for yourself, too! So don't you dare say that your fate can't be changed!"
"Shinji… I was always going to meet my end." Tezuka explained sadly.
"I'm a Rider opposing the war. That puts a target on me because Kanzaki doesn't want his game to be disrupted. He's probably even more nettled that I didn't give in to his bribe meant to make me fall in line with the Rider War's rules. Whether it's at the hands of another Kamen Rider, or at the claws and fangs of Kanzaki's enforcers, I will perish."
"This isn't like you, Tezuka." Ren snorted. "In all the times we've talked, you never sounded like a defeatist. Even if there was a small chance to change the outcome, you tried for it. Why stop trying now? Or at the very least, go out on your own terms instead of just rolling over like a coward."
"Ren!" Yui gasped. "That's enough out of you!"
Tezuka smiled. "I'm fortunate to have such good friends as you all. If nothing else, I can be proud of that fact."
"Do you know when your end is coming?" Yui asked hesitantly.
Tezuka shook his head. "No, all I can say is that it's soon. But Ren's right about one thing. If I'm going out, I'm going out on my own terms. Not Kanzaki's or anyone else's. Well, I've said all that I wanted to. Farewell."
"It can't be the end for you, Tezuka." Shinji shook his head in denial. "There's still so much more for you to teach me."
Tezuka smiled proudly. "Shinji. I've passed onto you all that I needed to. And as for the last lesson I imparted on you, I still hope you can forgive me. Something tells me it will be the most painful one for you to learn."
Shinji didn't say a word and nodded. The fortuneteller had a peaceful smile on his face at seeing his mentee's acceptance. With that, Tezuka left without another word. However, his mind was anything but silent.
'The Riders that have shown up as of late keep getting stronger and stronger. Abyss with his second Contract card, Zolda with his arsenal of guns, Gai's Confine Vent and tough armor, and we don't even know what else Ouja has in store for us. Just what kind of abilities do the other Kamen Riders who've yet to appear have? And how much stronger have they gotten thanks to the pulses released by the defeat of a Rider? More importantly, just how do those pulses increase our power? For all the closure I've obtained, I still have so many unanswered questions. But where I might come up short, something tells me Shinji and the others will more than step up to find the answers.'
Time passed on in its quick and quiet way, and before long it had been a couple of days since the group last met. Shinji had some free time since Chief Okubo had ORE closed for the day, so he decided to spend a day out in town. Funnily enough, Shinji had bumped into Tezuka outside of his apartment. Since the two of them didn't have much going on, they agreed to hang out with each other.
"Maybe I should get a couple of burgers for dinner tonight. One for me and one for Dragreder." Shinji mused.
"Giving your dragon a taste of what our world has to offer, huh?" Tezuka chuckled. "It's good to see the two of you have such a good relationship. Your dragon's more like a pet now than an attack dog. Same goes for Evildiver and me."
But before the conversation could continue, the harsh ringing of Mirror Noise assaulted the pair's ears. In a nearby window, Shinji saw Metalgelas sniffing around. And wherever Metalgelas was, there was a good chance that Ohja was nearby. If nothing else could be said about Metalgelas, the beast was loyal to the last.
"No sense wasting a chance like this. The sooner Asakura's taken down, the better." Shinji declared as he pulled out his Advent Deck with Tezuka following suit. Once the pair were out of sight, they transformed.
"HENSHIN!"
Now clad in their armor, Ryuki and Raia dove into the nearest reflection and mounted the Ride Shooters that awaited them. Arriving in the Mirror World, they tailed Metalgelas to what looked like a plaza with a fountain. However, it was clear that Ohja was waiting for the rhino as Venosnaker emerged from the fountain and snapped at Metalgelas! Not one to back down, Metalgelas stomped his foot and let out a challenging snort. Not another second was wasted as the monsters duked it out. Ohja observed the clash in amusement as he lazily rested on his cane, the Venovisor.
"Looks like my pet snake enjoys a good hunt, too." Ohja snickered. "I wonder how much venom that rhino's hide can withstand."
"He's not the only one getting a beatdown today!" Ryuki cried out as he opened up the Dragvisor and pulled a card from his deck.
"Ohja. We're ending this today." Raia declared as he readied his visor, too.
Ouja rolled his head at the pair of heroic Riders' arrival. "Ah. I was hoping you'd show up. After all, I WANT TO HAVE FUN TOO!"
"SWING VENT!"
At the Evilvisor's announcement, Raia was soon armed with the Evilwhip. The stingray rider was lucky enough to ensnare Ohja's cane, but the snake rider yanked hard, pulling Raia towards a savage crosspunch!
"Hold on Raia!"
Ryuki wasted no time slotting his card into the Dragvisor. An instant later, Ryuki was equipped with the Dragclaw and used it to launch a stream of flames at Ouja, forcing the snake rider to back off from assaulting Raia. Ouja hissed in annoyance that he'd been forced back as the two heroic Riders grouped up. Ryuki kept the Dragclaw aimed at him while Raia summoned his whip. The pair were standing back-to-back while Ouja circled them like a beast waiting to pounce on its prey.
Speaking of beasts, Venosnaker and Metalgelas were still having it out. The rhino's tough hide made it difficult for Venosnaker to land a good bite. However, Venosnaker was a cunning beast. If he could not currently bite through the hide of Metalgelas, then he'd just have to weaken it. Coiling himself up with what could be called a smirk on his face, Venosnaker reared back his head before spitting up a yellow glob of liquid right at Metalgelas. The instant the glob hit him, Metalgelas heard a hissing sound. Much to the rhino's horror, the substance he'd been hit with was eating away at his hide. It was acid!
Metalgelas howled in agony as he felt Venosnaker's foul fluid eating away at him. He had to get out of there now! The metallic rhino let out a frustrated bellow before charging away. Venosnaker watched his opponent flee with interest. The rhino certainly had brute force in spades and was quite tenacious. If his master, Ohja, were to use certain cards, then that force would be of benefit to Venosnaker as well. Especially since that card has yet to see use. Satisfied with the state of things so far, Venosnaker turned his attention to Ohja's battle. While his master was more of a brute than Venosnaker would have cared for, he could respect the savagery and fierce attitude Ohja possessed. Ohja was one who enjoyed fighting and dishing out pain, and that was a common trait shared between Rider and Contract Monster. Venosnake could see himself getting along quite swimmingly with his contractor. Unless he forgot to feed him, of course. Then Ohja would find out just how bad the snake could bite. But until that day came, Venosnaker would be at Ohja's side.
Back at the fight, Ohja was almost snarling. So long as the two Riders he was up against were together, they had an advantage over him. And separating them would be no easy task as the last time he'd fought them demonstrated. Ryuki and Raia worked well together as a team. However, Ohja realized something important He hadn't been using every card in his deck yet.
"That's a nice little toy you've got there dragon boy." Ouja sneered as he opened up the Venovisor and slotted in an Advent Card. "I think I'll take it!"
"STEAL VENT!"
Suddenly, the Dragclaw disappeared from Ryuki's hand and materialized onto Ohja's! With a wicked chuckle, Ohja let loose a jet of flames at the pair of heroic Riders, forcing them to separate. Ohja's first target was Raia who he sent flying with a strike from the Dragclaw that was boosted by a fireball blast upon contact. Raia was sent flying from the blow and hit the ground in a heap, dazed and confused.
"Since you miss your friend so much, I'll be sure to send you his way." Ohja said with a malicious grin beneath his helmet. "But first, I've got another annoying kid to deal with. One who picked a bad day to play superhero."
"Shin…ji…" Raia groaned out in pain as he watched Ohja stalk towards Ryuki who'd wasted no time in equipping his Guard and Sword vents.
"You might have my weapon, but you're not nearly as skilled with it as me." Ryuki declared as he got into a defensive stance.
"I do have some familiarity with fire. One of the first people who vexed me, I burned away." Ohja remarked as he glanced over the Dragclaw. Which he then promptly discarded. "It's not nearly as satisfying as getting up close and seeing people hurt."
The fact that Ohja made such a statement so casually sent a chill up Ryuki's spine. Sure, he'd faced some bad people in the Rider War previously. But Ohja? Ohja was on an entirely different level. Ryuki couldn't believe that one person could be so malicious. In fact, the dragon rider couldn't believe that the man in front of him was human at all!
'Tezuka. When you said there were monsters in human skin, did you mean… things like him?'
But before Ryuki could contemplate any further, his train of thought was derailed courtesy of a runaway Ohja hitting him with a savage strike of the Venosaber. Ryuki was caught off guard so badly that he'd lost his grip on his sword and was now equipped with only the Dragshield. Not wanting to take even more of a beating, Ryuki raised his shield and prepared to weather Ohja's assault as best he could. Ohja slashed away, void of any mercy or restraint. Each slash of the Venosaber clanging against the Dragshield boomed like thunder. And with every strike landed, Ryuki buckled just the slightest bit.
"I thought you were a dragon! Not a turtle!" Ohja roared, hoping to goad Ryuki into dropping his guard and lashing out at him.
"Sorry! It must be tough having to fight an enemy who uses their brain!" Ryuki snapped back.
Ohja stiffened with rage before relaxing. A sinister chuckle rising from his throat as he summoned his Venovisor back.
"If you thought I'm all muscle, you're in for a shock."
Swiftly, Ohja tapped the Venovisor against Ryuki's shield. In an instant, an electric shock ran through the shield and into Ryuki!
"AAAAGH!" Ryuki screamed in pain as his body spasmed from the electricity! He was hurting so bad that he dropped his shield and nearly collapsed in a heap. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how you look at it, the dragon rider was too stubborn to fall.
Seeing his target weakened, Ohja wasted no time in going for a hit. Only for Ryuki to catch his fist and counter with a desperate uppercut! The snake rider was slightly stunned from the punch, allowing Ryuki to get in another hit or two before landing a devastating knee to the dragon rider's gut and throwing him across the plaza. Surprised, and most certainly angry, Ohja glared at Ryuki as the heroic rider shakily got to his feet.
"You don't give up, do you? How vexing." Ohja hissed.
"I can do this… all day… " Ryuki huffed as he got into a combative stance and glared defiantly at Ohja.
Ohja scoffed as he opened up the Venovisor and drew a card and revealed it. It was his Final Vent.
"No need. Your day's just about over."
"FINAL VENT!"
Venosnaker hissed loudly as he slithered over to his master and coiled up. Ohja rolled his neck before leaping into the air with a backflip. At the apex of his leap, Ohja was launched forward. As he saw Ohja descending toward him, Ryuki hung his head in defeat. The whole world just seemed to move on slow motion.
'I guess this is it for me. Yui. I'm sorry I couldn't stop things from getting worse. Ren, I hope you can forgive me. I won't be able to repay my debt in full.'
Ryuki was about to close his eyes and accept his end when he felt himself being pushed. When he raised his head, he was horrified to see Raia standing where he once was.
"No… " Ryuki whispered in quiet horror.
A mere second later, Raia received the full force of Ohja's Final Vent. A series of savage bicycle kicks battered Raia, and the resulting explosion sent the stingray rider flying. As the smoke cleared, Raia's armor was cracked in many places and heavily scorched.
"idiot." Ohja scoffed. "Well, that's one less annoying person in my life. Today wasn't a total loss."
And with that, the evil rider slithered away. With Ohja gone, Ryuki ran over to where Raia lay, hoisting the downed rider in a soldier's carry towards the nearest reflective surface. Unexpected, when the pair returned the real world, Shinji saw Ren waiting for them.
"Ren? When did you-"
"I saw Metalgelas fleeing in some reflections nearby. I figured that Asakura must be close." Ren answered before looking at Tezuka sadly. "But… it looks like I'm too late."
Shinji nodded sadly as he lay Tezuka down.
"I'm sorry Tezuka. I'm so sorry!" Shinji clenched his fists in both anger and sorrow. "If it weren't for me-!"
Tezuka smiled weakly at Shinji. "Shinji… you did nothing wrong. In fact, if anyone should be sorry, it's me."
"What are you talking about?"
"I lied, Shinji." Tezuka replied with as much strength as he could muster. He knew that he was running out of time. "The real next Rider… to go… was you."
Hearing this made both Shinji and Ren stiffen.
"But now? I've foiled that fate." Tezuka's face sported a peaceful smile. "If I could not save everyone… then I'm at least at peace knowing I could save someone in my reach."
"Don't speak! There's still things we've got to do!" Shinji cried out. "It can't end like this!"
"It won't, Shinji. Because… you'll be the one… to decide how the story of the Riders ends. I know… you will… "
With those last words, Miyuki Tezuka's eyes closed for the final time. Shinji blinked in disbelief, and desperately shook his fallen friend. Hoping against hope, and attempting to deny the cruel truth. Indeed, this final lesson was the most painful. In more ways than one.
"Tezuka. Tezuka! TEZUKAAAAA!"
AN: Hi everyone. Sorry it took so long to put this out. I was kinda busy with my birthday and a brief vacation, but now I'm back. And… if I'm being honest, part of me didn't want to write this chapter. Namely because Tezuka's been a part of Shinji's crew for a long time. And, probably like many of you, I got attached to him. However, I felt that this send off would culminate Tezuka's growth and development. He gave his all to change the fates of the Riders, and now he's saved the one who just might change things for the better. And before anyone panics, don't worry! I WILL NOT be giving the series the same BS ending that we got in canon! Though in more pleasant news, we'll be seeing a certain swan taking the stage very soon.
Lastly, RIP Akira Toriyama. You changed the world with your wonderful stories, and gave so many a great addition to their childhoods. Personally, I grew up watching Dragon Ball Z Kai. Which, aside from Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh!, got me into anime. Thank you, Mr. Toriyama. May your adventures continue in the afterlife.