Shinichi drove through the open gate of his estate with Shawna still clinging to his back. She always enjoyed it whenever he took her for a ride on his motorbike. The intense speed was thrilling, and she felt safe riding with her most trusted knight.
He pulled over in front of the mansion and dismounted while helping her dismount as well. She took off the helmet, smiling warmly at him.
"I never get tired of that," Shawna stated.
"Yeah, nothing beats a great ride," Shinichi agreed. While he could fly, teleport and open portals that could take him anywhere he wanted, he would never stop riding a motorbike. "C'mon, everyone's waiting inside."
Shawna and Shinichi both entered and found Rena, Shiori, Kasai and Sho sitting in the living room together. Rena was busy feeding Shinjiro while Sho played with a Showa action figure.
"Sha-neechan!" Sho ran up and hugged Shawna's legs.
"Hello, Sho," Shawna patted his head.
"Where did everyone else go?" Shinichi asked.
"They're playing hide and seek," Rena answered.
"Really?"
"Yes," Rena nodded. "At first, Keiichi-kun suggested we should explore the mansion but then Mii-chan decided to make a game out of it."
"I see," Shinichi nodded. "Who's seeking? Is it you?"
"No, it's you," Rena answered.
"Well, I guess I'll play," Shinichi accepted the challenge and he snapped his fingers to open up four portals that dropped his friends to the floor. "Found you! Guess I win!"
"Hey, that's cheating!" Mion complained as she untangled herself from Keiichi.
"'Members of the Gaming Club must use every advantage they have to win'," Shinichi quoted, pointing at her. "Your words, Club Prez."
"Che," Mion clicked her tongue in annoyance. She hated having her own rules thrown in her face but Shinichi wasn't wrong. He could use whatever advantages he had as he saw fit to win. Just like when he used his cloaking ability to win Zombie Tag.
"But, seriously, Shinichi," Satoshi remarked. "This is a sweet house."
"I got it as a gift after the previous owner died," Shinichi shrugged. All of Duke Dogma's fortune and properties had been bequeathed to him by the king as a reward for his heroic actions. "Nothing fancy."
"Nothing fancy?" Keiichi repeated incredulously. "Dude, this place is huge!"
"OK, I admit it is quite large," Shinichi replied. "Just don't go into the basement."
"Why?" Mion grinned. "Is that where your sex dungeon is?"
"No, because I programmed a security system down there that is set to kill intruders," Shinichi deadpanned. Everyone looked at him in shock.
"You're kidding, right?" Mion gulped, paling.
"So, have you picked your rooms yet?" Shinichi asked, ignoring Mion's question. "Good, follow me. I'll give you guys a tour of the place."
"He was kidding about the killer security system, right?" Mion asked her twin sister.
"I dunno, Sis, but knowing him he might have one installed," Shion cautioned her. "Remember, this is the same guy who set a trap for enemies."
Mion remembered when Shinichi told them how he lured both Cyclops Knight and Cyborg Hunter into a trap. She quietly swore to never step foot inside the basement without Shinichi's permission.
Showa Chronicles: Legacy of ReVenge
Act III: She Who Came to Crash the Party
"Excuse me, Sir Shinichi, but where are the rest of your friends?" Shawna asked. She was expecting a much larger group to be honest and had sent them all tickets.
"They couldn't make it, unfortunately," Shinichi told her. "They're all pretty busy right now."
Shogo was training new recruits for ARMOR, Daichi was performing at an animal rights concert, Yokoshima was busy doing stunts for an upcoming movie, Chiaki was getting his truck fixed, Battler was on a family vacation and Michiru was watching her grandmother's shop in Kyoto with Hana's help.
Shinichi gave everyone a brief tour of the mansion. Their first stop was the game room. Duke Dogma's old trophy room had been converted into a game room with a pool table, arcade cabinets, an air hockey table and a pinball machine. The trophy case was also filled with a collection of board games.
"So...many...games," Mion gawked as she scanned the room.
"Seriously, man," Keiichi scratched his head, looking jealous at what his friend had. "This stuff must've cost you a fortune."
"I know but it was worth it," Shinichi shrugged. He had bought all this with Duke Dogma's fortune and he still had plenty left.
"We should have a game night while we're here," Rena happily suggested.
Sho walked inside, eyes wide in wonder at all the different arcade cabinets. He felt his brother lift him up to one of the machines.
"Whaddya think, Sho? Wanna play a game?" Shinichi asked.
"Yeah!" Sho cheered.
"Hey, Rika! Bet I can beat you at air hockey!" Satoko grinned challengingly.
Shiori studied the board game cabinet and found a set of dice. Curious, she picked them up and recognized what they were. It was a set of sex dice.
"Oh, Taysuyoshi-kun~" she purred, showing off the dice. "Look at what I found." He got a closer look and blushed in embarrassment. Shiori giggled. How cute. She leaned in to whisper into his ear. "So, how about we take these to the bedroom?"
"Um...well..." Kasai answered awkwardly. "Sure."
Shiori had a triumphant look on her face, like when she successfully convinced him to play Naked Twister.
Next, Shinichi took the group to the basement. He walked up to the steel door and punched in a numerical code before he put his palm on the scanner.
[Fingerprint scan: confirmed.]
Then he let a red light scan his face.
[Facial recognition scan: confirmed.]
He pressed his eye against the scanner and the light swept over it.
[Retinal scan confirmed.]
He opened his mouth as a cotton bud came out and swabbed the inside of his mouth and retracted into the wall.
[DNA recognition scan: confirmed.]
"Um, Shinichi-niisan?" Hanyuu asked as she observed the scanning process. "Isn't this overdoing it a little?"
"No," Shinichi said flatly as he continued the security scans.
[Please say the access phrase for voice recognition.]
"Rubber baby buggy bumpers," Shinichi recited.
[Voice recognition confirmed. Welcome, Agent Showa.]
Multiple locks came undone and Shinichi opened the door as he entered, inviting everyone inside.
"Come inside. You'll be impressed by what I have set up down here," Shinichi told them.
All of a sudden, red alarm lights flashed rapidly as a siren blared.
[INTRUDER ALERT! INITIATING TERMINATION SEQUENCE!]
Hundreds of red laser dots lit up all over Shinichi's friends and family.
"Abort. They're guests," Shinichi commanded. The laser dots vanished as the alarm stopped. Everyone had their hands up with panicked looks on their faces. Sho was hiding behind his father in fear when the alarm went off.
"OK," Mion gasped, her heart pounding in her chest. "So you weren't kidding about the security system."
"I'll remember to enter you all into the system so that doesn't happen again. Lights, please."
The lights came on and they were greeted by a room full of advanced computer equipment. The only thing that seemed out of place was the swimsuit calendar that was on the wall.
"Welcome to my Genovian Command Centre," Shinichi introduced. "Over here we have the holographic display table." He went over to a table and waved his hand over it which displayed a holographic 3D model of the mansion. "And the computer is connected to our satellite in orbit. It even lets me access Sheila."
"And that?" Rika asked, pointing at a large ring-like structure that was built into the wall.
"A Teleportal Gate," Shinichi answered. "This place alerts me whenever trouble happens and sends me straight to it. Although, since I can make portals, I doubt I'd ever need to use the Teleportal Gate again except to bring people here. And another thing." He walked over to a section of the wall and entered a code into a keypad. The section slid open, revealing an armoury with a collection of guns, grenades, knives and swords.
"Those are a lot of weapons," Shion said in awe. Kasai approached the armoury and took a shotgun off the wall.
"Very nicely made," Kasai praised as he studied the weapon before putting it back. He also saw a rather large Gatling gun. "You have a Gatling gun in here too."
"Gatling guns are cool," Shinichi said as he closed up the armoury.
"OK, why would you need all that?" Mion pointed. "You've got superpowers."
"It always pays to be prepared," Shinichi explained.
"How did you set all this up?" Shiori asked.
"ARMOR helped," Shinichi admitted. He had filled out the requisition forms for all this equipment and Warren had it approved to be installed.
"When did you become Batman?" Keiichi quipped.
"I'm not Batman."
"Um, hello?" Keiichi gestured to everything in the basement with a sweep of his hand. "You set up your own personal Batcave here."
"I'd prefer to call it the Rider Lair," Shinichi corrected. "Anyway, that's the end of our tour. Now, how about you all freshen up for dinner while I lock up down here?"
"Sir Shinichi, I think you're forgetting a couple of things," Shawna reminded him.
"Am I?" Shinichi blinked. "Oh, wait, I did! Hold on! Gotta go grab something real quick! Meet me back at the foyer! Be right back!" He disappeared in a flash of blue feathers.
"OK, no matter how many times I see him do that, I still haven't gotten used to it," Keiichi remarked. Curious, Sho picked up one of Shinichi's feathers and watched as it vanished.
In the royal nursery, Momoneko was caring for a couple of babies who were lying in their cribs. They were twins, a boy and a girl, both with blond hair and indigo highlights. The boy was in a green onesie and the girl was in a blue one.
Their mother was busy with preparations for the Dragonslayer Festival, so she couldn't be here to look after them right now.
All of a sudden, Shinichi appeared in the nursery, scaring poor Momoneko half to death.
"Oh, my goodness!" she cried.
"Sorry, I need to pick the twins up real quick," Shinichi apologized. He carefully scooped them both up in his arms and nodded. "Have a good evening." He vanished in another flash of blue feathers with both babies.
Momoneko just stared dumbfounded. She would need to inform the king that the twins had been taken. Fortunately, it was not a kidnapping since Shinichi was the babies' father.
Shinichi reappeared in the mansion's foyer in a flash of blue feathers, his wings draped over him like a cloak. He folded them back up and tucked them into his back where they vanished to reveal he was holding two babies in his arms.
Everyone was gathered in the foyer, waiting for him. As soon as Shiori saw the babies, she just smiled widely.
"Oh, there are my other two grandbabies!" she cooed.
"I needed to go pick them up," Shinichi said as he handed the girl to Shawna. She cradled the baby girl in her arms gently as he cradled the boy. The babies weren't frightened by the sudden teleportation. Instead, they were giggling in delight.
"I hope you didn't startle the nanny," Shawna said.
"I think I might've almost given her a heart attack," Shinichi replied sheepishly. "And I think she was about to put them down for their nap too."
"Well, we better do that since you brought them here," Shawna suggested. "Let's take them to the nursery." There was a nursery in the mansion with cribs made by Chiaki.
"Wait, can't you let me hold them for a minute?" Shiori asked.
"Would you like to hold Crow or Layna first?" Shawna asked.
"I suppose I can take Layna-chan first," Shiori smiled as Shawna handed her daughter over to her.
The twins' names were Princess Layna Loire Ouka de Genovia and Prince Crow Alizee Riku de Genovia. They were both born last year and it had been a momentous occasion for the royal family and Genovia as a whole. Shinichi's friends did comment on their choice to give the twins such long names but Shawna claimed it was a tradition for royalty to have them. They were even named after two particular people from Hanyuu's past life, her husband Riku and her daughter Ouka.
The group cleaned up and got dressed for dinner. The dining room was spacious with a long table that could seat all of them. There was even a baby chair for Shinjiro.
"We'll start with garlic bread as the appetizer, followed by a hamburger steak for the main course, and finish the meal with custard pudding for dessert," Shinichi informed his friends and family.
"Pudding!" Sho repeated happily.
"Now, enjoy your meal," Shinichi said. "Dig in."
"You know, Shin-chan," Mion said as she took a bite of delicious garlic bread. "Everyone in Genovia loves you, you have your very own mansion and they're even holding a festival in your honour. I don't get why you wanna stay in Hinamizawa when you have all this."
"Because Hinamizawa is my home," Shinichi answered as he gazed at Rena warmly. "It's where I made a fresh start with a new life. Nothing could ever make me abandon it."
Rena smiled. He may have started his life in the village as an outsider but he was a Hinamizawan at heart.
The group proceeded to enjoy the delicious steak which could have only been made in a five-star restaurant. When the pudding came for dessert, Sho had inhaled his portion.
"More!" Sho exclaimed, holding up his plate.
After dinner, everyone started to feel sleepy. So, they all retired to their rooms. Couples would be sharing their rooms while Rika, Hanyuu and Satoko had gotten their own rooms. Shawna elected to spend the night at Shinichi's mansion.
Shinichi had gone down to the basement to go through some data that the computer had gathered since the last time he visited. Meanwhile, Shawna had gone to see Rena up in her room and began fawning over her son.
"What an adorable little boy," Shawna cooed at Shinjiro as Rena held her son.
"Would you like to hold him?" Rena offered.
"May I?" Shawna asked and Rena gently handed Shinjiro over to Shawna. "He looks so much like his father."
"And he's so cuuuuuute!" Rena gushed. "Just like your babies."
"Ms. Rena, is it my imagination, or does Sir Shinichi appear troubled?" Shawna asked. Shinichi tried to hide it all evening but she could see something was bothering him.
"Well, it's kind of the reason why we couldn't use your tickets. You see, there was an attack at the airport," Rena explained.
"Oh, my," Shawna gasped. "I hope nobody got hurt."
"Only the men targeting Shin-kun got hurt. They even had someone in a suit of hi-tech power armour with them."
"Were they arrested?" Shawna inquired.
"All of them except for the guy in power armour. He got away," Rena frowned.
"How troubling. Why do you think they targeted him?"
"You know about Shin-kun's past, right? He's got a lot of enemies because of it. He tries to play it off like it's no big deal, but I know he's just trying hard to put on a brave face."
"It's unfair," Shawna responded. "Sir Shinichi helped to save the world so many times, and yet people still hate him for what he did in the past."
"Some people can hold a grudge for a long time. Trust me, I know. It doesn't matter to them that Shin-kun has changed. All that matters is what he did and they want retribution, no matter what."
The door opened and they saw Shinichi come inside, dressed in pyjamas.
"Have you finished your business, Sir Shinichi?" Shawna asked.
"Yeah, I was just going through some data downstairs," Shinichi answered. "So far there's nothing to report."
"I'm glad," Shawna smiled.
"So, what were you talking about?" Shinichi asked.
"Oh, just some girl talk," Rena said as she went and put Shinjiro down in a crib. Shinichi had it set up since Shinjiro's birth so he would have a place to sleep whenever they visited the mansion.
"Hopefully, you weren't gossiping about me," Shinichi remarked.
"You know we can't tell you. Girl talk is sacred and whatever is spoken during girl talk stays between us girls," Shawna told him.
"That's fair."
He strode into the airport with the other NUMBERS and opened fire on anyone he could see. He swept his machine gun from side to side, the weapons spraying bullets rapidly like a fire breathing dragon. People fell as they were mercilessly gunned down as their blood splattered all over the place. Some guards ran at them to stop them but they were easily blown away by their firepower. They became riddled with bullets and died before they hit the ground.
He calmly walked over the bodies as blood pooled the floor. Bodies littered the airport in piles as many people tried to escape. Then, a hand grabbed his ankle and he looked down to see a man staring at him. He was just mere moments from death.
"...Зачем?" the dying man uttered with his final breath before his hand went limp. He was asking why this happened.
#13 didn't spare the man another look as he and his team continued to look for any survivors that they might have missed. Gebok had told them to not leave any survivors or witnesses and #13 had never failed to obey any of his creator's commands.
Shinichi woke up with a start, eyes snapping open after such a vivid nightmare. He found himself lying between Rena and Shawna as they cuddled him like a big teddy bear. He gently untangled their arms from him and quietly got out of bed.
The attack at the airport had dug up some unpleasant memories. He had come to terms with his past but that didn't make the nightmares go away. The memories would always find him in his sleep, reminding him of what he was and what he had done.
"I need a drink," Shinichi muttered as he made his way to the kitchen.
Shinichi was not the only one up late as Shiori was making her way to the kitchen to fix herself a late-night snack. When she found her son in the kitchen, she thought he had the same idea.
"You're still up, I see," Shiori remarked as she found her son sitting alone at the kitchen counter.
"Oh, Kaa-chan," Shinichi responded once he realized her presence. "What are you doing up so late?"
"I was in the mood for a late-night snack," Shiori answered. She spotted the half-empty bottle of wine on the kitchen island. "And you look like you were in the mood for a drink."
"I just had trouble sleeping," he admitted as he poured himself another glass.
"OK, mind pouring me a glass?" Shiori asked as she took a seat next to him. Shinichi grabbed an empty glass and filled it with wine before handing it to his mother. She took a sip, savouring the taste. "OK, that's very nice."
"Shawna made sure to give me a stock of the best wine," Shinichi explained.
"She really knows how to spoil you," Shiori teased. "Just marry her right now."
"Kaa-chan…" Shinichi blushed.
"I'm kidding," Shiori giggled. Well, not really. She could see how much Shawna loved her son and while she was happy that he and Rena were married, she also liked the idea of her son being able to marry Shawna too because of her kingdom's laws. A legal harem was something she had only read in stories. "So, what's on your mind?"
"What makes you think something's on my mind?" Shinichi questioned.
"You're sitting alone in the kitchen, drinking wine late at night because you have trouble sleeping," Shiori pointed out. "I've done that too so I know you have something on your mind."
"I'm just thinking about what happened at the airport earlier." He took another sip. "I think I know why it happened."
"You do?"
"There are two types of people who hate me: they hate me for what I am or they hate me for what I've done. Those guys belong to the latter category and they're the most dangerous," Shinichi explained. "They wanted revenge."
"How can you be sure?" Shiori asked.
"An eye for an eye," Shinichi answered, repeating what one of the Russians had said before they attempted to execute him. "I think it's because of what I did in Moscow in 1981."
"What happened back then?" Shiori asked as she braced herself. Her son still had trouble talking about what he had done in the past. It had been a dark chapter in his life, one he was glad to put behind him. Unfortunately, he still remembered it all.
"Gebok sent me to lead the NUMBERS on an attack at an airport. He gave us three conditions," Shinichi raised a finger for each condition he listed. "Leave no witnesses, leave no survivors, take no prisoners." He lowered his head. "It was a complete massacre. Shogo was like me and was just following orders but Kamiyami, Saisen and Koichi enjoyed the entire thing. I think Hana, Michiru, Chiaki and Yokoshima were just as sickened by the whole thing but they had no choice."
"Shinji, you had no choice either," Shiori reminded him. "Gebok was controlling you."
"I know. I had no choice," Shinichi agreed and he emptied his glass. "Doesn't change what happened - what I did. Those men, even the red guy, probably had loved ones there that I murdered." He poured himself another glass. "Honestly, what was I expecting? I save the world and everyone just forgets and forgives me? No, it's not that simple. People hold grudges and they are stubborn. I know, I was one of those people." He emptied his glass again and sighed. "I'm sorry. I know this was not the kind of life you wanted for me."
"No, it isn't," Shiori agreed.
"You know, because you're my mother, people are going to criticise you too," Shinichi pointed out.
"Whatever," Shiori scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Did you know how hard it was for me, a woman, to get into the erotic novel-writing business? Before I made a name for myself, people thought I was some kind of sexual deviant for writing such vivid content."
"Well, your books are graphic," Shinichi remarked.
"I prefer calling it 'being detailed'," Shiori corrected. "Look, those people don't matter. They don't know us so they can't judge us. What you should be concerned about are the people who care about you because they are the ones whose opinions matter the most. They won't judge you. They'll always accept you. Look at your friends. Even after learning what you used to be, they stuck around. And then there's me. I'm still here." She put a hand on his shoulder. "We won't abandon you."
"I'm not afraid of you abandoning me," Shinichi admitted. "I think it'd be safer for you if you did. I'm afraid that, because you're close to me, you'll get hurt."
"And you think that scares me?" Shiori asked. "Shinji, you know what my greatest fear was? It was never finding you again. When I lost you, I was broken. When I lost your father, I became depressed and blamed myself for losing you both. I was dead inside. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep and then one day I had a breakdown."
"Kaa-chan, I had no idea," Shinichi responded softly.
"I was committed to a hospital and stayed there for a long time. Once I checked out, I moved away to make a fresh start. I couldn't live in that house anymore. There were too many memories. I eventually picked myself back up and focused on my writing to try and live my life again, even without the both of you."
"But you never gave up trying to find me."
"No, I never gave up hope. As twisted as it is, your father's death made me realize that he was getting too close and that meant that you were still out there. I actually had hope of finding you."
"So, when Tou-chan died, you regained hope?" Shinichi cocked an eyebrow. "Yes, that does sound twisted."
"Yes, it does," Shiori sighed sadly.
"You know what's even more twisted?" Shinichi continued. "Gebok almost made me believe I killed Tou-chan!"
"What!? How!?" Shiori gaped.
"It was while I was hunting him down. Found some of my old memory files saved on a computer. I saw myself kill Tou-chan. Fortunately, Yuji was there and he confirmed it was fake," Shinichi explained.
"That bastard," Shiori cursed.
"I know," Shinichi agreed. "It was probably planted for me to find, to make me question myself. But it just drove me even harder."
"And you did. You drove your murder boner right through him!"
"It was more like a justice boner."
"Well, whatever, you stuck it in him."
"Yeah, I did. Thanks, you know, for never giving up on me, Kaa-chan."
"It's no problem, Shinji. You know, you can always count on me."
"I know and I appreciate it. I may not say it enough but I do."
Shinichi stepped inside the bar and scanned it before finding the man sitting at the counter, bent over it while nursing a drink. Shinichi took a seat beside him and ordered a drink for himself before addressing the man.
"Ben Arnold?" Shinichi asked
"Who wants ta know?" the drunk - Ben Arnold - asked before he finished his drink. "Another!"
"Just someone who wants to talk about an old friend of yours," Shinichi said as the bartender filled Arnold's glass after serving him.
"Oh?" the man remarked. "I've had a lot of friends. You need to be a bit more spe...speci...clear."
"Shotaro Banabara," Shinichi answered and Arnold's eyes widened in panic before he reached for his sidearm. However, Shinichi was faster as he grabbed hold of Arnold's hand and slammed it down on the bar's countertop. Arnold tried to pull his hand free but Shinichi was stronger. "Let's talk, Mr. Arnold."
"What...what do you want?" Arnold questioned in fear.
"Like I told you, I want to talk about my father, Shotaro Banabara, and your last case together," Shinichi said.
"You're his kid...the one he was looking for," Arnold realized. "You were missing."
"Not anymore. My mom found me but this isn't about her or me. This is about you and my father and how you betrayed him."
"He just couldn't leave things alone!" Arnold yelled. "Powerful people were involved, the kind that can make our lives very dif...diffi...hard!"
"Those people are gone. Most of them anyway," Shinichi corrected. "So you don't have to worry about them. Right now though, it's me you need to worry about so you better not lie to me." He squeezed Arnold's hand and his bones started to crack.
"OK! OK! I'll tell you whatever you want!" Arnold pleaded and Shinichi loosened his grip but he did not remove his hand.
"I want to know why you did it," Shinichi demanded coldly. "Did they pay you? Offer you money? Power? You betrayed my father! He trusted you and you killed him! Was it worth it?"
"Worth it?" Arnold scoffed. "I had no choice! They were threatening my family! I had to do it! Even made it look like an accident! Not like it matters. Lost them anyway after Interpol fired me..." He emptied his drink. "So, go ahead. Take your revenge!"
"No," Shinichi refused as he released Arnold's hand and stood up. "You've already paid for what you've done so you will have to continue to live with it." He headed for the exit as Arnold drew his sidearm.
Satan was waiting outside when she heard a gunshot. Moments later, she saw him step out of the bar as people cried out in panic inside.
"What was that?" Satan asked.
"A man who couldn't live with what he's done anymore," he answered coldly.
With green flames shooting out of their palms and soles, a humanoid figure flew over Genovia's airspace under the cover of darkness. They scanned the kingdom for a place to land and found a secluded spot in the woods. They quietly descended and touched down.
"Good, I'm here," Viviana said as she took off her helmet. She was in awe of this suit of hers. When Bernkastel had upgraded it, she had added a few new features like this flight system. She enjoyed it immensely, though the first few times she had tested it out had nearly caused her to hurt herself.
Never test out a flying suit indoors.
It also came with a stealth system that prevented satellites and radar from tracking her. And the best part was the weapon system. She couldn't wait to use it on the monster that killed her parents and make sure that she was the last face he saw right until the end.
The following morning, everyone was gathered in the dining room for breakfast. They had toast, bacon, scrambled eggs and sausages with orange juice or coffee.
"I've sent for my servants to come and bring over your costumes," Shawna happily informed them.
"Yeah, Shin-chan mentioned that," Mion said. "So, what will we be dressed as?"
"You'll see."
"You know, I've always dreamed of being a princess," Shiori admitted. "But I think I'd look good as a queen too."
"Just don't make the guys wear pantaloons, Shawna-chan," Shinichi requested.
"Panta-what?" Keiichi asked.
"They're like bloomers, only puffier," Shinichi explained. "Nobody ever looks good in pantaloons. Trust me."
"Oh, do not fear. No pantaloons were included," Shawna assured them.
"And how will we be going to the festival?" Satoko asked.
"Oh, by horse-drawn carriages. We want things to be as authentic as possible."
After breakfast, everyone got ready for the Dragonslayer Festival. Once they were dressed, they were all gathered in the foyer.
"Hey, Keiichi," Satoshi smiled at his friend. The blond was wearing a green tunic over a black long-sleeved shirt with matching pants and boots. A belt was wrapped around his waist with a fake dagger holstered there. "Nice hat."
"Thanks," Keiichi tipped his feathered cap. He was dressed in a red tunic over a black shirt with matching pants too, a belt and brown boots. "Dunno why Shawna gave me this, though." Shawna had also included a lute as part of his costume. He strummed the strings. "I think she had Daichi in mind when she chose this costume."
"Hey, I think it's a good look for you," Mion said as she came down the stairs with her twin sister. Both Satoshi and Keiichi were speechless as the Sonozaki sisters came down dressed in identical gowns. Mion was in a sunflower yellow gown while Shion's gown was baby blue. They both looked beautiful.
"Wow," Keiichi uttered.
"You can say that again," Satoshi agreed.
"Wow," Keiichi repeated.
"I have to admit," Mion twirled in her gown. "I almost feel like a real princess dressed like this."
"What can we say, Sis?" Shion winked. "We make these dresses look good."
"Indeed," Rika agreed as she came down with Satoko and Hanyuu, also dressed in gowns. Satoko wore a green gown, Rika wore an indigo gown and Hanyuu was in a lavender gown. They were even given matching hand fans too.
"Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho!" Satoko let out an 'Ojou-sama' laugh. "Now I could get used to this."
"All of you look so nice!" Shiori praised as she joined them in a black and red gown with a tight bodice and her hair tied up in a bun. Kasai had decided not to put on a costume and opted for one of his many black suits. Shawna had provided him with tights but he would not put them on, no matter how much his wife begged him to. Shiori was disappointed, but the man insisted that he would not wear the costume. Sho, on the other hand, was dressed in a white tunic with black pants and shoes.
"You look like princesses!" Sho added as he looked at the girls. Someone was missing. "Where's Re-neechan, Sha-neechan and Onii-chan?"
"Right here," Shinichi said as he came down the stairs with Shawna and Rena. He was between them as the two girls wore stunning gowns. Rena's gown was a mix of orange and reds, the colours of fall. Shawna's gown was a beautiful mix of red and gold.
Shinichi was dressed in a crimson tunic over a suit of chainmail. He wore brown leather boots and gloves with a leather belt tied around his waist. On his chest was the image of a golden dragon. As the wielder of Ascalon, he carried the legendary sword in a scabbard that hung from his belt. Hanging from his neck was his trusty camera and he also wore his signature scarf.
Rena was also carrying Shinjiro while Shinichi and Shawna carried their twins.
"Does he not look dashing?" Shawna asked, beaming brightly. All he would need to perfect the look was a crown.
"Wow, Shin-chan. Looking good there," Mion praised.
"The chainmail was difficult to slip into," Shinichi admitted. "And you guys look great too. How about we get a picture taken before we leave?" He called for one of the butlers over. "Excuse me, could you please take a picture of us together?"
The scene was like one out of medieval fantasy. Everyone wore colourful gowns and tunics like out of a fairy tale. There were even some people dressed in full suits of armour. Stalls were set up to resemble something that could be found at a typical medieval fair with coloured canopies and all sorts of treats and toys for sale. There was even a real blacksmithing station on display and a petting zoo with farm animals.
In the middle of the festival grounds was a dragon statue made of metal which rose in a display of ferocity. It was opposed by a statue of a knight on horseback with a polished silver sword. Every hour, on the hour, the dragon would let off a belch of flame in the air, amazing people who were watching. All of it was to honour the hero of Genovia's legends, the Dragonslayer.
As the carriages rolled into the festival grounds, Shawna and Shinichi waved back at all the Genovians who cheered and waved at them.
"Wow, I still can't believe how much they like me," Shinichi commented as he never realized how popular he was in Genovia.
"You are their hero, Sir Shinichi," Shawna reminded. Shinichi smiled and continued to wave at the Genovians.
A pair of teenagers were standing by a turkey leg stand, their resemblance indicating that they were fraternal twins. The boy had a mix of blond and indigo hair tied in braids. His outfit was a white dress shirt with black pants, leather boots and vest. The girl had long hair that was the same hue as his. She wore a white blouse with a black bodice and a matching skirt. She was half a head taller than him too, oddly enough.
"Stop stuffing your face," the girl chastised.
"Why?" her twin brother asked with his mouth full while holding a turkey leg. "It's good."
"Because the opening ceremony is about to begin and we don't want to miss it. Now, c'mon."
"Fine, fine," he said as he followed his sister to watch the opening ceremony. When they arrived, they saw Shawna onstage standing behind a podium and speaking into a microphone.
"My dear subjects, for many centuries the Dragonslayer Festival has been held to honour St. George for slaying the great dragon. And now we continue this tradition to honour our new Dragonslayer who will now say a few words."
Shinichi walked onto the stage. He looked at all the Genovians who watched him in anticipation, waiting for him to say something.
He drew Ascalon, raised the legendary sword above him, and knew just what to say.
"Have fun today!" Shinichi declared. Short, simple, sweet and straight to the point. Everyone cheered at his words as he sheathed his sword and stepped off the stage with Shawna.
"I guess he wasn't very good at speeches," the girl remarked.
"Do you see Jiro?" her twin brother asked.
"He's still at the hotel. He said Kagami got sick."
"Must've been something she ate."
The Dragonslayer Festival was alive with activity as many different events were taking place.
"Release!" an official declared and the line of archers fired volleys at the targets. Several managed to land but one or two missed much to the good-natured ribbing of contestants.
Many street performers were present on the street to shock and amaze their audience. Jugglers were juggling, musicians playing music, magicians doing magic, clowns clowning around, dancers dancing, etcetera etcetera.
*FWOOSH!*
A man in a jester outfit sprayed a burst of fire from his mouth, letting the crowd gasp in delight. They applauded while throwing coins into his cap as he bowed.
*Clang!*
People cheered as two knights in elaborate armour duelled in a sandpit. It was more for show than a real battle, but it was an elaborate waltz of steel and physical ability.
All the while, the Hinamizawans were enjoying the sights.
"OK, I gotta admit, this Dragonslayer Festival is cool," Mion grinned as she watched the knights duel.
"The food's not too bad either," Keiichi admitted as he ate a spicy turkey leg.
Genovia's national language was French and normally the visitors from Japan would have a problem communicating with the locals. Fortunately, Shinichi had them covered. He had given them each a capsule that would allow them to speak the local language. He had gotten them from ARMOR and the capsules were loaded with nanomachines that would connect to their brain's language centre, allowing them to become fluent in any language, just like the universal translators implanted in the cyborgs. It was, however, temporary. So, until the end of their time in Genovia, they would all be able to speak French.
The group enjoyed the Dragonslayer Festival as they spent the day having fun. There were so many different stands that offered treats, souvenirs and games.
Mion tried her luck at the shooting gallery, using a slingshot instead of a rifle. She lost to Satoko who managed to win the prize instead.
Keiichi and Satoshi tried their hand at darts to win a prize for their girlfriends, but they could never hit the targets.
Hanyuu took part in a tart eating contest and won despite getting a bit of a tummy ache.
Shiori and Sho cheered on Kasai when he took part in an arm-wrestling contest. He even took off his shirt, which made it even better. After that, they took Sho to see the animals at the petting zoo.
Shion and Rika both took part in a singing contest. It ended with Rika as the winner.
Meanwhile, Shinichi spent the day with Shawna, Rena and their kids. Crow and Layna were in a carriage built for two that was being pushed by Shawna while Rena pushed a carriage that carried Shinjiro. The babies seemed to be enjoying themselves as well. The young man won prizes for his two ladies and children at the ring toss game. They even took photos together that Shinichi would later add to his scrapbook. Chris and Anthony followed them the whole time, making sure the royal family was safe.
In the evening, everyone was gathered at the outdoor stage to watch a special performance. Shawna and Shinichi's group were provided with special front row seats to watch the show as well. A velvet rope that was stretched from end to end separated them from the rest of the crowd while Anthony and Chris vigilantly stood guard.
"Look, there's daddy!" Rena pointed at the stage for her son. Shawna sat beside her as she held Crow and Layna, having them sit on her lap to watch the show together.
As the guest of honour and titular Dragonslayer, Shinichi would reenact the battle between himself and Dreigon. On the stage was a mechanical dragon with three heads. The mechanical dragon was operated by a small crew of men inside that would work the dragon's limbs, heads, wings and smoke effects.
Fearlessly facing the dragon was Shinichi who was clad in a near-perfect replica of his Ascalon Form armour. The dragon spewed 'fire' from its three jaws, which was just harmless white smoke.
Shinichi struck the dragon with his sword, landing the 'killing blow'. The dragon roared as smoke burst from its body before its necks and heads went limp as it died.
As the dragon was slain, the people cheered as Shinichi stood victorious and raised his sword.
"I don't remember losing that terribly," Dreigon commented from within Shinichi's mind. "I remember putting up a much better fight than that."
"Sorry, Dreigon," Shinichi apologized.
"You can make it up to me the next time we have a reenactment," Dreigon growled. "Make sure to depict me properly so I'm not remembered as a pathetic weakling!"
Shinichi mentally sighed at how Dragons were such prideful creatures. He looked at the audience and saw his friends and family, applauding and cheering for him. He smiled at them and waved back at them.
The people continued to cheer and applaud. While Shinichi basked in their attention, someone decided to make their displeasure known. A young woman with short red hair stepped onto the stage from the right. She had a look of intense hatred all over her face.
"It's her..." Shiori murmured. She recognized her immediately. It was the same young woman who had accosted her in the village marketplace.
"Shiori, what is it?" Kasai asked.
"I've met that girl before," Shiori answered as she tried to recall her name. What was it? It started with a 'V'. Veronica? No. Victoria? No, that wasn't it. It was Vivi-something.
Shinichi noticed the redhead and turned to look at her, confused. She was glaring at him with a burning hatred in her eyes as if she wanted to make him burst into flames. His antenna hair stood up. This girl meant trouble.
"Miss, I don't think you're supposed to be here," he informed her.
"Oh, and do you think you belong here, you murderer?" she spat in German.
"Excuse me?" Shinichi questioned.
"Do you really think calling yourself a hero erases everything you've done, everything you've caused?" the redhead questioned accusingly. "You may have everyone here fooled but I know what you really are, BLACK 13."
"Is this part of the show?" Rena asked Shawna who seemed perplexed.
"No, it's not," Shawna answered. "Anthony, Chris, could you both escort that woman from the stage?"
Shawna's bodyguards obeyed and went to remove the woman. While almost no one in the audience seemed to understand German, Shinichi did. And her words, as well as the way she said them, had an all too familiar pattern.
"Who are you?" Shinichi asked.
"My name is Viviana Eisenberg," she introduced herself. Upon hearing her name, his eyes widened in recognition. She pulled out her belt and strapped it to her waist.
"You're..." At that moment, Chris and Anthony had climbed on stage and were about to remove her when she activated her belt. Seeing the design, Shinichi immediately knew what it was. "GET AWAY FROM HER!"
"Henshin!" Viviana yelled. Shinichi's warning came too late as her belt activated and released a burst of nuclear energy that enveloped her entire body. Chris and Anthony were caught within the blast radius and were violently repelled as the audience cried out in panic.
As the energy receded into Viviana, the glow around her body faded to reveal her transformation. She wore a green bodysuit with purple armour plating on her limbs and torso. Green circuit lines that resembled veins glowed all over her suit, trailing into a red hourglass symbol in the middle of her breastplate. Her head was covered by a helmet with a black opaque visor, a nuclear hazard symbol and horns that resembled spider legs.
Standing among the audience and watching the show was none other than Frederica Bernkastel. She smiled maliciously as she watched the stage in anticipation of the battle that was about to take place.
"Give us all a show, Kamen Rider Venge," she said, dubbing Viviana's Rider form.
"You killed my mother and father. And now I'm going to kill you," Kamen Rider Venge swore before she fired twin beams of nuclear energy from her gauntlets at Shinichi. Bracing himself, his wings sprang out to shield him moments before the beam slammed into them.
"Can't fight here," Shinichi gritted his teeth as he endured her attack. "Too many people."
Venge stopped firing and decided to rip those wings off him. All of a sudden, Shinichi shot skyward, much to her outrage.
"GET BACK HERE!" Venge took off and zoomed after him, trailing nuclear flames behind her. As she chased after Shinichi, Venge rapidly fired blasts of nuclear energy at him which detonated as he dodged them. "Stop running, you coward!" Venge continued blasting him but he did not respond as he dodged all her attacks. He needed to take their battle away from the town to avoid any collateral damage.
Venge yelled in frustration as she kept missing her target and accelerated. She sped up and managed to overtake him. Spinning around, she prepared to fire and give him a face full of nuclear energy. However, before she could even deliver her attack, he suddenly grabbed her around the waist.
"Let me go, you bastard!" she screamed as she pounded on his back with her fists. "Let me go!" He ignored her angry yelling and tightened his hold as he opened a portal and took them straight into it. They shot out from the other side of the portal and plummeted towards the beach of Genovia's shore where they crashed, kicking up a huge tower of sand on impact.
Venge dug herself out of the sand and scanned her surroundings to find her target.
"Where are you, stück scheiße?" she growled as she kept her guard up. All of a sudden, sand burst from her right and a figure slammed into her. She was pinned to the sand and looked up to see a pair of red eyes glaring down on her.
Shinichi had transformed into Kamen Rider Amazon moments before their crash landing and hid under the sand. Unlike the rest of Shinichi's Showa Rider forms, Amazon was the only one that was not based on an insect as it showed. Instead, he was modelled after a monitor lizard. His body was covered in a green bodysuit that was marked with numerous asymmetrical red stripes. His front was protected by an orange chestplate and he wore black gloves and boots with sharp spikes on them. A lizard's spine was on his back and he wore a white scarf that hung from his neck. His head was lizard-like with large red compound eyes, a thin horn that was tipped by a small round stone, and a mouth full of sharp teeth.
"Get off me!" she roared as she slammed her hands to his chest. He immediately rolled off her before she fired a column of nuclear flames into the sky. He flipped back to his feet as she picked herself up, glaring hatefully at him. "You killed my parents and now here you stand before me. Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"
Shinichi tried not to flinch as she reminded him of his crime against her. He would always regret the things he had done while under Gebok's control but he had made peace with himself. Unfortunately, the people who were hurt by him did not care for his redemption. They just wanted him dead.
When Showa Amazon did not immediately respond to Venge's question, this just made her angrier and she charged at him. She threw a nuclear-powered punch at his head but he ducked and slashed her across the chest with his claws, ripping sparks off as she staggered back. He then unleashed a flurry of claw swipes, knocking her back with each strike before he delivered a dropkick that threw her to the ground.
"I'm sorry for what happened to your parents," Showa Amazon apologized as Venge got back up. "But I wasn't given a choice. I was forced to do it."
"LIAR!" Venge roared as she got up and fired at him but he quickly countered by changing into Kamen Rider Stronger. He fired a blast of lightning from his hand which met her nuclear blast and the resulting explosion threw them off their feet.
Venge recovered and was about to get back up to continue when she was hit by a cryogenic spray that froze her suit. Armed with the green Thermal Hands, Kamen Rider Super-1 had just put her on ice.
"Let me go, you bastard!" Venge screamed as she struggled in her frozen suit. "I'll kill you! I'LL KILL YOU!"
Looking at Venge, Shinichi couldn't help but see himself. Her behaviour reminded him of himself when he hunted down Gebok. He became obsessed and would not let anyone stop him or change his mind. Nothing else mattered but putting that bastard down for good.
"Stop this," he told her. "Killing me won't change anything. Killing me won't bring your parents back."
"AARRGGHHHHH!" Venge screamed as some kind of energy violently burst from her suit. Super-1's eyes widened as the energy burst sent him crashing to the sand. His body convulsed in agony like he was suffering from a seizure as he reverted to civilian form.
The heat from Venge's suit melted the ice and she laughed as she stood back up to sneer at Shinichi.
"That was an EMP burst. It ruins technology, like the kind inside cyborgs like you," Venge explained, sounding smug. Her suit was fortunately shielded from the EMP. "Now, time to meet your maker, BLACK 13." Instead of blasts, she projected the nuclear energy out of her gauntlets to form blades. She wanted to savour every moment of this.
Suddenly, something landed between the two Riders, violently kicking up sands and startling Venge. When the dust finally settled, she saw the cause. The new figure made a three-point landing - in other words, a superhero landing - as he landed in a crouched position with his legs spread; he had one knee, a foot and a hand touching the sand.
He was clad in a red scaly bodysuit which was adorned in green tribal markings. Black armour plating protected his torso, shins, forearms, knees, elbows, shoulder and thighs. The black armour on his chest was sculpted with pectorals and abs while his back had the image of a roaring T-Rex on it. He had an obvious dinosaur motif as his helmet resembled a T-Rex with ridges over his menacing yellow eyes and a mouthplate that was sculpted to resemble its jaws with a row of razor-sharp teeth. A series of spikes adorned his gauntlets and greaves while his fingertips ended in sharp claws that looked sharp enough to rip steel apart. A lizard-like tail was also built into his armour. Around his waist was a belt with a buckle shaped like a T-Rex's skull and a belt strap that resembled bones. A coin dispenser appeared to be attached to the side of his belt.
There was no mistaking it. This new figure was a Kamen Rider too.
"Who the hell are you?" Venge demanded.
"Just somebody passing through," the Dino Rider answered with a snarl as he stood up to face her. "Now, let's get prehistoric."
END OF ACT 3
Dr. KRC: Quick German lesson. 'stück scheiße' means 'piece of shit'. Ben Arnold is named after Benedict Arnold. The flashback scene you saw took place during Shinichi's hunt for Gebok in the Kamen Rider Showa GX arc called The Rampage of BLACK 13. And yes, Shinichi had kids with Shawna. Crow and Layna were born on November 25th 1990, which was several months after 'The Powerless Ones'. The origin of Crow's name is quite surprising since he's named after Shinichi. What do I mean? 'Crow' is pronounced the same as 'Kuro', as in 'Kuro Juusan' who was Shinichi's previous self. Well, it looks like a party crasher has appeared to ruin the festival and Shinichi was forced to fight her. Viviana has decided to make her move and doesn't care about revealing herself. But who is this new Dino Rider? Tails, would you like to explain things here?
Tailsmo4ever: If you wanna learn more about this Rider, read the "Dinosaurs Rules" one-shot.