A/N: Glad to be back after the short hiatus. Now we can return to Legacy of Revenge and finish posting the second half of this arc.
ARMOR HQ, King's Terminal, the Sands of Time
In ARMOR HQ, the elevator dinged before the door opened, allowing Ryuki to rush out with a report in hand.
"Sorry, sorry, excuse me!" Ryuki said as he weaved between people in the hallway while he urgently made his way to Warren's office. He came to the door and knocked on it rapidly. "Warren, open up! I need to talk to you!"
"Come in!" Warren yelled back and the door opened, allowing Ryuki entry. He saw Warren sitting at his desk, rubbing his temples and drinking a glass of scotch. "Oh, Ryuki. Sorry, I know I shouldn't be drinking during office hours, but I was just done with a meeting with-"
"The Board," Ryuki finished. He recognised the signs by now. Only the Board could drive Warren to drink at a time like this.
"Yeah, them," Warren grumbled as he put his glass down. "So, what brings the Director of DORA to my office?"
"It's something urgent," Ryuki said as he put the report down in front of Warren. "It's about Earth-83."
"That's Shinichi's world." Warren picked up the report and looked at it as Ryuki continued.
"There's been a change in the timeline," Ryuki explained. "We tracked the source of the aberration to 1968 and it has rippled across the timeline."
"Do you know what caused it?" Warren asked, concerned as he read the report.
"I'm not sure but there's a strong possibility that something has affected a fixed point in time," Ryuki answered. "Which is why I decided to check Shinichi's timeline."
"What did you find?" Warren questioned, worried.
"It's what I didn't find that has me worried," Ryuki grimaced. "I couldn't find Shinichi."
"What?" Warren blanched. "Are you sure?"
"I am. I had my people check, double-check, and triple-check. I even took a look at it to make sure the information was correct." Ryuki paused. "According to the timeline, there are no records of Kamen Rider Showa or Shinji Banabara ever being born."
"No, that can't be..." Warren muttered in shock and disbelief as he heard the news. He had just spoken to Shinichi earlier. What could have happened to him? "What about the NEO-NUMBERS?"
"They're missing too," Ryuki answered. "I've tried to send my agents to investigate but we're completely locked out."
"Do you think this is related to Viviana Eisenberg's escape?" Warren inquired. This all happened right after he told Shinichi that she had escaped from her cell.
"It's not a coincidence that this happened right after her escape," Ryuki stated firmly. "If anyone is a prime suspect for this, it would be her."
Warren emptied his glass and slammed it down on his desk. He then picked up his phone to make a call.
"Who are you calling?" Ryuki asked.
"The one person who can help us now," Warren answered as he put the receiver to his ear.
Showa Chronicles: Legacy of ReVenge
Act VI: It's a (Not So) Wonderful Life
?
Shinichi was confused as he found himself standing in a futuristic city. The skyscrapers looked like they were made of chrome and glass, while the futuristic cars appeared to be hi-tech yet very dirty. Many neon signs were lit around the city, flashing the names of different stores, with one pointing at a store to promote the latest model of cyberdecks, whatever that was. He also saw a blimp floating in the sky, with a large screen on it playing an ad that showed a girl in a bikini drinking from a can of soda.
"Drink Shockola! It will quench your thirst like nothing else in this world!"
"OK, did I wake up in the future or Mike Pondsmith's wet dream?" Shinichi wondered. The last thing he remembered was fighting Viviana before she performed his signature Return to the Past. Something must have gone wrong since she had thrown him into the future instead. "I better head back home." Not even five steps in, a motorist drove past, causing him to trip and bump into a box in the middle of the sidewalk. "Woah!" The box suddenly shook and opened up as a very irritated bum popped out to glare at him.
"Hey!" the bum shouted with flies flying out of his dirty and ripped shorts. "You smashed my porch! That is a fine, expensive porch! Pay me! Hey, hey, pay me!" He held his hands out expectantly.
"What!?" Shinichi exclaimed.
"What, do I have a speech impairment or somethin'?" the bum glared, pointing down angrily at his 'porch'. "How the hell am I gonna pay for this damage? I'm talking to you! Now, pay up!"
A man in coke bottle glasses, a bowler hat, and a trenchcoat was passing by when he saw the commotion. He gruffly cleared his throat, getting the bum's attention. The bum freaked out and pulled his 'porch' up to his waist to run away.
"Are you alright?" the man in the bowler hat asked Shinichi.
"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks, sir," Shinichi said gratefully.
"Woo, don't sweat it, son," the man smiled, tipping his hat. "You look like you're having a crazy day. Well, don't let it get you down I..." The man suddenly paused, looking left and right before leaning quickly into Shinichi's ear to whisper. "Penis. Penis. Penis. Penis. Penispenispenis." He giggled lewdly and ran away before a dumbfounded Shinichi could react.
"...The hell was that?" Shinichi wondered before shaking off his bewilderment.
The screen on the blimp switched to a broadcast of a female newscaster.
"Attention, citizens. Please be on the lookout for the Skull Killer. He has claimed the life of another one of our beloved leaders, Prime Minister Nagazawa, and is still at large. Do your civic duty and report any information on the whereabouts of the Skull Killer to your local Enforcers. Glory to our nation. Glory to our brave world. Glory to our Great Leader."
Alright, now that sounded way too dystopian for his tastes. Japan had a Great Leader? And wait a minute, did she say Prime Minister Nagazawa? It was probably just some freaky coincidence but he really needed to get back home.
He opened up a portal and stepped through.
Earth-13
Alan was in his TARDIS and checking the timeline of Shinichi's Earth. Whenever he checked on Shinichi's future, he would see the same gravestone taunting him, telling him that there was no way he would be able to change his brother's fate. He hated seeing that gravestone but he needed to see it, to remind him that he had to save Shinichi.
He pulled up the holographic screen again and saw the gravestone but then he watched as the inscription on it changed. His eyes widened as he saw the name and the date of the person's death.
Shiori Banabara...14th February 1968.
"No!" Alan denied. This wasn't right! None of this was right! His phone rang and he quickly picked it up and answered. "Hello? Who is this?"
"Alan," Warren responded. "There's something wrong with-"
"Yes, Shinichi's timeline! I know!" Alan answered, his eyes looking back at the holographic screen. "I'm going to check it out!" He slammed the phone down and typed in the space-time coordinates. After he finished inputting his destination, he pulled the lever. "Up, up and away!" The TARDIS flew through the time vortex, following the space-time coordinates when all of a sudden the red alarm lights flashed and the sirens blared, causing the ship to violently shake and shudder. "C'mon, girl! Steady yourself! Steady!" He hit buttons and flipped switches to try and stabilize the TARDIS.
'UNSTABLE TIMELINE' flashed repeatedly on his viewing screen. Alan grimaced. Unstable timelines were the result of an aberration in a fixed point in time, causing a dangerous paradox. It was why the TARDIS' alarms had gone off. It did not want to travel into an unstable timeline because it was scared.
Alan wanted to push through but he didn't want to risk damaging his TARDIS. Reluctantly, he put the engines in reverse and exited the time vortex.
"Tch," Alan grunted in frustration. "Even when he's not here, my brother is still a pain in my ass." His lips curled up into a smile as he looked forward to solving this mystery. "Well, guess I gotta figure out what's causing this." His phone rang again and Alan answered. "Hello?"
"Alan, get your butt over here now!" Yuji yelled.
"Yuji, what's wrong?"
"Something's wrong with the girls! It's like they're glitching or something! Now, hurry and get over here!"
Alan's eyes widened in alarm and he looked at the holographic screen before looking at the phone. He knew what was happening.
"Oh, no..." Suddenly, a fierce pounding drew Alan's attention to the TARDIS' door. "Lemme get back to you, Yuji!" He slammed the phone down before he snapped his fingers and the door swung open, allowing Yami to step inside.
"Something's wrong," Yami said worriedly.
Alan followed Yami into the house. He found Alice lying on the couch, flickering and fading in and out of existence. Celine stood beside her, worried about her sister. Alice was not the only one afflicted as Alan could see the same thing happening to Daiki, Nozomu, Adam, Jade and Megan.
"Daddy...I don't feel so good," Alice groaned. Alan scooped up his daughter.
"It'll be OK, Alice," Alan said soothingly. "Nozomu, take Adam and come with me inside the TARDIS. Daiki, Jade, Megan, follow us."
"What...what the Hell!?"
Shinichi's space-time portal should have taken him back to Hinamizawa. Instead, upon stepping out, he found himself standing outside of a huge wall with blimps floating in the sky above it.
Now he knew something wasn't right. His portals always took him to where and when he wanted to go. Had Viviana done something that caused his powers to malfunction? Worried, he decided to call ARMOR for assistance but found his communicator missing.
"Where did it go!?" he exclaimed as he started to freak out. He was in the future with no way home and he could not even call ARMOR. He took deep breaths to calm himself down. Panicking right now would not do him any good. It was time to do some recon. Maybe if he found some clues, he could figure out exactly where and when he had ended up.
He made his way around the wall to search for the entrance and found a gate with two guards posted in front. The steel gate looked strong and thick but nothing Shinichi could not break through. It was the sign mounted over the gate that made his blood freeze.
It was GIN-SHOCKER's emblem.
The old him would have charged right in, demanding answers, but he had grown up since then and knew better than to be impulsive. Letting his emotions get the better of him would just complicate matters and prevent him from getting the answers he sought. He could not afford to cause a scene but he very much doubted the guards would allow him entry without a good reason. Fortunately, he had a way to bypass the wall. In the blink of an eye, he was gone, leaving behind his feathers that vanished before they touched the ground.
Shinichi reappeared on the other side of the wall, conveniently in an alley where nobody saw him. When he stepped out, he found himself not in the village he remembered, but a city. What used to be Hinamizawa had become heavily urbanized. Just like the city he had left earlier, the buildings were made of chrome and glass while numerous neon signs were lit up all around him. Instead of the dirt paths, the roads were paved with futuristic vehicles running across them. There seemed to be a lot more people than the original population of the village he called home.
"Is this really Hinamizawa?" Shinichi wondered. He must be in the future. That was the only explanation. He needed to find out what year it was so he casually approached the first person he spotted. She was a girl dressed in a sailor fuku, with striped black and white stockings and blonde hair done in bushy pigtails. She looked like she was looking at some kind of device that reminded him of a video walkman.
"Um, excuse me?" Shinichi asked.
"What do you want?" the girl asked in a bored tone, looking him over.
"Can you tell me what year it is?"
The girl rudely rolled her eyes but she still answered his question.
"Are you drunk or high or something, man? It's 1991."
Shinichi was stunned by this but he recovered and gave a grateful nod.
"Oh, OK. Thank you."
"Whatever." The girl returned her attention to her device, brushing him off as she walked away.
So, he was not in the future. Could Viviana have sent him to a parallel universe? The ground suddenly gave a low rumble, causing him to stumble. The tremor went as quickly as it came, and he straightened himself back up.
"What was that?" he wondered.
"Hey, hey."
Shinichi felt a tug on his sleeve and turned around to see a girl with short black hair holding his sleeve. She looked pale and was shivering like she was cold. She would be cold as all she had on was a red tube top and denim shorts.
"Can I help you?" he asked.
"Can you give me some cash?" she requested. "I need some money to buy myself some Euphoria."
"What?" Shinichi looked confused. "What's Euphoria?"
"What do you mean what's Euphoria!?" she snapped before she apologized. "Sorry, sorry. Look, I just need some money to get some more. Do you have any or don't you?"
Shinichi checked for his wallet but found it missing.
"I'm sorry, I don't have any-"
"I'll do anything!" she cried desperately, gripping his shirt. "Look, how about I make it worth your while?" She licked her lips in an attempt to look seductive. "Just five - no ten minutes in that alley. You can do anything you want with me." She put her hands on her chest and squeezed her breasts enticingly before putting her finger in her mouth as she made sucking sounds to make it clear what she was offering.
Shinichi had never been propositioned before so he wasn't sure how to react. He just backed away from the girl, who looked like she needed help but there was none he could give her.
"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry," Shinichi apologized before he fled from the girl who was likely a drug-addicted hooker. He decided he had seen enough and ran into an alleyway where nobody could see him.
Based on what he had learned, he figured that he was in some alternate version of the year 1991 where everything was futuristic. Not the worst parallel universe he had ended up in. At least it was not one with a zombie plague or Cybermen ruling the world. However, a world ruled by GIN-SHOCKER was bad enough. Hopefully, ARMOR would know he was missing and send people to find him. Maybe Alan would appear and pick him up. Until then, he needed to find a place to hunker down. He opened a portal and stepped through. Hopefully, there was an Angel Mort here.
When he came out the other side, he found himself standing in front of a gentleman's club instead of Angel Mort. The neon sign read 'Angel's Delights' and beside the text was an image of a sexy female figure with angel wings and devil horns that was posed provocatively. He watched as a bouncer dragged a drunk out of the club and tossed him to the curb.
"And stay out!" the bouncer yelled. "Come back when you're sober and understand when no means no!"
The drunk grumbled unintelligibly and when he stood up, Shinichi instantly recognized him.
"Teppei?"
"Huh?" Teppei Houjou staggered drunkenly towards Shinichi. "The hell you want?" His speech was slurred and his breath reeked of alcohol. He was about to say more but he passed out in front of Shinichi.
Shinichi knelt and saw he was unconscious. He looked to his left and right before digging into Teppei's pockets to find his wallet. He grabbed all he had left, which were several bills, and pocketed them. He then went into Angel's Delight to see if he could get a drink. The bouncer let him inside and there was enough money from Teppei's wallet to pay the cover charge.
The interior looked like a strip club, with a bar and stage where the girls danced. He saw waitresses on the floor, wearing uniforms similar to the one worn by the Angel Mort girls but they had their midriffs bared and small angel wings attached to the back of their tops. They also wore headbands with cute devil horns.
Shinichi went and grabbed a seat at the bar.
"Hey, can I have a drink?" he asked and the bartender turned around. Shinichi was surprised to see who it was. "Satoshi?"
"Hm?" Satoshi looked at Shinichi. "Do I know you?"
"Sorry, I just thought you were someone I knew," Shinichi apologized. He reminded himself that this was a parallel universe so this was not the same Satoshi he knew. He was just a parallel universe doppelganger.
"Eh, I've been told I have one of those faces," Satoshi said with a shrug. "So, what will you be having?"
"One bottle of beer," Shinichi ordered. Satoshi grabbed him a bottle, popped it open and put it down in front of him.
"Enjoy," Satoshi smiled before a waitress came with a couple of orders. Shinichi watched him mix the drinks and put them on the tray for the waitress to take to the patrons. He nursed his drink, glancing at the stage now and then to watch a girl dance. While he sat at the bar, he couldn't help but catch some conversation over the sound of the music.
"Hey, did you catch the Shocker Ball game last night?"
"Yeah, I lost money on that game."
"That's why I tell you not to bet on the Bears. They never win against the Giants."
"Well, I thought I'd be lucky this time."
People were talking about Shocker Ball? Shinichi remembered playing that game with the NUMBERS back in the day in GIN-SHOCKER. It served as a team-building exercise and a fun way for them to let off some steam. He didn't remember enjoying it, but he did not exactly have his emotions back then. This must be one really crazy parallel universe if Shocker Ball became a national pastime.
"So, what happened to Hinamizawa?" Shinichi asked Satoshi.
"Oh? What do you mean?" Satoshi asked.
"I heard it used to be a village."
"Yeah, it used to be but that was until someone bought the land and developed it."
"Didn't anyone raise a stink about it?"
"There were a few but they were in the minority. But hey, look at it now. It's got all the modern conveniences of the big city. They even merged Hinamizawa and Okinomiya together when they built the wall."
"And what's the wall for?"
"It's to keep the Ghosts out."
"Ghosts?"
Meanwhile, several jeeps pulled up in front of Angel's Delight and men in black military uniforms exited the vehicles.
"Let's go," the leader commanded as he led them inside. He appeared to be of high rank. The bouncer allowed them in without a fuss. Once they were inside the club, the manager greeted them.
"Are you gentlemen here to enjoy our entertainment and drinks?" the manager asked politely. He did not want any trouble so he would give these men whatever they wanted, free of charge. "We can also provide you all with our 'special services'."
"We're here to perform a search for unregistered Ghosts," the leader answered.
"But we don't have any Ghosts here," the manager protested.
"Sir, we have a right to search your property for Ghosts. If you attempt to interfere, you will be charged with obstructing a formal investigation," the leader threatened.
"Oh, alright," the manager complied, sweating bullets.
"Great, it's the Enforcers," Satoshi grumbled when he saw the officers come into the club.
"Enforcers?" Shinichi asked. It sounded like something GIN-SHOCKER would come up with. Were they the cops of this world?
"Yeah, if you ask me they're a bunch of jerks who love to throw their weight around."
"What are they doing here?"
"Probably trying to check to see if a Ghost managed to sneak into the city."
There was that word again: 'Ghost'. What did it mean?
Shinichi remained seated as he observed the Enforcers approach the waitresses, the dancers and patrons. Each Enforcer held a pad-like device and ordered the people to put their hands on them. Each time someone put their hand on the device, a green light on it would light up. An Enforcer approached the bar and Shinichi was surprised to see who it was.
"Keiichi?" It was Keiichi Maebara, alright. And yet, just like Satoshi, it was not the same man he knew as a friend. Nonetheless, seeing him in a military uniform with GIN-SHOCKER's emblem on his badge was jarring.
"Put your hand on the scanner," Keiichi ordered. Shinichi looked at the device. It resembled a handheld palm scanner. Keiichi looked at Shinichi impatiently and repeated his instruction. "Put your hand on the scanner, now. I won't ask you again."
"Sorry, I didn't hear you just now. The music's too loud," Shinichi lied. Not wanting to cause a scene, he complied and put his hand on the device. It scanned his palm and Keiichi's eyes widened as the light on it flashed red instead of green.
"We got a Ghost!" he yelled to his fellow Enforcers and they pulled out their stun batons. Shinichi now knew he had to get the hell out of there.
"Gotta go!" Shinichi yelled and he shoved Keiichi to the floor. "Sorry, Keiichi!" As the others came at him, he made a run for the exit. They blocked his path and tried to stop him but he managed to break through their human barricade before he ran out of the club. "I better find someplace to hide." He quickly summoned his Cyclone-X3 from a portal. As he got on his bike, the Enforcers came rushing out of the club to see him racing away.
"Stop!" Keiichi shouted. "Get him! Don't let him escape!" The Enforcers climbed into their jeeps and turned on the sirens before they chased after Shinichi.
At the station, Enforcers stood in attention as their commander spoke to them.
"We have ourselves a Ghost!" the commander barked, marching in front of his lined up subordinates. "It is an unidentified male with blue hair and blue eyes! He was last seen fleeing Angel's Delight on a silver motorcycle! He is to be considered armed and dangerous! Detain him and use extreme force as permitted!"
Another one of the Enforcers, a woman this time, was walking past when she heard the order being given out. She paused and turned around, marching up to the commander.
"Excuse me, but what did you just say?" the female Enforcer asked.
"What?" the commander turned and gasped at who was speaking to him. He quickly saluted. "M-milady!"
"You said that the Ghost is a male with blue hair and blue eyes. Bring me a visual now," she ordered. A large holographic screen appeared in front of her, showing live footage of Shinichi leading the Enforcers on a high-speed chase. The woman's eyes widened in shock. "Was zur hölle? He didn't get erased?"
"Milady?" the commander asked.
"Your men are with me now," she commanded with a glare. "I will handle this Ghost personally."
"By your command, Chief Enforcer 13!" the commander saluted.
The Cyclone-X3 roared as it flew over a hill, the Enforcers still in hot pursuit. The pedestrians jumped back as they sped past, the sirens droning loudly. The roofs of the jeeps opened and machine gun turrets popped up before the barrels extended. Shinichi saw this in his right rear-view mirror and did a double-take.
"Are you shitting me!?" he gaped. "Jeeps with machine guns!?"
The turrets opened fire on him but his manoeuvring with his bike made him hard to hit. Whatever bullets which did manage to hit him did not do much damage. Tragically, several shots hit a few unfortunate civilians that were caught in the crossfire.
"Shit!" Shinichi cursed as he saw this happen but he could not help them while he was trying to escape. Turning a quick corner into a wide and open alleyway, Shinichi held out his hand as a ball of light glowed, turning into Roborider's Voltech Shooter. He fired several shots behind him but to his surprised annoyance, the shots only did minor damage to the jeeps' armoured plating.
"Damn it! Even in an alternate nineties, everything is beefed up!" Shinichi complained. He looked up at the sky that looked like it was tuned to a dead channel and angrily shook his fist. "Curse you, Mike Pondsmith! If you ever make a video game, I hope it gets riddled with bugs!"
The Enforcers continued their pursuit as Shinichi tried to lose them. He turned a corner and saw a barricade up ahead, made up of several jeeps and Enforcers with their guns trained on him. He came to a stop as one of them stood in front of the barricade with a megaphone.
"STOP OR WE'LL SHOOT, GHOST!" he shouted.
"Oh, no you won't," Shinichi resolved as he started to open a portal in front of him to use for his escape. However, just as it was about to expand, it immediately winked out of sight. "What!?" Was something wrong with his powers now too?
"READY?" The Enforcers all trained their guns on Shinichi, laser sights all lighting red dots all over him. Shinichi twisted his bike in front, revving the engine as he got ready to move. "OPEN FI-!"
"At ease," another voice suddenly spoke from the Enforcers' radios.
Shinichi gasped, recognizing the voice and accent. A large, chrome aircraft descended from the sky, slowly hovering down. Its jets blew up the dust from the ground as it made its landing. The door opened up from the side and let down a ramp. Several armed Enforcers ran down the ramp, pointing their guns at him. The last person to step out of the aircraft was a woman and she glared at Shinichi with great intensity as she walked past her men.
"Never expected to see you here, BLACK 13," she sneered. It was Viviana Eisenberg and since she had called him 'BLACK 13', that meant she was not a doppelganger but the same person from his world.
"Eisenberg?!" Shinichi shouted as he recognized her. "What are you doing here?!"
"I should be asking you that question, BLACK 13," Viviana said coldly. She was in a dark blue blouse with a black necktie, a black overcoat, a black mid-thigh skirt and matching boots. On the back of her coat in white print was XIII and GS badges were displayed on her sleeves which also had stripes to show her rank. She wore a military cap with GIN-SHOCKER's symbol on it. "How are you even still alive, let alone exist?"
"What? What do you mean by that?" Shinichi asked, confused.
"Never mind," Viviana shook her head. She would not grant him an explanation. He didn't deserve one. "This time, I'm going to finish the job." She reached inside of her coat and pulled out a device before she placed it on her waist. As soon as it made contact, a belt strap shot out from one side of the device to go around her waist and click into the other side, securing it in place.
[Ziku-Driver!]
"A Driver?" Shinichi recognized. The Ziku-Driver was white with a small rectangular digital screen in the centre, a button on top, and a slider slot on each side. She then pulled out another device, a Ridewatch with a white face and digitized green eyes. She pressed the button on top, causing it to light up.
[ReVenge!]
Viviana slid the Ridewatch into the left slot of her Ziku-Driver, causing gears and a large, black and white digital clock with XIII in the centre to appear behind her as it ticked ominously. Snapping her fingers past her face, she announced her transformation.
"Henshin!"
She spun the Ziku-Driver around to emit a loud beep before it snapped back into place.
[RIDER TIME!]
The Ziku-Driver released a bright flash as the gears broke into hundreds of puzzle pieces that flew out and arranged themselves around her body, forming a suit of armour. Following the puzzle pieces, the green Roman numeral flew out from the clock before slapping onto her blank visor.
[KAMEN RIDER RE~VENGE!]
Viviana had transformed but not into Venge or Another Showa. Instead, she was a whole new Rider. Her new Rider form wore a white bodysuit with black armour and a white breastplate. Her black boots had white armour plating on the shins and toes. Over her armour, she wore a black jacket with black and white pauldrons that had XIII etched into them. The sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, revealing the Ridewatch Holders strapped to her forearms with two Ridewatches on each. Strapped diagonally across her chest was a black metal sash that held more Ridewatches and a digital clock in the middle of her chest. Finally, her black helmet had a pair of antennae that were shaped like clock hands, and a rectangular screen for a visor that showed XIII in a neon green digital script.
[ZIKAN NUKEN!]
A hi-tech sword appeared in her right hand as she slowly advanced on her target. Her weapon - the Zikan Nuken - had a rectangular screen built into the base of the crooked blade which was black with a white edge. On the screen was a nuclear hazard symbol and behind it was a circular slot that fit her Ridewatches.
"Nobody help me," she commanded. "I will deal with him myself."
"I'm getting really fed up with you!" Shinichi shouted, his Spark Core forming over his waist. "Henshin!"
Transforming into Showa Chronicle, he charged at ReVenge with his Chrono Sabers drawn and they clashed their weapons together. Their swords went head to head as they tried to overpower one another. They blurred in and out of existence, moving at speeds that nobody else could follow.
"Why have you sent me to this world, Eisenberg!?" Showa demanded as they locked blades, sparks scraping off their edges. ReVenge roared as she broke through the lock and slashed him across the chest, causing him to stagger.
"I have no reason to tell you anything!" ReVenge shouted, slashing at him several more times but he managed to parry her strikes.
"What did you do?!" Showa yelled, his Chrono Sabers glowing. He swung and shot blades of energy at her, but ReVenge held out her hand and formed a barrier in front of her. The barrier deflected the blades and bounced them back to Showa. They exploded on impact, knocking him back as he cried in pain with smoke rising from his suit.
"What's the matter?" ReVenge taunted, circling him with a bored tone. "You were so big and tough before but you seem to be losing your touch now."
"Then how about this?" Showa shouted, summoning his portals to blast her. However, just like the portal he tried to open earlier, they fizzled out of existence. "Again?! What the hell is wrong with my powers?"
"Oh my, oh my, you seem to be experiencing performance issues," ReVenge mocked. "Allow me to show you how it's done." She raised her hand in the air, creating bright flashes in the sky. Showa looked up and was shocked to see meteors falling from the sky.
"SHIIIT!" Showa screamed before he swung his swords again. Beams shoot out from the Chrono Sabers, cutting through the meteors. The meteors exploded in massive bursts, bits of debris raining down like raindrops. Sensing danger, Showa crossed his swords, blocking ReVenge's sword strike. He pushed her back with his knee but before he could land another blow, she suddenly warped behind him and struck him across the back.
"Here's a taste of your own medicine," she declared, tossing her sword away and pulling a Ridewatch from her sash. The Ridewatch in her hand depicted Biorider and she pressed the button, activating it.
[Biorider!]
"Huh?!" Showa gawked.
Her entire body morphed into liquid energy and she flew about wildly, flashing past him and cutting through his armour, sparks flying with each strike. While Showa was disoriented, ReVenge reformed back to normal before she grabbed another Ridewatch and activated it.
[Stronger!]
She charged at him as her arms lit up with lightning to deliver a flurry of electrical jabs all over his body. The lightning racked all over him, stunning his body with each blow. Finally, she sent him flying across the street with an electrified kick.
"What's with those things?" Showa groaned as he picked himself up.
"Ridewatches. Very useful little trinkets, aren't they?" ReVenge said while tossing the Ridewatch in her hand. "You aren't the only one who can steal powers anymore. And now, I've officially stolen yours." She hit the button on her Ziku-Driver and spun it around. "Your time's up."
[FINISH TIME!]
She jumped and tucked in her legs before flying forward with a dropkick as green digital trails followed her, hitting Showa in the gut. Energy ran from her Driver to her foot, spreading digitized temporal energy all over Showa.
[TIME SHOCK!]
A burst of power erupted from her foot and sent Showa violently flying backwards. He tumbled over the ground as feathers formed around him and blew off, cancelling his transformation. As he painfully struggled to get back up on his feet, ReVenge pulled her Ridewatch out of her Ziku-Driver, her suit glowing before vanishing into green energy. Viviana went over and kicked him onto his back before pressing her foot on his neck.
"That's a nice expression," she sneered as she leaned over him while he glared back at her. "I've been waiting a long time to see that look on your face."
"You... psycho..." Shinichi choked, as he tried to get her foot off his neck. "You did something...to keep me stuck here...I know you did..." She pressed her foot down further to shut him up.
"Your very existence disgusts me but you being here is something of a blessing in disguise, BLACK 13," she smirked. "I get to see the look on your face once you see all the lies you've told yourself get stripped away and revealed for the travesty they are. 'Create a better future'? Don't make me laugh! You have no idea what you put me through! For years I wondered what kind of monster would kill kind, loving people who did nothing but want to help improve the world! I said I was going to take everything from you, and I've kept that promise. And now you mean nothing to me." She removed her foot and turned away to walk back to her aircraft. "Finish him!"
The other Enforcers all levelled their guns at Shinichi. Not willing to go out like this, he tried to figure out a way to escape. Even when he felt like giving up, he always found himself jumping back in. He wasn't about to let that streak break now.
A rippling silver wall suddenly came down behind him. The Enforcers almost dropped their guns, shocked at the sight of the wall. At that very moment, three figures jumped out from the wall. Taking advantage of the distraction they caused, they systematically took out the Enforcers as they panicked and began shooting wildly.
"Was zur hölle!?" Viviana yelled when she saw this. What the hell was going on!? Where did these Riders come from?
Shinichi watched as the three newcomers took out the Enforcers with a variety of throws and martial arts. He recognized two of them, one of them being the same Dino Rider who had helped him in Genovia. He was very surprised to even see him here and from a Dimensional Wall no less.
The second Rider among them was likely the reason for that. He was donned in full armour which was red, black, and white. An X was on his chest and left shoulder and his eyes were green. A crimson buckle was on his waist with a silver case on the side. Shinichi knew him well. He was Kamen Rider Decade, the (so-called) Destroyer of Worlds.
The third Rider was completely unfamiliar to him, but he wore armour that had some similarities to Viviana's. He even had a Ziku-Driver. The Rider wore a black bodysuit with pink accents on his boots and gauntlets. A metal band resembling a Rolex's ran down his chest. His torso armour was mainly black with silver trim and pink accents. Strapped to his forearms were holders for Ridewatches, two on each. Finally, his helmet was black with a white faceplate that had a silver frame around it, a pair of antennae that were shaped like clock hands, and a visor that was made up of pink katakana characters that spelt 'Rider'. He was taking out Enforcers left in right with MMA fighting moves that made Shinichi believe he had been trained well.
Decade knocked down another Enforcer before running to Shinichi.
"Ranma?" Shinichi asked in confusion as Decade helped him up.
"We can't talk here," Decade said urgently. "We need to go now!" He looked over at the other two Riders. "Zi-O! Jura! I've got Shinichi! Let's get going!"
"OK!" Kamen Rider Jura nodded.
"Got it, Sempai!" Kamen Rider Zi-O added.
"What do you think you're doing!?" Viviana shouted at her men. "Stop them! Don't let them escape!" The remaining Enforcers tried to recover their weapons but they didn't do it fast enough as the Riders escaped through the Dimensional Wall which collapsed as soon as they passed through it. By Decade's will, another Dimensional Wall passed over the stationary Cyclone X3, making it disappear too. "No!" She looked at subordinates with anger. "Scheiße! Verdammt! You useless, incompetent maggots! Find them right now or so help me you won't live to see tomorrow!"
Satoshi just finished his shift and returned to his apartment.
"I'm home," he greeted as he opened the door.
"You're back," a blonde nurse with lazy eyes said as she saw him.
"How is she?" Satoshi asked. She shook her head sadly. "I see. Thanks for your help, Takano-san." He went and checked on his little sister who was lying in her bed in her bedroom. She was in a coma, hooked up to a life-support machine.
"Hey, Satoko," Satoshi greeted. "I've got an exciting story from work for you. There was a Ghost at the club and he dragged the Enforcers into a chase. You should've seen it." She did not respond and he tried to fight back the tears.
His little sister was in a coma because she had overdosed on Euphoria. She had been depressed but he was too blind and busy with work to see. She just seemed so happy but only because she kept getting high on Euphoria.
Satoshi could not afford to pay for hospital treatment, so he used their parents' savings to get this life-support machine. He also made sure Satoko was taken care of daily by a nurse named Miyo Takano while he was at work.
It was all the Sonozakis' fault for distributing that damn drug. They claimed it was an antidepressant but they never warned anybody of how addictive it was.
Satoshi left his sister's bedroom and turned on the TV in the living room.
"...Following the murder of Prime Minister Nagazawa, Governor Mion Sonozaki held a press conference today. She swears that she will not rest until the Skull Killer is brought to justice. The governor is also fighting to stop the illegal distribution of the drug Euphoria that plagues our country-"
Satoshi shut the TV off with a scowl. The Sonozakis were corrupt. They were the ones responsible for illegally distributing Euphoria in the first place and were using their wealth and power to hide their involvement. He just wished someday that karma would catch up with them. That bitch and her family deserve nothing less than divine punishment for spreading that poison and putting his baby sister in a coma.
He felt a slender pair of arms wrap around his shoulders from behind as Miyo leaned in and whispered into his ear, wearing nothing but her cap, underwear and stockings.
"You seem stressed, Satoshi-kun. Is everything alright?" she whispered sultrily.
"Just exhausted," Satoshi sighed. "It feels like the whole damn world is going to Hell. The government is bullshit, the police are corrupt, and my sister's been in a coma for over a year now. I'm just...tired of everything."
"There's no need to say that," Miyo smiled, pressing herself further into his back to make sure her chest squeezed against him. "What do you say about having another one of our nightly appointments?"
Satoshi turned around, smiling as he took the woman into his arms.
"Yeah, I could use some tender loving care from Nurse Takano right now." Pulling her into a kiss, he slowly dipped her to the floor.
Earth-311
Alan took the TARDIS to Yuji's world to pick up some more passengers. Like the others, Yami had joined him since she was still worried about Alice. Just like what had happened to Alice and the others, the same thing was happening to Sora, Misato, Yuna, Maria, Rosa and Lina. Once they were brought into the TARDIS, their condition stabilized.
"What the hell is going on, Alan?" Yuji demanded.
"Yeah, why were we glitching like sprites in a bad video game?" Sora added. She was relieved that she was no longer fading in and out of existence but the former Panther Claw Kaijin still wanted to know the cause.
"This," Alan answered as he pulled up the holographic image of Shiori's gravestone. Everyone turned their gaze to it and stared in shock.
"What is this?" Yuji questioned as he stared at the image with wide eyes. "Why is Shinichi's mom's name on that?"
"Read the date of death," Alan pointed out.
"'1968'? No, that ain't right," Yuji shook his head in denial. "What is going on?"
"I don't know but I learned that on the day Shinichi was supposed to be born, his parents were involved in a car accident. Shiori was killed with her unborn child and Shotaro Banabara, her husband and Shinichi's dad, was the only survivor," Alan explained. "But that was not supposed to happen."
"Is this why...?" Lina asked.
"You and the others were fading in and out of existence? Yes," Alan confirmed. "Since you're all native to Shinichi's Earth and timeline, any changes to it affects you too."
"But what about me?" Jade questioned. "I'm not native to Shinichi's Earth."
"Neither am I," Daiki added. He had ended up on Shinichi's world completely by accident when he fell out of a Dimensional Wall and ended up under the Plaza Del Toros.
"Jade, your revival was part of the events of that timeline. And Daiki, Shinichi was the reason I visited his world and ended up adopting you," Alan explained. "Shiori's death on that day means Shinichi was never born and this has caused a paradox. Now time is trying to fix it by erasing everything that does not belong in the new timeline and that includes you. As long as you stay in the TARDIS, you'll be safe."
"Can't you go back and fix this?" Yuji asked.
"Believe me, I've tried, but my TARDIS won't go back to Shinichi's Earth because the timeline is unstable," Alan answered.
"What do you mean the timeline is unstable?" Daiki frowned.
"There are pivotal events in history that must always happen. Like the Titanic, Pompeii, JFK's assassination, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These events are fixed points in time. Altering these fixed points could have catastrophic consequences on the timeline. And Shinichi becoming a Kamen Rider is a fixed point," Alan explained.
"And if Shinichi was never born, he would never get kidnapped by Gebok and become a Rider," Misato realized.
"Exactly," Alan nodded. "So the timeline is unstable but it will eventually solidify, taking away everything that does not belong."
"What can we do?" Yuji asked desperately. "There must be something we can do, right? What about ARMOR?"
"ARMOR can't do anything either," Alan answered, shaking his head. "We just have to trust that Shinichi can fix this."
"Wait," Lina responded, puzzled. "I thought you said Shinichi was never born. How can he fix this if he doesn't exist?"
"Because Shinichi's time powers make him immune to any changes to his timeline and I believe that he'll be able to fix this," Alan said faithfully. "He's a Smith in an impossible situation and we take the word 'impossible' as a challenge."
Yuji was slightly sceptical but thinking back on their past adventures, they had all been through impossible situations but were able to come out on top. So, he had to trust that Shinichi could make it through this crisis.
"If Shinichi still exists, is it possible to contact him?" Yuji asked.
"You mean send a message through?" Alan pondered as he rubbed his chin then he snapped his fingers. "Yes, I think we can! We can't travel to his Earth but I think we can still establish contact! We just need to lock onto his unique temporal signature."
"You mean his energy signature, right?" Misato inquired.
"No, I mean his temporal signature. Since he is a fixed point, he radiates with potential time energy from the original timeline. My TARDIS should be able to lock onto him and then we can send a message," Alan explained. Going up to the central console, his fingers flew across the keyboard as he attempted to lock onto Shinichi's unique temporal signature. "Aha! I got it! Alright, let's send him a message."
A Dimensional Wall rose inside a fully furnished mountain cabin that was located far from the walled city. It rippled as Decade, Shinichi and the two other Riders ran out of it.
"Good, we managed to get away," Decade said as the Dimensional Wall collapsed. He pulled out his Kamen Ride card from his Decadriver, reverting into his civilian form in a scatter of pixels. "You OK, Shinichi?"
"Yeah," Shinichi answered. "Thanks for the save, Ranma." He looked at his fellow Rider. Ranma Saotome looked roughly the same as before but he was also older and still kept his hair in a short pigtail. He wore his signature red Chinese shirt with black slacks, brown shoes and now included a black jacket in his ensemble.
"Well ya know, we Riders gotta stick together," Ranma grinned.
"So, who are your friends?" Shinichi asked, referring to the other two Riders with them. Zi-O had his hands on his knees as the adrenaline left him, and Jura was sitting in a corner while silently looking at him.
"Hey there," Zi-O straightened up and gave a casual wave. "Ranma-sempai's told me a lot about you." He pulled his Ridewatch off his Ziku-Driver, causing his suit to glow and vanish. Zi-O's civilian guise was that of a teen who was of average height with medium length brown hair that was spiked in the back and sides, brown eyes and a bandaid under his left eye. The kid looked like he had a scrawny babyface, but his body said differently. He was lean yet had well-defined muscles. He was in a blue summer high school uniform with a yin-yang pin on his collar.
"Name's Kenichi Shirahama, otherwise known as Kamen Rider Zi-O, the Demon King of All Kamen Riders." He scratched the back of his head with a bashful smile. "Or so I've been told."
"'Demon King'?" Shinichi repeated curiously before looking back at Ranma. "Sounds just as bad as your title, Mister 'Destroyer of Worlds'."
"I could say the same thing about you, 'BLACK 13'," Ranma shrugged. He pointed to the Dino Rider sitting in the corner with his thumb. "Oh, and that's Jiro over there."
"Jiro?" Shinichi blinked. "Funny coincidence, I have a son named Shinjiro."
"Yeah... a coincidence," Ranma said softly as Jura slowly stood up. He reached into his belt buckle to pull out the red coin inside. His suit turned stone grey and blew away, revealing himself to Shinichi. Getting a good look at him, Shinichi's eyes slowly began to widen.
The young man standing before him resembled him. He had brown hair that was somewhat spiky with twin ahoge and blue eyes with the pupils narrowed like reptilian eyes. He was dressed in a blue vest that exposed his muscular figure with brown pants and hiking boots. He had a decorative headband on his head and a bracelet on his left wrist.
"Hi... Tou-san," the Dino Rider nodded, his voice gruff yet a little shy. "Glad I got to meet you... wish things were different."
"Shinjiro?" Shinichi asked. Could this really be his son, all grown up? Yes, he saw the resemblance. He smiled and then he went and hugged him. "Wow, you're so big now. What has Rena-chan been feeding you?"
"Mmm. She has. A lot," Shinjiro smiled warmly, returning the hug.
"How's your mother?" Shinichi asked as he stepped back with his hands on his son's shoulders.
"She's...fine," Shinjiro answered.
"I see," Shinichi nodded, smiling. "That's good. So, you're a Rider too, huh? Following in your dad's footsteps, I take it?"
"Yes," Shinjiro nodded.
"Hey, as much as I love seeing this family reunion, we have a lot to talk about," Ranma interrupted.
"You're right," Shinichi agreed. "Shinjiro, tell me your origin story later, OK?" He turned his attention to Ranma as he let Shinjiro go. "OK, I know Viviana took me to this parallel universe. Now that you're here, Ranma, you can send me back to mine."
"Shinichi," Ranma said seriously, a stern look on his face. "This isn't a parallel universe. This is your world."
"Wait, what?" Shinichi's eyes widened and he shook his head in denial. "No, no way! This can't be my world! You must be joking!"
"I'm not joking and this is your world," Ranma confirmed.
"So why is it like this then?" Shinichi demanded. "Why is everything so different?"
"Well, it's like this," Ranma started when all of a sudden, a flickering figure appeared before the four men. They were immediately on high alert, expecting this to be an attack of some kind.
"Shin...Shinichi...Can...hear me...?" the figure spoke but there was some static interference.
"Alan?" Shinichi asked, recognizing the voice. The flickering figure stabilized, becoming clearer before his eyes.
"Shinichi, can you hear me?" Alan Smith asked again as he stood in front of his brother.
"Alan, I'm so glad to see you!" Shinichi went to hug his brother but he passed through him like he was a ghost. "What?"
"Sorry, this is just a hologram. I'm transmitting from my TARDIS right now," Alan explained as his hologram flickered, momentarily becoming translucent. "I'm not getting any sound. Let me boost the signal." Shinichi watched as Alan pointed his Sonic Screwdriver at something and turned it on. "There, that should fix it."
"Alan, can you hear me now?" Shinichi asked as Alan's hologram returned to normal.
"Yeah, I can hear you," Alan nodded. "Good, it's working."
"Alan, something is wrong with my world," Shinichi started to explain. "Everything is futuristic, Hinamizawa has got a huge wall around it and-"
"Look, I know what's going on," Alan interrupted. "There's been an aberration in your timeline."
"An aberration?" Shinichi asked. "What do you mean?"
"I don't know how to tell you this…" Alan hesitated.
"Alan, please just tell me. What's going on?"
"It's your mom. She's…she's dead."
Suddenly, Alan's hologram flickered before vanishing completely.
Jade quickly sprayed the control console with a fire extinguisher. While Alan was sending the message, the console started to short out before it caught fire.
"You must've overheated it!" Jade yelled as she finished putting out the fire.
"Yeah, I think you might be right!" Alan agreed, waving away the smoke. He started to assess the damage to the central console. The central column had stopped glowing and when he opened the panel to check the console's insides, he recoiled from the heat. "Ow!"
"Alan!" Yami went to check on him as he held his hands, hissing in pain. She looked at them and saw he had burns on them. "Your hands..."
"I'm fine," Alan reassured her. "It just stings, that's all."
"But you're supposed to be invulnerable," Yami stated.
"Guess the timeline has started to catch up with me," Alan realised. He had gotten his powers from nanites that Hank Henshaw had tried to kill him with. Instead, they had rewritten his DNA, turning him into a pseudo-Kryptonian. Since the timeline of Earth-83 had changed, it never happened.
"We need to treat your hands, Daddy," Alice said.
"Get me my medkit," Alan pointed at said medkit which was mounted on the wall and Alice went to fetch it.
"Looks like you fried it," Yuji reported as he checked the damage to the console.
"Dammit!" Alan cursed as Jade wrapped gauze around his hands. "Sorry, sorry for cursing, everyone. I'm just a bit frustrated right now."
"Hey, it happens," Yuji shrugged. "Do you think he got the message?"
"Yeah," Alan confirmed.
"What did he say after you broke the news?" Jade asked.
"I don't know. The signal got cut off before that." Alan frowned.
"I doubt he's taking it well," Lina remarked.
Earth-83 (Altered Timeline)
Clearly, Shinichi was not taking the news well. He was left speechless and numb after Alan's transmission got cut. He just stared at the empty spot, his jaw hanging open as Alan's words echoed in his head.
"Uh...Shinichi?" Ranma asked carefully. "Are you OK?"
"No…no..." Shinichi shook his head in denial. He put his hands on his head, digging his fingers into his hair as he became hysterical while in the middle of a breakdown. "No, it's not true! It's not true! It's a lie! Kaa-chan can't be dead! She's not dead! SHE'S NOT DEAD!"
Shiori was Shinichi's most important link to his life before Gebok kidnapped him and turned him into a weapon. Why was she dead? Everything was just fine until…until…
"Eisenberg," Shinichi growled, his eyes narrowing with rage. She had done this. She had used her Return to the Past and gone back in time to murder his mother as payback for killing her parents. She was the cause of all of this and he was going to make her pay.
"Tou-san?" Shinjiro asked worriedly.
"Alright," Shinichi's expression darkened as he recovered from his breakdown. It was quite chilling. "If that's how you want to play it, Eisenberg, then game on."
"So this world went to hell because someone killed your mom?" Kenichi questioned in disbelief. "That... sucks."
"Yeah, it sucks," Shinichi agreed. "And I'm going to go back and save her, right after I make that bitch pay."
Suddenly, the cabin started to shake, with heavy rumbles instead of the small tremor from earlier. The boys struggled to keep their balance by holding onto something. Whatever wasn't stuck to the floor toppled over and a few items broke. After what seemed to be a very long time, the shaking stopped.
"That was worse than the tremor from before!" Shinichi exclaimed, standing back up.
"To be blunt, that's the reason why I'm here," Ranma began. "You know how you're a Singularity Point, right? That means you're always constant in the timeline. Any attempts to remove you would result in a massive catastrophe."
"Catastrophe?" Shinichi blinked. "You don't mean..."
"Yeah," Ranma nodded grimly, "By killing your mom and preventing your birth in the past, Viviana Eisenberg has destroyed this world and she doesn't even realize it. In the next 24 hours, this world will completely vanish up its own asshole."
"Great," Shinichi said sarcastically with a bitter grimace. 24 hours. They had less than 24 hours before the world was destroyed. Talk about a tight deadline. Absolutely no pressure. "Just what I need, more bad news."
The radio in the cabin suddenly came on with what sounded like an emergency message.
"Attention all resistance members! The NUMBERS have appeared at Outlaw Way! Repeat: the NUMBERS have appeared at Outlaw Way! All available hands, report!"
Shinichi gasped as he recognized the voice.
"Rena-chan?"
END OF ACT 6
Dr. KRC: The title of this chapter is a reference to the old Christmas film It's a Wonderful Life. In that movie, the protagonist is made to see what the world would be like if he was never born. And this chapter shows what Shinichi's world would be like if he was never born. However, some may argue that Hinamizawa would never have become a city even if Shinichi was never born. You will cite all the timelines that Rika experienced in the past. However, let me say that not every timeline was the same. There were differences. Also, it is possible that in those other timelines, Shinichi was born and made into a cyborg, except he never ended up in Hinamizawa in those timelines. Maybe he was still taken by GIN-SHOCKER in 1974 and made into a cyborg but since those were Bad End timelines, he never ended up in Hinamizawa in 1984. Also, let's argue the Butterfly Effect. I'll use FLASHPOINT as a reference, and I mean the DC comic book storyline which has The Flash/Barry Allen go back in time to save his mother's life. This ripples across the timeline. Martha Wayne becomes the Joker and Thomas Wayne becomes Batman after their son Bruce was killed in Crime Alley instead of them. Kal-El was captured by the US government as a baby. And also, Themyscira and Atlantis were at war. Just one key moment that seemed minor was changed and it rippled across the timeline with so many other lives changed in the process. This is the same thing. Shinichi not being born could result in everything that happened in this timeline.
So, Shinichi first believes Viviana's Return to the Past had accidentally sent him to the future. When he learns it's his time, he then assumes he's in a parallel universe. He soon realizes his timeline has been changed and was caused by his mother's death.
Another thing is that Viviana's "Zikan Nuken" uses the same naming theme for the weapons used by the other Ridewatch Riders. Nuken is the portmanteau of the words "Nuclear" and "Ken" which is Japanese for "sword".
I edited this chapter to make sure things line up better. The scenes with ARMOR, Alan and Yuji were part of an interlude, but they fit better here.
One last thing is using Ranma Saotome as Decade. This dates back to when I worked with Ten-Faced Paladin as he made a fic featuring Ranma as the infamous Destroyer of Worlds as he travels across the Multiverse and meets parallel versions of himself as the Heisei Riders.
A few interesting bits of trivia regarding the designations of each universe:
Earth-311 refers to the month and year of the final episode of Yugioh 5D's, March 2011.
Earth-13 refers to the creator of Warren Smith and his family, which includes Alan, Shadow Element 13.
Earth-83 refers to the year in which the original Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni series is set in, 1983.
Tailsmo4ever: This new timeline, I'm dubbing 'Altered 91', was mostly inspired by the Cyberpunk tabletop and video games. Everything involving High Tech and Low Life is shown in the chapter, from all the constant ads flying around, to the people Shinichi encounters here living in bad conditions despite all the futuristic technology. Even the line 'the sky that looked like it was tuned to a dead channel' was taken from the book Neuromancer which is a famous cyberpunk novel. I took a bit of humour involving the bum and the guy in the trenchcoat from a cartoon called Mission Hill. Also, adding into the low life aspect was the Enforcers' callousness to civilian lives as shown when they end up gunning down innocent people, which implies that it's an everyday occurrence. And of course, we see what happened to Shinichi's friends. Keiichi ends up becoming one of those Enforcers, Mion (and more than likely Shion) becomes a corrupt politician, Satoko is in a coma from ODing on a drug, and most disturbing of all, Satoshi is in a relationship with Miyo Takano of all people. So what happened to Rena, Rika, and Hanyuu? Let's hope all will be fixed soon.
Also, introducing Kenichi Shirahama from History's Greatest Disciple as Kamen Rider Zi-O. He'll get his own story... hopefully.