Familiar of Zero: Zero To Legend
Chapter 8: This Cinches It! Louise's Fiance?!
WARNING: I own none of these characters sides from my OC(s). All rights go to their respective owners and properties.
This is nothing more than, well a fanfic, a story made up by a fan for entertainment and knowledge.
Everything in this fic is not canon and is only meant to give the audience a new idea of the works of each of the franchises in this story.
So please support me, my work and have some fun. Now enjoy the story. ^w^
"You are as rowdy as ever." the princess complimented the pair as Cody, Louise, as well as Chemies currently out of their cards were surprised to see her and the Zi-O Chemy appear before them.
"P-Princess?!" Louise gasped, "Wh-What is the matter? You're here alone, and so late at night…"
"Zi-Zi-O?" the clock Chemy groaned, asking if he doesn't count as protection.
"I don't think she meant any offense to you, Zi-O." Cody reassured him.
"I have an urgent request to make of you two in secret." Princess Henrietta requested as the Zi-O Chemy leaped onto her shoulder. "I have decided to marry into a family in Germania."
"What?! Of all things, you're being married to a savage upstart noble?!" Louise questioned her childhood friend.
"It cannot be helped. To protect our small country of Tristain, we need a strong alliance with Germania." the princess was forced to admit.
"That's bullcrap! There has to be a better way to gain allies than having you marry someone you don't love!" Cody snarled, to the girls' surprise whilst frightening the Ghost Chemy, "Why the hell would your parents even go through with this decision! That just robs you of any choice!"
"Zi-O!/Bla!" the Zi-O and Blade Chemies agreed.
The Legend Chemy however fell silent, likely guessing that the queen's decision was likely not an easy one. Something that the OOO and Gaim Chemies understood as well, in spite of the latter having his own hang-ups on it.
"I appreciate the support from you, but as the princess of Tristain, I do not mind sacrificing myself for the sake of my country." the princess reassured the lot, "However… there is one thing that I must do before that."
"Princess! If there's anything that I can do, please tell me and I will do it!" the pink-haired mage pleaded with Princess Henrietta.
"Just say the word, and we'll do it in a heartbeat." Cody agreed.
"Thank you, Louise Francoise, Cody Aldrich." the princess thanked the duo, "I would like you to retrieve a certain item."
"What would that be?" Derflinger asked her.
Princess Henrietta looked towards the closed window with a small sense of longing, "It is a letter that I sent to the prince of Albion, Wales. If the world finds out about that letter, this engagement will be called off."
"I can only guess that Albion isn't exactly doing so hot, is it?" the young Rider guessed, crossing his arms and straightening up.
"Albion is currently politically unstable, and in a dangerous situation right now." the princess relayed to the group, "And I have heard of your encounter with the organization Hundread from your companions."
"Given that I heard the Albion nobles started a coup d'etat not long after Squid's arrival, there's a small chance that the insurrection in Albion could be tied with Hundread's arrival." Louise recalled.
"Which means that they already have a foothold in this world." Cody shivered in fear.
The princess lowered her head in shame, "I must apologize. I did not mean to ask you to perform such a task. I…"
"Zi-O." the Zi-O Chemy muttered, feeling sad for his friend as did the others.
"Please, you are the only ones I can ask such a request!" she pleaded.
Soon, Cody, Louise, and all of the Legend Rider Chemies and the Zi-O Chemy all bowed before the princess.
"Thank you so much, Princess." the pink-haired mage thanked her.
"Everyone…" Princess Henrietta muttered.
"To request me to perform such an important mission, I could not be happier." Louise declared with a content smile.
"You have our word princess, we will retrieve that letter." Cody affirmed, "You have my word as a Kamen Rider."
"Louise, Sir Cody…" the princess muttered in happiness.
However, the Gaim Chemy quickly heard the door open as he, the Zi-O Chemy, and the Kiva Chemy all glared at the opening.
"Ga-Gaim! Gaim!" the samurai Chemy shouted, demanding for the unknown party to show themselves.
When the door opened however, Guiche was standing before them all with a confident smirk. He then bowed before the princess.
"I apologize for appearing suddenly, but I had heard everything." the earthen mage explained, "However, where my lord goes, I will go." he stated as he looked towards the Legend Chemy.
Louise and Cody were slightly miffed at Guiche's sudden arrival, but given his devotion towards the lion Chemy, there was a chance that he would have come with them anyways.
"I see, you must be General Gramount's son." Princess Henrietta observed, "You will be of service to me as well?"
"Indeed. As my lord's vassal, I will join him on whatever mission he goes." Guiche affirmed.
"Well, knowing that you as well are on the task, puts me at even more ease." Henrietta sighed with relief.
XXX
(SONG: Do or Die - NANO - Shadowverse F)
/PRELUDE/
The opening starts by shattering the current scene before creating a vortex that sucks Cody and the various Legend Ride Chemy Cards into it, before spitting them out into Tristain as the logo appears.
/GAME OVER no tai murimittomade
hitotsu, futatsu, kizan de iru/
It then jumps to Cody riding the Legend Chemy through the academy, passing by Louise who joins him while on the back of the Wizard Chemy. It then switches to Guiche as he tries to woo over some girls, but is stopped by Montemercy and the Gaim Chemy end up putting pay to that plan by smacking him. Cody and Louise soon pass by Siesta who's playing with the Blade Chemy.
/hora, naanaa ni shi te i ta unmei no tefuda ga
one by one ubawa reru/
Cody and Louise get off their respective mounts, only for Cody to get glomped by both Kirche and the Kiva Chemy showering him with kisses. Louise gets jealous and quickly lets out an explosion that leaves Cody covered in soot.
/me no mae de muzan ni kudake chitsu te i tara ito/
It then shows a shot of Colbert and Osmond talking to the OOO and Ryuki Chemies that showcases the various blank Chemy Cards on the desk and how to create more.
/The cards are in your hands
so play them right/
It then shows Cody looking around as the various Legend Ride Chemy Cards encircle him, the Legend Chemy, and Louise.
/kokoro no sukima ni nijimi watatsu te iku sha dou
shimensoka nigedase nai oh - oh/
Next it jumps to Henrietta sitting with her mother and father at the throne, until the Zi-O Chemy leaps into the air and lands on the princess' lap.
/kachinokoru tame ni kurikaeshi kuyan de mo/
It then shows the various Malgams rising from the ground while the flag of Hundread appears, the shadows of Spirit, Squid, Hawk, and Lord looming in the background.
/tachiagaru do tsuyoku nare ba ii/
However the next shot then shows the Legend Rider Chemies appearing to stand their ground against Hundread alongside the other Familiars before Cody steps forward and pulls the levers of the LegenDriver.
/kuyashikerya DO OR DIE
in this game of life
kouryaku funou na jinsei no su tora te ji/
A bright flash soon briefly covers the screen as Legend charges into battle with Derflinger in hand, slashing at the Kuuga and Agito Malgams before firing several shots at the incoming Kiva, Gaim, and OOO Malgams.
/kowakerya SAY GOODBYE
to this fear inside
onore no shinjitsu dake wo tsuranui te/
Meanwhile, Louise is riding the Wizard Chemy and having the dragon Chemy fire off various elemental breaths before she uses her magic to quickly conjure up an Explosion spell to blow the Malgams away.
/Don't let nobody tell your story
kun ni shika katare nai beginning/
It then shows the Legend Chemy slowly getting up as a bright light shines while what looked to be the Legend Rider Chemies' creator was reaching out for him.
/Don't let nobody live your journey
kun nara tadori tsukeru ending/
When the Legend Chemy blinked, it instead sees Cody doing the same gesture with his friends and the other Legend Rider Chemies by his side. The Legend Chemy then smirks as it gets up before ending with a group shot of Cody holding Derflinger aloft, Louise, Legend Chemy, Wizard Chemy, Guiche, and the current Legend Rider Chemies the quintet have met until that point.
XXX
"Le? Legend, Legend?" The Legend Chemy asked Cody as they were walking through the school courtyard the next day.
"Well, I wanted to get a sense of what that 'Gandalfr' name really means, after hearing the Water Spirit and Derf call me that a couple of times." the young Rider admitted, "Hence why I asked Siesta about who's got a good handle on the history of this world."
"Leg, Legend?"
"She told me that the professor likely has the answers I need, plus it wouldn't hurt for you and the other Chemies to learn a bit more about how this world works." Cody pointed out.
They soon reached their destination, that being a small wooden cottage that said professor normally at.
"Ah, Cody. What brings you and your Chemy here?" Colbert smiled at the two.
"We kind of got some questions for you. If you don't mind, of course." the young Rider said.
After they walked in, Cody explained his reasoning as the professor began to work on a portion.
"Originally, there were five elements of magic, not just Water, Earth, Fire, and Air." he explained, "The five elements are said to have been the pinnacles of the pentagon."
"So when mages are saying they're 'Triangle' or 'Square' mages, that just shows how efficient they can be?" Cody asked as the professor nodded.
"Yes, and that lost apex is the element of the Void." Colbert said, "Gandalfr is the familiar of the legendary Void mage. Sadly, these days we haven't heard hide nor hair of another Void mage." The professor then pointed towards the runes on Cody's hand, "The run that appeared on your hand closely resembles that of Gandalfr. Perhaps it is by this rune that your Chemy ally was awakened."
"So… because I have this, people consider me this 'Gandalfr' person?" He questioned.
"Perhaps. But, as long as no Void mage exists, there's no guarantee that you are Gandalfr." Colbert sighed.
Cody hummed in thought as while he can't deny what the professor has said… the fact too many are calling him that, makes things more suspicious. At least for now, he has something to go on.
"I see… Thanks Professor." Cody smiled.
"Your welcome." He noted before Cody spotted the OOO Chemy sleeping on some books.
"Hehe, seems OOO has seen you as a good friend." Cody chuckled from the sight.
The professor nodded. "Indeed, he has certainly been a help with my classes. I've even jokingly called him Professor OOO."
"Even a labcoat?" Cody teased.
"Sadly no, he hates that since it messes with his wings." Colbert joked.
"Well, as long as he's happy? Then I'm content as well." Cody noted before smelling something off, "Yeesh, what the heck is that smell!" He yelped after holding his nose the strong scent.
"That's the blood of a dragon." Colbert explained, "In the past, two dragons never before seen appeared in the skies with a tremendous roar. One of them disappeared whilst the other fell somewhere."
'Looks more like motor oil to me.' Cody thought to himself
"I happened to come across blood that was said to have been shed from the second dragon at the that time." Colbert explained, "I tried cross-examining it with a blood sample from Wizard and found that this dragon's blood isn't like that of a Chemy or even a regular dragon."
"So we can rule out any other potential dragon-like Chemies being this second dragon." the young Rider guessed.
"But it just amuses me so much! This blood and the dragon!" Colbert smiled, "Makes me wonder if there's a body left of it?"
"Same. Still, it's crazy how many worlds are converging onto this one. There's the world of that Vietnam soldier, my world, the Chemies' world, and now this weird dragon's world too."
"It is hard to say as to why everything connects to our world? But one thing is clear… You are the center of that connection." Colbert pointed out, "But don't be afraid about it, it shows that you're more important that you believe to be."
"I guess so…" Cody chuckled before walking away.
As he did, the young Rider soon brought up a small list of Riders he knew, with each of them accompanied with a kiddy drawing of the Chemy they're based on and a check mark. The list itself started with Kuuga and ended in Geats, with a question mark on Gotchard's symbol.
"Yosh. Is this right, Legend?" He asked, showing the list to the Chemy.
"Le?" The lion Chemy looked over it and shook his head, "Legend. Legend, Le."
"Haa? What do you mean that's only half?!" Cody gawked.
"Legend, Le-Legend." The Legend Chemy explained as he named the other Chemies.
"So… even the Showa Riders, the Secondaries and Dark Riders have their own Chemies." Cody gawked with shock.
"Legend." He confirmed.
"Wow, that's a lot. Who even created them? They must have been a genius to make that many." The young Rider said with wonder in his voice.
"Le…gend…" The Chemy lowered its head sadly, unable to truly remember their creator just yet, but pieces are forming together.
"Oh… I'm sorry. I was a bit insensitive there, was I?" Cody quickly apologized.
"Legend… Leg, Legend." The Chemy waved off, trying to smile and show that his partner was okay.
XXX
The next day, Cody, Louise, and Guiche had to leave bright and early to get ready for the escort that they recalled Henrietta telling them about before she and the Zi-O Chemy left. Cody then noticed something on his master's ring finger, "Say, what's that?"
"Oh, this? This is one of the rings that Henrietta and Prince Wales has, the Ruby of Water. It's something that bonds them eternally… If we are to prove to him that we're here on a mission to save him? We need it, otherwise he may just think we're spies, ready to kill him." Louise informed.
"Fair enough." the young Rider shrugged off, "So, who do you think will be joining us?" Cody asked as he made sure that the Legend Chemy wasn't overloaded with his supplies.
As he said that, the trio heard something dig up from the ground. It was Guiche's mole familiar.
"What are you doing here?" the earthen mage asked his familiar, nuzzling it a bit.
"Mogu… Momogu…" The mole simply made noise, it's eyes glimmering with the same delight as the mage, before it sniffed the air and turned to both the lion Chemy and the gem-dragon Chemy.
The Legend Chemy snarled, he nearly ended up as that mole's snack one time, as did the Wizard Chemy.
"Wiz!" The gem-dragon Chemy shivered, hiding behind Louise so that the mole wouldn't try to eat it.
However, that was in vain as the mole familiar pounced upon the pink-haired mage, trying to eat the ring on her finger.
"Of all the times Berdande's love of gems acts up, it has to be today?" Guiche sighed
"Darling~! Wait for us!" The familiar voice of Kirche sounded off as the young mage and Tabitha were heading towards the group. The busty fire mage then tackled Cody to the ground and hugged him tight, "You are not going without us!"
"Zebrest! Why must you come at the worst times!?" Louise growled as she held onto the Wizard Chemy.
"Not again…" Cody lamented, 'Did another person listen in on us two nights ago?'
"S-Sorry… they forced me to talk…" Guiche apologized.
"Great…" Cody groaned, "Can anything else go wrong?"
Soon a screech of what sounded like a bird was heard as the group suddenly felt a large blast of air knock back both the mole familiar and the gem-dragon Chemy. When they looked up to see what looked to be a Griffon beginning to descend and land, making everyone stop for a moment.
As the avian beast landed, hopping off of it was what looked to be a man in his mid to late 30's with silver white fox hair, beard and had an aura of a true warrior as he lifted up his hat and smiled.
"Louise, it's good to see you again." The man called out to her.
"W-Wardes! What are you doing here?" Louise gasped.
"I noticed that several beasts were near you and I had to act." the griffon rider answered with a bow.
"Wiz?!" The Wizard Chemy felt offended as it flew up and glared at the new person, "Wizard, Wiz!" he roared back.
That was when the griffon Rider, Wardes, noticed the Legend Chemy and prepared to strike.
"I see that there's another one." he noted, only to stop when Cody pointed his Legend Ride Magnum straight at him.
"Hurt my friends again, and I'm popping one right between your eyes." the young Rider snarled.
"W-Wait! Both of you stop!" Louise pleaded, getting in front of them both. "Wardes! These aren't simple 'beasts'! They're Chemies! Friends!"
"Friends? These creatures?" the griffon rider scoffed whilst looking at the Wizard Chemy and the Legend Chemy, "They don't seem to be as intelligent as regular familiars."
"Okay, who do you think you are to start bad-mouthing Legend and the others?" Cody snarled.
"My name is Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes, leader of the griffon squad. I was ordered by Lady Henrietta to accompany you all on this trip." Wardes explained whilst Kirche was swooning over the griffon Rider. But he ignored her before picking up Louise into his arms, "I am sorry to surprise you, Louise. I had thought that my fiancee was in trouble"
"F-Fiance?!" Cody shouted before Guiche suddenly noticed Cody quickly glare at the griffon rider less like a jealous suitor… and more like an extremely disapproving older brother.
"Indeed, she is. Though, as a commoner, I figured you wouldn't understand the intriguing nature of us nobles." Wardes informed with a smirk.
"Louise… that wench!" Kirche growled.
XXX
Soon, everyone began to make the journey to the port as Tabitha had her dragon carry Kirche and herself, Guiche rode his horse with his mole by their side, and Wardes insisting that Louise rides with him, leaving Cody to ride on the Legend Chemy.
"Wizard…." The Wizard Chemy in card form glared at Wardes as Louise was in his arms while the pair were on the griffon.
"To think, the top of the elite, the leader of the griffon squad, is going to guard us personally?" Guiche said with pride, "I can't feel anything but impressed by all this!"
"Legend…" the Legend Chemy pointed out to the earthen mage how Wardes also callously attacked the Wizard Chemy.
"Well me and my partners all don't trust this guy… To hell with customs, Louise isn't ready for marriage just yet." Cody noted.
"I was very surprised." Louise noted, "I had not heard that you would be coming here, Lord Wardes." Louise pointed out.
"I requested this be a surprise, as the rest of the griffon squad was not let in on this mission. After all, how could I let my fiancee enter in such a dangerous circumstance such as war?" Wardes said with a slight smile.
"You asked so personally?" the pink-haired mage asked.
"That I did, especially when word about those beasts reached me. I made sure that this time, I won't let you out of my sight…" Wardes said soothingly, almost ready to pull the pinkette into a kiss.
"Hey, the Chemies aren't monsters you know." Cody snarled, catching the griffon rider off-guard.
"Commoner, while I understand that you are Louise's familiar. It would be best for you not to meddle in any more noble affairs."
"Hey, I ain't your errand boy, buddy! I can handle myself in a fight too!" Cody growled.
"You may be able to swing a sword, boy. But a warrior you are not." Wardes waved off.
"I can also shoot a gun too…" the young Rider grumbled under his breath, something the griffon Rider scoffed at.
"As can those 'Musketeers' that are around the Princess. You're nothing special, boy. Just a servant who should stay where he belongs..." Wardes mocked.
"Legend…" the Legend Chemy growled, not liking how Cody was being disrespected.
"Wardes… I want you to apologize to my familiar. Now." Louise demanded as she was frowning at the griffon rider.
"Right. My mistakes, young one." Wardes said, though Cody could tell there was no sincerity in that apology.
"Oi! I can see the town before us!" Kirche called out from the sky, bringing everyone's attention towards the large port town before them.
"It seems that we have arrived to the port village, La Rochelle." Guiche observed.
"Wait, how is this place a port town?" Cody asked, "I don't see any water here."
"That's because to get to Albion, we need to take an airship to reach it." Wardes explained, "Hence why we needed to reach this town."
Everyone soon walked into La Rochelle as the people stared at not only the griffon, but also the large blue dragon familiar Syphid and the lion Chemy as well. They were surprised that the former was here, but were mesmerized by the appearance of the latter. The Legend Chemy did enjoy the company, but his instincts told him to keep his guard up around Wardes.
"You know, it's said that all of the buildings here are carved out of one boulder." Guiche explained to Cody and the Legend Chemy, "You can thank the Square-class earth mages for crafting these works of art."
"Huh.. kinda like The Olmec from home." Cody noted with surprise that this world had too many similarities.
The group stopped at an inn as Cody quickly stored the Legend Chemy back into his card while Wardes gently let the pink-haired mage down.
"Alright, we will stay here for the night, but leave by morning. So do not stay up too late." Wardes ordered the others.
"U-Understood, Mr. Wardes!" Guiche yelped.
"Ugh.. whatever…" Cody rolled his eyes, annoyed by the griffon rider.
Louise looked concerned about the young Rider, as was Kirche.
"Cody, at least answer him. Don't you think it's rude?" she pleaded with him.
"It is fine, Louise. I don't like to act like nobility." the griffon Rider reassured her before entering the hotel to book their rooms in.
"Yet you keep calling me as a 'commoner' sounds to me, you're more drenched in nobility than that fake bread of yours." Cody crossed his arms.
"Listen." Louise said as the pink-haired mage stepped forward, "My parents decided on this betrothal thing." she explained.
"Louise, I get that. But this guy is nearing his 40's! This can't be something you want! You should find your own love without the need of arranging such a thing to you without your consent."
"That is true, but I have looked up to him from when I was little!" the pink-haired mage explained, "He had lost his parents early on, and went through many hardships to become leader of the Magic Guard!"
"I guess…" he noted, but Louise knew that Cody was mostly concerned for her safety. "I'll try to work together… but I don't trust him. Call it a gut feeling, but he doesn't feel genuine… not even with this 'arranged marriage' you two have… So please, be careful."
Louise nodded with a smile before she gave him a reassuring hug as she retreated back to her room to relax for the night.
As he laid in his bed however, there was a pit in his stomach that formed from what Wardes had said.
"You're nothing special, boy. Just a servant who should stay where he belongs…"
'Anyone who talks like that, has no real interest to change… I've seen it before too well.' Cody pondered in thought, 'Yet I feel there's much worse things to come… so why am I having this bad feeling now?'
He then looked towards the LegenDriver in his hands. Naturally he was getting better as a fighter, but it was through his bonds with the Legend Rider Chemies, Derflinger, and even the other mages that he's gotten this far.
And yet, why did that make him feel weak?
"I can feel it from here, partner. What's gotten you in a fumble?" Derflinger asked.
"Oh, Derf. Didn't notice you there." Cody yelped.
"I go where you go, partner. So, whats on your mind?"
"I don't know…" the young Rider admitted, "What if Wardes is right? I mean, for the most part, all of my victories have come from using Legend's power. Not to mention that I don't really have any power of my own. Hell, I'm still wrestling with what that fake Olteca said. That I'm potentially just another Kaguya, whoever that may be. What do I have that's unique to me."
"Bah, he doesn't know anything! As Gandalfr, I know you the best. And trust me, your power is your own. You just don't realize it yet." Derflinger scoffed, "I'm sure that big cat and the others would vouch for you too."
Cody heard the praises and more from the Chemies in their cards, as he smiled softly from this praise.
"You truly believe that all that I've been doing has been my own power?" He asked the sword, wondering if he had a point.
"Kid, the whole reason why we're all here is because of you." Derflinger affirmed.
That was when the Legend Chemy placed a paw to his heart, "Legend Le, Le-Legend."
Cody smirked, "Yeah, you're right. You teach me, and I teach you." He repeated before sharing a fist bump with the lion Chemy.
"Also, perhaps the reason why you're feeling so uneasy is more to do with you not accepting Wardes as Louise's fiancee." Derflinger chuckled, "What a jealous older brother, you're turning into."
"I mean, I have experience with this kind of thing." Cody admitted with a weary chuckle.
XXX
As Louise sat in her room, she stared up at the night sky through her balcony, just looking at the moons and the starry night sky. She then looked towards the ring around her finger, the one Henrietta had entrusted her with.
"Louise, may I enter?" Wardes called from the other side of the door.
"Y-Yes, come in." The pink-haired mage said.
The older mage soon walked in with a bottle of wine and glasses, as he took his seat and poured some for the pair. "It has been so long since we last were together, no? You have grown so much." Wardes praised her.
She blushed as she recalled that day she met the griffon rider. Louise had run off after she was compared to her sisters and went into a boat to have some alone time. It was then that Wardes appeared and comforted her as well as talk some sense into her father.
"While I may not approve of your familiar, I have heard of his exploits with those Chemy creatures." Wardes recalled, "After all, it's hard to not hear about a man in golden armor being able to effortlessly be able to save the school and a weapons shop from monsters, stop three different nobles abusing their statuses, and even best a legendary general."
"He can be amazing at times…" Louise smiled softly with a nod as Wardes handed her the wine glass.
"That being said, he seems to be dependent on them more so than his own strength." The griffon knight observed, "Still, there's another thing I wish to discuss with you." He said as he remembered what he was about to tell her.
"Hm? Discuss with me, what?" Louise asked, turning her attention to him.
"After this mission… I would like for us to be wed." Wardes stated. All of a sudden, the pink-haired mage began to stammer on her words.
"S-So soon?! I-I haven't even graduated Tristan!" Louise blushed.
"This may be sudden of me to ask, but I believe that if not now, then there might not be another chance." The griffon rider stated.
"What do you mean?"
"It's a surprise." He stated with a smirk.
Unbeknownst to them, the Ghost Chemy had accidentally stumbled upon their conversation.
"Go…" she muttered in fear.
XXX
"Ghost! Go Go! Gho-Ghost!" Cody soon woke up to see a panicking Ghost Chemy telling the other Chemies of what she had seen.
"Nngh…? Ghost, relax…" Cody grumbled as he slowly got up rubbing his eyes, "Speak slower…"
"Ghost…" the spirit Chemy calmed down before explaining what she found out the other night, as she couldn't sleep and wanted to wander around the hotel before floating in on Louise and Wardes' conversation.
To say that Cody was angry upon hearing what the Ghost Chemy had overheard was an understatement. He was completely livid.
"A late night talk? I swear, if he's trying to butter her up for 'bed', I'm gonna blast his balls off!" Cody growled while holding the Legend Ride Magnum aloft.
"Gho! G-Gho.. Ghost!" The spirit Chemy stated, telling him about the idea of being wed after this mission is done.
XXX
Wardes, Louise, Guiche, Kirche, and Tabitha were waiting for Cody to walk down as he was a bit late when…
*BANG!*
The mage barely dodged a blast from an irate Cody's magnum, a look of murder in his eyes.
"Cody! Just what are you doing?!" Louise snapped, shocked he would fire at Wardes.
"Simple, I'm stopping him from pushing you into something you're not ready for, Louise." Cody stated as he walked up to the griffon Rider. "I challenge you to a duel… If I win? You will not marry Louise, understand?"
"Cody!"
"So… you heard, huh?" Wardes shook his head. "Didn't expect you to be a stalker."
"Brother…" Cody corrected, "And you're not going to take the future Louise needs. So, do you accept?"
"Hmph… fine… But if I win?" He said, only to then point to the belt that was already attached to the Rider, "You will give me that, and serve as Louise's servant for the rest of your life."
"Wardes!" Louise gawked at the fact he was agreeing to this.
"It's clear to me that this boy is much more brash than I was told. There is no chance that he is the one they call Kamen Rider." Warde stated.
"Took you this long to figure that out? Seems you're the one with no brain to speak of." Cody snickered.
"Oh, I've known about your battles from the crown. However they seem to have overestimated your true character." The griffon rider stated.
"True character? Buddy, you've been acting sketchy since you showed up!" The young Rider snapped back.
"I am who I am… Jean-Jacques Francis de Wardes!" He proclaimed, drawing out what looked to be like a rapier, but it seemed more resembling a toy sword than a real one, pointing it at Cody for his change.
The two then stepped into a secluded part of the town to perform the duel, with Louise, Guiche, Kirche, and Tabitha all watching on with bated breath.
"You two, stop this foolishness!" Louise pleaded with the pair.
Wardes scoffed at this, "Nobles are troublesome folk. When someone questions if you are strong or not, it will get on your mind and force you to move."
"Cody, you don't have to do this!" The pink-haired mage shouted to the young Rider.
"I do. I don't trust anything he's saying to you Louise, and to start proving that to you? He'll be defeated by me and my friends!" He said holding up the Legend Ride Chemy Card.
"Henshin!"
CHEMYRIDE: L-L-L-LEGEND!
After donning his armor, Legend drew out Derflinger, "I'll come at you at full force. Right?
"Indeed. There's no need to hold back." the griffon Rider stated, "Come at me with your full strength."
Wardes then smirked as he saw the runes glow on the golden Rider's palm before he effortlessly dodged several slashes from Legend. When he tried to perform a forward strike, Legend parried it with a slash of his own.
"I see, you're quite adaptive." he observed.
However, as the golden Rider quickly dashed forward to land a good slash, Wardes immediately blocked it.
"However, you are still quite the novice with many openings!" he chuckled.
"Good thing I don't just have one weapon." Legend noted as he fired off several shots at Wardes, forcing him to use his wind magic to launch the golden Rider away.
"As do I, commoner." Wardes grinned. "Del Wil Sol La Winde."
"Look out, partner!" Derflinger called out.
However, Cody was too late as before he could react, the griffon Rider let out a burst of wind that launched him straight into several barrels. Luckily, the golden Rider was not harmed as the pair clashed blades.
"Had you not been armored, you would have lost that battle." he noted.
"Jealous?" Legend smirked.
"Why should I, when my skill can outclass your arsenal!" the griffon Rider declared before kicking the boy away and sending out a continuous blast of lightning magic and wind magic that quickly pinned the golden Rider to the ground. "For all the talk of you and your friends, you sure are defenseless without them." the griffon Rider stated as he casually walked towards Legend and ripped the central unit off of the LegenDriver, canceling out his transformation. The spell then dispersed once Wardes got what he wanted.
"Hey! Give that back!" Cody stated, reaching out only to be smacked down by him.
"You can't win against a real mage with your skills." Wardes stated as he pocketed the central unit away, "In order words, you cannot protect Louise."
He then walked away, satisfied with his victory and his prize
"We're not done yet!" Cody declared, standing back up with weapons in hand.
"I'll be keeping these. After all, you are no hero. You're just a boy playing pretend." the griffon Rider stated as he removed the Legend Ride Chemy Card from the central unit and tossed it back at Cody.
XXX
Later that afternoon, Cody was left distraught as he looked at the LegenDriver, or rather just the belt and the valves.
"Bastard… He cheated…" Cody grumbled.
"Cody…"
The young Rider looked up to find Louise, the Wizard Chemy, the Legend Chemy, as well as Kirche and Tabitha standing before him.
"So you were here?" the pink-haired mage asked.
"It doesn't matter where I am." the young Rider muttered.
"Cody… I-"
"Look… I lost Louise…" Cody admitted, "I can't fight with the others now, not without that Driver…"
"Darling…" Kirche muttered.
"To be honest, the moment I could change? I had my secret dream finally happen…" Cody admitted, "Finally I wasn't just being a Kamen Rider… but a hero too. But I lost it now… and I can't go back home either. I'm just stuck here, as useless as I've always been."
"In any case, as long as you're here in Harkeginia, you're my familiar!" Louise affirmed.
"But I can't do anything else now! I can't fight, I can't stop Hundread nor continue with this mission! I… I'm just going to go back to Tristan…" Cody turned away, "Besides, you have Wardes and Wizard to protect you."
He then removed the card holder alongside the Legend Riser and gave it to the pink-haired mage.
"They can at least do what I can't…" he admitted before he walked away, leaving the girls as well as the Chemies and Sylphid.
However, as he neared the hotel, the young Rider ended up running into Guiche.
"Thank goodness I found you! We're almost ready to depart!" the earthen mage stated.
"Oh, is that so…" Cody sighed.
"Of course! Now let's go, we need to-"
"You… I've found you…" an ominous voice snarled.
Just then, the pair looked back and saw a Malgam with two comically large USB sticks, one green and one purple, strapped to his arms whilst two hands made up it's 'face'. There was also some strange stained glass belt on it's waist.
"A Malgam?!" Cody gasped, briefly snapping out of his stupor.
"You're going to pay for what you did to me!" The Malgam snapped, sending a gust of wind to Cody, throwing him to the side.
XXX
"Wait, where's Cody and Guiche?" Louise asked.
"Yeah, they said they were going back now." Wardes said casually.
"After what happened, I wouldn't blame him." Tabitha observed.
"Could… he truly have gone back home?" Louise frowned.
Kirche, for once, shook her head as the fire mage did not believe it one bit.
"Tabitha and I will go find him." she said.
"Wi!" the Wizard Chemy volunteered as well.
"Actually… I think what's happening would be best…" Wardes noted as he looked at the central unit of the LegenDriver.
Louise couldn't help but look towards the card holder now around her wrist, and of the Legend Rider Chemies she now had access to.
"It's alright. If the girls can find those two, then we'll see them at the rendezvous point." the griffon rider stated, "For now, we don't have much time left to depart."
With that, the fire and wind mages got onto Sylphid and flew back to find Cody and Guiche whilst Wardes. The Wizard Chemy, and Louise continued on their journey. Though as they departed, Wardes had a devious grin, as it seemed…. His plan worked perfectly.
XXX
"Grk! I'm sorry to say this, but I don't even know who the hell you are!" Cody shouted after blocking a jet of purple flames from the W Malgam.
"Che, of course you'd forget! How about I show you?" The W Malgam said only for a golem to begin forming underneath the kaijin.
"W-Wait a minute, Fonquet?!" he gasped.
"Correct! And now, I get to have my revenge on you for putting me away." The revealed Malgam grinned as she sent a blast of wind once more to the young man, "After that, I'll kill that miserable clock!"
"Tsk, still holding a grudge on Zi-O for seeing your plan coming huh?" Derflinger chuckled.
Guiche quickly pulled his weight as he used his magic to try and wrestle control of the golem away from the W Malgam.
"Lousy brat, if you think you can handle me? You got another thing coming!"
"No, I'm just trying to distract you." Guiche chuckled, "Now, Cody!"
The W Malgam looked behind herself and quickly blocked an incoming downward slash from the young Rider. She was barely able to stay on the shaking golem, but she was able to launch Cody away with her wind.
'Grr… that's twice that's happened today!' he thought as he got back up.
"If you think I'll let you defeat me now? Then you're dumber than that prince!"
This was what got Cody to perk up, "Wait, prince?" he asked before dodging an incoming strike from the W Malgam's golem, "What the heck are you talking about?"
"Heh… sorry but, you won't get more info from me… Now die!" she shouted.
As the golem was about to squish the boy, all of a sudden a blast of wind and fire hit the construct and stagged it back.
"What the?!" the W Malgam gasped.
From the air, Tabitha and Kirche, riding on the former's dragon, caught the attention of the W Malgam as the pair attacked it once more.
"Thank the Founder, we found you two!" Kirche shouted after getting off the dragon to hug Cody.
"Grr! Damn you!" she snarled.
Cody then looked towards the W Malgam that was currently fighting Sylphid and then to the remaining part of his LegenDriver. He needed to transform, but there was nothing he had that could be used to hurt her.
Unless…
The young Rider dug into his pockets and took out the Kuwagata Ohger and Spider Kumonos Ride Chemy Cards. At first, he was thinking of using them in Derflinger, but then his mind wandered to the Legend Rider Magnum.
'I wonder… could they work too?' He pondered in thought before looking to Kirche.
"Kirche, I need you, Tabitha and Guiche to keep that guy busy. I have an idea." He told the fire mage.
Luckily, she didn't think twice as the golem reared it's fist back for another strike. All three mages stood together and fired off a mixture of their respective spells to keep the golem back while Cody inserted the two cards into the magnum.
KUWAGATA OHGER! SPIDER KUMONOS!
After raising his blaster into the air, he quickly shouted…
"Oh-gai Busou!"
Upon pulling the trigger, instead of the usual tune, something else played.
YOU~ ARE THE KING~! YOU~ ARE~ THE~! YOU~! ARE~ KI~NG~!
Soon two images of a golden chrysalis formed before shattering away, revealing two knight-like warriors. One was red with a mantle on its left shoulder and had a stag beetle theme, while the other was white with a spider motif. Both of them holding different swords in their hands.
KUWAGATA OH~GER!
SPIDER KUMONOS~!
"No way…" Cody muttered whilst the others were in shock. "Wait, you two were in those cards the whole time?!"
"Hm?" the two kings turned before looking at the Rider.
"Otto… Seems like we got caught up in some new event, Gira." The spider king noted.
"Guess so. This doesn't look like Chikyuu or Earth though." the beetle warrior observed.
"You're… in well… another world… And I summoned you because I need your help." Cody requested.
"Huh, looks like it." Gira observed.
"Tsk, what beasts did you summon this time?" the W Malgam questioned the young Rider.
"YAH! HAHAHAHA!" The red beetle warrior cried out in a hearty laugh, "Weakling! Prepare to face me!"
THE EVIL KING! GIRA
THE RIFT KING! JERAMY BRASSIERE
"For together, we are…" The two soon performed a duo pose as two astral images of a red stag beetle mecha and a white spider mecha appeared behind them.
OH-SAMA SENTAI KING-OHGER!
With a pose, the two kings jumped into the frey, with Gira attacking the Malgam and Jeramy attacking the Golem, both swiftly pushing the two enemies away from the city and into the desert nearby. The kings were then joined by the blue dragon who began firing blasts from her mouth at the golem whilst Gira, Jeramy, and Cody clashed weapons with the W Malgam.
"Guiche, catch!" the young Rider called out as he tossed the Legend Rider Malgam to the earthen mage.
"Thank you!" he affirmed before all four quickly began rushing in.
Gira and Cody began slashing wildly at the W Malgam, alternating sword swings to keep their opponent distracted. The pair then jumped out of the way while Jeramy and Guiche took aim right for the monster. They then fired on them with a blast of purple and gold.
G-G-G-GORGEOUS BLAST!
HYDRO VENOM!
'How?! How is he beating me again?! I was supposed to win this time! He promised me!' The W Malgam gawked, shocked that she was being pushed back once more by this brat.
"Let's finish this!" Cody called out to the others.
With a nod, the blades of the kings and the young rider glowed before they joined their blades into a large slash, as it flew out and slashed into the W Malgam as it erupted into an explosion from the hit.
OH~GER~ FINISH!
KING-OHGER LEGEND STRASH!
The force of the attack was more than enough to distract the golem, allowing Kirche, Tabitha, and Syphid to unleash a combined triple blast that blew a hole in the stone construct's body and crumble to the ground. After everyone landed, the group saw two USB sticks, one green with a C on it alongside one hand, a scarf, and a book, alongside a purple USB stick with a fedora, one hand, and a J on it fly out of the dust cloud and land safely.
"Cyclone!"
"Joker!"
The two USB's looked at one another before turning to each other, giving a nod before they stood side by side as they posed into it.
"W!"
"Huh, so you're not just one Chemy but two." Cody observed, kneeling down to the W Chemies' height.
"Cyclone!/Joker!" The two nodded, knowing that when they truly speak its as a unison.
He then turned towards Gira and Jeramy, "Thanks for the help, guys. You really saved us back there."
"We simply answered your call for help. What you do next, is all up to you, Shonen." Jeramy softly bowed his head.
"Just remember! Don't be such a weakling!" Gira stated, poking at Cody's head, "Your heart should always lead you to the truth. But if it ever falters, just know that I, the Evil King, will smash it! YAHAHAHAHA!"
With the bellowing laugh the two faded into motes of light, leaving the Rider and his friends be, knowing that should he need it, they can be brought back to help. He then smiled as he sealed the W Chemies away into their card.
"Gotcha!" Cody cheered before he began to speculate, "So, what did Fonquet mean by the prince? Did she try to kill Prince Wales?"
"Well, with her here? We might as well see to it." Guiche said as he turned to see his own Bronze Valkyries walking over with the defeated Fonquet in their grasp. "Speak, villain. What did you mean by your words?"
"Fu fu fu. I would, but in that time, your little mission likely would have failed by now." She chuckled.
Cody glaring as he marched forward, pressing the barrel of his gun to her forehead, surprising the others.
"Talk, now… Or this will be the last you see of the sun…" The young Rider threatened, glaring heavily at the mage.
The thief looked away in shame, "Fine, I'll talk…" she was forced to admit.
"Good… Now. What were you planning here? And what do you mean by our mission?"
"Che…" Fonquet scoffed, "I was ordered to keep you busy. Using that 'Chemy' as bait to lure you and your friends away."
"By who?!"
Fonquet simply turned, giving a smirk as she remained silent. Not for fear or simply to be silenced by the young Rider… but for him to figure it out. Cody pondered for a moment, trying to think through as to who… only for him to snap his head up in realization.
"No… it couldn't be…" he muttered.
Sure enough, a gray blur came by as the Zi-O Chemy zipped by, likely accelerating himself via his time abilities.
"Zi… Zi… Zi…" the clock Chemy sighed.
Cody, as was Guiche, Kirche, and Tabitha were confused by the clock Chemy's sudden arrival. "Zi-O? What are you doing here?" The young Rider asked.
"Zi-Zi-O!" The Zi-O Chemy shouted now that he caught his breath.
After giving a quick explanation, Cody turned towards Tabitha, "How fast can your dragon fly?"
"Very fast… The fastest dragon ever."
"Well I think our new friends are gonna give us a bit of a boost." Cody noted as he looked towards the W Chemies.
"W?"
"Cyclone, can you create a jetstream for Tabitha's familiar to fly through.
"Cy~!" The Green USB nodded.
"Alright, I'm counting on you." The young Rider said before the green USB Chemy popped out of the card.
"Wait! Did you figure out what's going on?" Kirche asked.
"I'll tell you all as we fly. For now, we can't waste anymore time." Cody said as he was ready to hop onto the dragon.
"Let me and Zi-O stay behind. We'll make sure that this one doesn't sneak out again." Guiche said before smiling, "Besides, this way I can also get in touch with the Princess about our situation."
"Zi-O!" The clock Chemy affirmed as he then froze Fonquet in time once again.
"Guiche, Zi-O…" Cody got out before nodding, as he handed him the Legend Ride Magnum to him, "Just in case she does break out of Zi-O's time powers. This and the King-Ohger cards will be with you."
"Many thanks, Sir Cody."
After the three mounted on Slyphid, the dragon familiar flew up while the Cyclone Chemy let loose a powerful blast of wind that quickly propelled the dragon like a rocket.
"Hold on to your butts!" The young Rider yelped whilst everyone, the Cyclone Chemy included, held onto Sylphid's back for dear life.
The mission was now heading towards a conclusion, whatever may occur… our young heroes must prevail.
XXX
A/N:
HackerEX: Welp, shit just got real
Striberx: We not only have a goal to rush to, but we got to see the King-Ohgers in the flesh! Well, just Gira and Jeramy, but still better than nothing. We both agreed that this would be a good idea to do, since they technically have no "Chemy" forms, thus them summoning either the ranger or the mecha would be better to see.
HackerEX: Also to clarify, yes the central part of the LegenDriver can be removed. That's how we see it show up when Kaguya uses the central unit to create a barrier to protect himself and Hotaro. But yeah, it's bad enough that Wardes beat Cody, but now he potentially has access to Legend's power. Will he be able to use it? Well… spoilers for next chapter, but fuck no.
Striberx: Mhm, of course we'll show the reason why next chap. But suffice to say, Wardes will be agasp for not being able to use such power.
HackerEX: Especially as he didn't take all of the LegenDriver with him. Remember Cody still has the belt part of the device. But enough of that, this A/N is mostly going to be short for spoiler reasons so catch you guys on the flip side.
Striberx: Mhm, so until then later minna!
