Song: Dies irae - Animation OST: Amantes amantes
PART 1
Jouji Minami had been debating mentally to himself right now.
Should he step inside or not?
Since finding out about... about what the future had in store for him, he felt sick to his stomach. It was rather hard to see it. He could not see himself becoming... that. Ohma Zi-O. Some kind of tyrannical evil overlord that brought the entire multiverse to its knees. A self-proclaimed savior who stabilized reality and brought all worlds to his heel. He... He seems like an entirely different person to Jouji.
He could not relate to his present self with that monstrous figure. Some part of him just could not accept the fact that he would turn into that. And the question was resounding. How? Why? What happened that led to that outcome? How can he do all of that when he doesn't even have any powers?
...
...
...
That was not true. His mind flashes back to a time before all of this. When he was about ten years old, he had an accident that involved him getting run over by a car when he wasn't looking.
"Jouji!"
He remembered hurting a lot. But it was quick. The next thing he knew, he was in the hospital, waking up to find himself... not being as grievously injured and in pain as he thought he was. When tried to inquire what had happened, the doctor said that the young man had been in a coma for a week. In that time, he somehow slowly healed from his bloody injuries, but he had still been unconscious until now.
What happened when he woke up was... well, his mother hugging him and crying. His father cried too, but it was more solemn and glad that he was alright. His cousin, Kei Akizuki, was also there, crying and hugging him. There were other people there too who were worried for him.
That moment in his life eventually made him form this resolve. That he would never make his loved ones cry for him like this again. And the revelation that he would become Ohma Zi-O would make him turn sour.
What was the point of becoming the best that one could be? I got good grades in school, trained my butt off with Uncle Joe and the others in my past time, and tried to think about what I would do in the future, and how could that help the people I love? What the hell was the point of all of that... when I'd just become an evil overlord? ...Actually, what had been the point of me thinking about what I would do in the future?
His memories flashed back to his recent conversation with his father, about his fears of actually being this George Kurai from the magical girl season that he had been watching ever since he was young. Never would he have imagined that he would turn into an even worse monster than that person. This feels like a cruel cosmic joke had been pulled out from under him.
It just... He was angry... at himself... maybe at everything else... He didn't know...
He was a teenager. He was a kid. He's not some main character in some isekai light novel. He's not some guy who just goes "I'm gonna be king! Sweet!" and just shrugs the future off in self-denial. He's not some godly being who had been turned into a human. He's not all of that. He was Jouji Minami. A young man adopted by a kind and warm family. If anyone had powers in the family, it was his father.
...His father.
What would he think about this?
No doubt, he's not gonna be happy. But how would he interact with Jouji from now on? There's no doubt in Jouji's mind that his father loved him, but... he did not want his father to become burdened by this revelation. His father had already lost a few loved ones in the past. One of those loved ones had been forced into becoming a villain for some sick twisted cycle to determine the fate of the Earth. His father already had to feel that pain once. For him to feel that pain again is something that Jouji would not want.
...Never mind him. His family was more important.
"Papa?"
A soft, kind voice would bring him back to his pondering state, making him look to his left and see the future blonde magical girl who sported a worried look on her face.
"...Are you alright?" She asks gently.
...No, I'm not.
Despite giving his... future daughter a reassuring smile, a bitter thought came to his mind. He glances to his right and there was... Tsukuyomi, who looked a bit a hesitant and was trying to keep some respectful distance. Not that Jouji could blame her for it. He just lashed out at her when she had only been concerned about him. That he was taking things too well.
...He wasn't.
But... Tsukuyomi didn't deserve any of that.
"...Umm," He started to speak. "Tsukuyomi."
The young woman would look at him hesitantly.
"...I'm...I'm sorry." He bowed his head, making the young woman surprised.
"...Umm, no, don't... don't apologize," The Asian Snow White reassured him with a hesitant yet genuine smile. "If you... If you mean what did you from earlier, you don't have to apologize. What you're feeling right now is understandable."
"...But," The young man shook his head and looked at her. "That was no excuse to lash out against you...I'm...I'm still very, very unsure by what I saw. Some part of me doesn't believe that I'm... that I'm this... Ohma Zi-O. But... I'm also worried about my best friend, since you brought up Altair, I'm worried about what Setsuna's death would mean for him."
This boy... Tsukuyomi became a bit thoughtful and curious. He was just told that he would become the single most vile overlord of all time, and yet... he's still worried about his friend instead of his well-being. That...That's something I never thought Ohma Zi-O would be capable of doing.
"...Can I..." Jouji spoke carefully. "Can I ask you something? Why? Why... are you opposed to killing me? Why would you try to stop your friend from killing me... considering everything that I would do in the future?"
Tsukuyomi was silent. There was a bit of hesitation before she eventually spoke. "Because... I thought that there would have been a better way." She looks away. "Despite everything you would have done in my future... I thought that... maybe, there could be a chance to stop Ohma Zi-O without killing his past self... the you of now... who did not commit the same crimes as Ohma Zi-O."
"...No offense, but that's a huge risk," Jouji spoke honestly. Bewilderment and tension-filled his voice. "How would you even know if Ohma Zi-O's past self, how would you know that I would not turn out just as bad as my other self?"
"...I know that it was a risk, hence I opted to observe you for now to see what you were like," Tsukuyomi explained. "...Though, based on my observations, I had thought that I had ended up in another timeline than the one that I had intended to travel, because there were no records of you being called Minami Jouji."
"Yeah, you did mention that George Kurai was Ohma Zi-O... but you never said Minami Jouji," Jouji pointed out.
"Yes," Tsukuyomi confirmed. "In the future I came from, you were never adopted by Minami Kohtaro. You were adopted by a humble clock shop owner named Tokiwa Junichirou (*1)."
Jouji's attention was fixed as he recognized the name. Junichirou Tokiwa. He was a humble and kind man in Beika running a clock repair shop and café restaurant just not too far from his house. The first time he met him was when he and his father visited the shop because the latter's watch was broken and needed to be fixed. And long before that, his father had once saved a young Junichirou from a Gorgom mutant, so he was familiar with Junichirou long before Jouji met him.
"...Anything else besides that?" Jouji asks.
"...As I've said before, most of the records were either lost during the Great Destruction, or Ohma Zi-O eradicated those records, making it quite hard to trace the history of the Pre-Great Destruction Era. But..." Tsukuyomi's expression turned grim. "...Tokiwa Junichirou was recorded to have died."
"What?!" Jouji's heart grew troubled. "Why?!"
"Unknown, but it seems to be right around the time when the Military Uniform Princess was making her first movements in bringing fictional characters into the real world. It was hypothesized at least that Ohma Zi-O became the way he is because he had lost a parental figure and may have wanted vengeance on the world... and he succeeded," Tsukuyomi explained.
...That... That would actually explain a lot. Jouji thought grimly. If I ever lost my loved ones, I... I honestly don't know what I'd do. A lot of things could happen.
And then, Jouji remembered one girl with the name of a flower.
...Hana.
That's right. Eventually, if he steps inside the house, he is going to have to meet with Hana Nono. His idol. His inspiration. Someone whose existence seems tied to him for some reason.
Right now, he was scared. He was scared of how his idol would react. It may not even help if Hana has some suspicion that he could potentially be the George Kurai that she had fought in the events of her season.
...I can't just stay wallowing outside my own house. I need to go in there. But...
"Papa," His attention was drawn towards Hagumi, who smiled at him with a reassuring smile. "No matter what happens, I'm here for you, and... I... I don't think mama would hate you at all. I think she'd do the opposite."
"...How would you know that?" Jouji could not help but ask a stupid question, even if it was obvious. Maybe he thought that he needed some reassurance.
"Because mama is mama," Hagumi smiled fondly. "She would never hate anyone, and she would never hate you."
"...I have a question," Jouji would ask. "Do you have any memories of when you got turned into a baby? (*2)"
Hagumi knew what he meant. She did not need any kind of clarification. "Actually, yes. I remember all of that."
"Do you remember a crisis involving someone named Cure Supreme? (*3)"
"I do," Hagumi grimaced a bit. "...And umm, actually papa, I did kind of tell mama about... us."
Jouji turns silent. His heart felt like stopping. "...Do you mean... Do you mean regarding... George Kurai and how he relates to you both?"
Hagumi's smile turned broken, as if she realized something. "...I ...I suppose you could say that."
So Hana does know that George may have been her husband in the future. But... But that just makes it even worse. He thought.
He pinches his eyes for a bit. There was no point in simply staying outside the house when he could just go inside, but his fears were keeping him back. And with the revelation that Hana does in fact know about George and the theories about them are true, at least to a certain extent, Jouji can't help but be fear of many things.
"...You know what... Let's just... Let's just get this over with..."
But Jouji's voice was one of defeat and resignation. Right now, he felt that there were so many things that he could not articulate, or there were so many things going on that he felt overwhelmed. He did not know how to fully process all of this just straight up pushing it onto him.
K̷̢̯̝̗̜͎̊͆͜s̷̢̨̺̻̔͊̚s̷̨͔̩̳̜̩͍̓͗ş̷͖̙͓̩̟̹͛̈́͐͌͑͘͝s̶̛̼͔̦̺̦͕̏͒̂́̕̚ś̵̫̝̹̀́s̵̹̜̽̆͋̏̉̑͘͜ṡ̵̲̙̪̖̟͠s̴͕͌s̴̢̳̭̩̊̂ş̸̝̖̒̇́s̶͚̣͓̎s̷̤͉͍̺̠̰̎͠š̵͕̯̙͕̩s̵͈͉͍̼͍̜̣̆̐̕ś̴̞̲̳̃̒̌̀͜͠͝s̸̝̳̎̀͒͝s̸̗̩̬̰͆͛ͅs̷̨̢̹̭̖̜͍̄̌̆̓͛͘̚s̴̛͕͚̰̻̄̾͛ş̶̫̘̣̱̫͈͗͋͂̓̚s̵͙̞̽͊́͜s̶͈͊s̶̢͇̰͎̠̝̄̂̉̚͠͠͝s̶͍̾̀̑̌͌͒̕ṣ̴̗̲̩̪͇̚ŝ̸̖̣s̸͙̦̖͇͚̑͝ş̶̨͇̦̻̱͌s̸̟̟̣͑̆̆̀̓͝ś̷̘̱͙̪͖̀s̸̛͈̭̻͊̓̈́͆̒͝s̵̝̳̯̜̝̃̄̽̀h̴͍̹̦̪͍̿̃̍̓̿͝h̵̫͎̑́ȟ̶̼̘̻̳͙̍͗͝h̴̝̙̩͙͕̾͌̌̑̎̏͝h̷̺̊͊͐h̷͕͐̕ḥ̴͇̼̎̀̆͂́́͘ḥ̷̝̦̉̕h̷̥̃̂̕h̶̻̹̱̞͙͊̊̑h̷̻̲̃ḧ̴̞͉́h̸͓͖͍͊̇̉h̴̢͔̦̪̜͍̆͑̂ḥ̷̛͉̹͉̀̊̍̌̄͜͝h̴͈̫͎͊̾h̵͍̭͇̣́̾̓́̌͐͜
"...!"
He felt something. It felt something akin to an invisible tidal wave that rushed into everything. He glances at to find Hagumi... not moving.
"...Hagumi?"
He looks to find Tsukuyomi also not moving.
"Tsukyomi?"
What was going on? Why did the two stop moving? His anxious thoughts would immediately turn to the occupants inside the house. What had happened to them? What happened to Hana and his mother? Worry took over his heart as he immediately opened the door and walked inside.
"Hana! Kaa-san!"
Not a moment too soon, he heard a familiar voice.
"Jouji!"
"Hana!"
He exclaims, eventually sprinting towards the living room, only to find a worried Hana shaking a frozen Reiko, smiling as she was sitting on the sofa and holding an album showing pictures. There was also the family dog, Stewart, who also seem to be frozen as everybody else.
"Kaa-"
But he could not finish the sentence the moment he tried to head towards his mother, because...
"KAH"
Something pushed Jouji towards Hana and they both ended up crashing onto the floor.
"...Hmm... ...Ah."
Jouji, after lifting himself a little, would find himself face to face with a surprised and bewildered Hana. Considering the rather... compromising position that the two are currently in, in normal circumstances, Jouji would feel embarrassed and would try to apologize...
...But.
"...Ah..."
His face wasn't embarrassed. Quite the opposite. He was crying.
"...Ah...Ahhhh."
He just couldn't take it anymore. One after another, memories and revelations were pushing at him at random, without any sign of rest. Hagumi being his future daughter? Hana coming into his world? The fact that he's possibly George Kurai, the fictional villain character? Becoming Ohma Zi-O and eventually bringing the entire multiverse to its knees? Lashing out at Tsukuyomi?
...It was too much.
He was a teenager. He wasn't anybody special; possible healing factor aside. He was just like everybody else. Living an average, normal life; misadventures aside like that one time when he and Souta stumbled into a Black Satan (*4) operation and had to get bailed out by Riderman, or the times when he and Souta got dragged into a certain brigade and their fun shenanigans.
He was a normal teen. He was not an evil overlord. So why was this being pushed onto him? Why? It was too much for him.
...And yet.
He could feel a gentle, warm touch from the young woman who was on the floor and showing a comforting yet understanding expression. Her hand was gently touching his face and wiping his tears.
The magenta-haired girl would slowly lift herself up from the floor and give him a warm hug.
"...It's alright," She muttered softly. "...It's okay. Let it all out."
And Jouji did. He let it all out as he cried, releasing all of his frustrations and fears; his anger towards himself and seemingly everything else; his incomprehensible pieces of thought that tried to piece together why and how this was happening to him. He lets it all out and lets Hana hug him.
He did not know how long he was crying. Maybe an hour. He didn't really care at this point. But eventually, he stopped crying, gathering just enough strength to have a serene and calm mind.
"...I'm sorry," Jouji muttered softly, now aware of the position that he was in.
He... just cried himself like a pitiful loser to his idol. Not really the greatest impression that he could impart, seeing as they were just starting to get to know each other personally.
"Hmm. No, don't worry," Hana reassured, patting his back gently. "Sometimes... Sometimes it's alright to cry, when you really, really want to."
Jouji would slowly lift his face and start to notice something... odd.
"...Hey, wait a minute," Jouji muttered softly. "This is..."
"Ah?" Hana made a surprised look.
Looking around, they were no longer in the living room anymore. They were... somewhere familiar. There was a flower design pasted on the shady green wall just above the upper part of the bed which had a few stuffed toys. There was a clock just nearby, pasted to the wall. There was a desk just to their right, one that had books and school supplies.
"...Wait a minute," Hana muttered softly. "This is my room."
"...Yeah, I...I noticed," Jouji would pinch his eyes a little.
"...Wait, does that mean... Does that mean that we're back in my world?" Hana sported a look of concern.
"...I honestly don't even know anymore," Jouji's tone was one of resignation and defeat, as if he was no longer surprised by this. Or he was just deader on the inside because of everything that had been shoved into his face.
Hana noticed the bleak tone coming out of the young man, making her worry.
What had happened to Jouji while he was with his father? Hana thought.
"Jouji," Hana brings Jouji's attention. She smiled. "Let's sit on my bed. I think it would be more comfortable for both of us instead of sitting on the cold floor."
"...Hmm."
Hana eventually helps Jouji up and they both sit down on the bed nearby. All the while, Jouji had been utterly quiet and downtrodden. He never spoke anything. His eyes were just tired and worn out.
"Hold on," Hana spoke, placing a comforting hand on Jouji's shoulder. "I need to check something."
Hana would eventually head towards the sliding door that leads to the terrace. She removed the covering curtain and slid the door. She found a familiar spot, a familiar sunrise, and a familiar suburban area that she could see from the terrace. Meters away, she could see her hometown's city, Hakugumi She was... She was back in her world. But... But how...?
She looks back at Jouji, who was still silent.
"...What happened?" Hana would ask gently.
Jouji was silent. He only looked at her. Hesitation. Anxiety. Confusion. Anger. Frustration. All of that and more. He did not even know where to start. Right now, he just hates himself. Or hates his own future. May as well be the same thing. He bitterly thought.
Closing the sliding door, Hana was patient as she opted to sit beside him, waiting until he was ready to talk.
After what feels like minutes of silence, Jouji spoke.
"I... I don't even know how to explain..." Jouji looks at Hana, who was silent and only made a concerned expression. She wasn't judging him for anything and was only willing to listen. "...Short version I guess... For some reason, in the future, I'm gonna be this tyrant, calls himself Ohma Zi-O."
"...!"
Hana was shocked and dismayed. How did Jouji found out so soon? Who told him? Many questions were haunting Hana's mind, but she reigned herself in, wanting Jouji to speak his mind before she could make any unnecessary conclusion.
"...There's this woman, Tsukuyomi, she... she said that she came from a future where... where I became Ohma Zi-O. In that future... trillions died... trillions died because of me."
While he said this, Hana's mind flashes back to her nightmare, of seeing the destruction, the death, and the corpses.
"...She said that... sometime, in the year 2024, the same year as now, in my world... I... I became a Kamen Rider... I became Kamen Rider Zi-O. Because of that, many things happened. My world radically changed. Most of the heroes and villains of my world were just... gone, turned into nothing but a memory, nothing but some story made up by writers, nothing but fiction... As for the Kamen Riders... well, they were still around... but... not for long. One by one, I took all of their history away."
"...But that was not the end," Jouji explained. "At some point, a fictional character created by a friend of mine... Altair... had wreaked havoc across my world and tried to bring it and other worlds to destruction."
The Great Destruction...
Hana thought grimly. How did Hana knew that? Because of the same nightmarish vision and the conversations that she had with the elusive Phantom Stranger. Whatever Jouji was explaining was something that Hana had a general idea about. She did not know literally everything, but she knew more than enough.
Oh, Jouji...
"In his first act, Ohma Zi-O decided to make use of whatever Altair had just done. He erased all futures that were a threat to him, brought all worlds together under his rule, and killed off... 50%... of everything else. Tsukuyomi said that it was 50%... That's... That's just one too many!"
Jouji was shouting at this point, making Hana worry.
"...Why?" Jouji clenches his fists, which felt cold and without any warmth. "...I never asked for any of this. Why? How the hell did I became... became that? It just doesn't make any sense. Why... Why me?"
He looks at Hana, maybe expecting to find judgment, but all he found with an understanding, comforting smile, one that he felt never even deserved. He glances away. The happy smile was even more painful to him as it reminded him that, becoming a villain, he ultimately tore the meaning behind that smile, and the smiles of his loved ones.
"...I ...I always wondered what I'd want to be in the future. You... You said that... you can do anything... you can be anything... And I believed it... with all my heart, I believed it... I... I... don't even remember my own past. I don't know about my real family. I don't know about my real friends. I... Before tou-san and kaa-san adopted me, I literally had nothing... nothing except some nightmares. Tou-san and kaa-san... they gave me a home... they gave me a family... they gave me memories that I will never take for granted... But..."
Jouji became silent as his arms crossed together, feeling a bit cold on the inside.
"...I don't even know anymore. I don't know what to do. Tou-san, he... he said that I always have a choice, that I don't need to turn out to be a villain. He experienced the same thing, he said, back when he was just starting out as Kamen Rider Black. But... But did he... did he had to deal with the fact that the literal future was literally staring right at your face, that in the end, you would become a monster."
And then...
"No."
A gently, chiding voice from Hana brought Jouji's attention. He felt a hand raised to his face, which would gently wipe away his anguishing tears. And he sees the smile of his idol, one that sparkled and brightened just like the breaking dawn, whose rays stretched through the horizon.
"...Jouji, you are not a monster, and you never will be..."
"...How do you know?" Jouji could not help but ask. "...You don't ...You don't even know me."
Hana was silent for a bit, yet she maintained her smile, which slowly grew softer. "...You're right, but I can tell that you loved your family and cared for the friends you may have. Your mother told me a bit about what your life was like before meeting me."
"...She did, huh," Jouji muttered softly. Then he realized something. "That's right, kaa-san! I... I need to get back. Kaa-san and the others are still frozen in time!"
"That's right," Hana remembered now that Jouji pointed out. "But Jouji... We're in my world now,, so how do you intend to get back?"
"...I."
Jouji had absolutely no idea how to do that, now that Hana brought up the current dilemma. He... He had absolutely no idea where to start.
Does that mean I'm currently stranded in the PreCure Universe?
"...Wait," Jouji muttered, as he recently remembered something, looking at Hana. "Umm, Hana, I... I think you should know... Hugtan..."
Hana paid close attention, recognizing the familiar name.
"No, Hagumi... Cure Tomorrow, she was there with me along with Acrobatter when Tsukuyomi explained to me about... my future."
"Hagumi," Hana spoke in worry. "Where is she?"
"She was with me outside of the house by the time everything seems to be frozen, she got affected by it as well as kaa-san and Tsukuyomi... Wait..." Jouji muttered softly. "Acrobater... He won't get affected by the time stop, that would mean he'll be aware that something is up... if the time stop of course reached that far to where he's currently going."
"Acrobatter?" Hana asks.
"He's tou-san's sentient motorcycle and Rider Machine. Before, he was called Battle Hopper. He was created specifically to be tou-san's and... his brother's bike."
"Brother?"
"Akizuki Nobuhiko, but people generally call him as Shadow Moon these days," Jouji grimaced a bit. "...He. He was the one that tou-san was forced to fight, having been brainwashed by a dangerous ancient cult known as Gorgom, and they were also the same ones who turned both him and my father into Century Kings, and my father managed to escape their clutches, becoming Kamen Rider Black. Nobuhiko... wasn't so lucky. But from what tou-san told me... Nobuhiko managed to eventually be free by the end, when he ended saving a group of children against an interdimensional empire (*5). And that was the last time that tou-san ever saw him... at least from what I know."
"...And speaking of tou-san," Jouji said. "He and Acrobatter can travel through dimensions, so... maybe they would be able to find us... but..."
Jouji was hesitant of trying to go back to his world, especially with the revelation that he would eventually become Ohma Zi-O.
"...Maybe... Maybe this is a good thing," Jouji smiled biterly. "Maybe I'm just delaying the inevitable by being here... Until... Until everything dies down, I could just... I could just..."
Stay here...
He left his sentence unfinished. But he knew what this meant. That would mean that he could potentially consider running away and stay here. But he knew that it was ultimately futile. This concerned the entire multiverse after all, considering the power and scale that Ohma Zi-O operated on and the people that he killed off.
...Plus, Jouji isn't the only one who is affected by this. Setsuna and Souta are also unknowingly affected by this too. Setsuna committed suicide in the future while Souta seems to be non-existent, as if he were just forgotten. What had happened there? Plus, the records and accounts that Tsukuyomi had were incomplete. That meant that...
...Not everything is as it seems.
Something was very, very wrong. And... there's also the problematic issue of him and Hana ending up in this world. Whose to say that their stay here is permanent? What if they both end up hopping from one world to another uncontrollably? There's too many factors involved. Too unpredictable.
"...You know what, forget it," Jouji shakes his head, scolding himself mentally. "Even if I were to stay here, whose to say I'd be able to say here forever. I've watched enough fiction to know that this wouldn't be that easy of a solution to solve."
He can't just sit around and do nothing about this. He needs to plan. But where would he start?
Then he and Hana both heard the sound of a door. They both see a... surprised young girl with magenta-colored eyes and shoulder length dark magenta hair, tied in a low curling pair of pigtails, and wearing casual clothing.
"...O...Onee-chan!"
The young girl immediately dashes towards Hana and embraces the latter.
"Kotori?" Hana muttered softly as her... younger sister (*6) was now looking at her.
"Where have you been?! We've been looking everywhere for you?!"
"Eh?" Hana made a confused look. She glanced at Jouji who was silent yet attentive.
"...Wa-Wait a minute, but-" Hana tried to speak, yet her younger sister cut her off as she realizes something.
"Wait, who's this?"
Her younger sister pointed at Jouji.
"...Oh, umm, well-" Hana shakes her head. "Never mind, Kotori, can you please explain? What happened? What do you mean you and everyone were looking for me?"
"Onee-chan? You really don't know? You've been gone for about a week!" Kotori pointed out.
"...Huh? A week?" Hana spoke, her face becoming troubled. "But... I wasn't... I'd only been gone for like... a day..."
"Actually," Jouji spoke up, bringing the sisters' attention. "I think... and well, I've watched enough anime to know that this could be a case where time may be moving differently between worlds. So for you, you've been gone for a day, but for everyone else, you've been gone a lot longer."
That wasn't good. Jouji thought. With everything going wrong right now, we would also have to worry about the time differentials between my world and Hana's.
"Okay, seriously, who is this, onee-chan?" Kotori was very curious, if only because... she never recalled her sister bringing a boy in their bedroom.
"Uhh... well..." Hana made a bewildered expression, not knowing how to start explaining.
"Minami Jouji," Jouji explained, glancing at Hana who was giving him a surprised look. "That's my name, and well... your sister had helped me out a lot."
"She did?" Kotori raised an eyebrow. "What kind of help?"
"...The... She..." Jouji became silent for moment before steeling his thoughts. "...She's my friend. She helped me a lot. She... She inspired me to be better. To do better."
"Jouji," Hana muttered softly, still touched a bit by the honesty behind those words, which made her happy on the inside.
"She did, huh..." Kotori became even more curious. Who was this boy? She thought. And what was his relationship with her onee-chan?
"Kotori-chan, where's papa and mama?" Hana asks.
But just as she would ask the question.
"Hana-chan!"
Both of her parents, Shintarou and Sumire Nono (*7), appeared in the doorway.
Jouji took a good look. Shintarou, to him, looked like a big and tall man with tanned skin and a muscular build, with fluffy purplish brown hair and eyes. Sumire on the other hand was a young woman who was little shorter than her husband, slightly curled auburn hair tied into a side ponytail with a purple scrunchie, and dark pink eyes covered by an oval-shaped pair of glasses.
They both did not hesitate to run and hug their, from their perspective, missing daughter for the past one week.
"Where have you been? We've been so worried about you? You're friends were too!"
"...Ehmm," Hana did not know how to explain literally everything that had just happened to her. Like, how does one tell one's family that she had just been sent to another world where she was a fictional character, that she met a wonderful young man named Jouji Minami who is actually the past self of her former archenemy, that she had been entrusted with a prophecy where Jouji would become Kamen Rider Zi-O for the sake of the multiverse.
How does one explain all of that?
"...Umm."
Both of her parents noticed that Hana wasn't alone, noticing Jouji, who brought their attention by speaking.
"...Don't blame Hana," Jouji explained considerately. "It's uh... It's a very long story."
"Hmm, who are you, young man?" Sumire could not help but ask in curiosity.
"It seems that onee-chan made a new friend, okaa-san," Kotori made a suspicious look, drawing near to Jouji and examining him from head to toe.
Hmm. He's quite handsome to look at. And the way he's composing himself. His eyes looked a bit red though. I wonder what happened. But wait, wait, wait?! Why is this guy even in my onee-chan's bedroom? Who is he? Like, I know that my onee-chan can be too nice for her own good, but I never pegged her as the type to allow a stranger to be in her bedroom? Well, an admittedly handsome stranger, but still...
"Hmm, a friend, huh," Shintarou would walk towaeds Jouji... who felt a bit intimidated because of how tall the man actually was. He felt the father's hand placed on his shoulder, though much to Jouji's surprise, the hand felt more reassuring, like it reminded him of his father, Kohtaro, and spoke. "Young man, I would assume at least that my daughter had helped you out with something, about a certain business perhaps?"
By business, he probably means PreCure. Jouji thought. He knew at least that Hana's family knew that the former was a PreCure considering the finale of her season's run.
"Yeah," Jouji nodded. "That's correct."
"Well then," Shintarou smiled. "That's that, I suppose. I'm glad at least that Hana-chan returned safe and sound. But..."
He looks at his daughter. "Hana-chan, there's something you should know. You're... not the only person who had gone missing."
"Eh?" Jouji and Hana both muttered in surprise.
"What do you mean, otou-san?" Hana asks.
"Hana-chan, listen carefully," Sumire would speak with a grim expression. "It seems that there were other PreCure from other teams who had gone missing for a week."
"That's right," Kotori added to the conversation. "There's Nodoka-san (*8) and Mashiro-san (*9)."
"...Hana," Jouji sported a grim look; he also recognized the names that were brought up. What was interesting to Jouji was that both of the mentioned names come from seasons that he found to be his favorite. Hana looked at him while he spoke. "This can't be a coincidence. I have a good feeling that there may be the possibility that they had ended up in my world, or worst case scenario, they have ended up in another world entirely."
"...Do you think so?" Hana grimaced, and could not help but worry for her fellow PreCure."
"My world? Another world?" Kotori raised an eyebrow.
"Ah, Kotori-chan, otou-san, okaa-san," Hana made a serious expression. "It's a long story, you see..."
Song: Bouken Desho Desho HD (Full with lyrics) - Aya Hirano
PART 2
Meanwhile, back in the World of Kamen Rider...
(*10) Hey, everybody, my name is Kyon. Currently, I'm fighting for my life against the past enemies of the Kamen Riders. I know, I know, quite a strange narrating choice for introductions, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.
"Rrrgh-Ah!"
ATTACK RIDE: SLASH!
Using the Ride Booker (*11), Kamen Rider Next Decade would perform slashed maneuvers, left and right, against the green pupa Worms (*12) that had been roaming around Beika Ward and Minato Ward ever since last night.
Okay, where to start? How about the fact that my self-proclaimed good-for-nothing sensei just made me in charge of the eventual journey that's about to happen between myself and a pair of stooges that I had the privilege of calling "friends"? By the way, that's not an insult. Far from it, it's a compliment from yours truly.
Jumping away from the claws of a black cockroach humanoid Undead (*13), Next Decade would twist his jump and slash the enemy, destroying it as it evaporates into nothing. Landing in a perfect crouch, he was once again surrounded by the green pupa Worms. Raising a card, he would slip it to his Next Decadriver (*14) and perform another attack.
ATTACK RIDE: BLAST!
Unleashing powerful blasts of pinkish energy beams, Next Decade would spin himself about 180 degrees and tag his targets. Each of the green pupa Worms was hit, causing them to explode into green smoke.
Ever since last night, I and my friend's future daughter from another universe had been cleaning up hostile stragglers from a few AR Worlds, such as these annoying Worms. Huh, the term "Worm" really makes one think of many different applicable meanings if it's said in English. It could also be used as an insult, like what Gilgamesh (*15) uses all of the time when he looks down on people. Never really did like that version of him.
Thanks to the continuous overflow of these monsters, I barely could get any sleep. Not that I needed to these days. When the fate of the world, or worlds - plural, is literally at stake, you tend to be a bit paranoid that something could happen while your back is turned. Honestly, things were a lot easier when it was just me taking care of our resident Jolly Roger, Suzumiya Haruhi. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think I prefer Haruhi to this madness.
Conjuring up a greyish curtain, he would send himself to another location where he spots a few Worms causing trouble. Well, more like about a hundred of them, and they were being fired upon by dark blue, bulky armored troopers, though not too bulky, but a bit more balanced and imposing.
The troopers' visor goggles were straight horizontal in shape and line, glowing with a light bluish taint which allows extra-vision senses. They have webbed military belts that carry various pouches that contain several gadgets, equipment, and weapons for usage in combat. On the front of their helmets and at the back, there were the white-colored initials "S.H.I.E.L.D." On the back, there were small white-colored letters written below the acronym. "Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division".
The troopers were carrying sleek, black rifles that Kyon thought wouldn't be out of place in Halo (*16). These rifles fired blue energy blasts that were killing off the Worms.
I see Fury's called in the cavalry, huh? Next Decade thought to himself.
Speaking of Haruhi, I may eventually get an earful out of her for probably worrying her. After all, I've been mostly gone for the entire summer vacation doing some stuff here and there. Translation: My good-for-nothing sensei drags me kicking and screaming into all of those misadventures across the multiverse. Hey, Mr. Destroyer of Worlds, I never asked to be your student, you made me into one. But the bastard would probably just casually shrug it off and say "Deal with it.". Like it were that easy. It's a miracle even that nobody's currently accusing me yet as some kind of Destroyer of Worlds.
That was Galactus' job, damn it! And even then, the guy got better!
Ugh... Well, on the other hand, there's sensei's wife. She's much more tolerable than him. Honestly, how does she even deal with him after all of these years, I have no idea.
As fast as sound, Next Decade would use his Ride Booker, on sword mode and jump forward; then he slashed through three Worms, and cut one Worm in half from the front.
"Everyone, watch your fire!" One SHIELD Commander spoke who was leading the troops. The only distinguishing features about him were the grey and yellow lines found on the sides of his shoulders to the side of his legs, and the lines found on the front and back. "We've got a Kamen Rider. You know the Order! (*17)."
"Yes, sir!" The troops responded professionally.
The troops would begin to provide Next Decade some cover fire; the latter jumping straight ahead as he uses his Ride Booker to perform a straightforward slash against a Worm, killing it as green mist explodes.
Green pupa Worms, about a hundred, were now surrounding him, with claws on the ready.
Well, aside from the invading monsters, there are also the "fictional characters" that have been sighted in some parts of Japan, usually confined to just cities. So far, it's not that bad, as the ones who showed up tend to be generally good guys, though at some point, my pessimistic side is counting on some evil dastardly villain from some obscure visual novel to wreak havoc or something.
When I hacked into SHIELD records, they were currently in SHIELD custody and were being accommodated properly, not to mention the custody would be transferred to the Avengers and the Justice League. I'd bet that many of these characters who ended up in my world are probably just confused. Some may have possibly had some existential crisis going on because they just discovered "records" of them as "fiction".
Hey, join the existential crisis club, boys and girls. We real-world folk have been dealing with that question since Kierkegaard (*18).
ATTACK RIDE: BLAST!
Next Decade would raise his Ride Booker in gun mode, firing a single pinkish pulse, before it exploded and scattered into several shots that fired and destroyed the green pupa Worms.
Everything's all clear here, Next Decade thought. Time to head to Central Park and help out my best friend's father.
And then,. for some reason...
"...!"
Everything stopped.
The hell?
Next Decade felt like a kind of tidal wave that submerged throughout the area. Everything was stopped. He looks around to see some birds in the sky no longer flying ahead, but stop and are still. He looked at the SHIELD troopers who were stuck and could no longer move. He looks at a nearby intersection's stop signs and the color red never changes color. Everything was stopped. Nobody and nothing was literally moving.
Okay, something stopped time itself. This isn't Clock Up. It's something else. Could it be those guys? Nah, it's too blatant. They usually act subtly and let their mooks handle the mess. The question is, where's the mook?
Whatever, no way I'm getting answers here. I better head towards the park. I'd bet that the other Rider wouldn't be affected by something like this.
Next Decade would eventually conjure up a grey aurora curtain that would send him towards Beika Central Park.
...
...
...
"Next Decade, huh..."
Silently observing the Kamen Rider as he leaves, there is Woz, or Black Woz, a young man with a black hood and dark brown-greenish robe, sporting a grim expression. He looks towards his old, clock-gear-covered book, and reads it. He spoke with displeasure.
"No, this is not how the Advent Calendar is supposed to be going. Something is deliberately preventing my Overlord from reaching his destiny. No matter. Even if my Overlord is currently in another world, his destiny will always come to him. No matter where. No matter when. And I will be waiting for the opportunity that presents itself."
A few moments right before the time stop...
Sparks fly as explosions occur through baseball bats that act like actual grenades. Black RX was flipping back and forth without fail, with the last flip allowing him to teleport and perform a kicking maneuver toward the Baseball Elite Officer Mask, who dodged it by jumping and teleporting as well to another location, right towards the sidewalk.
"Take this, RX!" Baseball Mask said as he aimed his bat, which now sprouted mini-turrets that fired red energy beams that were parried by RX through the use of his Revolcane, which carried a red taint instead of the usual blue.
With quick-paced momentum, he rolls through the ground and performs various agile movements that allow him to dodge each of the energy beams.
"RX Slash!" RX exclaimed as he aimed straight at Baseball Mask. This would have indeed finished him, were it not for Baseball Mask using his baseball bat to stop the Revolcane from cutting him in half.
"Impressive, but not-Ah!" Baseball Mask widened his eyes.
"Hm?! What?!" RX also felt the sudden tidal wave that seemed to be heading towards them.
By the time RX turns around, Baseball Mask has already made himself scarce, and not a moment too soon, time stopped all around RX.
"What the?!" RX glances around and with the help of his eyes, looks and sees that everything has stopped. The smallest drop of a leaf. The nearby SHIELD Troopers were engaging the Zolders. There was nothing except a subtle yet ominous silence.
...Something is very wrong here. RX thought.
"Partner!"
"Hmm?!"
RX would turn right to see an anxious Acrobatter who was driving towards him.
"Acrobatter!" RX exclaims. "What is it?!"
"I need to tell you something important," Acrobatter's voice was dire. "And I think that there is the possibility that it's related to what you've discovered back in Gotham City."
"What is it that you found out?! And where's Jouji?!" RX asks, in worry.
"He's..." Acrobatter became a bit hesitant. "...He's back in the house. He's with a few other people. You need to meet this girl, Tsukuyomi, she would tell you everything you should know. Although..."
Acrobatter was glancing at their current surroundings.
"...Ah," RX nodded. "I felt it too, Acrobatter. Something stopped time, everywhere. Do you think this would be temporary?"
"I'm not sure," Acrobatter explained. "Though I worry for Jouji, Kohtaro. He really needs you right now."
"That makes all three of us then."
RX and Acrobatter would turn around to see a dark-blue Kamen Rider walking towards them. RX noted the appearance of the Rider. He resembled Kamen Rider Decade (*19), and yet had a different color scheme, which was cyan blue, with black and yellow. Sleek, but not bulky in terms of figure.
"Wait... are you Kyon?" RX asks.
"Way to state the obvious," the Rider said. "Though I prefer that you call me, Kamen Rider Next Decade. We heroes all have our secret identities and all."
"But why?" RX asks. He knew the young man behind the Rider was an old friend of his son. How did he become a Rider made him suspect something.
I guess Decade chose a new successor then? Though I wonder why Decade would do that. He would not just give the powers of a Kamen Rider to someone as young as Kyon. There must be something I'm missing here. He thought.
The aforementioned Next Decade would walk towards RX and Acrobatter as he spoke. "We all definitely have a lot to talk about. To get all of our facts straight, we all need to head towards the house. All of this, SHOCKER pulling this practical stunt, and in my case, Worms and other nasties coming out of the woodwork, they are all just a distraction, and maybe, even this time stop is a distraction."
"For what exactly?" RX asks.
"My guess? Your son and my best friend," RX and Acrobatter were now more alert based on that answer. "And of course, this concerns literally everybody else, whatever choices he would eventually make."
Trivia For Chapter:
(*1) - In the original Kamen Rider Zi-O series, Junichiro Tokiwa was the great uncle of Sougo Tokiwa and owner of the clock repair shop 9 5 DO.
(*2) - References the events of HUGtto! PreCure.
(*3) - References the events of Pretty Cure All Stars F.
(*4) - In the World of Kamen Rider, Black Satan was a mysterious international organization and cult aiming for world conquest, and was also one of the cells of the infamous organization SHOCKER. They were the main enemies of Kamen Rider Stronger.
(*5) - Jouji was referring to the events of Kamen Rider Black RX.
(*6) - From the Pretty Cure Wiki - Nono Shintarou (野乃森太郎 Nono Shintarō?) is a minor character who appears in HUGtto! Pretty Cure. He is the father of Nono Hana and Nono Kotori, and married to Nono Sumire. His family calls him 'Papa'. He works as a shop manager at a DIY store called HugMan Home Center.
(*7) - From the Pretty Cure Wiki - Nono Sumire (野乃すみれ Nono Sumire?), born as Anno Sumire, is a minor character who appears in HUGtto! Pretty Cure. She works as a reporter. She is the mother of Nono Hana and Nono Kotori, and married to Nono Shintarou. Her daughters call her 'Mama'.
(*8) - From Pretty Cure Wiki - Hanadera Nodoka (花寺のどか?) is one of the four main Cures in Healin' Good Pretty Cure, and she is also the group leader. She is a second-year student at Sukoyaka Middle School and is in the same class as Chiyu and Hinata. Nodoka's alter ego is Cure Grace (キュアグレース?) and she is known as the Pretty Cure of Flowers. When impressed, she often says "Whoa~" (ふわあ～?). Her other catchphrase is "I feel so alive!" (生きてるってカンジ！ ?).
(*9) - From Pretty Cure Wiki - Nijigaoka Mashiro (虹ヶ丘ましろ?) is one of the five main Cures in Hirogaru Sky! Pretty Cure, and a second-year student at Sorashido Academy. She usually lives with her grandmother, as her parents work overseas. Her nickname is Mashiron (ましろん?). Mashiro transforms into the Pretty Cure of Light, Cure Prism (キュアプリズム?).
(*10) - In the light novel and anime series, Haruhi Suzumiya, the character Kyon (real name canonically unknown) tends to provide internal narration a lot of the time.
(*11) - The Ride Booker is Kyon's - Kamen Rider Next Decade's primary weapon.
(*12) - The Worms.
In the World of Kamen Rider, they were generally considered among the peoples of the universe to be the stuff of nightmares, ones that the intergalactic police force of the universe, the Green Lantern Corps, would take in absolute seriousness. They are the type of threat that space groups, friend or foe, would commonly ally with each other when they normally wouldn't and would even go to war against them.
These creatures are perfectly capable of disguising themselves into almost anyone. The worst part? They all have the common natural ability to "Clock Up" which allows them to travel at variable levels of speed, some of which can go toe to toe with high-tier speedsters like the superhero Flash.
There are at least two known categories of Worms. One is called the Natives, a generally benevolent variant of Worms who had secretly visited and migrated to Earth in the year 1971 and were known to have founded the organization ZECT which is known for dealing with the threat of their more malevolent counterparts, who are mostly just called the Worms, but to prevent confusion, they're called Enemy Worms in general.
The Enemy Worms once tried to fully invade the Earth in the years 2006 to 2007, but were opposed by Kamen Rider of that year, Kamen Rider Kabuto.
(*13) - The Undead.
In the World of Kamen Rider, they were a race of immortal creations that were believed to have been the originators of all life that inhabited the Earth. They are named "Undead" because of their immortality. In the years 2004 to 2005, they were opposed by the Kamen Rider of that year, Kamen Rider Blade.
(*14) - The Transformation Belt Next Decadriver is a solid cyan blue-colored belt that gives Kyon the ability to become Kamen Rider Next Decade, based on objects called Rider Cards. Through these same objects, he is allowed to transform into the 20 Heisei Kamen Riders: (Kuuga, Agito, Ryuki, Faiz, Blade, Hibiki, Kabuto, Den-O, Kiva, Decade, W, OOO, Fourze, Wizard, Gaim, Drive, Ghost, Ex-Aid, Build, and Zi-O).
(*15) - Kyon was referring to the character Gilgamesh from Fate/stay night.
(*16) - In the World of Kamen Rider, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.) was an international peacekeeping, law enforcement, and counter-terrorism agency sanctioned by the United Nations. They are currently led by a man named Nick Fury, a World War II veteran who, when he was a Sergeant, once led the famous Howling Commandos along with Captain America, the Director who officially reports to the World Security Council made up of members from various nations.
It was founded during World War II, to support superheroes fighting against the Axis Powers and combat the organization HYDRA, which back then had ties with the Nazi regime led by Adolf Hitler, and whose second-in-command, the Red Skull, was the Leader and the Head of the Heads of HYDRA. After the War, the organization would expand upon its foundation which includes combating terrorism, supernatural threats, and extraterrestrial menaces.
(*17) - In the World of Kamen Rider, sometime between the 1970s to the 1980s, the United Nations made an international law called the International Ride Law that is adhered to and recognized by all governments, agencies, and institutions around the world concerning the Kamen Riders, the heroic ones at least, in general.
"If ever encountered, one must never antagonize a Kamen Rider, and if encountered is inevitable, one must assist them in any way possible, especially in light of potential threats to world safety and security."
(*18) - In the World of Kamen Rider, Søren Aabye Kierkegaard (5 May 1813 – 11 November 1855) was a Danish theologian, philosopher, poet, social critic, and religious author who is widely considered to be the first existentialist philosopher.
(*19) - Kamen Rider Decade - the tenth Heisei Kamen Rider Rider.