*DLBot is sleeping on the CONTINUE pipe with a snot bubble before it pops and he wakes up with a jolt*

DLBot: Nah! Who? What? Where? ...Ah dammit sorry about the delay on this one folks.

Omar: Yep this took a while to finish, but it's finally we done. Hope you all enjoy it. We're already starting work on Chapter 4 too so hopefully we don't keep you folks waiting long on that one.

*DLBot suddenly starts crying and blowing his nose*

Omar: What? What's wrong? We're not that far behind on schedule.

DLBot: It's not that! This is the first chapter of this series we've posted since Kevin Conroy died! Wahahahahaaaa!

Omar: Oh...crap you're right... well... in light of that...we'd like to say rest in peace Mr. Conroy... you forever be Vengeance...

DLBot: You will forever be the night...

Omar and DLBot: And you will forever be Batman!

"Word"-Dialogue.

'Word'- Thought.

Word- Rider Devices, Orphnoch Speech

Word- Other.

Chapter 3: New School Blues

(First Person POV)

"Uh… my head…" I groaned, regaining consciousness.

"Are you alright, young man?" An elderly man asked with a hint of amusement.

"Yeah… Just had some crazy dream…" I answered, rubbing my head.

"Oh? What made it so crazy?" The elder asked.

"Some old guy kicked my butt while I was in powered-up armor… but that wasn't the crazy part…" I explained, sitting up. "The old guy turned out to be… an elderly version of…" I finally got a good look at the… elderly… "Oh god, it wasn't a dream."

"No, it wasn't." Ryuusei shook his head. Feeling faint, I rolled my head back… only to shiver as a bucketload of ice water was dumped on me. "Stay up, kid. I don't need you fainting from fanboy overload again."

"OK, OK, I'm up!" Shaking the water off my head, I looked around the room. Looks like an office with a couch on it. Wait… an office equals… "Don't you have students to teach?"

"I closed up the dojo early," Ryuusei answered, pointing at the window that showed his answer with his cane. Looking at it, I resisted the urge to facepalm since I realized he's been using it more like a staff since I've seen him… specifically…

"The Meteor Storm Shaft…"

"Bruce was also right about how you know stuff out of the blue…" Ryuusei noted. "For someone in the same situation, as I was."

"Was…" I echoed. "Does that mean…"

"Yes, I and Gentaro ended up in this world too… although unlike you… we knew who brought us here from the start." Ryuusei answered my incomplete question, shocking me further. Both original Fourze RIders are here?! What's next, Nadeshiko? "Tell me; seeing as you know about Kamen Riders aside from Faiz, what do you know about me and my friend?"

"Well…" It's been a while since I've seen the movies and the show; 555 has been the most recent I rewatched, so it took some time to answer. "You and Gentaro were active in 2011—2012 before Wizard succeeded you, your base of operations was Amanogawa High and the Rabbit Hatch, the latter of which was destroyed before your final battle." I held in the urge to cry; 'Saite' always has a soft spot in my heart.

"Mmhm, all true, anything else?" Ryuusei nodded.

"Well… After that, while Gentaro went on to become a teacher, you went on to become an INTERPOL—"

"Stop." Ryuusei raised his hand, pausing my talk. "While it is interesting to know what would happen if Gentaro and I remained in our world… we never got those opportunities."

"What?!" I gasped.

"Tell me," Ryuusei said, ignoring my surprise. "From your knowledge, has anything occurred during our graduation?"

"Graduation?" I echoed, creasing my eyebrows. "No… actually, aside from knowing that you graduated from your original school, I don't know if anything irregular happened."

"You'll get the full story later," Ryuusei noted, clearing his throat.

"I hope so, I'm curious! So what's the first lesson for today, sensei? Breaking boards? How to use weapons? Crane kick?" I eagerly questioned Ryuusei.

"I'm glad you asked, your first lesson today is… Calculus." Ryuusei immediately responded.

"…what? Um, I wasn't aware that living here would require me being homeschooled but—" I started to reply, slightly confused before Ryuusei placed a red backpack on the ground.

"Not homeschooled. High-schooled. This is your backpack. All the books and materials you need are already inside it." Ryuusei explained.

"Awwww c'mon, I have to go to school? Can't I just stay here and train?" I complained while groaning.

"Sorry kid, it'll be good for you. Trust me, high school will do wonders for you." Ryuusei retorted as I reluctantly started to pick up the backpack.

"*sighs* Are there at least some Zodiarts hiding at the school…?" I inquired, wondering if there was some extra excitement at this high school I was going to.

"Nope; all the Switches got destroyed decades ago unless you count Foundation X's fakes. Sorry, kid. Only obstacle you have to deal with at this high school is overcoming laziness and making it to classes on time. Now get moving. The high school is within walking distance from here!" Ryuusei explained as he started to rush me out the door.

"Fine fine… where am I going again…?" I questioned as I looked back at Ryuusei, curious to know the name of the high school he was sending me to.

"The school you're going to is—"

"Hamilton Hill High…" I sighed, reading the wording on the building. "Of f*ck*ng course…" Before I could step close, however…

"LOOK OUT!"

"Huh?" Startled, I turned around before—

BAM!*

"What is this, that monster school anime Josh showed me?" I groaned after falling onto my butt, disoriented. God Rosario Vampire could be DULL, give me Highschool DxD any day of the week.

…I wonder if there's someone else like me who ended up in the world of that anime…?

Elsewhere in the World of Highschool DxD…

"ACHOO!" A boy with messy black hair and a high school uniform said.

"What is it human? Don't tell me you're catching a cold or something…" A gruff voice said to him in his head.

"No Dragon… I'm fine… just sneezed for a moment… you ever feel like somewhere someone else might be talking about you…?" The human replied to the dragon internally.

"You're talking nonsense human…" Dragon deadpanned.

"Josh~! Are you ready to resume training~?" A female voice called out. The human now named Josh looked up and saw a beautiful raven-haired girl with a ponytail, a school uniform that hugged her curvaceous body with purple eyes as well.

"Uh, y—yeah Akeno! Coming!" Josh responded as he ran off towards the girl now named Akeno with a slight blush on his face. Dragon shook his head and sighed.

"Ugh.. humans…" Dragon groaned out.

Back in the World of Batman Beyond…

Reaching out to steady myself, I made sure not to grab onto whoever crashed into me and used the bike to stand myself. Looking down, I see… "Oh boy."

"My eyes are up here, big boy." Ladies and gentlemen, the 'Oracle' of the show, African-American pinkette Maxine Gibson, garbed in her typical yellow/black outfit… and maybe a fictional crush of mine. Hard

"Sorry." Sheepishly, I helped her up.

"Same to you about the crash." Wincing at her bent bike, Max sighed. "The one day my car is in the shop and this happens."

"Sounds unlucky," I noted.

"Very." Nodding, Max looks me up and down. "I don't think I've seen you around these parts."

"Just moved into town recently. The name's Drake Matthews." I introduced myself, extending a hand. C'mon dude, don't goof up in front of your crush…

Smiling, she shook it. Success! "I'm Max Gibson, welcome to Hamilton Hill High."

After that encounter, Max took me to the principal's office. As I remember from Willie's second episode, the principal is a Japanese man surnamed Nakamura (I can't find his first name anywhere in the office). Fortunately, he wasn't as strict as his cameo in that clinic episode I can't remember the name of. Given the timeline, I knew this was the potential calm before the storm.

Once I got my schedule, I found out that I share a homeroom with Terry, Max, Dana, and a few others. As if I'm the butt of a cosmic joke, that homeroom is Family Studies with Ms. Pinto, an attractive older woman with short black hair dressed professionally in dark green… and a minor crush of mine. (A/N: 'mine' = Omar's crush in this case. No judging buddy.)

Seriously universe, WTF?! Why did the DCAU have to have so many attractive women?

Thankfully, classes only lasted 90 minutes each so my 'unprofessionalism' wasn't permanent. Also, lunch was around half an hour long.

Finally, what were the odds that a sports game would be right after my first day of school? Apparently, pretty high.

"Enjoying the game, Drake?" Max asked, sitting beside me while Terry and Dana were in front.

"Gotta admit, it's been a while since I've been to a school game. It's refreshing." I answered, all of us watching a future hockey game. Unlike present hockey, these take place in some sorta gravity field, and instead of hockey sticks, the players are equipped with hockey 'scoops' in their preferred hand.

"Glad you're seeing your first Gotham Hawks victory." Dana chimed in… right as Nash tackled a Hub City Beetle (the visiting team) against a wall before winking at the girls, frustrating them. "…Is it wrong for me to root for the other team?"

"Wait for it." I grinned, relieved that the field's sound resistant. Soon, Nash turned back to the game… unknowingly showing off the "I P HERE" sign duct-taped to his back.

"Pfft!" My friends held laughs while Nash returned to the game. Once he did, they let it loose.

"Did ya do that?" Max asked me, still laughing.

"I can neither confirm nor deny that," I replied with a straight face, getting more laughter. The mood lightened, Dana turned to Terry.

"I'm glad you came out." She smiled. I resist the urge to snicker. Innuendo, much? "I know it still gotta be tough." Dana puts a hand on Terry's shoulder for support.

"Welcome to the club." Max sighed. Come to think of it, the show never did explain why her folks got divorced—question for later.

Suddenly, Terry's phone rang and he picked it up. "Yeah?"

…

"But…"

…

"We're on our way." Terry sighed, glancing at me.

"Mr. Wayne?" Dana asked tiredly.

"He's old, what do you expect?" I snarked, getting giggles from Max.

"He needs us to…" Terry trailed off. Note to self, improve Terry's lying skills early.

"Take his dog to the vet for his monthly check-up." I covered for him, checking my new phone calendar to back it up.

"Yeah, yeah." Terry nods thankfully. "And it's on the bad side of town, so he needs us both to look over the guy and take him."

"There were rumors Mr. Wayne owns a dog." Max hummed. Sighing in acceptance, Dana kissed Terry's cheek.

"Be careful; both of you." Dana requested us.

"We will." Nodding, I followed Terry away.

"Thanks for that. I couldn't think of anything." Terry thanked me.

"No problem; somebody had to compensate for your lack of brains." I teased.

"HEY!" I ignored him in favor of this weird itch in my mind.

…Why do I have this feeling I'm forgetting something?

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" That weird feeling was replaced with fear/adrenaline from me riding Auto Vajin — Vehicle Mode across buildings.

Yes, I said ACROSS buildings; apparently, the wheels work like Spider-Man's bike in Ultimate Spider-Man I saw a few years ago. The first half was great though Web Warriors was lackluster in certain areas. At least the Spider-Verse Crossovers were good in both halves.

"Stop screaming," Wayne ordered me sternly. Gulping, I do so, letting out yelps.

"Geez, it's almost like you're afraid of heights or something." Batman quipped, flying beside me.

"Screw you!" I shook a fist at him. Getting laughs, I sighed before changing the subject. "Anyway, where are we heading?"

"Wayne says a Foxteca facility's under attack," Batman explained, serious as well.

Foxteca… why does that name ring a bell?

"And we might have the saboteur responsible. I've done some digging after I saw a report on Powers' desk. He and Foxteca are up for the same job; a new lunar station for the government. The downside is, only one of them gets to build it." Wayne explained.

"So the bastard's sabotaging the competition." I scowled, realizing I was in another episode. While surprised that it was only a few days after Rebirth, it's suppressed by the renewed rage I felt at Powers.

"And until we can stop him, you're both Foxteca's guardian angels," Wayne confirmed.

"Joy," Batman said sarcastically, narrowing his eyes. Eventually, we reached our destination.

"What do you see?" Wayne asked.

"Looks like someone's celebrating the Fourth of July inside their office," Batman answered. Ironic since it was two months ago.

"We're going in," I declared, riding into a broken window with Batman following before getting off Auto Vajin.

"Spread out, the attacker's gotta be here somewhere," Batman ordered.

"Dude, don't you watch horror movies; you never split up in this kind of scenario," I remarked.

"This is real life, not a movie." Batman retorted. Wait until Joker's return, and you'll wish you hadn't said that. I reluctantly split off, inspecting a random console to have a closer look at familiar black/blue liquid and… what the heck, did one of the employees have a drooling problem?

"Batman, Faiz, get out of there now!" Alarmed, I looked behind only for Batman to get thrown onto me.

"ACK!" Getting knocked down, I shoved Batman off me and saw the person responsible; a feminine, featureless figure composed of a black/blue liquid and nothing but a white eye or 'visor' on her head. Inque, ladies, and gentlemen.

"Wh—AGH!" Once Batman recovered, he got a glob of Inque (pun intended) flung to his face, blinding him.

"Eat redlight, b*tch!" I got on my stomach before taking out the Phone and inputting a code.

BURST MODE!

I fired photon energy blasts from the Phone toward her before she could get in a ventilation shaft.

"Batman now would be a good time to—AAAGGGHHH!" Out of nowhere, electricity began coursing through my body. I released the Phone out of pain. Before I could grab it, and once Batman wiped the slime off, Inque slithered into the shaft that I was trying to shoot her away from, escaping. Crap.

"What the heck was that?" That's what I'm wondering too, Terry.

"What did you send us into, it was like some kinda blob?" Terry ranted, mask off, and all of us at the Batcave. "You should've warned us." He finished, and both of us walked to Wayne.

"I tried," Wayne said at the Batcomputer. "Unlike Mr. Matthews, you need to learn to think on your feet."

"Thank you," I replied, standing next to him, out of my armor, resisting the urge to explore.

"Look…" Terry sighed, walking around the Batcave. "You two may be used to dealing with freaks and monsters—Drake less so than Mr. Wayne—, but I'm a little new at this. I don't even know what half this stuff is." He stopped by—

"Gray Ghost original costume," I answered, pointing at the display before continuing. "Mr. Freeze's cold gun, the first Scarface puppet, Two-Face's penny, the original Joker's cards… what the fuck?!" I stopped, staring at a podium with a cracked… pig… mask.

"What?" Blinking, Terry followed my sight, ironically snorting. "A broken pig mask? What's so scary about that?"

"Pray that you never find out." Wayne saved me from recalling the psychopath, pulling up a pictureless file. "Here. No one knows her actual name, so she's classified as Inque. She's a corporate saboteur. INTERPOL's been after her for years. It looks like Powers is her new employer."

"What is she?" Terry asked, getting to the Batcomputer.

"The results of a mutagenic experiment. Details aren't known." Wayne answered.

"So she's basically a woman Clayface." I compared.

"Not completely." Wayne shook his head, bringing Matt Hagen/Clayface's file up. "While she has similar regenerative and shapeshifting capabilities, her overall mass is lesser than Clayface's was, and she lacks the properties in Clayface's makeup to alternate her coloration."

"Uh… what?" Terry asked.

"While Clayface is stronger and more versatile, Inque's faster and stealthier." I simplified before catching something. "Wait… was?"

"Clayface was cured of his powers a few decades ago," Wayne explained, surprising me. The only instance I can recall of any Clayface being cured was the first one from the Batman cartoon, Ethan Bennet (though he was already on the path to redemption before he took the cure and Basil Carlo entered the picture). To hear that this universe's Clayface at least got a happy ending was welcoming to hear especially since the last time the fandom ever saw or heard of him in canon was in Justice League.

"Then can't we—"

"No." Wayne cuts Terry off. "Not only do the circumstances they received their powers differ, but so do their molecular makeup; attempting a Clayface cure might either mutate her further or…" The worst-case scenario didn't need to be said for anyone.

"Besides… I doubt she would even WANT a cure. Because being normal means losing her next paycheck." I surmised as I crossed my arms and looked over at Auto Vajin in battle mode being connected to the bat computer before looking back at the elderly hero for a moment. However, before I said anything else…

"Before you ask, no. The bat computer hasn't been able to crack the firewalls put into Auto Vajin's programming. That's going to take some time. For now, it's best to simply use him as transportation and emergency backup." He immediately replied to what I was going to ask. I nodded in response, understanding the situation.

"Speaking of back up… Wayne… if Inque doesn't have access to electrical abilities… it could mean she has someone else helping her…" I theorized to Bruce as I looked over the data on Inque.

"It's possible… I know a few electrokinetic villains that likely passed down their genes or gear… I'll do some more background checks to see if Inque ever had any association with them…" He replied as he looked back at me nodding.

"OK, back on topic… so if we can't cure her, how do we stop her?" Terry asked. Wayne only smirked.

"That's when thinking on your feet comes in."

"Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod—" My childhood dream of riding a Batmobile just came true!

"Man, Faiz, cool your jets." Batman; the driver of this flying wonder, commented. "I know this is unbearably cool, but don't act like Matt on sugar."

"Can you blame me?" I retorted, riding behind him. Unlike Canon, the 4th Batmobile's a lot roomier indoors. "This is basically a dream come true for me." If I ever get home with proof, I'm going to rub it in everyone's faces for LIFE!

"Glad I could fulfill it," Wayne commented through comms. Was it just me, or was there a hint of… fondness and nostalgia in there? "Now remember Terry. Easy gestures. Let the suit do the work."

"Wahoo!" As usual, Batman disregards the elder's advice, taking the Batmobile into a few spins and loops.

"Mind not doing that?" Wayne asked dryly.

"Sorry," Batman said sheepishly.

"You scratch it, no allowance," Wayne said.

"Wait, we're getting paid?" I asked. This never came up at all in the show. Then again, with Terry's cover story, it makes sense. Soon…

"I just picked up a radio call. Fox's shipping unit, Pier 18." Wayne informed.

"We're on it," Batman said, changing course.

"Inque does not waste time, doesn't she?" I commented. It's been what, almost three hours since her last attack.

Gazing behind Batman, I kept my eyes on the windshield. As the pier comes into sight, so does Inque running off at the edge. Wait, is it just me, or is something rippling through the water beside her? Probably a large fish or something.

"You do remember the auto-park button, right?" I made sure to ask once we were right over her.

"…Yes," Batman answered, quickly pressing a different button before opening the latch below us. Dropping down, Batman reached Inque first and tackled her, splattering her all over the ground.

"Seriously?" I shook my head after landing on a knee. If Damian exists in this universe, I'm sure he and Terry would be like two peas in a pod. Pulling herself back together, Inque lashed out with a pair of hardened tendrils.

SINGLE MODE!

Grabbing the Faiz Phone (my only option right now since close combat is detrimental), I blasted the tendrils, splattering them on impact. Groaning in frustration, Inque put her arms back together before Batman fired a couple of small batarangs at her. Almost like Plastic Man, she just flattened her body when they hit her and sent them back like rubber. We tried to dodge them, but while Batman got a cut on his side, I got a faceful of—

"ACK, MY E— Nevermind." If I wasn't wearing a helmet, I'd be seeing blood right now. Just when Inque made a charge at us, Batman dived down and used a nearby manhole cover as an improvised shield.

"You two aren't really fast learners." Inque mocked, slipping her head through one of the holes… only for it to explode.

"I don't know about Bats here, but I'm smarter than I look," I remarked, holding the still-smoking Phone.

"HEY!" Ignoring Batman's shout, Inque assembled her head and slipped her whole body through the hole, pushing him back. Before Batman could recover or I could fire another shot, she grasped her entire upper half onto the metal disc, and swung it at us like a giant frisbee, knocking us down.

Quickly getting up, we see Inque taking off in a stream of ink. Running after her, we followed her to a reservoir of water on one side with an edge leading to the ocean on the other.

"You don't like the water, do you?" Batman noted, seeing Inque look at the ocean and the reservoir. Unlike the show, Inque laughed at the accusation. Wait what?

"Not unless he's here." Before we could ask what she meant, suddenly, like out of a horror movie, a slimy white hand came out of the water nearby and grabbed my ankle. Before I could jump or try and shake it loose, electricity came off it and began surging through me.

"AAAAAHHHHH!" This painful experience is like earlier at the lab.

"Faiz!" Alarmed, Batman reared a Batarang back, only for Inque to grab his arm and sling him towards me. The hand only released me when Batman's body knocked me away from my position and a few feet away.

"Ugh…" We groaned in pain, sitting up. Batman flinches, his suit sparking from whatever electricity he got from me.

"How'd do you like my darling's surprise?" Slicking out of the water and standing in front of Inque protectively is a greyish-white figure clad in reactor-like armor on his upper body, with his lower one resembling a hazmat suit. He gazes at us with a single eye and an almost metallic, fish-like head.

'Even concept monsters are in this world?' I recognized him from a costume designer's Twitter account; the Eel Orphnoch. What's next, OC Orphnoches?

"Wait a minute…" I looked between him and Inque.

"The other attack… the one who tased Faiz… that was you!" Batman realized as he looked at Inque and Eel Orphnoch.

'She's working with an Orphnoch?! But why…?' I thought to myself completely caught off guard by this revelation.

"Indeed… I would do anything for my beloved…" The Eel Orphnoch answered as he held Inque in an embrace for a moment.

"Beloved…?" I asked while trying to process this new information.

"My darling was assisting me one night on a heist when it seemed like he had been electrocuted to death by an aggressive security guard… but then a miracle occurred and he lived once again… stronger than ever…" Inque explained as she looked over at me and Batman.

'So he must have been revived as an Orphnoch after dying… damn is he lucky… and if he didn't die, he probably could have become like Electro, or in DC's case, Livewire.' I pondered to myself. On another note, I guess the mystery of Deanna's dad has been solved.

"Now then… you both have two options… walk away now and pretend you never saw us… or… we can show you both the talents that got us this job first hand…" The Eel Oprhnoch threatened, his body crackling with electricity.

"How about option 3; we kick your butts into the next century!" I retorted.

"Hmph It seems you need to be taught a lesson in humility boy!" The Eel Orphnoch retorted before turning an arm into a tentacle and lashing it at me.

"Whoa! Bats you handle Inque! Tall gray and sparky is mine!" I said to Terry as I charged at the Eel to punch him.

"Right!" Batman nodded before throwing batarangs at Inque only for them all to be caught by her before she flung weapons back at him.

"Take this!" I shouted before I threw my first punch at the Eel Orphnoch's chest armor only to suddenly find my fist slipping completely off of it.

"Hehehe…" The Eel Orphnoch chuckled at the results of my attempt to punch him.

"What the—?! Okay, let's try this one for size!" I declared before attempting to deliver a sidekick to the Eel's head only for my foot to immediately slip off the surface of his head and cause me to fall to the ground.

"Hahahahah! Having trouble there boy~?" The Eel Orphnoch mocking retorted as he crossed his arms and looked back at me.

"Aghhh… the hell's going on?! Why are my attacks just slipping off of you!?" I questioned the Orphnoch in frustration.

"Tsk tsk tsk, seems someone didn't pay attention in marine biology class… pop quiz Faiz… how does an eel slip into tight areas to hide and wait for its prey hmmm?" The Eel Orphnoch asked me in a condescending tone.

"That's easy, it does so thanks to the slime on its… body… oh crap…" I answered the Eel annoyingly before suddenly realizing why my attacks kept slipping off. He's like that eel monster from Jungle Fury except with electric powers.

"Wow, it turns out he can be taught. And here's your next lesson… never let your guard down around me!" The Eel Orphnoch said before immediately flinging his tentacle arm at me again this time grabbing me by the neck and electrocuting me.

"AGGGHHHHHHH!" I screamed out in pain as I felt the bioelectricity surging through my body.

"Faiz! Hang on!" Terry shouted as he dodged another attack from Inque's tendrils before noticing a small canister nearby labeled 'liquid nitrogen. Handle with care.' before throwing a batarang at it causing the stream to hit Inque and start freezing her arm.

"GYAAAAHHHH!" Inque shrieked in fear and pain which immediately caught the attention of her partner in crime.

"Inque! My beloved!" The Eel Orphnoch called out before releasing me from his grip and leaping over to help Inque. "It's alright… you're alright… grrrr… this isn't over 'heroes' next time there will be no mercy…" The Eel Orphnoch threatened before jumping away from the building to leave while he carried Inque bridal style.

"Gah… well… that could have gone better…" I snidely remarked as I rubbed my neck in pain and looked over at Terry.

The next morning, Powers was pissed. Sure, riding in a sky limo is normally peaceful, but the source of his troubles broke that peace.

"Unfortunately, last night's damage was minimal. They're still meeting their schedule." Powers' assistant informed him through a video call; the thing that's responsible for his sudden stress.

"Splendid." Powers grumbled sarcastically before hanging up… and cringing at the sudden humidity. "Did Jimmy forget to run maintenance last night?"

"No." His rhetorical question was answered when Eel slithered through the window while Inque dripped in before appearing human on the seat before him.

Inque's human form consisted of her having light blue skin, dark blue and black hair with some of it flowing over her shoulder, and wearing a full black and blue bodysuit that was reminiscent of ink blots. Meanwhile, her partner in crime and lover donned a white tuxedo and top hat with a cane somewhat resembling the long-forgotten villain the Gentleman Ghost.

By the look on Inque's face and Eel's eyes, they weren't happy, same as him.

"We need to talk." Inque firmly stated.

"This better be good." Powers said simply. "What happened?"

"Two people have been interfering. This is the second time." Inque informed.

"Who?" Powers asked.

"One may be Faiz; he matches the description from my sources," Eel noted.

"The other one neither of us recognize. He wore a costume as well; more of a suit than armor, and a similar color scheme except the only silver he has is on his belt." Inque informed as she looked out the window, not seeing Powers' reaction.

"Batman." Powers growled out in silent anger, facial skin beginning to peel off and expose a glowing green interior.

"The Batman?" Inque asked in surprise.

"Did one of the Robins take their mentor's mantle?" Eel remarked.

"What difference does it make?!" Powers exclaimed.

Inque finally looked towards Powers and gasped. "What's happening to you?!" Inque said in shock.

"Is it contagious?!" Eel gasped, shielding his wife.

"I have a condition and no; I'd trust you'll be discreet." Powers said as he pulled out a mirror. "I'm putting you on another assignment. Find these costumed meddlers and kill them!"

If people ever forget the downsides of being a teenage secret superhero… it's this.

"I just don't feel like teaching today… You all know how that is, right? Like you probably don't feel like being taught… Anyway, I was watching TV last night and saw one of those stupid ads about 'special' weight loss techniques. 'The more you drink, the thinner you get!'" Our Chemistry teacher, Mr. Roland snorted.

I sh*t you not; it's a middle-aged, balding man who looks like the DCAU version of one of the teachers from that old Nick show that people constantly compare me and Josh too. It's like whatever DC deity that knew my arrival decided to have this guy be born just to f*ck with me.

Shifting topics, the downside to the life I began is lack of sleep; because of Inque and Eel's attacks last night, Terry and I only had less than a few hours of shuteye before school. Suffice it to say, the lack of sleep is getting to me.

"Owch!" Evident by Max elbowing me in the rib when I began to doze off.

"Matthews, I'm sure you do. Enlighten your sleepier classmates for me, will you? Soap: acidic, basic, or neutral?" Mr. Roland asked, catching my yelp.

Oh , I'm not awake enough to remember… wait, I think one of Josh's old PS2 games had a question like his. What did he answer? It was…

"Basic…"

"Correct!" Oh, thank God! Whoever started the 'video games were a waste of time' trend should suck it! "So here's how it works, for those of you who need a refresher: human skin is slightly acidic. Rubbing a base substance on it can irritate it. You know those pH-balanced 'soaps'? They're most likely synthetic detergents, not actual soap. Moral of the story? Don't believe everything you see on TV!" Mr. Roland paused, eyes shifty. "Correction: don't believe most of what you see on TV."

…Speaking of soap, I wonder if Ryuusei knows any good ones for me.

After that strange mix of TV and videogame referencing, lunch has arrived. Sadly, futuristic cartoon cafeteria food is the same as regular cafeteria food.

Grateful that Ryuusei made my lunch (I would've bought my own off-campus, but considering my lack of future money…), I found myself an empty table to sit at.

"S'up." Terry found me, holding a bagged— Wait, Subway exists in this universe? Go figure. "Second day's good so far?"

"As much as I can tell." I unboxed my Japanese lunch, rubbing my eyes afterward. "How are you not tired after work last night?"

"Old family recipe from my mom when she has to do overtime." Terry took out a metal water bottle. "Helped me after the interview too." Huh, looks like he's picking up some of Wayne's paranoia or lying skills. "Anyway, I figured you would like some, so I asked Mom to make extra."

"Thanks!" Quickly, I snatched the bottle and gulped down its contents.

"But I have to warn you that the aftertaste is—"

"What?" I blinked after finishing about half… only for a weird sensation to come into my mouth and force me into a face.

"Very bitter."

It wasn't long after school finished that we got another call about another Foxteca lab being attacked. Fortunately, we didn't have any plans and found someplace for the Batmobile to pick us up via autopilot before Batman took the controls and took us there.

It's… worse than it was in the show; maybe because of there being two saboteurs.

"Bad news, we're too late," Batman informed, exiting the Batmobile.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it…" I muttered, following.

"Wayne?" Batman muttered.

"Empty like the others." The veteran said, relieving us. No corpses, no deaths, no casualties.

"That's good…" Following my friend to the entrance, I subtly glanced around, seeing plenty of spots Inque could hide in. If only I could remember exactly where…

"She was here, alright…" My memory searching was cut off by Batman scooping up some familiar black goop. "Emphasis on was."

"There's nothing either of you can do. Come home." Wayne ordered right when sirens were heard.

"On it." Nodding, Batman jumped into the—

Oh no, didn't Inque stow away on the Batmobile and find the cave?

"You coming?" Batman called out.

"O—On my way." Hiding my nerves, I got in. While Batman drove away, I started cramming my head for ideas. The only way to get Inque off without exposing my knowledge would be if it started raining, but that rarely happens. Taking out my phone, I look through the map. Lucky for me, the closest source of water is a closed-down water park. Now how to get there…

Oh boy… this is gonna be embarrassing…

"Uhhh… hey Terry… any chance I could have a turn with the controls? I mean… it's kinda everyone's dream to drive the freaking Batmobile." I asked Batman hoping he would be willing to give me control.

"No way dude. Besides, if Wayne sees even a scratch on this I have a feeling he'll have us BOTH buffing it out along with cleaning this whole thing down. You wanna drive? Take it up with him." Batman shook his head and rejected my request.

"Oh, c'mon dude. I'd let you have a turn on Auto Vajin. That seems like a fair trade." I continued my attempt at persuading him.

"I said no. Now be quiet or we'll miss the next turn—" Batman denied my request again, but thinking fast I realized there was one last card I could play that might convince him to give up the controls.

"I'll cover any errands or missions Wayne needs you to do for a whole week. No two weeks!" I immediately replied in a desperate attempt to convince Batman.

"…Alright, but IF you can't fulfill your end of this deal, YOU have to carry ALL of Dana's stuff next time I take her shopping. And she LO~VES her shoes…" Batman retorted in a tone that made me dread not being able to convince Bruce. It's all for the greater good. It's all for the greater good…

"…Deal…" I breathed in for a few minutes before accepting and we both shook hands. After that, he stepped out of the chair of the Batmobile and let me move past him to sit down at the seat and have control of it.

"Terry I don't detect you at the controls, what's going on?" Wayne asked curiously and was slightly concerned as his voice came in through the comlinks.

"Don't worry Wayne. I just let Drake have a turn with the controls…" Batman calmly replied to Wayne's question nonchalantly.

"WHAT!? Get him out of there now—" Wayne responded with a tone of confusion as well as anger given Batman essentially handed me the keys to a car he was borrowing from the veteran hero.

"Relax. I'm sure he won't do anything bad while he's at the—" Batman retorted to Bruce still having the nonchalant tone before it was interrupted by me picking up speed with the controls and sending us on a direct course with the nearby waterpark slide.

"Matthews what the hell are you doing!? Get out of that seat now!" Bruce sternly questioned me before giving a commanding tone.

"Yeah, dude gimme back the controls! Deal's off!" Batman chimed in before trying to take the steering controls from me. But I couldn't let him do it since we were so close to hitting the water slide. The struggle went on and on for several minutes before I finally managed to get enough control to ensure that the Batmobile had a direct collision course with the waterslide.

"AGGGGHHHHH!" A familiar female voice cried out so loud Batman and I could hear it inside the Batmobile.

"McGinnis, Matthews! The Batmobile's sensors just picked up an energy reading under its chassis. Land it and then investigate it immediately!" Wayne ordered suddenly before I gave control back to Batman and he managed to land the Batmobile in the waterpark.

Once we stepped outside the vehicle we noticed something odd about a shadow visible on the underside of the Batmobile. The odd thing was that it looked like it was… slightly moving or… vibrating even…

"What the…?" Batman wondered as he observed the shadow. Inque was trying desperately to hide, but I'm not going to give her the chance. Thinking fast I pulled out my Faiz phone, input a code, then aimed it at the Batmobile.

SINGLE MODE!

"No more hide and seek! C'mon out and show yourself!" I declared before shooting at the shadow before Batman could do anything to stop me.

"GAH! AGH! You brat!" The shadow screeched before lashing a spiked tendril at me and knocking me back a little as a result.

"Gyahhh!" I responded in pain at Inque's attack realizing that I had made her finally reveal herself to me and the knight of tomorrow.

"You ruined everything!" Before I could fire, Inque swatted the Phone away and grasped my throat with a tendril, choking. A Batarang sliced the tendril off before she could tighten her grip, releasing me.

"Forgot about me, you hag?!" Batman taunted.

"Hag?!" Inque parroted, reforming her arm. Sharpening both, she swung her tendrils across us. Evading with a few rolls while Batman weaved, I picked up the Phone before aiming it.

"Let's dance, Inque!" I fired again. She turned into a puddle, ducking under the beam before rushing toward me.

"Hmph if you insist how about a tango then bug boy!?" Inque retorted as she rushed towards me and leaped to attack.

"Hey now! I'm not a bug technically… I'm based more on a Greek letter…though I guess I could technically be considered a firefly too—" I retorted in an attempt to correct Inque but while I was distracted talking to her, she managed to tackle me to the ground.

"Hmmm, your suit's pretty high tech…I think I'll take it out for a spin~!" Inque remarked before she began to seep into the Faiz suit and within a few minutes was completely amalgamated into the armor.

"Faiz!" Batman reacted as he saw me slowly stand up unnaturally before looking at him.

"Bats watch out! I can't control my body Inque's gotten into the armor and is controlling it like a—" I attempted to warn the knight of tomorrow before Inque caused the Faiz armor to punch him in the face.

"Agh! Ow…" Batman reacted after getting punched in the face and knocked away from I-Faiz slightly then rubbing his cheek in pain.

"Puppet…" I finished my statement before attempting to move the Faiz armor but to no avail.

"Hey, old man any suggestions here? I'm fighting an opponent I can't punch back at!" Batman wondered aloud as he contacted Bruce over the radio while avoiding another punch from I-Faiz.

"The files on Inque says she's vulnerable to electrical energy. Find something like a control panel to knock her into." Bruce advised Batman.

"Alright… Faiz I'm not gonna lie what happens next will likely hurt…" The knight of tomorrow warned me ahead of time.

"Nghhh! Honestly… it'll be worth it… to shake off this itch…that I can't scratch…!" I managed to nod as I looked over at Batman.

"You got it! Hey Inque do those powers get out the wrinkles you see in the mirror every morning…?" The future Batman taunted I-Faiz. Angry, she growls and charges at him throwing a few punches and kicks.

"Shut it you pointy-eared brat!" I-Faiz spat back as she attempted to punch and kick Batman.

"What? I'm just saying at your age powers like these must be handy to prevent you from looking fat—" Batman continued with a smirk on his face as I could tell he was intentionally leading Inque-Faiz somewhere. Before I could think about it, my unwanted guest roared angrily and threw a powerful punch at Batman. Batman then jumped up and landed behind I-Faiz, and her punch was aimed right at a fuse box on the wall.

"GYAAYAAAGGHH!" Inque and I exclaimed as we were electrocuted by hitting the fuse box, but thankfully a few minutes later she oozed out of the Faiz armor and groaned in pain as a puddle on the floor. However, the puddle soon started to form half of her body.

"Ow… note to self… check the suit at the base for a defense mechanism for situations like this…" I groaned in pain. Good thing I'm a tech-based Rider and not artifact-based like Kuuga and Chalice, or magic-based like Wizard and Ghost.

"McGinnis grab what I packed in the 3rd pouch on the left side of the belt and throw it at Inque now before she fully reforms!" Wayne ordered Batman. The knight of tomorrow did just that and pulled out a somewhat familiar-looking grenade.

"You kids are dead!" Inque threatened as she prepared to leap at Batman only for him to throw the grenade at her freezing her instantly.

"Schway…" Batman awed, looking at the frozen Inque.

"Freeze Blasts; reverse-engineered from an old rogue's technology. Figured it could come in handy." Wayne explained.

"Cool…heheh…ow…" I joked, getting a groan from Batman. I wonder how many Arkham gadgets he has hidden? I hope he has the Remote Electro Gun. It might have 'gun' in its name, but it's essentially a giant suped-up taser. It hurt to laugh a little after that electrical shock from a few minutes ago. Wait… why do I feel like we're forgetting something…

"Beloved?!" Oh, crap! We forgot about the Eel Orphnoch. Having arrived by leaping over rooftops (his slime likely acting as a lubricant on his feet), and seeing his wife frozen in ice, the 'ports' on his shoulders and face lit up blue before the same-colored electricity covered his body.

"Oh, crap…"

"DIE!" With that, he came at us like a lightning-coated comet.

"MOVE!" Batman pushes me out of the way, the Eel Orphnoch passing by. Soon, the Eel Orphnoch performed a U-turn and came back, rushing Batman and launching him into a pillar.

"Batman!" The monster didn't stop there, turning his sight on me and making another impromptu Volt Tackle. Not wanting to get electrocuted, especially with so much exposed metal, I started running, essentially turning this into a Tom and Jerry chase. "You doing alright?!"

"Schway…"

"I wouldn't suppose dousing him with water would do the trick?" I asked Wayne.

"Negatory. Eels specialize in electrical abilities when wet." He answered.

"Damn it…" I swore. Didn't Aquaman have a minor villain with an eel motif? Forget that, how am I supposed to beat a walking, superpowered taser covered in… slime…

…Mom, thank you for having me take those cooking classes.

"Batman, can you distract him for me? I have an idea." I requested.

"Considering your last one got Inque before she could get to the cave, sure." Batman nodded before waving. "A sushi platter and a walking blob of ink? What kind of drugs were you on?"

"None but the rush of your death!" The Eel Orphnoch screeched before charging at Batman, who used his jet boots to fly away but remained in sight. Once they were far enough, I got out my phone and punched in the code 5-8-2-1 then pushed the enter button.

AUTO VAJIN COME CLOSER!

Soon Auto Vajin flew onto the scene and in front of me.

"Thanks for getting here quickly Auto. I need to borrow this for a quick second." I greeted Auto Vajin before taking out the Faiz Edge and charging at him.

Stopping, the Eel Orphnoch slowly turned to me, the electricity spreading more. "When I'm through with both of you, there won't even be ashes that shall remain!"

"Oh jeez… I hope this idea works…" I gulped, seeing him charge. Steeling my nerves, I set the Mission Memory into the Faiz Edge before hitting Enter on the phone.

EXCEED CHARGE

Energy transferred from the Belt and into the Faiz Edge as the Orpnoch charged at me. I ran at him with the weapon in hand before getting right in front of him and swinging the blade at the side of his neck. Thank God the Edge isn't conductive.

"Foolish boy! Did you forget my skin makes your attack ineffective!?" The Eel Orphonoch responded before chuckling a little too.

"Actually… no, I didn't… See, I know my culinary science… something slippery and slimy can't maintain those traits… if it's exposed to heat and cooked!" I retorted to my foe with a hidden smirk. Soon, I could hear and see his skin starting to harden.

"WHAT?! NO! Get away from me!" The Eel Oprhnoch realized before dismissing the electricity over his body to lower the heat and started trying to pull away from me before I grabbed his shoulder and put more pressure on the blade to speed the heat being put into his body.

"Not a chance!" I shouted before noticing the Oprhonoch's body fully hardening and cooking then kicking him away from me.

"Nice going Faiz you've got him now!" Batman cheered with a smile as he noticed the current predicament of the Orphnoch.

"You bastard! I'll kill you and your friend!" The Eel Orphnoch roared as he shot electricity at me which I dodged as I ran at him while taking the Mission Memory out of the Faiz Edge and putting it into the Faiz Shot turning it into its knuckleduster mode.

READY!

"Here goes…" I spoke before jumping up and hitting the enter key on my Faiz Phone.

EXCEED CHARGE!

"Haaaa… RIDER… PUNCH!" I shouted as I dived down at the Orphnoch.

The next thing I knew, my back was facing the Eel Orphnoch. Glancing back, I see the signature red Phi symbol form over his body briefly before he bursts into blue flames, explodes, and crumbles into dust.

"Looks like this sushi's off the menu." Batman chuckled.

"…Dude, leave the puns to me."

Soon Terry and I arrived back at the Batcave feeling quite good about our latest victory still in our suits as well, except our headwear was off. One fatal flaw that Kamen Rider shows have is their lack of helmetless scenes and I'm glad my suit lets me take it off.

"Woo! We came, we saw, we kicked their butts hard!" Terry proudly said to me as we high-fived.

"I'll say. Heh, I'd love to see how Mr. Powers is gonna react to losing to Foxteca." I replied before noticing Wayne looking at something on the Bat Computer monitor.

"Good, you both are back. You'll want to see this, you especially Mr. Matthews…" Wayne responded as he unmuted the monitor showing Powers holding some kind of press conference.

"Thank you thank you all. I'm happy to announce that Neo Gotham is in for a bright future and Wayne Powers will be leading the way proudly thanks to the new partnership we have with a promising technological development company. But first please welcome our guest, Mr. Kiba Yuji." Powers proudly proclaimed as Kiba stepped up to the podium, shocking both me and Terry.

"Hey isn't that—" Terry started to speak before I stopped him.

"The business partner that we saw Powers speak to the night we raided the company? Yeah. It is… but why would… no…" I finished Terry's statement before coming to a realization…

"Thank you, Mr. Powers. I am here on behalf of the CEO of this company…the technology we are developing is nothing short of revolutionary, evolutionary even… and we are certain with the help of Wayne Powers… the future of Neo Gotham will be changed forever and lead to a better tomorrow. While it is unfortunate our company CEO could not attend today's conference…" Kiba spoke as I tightened my fist partially hoping to not hear two words come out of his mouth.

"No… don't say it… please don't say it Kiba!" I pleaded to the monitor.

"On his behalf, I am proud to announce the partnership between Mr. Derek Power's company Wayne Powers, and Mr. Kyouji Murakami's company Smart Brain!" Kiba shouted proudly before looking over at Powers and shaking his hand to the sound of much applause from the audience attending.

"GODDAMMIT, ALL!" I screamed in frustration as I slammed my fist hard on the table, causing it to shatter.

Open Your Eyes For the Next Faiz

'What do you know about Smart Brain?'

'Is my life a soap drama or something?'

'Willie, listen, this isn't the right way to push back!'

FAIZ CASE OPEN! GAUNTLET MODE!