GT: *reinforcing an entire wall and door* We know! We know it's been ages! Why do our actors always try to harm us when we're AWOL for years?!
SZ: Because real life catches up to us as always…also not because me and Z0 have been absorbed into Zenless Zone Zero lately..
Z0; *bursts through a Hollow* Hah! You failed to get me again you horrible beasts! I'll come steal all the goods here again tomorrow for my dailies!
GT: Oh for the love of…*a fist-shaped indent forms above my head* …I'm just glad they don't have access to the stronger forms yet…
Z0; Oh them again, I got it, *pulls out a stackable grenade* Three stacks of super concentrated cringe energy should do it, *tosses it out of a small opening* Fire in the hole! *explosion goes off as everyone begins to groan from weaponised cringe*
SZ: AHH! DUDE! Also we don't own anything aside from original content!
GT: Someone get Cinnamon! And the Dr. Omigoto! *drops the curtain*
Horobi marched through their headquarters, he was on his way to find Serges who was busy with some project last he checked on him. What it was he wasn't sure of, but it was worth finding out his progress. Best before Jin does and causes chaos to use it, play with it, or mess with it.
"Ah…yes…it's almost finished," Serges's voice spoke, the sounds of a few sparks going off as Horobi made his way into the scientist Maverick's lab, "Even vith how long it has been, the basis have never changed in your works, Thomas…All ze easier to improve und perfect vith true genius."
"Serges."
"Gah!" Serges jumped, sending the blowtorch flying and being caught by Horobi, "Horobi! Stop zat nonsense!"
"I announced my presence by calling to you." Horobi replied, "It's not my fault your lack of environmental awareness spooks you."
"Hmph!" Surges humped as he turned back to what he was working on, a glaze container that showed a shadowed figure within, "Still….zis is my best work yet…"
"?" Horobi raised a brow before looking at the container, "...hold on. Isn't that…?"
"Yes…lord Sigma had fun breaking him before," Surges stated, "I used what data I could recover, and built it a better body to handle the likes of the Riders and X…just one last thing needed…" he looked back at him, "A Zetsumirise Key…"
"...you better hope this works," Horobi whispered, reaching into his pocket as he pulled out a Zetsumirisekey.
"Excellent.." Serges grinned as he took it, clicking on the button before slotting it into the machine.
=̶͓̟̏H̷̨̫̆I̴̱͝Ě̵͚͠R̸̯̍̄A̸͇͇͛̒A̷͉͋͂T̷͈́Ü̷̮S̶̭̰͆͂ǐ̴̹ ̴̰̙̔̕L̵̥̔I̴͎͗-̷͕̒B̸̬̥͗Ē̴͉R̵͍̼͊̿-̶̺͒A̵̡͕͑T̷͉̖̅Ḙ̸̐!̶̲̟́=̶̤͙͂
Sparks began to go off in the machine as the figure within began to struggle and move. Cracks began to form on the glass as the machine began to rumble and shake. Soon the machine began to die down, the glass slowly rising up as smoke and steam escaped the pod...followed by a hand as it gripped the side of the machine hard, the talons at the end of each finger digging into the metal. Serges grinned, his larger eye rotating a bit to better focus on the emerging figure.
"Okay…Why are we here?" Byte asked, looking out at Daybreak Town's sunken ruins with Bit.
"I don't know. You have to ask Jin since he told us ta come here," Bit replied.
"Hi!"
"GAH!"
*SPLASH!*
"Oh good! Bit's getting right to it!" Jin beamed.
"Getting right to what?" Byte asked.
"We are going to find things to make human money with!" Jin replied.
"...Why?" Byte asked after a moment.
"Mmm…I wanna get things, but I'm not supposed to just take them this time," Jin replied, "Pop's gonna be mad if I do that."
"Hah? Horobi's wantin' ya ta do this? Eh, sure. Don't wanna get him mad at us even more den normal," Byte shrugged, moving back.
Bit emerged from the water, "Gah! What the hell, Ji-Why's everything going dark?" he looked up to see Byte's large behind falling at him, "...Oh sh…!"
*SPLOOSH!*
"Oh~!" Jin awed, looking at the tower of water that produced, "I wanna make a big water tower, too!" he began to move back before pausing, "Ah…wait…no, gotta get shiny stuff under the water to get those parts for Pops. Then I can make the big water tower like Byte can." he ran into the water, smiling, "I have good friends!"
"I hate all of you!" Bit gurgled as he was dragged down by the others.
"And this is the form for allocating funds for R&D on producing Light-hakase's formula for waterproofing machinery Splash Woman-san unlocked!" Rico informed.
"Ahh…Paperwork is evil…" Aruto groaned as he signed the last piece of paper, "Why can't I use a stamp with my signature?!"
"It's meant to be a security check on making sure documents have been appropriately reviewed and prevent any misunderstandings," Roll informed, doing a light dusting, "Your grandfather felt using a stamp was disrespectful to the people and Reploids who create the paperwork."
"Aw come on, Jii-chan~!" Aruto whined before smirking, "Ah! If I could get that stamping thing repealed, then I can just stamp out my troubles away! Aruto ja~ naito!"
"..." Rico scratched her head for a moment, "Oh! It's a joke meant to play on using stam…"
"Don't explain the joke!" Aruto complained.
"Sorry~" Rico giggled, "It feels funnier this way,"
"Ah…at least you smiled…" Aruto sighed as he grabbed the last paper in the 'IN' dropbox and looked at it, "...Eh?"
"What's wrong?" Rico asked.
"It's a request from the Maverick Hunters for a new Reploid to lead the 7th Airborne Unit," Aruto replied, "But…that's Storm Eagle's unit."
"Storm…Eagle?" Rico tilted her head.
"One of the first specialized Maverick Hunters that was given animal traits to better fit their roles in the Maverick Hunters," Roll informed before her eyes glowed and displayed an image of a Reploid that was primarily blue in color with yellow and gray details, eagle talons for feet, huge wings, and a head resembling an eagle's, "Storm Eagle was Hiden Intelligence's first successful Reploid with flight capabilities that did not require jetpacks nor blades."
"So I guess…everyone is pushing for things to get back to full power," Aruto spoke up, "They want to put someone new in charge. Air forces could help a lot with all the Maverick nonsense going on. And…that Tori-chan stealing jerk…even he would have to back down if dealing with an airfleet." he frowned, "But why replace Storm Eagle? He's so awesome!" he stood up, "Right. We're going to talk with them 'bout this!"
"Eh?!" Rico gawked.
"Oh…I think there's something we forgot to tell him…" Roll blinked a few times as Aruto was already out the door, "Oops…"
"How many secrets do we keep from the Shacho?" Rico complained.
"Many," Roll confirmed, "Best to follow him, Rico. Otherwise, he may be held in one of the cells they have at Maverick Hunter HQ until he calms down."
"One day we need to find out everything. It looks bad if the Shacho knows none of the secrets of our own company. It looks bad…" Rico sighed.
"He will one day," Roll replied, patting Rico's shoulder, "But putting it all on him at once would be detrimental to his mental health. It is preferable to allow him to learn of these as time goes by."
"Isn't the fact we let him run around as a grasshopper man also a problem?" she pointed to the window as Zero-One was clinging to the window.
"Come on! Let's go!" he called out as he motioned with his head for them to follow as he just…fell off the window.
"You're right, giving him superpowers is just as bad," Roll muttered sheepishly, seeing Zero-One just do that, "What was everyone thinking trusting Aru-kun with super powers?"
"I landed on my mask again!" Zero-One shouted.
X, in his civilian disguise, placed a lit incense stick in place before a grave marker. He brought his hands together and lowered his head, giving a silent prayer.
"Dr. Cain…we nearly have everything that will bring Zero back," X spoke after a few moments, "I kind of wish that humans could be like Reploids in that manner, but…" he shook his head, "I'm sorry. I wish I took the shot and hadn't hesitated that day." he eyes flashed for a moment, "X here."
"We had to put Aruto in one of the cells," Alia informed.
"...Why?!"
"He hit the reinforced glass window to the commander's office in his armor and landed on a car after he was peeled off."
"Well for some reason a group of wise and intelligent adults thought it was best to gift him extreme responsibility and super powers…so…we're just lucky he's not wearing the Kamen Rider armor 24/7…" X chuckled, "I'm guessing Rico and Ro-er-Kaa-san are there?"
"They're here and, yeah, that…that really was a surprise after you told us."
"Imagine how I'm feeling about it," X sighed out, "But I'm getting there. If this is what dealing with things is like. Now let's hope Aruto-kun is the worst that comes out way today." he paused, "Did he somehow get a tin cup and is using it to bang on the walls of the containment cells as if bars in an old timey prison?" he asked, stifling a giggle.
"I wish I could say no…"
"Alright, alright. I'm heading back to base," X chuckled, ending the call before looking back at the grave marker, "Sorry about this, Dr. A lot of stuff has changed for myself and my friend Aruto. Next time I come, I'll tell you more." he turned away and walked off, giving a final wave to it before teleporting to HQ.
"Aruto-shacho," Signas greeted, standing before the cell, "Is there a reason for you jumping at my window earlier when we haven't received any alerts on a Maverick sighting?"
"I think he had an intense case of cabin fever and an abundance of paper work so he took the first excuse he could to get away." Roll offered.
"I'm 22, my wrist sounds like a ratchet already!" Zero-One complained, "But more importantly, I'm here to ask…" he began patting himself over, "How does this thing's stupid pocket space work…? I swear I can pull whatever ProgriseKey I have in my pants out of thin air, but my house keys and driver's license are lost somewhere in all this reinforced spandex stuff…" a drop of saline solution went down the back of Signas's head as the Rider got down on one knee and began patting his leg, "Hah?! It's in my boot?! How?!"
"...I never realized how difficult it was for a human clad in power armor…" Rico muttered.
"Human? Ask some of the other Robot Masters about it, especially Magnet Man when his namesakes' off switches glitch near a truck," Roll noted as Zero-One unfolded the paper and held it up to the black-armored leader of the Maverick Hunters.
"What's this about replacing Storm Eagle?" He questioned, "Isn't he just on temporary leave for goodwill promoting Reploids in other countries with some of the others, Commander Sigma, and Dr. Cain?"
"Ah…" Signas blinked a few times, "That…"
"Aruto!" X called as he ran into the cells.
"Oi! X, did you know they wanna replace Storm Eagle?! If I had Tori-chan, feathers would be flying right now!"
X stumbled at that, "Ah! R-Replace?"
Signas frowned, "Has…Has no one told you, Hiden-shacho?"
"Huh? Told me what?" Zero-One asked before an alarm went off.
"I didn't do it this time!" Zero-One and Rico yelped in unison, earning the broom from Roll.
"Where did that come from?" Signas questioned.
"Alia, what's happening?" X asked, turning on the comms.
"Someone hacked into the systems and left us a message…one addressed to you and the Riders, X."
"To…us?" X pondered, he and Zero-One looking at each other in confusion.
"Seems fishy to me," Zero-One noted.
"Oh~" Jin awed, watching as a school of fish swam ahead of them.
"They are kinda shiny," Byte noted, "Not sure if a store would take 'em, though."
"Mmm…" Bit frowned in annoyance…currently tied to Byte's back as the two swam down.
"Hmm…I guess we can't just catch the fish in a lake formed around a small town. Probably not very healthy…also who knows what all the experimental tech leaked into the water did," Jin shrugged as they continued on, a series of stones moving as a long probably bigger than normal tentacle swished about and sensed something in the water.
"Also chances are anything down here might've rusted from age or…" Bit began before he was suddenly 'dropped' onto the ground.
"Ooh! Hey Jin!" Byte shouted as he 'ran' towards a large treasure chest, "Think there's stuff we can sell in here?!"
"Ohh~ Treasure chest! They always hold something good!" Jin beamed, "Open it!"
"Wait! The water might…!" Bit began as Byte ford teh chest open, letting its contents fly out..and the gold coins immediately rust in the water with the gemstones falling to pieces, "...have a reaction on any gold and gems inside…"
"...It's still a treasure!" Jin looked at a coin, "Oh…nope, false alarm…it's not gold, real gold can't rust." he shook his head as he put a coin in his mouth and clamped his teeth on it, "Nope…yeah…that's copper painted gold."
"Is that safe?" Byte asked.
"No worries, my teeth are made of a silicon thing, they don't rust!" Jin smiled.
"Oh~"
"Ugh…of all things to be roped into today…" Bit whispered, pinching the bridge of his 'nose' as he shook his head…all unaware of something slithering his way, "I could've been meditating with Agile or going over funds with Horobi….I'd take that meathead Violent over this…ugh. Least things will turn once m-" he began before he was suddenly wrapped by a robotic tentacle, "?!"
"..oh! There's a nearby jewelry store nearby!" Byte declared as he pointed to a nearby broken down store underneath the water, both him and Jin currently unaware of Bit struggling and fighting with the tentacle trying to drag him away, "They might have more authentic gold in there…like gold bars."
"Oh! Good point!" Jin beamed.
"GAH!" Bit cried out as the tentacle dragged him away.
"You hear something?" Jin asked as Byte shrugged.
"Ugh…why on my day off…?" Isamu muttered as he and Yua walked down the hallway leading to the Maverick Hunter HQ Commander room.
"You take days off?" Yua raised a brow lightly at that.
"It's so I don't get forced to again." he explained simply, "Also I need time to relax…away from people who make my life and job hard." he looked at Yua for a moment, "You…I need to get away from you. Cause…you suck."
"Why do you think I treasure all my vacation hours, Mr. I Force the Authorization by Dislocation of my Wrist?" Yua responded, a few Maverick Hunters choosing to wisely move far out of the way of their approach to the command center for the HQ.
"Hmph. It was only the first time," Isamu scoffed as he held up Shooting Wolf and flicked it open with his thumb.
"Because you broke the locking mechanism!"
"Ano…"
"What?!" Both demanded, turning and glaring at Rico, who squeaked and hid behind X with Aruto.
"Ahem," Signas cleared his throat, standing calmly, "Agents of AIMS."
"Commander Signas," Yua returned the greeting after a moment of awkward silence.
"Why am I here?" Isamu asked simply, "Between Shacho-san, Blue Boy, and Lady Can't-Have-Fun, you can't possibly burn down the city without me." he paused before he grabbed both Aruto and X and lifted them off their feet, "What did you chowderheads do?" he demanded.
"Why do you always blame us?!" Aruto gawked.
"Because it's always one of you, one of you does a random check up on a Reploid and Boom Maverick attack in downtown again! Or one of you suddenly has an old rival seemingly back from the junkyard and boom uptown is on fire again!" Isamu snapped as he began shaking them both to throttle them, "Now out with it before I use one of you to beat the other into a work of modern art…"
"...very well then," Signals nodded as they entered the command center with the Navigator trio looking up at the message shown on the huge screen, "Not too long ago, we were hacked by an unknown enemy, and Alia and her team finished deciphering it…and it would seem to be a challenged aimed towards X, Zero-One, and you two."
"What kind of suicidal idiot sent that?" Isamu bluntly questioned while still choking Aruto and X.
"Here's the write of challenge from them," Alia informed as she pressed a button and a hologram of the message popped up.
"'To X, the Shining Hopper, Shooting Wolf, and Rushing Cheetah, I declare a challenge between you four, myself, and my troops. Report to the land where Cain and Abel collapsed in a fiery demise by 1530 or I shall have my troops begin bombardment of your city of operations beginning with HIDEN Intelligence. Signed…'" Yua read before gasping, "'Former 7th Air Fleet Commander Storm Eagle.'"
"...HAH?!" Aruto screamed in shock as Isamu let him and X go.
"That…that's impossible," X whispered in equal shock, 'Did…did Metsubojinrai have something to do with this?"
"That's a lie! That…That can't be! Storm Eagle's one of the best people!" Aruto argued, looking around, "This is an imposter! …Right?" He noticed how the Maverick Hunters all looking away from him, "R-Right?"
"..."
"...wh…Why isn't anyone answering!?" Aruto pleaded them, "...This is about the Maverick War X took part in, isn't it? And who's Abel?!"
"...hah…" Signas sighed as he fixed his hat a bit, "Abel is not a person….it's a city…or, rather, was. It was built upon a multi-climate artificial island created by the UN as an attempt to make a working Daybreak Town."
"Don't say anything about us doing any coverups. It was all the UN's orders," Roll informed, "Dr. Light was mortified and wanted to admit to it all as did Uncle, but the UN wished to keep them out of any scandals due to the good they've done and avoid causing a global panic."
"G…Global panic?" Aruto repeated.
"Six months prior to your advancement to CEO of Hiden Intelligence, Commander Sigma…was declared a Maverick alongside several other Reploids including Vile and Storm Eagle," Signas informed, "The worst act they committed…was the utilization of missiles to raze Abel City, ending the lives of 123,837 humans and 65,764 Reploids. The most notable loss…was your godfather, Dr. Cain."
"?!" Aruto's eyes shocked upon hearing all that, "...n…no way…s…Sigma wouldn't do all that…Storm Eagle especially wouldn't…I was there when he was turned on as a teen! He wasn't a Maverick! He…He couldn't be turned into one willingly!"
"...and yet he did," X whispered, a solemn tone in his voice as Aruto looked at him, "Me and Zero tried to stop Sigma from firing the missiles…only he overpowered us both…if…" his hand balled up into a fist as he looked down, "If I hadn't hesitated that day…"
"So…he wants to fight the new guard now?" Isamu asked bluntly, "Fine…I'll scrap him myself." He crossed his arms, "I don't care how heroic it used to be, Mavericks are Mavericks…they all get scrapped."
"...not Sigma…he's different compared to them," X argued, a frown soon growing on his face, "He was made to be the perfect Reploid...one capable of protecting humans…one strong enough to take on even the most daunting of task, the most dangerous missions...all that."
"Yet you're here and he ain't," Isamu pointed out.
"I got lucky because of an armor Dr. Light gave me," X informed, "It got damaged to the point it needs to be repaired...or remade entirely."
"Which is not easy because, Asimov above, did Dr. Light seem to relish in how advanced he'd make some of his stuff!" Pallette shouted in the background.
"Just make me guns, I need guns," Isamu declared, "I can handle this from now on."
"The challenge was issued to us three and X," Yua reminded.
"So? I can take down a fleet of airships by myself."
"How?!"
"Give me a gun...and I'll snipe the pilots from their seats."
"Oh! We just finished making a sniper rifle based off Sting Chameleon's weapon," Pallette noted, about to run to get it when she was stopped with a stern look from Signas.
"Focus…" Signas reminded before looking back at the message, "Imposter or not, Storm Eagle was one of the Maverick Hunters best units…so I suggest you four be careful out there. Pallet and Douglas will be on standby to send you any needed weapons."
"Of course, sir," Yua saluted…before lightly nudging Isamu.
"Regardless of if its the same guy or not, I'm going to scrap him." Isamu replied simply, "If you don't have it in you to fight him, that's fine, I'll handle it. I have no reason to hold back."
Signas nodded before looking at X and Aruto, "And you two? Will you accept their challenge or no?"
"Ah…" Aruto muttered, "I…"
"..." X said nothing as he looked away.
"...I understand you two," Signas sighed before looking at Yua and Isamu, "You two go on ahead. Keep us informed if anything comes up."
"?" both X and Aruto looked up at him.
"It's clear you two have much to talk about and need to get off your chest….as it stands, you two are unable to focus on fighting the enemy," Signals stated, "As such, you two are ordered to stay here until further notice."
"Is that wise, sir?" Alia questioned as she turned in her seat, "The letter…"
"If a soldier does not have a steel resolve, then they would falter in the face of battle," Signals stated, "And sometimes…there will be an obstacle they'll have trouble getting through, be it physically…or mentally." he looked at Layer at her console, "Give Agent Yaiba the coordinates for where the island is."
"Sir," Layer agreed.
"Seems even Reploids know that women are better at directions," Yua noted in amusement as she walked over to where Layer was at.
"Oi," Isamu scowled.
"Maybe it'd be best if you two take Aruto and X and head back to Hiden Intelligence HQ," Alia advised Roll and Rico, glancing over at the two with concern in her eyes.
"Of course," Roll nodded.
"H-hai…" Rico whispered, looking at Aruto in concern as well.
In the hidden lab, Aruto sat in a swivel chair, looking at the 3D printer. Nearby, X was sitting in another, facing a corner. Rico nervously looked back and forth between the two as Roll was preparing a drink for Aruto and E-Drinks for the three automatons. Rico started to move towards Aruto before starting to move to X…then back to Aruto…then to X…then a handbrush lightly rapped the top of her head.
"You'll strip some of your bolts being indecisive," Roll gently warned, "I've done it to myself a few times when I was your age from worry whenever Rock and Soreo were out fighting Dr. Wily and his Robot Masters. The readjustment period to new ones is always uncomfortable."
"Oh…I-I see…" Rico whispered.
"...who?" Aruto finally spoke up, earning the girls and X's attention, "Who else went Maverick that I don't know about, X?"
"...Several," X finally responded as well, "Launch Octopus, Chill Penguin, Flame Mammoth, Boomerang Kuwanger, Sting Chameleon, Spark Mandrill, Armored Armadillo, and…" he paused before looking down once more, "Storm Eagle…they each took over different parts of the island Abel City was on with most of their troops. Some I hesitated to fight against. Others…well…they more or less showed their true colors." he frowned, "The one thing I also noticed when I fought them and their men…none of them looked like Mavericks that Metsuboujinrai makes from Reploids."
"Eh?" Rico pondered.
"None of them had their outer appearances stripped and remolded into armored grunts when infected by lead Mavericks."
"...Could it be a new strand of the Maverick Virus then?" Rico pondered
"I don't know," Roll shook her head, "People had theorized that it was similar to Dr. Wily's Roboenza virus in the past, but…speaking from experience, this one that MetsubojinraiNET uses feels…more advanced."
"So…Maverick is both a virus-like state, and just Reploids who…rebelled against the status quo?" Aruto asked, "By that logic, any Reploid at any moment could go Maverick if they just voice their opinions against humans strongly…"
"It's honestly scary thinking that way," Rico shuddered before recalling something from earlier, "Aruto-shacho…you said you were there when Storm Eagle was first activated?"
"Ah," Aruto nodded, "I was still in high school at the time and was planning to surprise Jii-chan and Light-hakase with a surprise comedy show. I didn't even know Cain-Jii was there at the time."
-flashback-
Thomas Light blinked a few times alongside Korenosuke Hiden, the two looking at the grinning smile of a thinner elderly man in white and red robes and a messy silver beard and balding head. Beside him, inactive, was a taller, strong looking Reploid in blues with yellow and gray details. Yet the oddest things on the Reploid were the eagle-shaped head, the three-talon feet, and the rather large eagle-like metal wings on its back. All of them were inside of what appeared to be an airfield storage meant for larger planes to be stored inside of, purchased by Hiden Intelligence. The emotionless Roll stood nearby, awaiting orders.
"Well…What do you think?" the elder asked.
"I…I'll be honest, Cain…I've never seen a Robot Master made in such a…unique…way, let alone a HumaGear," Thomas admitted.
"Reploid, Thomas. The board outvoted us on the name," Korenosuke reminded him.
"I know, I know, but I liked HumaGear. It had a nice ring to it." Thomas sighed, "Though…Like I said, Cain, this one is far more unique than any other model we've ever built."
"Well, when you said you were planning to make some Reploids to be made into a protective force for peace, I wanted to add my own touches to some of them," Cain chuckled, stroking his beard with his right hand, "So I thought 'why not add something that wasn't just human to their looks?' Storm Eagle is one of the first. I used data on the North American Bald Eagle in order to let him know how to use his wings, talons, and eyesight to their fullest potential in aerial assistance. His internal 'skeleton' is made of Bassnium and Lightanium interlayed together to allow them to be hollowed out for easier lift and less strain on the wings." he pointed up to the Reploid's head, "Inside of his databanks are the collective knowledge of all laws pertaining to the sky, be it from a simple kite to the most advanced fighter jet and will receive regular updates to those different laws from There."
"Zea," Korenosuke corrected.
"The board again?"
"No. Thomas switched the names before submitting them," Korenosuke pouted.
"You have the worst naming sense, Korenosuke," Thomas replied with a flat expression.
"I do not~"
"You want to name the Reploid you want to make for Aruto 'Is' and you named that poor detective type 'Was,'" Thomas pointed out, "Do I even want to take a guess and say your next satellite idea would be 'We're'?"
"...I do too have a good naming sense…"
Cain let out a hearty laugh at that, "Why do you think his wife named Soreo, hm? He was going to name him 'Were!'"
"Are we here to witness your new Reploid's maiden flight or talk about me, hm?!" Korenosuke demanded.
"Right-right!" Cain laughed, "My turn then," he motioned as Roll's eyes flashed, beginning recording, "I would like you to meet my boy, Storm Eagle."
As Cain explained Storm Eagle's purpose, an teenaged Aruto stopped his bike by the back of the building, chuckling as he got off and leaned it against the wall, "Oh boy…I heard Jii-chan's been stressed lately, so a good laugh is what he needs!"
"Why aren't we going in through the open front doors?" X, in his civilian disguise, asked.
"Because we surprise them and then I wow them with the jokes!" Aruto replied, "It's called 'shock and haw' for a reason!"
"...Pfft…" X snorted a laugh and gave a thumbs up, caving to the idea.
Aruto grinned and opened the backdoor. X followed after him as he made his way up a set of stairs to one of the higher catwalks in the building, Cain's voice echoing a bit.
"...He is the first of his type of Reploid, based upon animals, insects, or even plants to better handle certain environments that any other Reploid currently cannot," Cain spoke as the two soon found the three older men, one gynoid, and one humanoid eagle Reploid, "And so, I activate for you all…Storm Eagle!"
=Awaken From The Deep Dive=
The green gem on Storm Eagle's forehead lit up before his eyes snapped open, revealing them to be a sharp…yet oddly gentle smokey gray color. His wings fluttered a little as he looked around. Aruto couldn't help the sound of awe that escaped his lips upon seeing the taller Reploid activating, leaning a bit against the railing to get a better look…before it broke.
"GAH!" Aruto screamed.
"ARUTO!" X shouted, reaching out to the boy and barely missing him in his fall…before a blue blur swooped past X's face, causing him to look up.
"Careful now," Storm Eagle spoke, his voice strong and gentle, as he held Aruto with one arm as his wings gently flapped to keep them afloat, "Humans can't fly without assistance now."
"Aruto!?" the men all gawked.
"Hahahaha…Hi~" he sheepishly waved, "At least we know the cool new guy works, right? …Am I still grounded? Because it'll kinda be hard since I'm currently airborne~ Hai! Aruto ja~ naito!"
"...I must have been late in my catch and he's in shock," Storm Eagle noted as X had to bite his hand to not crack up in laughter.
"X! I see you up there, young man!" Thomas scolded, making X panic.
"Don't let him get away now, Storm Eagle!" Cain called out with a chuckle, "Bring 'em both down for a scolding from 'em!"
"Yabei~!" both shouted.
-end-
"I got grounded for a month and X for a week," Aruto pouted.
"I think it was because you kept trying to do the comedy routine that only added to it," X pointed out.
"No way it was that!" Aruto denied, crossing his arms over his chest in an 'X' for denial, before smiling, "Still, we got to stay to watch as Storm Eagle got to show off what he could do. He was just so amazing~! The way he could fly about and do all sorts of loops and swoops and just…" he tried to think of how to describe it before shaking his head, "And before the last time I got to see him, he was always so strong willed to do good for everyone! Always so calm and cool…I don't get why folks seemed to feel so awkward when he was just looking out for everyone, especially to those he worked with!"
"Eh? What happened the last time?" Rico asked.
"Ah…that was after Teal was destroyed," Aruto recalled.
"Teal?" Rico asked, looking at Roll.
"A Reploid from the 17th unit in the Maverick Hunters. She was an A-Class Hunter," Roll informed, "When terrorists hijacked an airplane, she, Zero, and Storm Eagle were deployed to prevent them from using explosives in it for their plans. A storm forced Storm Eagle to seek the ground to avoid being heavily damaged, Teal and Zero remained inside of the airplane. Zero was successful in subjugating the terrorists while Teal was destroyed when one of the bombs fell from the airplane with her. Due to the fact that no Reploids that are designated Maverick Hunters are authorized to have backup data for protection, she cannot be restored."
"Yeah, she and Storm Eagle were really close to each other," Aruto recalled, "If anything…it looked like they were probably like the stories I've heard about you and Rock, Roll."
"So…they…had feelings for one another?" Rico asked, "They had love?"
"It seemed that way to me," X noted.
"It's why I can't believe Storm Eagle would ever willingly go Maverick!" Aruto declared, standing up, "Especially when Cain-jii…" he trailed off, "...Why didn't you tell me he died?"
"I…I've tried to, several times," X admitted, sighing as he looked down at his feet, "But…But whenever I was about to, you'd look at me and…and I couldn't stand to be the one to hurt you like that. Especially that last time when you were so excited about getting the job at the amusement park and were pumped to finally start your dream. I swore I'd tell you after your first week, but…" he gestured to everything, "This all happened."
"It feels like each day I learn some new dark secret of the world, or my friends and family…I'm pretty sure Roll has an entire list of things she has yet to tell me because she thinks I'm not ready yet," Aruto looked at Roll…who turned away from his gaze, "See?! Guilty!"
"...Aruto-shacho," Rico spoke up, "It…It's really upsetting, especially from what you've said about some people and Reploids, but X-san was likely hurting just as much as you are now."
"E-Eh?" Aruto looked at the cyan-haired Reploid.
"X-san had to fight his fellow Reploids, his friends, in that war," Rico reminded him before looking at X, "You were hurting so much about what happened and couldn't think properly about things, right?"
Roll shook her head as she saw how X was looking away from Rico, "That's something you get from your father, X. He managed to mostly hide it later on, but when he first started fighting Dr. Wily, he'd break down once he was able to come home, always wondering why his fellow Robot Masters would do their actions, why Wily would do what he did. He'd overclock his processor on thinking of how to speak to folks who had been hurt be it directly or indirectly in the Wily Wars." she looked over at Aruto, "And Soreo would get upset with Dr. Light and Hiden-shacho when they'd hide something as well. Especially when it could have resolved things easier. I actually put a budget for large rocks for him to practice his techniques as Ichi-Gata on." she gave a small giggle, "In a way…it feels like I'm looking at your fathers at the moment and not just you boys." a few moments passed as the three looked at her with surprised looks before she winked with an amused smile, "...I still have the number for the rock quarry we purchased Soreo's boulders from saved in my databanks if you need one, Aruto-chan."
"Tou-san would do that?" Aruto asked, the smallest of smirks at the idea of his father just hitting rocks to feel better, "It's almost hard to imagine, but also really easy to. Tou-san always seemed too calm and controlled. But I thought deep down even he had a side he never showed me as a kid."
"...How did Tou-san deal with his troubles?" X asked.
Roll smiled softly at that, "He'd trust in his friends and family, knowing that we'd try to be there for his best and his worst times. Sometimes he'd talk; others, he'd just like for someone to just sit with him and be close to them. Often I was the one who'd do both, but sometimes it'd be one of our uncles or cousins that'd be there when he needed someone. The worst was when eight of Dr. Wily's Robot Masters chose to be offline instead of finding a new purpose outside of fighting. It took several months to bounce back from that period, unable to enter sleep mode without someone there, having regrets and moments of self-deprecation we'd have to pull him out of…" she shook her head, "War hurts people in different ways, be they human or self-aware machine like a Robot Master or Reploid. We all have our ways to handle it, be they good or bad." she walked up and gently took a hand of each of them, "What is important is making sure we find our way to who we are during times of war, that we remember to be true to who we are and how we were raised and taught. To remember just why we endure the battles that come and remember those who were in battles with us before…and grow stronger with understanding."
"..." Aruto looked to X as the two traded nods with one another to have a wordless agreement.
"Alright…where is he?" Isamu asked, "He made this big deal of a challenge, and when I make the effort to go to the place I'm left waiting."
"Must you do this in a place like this?" Yua demanded, gesturing to the ruined city around them while they stood in a partially collapsed coliseum that looked to have been used for a music festival prior to its destruction.
"I didn't pick the location, he did, and now I'm pissed off," Isamu explained, "If he wants me to feel guilty, I'm not the stupid machine who went and turned Maverick. All it reminds me of is they can't be trusted worth a damn."
"I'm still stunned that the UN actually succeeded in hiding something this massive," Yua admitted, her phone out as she used its lens to look in the distance, "Several different biomes all living amongst one another without worry of contamination with one another…to think just a computer virus could cause such devastation…"
"Do you want me to repeat myself?" Isamu questioned before she tensed.
"Northeast," Yua warned, putting her phone away while pulling out Rushing Cheetah.
"...tch," Isamu scoffed as he pulled out Shooting Wolf, the two beginning to walk off before the area started to get dark, "? The hell…Oi, did the weatherbots get the weather wrong again?"
"?" Yua raised a brow at that, looking back at him for a moment before she looked up...before her eyes widened, "Wh…what…?"
Isamu looked up as well before he tensed, seeing a massive fleet of ships littering the skies above, "Okay…How?"
"They likely salvaged and repaired the ships that had been destroyed here," Yua guessed, earning a raised brow from Isamu, "Alia included some mission reports X made involving Storm Eagle and his actions here."
"Okay…starting to understand why they said to come here then," Isamu noted before forcing open his ProgrizeKey, "Still going to scrap them all."
"You can't scrap all of those!" Yua complained.
"Not until I steal one," He replied, "Henshin!"
=Shooting Wolf!=
"Which one looks like the biggest one I can crash into the rest?" Vulcan asked as he looked up at them before zeroing in on the largest one, "That one." he looked around before jumping and scaling a still somewhat intact building, "For once, I think I would have liked having Shacho's Hopper key…"
"He's an idiot…but he's got a point; ground combat wouldn't be smart." Yua sighed, putting Rushing Cheetah away and pulled out her other ProgrizeKey, "Henshin!"
=Lightning Hornet!=
Valkyrie sighed as she jumped up and flew off via her form's wings, leaving Vulcan behind.
"Ah! I hate that woman…" Vulcan groaned, reaching the top of the tallest ruins he could find, he then looked around before finding a chain, "I just know the gorilla statements are going to get worse if anyone sees me do this…" he gripped the chain and looked up before spinning and swinging the chain to tie it to a handle on the side of one of the airships for someone to use for climbing along the outer area, "No, of course don't give me a lift…It's not like I'm not the stronger fighter…" he grumbled as he began pulling himself up, "I need to demand a flight-based form for myself…everyone's flying now…"
"Now…where is our honorable host?" Valkyrie sighed as she flew above the airships, "You'd think he'd come out to greet us, unless he's really waiting for everyone to arrive. In which case more trouble will arise…" she then turned her head hearing a scream of surprise as a Maverick was tossed out of an Airship, "He actually climbed up into one?!" she avoided a large plasma shot, making her look to see one of the airships shooting at her and forcing her to start dodging, "Gh!"
"Shooting at us with the ships, this was just a trap wasn't it?" Vulcan sighed as he shot a Reploid making them fall over, "Alright two…can…" he looked at the controls, "...ah…this is a lot more complicated then what I was taught in basic…" he scratched his helmet, "Crashing it is…" he grabbed the controls and made the airship take a sharp turn to actually crash into the nearest ship and make it crash into the next in a domino effect, "No point in complaining now…besides this is why I recruited air force guys to pilot stuff for me." he kept pushing on the controls as the airship crashing continued.
"Wha?" Valkyrie blinked, seeing the chain of crashes, "He actually crashed them…I guess he actually does know how to pilot these things…"
"Ah?" Vulcan gawked as he snapped the control stick off, "..." he handed it to a Maverick who had his arm ripped off in the fight for the control room, "You're back in charge…" he said simply as he ran for the stairs to get to the top of the airship, the Maverick panicking as there was now no way to correct their course anymore. The Kamen Rider ignoring the panic as he punched the latch to the top of the airship off, "Let's see…I took down at least half of them…now I'm gonna need a way up to the rest…" he looked around before ducking down and coming back up with another chain, "Hah…I swear one Tarzan joke and I'm filing a complaint to HR on her…" he grumbled, fully climbing out as he swung the chain around to hook another airship.
"Ugh…I swear…" Valkyrie sighed, shaking her head as she was about to follow after him...only to tense when she felt something behind her, prompting her to turn...to see nothing, "...what…?" she slowly looked up before a pair of wings folded, letting the sun's light shine right in her face, "Geh…! What…?!" she began before she was suddenly hit by a massive tornado, making her cry out as she was sent crashing into a destroyed ship on the ground.
"What was that?" Vulcan grunted as he ripped the latch to a compartment on the bottom of an airship.
Soon a blur shot past him, sparks coming off his armor as he staggered back. Soon, the blur came back from above, causing more sparks to come off his armor before he was suddenly bombarded with multiple crimson razor sharp feathers.
"Gh!" Vulcan groaned in pain, but his grip refused to give as he didn't fall, "Cheap shot…freakin'..." he cursed to himself before he shook it off, "Sorry, but I can't fly so if you wanna play with me then do it on the ground…" he growled as he continued climbing his way in, "Much as it pains me to say…if Shacho and X don't show up, it's up to Yaiba to handle this…please let them show up,"
=Aww~ I knew you cared for me= Zero-One's voice spoke from over his intercom.
"...Let the record show…you are the only one I would save if all of us were in something about to crash," Vulcan groaned, "Now if you'll excuse me…I need to crash things into things…"
=Those are the nicest words you have ever said in…the entire time I've known you!= Zero-One laughed.
"No one will believe you," Vulcan kicked open the door to the control room as the Mavericks within turned to him, "And I'll get rid of all witnesses." he began shooting.
The red blur which attacked them moved around only to be crashed into by a yellow blur, the two struggling and falling through the air before the yellow blur revealed itself to be Zero-One. He grunted and kicked the Red Blur, sending it slamming onto the top of the largest Airship. Zero-One grunted, landing as he wobbled a bit before stomping his foot to fix his stance.
A pair of large wings opened up, dispersing the resulting dust cloud as a figure began to walk it. It was Storm Eagle, but…he looked drastically different. His red helmet was now framed by a jagged crest on either side of his eyes with several feathers falling from the side of his helmet to give it more of a headdress appearance. His shoulder pauldrons expanded out further, now as brighter orange color while a small spike made them have a wing like wings longer, thinner, but sharper in appearance. His legs adorned in silver armor overtop jagged yellow segmented armor around the back of each leg, blue crystals in each knee with green glowing accents as his taloned feet gripped the airship's surface.
"Storm Eagle…" Zero-One spoke, "You know who I am…right?"
"..."
"Storm Eagle…what happened to you?" X asked, his eyes wide as he looked at the Maverick's appearance.
"..."
"...answer please! W-"
"Zat is foolishness..." the two looked up to see Serges flying down on his hovering platform, "He cannot reply to you."
"...What did you do?!" X demanded as he aimed his X-Buster at him.
"Simple. I remade him...I perfected him," Serges grinned, "Using the research of the late Dr. Doppler, I vas able to create something very unique…an evolution for Mavericks destroyed by you, X! The next step in evolution for all Reploid kind! Behold..!" he motioned to the frowning Storm Eagle, "The first of many new Mavericks…Storm Eagle L!"
"Storm Eagle…L?" Zero-One repeated, "...What does the L stand for?"
"Liberated," Serges replied, "No longer bound by ze shackles of his past! He is ze first of a new generation, ja!"
"..." Zero-One said nothing as he held his hand out and summoned his attache Calibur into his waiting palm, "Omae o tomerareru no wa tada hitori…" he opened his weapon from Attache mode to sword mode, "Ore da!" he stomped his foot and, in a blur of, speed he reached the two standing ahead of him as he swung his sword which was blocked by Storm Eagle L, the impact making Serges nearly fall over, "Reploids…should be allowed to choose their own paths in life…they should be allowed to voice their opinions and concerns without fear of being labeled as Mavericks or dangers…they should be allowed to find happiness within their lives!" he grunted as Storm Eagle L kicked him back, "More than that…when we lose someone we care about…!" Storm Eagle L paused for a moment, "We should be allowed to fall apart…because everyone is allowed to miss people when they're gone!" he roared, swinging and slashing Storm Eagle L across the chest making sparks fly.
"?!" Storm Eagle L flinched as he staggered back a bit while clutching his chest, the Maverick frowning before he threw his hand out while spreading his wings wide open, "Kakatekoi…"
"Hah!" Zero-One roared as he rushed and began swinging as Storm Eagle L blocked swing after swing before swinging his leg to kick at the Rider who just humped over it.
Storm Eagle L expanded his wings as he took off into the air after Zero-One. The Kamen Rider grunted as he was struck and carried off higher into the air. He gasped as he was grabbed by the throat. But refusing to give in, Zero-One slammed his knee into Storm Eagle L's chest, making him flinch. The Rider used the opening as he swung his Attache Calibur at the Maverick's wings and caused them to veer through the air erratically before crashing into a building. Storm Eagle L grunted, getting to his feet, only for the dust of their crash to disperse as Zero-One roared and slammed a knee to his face and knocked him back. Zero-One swung his sword as he slashed Storm Eagle L's chest, the Maverick slammed his right arm's buster into the Rider's chest as both attacked, causing a large explosion of sparks as blade and buster fire knocked both away from one another.
"Gah…" Zero-One grunted as he rolled back and to his feet, he stomped his foot back and hit the wall behind him and used it to propel himself forward as he tackled Storm Eagle L, sending them both through several walls before flying out of the building and falling through the air. Zero-One grabbed the Maverick's arm as they fell and brought him close to his face, "Storm Eagle-san, it's me…Aruto!" he called out as they crashed to the ground, "Right now…" he groaned, getting back to his feet as the dust cleared, "I'm the CEO of Hiden Intelligence!" he grunted as he was blasted again, knocking him back, "All this time…I thought you were still alive…you were just recovering…No one told me what happened!" he was kicked as Storm Eagle L's talons slashed his armor, "I hate that!" he shouted as he swung his leg and blocked another kick before swinging around to spin around and land a hook kick to Storm Eagle L's chest making him grunt in pain as sparks flew from the Rider's superior kicking power, "I hate that all of you had to suffer! You had to deal with something so horrible…and you lost those you cared for…" he blocked a punch, only for Storm Eagle L to blast him point blank, "I won't be that kind of CEO…I will protect the Reploids…and people…" he refused to let go of the Maverick's fist as he tried to take his arm back, "I'm not smart like my Jiichan…or any of the other brilliant men who brought you all to life! I couldn't make my dream come true with comedy…but…I'll make it happen as a CEO who will protect his workers, the Reploids, I'll leap towards my dream!" he roared as he punched Storm Eagle L, making him stumble back, "So no Reploid or human ever has to suffer again! Where we can all live together and smile! So…I have to stop you…right!?"
"...gh….Gr….Grr…!" Storm Eagle L grunted out as he held his head, shaking it for a moment before aiming his buster out, "Razor…!"
"?!" Zero-One tensed before X jumped before him, his own armor already having changed color.
"Storm Tornado!" both X and Storm Eagle L roared out as they both fired a large tornado at one another, only for X's to be sliced apart by the razor sharp wind within Storm Eagle L's, prompting both X and Zero-One to quickly roll out of the way.
"That future…where you could have been happy with someone important to you!" Zero-On called out as he scanned one of his ProgriseKeys, "We'll make sure it happens…so no one, neither human nor Reploid, has to watch the person they love die."
=Biting Shark!=
Zero-One growled as he rushed and swung his arms as he used the razor sharp Shark gauntlets to slash the Maverick across the chest multiple times. He then swung his arms and looped them around Storm Eagle L's right arm as he twisted him around to keep a hold on the Buster mounted arm, his other arm grabbing his right wing, leaving the Maverick stuck in place. Zero-One nodded to X, telling him to take this chance to attack the Maverick.
"Zea, transmit Chameleon Sting," X ordered before the data downloaded and his armor turned into shades of green, "HA!"
X aimed his buster and fired off three neon green plasma shots shaped like chameleons. The attack soared through the air and headed for Storm Eagle L. The Maverick took notice of this before he brought his wings before him, which expanded out as they blocked the incoming shots, leaving X shocked with how little it affected him.
"Fool! Storm Eagle L cannot be beaten by your tricks, X!" Serges shouted from above, the Maverick floating back down as his larger eye glowed, "Thanks to vhat I dub as the Maverick Virus Type L, the Liberated Maverick has gained a countermeasure to vhat they vere originally weak to, so Sting Chameleon's signature move cannot harm Storm Eagle L just as easily!"
"N-No way…" X gasped, taking a step back in shock.
"Zat's right, X…how does it feel that your greatest strength is no longer applicable here?" Serges questioned.
'He's right…I'll need to think outside the box…or rather…' X paused in his thoughts, looking over his list of Special moves he has saved in Zea, '...think like Aruto would…'
Storm Eagle L soon spread his wings apart, spanning them wide as he sent a flurry of razor sharp feathers at Zero-One and X. The former quickly used his sword to block some of the incoming feathers as X quickly rolled out of the way, the blue Reploid firing off a few shots from his X-Buster at Storm Eagle L, only for the Maverick to take up into the air as a red blur. Soon it shot past the two from above, making them grunt as sparks came off their armor for a moment, only for the red blur to shoot by again as the Maverick's claws and talons slashed at them each time.
"Yes…yes good…" Serges whispered, stroking his mustache as he watched the two struggle, "The first subject has been truly fruitful…Oh Dr. Doppler, you vere such a fool to let zis work go to w-" he tensed when his large eye detected something from the blur, "...H…He's slowing down?!"
"?!" Storm Eagle L grunted as the blur began to slow down, his wings struggling to keep himself up before he quickly landed, seeing his wings were soaked in bubbles and bits of ice.
"!? Vhat?!" Serges exclaimed, "How?!"
"...heh heh…" X smirked a bit, the smoke cloud dissipating as his armor had changed from an orange-ish color to its normal blue, "I had a trap ready…while he was attacking me and Zero-One...I used tiny bits of Bubble Splash and Shotgun Ice on his wings each time he passed by…and I know for a fact when a bird's wings get wet or lightly frozen, they are unable to fly properly."
"Honto?" Zero-One pondered, "Huh…Good to know."
"Grah! Vhy must you Lights always interfere?!" Serges snarled under his breath before he quickly rolled out of the way of several shots, making him look to see Valkyrie shooting at him in the air, "Bah!" his platform moved over to him and he pushed a button, causing several thin mechanical arms ending in points to come out and move a bit outwards, making an orange sphere cover him and soak in the shots, "Hah! Nice try, but I've studied your ShotRiser's shots from ze salvaged remains of ze Mavericks you and Vulcan have destroyed! This sphere absorbs and returns kinetic energy and recharges from ze energy utilized in your weapon!" he cackled, "You'll need somezing far stronger in ze artillery to shatter mein barrier!"
"Masaka," Valkyrie gasped before looking over at Zero-One, "...Shacho!"
"Hm?" Zero-One looked up to her as she removed Lightning Hornet from her ShotRiser.
"I need Flaming Tiger!" Valkyrie called out as she tossed him Lightning Hornet.
"Tora-chan?" Zero-One pondered as he jumped up and caught it while throwing it over to her, "Alright! Just don't let Fuwa-san use it! I like the lock on it good and tight, dang it!"
"Trust me...it will be safe with me," Valkyrie assured as she caught it and inserted it into her gun as Zero-One scanned his on his Driver.
=AUTHORIZE=
"?!" Rico tensed up within the office, nearly dropping the papers in her hands, "...oh not ag…" she droned off before she suddenly collapsed into a nearby chair...and dropped all the paperwork she had in her hands.
"..." Roll blinked owlishly, "Odd…I don't think that ever happened to me."
"So what do we have this time?" Aruto pondered, scratching his head in thought, "Garu-chan was an officer, Gori-chan was an Amazoness lady, so Suzume-chan is probably…"
"AH! A-Aruto-shacho became a giant?!" Aruto looked down and blinked a few times, seeing Rico was the size of a Barbie doll with orange hornet wings, a stinger, purple bodysuit that bled into a hornet-themed upper body armor, and white fuzz around her neck and wrists, "How did you get so big in Zea, bzz?!"
"I didn't get big, you shrunk," Aruto pointed out, kneeling down and offering the palm of his hand to let her get on it.
"...EHHHHHHH?!" Rico exclaimed, her wings flapping like crazy.
"I didn't know what I was expecting, but…it wasn't you shrinking…" Aruto muttered, "I mean at least it's not giving you a weird character trait, right?"
"That…that's kinda true, bzz," Rico agreed as he stood up and let her sit on his shoulder, "How did I get tiny, even?!"
"Oh, I scanned Lightning Hornet," Aruto replied.
"Eh?! Phooey…" Rico pouted.
"What's wrong?"
"I thought I was a bumblebee and could make honey that's edible for Reploids, bzz…" Rico mumbled.
"Oh…I guess if you had to pick between a cute bumblebee and a hornet…you'd rather have the bumblebee, huh?" Aruto nodded, "Then again as we're from Japan we might just have a stigma against hornets…" he shuddered.
"Ah! Right, we need to hurry up; time's not stopped, just slowed, bzz!" Rico reminded.
"Crud! Right! Emergency study time!" Aruto nodded, "Let's get to learning!"
"Hai!" Rico beamed as she pointed ahead, making the instructions pop up on a tiny screen.
"...Rico-chan?"
"Hai, Aruto-shacho?"
"It's too tiny!" Aruto barked, knocking Rico over from it.
"Ah! Gomen nassai! I forgot I was tiny for a moment, bzz!" Rico panicked, making the screen big enough for Aruto to read.
"Ah," Aruto nodded as he started reading, "...Eh? It's 200 percent stronger than Rushing Cheetah? Mmm…Gotta use that one some other time."
"C-Can we not, please, bzz?" Rico pleaded, dreading what she'd look like, "Oh! Aruto-shacho, you can shoot missiles!"
"Uso!?" Aruto awed, "Hex Vespa…and I can fly again!"
"Eh…you have a stinger, too…?" Rico read, "On your knee?"
"Guess my knee's gonna get revenge on anything that's injured a knee before…like the edge of really short tables. Seriously, that hurts!"
"Aruto-shacho focus, bzz!" Rico complained.
"Right, right, right," Aruto nodded as he looked it over, "Huh…Maybe I can use this with X's water and ice."
"Hm?"
"Learning Complete," Zero-One declared as a large mechanical hornet zipped about him before he plugged the ProgrizeKey into his belt at the same time Valkyrie pulled the trigger.
=PROGRIZE/SHOTRISE!=
A flaming red bullet raced about Valkyrie before she delivered a roundhouse kick to it. The fragments formed around her armor as a red armor formed on her torso with multiple black stripes forming along it in a pattern, which vented heat, her mask formed and like her original was cat shaped with larger ears and two spikes along the sides like tufts of fur. Her arms were now clad in red armor which extended to her fingers and ended in claws.
=FLAMING TIGER~! Explosive power of 100 bombs
The mechanical hornet broke apart as it began printing armor over Zero-one. A new golden yellow hornet mask formed on his helmet with purple eyes shining to life. His chest armor was now a black and gold hive like structure with six hexagons to either side of a large central hexagon in the center. Golden armor formed on the right leg on the upper thigh, resembling the abdomen of a wasp, which formed armor over the knee resembling a large metal spike with golden armor framing the side and bottom.
=RA-RA-RA-RAIMEI! RAIDEN! DENGEKI! LIGHTNING~ HORNET! Piercing needles with incredible force
"Bzz-Bzz!" Zero-One chuckled as he looked himself over before taking a stance where he lifted his right leg up to point his knee mounted stinger.
"This is interesting, it's indeed a very powerful form," Valkyrie spoke before yelping when her gauntlet over her forearm opened and produced a jet of fire, "Why there?!" she asked, making it stop.
"Uh, yeah… It doesn't always translate over the same for you guys…" Zero-One muttered scratching his mask, "Tora-chan and Same-chan are very…er…moody. No offense, X."
"The AI for your ProgrizeKey's are very different then I'm used to…" Valkyrie muttered, the two then flinched, seeing more airships explode, "That gorilla is good at wrecking things.."
"Well it's impressive he's doing it without flight," Zero-One muttered.
"Aruto!" X barked as he tackled Zero-One over, letting Storm Eagle L's attack miss him.
"Oh, right!" Zero-One remembered, "Hey! Think like a tiger on a hunt when you're using Flaming Tiger with your claws being the flames!"
"I guess when in Rome as the saying goes…" Valkyrie sighed.
"Feh. Vhat good vill zis armor do?" Serges scoffed.
"Heat is energy, energy is vibrations. By this logic, if I apply enough heat, even your perfect barrier will crumble!" Valkyrie declared, "Let's begin an experiment!" she rushed as flames spewed from her gauntlets and over her claws before she slashed at him.
Serges blinked as her clawed hands slashed into the barrier as the intense heat washed over it, causing the entire thing to spark before his entire floating platform was sent skidding back with the barrier sparking. Valkyrie grunted rushing as she swiped her claws again, scratching the barrier and leaving behind a glowing red gash.
'Gh…that's right..I forgot about zis form!' Serges mentally exclaimed, 'Grr…blast it. Kamen Riders…they keep throwing different variables at me…!'
"Feather Ripper!" Storm Eagle L shouted as he flapped his wings, sending a flurry of his razor sharp feathers at Zero-One and X.
"Frost Shield!" X shouted as he summoned the huge pillar of ice to block the incoming feathers, his armor changing color as he quickly fired a series of small cutting waves that sliced through his own shield, "Sonic Slicer!"
"Hmph!" Storm Eagle L grunted as he folded his wings, shielding himself from the incoming cutting waves. However, as soon as he began to unfold his wings, he saw X lifting the remnants of the ice pillar up.
"Zero-One!" X shouted as he quickly spun the ice into the air, sending it right towards Zero-One as he was already in the air.
"Hah!" Zero-One shouted as he became a blur, kicking the ice as its electrified shards were sent towards Storm Eagle L, crashing right into the Maverick as he was sent staggering back from each hit.
'He's combining different abilities?!' Serges mentally snapped, another slash mark appearing on his barrier from Valkyrie, 'Tch…blast you, Light…your creations always have to show me up!'
"Hah! Ike Hex Vespa!" Zero-One called out as his chest armor flashed as the hexagons all began producing hornet-themed missiles that all flew after Storm Eagle L, the Maverick flying up as the missiles chased after him, "Ike! Ike-Ike!" Zero-On cheered as the missiles swerved around all of Storm Eagle L's attempts to knock them out of the air.
"Calculating angle…flight speed…adjusting for wind," X muttered, his armor shifting to a green and yellow toxic coloration, "Acid Burst downloaded."
"Gr…Razor Storm Tornado!" Storm Eagle L shouted as he turned, aiming his buster as he fired the razor sharp tornado at the missiles, destroying them and obscuring his sight with the smoke from their destruction, "..." his eyes went wide as several green slime-made spheres came at him, making him block with his wings, "Wh…?" a hissing noise made him look at his wings and gasped, seeing them starting to sizzle and melt where the slime was on them, "!?"
"Hah!" Zero-One shouted as he slammed his right knee into Storm Eagle L's back, sending him rocketing down to the ground with a loud 'SMACK' as dust was kicked up.
Storm Eagle L grunted, getting up only for a knee strike to his shoulder to make him spin around. The Maverick's eyes opened as X charged while shooting him with more green slime bullets, each one hissing and eating away at his armor. Storm Eagle L barely had time to try and wipe the corrosive off before he was bombarded with Hex Vespa Missiles that rocked him around and sent him flipping through the air.
"It's time we end this," Zero-One spoke landing on the ground, "You won't have to suffer through all this again," he began as he removed Lightning Hornet from his Driver, before returning to Rising Hopper, "I think I get what my job should be…to make a world where Reploids don't need to choose to go Maverick ever again! So it's okay, you can leave the burden to us…" he held up Lightning Hornet before inserting it into his Attache Calibur, "Storm Eagle-san…it's time for you to return to Teal-san!" he declared, making Storm Eagle L lock up.
=PROGRIZEKEY CONFIRMED. READY TO UTILIZE. HORNET'S ABILITY=
"X, now!" Zero-One called as he jumped up.
"Roger!" X nodded as he went into his Storm Tornado colors and had Zero-One land on his Buster.
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X and Zero-One roared as electricity crackled along the Attache Calibur's edge. X fired the charged shot in his Buster, sending Zero-One spiraling at Storm Eagle L. Zero-One roared as he thrust his Attache Calibur forward as the lightning condensed at the tip of the blade before projecting a giant hornet stinger as he thrust it forward, the spin of the Storm Tornado Charged shot condensing around the tip of the attack, as it formed a giant drill of wind and lightning which struck Storm Eagle L square in the chest before piercing clean through. The Kamen Rider skidded to a halt along the ground for a good distance before stabbing his sword into the ground to make himself stop.
"Gh….gr…" Storm Eagle L grunted, clutching the hole over his chest as he staggered back as sparks began to come off him.
"Storm Eagle…I'm sorry you were forced to come back again…" X whispered as he slowly lowered his Buster, "Now please…rest in peace."
"...X….A…A…" Storm Eagle L whispered, reaching his hand out to the two, "A…ru….to…" he slowly began to fall over, exploding upon hitting the ground as the ZetsumirizeKey used clattered on the ground…only it was now dulled out of any color with the image having changed to an eagle.
"Vhat?!" Serges questioned before screaming when his barrier was slammed hard into with a burning swipe from Valkyrie, "GAH!"
"One last hit," Valkyrie declared as she pushed the Rise Starter on the ProgrizeKey and then pulled the trigger on her ShotRiser.
=FIRE! FLAMING BLAST FEVER!=
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Flames erupted from her gauntlets as she dragged her right leg back clockwise. She struck the ground once with a hand, fingers curled like a tiger's claws. More flames continued to billow out as she proceeded to run at Serges before going into a series of flips with the last one sending her above Serges and his barrier. The flames gathered around her right leg and she shot down at him, engulfed in the flames that formed into a tiger's head. With a roar, she slammed down hard against the barrier, the 'tiger head' chomping down hard on it and creating an explosion.
=FLAMING BLAST FEVER!=
"Gah!" Serges cried out as he stumbled along the ground, his body heavily damaged.
"This ProgrizeKey's power is immense…" Valkyrie spoke, looking at her hands before yelping as the flamethrowers in her gauntlet activated against her will and almost hit her own mask, "Kya!"
"Yeah…it does that," Zero-One spoke as he grabbed the ZetsumeriseKey that dropped from Storm Eagle L, "It's…different?" he asked silently to himself as he placed it on his belt's provided hip mounted holder.
"Guh…R-Return zat!" Serges grunted, struggling to get back up.
"Iie! Jin took my Tori-chan, so I'm taking yours," Zero-One replied with a huff.
"You are just as childish as zat brat Jin! Und zat is saying something!" Serges snapped before hissing at several sparks coming off his damaged parts.
"Yeah, well…we should move!" Zero-One panicked as he looked up, "NOW!"
"That gorilla…" Valkyrie groaned as the last remaining airship began falling from the sky while on fire.
"Yeah…That? That's a big reason why we're still running tests on these kinds of vessels," X admitted.
"Shut up and run!" the two Kamen Riders panicked as they were already a great distance away.
"AH! Wait! Don't leave me behind!" X panicked as the airship crashed around where they were just standing, leaving the fate of Serges unknown for the moment.
After a moment, a chunk of metal was kicked off as Vulcan jumped out, with no damage to be seen on his armor. He dusted himself off before walking off towards the others. He then flinched as the airship exploded, making him turn to see the plume of fire. The rider nodded to himself before turning and walking as the explosion grew larger and larger behind him.
"Did he seriously just do the thing from movies…?" Valkyrie asked in a deadpan tone.
"Zero liked to do it as well when he felt it'd be appropriate or funny," X noted, "He had the weirdest sense of humor to me."
"He's really explosive," Zero-One commented, causing X to stifle a laugh before another explosion from the ship saw fit to have a piece from it sail over their heads into the distance where another explosion was heard.
"...And that was the direction where we had the helicopter parked," Valkyrie sighed as she felt what the likely outcome of that explosion was.
"We took the boat to get here," X explained, "You're more than welcome to come with us on it."
"I'm driving!" Vulcan declared.
"NO!" the three all called out at once.
"You do not have the right to dibs!" Zero-One pointed at him.
"The first two human Kamen Riders…and they're two idiots…" Valkyrie sighed.
"And that's what happened," Zero-One explained once our heroes returned home to the Maverick Hunter HQ with Rico and Roll meeting them there.
"You…crashed airships into each other…?" Roll asked, looking at Vulcan with a raised brow, "Why didn't you just…"
"I wasn't in the air force, I don't grasp air vehicle controls well!" he barked.
"Understandable. Even Reploids have had issues with the controls, needing five working together to properly operate just one," Roll noted.
"At least he…destroyed them to keep them out of enemy hands. The fact they rebuilt so many in secret is concerning…" Rico muttered, trying to keep positive and the conversation moving.
"Yeah, things got…crazy." Zero-One muttered.
"That's mainly our fault for not making sure they couldn't be repaired," Signas sighed, "Cleanup was deemed at low priority by orders from the UN."
"I still don't get why they have to listen to the UN…" Zero-One noted.
"Hiden Intelligence does not have the funding necessary for a protection force such as the Maverick Hunters," Roll informed, "The UN funded their creation and maintenance, hence they are considered the ones who have higher command of the Reploids part of the operations."
"It's a good thing I'm learning business and not politics…" Zero-One replied simply.
"I'd sooner shoot myself." Vulcan agreed.
"Why are two of the strongest humans on earth so inconsistent…" Rico muttered as the two might as well have been SD Chibis in her eyes at the moment.
"I suppose…this is paramount to fair given how often humans must feel concerned with combat Reploids…now…we have to feel concern for…Kamen Riders," Signas chuckled awkwardly in agreement, knowing for a fact after all they have seen from these two alone is impressive. More so given Aruto's former lack of any training prior to becoming Zero-One.
"Oi…" the two complained, "We're still regular people…"
"One of you has their brain running faster than a supercomputer, and the other can't possibly be called human!" Valkyrie snapped.
"Which one's which?" the two asked, pointing to one another. Everyone swore they heard a snapping sound from Valkyrie.
Signas cleared his throat, "Getting back to the report. Serges of MetsubojinraiNET was able to not only rebuild but enhance Storm Eagle, correct?"
"He added an L to the end of his name. Said it meant 'Liberate'." Zero-One replied as he reached for his hip and held up what was once the ZetsumeriseKey, but had altered now and was neither a Zetsumerise or Progrise Key. He blinked looking it over again, "Uh…it kinda altered itself after we, you know…" he muttered holding it up, "That never happened before, but I figured as long as they didn't get this back, they couldn't rebuild him again."
"It transformed?" Valkyrie questioned as she moved closer to look at it, "Why didn't you tell us this sooner?"
"I'm telling you now, we were either escaping the carnage Fuwa-san began, or fighting him for control of the map home." Zero-One reminded, making her nod.
"I still say straight was faster," Vulcan muttered.
"Not the time!" both Riders snapped.
"But…this is not something that happens, you can't just alter a zetsumerize key," Valkyrie spoke.
"Well maybe it's whatever Serges did to the key?" Zero-One explained, "He was so excited about upgrading them, maybe something unintentional happened to the key because of it. Like I don't know…" he paused as his eyes began flashing, bits of code faintly seen moving across his red eyes, "It's possible that his alteration to the core data of the ZetsumeriseKey was intended to unlock further levels of combat potential, while locking it off from the MetsiboJinrai network with the intent of performing a sort of controlled singularity event. The resulting side effect causing the key to become unstable, and as my attacks also unleash data for the sake of destroying lingering traces of the Maverick virus in the area, when my attack hit it uploaded Progrise data into it and caused this unexpected alteration." he stated as everyone blinked, his eyes returning to normal, "Bwah…brain…hurt…"
"It's…not the first time experimenting with things led to unexpected creations. Dr. Wily created the alloy Bassnium on pure accident," Roll noted.
"What's that?" Zero-One asked while rubbing his head.
"A key alloy in the framework of all Reploids outside of X," Roll informed, "All his is redacted."
"Huh?"
"Apologies. The information is classified due to several individuals not being upon the approved list present to explain details of X's creation process," Roll apologized with a bow.
"Oh okay, cool, does anyone taste math?" Zero-One asked in concern.
"That thing messes with your head, man," Vulcan muttered while pointing at his helmet, "That and as far as we know…you don't have a neural implant."
"A what?" Zero-One blinked.
"A computer chip in your head." he explained.
"...I need one of those!?" he panicked.
"I…but…how could your brain possibly handle all the transformation data…without…but…" Valkyrie stammered in confusion at this affront to how they all believed the Kamen Rider system worked.
"Eh? Your system needs an implant?" Rico asked in surprise.
"Of course! The human brain can't process all the data that the ProgriseKey's send out into the user's mind during the transformation process." she explained.
"Oh…everything just slows down for me and I learn over the course of a second." Zero-One waved off, "It's not important, I just thought it was something I needed, but turns out it's just to skip the tutorial."
"...That's a thing…?" Vulcan tilted his head, "I got a damn chip in my head for that?"
"No, that!" Valkyrie pointed at Zero-One, "Is not normal, and he should be in a vegetative state due to an overload of data to his brain!"
"She called me a 'that'?" Zero-One complained to Rico who patted him on his helmet.
"I…couldn't begin to explain," Roll shrugged, "I am not the designer nor is anyone who knew the idea of how it works alive at present. The Zero-One Driver is indeed…a mysterious machine."
"It is…" Zero-One muttered.
Back with Jin and his little group, they were already heading back to base…with Bit covered from head to toe in seaweed and suction cup marks..and beak marks…and dents…and a very visible black eye.
"Ah don't be upset; we were able to find some stuff to sell!" Jin smiled, "We ripped so much metal stuff out of those buildings. Mostly Copper."
"..."
"...is this about the octopus that wouldn't come off, Bit?" Byte questioned.
"You hit me over and over again with my own shield to try and get it off…and all Jin did was cheer you on!"
"I couldn't do anything. I have a Tori-chan, not a Same-chan."
"Whatever these parts you want to get for your old man better be worth it…" Bit grumbled.
"I have a list of what he needs!" Jin beamed…holding up a soggy paper, "..." it pulled itself apart from its soggy state, "...I had a list!" he tossed the sack he had to Bit, who screamed as it pinned him down, before running off, "I need a new list from Pops's pet! Don't tell Horobi!"
"I hate this day…" Bit groaned from underneath the sack.
"Aww don't worry, Bit! Least we can get a nice b-" Byte began before it began to rain heavily on the area, "...Huh. Darn weatherman got it wrong again."
'Ugh…what I wouldn't give for his old personality…at least that one never made me want to tear my processors out!' Bit mentally exclaimed, struggling to get the sack off him.
"...Wait…When did Horobi get a pet? …Not it on giving it walks if it needs them…o-or cleaning up if they do that mess…" Byte muttered, not seeing the sack Bit was stuck under starting to sink in the muddy ground.
"Byte….Byte! BYTE!" Bit gave a muffled shout.
"Bite? …Nah, I don't think Horobi would get one that bites. Seems more like a guy who has bugs as pets. Maybe a scorpion? Wait…do scorpions bite?"
"MM! MMMMMM!"
"Bit?" Byte turned around, "Bit? Where'd ya go Bit?"
SZ: Well…what an interesting turn of events for Aruto and co…especially since the metaphorical cat is out of the bag about what took place during hte Maverick Wars.
Z0: Yep, lots of things to unpack there. But we got a chapter finished folks, and expect more soon. We promise.
SZ: Yup. We'll try and be more active with our stories.
Z0: Keyword, try, we have life stuff to deal with folks. That means a whole host of things you aren't privy to, but just know it's important. But we promise to try.
SZ: Hai, so we hope this tides you over for the time being.
GT: Indeed! So…wait…is there a preview?
SZ:...uh….
Z0: Look we just got back to this one, let's not act like we're totally back in the swing of things.
GT: Fair enough. Until next time then, folks! Please Read and Review!
