Hey, everyone!
Welcome to chapter 11 of My Hero Academia Illegals: Vigilante Dark Drive.
Hope you guys enjoy it!
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
*Sounds*
[Belt-san/Kamen Rider System]
"Super Moves!"
{Television}
The next day…
With Gentle Criminal and La Brava…
"Damn you, Lupin!"
Within their hideout/home, Gentle Criminal cursed as he glared at his computer. The device was currently showing him Kamen Rider Lupin's selfie with #LupinFever that went viral on social media.
Danjuro was jealous once again as the picture had already earned several likes and comments on such short notice.
But in contrast to the new Phantom Thief's rising fame, Gentle Criminal's popularity was shrinking.
If people hardly cared before about the man, then the current situation only made things worse for Danjuro.
It's only a matter of time before everyone else completely forgets about the Villain known as Gentle Criminal.
"Gentle…"
La Brava looks dejected after seeing how distressed her idol was, never seeing him this much upset. The two of them have been working on a lot more videos lately, but it still wasn't enough to outshine their now-proclaimed masked rival.
What are they supposed to do then?
'I also wonder what Lupin is doing right now with the medals he stole from U.A.'s Sports Festival.' Manami wonders once she saw that her beloved Gentle calmed down a bit.
Authorities tried to take down Kamen Rider Lupin's photo from the internet and trace the source of the one responsible for the post, but they didn't have any success so far.
La Brava tried to do the same but she also ended up getting the same disappointing results. Whoever he is under the mask, Lupin certainly seems to be a skilled hacker as even her was impressed with the mysterious figure's tech skills, which seemed to be on par, if not, superior to her own hacking abilities.
'I bet that bastard must be gloating with all the spotlight he managed to get as of lately! But your time will end eventually, Lupin! I, Gentle Criminal, swear to surpass you, my rival!' Danjuro vows.
But little did the man know that Sako Kaito was currently busy with something else, not really having time to 'celebrate' the fame he has earned…
My Hero Academia Illegals: Vigilante Dark Drive
Drive 11: The eye-catching Phantom Thief
At a shady office located somewhere within Kamino…
Kaito, wearing his white Phantom Thief outfit, and Mr. Compress can be currently seen in the middle of a 'business transaction' with another man, the owner of the office room they currently find themselves at.
"So, did you bring the medals?" The man, Giran, asks from his desk with a grin, showing the missing tooth within his mouth.
Villain
Giran
Real name: Okuta Kagerō
He is a C-rank villain and broker in association with the League of Villains, working to scout new recruits for their organization.
Giran is a middle-aged man of moderate height and slight build, with eyebrows that appear to be drawn up most of the time and notably squinted-looking pink eyes. He has short gray hair worn parted to his right with side bangs hanging above his eyes, along with a small mustache and a goatee on his chin, and one of his front teeth seems to be missing, leaving a gap in his grin.
He wears a pair of dress pants and a matching blazer, along with plain black shoes and a shirt which he leaves partially unbuttoned at the top. He has a thick, golden tube-like necklace around his neck that appears to be made up of multiple segments, sometimes along with a fluffy scarf that resembles intestines in shape and color, also sporting a pair of circular glasses on his face. Giran is often seen smoking a cigarette.
Quirk: [Muddied]
Giran's Quirk grants him the ability to cause minor amnesia to his target by making contact with their head, causing their memories of the previous five minutes and the next five minutes to become vague.
Giran is a well-known name in the criminal underworld. He is knowledgeable about current trends and is also great at scouting potential villains. He also successfully deals with illegal costumes and support items, especially with the growing underground popularity of the many Villains rising as of lately.
"Here." Kaito says, showing Giran the three medals that he stole from the Sports Festival.
"Bronze, silver and gold. Hmm… The full set, huh? Impressive that you really got them." The broker comments as he attempts to take the medals, only for Atsuhiro to stop him by grabbing Kagero's arm.
"What about your end of the deal?" Mr. Compress questions the underworld dealer.
Though he cannot see Atsuhiro's face under his mask, Giran can tell the other man is looking warily at him.
The businessman chuckles at this as the older Sako lets go of his arm.
"Right, of course. Here, just as I promised."
Giran pulls out a briefcase from under the desk and places it before the brothers. He then opens it to show that the case was filled with money.
Following the Sports Festival's heist, Kamen Rider Lupin decided to sell the medals he stole from U.A. at the Japanese black market. Not surprisingly, he found a lot of potential buyers as Giran served as the point of contact between all the interested parties.
Not that Kaito honestly cared about any of that, but it was perhaps for the best to use the info broker to keep tabs on the other villains and criminal activities that could catch his interest in both good and bad ways.
When Giran finished inspecting the stolen medals and the Sako brothers finished counting the money they acquired, both sides became satisfied as they looked at each other in acknowledgment.
"Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen." Giran tells Kaito and Atsuhiro.
"Likewise." The black-haired Sako replies as he watches his brother take the briefcase filled with cash.
"You know, a lot of Villains are interested in a man with your talents, Lupin." The broker tells the Rider, catching the Sako brothers' attention before they could leave his office. "If it's money you want then I could introduce you to them. There are some who are more than willing to pay as much as you wish in exchange for your services."
"Oh? Is that so?" Kaito inquiries.
"Well? What do you say?" The older man asks back with his signature missing teeth grin.
"Nah."
Giran blinked at the casual and laid-back answer.
"Eh? You sure?"
The white-clothed thief merely shook his head at the job offer.
"I'm not the type to follow others. After all, I'm the main star of my own shows." The Rider says with a smirk. "But I will think about it, Giran."
"Alright, fine. That's all I ask then." The broker replies as he looks back at the masked thief in understanding. "But how do I contact you if something juicy happens?"
"I will know in due time. I always do." Kaito replies in a cryptic tone, smirking under his mask. "Until then, I will bid you adieu, Giran."
He bows dramatically to the underworld dealer as Atsuhiro does the same before both of them finally leave the older man's shady office.
'What a weird guy, that Lupin. But I wonder what he is going to do with all that cash? Is he maybe going to have a party with lots of drinks and women? Or something else of the sort? Ah, whatever. Not my business anyway as long as the money isn't traced back to me.' Kagero thinks as he lits a cigarette and begins to smoke, thinking of the next business plans he will set in the future with other Villains.
The following morning…
Back at Musutafu City…
Kaito and Atsuhiro can be seen exiting a restaurant, known as Bistrot Jurer, as both were now wearing casual clothes and simply being ordinary 'citizens'.
Bistrot Jurer is a French-themed restaurant where the Sako brothers work part-time. It also serves as their base of operations for when the restaurant is closed.
The two of them were currently carrying bags filled with gifts as they prepared to head towards a certain location.
"Ready to go, Kaito? We still have a show to perform later tonight." The older Sako reminds his brother with a playful smile.
But apparently, his little brother first wanted to take him somewhere else.
But where exactly?
"Yeah, let's go, Nii-san." Kaito smiles back at Atsuhiro as both of them make their way to a certain facility within the city. "I've been wanting to show you this place for a while."
"Oh? Is that so? Then lead the way, Kaito."
"Hey everyone!" Kaito spoke loudly when he entered the playground.
"Kaito-niichan!"
Suddenly, all the kids that were playing ran up to him the second they saw the man.
In an instant, Kaito was immediately surrounded by kids as he picked two up into his arms with said kids laughing.
"Whoa-ho! You guys are getting heavier by the day! Are you eating your veggies?" He asked.
"Veggies are disgusting!"
"They taste nasty!"
"Now, now. If you don't eat your greens, you won't grow up to be big and strong." Kaito lectured the two in his arms as well as some other kids while Atsuhiro watched from the outside.
"Minori's…Orphanage." Atsuhiro read the sign before looking back to his brother playing around with the kids. 'So this is the place he wanted to take me to, huh?'
While doing so, he took a look around the place.
The whole building looked like a small school-no, more like a daycare really. There were picnic tables here and there as well as a playground like a monkey bar, swing set, slide, and so on.
'This place reminds me a lot of the place where we grew up… It's nice to see the children happy here…' Atsuhiro thinks fondly as a small smile forms on his lips.
"Ara?"
Suddenly, a blonde woman with shoulder-length hair and green eyes appeared from inside the building. She appeared to be in her mid-20 and wore a yellow apron over a light pink shirt and navy blue skirt that reached past her knees.
"Kaito-kun, you're here early."
"Yo, Chitose." Kaito greeted, putting down the kids in his arms. "I hope you don't mind, but we brought some gifts with us this time."
"Ara?" Turning, she saw that Atsuhiro was holding a bag filled with gifts for the children.
"Good morning, miss." Atsuhiro greets the woman politely with a bow. "I'm-"
"Stop. Don't say it."
"Eh?" He blinked in confusion.
The woman looked between him and Kaito before pointing at Atsuhiro.
"You're Sako Atsuhiro, right?"
"Eh? How did you-?" Atsuhiro began.
"Kaito-kun told me about his brother once. And I can see the similarities between the two of you now."
"Ah, I see. And I'm assuming he told you good things about me as well?" Atsuhiro asked with an amused smile.
"Yes, he told me a lot about you." The woman said. "Oh, where are my manners? My name is Minori Chitose. I'm the owner of this orphanage. It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise. If you don't mind me asking, does Kaito come here often?"
"Yes, every Sunday." Chitose said.
"So this is where he's been." Atsuhiro said with a contemplative expression as he took a look around the place again.
"What do you mean?" Chitose asked the [Compress] Quirk user when he said 'So this is where he's been.'
"Oh! Well, I don't know when I first noticed it, but for some reason, I don't see my brother for most of the day on Sunday." He explained. "I guess this is where he always went to."
"Ah, Kaito-kun did say he never told you about this place." Chitose said as she gestured for him to come in. "Come on in. The show's about to start."
"Show? The one Kaito told me about?" Atsuhiro asked.
"You'll see. Come on." Chitose said before she walked back inside the building.
Curious, the man followed her.
Taking off his shoes, Atsuhiro followed Minori into a playroom where all the kids were gathered together and sat as they watched Kaito, who stood in front of them all.
"Yosh! Now, what should I show off to you kids today?" Kaito wondered out loud.
"Oh! Show us how to make giant origami again!"
"Lame! Do a magic trick! The one with the box!"
"No! I want to see the one where he paints!"
"Okay! Okay! Settle down, everyone." Kaito said, getting the kids to settle down before he decided what to do for the kids. "Alright, how about I do some juggling? You all know what juggling is, right?"
They all nodded.
"Then how many balls do you think I can juggle?"
"Six!"
"Five!"
"Seven"
"Eleven!"
"Eleven, eh? Well then, let's see if I can beat that." Kaito said as he grabbed one of the plastic boxes in the corner which contained plastic balls. "Now who will help me with this? Hm…You!"
"Me?" A little girl with braids pointed to herself.
"Yeah, you. Come up here." Kaito said, motioning to the girl to come over.
Nervously, the girl stepped out of the crowd and sat next to him.
"Now I'm gonna start juggling three balls and after every ten seconds, I want you to throw in another ball and let's see how many I can juggle. Got it?" The girl nodded. "Then let's begin!"
"What is all this about?" Atsuhiro asked Chitose.
"Kaito-kun here comes here every Sunday to entertain all the kids here." She explained. "This orphanage used to be a lot gloomier, but ever since Kaito-kun came, the kids always have something to look forward to."
(Flashback)
Chitose had seen him on her way to the bathroom.
A young man standing outside of the daycare that doubled as an orphanage.
There, he stood outside the fences looking at the children and vice versa.
She didn't think much about the man, probably curious as to why the kids weren't playing despite having everything a little kid would want. As sad as it is, she had gotten used to seeing the children like this, dark and gloomy.
They all knew, somehow, that they were abandoned by their real parents for various reasons. They were young yet they were smart or at least aware. That's something adults always seem to underestimate when speaking around kids.
And that's why she was so surprised that when she got back from the bathroom, wiping her hands clean, that when she looked outside, there they were. Smiling. Laughing. Playing. Just like kids their age should.
And at the center of it all was that man who was giving a couple of kids' piggyback rides while trying to sound like a horse.
"Umm…" She had gone outside, speaking up to get the man's attention.
"Hm?" The young man stopped and turned to see the woman who owned the daycare/orphanage. "Oh! Kon'nichiwa(Hello)."
"Kon'nichiwa…" The woman greeted back, most of her attention on the children around the man, who were all still playing.
"I'm sorry if I'm trespassing here." The man apologized, bowing and causing the girl he was giving a piggyback ride to smile and giggle when she went down with him in his bow.
"Oh no, it's fine. I'm just…surprised." The woman said as she glanced around. "I've…never seen the children here so…happy."
"Yeah, I saw." He said back, setting the girl down as he looked around. "They all looked really sad so I thought I would try and get them to smile. Guess it worked."
The man then smiled widely as if he were a kid himself.
The woman found herself amazed by the newcomer.
In an instant, he had done something no one has been able to do before.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself!" The man said before he bowed again. "My name is Sako Kaito. It's nice to meet you."
'He's well mannered.' The woman couldn't help but think before she introduced herself to the boy. "I'm Minori Chitose. Likewise, it's nice to meet you."
(Flashback ends)
"He acts like a big brother to all of them, kids who've lost or have been abandoned by their parents. I think it's because he himself went through something similar that he can relate to and wants to make the kids smile, no matter what." Chitose explained.
"You're not wrong about that..." Atsuhiro replies as he gives the woman a sad smile, with the woman nodding back to him with a sympathetic expression on her face.
"He also told me that he is Quirkless. But neither I nor the children here care about that."
"I see. Thank you, Chitose-san. You have no idea how refreshing it is to hear those words from someone genuine."
Deciding to not press anything further, for now, she only nods back in understanding to him.
"When did he start coming here?" Atsuhiro asked her.
"Let's see… I think it was five months ago when Kaito-kun first came here. I saw him from inside the building, looking at all the kids, but I didn't think much of him as I had to use the bathroom. By the time I got back, I was surprised to see him playing with all the kids. They all never really smiled that much, to be honest. Since then, he's always come every Sunday and when he does, the kids always smile the brightest."
"Oooh!" The two of them turned to see Kaito juggling 15 balls.
"Come on! I can still juggle more!" The Rider said although it was clear that he was having some difficulty.
'Always an entertainer to the end, huh? I can definitely relate to that.' Atsuhiro thinks as he smiles fondly at his brother playing with the children.
"Here comes the next one! One, two…!" Throwing in a sixteenth ball, Kaito caught it and quickly threw it up, but one of his hands slipped and just like that, all the balls in the air fell on top of his head one by one, igniting laughter from all the kids as the Kamen Rider rubbed his head and just smiled.
"Doing all of this… he's mature for his age." Atsuhiro said.
"Yes, that's what I thought when he kept on coming back." Chitose said.
The two just looked at Kaito, who smiled and laughed with all the kids who began to dogpile him.
This is who Sako Kaito is whenever he isn't the Phantom Thief Kamen Rider Lupin…
Even if he isn't a Pro Hero, he can still do things on his terms to help those in need.
Kaito seems to have a soft spot for children, as he often volunteers and donates to them at the orphanage he came to regularly visit. He repeatedly makes it clear to Atsuhiro that he does not fight for money, as he donates most of it and lives in a rather simple room back at Juror.
And what about all the money Kaito made after selling the Sports Festival medals to Giran? Well, he used part of it to buy gifts for these orphans while another part will be used to help poor and unemployed people elsewhere.
Being aware of society's problems...
This is how Kaito deals with the issues as he portrays himself with a Robin Hood-like mentality, similar to his ancestor the Peerless Thief.
He often asks himself, despite all the 'heroes' that currently exist in the world, why is nobody helping these people?
This is the sort of injustice that Kaito hates and disgusts him the most…
Later, after leaving the orphanage…
Kaito and Atsuhiro are now heading towards a shelter for homeless people after giving the gifts to the children back at the orphanage.
"Don't think I didn't notice it back then, Kaito." Atsuhiro suddenly speaks, prompting his brother to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"What, Nii-san?"
"The way you looked at that Chitose girl." Atsuhiro says teasingly, making his little brother blush. "Ah ha! So you do have a crush on her, huh?"
"H-Hey!" Kaito cries, now looking a bit embarrassed. "That's none of your business, you know!?"
"Relax, I'm not judging. I know you go to that orphanage for the kids, but for her sake as well, right?" The [Compress] user chuckles. "She certainly seems to be a good person."
At this, Kaito adopts a fond expression.
"Yeah, she's got a good heart. Chitose cares a lot for people and likes helping others, not just the kids back at the orphanage. She also does community work and I once saw her in places like F.E.A.S.T."
"F.E.A.S.T., you say?" Atsuhiro repeats.
F.E.A.S.T. stands for Food, Emergency Aid, Shelter and Training. It's a local charity to help the homeless and underprivileged in the city.
"Chitose is more of a heroine to me than what most of those pathetic excuses of Pro Heroes, who mainly seem to seek fame and money rather than to help those in need, will ever hope to be." Kaito speaks, his expression suddenly darkening.
"Indeed." Atsuhiro agrees, sporting the same face. "If these heroes really cared about their roles then they would do more than just fighting Villains and dealing with crimes. It baffles me that they hardly do things like charity or community service for those in need."
The Sako brothers believe that Phantom Thieves like them and their great ancestor wouldn't need to truly exist nowadays if more people were capable of showing compassion and empathy towards the less fortunate in life.
Just like how the two of them are doing right now by taking goods from corrupt heroes who were profiting from the system while returning what they pilfered back to the people on the streets.
*Flash!* *Blink!*
Suddenly, Heavy Acceleration is cast over the area as the brothers and everyone else nearby were caught in the time distortion.
'[Slowdown]!?' Kaito and Atsuhiro realized it simultaneously.
*Vroom!*
But the Lupin Blade and a regular Cobra Viral Cores come to their aid, allowing the two of them to move freely during the Heavy Acceleration.
"..." The Sako brothers exchange looks and nod to each other as they decide to investigate the source of the [Slowdown].
They don't have to walk much as they eventually stumble upon a nearby commotion created by a Roidmude at the center of it.
It was a Plain Cobra Type one with the Number 100 on its chest plate and a purple-colored collar around his neck.
"100…" Kaito says as he narrowed his eyes at the mechanical monster.
XXXXXXX
Roidmude 100, originally a Cobra Type combat man, was one of the Roidmudes to attack during the Global Freeze. It was later upgraded into a member of the Reaper Legion.
Stealing the Lupin Gunner from Zoruku Tojo, it briefly transformed into Kamen Rider Lupin.
XXXXXXX
Kaito and his brother quickly hid behind a car as they observed the evil android from their new spot.
"Come out, Kamen Riders! Or I will kill all those people here!" 100 cried as he grabbed a pregnant woman by the throat, threatening to break her neck if his targets didn't show up.
Around him were already several beaten Pro Heroes laying down on the floor, all badly injured and unable to face the enemy Roidmude.
Seeing this sight, Kaito grits his teeth in anger as he pulls out the Lupin Gunner.
But before he could use the device to transform, Atsuhiro stops him.
"Wait, Kaito. Are you sure of this?"
"I may not be a Pro Hero, but that doesn't mean I will simply ignore those people there. I will save them from the Roidmude. After all, I may be a Phantom Thief but I'm also a Kamen Rider."
"Kaito…"
The [Compress] Quirk user then nods in understanding as he lets go of his little brother.
"Henshin!" Kaito chants as he heads to the fight, transforming into Kamen Rider Lupin.
"Show yourselves, Kamen Riders!" 100 cried as he was about to kill the woman in his grasp and all the other hostages that he made during his attack.
'Someone help us! Please!' The hostages all prayed.
*Swift!*
Suddenly, a sharp poker card appears on the scene, spinning rapidly, as it hits the Roidmude on the side of the head before he could react in time.
"Argh!" The Cobra android cries in pain as he falls on the floor, letting go of his captive, as the [Slowdown] he cast across the area is undone.
*Flash!* *Blink!*
The pregnant woman, now free, doesn't waste time as she and the others quickly flee from the premises.
"Tch! Who was that!? Show yourself!" 100 cries as he takes the card that hit him and examines it, finding out that the poker card was also a Calling Card with Kamen Rider Lupin's emblem on it.
"This is…!" The Roidmude trailed off as a certain masked figure landed before him.
[Lupin! (Jazz music)~]
"Here's your warning: I have come for your treasure, Roidmude 100." Kamen Rider Lupin announces as he makes a finger gun gesture to the evil android.
"My treasure?" 100 repeats in confusion as he stands up. "Just what are you talking about?"
"Your life!" Lupin clarifies before charging towards the Cobra being as both start to exchange blows with each other.
'Kamen Rider Lupin!? But what is he doing here!?'
Needless to say, everyone else present in the area was surprised with the sudden appearance of one of Japan's currently most wanted criminals.
But Lupin paid no mind to them as he delivered a powerful backward kick onto 100's stomach, sending him crashing towards a nearby pillar.
"I was honestly expecting Dark Drive to show up." 100 says as he tackles Lupin down. "But you will do just fine as well, Lupin. Once I get my hands again on the Lupin Gunner, I will become even more powerful!"
"Go ahead and try if you think you can." The Phantom Thief challenges his foe with a cocky tone before delivering an over-the-shoulder throw to his enemy.
Suddenly, Pro Heroes Midnight and Present Mic arrive on the scene, also being surprised with the presence of a certain S-Rank wanted criminal on the location.
"That's-!"
"Lupin!?"
Nemuri and Hizashi say respectively with wide eyes.
"Wait, isn't that one of those new villains with the [Slowdown] and a Mutant-type Quirks that Vlad met the other day back at the park?" Nemuri asks her colleague as she looks at the Cobra-themed monster.
Mic nods to her in confirmation.
"Yep. It's definitely another one of those guys with [Slowdown] that Dark Drive and the new vigilante were facing."
[Gun!] Lupin aims the Lupin Gunner at 100 and fires several energy bullets at the Roidmude, making the latter stumble before falling on its knee.
"Argh! Damn you, Lupin!" 100 growls as he manifests several energy projectiles in the form of all sorts of weapons, tapping into the lingering data of his previous counterpart. "I am the master of 100 techniques and weapons! Take that! Weapons Clash!"
With a mental command, Roidmude 100 orders as energy swords, hammers, shurikens and all other types of weapons head towards the Phantom Thief Kamen Rider's spot.
*Boom!*
"Whoa!"
In response to this, Lupin performs cartwheels and other acrobatic moves as he tries to avoid 100's weapon-based energy projectiles.
"Ahhhh!"
However, one of the monster's shurikens suddenly ends heading towards a nearby little girl that hasn't left the area yet.
Paralyzed in fear, the child could do nothing else but look as the deadly weapon was about to strike her head.
"No!"
"Watch out!"
Midnight cried in horror as she saw this, wasting no time as she quickly ran towards the little girl with Present Mic following after her.
The blonde Pro Hero couldn't use his [Voice] Quirk to blast the shuriken away in fear of accidentally also harming the girl with his ability's wide range.
But that's exactly when something that neither of them least expect happened…
*Clank!*
Lupin gets between the little girl and the incoming projectile, summoning a golden jewel-shaped energy shield to protect the child from the shuriken.
"Eh!?" The Pro Heroes were taken aback by the fact that the Phantom Thief just saved a person from another villain.
Dismissing his barrier, the Kamen Rider turns to face the little girl, who now seemed to be looking at the masked figure in awe.
"It's dangerous here, kid. Get lost." He quickly tells her before charging towards Roidmude 100 once again, not giving the child a chance to thank the Phantom Thief.
Seeing this, Midnight and Present Mic use this chance to get closer to the girl and quickly drag her away from the battlefield.
Upon finding the child's parents and leaving her with them, the Pro Heroes focus back on the fight before them.
"I can't believe that Lupin actually just saved the little kid." Hizashi tells Nemuri.
"Yeah, me too. But that's something we can talk about later." She quickly replies to the other U.A. teacher. "Right now, we have to stop Lupin and the villain he is fighting."
"Right, I will cover you while you use your [Somnambulist] to put them to sleep."
They had to act fast while there wasn't any sign of [Slowdown] there to hinder their movements.
[Tune: Drive System!]
Back to the fight, Lupin called for his newly obtained Shift Mega Max Flare as it is inserted into the Lupin Gunner's Viral Landing Panel.
[Mega Max Flare!] The Kamen Rider's device announces as the Phantom Thief now uses several flame-powered attacks against 100.
"Flame Veil!" Lupin punches the floor with his Lupin Gunner, this causes flame pillars to come out of the ground before forming a veil of flames around 100 as he gets burnt from the attack.
*Boom!*
"Argh!" The Cobra monster cries in agony as he drops on the floor and contorts his body around in pain while trying to extinguish the flames that were now burning him alive.
And before Lupin can proceed to destroy his enemy, pink smoke suddenly forms around him and 100. Turning to face the one responsible for this, the Kamen Rider is met with Midnight and Present Mic glaring back at him, the Pro Heroine trying to use her Quirk to make the Phantom Thief fall asleep.
"That's enough, Lupin! You're going too far. You can't kill whoever this person is." Nemuri tells him as she gestures to the downed Roidmude.
The Phantom Thief merely snorts in response.
"Ah, right. Of course, there would be more self-righteous heroes coming here, huh?" The Rider speaks mockingly as he gets closer to the fallen 100 before stomping on the android's chest with his right foot.
"Argh!" The Plain Cobra Type cries in pain, trying to break free from Lupin's hold over him.
"Stop! This is your last warning!" Present Mic cries, but his words also fall deaf on the thief's ears.
'Oh, no. I already released a lot of my aroma, but neither Lupin nor the other villain seems to be getting affected by it.' Nemuri notes, narrowing her eyes at this.
She can probably understand that the Kamen Rider's mask is protecting him, much to her dismay, from her Quirk. But why is the other individual immune to her ability? Is it because of his Mutant-type Quirk?
No longer being able to bear the brutal sight before him, Hizashi was about to attack both Lupin and 100 before trying to arrest the two of them.
But that's exactly when some new figures decided to make themselves known as they appear on the scene.
*Thud!*
"Whoa! What the-!" The Phantom Thief Kamen Rider becomes briefly startled as he lets go of 100.
Three new Roidmudes now stand before everybody.
They were neither Plain Types nor Advanced ones.
But actually…
"It can't be! Reaper Units!?" Lupin cries in disbelief as there is one of each type of them, all of them retained some aspects of one of the three common Plain Type Roidmudes.
But the most eye-catching feature of these new enhanced monsters were the cockroach-like details over their android bodies.
On the other hand, what actually shocked the Kamen Rider even further was that none of them had Numbered Cores being displayed on their chest plates.
What is the meaning of this!?
'It can't' be-! Did the new Roidmudes actually manage to now find a way to mass-produce the members for a Reaper Legion!?' The Phantom Thief thinks in horror as this is his deduction of the case.
Meanwhile, at a hidden spot away from the others…
Terminus, in his human form, was watching the Roidmude forces interact with the humans from behind a building's corner.
"I'm surprised you didn't throw yourself into the fight yet." A female voice tells him from behind as he turns to be met with 009's arrival.
"I'm actually waiting for Dark Drive to appear. Killing him and Krim is the top priority. I'm not interested in the other Riders. At least not for now while I gather more data on them." He replies to his comrade.
"I see." The woman speaks as she folds her arms before joining Terminus at watching things play from their spot.
"Must I presume that those Reaper Units over there are part of your work?"
"Yes. I may not have Medic's data stored within me, but I still managed to salvage some lingering data that the previous 009 Core had over the Reaper Legion Roidmudes." 009 confirms with a nod.
"I see, fascinating."
"With our technology, which is far more advanced than what our predecessors had back in 2014/2015 in Krim's homeworld, it was easy to reproduce those Roidmudes' bodies. And they also don't need a Core like the rest of us since they cannot evolve anyways." The woman explains.
"Well, not that it actually matters then. Now we just have to also overwhelm our enemies' quality with our quantity in this case." Terminus adds, smiling maliciously as he focuses back at Kamen Rider Lupin and the others.
Back with Lupin and the others…
"I no longer have any idea about what's going on, but I'm not sticking around!" Roidmude 100 declares as he decides to leave the place.
His body suffered enough damage and its condition was critical. He would have died for sure if those Reaper Units didn't show up. Better take this chance to fight another time.
"Wait!" Kamen Rider Lupin cries as he tries to go after him.
"Rargh!"
However, the Bat Type Reaper gets in the Phantom Thief's way, now trying to slash the Rider with a scythe he was carrying around.
"Get out of my way!" The Phantom Thief cried, kicking the enemy away after avoiding some of the foe's strikes.
"Ahhh!"
But Lupin wasn't the Roidmudes' only target.
Hearing a woman's scream, the Rider is greeted with the sight of the Cobra Reaper pulling Midnight by the hair before preparing to cut her throat with a claw that materialized in its hand while the Spider Type Reaper was violently strangling Present Mic with its bare hands, not allowing the blonde to use his [Voice] Quirk.
"Tch! What a pain in the ass!" The Phantom Thief grumbles under his breath in annoyance as he sees this, now having to help these so-called 'heroes'.
They seem kind of incompetent when they are unable to use their Quirks to help, huh?
*Bang!* *Bang!*
But before Lupin could assist Nemuri and Hizashi, energy bullets come from another direction, hitting both Reaper Units that were attacking the pair of Pro Heroes and releasing them from their grasp.
[Rider! Tracer!]
*Vroom!*
Kamen Rider Tracer arrives on the scene while riding her Ride Tracer, hitting the Roidmudes with her bike as she creates some distance between the humans and the evil Mechanical Life Forms.
"The new Kamen Rider!?" Midnight exclaims as she looks at the newcomer, who parks her Rider Machine nearby before getting off from it.
As for Hizashi, he was trying to regain his breath while gently massaging the now free throat with his hands.
"Are you alright?" Tracer, voice full of concern, asks Nemuri and her colleague before offering a helping hand to the other female.
Speechless and dumbstruck by this sudden gesture of kindness, Nemuri simply accepts things without thinking too much right now about the matter of law.
This probably isn't the best time to discuss the matter of vigilantism…
"Hey! Need a little help over here!" Lupin calls the others as they see him struggling a bit to keep the three Reaper Roidmudes restrained and not let them attack anybody else nearby.
"I will leave the civilians' safety to the two of you." Tracer tells the U.A. teachers before joining the fight as she begins to help Lupin fend off the Roidmudes.
"Now wait a-!" Present Mic tries to protest, only to be stopped by Midnight placing a hand on his shoulder.
The blonde became incredulous as Nemuri shook her head at him.
"Kayama? Are you serious!?" He asks her, his tone filled with incredulity.
"You have seen it yourself as well by now, haven't you? We can't defeat those strange Villains, Yamada. Our Quirks are useless because they have ways to counter our abilities." She explains to Hizashi as she points to the Kamen Riders taking care of the Reaper Units. "Whether we like it or not, we will have to leave this to the Kamen Riders."
There was also the issue that any of the fighters over there could cause the [Slowdown] at any moment while they kept wasting time bickering like this.
"..." The English teacher looks reluctant at first, but he eventually nods to his fellow Pro Hero.
Right, the safety of civilians and injured people in the area always have priority over taking care of the criminals. And what was more important to true heroes? Their 'reputation' or the lives of the people they swore to protect?
"Come on!" Hizashi decides to take the lead with the evacuation procedures as he starts to drag some injured people away from the location while Nemuri smiles at this before following his example.
"Die!" The Spider Reaper cries before transforming his left arm into an energy cannon.
He then takes aim at Nemuri helping an injured Pro Hero walk away before firing at the humans.
*Bang!*
Midnight, seeing this, prepares for the worst as she tries to shield the other person with her own body.
But the shot never came into contact with her as Lupin appears before them, protecting the heroes with his energy shield.
"*Gasp!* Lupin!?" Midnight exclaims, still shocked at seeing the Phantom Thief also coming to save people once again.
"Hurry up, woman!" He simply barks back to her before proceeding to fight back against the Roidmude.
The Bat Reaper was about to attack Present Mic and the people he was helping, planning to kill all of them with an energy slash from his scythe.
But suddenly, what appears to be yellow Crime Scene Tape, the same type used by the Police to mark crime scenes with the words 'Crime Scene Do Not Cross' written on it, appears and wraps itself around the monster's feet, making him lose balance and smack his face hard against the floor.
*Smack!*
Curious about where the tape came from, Hizashi and the others learn that the tape came from Kamen Rider Tracer's wrists as she used it to drag the Bat Reaper away from the others.
'Huh, neat. She sort of reminds me of Shota.' The blonde Pro Hero briefly thinks about his scruffy friend and the use of Aizawa's own Capturing Weapon through the use of the Binding Cloth fighting style that Eraser Head developed over the years.
Eventually, the fight escalated to the point Tracer and Lupin found themselves back to back while the Reaper Units circled the two of them.
"So… Tracer is your codename, huh? Interesting choice." Lupin says to the other Kamen Rider.
"Flattery won't get you anywhere, Kaitou. I still plan to take care of you once we get rid of these Roidmudes." The female vigilante dryly replies to the other Quirkless individual.
The unusual duo then takes notice that Midnight and Present Mic just finished evacuating everyone on the premises.
Good, then this means that they can bring an end to this without worrying about collateral damage and innocent people accidentally getting caught in the middle of their Special Finishers.
[Tune: Viral System!]
Lupin inserts a regular Bat Viral Core into his personal weapon's slot before using its power to summon a Bat Type Roidmude Berserk Body through the use of his special energy-made film strip projection.
[Lupin Bat!] The Lupin Gunner announces.
"Kyaahhh!" The giant bat monster screeches while flapping its wings as its sudden appearance surprises everybody else, except for Tracer, who already knew about this trick of the Phantom Thief.
"He can summon giant monsters as well!? Is that his original Quirk?" Present Mic asks aloud, now sweating nervously from his safe spot.
A horrible thought suddenly plagues his mind as Hizashi couldn't help but imagine the Phantom Thief Rider suddenly ordering the giant Bat Roidmude to attack people with it.
As for the new Kamen Rider, Tracer inserts a red Signal Koukan Signal Bike, customized with a Demon Beast detail across it and with the Ability Crest showing a danger sign, into the Mach Driver Honoh.
This is Signal Kikern…
Based on a custom bike, Signal Kikern is one of the four Signal Koukan Signal Bikes, which allows Kamen Rider Tracer to activate the Kourin Signal Kikern, enabling her Pat Megabo, in Megaphone Mode, to summon a Demon Beast that starts out small, but then grows to giant size in nanoseconds so that it can maul the opponent with bites.
Its name is an elongation of Kiken (危険, Kiken lit. "Danger").
[Signal Bike! Signal Koukan! Kikern!] The Mach Driver announced as Kamen Rider Tracer's Kourin Signal now shows the Ability Crest of Signal Kikern.
"Let's end this!" Lupin cries as he is the first to execute a Special Finisher.
[Ultimate! Lupin Bat!]
The Phantom Thief rides on the Berserk Bat's back as they ram into the enemy.
"Time to give my all!" Tracer cries before performing her own finishing move.
She first inserts the Signal Tracer into the Pat Megabo's Signal Landing Panel before tapping into the power of Signal Kikern.
[Hissatsu! Full Throttle! Kikern!]
To activate this attack, Tracer must load a Signal Bike into her weapon's Signal Landing Panel or activate a Full Throttle via the Mach Driver.
The Pat Megabo's Hit Tracer Full Throttle can be influenced by the female Kamen Rider's current Kourin Signal depending on how many times the Boost Igniter is hit.
[Totemo(Very) Kikern(Dangerous)!]
Tracer fires into the air, then hits the Boost Igniter four times, summoning three fully grown red-hued Demon Beasts to attack the enemy.
"Are those… Real-life Bullet Bills?" Present Mic thinks, noticing how Signal Kikern's Demon Beasts almost resemble a certain character from a famous video game franchise.
*Boom!*
The result is instantaneous, the Reaper Roidmudes are quickly destroyed by the combined efforts of Lupin and Tracer's special attacks.
'So destructive… How many Quirks do they have?' Midnight thinks as she narrows her eyes, trying to think of possible weakness that the Kamen Riders might have as she observes in silence.
"Now it's just you and me, Lupin!" Tracer calls the Phantom Thief as she prepares to fight him, turning to face the masked man.
Only to find an empty space, where he previously stood, as the vigilante noticed how the criminal actually decided to escape from the scene by flying away on the back of his Berserk Body Bat Roidmude rather than using the Ride Arsène this time.
"Ladies and gentlemen! I hope you liked this show! I now bid you all adieu!" Lupin salutes with a wave of his hand and makes a dramatic bow as he swiftly escapes from the area.
"Oh, come on! Get back here, Kaitou!" Tracer cries in exasperation as she quickly gets on her Ride Tracer and follows after him, leaving the other behind.
"Hey, wait!" Present Mic cries as he also tries to go after the other two.
But due to not being fast enough nor having a means of transportation of his own, the Voice Hero was left behind to eat dust.
Hizashi tries to use his [Voice] Quirk to hit both of the Kamen Riders, but he ends up failing at this as both Lupin and Tracer quickly get out of his range.
With the danger gone as things become stable there once more, Midnight takes notice of how everyone there looks relieved that Lupin and Tracer somehow saved their lives in the process.
While the R-Rated Heroine still doesn't understand why exactly the Phantom Thief came there to fight the new villains, she got the familiar feeling that Tracer(as this is how Lupin apparently decided to address her while the others nearby listened to their talk) was perhaps similar to Dark Drive and the Naruhata Vigilantes in regards to wanting to help and protect others with their acts of vigilantism.
The incident back at the city's Central Bank seemed to further cement this after Nemuri heard about the speech that the new female Kamen Rider gave to everyone back then. Now, if only she could actually understand why the new masked vigilantes would always try to go as far as to apparently 'kill' the new villains with seemingly Mutant-type Quirks themed after Cobra, Spider and Bat motifs and the extra ability to cause the [Slowdown]...
A while later…
Just like in Dark Drive's case, the Phantom Thief initially had some trouble with Tracer chasing after him. But Lupin eventually managed to get away from her as well…
A few hours later, we now see that a large crowd can be seen forming around the place where the fight just took place as some Pro Heroes and the Police Force investigated the location for any possible clues left behind.
Yuriko was also amongst the cops, taking statements from everyone present during the incident, including Nemuri and Hizashi.
'Lupin got away once again. Maybe it will take both me and Tomari-san to make sure this doesn't happen again.' The rookie detective ponders about, feeling quite dejected as she imagines that the Quirkless Phantom must be far away now from the crime scene.
But little did she know that certain parties were silently observing her from the crowd of people that gathered before the crime scene.
First is the duo composed of the Sako Brothers as Kaito regrouped there with Atsuhiro. He then tells his older brother about Yuriko's secret identity.
"Let's head back to Juror. We can plan our next actions there and how to deal with the other Kamen Riders and the Roidmudes." The [Compress] man suggests as the ravenette Quirkless agrees with him before both of them walk away discreetly.
"Right, Nii-san."
The second pair silently observing Yuriko consists of Terminus and 009 in their human disguises. Having identified the Quirkless police detective as the possible secret identity for Kamen Rider Tracer, the two Roidmude Executives mark her on their list of potential targets to terminate.
And lastly…
'So that's Shijima Yuriko… Tomari Yuuki's partner and the second person that Krim Steinbelt chose. Another Quirkless with the potential to become a Kamen Rider… Just like me.'
The last person observing Yuriko was a young, fair-skinned man in his mid-twenties with gray eyes.
He has black hair that spikes backward at the sides, with purple highlights.
On his right hand, he has a silver ring that looks like the same winged skull that Mashin Chaser sports on his shoulder. His outfit consists of a pink v-neck shirt underneath a light gray suit jacket, with black trousers that end above his ankles.
"... " The mysterious man was also holding the Signal Chaser Signal Bike in his hand as he watched Yuriko work.
The Closing Screen of this chapter shows Shift Mega Max Flare, the regular Bat Viral Core, Signal Kikern and Signal Chaser, side by side, with the logo of Kamen Rider Dark Drive behind them.
My Hero Academia Illegals: Vigilante Dark Drive
Drive 11: The eye-catching Phantom Thief
- End -
Author Notes:
Thank you for reading!
This chapter was mostly done with the intent of giving some character development and backstory for Kaito/Kamen Rider Lupin and Atsuhiro/ Mr. Compress. I hope I managed to show that despite being a Phantom Thief, Kaito is not entirely a bad person. He does wish to help people that can't rely on Pro Heroes in his own way. The same will go for Mr. Compress as I will try to portray both of them as 'modern versions' of Robin Hood in this story, following the legacy of their ancestor - The Peerless Thief.
I decided to change my mind in regards to the Roidmude Reaper Legion and will also make use of them in this story. Their group being solely composed of Coreless members is the first sign that the Kamen Riders will deal with more than 108 Roidmudes through this story.
The next chapter will focus back on the Drive Team characters and maybe a bit into my OC that can transform into Mashin/Kamen Rider Chaser.
If you guys have any ideas or suggestions that I could use for this story, you're free/welcome to share!
Question(Please answer this in the Reviews if possible):
[There is a Toy-Exclusive Shift Car called Shift Colorful Colorful, a Bandai apparel-exclusive. Since it's a 'canon' one, I would like to make use of it. What should its ability be? I still have no idea about what to do and I want to use this Shift Car in the story.]
[What different abilities Shift Get Dream Vegas can grant in comparison to Dream Vegas?]
So, what do you guys think? Please give me some reviews if possible.
If you are interested, please go check my other stories.
Also, thanks to everybody that followed, favorited the story and gave reviews.
See You Next Time