Hey, everyone!
Welcome to chapter 16 of My Hero Academia Illegals: Vigilante Dark Drive.
Hope you guys enjoy it!
"Speaking"
'Thinking'
*Sounds*
[Belt-san/Kamen Rider System]
"Super Moves!"
{Television}
"You've done well thus far. But this is the end of the road for you." The Terminus Roidmude tells Kamen Rider Dark Drive as a dark aura covers his body. "With you and Krim dead, nobody else will be able to truly oppose us."
"I would like to see you actually do something rather than just talk." The black vigilante counters cheekily.
"Oh, now you asked for it." Terminus grins as his dark aura start to spread through the entire area.
[What… What is this darkness?] Belt-san questions as he analyzes the dark energy.
"[Darkness], huh? Yes, this word best defines my ability. I'll give you a taste of just how powerful it is!" The Executive Roidmude boasts.
'The darkness gushing from his body is crawling across the ground and even the air.' Dark Drive notices as he looks around. 'It's pitch black. Almost like it represents nothing but death and despair itself.'
"[Darkness] is gravity. It has the power to pull everything in! Not even a ray of light can escape from its endless reach!"
Suddenly, everybody captive suddenly began to feel unwell, their bodies feeling exhausted as they all also began breathing heavily.
"Not again…! That guy used this same attack earlier to beat all of us…!" Aizawa comments with a pained grunt as he glares at Terminus.
"Everyone…!" Izuku speaks as he looks at everyone else with an expression of concern, forcing himself to not close his eyes.
[What is going on!? Why are they suddenly not feeling well anymore?] Belt-san questions, trying to understand how Terminus' darkness is making everyone he captured feel sick and weak.
But in contrast to the other humans, Dark Drive was apparently fine.
Terminus chuckled at this, confusing the Kamen Rider.
"I see… So you are immune to my ability… It just confirms what I already knew…" The Executive said to the vigilante, surprising him with his next words. "You are a Quirkless person, aren't you?"
"!?"
[*Gasp!*]
Drive and Belt-san became briefly startled by the sudden accusation while the 'normal' people with Quirks were more surprised.
"What!?" Katsuki cried, his eyes seeming as if they were about to pop out from their sockets at any instant.
'How does he know!?' Drive thinks in shock.
"You see, there is one more thing about my [Darkness]: It has the power to also draw in a person's Quirk energy, making them weaker and unable to utilize their powers." Terminus elaborated as he glanced at everybody trapped inside the black floating cage. "In other words, nobody can use their Quirks in my presence!"
[W-What!? He can do that?] Belt-san asks.
"So that's how he not only defeated but also captured the hostages. That black cage is part of your ability as well, isn't it?" The Rider questions their foe.
"Yeah, that's right. Anyone trapped inside of my Black Box is unable to use their Quirks." The Roidmude declared menacingly. "I am Terminus, the Roidmude specially created to destroy anyone with Quirks!"
(Flashback)
We are shown some minutes after Terminus finished declaring his presence to All Might and Classes 1-A and 1-B.
"Detroit Smash!"
All Might tries using his signature Super Move on the Roidmude Executive.
However, Terminus soon unleashes his [Darkness], making everyone feel weak and unable to use their Quirks.
'W-what!? My body… I can't use [One For All]!?' Toshinori thinks in horror, quickly dropping to the ground.
He then feels Terminus suddenly grab him forcefully by the shoulder before delivering a devastating punch on the Symbol of Peace's stomach.
*Smack!*
"Argh!" Toshinori coughs blood as he is launched towards a metal wall.
(Flashback ends)
"Terminus!? So you're the guy Malware was talking about back then!" Dark Drive concludes as he remembers what the 003 Roidmude told him back at the battle of Hosu City.
That someone named Terminus called dibs on his head…
"Emitter, Transformation and Mutant Types!" Terminus listed. "Against a world filled with humans who are overconfident in their Quirks' abilities, I've obtained a means of attack that cannot be defended against!"
"My god… How are we supposed to defeat someone like that…!?" Present Mic listens in despair, getting on his knees.
Aizawa gritted his teeth at this, it seemed like Terminus' [Darkness] was a better version of his own Quirk, with no drawbacks apparently and even immune to his own [Erasure] Quirk.
"But my [Darkness] has one small 'weakness'…" The Roidmude Executive points out. "It does absolutely nothing at all against Quirkless people. Now you get what I'm trying to say, right?"
"..."
[...]
While Dark Drive and Belt-san remained silent at this information, the people of U.A. were trying to wrap their heads against the revelation that the vigilante everyone was talking about was a Quirkless all this time…
That someone without abilities has been outsmarting everyone from the Hero Community so far…
"Dark Drive… He… He is Quirkless!?" Izuku concluded, mixed feelings coming over him.
'I see… David's opinion was right… So the Kamen Rider is really a Quirkless person…' Toshinori thinks in acceptance from his chained position.
"It's not that hard to suspect that you're a Quirkless either when I see that you are only relying on the power provided by the Shift Cars and the Signal Bikes to fight back against us Roidmudes." Terminus resumes his deduction. "In all of the battles so far, I have seen that the Kamen Riders did nothing at all that could be explained with the use of a Quirk."
'Damn… This guy is proving to be a real pain in the ass…!' Dark Drive thinks in annoyance.
"But that's not all… This led me to conclude one more critical thing: That only Quirkless people can become Kamen Riders!" Terminus adds, raising a finger. "Yes, every single one of you! Dark Drive, Tracer, Lupin and Mashin Chaser."
"What!?"
Everybody of U.A. High gasped at this, with some going into denial while others were still having a hard time processing this sudden groundbreaking revelation.
[So they already reached this conclusion…] Belt-san thinks in defeat.
"..."
Meanwhile, his operator remains silent.
"What's wrong? Cat got your tongue, Drive?" Terminus playfully asks the silent black Kamen Rider. "Or are you perhaps still not satisfied with my deduction? I can still give more information if you want."
"!?"
"There's more?" Nezu asks.
"I hope you haven't forgotten that we now also have 004 within our ranks, Krim." The Executive says as he looks directly at Belt-san, acting smugly. "He still has the data he acquired by copying you. Which means that he also possesses the knowledge of the Kamen Rider System's workings."
"Ah, damn…!"
Now Dark Drive finally speaks, cursing as he realizes the hidden meaning behind the mechanical monster's words.
[Oh no… I should have taken that into consideration as well…] Belt-san adds, blaming himself for this unexpected mistake.
Does that mean there was no point in keeping secret the fact that only people like Yuuki and Yuriko could become Riders?
"004 also made a research and concluded that the Kamen Rider System can only be used by Quirkless humans." Terminus points out, mocking them. "Too bad, right? All the secrecy, and for what? We already knew about you guys' situation."
'So they already knew…' Dark Drive thinks grimly as he suddenly becomes confused with one detail. 'But then… Why haven't they done anything about it yet? Why haven't they tried to get rid of all the Quirkless people? Are they confident that this will not interfere with their plans?'
"Frankly speaking, I don't really care about who you are, Dark Drive. Nor why Krim has chosen you to become the new Kamen Rider Drive in this new world. There are many in the world who hate us Roidmudes. And you're simply just another one." Terminus tells the vigilante. "The only thing that ultimately matters is completing our promissed goal. That's all. And you have interfered with us far too many times. But this ends today."
"Terminus, my only desire is to battle the Roidmudes! When I defeat you, I will make you regret facing me!" The black Kamen Rider replies.
"Is that so? Sorry, but I will need you gone from the picture now!" The Executive Roidmude cries as he finally charges at the vigilante.
Dark Drive blocks the attack with the blade of the Handle-Ken.
"So what if you have the power to nullify Quirks? If anything, you're basically just an Eraserhead on steroids and Trigger!" The vigilante jeers at his deadly opponent.
"H-Hey!" Said person cries in indignation at the rude comparison.
"Ah, I see you still have your sense of humor. Then let's see how long you can keep it, smart-ass." Terminus says back to Dark Drive.
In response, Dark Drive delivers a drop kick into his opponent's head, pushing the Evolved Roidmude away from the masked warrior. He then summons the Door-Ju, tapping into the firearm weapon's energy to attach a blue energy bayonet manifestation into it.
*Slash!* *Slash!*
The Kamen Rider slashes the Executive enemy several times with his weapon's bayonet before loading Shift Mad Doctor into the Door-Ju Shift Landing Panel.
[Hissatsu: Doctor - Full Throttle!]
"Injection Shot!"
While aiming at his target, Drive rushes towards Terminus with his Door-Ju's bayonet stretched out in order to stab the mechanical monster, quickly standing upside down to further confuse Terminus.
Once the sharp weapon connects, a giant syringe materializes thanks to the power of Shift Mad Doctor as the black vigilante makes it "fire" like a gun, making the target suffer damage in the aimed spot as the giant syringe pierces Terminus' chest while also pushing him back at a fair distance.
"Argh!" The Executive grunted in pain before quickly recovering. "Don't get cocky, human!"
Terminus makes his own special move to retaliate, his hands are enveloped in dark red energy before he punches the ground with them, sending intense shockwaves of flame towards Kamen Rider Dark Drive, as the power he generated drives through the earth with tremendous destructive power.
"Beat Crusher!" He cries.
*Boom!*
"Argh!"
The black vigilante gets blasted away as the explosive technique sends him flying right to a nearby building, crashing into it.
*Crash!*
Terminus follows after his prey, trying to not give time for the Kamen Rider to recover as he tries to deliver a barrage of energy-powered punches at the masked warrior.
Dark Drive barely avoids a blow in time, almost having his head crushed by Terminus' foot as he can only keep dodging while the Executive keeps trying to hit him, their fight quickly trashing the inside of the building.
But the vigilante eventually sees an opening, grabbing Terminus by the hip and one of his wrists before performing an over-the-shoulder throw with acquired momentum as he immediately tosses the Roidmude out of the building.
"Wrecker!" Drive calls for another Shift Car.
*Beep!* *Beep!*
Shift Hooking Wrecker comes into view, hitting Terminus through a zig-zag move before Dark Drive grabs it.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Based on a tow truck, Shift Hooking Wrecker is a sentient Type Wild Shift Car which allows Kamen Rider Drive to gain the Hooking Wrecker Shift Tire, equipping him with the Capture Hook to grab objects from afar. By itself, it can move things around by using its little hook.
The Capture Hook is a Tire Specific Item modeled after a winch that is wielded by Kamen Rider Drive whenever he uses the Shift Hooking Wrecker Car to activate the Hooking Wrecker Tire, which can also be combined with the Massive Monster and Deco Traveller Tires to create the Tough Guy Tire via Type Tridoron's Tire Blending ability.
It can also be accessed by Kamen Rider Tracer if she inserts the Shift Car into her Mach Driver Honoh to activate the Kourin Signal Hippare(To pull).
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
[Tire Koukan! Hooking Wrecker!] Belt-san announces as his user equips himself with the Hooking Wrecker Shift Tire.
Dark Drive kicks the Max Flare Shift Tire, that detaches itself from his torso, towards the Terminus Roidmude.
The advanced android easily stops it with his bare hand before tossing the fire Shift Tire away, using the hot wheel to destroy a small store nearby.
*Boom!*
Moving faster than Terminus, the black Rider uses the Capture Hook to restrain his opponent first before attacking.
But the Executive already predicted that, immediately moving away from his black-themed opponent. He then produces several bolts of dark energy that erupt from his body, aiming them at the Kamen Rider.
In response to this, Dark Drive starts to swing the Capture Hook around, much like a whip, as the Shift Tire's hook weapon quickly destroys the dark energy bolts, one by one.
[Hissatsu! Full Throttle! Wrecker!]
The masked vigilante next taps into the power of the current Shift Car, wrapping the Capture Hook's line around his right arm and holding the hook with his hand.
Drive then charges at Terminus, ready to perform a Rider Punch on the Roidmude.
The mechanical monster tries to avoid the blow, but the Rider restrains him by grabbing his shoulder with his free hand.
"Wrecking Hook!"
Dark Drive cries as his right fist takes the shape of a giant dark green hook before he curves his arm to hit the side of Terminus' face.
*Smack!*
"Guah!" The Executive grunts in pain, his head being bent backward as he suddenly bleeds a red liquid similar to human blood from the spot Dark Drive just hit him.
"He is doing it! Dark Drive might defeat Terminus!" Itsuka comments as the others seem to agree with her, the sign of their tormentor being injured was a chance of hope for them.
'Not so fast!' The Evolved Roidmude in question thinks as he immediately proceeds to retaliate, grabbing his adversary by the neck before bringing both of their heads closer, headbutting Dark Drive's helmet with his own head.
*Smack!*
"Argh!" The vigilante is blown away, landing a few meters away from his foe before he cries in pain.
*Crack!*
The headbutt Drive received was also strong enough to crack the left side of his mask's cyan visor, revealing the man's silver eye for everyone to see.
'A silver eye…? Why do I have the feeling that I already saw it before somewhere else?' Toshinori curiously thinks from his chained spot.
"Hehe... This is really becoming interesting! You don't disappoint at all, Dark Drive! Krim!" Terminus tells his opponent, chuckling darkly as he seems to be enjoying their duel.
My Hero Academia Illegals: Vigilante Dark Drive
Drive 16: Duel of fates
Meanwhile…
With Tracer…
"Between the two of us, I will be the one walking away!" The Malware Roidmude coldly tells Kamen Rider Tracer, brandishing his blue lightsaber-like weapon at the female vigilante.
"Guess again!" She cries in defiance as she holds her Pat Megabo in reverse grip style. "I've got nothing else to say to you."
After being separated from her partner, the rookie Kamen Rider will have to deal with Malware on her own, having a new obstacle to overcome.
BGM - Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days OST: Deep Dive
"Then let's keep this short and sweet." The 003 Executive says before taking the initiative.
Although he appears calm and collected throughout when speaking, the Malware Roidmude can become a wild and dangerous opponent in battle.
*Slash!* *Slash!*
With his laser sword, the Roidmude tries to slash his opponent down with several attempts as he easily cuts through several nearby objects as if they were made of paper. But he narrowly ends up missing each time as Tracer manages to barely avoid the cutting attacks at the last second.
She then delivers a butterfly kick into the evil android's face, pushing him away from her.
"Be gone!" The Executive cries as he makes an energy slash towards his target.
Tracer quickly summons an energy riot shield to defend herself from the strike.
But this was proven to be nothing more than a mere trick Malware set in order to appear behind her.
"Fool!"
*Smack!*
He slaps the female vigilante away, sending her rolling down across the ground.
"Tracer!" Midnight cries in concern at the Kamen Rider.
"Star Break Laser!"
Malware uses a special move.
The Roidmude Executive crosses his arms in front of him and uses both hands to fire a torrent of deadly light particles, causing extreme damage to whatever they hit.
Malware can also control the spread of the attack, limiting it to a single person or covering an extremely wide area. It also has great piercing properties, penetrating a thick layer of steel and concrete of all nearby buildings within Ground Beta's area.
To counter this attack, Tracer decides to make use of a new weapon that Krim recently gave to her shortly after the battle of Hosu City - Kamen Rider Mach's Zenrin Shooter.
[Zenrin Shooter!] The Rider Weapon announces upon activation.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The Wheel Rotating Gun Zenrin Shooter used to be Kamen Rider Mach's default pistol-like weapon, partially shaped like the front section of a motorbike.
Kamen Rider Tracer can now summon this weapon by hitting the Boost Igniter on her Mach Driver Honoh four times while the Signal Tracer Bike is in place. The weapon can also be utilized and summoned without having to transform.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Kamen Rider Tracer's Signal/Tire Koukan modes are able to passively influence the shots fired by the Zenrin Shooter, which depends on how many times the female Rider hits the Boost Igniter on her Mach Driver.
The vigilante quickly dodges more of Malware's deadly beams before inserting Signal Kaksarn into the new weapon's Signal Landing Panel.
[Shooter! Kaksarn!] The weapon announces.
Tracer then retaliates back at the Roidmude Executive, firing back with the weapon at the monster as she hits the Driver's Boost Igniter several times.
[Takusan(A lot) Kaksarn!] The Mach Driver announces as Tracer's shots all split into multiple ones to successfully counter Malware's lasers.
"Alright! She's keeping up with that Villain!" Present Mic praised as the captives hoped that the masked woman would be able to corner the cyclops monster at some point.
Tracer quickly inserts another Signal Bike into her Driver. It was a green one shaped after a dirt bike.
[Signal Bike! Signal Koukan! Magarl!]
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Based on a dirt bike, Signal Magarl is one of the four Signal Koukan Signal Bikes, which allows Tracer to activate the Kourin Signal Magarl, enabling her Zenrin Shooter to fire beams that attack at an arc, the arc becomes sharper and faster when the Boost Igniter is hit 4 times. Its name is an elongation of Magaru (lit. "To turn/bend").
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Kamen Rider Tracer's Kourin Signal now shows the Ability Crest of Signal Magarl.
[Zenrin!] The Zenrin Shooter announces.
*Slash!*
Tracer performs a blue ring-like energy slash towards Malware with her pistol-like weapon.
But the Executive Roidmude easily avoids the attacks by flying above with minimal effort.
"Pathetic." He taunts the rookie Kamen Rider.
"Is that so?" She asks back, not bothered at all.
'What?' This confused the mechanical monster.
[Kyūni(Suddenly) Magarl!] The Mach Driver announces as Tracer presses the Ignition Booster, tapping into the power of the green Signal Bike.
*Slash!*
"Argh!?" Malware is taken by surprise as he is suddenly hit from behind.
He notices that it was the same energy ring that Tracer tried to hit with him earlier. Did it return to slash his exposed back? But how?
Ignoring the question, for now, he decides to land back on the surface, only looking annoyed at his adversary.
That attack might have taken him by surprise, but it was hardly enough to seriously injure his body.
"You should have tried something heavier!" He remarks at his opponent, making a finger gun gesture with his hand before pointing it at her.
But before he can fire his deadly laser at Tracer, the female vigilante already has another trick up her sleeve ready to be put into use.
"Then have a taste of this!" She cries before inserting a certain Shift Car into her Pat Megabo's slot.
[Rolling Gravity!] The weapon announces.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Based on a road roller, Shift Rolling Gravity is a sentient Type Technic Shift Car which allows Kamen Rider Dark Drive to gain the Rolling Gravity Shift Tire, equipping him with the 10-ton Weight to produce a gravitational well. By itself, it can create a small gravitational field that holds an enemy in place.
A gravity adjustment device, called the G-Adjust Module, is installed within the Shift Rolling Gravity Tire, which allows the Kamen Rider to hold the 10-ton Weight.
The 10-ton Weight is a Tire Specific Item that was wielded by Kamen Rider Drive when he used the Shift Rolling Gravity Car to activate the Rolling Gravity Tire, which can also be combined with the Rumble Dump and Spin Mixer Tires to create the Kouji Genbar Tire via Type Tridoron's Tire Blending ability.
It can also be accessed by Kamen Rider Tracer if she inserts the Shift Car into her Mach Driver Honoh to activate the Kourin Signal Tsubusu.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
A giant energy manifestation of the 10-ton Weight Tire Specific Item manifests above the Malware Roidmude before Tracer gestures with her Pat Megabo for it to crush her opponent with the power of gravity.
[Hissatsu! Gravity! Full Throttle!] The Pat Megabo announces.
*Slam!*
"Argh!" Malware cries as he now finds himself suddenly being forcefully pressed against the ground, feeling himself sinking even further into the ground with each second that passes.
"Are you kidding me!? The Kamen Rider can even use some sort of [Gravity]? Just how many surprises do they still have!?" Honenuki Juzo asks the others next to him.
*Whoosh!*
But the moment is short-lived as the Roidmude Executive manages to teleport away from there, quickly reappearing behind Tracer.
"Watch out!" Midnight cried.
Malware summons two blue blades of energy from the palms of his hands before using them to slash the female vigilante.
"Argh!" Tracer cries in pain as the machine monster grabs her by the ankle before proceeding to forcefully slam her body against the ground several times.
"Stop!" Ochaco yells, being able to only do that as she and the others are forced to watch one of their saviors get brutally beaten before their eyes.
With Dark Drive…
"Huff… Huff…"
Grunting, the black Kamen Rider slowly rises up as his broken visor is repaired automatically on its own, concealing his exposed silver eye. He then begins to pant heavily.
"What's the matter? Don't tell me you're already tired? I take back what I said. If I had been expecting a spirited man, I would be very disappointed." Terminus mocks his opponent. "Don't tell me you lost all your power after that last attack?"
[Roll out, NEXTridoron!] Belt-san calls out.
*Vroooom!*
Dark Drive's personal Rider Machine suddenly comes into view, attacking the Executive Roidmude by firing sky blue energy beams at the monster from its holographic turrets.
"What!? Argh!" The Roidmude cries in pain as some of the beams pierce his body armor, injuring him in the process.
[Laser Rain!] Belt-san orders.
The NEXTridoron has numerous laser gun ports along its sides. Each gun port starts firing a strand of Core Driviar Particle laser that can bend to change its course of direction. The gun ports all fire consecutively, raining lasers down upon their intended target.
*Boom!*
"Argh!"
An explosion is caused as a result, blasting Terminus away as he bounces on the ground a couple of times before he lands, lying on his back.
"What power! What I wouldn't give to make a baby like that!" Hatsume Mei comments, sparkly eyes being shown as she is unable to contain her excitement regardless of their current situation.
While most sweatdropped at this, Izuku seemed to be agreeing with her. Although the greenette was still startled upon the revelation that the Kamen Riders were all apparently Quirkless people.
'How can he be so strong? What would I need to be like him?' Izuku reflects as he observes Dark Drive's resolved form to keep fighting their tormentor.
As for Terminus, he could somehow guess that his opponent was briefly snickering at the way he has just been blasted away.
"If you want a spirited battle, then I'll show you… Another strategy of ours!" The black car-themed warrior confidently tells the gladiator-like Roidmude.
[Go for it, Yuuki!] Belt-san encouraged his operator.
"Right!" The human replies to the Drive Driver.
The NEXTridoron gets closer to its driver before it suddenly begins to transform into something else, surprising everyone sans Dark Drive and Belt-san.
Much like its predecessor, the Tridoron, the NEXTridoron also has the ability to take different forms in accord with the situation that may best suit the Rider Machine's use.
In this case, The NEXTridoron surprisingly takes the shape of a giant black right fist, with blue electronic circuit lines still drawn across it.
[NEXTridoron! Punch Mode!] Belt-san announces the transformation of the Rider Machine.
"Ehhh!?" Was the reaction of most people from U.A., with Mei simply getting further excited at seeing that the special futuristic car has more unique functions.
"A-A giant fist!?" Itsuka also comments, imagining how her own Quirk pales in comparison to the fist-shaped NEXTridoron.
Kamen Rider Dark Drive attaches the giant fist to his right arm as he prepares to punch Terminus with it, the [Punch Mode] was activated with a levitation system so that its user wouldn't have trouble lifting the big fist, becoming able to easily carry it around.
"You think that's actually gonna scare me?" The Roidmude taunts the vigilante.
"Behold! A giant fist that would put even Mt. Lady's to shame!" Dark Drive calls as he charges at the enemy Executive, ready to strike him with a devastating punch.
"If you're trying to intimidate me, stop!" Terminus calls the Kamen Rider as he crosses his arms in an attempt to protect himself, believing that he would be able to easily stop the incoming blow.
He couldn't have been more wrong.
"Rider… Punch!" Dark Drive cries before his giant fist connects with the evil android's form.
*Pow!*
The giant Rider Punch was so powerful that sent Terminus flying away through several buildings of Ground Beta, destroying them in the process.
*Crash!* *Crash!* *Crash!*
"Gargh!" The Roidmude Executive coughs in pain before he lands far away from his original spot.
The captive people had their jaws wide open as they stared in disbelief at the amount of destruction that the vigilante instantly caused with this one single attack.
"Ehhhh!?"
Some of them were glad that he never had to resort to this before while others were simply terrified of being on the receiving end of such a devastating blow.
That could have easily killed any of them there!
"..." Itsuka paled as she looked at her own fists with a feeling of defeat upon remembering what she and the others just witnessed.
"W-What a monstrous punch…!" A horrified Izuku speaks before getting into his usual mumbling.
'Shit…! I almost passed away from this…!' Terminus thinks angrily as he slowly stands up from his spot, stumbling a little in the process.
He was now bleeding from the top of his head, aware that he should not take another of those hits if he wants to survive.
But Dark Drive wasn't done yet with the evil android.
*Whoosh!*
The black Kamen Rider reappears above the major Roidmude, with the NEXTridoron flying high in the air with its user before the Rider Machine begins to take another shape.
[NEXTridoron! Kick Mode!] Belt-san announces.
The NEXTridoron now takes the shape of a giant black boot with blue electronic circuit lines drawn across it. The giant boot's sole being in the shape of Kamen Rider Dark Drive's footprint.
"Now it's a giant foot!?" Tenya cries as he compares his legs' with the massive power that would come from the Rider's incoming blow.
And meanwhile, Mei's eyes only kept sparkling at the sight of another trick that the mysterious black futuristic car had revealed.
The black vigilante attaches his right leg to the Rider Machine's [Kick Mode], ready to use it to stomp upon his enemy's form.
Quite literally.
"Rider… Kick!" Dark Drive chants.
A projection of Kamen Rider Dark Drive is then seen pushing a massive letter 'R' symbol used by the Drive Riders, coated in blue energy, towards its intended target, preparing to hit the Terminus Roidmude with the force of a falling meteor.
Now desperate, the mechanical monster avoids the incoming Rider Kick at the last instant by managing to jump away from their current location.
*Smack!* *Crash!* *Boom!*
The impact of the giant Rider Kick causes an intense shockwave that forces everyone captive to brace themselves for it as the blow also leaves a deep crater at the spot the massive foot landed.
'That was close!' Terminus thinks in relief.
However…
"So you dodged it, Terminus!" Dark Drive notes as he next taunts his foe. "Ha! I bet it's because it hurts!"
"!?"
As the Roidmude Executive flinches upon hearing this remark, All Might looks downcast at the commentary. He still felt distraught about not being able to injure the gladiator-like monster with his signature punches while their mysterious savior was still doing more than him.
How could something possibly more dangerous than [All For One] even exist!?
Toshinori was still having trouble accepting that Krim must have made this technology. Something like this that could surpass the Quirks was simply unheard of! An absurd thing!
As for Terminus, now he finally drops his mocking attitude as rage takes over him. The insult he got from the masked vigilante would not go unpunished!
How dare this insolent Quirkless human mock him!?
Him, a superior being!
"Shut up!" The Executive cries as he summons his own personal weapon.
Terminus uses a massive, heavy Axe Sword called Skysplitter. This weapon is about a meter long, has a blue handle roughly as long as the blade made of black, red, and yellow metal, and appears to be laborious to use for anyone without extreme strength.
"Ragnarok(The End of the World)!"
Wielding Skysplitter two-handed, the Roidmude jumps into the air and quickly spins his weapon above his head as he imbues it with dark red energy, also making it exude black lightning. He then, while descending, swings his weapon down with great force, smashing his foe into the ground.
*Smack!*
"Argh!" The vigilante grunts in pain as he crashes against the ground, with a loud thud and cloud of smoke following after him.
The NEXTridoron simply reappears next to its user as it reverts back into its default form.
*Thud!*
"Drive!" All Might and most of the prisoners call for the masked warrior in worry.
"Hehehe…" Terminus chuckles darkly as he lands back on the ground as well, his Skysplitter resting against his shoulder.
The curtain of dust clears out to reveal the injured Kamen Rider lying on the ground, trying to get up. The vigilante glared at his deadly adversary, but this only seemed to amuse Terminus more, making him forget about the earlier rage he felt towards Dark Drive.
"Ooooooh, that looks like it hurts. Not hard enough to break your back or neck, hopefully, but still, quite painful for a human." The Executive gloated, now getting arrogant again as he calms himself.
"Not yet…!" The Kamen Rider grunts through gritting teeth, getting up once more.
"Now now, let's calm down," Terminus said, putting his hands up and dismissing his Axe Sword, and acting as if he hadn't just injured Dark Drive. "Let's just talk for a moment."
"Talk? About what?" The masked warrior asks, his guard still up.
"Secrets, of course. Like, for example, why do you fight? Why did you become a Kamen Rider?"
"..."
"Don't wanna talk? Fine, then how about I tell you about the deepest secrets of some of the people here first? Maybe this will change your mind." The Executive asks as he gestures to the people inside his Black Box cage.
"!?"
[You…!?]
Everybody from U.A. stared at him, wondering what the Roidmude meant by that, whereas Dark Drive and Belt-san seemed to have instantly realized what he meant.
As a Roidmude, he must have scanned and copied everyone's data there!
"For instance, that boy-" Terminus pointed to Aoyama Yuga, whose pointed smile hid his fear, "- is afraid of his Quirk's incapability with his body thanks to a 'birth defect'. How overusing it makes him almost useless, and that it's costing him friendships with how weak and pathetic he really is."
"I- I-" Yuga stuttered, holding his stomach.
"Don't talk to him like that!" Tenya shouted, glaring at Terminus.
"Oh, and I can't forget about you, Mr. 'I'll Take Down Stain Myself'! How does it feel, having to be saved by your friends Izuku and Shoto, and having to deal with the fact that it was Mashin Chaser who actually took down the Hero Killer, denying the so-called heroes of the credits they rightfully deserved!" Terminus said, pointing to Tenya.
"Wait, really!?" Mina said, eyes wide at Tenya, Izuku and Shoto.
"Oops, no one else was supposed to know, right? I suppose it was for the best that the Kamen Riders took credit for most of what happened back at Hosu."
"Leave us alone!" Pony cried.
"Oh? Do my ears deceive me? Does Little Miss Foreigner feel like she really belongs now to make demands for her 'friends'?" Terminus said, laughing. "I thought you were afraid that no one wanted you around! After all, why would anyone want to associate with a half-American like you?"
Pony struggled to hold her tears back, as Ochako hugged her comfortingly.
Drive glared at the mechanical monster, who was exposing the kids' secrets left and right.
"What's your endgame here, Terminus!?"
"For a show! A show of despair! Of agony!" Terminus said, as he curled his fingers and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed and laughed. "You humans are just simply the most entertaining things I've seen in a long time! This new world's the most entertaining thing I've seen since my awakening! Why not indulge in it!? In this world's darkness!?"
"Oh, but I can't forget the rest of these secrets I know. Since I'm here now, I'll share even more now, whether you want me to or not! Grape-haired lad!" Terminus said, pointing to Minoru. "- Yours, quite frankly, is simply carnal. Must be tragic to overcompensate yourself, knowing that no girl would want a permanently small boy like you! You've hit the peak of your height a long time ago, and all the girls you know just see you as a strange perverted child, so why not play into that!?"
"Shut up! That's not true!" Minoru said, biting his lips.
"Must be tough trying to stand out among your classmates, since all you have is that tail!" Terminus said, pointing to Mashirao.
Mashirao looked around, his tail drooping down from its fighting position.
"And you can't stand out! Must be hard, never being able to see yourself in a mirror!" Terminus said to Toru. "Oh, if only you could turn that invisibility off!"
"Don't say that!" Toru said, balling up her hands.
"Poor, poor Todoroki, having all that boiling water poured onto your face by your mother," Terminus said.
Shoto's eyes widened before they furrowed as his classmates stared at him. He wanted to get out of their cage and personally kill the Executive Roidmude now.
"Though that's understandable since Endeavor's beatings were taxing on you and her, not to mention how your oldest brother's death by accidental self-immolation broke you all."
"SHUT UP!" Shoto screamed at the Roidmude.
Terminus kept laughing at him.
"Oh please, I can easily handle yours and Endeavor's fire," Terminus smugly said. "Oh, but let's not forget the biggest, greatest, most spectacular secret! One Mr. Izuku Midoriya!"
Izuku, All Might, and Nezu stiffened.
He couldn't be-
"How does it feel-"
"DON'T SAY IT!" Izuku shouted.
He wanted to let [One for All] course through his body as fast as he could, but it was useless.
He was Quirkless. Him and everyone else.
He couldn't silence the Roidmude either...
"What's the matter? Afraid of what they'll say? Afraid of them knowing the truth behind you and your Quirk?" Terminus said, as Izuku felt an invisible grin growing on the Roidmude's face. "Afraid of your own Quirklessness?"
Izuku's heart stopped. As did the rest of the humans' there.
"Midoriya?" Tsuyu said, looking at the still teen.
"Quirkless? What are you talking about!? He's one of the strongest guys here!" Eijiro said. "You're definitely lying here!"
"Yea! If he was Quirkless, then how can he do all those crazy powerful punches!?" Hanta said.
"Oh no, I'm not. Your memories never lie," Terminus said, as he pointed at Izuku, who was within the crowd of Hero Course students.
The boy had gone catatonic at the words that had left Terminus's mouth.
"Mr. Izuku Midoriya was born with the rarest defect of all in Japan, in the world! From a father with minor [Fire Breathing] and a mother with weak [Telekinetic Pull], there he came, a boy without a Quirk of his own! Oh, the ironies of him wanting to be a hero regardless!"
"... Midoriya?" Eijiro asked, looking at the unresponsive boy.
Katsuki gritted and gnashed his teeth.
Then what he said that day was true-?
"The boy was beaten down and berated for his dream! By one Mr. Katsuki Bakugo, who feared the potential this Quirkless boy had, and so decided to beat his dream out of him to remain the best! The years go by, and he's almost but given up hope! But as luck would have it, one man found that spark of heroism. One man saw that potential. One man chose to pass his unique Quirk onto him."
"Don't say it! Please!" Izuku begged, snapping out of his catatonia. "He doesn't deserve this! You can't do this!"
'What the hell is going on…? The kid used to be Quirkless? Like me and Yuriko?' Dark Drive thinks in disbelief.
Wait, he was?
Does that mean that Midoriya kid must be a late bloomer, right? What's the big deal about it?
[Just what is going on?] An equally puzzled Belt-san wonders.
"You've gone far enough, Terminus!" The masked vigilante shouted, deciding to leave this matter for later.
He sprinted towards Terminus and threw his mightiest punch, much of his power in this desperate strike.
*Crash!* *Crash!* *Crash!*
Seconds later, Terminus caught the punch, though the wind pressure from it shattered the glasses and buildings around them.
"You're gonna have to put in more strength if you want to beat me, Drive," Terminus said, as he punched the Rider in the gut, forcing Drive to plant his feet down to avoid flying away from his opponent.
"Leave the kids out of this, Terminus!" Dark Drive cries back to his adversary.
"Hey, they're future heroes, are they not? They should be prepared to face villains! If they're not, then that little light of theirs just might get snuffed out, don't you think?" Terminus said, laughing as he projected a screen showing All Might.
It also served as a means of communication for them to interact with the crucified Symbol of Peace.
"Come on, smile! Aren't you the hero that saves everyone with a smile?" The Executive taunts Toshinori.
Terminus pointed his index fingers on his helmet's 'mouth' before moving them, as if he were tracing a smile onto it.
"After all, you might not be smiling for much longer without your Quirk."
All Might's shadowed eyes widened in shock, as the Hero Course students stared at him.
"How- How did you-"
"Out of all the memories I wanted to scan today, yours was the first one I went to!" Terminus said, as he paced in front of the Number 1 Hero. "I wanted to see just what type of person could be the best of the best, so much that other countries consider him an honorary member of their Top Ten! And wouldn't you know it, what I found was... interesting."
"Silence! You have no right to-"
"Oh it doesn't matter if I have the right or not, I'll tell it all anyways."
Terminus only laughed more as All Might's glare intensified.
"Oh, I can tell already, all that power you had when you fought the 'Symbol of Evil' is all but a weakening fire. Better hold on to that, wouldn't want to go to that reunion without them."
'Symbol of Evil?' Dark Drive thinks in confusion.
"What!? He can't be-" Yagi stuttered.
"Oh, he very much is still alive. Broken, but still quite alive. Much like you!" Terminus answered. "The man who killed your predecessor, the man who you and your lineage dedicated their lives to fighting, has risen from the grave you put him in. All for One has been biding his time, All Might."
For the Roidmudes, it wasn't hard to keep tabs on the Villain side either. Even someone secretive like All For One was not safe from their reach.
[All For One?] Belt-san parroted.
"Terminus!" Drive shouted, lunging in for another punch.
Terminus held his right hand out, and blasted the Rider with a shadowy beam, pushing him backward, and keeping him from interfering.
"Your inheritor will have to face him soon enough, and I cannot wait to see him struggle and struggle until he's all but broken like you are," Terminus said to Toshinori, as a nervous Izuku and the others looked at the two, confused.
"Isn't that right... Mr. Midoriya?"
"W-wait, the person that Midoriya got his Quirk from-" Itsuka said, her eyes wide.
"- It's- It's All Might!?" Kosei said, his jaw dropping.
Everybody looked between the two users of [One For All], who had looked at each other with horror.
"No…" Nezu whispered in horror.
The secret was out now…
[A Quirk that could be passed on to someone else? And from Toshinori? Amazing…] Belt-san comments with a surprised emoji.
'That kid… So he isn't a late bloomer!? But he actually gained a Quirk from freaking All Might himself!?' Dark Drive thinks in astonishment, still trying to process what they just learned.
"Cat's out of the bag now, All Might! They all know the truth! The truth about [One for All]! The truth about Mr. Midoriya's Quirklessness! So why not show them!?" Terminus said, as he pulled his right hand away from firing his beam at Drive, only to redirect it into All Might's screen, passing through it and reaching Yagi as it injures his left side, hitting it beam after beam.
"SHOW THEM! SHOW THEM YOUR TRUE WEAK DECREPIT FORM!"
All Might spat out blood as Terminus kept laughing like a maniac. Toshinori could only lay there on the crucifix, struggling to hold his form.
"Struck in your weak spot and yet you're still holding onto your muscular form? Admirable," Terminus said, as he went towards the screen and reached All Might, soon stepping towards the beaten hero. "That's what I like about you."
"ALL MIGHT!" Dark Drive cried as he followed after Terminus, soon reappearing before the Symbol of Peace as well.
Terminus summons his Skysplitter before using it to send an energy slash toward the unprotected people inside his cage.
The Kamen Rider quickly leaped in front of them, and crossed his arms to form a barrier to protect them.
"Argh!" The vigilante cries in pain.
[Yuuki!] Belt-san calls him, showing an emoji of worry on the Drive Driver's display.
"Drive!" The captured people also called for him in concern.
"Come on, show them!" Terminus shouted, as he stepped onto All Might's old wound.
All Might grunted as Terminus's heel dug into his torso, grabbing his leg, though the Roidmude managed to pull his hands off and kept stepping harder.
"Show them all the despair you've been holding back! Show them!"
"Ahhh!"
With each step, All Might screamed louder and louder, horrifying the students. Before the final step, Terminus noticed something moving in his peripheral vision.
Katsuki had left his classmates' side and tried to jump towards the monster, desperately trying to use his Quirk and leave the cage.
"FIGHT ME, YOU SICK BASTARD!" Katsuki yelled, trying to launch a large explosion into Terminus's face.
Only for nothing to happen…
"I'm not interested in you," Terminus stated bluntly. "You're nothing to All Might's heir or Krim's operator. You want to be strong, but you're not. You'll always be second best. Or rather, third best now. Though at least you'll provide some decent despair."
"S-SHUT IT! SHUT UP!" Katsuki screamed, tears flowing down his face. "THAT'S NOT TRUE! I'M NOBODY'S SECOND OR THIRD BEST! I'M-"
"Bored of you already," Terminus said, turning his attention back to the injured All Might. "Now then, one more step should do it."
Terminus raised his heel high, and stepped onto All Might's wound!
*Smack!*
He couldn't hold it any longer…
With a pained scream, a cloud of steam and dust flew out from around the two. As it cleared, everyone was shocked to see a skeletal man laying in All Might's place, wearing the same costume.
"N-no way..." Denki said, trembling.
"A-All Might?" Toru said, her gloves presumably covering her mouth.
'That's… Yagi Toshinori… Krim told me and Yuriko of All Might's real name and identity after I got released from the hospital... So this is how he actually looks when off duty… Away from the public eyes… Just like when we met back at the hospital…' Dark Drive thinks, unable to contain his surprise either despite being told of certain information regarding Krim and All Might's connection beforehand.
"There we go, that's what I like to see," Terminus laughed.
He stepped away from the skinny All Might, and finished firing his beam at Dark Drive.
"I'm done here. You know, I'm not about to ruin All For One's own plan to bring you despair. Because that will also be a fantastic show to see. That is, of course, if Dark Drive manages to save you all."
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Izuku sobbed, tears dripping down onto the Black Box. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry-"
The teens were left alone, with only the sounds of distant despair and Izuku's sobs filling the air.
Until…
"Enough!"
A voice cries as everyone pays attention to the male Kamen Rider's figure once again, especially Terminus, Toshinori and Izuku.
"Oh, right. Our guest of honor." The Executive points a finger at the vigilante. "So, are you finally ready to tell us about your secrets?"
"Just stop it! You treat people's hearts like bottles on a shelf, but they are not!" Dark Drive says back to the Roidmude.
"You mad? So wanna resume playing hero now as well and try to beat me? Wanna kill this big bad villain here?"
"Hero and villain...? I could care less about this whole 'hero x villain' crap!"
"What?"
This confused not only Terminus, but the people of U.A. High as well.
What is the Kamen Rider trying to tell them now?
"Heroes and Villains!? Are you kidding me?! Grow up! Do you really think that is all we're allowed to be!? Does that mean only a hero of justice can save people when they're crying out for help!? Does that mean that if you do a bad deed, you are a villain with no path to redemption!?"
"W-What?" Even Toshinori had no idea about how to reply to this.
"So yeah… A hero? Ha ha... No, that's definitely not me. I'm just someone unlucky enough to find myself in this situation, but not arrogant enough to deem it somebody else's problem!" The vigilante declares firmly.
'How can there be someone like this…?'
Everybody else can't help but think.
"You… Just who the fuck you think you are!?" The Executive demands from his human opponent, starting to get furious with the masked human once again.
After waiting a few moments, the Rider responded with a bitter grin underneath his mask.
"My name isn't important. That's the kind of role I'm fulfilling. I'm just some misfortunate Quirkless who couldn't look the other way when someone was clearly suffering..."
Terminus grits his teeth at this man's non-committal attitude.
Kamen Rider Dark Drive next got truly angry…
"When I was labeled as a Quirkless, it seemed as if everything around me began to fall apart… I just felt dead and empty inside… With no sense of purpose." He says as Izuku pays close attention to his words, the boy's sobs having finally stopped. "I have come to believe that I was doomed to accept that I was born defective, unlike everyone else around my age that got their Quirks."
"But… Someone else taught me that there is more to life…" The Rider now says softly, calming down a little, as he looks at the sentient Drive Driver with a fond expression. "That I don't need a purpose or some grand dream, like wanting to become a Pro Hero… It's okay to sometimes just wander through life, finding interesting little things until I die."
'You… He doesn't need a dream?' Izuku couldn't comprehend what he just heard.
"The pain that we feel, and the wishes that we desire… They help shape our tomorrow. People are born weak, but we have the freedom to defy our weaknesses and struggle to change ourselves." Dark Drive continued, placing a hand on his chest.
[And weakness has the power to awaken that which is dormant within one's soul. The great power known as courage.] Belt-san now speaks.
'Courage…?' Izuku repeated.
[And every single thing you do matters. You have been created as one of a kind. You have been created in order to make a difference. You have within you the power to change the world.] Belt-san told his operator, smiling kindly at Dark Drive.
'One of a kind…?' Toshinori repeats.
Just who is this person that Krim is talking about? How can a Quirkless person make a difference in this world?
"Do I need some convoluted reasoning to fight? I just want to make sure everyone gets to go home with smiles on their faces. Surely that's enough, right?" Dark Drive asks Terminus. "Everyone is doing their best, even though it's hard, even though it's painful, they are still doing their best. But you… You are just an empty person who uses power as an excuse to hurt others… You know what? Honestly, I'm actually starting to feel sorry about you, Terminus." The vigilante lectured the Executive.
Now, this hit the Roidmude's nerve as their roles seemed to have swapped.
Terminus activated a beam in his left hand and fired it, if only to shut the vigilante up.
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU KNOW!?"
This did nothing to stop Dark Drive as he slapped the beam away into nothingness and kept walking forward. An explosion happens behind him, but the black Rider ignores it.
*Boom!*
"I won't lose to someone that looks down on others!" The Rider cries in response, getting serious to resume their fight.
Terminus screamed into the area for everyone to hear.
"STOP TALKING! YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ME!"
"I guess we wouldn't need Heroes in the first place if there were no bad people to begin with." Drive comments. "And everywhere I look, I see criminals always trying to take advantage of other people."
"Drive… Is that his answer?" Izuku questions.
"But… That's what makes people who live honest lives so much more worth!" The vigilante says as he thinks about Krim, Yuriko, Tsukauchi, Tensei and Kenji. "This isn't about pretending to be a Hero… I'm here to protect people!"
Despite the man fighting for their lives being a vigilante, almost everyone captive there now couldn't help but find themselves suddenly resonating with the Kamen Rider's words.
"I walk the road to dawn, Terminus!" Dark Drive tells the Roidmude Executive, adopting a fighting stance as an intense blue aura envelops him. "I consume the darkness and turn it into the light!"
With Tracer…
The rookie female Kamen Rider was being strangled by the Malware Roidmude.
But when things were about to get worse, some Shift Cars appeared to save her by attacking the 003 Roidmude.
"Argh!" Malware grunts as he steps away from his foe.
Recovering her breath, Tracer was about to attack her when they both came to watch the reveal of All Might's condition and the brief speech that Dark Drive gave before facing Terminus once again.
"No way… Is All Might sick?" She asks aloud in concern.
"It doesn't matter, it's not like you're going to find out the rest anyway."
!?
The vigilante quickly focuses back on her current enemy.
"And yet, I still can't understand. You have been given a weapon with unimaginable power and yet you use it to protect people with Quirks, the same type that openly discriminates against your Quirkless kind. Why?"
The two of them have also heard about Terminus' earlier deduction and of the knowledge that Roidmude 004 provided to the evil androids' organization.
The captive people of U.A. had mixed feelings about this. While they don't look down on Quirkless(with the exception of Bakugo), they certainly had the bad impression of associating Quirkless with helplessness.
This clearly was not the case here since the roles have been reversed.
"It's not a weapon. The Kamen Rider System is an instrument of hope made to aid humanity in its darkest times!" Tracer corrects the Roidmude, gesturing to her Mach Driver Honoh.
Mei, who heard her words, became curious about this.
'An instrument of hope…?' She wondered, looking deeply at the device on the masked woman's waist.
"This is what lights the darkness." Tracer continues as she now holds her Pat Megabo before Malware. "A chance to make everyone happy!"
"Ha! What flawed reasoning." The Executive mocks her. "In the end, you are nothing without a Driver. Just another Quirkless human!"
"I'm not strong just because of the Mach Driver." Tracer explains, shaking her head at the mechanical monster. "I became stronger because I have things to protect! My connections with others are the source of my power!" She declares firmly, thinking about her family, friends, comrades at the police department, Krim and lastly about Yuuki smiling encouragingly at her.
"As if Krim would actually just choose you simply because of that. Do you expect me to believe this makes you worthy of becoming a Kamen Rider?" Malware questions.
"You might be right… Sometimes I still wonder if I really deserve to be a Kamen Rider when I heard about the tales of all the ones that came before me. In comparison to them, I still have a long way to go." Tracer answers, looking downcast before adopting a resolved posture. "But at the same, I'm also starting to worry less about this. If anything, I'm proud to be a small part of something bigger: The Legacy of the Kamen Riders and the people chosen to be part of it!"
Suddenly, a red aura covers her whole body as her spirit seemed to have gotten stronger.
And for the first time, Malware actually felt something other than indifference: fear.
Fear of this Quirkless person's unlimited potential!?
But why!? She is supposed to be some Quirkless nobody!
"I will carve a future where everyone can smile with my own hands!" Tracer declares boldly.
"Those are just words! You've lost!" Malware tries to intimidate her, but he ends up failing as he takes a step back from the rookie vigilante.
*Beep!* *Beep!*
A Shift Car comes to Tracer's aid as she catches it.
It was revealed to be none other than Shift Wild.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Based on a dune buggy, Shift Wild is a sentient Shift Car that enables Kamen Rider Drive to transform into Type Wild, granting him enhanced strength and defensive capabilities. It can also transform the Rider Machine Tridoron into its own Type Wild mode.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
[Shift Car! Tire Koukan! Tsuyoi(Strong!)!] The Mach Driver announced as the female vigilante inserts the black Shift Car into the Mach Driver.
Tracer's Kourin Signal now shows Drive's Type Wild symbol. In addition to it, there was a black color now covering the rookie vigilante's arms and legs as energy was seeping through her body as Shift Wild provided an extra boost to her inner strength.
"Cross Laser!" Malware cries as he fires his deadly cross-shaped beam attack at the Rider.
[Hissatsu! Full Throttle! Tsuyoi(Strong)!] The Mach Driver announces as she activates her special finisher.
A huge manifestation of Type Wild's Shift Tire manifests around Tracer as she charges toward Malware, raising her fist as she prepares to punch him.
*Crash!* *Glass shattering noise!*
The vigilante shatters through the Roidmude's attack, destroying it with her Rider Punch as she gets closer to her intended target.
"*Gasp!*" Izuku, Tenya and Shoto are surprised to see how the masked woman easily destroyed an attack that previously defeated the three of them.
"Tch!" Malware grunts in annoyance as the wings on his back begin to morph before forming a shield in front of him.
*Smack!*
Tracer's Rider Punch makes contact with the Executive's shield, generating a powerful shockwave as a result of this clash.
It seemed that the two were in a stalemate, with neither planning to back down.
BGM - One Piece OST: We Are! ~ Stampede Version
However, cracks eventually began to appear on Malware's shield.
*Crack!*
"What!?" The Roidmude looks startled as the female vigilante lets out a battle cry.
"Ahhhhh!"
*Smack!*
The Rider Punch eventually destroys Malware's shield as well, finally hitting the monster's face.
*Pow!*
"Urgh!"
Not done yet, Tracer knocks her opponent down with the extra momentum provided by her own empowered punch, leaving a large crater at where they stood, with Malware's form in its center.
She then jumps high in the air, briefly disappearing from the Executive's sight.
'How could this happen!? I got knocked down!?' The Roidmude, now badly injured and bleeding as well, thinks grimly as he tries to stand up.
Watching this sight, Tenya felt that a part of his older brother's injuries was avenged, when Tensei was hurt by Malware back at Hosu…
*Vroom!*
"I'm not done yet!" Kamen Rider Tracer cried as she returns to her opponent, now riding on her Ride Tracer.
"Wait, is she planning to run over that guy or something!?" Itsuka asked, wondering if this would really be the coup de grâce to defeat the villain for good.
[Blaster Mode!]
The Rider Machine announces before suddenly transforming into something else, just like in the NEXTridoron's case.
The Ride Tracer's [Blaster Mode] is obtained when the bike is split in half, merging with its sidecar and back wheel to form a pair of barrels while the remaining part of the Rider Machine is used as a base to help deal with recoil.
Each half has a muzzle extended from the Ride Tracer bike, with a yellow vent under it and a blue handle on the inner side and a half of the bike's front wheel on the outer side. This extra form also has a holographic aiming system.
"Whaat!?" The captured people cried at the unexpected trump card of the female Kamen Rider.
"Ahhhh! So coool!" And Mei couldn't contain her excitement at this, once again falling in love with the Kamen Riders' technology.
"Tracing Pulse!" Tracer cried as Ride Tracer's [Blaster Mode] fired a powerful red beam from its barrels at Malware, the intended target being at point blank.
As expected, the attack also caused a recoil on the Rider Machine, pushing it slightly backward.
"Ahhh!" Malware cried in horror as he was enveloped in a large explosion.
*Boom!*
[Turn! Drift Kaiten!]
*Slash!* *Slash!* *Slash!*
Using the Handle-Ken, Kamen Rider Dark Drive spins on the ground and slashes his enemy several times as each slash makes a red light-like circle appear.
"Grugh!" Terminus grunts in pain as he stumbles back, soon receiving a kick on the stomach by the vigilante.
'What the hell? The more he fights now… The stronger his attacks become!? How is this even possible!?' The Executive thinks, trying to understand the secret behind his opponent's strength.
How could he, a superior being, lose to a Quirkless human of all possible things!?
"Let's go for a ride!" The black Rider declares, flickering his wrist.
[Yes! Let's finish this at top speed! Start your mission!] Belt-san tells his user.
*Beep!* *Beep!*
Shift Deadheat suddenly comes into view as Dark Drive inserts it into the Handle-Ken's Shift Landing Panel.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Based on a motorcycle with sidecar, Shift Deadheat is a sentient Signal Bike/Shift Car hybrid that allows Kamen Riders Drive and Mach to respectively transform into Type Dead Heat and Deadheat Mach, enabling them to access the Dead Zone state.
Usage of Shift Deadheat can also enable its user to resist the effects of a Super Heavy Acceleration field, but with the drawback of its user's enhanced capabilities being restricted as well as taking a much heavier toll on their body. However, it still allows a normal human to escape.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
[Hissatsu! Full Throttle! Next!]
[Hissatsu! Deadheat! Full Throttle!]
[Next + Deadheat]
By simultaneously tapping into the powers of both Shift Next(through the use of the Shift Brace) and Shift Deadheat(through the use of the Handle-Ken), Dark Drive manages to execute one of his most powerful attacks.
"Program Advance! Overdrive!" The vigilante cries as a red-colored aura manifestation of Kamen Rider Drive - Type Deadheat appears next to him, wielding a Handle-Ken of its own.
This surprised Terminus and the others.
"A-Another Drive!?" Izuku asks aloud.
"Ragnarok!" The Executive Roidmude quickly cries back, summoning his Skysplitter, before charging toward his opponents.
*Clash!*
The combatants lock blades, and the result of their clash releases so much energy to the point that it creates a shockwave powerful enough to disperse all the clouds across the area in a matter of seconds.
'The sky…!?' Toshinori looks above him in astonishment, remembering his own similar feat when he defeated a certain Sludge Villain after being inspired by Izuku's bravery.
But unlike when he used [One For All], there was much more pressure being released by Dark Drive and Terminus' clash.
But eventually, Dark Drive and the manifestation of Type Deadheat gain the struggle, slashing Terminus and destroying his Skysplitter Axe Sword.
*Slash!* *Crash!*
"Rargh!" The Executive cries in pain, being sent flying away.
With the attack concluded, the apparition of Drive Type Deadheat vanishes away.
"Why…? Why are you capable of getting this strong!? This is not supposed to happen! You're just a Quirkless!" Terminus cried to the Kamen Rider, trying to regain his footing.
"Sometimes, it's the very people who no one imagines anything of, who do the things no one can imagine." Dark Drive simply answers. "Everyone is trying their best to survive! We live our lives believing in others, and respecting others! What you're doing is wrong, trying to control others with your power! And we'll never accept that!"
"Shut up!" Terminus cried, trying to fire one last beam attack at Dark Drive, who was ready to retaliate as well.
[Hissatsu! Full Throttle! Next] Belt-san announces as they prepare to execute the finishing blow: Speedrop Type Next.
Drive first begins by doing an uppercut punch at Terminus, sending him straight into the air while the NEXTridoron surrounds the mechanical enemy in a large blue energy sphere.
*Pow!*
"Argh!" The Roidmude cries as he is sent high into the air, eventually crashing into the barrier set around U.A. High, and leaving a hole into it, before this completely destroys the barrier around the Hero School for good.
"The barrier… It's gone!" Midnight notes, warning the others.
"And Dark Drive's car… It's flying!?" Aizawa asks aloud, eyes wide open.
Dark Drive later leaps upwards and performs a powerful kick charged with cyan-colored lightning, strong enough to destroy even the most powerful of Roidmudes.
"Haaa!" Terminus cries in horror as the kick connects with his chest, causing him to explode.
*Boom!*
Not just the captive people of U.A., but everyone else waiting outside of the barrier have also managed to witness the special finisher that the Kamen Rider performed on the Roidmude Executive, all becoming surprised with the power behind it.
With the technique finished, Dark Drive safely lands back on the surface, and strikes a triumphant pose, as the NEXTridoron comes to his side.
[Nice Drive!] Belt-san called.
The Closing Screen of this chapter shows Shift Hooking Wrecker, Rolling Gravity, Signal Magarl and Shift Wild, side by side, with the logo of Kamen Rider Dark Drive behind them.
Roidmude Casualties: 011†, 013†, 015†, Iron(029)†, Liquid(034)†, 042†, 054†, Judge(065)†, 071†, Beast(077)†, 083†, 088†, 093†
Count at the end of the chapter: 95 out of 108
My Hero Academia Illegals: Vigilante Dark Drive
Drive 16: Duel of fates
- End -
Author Notes:
Thank you for reading!
If you guys have any ideas or suggestions that I could use for this story, you're free/welcome to share!
Small text to rant: I have just learned that Kamen Rider Drive's Vistamp in Kamen Rider Revice is the Octopus one. Why, Bandai? Why!? Why couldn't you just use a cooler animal to represent Kamen Rider Drive? Why an octopus of all possible choices!? :(
▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ஜ۩۞۩ஜ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
I was partly inspired by One Piece's Blackbeard/Marshall D. Teach's Yami Yami no Mi's abilities when I decided to give the Terminus Roidmude a power that would make him someone literally impossible to be defeated by the MHAverse's characters. Even All For One(By negating AFO's own Quirk, Terminus can make him become unable to use the other ones that he stole from his several victims). This means that Terminus can only be defeated by a Kamen Rider or someone that doesn't rely on Quirks at all.
Due to his own Quirk-negating ability and the fact that the revived 004 Roidmude has Krim's knowledge, it wouldn't be hard for Terminus to correctly deduce that only Quirkless people can become Kamen Riders. I hope this proves to be another point as to why he will become a terrifying enemy for the protagonists. Not just someone powerful, but he is also an individual that is decently smart and can read into some of his opponents' strategies.
Ultimately, Terminus lost because he has the common weakness of a villain: His arrogance.
Given that Kamen Rider Drive's Tridoron has the function to take different forms, such as Types Wild and Technique, it would be appropriate to also give this extra function to Kamen Rider Dark Drive's NEXTridoron for this story. The Rider Machine will also be able to take other (hopefully unexpected) shapes in later chapters.
The giant fist [Punch Mode] and giant foot [Kick Mode] ideas were mainly inspired by One Piece's Monkey D. Luffy and his Gomu Gomu no Gigant Pistol and Gomu Gomu no Gigant Axe techniques through the use of his Devil Fruit's Gear 3(Third) mode.
The Ride Tracer's [Blaster Mode] idea was partly inspired by when I saw Dorulumon's Drill Cannon DigiFuse form. I simply thought it would be interesting if I also gave an extra form to Yuriko/Tracer's bike rather than just focus on the NEXTridoron.
I also thought that this would be a perfect moment to have the truth behind [One For All] revealed, terrifying Izuku and Toshinori since Roidmudes can easily access their memories. It wouldn't be interesting if only the Drive Team got their secrets revealed.
Before anyone points out the fact that Aoyama Yuga was a Quirkless person before receiving a Quirk from All For One, I will simply use the explanation that Terminus didn't 'fully scan' Yuga's memories, only getting the 'data' that his body has trouble getting used to his [Navel Laser] Quirk. So yeah, I'm not going to reveal yet that he is U.A.'s traitor/spy.
Question Corner!
(Please answer this in the Reviews if possible):
[I will probably need some help coming up with a proper explanation as to why the Roidmudes haven't started doing something like a literal manhunt on every Quirkless person in the world of MHA yet given that they know the issue about the Kamen Rider System's users.
Can you give me a suggestion?
Maybe it could be something like they are not really worried since the number of Quirkless people keeps lowering every generation and they will naturally disappear from the face of the earth at some point, officially becoming extinct. The Roidmudes are technically immortal robots and as long as they are not destroyed by the Kamen Riders, they will just have to wait and see the Quirkless population completely disappear from the world.
Or it could just be the cliché deal of the Roidmudes simply being arrogant and not afraid at all of many Quirkless people getting in their way?]
[Do you have any ideas for original Kamen Rider Weapons fitting Drive's theme that could be used in this story?]
[Which other forms and shapes do you think that the NEXTridoron Rider Machine could also take during the next chapters of this story?]
[Do you have suggestions about which characters from the MHAverse should be 'copied' by the Plain Roidmudes in order to create interesting Advanced ones? It can be anyone, not just the Villains. Heroes and Civilians can count as well if you have a possible suggestion.]
Review Time!
Toa Solaric: Hope you enjoyed the chapter! You will have to wait and see when the long-awaited talk happens.
Guest DCDGojira: Thanks! Yes, but Kamen Rider Dark Drive won't use Shift Deadheat directly to transform, but to actually power up his personal weapons and attacks.
#3rd review: Well, not really sure about making use of something like these ideas. I don't know much about the characters on which these extra special forms are based.
For'Sleep 3rd: Thanks! Glad you liked the chapter.
I know, but sometimes they have to deal with situations where time is of the essence and the Drive Team might not have the luxury to make proper plans.
Yeah, some Quirks could become dangerous if they are used to power up some of the Roidmudes.
Well, I don't plan to make Bakugo die in this story. Let's hope the same thing happens in canon story. And he will hopefully go through redemption here earlier as well than in comparison to the anime/manga.
Yeah, the long-awaited talk will happen elsewhere. Not at U.A.
Not sure about what I plan to do in regards to Eri and Chisaki yet.
#2nd review: I will try to solve this question about hunting every Quirkless person later. Do you have any suggestions about what explanation could be used for this?
More or less, I would say that the hooded leader doesn't care much about Quirkless people being the only ones that can become Kamen Riders.
BlazeBlade: Yep. I was very inspired to finish the previous chapter faster.
Yes. I suddenly got inspired after watching some Kingdom Hearts stuff while I was making this chapter.
hafizfaishal1402: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
#2nd review: I won't. Just a select few will learn the truth before the rest of the world knows about it as well.
Guest: Not sure yet about who I want to be in this story's Kamen Rider Mach.
You will have to wait and see as it will take others some more time before they find the truth about the Drive Team as well.
yogaratw607: Thanks for answering the question.
Yeah, I agree with you in regards to the hero society's issue.
SynchroRegis: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
brave kid: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Thanks for also offering some suggestions as well.
Obsidian Nova Arc: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
Thanks for also offering some suggestions as well.
kamenrider50q: Yes.
TheOkWriter: This will probably not work since the Roidmude would get Kurogiri's Quirk in case he happens to be scanned by one of them.
Guest(2): Type in English next time, please. I have no idea what you have written.
Dr. Exposition: You brought up several interesting points. I will slowly provide an answer to them as the story progresses, especially when the truth behind the Kamen Rider System is eventually revealed to the rest of the world.
speedy24: Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Thanks for also offering some suggestions as well.
Recentreader325: Thanks! Glad you enjoyed the chapter!
You will have to wait and see as I write the next chapters in order to answer some of the questions that you asked.
D3lph0xL0v3r: Thanks! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
The two finally fight at last in this chapter.
The Knight Galahad: Thanks! Glad you liked the chapter!
About the dialogue part, well, I really didn't know what exactly to write. And yeah, it probably got a bit cheesy.
silverstudent: Yeah, that could be something that maybe happens at one point. Do you have any suggestions?
Optimusprimal117: No.
FlameFireZero X: Maybe. Not sure yet about implementing this idea.
Naresh Vm Simna: No. I'm sorry, but I currently lack the motivation to continue that story. Maybe sometime later in the future.
Farhan Nugraha: Yes, Akira will transform from Mashin Chaser to Kamen Rider Chaser at some point. After all, he has the Signal Chaser with him.
Don't worry, there will come a time when Dark Drive and Lupin will have to team up to deal with a common enemy.
Krion64: I honestly gave up on the idea of the robot dog. I will now go with the idea of making a Shift Car and Viral Core hybrid item, using a wolf as the animal for it. This upgrade will even do something like transforming the NEXTridoron into a giant mechanical wolf or something of the sort.
Austin: Yes, things are becoming more intense as everyone from U.A. will eventually get the information that they have been wanting for some time now.
Not sure yet about including organizations like Shocker or monsters from other series, like the Worms, into my Kamen Rider Dark Drive fanfic. Maybe I will later in a future arc or something of the sort.
Yes, there will be eventual infighting amongst the Roidmudes as I have an idea of at least one of them joining the good guys in the future.
And I honestly gave up on the idea of the robot dog. I will now go with the idea of making a Shift Car and Viral Core hybrid item, using a wolf as the animal for it. This upgrade will even do something like transforming the NEXTridoron into a giant mechanical wolf or something of the sort.
Gabe325: While I appreciate the dialogue you just created, I believe it's still too early for the Kamen Riders' identities to become public. I will probably do their eventual reveal only after All Might retires after defeating All For One.
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