Kazuhiro and Shiozaki arrived at the Arbor Agency building. The agency logo was the letter A stylized to look like an A surrounded by a circle. When they entered, a receptionist was behind a desk. She recognized the uniforms that the two of them wore.
"Oh, you two must be here for the internship, right?" the receptionist asked.
Shiozaki nodded as Kazuhiro said, "Yes, ma'am."
"Mr. Nishiya is currently waiting for you in the office above. He requested that you dress up in your hero costumes before going up and meeting him."
The two students nodded before going to their respective changing rooms. They both left at the same and Kazuhiro got a look at Shiozaki's costume. It consists of plain white robes which adds to her religious persona. The two of them went to the second floor, where Kamui Woods waited for them.
"It's a pleasure to meet you two in person. I caught glimpses of your match and I could see the potential that both of you have," Kamui Woods said.
"Thank you, sir," Kazuhiro said.
"Please, no need for the strict formalities. We're here to be heroes, not special forces," Kamui Woods said. "You two will be staying in our living quarters. Any of your needs will be available in this building."
"Will we have our privacy?" Shiozaki asked.
Kamui Woods nodded and said, "They're going to be a little cramped since we don't have a lot of space to work with but they will provide you with the privacy you need."
"Why do you even have living quarters?" Kazuhiro asked.
"They were intended for me and my sidekicks for when we do patrols late at night and are too tired to travel home," Kamui Woods explained. "Speaking of patrols, I hope you two are ready to set out because I intend to show you what it's like to be on the field. Getting some practical experience beats running the same training simulation every day."
Kamui quickly pulled up a clipboard. "Before we go, I want to get to know you two better before we head out. First, I'd like to go over your hero names. Just want to make sure you two don't regret the names you chose."
Kamui looked over their names. He read, "Shiozaki Ibara. Hero name: Maria, the Vine Hero."
"Not exactly subtle with the inspiration," Kazuhiro thought.
"I hope I could live up to my namesake and guide lost lambs to the light," Shiozaki said as she closed her hands together in a saintly manner.
"I see. I want to say be careful with picking your name based on real figures, especially one with religious ties. Some might see it as a homage while others might see you as an impersonator," Kamui explained. Kamui turned to Kazuhiro. "As for you, Kazuhuro Kimura. Hero name: Kamen Rider Decade, the Wild Card Hero. What's this?"
Kamui noticed a little note beside his name.
"There's a note that says that you also go buy other names based on your forms," Kamui said.
"Yeah, it was a suggestion from my classmates when they found out that each form has its unique name," Kazuhiro explained.
"So does each of your forms have a name?" Kamui asked.
"Yeah, the one you'll be seeing me wear is Decade. The other forms have names such as Blade, Zero-One, and Fourze but to keep it simple, just call me Decade. The whole nickname thing is optional."
"Got it, I'll call you Decade but I would like to know the names of the other forms you have," Kamui nodded. "Finally, I would like to go over your Quirks. We'll start with yours, Shiozaki."
"My Quirk, Vine, allows me to manipulate and grow the vines on my head. Like a normal plant, they require sunlight and water to grow efficiently," Shiozaki explained. "As for my weakness, my vines aren't special so they can be cut or burned down."
Kami nodded as he suspected that Shiozaki's Quirk was similar to his. He asked, "Anything else I need to know?"
"My vines require sunlight and water, so ideally it would be better if I act as a hero during the day," Shiozaki said.
"Understood, I'll keep that in mind. Day patrols wouldn't be a problem but I would like to take you along for some night patrols to get you used to working in less favorable conditions," Kamui said. Shiozaki nodded as the Pro Hero turned to Kazuhiro. "What about you, Kimura?"
"My Quirk is called Transformation. It allows me to summon a belt and card to transform into many other forms. Each one has their weapons and powers," Kazuhiro explained. "As for my weaknesses, I can only stay transformed for so long, at most it's two hours but subsequence transformations and using my other cards shorten that time. Another weakness of mine is that my cards would become unavailable for 24 hours. So I have to carefully select which ones I use. The only exception to this is my form as Decade."
"I see," Kamui said. "From what I saw at the Sports Festival, you have a lot of versatility. Any drawbacks?"
"Most of them are combat-oriented but they do have their utilities. The only major drawback I could think of is that my speed-based forms heavily strain my body to the point of exhaustion."
"Alright, looks like you'll do well in the frontline of the action. From what I heard, you already you're no stranger to villains," Kamui said before he turned to Shiozaki. "As for you, Shiozaki, your Quirk seems to offer defensive capabilities as well as be a great utility for capturing villains."
"Thank you, sir. I hope to learn a lot during my week here."
"Excellent, let me file in some paperwork on your arrival, and let's be on our way."
An Aurora Curtain materialized on top of a skyscraper and three individuals walked out. One was a gentleman in blue armor with a black cape and top hat. The second stranger had a mechanized appearance as he wore black armor with a large arm cannon.
"Haha, it's fresh to see a world that isn't in ruins! I can't wait to rip it apart!" the mechanized man shouted as he rested his leg on a ledge of the building. The individual with the top hat did a little spin as he moved next to the mechanized man.
"Hold your horses, Revol, we're here on a scouting mission, remember?" the top-hat-wearing gentlemen reminded him.
"Well, Graphite picked the wrong Bugster to assign a scouting mission!" the Revol shouted.
"Remember that we're only at Level 1, the damage we can do is very minimal," the top-hat-wearing gentlemen said before sighing. "Even our nature of being a virus has been downgraded, meaning we can't infect any new hosts."
"They better locate Decade soon. The sooner we off that brat, the sooner we get back to our full strength!" Revol grunted.
"Patience my friend. We still have a world to explore."
Revol nodded as the two Bugsters transferred themselves onto a power that led to a satellite dish. Due to the nature of being computer viruses, they can freely travel through the city through radiofrequency waves.
After half an hour of paperwork, Kamui Woods took the students out on patrol. Being a rising hero made him recognizable to the public. The people who walked past him acknowledged the Pro Hero by thanking him
"Good job keeping the streets safe!" a standing office worker said.
"Thanks for your service," a passing housewife said. Kamui nodded and waved back to recognize the compliments he was getting.
He looked over his shoulder to Shiozaki and Kazuhiro, who were following him. He explained, "One of the things you have to get used to is the amount of praise you get from strangers when you're on patrol."
"Does it ever get annoying or irritating?" Kazuhiro asked.
"At times it does, especially in areas where there's a high crime rate. It can be distracting because it's also the hero's responsibility to look good to the public.."
"Alright, so basically just don't let the attention get to your head," Kazuhiro said.
"Exactly," Kamui nodded.
Shiozaki spoke up and asked," Are we expected to do any paperwork when we get involved in a case?"
"Good question but no, leave that tedious stuff to me and my agent. However, if you wish to see the process how we Pros have to deal with these reports."
"I thought the police would deal be the ones to do the reports," Kazuhiro said.
"Well, we both do the reports. The police report the arrest and the crimes the criminal will be convicted of while we Pro Heroes report our contributions to the arrest," Kamui explained.
"I see," Kazuhiro nodded. "So where does the report go to?"
"It goes through another agency and they determine how much we get paid for our services during the case. They will use the police reports as a way to verify our words."
"Are you not paid by the hour?" Shiozaki asked.
"No, we're paid based on commissions. In layman's terms, we're asking an agency from the government to pay us," the Arbor Hero said.
"Must be tough being a Pro Hero. It must be a very competitive field if we have to solve a crime before another hero comes around," Kazuhiro said.
"It's tough for rookie Pros to break into the scene and grow from being a sidekick."
"But what happens if crime lessens?" Shiozaki asked. "From what I understand, the crime rate is often related to the seasons of the year. High crime waves happen during winter and summer while low crime happens in spring and fall. How is a hero supposed to support themselves if crime fighting is lowered?"
"Well, many Pro Heroes have second jobs. For example, your teacher Present Mic has a radio show and is, well, also a teacher," Kamui explained. "If we're famous enough, we even get to see our likeness to merchandise."
Kazuhiro snickered as he couldn't imagine showing his parents a shirt with his face on it. However, thinking about it further made Kazuhiro believe that they would probably just use Decade's helmet instead.
Kazuhiro began to wonder if being a Pro Hero was something he wanted to do. Being a hero was something thrusted upon him. He needed to do this because he needed to prepare himself to stop Hundred when they inevitably invaded this world. His mind drifted to what would happen after the fighting was all said and done. Will Kazuhiro stay here and continue being a Pro Hero or will he return to his home world and continue his old life?
The sounds of sirens were heard in the distance, followed by a crash.. Kamui turned to the students, "We're moving out!"
Kazuhiro and Shiozaki nodded before following the Pro Hero.
The origin of the crash was at a park. There was a blockade of police cars around the entrance. Kamui Woods and the students walked up to the officer in charge.
The police officer who was seemingly in charge noticed Kamui Woods. He sighed in relief and said, "Oh, thank goodness a Hero is here."
"What's the situation?" Kamui asked.
"A group of villains went on a joyride after stealing an armored truck headed for the bank. They thought they could take a shortcut through the park but they seemingly crashed. We're currently setting up blockades along all entrances around the park."
"Any hostages?"
"Not that we're aware of."
"It would be ideal if we scout first, right?" Shiozaki asked.
Kamui nodded and said, "Hostages affect how we approach any situation. We can't strike the place hard without risking a hostage's wellbeing."
"Would it be alright if I scout ahead?" Kazuhiro asked.
"Do you have a method of infiltration?"
Kazuhiro nodded as he inserted the Decade Rider Card into the driver.
[Kamen Ride]
"Transform!"
[Decade]
After transforming into Decade, he summoned an AttackRide card that depicted a transparent Decade. The title of the card said: "Invisible".
"I think this card is pretty self-explanatory," Decade spoke.
"Your versatility continues to impress me," Kamui said. "Just go in and report to me what's going on. Do not engage."
Decade nodded as he inserted the AttackRide Card into the belt.
[AttackRide: Invisible]
Two after images of Decade split off into two different directions as he disappeared.
Decade managed to sneak into the park and sight of the crash. The police officer spoke about the armored truck. The truck crashed into a fountain. Water was constantly being flown out of the fountain as it pumped water. There were about five villains altogether, most of them wearing a similar uniform of some military pants, a blank shirt, and a bulletproof vest. They had various accessories that assisted them with their Quirks. There were two exceptions to this group of villains. One was a man with a mutant-type Quirk that gave him the appearance of an armadillo with a spike back, who was shirtless because no piece of clothing was made for him specifically. Another had a werewolf-like appearance. He wore a full military uniform with a black scarf around his neck
"Dammit, the police are going to block off the roads and a Pro will soon get here," a villain with a mouth mask said.
"If it wasn't for your shit driving we wouldn't be here!" another villain snapped as he turned to his partner.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault a mother and her child were strolling through the park. We may be villains but we're not killers!" a third villain spoke up. This one wore goggles and had a tank on his back.
The only female villain of the group leaned on the truck. She said, "Hey, Lobo, what the hell is the plan? This area is going to get swarmed soon.."
The wolf-looking villain gritted his teeth, showing off his canines with an annoyed grunt. He said, "The police are going to hold back for now. They have no idea about the situation in the park."
"They'll find out soon though, right?" the armadillo villain spoke up.
"Yeah, that's for certain," Lobo said. He narrowed his eyes when he sniffed out a faint scent of a person in the treelines. "Maybe if we have leverage…"
Decade moved away from a fountain when the villain started talking and he spotted the hostages. The invisibility of Decade wore off, making the magenta-colored Kamen Rider stick out. He was unaware that Lobo managed to sniff him out. The Kamen Rider pulled out a communication device from his pocket.
"I counted five villains. I didn't see any hostages so we're good on that end" Decade said.
Kamui said through the communicator, "Don't just assume there aren't any hostages. Villains are a tricky bunch and will-"
Suddenly, Lobo used his claws to cleave the tree, causing Decade to turn around. The Kamen Rider dropped the communicator and summoned the Ride Booker, pulling the trigger the second he could. Lobo swiftly pounced on Decade, grabbing his neck and dragging him to the ground before throwing him at a tree broke through it. Decade was fortunate that his armor could withstand these kinds of attacks or else he would've been in a wheelchair.
The armadillo villain rolled onto the scene and stood next to Lobo. He said, "Don't recognize him. Is he a sidekick?"
"Hm, no he isn't. I remember seeing him at the UA Sports Festival. How could I forget such a face?" Lobo said.
"Oh, shit! He's the kid that wears the fancy costumes!" the armadillo villain shouted in realization.
"If you know who I am, then you'll back down," Decade said as he summoned the Ride Booker.
Lobo laughed heartily at Decade's comment. He said, "Just because you won a medal doesn't mean you're tough shit!"
Decade remained silent as he got into a stance to get ready for the upcoming fight. Soon the other villains arrived to back him up.
"Alright, make this quick!" Lobo said before he sprinted towards Decade.
The wolf villain closed in quickly. Decade transformed the Ride Booker into its sword mode. He swung it at Lobo but the villain managed to grab his wrist and pulled it away. His claws popped out of his fingertips and he scratched Decade's face. Sparks flew when the claws made contact with his helmet. It protected his face from being disfigured in a gruesome way.
Lobo clenched his teeth, seeing Decade relatively undamaged from his attack. He raised his arm again and continuously scratched Decade's face. The Kamen Rider quickly summoned the Ride Booker in his other hand, blasting Lobo in the stomach several times. The wolf villain loosened his grip on the Kamen Rider. Decade kicked himself off Lobo.
The armadillo rolled up and charged toward Decade. The Kamen Rider managed to roll out of the way but felt his legs freezing up. He turned to the side and saw a villain holding a metallic face mask. An icy mist came out of his mouth. The armadillo villain changed directions and smashed into Decade from behind. The villain with cold breath gently exhaled, trapping Decade in ice.
"Looks like we caught ourselves a hostage. You think they'll hesitate now that we got the poster boy for UA's first years?" the armadillo villain asked.
"Wait? He's from UA? That means they're going to go harder on us, you idiot! All Might is a teacher there!" the female villain snapped.
Vines from the ground sprouted up and wrapped around the villains. Kamui Woods ambushed Lobo from behind and attempted to wrap him around his tendrils. Lobo dodged the attack quickly. Shiozaki quickly ran up next to Kamui.
"Are you alright, Decade?" Kamui asked.
Decade nodded as he got up. He said, "I'll be fine."
"I'll deal with the big guy," Kmaui said as he narrowed his eyes on Lobo."You two can deal with the smaller villain."
Shiozaki and Decade nodded in compliance. Kamui immediately leaped towards Lobo and threw both of his arms to form a wave of branches to ensure the villain. As they approach, the villain uses his claws to break a few of them. He was forced to leap away as the wooden tendrils came from multiple directions.
As Kamui pursued Lobo, Decade and Shiozaki were left to deal with the villain present. Two of the four henchmen under Lobo's control were captured by Shiozaki's vines.
"Woah! What the hell?!" the female villain shouted. The two villains wrapped around each other and struggled to move.
The villain with thin, rectangular visor glasses looked at the vine for his fellow captive. He fired a laser out of his glasses. He freed the sole female villain of the group. Shiozaki wrangled him, trying to keep from shooting his way out. She quickly swung him and smashed into the female villain in an attempt to knock them out at the same time.
The villain with cold breath unleashed an icy wind. Shiozaki created a wall of vines that blocked the attack, however, the vines became frozen solid thanks to the moisture in them. The armadillo villain crashed through the wall. Decade pushed Shiozaki out of the way as he was hit once again.
[AttackRide: Blast]
Decade tried to shoot down the armadillo villain as he circled him. The shell around him protected him from any of Decade's projectiles. Decade's left side became completely frozen as he the villain cold breath exhaled. The attack was much wider and sneakier when compared to Todoroki's Quirk. It made it harder to avoid. The armadillo villain found another opportunity but Shiozaki quickly snatched him with her vines.
The Kamen Rider pulled out a Rider Card and inserted it into the Decadriver.
[Kamen Ride]
He pushed the belt together.
[Fourze]
Transforming into Kamen Rider made him break free from the villain's trap. Decade summoned another card and inserted it into the belt.
[FormRide: Fire States]
Fire engulfed Fourze, transforming him into another form.
[Fire on!]
Most of Fourze's suit was now red, save for the boots and left gauntlet. A fire decal was printed on the face of Fourze, whose eyes were now green. The orange printed on the suit was now silver. Silver shoulder pads with triangular plates with printed flame decals were added to the overall costume. A flamethrower called the Hee-HackGun was Fourze's weapon in this form.
The villain with cold breath exhaled another gust of icy winds. Fourze used the Hee-HackGun to spew flames to heat the air. It created a mist between Fourze and the villain. The armadillo villain used his strength to curl up into a ball and break free from Shiozaki's vine. He charged towards Fourze but the Kamen Rider was quick enough to avoid the attack. The cold-breath villain once again tried to freeze the Kamen Rider but the hero quickly launched a fireball and created a large mist in the area.
[Attack Ride: Hammer]
Fourze jumped through the mist with the Hammer module in his left arm, which is just a mallet hammer covering his hand like a glove. He swung it at the cold-breathe villain. The villain dodged the attack. Fourze swiftly inserted an AttackRide card into his belt.
[AttackRide: Water]
The Water Module materialized in Fourze's left leg. It was a blue faucet that pointed downwards. Before the cold-breathed villain could react, Fourze lifted his leg, and water sprayed out of the module. The water was aimed at the villain's mouth, instantly freezing it shut. Shiozaki quickly used her vines to the villain up. The armadillo villain suddenly struck her from behind.
"Shio- I mean, Maria!" Fourze shouted The Hammer and Water Module disappeared as the Kamen Rider inserted a Final AttackRide card into the belt.
[Final AttackRide: Fo-Fo-Fo-Fourze!]
The armadillo villain circled Fourze before shooting himself at the Kamen Rider. Fourze shot up with a propulsion pack on his back. The villain uncurled himself as he turned around.
[Limit Break!]
A massive blast of fire was shot out of the Hee-HackGun. The fiery projectile busted in a large explosion and the armadillo villain was caught in it. The fire quickly subsided as it appeared to not cause a massive fire. Fourze shifted back into Decade.
Kamui Woods was launched out of a tree line. Decade dove out of the way and turned to see Lobo approaching him. Decade armed himself with the Ride Booker and charged at the leader of the pack of villains. However, the villain smacked Decade in a swift motion. The Kamen Rider landed next to Kamui.
"It's pointless to fight me, kid," Lobo said as he approached Decade and Kamui. "You're simply outclassed."
Decade stood up, the Ride Booker materializing in his hands once more. Kamui soon followed up.
"I can't hold him down for too long. He breaks free every time I get a hold of him," Kamui said.
"It will be such a tragedy when the news will learn that the rising hero Kamui Woods died alongside a student under his wing," Lobo snarled.
As Lobo charged at the two heroes, vines suddenly erupted from the ground. Shiozaki lay on the ground as his hair dug deep. The vines pulled Lobo to the ground. Kamui noticed that Lobo attempted to break free and used his Quirk to bind Lobo even more. With two powerful Quirks holding him down, Lobo struggled to break free. It was inevitable that he would and Decade needed to act quickly.
[Final AttackRide: De-De-De-Decade!]
A line of cards appeared between Decade and Lobo. When Decade jumped into the air, the cards followed him up. The Kamen Rider dove through the cards while extending his leg to perform the Rider Kick at Lobo. Upon contact, a large explosion from the kick sent Lobo flying through several lines of trees. The villain was incapacitated by the devastating attack.
"Good work," Kamui said. "Decade, I want you to go to the police while Maria and I get these villains restrained."
"Understood," Decade nodded.
The female villain who was knocked out by Shiozaki finally regained consciousness. She groaned, "Damn, that was a hard hit.."
The female villain noticed that the heroes were distracted and that everyone in her crew was knocked out cold. A small whirlwind appeared beneath her waist as she escaped. Kamui and the students turned around to see the female villain escaping.
"Should we pursue her?" Shiozaki asked.
"Unfortunately we can't. We have to stay here and make sure these villains are properly contained," Kamui said.
"I can easily catch up with her." Decade said.
"Maybe, but I'm not letting you go too far without my supervision. It was already a risk letting you scout the area by yourself and you got attacked," Kamui said. "We'll worry about that villain after they're in custody."
Somewhere else in Tokyo, the visitor that confronted Decade back in the stadium during the Sports Festival watches over the city. An Aurora Curtain appeared next to him and Narutaki walked out of it. In his hand was a small briefcase.
"You're still in this world?" Narutaki asked.
"Someone has to watch over Decade. There's always a possibility that Hundred will show up when we least expect it, so it's important to stay close to Decade," the visitor said.
"Agreed," Narutaki nodded. He pulled up the briefcase. "I do have something for you to add to your arsenal."
Narutaki opened the briefcase. Seven Rider Cards were laid out inside. Four of them wore animal-inspired masks that went from a raccoon, a cat, a buffalo, and a bear. These Kamen Riders were named Tycoon, Na-Go, Buffa, and PunkJack. Two of these Riders wore similar armor and were named Gazer and Glare. The final Kamen Rider was named Ziin, who wore black and white armor with a card attached to his helmet.
"I managed to copy the powers of these Kamen Riders," Narutaki said. He explained, "Their journey is near its end, so it was important for me to copy their powers just in case they disappear for good."
The visitor picked up the cards. He said, "I think it's about I formerly introduce myself to Decade."
I'm not one to celebrate milestones but I'll do it just once. It amazes see that my story has been read 20,000. I thought this story would've just had a small following but within three months this story got over 100 followers and has been favorited 100 times. I just want to thank anyone who's been reading these chapters up to this point. After the next chapter, I'll go on a little break. School is going to take up my priorities. So don't expect anything until late November and early December.
Response Corner
ogatokusatsu (from chapter 15): I thought about having Decade team up with Yui since she is an Ultra-inspired hero. We'll see if I can put them in a scenario where the two work together.
Fate turner 2022 (from chapter 15): Hundred is going to make sporadic appearances in the story. Shiozaki won't be the only one to face off against Hundred.
MKH301 (from chapter 15): It will be a long time before any of them would know where Decade's powers come from or even the individuals that once held it.
FlameFireZero X (from chapter 15): I'm pretty sure Diend has an AttackRide that puts up a barrier so it's not out of the loop. However, something like Accel or Smash already exists in other Rider Cards.
IzukuIchimonji (from chapter 15): He didn't go with Endeavor because Kazuhiro is one of the few people in 1-A aware of his abusiveness. Kazuhiro wouldn't tolerate that stuff and wouldn't let him hear the end of it. I picked Kamui because he's one of the more recurring Pro Heroes in the story so it would be cool to have the spotlight on him.
KingKam (from chapter 15): I'll just say it now: Revice is one Card. Decade will transform into Revi while summoning a Vice clone. How autonomous this Vice clone will be is going to be up in the air.