Chapter 17: A Grimm Reunion
"What is it?" asked Raven as he walked over, "Obsidian?"
"Worse, Raven," said Apple, "Headmaster Grimm, he's been discharged from the hospital, apparently no worse for wear, and he's asking for you."
"Why would he want to see Raven?" asked Hunter.
"Why else?" asked a worried and angry Raven, "to make me fulfill my destiny, of course."
"Over my dead body," said Dexter defiantly, "if he wants you to be evil, he'll have to go through me first!"
"I'd think he'd welcome that, man," said Hunter, "remember, Grimm wanted to set you up so you'd martyr yourself in a hopeless battle."
"If there's one thing I've proven in recent days," said Dexter, "I'm not so easy to kill."
"And I'm not so easy to turn evil," said Raven, "Robecca, open up the portal to The Base. I'm going back to Ever After and give that fat bastard a piece of my mind!"
…The Base...Realm of Ever After…
A short time later found Raven and several of her friends back in their native world, those being Apple, Maddie, Avery, Dexter, Briar, Blondie, Hunter, as well as several from Monster High, those being Frankie, Clawdeen, Lagoona and Ghoulia.
"We kept The Base just the way you remembered it," said Dorothea as she, Tobias and Cupid met our heroes as they emerged from the portal.
"Good to be home," said Raven, "though I wish it were under better circumstances. Now, what's this about Headmaster Grimm back to his old self?"
"Apparently he is back to his old self," said Cupid, "made a full recovery and was discharged from the hospital."
"I'm amazed," said Avery, "that he recovered so quickly from a heart attack."
"That's not all he was in the hospital for," said Madison, "after he got over his ticker problem, he spent some time in the loony bin," she looked at Maddie, "no offense."
"None taken," said Maddie as she made fresh tea for everyone.
"He was in the psychiatric ward of the hospital," said Dorothea, "everyone thought he had lost his mind, or rather, he had been insane for some time and the combined stress of everything that's happened drove him over the edge. But then this new doctor came along and apparently cured him in a manner of days."
"What new doctor?" asked Raven.
"No one knows much about her, and we've been trying," said Dorothea, "how's it coming, Humphrey?"
"Not so good," said Humphrey Dumpty as he sat in front of The Base' main computer, "I've run several searches for Dr. Felicity Baumann, and all I've come up with are her medical credentials. There's no social media presence, no financial records, not even a birth certificate. It's like she doesn't exist."
"This is way too suspicious for me," said Apple, "I'd like to have a talk with this Dr. Baumann."
"After I talk with Grimm," said Raven, "he wants to see me, no doubt to convince me to step into my mother's shoes."
"I don't think they'd fit," said Ashlynn.
"Me neither," said Dexter. He then looked at Raven, "I'm coming with you when you talk with Headmaster Grimm. If he gives you any trouble, he'll have to deal with me first!"
"And me," said Briar.
"And me," said Hunter.
"And all of us," said Apple, at which the others from Ever After nodded in agreement.
"And I'll be there to get it all recorded," said Blondie eagerly after running through the portal, "oh, this is gonna be my best story yet! Oh, Frankie? You and the other ghouls are needed back in The Steam Vault."
"Now what?" asked Lagoona as she, Clawdeen and Ghoulia stood up.
"Whatever it is, it's gotta be important," said Clawdeen.
"You ghouls go on back," said Frankie, "I'm staying here for a while; I wanna see Headmaster Grimm and give him a piece of my own mine."
At that Ghoulia moaned something, followed by a short chuckle, while Lagoona and Clawdeen also laughed.
"My brain doesn't come off!" said an annoyed Frankie, at which Apple, Raven and the others laughed as well.
Of course, not everyone could go with Raven to her confrontation with Headmaster Grimm, some had to keep watch at The Base and others were on patrol aboveground for trouble. Despite no sign of any Worms or other Kaijin in Ever After since Cuthbert's defeat, our heroes weren't taking any chances.
Neither was Dexter as he, Avery, Apple, Ashlynn, Hunter, Briar, Tobias, Cupid, Blondie, Maddie and Frankie, walked in formation around Raven, as if guarding her from potential harm as they made their way to Ever After High.
"You guys, it's alright," said Raven, "I don't need an escort like this."
"Too bad, you're getting it," said Briar defiantly.
"You're still on Obsidian's most wanted list," said Apple.
"I thought you were on their most wanted list," Raven teased.
"They just want me dead," said Apple, "they want you to do horrible things for them, so I think you need protection more than I do."
"You're both equally precious," said Avery, "as my grandmother once said," he pointed at the sun, "'if someone tries to take something precious of yours, fight to keep it, or you might not see it again.'"
"But, what if someone is only borrowing that precious thing?" asked Maddie, "what if it's a friend and she wants to borrow your favorite hat or something?"
"I'll answer with something else my grandmother said," replied Avery, "'be careful who you call friends, you never really can tell if you can trust them.'"
"Wow, that's really dark of your grandmother," said Apple.
"Well, she wasn't always sunshine and rainbows," said Avery, "she was trying to teach me to use my best judgement and keep my wits, and when all else fails, go by my gut." It was then that our heroes were within sight of Ever After High, "and right now, my gut tells me to keep close to you and Raven; we're about to step knee deep into trouble."
As our heroes got closer to the school, they saw a massive reconstruction effort underway; the castle was covered in construction scaffolding and repair technicians and equipment were all over the building.
And there, at the bottom of the front stairs, stood Milton Grimm, talking with some of the construction workers.
"So that's the guy who wanted you to break bad," said Frankie as she glared at Grimm, "I don't like him already."
"Frankie, I think you should know by now that you should never judge a book by its cover," said Apple.
"I know," said Frankie, "but there's something about your headmaster that makes me feel uncomfortable. I know, maybe I'm just used to Headmistress Bloodgood; she's tough but fair."
"Let's hope he's learned to be fair as well as tough while in the hospital," said Raven. With that our heroes walked up to Grimm.
"Ah, Ms. Queen and company," said Grimm as he saw our heroes, "how delightful to see you all in such good health," he then tapped his chest, "after my brief brush with death, I've learned to appreciate just how precious life is."
"I'm…glad you're feeling better, headmaster," said Raven hesitantly, "you…"
"And my dear Princess Apple White," said Grimm as he walked up to Apple, ignoring Avery and Frankie, "I wish to offer my most sincere apologies for so many things. You were right about the tower railings."
"Oh, right, of course," said Apple, "I nearly forgot about it."
"I was a fool to neglect such an important issue as building maintenance," said Grimm, "and I was a fool to let my own irrational fears take over my life." He looked at Raven, "Ms. Queen, I was wrong to force you to sign The Storybook of Legends."
To say that Raven and the others were thrown for a loop would be the understatement of the current Mayan Calendar cycle.
"I…I'm sorry, what did you say, headmaster?" asked Raven.
"I was wrong to force you to sign The Storybook of Legends," said Grimm, "I allowed my own fears of going against the rules and disobeying one's elders to get in the way of my better judgement. I know now that one doesn't need to replay the same stories over and over again. What was once set down on paper and in the hearts of readers lives on forever, so long as there are those who believe in the stories and what they mean." He then looked at Apple, Raven and the others, "you and so many others before you should have been free to forge your own destinies and stories."
"Now he tells us," muttered a dumbfounded Briar, only to be shushed by Blondie as she strained to get closer with her mirror tablet.
"It shall now be the mission of Ever After High to encourage the youth of our world to be who they wish to be, not just carbon copies of their forbearers. From this day forward, Raven, you and your friends can be whoever you wish to be."
"Uh…well…thanks, Headmaster," said Raven.
"No need to thank me, Ms. Queen," said Grimm, "I am glad that we can let be bygones be bygones and move forward to a brighter future."
"This is too good to be true," said Ashlynn as she and Hunter held hands.
"I know," said Hunter, "which is why I've got a bad feeling about it."
"Me too," said Cupid as she walked forward, "so, Headmaster, you're not going to force anyone to sign The Storybook of Legends anymore? No more arranging loveless marriages between princes and princesses who only like each other for the sake of tradition? No more forcing apart soulmates that can't be together except in secret?"
"No, no more of that nonsense," said Grimm.
"Oh good," said a relieved Cupid as she pulled out her phone, "excuse me, I need to text Cerise and tell her that her mom and dad don't have to hide their love anymore."
"Then we really can be together!" exclaimed Ashlynn. With that she and Hunter embraced and kissed.
"What about us Riders?" asked Tobias, "you seemed to have serious concerns about our presence in your 'perfect order.'"
"Yes, I was a little unnerved by outside interference," said Grimm, "but I now know that outside enemies require outside help, so you have my utmost thanks for your assistance during the crisis."
"Assistance? Assistance?!" exclaimed Dexter, "if it weren't for Avery and the others, we'd all either be deador slaves of Obsidian or something."
Grimm ignored Dexter's outburst, "yes, we can all move forward to a better and brighter future," he then looked at Apple and Raven, "now, young ladies, if you don't mind, would you please return The Storybook of Legends? I appreciate your keeping it safe during the crisis, but the crisis has passed. Such an important artifact of magic deserves to be kept in a museum so all can see such a pivotal item of our world's history."
"Uh…yes, it's safe," said Apple.
"You do realize that the book you gave us isn't the real Storybook of Legends, right?" asked Raven in a hushed tone.
At that Grimm's normally pale face paled further, "not here," he whispered harshly. He then nodded towards the school, indicating that he wanted to talk to Apple and Raven privately.
"Don't," said Dexter as he started to put a hand on Raven's shoulder, when Raven shrugged it off.
"It'll be alright," said Raven, "we'll be alright." With that she and Apple followed Grimm into the castle.
"We should go with them," Avery, "I don't like the idea of them alone with that man."
"You're right, there's something wrong about him," said Briar, "I don't care how reformed he says he is, there's something wrong about Headmaster Grimm."
A short time later found Apple and Raven in Grimm's office. As soon as he closed the door and sat down at his desk, Grimm sighed with frustration, "yes, it's true, the book I gave you isn't the real Storybook of Legends. But how did you know?"
"Cedar's Revealar Rays," said Apple.
"Of course, Legacy Day," said Grimm, "I missed it during my recovery. I take it you two received your legacy gifts?"
"I have my mother's wedding ring," said Apple as she touched the pocked that held the ring, "and Raven has her family wand."
"Yes, all well and good," said Grimm, "I admit, Ms. Queen, I had contemplated switching your gift with something else, something that would have convinced you to sign the book, but that's all in the past."
"I don't want it," said Raven, "I don't want my mom's wand."
"Of course you don't," sighed Grimm, "always the rebel, aren't you, Ms. Queen?"
"I don't want anything my mother used to do what she did," said Raven, "give me another wand, or better yet, I'll make one myself and pass that one on to my daughter. It shouldn't be too hard to make a wand, should it?"
"But you heard what Alicia told you," said Apple, "Oberon and Titania, they want you to use your mother's wand. Besides, if you really didn't want the wand, why do you still have it?"
At that Raven summoned the box holding her family wand. "I…I don't know," said Raven. She then vanished the wand, "that's not important right now." She looked at Grimm, "what happened to the real Storybook of Legends?"
"Stolen long ago by your mother," said Grimm.
"Mom, of course," said Raven as she sighed and leaned back in her chair, "it always comes back to my mom."
"Why would she do such a horrible thing?" asked Apple.
"To defy me, of course," said Grimm, "your mother was an even more troublesome nonconformist than Ms. Queen and her fellow Rebels, especially so once she went on her dark rampage across the realms. By the time we had her incarcerated in her mirror prison, she had already taken the book. I tried for so long to get her to tell me where she hid The Storybook of Legends, all the while making do with a mere chronicle."
"Maybe if I talked with her, she'd tell where it is," said Raven.
"Don't bother," said Grimm, "after your last conversation with her, your mother made it clear she neither wishes to see or speak with anyone," he walked up to his own magic mirror and activated it, revealing a sheet covering the other side of the mirror, "your mother did that, though I can assure you that your mother is safe in her prison."
"At least that's that," said Raven, outwardly relieved not to have her mother on the loose, inwardly disappointed that she couldn't see her mother again.
"So, what now?" asked Apple.
"Now, Ms. White," said Grimm, "you and your friends carry on with your extended holiday but be prepared to return to your normal education schedule in due course. I have it on good authority that Ever After High's repairs will be completed in time for the new semester."
"Yes, of course we'll be there," said Raven, at which Apple nodded, though both sincerely doubted that they or their friends would have the time to attend class in the foreseeable future.
"Well?" asked Dexter anxiously as Apple and Raven exited the castle.
"He seemed sincerely sorry for what he did and wants to do right by all of us," said Raven, "oh, and school starts up again with the new semester."
"As if we'll have the time," said Briar as she and the others walked away, "but is Grimm really on the level? Or does he still gonna try and force our 'destinies' on us?"
"As far as I can tell, he's on the level," said Apple, "our destinies are our own."
"That's good," said a relieved Briar, "because if Grimm tries to make me sleep for a hundred years, I'm going to kick him where it hurts the most."
"Why didn't you make your move, Milton?" asked Ophelia as she stood next to Grimm, both looking out the window as Apple, Raven and the others walked away.
"The time wasn't right," said Grimm, "there's one or two more things I need before I can use my leverage." He then looked at Ophelia, "you will be there when I need you, Felicity, will you?"
"Of course, Milton," said Ophelia as she smiled, "I'll be there to help you get Rebecca to the negotiations table and made her return The Storybook of Legends."
"I'm so grateful to you, Felicity," said Grimm as he held Ophelia's hands, "and not just because you helped my mind. You've filled a hole in my heart that I didn't know was there."
"I'm glad I had the shovel," said Ophelia, though in her twisted heart she was counting the seconds before she could use such a shovel to break Grimm's head open.
...Dynatron Enterprises...
"Look at them," said Clare between physical therapy exercises, "playing games when all along they're pawns in a bigger game."
"We are all caught up in the game on one level or another," said Rebecca as she and Clare watched on a magic mirror Ophelia and Grimm watch Apple, Raven and the others, "but there's a time and a place for spying on others, so back to your PT exercises."
"I'm bored with PT today," complained Clare, "can't we get back to studying dark magic? I'm getting really good at it, pun intended."
"I know you are," said Rebecca, "you're taking to the dark arts like a fish takes to water. But you must pace yourself, least you overdo it and ruin your powers. You've come a long way in such a short time, already your powers have exceeded my own when I was your age, but it'd be a shame for you to accentually burn yourself out before you have a chance to truly burn with darkness.
"I know," said Clare, "it's just," she then manipulated the mirror to focus on Raven, "it's her," she said with slowly growing malice, "who does she think she is? How dare she live the life I was supposed to have? She should have been sent away to another world! I should be there and she should have gotten beaten to an inch of her life by that filth, Avery Manning!"
As Clare ranted, a dark purple aura of dark magic flared up around her body, "and if I were in Raven's shoes and she were in mine, I would have finished her off when I had the chance, then there'd be only one true daughter of The Evil Queen!" she then looked at Rebecca, "I should be your true daughter! I'm the eldest! It's my birthright Raven's stolen!"
"Yes, she did take your place," said Rebecca, "but she is of my blood, both of you are. If it were possible, I'd have you both at my side as we plunge the realms into everlasting darkness." She then smiled wickedly, "and she may yet join us."
At that Clare's dark aura faded out, "what makes you say that? No way she'll join us, she's way too good to do that."
"You might be surprised," said Rebecca, "I still have hope Raven will see the errors of her choices, that she'll accept the darkness in her heart and embrace it. She already has accepted the family wand."
"You mean my wand!" snapped Clare, "I should have received the wand on Legacy Day! Not her, me! Besides, Raven doesn't even want it, so why does she get to keep it?!"
"Because the evil is already growing in her heart," said Rebecca, "slowly, stealthily, Raven's heart is filling with darkness. By the time she realizes it, it'll be too late for her to cast the darkness out. By then all she will need is the right push, just a little shove to make her give in to the evil, then she will be one of us." She looked at the mirror, on which Raven and the others reached The Base, "all we have to do is wait for the chance to give her that little push and your sister will be complete."
"Never!" snapped Clare, "I'll never accept her as my sister!"
"Are you sure?" asked Rebecca.
"Well," said Clare hesitantly, "if she really does go dark, I may accept her as one of us, but she'll have to learn her place; I am your firstborn after all."
"Indeed, you are," said Rebecca, "yes, Raven will learn her place, all in good time!" at that she let out a sinister chuckle, which Clare joined in. Both flared up their dark magic auras as their chuckles turned into wicked laughter.
"Still thing we can control them?" asked Dr. Stiletto as she, Dr. Scimitar and Dr. Falchion watched from the far end of the room.
…The Base…
Raven and her group exited the elevator to loud shouting in The Base's common area.
"Well, if that's the way you feel, consider us finished!" snapped Cerise at Daring.
"Fine by me!" snapped Daring, "I don't need my eyes to see we're done!" At that he crossed his arms and turned his back on Cerise, while she did the same.
"What just happened?" asked an astonished Apple, while Raven, Cupid, Avery, Tobais, Ashlynn, Hunter and Briar looked equally shocked, "I thought they were…"
"They were, but not anymore," said Duchess as she stretched her legs against a table, "funny how that happened."
"Did you have anything to do with this, Duchess?" asked an irate Cupid, "or you, Kitty Cheshire?! If you intentionally broke them up for your own amusement, I'll…!"
"I did no such thing!" said an annoyed Kitty, "I may like to cause a little trouble now and then, but I would never do anything as mean spirited as that, I'm not Satan."
"And what purpose would I do such a thing?" asked Duchess, "I have no interest in breaking them up."
"Neither would I," said Lizzie as she anxiously shuffled her deck of cards, "though I wouldn't mind catching Daring on the rebound."
"But what happened?" asked Raven, "how'd they break up?"
"I don't know, it just happened," said Duchess, "they were fine when they went upstairs to keep watch, and when they came back, like five minutes before you got here, they were shouting at each other."
"But over what?" asked Cupid.
"Something about how prejudiced Daring's father is about wolves," said Kitty.
"Oh, I get it," said Cupid, "Cerise wanted Daring to take her to meet his parents and one thing lead to another. Well, that's no reason for them to break up, just because Daring's father is a racist git."
"Hey, he's my dad too," said Dexter, "but yeah, he is a bit of a racist."
"Yeah, he'd be upset if his son was dating the daughter of The Big Bad Wolf," said Raven as she and the others saw Daring sit down at one end of the room and Cerise the other."
"This is just stupid!" said Frankie, "it's like Lagoona and Gil; for so long he was upset his parents wouldn't accept Lagoona just because she's from the ocean and they're freshwater monsters. But she stuck with him and he got over his worries, ain't that right, Lagoona?" she looked around, "where is Lagoona?"
"She and the others went back to The Steam Vault, remember?" asked Madison, "and they took Ian, Lance and Jessie with them." She handed a note to Frankie, "they left you this."
"They heard from Scarah Screams and Invisa Billy!" said Frankie as she read the note, "they're alright but running from Orphnochs! I gotta get over there now!"
"We can't" said Dorothea, "we can't open the portal to The Steam Vault from this side, not yet anyway," she looked at Humphrey, "how's that coming?"
"Give me a break already!" exclaimed Humphrey, "you've got me running so many programs right now, it's a wonder the computers haven't crashed yet!"
"You mean I'm stuck here?" asked Frankie as her neck bolts sparked, "well, that's just fangastic! Two of my friends are in trouble and I can't help them."
"Look on the bright side," said Briar, "you've got the chance to solve some problems here," she looked Daring, then at Cerise, "like fixing them."
But then Maddie cried out in delight after reading a message on her phone, "oh my stars, moon and sun!"
"Now what?" asked Avery as our heroes gathered around Maddie.
"I just received the email to end all emails!" said Maddie, "from none other than Giles Grimm!"
"The headmaster's brother?" asked Dexter, "what does he want?"
"If I'm reading this right," said Raven as she looked at the email, "and my Riddlish isn't that great to begin with, he wants to meet us face-to-face, especially me, Apple, Briar, Blondie, Maddie, Cedar, Ashlynn and Cupid."
"What does he want with us?" asked Ashlynn.
"I'm not sure," said Raven, "only that it's very important that he sees the eight of us, and we're to bring our copy of The Storybook of Legends."
"'We'll be there, fair and square and rare,'" said Maddie as she replied to the message.
"We will?" asked Raven.
"Of course we will," said Maddie, "but not until the next chapter. Right now, we need to switch over to Chad, Lance, Venus, Heath, Abbey and Rochelle."
Chad, Lance, Manny, Heath, Abbey and Rochelle all sneezed at once as they navigated the fog-shrouded streets of a city.
"What was that about?" asked Heath.
"I'm not sure," said Chad.
"Some say if you sneeze it means someone's talking about you," said Lance, "but I never put much credence in old wives tales."
"Some tales are truer than others," said Rochelle, "but we can debate later. Our friends are lost in this mystified metropolis."
"And they're on the run from Orphnochs," said Chad, "let's find our friends first."
"I hope we run into those gray goons," said Manny irately, "so I can pound them until they tell me what they did with Iris!" He snorted irately as he slammed one fist into the other palm, "and I'll pound any and all goombas that get in my way!"
"Not if we can't see anything in this fog," said Lance as the mist got thicker.
"Allow me!" said Heath as his fire aura flared up and evaporated a large amount of fog around them, revealing a dozen gray-clad humans standing randomly around our heroes.
"More fugitives!" exclaimed one of the disguised Orphnochs, "get them!" with that the dozen gray-clad humans assumed their true forms and closed in on Chad, Lance, Manny, Heath, Abbey and Rochelle.
"Heath!" exclaimed an annoyed Chad, Lance, Abbey and Rochelle.
"Uh, sorry," said Heath, only to be knocked aside by a bellowing Manny. The blonde minotaur charged at the closest Orphnoch, one with features of a stingray crab, taking the creature by surprise and slamming it into a nearby building. Manny's action stunned the other Orphnochs; both heroes and villains watched as the raging minotaur grabbed the Stingray Crab Orphnoch by the throat and lifted it up.
"Where's Iris, you creep!?" Manny demanded as he got in the creature's face, steam shooting from his nostrils with each enraged breath.
"You mean the smart female with one eye?" asked the human shadow of the creature. It then laughed wickedly, "alive, if you can count what Irvin and the others did to her alive!"
Letting out a bellow of unbridled fury, Manny threw the Stingray Orphnoch into the air, then jumped up to impale it on his horns. Tossing his head with maddened rage, Manny shook the creature off his horns, then punched it into the building. The Stingray Orphnoch hit the wall and fell to the ground, bursting into blue flames and crumbling into dust.
"WHO ELSE WANTS SOME?!" bellowed Manny at the remaining Orphnochs, whom were hesitant to attack.
One of them finally spoke up, "he's just one mad bull! We can take him!" at that the other Orphnochs charged at Manny, only to falter in their rush. The creatures staggered about, clutching their heads as some unseen force left them in agony.
Another unseen force then hit the creatures, knocking them one by one to the ground.
"Scarah!" shouted Invisi Billy as he became visible and rushed to a nearby group of trash cans, where Scarah Screams lay hidden. Chad and the others hurried over to find Invisi Billy cradling the barely conscious Scarah in his arms, she covered in sweat and blood trickling from her nose.
"She must have used her psychic powers to hurt the Orphnochs," said Rochelle as she and Abbey helped Invisi Billy help Scarah up, "it exhausted her."
"I'm alright," said the hairband wearing banshee, "I just need to catch my breath."
"You look half dead," said Abbey, "for ghost, that's serious."
"We need to get her back to The Steam Vault," said Lance as he and the others saw the damaged Orphnochs recover from Scarah's psychic attack, "before these creeps pull themselves together or more show up."
"No!" said Manny as he stomped over to one of the Orphnochs and hoisted it into the air with one hand, "not until these jerks tell me what they did with Iris!"
It was then that Irvin appeared in front of our heroes, "or you could just ask, Mr. Taur."
Manny bellowed with rage and charged at Irvin, whom deflected his reckless rush with a shield spell, knocking Manny into a nearby streetlamp.
"Give me back Iris, you creep!" shouted Manny as he got up and pawed at the ground with one foot, only for the streetlamp to fall and hit him on the head. "Oww," he said in a dazed tone, then fell down.
"Bastard!" shouted Rochelle as she and the others hurried over to Manny.
"Come to fight us personally, have you?!" asked Chad as he opened the briefcase containing The Faiz Gear.
"I would," said Irvin, "but I'd rather sit and watch you brats get your just deserts. Permit me to introduce you to Obsidian's latest warrior, Mr. Richter Ives."
At that Richter emerged from a portal. He looked coldly at our heroes, whom all shuddered involuntarily as his eyes passed over them, "they're the ones giving you so much trouble, Mr. Weis?" he asked, "I'm not impressed."
"These are only a handful of the brats," said Irvin, "I figured you'd appreciate the chance to warm up on a few before tackling the rest."
"Indeed I would," said Richter as he summoned another metal briefcase.
"What are you doing?" asked Chad as he saw Richter take out a belt and phone similar to his but more elaborately designed and colored gold, as well as a digital camera-like knuckle duster, a laser pointer-like devise shaped like a pair of binoculars and finally, a strange X-shaped device, all of which he attached to the belt.
Richter put the belt on and opened his phone with a side flip, "you're about to be outclassed, Faiz," he said coldly, "so make your peace with whatever god you believe in, you'll see them soon enough." He then pressed three buttons on the phone, followed by ENTER
9 1 3
STANDING BY
"Henshin!" shouted Richter as he held the phone up high, then connected it to his belt.
COMPLETE
Gold energy lines flowed from the belt and with a flash of golden light, Richter transformed into a rider similar to Faiz but with more elaborate armor and with gold lines.
"Say hello to Kamen Rider Kaixa!" said Irvin with dark triumph.
"Oh crap!" said Lance as he realized just how fraked he and the others were.
"I don't care what you're wearing!" shouted Manny, apparently no worse for wear as he got up, "you're gonna give back Iris!" Bellowing with rage, he charged at Kaixa, only for the gold-lined Rider to grab him by the horns, lift him up and kick him into a building with enough force to send Manny straight through the building and into another.
At that Irvin laughed with wicked glee as Kaixa slowly walked towards our heroes.
…Monster High…
"Impressed?" asked Dr. Ulfberht.
"Somewhat," said Valentine, "but I don't see what's so special about that guy."
"So he beat Manny up," said a bored Draculaura, "big deal; he's an idiot."
"Then keep watching and get ready to be impressed, Ms. Draculaura" said Dr. Ulfberht, "your former friends are about to see just what a Dark Rider can do."
…The End Is Just the Beginning…