Kazuhiro and Shiozaki arrived at the Arbor Agency building. The agency logo was the letter A stylized to look like a tree 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 time 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. The Arbor Hweo quickly pulled up a clipboard. "Before we do anything, 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."
"I think for simplicity's sake, I'll call you Decade," Kamui nodded. "Speaking of your forms, I'd like to know about your Quirk. Based on what I saw during the Festival, you were able to change into different forms by inserting a card in that belt of yours."
"Yeah, it's… strange that I need to summon a card instead of just directly transforming into my forms but Quirks develop in many ways," Kazuhiro said.
"Agree," Kamui nodded. "Are there any limitations to your Quirk?"
"Well, my forms run on my stamina. So transforming, using my abilities, or summoning weapons would over time drain me," Kazuhrio explained. If I push my limits, they begin to short-circuit like not summoning a card or being forced back into a previous form. It's kinda what happened during the Sports Festival. I was struggling to keep up my current form since I've been transforming all day."
"Hm, with what you can do, that sounds like a reasonable trade-off," Kamui noted.
"Well, it's not just the stamina I have to worry about what cards I use. The cards related to my Decade form don't have to worry about it but everything else goes on a cooldown after 24 hours. Not only that but using the Final AttackRide cards, which allows me to use a powerful move, uses up a lot of my stamina and I'm forced back to my form."
"I never imagined your Quirk having such limitations," Shiozaki commented.
"My Quirk relies on careful planning and luck. A card could be useful be useful in multiple situations so I have to make a call to use it or find another solution." Katsuro explained. "If I'm not careful, I'll lose the ability to use the 23 Rider Cards I have."
"And in terms of the utility, from what I saw at the Sports Festival, you're a capable fighter but I'm wondering if we can put your abilities in other situations," Kamui said.
"Let's see," Kazuhiro crossed his arms and pondered. "Some of my powers have some utility in them for rescue missions. Some control the elements, others have flight, I know one has amplified senses so it would be useful for search and rescue missions."
"I would put that note in mind. A hero that can do anything in any form of disaster would truly be game-changing."
"Like All Might, right?" Kazuhiro asked. One of Kazuhiro's first exposure to All Might's heroic activities was seeing him rescue civilians in a fire, multiple at a time even. He could imagine that his super-strength and durability would make him useful in rescue operations.
"Right, but I wouldn't call rescue his strength. All Might is strong and he may be the No. 1 Hero, but his strength lies in taking out villains at a moment's notice. Same with Endeveaor, the No. 2 Hero," Kamui explained. "Multiple heroes are stuck to their specialty, which isn't a bad thing but a few can break that mold."
Kazuhiro always knew that his powers would allow him to be good at multiple roles but he began to understand that he'll be able to do a lot of good in this world. Even though this wasn't his home, he'd do his best to defend it.
"Let's talk about your Quirk, Shiozaki," Kamui said as he turned to Shiozaki. "As you can tell, I picked you since our Quirks are birds of a feather."
Shiozaki nodded and said, "I was hoping for an educational work study under you because of it."
"Mind telling me about your Quirk?" Kamui asked.
"Of course, my Quirk allows me to control the vines on my head. I'm able to trap and ensnare those caught within my grasp as well as create a protective wall with the vines as well," Shiozaki explained. "I'm hoping under your guidance, I can improve my Quirk."
Kamui nodded and said, "Hm, our Quirks are similar so I hope some of the stuff I pass down can apply to your Quirk." The Arbor Hero stood up. "The two of you certainly have strong Quirks. Those that will be useful in protecting lives. I say after I finish some paperwork, we'll go on patrol."
"We're going on patrol already?" Kazuhiro asked. Shiozaki was also shocked by the sudden news.
"I'd imagine you'd want to assess our Quirks,"
"This is an internship, not a training camp. You're here to gain some experience at a workplace and hopefully know what direction you want your career," Kamui explained.
"So are we like sidekicks?" Kazuhiro asked.
"Not exactly. You're more equivalent to a work-study student, which you need a Provisional Hero License to become one," Kamui said.
Kazuhiro heard about those licenses. They're the legal documents that allow heroes to use their Quirks for hero activities. When studying about this world, he heard about the difficulty of the exams to get them. It's a very narrow window as an average of 250 students pass out of several hundred. That's going to be a concern later down the line.
"Are we allowed to use our Quirks when on patrol?" Shiozaki asked.
"Well, for this case, you are allowed to use your Quirks to assist me," Kamui said.
"Assist? So does that mean you want us to stay on the sidelines?" Kazuhiro asked.
"That's right," Kamui said. "Your focus should be protecting the civilians or rescuing them if caught in a disaster."
Kazuhiro nodded and thought, "This should be interesting."
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!" tje mechanized man 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.
"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. Still, who's to say we can't have a little fun and cause mischief."
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. Still, their reactions would be pretty priceless.
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? He wasn't sure if the latter was even possible.
CRASH!
A series of crashes and collisions were heard in the distance. This prompted Kamui Woods to be on high alert. He turned to the students and said, "We're moving out!"
The three reached the sight of the incident, which was at an intersection. A devastating traffic accident happened there. There were about half a dozen cars in this crash, including an armored truck. The Arbor Hero quickly thought of a quick plan to ensure the civilians' safety.
"Maria, help me move the cars. There are still a few cars sandwiched in the middle, "Kamui turned to Kazuhiro. "Decade, help move the civilian to safety."
Kamui and Shiozaki began moving the vehicles. Kazuhiro summoned the Decadriver and the Decade Rider Card.
[Kamen Ride]
"Transform!" Kazuhiro shouted.
[Decade]
As Decade transformed into Decade, he went to the car most outside of the incident. He spotted an unconscious man inside the car. He tried to open the door but it was locked. He summoned the Ride Booker as a sword and an AttackRide Card.
[AttackRide: Slash]
The Kamen Rider sliced the door through the hinges. It fell in his direction and he quickly caught it in his free hand. He returned the Ride Booker and used his newly free hand to throw the door to the side. Decade carried the man to the sidewalk and gently rested his head. He glanced behind him and saw that Kamui and Shiozaki had finally cleared the cars and began moving the civilians. Those conscious could move safely to the side while a few needed to be carried by the Kamui. Shiozaki couldn't help them as her thorny hair could hurt the incident's victims.
The doors from the back of the armored truck burst open. Money flew out as a six-foot man made out of rock stepped out. Followed by two masked henchmen armored with submachine guns. The rock villain groaned and shouted, "Watch where you're going next-"
The rock man paused as he and his henchmen noticed Kamui and the UA students. The Pro Hero and his interns managed to understand the situation clearly. A couple of bank robbers got reckless in traffic and caused an accident that attracted the heroes. They could've gotten away but their recklessness and lack of patience was their downfall.
The rock villain didn't waste any time and rushed at Kamui however the Arbor Hero quickly shot out his tendrils and ensared the villain. The two henchmen froze as the saw their boss incapacitated. They snapped back to reality and aimed at Kamui. Shiozaki was quick enough to raise a wall of vines to protect Kamui from a bullet storm. Decade drew an AttackRide Card out of thin air.
[AttackRide: Blast!]
The henchmen turned to Decade just as he began to fire at them. The bullet felt like a sharp force but it didn't pierce their skin. Getting riddled with Decade's projectiles felt like getting stung all over the body.
"Nice quick-thinking," Kamui praised. "Maria, help me restrain this villain, and Decade you tie up the henchmen."
The two interns nodded and did their respective tasks.
The rest of the patrol was uneventful. Kamui did warn the interns that there would be slow days like this. The interns understood and didn't complain. Kazuhiro returned to his room after he got out of the shower. He checked his phone and checked on social media what his classmates were up to. He saw that Kirishima signed up in the same agency as Tetsutetsu, a boy whose Quirk is similar to his. Kirishima posted a mirror selfie while fist-bumping Tetsutetsu. Another post from Uraraka shows that she's enthusiastic about working for Gunhead, as she took a selfie in front of his building. He scrolled through and saw that students like Ashido, Tsuyu, and Kaminari were also enjoying their time at
Kazuhiro's mind wandered to Iida. The last time he saw him was at the train station, and he had this cold expression. Iida didn't tell Kazuhiro where he would be going. However with recent news, and his odd behavior, Kazuhiro suspected Iida was going after Stain. His last reported sighting was at Hosu, which is on the other side of the city. So it's going to be hard for him to reach out. Then again, it's up in the air if Iida was there or not.
However, the Kamen Rider wasn't going to sit on the sideline and wait for his friend. Kazuhiro shot Iida a text message: "Hey! Hope things are good on your end! If you need to talk to me, about anything, just let me know!"
Kazuhiro wasn't good at being emotionally supportive of his friends. The only thing his friends do is mess around and forget about their responsibilities. However, the consequences back then would be just souring a relationship. This is genuine life and death because as skilled as Iida is, if
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.
"I see," Narutaki nodded.
"So why are you, Narutaki? Must be important if you're here," the visitor pointed out.
"It is," Narutaki said. He pulled up the briefcase. "I do have something for you to add to your arsenal."
Narutaki opened the briefcase. Ten 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. Two Kamen Riders were just animals: Kekera and Kyuun, a frog and lion with wings. A Kamen Rider named Beroba Deroba was a mech suit with a bull's head. 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.