“So Adagio… the other Adagio by any means has finally shown up?” Eiji asked as he received the news. Well, this certainly made things more complicated didn’t it? He had a few suspicions that it was only a matter of time before she showed herself. “Lovely.”
“I fail to see what’s so lovely about it, sir,” Erika remarked in a deadpan. “This could cause a few unexpected complications. Presuming, of course, it already hasn’t.”
“Of course it has,” Eiji stated in reply. “Adagio’s already dealing with the fallout from her counterpart knocking over that drug store. I was just talking to her now, she’s in a bit of a panic.”
“And you hung up on her?” Erika asked smacking Eiji over the back of the head. “You idiot. She needs reassurance right now and look at what you’ve gone and done. I swear you’re such a baka sometimes…”
Eiji could only smile sheepishly. “I’ll… I’ll go ahead and talk to her. I’ll call her back.”
He frowned to himself. He’d kept an eye on certain things ever since Adagio -the human one, for the record- had gotten her hands on the OOO Driver. It wasn’t like he was suspicious of her or anything, but he always knew there was the possibility her Equestrian doppelganger would return and cause more trouble for everyone. He had performed some digging, and it seems, for the most part, the Equestrian Adagio had been keeping herself on the down low as the Americans said.
There was a minor incident here or there with a record company trying to sign on a group naming themselves the Dazzlings but from what Eiji could tell some usage of lip syncing was discovered a la Mili Vanilli and so that was the end of that. Things had been quietly buried. After that, any traces of the Equestrian Adagio and her siblings had vanished from the public eye. He did have to wonder what had happened to them. Guess he knew now.
“...And looks like she’s trying to make her comeback,” Eiji frowned. “Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.”
Dialing Adagio’s number back he quietly took his leave. “E...Eiji?” Adagio asked. “That you?”
“Yes, it’s me,” he said looking out his office window and frowning again when he saw a local news truck pulling up outside the building. It didn’t really take a genius to figure out who was probably inside. “Are you alright?”
“Fine as I can, considering the situation I suppose…” Adagio sighed to herself. “Okay, so how do you suggest I go about this situation? Just… just continue as normal?”
“That would be a prudent course of action. If you let yourself fall into panic, then your doppelganger's won already. Continue dealing with the yummies as necessary, and go on about your life. Continue your work at the Aquarium. As for Vignette… stand tall. If she comes calling, just handle her as you’ve always done.” Eiji instructed. He vaguely heard Erika shouting at someone from outside his office but paid them no mind.
“What about Ankh?” Adagio asked. “Chances are he’s already partnered up with my other self. Suppose I have no one but myself to blame, for not keeping a tighter handle on him. Treated him as this stupid birdbrain and not remembered that he’s still a Greeed.”
“It’s fine. You can’t be blamed for assuming that Ankh, weak as he was, was hardly any threat. I’ll be honest with you, I sorta thought the same thing really. Foolish of me, I know, but we’re both only human are we not?” Eiji asked with a small chuckle and he could hear Adagio laugh in response. Eiji smiled. It was nice to hear her laughter. It was a nice sound.
“That is very true,” Adagio admitted. “I’ve already sent out Cube Condor along with some Taka Candroids -thanks for placing one of those vending machines near my house by the way- to try and find either Ankh or the Equestrian Adagio. Chances are if I find one of them, I’ll find the other. Ankh would be stupid not to stick close to his source of medals and Adagio would be equally foolish to avoid him when he’s the only one who can provide her with combos.”
Adagio groaned over the phone. “Something wrong?” Eiji asked.
“Yeah… sorry. It’s just even talking to you about this is very, very headache inducing. I mean, I’m talking about myself and yet… not myself at the same time, you know what I mean?” Adagio asked. Eiji got the distinct feeling she was rubbing her temples. “Oh god, I”m going to need an ice pack before the end of today, I just know it.”
Eiji chuckled. “Yeah, you and me both. Can’t wait till this week is over...” he muttered to himself. Adagio laughed again, a very musical sound. “Listen, Adagio. I’ve already been thinking ahead.”
“Thinking ahead?” Adagio asked in a confused tone before realizing. “Oh, you mean after I get the Driver back from my other self right?”
“Exactly,” Eiji stated. “I’ve made a few calls, and there’s an old friend of mine coming from Japan to try and help you curb your… desires. He might be able to lessen the risk of Full Medal Combos. He won’t be able to render them harmless, make no mistake but-”
“Yeah, I gotcha. Anything to help, right?” Adagio asked. “Seriously, thank you Eiji. I cannot thank you enough for all that you’ve done lately. God, I’d probably have fallen to pieces if you hadn’t…”
Eiji flushed red. “T-Think nothing of it, okay?” he asked with a slight stutter in his voice. “I’m just doing what’s right. If there’s a hand that needs… well, you know the rest of that I presume.”
“Yeah, that I do,” Adagio smiled. “So, about this friend of yours… Is he at least cute?”
Eiji was rendered speechless for a few moments even as Adagio burst out laughing. “I’m sorry, I had to do that. Aria’s over here and she was just wondering that.”
“She’s a good sister. Keep safe, okay Adagio? I’ll call you back soon.”
“Noted. And thank you.” Adagio said before hanging up. Back at her apartment, she sunk into the folds of her couch.
“So, fallen to pieces without him eh?” Aria laughed giving her sister a look. “My my, seems you’re quite taken with this one!”
“Oh, shut up!” Adagio blushed hitting her sister over the head with a couch cushion.
“Well, at least he’s a better boy toy than Ankh anyways. Damn him, and that doppelganger of yours for that matter,” Aria practically snarled. “So that's two lives those bitches have pretty much ruined now. Let's hope they never get to Sonata otherwise… well, I can't be held responsible for whatever happens next.”
“Amen to that sister…” Adagio grumbled. “Trust me, when I find both her and Ankh we will have words. We will have words.”
Back at Eiji’s office, the man was dealing with the nigh-unstoppable force of nature known as Vignette Valencia. Adagio’s descriptions of the woman still had somehow failed to prepare Eiji for actually meeting her in person.
“Listen, Madam, I have important work that needs doing. So if you can just leave, I promise I will get back to you with a proper interview,” Eiji stated calmly. Vignette’s hair was a mess, frazzled and frayed. Not she probably cared. She was just looking for a good story like all reporters. Of course, Eiji doubted that all reporters were this… insistent. “So, if you would just-”
“Get back to me with a proper interview…” Vignette whispered. “Yes, that’s what Adagio said and where is she now? Oh yes, knocking over drug stores and god knows what else. What’s your take on this Hino?”
“Kougami.” Eiji corrected his voice a dangerous tone. “It’s Kougami now.”
“Kougami, Hino, whatevs,” Vignette said with a small dismissive wave. “Doesn’t particularly matter to me whatever you call yourself.”
Erika scoffed in the background. She doubted that very much. She had a feeling that given the right incentive, Vignette would probably go digging into Eiji’s past. Presuming, of course, she hadn’t already. Erika wouldn’t put it past her.
“So why are you here Valencia-San?” Eiji asked practically having to force the honorific out of his mouth. In all honesty, he doubted she deserved the title. But for the sake of politeness and professionalism, he would use it. “Aside from the obvious of course.”
“I know you and Adagio are in contact. You must be! Every hero must need their funding, don’t you think? Someone working from the shadows, advising them. The Alfred to their Batman!” Vignette stated. “So, what is your take on Adagio supposedly going rogue?”
“There is no proof that woman captured on the CCTV was really Adagio,” Eiji stated. “The picture was too blurry. You just assumed that-”
“Excuse me, but are you accusing me of simply making up a story where there is one?” Vignette hissed out.
“I do not accuse you of anything,” Eiji clarified. He noted the way Vignette was standing, with her hands below the table. It would be all too easy for her to slip a bug of some sorts without him noticing. “I am just saying that you quite possibly just jumped to the first conclusion you thought of. I thought reporters always checked their sources and facts?”
“And I have,” Vignette said although her face said otherwise. “Everyone I’ve talked to says that was Adagio there that night. Besides, how many other women do you know that have Adagio’s particular shade of golden blond hair?”
Vignette, of course, neglected to mention that her so-called ‘sources’ were the homeless and the drunken.
“I also say it would be very easy for someone to frame Adagio because of this,” Eiji replied. “Think about it, she’s in a position where she’s at the top of her game now. Who’s to say someone for their own reasons can’t bring her crashing down with just a simple frame up relying on the stupidity of the masses?” he reasoned.
“Are you accusing me of something?” Vignette asked again. “I would never do such a thing in my line of work! It would ruin my journalistic integrity! My credibility!”
Erika scoffed to herself once again. Quite honestly, she wouldn’t have put it past Vignette to have made this whole thing up just for the hell of it and to boost her popularity. If she didn’t know the Equestrian Adagio was a thing, it would have been her first thought.
“I believe you. I’m just pointing out other possibilities,” Eiji remarked. “That is all.”
“One must begin to think that you’re on Adagio’s side,” Vignette pressed. In her van, a clutch of eggs glowed brightly before one dropped to the floor and cracked open. “You do seem to be defending her feverently, so is this not the case? Do you deny such a thing?”
“I am just covering all the bases,” Eiji replied. “I’d rather not see anyone locked up before proof is uncovered. Innocent until proven guilty, is that not the saying?”
“...Or guilty until proven innocent with her…” Erika grumbled. Eiji rubbed his temples and sighed to himself even as Vignette whirled around to face her.
“Erika…” Eiji muttered. He liked her, he really did but he did wish she could control her temper around Vignette. He understood how hard it was but feeding her could only end in disaster.
“And what is your take on this Ms. Satonaka?” Vignette asked. “It seems you believe that I am involved in a frame-up job, when all I am doing is simply trying to report the truth no matter where it hides.”
“And that includes performing hatchet jobs?” Erika deadpanned ignoring Vignette’s look of outrage. “I did some research on you, Ms. Valencia. Seems you were involved in an incident at… Equestrialand, was it?”
Eiji facepalmed. “That was years ago,” Vignette said. “I have learned since then.”
“Could have fooled me…” Erika sneered. At any other time, Eiji admitted he probably would have laughed at the look on Vignette’s face.
“How dare…” Vignette started before regaining her composure. “This interview is concluded,” she stated before waltzing out the door with her cameraman in tow.
“Come back soon!” Erika mocked even as Eiji sighed and slid down in his desk chair. Erika turned to him. “...I thought you wanted to be rid of her. Is that not what you wanted?”
“Yes, but…” Eiji sighed. “I’m just worried you set her off, and she’ll do something reckless now.”
“Eiji, she was already going to do something reckless. She’s already giving the tabloids something to gossip about and trying to run Adagio’s name through the mud,” Erika refuted. “Am I not allowed to get back at her in some small way?”
Eiji elected to say nothing. He gestured for Erika to follow. Leading her into a side room he pressed in a six-digit key code and the chamber opened. In a corner of the room was a massive round stone, and embedded in that stone were three Core Medals. They were black in color. One depicted a crab, another a shrimp and the last finally depicted a sea scorpion. Erika sucked in a breath.
“...Mezool’s missing cores?” the woman whispered. “But how did you…?”
“Acquire them? Well, it goes like this...” Eiji began completely oblivious to the spider-like robot watching this whole scenario from the ceiling. Vanishing through a vent, it crawled back to its handler and folded up into a large thumb drive-like device.
“Madam Starlight,” the man said as he took the data from his computer. “It’s confirmed. Kougami has access to some of the Core Medals. Do you want me to-”
“Do nothing, at least for right now,” Starlight’s voice said over an earpiece. “Let’s not be hasty now. I want to learn everything and that includes what Mr. Kougami plans to do with these cores…”
“Understood,” Mogami said before vanishing from sight as he saw Eiji walking out of the room.
“So, you found your twin, for lack of a better word?” Eiji asked. “I’m glad to hear it. I’m sending you something to help in your battle against her. Do not engage her until I get there to back you up. She has undoubtedly grown very powerful by this point.”
“Hell no, she has to be stopped now!” Adagio disagreed. “She’s running around with more power than she has the right to. She needs to be dealt with!”
“Is this about the safety of the people or revenge?” Eiji asked. Silence was his only answer. “...Well, I suppose there’s no stopping you is there? Okay. Here’s what you need to know about the G4 system…” he started.
At a construction site, in TaToBa form Adagio smirked to herself as she sent Uva running, a collection of cell medals rolling along the ground. She picked them up, before tossing them towards Ankh who absorbed them into his arm. Adagio smirked as she fingered a green medal. Another set completed.
Adagio’s head turned when she heard the low rumble of a motorcycle engine. A low rumble as something smashed in the front gates. She smirked. Right on time. “I knew you’d come… Other me.”
“So, took you long enough,” the Equestrian stated. “Thought you’d spend your time with your head in the sand. So happy to be proven wrong.”
The human Adagio sighed as she got up off the RideVendor, and took off her helmet before tossing it aside. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world. You know, have to say… you’ve got a lot of nerve. First things first though…” she muttered turning to Ankh. “You know you’re an idiot right? What’s to say my counterpart here will let you keep these medals you keep on gathering up?”
Ankh said nothing.
“Oh, we’ve worked out a deal,” Siren Adagio said. “Trust me. In any case though… You and your words. I have to wonder if that’s courage or naivete speaking,” The equestrian chided, flipping part of her hair off her shoulder. “Either way, you were better off not coming.”
“Yeah, see… Uh, the thing is, I kinda had to come,” Human Adagio remarked in turn. “Aside from the fact that you’re running about causing way more trouble than should be allowed, I really need to teach you a few things.”
“Oh, so you’re a teacher now?” the Siren remarked with a small laugh.
“Guess you could put it that way,” her human counterpart said in reply slamming a fist into her open palm. “Pay close attention now. There’s quite a few things that will be on the test.”
“...Ooh, you’re going to punish me for being bad teach?” the Equestrian half mocking. “Oooh, I’m quivering. No, I seriously am!”
“...Yep, that’s a mental image that’ll haunt me forever…” the human Adagio muttered blushing a bright red. But her Equestrian counterpart was on a roll now.
“Now I’m a shameless narcissist, but you’re especially yummy… Want to date? I can drive you wild with any and every sexual fantasy you desire… Including the ones you didn’t even know you had!” the Siren laughed before licking her lips.
“Why do I get the feeling if I date you, I’ll get at least 27 different kinds of previously unknown STDs?” the human Adagio grumbled throwing a belt around her waist. The buckle glowed with an ominous red light. Now or never, the woman supposed. No turning back from here. “You want to back out now… Well, here’s your last chance…”
Adagio quickly changed her mind. Her counterpart had to be stopped. “Enough of this. Henshin!”
Armor parts flew in, wrapping around Adagio even as she slammed a fist into her Equestrian counterpart’s face. Another punch was thrown, but a simple flick of the wrist and the human Adagio was tossed into a dumpster before leaping forwards even as the last of the G4 armor wrapped itself around her body, the helmet slamming into her completing the transformation.
“Was that supposed to impress me?” the Equestrian Adagio deadpanned tossing several medals up into the air. “The tides are as ever-changing as my own abilities. Never underestimate the powers of the animal kingdom!”
“Oh, now you’re really asking for it,” her human counterpart stated as she kicked her Equestrian counterpart in the stomach and caught the medals before smiling. One less combo for her to use against… well, her. Oh, Adagio got a headache just thinking about this. “That’s my catchphrase.”
“Technically our catchphrase, but if you like it so much, go ahead and put out a trademark on it!” her Equestrian half sneered. Human Adagio was very well aware of how royally screwed she actually was. Her Equestrian doppelganger was not only older than her meaning a lot more fighting experience but she also had access to a wider array of powers. There was a very good chance she wouldn’t win this fight but the thing about being a Kamen Rider? You never gave up, and you went into battle anyways no matter the odds. All to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves.
“You don’t get it, do you?” the Human World’s Adagio stated even as the two traded blows. Both her Equestrian counterpart and Ankh were confused. Had she finally lost her mind? Ankh shrugged to himself, he supposed it would have happened sooner or later.
“Get what?” the Equestrian Adagio asked swinging the Medajaribur. Her human counterpart barely dodged the swing, before blocking the next strike with her gauntlets and kicking her Equestrian doppelganger in the stomach.
“Being a Rider. Allow me to kindly inform you about what it’s about. The path of the Rider is not an easy one. To be a Rider means to put your life on the line for others, to fight often in the shadows against threats the rest of the world is often blind to,” Adagio stated with her voice going into a calm tranquil fury. This woman, she had turned and perverted the powers into something they never should have been. They were being used to strike terror, for Adagio’s own interests. This could not be allowed.
“You'll never be the same as you once were. But at the end of the day, you did something that no one else could. You stepped up and drew a line in the sand and said: “This far and no further!” It’s not easy, it’s not glamorous or rewarding, and you don't know if you'll make it out of it alive. But it is a path that must be tread, and those that walk the true path, have earned the title of hero,” Adagio stated, facing down her opponent. “You disgust me. It’s clear you don’t have those ideals in mind.”
“I’m not asking for your approval…” the Equestrian Adagio sneered tossing two green medals up in the air and letting them land in her driver, tossing the Taka and Tora medals aside to Ankh. The Bird Greeed simply watched the battle from a nearby building with an interested expression.
“Can’t wait to see how this turns out… Who is worthy of the title indeed?” he thought.
“Kuwagata, Kamakiri, Batta: Ga~ta-Gata-Gata-Kiri, Ba! Gatakiriba!” the OOO Driver rang out.
Human Adagio reached down to her belt and pressed a button. A moment later, a metal case came flying in towards her. Catching it, she opened it to reveal a missile launcher with four primed and ready to fire.
“Oh?” Ankh asked himself. He had seen this and the armor formation. “I wasn’t aware the humans had progressed this far, to create personal combative adaptive armor for themselves.”
“My my… someone’s overcompensating…” the Equestrian Adagio laughed before running forwards leaping and dodging the fired missiles getting in close with the Kamakiri swords. Every time the human Adagio tried to dodge one strike, another seemed to come from another angle. It was as if her counterpart was everywhere at once. Then Adagio realized. It was because she was.
Jumping back, she saw that at least ten clones of her counterpart were darting around the battlefield. Pushing another button on her belt, a compartment on her leg opened up and she pulled out a pistol to open fire while she waited for more missiles to arrive. Leaping backward to avoid green lightning blasts from OOO’s horns, she fired several well-placed shots. Taking cover behind a metal container, she then got an idea.
“...Well, being a Rider does mean you’re a bit stronger than the average person in the armor…” the human Adagio mused. Tossing the pistol aside, Adagio grabbed the container and tossed it at her Equestrian half.
No time allowed to do a scanning charge, the Equestrian Adagio simply sliced it in half before her eyes widened under her helmet as she saw a powerful fist drawn back. It slammed into her with the force of a freight train shattering a good portion of her helmet.
“Damn you!” the Siren snarled breathing hard before using another Combo. She could not let this double defeat her. She was OOOs now, not her.
“Lion, Kamakiri, Batta!” the Driver shouted before the human Adagio’s vision became a sea of light and she felt several strikes cutting into her body. She screamed out in pain and was given no time to think on what happened next.
“Lion, Tora, Cheetah: La-Tah La-Tah, La-Tora~~Tar!”
Her Equestrian counterpart became a blur, slashing and striking at her rapidly. Each strike seemed to come even faster than the last. Each more violent than the previous strike. Adagio’s growing rage.
“...How… How the hell am I supposed to hit her, if I can’t even see her?” the human Adagio asked herself.
“So, where’s those fancy speeches about what being a rider is really about now?” the Equestrian one mocked. “Oh, I can’t hear you!”
“...Adagio, there’s something you need to know!” the human counterpart shouted. Just a few more seconds and she’d have the Gigant’s missiles back. “Something… something about the medals!”
But her Equestrian counterpart was on a high and wouldn’t listen to reason.
“Shut up!” she shouted. “You… you took everything from me. The glory, the fame… all of it!”
“I didn’t take anything!” the human world Adagio shouted back at her doppelganger. “I didn’t ask for these powers, for the OOO medals to wind up in my hands!” she shouted firing the Gigant. Her double dodged every shot with the LaToraTar combo’s speed.
“And yet you took them anyways!” the Siren snapped.
“Only to protect my sister!” the human Adagio shouted even as her other self ripped into her armor. “That’s the only reason I ever took them, you get it?”
Ankh watched the two with a continuing interest. He frowned. It was only a matter of time before the continued usage of the medals caught up with Adagio. He was amazed she had lasted this long.
“...Your… your sister?” the Siren asked her voice breaking slightly and breaking off from her speedy slashes and strikes. One moment of hesitation, one. That’s all her human self needed. Another powerful punch was landed. “That’s all it… No. No, can’t be just that. You’re me. You want to be recognized!”
“Cobra, Kame, Wani: Bura-Ka~~Wani!”
“Think about it…” the Siren continued striking at her human half with powerful kicks, crocodile jaws of orange energy forming with each strike. “You’re no different than me in some regards. Why haven’t you ended this fight by twisting the Driver back into the standby position? You want to prove who’s better, who’s more deserving of the title of Kamen Rider OOOs!” she accused.
Adagio couldn’t deny it. Even as she struck her Equestrian counterpart who only blocked her punches and kicks with arm shields, she couldn’t deny a single thing. She did want to prove who was the better owner of the title. That’s why she was dragging this fight out for so long. Why she was risking the power of the G4 system killing her from the sheer strain it put on her body. She wanted to prove who was better, plain and simple.
But that didn’t mean she had to admit it was selfish. Gritting her teeth, she hefted Gigant like a club and swung it at her counterpart who only blocked the blow with her arm shields. If she merely switched the Driver off, what was to stop the Equestrian from coming back to steal it again? No, she needed to prove that OOO’s or not, she was still a Rider to the core.
“It… it doesn’t matter if we’re alike or not. Even if we both want to be recognized, we both have very different ways of going about it!” Adagio roared firing the Gigant once more. The cobra atop her Equestrian half’s helmet unfurled with a few simple flute notes and dodged the missiles. Next, it ripped off part of the human Adagio’s faceplate. “And if you say you want to take over the world with those powers, I will use the very same powers to fight for love and peace. That's the kind of Kamen Rider I believe in!” the human Adagio roared before slamming a powerful fist into her Equestrian counterpart’s faceplate cracking it.
“You’re so idealistic,” the other Adagio said with a trace of respect in her tone before fighting back a cough. She stood on the tips of her feet and darted towards her doppelganger, sword ready for another strike. “Still… Still, you’re a very impressive woman.”
“Look at you…” the human Adagio whispered feeling the force behind her opponent's kicks get weaker and weaker. Her strikes with the Medajaribur became slower and easier to dodge as well. “You’re sick, and you’re only getting sicker. Let me help you!”
“What hospital would take me, or my sisters?” the Equestrian Adagio asked her eyes flashing a dark purple color. The human Adagio’s own widened. The medals. No, she couldn’t allow this to happen. Everyone deserved to be saved, even this woman.
But the current Kamen Rider OOOs begged to differ. She twirled the Medajaribur, creating a manifestation of her Equestrian Form same as before during her duel with Rainbow. However, unlike before it was barely visible. A sign of Adagio’s sickness, or her weakening magical capabilities? “Think about it, I’m a wanted woman now. I’m more likely to get chucked in a jail cell before anything else! Humankind couldn’t give a damn about me or my sisters!” Equestrian Adagio shouted sounding close to tears even as she struck. The manifestation struck ripping into Human Adagio’s armor before fading away. “They never have! To them, we’re just those freaks who always turn up at catastrophes and cause chaos no matter where we go. It was the same in Equestria and it’s the same here!” the Siren shouted her voice breaking before it turned into a roar of rage as the power of the medals took hold.
“I know someone who has connections!” the human Adagio shouted, hoping in vain to snap her other self free of the influence of the medals. Even so, the Equestrian Adagio charged at her counterpart, punching and swinging wildly. It was all the human one could do to hold her off. “There’s still a way to make things right!”
“No… There’s nothing left for me. Unless you can pull a magical pardon out of your ass and get me home to Equestria…” the Siren whispered briefly snapping free of the Medals. Briefly. Only briefly. Soon, she was back to fighting like a wild animal, one powerful punch sending her human counterpart staggering back and then another made her nearly double over.
“This battle is nearly over…” Ankh thought to himself looking rather bored. “Now, who will come out on top? Or will both die? Fine by me either way.” he thought sucking on an ice pop. But if that was the case, he mused to himself why did he feel… no, it couldn’t have been concern could it? No, that was impossible.
Pain was beginning to register. Pain wracked the human Adagio’s body. She knew what it was, the G4 armor beginning to take its toll. She knew she had to act fast. Finally, two powerful punches connected and both combatants were sent sprawling to the ground. The medals flew out of Equestria Adagio’s driver and she slipped into unconsciousness, with her human counterpart soon to follow.
Ankh meanwhile jumped down from his perch and picked up the medals the Equestrian Adagio had dropped. He chuckled to himself. Of course, he knew Adagio would never let him keep the Medals. But he also knew she would be defeated. And now he had a few bargaining chips.