Previous Chapters
Close
The Robbed Thiefe7,578 words
The Dead Live Longer8,525 words
Pulling Back the Curtain7,608 words
Old Wounds7,429 words
Ashes to Ashes12,259 words

Ashes to Ashes

The first rays of sunlight were just shining down onto the secluded mountain town. Birds cheaped, and a refreshing, cold breeze ran through every street. On the first look, everything would have looked very idyllic and perfect for a vacation. But once one saw both the web of wires and pipes stretching over the city as well as the lifeless street, this peaceful atmosphere quickly turned into a foreboding one.

This atmosphere quickly grew as both Ocean and Kaito stepped out of their hiding place, a modest house like so many others. Ocean had been covered in a good amount of bandages and plasters but was standing again. Kaito, meanwhile, looked just as fresh as ever, resting his Driver on his shoulder. Both looked down the main street on which end the previously mentioned metal gate to the mines stood.

“So? Ready for a wild ride, Newbie?” He returned with a smirk.

“I should have never let that one slip, should I?” She mumbled in absolute annoyance while pulling out her Charge-Phone and pushed a few buttons on it.

“Probably,” it came back with this insufferable smugness in his voice. This man definitely had to be Tsukasa’s friend; these two were practically made for each other. “But that’s why you are a Newbie, right?”

“Sure, whatever. Let’s get this over with, so I got you out of my world sooner,” she threw back with a huff, much to Kaito’s delight. “I also can’t let Scorched stay in that pool forever. I sent him a text that as soon he hears explosions, he should start getting the civilians out of there. I don’t want them caught in the crossfire when everything goes crazy around here. They should convene with the reinforcements I ordered soon enough,” she finished with a nod.

“Good for you. I don’t particularly care as long as you can focus one-hundred percent of the task ahead. So, ready newbie?” Almost as if to answer his question, her bike drove up right next to her. “Impressive. I wish I had a Card for this little one. It seems to be quite useful.”

“Yeah, what a shame, right?” She drily returned. “Speaking of which, where is your bike anyway? You aren’t going to assault the lab to foot, right?”

Once again, he smirked at her, and once again, she could feel the satisfaction flowing from him. This man was just… “Oh, I don’t have my own bike. Well, I had one for a bit, but that is a bit of a complicated story anyway and not important right now. But regardless, I don’t need one. Observe,” he finished before pulling out one of his many cards and slit it into his weapon before walking up to some random bike at the side of the road.

|Attack Ride|

|Side Basher|

The moment the bike was shot, it morphed into a black and silver one with golden highlights as well as a sidecar. “Voila! A bike ready to storm a fortress,” he said while turning around, grinning from ear to ear at her.

“Aha… Sure… I take your word for it,” she simply returned, shaking her head. “So, let’s do this then!” While she spoke, she activated her Driver and pulled out her Thunder Charger.

“Let’s get my treasure back,” he added, spinning his gun before pulling out yet another card and inserting it into the now open Driver.

\ SCANNING CHARGE! /

|Kamen Ride|

“Henshin!”

\ 50, 80, 100! THUNDER CHARGE! /

|DIEND|

Both fo their armorers formed around them, shining bright blue in the early morning sun. Each Rider swung themselves onto their respective Rider Machines and let the engines road echo through the entire town before racing towards the mine and its giant gate.

It didn’t take long until the gate came clearer into view, and with it, an army of Planktons and Riotroopers. Probably the remains of their forces. They seemed to have anticipated the attack and were throwing everything they had at the two Riders.

“Cover my back, I’m getting the gate op-“ She was about to shout over to Diend when a loud scream interrupted them. As both of them looked back, they didn’t see anything. That was until another screech echoed through the mountains again. This time Ocean could pinpoint where it was coming from. From above!

Looking upwards, she saw something… A white point in the sky that was getting closer and closer with every passing second, and it was racing straight towards them! “Incoming!” She shouted out and swung her bike to the side; the other Rider quickly followed her lead.

Not a second too late, one might add, as a giant white claw tore up the street, they had mere moments before still been driving on. As they looked back, they could see the monster for the first time. It was some sort of gigantic, grey bird. One that glared viciously at them. “What is that!?”

“Probably a genetically modified Orphenoch!” It came back from Diend, sound more annoyed than surprised. “We ain’t getting this gate open with this thing around! You got the big toys, so deal with it!” He added before accelerating faster and racing towards the other opponents.

Silently cursing the thief Rider, she pulled out her phone again, just as the Orphenoch turned around for another attack. She quickly tipped in a code, all while she heard the screeching of the bird come closer and close with every second. Looking back, she could see the claws only a few dozen meters away from her. Not much longer, and they would get ahold of her, and she did not like her chances at all.

Screeching loudly, the bird readied itself for its final push, its claws spreading out ready to grab her when out of nowhere, something crashed into the head of the monster. Screeching loudly, it was thrown sideways, crashing into several buildings, completely totaling them and leaving nothing more than ruins. Meanwhile, the strange object turned around and flew right in front of her.

The building-sized mech was hovering a few meters above the street. It had been modeled after a very bulky human, made entirely out of metal. It was a mixture of a mostly silver body with light blue patches scattered across the robot. Glowing, blue tubes ran across the entire machine. On its chest, a strange contraption had been placed, resembling the cylinder of an old revolver. Each compartment glowed in a different color. Lastly, its head was seemingly modeled after Charge herself.

As she came closer and closer towards the robot, it’s chest opened up, revealing a cockpit of sorts inside it. Kicking her bike into gear once more, she raced towards one of the parked cars and used its front hood as a sort of ramp, shooting herself up towards it. In the last few meters, she pushed herself off her bike and landed perfectly in the cockpit. Her bike meanwhile shifted into autopilot and drove off. In between the crack of the closing cockpit, Charge could see the Kaiju standing back up again for round two.

\ 50, 80, 100! CALAIDO-CRUSHER! /

It echoed through the streets as every monitor inside the mech sprung to life, and not one second too late as the fast approaching claws of the Orphenoch appeared right in front of her. Taking one last deep breath, she grabbed for the two control handles to her side and began to push them forward, while also pushing a button atop them.

The jet engines bellow the mech’s feet erupted in an even bigger flame, and the Calaido-Crusher dove towards the opponent, avoiding to hit it by mere meters. As she did that, the cylinder on her chest spun until the green compartment was ontop, all tubes lighting up in the same color. Pulling back its metallic fist, the mech slammed it down as the giant monster was about halfway past her.

As the fist impacted on the monster, a strong gust of wind suddenly picked up, growing quicker and quicker in strength until it pressed the creature downward. Crashing into the concrete of the street below and sliding across it for a few dozen meters as well. Once it had come to a stop, Charge rocketed forward once again, the green compartment falling dark as she did so.

Meanwhile, just about a hundred meters down the road, Diend had managed to ride up towards the small army that had been assembled before the door, and they were unloading everything they had at him. Laser fire was pouring down on him, and the Riotroopers were trying their best to stop him from getting closer. But Diend had been in too many firefights to fall for their simplistic approach and dodged all of the incoming attacks, either through skillful steering or by using cars as cover. “Amateurs. You make this almost too easy,” he chuckled.

All of a sudden, the bike stopped before starting to shift, parts moving and combing anew. The motorcycle with its sidecar stood up, taking on the form of a bipedal walker with a claw arm and what looked like six repurposed exhaust-port-rocket-launchers. With a satisfied chuckled, Kaito pushed the tempting button in front of him and freed six rockets from their launchers. The Troopers were already about to mount a retreat as the missiles split apart, revealing an absolutely absurd amount rockest that were racing straight towards them.

Charge almost didn’t hear the ensuing explosion through the angry screeches of the Orphenoch, several large rock bits sticking out of its skin. As she pulled back once again, the orange compartment on her chest went dark. The glassy, grey eyes of the beast were focused on her and burning with absolute hatred. If looks could kill, she would have been dead three times over.

Luckily, her new mech had stopped that particular outcome from happening yet. Still, one wrong move and the thing could cut through her defenses in a heartbeat. An as if this had been its cue, the monster lunged forward once again, its claws pretty much screaming for her head.

Pulling on the control handles, she steered the robot to the side. The sound of deafening screeching over metal followed by an earthquake-like shaking, however, showed her that she hadn’t been fast enough. Warning signs popped up on several of the screens around her. Hull damage, not critical, but it would impede her maneuverability.

Kicking the handlebars into overdrive, the metallic elbow of the machine slamming right into the beak of the still onto her clamoring bird. She could feel the vibrations run through the giant monster. This must have stung like Tartarus, but even though its screech was deafening, its claws remained as secure as before. “Damn it!” She cursed, as more and more warning messages kept popping up.

With a groan of the metal, she pulled back the mechs elbow once again and swung once more. This time, however, the red compartment on her chest glowing a fiery. Out of the palm of her robots had a giant flame shoot out, kicking the elbows speed into overdrive. With a bone-shattering crunch, it slammed into the bird this time, finally loosening its grasp.

Charge spun as fast as she could with the damaged mech and could barely see the end of the Orphenochs awkward tumble before it fell face first on what remained of the road. “Well, time to see if flight really is weak against electricity,” Charge chuckled as she pointed her open mecha palms at the beast. With a smirk under her helmet, the giant cylinder turned once more, landing on bright blue.

Bolts of electricity sparked up her arms moments before a storm of thunder and lightning erupted from the Calido-Crusher’s fingertips. Screeches of anger were soon replaced by ones of pain and anguish as the attack hit its target, surging across his body. She held this up for several seconds before once again, the chamber went dark, the giant bird collapsing once more.

Still, it wasn’t dead yet. Already, it was clawing against the ground to stand back up. She needed to finish soon! But first…

Spinning the dark blue compartment upwards, she unleashed a mist wall, covering the entire, few dozens meter area they were standing into a fog bank. As the Orphenoch came back onto its legs, everything had already been filled in the thick mist. It turned its head in confusion, looking for any sign of the Rider as its eyes locked onto a bright purple light. And moments later, another one and two more until its entire vision was filled in these glowing dots. Spreading its wings, the beast ready to pounce on its target when suddenly-

Burning pain erupted all over its body, all more or less simultaneously as the magical missiles crashed into it. With another ear bursting screech, it tumbled backward once more, the searing pain all over its body morphing into one, as if its entire body had been light ablaze.

Ocean, together with her mech, stepped out of the parting mist, staring directly at the almost beaten foe. With a satisfied sigh, she pushed both buttons atop the handles simultaneously and pushed them forward.

\ Maximum Calaido Charge! /

The revolver cylinder on her chest started to spin, first slowly and then faster and faster with every turn. Each camber lighting up one after the other, quickly mixing into a rainbow of colors before ultimately turning to white. In one, stunningly bright burst, a bream of stellar white energy burst from her chest, pushing her back several meters as she scraped across the floor. The Orphenoch could only stare forward before the beam cut right through him and continued onward, soaring just above Diends head. The beam continued on until it collided with the gate, quickly starting to melt the ultra-thick metal exterior.

“About damn time,” Diend chuckled before unloading one more volley of rockets

Once the light had faded, only the outer edges of the metal gate remained, smoldering and glowing a bright orange, a bit of metal dripping downward. Both Riders quickly regrouped in front of the now open gate— Ocean jumping out of her mech, turning on its autopilot to keep any stragglers at bay.

“Ready to enter the lion's den, Newbie?” Diend chuckled.

“Yes!” Ocean simply returned, before both Riders jumped into the gaping hole and whatever dangers lay beyond.

>-------<CxD>-------<

Huffing, with the mixture of relive, as well as frustration, he finally pushed himself out of his hiding place. He almost fell face-first on the floor as his asleep leg refused to work properly at first. Through, in the last second, he managed to catch himself regardless. As he looked around, raising his Charge Magnum, nothing besides the Orphenoch inside their cages was to be seen or heard.

Just as expected, as the first few explosions had shaken the building, the remaining guards had rushed through the halls and left him all alone with the civilians, the Planktons… And him. Narrowing his eyes, he stared at Winter before starting to move down the hallway towards where the rest of the remaining humans were being kept.

“Hey!” It croaked up from the cell behind him. “Where are you going? I’m here!” Winter was as unpleasant as ever.

Scorched didn’t even look back as he returned: “I’m taking care of the bigger group first. The need of the many the needs of the few.”

He was just about to continue when Winter spoke up again: “Wait, what? As if letting me out would be-“ his tirade was once again interrupted by his coughing. “Be such a time sink! It’s a matter of a minute!”

“And I got no minute to spare. The Riders are up there, raising Tartarus, and at any point in time, the fight could spill over here. I need to go now!” Scorched replied, tightening his grip on his gun.

“Bullshit!” Winter coughed out. “I knew it! The way- The way you looked at me! I knew it! You hate me! You hate what I am!” He growled, glaring directly at the young agent.

“I don’t hate you…” he weakly returned, his breath taking on a slightly more irregular pattern.

“Bullshit! I saw the hate in your eyes! You are-“ Before he could continue, his coughing started up once more, letting him slide down the bars of his prison.

“This is not an easy choice for me! I’m here to save as many people as I can! But you… You are a liability! If you freak out like before, you could kill someone! You are staying here! I’m making this call, for your and everyone else's safety!” Scorched bellowed back, his expression twisted into a pained grimace.

“Don’t give me this crap! And what do you mean, freak out!?” He hissed back, pulling himself back up by the bars. “I’ve been nothing but fucking pleasant to you piece of shit! I only cough like I’m on my deathbed! If you hate me, say it straight to my face!” As Scorched dared to look back for a moment, a combination of desperation, anger, and fear stared back directly at him.

“You’ve lost control. You turned into a raging monster…” He encountered with a slightly shaking voice. “You’re too far gone to take with us. I can’t… I can’t take you. You are a danger to every human still alive in this town. You are too far gone already! I have to try and save as many people as possible!”

“You ain’t trying shit! You’re leaving me here! What about your friend!? What is she gonna think? She promised me! Promised me!” Winter screamed at him, shaking first weakly, but then ever stronger on the bars.

“And I’ll explain to her why I did this! If you are still here when the dust has settled, I’m sending a team for you. But for now… I’m sorry, but I have to save as many people as possible!” With that, he dashed down the hallway, leaving Winter alone in his cell.

“You… You bastard!” Winter screamed after him before letting out a growl of pure hatred and vitriol.

>-------<CxD>-------<

Another door was turned to scrap metal as the two Riders continued their unrelenting assault. Several of the Plankton Orphenoch, as well as Riotroopers, were thrown through the remains of the door at the same time, only to fall into dust soon after that. Charge and Diend had cut through the mining base like butter. No matter how many of their remaining troops the Orphenochs had thrown at them, they had been able to push forward. A lot of that thanks to Diends Rider summons. They had proven to be an immeasurable help once they were on one's side that was.

Both of them burst through the door frame, guns drawn and ready to unload on everything that moved. However, they seemed to be alone, at least on a first glance. After having fought themselves through metallic room, after metallic room, the two had seemingly reached the inner part of the base. In front of them, blow the catwalk they were standing on, a giant cavern opened itself up. And right in the middle, what looked like a massive tower had been build, right below what looked like a hatch, just big enough for it to fit through.

“Well, well, well! Who do we have here?” It suddenly echoed through the cavern, both Riders instinctively crouching down behind the small metal plate of the catwalk and listening carefully where the voice was coming from. “Two absolute pests that have ruined every plan I have made. What a pleasure,” it continued, sounding like it was coming from… everywhere?

“I actually came to this world to work in peace and away from you, Riders. And everything seemed to work out just fine, well, until this world suddenly decided it needed Riders! And that wasn’t enough already, no! Diend chooses to show up after so long and alerts you to me! All in the last stages of my research! I just can’t believe it! But alas, not everything is lost. I just have to move the launch of everything forward. The testing phase was a waste of time anyway. My calculations are flawless! So really, I should thank you for this,” it continued, sounding extremely robotic as if… That was it! The voice came through loudspeakers throughout the entire cavern.

“Does he mean?” Ocean hushed over to Diend.

“Take a guess,” he simply returned.

“Damn it!” She hissed back.

“Oh, no need to hide from me. It won’t do you any good regardless. Just come down already. I’m waiting,” it chuckled once more through the speakers before he added. “And so is someone who really wanted to see you, Agent Skies.”

“Willing to step this low, eh?” Diend muttered under his breath, just barely loud enough for Charge to hear him. And with a playful motion, the Rider jumped over the railing, landing down bellow with a loud thud, the stone beneath his feet slightly cracking. Ocean was tempted to shout something after him, but ultimately swallowed her words and followed him soon after, landing next to him.

“Ocean,” it came from not too far away, as her mother, in her usual black suit, came walking towards her, next to a person with pale white skin, brown hair, and seemingly Neighpone decent. He was dressed in a similar, expensive business suit and around his waist, a black and gold Driver. The Orga Driver!

“Daiki Kaito, Kamen Rider Diend and Ocean Skies, Kamen Rider Charge. I’m Doctore Maeda, the greatest mind under the Orphenochs and creator of the Neo Orphenoch species. Welcome, to the end of humanity in this world. As expected from Riders, you have gotten this far,” he chuckled before pulling out a black and gold flip-phone.

“You are the rat that stole my property! Give it back right now or else,” Diend raised his gun at the doctor, who remained extremely relaxed.

“Your property? Please. You are the thief who originally stole it. The Orga Driver is and always will be the property of the Orphenochs, and now, it will be the property of their successors. And really, as threatening and dangerous as you two are, you didn’t think we didn’t come prepared?”

“Would you stop playing with our intruders and start taking this situation seriously? There is no need for this. You are just giving them time,” Monochrome added, with a cleary displeased undertone, accompanied by an annoyed glare.

Maeda chuckled and pushed the call button on his phone. “Oh, but where is the fun in that? These two have first seats for the end of humanity. Let them enjoy their last show.”

The moment he did that, the tower behind him began to creak, shift and ultimately move, all while the giant hatch on the ceiling of the cavern started to open. The tower began to rise, higher and higher towards the now incoming light.

[Standing by!]

“Henshine!” That was what snapped Diend out of his little shock and pointed his gun at Maeda, but to his dismay, he was just a nanosecond too slow. The doctor had already punched in three zero’s into the phone and slammed it into the Driver.

[Complete!]

The shot just bounced off the newly forming black armor with its golden lines as the new Rider spread out his arms. “Well then, it seems the exchange of pleasantries is over. It’s time to marvel at my creations! Oh, and Monochrome? I think it’s time to join the battle as well.”

He chuckled, but as he looked over to her, she was already in the process of inserting the Charge into the slot on the Driver.

\ SCANNING CHARGE! /

“Henshin!”

\ 50, 80, 100! HYPER WATER CHARGE! /

The second Rider did not waste any time with useless posing, instead of dashing straight towards Charge, who quickly pulled up her arms to block the income attack. With each punch she managed to catch or block, she could feel the power put into them. Catching one more punch, the engines over Hyper Charge’s body sprung to life, quickly filling the surrounding area with mist. With her mother disappearing silently into the fog, she wasn’t able to notice then next hit that smacked her right across the jaw, leaving a painful sting behind.

Meanwhile, Diend was also trading blows with his own opponent, who was using a big sword, slightly looking like a tuning fork at its end. With another leap forward, Diend slid to the side and fired another bolt at him, only to be blocked by the sword once more. This was really starting to get on his nerves.

Before Orga could strike once more, Diend dashed forward, putting his gun right in the way of the blade, letting it slide past it, accompanied by sparks and quickly continue his dash past him. Coming to a screeching halt a good amount away from the Rider, he promptly inserted two cards into his Driver like so many times before.

|Kamen Ride|

|ALTERNATIVE ZERO|

|Kamen Ride|

|G4|

It echoed through the cave as a black Rider, incredibly similar to G3, and another black one, with golden markings all over him, appeared. Both immediately started to move the moment they had formed. The second black one, called Alternative Zero, pulled out a sword with multipile sharp stingers and crossed blades with Orga, all while Diend laid down supportive fire from the background.

The first one, G4, meanwhile headed straight into the fog and towards Hyper Charge. At first, she didn’t spare him much attention, far too focused on her daughter. That, however, quickly changed as the Rider pulled a gigantic quadruple rocket launcher out of thin air, or more precise, materialized it in his hands and pointed it straight at Monochrome, seemingly unimpeded by the mist.

In complete disbelieve, she stared back at him and his massive weapon. With a simple pull of the trigger, four rockets shot straight at her, exploding all around and on her with terrifying accuracy and throwing her back several meters. Landing with a loud groan, she felt the bruises all over her body.

While the fog started to clear again, G4 stepped next to Charge, discarding the empty rocket launcher and entering a combat stance. “Well, big one. I appreciate the help here. You guys really are helpful on your side. I’m almost envious. Almost,” she chuckled as she readied herself for the next round. “Wait for my sign, ok?” She really hopped this construct understood what she said.

Taking a deep breath, Ocean dashed forward as a blue blur, straight past her mother, who was pushing herself back up. The screeching echoed through the cavern as she came to a stop, in the perfect position to rush forward mere moments after. Her mother didn’t even have time to turn around as Charge’s fist slammed into her back and threw her once again through the cave, straight towards G4.

The silent Rider merely readied his fist and rocketed it forward the moment she came into punching range. A rain of sparks erupted from Monochrome, the moment she felt the titanium hard fist in her back. She could feel her armor bending inwards, pressing firmly into her body, squishing her body together between the two sides of her suit. What followed was a not any less painful tumble over the floor until she came to a stop. Her entire helmet was blinking in warning lights, like a billboard.

Still, she refused to go down like this. With a mixture of anger and sheer determination, she pushed herself back up, ignoring the restricting bent her armor had been forced into, and stood up. Through her cracked visor, she saw the two opponents on opposite sides of her, both reading themself for their next attack. In the blink of an eye, she had switched her Chargers and changed forms.

\ 50, 80, 100! HYPER FIRE CHARGE! /

While the bubble of energy surrounded her, the two other Riders both dashed forward, Ocean with her speed, and pulled their fists back. The moment the barrier dissipated, both fists shot forward, almost like bullets, a powerful shockwave rocking the cavern. However, instead of planting the fists straight in her face, both fists had been caught in the palms of Hyper Charge. Two sets of yet engines were running at max power just to keep the two fists from pushing any further.

Charge was the first to react, activating her superspeed again and trying to kick her mother in the stomach, but she was just a little bit too slow, her mother pushing herself backward with the power of her engines. With her kick hitting nothing but air, G4 moved forward, wasting neither time nor anything else as he followed up with yet another perfectly aimed punch to her helmet.

Monochrome raised bother her hands up in a defensive position before the fist could hit her. But G4 wasn’t just gonna be satisfied with a blocked hit; he kept pushing, the servos in his armor working overtime, forcing her to activate the engines once again to even push back against the inhumane force the Rider was exerting. Slowly, but surely she pushed back against him. That was until Charge came rushing in once more, delivering a swift kick to her stomach, finally forcing Monochrome backward.

Her boots scraped over the floor, desperately trying to come to a stop, but even with the engines all over her, it took a few meters until she did. The air was still smoldering when she turned them off and took on a more proper fighting stance. “Not bad, but this won’t be enough!” She returned.

“Well, I ain’t done just yet!” Ocean shouted after her and continued her dash towards her, before quickly switching Chargers as well. “Charge up!”

\ 50, 80, 100! FIRE CHARGE! /

Bursting out of her own energy orb, she immediately pushed all her engines to the max, crashing into her mother with another earthshattering shockwave. Fist slammed against fist as both Riders fired on all cylinders, Monochrome slowly pushing back against her assailant. “You forgot one thing! I’m stronger!”

“And you also forgot one thing! Your time’s up!” Ocean returned with a very smug undertone, and as if on cue, all of Hyper Charge’s jets fell silent. All of a sudden, Charge’s fist was propel forward, sending her mother flying once more, crashing into one of the support beams for the catwalks above.

Her suit sparking and all-around failing all around her Monochrome narrowed her eyes and, with gritted teeth, switched to another Charger. “Time to finish this up!”

\ 50, 80, 100! HYPER FRIENDSHIP CHARGE! /

Ocean quickly followed: “Charge up!”

\ 50, 80, 100! FRIENDSHIP CHARGE! /

Both Riders changed into their purple forms and stared at each other, weapons aimed at the other, and ready to pull the trigger. Hyper Charge was the first to act, spinning her cylinder of the Driver once more, not even bothering with anything else. Charge quickly followed, and both gathered energy in their own rifles until pulling the trigger simultaneously.

\ Maximum Charge! /

An absolute avalanche of projectiles erupted from their weapons, zooming around the cavern and avoiding to hit anything, but instead rocketing towards their respective targets. Time and time again, the balls of energy crashed into each other, knocking each other out. And in the midst of all of this were Charge and Hyper Charge, shooting widely at the incoming targets. Explosion after explosion went off, thanks to the two markswomen.

Meanwhile, G4 had summoned his rocket launcher once more, the whiplike missiles swarming all around him. He took aim, almost like he wasn’t in a deadly swarm of projectiles, and pulled the trigger. The four rockets burst out and separated, all shooting in vastly different directions. Mere moments later, four massive explosions went up all around them, taking several of the projectiles with it. G4, however, wasn’t done just yet. Throwing the Gigant into another missile, he dashed forward, straight at Hyper Charge.

She noticed the Rider in the corner of her eye and mentally directed several of the magical orbs at him. The summoned Rider made no attempts at blocking or even evading them, instead just tanking them and keep on running, getting closer and closer, all while his armor took more and more damage. When he was only about ten more meters away from her, she finally pulled her rifle down and took aim.

The shots echoed through the cavern as she unloaded on the Rider, at first only slightly slowing him down before more and more until he came to a stop. And with one last well-aimed shot, she shattered his helmet, the Rider fading away. Monochrome pulled the gun up once more, to resume her work on Charge’s projectiles when she noticed it. The small moment she had been distracted, the missiles had advanced on her, rapidly.

The first one, however, did not hit her body, like expected, instead of shooting right through her rifle and knocking the now useless piece of junk right out of her hand. As Monochrome still looked after the weapon, the other bullets raced towards her, slamming into her one after the other in rapid succession. With a pained grunt, her mother was knocked off her feet and slammed into the still rising tower.

“Why… Why do you keep missing the obvious! You must see it as well! And don't lie to me,” Monochrome hist as she pulled herself back up.

“Because I see what could be as well! And I see what your approach would bring! And I’ll not gonna let that happen! By my name as a Kamen Rider!” Ocean shouted back.

“Fine! Then I’ll show you a threat you can’t beat!” Her mother encountered, pulling out her Prism Charger.

“We’ll see,” Ocean simply returned, pulling out her own.

\ 100, 150, 200! HYPER OVER CHARGE! /

“Charge up!”

\ 100, 150, 200! OVER CHARGE! /

>-------<CxD>-------<

Meanwhile, the fight between Diend, Alternative Zero, and Orga was still in full force. Dined’s summon had just locked blades with Orga once more, all while Diend pulled around him and slotted his card int the Driver.

|Attack Ride|

|BLAST|

The burst of energy bolts surged out of the gun once more and straight for the Dark Rider. Orga turned his head and, with one swing of his sword, and in the last second, managed to knock the energy out of the air. Moments later, the ground around him exploded, as he returned to his opponent and almost hit Alternativ’s weapon out of his hand.

“You are a more formidable opponent than I had anticipated,” Diend muttered, a hint of annoyance in his voice, all while nonchalantly walking around Orga, weapon raised.

“What? You thought only because I’m a scientist at heart that I’m not also a capable fighter? Please. How many scientists have caused you Riders so much grief? Only because our sharpest weapon is our mind doesn’t mean we are useless in a fight! I’m the genius that created a new strain of Orphenochs! And I will be the one who will give them a home! And I won’t let a third rate thief like you interfere with that!” Maeda chuckled, kicking the summoned Alternative Zero straight in the chest.

That was the moment Diend dashed forward with inhumane speed and tried to give him a solid left hook. However, out of nowhere, his opponent swung his sword downward, cutting through the rocky ground and pulling it back up, just in time to clip Diend. Sparks flew, and the Rider was thrown backward.

“I’m quite familiar with this piece of technology. More than you ever were, no matter how many of me you have faced through your journey. This is like a second skin to me. Skill will always be invaluable when it comes to a fight. And you have been carried by your little summons for far too long now. The multiverse will thank me when I end your little thief tour here and now!” Orga returned, cocking his head in satisfaction at him.

But he wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t lived through worse. Forcing himself back up, he eyes the Rider. Or, more precisely, what was behind him. Alternative Zero hadn't been beaten just yet. Using his swords as a makeshift crutch, he pushed himself back onto his feet. Without any form of hesitation, the summon dashed forward, Diend following immediately as well.

Orga just chuckled and pulled the sword backward. The moment Alternative Zero came close to him, he pulled through, slicing through the summon with ease. But to Orga’s surprise, the Rider never had aimed to actually hit him. No. Instead, he had thrown his sword like a javelin towards Diend, who caught it with ease. Jamming the new weapon into the rock below him, he pushed himself off the ground and in a half circle directly at Maeda. His boots made a satisfying clunk the moment they slammed into Orga’s visor, knocking the Rider off his feet and onto the ground of the caver.

“You won’t believe how many have told me this exact phrase. I might start counting them. Sounds like a fun hobby,” Kiato smirked, throwing the disintegrating weapon to the side, it disappearing entirely before it even hit the floor.

It didn’t take very long till Orga was back on his feet, glaring at Diend under his helmet. “Fine. You wanna play like this. Then have it!” He shouted back, inserting something into his sword, which was soon followed by:

[Ready!]

Pressing a button on the phone in his Driver, a golden glowing line ran through his belt to his arm into his blade, he held ready to strike.

[Exceed Charge!]

A gold hologram started to form around the blade, shaped like a gigantic tuning fork at its end. Gripping the hilt in both of his hands, he pulled back and swung the energy blade directly at Diend.

He meanwhile had slid in one more card into his Driver and activated its mechanism.

|Final Attack Ride|

|DIEND|

While the blade had formed around Orga’s weapon, a blue circle made out of cards had appeared in front of Diend and pointed straight at his opponent. Just as the Rider began to swing, Diend pulled his won trigger, unleashing a blue beam of destructive energy at Maeda.

Both finishers clashed, mere meters away from Orga, blue and orange burst of energy occasionally surging from their collision point. Each one of them craved a path of destruction through the rock of the cavern, up to the catwalks, cutting them like butter. One even cut right between Ocean and Monochromes fight, both barely able to avoid it. More and more energy was gathering until…

With a bright and loud explosion, the connection exploded, knocking both of them off their feet and letting beams of energy shoot everywhere. The catwalk quickly began to collapse, pieces falling all around them. Soon after, the roof of the cavern followed. Gigantic boulders were crashing towards the ground, making the entire cave shake even more. The cave-in would most definitely bury them alive if they didn’t do something!

“Damn you! Why couldn’t you just lay down and die? Or give up? You Riders always make a mess out of the best-laid plans!” Orga barked at him as he stood back up, dusting off his coat as he did so.

Snapping his fingers, a small little drone, carrying what looked like a suitcase, dove through the falling rocks, stoping just above him. Raising his hand, the drone let go of its cargo, which Maeda caught. “How about I show you my newest toy?” Pulling out the Orga Phone from the Driver, he quickly inserted it into a slot on the top of the briefcase.

[Awakening!]

Diend immediately realized what was going on and raised his weapon at the man. However, his shot missed its mark as Orga simply sidestepped it, tipping in a code into a bunch of numbers near the handle of the metallic briefcase. 0, 0, 0!

[Standing by!]

The golden lines that covered Orga’s suit suddenly began to glow, quickly becoming too bright to even look at. Moments later, the entire suit changed colors. The dark black of the original form, replaced by a shiny gold, while the lines had become a muted black instead. As a finishing touch, the underside of the suitcase flipped open, revealing a golden, glowing blade. “Impressed? I adapted Faiz Blaster’s technology for the Orga system. I call it, Orga Saber!”

“But alas. It seems like this place won’t last long enough for a real fight. And I have to make my exit, Diend,” he finished, turning his back to the Rider, revealing some strange sort of device on his back. It had two slits in the armor, covered up by some kind of vents. Gripping the sword harder, the area under the vents began to glow in the same gold as the armor.

Diend, however, didn’t pay him any attention, not even as the vents burst out a sort of golden energy, and Orga flew up into the air, straight towards one of the incoming boulders. With a swift swing of his sword, he cut the incoming obstacles in half, continuing onward on his way upward.

In the meantime, Diend had pulled out the one single card he needed. Slotting it into the Driver, avoiding the falling debris while he did so.

|Kamen Ride|

|PSYGA|

A white Rider with purple lines all over his body, as well as a jetpack, appeared before him. Without another word, Diend grabbed onto the Rider’s shoulders, and both rocketed after Maeda. Both Riders arrived on top of the tower, just when it came to a stop, now sticking out the side of the mountain. Below them, one could see the town and surrounding area.

“Oh? You came as well then. Just in time,” he chuckled, pressing a button on his sword. Loud alarm sirens started blaring, and warning lamps spun all around them, followed by green gas being released from the sides of the tower “Just in time for our new world to begin!”

“Yeah, yeah, sure. I’ve heard this exact speech a couple of times now. And you wanna know something? It never ends well for you guys. In the end, some Rider always kicks your great machinations into the dirt. And today, that seems to be me,” he returned. “Let me show you my treasure!” Pulling out a strange, tablet-like device, he began tipping in a combination of buttons.

|G4 RYUGA ORGA GLAIVE KABUKI CAUCASUS ARC SKULL|

|FINAL KAMEN RIDE|

Orga, in the meantime, wasn’t gonna let his opponent transform as well. Activating the thrusters on his back, he dashed forward at Diend, ready to bring his blade down, when Kaito quickly attached the device to his belt. The glowing weapon crashed against a suddenly appearing holographic card with Diend on it, before knocking Orga back a bit.

Behind the hologram, Diend’s suit started to change, a strange plate appearing on his chest, separated into eight different rectangles. The card shrunk, ultimately attaching to his forehead and turning into a physical one, all while eight others appeared on his chest. The entire suite had turned mostly grey as well. “It’s time for complete defeat!”

>-------<CxD>-------<

A deafening roar echoed through the narrow hallways of the underbelly of the pool, followed by the sounds of frantic footsteps and something loud crashing into a wall. Quickly after that, another pair of footsteps could be heard as well, and it was getting closer and closer to the first pair. “Stay back!” it came through the hallway, followed by a strange gunshot, followed by another angry roar.

Out of nowhere, a ripped off metal pipe flew into the control room, impaling one of the giant monitors in the wall, leaving it only displaying weird colors. Just moments later, Scorched dashed through the door and quickly ducked to the side, another, similar pipe zooming past him and into the same monitor. Scorched was breathing heavily, sweat was dropping off his forehead, and he was covered in dust. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” He muttered to himself, tightening his grip on his Charge Magnum.

The low growl from outside meanwhile came ever closer until he could hear it right outside the door. Taking a deep breath, he held it, a shiver running down his spine. The grey, scaly claw of Winter was the first thing that reached into the room, curling around the frame of the door, crushing the concrete underneath. Next followed his head. The scales had spread a bit further, and both his eyes now had taken on the milky, aimless white.

His head moved stiffly, like, something was just off about it. He slowly turned his head from one side of the room to the other, staring directly into the open end of his revolver when he turned around completely. In the blink of an eye, he pulled the trigger, the gun pulling backward and hitting him in the shoulder, all while the bolt of energy zoomed past Winter. The hybrid in question dashed forward, slamming his fist down at Scorched.

Scorched’s vision cleared just in time for him to see the incoming fist and roll out of the way, the concrete where he had just laid cracked under the immense pressure. If he’d get caught, he was done for. Finishing his side role, he pulled up the gun once more, aimed, and shot. This time he could hear a loud screeching.

Clutching his white shoulder, Winter growled out in pain before his glossy eyes locked onto Scorched once more. Without any further warning, he jumped forward, straight at him. His eyes widening, he pulled the trigger once more, hitting him square in the chest. But this time, the Orphenoch didn’t stop and just charged further ahead, jumping ontop him.

Staring up at the wild expression of Winter made him sweat even more. Worse, the gun had been knocked out of his hand and was just out of reach. “Let- Let me go, you monster!” He barked at him, but the only answer he received was a low growl before raising his claws. The sharp fangs shot downward, only barely missing his face for the most part as he swung it to the side. Still, three deep claw marks had been carved into his cheek, making scream out in pain as his blood poured from the wound.

Winter was about to strike down once more, bloody claw and all, as he suddenly stopped, his claw shaking in the air as he did so. For a moment, Scorched was stunned, unable to react, but that quickly faded. Pushing through his pain, he slammed his knee into the ass of Winter, knocking him forward and forcing him to catch himself with his arms. That was precisely what he wanted. In the blink of an eye, he had wrapped one of his arms around one fo Winters. With a quick pull, the arm gave in, bending backward, just long enough to flip Winter over and change positions.

Without even looking at it, he grabbed the gun next to him, aimed it at the man’s head, still growling and snapping at him, one of his claws digging deep into his leg. “I’m sorry…” Scorched quietly said, taking a deep breath and pulling the trigger two times. The tight grip on his leg softened, before the hand fell down, lifeless.

The moment that happened, Scorched pushed himself off the motionless… Man. Slumping against one of the nearby monitors, the corpse started to be engulfed in blue flames, his Orphenoch half quickly dissolving into ash.

Scorched couldn’t take his eyes of the body, as it slowly turned what was left of him into a charred corpse. “Fuck,” he quietly muttered, all the pain just now really hitting him. He’d love to just lay back for a while and take a breath, but he knew his work wasn’t done just yet. With a pained grimace, he pushed himself back up and dragged himself out of the room. He had people to save!

>-------<CxD>-------<

An enormous shockwave rocked through the cavern, knocking several of the boulders into each other as Monochrome and her daughter collided, fist on fist. But before either of them could overpower the other, both Riders pushed themself backward, avoiding another one of the rocks. Both landed once more on another pair of collapsing boulders before dashing forward, more or less bouncing off others, slowly gaining in height.

For anyone watching from below, this was really nothing more than two blurs of black and white zooming from rock to rock, only to occasionally crash into each other before separating once more. The cave was collapsing faster and faster with every passing second. Its ground had already been covered in rock and debris, some as large as a big house. When this would be done, there would definitely be nothing left of the mine, and the mountain would have a new hole in it.

“Why won’t you get it!?” Monochrome shouted through the sounds of falling rocks and breaking stone as they once again clashed. “You can see it! This world is doomed!”

“Maybe! Maybe it’s doomed, but I’m not the one to decide that! All I can do is fight against it! Again and again!” Ocean returned, roundhouse kicking a rock at her mother.

Hyper Charge in response, simply charged forward, the gem on her chest glowing brightly and burst through it without much of a problem. What she had, however, not expected was what awaited her behind the stone. Charge! Propelled by her jet-engines, she rocketed towards her, fist pulled back. The sound of the punch was defining, ringing in her ears like a gunshot, and while she didn’t feel any form of pain, she was still thrown back into another boulder.

“Why won’t you understand? It’s not a maybe! It’s a certainty! I’m trying to save this world from an apocalypse of unprecedented proportions! This is all I ever wanted! All I ever strived for! I just can’t do it with the methods of this idiot! The world is a dark and scary place! If you want to survive in it, you have to become cold, as much as it hurts! I’m trying to save the world!” She shouted back, crawling out of the indent her body had left and jumped back upwards.

“No! You won’t get it! I won’t let your dystopia replace the one we are potentially facing! No matter how much you feel assured in your opinion, you have no right to force it onto others! To take away their freedom, just because you think it’s an acceptable sacrifice! This is the path of the Rider I have chosen to follow, together with Phoenix! He is the type of man that stands up for his ideals! He believes in them from the bottom of his heart! So much so that I can’t other than belief in them too! I might not be one-hundred percent sure his way will work, but you know what I can be one-hundred percent sure of? That yours is wrong! And that it’s my responsibility as a Rider to stop it! Again!”

With the last word, she spun around on her own axis and, right before her mother could reach her with her pulled back fist, swung her leg downward, her heal crashing against Monochrome’s fist. Both Riders used their engine to push back against each other, and for a few moments, it looked like hyper Charge would gain the upper hand. All over Ocean’s visor, warnings were appearing, saying she was at max power output, but she kept pushing further.

Slowly, but surely, Monochrome was losing steam, and soon was even slightly pushed backward, accompanied by error messages and signs of over one-hundred percent power output. With one last scream, she pulled her leg downward all the way, catapulting her mother into the collapsing mine down bellow. Together with a loud crash and an eruption of debris and dust, Hyper Charge landed.

“Wha- What was that?” She muttered to herself as the values returned to normal. However, her thought was quickly cut short as something shot up from the dust cloud bellow. This wasn’t over just yet. Shaking her head, she activated her jet-engines once more and tried to outpace her mother towards the top.

>-------<CxD>-------<

|RYUGA|

| KAMEN RIDE|

Diend had taken the K-Touch in his hand and pushed both the Rider symbol as well as the ‘F’ on it in rapid succession before returning it. A black Rider, clad in dragon inspired armor, appeared next to him, all cards on his chest turning into cards of Ryuga. Quickly slotting in the card into his Driver, he pulled his weapon back like a fist, the other Rider mirroring his movements, while a giant, black, eastern dragons build itself up behind them.

|FINAL KAMEN RIDE|

|RYUGA|

Orga once more activated the thrusters on his back and dashed over towards the two, his blade glowing in an ominous gold.

Thrusting their fists forward, two balls of dark flames shot from both the dragon and Diend’s Driver, straight at Orga. The Dark Rider, however, instead of dodging, brought down his blade, a black explosion following immediately after.

Stumbling backward, out of the smoke of the explosion, Orga growled: “You think that old piece of junk will save you? It is way outdated at this point! You can’t win against my new, superior technology!”

“Mhm,” he simply muttered back, firing another volley of bolts at the Rider, letting him stumble once more before catching himself. With a growl, he planted his feet on the ground, tightened his grip on his blade, and pushed in another button.

[Exceed Charge!]

Diend, in the meantime, had already activated another finisher.

|ORGA|

| KAMEN RIDE|

The previous version of Orga appeared next to him, as well as on the cards on his chest. Both Riders tightened the grip on their weapons, Diend Holding his pistole in the way you usually would hold a sword.

|FINAL KAMEN RIDE|

|ORGA|

Like once before, the weird holographic sword of Orga appeared around the original blade, and a blue version of it around Diend’s gun. They quickly swung the sword downward at Orga. His sword, meanwhile, had taken on a similar, holographic blade, and with one solid slice of the weapon, cut through both of their finishers, shattering the hologram. With a pained grunt and a lot of sparks, Diend was knocked off the top of the tower and plummeted downward until he reached a lower level.

Orga wasted no time and jumped after him, landing perfectly in front of him. “See? No chance against my tech. So just give up and save yourself all that pain.” One could almost taste the smugness that came off his voice.

“Yeah, pass. I’m not losing to a third rate scientist like you,” he hissed back, pushing himself off the ground and with his shoulder into Orga’s stomach, quickly unloading another burst of shots into him. Letting out a pained scream, he stumbled backward as Diend activated the next finisher.

|SKULL|

| KAMEN RIDE|

A black and silver Rider with the head of a skull and of all things, a fedora appeared next to him. Orga wasn’t gonna just stand there though, ready to activated his Exceed Charge once more.

|FINAL KAMEN RIDE|

|SKULL|

Diend and Skull jumped into the air, just as Orga was about to activate the button when suddenly, Charge slammed into him, foot first. Knocking the Rider to the ground, Diend and his summoned Rider got into position and kicking a giant, ethereal skull in front of them like a football.

“About time, Newbie,” Diend chuckled as he landed next to the other Rider.

“Oh, bit me!” Ocean returned with a dismissive shrug.

“Why aren’t you done with her yet?” Orga growled at, the next to him landing, Monochrome.

“Could ask you the same thing,” she encountered to the standing up Rider.

Orga just scoffed at her and quickly went for his weapon again, while Hyper Charge summoned her rifle.

With a loud scream, he burst towards Diend, ready to slice into him when Ocean jumped in the way, the gem on her chest glowing brightly, tanking the hit and grabbing onto his blade so he couldn’t pull back. While Orga was angrily trying to pull the blade lose, Diend took the opportunity and aimed several shots straight to his head, knocking him away from his weapon, that Charge quickly threw to the side.

The moment the gem stopped glowing, she felt something hit her in the stomach, followed up by another one, knocking her off her feet. It was a burning feeling, mixed as if she had just been punched. As she looked up, she could see her mother aiming at her, just about to shoot once more when Diend unloaded into her, sniping the gun out of her hands.

Giving her a hand, pulling her back up, he said: “Let’s end this Newbie.” She nodded and quickly spun the cylinder on the Driver one last time, all while Diend slotted in his final card. Now it was all or nothing!

\ Maximum Charge! /

|Attack Ride|

|GEKIJOUBAN|

Eight Riders appeared besides Diend, including G4, Ryuga, Orga, Glaive as well as Skull. Furthermore, a spikey, red, and green Rider, a golden, Caucasus beetle themed one as well as a giant, devil-like Rider. Without wasting any more time, he slotted in one more card.

|Final Attack Ride|

|DIEND|

The golden circles of cards once more appeared in front of him, while four of his summons jumped into the air for a Rider Kick, and the other four readied an attack while standing. Once meanwhile joined the Riders with their kicks, rocketing forward, propelled by her jet-engines.

While all of Diend’s Riders shot towards Orga, who desperately threw his arms in front of him to block the incoming attacks, Charge was gunning for her mother, who tried to defend herself similarly. A shockwave went through the air as she hit her, knocking her back a bit before she managed to push back.

“I’m… I’m sorry, mom! But I have to do this! I have to stop you! And I will protect this world in your stead! I promise!” She continued, pushing more and more against her mother, the visor once more telling her she was at her limit. But she didn’t give up, her armor starting to spark and smoke, but then, the numbers rose, error messages popped up. Once more, she was exceeding the limits of the suit, first slowly, then faster and faster, until-

With a loud scream, she broke through, kicking her mom directly in the chest, just in time for Orga to fail as well. Both Dark Riders exploded at once, knocked back into the tower. With a clang, bot the Orga Driver and the Hyper Charge Driver landed in front of the damaged hole.

When the dust cleared, one could just see how both Maeda and Monochrome started burning and beginning to fall apart into ash. Maeda was frantic, clawing at the ground before ultimately succumbing. Monochrome, however, just stared at Ocean and weakly nodded before following suit.

Ocean couldn’t other than stare at where her mother had just moments before been, her throat tightening once more when she was shocked out of it by a massive explosion. The tower was shaking to its core. Pulling out her phone, she dilled in something, while looking around frantically. As she spotted Diend, he was casually picking up the Orga Phone and Driver, as well as Monochrome’s Driver.

She ultimately remained quiet for now. This could wait for later.

While she was thinking, more and more explosions rocked the tower. At this rate, it would fall apart any second now. Where was the damn thing already? With every passing moment, they came close and closer until-

“Finally!” She shouted out, as the Calaido-Crusher appeared. Both Riders started to sprint towards the edge, as it opened its landing bay. Diend and Charge, reaching the edge, didn’t hesitate one moment and just jumped, mere moments away from an explosion covering the top of the tower. The few seconds, sailing over the nothing was unbearable until both managed to land safely in the robot, it quickly flying away from the collapsing tower.

>-------<CxD>-------<

When the Calaido-Crusher sat down once more, nothing but a smoldering ruin of the giant tower remained. The entire mountain had seemingly collapsed inward, leaving an unsettling piece of it missing. Stepping out of the mech, both jumped down at the deserted plaza in front of the pool, disengaging their transformation.

“That… Was way too close for my liking,” Ocean sighed, shaking her head while sitting down on a bit of debris.

“Then, you chose the wrong profession. Riders never get it easy,” Kaito returned, leaning against another piece of rubble himself.

“I know. Thanks for the help. Wouldn’t have been able to finish this one on my own,” she sighed, looking back up towards the remains of the mountain. “No one could have expected what was lurking here.”

“Yes, you wouldn’t have. You’d probably been down, the moment your mother showed up. You should be glad that I showed up to save your skin,” he encountered, with that oh so familiar, smug undertone.

With an annoyed groan: “Figures this was coming. Wouldn’t be Tsukasa’s friend without being a pompous ass, wouldn’t you? Regardless, yeah, you’re right. Seems I still got ways to go as a Rider.”

“Well, not every one of Tsukasa’s friends. I’m sure you’d get along with Yusuke. He’d be the right kind of idiot for you. And yes, a Newbie is a Newbie. But, ultimately, you did sufficiently. I’m sure you’re gonna be fine. But like all good things, they must come to an end eventually. Bye,” he finished, pushing himself off his bit of rubble, began walking off and raising his hand.

“Wait just one moment, Mr. Thief,” Ocean interrupted him, pulling out her Charge Magnum as she did so.

“Oh? Why that? Something the matter?” It came back with that shit-eating grin.

“You know exactly what’s wrong. You didn’t just grab your ‘property’, you also snagged my mother’s Driver!” She said, matter of factly.

“Tsk, more perceptive than I’d hoped. So? What? You gonna start fighting me for this? I’d say it’s a nice little treasure for this world. A sort of reward for saving your life. What do you say? Or more interested in getting another beating?” Kaito answered, spinning his Driver for good measure as well.

“No, not particularly. I actually wanted to say, keep it. I know I’m not getting it back. And even if I’m not interested in seeing you hunt for it forever. I’ve seen to what lengths you are willing to go for your tressure, and I got no time to deal with that. You can have it! Well, as long as you promise me two things.”

“Oh? That is new,” he chuckled in return, leaning his head slightly to the side. “So, what exactly?”

“First, you don’t do anything stupid with it, ok?”

“Oh, sure. Nothing easier than that. Treasures are to be admired, not played with, after all.” Kaito encountered a somewhat serious expression on his face.

“Good. And second. Make sure you keep it safe. I don’t want to regret this decision, ok? Promise me that! I want my mother's legacy to be finally laid to rest,” she finished, with a somber voice.

“I promise. I will never let go of my treasure. No matter what comes. And I’ll make sure this is the end of Kamen Rider Hyper Charge. Well then. Thank you very much for your gift,” he returned, and she wasn’t entirely sure, but it sounded sincere. “Family might hurt you, but there is always a new one you can find.” Ocean simply nodded.

“Well then, I’ve been busy with this for far too long. New treasures await. And on, in particular, that is practically made for me,” he chuckled before beginning to walk again, disappearing into a dimensional curtain.

“Wh- Was that Diend?” It came from behind her. Turning around, she could see Scorched Earth being supported by a big crowd of dirty, ragged looking people. His cheek was bloody beyond belive and had stained his clothes as well.

“Scorched! Are you ok?” She shouted back, quickly rushing over to them and taking him from the civilians.

“Yeah… Just a bit… Bloody…” He chuckled weakly.”But I got the people.”

She nodded and wanted to say something else when she noticed. Looking around for a moment, she quietly asked: “Where is Winter? I don’t see him.”

“He didn’t make it. He was too far gone. He was the one who did this to me. I had to…” He began, before stopping midway through. “I’m sorry you couldn’t keep your promise.”

“I… I see…” Ocean muttered in return, lowering her head.

Before she could say anything more, the sound of engines interrupted her. Turning her head around, she could see a group of large VTOL’s descending towards them. All of them having the MRG logo on their side. This was finally over. For almost everyone…

>-------<CxD>-------<

One week later, in the labs of the MRG in Canterlot City, a young, small woman with white skin and long blond hair, tipping furiously away on a computer. She didn’t even notice as Ocean entered and walked up to her, far too fixated on the monitor.

“Hey, Light Bulb,” Ocean greeted her, with laying her hand on her shoulder. The small woman jumped a bit, turning around before letting out a relaxed sigh.

“Don’t scare me like this when I’m working! You know I hate that! I might lose my thoughts!” She grumbled back.

“Sorry,” she added weakly. “I tend to forget how much you can sink into your work. So, how has life treated you since we are gone?”

“Oh, yes! Yes! Yes! So much, yes! The Power Rangers are fascinating! Same with the Changelings. It’s just a shame we only been able to study them from afar,” she added with a slight pout. “I’ve learned so much more about magic from them. You wouldn’t believe it! I’d just wish I could… research them from closer,” she added with an unnerving smile in her eyes.

“Seems you haven't really changed much,” Ocean smirked back.

“Neither have you. By the way, I looked into what you asked me to. The data is very fascinating. You somehow managed to pull more power from the Charge Stone than scientifically possible. Well, at least from our current understanding of magic, which is… Still rather basic. It’s unbelievable! Thank you sooooo, soooooo much for sending me this! I owe you something for this! Looking out for your favorite scientist!” She encountered, with one of the brightest smiles she had ever seen.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just looking out for a friend. But… You got any idea why I did this? I’ll take a shot in the dark even.”

“Oh, I have a pretty solid hypothesis. Your emotions,” she simply said.

“My… emotions?”

“Yep! Emotions seem to be closely tied to magic. The first Corrupted in the city were people who had strong desires and emotions and attracted magic to them, creating artifacts. I think that was similar in a way. The magic reacted to your feelings and allowed you to push further, almost like when a Corrupted enters their second stage. They refuse to give up, and these feelings of determination resonate with their artifact, turning them from a Kaijin into a Kaiju. This must be similar. Through… I’d advise limiting the usage of it for now. At least until some adjustments can be made for your suit. You almost burned it out back there. Must have been really strong emotions to do that. At least, I assume that’s what it is,” she finished her little lecture.

“I… I see. I’ll do that. I think you are right with your assessment,” she nodded, at first, a bit dumbfounded, but quickly managed to turn that into a smile. That smile, however, disappeared as soon as she added: “So… What about the other thing? You know…”

“You know, this is really not my area of expertise. I can manage with magical biology, mostly thanks to my knowledge of magic in general and my team, but this… I’m sorry, I’m just not experienced enough in that field. These… Orphenochs… There is nothing magical about them. They are entirely free of any sort of supernatural element, either from this world or any other. They are pure biology. Just like any human… They seem so… Normal, and yet not at all. Honestly, something gives me a cold shiver every time I think about them. But I managed to talk a bit with the current head of the Orphenoch-Research-Divison, one Crypto Helix. She is an incredible mind, I tell you,” Light Bulb nervously returned.

“What did she say?” Ocean asked after a few moments of silence.

“There doesn’t seem to be a way to turn them back. Their DNA has been irreversibly changed. And the Plankton’s brains have been damaged. They are only capable of basic thoughts at this point. It doesn’t look like that could ever be fixed… It seems they are stuck like this… But she also said that they aren’t gonna stop trying,” she returned somberly returned.

“I… I see…” she nodded slowly. “Thanks for the effort, though.”

“She also gave an answer regarding that gas. There seemed to be about six hours worth of the gas in the tower. In the end, you managed to limit that to one hour's worth of the substance that escaped into the atmosphere. It shouldn’t be enough to force humans to become Orphenochs. She isn’t so sure about people who have an affinity for the gas, though. It'll spread across the country before dissipating enough to be entirely harmless. But it’s possible we will see Orphenochs popping up soon. It probably will be manageable. You saved the world most likely.”

Light Bulb looked at Ocean for a few seconds, shoulders hanging low and a frown on her face before awkwardly asking: “So… That partner of yours. What was his name again? How is he doing?”

“Scorched Earth. He’s doing mostly okay. Still in the hospital, though. That wound he received will definitely leave a scar. And it seemed to have gotten infected and knocked him out with a bad case of the cold. But as things are going right now, he’ll be up and running again next week. And if that what you said is true, he’ll probably ask for a transfer to the Orphenoch division. Seems he doesn’t want to have anyone repeat this experience again. Commendable, I’d say. I’m gonna talk to Onyx about it,” she returned, a smile returning to her lips.

“That’s good to hear. I’m sure everything is gonna turn out fine,” Light Bulb added with a smile.

“Yeah… You’re right. Thanks for all of this. And I’m gonna leave you to your work for now. I know how much you love it after all,” Ocean added.

“Yeah, thank you. Oh! And greet Phoenix from me!” She shouted after her, already tipping again.

“Will do!” She returned before leaving the room and taking one deep breath.

>-------<CxD>-------<

Night had set over Quartzquary. The aftermath of the battle still clearly visible all over town. The MRG had set up a restricted area around the city and keeping a strict watch over everything going on inside.

Under all this surveillance, one man dressed in a trench coat and hat had managed to sneak past all of them and into the crater. Around him, boulders and scrap metal covered the area. Moving through, it had been tedious, needing to make detours around exceptionally large stones in his way, all while following the map his phone gave him.

Right in front of another, just as unremarkable boulder at the edge of the crater, he stopped, eyeing the piece of stone carefully. Stepping closer, he jammed his fingers into the rock before pushing it to the side, revealing a sturdy metal door behind it. It was dented beyond belief, but it had stood firm, well, until he began to pull on one of the two-door sides. Accompanied by the sound of metal bending and groaning, he forced it open, disappearing inside it.

He melded perfectly into the pitch-black hallway behind it, slowly delving deeper into the facility until he came to a stop at another door. However, this time, he simply used a card on the terminal next to it to open the door.

The room inside was just as pitch-black, except for four wats of green liquid, in each, floating some sort of large ring-like stones, illuminating the room. Their light was just enough to make the smile on the grey man's face visible.

Ten minutes later, a loud explosion echoed through the quiet mountains. As the agents of the MRG arrived, they could see that a previously buried part of the lab had apparently exploded, destroying everything within it. While they were wondering what had caused this, the man in the trenchcoat was already on his way away from the town, with four suitcases in hand.

As things would soon be apparent, the fight between humanity and the Orphenochs had only just begun.

Author's Note:

And with this, I finished this little side story. Really happy with how it turned out in the end.

I'll also be working on a story following up the cliffhanger of this one, though it's more a side-project, so that might take a bit. But I'll pick this thread back up in Ride Saga: Kamen Rider Gamma.

Meanwhile, there is a crossover between Bricklayer's story Kamen Rider: What's Your Desire?, RuinQueenofOblivion's story Kamen Rider Scarab and Alchemy in "What's Your Desire?", called "Fanfic Generations: Crossing Worlds" that canonically takes place after this story. It was also a lot of fun to work on.

And lastly, and most importantly, thank you all so much for reading this story.

227 views

Previous Chapters