Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

Ren Amamiya, leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts… well, when the metaverse was still a thing.

2016 was a year of chaos and joy for Ren. From the false assault charge, to forming bonds with life long friends, meeting his fiance, and venturing into a realm made from the subconscious thoughts of humanity.
But now it is 2022. The metaverse hasn’t been accessible since the summer of 2017, and the infamous Joker, one of Japan’s most wanted criminals, now spends his days running Leblanc alongside his fiance.

After finishing high school, Ren moved right back into the attic above Leblanc and went to college to study business so that one day he could take over the shop from Sojiro, his future father in law.
The first time Ren called him that, Sojiro almost passed out from choking on his curry.

After gaining his bachelor's degree, he legally was given partial ownership of Leblanc with Sojiro promising to give Ren full ownership once the Hierophant decided to retire in the future.
His fiance Futaba meanwhile still is working on getting her doctorate while studying cognitive psience. Anyone hearing this would assume she wishes to use this research to make profit off of a big scientific discovery, but in reality all she wanted to do was prove her mothers work was indeed correct and show that the metaverse exists, and then immediately release the research to the public and use her skills as Alibaba to prevent anyone from abusing her and her mothers research so that she could just enjoy her life living with Ren while casually screwing over any big corporations that fuck with people.

Leblanc Coffee & Curry had expanded from a small simple back alley cafe to a more moderately sized back alley cafe. The main floor now has more seating, a proper storage room, and an expanded kitchen. Meanwhile the once dingy attic has been transformed into a proper two bed one bath apartment. One of the bedrooms being dedicated entirely to Futaba’s extensive computer set up.
Things were great.

But trouble always manages to find The Trickster, this one, in the form of an invitation…
—
Leblanc Coffee & Curry. A comfortable cafe within Yongen-Jaya, right across the street from a cheap bathhouse, and down the road from the popular Takemi’s Clinic. The bright sun of the summer season hung high in the sky with schools soon to begin their summer break.
Leblanc itself, despite having expanded in size from purchasing a neighboring lot, has kept its general appearance over the years. Same comfortable booths, same warm lightning, the Sayuri hanging proudly on one of the walls, and behind the counter a frizzy haired barista.

Ren Amamiya, leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts now co-owner of Leblanc. After finishing high school and college, Ren chose to keep his looks relatively simple, making minimal changes. His once long fringe covering his eyes now lazily swept comfortably to the side, the fake glasses he wore in high school no longer needed, wearing a simple black shirt with some jeans. A simple engagement ring on his hand.
Ann tried many times since they met to get him to make some kind of grand change to his style or just try something new, but Ren was comfortable with his relaxed style.
Ren was cleaning a mug, lost in his own thoughts when the bell above the front door rang.

“Hi there! Welcome to Leblanc, how can I help… you?” His usual customer service voice turned to confusion upon seeing the woman that entered the cafe.
A pale skinned girl with a round face stared at Ren with a simple smile on her face. She had black hair up in a ponytail adorned with a white headband. She wore a frilled white lace dress with parts of it colored in neat black streaks, and a black choker.
The girl held on to an odd yellow and black box with both of her hands.
She walked up to Ren across the counter before speaking, “Congratulations!”
Huh?
“After careful consideration, we have decided to choose you for our next member.”
“...What?” Ren asked with confusion on his face.

“Congratulations, starting today you are a Kamen Rider!” The girl opened the small box to reveal an odd mechanical buckle of some kind that had an empty circular slot in the center of it. Next to the buckle was a small circular object that seemed to be what slotted into the hole on the buckle. The object was colored gold and had an image of a beaked helmet colored black on it. It looked almost like… like a crow.
Ren looked back up at the girl, “Ok back up, who are you and what is going on?”

The girl let out a giggle like she didn’t just dumb a bunch of information suddenly out of nowhere. “My name is Tsumuri, I am the navigator for the Desire Grand Prix. A tournament where those who compete fight to be granted the ability to bring their ideal world to life."
Ren’s eyes went wide at that. “Wait, a tournament where people compete to, make some kind of ideal world?” this sounds like what Maruki was trying to do.

“That is correct.” Tsumuri says as she grabs two things that were held on the underside of the lid. One was a white card, and the other seemed to be a black booklet with the words “Desire Grand Prix” written on it.
“This booklet will explain the rules of the competition. I recommend you read them thoroughly, but it is your choice. If you choose to participate in the tournament, simply put the Desire Drive on, and slot in the ID core.” She places both objects on the counter before stepping back, “If you wish to not compete, then place all assets back into the container. You have until 3 pm tomorrow to decide.”
Tsumuri bows before speaking again, “Have a good day, Ren Amamiya.” The woman then leaves, walking out the front door.

Ren stares at the door, hoping it might bring more answers.

The door doesn’t respond. Traitor

Ren looks down at the open crate in front of him. Picking up the ID core, there is an odd sense of comfort from the object, like it was always meant to be his.

The traitorous door slams open, “REN! WE HUNGER!” two voices shout from the now open door. Standing at the door is one Futaba Sakura, and Morgana poking his head out of her bag.
Much like Ren, Futaba kept her style consistent over the years, wearing a large Featherman hoodie with a blazer on top, and black leggings. Her trademark headphones comfortably rest around her neck, and her long orange dyed hair up in a loose ponytail. On her left hand is a silver and diamond engagement ring.
Morgana meanwhile, being the embodiment of humanities hope, looks the same as he did in 2016.

Both newcomers take notice of the crate of items on the counter. Morgana hops out of the bag and examines the item. “What’s this? Did you order this Futaba?”
Futaba shakes her head, “Nope. Certainly looks like something I would order though. Looks straight out of Featherman… Ren! Is this some new Featherman item you got!?”
“No, um. It’s… uh. Let me explain,” Ren then recounts his encounter with Tsumuri, the invitation to the Desire Grand Prix, and how he has until 3 pm tomorrow to make his decision.

“A tournament to bring the winners' ideal world to life? Why does this just sound like a Danganronpa version of Maruki’s reality powers?” Futaba questions while examining the Desire Driver closely.
“Basically, it even has a rule book.” Ren holds up the small booklet.
“Well then bust it open Joker! Might as well investigate whatever this is more.” Morgana says while hopping onto Ren’s shoulder.
“Let's do it upstairs. Futaba, think you could look into this tournament and see if you can find anything on it?” Ren picks up the crate and begins to move towards the stairs.
—
The cluttered space of Futaba’s office is lit by the multiple computer screens scanning for information. Futaba sits in her chair typing away at the keyboard, while Ren and Morgana sit on the small couch with the booklet open.

“It looks like there are 13 rules written in here, but there are multiple blank pages as well.” Ren looks at Morgana for his opinion.
“Maybe more rules will be added as the game goes on? If it is a tournament, then there might be more specific rules that don't need to be mentioned until they are important, like uh… mini games!”
“Welp, let’s see what the rules entail. ‘Rule #1: Once the Driver and ID core arrive, that’s your one way ticket to becoming a Kamen Rider. There is no going back.’ Sounds like if I don’t agree to do this, then I won’t be able to participate ever again.”

Futaba chimes in from her desk, “Makes sense. If this tournament requires an invitation, then I guess contestants are chosen at random from the population.”
“‘Rule #2: Those who survive to the end will be able to make their ideal world come true. However, there are exceptions to everything.’ Wait, survive!?” Ren shouts with wide eyes.
Morgana stammers in disbelief, “You mean people can die doing this!? Why would anyone want to compete in this?”
“‘Rule #3: Those who lose their life during the game will be’...” Ren pauses.
“Will be what, Ren?” Futaba looks at her fiance with worry.
“‘... Will be expelled from this world. Please be careful.’...”

“WHAT!?” Shouts both Futaba and Morgana.
“Expelled from this world? Would that mean your soul won't be able to return to the Sea of Souls? How does someone have the power to even do that!?” Morgana questions while pacing about the room.

“Great, another godly being messing with humanity. How has no one heard of this game before? I can’t even find anything on it anywhere. I even tried looking at my bugs to get a good look at that Tsumuri chick, she doesn’t even show up on it. I can see the door opening and Ren talking, but anything involving that box and the girl isn’t there.” Futaba ponders with an even more worried expression.

Ren quickly reads through the next couple rules, “‘Those who dropout will be disqualified as Kamen Riders’...’ID’s and Buckles have affinities’... Wait, this next one might explain why. ‘Rule #6: Kamen Riders who have been disqualified will have their memories of the Desire Grand Prix erased, and return to their original lives.’” Ren flips ahead a couple pages.
“‘Rule #9: When the victor's wish is granted, the world will be remade, and humanity’s memories are reset. Just like this, the world is saved.’ So whatever being is behind this game, they have the ability to erase everyone’s memories of the game.”

“Makes sense why we can’t find anything on it.” Morgana speaks now sitting on Futaba’s lap trying to comfort the girl.
Ren looks at the next rule and his eyes sharpen. “‘Rule #10: The authority to decide who participates lies solely with the Game Master.’ This Game Master then must be the one in charge of this all.”
“Well at least we know that there even is someone behind this game.” Morgana says with a determined expression on his face.
They skim through the rest of the rules, but none of them quell the nervousness that has brewed within each of them. Ren sets down the rulebook before picking up the ID core.

Futaba moves from her desk and sits next to Ren, resting her head against him. “So, what’s the plan?”
Ren moves to wrap his arm around Futaba, “Plan?”

“Pfft, don’t give me that. You are a trouble magnet, Trickster” she says with a slight purr to her voice that sends a tingle down Ren’s spine. “And everytime there is trouble, you always run after it.” The couple and Morgana all laugh at that. “I’ll decide in the morning. This is just, a lot suddenly. And if I do this, I’ll be by myself for it. No you, no thieves, no persona, no… anything. If I do this, I could die…”

The trio sit in silence… until a low rumbling from Morgana echoes throughout the room.
They all burst out laughing. “Alright, I’ll make us all some food, we can come back to this later everyone.”

Everyone begins to make their way out of the office, Futaba leaning up to give Ren a quick kiss before heading to the kitchen.

At the corner of his vision, Ren notices a flash of golden light. Turning back to look, sitting atop the Driver, was an ethereal golden butterfly. After a moment, it dissipates into thin air.

Chapter Text

Sleep didn’t come easy to Ren.
The Desire Grand Prix. Essentially a death tournament, and Ren was given an invitation to join. He had a life, a comfy job, a fiance he was going to be married to by the end of the year, a group of friends he considered family.

Could he really risk all of it to just satisfy the curiosity and urge to pursue trouble that grew within him?
Part of his mind leaned towards rejecting the game, and continuing his life without knowing of the tournament.
—
Ren felt himself floating through a void aimlessly.

It was like drifting through an ocean. Eventually, his feat found solid ground as he began to hear ethereal music. Opening his eyes, the Trickster finds himself on a circular platform in the middle of a starry abyss. The ground beneath him had a checkered pattern, and the platform looked like a canopy you would find in the middle of a garden.

A golden butterfly drifted down from the abyss, landing a few feet away from Ren. A light enveloped the butterfly, and standing in its place was a man.
He wore a black turtleneck shirt and black pants fastened by a belt. He wore a phantom of the opera style mask that had the design of a golden butterfly on the left side of the mask. The man had brown hair kept up in a short ponytail.

Without having even said a word, Ren could feel the power coming from this man.
With a gentle smile on his face, the man spoke, “I am Philemon, a dweller in the rift between consciousness and unconsciousness of all souls. I am the creator of the Velvet Room. It is an honor to finally meet you, Trickster.”
Ren’s eyes widened, “Wait, the Velvet Room? I thought Igor was the master of it.”

“You aren’t entirely wrong. Igor is the one in charge of the Velvet Room, and is charged with guiding Persona users along their chosen path. I meanwhile am the one who chooses who has the ability to become a Wild Card, and awaken people's ability to summon a Persona.”
“Okay, well then, I guess it’s an honor to meet you as well. I never heard of you from Lavenza. Why are you calling me here instead of within the Velvet Room?” Ren looks about the abyss around him with curiosity.

“Igor and the Velvet Room are currently being used to assist another Wild Card in the United Kingdom. Besides, this issue does not deal with Persona’s, but with the recent invitation you have been given.”
“Wait, the Desire Grand Prix? What do you know about it?”

“I know it is a game that has been played far too many times, controlled by forces who seek simple entertainment. I unfortunately cannot reveal more, as it would sway things far too much.”

Of course, vague bullshit. Wouldn’t be the Velvet Room without it.

“Alright, fine. So what? Here to tell me to risk my life?”
“Not exactly, my dear Trickster,” a familiar voice spoke from the ether.

A glowing blue butterfly floated down to the platform. The butterfly dissipated, revealing a young teenage girl wearing a blue dress, with long golden hair.
“Lavenza!” Ren shouted with joy.

Lavenza, Ren’s Velvet Room attendant that stuck by his side through all of the Phantom Thieves struggles. The young girl clearly has aged over the years, now looking like a young teenager instead of a child.
Ren could not contain his joy, running up to hug Lavenza in a tight familiar embrace. “It is so good to see you.”
“You as well Trickster, and as much as I wish to enjoy this reunion further, we have other matters to attend to at the moment,” Lavenza motioned to Philemon.

“R-Right, sorry.” Ren let go of the girl before stepping back to face the two.
“Trickster, I am here to simply make a request. Join the Desire Grand Prix. I understand the worries of the danger involved in it, but I believe joining may allow for you to bring about a change in the world, and prevent disaster.” Philmen spoke in a tone that clearly knew more about the situation. But Ren knew he wouldn’t get much in terms of answers.

“My Trickster,” Lavenza looked Ren directly in the eyes, gray meeting yellow, “My master may not be able to reveal much, but we can promise you this. If you enter the tournament, then we will do everything in our power to prevent your death. We cannot guarantee your victory, nor prevent you from being disqualified, but if you choose to enter, then we will use our powers to help.”
“I have even granted Lavenza permission to leave the Velvet Room for as long as she wishes to provide you with support in between each round of the game.” Philemon gave Ren a comforting smile.

“Wait, she’ll be allowed to leave for as long as she wants?” Ren asked, failing to hide his joy at the prospect of having the girl he saw as a little sister back in his life.
“Indeed, she will be there to assist in healing your wounds, providing moral support, as well as other services that will be revealed in time.”
“I wouldn’t be able to come to your world instantly, my older sister wishes to see for herself if I will be ready to face the world before I leave.” Lavenza finishes explaining with a sigh.

Ren takes a moment to process all of this information.
If he says no, then he will return to his regular life, unaware of the death game being played nor the godly beings messing with reality.
If he says yes, he will have to fight for his life, and possibly have to fight against another god.

However, now, he won’t be alone.

“I’ll do it.”
“Thank you Trickster.” Philemon bows before turning away. “We shall meet again in the future, good luck Trickster.” He vanishes in a cloud of golden butterflies.
Lavenza looks up at Ren with a smile. “I shall see you soon my Trickster.” She also vanishes, but in a could of blue butterflies.

Ren slowly feels himself drifting back to sleep, now with new found determination.
—
“Remember the plan you two?”
After waking up, Ren had told Futaba and Morgana about his meeting with Philemon, and how Lavenza will soon be coming over to stay for a bit as well.

The two thieves agreed with Ren’s decision, and decided to continue on with their regular lives while also seeing if they can find anything more on the tournament based on any information Ren brings back.
“Yep! I’ll reach out to the other thieves to meet here when they can, while waiting I’ll have some programs running to find some more information.” Futaba, even without her Persona, was still a navigator at heart. As such, she contacted her University saying she will be needing to start summer break early to help with a family matter and handle things at Leblanc. In her words, “Leblanc will always be your personal safe room!”

“Meanwhile, I’ll be on the lookout for any signs of the metaverse, just in case this game does involve it in some way.” Morgana, despite his limitations in his cat body, still wished to help in some way. He knew most likely the metaverse wouldn’t be involved, but it never hurts to be careful.
“Perfect.” Ren picked up the driver and held it to his waist. Suddenly, a reinforced belt wrapped around him, with the driver in a masculine voice saying “DESIRE DRIVER” upon being fully put on.
Ren moved around a little, seeing that it held on tight to his body.

“You better be careful, ok? I’ll never forgive you if something happens to you,” Futaba spoke in a threatening tone that was betrayed by the clear nervousness the rest of her body showed.
Wearing his trademark smirk, Ren walked over and wrapped Futaba in a tight embrace. “I promise I’ll be back, safe and sound.” He gently moved her face to look at him before giving her an intimate kiss.

“Ehem…”

“Ehem!...”

“HEY!”
The couple broke apart after Morgana yelled at them. The two had blushing faces.
Ren leaned over and picked up the ID core sitting on the table, it still had that feeling it did yesterday. That feeling that he was always meant to have this. He looked up, looking at Morgana, and then Futaba. “Wish me luck.”

Joker then proceeded to insert the ID core into the Desire Driver. The driver this time spoke with a feminine voice, saying one simple word before his vision turned white.

“ENTRY.”

Chapter Text

When the blinding white light finally faded, Ren had to rub his eyes to clear his vision.

Ren found himself staring out into a desert, it went on and on with no end in sight. It was an almost calming sight, until he heard the panicked voices behind him.
Turning around, Ren realized he and a couple dozen other people were standing on a hexagon marble and stone platform that hovered high above the desert. At the center of the platform was the Desire Grand Prix logo painted in red. And floating around the platform were 7 large golden heart shaped objects that were each divided into three sections, each section would occasionally rotate. Atop each object was a black hexagon screen that currently only displayed the DGP logo.

Ren watched a boy with a short bowl cut that looked around his age almost fall off the platform, but thankfully managed to not fall.
Looking around, there were people that looked to be from all walks of life. A couple high school students, some adults in business suits, some folks with graying hair, and a few other people in more casual clothing.

The one person that caught Ren’s eye was someone that seemed to catch the attention of a few other people. A young man as tall as Ren with short side swept black hair wearing an obviously expensive black suit with a gold colored bowtie. “Look! It’s Ace! The real Ace!” shouted some woman.

Ace? I don’t think I’ve heard of some celebrity named Ace. Gonna have to ask the others about his celebrity status later.

“Good day, everyone!”
A voice suddenly shouted startling everyone around him.
In the center of the platform was Tsumuri, wearing the same dress she wore on their first meeting. She stood on a small raised platform.
“My name is Tsumuri, and I will be your navigator. I bid you welcome… to Desire Grand Prix!”

“Our world is currently facing the threat of Jamato.”
“Jamato…?” Ren and the guy that almost fell off muttered at the same time.
Tsumuri continues her speech, “We have yet to determine where they come from, or what their goals are. And so, to protect our world, the Desire Grand Prix was invented!”
…
There is a loud silence that hangs over the group.
Tsumuri lets out a soft awkward laugh, “I can see you are all as confused as you are shocked. It is only natural that you have never heard of it.”

Ren glances over at the person called Ace. The man wears a constant smirk on his face, an almost knowing one. Has he competed before?

“The game is designed so that all your memories are erased after each game. This way, you can live peacefully without ever knowing. Getting your hands on an ID core is the only way to recover your memory.”
Hmm, maybe I should have Futaba analyze my ID core when we have the chance.

“All of you will transform into Kamen Riders and fight the Jamato menace. The one to survive, the victor, will be crowned as God of Desire.They will be granted the power to change the world as they see fit.”
Ok it’s official, this is basically a murder game version of Maruki’s reality… That reminds me I really need to call him sometime, it’s been a bit since we last talked.

“To put it simply, all your wishes will be granted.” Each person on the platform started to seem excited at this prospect. “So, I implore you. Before you is a Desire Card. Please write your desire in it.”
Suddenly, Ren notices he is now holding a blank white card and a black feather quill. Tsumuri looks at everyone, waiting for each person to write their desire on the card.

My greatest desire. I read the rules, so I know what happens if I get disqualified. It needs to be something I am willing to fight for, but will be fine losing the desire to pursue.
While other competitors seemingly write their desires fairly quickly, Ren takes his time with his. Looking around, he sees small glances at what some other people write: “I wish for infinite money!”, “I wish to be slim.”, “I wish to marry Ace!”, “I wish for a harem!”, and many other petty things like that. He looks over to the ‘bowl cut’ guy to try and see his answer. It isn’t until the guy finishes writing that he sees the boy's desire, “I wish for world peace.”
Upon seeing that, Ren is reminded of the many bonds he has formed over the years, especially those he made when the Thieves were active.

That’s it!
Ren writes on his card, “I wish to end all diseases.” He remembers his work with Takemi, assisting in her research to find a cure to Crawfords Disease, and Yusuke’s mother passing from a preventable condition. He enjoyed the work he did helping Takemi, it even at one point had him considering if he wanted to be a doctor himself before his talk with Sojiro that led him to choose business.

“Once you have finished writing, please hand me your Desire Card.” Tsumuri said to the crowd. After a few more minutes, each card had been handed to Tsumuri and seemingly deposited elsewhere.
Once each card was handed over, there was another moment of awkward silence.

And within the blink of an eye, Ren was now in a forest.
—
“Eh?” Ren looked around, and sure enough, he was in the middle of a random forest. Looking at some of the few competitors around him, he realized their clothes had also changed. They now all wore loose fitting black and dark blue jackets and pants, with matching combat boots. Their drivers still were adorned on their persons.

The voice of Tsumuri echoed throughout the forest, “May the Desire Grand Prix begin!”
Ren could hear some of the other competitors shout out, “What the hell!?” “No build up!?” “I want to go home!” “What the fuck is going on!?”

Tsumuri continued to speak, “For the first round, your mission will be… a treasure hunt!”
A treasure hunt? Well then, I guess it is time for the Phantom Thief himself to shine. Ren smirked confidently, that was until he began to hear rustling coming from the woods around him.

Appearing from the woods were humanoid creatures with odd skeletal helmets that reminded Ren of some kind of ocean creature. Each wore simple clothes draped across their bodies, and some carried swords and spears.
“You must reclaim treasures stolen by the Jamato. Inside are items for your taking!”

And thus, chaos ensued.

The Jamato rushed Ren and the others. Many of them ran for their lives, others too terrified to move, and some trying to ready themselves for a fight.
They were swarmed. Those who stayed tried their best to fight but were failing, screams ran all throughout the forest. He watched as a Jamato stabbed their spear into an older woman who was running towards Ren with a scared expression. The spear pierced the woman’s body, bloody shooting out of the wound, some of it landing on Ren’s face. He watched as life faded from the woman’s eyes, her ID core cracked, and purple energy covered her body. The woman then disappeared into dust, all that remained was her cracked ID core falling to the ground, and her blood dripping off of the Jamato’s spear.

I’m going to die…

Ren realized some of the Jamato began to surround him, 4 in total. The spear wielder, a sword wielder, and two who lacked weapons of any kind.

I’m sorry Futaba… I’m sorry Morgana… I’m sorry Lavenza… everyone… I’m sorry…

…

…

No…

I… am Joker… leader of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts… and…

The Jamato circled around Ren.

I won’t…

Ren gritted his teeth.

“I WON’T DIE TO THE LIKES OF YOU!!!”
For a moment Ren saw a glowing blue butterfly in the distance, right before the spear wielding Jamato charged him.
His instincts kicked in. Ren performed a backwards cartwheel, kicking the spear out of the Jamato’s hands causing it to fly up in the air. As Ren finished his cartwheel, he caught the Spear from the air, and sliced at the Jamato before him.
The Jamato fell backwards from the fatal strike, a small pink and black crate landing on the ground. The other three Jamato backed up in fear.

Ren looked at the other with a mad look in his eyes and a wide cocky smile. Ren reached down to grab the crate, inside there was an odd black and white buckle with a large dagger design on it.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice, “My Trickster, slot the Raise Buckle into the Desire Driver!”
Lavenza!?
“Yes, I am projecting my voice to you. I sensed your distress and came as soon as I could.”
…Thank you Lavenza.
“This is one of the ways I will be able to support you. Consider me your true Navigator for this journey, much like how your beloved Hermit has been for you. Now, slot the buckle into the driver, and shout the words ‘Henshin!’”

Ren did as he was told, tossing the spear and now empty crate to the side. Taking the buckle, he slotted it onto the driver on the right of the ID core.
“SET”

Ren took a moment to take a deep breath. Recalling all the times he summoned his Persona’s, Ren performed a showy spin before crouching slightly, placing a hand to his face where he one wore his mask.

“HENSHIN!”
“ARMED DAGGER”

Ren waved his arms out wide like a conductor of a symphony.
To his right, a small chest piece made of white straps appeared. An spectral mechanical arm appeared, grabbing the armor, and slamming it onto Ren.

Ren no longer stood in his competitor's outfit.
Ren was adorned in a slim fitting pure black armor that was made to provide protection and easy mobility. On his right side was a silver pauldron, connected by white straps to a piece of metal with the same dagger symbol on it.
His head was covered in a beaked helmet in the imagery of a Crow. The helmet had a large strip of gold that wrapped around the eyes and the small beak, thining out towards the back. His helmet even had the imagery of a bird's ears on the top of his head.
And clutched in his right hand was a pure white, almost plastic looking, dagger.

“READY? FIGHT!”

Chapter Text

“READY? FIGHT!”

The three remaining Jamato all stared at Crowsen, unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, he dashed towards one of the unarmed Jamato. Holding his dagger in a reverse grip, he quickly delivered three precise slashes across the Jamato’s body. It let out an inhuman shriek as it fell back clutching its chest. The Jamato ran away in fear back towards where it first came.

Crowsen suddenly heard Lavenza shout in panic, “Behind you!”

Spinning around, he quickly brought his dagger up to block an attack from the sword wielding Jamato. The two both held tight, using all of their might to push past the other.

But a Trickster never plays fair.

Crowsen quickly used his leg to swipe at the Jamato, knocking it off balance. No longer in the clash, Crowsen brought his dagger down upon the Jamato stabbing right into the middle of its chest. When the body hit the ground, another pink and black box clattered to the floor.

There was an inhuman shout as Crowsen glanced up, noticing the last remaining Jamato had grabbed the spear from its fallen comrade. The Jamato ran towards Crowsen, attempting to stab him multiple times. He dodged each strike with ease.

Crowsen quickly kicked some dirt towards the Jamato’s face, temporarily blinding it.

When the Jamato cleared its vision, Crowsen was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, a figure backflipped themselves onto the Jamato’s shoulders, gripping the bottom of the Jamato’s helmet.

“Show me your true form!”

With the strength granted to him by this form, Crowsen ripped his hand back while pushing off the Jamato. It wasn’t enough to tear the helmet off, but it was enough to seriously injure the Jamato by cracking the helmet.

The Jamato collapsed to the ground unconscious.

And with that, Crowsen’s first battle was finished.

“Well done Trickster. I see even years of inactivity isn’t enough to drain the strength you gained from your ventures to the Metaverse.” Lavenza spoke with relief and pride in her voice.

“...”

“Trickster?”

“...”

“Ren!”

Ren startled, being knocked out of his trance. “S-Sorry Lavenza, was just…” His eyes drifted towards the cracked ID core still on the forest floor.

“It is ok. Breath, the danger is gone.”

Ren grabbed the Dagger buckle and removed it. The armor disappears, leaving him back in his competitor outfit. A bit of the woman's blood still remained on his cheek.

Ren went over to grab the crate that dropped earlier, as well as the cracked ID core. Looking at the ID core, it was overall colored pink, with a white design of a wolf on it.

“Congrats on winning an item.”

At the sudden new voice, Ren quickly spun around to look at the newcomer. Standing a short distance away was a slightly tan man wearing a pure white suit. He had short fluffy brown hair and a kind smile on his face.
He motioned his arm behind him. “This way, please.”

Must be someone working for the Grand Prix.

Ren nodded his head. Before walking over, he very quickly pockets the cracked ID core.

He followed the man until they arrived at a pure white door standing in the middle of the woods. The man opened the door, walking in expecting Ren to follow. He quickly rushed through the door, nervous it might close on him if he wasn’t fast enough.

“This is where participants can rest between rounds.”

Looking around the new space, Ren found himself in a wide open room that felt like a more fancier office break room. With curved red couches, potted plants, and even a little bar area that has an old-timey phone sitting on it.

“You can use it free of charge.” The man bowed before heading back through the door, assumingly to lead more participants here.

Ren noticed there were four other competitors sitting around the space.
One sitting on the couch was a male who looked to be in his early 20’s, with shoulder length wavy brown hair and suntan skin. He had a serious expression and looked at Ren with judging eyes.
Sitting on the backrest of the couch behind him was another young man, with pale skin and short black hair. His face looked almost bored as he inspected a buckle in his hands, a larger one that looked like it had the imagery of a revolver on it.
Standing off in the corner of the space were two people. One being an older male who looked to maybe be in his 40’s with his jacket off revealing a bright pink shirt. The man had tan skin and short light brown hair.
Next to him was a young woman who looked no older than 20. She had a round face and bobbed dark brown hair.

None of them seemed to be in the mood to talk, so Ren simply found himself a seat at the bar. He looked at the crate he got at the end of the fight. He realized this one felt heavier than the one he first got.

Sliding it open, Ren was greeted by a larger buckle, similar in size to the gun one he saw. This one was colored mostly black and white, with the design of a ghost on it with its eyes closed. On the edge were wisps of dark energy that when pressed on would move like pressing a button.

The man sitting on the couch looked at Ren’s buckles, “Two new ones? I guess they decided to add a bunch of new buckles for this tournament.”

“What?” Ren asked, obviously confused.

The man reached to the side of his belt and pulled out a very blocky looking device with a screen on it. He scrolled on it for a second before speaking again, “Crowsen huh?”

“Crowsen? Is that my title or something?”

“It’s your Rider name, we all have one. Tsk, how the hell do you have points already”

Ren reached to the side of his own belt and sure enough, he had one of his own devices. It was like a large phone. Opening it, he was greeted by a large list of all of the competitors, each having their names, Rider names, as well as their points and ranking. Ren currently was the only one with points, making him first place.
“I got surrounded when the round started, a woman was killed by one of the Jamato so I fought back.”

The other contestants all looked at Ren with shocked expressions.
“Someone… died?” the girl spoke, her hands now shaking in fear.
“And is that… blood… on your face?” the older man asked, his entire body shaking.

Hearing this, Ren used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the blood off.

“A death already? Either the difficulty is increased for this tournament, or that woman was a weakling scrub.” The tan man said.

Ren instantly stood up in anger, “What was that!?” his face scrunched in rage.

“This is where participants can rest between rounds.”
The white dressed man was back, this time with two people following him in.

One was an older man who looked to be in his late 40’s, with short black hair and slightly wrinkled skin. He looked around the space with confusion.

The other was the man with the short bowl cut from earlier. His face meanwhile seemed to be one of amazement and wonder.

The white dressed man looked at the current situation in the room, “Please, do not fight each other. Bringing harm to other Riders is against the rules, and you will be disqualified.” He turned back towards the two newcomers, “You can use this space free of charge.” The man instead walked through a door on the other side of the room.

The older man took a seat on one of the couches, while the young man took notice of the girl. “Wait, Neon!? You’re in this too?” The girl, now named Neon, looked up in shock, there was clear recognition on both of their faces.

Neon’s face lit up a bit, “We meet again. Um…”

“Oh, I’m Sakurai Keiwa. My sister, she’s a big fan of yours!” Keiwa bowed towards Neon slightly.

Another celebrity? Just how many celebrities are in this game?

Despite seeming like they haven’t known each other long, the two looked comfortable in each other's presence.

The tanned man scoffed at the two, “I can’t believe you two are here.”

The two looked at the man, and both of their eyes widened in recognition as Keiwa spoke, “Wait, you’re… the bull!”

“The bull?” Ren asked aloud.

“Call me Kamen Rider Buffa.” The man corrected. He looked at his phone again before speaking, “And you are… Tycoon and Na-Go.”

Ren looked at his own device, quickly finding the two on it.

Keiwa hurriedly fumbled for his own phone, “That’s our Rider names, right? Let’s see… Azuma Michinaga.”

Michinaga scoffed once more, “Whatever, you scrubs won’t last long anyway.”

Ren finally had enough of Michinaga’s bullshit. “Is speaking insults all you can do? If so then clearly you’re compensating for something.” Ren smirked.

The older man choked on nothing while Keiwa and Neon both had their mouths open wide. Michinaga was fuming, “Say that again you noob!”

“Finally found someone to replace me as your rival?” A new voice spoke from the door they all entered from. Striding in was the celebrity Ace, wearing his own smirk before finding a seat at the bar nearby Ren.
“I wouldn’t be sure that none of the people here won’t last long Buffa. You never know what will happen in the Desire Grand Prix.” Ace looked Ren up and down, giving a quick nod.

Keiwa walked over to Ace, “Um, thank you for saving me back then.”

“Do you guys know each other already? I noticed you recognized Michi-chan instantly.” Ren questioned, reveling in Michinaga’s annoyed grumbling at the name and suffix.

“Oh! Neon and I accidentally got caught up in the final round of the previous Grand Prix. If it wasn’t for Buffa and Ace we might not have survived it.”

“Don’t mind it, it’s nothing. Had to win it anyway.” Ace leaned back in his chair as he spoke.

Michinaga walked over to Ace, “Took you long enough, Geats. Found anything?”

“Me? Found myself a faucet and a shield.” Ren held up a small teal buckle with a faucet design on it, and another small dark blue buckle with a shield design on it.

Michinaga laughed, “So a pair of useless trash.” He pointed at Ace with a buckle of his own. A larger purple and orange colored buckle with a clawed hand design on it. “Seems like he got what you wanted.” He motioned towards the pale man who hadn’t said a word this entire time. “I think you are finally out of luck, especially with Crowsen’s loot.”

Ace finally took a glance at the two buckles in Ren’s possession. He raised one of his eyebrows, “Haven’t seen those two in a while.”

Huh?

Ren, not wanting to feel left out, spoke up in challenge, “Well Michi-chan, you were only able to get one buckle, and I already am in the lead with points. If anyone is gonna be left behind, it's you.”

Michinaga glared at the both of them, tension rising to a boiling point.

The white suited man walked back into the room, “In this area, any act of violence and sabotage is strictly forbidden. Any violations will be met with a swift disqualification, so please be careful.”

Michinaga grunted before walking away.

Suddenly, the old phone on the bar counter rang. The white suited man answered it, he was silent for a moment before speaking, “I understand.” and proceeded to hang up the phone.

He turned to face everyone, “My dear participants… We have an emergency.”

Chapter Text

After the announcement, all remaining competitors were transported back to the floating platform they first arrived on. Tsumuri was there waiting for everyone, with a large screen hovering behind her. The screen showed the details of every Rider who participated, their photo, name, and Rider title. At the start, there were 27 participants. One of them had a large “LOSE” on it already. The icon image was the same as the woman’s cracked ID core, but the words on it were covered by the “LOSE” written on it.

“The boss of the bandit Jamato’s you defeated has shown up. This marks the end of the Treasure Hunt.” Tsumuri motioned towards the screen. “Players who failed to obtain an item are disqualified.”

The details of each Rider on the screen became marked with “LOSE” on it, all except the 8 that remained.

Michinaga let out a chuckle, “Only eight remain.”

Tsumuri continued to speak, “Your next objective is to defeat all Jamatos. Use the items you have obtained wisely. Survivors will make it to the next round.”

The screen flashed the words, “Urgent Mission: Defeat All Jamato’s”

“In this game, your life is on the line.”

Keiwa and the older man both looked shocked. Neon and the man she was talking to earlier both looked haunted, reminded of what Ren had told them earlier.

Ace, Michinaga, and the pale man meanwhile didn’t react at all.

Ren’s mind flashed back to the fear on the woman’s face, the life fading from her eyes. He clenched his fists tight, reminding himself of the ID core he kept in his pocket.

Keiwa looked around, seeing everyones expressions, “I-It will be fine! I know a guy at a soba joint, and he’s…”

Ace sighed, “Things work differently for us.”

Ren nodded solemnly, “Yeah. According to the rules, if you die, you are expelled from this world. You die here, and that’s it.”

Everyone fell into an awkward silence.

“Well then,” spoke up Tsumuri, “let the mission begin!”

She then struck a pose straight out of Featherman, before shouting, “Henshin!”

There was a collective confused noise from some of the other players.

“ENTRY”

The environment around them began to change, like a game digitally loading a new area. The Riders found themselves back in the forest from earlier, the sound of running water could be heard nearby.

Everyone’s ID core’s begin to glow, a mechanical ring surrounding each of them, transforming them into their base Rider forms.

Each person wore similar black armored clothing, helmet covering their face.

Tsumuri continued to speak once more, “We have Mary,” motioning towards the older tan man, who now had a helmet resembling a sheep that was colored pink. It even had ram horns.
“Na-Go,” motioning towards Neon. She had a golden colored helmet that looked like a cat. Her gold was a deeper color than Ren’s.
“Tycoon,” motioning towards Keiwa. His helmet was a neon green that looked like a raccoon.
“Buffa,” motioning toward Michinaga. His helmet was colored purple and orange, with large bull horns and bits hanging off the back of the helm that resembled dreaded hair.
“Da-Paan,” motioning towards the pale man. His helmet was colored white and black and looked like a panda.
“Geats,” motioning towards Ace. His helmet was white with orangish red accents with a resemblance to a fox.
“Ginpen,” motioning towards the older man. His helmet looked like a penguins head, colored primarily black with hints of yellow.
“And Crowsen,” motioning towards Ren, the others now able to see his crow themed gold and black helmet.

Looking closely, each player also had a small strip of fabric attached to them somewhere on their body that was colored their primary color. Each person had theirs in unique places, with Ren having a golden sleeveless tailcoat that reminded Ren of a much shorter version of his Joker jacket.

Each person looked in wonder at themselves, voicing their opinions.

Before they could enjoy their Rider looks further, the group was surrounded by Jamato, all wielding weapons.

“We can admire and get jealous of each other's appearance later,” Ren shouted to the group.

Amongst the Jamato was a larger one wearing ornate red and blue fabrics. It held two large axes in its hands and had what looked like vines growing off it. It shouted something that couldn’t be understood by the other to the Jamato, each raising their weapons in response.

“It’s showtime people!” Crowsen excited shouted as Buffa, Geats, and Da-Paan rushed the Jamato.

The rest stayed to all transform, slotting their buckles in. Na-Go had a pink hammer, and Mary had a dark blue shield.

Much like earlier, their drivers spoke, announcing the names of their buckles before a phantom mechanic arm reached out to grab the armor and slam it onto the players, arming them with weapons.

Crowsen looked towards the only other two who haven’t gone out, Tycoon and Ginpen. “Hey,” he said, getting their attention. “We just need to stick together, we are stronger together than alone.”

Crowsen turned away. He thought about using the buckle he got at the end of the previous round, but decided to save it for later, instead slotting in the Armed Dagger buckle. Since they were already in their base Rider forms, there was no pose or chant needed. The familiar white bits of armor slammed into him. He flipped the white dagger in his hand before rushing in to join the fight.

Crowsen dashed in, performing acrobatic flips while slashing away at the weaker Jamato. He had to admit, this was a bit fun. It reminded him of all of the Phantom Thieves battles against Shadows. Fighting side by side with fellow combatants, risking their lives for some grand goal. Crowsen was in his element.

While he danced around the battlefield, Crowsen noticed a few things. One, Da-Paan had now transformed using his Magnum buckle, perching himself up in a tree with his new rifle, he was also adorned in white armor that covered his chest and arms, it also had a hint of orangish red. Two, Buffa had also transformed using his Zombie buckle, he was covered in heavy looking spiked purple and orange armor wielding a sword that also seemed to function like a chainsaw. Three, Ginpen now was wielding a bright green crossbow. And four, Geats now was wielding what looked like a teal water hose that he was using as a pipe to bludgeon the Jamato.

Crowsen had to force himself to not shout orders at the other Riders, reminding himself that right now, he wasn’t Joker, leader of the Phantom Thieves. He was Crowsen, and these were his competitors.

During the fighting, he noticed Tycoon was hiding behind a tree, “Why are they okay with this… If you lose, you’ll die! That’s just stupid!”

Geats also heard this, looking over in what seemed like worry for a moment before continuing his fight with the Jamato.

Crowsen noticed a sword wielding Jamato running towards Tycoon. Crowsen reacted quickly, running to protect him. Right as the Jamato was about to sneak up on Tycoon, Crowsen slashed at the Jamato’s back, causing it to fall over dead. The sound of the body hitting the forest floor started Tycoon, “C-Crowsen!?”

Crowsen walked over, placing a hand on Tycoon’s shoulder, “Tycoon, take a deep breath. All of us are here fighting for our greatest desires, dreams, hopes, wishes we are willing to fight and die for. I saw your wish, world peace, heh, quite ambitious. But that is something worth fighting for. If you are too scared to fight right now, then that’s ok. Find somewhere safe to hide. Or…” Crowsen backed up and held his hand out to Tycoon, “you can fight.”

Even with the helmet on, Crowsen could almost see Tycoon’s face, one of renewed hope. “How about this, we make it out, and I’ll teach you how to fight, how to survive. I may be new to these games, but I do know how to fight. We have a deal?”

Tycoon looked at Crowsen’s offered hand, before nodding his, “Deal!” He then grasped Crowsen’s hand.

Time seemed to freeze for Crowsen, a familiar sensation of a bond forming filled his very being as he heard Lavenza’s voice speak to him.

I am thou, and thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chain of captivity
With the birth of The Magus Persona, I have obtained the wings of blessing
That shall lead to freedom, and new power…

Sakurai Keiwa- The Magus. Rank 1

Time resumed for Crowsen, the sounds of combat returning.

There was a loud sound of pain as Ginpen was sent flying past them, a photograph being dropped to the floor. While downed, three regular Jamato’s alongside the boss Jamato approached him. Ginpen tried his best to fight them off, slowly pulling himself up off the ground while shooting two of the Jamato’s down.

However, the boss Jamato kicked him back to the ground.

Tycoon went over to the picture, picking it up, “This is…” He glanced back towards Ginpen, watching him attempt to shoot the boss, but his arrows were deflected.

“Shit!” Cursed Crowsen, he started running towards the fight, “Ginpen! Get out of there!”
But his cries were too late.

The boss Jamato slammed its axes into Ginpen, sparks flying off Ginpen as he was sent flying once more, slamming hard against a nearby tree. Right as he started to get up, the Jamato threw one of its axes at Ginpen, landing in the ground near him. It began to glow yellow, until, it exploded.

Ginpen was sent flying further into the forest, odd electrical sparks beginning to cover his body.

Crowsen shouted back towards Tycoon as he finally reached the boss, “Tycoon! Check on Ginpen! I’ll hold this guy off!” Crowsen barely dodged a swing from the Jamato’s axe.

Tycoon nodded, running into the forest to where Ginpen was sent flying.

Crowsen slashed at the boss before having to dodge yet another attack. He looked around for anything that could give him an advantage until he noticed Geats still nearby, having just finished dealing with three Jamato’s. “Geats! We need to distract this thing!”

Geats nodded his head before spinning the faucet on his buckle. He aimed the water hose at the Jamato and fired a weak stream of water. It clearly didn’t do any damage besides making it wet, but it was now slashing wildly.

Crowsen used this opportunity to back off, “Come on! We need to go check of Tycoon and Ginpen!”

The two Riders ran into the forest.

Both had decided to de-transform from their Rider forms. After a little bit of running, they found themselves at a small river stream. And sitting on the edge was Keiwa, crying while holding the photo from earlier, and the Arrow Buckle that Ginpen had…

And Ginpen was nowhere in sight.

Ren clenched his fist, “Dammit! Not again…”

Ace sighed, a solemn expression on his face. “Unless you fight, the world will not change… That’s all there is. That’s the only choice.”

Keiwa looked back at the two, trying his best to stop his tears. “Why… Why are you both fighting?”

There was a moment of silence until Ren spoke up first, “I want to end all diseases. I’m not a doctor or anything, but I know too many people who have loved ones who were lost to diseases.”

Ace spoke up next, “I want to help unfortunate children around the world. They are the ones who will make the future.”

Ren gave an odd look towards Ace. You’re clearly lying… but yet… I can tell there is some truth behind that desire. Just who are you Ace?

Keiwa wiped his eyes, “So you are both like me. You wish for a peaceful world.” Finally, Keiwa was able to smile.

Suddenly, there was a loud splash nearby.

The trio all turned to see the boss Jamato had chased after them.

Ren and Ace both moved in front of Keiwa, Ace spoke to the boy again, “If you want to change the world, then fight.”
Ren then spoke next, “Remember what I told you, desires are worth fighting for. So are you gonna sit there? Or are you going to fight?”

Keiwa nodded his head, standing up to join them.

Ace slotted in his Water buckle.
Ren slotted in the Dagger buckle.
And Keiwa grabbed the Arrow buckle, looking at it with a determined expression before slotting it in.

The three each did their own transformation pose, Ace holding his arm towards the enemy, Ren with his spin and hand on his face, and Keiwa moving his hands in a manner that remind Ren of some kind of ninja technique.

“HENSHIN!”
“HENSHIN!”
“HENSHIN!”

Chapter Text

“ARMED WATER”
“ARMED DAGGER”
“ARMED ARROW”

“READY? FIGHT!”

Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Crowsen shouted to the others, “Tycoon! Use your arrows to provide covering fire, don’t let that Jamato have a second to breathe.”

Tycoon nodded his head. Taking aim, he began to fire upon the Jamato.

“Geats, that buckle of yours is called Water right? Well, this should be your home field advantage right” Crowsen motioned to the water surrounding them.

Geats let out a small chuckle, “A good fighter and a natural leader, sure are full of surprises Crowsen.”

The two Riders charged the Jamato together. Crowsen leading by delivering a quick slash to the Jamato’s front. He somersaulted away, allowing for Geats to slam his pipe into its face. The Jamato tried to recover, but was pelted by multiple arrows.

Seeing a window of opportunity, Geats hit the faucet that sat on the back of the pipe. A long hose then sprung out of the pipe directly into the water. He pulled the trigger, firing a high pressure spray of water at the Jamato causing it to fall over.

Crowsen smirked, “Now! All-Out Attack!”

The three Riders together pummeled the downed Jamato, putting all of their might behind their attacks.

The Jamato let out a roar, gripping both of his axes, he spun them around while on the floor, forcing the Riders to back off. In a single motion it got back up to its feat.

Crowsen was barely able to dodge to counter attack along with the others, “Fuck! This one’s certainly resilient.”

Geats raised his water hose, aiming it at the Jamato once more, “Any more bright ideas Crowsen?”

Tycoon reached to the side of his belt and pulled out a large red and black buckle. The handle of it reminded Crowsen of a motorcycle handle. Geats looked over and stared at the buckle, “Tycoon, give me that thing!”

“Eh?” Tycoon asked in confusion.

The Jamato let out another shout, its axes glowing yellow. Geats shouted at Tycoon, “It’s for the kids! For the future!”

Crowsen glared at Geats. Tycoon meanwhile looked down at the buckle, before nodding his head and handing the buckle over to Geats.

Suddenly, the Jamato threw both of his axes at the trio. Each of them were barely able to move out of the way in time to avoid the following explosion.

With a grunt, Geats took the buckle and inserted it into the left side of the driver.

“SET”

The Jamato began to rush towards Geats. He gripped the handle of the buckle, revving it like a bike. A burst of flames shot out from the buckle, hitting the Jamato and forcing it back momentarily.

“DUAL ON”

A set of red mechanical looking legs appeared next to Geats. A spectral robotic hand reached out, grabbing the leg armor before slamming them onto Geats. The armor was adorned with what looked like tailpipes that looked like they were overheated slightly on the ends.

“BOOST ARMED WATER”

“READY?”

“Now, get ready for the highlight of the game!”

“FIGHT!”

Geats ran towards the Jamato. With a burst of speed he brought his leg up and roundhouse kicked the Jamato, his leg was stopped by the sheer mass of it, until the tailpipes emitted flames, granting his kick an extreme amount of power, sending the Jamato flying.

Crowsen used this moment to stab the Jamato from behind. It attempted to swing its arm back to attack him, but was stopped by a well placed arrow from Tycoon.

Crowsen quickly cartwheeled away, confusing the Jamato. Before it had time to do anything, Geats slammed his foot directly into its chest. With flames following each kick, Geats unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Jamato.

With one more large roundhouse, the Jamato was sent into a deeper body of water.

Geats tapped the top of his driver making a clicking noise. He then grabbed the handle of the Boost buckle, and rotated the driver, causing the Boost buckle to now be on the right side and the Armed Water buckle to be on the left.

“REVOLVE ON”

Two interconnected mechanical rings circled around Geats, lifting him into the air. His body was flipped upside down, while his head suddenly moved back to the top, almost like his body was a machine. The two rings disappeared, and Geats now was adorned in a hot red chestplate with the tailpipes on his forearms. His left leg meanwhile was now wrapped in silver metal and blue straps.

The Jamato struggled to get up, attempting to throw one of the axes at Geats. However, it was intercepted by an arrow, causing it to miss its target. In a fit of rage, it tried to throw the other one, but realized it was missing.

“Looking for something?” The Jamator tried to turn around, but was forced back into the ground as its own axe was stabbed into its back. Crowsen quickly ran over to Tycoon, “Geats! Finish it!”

“Time for some fireworks!” Geats spinned the faucet on the Water buckle, and then revved the engine of the Boost buckle. There was a surge of energy that emitted from Geats.

“BOOST TIME”

Geats kicked up the water around him, and it began to form a whirlpool around him. In the center of the whirlpool, a large mechanical red fox with 6 tailpipes appeared letting out a shout. The fox opened its mouth, the water being funneled into its body. Geats got into a slightly crouched position and revved the Boost buckle once more.

The foxes' tailpipes turned to face Geats, and let out all of the water at once in a large jetstream.

“BOOST WATER”
“GRAND VICTORY”

Geats was sent flying towards the boss Jamato, bright flames emitting from his arms. He charged up a devastating punch, and slammed his fist directly into the Jamato, causing it to explode. When the flames cleared, Geats stood there looking perfectly unharmed, the eye pieces on his helmet glowing yellow.

The battle was over.

Tycoon de-transformed, his face looking at Geats with astonishment. “Wow, the Boost Buckle sure does pack a punch!”

Geats stood up, his eyes no longer glowing. He looked at Keiwa before laughing. “Thanks… for being so easy to fool. I knew you had it in you.”

“Eh? Easy to fool? What do you…”

“He tricked you Keiwa,” Crowsen glared at Geats, de-transforming as well. “He lied about his wish to get you to trust him, just so he could get the buckle.”

Geats laughed once more, “Smart too. What other secrets do you hold, Ren Amamiya. I will say, I didn’t account for you to fight as well Keiwa, you aren’t as fully gullible as you look.”

Keiwa looked shocked, “Then what was that about helping kids…?”

Geats looked directly at Keiwa, “Don’t you ever read books? Foxes are tricksters, known to deceive others.”

“And themselves apparently,” Ren countered. “You may have lied about that being your desire for this tournament, but I can tell you weren’t lying about it being something important to you.”

Keiwa stormed over towards Geats and attempted to grab the Boost Buckle, “Then give me this back, the buckle’s mine!”

Right as he was about to place his hand on the buckle, flames once more emitted out of it, and it suddenly went flying through the air. Keiwa fell to the ground from the force it flew off with. The buckle went flying in a random direction.

“What the hell was that!?” Ren shouted.

“It’s a one time use item. If you use it during a round, then it disappears until someone finds it again from a treasure crate.” Geats watched it fly off before walking away.

Keiwa looked close to crying again, after being lied to and the powerful Boost Buckle he earned now gone. Ren grabbed the odd buckle he had been holding onto, and came to a decision. He walked over to Keiwa, and held it out to him, “Here.”

Keiwa looked up at Ren, “Eh?”

“I told you I would teach you how to survive, right? I don’t think myself nor Ace would have been able to defeat the boss without your help. So consider this your reward for your first successful mission. You survived, hence, you are now a little bit stronger,” Ren gave Keiwa a comforting smile.

Keiwa stood back up, wiping his eyes before smiling brightly back at Ren, “Thank you! I won’t forget this Ren!” He took the buckle into his hands, and held it like a treasured possession.

The area around them once more begins to digitize, bringing all the Riders back to the floating platform with Tsumuri waiting there. “And that’s the end of Round 1! Only six remain. Good job out there!” She gave a thankful bow. “We will resume the Desire Grand Prix on the next Jamato appearance.”

“When will that be?” Ren asked.

“We will alert all of you a couple days in advance of the next appearance, so do not worry. Until then, have a good day!”

Tsumuri begins to walk towards a white door that appeared, until Keiwa spoke up, “Excuse me!” Tsumuri turned to face him. “If you can fulfill any wishes… does that mean you can revive all the eliminated contestants?”

Tsumuri smiled, “If that is what you wish.” She then walked through the door.

“Any wish can be fulfilled…” Neon spoke allowed, clearly having many ideas in her head.

Michinaga scoffed, “Like I’ll lose to you.”

Ren smirked, “As long as you watch your back, Michi-chan~”

Michinaga growled in rage before walking through the door, followed by Da-Paan. Mary, and Neon.

Keiwa looked towards the sky, contemplating something. Ace looked at him with a smirk, “You can wish for a better world all you want. In the end, I’ll be the one winning.” He then turned to face Ren, “And you, I can’t wait to see what you do next. Who knows, you might just give me a good challenge.” Ace then walked into the door.

Ukiyo Ace, what is your goal here?

Ren walked over to Keiwa and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Hey, if you ever want to follow up with our deal, make your way over to Yongen-Jaya and look for a shop called Leblanc. Just show up there and I’ll be happy to train you a bit.”

Keiwa smiled at Ren, “I will, thank you again for everything.”

The two walked through the white door together, the light blinding them both. And when their eyes opened, both were back wherever they were when they first entered the game. Keiwa in his bedroom, and Ren in his living room above Leblanc.

ROUND 1: COMPLETE

Chapter Text

Perspective: Keiwa

After the events of the first round, Keiwa instantly collapsed onto his bed from exhaustion. He could hear the sounds of his sister moving about their apartment.
Keiwa wiped his brow, “I think… this is the most active I’ve been in ages…” He opened a nearby drawer, placing his driver and buckles inside of it. Before closing the drawer, he looked at the two buckles, particularly the Armed Arrow Buckle. “...I wonder if this thing brings bad luck…”

Three days ago, Keiwa and Neon by pure accident became caught up in the final round of the previous Desire Grand Prix. Keiwa had just been turned down during an interview by an IT company that Takahito Taira, also once known as Ginpen, was the manager at.

After the interview, he went to meet his sister Sara for lunch. Suddenly, a red barrier separated the two siblings, with Keiwa stuck on the side where the final round was taking place.

Barely escaping with his life, Keiwa ran into Neon during it, hiding under a bridge. They were then attacked by Jamato, but were saved by Michinaga and Takeshi, a firefighter who joined the tournament. They were escorted to a rooftop for safety. However, a large floating Jamato fortress showed up. One of the fortresses' vine-like tentacles slashed at the group, killing Takeshi as he attempted to equip the Armed Arrow Buckle.

As the building they were on collapsed, they were both barely saved by Ace at the last second. Ace then proceeded to attack the fortress, completely destroying it and winning the tournament.

Keiwa sighed, closing the drawer before taking out his phone. He opened the camera app and began to take a video of himself, “The Desire Grand Prix. A game where players transform into Kamen Riders, to fight the unknown Jamato threat. The winner is granted the right to rewrite the world. But… before I knew, the game claimed its first victim…”

“You’re not allowed to tell the world about the game, you know.” Suddenly spoke Tsumuri.

Keiwa jumped in surprise, “How did you…?” He noticed his window was now open. “Did you climb in through my window?”

“You will be disqualified if you violate the rules.”

“I-I know! I was just making a video diary! See?” He held his phone to Tsumuri, who leaned in uncomfortably close to view it.

“As long as you don’t publish it… I suppose it’s ok,” Tsumuri moved back. She began to walk towards the window until Keiwa spoke up, “Wait!”

“You said that… if I win, I can use my wish to revive everyone who lost the game, right? Do you know what happens to those that die? Where do they go?”

Keiwa remembered the events of Mr. Taira’s death, disappearing into dust as he clutched a photo of his family, saying that he only wished for his son who was suffering from an illness to recover.

Tsumuri looked out the window, “Only the Jamato know where they are…”
She then proceeded to exit through the window, landing on a dumpster to break her fall.
—
In the morning, Keiwa decided to head back to the IT company to ask about Mr. Taira. As he waited in the lobby, a younger employee came over, “Please, sit.”

Keiwa sat on a nearby chair, “Thank you…”

The employee sat in a chair opposite to Keiwa, “Mr. Taira is known for always showing up for work. He’s missing now, and I hear his family already filed a report.”

Keiwa looked down with a saddened expression, “I see…”

“However,” the employee continued, “There is some good news. Apparently, someone donated a large sum of money to pay for his son’s recovery. It paid for the surgery and any care he would need following it. I hear that he should be able to make a full recovery.”

Keiwa’s eyes went wide with shock, “R-Really!? Did you hear who donated the money?”

“No name was given. Just someone who said they were ‘a mysterious fox’.”

Keiwa smiled. Ren was right… Thank you… Ace.

The two said goodbye to each other, Keiwa walking out of the building looking up towards the sky. Leblanc… Might as well follow up with Ren’s deal.

—
Perspective: Neon

Meanwhile, in a large mansion, Neon sat across from her mother eating breakfast. After getting back home from the first round, she had instantly fallen asleep upon collapsing in her bed. In the morning, she was dragged out of bed for food.

Her mother spoke while refusing to look Neon in the eyes, “Would you stop already with that ‘streaming’ business?”

The two were sitting at a long table, with an ornate chandelier hanging above them. Nearby, multiple butlers and maids stood ready to assist whenever needed.

Neon looked down at her own food, “But… I have more than ten million subscribers now… I received a lot of comments, telling me they’re a huge fan… I even have a collaboration planned with the idol Rise Kujikawa, as well as the model Ann Takamaki and the fashion designer Alice Hiiragi, both planned for next month…”

Her mother slams her fork onto the table, “And said millions of fans are watching every movement of my daughter, and you agreeing to work with these ‘influencers’ is only going to draw more attention. You are already fated to live the happiest life on earth. So for once in your life, listen to your mother,” She then stormed out of the dining room, servants quickly moving to clean up and to assist her.

Neon clenched her hands beneath the table, rage and sadness filling her. Her mind flashes back to the events of yesterday, I just need to survive and win… then… I’ll finally be free…

—
Perspective: Ace

When Ace opened his eyes after exiting the game, he found himself back on the rooftop of a building overlooking Shibuya Crossing.

Ace reaches into his pocket and pulls out a strange pure gold coin. Nearby, a large screen shows a commercial for a movie Ace is playing the lead role in.

He looks up towards the night sky, “I’m right here… And I will find you…”
—
Ace decides to take this time off to wander the streets of Tokyo. Many fans approach him as he walks, asking for autographs and pictures. Eventually, he hears a familiar voice nearby.

“Hi! Neon here!”

Ace looks over, and in front of the Diet Building is Neon, streaming on her phone with a suitcase nearby. “So far, all of my 49 escape plans have ended in failure! Fifty is the magic number! This one will definitely work! So, get ready…!”

She quickly leans her phone up against her suitcase. She moves back to an open space on the sidewalk, “It’s time for the opening dance!”

Neon then proceeds to perform a dance routine to some kind of pop song.

After watching for a minute, Ace smirks before walking over. He crouches down in front of the phone, smiling at the camera and the stream, “What are you doing?”

Neon runs over in a panic, “Whoa whoa whoa! You can’t just-” Ace turns to face Neon, his trademark smirk worn proudly on his face.

After the two both waved to the stream, Neon quickly ended it. Ace gave the girl a confused look, “Are you streaming your escape attempts?”

Neon stood up, dusting herself off, “Yep! A thrilling documentary by yours truly!”

“Why are you…” Before Ace could finish his sentence, he noticed a large crowd of fans holding both Ace and Neon themed merch. “Why are you doing this?”

“To express myself,” Neon smiled and waved at the crowd, “I want that special someone to find me…”

“Huh,” Ace looked over at the crowd once more, before getting an idea. “Hey, how about we go somewhere the paparazzi won’t be able to bother us for a while?”

Neon blushed a tiny bit, “E-Eh? W-Where?”

Ace smirked, “Ever heard of a little cafe called Leblanc?”

Chapter Text

Ren looked around his living room, the exhaustion of today’s events hitting him like a truck. He shuffled over to the couch and collapsed onto it. “Shit… it’s like post Mementos grinding days all over again…”

There was a small crashing noise downstairs joined by the sound of rushing feet. The lights to the living room turned on, and appearing at the top of the stairs was a very frazzled looking Futaba and Morgana, “YOU’RE BACK!!” They both shouted together.

The two immediately rushed over to Ren. Morgana jumping onto his stomach with Futaba crouching down in front of the leader. “Are you ok? Are you hurt? Is that blood on your cheek? What happened!? We were so worried-” Ren quickly cut Futaba off with a kiss.

“Futaba, hehe, breath.”

Futaba took a deep breath before hugging Ren. Morgana jumped off of his stomach and onto the coffee table, “You were gone all day! We were scared something happened to you…”

Ren sat up, giving Morgana a quick scratch, “Sorry… I had no idea it would take so long.”

Futaba moved to sit next to her fiance, “Sooo… what happened? You’ve got super heavy eye bags, you look exhausted, and you have dried blood on your cheek… You haven’t looked this bad since our Mementos trips…”

“Well, a lot happened… I’ll start at the beginning,” Ren then recounted the events of the day. Starting with the introduction to the tournament, and how they were transported to a forest to fight the Jamato’s, “This first part is where the blood came from… when the Jamato spawned… a woman was killed in front of me…”

The two thieves gasped in horror. He then told them of his fight, how he transformed into Kamen Rider Crowsen, and how Lavenza helped to provide him guidance. But before he moved on, he remembered something very important, “Oh shit!”

He immediately began to check his person. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the cracked ID core, “When the woman died, her ID core was left behind. I was hoping you might be able to analyze this sometime Futaba,” he held out the core to the girl. She quickly took it into her hands and examined it like one would examine a diamond.
“I’ll take a look at it tomorrow, but right now, I want to hear the rest of what happened.”

Ren then continued, “Afterwards, a guy in a white suit led me through a door leading to a rest area. That is where I met some of the others properly. First was a guy named Michinaga, a stubborn hotheaded asshole who seems to have competed before. Next, was a streamer named Neon,”

“Oh yeah!” Futaba spoke up, “I’ve heard of her. She’s a rich girl who wants to escape her family, so she streams all of her attempts while doing small performances. So far she has tried 49 times, and each time some bodyguards come to get her, and drag her back home..”

Morgana gave an odd look, “If she’s trying to escape her family, then why would she stream her escapes? Just sounds like poor planning.”

“Speaking of celebrities, the next guy I met was someone named Ace-” Ren tried to explain until Futaba shouted, “YOU MET ACE!?”

“You know him?”

“Duh! He’s a super famous actor who has been in a lot of things. He even guest starred in a few episodes of the most recent season of Featherman!”

“Huh, anyway, finally I met Keiwa. A guy who is competing to try and wish for world peace. I met a couple other people as well, but I haven’t gotten the chance to talk to them properly…” Ren then got a far away look in his eyes as he remembered the events right before the fight with the boss Jamato. “A-Anyway…”

Ren then finished recounting his tale. From the group fight against the Jamato, describing each of their Rider appearances and names upon Futaba’s persistence, his deal with Keiwa, the death of Ginpen, and the fight against the boss Jamato.
“Afterwards, we were told we will be alerted when the Jamato shows up again, and we were all sent home.”

Once he was done, Ren was suddenly hugged once more by Futaba, and Morgana jumped onto his lap and rubbed up against him. “G-Guys?”

“Just shut up and let us comfort you.” Futaba whispered.

Ren slowly felt tears begin to form in his eyes. The reality and stress of the day finally caught up to him. The three thieves eventually all passed out on the couch, the first of many long days, finally over.

—

“FOR REAL!?”

The following day, a few of the other thieves made their way over to Leblanc after Futaba had messaged the group chat yesterday, informing them of the situation.

Some of the thieves were out of town, so wouldn’t be able to come over for a bit. So currently Ryuji, Yusuke, Makoto, and Sophia were able to make it. Ann was in America with her wife Shiho for a fashion show, Haru was meeting with the Kirijo Foundation this week for some kind of merger, Sumire was in Osaka for a gymnastics training camp, and Zenkichi was in Kyoto spending time with Akane to celebrate finishing her graduating high school.

Ryuji was now working as a track coach at Shujin Academy. He still had his bleached blonde hair, but now the sides of his head were buzzed, and he had a bit of stubble around his chin. He had gained a good amount of muscle since 2017, and wore a graphic tee and sports shorts.

Yusuke continued his passion for art, becoming quite famous in the art world with many of his paintings being shown off in well known art galleries. His dark blue hair had become significantly longer, kept in a low ponytail that reached his waist. He wore a blue thin kimono with ice patterns across it.

Makoto in her adult years ended up looking a lot like Sae, but instead had the same hairstyle she has worn since high school. After finishing college, she immediately joined the police force, having achieved the rank of Sergeant. She wore a dark blue tank top with a black leather bike jacket on top and matching leather pants.

Sophia remained unchanged since 2017, saying her form was already efficient enough as was. After exploring the world with her mother Ichinose, she was given full access to the internet, using this to assist in fulfilling her purpose as Humanities Companion. Currently she sat within Ren’s phone, which was propped up on a stand on the counter.

“Ryuji, please watch your volume,” Makoto reprimanded.

“S-Sorry. But still, that’s crazy man! Sounds straight out of an eff'n movie.”

Currently, the group was seated around the front counter of Leblanc, Ren’s driver, ID core, and buckle laid out as well as the booklet containing the rules.

Yusuke examined the Armed Dagger Buckle closely, “Fascinating. The design of these buckles seem fairly simple, yet achieve their designed purpose expertly. I only wish I could see one of the larger buckles that you had described.”

Sophia through the phone was looking at the buckle like one would look at a rare piece of treasure, “The Desire Driver is filled with highly advanced pieces of technology. From what I can see, many of the materials within it do not exist in any data server in the world.”

Ren took a long sip from a cup of coffee, “Yeah, but that’s about it for the events of yesterday.”

Makoto flipped through the rulebook, “I still can’t believe this is a real thing. And with the power to reset the entire world, there is no telling for how long this game has existed for.”

Suddenly, the front door opened. Ren looked and instantly performed a spit take as Tsumuri was standing there.

Tsumuri looked at the group, and at the driver and buckle on the counter before sighing. “Normally, this would be considered a violation of the rules. However, the Game Master has granted you permission to share information about the Desire Grand Prix with those of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, to the extent that the information is not shared outside of the group.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide as saucers, “Wait! How do you know we’re…?” Futaba began to ask.

“We know everything about each person who enters the games. Date of birth, blood type, family history, criminal record, and more.” Tsumuri then moved over to the group, getting uncomfortably close to Ren while looking him in the eyes, “Do know, if any information is spread to anyone outside of the Thieves, then that will be a violation of the rules, and you will be disqualified.”

Ren cleared his throat, “Understood…”

Tsumuri smiled before backing away, “Good. Now then, enjoy the rest of your free day.” She exited through the front door.

An awkward silence hung over the group before Ryuji voiced his thoughts, “Man that girl gave me the creeps…”

There was a beeping sound coming from Makoto’s phone, “Ah, sorry guys. I need to head on over to work, I agreed to help out some detectives sort through some files for a case they are working on. Then I need to pick up a package for Haru. Ren, could I get a cup of the usual to go?”

Ren nodded his head before making Makoto a cup of coffee.

“Oh Renren! Could I get some curry? Principle Kawakami scheduled an early teachers meeting today to discuss plans for a renovation happening next year. And I may have woken up late so I kind of skipped out on breakfast,” Ryuji rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.

“May I perhaps also have a plate? Not for any particular reason, I just have a sudden craving for your curry,” Yusuke asked, setting the buckle back onto the counter.

Futaba poked Yusuke in his side, “Inari, you sure it isn’t because you forgot to eat again?”

Ren spoke up before an argument could even begin, “I’ll make some curry for everyone, don’t worry.”

Sophia chimed in, “If the meeting is over then I shall leave to continue assisting Futaba in her investigations. Goodbye everyone, it was good to see you all once again.” She quickly waved to each member before Ren’s phone turned off.

After everyone enjoyed some curry, the rest of the thieves left to go about their daily business. Futaba retreated upstairs to continue her investigation, as well as prepare for a raid in an MMO she played that was happening tonight. Morgana sat on his usual cushioned spot on the counter.

A couple hours went by without much happening. A few regulars came in and a larger group of high school students came in alongside a regular he recognized.

After wishing them a good day, Ren went about cleaning some dishes until he heard the bell atop the door ring. “Welcome to Leblance! How can I help-” Standing at the door was Keiwa, Neon, and Ace, “You guys? What are you all doing here?”

Keiwa noticed Ren, “O-Oh! Ren! I wanted to come over to see if you could train me a bit. On the way I literally ran into these two who were running from some paparazzi.”

“So you two decided to enter a back alley cafe to hide from your fans?”

Neon was about to speak until Ace interjected, “I overheard you and Keiwa here talking yesterday and you mentioned this place during the conversation. I figured I might as well check it out, and low and behold you work here… no wait…” He looked Ren up and down before snapping his fingers, “You own this place, don’t you?”

Ren sarcastically slow clapped, “Wow, excellent deduction.” Ace did a showmen's bow in response.

“Come take a seat you three,” the Riders all moved to the counter and found seats. Without them evening saying a word, Ren placed a plate of curry in front of each of them, as well as a cup of a house blend coffee.

“Uh… we didn’t order anything though,” Keiwa pointed out.

“It’s on the house. And it’s our specialty. Coffee and curry, scientifically proven as the best meal combo,” Ren said with a smirk on his face.

The three Riders looked at each other, before shrugging and taking a bite out of the curry.

Each stood there, fork in their mouth, unmoving.

…

Keiwa and Neon immediately began to devour their meals, and even Ace had an impressed look on his face.

“This is delicious!” Neon said in between bites.

Keiwa took a bite of the curry before taking a long sip of the coffee, “And the coffee alongside it! This is the most amazing thing I have ever tasted in my life!”

Ace meanwhile was going at a much more reasonable pace, but the impressed look on his face hadn’t left.

Morgana spoke up from his spot on the counter, “I think you just got three more people successfully addicted!”

The three Riders finally took notice of the cat in the room.

Neon squealed, “Ren! Is that your cat? They’re sooo cute! What’s their name?” She moved over to give Morgana some pets.

“H-Hey! What are you-” Morgana attempted to protest, but his cries ended as he began to lean into Neon’s petting with an audible purr.

Ren let out a soft chuckle at the situation, “That’s Morgana. I’ve had him for a few years now.”

Keiwa raised an eyebrow, “Morgana? Isn’t that a girl's name?”

“He chose it himself so ask him,” Ren said with a smirk.

Keiwa and Neon assume Ren was simply joking, however Ace wondered if there was more to that statement.

The four Riders continued to make idle chatter while they enjoyed their coffee and food, the four talking about the more casual parts of their days with Ren making sure to leave out what exactly he discussed with the Thieves.
“So Neon,” Ren spoke, getting the girl's attention. “You mentioned you were doing a stream today, right? I have to ask, why are you trying to escape from your family? And why are you streaming it to the world?”

Neon tried to smile, but clearly her family was a touchy subject, “My family is super strict. They barely allow for me to do anything, and the things I am allowed to do I am followed by bodyguards. And my mother… a-anyway, I want to escape my family to finally gain some freedom. As for why I stream it…” Neon's smile became more true, “I want that special someone to see me on stream and come find me!”

Ren and Ace both laughed a little bit at Neon’s energy, “Well I wish you luck with that Neon. I met my special someone through some odd circumstances, so I have high hopes for you.”

Everyone then noticed the ring on Ren’s finger with Neon gasping, “Ren! Are you married?”

“Engaged, I’ll be officially married in December. My fiance almost begged for the wedding to be in the winter because, in her words, ‘A snow themed wedding would be much more cinematic than some normie summer wedding,’” Ren finished with a chuckle.

Keiwa spoke up, “Still, congrats Ren!”

Ren smiled at the group, and then, he got an idea. “Wait, Neon. Your parents only let you go out properly for certain things, correct?”

Neon gave a confused look before nodding her head yes.

“Well, how about finding a job? Gives you an excuse to get out, and lets you build up some money for when you successfully get away.”

Neon countered, “But my family already is rich, so I doubt they would allow me without at least some supervision. Plus, who would even hire me? My only work experience is my live streams.”

Ren smirked, “Any of you ever wanted to learn how to make coffee?”

“Eh?” spoke the trio.

“I’m saying, do you guys perhaps want a job here. It pays decently, lets you guys make some additional money.”

The three contemplated it, with Neon speaking up first, “I’ll do it. I promise to come in whenever I can. And! I might even be able to bring some more traction to this shop with my status, that work for you Ren?”

“Deal,” said Ren.

At that might, time began to slow for Ren, and the familiar voice of Lavenza filled his head.

I am thou, and thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chain of captivity
With the birth of the Art Persona, I have obtained the wings of blessing
That shall lead to new power, and freedom…

Kurama Neon- Art. Rank 1

Time then resumed, with Neon bouncing happily. Ren looked over and noticed Ace had a very confused look on his face, looking between Ren and Neon. “Everything fine there Ace?”

Ace jumped a tiny bit before quickly recovering, “Y-Yes, I’m fine. Must be getting a little light headed. As much as I would love to accept your offer, my current profession leaves me with more money than I know what to do with most of the time. However, I would like to make a deal with you as well.”

Ren raised a brow, “Oh? And what would that be?”

“Simply hangout with me sometimes. Your skills and talents during the first round surprised me, and the more I learn about you the more you intrigue me. So agree to hangout with me, and I’ll agree to tell you more about the game. I have played in it before, so, what do you say?” Ace held out a hand toward Ren.

Ren contemplated this, “Ok, let’s do it,” he then proceeded to grip Ace’s hand.

Time slowed once more, and Lavenza once more confirmed the creation of a bond.

I am thou, and thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chain of captivity
With the birth of the Aeon Persona, I have obtained the wings of blessing
That shall lead to new power, and freedom…

Ukiyo Ace- Aeon. Rank 1

Time then resumed, allowing Ren to briefly hear Ace muttering to himself, “... there it is again…”

Ren’s eyes widened, but before he could ask more, all of them felt a vibration from their phones provided to them by the tournament. On it was a simple message:

“Jamato sighted. Round 2 begins at noon tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

“We have confirmed a new sighting of Jamato.”

All seven remaining Riders stood on the floating platform with Tsumuri giving them their mission brief. Despite all of the struggles so far, there was a noticeable air of excitement from everyone with the next round soon to begin. It reminded Ren of the first few months he had his Persona, the power it gave him, the freedom, his every thought wanting to head back into the Metaverse to rip and tear some Shadows apart.

“We will now begin Round 2, the Zombie Survival game.”

Everyone’s eyes went wide, Mary voicing his distress, “Z-Zombies!? Y-You mean actually real zombies!?”

Tsumuri continued to speak, ignoring Mary’s questions, “A group of Jamato zombies are approaching the town,” The floating screen behind her showed live footage of the mountain town, citizens running in fear from the Jamato’s, “Our data indicates that they will attack in three waves. If any of those zombies make their way to the city, an outbreak will occur. We definitely don’t want that!”

Da-Paan spoke up, “So you’re saying our mission is to defeat all three waves? Sounds easy enough.”

Tsumuri nodded her head, “Yes. In this game, you will be judged by your score.” The screen behind her shifted to display a large list showing the different things that reward points, and even subtract points. “At the end of the game, the one with the lowest score will be disqualified.”

Keiwa shuffled his feet before speaking, “Um… by outbreak, do you mean-”

“Be careful, or you will join their ranks.” Tsumuri said ominously.

Ren walked over to Keiwa and placed a hand on his shoulder, “Hey, it’ll be alright. As long as we stick together and watch each other's backs, we’ll make it through just fine.”

Keiwa looked at Ren, his nerves settling from the comfort.

Michinaga made his way over to Ace who was looking at his Water and Shield buckles, “Worried you might lose with all that junk?”

Ace laughs, “Of course not. Wanna bet? If I rank higher in the first wave, I’ll be taking your buckle.”

Michinaga smirked, “You’re on. But if I win, I’ll take all of yours.”

“Let’s begin!” Interjected Tsumuri.

The area around them began to digitize once more. The Riders found themselves in different parts of a small forest, with what looked like an old factory nearby.

Ace was by himself, Mary and Michinaga ended up spawning close to each other, Neon and Da-Paan spawned by the factory, and Keiwa and Ren were together in the woods.

Each group was surrounded by a large horde of shambling zombie Jamato’s.

The Riders then began to transform.
Geats with Armed Shield.
Mary with Armed Shield.
Buffa with Zombie.
Na-Go with Armed Hammer.
Da-Paan with Magnum.
And Crowsen with Armed Dagger.

Keiwa was about to slot in his Arrow buckle until Crowsen stopped him, “Hey, why not try out that buckle I gave you? Might be a good idea to get some practice with it.”

Keiwa nodded his head before pulling out the large buckle with a ghost design on it. He slotted it into the driver, pressing down on the wisps of dark energy.

“SET”

The eyes of the ghost opened, revealing piercing glowing red eyes. To his right, a set of black and white armor appeared, the arms having bits of tattered black cloth hanging off it, and around the neck hung was a large torn black poncho with the ends fading to a dark red.

A spectral mechanical arm reached out, grabbing the set and slamming it onto Tycoon.

“SPECTER”

In Tycoon’s hand was a large curved black metallic scythe that had blood soaked rags hanging off of it.

“READY? FIGHT!”

The Riders then began to attack the zombie hoard. Buffa cutting them down with his chain sword with brutal strikes.

Over by the factory, Na-Go smashed Jamato after Jamato with her hammer, with Da-Paan sniping from the roof. Right as Na-Go quickly celebrated, the Jamato she just hit got right back up and began to rush her, “Eh!? Why are they getting back up!?” She began to grab nearby crates and barrels to throw at them. “Mr. Panda! Help me!”

Da-Paan audibly scoffed, “We’re rivals, no one is stupid enough to help you.” He continued to shoot the Jamato surrounding the factory, unaware of two zombie Jamato beginning to approach him from behind.

Na-Go retreated back, forcing herself into a corner. Right as a couple Jamato were going to pounce on her, a dark blue shield blocked their attack. Geats held strong, motioning for Na-Go to attack. She quickly grabbed her hammer before smashing the nearby Jamato to dust. Geats looked at Na-Gp, “Haven’t you ever played video games? You have to aim for their head.”

Back in the forest, Crowsen and Tycoon were both stealthily escorting some citizens that were nearby. A small group of Jamato shambled past their hiding spot, unaware of the group thanks to a small bit of invisibility provided by the Specter Buckle. Once the Jamato passed, the two Riders quickly motioned for the citizens to escape. The citizens quickly gave their thanks before leaving.

Tycoon bent over in exhaustion, “That was rough…”

When the round began, Tycoon showed to be a natural with his new buckle, even using the power it granted him to cut down a larger bundle of Jamato in an instant.

There was suddenly a chiming noise coming from both of their Rider phones.

“SECRET MISSION CLEAR”

Both checked their phones, and on it was a message saying, “Secret Mission: Escort three civilians to safety.” The duo had escorted six in total, allowing for both of them to clear the secret mission at the same time.

There was a louder chime noise, and both Riders felt a weight on the top of their heads. Reaching up, both found they each had a treasure box. Opening them, Tycoon once again found the Boost Buckle, and Crowsen found a pink and gold colored buckle with an elegant paper fan design on it that looked like it could be spun.

Tycoon gasped at the sight of the Boost Buckle, “It’s the awesome thing again!”

Crowsen laughed at Tycoons joy, “Be sure to hold on tight to it this time.”

Back in the factory, Geats and Na-Go’s fight against the Jamato had moved indoors, now being forced to fight together in a space that was hard to move in. Geats had switched to the Armed Water Buckle during the fight, using the pipe to better fight.

Looking around, Geats noticed that connected to the current room they were in was a smaller room that seemed to be a windowed storage room. Geats took the hose and stabbed it through the locked door to the room. He activated his buckle, causing the faucet to begin spraying water into the storage room.

Geats then returned to the fight, now only armed with his fists. The two Riders fought hard against the horde, having to barely dodge multiple bite attempts, with Na-Go having to play ring around the rosie while both running after and running away from some Jamato.

More and more Jamato were emerging. Popping out of lockers, underneath desks, and breaking open doors. Geats looked back towards the storage room window, and it was entirely filled with water. He ran back over to the door before shouting, “Na-Go! Hold onto something!” Geats then removed the hose from the door.

“WATER STRIKE”

The water burst through the door, causing a tidal wave to form in the room with the Jamato. Na-Go was barely able to grab onto a piece of metal jutting out of the ground, managing not to be swept up in the water. The zombies were hit over and over again by harsh waves, slamming into the environment around them.

Once the water cleared, all of the zombies were defeated.

“MISSION CLEAR”

Geats chuckled, “That’s how you hunt zombies.”

Na-Go meanwhile was breathing heavily on the floor, exhausted from the fight and barely avoiding the water.

Tsumuri’s voice echoed throughout the entire arena, “That’s the end of Wave 1!”

All Riders de-transformed, being teleported to the break room.

Ren, Keiwa, and Neon all collapsed onto one of the couches together.

The white suited man waved his hand, and a display appeared showing the current rankings, “Excellent work out there. Please enjoy your stay until the next wave.” He bowed before making his way behind the bar.

Ren looked over the rankings.

Geats - Ukiyo Ace - 41000 pt
Buffa - Azuma Michinaga - 36500 pt
Da-Paan - Sumida Kanato - 30000 pt
Crowsen - Amamiya Ren - 28100 pt
Tycoon - Sakurai Keiwa - 28000 pt
Na-Go - Kurama Neon - 17800 pt
Mary - Koganeya Moriuo - 12800 pt

Ren was a little confused, “Wait, why do I have more points then Keiwa? He definitely took out more Jamato than I did.”

He then heard the voice of Lavenza whisper in his head, “Back during the very first round, you were the only Rider to successfully eliminate multiple Jamato. It seems those points were then saved for whenever a points round would occur.”

Oh… right…

Moriuo looked at the rankings before falling to his knees, “What!? I… lost!?”

Ace walked over to Michinaga, quickly swiping the Zombie Buckle, “I won, so I’ll be taking this. But, I’m a fair guy.” Ace then pulled out the Water Buckle while wearing his trademark smirk, “Beat my score with this and I might return it.”

Michinaga grumbled before grabbing the Water Buckle, storming out through a side door.

Keiwa began to take off some of the bits of his game attire, removing the jacket and paddings leaving himself in a green tye-dye shirt and the game pants. Neon as well tossed off the jacket, wearing a yellow crop top. The two both were sweating, trying to catch their breaths. The two were so close to each other that Neon almost leaned her head against Keiwa by accident.

Ren chuckled slightly at the two next to him. He then pulled out the buckle he won earlier.

Hey Lavenza, anything you can tell me about this buckle?

Lavenza hummed before responding, “I can’t tell much, but this is called the Dancer Buckle. It seems that when used, the Rider is equipped with bladed fans and granted increased acrobatic abilities. What it more specifically does though I am unable to figure out. I am sorry my Trickster.”

It’s ok Lavenza, anything is good information. Thanks for helping me out during this.

Ren suddenly felt an arm wrapped around his shoulder. Looking over, he saw Moriuo getting uncomfortably close with a nervous smile on his face, “H-Hey there, buddy! H-How did you and Keiwa there get so many points with a weak dagger and bow?”

Ren smirked before removing Moriuo’s arm from around his shoulders, Keiwa, overhearing the conversation, responded, “We didn’t really fight a lot of the Jamato, we only took out one, maybe two groups with Ren mostly providing support while I was on the offense. However, we mostly focused on helping people.”

Moriuo sweatdropped, “T-That’s it!?” Moriuo quickly ran over to the bar, pleading to the white suited man, “H-Hey! T-There has to be some way to get better buckles right? Loot boxes? Pay to win? Anything!?”

“By performing well, you will receive Desire Money. You can use it to buy costumes. However, gear like buckles are not for sale.” He said, while pulling out a tablet with the Desire Money shop on it, with many costume options.

Moriuo then collapsed to the ground crying.

Neon meanwhile only heard one part of that entire conversation, “Wait… costumes!?” She then began to climb over both Keiwa and Ren, running over to the bar to look at the options.

Ren rubbed his now bruised gut, “Man… she’s just like Ann with fashion…”

Keiwa however was currently prone on the ground, his legs pressed together and hands covering a… particular part of his body while he groaned in pain.

Kanato scoffed at Moriuo and Neon, “Typical rich people. Why are you even playing this game? Surely you have better things to do.”

Neon turned back with a smile, “Because there are some things that not even money can buy.”

Moriuo got up and glared at the girl, “Tell us then, what did you write for your desire?”

Ren, Ace, and a pained Keiwa all smiled, already knowing the answer.

“My wish… a world where I can meet my prince!”

…

There was an audible silence in the room.

“Prince?” questioned Moriuo.

“Yep! My beloved prince, riding atop his beautiful white steed!”

Kanato sighed, “And you’re risking your life for that? You’re crazy…”

Ren decided to speak up, “Wanting a world where you can find your true love is quite admirable. It may not be world peace or something that may benefit the world, but it is still something worth fighting for. You know what they say…”

Ren walked right next to Neon. The two then dramatically posed as though they were a duo in an idol group, “Love is a battlefield!”

…

“Screw you guys,” Kanato said, storming out through one of the side doors.

Keiwa finally recovered, “H-Hey! Can’t we all just get along?”

“There’s no need,” Ace finally spoke up. “We’re all rivals.”

“But even rivals can be allies,” Ren countered, “Rivals help each other grow, to get stronger, never to fully surpass the other, but to encourage the other to rise to the challenge.”
—

Meanwhile, Michinaga leaned against a wall in a long stone hallway, staring angrily at his Water Buckle.

Footsteps echoed in the hallway, revealing Kanato. “Hey, why do you hate that Ace guy so much? It’s so obvious it hurts.”

Michinaga put the buckle away, “All Kamen Riders are my enemy.”

“Fine, you have your reasons. Especially since Geats has your buckle now, you must really want to take that guy down a peg.”

Michinaga scoffed, he got up and began to walk past Kanato back towards the break room, “Just shut up…”

“Let’s work together.”

Michinaga stopped.

Kanato held up the Magnum Buckle, “I don’t mind renting this out to you.”

Michinaga turned back, seeing Kanato’s almost sadistic looking expression, “What’s your goal?”
—

Back in the breakroom, Neon was examining the costume shop, trying on a multitude of outfits. Each one had the Desire Grand Prix logo on it, and were the same color as Neon’s Rider form. Ren stood nearby, giving his own opinions on the outfits.

Eventually, Ace spoke, “Na-Go… are you really wishing for love?”

Neon stopped what she was doing, “Yep! Remember? I explained it yesterday at Ren’s shop.”

“Yeah but… is finding love really the answer-”

“It’s what I always dreamed of. And now I finally have my chance,” Neon looked away from the group, refusing to face anyone.

Sensing the tension, Keiwa tried to calm things down, “Don’t worry Neon. Just keep fighting, and your dreams will come true.”

“Do you really believe that?” Neon spoke in an almost cold, emotionless tone.

“All of us are fighting for a reason,” Ren and Ace spoke together. The two looked at each other in surprise.

“To create an ideal world…” Ace continued.

“Where our dreams can come true…” Ren finished.
Ren never admitted it to anyone, not even any of the thieves, but for a bit back in January of 2017, he really did want to accept Maruki’s offer of an ideal reality. Even still to this day, during his lowest moments, Ren wonders if he made the wrong choice by stopping Maruki’s actualization.

Suddenly, the bar phone rang.

The white suited man answered it, he listened for a moment before hanging it up. “The second wave is approaching.”

Chapter Text

Once being transported back to the mountain forest, everyone instantly transformed.

Mary grabbed his shield and bashed a Jamato over the head. He looked around and shouted into the woods, “Anyone needs rescuing!? About to get bitten maybe?”

Tycoon used his scythe to cut down two Jamato’s, “I know you need points, but you could have worded it better!” He then pressed on his buckle.

“SPECTER STRIKE!”

Tycoon let out a shout as he slashed his scythe in front of him, creating a large burst of dark energy that took out a group of zombies.

Na-Go swung her hammer at a zombie, knocking it to the side. She was suddenly tackled by another Jamato, barely being able to hold it back, “Stop!”

A gun shot rang out as the Jamato was killed by Da-Paan. He quickly ran over and helped Na-Go up, “You ok? Sorry for being so rude. I’m actually a fan of yours.” He moved in front of the girl, shooting at more zombies.

Na-Go looked at him confused, “Wait, what? What’s this all of a sudden?”

“I’ll protect you. Let’s work together and score some points.”

“Wow, Da-Paan! I think I’m falling for you!”

Crowsen cut down a zombie with his dagger after watching that scene. The two Riders then ran towards a nearby abandoned building. Crowsen noticed Ace also had seen what happened.

Meanwhile, Buffa, armed only with the Water Buckle, was trying his best to fight off some zombies that had begun to surround him. He looked over and saw Ace, still not transformed. “Why are you just standing there!?” He quickly bashed the zombies away and approached Ace, getting face to face, “Stop acting like a star. Curse you and your glitzy world.” Buffa then ran back into the fight.

Ace chuckled to himself, “I won the game. How I change the world is mine to decide.” He then equipped the Zombie Buckle, transforming and joining the fight.

—

Na-Go and Da-Paan fought through the many zombies in the old building. Eventually, they found themselves in a large empty pool. “Da-Paan! Let’s do this!”

Da-Paan laughed sadistically, “Yes… of course.”

He then turned around and shot Na-Go in the back.

Na-Go let out a pained scream as she was forced into the empty pool, “W-What the heck!?”

“ATTACKING OTHER PLAYERS IS AGAINST THE RULES”
“POINTS DEDUCTED”

She quickly was swarmed by the zombies, barely being able to fight them off.

Da-Paan crouched down and laughed at Na-Go, “God what a fucking naive princess you are! If you think everyone will just gladly work for you… you’re in for a painful ass reality check! Go on, join them! You can be the world’s first zombie superstar!”

Na-Go was forced to the ground, a zombie got closer and closer to her, ready to bite her. The girl closed her eyes tight waiting for the end…

But it never came.

Na-Go opened her eyes and gasped.

Standing in front of her was Crowsen… with the zombie's teeth sunk into his arm.

“REN!”

Crowsen spun his dagger and kicked the zombie off of him. Right as it tried to recover itself, the sound of a chainsaw could be heard as it was cut down. Geats now standing beside Crowsen, “You know what they say… an eye for an eye, a zombie for a zombie.”

Crowsen let out a groan, “God that was a terrible joke,” he then reached to his side and pulled out the Dancer Buckle. He slotted it into the left side of his driver, quickly, he pressed the top of his driver, and spun his buckles around.

“REVOLVE ON”

Crowsen was lifted into the air by mechanical rings. His body was then flipped, the Dagger armor equipped to his left leg. A set of pink silk armor with gold highlights appeared to his right, it had bits of fabric hanging off in a flowing fashion. The armor was slammed onto him, and he was dropped to the ground. Clutched in Crowsen’s hands were two golden bladed fans, and on his feet he now had bladed heels that reminded him of Arsene’s.

“DANCER AND ARMED DAGGER”

“READY? FIGHT!”

Crowsen stood up, lightly bouncing a little, “Now… It's showtime!”

Geats revved his blade. Crowsen jumped into the air while Na-Go quickly ducked as Geats slashed in a circle, cutting down all nearby zombies.

While in the air, Crowsen tossed his fans out, sending small blades out piercing several more Jamato. He then performed a front flip in air as he began to descend on a zombie. His bladed heel cleaved the zombie in half. Not letting up, Crowsen began to perform a windmill while on the floor, creating a small whirlwind. Nearby Jamato were pulled into it, being sliced by his blades.

Geats pulled on his buckle, “Na-Go! Launch me!”

“POISON CHARGE”

“W-What!?”

“Now!”

Na-Go grabbed her hammer. She quickly swung at Geats with all of her might. At the last second, Geats jumped, allowing for his feet to land on the hammer and be sent flying towards the whirlwind.

“TACTICAL BREAK”

Crowsen quickly used his momentum to cartwheel away, leaving the Jamato in the air briefly. Geats let out a shout as he flew past them, slashing all of them with a powerful strike, defeating all of the zombies in one go.

Da-Paan let out a frustrated scream, “I was so close… how dare you both get in my way!” He then aimed his rifle at Geats and Crowsen and fired at the both of them.

The two easily dodged the attacks.

“ATTACKING OTHER PLAYERS IS AGAINST THE RULES”
“POINTS DEDUCTED”

Geats smirked, “If that’s how you’re playing… you’re on.”

Da-Paan pulled on a lever on his rifle.

“CHARGE”

The two Riders quickly separated, running out and into the hallway. Da-Paan fired through the wall, high powered laser shots just barely missing the two as they acrobatically avoided the shots. Each laser caused a small explosion, sending rubble all over the place.

Da-Paan then ran out into the hall and pulled on the lever again, “STOP FUCKING RUNNING!”

“CHARGE”
“TACTICAL SHOOT”

The two Riders dove out a window as a large explosion went off behind them. The two ended up in an outdoor crawl space that was filled with zombies. Quickly recovering, the two began to slice and dice the zombies, assisting each other whenever they could.

From above, Da-Paan jumped over to the otherside of the large empty space in the ground. He turned around and aimed his rifle at Geats, “JUST DIE!”

Geats looked up and saw Da-Paan before he fired. Thinking fast, he quickly hit the top of his driver and activated its revolve function. He was lifted into the air slightly, the momentum moving him out of the way of the shot as the Zombie upper armor was now equipped to his legs, the spikes being as prominent as ever and one of his feet had long claws. “Now… time for the highlight!”

Crowsen quickly kicked a zombie into the air, and Geats used his gear to jump up and kick it towards Da-Paan. The panda themed Rider was forced to react fast, shooting the zombie until it turned to dust. When he looked back into the pit, the two Riders were gone, “W-Where did they…?”

The two suddenly appeared to his left. Crowsen slashed Da-Paan across the chest, sending him flying towards the forest. He hit the ground hard, struggling to get up. Geats followed up by running at Da-Paan and activating his buckle.
Phantom tombstones then surrounded the downed Rider. Geats began to perform a roundhouse kick aimed towards Da-Paan’s chest. During the kick, the tombstones disappeared and combined into purple energy around his foot.

“ZOMBIE STRIKE”

The kick finally connected, sending Da-Paan flying once more. The kick was so strong that it forced the Rider to de-transform when he landed, ending up nearby Buffa who had just finished beating two Jamato’s.

“MISSION CLEAR”

The Riders all de-transformed, and Michinaga stormed up to the duo, “Have you lost your damn minds! You are both going to lose points!”

“I don’t think so,” responded Ace. He pulled out his Rider phone and showed the screen towards Michinaga, showing neither he nor Ren lost any points.

Moriuo and Keiwa finally arrived. Michinaga gave Ace a confused expression, “But… how?”

Ace put the phone away and pointed at Kanato, “A zombie bit him.”

All Riders present looked and sure enough, a purple and green vine-like infection was spreading slowly from his upper arm.

Michinaga faced Ace once more, “Do you have proof?”

“The zombies only went after Na-Go, but not Da-Paan. They recognized him as one of their own.”

Moriuo gasped, “So, that means he got infected last round?”

Kanato struggled to get up, with an angered expression on his face. Ace walked over to the high schooler, “He realized they won’t attack him. And so, you decided to take Na-Go down with you, didn’t you?”

Kanato glared at Ace, “Life is so unfair… I worked so hard, but one day… some drunk driver ruined everything… The crash shattered my legs… and I had to drop out of basketball… just one bad day, and my life was ruined… I just want to take everyone down with me…” He began to sit up and glared at all the other Riders, “EVERYONE CAN JUST GO TO HELL!”

Keiwa walked over with a saddened expression on his face, “Couldn’t you have just… wished for a world where you can do what you love?”

“I DON’T CARE ANYMORE!”

“D-Don’t say that… We all play the game so we can make a better world, right?”

Ace interjected, “Not really. Anyone can wish for whatever they want. Just like how it took a bloody war to unite Japan. In this game… only the victor can speak of justice.”

“REN!”

Everyone looked over and saw Ren was crouched on the floor, barely holding himself up. Neon finally arrived, sprinting over to Ren as fast as she could. “R-Ren! A-Are you ok? W-Why did you…”

All the Riders saw a familiar purple and green vine-like infection spread slowly onto his wrist.

Moriuo backed up in fear, “H-He’s infected too!”

Ren could hear Lavenza speaking in his head, “You idiot! Why would you let yourself get bit!? What were you thinking!? Can you not have a martyr complex for once!?”

H-Heh… s-sorry… old habits die hard… literally…

Keiwa quickly went over to Ren, assisting Neon in helping him to his feet, “H-How did this happen?”

Ren chuckled to himself and looked at Neon, “I couldn’t… stand by and let a friend get hurt…”

Neon gasped.

Suddenly, Tsumuri appeared, “Congratulations. That marks the end of Wave 2. Once more, you have saved a lot of lives. Please take a well deserved rest.”

The group was then transported back to the break room.

Neon and Keiwa helped Ren over to one of the couches, slowly lowering him onto it in a sitting position. Keiwa was the first to voice his concern, “Are you ok?”

Ren nodded, “Y-Yeah… just need a bit to rest.”

Kanato laughed from the corner of the room, “Serves him right, cocky bastard deserved it!” He then walked out into the hallway, Michinaga following him.

Neon had tears in her eyes as she looked at Ren, “A-Are you… going to die…?”

Ace walked over to the trio, “No. The game is not over yet.”

—

Keiwa later had to leave the room for a bit, stating he wanted to record another entry in his video diary. Ace also left, saying he wished to do a bit of training. Thus, Ren and Neon where the only two people left in the break room

Thanks to getting some rest, Ren was able to recover some of his strength, but he still looked worse for wear.

Suddenly, Neon’s phone began to ring. Ren gave a confused look, “Wait, we get cell service in here?”

Neon quickly answered her phone, “Yes?”

Ren heard an older woman’s voice come through, “Neon!? You must tell me where you are right now! Please, you must stop this nonsense.”

“I-I’m at a friend's place.”

“Come back home this instant! If you don’t-”

Ren grabbed the phone from Neon, “Just shut up and let your daughter make her own decisions.”

“W-What!? Who do you think you-!” Ren then hung up the phone

Neon looked at Ren in shock. Ren looked back and gave a sheepish expression before handing over the phone, “S-Sorry… this infection is making me more irritated, and I wasn’t gonna let her talk to you like that.”

The girl blushed slightly before taking back the phone, “I-It’s fine Ren… thank you.”

Ren tried to get up, only to stumble once more. Neon quickly moved to see if he was ok. At this point, Keiwa and Ace both returned with Keiwa also going to help the thief, “Ren! Are you ok? You need to get rest! If this keeps up…”

Ren chuckled slightly, “I’ll be fine… j-just have to make it through the round… b-besides… I’ve felt much worse pain than this…”

Everyone’s eyes widened slightly, wondering what kind of pain Ren has gone through.

“You might want to get your hands off of him,” said Moriuo, suddenly entering the room. “Sorry birdy, but you’re coming with me.”

The Riders were then led to what looked like a rusty run down storage room. Michinaga was already there, tying Kanato to a pole. The young boy scoffed, “Now that I’m infected, I lost all of my rights?”

Michinaga finished tying the rope before responding, “We never know when you are going to turn.”

Moriuo forcefully dragged Ren into the room, tossing him to the floor. Keiwa quickly spoke in panic, “W-What are you doing to him!?” Neon stood back, too scared to be able to do anything.

Ren looked up and glared at Moriuo and Michinaga. He watched the bull themed Rider pull out the Water Buckle and moved towards Ren. However, Ace stood between the two, “Someone’s being brash. Just like a buffalo, I guess.”

Michinaga said nothing, equipping the buckle and transforming, “I’m just hunting for zombies. I’m taking their score.”

“STOP IT!” Both Keiwa and Neon shouted. The two transformed, equipping the Spectre and Hammer Buckles respectively. Tycoon rushed Buffa, pinning him against the wall.

“ATTACK OTHER PLAYERS IS AGAINST THE RULES. POINTS DEDUCTED”

Meanwhile, Na-Go stood in front of Ren with her hammer held tight in her grip, glaring at Michinaga and Moriuo.

Buffa grabbed Tycoon by the collar, “It’s the rules, you got a problem with that?”

Kanato laughed maniacally, “He’s right! Zombies are meant to be hunted, nothing more!”

Ace smirked, “Do you want to know why I let you live Da-Paan? Because you’re not completely one of them yet. Meaning, you’re still worth zero points.”

After hearing that, Buffa shoved Tycoon off of him, de-transforming. “It’s just a joke, don’t get so worked up.” He then stormed out of the room, followed close behind by Moriuo.

Tycoon and Na-Go both de-transformed as well. The two then moved to check on Ren and helped him to his feet.

Neon looked at Ren, tears in her eyes, “T-This is all my fault… i-if I was stronger… I-I should have been the one bitten…”

A heavy silence hung in the room.

“Heh… it’s weird… all I ever wanted was to leave my house…,” Neon was now fully crying, “A-And now… one of my first ever friends is dying because of me… I-I should have just stayed home…” Neon was crying louder, clutching onto Ren.

Ren motioned for Keiwa to step back. The thief then wrapped both of his arms around Neon, “Don’t say that… none of this is your fault… I made this choice… you’re my friend… you, Keiwa, Ace… and I protect my friends… I’m not going to let some stupid infection take me down… I’ve been shot, stabbed, drugged, tortured, beaten to an inch of my life, and so much more… I haven’t died yet… and I’m not dying now…” the three other Riders looked at Ren with shocked expressions, “So please… understand this isn’t your fault… you are so strong and brave… you chose to stay in the game… to fight for your dreams… your life is your own… don’t ever forget that…”

Neon looked at Ren in awe. She wiped the tears from her face, and gave him the best smile that she could, “T-T-Thank you Ren…”

Ren felt his bond with Neon grow.

Kurama Neon- Art. Rank 2

Suddenly, someone cleared their throat. All Riders turned to see the white suited man standing at the entrance, “There should be some time before the next wave arrives. In the meantime, you are free to return home.” The man bowed before leaving.

Keiwa spoke up, “Are you going to head back to Leblanc?”

Ren shook his head, “No, as I said, I’m gonna make it through this… so there’s no need to say goodbye to them yet. However… I do think I want some fresh air.”

“Can I join you?” said Neon.

Ren nodded his head, and the two Riders left.

Chapter Text

The two Riders are transported to Inokashira Park, now both adorned in their casual clothing.

Neon leads Ren to a nearby bench to rest. The two Riders sit in silence for a while, just simply enjoying the others company while taking in the fresh air. Neon’s usual escape plan luggage was nearby.

The cat themed Rider pulls out her phone to check her NeonTV account, only to find every video deleted, “W-What the, everything is removed… But how!?”

The two are then approached by two men in black suits. One was a pale man with buzzed brown hair, and the other was a dark skinned man with buzzed black hair, both clearly were American. The dark skinned man spoke up, “Let’s go home, miss.”

Both Riders stand up, with Ren standing in front of Neon defensively. Neon looked at the two men with shock, “H-How do you know where I am?! I’m not even streaming…”

The pale man was looking at his tablet, Ren spoke up, “They tracked your phone…”

Both men slowly approached, “Please miss, just come with us,” the pale man said.

Neon hid behind Ren, “I-I’m not going anywhere with you two! Especially not without Ren!”

The two then looked Ren up and down, taking note of his slightly sickly appearance, “And just who is this man?”

“My friend.” Neon looked the two men in the eyes, refusing to budge.

The dark skinned man sighed, “Fine, if we allow you to bring this man with you, will you at least come with us for now? Your mother wants to speak to you.”

Neon looked at Ren who nodded at the girl, “Fine. But as soon as mother is done we’re leaving.”

The two were then led to a black car with tinted windows. After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at the Kurama Estate. All things considered, it looked like a fairly normal mansion. Once inside, Neon left her luggage at the door, and they were then led to what seemed to be a door to a large office space.

Neon stormed in and began to approach her mother, “Explain this! It is not ok to put a GPS tracker in my belongings!”
Her mother got out of her desk chair, and slapped Neon hard across the face, sending her to the ground.

“Neon!” Ren shouted. He tried to run over to help until the two suited men grabbed him by both of his arms, not letting him move anywhere.

The mother then marched over to Ren, “Are you the one who has been brainwashing her!?” She slapped him with the same force she used on Neon, leaving a large marking on his face. Ren was forcibly kept up by the suited men. The mother continued her assault, “She was an obedient little girl! And then you came in and filled her thoughts with nonsense!” She then kicked Ren in the stomach with her knee, causing him to begin coughing up a storm.

Neon’s mom then turned to face the girl who was still on the floor, glaring daggers at her mother, “Do you even realize? How much we, your parents, are worried about you? We just don’t want to see you gone again.”

Again? Ren questioned in his head.

“You’re always in danger because you are the daughter of the Kurama family. Recently, you’ve been going to places we couldn’t track,” She then glared at Ren, “Clearly, this boy is involved somehow. This ends now. You and your childish games-”

“SHUT UP!” Neon shouted, with tears in her eyes. “I’m not your doll, mother!” She then began to make her way over to Ren.

Before she could reach him, her mother wrapped her arms around Neon, “Wait! Please, always stay by my side. I will give you everything you want. Everything, just name it.”

Neon shoved her mother off her, “I want my life back!” She then pulled out her phone and smashed it on the floor, and an audible crack was heard.

Neon’s mother stepped back in shock. Even the two guards were shocked by this, letting go of Ren who barely was able to catch himself.

Neon helped Ren up to his feat, grabbed his hand, and led the both of them back out of the estate. The two made sure to grab the luggage she left at the door, and began to walk towards the front gate.

“Wait!” They turned back to see Neon’s mom at the front door, with tears in her eyes, “Please… don’t go…!”

The two said nothing, walking past the gate and down the road.

Once the mansion was out of sight, Ren felt a surge of pain through his body and collapsed to the ground.

Neon quickly leaned down to check on Ren. The two heard a person running towards them. Looking up, they saw Keiwa running towards the two, with Ace walking close behind.

“Ren! Are you ok?” Keiwa asked, helping Neon with getting Ren to his feet.

—

The four walked over to a nearby park that overlooked a river. Ren was sitting on a bench with Neon next to him, her luggage close by. Ace meanwhile was leaned against a railing, and Keiwa was walking towards the group with four bottles of water in hand.

“Here you guys go,” he then handed one to each person.

Ren happily took the offered beverage, downing it like his life depending on it. Neon meanwhile shuffled in her seat, “Why are you both here?”

Keiwa gave the girl a comforting smile, “I couldn’t sit by while my friends suffered.” This caused a light blush to form on Neon’s face.

Ace meanwhile smirked, “If Ren here turns into a zombie, he’s going to be worth a lot of points.”

Ren let out a loud laugh, causing him to begin coughing a bit. The two others went to check on him, but he motioned that he was ok, “Thanks… I needed that, Ace.”

Keiwa chuckled slightly, “Anyway, how are you both feeling? Ren you look even more terrible, and Neon… is that a handprint on the side of your face?”

Ren spoke first, “As I’ve said, I’ve felt worse pain. Neon however…”

Neon laughed softly, before getting up and walking over to the railing, “To be honest? It feels like I’m actually alive for the first time in my life. I never needed money. Money can’t help me achieve my dream. But now, thanks to the Desire Grand Prix, I have a way to achieve that dream…” Neon was silent for a few moments before speaking again, “But… Now my selfish desire is costing the life of the first friend I ever truly had…” She turned to face Ren, tears began to form, “You gave me hope… You gave me the courage to reject my mother… You helped me take a step towards my freedom… and how do I repay that? By being the cause of your death…” She slowly collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down her face, “What was even the point of my life!? To be a doll for my mother? Forsaken by the gods? To be a burden on everyone…?”

“WHAT WAS EVEN THE POINT-” her screams were cut off by a sudden embrace. At some point, Ren had stood up and walked over to the girl. He crouched down, and wrapped her in a tight embrace.

“My pain is not your fault… remember? This isn’t your fault… But please… don’t keep this pain bottled up anymore… let all of your tears out… let all of your anger and sadness out…”

After years of loneliness, abuse, pain, and sorrow, Neon finally was able to let out all of her emotions. She held onto Ren like a lifeline, crying harder and harder.

After years of torment…

Kurama Neon was free…

—

Once Neon was done, the two Riders chose to spend the night in the break room space. Ren told Neon she could stay at Leblanc for a while after they finished the round, Neon happily accepted, and the two agreed to discuss the finer details once the round was over.

In the morning, all Riders except for Kanato and Ren were summoned to the floating platform, the two infected Riders left in the storage room. Ren agreed to be tied up to help put everyone else at ease. The rest of the Riders were transported to a rooftop that overlooked a small factory that was overrun by zombie Jamato.

“It is time for the third and final wave!” Spoke Tsumuri. “We will begin the mission soon.”

Ace looked down at the hoard, “He might be in there somewhere, Crowsen, all zombified.”

Neon interjected, “No. I believe in Ren, I know he will fight it off and survive.”

Ace smirked, “I don’t care who it is. I’m going to hunt all of them down.”

Ace and Keiwa then both equipped their buckles, Ace with Zombie and Keiwa with Specter. Mid-transformation, the two jumped off the building, using the transformation to break their fall and land on a few Jamato.

The two instantly drew their weapons and began to cut down the nearby zombies.

Buffa jumped down after them, equipped with the Magnum Buckle.

Geats looked over at Buffa confused, “Buffa, how did you get your hands on Magnum?”

Buffa smirked, “No idea.” He then proceeded to bludgeon the zombies with the gun provided by the buckle.

Tycoon meanwhile was able to defeat some of the nearby zombies with his scythe, making good work on the horde.

Elsewhere, Mary, equipped with the Shield Buckle, was navigating the back allies of the factory, “This way zombies!” Two Jamato’s chased after him. Nearby, he noticed two workers hiding behind some barrels. Mary chuckled. He quickly hid, allowing for the zombies to focus their attention on the workers.

He waited a few moments, before jumping out of his hiding spot, “Hold it right there fiends! Kamen Rider Mary will-” Mary only realized a moment too late that there were no sounds of panic.

Looking over, he saw the two Jamato had already been cut down, with the citizens giving a quick thanks to Crowsen who was equipped with the Dagger Buckle. Crowsen waved the two workers goodbye as they ran to safety. “C-Crowsen!? W-What are you doing here you zombie!?”

Crowsen chuckled as he rubbed his wrists, “You guys really need to learn how to tie better knots.”

Before they could continue, Mary was suddenly pounced on by Da-Paan, the lenses of his helmet covered in cracks. Mary let out a pained scream as Da-Paan began to bite Mary.

“ATTACKING OTHER PLAYERS IS AGAINST THE RULES.”

“POINTS DEDUCTED.”

Crowsen ran over and kicked Da-Paan off Mary. At this point, Keiwa and Ace both ran over to check what was going on.

Mary quickly crawled away from the two infected Riders, “H-He actually did it! He bit me!”

Da-Paan could be heard licking his lips, “Fuck you taste terrible…”

Tycoon gasped, “H-How are you both here!?”

Da-Paan stood up, his mannerisms already similar to that of a zombies, “I made a deal… with him, the veteran Rider guy…” He pointed over to Buffa, who was now standing behind the other Riders.

“Huh, so it wasn’t just you being terrible at tying knots,” said Crowsen.

Geats spoke up, “Makes sense.”

Buffa scoffed, “You are free to team up with whoever you want to. That’s how the Desire Grand Prix works… right?”

Da-Paan began to laugh maniacally, “It’s over… It’s the end!”

“Not today!”

Suddenly, Na-Go appeared from some nearby trees and slashed at Da-Paan with two bladed fans. Everyone turned to see Na-Go equipped with the Dancer Buckle.

Buffa turned to look at Crowsen, “How did she get your buckle!?”

Crowsen laughed, “You aren’t the only one who made a deal.”

Na-Go began to dance around the battlefield, slicing each zombie Jamato with her fans, “I just need to aim for their heads… don’t waste time hitting anywhere else…” She then kicked a Jamato directly into two others. She then swung her fan towards the bundle, sending out multiple small feathered blades that pierce their heads.

The group all watched this from a distance, fighting off smaller bundles of zombies. Crowsen grunted in pain as he collapsed to the ground, one of his lenses turning colorless and cracked just like Da-Paans. The panda themed Rider began to laugh once more, “It’s useless! The cocky bird is gonna become just like one of them in the end!”

Geats sliced a zombie in half before turning towards Da-Paan, “There’s one way to survive.”

—

The previous night, after Neon finished crying, Ace had said those same words.

Keiwa looked at Ace with shock, “W-What?”

Ace turned to face the group, “We still don’t know much about the Jamato, but one thing we do know, is that any damages they cause are reset at the end of the round.”

Neon’s face began to fill with hope, “So that means… if we can clear the game before Ren becomes a zombie…”

Ace smiled, “It’s not much, but the sooner we finish this round, the sooner Ren will be cured.” He looked Neon directly in the eyes, “Wouldn’t want your chance at freedom to be wasted.” With a final look towards Ren, Ace walked away.

Keiwa and Ren both reached into their bags and both handed Neon a buckle. The Boost Buckle, and the Dancer Buckle. Keiwa spoke up first, “Here, you can have this.”

Neon looked at the two with a confused expression, “W-Why?”

Keiwa smiled, “You need to be able to tell your fans about your successful escape with a smile.”

Ren smiled as well, “And you can’t do that if you are grieving over me. So we’re putting our faith in you to get this done quickly.”

Neon finally takes both of the buckles with a smile on her face.

Keiwa speaks again, “Besides, if my sister saw you crying on stream, she would be super sad.”

Neon laughed softly, “Would you not be sad as well to see me like that?”

“Of course I would. I care for you, Neon.” Keiwa then winked at the girl before walking away.

Neon’s face flushed red, and Ren watched Keiwa with a sense of pride.

Not bad Keiwa, not bad at all.

—

Na-Go performed a pirouette, creating a small whirlwind while sending out multiple bladed feathers. A large group of Jamato were defeated in an instant. She quickly ran into another street, seeing the entire road taken up by a massive hoard of zombies.

Na-Go pulled out the Boost Buckle, and slotted it into the left side of her driver.

“SET”

“DUAL ON”

The Boost leg armor was then slammed onto Na-Go legs.

“DANCER AND BOOST”
“READY?”

“Coming right up! Boost Na-Go!”

“FIGHT!”

Na-Go charged right into the hoard, leading with a volley of flaming kicks. In between each kick, she would swing her arms out to slash at other zombies, making a true performance out of this fight.

The zombies fell one after another, being burned to ash or cut to ribbons.

Taking a note from Crowsen, she began to perform a windmill. This one however was far more powerful, creating a flaming whirlwind. Her two bladed fans sent out a volley of bladed feathers. Her attack drew in zombies and then would pierce their bodies with a thousand feathers.
Na-Go was a natural with the Dancer Buckle.

Na-Go spun the fan on the buckle.

“SOMBA CHARGE”

Na-Go began to perform an elaborate dance, spinning and jumping while also tossing her fans occasionally. While she danced, flaming energy began to build around her like a flower waiting to bloom.

“TACTICAL BREAK”

She then performed a dramatic flourish, the flower blooming in full to reveal a flaming lotus that turned all zombies nearby to dust.

The other Riders, who were in the middle of fighting other hoards of zombies, looked on in amazement.

Crowsen stood nearby, having just cut down two other Jamato’s that avoided the large flame attack. Suddenly, he felt a surge of pain again and collapsed to the floor once more, his other visor cracking.

Dammit… Not yet…

There was a shout as Da-Paan began to charge the downed Crowsen, “I’M TAKING YOU DOWN WITH ME!”

Before he could reach Crowsen, Tycoon appeared and tackled Da-Paan to the ground, “Everyone deserves happiness! And you’re not going to take it away!”

Both infected Riders began to scream in pain. Tycoon began to panic, “We’re running out of time!”

Buffa meanwhile watched from a nearby walkway, having just tossed a zombie off with more approaching, “With this… Crowsen is also out of the game.”

Geats also watched from a nearby walkway.

Na-Go looked back towards the hoard, “No! Not Yet! It’s not over yet!”

Geats smirked, before activating his buckle.

“ZOMBIE STRIKE”

His clawed hand began to glow. He punched into the ground, and in front of Na-Go, all of the zombies were grabbed by many copies of the clawed hand, holding them in place.

Na-Go looked up at Geats, remembering what he told her last night. She nodded her head at him, before facing the hoard, “I’m not giving up… not until I get what I want!”

She then pressed the top of her buckle.

“REVOLVE ON”

She swapped the two buckles around, being lifted into the air until the armors were flipped. Now equipped with the hot red armor, and the pink and gold silken armor wrapped neatly around her legs. She landed back onto the ground, her bladed fans suddenly changing. Compared to their standard paper fan look, these ones now were ornate chakrams, with bits of flames coming off them.

Na-Go then revved the Boost Buckle and spun the Dancer Buckle.

“BOOST TIME”

Na-Go crouched down and began to charge her attack. Small floating lotuses made of fire appeared around her.

“DANCER BOOST GRAND VICTORY”

Then in a moment, she vanished, the only thing being heard was a series of slashes that left visible red lines in the air and across each Jamato. Each was also surrounded by the flaming lotuses.
She reappeared on the opposite side of the hoard, and in an instant, each of the lotuses exploded, and the Jamato were torn to shreds, leaving none standing.

Once she got up, the Boost Buckle began to heat up before flying off once again, forcing Na-Go to de-transform. The buckle flew off towards the sky, not before hitting Tycoon in the head.

Tsumuri’s voice then echoed throughout the area, “The mission is complete!”

Neon instantly ran over to Ren who also was back in his game attire. He rolled up his sleeve, and the infection slowly turned to dust, the pain disappearing. Ren looked up at the girl with a smile, “You did it!”

Keiwa ran over, instantly hugging the both of them, “You’re okay! You’re really okay!”

The three all laughed together, happy that the struggle was over.

Kanato meanwhile looked at everyone in disbelief.

Tsumuri appeared, walked down towards the road where everyone had gathered. “Excellent work out there!”

Moriuo shouted from a distance, “I’m cured! Thank goodness…”

Ace and Michinaga watched the group, with the bull themed Rider speaking up, “You could’ve just left him to die.”

Ace smirked as he walked past the trio, Neon quickly spoke up, “I mustered the courage thanks to you three… thank you so much! Ren… Keiwa… Ace.”

Keiwa shook his head, “No, that was all you.”

Ren nodded, “We just gave you a push in the right direction.”

The trio got up off the ground, each smiling happily.

Ren stretched, happy to no longer be feeling that awful pain, “Welp, I’m just happy everyone made it out alive.”

Ace looked at Kanato, “Not all of us.”

Michinaga smirked, “The lowest scoring player will be eliminated.”

Tsumuri pressed a few buttons on her tablet as a display of the rankings appeared next to her, “At the bottom of the rankings, we have…”

Geats - Ukiyo Ace - 180600 pt
Buffa - Azuma Michinaga - 136800 pt
Crowsen - Amamiya Ren - 118300 pt
Tycoon - Sakurai Keiwa - 92200 pt
Na-Go - Kurama Neon - 85400 pt
Mary - Koganeya Moriuo - 55400 pt
Da-Paan - Sumida Kanato - 52600 pt

“Da-Paan.”

Ace looked at Kanato, “If you actually played the game… you could have avoided this. There’s always a chance if you’re willing to fight for it. That’s how the Desire Grand Prix works.”

Tsumuri walked over to the high schooler, “I’m afraid this is where it ends for you.”

Kanato responded by letting out an insane sounding laugh, “Remember! Only one of you fucks will get out of this alive! I’m looking forward to the next failure to join me!” He continued to laugh louder and louder while blue digital effects covered his body.

Eventually, the effect covered his entire body, and in an instant he was gone. His driver dropping to the floor.

“RETIRED”

Tsumuri walked over and picked up the now empty driver. “With that, he has lost his Rider qualifications.” She then turned to face everyone, “And that’s it for today! I will see you next time!” And with that, she walked away.

The Riders were all transported back to wherever they entered the games at, with Ren and Neon appearing at the park they were at last night. “Thanks again for saving me, Neon.”

Neon smiled, “You saved me, only right to repay the favor.”

Ren then took out his phone, “I should probably call up my fiance to tell her we’re going to have a temporary house guest.”

Suddenly, he heard Lavenza speak to him in his head, “Trickster, I have come to inform you I have arrived at Leblanc.”

Good to hear! Just got done with round 2. I just need to give Futaba a quick call and then I’ll be on my way with a guest.

“That’s wonderful to hear… about your Hermit…”

Ren turned on his phone, and realized he had over 100 notifications.

…Lavenza…?

“I may have told your Hermit about what happened as a punishment for throwing your life away yet again.”

And sure enough, every single notification was from Futaba, and she was not happy.

Ren began to sweat heavily, Neon looking at Ren with a nervous expression, “I-Is something wrong?”

The only thing Ren said before receiving a phone call from Futaba was, “My fiance is going to kill me…”

—

Elsewhere, in a black void was a small metallic platform with multiple floating purple screens around it. Each screen showed a moment from the tournament so far. Many of them in particular focused on Geats, Buffa, and Crowsen.

Standing on the platform was a man wearing a mechanical white and red full face mask, and a long black cloak with a hood pulled up. He waved his hand, and paused the footage on three of the screens. One showed Geats, one showed Buffa, and one showed Crowsen.

“It is time.” They spoke with a robotic voice.

“The decisive battle nears.”

Chapter Text

“RRRREEEEEEEEENNNNN!!!”

The entire building of Leblanc shook from the immense amount of rage being produced from inside. The scream was so loud that it caused many stray cats and dogs to react.

Inside Leblanc, Futaba and Ren stood in the middle of the living room. The latter was in a 90 degree bow in front of the shorter girl. The former meanwhile was red in the face, a livid expression on her face. “FIRST YOU END UP HAVING TO STAY OVERNIGHT AT THE GAME AND DID NOT TELL ME! LEAVING ME AND MORGANA WORRIED SICK FOR YOU! THEN I LEARN THROUGH LAVENZA THAT YOU TRIED TO THROW YOUR LIFE AWAY AGAIN! HOW MANY TIMES DO WE HAVE TO TELL YOU TO STOP DOING THAT! YOUR LIFE IS IMPORTANT DAMMIT! I KNOW YOU HAVE YOUR PROTECTION THING, BUT THAT DOESN’T GIVE YOU AN EXCUSE TO BE RECKLESS!”

Meanwhile downstairs, Neon sat in a booth across from Lavenza, both with bits of luggage nearby. Despite the rage going on upstairs, the two couldn’t even make out what they were saying (Neon was unaware this was in thanks to Lavenza) so the two sat in awkward silence.

Neon looked at Lavenza with an awkward smile, “So… how do you know Ren?”

“Oh! Um, he’s… my… brother…” Lavenza responded, panicking internally.

“Oh! I didn’t think he had a sibling. W-Well it’s nice to meet you… I’m Ku- um… just… Neon.”

The two fell back into silence, awkwardly sipping some coffee.

Neon leaned over to Lavenza, “Does your brother really have that bad of a martyr complex?

Lavenza laughed, “Oh dear Neon, you have no idea…” She finished saying that with a far away look in her eyes.

A few more minutes passed and the shouting stopped. There was a shuffling of feet and the couple made their way downstairs, Ren looking very sheepish and wearing a shirt that said, “I was an idiot and pissed off my wife,” on it.

Futaba cleared her throat, “Sorry about that, my idiot of a fiance sometimes needs to be reminded his life isn’t worth throwing away just to help any person he comes across. Anyway, it’s nice to finally meet you Neon, I’m Sakura Futaba. Ren’s told me a lot about you.”

Neon stood up and bowed slightly, “I-It’s nice to meet you as well. T-Thank you for agreeing to let me stay here for a bit.”

“It’s nothing. Especially with what Ren told me, I’m more than happy to help. Thankfully our couch in the living room and in my office are fold out beds. Unfortunately Lavenza got here first so she got first dibs on the office one.”

“I-It’s fine… I don’t want to be a burden…”

“Nonsense! Mi casa es tu casa, as they say!”

Lavenza looked over at Ren with a concerned expression, “Will he be ok?”

Futaba looked over at Ren, gaining an sinister look, “He’ll get his proper punishment for what he did later~”

Ren flushed red while also gaining a slightly scared look on his face.

“Anyway!” Futaba continued, “Let’s get you both set up!”
—

A couple hours later, the two guests were properly set up in their respective places. They four, alongside Morgana, sat downstairs at the front counter while Ren made coffee and curry for everyone.

“So Ren, how come you never told me about your sister?” Asked Neon.

…

“What?” Responded Ren.

“You sister? How come you never told us about Lavenza?”

Futaba tried her best to not burst out laughing, while Ren was able to quickly recover, “Sorry about that. None of you ever asked if I had any siblings, and I had almost forgotten she was coming over for the summer during all the chaos.” He quickly gave a look towards Lavenza who was also looking away in embarrassment.

Ren looked over at a nearby clock, it was already 4 pm. “Welp… it’s too late to open… so Neon, I was wondering if you wanted your first training session for your new job.”

Neon looked over a little confused, but then remembered the conversation from the other day, “Oh right! Sure.”

“Great, grab an apron from over the rack. Futaba, Lavenza, think you two could be our taste testers?”

The two nodded as Neon put an apron on, nervously shuffling behind the counter.

Morgana looked over to Ren, “So what are you gonna start her with?”

Ren thought for a moment before snapping his fingers, “Let’s start with blue mountain, it’s the same kind Boss had me start with.”

Neon tilted her head, “Blue mountain? Is that some kind of latte?”

“Let me explain, it’s full name is Jamaican Blue Mountain. The Blue Mountains of Jamaica have a unique climate and volcanic soil advantageous for growing their famous high-quality coffee. The coffee undergoes a rigorous inspection process and is harvested in small quantities. This produces a rich coffee with a full aroma.”

Futaba snickered, “Sounding just like Boss with that Ren.”

Neon looked at the orangette, “And Boss is…?”

“My Dad, he started this place. He gave partial ownership to Ren here after he graduated college, now he spends more time at home relaxing.”

“Anyway,” Ren interjected, “Let’s get started.”

Some time passed, and after a lot of trial and error, Neon was able to produce four cups of coffee for the group to try.

Lavenza and Futaba tried theirs first. They didn’t spit it out so Neon’s nerves were calmed a bit. The two though said nothing, simply placing their cups back down and looking towards Ren. He took a long slow sip. One could hear a pin drop with how silent it was in the room.

“I’ll be honest,” Ren began, “This is definitely better than my first attempt.”

Neon sighed in relief as Futaba and Lavenza began to laugh a bit. Lavenza looked over at the cat themed Rider, “Sorry about our silence, we wanted to wait for Ren to give his opinion first. Plus, we wanted to mess with you a little bit.”

Ren spoke up, “Yeah sorry about that Neon.”

Futaba laughed a little, “Japanese is Ren’s second language. His primary language is fuckery.”

“You know, that explains a lot,” voiced Neon.

Ren looked at her a little surprised, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

The group then all began to laugh.

Neon was filled with joy. For the first time in her life, she was able to laugh alongside people who genuinely cared for her.
For the first time, it truly felt like she had a family.

Kurama Neon- Art. Rank 3
—

Perspective: Keiwa

After Keiwa arrived home from the end of Round 2, he instantly collapsed in his bed. When he awoke, it was morning the next day.

Despite the stress and chaos of the previous couple days, Keiwa felt well rested for once. He pulled out his phone, and decided to do another entry in his video diary.
“In the Desire Grand Prix, players transform into Kamen Riders, and fight the unknown Jamato threat to humanity. With our lives on the line we fight, hoping to survive. To win the game, and fulfill our dream of an ideal world. By the end of the second round, only six of us remain… I'm afraid… I might be next…”

“Coming in.” Said Sara, entering the room with a basket full of laundry.

Keiwa quickly hid his phone, grabbing some pamphlets for different companies he was trying to apply to.

“What were you talking about?” Sara asked.

“N-Nothing… It’s nothing…”

“Keiwa…” Sara said with a threatening tone. “You must be hiding something from me!”

Oh crap…

“Don’t tell me… you failed your interview again!?”

Keiwa sighed in relief, “Well, yeah… something like that.”

Sara slapped Keiwa on the shoulder, “Come on… you better ace it next time!”

“I’ll try.”

Sara then left the room.

Maybe I should pay Ren another visit…
—

Perspective: Michinaga

“Man, I’m just glad we made the deadline…” Said Toru, stretching a little as he and Michinaga walked away from a construction site towards Michinaga’s van.

“No time to relax,” began Michinaga, “We have a new project tomorrow.”

Tohru laughed, “Stoic as ever. Why are you still working here?”

“Do you need a reason to?”

“Oh, you’re the type to just work so you can get paid? It won’t hurt to have a dream or two, you know?”

“Dream?”

“Me, I want to build one huge landmark in my hometown!”

“In Inaba? Yeah right. You’re afraid of heights, Toru.” Michinaga laughed, turning away to start putting his equipment back into the van.

“I-I’ll get over that… somehow,” Toru flushed red. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure, “I’ll make my ideal world.”

“What did you say?” Michinaga quickly turned around.

Toru was nowhere in sight.

One of the other construction workers passed pay, “Is something wrong Michinaga? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

“N-No, it’s nothing…” Michinaga quickly got into his van before driving away.

“I’ll make my ideal world… Toru…”
—

Perspective: Ren

The next day, Ren decided to train Neon more while assisting with customers. There were many reactions to people seeing Neon behind the counter. Some were confused, some had no reaction, and many were shocked and surprised to see the streamer working.

Neon brought a new light to the cafe, welcoming every customer with a smile, trying her best to fulfill whatever coffee orders came her way, and she only managed to break one mug which is an improvement when compared to Ren and Futaba’s first day’s helping in the cafe.

Futaba spent the day in her office on call with Sohpia. The two were analyzing Ren’s driver, ID core, and Dagger Buckle while also looking for a way to fix the cracked ID core (which they dubbed the Lukura ID Core, a combination of the latin word for wolf Lupus with its wolf design on it, and its pink sakura flower color). The two have given up on trying to find more information about the DGP, and instead focused their efforts on the devices of the tournament, with the end goal being to try and see if they can make their own version of the Desire Driver and the Raise Buckles.

Morgana meanwhile wanted to see if he could find and locate Sumida Kanato to see what a person is like once they are retired from the game. Lavenza had decided to join him, wanting to both catch up with the embodiment of Humanities Hope, but also to see if she could help in his search

Around one in the afternoon, Keiwa entered Leblanc. He looked around until he noticed Neon. The two locked eyes in shock, “N-Neon!? You work here now?”

“Y-Yeah… Ren offered me a job a few days ago, remember?”

“O-Oh, right…”

The two stood there awkwardly. Ren eventually cleared his throat, “So! Keiwa, what brings you here today? Just wanting some more coffee and curry?”

Keiwa turned to face Ren, “Actually, I was hoping to more fully follow up on our deal.”

“Gotcha. Here, let me just close up for the day and we can get started.”

“I-It’s fine! I don’t want to force you to close early.”

“It’ll be fine. We had a busier than usual day so we won’t be losing any profits.”

Ren reached under the counter and handed an envelope to Neon, “Here’s your pay for today. You did really well for your first day.”

Neon stared at the envelope with amazement, “T-Thank you Ren!”

“Oh! Also, can you check with Futaba? She should have a gift for you.”

Neon nodded her head. She waved at Keiwa and made her way upstairs.

Ren snapped, “If we’re gonna be training, then we’re gonna need some training weapons. Let me grab some stuff, then we can head to Inokashira Park, there's plenty of space there.”
—

The two Riders eventually found themselves in Inokashira Park. Ren lead Keiwa to a open spot hidden by some trees. In his hands he clutched a large duffle bag. “Perfect! It’s still here. I used to use this spot to practice gymnastic routines with a friend of mine.” Ren then tossed the duffle bag to the floor.

Keiwa stared at it, “So why did you need to grab a duffel? Is it like weights and stuff?”

Ren couched down and began to open it, “Nope. If I’m going to train you how to fight better, then you need to learn how to fight.” Ren proceeded to pull out multiple weapons. A set of daggers, a mace, a whip, an elegant katana, a set of tonfa’s, an ax, a shortsword, and a rapier.

“R-Ren? W-Why do you have actual weapons!?”

“Hm? Oh these are fakes, don’t worry,” He took one of the daggers and poked the tip of it, showing it to be merely a prop, “They are made for combat, but not to kill. A friend of mine owns an airsoft shop and often sells these to cosplay groups, theater groups, and those simply looking for a self defense weapon. My friends and I wanted to learn how to fight and defend ourselves after my friend's wife… Well, something horrible happened to her when we were in high school, so we wanted to each get stronger to make sure nothing like that would ever happen again.” Ren had a very serious expression on his face.

Ren shook his head, “Anyway. These are all some more simple ones I keep around specifically for training. Each of us have our own we prefer, and we even have one we each made ourselves to best suit our fighting styles,” Ren reached behind his back and pulled out a sleek curved black dagger that almost shone in the light.

Keiwa could swear for a moment that he sensed an immense amount of power from the dagger.

Ren put the dagger away before speaking again, “So, which weapon do you want to train with first? I don’t have any scythes but an ax should be close enough. Or if you want to try a different weapon we could experiment for a bit.”

Keiwa looked over all of the weapons. He tried to imagine him using most of these, but each time nothing really clicked with him. However, he could see himself using the daggers and the katana. Both reminded him of his childhood dream of being a ninja. “How about the daggers?”

“Both of them?”

“Y-Yeah… I-I kind of wanted to be a ninja growing up… I think my sister even has a box somewhere that has some ninja stuff I made with paper as a kid…”

Ren thought for a moment, “Alright, but we’re starting you off with one dagger. You need to learn how to wield one before you move on to wielding multiple.” He then picked up both of the daggers lying on the floor and tossed one to Keiwa, who barely managed to catch it.

Ren then moved to one side of the clearing, getting into a battle stance, “Alright, get ready Keiwa!”
—

An hour later, Keiwa was collapsed on the floor sweating.

“Well done Keiwa,” spoke Ren, “You did well. Keep this up, and that desire for world peace will be yours.”

Keiwa sat up, “Y-Yeah…”

“Is something wrong Keiwa?”

“I-It’s just… isn’t my dream a little… stupid? I mean, who’s to say that wishing for world peace would fix everything. How would I be able to know if something long down the line will go wrong? And wouldn’t wishing for world peace just be… brainwashing?”

Ren sighed. He walked over to the boy and sat down next to him, “Do you remember the Phantom Thieves of Hearts?”

Keiwa tilted his head in confusion, “Y-Yeah? They were super popular when I was in high school, why are you bringing them up?”

“When they first began, people wondered how they were able to get people to confess to their crimes. Blackmail, extortion, brainwashing, etc. No one ever truly learned how they did it. But because of them, I got my own freedom back.”

“W-What?”

“In 2016, I was convicted of assault. I was simply walking home late one night from a friend's place, and I heard a woman screaming for help. I went to see what was up, and found a man trying to force the woman into his car. I stepped up to try and stop him. The man was clearly drunk. He tried to take a swing at me, but I dodged the punch, causing him to fall to the ground injuring himself. At that moment the police arrive. The man claimed I assaulted him… and the woman took his side out of fear… I was arrested and shipped off to Tokyo. I didn’t even know the man’s name. It wasn’t until December of that year that I would learn of the man who ruined my early life, Masayoshi Shido, the Phantom Thieves final target of 2016. They changed his heart, he confessed his crimes, and myself and many others were finally free… My life is better thanks to them. I don’t care if it was brainwashing or something like that. The lives of everyone are better thanks to him confessing.”

Keiwa sat there in silence, shocked by Ren’s story.

“But just because I was ok with it, doesn’t mean everyone would be ok with someone being brainwashed into confessing. Wishing for world peace would force everyone to play nice, force everyone to go about lives with no conflict, with no struggles, being nothing more than puppets on string…”

Keiwa looked ashamed.

“What I’m trying to say is… wanting world peace isn’t a bad thing. Using a reality altering wish to do it? Maybe not the best idea. We have no idea how they go about doing it, nor do we know if whoever is behind the DGP is able to alter the wish to benefit themselves… but I can tell your heart is in the right place. Maybe rethink things a bit. Let me ask you this: what does world peace mean to you?”

Keiwa thought for a minute or two, before answering, “A world where no one has to suffer from things like war, poverty, hunger, and are able to live normal lives.”

Ren smiled, “Then start small. Maybe see if you can work at a homeless shelter, or volunteer somewhere that helps the less fortunate. The Kirijo Group has an entire program called ‘The Arisato Foundation’ that focuses on helping children in the foster care system, and my friend Haru has been using her company to give free food to those who are unable to get food themselves and has even offered jobs to people who were living on the streets. World peace is a dream that likely won’t be a reality for a long time, but you can still do your part and help those around you, help those in your neighborhood, to just help whoever you can. Get what I’m saying?”

Keiwa looked conflicted, “Y-Yeah… I just… need some time to think about this…”

“Of course. I’m not trying to convince you to change your mind, or give up on your dream. But to maybe just take a step back and think about what you, Keiwa, can do to achieve that dream.”

Keiwa smiled, “Thank you Ren… I needed that.”

Ren felt their bond growing.

Sakurai Keiwa- The Magus. Rank 2

Suddenly, Keiwa’s phone began to ring. He checked it and instantly shot up, “Oh crap! I forgot I was supposed to stop by the store to grab stuff for dinner! S-Sorry Ren, I have to go!” He began to make his way out before turning back and bowing, “Thanks again Ren.” And with that he left.

Ren smiled as he watched the boy leave. He gathered up all of the equipment he brought, noticing Keiwa had forgotten to give the other knife back.

I’ll just consider it a gift to him… hopefully it doesn’t get him into trouble… oh well.

Ren then left, slowly making his way back to Leblanc.

Chapter Text

As Ren began his journey back home, he felt his phone begin to ring. He looked to see who it was, but all that was there was a phone number. Ren then pressed the answer button, “Hello?”

“Hey Crowsen,” Said the voice of Ace.

“Ace? How did you get my number?”

Ace chuckled, “I’m a celebrity, finding the number of a simple cafe owner isn’t exactly difficult.”

“Fair enough, so what’s up?”

“‘What’s up?’ Am I not allowed to call you just because?”

Ren just stared at the phone in silence.

Ace sighed, “Fair enough. I was wanting to see if you wished to meet up. We haven’t had the chance to further our deal yet.”

“Oh yeah, of course. I’m free to do that. You got a place in mind?”

“You know the Rainbow Bridge?”

“The Rainbow Bridge? Are you asking me on a date Ace?”

Ace laughed loudly, “You wish. No, it just seemed like a good destination, and I happen to already be nearby it. So, what do you say?”

“Let me just drop some stuff at home real quick and I’ll be right there.”

“Great, see you soon.” Ace then ended the call.
—

An hour or so later, Ren had finally made it to the Rainbow Bridge. His mind is filled with memories of the many hangouts he had here with a few of his other friends, especially his talks with Ohya while trying to help her with her articles.

He walks along the walkway for a bit until he sees Ace sitting on a bench, looking out into the water with a small grocery bag next to him.

For Ren, this is the strangest thing he has seen so far from the celebrity. The Star of the Stars of the Stars, sitting casually on a bench while drinking canned coffee.

Ren called out, “There you are, was wondering where I would find you.”

Ace turned and smiled at Ren, “Pleasure to see you, Crowsen. Come take a seat.” He patted the empty space on the bench next to him.

Once Ren was seated, Ace handed him a wrapped onigiri. Ren gave him a confused look, “I got hungry on the way here. Your coffee and curry have ruined all other beverages and foods for me, so I had to settle for the cheap stuff.”

Ren laughed, taking the food, “Sorry, it kind of has that effect on people. Come by Leblanc sometime and I can make you more, or if you ask nicely, I can even make you something besides curry.”

Ace laughed slightly, “I’ll be sure to take you up on that offer sometime.”

The two stared out into the water in silence.

…

Ren eventually spoke up, “Why did you invite me here?”

Ace sighed, leaning back on the bench, “To be honest? Because I wanted somewhere quiet to talk. I would have taken you to my preferred relaxing spot, but it would have been difficult to get myself and another person to a rooftop in Shibuya.”

Ren smirked, “You underestimate me. I’ll have you know stealth and getting into places I shouldn’t be is one of my specialties.”

Ace raised an eyebrow, “Oh really? Is your cafe just a front for a thieves guild?”

“Possibly, you would have to pass initiation first.”

“And what would this initiation entail?”

“Different for each person. For you Ace,” Ren flicked his hand up, revealing the Geats ID core. Ace’s eyes went wide as he immediately checked the pocket he normally kept it in. “Steal my ID core off of me, and you’ll pass the test.” He smirked, handing the stolen ID core back.

Ace smirked back, “Challenge accepted.” After putting the ID core back in its place, Ace continued to speak, “Where did you learn all of these skills? Leadership, combat prowess, acrobatics, stealth, and sleight of hand. The skills of a thief.”

Ren leaned forward, “How about this, during our hangouts, we each get to ask each other one personal question about each other, and we must answer it. You agree to this, and I’ll tell you how I got so good at being a thief.” Ren held his hand out.

Ace shook it, “Deal.”

Ren leaned back, “Growing up, I was always a trouble maker. I would pull pranks on my friends, cheat off other people's tests, things like that. I did it so much that I naturally became light on my feet. I eventually learned sleight of hand and how to lockpick as a hobby. During high school, a girl who eventually married a friend of mine had something horrible happen to her that drew her to attempt to take her own life. All of my friends and I vowed to never let anything like that happen to us ever again, so we all learned self defense. Eventually we moved on to learning weapon styles. My friends jokingly started to call me ‘Leader,’ and after a while it stuck.”

Ace was quiet for a bit before speaking, “Interesting. Would this at all relate to what you said when you were infected by the zombie virus? About all of the pain you went through in your life?”

Ren was silent, a distant look in his eyes. “Only one question for our hangouts, remember?”

Ace sighed, “Next time then… I guess it’s your turn.”

Ren didn’t even have to think before asking his question, “Clearly you have competed in the DGP before. You saved Keiwa and Neon in the last one, and have a rivalry with Michi-chan. Just how many times have you competed?”

Ace thought for a few minutes, his face in deep contemplation, “At this point I have lost count…”

What!?

“I’ve been competing since I was a teenager. In that time I have met all different kinds of people and have seen all different kinds of desires. At this point I’ve seen just about everything someone could wish for. World peace, true love, cure diseases, cause suffering, I’ve seen it all. And each time either they die, or they are retired.”

Ren stammered for a second, “But… how? Every single game since then? Just how many times have you won? How long has this game gone on for?”

Ace laughed, “Already trying to break your own rule?”

Ren shut his mouth.

Ace smirked, “I’ll give you this however, the reason I have competed every single time… is because of my first ever desire.”

Ren’s eyes widened. Ace stood up and stretched, “Thanks for agreeing to meet with me Crowsen. I would love to talk more, but I have to be up early to meet with the construction company working on my house. I’ll see you at the next round.”

Ren felt their bond grow.

Ukiyo Ace- Aeon. Rank 2

Ace flinched slightly, “...what’s an… Aeon…?”

Before Ren could react, Ace walked away.

The more I learn about you, the more questions I have…
—

Perspective: Ace

“This is one big house, built on an even bigger plot!” Said the director

The day after his talk with Crowsen, Ace met with a camera crew outside of his house. It was a large white wooden structure that was soon going to be expanded in size.

Ace stood in front of his house, “Just one of many. I’m bored, so I figured I might as well renovate this place.”

“Truly fitting for the Star of the Stars of the Stars! Right?” Said the director with a cheery voice.

At this point, a van pulled up.

“Is that the workers?” asked the director.

Sure enough, multiple construction workers stepped out of the van. One of them just happened to be a familiar bull themed Kamen Rider.

One of the workers looked around and was shocked, “Wait, isn’t that Ukiyo Ace?!”

Michinaga looked in disbelief.

Ace smirked, “Well I’ll be…”

“Why are you here?” Asked Michinaga

“What an honor, I didn’t expect you to be the one working on my house.”

“Did you just say ‘my’...? It’s yours!?”

“And we’re filming it!” he looked towards the director, “What’s the name of the show again?”

“It’s called ‘House Fixer’!”

The rest of the workers started talking about how they watch that show. Michinaga meanwhile glared at Ace.
—

An hour later, Ace stood in his backyard while people worked around him, “The air is nice here.”

Michinaga marched over to Ace with an annoyed look on his face, “Acting all high and mighty as always, like you’re a big shot.”

“Perks for being a winner, unlike you. If you don’t like it, you’re always free to win the game and get your wish granted.” Ace smirked.

“I won’t lose again… especially not to you!”

“As angry as ever, I see. Is it because I am wearing red today?” He motioned to the red button up shirt he was wearing.

“Stop treating me like a bull!”

“I can feel it, you know. From the moment we first met. I know you have something against me. Something different.

“And it’s something a cocky movie star like you will never get!”

Suddenly, both of their Rider phones began to ring. Checking it, there was a message saying that the next round will begin tomorrow.

Ace smirked once more, “They’re calling for us tomorrow. You’re busy working on my place, right? Want to just forfeit?” Ace then began to walk away.

“You wish. I’ll get your place fixed in no time, just watch!”

Chapter Text

“We have confirmed a new Jamato presence.”

All the remaining Riders stood on the floating platform with Tsumuri giving the mission briefing. The screen behind her showed a pier, with card themed Jamato’s attacking couples.

“We will begin the third round of the Desire Grand Prix. This time, it will be a game of Pairs!”

Ace spoke up, “Pairs… as in the card game where you look for pairs?”

“Exactly that,” said Tsumuri, “For this round, your target will be Trump Jamatos.”

The screen behind her showed more live footage of the attack, “They are known for attacking couples on known date spots, separating them and then taking them to their base.”

Neon gasped, “That’s just terrible!”

Tsumuri nodded her head, “For this round…” She then proceeded to pull out a medium sized box with the DGP logo on it out of nowhere, “We will use the Duo format, with your partner decided by a lottery.”

“Duo?” Asked Moriuo.

Michinaga scoffed, “A team battle where we need to pair up, huh.”

Ren smirked, “This should be fun, I haven’t had a chance to fight alongside some of you yet.”

Tsumuri continued, “Your mission is to eliminate all Jamato presence. You will again be scored for this round. The pair with the lowest score by the end of the round will be eliminated.”

Neon’s eyes went wide, “Wait, there's gonna be two eliminations!?”

Ace simply smirked, “You’re on.”

Tsumuri smiled, “Before we begin the lottery, there is a small surprise for today's mission.”

“Eh?” everyone said in unison.

“Two of you won’t be paired with another player. Instead, you will be paired with a member of our Desire Grand Prix staff.”

“Eh!?” said everyone in unison, again.

“We will now begin the lottery. The winner of the last round gets the first pick. Now…”

“That’d be me,” said Ace. He walked up and put his hand into the box, after rummaging around, he pulled out a card with Na-Go’s symbol on it. “Na-Go.”

“I get to team up with Ace!?” Neon said with a smile.

“Next…” Tsumuri spoke up.

Michinaga walked up next, rummaging around, he pulled out a card with Tycoon’s symbol on it. “Tycoon, huh…”

Keiwa looked nervous, “My partner… is you?”

“Next…” Tsumuri continued.

Ren walked up next, before he could reach into the box, Tsumuri pulled out a deck of cards. “Since you and Mary are the only two remaining, you will instead pick a card from this deck, each having the symbol of a different member of the Desire Grand Prix staff.”

Tsumuri shuffled the deck before holding it out to Ren. He picked a card near the bottom of the deck. Looking at his card, it had the symbol of a silver long beaked raven.

“Kamen Rider Ravkaw!” said Tsumuri.

“ENTRY”

Appearing next to Ren suddenly was a Rider with a silver raven helmet, with long braided blond hair attached to the back. The Rider was already transformed. He also had a silver shoulder cape covering his right shoulder.

Everyone jumped at his sudden appearance, Moriuo even exclaiming, “He’s already transformed!?”

Tsumuri nodded, “The staff behind the mask don’t want their identity public, I’m afraid.”

Ren walked back to the group with Ravkaw following close behind. The staff’s movements almost felt formulaic, trying to show no sign of a personality.

Moriuo then drew a card, the symbol on his showed the panda helmet design from Da-Paan, but it was instead colored a bright orange.

“Kamen Rider Punkjack!” Said Tsumuri.

“ENTRY”

Appearing next to Moriuo was a Rider with a round orange helmet that looked like a pumpkin. On his back was a short orange cape.

“The pairs are as follows…”

Geats - Na-Go
Tycoon - Buffa
Crowsen - Ravkaw
Mary - Punkjack

“For this round, each pair will be given a treasure box. You have to decide how to use it. And with that… the mission starts!”

Each pair is then suddenly transported to a different part of the pier.

Ace and Neon were transported to the waterfront.
Keiwa and Michinaga were transported to a garden.
Ren and Ravkaw were transported to a children's park.
And Moriuo and Punkjack were transported to a small stadium.

Each team noticed a treasure box spawn nearby.

Neon ran over to their treasure box, finding a yellow buckle with a claw design on it, “Is this… a claw?”

Ace hummed, “It’s the Claw Buckle. You can use it, Na-Go. Should pair well with the Dancer Buckle.”

“Are you sure?”

“Our team will be more balanced that way, with you on the front lines while I provide support from a range.”

“Oh Ace, you handsome fox!”
—

Meanwhile in the stadium, Moriuo found an orange buckle with a ball and chain design on it. “Ball and chain? Finally, an actual weapon!”

Punkjack walked closer, staring at the buckle.

“What? You wanted it?”

Punkjack slowly turned to look at Moriuo.

“Fine…” Moriuo took out the Shield Buckle, “You can take this, Mr. Halloween. Here. Block something with it, whatever.

Punkjack took it, saying nothing.
—

In the playground, Ren opens the box to find a purple buckle with a lance on it. “Going by the naming scheme, must be the Lance Buckle.” He quickly takes it and hands it to Ravkaw, “Here you go, can’t leave my fellow bird Rider defenseless.” Ren smirked as he finished that sentence.

Ravkaw just stared at Ren, begrudgingly taking the Lance Buckle.

“Not one for jokes I see. Well sorry for you, but my friends call me ‘Joker’ for a reason.” Ren laughed at his own joke.

Ravkaw shook his head slowly in disapproval.
—

Over in the garden, Keiwa opened the box to find the Boost Buckle, “Boost Buckle! What a lucky drop.”

Michinaga looked surprised, “Again? That’s like what, three times in a row?”

Keiwa chuckled nervously, “And I’ve never used it, not even once.”

Michinaga scoffed, “I can’t tell if you’re lucky or not.”

The two then heard screams from nearby. Turning around, they saw a crowd of civilians running from a pair of Jamato’s.

“We have to help them!” Shouted Keiwa. He then ran towards the Jamato, pulling out the Specter Buckle, “Henshin!”

"SPECTER”

“Time to get some points!” Michinaga said while running into the battle, pulling out the Magnum Buckle, “Henshin!”

“MAGNUM”

“READY? FIGHT!”

The two Riders then began their fight. Tycoon quickly separated the two Jamato’s from each other, pushing one of them away with his scythe.

The one that was pushed away was quickly tackled by Buffa using the horns on his helmet, causing the Jamato to flip into the air.

When it landed, the symbol of a Jack card flashed before getting back up to fight.

Tycoon meanwhile dodged a strike from the other Jamato, grabbing its spear and causing it to fall to the ground. Tycoon used this advantage to slash the Jamato across its chest. When he did this, the symbol of an Ace card flashed. Tycoon was confused by the spectral symbol.

On the other side of the road they were on, Buffa pinned the Jack Jamato to the wall, causing it to crack a little. Keeping it pinned with his foot, he pulled out his rifle and slotted his buckle into it.

“MAGNUM TACTICAL BLAST”

He then fired a powerful shot point blank into the Jamato. The wall behind it was even further cracked from the force of the shot. The Jamato fell over, defeated.

“That was too easy,” Buffa smirked, walking away.

Behind him however, the Jack symbol flashed again on the Jamato, and it got back up like nothing had happened.

Buffa turned back shocked by this, “What the!?”

The Jack Jamato then ran away.
—

Over by the waterfront, Geats, equipped with the Zombie Buckle, and Na-Go, equipped with the Claw Buckle and the Dancer Buckle, were currently fighting off two Jamato’s of their own.

Geats blocked a slash from the Jamato’s spear, he then quickly slashed it across its chest. The Jamato retaliated by attempting to stab Geats in the head. He however dodged it at the last second by tilting his head.

Na-Go meanwhile was sitting on a Jamato’s shoulder, slashing at it with her claws like a cat. With a powerful slash, the Jamato fell, causing her to fall to the floor. She managed to quickly recover, using the momentum to perform a flip and deliver a powerful kick. The attack should have knocked the Jamato out, instead a diamond symbol flashed, and it got back up like nothing happened.

Geats kicked the Jamato he was fighting away. He jumped up into the air and brought his chainsword down upon it. The Jamato collapsed, a heart symbol suddenly flashing. Geats looked at it confused, until the Jamato got back up and charged him.

“POISON CHARGE”

Geats reacted quickly, charging his blade. Right as the Jamato got close, he delivered an explosive attack.

“TACTICAL BREAK”

The attack should have cut the Jamato in half, however it only collapsed to the floor, the heart symbol appearing again.

The two Jamato’s did an odd dance, and ran off.

Na-Go just looked confused, “What the heck is going on?”

Geats walked over, “I think there’s a secret to this game.”
—

Over at the playground, Crowsen was fighting off two Jamato’s by himself using the Dagger Buckle.

The two attempted to stab at him with their weapons at the same time. Crowsen reacted by bringing his left foot up and pressing down on their weapons right before they hit him, forcing them to stab their weapons into the ground.

Crowsen rolled away as the two Jamato’s struggled to take their weapons out.

He looked towards the top of the playground set and shouted, “Now!”

Ravkaw, now armed with the usual armor of an armed buckle, this one being more purple in design with the lance symbol on it. Ravkaw clutched the lance in his left hand, a purple energy glowing around it. He jumped off the structure and dived towards the two Jamato’s. As he landed, he slashed the lance across the pair, knocking the two out.

As the two Jamato collapsed, they both flashed a symbol, one flashing a heart and the other flashing an ace symbol.

The two Riders looked confused, watching the two Jamato’s get back up and run away. Ravkaw was about to run after them, until Crowsen placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him, “Don’t. Chasing after them would only waste energy.”

Ravkaw looked back annoyed. Crowsen only smirked, “I think I figured out the secret of this round.”

Chapter Text

After the Jamato all fled, the Riders were summoned back to the break room. Each Rider, excluding the two staff members, all de-transformed.

Ren, Keiwa, and Neon all collapsed on one of the couches together, with Keiwa sighing, “Man, I’m beat… I think I might still be sore from our training session Ren…”

Ren laughed softly, “Sorry about that…”

Neon looked at the two, “You guys think I could join next time…? If these rounds are only going to get tougher, then I need to get stronger…”

“As long as Keiwa is cool with it…” Said Ren, “I’m gonna need to stop by Untouchable to get some new training weapons then…”

“I should be fine with that…” Spoke up Keiwa, “Who knows, it might be even more fun having you there Neon…”

Neon blushed slightly before relaxing back on the couch.

Michinaga meanwhile stared at the scoreboard, everyone having zero points.

Moriuo laughed, “Looks like we all got stuck.”

Michinaga ignored his comment, “What is happening?” He sighed, eventually finding a seat on the couch opposite of the trio.

Keiwa shuffled over to his partner, “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask. You use Magnum, but why are you using it for melee combat?

“I just like getting up close.” Michinaga responded, pulling out the Magnum Buckle, “Zombie fits me better.”

Ren laughed slightly, “Is it because you like picking fights with people, Michi-chan?”

Michinaga stands up suddenly, “You got a problem?”

Ren just laughed some more. Keiwa meanwhile sighed, “If you want Zombie that badly… give me that.” Keiwa then takes the Magnum Buckle out of Michinaga’s hands before walking over to Ace who sat at the bar.

While this was happening, Neon sighed, “How are we even supposed to get any points during this round?”

Ren stopped laughing, and smirked at Neon, “This is a game of pairs, and we are going against card themed Jamato’s. Just think about it a little.”

Neon thought for a moment before her eyes went wide, “Wait… you don't mean-!” Before she could finish speaking, Ravkaw walked over and bumped the couch. Neon looked back annoyed while Ren just chuckled, “I don’t think my bird of a feather wants you spilling our secrets.”

Ravkaw just shook his head in annoyance before walking away.

Keiwa meanwhile tapped Ace on the shoulders, “Hey, want to trade? The Magnum Buckle for the Zombie Buckle?”

Ace clicked his tongue, “And what do I get out of this?”

“What? It’s an equal trade, Magnum is just as powerful as Zombie!”

At this point, everyone was now listening.

Ace smirked, “It is… even more so when I use it.”

Keiwa raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“Each ID core has buckles that suit them best. For Geats, it's Magnum. For Buffa, it’s Zombie. And we get more power from it. Of course, that doesn’t mean anything if the user isn’t skilled enough.”

Keiwa sighed once more, pulling out the Armed Arrow Buckle, “Fine, then how about I throw in this as well? Two ranged options, and I’m certain combining these two could lead to some powerful shots.”

Ace looked at the two buckles and smiled, “Deal.” He swiped the Magnum and Arrow buckles before handing over the Zombie Buckle.

Keiwa smiled and walked back to the rest of the group, holding out the Zombie Buckle to Michinaga.

Michinaga just looked confused, “What’s the meaning of this?”

Keiwa just held it closer to Michinaga, “You use it best, and you get more power from it. If we’re gonna win this, then we need to be as powerful as possible. Besides,” Keiwa reached into a hidden pocket on his jacket and pulled out the Boost Buckle, “I’ve still got this, and I intend to use it.”

Everyone besides Michinaga just looked at Keiwa in surprise.

Neon shouted out, “You got the Boost Buckle!? Again!?”

Ren spoke next, “What the hell is your Luck stat?”

Ace just looked at the two buckles in his hands, “Huh, I didn’t think someone could outwit me.”

Keiwa just smirked, “Foxes aren’t the only tricksters. Tanuki’s can be pretty shifty, too!”

Ren stood up and performed a martial arts bow, “You have learned well, my pupil.”

Keiwa laughed before bowing back in a similar fashion, “Maybe one day the student can surpass the master.”

Ren patted Keiwa on the shoulder, “And I can’t wait for that day.”

Michinaga clicked his tongue, “I guess you aren’t so useless after all. Doesn’t change a thing though.”

Keiwa sighed, “We’re on the same time, we have to work together.”

“I would never.”

“Why do you have to make everyone your enemy?”

Michinaga looked over the three closest to him, “You rookies don’t get it yet. Only one of us can win, only one of us can get our wish granted.”

“Who did you lose?” Ren asked with a serious expression.

Michinaga quickly got up and stormed out of the room, refusing to say a word.

The other two looked at Ren, with Keiwa speaking up first, “What did you mean by that?”

Ren sighed, “He spoke with the tone of someone who lost someone close to them, someone who learned only one person can win, the hard way…”
—

After Michinaga stormed out, he leaned against one of the walls in the hallway, trying to slow his breathing. He looked at the Zombie Buckle.

His mind flashed back to what Toru said, about making his ideal world.

He remembered the night he lost everything, when two Riders brutally murdered Toru, who was also a Rider, just because they could.

He remembered as Geats fought off some Jamato’s, and looked at the scene, refusing to do anything to help.

As his mind flashed back, a tear fell down his face. “What the hell do you know about me… Crowsen…”
—

Back in the breakroom, Ren continued to relax on the couch while Neon and Ace left to do some training in one of the training rooms… which they apparently had.

Did we always have training rooms? How come we were never told about them? What other rooms are there?

“Trickster,” the voice of Lavenza cut off his thoughts, “You’re rambling again.”

S-Sorry Lavenza… How are things going back home?

“Quite well. Your Hermit and Hope are still analyzing the Lukura ID core. They are also making plans to take scans of your Driver and buckles to see if they can perhaps replicate them.”

Knowing those two? They’ll have a custom made Driver with compatible buckles ready by the end of the month.

Lavenza laughed softly, “Indeed. They are already bouncing around names for their version of the Desire Driver and Raise Buckles. The most recent vetoed idea was ‘Heart Driver’ and ‘Arcana Buckles’ as they apparently didn’t feel right.”

Speaking of compatible buckles, I was just reminded about how certain buckles pair well with certain ID cores, even providing extra powers.

“That is correct.”

Any idea what the one best paired with the Crowsen ID core is?

“I am unable to tell you its exact name. However, I can reveal it is an extremely rare buckle to encounter, and would play well to your Wild Card abilities.”

Noted.

“One more thing about buckles, something not even aware to the Desire Grand Prix, is that Kamen Riders have a second buckle that pairs best to them.”

A second buckle? And how would the DGP not know of it?

“As it is not a physical connection between devices, but instead a metaphysical one.”

Like with our personalities? Almost like Persona’s?

“Correct. Three of your allies have already connected to their secondary buckles. Aeon having connected to the Boost Buckle due to his grand ambitions and flashy personality. Art connecting to the Dancer Buckle because of her desire for freedom. And the Magus connected to the Specter Buckle due to the storm of emotions he has within him.”

Good thing I let Neon and Keiwa keep those buckles… but with Keiwa I’m really gonna have to watch out for him if that's the case. If his secondary buckle is one that resembles a grim reaper, then I need to help him however I can… I can’t let anyone go down a path similar to Akechi’s…

“That would be a smart idea. Your Justice has gone through immense pain all throughout his life, and was only able to find peace at the end of your Councillor’s reality. It would be wise to prevent something similar to happen to the Magus.”

Anyway, before I go, anything you can tell me about my secondary buckle?

Lavenza sighed, “I can see your smirk from Leblanc… all I can say is that it will play into your natural talents perfectly.”

Thanks Lavenza. Anyway, I’m gonna go check out those other rooms we apparently have. Talk to you later sis.

“You are welcome Trickster- wait what did you call me!?” Lavenza asked in shock. Ren could imagine the flushed face of the young girl in his head.
—

Elsewhere in the facility, Ace and Neon were standing in what looked like a practice room one might find in a dance studio. Both wore more casual workout attire with their Drivers on as well.

Ace was looking over his Rider phone, while Neon looked around the room, “Wow, where are we?”

“This is a training room, accessible from the lounge. Land, sea, air… you name it, there’s a room for it.”

Neon had a look of surprise before she smiled, starting to stretch a little, “Well, what are we training for?”

“You’re good at dancing, right? I saw your dancing streams, and you seem to be a natural with the Dancer Buckle.”

“I don’t know if I’m good, but I definitely enjoy dancing to the beat! Breakdancing, hip hop, ballet, slow dancing, you name it!”

“Perfect.” Ace smirked, pressing a button on his phone. Suddenly, two basic Jamato’s spawned in the room, both wearing aprons with the Desire Grand Prix logo on it.

Neon hid behind Ace in shock, screaming a bit as she did so, “Jamato!? Why are they here!?”

Ace laughed, “It’s virtual Jamatos made for training.”

“Eh?”

“Let’s turn on the music,” Ace pressed another button, and music filled the room.

”Let’s start the Trickster game.”
—

An hour later, and the Riders were all summoned back to the floating platform. The Jamato had begun to attack once more, and all Riders were transported to where they first were teleported in the round.

Keiwa and Michinaga ended up spawning near the center of the garden this time, where a large fountain sat, and couples running in terror from the Jamato’s.

One of the couples fell, and Keiwa moved to assist them, “Are you ok!?” He helped them get up, and moved to confront the threat alongside his partner.

Meanwhile, back on the floating platform, Tsumuri watched all four teams on floating screens, “Now… will they get it this time? Mission start!”

Back with Keiwa and Michinaga, the two both slotted in their buckles.

“Henshin!” The two shouted in unison.

“SPECTER”
“ZOMBIE”

“READY? FIGHT!”
—

In the stadium, Mary began to swing his spiked ball and chain, right as he was about to attack a Jamato, Punkjack appeared and tackled the Jamato with his shield.

Mary sighed as he watched the fight, “Seriously… stop fighting by yourself!”

Punkjack ignored him, beginning to punch and kick the two nearby Jamato’s.
—

Over in the park, Crowsen and Ravkaw, both perched in a tree, watch two matching Jamato’s look around the park confused. They sniff the ground hoping they will find something.

As soon as they get close enough, the two Riders press on their buckles.

“LANCE STRIKE!”
“DAGGER STRIKE!”

The two Riders leap off the trees, their weapons glowing. The Jamato’s turn back in shock but before they are able to do anything, one is slashed down the middle of the body with a dagger, and another is pierced clean through by a lance.

The Riders leap away, and watch as both Jamato’s flash a Heart symbol. The symbol glows, and the two Jamatos explode, successfully defeated.

“Score Up”

Crowsen de-transform, letting out a sigh of relief, “I’m glad that worked out. You fight well Ravkaw, if you weren’t a staff member I would even want to fight with you some more.” Ren held his hand up wanting to perform a high five.

He watched as Ravkaw moved to lift his arm up, but paused, quickly lowering it and walking away.

What was that about?
—

Outside of the stadium, Ace and Neon ran past fleeing citizens, watching a pair of Jamato’s make their way towards the citizens.

Ace smirked, “It’s a game of pairs, only one way to win.” He then pulled out the Magnum Buckle.

Neon nodded her head, “We need to defeat two Jamato’s of the same suit, at the same time.” She then pulled out the Dancer and Armed Claw buckles.

“SET”

“Henshin!” The two shouted in unison.

“ARMED CLAW AND DANCER”
“MAGNUM”

“Now,” Said Geats, “Time for the highlight!”

Na-Go raised a claw, “Okay! Let's get some music in here!” She pressed a button on her phone, and music began to play.

”Let’s start the Trickster game.”

“READY? FIGHT!”

Geats flick his left hand, a barrel of a gun appearing on his arm. He aimed both guns at the Jamato’s and began to fire to the beat of the music.

Na-Go ran forward, sliding under the line of fire. She performed a backwards cartwheel, kicking the two Jamato’s into the air.

Geats held his fire until the two monsters were at the peak of their flight, once they were, he continued his gun fire, juggling the targets in the air.

Na-Go pressed on the Claw Buckle.

“CLAW STRIKE!”

Jumping into the air, her two claws glowed. Right as Geats stopped his fire, Na-Go slashed the two Jamato’s causing them to slam into the ground. The two Jamato’s landed right on top of each other.

Upon landing on the ground, Na-Go backflipped towards Geats. While in the air, she pressed on her driver and spun her buckles around.

“REVOLVE ON”

Once she landed, she now wore the Dancer armor with the Claw armor on her left leg. The Dancer fans were modified to look like a fan made of three sharp pointed blades. Na-Go spun the fan on the Dancer Buckle, and Geats inserted the Magnum Buckle into his rifle.

“SOMBA CLAWED CHARGE!”
“MAGNUM TACTICAL BLAST!”

Geats’s rifle began to charge powerful energy, while Na-Go’s fans glowed a bright light as she began to dance and spin in place, wind gathering around the fans. At the same time, the two both released their attacks. A powerful laser shot pierced both Jamato’s while a cluster of wind was thrown at them, exploding with a powerful gust filled with small bladed feathers.

The two Jamato’s exploded, the song coming to an end.

There was a brief flash of a Diamond symbol coming from both targets. The symbol glowed before shattering.

“Score Up”

Chapter Text

Afterwards, all Riders were summoned back to the break room. The score board updated to show that Ace, Neon, Ren, and Ravkaw all had 200 points.

The white suited man stood in front of it smiling, “Good work out there, everyone. Four Jamato’s still elude us. We don’t know when they will appear. You are to wait here on standby until further notice.” He bowed before making his exit.

Ace began to walk over to the bar, “Let’s get something to eat.”

Ren perked up at this, “Hey Ace, do you happen to know if there is a kitchen we can use?”

Ace turned back, “Yeah. Should be fully stocked with just about anything you could need. Why? Gonna treat us all?”

“You know it.” Ren got up and went out into the hallway, hoping to find wherever a kitchen might be.

Michinaga meanwhile scoffed, glaring daggers at Ace, “Just you wait…”

Moriuo cried out in distress, “I can’t win with this bear as my partner!” He then hit Punkjack’s chest in anger. Once he turned away, Punkjack backhanded Moriuo’s neck.

Neon laughed as she watched this, “I mean, Ren seems to be working fine with Mr. Raven over there,” she pointed to Ravkaw, who stood in the corner of the room glaring at everyone, “Maybe you just need to train with your partner some more?”

The white suited man reammerged, looking at Moriuo, “Do you think you got unlucky? If that’s the case, I have something just for you.” He turned the tablet he was holding around to reveal an item called “Special Ticket.” “With Desire Money accumulated through playing the game… you can buy a special ticket. With it, you can reroll the lottery.”

Neon stood up in protest, “No way! I don’t want to change teams!”

The white suited man turned towards the cat themed Rider, “Please do not worry, points are counted individually. If you do change teams, you will keep the points you already have. Of course, it matters not when you have zero points to begin with.”

Michinaga clicked his tongue, “Don’t mess with me. I don’t need your pity.” He then stormed out of the room.
—

Michinaga wandered the halls, hoping to find a decent space to let out his anger. Suddenly, the smells of spices hit his nose. Curious, he followed the smell until he ended up in the facility's kitchen. In there was Ren, no longer wearing his jacket, wearing a simple black long sleeve with a gold colored DGP logo on it. On Top of his clothing was a simple apron that also had the DGP logo on it. “What are you doing?” Michinaga asked aloud.

Ren turned back, a little shocked that someone else was now in the room. “Oh! Michi-chan, surprised to see you. Just working on some of my famous Leblanc curry for the group.”

Michinaga scoffed, “Stop calling me that… and what the hell is a ‘Lebanc’?”

“It’s a cafe I own. Well, half own, my father in law started the place and gave me partial ownership when I finished college. Our specialty is coffee and curry.”

“What kind of combination is that?”

“One scientifically proven to be perfect. Literally. Here, could you hand me that bottle of wine over there?” Ren pointed to a bottle of red wine that was left on the other side of the room.

“Why should I help you?”

“Help me with this and I’ll make sure you have a bigger portion than Ace.”

Michinaga scoffed before doing what was asked of him. Ren took the bottle and added the liquid into the pot he was stirring. After a few more minutes, Ren placed a lid on the pot and wiped off his hands, “There we go! Just needs to simmer for a bit and then it’ll be good to go. Thanks for handing me the wine.”

Michinaga turned away, “Whatever…”

The bull themed Rider began to leave until Ren spoke up, “Want to spar?”

Michinaga stopped and turned back, “What?”

“I said, do you want to spar? Should have enough time for a round or two until the curry should be finished. Plus… well, you look like you could use a good punching bag.”
—

The two found themselves in a training room that simulated a city rooftop at night. Both were fully in their player attire, with Ren doing a few stretches, “So, Rider forms or just ourselves?”

Michinaga rolled his shoulders as he got into a fighting position, “Just shut up.”

Ren pressed a button on his Rider phone, a simple countdown beginning. The two got into position.

“3”
“2”
“1”
“GO”

The two Riders charged each other. Michinaga led with a kick that Ren easily sidestepped. Michinaga then tried to throw a wide punch, but Ren just ducked underneath it. “Stand still you stupid bird!” He tried to go for another punch, but before it could make impact, Ren caught it with a tight grip.

“Your form is sloppy.”

Michinaga growled, “The hell do you know!?” He wretched his hand free, “You’re just some weak noob who got lucky, the hell do you know about anything!?”

“I know that if this was a real fight…” Michinaga attempted to go for another punch, but with a flash of movement from Ren, Michinaga stopped as the tip of a black prop knife was pressed against his throat, “You would be dead.” Ren spun the knife and held the handle towards Michinaga.

The Rider stared at the knife, both in anger, and confusion. “The fuck do you want Crowsen? To piss me off? To prove some kind of point?”

Ren sighed, “What I’m trying to say is, pure strength won’t help you beat Ace. I have some friends who have a similar fighting style to you. One of them likes to use blunt objects like a bat, and another… well, she likes to use massive axes that could chop down a tree in one swing… she can be a bit sadistic sometimes…” Ren shivered, “Anyway, if you’re going to one day win against Ace, then you need to learn how to properly fight. To channel that rage, anger, grief, and sorrow inside of you and turn it into determination.”

Michinaga turned away, “Just leave me the hell alone…”

Ren continued to speak, “Let me help you get stronger.”

“...what…?”

“I’m not going to help you kill Ace, or teach you how to just kill. But these emotions you are going through? I’ve felt them before-”

“STOP TALKING LIKE YOU KNOW ME!” Michinaga shouted.

He began to storm out until Ren spoke up once more, “I watched a friend die in front of me as well.”

Michinaga stopped, turning back to look at Ren in shock.

“It was back in 2016. Me and a friend got into an argument, it got so heated that we started to physically fight each other. If we both didn’t back down, we might have killed each other. But before we could properly calm down and talk once more… my friend was shot… I can’t get into the specifics of how it happened… but in one moment… I had lost the person I saw as my rival…” Ren reached into a back pocket, and pulled out a worn leather glove, “This was his, he gave it to me when we officially declared each other as rivals. Heh, he even tossed it at me like some kind of noble challenging someone to a duel… I keep it as a good luck charm… There are so many things I wish I could have said to him. I was looking forward to challenging him more, pushing each other past our limits… not to prove one of us was better than the other… but to help each other grow… but now…” Ren put the glove away, “I did a lot of stupid shit after he died. I almost even murdered his killer out of revenge… but I didn’t. Not because I knew it was the right thing to do, but because I knew that my friend would be disappointed in me for throwing away my ideals out of some ‘pity’ revenge.”

Ren walked over to Michinaga and held out a hand, “So please… Michinaga… let me help you. At least give it a shot. If you aren’t happy with it after one meeting, then fine, I won’t bother you again. I’ll help you grow stronger, to one day prove to Ace that you are a worthy rival, and to not make the same mistakes I made… Do we have a deal?”

Michinaga stared at Ren’s outstretched hand for a solid minute. His face flashing through a million emotions at once. Until eventually, he shook Ren’s hand, “Deal…”

At that moment, time slowed, and Lavenza’s voice filled his head.

I am thou, and thou art I… Thou hast acquired a new vow
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chain of captivity
With the birth of the Lust Persona, I have obtained the wings of blessing
That shall lead to freedom, and new power…

Azuma Michinaga- Lust. Rank 1

Time then resumed. The two let go, and Ren began to make his way out, “The curry should be ready by now. Ready to try the best meal of your life? Michinaga?”

Michinaga rolled his eyes in response, “Whatever.” He then followed Ren out.

Unknown to the two Riders, a figure stood by the entrance way, listening to their entire conversation. The figure hid in the shadows as the two Riders passed by, unaware of the figure's presence.
—

As the two Riders exited the training room, they noticed Moriuo leaning against a wall with a smirk on his face, “Hello you two. Mr. Birdy, I need to speak with your friend here for a moment.”

Michinaga scoffed, he was about to walk away until Ren put a hand on his shoulder, “It’s fine. I need to start serving up dinner anyway, just finish up here and I’ll meet you back in the break room. And don’t worry, I’ll make sure your serving is larger than Ace’s.” Ren walked off, leaving the two others alone.

Moriuo began to speak, “We both have it hard, don’t you think? Incompetent partners and all.

Michinaga rolled his eyes, “Even so, I won’t lose.”

“No need to act tough, young man. We can still win this game, yeah?” He then held up a special ticket. “A single use ticket to change your Duo partner. And with my skills, I can draw whatever result I want.”

“I don’t believe you,” Michinaga refused to even look at Moriuo.

“It’s part of my job, you see. I have deft hands. I can tell just by touching the print. What kind of drawing it is.”

“Just what is your job?”

“Let’s just skip the details. The point is, we can’t afford to lose no matter what, right?” Moriuo then walked away, with Michinaga glaring at the man.
—

Back in the break room, Neon was enjoying a large parfait that had a cookie with the Na-Go symbol on it. Ace was scrolling through his phone while Keiwa was practicing some routines with his prop knife from his training with Ren.

Suddenly, each Rider was hit with a familiar scent hitting their noses. They turned towards the door that led towards the hallway, watching Ren enter with a large tray with plates of curry, “Food’s ready!” Following close behind him was Michinaga. Ren went around handing each Rider a plate, starting with Michinaga’s large serving, then Keiwa, then Neon, then Ace. Ren noticed Ace was invested by something on his phone, “Something wrong Ace?”

“I knew he’s no ordinary man, but this surprises me.” Ace said, moving his phone so that the others could see.

”Illegal Casino Dealer Reportedly Fled Overseas”
It was a news article that had an image of Moriuo on it, wearing a casino dealers outfit.

Neon looked confused, “Isn’t that Moriuo?”

Each Rider in the room was now interested.

Ace continued to speak, “Koganeya Moriuo, illegal casino dealer. Apparently, he fled overseas, taking the casino’s earnings with him.”

Keiwa’s eyes went wide, “Wait, are you serious!?”

Neon had a concerned expression, “That’s scary… his face looks way different, too.”

Ren’s eyes sharpened.
Would have made a perfect target for the thieves. Well then, Koganeya Moriuo. If we can’t steal your heart, then we’ll instead steal your corrupt desires. You’re going down this round.

Ren made his way over to Michinaga, who was devouring his curry like it was the first meal he has had in ages, “First off, happy to see you enjoy the food…” Michinaga rolled his eyes and continued to eat, “Second, I overheard your conversation with Mary. How would you feel about making sure a certain lamb gets eliminated?”

Michinaga stopped eating, and smirked at Ren.
—

The next day, the Riders were summoned back to the floating platform with Tsumuri already waiting there for everyone, “Everyone, I am here to announce a change in pairings.”

“Change!?” Keiwa shouted.

Keiwa smirked, “I bought the ticket, and here’s my result!” He held up a card that showed the Buffa symbol.

Tsumuri nodded her head, “And with that, Buffa and Mary will form a new pair. Meanwhile, Tycoon and Punkjack will form a new pair.”

Punkjack walked past Moriuo, making sure to shoulder check him slightly before he walked over and stood beside Keiwa.

Moriuo laughed and placed a hand on Michinaga’s shoulder, “See, I told you.” He spun the card in his hand, before rubbing the Buffa symbol on the card, revealing that the cards have a slight texture to them that highlight whatever symbol is on them.

Ren laughed, “For an infamous casino dealer, you are certainly terrible at keeping secrets hidden. No wonder you had to flee the country.”

Moriuo rubbed the back of his neck, “I paid my time, I’m a changed man.”

“No reports on an arrest. However, there are several reports on your exact crimes, how they were committed, as well as rumors speculating where you hide out. Only a matter of time before you ‘luck’ runs out.”

Moriuo had an angered expression, “S-Shut up!” He then pointed to Keiwa, “Shouldn’t you be training!? Watch out, though. Mr. Halloween right there doesn’t play nice!”

Keiwa turned towards Punkjack, a pit of nervousness formed in his stomach.

Chapter Text

After the mix up, Keiwa immediately went to find one of the facilities' training rooms, eventually finding what looked like a beach. He dragged Punkjack in, with Ace, Neon, and Ren following close behind.

“So wait,” Ren spoke up, “If this is a beach, and the sand beneath us is real, then how far out does the ocean here go? And look,” He pointed towards the distance where there was what looked like a pier with an amusement park on it, “Could we walk all the way over there?”

Ace just laughed, “Don’t think too much about it with these rooms. There’s one that is a part of a snowy mountain range, and even a platform in the middle of a body of water. I tried seeing if I could reach far off destinations before, but there was a solid wall that blocked the way. These are basically just augmented reality spaces.”

“Huh… anyway, Keiwa, why did you choose a beach?”

Keiwa, who now was wearing his own training attire, looked at two training Jamato’s with a determined expression. Punkjack stood next to him, “If Moriuo says that Punkjack is hard to work with, then we just need to train together to get more in sync.”

Ace nodded, “If that’s the case,” he walked over and pulled out the Armed Arrow Buckle.

Neon gasped, “H-Hey! Are you just giving it away?”

“I didn’t even get a chance to use it last round.” Before anyone could object, he shoved the buckle in Keiwa’s hands.

The young man smiled, “Thank you, Ace. But I should still be fine. I still got Boost for when I need it most.”

Ren suddenly noticed movement from the nearby palm trees. Using his Third Eye, he could make out the outline of Moriuo spying on the group.
What are you planning?

Keiwa turned to face his partner, “Okay, so we need to defeat the two Jamatos with the same suit, at the same time.” He turned to face the Jamatos and pulled out the Specter Buckle, “So let’s work together and win this thing!”

“SET”

Keiwa began to go through his transformation pose, but before he could finish, Punkjack ran towards the enemy, not even equipping a buckle, “Hey! We need to attack together!” He let out a frustrated grunt, “Henshin!”

“SPECTER”
“READY? FIGHT”

Punkjack began to kick and punch the Jamatos, being able to block an attack from their swords easily. Tycoon raised his scythe and charged forward, taking the opportunity and slashing at the stunned Jamatos.
—

Later, the group met back in the main break room with Keiwa collapsing onto one of the couches, “Man… Moriuo wasn’t kidding… I need to get Punkjack to work together with me…”

Michinaga, who was sitting across from him, laughed slightly, “Good luck with that. That hopeful attitude of yours ain’t gonna be what helps you win. If you’re really struggling, you could just buy one of those stupid tickets.”

Keiwa sighed, “It’s just… I don’t want to get in the way of others. If I got Ace, then Neon wouldn’t be happy. Then if I got Ravkaw, then Ren would have to put up with Punkjack. I just couldn’t do that to any of them. I don’t want to win if it will bring misfortune to others. Their happiness is my happiness.”

Michinaga scoffed, “I hope then you are ok with losing. To win, you need to focus on yourself.”

Suddenly, the door to the hallway opened, and Moriuo poked his head inside and motioned to Michinga, “Hey buddy, I need to talk to you.”

Michinaga simply rolled his eyes and followed. Once out of the room, Moriuo began to stalk the hallway, checking every corner until they were a far distance from the main room.

The bull themed Rider sighed, “Ok, what do you want.”

The gambler smiled, “I have a present for you.” He reached into a pocket and pulled out the Boost Buckle.

“How did you get that?”

“I took it from Mr. Nice Guy’s belongings! Now it’s all but obvious he’s gonna get last.”

Michinaga scoffed, “Are you that afraid of Tycoon that you have to resort to this?”

“Just a layer of protection! Sabotaging the competition to win is a completely valid strategy!” The gambler began to laugh maniacally.

Michinaga then had a flash of a memory, remembering the night of Toru’s death, and how those Riders killed his best friend just for a stupid buckle.

Suddenly, Ace and Ren appeared, walking down the hallway with Ace speaking up, “What’s this discussion about?”

Moriuo jumped and quickly hid the buckle, “J-Just talking strategy!” He walked pass the two, not before placing a hand on both their shoulders as he walked between them, “Later, Mr. Birdy, Mr. Star.” He then walked off, laughing to himself.

Ace sighed and looked towards Michinaga, “Is this part of your plan? Getting a new partner?”

“I told you,” Michinaga growled, “I don’t care who my partner is.”

Ace smirked, “Might makes right. Everything is fair as long as you win, right? That reminds me of a group of Riders.

“Huh?” Said both Michinaga and Ren.

“You think I didn’t know? I’m fully aware why you hate me so much.”

Ren gasped, “Wait, you were…”

Michinaga cut in, “Yeah… Bastard was there when my friend died… He sat around and did nothing as two Riders killed him just for his buckle. They forced him to de-transform, and beat him to death. The worst part of it all, besides watching him disappear in my arms,” he got right up into Ace’s face, "Was seeing you, watching from a distance, doing nothing to help. And when you did come over, you told me to forget about this. And then went on with the game like nothing happened. That night I vowed, I would get the power so that I can defeat you narcissistic Riders, and avenge Toru. If you think everything will go according to your plan, then you’d be wrong.”

Ace smirked, “Oh, I won’t lose. Definitely not to someone using dirty tricks. No matter how bad it is, I will stay true to myself. And true victory will be mine. Such are the words of Plato, the famous Greek philosopher, ‘the first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself.’”

Ren walked forward and forced the two apart, “Just calm the hell down both of you.” He pointed at Ace, “Stop egging him on like this. Are you trying to get him even more pissed at you? So what? That the rage with mess with him during the game? You have no right to judge him if you are using equally underhanded tactics to win.” For the first time Ren has known Ace, he saw that cocky expression fall for a moment. He then turned to face Michinaga, “And you, your grief is not an excuse for getting mad at everyone. Remember what I told you back in the training room? Use that rage to get stronger, and learn to beat Ace fair and square. We have a deal, remember?” Ren then let go of the two and addressed the both of them, “You both need to learn that not everyone is your fucking enemy, or just some obstacle to overcome. Use your fucking heads, both of you. I swear Akechi if you can just listen to me for once in your fucking life-!”

“Who?” Asked Ace.

Ren immediately stopped talking. Realizing what he just said, he gained a solemn look before slowly walking off, “Just… stop trying to do everyone by yourselves…”

The two Riders watched the crow themed Rider leave, stunned and confused.
—

Later in the lounge, Keiwa was sitting on one of the couches crying as Neon tried her best to comfort him. The young boy cried out, “It’s gone…”

Neon softly spoke, “You sure you lost it? The Boost Buckle?”

“That was my last resort…”

Moriuo watched smugly from the other couch. At this point, Ren had entered the room, still cooling off from the previous conversation. He looked around and saw his friend in distress, “Oh Keiwa!”

The boy looked up with tears in his eyes.

“I found this earlier,” Ren reached into one of his pockets and pulled out the Boost Buckle, “It was after your training session with Punkjack. It must have fallen out during it.” He walked over and handed it to Keiwa.

Keiwa’s eyes sparkled. He quickly reached up and took it from Ren, “Thank you so much! I was about to be so dead!”

Moriuo stood up in shock, “Wait but-!” He checked his pockets, and sure enough, the buckle was now missing. He glared at Ren, Bastard! Must have swiped it when I passed him!”

Ren smiled at Keiwa, “No problem at all. You earned it, might as well get a chance to use it.”

Moriuo stormed over to Ren and grabbed him by the collar, “Why you! You stole it from me! How dare you!”

Keiwa and Neon gasped, confused by what was going on.

Ren simply smirked, “For a notorious gambler, your skills as a thief are terrible. No wonder your crimes were found out so easily. Besides, you know the phrase?” Ren held up a hand and showed the Chain Array Buckle, “Honor among thieves?”

“You son of a-!” Moriuo pulled a hand back, ready to punch Ren. Suddenly, his hand was stopped by Keiwa.

Keiwa glared at Moriuo, “You do that, and you’re guaranteed to lose. If you want to try again, I won’t stop you. It’ll just make things easier for us.”

Moriuo ripped his hand out of the grip and stormed off.

At that moment, everyone’s Rider phones began to ring.

“GATHER ROUND”

Ren sighed, “Looks like we’re being summoned.” He tossed the Chained Array Buckle in his hand before handing it to Keiwa, “Give this to Punkjack, he might fair better with something like this.”
—

“And the mission starts!” Cheered Tsumuri. The girl stood on the floating platform watching each Rider team on a screen go about trying to accomplish the mission.

The Jamatos moved further inland towards a popular amusement park. Crowds of people were running in terror as the Jamato approached them.

Before one could get their hands on a couple, Na-Go swooped down and sliced at the Jamato with her claws, pushing it away, “Disturbing a date is the worst crime there is!”

Geats walked up next to her to face the Jamatos, “You’re not going any further.” The two then rushed forward to combat the threat.
—

Elsewhere, Crowsen and Ravkaw were hiding in an alleyway watching Jamatos pass by. Once the area was cleared, the two hurried out as they led a small child away from the fight. After a little bit of walking, the young girl's parents quickly ran over to grab her. The two Riders were thanked by the couple before the family fled.

“SECRET MISSION CLEAR”

Crowsen checked his phone to see just what the secret mission was. “‘Reunite a family’... Huh, I guess there’s a secret mission every round.”

There was a shimmer of light at a nearby table, once the light faded, two treasure boxes awaited them. Opening them, Ravkaw found a large buckle that had a teal blue shark design on it. Crowsen meanwhile found a black and gray buckle that had a Phantom of the Opera style mask on it that could be pressed on, the rest of the buckle had a few card designs on it as well as a few gem patterns.

Before he could admire the buckle further, Ravkaw shoved his buckle into Crowsen’s hands. He looked at Ravkaw confused, “Why are you giving me your buckle?”

Ravkaw said nothing as he walked away back towards where the Jamatos ran off to.

Are all DGP staff just weird?
—

Over by the lake that sat in the middle of the theme park, Buffa and Mary as well as Tycoon and Punkjack stood in a Texas standoff with a pair of Jamatos in the center. Punkjack was now armed with Chained Array while Mary was left in just his base armor.

Mary shouted out, “I d-don’t need any stupid buckle! I’ll win this and prove to you all that I’m better than you!” He then charged forward towards the Jamatos while Buffa stood back and watched.

Tycoon and Punkjack quickly moved in. Punkjack wrapped his chain around one of the Jamatos, allowing for Tycoon to use his scythe on it freely. After enough damage was dealt, Punkjack released the Jamato as it flashed a club symbol.

Mary shouted at Buffa as he struggled to fight the Jamato, “Come on! Do something you dumb bull!”

Buffa smirked, “Don’t worry, I will.”

Right as Mary was about to punch the Jamato, Buffa ran in and tackled it away. Once on the floor, he grabbed the Jamato and threw it at the other Jamato, causing the two targets to collapse onto the ground. “Tycoon! Now!’

“SPECTER STRIKE!”
“ZOMBIE STRIKE!”

Tycoon swung his scythe back, stabbing it into the ground. He charged forward, the scythe carving into the ground as it gathered dark energy. Once he reached his target, he swung the scythe up sending both Jamatos into the air. Buffa revved his sword as he jumped into the air. He brought his blade down onto both targets, tearing into them.

Both Jamatos flashed a club symbol before exploding into a cloud of cards.

“SCORE UP”

“We did it!” Tycoon shouted.

Mary scoffed, “What is happening!”

Suddenly, Tsumuri appeared next to the group, “We have another change in pairings. Just moments ago, Azuma Michinaga used his ticket. And with his draw, the Buffa-Tycoon pair is reestablished.”

Everyone checked their Rider phones, and sure enough the teams were back to normal. That’s when they all heard a laugh from nearby, “All according to plan!” The voice was familiar, but no one could see where it was coming from.

Mary yelled out, “The hell did you do Mr. Birdy!”

“Koganeya Moriuo, the narcissistic money lover of greed, you have committed crimes against not only innocent civilians, but have also attempted to sabotage your fellow Riders upon multiple occasions. For this, we find you guilty. As such, we shall take your desires!”

There was a flash of smoke nearby. A figure could be seen standing in it. Once the smoke cleared, they all saw Ravkaw, now wearing new armor. He wore a slim gray chest piece with multiple throwing knives on it. Hanging off of him was a leather pouch that contained multiple colored gems. His arms were covered in small black armored pieces that had a white frill at the cuffs. On his left arm was a wrist mounted grappling hook, and grasped in his right hand was a stylish cane. The sleeveless short tail coat that was a normal part of Crowsen’s Rider form brought the whole outfit together, truly making him look like a thief.

“I am the Rider Thief, Crowsen! And I shall steal away your victory-!” Before he could finish his speech, Ravkaw came up from behind and smacked Crowsen gently upside the head so as to not lose any points. “Ow”

…

There was an awkward moment of silence, until Tycoon started to laugh, “W-What even was that Crowsen!”

The Rider rubbed the back of his head, “S-Sorry… got carried away. Anyway, yes Mary, me and Buffa planned this out. I thought to do it sooner, but Buffa here felt like it would hit the best during the final part of the round.”

Buffa rolled his eyes and looked away, “I just thought that guy would be annoying to fight. This way I can get rid of him.”

Mary ran up to Buffa, “You tricked me, traitor!”

Buffa smirked, “I will win, no matter the cost. But not using your stupid dirty tactics.”

Meanwhile nearby, Na-Go and Geats were fighting off the last two Jamatos while watching this scene go down. Geats laughed to himself, “Looks like we’ve got some competition.”

Na-Go blocked an attack with her Chakrams, “But we’re not going to lose!”

Geats reached over to Na-Go’s belt, grabbing the Hammer buckle that sat on the side, “let me borrow this for a sec.”

Na-Go, sensing what he was going to do, nodded before jumping away.

Geats revolved the Magnum buckle to the left side as he placed in the Hammer buckle.

“DUAL ON”
“MAGNUM ARMED HAMMER”

“Time for the highlight of the game!”

“READY? FIGHT!”

He activated both buckles, the pink hammer glowing bright. Na-Go leaped up into the air and landed on the hammer right as Geats swung upward.

“MAGNUM HAMMER VICTORY!”

Na-Go was sent flying high into the air. A gun barrel formed on Geats’s left leg. As the two Jamatos charged forward, Na-Go swung her chakrams down as Geats kicked his leg shooting out a laser beam. The two Jamatos were pierced clean through as they were also sliced to ribbons. Both Jamatos flashed a spade symbol before exploding into cards.

“SCORE UP”
“MISSION CLEAR”

Na-Go jumped excitedly, “We did it!”

The Riders all de-transformed, with Ravkaw and Punkjack standing off to the side still in their armor. They gathered around as Tsumuri began to speak, “The mission is complete!”

Keiwa and Neon both sighed in relief.

“Good job, everyone. All of the couples have been freed from captivity. I will now announce the final score!”

Tsumuri flipped her tablet around to show the scoreboard.

Geats - Na-Go: 400 pt
Crowsen - Ravkaw: 200 pt
Buffa - Tycoon: 200 pt
Mary - Punkjack: 0 pt

“With this, Mary will be eliminated.”

Moriuo cried, “Not like this…”

Ace smirked, “All of your tricks mean nothing if you don’t win.”

“You kids better remember me! Because the next time we meet, you will regret it!”

Ren suddenly got right up into Moriuo’s face, “There won’t be a next time. And if there ever is, and you try any of your tricks with my friends, then I’m going to make you wish the police had arrested you years ago.”

Moriuo cowered in fear. His body began to be covered in blue energy until eventually he disappeared, his driver dropping to the ground.

“RETIRED”

Tsumuri walked over and picked up the driver, “Koganeya Moriuo has lost his Rider qualification.”

Keiwa spoke up, “Um… what do you mean… by losing qualifications?”

Tsumuri smiled, “He will return to his normal life.” The girl walked away. Once she was out of sight, a floating screen appeared before her, “We’re getting close to deciding our next God of Desire.”

On the other side of the screen was a masked man wearing a black cloak, “And with it, the end of this world is approaching.”

“Indeed. We’ve confirmed the presence of the final boss Jamato, overflowing with power.”

The masked man looked at a few screens of his own, each displaying one of the remaining Riders. “Will you stand up and protect this world? O brave Kamen Riders.”

Chapter Text

“OOOOH THESE ARE SO COOL!”

Futaba shouted while examining the two large buckles.

Once Ren returned from the previous round of the game, he was instantly assaulted with questions from his family about what happened during the round. He recounted his team up with Ravkaw, the drama with Moriuo, his bond with Michinaga, and the trick to get Moriuo eliminated. Afterwards, he pulled out the Thief and Shark buckles to show off his spoils for the match. Futaba, upon seeing them, instantly ripped them out of Ren’s hands and began to inspect them. Ren, Morgana, and Lavenza just laughed at this display.

“Yeah, I’m gonna be keeping a tight hold on that Thief Buckle. I’ll need to experiment with Shark before I decide if I should keep it or give it away.” Ren explained.

Futaba let out a gremlin laugh, “Until then… I’ll be in my office researching these babies. These might finally help Sophia and I crack the secret to making our own buckles!” She then rushed off, quickly shutting the door to her office behind her.

Morgana sighed, “Welp, I guess she’ll be busy for a while. In the meantime, Lavenza and I have a report to give!”

Ren raised an eyebrow. Lavenza nodded her head before speaking, “We were able to locate Sumida Kanato.”

“Yep!” Morgana cheered. “Just as we assumed, there was no sign that he had any memory of the DGP. Not only that, compared to how you described him, he seems to be acting nicer towards others. Clearly his desire for the suffering of others is also gone.”

Ren put a hand under his chin, “So they really can erase people's desires… just who are the ones behind this game…”

At this point, the group hears the bell from the front door ring. The group went downstairs to find Neon collapsed in one of the booths.

“Neon? You okay?” Ren asked.

Neon responded by making a muffled noise and waving her hand at Ren. After a moment of silence, the trio heard the girl begin to snore loudly.

Morgana sighed, “Welp, guess we’re down an employee today…”

Ren laughed in response, “To be fair, she did a lot of training with Ace so she could win that round. She deserves some rest. Lavenza, could you take her to her bed? Would be better for her to sleep in an actual bed than a random booth.”

The young girl nodded her head before easily picking up Neon and carrying the sleeping girl upstairs.

Morgana hopped onto the counter, “So Joker, you planning to open today? Or got other plans?”

“I need to head to Untouchable to grab a few new weapons. I’m training Keiwa in combat, and Neon recently asked if she could join in next time. And knowing the others I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up sparring with Ace and Michi, so I want to grab them some stuff.” Ren grabbed his carrier bag, “Wanna join?”

“You know it!” Morgana happily jumped into the bag. Ren got nostalgic feeling the familiar weight in his bag. He opened the door and began making his way to the station.
—

Perspective: Keiwa

“After grueling battles, with many casualties lost… only five of us remain. And only one of us will get their wish granted. They say the Desire Grand Prix is a game where you put your life on the line, but… Apparently there’s more to it. If you get eliminated from the game, you will lose your memory but return to your old life. But if you are defeated by Jamato… You won’t be able to return…”

“Keiwa!” Suddenly, Sara entered Keiwa's bedroom. The young man very quickly hid his phone by tossing it onto his bed. “Look at this! I found this old thing!” Sara was holding a piece of paper and a duster fan. She looked at Keiwa, confused by his sudden movement. She then smirked and waved the duster at him, “No need to be ashamed. You’re an adult now, it’s normal.”

Keiwa blushed, “I-It’s not what you think!”

“It’s fine, my dear brother. Anyway, come out and see what I found!” She led Keiwa out while handing him the paper she was holding.

Out in the living room, there was a big box with a bunch of old stuff that belonged to Keiwa growing up. Sara sat Keiwa on the couch as she went over to the kitchen to continue cleaning.

Keiwa looked at the paper, “‘To Myself 10 Years Later, by Sakurai Keiwa. I wish to be a wonderful adult, one strong enough to protect world peace.’”

Sara laughed softly, “Ten years later and you still haven’t changed at all!”

“You’re making fun of me?”

“Of course I’m not! If any, I’m rooting for you.”

“Yeah, right.”

“I do wonder though, what do you mean by a wonderful adult?”

Keiwa sighed, “Beats me. I have no clue either…” Even after my talk with Ren, I still have no idea what I truly want in my life… He set down the paper before reaching into the box and pulling out two small tanto’s. One was made out of paper and another was a plastic toy.

Sara walked over, “Maybe you wanted to be a ninja that fights evil!” She pulled out a small paper ninja star from the box.

Keiwa smiled, grabbing the ninja star, “Maybe I did.” Someone who fights evil… someone who protects the weak… hmm
—

Perspective: Ren

Exiting out of Untouchable, Ren now carried a small duffle bag that was filled with his most recent purchases. A short sword, a longsword, a set of chakrams, a pistol, and a simple cane. There was also a set of daggers that were wrapped together. “Alright, had to guess a bit what might work for Ace and Michi but these should be fine. Hopefully Ace is comfortable with the gun I got him, tried to stick as close to the size and type of weapon the Magnum pistol is… I’m surprised Iwai had chakrams already… and hopefully this cane is at least similar to the one the Thief buckle had, my dagger skills should be fine for it but it never hurts to be careful…”

Morgana popped out of the carrier bag, “Man, it really feels like we’re preparing for an infiltration.”

“All we’re missing is one of Takemi’s trials and about an hour in the Velvet Room doing fusions.” Ren looked about Shibuya until he noticed a familiar head of wavy brown hair walking about, “Is that…?” Ren walked towards the figure, “Michinaga!”

Michinaga turned around, his eyes going wide upon seeing Ren, “Crowsen? What are you doing out here?”

Ren lifted up the duffle bag, “Just some shopping. Keiwa and Neon asked me if I could train them how to fight, so I needed to stock up on some training weapons for them.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you were doing that for them…” Michinaga eyed the bag.

Ren smirked, “You wanna spar again? Got something for you as well.”

Michinaga grumbled, “Whatever… just lead the way.”

Ren smiled, “Great! I know the perfect spot.”

Ren led Michinaga to his hidden training spot at the park. Once in, Ren dropped the duffle bag and his carrier bag. Morgana jumped out and opened the duffle bag for Ren, the thief beginning to fish through the bag.

Michinaga raised an eyebrow, “Is that a cat? And did it just… open that bag for you?”

“Yep. This is Morgana. And he’s pretty smart. He can open doors and do other things easily. Anyway…” He stood up, pulled out the simple longsword and handed it to the bull themed rider, “This should be at least somewhat similar to the weapon Zombie gives you. It’s kind of difficult to find a chainsaw sword.”

Michinaga took the weapon and performed a couple practice swings. He smiled, “The weight feels pretty similar. It’ll do.” He walked over to the other side of the opening and began to ready himself… until he noticed the cane Ren was swinging around, “You sure you wanna fight with that thing?”

“The buckle I got at the end of last round has a cane as a weapon. So I figured I should train in how to use one properly. Anyway, are you ready?” Ren got into a combat stance.

Michinaga nodded, “Let’s do this.”
—

After a final clash, the two Riders collapsed to the floor, both breathing heavily.

Ren smiled at Michinaga, “Man, give you a weapon and you’re a whole other beast… Feel free to keep that by the way, got it specifically for you…”

Michinaga simply mumbled a thanks.

Ren reached over to his bag and grabbed a bottle of water for the both of them. After handing one to Michinaga, Ren cleared his throat, “So… I wanted to ask… what was your friend like? Toru?”

Michinaga flinched. He felt his rage rising, but tried his best to quell it, “He wasn’t just my friend… he was… I don’t know. He was my best friend at least. I knew him since middle school. Heh, we were a couple of delinquents once we entered high school. Causing all kinds of trouble for our teachers. He was actually a transfer student from Inaba. His parents forced him to go to school in Sotenbori because of the Rainy Day Murder’s that were happening back then in Inaba. His parents often said I was the one to turn him into a delinquent, but in reality, he was the one to convince me to start causing chaos for our school. Once we graduated, we both signed up to work for the same construction company here in Tokyo. We wanted an easy enough job to make a living, but also because of Toru’s dream to build something big in Inaba to bring life to the town… I never learned fully, but I think that dream is what drove him to agree to join the DGP. I only saw his Rider form briefly, but it was a blue and white hedgehog. If I remember correctly one of the Riders who killed him called him ‘Togetchi.’” He reached into a pocket and pulled out the Zombie Buckle, “Toru used the Zombie Buckle as well… I started using it to honor his memory, and then learned it paired well with my ID core so I kept using it.” He put the buckle away before looking up towards the sky, “Not a day goes by where I don’t miss him…”

Ren finally spoke up, “Sounds like a great guy… I wish I could have met him…”

“Yeah… He was the best…”

Ren swore he could hear Michinaga beginning to cry.
Before he could speak up however, Michinaga stood up and wiped his eyes, “I need to get going… got work in the morning… um… thanks for this… Crowsen…” Michinaga then walked out of the clearing.

Michinaga… I promise… I won’t allow for this grief to consume you as it did me…

Azuma Michinaga- Lust. Rank 2

Chapter Text

The day after his training session with Michinaga, Ren awoke to a text from Ace saying he wished to hangout once more. Ace this time requested they first meet at Leblanc so that he can once more enjoy some coffee and curry, and afterwards can head to a destination of Ren’s choosing.

Ren was already in the process of preparing Ace’s requested food when the celebrity arrived. Ace took a deep breath upon entering, “I think I can officially say this is my favorite restaurant in all of Tokyo.”

Ren laughed in response, “Well coming from you then that’s some high praise. Are you going to post about this place on a blog or something?”

Ace shook his head as he sat in front of the main counter, “No. If I did that, then people would be coming here to just try and see me. I would rather not flood this place with rabid fans.”

“Fair enough. Your food is almost ready, I’ll get your coffee going in a sec.”

Ren quickly finished making Ace his serving of food before moving on to making a simple cup of coffee.

Right before he finished, the bell above the front door rang. “Renren! Think you could make us some curry as well?”

Ren looked up and smiled, “Of course, you want your usual coffee, Sa-Ga?”

Ace, currently eating his food, then heard a familiar voice speak up, “Of course. Can’t have a proper start to my day without it.”

The celebrity finally turned towards the voice, and immediately began to choke on his food at what he saw.

Standing at the door was Ryuji, and by his side was a woman with tan skin, long black hair kept in a loose bun, and wore a white running jacket on top of a set of simple work out clothes.

Ren gave Ace a confused look, “You good there?”

Ace quickly grabbed some water to clear his throat, jugging it until it was empty, “Y-Yeah… j-just ate too much at once.”

The woman looked at Ace with a small laugh, “I know Ren’s cooking is good, but certainly not something worth dying over.”

Ryuji gave her a playful shove, “Says the girl who downed an entire pot of it over a bet?”

The girl blushed, “H-Hey! I was just trying to beat Sumire’s record.”

Ren laughed, “Alright you two, come take a seat instead of crowding the door.”

The couple both sat down to Ace’s right. Ryuji turned towards the celebrity, “Sorry about that, your Ace right? Renren here has told us a lot about you. I’m Sakamoto Ryuji, this guy's best friend.”

Ren rolled his eyes, “That’s subjective.”

“Hey! After all we’ve been through?! What the eff man?!”

“I’m kidding, I'm kidding.” Ren laughed.

The woman spoke up, “I’m Ganaha Sae, but my friends just call me Saga.”

Ace raised an eyebrow, “Why Saga?”

Ryuji quickly spoke up, “So funny story actually, another friend of ours has a sister named Sae. When I first started dating Saga, it led to a lot of confusion so we came up with a nickname to use instead.”

“Huh…”

At this point, Ren placed a plate of curry in front of the couple, and soon after handed everyone their respective drinks.

Eventually, the couple left, both saying that they needed to go workout and train. Once the door closed, Ren turned towards Ace, “So how do you know Saga?”

Ace raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean?”

“I noticed you looking at her weirdly the entire time. So what’s up?”

Ace sighed, “Are you seriously going to use your one question for that?”

“Yep. We’re hanging out, and it’s just us. Now, answer the question.”

Ace was silent for a few minutes until he eventually spoke up, “Ganaha used to be a competitor in the DGP…”

Ren’s eyes widened dramatically, “WHAT?!”

“Yep. Three years ago if I remember correctly. Her desire was for an ageless athletic body. She mostly used the Shark and Zombie buckles. She was actually a finalist and even almost won. But, I came in at the last second with the victory.”

“Three years ago? That would have been right around when she and Ryuji met. Wait… that explains so many things!”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Around that time, the two were both in university on track scholarships. They had a bit of a toxic rivalry going on, trying to compete to be the best sprinter at the school. But one day, Ryuji found her crying behind the bleachers. She questioned why she was even doing all this stuff for track to support her family when she could just go into business or something. Ryuji convinced her to follow her childhood dream of one day winning gold at the Olympics and to keep trying to help her family. They’ve been together ever since.”

“Huh, nice to know that things turned out well for her afterwards.”

“I never would have thought she was a competitor.”

“Are you going to tell them?”

Ren shook his head, “No. With everything going on, it would be better to let them be.”

“Good idea. Besides, it would create more headaches for us. And it might go against the rules of the DGP.”

“Maybe… so, what’s your question for me this time?”

Ace smirked, “I’ve been debating on my next question for you. But before I can ask some of my other questions, I need to ask a very specific question.”

“And what might that be, oh great detective Ukiyo Ace?”

Ace leaned forward, “Are you a Phantom Thief?”

…

… …

… … …

Ren’s phone then suddenly began to buzz with notifications.

Ace laughed, “Go ahead and take care of that first, let you get your thoughts together.”

Ren checked his phone.
------
”Ren’s a dumbass”
Application: OctoGremlin has changed the chat name to ”Ren’s a dumbass”
OctoGremlin: IT HAPPENED AGAIN!! 5 YEARS AND HE STILL IS WORSE AT KEEPING IT SECRET THAN RYUJI!!
“SENPAI!”: What did Ren-senpai do?
HumanitiesHeart: It appears that Ukiyo Ace has figured out that Ren is a Phantom Thief.
FoRealz: FOR REAL???? what the hell happened after me and Saga left man???
FluffiestCEO: Ren… I thought you were getting better at keeping this a secret… Do I need to get Mako-chan again?
DaPinchi: Let me grab my supplies! I feel as though a confrontation between the two would be a spectacular event that I must capture on a canvas!
LesbianIcon: guys… its five in the morning… me and Shiho are trying to sleep… is someone dead or something?”
FluffiestCEO: Apologies Ann-chan! I almost forgot you are both in America. Ren seems to have let it slip once again that he was a Thief.
LesbianIcon: Oh… I’m going back to bed…
TheOneGoodCop: Not one day goes by where I don’t wonder how the hell you all avoided the authorities for so long.
OctoGremlin: shut it Gramps!
------
Ren sighed in defeat, “God. Fucking. Dammit.”

Ace let out a laugh, “I see I’m on the mark?

“Yes. I’m a Phantom Thief. What are you going to do about it?”

“Easy, nothing at all.”

“Huh?”

“You heard me. It’s been years since the Phantom Thieves were active, and have faded into little more than myths. Besides, reporting you to the authorities would just be a cheap way of getting you out of the game. As I said, I don’t use dirty tactics like that.” Ace smirked as he finished his statement.

Suddenly, Ace’s phone went off. The fox themed rider sighed as he checked the notification, “Welp… duty calls. I have an interview I need to get to. Thanks again for the food, and for the conversation.”

Ren felt his bond with Ace grow stronger.

Ukiyo Ace- Aeon. Rank 3
—
Perspective- Ace

What is it that causes that voice? And just who is it-

Ace’s head was then filled with pain. He flinched from it,and could barely hear Ren asking if he was okay.

He suddenly found himself looking through the eyes of his child self, sitting in a forest looking at a strange gold coin. He then heard the voice of his mother speak, “You must not remember me… you’ll be happier that way.” His mother had long wavy black hair, and wore an elegant white dress with black highlights. She walked through a stone archway, disappearing from sight.

And in an instant, Ace was back in Leblanc.

“Ace?... Ace!”

Ace quickly recovered, “I’m fine, just a small headache is all. I appreciate your concern, Crowsen.” Ace waved at the barista before making his exit.

Mother… where are you…
—
Perspective: Ren

The next day, Ren and Neon went about running Leblanc as normal. After getting away from her parents, Neon was given a new phone by Futaba. With it, she began to stream once more, changing her content from her escape attempts to instead focusing on music, dancing, and fashion. To help more with this, Ren allowed for Neon to work only part time so that she can spend half of her day regaining her fanbase.

On this particular day, the cat themed Rider had asked if she could join Ren and Keiwa in their usual training session, and afterwards do a stream with them. The two Riders agreed, both wanting to spend time with their friend and to help her with her streaming career in any way.

Ren led Neon to his usual training spot, Keiwa already was waiting there for them while working on some practice routines. Upon entering into the clearing, Neon saw Keiwa going about practicing, the Rider already starting to build up a small sweat. Ren looked at Neon and noticed the girl had a small blush on her face. He laughed softly before leaning down to whisper into her ear, “You know a photo lasts longer~.”

Neon responded by punching him in the arm, causing him to let out a laugh. The noise caused Keiwa to turn towards the duo, “Oh! Hey guys!”

Ren and Neon both waved. Ren placed his duffle bag down off to the side. Reaching inside, he pulled out a set of simple metal hoops, “Here Neon, I got these for you. My friend didn’t have actual chakrams in stock, but these should be good enough. Same size as the ones you had when using Boost alongside Dancer.”

Neon happily took both, performing a few practice spins with them before smiling, “Thanks Ren!”

“No problem! Now then, since I’ve got both of you, we’re going to be doing a slightly different practice, one inspired by our last round. And that, will be teamwork.”

Neon tilted her head in confusion, “But, why do we need to practice that further? Next round is the finale, so shouldn’t we be focusing more on ourselves?”

Ren smiled, “Even in that situation, it is likely we will need to be working together to get whatever threat we are up against into a weakened state so that any of us can go for the win. So to best simulate this, I want both of you to work together to take down a powerful threat.”

It was now Keiwa’s turn to be confused, “What powerful threat? It’s just us here.”

Ren smirked, “What are you talking about? The powerful threat…” He then pulled out his driver. During the previous round, Ren had asked Tsumuri about the usage of the drivers outside of rounds. He was told that as long as no civilians saw him without a threat presence, then it would be fine. And this area provided the perfect cover. Ren placed the driver onto his waist, and pulled out the Thief buckle, “Is right in front of you.”

The two other riders gasped, Keiwa quickly spoke up, “I-Isn’t this a bit dangerous?!”

“Relax. Thief uses a cane as a weapon, so I’ll just be aiming to disarm you both. Your objective is to land a hit on me. Just one single strike from either of you. However, I am allowed to use the full abilities provided by the Thief buckle.”

“SET”

“You ready?”

The duo both became extremely nervous as they watch Ren go about his usual transformation pose.

“Henshin!”

“THIEF”
“READY? FIGHT!”

Keiwa and Neon both gripped their weapons tight, and charged at Crowsen.
—

Exactly five minutes later, the duo were both disarmed and on the ground.

Crowsen sighed as he de-transformed, “So, what did we learn?”

Keiwa spoke up, “That Rider forms are significantly stronger?”

Neon spoke up, “That we’re both super weak?”

Ren laughed, “No. That teamwork is important.”

“Huh?” They both asked.

“I told you both that you were going to need to work together for this. Neon, because of your panic, you rushed in and tried to accomplish your goal as quickly and directly as possible. Keiwa, you tried to work with Neon, but once you realized Neon was working by herself, you also panicked and tried to handle the situation by yourself. Even when under distress, you need to remember that your teammates always have your back. And if you see your teammate in distress, then you need to be there for them and watch their back. A person can only go so far in strength by yourself, but if you work as a team? You can work together to bring down any threat.”

The two others sat up, both looking sheepish. Ren crouched down, and placed a hand on both of their shoulders, “But I will say, you have both gotten so much stronger than when you first began the DGP. I am so proud of you both.”

The two younger Riders smiled. Their nerves for the upcoming final round were calmed a bit. Both feeling happy with their current skills, and became determined to one day grow even stronger.

Ren felt their bond improve.

Sakurai Keiwa- The Magus. Rank 3
Kurama Neon- Art. Rank 4

Chapter Text

Once their training was finished, Ren and Keiwa joined Neon in wondering about the city for her next stream.

“Neon here, and welcome back!” Neon had her phone on a selfie stick to better record herself, “Today I’m joined by two of my friends! But! They both wish to keep their identities a secret. So, why don’t you both introduce yourselves?” She turned the camera to face Ren and Keiwa, both wearing Featherman masks. Ren wore a red one, and Keiwa wore a green one.

Ren performed a dramatic pose, “I am Crowsen! I am honored to be here with you today!” He bowed like a showman.

Keiwa stumbled a little, “U-Uh, I’m T-Tycoon…”

Neon turned the camera back towards her, “We’re going to be heading to a Karaoke bar to see who is the best singer out of us! Be sure to leave your vote on who you think will win in the poll!”

“MISS NEON!”

The trio of riders suddenly heard a loud voice shout out. Turning to look, the dark skinned security guard from Neon’s family was running full speed at them.

Neon screamed and quickly hid behind Ren and Keiwa. As she did, a person wearing a yellow sundress came up and grabbed Neon by the wrist, “I have finally found you, my dear lady.” The person tossed off a blonde wig they were wearing, revealing themselves to be the other security guard that Ren met. “Your mother is worried sick. Let us return-”

In an instant, Keiwa grabbed the guard's hand, removing it from his grip on Neon. He gripped the guard’s hand in a vice-like grip, glaring daggers at the guard through his mask. Ren meanwhile grabbed the other guard and pinned him to the ground.

Ren laughed as he looked at the guard in the sundress, “I’ll say, yellow is definitely not your color. If you want I can give you some tips. I’ve got a nice red dress at home that should work perfectly.”

The guard blushed.

“However, I think our conversation is over.” Ren reached into a pocket and pulled out Smokescreen before tossing it to the ground.

The area around them was covered in smoke. The two guards tried their best to blow it away to little to no effect.

The trio ran off, laughing the entire time.

However, once they got further down the road, they heard a loud buzzing noise from behind them. Turning around, the three were shocked to see a Jamato barrier appear.

Neon gasped, “J-Jamato?!” She quickly turned off her stream.

Ren pulled out his Rider phone, finding no new notification, “Where the hell was the call?!”

The three quickly ran further into the area, looking around for any sign of the threat.

All the Riders heard the voice of Tsumuri speak into their heads, “Riders! We have an emergency! Please, you must protect the city!”
—

Elsewhere in the area, Ace confidently walked towards a group of Jamato chasing civilians. “The world is ending.” Ace then pulled out the Magnum Buckle and slotted it into his driver.

“SET”

Ace snapped his fingers, “Henshin.”

“MAGNUM”

Geats was then equipped with the Magnum armor and weapon.

“READY? FIGHT!”

He then charged forward, already firing shots into the group of Jamato’s.
—

Back with the trio, they had each dived into a nearby alleyway. Neon pulled out the Dancer Buckle, Keiwa grabbed the Specter Buckle, and Ren pulled out both the Thief and Shark buckles.

“Henshin!” They all shouted in unison.

“DANCER”
“SPECTER”
“THIEF AND SHARK”

Crowsen was armed with the usual Thief armor around his arms and chest. Around his legs were pieces of dark blue and teal armor that had the imagery of a shark's head, with bits of sharp teeth as well. Around his ankles were odd teal coils.

“READY? FIGHT!”

The three all rushed out and immediately began to protect the citizens from the swarms of Jamato.

Tsumuri spoke up once again, “I’m terribly sorry we were unable to warn you in advance. I’m afraid it’s because this is the final boss.”

Tycoon, who was still back in the alley, gasped slightly, “Final boss… as in the final target?”

Crowsen meanwhile was forced to play defense. During the chaos, he was quickly swarmed by five Jamato’s. The crow themed Rider quickly blocked an attack with his cane. Using the additional strength of the Shark Buckle, he kicked the Jamato away, causing it to crash into another. Looking around, Crowsen noticed a rooftop nearby that had an old hook hanging off it. Thinking quick, he grabbed a gem out of the leather bag and tossed it onto the ground. It let out a bright light, blinding all nearby Jamato.

When the light vanished, the Jamato found their target missing.

“Up here boys!”

“SHARK STRIKE”

The Jamato looked up as Crowsen descended from the rooftop. His armored legs glowed as he descended. Upon impact, a spectral shark appeared from under each Jamato, the sharks bit down upon each Jamato, holding them tightly. Crowsen then reached to his chest, grabbing multiple throwing knives. In one fluid motion, he tossed out multiple daggers, piercing each Jamato through the head.

Once Crowsen’s fight was over, Tsumuri spoke up once more, “The final round… The last stage, the can kicking game begins now!”
—

Within the center of the city, a small, powerful armored Jamato has its foot right on top of a Jamato themed can. Nearby was a large plant-like structure with glowing purple plants growing off of it.

From behind a nearby pillar, Buffa, armed with the Zombie Buckle, watches the final boss Jamato. “It’s surprisingly tiny for a final boss.” He then charged towards the boss. “I’ll finish this quickly!”

The boss turned towards Buffa and began to fire a volley of thorns. As he tried to block them, the small boss jumped directly towards Buffa. Once within range, it then began to pummel Buffa with a flurry of punches and kicks. It then delivered one powerful kick, sending Buffa flying right into a stone pillar.

Buffa crashed into it, his body in immense pain, “What the… fuck…”

Tsumuri’s voice echoed through everyone, “You must not underestimate it! Your foe is strong enough to bring our world to an end. You can’t fight it head on!”

The boss turned towards a group of civilians that some Jamato had gathered. It let out a cheer, causing the purple plants to extend out towards each citizen.

“The final boss will consume any human it sees, using their essence to grow bigger.”

Monstrous jaws grew out of each plant, picking up the civilians and bringing them to the larger plant.

“This Jamato is known throughout DGP history as one of the most destructive.”

At this point, the rest of the Riders arrived at the city center, hiding behind pillars.

Crowsen eyed the boss closely, Lavenza, any information?”

Lavenza spoke up, her voice filled with nervous tension, “As Tsumuri said, it is immensely powerful. Its power level could be considered on par with the final form of the sinner of pride’s shadow. Be careful!”

Tsumuri continued to say, “But it does have a weakness.”

Once the purple plants reached the main body of the plant structure, green energy burst out of it and flowed directly into the can.

“It’s the can you can see on its feet.”

Crowsen just sighed, You have got to be fucking kidding me.

“Kicking the can will cause it to lose all absorbed energy. It will make the final boss wither, winning the game.”

Everyone’s eyes widened, all thinking in unison, So… whoever kicks that can… is the winner of the game.

At once, all the Riders charged forward.

Right as they were about to reach the boss, it took a massive gulp from its can, causing it to grow massively in size. It swung its arms out, hitting everyone but Geats. The attack tossed them all to the side, damaging each of them heavily.

Crowsen groaned, “Fucker hits like Shido too… ow…”

The boss was then enveloped in a blue light before disappearing.

Tsumuri spoke up once more, “Unfortunately, the boss will not stay in place. It will stay on the move, hunting for humans. If all of you fail to kick the can, and let it defeat you…”

“I’m afraid it’s game over…”
—

The Riders were all transported back to the break room. Each Rider de-transformed, revealing a wide array of wounds from the attacks they took.

Tsumuri quickly appeared with medical supplies, and began to patch up everyone's wounds. The white suited man was on standby with other medical supplies just in case Tsumuri needed something specific.

Keiwa, who had minimal wounds, looked towards the white suited man, “We can still save all the victims, right?”

“Only if you clear the game.”

Neon got up from her spot at the bar, “We just need to end the game and it will be fine, right?”

Ace spoke up in a serious tone, “But if all of us are defeated, it’s game over. And no one will be saved.”

Everyone was stunned in silence.

Ren, who mostly had small cuts on his arms, leaned forward on one of the couches, “What do you know?”

Ace sighed, “There was a game of DGP once. It started out simple, with over a dozen Riders making it to the final round. However, every single Rider in that final round ended up dead. As for the final boss of that game… It exterminated every human within the area, then vanished.”

Neon gasped, “Don’t tell me… Our foe is…”

Ren spoke up, “How do you even know of this in the first place? I understand that you’ve played in dozens of games, but how did you hear about one where every Rider died in the end?”

“I told him,” spoke up the white suited man. “Your final opponent for this game, is the very same one Jamato from that doomed game. Just like this game, it was a round of kick the can. A forgotten tragedy, one erased from humanity’s history.”

Ace nodded, “We forgot all of it, so we can all live happily.”

Keiwa’s eyes widened further, “I can’t believe it… Ace, just how long have you played this game?”

Before Ace spoke up, Ren activated his Third Eye. Over the years, he had improved this ability even further, being far stronger than the version Yaldabaoth gifted to him at the start of his Fool’s Journey. One of these improved abilities was his ability to notice the smallest of movements on a person, essentially acting as a lie detector.

Ace smirked, “The first year of Anno Domini.”

…

”Ţ̵̫̣̲̤̮̹̣̬̰͔̘̚͝͝͝r̴̡̛͈̦̖̥̭̲͕̈́͒͌̍̍̀͝ù̴͉͚̰͎̣̜̄̑͒͛̀̑͘t̷̞̒̋̄͋̆̈̐̂̿͝͝ͅh̸̛͎͖̲̰̜͕͓̟̜̜̯́̔̀̑̿̆͌̚̕”

…

Ren’s eyes widened. Everything around him went silent.

Lavenza… please tell me my Third Eye is acting up…

“...”

Lavenza?

“No… it is working perfectly as usual…”

Ren couldn’t speak. It felt as though he had just discovered forbidden knowledge.

Keiwa just scoffed, “I’m being serious here.”

Ace rolled his eyes, “If you don’t believe me, maybe don’t ask me things.” He began to walk over to the bar, but stopped when his eyes met Ren’s.

Ace smirked, before placing a finger to his own lips, “Shh” He then continued his walk.

Michinaga grumbled, “You won the last game and got your wish. Why are you still playing anyway? What did you write?! What kind of twisted world are you wishing for now?”

Ace took a seat at the bar, “All I can say is… It’s not world peace… It’s also not love… Not even a cure for anything… And most definitely, not a wish to crush Kamen Riders. Don’t worry, you’ll get it when I win.”

Michinaga scoffed before looking at Keiwa, “Hey! Give me that Boost Buckle. With it, we should be fast enough to kick the can undetected. That’s our only way!”

Keiwa backed away, “I’m not giving it to you though. This time, I’m using it. I finally managed to hold onto it, and I’m not letting it go to waste.”

Michinaga laughed, “If you fail, a lot of lives will be lost because of you. Do you have what it takes to protect the world?”

“Of course I do!”

Ren was finally snapped out of his trance, “That’s enough! We’re all trying to save the world, so maybe you all can finally learn from what I have been trying to teach you all: You can’t do everything by yourself!”

The white suited man spoke up, “I think it is best that you all return home. We will contact you when the final boss reappears.”

Keiwa quickly used this opportunity to sneak away from Michinaga. However, the bull themed Rider quickly noticed, “Hey! I’m not done with you!” The two then ran off into the hallway.

Ren leaned back, sighing as Ace walked back over.

Neon spoke up, “Ace. Ren. Do you think… we could go to Leblanc?”
—

Once the Riders left the facility, Ren, Neon, and Ace made their way to Leblanc. Ren had messaged Futaba in advance about them coming, so when they arrived, she was already making work on a massive pot of curry. Ren made his way behind the counter to make everyone coffee as well.

“Time to eat!” Neon shouted.

“Don’t mind me.” Ace said, much more calmly.

Futaba laughed softly, “It’s still amazing that my Ren is friends with two celebrities! How do you guys even put up with how much of a little shit he is?”

Ren placed a coffee in front of everyone, “Well if you’re going to be like that ‘Taba, then you aren’t getting dessert later.”

Futaba gasped, “No! I need my nightly dessert! It prevents my sadness debuff! Do you want me to be sad?”

Ren just laughed, “Then don’t call me a little shit. I have a reputation to maintain.”

Neon giggled, “What reputation? You kind of lost a lot of your cool status after your bit with Moriuo.”

It was then Ren’s turn to gasp, “Et tue Neon?!”

Ace smirked, “Yeah, once I learned your secret, I lost any and all interest in you.”

Neon raised an eyebrow, “What secret? Does Ren have a big secret? What is it?”

Ace shook his head, “Not my secret to tell.”

Ren sighed, “God I hate you both.”

The other two Riders spoke in unison, “No you don’t!”

Ren playfully rolled his eyes, “So Neon, why did you want to come here?”

It was Neon’s turn to sigh, “To be perfectly honest? With everything that happened today, I just wanted a chance to enjoy a good meal before… well… whatever happens tomorrow… happens…”

Futaba placed a hand on Neon’s shoulder, “I may not know exactly what’s going on… but whatever happens, I know you guys can get through it!”

At this moment, the front door of Leblanc opened, “Excuse us!”

Ren turned to see Keiwa, and a woman a few inches shorter than him with long black hair and small bangs entered Leblanc, “Hey Keiwa! Good to see you, who’s this with you?”

Keiwa motioned to the woman, “This is my sister, Sara.”

Sara waved at Ren, “Hi! Nice to meet you! My little brother has talked a lot about you!”

“Well, come grab a seat you two! There's still plenty of room at the bar.” He motioned towards the open seats next to Ace and Neon.

Ace waved at the two, “Yo.”

Sara gasped dramatically, “Neon and Ace… together?!”

Keiwa rubbed the back of his head, “My sister is kind of a big fan of you both…”

Neon smiled, “It’s nice to meet you Sara!”

Sara smiled brightly, “Gosh, you’re so cute!”

Neon blushed, “I’m not that… wait, maybe I am!”

Sara turned towards her brother, “You need to explain! How are you acquainted anyway?!”

Keiwa blushed, “U-Uh… well… things happened-”

At that moment, the door burst open, almost flying off its hinges.
Standing at the door was Michinaga, breathing heavily as though he had just sprinted a mile, “You!” He said, pointing at Keiwa.

“C-Crap!”

Michinaga stomped over, getting right up into Keiwa’s face, “I said I wasn’t done with you!”

“C-C-Can this wait until later?”

“Just give me the stupid thing!”

Ren cleared his throat, “Michi-chan~” Ren said in a sickly sweet voice.

Michinaga turned towards Ren, “What?!”

Ren responded by simply motioning to the crowd of people consisting of two other Riders, and two civilians.

…

Michinaga grumbled before taking a seat at the bar, “So this is Lebanc?”

“Leblanc. Did you run all the way here, just to chase Keiwa?”

Michinaga looked away.

Ren sighed, “Everyone just grab a seat, I’ll get some more plates ready.”
—

A few minutes later, the chaos had finally calmed down. Each person now had their own plate of curry, alongside a cup of coffee.

Ren looked at the pair of siblings, “You two sure get along. Certainly better than me and my sister.”

Lavenza, who was upstairs with Morgana, shouted down, “I heard that!”

Sara laughed, “It’s just, we’ve lived together ever since our parents died.”

Neon raised an eyebrow, “Eh? Parents? As in… both?”

“Both. We only have each other to rely on now.”

Both Ace and Michinaga gained saddened expressions, Ace speaking up, “Must be tough…”

Michinaga then spoke next, “At least you have each other… some people aren’t as lucky…”

Sara nodded, “At first it was rough, but now we’re doing great! And now I got to meet both Ace and Neon! I think this is the happiest moment in my life, like ever!”

Ren laughed, “Your energy almost reminds me of my friend Ann. She’s got the same optimism that you do… just don’t get her talking about clothes or else your entire afternoon is gone.”

Neon gasped, “Wait… Ann… as in the model Ann Takamaki?!”

Ren nodded, “Yep. We went to high school together.”

“I’m supposed to do a collab with her next month! Can I meet her sometime before then? She’s always been one of my greatest inspirations for starting my career!”

“Well unfortunately she’s in America for another week or so. But I’ll see what I can do when she gets back.”

“Thank you!”

Futaba sighed, “Great, now we have three Ann’s. Everyone, protect your wardrobes!”
—

Once everyone had finished their meals, the large group decided to walk to the station together since Keiwa, Sara, Ace, and Michinaga needed to take it to get back to their homes. Ren, Futaba, and Neon decided to walk them to the station.

Ren, Futaba, and Michinaga hung in the back, Ace and Keiwa were in the middle, with Neon and Sara leading the pact.

Sara happily talked to her idol, “I love the way that you dance!”

Neon smiled, “Thank you!”

“Don’t worry about me, Neon! I’m your fan for life! I’m always rooting for you!”

Neon giggled, “Same. I think I’m now a fan of you, sis.”

“Eh?! But why?!”

“You know, the whole ‘sibling love’ vibe you have with Keiwa! I honestly find myself a little jealous.”

Sara giggled before running off, Neon close behind her.

Michinaga sighed, “God those two are loud.”

Futaba jabbed Michinaga in the side, “Hey! Don’t go dissing them Mr. Tall Dark and Brooding.”

Michinaga scoffed, “I’m just gonna walk by myself.” He said while he started to quicken his pace.

“No wait! I’m not done messing with you yet!” Futaba kept pace with him, leaving Ace, Keiwa, and Ren behind.

Ace turned to look at Keiwa, “I think I finally understand why you wish for world peace.”

Keiwa had a confused expression, “Huh?”

“You know how it feels to lose your family. You don’t want others to experience that pain.”

“What about you, Ace? What about your family?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Huh?”

Ace, ignoring Keiwa, turned towards Ren, “Thanks again for the meal. Now we just need to save the world, right?”

Ren smirked, “Wouldn’t be my first time.”

Ace smirked back with Keiwa just looking even more confused.

Ren spoke up, “Welp, you guys should get home. Big day tomorrow.”

Keiwa nodded, “Yeah. Goodnight Ren, Ace.” Keiwa bowed at both of them before heading towards the station.

Once he was out of earshot, Ren turned towards Ace, “So… since the first year of Anno Domini?”

Ace smirked, “You aren’t the only one with world shaking secrets… Trickster.”

“Would explain how you hear Lavenza.”

“It’s far more than just that, Crowsen.”

“What even are you?”

“To be perfectly honest? I don’t know. I just know I’ve been around since even before then. But anytime I try to think clearly on anything more than 15 or so years ago, it all becomes blurry. What’s most strange is that I grew up still in this era. I can say I’m 22, and I’m not wrong. At least physically. That’s all I know. But what I do know, is that my mother holds the answers to who I am.”

Ren thought on this a bit before speaking up, “Well, I’ll be here to help however I can. You’re my friend, and I’ll do anything for my friends.”

Ace smiled, “Thank you, Ren.”

Ren’s eyes widened, “Aye! You actually said my name!”

Ace rolled his eyes, “Goodnight, Crowsen.”

“H-Hey! Asshole!”

The two laughed as they ran towards the station. All of the Riders, at least for one night, were able to feel normal. No world ending threat, no trying to work against each other, nothing. For at least tonight, they were allowed to be human.

Chapter Text

The next day, the Riders were all summoned back to the DGP facility. The final boss had been located in an amusement park. All civilians there had either fled already, or been absorbed into the large Jamato plant.

Tsumuri began her usual pre-battle talk, “Even as we speak, the final boss still grows in power. Please, be careful everyone. And with that…”

Each Rider was then transported to the amusement park, each standing on the roof of a mary go round ride.

“The final mission begins!”

After this announcement, Keiwa instantly took out the Specter and Boost Buckles, “Stay back, it’s going to be dangerous.”

Neon looked nervous, “You’re really going for this? You sure?”

Michinaga eyed the final boss, it now stood about 10 stories tall, “If it spots you, you’re so dead.”

Ren looked at the boss, “You might be able to sneak past it with Specter… but still…”

Keiwa took a deep breath, trying his best to steady his nerves. Ace spoke up, “For world peace, right?”

Keiwa nodded, “Right! I will protect everyone!”

“SET”

“Henshin!”

“BOOST AND SPECTER”

Tycoon jumped up as a red motorcycle flew toward him in the air.

“BOOSTRIKER”

Tycoon twisted his body, easily landing upon the bike as he revved the engine.

“READY? FIGHT!”

Tycoon landed the bike upon the track of a rollercoaster and drove towards the boss. The Jamato turned towards Tycoon and began to fire off a volley of thorn projectiles. Tycoon easily avoided them all thanks to the speed of the bike.

Upon reaching the apex of the roller coaster track, Tycoon jumped off the bike, causing it to fly right towards the boss's face. The bike began to emit an inferno of flames around it, creating a smoke screen that blinded the Jamato.

“REVOLVE ON”

Tycoon swapped the place of the buckles, Boost now equipped to his legs with the Specter scythe clutched in hand. Tycoon activated the Boost Buckle, causing the engines to propel Tycoon back towards the ground. The Rider landed with an explosive impact, using the scythe to steady himself to not trip upon landing.

Tycoon looked at his scythe, noting it looked different. Much like when Neon used it alongside Dancer, the weapon had changed. The bloody cloth now waved in the wind like flames from a fire, the blade of the scythe was smooth and looked almost mechanical. And on the handle, right where the blade connected to the handle, were small tailpipes.

Looking towards the massive Jamato, it was still struggling with the smoke. “It’s working!” Activating both buckles, Tycoon turned invisible and began to run towards the now defenseless can, using the speed provided by Boost to move at fast speeds.

The smoke around the boss cleared. Looking around, its vision noticed the outline of the tanooki themed rider with its enhanced vision. Quickly reacting, it fired another volley of thorns right onto the Riders path, forcing Tycoon to stop moving.

“H-How did it-?!” Looking up, Tycoon noticed the arm of the boss swinging towards him. He quickly raised the scythe to defend himself, but was sent flying into the air.

Neon gasped, “Keiwa!”

Ren and Ace quickly slotted in the Thief and Magnum Buckles, “Henshin!” The two quickly ran towards the roller coaster that they saw Tycoon fly towards.

Michinaga’s eyes widened as he watched the other two Riders run, “What are they doing?”

Tycoon landed onto the track of a roller coaster with a loud thud that forced him to de-transform. His body was covered with wounds from the damage he suffered, thankfully nothing was broken. He felt as though if he didn’t try to block, his wounds would have been a lot worse. However, Keiwa’s relief was quickly replaced with fear as he heard the boss begin to fire more thorns towards him. Thinking fast, he began to run along the track to avoid the volley of thorns.

Finding a low point, he tried to jump off, but screamed out in pain as a thorn embedded itself into one of his legs. He fell off the track, landing onto the stone floor. Keiwa laid on the floor in immense pain, not noticing the thorn heading straight towards him.

Suddenly, Crowsen grabbed Keiwa to protect him while Geats stood in front of the both of them and shot the thorn, destroying it.

“SECRET MISSION CLEAR”

Crowsen’s eyes widened, “What?!” He quickly checked his Rider phone, seeing the mission “Protect a player from the final boss.” Was completed by Geats.

A treasure box landed next to them.

Geats sighed, “I’ll be honest. I thought your plan would work Tycoon. Specter’s invisibility is meant to sneak past all Jamato’s… I guess this boss is far stronger than we thought.”

Crowsen glared at Geats, “Did you know about the secret mission?”

“Yes… but again, I thought Tycoon could do it…” He sighed as he reached down to grab his treasure box, “This item should help us win.” Inside the box was a green and black buckle that had a ninja star on it. “Crowsen, take care of Tycoon. I’ll handle the boss-”

“I’ll watch him.” Spoke up Michinaga.

Everyone turned to look at him, “I’m the most injured besides him, I’d just be in the way. Besides,” He looked at Crowsen, “I need someone to make sure Geats here doesn’t win, again.”

Crowsen smirked, “Got it.”

Michinaga picked up Keiwa and carried him away with Neon close behind.

Crowsen stood next to Geats, the fox themed Rider looked at the other, “You ready for this? Joker?”

The crow themed Rider nodded, “Let’s do it.”

Geats removed the Magnum Buckle and replaced it with the green buckle.

“SET”

The boss grabbed the can, taking another large gulp from it. It now stood 15 stories tall.

“Henshin.”

“NINJA”

A set of green armor appeared beside Geats. The design of the armor mimicked japanese ronin armor, with some bits of silver designed to even look like chainmail. The chest piece was colored mostly silver, with the shoulder pieces having red highlights. The armor slammed onto Geats, equipping him with a green twinblade.

“READY? FIGHT!”

The boss fired another volley of thorns at the duo. Crowsen quickly fired his grappling hook towards a roller coaster to avoid the attack. Geats meanwhile stood still, time slowing slightly for him, “Now, time for the highlight!” And in an instant, he ran towards the side, easily dodging the attack.

The boss stood in the center of a roller coaster, swinging its arms wildly trying to hit the two Riders. Crowsen flew through the air, spinning and dancing in the air just like a gymnast. Geats meanwhile would disappear in small clouds of smoke, reappearing somewhere else.

Crowsen shouted out, “Over here!” as he tossed a yellow gem directly into the Jamato’s eye. The gem cracked upon impact, letting out a blinding flash of light.

Geats smirked, “How about over here!” He swung his blade, causing several spectral throwing stars to appear and fly towards the boss.

The two Riders appeared side by side on the track, Crowsen spun the cane he held, “It’s showtime!”

The two leapt into the air as the boss began to blindly fire more thorns all around itself.

While in the air, Crowsen tossed several multi-colored gems and knives at the boss. Explosions of smoke, blinding light, fire, electricity, and ice occurred all around the boss which were followed by multiple daggers piercing into the armor. “Now for the finale!”

Geats appeared in the air as several groups of shadow clone versions of Geats appeared as well. Each one took their version of the twin blade and spun a disk on it, “ROUND 1*2*3. FEVER” The blades hovered above each Geats, and began to spin rapidly, turning into fiery disks of different colors. Red, Blue, Yellow, and Green.

“TACTICAL FINISH”

Each group charged forward and slashed right through the boss in a massive multi-colored explosion.

The boss began to stagger, leaving the can wide open.

“REVOLVE ON”

Geats landed and quickly swapped the Ninja armor to his legs. “This is it!”

“NINJA STRIKE”

He charged forward and kicked the can high up into the air. He went straight towards the Jamato barrier. But before it could reach it, the boss grabbed it out of the air and disappeared once more.

Geats looked around trying to find the boss, but it was nowhere to be found.

Crowsen jumped off the roller coaster, landing next to Geats, “Dammit! We almost had it!”

Michinaga and Neon stood nearby with Keiwa using Michinaga for support. Neon began to look nervous, “I-Is this the end?”

Michinaga shook his head, “No… not yet. The barrier is still up.”

Suddenly, the group all heard Tsumuri’s voice, “You are correct.”

The group was then teleported back to the floating platform where Tsumuri stood. “The game is not over yet. You need to kick the can outside of the area. Otherwise, the boss will retake the can, and the game will continue yet again.”

Crowsen and Geats both de-transformed. Ren raised an eyebrow, “So it’ll just keep going until either we kick the can out of the arena… or until we all die?”

Tsumuri nodded her head.

Neon sighed, “Could have told us sooner…”

Ren ran over to Michinaga to help support Keiwa, “We’ve got to get him patched up. I know a doctor by Leblanc that can help him.”

Keiwa struggled to stay awake, his vision getting more and more blurred, until eventually he went limp in Ren and Michinaga’s arms.

“KEIWA!”

Chapter Text

When Keiwa next awoke, he found himself staring up at an unfamiliar white ceiling. Looking around, he saw all sorts of medical equipment scattered about in a small space. With how cluttered everything was, the room felt more like a storage closet in a hospital.

The tanuki themed Rider attempted to get up, but his body ached all over. His mind flashed back to the events at the amusement park, and the thorn that was shot into his leg. His eyes widened. He quickly moved to look at his leg, only to find it completely healed. The only thing that remained of the wound was a large scar.

At this point, he began to hear voices from the otherside of a nearby door. One of them sounded familiar, but the other he couldn’t recognize.

“And you’re certain this has nothing to do with the Metaverse?”

“Positive Tae. I can’t get into the full details, but let’s just say I’m investigating some things.”

“Whatever it is, just try not to get yourself killed. I don’t want my guinea pig dying on me.”

“And thanks again for helping Keiwa, I promise to pay you back.”

“Please, your sister did most of the work, I mostly just made sure nothing would be permanent. And as for payment, consider this visit on the house.”

Suddenly the door opened. Stepping through was Ren, still wearing the boots and pants of their DGP attire with the jacket tied around his waist. Next to him was a woman wearing goth punk attire with a lab coat on top. The woman spoke up, “Ah, I see the patient is awake. Happy to see you aren’t in a coma.”

Keiwa looked to Ren, “Um… wear am I?”

Ren laughed softly, he started to speak when the woman interrupted him, “Welcome to my clinic. I’m Takemi Tae. Ren brought you here after you passed out from blood loss. Thankfully none of your wounds were too grievous, I just need to do some final checks and you should be able to leave.”

“H-How long was I out for?”

“Just for the night. It’s almost 11 am and according to Ren you passed out sometime around 3 pm yesterday. I will say, the wound on your leg will likely be a permanent scar. You’re lucky whatever that thing was didn’t hit anything major.”

“T-Thank you for helping me…”

“Of course. I’ll leave you two alone for now, I’ll be back in a bit.” Takemi then went into her main office, leaving the two Riders alone.

Keiwa slouched over, “I failed…”

Ren sighed as he took a seat next to Keiwa, “You didn’t fail. If anything, Ace and I failed when we couldn’t kick the can out of the area. If I had just blinded the boss a bit more, Ace could have won, and this whole thing would be over…”

“But still… It was my plan to tackle the boss by myself… and I almost got myself killed in the process… If it wasn’t for you and Ace… I doubt I would even be here…”

Before Ren could respond, Keiwa’s phone began to ring. Looking at it, Keiwa saw that his sister was calling him. He quickly hit the answer button while putting the call on speaker, “Nee-chan?”

“Keiwa! Are you okay?!” The two Riders could hear the panic in the girl's voice, as well as the sound of destruction and chaos.

“Eh?!”

“A strange monster appeared near my job. I was worried something happened to you!”

Keiwa stood up, “You have to get away from there! You’ll be safe as long as you’re not spotted!”

“How do you know that?!”

“Just do it!!”

There was a sound of an explosion, and the last thing the two heard was the chant of Jamatos as Sara screamed.

“Nee-chan!!”

Ren quickly grabbed his own things while handing Keiwa his belt, “If we hurry, we can make sure your sister isn’t harmed.”

Keiwa nodded as he put on the belt. The two quickly rushed out of the clinic, ignoring the sound of Takemi’s confusion. The two inserted their ID core’s into the belts, and were transported to the DGP facility.
—

Meanwhile, in the lounge, Neon had just set up an empty soda can on the floor. “Eye on the prize~” She backed up and got into a ready position. A distance away was a small makeshift goal with the words “Jammer Wall” written on it in a glittery colorful font. Ace sat at the bar across from the white suited man, while Michinaga watched the scene from one of the couches.

“Home run!” Neon ran forward and kicked the can as hard as she could. It flew right through the goal and went towards the bar. Ace and the white suited man both tilted their heads to easily avoid the can as it bounced against the wall and flew straight towards Michinaga. The bull themed Rider tried to do the same, but the can bounced back once it hit the wall and smacked Michinaga right in the back of the head.

“Ow!”

Ace laughed, “Nice!”

Michinaga rubbed the back of his head as he glared at Ace, “In what way was that ‘Nice’?!”

The white suited man sighed, “I’m sorry Neon-sama… please stop before you cause trouble for the other competitors.”

Neon looked at Michinaga, “S-Sorry… I just want to make sure when I have the chance that I can kick the can out of the Jammer Area.”

Michinaga sighed, “Well next time, make sure you don’t hit us with the damn thing.”

The white suited man nodded, “Indeed, we have training areas for this exact reason. So that you may practice without harming your fellow competitors.”

Suddenly, the phone at the bar began to ring. The white suited man went over and answered it. While he began to listen to the message, Ren and Keiwa ran in from the hallway, both heading towards the exit leading to the staging area.

Neon gasped, “Keiwa?! Shouldn’t you still be in bed? Ren! I thought you said you were watching him!”

The two ignored her as they ran through the doors. Ace’s eyes widened at the implication of what was happening and ran after them.

At this point, the white suited man had finished his phone call and looked towards those that remained in the room, “The last boss Jamato has appeared in the city.”

The two others quickly jumped to their feet and ran after the others.

Ren and Keiwa stumbled onto the floating platform where Tsumuri watched the boss Jamato from a multitude of floating screens.

Keiwa shouted out, “Teleport us to the area, now!”

The girl turned around and eyed Keiwa, “Can you fight in your condition?”

Ren spoke up, “Don’t worry, his body is mostly sore after everything. He can still fight.”

“But, you know what will happen if a Jamato kills-”

“SHUT UP!” Screamed Keiwa.

At this point, the rest of the Riders had finally arrived.

“They attacked my sister! I need to save her!”

Tsumuri nodded, “Understood. But let me warn you once more, you cannot face the final boss head on. There is no way to clear this without kicking the can.”

The five Riders were then transported to a street nearby the final boss. From the last time they saw it, it now stood 20 stories tall, and the massive Jamato plant was even larger than before.

As soon as they could, Keiwa and Ren instantly ran off.

Neon shouted after them, “Hey! Where are you going?!”

Michinaga just eyed the boss, “Alright Geats, I ain’t letting you win this!”

Ace smirked as he pulled out the Ninja Buckle, “There’s no point in trying.”

The three Riders then transformed. Na-Go equipped with Dancer, Buffa with Zombie, and Geats with Ninja. The three then charged towards the final boss, each of them ready to do anything they can to win.
—

Ren and Keiwa pushed their way past the sea of citizens trying to run away from the Jamato. Once they passed by an alleyway, they heard a voice shout out, “Keiwa!”

Turning to look, the two saw Sara being cornered by two Jamatos.

“Nee-chan!” Keiwa quickly pulled out the Specter Buckle and transformed. He moved so fast that Ren barely had time to even register the Rider transforming and instantly cutting down the two Jamatos in a single strike.

After doing so, Tycoon collapsed to one knee, the pain from his wounds acting up. Ren quickly ran over to support him “Don’t run off like that! You may be mostly healed, but it will mean nothing if you rush in like that!”

Sara looked at the two in scared confusion, “What’s going on?!”

Tycoon looked towards Sara, “Stay close to us! Ren! Watch our backs!”

Ren nodded before pulling out the Thief Buckle and transforming. Once transformed, Crowsen moved to the entrance of the alleyway to watch out for any Jamatos.

Sara looked at her brother, “I don’t understand what’s happening, Keiwa!”

She reached forward to embrace her brother. Tycoon jumped a little from the sudden movement, causing Sara’s hand to brush against his ID core.

There was a small spark, and Sara’s eyes went wide. She stood stock still. She looked like she had just seen a ghost.

“I remember…”
—

Meanwhile, Na-Go was protecting the citizens still in the area, using her chakrams to cut down any Jamatos that got close to them.

Geats meanwhile was cutting down any Jamatos that got in his way as he rushed towards the boss. Buffa was right at his side, the two locked in a race to see who will get to the boss first.

As they ran towards the boss, the two were forced to work in sync as they had to pass through multiple large groupings of Jamatos.

Geats smirked as they ran, “We work well together! If you weren’t such an ass, I might even consider you an ally right now.”

Buffa growled, “Just shut up and keep fighting you cocky fox!”
—

Back in the alleyway, Crowsen and Tycoon were fending off against a small group of Jamatos that had converged on the alley.

Sara had tears streaming down her face, still unmoving from her previous position.

Eventually, the two finally took care of the Jamatos with Crowsen using his cane to trip up the last one so that Tycoon could finish it off. Tycoon looked back and saw his sister not moving, he quickly de-transformed and ran towards her, “Nee-chan!”

He ran over and quickly crouched down, looking over his sister to see if she was injured. Crowsen meanwhile stood next to the siblings, watching out for any Jamatos that might come their way.

Sara cried out, “What are those monsters?!”

Keiwa put a hand on his sisters back, “It’s okay now-”

She pushed her brother off of her, “It’s not okay!! Because… they killed Mom and Dad!!”

The two Riders gasped. Keiwa’s eyes widened, “Eh? What are you talking about?!”

“I remembered… something I had forgotten.”

“You… remembered?”

Crowsen’s eyes widened, “Did she touch your ID core?”

Sara continued to cry, “Mom and Dad didn’t die in an accident. It was them…!! Those monsters!!”

Keiwa quickly put his hands on his sisters shoulders, “Nee-chan! Please, tell me what happened!”

“W-W-We were walking in a park… when this barrier appeared and separated us… they were stuck on the side with the monsters… t-t-they were trapped… s-someone dragged me away to safety… t-the last thing I heard was their screams as they were killed!!”

Keiwa struggled to comprehend this, his breathing becoming erratic, “H-How could this be…”

Sara held onto her brother, “You weren’t there, Keiwa… How could I forget something so important?!”

Keiwa felt like he was about to have a panic attack, “The Jamato… killed Mom and Dad?”

Crowsen spoke up, “But… how? If they died within a Jammer Area… shouldn’t they have been brought back after the reset? Why did they stay dead? What the hell isn’t the DGP telling us!”

Suddenly, two Jamatos dropped down from the rooftops. One quickly slashed at Crowsen while another attempted to grab Sara. Thinking quickly, Keiwa grabbed his sister and pushed her away. He ducked under the arm of the Jamato as he pulled out his training knife and stabbed at the Jamato. It didn’t do much damage, but it caused the Jamato to stumble. Crowsen quickly dispatched the Jamato that attacked him, and threw a throwing knife directly in the other Jamatos head.

Sara was crouched on the floor hyperventilating, “H-How could I forget… How could I forget…”

Crowsen spoke up, “Keiwa! We need to move. If we stay still too long, then we’re gonna get swarmed!”

Keiwa nodded. He quickly grabbed his sister, and the three began to find somewhere else to keep Sara safe.
—

Geats and Buffa continued to cut down group after group of Jamato, more and more arriving with each one they defeated.

Buffa shouted out, “Just how many of these things are there?”

Geats quickly cut down three Jamatos, “There’s no end. We need to get to the boss!”

“What do you think I’m doing asshole!”

Geats grabbed his twinblade and spun the disk on it.

“ROUND 1. TACTICAL SLASH.”

Geats then swung his blade forward causing a large gust of green winds to slice through the swarm of Jamatos in front of them.

In a large explosion, all of the Jamatos were defeated.

Na-Go eventually caught up to the duo, she looked around, and there was no sight of any Jamatos, not even the boss. “It got away!”

Buffa kicked a car, a large indent forming on it, “Dammit!”
—

In the DGP facility, Tsumuri watched in sadness at the events that unfolded. On her screen was the large Jammer area, with three smaller ones within it. Each had an X through them. “At this rate… we will see a record number of casualties…”
—

Once the Jammer Area fell, the trio of Ren, Keiwa, and Sara all were able to retreat to the siblings' apartment. Once they entered, Sara had passed out on the couch. The events of the day, as well as the sudden influx of memories had finally exhausted her too much. Keiwa placed a pillow under his sister's head, and gently laid a blanket on top of her.

Ren poured the two both a glass of water, “What the hell is even going on. Even if your parents died during a game, they should have been brought back once the final boss was eliminated… So why did they stay dead?”

Keiwa scowled, “This doesn’t change anything. I just now have even more reason to win this. For world peace… and to avenge my parents…”

Before Ren could speak up, both of their Riders phones went off. Ren sighed as he checked his, “They need us back at the lounge. The boss got away, so they need us there for whenever it might reappear.”

Keiwa turned towards Ren with a sharp glare, “I’m not leaving my sister alone! Not after everything we learned! I’ll go to the boss when it appears.”

“Keiwa… We need to think of a plan. And we can’t do that if you stay here. The sooner we win, the sooner she’ll be safe.”

Keiwa looked at his sleeping sister. And eventually, he sighed in defeat, “Fine. But if anything happens to her-”

“Nothing will happen to her. I promise.”

Keiwa nodded and the two were transported back to the lounge.

When they arrived, Neon was sitting on one of the couches looking defeated. Michinaga was walking around the space clearly pissed. And Ace sat at the bar as usual.

Michinaga stopped walking as he noticed the other two Rides, “And where the hell were you two?!”

Ren spoke up first, “Keiwa’s sister was caught in the area. We went to make sure she was safe. Thankfully we got there in time before some Jamatos could grab her. But…” He looked towards Keiwa who seemed almost emotionless.

“The Jamatos killed my parents…”

Neon gasped, “What?!”

Keiwa continued, “Apparently, when we were younger, my parents got caught within a Jammer Area… and they were killed in front of my sister… I thought they had died in an accident all this time… but Neechan remembered the truth.”

Neon ran over and wrapped Keiwa in a tight embrace. As soon as this happened, Keiwa began to cry. The stress of learning the truth of his parents death, almost losing his sister, almost dying over and over again, it collapsed onto him as he let out all of his emotions through his tears.

Ace watched from the bar. In his hand was a strange gold coin, the last thing Ace had of his mother.

After a few minutes, Keiwa eventually broke the hug, “Listen… I have an idea. A joint operation.”

Michinaga raised an eyebrow, “A what now?”

“A joint operation. All five of us should rush the boss. If one of us gets his attention, someone else should be able to kick the can.”

Ren snapped his fingers, “So a combination of the two plans from the amusement park?”

Keiwa nodded his head. “I’ll act as the distraction. I just need you guys to take care of the smaller Jamatos while I focus on the boss. Then, when the time is right, you all can charge the boss at once and go for the can. If all of you go at once, then there’s no way it will be able to block the can.”

Michinaga grumbled, “It’s a risky as hell plan. Too risky.”

“This is a battle to save the world.”

“This is a game to obtain our ideal worlds.”

“THIS IS NOT A GAME!” Keiwa shouted, causing everyone to freeze. “None of us can do this alone. Every single time we try, we fail. Even if only a couple of us work together, we’ll fail. If we keep failing, then not only will we lose our lives, but the world will end. If that happens, then none of us will obtain our ideal worlds. Is that what you want, Buffa?!”

Michinaga was quiet for a few moments before sighing, “Fine. But I ain’t letting anyone else win this. As soon as that can is unguarded, I’m going for it.”

Keiwa nodded, “That’s fine. I don’t care who gets it. Anyone of you can. Use my life as a stepping stone to get your victories. As long as that boss is defeated.”

Ace finally spoke up, “Are you truly okay to give up your own happiness for the sake of others? Is it okay to let others suffer as long as you get what you want? You don’t care about your life as long as your sister is safe? If anything, you’re the most arrogant one in this room. This plan could fail in an instant, and you will have sacrificed your life for nothing.”

“What other choice do we have…”

Ace walks over and places a hand on Keiwa’s shoulder, “If there’s something you want… then fight. Don’t give up your life. It’s the only way.”

Keiwa looked up at Ace. Their eyes locked onto each other. In this moment, everyone in the room could tell that this was the most of the true Ace that any of them had seen. No cocky celebrity status, no invincible Kamen Rider, just Ukiyo Ace. A man willing to risk everything for his own dream.

Ace reached into a pocket and pulled out the Ninja Buckle, “Here,” he then handed it to Keiwa, “If this plan is going to work, then you need to be fast. If you combine it with your Specter Buckle, you should be able to move around like a true shinobi.”

Keiwa eyed the buckle, “You’re just… going to give it to me?”

Ace smirked, “It would be wasted on me. Besides, someone willing to sacrifice their life for the sake of the mission? That sounds like the makings of a Ninja to me.”

For the first time that day, Keiwa finally smiled. He reached up and grabbed the Ninja Buckle from Ace. “I promise to make good use of it.”

At this moment, the white suited man entered the room, his face solemn. “My dear Riders, the final boss has made its appearance.”

Chapter Text

Later that day, Tsumuri stood on the floating platform, observing the current location of the final boss. “The world’s future is in your hands… Kamen Riders.”

The Riders were all transported to a middle school that had since been evacuated of all its citizens. Those who couldn’t escape were captured by the Jamato boss. The final boss was larger than ever, standing at a dramatic 50 stories tall.

The group watched from the rooftop of one of the school buildings. Ace smirked as he watched the final boss, “It’s a race to the end. Let’s see who can kick the can.”

Michinaga let out a huff, “It’ll be me.”

Neon glared at the bull themed Rider, “I’m not losing to you.”

Ren flipped the Thief Buckle in his hand, “Sorry, but I’ll be stealing the spotlight today.”

Keiwa meanwhile was hiding in a nearby tree. Clutched tightly in his hand was the Boost Buckle. Since the round had never ended, Keiwa still had the buckle from when he last used it. “Alright everyone… let’s do this!”

“SET”

The sounds of the transformations echoed throughout the empty school lot.

“Henshin!” Each Rider shouted in unison.

“DANCER”
“ZOMBIE”
“THIEF AND SHARK”
“MAGNUM”
“NINJA AND BOOST”

“READY? FIGHT!”

As soon as they finished transforming, waves of Jamato began to pour out of the school. Geats, Buffa, Crowsen, and Na-Go quickly engaged the enemies.

Geats used a mixture of kicks and shots from his weapon while Buffa near him attacked in wide arcs to hit as many Jamatos as possible.

Na-Go and Crowsen danced around the battlefield as though they were performing a duet. Crowsen would toss around crystals in a carefree manner, blinding the Jamatos while trapping them with ice bombs. Na-Go would then follow-up with a whirlwind of slashes from her chakrams.

Tycoon listened to the sounds of his friends struggling, fighting for their lives to achieve their desire. He quickly took a deep breath to calm his nerves. And in an instant, he dashed out of the tree and towards the final boss. “LAST BOSS! I’M OVER HERE!”

Meanwhile, from a distance, Sara spotted the large monster from a far distance away., “Keiwa… please, hold on.” She then began to run in their direction.

The final boss turned towards Tycoon and began to fire a large volley of thorns. Before they could hit him, time seemed to slow. Tycoon smirked as he instantly walked away to avoid the attack. The speed gifted to him by the two buckles was super natural. Tycoon ran all across the open field, trails of fire and wind following him. He would easily jump over the thorns shot at him while using his twin blade to block the ones he couldn’t dodge. “WHAT’S WRONG? TRY HITTING ME!”

The boss let out a roar as he began to charge towards Tycoon. He quickly dove through one of the windows of the school and ran through the hallways. The boss, having lost sight of the annoyance, began to fire a wild volley of thorns into the building. Eventually, one of the shots forced Tycoon to dive back out of the building. Suddenly, his wounds began to act up. The pain surging through his body, “Dammit! Not yet!”

“Keiwa!”

Tycoon’s eyes widened as he turned to see Sara shouting from a nearby treeline. “N-Nee-chan?!”

Sara looked up at the boss and quickly shouted, “Look out!”

Turning to look at the boss, Tycoon noticed a large, powerful, red thorn heading right towards him.

The rest of the Riders heard a massive explosion from nearby, causing all of them to pause for a moment. Na-Go felt her heart drop, “K-Keiwa?”

Sara screamed, “KEIWA!!!”

The smoke from the blast cleared, however, Tycoon was nowhere to be seen.

“TACTICAL SLASH”

Tycoon appeared high above the final boss in a cloud of smokes, his twinblade now split into two separate swords. He slashed his swords towards the boss, two slashes of powerful wind crashed into the boss in an explosion of sharp winds. The strike was powerful enough to force the final boss to take a knee.

Crowsen shouted out, “Hell yes Keiwa!”

Geats smirked in the direction of the final boss, “Smart move, Tycoon.”

Buffa scoffed, “Of course, the Ninja Buckle resonated with him.”

Na-Go smiled, “Someone ready to sacrifice themselves for the mission… Keiwa.”

Tycoon landed on the rooftop of the school. He let out a small laugh, “Didn’t I say? I’m not going down.”

Sara smiled as she watched her brother. An overwhelming feeling of pride enveloped her.

The boss struggled to stand back up as it roared out once more. It began to once more fire a large volley of thorns at the Rider. Tycoon dashed away, dodging each thorn with ease. He parkoured from rooftop to rooftop, explosions of thorns close behind him. The boss slammed a fist nearby Tycoon, imbedding itself into the rooftop. Tycoon jumped onto the hand and began to run up the arm of the final boss. Along the way, he slashed any of the thorns that were naturally growing off the Jamatos body, creating a clear pathway for himself. “Just wait, everyone!”

The boss attempted to use its thorns again, but each time Tycoon would disappear in a cloud of smoke, appearing somewhere else on the arm of the Jamato. Becoming furious, the boss created a thick wall of thorns in front of the Ninja, but Tycoon responded by tossing one of the blades towards the wall. The blade transformed into a large ninja star, cutting down the thorns like trees.

He quickly retrieved his weapon and connected them back into the twinblade form.

“SINGLE BLADE”

He spun the shuriken on his buckle, and revved the Boost Buckle.

“BOOST TIME”

Tycoon jumped into the air as his twinblade transformed into a massive shuriken that he rode upon. The blade flew around the boss, slashing at it from any angle that it could, leaving deep fiery scars. The blade then began to fly towards the massive plant-like structure keeping citizens hostage. He jumped off of the shuriken, flipping in the air.

“NINJA BOOST GRAND VICTORY”

Tycoon kicked his foot out towards the structure, and descended upon it with rapid speed. He and the shuriken flew clear through the structure, destroying it completely. All of the captured civilians floated gently towards the ground in white light.

Tycoon shouted out, “EVERYONE! DO IT NOW!”

The Riders heard his call. And each ran off from the Jamatos and towards the boss. Geats and Buffa were the first to get close. The boss attempted to swing an arm towards the can.

Geats began to shout out, “A giant… lift-off!”

The two Riders both managed to kick the can with all of their strength at the same time, sending the can flying through the air.

The boss turned and reached one arm out to grab the can. Suddenly, a grappling hook embedded itself into its hand as Crowsen launched himself into the air towards the can, “Thanks for passing the baton” Crowsen flipped in the air and kicked the can in the opposite direction.

The boss used its other arm to reach out towards the can once more, however, Na-Go used the agility provided by Dancer to jump up along the boss, “Go… flying further!!!” She kicked the can as hard as she could, sending it soaring through the sky.

Eventually, it flew far enough that it flew right out of the Jammer Area, making a large hole in the barrier.

The final boss let out a pained roar as it was enveloped in a blue digital light, disappearing from sight.

Crowsen and Na-Go landed with ease, everyone de-transforming now that the threat was gone. Everyone looked around, with Neon wearing the brightest smile, “Did I beat it? Do I win?”

Michinaga ran towards them, “I win since I kicked it first!”

Ace smirked, “I think you mean that I kicked it first.”

Ren laughed, “Please. The can was already going the direction Neon kicked it towards, it’s clearly my win!”

Ace’s smirked vanished, “However… there’s no announcement about the game being over yet.”
—

Back at the floating platform, Tsumuri watched in horror as the large Jammer Area containing the other Jammer Areas the boss was located in expanded further and further in size.
—

Suddenly, the Boost Buckle then flew right past each Rider. However, it stopped for a moment to nod at Ace, Could buckles even nod? Wait, are buckles even alive? That’s a crisis for another day.

The four then noticed Tycoon stumble out of a nearby alleyway, armed only with the Ninja Buckle. “The last boss… is way too tough…” He de-transformed, a smile shining brightly on his face. However, he then collapsed against a nearby railing.

Neon and Ren began to run towards Keiwa, but they then noticed a figure running even faster towards the injured man, Sara shouted out, “Keiwa!” She quickly crouched down and embraced Keiwa, “Are you okay?”

Keiwa smiled, “I’m glad you’re okay.” His breathing became heavier, he could barely feel his injured leg, and his lungs felt like they were going to explode.

Sara laughed, “Of course you ask someone else if they’re okay first. You did it… You became an ‘amazing adult’.”

Keiwa reached into a pocket and pulled out the paper ninja star he made as a kid. He held it up in victory.

Suddenly, the group heard Tsumuri appear and speak up, “Sakurai Keiwa. With your injuries being the way they are, the Desire Grand Prix wishes to ask of you: are you willing to continue as you are? If not, then you will be dropped from the game. If you are, then we will provide whatever care we can to help you be ready for the next fight.”

Keiwa looked at Tsumuri, “When dropped, you’re returned to your original life, right?”

Tsumuri nodded, “Yes!”

Keiwa sighed in relief as he leaned back against the railing, “Thank goodness… After everything that’s happened, I can’t leave my sister all alone.” He looked towards Sara with a smile.

Sara looked at her brother with concern, “But Keiwa… what about the monsters?”

He looked towards the others, “These people helped me get stronger. I know they can handle things from here.”

Ren spoke up, “What about your wish for world peace?”

Keiwa smiled, “I’ve been thinking about what you told me Ren, about how I should think more on what exactly world peace means to me. And I think I finally have my answer. I don’t need everyone in the world to be happy, and have no conflict. All I need for my world peace, is for those around me to be able to smile. And as long as I have my family, my friends, I know I can achieve world peace without some grand power. Besides, the things that make you happy in life feel the best when you truly work for it. Right, Ren?”

Ren could feel the renewed resolve coming from Keiwa.

Sakurai Keiwa- The Magus. Rank 4

Keiwa reached into his pocket and pulled out the Ninja Buckle. He looked towards Ace and held out the buckle, “Here, you can have this back. Won’t exactly do me much good now. It was thanks to you that I was able to save those people.”

Ace solemnly smiled as he walked over and took the buckle. “It was your heart that made the miracle happen.”

Keiwa smirked, “It’s not like you to act like that, Ace. Getting soft on me?”

Ace smiled.

Keiwa leaned back, “I will say… If I’m ever invited back? I will use my wish to bring back all of the innocent Riders who lost their lives to this game. That’s a promise.”

Neon spoke up, “You better make good on that promise, you hear me?”

Keiwa nodded. He let out a big sigh before continuing to speak, “Protecting world peace… isn’t easy…”

Keiwa was then enveloped in a blue digital light, and disappeared. His driver dropping to the floor, alongside his paper ninja star.

“RETIRED”

Sara looked around worried, “W-Where did he go?”

Ren walked over, “Don’t worry. He’s just back home resting. Waiting for you.”

Tsumuri leaned over and picked up Keiwa’s driver, “He has been disqualified from being a Kamen Rider.”

Michinaga looked towards the sky, “One more down…”

Ace leaned down and picked up the paper shuriken, “Leave the rest to me, Tycoon.” He then handed the ninja star to Sara, who proceeded to place it within a pocket on her skirt.

Ace then looked towards the sky, clutching the Ninja Buckle, “I will end this world.”

Chapter Text

After Keiwa was retired, the remaining four Riders were transported back to the floating platform. Neon instantly stormed over to Tsumuri, “Why isn’t the game over?! The can was kicked out of the area!”

Tsumuri looked scared. Not because of Neon, but because she was also confused why the game wasn’t over, “Normally the Jamato would wither and die… This is unexpected.”

Ren sighed, “Has this seriously never happened before? In the entire DGP history?”

Tsumuri shook her head. Ace chimed in, “Certainly not in my memory at least. Everytime the victory condition was met, the game would end soon after.”

Michinaga spoke up, “So the last boss is still alive?”

Tsumuri nodded, “Indeed. We have yet to track it, but it is the only possibility that makes sense as to why a God of Desire has not been declared.” Suddenly, a screen showing the Jammer Area appeared behind her blaring an alarm. Everyone watched in horror as the Jammer Area began to rapidly grow in size. “The Jammer Area is expanding?!” There was then a ping. The screen switched to a video of the final boss in the countryside. It grabbed the can from a river and swallowed it whole.

Ren cringed, “Did it just swallow it?!”

Neon gasped, “How are we supposed to kick the can now?!”

Michinaga started to become pissed, “What’s going on?!”

Ace spoke calmly, “Jamato are monsters that evolve. So we’ve got to evolve with them.”

Suddenly, a robotic voice spoke up from behind them all, “That’s right.”

Turning around, everyone saw a man wearing a white suit with a black cloak on top. Covering his face was a mechanical white and red mask with a hood covering the rest of his head. Tsumuri gasped, “Gamemaster!”

Everyone’s eyes widened. Michinaga faced the man, “You’re… the Gamemaster?”

Ren glared at the man, So, you’re the one in control.

Ace smirked, “This must be quite the emergency if the administrator shows himself.”

The Gamemaster nodded, “Kamen Riders, I have an urgent mission for you. You must destroy the can.”

Ren spoke up, “Destroy it? How the hell are we supposed to do that if it swallowed the damn thing? None of our buckles are strong enough to pierce its armor.”

“Calm yourself, Trickster.”

Ren’s mind came to a dramatic pause, “H-How do you-”

The Gamemaster interrupted him, “To complete the mission, you must raise these key items.” He stepped to the side, and behind him appeared a small podium with four eggs on it. Each was the size of a grapefruit.

Neon raised an eyebrow, “An egg?”

The Gamemaster nodded, “Yes, an egg.”

Michinaga growled, “Bullshit! We have to do this during the final round?!”

Ace laughed, “I’m in.” He then walked over and picked up one of the eggs, “Whoever wins this game… becomes the Desire God.”

Ren sighed as he began to walk over, “Well then, may the best player win.”

Tsumuri spoke up next, “If you do a good job raising your egg, it may become an item that can help you beat the last boss.”

Suddenly, the screen set off an alarm once more. The boss had moved back to the city, and alongside an army of Jamatos were attacking civilians.

“Protect the town, but don’t let the Jamato break your egg.”

Neon and Michinaga quickly grabbed their eggs. The group was then transported to a business district where the main bunch of Jamatos were rampaging.

Michinaga glared at his egg, “Why am I stuck doing something like this?!”

Ren patted him on the shoulder, “Hey, at least we should get some powerful buckles from this. So suck it up and be a good father to your egg.”

Michinaga grumbled in annoyance.

The group then each pulled out a buckle. Neon with Dancer, Michinaga with Zombie, Ren with Thief, and Ace with Ninja.

“SET”

“Henshin!” The four shouted in unison.

“DANCER”
“ZOMBIE”
“THIEF”
“NINJA”

“READY? FIGHT!”

Buffa and Geats instantly charged forwards towards the enemy. Crowsen was about to charge forward as well until he heard Na-Go begin to panic, “Eh?! It’s stuck underneath!” Turning around, he saw that Na-Go’s egg was no in a mesh bag attached to her armor.

Crowsen looked at himself and noticed next to his bag of gems was his own mesh bag with his egg in it. “Hey, at least we don’t have to worry about carrying it.” Crowsen turned around and began to engage the enemy.

The group began to defend the civilians. Each Riders egg was on their person in a mesh bag, allowing for them to fight without worry. However, they all had to be careful as the Jamatos prioritized trying to steal or destroy their eggs.

Crowsen knocked a Jamato away with his cane as it attempted to swipe at his egg, “Hey! I’m the only thief around here! And this egg is my treasure!”

“THIEF ESCAPE”

Crowsen raised his cane into the air and slammed it into the ground. There was a large burst of smoke that blinded all of the Jamatos near him. Once the smoke cleared, each Jamato found they were missing their weapons.

Suddenly, a throwing knife embedded itself into the ground by each Jamato. Each knife had a different colored gem attached to it. Turning to see where it came from, the Jamato saw Crowsen sitting casually atop a pile of stolen Jamato weapons, “Show’s over for you all.” He then snapped his fingers, causing each of the throwing knives to explode in an array of fire, ice, and electricity.

Buffa was becoming slowly more and more angry at having to defend an egg in the middle of the final round. However, that rage changed when he suddenly felt a Jamato slam into him while trying to reach for the egg. Buffa shouted out, “Hands off!”

“ZOMBIE STRIKE”

Buffa revved his chainsaw sword and spun around in a circle, defeating a large number of Jamatos around him. “If you want this stupid egg, then you’ll have to get through me!”

Na-Go meanwhile was staring at her egg after she had just kicked away a Jamato, “Hmm, maybe if I impress it, it will become a super cool item!”

“SOMBA CHARGE”

Na-Go began to perform a dance in place, energy beginning to build up around her. Nearby Jamatos looked at her in confusion. With a dramatic flourish, there was a large burst of wind that sent the Jamatos flying.

Geats watched the group fight from nearby. He held up his egg as he looked at the massive final boss, “Look. That’s the last boss that we have to defeat. Sense what your mission is. The fate of the world depends on how well you grow.”

Na-Go heard this and laughed, “What’s this? Lessons for gifted children?”

Suddenly, two Jamatos began to charge Geats. Thinking quickly, he tossed his egg high up into the air as he blocked an attack with his twinblade. He activated his buckle, and four clones of Geats appeared. Three of them engaged the Jamatos, while himself and another clone began to parkour up the final boss.

“NINJA STRIKE”

He jumped all over the boss. It tried to keep track but only ended up getting dizzy. Geats raised his blade up high as he stabbed it into the chest armor of the final boss. However, his weapon wasn’t strong enough to pierce its armor. Geats did notice that the armor became slightly transparent for a moment, revealing the can hidden underneath. “I see. So that’s where the can is.”

Geats then jumped off the boss, landing back where his clones had just finished defeating the Jamatos they were fighting. Without even looking up, he held out a hand as his egg landed gently on his hand.

“SECRET MISSION CLEAR”

The clones disappeared, and Geats checked his Rider phone. “First to find the can?”

He heard a chime as a treasure box landed next to him. Opening it up, he found the Boost Buckle contained in the box. Geats looked up to see the final boss let out a loud roar as it was enveloped in blue light once more, disappearing from the area. “Huh?”

Na-Go let out a cry, “The last boss is gone!”

Crowsen sighed, “Bastard is more stubborn than a treasure demon…”

Buffa raised an eyebrow at Crowsen, “The hell is a ‘treasure demon’?”

“Story for another time.”
—

The group was transported back to the DGP facility as the staff worked to find where the final boss went.

Ace was sitting at the bar drinking a cup of tea with his egg resting on a throw pillow. Ren and Neon were on one of the couches side by side. Neon had her egg on her lap while Ren inspected his closely. Finally, Michinaga sat at the other couch, glaring daggers at his egg.

Michinaga grumbled, “I’m supposed to raise this?!”

Ren smirked, “As long as you’re there for it when it’s born, then you’ll be a better father than most I’ve had the unfortunate pleasure of knowing.”

Suddenly, there was a cracking noise heard as Neon and Ren’s eggs began to hatch. Neon gasped, “They cracked!”

The white suited man walked over, “I wonder what will come out?”

After a tense moment of waiting, the eggs fully cracked open. Popping out of Neon’s was a small silver buckle with the design of a propeller on it. Ren’s meanwhile was a small red buckle with the design of a pair of scissors on it.

Neon carefully picked hers up, “This is…?”

The white suited man smiled, “It appears to be the Propeller Buckle.”

Ren slowly picked his up, looking at it like a proud father, “I think I can take a guess at what this is.”

The white suited man laughed, “If you are assuming it to be called the Scissors Buckle, then you would be correct.”

Neon thought for a moment, “By propeller… you mean I can fly with this?” She said excitedly. “Isn’t this amazing Ren?”

Ren nodded, “Yep! We’re now officially proud parents to some strong looking buckles. Hmm, I should probably tell Futaba she’s a mom now.” He began to laugh as he imagined how his fiance would react to the news.

Michinaga began to shout at his egg, “Hey! Come out already!” He tapped the egg against the table like one would when trying to crack an egg open to cook with.

The white suited man quickly ran over with a worried expression, “Uhh… you shouldn’t be rough with it…”

“How I raise it is my business.” At that moment, the egg began to hatch.

The group watched as the shell of the egg exploded out, revealing a small copper colored buckle with a drill design on it.

“What’s this?” Michinaga asked.

The white suited man breathed a sigh of relief, “It’s the Drill Buckle.”

Ren hummed as he rubbed his chin, “A propeller, a pair of scissors, and a drill… all we need is a large bowl and we can use our buckles to mix together a badass cake.”

Neon gave Ren a shove, “Hey! Leave the cooking for Leblanc. Not when the world is about to end.”

“I’ll have you know the end of the world is the perfect time for a well cooked meal. Hell, I learned some of my best recipes when my life was on the line.”

Neon gave Ren a concerned look, “Are you ever going to explain the crazy things you’ve said to us?”

Ren laughed, “One day Neon. One day.”

The white suited man went around and began to clean up the egg shells. Once he was done, he left the room.

Michinaga sighed, “How am I supposed to beat the final boss with a dud buckle?”

Ace finally spoke up for the first time since they arrived, “You might be able to if you combine it with Zombie.”

Michinaga scoffed, “Why are you acting so calm? I haven’t heard a single crack from your egg.”

Ace smiled at his egg as he picked it up, “‘Great talents mature late. A well-slept child is a will-kept child.’”

Ren raised an eyebrow, “You’re starting to sound like an old friend of mine with how much you quote different philosophies.”

Ace smirked, “Here’s some friendly advice. Leave the last boss to me. If you die in this game, you leave this world. If a Jamato kills you, you’re not returned to your previous life. Each of you have a life waiting for you once you’re done. And I’ll be the first to admit, I’ve started to care about each of you. If you hide here, each of you can survive. You can return to your life just like Tycoon did. You’ll forget all this tragedy…”

Michinaga ran up and grabbed Ace by the collar of his jacket, “Just shut up! I’m not going to hide away like a coward, and I’m especially not going to lose to you!”

Ace sighed, “Don’t mistake recklessness for courage.”

Ren spoke up, “It’s not recklessness. It’s determination. We’re only at this point thanks to Keiwa’s sacrifice. And I’m not one to let sacrifices go to waste.”

Neon jumped out of her seat, “I’m not going to lose either!”

Ace looked at each of his fellow competitors, “You insist on doing this?”

Neon nodded, “I’m not going to give up! I’ve fought all this time… If I returned to my old life… the life before I met any of you… all that hard work would go to waste…”

Michinaga let go of Ace, “Whether this ends in smiles or tears, this will be our final duel. And I’m aiming to win.”

The white suited man reentered the room, “Riders, you are all being allowed to return to your homes for the night. We will have the location of the final boss in the morning.”

One by one, each Rider left the facility.
—

Perspective: Neon

After returning to Yongen-Jaya, Neon made her way down one of the main streets, taking a seat at a bench.

Neon reached into her purse, pulling out her phone. She navigated to her streaming app, and hit the button to go live.

“Good evening, everyone. It’s Neon.” She waved her hand, “Flash. I have big news for you all today. This is going to be my final broadcast of Neon TV for now. I can’t go into details, but I’m fighting for my life… I’m fighting to protect the freedom I have recently gained, so that I can be the person who I truly am. But once I’m done… a whole new era of Neon TV will begin. I want you all to eventually meet the people who helped me gain my freedom. To continue watching me dance and make music. To laugh and cry right alongside me… If you can cheer for me… even a little bit… I would find that very reassuring.”

Neon wiped away a few tears that were beginning to leak out, “That’s all for now… I’ll see you all next time!” She then ended her stream.

She leaned back on the bench, looking up at the stars. “Keiwa… I promise to find you in the next world…”
—

Perspective: Michinaga

Michinaga decided to use this time to take a stroll through Inokashira Park. He remembered how he and Toru used to go for walks through the park nearby their place, to help take their mind off of things and to destress for a bit.

As he was walking, he heard a familiar voice speak up, “Yo, Michi.”

Michinaga’s eyes widened. Standing several feet away was Toru, “Toru?”

Ever since Toru’s death, Michinaga would occasionally see him still wondering about. Mostly following him to work, reminiscing on memories, or just sitting on their couch watching whatever Michinaga had left on his TV whenever he forgot to turn it off before work. By this point, Michinaga had assumed he had just gone crazy, seeing hallucinations of his dead lo-friend. His dead friend. He would talk to it occasionally, because honestly? He just missed being able to talk to his best friend. So if it meant accepting that he was crazy to fill any part of the hole left in his heart, then why not embrace the craziness.

Toru smiled, “I can’t believe you also joined the Desire Grand Prix.”

Michinaga turned away in embarrassment, “So what if I did?”

Toru sighed, “Don’t overdo it… It’s okay to forget about me.”

Michinaga smiled, “Don’t even joke. Like I could ever forget you.”

The two laughed for a little bit. Eventually, they fell into a comfortable silence that was broken when Toru spoke up, “Are you sure this is the only way? To avenge me by destroying every Kamen Rider?”

Michinaga scowled, “It was their fault you died. If those stupid Riders, and that idiotic Geats weren’t there, you would still be here. With me…”

Toru frowned, “It was my choice to enter it. I fought and died for my desire, and I’m happy that I died at least trying-”

“BUT WHY DID YOU HAVE TO LEAVE ME BEHIND?!”

Michinaga began to cry, “You could have said no! We could have achieved your desire, together! So why… why did you leave me…?”

Toru was silent. The young man wished to reach out towards his friend, to comfort him in his lowest moment, but he no longer had a physical form to do such. “This is going to sound selfish… but I want you to do something for me.”

Michinaga wiped his eyes, “What?”

“Destroy the Desire Grand Prix.”

Michinaga stared at Toru in confusion, “You want me to do what?”

“The Desire Grand Prix is nothing more than a lie. A beautiful lie that lures people in for the entertainment of others. And if it isn’t stopped, then more and more innocent people are going to lose their lives to this game… so please…”

Michinaga was quiet for a few moments before he let out a soft laugh, “If you were around, I think you and Crowsen would have gotten along. You both have that drive to help others…”

Toru laughed, “From what I’ve seen, I think I can agree with that.”

Toru began to walk away, his form slowly becoming transparent, “One last thing, Michi… Memento Mori… Memento Vivere… Death is inevitable… but remember to live…”

And with that, Toru disappeared.
—

Perspective: Ace

On top of a rooftop overlooking Shibuya, Ace was training by practicing a mixture of fighting styles he had picked up over the many years of his life. Performing a variety of punches and kicks, Ace exercised every part of his body. He had built up a decent amount of sweat over the course of his training.

It eventually ended with one final large punch. Ace breathed heavily, “Maybe… I should have taken Ren up on the chance to train together…”

Ace reached into his pocket and pulled out the gold coin from his mother.

Faintly, he could hear the sound of church bells ringing in the distance. The same bells he heard every time he remembered his mother… the same bells that rang at the end of every Desire Grand Prix when the world was reborn.

“Mother… I swear to find you…”

He pocketed the coin, looking down and seeing his still unhatched egg resting nearby. He went over and gently picked it up, “You’re quite the sleepyhead to sleep through the end of the world. Isn't it time you woke up?”

The egg made no movement.

“Why won’t it hatch…?”
—

Perspective: Ren

After arriving back home in Leblanc, he waited for Neon to return home before locking up for the night.

He recounted the events of what has been happening to Futaba. And knowing tomorrow was the final day of this game, and the last day the world would exist as it is before anyone had their desires granted, the two had spent an intimate night together to destress.

Later, Futaba had fallen asleep. Exhausted from the physical work, but also from the continued work she and Sophia had done on researching the Desire Driver and Raise Buckles so that they could replicate it.

Ren however struggled to fall asleep. His mind racing with worries about how the finale of the game will go. He remembered the events around the end of his journey as a fool. From the death of Akechi, to watching each of his dear friends vanish into thin air on Christmas Eve, awakening Satanael, Maruki’s false reality, fighting Sumire, his time spent in prison, how the world almost fused with the Metaverse a second time thanks to EMMA. It didn’t help that those memories were soon followed up with the memories of this game and the multitude of near death experiences he and his fellow competitors had gone through, and the lives that were lost along the way.

Eventually, Ren sighed as he got out of bed, quickly tossing on a few clothes and heading out of their room.

As he walked out, he noticed the lights down in Leblanc were currently on. Neon was still fast asleep on the couch bed.

Quietly, he made his way downstairs, his hand ready to grab his knife just in case an intruder had broken in. However, his anxieties stopped once he noticed Lavenza and Morgana both sitting at the counter. The young attendant nursing a mug of hot chocolate

Ren quietly spoke up, “What are you two still doing awake?”

They both turned towards the stairs. Morgana spoke up first, “I should be asking you that. I thought I had finally gotten you on a consistent sleep schedule after your freshman year at college?”

Ren laughed softly as he sat next to Lavenza, “I couldn’t sleep.”

Lavenza smirked, “Was it perhaps because of what you and your Hermit were doing in your room? I would like to remind you that you two aren’t the only ones living in this house”

Morgana burst out laughing as Ren’s face turned red, “S-Sorry… but no… it wasn’t because of that…”

Morgana stopped laughing instantly. He moved over and rubbed against Ren, trying his best to provide comfort. Ren smiled, gently petting Morgana as he continued to speak, “I’m just… scared about tomorrow… or I guess for later today? Time’s weird. Anyway, my brains been playing the events of 2016, the road trip, and everything that's happened during this game on loop…”

Morgana spoke up, “If you’re worrying about dying, you know that the Velvet Room will make sure that doesn’t happen. But even still, you’ve rebelled against death a dozen times, I know you’ve got this victory in the bag!”

Ren sighed, “I doubt I’ll win… The final boss is a whole other beast than anything I’ve faced previously. Even if we all work together, I don’t know how many of the others will even survive… Keiwa barely lived and he was dropped because of his injuries… even giving it his all we still couldn’t win…”

Lavenza set down her mug, “Trickster- no… Ren. You have faced godly beings time and time again, and have managed to make sure all of your friends made it out alive. Your Justice sacrificed his life twice to ensure that you could win. We joke about your martyr complex, but with how you are as a person, we know that you will do everything in your power to make sure each of the Riders you have formed bonds with come out alive.”

She turned fully and hugged Ren, “You see me as a little sister, and as much as I loathe to admit it, I see you as a brother. One that I care for deeply. So please, listen to your family when we say: we know you can do this.”

Ren reached around and hugged Lavenza back. He felt Morgana hop onto his shoulder, “What Lady Lavenza said. You have pulled all of us out of dangerous situations before. None of us would be here today without you. You’ve got this, Joker.”

Ren smiled brightly, “Thank you… both of you…”

Eventually, Ren managed to pass out. Lavenza carried Ren upstairs and placed him in her bed. The attendant didn’t need to sleep, so she was happy to give up her resting space for one night. Morgana curled up on Ren’s chest.

When he would next awaken, it would be the end of the world.

Chapter Text

The sun rose on the final day of this world. All over, people were waking up, unaware the end of the world was soon upon them.

The Riders were called upon to return to the DGP facility early in the morning. Everyone except for Ace had arrived.

Soon after, they were transported to a factory on the outskirts of Tokyo. The three Riders watched the massive skyscraper-sized final boss rampage across the factory, with an army of Jamatos following close behind it.

Each Rider clutched their buckles tight. Sensing their presence, every single Jamato, including the final boss, turned to face the group.

Neon turned to the others, “Where’s Ace?”

Michinaga sighed, “Who knows? Maybe he’s freaking out ‘cause his egg won’t hatch.”

Ren smirked, “Knowing him? I think he just wants to be fashionably late to make a grand entrance.”

Michinaga laughed, “Then we better finish this before he gets here.”

Each Rider then heard Tsumuri speak in their heads, “It’s time. The final battle. Who will change this world? The moment of fate approaches!”

Ren pulled out the Scissor and Thief Buckles, “It’s showtime!” Everyone nodded as they slotted in their buckles.

“SET”

For the final time in this world, each Rider shouted in unison, “Henshin!”

“DUAL ON”
“ZOMBIE ARMED DRILL”
“DANCER ARMED PROPELLER”
“THIEF ARMED SCISSORS”

“READY? FIGHT!”

The Riders charged forward into the oncoming wave of Jamatos.

Crowsen rushed forward ahead of the others. His buckle gave him a set of large red scissors that were the size of a longsword. He began to swing it around like a greatsword, knocking away multiple Jamatos. Running forward, he opened the scissors and began to cut the Jamatos in his path, slicing them as easy as paper.

Buffa followed close behind. The bull themed Rider lived up to his namesake and charged straight ahead with his copper hand drill pointed out ahead of him. Jamatos attempted to form a wall to block him, but Buffa just laughed at this, “I’m going through all y’all!” He continued his path forward and pierced right through the wall, sending Jamatos flying.

Na-Go meanwhile floated across the battlefield, the combination of Propeller and Dancer making her lighter than ever. Clutched in her hand was a handle attached to a large propeller that could be activated with the push of a button. She used it in a similar manner as Crowsen, swinging at Jamatos as though she was wielding a shortsword. Whenever the Jamatos would try to swarm her, she would simply fly above them and land nearby for safety.

Nearby, riding atop a red and black motorcycle, Ace watched the fight from a distance. He could make out the faint edges of explosions, and Na-Go flying across the battlefield as she avoided thorn shots from the final boss. He revved the bike's engine, trying his best to get there faster. “There’s no time.” He briefly glanced at the egg tied to him by a mesh bag, “Please wake up.”

Na-Go maneuvered through the air, positioning herself so that the boss would fire upon its own Jamaots, clearing the path for the Riders.

Crowsen smirked, “Let’s do this guys!”

“THIEF SCISSORS VICTORY”
“ZOMBIE DRILL VICTORY”
“DANCER PROPELLER VICTORY”

A grappling hook materialized on Crowsen’s left wrist. He flicked his hand out, grappling onto the boss’s chest armor. His scissors glowed a bright red as he began to fly towards the boss at rapid speeds.

Buffa stomped on the ground, dozens of spectral clawed zombie hands appeared. More and more would form, launching him into the air right beside Crowsen, his drill glowing a bright copper.

Na-Go descended from above, the feet of her dancer armor glowing brightly as she charged towards the final boss like a missile on a collision course.

Na-Go shouted, “The winner…!!!”

Crowsen shouted, “...Will be…!!!”

Buffa shouted, “...Me!!!”

Each Rider collided into the boss, their weapons beginning to piercing into the boss armor. However, the final boss raised an arm and swatted them all away like annoying bugs. The Riders were sent flying right into a nearby building.

They landed on the ground hard, with rubble all around them. Each of them were heavily injured, that one attack almost knocking each of them out of their Rider forms. They all landed nearby each other thankfully.

Na-Go attempted to stand by pushing herself up, but one of her arms gave out on her, and she could barely feel the other. She also realized one of the lenses on her helmet was totally broken.

Buffa shouted in frustration as he attempted to stand. One of the horns on his helmet was shattered. He could feel his ribs screaming at him to stop moving, multiple of them broken from the crash.

Crowsen tried to stand from his position leaning against a bit of rubble, but screamed out in pain as he realized a piece of rebar was pierced through one of his legs.

The group could hear the sounds of even more Jamatos beginning to converge on their position.

Crowsen began to panic, “No… n-not again… I… won’t let you bastards… kill my friends!”

The Jamato continued to get closer and closer. Gritting his teeth, he tossed his scissors like a spear at the Jamatos. He hit a few of them, but the Jamatos continued on their path.

“STAY AWAY FROM THEM!” Crowsen and another voice shouted out.

The group heard the sound of a bike getting closer and closer, when suddenly Geats. riding atop his bike with the Boost Buckle equipped, barreled through the Jamatos. He performed a slide with the bike, knocking a majority of the wave away. Once he stopped, he immediately jumped off and began to fight the remaining nearby Jamatos, defeating them with a series of punches and kicks.

Once the last regular Jamato nearby was defeated, he turned towards the others, “Just stop! Stay down and recover. Once my egg hatches-”

“Shaddup!” Shouted Buffa. “You know, zombies… get their real start when they’re dying!”

Crowsen laughed through his pain as he stumbled towards Buffa, “And a true thief… doesn’t stop until the treasure is theirs!”

Buffa activated his driver.

“REVOLVE ON”

He was lifted up slightly, his armors switching around. He was set back on the ground, his usual chain sword clutched in his hand. He looked over at Crowsen, and reached a hand out to stop the crow themed Rider from revolving, “Don’t! Your leg’s fucked! Just let me handle this!”

Buffa began to use his sword to push himself up, “I don’t care how many times I go down… I will keep fighting! Even if I die… I will continue to live!” He finally got onto his feet.

Geats watched on in amazement at the sheer determination that Buffa had to win.

Suddenly, the boss began to walk towards the group. Clutched in its hand was a large plant-like sword. It roared out, and began to fire a massive volley of thorns at the party. Na-Go quickly pushed herself behind cover, while Buffa shoved Crowsen away so that he wouldn’t get hit. Geats in a panic jumped away from the attack, leaving Buffa to take the full force of the volley.

Once the volley of shots ended, Buffa remained standing, his chain sword held in front of him, having blocked some of the thorns. His armor was begging to have electrical current surge across it, showing he was close to being de-transformed. “Who cares whether it’s courage or recklessness?! Determination or foolishness?! I won’t lose!” He clutched his sword tight and pointed it at the final boss, “That’s all there is!”

The final boss began to raise its sword up, Buffa readying his weapon as well.

Na-Go watched with tears in her eyes. Crowsen continued to try and stand up so that he could do anything to help his friends, the pain in his legs refusing to let him move.

Geats meanwhile was stunned by Buffa’s actions, “You’re right… that’s all there is!” He pulled out his egg, and ran towards Buffa.

The final boss raised its sword high into the air, and began to swing it down towards Buffa. The bull themed Rider raised his blade, ready to block the attack. However, at the last second, Geats ran in with his egg raised up high, using it to block the attack.

Geats and the final boss were locked in place, the egg glowing in a bright golden light. The boss attempted to push into Geats, but the Rider was unmoving. He looked at his egg with a smirk, “Wake up, sleepyhead!” The egg began to crack, “I’m awake now too!” And with a final push, the shell of the egg exploded, forcing the final boss to recoil back.

The group watched as the buckle in Geats’s hand glowed brightly, the light from it was almost blinding. Slowly, the light faded away, and clutched in his hand was a yellow and blue buckle. The main body of it looked like some kind of creature clutching the part that connects to the driver tightly. The part where its eyes were was closed. Above its head was a bit of blue that looked like it could be pressed in like a button.

Geats smiled as he quickly inserted it into his driver in place of the Boost Buckle.

“SET”

“Here comes the highlight!”

He activated the buckle by punching the top of its head, pressing in the blue button. The buckles eyes opened, revealing a set of cartoonish red eyes.

“MONSTER”

A set of armor was slammed onto Geats. The armor was bulky, with multiple bits of star imagery across it. Covering his fists was a set of large gloves with armored knuckles.

“READY? FIGHT!”

Na-Go smiled in relief, “Ace!”

Crowsen shouted, “Kick its ass Ace!”

Geats activated the Monster Buckle twice.

“MONSTER STRIKE”

He raised his right fist, it began to glow a bright yellow light with spectral yellow stars appearing in the air only to be absorbed into the fist, “I’ll KO this world with one punch!”

He brought his arm back, and once the stars finished being absorbed, his lenses glowed bright blue as he punched at the boss.

A massive spectral monster hand appeared and launched itself directly towards the boss. It clashed right into its armor, piercing through with ease and destroying the can. The boss was then sent flying into the air from the force of the attack, and after a moment, exploded like a firework.

“MISSION CLEAR”

Tsumuri spoke once more, “Mission complete! It’s the advent of the Desire God!”

All around them was a series of fireworks that exploded into hearts, stars, and some even into the symbol of Geats.

However, watching from atop a nearby building, unaware to the others, was two figures. Punkjack and Ravkaw. Punkjack smirked, “Just as expected from the Desire God.”

Ravkaw sighed, “Is it even a surprise anymore that Ukiyo won? He hasn’t lost a single time since he joined. It’s honestly a bore.”

Punkjack laughed as a de-transformed, revealing a young man with sun tan skin, and short spiked black hair with small bits of it dyed red. He wore a black leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up on top of an orange shirt with the DGP logo on it, and leather fingerless gloves. He had ripped jeans, and worn combat boots, “What? Were you hoping for your friend to win, Goro-chan?”

Ravkaw growled as he de-transformed, revealing a young man with pale skin, thick light brown hair kept in a loose low ponytail. He wore a silver button up shirt with the DGP logo on the breast pocket, with a dark brown blazer on top. He had black dress pants with matching dress shoes. Akechi glared at Punkjack, “How many times have I told you not to call me that Hareruya?”

Hareruya Win smirked, “I’ll stop when you stop calling me by my last name. I think we’ve worked together long enough to warrant it.”

Akechi clicked his tongue, “Just shut up.”

Win turned to look at Ace, “I look forward to the next Desire Grand Prix.” He then turned around and walked through a spectral door leading to the DGP facility.

Akechi stayed behind for a moment, watching Crowsen, “Amamiya… it’ll soon be time for us to meet once more. You better keep your promise…” He then turned around, and walked through the door.

Once the fireworks stopped, everyone was forcefully de-transformed.

Ace watched as the eyes of the Monster Buckle slowly closed, falling asleep once more. He removed it from the belt, smiling at it like a proud father, “Good night, Monster.”

He turned around and faced Michinaga, who was glaring at Ace. Michinaga slammed his fist against some rubble, “Why did you save me?”

Ace smirked as he raised up the Monster Buckle, “A lesson for gifted children.”

“Huh?!”

“You taught it how to not lose, to not give up. Thanks, Sensei” He said that last part with a teasing voice.

Michinaga clicked his tongue, “Whatever. Are you just going to keep gloating? Like you always do?”

Ace’s face turned serious, “As long as you don’t lose… a day will come when you will win. Come duel me any time. I’m looking forward to the day that you surpass me.”

Michinaga let out a small laugh as his body began to be enveloped in digital blue light, “I swear to you… As your rival… I will beat you one of these days… Geats…” And with that, his body was fully enveloped, disappearing from sight with his driver dropping to the ground.

“RETIRED”

Ace walked forward and picked up Michinaga’s driver.

He turned around to see Neon shambling over, her arms hanging limply. The young woman sighed, “I lost… I guess just wanting to not lose isn’t enough…”

Ace looked Neon in the eyes, “Don’t forget your ideals. As long as you keep them in mind, they’ll come true for you someday.”

Blue digital light began to envelop Neon, “You’re right…” The light engulfed her body, and just like Michinaga, she disappeared from sight with her driver dropping to the ground.

“RETIRED”

Ace walked forward and picked Neon’s driver up.

He then heard a pained grunt from nearby. Turning around, he found Ren laying on the ground, blood pouring out of the leg with the metal rebar poking out of it. The two locked eyes as Ren gave him a pained expression, “T-The others… are they…?”

Ace smiled, “They survived. And each of them have been sent back home.”

Ren smiled weakly, “Thank goodness… I don’t think I would have been able to live with myself if any of them died…”

Ace frowned slightly, “What about you? That doesn’t look good…”

Ren looked at his wounded leg, “Oh… this? It’s nothing… as I’ve said before… not my first rodeo receiving massive wounds like this… Remind me to tell you sometime about the time I had to fake my death… god that was painful…”

Ace laughed slightly, “Will do.”

“And make sure to visit Leblanc sometime in the new world… I’ll cook you up as much coffee and curry as you want…”

“Of course. I know that we will meet again, Ren.”

Ren’s body began to be enveloped with blue digital light, “Before I go… I have one secret to tell you for now…”

Ace raised an eyebrow as Ren put on his biggest smirk, “This isn’t my first time dealing with gods…”

Ace’s eyes widened.

Ren felt his bond with Ace grow stronger.

Ukiyo Ace- Aeon. Rank 4

Ren was then fully enveloped by blue digital light, disappearing with his driver dropping to the ground.

“RETIRED”

As Ace reached down to grab Ren’s driver, he paused as he noticed a glowing blue butterfly land on top of the driver. He heard a familiar voice of a young girl speak in his head, “Thank you for taking care of the Trickster… Ukiyo Ace… Please… Continue to fight alongside him… for the sake of yourself… and for the world…”

Before he could respond, the butterfly disappeared. Ace sighed as he picked up Ren’s driver.
—

Back on the floating platform, Tsumuri stared at the card with Ace’s wish with disgust.

The Gamemaster spoke up from a nearby floating monitor, “You don’t seem very happy, considering the world’s been saved.”

Tsumuri turned the card to face the Gamemaster, “It’s Ukiyo Ace’s wish! A world like this should not be granted!”

“We should compensate him properly for saving the world.”

“But! This is too much…”

“That’s the Desire Grand Prix’s rule.”

“Are you sure about this? Gamemaster.”

“Yes. It begins. Onto the world that Ukiyo Ace wished for.”
—

Ace then heard the familiar sound of church bells echoing throughout the world. He smiled as he watched the world begin to reset. All of the damages from their battle repairing themselves, buildings being restored, the lives of those lost within Jammer Areas being reborn once more. And the world was enveloped in a bright light.
—

In the new world, everyone went about their lives as normal. Unaware of any of the tragedies of the previous world. Time marched forward. The hectic month of July coming to an end.

Ace watched his new world from his usual rooftop overlooking tokyo. Dressed in a simple dark blue suit, with a white and red rose attached to the breast pocket of his blazer. He tossed his mothers coin in his hand.
—

In the now empty lounge area of the DGP facility, the Gamemaster watched Ace through a floating monitor as he sat down on one of the couches.

He removed his mask, taking a deep breath. “Ukiyo Ace… it’s time you showed me… what lies beyond the world you seek.”

The white suited bartender… no… the Gamemaster smiled at the screen. Waving his hand, it disappeared.

“It is time to begin preparations… for the next game.”

Chapter Text

“Kamen Rider Geats has saved the world. Geats, Ukiyo Ace, brings the Desire Grand Prix to a close in victory. In acknowledgement of his service, the world has been reshaped according to his wish.”

Tsumuri lets out a sigh as she looks into her phone camera, “But this world is unacceptable.”

“What are you doing, Nee-san?” Ace said in a teasing voice.

Tsumuri turned around to see Ace, her now brother, standing at the entrance to her room, “Please don’t call me that. It gives me the chills!”

Ace smirks as he walks in, taking a seat next to Tsumuri on the floor, “Don’t be such a stranger. We’re family, aren’t we?” He holds up his desire card from the previous game, “A world where the Desire Grand Prix staff are my family.” The card has a stamp on it to signify it had been granted.

Tsumuri swiped at the card, “You can at least not make this unbearable for me! I already hate this enough as it is!”

Ace laughed, standing up, “Anyway, Girori- sorry, ‘Father’ made breakfast. Better come eat before it gets cold.” He then walked out of Tsumuri’s bedroom.

The place they all lived in was a cozy old fashion house on the edges of Tokyo. It has tatami floors, and sliding paper doors. It was surrounded by a few dozen cherry blossom trees that had all turned into regular leaves. There was a nice chill air as the month of August was soon coming to an end.

Ace entered the dining room to see Girori, the white suited bartender, setting the table, “Ah, Ace. Will Tsumuri be joining us this morning?”

Ace shrugged, “If she wants to not starve herself then she will. I don’t know why she is so against this world.” He sat at the table.

Girori shook his head, “Perhaps it is because she wishes to focus more on her duties as a Navigator, rather than pretending to act like your sister.”

Eventually, Tsumuri reluctantly joined the table with Girori sitting down soon after her.

Ace smugly dug into the fish and rice in front of him, “This is delicious.”

Tsumuri frowned, “Why this world?” Ace didn’t respond. “What are you after?!”

Ace sighed, “Listen, we’re family so you can stop using formal speech.”

She turned to Girori who was happily enjoying the food he had made, “Girori, please say something!”

Girori smiled, “Call me ‘Father’.”

“What?!”

“Isn’t it an honor to become Ace’s family?”

Ace smiled at the man, “Your cooking is delicious, Father. Maybe you and Crowsen should one day work on a meal together. I think your combined talents could make a dish that could outshine any world renowned chef.”

Girori simply laughed in response.

Tsumuri sighed, “How much longer must we endure this world?”

Ace smirked, “As long as I remain as the Desire God. Meaning, the rest of your life.”

Tsumuri slammed her fist against the table, “No!” She turned to Girori, “We need a Kamen Rider who can win against Geats. Buffa, Na-Go, and Crowsen all almost won during the previous game. Could any of them beat Geats?!”

“I’m right here you know.”

“Shut it!”

Girori sighed, “To my knowledge, of those that survived the previous game, only Buffa has been selected to compete once more.”

Ace raised an eyebrow, “How do you decide who enters the Desire Grand Prix?”

“The previous Desire God always is allowed the chance to compete once more. They are free to decline. The rest of the competitors are selected based on a rigorous examination. When it comes to those who were previously Kamen Riders, those who were disqualified or dropped are automatically not allowed back. However, further examination is required for whether finalists from previous games may return.”

“But who makes the decision?”

“The Gamemaster. He selects who is examined, and he has the final say on which finalists may be welcomed back.”

“Ah yes… him. So what is the Gamemaster criteria for picking participants?”

“We do not know. It is a secret only the Gamemaster himself knows.”

“And he is the one who decided Na-Go and Crowsen would not participate again?”

“Indeed.”

Tsumuri spoke up, “Why does that interest you?” She walked over to the connected living room and drew a card from a large box containing every single wish Ukiyo Ace had written, “Because of your first wish in the Desire Grand Prix… you know you will always be participating.”

She placed a desire card on the table that read, “A world where I’m a Desire Grand Prix participant until I die.”

She then placed another that read, “A world where I can live comfortably without working.”

And another, “A world where I’m a global star.”

Ace smirked, “Of course I’m interested. I want to know if I’ll have the pleasure of facing my rivals once more, or if I will meet a new rival.”
—

Azuma Michinaga had just clocked off from work today. The construction company he worked for was hired by the Okumura Group to remodel an old building in Kichijoji. The CEO, Okumura Haru, apparently wanted to turn this building into another of their apartment complexes to give homeless people a place to sleep. The company had started to make a lot of these in the past month after a successful deal made with the Kirijo Group, allowing for the two corporations to work closely together in their efforts of improving the lives of others, forwarding technology, and making new places for people to enjoy quality food. There were even rumors that the Nanjo Group was wanting to offer their resources to the project.

Michinaga was strolling away from the construction site, eventually stopping when he noticed a man leaning against a wall as he examined a singular red and white rose. The man wore a simple but expensive blue and black suit, and had side swept black hair. The man turned to look at him with a smile, “Yo.”

Michinaga finally recognized who the man was, “You’re the star from that CM.”

“Ukiyo Ace.” The man walked into the center of the walkway, he then held the rose out towards Michinaga, “Want my autograph?”

“Eh? Really?”

“That is not why we’re here!” Shouted a woman walking towards them. She had long black hair kept up in a ponytail, and wore a fancy white and black dress. Clutched in her hands was an odd yellow and black box. She smacked Ace upside the head.

She cleared her throat before facing Michinaga, “Congratulations. After a rigorous examination, you have been chosen.”

“Huh?”

“Starting today, you are a Kamen Rider.” She opened the box to reveal an odd mechanical object. Next to it was a small purple object with a symbol of a bull colored orange.

“What is this?”

Michinaga reached forward and touched the purple object. There was a spark of purple electricity, as Michinaga regained all of his memories of the Desire Grand Prix. “That’s right… I’m…”

He looked down and noticed that Ace was writing his signature in a large font on the front of Michinaga’s shirt using a sharpie. After a moment, he pushed Ace away, “Geats! I don’t want your autograph! And this was my last clean shirt you asshole!”

Ace laughed, “You’re the one that said you wanted it.”

Michinaga then looked at both Ace and Tsumuri, “Wait a moment… Why are you with Tsumuri?! Doesn’t she normally do these things by herself?!”

Ace smirked, “I’m observing my older sister at work. We’re family now.” He tried to place a hand on Tsumuri’s shoulder, but she quickly side stepped it.

“So you had another one of your pointless wishes granted?! And after all that talk about our desires in the last game?!”

Tsumuri rapidly nodded her head.

“The hell man?!” Michinaga shouted.

Tsumuri then shoved the box into Michinaga’s hands, “Please wait until you are summoned.”

Michinaga sighed, “So… you going to find Na-Go and Crowsen next?”

Ace shook his head, “Nope. Apparently, they aren’t competing this time.”

Michinaga’s eyes widened, “They aren’t? But why?”

Ace shrugged, “No clue. Anyway, we’ve got to get going. See you during the first round.”

The two siblings then walked away.
—

The two siblings walked through the busy district of Kichijo, passing by many civilians going about their day to day lives.

Ace eventually spoke up, “Why was Buffa picked this time and not the others?”

Tsumuri shrugged, “Not sure. It was the Gamemaster’s idea.”

“Hmm…”

Ace then abruptly stopped walking as he noticed a familiar face. Standing at a street corner was Sakurai Keiwa. He was handing out fliers to people as they passed by “Come volunteer at your local homeless shelter! Just a little bit of your time can help improve the lives of others!” He had a big smile on his face, actually managing to convince a few people to take some fliers, others even stopping to ask more about it.

Ace smiled from a distance, “He looks happy.”

Tsumuri nodded, “His memories will remain wiped as long he doesn’t touch an ID core…”

“Right.”

“But it’s strange…”

“What is?”

“When your memories are erased, you also lose the desire you wrote upon your desire card… but yet… here he is still trying to obtain world peace.”

“That is strange… I mean, it seems like he is simply trying to help his neighborhood, not trying to help the world, but just the place he lives.” Ace frowned as he remembered the time he had spent with the young Rider. Regretting how horribly he treated him at the beginning, and how he wished there was more time in the last game to get to know him.

Tsumuri turned to Ace, “Do you miss him?”

“A little. But, at least he’s happy. Better to forget about that painful world. I hope that Na-Go and Crowsen are happy too.”
—

“Order up!” Neon said happily as she handed two plates of curry to an old couple who had come into Leblanc.

The older woman smiled at Neon, “Thank you dear. You truly do brighten the place up.”

From the main counter, Sojiro huffed, “Oh so the place is only good now? Haven’t you both come in every week since I first opened the place?”

Neon turned around, “No need to get so upset Boss. I’m just happy that I can make people's days.”

Ren let out a small laugh as he had just finished making some coffee, “At least they aren’t one of your fans. I’m starting to get tired of sicking Morgana on the ones who won’t leave you alone while working.”

“Speaking of which, where is Morgana? I miss my little helper.”

“Out with Futaba to pick up Ann, Shiho, and Sumire from the airport. She was originally going to just pick up Sumire, but their flights get in around the same time, so Futaba volunteered to help take them all home.”

“Gotcha.”

Ren suddenly let out a wince as he rubbed his head. Neon and Sojiro gave him a concerned look with Sojiro speaking up first, “You alright kid?”

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Just another headache.”

Neon frowned, “You’ve been having those since I started working here. Are you sure it isn’t serious?”

Ren and Neon had first met by accident, literally pumping into each other during one of Neon’s many escape streams. After hearing her story about how her parents essentially treat her like a precious doll, not allowing her to do anything, Ren and Futaba decided to be the thieves that they were and help a princess escape her castle. It was surprisingly easy to do, getting rid of all the trackers that Neon’s parents had planted on her stuff. They offered her a job at Leblanc, and Haru being the saint that she was helped Neon get a studio apartment in Yongen-Jaya to live in.

“Already had Takemi check it out, and they only happen every couple days. Futaba told me that she thinks I’m forgetting something big if I’m having this long of a headache.”

Sojiro placed a hand on Ren’s shoulder, “How about you go take a break upstairs. Neon and I can handle things for a bit.”

Neon nodded, “Yeah! I’ve been practicing making coffee at home, so I can take over your station!”

Ren sighed, “Fine, if you guys need help though please just shout for me.”

Ren went upstairs to instantly collapse on his bed. On his way, he passed by Futaba’s office, noticing something odd. Sitting on her desk was a small pink circular object kept within a circle metal band with wires and small bits of what looked like miniature motherboards poking out. The main pink part of the object was cracked, and on it was the design of a wolf’s head colored white. There were other small bits nearby that look like they are meant to extend off the metal band to act as a power source of some kind.

Next to the object was a folded white note. Ren picked it up and opened the note.

“Trickster, if you are reading this, then it means that there are those trying to prevent you from discovering the truth. This object is an ID core, it will restore your memories that have been taken from you.”

“An ID core?” Ren asked aloud. He reached over and touched the ID core.

There was a spark of pink electricity, and suddenly, Ren remembered everything.

The invitation from the Desire Grand Prix, the lives that were lost, the bonds that he made, every single moment of it rushed into his head at once.

“I… remember…”

Suddenly, a familiar young voice spoke up, “It certainly took you long enough, Trickster.”

Ren watched a spectral blue butterfly fly into the office. It glowed a bright blue light. Once the light vanished, Lavenza stood in its place.

“Lavenza!” Ren instantly went over and hugged his sister.

Levenza happily returned the hug, “It is good to see you again.”

Ren eventually separated, “W-What the hell happened?”

“Just as the rules stated. A Desire God was declared, and the world was remade in their image.”

“A Desire God… do you mean Ace?”

“Indeed.”

“What did he even wish for? Nothing seems odd, especially not from my memories of the past month.”

“I do not know. What I do know is that there is soon going to be a new game of the Desire Grand Prix.”

“There is? Is Tsumuri on her way or something to give Neon and I our ID cores and drivers?”

Lavenza shook her head, “I do not know why they haven’t selected your Art to return to the game, but for you, I believe they did not bring you back as they are scared of you.”

“Of me? Why?”

Lavenza laughed, “You are the Trickster of Fate who rebelled against God's time and time again, even slaying two godly beings. You had already begun to question the many oddities of the Desire Grand Prix. So it makes sense that they would want to make sure you do not return.”

Ren scowled, “Well then, if they want to keep me away, then I’ll show them just how big of a mistake that was… once I figure out how to enter.”

“But first…” Lavenza went over to the ID core and placed her hand on it. There was a large burst of blue light that slowly faded away. “I have used this to help restore the memories of the other Phantom Thieves. I attempted to also restore the memories of your fellow Kamen Riders you bonded with, however their memories are still locked away.”

“Thanks Lavenza, anything is better than nothing.”

Ren took out his phone and sent a message to the Thieves.
------
”Welcome Back Bitches!”
Application: CoffeeKing has changed the chat name to ”Welcome Back Bitches!”
CoffeeKing: alright sound off, who’s not dead?
Application: OctoGremlin has changed CoffeeKing’s nickname to RiderRebel
OctoGremlin: 1) enjoy the new nickname pretty boy ( ^ ᴗ ^ )ε^ )
OctoGremlin: 2) A LITTLE WARNING WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE!!! (凸ಠ益ಠ)凸
RiderRebel: sorry not sorry, if you want to blame anyone then blame Lavenza
FoRealz: eff’in hell man!!!! shit hurt worse than the shit with maruki!!!
Mako-chan: Ren. You made me drop a hot mug of coffee in the middle of the precinct. In. Front. Of. Everyone.
Mako-chan: Also Haru, sweetie, why did you change my nickname again?
FluffiestCEO: Sorry not sorry Mako-chan!
TheOneGoodCop: I’m just lucky Akane wasn’t home. I tripped on the rug in the living room when our memories came back.
HumanitiesHeart: Do I need to call you an ambulance gramps?
TheOneGoodCop: No… No you don’t…
OctorGremlin: OH! SOPHIA! OUR WORK! IS IT STILL THERE? {{ (>_<) }}
HumanitiesHeart: Indeed. All of our research data we had collected is still safe in a file. Including our designs sketched up by Yusuke.
DaPinchi: Oh thank the heavens! If all of those drawings were gone, I would have spiraled into a deep depression at my hard work being gone!
OctoGremlin: just picked up Sumire and the lesbians. their memories are back as well but their phones are dead. They all say hi btw
OctoGremlin: also shut it Inari!!! Me and Sophie had spent all of that time researching the buckles, driver, and ID cores!!! We were so close to finally having the materials gathered to make our first attempt at a driver!!! Now we need to get those materials, AGAIN!!!
DaPinchi: Is this a bad time to request my funds for those drawings I did?”
OctoGremlin: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
------

Ren let out a loud laugh, “Well I’m happy to see everyone is back in working order.”

He then heard footsteps running upstairs. Turning around, he saw Neon entering the office, “Are you okay?! I heard a lot of loud noises and-” She then stopped speaking as she noticed Lavenza, “Um… who’s this?”

Ren just sighed, “Here hold this.” He then handed Neon the Lukura ID core.

“Oh okay- wait what is-” There was a spark of pink electricity, and Neon remembered everything.

She stood perfectly still for a few moments, before collapsing to her knees.

“Neon!” Ren quickly checked up on his friend, “Are you ok-” He stopped when he noticed her crying. But he also noticed her smiling.

“I-I-I s-still have it… I h-have my f-freedom…”

Ren smiled as he hugged Neon, “You’re safe. You’re part of this family, and I always protect my family…”

Neon hugged Ren tight, “T-T-This isn’t a dream? Or s-some hallucination?”

“Nope. Welcome to the new world. Welcome to your freedom.”

However, Ren realized something. “Wait, we both lost. How come our desires weren’t erased?”

Lavenza hummed, “It is likely due to the bonds you forged with them Ren. The main part of the desires were indeed erased. Neon did not wish to pursue true love, however, she still wished for her freedom. It is likely the same for your fellow Riders. The thing they wrote as their desire was erased, but the true feelings behind it remained.”

Neon wiped the tears from her eyes, “S-So all of that work… everything I did… it wasn’t for nothing?”

Lavenza smiled as she shook her head.

Neon smiled brightly, “Thank you… thank you…!”

Ren felt his bond with Neon grow stronger.

Kurama Neon- Art. Rank 5

Neon then came to a realization, “Wait… how do you know about the DGP Lavenza?”

Ren and Lavenza had just realized their mistake. Ren rubbed the back of his head, “That’s… a really… really long story…”

Chapter Text

“Hello, everyone!” Announced Tsumuri

The day after the driver’s and ID core’s were all handed out, the next game of the Desire Grand Prix had begun.

“I’m Tsumuri, the game navigator. Welcome to the Desire Grand Prix!”

Michinaga and Ace both yawned in response. The two Riders stood off in the corner of the floating platform.

Michinaga turned towards Ace, “You’ve done this game hundreds of times, how have you not gotten sick of her usual speeches?”

Ace didn’t respond.

“Geats?” He tapped his shoulder.

Ace turned towards Michinaga and removed the bluetooth earbuds he had in his ears, “Sorry, did you say something?”

Michinaga just stared at Ace for a few moments before responding, “Remind me to grab my own pair next time.”

Without even looking, Ace simply handed one of the earbuds to Michinaga, who quickly slotted it into one of his ears and began to zone out while listening to whatever music Ace had playing.

Tsumuri meanwhile continued her speech, “Our world is threatened by the Jamato! We don’t know what they want or where they come from-”

From a black void surrounded by floating screens, Girori, in his Gamemaster attire, watched the beginning of the game, “A new season, at last.”

He watched as Tsumuri looked across all of this season's competitors, “The Desire Grand Prix was created to protect the peace.”

Waving his hand, he moved one of his screens to look at Win and Akechi. The two were both dressed in some punk clothing. Win wore a white and black striped shirt that was fringed on the edges. He wore a spiked choker, with matching spiked wristbands. Akechi meanwhile wore a black leather jacket with the sleeves rolled up, it had black fur around the collar. Underneath he wore a red button up shirt with the first few buttons undone, and a black and white striped tie. His hair was in its usual loose ponytail, but he also wore a black fedora. Girori smiled, “You’re both up. I’m counting on you two, Hareruya Win, Akechi Goro.”

Eventually, everyone was handed their Desire Card. Tsumuri looked across the crowd, “Have you all finished filling in your Desire Card?”

Ace looked to Michinaga, “What did you wish for this time?”

Michinaga smirked as he showed him, “'I desire for a world where I can destroy the DGP.’ It’s this game that got Toru killed. So one way or another, I’m destroying those behind it.”

Ace smirked back, “Nice to see you changing goals for once.”

Michinaga sighed, “Crowsen’s ideology is like a virus. I guess I’m its next victim. Anyway, what about you? What kind of playboy world did you wish for this time?”

“Look forward to seeing it when it’s granted.”

Suddenly, everyone jumped as Win pulled out his electric guitar and began to play a fast riff on it. He performed a classic rocker pose as he finished, with Akechi face palming next to him. Win shouted/sang out, “Desire!!” The riff continued, “Tsumuri, I fell in love with you at first sight, baby! Marry me!” He then took Tsumuri’s hand, “Tsumu-chaan!”

Tsumuri looked dumbfounded, “What?!”

Win winked.

Ace stormed over and separated the two, “Hold it. Don’t touch my sister.”

Akechi then walked over and smacked Win upside the head, “Excuse my friend here. He has a habit of falling in love with any pretty girl he sees and becoming obsessed with them.”

Win turned towards Akechi with a betrayed expression, “Goro-chan! Don’t make me sound like some kind of pervert!”

“Then stop acting like one. If you don’t then you better look for a new bassist.”

Win gasped dramatically, “No! Goro-chan! Please don’t leave!” He then turned towards Ace and Tsumuri and bowed a full 90 degrees, “Please forgive me!”

Akechi rolled his eyes, his eyes widened when he locked onto Ace, “Wait… aren’t you the celebrity Ukiyo Ace? What in the world could the quote on quote ‘Star of the Stars of the Stars’ even remotely want?””

Ace laughed, “You’ll learn once I come out on top.”

Win then realized something, “Hold up, what do you mean Tsumu-chaan is your sister?!”

Ace glared at Win, “She’s my older sister you ass.”

Michinaga, watching from the side, sighed in disappointment, “What a headache…”

An old man with thinning gray hair laughed softly from Michinaga’s comment, “It’s nice to be young! I was a little rapscallion when I was young too!”

“Nobody asked you.”
—

Back in Leblanc, Ren, Futaba, and Lavenza had just finished recounting the tale of their time as the Phantom Thieves of Hearts to Neon. They covered the main basics, and had just finished recounting up to when Ren had to head back to his hometown of Inaba.

Ren took a sip from his coffee, “And that’s about what happened during my year on probation. If you want we can move on to the summer of 2017, but…”

Neon was trying her best to keep up with everything revealed to her, using a notepad given to her to take notes on the main details, “Palaces, Persona’s, Gods, Cops, Cat-not-cat, Palaces, Persona’s, Gods…” She was muttering this one loop.

Futaba leaned over and snapped her fingers in front of Neon’s face, “Hey! Earth to Neon!”

Neon was snapped out of her state of mind, jumping in her seat, “S-Sorry!”

Futaba leaned back, “I know this must be a lot for you. Sorry for dumping this all at once.”

“I mean, playing in the Desire Grand Prix already suspended my disbelief in the supernatural. Jamatos, belts that can turn us into Kamen Riders, the God of Desire, I would have assumed you were recounting the plot of some kind of RPG if I hadn’t already seen a lot of crazy things. But still, an entire other world filled with shadows where people can summon Persona’s. Is it still possible to enter the Metaverse?”

Lavenza shook her head, “Unfortunately not. It remained in a highly unstable state after the amount of Deities trying to use it for their own wishes. Anyone directly entering it would be targeted by Shadows. It would be certain death to enter there even with a Persona already.”

Neon frowned, “Aw man. I really wanted to see it and get a Persona of my own. It would be awesome to have a spirit I could use to fight for me!”

“It is still possible. Everyone has the possibility of awakening a Persona, and the Metaverse is not the only place where this can happen.”

Everyone turned to look at Lavenza. The young girl gave the others a confused look, “What? You are all aware that there were Persona User’s before you, as well as ones that arose after you. Did you think that they all used the Metaverse? Before you, there was a group who entered a world within a television. Before them, a group who ventured up a tower that appeared within a hidden hour of the day that appeared after midnight that regular people weren’t even aware of. There have been hundreds of realms that Persona User’s have delved into throughout humanities history and future. The current Fool’s Journey is taking place in the United Kingdom. She and her fellow Persona User’s venture through a demonic realm called The Abyss. Each of these Shadow Nests have their own methods of entering. At the moment, there is no Shadow Nest nearby that you could have access to.”

Ren leaned back in his chair, “Probably for the best that we can’t get access to it. Don’t want any Shido Wannabe’s to follow us in and try to use it for evil.”

Neon frowned, “Well, hopefully one day I can summon a Persona. It would be so cool! I wonder what mine would be like? A cool DJ table? Maybe a cat demon? Oh! Or maybe a DJ cat demon!”

Ren laughed, “Who knows. If we ever stumble upon one, you’ll be the first person I reach out to if we need additional help.”

Ren took a sip of his coffee before sighing once more, “Now for our other issue… how to get back into the Desire Grand Prix. Even if we finish that belt prototype, we don’t have any way to enter the facility or be in the competition to become the God of Desire.”

The front door of Leblanc opened, and a man with tan skin, sharp features with well kept short black hair and goatee stepped into the cafe, “I may have the answer to your problem.”

Neon jumped out of her seat, “Father?!”
—

After handing in their Desire Cards, each of the Riders were teleported to an area nearby a river. All were put in the usual competitor outfit. What was strange was that they were all put into groups when teleported in. Michinaga was stuck with the old man and a high school girl with way too much goth makeup on, they stood on some docks outside of a factory.. Ace meanwhile was teamed up with Win and Akechi, they stood beside a river underneath a large highway bridge.

Tsumuri’s voice echoed out, “For your fated first round, a pirate game! You’ll be split up in teams to protect the flags around town. The Jamato dropped those flags. If they retrieve them, it will make them more fierce. Be careful not to let yours get taken!”

The young goth girl clapped her hands, “I see! So it’s a pirate flag?” The old man laughed.

Michinaga sighed and looked up towards the sky, “Hey! My team is obviously at a disadvantage! Let me redo mine.”

He heard Tsumuri’s voice respond, “The teams were picked at random. You cannot redo them.”

Michinaga clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Tsumuri continued to speak to everyone, “You will each receive an item as a present.”

There was a glow of pink light, and each Rider had a treasure box spawn next to them. Michinaga eyed his box, “Giving us buckles from the beginning? That’s new…”

Michinaga opened his treasure box to find the Ninja Buckle. Looking at his teammates, the goth girl got the Propeller Buckle, while the old man got the Zombie Buckle. Michinaga’s eyes widened. He quickly ran over to the old man, “Hey, old man. That’s the Zombie Buckle. That’s way too dangerous for you.”

The old man looked at the Zombie Buckle with fear. Michinaga held out the Ninja Buckle to him, “I’ll swap with you, so give me that.” The two quickly swapped buckles.

Tsumuri spoke once more, “There are two waves of Pirate Jamato. Teams that protect their flag from both waves win.”

Ace opened his box to find the Boost Buckle. Looking at his temporary allies, he saw that Win had gotten the Monster Buckle, and Akechi got a buckle that Ace hadn’t seen since a couple games ago. It was a crimson red buckle with a clawed demon hand on it. On the side was a switch similar to the one on the Zombie Buckle. When flipped, the claw hand would pull back to reveal a demonic eye. Much like the design of the buckle, the name of it fit the theme of it: the Demon Buckle.

Ace laughed to himself, A monster and a demon. Certainly an interesting due.

Before they had time to admire their buckles further, pirate themed Jamato suddenly emerged from the water with weapons drawn. Ace could see some running towards them from a nearby treeline as well.

Win quickly dodged a sudden slash from a Jamato, “Shit!”

Akechi sighed, “Keep your head in the game Hareruya, we have a job to do.”

“SET”

Each Rider slotted in their respective buckles. Win’s transformation pose involved pumping his fist into the air, getting himself hyped up. Akechi meanwhile just rolled his neck, he brought his left hand up and wiped his hand against his right shoulder.

“Henshin.” The three shouted in unison.

“BOOST”
“MONSTER”
“DEMON”

The armor Akechi was equipped with was a set of slim crimson armor. The shoulders had two small demonic skulls. The sleeves of the armor had bits of cloth hanging off like a vampire outfit. The chest piece had the imagery of two clawed demonic hands wrapped around the body with the fingers interlocking in the front of the chest piece. The armor also gave him clawed gauntlets, and even a fake demon tail. Clutched in his hand was a serrated saber.

“READY? FIGHT!”

Geats gave a quick glance at Punkjack and Ravkaw. The pumpkin themed Rider was bouncing in place excitedly, “Come at as!”

As Geats began to walk forward, his brain blue screened as he turned back and realized that his two fellow competitors were the same DGP staff that assisted in the previous game.

Punkjack pounded his chest and spoke in English, “I’m the Punkjack!” Like a king announcing his title.

Geats’s eyes widened, “Punkjack?! Ravkaw?!”

Ravkaw tilted his head, “Something the matter?” He asked in an innocent tone of voice.

“Why are you both here?!”

Punkjack placed a hand on Geats’s shoulder, “This is no time to be taking your eyes off the prize! C’mon!”

“Eh?!”

The two other Riders then charged forward. Punkjack’s fighting style was very chaotic, jumping into the air to grapple enemies to the ground to defeat them with a series of powerful punches. Ravkaw meanwhile charged forward with an almost Devil-May-Care attitude that reminded Geats of Crowsen. He would slice and dice the Jamatos, occasionally grabbing them with his clawed hand to throw them towards Punkjack. The other Rider would respond by either punching the flying Jamato out of the air, or by even throwing whatever Jamato he was grappling onto a collision course with the flying Jamato. The two work well together. Their chaotic fighting styles wreaked havoc across the battlefield.

Geats didn’t want to be left out of the action, so he quickly charged in to join the fight.
—

The air in Leblanc was tense. Ren was trying his best not to immediately punch the man who had entered in the face.

Neon’s father looked at Ren, “So, you’re Crowsen? The quote on quote ‘charming upstart’ within the Desire Grand Prix? I’m Kurama Kosei, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

Ren glared daggers, “How do you know about it?”

“Same way as you. I was once a player. And now? I’m one of the staff of the DGP.”

Neon spoke up, “What do you want? If you’re going to drag me back home to mother, then forget it. I’m free now, and there’s nothing-”

“I am not here to satisfy your mother’s obsession with your safety.”

“Eh?” The two former Riders asked.

Kosei turned towards the door as Tsumuri entered. In her hands was a metal tray that carried four boxes. Two yellow ones, and two treasure boxes.

“Congratulations!” She began to say, “After much revaluation, you have both been selected to become Kamen Riders once more.” She placed the tray onto the table that Futaba and Lavenza were still sitting at. She opened the two yellow crates, revealing Ren and Neon’s respective Desire Drivers and ID cores.

Ren looked at Kosei and Tsumuri with suspicion, “What’s your plan here? And aren’t you even surprised that we’ve regained our memories on our own?”

Kosei let out a laugh, “Did you truly think that the DGP was unaware of the stolen ID core within your possession? We let it slide as it is useless in its cracked state. Once a player dies, all important information within the ID core is erased. Plus, the higher ups are intrigued to see if your partner is able to replicate her own Kamen Rider.”

Futaba now glared at the man, “Is my work just some experiment for you guys?”

Kosei aptly ignored her, “As for our plan, we simply wish to see what my daughter and her friend might be able to achieve if given another chance to become the Desire God.”

Ren smirked, “Aren’t you afraid at all of what someone like me might do if given the chance?”

Kosei smirked back, “It is the Gamemaster that is afraid of you, not any of the other members of the staff. You may have once been the leader of the Phantom Thieves, but now you are just a regular man.”

It was at this point that Ren had noticed something. Not once had Kosei nor Tsumuri looked at Lavenza. It was as though she wasn’t even there.

Wait… can they not see her?

Kosei spoke up once more, “Now then, do you two wish to enter once more to have your truest desires granted? Or will you let this opportunity slip through your fingers? I will say, I’m quite interested to see how you would go about entering the game without a direct invitation. But, to give you further incentive, we will even start you both off with some gifts.”

Tsumuri opened the two treasure boxes to reveal the Thief Buckle, as well as a neon pink and blue buckle that had golden highlights. The most notable part of the buckle was that it had a three note keyboard taking up the main part of the buckle, with a small circular disc that looked like it could be spun like a DJ turntable.

“For Amamiya Ren, your preferred Thief Buckle. For my daughter, the Beat Buckle. The buckle that synchronizes best with the Na-Go ID core.”

Ren raised an eyebrow, “How come I only get the one I preferred and not the one that synchronizes with my ID core?”

“That is because you will have to earn yours. I only had enough pull to get these two buckles, anything further than that was out of the question. So, I’ll ask again: do you two wish to enter the Desire Grand Prix once more?”

There was a moment of silence until Neon spoke up, “I’ll do it.”

Ren and Futaba looked at Neon with surprise. The girl continued to speak, “But not because you asked me to, father. I’ll keep fighting for my freedom that I’ve won, and I’ll also fight for the life I have always dreamed of. One with my true love… and one away from you and mother.”

“That is fine with me.”

Ren sighed, “Well, if Neon’s in, then so am I. It would be good to see the others again. Plus, the more I play, the more I can find out about this game. And if I win? Then you better wish your precious Desire Grand Prix goodbye. Too many lives have been lost to it. There’ll be no more Gods of Desires after me, I swear on that.”

Kosei let out a laugh, “And I look forward to seeing you try. Good luck, Crowsen, Na-Go.” Kosei then walked out of Leblanc.

Tsumuri turned towards the two Riders, “Please equip your Desire Drivers when ready. The first section of the first round is almost complete. You will both join in for the second half.” Tsumuri bowed before leaving as well.

Once they were certain Kosei and Tsumuri were both gone, Futaba jumped out of her seat with a cheer, “Alright! We’ve got a new mission! You two better show those DGP assholes that you aren’t going to play by their rules!”

Ren and Neon both nodded. Ren smirked, “I’ve missed this feeling of starting a new mission. And now? We’ve got a new ally.” Ren turned towards Neon.

Neon smiled at the others, “I’ll still be fighting for my desire of finding my true love, but I’m not going to let my father trick me into whatever plan he has. I’m not their precious doll anymore, and I never will be again.”

Futaba spoke up, “You two better get going. Who knows how long it’ll take for the first part of the round to end. Don’t want to be late! Meanwhile, I’m going to show those assholes up by finishing the driver with the help of Sophia. I’ll make a machine to surpass Metal Gear!!!”

Neon and Ren both grabbed their drivers and ID cores. Before they could put them on, Lavenza spoke up, “Trickster, Art, please be careful. I can sense a little bit of what is going on currently, and the threats are far more powerful than before. No matter the conflicts you have with any of your fellow competitors, you must work together to survive.”

Ren smiled, “Don’t worry Lavenza. Those Jamato won’t know what hit them.”

“ENTRY”

Chapter Text

Now, Michinaga is not a religious person. He only ever went to shrines whenever Toru would drag him to one either before a big project to wish for good fortune during it, or for New Year’s celebrations. He also understands that he isn’t exactly a good person, Ren pointed this out to him enough during the last game. However…

As Buffa attempts to block a Jamato’s sword, he is instantly socked hard in the face by another Jamato, sending him to the ground.

This certainly felt like God was punishing him.

This round is already off to a bad start. His “teammates” are too scared to fight, whenever he defeats a Jamato another quickly replaces it, and all of the basic Jamatos hit as hard as some early game bosses.

He quickly gets up and slashes at the Jamatos around him. He looks towards the flag and sees one of his teammates, the goth girl who is now wearing the Propeller armor and has a cream and yellow colored goat helmet, hiding behind a barrel, and the other, the old man now wearing the Ninja armor and has a cream and black colored owl helmet, using a barrel to support himself up.

“Don’t just watch you two! Fight!”

The old man groans in pain, “My back!”

More Jamatos show up, and the girl continues to hide behind the barrel.

“This is a team battle! I can’t do this by myself! We need to work together or we’re all going to die!”

He grabs a Jamato going for the flag and tosses it into the other Jamatos.

The girl screams out, “But I’m scared!”

Buffa sighs as he continues to fight, This game is gonna suck…
—

Meanwhile, the Gamemaster watches from his observation room. A digital map showing where each of the teams are and their current stats. More than half of the Riders by this point have been killed, with only 12 remaining.

The Gamemaster hums, “The chaff is quickly being picked off.” He watches as a team of two are brutally killed, “No… or are the Jamato getting stronger?”

He moves a camera to spectate the Jamatos who had just killed a team. It grabs the flag, and each of the nearby Jamatos are briefly covered in a bright red, purple, and green light.

“Did they already begin to implement Project SN? What is going on?”

Suddenly, he receives a call on one of the other screens. He turns to see who is calling, seeing that the screen simply says “Director” on it. He hits answer, “What is it? Any updates on the additional entry?”

The voice of the Director, a younger sophisticated sounding man, laughed softly, “I believe you mean, entries.”

A screen nearby showed the information of both Na-Go and Crowsen.

The Gamemasters eyes widened, “What is the meaning of this?! Aren’t I the one who gets a final say on who is allowed entry?!”

“Normally yes. However, the situation with Crowsen is quite unique.”

“This is because of your little failed project isn’t it?”

“She is more than just some project. You do your best to remember your place, Girori. You can easily be replaced.” The director then hangs up, leaving Girori to stew in his anger.
—

After a few more minutes of fighting, the Riders were summoned back to the lounge. Michinaga limped in, seeing Ace and his team, as well as two additional teams of two.

Michinaga sighed, “First wave done…” He collapses onto one of the smaller side couches.

The old man, Tanba Ittetsu, looks about in shock, “Oh… we’re already down to less than half… My back…” He sits down next to Michinaga.

“You didn’t even do anything? How are you even in pain?”

The goth girl, Yaginuma Yukie, glares at Michinaga, “It can’t be helped! We’re just normal people!”

“Well if you want your desires granted, then you're going to need to fight. What did you both even write on your Desire Cards?”

Tanba smiles, “I wrote that I wish to be young again. This body of mine isn’t long for this world, and there is so much I still wish to see… My dear wife is no longer around, and she always wished to see the world.”

Yaginuma leans forward, her face in deep contemplation. “I want to lose 10 kilograms, and marry the man of my dreams!”

Michinaga gives a confused look, “So one genuine wish and another stupid wish… at least Na-Go had the will to fight for her dream.” He sighs as he stands up to look at his teammates, “Then you both better get your acts together. As I said, if you don’t fight, you’ll just die a pointless death. Once you write your wish, you’re a Kamen Rider.”

Win laughs from nearby, “That’s right. Nobodies like us have been given a chance. All we can do is aim to become the Desire God.”

Akechi smirks slightly, “Still means nothing if you refuse to fight. Besides, if you die then it’ll just make things easier for the rest of us.”

Yaginuma cowers a bit at that. Win walks over to Akechi and wraps an arm around him, “Hey! What did I say about that psycho talk?”

Akechi sighs, “‘Normal people don’t try to instill fear into everyone they meet.’ I’m just trying to be honest, Hareruya.”

Ace watches them from the bar, eventually, he decides he has enough and walks over to the two, “So, are you both that Punkjack and Ravkaw? The staff members from the last game?”

Michinaga’s eyes widen, “Punkjack?! Ravkaw?!” He glares at the two Riders, “What the hell are you both doing here?!”

Win laughs, “No, no. You’ve got the wrong guys. We’re…” Win pulls out his guitar, “...the punk rockers known to those in the know… Hareruya Win and Akechi Goro!” The two both then strike a duo rocker pose.

Akechi smirks, “By the end of this game, the whole world will come to love our songs.”

Michinaga then gives Ace a confused look, “Are you sure these are them?”
—

Later, the remaining Riders were summoned to the floating platform where Tsumuri waited for them, “Eight flags were taken, and the Jamato have become that much more ferocious. They are stronger, faster, and will take far more hits to take down. So please, be careful.

Each team was sent back to their flags, and not even a minute later, the Jamato began to charge them.

Buffa quickly began to fight back, focusing on trying to use his stronger attacks to take down multiple Jamatos at once. He looked back to see his teammates both hiding behind the flag, “If you’re a Kamen Rider, then fight!” He stabbed his blade right through a Jamato that tried to run past him.

However, another Jamato took that chance to run towards the flag. Buffa quickly turned around, “Shit!” He quickly used his large clawed hand to swipe at a beam the Jamato was running on, causing it to collapse.

Yaginuma, or Letter while in Rider form, slowly emerged from her hiding place, “I’m gonna get married… I’m gonna get married…”

More and more Jamatos emerged from nearby. Buffa tried his best to fight them off, but multiple ran past him, “Dammit! There’s no end to them!”

Two Jamatos locked onto Letter, causing the young girl to flinch, “No… I don’t want this. I can’t do this!” She turned around and used her propeller to begin to fly into the air.

Buffa shouted out, “Hey! Don’t run away!”

A Jamato emerged from nearby armed with a pirate themed rocket launcher, it took aim at Letter and fired a missile at her. The shot impacted her with an explosion, causing her to fall to the ground heavily injured. As soon as she landed, the Jamatos swarmed around her and began to brutalize her with kicks, stabs, and slashes. Her pained screams echoed through the area.

Tanba, or Keilow in his Rider form, watches in horror, “Miss!”

The Jamatos weapons become covered in her blood. After enough time, her ID core cracks, and her body dissipates into a purple and red mist.

“MISSION FAILED”

The Jamatos cheered in joy.

Buffa cut down even more Jamatos coming at them. He growled as he watched the Jamato cheer from killing his teammate, “Dammit!” Thinking quickly, he ran over to Keilow and grabbed the Ninja Buckle from him, “Sorry but I need to use this, or else we’re going to die too!” Buffa removed his Zombie Buckle and slotted in the one he took.

“SET”

“NINJA”

Buffa instantly charged forward and slashed at the Jamatos with his twinblade.

“READY? FIGHT!”

Spinning in a circle, he slashed with his blade and caused sharp bursts of winds to cut down the Jamatos that killed Letter. He quickly reached down to grab the Propeller Buckle and tossed it towards Keilow, “Use this!”

Keilow caught it, “B-But this is…”

Buffa ignored Keilow’s distress and continued to fight.
—

Meanwhile, Geats, Punkjack, and Ravkaw were fighting for their lives against the waves of Jamatos emerging from the woods and from the river.

Ravkaw growled as he cut a Jamato in half, “They just keep coming! They’re like a fucking parasite!” His anger was briefly paused however as he looked at Jamato fighting Punkjack. Normal people wouldn’t have noticed it, but the ex-detective prince however noticed that there was a faint sheen to the Jamatos. One of red, purple, and green. What the… was that- His thoughts were cut off as a Jamato slashed his back. He let out an angered shout, “Shouldn’t have pissed me off!” He then charged forward like a wild animal.

After a little bit more of fighting, Punkjack let out a cry of pain, “Ow ow ow!”

Geats looked over as he blocked a punch, “What’s wrong?!”

Punkjack was clutching his stomach, “Think I got indigestion or something! Toilet!!” He then rushed off, away from the battle.

Ravkaw clicked his tongue, “Dammit get back here you idiot!” He then runs after Punkjack, leaving Geats to defend the flag alone.

Punkjack dives behind one of the pillars of the bridge, out of breath. He lets out a smirk, “Just kidding~”

Ravkaw soon follows, glaring slightly at Punkjack, “This is the most ridiculous plan you have ever had. Next time, I’m making the plan.”

Punkjack pats Ravkaw’s shoulder, “Relax! Even if this doesn’t work, it’ll at least injure him a bit. I mean, those things are surprisingly strong.”

“Indeed…”

“Oh no.”

“What?”

“You have your thinking look, and whenever you have your thinking look, something is wrong.”

“We’re both wearing helmets that obscure our faces, how in the hell do you know what look I have on my face?”

“We’ve been working together for years now, it isn’t exactly difficult.”

“Whatever. I’ll tell you later, for now, let’s see how your plan turns out.”

The two peak around the pillar, watching as the Jamatos slowly begin to form a large circle around Geats.

Geats looks around at the large circle. With a cocky smirk, he motions the Jamatos to come at him, “Let’s do this.”

“REVOLVE ON”

Geats swaps the Boost Buckle to his legs. Once the transformation is finished, the Jamatos all begin to charge forward at once.

However, before they could reach Geats, three crystals landed in the middle of them all. Geats notices them, recognizing them. He quickly covers his eyes as they explode into blinding light.

Punkjacks eyes widened, “What the?!”

Ravkaw sighs, “Was wondering when he was going to show up.”

As the light begins to fade, a voice begins to laugh, “Gaining up on a single target like that? Now that’s just plain unfair. However…” Standing next to Geats is a familiar figure, with a short golden sleeveless tailcoat, a bag of gems hanging at his side, and a black and gold colored crow helmet.

Crowsen smirks, “A true thief never plays fair.”

Geats let out a soft laugh, “Were you hiding this entire time just to make a grand entrance?”

“I wish. Literally just joined the game like, five minutes ago. I’ll explain the rest later. For now…” He flips his cane, “how about we give them a real show?”

Geats smirks as he faces the Jamatos. “Now then…”

The two stand side by side as they say together, “Time for the highlight!”

The Jamatos charge forward once more.

Geats runs forward and delivers a fiery kick right into a Jamatos chest, sending it flying backwards and into a swarm of others. Crowsen dodges a slash from a sword as he uses his cane to trip the Jamato. Following the motion, he grabs a throwing knife and stabs it into the Jamatos head, and quickly throws it right into another Jamato running towards Geats. Geats then performs a backwards cartwheel, kicking a Jamato into the air.

Punkjacks jumped in surprise, “Eh?! They’re strong!”

Ravkaw doesn’t seem surprised at all, “Even after all these years he’s still a show off.”
—

Back with Buffa, he separates the twinblades as he stabs them into a Jamato, pinning it to a barrel. He then kicks another Jamato away. Seeing another running towards him, he grabs the dual blades and slashes through the pinned Jamato and slices the oncoming enemy.

He looks back at Keilow who is still looking at the Propeller Buckle with worry, “If you don’t want to die, then fight! This is the last time I’m saying this dammit!” He then grabs a Jamato and begins to punch it.

Keilow soon notices a Jamato beginning to make its way towards the flag.

But before he can do anything, a voice shouts out, “Nyan!” and a figure literally bounces on the Jamato like Goomba from Mario. The figure then lands on a nearby building.

Na-Go turns around to face the yard.

Buffa dodges an attack from a Jamato as he looks up in surprise, “Na-Go?! No way!”

Na-Go smiles as she pulls out the Beat Buckle. She presses on one of the piano keys, and DJ music begins to play throughout the area. “Yes way! It’s Neon, coming at you with a live performance! Flash!”

“SET”

Na-Go puts her hand atop the circular black DJ disk and spins it, making a record scratch noise in the music.

“BEAT”

A set of neon blue, pink, black, and gold colored armor slams onto Na-Go. The armor has multiple speakers on her shoulder, with the chest having a live sound display on it that moves with the music. Clutched in her hands was a similar colored electric guitar.

“READY? FIGHT!”

Buffa looks on in shock, “What the hell is that buckle?!”

Na-Go places a hand on her chest, “You can’t change the world unless you fight! We can change with even a bit of courage!”

She then plays all three notes on her buckle, causing the music to begin playing even louder. To the Riders, it just sounds like loud music, but to the Jamatos it is almost deafening, forcing them all to clutch their heads in pain. But soon after, they all suddenly begin dancing as though they were at a club.

Buffa grows even more confused, “What the?!”

Keilow lets out a noise of surprise, “Oh! They’re dancing!”

Na-Go jumps down from the roof, landing nearby Keilow, “It’s the melody of courage. Does this make you feel like you can do it?” She plays a small riff on her guitar, and club lights begin to play around Keilow.

Keilow looks up in shock, “For some reason, I feel full of power!”

“ARMED PROPELLER”

Keilow grabs his propeller and begins to slash at multiple of the Jamatos, a small music note playing with each strike.

Na-Go jumps onto a nearby crate and lifts her guitar into the air, “Now let’s go with the finisher melody!”

She presses a circular button on her guitar twice, making the sound of a snare drum.

“FUNK BLIZZARD”

She then begins to play a small riff on the guitar, adding more intensity to the music.

“TACTICAL BLIZZARD”

Two Jamatos begin to rush Na-Go. The cat themed Rider smirks as she jumps off the crate and slams her guitar into it like an axe. As it makes impact, there is a burst of cold winds that turn the two Jamatos to ice.

More Jamatos begin to charge towards her. She runs forward and slices them with powerful ice attacks, each one turning into ice as she defeats them. Once she finishes off the final Jamato, she plays another riff on her guitar. There is a visible soundwave in the middle of the Jamatos that begins to pull them all towards each other, “The finale!”

Once they are all clustered together, she presses the drum once and strums the guitar.

“ROCK FIRE”

She plays another riff, bringing the song almost to its conclusion.

“TACTICAL FIRE”

She slashes her axe, causing a large gust of fire to slash out in a circle. She jumps into the air right as they all explode, “Nyan!”

As she lands, the flames behind her begin to dissipate, “We did it!”

Keilow looks at Na-Go with amazement, “Wow! That was amazing!”
—

Geats kicks another Jamato into one of its allies. Crowsen pulls out a yellow crystal and tosses it into the middle of the remaining Jamatos. There is a burst of electricity, stunning all of them.

The two Riders stand side by side once more, “Time for an all-out attack!” Crowsen shouts.

They charge forward and begin to unleash a fury of attacks upon the Jamatos. They move like blurs, only appearing for a moment while delivering a strike before disappearing once more. Eventually, the two land nearby. Crowsen adjusts one of the gloves of his Rider form as the group of Jamatos explode.

“Shows over!”

Once the smoke clears, Tsumuri’s voice echoes out, “The first round is over! Please return to the lounge at your earliest convenience.”

Crowsen lets out a sigh of relief as he de-transforms, “Damn those things were tough. Must have cranked up the difficulty this time.”

Geats smiles as he also de-transforms, “You can say that again. I don’t think they’ve ever been this difficult during the first round. I doubt any of the new competitors survived.”

“Never? That’s strange. Did your teammates get eliminated or something?”

At this point, Win begins to walk over, “Sorry about that! Must have been food poisoning or something. Happy to see you made it out okay Ace!” He then turns to Ren, “And you are?”

“Amamiya Ren, also known as Kamen Rider Crowsen. How about you?”

“I’m-”

He is then cut off by Ace, “Punkjack.”

Ren’s eyes widen, “Punkjack?! They let a staff member compete?!”

Win sighs, “I keep telling you I’m not-”

He is then cut off once more by the voice of someone very familiar to Ren, “No use in lying Hareruya.”

Ren watches as a ghost walks towards them all. Akechi Goro looks directly at Ren as he speaks, “Amamiya isn’t stupid enough to fall for that.”

Ren’s eyes widened. He almost can’t believe what he is seeing. “A-Akechi?”

Akechi raises an eyebrow condescendingly at Ren, “Are you expecting me to be a cognition or a ghost of some kind? Well I’m sorry to disappoint, but I truly am standing here in front of you.”

After a few moments, Ren then walks over and socks Akechi in the face.

“ATTACK OTHER PLAYERS IS AGAINST THE RULES. POINTS DEDUCTED”

Akechi stumbles backwards as he clutches his cheek, “I was expecting that…”

“WHAT THE HELL AKECHI?! WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN THE PAST FIVE YEARS?! YOU DIDN’T THINK ONCE IN THAT ENTIRE TIME TO GIVE ME SOME KIND OF SIGN THAT YOU WERE ALIVE?!”

Ace runs over and holds back Ren, “Crowsen, I understand if you hate this guy, but you’ll be disqualified if you keep this up-”

“I SPENT MONTHS AFTER MARUKI’S REALITY SEARCHING FOR YOU! HOPING YOU SOMEHOW MANAGED TO SURVIVE! I GRIEVED FOR YOU DAMMIT! YOU FUCKING BASTARD!”

Akechi glares at Ren, “Well I apologize for not giving you a sign, but I had to so that none of Shido’s men could find me. If they found any sign of me, an assassin would have had me in their crosshair in an instant. Besides, it's part of my contract that I couldn’t actively reach out to any of the Thieves.”

“Oh! Okay! Well I guess we can just go back to how it used to be- oh yeah! I forgot you hated me! You think you can just waltz back into my life like nothing has changed?! And what fucking contract?!”

Akechi motions to his ID core, “My contract with the DGP.”

Ren’s mind halts, “Y-Your… working for the DGP? So you went from working for one shady organization to another?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

“Believe me, I wish I could explain everything to you. Everything that has happened since I last saw you. But I can’t.”

“Can’t or won’t?!”

“Can’t, Ren.”

Ren’s mind halts once more. The only time that Akechi had ever used his first name was when he was being 1000% serious about something. The last time he heard it was soon after their conversation with Maruki after handing over the calling card, when Ren had tried to convince Akechi to stay in Maruki’s reality so that Akechi can finally be free, when Akechi knocked some sense into him and told him how he refused to ever be controlled by anyone's strings ever again, when he awoke to Hereward, when they played one final game of chess together to briefly forget about the worries of the next day, when they made their promise...

Ren clenched his fist tight, until eventually he let out a deep sigh, “Fine. But you better explain everything to me one day, and you better not disappear again once all of this is done. You made a promise, Goro.”

Akechi smiles, “I will, Amamiya.”

Ren sighs, “And we’re back to the usual bullshit.”

Ace looks between the two of them, “What the hell just happened?”

Ren and Akechi spoke in unison, “It’s a long story.”

Win laughs slightly, “Believe me Ace, Goro-chan here explained it to me once. It still doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Ace looks at Ren, “Thief stuff?”

Ren nods, “Thief stuff.”

Akechi sighs, “Of course one of your confidants found out already.”

“The others already gave me enough shit for it. And hey, why can Punkjack call you by your first name casually but I can’t?”

Win tries to speak up but is cut off by Akechi, “Oh he can’t. He knows how much it annoys me and refuses to stop. So as punishment I refuse to use his first name despite us having worked together for years.”

Ren smiles, “Nice.”

Ace speaks up, “We should probably get heading back, we’ve already wasted enough time here.”

Akechi sighs, “Agreed. I believe I’ve had enough emotions for one day”

Win laughs, “Hey, any emotion that isn’t anger or edge with you is a good thing.”
—

The group returned to the lounge, the air tense but thankfully not as tense as it could have been.

Akechi walked off into the hallway going somewhere into the facility. Ren wanted to follow him, to corner him, but he knew as long as they were within the facility that there was nowhere that was private.

Ace looked around when he heard the voice of Tanba speak up, “Oh! More survivors!” He looked towards the couches to see Tanba, Michinaga, and another familiar face.

Ace’s eyes widened as he locked onto Neon, “N-Neon?”

Neon smiled as she stood up, “It’s good to see you again, Ace.”

Ace smiled back, “Same.”

Neon spun around letting out a sigh of relief, “All we’re missing is Keiwa and then the whole gang will be back together!”

Ren spoke up, “I wonder how Keiwa is doing. I remember seeing him a decent amount of times at Leblanc in the past month, but I don’t exactly know where he lives so I have no way of checking up on him.”

Ace smirked, “From what I last saw he seems fine. Was handing out fliers to try and get people to volunteer at a homeless shelter.”

Neon smiled, “I’m glad to hear it.”

Michinaga sighed, “I can only put up with so many of you heroic types at once. The less the better.”

Ren grinned as he walked over and wrapped an arm around Michinaga, “Oh come on Michi-chan~ don’t go all tsundere on us~.”

Michinaga flushed, “W-Who are you calling ‘tsundere’?!”

Neon walked over and wrapped an arm around Michinaga, pinning him between the two gremlins of the group, “Let’s just get along, Michinaga. After all you did to defend me and Ren during the last round, you know you love us~.”

Ace watched on from a distance, just happy to have his friends back to fight alongside him.
—

Once they were free to go, Ren, Neon, and Ace walked through Yongen-Jaya as the sun was setting off in the horizon.

Ace took a deep breath before he spoke up, “I’m amazed you both came back.”

Neon smiled, “I remembered I still had an unfulfilled wish. I may have my freedom for now, but I still have one last thing I need before I am truly free.”

Neon thought back to what she wrote on her Desire Card for this round, “I want real love.”

Ren nodded, “And I know there’s more going on with the DGP than they will ever admit. So I ain’t stopping until I figure out what it is.”

Ren thought back to what he wrote on his Desire Card for this round, ”I wish for the Desire Grand Prix to end forever.”

Neon looked at the fox themed Rider, “What about you, Ace? Why do you fight? I mean, I know you’re the secretive type. Of course you wouldn’t say. But I just had to ask.”

Ace sighed as he looked up towards the sky, “I’m the opposite of you, Neon. You may want to get away from your mother… but I’m searching for mine.”

“Eh?!” Said both Ren and Neon.

Ace smirked at the both of them, “Do you believe that?”
—

Back in the lounge within the DGP, Win and Akechi both sat on one of the couches, looking at a large monitor displaying the information of those who remained.

They heard footsteps beginning to approach them, and the Gamemaster began to speak, “Already down to seven. With the rest having failed. What a rough start.”

Win sighed, “Gamemaster, it’s not that easy getting Geats to lose.”

“But doing that…” The Gamemaster removed his mask, Girori glaring at the two, “Is your mission.”

Akechi sighed, “And how exactly do you expect Riders with only a couple years of experience to take down Geats himself? We’ve taken down killers, thieves, psychopaths, and narcissistic freaks, but the man with a winning streak like his is an almost impossible task. With the addition of Amamiya, our mission is only going to be more difficult.”

“Indeed. The high-ups went against my wishes to allow Crowsen back in. And don’t think I didn’t notice your conversation with him. You better not be trying to violate your contract?”

“Oh sir, you forget, my contract is with the Director. Not. With. You.”

Girori grinded his teeth, “Don’t forget, Akechi Goro. If you violate any part of your contract, then I am in my right to take away the chance at life that we have given you. You owe your life to the Desire Grand Prix. That place you’ve built up for yourself out in Onomichi? The people you have gotten close to? Your little, treasure? You owe all of it to us.”

Akechi reached behind him as he pulled out a silenced pistol and aimed it at Girori, “Is this truly the game you wish to play, Girori? You lay a single finger on them-!”

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Just complete your mission. And don’t disappoint me.” Girori laughed as he walked out of the lounge.

Win stood up and placed a hand on Akechi’s shoulder, “Don’t worry. He’ll get what's coming to him.”

Akechi lowered his gun.

He and Win began to make their way out of the facility, Akechi looked back towards the monitor and stared at the display showing Crowsen’s information, Ren, please don’t let these bastards win.

Chapter Text

“The new season of the Desire Grand Prix has begun! The brutal first round ended with seven survivors. The Kamen Riders are risking their lives to protect the world from the Jamato monsters. Who will dethrone the unbeaten Desire God, Geats?!” Tsumuri smiled at the camera on her tablet.

Ace, sitting right next to her, sighed, “Neesan, do you really hate being my family that much?”

“Of course. We were complete strangers to begin with.”

The two then heard the voice of Girori shout from the kitchen, “Breakfast is ready!”

“Coming!” Shouted back Ace.

The two siblings left Tsumuri’s room and sat around the table within the dining room. Girori had prepared them a fish and vegetable broth served alongside a bowl of rice.

Tsumuri spoke up, “How long are you planning to keep up this farce?”

Girori sighed, “Yes. Tsumuri has a point. Let’s get straight to the point. Tell us why you want to become family with us in order to get closer to the Desire Grand Prix staff?”

Ace laughed, “You noticed? And here I was thinking I was being sneaky about it.”

“Your wishes up to this point have been all over the place. And the wish this time…” Girori reached into his jacket and pulled out a Desire Card, “‘A world where I am a member of the DGP staff.’ What are you trying to do?”

Ace smiled, “I’m just fascinated… by everything Desire Grand Prix related. And I just wish to learn more, especially about whatever it is you’re hiding.”
—

“AKECHI IS WHAT?!” Futaba shouted.

After getting a night's rest, Ren had called an emergency meeting with every member of the Phantom Thieves. Zenkichi and Sophia both joined in via a Zoom call on a laptop set up nearby, while the others were scattered about the cafe.

Ren nodded, “Alive and working for the DGP.”

Makoto clenched her fists tight, “So the bastard ghosts us for five years, and low and behold, he’s working for another shady organization? I swear if he is working on some grand betrayal plan again then I will show him the Fist of Justice.”

Haru placed a hand on Makoto’s shoulder. Over the years, she had truly blossomed into her role as CEO of Okumura Foods, now known as The Okumura Group. With her in charge, they moved from just dealing in food to also making great strides in humanitarian aid for the less fortunate of Japan. Providing homes and jobs to the homeless, working with several groups to provide food to those who cannot provide for themselves nor their families, and making sure all previously owned and newer restaurant chains only served food made from unprocessed ingredients. They even have a close relationship with the Kirijo Group. Haru herself had grown up into a true beauty. Her fluffy hair now long and flowing free under a purple sun hat, wearing a purple and white suit dress. The biggest change to Haru was simply just how freakishly strong she was, her larger axes that normally required her to use two hands to wield properly back during their time of Thieves could easily be swung around with only one hand. Her company learned of her strength when she once assisted one of their construction crews working on a new restaurant location, carrying several steel pillars and other materials by herself without even breaking a sweat before heading to a meeting.

“Mako-chan, none of us truly know what Akechi is planning. But if he is asking Ren to trust him, then it is likely that he isn’t making the same mistakes he made previously.”

Makoto sighed, “That’s… fair.”

Futaba pulled at her own hair, “I’m just pissed I wasn’t able to pinpoint his location. I knew I should have asked Sophie to help with that side project.”

Ren’s eyes widened as he looked at his fiance, “You had that program running all this time?”

“Yep. Call me crazy, but it never sat well with me with how things ended. After everything he did, no way was he just going to die like that. I had the damn thing search all through Japan and even expanded to other countries. But I found zilch, nada, nothing.”

“Even if I did assist,” Said Sophia, “The DGP was already an enigma. If he’s been working with them since soon after you all last saw him, then it would not be a surprise that his location was kept as hidden as it was.”

Zenkichi interjected, “And I checked what records I could, and the kid was listed as ‘missing’ since 2017. Some records even have him marked as ‘deceased.’” Since assisting back in the summer of 2017, Zenkichi’s appearance hadn’t changed much besides gaining a couple gray hairs. He had left PubSec to instead work as a Private Investigator for the Kyoto Police Department. He wanted to be able to spend more time with his daughter, Akane, so moving to a job that had less danger around it was ideal.

Ann let out an annoyed huff, “Well next time I see him I’m still slapping him. Ren, you were a mess throughout the year after he left, so he deserves at least something to happen to him for causing so much emotional pain to our friend.” Ann had continued to pursue her modeling career, having modeled for some of the most famous clothing brands in the world. A couple years into college life, Ann and Shiho had gotten married. Shiho had gone into studying physical therapy, wanting to help out young athletes. Ann had let hair grow long, growing even past her waist. She wore designer clothing and had fancy sunglasses on her head.

Ryuji laughed, “If only I get to punch ‘im first. No one hurts Renren like that!”

Ren gave Ryuji a nervous look, “I swear Saga is rubbing off on you too much.”

The others all shivered slightly with Ann speaking up, “I still remember the sound of impact when she punched that one drunk guy during our trip to Hokkaido. I was shocked nothing was broken.”

“Anyway,” Ren said, “With everyone here, we need to make a vote.”

Sophia spoke up, “And what would that be Joker? Was this not a meeting to simply inform everyone of Akechi’s status?”

“Well yes, but what we need to vote on is whether or not we can trust him. He planned to kill all of us back when we were going through Sae’s palace, however he was a valuable teammate while we were taking down Maruki and his false reality. But I know a month of helping us doesn’t excuse everything he has done. So, if even one person here says not to trust him, then I will do everything I can to figure out what he truly is up to.”

Zenkichi interjected, “Well I believe Sophia and myself should be excused from voting. All we have is stories from what you guys told us, so our opinion would be biased towards saying no.”

“I’m fine with that. With that being said, I’m excusing myself from the vote as well.”

Ryuji’s eyes widened slightly, “Eh?! Why?”

“Even after everything he has done, he is still one of my Confidants. He was my Sherlock and I was his Lupin. We hated each other, but in the end we found common ground. My opinion would be biased towards saying yes. Besides… Maruki himself said that being able to be proper rivals with Akechi was part of my ideal world that I wished for…”

Everyone looked at Ren sympathetically.

“Anyway… Futaba, Haru. You two were the ones most affected by his actions. So I believe you two should go first.”

The two thieves looked at each other before nodding, Haru spoke up first, “Akechi may have been the one to kill my father… but in the end he was just the weapon. His true killer was Shido. It took me a long time to accept this, but I also realized if things were slightly different, there likely would have been a good chance I also could have been a Black Mask…”

Makoto placed a hand on Haru’s shoulder, “Haru…”

“My father was willing to do anything to secure his political position. And if he had somehow figured out how to gain access to the Metaverse… then there is no doubt I would have become his assassin… Before I met all of you, all I desired was his approval… just like Akechi with Shido… In another world, I might have been the sole person causing mental shutdowns, or perhaps I would have been working alongside Akechi. I got lucky meeting all of you. So I am willing to give him a chance. But only this chance. If he betrays us again, then that will say to me that he won’t ever change. But, if he does want to help, then I believe we can trust him.”

Futaba nodded, “I agree with Haru. When we first fought him in Shido’s palace, I realized that when he would have killed my mom, he was just a kid. Someone desperate for any kind parental affection after his own mom killed herself. Most of us here know what it is like to lack some kind of parental care in your life. If things were just a little bit different for him, then he might have ended up being one of us genuinely, maybe even with the full extent of the power he and Ren have. And if that happened, like Haru said, someone else would have been the Black Mask. Plus…” Futaba looked away, a little embarrassed, “I think mom would have liked him…”

Yusuke raised an eyebrow, “What do you mean by that?”

“I’m not talking about the “Detective Prince” Akechi. Mom would have hated him. Heh, I can already imagine her roasting the fuck out of that fake personality. But the true Akechi, the one who was crass, willing to do anything to achieve his goals, willing to put those goals aside for the sake of a friend, the one who sacrificed himself to save us, the one who secretly is just as big of a Featherman fan as myself… that’s the one that mom would have liked.” Tears started to form at the corner of her eyes.

Ren walked around the counter and wrapped Futaba into a tight hug. He felt as though there was more to what Futaba was saying, something she was hiding, but now was not the time nor place to ask further.

Futaba wiped her eyes, “Thanks babe…” She leaned up and planted a kiss on Ren’s cheek.

Ren eventually pulled away, his hand left on his fiance’s shoulder to give her some smaller comfort. He looked at Futaba and Haru, “Thank you two for sharing that.” He then looked at the rest of the thieves, “So, does anyone not want to trust Akechi?”

Nobody raises their hands.

“Alright. Then for now, we’ll trust Akechi. I’ll contact you guys whenever I learn more about whatever the hell he has been up to the past five years, and what his plan is. Queen?”

Makoto reached over the counter to grab a bag of coffee beans, and slammed it onto the counter like a gavel, “Meeting adjourned.”

The tension in the air visibility lessened.

Zenkichi began to speak, “As much as I would love to talk some more I need to get going. Work is calling and Akane needs help with some grocery shopping later.”

Morgana perked up, “Oh! Before you go! How is she doing?”

“She’s doing good. Still doing her streaming thing, but now full time since she graduated in the Spring. I keep trying to convince her to go to university to study cinematography to improve her craft, but she keeps saying, and I quote, ‘College is just a corporate lie to get kids to pay ridiculous amounts of money for things that can be learned online.’ I swear, you kids have rubbed off on her more than I would have liked.”

Everyone smiled with pride. Morgana laughed, “We’ll make a proper thief out of her one of these days!”

Zenkichi sighs in defeat as he leaves the call.

“I should be taking my leave as well,” said Sophia. “The first physical prototype of the Driver is almost complete. Once it is done, I need to run multitudes of tests on it before continuing to work on the first prototype of a Buckle.”

Ren looked at the screen, “Oh yeah, how is that going? Anything our two resident hacker geniuses can tell the class about it?”

Futaba spoke up, “Hehehe, we need to keep some secrets. But! We can say it is quite unique when compared to the Desire Driver. The most difficult part was figuring out how to have the Driver work with a Buckle to manifest armor in some fashion. However, thanks to breaking into a few different company and military databases, we actually found that there have been and are multiple companies working on this idea already. Smart Brain made something a few years back, Fenix is currently designing something to be possibly used in the military, and most recently there is a company called Hiden Intelligence that is using robotics to design an idea but are focusing more on AI.”

Haru gasped, “Wait, Smart Brain?”

Ryuji gave a confused look, “The hell kind of company is ‘Smart Brian’?”

“No, Smart Brain. They were a company that once rivaled the power of the Kirijo and Naranjo groups combined, but one day fell apart when most of the higher ups died in an accident. I’ve tried asking Mrs.Kirijo about it once, but she refused to give any information. I did hear her once muttering something about a dream and a promise.”

Ren rubbed his chin, “What about those other groups? Do we need to worry about them?”

Futaba shook her head, “Nope. Fenix is basically a PMC. They work with an archeological group called NOAH to research old ruins to see if they can repurpose ideas for the modern day. And Hiden Intelligence just started up like, a year or two ago. Their goal is to one day improve modern life with AI Robots and other kinds of tech. They work on a lot of different things, and one of their many projects is the idea for an armor of some kind code named ‘Zero-One.’ Their current big project is a pair of stalities that would help power their robotics.”
“And you two just casually broke into these companies' data banks?”

Futaba and Sophia spoke in unison, “Yep!”

“Just don’t get caught.”

Futaba smiled, “Please. Alibaba is the greatest hacker in the world! Foreign governments fear me!”

Makoto sighed, “You terrify me sometimes.”

“Good!”

Ren interjected, “Anything more concrete you two can tell us besides adding to our ever growing crimes list?”

The hacker and AI both shook their heads.

“Well then, I guess with that, this meeting is actually over.”
—

The next day, Ren and Neon were both working the front counter of Leblanc. Neon was busy washing dishing while Ren went about wiping down the tables.

When the bell by the front door signaled a customer had entered, the two turned and were stunned to see Keiwa standing at the door. The young man looked around for a moment until he locked eyes with Ren, “Hey Ren! Sorry for not coming by recently. Volunteer work while still looking for an actual job has kept me busy.” He turns and notices Neon, looking at him like she has seen a ghost, “Oh! Sorry, I didn’t see you there. You’re Neon, right? I’ve noticed you working here before but never got the chance to say hi.”

Neon flinched slightly at how Keiwa talked to her, like a complete stranger, not a friend made through fighting to survive together. Ren could see the inner turmoil on her face as she nodded, “Y-Yeah…”

“Well it’s nice to finally meet you properly! My sister is a big fan of your streams, I remember how she totally flipped out when she heard you were working here.”

Neon’s face darkened. Her hands clenched her apron tight, Ren swore he could see tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes. “Hey Neon.”

The younger woman turned towards Ren, “Why don’t you clock out, I can handle things from here. Plus, don’t you have that meeting with Ann soon?”

Neon’s eyes widened slightly, “R-Right.” She quickly hung up her apron before gathering her things. As she passed by Ren, she quickly whispered, “Thank you.” Ren responded with a simple smile. The girl quickly brushed past Keiwa, making her exit.

Keiwa watched Neon leave with concern, “Is she okay?”

Ren paused for a moment before responding, “Things have been rough for her. She may not live with her parents anymore, but moving away doesn’t fix the remaining trauma of everything she experienced growing up. It affects her mood sometimes, and today was one of those days.”

Keiwa nodded sympathetically, “I get that… that happens to my sister sometimes. I know she tries to act tough and happy all the time, but she has days where she just feels depressed. You remember how I told you that our parents are dead?”

Ren nodded as he moved behind the counter, beginning to make a cup of coffee for Keiwa, I learned it from you and your sister… on the last day we spent as a whole group…

“Well she was with them when it happened… A drunk driver… She told me that they both quickly pushed her away, saving her life. I try my best to help her during those days… but the best thing I can do for her is just remind her that she isn’t alone, that I’m not going anywhere, and will always be there for her.” Keiwa by this point had sat at the counter, happily accepting the coffee offered to him. “That’s why I’ve been so desperate to find a job, so that she doesn’t have to handle the burden of everything.”

“Then why haven’t you accepted my offer to have a job here at Leblanc? You know that we would happily welcome you.”

Keiwa pondered it a moment before speaking, “I don’t want a job handed to me. I want it to be earned, for someone to recognize my potential and to let me help. Preferably doing something that can help people nearby. That’s why I’ve been mostly doing volunteer work on the side. Homeless shelter, orphanage, anything really.”

“Why don’t you expand your search over here? In Yongen? I know that it is a decent train ride for you, but the people and businesses here are always looking for help. The second hand store, the grocery store, the batting cages, the movie theater, if you really want to help people directly we also have a well known clinic here. The doctor there works closely with some nearby hospitals.”

“I’ll give it some thought. It wouldn’t hurt to look around here. Plus, I would be closer to my favorite cafe!”

“Now you're just trying to butter me up so I stop bothering you about working here.”

The two laughed together. Ren was happy that despite Keiwa not having his full memories, the two still had a bond. He could feel it, just like he could feel all of his bonds. Not nearly as strong as the blood oaths he forged years ago, but still with the potential to one day reach the point of an unbreakable bond.

Suddenly, Keiwa’s phone began to ring. He reached into his pocket and quickly answered, “Yes Nee-chan?”

Ren could barely hear the voice of Sara through the phone, “Where are you?! Do you have everything ready for tomorrow?! You better not have forgotten about your interview at the museum tomorrow!”

Keiwa began to panic, “I-I didn’t forget! I’ll be home soon!” He then hung up. “S-Sorry Ren but I gotta-”

“Go before your sister tears you a new one?”

“That.” He quickly downed the rest of his coffee, coughing a little as he finished. “Bye Ren!” The ex-Rider then quickly made his exit.

Ren stared at the door a bit, part of him wishing that Keiwa would suddenly remember everything they all went through, the sacrifice of a true ninja.

He suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He looked down to see Futaba hugging him tight, “I heard all of that from my bug… you seemed like you needed some support after that…”

“F-Futaba I’m-”

“Just shut up and let your emotional support emotionally support you dammit.”

Ren laughed softly as he hugged his fiance back. The conversation with Keiwa felt like he was back in Maruki’s fake reality, his friends remembering nothing of what they went through… He had never felt more alone in his life than he did during that first week in the false reality.

Ren vowed he would one day help Keiwa and Sara regain their memories, and that together, they would take down the Desire Grand Prix.

Chapter Text

Perspective: Akechi

Akechi leaned back on one of the couches within the main lounge of the Desire Grand Prix. His partner, Hareruya, was drinking from a glass of some kind of disgusting sugary drink. Hareruya’s guitar laid next to me, “Hey, Goro-chan.”

Akechi sighed as he set down his cup of coffee, “What is it Hareruya?”

“What do you think the GM wants this time?”

“Probably the same thing as last time, and the time before that, and the time before that.”

Hareruya sighed, “What’s his obsession with Geats? It isn’t like anyone has complained. All of the betting pools have already shifted to better account for Geats, and the Director hasn’t said shit about this.”

“Just more reason for us to stay on this job. Either the Game Master has a grand scheme, or it’s his pride at stake. The sooner we finish the job, the sooner we can go back home.”

“Oh! Speaking of which, how are my favorite gremlins?”

Akechi smiled softly as he let out a gentle laugh, “They’re doing fine. Thankfully not causing Uchiyama and the others too much trouble. I get updates twice a day from both Tanemura and Sahara. Tomiyama even sends me photos.”

“Twice? Surprised it isn’t more knowing how protective you were of them when they first came into your life.”

“Shut it.”

At this point, Girori entered the lounge with Tsumuri close behind him “Punkjack. Ravkaw. Make sure Geats drops out next time.”

Tsumuri spoke up with a worried tone of voice, “Are you serious, Gamemaster?”

Hareruya sighed, “Tsumuri, what the GM wants is absolute.”

“I thought we were supposed to always stay neutral? To allow the events of the game to transpire without our interference unless there is an emergency.”

Girori’s face darkened, “That man… has won too much.”

Akechi sighed, “Yet there has been zero complaints from the audience. Has there been any issues with the sponsor’s? Is the Director even aware of your plan to purposefully force Geats to lose?”

“It is not your job to be asking questions, Ravkaw. You are to do as you are told to do. If you fail, then both of you will be punished.”
—

Perspective: Neon

Neon took a deep breath before she entered her father’s house. Her father had used her body guards, Ben and John, to contact her about meeting briefly to discuss things. Ren and Futaba had tried to convince her not to go, but Neon was adamant about meeting with her father.

Once she entered, she quickly hid behind a wall when she noticed her mother walking down stairs towards the living room, holding a yellow DGP box tightly.

Her mother slammed the box on a table in front of her father, “What is this thing that was delivered to Neon?”

Her father took a sip from a cup of tea, “It’s complicated. I was going to tell you eventually…”

Ben and John entered the room. The two bowed before Ben spoke up, “Sir, the madam has arrived.”

Her mother looked at the two, “Neon?! Where is she? Bring her to me, now!”

“You will do no such thing.” Her father interjected.

Her mother glared at her father, “She hasn’t been home in over a month doing God knows what!”

“She’s all grown up. She can protect herself. Make her own choices. She doesn’t need you to treat her like one of your dolls.”

“She’s my daughter! I will not let some… lowlife take her from us again!”

“Amamiya is a respectful man. There are few others I would trust with her safety.”

“Do you not care for her at all?! Are you too busy with, what this all is?!” She said while motioning to the box.

“I care for my daughter greatly. What I should ask is, do you care for Neon? Or do you simply care for what you want her to be?”

“How. Dare. You. Speak to me that way?! I am your wife-!”

“We are married in nothing more than name and on paper. We were in love once. But after what happened to Neon, you have become nothing more than a shell of the woman I once loved with all of my heart.”

Both Neon and her mother had their eyes wide in shock.

Her mother let out a frustrated noise before storming out, walking right past Neon without even noticing her. The front door slammed shut.

A tense silence hung in the air.

Neon heard her father sigh with a very clearly tired tone of voice, “What went wrong…?”

…

“You can come in, Neon.”

Neon jumped as she slowly shuffled in. “H-Hello…”

“I’m… sorry you had to hear that.”

Neon stood there awkward, not knowing what to say. Her father then stood up, grabbing the box before walking over to Neon. “Here. I wanted to talk more. But I’m not in the mood. This is a gift. Use it in the next round.” He shoved the box into her hands before walking off. Ben and John tried to call for him to no avail.

Neon stared at the box in her hands, conflicted, confused, and worried. “Father…”
—

Perspective: Ren

“Have a good afternoon!” Ren waved at the young couple that had just left Leblanc. Today was a fairly slow day. Neon had called out after her talk with her father. She said that she needed to process some things. Ren was worried for his friend. According to Futaba, Neon went straight home after visiting her father.

Ren leaned against the counter as he began to be lost in his thoughts. DGP… Neon’s struggles… Keiwa… Akechi… Everyday things just get more and more complicated…

“Ren.”

I just hope I can make sure we all come out of this alive…

“Ren?”

What is the DGP hiding? Those Jamato were crazy tough… plus that sheen on them… why do I feel like I’ve seen it before?

“Hmm.”

And what in the world has Akechi been doing these past five years?...

Ren suddenly grabbed the hand that was slowly making its way towards one of his pockets. “You’re gonna have to try better than that, Ace.”

Ace, now leaning over the bar, smirked, “What? You were lost in your own little world. I had to at least try.”

Ren smirked as he let go of Ace’s hand. “So, what brings our local deity to my humble shop?”

“Just because I’ve lived multiple lives, doesn’t mean I’m a god. Despite what the public might say.”

“I will bet genuine money that you are a god in some capacity.”

Ace laughed, “Well then, if I am a god, what does that make you? The Divine that speaks gospel? Or maybe the Inquisitor challenging my might? Ah wait, I know.” Ace stared Ren directly in the eyes, “The Godslayer.”

Ren smiled, “Good, you remembered that. Was wondering if your memory was shit with trying to contain 2000 years of memories.”

“Hey, respect your elders.”

The two then both burst out laughing.

Ren wiped a tear from his eye, “A-Anyway, what brings you here? Ready to feed your addiction to the food we serve?”

“Yes, but also because Neon texted me to see if I could meet her here. Apparently she wants to talk a bit about what I said after the previous round.”

“Oh perfect, one less thing then on my questions list.”

“What if I didn’t allow you to listen in?”

“It’s my shop, my home. Only place with even a bit of privacy for customers is the bathroom and I don’t think it would be a good idea to drag Neon to a small space unless you wanna be giving her the wrong idea about what you want from her.”

“What if that is what I want with her?”

“Please. You may be a flirt and a gentleman, but in the entire time I have known you, and all the clips I have seen of you online, there isn’t a single hint of lust behind your eyes.”

“What do you mean?”

“When you look at someone, you see them all the same. Either a teammate, a rival, or a fan. But to cut back on the poetics, and to put it in a way my dear friend Ann would say… you couldn’t be more Aroace if you tried bish.”

Ace smiled, “Well you would be correct on that front. After living as many lives as I have, there isn’t really much of a point in companionship in that fashion. I had love in a couple of my first lives… I even had one life where I was surrounded by love…” Ace said that last part fondly, “But it wouldn’t be right to try and grow close to someone when you keep being reborn.”

“That’s fair. Honestly, I think the same would happen to anyone in the same situation as you.” Ren placed an order of coffee and curry in front of Ace. “Enjoy your meal.”

“Thanks.” Ace smiled as he took a bite of his meal.

“So,” Ren spoke up, “Did all of that count for our usual question stuff?”

“Hmm, I’ll say yes. But for you at least. I have a question I still want answered if possible.”

“Go ahead.”

Ace leaned forward, “Tell me about the Phantom Thieves.”

Ren sighed. “I figured this was coming eventually. Fine, fine. Neon already learned most everything, so might as well tell you.”

Ren then went all to tell the story of the Phantom Thieves, using code names to keep everyone’s identities secret. Recounting it like this reminded him of being inside the interrogation room with Sae, but this time, he’s able to enjoy himself while recounting the story. From the Castle of Lust to the Depths of Mementos. Maruki’s false reality (“Huh, that really does sound like a weird version of the DGP.” Ace spoke up. ”THAT’S WHAT I SAID!” Shouted Ren). And the summer spree of Jails. Eventually, the sun began to set in the sky as Ren had finished his story.

“Eventually I moved back here after graduating, and have been happy ever since.”

Ace smiled, “You know, if I wasn’t highly familiar with the Desire Grand Prix, and had lived roughly twenty lives, I don’t think I would have believed you. Three gods? Honestly, I’m impressed. I think you just pumped yourself up on my rivals list.”

“Hey, if the Ukiyo Ace himself is acknowledging my strength.”

Ren felt his bond with Ace grow stronger.

Ukiyo Ace- Aeon. Rank 5

At this point, Neon entered Leblanc. “Hey guys!”

“Hey.” Ren and Ace said in unison.

Neon walked over and took a seat next to Ace, “Sorry for taking so long. I had some things to handle.”

Ace smiled, “It’s fine. I was glad to get your invitation.”

Ren tapped the counter, “Neon, you think you could have told your boss you are using my place to talk about something secret?”

Neon flushed in embarrassment, “I-I’m sorry Ren! It j-just kind of slipped my mind…”

“It’s all good. Just be sure to send me a text next time. Let me get you some food.”

“Thank you Ren.”

The cafe fell into a comfortable silence. The sounds of Ren making coffee and preparing a plate of curry, Neon and Ace scrolling on their phones, and the gentle sound of jazz playing over a small speaker by the counter.

Neon eventually broke the silence, “Hey, Ace, about what you said the other day… If you’re looking for your mom, then why don’t you just write, “I want to see my mom” on your Desire Card?”

Ace raised an eyebrow, “Then you believe my story?”

Ren laughed, “You just listened to my story, and you believed every single word of it. Why wouldn’t we believe it?”

Neon nodded, “It’s a noble thing to want. To be able to see your mother. And despite what you’ve done in the past, I don’t think you would lie about this.”

Ace leaned back in his chair, “It’s because the Desire Card couldn’t grant it. Every time I would write it, the words would erase themselves.”

Neon gasped, “There are wishes that it can’t grant?”

“Maybe there’s some issue from the management end. “

Ren spoke up, “Wouldn’t be shocked.”

Neon thought back to her interaction the other day. Her mind went to the box in her purse that she still hadn’t opened. “Hey… What’s your mother like, Ace?”

Ace sighed, “I won’t know till I meet her. The only thing I’m sure of is… she’s someone worth risking my life to fight for.”

Ren placed Neon’s meal in front of her. The two sat on Ace’s words. Gaining a bit more insight into the still ever mysterious Ace.

Suddenly, everyone’s Rider Phones rang. There was a single message on it…

“GATHER ROUND. TOMORROW. 12:00”

Chapter Text

“WAIT!!” Keiwa shouted towards the bus.

Keiwa was running late for an interview. His alarm failed to go off, and Sara had left early for a shift at her job. He barely had time to throw on a suit and grab his briefcase before leaving.

The bus driver noticed Keiwa and made sure to keep the door open for him. The young man stumbled onto the bus, breathing heavily, “T-Thank you sir…” He shuffled on, noticing the only other people on the bus were a high school girl, and what he assumed was her little brother wearing a primary school outfit. The kid was messing around with something on a phone.

As he took his seat, he heard the kid groan in annoyance, “I got a lame gacha again… so unlucky…” Keiwa leaned over slightly and noticed the figure on the screen looked like a tanooki wearing mining equipment.

The sister patted the boy on the shoulder, “Cheer up. I bet you’ll get something good soon.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

Keiwa laughed to himself. Just like me and Nee-chan…

Suddenly, they heard the bus driver speak up, “What the…?”

There was a loud cracking noise from ahead of them, a large hole appearing suddenly in the street. The bus driver attempted to swerve out of the way, but the hole continued to grow in size. Keiwa and the two siblings were sent tossing and turning in the bus.

Everyone screamed loudly as the bus began to plummet into the abyss.
—

“A Jammer Area has appeared.” Announced Tsumuri.

Everyone stood on the floating platform, a screen floating behind Tsumuri showed the Jammer Area surrounding a museum.

“Let’s get straight to the mission.”

“What game is it this time?” Asked Ace.

Tanba groaned, “I’d like on that’s easy on my back.”

Win laughed, “Those don’t exist!”

Tsumuri cleared her throat, “This is the second stage.” She held up her hand, and the area around them began to be enveloped in blue digital light that normally appears when they are teleported to an area.

However, once the light cleared, everyone looked around to see that they were up in the clouds, and the platform below them was slowly disappearing.

“What the hell!” Shouted Akechi.

Tsumuri looked down to notice that she was still with the others on the platform, “Eh…”

Eventually, the platform fully dissipated, sending everyone into a free fall into a massive dark pit that had formed.

“NOT AGAIN!!” Screamed Ren.

As they fell into the pit, they passed through a barrier of digital light. This one was mostly blue, but with odd hints of green and red mixed into it. Passing the barrier, the area around them shifted to a large forest. Off in the distance, one could see islands floating in the sky.

The competitors rapidly began to fall towards a structure surrounded by eight stone walls. Each one landed with a hard thud onto a stone floor. Miraculously, with no injuries, except for a few sore muscles.

Everyone groaned as they got up. Looking around, they seemed to be outside some kind of large manor. It was surrounded by a fantastical garden, with flowers and plants of all shapes and colors. Looking up, they could see a few more floating islands, as well as a sun that had rings around it. It was like they were standing in some kind of fantasy world. To Ren however, this area felt… familiar. There was a buzzing in the back of his head. A buzzing he hasn’t felt in years.

“Where are we?” Asked Neon.

“It appears to be a pocket dimension created by the Jamato.” Explained Tsumuri.

Ren, Akechi, Ace, and Win all were confused by that statement. Ren was the first to speak up, “Wait, a pocket dimension? And they can just… do that?”

Tsumuri nodded, “On very rare occasions, yes.”

Ace hummed, “How come I’ve never seen something like this?”

“We haven’t had a situation like this in a very long time.”

Akechi stepped forward, “Then how come neither myself, nor Hareruya have ever heard of the Jamato’s ability to do this?”

“It is something only myself, the Game Master, and other higher ups are aware of.”

Everyone else began to look around the immediate area. Win staying close to Tsumuri, Neon and Ace looking at some of the foliage, and Tanba took a seat on a nearby bench.

Akechi approached Ren and immediately began to whisper to him, “You feel it too, don’t you?”

“Huh?” Responded Ren.

“The buzzing. That warm hum in the back of your head. The comforting presence of another. The unnaturally tense air.”

“Yeah… I feel it… and I really wish I wasn’t.”

“The strangest part is… I don’t think we are in the metaverse.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“If it was then we both would be considered threats to the Jamato’s, and thus in our Thief outfits. Not only that…” Akechi placed a hand to his own face, closing his eyes, “I can’t summon my Persona.”

Ren tried the same, and sure enough, he couldn’t summon any of his persona’s. “What the hell is going on…?”

Suddenly, they heard Neon speak up, “Hey, over there!” Neon pointed towards the front steps of the estate.

Descending the stairs were four civilians. A child, a high school girl, a bus driver… and Keiwa.

Ace smirked, “What a coincidence.”

Ren and Neon both smiled brightly at the sight of Keiwa.

Keiwa’s eyes widened, “Ren?! Neon?! What are you two doing here? And is that…”

“Ace-sama!” Shouted the boy.

“Neon-chan!” Shouted the girl.

“So cute!” Shouted the bus driver.

All four civilians descended the stairs. “How is this possible?” The girl asked.

“What about you guys? Why are you here?” Neon asked.

“They’re civilians the Jamato kidnapped.” Spoke up Tsumuri. It was at this point that the competitors noticed all the civilians had vines wrapped around their necks. “So let’s begin round 2: escape the labyrinth! First, let’s pair off the civilians with a Rider.”

Ace was assigned to the boy, giving him a gentle pat on the head. Neon was assigned to the high school girl. The bus driver attempted to walk over to Neon, clearly with lust in his eyes. However, he was stopped as Ren and Michinaga both grabbed him by the collar. Tabata was assigned to Keiwa. And finally, Win and Akechi were assigned to Tsumuri.

“You win if you can successfully protect your civilian and escape the labyrinth. If you fail to protect them, you’re dropped.” Tsumuri explained.

Win laughed as he wrapped an arm around the navigator, “Don’t worry baby, Goro-chan and I will keep you safe.”

Neon sighed, “So even Tsumuri can’t leave…”

Michinaga looked around for a moment until he noticed a large set of doors behind the group, “The exit’s over there.”

Everyone walked over to the large wooden doors. Near the base of it was some kind of intercom, above it was three cubes with odd symbols drawn on them. Michinaga and Akechi both walked up and tried to push the doors open, yet they refused to budge. Akechi sighed in annoyance, “It appears the door will remain locked until we find some kind of key.” He pointed towards the intercom, “Likely a vocal key.”

Ace hummed, “It’s some sort of code?”

“I just hope we don’t have to do any weird math for it…” Ren shivered as he remembered his time in the Bank of Gluttony.

“Trickster!” Ren flinched as he heard Lavenza beginning to speak into his head. “There are enemies approaching!”

Ren quickly turned around to see a large group of Jamatos beginning to walk down the stairs. Each of them wore either a maid or a butler outfit. Everyone quickly got into a protective stance in front of the civilians. More Jamato began to pour out of nearby structures. The group adapted by forming a circle around the civilians.

“What are those?!” The bus driver screamed.

“It’s the Jamato!” Tsumuri explained, “Riders, if you’d please.”

Everyone pulled out their respective buckles and slotted them into their drivers.

“SET”

“Henshin!” The Riders shouted in unison.

“THIEF”
“ZOMBIE”
“MONSTER”
“DEMON”
“ARMED PROPELLER”
“BEAT”
“BOOST”

“READY? FIGHT!”

The Riders all quickly rushed in to engage the enemies. Just like last round, the Jamato were much tougher than they normally were.

Crowsen dodged a slash from a broom, the Jamato shouted, “Jurapira!”

Buffa sliced another Jamato in half as it screamed out, “Jurapira!” Buffa growled, “What the hell are they saying?”

Punkjack and Ravkaw quickly dispatched any Jamatos that even remotely got close to Tsumuri. Ravkaw shouted, “Tsumuri! Get to safety before these bastards overwhelm us!”

Na-Go smacked a Jamato away as she noticed two other Jamatos slowly walking towards the group. She gasped when she noticed what the two Jamato were holding.

A Desire Driver, and an odd Buckle that looked like it was made from vines.

“Hen… shin…” The two said.

“W-What the?!”

The two Jamato equipped the drivers, and slotted the buckles into the left side of the driver. The two Jamatos then were surrounded by glowing purple vines that had hints of red in them. When the vines dissipated, the Jamatos were now wearing spiked purple and green armor that had red at the tips of each spike. Each had one glowing green eye, and Na-Go noticed that there was odd black slime coating certain parts of the armor.

“JAMATO”

Everyone turned to see the two Rider Jamatos.

Punkjack’s eyes widened, “Hey! The Jamato transformed!”

Ravkaw growled, “Where the hell did the Jamato get drivers?!”

Crowsen was about to respond when he remembered something. From his very first day as a Rider. When the woman died in front of him, when Ginpen died. Their bodies fully disappeared, leaving only their ID core’s behind… only their ID core’s… At that moment, Crowsen came to a terrible realization. “...No…”

Before he had time to process things further, the two Rider Jamato’s pressed on their buckles. Everyone watched as one of the Jamatos was enveloped briefly in a glowing blue light, while the other was enveloped in a golden light. Both lights were very familiar to Crowsen and Ravkaw.

“JA JA JA STRIKE”

Crowsen shouted out, “Na-Go! Punkjack! Move!”

But he was too late. The Jamato that glowed blue slammed its fists into the ground, summoning vines to strike Punkjack. The force of the vines was so strong that Punkjack was sent flying across the courtyard, landing just at the base of the stairs. The Jamato that glowed gold walked up the Na-Go and punched her directly in the chest. Na-Go felt a crack from within her chest as she also was sent flying, landing hard against a stone bench.

Punkjack weakly tried to get up, “T-That was… way too hard…”

Na-Go meanwhile clutched her chest, she was struggling to breath.

Some of the other Jamatos began to swarm the two downed Riders.

“DEMON TACTICAL BREAK”

“THIEF STRIKE”

The Jamatos surrounding Punkjack were disintegrated by a powerful slash made of pure death. The ones surrounding Na-Go meanwhile were each pierced by a throwing knife before exploding into a cloud of smoke.

Crowsen tossed a bead towards Ravkaw, “If our theories are correct, then these should work.” The two rushed in towards their friends. Clutched in both of their hands was a small teal Bead.

Na-Go was clutching her chest, her body shaking. Crowsen could tell she was in immense pain, “Dammit, that strike must have broken one of your ribs, causing it to pierce a lung.” Crowsen placed the bead into Na-Go’s hand, “Just crush this, and the pain will stop.” Na-Go looked up at Crowsen, and even though he couldn’t see her face, he could tell she was scared. “Please!”

Na-Go crushed the bead. Once she did, she was then surrounded by a swirl of green, blue, and yellow energy that formed into the shape of a heart. The light slowly dissipated, and as it did, Na-Go found herself finally able to breath as well as the pain gone from her body. Punkjack did the same, and found all of his wounds healed.

Everyone looked at Crowsen and Ravkaw in confusion, Keiwa spoke up, “What… what was that?”

Tsumuri sighed in annoyance, “You two should not be using those items within the game. Any more than that and the two of you would be disqualified.”

Crowsen turned to face Tsumuri, “You would expel us from the game simply for trying to save our friends?!”

“For using items not permitted by the DGP. It is fine to try and heal them, whether with medical equipment or if a buckle provides healing abilities. But not with items such as that.”

Ravkaw looked over at Crowsen after making sure Punkjack was okay, “Why do you just carry Beads on you?”

Crowsen shrugged, “After the shit with the Jails, I wanted to always be cautious.”

Geats interjected, “We don’t have time to talk right now!” He said while punching a Jamato away. The two Rider Jamatos slowly began to approach the group, the vine-like collars around each of the civilian's necks began to tighten. “The choker closes when the Jamato get close.” Geats ran over to Na-Go, “Sorry Na-Go but I need to borrow this!” He reached down and pulled the Beat Buckle off of Na-Go’s belt. Before the cat-themed Rider or Crowsen could object, Geats pressed the top of his driver, moving the Boost Buckle to the left side.

“REVOLVE ON”

He slotted in the Beat Buckle, quickly activating it.

“DUAL ON”

Geats was briefly lifted into the air, his body flipping to equip the Boost armor to his legs, and the Beat armor being slammed onto his upper half.

“BEAT AND BOOST”
“READY? FIGHT!”

Geats pressed onto the drum pad once.

“METAL THUNDER”

“Everyone, get down!” He began to play a riff on the guitar, sparks of electricity surging off of it. Loud music played out of the amps as everyone quickly ducked onto the ground. Geats raised the neck of the guitar into the air, lighting flying into the air.

“TACTICAL THUNDER”

The lightning spreaded out in a web of electricity, striking each remaining Jamato alongside the Rider Jamatos. The Jamato’s bodies shook from the energy until they eventually exploded. Geats shouted out, “Quickly, inside, before more arrive.”

Every Rider quickly moved to their respective civilian, helping them up and running up the stairs towards the mansion.

As they were running up the stairs, the group heard the sounds of vines rapidly moving behind them. The Riders turned around and watched in horror as the bodies of the Rider Jamatos pulled themselves back together with vines, their bodies being twisted and bent in inhumane ways, making horrible clicking noises. Eventually, the two Jamatos stood upright, their bodies briefly being engulfed in a trio of red, purple, and green lights.

Geats stared at them with wide eyes, “What?! Are those Rider’s immortal?”

Crowsen heard Ravkaw mutter, “...just like with the pirate Jamatos…” He turned towards the crow-themed Rider, “Crowsen… that was Heat Riser. I saw that same light on the Pirate Jamatos during the first round… why the hell are Jamato gaining Shadow abilities?!”

Geats began to shove everyone forward, “We can’t fight with these civilians. We have to run!”

The group continued up the stairs, bursting through the front doors of the mansion. Once inside, they were greeted by more Jamatos running towards them.

The Riders moved in to engage, with Punkjack and Buffa charging ahead. Everyone did their best to protect the civilians, the Jamatos primarily focusing on trying to attack them. Every time a Jamato was cut down, another quickly took its place. Crowsen growled slightly in anger, “We can’t keep this up… everyone! Split up! Try to find somewhere safe!”

Ravkaw and Punkjack grabbed Tsumuri by the shoulders and rushed her out of the main room towards the northern hallway.

Buffa dragged the bus driver by the scruff of his shirt towards the western hallways while Crowsen fended off the Jamatos following them.

The remaining Riders guided the other civilians towards the eastern hallway.
—

Perspective: Neon

Neon and Tanba ran through the mansion's tight corridors with Keiwa and the young girl right behind them, the walls and pillars were made from a gray marble, with soft elegant chandeliers lighting the halls. Neon heard the sound of movement up ahead, and quickly pushed everyone into a nearby hallway. Everyone covered their mouths so as to not make a sound, watching in fear as maid Jamatos holding candles passed by up ahead. Once the sound of footsteps faded away, everyone took a sigh of relief.

Tanba leaned against a wall and slid to the floor as he grasped his back in pain, Keiwa quickly ran to his side, “Are you okay?”

Tanba looked at Keiwa in pain, “I’m sorry… I’m the one who should be protecting you…”

Keiwa gave a comforting smile, “It’s okay. Besides, I’m not completely helpless.” Keiwa reached behind him and pulled out the dagger that Ren had gifted him. His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the weapon. He noticed the weapon had a metallic shine to it, and slightly more weight. He looked at the blade and noticed that somehow, the practice dagger had become a real dagger. “How in the… this day just keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

Neon noticed that the young girl was gently rubbing her own neck, “Is your neck okay?”

The girl nodded, “Yeah… it eases up when we get away from the monsters…”

“The Jamato aren’t following.” suddenly said Ace who had appeared behind them, causing everyone to jump slightly. The boy and the young girl noticed each other and quickly embraced each other in comfort. “We’re safe for the time being.”

The boy began to cry in the arms of his sister, “Onee-chan… I’m scared…”

Keiwa frowned slightly. He moved over to the young boy and crouched down to his eye level, “It’ll be okay. These people with us will keep you safe. You saw how strong they were. And if anything happens to them, then I’ll do what I can to help.” He smiled brightly. “It’s my dream to help others.”

The child sniffled as he wiped his nose with the sleeve of his school uniform, “L-Like a superhero…?”

“Exactly.”

Neon and Ace watched this exchange with a gentle smile, happy to see that their friend, even without his memories, was still trying to help everyone. Ace looked at Neon, “How are you holding up after that attack?”

Neon looked down at herself. She remembered all the things that Ren, Futaba, and Lavenza had told her about the Metaverse and Persona’s, but to actually see something from it in person was an odd experience. “Physically? Fine. Honestly, I feel better than I have in a good while. Mentally? Just… confused and scared…”

“Only a natural reaction. I will say, it was interesting to see a taste of some of the mysteries behind Ren.” Ace said with a bit of excitement in his voice.

Neon stared at Ace with slight confusion, “You aren’t… confused at all by what he did?”

“After what he’s told me? Not in the slightest.”

“Me either…”

…

The two suddenly looked at each other with slightly widened eyes. Neon spoke up first, “Wait… d-do you know…”

“That Ren fits his buckle for a very particular reason?”

“And the whole… powers, thing?”

“Yep. Still trying to fully understand it. I already know what question I want to ask him next the chance I can.”

At that moment, the Rider Phone’s for each Rider began to ring. Upon hitting the answer button, the voice of the Game Master spoke up, “We did not anticipate this scenario, Kamen Riders.”

The voice of Ren came through, “Game Master, the Jamato have gotten their hands on Desire Drivers and can somehow become Riders.”

The Game Master continued, “The Jamato are an evolving life form. This shouldn’t be surprising. As an emergency countermeasure, we’re sending you items to deal with the Jamato Riders.

Akechi’s voice spoke up, “If we defeat the Jamato Riders, shall we try to secure their drivers, ID cores, and buckles?”

“That will be unnecessary. Once you escape their pocket dimension, it should close in on itself and destroy anything remaining inside. Good luck, Kamen Riders.” The call was then disconnected.
—

Back in the DGP facility, the Game Master had just finished setting seven treasure boxes onto different tables. “Riders, I pray for your success… Even you, Crowsen. I won’t allow for my Riders to be defeated by a situation out of our control…”

He walked out of the room as it began to teleport each of the crates above the massive crater that led to the pocket dimension.

Each of the crates landed in various locations, most of them being picked up by random Jamatos so that the Riders could earn them when defeated. However, unknown to the Game Master, a golden butterfly landed on one of the treasure boxes, before somehow managing to pick it up and carry it towards the mansion.

The Game Master entered the lounge and set his mask onto the bar. “I didn’t order for that… What is happening?” Girori picks up the phone and dials a number…
—

In an unknown location sits a massive greenhouse growing odd and peculiar plants. An elderly man wearing a gardeners outfit carries multiple crates filled with Desire Drivers before setting them onto a table, ignoring the nearby ringing phone.

The Gardener walks along one of the paths towards a large tree and admires it with a proud expression. He approaches a small hunched white shell growing off of one of the branches, he strokes the outer shell as it cries as though it is a baby, “My pretty Jamato… Grow big and strong~” Small vine-like arms and legs poke out the shell… a baby Jamato. He looks up, basking in the view of hundreds of thousands of baby Jamatos growing off of the many plants within the greenhouse. “Your time is coming!”

The Gardener laughs maniacally. A nearby bag of soil tips over, spilling onto the floor dozens of cracked ID cores… cores that once belonged to defeated Kamen Riders…
—

Perspective: Ren

“Hey! Get this off me will you!” The bus driver demanded.

After having separated, Ren and Michinaga ended up in a master bedroom located in the western wing of the mansion. The bus driver was complaining the entire time, demanding for the two Riders to do something.

Michinaga rolled his eyes, “It’ll come off once we get out of here. Now shut up or the Jamatos are gonna find us.”

The bus driver huffed before loudly sitting down on a plush chair.

Michinaga sighed, collapsing backwards onto the large bed. Ren sat on the edge of it looking at his Rider Phone. On it he could see the general locations of the other Riders, as well as the locations of each treasure box. The bull-themed Rider spoke up, “So, Crowsen, what's the plan?”

Ren raised an eyebrow, “Why are you asking me that? Don’t you normally just go with the flow of whatever’s happening?”

“Yes… but the last time I did that I lost the last game and got a girl killed in this game. If I had half the brains that you did then maybe she would be alive and we wouldn’t have needed Na-Go to save our asses.”

“Hey, you’re smart when it comes to actual fights. You kicked my ass during our last spar, remember?”

“And what good is that when it comes to actually staying alive?” Michinaga sat up, rolling his shoulders, “I was useless in every fight so far this round. You, Geats, those two DGP fuckers, hell even Na-Go. All of you are outperforming me. If this keeps up then I’ll be the next one eliminated before I can even do anything.”

“Don’t be like that. No one person can be suited for every situation. I know I’m terrible when it comes to fighting while running away, I could barely keep up with those Jamatos. And I’m certain Ace has situations where he doesn’t do well in. It’s just about knowing the situations you are good in, and being ready to excel when those moments come up. When faced with hordes of Jamato, there is no one better than you at dealing with that.”

Michinaga pondered that for a few moments before turning away. After a little bit of silence, the bull-themed Rider finally spoke up, “I’ll… try to remember that…”

Despite it only being a small moment, Ren felt his bond with Michinaga grow closer.

Azuma Michinaga- Lust. Rank 3

Suddenly, the vine collar around the bus driver's neck began to tighten. The man screamed out in pain as the two Riders jumped up right as the door to the bedroom burst open. Stepping inside was one of the Jamato Riders, now wielding a small scythe.

The Jamato raised its scythe and swung it down at the civilians, however, Michinaga quickly grabbed the bus driver and dragged him backwards to avoid the attack. “It’s those damn Riders. Come on!” He helped the man up before running out of another door that led to another hallway with Ren close behind.

As they ran, Jamato slowly began to pour out of the rooms they passed. To Ren it felt like they were in a zombie movie. They turned a corner, trying to find anywhere to hide.

They dove into another bedroom, Michinaga quickly pushing a dresser in front of the door to try and hold off the Jamato. The bus driver collapsed to the floor in a panic, “We’re going to die… we’re going to die!”

Ren looked around for any possible exits. He noticed another door on the far end of the room that according to the map would lead to a hallway that would connect eventually to the largest dining room of the estate. As he moved towards the door, he noticed something sitting upon the windowsill of a nearby open window.

One of the treasure boxes, placed neatly upon it.

He dashed over to the box as he heard the sounds of the Jamato pounding on the door. Opening it, he found a strange golden buckle. It was covered in multiple four pointed golden stars, had a small handle on the side, as well as a small display on the center that currently had three question marks. It reminded Ren of a slot machine that someone might find at a casino. As he held it, he felt oddly drawn to it… as though he was always meant to have this buckle.

Michinaga shouted back, “Hurry up with that thing before these bastards break through!”

Ren nodded, quickly pulling out the Thief Buckle before slotting it into the left side of the driver. He looked at the golden buckle before quickly slotting it into the right side. As he did, he pressed down the handle, causing the display to begin spinning exactly as a slot machine would.

“SET FEVER”

Ren closed his eyes and took a deep breath as Michinaga stepped away from the door, a scythe cutting through the door, the dresser, and a bit of the wall. Ren placed a hand to his face, just as he normally had every time he transformed. However, he also felt a presence in the back of his mind, one he hadn’t felt in years. He could tell it wasn’t ready to be called forth, however, it was a nice comfort just simply feeling that presence. He opened his eyes and smiled smugly towards the entrance of the room.
“Henshin!”

At that moment, the display stopped spinning, landing on three question marks on a colorful background.

“GOLDEN FEVER!”

“JACKPOT HIT! GOLDEN FEVER!”

The Thief armor was slammed onto his legs, and onto his chest was the Boost armor. Along with it were two golden four pointed stars that slammed onto his collarbone. As they did, his short golden sleeveless tailcoat was transformed. It shined a brilliant gold, and the tailcoat was the same size and length of the one he wore as Joker but without the sleeves.

Crowsen, the Golden Clad Thief, stood tall.

“READY?”

The Rider Jamato entered the room with multiple regular Jamatos right behind it.

“It’s showtime!”

“FIGHT!”