KR Gaim - Crossover 2014 (Part 2-4)

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クロスオーバー2014：鎧武×ウィザード〜アーマード・魔法使い組！〜 / Crossover 2014: Gaim x Wizard ~The Armored/Mage Team-up!~ (Part 2-4)
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Near the shore, leaning against some railing, Ryoma stood with Yoshimoto who stared at a tablet he was carrying with him. Ryoma decided to get a minty ice cream cone from a local store. He hardly ventured outside of his lab, and today's heat was more than enough reason to 'chill out' despite his orders.

"So, Sanji--" Ryoma started.

"Please don't refer to me in such a casual way." Yoshimoto interrupted.

"Have you identified who might be using this mystery belt?"

"I have a face." Yoshimoto said, walking to to present one of the camera images on the tablet. It depicted the man in white shortly after his arrival in Zawame. "Face recognition doesn't seem to be of any help."

"Perhaps it's not a clear enough image."

"That's one possibility."

"Do you suspect something more sinister?"

"Don't share your dramatics with me, Professor. I have no interest."

Ryoma ignored this plea, however, as his eyes followed the man in white leaving a nearby shop and walking down the strip with phone in hand. Ryoma patted Yoshimoto's shoulder repeatedly despite his disgust at the excitement.

"There's our mystery man now!" Ryoma tossed his cone back into the sea behind them and pulled out a small camcorder. "If any Inves show up, I must see how he deals with them. Data like this could be--"

"Enough. You may be receiving your data personally." Yoshimoto scolded him. "Come."

The two followed, but despite Ryoma trying to act inconspicuous and not looking directly at the target - assuming that to be the plan - Yoshimoto moved ahead to catch up with the man in white. Once he was within speaking distance, Yoshimoto looked forward, seeming to just be going the same direction according to passer-by.

"We know that you're using one of our belts." Yoshimoto spoke softly.

The man in white continued forward.

"It's your choice. Come in for questioning quietly, or be dragged in by force."

The man in white stopped in his tracks once they entered a town square. Yoshimoto stopped as well, awaiting his answer. Ryoma stood nearby with curiosity. Finally, the man in white flipped Yoshimoto over, with a move that he couldn't even react to, let alone see in action. He landed on the ground with a thud, at which point the people started to notice a fight was going on.

Yoshimoto stood up, wiping a small strand of blood from his chin and glared at the man. In response, he pulled a Lockseed from his white coat.

[FIFTEEN!]

The man in white turned to Yoshimoto and let the Lockseed go in front of him. It drifted to the belt attaching so that he may strike the knife and transform. A sick little smirk was seen briefly as it was enacted.

[ ♪ ♪ ♪ ]

A giant skull and spine dropped from a bony purple Crack above, flying around the area to put the civilians in a panic to flee the area, then it wrapped around the man in white. A black monster form was revealed, sporting the same skeletal appearance he had when facing the other Riders. The mane flowed in the air as he tilted his head down, seeming to glare back at Yoshimoto.

"What do you call yourself, then?" Yoshimoto asked, standing.

"Call me... Kamen Rider Fifteen." The black creature spoke.

"Kamen, then..." Ryoma raised a brow.

"Professor, if you want to earn your keep, you'll fight by my side." Yoshimoto called out to him, preparing his Lockseed.

"Naturally." Ryoma opened his and held it forward with both hands.

[AVOCADO!] [LEMON ENERGY.]

"Transform!" Both called out.

[♪♪♪ - AVOCADO ARMS! SABER, HUT-HUT-HO!]
[SODA - LEMON ENERGY ARMS. FIGHT, POWER! FIGHT, POWER! FI-FI-FI-FI-F-F-F-FIGHT!]

Fifteen materialized a bony black sword and clashed it with Shinra's avocado saber.

"You're a man of fair sport." Shinra remarked.

"Why do you say that?" Fifteen asked, pushing his sword up to break the struggle.

Despite this, Shinra regained control of himself and dodged the attack Fifteen had in store. "You waited for your enemy to be evenly armed." He attempted to leg sweep.

Fifteen jumped back to avoid Shinra's attack, only to be shot at by Duke's bow, which he blocked with a sick chuckle. "It's far from even. I'm more armed than you can imagine."

Fifteen placed a different Lockseed into his belt... one that seemed unusually designed. once he struck it down, a new armor dropped from above, seeming to resemble a helmet design. It unfolded quickly.

[♪♪♪ - DECADE ARMS! THE DESTROYER ON THE ROAD!]

"Fascinating! He seems to have developed his own armors as well." Duke remarked.

Baring the look of a fuchsia colored warrior, Fifteen would then sling out a black and white handgun and shot rapid fire at the two while they were in surprise. Shinra came running at Fifteen in a rage, attempting to overpower the Rider. Unfortunately, any move Shinra could make was already foreseen and dealt with. Once Duke came rushing in to get in his own attack, that's when Fifteen struck the knife once more.

[♪♪♪ - FINAL ATTACK RIDE: D-D-D-DECADE!]

Fifteen split into three separate images, speeding around Duke in a triangular pattern, then rushed in for an attack. Once they had collided, all that was left was the one Fifteen, standing in front of Duke, who was now gripping one of his arms after Fifteen's attack.

Shinra angrily swiped at him once more, but Fifteen kicked him out into Duke, then switched to a new form.

[♪♪♪ - KABUTO ARMS! THE PATH OF HEAVEN, MY WAY!]

Now appearing as a red beetle-like warrior, he struck down the knife. Shinra came charging at him.

[♪♪♪ - CLOCK UP!]

Before Shinra could get in an attack, Fifteen seemed to disappear. Just then, a red blur swooped past him and Duke, striking them before disappearing out of sight. It seemed that this form allowed for speed that was beyond their comprehension. Their suits dematerialized and they weakly got off the ground. Shinra's face contorted into anger.

"Do you still believe I am capable of such a creation?" Ryoma asked him. He hoped that would convince the man enough.

"A man with that kind of power can't be trusted..." Yoshimoto declared.

. . .

The four walked together in the park after that.

"So, not Armored Riders, then." Kota said.

"I've never heard of that term before." Aimi said. "We just call ourselves mages."

"We?" Rei asked. She looked to Kosuke, "Do you use magic as well?"

"Well, kinda but no." Kosuke smiled nervously. "I used artificial stuff before my belt got trashed." He motioned to his backpack.

"I've repaired it as best as I could based on what I studied about ancient magic, but..." Aimi trailed off. "He's not supposed to use it until our police force has studied it."

"Sucks, right?" Kosuke looked to them.

A child started crying. They looked around and saw a little boy nearby, stuck in a tree.

"Oy!" Kosuke called out, "You okay, kiddo?"

"I-I climbed up here to look for my mom, and now I can't get down!" The girl cried.

"That happens a lot." Kota remarked. "Don't worry, I'll--" He started to reach for his Lockseed.

Aimi took the tome from her backpack, then put her hand on its seemingly blank pages.

{CONNECT - PLEASE~!}

Aimi shoved the tome into Kosuke's hands, then a pink spell circle appeared in front of her to their surprise. Aimi reached in with both hands and as she did so, her hands appeared behind the girl in the tree. She picked her up and brought her away from the tree, then she appeared in front of them coming out of the spell circle. She was a bit surprised, but a gleam of excitement was in her eyes.

"Wow, are you a magician?!" The girl asked.

"No, I'm a mage." Aimi smiled. "Be careful from now on, okay?" She asked sweetly.

The girl nodded, "Thanks, miss!" She then ran off to find her mother after that.

"So you can use your magic anytime?" Kota asked. "That's real convenient."

"Well, I'd burn through my mana if I use it nonstop." Aimi answered humbly.

"Kota, look." Rei said quietly, avoiding the attention of people in the area. She softly pointed to a spot in a heavily wooded part of the park. Even from afar, they could see it.

"Oh geez." Kota confirmed.

The two ran towards the spot, with Kosuke and Aimi exchanging confused looks as they quickly decided to follow. There, on one of the trees, was a strange zipper-like opening, and inside was a portal to a foggy forest. The two looked more than a little confused at the sight.

"So... this is normal for Zawame?" Kosuke asked.

"These are the Cracks we mentioned." Rei explained. "This leads to what we call the Helheim Forest. The monsters leave their forest through these things."

"So how do we close it?" Aimi asked.

"It'll seal itself up eventually," Kota told the newcomers, "Til then, we should get inside and make sure nothing comes out."

"Kosuke, stay here." Aimi instructed.

"Huh??"

Kota and Rei were attaching their Drivers, while Aimi put on a ring. "You're supposed to save that belt for the police, so leave the fighting to me."

"Whatever you say..." Kosuke sat down by the tree, rightly disappointed.

[ORANGE ARMS!] [HASHIBAMI ARMS!] {CHANGE - PLEASE~!}

Gaim, Maiden and Kastelle passed through the Crack, which was floating in the sky in Helheim Forest. Once Kastelle had landed with them, she stood up and took in the area. It was a foggy forest, the grass baring a blueish tint, with flora and fruit she'd never seen before.

It felt like a place that could be serene, but... she then took in the unnatural silence. The stillness in the air. It was like a dream that could turn into a nightmare at a moment's notice. Something was extremely off about the surroundings. It was so very, very dead.

"You good?" Gaim spoke up to get her attention.

"Yeah." Kastelle nodded distantly. "Just... taking in the new surroundings."

"You should probably avoid the fruit, by the way," Gaim pointed his sword to the trees, "Trust me."

"Don't eat the alien fruit, got it." Kastelle tried to lighten up, crossing her arms. "You sound like someone with experience."

Gaim and Maiden looked to each other at that. They weren't sure what they should say in response.

"It's... got the same effect as despair, let's put it that way." Maiden phrased it softly.

Kastelle turned her head to them. "... You've lost someone like that, haven't you?"

The two looked down at that. Hoto. Yuuya... For all they knew, there could be a great number of people who've fallen victim to those tempting fruits. It was no wonder that helmets were built into the suits Yggdrasill's belts generated; to prevent that temptation.

"Someone I once knew became a Phantom." Kastelle said solemnly. She seemed to still carry some memories of that incident. "It's why I keep fighting - so no one else goes through what he did."

"I guess we're a lot alike." Gaim responded.

A Lockseed had found its way to them, dropping on the ground. A couple of Inves came stumbling their way at the sight, giving them a couple of monsters to fight. Seeing it as a setup, Maiden looked around quickly.

"It's here!" Maiden exclaimed, pointing him out.

Fifteen walked into view, tossing another Lockseed towards one of the basic Inves before walking away. It quickly munched on it, growing into a Deer Inves type. It roared and started to swing its head at Gaim, attacking with its antlers.

"Give me this for a sec." Kastelle pulled Gaim's Musoh Saber from his belt.

"H-Hey!" Gaim exclaimed while he dealt with the monster.

{MIMIC - PLEASE~!}

A small spell circle passed over the Musoh Saber and a caused a pink copy of it to materialize in Kastelle's other hand. She turned to toss it back to him as she headed after Fifteen.

"Ah--Thank you!" Gaim grabbed it and turned to slash at the Inves.

Kastelle pulled the tab on her Musoh Saber and made a run for Fifteen. She started shooting him, which he blocked with his sword like always, then clashed blades with her.

"What are you?!" Kastelle questioned him.

Fifteen broke their stalemate and gave her a few quick and painful slashes before slapping her away. The pink Musoh Saber dematerialized once it hit the ground. Kastelle still stood through all of it, looking directly at him.

"My job is to ensure that they may never come together." Fifteen spoke.

"What are you talking about?" Kastelle asked. "Who's 'they'?"

Fifteen switched out Lockseeds, then activated an alarming transformation.

[♪♪♪ - CONJA ARMS! MR... PHANTOM!]

A crimson and grey armor unfolded around him, and the jeweled design it formed would strike a chord with Kastelle. Just then, Fifteen swung his bare hand forward in a claw, and an illusion of a claw appeared to strike Kastelle, even from a considerable distance. With each attack, he did more damage, knocking her to the ground. She tried to get up, but... she was upset and angry. The very thought...

"How are you taking on Daigo's form?!" Kastelle asked him.

"This is but a sample of the power I possess!" Fifteen proclaimed. "With it, I shall put an end to your--"

Fifteen was hit with a couple of gunshots, which he hadn't blocked. He was pushed back, although not terribly affected due to the armor. Maiden and Gaim had dealt with the Inves, and switched to their strongest forms, Cloudberry Duster and Kachidoki.

"You won't hurt us when we fight together!" Maiden told him.

"Irksome. We've yet to factor in that godsend of yours." Fifteen directed to Gaim.

"Wha-?" Gaim asked.

"You three can't be together forever." Fifteen told them menacingly, stepping back into another purple Crack that disappeared before they could follow.

"That thing is using Lockseeds too." Maiden remarked. "Maybe it isn't a Phantom or an Inves..."

"Sounds like he's working for someone - Yggdrasill?" Gaim asked her.

Kastelle let her arms drop. This wasn't right - who was that, and how did he know about... the mage she knew who became a Phantom? And how was he able to take on his form? This couldn't be right.

"Aimi," Gaim walked over to her, "The Crack is closed, so we can leave. We know how to get out of here."

"Let's go." Kastelle determinedly turned to them. "I'll figure out who he is if it's the last thing I do."

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Next time, Gaim confronts Yggdrasill...!