KR Gaim - Tru Heart Special 03 (Part 5-6)

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スペシャル03：ライダーは団結！ゴールデンフルーツをねらえ！ / Special 03: Riders Unite! Aim for the Golden Fruit! (Part 5-6)
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At a grocery store in a recently evacuated part of town, Team Wildfire had set up a new temporary base. Jonouchi and Hase sat on the rooftop, looking out over the streets that now seemed so empty. It seemed within the time the Inves Games ran amuck, the city had been evacuated - it wasn't clear what the fate of the Games would be for their actions.

"Jonouchi..." Hase spoke up. "After this is all done, we're still gonna make the wish you and I want... not Sonomura's, right?"

"Why even ask?" Jonouchi questioned rhetorically. "Of course. And if push comes to shove..."

Hase looked over to a smirking Jonouchi, who tapped on the Lockseed of his belt strap mischieviously. Hase looked over concernedly.

"You and I are in this together, aren't we?" Jonouchi asked.

Making use of a hole made into the rooftop and some stacked boxes, Sonomura climbed up with a handful of snacks that didn't require cooking.

"Eat up, boys, we might need to take turns patrolling." Sonomura told them. "It'll be worth it by the end, though."

"Sonomura." Jonouchi looked over to him curiously. "Do you know about that shrine with the large tree from a while ago?"

Sonomura paused as he sat down, thinking. "Oh... Oh yeah. There used to be dancing involved, yeah? Sweet place." He started opening a bag of chips.

"We were reminiscing about how nice it was back then." Jonouchi lied. Hase watched him.

"Yeah... Once we wish for that fortune, we can probably rebuild it. After we get bored doing stuff for ourselves." He chuckled, thinking about what he'd do with an endless amount of money.

Jonouchi looked to Hase with a raised brow and smirk, as if to make a point. Hase looked out towards the sunset, worried about what their next move might be.

. . .

As dusk came, the street lights lit up and shed light on the battlefield of the city. Malus knocked Thor and Malika into the town square with an invisible force. As close as they could get to him, he was too strong to even touch, showing a power otherworldly...

"What is this guy?!" Thor asked.

"He isn't human..." Malika stood up weakly. "He's an Overlord!"

"A what?" Thor tried using his long hammer to help him stand.

"There is no need for your vapid banter." Malus growled. "This foolish game is over!"

As their fight went on, Lapis watched from a nearby rooftop, with Rook standing behind him. Lapis looked conflicted at the sight, shaking his head.

"It wasn't supposed to be this way..." Lapis turned to Rook. "This isn't right!! Haeyafu isn't supposed to--"

"You are correct." Rook stepped forward. "It would seem that the snake couldn't maintain control of his own overseer long enough to allow things to progress as they should. Although..." His eyes drifted to a figure running into view with an orange armor drifting above. "His star player seems to be taking control."

[ORANGE ARMS! TAKE THAT SPOTLIGHT ON STAGE!]

Gaim rolled into view and held out his two swords towards Malus, standing in front of Thor and Malika.

"Kota... took you long enough." Thor remarked.

"Jiro, you okay?" Gaim asked, still facing Malus, who chuckled at his arrival.

"Watch yourself." Malika told him.

"I see now what you apes are capable of. Intriguing." Malus said coldly, stepping back to their surprise. He slid his sword into the sheath of the shield as smog started to surround him. "Consider this a mere sample of what's to come."

With that, Malus' dark chuckle faded along with him. Gaim lowered his sword, and looked to the two.

"This is wrong..." Malika spoke up. "Don't you feel it?"

"Feel what?" Gaim looked to her, then back to Thor.

"Yoko!!" Zangetsu-Shin called out.

The white Rider came into view, running towards her and disregarding the other two, who seemed concerned that another fight may take place.

"Takatora." Malika greeted. She closed her Lockseed and let her suit dematerialize, along with him.

"Where have you been all this time?" Takatora asked.

"It's a long story." Minato looked back to the others briefly, before turning back to him. "We need to form a truce. There's something greater at stake than a single wish."

. . .

"The whole city?!" Kota exclaimed.

Members of Team Gaim, Beat and Genesis were gathered in an office at Yggdrasill Tower, where they were being given the information that Minato had found out about Platina and Kogane Tech.

Minato nodded, "They arranged for nukes to be launched at any part of Japan the moment things got out of hand with the Inves Games. They knew they were playing with fire."

"That doesn't make any sense," Yoshimoto grumbled, "Why waste so many lives over the greed of the few?"

"We need to try and reason with them over the matter." Takatora brought up.

"What power do we have as a pharmaceutical company?" Minato asked. "At this point, our best bet is to track down this Armored Rider and destroy it before it destroys us, then we'll get to the root of the problem."

Yori stood by the door, leaning against the wall in thought. Jiro walked over, looking at him with concern.

"I didn't know you were one of them." Jiro said.

"I'm sorry. It was confidential." Yori shrugged. "I was only ever part of training anyway... I wasn't meant to fight out there."

"I guess." Jiro figured. He was right - what'd Yori been guilty of? Helping a team he now knew to have a reasonable wish? At a time like this, it was easily forgivable.

"We need to get the others to listen!" Kota spoke up. "If we can show the US government that we Gamers can get along, they'll call off the attack, right?"

Takatora stepped over to him. "Preferably... I'd like to handle this with as little bloodshed as possible. If we three teams can work together, then we've already made progress in that goal."

Minato looked down, as if mildly disappointed in how things have turned. Yoshimoto lowered his brow as she watched her from behind.

. . .

The following day, Team Gaim's garage lot was occupied by Mitchy, Doki and Mai, who greeted Baron, Knuckle, Kurokage-Shin and members from Team Baron and Trickshot.

"You'd best prepare for a beating." Knuckle said under his breath to the opposing Gamers.

"We're not here to fight!" Mitchy called out to them, stepping forward. "There's grave matters that require us to cooperate."

"Hmph, trying to gain some backup for when you take the Cup for yourself?" Baron stepped forward, letting his lance rest in both hands.

"You guys don't get it, do you?" Doki pushed Mitchy aside to walk towards Baron. "Look at how dead the city is! Platina knew we'd go this far and they're gonna kill us! There's no wish left for us!"

"This doesn't make any sense." Kurokage-Shin lowered his head in suspicion. "If you're going to convince others to join your side, use some better lies."

"Guys, please! If we don't work together--" Mai started.

"You guys are gonna screw us all over!" Doki proclaimed. "Fine, if you're not gonna listen, I'm just gonna have to disarm you all!"

Doki unlocked his Lockseed, preparing to transform. Knuckle started to run at him with a punch ready to go, which he ducked and rolled away from. Before he could transform, Kurokage-Shin slashed at him with his spear to knock him back, only to now be held back by Mitchy.

"You don't know what you're doing!" Mitchy told him.

Doki winced as he saw Baron walking his way, with his lance ready.

"Those who aren't prepared to fight best not fight at all." Baron said coldly, readying his lance.

"S-STOP, KAITO!!"

Baron put all his strength into a swing across Doki. However, before he could manage it, Hoto got in the way - one of Trickshot's Gamers, interfering with his ally in favor of avoiding anymore violence. He felt the lance strike his shoulder, but... there was no blood shed with this attack.

"P-Please... no more fighting--"

As the lance went across his unprepared chest, a sea of pixels spurted free from his wound. To everyone's surprise, Hoto started to let off a white glow and his body soon faded into pixels, which exploded and faded into the air, leaving no trace but the Lockseeds that fell to the ground.

"HOTOOO!!" Kurokage-Shin cried out.

Kurokage-Shin elbowed Mitchy to get him off, then ran over to the Lockseed remains. He felt the ground, looked around him, but there was no proof that Hoto had even existed just a moment ago. But the shocking disappearance was enough to leave more than a lasting remark and bring any chances of a battle to a standstill.

Kurokage-Shin closed the Lockseed on his belt, and his suit dematerialized. Kin showed a shaken face that no one had ever seen, as for all he knew, his friend just died in front of his eyes. His head jolted in Baron's direction, who had backed away briefly.

"What did you do to him?!" Kin questioned. "Why did he have to die?!"

"This... isn't what happens to us, is it?" Peco from Team Baron questioned.

Baron and Knuckle let their suits dematerialize now. Kaito looked mournful in his own way, but also confused - as though he wasn't sure what had happened either.

"What of our dream, now?" Kin stood up, facing Kaito. "The shrine, Kaito! We were in this together!"

"The shrine?" Mai spoke up. "You mean, your guys' wish... was the same as ours?"

"You mean... you--" Zack pointed to Mai and Doki, then back to Kaito, and he grew surprised to realize...

"We wanted the same thing." Mitchy concluded. He stood up, dusting himself off.

"If what you're saying is true, then..." Kin turned back to help Doki up. "We shouldn't have been fighting in the first place - It shouldn't have gone this far."

Kaito looked to Kin, then to Mai. He showed a bit of guilt in his actions and nodded. "What's the situation, and how can we help?"

"It's a long story." Minato spoke up, standing at the entrance of the building. "We can't waste time - the rest of the Armored Riders need to join us too."

"Right, I'm gonna hunt down Wildfire." Doki nodded and started to leave.

"I'll go with you." Mitchy followed. "They may be hostile."

. . .

Gridon and Kurokage stood outside of the grocery store on patrol while Sonomura kept an eye out for a different location. The two looked around curiously as they realized how quiet the city had gotten... so much so that what little life was here seemed to echo.

Kurokage felt a tingling on his neck, and swiped away at it. A black smog was flung away by his hand unknowingly, which showed up in the corner of Gridon's eye.

"Mm?" Gridon looked over.

"What is it?" Kurokage asked.

Gridon then noticed a figure walking into view in that direction, and put on a cocky persona once he recognized one thing; She wasn't a Rider.

"Ah, come to give up?" Gridon questioned as she walked closer.

Rei walked towards them with determination and attached a Sengoku Driver, one that seemed to be made for her. Once they caught on to this, they gripped their weapons tight, expecting some kind of struggle.

Rei started to yell as she ran forward, but as soon as she unlocked her Lockseed... the world around her seemed to vanish, and she was frozen into place. Like a ghost leaving its body, Rei was suddenly beside her frozen self, staring at it, until it took faded away.

"What? What's going..."

"Y syfrumydump aeidl." A dark, echoing voice called out.

Rei looked around the dark, smog-like void for the source of the voice. As she did, a figure blurred past her line of sight. She turned to see shimmering humanoid monster... an Overlord. The regal creature chuckled darkly as she managed to spot him.

"You're like Lapis, aren't you?" Rei questioned. "What are you doing to me?"

"I admire your... dedication." The golden Overlord said.

He slowly stepped towards her. Despite her need to run or fight, her body refused to listen and left her standing in place. She felt him close by as he paced around her.

"Quite curious that a mere ape managed to reach for a toy that it wasn't meant to have..." The golden Overlord remarked. "And going after your fellow kind like this... even an old friend."

The Overlord opened the void to show Kurokage, who was frozen in time and facing towards her. Rei felt such contempt for what he was implying.

"It doesn't matter." Rei glared at him. "This world is a fake. I have to face everyone and make sure Kota wins this."

"Oh?" The Overlord scoffed. "I grew bored of watching you apes play this game. If eliminating all who could grasp the fruit of knowledge is your desire, then I think I'll let you dirty your hands instead of me."

The Overlord let out a laugh as he summoned an Energy Lockseed from a smog surrounding Kurokage, then tossed it to her.

"Now, wield my power to destroy and rid this world of its heroes!!"

A red light flashed by in Rei's eyes as she continued to run towards Kurokage and Gridon. Suddenly, she placed the Energy Lockseed beside the one she'd already placed into her belt, and transformed.

[C'MON - MIX! HASHIBAMI ARMS! YOU CAN DO IT!]

A black light flashed over Rei and a black suit with faded purple metal materialized over her. A dark armor dropped after that.

[MATSUBOKKURI DUSTER - YEEHAW!]

Unfolding, this was a dark version of Maiden, featuring a coat of armor. She held out her hands and an apple broadsword appeared, with green vines coming from it and wrapping around her hand to hold it in place.

Dark Maiden slashed at Gridon and elbowed Kurokage back, only to strike him down as well. She picked up the panicking Gridon and stared at him face to face, only to throw him into Kurokage once he screamed.

Doki and Mitchy arrived just in time to see this taking place. Knowing that one dark Rider was attacking them was bad enough, but... another? Transforming, Ryugen and Soku rushed in to help. Ryugen shot a barrage of bullets on the ground to stop Dark Maiden from confronting Kurokage and Gridon, while Soku used his nunchaku to wrap around one of her arms and pull it back.

"Wh-What's going on here?!" Gridon questioned her.

"Let go of me!!" Dark Maiden barked.

"That voice... Rei?" Soku asked nervously.

Dark Maiden smacked Soku in the face, causing him to lose his grip. She slashed at him with her sword, knocking him back. As if by its own will, her arm then moved to block some shots from Ryugen, and she turned her head to face him.

"That sword..." Ryugen noticed something about it.

Dark Maiden turned to face Ryugen, using her free hand to hit the knife on her belt.

[C'MON - MATSUBOKKURI DUSTER AU LAIT!]

Dark Maiden let off a series of slashes, sending a wave of hologram apple slices and pinecone shards with each one. While Ryugen attempted to block them to see, he continued to shoot, only to be grabbed by the neck at an unnatural pace and slammed to the ground.

"Rei, what the heck are you doing?!" Soku questioned as he started to run towards her.

Dark Maiden looked around, seeing that Gridon and Kurokage had fled, then looked to them. Letting out a quick, malicious giggle, she disappeared in black smog, aiming to find the weakest links... and destroy them.

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[Next time...]

"I'll never be like you!!" - Rei

"Will we still be together on the other side?" - Doki

"Now, it seems, the game has changed." - Sagara

"Begone!!" - Malus

[SILVER~!]

"Onward!" - Kamuro