Chapter 25: Another Continue

Disclaimer: I do not own Kamen Rider and RWBY as they both belong to their respective owners, except for my OC(s)

Ruby Rose scouted the remains of Dai-Shocker's derelict Mirror World facility to seek for any means to get back to the real world. She would occasionally speed up with her own Semblance while searching from one room to another. All she found were lots of damaged machineries that she assumed for making Dai-Shocker's Kaijins, along with prisoner rooms and much to her surprise, a torture chamber.

She could only imagine how Dai-Shocker's prisoners screamed in agony in the torture chamber she was in. However, it was the only room that she hadn't searched through yet. Ruby braced herself as she entered the room. Every step she took were enough to send chills down her spine. Seconds passed by, and it didn't stop her from trembling. The hooded Huntress stumbled upon a burnt photo of what appeared to be a Faunus girl. She had long rabbit ears, much like Velvet's, along with a bright smile as the girl in the photo stood beside a man whose face was not visible due to its part got burnt. She looked at the back of the photo and saw what appeared to be the girl's name.

Monica Alphine.

Ruby trembled upon knowing that it was the name of the victim who died in the Mirror World, one that Kyle previously failed to save. She quickly put the photo inside her pocket and continued her search to see if there were anything more to the chamber. Until she found what appeared to be a pair of violently cut off rabbit ears. Ruby gasped upon seeing it knowing that it was Monica's, for she was the only Faunus in the captivity. Tears began to flow out of her silver eyes as she began sobbing upon the harsh reality she had just witnessed. The young Huntress closed her eyes as she prayed for the safe return of the Faunus girl's soul. Knowing that her colleagues might had refused to leave those ears even in a place like this, she grabbed the rabbit ears tightly as she put it into her pocket, hoping to give her a proper send off in the real world.

This finally concluded her search. All corners of the facility had already been searched thoroughly. Yet she found no way out, whatsoever.

Blake was still sitting beside the unconscious Kyle. She noticed that her young leader just came out of the facility with a sorrowful look.

"Anything?"

"N-no... nothing."

"Ruby, what happened?"

The girl in red took out the possessions from her pocket, which widened the eyes of the cat Faunus girl knowing full well what the girl in the photo was. The morbid sight of the torn rabbit ears made her even more sorrowful.

"It... it can't be..."

"I'm sorry Blake." She apologized as she broke into tears. "I can't find any way out. After all the tough act I'm putting up for you..."

"Ruby, it's fine." The cat Faunus assured.

"It could've been you... it could've been Velvet... anybody...!" the young girl began to break into tears.

"Ruby, please-"

"I KNOW NOTHING!" Ruby screamed. "I know NOTHING about reality at all!"

"Ruby!" Blake got up and approached Ruby. "None of us could expect how far Dai-Shocker's cruelty would go. Stop saying like it's your fault, because it's not true, at all!"

"Blake... "

Blake inhaled deeply before continuing. "Remember the first time we met back in the hall? You told me that we Huntresses are here to make the world better, even if the reality isn't as beautiful as in the books we read. Truth is... I really admire you for that."

"Really?"

She nodded with a tender smile. "Of all the people I'd known in the past, none of them had the same ideals, nor the resolve that you have. And of all the jobs you could pick... of all the paths you could've walked into, you CHOSE to become a Huntress so that you could lighten others' burdens, even for a runaway Faunus criminal like me. And that's why..."

The kunoichi rested her hands on Ruby's shoulders and firmly expressed her gratitude.

"You're team RWBY's leader, OUR leader. You have to stay strong, especially during times like this. The world we live in might not be full of sunshine and rainbows, but now I believe that we could make it happen if we're together. And your role is necessary to maintain our team's morale." She firmed. "So, if you're feeling like you can't get back up... then I'll help you do it with the others. Because I'm your friend."

"I... Thank you, Blake."

Blake embraced Ruby as the latter was brushing off her tears. This was the least she could do to provide comfort in the middle of their predicament. Knowing how Ruby had always been the brightest and most optimistic of the bunch, Blake could not bear upon seeing her cheerful leader broke down in tears. She then gazed back upon Kyle, who still showed no signs of getting up. All they could hope was a miracle, for they had done everything they could in their end... Or accept the fact that they would be trapped in the Mirror World for eternity.

"Please, Kyle... please be okay..." the cat girl muttered.

"So, we've finally met, Gamedeus."

Gamedeus Kaijin turned back to see the two Bugsters that had been awaiting him inside the Game Field's quarantine zone; Parado and Poppy Pipopapo.

"Ahh, Parado and Poppy. My most esteemed comrades... AND traitors."

"Heh, you're really still the same booger we ass-kicked long ago." Parado gloated.

"We've been expecting you, just so you know." Poppy stated. "Even if you already turned into a whole another kind of monster, your Bugster traits still remain the same."

"We can sense your arrival all the way to this quarantine zone. Call it a gut feeling, if you may." Parado added.

"As expected." Gamedeus scoffed. "It appears that allying with humans have made you forgotten your original roles. You chose to waste your potential, your power as a virus by siding with those weaklings. Why hold yourselves back when you could yearn for more, as I already have?"

"Underestimating the people we protect will be your last mistake." Poppy declared, putting on her Buggle Driver II.

"And we'll put an end to the CANCER of this world: YOU!" Parado continued as he prepared his Gamer Driver.

TOKIMEKI CRISIS!

GASHATTO!

DUAL GASHATTO!

THE STRONGEST FIST! WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE? THE STRONGEST FIST! WHAT'S THE NEXT STAGE?

Parado performed a new form activation by inserting his Gashat Gear Dual into his Gamer Driver, causing two game screens of Perfect Puzzle and Knockout Fighter to appear behind him and merged into a new screen with the name Perfect Knockout.

The activation caused another command to be performed on the quarantine zone. In order to prevent Gamedeus Kaijin from getting his hands on the Husks, The Riders set up another layer of Game Field, which took form of a huge fighting ring with flames engulfing around it.

The male Bugster then performed a gesture of retracting his arms into a circular form as if he was gathering a ball of energy. as Poppy inserted her Gashat and pressed her Driver's small button, Parado opened his Driver's cover to perform the next command.

"Max Dai..."

"HENSHIN!"

GACCHAN!

BUGGLE UP!

DREMING GIRL! (WOW!) KOI NO SIMULATION! OTOME WA ITSUMO TOKIMEKI CRISIS! (WOW!)

MAZARU UP!

AKAI KOBUSHI TSUYOSA! AOI PUZZLE RENSA! AKA TO AO NO KOUSA! PERFECT KNOCKOUT!

The holographic specters of Para-DX's Puzzle Gamer and Fighter Gamer armors appeared on both of Parado's sides. The Dual Gashat's gate also appeared in front of him and closed in on him as the armor specters merged into his position. flames soon erupted from the ground and blue puzzle hazes circled around him. The puzzle hazes assembled into Parado's body, forming a new armor set as flames began to circle around and engulf him from the bottom to the top. The flaming whirlwind soon exploded and revealed Kamen Rider Para-DX in his new form as Poppy completed her transformation to her Kamen Rider form.

His armor could be described at best as a more streamlined combination of his two main forms. Its overall appearance resembled a chinese warrior garment, sporting both red and blue colors with golden accents. On his torso were a health/status bar akin to most Ex-Aidverse Riders and a pair of pointy heterochromatic shoulder pads. His left blue armor parts overlapped with his right red ones, with its bottom cloth ran all the way down to cover his knees. The cloth also sported puzzle-like details that were mildly overlapped by red flame ornaments.

Finally, his helmet almost resembled Ex-Aid's, but it was more pointy with a golden chin guard, a golden goggle-like visors, a pair of heterochromatic emotive eyes with red on the right and blue on the left, and a different style of spiky hair ornament colored in red and blue.

Knowing full-well how strong Gamedeus could be, Para-DX had donned his Perfect Knockout Level 99 armor, accompanied with Poppy on her Crisis Gamer Level X armor.

GASHACON PARABRAGUN!

The Riders didn't wait long to take the first initiative. Para-DX engaged Gamedeus first. His axe met the monster's sword, causing sparks to fly out. Gamedeus broke the lock and slashed the Rider. Poppy jumped from Para-DX's shoulder and thrusted her Bugvisor II into Gamedeus' head. He dodged it by leaning back a few inches away from her chainsaw and blocked her attacks with his shield. Para-DX swung his axe to the monster's waist, but the latter dodged it by quickly spinning to the back and countered it with his sword. the red/blue Rider managed to block the attack with his weapon in time as he was being pushed back.

Gamedeus then bashed Poppy away with his shield, although she quickly recovered and switched her Bugvisor into gun mode and fired at the Kaijin. She kept on spraying him with its laser rounds and going with her run-and-gun tactics, enough to keep him occupied as Para-DX launched another attack from behind. He summoned a blue puzzle-like construct as a platform to jump high and deliver a heavy blow from above. His Parabragun axe was embedded into Gamedeus' back. The monster turned around to give Para-DX a beating by slashing him a couple of times and flung him from mid-air to ground with his shield's retractable claws.

Before he could throw him away, Poppy used her chance to pick the Gashacon Parabragun and struck his back hard with it. Along with her Bugvisor II on chainsaw mode, her attacks became more relentless the more hits she delivered.

10! 10 RENDA!

Poppy managed to swipe Gamedeus' weapons off of his hands with both weapons and by pressing her weapons' respective power-up buttons, she delivered a powerful strike of a thrust of her Bugvisor II chainsaw and a diagonal slash from the Parabragun axe, causing Gamedeus to stumble backwards for a bit.

Para-DX soon followed up the attack with a powerful barrage of flaming punches and a single double-feet kick. Poppy used Gamedeus as a jumping platform to regroup with Para-DX, handing back his weapon and turned their weapons into their respective gun modes.

ZU-GAN!

10! 10 RENSA!

The Riders fired their weapon at the Kaijin and sent sparks out of his body. Para-DX charged towards him and delivered a powerful uppercut that sent Gamedeus up high. He also summoned several blue energy puzzle pieces that shot themselves into Gamedeus. He then ordered the blue puzzles to bind the monster mid-air, giving the Riders a chance to activate their finishers.

GACHON! URAWAZA! / KIMEWAZA!

PERFECT KNOCKOUT CRITICAL BOMBER! / CRITICAL CREWS-AID!

Para-DX was surrounded with the same flames and puzzle hazes from his transformation. Both were gathering into his right boot. As for Poppy, cartoonish heart and sparkle-like hazes also followed the same movement as the former. The two Riders then jumped towards where Gamedeus Kaijin was bound into and performed their respective Rider Kicks. Para-DX also summoned his shoulder pad/knuckle armor parts that circled around his foot and Poppy had a big, pink heart spectre appeared on her kicking foot with sparkles flew out of it. the attacks connected right into Gamedeus' torso, which caused an explosion once the Riders landed to the ground.

However, the last thing that they expected was that Gamedeus Kaijin was able to withstand the attack.

"So... this is how much you both have grown, eh?"

"Huh?" Poppy gasped.

"No way...!" Para-DX muttered.

"Interesting. Now, it's my turn!"

Gamedeus began his counterattack by recalling his weapons back. Although this time, he was using telekinesis instead of grabbing them on his own. He commanded his sword to swing itself wildly against Para-DX, and his shield to retract its centipede-like claws against Poppy. Both began to experience difficulties. It was as if those weapons had become their own, inhumane creatures all the while Gamedeus relaxed his muscles just by standing menacingly in front of them.

The living weapons served as Gamedeus' vanguards, keeping the Riders away from their master. Para-DX was forced into defense and summoned his puzzle constructs more often to avoid being hit on his vital joints, while Poppy had to rely on her gymnastics to swiftly dodge the claws' slithering attacks. Their efforts became more difficult as Gamedeus began attacking them up close and personal.

The Kaijin started with Para-DX, who was in a deadlock against Gamedeus' sword, by landing a powerful punch that would knock the Rider away if it were not for the latter's puzzle constructs that he casted in front of his face, right where the punch was aimed at. Sparks flew from the impact as the monster's fist slowly broke through the barrier. Para-DX quickly leapt away to keep his distance from them, but before he could do so, Gamedeus and his sword quickly round him up and gave him a rough beating that he could not avoid. The living sword struck the Rider's armors and sparked it out with beach of its hits, while its master launched a barrage of punches and an uppercut energy blast from his palm that sent Para-DX inches high. The sword then flow towards the Rider and struck him hard as if it was a lightning before he hit the ground.

Next, Gamedeus dashed towards Poppy and sent a roundhouse kick at her. The shield's claw then reached her feet and flung her repeatedly into the ground before throwing her into the air. Gamedeus fired his energy blast at Poppy, in which she countered with her Bugvisor blast in mid-air. However, Gamedeus went behind her and drop-kicked her all the way down. Dust flew upon the impact as Gamedeus was still standing tall, with Poppy pinned down under his feet.

"POPPY!"

Para-DX gathered up the energy he still had left to aid Poppy, but the living sword struck him once more and forced him to defend himself with his Parabragun, which he barely could.

"I... I can't believe it!" Poppy grunted. "He's been holding back... all the time!?" She was then kicked away by the monster.

"I've been analyzing this 'Quarantine Zone' of yours as well as how to break out of it. Thanks to the Husks you kept inside, I was able to figure out its codings. I must say, your CEO surely has the knack of making complex codings like this. One would call it impenetrable, I'll admit. But at the hands of a Grimm-powered Kaijin like me? breaking out if it would be a synch. Allow me to demonstrate."

Gamedeus made a gesture of raising his arm up that caused the quarantine zone to crumble, depicted by the zone's view slowly turning red similar to the red mist that once plagued the town. He released the Husks from their binds and much to the Riders' surprise, their movements became much faster and more composed compared to the previous outbreak. He then ordered them to converge around him, along with capturing the weakened Para-DX and Poppy, and approached his defected brethren as they struggled to break free.

"The Husks! but, how...?" Poppy asked.

"Do you see it, now? Join me once more, and together we shall bring mankind down to their knees. Just like how we used to."

He suddenly heard Para-DX chuckle.

"Classic." The red and blue Rider said. "Then let me ask you this, Gamedeus: Do you fear death?"

"Such a stupid question you asked, here." Gamedeus dismissed. "Or perhaps, is that what made you two become so soft to them?"

"Truth is, I've been disregarding the meaning of life for a long time. But the more I learn about it... the more I'm starting to appreciate it." Para-DX lamented before affirming his resolution. "You call it being soft... I call it being stronger!"

"He's right! as Kamen Riders, we become stronger as we protect the innocents! And that's why, we'll free the people from your control!" Poppy backed up

"Hahaha! Look at the two of you grow right in front of my eyes! It seems that I have let you two free long enough. Very well. Now, return to your master!"

Gamedeus stretched his hand towards the Riders as darkness began to engulf them. unexpectedly however, Para-DX did something in the last seconds.

"You ain't messin'... WITH US!"

"Where... am I?"

Kyle Morgan found himself awakened in an unknown dark space, somehow having been put into his DK-Ghost Armor without his helmet on. He got up to his feet and walked along the illuminated grounds.

"Wait a sec..." Kyle muttered as he frantically searched through his body. "Am I dead? No, no this can't be it, right? I'm supposed to fight Xiphon in the Mirror World and..." he sighed. "Oh well. Gotta carry on, somehow."

The Rider decided to walk through the realm he was brought into.

"Hello? Anyone?"

The dark landscape was suddenly filled with various imageries, ranging from the glimpse of Kamen Riders that he had long since attained, along with his childhood memories, both pleasant and bitter.

"Hey, these are my memories." He said. "Wonder if this is what they said about our lives flashing before our eyes before death. Or death vision, maybe?"

It all started with his cherished memories of his family and his long-lost friend Nathan. Along the way, he saw many of his achievements and hardships that helped him shape the man he is. It was like seeing his life flashing through his eyes. a quite sureal experience, indeed.

As he walked further, he reached the point of reading the news of a plane accident, one where Nathan went aboard to. He had always considered him as the best role model he ever had, both academically and socially. The news of his death broke his heart to the point where he was even unable to attend his funeral.

"Oh, that's right..."

And then... that happened.

A week after Nathan's reported death, Kyle received a message from his senior, Linda, that their collegemates planned to hold a gathering in their college hall to honor his passing. He agreed to come along and lend them a hand in making the memorial as a way for him to make up for being unable to attend his funeral. It was almost the due date and their preparations were nearly set. As all of his friends were on a lunch break, Kyle opted to stay to clean the batch meeting room where the memorial was being kept.

Nathan Hamilton was the best among his peer. His achievements in International Relations majoring was sureal for the eyes of a normal college student. He had done several Model United Nations competitions and education seminars that made his name echoed through the history of his college's hall of fame. It all felt like an accomplishment for himself that he had known the 'superstar' since childhood. After all, it was thanks to his emotional support that he was able to stand up for himself and carry on with his life.

It was supposed to be a tranquil and peaceful day of reminiscing his memories with him. As he continued cleaning up, several figures came and barged in. It was the sound of something breaking that caused him to finally turn towards the culprits.

"Hey!" He shouted. "What's the big idea-AGH!"

Kyle was pushed down by the man who led the break-in.

"Remember me, crybaby?"

He took a glance at the culprit and recognized his face. It was Derek, his past bully who got dropped out from school because of his mistreatment towards Kyle in the past. It all began with a range of bullyings from verbal to physical. Had Nathan not intervene, Kyle would've given up continuing his studies. It was during the school festival that Derek began to cross the line by setting up a prank that coold potentially hurt Kyle while he was working. Worse, Derek didn't show any doubts nor restraints in his actions. Not even his teacher's warnings could stop him.

Fortunately, he was found out and being expelled from the school, and his life had spiralled down ever since, from what Kyle heard. From the looks of it, it seems that it was all true. He couldn't see Derek as an educated person anymore. Perhaps his vendetta towards him and Nathan drove him crazy. Added with the fact that he brough his own men, it would be chaos from there on.

"Who are you again?" he asked sarcastically. That guy wasn't even worth remembering.

"Don't play dumb with me!" Derek angrily stomped Kyle's gut. "After all these years, I've finally found you. I wonder if you're still hiding behind his back for so long... Kyle Morgan."

Kyle coughed. "You really wanted me that bad? Fancy way of wasting your entire life."

"I've finally got the chance I've wanted! I can finally get back at you turds for ruining my life! And I don't care if Nathan died, I can still spit on you two right now!"

Yup. This is bad. He was high on crack. Maybe that is the term, whether or not Derek was taking drugs.

"TRASH THIS SHIT, Y'ALL!" he ordered.

Derek's thugs began taking their baseball bats and smashing every single thing they could find in the room. The tools that Kyle and his friends used to make the memorial were dropped into the floor. The memorial also took a damage from their assault and battery. Kyle's heart ached from seeing their twisted behavior.

"Hey! My friends and I built it!" Kyle warned. He tried to get up, but Derek pushed him down once more and punched him in the face.

"SHUT UP! Do you have any idea how I worked my ass just to get to here!? I'm the one who's supposed to be on the top stage! But that asswipe Nathan... he took it all away from me!"

"YOU'RE the one who did that to yourself! Don't you even understand that!?"

"Oy, ya' don't hear what the boss said? He said SHUT UP!"

A thug hit Kyle's head with his baseball bat. He and Derek beat him up and let him watch helplessly as he and his thugs thrashed the memorial.

"Why do you even bother making a memorial of him? That guy is no more!" the bully gloated. "I'll be the one who's hogging all of the glory myself!"

"No... s-stop...!" he grunted.

"Huh? What's that, crybaby? Gonna say somethin'?"

Kyle had his hand on Derek's foot and swept him away. He successfully regained his stand and opted to pull the thugs away from the already broken memorial, not wanting to damage the room any further.

"STOP! GODDAMIT, STOP!" he screamed, but to no avail.

The thug that he pulled retaliated by kneeing his gut and kicked him into the main portion of the memorial that was still intact. Kyle also took another hit on his chest and ribs. He struggled to get back up and took a quick glance at the broken memorial. He saw his friend, Nathan's framed photo being shattered by the impact and the memorial's pieces being ruined one after another.

It was supposed to be a tranquil and peaceful day. All that he wanted was to honor Nathan's memory along with his friends, especially Linda. He could not imagine the sorrow that this incident would bring upon them seeing it all happened. All because of an idiot who could not move one from the past, nor learn from his mistakes.

It was in this moment that Kyle Morgan's world began to become pitch black as his heart boiled hot red. He could never tolerate this behavior anymore. This must come to an end. No matter the cost. By any means necessary.

The young man began slowly regaining his stand, catching the attention of one of the thugs.

"Oh, ya' still standin'?"

No words were spoken, for he had whispered a single ultimatum to himself...

BRING THEM ALL TO DAMNATION.

"Haha, right. Now, stay do-!"

Before the thug could swing his baseball bat, Kyle had already launched his fist into the poor man's face and reddened his nose on the verge of bleeding. The loud thuds of the punch and the thug's fall caught the attention of the others. Derek was staggered by the sudden turn of events, as the last thing he ever expected was for Kyle Morgan to become the very thing that he feared the most.

"Get him... GET HIM!"

Kyle quickly went on a violent rampage and began knocking them out one by one. He used every ounce of martial arts knowledge that he knew and whatever tools that he could find lying on the floor. He started from landing punches and kicks to the thugs, including Derek who was caught by a surprise. A thug was unlucky enough to taste his German suplex. He also grabbed one of their baseball bats and used it against them. He even used his pen to graze their skin.

It was like he went on an autopilot. He ignored every pain he sustained from their beating. He was too fast for them to stop and too angry to quit, with no signs of him slowing down. His sorrow grew into rage and soon into what appeared to be a bloodlust in the eyes of his perpetrators. Strangely however, his face was emotionless, flat, and he spoke of nthing but silence. All he wanted was to take them down as quick as possible.

"D-don't get cocky, loser!"

Finally, Derek was the only one left for him to "execute". Before Kyle could turn his attention to him however, Derek had already picked one of the baseball bats and swung it to Kyle's head, striking him down. As Kyle was still lumping on the ground, Derek constantly mashed him with the baseball bat.

"Haha, see that? That's what happens when you mess with me-"

Just as he was about to dropkick his head, Kyle quickly grabbed Derek's foot and spun so he could slam him down. He also forcefully attempted to bend his knee, although he stopped once there was a loud crack on his leg joint and caused Derek to scream in pain. Kyle then stepped on a nearby chair and dropped his knee into Derek's face, bleeding his nose in the process. He grabbed his baseball bat away and swung it into Derek's head before picking up the chair and dropped it into him. Next, he undid his buckle and chocked Derek's neck with it. It seems that Derek did not even put up much of a fight, either.

However, Kyle's thoughts began to flash through everything that happened to him, causing him to hesitate and not pull the buckle in full power, but still draining Derek's energy out of him. He began pondering about it for Kyle Morgan had found himself beating up his bully, something that his weak, past self would be too scared to do. A story that comes in full circle. Too good to be true, but that had already happened.

Was it all worth it?

Is this the closure he so desperately wanted in his life?

Is this what he always wanted to be?

Kyle wanted to hold it up much longer, but his strong moral conduct began to kick in. If he kept on choking him any longer, he would be in danger and it would put him on the bad light. However, he had to give him a final warning, something that hopefully, will be remembered by Derek for the rest of his life. Finally, Kyle decided to let go of his buckle, pick Derek up so that he could punch him in the face and plant his head hard into the wall.

"You know, Derek..." Kyle said. "If there's one thing I'm thankful for you, is that you taught me what hatred is. I don't care if that's not what you intended... but at least, I know what I really hate about this world."

The young man walked towards a nearby wall, leant on it and slowly lumped his body down. The pain began to sting back into his body. His eyes grew heavier as seconds passed by, but he tried his best to stay awake and finish his statement.

Oh, and a final swing to the head with the good, old dusty baseball bat.

"IT'S YOU!"

His friends finally returned forn their lunch break, and what they found in the room was very devastating. They saw Kyle sitting down beside the bullies had already lied on the ground , battered, bruised, and bleed.

And among the friends was Nathan's partner, Linda.

"Kyle... what just happened?" she asked.

"They..." he panted. "They tried to ruin the memorial. I stopped them."

A few moments later, Derek and his thugs were dragged out of the campus by the authorities. They were charged of assault and battery, along with damaged properties. The classmates had already begun cleaning up the place, all the while planning on what to do now that the memorial was damaged. Kyle rested his body on the campus' cafeteria, where he and Linda had an eye-to-eye.

However, Linda was not pleased by his actions.

"Kyle." Linda said. "What did I just tell you about fighting?"

"Fighting only escalates violence?"

"And what did you just do?"

He sighed. "I said 'no promises' remember?"

"This isn't the way you're supposed to solve it!"

"Then how does that guarantee that he's gonna stop?"

"You're only making it worse!"

"Do you even KNOW what's really going on, here!?" He began to raise his voice, although he was evidently holding it back. "That guy, Derek... he never listened to me from the very beginning! He brought along a couple of men and began smashing anything they could find! How am I supposed to talk him out of this!? I'm just gonna get beaten all over again!"

"Kyle..."

"Look, I know you don't want to get me into trouble, and I'm thankful for that." He clarified. "But the problem is, trouble always follows me wherever I go. There's no guarantee that everything's gonna be fine. And I have to be ready whether I like it or not."

"Oh, you always said that everytime..." Linda sighed. "Listen, our reputation would be ruined if the word goes out about this. We almost got blacklisted by the committee when Eric and Marcus argued outside of the class. Think about what's around you for once, Kyle."

"Believe me... I did that all the time. That's why ..." Kyle stood up and rested his hands on his pocket. "I won't let my existence here ruin our batch's image in the campus. I'm leaving now."

"Huh!? W-what do you mean...?"

"I said it loud and clear: I'm leaving. Not coming back. Not now, not tomorrow, and never."

Linda was at loss of her words. She was surprised by his sudden decision. She saw how the young man's eyes grew heavier as time went by. Not only he was tired physically, but it was like he had lost his attachement to the reality, along with his desire to participate in the upcoming memorial ceremony. The young man had already taken a few steps away from her and was on his way out of the campus.

However...

"Hey... do you know why I asked you to come here, of all people?"

Linda's words caused Kyle to stop in his track. He turned his head around for a bit to listen what she had to say. "I wanted to give you a closure. We know... I know how much Nathan meant to you. He had become a huge part of your life and... I want to be in it, too."

Kyle frowned upon the notion. She continued as she slowly began to break up. "But for you to just... leave like this... we're just a few days left until our ceremony. If you leave then... That's just selfish, you know?"

"Linda..."

"Sometimes, we just have to accept the world as it is. Just let it all go. Forgive yourself. You still have tomorrow to carry on."

Forgiving himself was something that Kyle Morgan had a difficulty and doing whenever his past regrets kicked in. Kyle had been hating his past self for how weak he was, how he let Derek scarred his childhood. He might had always been helped by Nathan and a few others at some point, but he also wanted to find a strength on his own. Who would've thought that hating his past self would give him the strength he need to get back at Derek?

But even so, would that give him the strength to move on?

"I know. You're right..." Kyle nodded. "But my hands are already dirty, and I've got what I came for. I'm done with this place, anyway. I don't have anything else to wish for here. Besides, well... he's in a better place."

And with that, he finally left the campus for good, along with a single parting word.

"Goodbye."

Rainfall soaked the streets wet as Kyle finally reached his apartment. He put his foldable umbrella outside the door to dry itself. He entered the apartment 's mixture of living room and kitchen and took some plain water to refresh himself before going to his bedroom.

Unlike the apartment's plain-looking living room, his bedroom was full of his apparells. Posters, magazines, action figures and drawings, all about his favorite superheroes he grew up with. He bought the action figures with his own money, saved from his weekly college fundings, in which he treasured them as well. He had been spending his time in the bedroom nurturing his passion for his favorite heroes.

Kyle then turned his smartphone on and scrolled through the photos he took with his family, friends, and soon ended with Nathan when they were playing a soccer together. His mind began to overflow with the memories he spent together with him. He had always been there for him through thick and thin. He helped him to grow stronger than he was before. Among the words of wisdom that he always gave to him, one stuck to his heart the most:

"Don't give up on being the good guy you are, Kyle!"

The young man would really love to stay and fix the broken memorial. However, he knew that staying in the campus would do harm to his friends more than good, especially after the whole fiasco. And so, he gladly gave his time for the farewell ceremony away.

And in doing so Kyle must accept that his time in the memorial would be his first... and perhaps his last.

Kyle cried alone in his room. His overflowing feelings burst out as he lied down in his bed. The silence in his room, along with the fact that he lived alone in his apartment, made the young man wearier and heavier the longer he made it out to be.

"This is fine..." he muttered the only words of his own assurance. "This is fine..."

Three days passed after the incident, and it was already rainy season. Kyle who had lost his faith in his world went radio silent from his friends and parents, not making any contacts with them. All he wanted was a moment of silence and peace as he gathered his mind together. The last thing he ever wanted was any sorts of disturbance, especially from that Derek which he thankfully won't see for a long time. Hopefully.

Kyle walked down the street, still lost in the middle of his thoughts back in the campus and unsure what to do next. He hadn't been contacting his parents who were busy abroad, even Linda as well. Kyle soon stumbled upon a minimarket and decided to buy some food and beverages before heading back home.

He entered the market that was a little bit quiet at the time. It didn't take long for him to figure out what to buy. One of the things that he frequently bought whenever he stumbled upon a market was a box of milk. After he paid for the supplies, he sat on the bench near the entrance to drink the milk he bought.

And beside him was one of the shopkeepers who seemed to be on the break of his shift. He was seen wearing a black hat that matched his uniform. He began the conversation by asking his question first.

"It's already the rainy season, huh?" the shopkeeper talked to Kyle.

"Yeah." He nodded. "So uhh, are you on a break?"

"Mm-hm. Been tending the shop for half a day. That, and I'm enjoying the rain."

"People said that rainfall can be relaxing. I agree with that, though."

"True."

There was a bit of a pause as Kyle finished his drink and put the box into the nearby trash bin. However, he was unaware that it didn't went into the bin and fell to the ground instead. His mind was still a bit absent from the reality. The shopkeeper peeked into Kyle's face and got a glimpse of a frown in it. Before Kyle could turn to see his dropped litter, the shopkeeper asked him again.

"Must've been an exhausting day for you isn't it? Are you on your way back home?" the shopkeeper stretched his hands and bent it to the back of his head.

"Yeah. I, uhh... I'm still figuring things out for the future."

"Something wrong?"

"Have you seen the news about the plane crash?" Kyle asked about the topic. "My late friend was among the victims. I was asked to help my friends in campus to make a memorial of him."

"A memorial, huh? You have my condolences." The shopkeeper took his head off as a sign of respect, revealing his brown hair. "Must've been a great guy to you."

"He was. Thanks, man." Kyle nodded as he still gazed upon the rainy streets. He was planning to to go off, but somehow he felt that he might need the shopkeeper's company now that he spoke to him with no signs of malice.

"So, how's the funeral?" the shopkeeper asked again.

"I... couldn't attend it."

"How so?"

"It was... too much. We spent a great time together. He's always been on my side whenever I'm in trouble. It's just... painfully unbearable to relieve it all over again."

The shopkeeper nodded. "And what about the campus' memorial?"

"That day, a bunch of maniacs stormed the storage where its being kept and wrecked it, with me inside. I managed to give 'em a helluva beating, but... it was marked as a blatant violence. The campus only cared about their image, and I was at risk of ruining it because of what I did. That's why I can't... or rather, decided not to attend the farewell ceremony. "

"Guess it's better than letting your friends got blacklisted, right?"

The fresh graduate sighed. "Can't let others take the blame."

As the silence hit once more, the shopkeeper attempted to broke it.

"You know... back in my home, people also said that whenever it's raining, it means that the Earth is crying. A funny way to show that nature also responds to our feelings."

"Really?"

"Same goes for us, isn't it?" the shopkeeper continued. "Let's say that one of your friend's got into a fight with someone. What would you feel about it?"

"I want them to stop. By any means necessary ."

"Now how about if it's you? Would your friends feel the same thing?"

"I... I don't know. I just feel like I'm not most people."

"Nah, don't say that." The shopkeeper patted Kyle's shoulder. "It's true that we humans are all born different from one another. Even twins bound to have some tiny differences on some of their aspects. But in the end, we're all humans, beings with blood, flesh, brain, heart, and conscience. It's good if you think that your difference with 'most people' could help you uphold your sense of identity. But, sometimes... you gotta give a thought about what's around you, because our environment would also define us, big or small."

"So you're saying that I should give up my own identity?"

"No, I'm not. But I'm saying that you SHOULD focus on those who are close to you and what you're gonna do next. Just like any other people, you're NOT the center of this world. Can't let them see your sad face all the time, right?"

"Well… doesn't change the fact that my life's been a crap lately." Kyle lamented.

The man sighed and continued. "Look, life sucks. I get it. But you just gotta accept the world as it is. There's no need to rush headlong when you're trying to make a better world. It may not be all sunshine and rainbows, but I gotta tell you... there is a beauty worth seeing in it. And I believe that's what people should live and fight for."

Beauty, huh? Kyle thought.

"You sure say a lot for a store clerk."

"I have my experiences, too." the man shrugged. "So, I'll say it again; life sucks. And it's gonna stay that way unless you do something. I already did my part in this world. Now, what are YOU gonna do about it?"

He had to admit, this was his first time hearing such thing. All he ever know was that the word 'beauty' is always associated with women. But for the world to has such thing might be equivalent to the good times he spent with those he deeply cared about. He must not let his sorrow cloud him from ever seeing such beauty. He must do something better for himself, or else he wouldn't be able to move on.

"Thanks... you're right, I... I'll think about it." not long after, he bid farewell to the shopkeeper and went back hom with his groceries. "Damn, I'd better contact my parents, later. They must've been worried sick…"

And so, that was the conversation Kyle made with a certain shopkeeper, in which their fates would intertwine in the future.

And it would all began in that particular market: the Hikari Market.

This was the proof that despite all of the hardships he went through, the young Rider always kept the wisdom and kindness of Linda, Nathan, and his parents close to his heart, something that helped him withstand the harsh reality he was brought into.

"Accept the world as it is, huh?" Kyle muttered, glancing upon his clenched fist. "Wonder how long has it been since I heard that. It was hard, I know... but what else could I do?"

It was also at this point that he decided to look for a job with the intention of making his life better by helping people, something that inevitably led him towards the Kamen Riders and the World of Remnant.

He also made a note to himself that he should thank the shopkeeper later, which happened to be someone who was very close to him.

He soon stumbled upon another set of memories, one that belonged to another person. He saw him together with what appeared to be a Rabbit Faunus. Both of them were happily living with each other. however, the two met their cruel fate at the hands of Dai-Shocker. Both of them were subjected to their inhumane experiments. The Faunus had her rabbit ears cut and was subjected to a Kaijin experimentation, which he also understood why he didn't take notice of it earlier, while the man was forced to work on the experiments before being subjected on his own due to the test subject shortage. He had been slowly descending into madness due to the constant dose of the Shocker Virus prototype.

Much to his surprise, he began to recognize their faces well the longer he witnessed those memories.

"Wait, these memories..." Kyle muttered. "These are-"

"Mine, yes." The Rider turned around to see the man in a white lab coat. "And connected to yours, as well."

"Hector?" Kyle widened his eyes. "You look... different."

The older man gave him a solemn, sorrowful look. "I know that my actions in the real world are very... unpleasant to you. But please, PLEASE listen to me, whatever you see back then... it was no longer me. I would never, in my whole life, attempted to harm anyone. But even so, I am still deeply sorry for how powerless I am. I couldn't find the power to stand against them."

"I..." Kyle was still trying to process his thoughts. Perhaps, it was best that he gain his composure first. He should know that the 'Hector' he saw back then was an empty shell that Gamedeus took upon himself. It would be very wrong for him to accuse Hector... the REAL Hector, for something that he never did. "I understand. I'm not holding anything against you. What the Dai-Shocker did to you and Monica... it's deplorable."

"We were so happy back then, me and Monica." He continued. "Oh, how I wished I could live my life with her peacefully. But after I spend my whole time in the afterlife, the more I see how those wretched villains will never stop. That's why I want to provide you with an assistance one last time. It's the very least I could do to fulfill my responsibility as ascientist one last time."

"I see... alright then, Hector. I promise you, I won't stop until I get to the bottom of this."

"Very well. And thank you, Kyle Morgan. It means the world to me."

The two exchanged a nod to each other, proceeding to carry on with the issue at hand.

"As to where we are - which I'm sure you're going to ask anyway - this is the Soul Nexus, a rift between the life and afterlife created by the heroic spirits of the Riderverse whom I was able to ask for assistance, here. They were also the ones who carried your soul into this place while you passed out."

"Looks like I was lucky. Gotta thank them for that."

"However, as per their policy, only a select few that is permitted to access this place, and you could say that - much like you are now - I was one of the lucky few who they allowed to use it. And for that to work, our memories must be connected with one another, hence the images you saw back then."

"Then there is no way that everything that I saw here is fake."

"Correct." Hector nodded.

"Glad I could know things here in advance."

"I have also studied your exquisite abilities that you have just possessed months ago. I must say that your Kamen Rider powers are truly fascinating. A power unlike any has ever seen before. I believe that is the key to safe Remnant from Dai-Shocker and perhaps... eradicate the Grimms once and for all."

"I just want to help people like what I've always been taught. Nothing more." Kyle smiled.

"That's a good thing to have. Now listen, I have discovered the problem that might had been holding you back from drawing your true strength. You see..." The scientist made a gesture with his hand to generate an image similar to the memories in the Nexus.

"Right now, you possess two completely different power sets; the Kamen Rider System that you immediately possessed during your first arrival in Remnant, and your skillset that you've steadily built up as a Huntsman of your own, which includes one's Aura and Semblance. You may have already unlocked your Aura thanks to an outside help, but you're still in the middle of discovering your Semblance, which is also the case for most Huntsmen in training. However..."

Hector swept the image with a new one, depicting what he described next. "Your power sets clashed against each other and thus, your Aura and the Decadriver that you possess are not fully synchronized with one another. Not to mention, your Decadriver hasn't been fully calibrated yet at the time. This also impeded your Semblance from ever surfacing, hence the major hiccups you suffered back then."

"I see. And the symptoms worsened in the middle of my fight."

"That's true. you are the first case of this power set clash, for you are a human who began as a blank slate and had yet to be accustomed with any of those power sets. A rare occurrence, I must say."

"So, what happens if there's someone who's accustomed with one of the power sets and gets another in Remnant?"

"Hmm... I'm not quite sure. My assumption is that they would probably have some consequences of their own. It could be the same problem as yours, or there would be another set of problems, or maybe even none, at all. There's also the physiology factor, meaning that both Kamen Riders and Huntsmen are accustomed to fighting monsters each with their own unique survival skillsets, whereas you - as someone who was born as an otherworldly civillian - are not."

"Then again, even if you already have prior combat knowledge, it was still unrefined as far as I'm concerned. As I said before, you are the very first, and hopefully the last one to have this case. That's why I'm offering to help you reach the harmony between those powers."

"And how are you gonna do that?"

"The Riderverse's heroic spirits will assisst me from their end to gain access to the properties of your powers since we're connected inside the Nexus. I can recalibrate both your Rider system and your Aura so that they can be perfectly synched with one another. Not only that, with you currently inside the Soul Nexus, I can also turn the lethal dose of Bugster Virus injected into your body into the very thing that can rejuvenate you now and in turn, accelerate this process."

"Eh, really!?" Kyle gasped and noted to himself. "Man, looks like that 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' mantra comes to work, here."

"And that my friend, is only the technical issue. However, a spiritual factor is also necessary in order for me to access it. And the answer lies within you."

The young Rider still paid a close attention to the Hector's instructions.

"You have to be honest with yourself here. 'Helping people' is the most basic reason of what led people to fight for the good of humanity. While it's not inherently a bad reason itself, There is still something amiss from it; something that drives you, as your own person, to help people. Even so, not many people would take the fact that they were teleported to another world as lightly as you do."

"I guess you're right. Maybe I was just the lucky few who didn't freak out that much." He lamented.

"Now, what is your OWN reason to fight? To protect people?"

Kyle closed his eyes for a moment as he looked back into what he went through so far. From how he was able to learn the meaning of friendship and humility from Nathan to the day he lost him, and from his attempt to look for a simple, descent job into defending the world from the threat of an evil organization that looms over a world that was not his. He was given with a great deal of power and the responsibility that came with it. He knew that he was not your average cartoon protagonist who started everything as having fun. He took his job seriously, just like how he studied for exams. After all, life is always a test to see if you are worthy of seizing the world itself.

Such feat was impossible to achieve alone. For that, he had to have someone he could count on; Family, friends, allies and the like. He always believe that to build a relationship is the purpose of living, and he eventually did it in the most unimaginable way possible. For that of course, he was thankful. Which is why, he had to have his own purpose... or perhaps interest in helping them.

And Kyle Morgan had finally grasped his answer.

"I... want to be a better version of myself."

"Go on."

"I want to carry out my life lessons in the most meaningful way possible. I want to find a purpose in my life, and I believe that it can be achieved here in Remnant. I want to be someone who can stand up for himself, and give whatever help I can to others with my own power, for I've already been given so much."

Hector nodded as a bright magenta aura began to emanate from Kyle's body. Then, a rainbow-like aura also appeared on top of the light, changing from one color to another.

"Good… keep it up just like that."

"I lost someone precious to me... I lost the faith in my own world... but I found the people who can make my life more meaningful in this world. I want to protect them. no... not just that. I want to walk among those brave warriors who defended their world, and become something that they, and I, can be proud of. That's why I became Remnant's armored Huntsman... a Kamen Rider!"

The aura mixture began bursting out around Kyle's body, signifying how his two power sets were ready to be harmonized. Hector used this momentum to reconfigure the aura into a DNA-like spiral.

"Is this it?"

"Yes! Here goes!"

Using his hand gestures, he slowly merged the magenta and the rainbow aura into a single bright golden light. The light finally entered Kyle's body and glew his body brightly, completing the process.

"Perfect."

"Wow, I feel... new."

"This is the very least I could give to you, Kyle Morgan. You may consider this as a miracle of sorts, in return of your devotion to your heroic deeds in Remnant. As a scientist myself, I want nothing more than to make my world a better place and for its people to live prosperously. I will entrust you and your friends with the fate of Remnant, for my homeworld... and for my dear Monica."

"Thank you, Hector. I won't let you down. I promise." His body began to glow brightly as he was about to leave the Soul Nexus.

"And with that, my job is done. I wish you the biggest luck, and along with it is my little surprise. May you fulfill your quest."

"Much appreciated." Kyle said. "And I'll make sure that you ... and Monica can rest easy."

Kyle nodded as the environment around him turned white, finally returning to the world of living.

Kyle's Decadriver arc glew brightly and his unconscious body glew in a bright light, surprising both Ruby and Blake who were nearby. From the belt, the Rider Totems came out and circled around him, with the Ryuki and Ghost Totems changed into their respective raw forms. The Ore Damashii floated above Kyle and healed his wounds along with the statics caused by the Bugster Virus as the Dragredder circled above the three and formed a huge mirror above them.

"Kyle?"

Before Ruby could say anything more, the Damashii and the Mirror Monster slowly dissipated into orange and red digital haze respectively along with the rest of the Rider Totems that returned into the Decadriver, and the mirror descended upon the heroes, sending them out of the Mirror World at last.

Moments ago...

"Genm!" Ex-Aid called out.

"How ironic... to think that I'm the 'zombie' here..." Genm muttered as his headache began to increase.

"Can't... hold it!" Weiss grunted.

The Shocker Virus gas began filling up the hideout. The heroes struggled to keep their minds intact as the gas began eating them out. They tried to get their body moving into the exit, but their strengths were also slowly sapped away along with their sanity.

WARNING! WARNING!

NEURAL CONNECTION FAILED

SYSTEM SHUTDOWN

"So... this is how it feels like..." Yang writhed.

"At this rate, we'll-!"

Suddenly, a bright ball of light appeared before them and released a light particle that swept the gas away and bathed their bodies with it. the pain they sustained just disappeared in the blink of an eye as if they were being rejuvenated. The ball of light soon dissipated, revealing Ruby, Blake, and the still unconsicous Kyle.

"Ruby! Blake!" Yang hugged her teammates.

"You guys!" Weiss followed. "I thought he trapped you!"

"Guys, it's alright. We're fine." Ruby said.

"Thank goodness." Yang released the hug and rushed to Kyle as soon as she took notice. "What happened to Kyle?"

"I... I'm not sure. His body glew up and... so many things come out of his belt, and somehow it got us back here." Ruby said.

"Huh?"

"It's confusing, I know. We thought that's it for us. we didn't find any way out back then." Blake added.

"But... is he really okay?"

Weiss took a closer look at Kyle's unconscious face as the others slowly followed her. Suddenly...

"DAAAH!"

Kyle quickly opened his eyes and jolted himself awake much to the surprise of others, with Weiss who shrieked the loudest. He laughed loudly at his successful attempt to (halfly) prank his friends, although he still had to hold a bit of a pain in his body.

"HAHAHA! OH GOD! AHAHAHAH-!"

Weiss however, was not quite pleased by his action.

"You...!" Weiss pushed the young man down and comically punched his chest. "THE NERVE! Why would you do that!? WHY!?"

"Ow! S-sorry! I can't help it-ack!"

"AHAHAHAHA! OH WEISS YOUR FACE IS SO, PFFT...!" Yang laughed.

"But seriously though, how long have you been awake?" Blake sighed.

"Not long when you guys are checking up on me... I guess."

"Oh, I doubt that."

"Hmph! seriously, do you have any idea how much of a heart attack you gave me? Couldn't you have awaken in, I don't know, a bit less surprising way?"

"Actually, we're the ones who're MORE scared to death, here." Blake said while also referring to Ruby, causing the latter to sheepishly laugh.

"Oh~? And I thought you're the cold one, here." Yang teased.

"Sh-shut up! It's not like I'm worried that much! I knew Kyle's strong enough to take on anything!" the so-called 'ice queen' pouted as she stopped punching. "Still, don't jumpscare me like that! Next time you do that again, I'll kick you right in the gut! Geez..."

"Okay-okay... won't happen again." he apologized while scratching his head .

"Kyle," Ruby quickly closed in on the young Rider. "Are you still hurt, somewhere? Can you stand? I'm so sorry, Kyle. Because you protected me, you…" Her response widened Kyle's eyes in wonder.

"Hey hey, relax. What are you even apologizing for?" Kyle patted her shoulder.

"If only I was strong enough, I wouldn't put you into much trouble like this…" Ruby said as Blake could only set her eyes on the young man as well, implying that she also had the same thought more or less.

"Ruby, it's okay." The young Rider assured. He took a pause for a breath before continuing. "What I did back then... it's because I respect you as a warrior. You've always been upholding your bright outlook in a world where monsters roam free. And as someone who wasn't taught to be a warrior, I really want to have the same strength as yours."

He continued. "Looking back from where I came from, I lost my purpose because my world had nothing to offer for me. But now, I see that purpose in you, team RWBY, the Huntsmen, and the Kamen Riders. I know what I want to do... and what my role is in this world. That's why, I want to walk on the same path as all of you. And I intend to fulfill it to the very end."

"Kyle..."

"Spoken like a true warrior, Kyle." Blake complimented. "See, Ruby? Everything's gonna be just fine. We'll get through this together." She continued, replied with Ruby's nod.

"Oh, and Kyle? I found these inside the facility." Ruby showed him and everyone the torn rabbit ears and the burnt photo of Monica and Hector. This is exactly what Kyle saw in Hector's memories. He and Monica were just another victims of Dai-Shocker's cruelty. He clenched his fists upon seeing such morbid view, and silently vowed to end their suffering once and for all.

"These are..." Yang muttered.

"No... How could I be blind from this atrocity?" Weiss spoke remorsefully, seeing how her prejudice against the White Fang turned into a disdain towards Faunus. "This could be happening to other Faunus as well. If only I had known about this sooner... if only I have the power to lift those pain away back then..."

"Weiss, you..." Blake was taken back by the heiress' solemn regrets, showing how far she had come from when they first met.

"Weiss, it's okay. We'll make sure to pay our respects for them once this is all over. But right now, we've got a huge ass to kick." Yang assured.

"And we'll make this world a better place together, like all Huntsmen would." Ruby followed, replied with Weiss' nod.

"Alright, let's-!"

As he tried to get up. He almost lost his composure since he hadn't gathered enough strength. Ex-Aid quickly caught him before he hit the ground.

"Whoa there, big guy. Don't just push your muscle all of the sudden after a nap."

"Whew, thanks." He glanced upon Ex-Aid's Level X form. "Another mascot suit of yours?"

"The more powerful one, thank you very much." The older Rider stated.

"Diggin' that half-and-half colors, though."

"I get that a lot. Oh well, looks like this'll have to wait for now." Ex-Aid nodded as he powered down. "And the Totem?"

Kyle took out and waved the Ex-Aid Totem, much to his delight. The doctor Rider replied with "NOICE!"

"Alright!" Yang followed.

"Are you alright, Genm?" Weiss went on to check and help the zombie-like Rider to get up.

"Your concern is much appreciated." Genm solemnly replied in his otherwise raspy voice, still able to maintain his manners as a result of his post-Bugster poisoning therapy. Ruby then carried him to the others. Genm then powered down soon after and turned to Kyle. "Now flatteries aside... mind explaining to me what just happened?"

"It's uhh... it's a long story." Kyle said as he showed the Ex-Aid Totem that he successfully claimed, bringing a smile to the others.

Kyle then told everyone about his fierce battle inside the Mirror World and his experience inside the Soul Nexus, from the memories that he saw to what Hector said to him about his Rider and Huntsman power sets. Of course, such bizzarre story put the others in shock, especially since Kyle Morgan was in such a near-death situation.

"Well, that was... unbelievable." Weiss commented. "Is that what you call, I don't know, coming back from the dead?"

"Not really, though. Hector said that the spirits managed to 'pull' me into the Nexus before things got worse. That's why they were still able to patch me up and bring me back once more." Kyle replied.

"I see..." Weiss skeptically nodded. "Well, not that it's in my field of knowledge, though."

"Then there's the heroic spirits' mumbo-jumbo. Remind me to go see Takeru for this." Kuroto said.

"Now that you said that, though... is it like, for real?" Yang asked. "I'm not much of a believer of such thing too, so... yeah."

"Sometimes God works in a mysterious way. that's all I can say." The young Rider replied.

"Well, it's not that unusual for someone to experience near-death visions like that. Then again, your story is just so... specific." Blake said to Kyle.

"That so? huh..." he rubbed his chin. "Maybe I just happened to have a good memory."

"You sure read a lot of books like that, don't you?" Yang asked the Faunus.

"Just happened to read one in the shop. Maybe I should consider buying it later."

"Consider me sold, as well." Weiss said to Blake.

"Sure."

"Wait, sold!?" Ruby gawked. "Weiss, why would you sold yourself to Blake!?"

"Hey, that's not what I meant!"

"This is too cruel, sis! Too cruel!" Ruby cried as Yang embraced her, crying as well.

"Our dear friend has gone to a path of indecency!"

"I TOLD YOU IT'S NOT WHAT I MEANT!" Weiss angrily denied.

"Oh, I wish I had a popcorn for this." Blake sighed and deadpanned.

"Yeah, I kinda miss high-school, though..." Emu commented.

"So you're saying that your powers are somehow leaking due to the difference in the power sets that you have..." Kuroto deduced. "And now that your powers are being recalibrated, there shouldn't be any glitches in your Rider system. Am I correct?"

"Pretty much. All I can hope is that everything's fine from here on."

"A curious development, it is. Make sure you use your full abilities soon. We can't afford to lose to the Dai-Shocker at this point." Kuroto reminded, replied by Kyle's nod.

"Oh speaking of which, you said that you got zapped by a lethal dose of Bugster Virus, right? Let me do some check-ups to see if you're really back in prime." Emu said by setting his CR scanner to the said function. Suddenly, he found a spiking reading from his body. "No friggin' way… Kuroto buddy, you gotta see this!"

"This is… You're right! This is the key to our glory! Hahaha!" Kuroto exclaimed in his excitement so much that his demeanor slightly crooked down.

"Wh-guys, guys, what is it?"

"Kyle, right now your body contains a new strain of the Bugster antibody! If we can extract it, we could cure the Shocker Virus!"

"Cure?"

"Look, you said that the Bugster Virus accelerated your rejuvenation, right? Well that's not all! You've also developed an engineered antibody that completely dispersed the Shocker Virus both in and out of a human body!"

"Okay, looks like I get where this is going." Yang interjected. "We got sprayed with the Shocker Virus by Xiphon before he left. When the three of you returned from the Mirror World, Kyle let out some kind of a… burst that eased off our pain from the injection."

"Not to mention, it's been a few moments since it passed and we haven't shown any signs of succumbing to the virus up to this point." Weiss added.

"Wait, if that's what happened to you guys..." Ruby interjected. "Then, is it possible if we can make it, I don't know, a much bigger scale?"

"That's where Sento's machine comes to play." Emu replied. "It's still untested, but assuming it works, we could cure the Shocker Virus and heck, enhance people's immunity against it."

"So not only that it CURES the virus, but it also completely ERADICATES it if the cure is being spread continuously." Blake said.

"In other words, we can finally turn the tables against Dai-Shocker, and our path to glory is near~!" Kuroto exclaimed, lowering his raspy voice in an 'evil plan' manner in the end causing Weiss to deadpan over his awkwardly mismatched tone.

"Always with the 'evil mastermind' flair with you." Weiss commented.

"Well, then what are we waiting for?" Kyle remarked.

Suddenly, the heroes received an incoming transmission from Sento Kiryu, who sounded like he was somehow desperate.

"Recon team, please respond! I repeat: recon team, please respond!"

"This is Kyle Morgan and the recon team. Come in, Sento." Kyle was the first to answer the call, followed by the others opening their comms.

"Oh, thank God, we're finally able to reach you!"

"Sento, we've destroyed the Shocker Virus machine. Xiphon escaped, but we've managed to get the Ex-Aid Totem back." The young Rider reported.

"R-really? Great! Because we're REALLY gonna need it now! This is an emergency situation, and we're in need of immediate assistance!"

"Sento, what's going on?" Kyle asked, noticing his rather frantic response.

"It's the Husks... they're everywhere in the town!"

"Eh!?"

(A/N)

The RWBY : DCD hype train has finally reached its 25th stop!

Kamen Rider Zero-One will meet its end soon, and I'm personally thrilled to see the progression of its final arc. Also, the new chapter of Reiwa Kamen Rider will soon begin as Kamen Rider Saber! Like always, I am hooked at the designs that began to vary from one series to another! Not only that, the presscon interviews also stated that there would be more than 10 Riders that would be introduced in Saber! Wow, looks like they're trying to sell more Riders now that it's a brand-new era of Reiwa. Not to mention, Zero-One already had lots of belts as of today. All in all, it's definitely something to look forward to!

So, there's not much I could say about this chapter, only that i've decided to take things a bit slower along with the opportunity to explore Kyle's past further and what would connect it to the future events. I hope I could deliver it well in this chapter.

Kyle Morgan has finally obtained the Ex-Aid Totem, along with it was the cure to the Shocker Virus and Kyle himself as its carrier. But the city of Vale also began its descend to chaos! How will our heroes prevail? What awaits them amidst the ensuing chaos?

As always, leave your comments below and remember, BE CONSTRUCTIVE.

Until next time.