A/N: Hey guys, MCN here bringing you yet another Madoka Magica crossover fic... cue the "Aw shit, here we go again" meme. So, funny story about this fic, similar to Gamer Riders, it's a collaboration with one of my friends on this site, an author by the username of Variable Zero. He came to me with this idea back when Kamen Rider Zi-O was just getting started, and as the show went on we just kept adding ideas to it until we eventually just had pretty much the entire story planned out, from major story beats to running gags. In the end, I felt it was a waste to just let the story remain as just an outline, so I decided to crank out the first chapter while I'm waiting on my beta reader for Reconnect to get back to me.

So yeah, here's the first chapter, hope you guys enjoy it, and I'll see you at the end.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kamen Rider Zi-O or Puella Magi Madoka Magica

Prolog im Himmel 2018

The sound of heavy footfalls echoed as a lone boy ran down an eerily empty hallway of checkered black and white, illuminated by a blinding light that shown through the tall windows on his left. His heavy breathing only became heavier as he began ascending a long winding staircase, the third of which that he had encountered thus far.

"…Damn it, where is she? Come to think of it… where am I?" The boy said between tired breaths.

He could have sworn that he had entered the same building his classmate had, which as far as he knew was just a normal office building shared by a travel agency and a bank. However, halfway up his ascension, in search of the girl that had eluded him, he suddenly found himself in a strange, monochrome world, filled with hallways that twisted and warped as he ran through them, and staircases that felt as though they went on forever and led to nowhere.

"What is she even doing out here, doesn't she know it's dangerous? We need to hurry up and get to a shelter!" He asserted, ignoring the inherent strangeness of his surroundings and pressed on with his search.

Eventually, the staircase led into a long, seemingly unsupported platform, at the end of which was a tall, heavy duty door marked as an exit by the florescent green sign above it, the first truly recognizable thing the boy had seen in this strange, topsy-turvy place. He took a moment to catch his breath before stepping forward and struggling to open the hatch on the exit. It turned, slowly be surely, the tumblers that held it shut loudly clicking out of place until, finally, the door opened. The boy used his own weight to swing the door to the side, and was met with a blast of frigid air, made even colder by the breeze created from his elevation and the heavy storm raging outside.

The boy rushed out onto the rooftop and looked around frantically for the girl he was searching for… or at least, that was his intention, but as soon as he crossed the threshold, his attention was immediately grabbed by the chaotic scene before him. Up in the sky, among the overcast that blocked out the sun, was the silhouette of what seemed to be a ridiculously large woman, dressed in an extravagant, frilled dress and a headdress that ended in two points on either side of its head. It laughed in the face of gravity as it hung from an enormous spinning gear, and orbiting around it were hunks of destroyed skyscrapers, highways, and other debris it had presumably collected on its rampage through Mitakihara City.

"What… what is that!?" The boy exclaimed as he stared up at the being with shock and horror.

When the initial shock wore off, he let his gaze drop, falling on a rooftop across the devastation where a smaller figure stood. It was a girl, no older than him, her long black hair blowing in the breeze as she stared intently at the inhuman figure above them.

"Hey, isn't that…"

The boy couldn't even finish the thought before the girl leaped off the rooftop, reaching unnatural heights impossible for an ordinary human as she propelled herself towards the figure in the sky. The figure itself didn't move a muscle, instead the very debris around it moved in to defend, a few stories of a destroyed skyscraper throwing itself at the approaching girl who noticed just a second too late.

"No!" The boy cried as he watched the girl be crushed by the building, rushing forward as if to give aid but was barred passage by the railing that bordered the rooftop. He held his breath, hoping beyond hope that whatever power the girl possessed included superhuman durability, and any second now she would come bursting out from the debris.

Fortunately, the girl did indeed survive, appearing in a flash of purple light, much to the boy's relief. However, that relief was short lived as the girl suddenly had to dodge a barrage of what seemed to be blasts of magical fire, evading one such strike before guarding against another with a small buckler shield strapped to her petit arm.

"Come on, you can do it!" The boy found himself cheering, as if this cataclysmic scene were the climax of a movie or an anime.

"It's pointless." The mysterious voice pulled boy's attention away from the battle. Where before he had been alone on the abandoned rooftop, he was now joined by a figure in all black, his face shrouded by the unnatural shadow of a wide brimmed hat. His voice was distant and distorted, despite standing right next to the boy and his words coming through clearly, even over the harsh wind and sounds of battle. "Observe."

The figure in black turned the boy's attention back to the battle, the girl frantically evading spell fire as she advanced on the figure in the sky. Unfortunately, she failed to avoid a single, powerful blast of magical energy, sending her flying back and crashing into the oversized branches of a shadowy three that had no business sprouting in the middle of the city. The boy winced at the painful looking blow, the girl remaining prone in the tree, as something else had seemed to catch her attention. The boy followed her gaze to a platform of floating debris in the distance, upon which stood a third figure, whose petit frame and bright pink hair the boy instantly recognized.

"Kaname-san!" He cried, finally finding the girl he had been searching for. He turned to rush back into the building, prepared to climb all the way back down and to where it was that his classmate, Kaname Madoka, had found herself.

"There's no point in rushing to her side." The boy stopped halfway to the door when the figure in black spoke. "It's already too late. This scene has been played out countless times before, and every single time it has ended in ruin. This time shall be no different." He delivered the dooming revelation so matter-of-factly that it deeply disturbed the boy, the finality of what he said unable to be contested.

"No way… then, what'll happen to them?" The boy desperately asked, the figure's silence being all the answer he needed.

He looked on helplessly as the girl with the shield desperately tried to stand and continue the fight, while his classmate looked on as well, equally as powerless and horrified as he was. The boy's fists clenched in frustration, his gaze falling to the floor in despair.

"Is… is there anything I can do?"

It was a ridiculous question, born from desperation than anything else. Of course there was nothing he could do, he was just an ordinary middle school student with no stand out qualities whatsoever; a background character, useless and utterly forgettable in every way. Whatever disaster had befallen his home, what could he hope to do that could turn the tides of fate? After all, he was just plain old…

"Yes, there is." The boy immediately raised his head at the figure in black's reply, a glimmer of hope surfacing in the sea of shock and disbelief in his widened eyes. The figure in black then turned on his heel and approached him. "These disastrous events are destined to repeat themselves, over and over again, like clockwork." The figure said, now standing before the boy. "If you truly wish to overcome this terrible fate, and bring about a brighter future, then you must… become a king."

The figure in black reached into his pocket and pulled forth a strange, round metallic object, its gunmetal grey body encasing incomprehensible gears and circuitry, exposed to the world by an incomplete faceplate. He offered the object to the boy, who, after a moment of hesitation, accepted it.

"Become… a king?" The boy repeated dubiously, examining the strange device with curiosity and confusion.

Before he could ponder the instruction any further, the boy needed to shield his eyes from a sudden blinding light shining in the distance. His eyes failed to adjust as the light grew brighter and brighter, but he was able to make out that it was coming from the same platform Kaname Madoka had stood on.

"What… what's happening!? Kaname-san! KANAME-SAN!" He desperately cried as he struggled to see what became of his classmate.

Suddenly, he was thrown back by a powerful shockwave, disorienting him even further before he was knocked completely off of the building, screaming in utter terror as he fell to his death.

"GYAH!"

Nakazawa Sougo let out a pained yelp as he felt himself hit his bedroom floor. A sharp pain pounded through his head from the point of impact, and his sheets were in a tangled mess on the floor next to him, having followed as he rolled off of his bed in his sleep.

"Ugh… what a crazy dream..." He mused as he sluggishly sat himself up. He reached up to rub the sore spot on the back of his head, only to be met with the cold, hard feeling of metal. "Huh?"

He pulled back his hand curiously, discovering it to be occupied by a strange, metal object he held firmly in his grasp.

"What's this?" He inquired, examining the device. It vaguely reminded him of an analogue stopwatch, a single button up top connected to a series of small gears and circuitry, exposed by the missing clock face.

"…Guess I must've picked this up from the shop by mistake." He lazily deduced with an uninterested shrug.

With that, Sougo picked himself up off the ground and threw the broken watch onto his bed, sleepily marching over to his closet and retrieving his school uniform. Once he was dressed, he took a quick look at himself in the mirror. He looked… normal, like he did on any other given day, just regular old Nakazawa Sougo. He reached up to his plain brown hair, contemplating if he should try to style it in some way. Try to spice up his appearance, even if just by a little. However, he ended up just fixing the natural parting of his bangs, framing his forehead just like they always did.

With a forlorn sigh, Sougo grabbed his school bag and made his way downstairs, only to pause and quickly grab the broken watch from his bed before leaving his room. He passed his uncle's room on the second floor and climbed the stairs down to the repair shop on the ground floor. It was easy for anyone to guess what the shop specialized in repairing, as clocks of all shapes and sizes lined every inch of the walls of Sougo's home. Each one was set to a different, arbitrary time, but besides that they were all in perfect working order.

Sougo quickly slipped behind the front counter and left the broken watch on his uncle's workbench, confident that the old clocksmith would know what to do with it. He let out a tired yawn as he passed through an archway and into a small dining room, his breakfast already served.

"Good morning, Uncle." Sougo groggily greeted as he tried to wipe the sleep from his eyes.

"Ah, good morning, Sougo-kun." Sougo's great-uncle, Nakazawa Junichiro greeted as he finished setting the table for breakfast. He was an older man in his mid-fifties, his short black hair beginning to grey. He wore a black pinstripe vest over a dark yellow long sleeved shirt, and a pair of black, square rimmed glasses over his wrinkled eyes.

Sougo sat across from his uncle at the breakfast table, two sunny-side up eggs and a slice of toast beaconing to him on his plate. The hungry young boy quickly gave thanks for the meal and dug in, starting with a sip of coffee from his mug.

"The coffee's a little cold today." He immediately noticed.

"Well, it would have been warm if you had woken up on time." Junichiro playfully scolded, his point emphasized by his nephew letting out another yawn.

"Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night." Sougo said as he took a bite of his eggs.

"Well, I suppose you were just excited about that new transfer student, huh?" Junichiro deduced, recalling the news his nephew had reported the day before.

"I wouldn't say I'm excited, more like… nervous." Sougo admitted.

It was rare for Mitakihara Middle School to have students transfer in from other schools, let alone in the middle of the school term, so when his class was informed that they would be receiving a transfer student it quickly became the talk of the school. The problem for Sougo was that since the only available seat was right next to him, his teacher had asked him to make sure the new student felt welcome. It would have been a simple request for anyone else, but it was quite the monumental task for the socially inexperienced boy.

"I just hope they end up being someone I can get along with." Sougo hoped, anxiously fidgeting with his utensils.

"…Well, whatever kind of person they end up being, you'll miss your chance to welcome them if you're late for class, so go ahead and eat up." Junichiro urged cheerfully, the boy immediately snapping out of his melancholic daze and quickly scarfing down his food, much to the old man's amusement.

"I'm off!" Sougo called from the doorway as he rushed out, just barely hearing his uncle reply with a "have a good day".

Sougo went to fetch his bicycle parked out in front of the shop entrance, but just as he was about to undo the kickstand, he noticed that sitting on the bike seat was the broken watch he had woken up with that morning.

"Huh? I thought I left this inside?" Sougo said, picking up the device and looking it over, as if it would give some kind of answer as to how it ended up outside on his bike seat.

Unfortunately, time was the essence, so he simply placed the watch by the entrance and hopped onto this bike, pedaling down the street off on his way to school.

Mitakihara Middle School was about as lively as one would expect an institution filled to the brim with young tweens to be. However, it was especially lively on this particular day, as the students were a buzz with the news of the new transfer student. Many students rambled and gossiped about what kind of person the new arrival would be, why they were transferring, and some even took to trying to guess which from the sea of faces flowing into the school could be the new student. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the chattering students, a lone figure stood on the roof of the main building, looking out over the swath of young boys and girls in search of a single one.

The figure wore a rather over-stylized greenish brown coat, a grey scarf wrapped around his shoulders and up over his head, masking his face. In his hand was a large book, open up to a certain page that the figure seemed to skim before returning his gaze to the incoming students. Eventually he found his quarry, a young boy slipping through the front gate on his bicycle and pedaling over to the bike racks. The hooded figure cracked a satisfied smile before turning away from the rooftop fence, disappearing from view.

"Just made it." Sougo sighed with relief as he parked his bike and secured it with his bike lock. He grabbed his bag from the basket and made his way to the front entrance, only to have the mysterious hooded figure suddenly appear from behind the bike racks and bar his path.

"Congratulations." The figure spoke.

"Huh?"

"According to this book, today will be a very momentous day for you. As such, congratulations are in order." The figure calmly explained, reading from the book he held.

"Oh… wait, who are you?" Sougo said quizzically to the stranger. He didn't seem to be a student, and he certainly wasn't a teacher with the get up he had on.

"If you seek answers, you will find them at the Mitakihara Shopping Center, after class is dismissed for the day." The figure replied, already beginning to step away. "However… you must remain cautious of the red robot."

"…Ok?" Sougo was baffled by the cryptic warning, but before he could question the figure any further, his attention was grabbed by the sound of his bicycle bell suddenly ringing on its own. He looked away for only a moment, but once he turned his gaze back, the figure was gone.

"Huh? Wait, where… what?" Sougo stammered as he looked around for the stranger, but he was nowhere to be found. "…I really hope that wasn't the transfer student." He fretted as he continued his trek to class.

The chime of the warning bell rang throughout the school as soon as Sougo crossed the front entrance, making his way to his classroom at a brisk pace. As expected, none of the students of Class 2A noticed when the automatic door slid open to let Sougo into the classroom. This would have been true of any other day, but on this particular day his presence went especially unnoticed, the students all too busy ecstatically talking amongst themselves about what Sougo could only guess was the new transfer student.

Sougo made his way to his seat; front row, third from the door. He stood before one of the vacant spots between two other seated students, and after a moment a thin panel opened up and his desk folded out from under the floor, the boy taking a seat as soon as the automated process had finished. Immediately to his right was the empty space left by an inactive desk, where the transfer student would be sitting.

He sat and waited patiently for the bell to ring, watching through the transparent walls as other tardy students rushed through the halls to get to class. He didn't have to wait long before he caught a glimpse of his homeroom teacher, Saotome Kazuko, approaching down the hallway, and nearly the moment she reached the door the bell rang, the rest of the chatting students finding their seats.

"Settle down class, the bell has rung." Saotome sternly instructed as she entered the classroom, the giddy smile that she had worn on her face for the past month noticeably absent.

'That's not a good sign.' Sougo lamented.

"Now, I have something very important to discuss with you today, class. I want you all to listen very closely!" The 29-year-old schoolteacher instructed. "When frying an egg, should it be fried sunny-side up or over hard?! Well, Nakazawa-kun?!" Sougo flinched as Saotome pointed to him with her retractable pointer, forcing the entire class's attention onto him.

"Huh? U-um, well…" The boy stammered as he fought against the reflex to answer with the way his uncle had made his own eggs that very morning. "Th-they can be fried either way, can't they?"

"Precisely! They can be fried either way!" Saotome furiously agreed. "Thus, it should go without saying that judging a woman's attractiveness by the way she fries her eggs is the gravest of mistakes!" She declared, snapping her metallic pointer in half.

Sougo let out an exasperated sigh as he tuned out the rest of his broken hearted teacher's rant. He had Saotome for his homeroom teacher the previous year as well, and she would often vent her romantic frustrations to her class, regardless of the context of the lesson. What's more, ever since his uncle mentioned during a parent teacher conference that Sougo wasn't a very picky eater, Saotome had taken to calling on him during her lovelorn tirades, knowing with absolute certainty that the boy would give her the answer she wanted.

"…Well then, now that that's out of the way, let's welcome our new transfer student!" Saotome said, falling seamlessly into the pleasant tone one would expect of a homeroom teacher. "Akemi-san, you may come in now."

This was it, the moment the students of Class 2A had been eagerly waiting for, and they were not disappointed. Upon the teacher's command, in walked the transfer student, a beautiful young girl with long, silky black hair that swayed behind her with each step she took. Her posture was perfect, the girl practically strutting into the classroom, and the calm and somewhat icy look in her purple eyes gave her a mysterious presence that just added to her allure. As soon as she walked in, nearly every single student gasped in wonder and awe, completely captivated by her stunning beauty.

Sougo was similarly awestruck, not by the girl herself, but rather by the fact that he recognized her. It took him a moment to place exactly where he had seen the girl before, but once he did, he nearly jumped from his seat.

'What! No way, that girl… it can't be.' Sougo stared in utter disbelief, frantically looking over the new student he should have been seeing for the first time. But, the longer he stared, the more certain he became; this was the same girl from his dream.

"Now then, why don't you introduce yourself to the class?" Saotome cheerfully suggested.

"My name is Akemi Homura. It's a pleasure to meet you all." The girl said in a calm, almost uninterested tone.

'Akemi… Homura…' Even the name sounded somewhat familiar, like he had heard it somewhere before but couldn't quite place from where. The name also proved unique enough that Saotome struggled to write it on the board, forcing Homura to step in and write it for her before giving the class a respectful bow, leaving her introduction at that.

The class in turn gave her an awkward round of applause, and with that Homura was instructed to take her seat. Sougo failed to notice his gaze linger as the girl waited for her desk to deploy. He only noticed his faux pas once Homura was seated and she turned to meet his gaze, making him flinch in surprise. He half expected to be told off, but the mysterious girl simply greeted him with a respectful nod, which Sougo reluctantly returned.

'Alright, calm down Sougo, you're completely overreacting.' He chastised himself as the class moved on to taking attendance. 'It's probably some weird coincidence, that's all, no need to make a big fuss about it. It's gonna be hard enough for her to get settled in without me having a sudden outbreak of chunnibyou centered around her.'

Sougo recalled his teacher mentioning that Homura had been hospitalized for the past year, and so would probably have trouble readjusting to school life. As such, Sougo was asked to make sure she felt welcome, and so he decided right then and there to ignore the strange coincidence and properly introduce himself once free period rolled around.

"Nakazawa!"

"Here!"

'…Yeah, she's definitely the girl from my dream.' Sougo asserted to himself, sneaking glances at Homura as they sat through the last class of the day.

As soon as free period started, Homura was swarmed by a gaggle of overzealous female classmates, one even going so far as to commandeer his seat, leaving him completely cut off from his new seat neighbor. Between their enthusiastic questions and Homura's immediate, blunt answers, Sougo couldn't hope to get a word in edgewise, so he quickly gave up and decided to try his luck during lunch instead.

However, the impromptu interview was cut short when Homura claimed to not be feeling well and excused herself to the nurse's office. Unsurprisingly, she sought the aid of Class 2A's Nurse's Aid, a petite young girl with bright pink hair tied up with pretty red ribbons by the name of Kaname Madoka. However, what caught Sougo's attention was that as soon as Homura began approaching Madoka, the pained expression she wore for the crowd of girls suddenly vanished, replaced with her default stoic expression that seemed to intimidate the young pinkette as she was asked to be escorted to the nurse's office. And yet, it seemed to be Homura that would be doing the escorting, leading a flustered Madoka through hallways that, as a new student, she had no business being so familiar with.

Things only got stranger from there. For a girl that hadn't attended school for a whole year, she seemed incredibly well learned, breezing through complex algebra problems like they were child's play. While that could be chalked up to prodigal academic prowess or just simple self study, what couldn't be so easily explained away was how a girl hospitalized for an entire year was able to break the prefectural record for the high jump, long jump, and sprint on her first day in gym class. It didn't matter how athletically gifted a person was, one does not come out of a year of constant bed rest in peak physical condition… unless of course, one had magical powers.

The more he observed her, the more she resembled the girl from his dream, and in observing her, the more details he was able to recall from the dream itself. The ruined cityscape, the horrific monster in the sky, and the determined look on Homura's face as she did battle with it. There was just no denying it anymore.

The moment the final bell rang, Sougo quickly put away his school materials, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he stood up and turned to his mysterious seat neighbor.

"Um, Akem…"

"Wait up, Akemi-san!" Sougo's approach was immediately cut off by a duo of girls, completely oblivious to his presence as they addressed Homura. "Would you like to walk home with us?" The first girl happily offered.

"We know this really nice tea shop that you've just got to try!" The second girl added, as if to sweeten the pot.

"Thank you for the offer, but I have some business I need to take of today, maybe next time." Homura politely refused, offering the girls a respectful bow before quickly making her way out of the classroom.

"Ah! W-Wait!" Sougo pleaded, making his way around the disappointed schoolgirls and into the hallway. "Please, I need to talk to…!" Sougo was cut of when he crashed into another student, sending them both tumbling to the ground along with the stack of printouts the other student was carrying.

"Ugh… Ah! I-I'm so sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going!" Sougo frantically apologized as he began helping the other student pick up the printouts.

He handed the heavy stack back to the student, and with a quick final word of apology, dashed down the hallway after the mysterious transfer student. He had lost track of her, and couldn't spot her even through the transparent walls of the classrooms. Thinking quickly, he rushed down to the front entrance, desperately trying to locate her in the sea of faces as the rest of the students all left for the day. Sougo was confident that he would be able to spot the girl in a crowd, and so when he failed to, he slumped over and let out a sigh of defeat.

"Oh well, she probably would've just called me a delusional freak anyway." He lamented, reflecting on just how ridiculous the whole situation must have seemed from the outside.

Disappointed, he made his way over to the bike rack, resigning himself to returning home without any answers.

If you seek answers, you will find them at the Mitakihara Shopping Center, after class is dismissed for the day.

Sougo suddenly recalled the advice given to him by the hooded stranger that morning.

"…Well, might as well give it a shot." Sougo decided, unlocking his bike, mounting it, and pedaling his way into the city, hoping against hope that he would truly find his answers there.

Little did he know the second half of the stranger's warning was currently watching him leave from afar.

Sougo checked the bookstore. Homura wasn't there.

Sougo checked a few popular clothing stores. Homura wasn't in any of them.

In his desperation, he even checked a lingerie shop, enduring the strange looks he received from customers and staff alike. But alas, he turned up empty handed.

"Well, that's what I get for listening to a complete stranger." Sougo lamented as he aimlessly traversed the mall.

With his frantic search yielding him no results, he began to wonder just why he was so desperate to find her in the first place. What was he even expecting, that Akemi Homura would actually turn out to be some kind of… Magical Girl? That she was tasked with fighting some terrible evil that Sougo was somehow having prophetic dreams about? His life wasn't an anime, and even if it were, he wouldn't have such an important role in it. In fact, if he recalled correctly, he ended up dying unceremoniously at the end of his dream, so really, what help could he have possibly been to her anyway, to anybody?"

"Maybe… maybe I was just looking for an excuse to talk to her?" That had to be it; after all she clearly didn't need his help fitting in at school. He was insignificant, just like he always was, and he was desperately clinging to the possibility of doing something meaningful.

With that depressing thought, Sougo let out a melancholic sigh.

"Oh well, guess I'll just grab a bite to eat at the food court and head home." He resigned, changing his course in the direction he remembered the food court to be in.

He paid little attention to his surroundings as he shuffled his feet forward, so it really shouldn't have been a surprise when he ended up bumping into someone, earning a cute little yelp from his unfortunate victim.

"Oh! Sorry, I wasn't… wait, Kaname-san?" Sougo immediately recognized the unique head of pink hair he had ran into, as well as the blue head of hair that held her steady, preventing her from taking a spill.

"Huh? Oh, you're… Nakazawa-kun from our class, right?" Madoka replied with a friendly smile.

"Hey yeah, you're that guy that sensei is always picking on in class!" Miki Sayaka, Madoka's close friend added, seemingly proud of herself for remembering the boy.

"Uh… yeah, that's me." Sougo said, awkwardly scratching the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "Oh, sorry about bumping into you, I was kind of spacing out." He quickly apologized with a polite bow.

"It's ok, it was my fault too for not paying attention either. I'm sorry." Madoka replied with an apologetic bow of her own.

"Guess we'll just call it even then." Sougo surmised, which Madoka seemed content with.

"I gotta say, I'm kind of surprised to see the teacher's pet loitering around the mall right after school. Better hope sensei doesn't find out." Sayaka teased, much to Sougo's surprise.

'Teacher's pet? Is that how people see me?' The only favoritism Saotome ever showed him was during her rants, but he supposed that favoritism of any kind would in fact make one a "teacher's pet".

"Uh, actually, I'm here looking for somebody." Sougo admitted, seeing a chance to revive his search. "Have either of you seen Akemi Homura around here?"

"Homura-chan?" Madoka said quizzically.

"The transfer student?" Sayaka added as she traded a pensive look with Madoka. "Nope, haven't seen her." She replied bluntly.

"Sorry." Madoka offered her sympathy, though it didn't do much to relieve Sougo of his disappointment.

"Oh… well, thanks anyway." He weakly offered about to continue on his way.

"Why are you looking for her anyway?" Sayaka inquired, grabbing Sougo's attention again.

"Uh… well…"

"Oh~ I get it. You're setting your sights on the new, beautiful transfer student, aren't you!?" Sayaka accused, flashing him a mischievous grin.

"Huh? …W-What!?" Sougo exclaimed, his face quickly turning a deep shade of red.

"Ehh, Really!? Nakazawa-kun, you like Homura-chan?" Madoka said with the bashful excitement of a schoolgirl when on the topic of romance.

"N-No! That's not what this is at all!" Sougo vehemently denied.

"Hmm~? Then why are you trying so hard to find her?" Sayaka interrogated with the smuggest of smug looks on her face

"Uh… well, I just… I need to… I didn't get a chance to…" Sougo stammered as he struggled to come up with an excuse that wouldn't make him sound like a delusional creep. He let out a defeated sigh when he couldn't think of one. "You know what, never mind. It's… kind of hard to explain."

"Try us. I mean, whatever it is, it can't be any weirder than what Madoka just told me about the transfer student." Sayaka casually assured him.

"Wah! Sayaka-chan, don't!" Madoka pleaded, clearly embarrassed by whatever secret she had shared with her friend.

"Kaname-san, do you know something about Akemi-san?" Sougo asked his curiosity piqued.

"N-No, not really. Its just…" Madoka paused, pondering if she should continue or not. "Promise you won't laugh?" Sougo nodded his head in agreement. "Well, you see, last night… I think I might have met her in a dream… or something."

Sougo's heart nearly skipped a beat, his eyes widening in absolute shock upon hearing the pinkette's uncertain claim.

"You see, sounds like something straight out of an anime, right?" Sayaka teased, much to Madoka's dismay.

"What… what kind of a dream was it?" Sougo questioned, his desperation clear in his voice.

"Huh? Um… honestly, I can't really remember it very well, but I do know it was a really strange dream, and also… kind of scary." Madoka hesitantly replied, but it was enough for Sougo.

"Like a monster attacking a city, downtown Mitakihara to be exact?" Sougo thoughtlessly blurted out, but was rewarded by Madoka meeting his gaze with a surprised look of her own.

"Y-Yes, actually." Madoka confirmed. "Homura-chan was there too; she was wearing this strange, but also kind of cute costume. And she had this… um…"

"A shield, on her left arm, right?"

"Yes! That's exactly right! She was flying around, and the monster was shooting fire or something at her, but…"

"She couldn't dodge them all, and she ended up getting knocked back into… um…"

"A tree!?"

"YES! A TREE!"

"Uh… am I missing something here?" Sayaka interrupted, reminding them of her presence.

"Nakazawa-kun, how do you know so much about my dream?" Madoka asked, her own desperation for answers shining through.

"Because… that's the same dream I had last night." Sougo revealed, stunning his two classmates silent.

CRASH

The moment of revelation was cut short when the glass roof directly above them was suddenly smashed through, the offending object descending upon.

"Look out!" Sougo cried as he tackled his classmates out of the way, the falling object landing right where the three of them had been standing and showered with countless shards of broken glass.

Sougo rolled off of Madoka and Sayaka, the three of them getting a good look at their assailant. Their eyes widened in absolute shock and disbelief as towering over them was a giant, humanoid robot, bright red with yellow and black accents, the word "robo" written in flashing yellow hiragana letters (ろぼ) down its torso.

However… you must remain cautious of the red robot.

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Sougo whimpered.

The rest of the mall's patrons all fled in a panic the moment the machine landed, but the robot paid them absolutely no mind, its oddly shaped yellow visor locked on the three cowering middle schoolers before it.

"I've finally got you… Oma Zi-O!" A voice echoed from a speaker on the robot before it lifted its foot and attempted to crush Sougo.

The boy quickly rolled to the side to avoid being stepped on. He scrambled to his feet and ran in an arbitrary direction, so long as it was away from the killer robot. Unfortunately, the mechanized monstrosity wasn't about to let him go that easily, taking to the air with a set of jet boosters on its feet and cutting off his escape route, shaking the ground as it landed. The robot reached down with its black, mechanical hand, Sougo ducking under the appendage and turning to run in the other direction. Unfortunately, the boy tripped over a discarded shopping bag, giving the robot the perfect opportunity to take him within its grasp… only to get blasted in the face with a pressurized white mist.

"Nakazawa, this way!" Sayaka called to him, currently in the process of dowsing the robot with a fire extinguisher.

She stood before the entrance to one of the largest department stores in the shopping center, so Sougo picked himself up and rushed inside, Sayaka following suit after throwing the bright red tank at the blinded machine.

"Are you two ok?" Madoka asked, already inside and waiting for them.

"Yeah… more or less." Sougo replied, taking a moment to catch his breath. "Thanks for the save, Miki-san."

"Don't mention it, just doing my duty." Sayaka playfully dismissed, offering him a wink and a thumbs up.

It was then that they heard the loud footfalls of the robot approaching. The three students looked to the entrance to find the large, mechanical figure trying and failing to finagle its way into the comparatively small entrance.

"Ha! Can't fit your big, metal butt through there, can you!" Sayaka taunted, sticking her tongue out at the oversized assailant.

A low growl came from the robot's speaker as it pulled away and stood up straight. A moment later, the ramp on its torso popped open and out jumped the pilot; a figure wearing what seemed to be a bright red power suit with a black strap running down its torso and a helmet that featured the same yellow visor present on the robot it was piloting. Around its waist was a white device with two identical black slots on either side, the right hand slot currently occupied by a round gadget that depicted the pilot's helmet, and across its screen was the number 2068 in bright yellow.

"Uh oh…" Sayaka said, all of her bravado vanishing as she took a reflexive step back.

"Come on, this way!" Sougo exclaimed as he grabbed Madoka and Sayaka by the wrists and guided them further into the store.

The Red Pilot gave chase, a task that proved more difficult than expected, as he constantly needed to shove other fleeing patrons out of the way. This allowed the three students to slip down an escalator to another floor without being noticed by their pursuer. Eventually, the trio managed to find an emergency exit, spilling out into a parking lot where other patrons were frantically trying to get to their cars.

"Did we lose him?" Sayaka asked as she tried to catch her breath.

"Yeah… for now at least." Sougo replied.

"W-What do we do now. Go to the police?" Madoka suggested.

"And what exactly are the police gonna do about a crazy super soldier with a giant robot!?" Sayaka rebuked in a panic. "Speaking of which, why is a super soldier with a giant robot chasing you around, Nakazawa!?"

"I don't know! You're guess is as good as mine!" Sougo replied, unable to fathom a reason for anyone to be out for his life. "For now, let's just get away from the mall before it figures out where we are."

"No arguments here." Sayaka complied. "The bus stop is this way, come on!"

CRASH

Just as the group were making a break for the bus stop, the red robot crashed through the almost entirely glass wall of the shopping center, cutting off their escape root.

"Didn't think you could get away that easily, did you?" The pilot spoke through the speakers as he hovered over the trio.

Sougo immediately stepped forward and shielded Madoka and Sayaka behind him, bracing himself to be crushed or taken or whatever horrid fate his pursuer had in mind as he began to descend on them.

"Time Mazine!" However, before the mecha could even land, a second, equally large machine flew overhead and crashed into the red robot, sending it flying back and crashing on its back onto the ground.

"Huh? What now!?" Sougo exclaimed as he looked up at the new machine, the "Time Mazine" apparently, as it landed beside them.

Unlike the robot, the Time Mazine seemed to be a vehicle of some kind, with a silver body with black and pink accents. Its underside had the word "robo" written in green katakana letters (ロボ) that flashed as the ramp descended.

"Please enter." A voice Sougo recognized requested through a speaker.

The three students traded apprehensive looks with each other, but a single glance back at the recovering red robot convinced them to quickly file into the vehicle. The cockpit didn't seem designed to carry passengers, but was spacious enough to fit all three of them. On the walls of either side were large, futuristic mechanisms that presumably provided the vehicle with movement, and standing as the pilot, grasping two wall mounted controls, was the mysterious, hooded stranger Sougo had encountered earlier that day.

"Hey, you're…!"

"My apologies, but introductions will have to wait." The stranger said as the cockpit closed shut and a holographic screen appeared before him. He slid his finger across the screen, which originally displayed the date, 2018 A.D., scrolling through multiple other numeric values before deciding on one. "Space-Time transport system activate." He announced as he pulled back on the controls, lifting the Time Mazine off the ground. "I suggest you all hold on to something."

With that warning, the Time Mazine flew up into the sky and into a portal that suddenly appeared overhead. The Red Pilot could only watch as the other vehicle disappeared from view, letting out an angry growl as he made his robot pound its fist on the ground in frustration.

Just how many times has Akemi Homura ended the life of the miserable little parasite? Dozens, maybe even hundreds of times? She didn't really bother to keep count at this point, but it certainly never got old. There she stood, hand outstretched with a smoking gun in her hand, the bullet she had fried imploding the head of the little abomination, leaving its cat like body to lay lifeless on the ground. Unfortunately, it was never that easy, as her sharp ears picked up the soft footfalls of a nearly identical creature fleeing through the dimly lit indoor bicycle lot where she had cornered its previous incarnation.

"Slippery little demon." Homura cursed under her breath as she reloaded her weapon and open fired.

The creature skittered from side to side, narrowly avoiding the bullets as they whizzed passed in flashes of purple light. It evaded five shots before the sixth made a direct hit, knocking it off its feet for only a moment before it quickly regained its composure and kept fleeing, eventually turning a corner and leaving her line of sight.

"Oh no you don't." Homura said as she gave chase. She turned the corner and aimed her pistol, noticing the subtle movement of a loose floor tile and catching a quick glimpse of her prey's long, bushy tail moving into the crawl space between floors.

"Damn it!" She cursed, storing her weapon back into a silver shield on her left arm and making a mad sprint down the hallway. She knew exactly where the injured creature would end up, and she also knew there was an 86% chance that she would be there waiting for it, lured in by its cries for help.

"No! Not this time! I won't let you have her!" She declared, desperately following the path that she now knew by heart.

To anybody else, the floorboards she had stopped at would have gone totally unnoticed, but Homura knew better as she raised her foot and kicked through them, forcing them loose and falling onto the next floor below. Homura took a deep breath, taking a moment to mask her desperation and concern behind a stoic mask, before leaping down to the currently abandoned floor of the Mitakihara Shopping Center below. However, where she expected to see a head of bright pink hair and a pair of matching eyes looking up at her with surprise and fear, she only saw her quarry, breathing pained and shallow breathes as it laid curled up on the floor, injured and unable to continue running.

Homura let out a breath she didn't even know she was holding, reminding herself that 86% was far from absolute certainty, and she had found herself in the 14% of iterations where Kaname Madoka managed to be somewhere else at this crucial moment.

'Good… I've bought myself some more time.' But not enough time, she didn't bother to think. It was never going to be enough time; unlike those horrid creatures, she couldn't be in multiple places at once, and sooner or later they would find a way to make contact with Madoka, and…

Homura shook her head, banishing those thoughts from her mind. She knew all of these unfortunate truths already, and dwelling on them would do her no good, for now, she still had a job to finish. Her stoic face returned to her as she stepped her foot on the injured creature and pulled out her pistol, pointing the barrel straight at its head and executing the creature in cold blood.

"Alright, that should keep you down for a while." She asserted as she stowed away her weapon, no longer needing it.

Or so she thought, but she was proven wrong when the world around her suddenly began to shift and change. She could feel the dreadful magic flowing around her as the abandoned mall floor was slowly transformed into a literal collage of paper craft scenery. Within the chaos of her shifting surroundings, three motifs persisted: Paris, butterflies, and roses.

She knew it immediately; she was in Gertrude's Labyrinth.

"Damn it, I let my guard down." She chastised herself before rushing off in an arbitrary direction.

Witch's Labyrinths always introduced an element of chaos in Homura's mission. No two were alike, even when they ended up appearing in the exact same place at the exact same time as a previous iteration. They were pure randomness, as chaotic as the myriad of emotions felt by the ones who spawned them, and Homura could never hope to consistently predict them. And so, there would be no relying on her foreknowledge here, if she wanted to escape alive, she would need to search for the exit.

Unfortunately, her attempt to traverse the psychedelic landscape was for naught, as a strange figure suddenly appeared to bar her path. The figure just vaguely resembled a flower, the stem that formed the bulk of its body growing out of a monarch butterfly that acted as its legs. Two other stems that served as arms and legs grew out of its rotund head; a mass of cotton white fluff whose only facial feature was a neatly trimmed mustache.

"Das sind mir unbekannte Blumen…"

"Ja. Sie sind mir auch unbekannt…"

The call and response came from a multitude of the same creature, surrounding her, as they seemed to be manipulating black sheers and thorny vines in preparation to attack her.

"Schneiden wir sie ab?"

"Ja. Schneiden wir sie ab!"

However, the young girl remained calm, not at all fazed by the creatures' distorted chanting. She raised her shield before her, commanding the mechanisms within to turn, click, and mesh together, rotating the circular panel 90 degrees clockwise. As soon as the shield clicked into its new configuration, Homura blinked out of existence, instantly reappearing outside of the circle of enemies with her shield rotated back into its original place. At the very same moment, the creatures all exploded in a flash of purple light, their lives ending in an instant before they could even realize what had happened.

'Now, to find the exit, before I run into…'

"Well, with that display, I suppose you're the reason there haven't been as many Witches around town lately."

Homura's thoughts were disturbed by a polite, yet condescending voice from behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw another girl, just slightly older than herself, with long blond hair styled into two swirling pigtails, held together by two flower shaped hair clips. The girl wore an even flashier outfit than Homura herself, denoting her as a fellow Magical Girl. She stood on a raised platform, giving her the high ground against Homura should things come to blows, but as if to assure that such was not her intent, she leapt off of the platform and landed gracefully across the room from her.

"…Is that a problem?" Homura tentatively questioned, keeping her voice as neutral as she could.

"Less Witches means less innocents in danger, so in that regard it isn't a problem at all." The girl replied. "Unless, of course, you wish to make it a problem." Her voice remained polite and civil as she spoke, offering no hostility, but the underlying distrust was clear.

However, before Homura could formulate a reply, a new wave of those creatures surrounded them, mumbling again in that incoherent language.

"However, I suppose that discussion can wait until after we deal with this Witch. Is that agreeable?" The girl inquired, but Homura knew better. This was the discussion, or at least the beginnings of one. She was trying to see if Homura was apposed to fighting alongside another Magical Girl, a prospect that most of their kind would not be so easily accepting of.

Ordinarily, Homura would have refused, after all the veteran Magical Girl did not need her assistance for this particular Witch, and time spent fighting it was time wasted in regards to her mission. However, if she built up a rapport with her now, she may prove to be less of an obstacle later on; and quite the obstacle she was.

"…It is." Homura replied simply, an almost relieved smile crossing the other girl's lips.

The two Magical Girls came together, standing back to back against the wave of enemies. The veteran summoned four white rifled muskets, while Homura produced a sub-machine gun from her shield.

"My name is Tomoe Mami, by the way."

"…Akemi Homura."

And with that, the two open fired.

"WHOA~!" The three classmates all exclaimed as they tried to steady themselves within the cockpit.

Before they knew it, they were traveling through a florescent blue vortex, hexagonal in shape with what seemed to be glowing blue circuitry lining the walls. Sougo and his classmates held on to whatever they could get a solid grip on for dear life, while the hooded stranger calmly adjusted their flight patter every so often against the turbulence of the vortex. Eventually, another portal opened on the sidewall of the tunnel, the hooded stranger turning the Time Mazine and passing through it, immediately freeing them from the turbulence, much to the teens' relief.

"Oh thank god it's over…" Sougo sighed, he and the girls slumping onto the floor. "Kaname-san, Miki-san, are you ok?"

"Ugh… define ok." Sayaka mumbled, needing to hold her head in order to keep it steady.

"I'm dizzy…" Madoka whimpered, resting her head on Sayaka's shoulder.

"I apologize for the unpleasant voyage, but we were in a rush." The hooded stranger politely spoke as he brought them in for a landing. "Fortunately, we should be safe here for the time being."

"And where exactly is "here"?" Sougo inquired, not recognizing the glimpse of the scenery he caught from the holographic screen.

"See for yourselves." The hooded figure replied with a coy smile, hitting a button on the screen to lower the ramp.

In came the sounds of chirping birds and other animal calls that none of them recognized, telling them that they were somewhere in the wilderness. The three students traded apprehensive looks before slowly standing and stepping out of the cockpit. They were immediately hit by a wave of heat and humidity like none they have ever experienced in their short lives, the layers of their fall uniforms just adding to the discomfort they felt. However, they managed to distract themselves with the gorgeous scenery around them, finding themselves in a green valley surrounded by tropical wilderness, the steaming head of a volcano popping out over the canopy in the distance.

"He took us all the way the freaking rainforest!" Sayaka shouted incredulously.

"Well, at least that red guy won't be able to follow us all the way out here… probably." Sougo weakly asserted.

"Thank goodness." Madoka sighed with relief. However, that sigh would turn into a shocked gasped as she turned her gaze in the opposite direction the others were facing. "…S-S-Sayaka-chan, Nakazawa-kun, l-l-look…!" She stammered, pulling on Sayaka's sleeve to get her attention.

"Hm? What's up Mado…?" She trailed off, eyes widening and jaw dropping as she saw what it was Madoka saw.

Sougo then turned to look as well, and had much the same reaction, as grazing down by a nearby lake, completely unaware of their presence, was a herd of quadrupedal animals with scaly grey skin and three horns sticking out of their faces.

"…DINOSAURS!?" All three exclaimed in utter disbelief.

"Indeed, a herd of triceratops prorsus if I am not mistaken." The hooded stranger informed them as he suddenly appeared by their side. "We currently stand on the land that will one day become the North American state of Colorado, in the year 66,810,000 B.C." He casually explained the Earth shattering revelation to the already shell-shocked teens.

"But… But… But how!? Who are you?" Sougo demanded.

"Please forgive my late introduction." The stranger said as he lowered his hood, revealing himself to be an adult man in his early twenties, his long black hair swept to the right side of his face. "You may call me Woz. It is truly an honor and a privilege to be able to become acquainted with you in your youth, my Lord." The man called Woz declared as he kneeled before Sougo, bowing his head and placing his arm across his chest in reverence to the increasingly baffled young man.

Sougo looked over his shoulder, as if expecting some regal figure standing behind him to be the true object of the strange man's reverence. However, all he saw were dense jungle and his classmates looking to him with their own shocked expressions.

"Uh… are you talking to me?" Sougo awkwardly inquired.

"But of course, but I suppose I understand your confusion. Please, allow me to explain." Woz insisted as he stood back up. "I hail from Mitakihara City of the year 2068, approximately 50 years beyond your present day."

"So, you're from the future?" Madoka reiterated.

"Well, guess that explains the time machine." Sayaka said, looking up at the aptly named Time Mazine.

"Indeed, such wonders are commonplace in my era, and it is all thanks to your guiding hand." Woz continued, gesturing to the Time Mazine and then to the young boy. "For you see, within but a year's time, you, Nakazawa Sougo, shall take your rightful place as the one true king of this world!" He reverently declared earning astonished gasps from Madoka and Sayaka.

"Ehh!? Nakazawa-kun is going to be a king in the future!?" Madoka said in disbelief.

"No way! Have we been going to class with the long lost heir of some foreign kingdom or something!?" Sayaka wildly speculated, and yet it was somehow the least crazy thing that has been said all day.

"What nonsense do you speak? My Lord has no need for such artificial rights of succession." Woz bitterly denied. "He shall ascend to the throne by his own merit alone, just as it is written in this book." He declared as he pulled out the same book he was carrying at the school.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, just hold on a second here!" Sougo waved his arms, earning him everyone's attention. "Uh… are you sure you've got the right guy here?" He asked, clearly dubious that he could possibly have such a grand destiny.

"But of course, I am not one so foolish as to mistake another for the lord that I have sworn fealty towards." Woz replied without an ounce of doubt. "That watch in your hand is proof enough of your identity."

"Watch?" Sougo looked down to his hand and gasped in surprise, as within his grasp was the very same broken watch he had discarded that morning. "You again!?" Woz smiled knowingly as he unhooked the strap on his book, titled the "Oma Advent Calendar", and read aloud.

"According to this book, this "Ridewatch" shall grant you incredible power, with which you shall usher in an unprecedented era of peace and prosperity, and reign over the Earth as the Ruler of Time: Oma Zi-O!" Woz prophesized. The watch then emitted a brief flash of light, as if to agree with the claim.

"But… But I can't be a king!" Sougo frantically denied. "I-I've never even been class representative before! How am I supposed to govern all of humanity!?"

"Yeah, something tells me Saotome-sensei's lectures aren't gonna help you much in that department." Sayaka playfully agreed, though Sougo didn't deny the point.

"…Well, I think you'd make a pretty good king." Madoka spoke up, earning quizzical gazes from her classmates.

"You do?" Sougo said, the pinkette nodding her head with a smile. "But… why?" Sougo honestly asked. He himself couldn't think of anything that could possibly qualify him to be king of anything. So what could possibly make Madoka, a classmate he didn't even know very well, think otherwise.

"Well, back in the parking lot, when the robot found us, you tried to protect me and Sayaka-chan, even though you knew that you were the one it was after." Madoka explained, Sougo recalling that he had indeed attempted shield his classmates from danger.

"Oh, that? I just didn't want you two to get hurt just because you decided to help me, anyone would have done it." He dismissed, but Madoka shook her head in response.

"Mama once told me that to be a good leader, you have to put the needs of those that are depending on you before your own. She says that that's the hardest part of the job, and you did it without even thinking about it. That's why, if you try really hard, I'm sure you could become a great king someday!" Madoka declared with a bright, encouraging smile.

Sougo was speechless, unable to comprehend how someone who had only really known him a day could have so much faith in him. It almost made him feel like he actually could become king… almost.

"Very well said, as expected of his Majesty's bride-to-be." Woz praised offering Madoka a similarly respectful bow as he had offered Sougo.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"WHHAAAAAATT!?" The three students all exclaimed at the most shocking bombshell of them all.

"B-B-B-Bride…?" Madoka stuttered as her cheeks went bright red.

"I didn't even know you two were dating!" Sayaka confessed in utter astonishment.

"We're not! We're not!" Sougo and Madoka quickly denied in a flustered panic.

"Oh, but you shall." Woz assured, standing from his kneeled position. "In the coming months, you two shall fall madly in love, and when the time comes for my Lord to take his place on the throne, it will be you, Kaname Madoka, that shall sit by his side as queen." He theatrically prophesized, failing to notice the two teens in question turning redder and redder with each word he said.

"But… but I've never even gotten a love letter before… my heart just isn't ready for this…" Madoka muttered to herself, fidgeting nervously with her fingers.

Sougo would have similarly fretted to himself about this predestined matrimony, were his attention not stolen by a glob of what he could only describe as saliva falling on his shoulder. He looked up at the source of the drool, freezing in fear as he came face to face with the toothy maw of the Tyrannosaurus Rex. The beast let out an ear splitting roar, finally alerting the others to its presence, to which he and his classmates all began screaming their heads off.

"Well then, it seems we have over stayed our welcome." Woz casually remarked as he took hold of the end of his scarf and threw it towards the students.

The grey fabric mysteriously extended, wrapping all four of them from head to toe just as the dinosaur leaned down to take a bite out of them. When the swirling fabric receded, the three teens were shocked to find themselves back in the cockpit of the Time Mazine, the hatch immediately closing shut as Woz took to the controls. Without a moment to spare, Woz lifted the Time Mazine into the air and flew them over the hostile predator, a portal opening overhead and allowing them back into the timestream.

"I am setting a course back to 2018. I will try my hardest to make this return trip less turbulent than the last." Woz assured, focusing on keeping the Time Mazine steady as it traveled through time.

As the adrenaline wore off from their prehistoric encounter, an awkward silence befell the cockpit. Sayaka was the first to notice, watching as her Madoka and her apparent future husband did everything in their power not to look in each other's direction, Madoka opting to stare at her twiddling hands while Sougo was suddenly entranced by the mechanisms on the wall.

"…Hey, by the way, what was up with that red guy that was going after Nakazawa?" Sayaka said curiously, partially in an effort to break the silence.

"Ah, yes, I suppose that does warrant an explanation." Woz replied, Sougo and Madoka perking up to listen. "You see, he is…"

CRASH

"…As stubborn as ever it would seem."

The three classmates yelped in surprise as the entire cockpit shook, the three of them stumbling to keep their balance as the monitor on the back wall flashed red with a warning screen. The image then changed to a feed from outside of the Time Mazine, revealing a nearly identical vehicle cruising next to them, only with a familiar red, yellow, and black color scheme.

"Oh come on! He can time travel too!?" Sayaka cried in frustration.

"I'm afraid so." Woz lamented as he continued to man the controls.

On the monitor, the red Time Mazine pulled away in preparation to ram them again, but Woz predicted the maneuver and performed a barrel roll in order to avoid it. Unfortunately, the red Time Mazine was quick to react, immediately swinging back around and ramming them against the wall of the timestream, the force of which knocking the teens off their feet. Woz attempted to steady their Time Mazine, only for one of the front thrusters of the red Time Mazine to transform into an arm and push them against the wall, sparks flying off of the outer haul.

Eventually, the force became too great for the unstable quantum walls to endure, and the Time Mazine was forced out of the timestream into an unknown place and time. Woz attempted to steady their course, but unfortunately the momentum from their forced exit was too great, the Time Mazine colliding full force into what appeared to be a large stone wall. The collision jostled everyone in the cockpit, Sayaka falling over as she tried to stand and catching herself on Woz's holographic display.

"You fool, don't touch that!" Woz reprimanded as he struggled to maintain control of the ship. A red warning light flashed as the hatch was forced open, sending Madoka and Sougo, who had the unfortunate luck of being knocked against it, falling out of the cockpit as Woz just barely managed to prevent a crash landing.

"Madoka! Nakazawa!" Sayaka cried as she helplessly watched her classmates be spat out of the Time Mazine, Woz unable to regain control of the craft to aid them.

Both teens screamed in terror as they fell out of the cockpit. Sougo was the first one out, allowing him the chance to catch Madoka in the air and brace for impact. Fortunately, the fall wasn't terribly high, but Sougo still felt the impact as he landed flat on his back on the hard, concrete floor, fortunately protecting his more fragile classmate from the brunt of the damage. Madoka let out a pained breath as she sat up, opening her eyes to the sight of Sougo's own pained expression.

"Ah, Nakazawa-kun, are you o…kay…" Madoka paused as she suddenly realized the suggestive position they were in, her face going beet red as she frantically scrambled off of the boy. "W-WAH~! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to… that was… I… a-are you ok?" Her frantic denials petered out into a concerned whimper as she sat formally on her knees a good five feet away from him.

"Ugh… yeah, I'm fine… though I'm definitely going to be feeling that in the morning." Sougo replied, wincing as a sat up. Madoka quickly rid herself of her embarrassment and trotted up to him, offering Sougo a hand to help him stand, which he gratefully accepted. "Thanks. Are you ok?"

"Yes, thank you very much." Madoka replied with a grateful bow. "But… where are we?"

Madoka and Sougo took a moment to examine their surroundings. From what they could tell they were in some kind of construction sight, rusted girders that would make up the frame of a building pieced together all around them. They both shivered as they realized just how cold it was, a soft snowfall falling over them. However, what really caught their attention was the towering stone wall, possibly hundreds of feet tall, that ran as far and the eye could see in either direction.

"W-What is that?" Madoka whimpered as she stared up at the amazing structure.

"I don't know… something from the future?" Sougo suggested. Considering that they had just been riding in a time machine, and the rest of their surroundings seemed fairly modern, it was probably safe to assume that they were somewhere in the near future… right?

Before they could ponder on their exact whereabouts any further, their attention was stolen by the sound of inhuman grunting. They looked around for the source and quickly found it in the form of an entirely black creature, heavily armored with oversized fists, charging towards them. Sougo immediately grabbed Madoka by the wrist and the two ran in the opposite direction.

"What is that? A monster?" Madoka inquired as they fled.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know, just run!" Sougo urged as he guided them into a nearby warehouse, the monster steadily closing in.

"Heads up!"

"Vortex Finish!"

"Dragonic Finish!"

Suddenly, in a brilliant flash of red and blue, two armored figures flew in seemingly out of nowhere and collided with the monster with a pair of flying side kicks. The creature noticed at the very last moment and attempted to brace for the impact, but the raw power of the simultaneous kicks was just too much for it, the monster exploding in a colorful flash of energy, the resulting shockwave knocking the nearby Sougo and Madoka off their feet.

"Are you two alright?" One of the armored figures said as he rushed to their side.

"Hey, you guys are still alive, right!?" The second armored figure asked more frantically, following his companion close behind.

"Yeah, we're fine, thank to you guys." Sougo said as one of the armored figures offered him a hand up, the other aiding Madoka.

One of their saviors was clad in asymmetric red and blue armor over a black body suit, each color alternating which side of the body it appeared on from head, to arms, to legs. The red visor over his left eye was in the shape of a rabbit's face, while the blue visor over his right eye was in the shape of what seemed to be a tank. His companion was equipped with an identical black body suit under navy blue armor adorned with golden flame designs and white spines across the arms and shoulders. His blue eye visors appeared to be two closed maws of jagged teeth, and on his forehead was a golden crest in the shape of a dragon's face. They both wore identical belts with hand cranks on the right hand side. The red and blue hero had, unsurprisingly, what seemed to be a pair of red and blue bottles equipped in the slots on the left hand side of the device, while the blue and gold hero had a completely different apparatus slotted into his.

"That was amazing!" Madoka gushed, the red and blue hero standing just a little bit taller at the praise. "Are you two from the future as well?"

"This guy's Kamen Rider Build." The blue and gold hero casually pointed a thumb at his companion, the red and blue hero sending him a quick gaze at the lackluster introduction.

Regardless, he removed the two bottles from their respective slots on his belt, his suit fading away into a mist of red and blue particles. The man underneath appeared to be in his early twenties, with short, dark hair neatly combed in a simple, but presentable style. He wore a beige overcoat to protect him from the cold, and underneath he wore a black and white baggy shirt for comfort.

"Kiryu Sento." He introduced himself. "And this guy here is my assistant…"

"Who're you calling assistant!?" The blue and gold hero irritably denied. "Kamen Rider Cross-Z. The name's Banjou Ryuga." He introduced himself as he pulled his own apparatus out of his belt.

Ryuga was a man of similar age to Sento, his hair died a brownish orange color and left stylistically unkempt unlike his companion. He wore a blue letterman jacket over a red shirt, with an additional red and black plaid shirt tied around his waist.

"Kamen…"

"…Rider?" Sougo and Madoka repeated the unfamiliar title, trading a quizzical glance with each other. "…Uh, this is gonna sound like a weird question, but do either of you know the exact date?"

"The date? Today is November 30th, 2017." Sento answered with the full and correct date.

"20…"

"…17?" Madoka and Sougo looked passed Sento and Ryuga at the mysterious wall outside.

"…WE'RE IN THE PAST!?"

- 2018 A.D. -

"Tiro Finale!" Tomoe Mami shouted dramatically as she shot a massive blast of yellow energy out of a giant hand cannon she had magically produced.

Her target was an absolutely horrendous creature, made from the same paper craft matter that the rest of the Witch's Labyrinth was comprised of. Its head was a drooping hedge of bright red roses, while its body was an incomprehensible mass of blood stained skin, a pair of butterfly wings sprouting out from its poorly defined back.

Gertrud, The Rose Garden Witch

Once Homura and Mami had managed to reach the center of the Labyrinth, where the Witch resided, they were easily able to corner it with their gunfire, allowing Mami to restrict the creature with her ribbons and hold it in place for the finishing blow. Homura almost rolled her eyes, the creature may have looked helpless, but it hadn't been worn down enough for a single, powerful blast to finish it off just yet. Under any other circumstances, Tomoe Mami would have been aware of this, but Homura could only guess that at the moment she was more focused on finishing the fight as quickly as possible, perhaps to prove just how effective the two of them were as a team.

Well, she wasn't exactly incorrect.

With a click of her shield, two grenades and a pipe bomb suddenly blinked into existence around the restrained Witch, detonating the moment Mami's finishing blow made contact. The two girls didn't even flinch at the force of the massive explosion, allowing their hair to be blown back dramatically as the shockwave traveled across the battlefield in seconds. When the dust settled, all that was left of the Witch was a small black orb lined with thorns of faded silver, precariously balancing itself on a long spike jutting out from the bottom; a Grief Seed.

Moments later, the surreal back drop of the Witch's Labyrinth faded away, leaving them once again in the dark, abandoned floor of the Mitakihara Shopping Center, the Grief Seed the only trace of the Witch left. With the danger passed, Homura and Mami returned to their civilian forms, their costumes transforming into the identical uniforms of Mitakihara Middle School.

"Well, you and I certainly made quick work of that Witch. We make a rather effective team, Akemi-san." Mami said as she picked up the Grief Seed off the floor.

"…The Grief Seed." Homura hesitantly replied, or at least that's how she made it seem.

"You used up magical energy didn't you? And it is the fruit of both of our efforts, so it's only fair that we share it, wouldn't you agree?" Mami insisted, holding her hand out with the Greif Seed in it in offering.

This was it, the olive branch, the moment that would mark Homura as friend or foe in Tomoe Mami's eyes. Most wouldn't be so willing to share the spoils of a successful Witch-hunt, and so splitting a Grief Seed was the ultimate gesture of kindness and solidarity between Magical Girls. It wasn't too be taken lightly, whether one was offering or receiving.

In all honesty, there were many reasons for Homura to refuse. For one thing, she hadn't even used up that much magical energy, certainly not as much as she would have fighting alone, so she wasn't exactly in dire need of restoration. Not to mention that she already had a Grief Seed left from previous Witch-hunts, so even if she did need one, she could just use her own. Really, the only reason to accept was the possibility of an alliance, but even that wasn't logistically advantageous since they were both competent enough that they could eliminated more Witches by working separately. And those were just the reasons to refuse if Homura's goal was just to kill Witches and collect Grief Seeds, which, at the best of times, was all that the veteran Magical Girl was really good for.

However, there was one little wrinkle in the equation that worked in favor of accepting the symbolic gesture of camaraderie: the Incubator. Tomoe Mami trusted the little white parasite implicitly, and once it reared its ugly head again, it will surely inform her of Homura's attempts on its life. It was only a matter of time before the accusation was made, and if Homura refused the Grief Seed here, Mami would turn on her the moment her intentions were cast into doubt. She would openly antagonize her from that point forward, and if they were to clash in front of her…

"…Yes, I suppose it is." Homura finally answered, Tomoe Mami's face lighting up for a moment before quickly regaining her composure.

Homura and Mami both presented their Soul Gems, little egg shaped crystals encased in a golden stand that granted them their magic. Homura's Soul Gem glowed with a purple light, while Mami's was yellow in color, but both had just a bit of subtle shadows peaking out of the edges of the vibrant crystals. They held the Soul Gems up towards the Grief Seed, and once they got close enough, the shadows that dirtied the crystals leapt off and were absorbed by the black orb, both Soul Gems having their bright luster restored in full.

"Well, would you look at that, I think this Grief Seed might just have a third use left in it." Mami observed with a pleasant surprise.

"I see. Well, I supposed that's to be expected, since there wasn't much corruption to be cleaned anyway." Homura replied with the logical reasoning.

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Mami agreed with a light-hearted smile. "…By the way, Akemi-san, are you busy right now?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I am." Homura quickly shot down the approaching invitation, catching Mami off guard. "Today was my first day at a new school, and I would like to go over today's notes to prepare myself for tomorrow's lessons."

"Oh! I see, so you're the new transfer student the second years have been so excited about." Mami deduced with an amused, and somewhat relieved smile. "In that case, I won't keep you then. I'm a third year student at your school by the way. I'm in Class 3B, feel free to come find me if you have any questions." She offered with an inviting smile that made Homura's stomach churn.

"…I will keep that in mind." Homura replied indifferently, though it seemed to be enough for Mami.

Homura was well aware of how cruel she was being; dangling a friendship before the lonely Magical Girl that she had no intention of actually giving her, but it was necessary, lest she become a liability to her cause. Yes, Homura only needed two things from Tomoe Mami: to not actively antagonize her, and to survive.

Friendship was out of the question.

"Well, I'll be on my way… then…" Mami trailed off, much to Homura's curiosity. Suddenly, Mami's friendly demeanor became much more guarded, her gaze pointed over Homura's shoulder.

It was then that Homura finally noticed the sound of heavy footfalls behind her and turned on her heel to see just what it was that approached. She expected a number of things, a rouge Witch's Familiar, another Magical Girl, a curious civilian, and of course, her. Whatever she was expecting, it certainly wasn't what she got, as approaching them was a grotesque, humanoid creature, clad in armor made from an asymmetrically colored red and blue carapace, each color alternating which side of the body it appeared on from head, to arms, to legs. The creature's mouth had no lower lip, revealing a row of monstrous teeth with two long and sharp fangs extending over the top lip, and over its eyes were a pair of red and blue visors that were shaped just vaguely like a rabbit and a tank.

"What is that?" Mami asked, wielding her Soul Gem in preparation for combat.

"I… I don't know." Homura regretfully, shockingly, admitted, just as much to herself as to her fellow Magical Girl. In all of her experience, Homura had never come across a creature such as this before. Neither Witch nor Familiar, the only identification it had was the big black letters branded on the red part of its chest armor, spelling out the word "BUILD".

While the girls gawked, the monster pulled out a bloated bottle with a black spider web like design all across its transparent surface. Within the bottle, there was what seemed to be a green crystal cut into the shape of a four-leaf clover. With a flick of its thumb, the bottle's cap was turned open, the monster opening its grotesque mouth and swallowing the bottle whole.

"Candy! Chemical! Best Match!" It announced as it turned the crank, the blue bottle on the belt turning green while the red bottle turned white. The monster let out a determined growl as it charged forward, attacking the two Magical Girls.

- 2017 A.D. -

"Here, this'll warm you guys up." Banjou Ryuga said as he set a pair of teacups filled with coffee, as well as a carton of milk, in front of the shivering teens.

"Thanks." Sougo said.

"Thank you very much." Madoka added.

After listening to the their claims of being from the future, Sento and Ryuga brought them back to their base of operations, a quaint little coffee shop by the name of Caffé Nascita. Upon arrival, they were offered blankets and a warm drink, while Sento retreated to his… refrigerator to examine the Ridewatch Sougo had brought with him. Madoka was quick to poor the milk they were provided into her coffee, pausing as she caught a glimpse of the expiration date printed on the top fold: December 10, 2017.

"Look, it really is 2017." Madoka whispered to Sougo, presenting the label to him.

"Yeah, you're right. But then… what's up with that weird wall?" Sougo questioned, Madoka only able to offer a quizzical shrug and shake of her head.

Before they could ponder the historical inconsistency any further, Sento emerged from the kitchen refrigerator, the duo quickly standing at attention as he approached them.

"Well, I've examined it, and from what I can tell, this device of yours doesn't use any technology currently available that I know of." Sento relayed his findings to the group. "…You two really are from the future." He said with an awestruck gaze as he handed the Ridewatch back to Sougo.

"Well, yeah, but don't get too excited, we're only from one year in the future." Sougo humbly professed.

"More like half a year, actually." Madoka further corrected.

"Geez, you say it like traveling through time's no a big deal." Ryuga said, leaning back on a table with an incredulous look on his face.

"I mean, it is a big deal, obviously it is, but, like, the guy that brought here is from fifty years in the future!" Sougo recounted as he sat at the bar of the coffee shop, failing to notice the front door swinging open. "Compared to that, we might as well still be in the present."

ZAP

"He also said some pretty crazy stuff, like how I'm supposed to become this "all power king" that's going to save the world in the future or something, haha."

ZAP

"By the way Kiryu-san, did you figure out what this thing is actually supposed to… do…?" Sougo froze as he turned to address Sento, only to find him sprawled out on the floor beneath him. "What the…" He turned to Ryuga, who was in much the same predicament, before lifting his gaze to the entrance, where he was met with the sight of the aforementioned time traveler pointing what seemed to be a futuristic pistol at where Sento once stood. "Woz?"

"I am relieved to see that you are well, My Lord." Woz replied, stowing away his weapon and offering him a respectful bow.

"Woz-san… what did you…?" Madoka whimpered, looking down at the motionless bodies of their saviors.

"Fret not, My Lady, they are simply unconscious." Woz assured them, both teens breathing a sigh of relief. "Please excuse my drastic actions, but it is ill advised to interact with the past any more than necessary." He explained.

"Well, are they in there, or… Madoka!" Sayaka exclaimed as she burst in through the door.

"Sayaka-chan!" Madoka cried as the two friends rushed up to each other and embraced.

"Are you guys ok? I'm so~ sorry I threw you out of the time machine!" Sayaka furiously apologized, clapping her hands together and lowering her head at them.

"As you should be, but apologies will have to wait." Woz bitterly asserted. "Come, we must leave this era before they regain consciousness." He instructed, beckoning them to the exit.

"…By the way, do either of you guys remember there ever being a big, magic wall across Japan in 2017?" Sayaka asked, Madoka and Sougo shaking their heads in denial. "Good, so it's not just me." She sighed with relief before following Woz out.

Sougo and Madoka followed suit, Madoka taking a moment to look back at the unconscious forms of Sento and Ryuga.

"…I'm sorry." Madoka apologized with a bow before closing the door behind them.

- 2018 A.D. -

With no further interruptions, Woz was finally able to return his young charges back to their present day. However, as Sougo, Madoka, and Sayaka all stepped out of the Time Mazine, they were met with the familiar, and unwelcomed sight of the massive glass wall of the Mitakihara Shopping Center.

"Wait, you brought us back to the mall!?" Sougo said.

"Hey, what gives? Don't you know that the criminal always returns to the scene of the…crime?" Sayaka paused as she turned to chastise the prophet, only to find not only Woz, but also the Time Mazine nowhere to be seen. "No way… he ditched us!"

"Oh no! What do we do now?" Madoka asked in an understandable panic. Just like Sayaka had said, this would be the first place the Red Pilot would come looking for them, and the longer they waited, the higher the risk.

"W-Well, for now, let's just…"

CRASH

Sougo and his classmates flinched as they heard the now all too familiar sound of breaking glass, fearing the worst as they all turned their gazes in the direction of the sound. Overhead, a single square of the massive array of windows shattered as a girl was forcefully tossed through it, raining shards of glass nearby. However, they all watched in shock and amazement as the girl recovered in the air and landed with a shoulder roll back onto their feet, her clothes dirtied, but otherwise unscathed. The girl tossed her long black hair back over her shoulder as she reloaded the pistol she held in her hand, then lifted her left arm to reveal a round, silver shield brought up in defense.

"Wait, that's…" Sougo said, immediately recognizing the costumed girl.

"Homura-chan!" Madoka exclaimed, she to recognizing the girl and the getup from their shared dream. Homura visibly gasped as she heard Madoka call out her name, finally taking notice of them with a surprised and almost panicked expression.

"Kaname Madoka? Why are you…?"

CRASH

Homura was cut off by another window breaking, a second girl in an equally frilly costume propelled through the shattered glass by what seemed to be a flaming energy projection of… a gumdrop. Unlike Homura, this girl seemed to be too dazed to recover in the air, falling like a rock head first to her doom. However, before she could go splat on the pavement, a barely audible click was heard, and suddenly Homura was standing before the trio of unwitting bystanders, supporting the other girl's weight with her arm over her shoulder.

"Get a hold of yourself, Tomoe Mami!" Homura demanded, the girl she was supporting shaking her head to recollect herself.

"R-Right… I'm sorry, Akemi-san." Mami replied apologetically.

"H-Homura-chan, what's going…?"

Madoka's question was interrupted by the sound of a horribly distorted roar echoing throughout the parking lot. Out from one of the broken windows came the red and blue monster the girls had been fighting.

"Whoa! What the hell is that!?" Sayaka exclaimed as she watched the monster stick the landing of its three to four story jump and turn to face them.

"Please stay back, that thing is very dangerous!" Mami warned, immediately regaining her composure and standing protectively between the trio of bystanders and the creature.

"…Hey, Nakazawa-kun," Madoka said with a tug of the boy's sleeve. "Doesn't that thing kind of look like…?"

"…Kamen Rider Build?" Sougo concurred, equally as disturbed. Whatever heroic pristine Kiryu Sento had was completely washed away and corrupted, leaving only a grotesque caricature of the armored hero.

It was then that Sougo noticed the state that Homura and her comrade were currently in. Despite their protective posture, they were breathing heavily and sweat dripped from their brows. He could only assume that they had been fighting this creature long before they had stumbled onto the scene, but the way their faces grew pale told him it may have been more than just fatigue.

"Hey, are you two alright, you don't look too good."

"We're fine." Homura quickly dismissed, producing a submachine gun from her shield and loading it in a single sharp motion.

"That's right, don't worry about us. Just stay back here where its safe and we'll have this wrapped up in a jiffy." Mami assured with forced bravado, trying her best to hide the fact that they were on their last legs.

"But…!"

Sougo's protest fell on deaf ears as Homura and Mami forced themselves to charge forward and reengage the Build-like monster. The creature raised its hands and produced two energy projections, one in the shape of a piece of butterscotch and the other in the shape of a peppermint, but both emanating a faint, green aura. With a forceful grunt, the creature threw the candy projectiles at the approaching Magical Girls, Mami summoning a pair of rifles to shoot the pieces of candy out of the air. Meanwhile, Homura unloaded her submachine gun on the Build-like monster, only for it to shield itself with its blue left arm, the bullets making audible metallic pings as they bounced harmlessly off of the blue armor.

Regardless, the spray served its purpose, giving them a chance to close the distance as Mami took one of her rifles in both hands like a bat and made an overhead swing at the creature. Unfortunately, the monster easily sidestepped the attack as well as catch her follow up swing with a vice like grip that Mami struggled to free her improvised club from. Meanwhile, the creature threw a side kick at Homura, who brought up her shield just in time to block, but the force of the strike still made her stagger back quite a bit. The creature then pulled on Mami's rifle, forcing the girl front and center and allowing it to knee her in the gut, forcing the air out of her lungs. Mami lost her grip on her weapon and staggered back, leaving herself wide open for a punch to the face that sent her flying back into Homura's arms.

The Build-like monster tossed aside Mami's rifle and summoned into its grip a giant, jumbo swirl lollipop, and with a single wide swing it sent the two recovering Magical Girls flying back, crashing into a nearby parked car.

"Homura-chan!" Madoka cried, watching in horror as Homura and Mami slumped down onto the pavement, nearly unconscious.

"Oh man, this isn't looking good." Sayaka fretted, reflexively taking Madoka's hand, who squeezed back with equal concern.

"Akemi-san…" Sougo muttered, uncomfortable with how much the sight of Homura struggling to stand reminded him of his dream.

"Ribbon. Timer. Best Match!" The Build-like monster happily declared as it produced an empty bottle in each hand.

It flicked the caps open and pointed them at the Magical Girls, the right hand bottle glowing yellow and the left hand bottle glowing purple as Homura and Mami suddenly felt themselves being pulled towards them. Homura quickly grabbed hold of the dented door of the car they crashed into, as well as grab hold of Mami's arm as she was nearly pulled forward by the invisible force. Homura struggled with all her might against it, her grip causing more dents in the door and her arms stretched to their full extension as the creature stood and watched as the bottles did their work.

'Is this… the end? Is this really… how my long battle will end?' Homura thought as she felt her grip begin to fail her.'I… I'm so sorry… Madoka…'

"STOP!" Sougo shouted as he dashed forward and grappled with the Build-like monster by its wrists.

Caught off guard, the creature briefly struggled against the boy's desperate grip, but it was more than enough to break its concentration and free the Magical Girls from whatever invisible force had ensnared them. Unfortunately, it didn't take long for the creature to force its hands out of Sougo's grip, and with an angry grunt it knocked the boy onto the ground with a swift backhand to the face.

"What do you think you're doing… get back!" Homura demanded as she herself struggled to stand.

"I can't do that!" Sougo declared as he stood back up and charged at the Build-like monster with a tackle.

Unfazed, the creature reached out its hand, caught Sougo by the throat, and effortlessly lifted him up off the ground, the boy's feet dangling as he struggled to breathe.

"Nakazawa-kun!" Madoka cried. She attempted to rush to his aid, only to be held back by Sayaka.

"Madoka, don't, it's too dangerous!" Sayaka said as she grasped the smaller girl's arm.

"But...!"

The Build-like monster stared at Sougo with its inhuman eyes, which up close Sougo could now tell were mechanical in some way, peering at him through the visors. Eventually, the creature seemed to decide that the boy was a nuisance it would rather not deal with, tightening its grasp around his throat and rearing back its other hand to deliver the killing blow.

"Tiro Duet!"

Suddenly, before the killing blow could be struck, the Build-like monster was hit with a blast of yellow and purple energy, making the creature lose its grip on the boy and sending them both flying back from the force of the blast. Sougo rolled to a stop on the ground, coughing as he desperately tried to catch his breath, before looking up to see Mami and Homura holding a pristine white and silver crossbow together, trained at where the creature once stood. Their bodies both glowed with a warm yellow and purple light respectively, color returning to their faces as all signs of fatigue began to faded away.

"Stay sharp. Remember, you're opponents are over here." Mami taunted the creature as it recovered from their combined attack.

With an infuriated roar, the Build-like monster hopped back onto its feet and charged forward, immediately reengaging the two Magical Girls in fisticuffs.

"Nakazawa-kun!" Madoka called as she and Sayaka rushed to Sougo's side.

"Are you ok?" Sayaka asked as she and Madoka helped him stand.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Sougo assured them, letting out one final cough once he was back on his feet. It was then that a brief flash caught his attention, Sougo looked down to see that the Ridewatch had once again spontaneously appeared in his grasp. "You again?"

"Hey, Nakazawa, didn't that, uh… wooze guy say that that watch of yours can give you power or something?" Sayaka poorly recalled.

"Indeed I did." Woz replied, suddenly appearing beside them.

"Woz-san!" Madoka gasped.

"Hey, what's the deal with ditching us like that!" Sayaka demanded, going completely ignored by the prophet as he turned to face Sougo.

"The power of Zi-O is unrivaled across time and space. Should you accept that power, and your claim to the throne with it, then you would be able to make short work of that monster that is giving those formidable heroines such trouble." Woz asserted.

"Claim… to the throne?"

Sougo had to swallow a knot that formed in his throat, the small device in his hand suddenly feeling far too heavy for him to bear. He didn't know just how much stock he was willing to put into the words of a time traveling prophet, but even with the guarantee of success, the immense responsibility of accepting such a fate still loomed over him ominously. Just this morning, he was just plain old Nakazawa Sougo, ordinary middle school student at Mitakihara Middle School, and now all of a sudden he was supposed to be this future super god king of everything? It was just too much to process at once.

"Homura-chan!"

Sougo was brought out of his stressful introspection by the sound of Madoka's concerned cry. He returned his attention to the battle before them, seeing that Homura had been knocked aside by a particularly strong kick from the Build-like monster. Despite their miraculous recovery, it seems like the two girls were still at a disadvantage when it came to hand-to-hand combat, the majority of the creature's strikes landing and a majority of their own blocked or countered. Sougo looked between Homura and Madoka, the brunette wearing a determined expression as she struggled to keep fighting, while the pinkette looked on anxiously from the sidelines.

It was at that moment that Sougo recalled an eerily similar scene from his dream, Homura fighting a losing battle while Madoka looked on, powerless to help. The difference here, however, was that this time Sougo had the chance to do something about it.

If you truly wish to overcome this terrible fate, and bring about a brighter future, then you must… become a king.

"…I'll do it… I'll become a king." Sougo finally decided, a satisfied smile crossing Woz's face.

"Nakazawa-kun, are you sure?" Madoka asked, well aware of his apprehension.

"No, not really." Sougo admitted, his grip tightening on the Ridewatch. "I'm… not very good at sports, I'm an average student at best, and I don't have any particularly special skills. No matter how hard I try, I just can't see myself becoming this all powerful king this guy expects me to be, but…" He turned his gaze back to the battle, Homura and Mami giving it their all to protect them. "If it'll give me the power to help those two… then I'll at least give it a shot!"

With that declaration, a pink projection of a clock face flashed on the Ridewatch's unfinished surface, the minute hand making a full clockwise rotation before the Ridewatch flashed again. When the light faded, a white, translucent dial appeared over the watch face, displaying a strange symbol of highly stylized katakana that spelled the word "kamen" (カメン) on the top, and displaying the number 2018 on the bottom. Sougo gasped in surprise at the sudden transformation, as did his classmates, the three of them gawking at the Ridewatch.

"My Lo~rd, please accept this!" Woz said in absolute reverence as he kneeled before Sougo and offered him a familiar looking device. Sougo recognized the device as the belt the Red Pilot had worn around his waist as he pursed him outside of his Time Mazine, a white device with two identical black slots on either side and a currently blank display. "I trust you already know how to use it." Woz said as Sougo claimed the belt from the regal red pillow it sat upon.

Surprisingly, somewhere between inference from the last time he had seen it and pure instinct, Sougo did know how to use it, placing the device on his waist as a black belt strap automatically wrapped around him.

"Ziku-Driver!" The belt announced its own name as it secured itself around Sougo's waist for the first time. The rest came naturally to him, Sougo holding the Ridewatch out and turning the dial 90 degrees clockwise, revealing the image of a white faceplate with an oddly shaped pink visor.

"Zi-O!" The Ridewatch announced as Sougo hit the white button at the top, the device projecting a clearer image of the face on the dial.

He then slid the Ridewatch into the right hand slot of the Ziku-Driver, and arrow sliding from the right to left on the display screen before displaying four simplified clock faces as a standby jingle was played. Sougo pressed the button on the top of the Driver, unlocking it from its vertical position and slightly tilting counter clockwise. A giant clock appeared behind him, the silver hands turning counterclockwise along with the rest of the transparent clock face. The projection caught the attention of the Magical Girls, and even the Build-like monster, their battle momentarily halting as everyone watched Sougo dramatically swing his arms counterclockwise around his body, mimicking the motion of the clock hands.

"Henshin!" Sougo shouted with a flick of his wrists before reaching down and rotating the Ziku-Driver a full 360 degrees with his extended left arm.

"Rider Time! Kamen Rider Zi-O!" The Ziku-Driver sang, the word "Zi-O" scrolling across the display screen before the number 2018 appeared in pink digital numbers. The clock projection quickly righted itself, the clock hands pointing up at 12:00 before separating to the 10:10 position. With the clock hands settled, large pink Katakana letters appeared on the clock face, spelling out the word "Rider" (ライダー). Just a moment after they appeared, the letters flew off the clock face, floating in the air around Sougo as a multitude of silver watch strap-like rings rotated around him.

Once the rings disappeared, Sougo was revealed to be clad in a black power suit with pink and silver accents, a silver watchstrap running down his torso. Strapped on his forearms were a pair of Ridewatch holders, each one currently equipped with two Ridewatches, three blank, one active. His helmet was modeled after a watch face, the silver clock hands pointing at the 10:10 position on the white faceplate, and the floating pink letters shrunk and imbedded themselves into the visor, each letter making a heavy metallic clang as it fell into place.

"Rejoice! He is the heir to the powers of all Riders! Traversing time and space, he is the Ruler of Time that shall reign over past and future! His name is Kamen Rider Zi-O! On this day you have born witness to the dawn of his ascension!" Woz theatrically proclaimed, even as Sougo himself was quizzically looking over his new armored form.

Despite the less than regal figure the flustered boy cut, Madoka and Sayaka stood in absolute awe at their classmate's transformation, his visor and clock hand antennae shining as they caught the afternoon sun. Meanwhile. Homura and Mami were similarly taken aback by the sudden and unexpected development.

"Kamen Rider?" Mami said with a quizzical tilt of her head.

"Ruler of Time?" Homura repeated the epithet with uncertain curiosity.

Sougo was brought out of his curious daze by the sound of a challenging growl from the Build-like monster, the creature squaring up in preparation for the new opponent.

"Well… I did say I was gonna give it a shot!" Zi-O reminded himself before springing into action.

Before the Build-like monster could act, Zi-O immediately closed the distance between them and threw a full force, straight punch into the creature's chest. The monster grunted in pain as it was sent flying back by the surprising force of the simple attack.

"Whoa! That worked?" Zi-O said, shocked by his own sudden power.

"Wow! What a hit!" Sayaka exclaimed with a big, excited smile.

"Keep it up, Nakazawa-kun!" Madoka cheered supportively.

"Right… I can do this!" Zi-O declared, all of his apprehension melting away as he immediately reengaged with the creature.

Woz wore a deeply satisfied smirk as he watched his lord do battle with the creature. With his work finished, he closed the Oma Advent Calendar and took his leave, his absence going unnoticed amidst the chaos.

The Build-like monster went on the offensive, taking a wild swing at Zi-O that the Rider ducked under. The creature followed up with two jabs at Zi-O's face that he was easily able to block, only to be caught off guard when the third jab went into his abdomen, making him stagger back. Fortunately, Zi-O recovered quickly and landed a front kick on the creature's chest to prevent it from stepping into his guard, following up with a quick jab-punch combination that left it dazed and open for a quick roundhouse kick to the face. The hit sent it falling to the ground but it recovered with a shoulder roll, and once it was back on its feet, it summoned an energy projection of a piece of chocolate in each hand, Zi-O raising his guard to defend.

"Wait, don't block them!" Mami suddenly said.

"What?" Zi-O heard the warning just in time to duck under the first projectile thrown. "Whoa! Wah! Why not?" he asked as he sidestepped the second.

"If you touch them, they'll poison you!" Mami quickly explained as she and Homura tended to their wounds.

"Poison?" Zi-O had no time to ponder the legitimacy of the claim as the Build-like monster threw another round of chocolate projections at him. Realizing the disadvantage he would be in if his movement were to be inhibited by poison, Zi-O had no choice but to frantically evade the barrage of candy being thrown at him, completely preventing him from approaching. He narrowly avoided a gumball to the face by leaning back just a bit too far, falling over but managing to recover with a back roll.

'Damn it, I'm not getting anywhere like this! If only I had…' Before he even finished the thought, the screen on the Ziku-Driver flashed a bright pink, projecting the word "gun" written in glowing pink katakana letters (ジュウ, Jū).

"Zikan Girade! Jū!" The Ziku-Driver announced as a black, gun-like device materialized around the letters with the flash of a clock face projection.

"…A gun!" Zi-O cheered as he gladly took the weapon in his hand.

He was made to use it immediately when the Build-like monster threw peppermint at him, Zi-O quickly aiming the Zikan Girade and pulling the trigger, destroying the projectile with a blast of pink energy. The creature didn't let up, throwing two jellybeans that were just as easily shot out of the air, but followed up with a chocolate ball that Zi-O had to roll to the side to avoid. He rolled into a kneeling position and immediately fired multiple shots at the Build-like monster, the pink blasts harmlessly bouncing off the blue armor of the arm it brought up in defense.

With an irritated growl, the monster brought its hands together and produced a large energy projection shaped like a candied apple, its shiny red surface slowly turning black with rot the more power the creature forced into it. Realizing that he wouldn't be able to shoot this attack down, Zi-O rose to his feet and pulled on the clock hand that stuck out of the back of the Zikan Girade, swinging it out until it was perpendicular to the handle.

"Ken!" The weapon announced as the letters on its side changed from "gun" to "sword" (ケン, ken), the watch hand extending into a proper blade. With sword in hand, Zi-O rooted his stance, charging the blade with pink energy with a pull of the trigger. Eventually, the Build-like monster raised its arms over its head and threw the rotten apple at Zi-O, and with a single diagonal slash across his body, Zi-O cleaved the projectile in two, the halves flying passed and detonating into clouds of noxious gas behind him.

The Build-like monster seemed genuinely shaken from having its powerful attack so easily countered, and in that moment of hesitation Zi-O charged forward, closing the distance between them and swinging his blade at it. The creature avoided the first strike and summoned a giant candy cane to block the follow up slash with. The blade slid off the red and white pole, the creature retaliating with a high swing that the Rider ducked under, only to immediately bring the weapon back around in a low swing that Zi-O needed to take a step back to avoid. The Build-like monster then brought the candy cane down in an overhead slash, but Zi-O managed to bring up the Zikan Girade and catch the pole on the blunt side of the blade. The creature pushed down on the blade with all its might, Zi-O's legs beginning to buckle under the pressure, but at the last minute Zi-O threw a kick into the monster's exposed torso, making it stumble back.

Zi-O pulled the trigger on the Zikan Girade, charging the blade with pink energy and bringing it down on the monster in a powerful two handed slash. The Build-like monster brought up the candy cane to defend, but the energized blade sliced right through it, sparks flying as the blade slashed across the creature's chest and sent it tumbling to the ground in pain. As the creature writhed in pain, Zi-O decided it was time to deliver the finishing blow, discarding the Zikan Girade and tapping the button on the Zi-O Ridewatch.

"Finish Time!" The belt announced, looping the sound of a ticking clock as Zi-O hit the button up top to unlock the Driver. As the Build-like monster rose to its feet, it suddenly found itself surrounded by a series of spinning katakana letters, Zi-O jumping high into the air and spinning the Ziku-Driver.

"Time Break!" The Driver cried as those very words flashed across the screen. The spinning letters then began to merge together into one, Zi-O extending his right leg into a flying side kick as he descended. Unwilling to just lay down and take the approaching hit, the Build-like monster summoned a giant jumbo swirl lollipop and jumped into the air, winding up to knock the defenseless, airborne Rider back down to Earth. However, before it could even get into range to make the swing, the pink letters flew up after it, hitting it in the back before embedding themselves in the sole of Zi-O's boot, spelling out the word "kick" (キック). The letters on his visor and boot overflowed with pink energy, and with one last battle cry Zi-O's Rider Kick collided with the Build-like monster, the resulting explosion engulfing them both in a fiery blast.

The four spectating girls had to shield themselves from the shockwave of the blast, and when they looked back, the grotesque doppelganger was nowhere to be seen, leaving only Zi-O, the victorious hero kneeling on the ground as he landed.

"Whoa!" Zi-O gasped in amazement, examining his still smoking foot that he had just slain a monster with.

"…HE WON~!" Madoka and Sayaka cheered in unison, sharing a gleeful high five before rushing to Zi-O's side.

"Way to go, Nakazawa!" Sayaka said, giving the Rider a hardy slap on the back for his efforts.

"You were amazing!" Madoka added, Zi-O sheepishly scratching the back of his head as he received the praise.

Meanwhile, Mami and Homura let out relieved sighs, pocketing the Grief Seeds they had used to restore their magic and dismissing their Magical Girl forms. It appeared that they had made the right decision in withdrawing from the battle to properly recover, but while the day may have been saved, the two Magical Girls were left with far more questions than answers, and that could not stand. However, before they could approach the mysterious Rider with all of their burning questions, their attention was grabbed by yet another unfamiliar face strolling onto the scene.

"I see, so Woz was able to secure your history after all." A familiar voice said to the celebrating group.

Zi-O, Madoka, and Sayaka looked in the direction the voice came from and were met with the scowling face of a young man with short, spiked up black hair. What caught their attention first was the boy's strange outfit; he wore a black and red athletic body suit with a high, zipped up caller that seemed to be held in place with a series of black snap-fit buckles secured across his chest and shoulders. The second thing they noticed was the familiar looking belt strapped around his waist, the very same one that was currently worn by Zi-O.

"A Ziku-Driver? Then that means…!" Zi-O said, having seen the belt only one other time before.

"Ah! You're that guy that's been chasing us all day!" Sayaka shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at the young man she knew to be the Red Pilot

"What!?" Homura and Mami gasped in unison, suddenly much more wary of the scowling boy.

"Answer me this; why did you accept the power of Zi-O!?" The Red Pilot demanded as he aimed his piercing gaze directly at Zi-O.

"Huh, why?" Zi-O repeated quizzically, trading confused glances with his classmates. His confusion didn't last long as his gaze fell on Homura and Mami, the answer coming to him. "Because, it was the only thing I could do to help. Accepting this power, and fighting that monster… was something that only I could do!"

The Red Pilot nearly snarled at Zi-O's answer, his fists shaking as they were tightened into enraged fists.

"…Of course, I should have known that would be your answer." He said with his voice dripping with barely contained malice. "If that's the case, then ending your reign of terror is something that only I can do!" He declared as he pulled a red Ridewatch out of the holder strapped to his left arm.

"…Wait, what?"

"Geiz!" The Ridewatch announced as the dial was turned and the button pressed. He then slid the device into the right hand slot of the Ziku-Driver, a sequence of binary code scrolling across the top and bottom of the screen. The Red Pilot slammed down on the button up top, unlocking the Ziku-Driver as a projection of a rotating digital clock face appeared behind him, reading 00:00 in red numbers. He struck a dynamic pose, swinging his arms around and resting his hands on the off centered slots of the Ziku-Driver.

"Henshin!" He shouted as he spun the Driver around back into place.

"Rider Time! Kamen Rid~er Geiz!" The belt sang in an electronically distorted voice, the word "Geiz" scrolling across the screen before the number 2068 appeared in yellow digital numbers. Much like Zi-O's own transformation, rotating watchstraps surrounded the Red Pilot, as large yellow Hiragana letters appeared on the clock face, spelling out the word "Rider" (らいだー). The letters flew off the clock and floated around him as he donned his familiar red body suit, the letters embedding themselves in the visor with the same metallic clangs as they landed.

"Prepare yourself, OMA ZI-O!" Kamen Rider Geiz declared with a tightened fist, before charging forward.

"Huh!? W-Wait, hold on a sec…!" Zi-O pleaded, his hands raised in appeasement.

Unfortunately, his protests fell on deaf years, drowned out by Geiz's loud, angry battle cry as he threw his balled fist in a powerful punch at the future Ruler of Time.

A/N: And so once again I have turned Random Student C into the star of the show! Like I said, Variable Zero was actually the one who came up with this premise, and I guess he just enjoyed what I did with Nakazawa in my Spider Effect story so much that he wanted to do something similar with this story. In fact, this isn't the first plot bunny we've discussed that had Nakazawa as the protagonist, or at least promoted to a main cast member, so yeah.

Now, some of you might be wondering, "hold on, where's Tsukuyomi?", answer... back in canon. So yeah, we decided to cut Tsukuyomi from this story for a few reasons, the main one being that she just doesn't contribute much to the story of Zi-O until near the end, and anything she does contribute early on can be accomplished using other cast members, so for the sake of keeping things just a bit more streamlined, we decided to cut her.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter. I'll probably crank out the second chapter soon as well, so look forward to that, and I'll see you all next time, bye!