“You run out of things to hide behind yet?” asked Batman to Vortech. “Let’s settle this mano a Bat-mano!” Lord Vortech chuckled.
“As you wish!” he said. He raised his staff into the sky and started raising walls from the ground.
“The walls!” gulped Wyldstyle. “They look like the ones in the Gateway room!”
“I’m beginning to suspect,” mused Gandalf, “that the foes we’ve met thus far have been mere pawns.”
“You said it, old man!” confirmed Vortech. “Because I’m not even on the chessboard! I’m the hand controlling every single piece!”
“Hold on, are you Vortech?” asked Batman.
“LORD Vortech, if you please,” answered Vortech as his disguise disappeared. Batman, Wyldstyle, Gandalf, and Ichigō turned to me.
“That’s the enemy?!” yelled Ichigō.
“He wasn’t your concern,” I replied. “He’s the F.N.S’ priority, and ours alone.”
“Considering our homes are in danger because of him,” countered Wyldstyle, “I think keeping that kind of info from us is a grave error!”
“Enough talk!” called Sword Form Den-O. “Let’s do this!”
“Everybody,” shouted Den-O, Liner Form, “pile on!” The Imagin cheered, turned into balls of light, and entered Liner Form. He then took off the cell phone and pressed buttons.
“Momo! Ura! Kin! Ryu! Sieg!” it announced. He put the cell phone back on and swiped the pass over it.
“Climax Form!” called the belt. The face mask changed to Sword Form’s peach-like shape, but the outer shell split away, revealing an orangish-yellow underside. Rod Form’s visor attached itself to the right shoulder. Ax Form’s visor attached to the left shoulder. Gun Form’s visor attached itself to the chest. Wings popped out of the back.
“Ore-tachi…sanjou!” (dynamic way of saying “We have arrived!”) said Den-O in Momotaros’ voice. Rogue started laughing.
“What’s with the wings?!” he managed to get out.
“I wouldn’t laugh so hard,” answered Den-O in Sieg’s voice. It changed to Momotaros’ voice quickly.
“NO ONE ASKED YOU!” he shouted.
“What just happened?” I asked Sengoku.
“The Imagin can possess Ryōtarō to make Den-O’s different forms,” he explained, “or they can all pile on in and make the Climax Form.” Vortech decided to tip the scales in his favor and grew giant size.
“Uh-oh,” gulped Wyldstyle.
“You may have bitten off more than we can chew, Den-O,” observed Gandalf.
“No chance,” assured Batman. “I’m hungry!”
“Your mistake!” proclaimed Rogue. “Turretorg! Discornia! Your master summons you!”
“Shocker Nova! Fall in!” ordered Talon.
“Vortexons, if you please!” called Vortech. The enemy forces came through portals that opened everywhere. We were swarmed, as usual, and fought back.
“Time to use this in a fight,” I decided. I then went through the motions for Proto-Vortex “SUPER CHARGE!” I announced. I then bulked up and grabbed my new sword, charging the ranks of the enemy. After the goons were dispatched, Vortech spoke again.
“See my powers and quake!” He changed shape into a knight’s upper torso, complete with sword and shield. Judging from where the sword was, I’d say he was left-handed. He swung it in a circular motion, intending to bisect us through the waist, but we jumped out of the way. He then made a downward slash at us, nearly hitting Rogue and Talon.
“GIVE US SOME WARNING, WILL YOU?!” roared Rogue. Just then, an explosion in the sky occurred again, heralding the arrival of the DeLorean with a different driver. It was a teenage boy wearing an orange, 80’s down vest over a jean jacket. It was the main protagonist of the Back to The Future trilogy, Marty McFly!
“Whoa!” he called as he saw the battle below. “This is heavy!” The DeLorean collided with Vortech and knocked a Keystone transmitter out!
“You kept a transmitter on you?!” shouted Rogue. “YOU DUNCE!”
“Locate Keystone, activate!” I announced. “Initiate rift detection!” I found a rift crack near Vortech’s left, dodging his sword all the while. “Identify source of rift!” I pulled the crack open and found the source. “Locate help from D-C-C-0-M-1-C-5!” I exclaimed. The rift opened to reveal a plane with a bat motif. I don’t think I need to guess who designed and owned that plane.
“Batplane, fire on the giant!” ordered Batman. The Batplane fired a salvo of missiles at Vortech. He shrunk down.
“Dismiss help,” I called as I readied my sword.
“I see you’ve been practicing your newly found tricks!” roared Vortech. Just then, he formed an ice barrier.
“Elemental Keystone, activate!” announced Gandalf. “Element of fire, Royal!” I let fire surround my blade and let off a beam of fire melt the ice barrier. Vortech then turned into a giant version of his head while minions attacked us again. Turretorg fired off a salvo of missiles while Discornia dazzled us with her light show. Vortech’s head then spun around, binding us in chains. The DeLorean was still flying around, so it managed to buzz him and shatter Vortech’s concentration. He then turned into a hand, grabbed everyone, and tossed us onto the top of the clock tower’s scaffolding.
“Let’s move things on, shall we?” he asked. Lord, not more puns! After dropping us off, he turned into an eagle and flew around. Rogue took that opportunity to attack me. As we tussled, I managed to score some hits, knocking him silly. Something was off, though. Rogue wasn’t fighting back as hard as he usually does. There was a transmitter there, so I used my keystone to find help.
“Locate Keystone, activate!” I announced. “Initiate rift detection!” The source of the rift was near the edge of the scaffolding. “Identify source of rift!” I got the info on the dimension. “Locate help from N-1-N-J-A-G-0!” I shouted. A mechanical dragon attacked Vortech. They smashed through the scaffolding, making us fall through to the bottom. “Dismiss help!” I called.
“Enough play,” hissed Vortech. “I’m bored of you peasants.” He then formed a fire shield.
“Elemental Keystone, activate!” called Gandalf. “Element of water, Ichigō!” Ichigō sprayed water on Vortech’s shield while I fought Talon and Rogue. I managed to get them up against the wall.
“My GOD! That felt incredible!” I sighed.
“Oh HO!” chuckled Rogue. “Am I sensing an iota of pride?”
“It seems to be a curse in your blood, Hiro-Chan,” observed Talon.
“True, I am a prideful man,” agreed Rogue. “It only makes sense that it would pass on.”
“Chan?” I asked, hung up on the honorific Talon used.
“We’re getting married after this mess is over,” explained Rogue.
“That’s not possible!” I declared.
“Considering things, I’d say it is,” argued Rogue.
“Really?” I hissed. “Because, from my vantage point, I see two dolts up against the wall!”
“And don’t think we don’t appreciate the efforts,” assured Rogue. “By a wide margin, you’re packing more of a wallop than when we met in my home dimension of K-A-M-3-N-R-1-D-3-R. However, you will never, EVER, defeat me with that form.”
“What are you talking about?!” I snapped. “I’m much stronger than you now!”
“Oh, yes,” affirmed Talon, “in raw power, you’re unmatched. Even Vortech over there,” she pointed to Vortech as the fire shield was doused and he formed his giant head, “would be given a run for his money. But, your suit is bulky, is it not? As is your weapon. Your suit has increased in mass. Your body can’t compensate, so, while we’re seeing a boost in speed, the trade up is slower combat speed. Hiro-Chan, could you put what I’m saying in simpler terms?”
“Your suit is so heavy,” simplified Rogue, “you can’t hit us.”
“THEN WHAT DO YOU CALL THE SLUGFEST I GAVE YOU?!” I roared, annoyed.
“…Pity,” sighed Rogue. That’s it! No mercy! I swung my sword, the dolts dodged. Rogue then shoved me into a castle, made of Lord Vortech! His castle form had turrets! They were firing!
“Locate Keystone, activate!” I announced. “Initiate rift detection!” I found it on the far side of the clock tower. “Identify source of rift!” I found out where it came from. “Locate help from M-1-D-D-L-3-3-A-R-T-H!” Trolls came out of a rift pushing a giant metal wolf suspended by chains on a scaffolding. I offer this quote from the original books.
“Great engines crawled across the field; and in the midst was a huge ram, great as a forest-tree a hundred feet in length, swinging on mighty chains. Long had it been forging in the dark smithies of Mordor, and its hideous head, founded of black steel, was shaped in the likeness of a ravening wolf; on it spells of ruin lay. Grond they named it, in memory of the Hammer of the Underworld of old. Great beasts drew it, orcs surrounded it, and behind walked mountain-trolls to wield it” (Tolkien 124).
I had to finagle the use of Grond with the Orc Captain and the commanding Olog-hai (more advanced Troll that can move in sunlight, like the Uruk-hai), but we reached an agreement that they would still please Sauron if Grond was used against Vortech’s castle form, as Sauron wanted to rule, not be ruled. The trolls positioned the battering ram towards Vortech. They pulled it back as the Orcs chanted “Grond!” over and over. It smashed into Vortech’s castle form, making him fall to the ground. The Orcs cheered, but Vortech was mad!
“Would you STOP using my own tricks against me?!” he snapped. He then tossed Grond and its operators into a portal. He then formed an ice shield.
“Element of fire, Den-O!” called Gandalf, still using his Keystone. Den-O then surrounded his own sword with fire.
“Hissatsu!” (Sure Kill) announced Den-O in Momotaros’ voice. “Ore no hissatsu waza…Cho Fire Climax version!” (My Sure Kill Attack…Super Fire Climax version!) He leaped into the air, made a fire circle, and got ready for his super-powered Rider Kick. The wings kept him ready and poised.
“RIDER KICK!” called Ichigō.
“RIDER PROTO-VORTEX KICK!” I shouted. We all made our kicks with Den-O’s fire attack and destroyed Vortech’s barrier. Vortech stumbled to the ground. He saw something fly off, then got an idea.
“Vortech Kick,” he laughed. He turned into a giant foot and managed to make a flying kick, hitting us all. Our transformations were canceled and the Imagin fell out of Ryōtarō. We all tried to cover our wounds. I won’t lie, we looked pitiful.
“He’s…too strong!” gasped Batman. “We…have to…find…another way!” My Keystone powers were still going.
“Initiate…rift…detection!” I gasped. I waved my hand on the ground in front of me and found a rift crack. Truth be told, I didn’t think that would work. “Identify…source of…rift!” I gasped. The information beamed into my skull. “Locate…help…from…K…A…M…3…N…R…1…D…3…R…” I said weakly. A rift opened and a shinkansen style train that generated its own tracks as it flew through the air came out. It came between us and Vortech’s team.
“The Den-Liner!” called Hiroki. The passenger car opened to let a woman in a train’s waitress uniform with a red streak in her hair be revealed.
“Come on!” she urged. “Quickly!”
“Let’s go!” declared Batman. With great pain, we entered the train. It took off into the air as a rift back to Vorton opened for us. Vortech had beaten us.
I stood below as the train flew into the rift. Rogue and I had canceled our transformations and laughed with Vortech. “That’s it!” he taunted. “Run along home! It’s a dangerous universe out here!”
“Kamen Riders, my rear!” I laughed, twirling in my new saloon dress. I think I’m gonna keep it. “Look at them run!”
“Leaving us to get a Foundation Element,” declared Hiro as he tilted his hat.
“Quite so,” agreed Vortech as he stopped laughing. “Now, let me see, if I were a Flux Capacitor, then where would I be hiding?” Then, in a fireball that usually heralded the arrival of a time traveling DeLorean, a flying steam engine flew overhead and landed.
“I think I’ll get it,” I volunteered.
“Just be careful,” warned Hiro. “You’re not exactly wearing a bustle.”
“If you happen to have one,” I asked. To my amazement, he did. After he helped me get it on, much to Vortech’s chagrin, no romance in his soul, I’d say, I headed into the main street. Doc Brown, his wife, Clara, his now 45-year-old friend, Marty McFly in cowboy gear, and his now grown, 20-year-old sons, Jules and Verne were on board. When they stepped out of the train’s cab, they saw what Vortech had summoned into Hill Valley.
“Is that Lady Liberty?” asked Clara.
“That’s the Sphinx!” said Jules.
“There’s a pirate ship!” observed Verne.
“Great Scott!” exclaimed Doc Brown.
“Doc, what did you do to the space-time continuum?!” yelped Marty.
“I did nothing!” protested Doc Brown hotly. He then started thinking. “Which isn’t to say that I might not do it at some point after now.”
“Does that mean we’re going…?” asked Marty.
“Back to the future!” confirmed Doc Brown.
“Excuse me,” I called, “could you tell a lady where your Flux Capacitor is?”
“What?!” yelped Doc Brown. “How do you know about the Flux Capacitor?!”
“Maybe she’s from the future,” guessed Marty.
“Oh no!” wailed Doc Brown. “This is terrible! Don’t worry, I’ll get you back!”
“I just need to look at the Flux Capacitor,” I assured. “I have an uncanny ability to look at any machine and make one like it from scratch.”
“Impressive!” praised Jules.
“It’s over in the lamp on top of the locomotive,” explained Doc Brown.
“Thank you!” I called as I pulled a stun gun on them and fired. They fell to the ground. I went to the front of the engine, clambered up, and set to work extracting it.
The Den-Liner dropped us back off at Vorton. The Owner, a mysterious man that has a habit of eating meals with a tiny flag in it and trying to keep it upright for as long as he can and stops eating when it falls, making a show of surprise, gave us a bag of studs for our trouble. He also gave me the Marty and Doc i.d tags. They copied over to all Vortex Riders. We left while Ryōtarō, the Imagin, and Hana, stayed on the train. It soon left through a rift back home. “The total number of studs in the bag is 105,000,” reported Vortoranii from my belt when the Den-Liner left. “We now have 830,000 studs.”
“Yeah,” sighed Wyldstyle. “I think running away was the right idea.”
“That wasn’t running away!” protested Batman. “That was a…tactical retreat!”
“Remind me,” countered Wyldstyle as Gandalf decided to examine the apparatus on the gateway, “what’s the difference?”
“There’s none,” affirmed the Brigadier as he and Rusty came up, having heard our arrival.
“Batman doesn’t run away!” protested Batman.
“Seriously?” I asked. “That’s the best defense for your fragile ego?”
“That’s not a difference,” observed Wyldstyle.
“Well, if you can’t see the difference,” hissed Batman, “then, maybe, that’s your failing!”
“You want to talk failing?” asked Wyldstyle. “Megumi’s a shining example!”
“Excuse me?!” I snarled.
“You didn’t tell us about Vortech!” explained Wyldstyle.
“She’s right,” agreed Batman. “You dragged us along for the ride! You knew about Vortech and how you got your belts! Why did you withhold that kind of information?!”
“You’re the last person to accuse me of withholding information!” I roared. “You’ve kept your countermeasures for the Justice League from your friends!”
“They’re gods among men!” protested Batman. “We need countermeasures!”
“You don’t need any for Vortech!” I argued. “This was supposed to be the F.N.S’ fight, not yours! Hongo decided to tag along and start us on this rift hopping insanity!”
“Ichimonji was kidnapped right before my eyes, in case you forgot!” shouted Hongo. “I’m not going to sit and wait while someone inexperienced in Kamen Rider matters goes off to rescue him!”
“Well, if you can’t just be patient in terms of rescue,” I hissed, “maybe that’s your failing!”
“Says the one that used the Super Charge so recklessly after Hongo said not to!” called Emily.
“Oh, don’t you start!” I growled.
“In case you didn’t notice,” Emily pointed out, “your new form is as bulky as me! I’m used to my body weight because I trained myself, which is why I move as fluidly as I do! You don’t have any training of that kind!”
“I beat Hiro with it once before, remember?!” I argued.
“That was in a dream world,” countered Emily, “where anything is possible! You caught him off guard, and he prepared himself for the next encounter! He toyed with you back in Hill Valley!” The argument was cut short as we heard machinery falling on itself. We whirled to see Gandalf holding the claws that usually rested at either side of the gateway ring and the apparatus with the antenna was on the main platform!
“Oh dear,” gulped Gandalf.
“Gandalf,” hissed Batman, “did you just break our only way out of here?!”
“Ah, well,” stammered Gandalf.
“No!” reported Rusty. “Gateway is still fully operational!”
“Then what are those parts for?” asked Batman.
“My Master Builder senses are tingling!” called Wyldstyle. She then took the parts, attached the claws to the apparatus, moved the antenna to a side, and put the purple disc on the top. It flashed and formed and glowed until it became a flying cube-like robot with two digited claw hands. It was the one that found Foundation Prime for Vortech and Hiro!
“Whew, thanks!” praised the robot. Then it hit me! He was the Gateway Guardian! He just deepened his voice when he was attached to the gateway. “Kind of hard to assemble yourself when your arms aren’t attached in the first place,” said the robot.
“The flying box appears to be speaking,” observed Gandalf. “How…odd.”
“This from a guy who hangs out with talking trees!” countered the robot. “I was worried that you guys hadn’t seen my S.O.S. signal.”
“You mean the video of you finding that place for Vortech?” I asked.
“That’s the one,” confirmed the robot. “I was supposed to be like the Vortex Drivers, but I didn’t want to be cramped in a belt. Kind of hard to do anything as a belt except transform your host. Dull, honestly. Although, it seems a former organic wanted to try for herself, right Vortoranii?”
“You haven’t changed a bit, old friend!” chuckled Vortoranii.
“My name’s X-PO,” introduced the robot. “Short for Experimental Portal Operator, and I’m the voice that’s been helping you find the Keystones.” Hypothesis confirmed. X-PO hovered towards Batman. “That’s different than the voice that tells you to dress up like a bat.” Batman snarled at this.
“So, you were the one that spied on Vortech,” I guessed. “He must have figured you out, hence, banishing you.”
“Yep,” confirmed X-PO.
“Our thanks for guiding us,” lauded Gandalf.
“You and your beard are welcome,” replied X-PO. “So, here’s the deal: now that the Keystones have been integrated into the Gateway device, you must gather the Foundation Elements immediately. It’s a ‘gotta-collect-them-all’ kind of thing.”
“Cut to the chase, casual robot,” snapped Batman. “Where’s Robin and the Kryptonite?”
“Right, Kryptonite,” recalled X-PO. “That’s one of the Foundation Elements identified on Foundation Prime. I believe I gave you a bit of explanation on them.”
“You only stated what some Foundation Elements are,” I reminded, “and who’s got them.”
“So, Lord Vortech really DOES have his grubby, Vortechy mitts on them,” hissed X-PO.
“The guy from the wild west, right?” asked Wyldstyle.
“Does he have our friends too?” quizzed Hongo.
“Well, if they possess Foundation Elements,” guessed X-PO, “and, judging by the kinds of friends you have, I bet they do, then, yes, they’re on Foundation Prime.”
“Then stop talking and open a rift there!” demanded Batman, wanting to rescue his son quickly.
“You’ve been there before,” I observed. “Get the F.N.S there and we’ll deal with Vortech and the hostage situation. These people need to get home.”
“No, we need to get to Foundation Prime!” protested Batman.
“This isn’t your fight!” I argued.
“Oh, yes it is,” countered X-PO. “You think those rifts leading you guys to their native dimensions was coincidence?”
“Wait, you wanted Hongo to follow us through the rift?!” I yelped.
“And Batman, Wyldstyle, and Gandalf,” confirmed X-PO. “Batman has his intelligence and gadgets, Gandalf has his magic and wisdom, Wyldstyle has her combat prowess and imaginative brain, and Hongo has his cybernetic powers. These have proven valuable to you guys. Overall, they should be thanked.” I then realized what was going on. X-PO selected the people that could help us on our journey while the Vortex Drivers found hosts that could utilize their powers. Dear Lord, I made a mistake.
“Minna,” I mumbled, “I want to apologize.”
“For?” asked Hongo.
“For not telling you sooner about what we know about Vortech!” I said, tearing up a bit. I felt so ashamed. “I should have trusted you sooner!” I broke down crying. Richard, Emmanuel, Lukas, Hiroki, and Emily gave me a hug.
“Maybe we shouldn’t have been so harsh,” Batman muttered to Hongo, Gandalf, and Wyldstyle. They raised an eyebrow. “I let my goal of rescuing Robin get in the way of my judgement. I thought Megumi didn’t care about us. Boy, was I wrong. She made the same mistake I’ve made of holding back info to protect your friends.”
“I’m not really innocent in that regard,” replied Hongo.
“We’ve all done it in the past,” observed Wyldstyle.
“True,” confirmed Gandalf. “I kept some things from the Fellowship and it led to us facing the Balrog in Moria.” I had spent my tears at that time.
“I’m sorry,” I mumbled.
“I think I speak for all of us when I say we all are,” assured Batman. “No more secrets?”
“No more secrets,” I promised. “Another reason I didn’t tell you everything was that I was thinking more about how to save Hiroki’s and my mom.”
“We all let our loved ones blind us to the team we have,” observed Emmanuel. “Let’s use that light to instead find the path forward instead of in our eyes.”
“Agreed,” I cheered. “All right, X-PO, get us to Foundation Prime!”
“Wish I could,” sighed X-PO.
“I’m sorry?” I hissed. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear.
“Here’s the catch,” explained X-PO, “Foundation Prime’s location was wiped from my memory, along with all my important phone numbers and gluten-free recipes. It’s a real pain.” He eats? “But,” he continued, “with enough Foundation Elements, I may be able to recalculate the location for Foundation Prime. Also, as an added bonus, getting all of the Foundation Elements will stop Lord Vortech’s plan to collapse all the dimensions into one.”
“I trust one of you knows what that last bit meant?” quizzed Gandalf, the whole thing going over his head.
“I think so,” muttered Wyldstyle. “Collapsing all the dimensions is bad news, right?
“Oh, yeah,” confirmed X-PO. “REAL bad. To put it in a way that each of you would understand, it’s like if Sauron ruled all of Middle-Earth, or your entire world got glued together, or Shocker successfully turned everyone into cyborg slaves, or everybody in Gotham found out you’re actually Bruce Wayne.” Batman squirmed at this. “So, obviously, you have to collect all of these Foundation Elements.”
“But, we only know of a few of them,” countered Gandalf. “What are the rest and what purpose do they serve?”
“They’re important, unique objects,” answered X-PO, “found only in specific dimensions.”
“From what the Vortex Drivers recorded from you,” I recalled, “the Foundation Elements are the cornerstones of all of reality, keeping the fabric of the multiverse stable. Hence, Foundation Elements.”
“Like MetalBeard’s treasure?” asked Wyldstyle.
“Yes,” confirmed X-PO. “Lord Vortech desires them with all of his heart. When it comes to ruling the entire multiverse, the guy can be a bit of a hoarder.”
“All right, we’re in!” declared Batman.
“What are we looking for?” asked Wyldstyle.
“Look, I can only be so helpful,” replied X-PO, “but I CAN get you started. For there is one Element that’s known to all artificial intelligences, such as myself. The knowledge is buried deep in our kernel. Some consider it a myth, but I am now certain of its existence.”
“And?” I asked. “What is it?”
“A cake!” answered X-PO.
“…A cake?” I asked incredulously.
“A cake!” repeated X-PO. “A delicious, moist cake!” He then made an evil laugh, stopping himself soon after. “Whoa, that was weird! Alright, let’s get a rift open for you!”
“Not just yet!” I called. “As some people have pointed out, some of us have new forms that are currently cumbersome. I don’t wanna be caught with my dress down again. We need to train, and we need to do so quickly.” X-PO considered this.
“Well then,” he mused, “if we’re going to gather Foundation Elements with bulkier super forms, we’ll have to get you used to them in very little time, starting tomorrow!”
“How will we do that?” asked Irina.
“I think I know just what we need!” declared X-PO.
After Igura changed into her usual outfit, she joined us as I laughed with the rest of our allies. “You should have seen how Igura-Chan got the Flux Capacitor!” I boasted. “She was brilliant!”
“Just a few more Foundation Elements,” laughed Sauron, “and we can rule like royalty!” We all sighed as we dreamed of power.
“A single universe under our command,” muttered Ambassador Hell happily.
“Talking of your rewards?” asked Vortech as he approached.
“Indeed,” confirmed Saruman. “And of what we’ll bring to the single universe.”
“You know what would spruce things up in that universe?” asked Sauron. “Some Mordor landscaping, like Mount Doom.”
“How about the industry of Isengard?” quizzed Saruman.
“True, we can’t do anything without industry,” I agreed.
“And workers to get industry going,” supplied Ambassador Hell.
“And, of course,” interjected the Joker, “we should consider a holiday of anarchy and chaos.”
“And some form of police when there are people breaking the law when such a holiday isn’t in effect,” observed Lex Luthor.
“Would a full week of chaos and a full week of order alternating do?” asked Igura. Both Lex and the Joker grinned. “I thought so.”
“And the reward starting money for that universe!” I cheered. “Fifty million studs each!”
“Fifty million?” asked Two-Face. He turned to Vortech. “You said our starting money was twenty million!”
“And Hiro said that as well,” replied Vortech hurriedly.
“I heard him say FIFTY million!” growled Sauron.
“I thought YOU said you didn’t care about studs!” I protested.
“I don’t!” hissed Sauron as he gripped his mace. “I just don’t like to be cheated!”
“Now, everybody, calm down!” yelped Igura as she tried to keep the peace while our allies advanced on us.
“Calm down?” snapped the Joker. “Are you three trying to make your cheating us of our full share into a joke?! Because I don’t find it funny!”
“We’re not cheating anybody!” assured Vortech.
“Then where are the other thirty million studs?!” asked Sauron.
“There ARE no other thirty million studs!” called Igura. She turned to me. “Are there?”
“Er, no!” I lied. “Not really!” A Shocker Combatman made his usual noises.
“I AGREE!” roared Sauron. “THEY’RE LYING! THEY’RE IN THIS TOGETHER!”
“YOU’RE NOT GONNA GET AWAY WITH THIS, VORTECH!” shouted the Joker, no longer smiling.
“I COME HERE, RISK MY MEN’S LIVES,” yelled Ambassador Hell, “AND FOR WHAT?!” He cracked his red whip with the intent of beating Igura savagely. “YOU HAD THIS COMING FOR A LONG TIME, TRAITOR!”
“TRY IT!” taunted Igura. “NOVA…HENSHIN!” She transformed into Kamen Rider Talon and tackled Ambassador Hell. He shoved her off of him after she scored some punches to his face. He got up and then changed into his monster form. He was a bipedal rattlesnake monster with a snake head, a whip right arm, a five digited claw hand, and scales all over his body. This form was called Garagaranda. He swung his whip arm at Igura, who dodged.
“I’ll get him!” I declared as I loaded my i.d tag into my guns. “Henshin!” As I ran through the circle, the Joker tackled me. Vortech tried to get away, but Sauron hit him with his mace. It became a brawl between the two. Eventually, after a few clashes with their weapons, Vortech ducked a side swing from Sauron. The person it hit was in armor, right behind Vortech. The person stumbled backwards, making the fighting stop. I felt the blood drain from my face. It was War of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Vortech said to avoid them at all costs, since they were training one of two Kamen Riders that could beat him!
“Well,” grunted War, “since you’re hellbent on fighting, I see no reason to even give you a chance of backing out now while you can. I’ll see you on the battlefield.” She mounted her horse and charged off. Nobody moved. We were still as statues for a while. We then turned slowly to Sauron who, for once, had a stance that betrayed his fear.
“You idiot!” screeched Talon.