[Cross-Z Flame!]
Cross-Z Dragon spread its mechanical wings, spewing a barrage of flames toward BloodStalk. The skies shimmered orange as fire licked the air, forcing Stalk to back off momentarily.
Long Wo didn't hesitate. With his power deliberately restrained below a danger level of 3.0 to avoid triggering unintended evolution, he charged forward, unleashing his own finishing move:
"Xia Ji Eight Punches!"
"Damn it!" Stalk shouted—only to be interrupted by Long Wo, yelling even louder:
"War Rabbit! What kind of monster did you invent?! It's attacking me too!"
"…Sorry! Must be a targeting glitch!" War Rabbit called out sheepishly from behind cover.
"Boy, you're getting cocky." Annoyed by the distraction, Stalk knocked Long Wo aside with a brutal kick. "Let me remind you—this isn't a playground."
But Long Wo just grinned. "Thanks for the donation, Stalk."
"Huh?"
Only then did BloodStalk realize—the Rocket Fullbottle was gone from his Smoke Gun.
"You little thief!"
"Flattery will get you nowhere." Long Wo tossed the bottle to War Rabbit. "Try this: Rocket Panda."
"…You're joking. That's actually a Best Match?" War Rabbit blinked in disbelief as the Driver confirmed compatibility.
[Panda! Rocket!]
[BestMatch!]
[Are you ready?]
"Transform!"
[Soar of Monochrome!]
[Rocket-Panda!]
[YEAH~]
A striking white-and-black suit emerged, bearing the raw strength of a panda and the explosive thrust of a rocket.
"The law of victory has been determined!"
War Rabbit spun the crank on his belt.
[Ready? Go!]
[VortexFinish!]
[YEAH~]
"Stalk! Here's your rocket back!"
The explosive final attack landed dead-center on Stalk. He was launched backward several meters in a smoking heap.
"Hahaha! You've gotten stronger again!" Stalk clapped sarcastically, rising to his feet barely scratched. He was panting—but even that seemed more for dramatic flair than genuine injury.
Long Wo squinted. "You're pretending to be winded, aren't you? Showboater."
Indeed, if there's one thing Stalk excelled at—beyond scheming and being flamboyantly smug—it was putting on a show. He was all style, all wave. And that made him dangerous.
"Well, since I'm feeling generous, here's a parting gift." Stalk pointed a finger at the stunned pair. "Katsuragi Shin—he created the Smash. He founded Faust."
"What?!" War Rabbit froze, the revelation shaking him.
"See you next time~" Stalk waved with an exaggerated flourish before vanishing into the shadows.
War Rabbit and Long Wo returned to Katsuragi's mother, who—shocked by Stalk's claim—finally agreed to take them to the hidden research notes her son had left behind.
Their journey back to the Eastern Capital went smoothly at first. Katsuragi's mother drove them via official routes. But upon re-entering the city, her car was intercepted by Night Rogue's forces. War Rabbit and Long Wo, who had been hiding in the trunk to avoid inspections, burst out in time to intervene—but not fast enough.
Katsuragi's mother had already been captured and turned into a Smash.
Though they rescued her, the effects were irreversible—another victim of Faust's human experimentation. She lost her short-term memory, though her older recollections remained intact.
At least War Rabbit recovered her son's data—but not before Night Rogue attempted to intercept it. Curiously, BloodStalk interfered once again, ensuring the information ultimately reached Long Wo.
Whether by manipulation or design, Stalk ensured the right people got what they needed, while still pulling the strings from the background.
However, this cache of data held no clues about the murder case War Rabbit sought. It contained only blueprints—detailed research notes for the Rider system and its applications.
Once again, the trail of the case ran cold.
Still, War Rabbit wasn't worried. At this point, if there was a truth worth learning, Mr. E would find a way to "accidentally" leave it lying around. And Long Wo? He simply relaxed. He knew the rhythm of this world—wait long enough, and the next piece would fall into place.
Meanwhile, in a dark office elsewhere, Night Rogue—real name Gentoku Himuro—was preparing to escalate matters.
His financial backer, Jusaburo Namba, CEO of Namba Heavy Industries, was growing impatient. A man of wealth, weapons, and waning time, Namba desired to experience absolute control before he died.
To him, war wasn't chaos—it was commerce. And the Pandora's Box, coveted by all three political regions of Japan, was the perfect catalyst.
Gentoku was ordered to steal the box from the Eastern Capital Advanced Research Institute, where it was housed under tight security. However, the vault could only be opened with keys possessed by the Prime Ministers of the East, West, and North.
Conveniently, all three leaders would visit the Institute the following day.
Gentoku's plan was simple and cold-blooded:
Turn one of War Rabbit's coworkers into a Smash to lure him away.
Disable the facility's defenses and stage a Faust attack to act as a "rescue commander," earning public goodwill and an alibi.
Send someone in to steal the box during the confusion.
The first two phases went smoothly.
But the third? That's where Gentoku made a grave mistake—he entrusted the theft to Stalk, the biggest wildcard in the game.
When War Rabbit realized he'd been manipulated, he immediately called Long Wo.
"Stall for time. Whatever it takes."
Long Wo infiltrated the Institute just as Stalk was preparing to make off with the box.
"Stalk! Where do you think you're going?!"
"Oh? A wanted criminal trespassing in a government facility? My, how bold of you," Stalk replied mockingly.
Long Wo smirked. "We're both bold, it seems."
Before they could clash, an NPC security guard stepped forward and demanded to handle the matter. With a shrug, Stalk lazily handed the problem over, transforming the guard into a Smash with his Smoke Gun before making his exit.
Long Wo sighed in relief. If Stalk had fought him directly, he'd be forced to reveal his full power or transform prematurely. Now, with only a Smash in front of him, he could buy just enough time.
And besides, he already knew something critical:
In this world, each Kamen Rider had a core attribute—a symbol tied to who they were. For War Rabbit, it was the rabbit. For Mr. E, the cobra. For Long Wo...
It was the dragon.
And his time was coming.