The fruits of Heim's Underworld Forest possess the power to evolve humanity. However, consuming the ordinary fruit comes with a heavy price—genetic mutation. Those who ingest them inevitably lose their humanity and transform into Inves.
But the true treasure of Heim's Underworld is something far rarer: the "Forbidden Fruit." Known also as the Golden Fruit, it only appears once every few millennia. This fruit doesn't merely grant evolution—it bestows godhood.
That is the reason Ryuga came to this world: to claim the Golden Fruit.
Unfortunately, the timing wasn't ideal. The Golden Fruit had yet to mature. So, even with Ryuga's overwhelming strength, there was little we could do for now. Instead, we had no choice but to kill time—watching teenagers perform hip-hop dance battles on the surface world wasn't a bad distraction.
The portal from Heim's Underworld to Earth manifests as a zipper-like tear called a Crack. These dimensional tears appear randomly, temporarily linking both realms.
After the three of us—Ryuga, Mai, and Kouta—passed through the Crack, it quickly vanished behind us. Ryuga hadn't expected a fight and had lowered his guard. But just before the portal fully closed, an Inves suddenly burst through.
Ryuga sighed. "Good thing I only picked a few fruits. If I had transformed too early, we'd have lost the Lockseeds."
Now that we had the Sengoku Drivers, it would be a waste not to use them. I turned to Kouta and Mai and instructed them to take cover. Then, I pressed the Sengoku Driver against my waist.
With a mechanical snap, the belt deployed automatically, fixing itself in place. The ID module on the left side immediately displayed the emblem of Kamen Rider Gaim.
Belts with auto-deploy systems like these were practical. I've never been fond of those cumbersome drivers with manual belts—it's too much trouble.
Another excellent feature of this early version Sengoku Driver is that it's bound exclusively to the user. No one else can activate it. Far superior to the more generic models that anyone can operate.
As soon as I equipped the belt, the fruits I'd taken from Heim's Underworld transformed into Lockseeds. Credit where it's due—Ryoma Sengoku, the developer of this driver, is nothing short of a genius. His tech can convert organic matter into mechanical power sources. The world of Riders is undeniably saturated with black technology.
I pocketed the other Lockseeds and kept the Orange Lockseed—I found it visually appealing.
[Orange!]
I clicked the button on the Lockseed, shifting it to its unlocked state. Instantly, a round Crack opened above me, accompanied by a zipper-like sound. A compact set of armor, shaped like an orange, dropped from the rift.
I glanced upward, inserted the Lockseed into the central slot of the driver, locked it in place, and pulled down the lever—shaped like a fruit knife.
[Lock On!]
[Soiya! Orange Arms!]
[Ikebana On Stage!]
The armor descended and unfolded over my body, forming a samurai-styled set of blue-and-orange armor.
Kamen Rider Gaim—Orange Arms.
I looked at the Daidaimaru—my signature sword—then hurled it at the charging Inves, staggering the creature with a direct hit.
Everyone knows—Daidaimaru is best used as a throwing weapon!
After retrieving the sword, I charged in and began to battle the Inves. It was a fast-paced, chaotic skirmish. Mai and Kouta watched nervously, unsure if I'd come out unscathed.
But to anyone with actual combat experience, it was clear—I was playing with my food. The Inves were rookies, and I was just putting on a show.
Still, I wasn't just fooling around. I was waiting for someone—TakatsukasaMai, the future "Maiden of the Beginning," who would eventually obtain the Golden Fruit's power.
In the original timeline, she becomes a goddess and uses her power to travel upstream through the river of time, hoping to prevent the tragedies that befell the other Riders. Her goal is noble: to stop the endless cycle of despair and sacrifice.
But I began to wonder… if the tragedy never occurs, would she even have a reason to return to the past?
That led me to a realization: All tragedies arise from one root cause—insufficient power. And I had no shortage of that.
If Mai became my woman, I would never allow her to face any tragedy.
[Lock Off!]
With that decision made, I stopped toying around. I pulled the Musou Saber from my waist and attached it to the Daidaimaru, forming a naginata.
I removed the Lockseed from the driver and inserted it into the Musou Saber.
[Lock On!]
[One, Ten, Hundred, Thousand, Million!]
[Orange Charge!]
With fluid motion, I dashed forward, struck down the Inves, and passed by. An instant later, the monster exploded behind me. I stood tall, my back to the flames, before casually removing the belt and ending the transformation.
"You were amazing, Longwo!" Mai cried out with joy and leapt into my arms. I quickly caught her.
She's full of energy… unlike Ora, who's barely older but spends all day at home. Funny how things turn out.
One becomes a vibrant street-dancing goddess who later adopts a serene demeanor; the other starts off as a composed elder sister and ends up a reclusive homebody.
Is this evolution... or simply irony?
Clearing my thoughts, I turned to them. "So, what do you think of this secret weapon? With this, our team won't have to worry about rankings anymore."
I recalled the earlier plotlines. Kouta Kazuraba—known as Kouta—also got his hands on the Sengoku Driver and wanted to show off. That's when I called both him and Mai over.
In this timeline, most of the plot revolves around a group of street-dancing teams called the BeatRiders.
These youths originally earned stage rights based on dance skill. But after a massive corporation called Yggdrasill took control of Zawame City, things changed. They introduced Lockseeds—devices that summoned monsters and created virtual arenas. Dance competitions were replaced by Inves Games—battles fought with summoned creatures.
Despite the trend shift, our team, "Team Gaim," stuck to our original passion—hip-hop dance. But to survive and defend our turf, we had no choice but to join the Inves Games.
As team captain, Kouta struggled to keep the group afloat. Then, under mysterious guidance, he acquired a Sengoku Driver—the team's so-called "secret weapon."
"That was incredible!" Kouta said in awe. "Now I can work and support my family with peace of mind!"
Suddenly, his expression changed. "Oh no! I forgot—I've got a part-time shift coming up!" He turned and bolted.
...What an airhead.
Watching Kouta run off mid-sentence, I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Truly, the classic silly orange lives on.