While Sougo was dealing with the meteorite, Yaguruma So was equally restless.
Kageyama Shun had successfully deceived Kagami, catching him off guard. Under Sougo's previous instructions, Woz was already working to shield Kagami from Yaguruma's manipulations.
But Another Kabuto's absurdly fast movements made him a formidable foe. Woz had been on the defensive the entire time. After enduring enough of the high-speed harassment, he decided to unveil a new form—one he had been saving for such a moment. He turned the dial on his Galactic Future Watch, activating Planetary Mode.
[Wakusei (Planet)!]
[Action!]
[Projection! FinallyTime!]
Water, gold, fire, wood, earth, and sea—
The universe stretches vast and infinite!
[WakuWaku Wakusei! Ginga Wakusei (Galaxy Planet)!]
A burst of planetary light exploded in all directions—vivid effects of the eight planets igniting in sequence until the transformation completed.
As for this "new form"... well, wasn't it obvious? The text on his helmet was different.
This was the classic case of "output fierce as a tiger, actual damage 0.5%" performance. But Woz, ever theatrical, didn't let it show. With little fanfare, he activated his finisher.
[FinallyBeyondTheTime!]
Explosion of water, gold, fire, wood, earth, sky, and sea!
Eight planetary energy spheres hovered above Woz's head before raining down in a spectacular, area-wide bombardment—an indiscriminate map cannon attack.
No matter how fast you are—if you're planning to strike me, don't even dream of dodging this.
Sure enough, Another Kabuto failed to escape this celestial assault. The rain of light forced him out of Clock Up mode, crashing him into the ground with a crackling thud.
"Kabuto's power is a fragment of the universe," Woz declared grandly, extending one finger upward. "And none shall triumph over the cosmos!"
"...Probably," he added sheepishly, suddenly glancing around.
Hopefully he wasn't watching. Or he... or especially him.
Because if President E or Tendou were listening, Woz wouldn't dare run his mouth like that.
"Whatever! I don't have cosmic power anyway—I've got brotherly power!"
From the smoke of the explosion, the blue grasshopper—Yaguruma—stood tall again. Fueled by unshakable fraternal devotion, he lunged forward.
[RiderJump!]
"Rider Kick!" Yaguruma launched skyward with brutal force.
Woz raised his arm to counter, shouting his own call:
[RiderKick!]
But when he looked up again… Yaguruma was gone.
Meanwhile, Kagami was having his own crisis—being repeatedly slammed by Shun's relentless locust attacks. When it was over, all that remained was a letter and a cup of instant noodles. Truly... a tragic boxed lunch.
Back at the base.
Sougo finally returned from orbit, only to find Ryuga sipping coffee like nothing happened. His face twisted in disbelief.
"Hey—where's Tsukuyomi? Where's Mr. Kagami?" Sougo asked, looking around.
"Tsukuyomi got dragged off by Yusuke," Gates explained. "He said something about 'investigating.'"
"As for Kagami…" Woz pulled out a letter with a grim face. "He might have been taken by Kageyama Shun."
"If you want Kagami back, come to—" Sougo began to read.
"Isn't that clearly a trap?!" he interrupted himself. "Why are we even debating this?!"
Without wasting another moment, Sougo, Gates, and Woz stormed toward the meeting location Shun had specified.
They got Kagami back—but at a cost.
The Fourze Watch and Galactic Future Watch, both brimming with cosmic energy, had been stolen.
"You don't think they tricked us into going to space just so they could swipe the watches?" Gates asked.
"Too late now," Woz replied dryly.
"Sorry… it's my fault…" Kagami murmured.
"Forget it," Sougo tried to reassure him. "What's done is done."
"Still, what is the Time Jackers' goal here?" Gates frowned.
"If my theory's correct," Woz said, "they're trying to forcibly overlap Kagami's timeline with ours. It's fusion through spatial interference."
"Yusuke said something like that too..." Gates nodded.
While they talked, Kagami sat silently, his head bowed.
"Mr. Kagami? Are you alright?" Sougo asked gently.
"Kabuto Zecter didn't choose me. I've never been able to beat Kabuto… not even a fake one," Kagami whispered.
Sougo fell silent, unsure how to respond.
"You didn't lose to Kabuto," Ryuga said, sipping his tea.
"Huh?" Kagami looked up.
"You didn't lose to Tendou either."
"The God of War—Gatack—was always meant to surpass the Sun God—Kabuto. Tendou only pulled ahead because of how he performed, not because of the system."
"But your real opponent wasn't Kabuto. It was your own obsession."
Kagami was stunned.
"You believe Zecter didn't choose you. But Tendou acknowledged you a long time ago. So ask yourself—what matters more? A machine's recognition… or a close friend's?"
Light returned to Kagami's eyes.
"Go. Prove your strength," Ryuga said, pointing to the exit.
"Thank you!" Kagami stood and bowed deeply, then marched out with resolve.
"Wow, Ryuga, you're amazing!" Sougo said, impressed.
"You're not going to help him?"
"Wait—you actually think he can beat both of them alone?!"
"..." Sougo fell silent.
The team quickly tracked down Yaguruma and Kageyama Shun. The air grew tense as the two sides faced off.
It was four against two—but in the Rider world, that hardly mattered. Yaguruma, having been a Rider himself, had little room to argue about the numbers.
"Yaguruma! The Earth's about to be destroyed!" Gates shouted. "Why are you helping Kageyama?!"
"I don't care about the Earth. I just care about my brother!" Yaguruma replied fiercely.
"Then there's nothing more to say!" Sougo declared. "Mr. Kagami, you take Yaguruma! We'll handle Kageyama Shun!"
"Got it!"
"Wait—what?! Why do I have to fight three of you?! I hate you all!" Kageyama grumbled.
"Henshin!" Kagami shouted.
[CastOff!]
[Change: Stag Beetle!]
"Henshin!" Yaguruma growled.
[Change: Kick Hopper!]
"Henshin!" Kageyama Shun barked.
[Change: Punch Hopper!]
"Henshin!" Gates roared.
[Goretsu! Rider Time!]
[Kamen Rider Geiz! Re-Vive! Goretsu!]
"Henshin!" Woz followed.
[Woz! Action! Future Time!]
[Great Era Future! Kamen Rider Woz!]
"Henshin!" Sougo joined.
[Rider Time! Kamen Rider Zi-O! Zi-O II!]
"You won't stop the meteorite!" Kageyama screamed as he charged. "We will bring down the cosmic swarm!"
"Kagami, let's go!"
[Rider Jump!]
"Rider Kick!"
Yaguruma lunged first—but Kagami was ready.
[One! Two! Three!]
"Rider Kick!"
Their legs collided midair in a thunderous shockwave. Yaguruma flew backward, smashing into a wall.
Kagami had finally done it—he had fought at full strength and won.
But Yaguruma wasn't finished.
[Kabuto!]
Shedding his green exoskin, he Cast Off again—transforming into a monstrous version of Kabuto, completely reborn and pulsing with energy.