At the Ra Yellow Dorm, Kuromu was in his room stewing over his recent loss at the Promotion Exams. He got the results back from one of the proctors, and while he won't be demoted to Osiris Red, he won't be promoted to Obelisk Blue anytime soon. The silver lining to it was that his actual academic scores are what's keeping him from being demoted.
'What am I even doing?' Kuromu thought to himself as he reached into his jacket and pulled out a USB flash drive. Staring at it, he recalled what his father had told him.
'Do not let anyone get their hands on it, no matter what.'
He began to wonder, just what was in this thing that people wanted.
*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*
Kuromu snapped out of his thoughts, hearing a knock on his door. Placing the flash drive back in his pocket, he went towards the door and opened it, revealing Koji and Rika. He sighed, he was about to close the door on them but Koji stopped him.
"Whoa, Daddy-O, hold the phone. We just wanna talk."
"I'm fine you two," Kuromu sighed, trying to reassure him.
"That's bogus my man and you know it." The disco lover said firmly, "Look, we know that you're bummed about the loss, but locking yourself in this room ain't gonna do you any favors."
Kuromu sighed as he walked away from the door, prompting his two friends to enter.
"Kuro, listen to him!" Rika said, as she closed the door. "I know things haven't gone your way ever since school started, but this-"
"What would you two know?!" Kuromu snapped, shocking the two, as he started pacing around. "Like… What am I even doing here?!"
"Kuro-"
"I shouldn't even be here! I should be out there! Instead, I'm stuck on this island, trying to learn my Deck!"
"Kuro!"
"I should just drop out an-"
"KURO!"
*SMACK!*
Kuromu's eyes widened at the stinging sensation of one of his cheeks, his head being suddenly whipped to the side. The reason being was Rika had slapped him.
"Are you even listening to yourself?!" Rika snapped, "I know you're worried, but you can't just go on and act like you're the only one suffering!"
"…"
"And besides, your old man says he's handling things on his end, anyways. So why are you the one sweating over it?" Koji retorted with his arms crossed. "You need to take a chill pill and let your old man cook. He knows what he's doing."
Kuromu sighed in frustration, sitting on his bed, hunched over. "I'm sorry, I just…"
"We know, bro…" Koji said, placing a hand on the Rider duelist's shoulder. Rika then sat down on the bed with Kuromu, leaning her head on his shoulder while hugging his arm with hers.
"We're here for you, Kuro. Don't think you're alone in this." Rika said. "I know things are difficult right now, but that doesn't mean you have to shoulder it by yourself. You know you can rely on both of us. So let us help shoulder that burden with you. We'll all get through it together. I promise."
"…" Kuromu didn't say anything but gripped the USB tight.
Meanwhile, at the Osiris Red Dorm…
"On the north cliff of this island, there is… a cave," Sho told Judai and Rex. "A small inlet lies deep in the cave. When night falls, moonlight streams in from above. If you gaze deeply into the pool, far under the water you will see an image of the card you most want. And when you reach out to take it… You're dragged out into the ocean!" Sho concluded, giving his best freaked out face with his hands in the air.
"I want to see this cave," Judai chuckled lightly.
"Ah… Big Bro, you've got it all wrong," Sho sighed, Hayato trembling in the corner behind him, "We're telling scary stories, remember?"
"Well, I guess it was okay for a Level 4 story," Judai shrugged, holding up a copy of Earthbound Spirit. "Yosh. My turn." With that, Judai drew from the deck in the center of the table, revealing… "Oh, Killer Snake," he noticed.
"Meh… Level 1, huh?" Sho sighed, "Sure would have been nice to have it so easy."
"Well, let's see. A Level 1 story," Judai pondered, "Well, that reminds me of when I was little, I used to hear the voices of monsters in the night. Like the fairies you read about in storybooks. From the others I thought that, while I was sleeping, the monsters were coming out of my cards and throwing a party or something," Judai recalled, "I'd get up in the middle of the night, and open my card case…"
"And?" Rex asked.
"There was nothing there," Judai smiled with his eyes shut as the others sighed.
"Jeez," the two students sighed in unison.
"Oh ho ho~! Everyone, what are we all doing here-nya?" the headmaster of Osiris Red inquired, making the three students gasp in shock, falling out of their seats, Rex grabbing a nearby metal bar out of instinct while Sho and Judai looked at the man with the cat in his arms with expressions of shock.
"That surprised me!" Judai gawked.
"Don't scare us like that!" Rex added.
"Daitokuji-Sensei~!" Sho nearly whined, the professor looking confused with a sweatdrop from his head.
"Eh?"
"Well we were telling scary stories. The higher the level of the card we drew from the deck, the scarier the story is." Sho explained. "Why don't you give it a try, Sensei?" He offered.
"Eh~! Sounds like fun-nya! Let's see what I get-nya…" Daitokuji smiled, reaching for the deck and drew… a Fusion Monster. And not just any, it was the Five God Dragon!
"L-Look! A Level 12!" Judai gawked.
"Well, give us the best one you've got, Sensei," Rex smiled, Daitokuji chuckling before he looked up and away.
"Come to think of it, are you aware that there's an abandoned dorm deep within the far side of the island-nya?" the professor inquired of the students.
"Abandoned dorm?" Judai wondered.
"Yes… apparently, it was a dorm for the academy's honor students logo ago-nya, but," The professor recalled. "Every single student in that dorm went missing-nya~…"
Hearing this, Sho gulped, "Really?"
"I heard that they were doing all sorts of research regarding the Games of Darkness in that dorm-nya," Daitokuji added.
"G-Games of Darkness?!" Rex gawked, gripping the metal bar tight, "You mean those death games?!"
"That would have something to do with the Millennium Items right?" Judai guessed. "C'mon, sensei, it's all just superstition, isn't it? We all know that's just a myth and legend."
"True, but sometimes in every fable, exists a grain of truth-nya. Still, I don't know the full story, seeing by the time I arrived, the dorm was already off-limits-nya," Daitokuji said. That's when Pharoah meowed its tiredness, the professor standing up in response, "Well, I think it's time you all got back to your rooms-nya. Saa, oyasumi-nya~" And with that, Daitokuji left with his cat in tow.
"Man, I wonder if there's really a place like that on this island." Sho said with a worried look on his face.
"I think it sounds fun! Let's go take a look tomorrow night!" Judai said with a wide grin.
"Ehhh?!" Both Sho and Rex gawked at his friend, but it's more on how carefree his friend was. How could he say that with a smile on his face?
"Judai, are you nuts?! That's Game of Darkness territory!" Rex shouted, "Why the heck would you want to go to a place where those things were being researched!?"
"Why not? Besides, this is a great way for Kuromu to take his mind off of his loss at the Promotion Exams." Judai pointed out.
"A-Are you sure about this, Aniki?" Sho asked hesitantly.
"I don't think Kuromu would appreciate it though." Rex frowned. "He looked like he had a lot on his mind. And I don't think it was about the Promotion Exam either."
"Ah, come on guys. It'll be fun!" Judai insisted.
"No means no, man!" Rex said firmly. "You can't convince us otherwise."
"Come on! You know it would be fun." Judai said with a smile before calming down, "Besides… it's as you said, Kuromu has a lot on his brain. Why not do something fun to try and get his mind off of things?"
"You're missing the point, Judai." Rex said dryly, "Did you not hear what sensei said? There were Games of Darkness being practiced there! That's a death trap waiting to happen!"
"So… we're not going?" Judai frowned.
"I don't know." Rex admitted, "Sorry if I'm acting a bit cowardly, but…" The mutt soon sighed loudly after thinking about it longer, "You know what? Screw it, I'm in."
"Really?!" Judai cheered before Rex raised a finger.
"However! The moment that a potential Duel comes up in that dorm, we book it immediately!" He reminded the Elemental HERO Duelist.
"A-Are you sure?" Sho asked.
"I don't want to be the stick in the mud and ruin your fun just because of what happened to me." Rex said.
"All right! Then it's settled!" Judai cheered with a fist in the air. "Tomorrow night, we stake out the so-called Abandoned Dorm!"
Despite feeling happy, the Elemental HERO Duelist couldn't help but feel worried about the mutt, and he could tell from Sho's shared sense of worry that he wasn't alone in the feeling.
Little did they know that a certain Professor, particularly of the Obelisk Blue Dorm had overheard their conversation about the Abandoned Dorm. To him, this was the perfect chance to expel that Dropout Boy. How he hadn't thought of that idea earlier was beyond him. But at the end of the day, and in this case quite literally, it was better late than never.
"Bravo! The Game of Darkness! I almost forgot about that approach!" Chronos snickered to himself. "If I use those rumors to make the Dropout Boy disappear, no one will suspect anything!" With a chortle and chuckle, he snuck away quietly while the gears in his head started turning. In order to pull this plan off, he'll need to enlist someone who could actually finish the job for him. He'll have to enlist someone… outside of Duel Academia.
*POW!*
An unknown man reeled from the attack and coughed out a decent amount of blood.
"I will never… give it up." He stated, standing up to face his attacker. In front of him was a mysterious masked figure. The only thing visible was the dark cloak that hunched over the mysterious attacker's figure and a mask that was shaped like a spider's face with its multiple eyes and fangs.
The unknown man was met with two more punches from the masked figure; one in the stomach and the other in the head. The unknown man could have sworn that his ears were ringing.
"I grow irritated by your insolence and my patience is wearing thin." The spider-masked man growled, before picking up the unknown man and shoving him against the wall. "Tell me! Where is it?!"
All he got for an answer was blood spat defiantly in his face by the unknown man.
"Defiant to the end, eh?" The spider-masked man seethed before throwing the man to the ground. "Very well… perhaps I should employ more drastic methods."
"Go ahead! It won't change a thing!" The unknown man goaded.
"Oh, you're sure about that?" The spider-masked man asked with a sadistic grin, taking out a remote that activated a screen in the living room. The TV turned on and the unknown man's eyes widened considerably at what he saw on the screen.
"Do not worry, I haven't done anything yet. I made sure of it." The spider-masked man said, "Monster I may be, there are lines not even I will cross."
"You…" The unknown man growled.
"Now I will ask again." The masked man said as he knelt down to the unknown man's level, "Where… is… it?" He asked, putting emphasis on each word.
"Even if I told you, you'll never get your hands on it!"
"Heh, then how about this?" The masked man chuckled, "I will go to that school your son attends, and not only will I kill him, I'll kill every single person there."
"Leave my son out of this!" The unknown man growled.
"Then tell me where it is then! And maybe I'll consider sparing his life." The spider-masked man snarled. "If you don't… I'll start with-"
"STOP!" Without much of a choice, the unknown man was forced to concede. "He has it… my son has it…"
"See? Now was that so hard?" The spider-masked man chuckled. "Oh, and about sparing your son… Well, now that I know that he has it… I'll kill him then take back what's mine."
"NO!" The unknown man shouted, only to be knocked out by the spider-masked man. And everything he felt went to black. With a scoff, the spider-masked man went out the door and waiting for him was another person. This man was bulky in appearance as he was dressed in a black trench coat wearing a black wide brim open crown hat, and had a silver eye mask on.
"How was the interrogation?"
"It went easier than expected." The spider-masked man scoffed. "What I'm looking for is at Duel Academia."
"I see." The mysterious man noted. "Quite coincidental seeing that I just received a job for Duel Academia as well. Perhaps you could go in my stead?" He suggested.
"Oh?" The spider-masked man said in interest.
"It is an easy way for you to get what you want." The mysterious man said, "I honestly have no interest in going to that school, but you do."
"You do have a point." The spider-masked man mused. "Very well, I will take up on your offer."
The next day had arrived too soon as classes went on. Kuromu had just finished a class and was walking back to his dorm. Upon arriving, he sat at the edge of the cliff, staring at the endless vast ocean, lost in thought. Last night took a toll on his mentality. He knew that his friends were right. But given how frustrated he was with his current situation overall, anyone would be stressed out.
That was when he noticed a slightly familiar face. It was the strange Proctor again.
"Huh? What are you doing here?" Kuromu asked.
"Hm? Oh, you're that kid." The Proctor said. "I'm already done with my work, so I have some free time to kill." He said, before approaching the Rider duelist. "May I?"
Kuromu made the gesture to allow him to sit next to the teen.
"Penny for your thoughts?" He asked.
"Ah…" Kuromu trailed off. "I'm… not having the best of luck lately."
"Oh? What about?"
"My Deck." Kuromu said, fishing it out of his pocket. "I just recently got this not long ago and I'm trying to learn it, but my dueling record here on this island… isn't so great…"
"May I see it?" The Proctor asked, to which Kuromu gave. He looked at each card and gave a thoughtful hum, before giving them back to the Kamen Rider duelist. "They're not bad, I can tell you that much."
"Then… what am I doing wrong?" Kuromu asked. "Do I just… really suck at using them?"
"Maybe it's because you are trying similar strategies." The proctor noted, "Any archetype can function differently depending on its user."
"Well… when you put it like that…" Kuromu trailed off.
"And looking at your current Dueling record, and the plays you made with it, I think you're not using the Deck to their full potential." The Proctor stated.
"Huh?" Kuromu looked at him in surprise. "Not… using the Deck to its full potential?"
"Like I said, every archetype functions differently on the user, and most Duelists can create broken decks. Need I remind you of the days of Dark Armed Dragon ruling the roost?" The Proctor recalled.
"Ugh… how could I forget?" Kuromu blanched in disgust.
"The point being, is that you should try and understand what makes your chosen archetype work. Know what support cards to go with or what are the most optimal card combos." The Proctor advised him. "Once you understand its flow, the rest will easily follow."
"I see. I guess… I have a lot to think about." Kuromu murmured, "Thanks."
"No problem. And on that note, I better get going." The Proctor said, before getting up to leave.
"Seriously though, what's your name?" Kuromu asked, prompting the Proctor to stop in his tracks and look over his shoulder.
"Kadoya." He said before leaving.
Later that night…
The docks of Academia Island were quiet. The light of the lighthouse kept spinning ever constantly, the waves crashing against the side of the docks. Normally, no one is out here at this time of night. Except for one person: Chronos de Medici. He was waiting for someone to arrive.
"Where is he?" The teacher asked impatiently.
Just then, a fog crept up from out of nowhere and coming out of said fog… was the spider-masked man.
"Ah, finally." He sighed. "So you're the one they call the Dark Duelist."
"Something like that." The spider-masked man answered. "Now then, as to what you spoke over the phone…"
"Yes, of course." Chronos said before he got to his point, "There's an abandoned dorm just north of where we are. A trio of students will be popping in very soon."
"I see. You want me to Duel them." The spider-masked man mused.
"Well yes, clearly. But there's an added caveat to that Duel." Chronos clarified.
"Oh?" The spider-masked man asked.
"Make it look like a Game of Darkness." Chronos said.
The spider-masked man pondered on this before chuckling, "Very well. I suppose I could come up with something akin to a Game of Darkness. Now then, a question for you."
"Sí?"
"It has come to my attention on the grapevine that there is a Duelist here with a new archetype known as the Kamen Riders."
"Yes, there is someone in Ra Yellow with that archetype." Chronos recalled, "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, let's just say that I'm quite… interested in Dueling them."
Meanwhile…
"Hmmmmm…" Kuromu sat at his desk examining his Deck individually, as he was considering the advice that Kadoya had provided him.
*KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!*
'Huh, who could that be at this time of the day?' Kuromu pondered as he walked up to the door… only to find the Osiris Trio standing before him, "Uhhhhhh…"
"Heya!" Judai grinned.
"What are you three doing here? And isn't it already past curfew?" Kuromu asked.
"We're going ghost hunting." the Elemental HERO Duelist answered.
"But it's under curfew!" Kuromu reiterated. "And why?"
"Well, I thought it would be cool for all of us to hang out." Judai shrugged, "We're gonna go check out the abandoned dorm."
"If you want to be expelled, be my guest." Kuromu grumbled, "Look, I get that you guys want to cheer me up, but I'm not going to risk my place in this school for a hoax." He then closed the door and was about to head in for the night when he noticed his Duel PDA beeping. Someone sent him a video message.
With a sigh, he picked it up to play the message. "Seriously, what is up with toni-"
["Greetings, Kururugi Kuromu…"]
Just like that, the confusion he had turned into shock.
["It's been a while since our last encounter was it not? I don't know how you survived, but it does not matter. I will kill you again."]
'Impossible…! How did he find me?!' Kuromu thought in horror.
["But I'm getting ahead of myself. You have come looking for the truth, have you not? If you wish to seek those answers, come to the Abandoned Dorm tonight. I will be waiting."]
As the video finished, Kuromu wasted no time, picking his cards and putting on his Duel Disk before opening the door just as fast as he closed it and ran out. He ran past the Osiris Trio, much to their shock and surprise.
"Uhh… was that Kuromu?" Rex asked in shock.
"Yeah, where's he running off to, all of a sudden?" Sho wondered.
"I don't know, but I guess that means he's going! Come on!" Judai said, before the three of them followed Kuromu.
Darkness…
The one thing about it is the unknown that lurks from deep within. Sight is almost completely obscured and the only senses that can be relied on most are hearing and feeling. Darkness is a strange substance since it doesn't fall under the laws of science, only able to change states by one's perception. It penetrates and quickly infects. It is thick and pungent. It will suffocate, and eat away like acid. As a whole, darkness is an odd thing.
And tonight was no different. On the island, deep within the edge of the forest was an abandoned building. It was aged, having stood there for years, rusted, overgrown, and worn down over time with boards over the windows and the front door broken open. In front of the building, Asuka looked at it with a solemn gaze, holding a red rose in her hand before approaching the gate of the building and setting the flower down.
She sighed, 'I miss you so much, brother…' she thought as the Obelisk Queen looked towards the building, a sense of mournful regret emanating from it.
"A-Asuka?!"
The Obelisk Queen turned to the source of the voice and to her surprise, she saw Kuromu approaching her, though he looked a bit tired from all the running.
"Kuromu?!"
Then the pair saw Judai, Sho, and Rex arrive as well, albeit the middle of the trio was out of breath while the mutt was barely out of breath.
"Dammit, slow down…" Rex breathed hoarsely.
"What are you all doing here? This place is off-limits." Asuka chided.
"Well, there's a good explanation for that," he said.
"Whatever your reasons, you can't be here. It's why so many students have disappeared here from this abandoned dorm." Asuka said, before looking away sadly, "Including my brother…"
This shocked Kuromu greatly, "Fubuki? He's gone missing?"
Rex sighed and lowered his head, "Crap, I'm so sorry about that."
"Asuka… why didn't you say anything earlier? Even back at the boat?" Kuromu asked.
"W-Well… I didn't really want to bring down the mood." she answered. "Especially when I haven't seen you in a while."
Kuromu sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I… guess that makes sense. But… I wished I'd known sooner."
As the two looked away, Judai decided to ask Kuromu something, "So why are you here? I remember you said that you didn't want to go with us."
But before Kuromu could answer his question. A fog suddenly rolled up.
"Fog? Here?" Rex frowned, getting into a defensive stance as did the others.
"That's impossible. We're too far inland." Asuka noted.
Almost immediately, Sho noticed Rex's eyes begin to dart around, his hands beginning to shake.
"This can't be good." He said.
"Hmhmhmhmhm." A chilling voice chuckled, causing them to look ahead and spot a mysterious man with a black tattered cloak covering his entire being, all except for a mask that resembled a bug of some kind with magenta antennae coming out of the eye sockets. "The brat, the princess, the simpleton with his servant, and the anomaly."
"You!" Kuromu snapped.
"Yes. Me. You've finally arrived."
"Yeah, I'm here. Now spill it! Tell me what I need to know!"
"Now, now, one must not be so hasty." The spider-masked man chided mockingly.
"I don't have time for your games!" Kuromu roared. "So quit screwing around and tell me! Where is she?! WHERE'S MY MOTHER?!"
"?!" Judai, Sho, Rex, and Asuka uttered their noise of shock and disbelief. It was something they totally didn't expect.
"Heh." The masked man chuckled, as if he was proud of what he did.
"Kuro… what's going on?" Asuka asked in pure shock.
"ANSWER ME!" Kuromu shouted at the masked man, ignoring Asuka's question. "I swear, if you laid a finger on her-"
"Dude, what the hell?! Mind explaining who the heck this is?" A confused Rex snarled.
"Ah yes. Where are my manners? You may all call me Oogumo." He formally introduced himself. "And it is as he claims. I'm his mother's abductor and I'm holding her hostage." The spider-masked man answered, "As to why I'm here, I have come to this island to claim what I want."
"Gh…" Kuromu gritted his teeth as he knew exactly what the spider-masked man was talking about. "Over my dead body will you take it!"
"That could be easily arranged." The spider-masked man chuckled darkly, as everyone took a defensive stance. "Unfortunately for me, something prevents me from doing so right away. It is my understanding that Duels are the only way to settle things, correct?"
"What are you playing at?" Kuromu growled.
"I'm saying, let's have a Duel." The masked man said as he took out a monochrome Duel Disk. "If you win, I will consider releasing your precious mother back to you. But if I win, you hand over what I want, as well as your Deck."
Almost immediately, Rex turned towards Kuromu, "Kuromu, don't do it! This could be a Game of Darkness!"
"But this is my only chance of saving Kaa-san!" Kuromu said, before slapping on his Duel Disk. "If it's a Duel he wants, then it's a Duel he's gonna get!"
"Dude, you know this is bad news!" Rex said.
"Oh, it's best that he doesn't refuse." The spider-masked man said. "Because should he turn down my offer, I would have killed every last one of you one-by-one, until he agreed. You ought to be thankful that he's saving your lives."
"Kuro, are you sure about this?" Asuka asked him, but she could tell that her childhood friend was dead set on this Duel.
"I can't say no to this, Asuka." Kuromu answered firmly.
"Good. And to make things interesting, what say you that we start with 8000 Life Points instead of the usual 4000?"
"Fine." Kuromu said whilst the two shuffled their decks. Afterwards, they inserted the Decks in their disks, which activated before both of them drew their Starting Hands.
"DUEL!"
Kuromu: 8000
Oogumo: 8000
"I can't believe he's going through with this…" the mutt growled, "I don't trust him one bit."
"How do you think I feel?" Asuka retorted.
"Since you are the aggressor in this conflict, perhaps you take the first turn?" Oogumo offered.
"Fine by me! O-re no ta-n! Draw!" Kuromu declared, drawing his sixth card. "From my Hand, I summon Kamen Rider OOO in ATK mode!" Kuromu declared, slapping the card on the tray.
TAKA!
TORA!
BATTA!
Images of the red hawk, yellow tiger, and green grasshopper appeared in the array of medals that spun around. The three images then combined into one large crest which flew backwards, becoming enveloped in energy which swiftly hardened into solid armor. (4/ATK: 2000/DEF:0)
TA-TO-BA! TATOBA! TA-TO-BA!
"Ta-n endo…" Kuromu finished.
"My my, this is interesting." Oogumo chuckled before drawing a card and placing it down on the tray, "I'll summon Drillago in ATK Position!" Coming forth on Oogumo's field was a robot with no face that was covered from head to toe with drills (4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1100)
"SHRED HIM!" Oogumo commanded as the drill machine locked onto its target… Kuromu, and went towards him!
"What?!" Kuromu gasped, before-
*WHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIR!*
"Graaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
And just like that, Kuromu felt his body bleed in several places when the tips of the drills embedded into him.
Kuromu: 6400
Oogumo: 8000
"KURO!" Asuka cried out worriedly as Kuromu fell to his knees, dropping his cards while bleeding profusely.
"No… no… don't tell me…" Rex muttered in fear, his hands shaking violently while he froze.
"Hahahahahaha! How does it feel, boy?!" Oogumo taunted. "Never experienced a Game of Darkness before?!"
"G-Game of Darkness?!" Sho and Rex stuttered.
Upon hearing his friend confirm what the mutt had feared, Rex's already fearful expression began to pale, something Oogumo took notice of with glee.
"Hoho~? So one of your friends knows what I'm talking about?" he chuckled.
"Gh… damn you…" Kuromu gritted his teeth as he tried to stand up, but went limp again. "Kuso… I can't…"
Without hesitation, Judai and Asuka rushed in and helped him up, much to Rex's horror.
"What the heck, you two?! Are you nuts?!" he shouted.
"He needs help!" Asuka countered.
"He just needs someone to hold him up." Judai reassured him. "Besides, I was the one who suggested we go here in the first place, so I'll take responsibility."
"Judai… Asuka… sorry, and thanks." Kuromu muttered.
"No worries, that's what friends are for. Right?" Judai replied with a smile.
"Hmph. It won't matter. You will lose no matter how many friends you have to support you." Oogumo scoffed. "Now then, the reason why Drillago was able to attack directly is because you have a Monster with 1600 ATK. Any higher and you'll have more holes in your body in the near future."
"Hey, Kuro. How are you holding up so far?" Judai asked the Rider Duelist.
"I… I think I'll live." Kuromu said through the pain.
"I'll set this card face-down. Ta-n endo." Oogumo said, as he also placed a reverse sided card on the Field.
"Asuka… can you be my hand?" Kuromu asked, to which Asuka nodded, as she picked up his cards drawing the next card for him, for Kuromu to look at. "I summon… Kamen Rider Kabuto in ATK mode…!"
When Asuka placed the card on the tray, the red mechanical rhino beetle suddenly appeared, flying in and circling around the Field, before it suddenly stopped in midair.
HENSHIN!
Hexagon-shaped panels materialized, spreading out to become the bulky armored warrior, who then flipped the horn slightly. A charging noise echoed as blue electricity crackled; the armor spread out, letting off steam, before flipping the horn to the other side.
CAST OFF!
The pieces of armor then went flying off in little parts in all directions, to reveal the armor underneath. (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1200)
CHANGE: BEETLE!
"Battle! Kamen Rider Kabuto attacks Drillago! Avalanche Slash!" Kuromu declared. Kabuto obliged as he pulled out a weapon called the Kabuto KunaiGun which he pulled from the barrel to reveal a dagger, hidden within. He slapped the button on the side of his belt.
CLOCK UP!
Kabuto went at super speed, slashing Drillago multiple times in multiple directions before ending up back on Kuromu's side of the field.
CLOCK OVER!
The machine creaked before it sparked and broke down into pieces, exploding on contact.
Kuromu: 6400
Oogumo: 7700
"Kamen Rider Kabuto's effect activates! Since he successfully destroyed your monster, he gets to attack a second time! Attack him directly with your Rider Kick!"
Kabuto moved his hand towards the mechanical beetle's feet that were sideways and pressed three buttons from left to right.
1! 2! 3!
He then pushed the back of the beetle closed and flipped the horn back to its original position, letting it charge. Kabuto then jumped up and dived down towards Oogumo, flipping the horn back.
RIDER KICK!
Electricity from the mechanical beetle traveled to the beetle horn of Kabuto's helmet before it traveled down his body and to his right foot.
"I activate my face-down, the Continuous Trap known as Metal Reflect Slime!" Oogumo called out. This lets me summon a metal slime token in Defense Position with 0 ATK but 3000 DEF." Suddenly, a large silver slime oozed out of the ground and got in between Kabuto and Oogumo. (10/ATK: 0/DEF: 3000)
"Kabuto, stop your attack!" Kuromu shouted.
"Tsk…" The red beetle Rider quickly flipped the horn and put it back, causing the energy to dissipate and the Rider jumped back.
'There it is again. His Monster talked…' Judai thought, 'That has to be a Duel Spirit.'
"Hmhmhmhmhmhm, defeating me isn't going to be easy, boy." Oogumo chuckled.
"Grrrrr… ta-n endo…" Kuromu growled before he noticed Judai's bewildered look, "Judai? What's wrong?" He asked the Elemental HERO Duelist.
"Uhh, nothing…" he answered with an unsure tone in his voice.
"If you're done prattling, it's my move." Oogumo said, drawing his next card, increasing it from four to five, "Hmm. Perhaps this could work." He noted, before making a move. "I summon Dark Jeroid in ATK mode!"
Suddenly, a blue centaur-like monster with various limbs, two stingers on the shoulders, a curved tail, and two heads on the lower body and the chest emerged. The sight of the creature was certainly a shock for Kuromu and the others (4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1500).
"Weaken Kamen Rider Kabuto." Oogumo pointed at the beetle-themed Rider. The lower head then unleashed an eerie violet beam sent towards Kabuto, forcing him to one knee.
Kamen Rider Kabuto (ATK: 1900-1100)
"Kabuto's ATK was lowered?!" Sho gasped.
"When Dark Jeroid is summoned, I can lower a Monster's ATK of my choosing by 800." Oogumo explained. "Battle. Dark Jeroid attacks Kamen Rider Kabuto!"
The blue creature then roared before grabbing Kabuto and stabbing his neck with the shoulder blades. The beetle-themed Rider flinched before finally slumping, destroyed into pixels in the process.
Kuromu: 6300
Oogumo: 7700
Kuromu felt the phantom pains from Kabuto's destruction.
"I'll place one card face-down. That will do for now." Oogumo finished.
"O-re no ta-n. Draw…!" Kuromu stated as Asuka drew the next card for him, the Hand increasing from five to six. He then looked at his Hand for any cards he could use to counteract the spider masked man's game plan, but sadly there was none, and the card Kuromu drew was a dead one at that. "Grr… Battle! Kamen Rider OOO attacks Dark Jeroid! OOO Bash!"
OOO took out a sword weapon known as the Medijalibur, which he then took out three coins before inserting them in. He pushed the lever down, the coins slotting downward to be seen in the sword's window. He then took the scanner on the side and swiped across the flat side of the blade that showed the coins.
TRIPLE SCANNING CHARGE!
He then slashed through the blue creature as well as Oogumo and the rest of the abandoned dorm, much to everyone's shock. However, while the dorm returned to normal, Dark Jeroid was destroyed while the spider-masked man felt the attack.
Kuromu: 6300
Oogumo: 6900
"He just cut the fabric of reality!" Rex gawked, "How the heck does that work?!"
"I… have no idea." Kuromu answered. "I'll place one card face-down. Ta-n endo." He finished as he gestured to the card that Asuka wanted her to put down, to which she complied and a reversed card appeared behind OOO.
"Impudent brat…" Oogumo seethed darkly. "Well now… I suppose the warm-up is over."
"W-What?" Sho gulped. "He wasn't even serious?"
"This can't be good." Asuka muttered, while Kuromu was silent.
"My turn." Oogumo said, drawing his next card and quickly outstretching his hand, "I activate my trap! Mis-Revive!"
"Huh?" Everyone present was perplexed.
"Confused?" Oogumo asked amusedly. "Well, allow me to enlighten you. First, I'll revive your Kamen Rider Kabuto in DEF position on your side of the Field." He said, before the beetle-themed Rider returned, though he looked around as if confused. "Then he'll be sacrificed along with Kamen Rider OOO which allows me to give you Demonic Lava God - Lava Golem!"
Just like that, both Riders noticed the ground beneath them turn into lava, sucking them inwards as they yelled in pain from the heat of the lava before there was nothing left. Oogumo then threw the card over to Kuromu's tray which successfully hit its target. There was then an earthquake causing the group to steady themselves as more lava now spewed out from behind them. Emerging from the pool of lava was a being that was as tall as the abandoned dorm, made out of molten rock, its eyes soulless as it groaned loudly. (8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500)
"Gh… this can't be good…" Kuromu said.
"It's not over yet. I will activate the Equip Spell, Mask of the Accursed." Oogumo said, as he played the card and a grotesque mask with nails on the eyes and around it, which then attached to the front of the lava monster. "I equip this to Demonic Lava God - Lava Golem and it will be unable to attack, as well as you losing an extra 500 Life Points, during my Standby Phase. And I'm sure you know what that means for you and your aide, don't you?"
"No way, that's… 1000 Damage every time it's Kuromu's turn, and another 500 during his! That's 1500!" Sho panicked.
"He doesn't have a lot of turns to turn this around." Rex muttered, "If Kuromu can't then he, Asuka, and Judai are quite literally toast."
"I'll end my turn right there." Oogumo chuckled, "Let the torture begin."
"Asuka… Judai… you two have to move when I take my turn." Kuromu muttered to them, "I can't let you two get hurt for my sake."
"Kuro, you can't ask us that!" Asuka protested.
"This isn't up for discussion!" Kuromu said. "O-re no ta-n! Draw!" The moment he drew his card. Lava Golem prepared a fireball. Then, to their shock, Kuromu grabbed the cards from Asuka, then pushed her and Judai away, just as the fireball launched at Kuromu, engulfing him from behind. "GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Kuromu: 5300
Oogumo: 7700
"KURO!" Asuka screamed.
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha! How does it feel boy?!" Oogumo cackled. "This pain you feel is nothing compared to what you felt the first time we met!"
Kuromu was on his knees as his body was smoking from the damage he took, writhing and agonizing in pain. "Ahhhhhhh…. gaaaaaaah!"
"Stay with us, dude!" Judai said as he helped him back up. Asuka rushed to Kuromu's side and did the same as well.
"I'm not… giving up on this Duel…!" Kuromu grunted, trying to fight through the pain. Surprisingly, his card hadn't burned, but he was still able to read the cards, and the card that he drew. "I summon… Kamen Rider Build… in ATK mode!" He said, trying to play the card, but cringed in pain. That's when Asuka helped him hold his cards again, and played said card.
RABBIT! TANK!
BEST MATCH!
Several sets of tubes appeared. Red and blue liquid flowed through them as an assembly line was formed. The liquid then parted ways into the front and back as they solidified into two sets of armor pieces.
ARE YOU READY?!
The two pieces quickly combined onto his body, forming one suit of armor and steam came out before the assembly line disappeared. (4/ATK: 1900/DEF: 1000)
HAGANE NO MOONSAULT! RABBITTANK! YAA~Y!
Oogumo couldn't help but glare at this specific Rider.
"Of course, you show up." he snarled to himself.
"I'm not done yet…" Kuromu said. "If I control a Kamen Rider monster, I can special summon Kamen Rider Faiz from my hand!" He said, as Asuka found the card and slapped it on the tray. There was the sound of three beeping noises, each frequency higher than the last before another beeping noise was heard.
STANDING BY
Another sound in the form of a pulsing power up noise was heard before there was another announcement.
COMPLETE
Red lines appeared in thin air forming a frame, then glowed briefly before the light dimmed, revealing the Rider. (4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500)
"So what?" Oogumo snarked, before reminding him, "You forget that my Metal Reflect Slime has 3000 DEF points."
"That… is exactly why." Kuromu said, much to Oogumo's confusion. "Because you see… Kamen Rider Build has one of two effects and I'm activating the second one. If he's on the Field, while I special summoned a monster, I get to destroy one Spell/Trap card on your side!" He then pointed, albeit weakly, at the metallic slime, "So say goodbye to that Metal Reflect Slime!"
"Nice one! And even though Lava Golem can't attack, he could still use his other Monsters!" Rex cheered.
"I think they can win this!" Sho agreed.
"Do it, Build!" Kuromu called out, to which the RabbitTank Rider obliged by holding out his hand, and tubes came out, before changing into a drill-like sword called the Drill Crusher. He then took the drill and turned the drill around, allowing the point to be inserted into the hilt, turning it into a gun. He then took out the Tank FullBottle and inserted it in the slot.
READY GO!
He took aim at the slime then fired.
*BOOM!*
A shot rang out as the bullet sped towards the slime, giving the recoil of a tank shooting, before it pierced through the Metal Reflect Slime, the quicksilver melting and the bullet didn't stop as it managed to pierce Oogumo's shoulder, who writhed in pain from the impact.
"Clever…" he chuckled, "Very clever, boy."
"Battle! Kamen Rider Faiz and Kamen Rider Build attacks directly! Crimson Smash and Vortex Break!"
The phi symbol Rider took off the laser pointer off one side of his belt then slid the small metallic card out of the phone before sliding it into a slot on the laser pointer.
READY
With that, he attached the laser pointer to the right side of his leg, attaching it horizontally first before turning it so that it was parallel and facing downwards. Then he opened up his phone and pressed the 'ENTER' button before closing it.
EXCEED CHARGE
The phone glowed briefly before a red light traveled from the phone down his right leg, activating it.
Meanwhile, the scientist Rider turns the crank on his belt, then jumps up with the power of the Rabbit Fullbottle. The white energy chart of a slope appeared and flew up to the surface with the dotted line leading towards Oogumo.
READY!? GO!
Faiz and Build then dived down for their respective Rider Kicks. Faiz took the initiative to go first riding the chart's line and fired a laser at Oogumo, stunning him. The tank treads on Build's blue foot started spinning as he followed Faiz.
VORTEC FINISH! YAAAY!
Faiz and Build hit the cone and their target before disappearing momentarily.
Moments later, Faiz and Build appeared behind Oogumo in red blurs and landed on their feet in a crouching position, before blue flames surrounded Oogumo, resulting in him yelling as a red thin light resembling the Phi symbol appeared, before the blue flames eventually died down and the two Riders jumped back to Kuromu's side.
Kuromu: 5300
Oogumo: 4300
"Ta-n endo." Kuromu grunted.
"Grrrrrr… you are starting to annoy me, boy." Oogumo said darkly while he drew his next card, his hand now at three. "Just because you managed to make a comeback, doesn't mean you'll get the better of me. Now then, since I drew my card, we move onto the Standby Phase and my Mask of the Accursed activates, meaning you lose 500 Life Points." Kuromu suddenly felt weak as if his life force was being drained, causing him to fall on his knees again, but Judai and Asuka managed to hold him up.
Kuromu: 4800
Oogumo: 4300
"Next I activate the Spell, Treasure from the Heavens. Each of us draws until we have six cards in our hand." he said as he drew four cards while Kuromu, with Asuka's help, gave one card.
"Oh man, Kuromu couldn't draw that many cards." Sho groaned.
"Which means his options are slim." Rex noted. He then looked at Oogumo who started… chuckling.
"Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm…" Oogumo chuckled. "Hahahahahahahahaha! AAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Yes! I've sealed your fate! First, I summon Bowganian in ATK mode!"
Soon, a green eyeball with two arms and a rather spiky-looking crossbow materialized onto the spider-masked man's side of the field. (3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1000)
"And now I activate these two Spell Cards that will lead to your demise, the Continuous Spell known as Torture Room of Nightmare and the Spell card, Nightmare's Steelcage!"
"No! That means Kuro will be dead in three turns!" Rex shouted in horror. Kuromu couldn't help but feel the pressure mount on him while Oogumo smiled wickedly underneath his mask.
"All you can do is burn…" Oogumo cackled in delight as a huge steel cage riddled with spikes trapped Kuromu, Asuka, Judai, Faiz, and Build.
"Aniki! Asuka-san! Kuromu-san!" Sho cried out.
"That ends my turn. Just know that if you take damage outside of Torture Room of Nightmare's effect, you lose an additional 300 Life Points. Now then, let us see if fate will smile on you tonight? I highly doubt it."
"Guys… you need to get away…!" Kuromu gritted, bracing himself. "O-re no ta-n! Draw!" He shouted, drawing the card. The lava monster fired another fireball, and once more Kuromu pushed Asuka and Judai out of the way as the fireball hit him. "GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
Kuromu: 3500
Oogumo: 4300
As he stumbled to his knees, the pain the Rider Duelist felt just kept on building and building. Kuromu didn't know if he could hold on for one more turn, let alone three. However, the card he drew… "I summon… Kamen Rider Den-O… in ATK mode…"
They heard the sound of an electronic keyboard tune before the announcement was heard.
SWORD FORM!
Motes of light spread out on one space of the board before converging to reveal the train Rider's Plat Form before the red armor pieces and peach helmet formed onto him. (4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1000)
"Ta-n… endo…"
"What?" Sho gasped.
"Damn, this ain't looking good." Rex gritted his teeth.
Oogumo couldn't help but chuckle at this, "What's the matter? Your cards don't believe in you? Or whatever you people believe in." He chuckled, "If I must be honest to you children. These things are just pieces of cardboard with art printed on them. They are not sentient, nor are they any important. They're meaningless, just like your lives."
Rex turned to see Dimucari and Bestiari try to hold back an angry Laquari, but it wasn't like the Duel Spirit's anger wasn't shared by its Duelist.
"You're wrong about that!" Judai shouted.
"Oh? And what makes you believe that isn't true?" Oogumo questioned the Elemental HERO Duelist.
"I can tell you for sure that these cards have feelings!" Judai declared, "I've seen it happen, I've felt it happen! The cards have heart within them, and they have way more feelings than a heartless jerk like you!"
This made the spider-masked man shake his head and laugh, "Of course, the most naïve of your group would believe in such a childish belief!"
Judai clenched his fists while Oogumo continued to laugh at him.
"No matter! You'll all die here anyway by the time I'm through with him! Now it's my turn!" He drew his next card. "Now that we're at my Standby Phase, my Mask of the Accursed activates where you lose 500 Life Points! While Bowganian's effect, inflicts 600 Damage to your Life Points! Added with Torture Room of Nightmare's effect for each card activated, that's another 600, meaning you lose 1700 Life Points!"
"Ah, crap…" Rex muttered in horror as the eyeball with arms took aim. It then fired an arrow bolt through the Nightmare's Steelcage and was about to hit Kuromu's arm when-
*CLANG!*
Everyone was shocked when… Den-O deflected the arrow with his sword?!
Kuromu: 1800
Oogumo: 4300
"HELL NO! THAT'S IT! I'M DONE PLAYING THE DUMBASS!"
"Eh?!" Everyone gasped.
"Did… he just talk?" Asuka asked, stunned.
"No shit! What was your first clue?!" The train Rider said before turning his ire towards… Winged Kuriboh, "And you! Why didn't you or the zoo try to help!?"
"Wait, you can see him?" Judai gawked, "And wait, zoo? What zoo?"
"You wanna go, fruitcake?!" Laquari roared at Den-O, who began actively taunting the tiger.
"Yeah, I meant what I said! You five just stood there and did nothing!" Den-O snapped back as he pointed fingers at both Judai and Rex's Duel Spirits.
"Ahhhhh… Saiyaku da… our cover's blown…" Build grumbled before slapping his palm to his helmet.
"Did you expect anything less from an Imagin like him?" Faiz pointed out.
"B-Build? Faiz?" Kuromu got out. "You two as well?"
"Not just us. The rest too." Build sighed. "We tried to keep it under wraps, but this idiot couldn't take it anymore. Yes, we're all Duel Spirits."
"AHA! I KNEW IT!" Judai and Rex shouted.
"Hey! Who are you calling an idiot, usagi-yaro?!" Den-O snapped at Build.
Kuromu wanted to say something, but then he finally took notice of Winged Kuriboh and the Gladial Beast quartet. "I… can see you guys…"
"He is gifted, like General." Murmullo theorized.
"Kuri! Kuri!"
"What in the world is going on?" Asuka couldn't help but ask, as she couldn't see anything different, as did Sho.
"I think Aniki, Kuromu-san, and Rex-san can see something you and I can't." Sho had to admit. "I mean… we can see the Kamen Riders on the Solid Vision, but…"
Oogumo on the other hand, was just surprised to see his attack had failed to injure the boy further, despite Kuromu's Life Points falling as intended. "So… that confirms my suspicions."
Den-O then looked at Oogumo. "Hey, asshole! Yeah, I'm talking to you! We got some unfinished business after what you did the other month!"
"Wait, the other month?" Judai asked.
"When Kaa-san was abducted…" Kuromu grimaced. "I'm guessing… now that I know the Riders are Duel Spirits… they were in Spirit form and they couldn't do anything when she was taken…"
"Ah, right… I can imagine that they would want some payback." The Elemental HERO Duelist guessed.
"Damn straight we do! And if we win, you better give the lady back!" Den-O demanded.
"Tsk, fine then. I will pass this turn to you. Let's see if you can make a miracle happen, boy." The spider-masked man said.
"Okay… Faiz, Den-O, Build, you need to block the fireball while I draw my card." Kuromu said, "This next card decides it. O-re no ta-n… Draw!"
As Kuromu drew his next card, the fireball quickly fired but the three Riders quickly deflected the incoming fireball.
Kuromu: 500
Oogumo: 4300
It was then that Judai, Asuka, and Kuromu looked at the card he drew… and then slowly turned toward Oogumo with hungry gazes and wicked smiles.
"I'm afraid I got some bad news." Kuromu said as he revealed the card, "You should've killed when you had the chance…"
"No way, he did it!" Sho cheered as he and Rex's eyes lit up.
"First, I activate Final Henshin!" Kuromu declared, playing the card depicting the Kamen Riders, but their forms were much different, in terms of design, and looking stronger too. "This lets me send a Kamen Rider from my Field to the Graveyard, and special summon a "Kamen Rider" Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck whose name includes the sent monster's!"
"It what?!"
"And I know just who to pick: Kamen Rider Den-O!"
"Heh, time to pile up boys!" The train Rider called out as he took out a red phone and attached it to the belt. A holographic train track spewed out of the bottom of the belt before it pulled into his hand weapon in the shape of a large red sword with a blade in the shape of a clock hand, the hilt being the masks of all four forms of Den-O. Den-O then took the pass and inserted it into the back of the blade.
LINER FORM!
The group soon heard the sound of a large train blowing its whistle. Coming from the portal was the DenLiner, heading straight for the train Rider. Out of instinct, Oogumo jumped out of the way of the incoming DenLiner. But the moment it was about to crash through the steel cage, it instead turned clear as it passed through the cage and through Den-O.
All of a sudden, Den-O's form began to magically shift, his bodysuit now was red with black on the sides, and white under the arms, his chestplate now resembled a train with a track in the middle and pointed shoulders, and finally the helmet gained a new set of red eyes with blue, purple and gold on the sides and a large train-like antenna spoiler on top. This was Den-O's final form, Liner Form. (8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2000)
"Henshin Shōkan! Kamen Rider Den-O - Liner Form!" Kuromu declared,
"Whoa, check it out!" Judai said in awe.
"He cleaned up nicely." Rex noted.
"Grrrr…" Oogumo growled before he got back to his position. "This… doesn't matter! You still can't attack due to Nightmare's Steelcage! It will only vanish when you end your turn here and now, and even then you'll still lose!"
"That's where you're wrong!" Kuromu shouted, "Because I still got a couple of cards to play. First, since Den-O - Liner Form was special summoned, Build's second effect activates!"
"What?!" Oogumo gasped. "But that means-!"
"Nightmare's Steelcage is no more! Build!"
"You got it. Shōri no hosoku wa kimatta." Build happily affirmed. Putting his Drill Crusher in gun mode once more, he fired a bullet and the cage was destroyed into pixels.
"It still won't matter, you still have to go through Bowganian!"
"But that's where you're wrong! I play the card that will win me this Duel! Giganticize!" The Rider Duelist declared.
"NO!"
"Yes! Since my Life Points are lower, Den-O's ATK gets doubled!"
Kamen Rider Den-O - Liner Form (ATK: 2800-5600)
"And that's more than enough to win this Duel! Den-O - Liner Form attacks Bowganian! Liner Crash!"
"HA HA! That sounds WAY better than Densha Giri!" Den-O shouted, elated at the finisher name. He then pulled the hammer on the bottom of the blade four times, rotating the disks of masks each time.
URA ROD
KIN AX
RYUU GUN
MOMO SWORD
Suddenly, a golden set of tracks appeared for Den-O to railgrind onto, the tunes of all four standby noises echoing. He then generated four energy copies of the DenLiner, each different from the rest before he slashed through the eyeball and then Oogumo.
Kuromu: 500
Oogumo: 0
The Solid Vision disappeared as Kuromu fell to his knees. The adrenaline had left his body and the pain from the many attacks he received from Oogumo returned. His breathing being more labored as groans of pain escaped his lips, while attempting to regain his breath.
"Kuromu!" the others shouted as they rushed to his side.
"You doing alright, bud?" the Elemental HERO Duelist asked.
"I'll be fine…" Kuromu got out, as he struggled to his feet, but fell again, however, both Judai and Asuka managed to catch him and keep him steady. "Sorry…" He apologized.
"Hey, it's fine." Rex said, "The good thing is that you're still alive. All we need to do is get you to the nurse and everything should be A-OK."
"We can't. If they find out we're here… we're screwed…"
As the others discussed what to do, the Rider Duelist turned his attention to the currently enraged Oogumo.
"Impossible, I lost to that brat." he snarled.
"I've won, Oogumo…" he said as he struggled to get to his feet, "Now, it's time you hold your end of the bargain. Give back Kaa-san now!"
A dark chuckle escaped the spiked-masked man's lips. "You know what? I don't think I will. Not anymore…"
"Bastard! We had a deal!"
"The terms have changed!" he snarled. "And besides, you didn't hear me the first time. I said that if you won, I would consider releasing your mother back to you."
"Great, a loophole." Rex growled as he and the others stood in between the spider masked man and their friend.
"Hahahahahahahahaha! What good is that going to do you, protecting him?" Oogumo laughed.
"I'm not scared of dying." Rex snarled.
"Tsk, as expected of the anomaly." he chuckled, "Very well, at least after I'm done with that boy, I'll be doing this world a favor by ending you next." Then to everyone's surprise, he held out his hand and formed a sphere of dark energy.
"General!" the four Gladial Beasts gasped in horror.
"Rex, get away!" Kuromu gritted. "That's how he put my old man and I on the shelf!"
"I won't let another person die again. Not while I can make a difference." The Gladial Beast Duelist stated.
"Hah! Such heroic nonsense! All of you will die either way!" Oogumo said, before releasing the sphere of dark energy at the group. Everyone braced themselves for the inevitable. But then…
"Wow… still as arrogant as ever…"
*BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!*
Not only was the dark sphere destroyed upon impact, Oogumo screamed in agony from the blasts that followed. The others turned to see the Proctor standing there… with a large book-shaped gun in his hand. A book-shaped gun that looked slightly familiar to the Rider Duelist.
"Good to know that there's a Kuromu and Rex in this world too." he chuckled while he put the gun away and approached the Duelists, "Makes introductions easier."
"Kadoya-sensei!" Kuromu gasped.
"Who?" the others asked.
"He's a teacher… here…"
"Oh no, we're screwed!" Sho panicked. "We're gonna be expelled!"
"Easy, I'm here to help." Kadoya raised a hand.
"You… Kadoya Tsukasa!" Oogumo snarled in pain, after nursing the irritating gunshot wounds. "Interfering with my plans again?!"
"Tsu… kasa?" Kuromu blinked.
"Just who are you?" Asuka asked.
Kadoya, or rather Tsukasa, said nothing as he took a magenta buckle with a red center, nineteen insignias circling it, almost looking like a camera. Kadoya attached it to his waist and a belt shot out of the buckle before wrapping around him, making a powering noise.
Kuromu immediately recognized the buckle, "Wait, are you-"
Next he pulled on the buckle's sides, causing the magenta camera-design like box to turn and open so that it was vertical. After that, he then opened the metallic book and pulled out a card.
*VROOM!*
"Torisugari no Kamen Raida da…"
"!" Everyone else gasped.
"Oboetoke! Henshin!"
With confidence, Tsukasa flipped it, making a shimmering sound and slotting it in the buckle.
*VROOM! SHING!*
KAMEN RIDE!
The buckle made a pulsing sound as a red hologram of the words 'Kamen Ride' appeared before it raised up a little bit, then pushed the buckle, causing the magenta camera-design-like box to turn and close so that it was horizontal again. A holographic logo of a barcode with a mask-like face on it appeared below the words Kamen Ride.
DECADE!
Twenty symbols of the appeared around him before forming into silhouettes that converged onto his body, forming into his suit. Several red squares flew from his belt before attaching to his face, filling up with color. It was a full suit of armor which had a black middle with magenta outer sides while the inner sides of their legs were white. A white and black X was on his left pectoral and his helmet was mainly featureless save for the green eyes and barcode-like design crossing the face.
"WHOA!" Judai gawked in shock.
"H-He transformed!" Sho added.
"The heck?!" Rex gasped.
Asuka and Kuromu however were left shocked.
"Y-You're-" Kuromu managed to say.
"Kamen Rider Decade." Tsukasa introduced.
"Oi! Pink bastard!" Den-O shouted as he appeared in the spirit form. "Where the hell were you?!"
"Pinku janai, magenta da!"
"Urusei! From start to finish, I'm at a climax of annoyance with you!" Den-O snapped back.
"Hold on, so is Decade a Duel Spirit or a real person. I'm confused." Rex asked.
"You get used to it after a while." Decade merely told him before returning his attention back to Oogumo. "Now then, care to try again? It didn't go so well the last time we faced off."
"What?" Kuromu asked, confused.
"Tsk, I'll be back…" the spider-masked man snarled as the fog began rolling in. "Consider me letting you children leave a consolation prize. Next time we meet, I won't be so merciful." Oogumo spoke before he disappeared with the fog.
"Hey! Get back here!" Kuromu shouted, but to no avail. "DAMMIT!" Kuromu cursed in frustration as he fell to his knees and punched the ground, despite the pain he was in as tears fell from his face. "I was so close… so close! Grraaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!"
As the Rider Duelist wailed in frustration, Asuka tried her best to comfort him while the Osiris trio were left conflicted.
"Well this is annoying…" Decade said, as he took out his card from his driver and the silhouettes and the armor disappeared into the silhouettes that formed it. "Look, it's best that all of you get back to your dorms and don't speak of this to anyone until I've sorted everything out." Tsukasa told them, "Although for you, I can say that you were lured here by a third party."
"But that-"
"Would be a white lie of course." The 'proctor' confirmed, "After all, none of you had any idea Oogumo was here waiting for you all." He then turned to Kuromu. "Come on, I'll take you to the infirmary." He said, before approaching and hoisting Kuromu up, placing an arm over his shoulders. "The rest of you, scatter and get back home."
"Y-Yes sir." They noted before the students all left for their dorms.
"Tsukasa… I…"
"Don't worry. We'll get her back, promise." Tsukasa said.
The Next Day…
Today was a normal day for most students. There were a few exceptions to the rule. Kuromu went to the infirmary with the excuse that Tsukasa had given to Ayukawa Emi, the school nurse. While Tsukasa couldn't explain all the details just yet, he made it an empathic point that this incident be kept under wraps for the time being until he explains to Principal Samejima.
Regardless, last night had taken a huge toll on Kuromu, both physically and mentally. The physical pain he felt from the Game of Darkness he played with Oogumo was surreal. Not only that, he had just discovered that his Kamen Riders were actually Duel Spirits. But the most damning thing of all, was that Oogumo had no intention of releasing his mother and there wasn't anything he could do about it.
For Judai, Sho, and Rex, they thankfully didn't get any punishment… at least for the moment, but the mutt told the others to just be prepared if they're called to the principal's office. Though unbeknownst to them, Chronos was slightly angry that his little plan did not work.
For Asuka, she felt rather conflicted, hearing about Kuromu's mother being abducted. How could she have missed it? The signs were there. She knew that there was something wrong with him, yet she didn't act on that gut feeling. But now it was too late and his friend was scarred. So, the best she could do to make up for that blunder was to try and at least help her friend now.
But first, she needed to tell Rika and Koji what had happened. They at least had the right to know, since they were also his closest friends.
"WHAT?!" Rika and Koji shouted.
"I wish I was kidding…" Asuka sighed, "But it's true."
"This is bogus! And he didn't even bother to give us the 411?!" Koji groaned in frustration.
"It wasn't like he, or even any of us, had a choice." Asuka admitted.
"Where is he now?" Rika asked.
Asuka slightly fell silent after that. "He's… in the infirmary right now."
"How bad is it?" Koji further inquired.
"He's hurt… real bad…" Asuka answered. "He just… needs time to rest and recuperate."
"Dang, all that from getting roped into a Game of Darkness." Koji said.
"Asuka-chan, I think you should go see him." Rika said.
"What?" Asuka looked at the Foodon Duelist.
"Out of the three of us, you're the only one who can actually talk to him about this." Rika pointed out. "Koji and I weren't there to see it happen. You helped him out as best you could while you were there. Besides, he's probably the most comfortable with you anyway. So… just be there for him."
"I… I guess…" The Cyber Tutu Duelist had to agree.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*
"Come in." Ayukawa said, as the door slid open to reveal Asuka. "Oh, Asuka-san."
"Hello, Ayukawa-sensei, is… Kuromu awake?" Asuka asked.
"He is." The nurse confirmed before leading her to Kuromu's bed.
When Asuka came around, her eyes widened slightly. Here Kuromu was sitting in his hospital bed, but his forehead was wrapped in bandages, a patch on his left cheek. His waist was also tightly wrapped, as well as several bandages wrapped around his arms and legs that had the drill holes from Drillago's direct attack. His jacket was left hanging on the chair to the side.
"Kuromu, you have a visitor." Ayukawa said, prompting the Rider Duelist to turn his head.
"Asuka…"
"How are you doing?" she asked.
"Well, for one." He then tried his best to move his arm before wincing in pain, "Looks like I'll be wearing a sling for the next week or so."
"I see…" Asuka trailed off, before looking at the nurse. "Sensei, can you give us the office for a bit?"
"Sure, take all the time you need." Ayukawa said before she gave the pair some room to talk.
"Okay, Kuro…" Asuka said as she sat at his bedside. "How are you really feeling?"
The Rider Duelist couldn't help but look down, "If I'm gonna be honest? I'm not sure if I can find the words to describe it."
"I see… Why did he kidnap your mom?" Asuka asked.
"I really don't know, to be honest…" Kuromu trailed off, slowly calming down. "One day he just showed up out of nowhere at our house. Tou-chan and I tried to save her, but… because of him, we were put in the hospital for a month." His head soon hung down in shame, "It's mostly the reason why I gave up on Duel Monsters for a while…"
"And… you've been searching for her since…"
Kuromu gave a silent nod.
"You can imagine the hope I felt when I tried to enter Duel Academia. I was happy when I passed the written exam and when I got home… all those hopes and dreams… just snatched away in that one incident."
"Kuro…"
"I was this close… to knowing where he took Kaa-san… my hopes rode on that one Duel, but in the end… it was all for nothing…"
Asuka saw Kuromu's hands shake in frustration and anger.
"Everything I did, I did in hopes of finding and getting her back, but now…" He bowed his head, his hair covered his eyes and his body trembled. "I don't know what to do anymore…" His voice was shaking, struggling not to break down into tears, but eventually came down as he whimpered and sobbed. "I don't know… I just don't know…"
As Asuka embraced her friend, Kuromu let out likely weeks' worth of grief.