The small-scale explosion that occurred when Kasshine was defeated caused a considerable commotion. It was likely to attract the attention of the police, and Isaac knew it. He imagined a strict investigation would be carried out in the city.
Therefore, to avoid any unnecessary trouble by staying in the city, Isaac decided to take X Wizard out to the suburbs to lie low. He didn't want to deal with the hassle of explaining things to the cops or, worse, some shady government agency poking around.
At the speed of the motorcycle Chemy, Golddash, Isaac and X Wizard didn't take long to reach Isaac's small manor in the suburbs. It wasn't much, just a quaint two-story house with a decent-sized yard and a detached garage, but it was his. He'd bought it a few years back, needing an escape from the city's constant noise and chaos. Now, it seemed like the perfect hideout.
As they pull up to the house, Golddash transforms back into its Ride Chemy Card, returning to the card case on Isaac's waist. He dismounts, stretching his arms and legs, trying to relieve the stiffness from the ride. X Wizard gets off behind him, looking around with curiosity.
"Not bad, huh? It's nothing fancy, but it's home." Isaac says, gesturing towards the house with a smile. He walks towards the front door, pulls out a key, and unlocks it. "Come on in. I'll give you the tour."
He pushes the door open, stepping inside, and flips on the lights. The interior is simple, furnished with comfortable but not extravagant pieces. There's a living room with a couch, a TV, and a bookshelf filled with novels and comics. A small kitchen is adjacent, and a staircase leads to the second floor.
Isaac grabbed two red cola cans from the fridge and came back to the living room. He gave one to X Wizard, who was just staring at the sofa, looking spaced out. Isaac had to know.
"Here."
"Thank you…"
"Okay, we're safe for now. So… X Wizard, care to explain what this 'Hundred' thing is you mentioned earlier? And why they were after you?"
Isaac waits for X Wizard to drink her soda before she explains. Isaac knows the deal; she must be tired and confused. But this info is important.
As a Tokusatsu fan, Isaac knows the deal with the Hundred. In Gotchard, they're the shadowy organization messing with alchemy, trying to control the Chemies.
But in all the Gotchard episodes and supplementary material Isaac watched, the Chemies rarely tangled with the Hundred, apart from the Legend Rider crossover stuff. So why is the Hundred chasing X Wizard? What's so special about her?
X Wizard takes a small sip and looks at Isaac. She pauses, collecting her thoughts before continuing.
"...This is roughly the situation with Hundred. The reason they were chasing me is because when we escaped from the laboratory, we also took this thing, disrupting their plan…"
Facing Isaac's curious gaze, X Wizard hesitated. She outlined the situation with Hundred, then gestured towards the Gotchard Driver and the card case resting on the table. Now, she would explain why Hundred was pursuing her, and the origin of these Chemies.
The situation was not as Isaac understood it. The X Wizard before him, and these Chemies, did not originate from the Gotchard world. They were born within a Hundred laboratory, a byproduct of Hundred's grand ambition: to create their own strongest Rider, a Gotchard project.
The core result of this project was the Hundred Gotchard Driver, now casually placed on the table. Hundred's scientists manufactured it, combining a vast amount of Rider Driver data.
X Wizard's knowledge stemmed from her cooperation with Hundred's scientists during their experiments. She gleaned information from their casual conversations. And because she needed to provide alchemical support for the Driver, she had learned some inside information.
The reason Hundred pursued her was simple: the Chemies, possessing their own will, no longer wanted to be experimental subjects, forced to fight for Hundred's grand cause. They defected, taking with them a substantial amount of crucial tool data from the laboratory.
"Hahaha, Hundred must be spitting blood from being tricked by you guys like this. Oh, I still have a question, why are these Ride Chemy Cards all grayish-white?"
After quietly listening, Isaac couldn't help but laugh, expressing great schadenfreude at the organization's unlucky encounter of losing both the wife and the army.
However, after laughing, he suddenly pulled out a grayish-white card from the case on the table and asked another important question with a serious expression.
From earlier when he was looking for Golddash, Isaac had already noticed that most of the cards in the box were grayish-white, similar to those power-lost cards in the hands of a certain Decade.
Although Isaac already had a rough guess, asking X Wizard, the professional, was more reliable than his wild guesses.
X Wizard nods slowly, looking at the Ride Chemy Card in Isaac's hand.
"...Yes, most of the Chemies are in a dormant state. The reason… When we escaped, the pursuers were closing in fast. To get away, we had to combine our remaining power and inject it into the Driver, activating its teleportation function."
She paused, her gaze turning towards the Gotchard Driver on the table, a hint of regret in her eyes.
"The Driver randomly opened an aurora curtain, and we managed to escape the main force of Hundred's pursuit. However, that also meant that a lot of my Chemy companions fell into a state of slumber due to excessive energy consumption. It will take them a long time to recover on their own…"
After her explanation, she looked at the young man before her. Remembering the Gotchard transformation from earlier, an idea popped into her head. She almost said it out loud, but stopped herself mid-sentence.
"They may be…"
"So that's how it is, the Chemy all fell into slumber due to excessive power consumption. Possible what? X Wizard, just say what you want to say, there's no need to beat around the bush, after all, we are comrades now."
Isaac leans forward, encouraging her to continue. He could tell she had something important to say, and he was eager to hear it. Whatever it was, it seemed to be related to the Chemy's slumbering state and his ability to transform.
Playing with the grayish-white card in his hand, Isaac nodded thoughtfully, but upon hearing X Wizard's words, he couldn't help but frown slightly and reminded her.
For Isaac, he never really liked people playing coy or acting like a Riddler. In his opinion, it's best for everyone to just say what they want directly.
"…Since that's the case, I'll be direct. I hope…"
"Isaac Kondo, you can just call me Isaac."
Seeing that Isaac had said so, X Wizard no longer hesitated and immediately wanted to express her thoughts, but halfway through her sentence, she got stuck again.
Although they had been communicating for a while, it was a bit awkward that X Wizard still didn't know the name of the young man who saved her, and how she should address him appropriately.
And looking at X Wizard's reaction, Isaac pondered for a moment and roughly understood why she got stuck, so he quickly said his name.
"Isaac, I hope to get your help to awaken my companions, and in exchange, we are willing to become your partners, your power."
After clarifying Isaac's name, X Wizard quickly stated her request and the terms of exchange.
"…Then, we will be partners from now on. Please take care of me, X Wizard."
After listening to X Wizard's proposal, Isaac didn't answer immediately, but remained silent for a while before standing up and extending his hand to her with a smile.
Facing Isaac's gesture, X Wizard was stunned for a while before imitating his action, extending her hand to firmly grasp his.
Even after sitting back on the sofa, X Wizard still felt that things were developing somewhat dreamily. She really hadn't expected Isaac to agree to her request so easily.