Weeks drift by after the UA Sports Festival incident, the echoes of chaos still ringing in Musutafu. Asahi, an excitable boy with a mop of brown hair and eyes full of stars, shuffles down the sidewalk, his backpack slung over his shoulder. He meets up with his friends, a small group of equally ordinary teens, near the school gates.
"Hey, Asahi!" one of them, a girl with bright pink hair, calls out. "Ready to hit the arcade?"
"You know it!" Asahi replies, grinning, his earlier melancholy fading.
As they walk, the conversation inevitably veers toward the U.A. Sports Festival. Despite the weeks that have passed, it continues to dominate the news, the talking point. UA is still under a microscope. People questioned the safety of attending.
"I still can't believe what happened," another friend, a boy with glasses and a nervous demeanor, says, shaking his head. "One minute, we're watching the Cavalry Battle, the next, monsters are pouring out of nowhere!"
"Yeah, it was so scary!" the pink-haired girl exclaims, shivering dramatically. "I thought we were all gonna die!"
After a press conference and public apologies, the UA faculty managed to salvage the situation. There was much more security now. Everyone was also aware that the security system was being overhauled.
"Power Loader sensei hasn't taken a break in weeks!" Glasses adds, adjusting his lenses. "He's been working around the clock to upgrade the defenses."
Asahi's eyes light up, a spark of excitement igniting within him. "But did you guys see Kamen Rider?" he interjects, his voice filled with awe. "He totally took those monsters down!"
His friends exchange glances, a mixture of confusion and exasperation flitting across their faces. "Oh, not this again," Pink Hair says, rolling her eyes.
"Asahi, we get it," Glasses adds, his tone patient but firm. "You met Kamen Rider. You've told us like a dozen times."
"Yeah, why do you admire him so much?" Pink Hair asks. "He's a vigilante."
Since that day, Asahi has spoken about the masked crusader. It's like he's some kind of hero to him. Which his friends don't get.
Asahi is taken aback, a flicker of hurt flashing across his face. "But he's so cool!" he protests, his voice rising in defensiveness. "He can transform, summon monsters. It's amazing!"
"He's still a criminal," Glasses points out, his tone logical. "He operates outside the law. What he does is wrong!"
Asahi scoffs. "But he's saving people! The Pro Heroes couldn't handle those monsters. Kamen Rider did!"
His friends remain unconvinced, their expressions a mixture of concern and amusement. "I just don't understand why you're so obsessed with him," Pink Hair says, shaking her head. "It's a little… weird."
Asahi sighs, a familiar sense of frustration washing over him. They just don't get it. They don't understand the appeal, the excitement, the sheer coolness of Kamen Rider. They don't realize the rush he felt being in that area.
"You guys just don't understand," he mutters, his voice barely audible.
With a mumbled goodbye, Asahi peels away from his group, leaving them to their arcade plans. As he walks, a strange feeling washes over him, a sense of unease he can't quite place. Asahi glances up, his breath catching in his throat. A shadow passes overhead, a dark shape against the afternoon sky. He squints, recognizing the silhouette — a humanoid Crow.
A villain, Asahi thinks, his heart pounding. The same type of villain that Kamen Rider's been fighting!
Driven by a mix of curiosity and a desperate desire to see the Rider again, Asahi breaks into a run, hoping to catch up with the Crow. As he follows its path, the distant sounds of battle reach his ears — the clash of metal, the crackle of energy, and the unmistakable shouts of combat. Asahi quickens his pace, adrenaline coursing through his veins.
Rounding a corner, he bursts into a small, deserted park, his eyes widening in disbelief. There, in the center of the clearing, Kamen Rider is locked in fierce combat with the Crow Imagin.
"Amazing!" Asahi gasps, his voice barely a whisper.
The Kamen Rider is clad in what looks like purple armor, the DenGasher in its gun mode crackling with energy. The Imagin dodges the energy blasts, countering with feathers that explode on impact.
"You're a persistent pest, Kamen Rider," the Crow sneers, his voice dripping with disdain. "Why don't you just disappear?"
Ryutaros, controlling Kamen Rider Den-O Gun Form, tilts his head, grinning. "Disappear? Nah, that's boring! How about you disappear and leave everyone alone, huh?"
Ryutaros spins the DenGasher before firing again, but Crow flaps his wings and ascends into the sky. "Not if I can help it, Rider!" he cackles, circling above.
Before Ryutaros can react, Crow pulls out two Lockseeds. "Let's see how you deal with these!" he declares.
[Mango!]
[Ichigo!]
Two tears in reality rip open in the air, and through them step two Inves: one, the blue, antlered Shika Inves, and the other, the red, roaring Lion Inves. They land on either side of the Crow, growling and snarling, ready to fight.
Asahi clutches his chest, feeling a surge of excitement mixed with terror. He is witnessing something so unreal.
"What?!" Ryutaros exclaims, his voice laced with disbelief. "Two at once? That's not fair!"
The Crow, taking advantage of Ryutaros' shock, disappears into the sky, cackling. "Good luck with those pests, Rider!"
Ryutaros clicks his tongue. "Hey, get back here!" He whirls to face his new opponents. "Alright, you overgrown animals, come and get some!"
The Shika Inves charges first, its antlers lowered, while the Lion Inves roars, slashing its claws. Ryutaros somersaults away from the charging deer, firing a barrage of energy blasts at the Lion Inves. He cartwheels to dodge the Shika Inves's antlers.
"This is way too easy!" Ryutaros shouts, before an unseen force scratches him. Ryutaros cries out in pain, clutching his arm, wincing at the gash forming on his armor. "Okay, maybe not too easy…"
He adjusts his grip on the DenGasher Gun Mode. Ryutaros shoots. Weaving between the attacks of his two opponents, he continues to shoot until he runs away and lands near Asahi. He sees Asahi hiding behind a tree, watching the fight. Ryutaros gives a wink, before returning to the fight.
[Full Charge!]
Ryutaros leaps into the air, spinning, as violet energy gathers in the DenGasher. He fires a final blast at the Inves, completely destroying both of them in one go. The Inves are gone, leaving only a whiff of smoke.
Asahi stares at the space where the monsters were, mouth agape, his eyes wide with awe. "He... he did it," he mumbles, his voice barely audible. "He defeated them, just like that! This is too cool for words!"
Before the awe-struck boy could fully process what he had witnessed, the violet armor faded, dissolving into motes of light. A figure materialized in its place—a teenager, no older than himself.
Kamen Rider is… that kid?! Asahi thought, his brain struggling to reconcile the image of the powerful hero with someone who looked like he should be in class. He doesn't look much older than me, are we the same age?!
A wave of giddiness washed over him, an almost overwhelming sense of exhilaration. He, Hikaru Asahi, was now one of the lucky few to know the Rider's true face. He couldn't believe his luck! He, his idol, was possibly the same age. He's got so many questions he wants to ask.
Driven by the impulse, Asahi dashed forward, his earlier fear completely forgotten. "You're Kamen Rider, right?!" he blurted out, his voice trembling with excitement.
The youth, Ace Ukiyo, stiffened, his eyes widening in alarm. A look of panic crossed his features. "Uh, what? No!" Ace stammered, his cheeks flushing a deep crimson. "You must be mistaken."
Asahi's grin widened. "No way! I saw everything! The transformation, the monsters, the awesome moves! You were so cool!"
Without hesitation, Asahi executed a deep, respectful bow, his head nearly touching the ground. "My name is Hikaru Asahi, and I'm your biggest fan!" Asahi exclaimed, his voice filled with reverence. "It's an honor to meet you, Kamen Rider-san!"
***
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Advance chapters are in my P@|r3on - Najicablitz