[guncannon109]

Episode 11: Kamen Rival

Ardent City Police Station - 8:47 PM

Jaune and Thea sat in front of Sampson's desk. Thea had put her wig back on along with the dress she wore for the concert. Alex stood by a window, and Sampson and Marcoh were in their usual places in the room.

“A bear?” Sampson asked.

“Yes,” Alex returned, “That's what it looked like at least. It's name was 'Minor' I believe.”

“I see,” Sampson said quietly, “and what of the suspect's identity?”

“I...” Alex paused for a moment, “I didn't see his face.”

“Well isn't that unfortunate,” Marcoh proclaimed. “This wouldn't be a problem if you just told me what were up to. I would have given you back up you know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Alex grunted. “Sorry.”

Marcoh sighed, “So long as you recognize your mistake.”

“On that note,” Sampson said turning the page of his report, “Was there anything else you were able to uncover Alex?”

Alex looked over to Thea, “No, that was it.”

“Alright, then I guess that's that,” Sampson placed down his pen, “Mr. Evonna, you and your daughter are free to go now.”

“We shall be on our way then,” Jaune said getting up from his seat, Thea soon following after. “Thank you for your help officers... and of course you Mr. Darwin.” He said bowing to the three, Thea shortly following suit.

“We're just doing our job sir, nothing to get too worked up about,” Sampson chuckled. “Besides, we still have a lot of work to do before we can shut the book on this case. We'll keep you posted in case any new information comes up.”

“Alright, and again thank you,” Jaune said bowing to the officers again. Jaune made his way out the door with Thea right behind him.

“Have a safe ride home!” Sampson called out as the door to his office shut behind Jaune and Thea. “You should be heading on home as well,” He added turning to Alex, “you must be exhausted.”

“Yeah, I guess I should,” Alex returned.

Sampson grinned, “Don't worry, this will all work out.”

---

Alex walked up to the front steps of his apartment building. As he went to pull out his key he noticed a something, or rather someone in the corner of his eye. It was Madison, sound asleep and propped up against the door way.

Alex knelt down over Madison, “Has she been waiting for me to get home?” He smiled, “She probably just got worried seeing as how I wasn't at school this afternoon.”

Alex placed his hand Madison's forehead, “Crap, she must be freezing out here!”

{Insert Opening Theme - Extreme Dream}

“Ahh... ahh... AHHCHOO!” Madison sneezed whipping snot from her nose. Alex had brought her instead his apartment to warm up and had given her blanket which she was now wrapped tightly in. “I feel like crap.”

Alex rolled his eyes, “You know it's your own fault right?”

“Quiet you!” Madison said blowing her nose loudly yet again, “Anyway, I wanted to tell you something important.”

"Alright, shoot," Alex said calmly.

Madison looked Alex straight in the eye, “Alright...” She gulped, “Madoka Movie 3 comes out in October!”

Alex raised an eyebrow, “I know, wasn't I the one who told you that?”

“HAHAHA!” Madison burst out laughing, “Of course you did, what was I thinking?”

“Are you drunk or something?” Alex asked.

Madison looked off the side, “No... what would give that idea?”

Alex sighed, “So you're just crazy.”

“Yes!” Madison shouted pointing at Alex, “That's it! That must be it!... Now please disregard everything that I just said and go on home!” She said turning over the coach she was lying on so she faced away from Alex.

“...I am home,” Alex stated.

Madison yawned, “Right... of course you are.”

Alex sighed, “Hey, you can't-”

Before Alex could finish speaking, a knocking sound came from behind him.

“Huh?” Alex turned around to face the large window at the front end of his apartment. He scratched his head, “I must be imagining things.”

Before he could turn back to Madison, there came another, much louder, knock from the window.

“Alright, what the,” Alex shouted as he pulled up the blinds of the window, “... fudge packer...”

The blinds shot up. Alex looked around outside of his window, and there, hanging upside from a tree, was Thea. She had gone back to her short haired looked with the outfit she wore before changing into that yellow rider form she used at the concert.

Alex slid open the window.

“Hey Superstar, what's up?” Thea said casually with the smile of a five year old opening up a brand new present on his birthday.

“Nothing much...” Alex returned trying to make sense of what was going on, “what's up with you?”

“Oh, you know. Just hanging around.” Thea giggled.

“I see that,” Alex said glaring at Thea. “Any reason why you're doing it by my place?”

Thea cracked her knuckles, “Well, I was flying around when I came up with an idea about how we can nap that big old bear.”

“Shouldn't you be at home Thea, and what do you mean by we?” Alex asked.

“Oh please,” Thea sighed as she propelled herself off the tree and through the window landing on the floor of Alex's living room. “For one thing, didn't I say knock off the whole 'Thea' thing? My name is Tara, Tara Archer. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

Thea jumped on the coach where Madison had nodded off landing on it hard throwing Madison into the air, “And second-”

“GAH! I'd like to buy a vowel!” Madison shouted as she was shaken awake.

Thea sat gawking at Madison. She pointed at Madison and looked at Alex, “... Who's the hot chick?”

Madison's eyes widened, “Who's the rude chick?”

“I'm Tara, Tara Archer, my friends just call me Terror and my enemies refer to me as a terror...” Thea said, “By your highly defensive stance on women coming into his living quarters I'm guessing that you must be Kamen Rider's girlfriend then?”

Madison's face turned a bright shade of red, “I-I uh... I mean, it's nothing like that!”

“Oh...” Tara smirked, “Could it be that the two of you are already married? And at such a young age too? How lewd.”

Madison's jaws dropped, “I... I...”

“Oh dear, it appears I may have broken her already.” Tara said trying to hold back laughter. She sighed, “What a shame, and she was so cute too... Anyway, so like I was saying-”

Alex slammed his foot on the floor and pointed to the door, “Get out!”

Tara blinked, “Yeah, so like I was saying. When I say 'we' I'm talking about me and-”

“GAH!” Alex stormed out of his apartment slamming the door behind him.

“What's his problem?” Tara asked to Madison who was still sitting with her jaw wide open, “Hey hot bod, you alright?”

---

Alex charged up the stairs to Cole's apartment. He ran up to the door and pounded on it with all his anger. “Cole!” He shouted. He proceeded to bang on the door again, “COLE!”

“Hold on, I'm coming!” Cole shouted from the other side of the door.

Alex waited impatiently at the door, tapping his foot rapidly as the seconds past. “Now that I think about it, how the hell did that girl even know where I lived anyway?” He thought to himself, “Whatever that doesn't matter right now. Damn it Cole, hurry up already!”

After a few short moments that seemed like an eternity for Alex, the door cracked open and Cole popped his head out of the gap.

“What do you want?” Cole yawned.

Alex grabbed Cole by the wrist and pulled out the door, “No time to explain, Madison is trouble and I need your help!”

“Wait, what?” Cole asked in confusion as he was dragged down the stairwell.

Alex proceeded to charge down the stairs, “Like I said there's no time, just help me!”

Alex and Cole jumped down to the first floor landing and charged back into Alex's apartment.

“Come on, say something kitty!” Tara shouted as she continued to torment Madison. “You're going to make me feel like I'm-” She paused as she noticed Cole and Alex standing in the doorway, “... crazy.”

Cole starred at the two girls on the coach with an even more confused expression, “... You trying to start your own harem or something dude?”

Alex's jaw dropped, “What! Of course not, why would even say something like that?”

“If you say so,” Cole sighed. “Though considering all the stuff you're into I wouldn't put it past you.”

“Ha ha! You boys are too much!” Tara said trying to keep herself from laughing. “You put that routine together yourselves or did you get it from a sitcom?”

“Alright, I've heard enough out of you!” Alex shouted, “Now, I want to know who you are and how you found out where I live. Nothing else, you got that?”

Tara smirked, “Well, why didn't you just say so?” She stood up from the coach and walked over to Alex and Cole, bowing a bit before them. “My name is Tara Archer, but you can refer to me as the Mighty Gale.”

“Uh... Mighty Gale?” Cole asked.

“Oh yeah, I forgot.” Alex stated. “She's a kamen rider, like that other one I met a while back in France. Magica was her name if I remember correctly, like her... only far more annoying.”

“So Kamen Rider is a more of title then a name?... I like the sound of that. Yeah, then you can call me 'Kamen Rider Gale'!” Tara said with a smirk, “... Wait, what was that last part!?”

“Never mind,” Alex sighed, “Anyway, as for my second question. How did you find my apartment?”

“Oh, that part is simple. Kree!” Tara called out as she snapped her fingers. As she did, a yellow mechanical bird flew in from the window and perched itself on Tara's shoulder. “This is Kree, my partner in crime and life long best friend. We've been together since the beginning, so long that it's almost like we're one and the same. I had him follow you home so I could find you later. Pretty clever don't you think?”

“More like pretty creepy,” Alex snarked.

“Eh, tomato potato,” Tara said ignoring Alex's comment. “Anyway, with the location of your base of operations in my data banks I decided that I'd drop by once I figured out a plan to take down that big old grizzly.”

“So, you want to work together to take him down?” Alex asked.

Tara blinked, “...Of course not. Where did you get that idea?”

“Then why did you come over here?” Alex asked somewhat irritated.

“To tell you not to get in our way of course,” She grinned. “You and I are rivals Superstar and don't you forget it.” Tara backed away from Alex and leapt out the window she came in through landing on the tree outside, “Anyway, I've got a bear to catch. Later!” She waved as she disappeared into the night almost as quickly as she appeared.

“Mind telling me what that was about?” Cole asked.

“I'm not sure,” Alex returned. “But, I'm going to find out.”

Cole looked out the window “What are you going to do?”

“Try and work something out with that girl of course,” A voice called out from behind them.

The two turned to see that Madison had recovered from Tara's torment.

Alex blinked, “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, why wouldn't I be?” Madison returned. “You said so yourself that she's just like Magica and the two of you made a pretty good team. If you can work out a deal with this new rider, I'm sure she could prove to be just as strong of an ally... even if she is a pain in the neck.”

Cole shrugged, “She's got a point.”

Alex sighed, “I certainly hope so.”

---

A dark feminine figure stood against a brick wall in an alleyway. The man in possession of the Minor memory knelt before her.

“Sorry sis, I didn't predict that they would catch on so fast.” The man stated.

“Honestly dear little Mikey, you think that you would learn by now,” She sighed. “If you're going to go on a spree you can't make your pattern so obvious. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

“I'm sorry dear sister, it won't happen again,” He pleaded.

“I should hope not,” She said kneeling over him and running her hand down her brother's face. “Otherwise, there's no telling what I might do to those little angels of yours.”

{End of Part A}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
{Start of Part B}

“Twins?” Vainglory asked to his subordinates who knelt before him.

“Yes, my commander. Minor and Major.” Derek said with a smirk, “ The two were one of my more ambitious projects. Two memories that act completely in synch with one another, they can sense each other's movements and see what the other sees.”

“You seem to think rather highly of them,” Rylee said. “You sure they'll be a match for Kamen Rider?”

Derek stood looking down at Spite, “Minor is highly feral with a strong offense, where Major is more collected with a greater defense. They are the ultimate team, if anyone can bring down Subject X it's them.”

“You forget that he now has an ally as well,” Rylee stated. “One that sent your precious Minor running.”

“Always so pessimistic. Though from you Spite I expect nothing less.” Derek chuckled, “You see apart, Minor and Major are no greater than your run of the mill dopant. However combined, they're unstoppable.”

“I wasn't being pessimistic,” Spite stated, “I was merely saying that you shouldn't-”

“Stop your bickering,” Vainglory ordered, silencing Rylee. “It is clear that the two have potential. However they have yet to prove themselves in the field.” He crossed his fingers and leaned back in his chair. “Let's just see how the events unfold. If nothing else, this should at least prove to be...” he smirked, “interesting.”

---

Tara stood atop a tall building looking through what appeared to be a pair of binoculars.

“Come on teddy, where are you?” She asked adjusting dials on the binoculars. She sighed and pulled them away from her eyes. She raised her wrist up to her mouth and spoke into a microphone on her bracelet “Alright Kree, return.”

After a few seconds past Kree flew down from the sky and perched on Tara's shoulder.

Tara scratched the top of Kree's head, “Man, you think these things would be easier to spot, huh partner?” She sighed then returned to her usual psychotic smirk, “Oh well, the night is still young and we've got a lot of work to do.”

Kree turned his head to the left as the soft hum of an engine filled the air.

Tara smirked looking over off to the right, “You pick up the sent partner?”

She ran over to the edge of the building and looked down to the street. As she looked around, she soon spotted Alex driving up the road on his bike.

“Ugh,” Tara grunted in disgust. “What's he doing here? I thought I told him to sit this one out... Man, he really is stubborn. Guess I gotta nail in the message don't I?”

Tara extended her arm out to the side. Kree then flew up into the air and perched on her wrist, folding up into an arm brace in the process. Tara then pulled out her yellow gaia memory from before.

She hit the button on the memory, “Gale!”

Down on the street Alex drove down the road on his bike, his eyes shifting from side to side. As he came up to an intersection, a strong gust of wind blew past him knocking him from his bike.

Alex looked over to see what knocked him over to see Tara fully transformed in his gaze. He smirked, “there you are.”

“Looks like someone wasn't paying attention when I told them to stay out of our way,” Tara proclaimed as she approached Alex. Tara picked Alex up the hood of his sweater and starred straight into his eyes through her visor. “Do you have a death wish or something?”

Alex raised an eyebrow back at her, “Do you?”

“You whacked?” Tara said releasing her grasp on Alex letting him fall to the ground. “Why would you even ask a question like that? How did you even find me anyhow?”

“Simple,” Alex said rubbing his shoulder as he returned to his feet. “You're extremely loud. Every dopant in the city could probably hear you.”

“Dopant?” Tara tilted her head, “What are those?”

Alex's eyes widened as his jaw dropped, “You're kidding right?”

“Look, you going to tell me what they are or just throw petty insults at me all night?” Tara asked.

“They're those things that you're apparently hunting.” Alex stated as his eye twitched, resisting the urge to break something.

“Oh... So that's what you boys call them?” Tara asked with a laugh. “We just call them 'beasts'. After all, they are the prey and we are the hunter.”

“Uhh...” Alex raised an eyebrow, “Hunter?”

“That's right,” Tara boasted, “The two of us are the ultimate hunter. Together nothing can-”

Before Tara could finish her statement four large fang like spikes came from out of no where and struck the ground between the two of them.

“Huh!” The two looked in front of them to where the spikes came from. As the smoke cleared, a humanoid bear with dark blue fur emerged from the dark of night.

“You're guys are too much,” The beast said with a light cackle.

“Minor,” Alex thought to himself reaching for two of his memories as his driver materialized around his waist.

“Hey!” Tara shouted, “I'm not sure if you noticed, but I'm a girl thank you very much-” she looked over to Alex “-Though I'm not so sure about Super Star over here.”

“Hey, what's that supposed to mean!” Alex shouted.

“It means I can't tell if you're a man or a wimpy little girl like that cute little wife of yours,” Tara said flicking Alex in the middle of his forehead. “Now, be a dear and stay on the side lines for this one, kay sweet cheeks?”

“Hello!” Minor shouted, “Big bad monster standing right here! Have you forgotten that?”

“Yeah yeah, we can hear you,” Tara said turning her attention to the dopant that stood before them. She cracked her knuckles and proceeded to strike a battle pose with her right arm and leg out in front. “We were just settling a few details with our rival is all...

“Now then,” Tara said as she lightly spun her left leg behind her a bit before kicking her high up in front of her. As she did, a silver ring around her ankle flew off her foot and into the air. As the ring began to fall back down to the ground, Tara extended her right hand and caught it by a yellow handle that shot out from the inside of the ring. She twirled the ring around her as two large blades shot of each end of the ring, bring it to a halt when it came around to where she faced Minor. - “bring it teddy!”

Minor chuckled, “Do you have any idea who you're provoking child?”

Tara smirked behind her mask, “Do you?” Tara swung her weapon over to the side and struck her fist out to Minor “Where monsters rampage, we're there to take them down! When our power is united, we become the ultimate hunter... The Great and Mighty Kamen Rider Gale!”

Alex slapped his right hand over his face, “Oh god.”

“Well then,” Minor chuckled, “since you think so highly of yourself-” He stretched out his claws, “-come at me child!”

Tara swung her weapon over to her right hand side and began to charge at Minor, “Well, if you insist!”

“Wait stop!” Alex said reaching out his hand to grab Tara only to have her slip through his fingers and continue her charge towards the enemy. “Damn it all!” Alex grunted as he pulled out the Star and Runner memories from his back pocket.

Minor smirked as Tara drew closer to him, “Right where I want you.”

Tara dashed down the road quickly closing the distance between her and her target. As she drew closer to Minor, small cracks began to form in the road below her feet. “You're mine now.”

As soon as Tara came with a few feet of Minor, she leapt into the air and spun her arm that held her weapon around to her backside as if she was preparing to throw it. However, before she could, four large spikes shot out from the ground and hurled towards her.

“Oh shit!” Tara gasped.

As the spikes hurled towards her, Tara saw a black blur flash across her field of vision pushing her out of the line of fire as the spikes hurled into the side of building, covering the street in smoke. As the smoke cleared, Tara opened her eyes to see Alex standing in front of her in his Star Runner form.

“OH!” She growled, “I thought we told you not to get in the way damn it!”

“Oh I'm sorry, did you want to die?” Alex asked sarcastically.

“Hey, I had everything under control until you got in the way!” Tara shouted.

Alex sighed, “Sure you did.”

“Whatever,” Tara sighed as she got back on her feet, “you're not even worth our time anyway.”

“GAH!” Alex grunted, “What's your problem anyway?”

“My problem?...” Tara asked raising an eyebrow, “My 'problem' is that people like you keep getting in our way. Like I said, you're our rival and that bear over there is our prey.” She said pointing over to Minor.

Alex sighed, “Look, it's clear to me that you're out matched here.”

“HEY!” Tara shouted, “Who you callin-”

“Listen to me for a moment!” Alex demanded. “We might be rivals, but whoever said that rivals can't work together when their backed up into a corner?” He extended his left hand to Tara, “So how about it?”

Tara looked at Alex in confusion, “You serious?”

“Dead,” Alex returned.

“Fine,” Tara said grabbing Alex's left hand with her right, “But just this once.”

“Deal,” Alex agreed as the two broke away from each other's grasp. Alex then turned to Minor who was slowly approaching the two from down the road, “Now then, how do you suppose we deal with him?”

“Well that's a no brainer,” Tara said with a smirk, “bait and strike, same as we always do.”

“You sure that will work?” Alex asked.

“Well duh,” Tara returned, “Why must you doubt me?”

Alex glared at Tara, “I'm not going to answer that. So how does this bait and strike thing work?”

“Well, it's a pretty simple tag team tactic,” Tara stated. “One runs decoy and the other strikes from a above while the opponent is distracted. I take you want to be the one to land the finishing blow, am I right?”

“Nope,” Alex said removing the Star memory from his driver and pulling out Blade, “that would be your job.”

“Damn it, how many of those things do you have?!” Tara asked flailing her arms in the air.

“Just a couple,” Alex said placing the memory into the slot on the right of his driver and activating.

“Blade! Runner!” Alex's driver called out as the Bla-Jalibur formed in his hand and the armor of the blade memory formed on the upper half of his body.

“Now hurry up and get going already,” Alex instructed as he tightened his grip on his sword.

“Wait,” Tara shouted, “we need a signal, you know like a codeword.”

Alex grunted, “How about 'pain in the neck'?”

“That works, got it!” Tara said with giving Alex a thumbs up signal. “Alright, don't die on me!” She shouted as she leapt into the air and disappeared behind a few buildings in a mere instant.

Alex smirked, “Don't worry,” He thought to himself as he turned back to Minor, he gripped his sword with both his hands and raised it to the dopant, “I won't.”

“Aw, looks like that cute friend of yours ran off on you,” Minor snarled, “and I was really looking to adding her to my collection too.” He ran his tongue along the length of his fangs, “Oh well, guess I'll just have to track her down after I'm done with you.”

“Well, if you're so confident,” Alex gesturing at minor to come at him, “bring it.”

Minor growled, “Gladly.”

Minor brought out his claws and charged towards Alex without a second's delay. Minor quickly reached Alex on the other end of the road and swiped at him with his claws, Alex parrying with his sword.

“I'll admit you've got guts,” Minor snarled, “but let's see how long that'll last ya.”

Alex gritted his teeth and held back Minor with the flat side of his sword, trying to hold his ground.

“What's the matter?” Minor asked with a devilish smirk, “Cat got your tongue?”

“No,” Alex said pushing more weight on his blade, “It's just that you're being a real...-” He shoved minor off of him and forced the dopant to the ground “-pain in the neck!”

At that moment Tara jumped out from behind a pile of rubble and soared into the air.

“Show time!” Tara shouted as she descended into a kicking motion to deliver the final blow. “Your rampage, ends here!”

“Hey that's my line!” Alex shouted.

“Oh whatever!” Tara shouted back.

“Oh crap!” Minor thought to himself as Tara's strike drew closer to the ground he stood on.

“Game over!” Tara smirked as Minor braced for the impact.

Minor held his arms above his head for a moment, then sat puzzled as Tara's strike had not yet hit him. He looked above him to find that between him and the yellow rider's kick, was a transparent violet shield.

“What the...” Tara thought puzzled as she was thrown off the shield and on to the ground, her armor breaking on impact.

“Honestly Mikey dear,” A voice cackled, “can you not spot a trap when you see one?”

Alex, Tara and Minor turned to see a woman dressed in deep violet leather and long black hair emerge from the shadows.

“Especially one that was so poorly put together,” She said with a smirk.

“Zix?” Minor said, “What are you doing here?”

“It's only natural that I look out for my little brother isn't it,” Zix said walking up to Minor and running her hand along his cheek, “or was I mistaken?”

“Wait... sister?” Tara asked as she tried to get back on her feet, “then... that means-”

“Correct,” Zix interrupted, “the two of us are brother and sister. Though, to be honest, it's tad more complicated than that.”

“Impossible, you can't be human can you?” Tara asked trying to make sense of the ordeal.

“Who can say really,” Zix returned helping Minor up to his feat, “Well then dear riders, I'd say this has been an eventful evening don't you think? Let's call it quits for tonight and start fresh tomorrow shall we?”

Alex ran towards them hoping to stop the two from getting away “Wait, hold on where do you-”

“Bye bye,” Zix said with a smirk as the two vanished from sight.

Alex stopped dead in his tracks, he then throw his fist into the air, “damn it.” Alex removed the two memories from his belt as he returned to his civilian form.

“What's going on?” Tara asked avoiding eye contact with Alex.

“What?” Alex returned.

“Explain to me what's going on,” Tara said as she grabbed Alex by the collar of his shirt and looked him dead in the eye, “Those creatures we've been fighting... they can't possibly be human... can they?”

To Be Continued

{Insert Ending Theme - Stand By Me}