[DreadBringer]

Kamen Rider W(atch)

Weather Arc

Episode 21-22: The T That Came Back

T stands for Triceratops (Dopant), Transfer and Traitor.

Written by: Keiichi Hasegawa, Directed by: Koichi Sakamoto

/A Melody Not Intended for Women

Terui and Makura are putting Himuro under arrest due to him leaking information to Gaia Memory dealers. However Himuro escapes while the dealers around him turns into Masquerade Dopants to take care of Terui and Makura, who henshins into Accel and falls by tripping respectively. I iguess Masquerade is the entry-level Gaia Memory, seemingly the easiest to be owned and the most mass-produced, but it's all quantity, the power-up is a letdown of only changing your head, so much that a gun can put them down too as Aya Kujo (no relation to either Kiriya or certain Joestar descendant), a female cop transfered into Fuuto PD Special Crimes Unit, did. They're not even safe from the body being actually destroyed (as shown in Accel's Dynamic Ace Maximum Drive, 3 slashes that form the letter A)... but that'd mean a main Rider killed several humans? At least the numbers should still distract Accel enough for Himuro to escape, his death was unrelated as it's him encountering Triceratops Dopant (another human bodycount). Makura approaches the Agency (I'd shorten it now) and is desperate enough to bow to Shotaro, with Shotaro declining police authority to be hard-boiled (so he too didn't learn yet), Akiko accepting if he pays 30% more than usual, and Phillip treating the case as extraordinary. Makura explains about the case being related to Aya, who he had a crush on, and the footage of her keeping up with Terui in hand-to-hand combat is shown, and she reports that Himuro was just an accomplice... and Makura's aim as Akiko claims is to outdo Terui to show off to Aya, where Shotaro finally accepts the case for a common goal to put Terui in his place too... with a handshake even.

They ask Watcherman regarding information leaker, but even he'd not know about that too. Shotaro switches the topic to shady cops, and Makura promptly gets physical by holding and pushing Watcherman to wall. Though Makura suffers from bad luck, he's also kinda a dick for a good amount of time, which sometimes makes those deserved - like the slipper slap from Akiko for his behavior there. Watcherman explains about Akutsu to them. Shotaro, Akiko, and Makura see Akutsu talking to Santa-chan, as well as Terui and Aya figuring Akutsu out too. Makura's incompetence is amplified by his crush to Aya to blow their cover by immediately putting Akutsu under arrest, where he flees instead. This'd get him appropriately reprimanded by his crush instead. At this point, Aya looks like someone who's extremely tense and aggressive, but her warning to him is much more subdued than I'd expect. Aya insists that her and Terui split up, where Terui catches up with Akutsu while using some parkour to beat him up, but Triceratops appears and interrupts Terui's henshin to literally throw him into dumpster. Triceratops' main target is however Akutsu, and he claims he's Mizoguchi who returned from hell. Shotaro henshins to fight Triceratops, abiding to the law to not kill even crooked ones. W uses HeatMetal to deal with Triceratops' solid body and gains upper hand (just whacking Metal Shaft without fire though..), but Triceratops escaped with a purple flame shot. Akutsu got away, but he dropped a clue which is a keychain with "Catherine" written on it.

As Saeko is investigating Accel and W Memory user, also scolding Wakana for bringing Mick to the office, Akutsu calls Saeko as he's now hunted by cops and a monster. All of the cast returned into the Agency, as Phillip notes that Aya's right leg is injured... the same spot that W HeatMetal attacked Triceratops in. As Terui mentions Mizoguchi, Aya explains about him, full name Masaki Mizoguchi, who was Aya's partner. Makura talks about Mizoguchi being a rotten cop with explanations, but Aya would deny that, as Mizoguchi was her inspiration, and claims he got falsely accused due to them trying to discredit and eliminate him, suspecting Himuro and Akutsu behind that. Makura claims Mizoguchi is still terrible for trying to get revenge and not abiding to law to only apprehend culprits. This was something that is similar to what W claims to Terui before.. though he's right, but he instead gets punched by Terui again, and Phillip explains that moral posturing can offend others. This'd show that, there are other things need to be considered when saying something other than what you said being right; moral posturing is done to gain some advantage (and not necessarily supporting that viewpoint), like an effort to have people like you or admire you in some way...as this can apply to politicians, this is probably also the reason Miyabi from ep. 5-6 got hate. Terui and Aya later have a conversation, and it seems that Aya is able to lighten up Terui. As Aya talks about her past with Mizoguchi and his whistling, Terui notes about his change to be consumed by revenge, which he likens to himself against W Memory user. There's another similarity between Aya and Terui that they're ace cops, for this time, probably how they can bond this time too.

Phillip searches for clues in Gaia Library, with Catherine keyword too. Shotaro acts flirty throughout "Catherine" with the female name, and twice he got slapped by Akiko's slipper. Phillip concludes that Catherine is a cabin cruiser where Akutsu hides, which Akiko notes that it's common to name cruisers with female names. As Shotaro, Terui, Aya, and Makura visits Catherine, Aya, again, insists that they split into groups. As Makura follows after Aya who is chasing someone on run, he suddenly got knocked down by something. While Akutsu pulls a gun on Shotaro, but there's 2 people.. Terui can knock him down to.. save Shotaro. Terui interrogates Akutsu where he's not ashamed to admit that the people who found work are used to test Gaia Memories, as a way to make money, targeting less noticeable people. So that's how he got a relation to Sonozaki family, but he's even more rotten than what he seems, on mad scientist level and even being proud of it. Well, it's shown that Akutsu is confident and proud due to him having a bodyguard, Smilodon Dopant. Dunno if Akutsu knows that those 2 are Riders, he seems to think that it'd be mere humans being powerless to monsters, but of course it's not the case, as both henshin into W and Accel. As Smilodon gains upper hand with his speed, Accel uses jet variant of Engine while W uses LunaTrigger, who Smilodon successfully dodged. Accel manages to score a hit by using steam variant of Engine to distract him while Accel attacks from above. Akutsu manages to escape.. actually not as Triceratops blows up Catherine. Accel claims that Triceratops isn't actually Mizoguchi, but it was Aya, which she admits. There're foreshadowings before that Aya insists for the team to split up several times, and as she's not seen again, Triceratops appear, as well as the beginning where Triceratops disappear, then Aya appears. As well as Aya's right leg being injured after HeatMetal attacks Triceratops there. However Triceratops has a completely male voice to keep the mystery alive... so being a Dopant can change your voice, at least for Aya's.

/The Man Who Cannot Die

The reason Accel figures it out that Triceratops is Aya is indeed, her right leg injury. Accel lets Aya get her revenge on Akutsu, but insists that she hands over the Gaia Memory after she got her revenge. Aya however marks a new target in the Museum, while Accel goes on to kill her in human form, but stopped by W. As someone who gains Accel's soft spot, now he claims he'd kill her for her own good, but Aya has escaped. After Akiko kicks (literally too in a feet stomp) a confused Makura out, there's a clash between Shotaro and Phillip again that the latter points out that Shotaro lets wild animal escape to the city. As Shotaro denies that (not in perverted approach for females thank you), Phillip reminds about the Gaia Memory corrupting the users, but Shotaro thinks that Aya intends to fight Museum by her own will and that she can beat the influence of Gaia Memory. This earns Shotaro the claim half-boiled again from Phillip. Well for this case I'd agree with Phillip here as, even if you'd want to treat them as human, they have to be made sure that they're put in situations where they can't harm anyone, other than quick optimism from Shotaro due to Aya's declaration. Even Phillip now claims that Akutsu and Himuro should've been taken to the court, it's not referenced but it's probably a development for him that before Phillip would prefer for criminals to be finished off. After this Shotaro takes action and heads off to find Aya before Terui does.

Terui discusses Cafe Kazefuki with Jinno, the place where Mizoguchi committed suicide. Terui leaves after Jinno reports that Shotaro asked him about the place too. Terui gets a call that talks about the screams of his family, which he suspects as W Memory owner, enraging him as he heads off to the place using his bike, looking for him to seek vengeance. Haven't talked about this but Terui's bike Diablossa has Ducati 999 as base model, one of the cases where a Rider bike takes an European bike other than Gas Gas bikes in Kuuga. Shotaro did find Aya at the site of Mizoguchi's death, which for once, Shotaro earns a compliment for being an ace detective from Aya, after mostly Phillip's the one who got compliments. Shotaro offers Aya to turn herself in, and warns that Gaia Memory is more dangerous than she knows, bringing up those that got their lives ruined by it. Aya claims that she had lost everything, therefore Shotaro won't be able to convince her, she'd have nothing to lose for abusing Gaia Memory, albeit she claims to wait until morning when she found the organization, where she'd turn herself. This'd be suspicious, though Shotaro buys into it anyway, but there's a possibility that she'd let the Kamen Rider avenge her in her place. Aya as Triceratops confronts the Sonozaki sisters, savvy enough to knock Saeko's Taboo Memory before she morphs, and actually corners her who is stuck in her human form. Wakana is concerned for her sister here, so she wouldn't hate her for the abuse in their childhood (as well as rough treatment last episode)? Aya then demorphs into her human form - turning it into 3 ladies with similar attire right there. Aya's intent however is to continue Akutsu's job. Another similarity to Terui is that, Aya wants a leader role, like how Terui doesn't want to be questioned and that he's in charge of Special Crimes Unit, as well as to hide her crimes by getting rid of the Agency trio. Saeko however tests Aya's loyalty to kill Jinno.

It turns into a big misinterpretation of Shotaro (who's spying with Akiko).. who thinks Aya visiting a police station means she turned herself in, therefore he slacks off instead thinking the case is over, singing karaoke with Queen and Elizabeth, with Akiko following along. Meanwhile Phillip learns that Aya staged a trap on Terui, and goes to settle things. Jinno is playing crossword puzzle while he sends Makura to get new tea stock. Aya arrives at Jinno's office, helping an answer in the puzzle, but quickly tries to kill the confused Jinno. I don't know how much fighting skills Jinno (and Makura) have, but he seems to be down in a single kick from Aya (shown to be on par with Terui) in human form. Phillip at first was blocked by a cop, but apparently is able to get in with Makura (on his way to buy tea) being there. They reach Jinno's office, witnessing Aya's true nature as she morphs into Triceratops (and Triceratops' voice is completely female now, dunno what made the voice male before her reveal). Phillip laments that Triceratops abuses Shotaro's trust, and he calls Shotaro, who fortunately responded in a distracting hangout time, to henshin as W FangJoker. Triceratops reveal her present motive that she'd expand her vengeance into the whole Fuuto itself, still related to Mizoguchi, due to him loving the Fuuto, but the city didn't return the favor. For all the similarities between Aya and Terui, she'd unfortunately take his worst trait too of being consumed by revenge in her personal agenda against the Museum while being on the police force, and she's actually a reminder about how Terui might end up had he, probably had he not met Shotaro despite his refusal for questions. The argument about "it's not what they want" isn't used here, and Mizoguchi did have hard time in his last moments of his life, but it's unknown how he feels about Fuuto at that point if he'd actually want revenge for the city.

Saeko explains further to the questioning Wakana that Gaia Memory's active ingredients react with negative emotions, transforming someone's mind into monster. Triceratops' deteriorating self is shown further about her trap to Terui that she pretends to be the one who slaughters his family, but Terui survived, and even someone like him laments about Aya being too consumed by revenge to save her, as he henshins into Accel. Triceratops plan to destroy Fuuto Tower and assumes her big Triceratops form. Aya would also bear resemblance to Marina, the T-Rex Dopant, as both seek vengeance, but also get a dinosaur Dopant form that can enlarge itself. Accel counters with his personal support Gunner A (as well as him turning into bike) to take down Triceratops, finishing her off with Gunner Full Break, an electrical beam. Aya's outcome isn't really told, though it's plausible that it'd be her downfall at that point, considering that Makura laments about her potential, if she didn't get herself the Gaia Memory, but she'd be his inspiration to work hard, before Akiko reminds him about his bill.