But this is also a good thing for me—after all, it makes it easier to move in the shadows and reap the benefits.
As for myself—the "Ryuga"—I'm a bit of an anomaly. I don't belong to this world, so across all parallel timelines in the Kamen Rider multiverse—past, present, or future—there is only one of me.
Although I essentially hijacked Banjou Ryuga's body, the soul inside is still my own. So, even if someone targets Banjou Ryuga or tries something against him, it won't affect me in the slightest.
After extracting Gaim's power, I made a quick exit. That armor… honestly, it was a crime against aesthetics. I swear it almost blinded my 24K titanium alloy eyes.
Among all of Zi-O's armors, that one might just be the ugliest. Utterly indescribable. I didn't even have the courage to look at it twice.
A few days later, I was at home, casually teasing Ora as usual. Suddenly, I turned my gaze toward a certain direction. A flicker—an unusual aura surged briefly before vanishing.
"What's wrong?" Ora asked, raising an eyebrow at my sudden silence.
"Remember the three individuals I mentioned? The ones who can bear the power of all Kamen Riders?" I asked, regaining my focus.
"You only told me about two," Ora replied, flipping open her mental notebook. "I would've remembered if it were three."
"Ahem… That's not important," I muttered, brushing it off. "Anyway, someone besides the Demon King just entered this world."
"You mean that Xiaoming guy of yours?" Ora asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yes—Wang Xiaoming, also known as Kamen Rider Decade. He's got a nickname too: the Destroyer of Worlds."
Even though I'd never met Wang Xiaoming—better known as Tsukasa—I knew the plot well enough. Given the overwhelming aura and the dimensional distortion, it could only be him.
"Destroyer of Worlds? Can he really destroy one?" Ora asked in disbelief.
"Yes. Well, theoretically. But he usually just talks big," I chuckled. "Anyway, I plan to meet him tomorrow. Want to tag along?"
"Not interested." Ora pouted and turned away.
"Tch, I knew it. With your personality, you'd never willingly meet a guy unless you had another motive." She suddenly squinted suspiciously at me.
"Heh-heh… What are you saying? I just want to get to know him since we might work together!" I laughed nervously and quickly excused myself to my room. "Anyway, it's late. I'm going to bed!"
The next morning – at Kujigoji Hall
"Hey Gates, I've been meaning to ask. You had the Drive and Ghost Ride Watches from the very beginning, right? Where did you get them?" Sougo asked, waiting for breakfast from his uncle.
"What's it to you?" Gates snapped, still holding a grudge.
"He stole them from Oma Zi-O," Tsukuyomi whispered from the side.
"WHAT?!"
Pfft! A laugh escaped me, cutting through the tension.
"Are you two seriously claiming you managed to steal from Oma Zi-O—someone who literally sees past, present, and future all at once?"
"Here you go." I took the breakfast plate from Sougo's uncle and began eating without hesitation. "Still delicious as ever!"
"Wait—who are you?" Sougo blinked, staring at me like I'd just walked into his house uninvited.
"I'm your friend—from the future," I said casually.
Absurd as it sounded, the ever-trusting Sougo bought it immediately.
Gates and Tsukuyomi, however, weren't as easily swayed.
"Back to the point," I said. "You really think you could steal Knight Watches from under Oma Zi-O's nose? You just happened to arrive here with your own Drive and Geiz-exclusive Ride Watches?"
"..." They exchanged glances, realizing the flaw in their story.
"Sougo, let me ask you. If Gates came to take something from you, would you knowingly let him have it?"
"Uh... maybe?" Sougo hesitated, already understanding my point.
Exactly. Gates thinks he stole the watches and is fighting against Oma Zi-O. But what if Sougo—or rather, Oma Zi-O—gave them willingly?
"But why?" Tsukuyomi asked. "The future Demon King wouldn't even know Gates... would he?"
"Sougo, remember what Woz said the first time he met you? What was on the first page of his book?"
"Hmm… Something about being chased by a red robot?"
"Exactly. That robot was Gates' Time Mazine. You think coming here to kill Sougo will change the future. But your very arrival and your becoming his allies—that's the correct history."
"No way!" Gates shouted, shaken to the core.
"You think Oma Zi-O would just let someone come and kill him?" I scoffed. "You don't really believe he's unaware of what's going on right now, do you?"
"Impossible…" Gates staggered away, clearly reeling. Sougo instinctively moved to follow, but I stopped him.
"Don't. If you go now, you'll just fight. Let Tsukuyomi handle it."
"Huh?" Tsukuyomi blinked. "Aren't I on Gates' side?"
But under Sougo's pleading gaze, she relented and followed after Gates.
"By the way, you said you're my future friend, but you haven't told me your name," Sougo said.
"Oh right. Just call me Ryuga," I replied between bites.
"Ryuga... Banjo?" Sougo suddenly recalled seeing a version of me in his own world.
"That's not me—but you can consider me his parallel version."
Before he could respond, I dragged him out the door.
"Wait! I haven't eaten breakfast yet!"
"You won't die from skipping one meal."
"Says the guy who just ate three people's worth!"
"Which is more important—food or fighting an Another Rider?"
"Another Rider? Where?!"
"No idea."
Sougo: "???"
"Relax. Just walk around. He'll show up eventually."
No way, Sougo thought, clearly unconvinced.
Ten minutes later...
"STOP RIGHT THERE!" Sougo suddenly shouted, charging toward the Another Rider—Another Ghost.
I ignored the scuffle. I'd already tracked down Kamen Rider Ghost's real body—Sky Temple—and extracted his power. With his memory scrambled by Another Ghost's presence, he wouldn't notice.
As Sougo chased off Another Ghost, the amnesiac Sky Temple mistakenly assumed Sougo was a threat. Without warning, he abducted Sougo and took him to his sanctuary—Daitenku-ji.
Since there was no danger, I didn't intervene. I simply prepared to follow... until Ora pulled up in a car out of nowhere.