"It's really killing me!" Ryuga wiped the cold sweat from his forehead as he burst out of the Starry Sky Gate like a man fleeing for his life.
After escaping from the world of Zi-O, Ryuga brought Ora to an uninhabited planet within the Kamen Rider Gaim universe.
This planet had yet to develop intelligent life—populated only by primitive native creatures and numerous Inves that Ryuga had relocated from Earth.
It was here that Ryuga chose to establish his personal base—a home within the realm of Kamen Riders.
Though technically still within the world of Gaim, Ryuga had a grander vision. Once his power grew strong enough, he intended to sever the surrounding star system from the main world, reshaping it into an independent miniature dimension—one that would drift through the outer void, far from the chaos of space-time turbulence.
This would ensure both safety and ease of access to the countless other worlds he'd visited. From here, he could go anywhere he desired.
There was no civilization yet—no signs of life beyond what had been transplanted—but all that could come in time. This world had the potential to become his own paradise.
Before leaving, Ryuga entrusted the development of life on this planet to Mai, the "Goddess of Life." He instructed her to create and nurture new species according to her own creativity.
Naturally, he also constructed a portal to Earth, allowing Mai to visit her friends whenever she wished so she wouldn't feel isolated.
However, Mai found immense joy in the act of creation. Since arriving, she hadn't returned to Earth once. Instead, she had immersed herself in what she called "doll-making"—developing bizarre and unique new creatures.
When she first met Ora, Mai proudly showcased her creations to Ryuga like a child presenting toys to a parent. But upon noticing Ora, her expression soured—though her kind-hearted nature held her back from saying anything immediately.
Ora, on the other hand, sensed the hostility and responded in kind. Despite her usually reclusive demeanor, she was, at heart, brutal and short-tempered—and launched the first attack.
Unfortunately, Ora's offensive capabilities were limited: she could either concentrate time-based energy for direct attacks or use time-stop to strike with mobility.
Yet these efforts were laughably ineffective against a true goddess. Even her full-powered attacks couldn't break through Mai's outermost divine defenses.
Time manipulation? Useless. In the Gaim series, Mai had only inherited a portion of the Golden Fruit's power and could already travel against the current of time. Now, having nearly the entire Fruit's power, time-stopping abilities were futile against her.
Only another god who mastered time could match her.
Thankfully, Mai was gentle by nature. Though she retaliated, she only used her plant powers to restrain Ora and scare her into submission. Ryuga noted with amusement that the Rider World hadn't yet invented something like an "anti-gravity skirt"—otherwise, he might have needed to intervene.
Realizing she couldn't win, Ora quickly abandoned her hostile stance. A brief but awkward conversation later, the two managed to find some common ground—and surprisingly, teamed up to expel Ryuga from his own house.
Watching them stand side by side, smug and defiant, Ryuga could only sigh and leave them be, deciding it best to give them space for now.
After closing the Starry Sky Gate, Ryuga drifted aimlessly in the sea of time and space, uncertain of where to head next. With no particular objective, he wondered: Which world should I visit first?
He reasoned that since this was meant to be a break, he should go somewhere fun—not a world filled with tragedy or sorrow.
The first one that came to mind? The world of Ex-Aid.
The storyline itself was game-based, and the technological level of its game development was probably quite advanced. After all, they had literally turned humans into game avatars—what could be more cutting-edge?
So Ryuga began searching for the Ex-Aid universe.
Naturally, no world had a big sign saying "Welcome to the World of ***." He had to rely on sensing the corresponding aura from each world.
Luckily, his time in Zi-O had attuned him to the energies of all Heisei Riders. Otherwise, distinguishing them would have required direct entry and lengthy observation.
And even once a world was identified, he still had to filter through countless parallel timelines to find one where the plot hadn't yet begun.
But for someone proficient in time-based powers, reading the temporal signature of a world and pinpointing its origin point wasn't all that difficult.
Eventually, he found a cluster of Ex-Aid parallels, chose the freshest one, and dove in.
Enter: The Pediatrician
"Bugsters... they're computer viruses that can infect humans? That's quite impressive," Ryuga murmured as he examined his hands, sensing a new kind of power coursing through him. He casually absorbed the memories of his counterpart in this world.
"Maybe I should keep some Bugsters in the Ex-Aid zone of my homeworld. Could be fun to display them..." he mused darkly, unknowingly setting a disturbing precedent for future Rider-world lifeforms.
"But for now, time to fulfill my duties as a pediatrician."
He waved his windbreaker, transforming it into a white coat, then turned and entered the hospital's special ward.
Shortly afterward, at a nearby game convention—
"Ah! Sata!" a young woman in a nurse's outfit rushed over to Ryuga, staring at the child in his arms.
"Wait, who wears a nurse outfit outside a hospital?" Ryuga asked, blinking.
"I could ask you the same thing!" exclaimed the nurse—Asuna Karino—glaring at him. "You took a patient out of the hospital! Are you even a doctor?!"
Dodging her attempt to grab his ear, Ryuga put on a serious face. "This is my professional judgment as a physician."
"Excuse me?!" Asuna frowned.
"Sata's condition is worsening, not because of physical causes, but due to psychological pressure," Ryuga explained matter-of-factly.
"He hasn't been allowed to play the game he loves, and that stress is making things worse."
Asuna's jaw dropped. Not only had he diagnosed the unknown illness caused by the Bugster virus—something no ordinary doctor could do—but he'd also nailed the psychological component instantly.
Still, she refused to back down. "He's scheduled for surgery. I have to take him back now!"
"What kind of surgery?" Ryuga asked casually.
"I can't tell you that!" she snapped, turning to Sata. "Let's go back, okay?"
"No! Let go!" Sata cried, resisting. "I'm about to play my turn!"
"I'm just looking out for your health!" she pleaded.
"No!" Sata's emotions surged uncontrollably. Yellow, data-like lightning erupted from his body.
"Sata!" Asuna gasped, crouching to calm him, but he shoved her away with unnatural strength.
"Told you not to upset him," Ryuga said, catching her mid-fall.
"When did you say that?!" Asuna shouted, scrambling to her feet.
Suddenly, a swarm of yellow Bugster virus particles exploded from Sata's body, fusing into a hideous monster.
A sickly yellow, blob-like creature formed, resembling a pile of mutated pebbles—known as the Bugster Connector.
"This is bad!" Asuna exclaimed in panic. "There's no one here who can stop it!"