The Rangers had gathered in the Command Center, their expressions tense. Gosei's voice echoed with unusual gravity.
"Rangers… Yuriko… last night, our sensors picked up a disturbance unlike anything we've encountered before. I believe it is connected to the dimensional anomalies that brought Yuriko here."
A screen lit up, showing grainy but chilling footage. A man stood in the ruins of a deserted street. His armor glimmered gold, lined with black markings. The sight of him alone radiated dominance and inevitability—like a king ruling over time itself.
Emma whispered, "Who… who is that?"
Troy narrowed his eyes. "He doesn't look Armada."
Gia crossed her arms. "But he doesn't look like a Ranger, either."
Yuriko stepped forward, her breath catching in her throat. She recognized the silhouette, the compound eyes, the belt. Her instincts screamed the truth. "He's… a Kamen Rider."
The others turned to her.
"You mean… like your friend? Stronger?" Jake asked.
"Yes," Yuriko said softly. Her hand tightened into a fist. "But… I've never seen this Rider before. His armor… his aura… it's unlike anything I know. He's powerful. Dangerous. But still… a Rider."
On the footage, the golden warrior turned his head slowly toward the camera before the recording cut to black.
Gosei's tone grew heavier. "This Rider may hold answers—or dangers. I need you all to investigate. You must find him."
---
The Rangers and Yuriko headed into the city outskirts where the footage had been taken. The place felt abandoned, heavy with unease. Cracks lined the pavement, and scorch marks scarred the walls of half-crumbled buildings.
No golden warrior was there. But as they searched the ruins, Yuriko felt a faint tug, almost like the keychains on her belt were resonating.
"Over here," she called, her voice low.
Among the rubble, half-buried beneath dust and stone, sat a small metal box. It was old, yet strangely well-preserved, like it had been waiting for her.
Yuriko knelt, brushing dirt away before lifting the box into her arms. When she unlatched it, the Rangers leaned in.
Inside, rows of tiny trinkets glimmered—each one shaped like a keychain. But unlike the snowmen or elemental charms Yuriko had collected before, these were distinct. Each bore the helmet design of a different warrior, their visors and crests unmistakable.
One resembled an insect. Another, a dragon. Another, a clock face.
"Keychains?" Noah blinked.
Gia frowned. "These don't look like anything I've ever seen."
But Yuriko's hands trembled as she lifted one out. She didn't recognize them, but her instincts told her—these weren't just keychains. They carried something deeper.
"They're… Riders," she whispered. "These are all Kamen Riders. I can feel it."
The Rangers exchanged uncertain glances.
"You're sure?" Emma asked.
Yuriko nodded. "I don't know their names. I don't know their powers. But… these belong to Riders. Just like me. Just like Stronger."
---
Back at the Command Center, Yuriko set the box on the console. The keychains shimmered faintly under the glow of the monitors.
"So, this mysterious warrior left these behind…" Gosei said, his tone grave. "Perhaps intentionally. Perhaps as a warning. Perhaps as a gift. It is unclear."
Yuriko looked at the screen, where the image of the golden Rider was frozen. She clenched her fists.
"I know he's a Kamen Rider. But who he is… I can't say. His presence feels… different. Heavy. Almost as if he's not just a Rider, but something greater. Something I can't yet understand."
Troy folded his arms. "Whoever he is, if he's that powerful, the Armada might want him—or fear him."
Gia smirked. "Well, if he's on our side, that's good news. If not… then he's another problem."
Jake raised a brow. "Wait. So, let me get this straight. We've got the Armada trying to destroy Earth, Yuriko unlocking new powers every other day, and now… mysterious golden bug man dropping off boxes of Rider keychains?"
"Pretty much," Emma sighed.
Yuriko smiled faintly but her heart was uneasy. She couldn't shake the feeling that this "golden Rider" wasn't an ally, nor an enemy… but something else entirely.
Why does it feel like… he's watching me?
As the team dispersed for the day, Yuriko lingered in the Command Center. Her eyes drifted to the box of Rider keychains. She reached out and touched one shaped like a clock's face.
The moment her fingers brushed it, she felt a pulse. A flicker of power. And for just a second—she thought she heard the ticking of a clock, echoing faintly in the air around her.
She pulled her hand back, unsettled.
"I don't know who you are," she whispered to the screen where the golden Rider's shadow lingered. "But I'll find out."
And deep down, she wondered if their meeting was inevitable.