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An Extraordianry Purchase / Monster Attack! / A Hero Arrives!
“You sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah, I’ll be ok! I’ve been practising all month!”
“You’ve been… practising?”
“Yeah! Got to be wary of the crowds, right?”
She smiled sadly and hugged him gently. “That’s right, you do. We’ll be back by eight, so be at the front gate then, ok?”
He hugged her back. “Sure. And I’ve got my phone on full charge. I’ll call you if I need you.”
Katsuo nodded to his mother and gingerly walked up the stairs leading to the convention center, making sure not to bump into anyone else. It was a difficult journey, trying not to bump into anyone as he entered, and in fact he did make contact twice, but luckily both were only slight taps.
Wow, this was a lot harder than I thought, he thought to himself before reaching into his satchel and pulling out a granola bar. This might not have been a good idea… nah, it’ll be worth it. He continued to walk inside, the area to walk thankfully getting bigger, before moving over to the the merchandise areas. Unfortunately, most of the stands were extremely crowded. Oh boy… well, I guess I better get ready for another game of “don’t touch anything.”
“Hey kid! You got your underwear?” a voice called out, its owner clearly heard above the crowd.
Katsuo turned to see a stand that was, rather strangely, completely open. The attendant was dressed in Kamen Rider Joker’s armor and waving jauntily, his other hand sweeping over the absolute piles of Kamen Rider merchandise scattered over the table, along with the rest of the merchandise scattered over the rest of the area.
Katsuo just stared for a moment before he smiled from ear to ear, squealing like a little schoolgirl before rushing over, making sure to stop himself a few paces away so he didn’t crash into the stand. He stared a few more moments at the vendor with that goofy smile before finally managing to utter one word.
“Hi!”
“Well hello there, little Eiji!” the vendor clapped his hands, the helmet’s eyes lighting up as he spoke. “What brings you here today, hmm? Come to browse Uncle Joker’s wares?”
“Oh my gosh, that outfit’s amazing! It must’ve cost a fortune to make!”
The vendor chuckled and made a winking motion with the lights, “Not as much as you might think- ah, but that’s a trade secret.”
“Aw! I was hoping you could tell me how to make my own OOO armor!” Katsuo pouted. “I mean, I made all this myself, but working with bulky plastic armor pieces and working with fabrics aren’t really that similar.”
“Quite right, kiddo,” Joker mused, tapping his chin. “Ah!” he suddenly exclaimed, diving under his stall and popping up with a cell medal that he flipped like a coin and held out to Katsuo, “What is your desire?”
Katsuo laughed before checking over his head. “Sorry, no coin slots here,” he joked. “Although, I would like to see anything OOO related you’ve got.”
Joker tossed the medal away and chuckled again, waving his hand over the pile of merchandise and causing it to explode into a puff of smoke, clearing away to reveal an almost endless amount of OOO related merchandise, from the OOO Driver to the Core Medals to even a copy of Ankh’s arm. “Well, little Eiji, does this satisfy your wish?”
Katsuo practically exploded with delight, not even caring at how the items appeared before him. “Ah! Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it! Look at all this stuff! And so real, too!” He grabbed the OOO driver with both hands and picked it up. “Whoa. That’s heavier than I thought,” he muttered. He then set it down and picked up Medajalibur, carefully holding it with both hands. “Wh-Whoa!? Is this real metal? I thought all this stuff would be plastic!”
Joker shook his head, “Only the best for my customers, and thus I use metal. See anything you want?”
“Are you kidding me!? What isn’t here that I want!? Well, let’s get the important ones out of the way. How much for the OOO driver!?”
“For such a dedicated fan of Kamen Rider…. well, my prices are normally much higher, but… I think I’ll cut it down to twenty dollars, just for you. Whaddaya say?” Joker held out the Driver, showing Katsuo the twenty dollar price tag on it.
“SOLD!” Katsuo replied,immediately forking over the bill. “And now the core medals! Which ones do you have? Oh! Do you have the Burakawani combo, too!?”
Joker immediately reached behind him and placed down a large coin counter in front of Katsuo, its rows filled with separated and organized Core Medals, an entire stack of coins in each slot. “What do you think, hmm? That’s a dollar per medal, by the way.”
Katsuo counted with his finger for a moment before pulling out twenty one dollars, before hesitating. “You know, I was just thinking, it might be a bad idea if I didn’t have ten of each color.” He then chuckled. “I might accidentally summon a Greeed.”
“That would be rather bad. So, ten of each, then?” Joker asked, pressing the levers on each slot and dumping out medals.
“Guess I’ll need something to carry them in,” he added as he pulled out three twenties and a ten. “I don’t suppose you have the case that Hina made?”
Said case was placed down next to the coin holder. “I don’t suppose you mean this case?” Joker smirked, the eyes of his helmet flashing brightly.
“Yup! Though, I guess it was never made to hold more than one of each Core Medal,” he noted. He then laid his eyes on a different driver. “Hey, how much for Birth’s belt?”
“Same as OOO’s, kid. Twenty bucks,” Joker plonked Birth’s belt down next to the case and then held up a massive canister of medals. “I suppose you’d need the matching canister, eh? This one’s the pricey one. Fifty bucks.”
“Ah, you’ve got Date’s Cell Medal container, too! Just what I was going to ask next!” he said as he went back to his wallet. “By the way, how much for the flip case again?”
“Five bucks,” Joker replied immediately, tapping the price sticker.
“Right. So that makes another… seventy five. And how much for Medajalibur?”
“Ooh, good choice,” Joker commented, holding up the blade and running his hand along it like a certain magenta Rider. “Thirty five bucks.”
“So we can round that out to… one ten,” he said, fishing out the necessary bills. “And since I’m getting the Birth belt and case, how much for the Birth Buster?”
Joker tapped his chin, “Well, considering everything, let’s just pop it up to twenty, yeah? Round out everything to a nice two hundred bucks. Agreed?” He held out the Birth Buster, handle first.
Katsuo took it, surprised at its weight, before extending a thumbs at the vendor. “Joker-chan, Nice!” he said in a Japanese accent. “But Birth isn’t any use without Cell Medals,” he added as he set the weapon down on the table and paid the vendor.
“The canister is full, you know. That’s why it’s the most expensive one outside of the bulk of Core Medals you bought,” Joker tapped the canister, causing it to rattle.
Katsuo looked surprised before shaking in joy. “Thank you so much! Oh, you have no idea how much this means to me! Oh man, I don’t even think I’ll touch this stuff after I take it home, I don’t want to risk breaking it! Oh, and while we’re here, let’s-” he began only to check his wallet. “Ah, mou! That’s all I’ve got!” he whined. “Looks like no Candroids for now at least.”
Joker reached over and patted Katsuo gently on the shoulder, “Hey, it’s fine. There’s always next year, right? And maybe not even then; you might find me in other places for other things, who knows?”
Katsuo flinched and scurried away before checking his shoulder before sighing in relief. “Sorry. I, um… my bones break kinda easily. I-I wasn’t upset at you touching me or anything like that.” He bowed. “Please forgive me, I didn’t mean to be rude.”
“No no, it’s fine, I should have realised earlier,” Joker apologized, bowing deeply.
“Heh, it’s kinda funny, right? All the Kamen Riders are amazing physical fighters, but I’d probably be put in the hospital if I got pushed too hard,” Katsuo chuckled half-heartedly as he put all of his newly bought merchandise either in his satchel or into the container he just bought. “I guess if a Yummy was to be made from me, it’d be stealing other people’s durability or something like that. Boy, that would make me feel even worse.”
“Well, that may be true but…” Joker leaned forward and motioned for Katsuo to come a little closer. “I’mma let you in on a secret, kid.”
“Hm?” Katsuo complied, leaning forwards and getting close enough to hear a whisper.
“I could probably fix your bones. I’m a doctor, too, y’know?” Joker winked at Katsuo, pulling on a lab coat that he’d gotten from under his stall.
“Wh-What? Hey, Joker-san, that’s not nice to lead me on like that,” Katsuo complained. “No doctor can just get rid of a genetic defect like mine,” he pouted.
“You’re right, I can’t get rid of it,” Joker admitted, before he spun around dramatically and, in a flash of white hidden by the coat, suddenly became Kamen Rider Kabuto! “But!” he pointed at the sky in Kabuto’s signature pose, “I can cure your disease! For I am the man who walks the path of Heaven! And as my grandmother always said: Those who give up hope are doomed to failure!”
“Wh-What!? H-How-!? You-!? EEEEEEEH!? ” Katsuo spluttered, stepping back a bit.
Kabuto inclined his head towards Katsuo and waved a hand over his form, dissolving into a cloud of flickering pink rectangles and stepping out as Decade, pointing at Katsuo. “Katsuo Pollux. You’ve been chosen. Accept this offer and become far more than you’ve ever dreamed- a Kamen Rider. I can heal you of your ailments, but only if you take my hand.” Decade held out his hand, letting it blaze with shadowy power.
Katsuo could only stare, one part of him desperately trying to process what was happening, another practically screeching with joy. Before he even realized what he did, he took the man’s hand.
Decade disappeared, only to be replaced by a being of shadows with two brightly glowing eyespots crinkled into a palpable smile. “I knew you’d make the right choice, kid. When you wake up, everything will be great . And don’t worry about your friends and family. I’ll let them know that you’re safe and sound. Well… more or less,” Aaron shook Katsuo’s hand twice and snapped his fingers.
And everything went dark.
“C’mon, Twilight! Hurry it up!” Spike shouted.
“I’m coming as fast as I can!” the lavender unicorn panted back.
Another one of those monsters? This is the third time!
Twilight and her assistant raced towards the sound of screaming ponies, barely dodging through the mass of bodies to find Applejack and Rainbow Dash already engaged with some kind of feline looking creature, standing on two legs and look like some kind of tiger with battle armor and three inch long blades coming from each finger.
The beast took a swipe at Applejack, who ducked down before unleashing one of her devastating kicks on the monster, managing to make it stumble a bit and knocking a few of those strange coins out of it. Rainbow followed up from behind, slamming a divekick its head, managing to also knock some coins out of it. The creature responded quickly and slashed her along the leg, causing her to shout in pain and fall to the ground.
“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted.
“Dangnabit! Yer gonna get it fer that!” Applejack shouted and rushed the creature, grabbing it around the waist as she charged, managing to push it several feet before it began to force itself back. “Twi, get ta work!”
“Right!” she replied, holding her hands out in front of her as her horn glowed with energy, a ball of violet energy appearing in between her palms, her brow furrowing in concentration. The beast saw this and grabbed ahold of Applejack before tossing her aside then swinging one of its arms at the unicorn, unleashing a tornado of air that sent her flying as she screamed.
“Twilight!” Spike shouted before turning back to face the creature, growling before inhaling deeply and breathing fire on the monster. Unfortunately, the paltry attack did little but annoy the creature, who kicked the young dragon aside.
“Spikey-wikey!” Rarity shouted in terror as she, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy arrived, rushing over to check on him.
“It’s ok,” he assured her. “Dragon scales and all. Still hurts though.”
“Oh dear! This isn’t going well, is it?” Fluttershy asked to nopony in particular as she hid behind Pinkie.
“Looks like we’ve got to keep it busy until help comes,” Pinkie stated as she stood up. “Spikey, you need to send a letter to-”
"Henshin!” someone shouted. They all turned to see who it was, only to be met with some sort of bright spectacle coming towards them, obscuring whomever it was.
TAKA!TORA!BATTA!Ta-To-Ba!TaToBaTa-To-Ba!
With that strange tune something jumped and kicked the tiger monster, sending it flying through the air for several feet before falling to the ground. Everypony turned to stare in shock at the new arrival, taking in its appearance.
Black was by far the most dominant color, being everywhere where other colors were not, and it was instantly obvious that this was some kind of armor. It had two large green lenses in place of eyes, and a design that looked like a red bird fanning its wings on its face. Its gauntlets were yellow and its forearms had a design that looked like blades being folded backwards. Its boots were green, as were what looked like linked greaves running all the way to its knees. Across its waist was a belt of some kind, mostly silver in color, with the buckle being black and turned at an angle, sloping down from right to left, with what appeared to be three coins placed within them; the one on the right red, the middle yellow, and the left green. On the right side of its hip was a black and yellow disc of some kind, on the left was an attachment that looked like it carried something within it, and attached to the back was a single-edged sword; mostly black with some blue stripes and silver across the blade. The most prominent feature however was the large circle on its chest that was split into three sections. The top was red and had a pattern that looked like a bird ready to take flight, the middle and largest part was yellow and looked like the face of some kind of large cat, and the bottom was green with a pattern that looked something like a grasshopper. In addition, a red line ran up from the top to its head, yellow lines ran from the middle to each shoulder before running down to its hands, and green lines ran down to its legs. Despite the fact this being was quite short, even shorter than Rainbow Dash, it stood with confidence.
The being turned to face Applejack and Rainbow Dash before extending a thumbs up to them. “You did a good job! But I’ll take it from here!” it announced, its voice being clearly masculine, but also sound quite young.
At that moment the feline monster rose and growled, catching everypony’s attention. The being crossed its arms in response, the yellow parts of its outfit glowing for a moment before he swung them out to the side, the bladed looking parts of his gauntlets folding forwards and becoming claws as he took a battle stance and rushed forwards. The monster charged forward to meet him and swung one of its arms, only for the armored warrior to block it with his own arm and strike across the monster’s midsection with the claws on his other hand, causing a large number of coins to go flying out of it as the creature stumbled back.
“Wh-What!?” Twilight asked aloud, shocked that a simple attack could cause so much damage. She and her friends continued to gape as the warrior continued to slash at his opponent, causing large amounts of coins to go flying each time. Eventually the creature managed to retaliate and cut him along the chest with its own claws, causing sparks to fly as he flew back. The feline then attacked with the same wind blast it used on Twilight, only for the armored fighter to quickly get to his feet, the green part of his armor shining for a moment, before leaping above the attack and towards his opponent, cutting his enemy with both claws.
The armored warrior kicked the monster, more coins flying out as a green shockwave emanated from the impact. He kicked the monster again, getting the same effect, before following with a harder kick that sent the feline flying back through the air. He took a fighting stance, the yellow part glowing again, before swiping at his enemy. Two yellow blasts of energy in the shape of claws flew forwards and hit the monster, knocking it to the ground again. He then shouted as he rushed forwards before leaping at his enemy who was just beginning to get to its feet, and pummelled it with a series of kicks while still airborne before landing, the monster once again falling to the ground.
The armored warrior chuckled a bit before his arm blades folded back and he grabbed the disc on his right hip, twirling it with one finger. “Thanks for the test run,” he began before tossing the disc up into the air. “But I think it’s time we end this!” he finished as he cracked his neck on both sides before catching the disc as it fell back towards him. He then brought the disc to his belt, sliding it across the front of it and getting three tones in response.
SCANNING CHARGE!
With that shout from the belt the warrior put the disc back in its place before crouching down. As his did the green part of his armor began to glow even brighter than before as his legs began to change shape, resembling those of a grasshopper. He then launched himself high into the air, higher even than the top of Twilight’s treebrary. As he reached the apex of his jump three rings of energy appeared in the air, all aimed at the monster who was struggling to get up. The warrior then angled his feet down at his target before shouting, passing through the rings as he did. The first one exploded with red energy, causing ethereal wings to appear behind his back, followed by an explosion of yellow and finally green.
“SEIYA!” he shouted as he hit the monster, the impact reverberating throughout Ponyville as the monster was destroyed in a fiery explosion, coins scattering everywhere. The warrior slowly stood up, his legs now returned to normal. For a moment all was quiet.
“Who… Who are you?” Twilight asked.
The warrior turned to face her before turning his belt from an angled position to a straight one. In a flash of light, the being’s armor was gone and in its place was something that looked like a monkey, except it had no coat and no tail. His mane was dark brown and his eyes were bright blue. He was wearing a long sleeved striped shirt that incorporated a variety of colors like beige, orange, lavender, and pink. He also wore long khaki pants and brown boots, and he had a bracelet on its left arm that looked like it was made out of several colors of beads. Finally, around its neck was a white scarf. He smiled brightly, and Twilight could only marvel at the being’s youthful appearance.
“My name is Katsuo Pollux,” he replied. “But you can call me,” he began before taking a stance with both of his hands held out like claws. “Kamen Rider!” He then swept his arms out to his sides in another pose. “OOO!”
They all could only continue to stare.
“Um, darling… what are you wearing?” Rarity asked, looking a bit put off.
“Wh-What do you mean?” the being, Katsuo Pollux, asked.
“It’s just… well… what second-hand store did you get those clothes from?”
Katsuo looked shocked for a moment before tears began to well up in his eyes. “I made them myself!” he whined.
“So he finally arrives,” one of them said.
“Hm… looks puny,” the other commented in a gruff voice. “We should crush him now!”
“Now, now, my stubborn friend. Remember that we all promised to let everyone else know if we found anything interesting. You don’t want to make us look like liars, do you?” the first one said in a playful tone.
The other one growled before stomping back deeper into the forest.
“‘Kamen Rider OOO’, huh?” the being smirked. “Let’s hope you can provide some amusement before you break.”
Author's Note
WHOO! HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVRYONE! Consider this your holiday present from me!
I know it may not be in the order I intended, but I am definitely getting all my plans done! This one might not be updated for a while, but I'm certainly coming back to it, so don't you worry!
Also, if anyone sees any typos or grammatical errors, please point them out for me.
Finally, I'd like to thank Jsyrin for helping write the Vendor. Another Displaced by Aaron Heibi, everyone! See you all soon!
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Hero's Introduction / Lost and Gained / Shadow Plotting
Diamond Tiara had gathered, along with the rest of Ponyville, in front of town hall for what was supposed to be an important announcement. She was dressed in black v-neck under a yellow jacket, and had a red gem around her neck. She wore a grey skirt that ran down her upper thighs, and some black modesty shorts extended a bit further than that, while yellow heeled boots covered her feet and shins. Topping it off was the silver tiara on her head that matched cutie mark.
“What do you think’s going on?” She asked Silver Spoon, her best friend for who knows how long.
“Not sure. Maybe it’s about the monster attacks that have been happening recently?” She suggested.
“Hmph. Somepony really needs to do something about that.”
“I heard that Princess Celestia herself is the only one who’s been able to handle those things with no problem. If that’s the case, they must be really strong.”
Silver Spoon was dressed in seifuku style outfit with a lavender shirt, white collar, and hot pink skirt with a pendant matching her cutie mark on the collar. She wore lavender heeled boots, a turquoise beaded necklace, and turquoise glasses.
“That just means they need to get somepony better down here so the Princess doesn’t have to waste time dealing with it herself,” Diamond Tiara replied.
“Everypony! Everypony, can I have your attention please!?” Mayor Mare asked into the microphone on the podium. She was dressed in her usual white collared shirt, khaki blazer and long skirt, black heels, green cavarat, and yellow rimmed spectacles. Behind her were the six elements of Harmony. “I’d like to thank you all for coming here today and on such short notice. Now, I know many of you are worried about the latest monster attack. Twilight Sparkle would like to have a few words all on the subject.”
The mayor stepped aside to let Celestia’s student take the podium. “Hello everypony, and once again thank you for coming out here. As you all know over the last week Ponyville has suffered three monster attacks from creatures we haven’t seen before. We have now determined that they are not in fact from the Everfree forest, but actually beings created through a new type of magic.”
Many of the ponies began to murmur at that, expressing their concern of the new details.
“Though I don’t have all the specifics yet, I will soon be releasing information on the monsters, including how they are created, what to be aware of, and how to respond to them. I’ll try to get this information out by next Saturday at the latest. But for now, I’d like to happily introduce a new resident here in Ponyville that I think will be of a great help to us all. Please give a warm Ponyville welcome to Katsuo Pollux!”
As Twilight stepped down a new being showed itself from behind the stadium and began climbing the stairs.
“What is it?” Silver Spoon wondered aloud.
“No idea,” Diamond Tiara answered before chuckling. “Looks like it needs some help getting dressed.”
The creature took the stand as Twilight stepped aside and cleared its throat. “Um, hello. Uh, nice to meet you.” He paused for a few moments, inhaling deeply before letting his breath out. “Uh, sorry. I’ve uh, never really spoken in front of a group before. So, like Twilight said, my name’s Katsuo Pollux. You can just call me Katsuo, if you want. Uh, anyway, as you can probably tell I’m not from around here, but it looks like I’ll be here for a while. I also know you’re all pretty scared about this whole monster business, but I’m here to let you know I’m here for you all.”
“What can you do about it?” Somepony asked from the crowd.
“Uh, well… I can beat ‘em.”
That a got a few murmurs from the crowd, things like “Is he serious?”, “What a liar,” and “No way.” Katsuo looked to Twilight, who nodded back. He took a few steps back and did something Diamond Tiara couldn’t quite see. All of a sudden a humming noise started to come from him followed by three tones.
“Henshin!” He shouted before a bright display surrounded him.
TAKA!TORA! BATTA! Ta-To-Ba! TaToBa Ta-To-Ba!
Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened, as did all of the ponies gather. They all began to frantically question each other as to what was going on as the now armored Katsuo stepped up to the podium again.
“Like I said before, I can beat those monsters. I can do it because I’m not just Katsuo Pollux. I’m Kamen Rider OOO! You can just call me OOO, for short,” he continued, causing the crowd to quiet down. “Now, I know you all probably won’t trust me right off the bat, but I’d still like to make you this promise. I’m going to do everything I can to protect you all, but I need your help. I can’t be everywhere, I won’t see everything, so I need all of you to keep your eyes open and call me or one of the girls to come get me. I promise I’ll come as quickly as I can! I hope we all get along!” He finished, extending a thumbs up to the crowd.
For a few moments there was silence before somebody in the crowd started to clap. This was followed by several other ponies applauding. As the numbers of applauding ponies swelled and began to cheer. Katsuo’s transformation disappeared in a flash of light, revealing his blushing face as he scratched the back of his head in an embarrassed manner. He stepped down and shook hands with Mayor Mare as she approached the podium.
“Alright everypony, the town meeting is over. I’ll let you all know when the information Twilight promised you is available. Until then!”
The ponies began to disperse, but Diamond Tiara hesitated.
“What’s wrong?” Silver Spoon asked.
Her friend was looking at the group of mares and the creature as they walked off.
“Where did he get that belt?” She muttered.
After some discussion it was decided that it would be best for Katsuo to live at Sweet Apple Acres due to their large household being able to easily accommodate another resident as well as the general Apple hospitality. In addition, it was probably the only residence that could adequately accommodate another resident. The walked towards the farm and by the time the barn came into view Katsuo was panting up a storm.
“You alright there, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, stopping as she turned towards him, waiting for him to catch up, setting down the container of Cell Medals she was carrying.
“I’m… I’m sorry… Just not… used to… to walking… so much,” he wheezed out, both hands on his knees as sweat dripped from his brow. He took a moment to drop his duffel bag.
“‘Walkin’ so much?’ Land sakes, fella, we couldn’ta walked more than five miles!”
“‘Five?’ Holy crap. I’m not even sure I’ve walked one mile without stopping!” he gasped.
Applejack chuckled. “Ah see. Yer one of them pampered city boys, is that it?”
Katsuo flinched and looked away. “Not exactly.”
Applejack tilted her head in confusion before walking up to him. “Well, it ain’t that much farther to the house, so Ah guess Ah can take you the rest of the way.”
“Huh?” he asked before Applejack picked him up and hefted him over her shoulder. She then threw the duffel bag over her shoulder and carried the container in her other hand. “Wh-Whoa!? You’re really strong!”
“You bet Ah am! But, to be honest here Sugarcube, yer kinda light yourself. Ah barely see any meat on them bones!” she joked as she carries him over to the Apple house.
Katsuo just sighed. “Yeah, I know. Haven’t really had much of a choice with that…”
Applejack raised an eyebrow at that but shrugged and continued to walk. As she approached three earth ponies of wildly different ages came out to greet them.
The first was young, still of elementary school age, with a pink t-shirt, blue overalls, brown boots, and big pink bow. Her coat was yellow and her hair and tail were red. The next was a towering hulk of a stallion, taller than anyone Katsuo had seen, aside from Celestia. He wore a green flannel shirt, opened enough to show off a white t-shirt underneath, and tucked into a pair of worn blue jeans, as well as brown cowboy boots. His coat was a deep read, and his mane and tail were dirty blonde. The last one was only a little taller than the young girl, an old mare with wrinkled skin and hunched over. She wore a orange shawl with red apples imprinted on them over a tan shirt. Across her waist was a red and white apron that extended down to her ankles, mostly concealing a pair of brown loafers. Her coat was green and her mane and tail white.
The three looked curiously at the sight before them, the older mare chuckling, the young mare tilting her head, and the stallion raising an eyebrow.
“Howdy, ya’ll. Sorry it took a while, this feller here ain’t exactly in tip top shape. His limbs are like a chicken’s legs on a diet,” Applejack joked as she set Katsuo and his things down on the front porch.
“Yeah, I know, I’ve got chopstick arms and legs,” Katsuo said in an annoyed tone.
“Ah’ll say. Granny Smith could probably ya him in arm wrestle,” the young filly joked.
“Eeyup,” the stallion agreed.
“Now now, no need ta pick on the poor feller,” the older mare chided as she walked towards him, using her cane to help her along. “Now, judgin’ by how ya look, Ah’m guessin’ yer that feller that Apple Blooms been tellin’ me about, the one from the town meetin’?”
“Uh yeah, that’s me,” Katsuo nodded as he stood up and extended his hand. “Katsuo Pollux. Nice to meet you, miss.”
“Granny Smith, young’un. Nice ta meet ya. This here’s Big Macintosh, Applejack’s older brother, and Apple Bloom, their little sister.”
“Howdy!” the filly greeted.
“Eeyup,” the stallion added.
“Hey. So, I guess I’m staying here for a while,” Katsuo said before bowing. “I hope I won’t be too much of a burden on you all.”
“Aw, hey, don’t think nuthin’ of it!” Applejack said happily before slapping Katsuo on the back.
A wave of immense terror washed over Katsuo as he fell to the ground. As soon as he hit the dirt and began screaming, grabbing his body like he was on fire.
“YOU BROKE ME!” he screamed, causing all the ponies to back away in shock. “YOU BROKE ME! YOU BROKE ME!”
“Katsuo, the hay’s wrong with you!?” Applejack shouted.
“MY LEGS! I CAN’T FEEL MY-! ... My…” he quieted down as he noticed he could move his feet. He grabbed his head to make sure and sighed in relief as he caught his breath. “That’s right. I forgot. Oh thank God.”
The Apples are stared at him for a moment.
“What in the hay was that ?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Oh, sorry. I must like a freak to you guys right now,” Katsuo said as he got up. “It’s just… It’s a little hard to unlearn something you’ve had to do for your whole life.”
“Whaddya mean?” Applejack asked.
“Ever since I was born I’ve had born I’ve had a condition, a genetic defect. One of the things Joker-san said he’d do, along with making me a Kamen Rider, was to fix it.” He paused to inhale and gather himself before continuing. “I was born with weak bones. It’s one of the reason’s I’m so small. Actually, most of the people with my defect never grow to be as tall as I am.” He turned to Applejack and smiled sadly. “If it had been before I came here, that slap on the back you gave me would’ve broken my spine to pieces.”
“Wh-What!?” Applejack stuttered as the others looked on in shock.
“Yeah,” he held out his hand and squeezed it into a fist as hard as he could. “Even something as simple as this could’ve broken the bones in my fingers. I guess even more than the opportunity to be a Kamen Rider, the chance to live a life without having to worry about such a thing was what got me to shake Joker-san’s hand.”
“Katsuo,” Applejack said, her voice filled sympathy.
“But yer better now, right?”
“Huh?” Katsuo asked as he turned to face Apple Bloom.
“Yer not all weak an’ fragile anymore right? So ya ain’t got nuthin’ ta worry about!” she explained cheerfully.
Katsuo couldn’t help but smile at her childish optimism. “Yeah. I guess you’re right. It’ll just take a little while to adjust, that’s all. I can’t wait to show my fam-” Katsuo stopped himself mid-sentence. His smile faded and his expression slowly changed to one of fear. “My family…”
“Pardon?” Granny Smith asked.
“My family!” he shouted. “Mom! Dad! I-I-I have no way to tell them where I am! Or how to get back! I don’t know if I can get back! Oh… Oh God! I didn’t even think about them the whole week!” he continued as he held his head with both hands. “Oh God, what kind of person am I? They’re probably worried sick about me, and here I am enjoying myself! No, wait, Celestia said I was on the moon for a thousand years! Are they even alive anymore!? Oh God, what if-!? ”
Katsuo’s panicked rant was cut off as he felt two powerful arms wrap around him.
“Shh. Settle down, now. It’s alright,” Applejack whispered as she stroked his hair, holding his body close to hers. “Yer not a bad pony, not at all. A bad pony wouldn’t be concerned over leavin’ his kin alone with no way ta find ‘im.”
Katso the felt two more arms wrapped around him, seeing Big Macintosh offering a caring smile. Moments later Apple Bloom and Granny Smith were holding his hands, and his rapid breathing began to slow.
“Thank you,” Katsuo muttered. He attempted to say more before suddenly feeling weak. “Wow… I guess I’m more worn out than I thought.”
“Big Mac, why don’t you take this poor feller to the guest room, huh?” Granny Smith said.
“Eeyup,” the stallion replied before gently guiding Katsuo inside.
“Hey Granny?” Applejack asked.
“Yes?”
“We can afford ta keep one more, right?”
The elder mare smiled. “We’ll need ta find some way for him ta earn his keep, but other than that it’ll be no problem.”
The two of them walked inside, immediately catching everyone’s attention.
“So, you’ve returned. How did the latest Yummy fare?”
“Hmph. Got squished.”
“Indeed. That Princess didn’t even need to show up this time,” one replied with a condescending chuckle.
“No way! I want to see how many medals it got!” the one lying on the couch shouted angrily.
The condescending one threw fourteen Cell Medals at her, which she quickly absorbed.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! This is all!? You better not be holding onto the rest!”
“Don’t whine, my dear. It’s quite unsightly,” a haughty voice came from the rafters.
“It seems you don’t measure up to the rest of us,” a stern voice added from the chair he was sitting in.
“Well, in all fairness, it’s not her fault. A new player entered the game,” the condescending voice explained with a smile.
Every face turned to him with rapt interest.
“Continue,” the professional voice ordered as she adjusted her glasses.
“A new enemy has shown up. One that draws power from our Core Medals.”
“You mean-!?”
“So, he’s finally arrived.”
“Right. Now we go to take them back!” the gruff voice said before moving to the door.
“No,” came a calm voice from the corner chair as he turned a page in the book he was reading.
“What?”
“We know too little. We should observe him for now. If he has as many Core Medals as we think, he could easily cause us serious damage. It would be better to gather our strength before making an attempt to get them back.”
“Indeed. Producing Yummy’s give us little risk by comparison.”
“See, my headstrong friend? It’s better to play it safe.”
The gruff voice growled in response.
“What’s this guy’s name?” the playful voice asked as she hopped onto the table, looking excited.
“He calls himself ‘Kamen Rider OOO’.”
Author's Note
I'm so sorry this took so long, I just had some trouble getting the motivation to write it. I hope I've made Katsuo a little more human here, and have given him room to grow.
And yes, that Diamond Tiara tag is here for a reason.
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A New Family / Taking Notes / Getting to Know You
Katsuo groaned as his eyes fluttered open, the sun hitting his eyes. He wondered for a moment why his alarm didn’t wake him up, then realizing he wasn’t in his bed. As panic began to set in he suddenly remembered the events of the last week. The lack of shelter and cell phone reception, surviving off the water bottles, granola bars and berries. Hiding in trees to escape the wildlife, before coming across civilization, only to see that none of the people there were… people . He remembered the Yummy attack and his transformation, meeting the girls and Spike, the Princess, and his breakdown. It was at that point he realized how long he’d been on autopilot the last week, surprised at his own survival instincts. It seemed at the end of the day, realizing he wouldn’t see his family again, everything just broke and he crashed.
Even going over all the information he still found it all somewhat unbelievable. He hesitated a moment before clutching his hand into a fist. He felt pressure, but no pain. He then shook anxiously for a moment before quickly hitting his fist against the wall. There was some pain, but nowhere near what it should’ve been.
Nothing’s broken. It’s real. He sighed and reviewed his situation. I’m in a new world, away from everyone I ever knew. I no longer have to worry about my body breaking at any second, I can become Kamen Rider OOO, and I was even given permission from the ruler of a whole country herself to protect her people.
He smiled to himself, happy and thankful for how Princess Celestia had treated him, especially when it became clear that the situation was partially his fault. She really was the perfect royal, as far as he could tell. Regal, wise, commanding, but still kind, and she had some of the most amazing legs that-
Ok, I think I need to stop right there, Katsuo thought, cutting himself off. He took a whiff of himself and realized that not only did he not take a shower last night, he also slept in his clothes. Thankfully, his gym bag was still with him, containing some of the other outfits he brought for the con, so he decided to choose his clothes before finding the bathroom to change.
He managed to find the bathroom and stripped before getting into the old fashioned bathtub and shower combo.
Better be quick. Don’t want to take advantage of their kindness. He quickly doused himself with the water before turning it off, and gently grabbed the bar of soap and gingerly applied it to his body. It was about when he had lathered up his whole armed that he realized something.
I don’t have to worry about pressing too hard or going too fast anymore. He then began to quickly lather his body up, noticing the odd an alien feeling that performing the action quickly gave him, like his mind was telling him something was wrong.
I never considered this. Just how much of the things I normally do in my life have changed? How long is it going to take me to get used to this?
He quickly soaked his hair with some sweet scented shampoo and conditioner before turning the shower back on and washing himself off.
There. That probably didn’t use that much water. He stepped out and reached for the towel and began to dry himself off, once again reminding himself that he didn’t have to worry about pressure anymore.
Actually, come to think of it, one of the reasons that I have to turn the shower off and then lather up is because it would’ve taken a long time to do so gently, so it would’ve been wasteful to have the water running. Jeez, maybe I should start making a list of everything I can do that I couldn’t do before.
He walked back into the guest room and pulled out another one of his outfits. Within ten minutes he was dressed in a T-shirt with green, orange, brown, and white stripes; a dark violet hoodie with orange sleeves; blue jeans with brown and beige patches, and brown boots.
Hopefully Rarity won’t complain about this one.
Katsuo descended the stairs, hoping that he could grab something for breakfast, when he was met with the unexpected sight of the whole Apple family seated at the table, with one chair left open, clearly waiting for him.
“... Am I in trouble?” he asked.
“Not at all, Sugarcube. Why don’t ya take a seat?” Applejack assured him.
Katsuo slowly sat down, still somewhat nervous.
“Now Katsuo, we know that right now ya don’t have a place ta’ live, and ya don’t exactly have a way ta support yerself right now,” Granny Smith began. “So, we wanted ta ask if you wouldn’t mind bein’ part of the Apple family.”
Katsuo sat there for a few moments, processing what was said. “You mean… you want to let me, like, rent a room here?”
“No, Sugarcube, we wanted ta know if you want ta join our family,” Applejack explained.
Katsuo’s eyes widened. “You mean, like… adoption?”
“Eeyup,” Big Mac replied simply.
“You… You really mean that? I mean, you’re not just doing this because you feel like you have to?”
“Aw shucks, Sonny! If it was too much of a hassle for us we woulda helped ya find a place in town instead!” Granny Smith explained.
“Ah wouldn’t mind havin’ another brother!” Apple Bloom added.
Katsuo looked down and stayed silent.
“Sugarcube? Are ya feelin’-?” Applejack began, only to see that Katsuo was crying.
“I… I…” Katsuo stuttered before burying his face into his hands. “I can’t believe how lucky I am,” he said as he began to openly weep. “I never thought I’d be lucky enough to be adopted twice.”
“‘Twice!?’” the Apples all asked, surprised.
“Wait a minute, didn’t ya say ya had a family?” Apple Bloom asked.
“They’re my foster family. They adopted me when I was only three years old. I never knew my birth parents.”
“Wh-What happened to them?” Applejack asked.
“I don’t know. From what my family said, the orphanage told them I was left on their doorstep with a note, one that told them about my condition as well. If I had to guess… they probably didn’t want to deal with such sickly child for the rest of their lives.”
And intense mix of anger, sorrow, and determination swelled up in all of the Apple family. They now knew what they had to do and what they were going to do.
“Well, you ain’t got ta worry ‘bout that no more,” Granny declared. “Yer one of us now, and by the end of the week, It’ll be official.”
Katsuo wiped his eyes and looked around the table at his new family. “Thank you so much.”
Twilight tapped her foot impatiently, her arms folded and her brow furrowed as she was getting more and more annoyed.
“Jeez, Twilight, calm down a little,” Spike said. “They’ll be here.”
Twilight groaned. “I know Spike, it’s just… it’s really important that Katsuo tells us everything we need to so we can protect Ponyville from theses… Yummy’s.”
“And because you also really want to study the whole Kamen Rider and Core Medals thing, right?” Spike smirked.
Twilight huffed, not responding. She, Spike, and everypony else had agreed to meet with Katsuo in the Whitetail Woods so they could go over the information on what Katsuo knew.
After about twenty more minutes an interesting sight approached them: Applejack carrying Katsuo over her shoulder while she held the container of Cell Medals and his gym bag in one hand.
“Real heroic entrance there, Short Stack,” Rainbow Dash joked, sitting up in a tree branch and letting her still recovering leg dangle.
“You give him a break now, Dash,” Applejack retorted as she set Katsuo and his belongings down. “He ain’t exactly had many chances to bulk up.”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind the jokes,” Katsuo assured her as he stood up. “She’s got a point, too. If I’m really going to help you all, I need to get plenty of exercise in.”
“Wait, if you’re this we- uh… unfit, how were you able to defeat that Yummy so easily yesterday?” Twilight asked.
“It’s gotta be because of the transformation,” Spike declared with confidence.
“He’s right. It boosts everything. Strength, speed, stamina, and durability,” Katsuo confirmed. “It’s got it’s limits, but it has way more power than I do alone.”
“So, what exactly are we out here for again, Darling?” Rarity asked. “From what I understand you intend to fill us in on all the details we need to know. Couldn’t we have done that from a nice cafe?”
“Well, before I get into the nitty gritty details, I wanted to demonstrate my powers so you all know what I can do, and I don’t think it would be a good idea to do that indoors.”
“Fair point.”
“Ok, so let’s get to it,” he said as he reached into his gym bag and pulled out the OOO Driver as well as the case with all the Core Medals. “Now, there are seven colors of Core Medals: Red, Yellow, Green, Grey, Blue, Purple, and Orange. Each color has three different kinds of Medals, and there are a total of nine core medals for each color, making three for each. Luckily, it turns out I have at least one of each type, so you’ll be able to see everything I can do.” He then slapped on the OOO Driver before placing three of the Core Medals inside. “Let’s get started,” he said before angling the Driver, and grabbing the Scanning Disc, running it across the belt.
“Henshin!”
A few hours later, everyone was seated in Sugarcube Corner, ready to get more into the details that he promised before. In the meantime they had all ordered and were waiting for their food. Just then Pinkie came to the table, bringing a tray of treats.
“Apple fritters for AJ,” she began, setting the dish down in front of her before continuing. “Cherry parfait for Rarity, lemon squares for Twilight, chocolate donuts with sprinkles for Spike, chocolate pudding for Fluttershy, bear claws for Dashie, mint chocolate milkshake for Katsy, and chocolate and vanilla cupcakes for me!” she announced before tossing the cupcakes into the air and somehow managing to both catch and gulp them down all at once.
“... Should I even ask how she did that?” Katsuo asked, still staring.
“Don’t. You’ll be better off for it,” Twilight sighed before popping a lemon square in her mouth. Everyone was starting to take a bite out of their dishes except for Katsuo, who seemed to be examining his milkshake carefully.
“...classic design,” he mumbled. “Not the most eye-catching, but nothing particularly wrong with it either… included the whipped cream and cherry on top… they even have the old-fashioned tapper glass...”
“Darling, are you alright?” Rarity asked.
“Huh? Oh, sorry, just looking it over, that’s all,” he said before putting in a straw and taking a sip. “Not bad.”
“I got to say, all those powers are pretty impressive,” Rainbow said. “But I noticed one weird thing.”
“Hm? What’s that?”
“Why did you never do all of one color at a time? Like all reds, or whatever?”
Katsuo inhaled for a moment and closed his eyes. “I guess that’s a pretty good segway into the details I promised you before. First though, I need to ask you all a question.”
Twilight immediately summoned a notepad, quill, and inkwell.
He opened his eyes, seeing he had everyone’s attention. “Would you say greed is a bad thing?”
Everyone looked surprised for a moment. Then Dash broke the silence.
“Well, duh. Being greedy and selfish is bad. That’s just, like, common knowledge.”
“Then what would you say is the best way to combat greediness?”
Rarity glowed with pride. “Why, being generous, of course! As the Element of Generosity herself, I can say for certain that going out of the way to help others is quite fulfilling indeed.”
“‘Element of Generosity?’ Oh right, Applejack said something about that,” he muttered. “Moving on, then would you say it would be healthy to live your life being only generous? To not fulfill any desire of your own, and to only work to satisfy the desires of others, no matter how much it costs you?”
Everypony just stared at him in shock for a moment, not expecting that response. Even Rarity didn’t have an answer for that.
“When it comes to desire all extremes, even extreme generosity and abstinence, are unhealthy. Wanting something is not fundamentally evil, and having some selfishness is actually healthy. Desire is not a demon to be purged, it is a scale that must be balanced.”
Everypony just continued to stare, surprised to hear such words of wisdom from the boy.
“So cool,” Spike muttered.
“Anyway, getting back to the question, we need to talk a little bit about how Desire functions in the world of Kamen Rider OOO. Think of your desire as container, something that can be filled and emptied. The bigger and grander your desire, the larger your container. There is also your own fortitude, which is basically how much you are swayed by your desires.” Everypony looked at him a little confused. “Hm. How should I explain this?” he said, closing his eyes and rubbing his chin. After a moment of thought he opened his eyes and turned to Rainbow Dash. “What is the one thing you want more than anything in the world?” he asked.
Rainbow smirked and puffed her chest out with pride. “To be a Wonderbolt, of course!”
“‘Wonderbolt’?” he asked.
She looked to him in shock. “You don’t know the Wonderbolts!? They’re only the coolest pegasi in the history of ever!”
“Rainbow, he’s not even from this world,” Applejack reminded.
“Oh… right.”
Applejack rolled her eyes.
“The Wonderbolts are a team of aerial acrobats and an elite pegasi force,” Twilight explained. “Only the best of the best pegasi get to join up with them.”
“Oh, I see. Kinda sounds like the Blue Angels,” Katsu muttered. “Anyway, that sounds like a pretty big desire, one that would take a lot to be fulfilled.”
“No kidding. I might’ve made waves at the Best Young Flyer Competition, but I’ve still got a ways to go,” Dash said.
“I see. So let me ask this, would you be willing to give up anything or do anything to become a Wonderbolt?”
“Yeah, pretty much,” she replied without any hesitation, biting into her bear claw.
“So if killing everyone in this room would instantly make you a Wonderbolt, would you do it?”
Dash choked on her bear claw and began to cough and hack for a few moments. “What!?” she screeched when she finally regained her composure.
“You said you’d do anything to be a Wonderbolt. You have to be more careful when you say things. Words influence thought, both of those around you and yourself.”
“But there’s no way I’d do something like that! No way!”
“Are you sure? You’ve never had to confront such a choice before. How do you know for certain what choice you would make?” Rainbow Dash, and everypony else, was beginning to feel uncomfortable. “When you say ‘you’d do anything’, you may find out that ‘anything’ turns out to be something you never thought of before. Just look at me. I’m now cured of my genetic defect, I have powers I never imagined, and I can even be a hero like I’ve always wanted to be. And all I had to give up was everything I’ve ever known. My home, family, my entire world. I’ll probably never see any of them again.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “Honestly, I still can’t tell if it was a good trade or not.”
Everypony’s feelings instantly changed from disturbed to sympathetic. Despite his young age Katsuo was speaking from experience. He was trying to help them.
“Your limits and standards should be definite. Don’t use nebulous words like ‘anything’ or ‘nothing,’ unless you can say you truly mean them. When your limits are clearly defined, you can tell when you’re starting to push them, and can keep yourself from breaking them.”
Rainbow looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling and nodding. “Alright, I got ya.”
“Anyway, that discussion leads nicely into the next part of what you need to know. In order to explain completely, I need to talk about the one who held the title of Kamen Rider OOO, Eiji Hino. Before he took on the mantle of Kamen Rider, he was a world traveller and tried to make friends with everyone he came across. He was also the son of a wealthy politician, and used his fortune to benefit others. He did so because that was how he pursued his desire.”
“And what was that?” Applejack asked.
Katsuo smiled. “To help everyone he could as much as he could. Actually, you might say his greatest desire was to save the world.”
Everypony was awed at the tale of this Eiji person.
“He sounds like a very nice pony,” Fluttershy sated with a smile.
Katsuo nodded, but then his smile faded. “Unfortunately, during one of his travels tragedy struck, and struck hard. He made friends with the residents of a small village in a foreign country and donated a lot of money to help it out. Unfortunately, due to his politician father, that money eventually helped fund a civil war between the village and another one. A young girl who he had become attached to died in front of his eyes, and he was eventually captured and held for ransom. His father paid the ransom and got Eiji released, but also used the event as a way to garner support for his own political platform.”
Everyone was stunned into silence. After a few moments Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie began to cry, Rarity just slumped into her still trying to process what she’d heard, and Rainbow and Applejack seethed with rage over the idea of Eiji’s father causing so much pain for his own son and then exploiting his suffering for his own ends.
“That’s… I have no words for that,” Twilight said numbly, unable to even take notes..
“How about ‘that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard?’” Spike suggested, also looking completely stunned.
“Anyway, after that Eiji… dried up,” Katsuo continued. “He completely abandoned everything he had and lived a nomadic lifestyle, travelling from place to place and working odd jobs just to make enough to live off of.”
“What do ya mean ‘dried up’?” Applejack asked.
“I mean he completely gave up on every selfish desire he ever had. He gave up on trying to save the world, to make society a better place. The only thing he kept from his old life was his desire to help others. But instead of just being generous it was more like he became a tool to help fulfill other people’s desires. He did everything for everyone else, no matter how dangerous the task, and never did anything for himself.”
“I’m… starting to see how it could be possible to be too generous,” Rarity commented.
Katsuo nodded. “Somewhat ironically, this made him the perfect candidate for OOO. Since it runs on the Core Medals, which in a way are super concentrated desire, it meant that he couldn’t be influenced by them. After all, how can you manipulate or corrupt a desire that doesn’t exist?”
“So, how does that relate to not using all three medals of one color?” Twilight asked, having gone back to her notes.
“Using all three of the same color medals at a time does more than just let you use their individual power together. Since all three of the colors are synched up, it provides a massive power boost and added abilities. For example, if I used all the red ones like Dash suggested, I wouldn’t only have advanced sight, the Taja Spinner, and clawed feet, I’d also have another set of fire attacks and I could fly.”
“Seriously! Awesome! We should try that next time!”
“Dash, Ah’m pretty sure if he didn’t do it before, there’s a reason for it,” Applejack butt in.
“Two, actually,” Katsuo began. “First of all, using a Full Combo puts way more stress on the user than doing a combination. It’d tire me out very quickly, and I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if I blacked out or was completely drained for hours on end.”
“So they’re your trump cards,” Spike surmised. “They might be powerful but they’ve got a high cost, so you’ve got to use them only when you need to.”
“Right. And second… well, I think there might be a problem for me that’s worse than what it was for Eiji. But before that, I have to explain the oddity among the Core Medals.” Katsuo reached into his gym bag and pulled out the Medal Case, taking out the Ptera medal. “All of the other Core Medals are based on a desire to get things, to gain something. But the Purple Medals are based on the destruction of desire. In essence, they are a desire for Nothingness.”
“‘Nothingness’?” Fluttershy asked, whimpering a bit as she shrunk down.
“Sometimes what someone wants most is to lose something, not to gain it. It can be as mundane as ‘I wish I could lose all this weight’ to ‘I wish this whole world would just disappear.”
Everypony gulped at that last idea.
“Anyway, at one point the Purple Core Medals were unleashed, and some of them were attracted to Eiji for the very reason he was able not be influenced by the other Core Medals.”
“Because he lacked desire,” Spike surmised.
“Right. Except instead of just going to him, they actually went inside him. After that, whenever Eiji was in mortal danger, the Medals activated and went Full Combo on him. It was by far his most powerful transformation, enough that no Yummy or Greeed could stand up to him, but at cost. Namely that he just attacked everything. Whatever had his attention, friend or foe, and when he was done with one target he moved on to the next. Some of his friends were able get him out of the transformation, by both being able to reach out to Eiji to help him fight off the rage and by getting close enough to deactivate the OOO Driver themselves. And the other issue was that it tired him out far more than any of his other Full Combos. It truly lived up to it’s name of ‘Berserker.’”
“So, he just went crazy every time he was in danger?” Rainbow asked.
“At first, though he eventually learned to call it out on his own, he still didn’t have control. Then eventually he actually did manage to transform without losing control, though the form was somewhat weaker because of it. Unfortunately, the reason Eiji was able to control it was because he had finally gained a desire: he wanted power. That desire eventually overwhelmed him and he ended up turning into a Greeed himself.”
“You mean it’s possible for anypony to become a Greeed?” Applejack asked, concerned.
“With the assistance of Core Medals, yes. Eiji was eventually able to become human again by getting a better handle on his desire. He realized he didn’t just want power, he wanted the power to help anyone and everyone. In essence, he had regained his desire to save the world.”
“I see," Twilight muttered as she continued to take notes.
“But hold on, I don’t get it. All you need to do is avoid that one Combo, and you’ll be fine, right?” Dash asked.
“Darling, haven’t you been listening?” Rarity rolled her eyes.
“Unlike Eiji,I do already have desire in me, and I doubt I have as much control over it and the willpower to keep control over myself,” Katsuo explained. “Which means it’s very possible that every Full Combo will be a Berserker Mode for me.”
“Oh… But you don’t know for sure, right?” Dash asked.
“True, but I don’t want to risk it.”
“Well, that was very interesting. Can we move on to the Greeeds and Yummy’s now?” Twilight asked.
“Sure. First, the Greeeds. As I mentioned before they were created from the imbalance of the ten Core Medals of each color. Their story is actually rather tragic, as they are born with a sense of being unfulfilled, with having a void they cannot fill. Their vision is muted, unable to see colors in their full glory, their hearing is muffled, even their taste is virtually non-existent. In the show one of the Greeeds couldn’t taste the difference between a hard candy and plastic toy ball, eating both of them and insisting they both tasted good. And even worse than all that, it can be argued that they don’t actually feel emotions. They might go through the motions, but they might truly not actually feel anything.”
“Oh, how awful!” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Yeah. They’d be more sympathetic if it wasn’t for what they did in response. Namely that in order to fill those voids they’ll step on everyone and do anything for even a little taste of what they want, even going so far as to fight each other. Since they don’t have all nine of their Core Medals right now, getting them back will be their main concern. As they get more Core Medals their power will spike up. And if they managed to get all nine, their power will become exponentially higher, to the point where even a Full Combo would have trouble taking them down. Moreover, they’ll stop going after Medals and instead focus on trying to fulfill what they want most. For example, one of the past Greeeds desired to feel motherly love more than anything else, so she ended up kidnapping mothers and their children, imprisoning them in spheres, and draining the feeling of love from them. Though she didn’t get far, it was outright stated she was going to do this until they died. And more importantly, no amount was ever enough, so she was just going to keep doing this over and over.”
“Goodness! This is more dangerous than I thought!” Rarity gasped.
“Yeah. But Core Medals aren’t the only thing the Greeeds need, they need Cell Medals as well, and that’s where the Yummy’s come in. A Greeed can implant a Cell Medal inside a person, and the Yummy will be created based on that person’s desire. If the desire is too simple and easily fulfilled, like ‘I want a piece of candy’, a Yummy can’t be created from that. But harder to fulfill desires, whether they be difficult to complete or difficult to satisfy, those are what makes Yummy’s.”
“I see. What exactly happens after that?” Twilight asked, still writing notes.
“Depending on the Yummy it can take some time for it to take a unique form, but once it does it will go out and attempt to fulfill the person’s desire, usually a twisted version of it. Another thing it could do is cause a person to indulge in that desire more than they usually would. Either way, doing so causes the Yummy to build up Cell Medals inside of it. The Greeeds use Cell Medals both as a way to keep their form and also as a way to use their abilities. If Core Medals are the heart and soul of a Greeed, then Cell Medals are the body and blood. Yummy’s however, are made entirely out of Cell Medals, and though they may have some personality exist solely as a means to gather Cell Medals, unlike Greeeds who can make decisions. In addition, the people under influence from Yummy’s tend to feel a sort of euphoria, sometimes to the point that they don’t find anything odd about the Yummy’s existence when they see it. The more a person indulges in their desire, the more Cell Medals a Yummy creates and the more powerful it grows.”
“Then can you snap somepony out of it?” Rainbow asked.
“It’s possible, but it doesn’t always work. For some, the shock of the Yummy existing is enough for them to reject it. For others, they hesitantly go along with it because it’s doing what they want. Others are perfectly happy with having a Yummy fulfill their desires and want their existence to continue.”
“Who would want one of those dreadful things around?” Rarity asked, aghast.
“Well, and this is on the darker end of the spectrum, imagine you’re a criminal that was sent to jail because your accomplice ratted you out. Your greatest desire becomes a need for revenge and to kill that person, and now suddenly you’ve got a super powered monster that not only breaks you out of jail but wants to kill that person for you, as well as anyone that gets in your way.”
“Sweet Celestia,” Applejack muttered.
“But what if your desire is good?” Spike asked. “What if what you wanted most was to help people?”
“I’m glad you brought that up, because that happened once or twice. One time there was someone who had a desire to uphold the law and punish evildoers, and a Yummy was born from that. The first thing it did was beat up a purse snatcher, and then it even returned the purse to the lady who it was taken from. But things just went downhill from there, as it started just attacking anyone who did anything bad. Bullies picking on an old lady, teenagers playing their music too loud, kids on their skateboards where they weren’t allowed to: all of them bad guys that needed to be punished. And it dealt with them all the same way.”
“Beating them up,” Spike finished.
“Exactly.”
“Jeez. So there really is no way it can turn out well.”
Katsuo hung his head. “... I’m sorry.”
“Huh?” Applejack asked.
“I… I’ve made this world a lot more dangerous for you all. If I never indulged in my selfish desire you all wouldn’t be in this dangerous situation. I’m sorry.”
Twilight smiled. “Physician, heal thyself.”
“Huh?” Katsuo asked, raising his head.
“You were the one telling us about how desire isn’t a bad thing in itself. You should take your own advice.”
“B-But-”
“So you caused some problems, we’ve all done things that have caused problems before. We just make sure to do what we can to fix them. Just like you’re doing.”
“Yeah, Katsy!” Pinkie added. “Just look at all this stuff you’re doing to help us! You’re even going to go fight those scary Yummy and Greeed thingies yourself!”
“Got to admit kid, I was a little worried, but I think I trust you now,” Rainbow said.
“‘W-Worried?’” Katsuo asked.
“I was so caught up in everything that I didn’t even think about it until last night, but I was kinda suspicious of you. I mean, a monster shows up and you suddenly come in like some old-time hero? It just felt a little too convenient, and the fact that you were sleeping at AJ’s house made me a little nervous. But I guess I was just overthinking it. You’re a good kid, Short Stack.”
“Y-You… You thought I was a spy or something?” Katsuo asked, looking both surprised and hurt.
Rainbow flinched. “Geez. Now I feel really bad. You never even thought about that kind of thing, huh? You really are a stand-up guy.”
Katsuo stared for a few more moments before smiling widely. “Thank you for trusting me.”
“How about a lighter topic?” Rarity suggested. “What exactly did you do before you came here, Katsuo? You mentioned you had sewn your outfit yourself. Are you a tailor, or a costume maker perhaps?”
“Actually, those are just hobbies. Something I could do that wouldn’t hurt me, you know?”
“Hurt you?”
“Oh, right. Ah forgot ta tell ya. Katsuo here said that he was born with a condition,” Applejack explained. “Really weak bones. The way he tells it, Ah probably coulda broken his hand just by shakin’ it. Somethin’ that the feller who sent him here fixed, though.”
“Seriously?” Rainbow asked. “No wonder you’re such a twig.”
“Yeah. I never really thought I was going to be able to do anything physical in my life. One of the reasons I decided to go to culinary school,” Katsuo admitted.
“You’re a chef?” Fluttershy asked.
“In training. I mostly focus in desserts, specifically pastries.”
“Oh, is that why you were looking over the milkshake?” Spike asked.
“Yeah. It’s a really classic design, but it’s not my style. I like adding a little flair to my creations.”
“Hey, maybe you can work here!” Pinkie suggested. “The Cakes probably wouldn’t mind the extra help!”
“Yeah, I’m sure they could use another pastry chef,” Rainbow added.
Katsuo suddenly seized up. “... ‘Pastry chef?’” he muttered before suddenly shooting up out of his chair, startling everypony. “‘PASTRY CHEF!?’” he shouted. “I AM NO MERE PASTRY CHEF! I AM A PATISSIER! I DO NOT SIMPLY BAKE COOKIES AND CAKES! I MAKE ART !”
“U-Um, is there a problem here?” Mrs. Cake asked, nervously walking over, wanting to make sure that the unexpected hamminess wouldn’t scare away other customers.
“Dude, calm down! What’s the big deal!?” Rainbow asked.
Katsuo’s face contorted into a scowl. He then grabbed Mrs. Cake and ripped her apron off her, much to her shock. “I’m commandeering your kitchen,” he said forcefully before tying the apron around himself and stomping into the bakery, grabbing a startled Mr. Cake and pulling him along, leaving the ponies and dragon behind to simply stare.
“... Should we stop him?” Spike asked.
“I’m a little too afraid to get close to him right now,” Mrs. Cake replied.
For the next two hours there was no noise from the kitchen aside from the numerous sounds of cooking until finally Mr. Cake and Katsuo walked out, both of them covered in all manner of cake batter, frosting, powdered sugar, and fruit juice, with Mr. Cake holding a tray of sweets. He set it down on the table, Katsuo standing proudly as he directed everypony’s attention to treats.
“Strawberry Shortcake, Mango Jelly Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse topped with strawberry, Lemon Raspberry Cheesecake shots, Whole Watermelon Jelly, and Fruit Medley and Granola Parfaits. Ladies, Spike, enjoy,” he said before bowing.
Everypony was stunned. They didn’t all just look good, they looked like something out of a cooking magazine, something that would be irreplicable by any except the most expert hands. Despite their watering mouths, they almost didn’t want to touch any of them, feeling as if they would be touching a clay pot before it had finished hardening. Eventually, however, their stomachs won out and they all took a bite of something.
Euphoric moans filled the room as shivers of delight ran up and down their bodies. None of them had ever had anything so good. Katsuo glowed with pride as from the reaction, not noticing Mr. and Mrs. Cake whispering to each other behind him.
“Um, Katsuo, was it?” Mrs. Cake began.
“Hm?”
“Would you perhaps be interested in a job here?” Mr. Cake asked.
Katsuo blinked a few times. “M-Me?”
Katsuo had been hired and was expected to start working at Sugar Cube Corner starting next week, with the caveat that he had to be allowed to leave any time he needed to do any Kamen Rider work. He was ecstatic, not only at the fact that he had a job in a field he had been training for, but also because he could contribute to his new family.
Afterwards, Spike had asked if the two of them could hang out for a bit, which Katsuo agreed. Now they were in the basement of the Golden Oaks Library, Spike having gotten Katsuo a bowl of popcorn and set up a projector with a sofa in front of it.
“So, what exactly did you call me for here, Spike?” Katsuo asked.
“Just wait, you’re gonna love this, I can tell!” the dragon insisted. He reached into a box and carefully pulled out a film reel, treating it like it was more delicate than a jewel before placing it in the projector. “Oh, you have no idea how hard these are to get ahold of! Not to mention, I managed to get a guy back in Canterlot to add subs instead of the dubbed version.”
Katsuo perked up at that. “‘Subs?’ You mean ‘subtitles?’”
Spike just smiled and started the projector. What came on made his jaw drop as he saw a pony dressed in black armor, with a helmet bearing a wolf design and golden muffler around his neck driving towards the screen in what looked like a motorcycle. The theme song started the moment the title came.
JUSTICE HUNTER
Katsuo turned to Spike. “No way.”
“Yup. Straight from Neighpon. It hasn’t gotten much attention in this region, but the series has been going for thirty years. Not as long as the Kamen Rider series you mentioned, but still.”
Katsuo couldn’t believe it, even the theme song sounded similar to the first Kamen Rider.
“Spike, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Author's Note
Oh my god, this took so much longer than I thought it was going to. I'm so sorry. Anyway, some more character building and some of the lore of OOO for those of you unfamiliar. Not too many spoilers, I hope.
Now I just need to think of how Yummy's could fit into the episodes. BTW, in case you were wondering, this is taking place a little more than halfway through season 1. That's right, Katsuo's going to meet Discord.
Twilight's Notes: Information
OOO Driver: The object that allows the user to become Kamen Rider OOO. It should be noted that the Driver can only work for one being that it has “bonded” to (we tested this, Katsuo is the only one it works for). The Driver functions using a combination of three Core Medals in the three slots, the combination of which determines the form and powers the form will take and have. When attached to the user the Driver creates a belt that had a Scanning Disc for activating transformations and powerful finishing moves (Scanning Charges), a small pouch for carrying Cell Medals, and a single edged sword called Medajalibur.
Core Medals and Their Respective Powers: There are seven colors of Core Medals, each possessing nine Medals, three of each type. In terms of usability by OOO, they fit into either Head, Torso, or Leg categories. Each one also has an animal theme.
Note that the names of Medals will either be in Neighponese/Japanese or an oddly pronounced form of Equestrian/English that Katsuo has dubbed “Engrish.”
Red: BirdTaka (Hawk). Allows the user enhanced sight including telescopic vision and a sort of X-Ray vision. Kujaku (Peacock): Summons a small shield-like item referred to as the “Taja Spinner” on the left arm. This object has seven slots for Medals, usually filled with Cell Medals, but can have Core Medals inserted instead. Can shoot balls or streams of fire, has a fiery melee attack, and can block attacks. In addition it can perform an additional Scanning Charge referred to as a “Giga Scan.” Condor. Allows the feet to function as “talons,” energy projections of blades on the feet.
Yellow: Big CatRion (Lion). Allows the user to project a blinding light from their head. Tora (Tiger). Gives the user folding bladed gauntlets. As well as functioning as melee weapons they can fire energy blades the claws for a projectile attack. Cheetah. Super speed and rapid kicks.
Green: InsectKuwagata (Stag Beetle). Has two mandible like horns that can be used for melee. Can also discharge electrical attacks. Kamakiri (Praying Mantis). Gives the user two large collapsible arm blades. Batta (Grasshopper). Increased jumping ability and kicking power.
Grey: Heavy AnimalsSai (Rhino). Gives the user a sturdy single horn. Gorilla. Gives the user two club-like bludgeoning fists and increased arm strength. Can fire the fists off for a projectile attack. Zou (Elephant). Increased leg strength and being able to produce shockwaves by stomping.
Blue: Aquatic AnimalsShachi (Orca Whale). Allows the user to breathe underwater, use echolocation for sonar, and firing high velocity blasts of water. Unagi (Eel). Gives the user two whips that can channel electricity. Tako (Octopus). Allows the user’s legs to easily stick to any surface and transform into tentacles for combat.
Orange: ReptilesCobura (Cobra). Gives the user infared vision. Kame (Turtle). Gives the user two shield gauntlets that can project energy barriers. Wani (Alligator). Allows the user to attack with a chomping attack from the legs.
Purple: DinosaurPtera (Pteranodon). Gives wings to allow for flight. Tricera (Triceratops). Gives the user two extendable shoulder horns. Tyranno (Tyrannosaurus). Gives the user clawed feet and a powerful tail.
Cell Medals: Like Core Medals, Cell Medals are also concentrated Desire, but are much less powerful. They can be used for certain abilities, but disappear after their power has been expended, unlike Core Medals which seem to be able to use their power indefinitely. Cell Medals are not entirely uniform, but they are all silver in color and have the same effect and power.
Full Combos: Full Combos occur when the three slots of the OOO Driver are filled by Core Medals of the same color. This not only allows the user to use all their powers, but provides a significant power boost and grants more abilities. It also puts increased strain on his body.
TaJaDor: Taka, Kujaku, CondorSummoning a flurry of feather-shaped projectiles, ability to fly.
RaToraTah: Rion, Tora, CheetahCan exude and sun-like heat along with light.
GataKiriBa: Kuwagata, Kamakiri, BattaCan create clones that can attack and move individually. While the exact number is unknown, Katsuo mentioned the highest number he’d seen was about twenty or thirty.
SaGoZo: Sai, Gorilla, ZouCan control gravity.
ShaUTa: Shachi, Unagi, TakoQuick swimming, transforming into water and firing jets of water from all parts of the body.
BuraKaWani: Cobura, Kame, WaniCan extend a cobra from the hood and can control other snake-like creatures.
PuToTyra: Ptera, Tricera, TyrannoCan expel ice and freezing gusts of wind.
WARNING: Katsuo has mentioned that while power it may cause him to go into a “Berserker Mode”, where he attacks whatever currently has his attention, friend or foe. This would also exhaust him more than if he was in control of the Full Combo. As such, he is going to what he can to not use it as to not risk Berserker.
Weapons: Katsuo has mentioned that OOO has two weapons, although at the moment he only has one. However, he mentioned that the other may become available to him in the future.
Medajalibur: A single edged sword about three feet in length. It also has a slot to insert Cell Medals, and can hold up to three. OOO can use this as a melee weapon or, after inserting one, two, or three Cell Medals, can perform a Scanning Charge for a powerful attack and finishing move. The most powerful, a Triple Scanning Charge, Katsuo describes as having the effect of seeming to slice through reality. However, he also mentions that anything aside from an enemy that was cut by this immediately returns to its original state. The enemy is destroyed.
Medagabryu: An axe-like weapon that is associated with the PuToTyra Combo, though can be used by other forms. It can use Cell Medals to use a powerful strike that actually has the power to destroy Core Medals. In PuToTyra mode it can be changed to be used like a cannon (Katsuo called it a “bazooka”) and unleash a powerful projectile attack. Katsuo mentioned he is unlikely to gain this weapon unless he uses the PuToTyra Combo, so with the previous warning in mind it is unlikely he will have access to it anytime soon.
Greeeds: Sapient creatures of concentrated Desire that possess magic-like powers. Each one is based one is based on a certain category of animals based on the Core Medals that make them up. Each one has their own particular motivations, but in the end are all based upon fulfilling some desire, which they will go to any length to satisfy, no matter whom or what is in their way.
Cell Medals help make up their body, while Core Medals are more their soul. Each one has one Core Medal that functions as their “brain,” and if it is destroyed they will not be revived even if the other eight Core Medals are intact. Once they retrieve all nine Core Medals of their main color, they will obtain a massive increase in power and abilities, to the point that some even have slight reality-warping powers.
Greeeds can absorb Core Medals from colors other than their own colors, gaining them powers that they would not receive normally. However, doing so too quickly will cause them to go out of control and simply become raging monsters. A Greeed may gain control over these powers if they add other Core Medals slowly and give their body time to adjust. It should also be noted that no matter how many other Core Medals they gain, a Greeed will not unlock their Nine Core Medal form without all nine Medals of their own color.
Yummys: Yummys are created when a Greeed implants a Cell Medal inside of a pony, and are made entirely out of Cell Medals. A Yummy’s only purpose is it accumulate more Cell Medals, which it does by fulfilling the desire of the one it was born from, often twisting that desire in a way that makes it easily fulfilled and often destructive. It should be noted that although they sometimes have a bit of personality, Yummy’s are not truly sapient.
A Yummy’s form and type will be based upon the Greeed that created, and the Desire that it was born from will also have an effect on its form and abilities. The pony who the Yummy was born from may or may not be aware of they Yummy’s existence, and even may be put under a state of euphoria until they notice it. Other times they may be fully aware of its existence and embrace the Yummy entirely. A pony who rejects a Yummy may be snapped out of their euphoria, and those who embrace them will be snapped out when the Yummy is destroyed.
Types of Yummys
White Yummy: This Yummy is directly created from the pony and first appears as a mummy-like figure. After indulging in desire for some time, it will evolve into a more matured and unique Yummy.
Parasite Yummy: This Yummy will develop inside the host and will be able to control their actions, forcing them to indulge in their desire even against their will. It can also cause body alterations to the pony based on its form, and can eventually overwhelm the pony and take it’s true form. This Yummy is particularly dangerous because if the host is not removed from the Yummy, they could be destroyed along with it. A host can by physically forced from the Yummy, or it might decide to leave on its own for whatever reason, but can easily retake its host.
Nest Yummy: A nest Yummy is unique in that a gathering of fish-like eggs will be created somewhere the host tends to be most often. As desire is accumulated it will increase in the number of eggs, and can actually spawn multiple identical Yummys. If the nest is not destroyed, it could potentially produce and infinite number of Yummys.
Self-Made Yummy: A Yummy created from the Greeed itself, this Yummy tends to be very basic and can fulfill whatever desire the Greeed was currently thinking of. It cannot actually increase the number of Cell Medals it has, as it was created from a Greeed and not a pony.
Egg Yummy: This Yummy first gathers desire as a bird like egg before hatching into a form similar to a White Yummy. It will then quickly evolve into a more unique Yummy.
Object Yummy: This Yummy is created from inanimate objects, and can have powers based upon the object or whatever feelings may have been attached to it. The Yummy born from it will be fully formed, skipping a development stage.
That’s all I have for now. If Katsuo remembers anything else, or we discover anything else, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Your Faithful Student,
Twilight Sparkle.
Celestia sat back and thought. On the one hand, this situation was more dangerous than she had thought, and she might have to take extra measures. On the other hoof, Katsuo giving up this much information proved that she had made the right decision, showing not only that he was the most knowledgeable on the subject but also that he was fully committed to protecting her subjects.
I look forwards to being able to publically thank you for your deeds, little hero, she thought with a smile.
Author's Note
Just an inclusion of all the stuff I felt couldn't be added naturally in the previous chapter. Made as a letter to Celestia to incorporate it better into the plot.
View Online
New World Introduction / Power of Medals / A Hero's Declaration!
Katsuo had managed to get a hold of himself after the white one with elegant and curly hair apologized.
“I-I’m s-sorry,” he managed to say while wiping his eyes. “It’s j-just that I w-worked r-really hard-d on this-s, p-put a l-lot of t-time and en-nergy into it. A-And to hear s-someone call it… well-”
“W-Well, I’m sorry as well,” she apologized, looking genuinely ashamed. “To have insulted you, especially after you came to help us. And, well, to be honest, it’s not the worst thing I’ve seen by any means. I suppose it’s just a little garish for my tastes. So, it was Katsuo correct?”
“Uh, yeah, Katsuo Pollux. And who are you?”
“You may call me Rarity, or ‘Miss Rarity’ if you prefer,” she answered, giving an elegant bow.
She was dressed in a white buttoned up and collared blouse with sleeves down to her elbows, and was tucked into a light blue skirt that extended down to about the midway point of her thighs, high enough to show off some skin (or in this case fur?) but low enough to aptly protect her modesty. It also apparently didn’t impede her carefully groomed tail from coming out the back. On her legs were some black thigh high hosiery with straps that ran up her skirt, probably connected to a garter belt, and on her feet were a pair of black and glossy high heeled shoes. On her left wrist was silver bracelet, and a light blue floppy bow tie was tied under her collar and pinned with a silver clip designed like a gem. A pair of blue gemstones hung from her ears, and she had a noticeable application of blue eye shadow and well applied black eyeliner. All of this framed her rather well developed and tall body, standing high enough that Katsuo’s eyes were about level with her ample breasts, a thought made him blush heavily before shaking it out of his head. Despite the fact that he would never consider himself a furry, he had to admit she looked stunning.
“Well Miss Rarity, would you mind explaining where I am and what you all are?” he asked politely.
She blinked for a moment before replying. “Well, I am a unicorn, and this is the town of Ponyville. Does that answer your question?”
“Well, um, sort of. You don’t look like what I would think of when I would hear the word ‘unicorn’. And also, I assume you wouldn’t call her a unicorn,” he commented pointing to the blue girl with wings. “Or her,” he added pointing to the pink girl with neither a horn or wings, who unlike the rest of the group looked excited instead of curious or afraid, happily waving back to him. “Also, I’ve never heard of Ponyville before.”
“It seems we have quite a bit to discuss,” came another voice. This one belonged to another unicorn girl, judging by the horn on her head. Her hair and tail were three colors, arranged in such a way Katsuo doubted it was natural. She wore a powder blue collared blouse with sleeves stopping at her upper arms over a white long sleeved shirt. She had on a violet skirt that part on only her right side, just enough to allow her unimpeded leg movement, and extended down to her knees. She also wore a pair of brown loafers and some white socks. She was a bit shorter than Rarity, maybe by a few inches, but still much taller than he was. Her body wasn’t quite as filled out as Rarity’s but she was certainly cute and possessed a modest bust.
Why am I thinking about those things, anyway? Katsuo thought to himself. I mean they’re horses for pete’s sake, so what if she’s cute!? It’s not like I’d have a chance with her anyway! … Wait.
He decided to cut off that train of thought before it got somewhere he didn’t want to think about.
“Before we explain anything, though, there’s one thing I’d like to ask you,” she continued.
“U-Um, yes?”
“Why did you help us?”
Katsuo puffed his chest out with pride and smiled. “Because you were in trouble.”
She looked at him for a moment her expression changed to one of surprise, apparently expecting more. “That’s it?”
“Do I need another reason?”
She stared at him for a few moment before sighing in relief. “Ok then. Just give me a moment. There’s somepony you need to meet,” she said.
“Somepony?” Really?
Her horn lit up with a magenta aura and in a flash a scroll, a quill, and an ink well popped into existence. Katsuo looked shocked as she wrote on the scroll and then rolled it up before handing it to a small lizard creature next to her, perhaps the only thing Katsuo saw for that was shorter than him. The lizard took the scroll and breathed a green flame on it, burning it to a puff of smoke.
“Um… Why did he burn that?” Katsuo asked.
The unicorn blinked for a moment. “... It looks like we have lot to talk about.”
Katsuo was waiting along with the seven he had met before inside of a library that seemed to be built into a tree that appeared to be very much alive. He had also been introduced to the others in the group that hadn’t been named yet.
The small one, Spike, was actually a dragon. They called him a “baby dragon”, but considering he walked, talked, and was the assistant of the lavender unicorn, whose name was Twilight Sparkle, he really wouldn’t think of him as a “baby.” He wasn’t wearing any clothes, but considering that it didn’t look like he had anything to show off, it seemed that wasn’t a problem.
The next was a tall orange coated “earth pony” named Applejack, who possessed neither wings nor a horn. She was taller than Rarity by a few inches, and wore a red plaid shirt tied in the front, showing off the white tank top she wore underneath. A pair of blue jeans that had obviously seen plenty of of use showed off her powerful legs, brown boots covered her feet, and it was all capped off by a stetson hat. Her body was bore noticeable muscle strength, and she also had a sizeable bust size, around the same size of Rarity.
The there was a blue one with wings, a pegasus named Rainbow Dash, one of the few closer to Katsuo in terms of height, though a few inches taller. She wore a brown bomber jacket over a white tank top. She wore a pair of navy athletic shorts that stopped high up her thighs and wore black running shoes with orange stripes over orange high socks. Her muscle was lean and defined, obviously built for stamina, while her assets were practically non-existent, almost flat chested. At the moment she was lying on a couch and nursing a bandaged wound on her leg from where the monster attacked her.
The one tending that wound was another pegasus named Fluttershy, who was about the same height as the more athletic pegasus, wearing a green turtleneck sweater that seemed to simultaneously hide and emphasize a bust that seemed too big for her petite body, something along the size of Applejack or Rarity. She wore a white skirt that extended down to her shins, and her feet were covered with nothing more than sandals. Every time Katsuo glanced her way she meeped slightly and moved behind the couch, peeking over cautiously.
I know so many people who would practically die just looking at you, he thought. It was also her reaction that caused him to realize how many of their names seemed to be perfectly suited to their personalities, far too closely for him to think it was a coincidence.
Finally there was the other earth pony, Pinkie Pie, who was about the same height as Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash. She was dressed in a yellow crop top, showing off her midriff, with a light blue hoodie over that that she kept open. She also wore pink denim short-shorts that also seemed to have suspenders, and pink high top shoes with white laces over a pair of shin high yellow and blue striped socks. Her body showed that she a had a bit of fat on her, but despite having a bust about the same size a Twilight “voluptuous” was the best way to describe her body, having “all the right curves in all the right places”, as the song went. Her personality, on the other hand, could only be called “bouncy”, and ever since they had introduced themselves she seemed to be swaying from side to side, smiling brightly as if anticipating something exciting was about to happen.
At the moment they were all currently waiting for a “Princess Celestia”, Spike having apparently sent the message by “dragonfire.”
Unicorns, pegasi, Princesses, dragonfire. As the saying goes “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore,” Katsuo thought.
At that moment the sound of something touching down could be heard from outside. All the ponies, minus Rainbow Dash, immediately perked, Twilight actually standing at attention. A few moments later two stallions stepped in, one white and the other grey. Both of them were dressed in what looked like golden centurion armor, complete with blue helmet crests. They were both armed with polearms and had short swords strapped to their sides. Both of them scanned the room quickly before stopping on Katsuo for a moment. Their harsh glares caused him to seize up and stand at attention in response. After another moment of hesitation they both moved aside to let somepony else in.
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight called, rushing up and hugging the new arrival.
The Princess smiled and hugged her back. “Hello, Twilight. It’s good to see you unharmed,” she replied, her voice gentle.
The two broke the embrace and Twilight bowed, as did the other ponies, minus Rainbow Dash, though she seemed to be moving to get up.
“Please, rest Rainbow Dash. You’ve earned a rest for your bravery,” she said. She then turned to Katsuo. “So, is this him?”
“Yes, Princess. He says his name is Katsuo Pollux,” Twilight explained. “Please, introduce… Katsuo?”
The boy’s eyes were wide and he couldn’t turn his eyes away from the figure in front of him. The Princess was a towering figure, probably standing at least six and a half feet tall. She possessed both horns and wings, and yet both were more powerful and impressive looking than either the pegasi or the unicorns, especially the horn which must’ve been at least six inches long. She wore a white dress that tightened slightly around her waist before flowing down to her ankles, parting at her hip on the left side but only enough that it wouldn’t impede her movement. She wore a pair of golden cuff bracelets and a golden necklace that extended down to her bust, both embedded with gems. On her feet were golden heels, and on her head a golden tiara with gems. By far the most eye catching feature was her long multicolored mane and tail, both which flowed in a non-existent wind. Despite her somewhat modest attire Katsuo could still plainly see her body’s features, possessing the biggest bust he’d seen yet and having measurements that look practically sculpted by an artist. Her overall appearance was what many likely would think was the ideal body of a woman.
“Is there something you wish to say, little one?” Celestia asked gently, snapping him out of his awed staring.
Not wanting to admit that he’d been drinking in her appearance, he skipped to the next thought that was true. “...You’re really tall,” he replied stupidly.
Celestia raised an eyebrow at him before chuckling. “I suppose I am,” she agreed before walking over to the nearby table. Without really thinking, Katsuo rushed over and pulled the chair out for her. “My, how chivalrous,” she commented before sitting down and crossing her legs, something that Katsuo had to force himself not to stare it.
Why? Why am I acting like some lovestruck idiot? Is it just her appearance or-?
It was in the middle of that thought that the boy realized something. He quickly scanned the room to confirm what he was thinking.
I’ve never been around this many girls at once in my entire life. No wonder I’m acting like a hormone driven dork.
“Now, I’m to understand that there was a monster attack not too long ago, and you defeated it. Is that correct?” Celestia asked.
“U-Um, yes. That’s right,” Katsuo replied.
“That’s quite impressive. Even my trained guards have had trouble dealing with them, as has my student Twilight, and her magic is not something to scoff at,” she explained, causing Twilight to blush and shuffle her a bit and embarrassment. “To be quite honest, though they haven’t posed me too much of a threat, I have been the only to be able to beat them on my own. How is it you were able to do such a thing?”
“It’s because he’s Ooze!” Pinkie answered cheerfully.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “‘Ooze’?”
“N-No, it’s not ‘Ooze’ it’s ‘OOO’. Like, more than one ‘O’,” he explained. “I’m Kamen Rider OOO.”
“‘Kamen… Rider’? Perhaps you could explain?” Celestia asked, motioning for him to continue.
“It’s, uh, a TV show. A long running one, actually, it’s been going for more than forty years now,” he began began standing up straight and puffing his chest out with pride. “A Kamen Rider is a defender of justice, one who puts his life on the line for those who cannot protect themselves. Someone who brings hope no matter how dark things are, and always pushes forwards no matter what. Even if it makes their lives miserable, so long as they can put a smile on someone’s face, they will fight on! That’s what it means to be Kamen Rider!”
The room fell silent after his declaration. Twilight, Rarity, Applejack and Fluttershy looked surprised, while Pinkie continued to smile brightly. Spike looked completely awed, his eyes sparkling in excitement.
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “That’s pretty cheesy, short stack,” she joked.
Katsuo only smirked back. “So what? Cheesy is fine when you mean it.”
Celestia smiled. “That’s quite a statement, young one. But I’m still curious, how is it you were able to defeat this monster? I don’t sense much magic from you. In fact, I don’t believe I a sense any at all, which in itself is quite odd.”
“Oh, um, just a moment!” Katsuo said before moving to his duffel bag. He pulled out the OOO Driver and the case of Core Medals, setting the case on the table before slapping the Driver on his waist, causing the belt to magically appear. He then opened up the case, retrieving three Medals. “This is how I was able to do it. Just watch.” He placed a Core Medal in each slot before turning the Driver, causing it to hum with power. He then grabbed the scanning disc and ran it along the belt, causing three chimes to sound. “Hensin!” he shouted.
A display of medals circled around him before three stopped in front of him, each stop coming with a name.
KUWAGATA!KUJAKU!CHEETAH!
The three images merged and came to his chest, and in a flash he was armored again. This time the circle in the center was different, the top green and shaped like a stag beetle, the center red and looking like wings being fanned out, and the bottom the profile of a large cat. His armor also had a different shape, the helmet having two horns that looked like the mandibles of a stag beetle and orange lenses. The arms possessed red pointed shoulder pads, gauntlets that had a similar design, and the the left wrist having a small red shield mounted on it. The grieves on his legs were yellow and covered more than his previous green ones did, covering all of his legs to his upper thighs.
“This is how I was able to beat that Yummy,” he explained. “This is the power I wield.”
Celestia looked genuinely surprised. Before she could say anything though, Pinkie interrupted.
“Where’s the song?” she asked, looking confused.
“Huh?”
“The song. The one that played last time.”
“Oh! Uh, hold on.” Katsuo righted his Driver and pulled out the three medals before walking back over to the case and pulling out three different medals, replacing the ones he had before with them. He angled the Driver and ran the scanning disc over the belt again, causing a similar display from before to appear.
TAKA!TORA! BATTA! Ta-To-Ba! TaToBa Ta-To-Ba!
Katsuo’s armor now appeared the same way it did earlier.
“There it is!” Pinkie exclaimed in glee, hopping as she did. “T a- To- Ba! Ta To Ba Ta- To- Ba!” she sung as she did a little jig. “Oh, that’s fun!”
Katsura couldn't help but chuckle. “You're funny! I like you!”
“Aww, I like you too!” she replied before she bounced over and hugged him, the boy secretly thanking that the helmet hid his blush.
“Pardon me, but, ‘Yummy’?” Celestia interjected.
“Huh?”
“A Yummy. That’s what you called that creature. You know what it is, don’t you?”
“Oh, right. Um, I guess I should explain,” Katsuo began after freeing himself from Pinkie’s grasp. “Well, a Yummy is… actually, no, hold on a minute, this doesn’t feel right.”
“What do you mean?” Celestia asked.
“Just… work with me here for a moment, okay?” Celestia stared at him suspiciously for a moment before nodding. Katsuo responded by leaping into the air high enough to land on one of the bookshelves. He then turned and swung his arms out dramatically. “This is the tale of OOO! How one man’s ambition set into play a series of events that would bring terror to the world long after his passing!”
Most everyone stared at him with a mix of shock and confusion. The exceptions were Spike, who seemed to be soaking this all in like a child being told a new bedtime story, Celestia, who chuckled in amusement at Katsuo’s hamminess, and Pinkie, who had somehow pulled out a bucket of popcorn and began eating.
“Eight hundred years ago, there was a king who sought a new power, the power to conquer the world! He had his alchemists create for him the items that he would use for this, the Core Medals!” he shouted as he motioned to motioned to the case of brightly colored coins. “By condensing the essences of animals into coins, they created a power that the king could use for his goals. A power surpassing infinity itself!”
He then leaped off the bookshelf and landed next to the case. “But, when creating this power, something unexpected happened. Each color had ten Core Medals to them, but then one was removed from each. This caused an imbalance and gave birth to a new existence: the Greeeds! Creatures with unquenchable desires for all number of things, bent on fulfilling their desires no matter what it took. The king fought these creatures, intent on using their power for his own ends, and overpowered them. But the energy of the Core Medals proved too much for the king. He underestimated their power, as well as his own ability to control it, and it spelled his downfall as well as the sealing away of the Greeeds.”
There was a pause as the rest waited for him to see if he would continue.
“That’s quite an interesting story, but you haven’t explained what a Yummy is,” Celestia commented.
“Huh? Ah, so ka ,” he replied before heading over to the large container, pulling out a grey coin. “This is a Cell Medal. They are manifestations of desire, and have energy inside them. Unlike Core Medals, these things have limited power and vanish after they use it up. Greeeds can implant theses into other people, creating Yummys. Yummys are sort of representations of those peoples’ desires, but also take those desires to extremes.”
“W-Wait a minute! Are you saying that those Greeed things are here in Equestria!? And that those monsters we’ve been fighting, those Yummys, were made from ponies!?” Twilight asked in a panic.
“Well, if things are happening the way they did in the show, then yes. That’s probably what’s going on.”
“But wait, how did they get here!?” Rainbow asked.
Celestia, however, looked like she had already put things together. “Katsuo.”
“Huh?”
“You said the Greeeds were born from the Core Medals, correct?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Tell me, how did you come to be in Equestria?”
“Uh, well, I’m not sure really. I remember Joker-san offering me the chance to be a Kamen Rider, and then I blacked out. The next thing I remember I was falling through the sky, and then there was a bright light. After that I remember falling and hitting some castle floor inside a forest.”
“You mean the Everfree Forest? The one near Ponyville?” Rarity asked.
“If that’s what you call it.”
“Which means the castle you arrived in was the old Capitol,” Celestia surmised. “Can you describe the light you saw?”
“It was really bright. Brilliant, actually. And it was the beautiful rainbow of colors. I’d never seen anything like it.”
“...Katsuo… how long have you been in Equestria?”
“Um… about a week, I think. But… somehow it feels like a lot longer. Like-”
“Like you were caught in a dream you couldn’t wake up from?” Celestia finished.
“...Yeah. Something like that.”
“Katsuo… very recently my sister, Princess Luna, returned from her imprisonment. It was something I unfortunately had to force onto her we she attempted to plunge Equestria into eternal night. I used the power of the Elements of Harmony to send her to the Moon… and I think you might have accidentally been sent with her.”
“What!?” everyone gasped.
“But that means he’s a thousand years old!” Spike exclaimed.
“Nani!?” Katsuo shouted back. “What do you mean ‘a thousand years old!?’ That doesn’t make any sense! That would mean she’d have to be at least a thousand years old, too!” he protested, pointing to Celestia.
“I am,” she replied simply.
Katsuo just stared. “...This is a joke, right? You’re all pranking me! I mean, there’s no way someone that beautiful can be that old!”
The room fell silent again. It was then broken by Celestia’s chuckles as she desperately tried to keep herself from bursting out laughing. “What an amusing being you are, Katsuo Pollux. I’ve never met anyone who complimented others when the filter between their thoughts and speech broke down.”
“Wait… so you really are…” Katsuo muttered. “Are you a goddess?”
Celestia smiled. “I suppose that depends on your definition of the word.”
“S-Sugoi…” he muttered before standing attention and bowing deeply. “Gomenasai! Please excuse my informality, Princess Celestia!”
She simply chuckled back. “It’s quite alright. But moving on, there’s one last thing I’d like to ask you Katsuo. These Core Medals you brought with you, how many did you have with you?”
“Oh, well I had ten from each set.” Everypony stared at him. “Uh, what’s wrong?”
“Katsuo, darling. How many of those medals do you have now? Do you have all of them?” Rarity asked hesitantly.
“Uh, no, actually. I think I may have dropped some when I…” Katsuo trailed off, his helmet hiding the slowly dawning realization that he was coming to. After a few moment he grabbed his head and screamed. “AAAAAAAAAH! IT’S MY FAAAAAAAUUUUUULT!” He then dashed over to Celestia, prostrating himself before her. “I’M SORRY! I’M SO SORRY! I DIDN’T MEAN TO! I SWEAR IT WAS AN ACCIDENT! GOMENASAI!”
“That’s quite enough,” Celestia commander, her soft tone still managing to carry power. Katsuo rose to face her. “It’s quite obvious that you had no intention to bring these Greeeds and Yummys to Equestria. I will not punish you for something you had no intention to do.” She rose from her seat. “I thank you for saving my student and her friends, Katsuo Pollux. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to prepare my ponies for what lies ahead,” she stated before walking towards the door.
“Mate! Please wait, Princess Celestia!”
The Princess turned to face Katsuo, her eyebrow raised.
“I know I don’t have the right to ask this, but I beg you to please let me handle the Greeeds and Yummys.” He bowed deeply. “Please, your majesty! Allow me to undo my mistake!”
Celestia thought on this a moment before approaching Katsuo. With a smile she leaned down and whispered in his ear. “You know, I actually enjoy when somepony treats me a little more informally. It gets tiring to hear so many stuffy nobles address me as ‘your majesty’ every day.” She then stood up straight. “I can see the purity of your heart, little one. I will let you protect my ponies from this new threat, provided you give it your all.” She turned and headed towards the door before stopping after a few steps. “My faithful student and her friends should be of great help. I expect great things from you, Kamen Rider OOO.”
Katsuo still seemed shocked before finally snapping himself out of his tupor. He stood up straight and saluted her back. “I won’t let you down! That’s a promise!”
“I’m sure you won’t,” she finished with a smile as she and her guards stepped outside.
“Well, first thing’s first,” Applejack began. “We need ta’ get you a place ta’ sleep.”
“Oh, I should make a list!” Twilight exclaimed in glee. “Spike, get a scroll and get ready to jot this down!”
Author's Note
Ok, so this took a while. I know I'm doing things a bit out of order, but this is the end of the intro for Coming Up OOO. Though there may be a few more chapters dedicating to Katsuo settling into Ponyville, I think this sets everything up quite nicely. Also, I hope I did a good job on the girl's outfits.
See you next time!
